South Africa: Energy investments to help overcome load shedding

Energy investments will help overcome the debilitating load shedding that the country is currently experiencing, as new electricity generation capacity comes online, says President Cyril Ramaphosa.

In his weekly newsletter to the country, the President said that energy continues to be an area of growth in South Africa as the 25 preferred bidders in the fifth round of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme are together expected to invest around R50 billion into the economy.

He said that the increase of the licensing threshold for embedded generation to 100 megawatts is likely to result in substantial private investment in electricity generation projects.



South Africa has recently secured an initial commitment of around R131 billion to fund a just transition to a low carbon economy by investing in renewable energy, green hydrogen and electric vehicles.

This commitment by the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and the European Union is in line with the Paris Agreement, which obliges wealthier countries to support decarbonisation in the developing world. Several new investments in datacentres and undersea cables will not only bring in new investment, but will provide the infrastructure needed for the growth of technology and telecommunications industries, President Ramaphosa said.



An important part of our investment drive are the far-reaching structural reforms we are undertaking in areas such as energy, telecommunications, water and ports and rail.

These reforms will improve efficiency and competitiveness, bringing down the cost of doing business in South Africa, and encouraging greater private investment in our economic infrastructure, he said.

Annual South Africa Investment Conference

The fourth South Africa Investment Conference would have been held this month, but was moved to March next year due to several other events taking place at this time, including the local government elections, the COP26 climate conference and the Intra-African Trade Fair.

President Ramaphosa said that another important reason for holding the conference next year is that there will be far greater COVID-19 vaccination coverage by then, making both travelling and gathering easier.

Although the fourth Investment Conference has been held over by a few months, our ambitious investment drive continues. Even in the midst of the challenging economic environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which was exacerbated by the violence and destruction that occurred in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in July, companies continue to make good on their commitments and to look for other investment opportunities in South Africa, President Ramaphosa said.

The President said that in the last year alone, nearly R120 billion of investment commitments flowed into project construction or expansion, meaning that around 38% of the total investment commitments  or R290 billion  have to date flowed into the economy.

He said that some investments have been delayed due to COVID-19, particularly in hard-hit sectors like property development and tourism.



Just two weeks ago, I attended the launch of Toyotas expanded production line in eThekwini, which will produce South Africas first locally-made hybrid car. This investment was the result of a R2.4 billion commitment the company made at the 2019 South Africa Investment Conference. Also in KwaZulu-Natal, Tetra Pak is expanding its operations with an investment of R500 million, the President said.

Pharmaceuticals an exciting new area of growth



President Ramaphosa said that Aspen Pharmacares newly launched R3.4 billion expansion has turned Aspens Gqeberha manufacturing facility into one of the largest global manufacturing hubs for general anesthetics and has also provided capacity of over 100 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine produced under contract.



He added that the World Health Organization also chose South Africa to host an mRNA vaccine manufacturing hub with the Biovac Institute, which is a public-private partnership with government.

South African-born Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong and his company NantWorks recently announced an ambitious initiative to build capacity for advanced health care in Africa. In addition to the investments they will bring, these developments will also contribute to our collective ambition for the continent to manufacture 60% of its vaccine needs by 2040, he said.

Special Economic Zones

There are currently 13 special economic zones across the country, providing investors with targeted investment incentives, preferential tax rates and export support.

The President said that these provide an attractive manufacturing base for companies seeking to supply both local and international markets.

Their value has increased further with the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area, which officially commenced trading at the beginning of the year.



While the rate of investment has slowed due to the effects of the pandemic, and several projects have been delayed, the investment drive is beginning to gather pace once again, he said.



He said that the environment for investment will improve further as the country makes progress with the implementation of the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan  with its focus on infrastructure, industrial development, employment and structural reform.

Through the investments that are now underway, through the work that social partners are doing to expand local production and through the progress we are making on key reforms, we are building a firm foundation for the success of the fourth South Africa Investment Conference next year, the President said.



Most importantly, the President said that government is building a firm foundation for a sustained economic recovery that encourages further investment, creating more jobs and providing new opportunities for emerging businesses.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-11-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Probe into death of E Cape children underway

South African Police Service (SAPS) Motherwell detectives are investigating an inquest following the death of three children between the ages of four months and 11.

According to the police, it is alleged that the three children accompanied their grandparents on a visit to relatives in New Brighton, Eastern Cape, on Saturday.

They stayed over and on Sunday, the 11-year-old girl went to the shop and bought a packet of noodles, the statement read.

She then cooked it and the three children ate it before leaving to go back to Motherwell.

However, when they arrived home in Motherwell, Sinothando Ngwendu (11) complained about nausea and her grandmother gave her some water to drink.

Then the seven-year-old, Olwam Ngwendu, also experienced stomach cramps and queasiness.

While being driven with private transport to the Motherwell Clinic, they passed away, SAPS said.

Soon after the two cousins left for medical attention, Athenkosi Ngwendu, who was only four months, also passed away en route to the hospital in another vehicle.

According to the police, a post mortem will be conducted to establish the exact cause of their deaths.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-11-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Police nab wanted alleged Facebook serial rapist

A 34-year-old male suspect from Limpopo who was wanted for multiple charges of rape and robberies between July 2020 and August has finally been arrested.

The alleged perpetrator was arrested on Saturday at the Letaba Hospital.

According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), the female victims aged between 22 and 46 were reportedly lured by the suspect, who falsely advertised non-existent domestic and security job opportunities on Facebook.

Some of the desperate victims travelled from as far as KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho. The suspect patiently waited for the unsuspecting victims at taxi ranks and bus terminals.

On their arrival, he would make some excuses and walk with the victims utilising a road that passes through the bush to arrive at their destination. He would then ultimately rape and rob them of their belongings and then flee the scene, the police explained.

The police said the suspect committed these crimes in the Tzaneen policing area at Pharare, Mogophong, Mogoloboto and Burgersdorp villages under the Mopani District.

The SAPS said it was investigating 14 cases of rape and robbery, which were later transferred to the Tzaneen Family Violence and Child Protection (FCS) unit.

The team worked tirelessly and managed to track down the suspect within three months.

The man was admitted to hospital following a gunshot wound allegedly sustained in Burgersdorp village near a graveyard on Tuesday.

The man is expected to appear in the Tzaneen Magistrate's Court soon after his recovery at the hospital.

The SAPS Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, expressed gratitude and appreciation for the sterling work that was executed by the Tzaneen FCS unit.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-11-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RTHK: Obama calls for more support for island nations

Former US President Barack Obama called on the UN climate conference in Glasgow on Monday to address the risks that island nations face from rising sea levels.

Obama said their tales at the 2015 climate talks had been crucial to the resulting Paris Agreement, which commits countries to holding the rise in the average global temperature to "well below" 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

"I have been shaped by my experience growing up in Hawaii," Obama said, adding: "we have to act now to help with adaptation and resilience".

Other speakers at the Cop26 summit pressed Obama about the failure of the United States and other Western countries to meet pledges to provide US$100 billion a year in climate finance.

"Among others, the USA is woefully short of paying its fair share of climate finance," said Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, adding: "Now we are most vulnerable are told to suck it up and wait."

"Developed nations are failing us," Bainimarama said. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2021-11-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RTHK: Singapore puts execution of 'low IQ' smuggler on hold

A Singapore court put the execution of a Malaysian man on hold Monday pending an appeal, after criticism from rights campaigners who say he is intellectually disabled.

Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam was arrested in 2009 for trafficking 43 grams -- around three tablespoons -- of heroin into the city-state, which has some of the world's toughest anti-drugs laws.

He was sentenced to death the following year and was due to be hanged on Wednesday after losing several appeals, despite supporters' claims his intellectual disability means he is unable to make rational decisions.

But on Monday, the Singapore High Court ordered the execution be put on hold after his lawyers launched a last-ditch legal challenge, arguing that the hanging would be unconstitutional.

The court dismissed the challenge, but agreed to delay the hanging until the Court of Appeal hears the case.

"Good news," lawyer M. Ravi wrote on Facebook, alongside the hashtags #EndCrimeNotLife and #DivineJustice.

But later his Malaysia-based lawyer N. Surendran said the appeal court had set Tuesday to hear the case, accusing authorities of rushing it so the execution might still take place Wednesday.

"No criminal justice system in any country which upholds the rule of law, rushes through criminal appeals in this manner -- and all the more so in a death penalty case," he said in a statement.

Rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have labelled the planned execution "despicable" and "cruel", while the European Union at the weekend urged the city-state to commute the sentence.

Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob wrote to his Singapore counterpart urging the execution to be postponed on "humanitarian grounds", according to reports.

An online petition calling for Nagaenthran's death sentence to be commuted has garnered more than 65,000 signatures.

If the execution goes ahead, it will the first since 2019 in Singapore, which defends its use of capital punishment as an effective deterrent against crime despite mounting calls for its abolition.

Supporters say Nagaenthran has an IQ of 69, a level recognised as an intellectual disability, and was struggling with an alcohol problem at the time of the crime. (AFP)

But Singapore's home affairs ministry has defended the decision to press ahead with the hanging, saying that legal rulings had found he "knew what he was doing" at the time of the offence.

This story has been published on: 2021-11-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Mother language training courses help promote Vietnamese culture abroad

One hundred and fifty teachers from 10 countries and territories in the Asian  Australia region have successfully completed a Vietnamese language training course hosted by the Foreign Ministry's State Commission for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (COVA).













The second course for Vietnamese teachers in Europe and North America kicks off virtually on November 6. (Photo: baoquocte.vn)

In his speech at the closing ceremony on November 7, Director of the COVA's Department of Information and Culture Dinh Hoang Linh said the course is the first in the framework of a programme on training overseas Vietnamese teachers in teaching the Vietnamese language in 2021.



During nearly one month of the course, trainees were equipped with pedagogical skills, formal and professional Vietnamese teaching methods, and more knowledge about Vietnamese culture and history. They were also provided with teaching materials from experienced lecturers at Vietnamese universities.



Previously on November 6, the second course of this kind for Vietnamese teachers in Europe and North America kicked off virtually, with the participation of nearly oversea 130 teachers from Austria, Poland, Belarus, Belgium, the US, Canada and Germany.



Addressing the event, Ambassador Luong Thanh Nghi, Deputy Chairman of COVA affirmed that the committee always pays attention to the teaching and learning of the Vietnamese language in Vietnamese communities abroad.



This is an important task to help overseas Vietnamese communities preserve the cultural identity and traditions, contributing to popularizing the Vietnamese language and culture abroad.



Professional training courses in teaching Vietnamese language for overseas teachers is an annual activity conducted by the committee since 2013. So far, nearly 400 teachers have completed both face-to-face and online training courses.



According to Nguyen Van Son, a Vietnamese language teacher in the Czech Republic, Vietnamese association in the Czech have actively maintained the popularization of Vietnamese language to children with the support of the Vietnamese Embassy and volunteer teachers.



He expressed his hope that the Vietnamese Party and Government will pay more attention to promoting the teaching and learning of the Vietnamese language abroad.



On the occasion, a seminar was held to discuss measures and share experience to promote teaching and learning the Vietnamese language abroad and remove difficulties in implementing the programme./.
Construction of six new airports proposed

The Ministry of Transport has recommended the construction of six new airports in the next 10 years, raising the number of Vietnams airports to 28.



The content is in the Ministry of Transports Airport Development Masterplan for the 2021-2030 Period with a Vision to 2050.

Under the plan, Quang Tri, Binh Thuans Phan Thiet, Dien Bien, Lai Chau and Sapa will have new airports.





Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi (Photo by Tien Tuan)

According to the ministry, Vietnam would need VND400 trillion (USD17.68) billion for airport development until 2030. The investment will focus on upgrading 22 existing airports and new airport construction.



The prime minister has approved the Haiphong International Airport project which will replace Cat Bi International Airport by 2030.



By 2030, 28 airports in Vietnam will have a combined capacity of 278 million passengers to ensure that more than 95 percent of the population can access an airport within a distance of 100 kilometres.



The plan also mentions the construction of an airport to the southeast of Hanoi by 2050. It also prioritises key national projects, including the first phase of Long Thanh International Airport with a yearly capacity of 25 million passengers and the construction of Terminal 3 at Tan Son Nhat International Airport and Terminal 2 at Noi Bai International Airport.



The Ministry of Transport said the public-private partnership model will be used to mobilise the investment capital for airport projects in addition to the state budget.


Vietnam joins document preparations for APPF-29

Vietnam proposed initiatives and resolutions at an online session on November 8 in preparation for the 29th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF-29), to be hosted by the Republic of Korea (RoK) in December.













A working session of Vietnam's 15th National Assembly (Photo: VNA)

The Vietnamese delegation to the 12-day session is led by Vu Hai Ha, Chairman of the National Assemblys Committee for External Relations.



Participants are scheduled to look into draft documents regarding political and security issues, the agenda of the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians, cooperation in Asia-Pacific, economic and trade matters, and the joint statement of the APPF-29.



The Vietnamese delegation contributed opinions on the documents in the spirit of the Partys foreign policy of advancing multilateral diplomacy, promoting the Vietnamese legislatures position and role at regional and international parliamentary mechanisms, and being willing to cooperate for regional recovery and development, towards an Asia-Pacific region of peace, stability, innovation, cohesiveness and sustainable development.



They proposed two draft resolutions and co-sponsored four others, and give opinions to other resolutions.



Established in 1993, the 27-member APPF aims to enhance dialogues between parliamentarians in the region regarding security, politics, and economic-commercial-cultural cooperation to address regional issues, contributing to maintaining peace, stability, sustainable development and prosperity in the region.



Vietnam has joined the forum since 1995.
China's Shenzhou-13 taikonauts complete first extravehicular mission

Xinhua) 08:24, November 08, 2021

Screen image taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Nov. 7, 2021 shows Chinese taikonaut Wang Yaping conducting extravehicular activities (EVAs) out of the space station core module Tianhe. Taikonauts Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping have been out of China's space station core module Tianhe by 8:28 p.m. (Beijing Time) Sunday to start EVAs, the China Manned Space Agency said. Zhai opened the hatch of Tianhe's node cabin at 6:51 p.m. This is the second time Zhai has performed EVAs, having completed China's first spacewalk 13 years ago during the Shenzhou-7 mission. Meanwhile, Wang's EVAs make her the country's first female astronaut to leave footprints in outer space. Donning China-developed new-generation Feitian spacesuits, the pair will conduct a series of extravehicular tasks with the aid of the mechanical arm, the agency noted. Ye Guangfu stayed inside to support his crewmates in completing the operations. (Photo by Guo Zhongzheng/Xinhua)

BEIJING, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Taikonauts Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping have completed their extravehicular activities (EVAs) and returned to the space station core module Tianhe, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on early hours of Monday.

The event was the third extravehicular mission conducted during the construction of the country's space station and the first by the Shenzhou-13 crew. It also marks the first EVAs in Chinese space history involving a female taikonaut, said the agency, which has declared Monday's EVAs a complete success.

The pair returned to the core module at 1:16 a.m. (Beijing Time) after 6.5 hours of extravehicular activities. They completed a series of extravehicular tasks.

The mission further tested the functions of the China-developed new-generation extravehicular spacesuits, the coordination between the taikonauts and the mechanical arm, and the reliability and safety of supporting equipment related to the EVAs, the CMSA noted.

China launched the Shenzhou-13 spaceship on Oct. 16, sending three taikonauts on a six-month mission to construct its space station.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Assassination attempt against Iraqi PM complicates political scene

Xinhua) 08:29, November 08, 2021

BAGHDAD, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The failed assassination attempt against Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Sunday complicated the political scene in the country, as the attack ramped up the tension sparked by followers of parties rejecting the results of the Oct. 10 early election.

The assassination attempt took place before dawn when a booby-trapped drone landed on the residence of al-Kadhimi in the heavily fortified Green Zone in the center of the capital, but the prime minister escaped unhurt.

In a tweet on his official page, al-Kadhimi said he was "fine" and called for "calm and restraint from everyone for the sake of Iraq."

Later in the day, al-Kadhimi confirmed in a video posted on his official Twitter page that he and other workers at his residence are safe, stressing that "cowardly missiles and drones do not build a homeland or a future."

Hours after the attack, al-Kadhimi, also commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces, resumed his daily activities and held a meeting with Ministerial Council for National Security to discuss the drone attack on his residence.

Saad Maan, spokesman of the Interior Ministry, said that the attack was carried out by three drones, and the security forces managed to shoot down two near the Green Zone, but the third hit al-Kadhimi's residence.

Iraqi security forces intensified security measures and were deployed in some areas of the capital, in addition to blocking the entrances of the Green Zone, which houses some of the main offices of the Iraqi government and foreign embassies.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attack, although suspicion fell on Iran-backed militias who have been at odds with al-Kadhimi.

The assassination attempt came amid the ongoing protests by followers of political parties rejecting last month's election results.

On Friday, the protests escalated to a clash with the security forces at the entrances of the Green Zone, killing two protesters and wounding dozens of security members and protesters.

In the parliamentary elections on Oct. 10, the Sadrist Movement, led by prominent Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, took the lead with more than 70 seats, while the al-Fatah (Conquest) Coalition, which includes some of the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces, garnered 17 seats compared with 47 in the 2018 elections.

Political parties unsatisfied with the results said the elections were manipulated and they would not accept the "fabricated results."

However, the Shiite paramilitary groups distanced themselves from the failed assassination and said in a statement that they condemn the attack, which targets the Iraqi state.

"Whoever carried out such attack is trying to shuffle the cards," the statement said, adding that they are calling for the formation of an investigation committee with the participation of the Hashd Shaabi.

Nadhum al-Jubouri, an Iraqi political analyst, told Xinhua that the assassination was one of the consequences brought by the rejection of the election results.

"This assassination attempt is the bone of contention between two phases in the Iraqi political process: In the first phase, the prime minister was chosen by consensus among the Shiite blocs, while in the second phase the prime minister will be chosen by the political majority formed by the winning blocs in the election, especially the Sadrist bloc," al-Jubouri said.

"The coming hours or days portend a confrontation as the military forces and the demonstrators have accumulated around the Green Zone simultaneously," the expert concluded.

Political analyst Sabah al-Sheikh told Xinhua that the assassination is expected to complicate the political disagreements between the parties, warning that it would "lead to chaos and deepen the country's already existing crises."

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
China's foreign trade maintains growth momentum in first 10 months

Xinhua) 08:32, November 08, 2021

A loaded ship leaves a container terminal in Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu Province, July 13, 2021.(Xinhua/Wang Jianmin)

BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's foreign trade maintained growth momentum in the first 10 months of 2021 as the economy continued its stable development.

China's total imports and exports expanded 22.2 percent year on year to 31.67 trillion yuan (4.89 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first 10 months, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said Sunday.

The figure marked an increase of 23.4 percent from the pre-epidemic level in 2019, according to the GAC.

Both exports and imports continued double-digit growth in the first 10 months of the year, surging 22.5 percent and 21.8 percent from a year earlier, respectively.

In October alone, the country's imports and exports rose 17.8 percent year on year to 3.34 trillion yuan, 5.6 percent slower than September, the data showed.

In the Jan.-Oct. period, China's trade with its top three trading partners -- the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the European Union and the United States -- maintained sound growth.

During the period, the growth rates of China's trade value with the three trading partners stood at 20.4 percent, 20.4 percent and 23.4 percent, respectively.

China's trade with countries along the Belt and Road rose 23 percent year on year during the same period, customs data showed.

Private enterprises saw imports and exports increase 28.1 percent to 15.31 trillion yuan in the first 10 months, accounting for 48.3 percent of the country's total.

The imports and exports of state-owned enterprises rose 25.6 percent to 4.84 trillion yuan in the period.

Exports of mechanical and electrical products registered robust growth in the first 10 months. Exports of automobiles surged 111.1 percent year on year in the period.

China has taken a slew of measures in 2021 to ramp up foreign trade growth, including accelerating the development of new business forms and modes, further deepening reform to facilitate cross-border trade, optimizing its business environment at ports, and promoting reform and innovation to facilitate trade and investment in pilot free trade zones.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
China's WTO entry benefits U.S., global growth

Xinhua) 08:34, November 08, 2021

-- China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) two decades ago "has allowed the world to share in the fruits of China's domestic development successes."

-- It is undeniable that since joining the WTO in 2001, China has been advancing economic globalization with openness as a hallmark and shared prosperity as a vision.

-- Over the last two decades, the country's continuous efforts in widening opening-up have brought its development to a new stage and injected fresh impetus into the world economy.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) two decades ago "has allowed the world to share in the fruits of China's domestic development successes," said Albert Keidel, adjunct graduate professor at George Washington University.

In the past 20 years, China's global ranking of trade in goods has risen from the sixth to the first, while that of its trade in services has jumped from the 11th to the second.

Just as Keidel, also former senior economist in the World Bank's Beijing office, put it, apart from lower prices from China's "powerful productivity benefits," the Asian giant's entry into the WTO also offered "opportunities and development challenges for the rest of the world."

It is undeniable that since joining the WTO in 2001, China has been advancing economic globalization with openness as a hallmark and shared prosperity as a vision.

A container ship of China's COSCO Shipping docks at a new container terminal of the Port of Long Beach in California, the United States, Aug. 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Gao Shan)

BENEFITS FOR U.S. ECONOMY

Among all economies in the world, the United States has substantially benefited from China's WTO entry in multiple areas including consumption, investment and trade.

China's WTO entry has been "a boon for Chinese producers and U.S. consumers," Sourabh Gupta, a senior fellow at the Institute for China-America Studies, told Xinhua.

The cost of consumer electronics and numerous daily necessities which impact pocketbook budgets of American households has been bid down by China's exceptional cost competitiveness and medium technology-intensive manufacturing, said Gupta.

Khairy Tourk, professor of economics with the Stuart School of Business at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, said American consumers have benefited from the continuous reduction in the prices of manufactured goods made in China.

"If you look at the business sector here, we see that there is a lot of profitable opportunities for manufacturing and selling in China. Foreign direct investors are now beating a path to China's door," said Tourk.

China has overtaken the United States as the world's top destination for new foreign direct investment, which explains why companies like Apple expand their operations in China, and Tesla built a factory in Shanghai, noted the professor.

Employees work at the Tesla Gigafactory in Shanghai, east China, Nov. 20, 2020. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)

In a report submitted to the Office of the United States Trade Representative in September, the U.S.-China Business Council (USCC) said that on balance, China's WTO entry has been positive for the United States and the world.

"Apart from China itself, the U.S. economy has benefitted more from China's decision to open-up, including its decision to join WTO, than any other economy. China's WTO entry has certainly not been a 'curse' to the U.S. as some U.S. commentators now want us to believe," said Pieter Bottelier, a visiting scholar at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

NO CHINA CONNECTION WITH U.S. HARDSHIP

The loss of manufacturing jobs in the United States in the past several decades has been serious and caused severe hardship in traditional manufacturing industries.

However, according to studies and experts, economic difficulties facing the world's largest economy, such as a loss of manufacturing jobs, has nothing to do with China.

Citing major studies, Bottelier, also former chief of the World Bank's resident mission in Beijing, noted that as for the loss of manufacturing jobs, "there is no particular connection with China's entry into the WTO."

The single most important reason for manufacturing job losses in the United States is not a transfer of jobs to China, but technological development in manufacturing such as robots, artificial intelligence and information technology, Bottelier said.

When China joined the WTO in 2001, it was the beginning of a period when the United States started to experience a great loss of manufacturing jobs.

The harm to American workers was, and is, due to the unsatisfactory performance of the U.S. government in transition programs, according to Keidel.

"Blaming China is the policy that justifies non-action, because unfortunately here we haven't done our homework," said Tourk, adding that the workers were not equipped with new skills.

Photo taken on Nov. 5, 2021 shows handbags printed with environmental friendly ink at DuPont booth during the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)

MILESTONE FOR WORLD

The year of 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of China's accession to the WTO. Over the last two decades, the country's continuous efforts in widening opening-up have brought its development to a new stage and injected fresh impetus into the world economy.

China has lowered the import tariff for goods to 9.8 percent from 15.3 percent when it joined WTO 20 years ago. At present, its overall import tax stands at 7.4 percent, lower than the average level of developing members of the WTO and is approaching the level of developed members of the organization.

China's entry into the WTO was "a milestone event," said Robert Lawrence Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation.

It has accelerated the country's engagement with the external world quite dramatically, beginning with trade and the development of a manufacturing base in China, which later expanded into the manufacturing center of the world, Kuhn said.

Borge Brende, president of the World Economic Forum (WEF), also said China's accession to the WTO in 2001 is an important step for its economic development and a milestone in globalization.

After joining the WTO, "China is very much integrated in the global economy," Brende told Xinhua.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Chinese netizens release video showing how U.S. spread COVID-19 virus

Xinhua) 08:40, November 08, 2021

A video titled Virus Spreader was posted on social media platforms overseas on Friday.

The video, edited by some Chinese netizens, shows how the U.S. has exported COVID-19 virus at the expense of the lives and health of people of other countries.

Click the video and take a look at how the U.S., which boasts of being the "beacon of civilization" on the globe, has deteriorated into a "super spreader" of COVID-19 virus, damaging the rights and interests of the people around the world.

(Video Source: Youtube)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Rwanda receives 2nd batch of COVID-19 vaccine from China

Xinhua) 09:02, November 08, 2021

KIGALI, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda on Sunday received 300,000 doses of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine donated by the Chinese government, the second batch donated by China so far.

"We are happy to receive this second batch which is again a sign of good collaboration and support from the Chinese government in our fight against this pandemic," Albert Tuyishime, the head of Disease Prevention and Control Department at Rwanda Biomedical Center, told reporters at Kigali International Airport.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, Rwanda has been working with the Chinese Government in terms of testing kits, treatment and vaccination deployment, according to the official.

In August, China donated the first batch of 200,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine that have been used to vaccinate Rwandans, contributing to the Rwandan government's target of vaccinating 60 percent of its population to protect them against the virus.

"We are taking China as one of the leaders in promoting this equitable distribution of vaccines for COVID-19," said Tuyishime. "And we are really encouraging others to step in so that we can have more countries accessing vaccines because we believe no one is really safe until we are all safe."

So far about 4 million people in Rwanda have received the first COVID-19 jab while about 2 million have been fully vaccinated, according to the Ministry of Health.

"China is happy to make a contribution toward Rwanda's vaccine rollout. The donation demonstrates solidarity and friendship between China and Rwanda," said Wang Jiaxin, the economic and commercial counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Rwanda, noting that China appreciates the measures taken by the Rwandan government to contain the virus and revitalize its economy.

He added China is willing to join hands with Rwanda to take the opportunity of celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties and also the upcoming session of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, to strengthen unity and coordination, further benefit the two peoples, and deepen China-Rwanda relationship even further in future cooperation.

The doses will be immediately dispatched to districts outside the Rwandan capital of Kigali and administered to eligible and priority community members, according to health officials.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
CIIE to open new markets, create new opportunities

09:05, November 08, 2021 By Tian Hong, Ju Yunpeng ( People's Daily

Photo shows the south square of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), a main venue of the 4th China International Import Expo. (Peoples Daily/Liu Hui)

The Chinese market is a huge magnet for foreign small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

At the ongoing 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, 1,200 businesses among the 3,000 joining the event come in delegations.

There are nearly 50 foreign delegations, and their members are from over 40 countries and regions. They are mostly SMEs and are engaged in a wide range of industries.

Besides, more than 30 least developed countries have attended the event to exhibit their agricultural and consumer products.

An official with the CIIE Bureau told Peoples Daily that a number of enterprises from Belt and Road countries and regions, Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Africa joined this years CIIE despite the impacts from COVID-19, which has further enlarged the circle of friends of the event and highlighted the events nature as an international public good for the world to share.

Polish dairy company Vici Group entered the Chinese market in 2019 at the 2nd CIIE. According to statistics, the sales of Polish milk, powdered milk and cheese products in China surged 70 percent in 2020, making China the fastest-growing market for Polish dairy exports.

The CIIE benefits the whole world, said Andrzej Juchniewicz, chief representative of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency in China who has encouraged some 30 Polish companies to join the 4th CIIE.

The Japan External Trade Organization established a trade delegation consisting of over 100 enterprises to the CIIE this year, and a Japanese commodity base opened to consumers earlier this month at the Hongqiao Import Commodity Exhibition and Trading Center in Shanghai, a permanent trading platform of the CIIE.

Mascots of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games Bing Dwen Dwen and Shuey Rhon Rhon are exhibited at the automobile exhibition area of the 4th China International Import Expo, Nov. 4, 2021. (Peoples Daily/Ju Yunpeng)

Among the 46 exhibitors that come to the 4th CIIE with the Singapore Business Federation, 18 are engaged in finance, logistics, infrastructure and education sectors.

The members of the delegation organized by the German Chambers of Commerce Abroad are mostly engaged in frontier sectors. Clas Neumann, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the German Chamber of Commerce in China, said that the CIIE is a platform where German enterprises can demonstrate their ability to make constant innovations to Chinese consumers.

The CIIE is also a fruitful event for purchasers, too. Last year we purchased $10 million worth of equipment at the CIIE, and our newly increased output value this year is expected to exceed 200 million yuan ($31.26 million), said Liu Zhongjie, a project manager of HISEMI Electronic Technology in Chizhou, east Chinas Anhui province.

Liu said the CIIE is a timely information platform for enterprises that enables the latter to follow the trend of industries. Before coming to the 4th CIIE, we have negotiated with several foreign enterprises, and we are planning to purchase over 100 million yuan worth of equipment this time, Liu said.

Enterprises have witnessed the development of industries and frontier technologies at the annual event, and learned advanced technologies and standards to make better commodities, technologies and brands of their own, said Wang Beilei, an official with Xiangcheng district, Suzhou, east Chinas Jiangsu province.

People visit the exhibition booth of Ford at the 4th China International Import Expo, Nov. 5, 2021. (Peoples Daily Online/Tang Ke)

She believes that to promote the upgrade and innovation of Chinese enterprises by applying new equipment, commodities and services in their development is an important part of the CIIEs spillover effect. This year, Xiangcheng district has organized a trade delegation of over 1,000 people to the CIIE, and its 230 participating enterprises are expected to reach deals totaling over $60 million.

Yao Hai, an official with the Shanghai municipal government, noted that since the 1st CIIE, Shanghai and its districts, as well as their industrial parks and enterprises have been working together to turn exhibits into commodities, exhibitors into investors, and purchases into traders, and a series of major projects have been implemented in Shanghai, the Yangtze River Delta and even other larger areas.

This year, the cooperation and communication office of the municipal government of Shanghai has established a purchasing group, which is joined by over 300 enterprises, to make the spillover effect of the CIIE benefit more cities, enterprises and people, Yao said.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
US website omits petition for objective China views

(Global Times) 09:56, November 08, 2021

French writer Maxime Vivas

The online petition launched by French writer Maxime Vivascalling for objective views on China is unavailable on the website where it was first posted - change.org, the world's largest petition platform - with no specific reason given, and the French writer and one signatory slammed the West's so-called freedom of speech.

"The petition for the right to speak differently about China was censored by change.org. It told me: 'This petition is not available. Either the URL is wrong or the petition violated our community rules, or the author of the petition deleted it,'" Vivas tweeted on Thursday.

Vivas launched the petition on Tuesday on change.org to share his stories of being insulted and attacked for his objective views on China, and called on all sectors of society to have an objective view on China. More than 150 people from different fields globally, including former ambassadors, TV hosts, architects and journalists, signed the online petition.

However, the link for the petition has been unavailable since Thursday. Vivas told the Global Times on Thursday that he was told the order to delete the online petition from the US-based website came from the US.

"It's bad for us, but worse for them Not only are they lying about China, but they want to stop us from saying it," Vivas said, noting that they have posted the online petition on legrangesoir.info, and will not cease complaining to change.org.

Change.org is a US-based petition website that claims to have over 400 million users. As of press time, it has not responded to the Global Times' questions on which community rules Vivas' petition has violated.

Vivas, who went to Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region twice, published a book, Uygurs, to put an end to the fake news, in December 2020. In his book, Vivas described his observations of Xinjiang's counter-terrorismefforts and the region's development, and analyzed the relations the US National Endowment for Democracy has with the secessionist World Uyghur Congress (WUC) and NGOs like Human Rights Watch (HRW).

The petition noted that an avalanche of insults was heaped on Vivas for his views on Xinjiang. Some French media called him a "useful idiot," or "conspirator" bought by China.

While some signatories suspect the US-based website deleted the petition for political reasons, Zheng Ruolin, a senior Chinese media professional and European studies expert who lived in France for several years, told the Global Times that this is a clear example of the hypocrisy of the so-called freedom of speech that the US and the West have boasted.

Zheng is one of the signatories to the online petition.

"Wars of aggression are prepared by great campaigns of lies. The first victim in a war is the truth. That is why, with more and more friends, I want to show another face of China and fight the fake news which caricatures it and prevents us from fully understanding this great country with a multi-millennial civilization. China is in competition with the US. But she is not the enemy of France. We must treat her as a partner and friend," Vivas told the Global Times.

Although the Chinese Embassy in France also posted the original petition on its Twitter account, the Global Times found that no French media had reported on the petition. Some observers said the media intentionally ignored the petition.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
RCEP to boost regional GDP by 0.86% by 2035: report

Global Times) 10:15, November 08, 2021

Photo: Xinhua

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) pact, which creates the world's largest free trade bloc, will lift regional GDP by 0.86 percent by 2035, a report by the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation stated on Sunday.

Chinese companies and localities are gearing up to reap the mutual benefits of the trade pact, officials and industry players told the Global Times on the sidelines of the 4th China International Import Expo in Shanghai.

There will be a net increase of $857.1 billion in exports and $983.7 billion in imports for the region by 2035, from a base level, the report showed. In terms of percentage points, the increase for exports will be 18.30 percent and 9.63 percent for imports.

The report came after China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced that China had completed all necessary preparations for fully implementing the RCEP as of Saturday. On Wednesday, the MOFCOM announced that after 10 members deposited the instrument of ratification with the ASEAN Secretary-General, the RCEP will take effect on January 1, 2022, as agreed upon.

In terms of investment, the freshly released report noted that the pact will drive up investment in the region by 1.47 percent, with additional economic welfare reaching $162.8 billion. By 2035, the RCEP will drive the real GDP growth of the entire world up by 0.12 percentage points and global foreign trade by 2.91 percent, the report said.

The report found that members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will be the biggest beneficiaries of the pact in terms of GDP growth. An overall lift of 4.47 percent is to be recorded by 2035, with a 7.98-percent-increase for Cambodia; a 7.04-percent-gain for the Philippines and a 6.38-percent-increase for Thailand. Vietnam will see a 6.33-percent-increase in GDP.

Chinese localities are also gearing up for increased trade with ASEAN countries, as a total of 166,000 Chinese entrepreneurs, trade and customs officials and related personnel have completed RCEP training in over 600 training sessions and online training courses this year.

Zhu Yong, a senior commerce official in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, told the Global Times on Sunday that the region believes the RCEP is a precious opportunity for high-quality opening-up and the best opportunity since China's accession to the WTO.

In the first half of 2021, Xinjiang's trade with RCEP countries only accounted for 7.1 percent of Xinjiang's total foreign trade. The figure lagged far behind the national average of 31.7 percent.

"The gap means Xinjiang faces a unique chance of achieving faster growth in the coming years in its trade with RCEP member countries, and there is a strong complementarity for goods traded," Zhu said. "For instance, Xinjiang's fruits, raised in a temperate climate zone, have big potential in the ASEAN market, and theirs as well in Xinjiang."

For non-ASEAN members, South Korea is expected to see the biggest cumulative increase in exports, at 7.84 percent, while China will see the biggest increase in imports, at 10.55 percent, over the projected period. Simulations showed that China, ASEAN and Japan will see economic welfare increases of $99.6 billion, $67 billion and $51.2 billion, respectively, from base levels, by 2035.

(Web editor: Liang Jun, Hongyu)
Opening ceremony for Chinese language and culture training course held at Confucius Institute affiliated with University of Johannesburg

16:06, November 08, 2021 By Wang Lei ( People's Daily Online

The Confucius Institute at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa held the opening ceremony for its Chinese language and culture training course on Nov. 6. The individuals participating in the course are mainly from the Department of Science and Technology Innovation and the Department of Health of South Africa, with the overall number of trainees totalling more than 60.

Sarab Sinha, vice president of the University of Johannesburg, said in his speech that the Confucius Institute at the University of Johannesburg, with its scientific and technological characteristics, has made positive contributions to the promotion of scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries. Since 2020, the Confucius Institute has supported the disciplinary project for traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture and moxibustion in the field of supplementary medicine at the University of Johannesburg.

The successful opening of this training course reflects the unremitting efforts of the Confucius Institute and strong support from both of South Africas participating departments.

Mmboneni Muofhe, the deputy director general of the Department of Science and Technology Innovation, will also be joining the training course and learning Chinese. He said that learning another country's language can further promote cultural exchanges and cooperation in the context of globalization, with languages also becoming the bridge connecting the people of South Africa and China.

The training course will last six weeks and include 12 lessons. The first lesson focuses on Chinese songs, Chinese dance, Tai Chi martial arts, traditional festival celebrations, and Chinese speeches, in addition to simple daily expressions performed by teachers and students at the Confucius Institute. The students are looking forward to partaking in the full line-up of lessons.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Moderate prosperity, or "Xiaokang" in Chinese, can be measured in multiple aspects, but for Ge Dali, who was formerly on China's poverty list, it means a healthy body, a new house and a wider paved road that helps him sell livestock to places at higher prices farther away. Born in the Dabie Mountains, one of China's poorest areas, Ge and his family lived in poverty for generations until seven years ago when he started raising goats and cattle. "I wasn't able to farm because I suffered from slipped discs. My wife left me about 18 years ago, which was a big blow to me," said Ge, 55, from Tiansi Village, Qianshan City of east China's Anhui Province. The humble man lived with his family in an adobe house for nearly four decades. "Dark and wet inside, the house had few windows and its roof leaked whenever rained. It was so cold in winter. We had to light candles when there was a power cut," Ge's daughter Ge Yali recalled, pointing to the charred wall tainted by the candles. In 2014, the family was registered as an impoverished household. To help the poor locals find their way out of penury, the local government carried out free vocational training courses and gave out subsidies to support them develop characteristic industries. In that same year, the local government advised Ge to learn how to raise goats since the village enjoys an abundance of grass on mountain slopes. Ge then built his family farm with a support fund of 3,000 yuan (about 470 U.S. dollars) and technical guidance from the government. As the government covers most medical bills for the poor households, Ge received surgery on his back and recovered gradually. He made over 20,000 yuan in the first year selling his goats at the Spring Festival market in his village, which boosted his morale in the new business. Riding on his goat success, Ge introduced cattle to his farm in 2018, hoping to bring his business to the next level. The local bank granted him a loan of 50,000 yuan free of interest to support his entrepreneurship. He tended the animals whole-heartedly. Whenever experts came to the village, Ge would ask them for advice on how to raise goats and cattle more professionally. Within a year, he became an expert and shared his breeding experience with other fellows. On average, Ge now earns about 50,000 yuan yearly selling his livestock, rice and tea, more than enough to lift his family out of poverty. "There are 11 cattle and over 70 goats on my farm this year. The number has almost doubled compared with 2014," said Ge. On a higher ground next to his old shack, Ge spent 90,000 yuan building a new two-story house equipped with electric appliances. The old house, which has been converted into a shed for his animals, continues to testify to his climb from penury to "Xiaokang." A newly paved road was also built by the local government two years ago, linking Ge's home to the outside world. "It used to be difficult to transport fodders in and animals out for sale on the narrow muddy road in front of my home. I had to herd them out to towns for sale during the Spring Festival, but now people can drive their trucks in to buy my goats and cattle," Ge added. In a year the Communist Party of China (CPC) marks its 100th anniversary, China has realized the first centenary goal of achieving moderate prosperity in all respects. Ge is among the country's millions of impoverished population that have come out of abject poverty. "I just paid off the 50,000-yuan loan to the bank a couple of days ago. I hope to expand my farm to raise more animals before I get too old," said the man.


The World Manufacturing Convention (WMC) 2021 is slated to be held in Hefei, capital of East Chinas Anhui province, from November 19 to 22, according to the Department of Commerce of Anhui Province.

With the theme of Innovation driven, digitally empowered: Global manufacturing industry aligned for high-quality growth, the globally eye-catching manufacturing gala will continue to provide a platform for Anhuis opening-up and cooperation.

23 activities will be launched during the event, including an opening ceremony, an exhibition, forums and program promotions.

The Republic of Korea will attend the event as the guest country of honor, and Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang in China as guest provinces of honor.

The exhibition, with an area of 27,000 square meters, will be staged in Hefei Binhu International Convention and Exhibition Center.

Contracts on 1,752 programs were signed at the WMC held in 2018, 2019 and 2020, worth a total of 1.8 trillion yuan (about US$281.3 billion). 1,518 out of them kicked off as of October 31.




BEIRUT, Nov. 8 -- The 20th Chinese peacekeeping medical contingent to Lebanon recently donated medical supplies worth about 22 thousand dollars to two villages in Marjayoun Town of southern Lebanon. The donation included 57 varieties of essential medicines like antibacterial, antiviral, and traumatic injury medicine, as well as 6 varieties of medical consumables.

The villages expressed gratitude to the contingent, believing that this will improve their ability of providing necessary medical services to local residents.

Since their deployment to Lebanon in mid-August this year, the 20th Chinese peacekeeping contingent has performed rabies vaccinations, and provided free clinical treatment to 47 local persons.

Their main task there is to provide medical health service support, which includes medical care, hygiene and disease control, escort and evacuation of the sick and wounded, to more than 4,000 peacekeepers and employees under the Sector East of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). In addition, it also carries out humanitarian relief operations for local people and refugees.

China has started to send peacekeeping troops to Lebanon since 2006. Currently, the Chinese peacekeeping force deployed in southern Lebanon includes a medical contingent, an engineering contingent and a multi-role engineering unit, with a total of over 400 service members.
The Japanese government continues to hide the dark history of forced labor behind industrial sites that gained UNESCO world heritage status.

According to the Foreign Ministry here on Dec. 4, Japan has yet to fulfill its pledge to commemorate the Korean victims of forced labor at 23 industrial facilities that played a key role in Japan's industrialization. The island country recently submitted a progress report on the issue to the World Heritage Committee, which still glosses over that thousands of Koreans were forced to labor there.

When the industrial sites were granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 2015, the Japanese government admitted that Korean slave labor was used at some of them during the 1910-45 occupation and promised to commemorate the victims and set up an information center about the brutal history.

But the Japanese government failed to live up to the pledge, and the exhibition center that opened in Tokyo in June this year makes no mention of the often brutal conditions Korean laborers were subjected to and claims that there was "no discrimination" against them.

The Foreign Ministry then lodged a protest and demanded that the truth be revealed.
The U.S. Supreme Court last month approved a vaccination mandate covering health care workers in the northeastern state of Maine but has yet to consider a broad national mandate such as Biden's order affecting private businesses or his order requiring 4 million federal employees and contractors working for the federal government to get vaccinated by Nov. 22.

He said if the government's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) "can tell people to wear a hard hat on the job, to be careful on chemicals, it can put in place these simple measures to keep our workers safe."

Klain characterized the Biden vaccination order, which affects 84 million private sector workers and is set to take effect Jan. 4, as "common sense" to help end the pandemic in the United States.

White House chief of staff Ron Klain told NBC's "Meet the Press" show, "I'm quite confident that when this finally gets fully adjudicated, not just a temporary order, the validity of this requirement will be upheld."

The White House said Sunday it is confident that the courts will eventually approve President Joe Biden's mandate that U.S. businesses with 100 workers or more insist their workers either be vaccinated against the coronavirus or be frequently tested despite an initial court ruling halting the vaccination requirement.

Numerous Republican state governors opposed to the Democratic president's national mandate, along with some government employee unions and individual workers, have filed lawsuits in an effort to block Biden's orders, all claiming they are an overreach of his authority.

In filing a lawsuit against the Biden order affecting workers at private businesses, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called the vaccine mandate "a breathtaking abuse of federal power" that is "flatly unconstitutional." He contended that the mandate goes beyond OSHA's "limited power and specific responsibilities."

On Saturday, the conservative-dominated 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which hears cases in the adjoining Southern states of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, temporarily blocked the Biden mandate for private businesses, saying there were "grave statutory and constitutional" issues concerning the rule. It ordered Biden administration lawyers to voice their opposition to a permanent injunction by late Monday, pending further court action. It is unclear if the appeals courts decision applies outside those states.

White House aide Cedric Richmond defended the use of the OSHA authority to mandate the vaccinations, telling the "Fox News Sunday" show, "OSHA's job is to protect workers. If it means doing something tough, thats what this president does." "We think we're on solid ground," Richmond said.

It appears that hundreds of thousands of federal workers have been vaccinated ahead of the deadline in two weeks, but opposition to the shots has emerged at some agencies, especially those related to law enforcement and intelligence. Other lawsuits filed by workers unions and individuals that contest Biden's mandate remain to be adjudicated. There is no testing option available for government employees as there would be for workers in the private sector.

The number of new coronavirus cases has been diminishing for several weeks in the U.S., but even so about 70,000 additional cases are being recorded every day. More than 193 million people in the U.S. out of its population of 333 million have been fully vaccinated. But millions of adults have for various reasons refused inoculations, curbing Bidens effort to fully control the pandemic.

More than 750,000 people in the U.S. have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, more than in any other country, according to the government's U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


Palestinians on Sunday slammed Israel for rejecting the promised reopening of the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem, a move that would restore Washington's main diplomatic mission for the Palestinians in the contested city.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said late Saturday there was no room in Jerusalem for another American mission.

The Trump administration shuttered the U.S. Jerusalem consulate, an office that for years served as the de facto embassy to the Palestinians. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has pledged to reopen it, a move that Israel says would challenge its sovereignty over the city. The reopening could help mend U.S. ties with the Palestinians ruptured under Trump.

In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said it views the reopening of the consulate as part of the international community's commitments to ending Israel's decades-long occupation of territories the Palestinians seek for their future state.

"East Jerusalem is an inseparable part of the occupied Palestinian territory and is the capital of the state of Palestine. Israel, as the occupying power, does not have the right to veto the U.S. administration's decision," the statement said.
Coronavirus vaccine booster shots are being given to people who received Johnson & Johnson's vaccine starting Monday.

Those who had their first Johnson & Johnson vaccine shot at least two months ago are eligible. They are given an mRNA vaccine from either Pfizer or Moderna. Those over 30 can receive another dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine if they want.

So far, booster shots have been given only to hospital staff, the over-60s and residents and staff of nursing homes who got their second dose of coronavirus vaccines other than Johnson & Johnson's six to eight months ago.
Major tourist spots around the country were teeming with visitors over the first weekend since Korea began a phased return to normal. Downtown Seoul was also packed with thousands of protesters after a ban on rallies was lifted. Just a week after the experiment in living with coronavirus began, the atmosphere was reminiscent of pre-coronavirus times, sending waves of alarm through the ranks of health experts.



Mt. Naejang in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province is crowded on Nov. 6. /Newsis

Hikers turned out en masse to enjoy the autumn foliage. Mt. Naejang in North Jeolla Province attracted 40,000 visitors over the weekend, and a line of cars stretched for 7 km from the parking lot at the foot of the mountain. "We had almost twice the number of visitors compared to the same period last year," a park staffer said. More than 30,000 people also visited Mt. Seorak in Gangwon Province and 20,000 people Mt. Odae, Chiak and Gyeryong national parks. Exhibitions and other events that were canceled since the outbreak of the pandemic resumed, drawing huge crowds to major parks and recreational areas. More than 30,000 people visited Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon over the weekend, while nighttime tour tickets to Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul are fully booked until Nov. 29. Seoul's Jamsil Baseball Stadium was packed with spectators who gathered to watch the final game of the best-of-three quasi-playoff series between Doosan Bears and LG Twins on Sunday.

Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul is packed with spectators on Sunday. /Yonhap

According to the Korea Expressway Corporation, 5.43 million cars took to the highways on Saturday and 5.38 million on Sunday, up around five percent from last year. A KEC staffer said, "Eased lockdown plus excellent weather and the autumn foliage led to increased traffic." But downtown Seoul was the scene of political rallies of one kind or another. On Saturday, around 2,800 protesters from 21 organizations converged in Gwanghwamun, as rallies are now allowed for up to 499 people. Churches, cathedrals and temples also filled with worshippers. Around 350 people took part in midday mass at Myeongdong Cathedral on Sunday. The cathedral now allows up to 600 people to worship on Sundays regardless of vaccination. Jogye Temple in Jongno raised the number of visitors to its main hall from 49 to 150, and another 200 Buddhist worshippers prayed outside the temple on Sunday. Health experts were unhappy. Many people could be spotted at major tourist spots without masks or wearing them on their chins. One 64-year-old visitor to Mt. Naejang said, "It may be safer to be outdoors, but with so many people, I'm afraid the number of infections could surge." Kim Tak at Soonchunhyang University Hospital said, "It's difficult to persuade people to stay vigilant about infections after the long lockdown. We need to remind them to keep wearing their masks and get vaccinated in order to return to a normal life as early as possible."
NCsoft's Lineage W topped sales in Google Play on Saturday, just two days after the new multiplayer game was launched on Nov. 4.

It set the company's record for the biggest daily sales of any mobile game on the first day of its release, with sales estimated at around W17 billion (US$1=W1,185). This is even more than the W10.7 billion achieved by its predecessor Lineage M in 2017.

It already went up to the top spot in sales on Apple's App Store and has maintained the place since.
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Prepare yourself for eco-conscious change from one of the most prestigious and high-performance automakers in the world. Not only is 2021 the year of the S-Class, but it is also the launching pad for the evolution of all-electric mobility from Mercedes-Benz (M-B). Beginning with electrified S-Class family member EQS, the German purveyor of precision-engineered SUVs and sedans will open its doors for at least six zero-emissions vehicles such as the EQE (E-Class variant) and the EQB SUV.

M-B is making room for its top products and views the EQS as the single most significant product in the last decade. EQS accelerates its ambition to transform the company into the future of mobility. So, while 60% to 70% of the industry focuses on SUVs, M-B is honing in on its electric sedan and the Mercedes-EQ brand with hopes of reaching carbon-neutrality within the next 20 years. And by 2030, the initiative is to ascertain that 50% of its fleet features electric drive systems, whether fully electric or plug-in hybrids.

To gain a better understanding of the EV's opulent and technological attributes and experience both the 2022 EQS 450+ sedan and 2022 EQS 580 4MATIC sedan, Automotive Rhythms joined Mercedes-Benz President & CEO Dimitris Psillakis in Palo Alto, CA for the national media launch. EQS 580 offers more performance with 516-horsepower (631 lb-ft of torque) and an impressive 0 to 60 mph time of 4.1 seconds. Its electric range is 340 miles with a 130 mph top speed. On the other hand, the EQS 450+ kicks out 329 electric horses (419 lb/ft of torque), has an electric driving range of 350 miles, and runs 0 to 60 mph in a decent 5.9 seconds. Both feature 10 degrees of rear steering for cutting corners tighter and making efficient u-turns. My drive partner Brian Armstead and I were blown away by the impactful power of the EQS 580 while cruising around Northern Cali from Sausalito and Santa Cruz to Half Moon Bay and through the Redwood forests.

When laying eyes upon the EQS it is evident that the German is a special type of EV. The green car features sleek body lines, a sloping front end, illuminating grille cover, DIGITAL LIGHT LED headlamps, hatch-styled tailgate, and energetic wheel packages like the 20" 5-spoke Aeros with the Mercedes-Benz star pattern. The EQS is scientifically unique with quintessential innovation that exceedingly outpaces its closest rivals, such as the Tesla S or Lucid Air. For example, automatic comfort doors feature embedded handles that release out when the driver approaches the car. As he/she moves closer, the driver's door opens automatically. Once inside, the door self closes by depressing the brake pedal. The driver can also automatically open the other three doors for awaiting passengers to jump in.

The electric drivetrain of the EQS consists of new Lithium-Ion batteries (10-year/155,000-mile warranty) for both models and a single rear axle, 245kW permanently excited synchronous motor in the EQS 450+. Front and rear dual axle motors are outfitted on the EQS 580 4MATIC. With a total output of 385 kW, now you know why the EQS 580 moves at an accelerated rate. Each EQS can be powered entirely in 11.25 hours using a 240v charger or in just 31 minutes with DC Fast Charging (200 kW) up to 80% of the batterys energy. An Adjustable Regenerative Braking System with four modes takes place from steering wheel paddle shifters. Auto is the most intelligent mode. The EV infrastructure for the EQS is expansive. Emanating from a strategic partnership with ChargePoint, owners have access to a public network of almost 60,000 locations. Also, Mercedes-EQ is providing two years of complimentary 30-minute charge sessions at Electrify America charging stations.

As you can imagine, Mercedes-EQ thought of every technology feature to comply with luxury EV owners' current and future needs. The EQS is bestowed with forward-thinking tech that is both comforting and ergonomic. A few of these amenities include the following:

 Massive, descriptive, and intuitive Head-up Display

 DYNAMIC SELECT including Comfort, Sport, Eco, and Individual e-driving modes

 Gesture control with Interior Assist that studies your body movement. For example, you can open the sunroof by waving a hand

 Actual pillows for headrests

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 Navigation with Electric Intelligence

 Deep massaging seats

 Ambient Lighting with 64 colors, including a new EQ-specific color scheme

 Fingerprint Sensor for biometric authentication of the driver to activate a profile

 Incredible Burmester 3D Sound System with Sound Personalization

Whether I was driving or Brian, we both felt like we were on a first-class Emirates international flight with the smooth sailing ride from the AIRMATIC Air Suspension with Adaptive Damping System. But saving the best for last is the three-display 56 curved glass MBUX Hyperscreen and Multimedia System that extends across the entire dashboard from door to door. Standard on the EQS 580, both the driver and passenger receive a 12.3 OLED screen. The central section is a 17.7 OLED touchscreen display, representing as the largest and most sophisticated display in any production vehicle. The Hyperscreen features an Augmented Reality Navigation System including Natural Language Understanding and Keyword Activation (Hey Mercedes). For instance, the actual views you see ahead are visually replicated as video on screen when making a turn. It also has a Google Earth-type view when navigating. From the passenger side, I was able to control Nav, massages, music, and much more. However, many may find this too advanced as Brian and I became confused quite often.

To go along with the array of advanced features, EQS is engineered with a bevy of standard Driver Assistance Systems that include but are not limited to Active Stop-and-Go Assist, Active Steering Assist, Active Emergency Stop Assist, Active Lane Change Assist, Active Brake Assist with Cross-Traffic Function, Active Blind Spot Assist, and Active Parking Assist with PARTRONIC. Hence, if the driver doesn't react in time to an adverse driving scenario, rest assured that the EQS will.

Arriving at U.S. dealers later this fall, pricing starts at $102,310 for the EQS 450+ and $119,110 for the EQS 580 4MATIC with a $1,050 destination fee. The future is now and presents new pathways to eco-friendly driving to help reduce the carbon footprint from man and his machines.
COLUMBIA, Mo.  If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.

Crop farmers should take this adage to heart when marketing their grain, advises University of Missouri Extension ag economist Martyn Foreman.

By outlining a grain marketing plan, producers have a better chance to boost the returns they earn from the large investments they made in producing the crop, Foreman says in a news release.

When developing a plan, Foreman says to keep it simple. By writing a one- to two-page plan, farmers can refer to it as needed and have a marketing strategy thats simple to execute and specific to their operations.

Growers need these pieces of information:

Expected production

Cost of production

On-farm storage capacity

Pre-harvest sales

Balance of production in storage left to sell

Cash flow needs

With this information in hand, Foreman says, farmers can create a plan with four elements:

For unpriced bushels you have in storage, divide those total bushels into increments. The size of the increments will depend on your cash flow and other financial needs.

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Consider selling smaller increments more often rather than making two or three large incremental sales, Foreman says. The smaller increments will help you to spread your price risk over more bushels.

Establish price targets. In most years, crop prices hit their lows at harvest and gradually increase through the late fall, winter and spring.

Knowing these seasonal price trends, you can set price targets for a significant portion of the grain in storage then sell when market prices reach your targets.

Price targets will depend on a crops supply and demand. Based on current market conditions for corn and soybean, you might take a more aggressive stance, Foreman says. For example, you might set targets that are 20 to 25% higher than harvest lows. In this case, youd begin making incremental sales when prices are 10% higher than harvest lows and sell your last increment when prices are 25% higher than harvest lows.

Set sales deadlines. Establishing a deadline to sell acts as a backup plan if price targets are not met. You can set sales deadlines to meet cash flow needs or align them with seasonal price tendencies so you may still capture seasonal price strength.

If you establish sales deadlines in advance, then they help to dampen emotions associated with making marketing decisions, Foreman says.

Select marketing tools to use. Outline how you plan to use basic cash contracts, including cash forward contracts, basis contracts, hedge-to-arrive contracts or other tools to capture marketing opportunities that may arise.
NORTHBROOK, Ill., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hilco Real Estate LLC announces the sale of a turnkey, 85-room Sleep Inn hotel in Terre Haute, Ind. Situated on approximately two acres at 3070 South U.S. Highway 41, this extremely well-located hotel has direct access to I-70 and U.S. Highway 41, providing ease to business travelers, area tourists, college students and visiting guests.

Renovated in 2019, this three-story hotel provides a completely turnkey business and features a lobby workstation, breakfast/dining area, fitness center and sufficient parking in an easily accessible location. Nearby business drivers include Terre Haute Regional Hospital, Indiana State University and Terre Haute Regional Airport all within a few miles from the hotel.

Terre Haute is a city of over 60,000 people located directly on the Wabash River, which divides Illinois and Indiana. The city is located within driving distance of seven major cities in four states, including Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky and Ohio. Less than three miles from the property is Indiana State University, which enrolls approximately 10,000 undergraduate students every year and attracts visiting family members, collegiate athletes, and other out-of-town guests seeking nearby hotel accommodations. Terre Haute Regional Hospital, a 278-bed Level III Trauma Center, is located just over one mile down the street from the hotel. This community healthcare facility, along with over 825 employees, offers a broad range of medical services as well as some of the most progressive technology available today. ThyssenKrupp, a worldwide engineer of steel products, is located directly in Terre Haute and employs over 250. Also, situated within the city is a Staples Distribution Center, which employs over 250 people. Over 50 major employers, including City of Terre Haute, Vigo County School, ISU, First Financial Bank and Union Medical, call Terre Haute home thus contributing to the city's continued economic growth.

James Keith, managing director at Hilco Real Estate, said, "This newly updated hotel provides a turnkey operation in a thriving city." He continued, "Between the college campus, nearby hospital, regional airport and numerous major employers, this location allows the hotel to attract a high volume of visitors traveling to Terre Haute."

For further property details or to schedule an on-site inspection appointment, please contact James Keith at (270) 304-1020 or jkeith@hilcoglobal.com. For further information on the property, an explanation of the sale process and Terms of Sale, and the property due diligence, please visit HilcoRealEstate.com.

For more information about this or other properties available for sale, please visit HilcoRealEstate.com.

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About Hilco Real Estate

Hilco Real Estate ("HRE"), a Hilco Global company (HilcoGlobal.com), is headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois (USA). HRE is a national provider of strategic real estate disposition services. Acting as an agent or principal, HRE uses its experience to advise and execute strategies to assist clients in deriving the maximum value from their real estate assets. By leveraging multi-faceted sales strategies & techniques, aggressive repositioning and restructuring experience, a vast and motivated network of buyers and sellers, and substantial access to capital, HRE exceeds expectations even in the most complex transactions.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hilco-real-estate-announces-the-sale-of-a-fully-operable-turnkey-hotel-in-terre-haute-indiana-301417853.html

SOURCE Hilco Real Estate
U.S. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan, D-Highland, is proud to have helped deliver an estimated $8.8 billion in federal funds to Indiana for road and bridge repair, broadband internet expansion and other needed infrastructure improvements.

Mrvan voted Friday to advance the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act out of the Democratic-controlled U.S. House, 228-206, and to send it to Democratic President Joe Biden, who is expected in coming days to sign the measure into law.

It previously passed the Democratic-controlled Senate, 69-30.

"We have discussed the need to make desperately needed investments in our infrastructure and broadband technology for too long," Mrvan said following the House vote. "Today, we delivered."

The legislation provides approximately $7 billion to revitalize roads and bridges in all of Indiana's 92 counties; $751 million to ensure safe, clean drinking water is available to Hoosiers; $680 million to improve public transportation systems across the state; $350 million to expand broadband internet access, especially in rural areas; and $20 million for Indiana to respond to extreme weather events.

"This is what it looks like when members of Congress can work together in a bipartisan fashion to solve problems and improve the livelihoods of individuals in communities throughout our nation," Mrvan said.

"I look forward, after President Biden signs this measure into law, to seeing these investments come to fruition and watching our incredible unions, workforce, and small businesses get to work to further grow our economy."

Only two of Indiana's 11 members of Congress supported the legislation, Mrvan and U.S. Rep. Andre Carson, D-Indianapolis.

It was opposed by all nine Republicans representing the Hoosier State, including both U.S. Sen. Todd Young and U.S. Sen. Mike Braun.

U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Elkhart, whose 2nd District includes part of LaPorte County, said she voted "no" because she considers the infrastructure plan to be a "socialist tax and spend scheme" that's "about securing more control over Americans from cradle to grave."

Similarly, U.S. Rep. Jim Baird, R-Greencastle, whose 4th District contains Newton and Jasper counties, said he could not support the infrastructure legislation because he considers it "little more than a Trojan horse" for additional, future Democratic spending proposals.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the cost of the infrastructure legislation  $550 billion in new spending over five years  primarily is paid for using previously appropriated, but unspent, funds allocated for COVID-19 relief and unemployment payments, along with the sale of some federal assets and renewing various fees that were otherwise set to expire.

The measure also includes $450 billion in previously approved infrastructure spending that the CBO estimates could add $256 billion to the federal deficit over 10 years, or $25.6 billion a year.

Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute

Records show the federal government is due to spend $7.2 trillion this year, which means the added unfunded expense of the infrastructure plan is equal to one-third of 1% of federal spending.

Even the fiscally conservative Indiana Chamber of Commerce said the spending is well worth it because "we simply couldn't let our infrastructure further deteriorate and burden business and citizens alike," Indiana Chamber CEO Kevin Brinegar said.

"(This) is the type of long-term, needed commitment to improve the state and nation's infrastructure system that weve sought for more than a decade," Brinegar said. "In fact, it's the largest investment ever in bridges  many of which have been dangerously deteriorating for years  since the interstate highway system was constructed.

"We thank Indiana Congressmen Andre Carson and Frank Mrvan for voting for the bill."

The bipartisan National Governors Association likewise thanked members of Congress who supported the effort to fund the core infrastructure needs of America's states and territories.

"Governors commend Congress for setting aside partisan differences to pass a bill that works for the American people," said Republican Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, NGA chairman. "States stand ready to immediately put these funds to good use to fix and improve our nations infrastructure."

Indiana Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb said the federal assistance "will be used to continue the state's trajectory of improving our infrastructure, which is the foundation in growing an even stronger economy."

"Indiana's healthy fiscal position has led to extensive investments in our communities," Holcomb said. "We have dedicated $270 million in grants to connect all Hoosiers to broadband access, $475 million in funding for three infrastructure projects that will be transformational for the state, and an additional $500 million in the READI program to jump start community investment and collaboration."

Meanwhile, a variety of union organizations, including the laborers, electricians, transit workers, and teachers, among others, enthusiastically praised the federal legislation for ensuring work for their members for years to come.

"Making once-in-a-generation investments in our country, this legislation ushers in a new era of worker-centric prosperity  one characterized by good, union jobs that will put millions to work modernizing our electric grid, repairing and expanding the vital transportation services we all rely on, and creating the reduced-carbon energy solutions that will power our economy well into the 21st century and beyond," said Lonnie Stephenson, president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Mike Schmuhl, chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party, said the infrastructure measure fulfills President Biden's pledge to work across the aisle to form bipartisan coalitions to solve some of the most pressing problems facing the United States.

"Unfortunately, Indiana Republicans always choose extreme partisanship when it matters most over creating a better future for Hoosier families," Schmuhl said.

"Democrats look forward to holding Indiana Republicans accountable with every ribbon cutting or photo-op they attend as they take credit for work they did not do. Simply put: They said 'NO' before taking the dough."
On the 'No Vaccination, No Subsidy' Proposal

More at: https://pinglacson.net/article/on-the-no-vaccination-no-subsidy-proposal

While we agree that all Filipinos should get the jab done, is withholding much-needed aid for poor families the best way for government to get its job done?

Even from a health and medical perspective, not all of our citizens can be vaccinated, so it stands to reason that a socio-economic safety net should also be approached in the same manner.

Thus it might be more prudent for the Department of Interior and Local Government and the relevant authorities concerned to consider an incentivized approach to vaccination, rather than a blanket "no vaccine, no aid" policy.
Press Release

November 8, 2021 Poe urges COA to release report on PhilHealth's state of finances Sen. Grace Poe urged the Commission on Audit (COA) to release the 2020 Audit Report on the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to give legislators a clear picture of the state of its finances while discussion on the 2022 national budget is ongoing. "We need to know exactly how much PhilHealth owes hospitals and healthcare workers. They must be paid soon and government must figure out where to get the funds," Poe said. The senator pointed out that the COA report will render a credible audit of PhilHealth's financial condition and see to it that funds are effectively used for the people's health services needs. "The operations of hospitals are at risk. We are still in a pandemic and people are still dying. PhilHealth must not hide or sugarcoat its numbers," Poe added. In COA's 2019 Annual Audit Report on PhilHealth, benefit claims have totalled P75.57 billion, close to double the P39.79 billion benefit claims reported at the end of 2018. The Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPi) said they are still awaiting PhilHealth's action to pay the COVID-19 claims from 2020 even as some hospitals said they are contemplating not renewing their accreditation. "This will make it difficult for PhilHealth members to reap the full benefits of their membership as they will have to pay for their medical expenses from their own pockets and hope that the state health insurer will reimburse them," Poe said. "PhilHealth cannot resort to delaying and scare tactics to discourage hospitals from pursuing what's due them," Poe added after PHAPi reported that some hospitals have received summonses from the National Bureau of Investigation concerning their claims. PhilHealth received 35,147 COVID-19 claims from hospitals in 2020 but only 10,265 of the claims were paid, amounting to P2.5 billion. Of the 2,859 claims for critical COVID-19 cases, PhilHealth only paid 642 claims or P505.6 million. It refused to pay for 309 cases amounting to P243 million. PhilHealth returned 1,179 claims of hospitals for critical cases costing P927.15 million and 729 claims for critical cases were still under process as of July 31, 2021. For critical COVID-19 cases, PhilHealth ought to have shouldered P786,384 of a member's hospitalization. The 2019 COA report had concerns on PhilHealth's actuarial estimates and assumptions and sought an improvement in its actuarial valuation process. "We at the Senate need to examine PhilHealth's finances and take that into consideration in the discussions for the 2022 government budget," Poe said. "Before COVID-19, COA already had concerns on PhilHealth's actuarial valuation process. COVID-19 would have made it more urgent for PhilHealth to get an actuarial study of the fund to come up with a set of recommendations that would make the fund viable and sustainable," Poe added. __________________________________________ [FILIPINO TRANSLATION] Poe, hinimok ang COA na ilabas ang report sa PhilHealth Hinimok ni Sen. Grace Poe ang Commission on Audit (COA) na isapubliko ang 2020 Audit Report ng Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) upang mabigyan ang mga mambabatas ng malinaw na impormasyon sa estadong pampinansyal ng ahensya habang tinatalakay ang 2022 national budget. "Kailangan naming malaman kung magkano talaga ang utang ng PhilHealth sa mga ospital at healthcare workers. Dapat itong mabayaran agad at matukoy ng gobyerno kung saan kukunin ang pondo," pahayag ni Poe. Binigyang diin ng senadora na ang COA report ay magbibigay ng credible audit sa financial condition ng PhilHealth at malalaman kung epektibong nagagamit ang pondo para sa pangangailangan ng publiko sa kalusugan. "Nanganganib ang operasyon ng mga ospital. Nasa pandemya pa rin tayo at marami ang namamatay. Hindi dapat itago ng PhilHealth ang mga numero," diin ni Poe. Batay sa 2019 Annual Audit Report ng COA sa PhilHealth, umabot sa P75.57 bilyon ang mga benefit claim na halos doble ng P39.79 bilyon na naiulat sa pagtatapos ng 2018. Ayon sa Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPi), hinihintay pa rin nila ang aksyon ng PhilHealth sa mga COVID-19 claim mula 2020 sa gitna ng plano ng ilang pagamutan na hindi na ire-renew ang kanilang akreditasyon. "Lalong mahihirapan ang mga miyembro ng PhilHealth na makuha ng buo ang kanilang benepisyo dahil kinakailangan na nilang bayaran mula sa sariling bulsa ang gastusin sa kanilang pagpapagamot at umasang mare-reimburse sila," paliwanag ni Poe. "Hindi maaaring gumamit ang PhilHealth ng delaying at scare tactics para panghinaan ng loob ang mga ospital na singilin ang utang sa kanila," diin ni Poe matapos ihayag ng PHAPi na ilang pagamutan ang pinadalhan pa ng summons ng National Bureau of Investigation. Nakatanggap ang PhilHealth ng 35,147 COVID-19 claims sa mga ospital noong 2020 ngunit 10,265 lamang ang nabayaran na nagkakahalaga ng P2.5 bilyon. Sa 2,859 claims para sa mga critical na COVID-19 cases, 642 lamang ang nabayaran ng PhilHealth o P505.6 milyon. Tumanggi itong bayaran ang 309 cases na umaabot sa P243 milyon. Ibinalik naman ng PhilHealth ang 1,179 claims para sa critical cases sa mga pagamutan na umaabot sa P927.15 milyon at ang 729 claims naman ay pinoproseso pa hanggang noong July 31, 2021. Para sa critical COVID-19 cases, dapat P786,384 ng hospitalization ng miyembro ang binayaran ng PhilHealth. Sa 2019 COA report, pinuna ang mga actuarial estimate at assumption ng PhilHealth at kanilang inirekomenda ang pagpapatibay sa actuarial valuation process. "Kailangan naming mabusisi sa Senado ang estadong pampinansyal ng PhilHealth para magamit itong batayan sa pagtalakay ng 2022 government budget," dagdag ni Poe. "Bago pa ang COVID-19, pinuna na ng COA ang actuarial valuation process ng PhilHealth. Sa gitna ng pandemya, nakita na dapat nang magkaroon ng actuarial study ang PhilHealth sa kanilang pondo at bumalangkas ng mga rekomendasyon para maging viable at sustainable ang pondo," giit pa ni Poe.
Press Release

November 8, 2021 Senate passes bill seeking creation of judiciary marshals The Senate on Monday, November 8, 2021, passed on third and final reading a bill which aims to ensure the safety of members of the judiciary and their families by creating a security force under the supervision of the Supreme Court. With 21 affirmative votes, no negative vote and one abstention, the Senate approved Senate Bill No. 1947, or An Act Creating the Office of the Judiciary Marshals. Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa abstained from voting. Sen. Richard Gordon, chairman of the Committee on Justice and Human Rights and sponsor of the bill, said the measure aims to improve the administration of justice in the country. Gordon said 34 judges have already been killed since 1999, and only 10 percent of these killings have been solved. As of July, 26, 2021, 155 lawyers, judges and court personnel have already been killed, 63 of them killed under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, he said. SBN 1947 is a consolidated bill composed of Gordon's SBN 1181; Senate President Vicente's Sotto III's SBN 1255; SBN 1209 by Senators Panfilo Lacson and Leila De Lima; and Dela Rosa's SBN 1237. Other senators also asked to be made co-authors of the bill. The measure seeks the creation of the Judiciary Marshals which shall be primarily responsible for the security, safety, and protection of the members, officials, personnel, and property of the Judiciary, including the integrity of the courts and their proceedings. The creation of the Office of the Judiciary Marshal is seen to help counter the continuing attacks on judges, lawyers, and other court personnel. "This is aimed to protect, defend, safeguard, watch over, provide security and ensure the safety of justices, judges, court officials and personnel, including their families, and halls of justice, courthouses, and other court buildings and properties," Gordon said. Gordon said aside from providing security, the judiciary marshals will be tasked to conduct threat assessments and launch investigations on crimes and other offenses committed against judiciary employees and court property. They may also undertake probes on allegations of irregularities, including graft and corruption, committed by members of the legal profession. "This shall include coordinating with other law enforcement agencies to maximize collection and sharing of intelligence information for purposes of identifying threats," the measure stated. The Supreme Court, the Chief Justice, or the Court Administrator may also instruct the judicial marshals to perform other related functions "This will send a strong message that you cannot just kill a judge. We must work together to ensure that our judicial system operates in a safe environment. Judges, witnesses, court personnel, and law enforcement must not have to face threats of violence when carrying out their duties. These protections are crucial to the preservation of the independence of our Judiciary so that it can continue to serve as a bulwark protecting individual rights and liberty," Gordon stressed. The proposed office would be headed by a Chief Marshal, who shall be appointed by the high court and assisted by three deputy marshals to be assigned in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. An initial funding of 50 million would be needed for the enactment of the measure, the bill stated. This would cover, among others, the salaries and other expenses of personnel, as well as the purchase of necessary supplies and equipment. Dela Rosa, during the period of amendment, raised concerns over the granting of investigative powers to the proposed Office of the Judiciary Marshal. He said such move might result in encroachment of power between the executive and judicial branches of the government.
Press Release

November 8, 2021 Senate concurs ratification of Convention on Temporary Admission The Senate today adopted a resolution concurring in the ratification of the Convention on Temporary Admission subject to certain reservations allowed under the treaty. Sen. Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, said Senate Resolution 832 or the Convention on Temporary Admission and its various Annexes constitute the international codification of the ATA Carnet system, a combination of French and English acronym which mean "admission temporaire" or temporary admission. According to Pimentel, the ATA Carnet system replaces the national customs formalities with a system that facilitates the temporary admission and tax-free and duty-free importation of commercial samples, professional equipment, and articles for presentation or use in trade fairs, shows, and exhibitions. The treaty obligates contracting parties to provide temporary admission of goods with total conditional relief from import duties and taxes. It also requires simplified processes for temporary admission of goods into a customs territory. Pimentel explained how the treaty works by giving three scenarios: In the first scenario, he cited the holding of trade exhibits throughout Asia after the Covid-19 pandemic, where participants would bring their products, including high- value scientific equipment, for demonstration from country to country; in the second scenario, Pimentel cited as an example, competing Filipino athletes such as EJ Obiena, the Asian and Philippine record holder in pole vault, carrying assorted equipment from country to country; and in the third scenario, he cited various equipment such as laptops, cameras, tripod stands that media personalities carry for their coverage in various political hotspots. "In a world without the ATA Carnet system, all the persons in these scenarios would have to undergo customs formalities and pay expensive import and re-export charges in every single country, making their endeavor administratively taxing and financially expensive," Pimentel explained. "This impedes their work and hampers the exchange of knowledge, sharing of culture, participation in events, and building of people-to-people links that is the foundation of global commerce and solidarity," he added. He said under the ATA Carnet system, which is sometimes referred to as the "passport of goods," duties and taxes that may come due are guaranteed merely by the presentation of the ATA Carnet and its acceptance by the customs office of each territory of contracting parties. Entry will be duty free unless the goods temporarily admitted are not thereafter brought out of the country, in which case they are liable for charges as imported goods. Pimentel said the treaty would be advantageous to the Philippines because it would increase the efficiency and productivity of customs. With the codified ATA Carnet system, he said, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) would no longer need to use valuable time and resources processing temporary admission of scientific, professional and other goods and equipment. He said BOC would only need to rely on and monitor the ATA Carnets, which would also guarantee the full payment of applicable duties and taxes should the temporarily admitted goods fail to be totally re-exported. According to Pimentel, the treaty will also have both direct and indirect benefits to the economy. As a direct economic benefit, he said, Filipino entrepreneurs and companies would find it easier and cheaper to join trade shows and exhibits to showcase their products in the territories of other contracting States. Companies and organizations of other contracting States would also be encouraged to hold their exhibits and conventions in the Philippines, thereby boosting other industries in the country such as hotels, airlines, service sectors, SMEs and MSMEs. Lastly, Pimentel said the Philippines, as a party to the treaty, would join its fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that are already participants in the ATA Carnet system. "This would further facilitate the realization of regional integration and economic cooperation, consistent with the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, in which the Heads of State envision... ASEAN as an outward-looking region within a global community of nations, while maintaining ASEAN centrality with vibrant, sustainable and highly integrated economies," Pimentel said. "It is timely and it is necessary, for it will redound to the benefit of our entrepreneurs, our service providers, the events sector, and our economy as a whole, especially as our nation recovers from the pandemic and our people expand the horizons of opportunity once again," he added.
Four Tunisians workers have lost their lives during an accident on the Bouri Offshore Field, about 120 kilometers north of the Libyan coast, the consul general of the North African country in Tripoli told state-run agency TAP, Webdo Tunis reports.

Taoufik Guesmi told the agency their corpses will be repatriated either Sunday or today Monday.

The men working for Tripoli-based Mellitah Oil & Gas, died Friday after falling from a floating storage tank after one of the chains binding the platform broke. They were doing some maintenance work on the tank.

Mellitah Oil & Gas, Libya Observer notes, said that the tragic accident occurred during the dismantling and hauling of the Sloug oil tank, which has been out of service since 2017.

The Tunisian workers were recruited through an agreement between the consult and Tripoli-based Company. Guesmi told the agency that Mellitah Oil & Gas has taken charge of repatriation of the bodies.
According to information published by the French Ministry of Armed Forces on November 2, 2021, the French Navy sent Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft to Cyprus for a mission in Eastern Mediterranean.

Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link

Atlantique 2 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (Picture source: Twitter account of French Army)

The Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic is a long-range maritime patrol aircraft designed and manufactured by French aircraft manufacturer Breguet Aviation.

The Atlantic has been operated by a number of countries, commonly performing maritime roles such as reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare, he is also capable of carrying air-to-ground munitions to perform ground-attack missions; a small number of aircraft were also equipped to perform ELINT operations.

An updated version, the Atlantique 2 or ATL2, was produced by Dassault Aviation for the French Navy in the 1980s.

The Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic is a twin-engined, mid-winged monoplane with a "double-bubble" fuselage; the upper lobe comprising a pressurized crew compartment, and the lower lobe housing a 9 m (27 ft 6 in) long weapons bay, with sonobuoy tubes aft of the weapons bay.

An all-aluminum structure is used throughout the Atlantic's airframe; corrosion is alleged to be a considerable problem due to environmental factors imposed by the maritime environment.
Fantastic Mr. Fox is the story of a clever, quick, nimble, and exceptionally well- dressed wild animal. A compulsive chicken thief turned newspaper reporter, Mr. Fox settles down with his family at a new foxhole in a beautiful tree directly adjacent to three enormous poultry farmsowned by three ferociously vicious farmers: Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. Mr. Fox simply cannot resist.

This adaptation of Roald Dahls classic childrens novel from Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums) is a meticulous work of stop-motion animation featuring vibrant performances by George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon, and Bill Murray.
CCTV: We noticed that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the other day that the Global Development Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping is of great significance in promoting global equality and balanced, sustainable development, adding that the UN fully supports it and is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in this regard. Do you have any comment?

Wang Wenbin: The compounded impacts of once-in-a-century pandemic and changes have put the international development cause at a crossroads. To rise up to the global development challenges, President Xi Jinping solemnly put forward the Global Development Initiative at the general debate of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly. This initiative follows a people-centered approach as the core principle, pursues practical cooperation as the guidance, and upholds openness and inclusiveness as the idea for partnership. It calls on the international community to speed up the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, pursue more robust, greener and more healthy global development, and build a global community of development with a shared future. The Global Development Initiative draws a blueprint for international development cooperation, and charts the course for advancing global development cause.

This important initiative of President Xi Jinping is warmly received by the international community. Developing countries have actively supported and echoed the initiative, and many developed countries have also welcomed and recognized the philosophy and areas of cooperation it advocates. It is widely believed that this major initiative will help build global synergy, accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and bring global development to a new stage of balanced, coordinated and inclusive development. So far, dozens of countries and many international organizations have expressed their support for or made positive statements on the initiative. All parties said that the core development philosophy and principles embodied in the initiative demonstrate Chinas moral power in todays world and has injected strong impetus into the efforts to accelerate development in developing countries for common prosperity. They expressed the willingness to have exchanges and cooperation with China to jointly promote the implementation of the initiative.

The Global Development Initiative is open to the world and welcomes the participation of all countries. Guided by the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, China is ready to work with all countries to practice true multilateralism and make unremitting efforts and new contributions to accelerating the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Xinhua News Agency: Data from the General Administration of Customs (GAC) on Sunday showed that China's total imports and exports in the first 10 months of 2021 increased 31.9 percent from a year earlier. Some analysts said this fully demonstrates the vitality and resilience of the Chinese economy and testifies to Chinas determination and outcomes in unswervingly building an open economy. Do you have any comment?

Wang Wenbin: As you said, in the first ten months of 2021, China's total imports and exports grew 31.9 percent in US dollar terms and maintained a double-digit gain. Imports and exports increased significantly between China and its major trading partners, including ASEAN, the EU, the US and Japan. Robust growth was also recorded in Chinas exports and imports with countries along the Belt and Road. I noted that recent statistics from the Chinese side show that paid-in foreign investment in the previous three quarters reached 859.51 billion yuan, up 19.6 percent year on year, and the vast majority of foreign companies in China are fully confident in the future. All this speaks volumes about the vitality and resilience of Chinas economy and the ever deepening economic integration between China and the world.

We always believe that only when countries develop together can there be true development; only when countries prosper together can there be true prosperity. As for China, we will not change our resolve to open wider at a high standard; we will not change our determination to share development opportunities with the rest of the world; and we will not change our commitment to an economic globalization that is more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial for all. China will further optimize imports and exports, shorten the negative list for foreign investment, revise and enlarge the Catalogue of Encouraged Industries for Foreign Investment, take an active and open attitude in negotiations in such areas as the digital economy, trade and the environment. In these ways, we will bring more new opportunities for the world, inject fresh impetus into the world economy and help it to achieve higher-quality, more resilient development.

China Review News: It is reported that an official of the Taiwan regions foreign affairs department said recently that Taiwan is following closely the presidential elections in Honduras and will strengthen communication with the ruling and opposition parties in Honduras to prevent the mainland from undermining their relationship through all means. Do you have any comment?

Wang Wenbin: There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The one-China principle is a universally recognized norm of international relations and universal consensus of the international community. Upholding the one-China principle is the overriding trend with strong popular support. We want to admonish the Taiwan authorities that Taiwan independence leads to a dead end, dollar diplomacy is rejected by all, and all attempts to reverse the historical trend by soliciting foreign support are bound to fail.





CRI: Two terrorist attacks took place in succession in Tillaberi Region of Niger the other day, killing more than 80 people, including the mayor of Banibangou district. What is Chinas comment?

Wang Wenbin: China strongly condemns the terrorist attacks in Tillaberi Region of Niger, mourns for the victims and expresses our condolences to the bereaved families.

China strongly condemns terrorism in all forms, and will continue to firmly support the government of Niger in safeguarding national stability and peoples security.

AFP: A satellite image from the US shows that China has built mockups in the shape of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and destroyers, possibly as training targets, in the Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang. Can you confirm that?

Wang Wenbin: Im not aware of the situation you mentioned.

Beijing Media Group: The Iraqi Prime Ministers residence inside Baghdads Green Zone was hit by a drone attack early on November 7 local time, according to reports. Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi of the Iraqi caretaker government was unhurt. What is Chinas comment?

Wang Wenbin: China condemns the attack on the Iraqi Prime Ministers residence. The political process of Iraq is now at a critical juncture. China hopes all parties of Iraq can strengthen solidarity, and jointly maintain national security and stability.

Bloomberg: The Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has picked a critic of Chinas treatment of the Uyghur ethnic group to be his aide for human rights. The Prime Minister will select Gen Nakatani to be his special adviser on human rights, according to a Japanese government spokesman who spoke with reporters on Monday. Does the Foreign Ministry have any comment on the appointment of Mr. Nakatani as the special adviser to the Japanese Prime Minister?

Wang Wenbin: I noted relevant reports. I will not comment on the personnel arrangement of the Japanese government, which falls under Japans domestic affairs. What I want to point out is that Chinas internal affairs allow no foreign interference.
With nearly $400,000 in purses up for grabs, B.C. Breeders Classic Day is set for a special Thursday afternoon of harness racing this week at Fraser Downs.

Post time is scheduled for 1 p.m. (PST) and the 10-race card will feature four $75,000 B.C. Breeders Stakes finals along with the $35,000 Jim Vinnell Memorial and companion Lady Elements Stakes for older horses.

Two-year-old pacing colts and geldings will kick off the B.C. Breeders Stakes action in the final of the Robert Millbank Memorial.

Joe Rich will attempt to complete a sweep of the Robert Millbank after winning his three preliminary divisions for Fraser's top driver Brandon Campbell and leading trainer Jim Marino, who shares ownership with J J J Stables and Paul Saunders. The Custard The Dragon-Cant Stop Rocking colt broke his maiden at first asking in late-August at Century Downs and is now four-for-seven lifetime. He will have to overcome post position eight.

With the inside draw, Jimmyachance is one of his main threats after winning a pair of preliminary divisions for trainer Dennis Johnston and co-owner William Pambrun. A four-time winner, the Big Jim-Color Me Happy gelding has hit the board in all six of his starts. He'll pick up the services of O'Brien Award-winning reinsman Doug McNair, who will make his annual appearance at Fraser Downs for B.C. Breeders Classic day.

The field of nine also includes Alberta Super Final champion Ladner Lad, who has the trailing tier post position for trainer/driver Rod Therres and owner/breeder Wild Dunes Stables. The Mystician-Rollin In Paris colt is the richest rookie of the bunch with $52,425 banked already from a 2-4-2 record through eight starts.

The final of the Betty Millbank Memorial features a trio of two-year-old fillies that were no worse than second through the preliminary rounds while each winning two legs. Hazels Wildling, the top money-earner with $27,170 banked thus far in her career, will leave from post three for driver Tyler Redwood and trainer Darren Callaghan. Starting to her outside, Memum Knowsnothing will look to carry her winning momentum into the final after posting back-to-back victories in rein to Glenn White for trainer/co-owner Rick White. The tandem of Campbell and Marino will have another promising B.C. Breeders Stakes contender in Shoot The Whiskey, who has drawn the trailing post nine.

Robert Chadwick's defending champion Kootenay Santanna headlines the Robert Murphy Memorial final for three-year-old colts and geldings after a perfect run in the preliminaries that pushed his earnings to $81,538. Kyle Chadwick trains the Santanna Blue Chip-Kootenay Mystic gelding, who will start from post nine with Rod Therres in the sulky.

Drawing post eight, Like A Shadow is riding a six-race win streak into the Robert Murphy final, including victories in all three preliminary legs. He has earned seven of his eight wins this season while boosting his bankroll to $72,195 for RT Entreprises Ltd. and Wild Dunes Stables. Campbell will drive the Shadow Play-Magic Number gelding, who is one of four sophomores in the field trained by Rick Lancaster.

Leaving from post three, Alberta stakes winner Codename Cigar Box will be looking to add to his six-figure bankroll for trainer/driver Kelly Hoerdt.

The Mary Murphy Memorial for three-year-old pacing fillies stars Exotic Dragon, who enters the final off consecutive victories in the last two legs that followed a runner-up finish in the Alberta Super Final. After making just one start as a two-year-old, the Custard The Dragon-Accentuate filly has banked $117,402 with eight wins and seven other top three finishes from 16 starts this year. Among her wins are the Shirley McClellan Breeders' Stakes and Alberta Sires Stakes Diamond elimination and final. Nathan Sobey will drive his trainee, who is in the care of Gord Abbott while racing in B.C. for owner Robert Jones.

Defending champion Custard Smoothie, who set a track record prior to winning the two-year-old title in rein to McNair, will start from post six for Marino and the J J J Stables. Another daughter of Custard The Dragon, the filly out of Artists Rendition picked up one of her two sophomore wins in the opening round of the Mary Murphy Memorial.

The Marino-Campbell connection will partner on post nine starter If Only Id Known, who has never finished worse than second in the B.C. Breeders Stakes throughout her two and three-year-old seasons.

The Vinnell Memorial features seven top older pacers headlined by elimination winners Icy Blue Scooter (post two) for trainer/driver Sobey and Dontpokethedragon (post five), hailing from the Marino stable with McNair listed to drive.

Eliminations were not necessary for the Lady Elements, with five mares set to face off in the final. It could be another match up of Moosette (post five), conditioned by Marino, and the Therres-trained Rockin Mystery (post two), who finished 1-2 the last two weeks in the Mares Open.

To view complete entries for Thursday's harness racing card at Fraser Downs, click on the following links: Thursday Entries - Program Pages (courtesy TrackIT)
Josephine 'Jo' Frey Spears passed away on October 27 at the age of 94 surrounded by her family at her home in Hanover, Pennsylvania.

She was the loving wife of Paul Edward Spears, former President of Standardbred Horse Sales Company and Hanover Shoe Farms, who died on August 11, 2012.

Jo is survived by her son and daughter in law, Doctors Paul and Laura (Smith) Spears of York, and daughter and son in law Patricia and Shaun Eisenhauer of Camp Hill. Her grandchildren include David Spears and his wife Cassandra of York, Hilary Spears of Harrisburg who died in 2020, Christopher Eisenhauer and his wife Samantha of Harrisburg, and Lauren Eisenhauer of Ewing, New Jersey.

Jo was a 1944 graduate of Eichelberger High School, and received her Bachelor Degree in Business Education in 1948 from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She taught several business subjects for three years at Schellsberg  Napier High School in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. In 1950, she accompanied her husband Paul to Detroit, Michigan when he began employment with Ford Motor Company. She found employment as a secretary for three years at the Kales  Kramer Investment Company in Detroit before returning to Hanover in 1953 with her husband.

She was the epitome of the Stay at Home Mom, raising her two beloved children and enjoying knitting, reading and needlepoint. She shared her husbands avid enthusiasm for the sport of harness racing. Jo was an owner of world champion three-year-old trotting filly Expressway Hanover with her son in law Shaun Eisenhauer and his law partner. Expressway Hanover won the prestigious Breeders Crown race in 1993. Expressway Hanover thereafter became the dam of 2003 Aged Trotter of the Year Rotation. Jo also participated in the family horse breeding business, Windsong Stable, which bred 2004 trotting Triple Crown winner Windsongs Legacy.

Jo and Paul did everything together. She was his sounding board in all major decisions. She accompanied Paul to harness races at PA County Fairs and harness racing tracks all over the country, where he was an accomplished amateur driver. Family was always the focal point of their lives. She was a loving and devoted wife, mother and grandmother.

Contributions in memory of Josephine Frey Spears may be made to St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 30 West Chestnut Street, Hanover, PA, 17331.

To share memories of Josephine Frey Spears, please visit wetzelfuneralhome.com.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Josephine Spears.
By Vafa Ismayilova

Azerbaijan marks Victory Day on November 8, when Shusha, known as the crown of Karabakh, was liberated after almost three-decade Armenian occupation.

In November 2020, Armenia accepted its defeat and Azerbaijans historic victory ended six weeks of fighting in Karabakh.

Given the liberation of Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Zangilan, Gubadli, Shusha, five settlements, about 300 villages, strategic heights, as well as Aghdam, Kalbajar and Lachin, every step of the nations path to victory, which began on September 27, can be seen as a page of pride.

In all, 2,908 Azerbaijani soldiers got martyred in the war and six servicemen are still missing. During the legendary battle of Shusha, highly trained and skilled Azerbaijani special forces servicemen scaled cliffs and liberated Shusha from a brutal occupation.

As a result of the successful continuation of the victory march, the state flag of Azerbaijan was hoisted on November 8 in Shusha for the first time in 28 years. Despite efforts to Armenianize Shusha, the latter protected its dignity and the national spirit of Azerbaijan. Shusha was waiting for Azerbaijanis to come.

With the victory, a new period began in the life of every liberated city, settlement, and village. The country created a completely new reality in the South Caucasus region.

President Ilham Aliyev repeatedly described Azerbaijans victory as the beginning of a new era in the countrys and regions development.

Azerbaijan's victory in the Patriotic War has created new realities in our region. Our historic victory is the beginning of a new era in the development of both our country and the region as a whole, he said.

Constructive Azerbaijan

Immediately after the signing of a ceasefire deal along with the Russian and Armenian leaders on November 10, 2020, President Aliyev started regularly visiting the liberated regions.

Aliyev, who took control of military and political issues during the war, now personally leads the post-war reconstruction in the East Zangazur and Karabakh regions.

The grand reconstruction is being implemented on the basis of the latest technologies in Azerbaijan. Despite the short time, the work done is obvious. All can witness Azerbaijan's rapid and intensive reconstruction of completely destroyed settlements in just a few months after the war.

It is noteworthy that all these processes are taking place against the background of economic difficulties created by the pandemic. However, Azerbaijan continues to move towards its goal without the help of any country or international institution.

The country's economic and financial capabilities provide a basis for achieving all goals in a timely manner and at a high level.

The master plans of Shusha, Aghdam, Fuzuli, and Jabrayil have already been presented to the Azerbaijani public. The preparation of the master plans of Zangilan, Gubadli, Kalbajar, and Lachin has started.

The main task is to restore all cities and villages in the most modern way and to reflect these regions' historical past in the master plans. Karabakh's transport infrastructure is being renovated.

Fuzuli International Airport, which is already considered the gateway to Karabakh, was opened on October 26. Zangilan International Airport is expected to open next year. Another airport is to be built in Lachin.

On October 26, Aliyev and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan laid the foundation for the Zangazur corridor - the Horadiz-Jabrayil-Zangilan-Aghband highway.

As part of the 2020-22 National Action Plan, Azerbaijan presented the first pilot smart village project aimed at liberated territories. Thus, the project covers Zangilans Aghali I, II, III villages. It will be implemented mainly on five components - housing sector, production sector, social services, smart agriculture and alternative energy.

Moreover, modern schools, kindergartens, clinics and electronic control centers will be built in these villages, and tourism infrastructure will be formed. All residential houses, social facilities, administrative and catering buildings, processing and production of agricultural products will be provided with alternative energy sources.

Aliyev said during his visit to Zangilan on October 20 that the work is already underway in the areas of tourism, agriculture, transport, logistics, environmental protection and creation of sustainable conditions for people.

Destructive Armenia

Armenia's aggression and illegal occupation caused irreparable damages to Azerbaijan's cultural heritage, which includes thousands of cultural values, including monuments of the world and national importance, mosques, temples, mausoleums, museums, art galleries, sites of archaeological excavations, libraries and rare manuscripts.

Sixty-four of 67 mosques and Islamic religious sites were destroyed, greatly damaged, and desecrated.

More than 900 cemeteries were destroyed and vandalized. The evidence of illegal "archaeological excavations" and so-called "restoration work" was found on the liberated Azerbaijani territories, confirming previous reports of Armenia's attempts to hide and falsify cultural, historical and scientific evidence.

A modern workshop for the production of "ancient" khachkars - Armenian cross-stones, which was discovered in liberated Kalbajar, were oxidized and vinegar was used in the process of artificial aging and then they were buried as "indisputable evidence" of "centuries-old Armenian roots" in this region.

Hundreds of cultural institutions, 927 libraries with a book fund of 4.6 million, 22 museums and museum branches with more than 100,000 exhibits, 4 art galleries, 8 culture, and recreation parks, as well as one of the oldest settlements in the world in Fuzuli region - Azykh (Azikh) Cave, the Shusha State Historical and Architectural Reserve had become victims of the Armenian vandalism.

Occupied by Armenian forces in 1993, Aghdam is known as the Hiroshima of the Caucasus for the level of destruction.

In 2020, 100 Azerbaijani civilians, including 12 children were killed and over 400 were wounded in Armenia's targeted missile attacks on Azerbaijani cities outside the war zone (Ganja, Barda, Tartar, and others). International human rights watchdogs Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch also verified the use of banned cluster bombs and rockets by Armenia in its attacks against Azerbaijani cities.

Armenia extensively damaged the ecosystem, wildlife and natural resources in and around occupied Karabakh.

Azerbaijan sets example

Against the background of Armenia's destructive policy on the liberated territories, Azerbaijan sets an example with its creative mission.

All the work done conveys to the world the message that the Azerbaijanis are constructive people.

Along with the ongoing rapid reconstruction of the liberated territories, Azerbaijan offers ample opportunities for neighboring countries to live in peace and tranquility and achieve economic revival. Thus, new opportunities emerged to ensure lasting peace and security in the region.

Azerbaijan achieved its highest goal, liberated its lands from occupation and ensured its territorial integrity.

Armenia, which has been under an economic blockade for many years due to its aggressive policy, has finally got an opportunity to break out of this isolation and establish normal relations with neighboring countries, including Azerbaijan.

The proper assessment of Azerbaijan's peace proposal is now seen as a historic chance for Armenia, which must declare its recognition of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity.

This country, which ruthlessly destroyed and vandalized Azerbaijani territories for about 30 years, must once and for all forget its territorial claims against Azerbaijan and Turkey and try to establish normal relations with its neighbors, respect all the provisions of international law, show sincere will and recognize that the policy of aggression does not benefit any nation.

Subsequently, Armenia should amend its constitution and military doctrine to include the said provisions.
By Trend

A march on the occasion of November 8 - Victory Day has been organized in Baku, Trend reports.

The Victory march, accompanied by the military bands of the Military Lyceum named after Jamshid Nakhchivanski of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, the Training and Education Center of the Azerbaijani Army continued from the Azneft circle to the White City Boulevard.

The cadets of the Azerbaijan Military Academy named after Heydar Aliyev carried the 440-meter-long Azerbaijani flag along the march route. The march was accompanied by a cavalry detachment.

The victory march was culminated in a flash mob organized with the support of the Regional Development Public Union, featuring the composition "Iron Fist", a symbol of the Azerbaijans Patriotic War that was demonstrated with the participation of young volunteers.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev has made a speech in front of the servicemen in Shusha.

First, the national anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan was played.

President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev made a speech in front of the servicemen.

Speech of President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev: Dear servicemen! I congratulate you, the personnel of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan and the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of Victory Day. First of all, I would request that the memory of our martyrs who died heroically for the Motherland be commemorated with a minute of silence.

May Allah rest the souls of all our martyrs in peace.

We are celebrating Victory Day in Shusha, on the Jidir Duzu today. All of Azerbaijan celebrates this glorious holiday. Azerbaijan has restored its territorial integrity and restored historical justice. We have fulfilled our historic mission by driving the enemy out of our native lands. In 44 days, Azerbaijan won a historic victory by destroying all the fortifications and military positions Armenia had built in 30 years and crushed the Armenian army. This glorious holiday was presented to our people by you and tens of thousands of other servicemen like you.

The second Karabakh war is a bright page in our glorious history. The people of Azerbaijan have mobilized all their resources and fulfilled this glorious mission. During the occupation, I repeatedly said that every citizen of Azerbaijan should bring this holy day closer with hard work and deeds. I said that the people of Azerbaijan would never come to terms with the occupation, and we mobilized all our resources to put an end to the occupation and drove the enemy out of our historical lands.

When I was first elected President in 2003, I addressed the people of Azerbaijan and said that we would regain our historical lands from the enemy at any cost  whether through peace or war. And so it happened. Many years of peace talks did not yield any results. The result was zero. On the contrary, the enemy became completely presumptuous. Whereas the Azerbaijani people and myself still had some hope for negotiations in the first years of occupation, those hopes were completely dashed in recent years. Armenia and its supporters wanted to perpetuate this occupation. They believed that if they were able to occupy our lands for about 30 years, they would continue to occupy them forever. But they made a mistake. They should have known that we would never come to terms with this situation. They should have known that we would drive the enemy out of our lands at any cost. We had to be ready for this as a people and as a state. All preparations had to be made on time, and they were. As you know, army building and strengthening of our military potential were my priority tasks as President, and it is no coincidence that the biggest state budget expenditures have been intended for military purposes during my presidency. Over the years, we have created a strong military and technical capacity. The most modern weapons, ammunition and equipment were brought to our country, and this equipment was used properly by the military. The second Karabakh war is a clear proof of this. The combat capability of our army has greatly increased. Regular military exercises were held, and the equipment, morale and combat capability of our army were greatly enhanced.

We had to strengthen the economy, and we understood that if we did not achieve this, we would not be able to drive the enemy out of our lands. First of all, economic independence had to be secured. Because if we had been dependent, if we had depended on any other power, they would never have allowed us to fulfill this glorious mission. Therefore, from the first days of my presidency, all the necessary steps were taken for economic independence, and we achieved this in a short time. Today, Azerbaijan is at the forefront of the world in terms of economic potential and economic stability. Without the economic independence, there would be no political independence. We could have found ourselves in a dependent position  just as many countries are dependent today, which is why they are unable to express their will. Political independence has allowed us the opportunity to build relations with all our partners on the principles of equality, mutual respect and non-interference in each other's affairs. Thus, one of the main conditions for the liberation of our lands was provided.

We have managed to convey the realities of Karabakh and Armenian atrocities related to the occupation to the world community. Soon after the first Karabakh war, we could not achieve this. Therefore, there was a distorted perception of the war in the world and of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as a whole. We have eliminated it. We have been working day and night to inform the world community, to work successfully in leading international organizations and to have decisions and resolutions adopted that would support us and reflect the truth. All this work formed the legal basis for today's reality. Because today, after we have driven the enemy out of our lands, no one can criticize us. We have conducted a successful operation on our own lands, we have not violated international law, we have not violated the rules of warfare. We fought a just war and defeated the enemy on the battlefield.

Another important factor was the upbringing of the younger generation. We understood very well that even if we have weapons and ammunition, even if our economy is strong, even if we succeed in the international arena, these factors would not matter much if our citizens did not show their strength for the sake of our lands, for the sake of the Motherland. We have brought up young people in the spirit of patriotism, paying great attention to educational work. We did not allow the history of the occupation to be forgotten. We have not forgotten Karabakh. On the contrary, this issue has always been the top priority issue in every event for us, both domestically and internationally. Growing up in the spirit of patriotism, young people were able to sacrifice their lives and take our sacred lands from the enemy at the cost of their own lives. The combination of all these factors conditioned our victory.

I want to say again that it was clear that the enemy did not want to leave our land of its own free will, was becoming more and more impudent, was taking unacceptable steps and making statements to insult the dignity of the Azerbaijani people. By saying Karabakh is Armenia, Armenia not only put an end to the process of negotiations, but also insulted us. It was an insult addressed to us when a fake swearing-in ceremony was held in Shusha, the crown of Karabakh, which is so sacred to us. That devil's lair in which the event took place was destroyed by the heroic Azerbaijani Army during the war. The relocation of the so-called parliament of the self-styled entity to Shusha was another provocation against us. Armenia was arrogantly threatening us with renewed occupation. How much longer did we have to put up with that? Someone had to teach them a lesson, didnt they? Thousands, tens of thousands of young Azerbaijanis, soldiers and officers like you stepped forward and showed the enemy where it belonged, putting it in a situation they will never be able to get out of. They will live forever with the mark of a defeated nation and state.

During the occupation, the enemy celebrated the occupation of Shusha, a city sacred to us, in May every year. In May of this year, the Kharibulbul festival was held here on the Jidir Duzu, and the mugham was played. In August, Vagif Poetry Days were held here, and poems by Vagif and other great poets were recited in Shusha. From now on, no songs will be sung here in a strange language and no inappropriate statements will be made in this land and under this sky. From now on, it will be the Azerbaijani language that will dominate this land, as has been the case throughout history  calls to prayer in the Shusha mosque, the sound of the mugham in the Jidir Duzu, poems in front of the mausoleum of Vagif. That is the reality. We have achieved this. Despite all the international pressure and despite all the threats, our people united like a fist, stood behind the Army, and we have fulfilled this historic and glorious mission. For 44 days, we kept moving forward every day and never took a step back. Despite 10,000 deserters in the Armenian army, no one in the Azerbaijani army escaped from the battlefield. This is our national spirit. This is the spirit of Azerbaijan.

During the occupation, Armenia invented myths about its army and its alleged warriors: the invincible Armenian army. Where is this invincible army now? Where is the Armenian army? It has been blown to smithereens, we crushed them in a matter of 44 days. They begged for help and were on their knees. Accepting our conditions, they signed an act of capitulation in the early hours of 10 November and waved the white flag.

We have shown the whole world who is who. We have shown the whole world that we are a great nation. We showed the greatness of our people both during the war and in the year that has passed since it ended. The Armenians have ravaged all our cities. Azerbaijani citizens and foreigners visiting these places are stunned and horrified that such vandalism is even possible. Can there be so much hatred? Can there be so much barbarism? This was committed by the Armenians during the occupation. They committed these atrocities by demolishing and looting all the buildings and even taking tombstones to Armenia. During the war, we followed the laws of warfare, we did not violate the rules of war, we acted with dignity, just as we act with dignity in life and politics.

Victory Day is our holiday. It is the holiday of Victory, it is the holiday of courage, it is the holiday of justice, it is the holiday of national pride, it is the holiday of national dignity. We have restored our dignity. From now on, we will live forever as a victorious country and a victorious nation. From now on, we will live forever in Karabakh and Zangazur. If any force in Armenia looks askance at us or engages in revanchist tendencies, it will see our fist. Our fist is still in place.

Dear friends, dear people of Azerbaijan. I would like to congratulate you once again on this glorious holiday. I wish the Azerbaijani Army new victories and the Azerbaijani people continued success.

Long live the Azerbaijani Army, long live the Azerbaijani people. Karabakh is ours, Karabakh is Azerbaijan!
By Trend

Azerbaijan and Armenia have a historic opportunity  the first time in 30 years  to normalize the South Caucasus region, Richard Hoagland, the former co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group from the US told Trend.

"For example, fully opening the transportation routes would, over time, develop the economies of the three states in the region, leading to greater prosperity for all. However, we are still in a sensitive period. Patience and persistence are needed to build permanently normal relations between Baku and Yerevan," he said.

Hoagland believes that it is vitally important that the leaders of both Armenia and Azerbaijan prepare their citizens for the steps that will be necessary to build a better life for everyone.

"I personally would hope that international organizations like the OSCE Minsk Group would play a strong role in this process. I would also like to see Washington and Brussels become more engaged to work toward a just and permanent peace," he said.
By Trend

Iran congratulates Azerbaijan on the 1st anniversary of its victory [in second Karabakh war], Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Saeed Khatibzadeh said during press conference, Trend reports citing the ministry.

According to Khatibzadeh, Iran has always opposed the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia for the past 30 years, and supported the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan.

Last year, Iran congratulated the Azerbaijani state and people for the liberation of Azerbaijani territories from Armenian occupation, he added.

The spokesman also noted that efforts are underway to put aside some misunderstandings between Azerbaijan and Iran.

"We hope that the relations between both countries will further develop and such misunderstandings will not be repeated. We hope to see diplomatic visits between the two countries in the near future," Khatibzadeh said.
We have managed to convey the realities of Karabakh and Armenian atrocities related to the occupation to the world community, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev said, making a speech in front of the servicemen in Shusha, Trend reports.

"Soon after the first Karabakh war, we could not achieve this. Therefore, there was a distorted perception of the war in the world and of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as a whole. We have eliminated it," he said.

"We have been working day and night to inform the world community, to work successfully in leading international organizations and to have decisions and resolutions adopted that would support us and reflect the truth. All this work formed the legal basis for today's reality. Because today, after we have driven the enemy out of our lands, no one can criticize us. We have conducted a successful operation on our own lands, we have not violated international law, we have not violated the rules of warfare. We fought a just war and defeated the enemy on the battlefield, the head of state said.
By Trend

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received a delegation led by Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Turkey Hulusi Akar.

The delegation includes Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces Yasar Guler, Commander of the Turkish Land Forces Musa Avsever, Commander of the Turkish Air Force Hasan Kucukakyuz, and Commander of the Turkish Naval Forces Adnan Ozbal.

Minister Hulusi Akar extended Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans greetings and holiday congratulations to President Ilham Aliyev and the people of Azerbaijan.

The head of state thanked for Recep Tayyip Erdogan`s greetings and holiday congratulations, and asked the minister to extend his greetings to the Turkish President.

Hulusi Akar on his behalf also congratulated the head of state on the occasion of the Victory Day.

Expressing his gratitude for the congratulations, President Ilham Aliyev noted that Hulusi Akar's visit to Shusha together with the Turkish Armed Forces leadership on this holiday was of crucial importance. Recalling with satisfaction President Recep Tayyip Erdogans recent visit to Fuzuli and Zangilan districts, the head of state described this as a symbol of friendly and brotherly relations between the two countries.

President Ilham Aliyev once again hailed Turkey's support for Azerbaijan during the Patriotic War, emphasizing that bilateral relations had been raised to a higher level in the post-war period.

The sides exchanged views on prospects for bilateral cooperation.

They then posed for photos.
On 8 November, President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko made a phone call to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

The heads of state reaffirmed the strategic nature of bilateral cooperation, reviewed the implementation of agreements reached during talks between the two presidents in Baku in April this year, and discussed prospects for the participation of Belarusian companies in large-scale mutually beneficial projects in Azerbaijan.

President Alexander Lukashenko welcomed the fact that the long-running confrontation between Azerbaijan and Armenia had ended a year ago. He stressed the importance of starting a peace-building process for the benefit of both sides.

The President of Belarus stressed that the restoration of transport communications and economic activity in the South Caucasus should lay the groundwork for a lasting peace in the region, ensuring the well-being and security of all peoples living there.

President Alexander Lukashenko expressed his condolences to the families and close ones of all the victims of the long-standing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, noting the exceptional importance of the Declaration adopted with the mediation of Russia and ending the bloodshed a year ago.

In addition, the President of Belarus told the President of Azerbaijan that a monument to prominent poet and thinker Nizami Ganjavi, born in Ganja, would be erected in Minsk as a sign of friendship between the peoples of Belarus and Azerbaijan.
By Trend

Secretary General of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States Bagdad Amreyev sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of November 8 - Victory Day, Trend reports.

"Dear Mr. President,

On behalf of the Turkic Council and on my own behalf, I sincerely congratulate the people of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani Army and Your Excellency as the Commander-in-Chief on the occasion of your national holiday, 8 November-Victory Day, and convey my best wishes to you.

This glorious victory has opened new horizons for further deepening of our cooperation, for the strengthening of national identity and solidarity not only in brotherly Azerbaijan but also in the whole Turkic world in general.

At the same time, the new political reality and conditions created by Your Excellency with the restoration of the internationally recognized territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan will give impetus to stability, comprehensive cooperation and sustainable development in our region.

I would like to emphasize that during the Turkestan Summit held on 31 March this year, our member states once again unanimously welcomed the liberation of Azerbaijani lands and expressed their solidarity with the Government and the people of Azerbaijan in their efforts to restore, rebuild and reintegrate the conflict-affected areas.

I would like to reiterate my confidence that the transport, communication and infrastructure projects to be implemented in the Zangazur Corridor, which will unite the Turkic world thanks to Your Excellency's leadership and determination, will make an important contribution to economic development, peace and stability of all countries of the regions.

Remembering with utmost respect the martyred Azerbaijani soldiers, I once again congratulate Your Excellency on the Victory Day and wish all the people of Azerbaijan peace, prosperity and progress," the letter said.
By Trend

When I was first elected president in 2003, I addressed the people of Azerbaijan and said that we would take back our historical lands from the enemy at any cost  whether through peace or war, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev said, making a speech in front of the servicemen in Shusha, Trend reports.

And so it happened. Many years of peace talks did not yield any results. The result was zero. On the contrary, the enemy became completely presumptuous. Whereas the Azerbaijani people and myself still had some hope for negotiations in the first years of occupation, those hopes were completely dashed in recent years. Armenia and its supporters wanted to perpetuate this occupation. They believed that if they were able to occupy our lands for about 30 years, they would continue to occupy them forever," said the president.

"But they made a mistake. They should have known that we would never come to terms with this situation. They should have known that we would drive the enemy out of our lands at any cost. We had to be ready for this as a people and as a state. All preparations had to be made on time, and they were. As you know, army building and strengthening of our military potential were my priority tasks as president, and it is no coincidence that the biggest state budget expenditures have been intended for military purposes during my presidency," President Aliyev said.

"Over the years, we have created strong military and technical capacity. The most modern weapons, ammunition and equipment were brought to our country, and this equipment was used properly by the military. The second Karabakh war is a clear proof of this. The combat capability of our army has greatly increased. Regular military exercises were held, and the equipment, morale and combat capability of our army were greatly enhanced, the head of state said.
By Trend

The restoration of transport communications and economic activity in the South Caucasus should lay the groundwork for a lasting peace in the region, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said during the call with President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports.

President Alexander Lukashenko welcomed the fact that the long-running confrontation between Azerbaijan and Armenia had ended a year ago. He stressed the importance of starting a peace-building process for the benefit of both sides.

The President of Belarus stressed that the restoration of transport communications and economic activity in the South Caucasus should lay the groundwork for a lasting peace in the region, ensuring the well-being and security of all peoples living there.

President Alexander Lukashenko expressed his condolences to the families and close ones of all the victims of the long-standing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, noting the exceptional importance of the Declaration adopted with the mediation of Russia and ending the bloodshed a year ago.

In addition, the President of Belarus told the President of Azerbaijan that a monument to prominent poet and thinker Nizami Ganjavi, born in Ganja, would be erected in Minsk as a sign of friendship between the peoples of Belarus and Azerbaijan.
By Trend

Azerbaijan achieved its goal [of liberating its territories from Armenian occupation] thanks to the political wisdom and determination of President Ilham Aliyev, Former President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers told Trend.

According to Zatlers, the UN and the OSCE Minsk Group were trying to solve the Karabakh conflict diplomatically for about 30 years, but couldn't do it.

In Zatlers' words, its not easy to make a decision to liberate the lands from occupation and to do this, one must be fully prepared and do it at the right time.

"Thanks to the political wisdom and determination of President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan achieved its goal. As a result, Azerbaijanis celebrate November 8 as Victory Day," he added.

Following over a month of military action to liberate its territories from Armenian occupation from late Sept. to early Nov. 2020, Azerbaijan has pushed Armenia to sign the surrender document. A joint statement on the matter was made by the Azerbaijani president, Armenia's PM, and the president of Russia.

A complete ceasefire and a cessation of all hostilities in the zone of the Karabakh conflict were introduced on Nov. 10, 2020.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, the Armenian Armed Forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated Azerbaijan on the occasion of November 8 - Victory Day [commemorating the liberation of Azerbaijani territories from Armenian occupation in the 2020 Second Karabakh war] during the phone conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on November 8.

Erdogan conveyed his wishes of peace, well-being and prosperity to the fraternal people of Azerbaijan. The President of Turkey said wished for the peace of the souls of the martyrs who died in the Patriotic War.

President Aliyev thanked Erdogan for his attention and congratulations.

Expressing again the appreciation for the support Turkey and personally Recep Tayyip Erdogan provided for this Victory, Aliyev emphasized that it was the decisive position and statements of the Turkish President from the first days of the war that showed the world that Azerbaijan was not alone and that Turkey was next to it. He stressed that all this provided tremendous moral support for the people and the army.

The head of state noted that the recent visit of the Turkish President to Fuzuli and Zangilan regions was another manifestation of the Azerbaijani-Turkish brotherhood.

He also noted that the Victory was another bright page of the Azerbaijani-Turkish brotherhood and unity.

During the telephone conversation, the sides expressed their confidence that friendly and fraternal relations between the two countries would continue to develop successfully in all spheres and that Azerbaijan and Turkey would always be next to each other.

Additionally, the Turkish President shared a post on his official Twitter page on the occasion on November 8 - Victory Day.

"I sincerely congratulate Azerbaijan on the glorious victory that marked the liberation of the lands in Karabakh. I honor the memory of the heroes who gave their lives in the name of the Motherland, I thank the veterans," wrote Erdogan.

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 Trend

Istanbul is greeting Azerbaijan on the first anniversary of liberating Karabakh from the Armenian occupation [in the 2020 second Karabakh war], Selcuk Bayraktar, technical director of the Turkish Baykar Makina company and creator of Bayraktar UAVs, said on Twitter, Trend reports.

On November 8, Azerbaijan marks Victory Day commemorating liberation of its territories.

The decree "On establishment of Victory Day in Republic of Azerbaijan" was signed by President Ilham Aliyev on December 3, 2020.

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

The 44-day second Karabakh war ended with the liberation of Azerbaijans territories from nearly 30-year Armenian occupation and the restoration of territorial integrity.
Dubai First, which offers consumer services under First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), and Mastercard introduced an experiential consumer engagement platform for the first time in the Middle East and Africa region.



The data-driven platform has enabled Dubai First to rapidly deploy and deliver hyper-personalized experiences to its customers. Driven by artificial intelligence and machine learning in partnership with fintech Flybits, this solution delivers enhanced customer experiences and personalized recommendations and advice through a single integrated, cost-effective and scalable platform.



Unique to the region, this program provides Dubai First Cashback cardholders with access to a personalized dashboard via the mobile app and allows them to opt-in to share their location and receive tailored, relevant offers and experiences in real-time from nearby merchants.



In addition, Dubai First customers can now set personal saving goals as well as monitor and track their progress through gamified experiences. The platform engages customers with timely nudges and visual reminders to assist them in achieving their savings goals.



Mastercards new consumer engagement suite allows banks to deliver merchant-specific offers that are individually and contextually relevant to the consumer. For example, a cardholder who frequently dines out might receive a dining incentive that is timely, personalized, and conveniently located.



This is a win-win for banks and consumers alike. With Mastercards engagement tools, consumers get a powerful personalized experience that provides relevant offers and an intuitive cashback management tool, while issuers are able to drive meaningful engagement with consumers seeking fun and rewarding experiences, said Mete Guney  Executive Vice President, Regional Head of Services, Middle East and Africa, Mastercard.



Mastercard is committed to driving the digital transformation of the consumer experience as a trusted technology partner for the regions financial providers.



Haroon Durrani, Head of Dubai First Cards, said: At Dubai First we are a customer-centric financial service provider that puts customer experience at the heart of everything we do. It is exciting for us to offer this unique, first-of-its-kind digital banking experience that can support the financial needs of our customers, while at the same time offer them rewards and privileges based on their goals.



We have created a space where customers can set their own personal cashback saving goals and view offers curated especially for them. We are committed to working with Mastercard to continue building on this solution to ensure that we are leveraging the latest in digital banking for our customers.  TradeArabia News Service
Expo 2020 has been a catalyst for development and growth in UAE, across all sectors. As the country continues to accelerate post Covid, the construction and infrastructure industries are set to enter a new phase of transformation in 2022, said an expert.
Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE National Rail Network, has announced the completion of 50 per cent of the construction works linked to a marine rail bridge in the UAE, as part of Package B of Stage Two of the counry's ambitious project.

The marine rail bridge, which runs over 1 km long, will link the Khalifa Port to the UAE National Rail Network. It will play an important role in improving the transportation of goods in the region, reducing the costs of freight and trade.

This will support Etihad Rail to establish a rail network for the UAE which connects major ports with manufacturing hubs and residential areas across the country, and contributes to reducing carbon emissions and preserving the environment through reducing truck trips.

According to Etihad Rail, building the first marine bridge in the UAE National Railway Network required 18,300 cu m of reinforced concrete and 4,117 tonnes of steel. The bridge will be parallel to an existing road bridge, which spans the same length, and connects the Abu Dhabi mainland to the offshore container terminal area.

The construction of the marine bridge is being implemented in line with the highest environmental standards, where Etihad Rail is working on maintaining the water flow through ensuring that the extensions and the rubble of the new marine bridge align with the existing bridge, parallel to it, it stated.

This guarantees the flow of water, which is an important factor for preserving the coral reefs surrounding the bridge, it added.

Etihad Rail said it continues construction works of the bridge according to extensive planning, where it has successfully overcome climatic and environmental challenges presented by the nature of the lands topography.

These challenges include tide changes, changes in wind speed and direction, as well as high temperatures and humidity.

Recently, Etihad Rail had announced the completion of construction works for Package A of Stage Two, which extends over 139 km, and its connection through Al Ghuwaifat on the Saudi border with Stage One, which extends for 264 km from Habshan to Al Ruwais.

This significant step brings the company closer to completing the UAE National Railway Network on schedule, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
The 21st edition of Cityscape Global, the Middle Easts leading real estate exhibition, opens its doors tomorrow (November 9) at Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC) on the Expo 2020 Dubai site, with top development enterprises including Damac Properties, Dubai South and Azizi Developments showcasing an array of new to market projects.

According to the event organisers, the UAEs legacy real estate sector event opens amid a market-wide rebound over the past 12-18 months.

Citing the UAE Real Estate Market Report Q3 2021 by JLL Mena, they stated that Dubais residential stock increased to 629,000 units in Q3 2021, with 11,000 new units added over the three months period. An additional 23,000 units are expected to be delivered this year.

In Abu Dhabi, approximately 2,900 residential units were completed in Q3 2021, bringing the total stock to 270,000 units, with a further 2,000 units expected before year-end.

Strong demand for villas and townhouses continues to drive the recovery, with tangible sale prices growth across both cities.

Apartment prices have picked up in Dubai due to higher demand but they remain stagnant in Abu Dhabi. At a city level, residential sale prices in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi were up by around 4% year-on-year in Q3 2021, they stated.

Some of the UAEs leading property developers, including Azizi, Damac, Arada, Dubai South and Land Sterling are all set to showcase their latest projects at Cityscape Global this week.

Azizi is haloing its Riviera Beachfront project, the developers French Mediterranean-inspired residential and commercial community.

"The UAE continues to demonstrate superlative real estate investment opportunities in-line with the countrys status as a major business, tourist, and innovation destination," remarked its CEO Farhad Azizi.

"Year after year, Cityscape grants visitors a remarkably comprehensive platform that attracts both local and international investors seeking an in-depth understanding of the UAEs property landscape," he noted.

"Cityscape Global is a key exhibition we are thrilled to be a part of; it is perfectly aligned with our pursuit of showcasing Dubais many marvels to the world, especially now, with it being on the Expo 2020 Dubai site," he added.

Another key event partner showcasing new to market technologies is strategic partner Dubai Land Department (DLD), which will, through various organisations and sectors, present several smart and innovative projects, services and initiatives that seek to enhance Dubai's real estate sector in accordance with international best practices.

According to DLD, the projects highlighted within its platform at Cityscape Global include numerous initiatives, including the smart valuation initiative, Dubai REST app services, and the brand-new Building Classification Survey project that will be launched on the events sidelines on November 10.

Cityscape Group Director Chris Speller said: "This year's event offers our industry unparalleled B2B and B2C networking opportunities. As we open our doors at Dubai Exhibition Centre, the event will connect the entire real estate universe to network, develop new partnerships, do business, and sell."

"Our 21st edition has lots to offer investors, home buyers, and industry professionals with plenty of content, exciting new projects and unbeatable offers specific to our event from some of the regions leading developers," he stated.

The live and in-person event will be held in adherence with Informa AllSecure, an enhanced health and safety standards that raise the bar on safe, hygienic, productive, and high-quality organised event experiences, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Global technology major Alstom has signed a framework agreement with the Egyptian National Railways Authority (ENR) to modernise the Tanta-Zifta-Zagazig mainline, covering approximately 65 km including nine main stations across the network.

The scope of work includes the design, supply, installation of the signalling, power, telecom systems, and trackside equipment for migration to ETCSL1, said the statement from Alstom.

In addition, the contract includes the testing and commissioning of signalling, telecom and power systems, civil works, trenching works and track-works including doubling of the track, it stated.

Alstom said it has been a partner to Egypts railways since 1971, supporting the railway infrastructure development in the country.

Alstom Egypt has established a strong local team and a Center of Excellence (COE) for signalling systems, power supply and maintenance workshops to support projects across its Africa-Middle East-Central Asia (AMECA) region.

The modernisation of Tanta-Zifta-Zagazig mainline is one of the Ministry of Transports top priorities and part of Egypts plans to improve public transportation capacity and efficiency, it added.

The agreement was signed by Eng. Mustafa Abu Al-Makarem, Head of the National Authority for Egyptian Railways, and Andrew Deleone, Alstom AMECA President, in the presence of Eng. Ahmed El Sewedy, President and CEO of Elsewedy Electric and Mohamed Khalil, Alstom Egypt Managing Director during the TransMEA Exhibition & Conference.

Alstom is currently working on modernizing the Beni Suef Asyut line, stated Khalil.

"We are pleased to be selected for an additional signalling modernization project and to do it with Elsewedy Electric. This agreement builds on our long-term partnership with ENR and we remain committed to providing state-of-the-art signaling solutions to Egypt and its citizens," he noted.

According to him, Egypts vision and strong talent pool has enabled Alstom to make significant contributions to Egypts rail industry development.

Today, Alstom employs 500 people in Egypt with several ongoing projects including a consortium to design, implement, operate, and maintain two new Monorail lines connecting the New Capital City and 6th October City to Greater Cairo, he added.-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 current woes stress testing international supply chains will be over early next year, according to Mohsen Ahmed, CEO-Logistics, Dubai South.

Addressing Hypermotion Lab  one of three unparalleled industry conferences at Hypermotion Dubai, the Middle East edition of the German-initiated industry convex which reimagines the transportation and logistics industries  Ahmed defined 2021 as the independence day for the logistics industry.

Consigning current global logistics dilemmas to pandemic-induced disruption in labour forces, container shortfalls and equipment shortages, Ahmed said; We are now moving. The current supply chain disruption is a short-term scenario. In 2022 things will normalise and will ease up in transportation across the globe.

Dubai, said Ahmed, was able to largely side-step the logistics problems largely due to the agility of Emirates Airline which quickly converted some of its passenger capacity to cargo at the outbreak of Covid-19.

Other companies which emerged largely unscathed, he said, were those who had embraced digitalisation pre-pandemic: They stood out for their quick response providing good visibility on inventory and transportation, he added.

Hypermotion Lab, which runs within Hypermotion Dubai at the spectacular new Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo 2020 until November 4, has unveiled a blueprint for the future logistics and urban transportation industries with experts proffering a range of innovations currently being progressed.

Harj Dhaliwal, Managing Director, Middle East & India of Virgin Hyperloop disclosed the company is currently working with DP World to move into the cargo and logistics sectors alongside passenger transport.

The pandemic exacerbated consumer behaviour where we want things now to be delivered in hours, not days or weeks, which has supercharged the e-commerce sector. There is a need to grow express freight and we are looking at how we can translate this into opportunity using technology like ours and we are working with DP World to see how we can move now into cargo and logistics, he explained.

He added: Eight to 10 years from now autonomous vehicles will drive efficiencies because they will connect trunk lines and integrate into the overall satellite system to be able to handle routing.

Florian Lennert, Head of Mobility for NEOM  Saudi Arabias new future linear city  said multi-modal passenger and freight systems would define the future and help control traffic and emissions in an age of pressing sustainability demand.

There are problems emerging from the rise in e-commerce and an immediate demand in that too many trucks can be delivering too little too often. We have to bundle this in some way. We have to advance mobility to build liveable cities, which will mean looking at the urban design side to deliver cities with 10-minute access and use of urban air mobility technology including drones, he said.

Meanwhile Ghaith Al Darmaki, Chief of Technology of the Asyad Group  the Omani integrated logistics solutions provider  revealed that his company is piloting blockchain technology requiring all our partner communities to work together in one network.

Technology is the backbone of Asyad and enabled us to weather the pandemic by adopting new business models which made us resistant, he disclosed. In addition, because of our geographic position, we were in a better position to mitigate the risks of disruption besetting China and the US.

Dubai Souths CEO said the industry had lessons to learn from the pandemic  including the ending of reliance on single nation suppliers and the building of local and regional manufacturing hubs. Companies are now looking at sourcing around the world. This began pre-pandemic, but the pandemic taught many the cost of having all their eggs in one basket. Risk discussion is now taking place at boardroom level, he maintained.

Hypermotion Dubai, which is organised by Messe Frankfurt Middle East, is a thriving hub of technology game-changers revolutionising four of the Middle Easts key economic sectors  transport, logistics, mobility, and materials handling via its co-located Materials Handling Middle East 2021 trade show.

Hypermotion Lab runs alongside two other conferences  Smart Mobility and Scalex  which together feature over 150 change-makers addressing autonomous transport, urban air mobility, next-generation connectivity, the reshaping of the mass transit industry as well as supply chain and logistics excellence including last-mile delivery.-- TradeArabia News Service
Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, UAEs Minister of Economy, opened Gulfood Manufacturing, the largest food and beverage processing and packaging show for the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA), which has reconvened the global industry at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) to power smart innovations in food manufacturing and reignite live, face-to-face big business opportunities over the next three days.

Al Marri said the UAE today occupying a leading position in the regions food trade industry, attributing this success to the wise vision of the countrys leadership. The UAEs trade in food commodities contributed more than 7 percent of the country's GDP for 2020, and more than 8.4 percent of the non-oil GDP for the same year at current prices.

He explained that the UAE continues to position itself as a major global trade and investment, and manufacturing partner in the food sector, as trade in food commodities accounted for 5.5 percent of the country's total non-oil foreign trade volume during the first half of 2021 and about 6.2 percent in 2020.

Over the past five years, from 2016 to 2020, the volume of the UAEs trade in food commodities grew by 21 percent with a cumulative volume of AED444 billion. During 2020, despite the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic on food and beverage trade in particular, the country achieved 3 percent growth in its food and beverage exports compared with 2019. In the first half of 2021, the countrys trade of food commodities grew 9 percent compared with period last year.

"Gulfood Manufacturing has fostered its leading position as a global platform for F&B supply chains and highlights the UAE position as a regional and global hub. The show has become a rich platform of innovative and digital solutions that harness technology to develop enhanced products, services, and solutions for food manufacturing and trade. We are confident that the show will drive further economic activities and incentivise added-value business practices by facilitating best practices exchange, which is aligned with the national UAE objectives," Al Marri said.

"F&B related economic activities are a key pillar for various comprehensive national strategies that aim to develop the operational framework and launch projects and initiatives that contribute to the economic and social development in the UAE throughout the coming decades. This falls in line with the vision of our wise leadership, the Principles of the 50, and the UAE Centennial 2071, and most importantly the economic diversification strategy that aims to increase exports and attract further investments; as well as Operation 300 billion, which aims to enhance national strategies and Food Security Strategy," he added.

Al Marri also stressed that Gulfood Manufacturing provides an ideal platform for partnerships and discussions on the potential development of the industry through innovation and technology to address key challenges regionally and globally related to production, manufacturing, sustainability, supply chains, meeting consumer demand, and responsible consumption culture.

Al Marri then toured the mega show, which runs until 9 November, in the presence of government officials, international trade representatives and high-profile industry delegates.

Together with its three sector-specific co-located regional industry leading events: yummex Middle East, the most established sourcing platform for the sweets and snacks sector; the Speciality Food Festival, for the gourmet and fine food industry, and Private Label and Licensing Middle East, the only Private Label and Licensing exhibition in the Middle East and North Africa, the mega industry showcase spans 15 DWTC halls featuring 1,250 exhibitors from 55 countries.

This weeks event is a panorama of the sectors future and a hi-tech showpiece of industry automation driving post-pandemic transformation of a crucial economic segment to meet shifting consumer trends, sustainability demands, logistics challenges and food security needs.

The show is packed with solutions to transform an industry that is now among the top three contributors to the UAE economy and will address the sectors sustainable packaging, automation, and global F&B supply chain dilemmas.

Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President, Events Management, DWTC, said, "This is a watershed moment for the industry and the show and associated FoodTech Summit will provide first-hand insights into the megatrends and innovations redefining food manufacturing locally, regionally and globally."

Highlights on day one included the opening of the much-anticipated, agenda shaping FoodTech Summit and a thought-provoking keynote panel discussion titled: 'In conversation with manufacturing leaders' and more.

Gulfood Manufacturings exhibitor line-up includes many of the worlds leading manufacturing innovators and global food processing and packaging players who are unveiling sector-breaking production advancements. Visitors can get first-hand experience of the innovations via Gulfood Manufacturings Innovation Tours.

Gulfood Manufacturing features six dedicated and interdependent show pillars: Supply Chain Solutions, Ingredients, Printing & Labeling, Processing, Packaging as well as Automation and Control.TradeArabia News Service
Emirates Glass has added highly-effective bird-friendly products to its Emicool range, thus supplementing emerging building standards designed to prevent bird collisions.

For this, the company, a subsidiary of Dubai Investments and one of the largest processors of flat architectural glass in the region, has signed an agreement with Feather Friendly Technologies, based in Canada to be an authorised dealer of Feather Friendly Bird Collision Technology across the UAE and the GCC region.

The products, constructed of bird-friendly materials, meet specified design standards and are intended to reduce bird strikes.

The partnership highlights the rising awareness and need for sustainable bird-friendly glass in architecture, providing architects a newly tested and safe glass choice for building facades providing good balance between transparency and reflectivity.

With the modern building facades evolving at a rapid pace and with glass continuing to make up more and more of the external building envelope, it is likely that the number of birds affected by the glass collision problem, leading to fatal impacts, is on the rise and this technology is an answer to this problem. Our partnership with Feather Friendly Technologies Inc. is not only aimed at providing a solution but is also aimed at reiterating the companys support towards larger environmental issues through its products like climate change which derive a natural impact from the ecosystem around us, said Rizwanulla Khan, Executive President, Emirates Glass.

Unfortunately, our buildings have become a death trap for billions of birds each year, said Paul Groleau, Vice President, Feather Friendly Technologies Inc. This technology comprises of enhanced pattern thats more visible to birds than it is to humans, which helps to prevent these collisions and ensures maximum transparency, while maintaining the aesthetical appeal of glass in architecture. Its a huge leap forward for long-term conservation as well as our biodiversity and save migratory birds whose numbers are declining dramatically.

Over the past decade there has been an upsurge of interest in protecting environment by protecting birds from fatal collisions with man-made structures, and this issue has been addressed by Feather Friendly Bird Deterrent Technology, designed to protect birds while enhancing the buildings design.

It is an easy-to-use and unobtrusive window application that is barely noticeable to humans but highly effective in allowing birds to see the windows, allowing them to avoid deadly collisions. The technology is also endorsed by leading bird conservation organisations.-- TradeArabia News Service
SIG, a leading systems and solutions provider for aseptic packaging, has inaugurated the first-of-its-kind innovation Technology Centre in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, at Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), in collaboration with SPX FLOW, as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations in the MEA region.

The hub was officially opened at SIGs regional headquarters in DSO on the eve of Gulfood Manufacturing 2021 in collaboration with Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) and SPX FLOW, in the presence of Samuel Sigrist, CEO at SIG, Dr Juma Al Matrooshi, Deputy CEO of DSO, and Gerard Lang, SPX FLOWs vice president of Nutrition & Health Systems, alongside other senior officials.

The technology centre offers completely new opportunities for the F&B industry through innovative technologies, such as SPX Flows UHT technology, which offers processing trials that will include indirect and direct heating technology, as well as vacuum mixing systems for product mixing.

It is also home for SIG Accelerator and SIGCUBATOR, two turnkey solutions that fast-track innovative ideas to market, offering support for existing customers and F&B start-ups that are looking at bringing the next blockbuster product to the market.

From ideation and design, including recipe formulation and packaging, to piloting and promotion, the four-stage process that the centre operates under fully supports existing customers and start-ups in expediting new product and packaging development at the state-of-the-art facility.

Samuel Sigrist, CEO at SIG, said: Todays launch of the technology centre marks a new milestone for SIG and the F&B industry in the region. As we celebrate our 20th anniversary in MEA, we are looking to lead the next era of growth and boost food and beverage innovation in the region and beyond. Together with our customers and partners, we will continue to focus on developing the sector, embedding cutting edge technology and sustainability, and creating world-class innovations.

Dr Juma Al Matrooshi, said: Our partnership with SIG goes back to 2015, when they inaugurated their headquarters at DSO. Today, we are thrilled to witness SIGs launch of the new technology innovation centre, which will act as an incubator for talent from all over the world and a global hub for launching successful ideas through creativity, technology, training, innovation, and testing. This is in line with the UAEs vision for its next phase of growth: Projects of the 50. Our leadership has placed innovation, digital, technical, and scientific excellence at the centre of this vision and to make the country the capital of the future. SIGs launch today supports the pillars of this vision: talent, companies, and investments in these sectors.

For his part, Abdelghany Eladib, President and General Manager at SIG in the Middle East and Africa, said: It comes as no surprise that the Dubai Silicon Oasis, the hub of innovation and modern technology-based industries, should host our first research and development centre in MEA. Our Technology Centre, developed with the support of SPX FLOW, will open countless opportunities for established businesses and start-ups alike. The leadership of the UAE, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, highlighted the key role of the private sector as a partner within the countrys march towards a better, stronger, and more sustainable future. SIG is proud to contribute in supporting the directives of the UAE, through innovation, technology, training, and partnering with companies that share our goal and commitment.

Gerard Lang, SPX FLOWs vice president of Nutrition & Health Systems, added: We are very proud of our strategic collaboration with SIG to develop and manufacture engineered process solutions. SPX FLOW provided our UHT Pilot System, capable of processing increasingly popular products, such as dairy, grains, fruits, and even nuts to exacting specifications for the dairy and food industry and food consumers. From dairy to plant-based, F&B producers can capitalize on growth opportunities while benefitting from better plant performance, product quality and time to market.

The SIG Technology Centre at DSO is designed to assist established F&B leaders from the region and back budding entrepreneurs looking at starting up their food and beverage businesses. Its avant-garde extrusion, innovative quality measurement system, advanced testing equipment, and future digital technology capacities allow faster development and validation of new products and packaging that meet the ever-increasing consumer demand for sustainability. The SIGCUBATOR offers the emerging F&B start-up community a lifetime opportunity of developing the perfect recipe, using SIGs global network of ingredient suppliers, producing it at the DSO plant, and bringing it to the market without having to foot a hefty upfront bill for setting up a fully-fledged production facility.

Ahead of the opening, the Technology Centre at DSO was granted a Platinum LEED certification by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) and awarded an industrial license by Dubai Municipality to produce fruit flavored drinks, fruit juices, and dairy products. Customers can take advantage of SIGs operation and expertise to design and launch new products into the market. SIG can also co-pack products within its customers existing portfolio.

With two similar Technology Centres worldwide in Germany and China, the pioneering SIG complex will expand the co-development of products with existing SIG customers and speed up innovation cycles through short-run test fillings. SIG's digital solutions will automatically track and collect all processing parameters and filling data and analyse them in an SIG Reliability Centre, providing end-to-end visibility of the product's journey from source to shelf.

The DSO-based plant also offers Food & Beverage companies flexibility: in processing and filling, sizes, types of products, including food, beverages with and without particles using SIGs exclusive drinksplus solution. The plant can also produce Heat&Go products that can be heated in a microwave. Plant-based beverages, milk drinks, on-the-go breakfast drinks, sauces, creams, juice with particles, and functional ambient yogurts, and others are some examples of the vast variety of products that can be produced at the Technology Centre at DSO.TradeArabia News Service
Global ICT research and advisory firm International Data Corporation (IDC) has published an in-depth analysis of Saudi Arabia's digital transformation journey exploring the new trends and business practices that have arisen.



The report, titled Realizing Saudi Arabia's Digital Aspirations: The Journey of Transformation, explores the following areas:



 The state of digital transformation across industries considering the Covid-19 pandemic and the level of digital transformation maturity among Saudi Arabia's CIOs.

 The key enablers driving the adoption of emerging technologies and accelerating digital transformation efforts across the Kingdom.

 The role of regulators and policy makers in realizing the national digitization mandate.

 The digital transformation of key industries and economic sectors and how technology is driving the digital future of Saudi Arabia.

 The implementation of global digital transformation best practices across industries and sectors.



An increased focus on digital transformation is vital for improving industrial activity, attracting investment, and diversifying the economy. This 2021 edition of IDC's annual executive report covers the evolving nature of digital transformation in Saudi Arabia against the backdrop of an intensified focus from the Saudi government on driving the national digital agenda as earmarked by the landmark Vision 2030.



"The Saudi government has been steadily increasing its focus on digital transformation over the last few years, which positions the Kingdom well for post-pandemic new normal," said Hamza Naqshbandi, IDCs associate vice president for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.



"The focus on digital transformation is expected to intensify as the Kingdom accelerates its drive to attract new domestic and international investors, bridge the digital divide, and further enhance citizen experience and trust while meeting the needs of a rapidly evolving economy, balancing costs, driving innovation, and optimizing efficiency."



Sourav Bhanja, IDC's senior consulting director for the Middle East and Africa, said: "Saudi Arabia is on the cusp of a national-level digital revolution that is being facilitated by a purpose-driven government digital transformation agenda.



The government's long-term infrastructure investments, coupled with progressive digital regulations along with initiatives and enablement for skills building, funding, and capability development, are expected to provide the right levers to propel the Kingdom to become a leading ICT nation within the next decade."  TradeArabia News Service
Bahrain will host WomenTech Leaders Across Mena Forum virtual event, on January 25-26, 2022, which is expected to attract more than 400 participants representing about 20 countries in the Mena region.



The event will be addressed by more than 25 visionary executives and top women leaders and entrepreneurs.



Ahmed Al Hujairy, CEO of event organiser WorkSmart, said that it is held with the participation of female leaders in the technology and business sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the entire Arab region to discuss women leadership and innovation in a unique two-day dynamic setup. He added that men who support womens advancement and leadership are welcome to participate in this forum.



WomenTech Leaders Across Mena will feature a wide array of sessions including a keynote session, panel discussions, tech talks, mentorship session as well as ideation session for women entrepreneurs.



The forum will also enhance high level of interactivity with the attendees throughout the sessions, and will include a virtual exhibition to give sponsors the opportunity showcases their services through this platform to their audiences, said Al Hujairy.



The forum will highlight how women are leading business in the Mena region, providing an outlook on the womens entrepreneurship scene in the region, and offer career mentorship for building a career in the Tech industry.



It is also an opportunity to help young women entrepreneurs to interact with high calibre tech industry women leaders from around the Mena region, listen to the latest technology trends and topics, and learn how to enhance career path in the tech industry.  TradeArabia News Service
The Middle East Public Relations Association (Mepra) has announced the finalists for the 2021 Mepra Awards, the largest-ever edition, with 88 organisations shortlisted across 55 categories.

Leading the nominations tally this year is the UAE Government Media Office for its Double Moon campaign and Weber Shandwick Menat & Mastercard MEA for their campaign: Empowering Every Business, both up for seven awards.

This year, a record 639 entries were submitted by agencies and in-house communications departments, making it the most hotly contested awards season yet. Winners will be revealed during a black-tie gala event on 24th November 2021 at Atlantis, The Palm Dubai.

This year marks the 13th edition of the ceremony, the communications industrys most prestigious event, which celebrates and recognises the most creative and impactful practitioners in the Middle East.

The annual Mepra Awards is open to all Middle East based agencies, corporates, government organisations, non-profits, students and academia working in the communications profession.

This years programme saw the introduction of Best Home-Grown Agency of the Year, which recognises independent agencies established and developed in the Middle East region. Eight consultancies were shortlisted for this category, including Acorn Strategy, Gambit Communications, Matrix Public Relations, Publicist Inc, SOCIATE, Tales & Heads, Tish Tash Marketing and Public Relations and W7 Worldwide.

To celebrate Mepras 20th anniversary, this years awards also features a Peoples Choice Best Middle East Campaign for the last 20 years category, which provides the public the opportunity to vote and select the overall winner from ten finalists, including campaigns from ASDA'A BCW, Four Mena with ENEC, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Memac Ogilvy, UAE Government Media Office and Weber Shandwick Menat with the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.

This years entries were assessed by a panel of more than 50 regional and international industry leaders to select the 2021 finalists and winners.

The judging process was also reviewed by AMEC Chair and Co-Managing Partner CARMA International Richard Bagnall, who served as an independent adjudicator.

Shortlisted entries were limited to 10 per category and for categories, which received a larger collection of entries, only the top 10 were shortlisted, regardless of whether the submission reached over the 70% scoring threshold.

Taryam Al Subaihi, Mepra Chair and judge, and Director of Corporate Communication at EWEC said: "Its been a pleasure to review the entries for the 2021 Mepra Awards. Having personally reviewed over 100 submissions myself, Ive seen close at hand the brilliant and diverse communications work thats being undertaken right across the region. Our industry should be proud of the incredible work theyre producing which is pushing boundaries and making a mark globally with innovative and creative campaigns. Congratulations to all our finalists for making it this far in our most competitive awards season yet."

For the second time, Mepra has developed an online showcase, which includes a preview of all shortlisted entries for each category so entrants can review their competition ahead of the awards ceremony later this month.

The 2021 Mepra Awards is supported by Acorn Strategy, APCO Worldwide, CARMA, ASDA'A BCW, Edelman Middle East, Four Communications Group, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Matrix PR, Memac Ogilvy, Mojo PR, Mubadala Investment Company, YouGov, Weber Shandwick Menat, Zayed University.-- TradeArabia News Service
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, approved a decree on Sunday forming the Board of Directors of the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC).



He has issued directives to establish Dubai as a leading global centre for alternative dispute resolution as per the highest standards of efficiency and transparency, reported state news agency WAM.



Under the Decree, the Board will be chaired by Dr. Tarik Humaid Al Tayer, and Dr. Ahmed Saeed Al Suwaidi will be the Vice Chairman.



Other members of the Board include Ahmed Saeed Belyouha, Ahmed Mohammed Al Rasheed, Jehad Abdulrazzaq Kazim, Abdulaziz Mohammed Al Marri, and Graham Kenneth Lovett.



Sheikh Mohammed directed the newly formed Board to develop the Centre into one of the worlds top five arbitration centres in the next three years, and ensure it maintains the highest standards of efficiency and transparency.



Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, said the Decree will contribute to further enhancing Dubais growth-friendly environment and competitiveness.



"Dubai is seeking to further improve its business and investment environment and raise its attractiveness as part of the effort to strengthen the citys status as a global commercial hub and accelerate its economic momentum," he said.



"The Centre seeks to transform itself into a preferred centre for resolution of disputes for businesses both locally and internationally," he added.



Last month, Sheikh Mohammed issued a Decree dissolving the Emirates Maritime Arbitration Centre and the Dubai International Financial Centre Arbitration Institute and merged their operations and assets into DIAC, an autonomous non-profit institution that provides regional and international businesses with arbitration services.



DIACs major objectives include establishing Dubai as a leading global centre for alternative dispute resolution, promoting alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and serving the emirate's financial and business community.



Launched in 2004, DIAC is the largest arbitration centre in the Middle East. Since 2007, the Centre has handled 2,500 cases. The Centre was named as one of the top ten centres in the world by the International Arbitration Survey conducted jointly by law firm White & Case and Queen Mary University of London.
SIG, a leading systems and solutions provider for aseptic packaging, has inaugurated the first-of-its-kind innovation Technology Centre in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, at Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO).

The centre has been set up in collaboration with SPX Flow, which will accelerate the companys new product and packaging development at a time when it is celebrating its 20th anniversary in the MEA region.

The hub was officially opened at SIGs regional headquarters in DSO on the eve of Gulfood Manufacturing 2021 in collaboration with Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) and SPX FLOW, in the presence of Samuel Sigrist, CEO at SIG, Dr Juma Al Matrooshi, Deputy CEO of DSO, and Gerard Lang, SPX FLOWs vice president of Nutrition & Health Systems, alongside other senior officials.

The technology centre offers completely new opportunities for the F&B industry through innovative technologies, such as SPX FLOWs UHT technology, which offers processing trials that will include indirect and direct heating technology, as well as vacuum mixing systems for product mixing.

It is also home for SIG Accelerator and SIGCUBATOR, two turnkey solutions that fast-track innovative ideas to market, offering support for existing customers and F&B start-ups that are looking at bringing the next blockbuster product to the market.

From ideation and design, including recipe formulation and packaging, to piloting and promotion, the four-stage process that the centre operates under fully supports existing customers and start-ups in expediting new product and packaging development at the state-of-the-art facility.

Sigrist said: Todays launch of the technology centre marks a new milestone for SIG and the F&B industry in the region. As we celebrate our 20th anniversary in MEA, we are looking to lead the next era of growth and boost food and beverage innovation in the region and beyond. Together with our customers and partners, we will continue to focus on developing the sector, embedding cutting edge technology and sustainability, and creating world-class innovations.

Dr Al Matrooshi, said: Our partnership with SIG goes back to 2015, when they inaugurated their headquarters at DSO. Today, we are thrilled to witness SIGs launch of the new technology innovation centre, which will act as an incubator for talent from all over the world and a global hub for launching successful ideas through creativity, technology, training, innovation, and testing. This is in line with the UAEs vision for its next phase of growth: Projects of the 50. Our leadership has placed innovation, digital, technical, and scientific excellence at the centre of this vision and to make the country the capital of the future. SIGs launch today supports the pillars of this vision: talent, companies, and investments in these sectors.

Abdelghany Eladib, President and General Manager at SIG in the Middle East and Africa, said: It comes as no surprise that the Dubai Silicon Oasis, the hub of innovation and modern technology-based industries, should host our first research and development centre in MEA. Our Technology Centre, developed with the support of SPX FLOW, will open countless opportunities for established businesses and start-ups alike. The leadership of the UAE, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, highlighted the key role of the private sector as a partner within the countrys march towards a better, stronger, and more sustainable future. SIG is proud to contribute in supporting the directives of the UAE, through innovation, technology, training, and partnering with companies that share our goal and commitment.

Gerard Lang, SPX Flows vice president of Nutrition & Health Systems, added: We are very proud of our strategic collaboration with SIG to develop and manufacture engineered process solutions. SPX Flow provided our UHT Pilot System, capable of processing increasingly popular products, such as dairy, grains, fruits, and even nuts to exacting specifications for the dairy and food industry and food consumers. From dairy to plant-based, F&B producers can capitalise on growth opportunities while benefitting from better plant performance, product quality and time to market.

The SIG Technology Centre at DSO is designed to assist established F&B leaders from the region and back budding entrepreneurs looking at starting up their food and beverage businesses. Its avant-garde extrusion, innovative quality measurement system, advanced testing equipment, and future digital technology capacities allow faster development and validation of new products and packaging that meet the ever-increasing consumer demand for sustainability.

The SIGCUBATOR offers the emerging F&B start-up community a lifetime opportunity of developing the perfect recipe, using SIGs global network of ingredient suppliers, producing it at the DSO plant, and bringing it to the market without having to foot a hefty upfront bill for setting up a fully-fledged production facility.

Ahead of the opening, the Technology Centre at DSO was granted a Platinum LEED certification by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) and awarded an industrial license by Dubai Municipality to produce fruit flavored drinks, fruit juices, and dairy products. Customers can take advantage of SIGs operation and expertise to design and launch new products into the market. SIG can also co-pack products within its customers existing portfolio.

With two similar Technology Centres worldwide in Germany and China, the pioneering SIG complex will expand the co-development of products with existing SIG customers and speed up innovation cycles through short-run test fillings. SIG's digital solutions will automatically track and collect all processing parameters and filling data and analyse them in an SIG Reliability Centre, providing end-to-end visibility of the product's journey from source to shelf.

The DSO-based plant also offers Food & Beverage companies flexibility: in processing and filling, sizes, types of products, including food, beverages with and without particles using SIGs exclusive drinksplus solution. The plant can also produce Heat&Go products that can be heated in a microwave. Plant-based beverages, milk drinks, on-the-go breakfast drinks, sauces, creams, juice with particles, and functional ambient yogurts, and others are some examples of the vast variety of products that can be produced at the Technology Centre at DSO.

Customers and shareholders will also be able to use this modern, trendy location for training and meetings.-- TradeArabia News Service
Eppco Lubricants, a joint venture between Enoc Group and Chevron Al Khaleej, has partnered with Dynatrade, the largest multi-brand automobile service network in the region, to distribute Enoc and Caltex lubricants range in the UAE.

As part of the five-year agreement, Dynatrade will distribute Caltex and Enoc products across its extensive network in the country, including petrol engine oil, diesel engine oil, gear oil, hydraulic, coolants, and greases.

Saif Humaid Al Falasi, Group CEO, Enoc, and Chairman, Eppco Lubricants board said: We have made significant efforts to meet the demand for high quality lubricants and enhance product accessibility for our growing customer-base. We are confident that our partnership with Dynatrade will strengthen the presence of Enoc and Caltex premium quality products for our customers.

Eppco Lubricants portfolio of products includes 31 SKUs of diesel and petrol engine oils and anti-freeze/coolants in 4 litre and 1 litre packs, in addition to injector fluids and ancillaries such as gear oil, transmission fluid and brake and clutch fluids.

V Nantha Kumar, General Manager Sales from Dynatrade said: We are very pleased with our partnership with Eppco Lubricants and the potential it holds for us in terms of building upon our competencies in distributing different OEMs and lubricants. For over three decades, we have established a strong presence, serving more than 2,500 customers in the UAE market. With our recent association with Eppco Lubricants, we now have access to distribute a product portfolio of quality Enoc and Caltex Lubricants, which we are confident, will further enhance our distribution efforts in the UAE.

Dynatrade is a premier automotive group in UAE and one of the most reliable single source solutions for World class OEM and high-quality spare parts, lubricants, bearings, batteries for cars, trucks and equipment.

Both Caltex and Enoc products meet the performance requirements of heavy-duty vehicles. Eppco Lubricants products are ISO 9001 certified, as well as several international specifications such as API, ACEA and JASO. The products are packaged in safe, high-quality cartons, guaranteeing customers total safety.-- TradeArabia News Service
The Sahara Group has called for the adoption of an Africa appropriate transition agenda in the continents upstream sector

Group Executive Director Moroti Adedoyin-Adeyinka has said the disparate development level in Africa needs to be considered when discussing how best the continent and its global partners should approach the desirable goal of energy transition.

We need to have realistic goals and milestones that will ultimately enhance energy transition in Africa in a manner that leaves no one behind. Sahara Group as a foremost promoter of access to energy and sustainable environments is delighted to join other African and global stakeholders to help shape a sustainable future for upstream business in Africa, she said.

According to her, a responsible and cleaner production and consumption of energy in Africa holds the key to unlocking economic prosperity on the continent.

We are increasingly witnessing a paradigm shift in oil and gas policies and operations in Africa, and this is commendable. How and when Africa achieves energy transition remains a huge talking point for the world at large and we need to keep the conversation going at AOW and other platforms. We envision that desired future at Sahara Group, and we are already aligning our operations, investments and partnerships in this regard, she added.

Adedoyin-Adeyinka is scheduled to speak at the Africa Oil Week, which starts from November 8 in Dubai.

She will be speaking on Diversity and Inclusion, and will be joined by Henry Menkiti, CEO of Asharami Energy (a Sahara Group Upstream Company); Nicolas Mignot, CEO of Sahara Energy Intl Geneva; Kola Motajo, Vice-President, Treasury, Sahara Energy Intl Geneva; Andrew Laven, CEO, Sahara Energy Resources, Dubai; and Temitope Olagbami, Head, Corporate Finance, Sahara Group.

Bringing energy to life responsibly is a brand promise that propels our operations across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East and we remain committed to using the agency of thought leadership to promote global access to sustainable energy, Adedoyin-Adeyinka stated.

Menkiti, Mignot and Laven will speak on panels focused on Safeguarding and Strengthening African Upstream Portfolios through Technology & Innovation, setting the green agenda, and evolution of financing.

Now at its 27th year, the AOW is a global platform that facilitates conversations, investments and thought leadership in Africas upstream sector, bringing together governments, national and international oil companies, independents, investors, and service providers.

The event will among other issues examine the role of diversity and inclusion within Africas energy transition, set the context for Africas energy transition, explore where the greatest impact be made within the hydrocarbon industry to address ESG goals and highlight how to promote traditional energy projects to green-minded investors and funds. Tradearabia News Service
International Maritime Industries (IMI), the largest maritime yard in the MENA region, has signed a joint venture agreement with Zamil Offshore to deliver world-class Offshore Support Vessel (OSV) building and maintenance, repair and overhaul services (MRO) in Saudi Arabia.

The long-term agreement signed with Zamil, one of the Middle Easts largest shipyards and owners, operating a fleet of over 60 diversified vessels in Saudi Arabia, aims to enhance IMIs localisation efforts in the kingdom and boost its lifecycle support services, said a statement.

It is expected the joint venture will lay the foundation for the establishment of a local, cost-efficient operation where all OSV shipbuilding activities occur in the kingdom, while supporting the development of an advanced and sustainable Saudi maritime industry, in line with the goals of Vision 2030.

IMI is focused on the development of its employees as it aims to help train the next generation of Saudi maritime leaders. Under the agreement, IMI employees will be directly integrated into project teams and be able to learn from specialist naval architects and marine engineers at Zamil Offshores facility.

The agreement was signed during a ceremony in Dhahran by Fathi Al Saleem, President and CEO of IMI, and Sufyan Al Zamil, CEO of Zamil Offshore. It was also attended by Amin Nasser, CEO and President of Saudi Aramco; Ahmed Al Saadi, Chairman of the Board of IMI; Khalid Al Zamil, Chairman of Zamil Group; and executives from IMI and Zamil Offshore.

Al Saadi said: We are proud to sign this agreement with our partner Zamil Offshore, which supports IMIs mandate to help develop the Saudi maritime industry. Through this partnership we look forward to offering customers a highly responsive localised supply chain that reduces risk, lowers costs, speeds up response and build time, and increases customers competitive positions.

"At IMI, we are focused on building strategic partnerships with local companies that enhance our ability to deliver leading products and services. This signing marks a significant milestone for IMI and its ability to produce and service offshore support vessels here in the Kingdom.

Al Zamil said: We are very honoured to sign this agreement with our partner IMI today. With IMIs global expertise and top-class facilities at Ras Alkhair and Zamils proven track record in shipbuilding and repair, we are confident that our joint venture will not only address the needs of the local market, but also go beyond that and compete in the regional and international arena. With this partnership, we look forward to working together to achieve the Kingdoms ambitious vision for this important industry.

The partnership will combine IMIs state-of-the-art facilities with Zamil Offshores knowledge and expertise. With the support of IMIs founding partners Saudi Aramco, Lamprell, and HHI, the joint venture aims to be one of the worlds most competitive OSV builders and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) service providers.

OSVs will first be built at Zamil Offshores facility in Saudi Arabia, with construction activities moving to Zone B of IMIs full-service yard in Ras Al Khair once it becomes operational in 2022.

IMIs localisation efforts are focused on the procurement of materials and services used in rig and vessel production, as well as MRO practices. The company intends to form more long-term partnerships with suppliers that are committed to supporting the localization of the maritime industry in Saudi Arabia, the statement said. - TradeArabia News Service
The Luxembourg Pavilion is highlighting all the experiences, activities and landscapes that the country has to offer tourists from across the globe.

The Luxembourg Tourism Days event, running from November 8-10 at Expo 2020 Dubai, is designed to give visitors a glimpse into what makes this European country an interesting and special place to holiday, and showcase the many skills and talents of its artisans.

The exhibition will present a curated mix of Luxembourg traditions, arts and crafts, along with a collection of activations dedicated to the many things that tourists can see and do in Luxembourg.

Guests at the Luxembourg pavilion will be delighted to see that the country has come up with a way for people to experience the magic of the Grand Duchy from wherever they are. The Sky Swing is Luxembourgs first virtual reality tourism experience, and visitors to the Pavilion will be able to check it out and feel what its like to fly through the air over some of the countrys sights and attractions.

The exhibition will explain how the Sky Swing is accessible to all, and that in order to ride it all you need is a swing, VR headset and a controller.

Experiences closer to the ground include the chance to try the fresh fruit products from family farm Eppeldorf. Based in the Mullerthal region, this business specialises in apple juice, honey, jams, syrups and more.

Guests can also discover the pleasing notes of the Peckvillchen, a hand-crafted bird-shaped clay that is now listed as part of the UNESCO world cultural heritage, and the 'Atelier de Lutherie', a group of string instruments that is made from regional Luxembourg wood and also bears similarities to the Arabic oud.

Finally, the event provides a preview of all the events and experiences that await when Esch-Alzette, Luxembourgs second largest city, becomes the European Capital of Culture in 2022. Esch2022 will feature a full programme of dance, poetry, music, design, literature, theatre and much more.

The Luxembourg Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai is a multi-sensory journey that boasts five themed sections, a Luxembourgish-fusion restaurant and a rideable slide created in tribute to Luxembourgs traditional fair, the 'Schueberfouer'.-TradeArabia News Service
Etihad Airways has announced the appointment of Dr Nadia Bastaki as Chief Human Resources, Organisational Development and Asset Management Officer, becoming the first female chief at the national airline of the UAE.

Prior to this role, Dr Bastaki served as a key member of the human resources leadership team as Vice President Medical Services since 2014, with responsibility for leading the aeromedical centre and ensuring the overall health and wellbeing of employees, as well as driving the diversity and inclusion, and corporate social responsibility programmes at Etihad Airways.

Dr Bastaki joined the airline in 2007, becoming the first female UAE national to specialise in aviation medicine, and has been a key figure in developing the Etihad Airways Medical Centre into a region-leading aeromedical centre.

Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, said: Dr Bastaki has played a pivotal role in developing our world-class healthcare system at Etihad Airways and looking after our employees over the past 15 years, and we are delighted to welcome her to her new role.

Dr Bastakis astute leadership throughout the Covid-19 crisis was a defining factor in how successfully we navigated the pandemic. She brings a deep understanding of the industry to the role along with a wealth of executive leadership experience in human resources and medical services, at a time when employee health and wellbeing were never as important.

During the pandemic, Dr Bastaki played a central role in overseeing the airlines health and safety response to the global crisis and directly coordinating with the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, the General Civil Aviation Authority and SEHA.

Dr Bastaki said: I am delighted to take on this new role and look forward to continuing to build a highly-engaging employee experience and inclusive work culture at Etihad Airways. Our people are our most valuable asset and will be the key to our success as we continue to recover from the global health crisis.

Dr Bastaki has nearly 20 years of experience as a medical practitioner and holds a masters degree in occupational medicine from Manchester University as well as a diploma in aviation medicine from Kings College London. In addition to the new Chief role, Dr Bastaki will continue to provide overall clinical leadership for the Etihad Airways Medical Centre. - TradeArabia News Service
Help India!



Communal violence escalates in India as the US embraces its source.

Pieter Friedrich | TwoCircles.net

Support TwoCircles



Two months ago, Atul Keshap  who was then temporarily serving as Americas acting Ambassador to India  concluded his tenure with one final act: a visit to the headquarters of the RSS paramilitary.

It was, said John Sifton of Human Rights Watch, a meeting which sent such a terrible message that he compared it to if the US Ambassador to Germany in 1933 had attended a Nazi rally at Nuremberg  which, of course, did not happen. It was a legitimization and normalization of the worlds oldest, fastest-growing, and most powerful fascist movement.

Barely two weeks later, Ambassador Keshaps RSS meet was followed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis latest visit to the US. In contrast to the stomach-churning dance of love that former President Trump regularly performed with Modi, many outlets suggested that the Indian premier received the new Biden administrations cold shoulder. After speaking alongside Vice-President Harris, who emphasized the importance of defending democracy (while suggesting that such a vision may not yet have been fully achieved), Modi then travelled to the White House where, after Biden first declined to receive him personally, the president then highlighted, to Modis face, the present-day urgency of Gandhis message of non-violence, respect, [and] tolerance. Many interpreted the overall reception of Modi as a sign that the Biden administration is gently pressing him on human rights issues and subtly hinting at their concern.

However, Keshaps earlier meeting with the RSS  which saw him staging and subsequently promoting a photo-op with the head of the paramilitary which is the primary party responsible for plunging India headlong into a fascist nightmare  seemed to negate the subtlety and gentleness of the message that the Biden administration was supposedly trying to send to Modi.

Indias ruling Hindu nationalist BJP, with Modi at its head, is essentially the political wing of the RSS, of which Modi is also a member. The RSS, founded in 1925, is uniformed, armed, all-male, and has approximately six million members, not to mention the membership of its dozens of special interest subsidiaries. It seeks to homogenize, militarize, and politicize the vast diversity that is the Hindu religion as well as to eliminate and/or assimilate all non-Hindus in India by forcing them into second-class citizenship, ejecting them from the country, or simply exterminating them. It is widely implicated in acts of mass violence against religious minorities and has a heavily documented history of inspiration by and interaction with the European fascist movements of Mussolini and Hitler.

Keshaps RSS meet  which he first announced, in glowing terms, through his official channels  seemed to send a far stronger message about the US governments position than did the Biden administration hint, hinting at Modi. Even amidst the spreading hatred and simmering violence that has slowly ramped up in India under the past seven years of the Modi regime, the US government, it seems, will continue to prioritize a policy of geopolitical juggling that attempts to balance ever-shifting world powers, views foreign relations as a zero-sum game, and only selectively speaks on international human rights concerns when there is political leverage to be gained by doing so.

The consequences are clear. Modi has been expanding his xenophobic agenda with blitzkrieg speed ever since his reelection in 2019, and yet, in the weeks after Keshaps meeting with the RSS, India has witnessed a nationwide explosion of anti-minority violence unprecedented in decades. Meanwhile, the complicity of BJP elected officials has never been more blatant.

At the beginning of this October, the BJP Chief Minister of the State of Haryana urged people to form vigilante militias of 500 to 1000, attack the agitating farmers with sticks, and be willing to go to jail. He assured them that, if they did so, they would emerge as heroes whose names will be etched in history. Around the same time, the Deputy Minister for Home Affairs  the Indian Central Governments agency in charge of internal law and order  called for violence against the ongoing Farmers Protest in a viral video where he warned that they must face his discipline. Shortly after, his son  allegedly  rammed his jeep into a column of protesting farmers, murdering four Sikhs.

Meanwhile, in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, an RSS-affiliated mob of thousands paraded through the streets chanting: Whenever Hindus have awakened, Muslims have fled this country. When Muslims are slaughtered, then they will chant the name of Ram. In front marched the son of the former BJP Chief Minister of the state as well as a BJP Member of Parliament. Throughout the day, the mob attacked mosques as well as Muslim-owned businesses and homes. Not long before, in the neighbouring state of Madhya Pradesh, another mob marched through the streets shouting shoot the traitors, a slogan first raised against Muslim protestors in New Delhi last year by a BJP Cabinet Minister.

Throughout October, Muslims continued to face disruption of their religious gatherings, lynchings, and organized attacks across India  especially in the state of Tripura, where the fires are still burning; in one incident, a mob was filmed streaming through the streets chanting, In Tripura, Muslims wont be accepted.

Alongside the vehicular slaughter of Sikh farmers and the open calls for genocide of Muslims, a recent report documented that, in the first nine months of this year, there were over 300 violent hate crimes against Indian Christians by Hindu nationalist attackers across 21 states  around 95 per cent of which were instances of mob violence. Those shocking statistics spiked on October 3rd when thirteen attacks against Christians were reported in a single day  mobs of hundreds invaded their homes and church services, beating them and dragging them out. The flames of hatred are constantly fanned by bloodthirsty speeches from Hindu nationalist demagogues, such as one who, flanked by BJP leaders, recently called people to ignite the fire and behead Christians.

Meanwhile, in Chhattisgarh, the local BJP has reportedly been ordered to make lists of and spy on Christians in order to fill the jails with them; in Karnataka, the states Intelligence Department has been ordered to spy on churches.

The backdrop to this current situation is seven years of BJP rule which were used to pass a host of national and state laws enacting a Hindu nationalist agenda that is viciously enforced by growing masses of RSS-linked vigilantes who are ever more boldly and openly associated with the ruling party.

From passing laws criminalizing freedom of religious conversion to laws banning interfaith marriage, and laws banning beef to laws which essentially premise citizenship on a religious basis, the regime is doing everything that it can to legislatively implement the fundamental ideology of the RSS, which is that being an Indian means being a Hindu and that anyone in India who is not a Hindu does not belong there. The RSS has repeatedly put this supremacist ideology into violent practice over the past 30 years, typically with the complicity of BJP elected officials, but it has never before held such an ironclad grip on national power. Today, all the most hateful teachings of the RSSs founding fathers  including that Indian Christians and Muslims are traitors and that Hitlers method of treating minorities was a good model to follow  have taken root and sprung up across the country with the sanction of the regime in New Delhi.

Whatever spirit of live and let live once prevailed in India has, under the Modi regime, been largely transformed into a spirit of submit or die. In the US, a few Americans are just now waking up to the reality that India is no longer a stable, fast-developing democracy ruled by law and guided by a love for tolerance and pluralism. Yet the average American is barely aware that there is a swiftly escalating human rights crisis in India  let alone has any clue at all about the RSS and its agenda.

The US government, however, has long known about the dangers of the RSS, repeatedly warning about it in reports from the CIA, the State Department, and the US Commission on International Religious Freedom. Under the current regime in India, the Biden administration could take many different small steps: halt arms trading, reduce foreign aid, or even just make conversations about human rights a condition of bilateral talks. Instead, shockingly, it took a huge step in the opposite direction by embracing the source of the present chaos.

India is falling  or, I would argue, has already fallen  to fascism. China and Russia had already slid into totalitarianism long back, but the worlds largest democracy is now joining them. Where India goes is where South Asia goes, and the rise of the worlds largest fascist State bodes ill for us all.

The situation urgently demands not only the utmost concern of all humanitarian-minded people around the world but also deep introspection from the US government about how it will react. However, as genocidal forces are flooding across India right now, time is of the essence, and America must swiftly decide which side of history it will fall on before it is too late.

Pieter Friedrich is a freelance journalist specializing in the analysis of South Asian affairs. He is the author of Saffron Fascists: Indias Hindu Nationalist Rulers and co-author of Captivating the Simple-Hearted: A Struggle for Human Dignity in the Indian Subcontinent.
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BEIJING, Nov. 6 -- China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to the report on Chinese military and security developments released by the U.S. Department of Defense, said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense (MND) on November 5, 2021.

The U.S. Department of Defense released its annual report on Military and Security Developments Involving the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) on November 4, 2021. The report disregarded facts and was fraught with bias, made false remarks on China's national defense policy and military strategy, and fabricated the so-called "Chinese military threat", said Senior Colonel Wu Qian. The report also made groundless accusations against China's nuclear capability development, and interfered in China's internal affairs involving Taiwan and other issues, Wu said. China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to the report, and has made solemn representations to the U.S. side, said Wu.

Wu said that China firmly pursues a national defense policy that is defensive in nature and a military strategy of active defense, China's military development is aimed at safeguarding the country's sovereignty, security and development interests, and smashing any plot that endangers the regional peace, stability and prosperity. It does not target any country, nor does it pose a threat to any other country, he added.

In recent years, the Chinese military has actively served the building of a community with a shared future for mankind and provided the international community with public security products such as peacekeeping, escort, anti-epidemic and humanitarian assistance, demonstrating the sense of responsibility of the military of a major country, as well as injecting strong positive energy into world peace and regional stability, Wu said. Both history and reality have proved that the development of the Chinese military has brought the world security rather than threats, opportunities rather than challenges, Wu added.

In recent years, the U.S. has accelerated the development of its military capabilities in multi-fields including nuclear, outer space, cyber warfare, and hypersonic technology, brazenly withdrawn from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) and the Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems (ABM), established a tripartite security partnership with the U.K. and Australia to carry out nuclear submarine cooperation, artificially creating serious risks of nuclear proliferation and causing tremendous shocks on the international nuclear non-proliferation system, Wu stated. As we all know, the United States has the largest nuclear arsenal in the world, whereas it is still upgrading its nuclear power and lowering the nuclear threshold, Wu said. The United States is the largest source of nuclear threat across the globe, Wu stressed.

In addition, the U.S. is the only country that has been blocking for years the relaunch of negotiations for a protocol that includes a verification regime to strengthen the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), said Wu, adding that the U.S. has deployed more than 200 American bio-labs outside its territory, and has not completed the destruction of its stockpiled chemical weapons so far, all of these have caused major threats to world peace and security. What should be pointed out in particular is that the U.S. side still owes the international community a clear account on the truth about its nuclear-powered submarine USS Connecticuts collision incident, Wu said.

On the issue of territorial sovereignty and maritime rights disputes, Chinas position is clear and definite. The Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands are an inalienable part of Chinese territory, and China has indisputable sovereignty over the islands and reefs in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters, Wu stressed. Wu expressed that the Chinese side always advocates peaceful settlement of disputes through negotiation and consultation, and firmly opposes interference and intervention by countries outside the region.

Wu reiterated that there is only one China in the world, and Taiwan has been a sacred and inalienable part of Chinese territory since ancient times. For a period of time, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority has continuously taken provocations to seek "Taiwan independence" under the connivance of external forces, which is the root cause of destruction of peace and stability and escalation of tensions in the Taiwan Strait, Wu said.

China firmly oppose the United States playing the Taiwan card, opposes any external forces intervening in Taiwan affairs, and opposes the DPP authoritys attempts to bank on the support of the U.S. in seeking "Taiwan independence," Wu said. The Chinese nation has a glorious tradition of opposing secession and safeguarding unity, for any moves by the DPP authority to split Taiwan from the motherland, and any external forces stirring up tensions in the Taiwan Strait and deliberately creating regional crises, the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) will deal them head-on blows with strong determination, firm will, and strong ability, Wu said.

For more than 20 years, the U.S. side has been deliberately cooking up the so-called report on Military and Security Developments Involving the PRC year after year, which is a blatant hegemony behavior, Wu said. Here, we must warn sternly the U.S. side that any attempts and acts of interfering in China's internal affairs or bullying against China are doomed to failure before the Great Wall of steel of the PLA, the defense spokesperson said.
Killing the Khabur: How Turkish-backed Armed Groups Blocked Northeast Syria's Water Lifeline

The suffering of rural communities across northeast Syria controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is being amplified by Turkish-backed armed groups. Already struggling with severe climate change-linked drought, these areas have experienced even more severe water shortages since May, when the Syrian National Army (SNA) built three earth dams in areas under their control, cutting off the vital Khabur river 80 kilometers northwest of Hasakah city. New research by PAX, conducted through interviews on the ground and satellite imagery, has shown the depth and consequences of the dam construction on the lives and livelihoods of Syrian farmers.

The summer of 2021 was one of the hottest ever recorded in northeast Syria. The impact of the extreme heat was magnified by very limited rainfall, which meant agricultural communities had less water than ever at their time of greatest need. According to humanitarian agencies, over 12 million Syrians currently face dire consequences from lack of rain and water in the Euphrates River.

For farmers in and near the Khabur valley, the impact of these shortages was further compounded by the blockage of the river, the Euphrates' largest tributary and a historically non-seasonal waterway. During fieldwork carried out along the M4 highway in September 2021, PAX interviewed farmers and pastoralists around Tel Tamer, many of whom were struggling with intense water scarcity. The cutting of the river's flow came at a time of severe drought and high diesel prices, which are preventing many farmers from operating their pumps. With no irrigation, vast tracts of agricultural land are being left fallow.

This is the latest instance in which water has been used as a weapon of war during the conflict in Syria, adding a new unpredictable challenge to farmers' lives. Since the incursion in parts of northeast Syria by Turkish forces and Turkish-backed armed groups, populations in the area face serious challenges around access to water. Starting in October 2019, the SNA disrupted the water flow from the Alouk Water Station to Tel Tamer and Hasakah on over 20 occasions, leaving close to a million people without access. The lack of rain in Spring 2021 also resulted in lower water levels, as Turkey limited the release of water from its dams into the Euphrates River at the border, with a recorded 70% decrease in water levels in Syria, that has severe consequences for communities depending on it.

Talking with Abu Gabriel, a 70 year old Assyrian farmer who has been living his whole life in the village of Tall Maghas on the Khabur River, he tells us that most of the people have left the village in recent years. Artillery shelling from the SNA against villages and positions along the M4 is ongoing, driving farmers away from their land. When asked about the water situation, the farmer then mentioned how in May, the SNA blocked the river by building dams. The increase in rainfall from previous years had boosted agricultural production, but soon crop fires, partly from the shelling, destroyed large parts of the harvest in 2019-2020. This put Abu Gabriel in a precarious position, spending most of his savings planting seeds last year. However, nothing grew as the expected rain never came. "There is no year that we don't have fear because of the fires and the war. The land will be a desert", he explained with desperation in his voice. Behind his farm, we walked to the dried out Khabur, a testament to the aforementioned story.

As of October 2021, the area north and west of Tel Tamer forms part of the frontline between the US-backed SDF, which control most of the northeast, and the Turkish-backed SNA, who have held a swathe of northern Syria since 2019. But the SNA continues to try to make in-roads into the northeast. Local civilians see the blocking of the river as part of a wider strategy to destabilize the Kurdish-dominated Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).

PAX acquired high-resolution satellite imagery from Airbus and Planet, showing three dams being constructed along the Khabur river in SNA-controlled territory, and a third one in mid-October in an SDF-held area. The first dam was built on May 22nd, south of the village of Tall al Assafir. It was followed on May 27th by a dam 8 km north of the town of As Safih. A third was constructed only a few hundred meters north of the first dam at the town of Al Manajeer on June 1st.

The river is engorged north of As Sifah bridge to retain water after construction of a dam in late May 2021.

From late May to early October 2021, the water flow was halted in the river. Downstream from the southernmost dam, 60 communities along the river bank and over 20 more nearby (up to 4 km) depend on its water. Ongoing monitoring showed that on October 6th, the dams were broken and water flowed southward, but it was stopped in the SDF-controlled area at the town Tal Kharita.

Dam(n)ing the Khabur River

With lower rainfall and less influx of water, all agricultural areas along the Khabur faced water shortages, be it in SNA- or SDF-controlled areas. This was likely a main driver to start blocking the rivers in SNA areas in order to retain water for irrigation. The building of the southernmost dam in late May 2021 at Tall Al Assafir resulted in roughly 80km of river being blocked and communities downstream lacking access to water from the Khabur. A dam constructed later at As Safir added another 20km of blockage with limited flow towards the southern dam, further adding up to 110km of blocked water flows. In total, 53.7% of the Khabur water flow between Turkey and Hasakah City was dammed.

From the southernmost dam at Tall Al Assafir to the Hasakah Lake, the river is estimated to be 95.3 km long. From Tall Al Assafir to Hasakah City along the Khabur River, it is 78.8 km. The estimated area of the Khabur River floodplain from Hasakah City up to the Turkish border is 143 km2. Forty-seven percent of this area was benefited by retaining water while the other 52.6% of the floodplain up to Hasakah City had less water availability. On average the floodplain is around 2 km wide. Floodplain irrigation happens within this area seasonally and depends on water pulses.

Based on Openstreetmap data, within the study area there are 138 populated areas corresponding to towns, villages and hamlets.Of these locations, 46 (33%) are located upstream from the southernmost dam - considered the 'benefited' area of the floodplain, while the other 84 locations (66%) are in the section of the river where there was less water availability due to the blackages upstream. Looking just at the populated areas within the floodplain, 31 (53%) lie where water was available, while 58 (65%) lie where water was not running and/or not present in the river bed. At the moment there is no clear population data in these villages. However, there is at least anecdotal evidence that some small villages were abandoned after the 2019 incursion and following ongoing shelling that posed direct risks to farmers. The majority of the villages further downstream are still populated by farmers and livestock keepers.

The most compelling evidence of the lack of water is the dry river bed. Using the NDWI index (Normalized Difference Water Index) also helps to identify soil moisture distribution in a scene. In the NDWI image below , higher moisture is detected around the blocked river, highlighting the river floodplain upstream from the dams. This is opposite to the natural behaviour described by Beven & Kirbi (1979), where higher moisture is downstream, accumulating at flatter and lower terrains. Though the vegetation growth in these areas seems to be normal in this area compared with previous years, this could be a starting point to further investigate the consequences of the water blockade.

A more detailed analysis could include a time series approach on NDVI or even soil moisture maps or measurements. This would show where vegetation changes in relation to moisture along the river and influence-area. It is important to clearly identify the extent of land that is actually irrigated or 'benefited' by the river water. That would define the influence area and the study area to monitor. Surveys with farmers on well levels or ground water monitoring stations could also give more detail on the relation of groundwater recharge in relation to river levels and interventions, such as blocking its flow and storing water temporarily. A yield survey in both the dry and wet floodplain for this year should also show the impact of water availability in the area. Further surveys could also study how productivity and water availability have differed in the past.

The Khabur, a source of fertility

With historic mentions by ancient Greek writers and the Bible, the Khabur river and its valley have been an important water source in the region. While starting in Turkey, the 320 kilometer long river gets its main source of water from the springs at the border town of Ras-al Ain and flows towards Al Hasakah, where it flows towards the Euphrates in Deir ez Zor. The Khabur and its main branches from the border with Turkey to the Hasakah lake is 206 kilometers. Traditionally, the floodplains along the river were used for cultivation of various crops through irrigation from the river. The resulting plentiful agriculture in the area made this region an important part of Syria's breadbasket.

The type of agricultural practices have changed over the last fifty years due to newly built dams and irrigation projects. Low rainfall in Spring 2021 indicated that heavy drought was coming, as outlined by Immap in their May 2021 Crop Monitoring and Food Security Update. It included satellite analysis of vegetation growth in the north-east of Syria, as seen here:

The lack of rainfall linked with the climate crisis is also predicted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation's recent publication on precipitation analysis in Syria to have severe consequences, putting the country on a trajectory to become a climate-security hotspot. Future droughts will increase in frequency and become more severe, creating more problems for agriculture and communities as water levels decline, both in rivers and groundwater sources.

A small break-through

In late September, satellite imagery showed an increase in bodies of water north of the dams at Tall al Asafir, indicating that more water was coming in from either the sources at Ras al Ain or more upstream in Turkey. In early October 2021, a rupture was seen at the dam and water started flowing again into SDF-controlled areas. At the time of writing, it is not known what caused this dam break. The river started filling again all the way south of Tel Tamer, but stopped at the town of Quraytah and has not progressed since. This still leaves 34 kilometers of the river and 23 communities towards Hasakah without direct access to the Khabur's water, further compounding the humanitarian and livelihood problems of thousands of people in that area.

Satellite imagery shows the accumulation of water in the Khabur at the Tall al Asafir dam before it ruptured on October 4th, 2021.

A violation of international humanitarian law?

The blockade of the Khabur River's water flow by the Turkish-backed SNA during a period considered to be Syria's most dry summer in history will have serious consequences for the population downstream.Taking into account both climatic conditions and further limitations of water coming in from the shutdown of Alouk water station, as well as limited flow into the Euphrates, the Khabur is an indispensable source for the survival of the civilian population. With over 84 towns and villages lacking access to water, there would likely be thousands of households struggling with water access caused by the deliberate building of dams stopping the flow of water essential for household and agricultural use. Thus, the blockade is an extreme measure that resulted in denying the civilian population of their sustenance. Under International Humanitarian Law, included in the Geneva Conventions Additional Protocol I (Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts), attacks on 'objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population', (including water infrastructure), is prohibited. These concerns were further expanded in the Geneva List of Principles on the Protection of Water Infrastructure under Principle 12 and in Rule 10 of the ICRC's Guidelines on Protection of the Environment in Armed Conflict. Both documents outline how "rendering useless" water infrastructure -- in this case the blockade of water in a river -- would fall under this category. Similarly, the 2004 Berlin Rules on Water Resources of the International Law Association under Article 51 provides that "in no event shall combatants attack, destroy, remove, or render useless waters and water installations indispensable for the health and survival of the civilian population if such actions may be expected to leave the civilian population with such inadequate water as to cause its death from lack of water or force its movement". The scope of this provision covers the construction of water installations such as dams that block access to water indispensable for the survival of the civilian population.

Dried out Khabur river, Al Nashwa, Hasakah, October 10, 2021. ( Abdullah Mohamed)

In the case at hand, a non-state armed group, SNA, which controls an area, is cutting off essential water supplies to the civilian population. This could be a calculated measure employed by the SNA with the intention of starving the civilian population and/or bringing about their forced displacement as a method of warfare. These methods of warfare constitute violation of the rules of international humanitarian law. In this regard, customary International Humanitarian law prohibits: "the use of starvation of the civilian population as a method of warfare" (Rule 53) and "attacking, destroying, removing or rendering useless objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population" (Rule 54).

It should be mentioned that Turkey has a military presence in Northern Syria and collaborates with the SNA. This would invoke Turkey's obligation to ensure respect for international humanitarian law. Thus, Turkey must exert its influence, to the degree possible, to stop such violations by the SNA and any armed group with which it collaborates.

Moreover, this case also raises issues related to the violation of fundamental human rights such as the right to water, the right to food and the right to life. The blockade of the Khabur River has extensive negative impacts on the human rights of the civilian population of north-east Syria. These human rights complement the prohibition of rendering useless water indispensable to the survival of the civilian population under international humanitarian law. SNA arguably has such obligations under human rights law towards the civilian population in the areas it has established de facto control and has replaced the national authority.

Young boy swimming in a pool near the village of Tell Rumman, Hasakah, October 10, 2021. ( Abdullah Mohamed)

Recommendations

Blocking a main river that a whole region depends on during the most dry summer ever recorded in the region will undoubtedly have severe humanitarian and socio-economic consequences. This type of action is a clear-cut example of using water as weapon of war, violating international humanitarian law and international human rights law, exacerbating already existing climate-linked impacts. Tens-of-thousands of people require access to water for personal use and to sustain their livelihoods as farmers or keeping livestock. Current forecasts on climate-linked environmental changes paint a bleak picture on future rainfall patterns that will likely see more frequent and severe droughts in the region. Water scarcity is already resulting in a drop in groundwater levels from (illegal) well-digging and this is expected to increase.

We call upon the responsible parties, including the Syrian National Army and the Turkish government to:

Immediately remove all dams in the Khabur River halting the blockade of water downstream.

Respect international legal obligations on protection of civilian infrastructure, as protected under the Geneva Conventions Additional Protocol I.

Commit to peaceful dialogue over solutions relating to climate-linked degrading natural resources.

We call upon the the international community to:
COVID-19 has cut tourism revenues worldwide, especially in Asia. Southeast Asia needs to restart the sector, even if many doubts remain about the spread of infections. For Eunji Tae, officer with UNWTO, the sector is adapting to the new realities.

Milan (AsiaNews)  In Southeast Asia countries are trying to revive the tourism sector, which was hit hard in the last two years by the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the summer, almost half of tourism-related businesses were forced to close in Cambodia, a country where tourism represented 18.7 per cent of GDP in 2019. Last month Indonesia reopened Bali, its most famous tourist destination without reopening air travel to the island.

Malaysia, which has reported nearly 5,000 cases a day over the past week, lifted domestic travel restrictions months ago. The Philippine government lifted the lockdown in the capital Manila on the same day that infections reached a record high.

These signs indicate that the economies of Southeast Asia need to restart even if the number of people who are fully vaccinated is not very high.

In Thailand, where 47 per cent of the population has had its two doses, almost 8,000 new daily cases were reported last week.

It appears that more and more Southeast Asian countries are turning towards a strategy of living with the virus, but reopening for tourists leaves many people with questions.

According to Bloomberg's COVID Resilience Ranking, daily mortality rate in Southeast Asia has exceeded the global average in recent months due to the spread of the Delta variant and delays in the vaccination campaign.

Nevertheless, Many destinations in all parts of the world are showing that safe international travel is possible and tourism has led the way in adapting to the new realities, said Eunji Tae, officer with the Regional Department for Asia and the Pacific at the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNTWO), speaking to AsiaNews.

The Maldives is one example. After reopening in mid-July, it reported only 20 twenty cases at the beginning of October.

Worldwide, tourism-related revenues fell by US$ 930 billion in 2020. And Asia has suffered the biggest losses.

Compared to 2019, "by regions, Asia and the Pacific suffered the largest decline with an 84 per cent drop in international arrivals in 2020" with a 95 per cent drop in international arrivals in the first five months of 2021, Tae explained.

Tourism contributes more than 20 per cent GDP in the case of the Philippines, between 10 to 20 per cent of the GDP for Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, and between 5 to 10 per cent for Indonesia, Laos and Vietnam, Tae writes via email.

If in 2019, Southeast Asia earned US$ 146.9 billion in receipts from international tourism, last year the figure dropped to US$ 32 billion, a decline of 78 per cent. UNTWO expects little improvement this year.

Globally, international air travel will remain well below the 2019 level, but with the progress of vaccination and the increase in traveller confidence, more and more restrictions will be lifted.

The year 2021 could end with a similar percentage decline in international arrivals as in 2020 (70 to 75 per cent over 2019) but having followed the opposite path, the UN officer said.

While the year 2020 started on a strong note and ended with very weak results due to the pandemic, 2021 started poorly but could end with somewhat stronger results.

The situation could provide an opportunity to address the issue of sustainability of mass tourism.

At COP26 in Glasgow, UNWTO launched the Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action in Tourism. Signatories commit to halving carbon emissions within the next decade, Tae said.
Today's news: Emirates opens to marriage, divorce and joint custody for non-Muslims, tensions between Delhi and Islamabad over the killing of an Indian fisherman, Thailand rejects calls for amendment to "lese majesty" law.

CHINA - USA

The Chinese Army is using models and replicas of U.S. aircraft carriers as targets in exercises conducted in a remote area of the Western Desert. Satellite images show that the People's Liberation Army is focusing on attacks and the "neutralization" of one of the key instruments of American power. The area is the Taklamakan desert in Xinjiang, where an aircraft carrier and two Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyers have been replicated and positioned. Both assets are deployed by the U.S. Seventh Fleet, which patrols the western Pacific, including the waters around Taiwan.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

A decree by Abu Dhabi's ruler will allow non-Muslims to marry, divorce and gain joint custody of children under civil law. The decision was taken in order to maintain a competitive advantage as a regional economic hub; until now marriage and divorce laws had been based on Islamic sharia principles, as in other Gulf States. Last year the Emirates introduced a series of reforms, including decriminalization of premarital sex, alcohol consumption and leniency in so-called "honor killings".

INDIA - PAKISTAN

Indian police have opened a file to investigate the Pakistan Maritime Safety Agency (PMSA) for having opened fire on a fishing boat near the border with international waters, killing one fisherman and wounding a second. The incident, whose contours are still to be clarified, occurred yesterday evening; the judiciary intends to proceed for "murder" against 10 Pakistani citizens.

JAPAN

Yesterday, Japan recorded no Covid-19-related deaths. The national broadcaster NHK reported that the last precedent was on August 2, 2020. Cases of the new coronavirus and deaths have plummeted thanks to an effective vaccination campaign that has found the adherence of more than 70% of the population, The peak dates back to August with 25 thousand daily cases, driven by the Delta variant.

HONG KONG

For the first time since the start of the pandemic, in November the national airline Cathay Pacific increased connections with various European capitals and cities. The latest destinations to be introduced include Madrid and Milan, while plans for Zurich are currently frozen due to a lack of crew members, combined with the fact that Switzerland is still considered a high-risk country. Moreover, restrictive regulations and still strict measures regarding international travel have blocked plans for further openings.

SINGAPORE

Activists and human rights groups are appealing to the Singapore government to halt the execution - scheduled for November 10 - of a man sentenced to death for drug trafficking who has been on death row for more than 12 years. Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam, originally from Malaysia, was arrested in April 2009, at age 21, for attempting to smuggle 43 grams of heroin into Singapore. The drugs had been strapped to his thigh. He reportedly has learning difficulties and the sentence is seen as a cruel violation of international law.

THAILAND

Amending or deleting Section 112 of the Penal Code, better known as the crime of "lese majeste," is impossible both technically and in principle, in spirit. This is what Thipanan Sirichana, former deputy spokesperson of the ruling Palang Pracharath party and current advisor to the Prime Minister's Office, said. Abolishing a rule intended to provide legal protection to the monarch from insult and dishonor, she explains, is a serious violation of the Constitution. The rule has long been the focus of protests by activists and democratic movements, because it would be exploited to suppress dissent.

RUSSIA

The shaman of Jacuzia Aleksandr Gabysev, who for over a year has been trying to reach Moscow to put a curse on President Putin, has been arrested in the city of Yekaterinburg in the Urals, and sectioned in the local psychiatric hospital. Gabysev had already been assigned to an asylum in Novosibirsk for several months, and no one knows how he managed to escape and cross half of Siberia without being noticed.
Iraqs president, al-Sadr, the US and the UN unanimously condemn the drone attack against the prime minister's home in which six bodyguards were wounded. So far, no one has claimed responsibility. Many Christians feel sad about the incident and offer their prayers, said the Chaldean Primate. Many view the prime ministers desire for reform as genuine.

Baghdad (AsiaNews)  A drone laden with explosives hit the home of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi overnight on Saturday. Six bodyguards were hurt, but not the prime minister.

Speaking to AsiaNews about the incident, Card Louis Raphael Sako, said that the drone strike was an attempt to prevent the creation of strong Iraq, of a state based on the law, citizenship, order and justice.

"It is not yet known who is behind this but it is clear that the goal was to destabilise [the country], sow confusion and interrupt the work started by the prime minister, who wants to build an Iraq that is not isolated at the international level.

The Chaldean primate does not think that the Islamic State group is involved. Instead, he notes its similarity with rocket and drone attacks against the airport of Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan, and the US embassy in Baghdad.

For Card Sako, The plan was to strike at Kadhimi as the representative of the state. I heard the explosions because the patriarchate is not very far from the Green Zone.

A few hours after his close brush with death, the prime minister appeared in a video released by his office, showing him meeting with top security officials.

In a note, Kadhimi's office slammed the cowardly terrorist attack [. . .] by criminal armed groups.

Two of the three drones used in the attack were downed by security forces while a third hit the residence, in central Baghdad.

At present, the situation is calm. No one has yet claimed responsibility for attack, which elicited condemnation from, among others, Iraqi President Barham Salih, radical Iraqi Shia leader Moqtada al-Sadr, the United Nations, the United States, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Experts link the attack to last months parliamentary elections (10 October), whose outcome has been challenged by some, especially pro-Iran Shia parties.

Final results have not yet been released. But last Friday, pro-Iranian militias took to the streets in large number claiming that voting was rigged.

Since the election, tensions have been rising, raising concerns in the Chaldean Church, which is calling for a strong government to end the violence and the chaos that could plunge the country into the abyss.

During Sunday Mass yesterday, the Chaldean patriarch prayed for the safety of the prime minister and the country.

"Among the faithful, there is great sadness over the attack, he said, but also happiness that he was safe. Many believe that his push for reform is genuine and good for the country.

So far he has never resorted to the use of force to solve problems; instead, he is calling for dialogue and coming together even with his enemies and political adversaries.

It is clear for Card Sako that the attack is linked to the post-election process, which will include the opening of a new parliament and the election of the next president, parliamentary speaker, and prime minister. Kadhimi could succeed himself.

I call on all Christians in Iraq to pray for the good of the country, the prelate urged. Christians should wait calmly and confidently, not be carried away by tensions, and remain a source of stability.
by Nirmala Carvalho

Accused of carrying out conversions, the Christians were locked in a room until police arrived. In a village in Chhattisgarh, a group of women meeting for a Sunday celebration were beaten.

Bangalore (AsiaNews)  More Christian communities in India have been the target of violence by Hindu extremists. The latest incidents were reported yesterday.

In Maratha Colony, a town in Belgavi district, in the State of Karnataka, militants from Sri Ram Sena, a Hindu nationalist (Hindutva) movement, pushed their way into a prayer hall accusing the officiating pastor, Rev Lema Cherian, of conducting conversion activities.

After locking the clergyman and at least 30 Christians in the hall, they called police. Once the at the scene, police sent everyone home.

For his part, a Sri Ram Sena leader slammed the government for failing to curb such illegal activities.

Meanwhile, Rev Cherian denied engaging in forced conversions. I was just leading a prayer with a group of interested people, like every Sunday. We have not forced anyone to come here; we are just practicing the rites of our religion.

These are the usual false accusations, said Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians, speaking to AsiaNews.

The only people using force were the right-wing nationalists who locked the pastor and the faithful in a room, committing what is a crime under the Indian Penal Code.

Right-wing groups in Karnataka feel emboldened by the proposal presented by the state government to strengthen its anti-conversion law.

In another incident in the State of Chhattisgarh, also yesterday, Hindu extremists targeted a group of Christian women attending a prayer meeting in a rural village in Bhilai district.

Although the building where they had gathered was clearly a Christian place of prayer, the women were beaten and everything inside was destroyed.
The military coup of 1 February, which reignited the countrys many ethnic conflicts, has also highlighted the continued use of banned anti-personnel devices by Myanmars military. Most casualties have been reported in the states of Shan, Rakhine and Kachin states, including 15 children.

Yangon (AsiaNews/Agencies)  In the first nine months of 2021, anti-personnel landmines have killed 65 people in Myanmar, including 15 children, with 127 wounded for a total of 192 casualties, this according to the UNICEF.[*]

Death and injury by landmines are nothing new in Myanmar. The country is not a signatory to the 1999 Ottawa Treaty[] banning anti-personnel landmines, which the Myanmar military has widely used.

This has been made that much worse since the military seized power in a coup on 1 February, which has intensified fighting between the countrys armed forces and ethnic militias.

In fact, most landmines incidents have taken place in the states of Shan (eastern Myanmar), Rakhine[] (western Myanmar) and Kachin (northern Myanmar on the border with India), but other regions are seeing an increase as well.

Meanwhile, the countrys humanitarian crisis is getting worse because of the escalating violence, this according to OCHA,[] the UN humanitarian agency.

As of 1 November, an estimated 223,300 people have become internally displaced across Myanmar due to clashes and insecurity since 1 February, the UN agency reported.

The number of displaced people is rising especially in Chin, another western state, severely affected by fighting.

The brunt of the suffering has fallen on Myanmars civilian population, held hostage by repression and war.

To look at the issue, the Milan-based Centro Pime in cooperation with the Sisters of Repair will present an evening showing the suffering of the population. The event is scheduled for this Wednesday (10 November) in Milan (with live streaming at this link).

[*] United Nations Children's Fund.

[] Formally known as the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction.

[] Home to a substantial Rohingya population.

[] United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

President Mirziyoyev has adopted a more permissive policy toward Islam. Taliban influence from neighboring Afghanistan. The government favors religious radicalization, even if it arrests some extremists for demonstration purposes.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - Uzbekistan's President Savkat Mirziyoyev, recently re-elected for a second term, has adopted a more permissive policy towards Islam, which in the post-Soviet years was barred from taking public initiatives in social life. After the Taliban seized Afghanistan, the influence of a more radical interpretation of the Muslim religion has begun to worry many people, especially ethnic Russian Uzbek citizens.

This is revealed in a Radio Azattyk report , gathering the voices of several witnesses. Russian Sergej was born and raised in Namangan, a city in the eastern part of Uzbekistan, where Muslim traditions had been preserved even in the decades of the Soviet regime, and where some dangerous exponents of the Central Asian jihad were also born. In the 1980s Sergej was a fervent communist high school student, a member of the Komsomol (the Party's youth organization). The authorities had instructed him to go to the city bazaar and rip off the burka from all women who dared to wear it in public.

Clothes related to the Islamic faith were demonized by the Soviet administration, which considered them signs of "medieval obscurantism" and segregation of women, who were being offered higher education and economic independence. It was the program called the "awakening of the oriental woman".

Today Sergei is an elderly bookseller, and he declares himself surprised by the changes: "I did not think that burkas, paranzas and khizabs would return," he says referring to the heavy Islamic women's clothes and veils that cover the face, now allowed again in public thanks to a law passed in July by Mirziyoyev. The new wave of "public devotion" is spreading with impressive speed in a country of 36 million people, the most populous in all of Central Asia.

Together with many other Russians, Sergei, decided to leave Uzbekistan, despite the fact that he had never before felt the desire to move to Russia. Today there are 720 thousand Uzbeks of Russian origin, compared to 1.7 million in 1989, before the collapse of the Soviet regime.

Even the men are showing signs of Islamization, especially in the length of their beards, which were unthinkable in the years of Islam Karimov's post-Soviet presidency. The local Communist Party secretary took power in 1991 and held it until his death in 2016. In his day, police were instructed to stop and forcibly shave bearded men, as they did in the days of Peter the Great in the 1700s to westernize Russia, and arrest them if they resisted.

As his first act after replacing Karimov, Mirziyoyev granted amnesty to the thousands of Muslim "prisoners of conscience," along with several acts of expanding religious freedoms. After the seizure of Kabul, however, crackdowns on suspected terrorists have now also returned, creating a major contradiction in Uzbek society. Nigala Khidojutova, who was expelled from the country in 2005 for having formed the opposition Free Peasants Party, reports "it is the government itself that encourages religious radicalization, even if it arrests some extremists for demonstrative purposes".

Nigala says "widespread corruption is causing great resentment in a very weak civil society, with poorly educated youth, widespread lawlessness and now religious radicalism; it is a bomb that will explode at the first spark." Many Uzbeks recall with dread what happened in 1999, when local Islamists linked to the Taliban swept through Tajikistan's Fergana Valley, demanding control of the area and free passage for jihadist guerrillas.

Many Uzbek Muslims, and also many imams, today sympathize with the new Taliban; it is no coincidence that Mirziyoyev has publicly supported the appointment as Grand Mufti of the moderate Nuriddin Kholiknazarov, who grew up under the Soviets and is considered one of the few people capable of holding together the different souls of Uzbek Islam.
Police offered no motive for the first shooting, though a police spokesperson said that they believe Brewton and Loyal had a dispute. A witness said he and Loyal were dealing drugs in the area, and officers who found Loyal shot on the sidewalk said someone had rifled through his pockets.
Several other pilots who spoke by phone from Afghanistan said they had heard nothing from the U.S. government. But they said they were being assisted by their former military advisers, many of them volunteers in a group called Operation Sacred Promise, formed to help get Afghan air force personnel to safety.
Hey, its us again. It seems like it was only about three weeks ago that we last wrote you on behalf of the people of Baltimore. Perhaps thats because it was. How time flies. You came for an Oct. 21 CNN Town Hall at Center Stage. We told you how much your economic agenda would mean to this city, how important it was for our own economic recovery, how we need both physical improvements (road repair, broadband) and human investment (affordable health care and day care). You even wrote us back on Twitter: Baltimore  I got your note. I hear you, and Im working on some things that I think will help. And now we see youre coming back to tour our port and maybe talk about your infrastructure bill that passed late Friday and efforts to address supply chain delays.
The View

Buffalo as a climate refuge? Lets start planning for it, UB expert says

Buffalo is among the Great Lakes communities that have been mentioned as possible destinations for climate migrants and climate refugees. Photo: Douglas Levere

By TESSIE MAR

Undergraduate environmental studies/earth systems science major

The larger Buffalo region needs to investigate this issue and think through the potential implications. The conversation is all about bringing people here, but what will we do to support them when theyre actually here? 

In recent years, Buffalo has gained national attention from researchers and the media as a possible destination for both climate migrants and climate refugees.

These are people who have either relocated due to climate-related stressors, or who have been displaced by environmental disasters caused by climate change. Drought, hurricanes, flooding, sea level rise and wildfires are all extreme events associated with a warming planet.

Nicholas Rajkovich, associate professor in the School of Architecture and Planning, breaks down some misconceptions related to Western New York as a climate refuge. The city and region have more work to do before they can claim that title, he says.

The larger Buffalo region needs to investigate this issue and think through the potential implications, Rajkovich says. The conversation is all about bringing people here, but what will we do to support them when theyre actually here?

Rajkovich leads the Resilient Buildings Lab at UB, where he studies the impact of climate change on cities and buildings. His expertise is centered around greenhouse gas mitigation and adaptation to climate change, with a focus on Great Lakes communities.

Places like Buffalo have been labeled potential climate refuges due to the abundant supply of freshwater, a temperate climate, available land and a relatively low cost of living.

Some Great Lakes cities, like Duluth, Minnesota, have started to discuss climate migration, tying this planning to other initiatives that address existing problems. Cities like Buffalo have the ability to do the same, and should engage in such planning, Rajkovich says.

As of now, Rajkovich is concerned that Western New York does not yet fit the description of a climate refuge and cautions against promoting this image. For example, the city of Buffalo lacks a formal plan to adapt to climate change and to build resilience in neighborhoods, he says.

He highlights some areas of concern:

Planning in legacy cities

Buffalo is a legacy city, an older industrial city that has experienced sustained job and population loss over several decades. These historical trends explain the abundance of available housing, but Rajkovich says many homes are not energy efficient, or have other problems like knob-and-tube wiring and lead paint. The U.S. Census has estimated that the housing stock in Buffalo is the oldest in the United States, Rajkovich says, and the region needs a plan to address such concerns. We need to think about programs like weatherization as not just an opportunity to reduce energy bills, but as a way to improve the quality of life for our current and future residents. Steps like this will enable Western New York to better withstand climate impacts.

Impact on vulnerable populations

Climate change could still impact Western New York in the form of temperature extremes, changes in precipitation patterns and other extreme events, Rajkovich says. He notes that vulnerable populations, including low-income and minority communities, are likely to be disproportionately impacted. This may exacerbate conditions like poverty and food insecurity, he says. Other cities in the Great Lakes region, like Cleveland, Ohio, have already invested time and money to respond to these climate-related vulnerabilities, he says.

Self-reliance on locally grown products

Buffalos reliance on imported foods, goods and services prevents the city from being independent from climate impacts in other parts of the world, Rajkovich says. For example, much of Buffalos food is imported from faraway places such as California. In addition, not enough land is allocated locally for farmers to grow the amount of fruits and vegetables required for Buffalo to be self-sufficient, according to a sustainable food report prepared by the Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab in the School of Architecture and Planning.

Water access

Rajkovich stresses that water access is another crucial factor that the region needs to consider. Will climate migration compromise the availability and quality of drinking water for residents? These are possibilities that need to be taken into account, he says. Though the Great Lakes system holds around 20% of the worlds surface freshwater, water insecurity is still an issue in the region. As examples, Rajkovich points to water quality problems in Flint, Michigan, harmful algal blooms in Toledo, Ohio, and the situation impacting the Tuscarora Reservation in Western New York, where families have been relying on bottled water because of contamination of their groundwater.

Water-related industry

Another question surrounding water is the possibility of water-intensive companies becoming interested in the Lower Great Lakes region because of the freshwater supply. In order for water-intensive companies to open up facilities here, we need to think through water as an equity issue first, Rajkovich says. He notes that in Northeast Ohio, a public-private partnership is paving the way for water-centered economic growth.
Buffalo as a climate refuge? Lets start planning for it, UB expert says

UBs Nicholas Rajkovich offers insight on Buffalos spotlight as a potential climate haven

The conversation is all about bringing people here, but what will we do to support them when theyre actually here? 

BUFFALO, N.Y.  In recent years, Buffalo has gained national attention from researchers and the media as a possible destination for both climate migrants and climate refugees.

These are people who have either relocated due to climate-related stressors, or who have been displaced by environmental disasters caused by climate change. Drought, flooding, sea level rise and wildfires are all extreme events associated with a warming planet.

Nicholas Rajkovich, PhD, associate professor in the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning, breaks down some misconceptions related to Western New York as a climate refuge. The city and region have more work to do before they can claim that title, he says.

The larger Buffalo region needs to investigate this issue and think through the potential implications, Rajkovich says. The conversation is all about bringing people here, but what will we do to support them when theyre actually here?

Rajkovich leads the Resilient Buildings Lab at UB, where he studies the impact of climate change on cities and buildings. His expertise is centered around greenhouse gas mitigation, and adaptation to climate change, with a focus on Great Lakes communities.

Places like Buffalo have been labeled potential climate refuges due to the abundant supply of freshwater, a temperate climate, available land and a relatively low cost of living.

Some Great Lakes cities, like Duluth, Minnesota, have started to discuss climate migration, tying this planning to other initiatives that address existing problems. Cities like Buffalo have the ability to do the same, and should engage in such planning, Rajkovich says.

As of now, Rajkovich is concerned that Western New York does not yet fit the description of a climate refuge and cautions against promoting this image. For example, the City of Buffalo lacks a formal plan to adapt to climate change and to build resilience in neighborhoods, Rajkovich says.

He highlights some areas of concern:
Today

Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. High 46F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.

Tonight

Some clouds. Low near 35F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.

Tomorrow

Mainly sunny. High 61F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.
Duluth, MN (55816)

Today

Intermittent snow showers and windy this morning. Peeks of sunshine later. High 27F. Winds WNW at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of snow 60%. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Windy with mainly clear skies. Low 12F. Winds WNW at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.
He was a splendid psychiatrist and a wonderful person, said Dr. Paul R. McHugh, the distinguished service professor for psychiatry at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He made a personal connection with his patients who felt they could call him at any time. He was the farthest thing from a checklist doctor. He took the time to know his patients.
Minners much-touted anti-sprawl program, dubbed Livable Delaware, achieved only limited results, and her administration was plagued by scandals and lawsuits involving the state police, prison system and state-run psychiatric hospital. She barely won reelection in 2004 after a female prison counselor was taken hostage and sexually assaulted by a convicted serial rapist before he was shot to death by a guard. Talking to a reporter shortly after the incident, Minner suggested that such things are almost expected in prisons.
Turnover at the top of state government will trickle down to the General Assembly, as well. Already this year, five lawmakers have stepped down for various reasons. Another is about to become a judge and yet another is seeking the treasurers job. And the list of those who have announced plans to retire or compete for other offices is running into double digits.
Former and currently serving top officials in Pakistan's Sindh province including ex-Cabinet Secretary (CS) and ex-Inspector General of Police (IGP) are facing trials in 108 corruption references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the province, a media report said.

Big guns face corruption charge

Former CS Mohammad Siddiq Memon and ex-IGP Ghulam Haider Jamali are among the accused persons being tried by the accountability courts of the province, reported Dawn. NAB-Sindh's report on a court order shows 108 references against over 580 accused persons remain pending before various accountability courts.

Officers opt for 'voluntary return' of loot

Nearly 494 officers posted in different departments of the Sindh government had opted for 'voluntary return' of the looted wealth and 41 had entered into pleas to bargain with NAB in corruption cases, the report stated.

Members of the land utilisation committee including the former CS Memon along with then additional secretary Abdul Qadir Memon and others facing charges in a reference filed in 2018 for alleged illegal allotment and regularisation of six acres for residential and commercial purposes in Karachi, said Dawn. According to the NAB, it caused a loss of more than Rs 5.5 million to the national exchequer.

(ANI)

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7 dangerous prisoners make hole in prison's concrete wall with sticks, escape
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 
FILE - The Boeing Company logo is seen on the property in El Segundo, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011. Insurers for several current and former Boeing board members will pay more than $230 million to settle a lawsuit that accused the directors of failing to address safety warning signs before two of the companys Max jetliners crashed. (Reed Saxon/AP)
Ghorghita said he had been shocked and mystified by the reach of anti-vaccination sentiment. They really believe that vaccines are not the proper way to stop COVID, he said, adding that this was despite the fact that more than 90% of deaths are unvaccinated people. Old people, the most vulnerable demographic, have been the hardest to convince, he said, with only 25% of people over age 80 vaccinated.
Some towns have fallen behind on their water bills and owe millions of dollars to Chicago, which supplies much of the suburban water. In recent years, Chicago has sued at least three towns, including Harvey, for nonpayment of water bills, alleging they moved money from their towns water funds to general funds. Chicago says its taxpayers shouldnt be stuck with the bills. But the suburbs say they are strapped for cash, impossibly behind and need relief.
There was an argument between people in the the 8300 block of South Saginaw Avenue and someone pulled out a gun and started firing, hitting a car windshield and striking the 4-year-old in the hand and in both legs about 5:45 p.m. Friday, authorities said. The mothers car had been double-parked in the middle of the street, said Rahman Muhammad, deputy chief of detectives for Chicago police.
I was never trying to kill the defendant, Grosskreutz said. That was never something I was trying to do. In that moment, I was trying to preserve my own life. But doing so, also, taking the life of another is not something I am capable or comfortable of doing. It goes against almost a lifelong ethical code in regards to medicine.
I expect very quickly, we will start to see a nice rebound in international travel. I also will say we know from our stakeholder engagement, there is a huge pent-up demand. You know, people havent seen their family members overseas in over a year. Business is really anxious to get traveling again, she said. We followed science and data and medical advice at every turn. It is fully safe to reopen the borders to vaccinated travelers.
Newman, a first-term Democrat from LaGrange, was mapped into a new strongly Latino district with U.S. Rep. Jesus Chuy Garcia. But she opted to challenge the two-term Casten from Downers Grove in the adjacent 6th District, with new boundaries that range from the southwest suburbs of Tinley Park and Orland Park to the western suburbs of Elmhurst, Lombard, Villa Park and Lisle.
There were a number of injuries, including a 3-year-old who was in the Dodge, police said. The child was taken by helicopter to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. The remaining occupants of the Dodge and the Jeep were taken to the hospital with what police said were significant, but non-life-threatening injuries.
Fuel loading has started at China's second nuclear power unit using Hualong One technology, a domestically developed third-generation reactor design, after the first one entered commercial operations earlier this year.

The loading started on Saturday at the No. 6 nuclear power unit in the city of Fuqing, in east China's Fujian Province, bringing the unit one step closer to operation, according to the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).

Boasting 716 national patents and 65 international ones, over 200 overseas trademarks, and 125 software copyrights, Hualong One is China's homegrown model of the safer and more efficient third-generation reactor. The Hualong One reactor has a design life of 60 years and meets the strictest safety standards in the world.

The first nuclear power unit using Hualong One, the No. 5 unit in Fuqing, began generating electricity for sale in late January. To date, it has generated more than 7 billion kWh of electricity.

So far, there are eight nuclear power units with Hualong One technology being built or in operation in the world, according to CNNC.
China's digital fiat currency, or the e-CNY, is being used at restaurants, booths, and vending machines for the first time at the China International Import Expo (CIIE).



The CIIE, now in its fourth edition, has attracted nearly 3,000 companies from 127 countries and regions. Representatives of these businesses and other attendees of the fair can use digital yuan when paying for food or buying souvenirs at the fair.

The Bank of China has set up six booths at the venue of CIIE to help those in need to apply for a digital yuan wallet, and around 60 to 80 people went to each booth for help every day, said Chu Yifeng, an employee of the bank.

At the souvenir store of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), where the CIIE is being held, consumers can get a "30 off 50" discount when paying with the e-CNY.

Discounts are also offered at restaurants including Pizza Hut and KFC.

E-CNY is the digital version of fiat currency issued by the People's Bank of China (PBOC) and operated by authorized operators. It is a value-based, quasi-account-based and account-based hybrid payment instrument, with legal tender status and loosely-coupled account linkage.

The development of the e-CNY system aims to create a new form of RMB that meets the public demand for cash in the digital economy era.

The PBOC began its e-CNY research and development project at the end of 2017.

As of June 30, 2021, the e-CNY has been applied to over 1.32 million scenarios, covering utility payments, catering services, transportation, shopping and government services.
A container ship of China's COSCO Shipping docks at a new container terminal of the Port of Long Beach in California, the United States, Aug. 20, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) two decades ago "has allowed the world to share in the fruits of China's domestic development successes," said Albert Keidel, adjunct graduate professor at George Washington University.

In the past 20 years, China's global ranking of trade in goods has risen from the sixth to the first, while that of its trade in services has jumped from the 11th to the second.

Just as Keidel, also former senior economist in the World Bank's Beijing office, put it, apart from lower prices from China's "powerful productivity benefits," the Asian giant's entry into the WTO also offered "opportunities and development challenges for the rest of the world."

It is undeniable that since joining the WTO in 2001, China has been advancing economic globalization with openness as a hallmark and shared prosperity as a vision.

Benefits for US economy

Among all economies in the world, the United States has substantially benefited from China's WTO entry in multiple areas including consumption, investment and trade.

China's WTO entry has been "a boon for Chinese producers and U.S. consumers," Sourabh Gupta, a senior fellow at the Institute for China-America Studies, told Xinhua.

The cost of consumer electronics and numerous daily necessities which impact pocketbook budgets of American households has been bid down by China's exceptional cost competitiveness and medium technology-intensive manufacturing, said Gupta.

Khairy Tourk, professor of economics with the Stuart School of Business at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, said American consumers have benefited from the continuous reduction in the prices of manufactured goods made in China.

"If you look at the business sector here, we see that there is a lot of profitable opportunities for manufacturing and selling in China. Foreign direct investors are now beating a path to China's door," said Tourk.

China has overtaken the United States as the world's top destination for new foreign direct investment, which explains why companies like Apple expand their operations in China, and Tesla built a factory in Shanghai, noted the professor.

In a report submitted to the Office of the United States Trade Representative in September, the U.S.-China Business Council (USCC) said that on balance, China's WTO entry has been positive for the United States and the world.

"Apart from China itself, the U.S. economy has benefitted more from China's decision to open-up, including its decision to join WTO, than any other economy. China's WTO entry has certainly not been a 'curse' to the U.S. as some U.S. commentators now want us to believe," said Pieter Bottelier, a visiting scholar at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

No China connection with US hardship

The loss of manufacturing jobs in the United States in the past several decades has been serious and caused severe hardship in traditional manufacturing industries.

However, according to studies and experts, economic difficulties facing the world's largest economy, such as a loss of manufacturing jobs, has nothing to do with China.

Citing major studies, Bottelier, also former chief of the World Bank's resident mission in Beijing, noted that as for the loss of manufacturing jobs, "there is no particular connection with China's entry into the WTO."

The single most important reason for manufacturing job losses in the United States is not a transfer of jobs to China, but technological development in manufacturing such as robots, artificial intelligence and information technology, Bottelier said.

When China joined the WTO in 2001, it was the beginning of a period when the United States started to experience a great loss of manufacturing jobs.

The harm to American workers was, and is, due to the unsatisfactory performance of the U.S. government in transition programs, according to Keidel.

"Blaming China is the policy that justifies non-action, because unfortunately here we haven't done our homework," said Tourk, adding that the workers were not equipped with new skills.

Milestone for world

The year of 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of China's accession to the WTO. Over the last two decades, the country's continuous efforts in widening opening-up have brought its development to a new stage and injected fresh impetus into the world economy.

China has lowered the import tariff for goods to 9.8 percent from 15.3 percent when it joined WTO 20 years ago. At present, its overall import tax stands at 7.4 percent, lower than the average level of developing members of the WTO and is approaching the level of developed members of the organization.

China's entry into the WTO was "a milestone event," said Robert Lawrence Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation.

It has accelerated the country's engagement with the external world quite dramatically, beginning with trade and the development of a manufacturing base in China, which later expanded into the manufacturing center of the world, Kuhn said.

Borge Brende, president of the World Economic Forum (WEF), also said China's accession to the WTO in 2001 is an important step for its economic development and a milestone in globalization.

After joining the WTO, "China is very much integrated in the global economy," Brende told Xinhua.
Supplies of meat, eggs and milk are guaranteed this year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Chen Guanghua, deputy director of the ministry's Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services Bureau, said production of meat and milk is expected to reach a high, with output of eggs remaining stable.

"There will be sufficient supplies during the New Year and Spring Festival holidays," Chen said.

Some 39.17 million tons of pork was produced in China in the first three quarters of this year, a year-on-year rise of 38 percent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

With pig production fully recovering in the second quarter, the average price of these animals for slaughter dropped below the cost line from June to September. The price rebounded a little in the last quarterthe peak season for pork consumption.

On Wednesday, the average price for live pigs nationwide was 16.04 yuan ($2.50) per kilogram, alleviating breeders' losses, Chen said.

He added that as the number of pigs for slaughter will rise until the first quarter of next year, the nationwide pork oversupply will continue for a while.

Stocks of reproductive sows, which are still 6 percent higher than normal, will not return to a "reasonable level" until early next year, Chen said.

"I hope everyone buys and eats more pork. This will not only enrich people's nutrition, but also alleviate farmers' difficulties," he said.

Chen also asked farmers not to blindly reduce the number of animals for slaughter based on the current rise in pig prices, or to rush to expand production capacity, in case there are bigger losses.

Egg prices have fluctuated by about 9 yuan per kg, but supplies are assured, as producers can quickly adjust the output of laying hens.

Li Shumin, an official with the ministry's Bureau of Fisheries, said that as the world's largest producer and trading country for aquatic products, China's production capacity is stable.

In the first three quarters, the market volume for such products reached 5.67 million tons, up by 10.5 percent from the previous year, the ministry said.

Prices of freshwater fish, which peaked in May, have gradually fallen since August. Li said that with more such fish going to market, and the ending of a fishing moratorium in various places, prices are expected to continue dropping.
You are here: China

Screen image taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Nov. 7, 2021 shows Chinese taikonaut Zhai Zhigang conducting extravehicular activities (EVAs) out of the space station core module Tianhe. [Photo/Xinhua]

Taikonauts Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping have been out of China's space station core module Tianhe by 8:28 p.m. (Beijing Time) Sunday to start extravehicular activities (EVAs), the China Manned Space Agency said.

Zhai opened the hatch of Tianhe's node cabin at 6:51 p.m.

This is the second time Zhai has performed EVAs, having completed China's first spacewalk 13 years ago during the Shenzhou-7 mission. Meanwhile, Wang's EVAs make her the country's first female astronaut to leave footprints in outer space.

Donning China-developed new-generation Feitian spacesuits, the pair will conduct a series of extravehicular tasks with the aid of the mechanical arm, the agency noted.

Ye Guangfu stayed inside to support his crewmates in completing the operations.

China launched the Shenzhou-13 spaceship on Oct. 16, sending the three astronauts on a six-month mission to construct its space station.
Screen image taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Nov. 7, 2021 shows Chinese taikonaut Wang Yaping conducting extravehicular activities (EVAs) out of the space station core module Tianhe. [Photo/Xinhua]

Taikonauts Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping have completed their extravehicular activities (EVAs) and returned to the space station core module Tianhe, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on early hours of Monday.

The event was the third extravehicular mission conducted during the construction of the country's space station and the first by the Shenzhou-13 crew. It also marks the first EVAs in Chinese space history involving a female taikonaut, said the agency, which has declared Monday's EVAs a complete success.

The pair returned to the core module at 1:16 a.m. (Beijing Time) after 6.5 hours of extravehicular activities. They completed a series of extravehicular tasks.

The mission further tested the functions of the China-developed new-generation extravehicular spacesuits, the coordination between the taikonauts and the mechanical arm, and the reliability and safety of supporting equipment related to the EVAs, the CMSA noted.

China launched the Shenzhou-13 spaceship on Oct. 16, sending three taikonauts on a six-month mission to construct its space station.
Two hundred and sixty Chinese and international science organizations have signed an open letter calling for solidarity and cooperation to make science and technology better serve the well-being of humanity and contribute to the sustainable progress of human civilization.

They released the letter on Sunday at the 3rd World Science and Technology Development Forum in Beijing.

The organizations included the China Association for Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and the UNESCO.

"Science and technology are the fruits of collective wisdom and the common heritage of humanity. At present, a new round of scientific, technological, and industrial revolutions is underway, providing new solutions to global development issues and challenges, such as infectious diseases, climate change, and sustainable development," read the letter.

Regarding innovation, the open letter said that the scientific and technological community, as contributors and facilitators of scientific and technological innovation, should strive for excellence and encourage innovation.

It called on the science community to explore the new frontiers of science, promote excellence in science, and create a free and equal academic environment that respects and encourages innovation and takes a positive attitude towards failure.

The open letter underlined openness, inclusiveness, mutual benefit, calling for the scientific community to promote open science and allow data, knowledge, infrastructure, and achievements to be more widely accessible and reliably applied.

However, the letter stressed that open science should not go beyond legal limits, openness should be balanced and appropriate, and scientists should protect personal privacy, data security and intellectual property rights should be protected.

The letter also called for enhancing cooperation, equality, and mutual trust among scientists and engineers, building an open international innovation network, and promoting international exchanges and cooperation in science.

The letter also highlighted academic freedom and scientific ethics to ensure science and technology are for good purposes.

In addition, they pledged to strengthen efforts in popularizing science, increasing public engagement, and participating more actively in policymaking.

The 3rd World Science and Technology Development Forum took place in Beijing on Saturday and Sunday. 205 guests from 19 countries and regions, including seven Nobel laureates and 43 academicians, attended the forum to share their views around the theme of "Openness, Trust, Cooperation."
 Flash

Another 30,305 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 9,301,909, according to official figures released Sunday.

The country also reported a further 62 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 141,805. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

There are currently 9,160 patients in hospital with COVID-19.

The latest data came as almost 10 million people in the UK have received their booster vaccines, with three million extra invites being sent next week, according to Britain's Department of Health and Social Care.

"I strongly urge everybody who is eligible for a COVID-19 booster or flu vaccine to take up the offer as soon as you can," Britain's Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said.

"This truly is a national mission. If we all come together and play our part, we can get through this challenging winter, avoid a return to restrictions and enjoy Christmas," Javid added.

The latest evidence from Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) shows that protection against symptomatic disease falls from 65 percent, up to three months after the second dose, to 45 percent six months after the second dose for the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, and from 90 percent to 65 percent for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

Protection against hospitalization falls from 95 percent to 75 percent for Oxford/AstraZeneca and 99 percent to 90 percent for Pfizer/BioNTech.

More than 87 percent of people aged 12 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and more than 79 percent have received both doses, the latest figures showed. Meanwhile, more than 17 percent have received booster jabs, or third doses of a coronavirus vaccine.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.
 Flash

Rwanda on Sunday received 300,000 doses of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine donated by the Chinese government, the second batch donated by China so far.

"We are happy to receive this second batch which is again a sign of good collaboration and support from the Chinese government in our fight against this pandemic," Albert Tuyishime, the head of Disease Prevention and Control Department at Rwanda Biomedical Center, told reporters at Kigali International Airport.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, Rwanda has been working with the Chinese Government in terms of testing kits, treatment and vaccination deployment, according to the official.

In August, China donated the first batch of 200,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine that have been used to vaccinate Rwandans, contributing to the Rwandan government's target of vaccinating 60 percent of its population to protect them against the virus.

"We are taking China as one of the leaders in promoting this equitable distribution of vaccines for COVID-19," said Tuyishime. "And we are really encouraging others to step in so that we can have more countries accessing vaccines because we believe no one is really safe until we are all safe."

So far about 4 million people in Rwanda have received the first COVID-19 jab while about 2 million have been fully vaccinated, according to the Ministry of Health.

"China is happy to make a contribution toward Rwanda's vaccine rollout. The donation demonstrates solidarity and friendship between China and Rwanda," said Wang Jiaxin, the economic and commercial counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Rwanda, noting that China appreciates the measures taken by the Rwandan government to contain the virus and revitalize its economy.

He added China is willing to join hands with Rwanda to take the opportunity of celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties and also the upcoming session of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, to strengthen unity and coordination, further benefit the two peoples, and deepen China-Rwanda relationship even further in future cooperation.

The doses will be immediately dispatched to districts outside the Rwandan capital of Kigali and administered to eligible and priority community members, according to health officials.
 Flash

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday held a phone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian over bilateral relations and practical cooperation.



China and Iran are comprehensive strategic partners, Wang said, noting that no matter how the international situation changes, China will firmly develop its friendly relationship and advance practical cooperation with Iran so as to bring more benefits to the two countries and their peoples.

China is ready to work with Iran to continue to oppose unilateralism and bullying, uphold the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries, Wang said.

China is also ready to strengthen anti-pandemic cooperation with Iran until the pandemic is finally defeated, he said, adding that China hopes Iran will support the Global Development Initiative.

Wang said that China welcomes Iran's decision to resume negotiations for a return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) at the end of this month, which shows Iran's positive attitude toward resuming the implementation of the deal.

The U.S. side should take the first step to take corrective actions because it unilaterally withdrew from the Iranian nuclear deal, Wang said, adding that on this basis Iran can resume fulfilling its commitments in the nuclear field.

All parties should strengthen coordination and jointly push the negotiations in the right direction, and China supports Iran to strengthen its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which will create a good atmosphere for the resumption of negotiations, he said.

Wang congratulated Iran on successfully hosting the Second Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan's Neighboring Countries, saying the mechanism of the foreign ministers' meeting came at the right time and has attracted attention from various sides.

Noting China is going to host the third foreign ministers' meeting, Wang said the country stands ready to strengthen coordination with Iran and other parties to accumulate consensus and strive to achieve more results by then.

The six countries should give full play to the advantages of neighboring countries and highlight their distinctive features, so as to play a unique and constructive role in achieving lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan while addressing the legitimate concerns of their neighboring countries, Wang said.

For his part, Abdollahian said Iran-China relations are strategic, stressing that the new Iranian government will firmly develop friendly cooperation with China.

Iran thanks China for its strong support in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and hopes to continue to deepen anti-pandemic cooperation with China, he said.

Iran appreciates China's positive stance and constructive role in the Iranian nuclear issue, is committed to the negotiations for a return to the JCPOA, and is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China in this regard, he said.

He said Iran attaches great importance to cooperation with the IAEA, and will invite the agency's Director General Rafael Grossi to visit Iran in the near future.

Iran fully supports the Global Development Initiative, and supports China in successfully hosting the third Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan's Neighboring Countries, he added.
 Flash

A seminar on promoting rural vitalization through vocational education in Guizhou and Mekong countries was held on Sept. 25 on the sideline of the 2021 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week.





The seminar, jointly hosted by the Foreign Affairs Office of Guizhou Province and the Department of Education of Guizhou Province, aimed to promote exchanges and cooperation between Guizhou province and Mekong countries and explore new ideas for vocational education cooperation to promote rural vitalization in Mekong countries.





Zhang Hanlin, director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Guizhou Province, said that since the launch of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC), Guizhou has contributed to the development of the cooperation mechanism with its experience in developing modern mountainous agriculture, vocational education, and poverty alleviation. The province has worked hard to advance the LMC by promoting local development and people-to-people bonds.





Zhang said that Guizhou will continue to use its own advantages to carry out extensive cooperation with Mekong countries, and hoped the province could leverage its advantages in the field of vocational education, especially in the field of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), to carry out in-depth cooperation in the promotion and application of traditional diagnosis and treatment technologies. Through this technology, it wishes to help countries fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, reduce poverty, and realize rural vitalization.





Lao Ambassador to China Khamphao Ernthavanh said that the seminar will help promote the development of vocational education in China and in ASEAN countries. She added that Chinas vocational education aid has provided many learning opportunities for students in remote mountainous areas in Laos.





Former Chinese Ambassador to Maldives Wang Fukang said that as a new-type cooperation mechanism featuring extensive consultation between China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, the LMC has developed into a most dynamic sub-regional cooperation mechanism.





Amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic last year, the six countries vigorously carried out cooperation to fight the epidemic, strengthened cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and maintained the momentum of LMC growing from strength to strength, Wang said.





Wang added that Guizhou and the Mekong countries are geographically close to each other and culturally connected, thus having a good foundation for cooperation. He hoped that Guizhou will play an even bigger role in its cooperation with the Mekong countries and contribute more to building a higher level of China-ASEAN strategic partnership.





The Foreign Affairs Office of Guizhou Province and ASEAN-China Center signed a memorandum of cooperation at the seminar.
'Frontline' Pastors 'Risk Everything' to Aid Orphans, Widows, War-Torn Families

Slavic Gospel Association aims to rush urgent winter relief to 1,300 pastors in Russia, former Soviet Union

Illinois-based Slavic Gospel Association (SGA, www.sga.org ) is aiming to help 1,300 "frontline pastors" and ministry workers in Russia and the former Soviet Union this winter who, it says, are "risking everything" to aid orphans, widows, and war-torn families.

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Slavic Gospel Association (SGA)

Nov. 8, 2021

LOVES PARK, Ill., Nov. 8, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- A U.S. organization is aiming to help 1,300 "frontline pastors" and ministry workers in Russia and the former Soviet Union this winter who, it says, are "risking everything" to aid orphans, widows, and suffering families.

During the pandemic, local pastors across Russia and the former Soviet Union have trekked hundreds of miles on foot -- often in remote areas and brutal weather -- to deliver food, medicines, and Bibles door-to-door, and "share God's love," says Slavic Gospel Association (SGA, www.sga.org).

In eastern Russia -- close to the Arctic Circle -- Pastor Yegor helped anxious villagers during a raging forest fire that threatened their homes and lives. Several members of his church joined the volunteer firefighters, and Christian medics provided care at the scene.

'Frontline Pastors' Risk All

"That's why we call them 'frontline pastors'," said SGA president Michael Johnson, who just visited Russia and neighboring Ukraine, where several local pastors partnering with SGA serve in a war zone. "These pastors are risking everything to serve their communities -- even their own safety and lives."

The Illinois-based organization aims to raise $130,000 to help 1,300 local pastors and ministry workers -- like Pastor Yegor -- get through the harsh winter months, when many face poverty, hunger, and bone-freezing conditions. In Siberia, Russia, temperatures in January can plummet to minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit -- or even lower.

Compassion for the 'Forgotten'

"Right now, despite their own hardships, pastors across the former Soviet Union are sharing their faith and the compassion of Christ with the broken and the forgotten, including addicts, widows, orphans, and those traumatized by war," Johnson said.

"Urgent aid will arrive just in time for the winter," he said. "Frontline pastors, ministry workers, and their families -- who always put others' needs ahead of their own -- will receive gifts from SGA to buy food, get medical treatments they desperately need, and purchase winter boots for their children."

"Frontline pastors" include Alexander Sheleg and his wife, who've adopted nine orphaned children -- and many other local pastors like him who work multiple jobs to help feed orphans and others in need. Across the former Soviet Union, there are 700,000 orphans and unwanted children -- equal to the entire population of Boston.

Hope 'Dried Up'

In the summer, as severe drought devastated vast areas of Kazakhstan -- a former Soviet republic in Central Asia -- local pastors and their churches gave sacrificially to help feed hungry families, while also offering them Christian literature in the Kazakh language.

Local pastors shared the "good news" with those whose hope had dried up. "One of them -- Pastor Albert -- was able to bring the hope of Christ to a young mother-of-two who recently lost her unborn child," Johnson said.

Love in a War Zone

Other pastors serve in war zones -- such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine -- where conflict has left widespread suffering and trauma. Pastor Sergei Alexeev is one example -- moving his young family into a war zone in eastern Ukraine so they can "minister to families and show them God's love is real," said Johnson, whose organization partners directly with local evangelical churches and pastors.

"These frontline pastors -- who've sometimes lost their own sons, daughters, and homes in war zones -- comfort their neighbors, pray with them, and share the love of Christ with them in ways that speak much louder than words," he said.

Founded in 1934, Slavic Gospel Association (SGA, www.sga.org) helps "forgotten" orphans, widows and families in Russia, the former Soviet countries of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Russian-speaking immigrants in Israel  caring for their physical needs and sharing the life-transforming Gospel of Jesus Christ. SGA supports an extensive grassroots network of local evangelical missionary pastors and churches in cities and rural villages across this vast region.

SOURCE Slavic Gospel Association (SGA, )

CONTACT: Sheryl Sellaway, 404-695-5564, ssellaway@inchristcommunications.com
Introduction

I was on a Zoom call with a friend of mine in Myanmar/Burma recently. In the midst of our conversation, after he shared true tales of the army destroying his/church property, friends interned in concentration camps, torture and COVID related deaths of people close to him, he had a breakdown. Trauma and regular sleeplessness do that to people; even the most robust. This is a big issue amongst Christian leaders. Of course, here in Australia you are more likely to be sustained by a combination of therapy and psychotropic medications than inner collapse. This is sad, because it robs many of the deepest penetrating presence of the Word of God (Hebrews chapter 4 verses 12-13). This teaching is NOT a pastoral piece, but an attempt to prophetically get to the root of why many otherwise psychologically healthy Christians live with post-traumatic stress and suffer burn out. If it is still true that there are as many who have left Church ministry as remain (http://www.jmm.org.au/articles/8061.htm), the subject is critical.

Kill Him

Jesus told the Pharisees, You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your fathers desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John chapter 8 verse 44), Christ indicates that killing has been an essential part of the devils character since he first interacted with us in Eden. As such, we should view the Satan-inspired crucifixion of Jesus (Luke chapter 22 verse 3) as part of a grand diabolical plan to eventually annihilate the image of God in humanity. When the serpent proclaimed to the first couple, You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. (Genesis chapter 3 verses 4-5) he lured then into taking on the moral and spiritual status of Godhead in their own eyes. We have all been born into this self-estimation of our own infallible insights! To be a sinner is to do what is right in your own eyes. The Spirit warns us against being right in our own eyes again and again (Proverbs chapters 3 verse 7, 12 verse 15 etc.). more worryingly the more right you believe you can do the more you are enslaved.

Treated Like God

The fallen condition I described above isnt merely the territory of dictators, but even of godly persons of outstanding means and abilities. My friend Solomon has oversight over a number of churches in Myanmar and financially supports hundreds of children, recovering addicts, poor people, family and pastors across the nation. Unintentionally he has often been treated as though he is God; someone whose capacity to uplift the weak and needy is unbounded. This may be the sin of the Church, but one he has culturally and even, largely unintentionally, spiritually fostered. The recent crises in Myanmar that have engulfed his own life have been teaching him by the Spirit to respect the limits of his God-created humanity. No less a model than Jesus (1 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 1) teaches us what this might mean for us all.

Perfectly Human

In his freedom as God become human (John chapter 1 verse 14), Jesus was always able to submit to the will of the Father (John chapter 5 verse 19). As such he consistently refused to perform miracles when tempted to prove himself to be divine (Matthew chapter 4 verses 3-7; chapter 12 verse 39). The liberty of the Son of God allowed him to quietly draw aside to heal only one person amongst many ill (John chapter 5 verses 2-6). The Son did not have to be God-on-display as people imagined him to be (Psalm 50 verse 1). When asked for a legal ruling he retorted, Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you? (Luke chapter 12 verse 14). Christ enjoyed the liberty we are invited into as sons of God (Romans chapter 8 verse 21). He was never stressed by external agents (Mark chapter 4 verse 38). The holy mind of Christ taught him that there was a gap between the abilities of his deity and his humanity that could only be crossed from the side of eternity, not by human initiative. This is the secret of the glorious rest into which you and I are called (Matthew chapter 11 verse 28-30).

Conclusion

In taking humanitys sin upon himself on the cross (2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21) Jesus endured the overwhelming burden of all our ungodly efforts to act like God. This totally crushed him (Mark chapter 15 verse 34), but makes it possible for us in him to be freed from the God-complex behind all drivenness, striving and A-type personality traits If in Adam we all ridiculously sought to be higher than the Lord, in Christ we can learn to be just ourselves. What a blessed relief. Have you dear reader been sufficiently crushed (2 Corinthians chapter 1 verses 8-9) to learn and delight in the God-ordained limits of your humanity?
It has been a year since the doctor removed a Stage 1 melanoma from my back. Easily removed (10 external and 4 internal stitches to a depth of 5mm), I have made it through the year with a further 2 biopsies on suspicious spots and another nice scar at the top of my chest after a couple of basal cell carcinomas were removed. I have also had a few blemishes frozen off my face and forehead the last year as well.

I have just turned 50. I felt the love of my family and friends. With the unexpected gifts, the unexpected visitors to the 50 hours of Russ event I ran for a whole weekend; suffice to say, in the words of my wife, Russ, your love tank is full.

Its taken me awhile to recover, but it is just what I needed to get me back on track.

This is why I mo

Men, we need to take the state of our health seriously. Whether it is our physical, mental, emotional, social or spiritual health- we need to take a good, hard look at ourselves and use the next month to take a personal inventory of our life.

Suicide is now the leading cause of death for Australian men aged 15-44. And alarming new research suggests that some men choose to take their own life, rather than appear weak by asking for help.

Men are dying on average 6 years earlier than women, and for largely preventable reasons. Unchecked, prostate cancer rates will double over the next 15 years. Testicular cancer rates have already doubled in the last 50. And across the world, one man dies by suicide every minute of every day, with males accounting for 75% of all suicides.

During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of mens faces (supported by their Mo Sistas - female supporters) in Australia and around the world. There is a serious side to the Mo growing. The money raised goes to support and raise vital funds and awareness for mens health.

In 2020, Mo Bros and Mo Sistas from across Australia helped raise $35.5 million for Movember. These donations are used to raise awareness, invest in vital men's health initiatives and run Movember each year.

Why help men live happier, healthier and longer lives?

In 2020, Australian fundraising and administrative costs are 18.3% of funds raised. In the previous financial year, Movember conservatively retained an exceptionally high percentage of its funds raised for investment in future campaigns due to the uncertainties of COVID-19.

Following the success of the 2020 campaign, funds retained have been released to Programs Investments resulting in a net release of 10.1% of funds raised during the year.

In other words,91.8% of all Australian funds raised, comprising 10.1% of prior year retained funds and 81.7% from the 2020 campaign, have been devoted to helping men live happier, healthier, and longer lives.

The Movember community championed mens health in 20 countries across the world. Through the growth of 394 650 moustaches (Mo sistas included!), $135.1 million was raised.

The focus for funding, as it was in previous years, is for prostate and testicular cancer research along with mental health awareness campaigns. They are committed to raising awareness on the dangers of physical inactivity and investing in initiatives that encourage physical activity. Physical inactivity is a big deal. Its the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality, causing 3.2 million deaths globally per year.

I am overwhelmed each year by the donations and the jibes I get from my fellow staff and the students I teach.

A simple strategy

Movember provides a simple strategy for men. They are strategies we ALL can do to take control of our health. Why not get that special man or special men your life to do the same?

1. Make man time

Stay connected. Your mates are important and spending time with them is good for you. Catch up regularly, check in and make time.

70% of men say their friends can rely on them for support, but only 48% say that they rely on their friends. In other words: were here for our mates, but worried about asking for help for ourselves. Reaching out is crucial.

2. Have open conversations

You dont need to be an expert and you dont have to be the sole solution, but being there for someone, listening and giving your time can be life-saving.

Talk.

Listen.

3. Know the numbers.

At 50, talk to your doctor about prostate cancer and whether its right for you to have a PSA test. If you are of African or Caribbean descent or have a father or brother with prostate cancer, you should be having this conversation at 45. Know your numbers, know your risk, talk to your doctor.

4. Know thy nuts. Simple.

Get to know whats normal for your testicles. Give them a check regularly and go to the doctor if something doesnt feel right.

5. Move, more.

Add more activity to your day. Do more of what makes you feel good.

Take a walking meeting

Park further away from the station

Get off the bus a stop or two earlier

Instead of the lift, take the stairs

Cycle to work instead of driving

To discuss with other men on staff and with students in my school about the joys and struggles of marriage and raising kids allows me to realise I am not alone. This great cause brings to the forefront of my mind, for one month every year, the fact I am not bulletproof.

Why not encourage the men in your life to head to the doctor and let this year be the start of their annual check-up? Head to their website, for more information.
Report Description

A recent market intelligence report that is published by Data Insights Partner on the global Advanced Energy Storage Market makes an offering of in-depth analysis of segments and sub-segments in the regional and international Advanced Energy Storage Market. The research also emphasizes on the impact of restraints, drivers, and macro indicators on the regional and global Advanced Energy Storage Market over the short as well as long period of time. A detailed presentation of forecast, trends, and dollar values of global Advanced Energy Storage Market is offered. In accordance with the report, the global Advanced Energy Storage Market is projected to expand by healthy CAGR over the period of forecast.

Market Insight, Drivers, Restraints, Opportunity & Trends of the Market:

Definition

Energy Storage Systems, such as lithium-ion batteries, is a technology that can efficiently and conveniently store numerous sources of energy that can be used as needed. These systems are undergoing a constant technical revolution that enables them to overcome traditional energy supply limitations. Advanced Energy Storage may be used to convey energy and grids can be used to store it. The AES system is a developing technology that is crucial to the energy sector's growth in the twenty-first century. The energy can be utilized to make semiconductors, data storage devices, solar cells, and power, among other things. With the support of AES, the growing need for a big amount of renewable energy may be addressed. It also enables operators to control the flow of energy sources by supplying only the quantity of energy required, preventing power usage.

Request for Report Sample: https://datainsightspartner.com/request-for-sample?ref=1039

Market Drivers

q Energy policy in both developed and developing countries are being revised to accommodate a significant part of the generation produced from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. Government financial incentives and associated returns are expanding renewable energy investments, which is likely to strengthen the AESS industry.

q Developing economies around the world are currently increasing their electric grid infrastructure to meet rising power demand. The global advanced energy storage market is being driven by the growing requirement for an uninterrupted power supply along with significant growth in power demand around the world.

Market Restraints

q The lack of a legislative and regulatory policy governing AES is a key stumbling block to the worldwide AES market's expansion. The California State Assembly enacted Assembly Bill 2514 on June 3, 2010, to construct a smarter, cleaner electric system and increase the use of renewable energy.

q Lithium-ion batteries, flow batteries, and sodium-sulfur (NAS) batteries are examples of energy storage technologies that need a lot of capital to manufacture. According to research by the Energy Department, the impact of this component is projected to last for the next 3-4 years.

Opportunities

q Developing countries, such as India and China, require infrastructure modernization and grid expansion. There is a pressing need to provide energy to the estimated 30% of the world's fast-rising population who do not have it. By improving the grid, advanced energy storage is projected to play a significant role in these expenditures.

Storage of energy, for mechanical energy storage, compressed air is an alternative to pumped hydro. The display displays a potential investment scenario in energy storage technologies. among other technologies with significant potential include lithium-ion and lead-based batteries, such as lithium-ion.

Trends

Electric mobility is a growing trend in the automotive industry that is driving demand for energy storage systems around the world. Global government agencies such as the Environmental Government Agencies and others are currently concentrating on the implementation of carbon dioxide emission restrictions. China, for example, wants to enhance electric vehicle production. By 2020, China plans to sell roughly 11.9 million electric vehicles. There is also a global focus on reducing carbon dioxide emissions and introducing electric vehicles that are both ecologically benign and functional.

Covid 19 Impact On Advanced Energy Storage Market

The COVID-19 epidemic has completely altered the situation. The virus's global spread has compelled countries to adopt preventative precautions. Due to the closure of enterprises, stores, manufacturing plants, and other industrial and commercial establishments as a result of the lockdowns enforced by various governments, the commercial sector's electricity consumption has decreased. The demand for power is produced by the residential sector, not the commercial sector, due to employees working from home. This has had a significant impact on the market's growth.

Segment Covered:

This market intelligence report on the global Advanced Energy Storage Market encompasses market segments based on resolution, end use, application and country.

Advanced Energy Storage Market by Application

Transportation

Grid Storage

Advanced Energy Storage Market by End-User

Residential

Non-Residential

Advanced Energy Storage Market by Technology

q Electro Chemical

Lithium-ion battery

Lead Acid battery

Sodium Sulfur (NaS) battery

Flow battery

Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) & Nickel Metal Cadmium (NiCd)

q Mechanical

Pumped Hydro

Flywheel

Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) & Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES)

q Thermal Storage

Thermo Chemical

Sensible

Latent

By country/region, the global Advanced Energy Storage Market has been divided into:

q North America (the U.S., Canada),

q Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and other countries),

q Europe (Germany, France, the U.K., Spain, Italy, Russia, and other countries),

q Asia Pacific (India, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand and other countries),

q Middle East and Africa (GCC, South Africa, Israel and Other countries).

Profiling of Market Players:

This business intelligence report offers profiling of reputed companies that are operating in the market. Companies such as:

q General Electric Company

q LG Chem.

q ABB Ltd.

q AES Energy Storage, LLC

q Beacon Power, LLC

q BYD Company Limited

q Convergent Energy and Power Inc.

q Green smith Energy Management Systems

q Eos Energy Storage

q Seeo, Inc.

q S&C Electric Company

others have been profiled into detail so as to offer a glimpse of the market leaders. Moreover, parameters such as Advanced Energy Storage Market related investment & spending and developments by major players of the market are tracked in this global report.

Report Highlights:

In-depth analysis of the micro and macro indicators, market trends, and forecasts of demand is offered by this business intelligence report. Furthermore, the report offers a vivid picture of the factors that are steering and restraining the growth of this market across all geographical segments. In addition to that, IGR-Growth Matrix analysis is also provided in the report so as to share insight of the investment areas that new or existing market players can take into consideration. Various analytical tools such as DRO analysis, Porter's five forces analysis has been used in this report to present a clear picture of the market. The study focuses on the present market trends and provides market forecast from the year 2020-2028. Emerging trends that would shape the market demand in the years to come have been highlighted in this report. A competitive analysis in each of the geographical segments gives an insight into market share of the global players.

Few Recent Developments

General Electric Company

June 14, 2021 - GE Aviation and Safran today launched a bold technology development program targeting more than 20 percent lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions compared to todays engines.

General Electric Company

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May 24, 2021: Qatalum signed an agreement with GE to provide five Advanced Gas Path (AGP) upgrade units, maintenance services for a period of 15 years for equipment at its 1,080 megawatts (MW) power plant, and a suite of cybersecurity solutions.

General Electric Company

6 May 2021  GE Healthcare today announced the acquisition of Zionexa, a leading innovator of in-vivo oncology and neurology biomarkers that help enable more personalized healthcare.

General Electric Company

March 11, 2021 GE (NYSE: GE) today announced the launch of an open Innovation Challenge to call for ideas on how to address power challenges in Taiwan, in line with the governments goals to strengthen energy reliability and sustainability towards a low carbon future in the country.

Salient Features:

 This study offers comprehensive yet detailed analysis of the Advanced Energy Storage Market, size of the market USD xxx billion in 2020, and Compound Annual Growth Rate 6.2% for the period of forecast: 2021-2027

 It explains upcoming revenue opportunities across various market segments and attractive matrix of investment proposition for the said market

 This market intelligence report also offers pivotal insights about various market opportunities, restraints, drivers, competitive market strategies of leading market players, emerging market trends, and regional outlook

 Profiling of key market players in the world Advanced Energy Storage Market is done by taking into account various parameters such as company strategies, distribution strategies, product portfolio, financial performance, key developments, geographical presence, and company overview

 The data of this report would allow management authorities and marketers of companies alike to take informed decision when it comes to launch of Type of models, government initiatives, marketing tactics and expansion, and technical up gradation

 The world market for Advanced Energy Storage Market to the needs of various stakeholders pertaining to this industry, namely suppliers, manufacturers, investors, and distributors for gas turbine market. The research also caters to the rising needs of consulting and research firms, financial analysts, and new market entrants

 Research methodologies that have been adopted for the purpose of this study have been clearly elaborated so as to facilitate better understanding of the reports

 Reports have been made based on the guidelines as mandated by General Data Protection Regulation

 Ample number of examples and case studies have been taken into consideration before coming to a conclusion

Reasons to buy:

v Identify opportunities and plan strategies by having a strong understanding of the investment opportunities in the Advanced Energy Storage Market

v Identification of key factors driving investment opportunities in the Advanced Energy Storage Market

v Facilitate decision-making based on strong historic and forecast data

v Position yourself to gain the maximum advantage of the industrys growth potential

v Develop strategies based on the latest regulatory events

v Identify key partners and business development avenues

v Respond to your competitors business structure, strategy and prospects

v Identify key strengths and weaknesses of important market participants

Get Request for Table of Contents: https://datainsightspartner.com/report/advanced-energy-storage-market/1039#tableOfContent
Report Description

A recent market intelligence report that is published by Data Insights Partner on the global Power Distribution Unit (PDU) Market makes an offering of in-depth analysis of segments and sub-segments in the regional and international Power Distribution Unit (PDU) Market. The research also emphasizes on the impact of restraints, drivers, and macro indicators on the regional and global Power Distribution Unit (PDU) Market over the short as well as long period of time. A detailed presentation of forecast, trends, and dollar values of global Power Distribution Unit (PDU) Market is offered. In accordance with the report, the global Power Distribution Unit (PDU) Market is projected to expand by healthy CAGR over the period of forecast.

Market Insight, Drivers, Restraints, Opportunity & Trends of the Market:

Definition

A power distribution unit, sometimes known as the main distribution unit, is a device that controls electrical power in a data center. Their primary responsibility is to manage the power supply to the data center's computers, networking devices, and servers. Some typical types of power distribution units are metered PDUs, switched PDUs, and intelligent/monitored PDUs. These PDUs can be connected to and accessed over a network, and they can offer data and statistics on the effectiveness of power utilization. Military, retail, education, government, healthcare, BSFI, and other businesses use them extensively.

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Market Drivers

q The expanding number of data centers being built around the world is a major factor impacting the need for data center racks. The market's growth is also influenced by rising demand for technological services and increased investments from major corporations.

q During this uncertain period, data centers are playing a critical role in securing and maintaining secure digital infrastructure. Several businesses have adopted a work-from-home policy to safeguard their staff as well as to better serve their clients. The increased demand for services is projected to benefit data centers.

q The market for PDUs is predicted to rise because of technological improvements in data center development, cloud computing, virtualization, and the growth of alternating phased power over the forecast period. Over the anticipated period, the PDU market is expected to grow.

q The market is being fueled by the increasing use of cloud-based services. Cloud service companies are investing in new data centers as well as upgrading existing data centers in order to manage electricity more efficiently.

Market Restraints

q The market's growth will be limited by the data center server's complexity.

q The market's growth would be hampered by an increasing problem with data center designs.

q In data centers, the power distribution unit (PDU) adjusts voltage and gives real-time information about the power supply. In the event of equipment failure, they efficiently control electricity. These elements are predicted to have a beneficial effect on market growth. The expansion of various manufacturing facilities has been halted due to the current coronavirus epidemic, in order to protect the safety of employees and citizens.

q Over the last few years, the number of data centers that have experienced power outages has climbed. According to the survey, data center design complexity is a primary issue limiting industry growth. Data centers must be able to meet the growing demand for more reliable power.

Opportunities

q Because of the increased demand for smart and technologically driven power distribution units, intelligent power distribution is expected to develop dramatically. The intelligent power distribution unit from Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) monitors power consumption at the load segment, stick, core, and outlet levels.

q Due to advancements in IT infrastructure, demand for PDU is increasing in the telecom and IT sectors. Similarly, the healthcare industry presents growth potential for the PDU market, owing to a surge in demand for lifesaving equipment that requires a continuous power supply for crucial activities.

q The increased demand for continuous power supply is also a driver for the PDU industry, particularly at this time when everyone is combating the coronavirus outbreak. The pressing need for lifesaving equipment that requires a continuous power source for treating critical patients creates an opportunity for the PDU industry.

Trends

With potential in telecom & IT, banking, healthcare, and other industries, the future of the power distribution unit market is bright. PDU demand is expected to increase, regardless of quality, capabilities, or reliability. Intelligent power distribution solutions will grow in popularity over the anticipated timeframe.

COVID 19 IMPACT On Power Distribution Unit (PDU) Market

The COVID-19 pandemic is still having an impact on the development of numerous sectors. While some industries will experience a reduction in demand, others will stay unaffected and show signs of future growth. The outbreak's immediate impact is diverse, with many industries reporting good outcomes.

Segment Covered:

This market intelligence report on the global Power Distribution Unit (PDU) Market encompasses market segments based on resolution, end use, application and country.

Power Distribution Unit (PDU) Market by type

q Basic

q Metered

q Monitored

q Switched

q Automatic transfer switch

q Hot swap

q Dual circuit

Power Distribution Unit (PDU) Market by power rating

q Up to 120 V

q 120240 V

q 240400 V

q Above 400 V

Power Distribution Unit (PDU) Market by end user

q Telecom & IT

q Banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI)

q Healthcare

q Government & defense

q Automotive

q Manufacturing & processing industries

q Energy

By country/region, the global Power Distribution Unit (PDU) Market has been divided into:

q North America (the U.S., Canada),

q Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and other countries),

q Europe (Germany, France, the U.K., Spain, Italy, Russia, and other countries),

q Asia Pacific (India, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand and other countries),

q Middle East and Africa (GCC, South Africa, Israel and Other countries).

Profiling of Market Players:

This business intelligence report offers profiling of reputed companies that are operating in the market. Companies such as:

q Cisco Systems

q Eaton

q Vertiv

q Schneider Electric

q Tripp Lite

q ABB

q Legrand

q Panduit

q Aten

q Delta Electronics

q Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

q Socomec

others have been profiled into detail so as to offer a glimpse of the market leaders. Moreover, parameters such as Power Distribution Unit (PDU) Market related investment & spending and developments by major players of the market are tracked in this global report.

Report Highlights:

In-depth analysis of the micro and macro indicators, market trends, and forecasts of demand is offered by this business intelligence report. Furthermore, the report offers a vivid picture of the factors that are steering and restraining the growth of this market across all geographical segments. In addition to that, IGR-Growth Matrix analysis is also provided in the report so as to share insight of the investment areas that new or existing market players can take into consideration. Various analytical tools such as DRO analysis, Porter's five forces analysis has been used in this report to present a clear picture of the market. The study focuses on the present market trends and provides market forecast from the year 2020-2028. Emerging trends that would shape the market demand in the years to come have been highlighted in this report. A competitive analysis in each of the geographical segments gives an insight into market share of the global players.

Few Recent Developments

Cisco Systems

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June 9, 2021 Cisco Meraki announced expanded IoT and WAN portfolios with new technologies to support hybrid workforces around the globe with smarter and safer workspace environments.

Cisco Systems

April 14, 2021 South Korea, Asias fourth-largest economy, and Cisco, a worldwide leader in technology, announced the launch of a collaborative framework under Ciscos Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program to accelerate digitization across the country and power an inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cisco Systems

February 27, 2019 Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins and Telenor Group CEO Sigve Brekke met today to further strengthen the companies strategic collaboration by signing a Joint Purpose Agreement 2.0.

Legrand

06.15.2020 Legrand, global specialist in electrical and digital building infrastructures, has launched its social media wall, Legrand is #Switched-on.

Salient Features:

 This study offers comprehensive yet detailed analysis of the Power Distribution Unit (PDU) Market, size of the market USD 2.27 billion in 2020, and Compound Annual Growth Rate 11.14% for the period of forecast: 2021-2026

 It explains upcoming revenue opportunities across various market segments and attractive matrix of investment proposition for the said market

 This market intelligence report also offers pivotal insights about various market opportunities, restraints, drivers, competitive market strategies of leading market players, emerging market trends, and regional outlook

 Profiling of key market players in the world Power Distribution Unit (PDU) Market is done by taking into account various parameters such as company strategies, distribution strategies, product portfolio, financial performance, key developments, geographical presence, and company overview

 The data of this report would allow management authorities and marketers of companies alike to take informed decision when it comes to launch of Type of models, government initiatives, marketing tactics and expansion, and technical up gradation

 The world market for Power Distribution Unit (PDU) Market to the needs of various stakeholders pertaining to this industry, namely suppliers, manufacturers, investors, and distributors for gas turbine market. The research also caters to the rising needs of consulting and research firms, financial analysts, and new market entrants

 Research methodologies that have been adopted for the purpose of this study have been clearly elaborated so as to facilitate better understanding of the reports

 Reports have been made based on the guidelines as mandated by General Data Protection Regulation

 Ample number of examples and case studies have been taken into consideration before coming to a conclusion

Reasons to buy:

v Identify opportunities and plan strategies by having a strong understanding of the investment opportunities in the Power Distribution Unit (PDU) Market

v Identification of key factors driving investment opportunities in the Power Distribution Unit (PDU) Market Facilitate decision-making based on strong historic and forecast data

v Position yourself to gain the maximum advantage of the industrys growth potential

v Develop strategies based on the latest regulatory events

v Identify key partners and business development avenues

v Respond to your competitors business structure, strategy and prospects

v Identify key strengths and weaknesses of important market participants

Get Request for Table of Contents: https://datainsightspartner.com/report/power-distribution-unit-pdu-market/1041#tableOfContent
Report Description

A recent market intelligence report that is published by Data Insights Partner on the global gas turbine market makes an offering of in-depth analysis of segments and sub-segments in the regional and international Gas Turbine Market. The research also emphasizes on the impact of restraints, drivers, and macro indicators on the regional and global gas turbine market over the short as well as long period of time. A detailed presentation of forecast, trends, and dollar values of global gas turbine market is offered. In accordance with the report, the global gas turbine market is projected to expand by healthy CAGR over the period of forecast.

Market Insight, Drivers, Restraints, Opportunity & Trends of the Market:

Definition

A gas turbine, also known as a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine that runs continuously. All gas turbine engines have the same key parts: An upstream rotating gas compressor, a combustor, and a downstream turbine on the same shaft as the compressor.

On turboprops and turbofans, a fourth component is frequently utilized to boost efficiency, transfer power into mechanical or electric form (on turboshafts and electric generators), or achieve a higher thrust-to-weight ratio (on afterburning engines).

A gas turbine is a device that uses the kinetic energy of gas to generate energy. The gas goes through a thermodynamics process that converts heat energy to useful electricity, resulting in the production of electricity. Gas turbines are excellent for a variety of sectors because of their low operating pressure, increased speed, high power-to-weight ratio, and low maintenance costs. The economics of gas turbine power generation is improving due to their low initial investment, excellent reliability, and ease of handling. Furthermore, the worldwide gas turbine sector is driven by advances in technology combined with a focus on increasing power generation.

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Market Drivers

Coal-fired power facilities have a history of emitting substantial volumes of harmful gases and contributing significantly to global warming. For example, according to the International Energy Agency's 2018 Global Energy and CO2 Status Report, coal-fired power plants were the largest contributor to emissions in 2018, up 2.9 percent from 2017. Furthermore, the paper claims that coal-generated electricity accounted for 30% of worldwide CO2 emissions in 2018. As a result, the need to create more environmental friendly ways to generate power is likely to drive rising demand for gas turbines in the future decade.

Natural gas, the principal fuel for gas turbines, contains relatively little sulfur, resulting in almost no sulfur dioxide emissions. Gas turbines that use natural gas emit extremely little CO2 (0.37 kilos of CO2 every kWh of energy generated). This compares to lignite's 1.01 kg/kWh and hard coal's 0.8 kg/kWh.

Market Restraints

Natural gas prices are influenced by actions that may disrupt the natural gas supply. Tensions in the region are a disruptive element that leads to uncertainty about natural gas supply and demand. Gas prices may become more volatile as a result of this. Natural gas prices have dropped dramatically in the United States as a result of shale gas development, but prices elsewhere in the world remain high. The majority of natural gas reserves in the Middle East are held by Middle Eastern countries. Due to cultural and political difficulties, it is a highly variable region. Furthermore, because of the COVID-19 epidemic, natural gas demand has declined dramatically in recent months. As a result, natural gas prices have plummeted, putting a damper on market growth.

Opportunities

The demand for energy is increasing as the population grows and the per capita use of electricity rises. In the future years, worldwide electricity demand is predicted to rise by one-third of what it is now. Electricity demand from industrial organizations and manufacturing units is also on the rise. The method of generating electricity or power is fast evolving, and these changes are being spurred by rising electricity costs and worries about climate change. The use of coal for energy generation pollutes the air and emits greenhouse gases. As a result of these concerns, gas turbines are increasingly being used as a preferred source of power supply around the world. For converting traditional fossil fuels into electricity, gas turbines have become an indispensable technology. This improves the market for gas turbines even further.

Trends

The current trend seen is that governments in several nations have developed programs to encourage the use of natural gas to generate power. For example, the government offers various incentives for property where plants can be built. In the realm of aviation propulsion, gas turbines are utilized to propel medium and large aircraft at supersonic speeds. The movement in attention towardS gas-based power generation rather than nuclear power generation is expected to open up new opportunities for companies.

Due to fast industrialization and the rising need for power in developing countries, Asia-Pacific dominates the industry in terms of revenue. As a result of the development of the resource sector, Europe is predicted to increase significantly throughout the projection period.

COVID 19 IMPACT ON GAS TURBINE MARKET

The coronavirus (Covid-19) was originally discovered in China's Hubei province in December 2019 and has since spread to over 150 nations, posing a global health concern. The power industry is one of the most badly affected, and the lockdowns have worsened the pandemic's negative effects. Due to supply chain interruptions, a lack of human resources, and challenges with project funding, the lockdowns have caused delays in electricity projects. Due to COVID-19, the Myanmar power plant projects that were supposed to be completed this summer have been postponed. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, three imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plants and a gas power project, according to the Deputy Minister for Electricity and Energy (MORE), are still not operational. The power-producing equipment, machinery, and professionals required to install it was unable to reach Myanmar by the initial timeframes due to travel restrictions and commercial aircraft bans.

Due to lockdowns and quarantines linked with the coronavirus pandemic, power plant operators in the United States continue to adjust protocols at their plants, including delaying regular maintenance. Companies like General Electric (GE) and Siemens, who are major makers of industrial gas turbines as well as power plant service providers, are being impacted by the developments.

Segment Covered:

This market intelligence report on the global gas turbine market encompasses market segments based on resolution, end use, application and country.

Gas turbine market by capacity

q < 50 kW

q 50 kW to 500 kW

q > 500 kW to 1 MW

q > 1 MW to 30 MW

q >30 MW to 70 MW

q > 70 MW to 200 MW

q > 200 MW

Gas turbine market by product

q Aero-derivative

q Heavy Duty

Gas turbine market by technology

q Open Cycle

q Combined Cycle

Gas turbine market by application

q Power Plants

q Oil & Gas

q Process Plants

q Others

By country/region, the global Gas Turbine Market has been divided into:

q North America (the U.S., Canada),

q Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and other countries),

q Europe (Germany, France, the U.K., Spain, Italy, Russia, and other countries),

q Asia Pacific (India, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand and other countries),

q Middle East and Africa (GCC, South Africa, Israel and Other countries).

Profiling of Market Players:

This business intelligence report offers profiling of reputed companies that are operating in the market. Companies such as:

q Wartsila

q Siemens AG

q Man Diesel & Turbo

q General Electric

q Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems

q NPO Saturn

q Kawasaki Heavy Industries

q Sulzer

q MTU

q Harbin Electric International Company

q BHEL, Solar Turbines, Capstone Turbine

q Vericor Power Systems

q Ansaldo Energia

q Opra Turbines

q Zorya-Mashproekt and Cryostar.

others have been profiled into detail so as to offer a glimpse of the market leaders. Moreover, parameters such as gas turbine market related investment & spending and developments by major players of the market are tracked in this global report.

Report Highlights:

In-depth analysis of the micro and macro indicators, market trends, and forecasts of demand is offered by this business intelligence report. Furthermore, the report offers a vivid picture of the factors that are steering and restraining the growth of this market across all geographical segments. In addition to that, IGR-Growth Matrix analysis is also provided in the report so as to share insight of the investment areas that new or existing market players can take into consideration. Various analytical tools such as DRO analysis, Porter's five forces analysis has been used in this report to present a clear picture of the market. The study focuses on the present market trends and provides market forecast from the year 2021-2029. Emerging trends that would shape the market demand in the years to come have been highlighted in this report. A competitive analysis in each of the geographical segments gives an insight into market share of the global players.

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Few Recent Developments

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems

2021-06-02 Bakken Energy, LLC (Bakken Energy) and Mitsubishi Power Americas, Inc. (Mitsubishi Power) have signed a strategic co-operation agreement to build a world-class clean hydrogen center in North Dakota.

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems

November 27, 2020, Mitsubishi Power, Ltd., a subsidiary of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has signed a technology licensing agreement with Aubert & Duval, a leading European manufacturer of special alloys and metal powders, on the composition and manufacturing of metal powders used as materials in metal additive manufacturing (AM) (Note).

Kawasaki Heavy Industries

May 31, 2021, For the first time in North America, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. has announced the launched of remote track monitoring services using information and communication technology (ICT). One of the North American Class 1 railroads has placed an order for Kawasaki's services.

Salient Features:

 This study offers comprehensive yet detailed analysis of the gas turbine market, size of the market USD 20.38 billion in 2020, and Compound Annual Growth Rate 6.8% for the period of forecast: 2021-2029

 It explains upcoming revenue opportunities across various market segments and attractive matrix of investment proposition for the said market

 This market intelligence report also offers pivotal insights about various market opportunities, restraints, drivers, competitive market strategies of leading market players, emerging market trends, and regional outlook

 Profiling of key market players in the world gas turbine market is done by taking into account various parameters such as company strategies, distribution strategies, product portfolio, financial performance, key developments, geographical presence, and company overview

 The data of this report would allow management authorities and marketers of companies alike to take informed decision when it comes to launch of Type of models, government initiatives, marketing tactics and expansion, and technical up gradation

 The world market for gas turbine market to the needs of various stakeholders pertaining to this industry, namely suppliers, manufacturers, investors, and distributors for gas turbine market. The research also caters to the rising needs of consulting and research firms, financial analysts, and new market entrants

 Research methodologies that have been adopted for the purpose of this study have been clearly elaborated so as to facilitate better understanding of the reports

 Reports have been made based on the guidelines as mandated by General Data Protection Regulation

 Ample number of examples and case studies have been taken into consideration before coming to a conclusion

Reasons to buy:

 Identify opportunities and plan strategies by having a strong understanding of the investment opportunities in the gas turbine market

 Identification of key factors driving investment opportunities in the gas turbine market

 Facilitate decision-making based on strong historic and forecast data

 Position yourself to gain the maximum advantage of the industrys growth potential

 Develop strategies based on the latest regulatory events

 Identify key partners and business development avenues

 Respond to your competitors business structure, strategy and prospects

 Identify key strengths and weaknesses of important market participants

Get Request for Table of Contents: https://datainsightspartner.com/report/gas-turbine-market/1038#tableOfContent
Report Description

A recent market intelligence report that is published by Data Insights Partner on the global Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market makes an offering of in-depth analysis of segments and sub-segments in the regional and international Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market. The research also emphasizes on the impact of restraints, drivers, and macro indicators on the regional and global Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market over the short as well as long period of time. A detailed presentation of forecast, trends, and dollar values of global Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market is offered. In accordance with the report, the global Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market is projected to expand by healthy CAGR over the period of forecast.

Market Insight, Drivers, Restraints, Opportunity & Trends of the Market:

Definition

According to the Collins English Dictionary, bathroom cabinets are defined as a wall mounted cabinet in a bathroom, typically with a mirror front and used for the storage of medicines and toiletries. These products are usually located above the sink or toilets. Bathroom mirror cabinets plays the role of a bathroom vanity which is mixed and matched with variants of bathroom decor.

Market Drivers

An upsurge in construction activities that includes the construction of both residential buildings and commercial buildings are primarily driving the need for its subsidiary building products  bathroom mirror cabinets and fueling its market.

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Rising population throughout the globe is generating the demand for residential buildings. Further, rapid urbanization is leading to the transition to smaller living spaces that calls for efficient storage equipment. In fact, the combined effect of population growth and rapid urbanization is positive on the bathroom mirror cabinets market.

The favorable initiatives undertaken by the government indirectly is driving this market. Firstly, the governments of various nations are lending their hands in the development of residential buildings which is indirectly propelling the bathroom cabinets market. Secondly, the governments of many nations are joining hands with the engaged stakeholders to emit the risks undertaken in construction activities which is bolstering this market.

The growth and development of the real estate industry is augmenting the growth of this market.

Economic growth, soaring purchasing power and skyrocketing middle-class population especially in the developing and underdeveloped regions are augmenting the bathroom mirror cabinets market.

Now-a-days, the population is inclined towards the establishment of a house which is aesthetically pleasing and also a home to the residing family. The need for room decor and home decor is empowering the growth of the bathroom mirror cabinets market.

Market Restraints

The bathroom mirror cabinets are of premium price which is impeding the development of consumer base for this market.

Moreover, bathroom mirror cabinets are subject to durability issues. These products are often prone to rusting which is threatening the growth of this market.

Opportunities

The existence of a single mode of selling that only includes offline mode of selling is a very conservative way. With internet penetration and utilization of smartphones, the sellers are inclining in the direction of selling products online. The e-commerce techniques are gaining traction and is expected to unfold new market options.

Further, the development of customized, aesthetically pleasing products coupled with the incorporation of lights, sensors, AI and advanced technology is likely to open up new avenues for the bathroom mirror cabinets market.

Trends

Asia Pacific dominates the market for bathroom mirror cabinets and is estimated to continue its domination in the forecast period. The reason behind such dominance in the constantly growing population, the rising standards of living, an upsurge in the construction sector, and growing disposable income especially in the emerging economies like India and China. North America ranks second in the bathroom mirror cabinets market after Asia pacific and is expected to register significant growth in the forecast period. Such progress can be attributable to the rising population in this region that has attached much importance to renovations and remodeling of existing housing structures. Globally, the Bathroom mirror cabinets market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.6% in the forecast period.

Segment Covered:

This market intelligence report on the global Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market encompasses market segments based on material, type, sales channel and country.

By Material the global Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market has been divided into:

q Polymer

q Steel

By Type the global Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market has been divided into:

q Multi-Door

q Single-Door

By Sales Channel the global Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market has been divided into:

q Online

q Offline

By country/region, the global Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market has been divided into:

q North America (the U.S., Canada),

q Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and other countries),

q Europe (Germany, France, the U.K., Spain, Italy, Russia, and other countries),

q Asia Pacific (India, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand and other countries),

q Middle East and Africa (GCC, South Africa, Israel and Other countries).

Profiling of Market Players:

This business intelligence report offers profiling of reputed companies that are operating in the market. Companies such as:

q West Shore Home

q Roper Rhodes Ltd

q Laufen Bathrooms AG

q FAB Glass and Mirror

q HiB

q Bellaterra Home LLC

q Roca

q Duravit

q Emco Group

q Geberit AG

others have been profiled into detail so as to offer a glimpse of the market leaders. Moreover, parameters such as Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market related investment & spending and developments by major players of the market are tracked in this global report.

Report Highlights:

In-depth analysis of the micro and macro indicators, market trends, and forecasts of demand is offered by this business intelligence report. Furthermore, the report offers a vivid picture of the factors that are steering and restraining the growth of this market across all geographical segments. In addition to that, IGR-Growth Matrix analysis is also provided in the report so as to share insight of the investment areas that new or existing market players can take into consideration. Various analytical tools such as DRO analysis, Porter's five forces analysis has been used in this report to present a clear picture of the market. The study focuses on the present market trends and provides market forecast from the year 2020-2028. Emerging trends that would shape the market demand in the years to come have been highlighted in this report. A competitive analysis in each of the geographical segments gives an insight into market share of the global players.

Few Recent Developments

West Shore Home

In July 2020, an announcement with regard to the completion of the acquisition of Quality Advantage Home Products was made by West Shore Home.

Roper Rhodes Ltd

In April 2019, Roper Rhodes Ltd released its biggest and newest brochure comprising the latest range of bathroom furniture and fixtures including mirror cabinets.

Laufen Bathrooms AG

In August 2019, Laufen celebrated a spectacular official premiering of the new collection named The New Classic. Patricia Urquiola and Konstantin Grcic added some notable designs to the series.

Salient Features:

 This study offers comprehensive yet detailed analysis of the Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market, size of the market (US$ Mn), and Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR (%)) for the period of forecast: 2020-2028, taking into account 2019 as the base year

 It explains upcoming revenue opportunities across various market segments and attractive matrix of investment proposition for the said market

 This market intelligence report also offers pivotal insights about various market opportunities, restraints, drivers, competitive market strategies of leading market players, emerging market trends, and regional outlook

 Profiling of key market players in the world Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market is done by taking into account various parameters such as company strategies, distribution strategies, product portfolio, financial performance, key developments, geographical presence, and company overview

 The data of this report would allow management authorities and marketers of companies alike to take informed decision when it comes to launch of Type of models, government initiatives, marketing tactics and expansion, and technical up gradation

 The world market for Bathroom Mirror Cabinets caters to the needs of various stakeholders pertaining to this industry, namely suppliers, manufacturers, investors, and distributors for Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market. The research also caters to the rising needs of consulting and research firms, financial analysts, and new market entrants

 Research methodologies that have been adopted for the purpose of this study have been clearly elaborated so as to facilitate better understanding of the reports

 Reports have been made based on the guidelines as mandated by General Data Protection Regulation

 Ample number of examples and case studies have been taken into consideration before coming to a conclusion

Reasons to buy:

v Identify opportunities and plan strategies by having a strong understanding of the investment opportunities in the Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market

v Identification of key factors driving investment opportunities in the Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market

v Facilitate decision-making based on strong historic and forecast data

v Position yourself to gain the maximum advantage of the industrys growth potential

v Develop strategies based on the latest regulatory events

v Identify key partners and business development avenues

v Respond to your competitors business structure, strategy and prospects

v Identify key strengths and weaknesses of important market participants
Report Description

A recent market intelligence report that is published by Data Insights Partner on the global Electric Rice Cooker Market makes an offering of in-depth analysis of segments and sub-segments in the regional and international Electric Rice Cooker Market. The research also emphasizes on the impact of restraints, drivers, and macro indicators on the regional and global Electric Rice Cooker Market over the short as well as long period of time. A detailed presentation of forecast, trends, and dollar values of global Electric Rice Cooker Market is offered. In accordance with the report, the global Electric Rice Cooker Market is projected to expand by healthy CAGR over the period of forecast.

Market Insight, Drivers, Restraints, Opportunity & Trends of the Market:

Definition

Electric rice cooker is an electronic kitchen appliance that is used for automating the process of cooking rice. Thermostats are used for controlling electric rice cookers that keeps track and controls the temperature and heat of the cooking vessels. Almost all sorts of grains, varieties of rice, polenta, oatmeal stews, soups and vegetables can be cooked with the help of advanced electric rice cookers. In the market, rice cookers are available in both automatic and non-automatic types.

Market Drivers

The primary factor fueling the rising demand for rice cookers are the hectic lifestyle of the todays population. The upsurge in the number of working professionals is lowering the time available to them to spend in household kitchens which is pushing them to avail devices that prepares food in minimum time. The spurring nucleated families and soaring female participation in the working force is driving the electric rice cooker market.

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Environmental concerns are bolstering the electric rice cooker market to some extent. With the depletion of non-renewable natural resources and the consequent rise in fuel prices, consumers are increasingly inclining towards the adoption of more energy-efficient solutions. Electric rice cookers are energy-efficient and helps to do away with the problem of skyrocketing gas prices.

The convenience associated with the use of rice cookers in cooking rice is propelling the growth of this market significantly. Electric rice cookers enable uniform cooking that does not led to overcooking or undercooking of the food. Moreover, these appliances work on itself. The user need not supervise from time to time as in the case of traditional cooking methods. Further, they are non-sticky which is empowering the growth of the electric rice cooker market.

The rising infrastructural development and technological advancement that has led to the development of smart city, smart home and smart systems project complementary to the development of interior decor are indirectly e=augmenting the growth of the electric rice cooker market.

Market Restraints

The maintenance of electric rice cookers is not an easy task. Cleaning the product involves cleaning the bowl, inner lid and steaming vent that is very problematic. This factor is swaying away consumers and disrupting the growth of this market.

The performance of rice cookers varies with the ingredient like the types of rice and pulses and even sometimes with the model. Not all models are capable of cooking brown rice. The lower layer of the ingredient, rice sometimes remains fluffy, sometimes sticky and sometimes form a crust. These factors are impeding the consumers attainment of satisfaction.

Further, electric rice cookers are off immoderate price thereby hindering the growth of the electric rice cooker market.

Opportunities

Rapid technological advancement and its implementation on the electronic industry has led to development of advanced products and diversified product portfolio. The incorporation of AI, sensors, and Internet of Things in electric rice cookers are expected to open up new avenues for this market.

Further, the increasingly tight schedule of the working population, dipping down of leisure time of the consumers, growth of middle-class population and environmental concerns are likely to help the electric rice cooker market to thrive.

Trends

The Asia Pacific region dominates the market for electric rice cooker and is expected to continue its domination in the forecast period for a variety of reason. The nations like India, China, Japan and Indonesia consumes rice as a staple food which is basically driving the demand for rice cookers. Economic development of this regions and the increasing participation of the population in the working class of the region are some major factors determining the demand for electric rice cookers in this region. The Europe region is estimated to showcase significant growth in this market owing to the presence of some of the leading players of this market in the region and increasing knowledge among the consumers with regard to the benefits of utilizing such advanced cooking appliances. Globally, this market is projected to register a CAGR of 6.8% in the forecast period.

Segment Covered:

This market intelligence report on the global Electric Rice Cooker Market encompasses market segments based on product, application, distributional channel and country.

By Product the global Electric Rice Cooker Market has been divided into:

q Induction

q Multi-Functional

q Standard

q Others

By Application the global Electric Rice Cooker Market has been divided into:

q Commercial

q Households

By Distributional Channel the global Electric Rice Cooker Market has been divided into:

q Online

q Offline

By country/region, the global Electric Rice Cooker Market has been divided into:

q North America (the U.S., Canada),

q Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and other countries),

q Europe (Germany, France, the U.K., Spain, Italy, Russia, and other countries),

q Asia Pacific (India, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand and other countries),

q Middle East and Africa (GCC, South Africa, Israel and Other countries).

Profiling of Market Players:

This business intelligence report offers profiling of reputed companies that are operating in the market. Companies such as:

q AB Electrolux

q Panasonic Corporation

q Xiaomi

q Toshiba Corporation

q Conair Corporation

q TTK Prestige Ltd

q Sunbeam Products Inc

q Bajaj Electricals Ltd

q Ali Group Srl

q Newell Brands

others have been profiled into detail so as to offer a glimpse of the market leaders. Moreover, parameters such as Electric Rice Cooker Market related investment & spending and developments by major players of the market are tracked in this global report.

Report Highlights:

In-depth analysis of the micro and macro indicators, market trends, and forecasts of demand is offered by this business intelligence report. Furthermore, the report offers a vivid picture of the factors that are steering and restraining the growth of this market across all geographical segments. In addition to that, IGR-Growth Matrix analysis is also provided in the report so as to share insight of the investment areas that new or existing market players can take into consideration. Various analytical tools such as DRO analysis, Porter's five forces analysis has been used in this report to present a clear picture of the market. The study focuses on the present market trends and provides market forecast from the year 2020-2028. Emerging trends that would shape the market demand in the years to come have been highlighted in this report. A competitive analysis in each of the geographical segments gives an insight into market share of the global players.

Few Recent Developments

AB Electrolux

In February 2017, an announcement was made by AB Electrolux with regard to the acquisition of Anova, the provider of Anova Precision Cooker.

Panasonic Corporation

In September 2018, Panasonic Corporation celebrated the 30th anniversary of rice cooker business in the Indian market.

Xiaomi

In April 2019, the launch of Mijia Smart Rice Cooker in India was announced by Xiaomi. Apart from regular rice, this rice cooker was capable of cooking biryani, pastas, burgers and pizzas.

Salient Features:

 This study offers comprehensive yet detailed analysis of the Electric Rice Cooker Market, size of the market (US$ Mn), and Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR (%)) for the period of forecast: 2020-2028, taking into account 2019 as the base year

 It explains upcoming revenue opportunities across various market segments and attractive matrix of investment proposition for the said market

 This market intelligence report also offers pivotal insights about various market opportunities, restraints, drivers, competitive market strategies of leading market players, emerging market trends, and regional outlook

 Profiling of key market players in the world Electric Rice Cooker Market is done by taking into account various parameters such as company strategies, distribution strategies, product portfolio, financial performance, key developments, geographical presence, and company overview

 The data of this report would allow management authorities and marketers of companies alike to take informed decision when it comes to launch of Type of models, government initiatives, marketing tactics and expansion, and technical up gradation

 The world market for Electric Rice Cooker caters to the needs of various stakeholders pertaining to this industry, namely suppliers, manufacturers, investors, and distributors for Electric Rice Cooker Market. The research also caters to the rising needs of consulting and research firms, financial analysts, and new market entrants

 Research methodologies that have been adopted for the purpose of this study have been clearly elaborated so as to facilitate better understanding of the reports

 Reports have been made based on the guidelines as mandated by General Data Protection Regulation

 Ample number of examples and case studies have been taken into consideration before coming to a conclusion

Reasons to buy:

v Identify opportunities and plan strategies by having a strong understanding of the investment opportunities in the Electric Rice Cooker Market

v Identification of key factors driving investment opportunities in the Electric Rice Cooker Market

v Facilitate decision-making based on strong historic and forecast data

v Position yourself to gain the maximum advantage of the industrys growth potential

v Develop strategies based on the latest regulatory events

v Identify key partners and business development avenues

v Respond to your competitors business structure, strategy and prospects

v Identify key strengths and weaknesses of important market participants
Future Market Insights (FMI) delivers key insights on the global automotive washer system market in its latest report titled, Automotive Washer System Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 20162026. Global sales of automotive washer systems including headlamp and windshield washer systems is expected to reach US$ 17.5 Bn in 2016, witnessing a y-o-y growth of 4.2% over 2015. The long-term outlook on the global automotive washer systems market remains positive, with the market expected to register a 5.4% value CAGR during the forecast period 2016-2026. Passenger car segment will account for maximum share of the total sales, extending the market share to 76.7% in 2026 as compared to 74.5% in 2016.

In terms of volume, the global sales of automotive washer systems is expected to reach 1,453.4 Mn units in 2016 and is expected to expand at a CAGR 3.5% over the forecast period 20162026.

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Increasing vehicle production and adoption of efficient wiper and washer technologies are primary factors bolstering the sales of washer systems globally. Moreover, high replacement rate of washer system components is expected to result in high sales in the aftermarket segment. The emergence of newer wiper blade and windshield cleaning technologies is resulting in higher cost of end products, which is a major factor restraining adoption of these products among consumers. High market penetration of relatively low-cost wiper and washer system alternatives restricts demand for wiper de-icer, nozzle integrated wipers and heated nozzle washer systems.

Segmentation highlights

The global automotive washer system market is segmented on the basis of Component (Nozzles, Reservoirs, Hose & Connectors, Pumps, Windshield Wipers, Wiper Motor); Sales Channel (OEM, Aftermarket); Technology (Electric, Mechanical); Vehicle Type (Passenger Cars, Light Commercial Vehicles, Heavy Commercial Vehicles); and Application (Windshield Washer System, Headlamp Washer System).

Windshield wiper was the largest segment by component in 2015 and this will remain unchanged in 2016

Nozzle and hose & reservoir segments are expected to be the next large segment in terms of volume

By value, wiper motor segment is expected to remain dominant over the forecast period. The segment is expected to account for share of 45.9% in 2016 and is expected to maintain dominance over the forecast period

By product type, windshield washer segment was the largest segment in 2015, and this segment is anticipated to hold 72.3% of the market revenue by 2026. Advancements in wiper blade technology and nozzle design will support growth of the market over near future

Headlamp washer system segment is anticipated to witness a relatively high value CAGR than windshield washer system. Increasing sales of premium and luxury vehicle globally is anticipated to bolster the growth of headlamp washer system. Furthermore, automakers in the market are focussing on introducing value added features in their mid-range vehicles, so as to earn competitive edge in the market

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Regional projections

The global automotive washer system market is segmented into the regions of North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, MEA, and Japan. Asia Pacific, the largest market for automotive washer systems is expected account for US$ 5.5 Bn revenue in 2016. Increasing adoption of headlamp washer systems in semi-luxury and mid-sized cars is major trend witnessed in the region. North America is expected to be the next big market, the region accounted for 21.1% of the total revenue share in 2015 and is anticipated to hold 20.7% in 2016. The recent relocation of automobile production facilities to developing nations such as Mexico will impact the OEM sales of washer systems in the region. Western Europe is expected to account for US$ 3.3 Bn revenue in 2016. The market for headlamp washer systems in the region is majorly driven by the existing stringent regulations to deploy these systems with high intensity headlamps.

Market Segmentation

By Component

Nozzles

Reservoirs

Hose & Connectors

Pumps

Windshield

Wipers

Wiper Motor

By Sales Channel

OEM

Aftermarket

By Technology

Electric

Mechanical

By Vehicle Type

Passenger Cars

Light Commercial Vehicles

Heavy Commercial Vehicles

By Application

Windshield Washer System

Headlamp Washer System

By Region

North America

Latin America

Western Europe

Eastern Europe

APEJ

Japan

MEA

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Vendor insights

Robert Bosch GmbH, Denso Corporation, Valeo S.A., continental AG and Mitsuba Corporation are the top five players in the global automotive washer system market, accounting for about 30% market revenue share in 2015. The leading players in the market are focusing on acquisition, collaboration and partnerships of/with technology providers to increase their product portfolio and market presence. Furthermore, expansion of production facilities, particularly in developing nations, is the key strategy adopted by major players in the market.

About FMI

Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in Dubai, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India. FMIs latest market research reports and industry analysis help businesses navigate challenges and make critical decisions with confidence and clarity amidst breakneck competition. Our customized and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. A team of expert-led analysts at FMI continuously tracks emerging trends and events in a broad range of industries to ensure that our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.

Contact

Mr. Debashish Roy

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Report Summary:

The report titled Active Vehicle Safety Systems Market offers a primary overview of the Active Vehicle Safety Systems industry covering different product definitions, classifications, and participants in the industry chain structure. The quantitative and qualitative analysis is provided for the global Active Vehicle Safety Systems market considering competitive landscape, development trends, and key critical success factors (CSFs) prevailing in the Active Vehicle Safety Systems industry.

Historical Forecast Period

2013  2017  Historical Year for Active Vehicle Safety Systems Market

2018  Base Year for Active Vehicle Safety Systems Market

2019-2027  Forecast Period for Active Vehicle Safety Systems Market

Key Developments in the Active Vehicle Safety Systems Market

To describe Active Vehicle Safety Systems Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by countries, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;

To analyze the manufacturers of Active Vehicle Safety Systems, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2018;

To display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers in Global, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2018;

To show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type and application, from 2013 to 2019;

To analyze the key countries by manufacturers, Type and Application, covering North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle-East and South America, with sales, revenue and market share by manufacturers, types and applications;

Active Vehicle Safety Systems market forecast, by countries, type and application, with sales, price, revenue and growth rate forecast, from 2018 to 2026;

To analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.

To analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);

Todescribe Active Vehicle Safety Systems sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.

To describe Active Vehicle Safety Systems Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data source

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Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers

 Takata Corporation

 ZF

 Continental

 Lear Corporation

 Robert Bosch GmbH

 Delphi Automotive

 Denso Corporation

 Mitsubishi Electric

 Valeo

 Aptiv PLC

 Jabil

 Hella

 Magneti Marelli

 Ningbo Joyson Electronic

 Ficosa

 Mando

 Harman

 Hyundai Mobis

 Gentex

 Magna International

Market Segment by Countries, covering

 North America (United States, Canada, Mexico) Market Revenue and/or Volume

Europe (Germany, UK, France, Russia, Italy) Market Revenue and/or Volume

Asia Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia) Market Revenue and/or Volume

Middle-East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa) Market Revenue and/or Volume

South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, etc.) Market Revenue and/or Volume

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Market Segment by Type, covers

 Adaptive Cruise Control

 Head-Up Displays

 Lane Departure Warning

 Parking Assistance

 Brakes

 Others

Market Segment by Applications, can be divided into

 Passenger Vehicle

 Commercial Vehicle
According to a Trends Market research report titled Construction Tyres Market Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast by 2021  2030. The Research study on Construction Tyres Market is a crucial document for the industry players to understand competitive Construction Tyres Market scenario. The base year considered for Construction Tyres Market analysis is 2020. The report presents Construction Tyres Market industry chain structure, market overview, present industry statistics, market share & volume. All Construction Tyres Market industry is spanned across regions namely North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa, South America and Rest. Construction Tyres Market key players analysis, regional analysis, product insights, Construction Tyres Market types, and applications are elaborated.

This has brought along several changes in This report also covers the impact of COVID-19 on the global market.

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The report provides revenue forecasts for global, regional and country levels. It also provides comprehensive coverage on major industry drivers, restraints, and their impact on market growth during the forecast period. For the purpose of research, The Report has segmented global Construction Tyres Market on the basis of types, technology and region

Key Competitors of the Global Construction Tyres Market are:

Stanley Black & Decker, TAJIMA, Komelon, Apex, Starrett, Proskit, The Grate Wall, Endura, Hultafors, EXPLOIT, PST, BERENT, Empire, Jetech Tool, BOSI, Kraftwelle,,

The Global Construction Tyres Market Research Report is a comprehensive and informative study on the current state of the Global Construction Tyres Market industry with emphasis on the global industry. The report presents key statistics on the market status of the global Construction Tyres Market manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry.

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Regional Construction Tyres Market (Regional Output, Demand & Forecast by Countries):-

North America (United States, Canada, Mexico)

South America ( Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Chile)

Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, Korea)

Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy)

Middle East Africa (Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran) And More.

The research report studies the past, present, and future performance of the global market. The report further analyzes the present competitive scenario, prevalent business models, and the likely advancements in offerings by significant players in the coming years.

Main Highlights of Construction Tyres Market Report:

 The report offers an analytical study on various global Construction Tyres Market industries to provide decisive data.

 The top market segment analysis and market drivers are explained in this report.

 A mix of primary and secondary research methodology provides authentic and reliable data.

 A separate section is dedicated for competitive scenario and market statistics.

 The clear and concise study on Construction Tyres Market dynamics, cost structures will yield useful results.

 Latest developments and trends in Construction Tyres Market are evaluated in this report.

This study offers past, present and forecasts information on Construction Tyres Market. The data is represented in form of tables, infographics, charts to provide an easier view.

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Patient monitoring devices are proven effective to improve patient outcomes significantly, providing clinicians with actionable insights to make accurate clinical decisions promptly. With patient monitoring devices, healthcare providers can treat more patients with available resources, boost revenues while optimizing costs, improve patient care, and provide an excellent experience to patients.

As a result, patient monitoring devices witness a huge demand and consecutively, the market of these devices is garnering huge traction across the globe. Patient monitoring devices market is witnessing an outstanding growth over the past couple of years. Indeed, technological advancements happening in the field of Medicare is supporting the market to climb on the furthered heights on the global platform.

Acknowledging the growth, the market perceives currently; Market Research Future (MRFR) in its recently published study report asserts that the global patient monitoring devices market will register spectacular growth records by 2022, posting a striking CAGR throughout the forecasting period (2017  2022).

The ability of these devices to provide real-time analysis of a patients health parameters efficiently acts as a major driving force pushing up the market growth. Additionally, factors such as increasing demand for flexible health monitoring and management and continuously evolving sensor technology.

Increasing usages of the Internet along with the proliferation of IoT in the medical sector are helping the market to expand pervasively, providing good outcomes to patients with real-time patient tracking, monitoring, and drug management.

Growing population, spreading awareness among people towards keeping good health coupled with the augmenting uptake of these devices fuelled by the improving economic conditions are fostering the market growth to an extent.

Besides, factors fostering the market growth include growing geriatric population, increasing prevalence of vascular disorders & heart diseases fuelled by the changing lifestyle, inclination towards the sedentary lifestyle, and growing obesity disorders among people.

On the other hand, factors such as prices of these devices along with the skepticism of physicians towards the advancement & efficacies of these devices are likely to impede the growth of patient monitoring devices market.

Nevertheless, surging healthcare expenses alongside the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases are encouraging healthcare stakeholders to follow remote health management and patient monitoring seriously. This, in turn, will support to the market growth, contributing it to a great extent.

Patient Monitoring Devices Market  Segments

MRFR has segmented the analysis into three key dynamics; for better understanding: 

By Product type : Central monitoring stations, Portable bedside monitors, Electrocardiogram (ECG) Devices, Hemodynamic Monitoring Devices, Fetal and Neonatal Monitors, Respiratory Monitors, Weight Management Monitors, and Temperature Monitoring Devices, among others.

By End-users : Hospitals and clinics, Ambulatory care centers, and Homecare among others.

By Regions : North America, Europe, APAC and Rest-of-the-World.

Key Players:

Fervent players driving the market for the patient monitoring devices include Roche Diagnostics, GE Healthcare, BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG, Siemens Healthcare, Abbott Laboratories, Philips Healthcare, Spacelabs Healthcare, CAS Medical Systems, Inc., Honeywell International, Inc., and Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co.

The North American region is estimated to lead the global patient monitoring devices market with a significant market share. Factors such as the growing prevalence of chronic diseases, patients suffering from different lifestyle diseases, and the increase in the geriatric population are contributing to the growth of the regional market. Huge uptake of continuous monitoring technology alongside the rise in the adoption rate of remote patient monitoring devices is fostering the market growth in the region.

The European region is another lucrative market for patient monitoring devices. Augmenting demand to move to a more wireless and streamlined operation in major health facilities as well as in the homecare settings is predominantly driving the market growth.

Tremendous advancements in medical technologies is a key driving force pushing up the regional market. Countries such as Germany and the U.K. backed by their well-developed medical devices markets which are led by enormous investments account for the major contributors to the growth in the regional market.

The Asia Pacific region is rapidly emerging as a promising market for patient monitoring devices due to the technological growth in India and China. AI-based remote patient monitoring solutions have become a trend in India, changing the dynamics of healthcare. Foreign investors are getting attracted to India, investing rapidly with aggressive plans of leading Indian healthcare into the digital age. They are designing remote patient monitoring solutions that can provide high resolution, ICU-grade monitoring to all areas of the hospital, throughout the patient care pathway.

Patient Monitoring Devices Market - Competitive Landscape

The highly competitive market appears to be diversified with the presence of giant manufacturers of the device, playing on the global level. These players are heavily investing in R&D, global expansion, advanced technologies, and product Launch to gain a competitive edge in the market.

Industry / Innovation / Related News:

November 14, 2018 - ivWatch LLC (US), a leading global provider of continuous patient monitoring devices announced the partnership with New Medical (Australia), a supplier of medical consumables, devices, and patient monitoring accessories in Australia and New Zealand to manage distribution to support market expansion outside of the United States.

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About Market Research Future:

At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR) ), and Market Research & Consulting Services.
Renae Johnson-Wease and her mother, Cathy Rogers at Muhl Jewelers on Orange Avenue. Muhl Jewelers celebrated 100 years in Coronado this year and is among the islands oldest family-owned businesses. Located in the historic Coronado Bank Building at 1130 Orange Avenue, visitors to the store can admire not just the artistry in the jewelry on display, but original features of the building and store as well.
Join Edith Salas of Salas Properties & host Jenn Barlow as they visit the Coronado Shores community. The towers have amazing views including the world famous Hotel del Coronado, downtown San Diego, San Diego Bay, the City of Coronado, Point Loma, and the Pacific Ocean.
Litchfield, CT (06759)

Today

Mostly sunny this morning then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. High 49F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Rain. Low 42F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
Shortly before 11:10 a.m., dispatchers received a 911 call from 1080 South Grand St. about a child who may have been in a pool. Emergency personnel went to the scene, found the child in the pool, removed the child and performed lifesaving measures, police said.
Most of these international routes rely on business connectivity, so it is still our feeling that until people get back into the office and start to resume more normal business activity, its going to be a challenge for some of these routes, Dillon said.
The theory of zero-tolerance policing says that if these people not picked up for their low-level offenses, there would be public safety consequences. But our preliminary research showed that the answer was almost always that they did not. Using data on arrests from the Maryland Courts Judicial Information System, we found that only 0.8% of 741 individuals whose charges were dismissed were rearrested for more serious offenses in the 14 months after the policy went into effect.
Connecticut residents want to feel safe going to bed at night, he said. They want to be able to afford to heat their homes this winter, buy groceries and pay for gas, and they want a say in their childrens education. Decades of Democrat rule in Connecticut have not provided this, so people voted for a change last Tuesday and will likely do the same in 2022.
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Plagge, an engineer, was drafted into the German Army in 1939. He was a member of the Nazi party but was against its anti-Semitic doctrine. Plagge surrounded himself with like-minded officers and built an enterprise where prisoners worked on cars. He gave work permits to the elderly, hairdressers, cooks, people with no mechanical skills. Vehicles left the shop with half-fixed lights and clutches. The prisoners work meant the cars kept breaking down and coming back. Their work also kept them important enough to keep them from being deported.
While the residences themselves are modernized, with the convenience of 21st-century kitchens, plumbing and everything else that someone living in 2021 might expect to have in his or her home, commonplace items such as televisions and computers need to be hidden away from the windows and appliances like grills cant be left out in the open where tourists might see them.
Lubbock, TX (79409)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies. High around 60F. Winds NNE at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low 32F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Viviana Dossantos, a PhD student studying industrial engineering from Brazil puts on her gear before beginning firefighter training on Nov. 8, 2021. The training, hosted by Lubbock Fire Rescue, allowed students to be put through semi-realistic scenarios to obtain a firsthand perspective in fighting fires.
Mangaluru: Five grenades were found near the house of an ex-serviceman in Dakshina Kannada district.

Jayakumar Poojary is an ex-serviceman. He had retired from the Army after serving as SCO and is presently settled at Ilanthila village of Dakshina Kannada district.

On Nov 6 evening when Jayakumar was walking towards his house he found five grenade-like materials near the fence. He immediately brought this to the notice of the police, Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police Rishikesh Sonawane told reporters.

The police team visited the spot and found it to be a grenade.

The bomb disposal squad was immediately summoned. All precautionary measures were taken and the grenades were seized. A case under section 25(1B), 7 of the Arms Act has been registered at Uppinangady station, he said.

We have checked the grenades. They are hand-held grenades and are about 40 years old (dating back to 1979 and 1983). They were manufactured in Ordinance Factory. We will conduct a probe to find out from where these grenades came from, the police officer added.

As the military will have details about the allotment of every explosive and arms, the police will contact the ordinance factory and Army.
Chennai: Rains continued to lash Chennai and other regions, including northern districts of Tamil Nadu on Monday while authorities disconnected power supply here in vulnerable neighbourhoods as a precautionary measure.

In Chennai and other northern districts, including Chengelpet, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Vellore, rains were in most regions mild to moderate and intermittent since early Monday. The Meteorological department in a bulletin said the cyclonic circulation over south east Bay of Bengal and adjoining South Andaman sea, extending up to 5.8 kilometers above the mean sea level, persists. Under its influence, a low pressure area is very likely to form over southeast Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood during the next 24 hours.

It is likely to move westnorthwestwards, concentrate into a depression and reach near north Tamil Nadu coast by November 11, early morning and bring widespread rainfall in several regions of the state, the bulletin said.

The rainfall (from 8.30 AM, 7 Nov to 8.30 AM, 8 Nov) recorded here and suburban areas ranged between 4 CM and 14 CM. Other regions, including Tiruvannamalai, Kancheepuram and Cuddalore, recorded between 3 CM and 1 CM showers.

For the second consecutive day, Chief Minister M K Stalin inspected affected areas and gave away flood relief assistance to affected people at Royapuram here.

In Chennai, most roads and bylanes and a section of subways remained waterlogged and continued to be closed. Traffic diversion too continued and road-users had a tough time. A flooded city police station (Adambakkam) had to be shifted to another temporary premise.

To clear water-logging, inundation of subways and rain related tasks, Greater Chennai Corporation deployed 23,000 personnel who slogged amid showers to restore normalcy. So far, 2,02,350 people in affected areas have been provided food since Sunday afternoon, authorities said.

On Monday morning, about 1,29,00 breakfast packs of 'Pongal' and 'Ravakitchadi' prepared in community kitchens were served to people in affected areas. Over two lakh packets of lunch, comprising variety rice like sambar, lemon, brinji, and tamarind were provided to people, a civic agency release said.

In total, 3,36,000 food packets were distributed.

"As on November 8 morning, 889 residents of water-stagnant low lying areas were safely evacuated and housed in relief centres. They are being provided food three times a day."

Chief Minister M K Stalin has appointed 15 IAS officials to monitor relief work in 15 corporation zones.

Also, 200 special monsoon medical camps were held, in which 3,776 people received medical assistance. A total of 152 fever cases, 165 cases related to skin infections and over 2,600 other cases were treated, the corporation said.

Civic workers continued their job without respite clearing garbage and clogged drains.

Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji said that out of about 44,50,000 power connections in the Chennai distribution circle, only 12,297 connections were disconnected, considering safety. "Power supply will be restored expeditiously with receding of flood waters and rains," the Minister tweeted.

While transport services, including suburban train services, were affected on Sunday, Southern Railway said "all suburban services are running and will run normally."

In a tweet, the Divisional Railway Manager said, "This marginal delay will be on North bound long distance trains towards Howrah, Delhi and Hyderabad and other stations north of Chennai. While we have tried our best to put out all the updated information, we regret the inconvenience caused due to factors beyond our control."

Though state-run bus services here and in other neighbouring regions continued to ply, there was disruption in services on several routes.

A Metrorail official said Monday services "will be run on Sunday and government public holiday timetable with extended service hours from 5.30 AM to 11 PM with 10 minutes headway throughout the day." The schedule of services as per holiday timetable is confined to Monday.

In view of rains, the prices of vegetables shot up sharply with a kilo of tomato, which was available for about Rs 30-40, a couple of days ago now being sold at Rs 90-Rs 100. Similarly prices of other veggies also saw an increase.

Considering the showers, the Arignar Anna Zoo here said a 'monsoon monitoring team' has been constituted, comprising the Deputy Director and forest range officers, to ensure the safety and security of animals and to undertake remedial measures, if warranted.

Vellore District authorities said about 4,609 cusecs of water was being discharged from Ponnai Anaicut and considering safety, an alert was sounded to people and police personnel deployed at Melpadi and Ponnai causeways. District Collector P Kumaravel Pandian inspected repair work of damaged roads.

Updating on the Northeast monsoon, officials in Vellore said so far nine tenements have been damaged fully and 66 partially and three people and an equal number of cows died in rain related incidents till November 6.
The bail was granted to her on a Rs 25 Lakhs bail bond and two solvent sureties. (Photo: ANI/File)

Kochi: After spending 16 months behind bars, the prime accused in the Kerala gold smuggling case, Swapna Suresh, was released from jail on Saturday after spending 16 months behind bars.

Earlier on November 2, Kerala High Court granted bail to Suresh in the case registered by National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The bail was granted to her on a Rs 25 Lakhs bail bond and two solvent sureties.

Swapna Suresh, who was arrested by the NIA on July 11, 2020, had been in judicial custody since then.

The Kerala gold smuggling case pertains to the smuggling of gold in the state through diplomatic channels. It had come to light after 30 kg gold worth Rs 14.82 crore smuggled in a consignment camouflaged as diplomatic baggage was busted by the customs department in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5, 2019.

It is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate, National Investigative Agency (NIA) and the customs department.
HYDERABAD: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Monday dared BJP Telangana unit president Bandi Sanjay Kumar to prove his claims that the Centre was contributing funds to the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) government's sheep distribution programme in the state. He offered to resign from his post on the spot if Sanjay proved his claims.

Addressing a press conference here, the Chief Minister asked if that was so, why the sheep distribution programme was not being implemented in any of the over 20 BJP-ruled states.

"The sheep distribution programme is completely funded by the Telangana government. The Centre contributes nothing for this. We secure loans from a Central agency to mobilise funds and we repay it with interest. This is the fact. If Bandi Sanjay has guts, he should prove me wrong on this. I am ready to resign on the spot," the Chief Minister challenged.

He also lashed out at Sanjay Kumar for his frequent statements that he would invade his farmhouse and plough his farm with thousands of Telangana farmers. The Chief Minister asked Sanjay whether he was a tractor driver to plough his farm. He dared Sanjay to come to his farmhouse and plough the land and see for himself what would happen and warned that he would be torn into six pieces.

"It's not a farmhouse. It's a farmer's house. I bought it legally with my hard earned money. I go there frequently because it's in my Gajwel constituency. I love farming and I do farming there. What's wrong with it? If you have guts, come to my farmhouse and plough the land and see what happens? You will be torn into six pieces." Rao warned.

Rao also expressed anger at the Opposition leaders and others branding him as a 'drunkard'. "Some fools always say I am a drunkard. Did anyone see me consuming alcohol? Did anyone add soda into my glass when I was drinking alcohol? What nonsense are they talking about? Is this the way to talk about someone? Is this the manners they have learnt from teachers?" he asked.
Hyderabad: Ever since the Central government got Parliament to approve controversial farm laws, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti's stance on the issue remained inconsistent.

The party had supported the Bharat Bandh called by farmer unions against the farm laws in December 2020  just before the GHMC elections in Hyderabad. TRS chief and Chief Minister K.Chandrashekar Rao called upon his party's rank and file to actively take part in Bharat Bandh to make it a success in Telangana.

Demanding that the Centre abolish the controversial farm laws, TRS MLAs, MLCs, MPs and other party leaders hit the streets in the state and blocked the roads leading to heavy traffic jams. The ruling party in the state, however, had gone silent over farm laws after Chandrashekar Rao met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi after GHMC polls.

During the Budget session of the Assembly in March 2021, the Chief Minister rejected the demand of Congress MLAs for an Assembly resolution against the farm laws.

The Chief Minister argued that the Centre is supreme and states have no powers to pass resolutions against the Centre's laws. But when Congress MLAs questioned as to how did the Assembly pass a resolution against the Centre's Citizenship Amendment Act, the Chief Minister remained silent.

Following the defeat of the TRS in the Huzurabad bypoll, the Chief Minister again threatened to stage protests across the state and even in Delhi against the Centre's farm laws.

He also spoke of extending his support to farmers, agitating in northern states, against the farm laws.

The Chief Minister's flip-flop on the Centre's farm laws have left the party's leaders and cadre confused.

Experts see 'political compulsions' behind Chandrashekar Rao's flip flops on the issue of farm laws. Now that the BJP has emerged as a strong alternative to the TRS after its stupendous victory in the Huzurabad bypoll, the Chief Minister is trying to attack the BJP using the issue of farm laws.
Passengers queue at London Heathrow Airport's T3 as the US reopens its borders to UK visitors in a significant boost to the travel sector, in London. (AP)

Travellers excited at the prospect of seeing family and friends in the United States for the first time since the pandemic started took off early on Monday from London, Paris and other cities following the lifting of U.S. travel restrictions.

The extraordinary U.S. travel restrictions, first imposed in early 2020, had barred access to non-U.S. citizens travelling from 33 countries - including China, India and much of Europe - and had also restricted overland entry from Mexico and Canada.

From Monday, travellers who can show official proof of vaccination against COVID-19 and have had a recent, negative viral test can again fly to the United States.

The unprecedented travel ban, first imposed by the Trump administration, has dealt a huge blow to tourism but has also kept loved ones from attending weddings, funerals, or meeting new babies.

"I think we might just start crying," said Bindiya Patel, who was going to see her young nephew in New York for the first time. "We've been facetiming the whole year. But, you know, to actually see (them) in person..." said her mother, Bhavna Patel, delighted about getting to meet her grandson for the first time.

Long-term rivals British Airways and Virgin Atlantic carried out a simultaneous take-off from London's Heathrow parallel runways just before 0900 GMT.

The flights are full, Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss said, while passenger volume is expected to remain high in the coming weeks with the approach of Thanksgiving and winter holidays.

Airlines, which have warned of long queues at first, will check vaccination documentation for international travellers as they already do for COVID-19 test results.

U.S. land borders are also reopening to non-essential travel, though differing rules over coronavirus vaccines threaten to hold up some family reunions for people seeking to cross the 2,000 mile (3,200 km) border with Mexico.

The prospect of easing restrictions has also encouraged migrants to try their luck seeking U.S. asylum, posing a new test for President Joe Biden's administration.

At the land border crossings from Mexico and Canada, U.S. Customs and Border Protection will ask travellers if they have been vaccinated and will spot-check some documentation.

Under-18s are exempt from the new vaccine requirements. Non-tourist travellers from nearly 50 countries with nationwide vaccination rates of less than 10% are also eligible for exemption.
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David Marshall Williams: The true history of "Carbine Williams" By Sam Jacobs

America loves an outlaw. Some outlaws simply need to find their calling, and David Marshall Williams is such a man. A convicted murderer of a sheriff's deputy, no less, he turned his prison experience into a tale of personal redemption and revolutionized the field of semi-automatic firearms for over a century. The Misspent Youth of David Marshall Williams Williams was one of a whopping 12 children born to James Claude Williams, a wealthy and highly influential landowner in Cumberland County, North Carolina . His early life is pure Americana: Expelled from school in eighth grade, he apprenticed underneath a blacksmith. Finding this life lacking in adventure, he lied about his age and enlisted in the United States Navy at 15. He didn't last long as a sailor, as the Navy quickly sussed out that he was too young for service. He enrolled in the Blackstone Military Academy where he was quickly expelled for theft of government property: several rifles and over 10,000 rounds of ammunition. The enterprising young Williams shipped the stocks to his home, refusing to return them. In 1918 Williams married and settled down a little bit. He found work as a manual laborer with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad , however, he didn't last long there, either. He pulled a pistol, shot at a bird and succeeded only in earning a pink slip. Two Lives Change Forever Finding that work-a-day life didn't much suit him, Williams turned to the booming and lucrative trade of moonshining. July 22, 1921 would change Williams' life forever. On this day, Williams' still was raided by local authorities under the command of the Cumberland County Sheriff. Like many moonshiners simply seeking to earn an honest living during the madness of national Prohibition, Williams defended his property and his livelihood with lethal force. While trying to escape, Deputy Sheriff Alfred Jackson Pate was shot twice. He died at the scene. Williams curiously chose an insanity defense. His first trial for first degree murder ended in a hung jury, with one lone holdout maintaining that Williams was not fit to stand trial. Not wanting to stand trial a second time, Williams copped a plea for second degree murder and narrowly avoided the death penalty. It is lucky for firearms enthusiasts that he did. The Second Act of his life is one of both redemption and genius. He later admitted to the charge again in court, defending one of his black still employees against charges of first degree murder. Williams received a sentence of 30 years hard labor, to be served at the Caledonia State Prison Farm in Halifax County, North Carolina . But a man possessed of such genius as Williams would not be crushed under the weight of such a sentence. Indeed, this is where the coal of Williams' early life turned into the diamond that would be the rest. Birth of a Gunsmith The prison's superintendent quickly took note of the young Williams mechanical aptitude, putting him to work not breaking rocks, but in the machine shop. It was here that Williams demonstrated his toolmaking skills, fashioning what the prison needed, but did not have and could not afford to buy. Next, he began servicing the weapons used by the prison's guards. It was here that he began to think about self-loading firearms and how he might make them better. Williams quickly gained the prisoner's ability to scrimp and save seemingly meaningless objects for future use. He spent his nights drawing up plans for how he might improve self-loading weaponry. His mother gifted him a drafting set, in addition to sending him paperwork to file for patents. When all was said and done, Williams created four different semi-automatic rifles that would revolutionize the field. He did this by inventing the floating chamber and the short-stroke piston, both of which make modern semi-automatic weapons possible. The technicals details are complicated and, more to the point, irrelevant. The important part is that every semi-automatic weapon you own owes everything to two small but significant inventions made by a convicted murderer doing time. You can view all of the original carbines handcrafted by Williams at the North Carolina Museum of History . Williams and His Talents Unchained A massive campaign for clemency was launched by Williams' family. They quickly gained the support of the sheriff Williams surrendered to, as well as the widow of the man he murdered. The campaign was successful. In 1927, North Carolina Governor Angus McLean commuted Williams' sentence to 10 to 20 years. On September 29, 1929, Williams walked free. Upon release, Williams was finally able to file for patents on his inventions. America's major firearms manufacturers quickly took notice of his designs. Colt was the first company to snap up this still young man who was looking to use his genius to stay on the straight and narrow. Colt put Williams to work on redesigning their .22 long rifle training weapon, the Colt Ace , using his floating chamber. Williams came up with the Colt Service Model Ace. Williams also invented a conversion kit to transform a .45 ACP into a .22 rimfire for training purposes. Perhaps more impressively, the kit could likewise transform a standard Colt Ace into its new floating chambered version. Williams stayed at Colt for two years before moving on to the U.S. Ordnance Department. The War Department had Williams modify their .30 caliber Browning machine gun to add a floating chamber. Williams also chambered the weapon for 22s to improve the Browning's utility as a training weapon. After about four years with the U.S. Ordnance Department, Williams moved on again, this time to Remington . Remington rejected his design for a 22LR semi-automatic rifle, but used his floating chamber in the finished product of two other designers, K. Lowe and C.C. Loomis. As a result, the Remington 550, hit the market in 1941. By this time, Williams' reputation had come to precede him and in 1939, Winchester Repeating Arms came knocking on his door. He would remain with Winchester for the rest of his career. Winchester wanted to create a superior version of the M1 Garand rifle . The result was the G30R, which later served as the basis of the Winchester Model 30, a commercial version chambered for 30-30 . The prickly Williams came into conflict with management and other Winchester employees during the development of a prototype for the United States Military's newest light carbine. Winchester allowed him to work on his own prototype, which was not completed in time for trials. Photographs of his prototype can be viewed at the Springfield Armory Museum and the Cody Firearms Museum at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming. Hollywood Fame for Carbine Williams After the war, Williams continued to work for Winchester, but Hollywood had also taken an interest. Carbine Williams was released in 1952, starring James Stewart in the title role. Now Williams would transition into the final phase of his life as a celebrity. Upon the film's release, he began touring the nation, making appearances and signing autographs, and enjoying his newly found fame. Now David Marshall Williams was a household name under his new moniker, "Carbine Williams," a name he would self-apply for the rest of his days. Old age was not kind to Carbine Williams. Years of hard living had taken their toll and he had a number of health problems during his retirement. He mostly stayed at home with his family, donating his personal collection and workshop to the North Carolina Museum of History. An exhibit dedicated to the life and work of Williams debuted on June 22, 1971. In 1972, David Marshall Williams moved to Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina. He would remain here for the rest of his days, eventually passing away from cardiorespiratory arrest in 1975. You can go visit him at the Old Bluff Presbyterian Church outside of Wade, North Carolina. Williams' innovations revolutionized the world of firearms forever, a gift to the Second Amendment community we still hold and treasure today. But more than this, Williams is a tale of one man's redemption through finding his purpose in life. While always rough around the edges, it is worth noting how all of Williams' legal troubles ended the second he found his purpose in gunsmithing. While none of us are likely revolutionizing firearms for over a century anytime soon, we can all take a bit of inspiration from Williams' transformation from roustabout and troublemaker to titan in his field. Sam Jacobs is a writer for Ammo.com where this originally appeared . Home
Selling freedom to the loudest bidder: A modern-era Hundred Years War By Charlotte B. Cerminaro

When individuals and companies seek the advice of a skilled economist or financial advisor it can seem as though they're hiring a fortune teller and asking them for their best guess. Obviously this isn't the case; mathematicians, statisticians and economists apply predictive analysis based on current events, patterns from the past and elements of probability calculated to more accurately anticipate major shifts. One could say that the best economists are those who are capable of discerning subtle patterns in the vast chaos of history and using these as a template to understand current geopolitical and economic activities, including their most likely outcome. The common denominators of cause and effect are well documented by the greatest minds of the 20th century, by economists such as Milton Friedman and Thomas Sowell. In 1858 Karl Marx laid out his theory of historical materialism (an unpublished work called Grundrisse) as a proposal for social revolution based on the idea that economic struggle is a struggle between classes, and that capitalism--the free-market system of supply and demand--has been the main cause of societal struggles throughout history. This early work was more like a loose collection of ideas, neither cohesive nor consistent; later works, such as Das Kapital, are a radical "epistemological break" reflecting a shift in Marx's worldview, according to philosopher and analyst Louis Althusser. Various interpretations of Marx's ideas were not only condemned as inaccurate, but an extreme overreach of his beliefs and intentions. The latter sections of The German Ideology were actually written by Marx, not Friedrich Engels--and these are perhaps the most revealing writings of all. In them Marx openly satirized the "linguistic apostasies and word-mongering of 'Left-Hegelian' philosophers and politics". While naive and utopianistic, Marx's idea of "a society free from class and struggle" was not a forerunner of the harsh and unnatural division created between proletariat and bourgeoisie--it was the opposite. Radical opportunists expediently twisted these ideas to seize power and moral high ground with a supposedly well-thought-out philosophical system--and the ubiquitous, worn-out claim that it's "for the greater good of society." For the past century this has been communism's battle cry: From Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia to MaoTsetung's China, Lenin, Stalin, Hitler and dozens of less-known but no less dangerous revolutionaries stated the cause behind their genocidal actions as, ostensibly, for the benefit of society, the safety and welfare of the state. With few exceptions (Dubcek in Czechoslovakia seemed to uphold a pure Marxist ideology) their hallmark traits led nations into collapse. Socialism's claims always come with a caveat: In order to protect society from greedy and selfish individual liberties, the blight of capitalism, free enterprise and ownership, and the various plagues that free individuals will cause or proliferate within this society, everyone must sacrifice freedom and be subordinate to the state, as represented by its unelected bureaucrats. Engaging in civil disobedience or resistance, reporting the suffering and cruelty under draconian laws, and anything not belying every hint of economic collapse or human tragedy, is expressly forbidden. The death toll is always catastrophic. Law-abiding citizens lose their freedom, jobs, families and ultimately, their lives. In a recent commentary titled, "Why Do People Give Up Freedom?" research from Belgian psychologist and statistician, prof. Matthias Desmet, helps clarify this oft-repeated phenomenon. Studies have shown that there is only a small portion of the population (approximately 15%) that is actually deceived by the bureaucratic narrative and false information spoonfed to the public through carefully sculpted media coverage. About 55% of people do not believe the information they are being given but prefer the false sense of security they get if they just "follow along." They are uncomfortable with the probability of disagreement. Even if most people haven't been personally affected by "Cancel Culture" they are aware that this is a potential problem for anyone, including themselves, if they ever question popular opinion or challenge it with facts. About 30% of the population, on average, will openly disagree with a false narrative and will actively resist unlawful or unconstitutional actions that are an unethical means of enforcing compliance. For the past hundred years this "resistance" has been vilified, marginalized, labelled, punished, threatened and silenced, if possible, all for the supposed greater good of society. This thirty percent is often the only blockade between freedom and immediate totalitarianism--and the same predictable pattern has repeated with such regularity that economists, psychologists and statisticians can predict with a large degree of certainty, the probable outcomes and losses in economic and human terms. When did our hard-won liberty and basic freedom become disposable, for sale to the loudest and most persistent bidder? Can a false and temporary sense of security ever replace our most priceless inheritance? Securing the blessings of liberty that are specifically promised in our constitution--understood as a universal human right granted by our Creator, not by fellow humans--has been among the noblest endeavors throughout civilized history. On these points we will not and cannot negotiate. We are in possession of a gift, the evidence of our unique design; ours is a purpose and a future that's not yet fully understood but nevertheless irreplaceable, and it is most certainly not for sale. Charlotte B. Cerminaro is a Juilliard-trained classical musician who, in addition to being a studio and orchestral musician, enjoys writing and has a degree in Molecular Biology.  2021 Home
Virginia voters restore their state motto

By Mark Alexander



On July 5, 1776, the Virginia Convention  which had adopted the state's first constitution, affirmed its delegate signatures on the Declaration of Independence, and elected Founder Patrick Henry the first governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia  authorized fellow Founder George Wythe to design the state's seal. On the front of that seal is the now-familiar Roman figure of Virtus (virtue), resting on a spear with sword in hand, treading on defeated Tyranny  a prostrate figure whose crown has fallen. In the margin of the seal below Tyranny is what would become the motto of the Commonwealth: Sic Semper Tyrannis  meaning "thus always to tyrants."

Virginia is part of the bedrock of American Liberty . It is the home state of our Declaration of Independence's principal author, Thomas Jefferson; our Constitution's principal author, James Madison; and the leader of the Continental Army and the American Revolution, our first president, George Washington .

Washington is, for all time, the model for what our national leaders should be  humbly devoted first and foremost to Liberty and those he served. To that end, in 1783, before he was called to serve as president, Washington was the subject of a conversation between American-born painter Benjamin West and King George III, whose portrait West was at the time completing. After the British defeat and surrender at Yorktown, the King asked West what General Washington planned to do after his victory. West replied, "They say he will return to his farm." In response, King George exclaimed, "If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world."

At that time, a victor held in such high esteem as Washington might have declared himself king. But Washington honored the spirit of our Declaration's affirmation of Liberty and returned to his home in Mount Vernon.

That is the context for Sic Semper Tyrannis  and indeed, that great motto was restored to its glory in Virginia's off-year election this week in a contest between the now-tyrannical socialist Democrat Party and its cadres of power-hungry leftists, and those who, like Washington before them, are devoted to the Grassroots American Patriots they represent, and who honor their oaths " to support and defend " our Constitution and the Liberty it enshrines.

This critical election was between Republican Glenn Youngkin and Democrat Terry McAuliffe, the retread heir to the throne currently held by Democrat Ralph "Blackface" Northam. McAuliffe is a one-time Bill and Hillary Clinton bagman and a career political hack who served as governor from 2014 until 2018.

I spent most of the hours between poll closings in Virginia and sunrise the next morning conversing with our political analyst Douglas Andrews as the victory of Youngkin and his fellow Republicans slowly but surely availed itself. Doug covered the Virginia election outcome in detail , as he and our former Virginian editorial writer, Thomas Gallatin, have covered the election layup in recent weeks .

As a backdrop for understanding this election, Virginia, once a bastion of Liberty, has in recent decades been increasingly under the oppressive thumb of millions of federal bureaucrats who have spilled outside the Beltway into the Northern Virginia counties of Fairfax, Prince William, and Loudoun. While most Virginia counties are populated by majorities of conservative Americans, those three counties, and of course counties that include the urban centers of Richmond, Charlottesville, and Norfolk, have besieged the state with their leftist political sludge.

Thus, this was an election that every pundit declared would be a harbinger for Democrat Party prospects under the Joe Biden/Kamala Harris regime ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. Moreover, I believe it has significant implications for Biden's political agenda , which is already on the rocks. Previously, the main impediment to Biden's agenda was Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who stood with the Republicans in the split Senate on key issues like Biden's budget. Manchin will no doubt be more empowered to stand in that gap with the Virginia Republican win.

In the 2020 presidential contest , Biden won Virginia by a significant margin of 10 points. Thus, McAuliffe nationalized his campaign, basing it on the Biden model  adopting the Democrat Party's tried and true hate-hustling tactics of racial, ethnic, and gender division . He relied on support from Biden, Barack Obama , and other celebrated leftists, and endeavored to hang Donald Trump's endorsement around his opponent's neck. That was abundantly evident when Biden crossed the Potomac two weeks ago to campaign for McAuliffe and mentioned Trump more than he mentioned McAuliffe.

Youngkin, on the other hand, was very disciplined in his approach, keeping his focus on the people of Virginia, particularly given the explosion of parental-rights protests in Northern Virginia's Demo territory. His focus was family, faith, and freedom. And that focus was victorious.

He summed up his campaign in these words: "We won't be a commonwealth of dream-stealers. We'll be a commonwealth of dream-enablers."

Not only did Youngkin win, notably because Virginia is not among those nine states that have adopted the Democrats' bulk-mail ballot fraud strategy, but the number-two- and three-slot down-ballot victories are also significant.

Much to the surprise of the racist Democrat Party haters , Virginians elected Republican Winsome Sears, a Marine veteran mother of three, as their lieutenant governor  the first Black woman elected to statewide office in Virginia. Additionally, they elected Republican Jason Miyares, as the state's first Latino attorney general.

Memo to Kamala Harris , who also showed up to campaign for McAuliffe: This is the "diversity" America really needs!

And regarding the significance of this election, Harris declared late last month: "Every four years when this election happens ... it's a tight election, it's a close election, and it is a bellwether for what happens in the rest of the country." She concluded, "What happens in Virginia will in large part determine what happens in 2022, 2024, and on." Oh, we hope so.

Notably, Kamala, Republicans also flipped the Virginia House of Delegates...

There will be months of pundit and Leftmedia post-mortem spin on this election, and the close gubernatorial election in New Jersey , which few expected would be close. The Left has already declared the results a " five alarm fire ."

However, today, here are a few observations and questions we will be considering moving forward.

Democrat strategists think they own female voters (sorry, I know that is a " binary gender " assumption). They think women are emotionally incontinent dupes . But based on the number of irate moms who proved that arrogant assumption false in Virginia, Biden will have to reconsider how his national policies, like his upcoming vaxxing mandates for children , will undermine his standing with women voters.

Demo strategists think they own Black and Latino voters, but they will have to consider if Biden's " white supremacist " bogeyman and their phony " systemic racism " claims are still viable. It is becoming clear to an increasing number of moderate and independent voters that, in fact, Democrats are the architects of white supremacy .

Can they continue to promote their racist Critical Race Theory curricula across the nation and insist, as McAuliffe did, "I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach"? Can they get away with bald-faced lies as McAuliffe attempted to do by declaring: "CRT is not taught in Virginia and it's never been taught in Virginia. ... It's a dog whistle. It's racial. It's division"?

Can they continue to assert, as McAuliffe did, that Republicans "are using our kids and our schools as pawns in his political game," precisely what Democrats are actually doing? Can they continue to load up children's libraries with pornography and claim, as McAuliffe did, that Republicans are "focused on banning award-winning books from our schools and silencing the voices of Black authors"?

They will have to reconsider if reliance on their Marxist so-called " Black Lives Matter " radicals and their so-called " antifa movement " of self-styled "anti-fascist" fascists is sustainable.

Can they lie, as McAuliffe laughably did, by insisting he had support from across party lines? "Tonight," he said, "I have the leading conservative in America here, Bill Kristol, who has endorsed my campaign for governor." No, Kristol isn't the "leading conservative."

Strategically, both Democrats and Republicans will have to determine the extent to which the Virginia results constitute a referendum on Youngkin and McAuliffe, and Biden and Trump.

Clearly, McAuliffe did his best to play the Trump card, even boldly telling this lie hours before the polls opened: "Guess how Glenn Youngkin is finishing his campaign. He is doing an event with Donald Trump here in Virginia." No, he wasn't.

However, in the final analysis, clearly Biden and McAuliffe underestimated the momentum of the " Let's Go Brandon " movement in Virginia.

Mark Alexander is the executive editor of the Patriot Post.
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President Joe Biden's popularity continues to dwindle, with more Americans opposed his seeking re-election in 2024 than were opposed to his predecessor, Donald Trump.

On Sunday, fresh polling data from USA Today and Suffolk University revealed that Biden's approval rating had dropped to a new low. It also highlighted that Republicans are now ahead of Democrats in the polls ahead of the midterm elections in 2022.

When asked whether they wanted Biden to run for president again in 2024, 64 percent said they didn't want him to. Democrats made about 28% of the total, Newsweek via MSN reported.

Biden's approval rating plummets as his administration struggle with several issues

The majority of Americans also oppose Trump seeking re-election in 2024, but at a lesser proportion than those who oppose Biden. Some 58 percent stated they would vote against Trump standing for president again in 2024. Notably, just 24% of Republicans were included, implying that Trump is still more popular among Republicans than Biden is among Democrats.

According to over half of Americans, around 46 percent, Biden has done a poorer job than predicted. In addition, the president's approval rating has dropped to a new low of 38%. Meanwhile, in the 2022 midterm elections, 46% of Americans plan to vote for a Republican congressional representative, while just 38% plan to vote for a Democrat.

Meanwhile, 44% of left-leaning voters prefer a new candidate on the Democratic presidential ballot in 2024 because they believe someone other than incumbent President Joe Biden has a greater chance of winning, as per Daily Mail.

According to a survey issued by NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist National, 36% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents believe their party has a greater chance of keeping Biden at the head of the ticket for a second term.

Twenty percent of those polled are undecided. On the other hand, former President Donald Trump has a higher chance of winning in 2024 than any other GOP contender, according to half of Republicans.

Another 35% believe that someone other than Trump has a higher chance of winning the White House in 2024, while 14% of Republicans and right-leaning voters are undecided.

Read Also: China, Russia Urge UN Security Council To Lift Economic Sanctions on North Korea

Republicans remain adamant in supporting Donald Trump

Trump has not announced if he would run for president in 2024, but he has hinted that he may do so after the 2022 midterm elections. In any case, more Democrats and left-leaning people believe that a candidate other than Biden has a greater chance of defeating a Republican opponent.

During his 2020 campaign, Biden stated that he was not running for a single term. The president's popularity rating is falling as Democrats prepare for the 2022 midterm elections, in which they will try to keep their modest House and Senate majority - and maybe increase them.

According to the latest survey, Biden has a 44 percent approval rating and a 49 percent disapproval rating, down from 45 percent approval and 46 percent disapproval in the October Marist poll.

According to a few sites that report Biden's average approval rating based on many national surveys, the president had more approval than disapproval in the first seven months of his office. However, that changed in August when several separate difficulties began troubling his administration.

Several Republican lawmakers, including several future presidential candidates, spoke at the Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Meeting in Las Vegas this weekend, with an eye on both the midterm elections and 2024. The election results this week have been interpreted by many as a foreshadowing of what is to come in the midterm elections.

Per ABC News, attendees want to maintain GOP victories in the presidential election of 2024, with potential candidates presenting their case without announcing their plans publicly. While there has been plenty of debate about Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin's decision to keep Trump at arm's length, the majority of the speakers in Las Vegas were adamant in their support for Trump.

Related Article: Joe Biden's UN Climate Summit Participation Torn Apart as US President Appears To Fall Asleep During the Event; Is He Old Enough To Rule?

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Only two persons in the history of the Communist Party have ever published a "historical resolution." China is waiting to learn if President Xi Jinping will be the country's third ruler.

When the governing party huddles this week in the final big gathering before a twice-decade congress next year, when Xi Jinping is anticipated to break convention and gain a third term to extend his indefinite reign, the first official proclamation on Chinese history in 40 years is slated to top the agenda.

China is set to follow new doctrine

The historical resolves of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping occurred at important junctures in the nation's trajectory, allowing their authors to control party politics until their final breaths. It would not only place Xi Jinping on a level with those party giants, but it would also herald major shifts in the world's second-largest economy if he released his magnum work, Bloomberg reported.

The sixth plenum, which runs from November 8 to 11, is China's closest thing to a campaign season. Getting the party to support his view of China's past - and future - would be the clearest indication yet that Xi, after almost a decade of purging rivals and promoting national pride, has the power foundation to govern for life.

Per SCMP, historical resolutions are formal accounts of the party's history from its founding in 1921 through the date of publication of the resolution. They discuss major political players, key accomplishments, lessons learned, and policy objectives for the future.

China's leader drafts these decisions, which the Central Committee then debates. Each committee's five-year mandate has seven plenary meetings, and previous resolutions have been published at the sixth plenary session, which focuses on philosophy and party building.

The 19th Central Committee, which was elected in 2017 and will serve until 2022, will lead this year's plenum. The latest resolution would assist in solidifying Xi's leadership while also promoting core party principles such as the Chinese dream, at a time when Xi may have more successes to brag about, according to state media.

The document's title, which refers to "historical experience" rather than the "certain questions" of the party's history addressed by Mao and Deng, suggests that Xi Jinping may avoid modifying or criticizing prior views of the party's history and instead emphasize its successes.

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Xi Jinping's historical resolution

This year's plenum will be led by the 19th Central Committee, which was elected in 2017 and will serve until 2022. According to state media, the fresh resolution will help cement Xi's leadership while also promoting basic party concepts such as the Chinese dream, when Xi may have more achievements to boast about.

The title of the text, which refers to "historical experience" rather than the "certain questions" of the party's history addressed by Mao and Deng, implies that Xi Jinping would avoid altering or critiquing earlier views of the party's history and instead focus on its achievements.

The resolution has the potential to transform the Party's experience since the reform and opening-up, especially in the last decade, into the guiding philosophy for China's socialist growth in the next 100 years.

Scholars contend that the new resolution is disclosing and improving the rules of growth in China's new period, rather than rewriting what past resolutions state. In the future attempt, the manifesto also aspires to better connect the Party and the Chinese people, as per CGTN.

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According to investigators, a Pennsylvania mom reportedly concealed her dead baby's body within the wall of her bedroom. Officers arrived at the Charleroi homes of Kylie Wilt, 25, and Alan Hollis, 27, on Thursday to help Child Youth Services in their search for the child.

When the authorities arrived, they investigated the house and discovered the corpse of an infant stuffed into a wall. The mother said she didn't have enough money to bury her son after he died of sudden infant death syndrome at their other residence in February, as per Newsweek via MSN.

Mom accused of hiding dead baby

The baby, who was estimated to be six months old at the time, was wrapped in blankets and kept in a crate at first. Wilt and Hollis' mother is accused of telling police that she hid the crate in one of her bedroom's walls when they moved into their new house.

Robin Stasicha, who lived next door to the couple until about a month ago, said she could often hear the infant cry. She used to live next door to Wilt and Hollis until they relocated about a month ago, according to her. She stated that she was aware that the couple had a child.

Wilt, 25, was accused of hiding a child's death and abusing a corpse, among other things. Alan Hollis, the baby's father, is charged with obstructing the administration of justice or other governmental operations.

Per Cleveland19, Wilt's sister said she was unaware the infant had gone missing. Hollis, she alleged, was violent to her sister and isolated her from their family. Three more children resided with the couple, according to the district attorney. Right now, it's unknown where the kids are.

Read Also: Former Louisiana Firefighter Arrested for Fourth Time for Sexual Assault Crimes Against Animal and Person with Disability

Related child abuse crimes in the recent week

The case follows the arrest of a North Carolina couple in October after DNA evidence linked them to child remains discovered in a garbage can nearly three decades earlier. Scott Gordon Poole, 54, and Robin Lynn Byrum, 51, were arrested at Nags Head for hiding a child's birth.

Investigators discovered the remains of an infant in a garbage can in Nags head in April 1991; however, owing to decomposition, officers were unable to determine the baby's gender.

Authorities recently detained a woman and her boyfriend after the skeletal bones of her 8-year-old son, a 15-year-old male, and two other malnourished children were discovered abandoned in an apartment.

According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, Brian Coulter, 31, of Houston, is charged with murder in connection with the boy's death while Gloria Williams, 35, of Houston, is charged with harm to a child by omission and tampering with a human body.

According to the sheriff's office, deputies responding to a call from the teenage boy on the afternoon of October 24 discovered that he had been living in the abandoned home with the body of his brother, who had been dead for a year and was stashed in the room next to his, as well as two of his younger brothers.

Both of the teen's brothers were stated to be malnourished and bruised. The parents of the children had not resided in the flat for several months, WHDH reported.

Related Article: Son Fatally Shoots Mom's Abusive Boyfriend in New York Apartment, Then Flees

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The Biden administration is contemplating on shutting down a Michigan pipeline, a move that opponents fervently critized.

Line 5 of Oil Pipeline in Michigan

According to a recently published article in MSN News, the government has yet to make a decision on Line 5; authorities were collecting materials just to offer a complete picture of the issue. The Biden administration is also weighing in to shut down the pipeline.

Line 5 is part of a network that transports around 540,000 barrels per day of crude oil and other petroleum products from western Canada. In Escanaba, Michigan, petroleum is extracted from a pipeline. This is one of the major pipelines that are in need as winter nears.

Meanwhile, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy's head of environmental policy, Jayson Haynes, slammed the Biden administration's energy policies, saying that their work on Line 5 is "just one more example of being divorced from reality," according to a report published in Red State Observer.

Read Also: Colonial Pipeline Resumes Operations; Consumers Resort To Storing Fuel in Plastic Bags Amid Gas Shortages

Biden Administration Receives Criticism

Even solar panels and wind turbines, according to Haynes, need the production of "oil, natural gas, nuclear, and even coal." He also said that the Biden government intends to use solar panels and wind turbines to power an industrial country.

As the country heads towards winter, Haynes painted a bleak image of what stopping Line 5 may entail for individuals who cannot obtain natural gas or the power it delivers. He said that shutting down Line 5 has the same effect as what occurred in Texas in February where people are shivering in their houses because of the cold, according to a report published in UP Jobs News.

Haynes said that the only countries that seem to understand the importance of reliable, affordable, dispatchable energy are China and Russia, explaining that he has trouble understanding why some Western leaders seem unable to grasp the importance of reliable, affordable energy and electricity for citizens.

Republican Lawmakers Chastise the Administration

Republican members in Congress have criticized the Biden administration's decision on shutting down Line 5, with more than a dozen sending a letter to Biden on Nov. 4 advising against such a move while gas prices have risen by 50 percent.

In fact, Former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm warned that, regardless of the Biden administration's decision on the pipeline, heating costs would increase this winter. "This is definitely going to happen. This year's price will be higher than the previous year's," Granholm said.

Furthermore, as the country enters the winter months and temperatures drop across the Midwest, Rep. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, wrote that the shutdown of Line 5 will undoubtedly exacerbate shortages and price increases in home heating fuels like natural gas and propane at a time when Americans are already facing rapidly rising energy prices, steep home heating costs, global supply shortages, and skyrocketing gas prices.

It can be remembered that the Keystone XL project was blocked by the Biden administration in January, but the government has subsequently lifted sanctions on a pipeline that would transport Russian energy to Germany, thus authorizing the pipeline.

Related Article: Colonial Pipeline Goes Down Again, Over 11,000 Gas Stations Having New Outages Causing Gas Prices To Soar



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Fully vaccinated foreign visitors will be allowed to travel to the United States starting Nov. 8 as the US will finally reopen its borders.

Airlines Expect Increasing Numbers of Foreign Visitors

In a recently published article in BBC News, airlines are bracing for a surge of tourists when restrictions on people who have been completely vaccinated and have undergone testing and contact tracing are relaxed. This is expected to occur as the U.S. opens its air borders for foreign travelers.

Jerome Thomann, head of Paris-based travel agency Jetset Voyages, said that his team had seen an increasing number of bookings since the lifting of the travel ban was announced. He also said that "It feels good" because they are one of the industries heavily impacted by the pandemic.

Meanwhile, after suffering under the restrictions, businesses in areas near the border with Mexico are looking for a boost. United Airlines forecasts a 50 percent increase in foreign incoming passengers while Delta's CEO Ed Bastian has cautioned travelers to expect long lineups, according to a report published in MSN News.

Read Also: White House to Implement US Travel Restrictions from India, but Ban Unlikely to Stop COVID-19

What Foreign Travelers Should Expect

Foreign travelers will be required to provide proof of vaccination before traveling, a negative COVID-19 test result within three days of flight, and contact information under the new guidelines. There will be no need for quarantine.

During the travel restriction in the wake of the pandemic, most non-US individuals who had visited the UK and a number of other European nations, as well as China, India, South Africa, Iran, and Brazil, were denied entrance to the U.S. to stop the spread of the virus, according to a report published in Yahoo News.

Needless to say, two weeks after getting the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or two weeks after receiving the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention deems patients completely vaccinated.

Important Information About New Travel System

In a published article in The New York Times, the new transport system has its own set of needs. Unvaccinated immigrants would be prevented from entering the United States in large numbers, but a White House official suggested there would be certain exceptions, such as for small children.

Those who have never been prohibited from crossing land borders, such as commercial drivers and students, would be required to provide proof of vaccination beginning in January, authorities said, allowing them time to acclimatize to the new laws. Coronavirus tests will not be required for those crossing land borders.

Furthermore, Unvaccinated Americans returning from abroad must test negative for the coronavirus one day before coming home and provide confirmation that they purchased a test to take once they arrive in the US.

Related Article: US To Ease Travel Restrictions For Fully Vaccinated Passengers From Selected Countries



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President Vladimir Putin kicked off an armaments show by officially placing orders for six new navy warships.

As ties with the West deteriorate, the Kremlin is concentrating on military development.

Putin Publicly Orders the Construction of New Naval Vessels

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of the Army 2021 / International Military-Technical Forum outside of Moscow by formally ordering the building of numerous new navy vessels, including nuclear submarines, as per MSN News.

The event, which is a mix of war drills and an arms display, is intended to highlight Russian military weapons and lure international customers. King Abdullah II of Jordan, for example, was among those present. In a video conference with shipyards in Severodvinsk, St. Petersburg, and Komsomolsk-on-Amur, the naval order was announced.

Putin said, "A strong and sovereign Russia needs a powerful and well-balanced navy. We will continue to boost the potential of the Russian navy, develop its bases and infrastructure, arm it with state-of-the-art weapons," according to a published report in Yahoo News.

Read Also: Russia's Newest Submarines Pose a Greater Threat to US Coasts, Says American General

Construction of Two New Borei-A-Class Submarines

Each Borei-class submarine is equipped with six torpedo tubes and 16 silos capable of launching the new RSM-56 Bulava SLBM, which has a range of more than 5,000 miles. Each Bulava may carry six to ten MIRVs, each with a payload of 100 to 150 kilotons.

Despite their smaller size than the Typhoons, the Boreis are considered as Russia's most sophisticated SSBNs. They have improved electronics and control systems, as well as a pump-jet propulsion technology that is far quieter than previous models, according to a published report in Daily Advent.

Meanwhile, a fifth Borei boat, Knyaz Oleg, is presently conducting sea testing, which included the test-firing of a Bulava SLBM on October 21. By the end of the decade, the Russian Navy aims to have ten Boreis in service, and this marks the military advancement of Russia.

Russia To Modernize Naval Fleet

Two nuclear submarines with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), two big diesel submarines, and two corvettes were among the ships ordered. The move is part of the Kremlin's effort to modernize Russia's naval fleet, which has become a primary priority as ties with the West have deteriorated.

Putin stated on Monday that they would continue to fly the Russian flag in strategically critical maritime regions as part of their efforts to re-establish a regular Russian naval presence comparable to that of the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

In a published article in DW, Putin also mentioned the new hypersonic Kinzhal (dagger) nuclear-capable air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) and the Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik (hunter), a heavy stealth unmanned aerial combat vehicle (UCAV).

Furthermore, Russia's military operations, particularly in eastern Ukraine and Crimea, which Moscow unlawfully seized in 2014, have agitated NATO and strained relations with the West, bringing relations to their lowest point since the Cold War.

Needless to say, Dmitry Donskoy and Prince Potemkin nuclear submarines will be built at Sevmash Shipyards in Severodvinsk; Mozhaisk and Yakutsk diesel submarines will be built at Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg; and Grozny (Fearsome) and Buyny (Wild) corvettes will be built at the Amur Shipbuilding Plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

Related Article: Russian Federation Developing Underwater Aircraft Carrier Submarine Prototype to Increase Its Naval Advantage



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President Joe Biden dispatched the director of the Central Intelligence Agency to Moscow this week to warn the Kremlin that the US is keeping a close eye on their army buildup near the Ukrainian border.

Bill Burns, the director of the CIA, made a rare trip to Russia to meet with national security leaders engaged in the military increase. An energy crisis in Ukraine has heightened tensions between Kiev and Moscow, since Ukraine believes Russia is exacerbating the issues on purpose.

US becomes more concerned with Ukraine border

As part of his quest to reconstruct the old Soviet Union, Vladimir Putin has long wanted to seize control of the country. According to CNN, the US is becoming increasingly worried about the activities as the Biden administration attempts to defuse tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

According to a senior State Department source, Burns also spoke via phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Russian invasions of Ukraine did not resume after a comparable buildup in the spring, as per Daily Mail.

Near the Russian town of Yelnya, satellite photos appeared to reveal a build-up of tanks, armored units, self-propelled artillery, and ground soldiers, raising worries of a new escalation in hostilities with pro-Moscow rebels.

In recent days, videos released on social media showed Russian military trains and truck convoys transporting tanks and missiles near the Ukrainian border in the country's southwest.

On Monday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Washington was keeping an eye on the situation and that US authorities were worried. However, Ukraine's military ministry claimed late Monday that there had been "no new deployment" of Russian soldiers near the border.

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Russia builds up soldier along the Ukrainian border

The released recordings might be an "element of special informational and psychological activities," as they depicted a planned troop movement following a Russian military drill, according to the ministry. It came after a US official told the Washington Post on condition of anonymity that there had been some movement, albeit not as much as earlier this year's increase in Moscow's soldiers.

After a joint military drill with Belarus ended in late September, satellite photos appeared to indicate a buildup of Russian soldiers along the border, including the elite 1st Guards Tank Army. Maxar Technologies captured the photographs, which include army tents, an administrative facility, armored units, and support equipment.

Per Republic World, the scale and magnitude of the Russian forces are "unprecedented," according to Pentagon press secretary John Kirby on Friday, November 5. Meanwhile, Burns stoked fears in the United States that Russia is about to use its gas exports as a negotiating tool, with Ukraine and other European nations experiencing energy shortages this winter.

The images show Russian troops, tanks, and artillery massing outside the Russian town of Yelnya, and the Biden administration is more concerned than it was in the spring that Russia may launch an invasion, according to two senior US officials.

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Republican states started filing lawsuits to overturn the Biden administration's demand that roughly 2 million U.S. firms have employees tested or vaccinated for COVID-19, claiming that it violates civil freedoms.

Biden's Vaccine Mandate to the Employees

In a recently published article in The Hill, officials from the Biden administration claim they are operating within the law, but that has not stopped business groups, religious organizations, and Republican state attorneys general from launching lawsuits or Republican politicians from threatening legislative action.

President Biden has previously said that the wide vaccine-or-test rule will be implemented, and the Labor Department revealed it on Thursday. Businesses with at least 100 workers are required to comply, with a deadline of January 4 set by the government.

Biden said that he is losing patience with Americans who refuse to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, and the regulation is intended to press the issue in the workplace, according to a recently published news article in Reuters.

Read Also: Biden's Vaccine Mandate Receives Criticism From Business Group as Arizona Seeks Temporary Restraining Order on Requirement

Republicans File Lawsuits Against Biden's Vaccine Mandate

Republican governors and attorneys general pledged litigation within hours of the rule's release on Thursday. By Friday, almost all of them had either filed their own lawsuit or joined one that had already been filed. The fight over vaccine requirements is being framed by Republicans as a civil rights issue.

A group of 11 states, headed by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt (R), who is running for Senate, argues that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has the jurisdiction to enact such broad federal public health standards and that the rule is unconstitutional.

In a published article in Illinois News Today, Missouri's petition was signed by a number of companies and groups, including the Christian Employers Alliance and the Home School Legal Defense Association. Meanwhile, separately, a group headed by West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R) filed a similar action in the 6th Circuit, requesting a stay of the requirement while the case is being litigated.

White House Says It Can Withstand Legal Challenges

Despite the avalanche of lawsuits, White House officials have repeatedly stated that the regulations are legitimate. Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House deputy press secretary, said on Friday that the administration is "quite optimistic" that the mandate would survive legal challenges.

In a published article in 10 On Your Side, Jean-Pierre said that the Department of Labor has the legal power and obligation to keep employees safe. The Department of Labor believes they have the jurisdiction to do so. She also said that this is about saving people's lives and ensuring the safety of their job.

Furthermore, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh told McClatchy, soon after the rule was issued, that state attorneys general have the authority to sue, but that he doesn't have to worry about a court issuing an injunction preventing enforcement.

Needless to say, the authority of OSHA to issue emergency temporary standards (ETS), which bypass the normal regulatory process and take effect immediately if the Labor Secretary determines that employees are exposed to grave danger from exposure to substances or agents determined to be toxic or physically harmful, is at the heart of the problems.

Related Article: Joe Biden's COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Faces Avalanche of Lawsuits as Business Owners Concerned Over Hiring of Workers



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Princess Diana's close friend Jemima Khan canceled her contributions to Netflix's The Crown as she claims the Princess of Wales's life was not depicted "respectfully or compassionately."

The Princess of Wales's ties with Hasnat Khan and Dodi Fayed were among the issues on which the former journalist was called on to advise writer Peter Morgan, 58. Morgan reached out to her in 2019 and asked if she wanted to be a part of The Crown.

Royal experts call Prince Harry coward

When she agreed to contribute to the fifth season of the drama, she wanted to make sure Diana's story was "portrayed accurately." From September 2020 to February 2021, she was a member of the show's team; and she had a brief affair with Morgan at the start of the year, as per Express.co.

The fifth series of the show is expected to feature the Royal Family from the 1990s through 2003. Morgan was nominated for an Academy Award for his writing for the 2006 film The Queen, starring Helen Mirren, and his credits include the films Frost/Nixon and The Damned United, as well as the critically acclaimed stage play The Audience.

This isn't the first time that The Crown's production has caused a stir. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, 39, was said to be enraged when it was announced that a whole episode would be dedicated to the contentious interview of Princess Diana with BBC's Martin Bashir.

Per Daily Mail, royal experts are urging Prince Harry to cancel his more than $139 million Netflix agreement and take a statement against the depiction of Princess Diana in The Crown. Angela Levin, a royal biographer, chastised the Duke of Sussex for not "finding his voice" in response to Netflix's contentious portrayal of his mother.

It comes after Princess Diana's companion Jemima Khan withdrew her support for The Crown, following her breakup with the show's producer over the show's disrespectful screenplay. Last year, the streaming service signed a partnership with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for their new production company.

Princess Diana's connection with her sons and Prince Charles before her terrible death in a Paris car crash in 1997 is the subject of the fifth season of The Crown, which will be released in November next year. The portrayal of Princess Diana, represented by actress Elizabeth Debicki, 31, in her last years, has been criticized by critics.

Khan was engaged to advise writer Peter Morgan, 58, with whom she had a short affair from January to February this year. According to The Sunday Times, Morgan has reconnected with his four-year partner, Gillian Anderson, 53, who earned an Emmy for her depiction of Margaret Thatcher in The Crown.

Read Also: Prince Andrew's Legal Team Given January 2022 Schedule To Toss Sexual Assault Lawsuit; Duke Faces Increased Trouble as "Walls of Silence" Fall

Princess Diana's film may enrage Prince William

Meanwhile, Kristen Stewart's portrayal of Princess Diana in the biopic 'Spencer' recreates a description she made in an interview labeled by Prince William as a "false narrative." Her wings are clipped by overbearing personnel, including an ex-military equerry who follows her every move.

The tell-all is problematic because it was recently revealed that journalist Martin Bashir used faked financial records to persuade the princess to give it, implying that her employees were betraying her. Prince William released a forceful statement tying the interview to her death, claiming that Bashir's deception had a significant impact on what she said during the interview.

The portrayal of a princess on the verge of losing her grasp on reality more closely resembles William's account of Diana in 1995 than the Diana of Christmas 1991, when the film was set. The film is described as "a fable from a true tragedy" in the opening sequence, and it does not claim to be a true account.

Spencer's strongly stylized, distinctive technique, which relies on horror cliches, makes it difficult to mistake the said film for a documentary account. However, the narrative is identical to the one Princess Diana provided to Bashir, which Prince William called "false" and insisted that it should not be shown again, as per Newsweek via MSN.

Related Article: Princess Diana Documentary Reveals She Witnessed Father Slap Her Mother; Here's What The Royal Has Been Through Before Marrying Prince Charles

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The mom of a biracial child recently detailed a harrowing incident that they encountered after flying with Southwest Airlines.

According to reports, Mary McCarthy and her 10-year-old daughter, Moira, booked a flight via Southwest Airlines from Los Angeles to Denver to visit the child's uncle, who suddenly passed away.

When they got to the plane, the flight attendant told McCarthy that she and her daughter could not sit together. Instead, they were asked to stay in the middle aisle seat.

Little did McCarthy know that the flight attendants on board the plane were observing her and her 10-year-old child.

Mary McCarthy, daughter interview with armed police officers

When they arrived in Denver, two armed police officers who asked to interview them separately welcomed the mother and daughter. Moira reportedly broke down in tears due to trauma since she was also dealing with the sudden death of her uncle.

McCarthy decided to record the three-minute interrogation, and in the clip, she can hear her 10-year-old daughter crying. An employee can also be heard telling McCarthy that they needed to ask her questions as part of the company's policy due to their concerns regarding her behavior.

Read Also: Hundreds of Southwest Flights Canceled or Delayed Due to Technological Problems Amid Passenger Surge

Concern about mom asking to be seated beside daughter

According to People, the flight attendant's concerns had to do with McCarthy and Moira boarding the plane last, as well as the mom asking other passengers if she could exchange seats with them.

However, McCarthy explained that she wanted to sit beside her daughter because she's a minor and was mourning the death of her uncle. McCarthy's brother died from a blood clot, and he reportedly served as a father figure to the 10-year-old.

The police did not immediately tell McCarthy that she was being accused of child trafficking following the interview. Instead, they informed her that they needed to conduct a brief investigation due to her suspicious behavior on the plane.

Shortly after, McCarthy and Moira were cleared. Two weeks later, the enraged mom found out that they conducted the interview because she was suspected of human trafficking.

Southwest Airlines passenger wants compensation, apology

Following the incident, McCarthy wrote a letter to Southwest Airlines urging them to give her a public apology, a refund on the full price of their tickets, plus additional compensation for the trouble they caused her and her daughter.

As of press writing, Southwest Airlines has not apologized to McCarthy. But in their statement, they said that they are reviewing the incident.

"We are conducting a review of the situation internally, and we will be reaching out to the customer to address her concerns and offer our apologies for her experience traveling with us. Our employees undergo robust training on human trafficking. Above all, Southwest Airlines prides itself on providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for the millions of customers who travel with us each year," Southwest Airlines spokesperson Dan Landson told CNN.

However, McCarthy's attorney believes that if his client's daughter weren't biracial, she wouldn't have been suspected of human trafficking, according to ABC 7.

Related Article: Maskless Airline Passengers To Face Double Financial Penalties Under Biden Administration Plan

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Gov. Phil Murphy won against Republican Jack Ciattarelli but only by two points during Tuesday's gubernatorial election.

Following his narrow win, Murphy vowed to do more for New Jersey, and he also acknowledged that he might not have been able to beat his opponent if not for some of his programs that are already in place.

Since Murphy serves as the incumbent governor of New Jersey, he has already managed to expand pre-K. He has also been supporting programs on paid sick leave and higher taxes for the rich.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy releases statement

But the fact that Murphy only won two points against Ciattarelli served as a wake-up call for the governor and his team.

"It's quite clear that there's a lot of hurt out there. And there are a lot of kitchen tables that we need to connect more deeply with and help folks get through this period, whether they lost a loved one, a job, a small business - they're frustrated by the ongoing pandemic or economic recovery, whatever it may be," he said via the Huffington Post.

But Murphy also said he would try his best to reach deeply into more families in New Jersey following his re-election.

Read Also: New Jersey Legislation Puts Landlords in a Sticky Spot

Gov. Phil Murphy's re-election is historical

Murphy's recent win is historic for two reasons. First, he's the first sitting Democrat to be re-elected governor of New Jersey in 44 years. Second, his narrow win against Ciattarelli was very different from the 2017 gubernatorial election results.

At the time, Murphy won by 14 points. And according to reports, more than 450,000 people have registered as Democrats since then, giving the party 1 million more voters than Republicans.

Danny Franklin explains New Jersey governor's narrow win

According to North Jersey, the narrow win is viewed as a backlash on Murphy's progressive agenda. However, the governor has no plans to change his programs, but he will tackle more issues in New Jersey following his re-election.

While speaking with The New Yorker, Murphy's longtime pollster Danny Franklin explained why he thinks the governor's initial predictions will win against Ciattarelli by 8 to 10 points were proven to be incorrect.

Franklin explained that there were historic surges in turnout in Republican counties but not in Democratic counties.

The longtime pollster also responded to claims that Murphy didn't win by a huge margin because he was criticized over tax rates, as well as his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Franklin explained that these might not be the real reason behind the governor's narrow win. After all, the property tax rates in New Jersey were also deemed a bit too high in 2017.

Instead, Franklin believes that voters are more cynical these days because they see that nothing is working. New Jersey residents and entire America were also promised that they would no longer be dealing with COVID-19 by now, but after almost two years, they are still affected by the deadly virus.

All these may have been factors why some Democrats may have opted to vote for Murphy's opponent.

Related Article: Obama Criticizes New Jersey Gov. Nominee Amid Claims That GOP Members Are 'Systematically' Preventing Americans From Voting

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Twenty schools in Victoria will receive the first batch of free at-home antigen tests next week. Following the seven-day trial, all other schools in Victoria will be given access to the tests.

According to reports, the antigen tests will be options, and only unvaccinated and partially vaccinated students will receive a slot. The tests will also be available for students age 12 years old and below if they were in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 in school.

Free antigen tests will lessen students' quarantine period

Victoria's Deputy Premier James Merlino announced this week in response to the increasing number of active COVID-19 cases in the state. As of press writing, 1,126 new cases and five deaths have been reported in Victoria.

The rapid antigen tests are expected to help lessen the COVID-19 outbreaks in schools. And it will also help reduce the number of days that students need to be in quarantine.

Prior to the announcement, students who tested positive for COVID-19 and those who were in close contact with someone who tested positive are required to quarantine for 14 days.

But with the advent of the antigen tests, students can return to school within seven days as long as their results come back negative. After which, the student needs to take the rapid antigen test daily from days 8 to 14 of the quarantine period, according to ABC.net.au.

"For kids and their families who are excited to get back to school, having to quarantine can be really frustrating - these rapid antigen tests will cut that time and get kids back in the classroom sooner. This is another way we're making learning as COVIDSafe as possible while keeping schools open," Merlino said via News.co.au.

Read Also: Australian Open May Allow Unvaccinated Athletes To Compete After Undergoing a 14-Day Quarantine

NSW, Victoria ease down travel, entry restrictions

Victoria's decision to provide unvaccinated and partially vaccinated students with free rapid antigen tests came in the heels of the state opening its entry borders for New South Wales.

Last week, Victoria and New South Wales announced that residents of the two states could already cross their entry borders after 90 percent of their population were already fully vaccinated.

VOA News also revealed that Australians can now travel overseas without a need for permission that more and more residents have been vaccinated

However, the easing down of travel and entry restrictions in the last couple of days resulted in a surge of active COVID-19 cases.

In Victoria alone, the total number of COVID-19 active cases has already reached 16,178. And approximately 366 people have died during the Delta variant outbreak.

New South Wales sees a drop in COVID-19 cases

On the contrary, New South Wales reportedly experienced a drop in COVID-19 cases following the easing down of restrictions in the state.

According to Sky News, New South Wales recorded 187 new cases on Sunday, which shows a massive drop compared to last week's 244 new cases.

The state also recorded seven deaths - three men and four women - due to the virus. Two of those that died were fully vaccinated, another two were partially vaccinated, and three were unvaccinated.

Related Article: Australia Removes Entry Restrictions in 2 Biggest States After COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Reached 90 Percent

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A three-step hand gesture popularized on TikTok saved the life of a missing North Carolina minor. According to reports, the 16-year-old was reported missing by her parents on Tuesday. Two days later, a motorist saw the teenager looking distressed in the vehicle, with a man called 911 to report the incident.

An unnamed man saved the victim's life

The Kentucky motorist had no idea that a girl from North Carolina was reported missing. But he told reporters that she noticed the girl making the hand gestures that are currently so popular on TikTok because it signals a plea for help during domestic violence incidents.

The victim's unnamed rescuer reportedly treaded behind the kidnapper's vehicle until help arrived. The teen was later rescued and reunited with her family. And police arrested 61-year-old James Herbert Brick and charged him with unlawful imprisonment and possession of a minor, according to CNN.

Brick is being held at the Laurel County Correctional Center on a $10,000 cash bond.

James Herbert Brick took traveled to different places with victim

The victim told police officers that she traveled with Brick around North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio, according to NBC News.

Brick reportedly took his victim to Ohio to visit his relatives. While there, they found out that the teenager's parents reported her missing and looked for her. As such, Brick immediately fled Ohio and returned to Kentucky, where he and his victim were found, according to WHJL.

Read Also: Officials Find Bodies of Arkansas Woman, Her Daughter in a Car That's Been Missing Since 1998

How to make the domestic violence hand gesture?

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SIGNAL



Isolation can increase the risk of violence at home. Use this discrete gesture during a video call to show you need help:



1. Hold hand up with palm facing other person.

2. Tuck thumb into palm.

3. Fold fingers down over thumb. pic.twitter.com/gsIgSbXOmc  Halton Police (@HaltonPolice) August 24, 2021

In August, the Halton Police shared a photo featuring the hand gesture that could determine a person's involvement in a domestic violence situation.

The gesture begins with a person holding their hand up with their palm facing another individual. The thumb is then tucked into the palm before the four other fingers are folded down to lock the thumb in.

The Canadian Women's Foundation was reportedly first to introduce the hand gesture later popularized on the social media platform. The foundation used the hashtag #SignalForHelp to teach victims how they can call for help via video call without leaving a digital trace.

Coincidentally, the hand gesture was first introduced in November 2020, which was exactly a year ago.

Two North Carolina natives still missing

But while the teenager's missing person story ended on a positive note, the same cannot be said about other North Carolina residents that were reported gone without a trace.

On Saturday, the North Carolina Center for Missing Persons issued Silver Alerts following the disappearance of a Winston-Salem woman and man from Davidson County.

Chrissy Lee Baker, 43, was last seen at 341 Friendly Acres Drive in Winston-Salem wearing a pink and maroon jacket and blue and white pants.

On the other hand, Thomas Shawn Bingham, 45, was last seen at 2564 Stokes Road in Denton. Bingham reportedly had his maroon Subaru Forester with him when he went missing, but no one knows where he was headed, according to Journal Now.

Related Article: Missing New Jersey Woman Lauren El Cho's Remains Found; Cause of Death Still Pending

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A leaked photo of the Snapdragon 898 chip has been circulating online. The Samsung Galaxy S22, set to be unveiled in February 2022, claims to be the first Android phone to have the latest Qualcomm chip.

However, the chip leaker added that both Xiaomi and Motorola will be releasing an Android phone that has Snapdragon 898 this year, beating the said release date of the Samsung S22 next year.

Snapdragon 898 Phones: Everything Android Users Must Know

Twitter user @chat_station claimed that the Snapdragon 898 chip will be introduced at the end of the year, but not by Samsung.

Motos Snapdragon 898 machine is also confirmed to debut at the end of the year. It is said that they are still preparing to cooperate with Xiaomi grabs the start...  Digital Chat Station (@chat_station) November 5, 2021

For background information, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 898 is the anticipated successor to the Snapdragon 888 and 888 Plus processors, which have been used by every flagship Android phone released in 2021, per Tom's Guide. The said Android phones that contain Snapdragon 888 include the ASUS ROG Phone 5 and 5 Pro, Sthe amsung Galaxy S21 lineup, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3 and more.

In addition to the posted leak by Digital Chat Station, Daily Pioneer has shared a detailed information about the latest Qualcomm chip. They stated that it will sport a tri-cluster configuration with a Cortex-X2 prime core clocked at 3.0 GHz, three Cortex-A710 based cores clocked at 2.5 GHz, and four efficiency-oriented Cortex-A510 cores clocked at 1.79 GHz.

Aside from this, Snapdragon 898 could also include an all-new Adreno 730 GPU, which is projected to increase graphics performance significantly above the Adreno 660 included in the Snapdragon 888 and 888 plus processors.

Daily Pioneer added that the chip would include a new X65 5G modem and be manufactured on a 4nm technology.

Despite how good the Qualcomm chip is, Twitter user @UniverseIce stated that the first benchmarks of the chip is underwhelming, as it only offers a 15 percent speed boost from the current generation of Qualcomm chips.

Snapdragon898 Geekbench5

1200/3900  Ice universe (@UniverseIce) November 5, 2021

Moreover, Twitter user @TechHub67 stated that the shown benchmark of the Snapdragon 898 is behind the performance of the A14 Bionic chip used on the iPhone 12.

However, Tom's Guide added that this comparison was unfair since the Snapdragon 898 was tested based on an unreleased and unoptimized technology, while the Apple device can get significant speed advantages by building both the hardware and software together.

On the other hand, it is also worth noting that Apple has its own chip manufacturer as compared to other Android phones available in the market that does not have their own chip provider.

Read Also: 2022 Toyota Tundra Price Confirmed: Why Is It More Expensive Than Ram 1500, Silverado 1500?

What are the Expected Snapdragon 898 Phones?

Per Android Central, the tipster leaked that the Xiaomi 12 will be the first phone to use the Snapdragon 898 CPU, while Motorola is also expected to introduce a Snapdragon 898-powered phone before the end of the year.

Samsung Galaxy S22 series is expected to use the leaked Qualcomm chip as well, although in selected areas only such as the United States and China. The Samsung S22 series phones in overseas markets will be using the Exynos 2200 chip.

Most importantly, several reports speculated that the Snapdragon 898 will probably be unveiled on November 30 this year, per Daily Pioneer.

Related Article: Snapdragon 888 Plus Announced: New AI Engine, 3GHz CPU, and More Qualcomm Upgrades
The Samsung S21 FE release date might come earlier than fans' expectations. A rumor has claimed that it could launch at CES 2022, some time in early January.

Many Samsung fans eagerly wait out for the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE smartphone. This is the budget-alternative smartphone for the Samsung flagship S21 Series. Notably, S21 FE will also carry out the legacy of the popular Galaxy S20 FE. Experts expect the S21 FE to sell out decently in the market.

For reference, Samsung "FE" is an abbreviation for "fan edition." FE smartphones generally offer the same flagship smartphone features but with a few downgrades to make them cheaper. The changes usually apply to smartphone casing, display resolution or camera system.

Will There Be S21 FE? Samsung S21 FE Release Date on January 2022

Leaker and Tech analyst Jon Prosser posted an interesting rumor for the Samsung S21 FE release date. Last month, he tweeted Samsung Galaxy S21 FE launching in January and Samsung Galaxy S22 in February.

New exclusive stuff:



S21 FE in January 



S22 in February https://t.co/jf0JqUGNLQ  Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) October 28, 2021

Prosser tweeted another update on Sunday, further supporting his first tweet. He leaked the schedule for the S21 FE as follows:

Unpacked event for S21 FE

January 4, 2022

No pre-order period

Available January 11, 2022

While Samsung is investigating my S22 Ultra leak



EXCLUSIVE 

Unpacked event for S21 FE

January 4, 2022

No pre-order period

Available January 11, 2022



Unpacked event for S22 lineup

February 8, 2022 @ 10:00am ET

Pre-orders begin same day (2/8)

Available February 18, 2022



 pic.twitter.com/S9n9rAf1cs  Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) November 6, 2021

Read Also: Google Play Store Malware AbstractEMU Can Steal Your Banking Data, Other Private Information: How to Protect Yourself

Samsung S21 FE Launch Event

According to the leaker, Samsung will hold an Unpacked event on January 4 to unveil the Galaxy S21 FE. Unlike its usual pattern, Samsung will not accept pre-orders for the device. Instead, consumers have to try their luck with the January 11 launch date. Stocks might sell out on a first come, first serve basis.

It is also worth noting that the rumored S21 launch date falls close to Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022 on January 5. Admittedly, Samsung never announced a Galaxy smartphone on CES, so this might be the first experience.

Samsung S21 FE Specs and Features

Although the official information for the smartphone is yet to be released, AndroidPolice recorded a few specs for the incoming S21 FE.

Samsung S21 FE might feature a single-piece rear, possibly a polycarbonate casing. It might use the same triple-camera array found on the S21 series. Unfortunately, there are no mentions of a MicroSD card slot and dual sim functionality.

The upcoming FE device is also said to feature an under-display fingerprint scanner. It might come with four color options. Fortunately, the incoming S21 FE might retain the mainline Snapdragon 888 chipset. More details relating to the smartphone should be available the closer it gets to the release date.

Keep in mind that all these information are leaks and rumors about the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE. These are unofficial specs, so details are subject to change. Readers should take in this article with a pinch of salt and some level of skepticism.



Related Article: How Do I Troubleshoot My Samsung Phone? 3 Steps to Activate Safe Mode, Identify If Apps Are Slowing Down Your Phone
Android users be warned: Google Chrome is harvesting sensitive data without user awareness. Even worse, the data is free-for-all. Any mobile website on Chrome can access the smartphone's device sensors.

Google is the most popular web browser in the world. It is also the largest digital advertising platform that controls 75 percent of web traffic. One reason for its massive success is possibly its efficiency as a data harvester.

The tech giant has a long history of security and privacy issues. Just last month, Google warned its 2.6 billion users about zero-day exploits and four "high" rated vulnerabilities. Keep in mind Google is both a search engine and a web browser, so it has access to user data on both ends.

Google Android: User Data Exposed by Default

The latest Google privacy breach can be summarized in one statement: Chrome gives out your sensor data for free. This means any website running on Chrome can access and harvest data from the smartphone's sensors.

Cybersecurity experts from Forbes recently discovered the privacy breach when browsing in Chrome. They said Google used the information "for measuring ad interactions, verifying ad impressions, and tracking devices. Our analysis uncovered several scripts that are sending raw sensor data to remote servers."

Unlike Apple, which asks for user permission to activate the sensor, Google turns the function on by default. Chrome settings "recommends" leaving it on, which is why all websites in the platform gain free access.

When The Sun asked Google about the issue, their spokesperson said, "We intentionally limit the resolution of motion sensors in Chrome, and since 2019 we've had controls that allow users to block websites from accessing a device's motion sensors altogether. We take user security and privacy seriously, and we're always working on new ways to improve security and privacy in Chrome."

Here is the key takeaway on the issue: users have the freedom to disable the data tracking function. However, until they do so, all phone motion data is for open access to anybody in the internet.

Read Also: How Do I Troubleshoot My Samsung Phone? 3 Steps to Activate Safe Mode, Identify If Apps Are Slowing Down Your Phone

How to Improve Google Cybersecurity

The best solution to resolve this issue is to delete Chrome and move out to a different browser. However, for users who want to stick with Chrome, they can manually turn off the site permissions.

Here are the following steps to check on Chrome's data sensor activity and to disable it:

Open Google Chrome on Android

Click on the "three dots" to open more settings

Scroll down and click "Settings"

Under "Advanced" click on "Site Settings"

Open the "Motion Sensors" and toggle it off

Unfortunately, users have to repeat this procedure with every website they visit to ensure maximum security. For reference, Twitter user Mysk posted a quick video guide on how to turn it off.

Dear #Android users,

Chrome shares your motion sensor with all the websites you visit by default.

This video shows how you can disable it. Please do it now.

You can learn more about this here:https://t.co/zMbPpuX3VH#CyberSecurity #Privacy pic.twitter.com/riWNQUfxKB  Mysk  (@mysk_co) October 29, 2021



Related Article: Mac Trojan Malware Can Hack Your Apple Device, Run Ads and Steal Info: 8 Ways to Prevent, Remove WizardUpdate
Lee Jung-jae arrives at the LACMA Art + Film Gala at Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles, Nov. 6. AP-Yonhap





By Yoon Ja-young







Actor Lee Jung-jae, who stars in the global hit Netflix original series, "Squid Game," was in the spotlight at an art and film event held in Los Angeles, appearing with Lim Se-ryung, who is the vice chairwoman of the Korean condiment and food manufacturing conglomerate, Daesang Group. The couple have been in a relationship for seven years.







The 49-year-old actor attended the LACMA Art+Film Gala held at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles, Nov. 6. The annual event, supported by the luxury brand, Gucci, aims to honor artists who have contributed to the development of modern and visual art. Among the participants this year were the other Korean actors of "Squid Game," Lee Byung-hun and Park Hae-soo, as well as its director, Hwang Dong-hyuk. The other Korean actors, Kang Dong-won and Jung Woo-sung, as well as film director Steven Spielberg and artist Amy Sherald, were also in attendance at the event.







This combination of file photos shows Daesang Group vice chairwoman Lim Se-ryung, left, and actor Lee Jung-jae. Korea Times file

In a photo released by an overseas media outlet, Lee, in a white tuxedo, posed with his Lim along with LACMA trustee Eva Chow and Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri. Lee and Lim attended the LACMA event in 2018 and 2019 as well.







The couple made public that they are dating in January 2015 after their romance was revealed by local tabloid Dispatch.







The 44-year-old Lim is the eldest of the two daughters of Daesang Group's honorary chairman, Lim Chang-wook. She had previously married Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jae-yong, the only son of the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, in 1998, when she was studying business administration at Yonsei University in Seoul. The couple, however, divorced in 2009 after Lim filed a divorce suit. They have two children, whom they reportedly agreed take joint custody of. She started working in the management of her father's business at that time.


An employee looks at monitors that show cryptocurrency prices at Coinone's customer service office in Yongsan District, Seoul. Yonhap



Financial and tax authorities evading giving a clear response on crypto tax



By Anna J. Park



The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has confirmed its plan to delay the start of taxing cryptocurrency trading for one year, from early next year  which was the original plan of the country's financial and tax authorities  to 2023.



Facing diminishing support from young voters, who comprise the majority of crypto investors, the DPK said Monday that its next step will be to request the financial and tax authorities to delay the implementation of the crypto tax for one more year.



"Regarding the timing of the cryptocurrency taxation plan, the DPK has changed its earlier stance. The DPK is in talks with the financial and tax authorities to delay the implementation of the planned tax on cryptocurrency gains for one more year," a senior DPK official told The Korea Times by telephone, Monday.



A 20 percent tax on gains more than 2.5 million won through crypto-trading, designed by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, had been set to take effect in early 2022.



The ruling party had been planning to follow its earlier timeline for starting the tax in January. The recent schedule change appears to be the result of the party's attempt to capture the support of young voters in the presidential election slated for March of next year. Put simply, the DPK is working to win more support from young voters in their 20s and 30s, and behind the change is the fact that young people strongly oppose the crypto tax law.



In a nationwide survey of 1,011 adults by Hangil Research between Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, support for the DPK from those in the 18 to 29 age bracket was 20.1 percent, while support among the same age group for the main opposition People Power Party was 42 percent.



Amid the continued rising of housing prices as well as the high unemployment rate, cryptocurrency trading has become a new speculative investment method by which adult members of Korea's MZ Generation (those born between 1981 and 1995) have been attempting to accumulate capital, as many are have been shut out of traditional forms of investment. More than 65 percent of the total number of investors in the country's major cryptocurrency exchanges are made up of young people in their 20s and 30s.



The DPK's decision to delay the start of the tax, as well as lawmaker comments, reflect the reality that support for the party has declined among voters other than those in their 40s and 50s.



"I basically agree with the principle that where there are profits there should be taxation. However, in the case of cryptocurrency assets, the concept itself hasn't yet fully been defined, and the scope of taxation could vary according to such definitions," DPK Rep. Kim Byung-wook, a member of the National Assembly National Policy Committee which deals with financial matters, said in a forum organized by the party's research institute and the Virtual Assets Task Force. He added that it would be more reasonable to start taxing cryptocurrency profits from 2023 after first preparing the related legislation this year.



Rep. Kim said that more time is needed for there to be an agreement on the exact definition of the acquisition costs for cryptocurrencies, which would affect how taxes are calculated. According to Kim, sticking to the previous plan of implementing a 20-percent tax on the annual profits of cryptocurrency trading beginning in January of next year would represent an unchecked wielding of power by the finance ministry and tax authorities.



DPK presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung also contends that the government should impose the crypto tax from 2023, when the capital gains tax for stock trading will also be implemented.



Four-term DPK lawmaker, Rep. Noh Woong-rae, who leads the party's research institute, stressed that protection for investors should take precedence over the taxation of virtual asset trading. "It's true that where there are profits, there is taxation. However, taxation cannot exist without protection for consumers and the market," Noh said.



Unsurprisingly, the tax and financial authorities have been avoiding giving a straight answer about the ruling party's recent decision.



Park Ju-young, a director at the Financial Services Commission (FSC), which supervises policies on cryptocurrencies, recently said that it is difficult to reply to questions related to delaying the tax.



Park added that more research on issues ranging from the listing of cryptocurrencies, to their distribution and unfair transactions, is necessary, adding that a compromise is required in dealing with the "latest technologies" in investment, such as cryptocurrencies.




Citibank Korea leads efforts to mitigate climate change through "Change Now for Tomorrow," a climate action partnership signed with World Wide Fund for Nature Korea (WWF-Korea). Courtesy of Citibank Korea



By Yi Whan-woo



Citibank Korea is stepping up efforts to diversify its social contribution programs based on the three principles of employee participation, long-term commitment and leading activity.



The programs are designed go beyond charity and drive real change through contributions, in partnership with non-profit organizations that coordinate programs together while receiving long-term support from the bank.



The bank encourages its employees to participate voluntarily in these programs in various ways, such as through donating their talents.



"We are planning and implementing social contribution programs to encourage direct participation and empathy from our employees beyond just simple support and participation," a Citibank Korea official said. "Our social contribution efforts will continue to support those in desperate need in a meaningful way so that local communities and recipients can actually improve their quality of life."



The representative social contribution activities include: "Citi Global Community Day," "Citi Building Hope and Home," "Think Money" and "Ewha-Citi Global Finance Academy."



"Citi Global Community Day" began in 2006 to bring employees and their families around the world together to give back to the communities in which they live and work through various service activities.



Beginning in 1998, "Citi Building Hope and Home" is to build homes for those who can't afford one of their own in small and medium-sized cities nationwide. Citibank Korea was the first company in Korea to join hands with Habitat for Humanity Korea through this program.



"Think Money" has provided financial education to about 560,000 teenagers to date. The "Ewha-Citi Global Finance Academy" has been running since 2001 to cultivate talented young people in the finance field, and the "Citi-Kyung Hee Univ. NGO Internship Program" was launched in 2006 to nurture civil society leaders.



Each of these programs has been conducted for more than 10 years with the voluntary participation of the employees of Citibank Korea as lecturers, volunteers and mentors.



Additionally, the bank has conducted separate programs since 2017 to support enterprises and venture companies by implementing a variety of solutions to address social issues and to help these smaller companies continue to expand.



In 2017, the bank established the "Korea Social Enterprise Awards" with Joyful Union, a Korean microcredit organization, to recognize social enterprises for their commitment to creating jobs and addressing social issues facing the socially underprivileged, as well as to spread best practices.



Also in 2017, the bank launched the "Impact Career Y" youth program with Root Impact to nurture talented youth to address social issues. The program is designed to help find jobs for youth who want to deal with social issues in innovative ways.



Regarding fulfilling environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) principles, which have drawn greater corporate interest in recent years, the bank has continued its efforts as a responsible social contributor.



For the environment, Citibank Korea has led efforts to mitigate climate change through "Change Now for Tomorrow," a climate action partnership signed with World Wide Fund for Nature Korea (WWF-Korea).



The partnership aimed at achieving the goal of keeping the global average temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius.



The partnership also conducts various activities to raise awareness among companies about how serious climate change is and how important climate action is.



A case point is the "Climate Action Roundtable," which provides practical guidelines and shares more specific action plans to ensure that more domestic companies participate in climate action to bring about a carbon-neutral era.



The bank is holding green campaigns internally to encourage the making of a more sustainable society, including by reducing plastic consumption and use of disposable products.



Among them, an environment improvement campaign is being carried out within the company to reduce unnecessary office supplies and collect and share available resources.






Vice Minister of Environment Hong Jeong-kee speaks during a press briefing attended by officials of trade ministry, Fair Trade Commission, National Tax Service, Korea Customs Service, National Police Agency at the ministry in Sejong, Monday. Yonhap
Financial Supervisory Service Governor Jeong Eun-bo responds to lawmakers during a National Assembly audit in Seoul, Oct. 21. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun



Jeong to meet top executives of banks, brokerages, asset managers



By Park Jae-hyuk



Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) Governor Jeong Eun-bo is drawing criticism from progressive civic groups, after he promised to reform the financial watchdog's system of inspecting financial firms to focus more on preventing risks than imposing reactive sanctions.



Some of his subordinates also remain skeptical of the change, raising concerns about the possibility of the FSS staff being blamed for the recurrence of illegal acts by financial firms.



Earlier this month, Jeong said the FSS will upgrade its inspection methods to be flexible in coping with changes in the financial environment and to manage its workforce more efficiently.



"Considering each financial firm's size and the complexity of their businesses, we will reasonably adjust frequency, range and methods of our inspections," he told financial holding company CEOs last Wednesday. "For smaller subsidiaries of financial holding firms, we will consider being flexible about the frequency of our inspections of such companies."



In accordance with his stance, the FSS has indefinitely delayed its "comprehensive inspections" of Woori Financial Group and Woori Bank, which were initially supposed to take place this month.



The People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy viewed Jeong's remarks as "inappropriate," urging him to tighten supervision, instead of taking a "market-friendly" attitude.



"Compensations and sanctions have not been finalized, regarding a series of private equity fund fiascos that caused massive losses for consumers," the civic group said in a statement. "We hope Jeong will perform his duties in compliance with the purpose of the FSS's establishment."



Financial Justice Solidarity leader Kim Deuk-eui told reporters last week that weaker inspections will allow the management of financial firms to abuse their power more intensively.



"After the FSS stopped its comprehensive inspections in 2015, a series of private equity fund fiascos occurred as a result, harming consumers, but the financial authorities did not learn any lesson from this," he said.



Financial firms have been subject to comprehensive inspections every couple of years, ever since the Office of Banking Supervision was founded under the Bank of Korea in 1962, prior to the creation of the FSS in 1999.



Although they were able to temporarily avoid the month-long inspections from 2015 to 2018, the FSS brought back the system in 2019 under the leadership of Jeong's predecessor, Yoon Suk-heun.



In response to critics, Jeong said that he does not intend to abolish comprehensive inspections.



"We will continue deliberations about sanctions against financial firms involved in unfair trading of private equity funds, discussing the matter with the Financial Services Commission," he said.



The FSS also kicked off its comprehensive inspection of the Korea Exchange, Monday, for the first time in 11 years.





Financial Supervisory Service headquarters in Seoul / Korea Times file


Experts advise corporate tax cut for fiscal normalization



By Lee Min-hyung



Korea's government debt-to-GDP ratio is expected to grow at the fastest pace among the world's 35 developed countries over the next five years, according to data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).



In its recent Fiscal Monitor report, the IMF warned that the government debt-to-GDP ratio is projected to reach 66.7 percent in 2026. This is an increase of 15.4 percentage points from the end of 2021.



The pace of growth is the fastest among 35 countries which the financial institution classifies as developed countries. The Czech Republic came in second with a forecast of 8.7 percentage points growth during the same period, followed by Belgium, Singapore and Hong Kong.



This raises alarms for the local economy at a time when post-COVID-19 pandemic uncertainty remains. Despite the pessimistic outlook, the government is still sticking to expansionary budget spending, which experts argued will continue to boost the debt.



Given that Korea is one of the fastest aging societies in the world, economists have voiced the need for a complete revamp of Korea's economic and fiscal policies. They argue that the government should build a better environment for companies to do business here by expanding tax and infrastructure related benefits.



"Regardless of the steep rise in government debt, one of the best ways to foster a virtuous cycle for the economy is to make an environment where companies are willing to invest more and do business here," said Sejong University economist Kim Dae-jong.






Lee Joon-seok, center, chairman of the main opposition People Power Party, walks past a mural at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., in this Sept. 23 file photo. Designed by Louis Nelson, the mural featuring the faces of 2,400 service members of the U.S. armed forces during the Korean War was dedicated July 27, 1995. Yonhap





By Kang Hyun-kyung







The Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. visually illustrates how the South Korea-U.S. alliance began.







The memorial features two iconic installments: the 164-feet black granite mural showcasing the faces of 2,400 service members of the U.S. armed forces who fought in the Korean War and, adjacent, Frank Gaylord's three-dimensional stainless-steel sculptures of 19 warriors to commemorate those who fought to defend freedom in South Korea.







Since its grandiose dedication on July 27, 1995 with the participations of the then South Korean and U.S. presidents, the Korean War memorial has become a must-visit place for South Korean tourists and also a starting point for high-profile politicians' itineraries when making official trips to the U.S.







Once arriving in Washington D.C., South Korean politicians would head to the memorial located near the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, observe a moment of silence and pay tribute to the American men and women who responded to the call seven decades ago to defend South Korea from the invasion by the North, a divided country they may have never heard of at that time.







Rep. Song Young-gil, chairman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, started his U.S. trip at the memorial in September. His main opposition counterpart, Lee Joon-seok, chairman of the People Power Party, is the latest South Korean politician to pay tribute to those who fought during the war.







The Korean War memorial is also special to American industrial designer Louis Nelson.







US industrial designer Louis Nelson / Courtesy of Louis Nelson

Although 26 years have passed, Nelson, who designed the mural, has a vivid memory of the day when the Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated. "With tears in my eyes as I looked at the Korean mural with Frank's soldiers mirrored in its brilliant polished finish, I also saw the reflection of the Lincoln Memorial and McKevitt's words rang in my ears," he recalled in his forthcoming book, "Mosaic: War Monument Mystery."







The late Jim McKevitt was a member of the Korean War Veterans Memorial Advisory Board who suggested Nelson look deeper into the history of the design of the Lincoln Memorial during a meeting in 1992.







In his memoir, "Mosaic: War Monument Mystery" which was officially released on Thursday, Nelson described in great detail how he and his staff created the mural after he was chosen in 1990 to design the wall. His upbringing, life as an industrial designer, and extensive research on the Korean War to sharpen his understanding of it are also thoroughly described in his book.







Asked why the book was published 26 years after the dedication of the mural, Nelson said he thought it was the right time for him to do it.







"There're stories to be told and things to be resolved," the New York-based designer told The Korea Times over the phone on Oct. 29. "It's not all me about the memorial. It's also about my professional work. There are other things that had to be discussed there."







He said South Korea's dramatic rise from a war-torn country 70 years ago to one of the world's most prospering countries also inspired him to work on a book about his experiences with the mural project.






Police officers patrol Yeouido Hangang Park Seoul, watching for violations of gathering and nighttime drinking bans, July 9. Yonhap



By Lee Hae-rin



Nighttime drinking in parks along the Han River has been allowed again after four months of being restricted as part of the measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.



The Seoul Metropolitan Government said that it lifted the ban on outdoor drinking after 10 p.m. on Monday, following the central government's "Living with COVID-19" strategy. The venues with the lifted ban include all Han River parks, Cheonggye Stream area, Seoul Forest, Gyeongui Line Forest Park and Seonyudo Park.



The city government imposed the ban on July 6 in response to the fourth wave of infections amid the spread of the Delta variant. The ban was intended to prevent people from continuing to drink outdoors in parks after the curfew shut down restaurants and bars. Those violating the regulation were subject to fines of up to 100,000 won ($83), and convenience stores on Han River parks were also banned from selling alcoholic beverages after 10 p.m.






Members of the Our Republican Party march on the street in Gwanghwamun area in central Seoul, Saturday. Yonhap



By Kim Rahn



Mass demonstrations and rallies are now being allowed with the government's "return to normalcy" plan that has eased social distancing regulations against COVID-19, raising concerns over the possible spread of the coronavirus among participants.



On Saturday, thousands of people took to the streets in downtown Seoul in demonstrations organized by more than 20 civic groups. They marched on the streets around the Gwanghwamun area, causing traffic jams in central Seoul.



Most of the organizers reported to the police that their rallies would have 499 participants  in line with the government's "Living with COVID-19" plan that allows up to 99 people to participate in a rally and up to 499 when including 400 fully vaccinated people.



The police said they checked the demonstrators' vaccine certificates and did limit the numbers to 499 per rally, but could not prevent more people from joining in the middle of street marches.



More rallies are planned following the easing of social distancing rules. The National Police Agency said that it had received 8,489 notifications for rallies to be held across the country in October  when mass gatherings were banned  but had received 5,319 in just five days from Nov. 1 to 5. Those planning to hold demonstrations are obliged to make prior notifications to the police although they don't need to be granted permission, according to relevant laws.









The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), one of the nation's two largest umbrella unions, said it would hold mass demonstrations at four locations in Seoul, Nov. 13, the 51st anniversary of the death of Chun Tae-il, a labor activist who self-immolated in 1970 to raise awareness on the poor working conditions of garment factory workers.



It said 10,000 members would participate, with 2,500 at each location, adding they will hold more rallies, Nov. 17 and Dec. 2.



But the police and Seoul Metropolitan Government concluded the planned demonstrations were illegal due to the larger number of participants than allowed, saying they would not allow the rallies to take place.



"We already notified the KCTU that we are not allowing the reported rallies. So if they hold them, it will be illegal," Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Choi Kwan-ho said in a regular press briefing, Monday.



Leaders of the KCTU have already come under police investigation for violating social distancing rules in a previous demonstration, Oct. 20, when some 16,000 union members gathered in areas near Seodaemun Station in central Seoul despite police declaring a ban on the protest.





People wait in a long queue to get COVID-19 tests at a testing center in Songpa District, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
Artist Yoo Young-jin's "Nowhere" series is on display at the Swiss Embassy in Seoul, which is open to the public for the "Breathing Walls" exhibition through Nov. 10. Courtesy of Embassy of Switzerland in Korea



By Kwon Mee-yoo



Most embassies are designed with security as top priority, considering their diplomatic significance. Often surrounded by high walls and guards on alert, it is not easy for the general public to visit embassies without a purpose or advance appointment.



However, the Embassy of Switzerland in Seoul, located in the historic Donuimun area near Gyeonghui Palace, offers the "Breathing Walls" exhibition, open to the public through Nov. 10.



"We always wanted to be an embassy open to the city. Embassies are no longer fully-closed high security compounds. This is an embassy of a democratic state in a democratic country. So we thought we could really use the central courtyard as a platform for showcasing Switzerland but also as a platform for meaningful cooperation," Linus von Castelmur, ambassador of Switzerland to Korea, told The Korea Times.



The Swiss government purchased the land back in 1974 and the neighborhood went through redevelopment starting in 2011. Instead of selling the lot, the Swiss government decided to build a new embassy building to go with the new surroundings.



This is the first embassy building in Korea designed taking inspiration from "hanok," or Korean traditional architecture. Designed by Swiss architect Nicolas Vaucher of Burckhardt+Partner, the gray roof is reminiscent of "giwa" (traditional Korean roof tiles) and there are structures inspired by traditional Korean eaves and wooden crossbeams.



"This embassy is not only a jewel of architecture and a landmark building in Seoul, but it is also a very functional place, a tool we could use for hosting events," ambassador said.



The ambassador said the "luxury of having a courtyard" made the exhibition possible.



"If you are on the 21st floor of a building, you have an office where you can receive people, but you cannot receive 160 visitors of an art exhibition. This is really linked to the decision of Switzerland to maintain our embassy where we are to rebuild it, not (moving to) a high-rise building to maximize profit," von Castelmur said.



"This allows us to be much more open  you can be an open embassy and you can communicate and exchange openly. So the beauty of this embassy is exactly this kind of platform that allows us to do things that other embassies perhaps cannot do so easily."





Lee Hyeon-woo's "Soft Echo" / Courtesy of Embassy of Switzerland to Korea



The embassy created a nice portfolio of the new embassy building, but the ambassador wanted to explore it in a different way.



"It was really nice, but it was all us  the ambassador and the people responsible in Switzerland  talking about the embassy. After two years, we thought it would be appropriate to give it another perspective."



The ambassador asked artist Chun Kyung-woo, who presented a performance when the embassy reopened in 2019, to organize an art exhibit featuring young Korean artists to reinterpret the embassy building.



"We thought we could do something in the embassy building, celebrating the building and giving a voice to artists," von Castelmur said.



The ambassador welcomed eight young Korean artists to the embassy building, allowing them to exercise their artistic freedom fully.



"They had access 24 hours and could see all the rooms of the embassy. They had really got the feeling of the embassy building and that is why they discovered the building in a different way than what we saw," he said.



"In the evening, there is no janitor. So when they came in the evening, I was to volunteer to open the door to let them out at 11 or 12 o'clock. So we became friends."



The result of exploring every nook and cranny of the embassy came out in various styles.



Lee Hyeon-woo superimposed traditional Korean objects on the interior of the embassy, creating illusion-like images and tracing the lives of people who lived in the neighborhood, while Lim Sung-jun traced the day-to-day movements of embassy staff members and drew lines around the building to visualize the flow in "Orbiting."





Lee Ye-eun's "Space Building" / Courtesy of Embassy of Switzerland to Korea




The top Chinese envoy here said Monday his country will do its best to help solve the urea water solution shortage in South Korea triggered by China's curbs on exports of the material.







Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming made the remarks in his meeting with Rep. Yun Ho-jung, floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), and Rep. Lee Kwang-jae of the DP, who heads the National Assembly's foreign affairs committee, as Seoul struggles with a supply crunch of the product used to reduce emissions in diesel vehicles.







"Urea water solution shortage in the South Korean market is a situation that China has not expected," Xing was quoted by Rep. Shin Hyun-young, a spokesperson of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), as saying. "We will do our best to deliver good news soon."







South Korea heavily relies on China for its supply of aqueous urea solution, with 97.6 percent of its imports coming from China in the first nine months of this year.







The country has been grappling with a shortage of the diesel exhaust fluid, and its surging prices in recent weeks, as China tightened exports of fertilizers and related materials, including urea, in October amid a power crisis caused by a coal supply shortage. Coal is the main feedstock for urea.







Xing also told South Korean lawmakers that Beijing's exports curbs were not targeted for certain countries, adding that it was an inevitable measure to stabilize its domestic market, according to Shin.







Asked about "good news" that Xing had mentioned, Shin said she expects Chinese authorities to accept Seoul's request to expedite customs clearance process for contracted volume of the material. (Yonhap)










By Jun Ji-hye







Cases of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) appear to have increased after the government shifted its virus management policy to its "Living with COVID-19" plan Nov. 1, according to police, Sunday.







The policy shift, which lifted the limitations on hours of operation for restaurants and bars and eased private gathering bans, is aimed at gradually phasing out COVID-19 restrictions in an effort to return to normalcy.







Police said a total of 1,486 people were caught driving while intoxicated in the first four days after the policy shift was implemented. Among them, 1,102 had blood alcohol content levels high enough to have their drivers' licenses revoked, while the rest were within the range to have their licenses suspended.







According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, 23 drunk drivers were caught in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo and Songpa districts from 11 p.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday.







The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency caught 94 drunk drivers in 105 areas of its jurisdiction from 9 p.m. Friday to 3 a.m. Saturday.







The agency said the daily average number of drunk driving cases has been tallied at 92 since the government implemented the policy shift, up from the daily average of 67.4 from January to October.







The National Police Agency said police will enhance the crackdown on drunk driving as it braces for year-end and New Year's parties and gatherings that are expected to take place.







"Drunk driving is a grave crime that threatens the life and property of other people, thus we will enhance our crackdown," a representative of the agency said.


Trucks are parked at Seobu Truck Terminal in Seoul, Nov. 7. The government on Monday launched an inter-agency team to monitor illegal market activities surrounding urea water solution amid a dire shortage of the key material used in diesel vehicles. Yonhap



The government on Monday launched an inter-agency team to monitor illegal market activities surrounding urea water solution amid a dire shortage of the key material used in diesel vehicles to reduce emissions due to tightened imports, officials said.



The launch of the special inspection team, comprising 31 sub-teams and 108 personnel, came as South Korea has been grappling with a shortage of urea water solution, known as diesel exhaust fluid, and its surging prices in recent weeks, since China tightened exports of fertilizers and related materials, including urea, in October amid a power crisis caused by a coal supply shortage.



South Korea heavily relies on China for its supply of urea water solution, as 97.6 percent of its import came from China in the first nine months of this year.




President Moon Jae-in speaks to the media after attending a meeting of central Europe's informal cooperation body, the Visegrad Group, or V4, in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday (local time). AP-Yonhap









By Jung Da-min







With about six months left before President Moon Jae-in leaves office, his support is still hovering at around 40 percent, far higher than the approval rates of other former presidents in their final year, which often fell below 20 percent or 30 percent.







The solid high approval rate is notable especially when so many people are critical of his policies, specifically those on real estate.







According to a poll conducted on 1,000 adults from Nov. 2 to 4 by Gallup Korea, Moon's approval rating stood at 37 percent. In the previous nine weeks, the rate fluctuated between 36 percent and 41 percent.







In the latest poll, 25 percent of those who approved of Moon's job performance said they acknowledge his diplomatic activities, followed by 20 percent who recognized his COVID-19 response.







Meantime, 37 percent of those who disapproved of Moon's performance cited his real estate policy failures, followed by 14 percent who picked poor economic policies in general.







People in their 30s, 40s and 50s showed relatively high approval rates at 44 percent, 51 percent and 37 percent, respectively. In the 18 to 29, age group, about 34 percent supported the President, while for those over 60 this rose to 25 percent.







Political watchers attribute Moon's relatively high approval rating in his last year in office to his stable leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, a solid support base among members of the country's liberal bloc who back his reform policy drives, and the absence of an alternative political force for people to choose.







Presidential candidates of both ruling, opposition parties struggle to win public support Moon's approval rating near record low Presidential race begins in earnest They also say Moon's solid approval rate, despite receiving criticism for policy failures especially in the economic and real estate sectors, has some implications for the next presidential election slated for March 9.



British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, left, and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres greet President Moon Jae-in, at the U.N. Climate Summit COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, Monday (local time). AP-Yonhap

Bae Jong-chan, an opinion poll expert and head of Insight K, said he believes Moon's approval rating could remain between 37 percent and 40 percent until his final days in office.



He cited three reasons behind the President's relatively high approval rating in the last months of his term.



"First of all, enthusiastic supporters of Moon categorized as those in their 40s, those from Honam (meaning Gwangju and South and North Jeolla provinces) and white-collar workers will hardly break away from Moon but strongly unite behind him," Bae said. "Secondly, the exceptional situation of the COVID-19 pandemic added to support for Moon, with more people showing support for a leader in a time of crisis. Lastly, those of the liberal bloc who supported former President Roh Moo-hyun, whom Moon worked for as chief presidential secretary, are supporting him as they see Moon as the successor to Roh," he added.



Political commentator Park Sang-byong said he does not see calls for "regime change" gaining momentum, although more people said they want this in recent polls.



In another Gallup poll conducted on 1,008 adults, Oct. 25 and 26, about 53 percent said they believe an opposition candidate should be elected president to replace the current one, while 37 percent wanted the current ruling bloc to remain in power.



In a poll of 2,525 adults conducted from Nov. 1 to 5 by Realmeter, 46 percent of respondents said they support the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), while 25.9 percent backed the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). The PPP's support was the highest since the 2016 corruption scandal that ousted former President Park Geun-hye  who was from the predecessor to the PPP  took place.



"It is natural that people express discontent with the current ruling bloc when it comes to a five-year, single-term presidency system," Park said. "The ratio of those calling for a regime change should be about 80 percent to be regarded as high and actually leading to a regime change."



People wait in long lines to go through COVID-19 testing at a temporary testing center in Seoul's Songpa District, Thursday. Yonhap

Park said he believes Moon could be the first Korean president to finish his term without suffering from a lame duck period.



"Many supporters of the country's liberal bloc still believe that Moon's reform policy drives have had effects. Other than the real estate policy failures, there has not been a critical hit against Moon, and many believe the President has been doing well in other sectors such as his dealing with the pandemic," Park noted.



"Furthermore, for a lame duck period to come, the main opposition party should play the role of an alternative political force. But few people see the main opposition PPP as an alternative even though they are disappointed with the current ruling bloc. Public officials are showing no signs of turning their back on the ruling bloc, which is often observed in the first phase of a lame duck period."




Yoon Suk Yeol delivers his speech after being chosen as presidential election candidate of the main opposition People Power Party in Seoul, Nov. 5. AP-Yonhap



Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential nominee of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), has said he is open to meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a summit but is not interested in doing it "for show."



Yoon made the remark during an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Sunday, saying a summit should be held when it is expected to lead to concrete results.



"I will always leave it open, but I won't do it for show," Yoon said when asked about the possibility of an inter-Korean summit in the event he is elected president on March 9.



"Doing something for show ahead of local elections doesn't suit me. If you're not honest, it's bound to show soon. When you can fully expect there to be actual progress, then you can have a summit," he said.



Yoon, a former prosecutor general under President Moon Jae-in, accused the current administration of having "no commitment" to denuclearizing North Korea.



"If we, as a country directly involved, are not committed to denuclearization, how can we win international cooperation?" he said. "I will pursue a clear principle on denuclearization in cooperation with the international community."






People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl, center, walks into the Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak District, Seoul, to pay respect to deceased veterans, Monday. Yonhap



By Nam Hyun-woo



The hostility between President Moon Jae-in and People Power Party (PPP) presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl is apparently still evident, with the presidential office showing an awkward response to the candidacy of Yoon, who was Moon's first prosecutor general.



Cheong Wa Dae had, as of Monday, yet to release a direct message from Moon on the selection of Yoon as the PPP's presidential candidate, Friday.



"So far, there is no plan to release a message on Yoon's PPP primary victory," a presidential official said.



Instead of congratulating him, the office is considering sending flowers to all opposition candidates  Yoon, minor opposition conservative People's Party presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo and minor opposition progressive Justice Party candidate Sim Sang-jeung  through a presidential secretary.



This is in contrast to when the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) selected its candidate Lee Jae-myung, Oct. 10. At the time, the presidential office released a congratulatory message from Moon just hours after Lee was named following the party primaries.



Following the message, Moon met Lee, Oct. 26, with the meeting widely interpreted as a recognition of Lee as the successor to the Moon administration.



There have been precedents of incumbent presidents congratulating the nomination of the main opposition party's flag bearer.



In 2012, when Moon was nominated as the presidential candidate of the main opposition Democratic United Party, a DPK predecessor, then-President Lee Myung-bak immediately delivered his congratulations through a presidential spokesperson. In 1997, President Kim Young-sam phoned then-National Congress for New Politics candidate Kim Dae-jung a day after his primary victory and congratulated him.



Cheong Wa Dae explained Moon congratulated the DPK candidate Lee as a party member, but the office's silence on Yoon's candidacy is interpreted as an expression of displeasure.





President Moon Jae-in speaks to then-Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl at Cheong Wa Dae after appointing him to the top prosecution post in this July 25, 2019, photo. Yoon is now the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party. Yonhap
Presidential candidates Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, left, and Yoon Seok-youl of the main opposition People Power Party / Yonhap









By Kang Seung-woo







Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and Yoon Seok-youl of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) have won their parties' nominations as the candidates for next year's presidential election, but their respective primaries showed that they both have the task of raising their low popularity among the general public.







In light of both candidates' low approval ratings, the election, scheduled for March 9, 2022, is feared to end up a choice between the lesser of two evils.







In that respect, Lee, who is being plagued by a land development speculation scandal, and Yoon, who failed to win support from young voters in the primary, are seeking to improve their images as grassroots-friendly candidates, while appealing to young voters.







Lee, the former governor of Gyeonggi Province, was elected as the DPK's presidential candidate in October by garnering 50.29 percent of the total votes in the primary.







However, despite earlier expectations of a landslide victory, Lee, 56, narrowly managed to win with a slight majority of votes in the primary, after suffering a sobering defeat to his rival Lee Nak-yon  28.3 percent to 62.3 percent  in a third poll of the general public conducted by the party. The results came after the land development scandal had come to the fore.







As for Yoon, the 60-year-old career prosecutor is also facing derision for being "the candidate chosen by party members," rather than by the public.






By Shin Yeol-woo



In July, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) made a unanimous decision to raise Korea's status from a developing economy to a developed one. This was the first such upgrade ever made since the establishment of UNCTAD 57 years ago. Praising Korea for being a model case of growth in all domains from economy to culture, UNCTAD expressed its hopes for Korea to play a bridging role between developed economies and developing ones.



While we all have our own interpretations, this moment surely counts as one of the key milestones in the nation's history, because the global community formally acknowledged Korea's status as a developed economy. So 2021 may well be remembered as the first year of the Republic of Korea as a developed economy. As such, the first Firefighting Day (Nov. 9) we celebrate as a developed economy offers an opportune occasion to reflect on the present and the future of the nation's fire service.



One of the top duties of a government is to protect the life and property of its citizens, and firefighting is one of the most essential means of doing so. But most countries in their early stages of growth struggle to make an adequate investment in firefighting capacity. Korea was no exception, but thanks to its rapid economic growth and in response to a series of severe disasters, Korea's fire service has witnessed remarkable development.



As of now, Korea has over 60,000 personnel engaged in the fire service, with a goal to increase the number to 70,000. It also has over 7,000 fire engines and 31 fire helicopters positioned all around the country. Such mission-ready capacity allows us to reach any scene of disaster within just seven minutes on average.



Korea's fire service is also responsible for leading the nation's emergency response to disasters, forming one of the most effective fire service-led systems in the world. For all types of disasters, from receiving emergency calls to timely communication with related organizations such as the police and conducting rescue operations on the scene, fire authorities command, coordinate, and control disaster response efforts. The situation management system for supporting its operations is also world-class, thanks to Korea's cutting-edge information and communication technologies.



The Korean fire service is also an active member of the global community. Classified by the U.N.'s International Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) as "heavy" grade in its capability, a Korea Disaster Relief Team has been dispatched overseas 17 times since 1997 to support disaster response efforts in foreign nations. In addition to providing education and training to emergency rescue workers from developing nations since 2005, we're also sending used fire trucks and ambulances to such nations.



For Korean citizens abroad, there's an emergency medical service helpline. If our citizens, while travelling, working, studying, or living abroad, sustain an injury or illness, they can reach us via telephone, e-mail or social network services. The fire service's emergency medical specialists are available for support 24/7.



The fire service has also played an important role in Korea's successful fight to control the spread of COVID-19 and facilitate the rapid vaccination of the population. We have been responsible for transporting patients safely and our paramedics have supported vaccination centers all over the country, even providing disaster relief vehicles for the comfort of medical staff.



So it would be no exaggeration to say that, just like K-pop, K-culture and K-quarantine, the level of Korea's fire service too is that of a developed economy. And yet, we have so much more work to do, especially to prepare ourselves against future risks such as the climate crisis and other pandemics. In particular, we ought to accelerate the application of future technologies such as big data, robotics, drones, IoT and AI in firefighting.



And through such innovations, on this 59th Firefighting Day, we hope "K-fire service" will have an even stronger footing with its disaster response system empowered by the latest technologies, to serve the world at large.





Shin Yeol-woo is commissioner of the National Fire Agency.


More efforts needed to get back to normal life



Worries are growing over the increasing number of new infections and deaths from COVID-19. The upsurge had been anticipated since the nation shifted to the "Living with COVID-19" plan from Nov. 1. At stake is how to get people to return to normal life without resorting to strict quarantine and distancing rules again. If necessary, the government should administer booster vaccine shots to increase the effectiveness of inoculations against the coronavirus.



New infections of COVID-19 reached 1,760 Sunday, raising the total caseload to 381,694. Though the figure represented a decrease from the previous day's 2,224 and the first fall in numbers to below 2,000 in six days, it was mainly due to fewer tests being given over the weekend. Since the adoption of the new virus management system, the number of daily infections has mostly remained in the 2,000 range, even reaching 3,000 once.



The health authorities expect the situation will stabilize in due time should the vaccinations take effect and the new system take root, even though the number of new infections and deaths will increase for a while. More than 41.52 million people or 80.9 percent of the population has received at least one vaccine shot so far, while 76 percent of the population have been fully vaccinated.



Yet the situation does not seem to be so favorable. For starters, the reproduction index stood at 1.2, Sunday, the highest since mid-July, heralding a surge in infections. Also the number of critically ill patients has continued to increase, reaching 409. Thirteen more deaths were confirmed, lifting the death toll to 2,980 with the fatality rate standing at 0.78 percent.



The health authorities said the present medical system can deal with a maximum 5,000 daily new infections under the "Living with COVID-19" regime. Experts, however, warn that the number of daily new patients will soon reach 5,000 or more sometime this month, prompted by the rapid rise in mobility and contacts under the new quarantine scheme.



Recent overseas cases give a warning that the nation might face an ever serious situation. Given this, it is desirable for the government to issue an administrative order to secure sufficient hospital beds in Seoul and its metropolitan region to accommodate up to 10,000 new patients a day. Securing enough hospital beds is especially significant under the new system focusing on caring for critically ill patients.



On Saturday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said the number of new infections in Europe recently reached a record level and up to 500,000 more people could die by February. It pointed to low vaccination rates coupled with eased quarantine measures as the reason for the aggravating situation. We need to learn a lesson from the European case and make combined efforts to minimize all possible damage.



Even if 90 percent of the people get fully vaccinated, several millions of people have yet to get their shots. The majority of those dying were found to be among those who did not get vaccinated. While speeding up the vaccination of adults, the health authorities should make more efforts to vaccinate teenagers as well, ahead of the reopening of in-person classes from Nov. 22. People should also maintain the basic personal hygiene practices of washing their hands, wearing masks and staying away from social gatherings.


Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Hong Nam-ki speaks during a meeting on economic security at the government complex in Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap



By Baek Byung-yeul



As the Nov. 9 (14:00 KST) deadline set by the U.S. government approaches, Samsung Electronics is set to respond to requests from the U.S. Department of Commerce for semiconductor chip supply chain information, a top industry executive said, Monday.



The U.S. has requested that global semiconductor companies voluntarily submit key information about their business operations there.



But as widely expected, Samsung won't disclose highly classified and confidential information specifically about its "key customers," in its soon-to-be-filed response to the U.S.'s request, the executive said.



On Monday afternoon, foundry chip king Taiwan's TSMC released its statement that it had submitted its answers to the questionnaire issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Of note is that TSMC didn't disclose any of its classified information.



Regarding the remark by the executive, a Samsung Electronics official said that the company is "closely communicating with the government regarding providing information to the U.S. government."



Officials and industry sources said that the U.S. Department of Commerce accepted repeated requests by major chipmakers related to scaling down the information that it had been seeking. The chipmakers that have been requested to comply have been claiming that any release of client-related data will hurt its partnerships, which will bring a grave negative impact on their businesses.



The Department of Commerce's "wanted items"  from chipmakers including Samsung, SK, TSMC as well as carmakers  included sales numbers, inventories and lists of customers.



Washington elaborated that the request for information comes in response to the global chip supply shortage, which has caused severe production disruptions for major carmakers there. The U.S. said that the submission of such information should be voluntary, but Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo warned industry executives that her department may invoke the Defense Production Act (DPA) or other available measures to enforce compliance.



As Korea is one of the leading semiconductor countries, local experts responded sensitively to the U.S. demand. They also urged the Korean government to ask Washington to prevent the information submitted by Korean companies from being used within the minimum range and leaked to third parties.



Another expert in Korea said that there is no need to over-interpret the U.S. government's demand for information disclosure.



"The purpose of the U.S. request for data seems to be more focused on checking the supply chain, related to the difficulties of carmakers struggling due to the shortage of semiconductors for vehicles, than to the semiconductor market itself," said Kim Yang-paeng, a researcher at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade.



"The U.S. has a greater purpose of wanting to know where bottlenecks, such as the lack of automotive chips, occurred. It would be unreasonable to expand the scope to China. If China manufactures quality chips and has a lot of influence in the global market, we could talk about it, but China is positioned as a buyer or consumer of the supply chain in the chip industry," the researcher added.



The South Korean government is directly and indirectly involved in discussions with senior U.S. government officials to limit the scope of the data disclosed, out of fears that any such disclosures could result in the leakage of proprietary secrets. South Korea is home to the world's top two memory chipmakers: Samsung and SK. Amid the protracted global semiconductor shortage, chips are considered a core national security item.



Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki held high-profile meetings with senior U.S. government officials seeking to clarify Korea's stance. Industry Minister Moon Sung-wook is also set to visit Washington, D.C. this week. During his three-day trip starting Tuesday, the minister is scheduled to meet Raimondo and ask for increased cooperation in chip supply chain issues and with the Department of Commerce's information disclosure request.






By Yi Whan-woo







Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum will visit the headquarters of POSCO in Seoul, Wednesday, to seek the support of the country's leading steelmaker for a project he started to have private companies to hire young jobseekers.







The "Youth Hope ON" project was initiated by Kim after he took office in May, in conjunction with four other business groups  Samsung Electronics, LG, SK and KT  already pledging to create 108,000 jobs over the next three years.







Industry sources expect the prime minister will meet POSCO CEO Choi Jeong-woo on Wednesday.







The sources noted Kim previously met chiefs of Samsung, LG, SK and KT to ask for their help to expand the "Youth Hope ON" project.







Kim hopes to meet Chairman Chung Eui-sun of Hyundai Motor Group, the country's second-largest conglomerate after Samsung, in the near future.







During his inauguration speech in May, Kim promised to "share the joys and sorrows with the young generation who are struggling harder than ever" to find jobs.







He pledged all-out efforts by relevant ministries to offer quality jobs.







In accordance with the "Youth Hope ON" project, Samsung has promised to create 30,000 new jobs, LG 39,000 jobs, SK 27,000 jobs and KT 12,000 jobs.







Samsung also plans to invest 240 trillion won ($204.9 billion) and add 40,000 jobs over the next three years.







LG will invest 150 billion won into start-ups and expand the number of university programs that the company funds.







SK will focus on creating jobs in its leading business areas, such as batteries, semiconductors and biopharmaceuticals.


An actual image of GV70 / Yonhap



By Kim Yoo-chul



Hyundai Motor is considering manufacturing its automated GV70 electric vehicle (EV) model at its plant in the United States from as early as next year, sources and officials said Monday.



They said the South Korean carmaker's plant in the U.S. state of Alabama will be in charge of manufacturing the GV70 and added product delivery to Hyundai's authorized vehicle dealers there will start in September. Currently, two Genesis EV models  the G80 and GV60  are commercially available.



The GV70 was unveiled last year. Only diesel and gas engines are available for the GV70, with the fully electric version coming next year.



"As small EV SUVs and sedan-sized EVs are already available in the United States, Hyundai's mid-sized SUV EV  the GV70  is ideally positioned to appeal to U.S. consumers with the company's move to localize EV output. Compared to other models, the GV70 is the right EV model range," an official said. The GV70's sales price starts at $41,000, while the EV version is likely to be more without subsidies from regional governments.



Investors' primary focus is which EV model Hyundai will introduce in the United States next year, as the group said earlier it would start producing EVs there in 2022. Its Ioniq 5 and Kona-branded EV have been delisted from its EV debut model in the United States, according to the sources and officials.



"It's nothing new that Hyundai Motor plans to manufacture EVs in the United States. However, regarding the specific model and the timing of manufacturing, nothing has been decided yet," a Hyundai Motor official said.



Hyundai Motor has been planning to invest $7.4 billion in the United States by 2025. A large amount of the planned spending will go directly into the facility in Montgomery, Alabama, which is considered as a hub backing up its shift for EVs. Other undisclosed amounts will go into robotics and urban air mobility.








In this 2020 October file photo, passengers walk through Salt Lake City International Airport in Salt Lake City, Utah. AP-Yonhap



The United States reopens its land and air borders Monday to foreign visitors fully vaccinated against COVID-19, ending 20 months of restrictions on travel from around the globe that separated families, hobbled tourism and strained diplomatic ties.



The ban, imposed by former president Donald Trump in early 2020 and upheld by his successor Joe Biden, has been widely criticized and become emblematic of the upheavals caused by the pandemic.



The restrictions were particularly unpopular in Europe and U.S. neighbors Canada and Mexico.



In an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, U.S. borders were closed after March 2020 to travelers from large parts of the world, including the European Union, Britain and China, India and Brazil. Overland visitors from Mexico and Canada were also banned.



The months of restrictions affecting hundreds of millions of people helped fuel both personal and economic suffering brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.



"It's been so hard," Alison Henry, 63, told AFP. "I just want to see my son."



The British woman plans to fly Monday to see her son in New York, after 20 months of separation.



Families on both sides of the Atlantic are eager to finally reunite with their loved ones.



Although travel from the United States to Europe has been possible since the summer, foreign US residents holding certain visas have had no guarantee of being able to reenter the country.



To cope with surging demand, airlines have increased the number of transatlantic flights and plan to use larger planes, as they work their way out of the pandemic crisis.



Along the border with Mexico, many cities in the US states of Texas and California have faced economic struggles due to anti-COVID trade restrictions.



Meanwhile, Canadian seniors will be able to resume their annual car trips to Florida to escape the bitter northern winters.



But the cost of the PCR tests Canada is requiring for cross-border travel  up to $250 a pop  can be prohibitive.



Ann Patchett, an Ontario resident, told the Ottawa Citizen that it will cost $500 for her and her husband to go south to visit family.



"Do you want to hug your children? Do you want to tuck your grandchildren into bed?... It's very frustrating," she said.



New York congressman Brian Higgins, whose district touches the Canadian border and includes the US side of Niagara Falls, plans to hold a news conference Monday with mayors from both countries to urge Canada to drop its testing requirement.





A vehicle prepares to cross the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Nov. 7. AFP-Yonhap
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, center, walks with officials at the Port of Newcastle during a visit to the Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia, Nov. 8. EPA-Yonhap



Australia said Monday it will sell coal for "decades into the future" after spurning a pact to phase out the polluting fossil fuel to halt catastrophic climate change.



More than 40 countries pledged to eliminate coal use within decades during the COP26 UN climate summit in Glasgow, which aims to cap the warming of Earth since the Industrial Revolution to between 1.5 and 2.0 degrees Celsius.



Australia, along with some other major coal users such as China and the United States, did not sign up.



"We have said very clearly we are not closing coal mines and we are not closing coal-fired power stations," Australian Minister for Resources Keith Pitt told national broadcaster ABC.



Defending Australia's decision, Pitt said Australia had some of the world's highest quality coal.



"And that is why we will continue to have markets for decades into the future. And if they're buying... well, we are selling."










France's Catholic Church agreed on Monday to financially compensate sex abuse victims in what the president of the country's Bishop Conference hailed as a "decisive step."







Conference President Eric de Moulins-Beaufort said in a speech that the Church has recognized its "institutional responsibility" and decided to go "on a path of recognition and reparation that paves the way for victims to get the possibility of a mediation and a compensation."







The Bishops Conference held its annual meeting a month after a report revealed large-scale child sex abuse within the French Catholic Church.







The study released by an independent commission estimated that some 330,000 children were sexually abused over 70 years by priests or other church-related figures.







"We felt disgust and horror inside us when we realized how much suffering so many people had lived and were still living," Moulins-Beaufort said.







The bishops acknowledged the church's responsibility that implies financial compensation because the commission "strongly suggested that path'' but also because ''worshippers full of shame were expecting it from us," he said.







Moulins-Beaufort did not provide details about the amount of the compensation and how the church intends to pay.







The report published last month described "systemic" coverup of abuses by the Catholic Church, and urged the church to respect the rule of law in France.







It said the tally of 330,000 victims includes an estimated 216,000 people abused by priests and other clerics, and the rest by church figures such as Scout leaders and camp counselors. The estimates were based on a broader research by France's National Institute of Health and Medical Research into sexual abuse of children in the country.







France is a traditionally Roman Catholic country, but adheres to a strict form of secularism in public life based on a 1905 law separating church and state. (AP)






Protesters attend a demonstration against the fossil fuel industry during the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP26), in Glasgow, Scotland, Nov. 7. Reuters-Yonhap



Governments will push for agreement on Monday on how to help vulnerable countries deal with global warming and compensate them for damage already done, a test of whether developing and rich nations can end a standoff over cash for climate change.



At the start of a crunch week for the U.N. climate talks in Glasgow, government ministers will get down to the nitty gritty of trying to honor earlier promises to pay for climate-linked losses and damages and addressing questions of how best to help nations adapt to the effects of climate change.



Britain, which is hosting the COP26 meeting, will again try to set the pace, announcing 290 million pounds ($391 million) in new funding, including support for countries in the Asia Pacific to deal with the impact of global warming.



That will come, the British government says, on top of the "billions in additional international funding" already committed by rich countries such as the United States, Japan and Denmark for adaption and resilience in vulnerable nations, many of which have experienced the worst effects of climate change.



But while developing countries want more money to help them adapt to higher temperatures that have caused more frequent droughts, floods and wildfires, developed nations have encouraged finance to go towards cutting emissions.



"We must act now to stop climate change from pushing more people into poverty. We know that climate impacts disproportionately affect those already most vulnerable," said Anne-Marie Trevelyan, who was appointed by the British government to focus on adaptation and resilience.



"We are aiming for significant change that will ultimately contribute to sustainable development and a climate resilient future for all, with no one left behind," she added in a statement.









After a week when many pledges were made and richer countries were accused by some developing nations of breaking past promises, Monday's session will focus on ministers' arguments on dealing with adaptation, loss and damage.





Alok Sharma, president of the COP26 summit, speaks on Energy at the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Nov. 4. AP-Yonhap
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
Magnolia, AR (71754)

Today

Cloudy early followed by heavy thunderstorms this afternoon. High 67F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then becoming clear after midnight. Low 42F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
In the early hours of Tuesday, 26 October, social and indigenous organisations, as well as workers unions in Ecuador began a new day of protest against the economic policies of President Guillermo Lasso. The demonstrations were called by the Ecuadorian indigenous sector, the Unitary Workers Front (FUT) (the largest union in the country), the Popular Front (FP), and the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (CONAIE).

Organisations such as the Federation of University Students of Ecuador and the National Confederation of Peasant, Black, and Indigenous Organisations, among others, joined the call. According to the convening bodies, the national strike is to reject the increase in fuel prices, announced by President Guillermo Lasso, while the country is plagued by economic problems, political tensions, and an increase in insecurity. The protests demand fair economic and social policies for workers and the lower-income sectors. Some of the demands include freezing the price of fuel and support for the Labour Code project, recently presented to the Legislature by the FUT, as well as a rejection of the proposed Law for the Creation of Opportunities.

The national strike implies a challenge for the authorities within the framework of the state of emergency decreed last week by the president. The measure, adopted for 60 days to combat crime and drug trafficking in the streets, enables the Armed Forces to collaborate with the National Police in controlling internal security, something that will undoubtedly be used against social protests. The president also stated last week that he will not tolerate acts of violence, and that he has the support of the Armed Forces. On Friday, 22 October, the president reversed monthly increases on fuel prices: a decision that generated uproar among the opposition and a large part of society. However, the working-class, peasant, and indigenous movements pointed out, before backing down on the increase, the president applied a hike of 21 cents per gallon in the case of diesel and five cents on gasoline. Thus, the price was set at $2.55 a gallon for the regular extra gasoline and $ 1.90 for diesel.

For their part, peasants from the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) blocked the roads in ten of the 24 Ecuadorian provinces, on the second day of protests against the president's measures. The protesters blocked the passage of vehicles in Pichincha, Imbabura, Cotopaxi, Carchi, Los Rios, and Guayas. Meanwhile, that night, Lasso invited CONAIE to talk at the Carondelet Palace on 10 November. However, the organisation decided to extend the protest, which was mainly driven by the rise in fuel prices. Some 37 detainees, five wounded police officers, and two soldiers detained by the protesters were the balance of the first round of demonstrations, according to the government.

For their part, civil organisations suggested that this would be only the first of several rounds of protest if the president does not listen to their demands. Blockades against the city of Quito are not ruled out if the national government does not understand that it must back down in its policies that have hit the majority of the Ecuadorian people (...) We do not rule out new actions in the course of the month and in the first days of November, said Nelson Erazo, president of the Popular Front, which brings together various social sectors.

The mobilisations have also brought to light the division between CONAIE and its political wing, Pachakutik. The election of Leonidas Iza as CONAIE leader at its seventh congress in July represents a certain shift to the left of this important organisation. During the second round of the presidential elections in April, Iza publicly opposed Pachakutik candidate Yaku Perez's line of supporting the banker Lasso to prevent the victory of the Arauz (former left-wing president Rafael Correa's preferred candidate).

After only five months in power, the conservative Guillermo Lasso is facing serious economic and political problems / Image: Asamblea Nacional del Ecuador, Wikimedia Commons

Now, CONAIE has publicly disavowed the Pachakutik legislators for having agreed to negotiate with President Lasso on the rise in fuel prices, and in its national general meeting it agreed to use indigenous justice to sanction the assembly members who had dialogued with the government.

The protests take place precisely two years after the October 2019 insurrectionary uprising against the government of Lenin Moreno. On that occasion, the masses forced the president to flee from Quito and threatened to seize power by installing a People's Assembly. However, at the last minute, the CONAIE leaders (including Leonidas Iza himself) reached an agreement with Moreno that deactivated the mobilisation.

Two important factors played a role in the betrayal of that movement, and it is important to draw the necessary conclusions from this experience. On the one hand, the sectarianism of the CONAIE leaders towards correismo, which in the end led them to fall into the arms of Moreno. Second, and most importantly, the CONAIE leaders did not have, nor do they now have, a perspective for the seizure of power. As a consequence, in a situation in which the question of power was raised (who governs, the president and the National Assembly; or the workers and peasants through the People's Assembly?), not wanting to resolve it led them to keep in power the hated Lenin Moreno, whose hands were stained with the blood of the people due to the repression of the movement.

After only five months in power, the conservative Guillermo Lasso has several problems. Added to the economic and social conflict is the prison crisis, which already caused 1,900 deaths this year; the wave of violence and contract killings that ended the life of the athlete Alex Quinonez, one of the best sprinters in the world who was shot to death; and the legal complaints stemming from the discovery of his offshore companies, that revealed how he allegedly hid assets in tax havens, and for which the president faces three parallel investigations.

Pandora Papers

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has released the largest-ever leak about offshore operations. The source of the work includes more than 14 law firms who specialise in the creation of financial companies in tax havens; these firms have different clients in various parts of the world. This work saw the participation of more than 600 journalists from all over the world, belonging to 117 media outlets who analysed different types of files, submitting them to rigorous analysis to reveal the manoeuvres made by public figures with the intention of evading taxes in their countries.

Some 35 heads and former heads of state appear in the Pandora Papers. From Latin America and the Caribbean, there are 14 heads and former heads of state such as the president of Chile, Sebastian Pinera (and some of his sons); from Ecuador, President Guillermo Lasso; from the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, as well as other ex-presidents; from Colombia, Cesar Gaviria and Andres Pastrana; from Honduras, Porfirio Lobo; from El Salvador, Alfredo Cristiani and Francisco Flores; from Paraguay, Horacio Cartes; from Peru, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski; from Panama, Juan Carlos Varela, Ricardo Martinelli, and Ernesto Perez Balladares; and from Haiti, Laurent Lamothe. According to the ICIJ, in an era of increasing authoritarianism and inequality, the Pandora Papers investigation provides an unrivaled perspective on how money and power (read, capitalism) operates in the 21st century, and how the rule of law has been bent and broken throughout the world by a system of financial secrecy enabled by the United States and other wealthy nations.

From Latin America and the Caribbean there are 14 heads and former heads of state appearing in the Pandora Papers, including Ecuador President, Guillermo Lasso / Image: public domain

In Ecuador, President Guillermo Lasso is involved in a political crisis due to his ties with offshore companies and trusts in Panama; and in South Dakota and Delaware in the United States. The law prohibits candidates and public servants from having offshore accounts. The opposition has requested the resignation of the president. He faces his first scandal after coming to power on 24 May. At the beginning of his term, he had an approval rating of over 70 percent, and that has decreasing by 20 points according to the latest polls.

Ecuador's attorney general announced that it has opened a preliminary investigation against President Guillermo Lasso for tax fraud, after an opposition leader presented accusations against him related to the Pandora Papers leak, which points to Lasso as the creator of 14 financial companies in Panama and the United States. The president is also being investigated by the National Assembly, which has tasked a special commission to meticulously review the documentation and call the president, his wife, and one of his children to appear to explain the circumstances in which the 14 companies were opened. Lasso did not appear before the legislative commission and, instead, sent a letter in which he affirmed that he has clarified his compliance with his tax obligations in Ecuador. He also said he is willing to receive the members of the commission in the Presidential Palace to give explanations once all the relevant appearances have been held. Of the 14 financial companies, 11 are inactive and the president denies having any relationship to or benefit from the other three.

According to the president, in an interview with the newspaper El Universo, he detailed his alleged statements in recent years and stressed that he is one of the Ecuadorians who pays the most taxes. He claimed to have contributed 588 million dollars to the treasury in a personal capacity and through Banco Guayaquil, in which he is the majority shareholder. So, the president alleges that he took money abroad because national laws prevent bankers from investing in the country. At the end of 2017, two trusts were created in South Dakota, the Liberty Trust and the Bretten Trust, which were formed from the shares of the other companies already dissolved by Lasso. Nevertheless, he claims he does not  have any ownership, control, benefit, or interest relationship of any kind with these entities.

We recently wrote the following about the Pandora Papers leak:

[They] reveal what we already know; that those who hold the most wealth and power are also the most corrupt. The lengths they will go to in order to protect their money and privileges have been exposed countless times, most recently in the Panama Papers in 2016, followed by the Paradise Papers in 2017. This rotten capitalist society certainly does constitute a paradise for the rich, as they hide their wealth and avoid paying tax, using a combination of exclusive bank accounts, trusts and foundations in offshore financial centres. Notably, many of these measures are perfectly legal in the formal sense. The system itself is rigged in favour of the rich, who seek to enrich themselves further still. The super-rich seem to live in a different universe to the rest of us. Even when their companies collapse  condemning thousands of workers to destitution in the process  these bloated leeches continue to enjoy the lap of luxury The scale of this avarice and greed ultimately reflects the deep crisis of capitalism. The bourgeois class are not capable of carrying society forwards. They have become a fetter on human development through their parasitic tendencies: sitting on huge piles of money rather than investing it back into developing production for the betterment of mankind. The capitalist state is certainly a pandoras box full of corruption and scandal. This is no accident. It is a very conscious decision on the part of capitalists to use all the tricks at their disposal to maximise their privileges. It is clear that no matter what rules and reforms are put into place against offshore tax havens and the like, the rich will always find a way to escape the net The hypocrisy on display here is staggering. The capitalist class and its political representatives will continue to attack the poor and working class through cuts, austerity and privatisations, whilst at the same time bending over backwards to protect their own wealth and privilege. Only by overthrowing capitalism can we end the immense corruption and greed of the small minority, which continues with the impoverishment and suffering of the majority of humanity.

In Ecuador, this disparity between the wealth of the few and suffering of the many is especially pronounced. Poverty stands at 35 percent, and extreme poverty at 14.2 percent. More than 5.6 million Ecuadorians survive on less than $84 a month. In rural areas, it reaches 47.9 percent of families. Malnutrition affects 26 percent of children up to five years old, figures that increase to 40 percent in rural areas.

The crimes of ruling elite have been thoroughly exposed by the Pandora Papers  as if any further evidence of their utter rottenness were needed. The Ecuadorian people must complete the tasks of the 2019 uprising, unite on a class basis to bring down Lasso and his filthy-rich clique, and run society in the interests of the worker and peasant masses.


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Though personnel costs make up more than three quarters of the citys spending, Donchez pushed back on cutting personnel as a way to decrease the citys debt. He said that the city currently employs 589, down from 670 in 2010, and that there is no more room to cut in City Hall. He also said cutting public safety personnel, which includes police, fire fighters and EMS and accounts for 52% of the citys total budget, is not advisable. Donchez is proposing putting $2 million in federal dollars toward covering part of the citys personnel costs next year.
Voting 357 for and 59 against, the House on Nov. 1 extends federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and makes its members eligible for the services and benefits provided to members of federally recognized tribes. Members of the tribe residing in Robeson, Cumberland, Hoke, and Scotland counties in North Carolina are deemed to be within the delivery area for such services. The Department of the Interior and the Department of Health and Human Services must develop, in consultation with the tribe, a determination of needs to provide the services for which members of the tribe are eligible. Interior may take land into trust for the benefit of the tribe. Finally, North Carolina must exercise jurisdiction over all criminal offenses committed, and all civil actions that arise, on North Carolina lands owned by, or held in trust for, the Lumbee Tribe or any dependent Indian community of the tribe unless jurisdiction is transferred to the United States pursuant to an agreement between the tribe and the state.
Voters cast their ballots for the 2021 Missoula Municipal Election as polls opened Tuesday night. Turnout for Tuesdays election was 44.5%, beating 2017s 43% figure. Voters have until 5:00 p.m. Nov. 3, to resolve errors if their ballot was rejected. Election results remain unofficial until Nov. 15 when they are brought before a board of officials for certification.
Regional

CBI court grants bail to ex-Assam CMs son Ashok in loan default case

Ashok Saikia

GUWAHATI, NOV 8 (PTI) | Publish Date: 11/8/2021 12:22:46 PM IST

A CBI court on Monday granted bail to Ashok Saikia, son of former Assam chief minister Hiteswar Saikia, who was arrested by the central investigating agency in connection with a case pertaining to the alleged default of a loan of over Rs 9 lakh 25 years ago.

Saikia walked out of the court premises here on getting the bail after spending a night in CBI custody.

He has been asked to appear before the court of the CBI special judicial magistrate on Tuesday, his advocate added.

Saikia was questioned by the CBI Guwahati team and arrested on Sunday on the basis of a non-bailable warrant issued against him for not appearing in the court despite summons in a loan default case.

Saikia, who is a businessman, had issued a statement through his elder brother on Sunday stating that he had taken a loan in 1996 from Assam State Co-operative Agriculture and Rural Development Bank Ltd (ASCARD), which he claimed to have repaid.

He also shared a purported letter from the then ASCARD general manager in-charge stating that no dues were pending.

The CBI team suddenly came to our house and said my loan is pending. I did not receive any notice from the CBI or the court. I do not know why the CBI has pushed me into a baseless and fictitious case. Only the CBI or the government will know this, the businessman said. His elder brother Debabrata Saikia, who is the Leader of Opposition in Assam Assembly, had shared the purported ASCARD certificate with the media on Sunday. It was issued by its then general manager in-charge H N Borah on October 28, 2015, and said that Ashok Kumar Saikia, the director of HPS India Pvt Ltd, had availed a loan of Rs 9,37,701 under the bridge loan scheme in 1996.

As per our letter Ref. No. ASCARDB (L/C) 192/2002/61 dated 14.09.2011 under the compromise settlement scheme he has fully repaid the dues - both principal and interest. Now his aforesaid loan is liquidated, the ASCARD certificate said. The authenticity of the said certificate could not be verified immediately.

Debabrata Saikia said, The CBI claimed that they had sent a notice. Our mother, who lives with Ashok, stays at home all the time and she said no notice came to us. Our advocate said that this case should not have been pursued at all. I do not know why such an old settled case is being raked up.

A senior Congress leader has alleged that CBI is being used by the BJP-led government at the Centre to harass the leader of the opposition in Assam after his statement on Saturday in connection with the claims of state BJP leaders on defection to the saffron party.

Saikia had said on Saturday that he will never join BJP after speculations became rife that he will do so. The speculations were floated just to demoralise Congress workers. The BJP is now using CBI to intimidate Saikia. It is tactic that the BJP adopts across the country, the Congress leader told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
International

Obama urging govts to act on climate

Former U.S. President Barack Obama arrives at an event during the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow Nov. 8.

GLASGOW, NOV 8 (AP) | Publish Date: 11/8/2021 12:19:10 PM IST

With pressure growing for decisive action out of this years UN climate talks, Barack Obama is bringing his political weight to bear Monday on negotiators for nearly 200 governments, urging them to greater ambition in cutting climate-wrecking emissions and dealing with the mounting damage.

The UN climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, is the former American Presidents first since he helped deliver the triumph of the 2015 Paris climate accord, when nations committed to cutting fossil fuel and agricultural emissions fast enough to keep the Earths warming below catastrophic levels.

Climate summits since then have been less conclusive, especially as the US under President Donald Trump dropped out of the Paris accord.

President Joe Biden has since rejoined.

Obamas appearance on the sidelines of the talks is meant to remind governments of the elation that surrounded the striking of the Paris accord, and urge them to more immediate, concrete steps to put the 2015 deal into action.

All of us have a part to play, all of us have work to do, all of us have sacrifices to make on climate, Obama told a session for island nations in the Pacific on Monday, including some whose existence is threatened by rising oceans as the Earth heats up.

But those of us who live in wealthy nations, those of us who helped to precipitate the problem of global warming, we have an added burden, he said.

Obama on Monday also was speaking to a bloc of nations pushing for stronger, quicker commitments, and joining a round table of younger leaders of climate-minded foundations, businesses, research and advocacy.

The two-week climate talks are at their midpoint, after President Joe Biden and scores of other global leaders launched the summit last week with pledges of action and calls for more.

Scientists say the urgency is fully as great as the speech-making at Glasgow conveys, with the planet a few years away from the point where meeting the goals set in the Paris accord becomes impossible, due to mounting damage from coal, petroleum, agriculture and other pollution sources.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-08 01:29:35|Editor: huaxia

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A new batch of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine donated by the Chinese government arrives at Kigali International Airport in Kigali, Rwanda, Nov. 7, 2021. Rwanda on Sunday received 300,000 doses of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine donated by the Chinese government, the second batch donated by China so far. (Xinhua/Ji Li)

KIGALI, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda on Sunday received 300,000 doses of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine donated by the Chinese government, the second batch donated by China so far.

"We are happy to receive this second batch which is again a sign of good collaboration and support from the Chinese government in our fight against this pandemic," Albert Tuyishime, the head of Disease Prevention and Control Department at Rwanda Biomedical Center, told reporters at Kigali International Airport.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, Rwanda has been working with the Chinese Government in terms of testing kits, treatment and vaccination deployment, according to the official.

In August, China donated the first batch of 200,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine that have been used to vaccinate Rwandans, contributing to the Rwandan government's target of vaccinating 60 percent of its population to protect them against the virus.

"We are taking China as one of the leaders in promoting this equitable distribution of vaccines for COVID-19," said Tuyishime. "And we are really encouraging others to step in so that we can have more countries accessing vaccines because we believe no one is really safe until we are all safe."

So far about 4 million people in Rwanda have received the first COVID-19 jab while about 2 million have been fully vaccinated, according to the Ministry of Health.

"China is happy to make a contribution toward Rwanda's vaccine rollout. The donation demonstrates solidarity and friendship between China and Rwanda," said Wang Jiaxin, the economic and commercial counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Rwanda, noting that China appreciates the measures taken by the Rwandan government to contain the virus and revitalize its economy.

He added China is willing to join hands with Rwanda to take the opportunity of celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties and also the upcoming session of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, to strengthen unity and coordination, further benefit the two peoples, and deepen China-Rwanda relationship even further in future cooperation.

The doses will be immediately dispatched to districts outside the Rwandan capital of Kigali and administered to eligible and priority community members, according to health officials. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-08 02:10:16|Editor: huaxia

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Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (1st, R) meets with visiting UN Special Envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen (2nd, R) in Amman, Jordan, on Nov. 7, 2021. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua)

AMMAN, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Sunday met UN Special Envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen and discussed efforts to achieve a political solution to the Syrian crisis.

During the meeting in Jordanian capital of Amman, Safadi emphasized the importance of systematic and effective action towards a political solution to the crisis, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

The minister said Jordan will continue its efforts, in cooperation with the UN, as well as regional and international partners, to preserve Syria's unity and cohesion, restore its security and stability, defeat terrorism, and create conducive conditions for the voluntary return of refugees.

The Jordanian official warned against the declining support for refugees and refugee-host countries, stressing that offering decent life for refugees is a shared responsibility for the international communities.

Pedersen lauded Jordan's humanitarian role in receiving Syrian refugees, expressing appreciation for Jordan's unceasing cooperation with the UN to resolve the crisis.

Also on Sunday, Safadi met Norway's Special Envoy for Iraq and Syria Hilde Haraldstad and discussed the latest developments in efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis and improve the situation in Iraq.

Safadi drew attention to the necessity of the international community's support for Iraqi government efforts to meet Iraqi people's aspirations and achieve security and stability in the country. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-08 02:25:25|Editor: huaxia

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Screen image taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Nov. 7, 2021 shows Chinese taikonaut Wang Yaping conducting extravehicular activities (EVAs) out of the space station core module Tianhe. Taikonauts Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping have been out of China's space station core module Tianhe by 8:28 p.m. (Beijing Time) Sunday to start EVAs, the China Manned Space Agency said. Zhai opened the hatch of Tianhe's node cabin at 6:51 p.m. This is the second time Zhai has performed EVAs, having completed China's first spacewalk 13 years ago during the Shenzhou-7 mission. Meanwhile, Wang's EVAs make her the country's first female astronaut to leave footprints in outer space. Donning China-developed new-generation Feitian spacesuits, the pair will conduct a series of extravehicular tasks with the aid of the mechanical arm, the agency noted. Ye Guangfu stayed inside to support his crewmates in completing the operations. (Photo by Guo Zhongzheng/Xinhua)

BEIJING, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Taikonauts Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping have completed their extravehicular activities (EVAs) and returned to the space station core module Tianhe, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on early hours of Monday.

The event was the third extravehicular mission conducted during the construction of the country's space station and the first by the Shenzhou-13 crew. It also marks the first EVAs in Chinese space history involving a female taikonaut, said the agency, which has declared Monday's EVAs a complete success.

The pair returned to the core module at 1:16 a.m. (Beijing Time) after 6.5 hours of extravehicular activities. They completed a series of extravehicular tasks.

The mission further tested the functions of the China-developed new-generation extravehicular spacesuits, the coordination between the taikonauts and the mechanical arm, and the reliability and safety of supporting equipment related to the EVAs, the CMSA noted.

China launched the Shenzhou-13 spaceship on Oct. 16, sending three taikonauts on a six-month mission to construct its space station. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-08 20:25:17|Editor: huaxia

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

The temporary halt of this vaccine mandate has delivered "a major blow for one of the White House's signature attempts to increase the number of vaccinations to corral the pandemic," reports The Washington Post.



NEW YORK, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. federal government's efforts to encourage widespread vaccination against COVID-19 have been challenged by some officials and experts, particularly since its vaccine mandate was formally introduced to large-scale businesses on Thursday.

The vaccination rule came as many communities are still struggling with limited health care staff and resources to help those who are currently battling COVID-19. The White House insisted the measures mean common good for the country and will be upheld no matter what the costs will be.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, nearly 755,000 people have died and over 45 million have been infected in the United States, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

U.S. President Joe Biden leaves the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Oct. 7, 2021. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

MAJOR BLOW

Three judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit who were appointed by Republican presidents ruled on Saturday to temporarily halt a mandate by President Joe Biden's administration that required employees of large companies to get vaccinated or undergo frequent testing.

The mandate requires employees of companies with a workforce of 100 or more to get fully vaccinated by Jan. 4 next year. Unvaccinated ones must submit weekly negative COVID-19 tests to enter the workplace after the deadline, and have to wear masks indoors at their workplaces starting Dec. 5 this year.

The order by the court said "there are grave statutory and constitutional issues with the mandate" and suspended the mandate "pending further action by this court."

This order has delivered "a major blow for one of the White House's signature attempts to increase the number of vaccinations to corral the pandemic," reported The Washington Post Saturday.

The Labor Department's top legal advisor said the administration was confident in its authority to issue the mandate and fully prepared to defend the rules.

The mandate will be enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), whose lawyer said it has the authority "to act quickly in an emergency where the agency finds that workers are subjected to a grave danger and a new standard is necessary to protect them."

A total of 223,245,121 people in the country have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, making up 67.2 percent of the whole U.S. population. Fully vaccinated people stood at 193,627,929, accounting for 58.3 percent of the total, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention updated on Sunday.

People walk on Lincoln Road in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the United States, Aug. 6, 2021. (Photo by Monica McGivern/Xinhua)

PARTY BACKLASH

Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has joined several other state officials in announcing plans to sue the administration over the new mandate.

"We started with 15 days to slow the spread and now it's get jabbed or lose your job," DeSantis said in a press release.

"There is no federal police power and the federal government cannot unilaterally impose medical policy under the guise of workplace regulation," he added.

Florida has banned counties from forcing their employees to get vaccinated, and school districts from universally enforcing mask mandates among students.

Republican officials from several other states have also announced plans to combat the mandate. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton tweeted he will announce his plan to sue "once this illegal, unconstitutional regulation hits the Federal Register."

Democratic Kansas Governor Laura Kelly came out against Biden's vaccine mandate, saying it is not the "most effective" or "correct" one for her state.

"Yesterday, I reviewed the new vaccine mandate from the Biden Administration. While I appreciate the intention to keep people safe, a goal I share, I don't believe this directive is the correct, or the most effective, solution for Kansas," she said in a statement Friday.

"It is too late to impose a federal standard now that we have already developed systems and strategies that are tailored for our specific needs," she added.

People ride scooters on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Oct. 25, 2021. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

DEBATE FROM WITHIN

The debate over mandatory vaccination policies even surfaced in the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a federal research agency that has led government efforts studying and battling COVID-19.

The agency's main bioethics department has scheduled for Dec. 1 a live-streamed roundtable session over the ethics of the mandate. The seminar is one of four agency-wide ethics debates this year, accessible to all of the NIH's nearly 20,000 staffers, as well as patients and the public, organizers say.

"There's a lot of debate within the NIH about whether (a vaccine mandate) is appropriate," said David Wendler, a senior NIH bioethicist who is in charge of planning the session.

Matthew Memoli, who runs a clinical studies unit within the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will make the case against the mandate at the roundtable session.

Memoli opposes mandatory COVID-19 vaccination with currently available shots. "I think the way we are using the vaccines is wrong," he said. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-08 23:30:21|Editor: huaxia

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Visitors learn about products at the booth of China-Belarus Industrial Park at the Trade in Services Exhibition Area of the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 7, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)

China is an important force in restarting the world economy under COVID-19, and China has demonstrated its leading role in international trade through platforms such as the CIIE, said Betty Alexandropoulou, executive director and member of the board of Enterprise Greece.

BEIJING, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- The fourth China International Import Expo (CIIE) is a great platform for businesses around the world, offering opportunities and contributing to boosting the global economic recovery, overseas experts and business leaders have said.

As the world's first dedicated import exhibition initiated in 2018, the CIIE is becoming more and more popular. A total of 50 enterprises and institutions signed up for the 5th CIIE on Saturday during the ongoing 4th CIIE in Shanghai.

People visit the booth of Port of Hamburg at the Trade in Services Exhibition Area of the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 8, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang)

Kosala Wickramanayake, president of the International Business Council in Sri Lanka, said that the CIIE provided Sri Lankan tea exporters with an opportunity to enter the Chinese market.

This year will be the fourth time for Sri Lanka to participate in the CIIE.

China has gradually become an important buyer of Ceylon tea, and it became Sri Lanka's fifth-largest tea export destination in 2020.

Betty Alexandropoulou, executive director and member of the board of Enterprise Greece, said that China is an important force in restarting the world economy under COVID-19, and China has demonstrated its leading role in international trade through platforms such as the CIIE.

Photo taken on Nov. 6, 2021 shows a booth displaying handmade woolen carpets from Afghanistan during the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Zhang Jiansong)

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)

John Edwards, British trade commissioner for China, said the CIIE was "a huge platform" for British businesses.

The Chinese market is extremely important for British businesses, he noted, adding many British businesses are participating in this year's import expo, and some of the firms got involved through a digital online pavilion.

Oguz Demir, associate professor of economics at the Istanbul Commerce University, said the CIIE provided a favorable platform for interactions among businesspeople from all over the world.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread and weigh on the world economy, trade remains an important engine for the growth of developing countries, he said.

People visit the "CIIE Fair" on the Nanjing Road pedestrian walkway in Shanghai, east China, Nov. 8, 2021. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)

Gustavo Girado, an Argentine China expert and economist at the National University of Lanus, said the CIIE will boost the global economy battered by the COVID-19 pandemic and provide significant opportunities for Latin American countries.

"Since a large number of global manufacturing activities depend on China, and its companies are part of global value chains, the CIIE is bound to be extremely important," he said, calling the Chinese market the "most dynamic market in the world." 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-08 23:39:33|Editor: huaxia

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-- After Afghan businessman Ali Faiz first showcased the woolen carpets at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) last year, the pieces raised interest among Chinese customers, and the orders he received brought income to Afghan families.



-- Like the woolen carpet makers in Afghanistan, businessmen from Syria, a country that has also suffered war and turmoil in recent years, are also exploring the Chinese market. The Dakka Kadima factory in Syria, which has a history of nearly 100 years, has found its market in China after participating in the CIIE.

-- The fourth CIIE attracted nearly 3,000 companies from 127 countries and regions, including 33 least developed countries. The annual fair has become a significant platform for foreign companies to boost exports to the massive Chinese market.





by Chen Yao, Li Laifang, Chang Yuan and Zhou Lin

SHANGHAI, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- At a 20-square-meter booth displaying delicate hand-made carpets at the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE), Afghan businessman Ali Faiz promoted the woolen commodities for his country fellows, hoping to improve their livelihoods via the Chinese market.

It was the second time he attended the expo, the world's first import-themed national fair in Shanghai. He brought over 70 carpets to the booth for sale and promotion.

"A lot of the logistics stopped, and we shipped the goods to a third country and then to China," said Faiz, who stocked about 3 tonnes of commodities for the expo, which opened last Thursday and will last until Wednesday.

After he first showcased the woolen carpets at the expo last year, the pieces raised interest among Chinese customers, and the orders he received brought income to Afghan families.

Photo taken on Nov. 6, 2021 shows a booth displaying handmade woolen carpets from Afghanistan during the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Zhang Jiansong)

The carpets come from more than a dozen towns in central and northern Afghanistan. It takes four people eight months to complete the weaving of each large one. And the sales of a large wool carpet can support a regular family for nearly a year in this war-torn country.

For these reasons, Faiz continues his participation in the expo despite difficulties. "When I bring the carpets here, I also bring the hope of people in my hometown with me," said Faiz.

To attract Chinese customers, some carpets also have Chinese cultural elements, such as the design of Chinese peony flowers.

Ali Faiz (R), a carpet merchant from Afghanistan, is seen at his booth at the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 5, 2021. (Xinhua/Wu Yu)

"The carpets are really of high quality and in line with our Chinese aesthetics," said a female Chinese customer, who came to know the booth through media reports and came to buy two pieces, one for herself and one for her friend.

Like the woolen carpet makers in Afghanistan, businessmen from Syria, a country that has also suffered war and turmoil in recent years, are also exploring the Chinese market through the CIIE.

Not far from the Afghan carpet booth, Aleppo soaps from Syria are neatly placed. Syrians bring this traditional commodity into China with the help of the CIIE's platform.

The centuries-old soap industry in the country was hit hard by the war, and many ancient soap shops were bombed.

Photo taken on Nov. 8, 2021 shows a staff member arranging soaps from Syria at the booth of Dakka Kadima during the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Liu Ying)

Fortunately, the Dakka Kadima factory, which has a history of nearly 100 years, has found its market in China.

"After participating in the second CIIE, our washing products, such as the soaps, quickly entered China's shopping malls, supermarkets, and e-commerce platforms," said Tarek Alshayb, head of Dakka Kadima China. At present, the sales volume in the China accounts for 25 percent of the company's total sales in the overseas market.

Rose essential oil from Damascus is also present at the import expo. Roula Ali-Adeeb, founder of the BioCham company, recalled her difficult years: a shipment of goods worth 200,000 euros was affected due to sanctions, and militants broke into the factory and kidnapped employees.

A visitor checks a Syrian essential oil product during the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 6, 2021. (Xinhua/Lu Peng)

In 2017, just as the company was in a difficult situation, several orders from China became the biggest source of revenue for the company that year. In 2018 and 2019, her continuous participation in the CIIE strengthened her determination to explore the Chinese market. Roula Ali-Adeeb expects to make progress "step by step" through the CIIE platform.

The fourth CIIE attracted nearly 3,000 companies from 127 countries and regions, including 33 least developed countries. The annual fair has become a significant platform for foreign companies to boost exports to the massive Chinese market.

"Personally speaking, I have studied and worked in China for seven years, and the country has offered me educational and entrepreneurial opportunities," Faiz said.

"I have received bunches of attention and warmth at the CIIE and in China," Faiz said.

He also hoped that bilateral trade between Afghanistan and China would continue developing, and more specialty products from Afghanistan would be exported to China. 

(Xinhua reporters Sun Qing, Qiang Lijing, Cao Yi, Wang Wen, Wu Yu and Wang Jingyuan contributed to the story. Video reporters: Sun Qing, Zhou Lin; Video editors: Wang Houyuan, Yin Le)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-08 19:02:30|Editor: huaxia

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KINSHASA, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- A group of unidentified fighters have seized several villages near the city of Goma, capital of North Kivu province in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since Monday morning, according to local security and civil society sources.

According to the sources, the group attacked an army position early Monday before taking control of several villages near the border with Uganda.

In Kinshasa, the DRC capital, security sources are talking about the possible presence of former rebels of the March 23 movement (M23), which was neutralized by government forces a few years ago.

Hundreds of local residents, including women and children, have crossed the border into Uganda for fear of the rebels' advance toward other cities in the region, according to local civil society.

The DRC government has not yet officially commented on the development Monday.

Security forces of North Kivu province have arrived at the city of Rutshuru, a few kilometers from the site of the clashes, to monitor the situation, according to local security sources who requested anonymity.

This latest attack came amid mounting violence in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, where armed groups such as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) have been active.

The M23 is a group of former rebels of the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP). The name came from the March 23, 2009, agreement between the CNDP and the Congolese government, which M23 leaders claimed had not been respected by the government. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-08 20:18:01|Editor: huaxia

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by Xinhua Writer Naftali Mwaura

NAIROBI, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Progress towards the realization of carbon neutrality in Africa has accelerated thanks to capital flows, technical and knowledge transfer to the continent facilitated by China, a Kenyan expert said on Monday.

Adhere Cavince, an international relations scholar noted that China has been in the frontlines of the transition to low carbon and sustainable development pathways in Africa, where climate change has taken a toll on livelihoods and vital ecosystems.

Adhere said in a commentary published by Capital FM, a local radio station news website that as Africa's largest partner and source of foreign direct investment, China has injected vitality into the continent's quest for climate resilience.

While observing that funding and technological bottlenecks have derailed Africa's green transition, Adhere hailed China's support towards the implementation of the continent's renewable energy programs.

"China has been the leading partner in the continent's desired to switch to solar and wind energy," Adhere wrote against a backdrop of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) underway in Glasgow, Scotland.

Quoting statistics from the International Renewable Energy Agency, Adhere observed that between 2009 and 2018, China upgraded solar capacity in Africa from 739 to 5,500 megawatts while wind energy installations during the same period jumped from 108 to 6,100 megawatts.

He said that a China-built 50-megawatt solar plant located in Kenya's eastern county of Garissa has increased the share of renewable energy to the national grid to 93 percent.

Adhere emphasized that concrete actions are required to realize a climate-resilient future for humanity.

He said that China's progressive actions ahead of COP26 that including launching a fund to promote biodiversity conservation and the pledge to discontinue financing coal plants abroad will revitalize climate response in the global south.

Adhere noted that China's climate stewardship nudged major economies to make tangible commitments at the ongoing COP26 to help developing countries withstand shocks related to a warming planet.

According to Adhere, the forthcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit in Dakar, Senegal, provides a platform to explore innovative ways the long-standing partners can reinvigorate the climate fight. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-08 21:10:03|Editor: huaxia

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Senegal's Foreign Minister Aissata Tall Sall speaks during an exclusive interview with Xinhua in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 4, 2021. (Photo by Demba Gueye/Xinhua)

DAKAR, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Senegal's Foreign Minister Aissata Tall Sall says her country has a responsibility to ensure that the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), scheduled to take place between November 29 and 30 in Dakar, is "a complete success".

In a recent exclusive interview with Xinhua, she noted that the FOCAC intends to "work on the next three years in terms of prospects" after the coronavirus pandemic.

African countries will see what China can offer on the resilience of their post-pandemic economies and on health support while continuing to relaunch major infrastructure programs to strengthen China-Africa cooperation, Sall said.

At the Dakar conference, both sides are also expected to address Africa's place within the Belt and Road Initiative. "I believe that this is a place that must be important in world trade," she said.

She believed that China could serve as an example for countries like Senegal and others in Africa while praising China's "extraordinary leap" forward in terms of the economic development and the people's well-being.

On China-Senegalese cooperation, the minister recalled that the two countries have a long-standing relationship. For Senegal, China has been a major partner in its various development sectors.

"We have specific examples when we talk about cooperation with China. Senegalese will talk to you about highways, sports, cultural infrastructure, all stadiums and the Museum of Black Civilizations. Many things have been done in the framework of cooperation", she said, hailing China as a great partner.

In February, China was the first country to supply Senegal with COVID-19 vaccines, followed by hospital equipments, Sall said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-09 00:59:38|Editor: huaxia

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KAMPALA, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of Congolese are fleeing fresh fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), crossing into Uganda, relief and military authorities said here on Monday.

Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS), a humanitarian agency, said Uganda is experiencing an influx of refugees from DRC via the Kisoro border.

"They are now camping at Bunagana border. Preliminary information indicates ongoing heavy fighting in DRC and one barracks taken over by the other forces," URCS said in a situation update.

"Fights started in Chanzu and Runyonyi near Virunga ranges forcing hundreds of people to run to Uganda," the statement added.

The relief agency said the refugees are going to be hosted at the Nyakabande transit center. Registrations of new arrivals have started.

"We are closely monitoring along our border with DRC and we are ready to deal with whatever comes," Geoffrey Sande, the spokesperson of the Second Division of the Uganda People's Defense Forces told Xinhua by telephone.

"But the security situation in Congo is worse. That is why we are seeing all these people coming to Uganda," he added.

Uganda is host to about 1.5 million refugees from neighboring DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Somalia, and Eritrea. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-09 02:45:51|Editor: huaxia

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KINSHASA, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) on Monday accused the March 23 Movement (M23) of conducting attacks in DRC's northeastern border region with Uganda, where violence has escalated since the beginning of this year due to presence of numerous armed groups.

The M23 attacked the military positions of Chanzu and Runyonyi, in North Kivu province, "with the intention of carrying out destabilizing actions and elsewhere in the province," the FARDC Chief of Staff Celestin Mbala Munsense said in a statement, adding that the fighting is still ongoing.

"The FARDC is determined to put an end once and for all to this armed group, which must be neutralized definitively," he said.

Yet Bertrand Bisimwa, M23's president, denied that his men had launched such attack in the region.

Though admitting M23's presence since 2017, Bisimwa claimed that his soldiers have avoided initiating "useless war" and that the M23 is "waiting impatiently the sincerity" of the DRC president Felix Tshisekedi to implement the outcomes reached by M23 and DRC's government during the peace talks for more than a year.

"However, we require that uncontrolled elements deployed in different government army positions in Rutshuru territory to put an end to the provocative acts they engage in malignantly," said Bisimwa.

According to Mbala Munsense, the resurgence of the M23 rebellion came at a time when DRC "is engaging with neighboring countries for the normalization of relations in order to improve the security situation in the sub-region for lasting peace and harmonious development of our countries".

Several FARDC's military positions in the region "have been attacked on the night from Sunday to Monday in a strategic area located on the border between the DRC and Uganda," confirmed Patrick Muyaya, spokesman for the DRC government.

The latest attack came amid mounting violence in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, where armed groups such as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) have been active.

Several villages in the area are now empty as their inhabitants, including women and children, have crossed the border into Uganda for fear of the rebels' advance in the region.

Security forces of North Kivu province have arrived in the city of Rutshuru, a few kilometers from the site of the clashes, to monitor the situation, according to local security sources who requested anonymity.

The last attack carried out by the M23 dates back to July 2020, according to Mbala Munsense.

"Faced with this situation, the FARDC have taken all measures to thwart this umpteenth incursion of the M23 on the Congolese soil," he said.

The M23 is a group of former rebels of the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP). The name came from the March 23, 2009, agreement between the CNDP and the Congolese government, which M23 leaders claimed had not been respected by the government. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-09 03:41:10|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian army announced on Monday the amendment of the security agreement with Israel, allowing for more Egyptian border guards along the border area in Rafah city, northeast of Cairo.

A joint military committee succeeded during a coordination meeting in amending the security agreement by increasing the number of border guards and their capabilities in the border area, the Egyptian army said in a statement.

"This comes within the framework of an international agreement to enhance the pillars of security in accordance with developments and changes," according to the statement.

This also comes in light of Egyptian efforts to preserve the Egyptian national security and the continuation of the efforts of the armed forces in controlling and securing the borders in the northeastern direction, the statement added.

Israel announced earlier in the day it has signed an amendment to the Camp David Accords together with the Egyptian military, allowing for strengthening forces there.

The amendment was approved by the Israeli State Security Cabinet, led by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

Rafah houses the crossing between Egypt and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Both Israel and Egypt maintain a strict blockade on the territory.

The Camp David Accords were signed by then Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin on Sept. 17, 1978.

These agreements led to the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt in 1979. It was the first peace treaty Israel signed with an Arab nation. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-09 07:23:40|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Monday called for time and space for goods offices to play out in Ethiopia.

China always supports African solutions to African problems. It welcomes the good offices of Olusegun Obasanjo, the African Union (AU) high representative for the Horn of Africa, and calls on all parties concerned and regional countries to provide full support to his work, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.

Likewise, China also welcomes the offer of good offices by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and expects enhanced coordination between the United Nations and the AU so they can work in concert to play a constructive role in promoting nationwide peace and reconciliation in Ethiopia, he told the Security Council.

"The international community, the Security Council, in particular, should give the time and space needed for the AU and others to carry out their good offices," said Zhang. "Using trade restrictions or cutting off aid as a means to exert maximum pressure on Ethiopia will only interfere with the political settlement, and will not help the parties resolve their conflicts and rebuild mutual trust."

The current situation in Ethiopia is the result of a combination of political, historical, ethnic, and other factors, the solutions of which can only be found from within. Regional countries and regional organizations know the best about the historical background and the present challenges in Ethiopia, and, therefore, can play a leading role in the political settlement of the Ethiopian issue, he said.

Humanitarian needs in Ethiopia are enormous. The international community should help Ethiopia improve its humanitarian response capacity and scale up relief delivery so that humanitarian assistance can, to the maximum extent possible, reach everyone in need. When providing humanitarian support to Ethiopia, there is a need to respect the country's sovereignty and leadership, follow the UN guiding principles for humanitarian actions and avoid politicizing humanitarian issues, he said.

All parties concerned in Ethiopia should fulfill their obligations under international humanitarian law; protect civilians, including foreign nationals; facilitate humanitarian relief operations; and prevent the further deterioration of the humanitarian situation, he added.

As a good friend of the people of Ethiopia, China sincerely hopes that all relevant parties in Ethiopia will put the interests of the country and its people first, keep calm, and exercise restraint to avoid further escalation of the situation. At the same time, China hopes they will commit to resolving conflicts and differences through political dialogue so as to create conditions for peace and reconciliation, said Zhang.

The Security Council issued a press statement on Friday on the situation in Ethiopia, calling for a cessation of hostilities and the commencement of political dialogue. China hopes all the relevant parties will respond positively, he said.

Ethiopia is a country with a long history and splendid civilization. At every historical juncture, the people of Ethiopia have been able to come together to defend the country's sovereignty, unity and long-term development, said Zhang. "We are confident that the people of Ethiopia have the capacity and wisdom to overcome the current challenges, maintain national unity, and move the country back to the right track of peace, stability, development and revitalization. China stands ready to work with the international community to continue to support the efforts of the people of Ethiopia." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-08 11:26:23|Editor: huaxia

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SINGAPORE, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat announced on Monday the launch of the National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Programme in Finance at the Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) and Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH) 2021.

The programme is a joint initiative by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the National AI Office (NAIO) at the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO). It aims to build deep AI capabilities within Singapore's financial sector to strengthen customer service, risk management, and business competitiveness.

While delivering an opening address for the SFF and SWITCH 2021, Heng said that the National AI Programme in Finance includes NovA!, an industry-wide AI platform for financial risk insights generation.

NovA! is a collaboration between Singapore-based banks and local FinTech firms. In the initial phase, NovA! will focus on helping financial institutions better assess companies' environmental impact and identify emerging environmental risks.

Heng said that over the next three decades, an estimated 100 trillion U.S. dollars of climate-aligned funding will be needed to achieve the Paris Agreement targets. NovA! will better enable financial institutions to assess these investments and their associated risks, and check against greenwashing.

The Deputy Prime Minister also launched the National AI Programme in Government at the event, which aims to improve public sector service delivery in several ways, such as the use of AI text analytics for better sensemaking of the large number of feedback received by the government's frontline agencies, and the use of AI for better job-matching on the national jobs portal.

The two programmes are part of Singapore's broader National AI Strategy, which also involves building a vibrant AI ecosystem for sustained innovation, and a strong commitment to AI research and development.

Singapore has been ranked first for AI publication impact, Heng said. To further increase its impact, Singapore is setting aside an additional 180 million Singapore dollars (about 133.2 million U.S. dollars) on top of the 500 million Singapore dollars committed so far, to accelerate fundamental and translational AI research.

The SFF and SWITCH 2021 are two marquee events hosted by Singapore for the global innovation community from Nov. 8 to 12. (1 U.S. dollar = 1.35 Singapore dollar) Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-08 13:46:36|Editor: huaxia

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DHAKA, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Vaccination drive in Bangladesh has so far reached 70 million doses, and the figure would top 120 million by January next year if current trend continues, Bangladeshi health minister Zahid Maleque has said.

Bangladesh has purchased a total of 210 million doses of the vaccines. Right at this moment, there is no shortage of supply, the minister said Sunday.

According to the minister, More than 30 million of the ordered vaccine doses are scheduled to reach the country by this month, and another 30 million doses will arrive in December.

Bangladesh's vaccination drive is currently running smoothly in the capital Dhaka and elsewhere, largely thanks to China's continued vaccine support, government officials said.

Bangladesh launched its COVID-19 vaccination drive in January this year to contain the pandemic that has spread across the country. However, the Bangladeshi government subsequently had to halt administering the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine after India suddenly banned vaccine exports.

In June, the vaccination drive resumed in parts of the country with the China-donated Sinopharm vaccines. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-08 16:23:45|Editor: huaxia

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ULAN BATOR, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia on Monday started organizing a national conference on forestry for the first time to explore ways to combat desertification, reduce land degradation, and plant more trees.

The week-long conference is being held under the auspices of Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, who has recently initiated a national tree-planting campaign to combat climate change and desertification.

Around 800 relevant officials, experts, scholars and researchers across the country are participating in the conference virtually or in person.

The participants are expected to discuss and exchange their views on afforestation and reforestation, desertification and land degradation, the development of agro-forestry, and public-private partnership in this area.

The Asian country has a total land area of 1,564,116 square kilometers but only 7.9 percent is covered by forests.

Around 77 percent of the country's total territory has been affected by desertification and land degradation, according to the country's ministry of environment and tourism. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-08 22:13:18|Editor: huaxia

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COLOMBO, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Six people were killed as heavy rains and strong winds swept across Sri Lanka since the weekend, triggering floods in several areas of the country, the Disaster Management Center (DMC) said Monday.

The DMC said that 13 districts were affected by heavy rains, while 891 people had been evacuated to safer areas.

A landslide warning had also been issued in 10 districts, including in some areas in the capital Colombo, the DMC said.

The Meteorology Department said that further rains were expected in several regions of the country in the coming days and people were urged to be cautious as it could cause floods in low-lying places.

The Sri Lanka Navy said it had deployed relief teams to flood-prone areas for search and rescue operations in the event of a weather-related disaster. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-08 21:02:16|Editor: huaxia

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ISTANBUL, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's fabric and design competition, recently held in the southeastern Gaziantep province for the first time, aims to strengthen the country's textile industry with innovative young creators, sector insiders told Xinhua on Monday.

The event, dubbed "Doku", or Fabric in English, gathered over 200 young fabric designers of women's clothing and Turkey's well-known textile engineers and industry representatives.

"The competition aims to contribute to the emergence of original, value-added, and innovative fabric designs, train new designers, and strengthen the textile industry," said Fikret Kileci, head of the Southeastern Anatolian Textile and Raw Materials Exporters' Association.

"We want to open up to the world with our final outputs by creating environmentally-friendly textile products," Kileci said, referring to the fabrics of the Southeastern Anatolia Region.

The contestants showcased their designs at a fashion show in the Zeugma Museum under the consultancy of Dilek Hanif, a Turkish fashion pioneer known for integrating her Anatolian cultural heritage into the world fashion scene.

Mihriban Yazir, a graduate student of Istanbul's Marmara University Textile Department, won the first prize with a series of women outfits design called the Scream.

"During the COVID-19 period, nature entered a process of renewing itself, with people shutting down in their homes," said Yazir, depicting flowers emerging out of the concrete piles on the sidewalks.

Yazir used some tick threads, such as polyester and fishing lines, to give a hard look that resembled stones while using natural yarns such as cotton to show the existence of nature.

Riza Tuna Turagay, deputy minister of trade, was quoted as saying by a press release of the event that Turkey's textile and clothing industry achieved 25.5 billion U.S. dollars exports during the first 10 months of this year. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-08 09:25:03|Editor: huaxia

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by Yosley Carrero

HAVANA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The fourth China International Import Expo (CIIE) will contribute to the recovery of the Cuban economy from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, a senior Cuban government official has said.

"It will provide Cuba with the possibility to showcase its products as well as to plan new agreements between participating countries," Antonio Carricarte, president of Cuba's Chamber of Commerce, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"The CIIE, along with China's Belt and Road Initiative, is in line with the leading role China is playing against unilateralism and protectionism," he said, adding that "the expo will continue to strengthen relations between Chinese business people and their Cuban counterparts."

Highlighting the importance of this year's CIIE for exhibitors and companies from different countries, Carricarte said "it will contribute to identifying export and investment opportunities in Cuba."

Cuba will display various products and services from such fields as biotechnology, agriculture, tourism, medical care and culture at the ongoing expo, the official said, adding that Cuban participants will highlight the promotion of "its biopharmaceutical industry and health system with highly skilled human resources" that have contributed to the country's effective response to COVID-19.

"The production of vaccines in Cuba, including those meant to combat COVID-19, is a direct consequence of the development of our human capital, science and productive capacities. And this Cuban achievement will be seen at the expo," he said.

As one of Cuba's main commercial partners and fundamental export markets, China has provided the island country with diverse opportunities and initiatives, which reinforced bilateral economic relations, he said.

"Cuba's attendance at the CIIE in the past years has led to increased exports of rum, honey and sea products to the Chinese market," Carricarte said, adding that "the same is expected for Cuban premium cigars."

"We will step up our participation in the fairs and exhibitions in China as well as in China's Belt and Road Initiative, concentrating our efforts on undertaking projects through foreign investment, which are expected to boost the growth and diversification of Cuban exports of goods and services," he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-09 06:38:47|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- The White House on Monday urged private companies to implement rules for employees to receive coronavirus vaccines, two days after a federal court temporarily stayed the administration's mandate requiring businesses to vaccinate their workforce.

"We think people should not wait," White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters during the daily press briefing. "We say, do not wait to take actions that will keep your workplace safe. It is important and critical to do and waiting to get more people vaccinated will lead to more outbreaks and sickness."

"We're trying to get past this pandemic, and we know the way to do that is to get people vaccinated," Jean-Pierre added.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled Saturday to temporarily halt the mandate, citing "grave statutory and constitutional issues" with it.

The ruling came as several Republican attorneys general of Texas, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi and Utah, as well as several private companies, filed petitions Friday challenging the mandate. More than two dozen state attorneys general as well as other organizations are challenging the rule in court.

The appeals court ordered that the Joe Biden administration should respond to the petitioners' request for a permanent injunction by 5 p.m. Monday.

The mandate was formally known as an emergency temporary standard and was developed by the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

According to the requirements, employees of companies with a workforce of 100 or more must be fully vaccinated by Jan. 4. Unvaccinated employees must submit weekly negative COVID-19 tests to enter the workplace after the deadline. Unvaccinated workers must start wearing masks indoors at their workplaces starting Dec. 5.

Federal law gives OSHA the authority to issue an emergency temporary standard if it determines workers are exposed to a "grave danger" that makes the rule necessary.

"The administration clearly has the authority to protect workers, and actions announced by the president are designed to save lives and stop the spread of COVID-19," Jean-Pierre said, noting that the Justice Department would be defending the rule in court. Enditem
ZIMBABWE is one of the countries that has not been invited to the United States democracy summit next month, with observers saying the snub confirmed the frosty relations between the two countries despite Harares efforts to re-engage with the international community.

The US Department of State said the first of the two summits would be held on December 9-10, 2021, where President Joe Biden would host a first-of-its kind gathering of more than 100 countries to help stop erosion of peoples rights and freedoms worldwide.

Among the invited African countries are Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mauritius, South Africa and Zambia.

Cyprus, South Korea, Brazil and India have also been invited. The exclusion of Zimbabwe has raised eyebrows.

According to the organisers, the summit is meant to set forth an affirmative agenda for democratic renewal and to tackle the greatest threats faced by democracies today through collective action.

Asked why Zimbabwe was not part of the summit, the public diplomacy section at the United States embassy in Harare said: We cannot comment on participation by individual countries or organisations.

The embassy added: The December 9-10 virtual summit for democracy will bring together leaders from a diverse group of the worlds democracies. In roughly a years time, a second in-person summit will take place. Both events will bring together heads of State, civil society, philanthropy, and the private sector, serving as an opportunity for world leaders to listen to one another and to their citizens, share successes, drive international collaboration, and speak honestly about the challenges facing democracy so as to collectively strengthen the foundation for democratic renewal.

The initial summit will galvanise commitments and initiatives across three principal themes: defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights.

Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa and Foreign Affairs deputy minister David Musabayana were not picking calls last night and did not respond to messages sent to them.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa last week claimed he met US President Joe Biden in Glasgow, Scotland, during the COP26 conference, with the Zimbabwean leader saying they had a fruitful discussion, adding that the re-engagement agenda was taking shape.

Relations between Washington and Harare have been frosty since 2000 when the US accused Zimbabwe of human rights abuses, land grab and corruption and imposed punitive sanctions. Newsday
Ezra Chadzamira, the Minister of State for Masvingo did not please at a National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) meeting held in Masvingo last week when he went on a tirade of hate speech.

Chadzamira attacked the civic society as puppets of Western countries bent on derailing Zimbabwes economic progress.

He also attacked Western countries as imperialists who continue to have colonial interests on the country. His speech was not well received by more than 100 delegates at the meeting. The meeting started at 9 am and ended at 1 pm.

Some important guests at the meeting included Commissioner Tinashe Rukuni, retired justice Selo Nare (NPRC chairperson) Chief Mazungunye, Provincial Development Coordinator Jefta Sakupwanya, Minister of State for Masvingo and various other head of departments

The NPRC is a Constitutional body established to promote peace, healing, reconciliation and social cohesion.

Former MDC Alliance legislator for Masvingo West, Jefreyson Chitando, said Chadzamiras speech was read on the wrong platform, because NPRC does not promote name calling but reconciliation.

We dont promote hate speech on such platform because we will be trying to heal the nation, said Chitando.

One NPRC provincial member who spoke to The Mirror on condition of anonymity said the organisers said the NPRC meetings are just talk shows as they (NPRC) dont have the power to act or make decision that will it making an impact in the area.

We are booked in hotels and fed, but nothing is coming out of these talk shows. If nothing is done to make the committees effective, then is going to be another wastage of resources, he said.

Chadzamira was fingered as the man who organised violence against MDC leader Nelson Chamisa when he allegedly hired thugs, sex workers and unemployed youth to barricade road and stop the man from visiting a family where he wanted to pass condolences two weeks ago.

Chadzamira was accused together with councillors Wellington Mahwende and Sengerai Manyanga Our detractors have not stopped on sabotaging the countrys development agenda. With the future of our country firmly thrust on engagement and re-engagement, reforms and opening up of the economy, foreign sponsored activists are on a war path to denigrate our economic development trajectory, seeking to create chaos, conflict and unrelenting confrontation.

It is not therefore surprising that some of the alleged conflict zones in the province that include Sese in Chivi, Chilonga and Chingwizi have potential for huge foreign and domestic investment that improve the livelihoods of our people, said Chadzamira. Masvingo Mirror
Leaders of non-governmental organisations that fund political parties or candidates will face up to a year in prison if the Private Voluntary Organisation Amendment Bill gazetted last Friday is passed into law.

The amendment seeks to add to section 10 of the principal Act by the insertion of a new paragraph that bars any private voluntary organisation from supporting or opposing any political party or candidate in a presidential, parliamentary or local government election.

Any private voluntary organisation violating this provision shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of level twelve or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year, or both such fine or such imprisonment.

The penalty also extends to foreign organisations that solicit funds for political parties in breach of the Political Parties Finance Act.

One major need for the amendment is to fulfil Zimbabwes obligations under international law to prevent terrorist organisations misusing non-profit organisations to launder money or move money around.

The other need arises from the fact that some NGOs abandon their mandates by pursuing a political agenda in support of regime change. Some of the NGOs have endorsed opposition parties and go on to distribute food that has political signs of the political parties they would have chosen to side with.

Other NGOs have seconded candidates for council, parliamentary and presidential elections, in exchange for funding.

Apart from barring NGOs from pursuing political lobbying, the Bills Memorandum says the amendments are also being made in order to comply with the Financial Action Taskforce recommendations made to Zimbabwe.

It has also become necessary to streamline administrative procedures for private voluntary organisations to allow for efficient regulation and registration.

The Taskforce is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1989 on the initiative of the Group of 7 (G7) countries whose main objective is to develop policies to combat money laundering. Zimbabwe is a member.

Each member country is assessed periodically for compliance with the policies and legislation on money laundering and financing of terrorism.

Countries are assessed on two major criteria, which are technical compliance and effectiveness.

Technical compliance is concerned with deficiencies related to the countrys anti-money laundering and financing of terrorism legislation while effectiveness is concerned with deficiencies which highlight practical implementation challenges.

This Bill seeks to comply with recommendations under technical compliance raised under Zimbabwes mutual evaluation report, reads part of the Memorandum.

As a result of the said deficiencies, Zimbabwe was placed under a monitoring programme in October 2018 by FATF in order to ensure the country aligns its laws on private voluntary organisation to recommendation 8 whose objective is to ensure that non-profit organisations are not misused by terrorist organisations whether as a way for such terrorist organisations to pose as legitimate entities; or to exploit legitimate entities as conduits for terrorist financing, including for the purpose of escaping asset freezing measures; or to conceal or obscure the clandestine diversion of funds intended for legitimate purposes, but diverted for terrorist purposes, as such, there is need to have clear laws that set out a framework that allows to prevent any potential abuse in key sectors. Herald
Boosters have already been approved for a wide-ranging group of adults, including those 65 and older who received their second shot more than six months ago, immunocompromised people at risk of a breakthrough infection and people at risk because of living or working conditions. Boosters have also been approved for anyone who received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine more than two months ago.
The U.S. reopened its borders Monday to travelers who have been fully vaccinated with any of the shots approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization, ending a patchwork of COVID restrictions on visitors from a long list of countries that have divided families and crippled tourism for almost two years.
Parents at Public School 8 in Brooklyn Heights began lining up at 6 am for the city-run school vaccine distribution, with the line swelling to more than 100 people, one parent said. But city workers running the clinic said they could only give out 50 shots because they needed to conserve doses for other schools they were visiting Monday, according to parents at the school.
With the right support, schools can transform the lives of students who are homeless, said Advocates for Children Executive Director Kim Sweet. The next administration should bring together city agencies and charge them with ensuring every student who is homeless gets the support needed to succeed in school.
A. If you petition for your fiancee now, it will likely take a year or more for her to get her visa. Maybe by then President Biden will have lifted the vaccine requirement. If not, your fiancee will need to prove that she either is fully vaccinated or has recovered within 90 days from having COVID to enter the United States. That requirement applies to all non-U.S. citizens traveling here beginning Nov. 8. Read the rules here: cdc.gov/quarantine/order-safe-travel.html.
We have determined that there is no validity to the bomb threat made against Yale, spokeswoman Karen Peart said. Students and other members of the Yale community have been allowed to return to the affected residential colleges and other buildings.
The fire broke out just after 5 p.m.Friday in the Mott Haven NYCHA building filling the top two floors with acrid smoke. Aidens father, Trevor Hayward, 32, tried to save the boy as the two fled down to the third floor where they were found unconscious. The boy was taken to Harlem Hospital where he died. The father was treated at Lincoln Hospital and is expected to recover.
The highest priority [of the Education Department and the NYPD] is keeping kids and communities safe, and through our partnership, incidents in schools are down 16% this year, said Education Department spokesman Nathaniel Styer. Weapons have absolutely no place in our schools, and we work closely with our outstanding school safety agents and the NYPD every day to keep our schools safe by stopping dangerous items from entering our schools and ensuring the entire community is safe.
The mans injury was not life-threatening, police said. Authorities did not immediately say what hospital the man was brought to.
To be honest, I feel good that theres some type of awareness thats been brought to it and Im able to not be in parole anymore, the emotional Queens native told the Daily News. But its still a little thing in the back of my mind. They really have to pay for what they did, though.
Once you say you have a voucher the whole story changes, said Lindo, who lived in homeless shelters from 2016 to 2018. They tell you they have to check with the real estate agent to see if the apartment is still vacant. Theyd say theyd call me back and Id never hear back.
On Thursday, two gun-toting men pushed into the apartment of a 90-year-old man in Hamilton Heights, according to police. One man stood guard while the other took $270 and a cell phone from the elderly victim, cops said. They fled on foot, and no arrests have been made.
The victim is mentally stable and shes a fighter and shes going to get through this, her mother, who asked that her daughter not be named, told the Daily News. We are hopeful.
Prison officials said they reviewed all 50 prisons before selecting the six to be closed. Nearly all of them have more staffers than prisoners and are operating well under capacity. The closures will save the state an estimated $142 million annually, prison officials said.
Despite numerous witnesses in the studio, the case went cold over the next 17 years  though Washington was identified as a suspect in the Daily News as well as in court papers during an unrelated trial in 2007.
In 2015 some cops from the 109th Precinct were caught up in a karaoke scandal involving allegations they got paid by bar owners in exchange for protection from police enforcement. More than 20 officers were embroiled in the probe, and two were fired.
We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and friend Peter Zimroth. Peter was an exemplary and thoughtful leader who made enormous contributions to people of this city. He was a dedicated and excellent corporation counsel who always demonstrated a strong moral compass and commitment to furthering the interests of the city. He will be sorely missed, current city Corporation Counsel Georgia Pestana said.
Clearly, theres something deeper going on here and across the country, the observer said. You also have to look at the Democratic Party leadership  in criminal justice reform, you literally handed them an issue on a silver platter that Republicans have been winning elections on for 100 years.
On Sept. 16, 49-year-old Pamela Abercrombie died after being found lying in the street with a gunshot wound. Three days later, 24-year-old Casey Ross was found dead in a vacant lot and on Sept. 26, 40-year-old Lester Robinson was fatally shot in Ferguson. Damon Irvin, 35, was found dead on Nov. 1 and RauDaja Fairrow, 25, was found dead on Nov. 2, although police believe they had been killed days earlier, according to KSDK.
New Orleans police say a man was shot in the Louisiana citys French Quarter by an unidentified assailant, who then got into a vehicle, drove around the block, and tried to run the victim over.
The lawmaker, who is also a pastor, told the Associated Press he tested positive last week for coronavirus. He said three of his teenage children will attend Mondays rally at the statehouse. He is a father of six.
Grosskreutz said he had attended about 75 protests that summer, and offered to give medical help to anyone who needed it. On the night of Aug. 25, he testified, he was wearing a hat that read Paramedic and was carrying medical supplies, as well as his loaded pistol. He said hed given medical treatment to 10 people that night.
Hunter Biden, for example, is doing deals with China and Ukraine where he was funneling money illegally, the teacher allegedly said in the recording. He also had child pornography on his laptop. He was having sexual intercourse with his own niece.
I would say that God used me... by trying to go behind him. And then I felt the feeling that I would go and grab him and thats what happened.
The school shared a statement from the family of Garrett Walker which said the man left The Grey Lady bar around 1:15 a.m. and was last seen around 4:30 a.m. about 1 mile south.
A sizable section of the memorial can be seen blazing on the silent video as the suspect makes his getaway. OnePulse Foundation asks anyone with knowledge of the incident to notify the Orlando Police Department.
The Build Back Better plan still faces punishing debate in the Senate, where it needs the support of every single Democrat to pass. It may be scaled back more or even scuttled altogether by powerful moderates like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.)
I remember looking down and I remember seeing his hand which is, I would say a large hand and over my bra and I remember looking down and being like, excuse my Ianguage, holy s---, this just like went from zero to 60 in .2 seconds, Commisso told the independent attorneys running the probe.
All these guys have or will have a police detail. And all these guys are afraid to go after Redmond because theyre afraid of what these details can do to them, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. Whether youre Brad Lander, Jumaane Williams, Scott Stringer or the next mayor, these guys are with you 24 hours a day. Are these the guys you really want to p--s off?
Lets come together and have a good discussion about the best ways to advance legislation that we can sell to the public, that they will buy without damaging moderate Democrats who need to get elected in competitive areas, Jacobs said.
The mandate was the latest in a series of efforts to get more Americans vaccinated. More than two-thirds of the population has received at least one shot, and 58% of Americans were fully vaccinated as of Friday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There are a lot of kitchen tables that we need to connect more deeply with and help folks get through this period, he told NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday. Whether they lost a loved one, a job, a small business  theyre frustrated by the ongoing pandemic or economic recovery, whatever it may be.
Activists say they are close to pronouncing the talks a failure as global leaders seem far away from the kind of dramatic action that could prevent the world from heating up still further, which scientists say will cause all kinds of catastrophic changes.
As soon as he jumped out on the stage, it was like an energy took over and everything went haywire, Niaara Goods, who attended the performance, told the AP. All of a sudden, your ribs are being crushed. You have someones arm in your neck. Youre trying to breathe, but you cant.
Somehow, the ambulance managed to get to her and then, by the time they got to my brother, they tried resuscitating him. And they said that before they got to the hospital, he couldnt make it.
Guys. For real. Look how shes looking at me! Pratt gushed on Instagram last week, next to a photo of himself and his current wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt, looking up at him adoringly. I mean. Find you somebody that looks at you like that!! You know!? We met in church. Shes given me an amazing life, a gorgeous healthy daughter, she chews so loudly that sometimes i put in my ear buds to drown it out, but thats love!
Any time I can make out anything thats going on, Id stop the show and help them get the help they need, you know? the rapper said in an Instagram video Saturday night. I could never imagine this situation.
They are agog with excitement, he said. But mixed in with that is a sense of anticipation now. ... They know what they would expect it to be, but theres also this sense of, What is it going to be? How will it be different? What will we have to do this time thats going to affect our appreciation of the destination?
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Veterans Advisory Council hosted an official POW-MIA ceremony to honor United States military prisoners of war and those still missing in action as part of national POW-MIA Day. University of Central Florida Air Force ROTC Detachment 159 and color guard lead the symbolic setting of the table, where each item on the table represents the commitment to remember and honor our POW-MIAs from the five military branches: Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy.
Two vehicles were involved in the crash, which took the life of one driver and left the second driver with non-life-threatening injuries, said the OPDSs Lt. Charles Crosby.
Before hiring Hatcher in 2018 to work the operations of West Melbournes new skate park, the city ran a standard background check that did not turn up any indication of the kind of behavior that is alleged in his arrest warrant, according to Morgans statement.
The suspect followed another customer after getting into a argument at a gas station, pulled up beside him and then shot into his vehicle, the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office said on its Facebook page.
The one person who can really call for and get a tactical pause when something goes wrong is that performer. They have that bully pulpit and they have a responsibility, Pena said in a telephone interview Sunday. If somebody would have said, Hey, shut this thing down and turn on the lights until this thing gets corrected  and that coming from the person with the mic  I think could have been very helpful.
Democrats patience with Manchin is at an end. But they should ask whether many of the countrys voters  and not just in West Virginia  might see things his way. Enacting an enormous tax-and-spending bill without knowing exactly how it will work, what it will cost or whether it will help or hurt the economy is irresponsible. Manchins intransigence is serving a vital public purpose.
Labady told the Sun Sentinel he had no intentions of keeping the ammo inside his house, but would purchase it online from the manufacturer and send directly to the person buying from him. He said he could buy it cheaper by being the middleman and still make a profit: To make a profit you have to get it from the manufacturer.
Constituents do not wait for a public meeting to make their voices heard, Rodrigues wrote. As is the case with redistricting, or any other matter before the Legislature, public testimony is one of many ways for the public to impact the process. Many constituents send emails, and letters can be mailed or dropped off to local legislators, and individuals can meet with their local representatives.
Cotonou, Benin (PANA) - African countries have been called upon to adopt inclusive land policies that take into account the poor, women and youth
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





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India beat New Zealand by 73 runs in third T20 to win series 3-0.
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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has declared a public holiday on Monday following heavy rains and inundation in several parts of the state including Chennai.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also called Stalin and promised all help for the people of the state.

The Prime Minister, in a tweet, said: "Spoke to Tamil Nadu CM, Thiru@mkstalin and discussed the situation in the wake of heavy rainfall in parts of the state. Assured all possible support from the Centre in rescue and relief work. I pray for everyone's well-being and safety".

Stalin thanked the Prime Minister.

"Thank you Hon'ble PM @narendramodi. Had discussed about TN having exhausted State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) for 2020-21 towards COVID relief and requested to release funds from National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) of Union Government for this cyclone season," he tweeted.

Chennai is reeling under heavy rains with water entering houses in low-lying areas and several people are shifted to rehabilitation camps. Meanwhile, four companies of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are deployed in Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, and Tiruvallur districts.

The India Meteorological Department has predicted thunderstorms and heavy to very heavy rains in several districts of Tamil Nadu in the next 48 hours. Fishermen were warned not to venture out into the seas.

After 2015, this is the first time Chennai has witnessed such heavy rains inundating the city and water entering homes. Rain continued unabated from Saturday night till Sunday morning.

Fire and rescue teams and NDRF teams are being kept ready for any eventuality. Three city reservoirs were opened in a phased manner during the day.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday arrested Ashok Saikia, the eldest son of former Assam Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia, in a bank loan default case.

The CBI team arrested Saikia, the brother of Congress Legislature Party leader Debabrata Saikia, from his residence in Guwahati's Sarumataria in a case related to Rs 9.37 lakh loan taken from the Assam State Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development Bank (ASCARDB) in 1996.

The case was initially registered at Paltan Bazar police station in Guwahati in 1998 and later transferred to the CBI in 2001 after two complaints were filed with the probe agency.

Debabrata Saikia, also Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, told the media that his brother was being victimised for a loan he had already repaid long ago to the bank and he would certainly get justice from the court.

The opposition Congress released a letter of the ASCARDB on Sunday where it was shown that Saikia had availed the loan of Rs 9,37,701 from the bank in 1996 for business but in 2015, he had cleared the dues and H.N. Borah, the then General Manager of the bank, had in a letter on October 10, 2015, said the loan had been liquidated under the compromise settlement scheme.
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain submissions from a counsel of a deceased accused, who was allegedly lynched in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence incident, seeking CBI probe in the matter.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli told the senior advocate Arun Bharadwaj, representing Ruby Devi, widow of deceased accused Shyam Sundar, that it is trying to introduce impartiality and fairness in the investigation in the FIRs in the incident by recommending a retired high court judge to monitor the investigation till the charge sheet is filed.

The Chief Justice, criticising the Uttar Pradesh government over the poor progress in the investigation, told Salve that the court does not want to add to political overtones in the matter, as it emphasized on a retired high court judge to monitor the case.

Bhardwaj said: "I want CBI..."

The bench replied: "CBI is not the solution to every problem..."

The top court emphasised that it is inclined to appoint a retired high court judge, outside of the state of Uttar Pradesh, to monitor the day-to-day investigation till the filling of separate charge sheets in two FIRs -- one where a car mowed down protesting farmers and the other where accused were beaten to death.

"We want to protect the evidence collected," said the bench.

Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, clarified that the journalist killed in the violence was actually crushed by the car and he was outside. The bench said the impression was given that the journalist was beaten to death. "Some independent judge should monitor the proceedings. You find out with your government....", the Chief Justice told Salve.

Bhardwaj showed the photograph of Sundar before he was killed and accompanied by police personnel who were wearing bullet proof jackets and also had AK 47 rifles. The bench asked him not to continuously flash the photograph on screen and added, "That is why we are proposing monitoring by an independent judge..."

It further added that if the state government agrees to monitoring by an independent judge, then he can submit the material before him.

Bhardwaj added that he had sent the photograph to Uttar Pradesh Additional Advocate General 15 days ago, but nothing has been done so far. Salve pointed out if CBI is brought in at this stage, then there will be a reverse problem.

The top court, in the order, said it has made certain suggestions to the Uttar Pradesh government -- referring to a high court judge outside the state -- as to how investigation is to be conducted, and asked Salve to seek instructions from the government on its suggestion. The top court posted the matter for further hearing on Friday.
Confirming the revelations by Nationalist Congress Party Minister Nawab Malik, his Congress colleague and Mumbai Guardian Minister Aslam Shaikh on Monday said he was also invited for the Cordelia Cruise party which was busted on October 2 by the Narcotics Control Bureau Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede.

"One Kashiff Khan had invited me to the party... I don't know him and as far as I know we never spoke on the phone. That invite was like many others I get daily... Since I had no plan to go, I did not inquire further and the matter ended there," Shaikh said.

Presently, two agencies -- NCB and Mumbai Police -- are currently probing the entire issue and the truth would come out soon, the minister told mediapersons.

However, Shaikh said that the manner in which Malik has been making revelations almost daily, it is now clear that there's a systematic conspiracy to "malign the Maha Vikas Aghadi" government in Maharashtra.

On the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party's allegations, Shaikh pointed out that they habitually hurl unsubstantiated charges at their rivals to derive political mileage.

"What happened during the death of Sushant Singh Rajput? The BJP went all out to target the MVA government, ministers and leaders, till the Bihar elections (October -November 2020). After the elections were over, even the Rajput controversy abruptly ended and nobody talked about it..." Shaikh pointed out.

He also targetted some BJP leaders and certain news outlets of making direct accusations of murder against MVA leaders and ministers, even though the probe agencies have yet to give their conclusion whether it was suicide or homicide.

"Even now, the whole national and even international media is focussing on this case, but nobody is talking about the huge drugs consignment of over Rs 20,000-crore seized from a container at Mundra Port in Gujarat," said Shaikh sharply.

The Congress minister's statements came a day after Malik revealed that the cruise ship party organisers had invited Shaikh and other prominent or high-profile personalities as part of an alleged conspiracy by Wankhede's so-called 'private army' to "trap and extort crores of rupees" from them.

The NCP's National Spokesperson went on to say that an alleged 'quartet' in the NCB led by Wankhede along with some members of the 'private army' had "trapped and abducted" Aryan Khan for collecting a big ransom, and said more facts will emerge from the investigations.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Monday distributed food and other relief materials to people affected by the incessant rain here.

MP and former Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran was also present during the distribution of food and other relief materials at the venue in Royapuram.

Also in attendance was DGP C. Sylendra Kumar and a team of senior police and revenue department officials.

Chennai and the adjoining districts of Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Chengalpattu are reeling under heavy rain and inundation, which have led to the displacement of several people.

Low lying areas of Adayar, Ashok Nagar, Pulsarawakkam have also been affected.

Four teams of NDRF are already working with the state administration, police, and revenue officials to flush out water and also to rehabilitate people.
Former US President Donald Trump has slammed the Joe Biden administrations "surrender" of Afghanistan, warning that China could take hold of the Bagram Air Base, formerly the largest US military base in Afghanistan, Fox News reported.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News, Trump accused the Biden administration of intentionally trying to move on from the withdrawal and its ongoing aftermath.

"We would have kept Bagram because it is next to China," Trump said, adding, "And it is one hour away from their nuclear facility, and we gave that up too. And now China's going to take over Bagram, in my opinion."

Trump told Fox News that even while he planned to eventually withdraw from Afghanistan, he would have maintained hold over the Parwan Detention Facility -- a military prison at the Bagram Air Base.

"What they did with the so-called withdrawal, which was really a surrender, it was the most embarrassing, horrible thing, and I don't know that we will ever psychologically recover from that," Trump said, Fox News reported.

Trump, during his administration, had brokered a deal with the Taliban for a May 2021 troop withdrawal.

"Don't forget, I'm the one who brought it down to 2,500 troops. I would have been out too, but we would have been out with strength. We would have come out with strength," Trump said.

Meanwhile, Trump blasted the Biden administration for pulling the military out first, amid reports of hundreds of American citizens and US visa holders remaining in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

"We would have gotten all the people out, we would have brought all of our equipment out, we wouldn't have had dead soldiers, we wouldn't have soldiers missing arms and legsbecause people don't even talk about thatwe lost 13, but we have many that have been gravely wounded. None of that would have happened," Trump said.

"It was time to get out, but the way he got out was such a disaster," he added.

As per the report, Trump went on to say that he holds "the generals responsible because they should have never allowed that to happen".
San Diego, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/08/2021 -- An investor, who purchased shares of Hoegh LNG Partners LP (NYSE: HMLP), filed a lawsuit in the U.S. over alleged violations of Federal Securities Laws by Hoegh LNG Partners LP.



Investors who purchased shares of Hoegh LNG Partners LP (NYSE: HMLP) have certain options and for certain investors are short and strict deadlines running. Deadline: December 27, 2021. NYSE: HMLP investors should contact the Shareholders Foundation at mail@shareholdersfoundation.com or call +1(858) 779 - 1554.



Bermuda based Hoegh LNG Partners LP focuses on owning, operating, and acquiring floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs), liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, and other LNG infrastructure assets under long-term charters.



On July 27, 2021, after trading hours, Hoegh LNG Partners LP announced that it had reduced its quarterly common unit distribution by 98% to preserve cash. Hoegh LNG Partners LP also revealed its refinancing plans for the PGN FSRU Lampung facility collapsed after the charterer of the vessel announced plans to enter arbitration to terminate the charter. Further, Hoegh LNG Partners LP announced that its parent company, Hoegh LNG Holdings Ltd., will no longer provide financial support to the Company.



Shares of Hoegh LNG Partners LP (NYSE: HMLP) declined from $18.17 per share on June 25, 2021, to as low as $4.85 per share on August 09, 2021.



The plaintiff claims that between August 22, 2019 and July 27, 2021, the 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 Lampung charter;



(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 Lampung credit 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;



(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.



Those who purchased shares of Hoegh LNG Partners LP (NYSE: HMLP) have certain options and should contact the Shareholders Foundation.



Contact:

Shareholders Foundation, Inc.

Michael Daniels

3111 Camino Del Rio North - Suite 423

92108 San Diego

Phone: +1-(858)-779-1554

Fax: +1-(858)-605-5739

mail@shareholdersfoundation.com



About Shareholders Foundation, Inc.

The Shareholders Foundation, Inc. is a professional portfolio monitoring and settlement claim filing service, , which does research related to shareholder issues and informs investors of securities class actions, settlements, judgments, and other legal related news to the stock/financial market. Shareholders Foundation, Inc. is in contact with a large number of shareholders and offers help, support, and assistance for every shareholder. The Shareholders Foundation, Inc. is not a law firm. Referenced cases, investigation, and/or settlements are not filed/reached and/or related to Shareholders Foundation. The information is provided as a public service. It is not intended as legal advice and should not be relied upon.
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have captured a striking new photo of the barred spiral galaxy Markarian 1337.

Markarian 1337 (Mrk 1337 for short) is located approximately 119.5 million light-years away in the constellation of Virgo.

In the 1960s, the Armenian astrophysicist Benjamin Markarian and his collaborators included Mrk 1337 in their catalog of galaxies that have nuclei with excessive amounts of ultraviolet emissions.

Otherwise known as LEDA 43690 and IRAS 12499-0930, Mrk 1337 belongs to a small group of spiral galaxies.

Mrk 1337 is a weakly barred spiral galaxy, which as the name suggests means that the spiral arms radiate from a central bar of gas and stars, the Hubble astronomers said.

Bars occur in roughly half of spiral galaxies, including our own galaxy  the Milky Way.

The new image of Mrk 1337 is a composite of separate exposures acquired by Hubbles Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) instrument.

Hubbles WFC3 snapped Mrk 1337 at a wide range of ultraviolet, visible and infrared wavelengths, producing this richly detailed image, the astronomers said.

Four filters were used to sample various wavelengths. The color results from assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter.

These observations are part of a campaign to improve our knowledge of how fast the Universe is expanding, the researchers said.

They were proposed by Adam Riess, who was awarded a Nobel Laureate in physics 2011 for his contributions to the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe, alongside Saul Perlmutter and Brian Schmidt.
Ethiopian expats I spoke with are astonished at the turn of events in Ethiopia, particularly that Gebermichaels Tigray forces have garnered so much support, and they are perplexed at the lack of US support for Ahmed.

by John Stanton

If the US aspires to protect its long-held vital interests and democratic values in its relations with Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, it is time to reset its ill-consulted policies pushed by the Egyptian and Tigray rebels paid US lobbyists, organizations that are interested in nothing but the destabilization of the Ethiopian State, and anti-Ethiopian forces hoping for the countrys disintegration along ethnic lines. Therefore, US officials should learn a lesson or two from careful approaches adopted by sub-Saharan African states, Eastern African states own Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD), eastern powers such as China and the Russian Federation and other partner countries like Turkey.

The most important lesson for the Biden administration would be to first research and learn about the underlying historical and current challenges and to then stand for the national unity of all Ethiopians. It should not continue with its impartial support of a belligerent rebel group like the TPLF. Moreover, it is also time for a renewed look at what has come to be an anti-black African approach exhibited by the US's open bias for a regional international actor like Egypt that has always worked to undermine the development aspiration of the Abay (Nile) basin countries in general and the Ethiopian State and its over 110 million citizens hope for anything but domestic instability in particular. Yohannes Gedamu, Daily Sabah

What a Mess!

Ethiopia is bordered by Somalia, Kenya, Sudan, Eritrea, and Djibouti, collectively these countries comprise the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is a landlocked country located about 310 miles (500 Kilometers) from the Bab-al-Mandeb waterway, a strategic chokepoint that serves as a critical shipping route between the Red Sea, Suez Canal-Mediterranean, Gulf of Aden/Arabian Ocean and the Indian Ocean.

Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmeds (a Nobel Prize winner) government there is likely to be defeated, or forced to capitulate, to the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front led by Debretsion Gebermichael (his children are US citizens) and a dizzying array of allies known as the United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces. The United Front consists of the following groups: the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front, Agaw Democratic Movement, the Benishangul Peoples Liberation Movement, the Gambella Peoples Liberation Army, the Global Kimant People Right and Justice Movement/ Kimant Democratic Party, the Sidama National Liberation Front, the Somali State Resistance, and the Oromo Liberation Army.

As this article is being written Gebermichaels forces are on the move to Ethiopias capital Addis Ababa and the Ahmeds military forces seem to be melting away. In a sure sign of desperation. Ahmed has urged the citizens of Addis Ababa to fight rebel forces using whatever weapons they have, according to National Public Radio. Ahmed has declared and State of Emergency and the US State Department has told Americans to leave immediately.

Ethiopian expats I spoke with are astonished at the turn of events in Ethiopia, particularly that Gebermichaels Tigray forces have garnered so much support, and they are perplexed at the lack of US support for Ahmed. They see Gebermichael as a disgruntled opportunist who encourages propaganda that maligns what they view as the legitimate government in Addis Ababa. Gebermichael refuses to entertain any proposals by Ahmeds government for peace and the Tigrays will stop at nothing but the overthrow of Ahmeds government, one Ethiopian expat named Daniel said. The Tigray leadership have taken all the money that the central government has given them and enriched themselves, sending their children to schools abroad in the United States, he told me.

Being that the situation in Ethiopia has turned into a civil war, it is hard to know what news coming from both parties constitutes disinformation and what does not. For example, Eritrea (an ally of Ethiopia in the conflict) has been accused of allowing the United Arab Emirates to launch its drones from the Eritrea port town of Assab against the Tigray forces fighting Ahmeds army. According to the Voice of America:

The report comes after repeated claims by the Tigrayan side of the use of UAE military drones by the Ethiopian military. Tigrayan politician Getachew Reda tweeted last month that Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is now enlisting the support of UAE drones based in Assab in his devastating war against the people of Tigraydrones operated by the UAE are stationed in the Eritrean port city of Assab. The 20-meter wingspan, Chinese-made drones known as the Wing Loong II are capable of dropping bombs or shooting missiles. It's true that there are Emirati drones based in Eritrea, Wim Zwijnenburg told VOA via Skype. However, the next question is whether they have been used in Ethiopia. And, in that regard, we couldn't find any indication that the Emiratis would fly drones in Ethiopia.

Who knows for sure?

US Foreign Policy Blunder

Meanwhile the crown jewel of Ethiopia, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD-- a source of much pride for Ethiopians), has Sudan and Egypt up in arms in fear of the life-giving waters of the Nile River being diverted away from the two countries. It is nonsense of course as blocking the water supply of Sudan and Egypt would lead directly to war. Oddly enough, Gebremichael oversaw construction of the $4 billion dam when he was the State Power Minister within the Ethiopian government until fired by Ahmed in 2018.

When Donald Trump was President, he made an off-hand remark that Egypt would probably blow-up Ethiopias dam. According to the Africa Report:

Trump chastised Ethiopia for rejecting his proposed deal and suggested that Egypt might eventually have to blow it upBeyond what they confirmed about the presidents rhetorical rashness, they also revealed what has been wrong about the US approach to the ongoing dispute over the Blue Niles waters and why a reset is badly needed. For Ethiopia, Trumps remarks were the latest in a string of steps that have convinced Addis Ababa that Washington, far from being an honest broker in resolving GERD-related tensions between it and its downstream neighbors, seeks to squeeze it into submission. The other most notable one was the partial cut in US aid following Ethiopias decision to impound water in the dams reservoir without agreement from Egypt or Sudan, the downstream states. A retaliatory measure Trump was quick to brag about in his call with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and military council leader Fattah al-Burhan.

Many thousands of Ethiopians demonstrated recent in Addis Ababa in support of Ahmed, reported National Public Radio, and death to America cries were heard. Thats probably because President Joe Bidens administration is placing its bets on the Tigrays seizing the day.

The Ethiopian civil war has extended to the halls of the US Congress with Washington, DC lobbying firms getting cash from each side in the conflict. Politico reports that Venable is working for the Ethiopian government at a rate of $35,000 per month. The Tigray Center for Information and Communication based in Virginia has hired Von Batten-Montague-York to push the Biden administration and Congress for the removal of all Eritrean military personnel and militia from Tigray, according to Politico.

The Horn of Africa: Dantes Inferno

Across the Bab-al-Mandeb sits Yemen, the site of a war between Saudi Arabia and Houthi rebels, ostensibly supported by Iran. Yemen is the site of a proxy war that pits the United States and Saudi Arabia against Irans proxy the Houthis. This conflict has turned Yemen into a failed state.

To Ethiopias north lies Sudan, a country disassembling as a military coup has overthrown the elected government there. According to the Atlantic Council, Sudan has become sort of a playground for other nations interests and the US could become a bit player:

A new era for US diplomacy in Africaone in which the United States is one of many powerful actors vying for influence to shape political outcomes. In a context where Washingtons voice is diluted amid competing powers, Sudan has emerged as the ultimate battleground. Although Sudan has always sat at a strategic crossroads, the revolution has re-shuffled the political deck in the country, and opportunity has emerged for new global players eager to exploit more than just the countrys rich gold deposits or strategic location. Egypt has long looked paternalistically at Sudan, and while its official statements have called for calm, no one expects Cairo to demand a restoration of civilian rule or adherence to the transitional constitution considering the circumstances of General Abdul Fattah al-Sisis own rise to power. Similarly, Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have long seen Sudan as a national-security imperativenot only as a vital security partner across the Red Sea, but as a principal source of the livestock and grain that those desert societies demand in abundance. Though late to the party, Russia has shrewdly engaged Sudanese security officials through negotiations over a naval basing agreement and growing informal ties between Sudans notorious Rapid Support Forces militia and the Russian mercenary group Wagner. The not-so-hidden hand of Turkey, Qatar, and Kuwaitall in search of bigger military contracts, investment opportunities, or political leverage against larger Gulf stateshas only widened the options available to Sudanese leaders searching for a lifeline.

To the southwest of Ethiopia lies Kenya, a relatively bright star on the African Continent. The World Bank reports that: Kenya has the potential to be one of Africas success stories, given its growing youthful population, a dynamic private sector, skilled workforce, improved infrastructure, a new constitution, and its pivotal role in East Africa. Addressing the challenges of poverty, inequality, governance, the skills gap between market requirements and the education curriculum, climate change, low investment and low firm productivity to achieve rapid, sustained growth rates that will transform lives of ordinary citizens, will be a major goal for Kenya.

Most Americans probably know Somalia (bordering Ethiopia) best from the movie Black Hawk Down which depicts the botched 1993 US military operation in Mogadishu. It appears not much has changed since 1993: Somalia remains one of the poorest and most underdeveloped country in the world since then. It is infested with terrorist groups of all stripes and most all nations on the planet advise their citizens to stay away from the place. Border disputes, internal strife between terrorist factions and the Transitional Federal Government, plus kidnappings and piracy are the norm.

Eritrea sits astride the Red Sea. It waged a vicious war with Ethiopia for independence which finally came in 2018. The country is impoverished, and its people live under autocratic rule. Eritrea has lent fighting forces to Ahmeds government in Addis Ababa.

What About Djibouti?

Great Power Competition betwixt and between the United States China, Russia, France, Japan, Spain, and Italy is most clearly on display in Djibouti. That country of approximate 1 million people is home to military bases, large and small, for each nation. For example, the US Navy oversees Camp Lemonnier, a jump off point for combat operations deeper into the African Continent to pursue terrorists. Lemonneir also hosts American warships used to protect commercial shipping from pirates or spillover from the fighting in Yemen. Djibouti also plays a key role in Chinas One Belt, One Road strategy. China has invested billions not only in Djibouti but also Ethiopia.

The Port of Djibouti is a strategic commercial port and a critical transit point for Ethiopian exports and imports. Its sales pitch is located at portdedjibouti.com.

The Port of Djibouti is located at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, at the intersection of major international shipping lines connecting Asia, Africa and Europe. The Port is a minimal deviation from the principal East-West trade route and provides a secure regional hub for trans-shipment and relay of goods. Since 1998, the Port handled 100% of Ethiopias maritime traffic, which moves to and from Addis Ababa by truck and rail. To accommodate this important business, the Port has made many additional dry yard areas available. The Port of Djibouti is ideally located to serve the COMESA market, linking 19 countries and 380 million peoples.

Djibouti is a stable nation thanks in part to its ports, and the fact that foreign military powers have bases large and small there, all eagerly welcomed by Djiboutis government. Djibouti earns most of its cash by charging for military basing rights and providing port services.

It is said Djibouti has lovely beaches.

John Stanton can be reached at jstantonarchangel.com
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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(0x7f3fdeadc5a0)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdeb2b048)', '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(0x7f3fdeadc5a0)') 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(0x7f3fdeb2b048)') 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(0x7f3fdeb05810)') 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(0x7f3fdeb2b048)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdeb2b048)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fde1b3f40)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdea0aff8)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdea0aff8)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
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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

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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(0x7f3fde6882d0)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdf1c2a50)', '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(0x7f3fde6882d0)') 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(0x7f3fdf1c2a50)') 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(0x7f3fde6974d0)') 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(0x7f3fdf1c2a50)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdf1c2a50)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fc4bf3ed8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdf1acc68)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdf1acc68)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
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ICQPodcast - The Lost Tribe, the Pied Piper and the Executive In this episode, Martin Butler (M1MRB) is joined by Dan Romanchik KB6NU, Edmund Spicer M0MNG, Ed Durrant DD5LP and Leslie Butterfield G0CIB to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin (M6BOY) rounds up the news in brief and in the episode we feature is The Lost Tribe, the Pied Piper and the Executive.



We would like to thank Mark Weber, AB4IX, and our monthly and annual subscription donors for keeping the podcast advert free. To donate, please visit - http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate



News stories include: -

- VP0 New Prefix

- Laboratory Test Model of 'Sputnik 1 EMC/EMI', 1957

- You can now order Pizza with Morse Code

- ARRL Clean Signal Initiative on the Horizon

- Broadcaster in Ham Radio 40m Band

- High School Students Learn how to use Ham Radio

- Denmark's 40 MHz Beacon is Back on the Air

- New UK Mock Exam Papers Available

- Pearl Harbor Day Memorial Special Event



The ICQPodcast can be downloaded from http://www.icqpodcast.com
The monk has proved by actions that he has a deep understanding of the dynamics of Islamic extremism. He has come up with a series of solutions. A significant number of people voted for him to win a parliament seat. But, his parliamentary seat was looted by one of the crooks within.

Editorial

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is being widely criticized for appointing Ven. Gnanasara Thera, General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena, as the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force to suggest the action plan for One Country  One Law. Many critics have unilaterally unmasked their views, and some have used the appointment as a pretext to make opportunistic political appearances. So-called moderate groups promoting Islamic extremism underneath have opposed the appointment while those who have made human rights as their sole source of income have expressed their reactions against the appointment. All are negative and hyperbolical, nothing to surprise.

Should we be hypocritical to see it as an error to give a monk who has been speaking for years a chance to do so? Ven. Gnanasara Thera deserves an opportunity.

This is Sri Lanka. No wonder! Sri Lanka is an island of strange people who prioritize criticism over responsibilities. Compared to the few who try to do something important, the majority are the ones who make deceitful predictions about anything.

Meanwhile, a few days ago, the highest administrative court in Greece banned the animal killings practices, Kosher in Judaism and Halal in Islam. Both of these methods promote the killing of animals without anaesthesia and the court ruled out that it was a gross violation of animal rights. Despite the minor criticism against the verdict, the decision was largely triumphed by Greeks.

But in Sri Lanka, the situation is quite different. It is unfortunate that no one in charge of the present government or any state-controlled media institution is constructively engaging in any meaningful discussion support to the Presidents vision. Due to the sluggish nature of the government media institutes, there is no clear communication between the public and the government. As a result, a misleading image of the government and the leadership has been socialized.

The same can be seen with regard to this Presidential Task Force. Although many criticize the appointment of a Buddhist monk as its head, no one dares to look into the factual arguments levelled by this monk in the last few years. Some groups without hesitation have described the appointment as a slap on Muslims. It is not only a misleading reaction but an attempt to distort the truth.

The real threat to the Muslim community is the intolerance and lunatic extremism that is being secretly promoted, not by a Buddhist monk who speaks directly against enslave extremism but certain groups within the Muslim community. The threat to the Muslim community who wishes to live by accepting and respecting multi-cultural and multi-religious qualities in this country has been posed not by critics who are urging for much-delayed administrative reforms that need to take place within the Islam establishment but by the dictatorial and un-accountable leadership in an organization such as the All Ceylon Jammiyathul Ulama. If the people in these organizations are so concerned about social justice, why arent they talking about ongoing massacre of Hindus in Bangladesh? Why do they think it is un-Islamic to change cruel practices such as encouraging child marriage?

The monk has proved by actions that he has a deep understanding of the dynamics of Islamic extremism. He has come up with a series of solutions. A significant number of people voted for him to win a parliament seat. But, his parliamentary seat was looted by one of the crooks within. Thus, he continues his social struggle. Not only the Sinhala Buddhists but also many Muslims who know the reality of the land support him.

Throughout his social struggle, he has explained the radical reforms required in the education system of this country. From the time of former Prime Minister Bandaranaike onwards, educational institutions rooted in Muslim extremism began to spread and some conspirators sought to separate them from the country's mainstream education system. These activities, carried out in the name of religious freedom, later led to widespread complex social divisions. Consequently, the country pays the price in 2019 where harebrained extremists shocked the nation.

Against this backdrop, let us be clear. It is the moment to treat the disease not the pitiful attempts to hide the symptoms. Chairman of the Presidential Task Force for One Country - One Law, Chairman Ven. Gnanasara Thera made a vital point. Is there any meaning of talking about lasting peace or reconciliation, if Muslim or Tamil children are not allowed to attend so-called Buddhist Colleges, or if the Sinhala Buddhist children are not allowing attend Muslim Colleges, or if the Colleges run in the name of Christianity or Hindu are denying Buddhist or Islam and Hindu kids? Isnt it the mother of all crisis we are suffering? Dont you think this toxic practice must be eliminated? Lets give him a chance to show how the monk is going to deliver what he was asked to deliver.

The service of Ven. Gnanasara Thera is more imperative for the future of the country than the hypocrites who deceive the country and the world by using various hollow rhetoric without allowing this basic issue to be resolved. It is the rotten structure, not the facade that needs to be replaced. Should we be hypocritical to see it as an error to give a monk who has been speaking for years a chance to do so? Ven. Gnanasara Thera deserves an opportunity.
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis is among the recipients of ARCHS grants to provide free after school programming for students in the Jennings and St. Louis Public Schools districts.
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones addressed gun violence with Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas in St. Louis on Friday, Oct. 29. During the briefing, five gunshots rang out from a nearby house prompting many at the press conference to take cover inside a building. Neither mayor flinched nor left following the gun shots.
Why: Two violations (one high-priority), including an infestation of 116 live flies in the dishwashing area, on clean sanitized dishes and drying hooks to the left of ice machine in the food prep area, on a bottle of floor cleaner and on the wall above the cooking station. (A brief aside here: If inspectors lose count of these flies  they are moving targets, after all  do they start over or start estimating? Weve always wondered.) Inspectors also noted that no doors separated the dishwashing, storage and cooking areas. The state cleared IHOP to reopen the next day after finding zero new problems.
The city of Boca Raton currently has a backlog of 242 buildings that need inspections for structural safety, according to Brandon Schaad, director of development services for the city. He recommended dividing the city into zones that the city could approach moving east to west, generally, with about 60 buildings in each zone. (City of Boca Raton / Courtesy)
All three South Florida school districts have been defying a state order for most or all of the school year by requiring students to wear masks. The state Health Department, the state Board of Education and Gov. Ron DeSantis have said parents must be given the choice of whether their children wear masks, and the state has slapped fines on districts in violation. The districts cited a summer resurgence caused by the delta variant as well as federal guidance in enforcing their mask rules.
The issue isnt about the one year when the world first averages 1.5 more than pre-industrial times. Scientists usually mean a multi-year average of over 1.5 because temperatures  while rising over the long term like on an escalator  do have small jags up and down above the long-term trend, much like taking a step up or down on the escalator.
And most tenants are forced to leave their rental units not because of formal eviction proceedings, but because theyve been illegally locked out or their utilities have been shut off, or because they want to avoid an eviction being added to their record by leaving on their own. There were 5.5 of these so-called informal evictions for every one formal eviction in 2017, according to the Census Bureaus American Housing Survey.
But Republicans on the national stage  including DeSantis, who has become a favorite among GOP voters looking ahead to 2024 if former President Donald Trump doesnt run again  have slammed major corporations that have spoken out against Republican moves to restrict voting access and ban transgender women from competing in womens sports. Both measures were pushed for and signed into law by DeSantis this year.
Were going to do something in this special session that is going to put peoples minds at ease, its going to save their jobs, DeSantis said at an event in Zephyrhills. We want people to be able to make informed decisions for themselves but weve got to stop bossing people around. Weve got to stop the coercion.
By Eleanor Corbin

corbinel@grinnell.edu

STD testing is a corner stone in basic health for those who are sexually active. Even those who use protection should get tested semi-regularly if they have more than one partner. But no matter how many times students are told to get tested, if testing itself is anything less than free and accessible, students wont find the time nor motivation to seek out the correct resources.

SHAW does not offer free, confidential STD testing on campus for any STD beyond HIV in any regular capacity. Instead, nurses direct students to off campus resources that do not fully recognize the difficulties behind getting STD tested.

The simple fact is that not having resources on campus will already deter a number of students from getting regularly tested. But the process gets even more complicated than simply seeking an off campus doctor in Grinnell. So first, lets walk through the process of getting STD tested at Grinnell College:

To start, you set up an appointment to meet with a SHAW nurse. You can do this either over the phone or in person during SHAWs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. business hours, the hours where students are largely in class.

With just how busy they are right now, the next available appointment that does not interrupt one of your classes could be a couple days down the line. The appointment itself is not for testing, but rather a consultation for where else you can go. If your parents are ok with you getting tested or you arent on their insurance, there are several doctors offices in town available.

If you are worried about your parents finding an STD test charge on your insurance, you must now find confidential testing. Confidential testing is available at Planned Parenthood, the closest of which is in Des Moines, or you can go to primary healthcare out of Marshalltown.

In order to get a confidential charge at the Marshalltown Hospital, you must first call them and get in contact with one of the managers, who are not always present. The managers can then request a confidential charge on your behalf. Even a confidential charge will still show up on your insurance, just not state the specific reason for your visit.

If you want to not use your insurance altogether, the test could be hundreds of dollars depending on where you go.

If you dont have a car and dont have friends that could drive you to your appointment, you then must organize a ride through SHAW. You need to pay the driver and gas for the ride.If you cant afford the copays on the test itself, you then need to apply for the Title X grant through the Marshalltown Hospital.

From the time you have started the process to when you are actually given an STD test is, at minimum, three days from when you first started.

Essentially, there are dozens of obstacles along the way that are going to prevent an increasing number of students from actually going through with testing. The student who takes the time to call the Marshalltown Hospital might not go through the effort of arranging a ride. The student who goes and seeks help at SHAW might not take the time to arrange an off campus appointment. The stops along the way where students will drop the process are endless.

Grinnell normally offers a free testing clinic twice a year to test for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea. Unfortunately, because SHAW is so busy with their vaccine clinics, the usual fall STD clinic does not appear like it is going to happen.

First off, the willingness to cancel the clinic is a significant medical oversight, but even in a normal year only offering free, confidential testing for two days out of the year is insufficient. While it is a good start to comprehensive sexual health care, students are not only having sex for those two days. If a student starts experiencing symptoms any other time of year, or simply wants to have a more routine check-in, they still must go through the deeply complicated process of arranging a test.

Deb Shill, director of health services, hopes to one-day look into the possibility of providing such services on campus.

I want to look into this with the state of Iowa, she says, to find out if its feasible to do those tests in our office on a regular basis or what that looks like.

In the meantime, however, there is a noticeable gap in SHAWs coverage. In fact, it seems like most other Liberal Arts college in the Midwest has already figured out the logistics. Oberlin, Kenyon, Macalester, and Carleton, just to list a few, all provide some form of on-campus testing. So why is Grinnell so behind in providing this basic service?

Grinnell College should look to invest their time and resources into a more comprehensive STD testing program that doesnt require students to jump through hoops just to find services that wont alert their family or break their wallets or force them to travel to the next town over.

For students looking for other forms of sexual health coverage, SHAW does provide HIV testing, free contraceptives, and discounted Plan B. They also partner with SHIC (Sexual Health Information Center) to get a student based perspective on sexual health, although SHIC has not been fully functioning since the start of 2020.

Sexual health is often a taboo. Seeking medical services for such purposed can be embarrassing and confusing, and for students, particularly those still on their parents insurance, finding and receiving the help they need can be generally difficult. The more steps between students first contact with SHAW and when they can actually get tested, the less students will go through the process. Grinnell College should increase their active role in improving the sexual health of their student body by providing free, confidential STD testing on campus.
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MBABANE  While a consensus has been reached in the interim regarding the reopening of schools, one issue that remains unaddressed, according to some parents, in the payment of school fees.

This is because most of the interviewed parents are of the view that they should not be made to pay schools fees for now. Instead, they want government to meet them halfway in this regard. It should be noted that stakeholders in the education sector proposed that schools should be reopened on November 16, with a commitment from government to pay free primary education and the orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) grants while parents were urged to play their part in the payment of school fees. Most parents feel that school fees should not be paid and government needs to find a way to meet them halfway. In an interview with some parents, they said it did not make sense for them to pay school fees when considering the instability in the country.

According Sikhumbuzo Hlatjwako, he was sceptical about paying the required E7 000 because schools may, once again, be closed abruptly. He said he forked out that money for his child to learn and if government was not assisting them as parents, then government was also frustrating the children. He said government needed to go back to the drawing board and fix all the problems that had caused the current situation before taking the children back to school.

Problems

Government should not focus on how the children have reacted but first fix the underlying problems, said Hlatjwayo. He said it was also wrong for government to deploy forces to watch over the pupils in schools because they were the same individuals who had allegedly hurt the children. The biggest problem is that we seem to not have a government that is for us. Government will not reimburse us for the money we paid in 2020 where our children barely learnt anything, said Hlatjwayo. He said a few weeks ago, he had to pay for examination fees, but shortly after that, schools were closed. Hlatjwayo went on to add that it was wrong for government to expect him to pay the balance again when schools reopen. My child has not learnt anything yet I am expected to pay school fees. Next year, a majority of children will have to be promoted yet they have not learnt anything, so what am I paying for? asked Hlatjwayo.

According to Hlatjwayo, government seemed to care about the collection of school fees and ignored other important things. He said growing up, they were involved in the construction of some of the schools that now belonged to government; their parents also made donations for the construction of some of these schools. The donations that our parents made and the hard labour that we endured has all been forgotten and we pay so much money for our childrens education. The people who make these decisions clearly do not care about the average person because most of their children do not study in Eswatini, he said.

Pandemic

Hlatjwayo said government needed to also consider the current situation in the country, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. He added that there had been a lot of setbacks where most emaSwati lost their jobs, faced pay cuts or lost businesses due to the unrest. With all the situations that the average liSwati has faced, government cannot expect us to pay school fees in full, he added. Another parent, John Dlamini, who also attended the parents meeting at Mbabane Central last week, said it would make sense for parents to only pay deposit fees or have their children admitted to class on the strength of the deposits that they had initially paid before everything came to a halt. He said government and the schools could then request parents who had not paid deposits to do so. Our proposal is that only deposits should be paid, which is a way of meeting us halfway. I think this should apply to all schools, said Dlamini. He said they had noticed that some head teachers in some instances were taking them for a ride by stating that water and electricity was still a cost for the school.

According to Dlamini, government needed to reconsider a lot and revisit the drawing board to come up with a better solution for the situation. If I am not mistaken, it has been a couple of years since government had spoken about salary increment yet all these monies are expected to be paid by the parents, he said. According to Dlamini, a person did not only qualify to get an increment because he had done great work, but it needed to go in line with the increases of prices that control everything such as fuel. He said everything had been increasing lately, from electricity to fuel which meant that food would also increase while government still expected them to continue paying exorbitant school fees. E10 000 in 2023 will be nothing, so salary increments need to be looked into as well to solve some of the issues. Government needs to look into businesses and their employees to assist us all to ensure that we are all able to afford to pay without too much of a struggle, added Dlamini. A vendor who sells fruits and vegetables at the Mbabane Market, but preferred to remain anonymous, said it would be fair for school fees to remain unpaid until after the examinations are written.

Children

No-work, no-pay, so why are we expected to pay if our children have spent the majority of two years at home. We will then look into the next year and start payment on a new slate, she asked. She said the money they had initially paid had not done anything for them. Teachers are paid by government and water and electricity was not being used for a very long period so why should we be paying since none of those services are being used? she asked. She went on to say that as parents, they paid school fees to bring children to school to use the services at the school which had not been used for about two years now. We cannot pay them, we do not have the money, she added.
MBABANE - While PUDEMO has given government a week to release the incarcerated Members of Parliament (MPs), Kings Office Director of Communications Percy Simelane says the State believes only in its Judicial System when it comes to the interpretation of the law.

The Peoples United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) has given the countrys authorities a week to release the two incarcerated MPs in Hoseas Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Ngwempisis Mthandeni Dube. PUDEMO claimed that there would be a mother of all protests in the country should their demand not be met. Speaking through its President, Mlungisi Makhanya, the entity also wants exiled emaSwati to be allowed to return home in order to participate in any meaningful process for dialogue aimed at resolving long-standing political issues in the country. Makhanya was being interviewed by South African television station Newzroom Africa yesterday morning.

Comment

The TV station had sought a comment from Makhanya regarding progress made in the Kingdom of Eswatini since the one-day visit by South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa in his capacity as Chairperson of the SADC Organ Troika on Politics, Defence and Security. During the visit, Ramaphosa held talks with His Majesty King Mswati III regarding the process towards the proposed national dialogue. Makhanya first made it clear that the political entity was not against the proposed dialogue and that it welcomed the intervention by the SADC chair of Troika, who since assuming that position, had demonstrated the necessary urgency in attending to the issue of Eswatini. We have said we are committed to dialogue, but the dialogue we are committed to is one that will be all inclusive, whose terms of reference shall be generated by the people of Eswatini working together with the SADC Secretariat, civil society and maybe the government, Makhanya said.

Reason

He said it was precisely for that reason that they had made an indication to the SADC Troika to submit their own terms of reference that should guide any process towards any meaningful dialogue. Makhanya was also asked whether he believed that there would be a dialogue or that it would be a monologue. In response, he said they were of the view that it would be a monologue, which was why they had made their own demands. Among those is that we want immediate release of the two MPs and the jailed political activists like Amos Mbedzi. We want him released immediately and sent to his country. We have made it clear that we want unconditional return of our leaders who are in exile, some for over 20 years, including the recently-exiled Siphofaneni MP Mduduzi Simelane. Sibaya is not the forum of any meaningful dialogue, he said. Makhanya said it was for that reason that they would announce very soon an ultimatum date on which they expected these things to have been done, failing which they would embark on a mother of all protests to make sure that they forced the authorities to concede to these demands.

Makhanya said they would not in any way take their foot off the pedal and that they were focused on an intensification of the struggle and an acceleration of pressure on the authorities. We are clear that whatever will happen in Eswatini will be largely based on the contribution that we have made as citizens, not necessarily much in the boardrooms of the dialogue, but on the ground where the struggle is fought, he stated. Another question posed to the PUDEMO president was whether giving an ultimatum and proposing a protest was not against the spirit of dialogue. He responded by saying: It is definitely not against the spirit of dialogue. If anything, it is meant to enhance dialogue. As President Ramaphosa and SADC speak about dialogue, the armed forces in Eswatini continue to brutalise our people in communities. So we believe that if anything, it will enhance any spirit of dialogue and this will only happen with the release of the MPs, return of exiled people and an end to violence. Makhanya highlighted that it was incorrect to say that when the people pushed against brutalisation and victimisation, it was offensive to the spirit of dialogue.

Dialogue

What was not in the spirit of dialogue, according to Makhanya, was the alleged use of violence on citizens. This publication contacted Makhanya to ascertain how the proposed protest would be staged since the issuance of permits had been banned by government. He advised this reporter to follow the family meeting which was to take place later yesterday, where he said all clarifications would be offered. In response to this, Kings Office Director Simelane said the State believed only in its Judicial System when it came to the interpretation of the law. Constitutionally in this country, it is the courts that discharge or convict suspects. The right to overthrow the courts and Constitution does not exist in the entire civilised world. We have no reason to think the State would be ready in three weeks or any other time to replace its Judicial System with mob justice as it were, Simelane said.
MBABANE  Some of the people who were unrepresented in court were allegedly convinced by the police and prosecutors to plead guilty.

This, according to one of the lawyers who offered their services for free to the accused persons, was to ensure that the accused did not have to keep coming to court. The lawyer, who preferred to remain anonymous, said if the accused persons kept coming to court, it would annoy the presiding officers because they found it to be a waste of time. The attorney said the alleged looters were enticed with a low fine if they pleaded guilty. He mentioned that some of the accused persons employers did not tolerate having their employees requesting to go to court time and again. The lawyer also said the arrested people included pupils and one of them was allegedly advised by the police to plead guilty.

Contravening

The attorney stated that he found some pupils in court who were not represented. They were charged for allegedly contravening the Public Order Act and some of them were released to the custody of their parents when they made their court appearances.

Initially, none of the accused persons were granted bail or given the opportunity to move bail applications at the magistrates courts. One magistrate was reported to have mentioned that there was a directive to the effect that none of the alleged looters should be granted bail. One of the arrested pupils was a 15-year-old male who was released to his mothers custody, pending commencement of his trial. According to the attorney, a 17-year-old pupil was allegedly wrongly advised to plead guilty by the police and the prosecution. He said they were in the process of challenging the arrest and conviction. The accused persons also include nine pupils from one school in the Shiselweni Region, said the lawyer.

Detained

He said some pupils were detained and allegedly beaten for inciting their schoolmates to protest. Worth noting is that on some of the charge sheets, the type and values of the items the accused persons were accused of looting were not stated. There were several cases of pupils who were arrested during the recent protests. A 17-year-old pupil, who was charged with arson, was granted E50 000 bail and he remained in custody pending posting of bail. Another pupil of the same age was granted the same amount of bail and was released to the custody of his mother, pending setting of a trial date. The attorney said an 18-year-old pupil sustained a gunshot wound and was considering filing a civil claim against government. Last Thursday, pupils who are accused of burning the Shewula Police Post were granted bail. Four of the pupils were each granted bail fixed at E15 000. They were each ordered to pay an amount of E3 000 and provide sureties for the balance. The fifth pupil was released to the custody of his father a week before his co-accused were granted bail.
Bahrain-based GFH Group, a leading regional financial group with interests in asset management and real estate, has announced the successful and early exit from its US tech offices portfolio with over 50 per cent gross returns within less than two years.

The portfolio, which was acquired in 2019, comprises a Class A Life Science office asset in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, the largest scientific research and development park in the country.

The asset, which holds a prime position in the Park, is the largest employment centre in the Triangle and is made up of five buildings with a total area of 430,000 sq ft and further developable land of 270,000 sq ft.

Over the holding period, the investment consistently delivered the target yield and the sale was timed to leverage strong current demand in Life Science, enabling GFH to deliver an early and profitable exit for investors, said the statement from the Bahrain-based group.

Proceeds from the exit are expected to deliver to investors an approximate return of more than 50% over the holding period, it added.

On the strategic move, Executive Director (Real Estate Investments) Awais Majeed said: "We are pleased to announce another well-timed exit for the group and our investors. This is another important milestone underscoring our continued ability to capitalise on suitable market conditions to both deploy and return investor funds successfully."

"We are very proud of the portfolios performance over the hold period. Using a combination of value add and core strategies in managing and maximising the asset, we were able to command a higher premium at sale relative to traditional office space and to achieve a Multiple on Money Invested (MoM) of 1.5x in an approximate two-year timeframe," stated Majeed.

He pointed out that GFH remained committed to building its diverse portfolio of robust real estate assets in the US market, where it witnessed ongoing growth and opportunities in a number of segments that provide attractive opportunities with stabilised yields and upside potential.

Key among those that we are currently offering investors are in the specialised office (medical and life science), residential (multifamily and student housing) and logistics spaces, where we intend to replicate a similar execution strategy to deliver sound and steady returns.

GFH currently manages a portfolio of global real estate assets valued at more than $2 billion including blue chip assets in key industry segments including logistics, technology, student housing, healthcare and multifamily residential.-TradeArabia News Service
The Middle East and Africa (MEA) edtech and smart classroom market is poised to grow in value to AED26 billion($7 billion) in 2027, driven by the adoption of the edtech-focused products and solutions.

Given such bright prospects for business growth, a strong local and international contingent of edtech companies have confirmed their participation at Gess Dubai, the leading education conference and exhibition show in the Middle East that is set to take place from November 14 to 16 at the Dubai World Trade Centre (Zabeel Halls 4, 5 & 6).

This is a strong confirmation that the education sector in this part of the world is showing great promise for the future, and we are delighted to provide the ideal platform to facilitate this growth by giving edtech companies a chance to showcase their products and solutions to key decision-makers in schools throughout the region during Gess Dubai, said Matt Thompson, Project Director, Tarsus, organisers of the Gess portfolio of education exhibitions and conferences in the UAE, Turkey and Indonesia.

The data was culled from the "Middle East and Africa EdTech and Smart Classroom Market Forecast to 2027 report published by Report Linker, an award-winning global market research solution and business intelligence, and listed the widespread adoption of smartphones, interactive displays and other digital learning tools in classrooms as a key driver of this growth.

Thompson says the region is also home to a robust start-up ecosystem that are developing specific edtech solutions that integrate a wide range of technological innovations such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and Blockchain among others to provide immersive and engaging teaching-and-learning experiences in classrooms or in homes as a result of blended onsite and remote classes being implemented by schools.

Moreover, an IDC study earlier this year found that 72% of Gulf educational institutions brought forward their digital initiative roadmaps by at least a year. As a consequence, global suppliers have seen huge increases in subscribers in the region, and the UAE is now one of the fastest growing markets for edtech.

Among the over 400 local and international companies participating at Gess Dubai is Canada-based ezrobot, which is looking to expand its operations in the Middle East. We're excited to be at Gess and to help educators learn how they can dramatically increase engagement in robotics, coding and AI education. Many schools that have implemented our strategies have seen enrolment in their robotics programs increase by as much as 1,000% - it's truly incredible to see, said Dennis Kambeitz, CEO.

Edtech in Action will also be a key thematic focus on the conference agenda of Gess Dubai, with leading education and technology experts coming to share their insights on the latest advances in the use of technology in classrooms.

Steve Bambury, a renowned edtech consultant, will deliver talks on The rise of the virtual schoolhouse and How NFTs and Blockchain will Disrupt Education. These and hundreds of other presentations, workshops and panel discussions form part of the conference component of Gess Dubai, which provides CPD certification for education professionals attending the event.

Homegrown edtech company Alef Education will also be participating at the event to showcase their award-winning AI-power Alef Platform, which has been adopted by the UAE Ministry of Education for use in all public schools in the emirates.

Digital Learning tools will make education more accessible and prevent future learning losses as we embrace for future events that may disrupt the global education sector much like the current Covid -19 pandemic, said Geoffrey Alphonso, CEO, Alef Education.

This year, the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) is supporting over 50 British companies who will be exhibiting in the UK Pavilion at Gess Dubai. 10 of these are edtech companies that are new to the show and taking part in the new for 2021 UK Tech Showcase which sits within the pavilion and is being supported by the Department for International Trade.

Each company will be presenting their products and services in the presentation area throughout the show, and will also be running two Dragons Den style pitching competitions which will be judged by independent education and edtech experts. The winners of these competitions will be announced during the show.

In addition, Gess Dubai has a dedicated Start Up Pavilion where many emerging start-ups will be showcasing their latest innovations that could potentially disrupt the edtech sector in the region.

-- TradeArabia News Service
Copper tube manufacturer Mueller Middle East (MME) has exceeded $100 million in global exports from its base in Bahrain and is targeting $1 billion of exports over the next five years.



About 40% of MMEs global exports over the last year were to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the UAE, followed by Egypt and Jordan, the company revealed in a statement.

MME, based in Bahrain, is currently the only copper tube manufacturing facility in the MENA region. The company exports to more than 10 countries, with the US, Canada, Egypt, KSA and the UAE making up the largest share. Most of MMEs products are used by Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).

MME commenced operations in Bahrain in 2018 and began to ramp up production from mid-2019 in a bid to grow market share. Despite global supply chain disruptions caused by Covid, MME was able to leverage Bahrains free trade agreement (FTA) with the US. The firms exports to the US accounted for over 4% of total Bahrain-US exports in the first half of 2021, according to the United Nations Comtrade database.

Commenting on the announcement, Hesham Alabbar the General Manager of MME, said: "This milestone represents the first major step in establishing MME as a serious player in the copper tubing market. Proud of the hard work that the team put in over the last couple of years. We have our eyes set on $1 billion in exports over the next five years,"

Due to its FTAs and easy access to the $1.4 trillion GCC market, including Saudi Arabia, which is 40 minutes away by road, Bahrain is seen as a destination of choice for international manufacturers and distributors. Manufacturing is one of the most important contributors to Bahrains economy, accounting for around 13.8% of GDP as of Q2 2021. Bahrain is seeking to attract more manufacturers to the country as part of its economic diversification.

Ali Al Mudaifa, Executive Director  Investment Origination at Bahrains Economic Development Board, said: We are pleased that MME has been able to use Bahrains regional and international FTAs so effectively. The companys trade milestone is a testament to the Kingdoms business-friendly regulations and easy access to regional and international markets.

The pandemic has demonstrated the value of robust supply chains and easy, duty-free access to key markets. Bahrains position as a leading logistics hub and gateway to the Gulf and beyond has enabled several major manufacturers in the Kingdom to grow exports during the pandemic. We support MMEs aim to reach $1 billion worth of exports over the next five years and hope to assist more international manufacturers in their export strategies in the coming years.

Demand for copper tubing and other metal and alloy products is increasing throughout the region as construction projects resume in the wake of the pandemic. According to IMARC Group, the global copper pipes and tubes market is expected to reach a volume of 5.5 million tonnes by 2026, up from 4.5 million in 2020.

The Gulf is a key supply chain hub for the global manufacturing sector and Bahrain is one of the main distribution centres in the region. Home to several major logistics groups, including DHL, Bahrain is a springboard to neighbouring markets. Trade between Bahrain and the US reached $941 million, in the first half of 2021, up from $783 million in H1 2020.TradeArabia News Service
A diverse team of Brazilian companies has acquired information on the industry dynamics, consumer behaviour, and suitable and ample opportunities for Brazilian products in the Arab region.

In a three-day-long business mission, the Brazilian companies with previous exporting experience to the Arab nations, and the companies seeking opportunities for the first time, learned about the regions' business trends and discovered opportunities that are in synergy with their products and services.

The business mission was organised by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) for representatives from eleven companies in Brazil in Dubai.

The delegation from multiple sectors explored their business prospects and received training on Creative Thinking and Innovation in the UAE.

The business mission was organised in line with the prospects of the Brazilian companies to capitalise on the open economy, state-of-the-art infrastructure, and status as a financial, commercial, logistical, and regional hub that makes UAE a suitable choice for Foreign Direct Investments (FDI).

The visit of the Brazilian business delegation was also in line with the opportunities that have emerged with Expo 2020 Dubai, as the global event has created a platform for 192 countries in the world to collaborate and contribute to global progress.

The delegations visit to Expo 2020 also enabled them to explore the opportunities for fostering business with the various participating countries from across the world besides that in the UAE. The world expo also allowed the delegates from Brazil to witness the participating nations prospects on sustainability, mobility, and opportunities for a sustainable global future.

Osmar Chohfi, President, Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce said: The UAE and Brazil share the common goal of using innovative strategies for sustainable development and are determined to further the cooperation between the markets to find more business opportunities. UAE's mastery over innovation-focused sectors like financial services, energy, and healthcare, with ample resources, excellent infrastructure, and opportunities can support the prospects of Brazilian companies looking to expand their business in this region and beyond. The business mission which follows the successful mission held in 2019 is another step in the countries interest in shared activities.

In addition to visits to the Expo 2020 pavilions, the businessmen mission met with representatives of ADG Legal, Pan Arab Research Center, Madar Farms, Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad) and Dubai Airport Free Zones (Dafza).

Chohfi added: We have scheduled meetings in relation with matters dealing with opportunity, mobility and sustainability It will allow the delegates to understand the transport infrastructure in the region or to get an overview about the Arab consumers who are aware of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) issues.

Apart from exploring the business prospects in the region, the team of Brazilian business leaders also received courses to gain a better understanding of the business ecosystem in the region.

The unique learning experience was delivered to the delegates through training sessions, and insightful discussions on agile innovation methodologies from the viewpoint of the Arab business world, and the export procedures and regulatory requirements in the UAE.

ABCC is confident that this business mission will open business opportunities for Brazilian industries that will, in turn, contribute to economic growth, strengthening the relationship between the UAE and Brazil.-- TradeArabia News Service
New Delhi, Nov 8 (UNI) Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said on Monday that the electric vehicles policy of the city government is being well received by the people.

Citing a quarterly report of vehicular sales, he said that acceptance for electric mobility among the masses is increasing to the total vehicles sold in the previous quarter.

"Electric vehicles contributed 7 per cent of the total vehicles sold in Delhi in the previous quarter," Gahlot said while addressing a press conference on the launch of a single-window facility to install battery chargers for electric vehicles.
Guest Speaker to Discuss Racism as Public Health Crisis in UW Lecture Series Nov. 15

A University of Florida lecturer will discuss his research on racism as a public health crisis as part of the University of Wyoming Black Studies Centers (UWBSC) 2021-22 Let Freedom Ring Lecture Series.

Rik Stevenson will present The Negro Question and Racism as a Public Health Crisis Monday, Nov. 15, at 6 p.m. via Zoom. To view the lecture, go to https://uwyo.zoom.us/j/95926882922.

Stevensons research on racism as a public health crisis examines the role racism plays in American society and beyond.

His research extends the current and insufficient research found in the mainstream academic offerings in higher education, says Fredrick Douglass Dixon, the UWBSC director.

Dixon says the UWBSC will continue its dedication to the fundamental principles of UWs diversity, equity and inclusion endeavors by reexamining the Negro Question of the first Mohonk Conference of 1890.

The Negro Question asks: What should be done with the presence of the troublesome Negro for maximum exploitation? This question is the overarching theme and undergirds the UWBSCs events for this academic year, Dixon says.

For more information, email Dixon at fdixon@uwyo.edu.
UW Names Director of Advanced Research Computing Center

An expert in computational biology, biophysics and big-data analyses in high-performance computing environments has been chosen as the director of the University of Wyomings Advanced Research Computing Center (ARCC).

Liudmila Sergeevna Mainzer, currently a technical program manager at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, was selected following a nationwide search. Shes scheduled to start at UW Jan. 21.

Im delighted that a scholar with Dr. Mainzers computing expertise has agreed to lead this unit that is so important to UWs future, President Ed Seidel says. Her experience working with industry in higher education at a world-renowned computational research center will be invaluable as we work to achieve our ambitions to make UW a leader in the rapidly changing digital world.

In her role at the University of Illinois, Mainzer has led a team of 10 programmers and scientists to provide high-performance computing support to biomedical industry partners of NCSA. Among her many successful projects, she led research to identify mutations for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome; led a team to accelerate clinical genomic analyses for the Mayo Clinic; and led a project to develop a deep-learning pipeline for brain image analysis with graphics processing units.

She holds a Ph.D. in biophysics and computational biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a bachelors degree in specialty biophysics from Belarusian State University in Minsk, Belarus.

Founded in 2010 as a unified research support group for UW students, staff and faculty, ARCC is a team of highly trained professionals with backgrounds in research, computing systems and information technology support. In 2018, to better support digital research across UW, ARCC was moved from Information Technology (IT) to the Office of Research and Economic Development. It manages and supports UW faculty, staff and students in the use of diverse cyberinfrastructure, including Teton, a high-performance computing cluster, and the Alcova petaLibrary, a digital storage system.

ARCC currently is housed in the IT Center, with teams focused on technical systems, software consultation, and end-user support and training. The technical systems team is responsible for systems administration, architecture/design and general operations of ARCCs services; the software consultation team focuses on installation and providing assistance with scientific computational software, in addition to managing the software on the high-performance computing clusters; and the end-user support team is responsible for supporting use of ARCCs services, including Linux desktop support.

Combined with the planned School of Computing and other initiatives at UW, ARCC will play a key role in elevating the universitys high-performance computing capabilities -- in line with Seidels four pillars focused on making UW more digital, entrepreneurial, interdisciplinary and inclusive.


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Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-25 14:09:36|Editor: huaxia

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by Chanthaphaphone Mixayboua, Zhang Jianhua

VIENTIANE, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Despite the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, both Chinese and Lao engineers are striving to complete the construction of the China-Laos Railway and put it on operation in the coming December as scheduled.

"It will be on December 2 when we are to complete the railway construction and make it ready for full operation," Xiao Qianwen, general manager of the Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd., a joint venture based in Lao capital Vientiane for the construction and operation of the first modern railway in the country, told Xinhua on Friday.

"We are not changing the timetable and we are striving for that goal, with over 90 percent of the engineering work done, and our preparation for the operation is well on the way."

In the southern end of the railway in Vientiane, the China Railway No. 5 Engineering Group (CREC-5) has completed the construction of the main structure of the longest bridge along the China-Laos Railway, the Phonethong super major bridge with a length of 7,528.56 meters and 231 piers.

In the northern end of the railway, the China Railway Construction Engineering Group (CRCEG) roofed the Lao border gate station in Boten On June 15, while the same Chinese company ceiled the top of the first railway station in Nateuy, some 360 km north of Lao capital Vientiane, nine months ago on Sept. 16, 2020.

By May 15, the construction of all 67 communication towers along the China-Laos railway had completed, while the China-Laos railway tracks had been extended from Vientiane to the northern end of Boten.

"We will installed all the tracks by mid-August," Lei Chao, a China Railway No. 2 Engineering Group (CREC-2) railing base project manager, told Xinhua on Friday in Vientiane.

Lei said the CREC-2 teams are carry out strict precaution measures against the COVID-19 pandemic as to achieve uninterrupted construction of the project with zero infection case. The company kicked off the track laying on March 27, 2020.

According to Xiao Qianwen, most of the construction sites are located in tropical mountainous areas, with complex geographical conditions and poor traffic conditions, resulting in difficulties for the construction.

Especially during the rainy season, the machinery can not get access to the construction sites and sometimes the Chinese engineering teams even have to turn to the piggyback transportation to carry large amounts of the needed materials and equipment.

The China-Laos Railway's construction has been confronted with huge challenges and difficulties during the pandemic, but the construction progress in an orderly and balanced manner has boosted the confidence in the timely completion of the railway in this December, Bounthong Chitmany, vice president of Laos, said when talking to Xiao Qianwen in the Lao presidential palace on June 15.

On June 10, when inspecting the Vientiane railway station's construction, Lao Deputy Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone praised the Chinese engineering company there which hired some 700 local employees, hoping the railway will offer more jobs to local communities.

The deputy prime minister, on behalf of the Lao government, hailed and progresses and achievements of the China-Laos Railway construction amid the epidemic, saying that the railway is a landmark project of the friendship between Laos and China and its completion coincides with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Laos, which is of great significance.

Both sides must cooperate to efficiently advance the remaining work, complete the construction and start the operation on schedule, and live up to the ardent expectations of the two parties and the two peoples, said Sonexay.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many difficulties to the Lao people, and thus, I especially expect the railway to be open to traffic this year, which is something the Lao people have been dreaming for a long time," said Somphone Inleuangsy, aged 24, from Luang Namtha, a mountainous province in northern Laos that borders China. He is currently receiving training at the CREC-2 railing base on the northern outskirts of Vientiane.

She told Xinhua "There is a Chinese saying 'to get rich, build roads first,' and I hope Laos, with the Laos-China railway, will become prosperous soon. I also hope Laos will become a transportation hub in Southeast Asia to drive the development in the region."

"As a female, among all over 600 trainees of the China-Laos Railway, I feel very honored and proud. I hope that I can become a formal railway employee after the training, and I hope my parents can see how I drive a train," Somphone said. "I also hope that with the opening of the China-Laos railway, more Chinese friends can come to help the development here."

At present, a total of 636 Lao youngsters are trained for the future operation of China-Laos Railway, working as train drivers, equipment and infrastructure maintenance personnel.

"In the past two years, the cooperation between Laos and China has been outstanding. Especially, the first modern Vientiane-Vangvieng Expressway in Laos has been put into operation through cooperation, and the high-speed Laos-China Railway will be completed by the end of this year," said Valy Vetsaphong, Lao Prime Minister's advisor and vice president of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

"This is due to the policy coordination between the two countries, and the dovetail between Laos' strategy to convert from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub and China's Belt and Road Initiative."

Valy told Xinhua "The Laos-China Railway will lay a new foundation for the introduction of foreign investment, and Laos will surely take the advantage to participate in the regional and global industrial chain. In other words, the China-Laos Railway will not only promote bilateral trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges, but also benefit the countries to be connected. I believe that the completion and operation of the Laos-China railway will promote the post-pandemic recovery of neighboring countries and the whole region."

The over 400 km railway will run from Boten border gate in northern Laos bordering China to Vientiane with an operating speed of 160 km per hour.

The electrified passenger and cargo railway is built with the full application of the Chinese management and technical standards. The construction of the project started in December 2016 and is scheduled to be completed and open to traffic in December 2021. Enditem
WASHINGTON  Colin L. Powell, the trailblazing soldier-diplomat who rose from humble beginnings to become the first Black secretary of state, was remembered by family and friends Friday as a principled man of humility and grace whose decorated record of leadership can serve as a model for generations to come.

The example of Colin Powell does not call on us to emulate his resume, which is too formidable for mere mortals, his son, Michael, said in a touching tribute at his father's funeral service at Washington National Cathedral. It is to emulate his character and his example as a human being. We can strive to do that.

The funeral on a sunny and chilly day drew dignitaries and friends from across the political and military spectrum. They included President Joe Biden and former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, former secretaries of state James Baker, Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Army Gen. Mark Milley.

Two recent presidents did not attend  Bill Clinton, who is recovering from a severe infection, and Donald Trump, who publicly disparaged Powell after his death for having been critical of the former president.

Powell died Oct. 18 of complications from COVID-19 at age 84. He had been vaccinated against the coronavirus, but his family said his immune system had been compromised by multiple myeloma, a blood cancer for which he had been undergoing treatment.

Funeral attendees Friday were required to wear masks. Not all did.

As guests gathered in the cavernous cathedral that has hosted the funerals of several past presidents, including Dwight D. Eisenhower, the U.S. Army Brass Quintet played a range of tunes, including Dancing Queen by Abba, a favorite of Powell's.

Richard Armitage, who served as the State Department's No.-2-ranking official while Powell was secretary of state during the Bush administration, recalled the day Sweden's foreign minister, Ann Linde, came to call and  knowing of Powell's affection for Abba  presented him with a full CD set of group's music.

Colin immediately went down on one knee and sang the entire Mamma Mia to a very amused foreign minister of Sweden and to a gob-smacked U.S. delegation. They'd never seen anything like it, said Armitage, who described a 40-year friendship with Powell that began while both served in the Pentagon.

Madeleine Albright, who was Powell's immediate predecessor as secretary of state, called him a figure who almost transcended time, and one of the gentlest and most decent people any of us will ever meet.

He relished the opportunity to connect with other generations, she said.

This morning my heart aches, she added, because we've lost a friend and our nation one of its finest and most loyal soldiers. Yet even as we contemplate the magnitude of our loss, we can almost hear a familiar voice asking us  no, commanding us  to stop feeling sad, to turn our gaze once again from the past to the future and to get on with the nation's business while making the most of our own days on Earth, one step at a time.

During her tenure as ambassador to the United Nations during the Clinton administration, Albright sometimes clashed with Powell, although they became good friends. Both have recalled the time, during his final months as Joint Chiefs chairman, when she argued for a U.S. military intervention in the Balkans, asking why the United States had built a superb military if it couldnt be used in such circumstances. Powell recalled being so irritated by her statement, I thought I would have an aneurysm.

Powells view was that the United States should commit its military only when it had a clear and achievable political objective, a key element of what became known as the Powell Doctrine, which embodied lessons learned from the U.S. failure in Vietnam.

The story of Powell's rise to prominence in American life is a classic.

In his autobiography, My American Journey, Powell recalled a 1940s childhood in the Hunts Point section of New York City's South Bronx, where he was a mediocre student  happy-go-lucky but aimless.

He caught the military bug during his first year at the City College of New York in 1954. Powell was inspired by seeing fellow students in uniform, and he enrolled in the school's Reserve Officer Training Corps.

I felt distinctive in uniform, he wrote.

Although he was only 4 when the United States entered World War II, he had vivid memories of the war years. I deployed legions of lead soldiers and directed battles on the living room rug, he wrote  a fantasy forerunner of his Army years.

Powell would serve 35 years in uniform. Commissioned in 1958, he served around the world, including two tours in Vietnam in the 1960s.

He distinguished himself at the Pentagon even before he attained flag officer rank. In the late 1970s he worked in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and in 1983 as a brigadier general he became the senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger. He later served in the White House as President Ronald Reagan's national security adviser, and in 1989 he was promoted to four-star general. Later that year, President George H.W. Bush selected him to be the first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

It was a trailblazing American dream journey that won him international acclaim and trust.

He put that credibility on the line in February 2003 when, appearing before the United Nations as secretary of state, he made the case for war against Iraq. When it turned out that the intelligence he cited was faulty and the Iraq War became a bloody, chaotic nightmare, Powells stellar reputation was damaged.

Still, it wasnt destroyed. After leaving government, he became an elder statesman on the global stage and the founder of an organization aimed at helping young disadvantaged Americans. Republicans wanted him to run for president. After becoming disillusioned with his party, he ended up endorsing the last three Democratic presidential candidates, who welcomed his support.
Police in Swaziland (eSwatini) blocked a march for democracy and arrested leaders, torturing at least one of them, according to reports.

A group called The New Parliament tried to hold a march in Manzini, the kingdom's main commercial city, but two leaders Phila Fakudze and Sibongile Mazibuko, President of the Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC), were arrested and taken to Sigodvweni Police Station.

Swati Newsweek, a news website, reported, 'Mazibuko was questioned and released after spending over five hours with the police officer who grilled her for calling for multiparty democracy.'

Swaziland News, an online newspaper, reported Fakudze was arrested on 24 December 2020 and 'was tortured the whole night and later taken back to Manzini police station for further torturing'.

Fakudze told the Swaziland News, 'While suffocating me, one of the police officers told me to pray and tell my God that I'm coming, he said we can kill you and then said you were trying to escape.'

Swati Newsweek reported Fakudze saying, 'I was suffocated with a plastic bag by 12 police officers. I was tied to a bench and assaulted. I was kept in police custody for 48 hours. The police told me to pray and tell God that I am coming. They forced me to admit to being a robbery suspect. I was forced to name innocent people. However, they released me after their evidence crumbled.'

Swaziland is not a democracy and is ruled by King Mswati III as an absolute monarch. One of the aims of The New Parliament is that the king hands back power to the people.

Separately, Swati Newsweek reported Thulani Motsa, the Swaziland Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) Deputy President, was allegedly assaulted and suffocated by police. It said it had a copy of a doctor's report detailing injuries.

Swati Newsweek quoted Motsa saying, 'Police officers from Sigodvweni and Manzini came to my home, accompanied and confiscated my cellphone before bundling me into a police van without any warrant of arrest. When we arrived in the police station I was tightly tied by a black rope and suffocated by 10 male cops.'

Swati Newsweek reported Swazi police made a number of raids on homes of activists during the recent holiday period.
Paramedics on the coronavirus emergency response team in Swaziland are to stop work because they do not have proper protective equipment.

They say they face 'imminent and serious risk to [their] safety and health'.

The National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU) said work would stop from Wednesday (4 February 2021). Paramedics would report for duty but would not go out on calls.

NAPSAWU President Oscar Nkambule said paramedics had not been paid overtime allowances and had not been given proper personal protective equipment (PPE).

Paramedics are among the first-line responders during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis that is gripping Swaziland.

Nkambule said a number of members of NAPSAWU had contacted or died with coronavirus, including paramedics.

Nkambule told the Swaziland News, an online newspaper, '[We] tried in vain to engage government to provide working equipment and allowances hence the decision to down tools. We apologize to members of the public as services will be limited and it's unfortunate that the employees were forced to take decision.'

As of Monday there had been 15,804 reported cases of coronavirus and 574 deaths according to the Swazi Ministry of Health.
King Mswati III of Eswatini disembarks from a plane at Sochi International Airport as he arrives to take part in the 2019 Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, Russia, 23 October 2019.

Only 3 percent of the Swaziland (eSwatini) population are likely to get coronavirus vaccines in the first phase of inoculations, according to the kingdom's Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi.

In a statement she said no firm date for the arrival of the first vaccines had been given but she hoped it would be before the end of February 2021.

There are about 1.2 million people in Swaziland.

Nkosi said frontline healthcare workers would be the first to get the vaccine. It had previously been reported in local media that Swazi politicians would be given first priority.

Phase two would see the elderly aged 60 years and above and people living with pre-existing illnesses. Phase three would be other essential workers outside of the health service, including security forces and teachers.

She said the government had formed several committees to distribute the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine and that the AstraZeneca / Oxford University vaccine was its preferred choice, but other vaccines could be imported.

Nkosi said about 108,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were expected in the Kingdom by the end of February. Since two doses are needed that would be enough to only vaccinate 54,000 people.

However, Nkosi said Swaziland would eventually receive more than 230,000 doses through the African Union. The Swazi Government was also looking for ways to obtain vaccines independently.

As of Wednesday (3 February 2021) 15,974 people had tested positive for coronavirus and 585 had died, according to the Ministry of Health.
King Mswati III, the absolute monarch of Swaziland (eSwatini), has revealed that he was hospitalised for more than 10 days in January after testing positive for coronavirus.

This was not made public at the time.

In December and January the King took part in the annual Incwala ceremony involving hundreds of people from across Swaziland. It is not reported if he caught the virus at this event.

The King, speaking at the state opening of the Swazi Parliament on Friday (19 February 2021), said he had taken a drug sent to him by Taiwan and recovered. Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi later revealed to the eSwatini Observer it had been Remdezvir.

The King said he did not reveal his status to his people and said after 'a couple of days' he found that he was negative.

'However, the protocol of the drug requires that you take it for 10 days while the practise for COVID-19 (coronavirus) says, be on medication for two weeks. I therefore, remained in hospital after the 10 days to satisfy the doctors that everything was okay, and we thank God they found that I had fully recovered," he said.

He has now ordered the government to immediately procure the drug while Swaziland awaits the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines.

Remdezvir is one of the drugs US President Donald Trump took when he tested positive in October 2020.

Later, the World Health Organisation said it should not be used in hospitals because there was no evidence it worked.
More than 100 people in Swaziland (eSwatini) face forced eviction from their homes with nowhere to go in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, Amnesty International reported.

In Madonsa town more than 100 people have been living under the threat of forced eviction for years, to make way for the eSwatini National Provident Fund, a national pension fund administrator. Residents are anxious and have nowhere to go after they were served with a legal notice by the Fund to vacate their homes by 5 March 2021.

In a statement Amnesty said, 'Forced evictions drive people into poverty and destroy livelihoods.' It added the Swazi Government 'utterly disregard their human rights in the pursuit of patronage and commercial interests'.

Muleya Mwananyanda, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Southern Africa, said Swaziland had a grim history of not observing due process when evicting people, including failing to consult communities or offering alternative places of accommodation when carrying out evictions.

Mwananyanda said it was 'especially appalling' that the government was attempting to make people homeless during a pandemic.

In a 2018 report, Amnesty International revealed that many Swazis were vulnerable to forced evictions because they lacked security of tenure, due to the kingdom's 'deeply flawed land governance system'.

Most of the kingdom's land is Swazi Nation Land, held in 'trust' by King Mswati III who rules Swaziland as an absolute monarch. The remainder of the land is Title-Deed Land, owned by private entities or the government.

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Amnesty reported, 'The residents of Madonsa maintain that they obtained the land through the traditional process of kukhonta, in which allegiance is offered to the chief who in turn admits that individual into his chiefdom and allocates them land.'

The threat of eviction began in 2012, and since then thousands of people have been evicted and are living in desperately poor conditions. Despite this, more people have continued to build homes on the Madonsa land on the basis that that they felt to be secure following the allocation of the land by the chief.

Amnesty said, 'The people of Madonsa have not been adequately consulted or offered alternative accommodation. Despite this some people have already started dismantling their homes to avoid brutal forced evictions.'

On 6 March 2021, the Masvingo Magistrates Court granted an interim interdict barring the arbitrary eviction of the villagers.

Amnesty reported, 'The Court reaffirmed that no one can just decide to evict people from their place of habitation without following the law. Villagers are devastated and continue to live in fear due to a history of intimidation on those resisting eviction.'
Members of the Swaziland (eSwatini) House of Assembly forced the Minister of Education and Training, Lady Mabuza, to halt plans to make parents pay school fees even though classes had been stopped for a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

They threatened her with a motion of no confidence if she did not comply.

Schools are due to start reopening on 29 March 2021 and parents are expected to pay fees for both last year and the present one.

Moving an emergency motion, Phila Buthelezi told the House children only had five weeks schooling last year. He said there was no justification to make parents pay fees because children were at home.

He said, 'As we speak, some parents have failed to register their children for the current academic year, which is supposed to begin next week because the head teachers had stated that there was an instruction from the ministry that they should demand last year's outstanding fees first.'

The motion was carried and Mabuza was given until Tuesday afternoon (23 March 2021) to comply. Mabuza said she would implement the motion.
Lobamba, eSwatini  For more than a year, nurse Lindiwe Magongo has seen to the needs of 600 patients per week at her small clinic near the capital of eSwatini, the nation formerly known as Swaziland.

And until very recently, she's fought both ordinary health issues and the global coronavirus pandemic without the most basic health care tool: clean, hot water.

Doctors say handwashing, hygiene and sanitation are key to curbing the spread of illness. The coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 disease, has claimed nearly 700 lives in this nation of just over one million people. But before the pandemic hit, 82 percent of clinics in this small, landlocked southern African nation lacked this vital tool. In recent months, a multinational initiative has installed an outdoor solar-powered handwashing station in every clinic.

On a recent weekday, Magongo beamed at the new handwashing station at the gate of her clinic. Dozens of emaSwati, as the people of eSwatini are called, had lined up before the clinic opened, and were now filing in after washing their hands.

It is not just a concrete structure consisting of a heavy sink and a durable solar water heater, she said -- though it is, literally, that.

To her, it represents possibility. Magongo says the hot water station is also used to clean the clinic and brew tea for staff. Patients can take water home if they like.

"I will call it a sculpture," she said. "Because the water is going to be here for quite some time. We are saving a lot because this is economically accessible to use and no electricity failures. Even if we experience power cuts, this service continues to work. So, in that sense, it is economical, and it's going to be here for quite some time. We're really, really grateful."

VOA asked acting Prime Minister Themba Masuku what seems like an obvious question: why didn't the government do this before? Why wait for foreign donors?

Masuku said it's not that easy for a cash-strapped government with limited manufacturing capabilities and an unreliable electricity supply. When the pandemic hit, he said, eSwatini struggled to acquire basic items like masks.

"One of the priorities was to build the clinics first," he said. "Because you can't put this stuff here without clinics. As we were building the clinics, as we have 92 of them now, those public health facilities, the stakeholders came in, they wanted to assist and we gladly accepted that. So, everything is prioritized. Health is one of our major priorities. And this is why we thought building the clinics before we get the hot water would be ideal."

At her small clinic in Ezulwini, Magongo said it also breaks what she described as a stigma around handwashing.

"Whenever we wash hands, it means we are going to eat," she said. "Going and washing hands all the time -- it's un-African. We grow up knowing that, it is un-African to keep on washing hands. Why? There's always that why, why, why do you keep on washing your hands? This is going to break (the stigma). And COVID-19 has also helped us in breaking that."

A year ago, Australian solar energy entrepreneur Robert Frazer landed in eSwatini for two weeks of meetings. Then the pandemic struck, and as he sat in lockdown halfway across the world from his Sydney home, he thought: why not do something?

In that year, his company -- with extra funding from the German government -- has installed 92 of these $3,500 stations.

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"There was a very obvious need, and we had the products, we had the relationships, the expertise, to actually deliver a project that would really make a difference in a very short amount of time," he told VOA. "And actually, to be frank, for a reasonably small amount of money."

Frazer stresses that he's not running a charity -- they're a for-profit company, and this project has paved the path for a $100 million solar-storage project in eSwatini.

Health Minister Lizzy Nkosi says hand hygiene is a key weapon against the infection -- and one that eSwatini needs while it launches its mass vaccination campaign in the coming weeks.

"It's not only bringing hot water in places where we would never have dreamt we would have hot water, but is reinforcing age-old infection prevention measures that the ministry employs every time, whether we have an outbreak of measles, of diarrhea, any outbreak," she said.

"Don't take clean, hot water for granted," she said.
Addis Ababa  Ethiopia is executing due activities to re-access Eritrean ports of Massawa and Assab whilst the Eritrean side is currently renovating the ports facilities to handle Ethiopia's shipment and provide seamless service for the future traffic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said.

MoFA Spokesperson Ambassador Dina Mufti told the Ethiopian Press Agency that Ethiopia's re-use of Eritrean ports is part of a comprehensive agreement Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) and Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki concluded in the former's last week visit to Asmara.

Dina further stated that Ethiopia and Eritrea's move to economic integration would have a paramount importance to the peace and stability of the Horn of Africa.

Apart from sharing borders and communities, Ethiopia and Eritrea were one state that is believed to be the main factor for the unique cultural and social bonds the two states have enjoyed.

"What owned by Ethiopia is lacked by Eritrea and what they have is not with us," he said, adding that Eritrea's extensive coastline avails a good opportunity to the land locked Ethiopia's import-export trade.

Noting the positive relationship between Ethiopia's economic growth and its utilization of Eritrean ports, he expressed his optimism about the joint use of the outlets to the benefit of the people and economies of the two countries.

As to Dina, both leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea have strong desire to put the relationship in a solid base and held commendable deliberations on ways to cement the partnership.

During his two-day visit to Asmara, Ethiopian delegation led by Premier Abiy held a fruitful discussion with the Eritrean leadership and the parties reached a consensus to excel the two countries bilateral relations in political and economic frontiers including reponing of the border.

Involving the border communities in Ethiopia's Tigray State and the Eritrean side has given due attention by the leaders so as to restore the two countries people-to-people ties, the spokesperson remarked.
Dumsile Mavuso, the founder and head of Eswatini's first national association for people with diabetes, is now bringing her knowledge and experience to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, in collaboration with the Government and the UN.

"Our association trained over 300 caregivers, who can empower other community leaders, and ensure that their support groups are effective. In addition, we led an initiative to train a total of 48 rural health motivators in five chiefdoms in the region of Shiselweni, and another group of 20 rural health motivators was trained in the Lubombo region.

A lack of medication

Even though the lockdown negatively affected our operations, we managed to visit health centers across the country, and we soon discovered that most rural clinics did not have relevant and adequate medication, so we pressed for more of them to made available, working closely with the Ministry of Health.

We have also been in close contact with the United Nations: the UN country team in Eswatini has intensified its effort to help the government procure sufficient stocks of medical supplies at health care facilities in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has supported Diabetes Association Eswatini in developing information and educational materials, helping us to communicate a wide variety of critical issues such as nutrition, coping mechanisms, and prevention.

Creating opportunities out of the COVID crisis

When I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2005, I didn't know how to deal with my condition, and there was no help readily available. I was in a coma for three days and, when I woke up, I told myself that I was going to learn everything there was to learn about this disease. Since then, nothing has stopped me from going the extra mile to fulfil my purpose: spreading my knowledge and helping other diabetic patients. Not even COVID-19.

In this time of economic crisis, we are also helping people with diabetes to improve their livelihoods. For example, I mobilized a group of women in my community to start a textile and handicraft business. I was lucky enough to successfully convince local textile companies to donate waste material to us, that we recycle to produce a lot of useful products that we then sell to the community, including facemasks, soaps and sanitizers.

And we have other plans to help unemployed young people to make a living: a branch of the association in Shiselweni, located in the south of the country, has embarked on a project to establish a vocational centre that will provide them with this skills they need.

We must create a stronger health system to meet the needs of people living with diabetes. There's a lot of work to do if we are to have a healthier future in Eswatini: we need to invest more in prevention, early diagnosis, screening, treatment, and rehabilitation."

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Diabetes in Eswatini

Diabetes Association Eswatini has established 114 support groups nationwide, each educating an average of 600 people on the disease every year, including both people with diabetes and those impacted by it.

According to WHO, people with non-communicable diseases are more vulnerable to becoming severely ill or die from COVID-19. These diseases include cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes mellitus and cancer.

As of 7 March 2021, the Kingdom of Eswatini, with a population of over one million, recorded a total of 17,184 coronavirus cases over 658 deaths. Most of these deaths were related to pre-existing medical conditions that the deceased had.

WHO reports that, in January 2021, 82 per cent of all COVID-19 related deaths in Eswatini were among people who had coexisting conditions, especially hypertension and diabetes.
Zanzibar  ZANZIBAR has begun cholera vaccination exercise, a campaign that targets to eliminate the epidemic in the Isles by 2028. The World Health Organization (WHO) has donated the vaccine and equipment to support the exercise.

Minister for Health, Social welfare, Elders, Gender, and Children Mr Nassor Ahmed Mazrui stated that the Isles started the exercise on Friday this week.

Mr Mazrui thanked the organization, saying that the 'Oral Cholera Vaccines (OCVs)' will be given to more than 300,000 people in areas experiencing frequent outbreaks in Unguja and Pemba.

The WHO liaison officer- Zanzibar, Dr Ghirmay Andemichael handed over the consignment to the minister, promising continued support. Dr Fadhil Mohamed Abdaulla- Director of Prevention and Public Awareness under the Ministry of Health, Social Welfare, Elders, Gender and Children, to,d reporters that the first phase of the vaccination exercise will last for five days in 34 administrative wards (Shehia). Zanzibar has a population of 1.5 million, according to 2018 estimates.

"The second phase of the vaccine is scheduled for July 31 to August 4 this year and all people in selected areas will have to take the vaccine with exception of pregnant mothers, infants under one-year of age, and people under close observation in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). We would like to inform all people that the vaccine is safe," Dk Abdulla said.

Flanked by other health officers, including Ms Halima Khamis who is responsible for the vaccination campaign and Dr Vendelin Simon from the World Health Organization (WHO), he asked the media to help spread the message to the targeted areas so attract a big turn-out.

At the meeting held in the Ministry, Ms Khamis explained the importance of the safe vaccine, urging people to dismiss as baseless information linking the vaccine with COVID-19.

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"These are two separate vaccines and the procedures for the coronavirus vaccine will be communicated to the people later," she said.

She said that the vaccine has been approved by the WHO and the local Food and Drugs inspection Agency. GAVI through WHO, UNICEF, and the Zanzibar government contributed to make the vaccine available for Zanzibaris.

Zanzibar has experienced cholera outbreak several times in the past. Available data starts in 1978 when an estimated 13,769 people suffered, leading to 493 deaths.

The recent largescale outbreak was recorded in 2015/2016 with 4,330 patients including 68 deaths. The WHO officer said the OCV is safe and was used in Zanzibar in 2009 with good results. Other countries in Africa have also successfully used the vaccine, insisting that people should not get worried as it is safe and effective.

Health officers emphasized that using OCVs alone cannot eradicate cholera, saying multiple interventions including commitment in keeping surroundings clean and improving sanitation with acceptable waste disposal, and use of clean toilets and safe water for drinking are prerequisite in fighting cholera.
Zanzibar  ZANZIBAR is opening up its 50 plus small islands for high earned but environmental conscious tourism investments under the country's drive to transform the country economically.

Zanzibar Investment Promotion Authority (ZIPA) Executive Director, Shariff Ali Shariff told the 'Daily News' here yesterday that the 50 plus small islands are up for grab by serious investors.

"Hopefully, this or next week, the government will invite investors for ecotourism investments in the small islands...we want heavy investments, which will however preserve the natural environmental appeal of the islets," Mr Shariff said, noting that prospective investors will be invited to tender, with bidders of the highest land acquisition fee declared winners.

He further clarified that the land acquisition fee doesn't imply that the islands are for sale, but that they are merely rented out for investment purposes.

The ZIPA chief said Zanzibar has registered 1,115 investment projects, with 804 projects involving 7.6 billion US dollars (over 17tri/-) already at various stages of execution. The projects-467 or 58.1 per cent of them in the tourism sector, have the potential of creating 59,642 jobs.

Mr Shariff described the first nine months of President Hussein Mwinyi as an investment boom period, noting that between November 2020 and July 31, 2021, the country registered 50 projects, with a total capital of 321 million US dollars (over 750bn/-) and 3,590 jobs.

"We appreciate President Mwinyi whom we regard as the country's number one investment promoter; he is doing a wonderful job," Mr Shariff said in an interview.

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He said aggressive strategies are underway to attract domestic and foreign investors in various economic sectors, especially light industrial production and aquiculture: "We have already identified 18 appropriate areas for fish farming."

ZIPA has embarked on working collaborations with experienced investment agencies in other countries to "borrow a leaf" on the most effective strategies to attract investors.

Said Mr Shariff: "We already have an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with TIC (Tanzania Investment Centre) and we are soon signing others with our counterparts in Rwanda, Mauritius and Namibia."

The authority's capacity building in terms of investment promotion experts and operational infrastructure is another strategy that the country is applying to succeed in enticing more investors into the country.
analysis

It is nearly the end of August. The beginning of September will soon be upon us. In Eritrea, that generally means several things. That the rainy and wet keremti (summer) season is almost at its end, ready to give way to the quewi (harvesting) season. That a vast swathe of the countryside and mountains will soon be covered in sheets of green and dotted by colourful embaba (flowers). That juicy and delicious beles fruit can be found on every street corner. That Yohannes and Meskel, those special festive occasions, are around the corner.

Of course, however, on top of these seasonal signposts, what also makes this period especially important in Eritrea is that it is the anniversary of the beginning of the nation's long and bitter armed struggle for independence. Bahti Meskerem, or September 1st, is a national holiday and an occasion filled with deep patriotism and utmost pride. It is among the most significant days on the annual calendar for all Eritreans, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, or other distinction. For Eritreans, it offers an important opportunity to reflect upon and remember the monumental contributions, immense sacrifices, and heroic exploits of so many to bring about what to many for so long seemed highly unlikely, if not essentially impossible: the defeat of Africa's largest, best-equipped army and the achievement of independence .

On 1 September 1961, now 60 years ago, and on its Diamond Jubilee, the Eritrean independence movement transitioned from street demonstrations, non-violence, and peaceful protest, to active, armed resistance. Years before, on 20 September 1949, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) decided to send a second commission of inquiry into Eritrea to explore a potential "solution [to] the problem of Eritrea." In the delegation's subsequent report about their visit to the country, Sir Zafrulla, the Pakistani representative, warned, "An independent Eritrea would obviously be better able to contribute to the maintenance of peace (and security) than an Eritrea federated with Ethiopia against the true wishes of the people. To deny the people of Eritrea their elementary right to independence would be to sow the seeds of discord and create a threat in that sensitive area of the Middle East." These words would prove to be highly prophetic.

After a lengthy international process seeking to develop an appropriate the solution to the Eritrea question, on 2 December 1950, United Nations Resolution 390 (V) was passed by the UNGA. Resolution 390 (V), which was backed and sponsored by the United States, extinguished Eritreans'hopes and aspirations for independence, federating Eritrea with Ethiopia as "an autonomous unit ... under the sovereignty of the Ethiopian Crown."

Ethiopia, an absolute monarchy ruled by Emperor Haile Selassie, viewed the federal structure with disdain and contempt. Almost immediately from the outset, the Emperor began to violate the terms of the federal arrangement; just nineteen days after the federal arrangement was officially ratified and came into force, the imperial regime committed its first violation, through Proclamation 130. The Emperor's views of the arrangement calling for Eritrea's autonomy were made unmistakably clear in a speech he delivered to the Eritrean Assembly on 22 March 1955, where he declared: "There are no internal or external affairs as far as the office of his Imperial Majesty's representative is concerned, and there will be none in the future. The affairs of Eritrea concern Ethiopia as a whole and the Emperor." Eventually, the entire Eritrean constitution would be replaced, while the Eritrean flag was replaced by that of Ethiopia. Eritreans were also banned from speaking or using their own languages (such as Arabic and Tigrinya), with Amharic, the dominant language of Ethiopia, being made the official language. Press freedoms were abolished, Eritreans were forced to dissolve their political parties and trade unions, and whole industries were relocated from Asmara to Addis Ababa.

Eritreans were also subjected to state repression, severe violence, and persecution, while all forms of civil disobedience, opposition, dissent, and resistance, which had largely been peaceful and involved broad segments of the The Eritrean population was forcefully crushed. Assassination attempts against nationalists became common and routine. Some of the most prominent Eritrean nationalists, such as Woldeab Woldemariam, Ibrahim Sultan, and Idris Mohammed Adem, were forced into exile. From abroad they continued their opposition to Ethiopia's expansionism and helped to establish resistance groups.

It is worth noting that Eritrea had been guaranteed a review of its case by the United Nations if Ethiopia violated the international resolution. Despite the guarantee, and even though many Eritrean political leaders and activists, on numerous occasions, appealed to and petitioned the United Nations in protest of Ethiopia's steady dismantling of the federal the arrangement, the United Nations and the international community remained silent and failed to muster a response. Finally, in November 1962, the imperial regime dissolved the Eritrean parliament under the force of arms and annexed Eritrea, proclaiming it as the empire's fourteenth province. Again, the United Nations and the the international community voiced no objections and failed to act in response to this flagrant breach of international law.

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It was within this historical backdrop that on 1 September 1961, harbenya (patriot) Hamid Idris Awate and a small band of fighters, armed with only a handful of old rifles, fired the first shots of the armed struggle in the Gash Barka region of Eritrea. A few months later, Abdu Mohamed Fayed became the first martyr of the armed struggle when he was killed at Adal, near Sawa. (Abdu Mohamed Fayed's grave is now located in Sawa, while Hamid Idris Awate himself passed away about 10 months after the beginning of the armed struggle. He had succumbed to food poisoning.)

By 1991, after one of the longest national wars for liberation in modern African history and following tens of thousands of deaths, numerous more injuries, and much devastation and destruction, Eritrea finally won its independence from Ethiopia.

Personally, in addition to the pride and patriotism noted above, I see September 1st as being all about inspiration. It is a day that reiterates the importance of closely holding onto and protecting your dreams, hopes, and aspirations and persevering in the face of adversity. It reminds us to be brave and remain undaunted, even when confronted by the great tasks and obstacles we are faced with as a nation.
Several protesters were injured demand civilian rule amid a political crisis triggered by the October 25 military takeover.

Sudan's security forces on Sunday dispersed demonstrators as hundreds of anti-coup protesters rallied in Khartoum, as well as in its twin city of Omdurman, Wad Madni to the south and the northern city of Atbara.

"The authority belongs to the people," demonstrators chanted, calling "no, no to military rule," and demanding a "civilian government."

The protests came as efforts to resolve the political crisis in the African nation after the October 25 military coup reached a standstill.

Security forces have also fired tear gas at a teachers protest in Khartoum and arrested at least 113 people.

At least 14 protesters have been killed and about 300 wounded since the coup, according to the independent Central Committee of Sudan's Doctors.

The Sudanese Professionals' Association, the union which led the 2019 uprising against longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir, called a two-day "complete civil disobedience" starting Sunday.

Negotiations lag

Since the coup, international organizations and mediators have sought to find ways out of the crisis through negotiations.

An Arab League delegation, headed by Deputy Secretary-General Hossam Zaki, held talks on Sunday as part of the bloc's "ongoing efforts to support constructive dialogue."

Anti-coup protesters have rejected internationally backed efforts to return to a power-sharing arrangement with the military. "No negotiation, no partnership, no legitimacy," they said on social media.

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The Sudanese Professionals' Association said late Friday that mediation efforts that "seek a new settlement" between the military and civilian leaders would "reproduce and worsen" the country's crisis.

Reuters news agency reported on Saturday that the military has also refused a return to democratic transition, causing a "semi-deadlock."

What happened in Sudan?

On October 25, the Sudanese military seized power by dissolving the transitional government and arresting Cabinet ministers.

The coup was led by the same man who deposed al-Bashir in 2019, General Abdel-Fattah Burhan.

The United Nations and the African Union, as well as world powers, have slammed the military takeover and urged the immediate return to civilian rule.

But the army continues to reject efforts to resolve the crisis, and security forces have confronted tens of thousands of protesters who have taken to the streets across Sudan.(AFP, AP, Reuters)
Coup leader and Vice President Assimi Goita, left, former President Bah N'Daw, centre, and former Prime Minister Moctar Ouane.

Military leaders in Mali and Guinea are under pressure to follow a roadmap for elections after coups in recent years. The sanctions consist of travel bans and asset freezes.

West African economic bloc ECOWAS imposed sanctions against Mali on Sunday after transitional leaders admitted they would not be able to hold elections by the February 2022 deadline.

Military leaders wrote to the Economic Community of West African States, citing the fight against an Islamist insurgency in the north as one reason for the delay.

ECOWAS, made up of 15 countries, also stepped up pressure on Guinea's military leaders after their coup in September.

What are the sanctions against Mali?

ECOWAS Commission President Jean-Claude Kassi Brou told AFP news agency the bloc "has decided to sanction all those implicated in the delay" of the February 27 elections.

The date had been agreed by Colonel Assimi Goita for an 18-month transition back to democracy after the military overthrew former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020.

Instead of progressing towards an election Goita did the opposite.

In May, he staged a second putsch against the transitional government he had appointed after the August 2020 coup. The African Union suspended Mali as a result.

ECOWAS learnt of the failure to meet the deadline after Mali had "officially written" to Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, the bloc's current rotating leader, Brou said.

He said the sanctions will include travel bans and asset freezes "which will take immediate effect" on all members of the transitional authority.

Brou noted his concern over Mali's use of Russian mercenaries and reiterated demands for the elections to be held in February.

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What about the Guinea situation?

ECOWAS imposed similar sanctions on Guinea after a September 5 coup.

The political and economic grouping, with Nigeria as one of its leading members, has now ordered the "unconditional release" of longtime Guinea President Alpha Conde.

The 83-year-old, now under house arrest, was the first freely elected Guinea president in 2010. He violently repressed mass protests during a referendum bid to extend his term as president in 2020.

Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, who led the putsch against Conde, has since adopted a transition charter with a civilian prime minister heading an interim government.

While ECOWAS applauded these efforts, it is demanding Guinea hold elections in six months.

To this end, it continued travel bans and asset freezes on the West African country's leaders until it committed itself to democratic progress.

(AFP, Reuters, AP)
"We have additional six people that we have also been able to identify that they were on-site and they were treated at the police hospital in Falomo so, we have a total of 15 survivors."

The number of survivors of the collapsed 21-storey building in Ikoyi has risen to 15 while the deaths recorded so far is 42, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said on Saturday.

Mr Sanwo-Olu, while giving an update on the search and rescue operation at the scene, said four more bodies have been recovered making the total death toll 42.

"Now, we have a total of 42 bodies that have been recovered and we have nine survivors, however, we have additional six people that we have also been able to identify that they were on-site and they were treated at the police hospital in Falomo so, we have a total of 15 survivors," he said.

The governor visited the site in the company of the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, and Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Sule, among others.

Missing persons' form

The governor said that 49 families so far have filed the missing persons' register as of Saturday morning.

He said the register had helped the state government to reconcile the details of victims rescued alive and also medically account for bodies recovered.

He said that a sum of money has been set aside "for succour and to give for befitting burial for those who died in the incident. Families that so wish to accept it are being supported for the burial arrangement".

"Also, survivors in hospitals have been given the financial support to help them settle and cope with challenges of feeding in the aftermath of the incident."

Meanwhile, the search and rescue operation is still ongoing at the site.

The Lagos State Government on Friday had said dead bodies recovered from the Ikoyi collapsed building were ready for identification.

It, therefore, called on families of the deceased to go to the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) Yaba to identify the corpses of their loved ones.
opinion

Many atimes, Providence speaks to human beings in anecdotes. Unfortunately, man is too blind to even behold the foot of his nose; too lost in pursuit of earthly existential scrambles that the lessons of these stories are most times lost on him. Traditional Africa located the power in relating life experiences, as well as the experiences of living and non-living beings, especially those of animals, to the life of existing man. For centuries, not only did humanity learn to live by minding the landmines that consumed its recent and ancient ancestors, it also fashioned its life therefrom.

The holy writs are filled with anecdotal examples of lives lived that ended in perdition and ones lived in exemplary manner that are worthy of being copied. This is the power behind folktales, dreams and historical renditions. Relation of life experiences to occurrences that have happened could even be said to be the philosophy behind the doctrine of stare decisis in law. This doctrine arose out of the need for legal continuity, for the sake of certainty. Inherited from the English common law, in the early 18th century, English courts gave qualified obligation to judges to abide by past decisions and established rules made by former precedents whenever same points and same issues came forth for adjudications.

For a whole one week now, Nigeria has been thrown into mourning. Calamities have befallen Nigeria from all fronts before now but the calamity this time around came from the western flank; from the sudden collapse of a 21-storey Gerrard, Ikoyi, Lagos terrace building belonging to Femi Osibona, owner of Fourscore Limited. As at the time of writing this, 40 people had been pulled out of the debris of the collapse, including the remains of the Property Developer Osibona himself, his friends and workers on site.

Recriminations, blame trading and tar-brushings that bear imprimatur of politics are being spurned. The calamity has been dimensioned severally, from the architectural, engineering, spiritual to the human angles, The question to ask in all these is, could the Lagos 21-stoey terrace building collapse be speaking to a greater rot within, and a greater calamity to come that bespatter our country, which could happen unless Nigeria takes heed? Put differently, could the collapse actually be a metaphor for understanding a collapse or a likely collapse of Nigeria unless we remedy our national structure? Can we dimension the cracks in Nigeria, taking into consideration the dimensioned fractures that eventually led to the collapse of the 21-storey Ikoyi building, with a view to averting her fall?

Osibona, from all that have so far been said about him, had a good intention for himself as an entrepreneur and a projected, even if ostensible, good intention for the property development world as at the time he conceived of the idea of the Ikoyi terrace building. While many have spoken of how Osibona transitioned from being a shoe, clothes seller in the United Kingdom, into establishing Fourscore Limited, his capacity to be able to build the high rise building cannot be questioned. Is it the same for his capability?

It may be a throwback to that maxim that says the road to hell is paved with a swathe of good intentions. There have been so many good-intentioned projects and projections that have ended in calamitous ruins. While metaphysicists talk about the unseen dimensions of human engagements, as Africans, we will be engaging in a barren venture if we take the route trodden by the Austrian British philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein, who maintained that metaphysical matters are nonsensical. For us as Africans, the unseen dictates the template of the seen. In our world, the fly dancing on the river has a drummer hidden from vision, the metaphysics of its being. So, could the crash and collapse of that edifice have had an eidetic significance, far more than the physical lacuna that scientists and professionals have identified as the likely cause of the collapse?

Whatever is the foundational, structural or super-structural errors that led to the collapse of the Ikoyi building can be metaphorized as Nigeria. The 1914 structural and foundational error behind virtually all ills plaguing Nigeria has been underscored severally. While the foundational colonial error of bumping together like and unlike entities into a questionable whole has been identified as a major cause of the debilitating instability in Nigeria today, over a century after, super-structural errors that came thereafter have compounded the ills that plague her.

German jurist, Friedrich Karl von Savigny of the Historical school of thought in jurisprudence, had espoused what he called the volkgeist, the national spirit, as the glue that cements and binds a people together, the absence of which can mar a jurisprudential understanding of a people's law. In the colonial shell bequeathed to a post-colonial Nigeria, there is a clear absence of the Savigny volkgeist and manifesting in a Nigeria that is an alien and strange contraption that the people have to encounter as a vague reality. This has led to so many crises, ranging from the military putschs of 1966, the pogrom in the north, a fratricidal war, the incidence of military rule, the monumental heists that have been inflicted on Nigeria ever since and the economic stasis, as well as the security challenges that the country is facing today.

There have been so many posthumous accounts of the person of Osibona, the Fourscore property owner. Each of the accounts claimed that he never cut corners and was merely ambitious. However, there have also been other claims to the effect that the initial design of the building was eight floors and that the foundation was not designed to shoulder an edifice of that magnitude. There was also a viral video of men of the Lagos structural enforcement outfit which stormed the Ikoyi property to bring him to book but from whose hooks he freed himself after pressing the usual Nigerian button. This is a euphemism for graft, bribery and the typical Nigerian big-man-ism. Those who claim that in the button pressed by Osibona which secured him freedom from this harassment could be found a nexus between him and those who he allegedly fronted for didn't get the dice right. In Nigeria, you do not need to be a surrogate of a super big man to be able to secure freedom from the law. You only need to possess the right stack of cash that can drive the greed of the system and law.

The Nigerian postcolonial burden has ensured that Nigeria is a land of cutting corners. Drugs are fake, human beings are fake, promises are dross, mosques are fake and the pulpit is suffering from a fakery of cataclysmic proportion. When a man approaches you and announces that he is Pastor or Imam, flee. Did you listen to a viral video of Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo sacralizing Osibona and his pursuits? With this, it becomes very difficult to draw a line between devilish, fast-tempoed aspirations and Godly aspirations. By the way, how come that in those moments of laying hands on Osibona to "conquer territories," Ashimolowo didn't decipher that a man running at such supersonic speed to conquer property developments in continents could be short-changing the system? Did Ashimolowo caution against speedy sprint of this protege of his?

Because the putting together of Nigeria lacks the metaphysical or the spiritual element, it then goes without saying that she lacks a major cohesive ingredient that holds a people together in their time of travails. There is no common goal that the people of Nigeria are pursuing as they lack what in German is called Weltanschauung, a worldview. It symptomizes the collection of values, attitudes, narratives and expectations of the world in which a people are born and which shape them, their thoughts and actions. It is reason why there are variations in the ethos, ethics, religion, philosophy and beliefs of the people of Nigeria.

Many structural engineers have queried the substructure of the land that the 21-storey building was erected. When narratives from the top, especially from those who hold the rein of power today, claim that Nigeria's unity is non-negotiable, they sound extremely ridiculous like a sub-structural wrong that perhaps the builders of the Ikoyi property noticed but which they believed was immaterial and that a magnificent structure erected on it will cure the wrongs.

Trust Nigerians with their multifaceted prognoses at death, we have been variously told that there was a compromise of quality and standard in the building of that fallen edifice. For instance, a Prowess Engineering Limited, a company that allegedly began the construction of the collapsed building, reportedly warned the late Osibona of the inherent dangers in circumventing process and standard in its construction. In a letter that instantly went viral, the company was said to have withdrawn its services on grounds that there was variation, both in the vision of the company, the late owner's and the building project.

Likewise in Nigeria. Nation-building is a product of shared vision and is a collective enterprise. The moment there is no Fe of ownership of a national project and there is an absence of a consensus of ideas, cracks begin to appear. In a Nigeria where some people are perceived as lords while others are serfs, where some nationalities are kings and others their servants, the end product is always a disaster. The administration of Nigeria, especially from 1966 till date, has yielded so many contradictions and ambiguities. Largely due to the selfish interests of the colonizers which were projected in the foundational administration of Nigeria, ethnic groups were thus balkanized as ethnicities and not as nations. This has made issues to be viewed from their ethnic prism and ethnicity used as a negative construct. Any policy, projects, appointments, infrastructure and dividends of governance is perceived and apprehended from the vantage point of ethnicity. This crack has further become more noticeable since 2015 when Mephistopheles gifted Nigeria a president who has offhandedly escalated the importance of where one comes from in Nigeria, higher than what one has to contribute to Nigeria.

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Today, apart from all the challenges of making Nigeria a nation-state, Nigeria has become a recipient of dross structural padding that cannot endure. No one administers Nigeria from the position of wishing Nigeria to be great but as a honey-pot from where they could take a lick and bite. There is no synchronization in the expectations, contributions and manifestations of all the ethnic groups of Nigeria. Everybody is merely dancing to the rhythm of their own tunes and beats. The absence of unanimity of purpose has hugely stalled the possibility of nation building. Thus, impunity is ten a dime on Nigerian streets. From the roads, offices, government, individuals and everybody in Nigeria, impunity has become the necklace we fiendishly advertise. If you come in contact with the disorder on the streets of Nigeria, you do not need to read Karl Maier's This House Has Fallen to be able to decipher that Nigeria is going the Ikoyi 21-storey building way gradually.

Ostensibly, the fallen Ikoyi building didn't acquire the liability of a fall overnight. It began to crack within unnoticeably a long time ago. As they say, that Rome was not built in a day, it is obvious that Rome was also not destroyed in a day. That great empire began to stink from within and the crumble began gradually. It is same with a Nigeria that we are cobbling together with great efforts and brinkmanship, without bothering to repair the wonky foundation upon which she was erected.

There are several lessons Nigeria can learn from the Ikoyi fallen high rise building. Nigeria big but fragile and its fragility has prodded many theorists to point at its probable fall. Nigeria's collapse may not be as structural as we saw in the Ikoyi building's collapse but the country is getting to a point where its existence is hugely threatened. If Osibona was told of the fragility of the structure he was putting together yet stewed dangerously in his own broth of self-delusion of the strength of his magnificent structure, he would be in the same parlour with the rulers of Nigeria who believe that some metaphysical glue that has kept Nigeria from falling, right from the civil war period, would always be available to make Nigeria withstand whatever push and shove she gets from as a result of her wonky foundation. It is not too late for Nigerian rulers to avoid a calamity of the hue of Ikoyi if they come down from their high horses, accept that there are structural errors that needed to be corrected urgently about Nigeria and do that immediately.

Festus Adedayo is an Ibadan-based journalist.
Speakers at the Nigeria Info's 2021 Security Summit have stressed the need for Nigeria to go beyond just military intervention to solve the country's myriad of security challenges.

The speakers, including the 2015 presidential candidate of KOWA Party, Professor Remi Sonaiya; United States' Consulate representative, Stephen Ibelli; former military officer, Captain Umar Babangida Aliyu; and development expert and journalist, Rotimi Sankore, unanimously agreed in their presentations that there was dire need for Nigeria to address its security challenges in a less military-offensive approach.

The Summit, organised by Nigeria Info to commemorate its 10th Anniversary, was graced by a cross-section of the station's audience.

In her presentation, former Presidential Candidate of KOWA Party, Prof. Remi Sonaiya, spoke on how politics undermined the nation's security architecture.

She said Nigerians should be mindful of the kind of leaders they elected,saying the greatest threat to security were terrible leaders who had no compassion for the people.

Emphasising the role politics play on national development, she said: "Politics, as we all know, determines the overall quality of life of the citizens of any country.

"There is need for Nigerians to elect leaders that are passionate about the development of the country.

"We should ensure we elect people of integrity and sound moral character who, by their speech and example of their sound moral lives, will inspire us all to greatness and ensure prosperity for all."

On the role security plays in championing economic development, the Public Affairs Officer of the US Consulate in Lagos, Stephen Ibelli, reiterated the US government's continuous support to Nigeria in the fight against insecurity.

He said: "The security issues in north-east Nigeria has become one of the world's most complex humanitarian crises due to the fact that more than 350,000 people have been killed since 2009, while about three million people have been displaced across the Lake Chad Basin."

Ibelli further pledged the US government's continued financial support in resolving the security crisis ravaging the country.

"The core of the US Mission's partnership with the Nigerian government is to counter the security threats.

"The United States Agency for International Development, USAID, has been coordinating the US humanitarian response as well as helping to rebuild basic civic institutions essential to re-establishing civil and social life in the hardest-hit states within northern Nigeria.

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"The US is the largest humanitarian donor in response to the north-east crisis, providing $1.45billion since 2015 and supporting almost two million conflict-affected households," he said.

Corroborating their views, a development expert/Media Practitioner, Mr Rotimi Sankore, noted that the state of insecurity nationwide was a true reflection of the country's under-development.

He said: "The major cause of insecurity is hinged on the underdevelopment of the nation.

"This is because just twelve years ago, research estimated that there were 4.4 million out of school children in northwest Nigerian, while northeast Nigeria had about three million out of school children.

"However, with the population growth nationwide, we are most likely to have 20 million out-of-school children in ten years' time."

Nigeria Info FM is the country's foremost news and talk station with stations in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt and the Summit is an annual interactive platform established to champion worthy discussions around Nigeria's socio-political and economic growth while proffering solutions to the long-standing challenges mitigating against the development of the country.

Vanguard News Nigeria
Sierre Leone president addresses residents at the scene of a deadly oil tanker explosion in Freetown on November 7, 2021.

At least 90 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in Freetown on Saturday when a fuel tanker exploded following a collision.

Authorities in Sierra Leone have not released an official death toll but Sinneh Kamara, the manager of the central state morgue in Freetown, said it had received 91 bodies following the blast.

A further 100 casualties were taken hospitals and clinics across the capital, deputy health minister Amara Jambai told Reuters news agency.

"We've got so many casualties, burnt corpses," said Brima Bureh Sesay, head of the National Disaster Management Agency, in a video from the scene shared online. "It's a terrible, terrible accident."

Images online showed several badly burned victims lying on the streets as fire blazed through shops and houses nearby.

"My profound sympathies with families who have lost loved ones and those who have been maimed as a result," President Julius Maada Bio tweeted.

Deeply disturbed by the tragic fires and the horrendous loss of life around the Wellington PMB area. My profound sympathies with families who have lost loved ones and those who have been maimed as a result. My Government will do everything to support affected families. pic.twitter.com/xJRA1UtCJJ - President Julius Maada Bio (@PresidentBio) November 6, 2021

"My government will do everything to support affected families."

Accidents with tanker trucks in have killed dozens of people who gathered at the site to collect spilled fuel and were hit by secondary blasts.

In 2019, a tanker explosion in eastern Tanzania killed 85 people, while around 50 people were killed in a similar incident in Democratic Republic of Congo in 2018."
Egypt has extended its condolences to Sierra Leone over the massive fuel tanker explosion that left over 90 people dead and scores of others injured on Friday.

In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on Saturday 06/11/2021, Egypt offered heartfelt sympathies to the government and people of Sierra Leone, wishing the wounded speedy recovery.

A fuel tanker exploded on the outskirts of Sierra Leone's seaside capital of Freetown late Friday, killing at least 90 people and wounding dozens of others in one of the deadliest accidents the West African nation has endured in years.
Cape Town  In an interview with Al Jazeera, army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said that he would not participate in any government that comes after a transitional period and denied that the army was responsible for the deaths of protesters rallying against the military takeover.

"It is our pledge  a pledge we made to ourselves, the Sudanese people and the international community  that we are committed to completing the democratic transition, holding elections on time, and committed to not stopping any political activity as long as it is peaceful, and within the bounds of the constitutional declaration and the parts that have not been suspended. We are committed to handing over power to a civilian government of national competency and we pledge to preserve the transition from any interference that can hinder it," al-Burhan told Al Jazeera.

The interview was broadcast as anti-coup rallies continued in the capital, Khartoum, and several other towns, increasing pressure against the military amid the continuing political crisis. They were demanding the military government step back and allow a peaceful transition to civilian rule.

At least 100 teachers have been arrested in Sudan in two days of civil disobedience and strikes in protest at last month's military coup. The army fired tear gas at several anti-coup rallies. A teachers' union said security forces had used teargas against its members outside the education ministry building for Khartoum state, where 87 were arrested and many were beaten. There were no reports of casualties.

October's coup halted a power-sharing arrangement between the military and civilians that had been agreed upon after Omar al-Bashir's overthrow in 2019 and was meant to lead to democratic elections by late 2023. Top civilians including several ministers were detained, and the prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, was placed under house arrest.

Since the coup, mediation efforts involving the UN have sought the release of detainees and a return to power-sharing, but sources from the ousted government say those efforts have stalled, reports Reuters. Al-Burhan also ordered the release of four civilian ministers who were detained.
Sierre Leone president addresses residents at the scene of a deadly oil tanker explosion in Freetown on November 7, 2021.

analysis

Sierra Leone is prone to climate-related disasters like fires, water shortages, floods and mudslides. It has also seen serious disease outbreaks like Ebola and COVID-19.

On the World Risk Index 2021, Sierra Leone rates 47th among 181 nations, recording high scores for vulnerability, susceptibility and lack of coping capacities.

The situation seems to be worsening. For example, Freetown, the country's capital, has experienced over 25 major urban fires since February 2021. This included the Susan's Bay fire disaster that resulted in 7,000 people losing their homes in one night in March 2021. The city has large numbers of informal settlements and slums which are very vulnerable to disasters.

The solution often propagated by international institutions like the United Nations Office of Disaster Risk Reduction or the World Bank has been to develop formal disaster risk management programmes.

Sierra Leone also has a new National Disaster Management Agency, launched in November 2020.

While promoting better risk reduction is always sensible, it leads to a tendency for disaster management systems to lean heavily on experience and systems designs of other countries. These often require high levels of human, technical and financial resources which are not available at present in countries like Sierra Leone. Learning entirely from examples from abroad does not always mean "building back better".

Shiny new systems on paper may sometimes remain divorced from the realities on the ground. As I have argued previously, local disaster management should also be built from the bottom up.

In places like Sierra Leone, disaster management is often conducted by volunteers and with limited funding. There may not be sustained attention or other resources to turn plans into regularly exercised practice.

The 'air gaps' between the formal building of disaster risk management systems and practical challenges mean that entire systems will be prone to failures and breakdowns.

But this is not to say that these gaps cannot be filled. There are many fixes that lie within the hands of disaster managers and officials. What is needed -- alongside formal capacity building -- is more concerted attention on those often small, rather specific and manageable challenges that have big consequences for the operation of disaster management.

We call these "single points of failure". These single points of failure could be deficiencies in working infrastructure, like inoperable communication systems or broken equipment for firefighters. They could be human resources where say over-reliance on or lack of appropriate training of key individuals can lead to overstretch or errors or a lack of awareness of key procedures by local volunteers.

Diagnosing and addressing them is essential in building effective disaster risk management systems. Starting with the specific things that can be resolved, and understanding control measures needed to fix them, is the most effective and direct route to enhancing disaster response where resources are scarce.

Our research project, Driving African Capacity - Building in Disaster Management, was conducted in cooperation with Sierra Leone's Office of National Security and National Disaster Management Agency as well as local partners, like Freetown City Council. It focused on finding these key points where disaster risk reduction and response can be improved, realistically and affordably.

Agreed areas for action

The project's final report presents eight thematic areas and 27 immediate action points. The themes are:

technical

coordination

communication

capacity-building

procedural

human

physical

economic.

To arrive at these, we drew on the experiences of 559 participants over three years of research across Sierra Leone. We also incorporated viewpoints during COVID-19 and the Susan's Bay fire. Among the participants were national policymakers, workers from international institutions and non-governmental organisations, local authorities, responders, community leaders and disaster management volunteers countrywide, including informal settlements.

The report represents perhaps the first comprehensive study of Sierra Leone's existing disaster management arrangements and practice using this approach in detail. It identifies areas where national and local stakeholders agree that there are resolvable points.

They also agree that if these points are not addressed quickly, they are very likely to have severe consequences across the disaster management system of Sierra Leone.

Most (94%) of the national and local actors expressed concerns in relation to the numbers, provision, availability and training of human resources. And 88% identified missing or weak procedural implementation of plans and standard operating procedures in practice.

Comparable figures (88%) were also recorded for deficiencies in relations between the national agencies and the provinces and districts. Many (69%) of those interviewed also mentioned ineffective coordination between government ministries, departments and agencies as a hindrance to disaster risk reduction and response.

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Basis for action

Nevertheless, 80% of national and local actors rated comparable single points of failure as resolvable in their 'top five' listings. The power to deliver solutions lies in the hands of the existing disaster managers who fundamentally agree on the same things. This provides a strong basis for concerted action in the future.

The report shows that solutions to delivering effective disaster risk management are not entirely about building formal systems. In many ways, formal systems are easiest to create, though expensive in Africa. The challenge lies in integrating and targeting these efforts with informal measures that can address the most pressing points that African disaster managers know from experience.

By endorsing the final report, the government of Sierra Leone acknowledges that there is an urgent need to give national and local actors ongoing support to address these single points of failure. Only by resolving the informal points can the formal - expensive - disaster risk management systems be strengthened.

Lee Miles, Professor of Crisis & Disaster Management, Bournemouth University
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged authorities in the Central African Republic (CAR) to spare no effort in investigating the "unacceptable attack" earlier this week by the presidential guard against a vehicle from the UN mission in the country, MINUSCA.

Ten unarmed Egyptian "blue helmets", who were newly deployed to the mission, were injured in the incident, which occurred in the capital, Bangui, on Monday.

The peacekeepers had arrived at M'Poko International Airport as part of the periodic rotation and deployment of troops in the country. They were heading to their base when they came under heavy fire from the presidential guard, MINUSCA said in a statement that day.

While attempting to withdraw from the area, located some 120 metres from the presidential residence, their bus accidentally struck and killed a woman bystander.

Strong condemnation

The UN chief has strongly condemned the attack, his Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement issued on Thursday.

"The Secretary-General emphasizes that attacks against United Nations peacekeepers may constitute a war crime," said Mr. Dujarric.

"He calls on the Central African authorities to spare no effort in investigating and promptly holding accountable the perpetrators of this unacceptable attack."

The Secretary-General wished a speedy and full recovery to the wounded peacekeepers and also expressed his deepest condolences to the family of the civilian killed during the incident.

Mr. Guterres also underlined his gratitude to the people and Government of Egypt for their contribution to peace and stability in the CAR.

More than 14,000 uniformed personnel are serving at MINUSCA, which has been in the country since 2014, following deadly violence between mainly Christian and mainly Muslim militias.

The Secretary-General also reaffirmed the UN's solidarity and continued support to the CAR.




The event showcased the best cheese samples from Canada, the United States, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, and 16 states of the host country.





Agrarian Development and Irrigation Minister Victor Maita extended his congratulations to the representatives of the winning producers and reiterated the Government's commitment to family farming.





The Peruvian delegation triumphed in the mature cheese category (more than 60 days of maturation) with a type of Swiss cheese, with which La Libertad-based Asociacion de Productores Agropecuarios La Perla del Paraiso won the gold medal.





A similar situation occurred with the Paria Vache cheese type in the mature cheese category (more than 30 days of maturation), in which Lacteos Verano a plant based in Lima took gold.





The Misky Food plant located in Junin also secured gold in the young cheese category (less than 30 days of maturation).









According to Midagri, the different types of Peruvian cheese were registered in their corresponding categories, depending on the characteristics of the raw material, use of lactic ferments, percentage of moisture in the cheese, type of curd, type of cheese mass, among other things.





The Peruvian delegation was made up of samples from 12 cheese plants based in 8 regions across the country: Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Junin, La Libertad, Lima, Pasco, and Puno.





Held last weekend, the international contest included 41 categories and 800 samples of cheese in total.





(END) NDP/RES/JJN/RMB

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A Peruvian delegation of cheese producers achieved a historic victory by taking three gold, two silver and one bronze medals at the international contest "ExpoQueijo 2021," held in Brazil, according to the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation (Midagri) Publicado: 8/11/2021
10:05 | Lima, Nov. 8.

In an interview with the official gazette El Peruano , Maurtua said that Peru is a country that is open to the world and is committed to promoting investment.
?????? Apostamos por la conservacion de nuestros bosques!

? El Peru suscribe declaracion en la #COP26 para frenar la deforestacion.

?? Presidente @PedroCastilloTe: Protegeremos la naturaleza e impulsaremos una economia inclusiva, baja en carbono y resiliente al cambio climatico. pic.twitter.com/yR5KRkJXdW
" " Despite its massive size, the Leonberger is a sweet and companionable family dog with a protective and loving temperament. Hans Surfer/Getty Images

If you've never heard of a dog breed called the Leonberger, you're probably not alone. Exactly what is this Leonberger, you might be asking? Originally bred to resemble a lion using a mix of the Newfoundland, long-haired Saint Bernard and Great Pyrenees, this immense creature typically weighs in at between 120 and 170 pounds (54 and 77 kilograms) and stands 2 to 2.5 feet (0.6 to 0.7 meters) at the shoulder. It's known for its medium-to-long waterproof coat, lush triangular ears, bushy tail and dark-brown eyes framed by a black facemask, with the male even sporting a lion-like mane around his neck and chest.

"Leonbergers are lion lookalikes, with reddish-brown bodies and black masks," says Nicole Ellis, a certified professional dog trainer and pet expert with Rover.com, in an email interview. "Leonbergers are so jumbo-sized and lion-esque that they sometimes look like they're straight out of Narnia. Even though they're big (and love to eat, which means they can get quite heavy), they're agile, graceful and surprisingly light on their feet. Leos were never bred as specialized dogs, so they're well-rounded in just about everything  intelligent, gentle and sensitive family dogs.

"They do need a good amount of space, exercise and grooming," adds Ellis. "They're giant, lovable companions who have the most fun when they're hanging with their families. As a bonus, their deep, low bark and big size make them intimidating watch dogs."

Perhaps the only problem with this breed? You might have trouble finding one. "While Leonbergers are quite common in their country of origin (Germany), there are only a small number in the U.S. these days," says Steffi Trott, owner and head trainer at SpiritDog Training in Albuquerque, New Mexico, by email.

No worries, though. "The Leonberger does seem to be gaining in popularity in the U.S. since being accepted into the American Kennel Club (AKC)," says Sara Ochoa, a small animal and exotic veterinarian in Texas and veterinary consultant for doglab.com, by email. She currently has two Leonberger patients at her clinic.

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How Was This Relatively New Breed Created?

"There's no written record of the origins of the Leonberger," says Ellis, "but it's said that Leos were first bred in the German city of Leonberg, near Stuttgart, in the mid-1800s." As the story goes, noted politician and professional animal trader Heinrich Essig was hoping to create a dog that resembled the lion on the town's crest by crossing the Newfoundland with a Saint Bernard and a Great Pyrenees (although many surmise the Leonberger must have been made using a wider range of dogs to achieve its unusual looks).

The result? A new large and aristocratic-looking breed named after Essig's beloved hometown and owned by royalty and celebrities such as Italian General Giuseppe Garibaldi, the Prince of Wales, King Umberto of Italy and the czar of Russia.

The Leo went on to gain in popularity, with the first clubs for the breed created in 1891. When World War I rolled around, however, the dog almost went extinct. Only 25 Leonbergers remained, and only five of them were suitable for breeding. That's when a couple of devotees of the breed  Karl Stadelmann and Otto Josenhans  began a club committed to saving the dog. The breeding program was later taken over by the German government during the war, and then reestablished afterward by the Deutscher Club fur Leonberger Hunde (or German Club for Leonberger Dogs).

Various Leonberger dogs were exported into the U.S. in the early 1970s, the Leonberger Club of America was formed in 1985 and the breed was finally recognized by the AKC in 2010. Today, most Leonberger's remain in Europe  especially their country of origin  but they also are popular in Canada as water search and rescue dogs. They even have webbed feet, which makes them great swimmers ideal for water missions.

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Do They Really Make Good Pets?

Although huge and powerful, this breed's gentle demeanor is more like that of a big ol' teddy bear rather than the lion it was bred to mimic. In fact, the Leo has one of the most loving personalities around, which makes the affable canine especially good with children. "They make great pets," says Jeff Carbridge, a trainer/expert with DogOwner.co.uk, by email. "As long as you train and socialize them well from the beginning, as well as give them a lot of mental and physical exercise, they will make a wonderful addition to any family."

You might want to keep in mind, however, that Leonbergers don't automatically come this way. According to VetStreet  which delivers online pet advice from veterinarians, trainers and other experts  the dog goes through a long adolescent period marked by sometimes stubborn and destructive behavior before reaching maturity. Ingrained chewers, Leo puppies can potentially do more damage than other breeds because of their size. So, they shouldn't be given the run of the house until they've reached trustworthy maturity.

They also should be kept busy with training, play and socialization experiences, because a bored Leonberger is a destructive Leonberger.

Another caveat: because Leos are known as a sensitive breed, they tend to become visibly distressed when their family members express anger or sadness. "They are highly sensitive to the point where arguments that involve yelling and tension may cause them to intervene in a nonaggressive manner," says Carbridge. "They really stay in tune with their owner's emotions, and they detect changes in mood very quickly."

When all is said and done, though, these gentle giants have an excellent bedside manner. They are wonderful with children and the elderly, showing an amazing amount of tenderness for a dog their size (although they should be watched around younger children, because they might accidently harm them while playing due to their gigantic stature).

"While they look impressive, Leonbergers are extremely family-friendly and even love other dogs and pets," says Lazhar Ichir, founder of Breeding Business, a popular platform that educates dog breeders and breed fanciers worldwide, by email. "However, because they are a giant breed with a dramatic presence, owners must ensure socialization to avoid accidents. Being pushed gently by a Leonberger is very different from the same done by a Pomeranian or border collie."

The Leonberger is unique among other giant breeds in that they were first and foremost developed as a companion breed, adds Trott. "This means they have a generally lower level of drive than the other dogs of the working group, as well as being very gentle and friendly with everyone they come across," she says. "The Leonberger does not have its own 'agenda' like many other breeds. Do not mess with their family though; they will fiercely protect those that they love."

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Are They Easy to Train?

According to VetStreet, training should begin as soon as you bring your Leo puppy home. Even at 8 weeks old, the Leo is capable of soaking up everything you can teach him. If you wait until he is 6 months old to begin training, you'll have a bigger, more headstrong dog who will test you to see what he can get away with. Take him to puppy kindergarten class by the time he is 10 to 12 weeks old, so you can start building a strong working relationship, and socialize, socialize, socialize.

In lieu of formal training, you can begin socializing your puppy among family and friends, as well as training him at home using positive reinforcement, such as praise, play and food rewards, and, most of all, patience. A Leo will respond to kind, firm, consistent training, according to VetStreet, but you'll need to practice with him daily until he's at least 2 years old to make sure the lessons stick.

"They love to please their owners, and are responsive to patient, consistent and positive training," says Ellis. "Being a large dog, training is so very important. While some things are manageable with a tiny dog, jumping on someone and pulling are much more serious with a dog this size."

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How About their Health?

The Leo breed is susceptible to numerous concerning health conditions (especially if you aren't cautious about where you buy them from). According to VetStreet, these can include allergies; orthopedic problems (such as hip and elbow dysplasia); eye diseases (like cataracts, entropion and ectropion); cancer (including osteosarcoma, or bone cancer); the neurological disease polyneuropathy; Addison's disease; hypothyroidism; and bloat/gastric torsion.

Not all of these conditions are detectable in a growing puppy. Predicting whether an animal will be free of these maladies can be difficult, which is all the more reason to find a reputable breeder committed to producing the healthiest animals possible. A good breeder should be able to provide independent certification that the parents of the dog (and grandparents, etc.) have been screened for genetic defects and deemed healthy for breeding, which is where health registries become valuable.

As a giant breed, Leos unfortunately don't have the longest life span among all dog breeds. "The average life span is around 7 years of age," says Ellis, "with 20 percent living past the age of 10."

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How Do You Care for a Leonberger?

Leos have a thick, double coat that comes in many different colors, such as yellow, sand, brown and red, usually tipped with black. Double coated dogs have a thick undercoat of short, wooly hairs under a top coat of longer hairs called guard hairs. Even the texture of the Leonberger coat can have variety. Thanks to their mane-like appearance, owners of the dog are likely to find a lot of hair around their homes, which means frequent brushing is a must unless you want your house overrun with hairballs.

"The Leo's double coat requires at least a twice-a-week brushing, with daily brushing to keep shedding to a minimum," says Ellis. "Like all double-coated dogs, the Leo sheds a bit year-round and more intensely twice a year, which is called 'blowing the coat.'"

"While these dogs are easygoing and low-maintenance in all other areas, their grooming requirements are not for the faint of heart," Trott explains. "You'll find hair everywhere with a Leonberger, no matter how often you brush him. If you do not keep up with his brushing routine, the fur can easily mat and will need to be shaved off  something to avoid at all costs."

In addition to a regular brushing routine, the Leo's nails should be trimmed weekly; the ears should be cleaned and checked for any dirt to prevent infections; and their teeth brushed with a vet-approved pet toothpaste for good overall health and fresh breath.

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What About Exercise?

The Leo is not only highly active in puppyhood, but also as an adult, according to VetStreet, which suggests at least an hour of exercise daily. In addition, this breed makes a great hiking companion for owners who love the outdoors; just make sure you walk them on a leash, so they don't go running off after a cat, dragging you behind them in the process.

"They were bred for drafting (pulling carts), so yes, they need lots of exercise, but they are also content to hang around the house and cuddle after being fulfilled," says Russell Hartstein, CEO of Fun Paw Care, by email. "Adult Leonbergers seem very peaceful and calm," adds Davor Bobek, co-founder of World Dog Finder, by email. "But to prevent them from becoming destructive, they should have at least one type of physical exercise a day. They enjoy hiking, are great biking companions and love water, so swimming is also a great option."

While it is important to make their lives enriching, this does not mean that you have to play fetch every day for two hours, says Trott. "As a large breed, you actually want to be quite careful and not subject them to high-impact exercise," she explains. "A Leonberger is no running companion; instead, slow walks are a much better option."

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Where Can You Find a Leonberger?

Our experts suggested several different avenues for finding a Leo you can call your own.

Bobek suggests using the World Dog Finder website, where you can find Leonberger puppies, breeders and dogs, as well as general information about dog breeds and living with a dog, while Ellis recommends starting your search with specific rescues, as well as giant breed dog rescues. "Just because one is in a rescue that doesn't mean anything is wrong," she says. "Perhaps someone's housing or work situation changed, or they didn't have the time a dog required; you could find your best friend there."

According to Ichir, the best way to find a purebred, health-checked Leo puppy is to contact your local Leonberger breed club. "They will have a list of breeders available for you, and you can get in touch with them to see which one you like the most," he says. "Another option is to head to a conformation show [a show where a judge evaluates individual dogs for how well they conform to the established breed type] and meet with breeders in person, but these show lines will cost substantially more."

While Trott says you can find a Leo in the U.S. via an AKC-registered breeder, she warns against purchasing the breed (or any breed, for that matter) through ads on Craigslist or similar outlets. "While your pedigreed puppy will cost a little more (around $1,500 to $2,000 for a Leonberger)," she says, "he will come from proven and health-tested parents and have a great temperament."

Finally, Carbridge touts the "Find a Puppy" function on the AKC website. "This will give you a list of approved and registered breeders," he says. "You can also find breed groups online if you want to meet and socialize with some of these massive dogs."

Now That's Interesting Leonbergers used to work as both watchdogs and draft dogs, pulling carts through towns and villages in a similar manner to horses. "In both WWI and WWII, they were used to pull ammunition carts, and this is part of what nearly caused them to go extinct," says Carbridge. "Only eight survived WWII, and all Leonbergers today can be traced back to them."
" " Japan Airlines offers dogs and their owners a special charter flight to Kagoshima Prefecture in Japan. People and pets stay together in a hotel and go sightseeing in rented cars. Richard Atrero de Guzman/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

In a long-awaited ruling, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced on Dec. 2, 2020, that "carriers are not required to recognize emotional support animals as service animals and may treat them as pets." The DOT also said that airline carriers could limit service animals to just dogs. This ruling came after a skyrocketing number of pets flying as service and "emotional support animals" (ESAs)  up 150 percent between 2015 and 2017, according to Delta  had prompted the airline and others to enact more stringent requirements for on-board animals.

ESAs occupy a different category from service animals who are highly trained to perform specific, potentially life-saving tasks for people living with a disability. "Emotional support animals are companion pets ("ordinary" house pets) that are recommended by an individual's mental health professional for the alleviation of symptoms of an emotional disability," emails Beth Zimmerman, founder of Pets For Patriots, an organization that matches shelter dogs and cats with veterans. "They do not have to be task-trained or have any unique training at all; their mere presence is assistive."

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ESAs don't even have to be dogs. Snakes, rats, even pigs can be used as ESAs  and passengers had brought them on-board, or at least tried to. But this new ruling says that airlines don't have to accommodate these more unusual pets, reported the Washington Post. This means that passengers will likely have to pay to bring them in the cabin. Airlines could also require that the animals be kept in carriers that can fit under the seat.

"The research on the positive impact that emotional support animals have on people who are struggling with mental illness is pretty plentiful," says psychologist Tanisha Ranger, who works mainly with veterans. "They have a calming effect, lowering stress levels in the owner. They offer companionship and help to lessen isolation. ... They offer a sense of security and protection for those who struggle with PTSD."

Ashley Jacobs, CEO of Sitting for a Cause and resident of Newport Beach, California suffers from hereditary hemochromatosis, which requires her to have regular phlebotomies. "Needles are my biggest fear in the world, so my ESA comes with me to all my phlebotomies. Having her with me keeps me from panicking during the procedure," she says of her golden retriever, Diamond.

Yet Jacobs wouldn't take Diamond with her on a plane. For one, she doesn't need her dog for traveling. Also, "while she is a very well-behaved dog ... it's hard to guarantee she wouldn't get a little antsy/anxious about the new sounds/smells/environment on a plane. She's also about 70 pounds and takes up a bit of space, so for the comfort of other passengers and to avoid giving ESAs a potentially bad rep, I figured it's best to leave her at home," she says in an email interview.

ESA Fraud

Unlike service dogs, who are allowed access pretty much everywhere by Federal law, the only legal rights ESAs had were reasonable accommodation in no-pet housing, and the right to accompany their owners in the cabin of a commercial aircraft without having to be kept in a container or to pay a pet transportation fee  typically at least $125 one way. Many passengers looking to avoid this fee had started to classify their pets as emotional support animals.

"There is a lot of fraud out there," says Ranger by email. "A cursory Google search will find you any number of websites where you can buy letters from clinicians, tags, and vests which may not be legitimate. And when untrained animals attack innocent bystanders, it further creates stigma for those who actually need service animals."

There have been such incidents on airplanes, including one in June 2017 when a 70-pound (32-kilogram) dog on board a Delta Airlines flight bit a passenger multiple times in the face, causing the passenger to be hospitalized.

"Individuals with disabilities often have additional stress as they do not know when they may encounter a non-trained ESA dog that may inflict harm on them and their trained assistance dog," adds Chris Diefenthaler, executive director of Assistance Dogs International. "The general public is also affected as they cannot determine which assistance dog team is trained or which ones are non-trained ESA dogs."

Some 23 states have laws prohibiting people from passing off their pets as service animals but they were hard to enforce due to Americans with Disabilities Act rules concerning what questions a business owner may ask about a service animal. For instance a business owner cannot ask for documentation or demonstration of a service dog's training. There's also no registry of service-trained animals.

"Unfortunately, the prevalence of ESA vest and registry scams ... desensitizes the public from understanding the impact and importance of ESAs to individuals who truly need them for therapeutic purposes," says health care attorney Erin Jackson, who has written about the hostility she encountered from airline employees and passengers when she traveled with her ESA, a terrier. "Instead of viewing the animal as a therapy tool, fellow travelers may resent other passengers who are allowed to bring their 'pet' on the plane. However, note that because ESAs don't wear identification, other travelers may not be able to distinguish between a pet and an ESA."

Airline industry groups applauded the new ruling, which goes into effect 30 days after it is published in the federal register. The ruling also allows the airlines to request paperwork on the animal's health, training and behavior. On the other hand, airlines can no longer refuse to transport a service animal strictly based on breed (a policy Delta had regarding pit bulls, reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) and passengers no longer need to check in physically at the airport with their service animal and can check in online.

Now That's Cool Therapy dogs are like a cross between ESAs and service dogs. Therapy dogs provide comfort to people in hospitals or schools, for instance. Although they must be well-trained and vetted, it's not nearly to the same level as service dogs. And unlike service dogs, they don't have a right to go anywhere  they have to be invited in.

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Originally Published: Jan 30, 2018
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Armenian troops joined the militaries of Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan for the 2021 Indestructible Brotherhood military exercises of the CSTO collective peacekeeping forces in Kazan.

The drills will feature two scenarios  organizing and defending refugee camps and escorting humanitarian cargo convoys; and clearing a settlement from illegal armed formations.

1700 troops, more than 300 units of equipment, including MI-8 and Mi-24 gunships are involved in the drills.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Healthcare Anahit Avanesyan denied media reports that authorities are planning to increase the tariffs of gas and electricity for unvaccinated citizens.

I dont know what you are talking about, I dont know where the Zhoghovurd newspaper came up with this, Avanesyan told reporters when asked to confirm or deny the report by Zhoghovurd daily. I am unaware of this kind of a decision.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, 8 NOVEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 8 November, USD exchange rate up by 0.01 drams to 475.92 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.87 drams to 550.12 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.03 drams to 6.67 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 2.63 drams to 641.92 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price up by 87.79 drams to 27570.43 drams. Silver price up by 1.38 drams to 364.47 drams. Platinum price down by 213.89 drams to 15729.61 drams.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani side opened fire on civilians carrying out construction work near the Stepanakert-Shushi road in the area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeepers, as a result of which three people were injured and one was killed.

We strongly condemn the gross violation of the ceasefire regime by the Azerbaijani armed forces, which was established by the Statement of November 9, 2020. It is noteworthy that the incident took place on the eve of the first anniversary of the signing of the Trilateral Statement and on the day of the visit of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to Shushi, wherein another statement full of Armenophobic rhetoric and threats of use of force was delivered.



The consistent Armenophobic rhetoric of the highest leadership of Azerbaijan, the repeated incidents of violation of the ceasefire regime clearly demonstrates the hollow nature of the statements made by official Baku on the normalization of relations with Armenia and the Armenian people.



It should be noted that this is the second case of attack on civilians by the Azerbaijani armed forces within a month, resulting in human casualties. We are convinced that the proper investigation of such crimes and the bringing of those responsible to justice can prevent further attacks on the civilian population.



We express our condolences to the relatives of the victim and wish a speedy recovery to all wounded, reads the statement issued by the Foreign Ministry of Armenia.
Armenian troops joined the militaries of Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan for the 2021 Indestructible Brotherhood military exercises of the CSTO collective peacekeeping forces in Kazan.

November 8, 2021, 14:51 Armenian military participates in CSTO Indestructible Brotherhood exercises

STEPANAKERT, NOVEMBER 8, ARTSAKHPRESS: The drills will feature two scenarios  organizing and defending refugee camps and escorting humanitarian cargo convoys; and clearing a settlement from illegal armed formations.

More than 1,700 people representing the armed forces and law enforcement agencies of the aforementioned CSTO member states take part in these exercises.

The servicemen will operate more than 300 types of weapons, including military helicopters, during these drills.
Russia and China have signed a contract stipulating the joint development of a heavy helicopter, Andrey Boginsky, head of the Russian Helicopters holding, said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Tass informs.

November 8, 2021, 17:52 Russia and China sign a contract to build a joint heavy helicopter

STEPANAKERT, NOVEMBER 8, ARTSAKHPRESS: "In 2016, during your visit to Beijing, an intergovernmental agreement was signed. Since 2008, intensive negotiations have been going on, and this year, on June 25, we signed a contract," he said.

According to Boginsky, the Russian side will develop some elements, including the transmission, tail rotor and anti-icing systems. The helicopter will take about 13 years to build, he added.
Neurodiversity expert to highlight entrepreneurship as an opportunity pathway to employment

Dr. Maureen Dunne

Dr. Maureen Dunne

Dr. Maureen Dunne

CHICAGO, Nov. 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Autism Community Ventures ("ACV"), a public benefit corporation with a global network of partner organizations and a mission to drive social, economic, and financial inclusion among neurodiverse jobseekers, is pleased to announce that its founder and neurodiversity expert, Dr. Maureen Dunne, is slated to participate in the 2021 Stanford Neurodiversity Summit (the "Summit") as a panel member and moderator, from November 7 - 9. Autism Angels Group's Microgrant and ACV's Transition2Success Project will also be discussed, with multiple Transition2Success Support Scholarship recipients and family members scheduled to present at the event.

Dr. Dunne serves on the Organizing Committee for the Summit. More details may be found here.

The Summit is entirely virtual. At present, approximately 5,000 participants have signed up. Registration is free and open to the public. All sessions will be recorded and made available to the public approximately one month after the conference has concluded.

Dr. Dunne is directly involved in the following sessions at the Summit:

Nov 7: Speaker, Introductory Presentation launching The Neurodiverse Entrepreneur Program (Apply Here): "March to the Beat of Your Own Drum: How Entrepreneurship can be a Viable Pathway for the Neurodivergent Job Seeker". 6:30 p.m. PST.

Nov 7: Moderator, "Neurodiverse Entrepreneurship Panel: The Value of Entrepreneurship as an Employment Option". 6:30-7:30 p.m. PST. Details here.

Nov 9: Moderator, Neurodiversity Career Panel (Entrepreneurship). 1-2 p.m. PST. Details here.

Nov 9: Moderator, Mental Health Panel 3: "Innovative Community Support Models and Novel Interventions". 3-4 p.m. PST. Details here.

In addition, an autistic student awardee of the Transition2Success Project's Support Scholarship is scheduled to give a presentation at the Summit on November 7 to talk about a personally transformative journey. And the parent of a neurodiverse teen who was also awarded a Transition2Success Support Scholarship is scheduled to present on the importance of the Transition2Success Project from a parent's perspective during the Mental Health Panel on November 9, with Dr. Dunne serving as moderator for the discussion.

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Please visit HERE to register for the Stanford Neurodiversity Summit Today!

About the 2021 Stanford Neurodiversity Summit

The 2021 Stanford Neurodiversity Summit is a unique conference bringing together neurodiverse / neurodivergent individuals, employers, service agencies, educators and students, parents, and professionals from all areas of the field. Confirmed keynote speakers include Dr. Temple Grandin from Colorado, Representative Jessica Benham of Pennsylvania, Dr. Rhonda Moore from the National Institute of Mental Health, Professor Yong Zhao of University of Kansas, and Professor Anand Prahlad of University of Missouri. An estimated 70 - 90 speakers are scheduled to present at this year's Summit.

About Autism Community Ventures

Autism Community Ventures is a public benefit corporation with a global network of partner organizations and a mission to drive social, economic, and financial inclusion among neurodiverse jobseekers.

PR/Media contact:

Elaine Marshall

Elaine@Altalunas.com

949-466-6303 mobile/text

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Image 1: Dr. Maureen Dunne









This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

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Daily registered coronavirus cases have hit record highs in Germany and Austria as new infections hit a two-week high in Vietnam.

Germany's coronavirus infection rate on Monday hit its highest level since the pandemic began with a seven-day incidence rate of 202 cases per 100,000 people, according to health authorities.

The previous highest incidence rate was in the midst of the second coronavirus wave on 22 December last year with 197 infections per 100,000 people.

In Austria, the seven-day incidence rate also hit record levels on Monday with 633 infections per 100,000 people and health authorities reported 8178 new cases in the last 24 hours.

In response to the increase in coronavirus cases, the Austrian government imposed stricter restrictions on the non-vaccinated population affecting access to bars, restaurants, cultural or sporting events.

A recent negative COVID-19 test will no longer be enough for non-vaccinated people to access venues.

The World Health Organisation warned last week that Europe had become the epicenter of the pandemic again, accounting for 59 per cent of cases globally.

Global COVID-19 cases surpassed 250 million on Monday as some countries in eastern Europe also registered record outbreaks.

Vietnam reported nearly 8000 coronavirus cases on Monday - the country's highest daily tally for the past two weeks, officials said, warning that more cases will appear in coming days if people fail to comply with the regulations.

The country recorded 7988 new cases across 55 out of 63 provinces, an increase of 323 cases compared with Sunday, the health ministry said in a report, adding it recorded 67 deaths.

Ho Chi Minh City is still the worst-hit location with 1316 cases followed by provinces around Ho Chi Minh City.

Nguyen Huy Nga, a former health ministry official, attributed part of the problem with spreading the disease to people leaving Ho Chi Minh City to get to their home provinces after the city cancelled a lockdown and then returning to the city for work.

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The ministry called for people to wear face masks, use disinfectants and maintain safe distances to minimise the disease's spread.

Vietnam was repeatedly praised for its response to the pandemic last year.

But it failed to contain the virus' spread early this year, leading to the current COVID-19 wave.

Since then, the country has recorded about one million cases and nearly 23,000 coronavirus-related deaths, which accounts for about 2.5 per cent of all those infected with the coronavirus.

As of Monday, Vietnam had administered a single COVID-19 vaccine dose to 61 million people out of a total population of 98 million.

Nearly 30 million people, or less than 30 per cent, are fully vaccinated.

with reporting from EFE and Reuters
New York state will close six of its correctional facilities early next year, citing a continued drop in the incarcerated population.

The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision announced closure plans on Monday morning. Neither of the state prisons operating in Cayuga County are on the closure list, but a drug treatment facility in Seneca County is among the six that will officially close on March 10.

Ogdensburg Correctional Facility, Moriah Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility, Willard Drug Treatment Campus, Southport Correctional Facility, Downstate Correctional Facility and Rochester Correctional Facility were selected for closure after what DOCCS described as a comprehensive analysis of all 50 facilities it operates.

The agency said layoffs are not expected, as facilities were closed in areas that are near others that will be have opportunities for existing staff. The downsizing of facilities is expected to save $142 million.

The closure announcement comes almost two weeks after Gov. Kathy Hochul hinted in public comments that she would be supportive of shutting down some prisons, but she also noted that impact on communities where prisons are often major employers must be weighed. This year's state budget included language that authorized closures.

DOCCS said the total incarcerated population within its facilities is down to 31,469, a decrease of 12,700 since the beginning of 2020. It's the lowest total population since 1984, and it's down more than 56% since the peak population of 72,773 in 1999.

"DOCCS carefully reviewed the operations at its 50 correctional facilities for possible closure," the agency said. "This review was based on a variety of factors, including physical infrastructure, program offerings, facility security level, specialized medical and mental health services, proximity of other facilities in the area to minimize the impact to staff, potential re-use options and areas of the state where prior closures have occurred in order to minimize the impact to communities."

DOCCS said it will work bargaining units to facilitate employee transitions to other job opportunities, and will support the state Office of General Services and Empire State Development with efforts to re-use to the closed facilities.

Monday's announcement is the latest round in a series of prison closures that began under Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Both Cayuga Correctional Facility, a medium security prison, and the maximum security Auburn Correctional Facility, have avoided the cuts.

Willard, in Seneca County, is a drug treatment facility that has often housed convicted felons from the Cayuga County area with addiction issues. DOCCS said Willard, with a staff of 329 people, is currently housing 168 people with a capacity for 664. The drug treatment functions at Willard will shift to Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility in Chautauqua County.

The union representing corrections officers blasted the decision by DOCCS.

If people have been paying attention to the past decade of poor decisions made by our elected leaders in Albany, todays news shouldnt come as a shock to anyone," said New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association President Michael Powers in a press release. "The States progressive polices are costly and need to be funded somehow. Sadly its at the expense of the hard working men and women of NYSCOPBA. The numbers tell the real story; despite closing over two dozen facilities the past 10 years, violent attacks on our members have doubled and yet nothing is being done to address it. Where is the reinvestment in the facilities to make these prisons safer working environments? My heart goes out to all of the individuals whose lives have been severely impacted by this announcement and know that our organization will hold the department accountable every step of the way. At some point, the State needs to realize that these choices are more than just buildings and tax-saving measures, these are life-altering decisions that upend lives and destroy communities.

Advocates for incarcerated people said they were pleased with the news.

We are pleased that these six facilities will soon close. Among these facilities, Southport, a prison dedicated exclusively to solitary confinement for decades, tortured countless souls and ripped apart many families," Jose Saldana, director of the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign. "However, New Yorks prisons still hold roughly two times more incarcerated people today than in the 1970s, at the dawn of our nations mass incarceration era. Therefore, Governor Hochul and the legislature must use their powers to safely release people from prison. The Governor must use her clemency powers frequently, inclusively, and transparently. She can and should end mass incarceration with the stroke of a pen. The legislature must pass the Elder Parole and Fair & Timely Parole bills. Without these measures, and despite these closures, thousands will continue to needlessly languish behind bars. Tens of thousands of Black and Latinx families are counting on New Yorks leaders to bring their loved ones home.

Jeremy Boyer can be reached at (315) 282-2231 or jeremy.boyer@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @CitizenBoyer

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Nov. 8, 1996

MENTZ  William L. Jones still has not come in from the cold.

Earlier this week, the controversial Mentz supervisor said he planned to turn himself in at the Brutus Town Court last night.

When the 7 p.m. court time arrived, however, the town court was closed and Jones was a no-show.

His attorney, Salvatore Piemonte of Syracuse, confirmed that he had been scheduled to meet Jones at the Brutus Town Court last night.

"I'm planning on being there," Piemonte said yesterday afternoon. Piemonte said Jones has urgent town business to attend to and is interested in putting the legal issues behind him.

The Cayuga County Sheriff's Office has been searching for Jones since Oct. 25, when two misdemeanor warrants for official misconduct were issued by the Brutus court.

The charges sought by District Attorney James Vargason's office stemmed from Jones' refusal to certify the payroll for two town highway department workers.

The two, Rodney Filkins and Mike Hendershot, have worked without pay since Oct. 6.

"We're still looking for him," Vargason said yesterday. "If anyone knows where he is, they should contact the sheriff's department."

The official misconduct charges are Class A misdemeanors, carrying penalties of up to $1,000 in fines and a year in jail.

The payroll issue is just the latest in nearly a year of steady controversy that has embroiled Mentz politics. In January, Jones filed ethics charges against Highway Superintendent M. Stewart Filkins and councilor Richard Nielens Jr. following a dispute over snow removal in Port Byron.

The current problems stem from Filkins' refusal to use a new payroll form, the third this year, without direction from the town board.

"This is getting ridiculous," Filkins said. "It's no excuse to withhold someone's pay. These people have families and kids to support."

 Compiled by David Wilcox

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A bill pushed by state Sen. Michelle Hinchey to create a substance use disorder education and recovery fund has been signed into law.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed the legislation authorizing gifts on personal income tax returns for substance use disorder education and recovery.

"The fight against substance use is a personal one for me, and I am proud to take steps in New York to combat this epidemic," Hochul said in a press release. "Allowing New Yorkers to support members of their community with these gifts is an invaluable way to get everyone working together to save lives. Those struggling with substance use issues deserve our help and support as they go through recovery and in New York we are ensuring that they have just that."

The legislation creates a personal income tax check-off which will be known as the Substance Use Disorder Education and Recovery Fund.

Hincheys office said money in this fund is to be used for providing grants to organizations that provide education, prevention, treatment or recovery to those suffering from substance use disorders.

"The substance use disorder crisis has ravaged nearly every corner of our state, claiming the lives of our loved ones and leaving families and communities devastated in its wake, said Hinchey, D-Saugerties, who sponsored the bill. Everyone has a role to play in overcoming the overdose epidemic and ending the stigma that surrounds addiction.

Substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery programs save lives, and our bill ensures that these funds will go directly to the organizations responsible for this work, Hinchey added.

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British luxury car major Jaguar has joined hands with clothing company Baracuta for a special E-Pace SUV. The special collaboration is aimed at celebrating British design and setting new trends, claims the automaker. The two companies together have created what they are touting as The Next Classic guide.

Similar Cars

They claim this is aimed to guide the future classic designs.

(Also Read: Jaguar Land Rover expects semiconductor crisis to improve in second half of FY22)

To celebrate the collaboration, Jaguar has developed a special edition of the E-Pace SUV, which comes in a P300e plug-in hybrid guise. The E-Pace gets a special colour theme dubbed Neutro. It features the same tartan pattern Baracuta uses in their G9 jacket liners on the door trims, trunk floor and contrast roof.

Besides these distinctive design elements, the special E-Pace also comes with a Baracuta logo on the rear quarter window, embossed on the headrests and projected from the puddle lamps as well.

This special edition Jaguar E-Pace is out on a tour across the UK and Europe along with some influencers. The road trip has already commenced in London and will end at Milan Fashion Week in 2022. Before that, The special edition Jaguar E-Pace SUV will visit the countries such as France, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Austria and the Czech Republic.

Speaking about the collaboration between Jaguar and Baracuta, the former's designer Anna Albell said that design is at the very core of both the brands. Both have created design classics that have stood the test of time and remained relevant in the face of ever-changing tastes and cultural trends," Albell further said.

Jaguar E-Pace comes offering a driv9ing range of up to 68 km in pure electric mode. For long journeys, the E-Pace gets a petrol engine as well. The SUV is capable of charging 0-80 per cent in just 30 minutes using fast charging technology.
2021 Honda Civic family sedan scored a five-star safety rating in the New Car Assessment Programme for Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN NCAP) crash test with an overall score of 83.47 points. It scored 36.59 points over 40.00 for Adult Occupant Protection and 18.32 points over 20.00 for the Child Occupant Protection (COP) categories.

Similar Cars

In the Safety Assist Technologies (SAT) category, the 2021 Civic scored 18.16 points over 20.00 and in the Motorcyclist Safety (MS) category, it scored 10.39 points.

2021 Honda Civic became the first model from Honda to be assessed under the new ASEAN NCAP 2021-2025 protocol. The assessment was conducted via a video conference call due to concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic and travelling restrictions due to the same.

(Also read | Hondas new SUV ZR-V to debut next week, likely to replace WR-V in India soon)

The 2021 Civic which comes equipped with Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) City, AEB Inter-Urban, AEB Pedestrian, AEB Bicycle, AEB Motorcycle, Auto High Beam (AHB), Child Presence Detection (CPD) and Pedestrian Protection technology as standard safety across all its variants. It also offers standard six airbags but variants with four airbags are also offered in certain markets.

(Also read | Honda lowers profit outlook for a second time amid semiconductor shortage)

Other safety features of the sedan include Seatbelt Reminder System (SBR) for frontal and rear occupants, and Blind Spot Visualization (BSV) on the passenger side, which is offered as a standard feature for markets in Singapore and Indonesia. The ASEAN NCAP 2021-2025 assessment protocol report mentioned that the new AEB technology for Motorcycle as standard fitment in the Civic variants made Honda stand out. The technology allows detection of presence of motorcycle that is located in front of the car and performs automatic emergency braking in the event the driver is unaware of the motorcyclist.

Honda had stopped the production of Civic sedan in India at the end of last year, along with CR-V model, when the company ceased manufacturing operations at its Greater Noida plant in Uttar Pradesh.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- Tesla sold 54,391 China-made vehicles in October, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). That included 40,666 vehicles that were exported to other countries last month.

(sales of the first two months refer to those sold in China market)

According to the association, the wholesale volume of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in China amounted to 368,000 vehicles in October, up by 6.3% month on month and 148.1% year on year. For the first ten months of this year, Chinas NEV wholesale amount surged 204.3% from a year ago to 2.381 million vehicles.

The NEV retail sales of the market soared 141.1% year on year to 321,000 vehicles last month, but fell 3.9% month over month. The year-to-date retail volume of NEVs nearly tripled (up by 191.9%) year on year to 2.139 million units.

BYD achieved outstanding sales results in both battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The monthly wholesale volume of BYD exceeded 80,000 units to 80,373, outselling Tesla China (54,391 vehicles), SAIC GM Wuling (42,133 vehicles), SAIC Motor PV (24,085 vehicles) and GAC AION (12,064 vehicles), data from the association showed.

NEV startups, including XPeng, NETA, Li Auto, WM Motor and NIO, also saw good year-on-year and month-on-month sales change. The so-called second-tier startups, such as NETA, WM Motor and Leapmotor, managed to maintain continuous growth.

Among joint ventures, Volkswagens two joint ventures, SAIC Volkswagen and FAW Volkswagen achieved a combined retail sales volume of 16,318 NEVs, accounting for 72% of the total NEV sales of all automobile joint ventures in China. BMWs NEV sales reached 4,283 vehicles in China last month.

The countrys NEV export had explosive growth in October. Tesla exported 40,666 vehicles from China, followed by SAIC Motor PV (6,659 NEVs exported), BYD (1,026 NEVs exported), FAW Hongqi (424 NEVs exported).
WINDOW ROCK  The leader of the largest Native American reservation in the U.S. signed legislation Saturday to ban indoor smoking in many locations, including the tribe's casinos.

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez called the ban a "monumental achievement and bold step in the right direction to promote healthy living among our Navajo people.

It is a fundamental right to protect our Navajo peoples right to breathe clean air," he said in a statement.

Tribal lawmakers approved the bill in October that prohibits the use of cigarettes, chewing tobacco, electronic cigarettes and other commercial products in public buildings and workspaces, including a 25-foot buffer outdoors.

The ban will not apply to the ceremonial use of tobacco or in people's homes unless they are being used as day care centers, adult care centers or as business offices.

Nez had until Sunday evening to act on the legislation.

Enactment of the ban followed 13 years of work by a coalition to educate the public on the dangers of secondhand smoke.

Advocates saw an opportunity to renew the push during the coronavirus pandemic while masks are required and questions remain about the long-term effects of the virus.

Comments submitted to the Navajo Nation Council on the measure overwhelmingly supported it. A few cited the potential of lost revenue for the tribal gambling enterprise that unsuccessfully sought to carve out an exemption from the ban.

Smoking had been prohibited at the tribe's four casinos  three in New Mexico and one east of Flagstaff  under COVID-19 safety measures, but it wasn't permanent until Nez signed the legislation Saturday.

The Tribal Council approved a ban on smoking and chewing tobacco in public places in 2008, but then-President Joe Shirley Jr. vetoed it, partially because he was concerned about gambling revenue. An override effort fell short of the votes it needed.

Shirley's successor, Ben Shelly, also vetoed legislation that would have banned smoking in public places but not at the tribe's casinos until their loans were paid off. He issued an order to ban smoking within executive branch offices he oversaw. The order didn't apply broadly across the 27,000 square-mile reservation that extends into Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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LONDON (AP)  European lawmakers have pioneered efforts to rein in big technology companies and are working to strengthen those rules, putting them ahead of the United States and other parts of world that have been slower to regulate Facebook and other social media giants facing increasing blowback over misinformation and other harmful content that can proliferate on their platforms.

While Europe shares Western democratic values with the U.S., none of the big tech companies  Facebook, Twitter, Google  that dominate online life are based on the continent, which some say allowed European officials to make a more clear-eyed assessment of the risks posed by tech companies largely headquartered in Silicon Valley or elsewhere in the U.S.

But thats only part of the explanation, said Jan Penfrat, senior policy adviser at digital rights group EDRi.

The question, Penfrat said, should also be: Why is the U.S. so much lagging behind? And that may be because of the immense pressure from the homegrown companies arguing to officials in Washington that stricter rules would hobble them as they compete with, for example, Chinese rivals.

Drawing up a new package of digital rules for the 27-nation European Union is getting a boost from Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, who answered questions Monday in Brussels from a European Parliament committee. It's the latest sign of interest in her revelations that Facebook prioritized profits over safety after the former data scientist testified last month to the U.S. Senate and released internal documents.

If the EU rules are done right, you can create a game-changer for the world, you can force platforms to price in societal risk to their business operations so the decisions about what products to build and how to build them is not purely based on profit maximization," Haugen told lawmakers. And you can show the world how transparency, oversight and enforcement should work.

Since Haugen left Facebook, the company has renamed itself Meta as it focuses its business on a virtual reality world called the metaverse.

Im shocked they picked this name, she said. In the book that inspired the term, the metaverse is a dystopian thing, that peoples lives are so unpleasant that they need to hide in the system for half of their day.

Haugen has been on a European tour, meeting lawmakers and regulators in the EU and United Kingdom who are seeking her input as they work on stricter rules for online companies amid concerns that social media can do everything from magnify depression in teens to incite political violence. A wider global movement to crack down on digital giants is taking cues from Europe and gaining momentum in the U.S. and Australia.

Europe has been a trailblazer in applying more scrutiny for big tech companies, most famously by slapping Google with multibillion-dollar fines in three antitrust cases. Now, the European Union is working on a sweeping update of its digital rulebook, including requiring companies to be more transparent with users on how algorithms make recommendations for what shows up on their feeds and forcing them to swiftly take down illegal content such as hate speech.

The rules are aimed at preventing bad behavior, rather than punishing past actions, as the EU has largely done so far.

France and Germany also are bringing in legislation requiring social media platforms to take down illegal content quicker, though these rules would be superseded by the EU ones, which are expected to take effect no earlier than 2023.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has only recently started cracking down on big tech companies, with regulators fining Facebook and YouTube over allegations of privacy violations and the government suing over their huge share of the market in the last couple of years. American lawmakers have proposed measures to protect kids online and get at the algorithms used to determine what shows up on feeds, but they all face a long road to passing.

While Haugens testimony and the documents she has provided have shed light on how Facebooks systems work and spurred efforts in the U.S., European lawmakers may not be that surprised by what she has to say.

The fact that Facebook is disseminating polarizing content more than other kinds of content is something that people like me have been saying for years, said Alexandra Geese, a European Union lawmaker with the Green party. But we didnt have any evidence to prove it.

European lawmakers have been interested in digging in to algorithms, as they work on requiring platforms to be more transparent with users on how artificial intelligence makes recommendations on what content people see.

Its rather about looking under the hood and regulating the kind of mechanisms that a company, a platform established to disseminate content or to direct people down rabbit holes into extremist groups, Geese said. What Haugen is doing is shifting the focus, and I think this is something that many other people before didnt see.

In the U.K., which left the European Union last year, the government also is working on raft of digital regulations, including an online safety bill that calls for a regulator to ensure tech companies comply with rules requiring them to remove dangerous or harmful content or face big financial penalties.

For the European Union, theres still a lot of wrangling over the final details of the rules, two packages known as the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act, which the EU Commission hopes to get approved next year.

Free speech campaigners and digital rights activists worry that EU rules requiring platforms to swiftly remove harmful content will lead to overzealous deletion of material that isn't illegal. In a bid to balance free speech requirements, users will be given the chance to complain about what content is removed.

In London, there's been a similar debate over how to define harmful but illegal content.

Both the EU and U.K. rules call for hefty fines worth up to 10% of a company's annual global turnover, which for the biggest tech companies could amount to billions of dollars in revenue.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich.  Robot food delivery is no longer the stuff of science fiction, but you may not see it in your neighborhood anytime soon.

Hundreds of little robots  knee-high and able to hold around four large pizzas  are now navigating college campuses and even some city sidewalks in the U.S., the U.K. and elsewhere. While robots were being tested in limited numbers before the coronavirus hit, the companies building them said pandemic-related labor shortages and a growing preference for contactless delivery have accelerated their deployment.

"We saw demand for robot usage just go through the ceiling," said Alastair Westgarth, the CEO of Starship Technologies, which recently completed its 2 millionth delivery. "I think demand was always there, but it was brought forward by the pandemic effect."

Starship has more than 1,000 robots in its fleet, up from just 250 in 2019. Hundreds more will be deployed soon. They're delivering food on 20 U.S. campuses; 25 more will be added soon. They're also operating on sidewalks in Milton Keynes, England; Modesto, California; and the company's hometown of Tallin, Estonia.

Robot designs vary; some have four wheels and some have six, for example. But generally, they use cameras, sensors, GPS and sometimes laser scanners to navigate sidewalks and even cross streets autonomously. They move at about 5 mph.

Remote operators keep tabs on multiple robots at a time but they say they rarely need to hit the brakes or steer around an obstacle. When a robot arrives at its destination, customers type a code into their phones to open the lid and retrieve their food.

The robots have drawbacks that limit their usefulness for now. They're electric, so they must recharge regularly. They're slow, and they generally stay within a small, pre-mapped radius.

They're also inflexible. A customer can't tell a robot to leave the food outside the door, for example. Some big cities with crowded sidewalks, like New York, Beijing and San Francisco, aren't welcoming them.

But Bill Ray, an analyst with the consulting firm Gartner, said the robots make a lot of sense on corporate or college campuses, or in newer communities with wide sidewalks.

"In the places where you can deploy it, robot delivery will grow very quickly," Ray said.

Ray said there have been few reports of problems with the robots, other than an occasional gaggle of kids who surround one and try to confuse it. Starship briefly halted service at the University of Pittsburgh in 2019 after a wheelchair user said a robot blocked her access to a ramp. The university said deliveries resumed once Starship addressed the issue.

Patrick Sheck, a junior at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, gets deliveries from a Starship robot three or four times a week as he's leaving class.

"The robot pulls up just in time for me to get some lunch," Sheck said. Bowling Green and Starship charge $1.99 plus a service fee for each robot delivery.

Rival Kiwibot, with headquarters in Los Angeles and Medellin, Columbia, said it has 400 robots making deliveries on college campuses and in downtown Miami.

Delivery companies are also jumping into the market. Grubhub recently partnered with Russian robot maker Yandex to deploy 50 robots on the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Grubhub plans to add more campuses soon, though the company stresses that the service won't go beyond colleges for now.

Ji Hye Kim, chef and managing partner of the Ann Arbor, Michigan, restaurant Miss Kim, relied heavily on robot delivery when her dining room was closed last year. Kim partnered with a local robot company, Refraction AI, shortly before the pandemic began.

Kim prefers robots to third-party delivery companies like DoorDash, which charge significantly more and sometimes cancel orders if they didn't have enough drivers. Delivery companies also bundle multiple orders per trip, she said, so food sometimes arrives cold. Robots take just one order at a time.

Kim said the robots also excite customers, who often post videos of their interactions.

"It's very cute and novel, and it didn't have to come face to face with people. It was a comfort," Kim said. Delivery demand has dropped off since her dining room reopened, but robots still deliver about 10 orders per day.

While Kim managed to hang on to her staff throughout the pandemic, other restaurants are struggling to find workers. In a recent survey, 75% of U.S. restaurant owners told the National Restaurant Association that recruiting and retaining employees is their biggest challenge. That has many restaurants looking to fill the void with robot delivery.

"There is no store in the country right now with enough delivery drivers," said Dennis Maloney, senior vice president and chief digital officer at Domino's Pizza.

Domino's is partnering with Nuro, a California startup whose 6-foot-tall self-driving pods go at a maximum speed of 25 mph on streets, not sidewalks.

Maloney said it's not a question of if, but of when, robots will start doing more deliveries. He thinks companies like Domino's will eventually use a mix of robots and drivers depending on location. Sidewalk robots could work on a military base, for example, while Nuro is ideal for suburbs. Highway driving would be left to human workers.

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The vaccine was found to be 90 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 in children 5 to 11, according to data by the CDC in clinical trials. The study included approximately 3,000 children.

If you were speaking to the families of Native children specifically, would you urge them to get their kids vaccinated? What would you say to them?

I would definitely urge them to get their kids vaccinated. We are still seeing significant death and illness in our community and it is because not enough people are vaccinated. We haven't been able to, until now, get our kids vaccinated, but this is the final piece that we need to keep our community safe," she said.

Owen said the research behind the childrens vaccine is extremely safe.

People don't realize just how much has gone into preparations and the work to get these vaccinations out to every single community, of every single age, and for our children whom we worry about the most, of course, the testing has been much more stringent, Owen said.

Data shows COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted Native communities and is more deadly for American Indians and Alaska Natives than other races and ethnicities.
The process of combing through historical documents and deeds, deciphering the notes, legally verifying the records, and then digitizing the data in the correct location can be difficult and time consuming, onX noted after meeting with Forest Service Region 1 personnel. It may take hours to days to accurately digitize one easement.

Help

To help with its workload, Carr said the BLM is getting extra help from an outside contractor, Premier Data Services.

States and field offices have a limited number of realty specialists to complete their regular duties, let alone the research and GIS work for the access project, Carr wrote. The state and field offices are providing the documents to the contractor who is completing the research and creating the GIS features. We are hoping to publish more data toward the middle of 2022 and have the project completed by July of 2023.

Once the information is digitized, Nichols said onX can quickly upload and incorporate the information into its apps.

It makes a huge difference to have it digitized, she said.

Inaccessible
One of the most commented issues during the planning process was determining recommended wilderness areas. Only Congress can designate wilderness areas such as the Bob Marshall or Gates of the Mountains, but the Forest Service is required in its planning to analyze and then recommend areas that meet the legal requirements to be wilderness.

The 2021 plan designates an additional four RWAs, bringing the total on the forest to seven and total acres from about 34,000 to more than 153,000. Big Log, Mount Baldy, Electric Peak, Big Snowies, Silver King, Red Mountain and Nevada Mountain are now all RWAs.

We are pleased that the Forest Service decided to recommend wilderness for the Big Snowies Wilderness Study Area, the first time the agency has done so, Zach Angstead, field director at Wild Montana, said in a statement, noting that the study area was proposed for removal under a 2017 bill from U.S. Sen. Steve Daines. This decision is a testament to how extraordinarily wild these mountains are and how much Montanans have come to value this wilderness study area over the past few decades.
In mid-October, I woke up with a pretty big lump on my chest. It hurt to breathe, like I got punched in the chest. But, I thought it would heal and decided to rest for two days. On Monday, it hurt worse and I called an ambulance. St. Vincent was full, so I went to Billings Clinic. It was a four-hour wait before tests could determine I had a very bad staph infection.

That night, I had emergency surgery, with lots of antibiotics and pain meds. The first few nights of recovery, I was in shock, and pain, and confusion. And, I was scared. My mind and my soul was giving up. It was then, a miracle started to bring light to my pain and heartache.

I was at my lowest when a nurse named Jen, from Casper, came to my bedside, seeing tears in my eyes, she cupped my hand and said in an angelic voice, You will be OK. We arent going to let anything hurt you here. I could feel her caring love and immediately felt at ease and began to believe in healing.

From there, I had the blessing of being visited by more than 50 staff members who were angels and saints, all of them smiling and with kind words of care. Even though they all were over-worked and fatigued, not one showed any complaint or discouragement.

Jeff Larson

Billings

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Today, hunters in Montana can sit just feet outside of Yellowstone National Park and use baits and recorded calls to lure wolves out of the protected area. They can gun down as many as 10 wolves each. In Idaho, private contractors have been hired by the state to trap and shoot nearly all of the wolves in the state. Montana will soon allow the use of deadly and indiscriminate neck snares that strangle nearly any animal unfortunate enough to come across them.

Montana and Idaho are in the process of repeating the horrific mistakes of our forefathers  this time using high-powered tools  and there is no response from Washington. The Biden Administration has the tools to stop this slaughter. In August, Dan Ashe (the former director of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service under President Obama) wrote a Washington Post op-ed imploring Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and President Biden to act and issue emergency protections for gray wolves. He outlined exactly how and why they must act. To date, Haaland and Biden have ignored him and his sound advice. Conservation organizations have filed suit and petitioned for those emergency protections, but President Biden and Secretary Haaland have ignored these pleas and are defending the previous administrations national removal of Endangered Species Act protections in court.
Various events around Bismarck this week will help mark the Veterans Day holiday on Thursday.

Veterans Day, formerly Armistice Day, is observed on Nov. 11, the anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I in 1918. It's a federal and state holiday.

Brig. Gen. Jackie Huber, deputy adjutant general for the North Dakota National Guard, will be the keynote speaker for the Veterans Day Program on Thursday in the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum on the state Capitol Grounds in Bismarck. The program is at 10 a.m. in Russell Reid Hall. It's open to the public, according to the state American Legion chapter in Bismarck.

Huber is a Bismarck native who has served in the Guard since 1989. She has been deployed for Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Bismarck Amvets Post 9 will host a Veterans Day Program at noon Thursday following the Capitol program.

Special recognition will be given to deceased military members from 2020 and 2021. There will be a special presentation of quilts, and a free meal immediately following the program.

The event is open to the public. There is no admission charge. The club is at 2402 Railroad Ave.

The Dakota Leathernecks Detachment of the Marine Corps League fraternal organization will host a "Salute to the Corps" event on Wednesday, which marks the 246th birthday of the Corps and the 100th year of celebrating the anniversary on Nov. 10.

The social is at 5 p.m. and the program is at 7 p.m. at Marine House, a couple of miles west of Mandan on Old Highway 10. The event is free and open to the public, according to Junior Vice Commandant Jerry Hedberg.

A U.S. Marine Corps 246th Birthday Ball is set Friday beginning at 5 p.m. at the Baymont Inn and Suites in Mandan. Tickets are $30. Call 701-391-8272 to RSVP.

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The latest North Dakota coronavirus news: child shots, open enrollment, FEMA aid and more.

Child vaccine shots

Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health is holding a drive-thru child vaccine clinic at the Bismarck Event Center on Tuesday, from 3:30-6 p.m.

People are asked to turn off Seventh Street into Parking Lot D south of the Event Center, proceed into the arena -- not the Exhibit Hall, as with past drive-thru clinics -- and then exit back onto Seventh.

People who attend should wear a mask and bring insurance cards. To schedule an appointment, go to https://bit.ly/3wdsdrS. People who can't attend the clinic and want to set up an appointment for a vaccination at Public Health's 500 E. Front location, or have any questions, should call 701-355-1540.

Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have endorsed Pfizer's vaccine for children ages 5-11. Doses for the age group are about one-third of the amount given to adolescents and adults.

Public Health Director Renae Moch has called the child vaccine "a game-changer in the battle against COVID-19.

Blue Cross

North Dakota's largest health insurer is reminding people to review their health insurance coverage as the federally mandated open enrollment period begins with the start of November.

The period in which people can make changes to their health coverage or enroll in new coverage for any reason usually closes on Dec. 15, but President Joe Biden extended it to next Jan. 15 to give people more time to sign up for coverage amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota says that with the American Rescue Plan Act enacted last March, additional savings through lower premiums and increased cost assistance might be available to new and existing policyholders.

FEMA aid

North Dakotas Health Department is getting more federal money for its response to the pandemic.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it is providing two grants totaling $6.1 million to the department, for testing and vaccination efforts.

The money is through the federal Disaster Relief Fund, according to U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.

Testing and vaccines

A comprehensive list of free COVID-19 testing offered by local public health units in North Dakota can be found at health.nd.gov/covidtesting.

In Bismarck, PCR and rapid antigen tests are administered Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the strip mall at 2805 Morrison Ave., Suite A. PCR tests also are administered Monday through Thursday from 10-11 a.m. at Northland Health Centers, 914 S. 12th St., Suite 101.

People who have registered for COVID-19 testing through TestReg.nd.gov can access results for tests through a state service called the Citizen Portal. Instructions can be found at https://bit.ly/3jqiudf.

People can go to https://www.ndvax.org or call 866-207-2880 to see where COVID-19 vaccine is available near them.

Both Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health and Custer Health in Mandan are offering vaccine to the general public.

To register with Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health, go to https://www.ndvax.org and search for a Bismarck vaccination event. For assistance, call 701-355-1540.

Morton County residents should go to https://www.ndvax.org and search for "Custer Health" or call 701-667-3370 to register. Custer Health has a vaccination clinic at 1100 32nd Ave. SE in Units D and E, off Memorial Highway.

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A balmy weekend in Bismarck-Mandan presented the perfect opportunity for residents to put up their outdoor Christmas lights. A change in the weather this week might create more of a holiday landscape.

A system is expected to move in over the Rockies on Wednesday and Thursday, bringing colder temperatures, windy conditions, rain and a chance of accumulating snow.

"Most of the snow impacts will be in eastern North Dakota, but we could see some snow (in Bismarck-Mandan) Wednesday night into Thursday," National Weather Service Meteorologist Connor Smith said.

The amount of snow that might fall in the capital city area is uncertain. Eastern North Dakota could see a few inches, Smith said.

AccuWeather Meteorologist Jessica Storm said one scenario for the system has it moving quickly through the Northern Great Lakes into Canada, leaving behind less snow in the Northern Plains. But another scenario has it stalling in the Upper Midwest, dumping heavy snow in the eastern Dakotas and Minnesota.

Wind gusts of 40-50 mph are expected on Thursday and Friday, according to Storm and Smith.

"Mainly in the southwest part of North Dakota, but in Bismarck it could be gusty too," Smith said.

The wind will blow around any snow that does fall and could lead to visibility problems for motorists -- perhaps even blizzard conditions, the forecasters said.

It will be quite a change from the weekend, when warm air flowing in from the south and the southwest resulted in above-normal temperatures that reached into the 60s in Bismarck-Mandan and created the perfect opportunity for people to finish fall outdoors chores such as raking leaves. High temps in the cities are forecast to be in the 50s on Monday and Tuesday before dropping into the 30s on Thursday and Friday, with a slight warmup into the 40s for the weekend.

Reach Blake Nicholson at 701-250-8266 or blake.nicholson@bismarcktribune.com.

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A shooting that left three dead Saturday at a casino on the Montana-North Dakota border was a domestic dispute turned double murder-suicide involving a Williston couple and a Montana man, authorities said Monday.

Bradford Mann, 56, followed his wife, Jennifer Mann, 49, both of Williston, and Scot Panasuk, 63, of Bainville, Montana, to Colbys Casino Saturday evening, Roosevelt County Sheriff Jason Frederick said.

Surveillance footage from the parking lot showed Panasuk and Bradford Mann get out of their vehicles and get into a quarrel, according to the sheriff. Soon after the quarrel, Bradford Mann took out a gun and shot Panasuk dead. He then turned the gun on his wife in the car killing her before shooting himself, the sheriff said.

An off-duty Fort Peck Tribes police sergeant was in a nearby casino during the shooting and responded immediately. Calls to 911 dispatched agencies from across the region, including Roosevelt County deputies, Montana Highway Patrol, North Dakota Highway Patrol, Williams County Sheriffs Department and Williston police, along with emergency responders and fire departments from nearby towns.

Bainville is a small town near the North Dakota border west of Williston.

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North Dakota lawmakers on Monday advanced bills on culture war issues as they began a special session aimed at reapportioning state legislative districts and formulating a plan for spending $1 billion in federal coronavirus aid.

That means in addition to the main scope of the session, lawmakers also will be debating whether to ban or restrict vaccination requirements and the teaching of so-called critical race theory.

Republican majority leaders have said they hope for a five-day session, though they acknowledge it might take more than a week, even with committees working into the evenings, potentially resulting in 12-hour days.

Had Gov. Doug Burgum not called a special session, lawmakers would have been restricted by the state constitution to the four days left over from their regular session earlier this year. Because of the governor's action, they can meet as long as needed.

Thirty-six organizations including the Greater North Dakota Chamber signed a letter last week urging lawmakers to focus on redistricting and the Rescue Plan aid, so that debate on policy bills isn't given short shrift.

But some people welcomed debate on other issues. Hundreds gathered on the Capitol grounds at midday Monday for a "We the People" rally to draw lawmakers' attention to personal liberty issues such as vaccination mandates.

An organizer of the rally, Rep. Jeff Hoverson, R-Minot, couldn't attend because he has COVID-19 and is quarantining. He took part in the session remotely on Monday.

Bills advance

House and Senate budget writers worked throughout October to cull more than $9 billion in requests for the American Rescue Plan aid.

The Legislature's Redistricting Committee held several meetings in September to redraw legislative districts using 2020 census data -- a draft that lawmakers can still tweak. Legislative Management also advanced four other bills from interim committees.

Delayed bills committees met on Monday to decide which of 21 House bills and five Senate bills outside the main scope of the session to allowed to be introduced.

The House panel advanced seven bills and one resolution, and the Senate panel put forth one bill.

They include legislation opposing 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 -- and vaccine mandates.

House Majority Leader Chet Pollert, R-Carrington, said other delayed bills can still advance on Tuesday with a two-thirds vote of the House, a high bar.

Pollert, a retired business owner, said he doesn't think the federal government "should tell us how to do our jobs here and our businesses, but I also believe that individuals can be vaccinated or unvaccinated. That's up to them. But I also believe that businesses have the right to decide how they're going to run their businesses."

He also said lawmakers "need to have a discussion" about critical race theory, citing "a lot of folks (who) aren't happy."

North Dakota earlier this month joined multistate lawsuits against the Biden administration's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors and federally contracted employees, and for private companies.

Lawmakers during their regular session earlier this year 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.

State of the state

Burgum helped launch the session with a State of the State message to a joint session of the Legislature. He lauded the state's natural resources, rainy day reserves and rosy economic outlook.

He touted his "Accelerate ND" plan for spending North Dakota's American Rescue Plan money on workforce and economic development and infrastructure for primarily one-time projects.

He also urged lawmakers to go further and use a state budget surplus for two-year income tax relief, about $207 million.

"We can afford to do it, we should want to do it and the hardworking taxpayers of North Dakota certainly deserve it," the governor told lawmakers.

Legislative leaders have said they prefer permanent tax relief, but in the 2023 Legislature.

Lawmakers also are reluctant to use the $410 million 2019-21 budget surplus in the special session.

Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner, R-Dickinson, pointed out the rosy outlook for state revenues in February 2020, weeks before the coronavirus pandemic racked the oil industry.

First meetings

The Legislature's Joint Redistricting Committee and the House and Senate appropriations committees began meetings on the draft districts map and the Rescue Plan money, respectively, after weeks of writing the bills.

Wardner called redistricting "the main reason we're here."

The redistricting panel on Tuesday morning will hear a bill for reorganizing district parties, given the new districts.

The draft map maintains 47 districts but increases the average constituency to 16,576 people, which is North Dakota's 2020 population divided among 47 districts. The map also includes House subdistricts for the Fort Berthold and Turtle Mountain Indian reservations.

Senate budget writers are working through the main Rescue Plan bill for spending $700 million of the aid.

The governor and Republican majority leaders agree on an emphasis of one-time projects such as infrastructure and workforce development for spending the Rescue Plan aid.

"We want to make sure that those dollars are used wisely," Wardner said.

Water projects, roads and bridges, and career and technical education centers are prime examples, he said.

The largest Rescue Plan proposal, $150 million for a west-to-east Bakken natural gas pipeline, is "one of the key points for me," said Pollert, the House majority leader.

"I see that as important for us, for the central part of the state, for us to further economic development," he said. "This all isn't just about the Bismarcks and the Minots and the Willistons and the Dickinsons and the Fargos and Grand Forks. It's about the Carringtons, Devils Lakes, Rugbys and folks like that."

House and Senate budget writers must work through differences in the Rescue Plan spending blueprints, and can expect long days this week, Wardner said.

"They're not going to be out dining and dancing on the town. They're going to be working. This is not a 9-to-5 job. It's probably more like a 7 in the morning to 9 at night job," he said. "And we're the ringmasters. We'll be cracking the whip."

Leaders are hoping for the special session to finish late Friday. It costs taxpayers about $64,000 a day to run the special session.

Reach Jack Dura at 701-250-8225 or jack.dura@bismarcktribune.com.

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SUSE Rancher 2.6 delivers interoperability across multi-cloud environments with redesigned user experience, hosted cluster support, and improved security posture

As more enterprises shift towards a multi-cloud or hybrid IT strategy, Kubernetes environments become more complex. Kubernetes management platforms continue to play a vital role in helping IT operators and developers alike to navigate and scale their organizations environment.

In this resource, discover why some are choosing SUSE Rancher 2.6 for full lifecycle support for Kubernetes clusters hosted on Microsoft AKS and Google GKE, plus a fortified security and compliance posture.

Read more here.
The collapse of the Soviet Union 74 years after the Bolshevik revolution was supposed to herald the end of communism. Yet the Peoples Republic of China lives on, 72 years after Mao Zedong famously proclaimed the founding of the PRC in Beijing. That regime is on course to outlast the USSR.

Why did one collapse and the other survive, even thrive? It isnt because Mao and his criminal band were more moderate than Vladimir Ilyich Lenin and his coterie of violent malcontents. Ironically, Lenin viewed peace as his partys path to power. The Bolsheviks criticized the provisional government for continuing Russias participation in World War I, and after seizing Petrograd accepted a dictated peace treaty from Imperial Germany.

Lenin was ruthless but practical. His initial objective was to solidify his rule rather than force a social revolution. Lenins New Economic Policy preserved a role for private business, and the top Bolsheviks were an eclectic mix. Only after his death did Joseph Stalin, who defeated a gaggle of rivals along the way, initiate forced collectivization and industrialization.

Even then, Soviet rule was less horrific than life in China under Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party. The CCPs consolidation of power was as terrible as Russias civil war. The Great Leap Forward imposed collectivization nationwide, killing more people than Stalins campaign, which was concentrated on extracting grain from Ukraine rather than the entire nation. And the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution was as terrible, in its own way, as Stalins Great Purge or Great Terror. Mao managed to make Stalin look moderate.

However, the critical moment in the development of both nations came when the respective nation-destroyers/builders disappeared from the scene. In 1953 the ensuing Soviet power struggle centered on Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria, who had headed the NKVD during Stalins paranoid purges. Beria was arrested in a palace coup with the assistance of the military. Although the political victor, Nikita Khrushchev, embarked upon a process of de-Stalinization, that merely represented a move back toward more normal political, social, and economic authoritarianism. Essentially, Moscow returned to Lenin and the early Bolsheviks.

Ironically, the main advocate of more radical reformessentially ending the Cold Warwas Beria. However, his death ended consideration of any significant change in political relations between the Soviet Union and the West. Nor was there any serious rethink of economic policy, despite the continued failure of central planning and collective ownership. After Khrushchev was ousted in 1964, the USSRs internal situation worsened as the Soviet Unions increasingly sclerotic leadership staggered on.

Leonid Brezhnevs death in 1982 triggered a period of unstable leadership leading to the rise of Mikhail Gorbachev. The latter was a transformational figure, joining Ronald Reagan in ending the Cold War. However, Gorbachev relaxed political controls, allowing the population to give full vent to its frustrations but without making corresponding economic changes, which would have allowed people to improve their lives. Their expectations and frustrations grew along with their freedom to demand change. Equally powerful was the release of nationalistic forces long suppressed by the prospect of a visit by the Red Army. As the 1990s dawned, there was little left to hold the Soviet Union together.

In contrast, the PRC followed a more calculated path away from the Mad Mao era. In 1976 the so-called Great Helmsman, who had firmly steered his nation onto the rocks, finally departed this world. After a couple of years, the pragmatic Deng Xiaoping took charge. His strategy essentially was the opposite of Gorbachevs, dramatically relaxing economic controls while maintaining the CCPs tight political grip.

The first years were rocky. The Chinese people became responsible for their education, employment, and other life decisions that heretofore had been up to the state. The economic shift required massive movement of workers from unproductive collective farms to newly emerging industries. The development of private businesses in a once completely socialized economy provided manifold opportunities for corruption. Economic benefits slowly spread across China, along with resentment of overbearing and profiteering political elites.

The result was the Tiananmen Square protest movement, which involved far more than students in the center of Beijing. For instance, the men who famously tossed paint on Maos portrait hanging on the Gate of Heavenly Peaceand spent years in prison as a resultwere workers. Given substantial party support for reform, highlighted by successive CCP general secretaries Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang, both removed by Deng for their liberal views, the outcome could have been very different except for Dengs determination to maintain party control. The brutal and bloody crackdownunlike anything attempted during Gorbachevs rule, even by the short-lived 1991 juntaand subsequent CCP purge preserved the regimes authoritarian foundations.

Although discouraging anyone from staging another political challenge, the regime wielded a lighter touch than during the Mao years. The Chinese authoritarian system remained loose, with independent journalists, human rights lawyers, private NGOs, underground churches, academic exchanges, and more. A certain amount of dialogue and debate about policy was allowed so long as it was not amplified by traditional or, later, social media and critical of the CCPs rule. In effect, there were multiple release valves to the PRC pressure cooker.

Moreover, nonpolitical life was largely left alone, with substantial access to Western products, culture, and ideas. Chinese only had to pretend to be committed to the CCP dictatorship, not, as in the past, act as if they desired state management of their lives. Perhaps most important, economic reform continued, leading to much greater prosperity. There remained sharp leftist criticism of the fairness of the resulting wealth distribution, which resulted in the rise of a neo-Maoist movement. Nevertheless, the dramatic increase in most peoples incomes, wealth, and opportunities provided a substitute form of political legitimacy for the CCP.

In short, while Chinese had to mute any criticisms of the PRC regime, they had less reason to kvetch. Surveys in China find high levels of satisfaction with the national government. Approval levels have increased in recent years. Trust even rose during the pandemic. Despite some skepticism of public surveys in an authoritarian system, anecdotal experience backs these results. Even students who dislike specific policies, such as internet controls, are highly nationalistic and profess support for the government.

Of course, China faces substantial challenges. The PRCs economic foundation is uncertain and the regime is reversing some reforms, which may further slow growth. International challenges are mounting as Xis foreign policy has trended confrontational, a la Wolf Warrior Diplomacy. The regime has increasingly taken to micromanaging peoples lives, never a crowd-pleaser. Political opposition to Xi Jinping lurks in the shadows. Once he goes, China might again change radically.

Despite the hope of many in the West when China emerged from the Mad Mao era, the CCP is likely to outlast its Soviet counterpart. Mixing smart economics and cruel politics has helped Beijing avoid a Soviet-style collapse. However, nothing is forever. The communist regimes resilience is likely to be tested in many other ways in coming years. Then the world may learn if the CCP is also fated to end up in historys infamous trash bin.
The Maribel family bought a cute new puppy from a shop in Lima, Peru. They named the little guy Run Run. But as Run Run grew, all was not well. Neighbors were incensed that Run Run loved chasing their chickens ducks, sometimes killing and eating them. Turns out, Run Run is an Andean fox. From Reuters:

"We had thought he was a purebred puppy," said Sotelo, who added that her teenage son bought the animal as a pet for the equivalent of $13 about six months ago[]

A few days ago, "Run Run" ran away from home and his owners, the ecological police and officials of the state National Forest and Wildlife Service (SERFOR) are looking for him to take him to a special center or zoo.

Walter Silva, a veterinarian and wildlife specialist at SERFOR, told Reuters that many wild animals are brought by "traffickers" from Amazonian areas such as Loreto, Ucayali and Madre de Dios, to be illegally traded in Lima.
The surging crowd that killed at least eight people and injured many others at the Travis Scott concert in Houston on Friday was tragic. But it came as no surprise. In the video clip below, from the 2019 Travis Scott documentary Look Mom, I Can Fly, a show manager warns security about the dangers of crowd surging.

"Kids push up against the front and spread all the way across and fill in the whole front floor. So the pressure becomes very great up against the barricade," he says.

"You will see a lot of crowd surfers in general, but also you see a lot of kids that are just trying to get out to get to safety because they can't breathe, because it's so compact. You won't know how bad it can be with our crowd until we turn on."

And in case security forgot about this pep talk, or was somehow not aware of the potential dangers, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner also paid a visit to Travis Scott the day of Friday's concert. From Daily Beast:

Troy Finner, went to Scott's trailer to relay concerns about crowd control that evening. Finner, who knows Scott personally, reportedly worried over the excitability of the fans attending the concert, given Scott's reputation for inciting his fans to "rage."
Sue DeJoseph

Meal delivery | FeedMore WNY

The time that passed between when Sue DeJoseph first heard about FeedMore WNYs meal delivery program and when she signed up can be measured in minutes.

I belong to the Lions Club, and someone from FeedMore came as a speaker in January, she says. Listening to her talk about it made it seem like it was made for me, and I signed up right away.

Now DeJoseph delivers meals to homebound residents two days per week, one with other Lions Club members and another route by herself. She leaves the house at 10:30 a.m., drives to the nearby senior center in Lewiston to pick up 10 hot meals, makes her rounds to both regular and new clients and gets home by noon.

FeedMore WNY, the combined Food Bank and Meals on Wheels, is always looking for help. Every weekday, 400 to 500 volunteers visit houses and apartments throughout the Buffalo-Niagara region to provide a nutritious meal and a friendly visit. In 2020, FeedMore delivered 1.3 million meals to the homes of 5,535 neighbors.

Its the people she visits, says DeJoseph, that she loves the most.
It serves 14,000 patients annually from across the Western New York community, focusing on the general community in the neighborhoods around its treatment centers, including three in Buffalo. "People are not going to be traveling in from remote locations to come to a location in Buffalo," she said. "This is not our first rodeo. We know how to do this."

Its affiliate, Horizon Village, operates the 68-bed Terrace House residential crisis stabilization center at 291 Elm St. in Buffalo - as an alternative to hospitalization for detoxification - and a longer-term residential campus in Sanborn with 128 beds across five buildings, for adults, young adults, women and veterans. That program serves 1,300.

In all, the two entities under Horizon Corporations employ about 760. And officials stress that the need for help is rising, citing rising numbers of suicides and opioid-related deaths, as well as the impacts of the pandemic.

"When you look at the impact of mental health disorders and substance abuse disorders in communities, in families, in workplaces, its our intention to be part of the solution, not part of the problem," Constantino said. "In all of our locations, we dont have trouble with crime and loitering."
Sept. 27 was the day, the deadline for health care workers without an exemption to get their first Covid-19 vaccination shot as a state mandate went into effect.

Some hospitals, in Western New York and beyond, terminated unvaccinated workers that day. Those employees, after all, had been eligible for their shots for more than nine months and had known about the mandate since mid-August.

Other health care facilities placed unvaccinated employees on an unpaid 30-day leave, giving those workers one last chance to mull things over before losing their jobs and further aggravating a staffing crunch across the industry.

It appears many of those employees reversed course and opted to get a shot  or they were approved for an exemption.

Catholic Health System, for instance, has terminated the employment of 26 people, a mere 0.3% of its 9,000-person payroll, spokesperson JoAnn Cavanaugh said Thursday. More than 300 Catholic Health employees had received reminder letters in mid-October of the coming 30-day deadline, she said, and more than 90% ultimately complied with the mandate either by receiving the vaccine or filing for a medical or religious exemption. Overall, nearly 700 Catholic Health workers got their first or single-dose shots in September and October, Cavanaugh added. She said there also were some other factors, such as some employees who were already vaccinated but did so under different last names than were in Catholic Health's system.

"We have seen more people getting vaccinated because of the deadline," Catholic Health President and CEO Mark Sullivan said recently. "So we're trying to keep them informed, educated. Weve sent people out to the sites to work on formal education, and that's what we're doing related to the mandate.

Other Western New York health systems also echoed low termination totals to The Buffalo News.

At Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, for one, about 25 unvaccinated employees were no longer working there and were facing termination through processes laid out in their collective bargaining agreements, spokesperson Annie Deck-Miller said in late October. That's just 0.6% of Roswell Park's 3,700-person employment total.

At Erie County Medical Center, spokesperson Peter Cutler said 25 employees were terminated Oct. 28, just 0.8% of the hospital's workforce. At ECMC's Terrace View Long-Term Care facility, he said 17 employees were terminated, 3.5% of that facility's workers. A month earlier, when the mandate went into effect, Cutler said 276 people across ECMC and Terrace View were on leave, roughly 7% of the total.

Of the 42 workers terminated at ECMC and Terrace View, Cutler said nine of them were per-diem employees, most of whom hadn't worked there in more than a year.

Those totals are in addition to the 100 Kaleida Health employees and the 60 Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center and Schoellkopf Health Center workers who lost their jobs shortly after the mandate went into effect in late September.

In many ways, the state's mandate could set the tone for what to expect in the months ahead after President Biden's administration on Thursday announced that Americans who work at companies with at least 100 employees will have to be vaccinated by Jan. 4 or get tested weekly. The requirement applies to more than 84 million U.S. workers, though that rule has a test-out provision that isn't included in New York's health care worker mandate.

As more mandates pop up, so do the court filings.

In one, a federal appellate court in late October sided with Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration and stayed a lower court's ruling that temporarily allowed health care workers to claim a religious exemption to get around a requirement that they must have a Covid-19 vaccine.

Appeals court sides with Hochul administration, halts religious exemptions for vaccines As the case has wound its way up through the courts, several of Western New York's largest health care providers put workers claiming a religious exemption on leave pending a final ruling.

As those battles work their way through the courts, terminations could be possible for unvaccinated employees with a religious exemption.

While New York's mandate excluding religious exemptions was upheld by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, a group of New York health care workers is challenging the state's mandate in the Supreme Court.

Cavanaugh said Catholic Health is continuing to monitor and evaluate various court rulings before taking any additional action.

At ECMC, Cutler noted the Biden administration's directive Thursday included a policy that health care workers at facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid must also be fully vaccinated by Jan. 4. That regulation, according to a news release from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which Cutler said supersedes state guidance, provides exemptions based on recognized medical conditions or religious beliefs, observances or practices.

"Regarding religious exemptions, given the recent directive from CMS, we are further analyzing that issue, consulting with our industry advocacy partners to better determine next steps," Cutler wrote in an email Friday.

In a statement Friday, the New York Health Department said the state's mandate "leaves employee enforcement decisions up to the covered entities," while the Health Department "ensures compliance at the facility level and encourages health care facilities to get all workers vaccinated as soon as possible."

By the numbers

Over the last several weeks, the number of vaccinated hospital workers in New York has increased.

Specifically, among the five-county Western New York's roughly 23,700 hospital workers, the percentage of people partially or fully vaccinated increased from 94.6% on Oct. 12 to 95.7% on Tuesday, according to state Health Department data. The percentage of workers fully vaccinated jumped from 88% to 92% during that timeframe.

The state data does not include how many hospital employees claimed a medical or religious exemption, but it does provide numbers for total employees, fully vaccinated employees and partially vaccinated employees. Adding the fully and partially vaccinated numbers together and subtracting that from the total employment provides at least a hint of how many employees are unvaccinated with a religious or medical exemption.

Health Department spokesperson Jeffrey Hammond confirmed Friday that figure includes "those who are not yet vaccinated or have obtained a medical or other exemption."

In Western New York on Tuesday, that amounted to 1,012 workers, about 4% of the total hospital employment in the region of 23,746. On Oct. 12, that figure was 1,278, or 5% of the region's hospital workforce.

Among the 20 facilities in Western New York included in the state data, Cuba Memorial Hospital in Allegany County had the highest percentage of workers who weren't included in the partially or fully vaccinated categories as of Tuesday. But that only amounted to six workers, or 12% of the facility's 49 employees.

Not far behind, in terms of percentage, was Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, the site of a 35-day labor strike that was suspended late Thursday night after a tentative agreement was reached.

Of Mercy's 2,930 employees, 2,651, or 90%, were partially or fully vaccinated as of Tuesday, according to state data. That means 279 of the South Buffalo hospital's employees, or about 10%, were not in either category.

"The remainder of associates in Catholic Health who have not been terminated and are not partially or fully vaccinated have either filed a medical or religious exemption," said Cavanaugh, of Catholic Health.

Prior terminations

While some of the region's hospitals put unvaccinated workers without an exemption on 30-day unpaid leave, others took quicker action when the mandate went into effect Sept. 27.

For example, Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center said Sept. 27 that 60 workers were separated from their jobs at the hospital and its Schoellkopf Health Center, about 5% of employees. The total included 12 registered nurses  three full-timers, five part-timers and four were per diem.

Vaccine mandate affects Buffalo area hospital jobs, services Hundreds of employees were put on leave or lost their jobs for not being in compliance with the vaccine mandate.

"These positions are spread out throughout the NFMMC hospital and Schoellkopf, so the lack of clustering of separations have allowed us to continue our same level of service," Niagara Falls Memorial spokesperson Andrea Gray said Oct. 27.

Kaleida Health spokesperson Michael Hughes on Sept. 27 said about 100 employees "have been or will be separated from the organization this week due to lack of vaccination." That represents just under 1% of Kaleida's total payroll of 10,765.

Even though it was a small percentage, losing people from the mandate and then the extra volume of patients stemming from the Mercy strike added more burden on overtaxed hospital workers, said Kaleida CEO Robert Nesselbush, noting, however, that the health system is supportive of the mandate.

"It comes on the tail end of, or on 18 months of, everybody burning the candle at both ends," he said in an interview Oct. 29. "It's an incredible amount to ask of people each and every day."

Within Kaleida, Hughes said Sept. 27 that about 200 other employees requested religious exemptions.

On Friday, he said, "we continue to monitor, and those employees are still working."

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.
Tops Markets has completed its merger with Price Chopper/Market 32.

The two supermarket chains said Monday they had received the green light from the Federal Trade Commission. The companies had announced the deal in February.

As part of the deal, Tops is required to sell 12 of its stores, which will be bought by C&S Wholesale Grocers and operated by an affiliate, GU Markets LLC. None of the 12 stores is in Western New York.

The two supermarket chains will be managed locally  Tops is based in Amherst  by their respective leaders and under their own brand names. But they will be owned and overseen by a new parent company, Northeast Grocery Inc., based in Schenectady.

Were appreciative of the FTCs diligence in reviewing this merger and grateful to have received all of the necessary approvals," said Scott Grimmett, who served as president and CEO of Price Chopper/Market 32. "Now, we can dedicate ourselves to bringing these two storied grocery chains together, leveraging best practices, developing new opportunities, and finding efficiencies that will help us continue to deliver distinctive shopping experiences."
 A former student who was friends in high school with one of the plaintiffs said in a sworn statement that sexual relationships between Koch and female students were not a secret to other students and that Kochs inappropriate behavior was open and obvious to students. A second affidavit signer said Koch had attempted to kiss her when she was a high school senior and that he was allowed to prey on students who were much younger than him. Both affidavit signers also said that their high school friend, identified as Jane Doe in a lawsuit, told them at the time that she was having a sexual relationship with Koch. I was not surprised when she confided this, because it seemed to be common knowledge among the student body, one of the women said in her affidavit.
The civil suit, filed in U.S. District Court on Oct. 1, accuses Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, Kaleida Health and UBMD Physicians' Group of racial discrimination.

In the algorithm, there are no other choices aside from Black or non-Black, including no option for a person of mixed race. And the algorithm is set up so individuals who are Black are subject to a "race-correction multiplier," according to the suit.

A Black person's score is several points higher than a non-Black person with the same kidney function, giving the appearance that the Black person's kidney is healthier, according to the complaint.

The racial factor in the algorithm is "based on the false assumption that on average, Black persons have greater muscle mass than white persons," an assumption with no basis in science or medicine, but which instead has roots in the days of slavery, according to the suit.

Crowley, his family and their attorney declined to comment for this story.

University of Rochester Medical Center, which includes Strong Memorial, denies race played any role in Crowley's care and said that Crowley remains on the transplant list, the organization said in an emailed statement.
There came a time when I told him if he got arrested again, I would not see him anymore and that happened, Bentley said, explaining that Matt had a long arrest record.

At Matt's 2008 trial for the 1997 murder and dismemberment of North Tonawanda businessman William Rickerson, Bentley said he was subpoenaed by the defense to testify to Matts good character.

Bentley said he instead became a star witness for the prosecution when he testified that Matt had confessed to him that he had killed Rickerson.

I grabbed the opportunity to get in that Matt told me he killed Rickerson, Bentley said.

Matt, who had fled to Mexico before he was charged in the Rickerson homicide, spent several years in a Mexican prison after he was convicted of killing an American. He was eventually returned to Niagara County to stand trial in the Rickerson killing. He was convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison.

Bentley says it flies in the face of reason that he would antagonize Matt by testifying against him if indeed Matt could implicate him in the 1993 murder of Meindl, or any other crimes that they are implying we committed together, like the drug things.
We can deliver this for families without diverting resources from other state services or agencies, Kelly said.

Kelly announced her proposal during a news conference in the produce section of a Dillons grocery store in north Topeka, as curious shoppers looked on. She held up an axe to symbolize her push to axe the tax on groceries and wore an axe pin on her lapel.

The proposal would save consumers $6.50 for every $100 spent on groceries. A family that spends an average of $200 a week on groceries would save $676 over a year.

Kansas is one of only 13 states with a sales tax on groceries and one of only six that taxes groceries at the same rate as other consumer goods, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators. Kansas' rate of 6.5% is second only to Mississippi's 7%.

Eliminating the sales tax on groceries can immediately benefit all Kansans, and it will provide the greatest help to those in greatest need, Schmidt said in his letter to GOP legislative leaders, echoing an argument that lawmakers in both parties have made for more than two decades.

Cutting or eliminating the tax is likely to have widespread appeal to consumer-voters.
But good intentions can be drowned out by the bullhorn-amplified voices of protesters cursing the police, or using the language of class warfare to challenge the establishment. It is likely, as former Mayor Anthony Masiello observed last week, that Walton petrified tens of thousands of voters  the majority of them Democrats.

We have noted before the toxic effect of the phrase defund the police, which is meant to demand law enforcement reforms, but sounds like a call to abolish police departments. Many campaigning for office from the left, including Walton, stayed away from that term, but Republicans were able to weaponize the phrase at a time of rising murder rates in the U.S.

Similarly, any discussions about how the history of racism and slavery is taught in schools is now lumped together as critical race theory, which Republican lawmakers find easier to run against than to define. Parents do have a right to inquire about what their children are being taught, but any chance for a nuanced discussion about the teaching of history runs aground when angry adults derail school board meetings with threatening behavior.
New York State families are advocating for support of school children with intensive intellectual and developmental disabilities who attend 4410 (pre-school) and 853 (school-age/5-21years old) special education schools.

These schools need equitable financial support to continue to educate New York's public-school children with tremendously complex needs that cannot be served by their public schools. NYS Senate S.6516-A and Assembly Bill A.8013 represent that lifeline. Both, unanimously passed in the Senate and Assembly, would ensure that 4410, 853 and Special Act schools receive funding equitable with public school foundation aid. Passage would show the public-school students served by 4410, 853 and Special Act schools that they matter too.

From 2012 to 2020, funding for public schools increased by 46%, 4410s received only 10%, and 853s/Special Acts only 26%. As a result teacher and staff salaries are drastically below their public-school colleagues. As a result it has been nearly impossible to recruit and retain quality staff. The Covid-19 pandemic has drastically exacerbated this problem.

Although the New York State Education Department requested equitable funding, the authorization of only a 4% increase versus a 7% public school increase from the prior administration, sent a message that these children are not valued.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Sunday hardened its stance against military-ruled Mali and Guinea, imposing new individual sanctions and calling on both countries to honour timetables for a return to democracy.

ECOWAS "has decided to sanction all those implicated in the delay" in organising elections set for 27 February in Mali, ECOWAS Commission President Jean-Claude Kassi Brou told French news agency AFP after a summit of the 15-nation group in the Ghanaian capital Accra.

He said Mali had "officially written" to Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, who holds the rotating presidency of ECOWAS, to inform him that the Sahel country could not hold elections as planned.

"All the transition authorities are concerned by the sanctions which will take immediate effect," Brou said, adding the travel bans and assets freezes targeted family members as well.

In a final declaration following Sunday's summit, ECOWAS said it "highly deplores the lack of progress" towards staging elections in Mali and condemned the expulsion of its envoy Hamidou Boly from the country on 26 October.

The situation has raised concerns internationally, prompting a UN Security Council delegation to Mali late last month.

Council members "reiterated their call for the Malian transitional authorities to achieve... the handover of power to democratically elected civilian authorities within the agreed timeline," the officials said in a statement.

Several party leaders within Mali reacted to the sanctions on Monday, notably Jeamille Bittar, the spokesperson for the M5 party of prime minister Choguel Maiga.

"I think it's up to the international community to help us rather than issue threats, and pressure which only destabilise our country further. We don't need that," he said, stressing that stable elections coulld not go ahead until the security issues were addressed and that forcing them to do so would only drag the country into further chaos.

Story continues

Double coup

ECOWAS rescinded economic sanctions against Mali and its suspension from the organisation when the junta headed by Colonel Assimi Goita pledged a transition of no more than 18 months, last August.

But Goita went on to mount a new coup in May, deposing transitional president Bah Ndaw and his prime minister, Moctar Ouane.

ECOWAS suspended Mali once again, but did not apply new sanctions.

Swathes of Mali, a vast nation of 19 million people, lie outside of government control because of a jihadist insurgency that emerged in the north in 2012, before spreading to the centre of the country as well as neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

Brou noted that the deployment of contractors from the Russian paramilitary group Wagner in Mali was "one of the concerns of the heads of state".

Charter for transition

As for Guinea, where soldiers seized power on 5 September, ECOWAS decided to uphold the country's suspension from the bloc as well as sanctions against individual junta members and their families.

It also reiterated its demand for the "unconditional release" of president Alpha Conde, 83, who has been under house arrest since his ouster.

In the final declaration, it praised the adoption of a "transition charter", the appointment of a civilian prime minister and the formation of a transitional government -- echoing Brou following an ECOWAS delegation to the country in October.

But it called on the authorities to "urgently submit a detailed timetable... towards the holding of elections" in the country of 13 million people.

Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, who overthrew Conde after months of discontent against his government, had promised to restore civilian rule after a transition period of unspecified length.

The ECOWAS leaders named Mohamed Ibn Chambas as its special envoy to Guinea, which had spent decades under authoritarian or dictatorial regimes before Conde's election in 2010.

At a September summit, ECOWAS demanded that Guinea hold elections within six months.

ECOWAS will hold its next summit in December when it will consider more sanctions "if the situation persists", Sunday's declaration stated.

(with AFP)
Merger Royal Den Hartogh Logistics and MUTO group

Merger Royal Den Hartogh Logistics and MUTO group

Merger Royal Den Hartogh Logistics and MUTO group

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Royal Den Hartogh Logistics has identified the Asia Pacific (APAC) region as a key engine of growth and has an aspirational ambition to be a leading regional tank operator offering one-stop deep-sea and intra-APAC logistics services. Den Hartogh is pleased to announce that it is closer to this ambition with the merger between Den Hartogh and the MUTO group of companies in Korea, Thailand and Malaysia.

Its strong regional presence across five APAC offices, including Singapore and Shanghai, will propel Den Hartogh to be a leading intra-APAC logistics service provider including market leaderships in the new locations the company now has local direct access. This growth milestone signifies the commitment to the region in addition to our growing fleet of tank containers.

MUTO Global Thailand and MBT Global Malaysia will be re-branded as Den Hartogh Thailand and Den Hartogh Malaysia respectively. The MUTO Logix Korea branding will be retained and rebranded as a member of Royal Den Hartogh Logistics.

With this merger, Den Hartogh is confident of further increasing customer satisfaction by providing tanks at the right place, right time and right quantities. Den Hartogh will be positioned to serve its customers better now in Seoul, Bangkok and Klang with more personalized and innovative logistics solutions.

We are here to grow in Asia. Grow with us.

Press Contact

For more information about the merger between Den Hartogh and MUTO, please contact your local representative at Den Hartogh or send your question to communications@denhartogh.com.

About Den Hartogh

Royal Den Hartogh Logistics is a leading Logistics Service Provider established in The Netherlands in 1920. As a bulk logistics service provider for the chemical, gas, polymer and food industry, we combine the best elements to create the optimal solution for each situation. Safety and operational excellence are embedded in our culture. We have a presence in every region of the world, in 47 locations within 26 countries. Our workforce consists of 1,800 people and our modern equipment includes more than 20,000 tank containers, 6,100 dry bulk containers and specialised dry bulk trailers, 350 tank trailers and 625 trucks.

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About MUTO

Muto Group started its journey in Korea in 2003 and quickly established itself as one of the leading independent logistics service providers for the Korean chemical and petrochemical market. With a strong focus on customer relationships, reliable service and the ability to create fit for purpose solutions, MUTO has been able to strengthen its position and presence in the Korean and intra-APAC market. Currently MUTO is one of the largest intra-APAC operators, with a team of 60 people, operating a fleet of 2,500 tank containers. With their dedicated focus on special tank solutions, MUTO is able to provide logistics solutions to multiple continents outside APAC.







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Image 1: Merger Royal Den Hartogh Logistics and MUTO group





Our strong regional presence across five APAC offices, including Singapore and Shanghai, will propel Den Hartogh to be a leading intra-APAC logistics service provider.









This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

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Astroworld: Drake and Travis Scott sued after eight die in festival crush in Texas

Rappers Travis Scott and Drake have been sued after eight people were killed and hundreds injured following a crowd surge at a music festival in Texas.

Texas firm Thomas J. Henry Law released a statement on social media on Sunday night confirming it had filed one of the first lawsuits in Travis Scott Astroworld Festival tragedy.

Kristian Paredes, 23, from Austin, Texas, is seeking more than $1million for injuries and medical expenses.

Paredes, who is also suing concert organisers Live Nation and the venue, felt an immediate push at the front of the general admission section as Travis Scott arrived on stage, the complaint says.

The crowd became chaotic and a stampede began, it went on.

The suit, filed in Houstons Harris County court, claims Scott had incited mayhem and chaos at prior events and that defendants knew or should have known of (Scotts) prior conduct.

The suit accuses Canadian rap superstar Drake, who joined Scotts headline set, of contributing to causing the surge toward the stage.

As Drake came onstage alongside of Travis Scott he helped incite the crowd even though he knew of Travis Scotts prior conduct, the complaint charges.

He continued to perform even as the crowd became out of control and the crowd mayhem continued, it added.

Survivors of the incident described chaotic scenes of people squeezed up against one another, with many struggling to breathe.

Travis Scott performing at the Astroworld Music Festival, shortly before at least 8 people were killed in a crowd surge (Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

High-profile attorney Ben Crump announced Sunday he had also filed suit against Scott and Astroworld.

Crump specializes in civil rights and personal injury, and has represented clients including the families of victims of police violence George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

He and co-counsel Bob Hilliard filed a suit on Sunday on behalf of 21-year-old concertgoer Noah Gutierrez, who described "a scene of chaos and desperation".

The lawyers said they expected to file lawsuits on behalf of other concertgoers during the week.

"We are hearing horrific accounts of the terror and helplessness people experienced -- the horror of a crushing crowd and the awful trauma of watching people die while trying unsuccessfully to save them," Crump and Hilliard said in the statement.

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"We urge others who suffered physical or emotional injury or witnessed the events of that day to contact us."

Scott, who launched the Astroworld music festival in 2018, reportedly halted his act several times when he saw fans in distress near the stage.

The rapper said he was devastated by the incident.

In a statement posted on social media, he said: Im absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival.

Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life.

I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need.

Authorities in Texas have opened a criminal investigation into the tragedy, involving both homicide and narcotics detectives, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner told reporters on Saturday.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said authorities were looking at video footage and talking to witnesses, concert organizers and people who were hospitalized.

He told reporters on Saturday that the eight people killed were aged from 14 to 27, with one persons age unknown.

The chaos also resulted in 25 people being transported to the hospital and more than 300 people treated at the scene for minor injuries.

Read More

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Veteran Allen Derouin of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry bows in front of the cenotaph during the National Indigenous Veterans Day at Victory Square in Vancouver, British Columbia on Monday, November 8, 2021. (Ben Nelms/CBC - image credit)

In 1990, 14 years after serving in the Canadian Armed Forces with tours of duty in Egypt and Cyprus, David Ward was living on the streets of Ottawa.

Struggling with alcohol addiction, Ward says he was in a dark place and even attempted suicide after being discharged.

One day, while he was at the National War Memorial reminiscing with other Indigenous veterans, Ward, who is Cree, had an idea.

"There was either a Free France or a liberation of Holland ceremony going on and I'm going, 'We don't have a day for us. Why shouldn't we?'" he said.

After that day at the cenotaph, he says he decided to sober up. He boarded a bus to Vancouver, and it was there that he helped start a B.C. chapter of the National Aboriginal Veterans Association, pushing for more recognition of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people who served in the Armed Forces.

Commissionaires B.C.

Four years later, in 1994, the first Aboriginal Veterans Day was recognized in Manitoba on Nov. 8. It became a nationally marked occasion soon after that.

Ward says he and other veterans in B.C. were instrumental in spreading the day of remembrance throughout Canada.

Twenty-seven years later, he still wants veterans to "come out" of the shadows and reach out to fellow veterans for support  a journey complicated by years of institutional racism.

"We're trying to find our veterans. [But] the Department of Indian Affairs took all the military records of the Aboriginal veterans, and put them in theirs [records]," he said.

"You go down and you see, 'Oh, finally, I recognize a Native name.' That one we can find. But all the ones that served under their white names we can't find. We're slowly but surely finding them."

First Indigenous soldiers not regarded as citizens

There is no accurate count of how many Indigenous people have served in Canada's military forces over the years. The federal government says 3.5 per cent of those currently serving are from First Nations.

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According to Richard Vedan, associate professor emeritus at the UBC school of social work and a veteran himself, the earliest Indigenous people to serve in Canada's military were not even recognized as citizens. His father Hector, who served in the Second World War, was one of those people.

Vedan, from the Secwepemc First Nation, says many Indigenous people who fought then were residential school survivors who came straight back to "impoverished" conditions.

PPCLI Museum and Archives in Calgary

He says federal support for Indigenous veterans has been "residual" since then, with many of them not eligible for land benefits available to other veterans. They are also burdened by medical racism, Vedan says.

"I think of an uncle who was wounded in World War II and was almost left for dead. He had a piece of shrapnel in his heart muscle for most of his life," he said.

"He applied [for medical care] and was turned down and told he was 'malingering.'"

Vedan's research has found that the complicated trauma of residential schools and post-war PTSD has multi-generational effects on entire Indigenous families.

Vancouver's remembrance event

In Vancouver on Monday, Indigenous veterans were commemorated and remembered in a small event at Victory Square Park. The event was not open to the public but was filmed and broadcast on social media.

Traditional Indigenous ceremonies were held, as veterans were presented with healing star blankets.

"We thank the Indigenous veterans and the Indigenous people of the world for upholding this country's integrity. We're grateful that the veterans are great mentors for healing in the communities," said Kelly White, an event organizer from the Snuneymuxw First Nation.

Ben Nelms/CBC

Carolyn Orazietti, co-chair of the Aboriginal Veterans Society in the Lower Mainland and a veteran of Mi'kmaw descent, says this year has been hard on Indigenous families partly due to unmarked graves at residential schools being revealed across the country.

"I always say, 'Be an ally, take a back seat' and watch and support the Indigenous community and give them the time and space they need to heal," she said.

"Just be reflective and appreciative of how much they did for us. Regardless, if they had white skin, red skin, whatever the colour was, they were patriotic."
C-Level View | Feature

Native American Students Build STEM Skills While Exploring Their Cultural Stories with VR/AR Design Projects

A Q&A with Tilanka Chandrasekera

Through a $1.5million, four-year NSF grant, Oklahoma State University researchers are leveraging their earlier work with proven, college-level design courses that incorporate VR, AR, and 3D printing technologies. But this time, they are helping underserved Native American middle school students develop STEM skills.

Here, Campus Technology talks with Principal Investigator Dr. Tilanka Chandrasekera, who is an endowed professor at OSU and director of the Mixed Reality Lab, to find out more about the grant that the NSF titled, "Engaging Native American Students in STEM Career Development Through a Culturally Responsive After School Program Using Virtual Environments and 3D Printing." [NSF award number 2048987]

"We wanted to know if we can use informal learning as a way to develop STEM skills. So, we have created a program through which we are working with after school educators to engage students in projects that incorporate their cultural stories  explored through design thinking and technology tools." Tilanka Chandrasekera

Mary Grush: I know that for years, you've worked extensively on programs that use VR, AR, 3D printing, and related design tools in your college-level programs and courses at Oklahoma State University. And I know that you've researched how some of those teaching strategies can be applied for elementary through high school students and in some adult communities as well. But now that NSF has awarded your grant program focusing on STEM education for underserved Native American middle school students, you will be able, for the next four years, to do more extensive research on that population  is that right?

Tilanka Chandrasekera: Yes. We've actually worked, in the past, with almost every age or demographic you could name, so you are right: While this work is not new to us, we are now able, through our NSF grant, to focus more of our time and attention on learning more about how to prepare underserved Native American middle school students for STEM education  leveraging and building on what we know about the importance of design thinking, spatial awareness, and cultural relevance.

A student uses augmented reality to test out how a digital model of a chair she is designing works in the real-world, surrounding physical space of the classroom.

Grush: What do you want these students to understand, in particular, about VR, AR, and related technologies?

Chandrasekera: Many things, but first of all, what I want to do is to show them how these technologies can be both useful and easy to use. Many of these children have, in the past, been intimidated by technology in general, and they will often tend to move away before even giving it a chance. But VR, AR, and related technologies are not going to be optional in the future of the real world we live in, so we need to prepare these students to work with and to feel very comfortable with technology  and ultimately to move ahead in STEM more generally.

Many of these children have, in the past, been intimidated by technology in general, and they will often tend to move away before even giving it a chance.
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A buzzing local business is set to migrate and pollinate a new location in Chippewa County.

The Hive, a boutique/clothing store in Hallie, is moving at the beginning of 2022. Co-owners Alyssa Tollefson and Lexi Dawson will move the business to 1515 Main St. in Bloomer, and Indigo Waters Therapy and Retreats will sublease the Hive location in Hallie. The Hallie location will remain open through Small Business Saturday, Nov. 27.

The people of Bloomer have already shown me so much love and support, Tollefson said. Everyone seems very inviting and welcoming, so were looking forward to bringing The Hive to Bloomer very soon. Its exciting.

The Hive has focused on in-person sales, while supplementing those sales with online sales, for its near two-year history. However, Tollefson said the new 450-square-foot location will utilize e-commerce more, as the space will be smaller than the 1,200-square-foot Hallie location. Along with the shift in marketing focus, the items sold will be more curated and geared towards northern Wisconsin lifestyles.

Tollefson and her family moved to Bloomer over the summer and family will be integral to the new location. Tollefsons husband will be completing the remodeling of the Bloomer location, and she said the lessons she has learned through owning The Hive are invaluable and will inform how she operates the new Chippewa County location.

Weve enjoyed our location in Hallie, but were excited to move it closer to home, Tollefson said. There isnt a formula you can plug your business into and make it work right away. Ive learned that being authentic is the best way to reach, and keep, customers over time. I plan on turning The Hive into a more relationship-based business.

In early 2020 young Chippewa Valley entrepreneurs Alyssa Tollefson and Lexi Dawson opened The Hive, a cafe/boutique/event space in Chippewa Falls.

The location was named after their goal of helping Chippewa Valley women connect with each other, and the building in which Debs Cafe used to dwell became its home. However, once the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March of last year, big changes have come for the young business owners.

Due to inability to bring the cafe/event space to full potential due to coronavirus restrictions, those aspects of The Hive closed in December to make way for the boutique to expand. The restaurant area of The Hive was rented out to a bakery and the boutique opened in January of this year.

For more information on the new Bloomer The Hive location, you can visit their website https://www.thehivecv.com/.

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A rural Chippewa Falls woman accused of operating a drug house where two people overdosed and died has been charged.

Kora J. Vale, 23, 16765 50th Ave., has been charged in Chippewa County Court with maintaining a drug trafficking place, possession of narcotics, resisting or obstructing an officer, and bail jumping.

On April 28, 24-year-old Sage R. Brost and 22-year-old Katie M. Walters died of overdoses at Vales trailer home, located in the Cindy Lake Trailer Park in the town of Lafayette. Vale is accused of moving Walters body outside the trailer and onto a deck, believing it would keep officers from being able to enter the residence and find her drugs.

However, Chippewa County District Attorney Wade Newell opted not to file any homicide charges at this time. Newell said his office takes overdose deaths and drug trafficking seriously and aims to hold those responsible for providing illegal substances that result in deaths.

We work to hold those individuals accountable, Newell said. Unfortunately, in some instances there is insufficient evidence to determine which individuals were actually responsible for providing the deadly drugs. Without sufficient evidence, the district attorneys office is not able to pursue criminal charges.

Vale posted a $500 cash bond at her hearing Wednesday. Judge James Isaacson set the next hearing for Dec. 8.

During a separate court hearing last week, Vale visibly shook and bounced in her seat next to her attorney. Chippewa County Sheriff Jim Kowalczyk said Vale has twice gone to a hospital since she was incarcerated for medical issues.

Chippewa County Assistant District Attorney Scott Zehr sought a $3,000 cash bond because of the serious nature of the offense and she hadnt been participating in pre-trial monitoring. However, defense attorney Kirby Harless told Judge James Isaacson that Vale has made every court appearance since early May, and she voluntarily turned herself in when she learned she had been charged and a warrant was issued for her arrest. Vale had been living in Wisconsin Dells, but recently moved back in with her mother in the Cindy Lake Trailer Park. Isaacson agreed with Harless and set the lower cash bond amount.

According to the criminal complaint, authorities were called to the trailer court April 28 for a call for two overdoses. When officers arrived, several people fled the scene. EMS were already performing CPR on Walters on a deck outside the trailer, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. Brost, who overdosed in his bed overnight, was transported to HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital, where he later died.

A neighbor told police that vehicles stopped at Vales trailer frequently, typically for 5 to 10 minutes, including cars with Minnesota and Iowa license plates, and they would buy drugs in her driveway. Vales name was the only person on the lease for the trailer.

A witness said Walters had been living in the trailer with Vale for the last couple of weeks. The witness told police he had been in the trailer, woke up, and observed Walters had died. He and Vale moved Walters body to the porch, so officers couldnt come in home.

When officers searched the trailer, they found fentanyl in the living room, adderal pills, prescription medication, and drug paraphernalia like syringes and rubber ties.

Law enforcement were able to obtain a phone that showed messages that Vale had also moved Brosts body. Officers examined Walters Facebook account, locating messages where she was looking for drugs. The charge of resisting or obstructing an officer is for moving the body and initially hiding Walters phone.

Walters autopsy showed amphetamines, meth and fentanyl in her system. Brost overdosed on heroin and died at the hospital.

Court records show Vale was charged in March with possessing meth in Chippewa County, and also had a battery charge from Monroe County. As terms of her bond, Vale cannot possess or consume drugs or drug paraphernalia.

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Bo and Mindy Ellis needed to act to keep their house from sliding into Lake Michigan.

With their home 8 feet above the waves and 20 feet from the shore of Whitefish Bay in Door County, the couple watched last year as the lakes waters rose, whittling away the shoreline.

Crashing waves undermined a protective stone revetment. A creek cutting across their property compounded the erosion. The beach used to gradually incline into the water. Now it sharply drops.

The high water was present for such a long time that I realized I needed to do something, Bo Ellis said.

But as other northeastern Wisconsinites watched their beachfronts shrink in 2020, they overwhelmed contractors with bookings, requiring the Ellises to wait seven months for a professional to fortify their barrier. The cost: more than $37,000. The waters have since eased, but the Ellises know they will rise again.

High waters have sped erosion along Lake Michigans shoreline, swallowing beaches, damaging public lands and draining homeowners savings. Cities from Milwaukee to Green Bay and small communities in Door County must confront erosion  a key portion of climate impacts that Wisconsins shoreline communities expect to cost at least $245 million over the next five years.

Scientists expect erosion to worsen as climate change brings more volatility to Great Lakes levels. While that may yield extremely low waters in some years, experts also expect dramatic shifts to high waters  adding power to waves that punish shorelines. Between record-low waters in January 2013 and a record high in July 2020, lakes Michigan and Huron collectively swung more than 6 feet.

Lakefront homeowners are scrambling to add seawalls or riprap, slopes of rock or concrete that block waves. But artificial barriers can accelerate erosion downstream, blocking sand from naturally replenishing beaches  sometimes sparking conflict.

Eyeing such consequences, experts are calling on communities to find new ways to protect shorelines.

Cycles altered

Lake Michigans levels have fluctuated in cycles throughout its recorded history, swinging up or down roughly every three to 10 years. Shoreline residents are now living through the most dramatic swing in their lifetimes.

Unlike oceans, which are steadily rising with global temperatures, water levels on the Great Lakes largely depend on the weather  rising with deposits from rain and snow, waning as water evaporates.

But experts said new climate trends are altering Great Lakes cycles.

More intense storms are adding water to the Great Lakes. But the regions average temperatures are also rising  accelerating evaporation. These opposing forces are creating a tug of war effect, scientists say, causing more dramatic fluctuations of lake levels and accelerating erosion, particularly during high-water years.

Relatively speaking, the Great Lakes are new features, carved by the last glacial retreat a few thousand years ago  an instant in geological time, said Guy Meadows, director of Michigan Technological Universitys Marine Engineering Laboratory.

Absent human intervention and new climate trends, Lake Michigans shoreline has traditionally eroded by an average of about a foot annually, Meadows said. But increasingly frequent storms are energizing waves that pummel shorelines. In 2020, waves carried up to 25% more energy compared to the low-water year of 2013.

The natural process is for people to try to fight against nature, by building barriers, Meadows said. When we go through episodes of extremely high water levels, like we just went through in 2020 for Lake Michigan, that erosion rate goes up catastrophically, from one foot per year to 10, 20 or 30 feet per year, depending on where you are on the shoreline.

Reflecting Lake Michigans volatility: the deluge of DNR permit applications from property owners installing shoreline protection.

As Lake Michigans waters climbed between 2018 and 2020, those applications jumped from 61 annually to 149  a 144% increase.

Requests for emergency self-certifications  a temporary DNR permit to protect homes or other structures facing imminent danger from accelerating erosion  soared more than 830%, from fewer than 30 applications in 2018 to 280 in 2020.

Those figures offer only a partial glimpse of Lake Michigan shoreline. The DNR issued most permits in Door County, which it considers an area of special natural resources interest  a sensitive habitat where permits are required.

Property owners to the south are not required to seek permits for new barriers, so long as they meet DNRs standards.

As a result, the DNR does not track structures built along most of Wisconsins Lake Michigan shoreline. That lack of data makes it tougher to monitor the downstream impacts from such structures, the agency acknowledges.

Domino effect

A dispute that played out at Concordia University Wisconsin, a private college just north of Milwaukee, illustrates how armoring a shoreline can set off a domino effect.

In 2007, the university finished fortifying a 130-foot bluff and building a 2,700-foot-long rock wall to buffer waves. The $12 million project was among the largest built along Lake Michigan in Wisconsin.

Neighboring landowners soon noticed changes to their property.

While barriers like seawalls can protect the property immediately behind them, they can cut off downstream beaches from replenishing sands, accelerating erosion, Meadows said.

In 2011, two couples sued Concordia, claiming that the massive seawall worsened erosion on their properties. Owners of at least 13 neighboring properties built or reconstructed barriers in the years following Concordias construction, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported in 2015, costing neighbors more than $1 million.

Chin Wu, a professor in UW-Madisons Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, authored a 2014 Journal of Great Lakes Research article finding that the Concordia project may have worsened bluff erosion south of the project.

A jury agreed in 2014 that Concordias seawall caused significant harm to neighbors. But the jury found that Concordia was not negligent in its construction, and it awarded no damages. Still, the university said it paid for at least five repair or reconstruction projects downstream.

Concordia did not offer comment for this story. In court, it did not deny that its wall affected neighbors, according to media coverage of the lawsuit. The university successfully argued that it had the right to project its land  like any property owner.

We were experiencing significant erosion of our shoreline  one that was causing us to see acres upon acres of our property falling into the lake, Rev. Patrick Ferry, the universitys president at the time, said in a video touting the project.

The Concordia project has accelerated erosion on downstream properties from around 9 inches to more than 7 feet per year, Meadows said.

Cant save both

When waves hit seawalls, water reflects back toward the lake, pulling sand farther from the shoreline. The force gradually pulls the sand deeper into the lake until it can no longer replenish the beach.

The walls dont last forever.

When enough sand in front of a seawall washes away, the wall will fall forward or otherwise fail, Meadows added. Aerial maps of Lake Michigan show bands of sunken structures once built to protect the shoreline. Now beneath the water, they lurk as hazards to people and wildlife.

Richard Norton has noticed that shoreline residents get stuck on one concept as he urges them to consider lake levels in their planning: The lakefront properties they own today will look much different in 30 years.

In order for the beach to stay the same, it has to be able to change. It has to be able to move and shift and grow and decrease over time as lake levels go up and down as conditions change, said Norton, a professor at the University of Michigans Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. Thats the paradox of beach dynamics.

Armoring the shoreline attempts to pin to a precise location, disrupting sands natural movement and possibly losing beach, he said.

You can save the beach or you can save the beachhouse. You cant save both, Norton said. Part of the message that I give to local officials is you have more authority to act through your zoning than what you may think you do, Norton said.

For cities and townships, that could mean adopting and enforcing setbacks  or revisiting plans every five to 20 years as shorelines move over time. For homeowners, this could require physically moving houses farther from the shoreline  an expensive process, Norton acknowledged, but often no more costly than building and repairing large seawalls. Some landowners have moved their homes multiple times, he said.

Norton is sympathetic to people who invested time and money into their shorelines only to see homes edging closer to a bluff or toppling into the lake. But he said the problem extends far beyond their property lines.

Building resiliency

Experts told Wisconsin Watch that Lake Michigans shoreline needs managing, but the specifics depend on location.

Large stretches of shoreline, particularly around urban centers, keep cities from flooding and protect highways, boardwalks, commercial centers and more, said Drew Gronewold, a University of Michigan professor of ecosystem science and management. Less-developed communities should adopt setbacks while preserving public park land, he said.

UWs Wu endorses nature-based coastal solutions  harnessing resources like sand, vegetation or coral reefs to create natural barriers that also benefit wildlife while allowing for some shoreline movement. While natural barriers may not offer the same protection as steel or concrete barriers, theyre often cheaper. And they help shorelines rejuvenate faster after stress from storms or high water, Wu said.

The Dutch took a similar approach when they formed the Zandmotor  or Sand Motor in English  the worlds largest experiment in coastal storm and flood defense.

As climate change and rising seas threatened the Netherlands coastline, the Dutch dumped onto the beach about 28 million cubic yards of sand.

Over time, wind spread the sand, adding about 3,500 acres of new beach to protect The Hague and a wider inland area. New sand and dunes coated roughly 5 miles of coastline after nearly a decade, and wildlife thrived, the Times-Picayune and Advocate newspapers reported.

Wu hopes more Lake Michigan communities adopt such approaches.

Otherwise well keep going farther and farther downstream until we see all our shoreline hardened and lose our beaches, he said. I dont think thats what any of us want.

Jack Kelly contributed to this report.

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The Wisconsin Supreme Court has denied a request to block a lower court order that could allow opponents to temporarily stop construction of a power line across southwest Wisconsin.

Utilities building the Cardinal-Hickory Creek line asked the high court to step in after Dane County Circuit Judge Jacob Frost last month granted an injunction that would pause construction while he considers challenges to the $492 million projects permit.

The high court refused in a 6-1 order Monday, saying the utilities can follow traditional procedure and ask the court of appeals to review the injunction.

Only Justice Rebecca Bradley dissented, noting the court has agreed to review some of Frosts other preliminary rulings, including on whether a former regulators relationships with utility executives created a conflict of interest that could scuttle the projects approval.

Bradley said subjecting the parties to the jurisdiction of three courts may precipitate a fog of confusion and irresolution not unlike the court of chancery in the Charles Dickens novel Bleak House.

The order is unlikely to affect work on the line between Middleton and Dubuque, Iowa, because opponents have been unable to put up $32 million to cover the potential costs of a delay, which would ultimately be passed on to consumers if the legal challenge fails.

Opponents have challenged the bond amount, which they argue is unaffordable and thus unconstitutional.

Utilities began construction of the Wisconsin portion last week, although a separate federal court injunction has blocked work on more than 100 federally protected waters along the route. Construction of the Iowa portion began last winter.

The utilities, which have so far spent $156 million on the project, say it is critical to ensuring a cleaner, safer and more affordable energy future for the state and will enable more wind and solar generation.

A joint venture of American Transmission Co., ITC Midwest and Dairyland Power Cooperative, the line is the subject of multiple state and federal court challenges.

U.S. District Court Judge William Conley is expected to rule later this year on challenges to the projects environmental review and federal permits needed to cross the Mississippi River.

In September, the state Supreme Court agreed to hear former Public Service Commissioner Mike Huebschs challenge to subpoenas from power line opponents who sought to question him and inspect his phone for encrypted communications with utility executives and to determine whether those communications create an appearance of bias that could invalidate the lines state permit.

Meanwhile, Frost is reviewing the PSCs decision to grant the permit.

Howard Learner, lead attorney for the power line opponents, said the decision suggests the court is only interested in the narrower questions involving Huebsch  not the line itself.

The Supreme Court isnt going to interfere with his decisions on the merits, Learner said.

Noting both injunctions were granted in part based on the likelihood that the opponents will win in court, Learner accused the utilities of doing unnecessary environmental damage while gambling with ratepayer money.

If they cant go through the national wildlife refuge, their entire construction path will have to change, which means they will have wasted an enormous amount of money, Learner said. You have a costly transmission line to nowhere. That is corporate irresponsibility.

A utility spokesperson dismissed the Supreme Court decision as procedural and said they planned to appeal the injunction in the court of appeals while crews continue mowing and cutting trees along the planned route.

The utilities disagreed with the assertion that the plaintiffs are likely to prevail.

We will not speculate at this point on whether the outcome of any court proceeding would result in redoing portions of the regulatory approval processes, much less any specific changes to the route or the amount of the potential cost increase, they wrote.

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Critics of the way Wisconsin carried out its election for president last year amid a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic have pointed with suspicion to the practice of local election clerks filling out information for voters on absentee ballot certificates.

A Wisconsin State Journal review of more than 6,500 such certificates, however, found little to raise suspicion, even if scores of voters made the kinds of small, predictable errors that tend to happen when thousands of people are asked to fill out a government form  many for the first time in their lives.

The newspaper reviewed certificates from four city of Madison wards  two from the Far West Side, and one each from the Isthmus and Far East Side  that the city clerks office had previously scanned into electronic files in response to an unrelated public records request from the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty.

WILL, which has sued to stop local elections officials from using ballot drop boxes and to purge some names from the states voter rolls, asked for the certificates as part of a review into some election administration practices around the state, according to WILL director of communication Collin Roth. He declined to comment further, and the clerks office did not know why the group requested certificates from those specific wards.

Common errors or irregularities in the certificates, typically the envelopes voters use to return their absentee ballots, included:

Missing ZIP codes or cities of residence for people acting as witnesses for absentee voters.

Witness signatures scrawled in the box meant for addresses, or on the line meant for the signatures of people assisting voters physically incapable of filling out their own ballots.

Witnesses who printed their entire address on the section of the address box reserved only for the street and house number.

Voters who arent in the military or voting from overseas adding their birth dates to a section of the form reserved for the birth dates of voters who are in the military or voting from overseas.

Witnesses crossing out portions of the certificate identifying them as U.S. citizens.

An incorrect address for the new Pinney branch library, where voters could bring their ballots to be completed and witnessed before putting them in a ballot drop box.

The tranche of Madison ballot certificates is one window into what happened after local clerks and the state Elections Commission were faced with administering a national election against the backdrop of a number of complicating factors.

At the top of that list was the COVID-19 pandemic in the days before a vaccine was available and as public health officials were advising against large groups of strangers meeting inside, such as at polling places.

But elections officials were also contending with a bitterly divided state government that failed to enact any laws that might have guided them in their work.

State law can appear contradictory, on the one hand requiring voters to provide specific information for their ballots to be counted, and on the other deeming that elections-related requirements should be construed to give effect to the will of electors, even when full compliance with some statutory provisions does not occur, as the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau put it in a Oct. 22 audit that found no widespread fraud or abuse that might have affected the outcome of the election.

Based on guidance from the Elections Commission, local elections officials were, for example, told to try to fill in missing address information for absentee ballot witnesses using reliable information, such as personal knowledge, voter registration information, or a telephone call with a voter or witness, according to the LAB.

Missing signatures or other errors also required clerks to require the individuals who cast the ballots or the witnesses to resolve these issues, the LAB reported.

Corrections made

As a result, nearly as common as errors were errors corrected, either by voters or clerks offices.

Voters who realized theyd accidentally written their entire address on the first line of the address box subsequently crossed out their city, state and ZIP code and wrote those on the next line, where they belonged. Or realizing they didnt need to include their birthdates under their signatures because they werent in the military or out of the country, they went back and crossed them out.

Clerks office workers also filled in the ZIP codes or cities of witnesses who neglected to supply them, or indicated that a signature meant for one line on the certificate was actually meant for another line. Voters and witnesses sometimes added their initials to indicate a correction made. Clerks did the same.

Witnesses crossing out U.S. Citizen in the certificates werent making up their own election laws, according to the Elections Commission. They were witnessing ballots from American citizens living overseas, where those citizens arent required to have another U.S. citizen as a witness.

The scrawled-in address for the Pinney branch library corrected a printing error in the months after the library had opened the new branch on the same street where the old branch had been. In another correction on some certificates, the figure 10 was crossed out and replaced with 28 in response to a June 2020 federal court ruling that tightened election rules by extending the length of time a person had to live at an address before that person could vote in that district from 10 days to 28 days.

Clerks subsequently crossed out the 10 and wrote in the 28 on ballots that had already been printed with the 10, Madison Clerks Office Equity Coordinator Jennifer Haar said.

It was a matter of cost, she said. We had so many envelopes that would have been wasted just to have them reprinted with that one tiny change.

Ballots tossed

Such latitude and exceptions were not limitless, and of certificates the State Journal reviewed, 10 associated ballots were rejected by the clerks office for a variety of reasons, Haar said.

In the Far East Sides Ward 9, two ballots were rejected because the people who submitted them also arrived on Election Day to vote at the polls. This could be due to the mail delay and worrying about their votes getting counted, Haar said.

Five ballots from Ward 45, on the Isthmus, were rejected: Two had no witness signatures, two were from people not registered to vote, and one was from a person who had already voted.

Far West Side wards 106 and 107 had a total of three rejected ballots. One lacked a witness signature and two were from people who had already voted.

Republican investigations

With Donald Trump continuing to falsely claim last years election was stolen, some Wisconsin Republicans who supported the former president have launched investigations into the states elections processes and alleged voter fraud, despite multiple failures by Trumps team to get courts to agree with its allegations and assurances from those in his own administration that the 2020 election was secure and accurate.

Most recently, the Racine County sheriff has suggested that there could have been widespread voting fraud at nursing homes because the Elections Commission waived the use of special voting deputies, or SVDs, in those facilities after it became clear many of them would not be allowed in because of the pandemic. The complaint cited several votes from a Racine nursing home that the sheriff said appeared suspicious.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos in June also appointed former conservative state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman to launch an investigation into the election. Neither responded to requests for comment on the State Journals review of the Madison ballots.

The Republican Party of Dane County last week said the Elections Commission enabled the alleged fraud at the Racine County nursing home with its guidance on SVDs, although its chair, Scott Grabins, said Thursday that his partys focus is not on finding widespread voter fraud or overturning the 2020 election but on targeting the election practices that could make fraud easier.

Where we were breaking or bending the law really opened up the door to that possibility, he said.

He said he understands that changes to elections processes had to be made because of the pandemic, but that its still important to go back and determine whether the Elections Commission should have made the decisions it made or if those decisions are the purview of the Legislature.

He also questioned differences in the availability of voting across the state when some places, such as Madison, used drop boxes and other methods to make it easier to submit absentee votes than other places.

Making sure that were fair in how everybody has access to the ballot boxes is an important issue as well, he said.

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The GOP-led state Senate on Monday advanced the partys proposed decennial political maps, which focus on maintaining the core of the existing district boundaries that have helped Republicans hold majorities in the Legislature.

The Senate voted 21-12 along party lines in favor of GOP-drawn maps for legislative and congressional districts. The Assembly is expected to vote on the boundaries Thursday, sending them to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who already has promised to veto them.

Republicans new gerrymandered maps are modeled after the same gerrymandered ones weve had for a decade, Evers tweeted Monday. I wont sign them. Wisconsinites want and deserve #fairmaps now.

Ultimately, its expected the states next 10-year maps will be decided in court, with a GOP-backed lawsuit filed with the conservative-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court and a similar lawsuit brought by Democrats in federal court.

Republicans have touted the proposed maps as an effort to align as closely as possible with existing boundaries for legislative and congressional districts, which Republicans drew in secret in 2011 and are regarded by some as among the most gerrymandered in the nation.

A bipartisan commission appointed by the governor has also drawn its own maps that would narrow, but still maintain, Republican legislative and congressional delegation control. On Friday, legislative Democrats released their own set of maps.

Senate Minority Leader Janet Bewley, D-Mason, said the Democratic maps would result in Democrats holding a 17-16 edge in the Senate and that the GOP-drawn maps would ensure Republicans a veto-proof 22-11 majority in the chamber.

Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, described the GOP-drawn maps as an abortion of democracy that is based on a newfound religion to preserve existing districts, which is not required by law.

I think to pretend this is anything but a vehicle for partisan gerrymandering is insulting to the people of Wisconsin, Larson said.

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, said the Democratic proposal showed that Democrats are so embarrassed by the governors maps that they have drawn and introduced their own maps.

LeMahieu also proposed an amendment to force an up or down vote on the governors commission maps.

The Senate voted 22-11, with Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, joining Republicans, against maps drawn by Democrats as well as boundaries proposed by the governors commission.

Taylor, who is Black, said all proposals fail to meet requirements laid out in the Voting Rights Act, which is intended to make sure minority voters can elect candidates of their choice and have representation.

This process that you have created is all about you just keeping power and no concern whatsoever for people of color or for competitiveness, Taylor said in reference to GOP-drawn maps. Today Im not supporting any of these maps, but a process different than yours is necessary. It is necessary for fairness.

Odd to even

Under the GOP proposal, more than 138,000 voters would be relocated from odd-numbered Senate districts to even-numbered districts. With state senators serving staggered four-year terms, those voters would not be able to vote in a Senate election until 2024.

Under maps drawn by the governors commission, more than 520,000 would have to wait until 2024 to vote in a Senate election.

Critics have described the Republican proposal as a power grab aimed at holding GOP majorities for the next 10 years. More than 100 people registered in opposition to the maps during a nearly 10-hour public hearing on the maps last month. LeMahieu and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, were the only two people to speak in favor of the maps during the meeting.

County boards or residents in 56 of Wisconsins 72 counties have supported resolutions or referendums in favor of independent, nonpartisan redistricting in Wisconsin.

Our government is no longer responsible to the people, Fair Elections Project director Sachin Chheda said during a press conference outside the Capitol on Monday. Legislators up there in the Capitol know theyre going to get reelected if they can survive a partisan primary. Every election is rigged.

Every 10 years

The Legislature must redraw political lines every decade based on the latest population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. The map-making process can allow a party in power, even without statewide majority support, to create or increase a legislative majority based on how district lines are drawn.

Republicans often have downplayed concerns about the practice  known as gerrymandering, after an early 19th century political cartoon  saying the GOPs success is the result of strong candidates and Democrats being clustered in cities.

According to the Legislative Reference Bureau, the proposed GOP-drawn maps would see six incumbent Republicans in the 99-member Assembly facing off in newly drawn districts.

Reps. Joe Sanfelippo and Mike Kuglitsch, both of New Berlin, would compete in the new 15th District; Ken Skowronski, of Franklin, and Chuck Wichgers, of Muskego, would both run in the new 82nd District; and Shannon Zimmerman, of River Falls, and Warren Petryk, of the town of Washington, would face off in the new 93rd District.

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The video above is live only when court is in session and the judge allows video/audio to be broadcast.

Lee Enterprises will be carrying a live blog of events in the homicide trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, which began with jury selection Nov. 1 and opening statements the following day.

Rittenhouse, 18, shot two people and wounded a third during a night of unrest in Kenosha on Aug. 25, 2020. His attorneys contend he acted in self-defense, while prosecutors have portrayed him as an instigator.

Lee Enterprises/Kenosha News reporter Deneen Smith is reporting from inside the Kenosha County Courthouse, with reporting on this page augmented by remote staff.

More coverage:

4:45 p.m.: Court done for the day; Antaramian dismissed.

3:45 p.m.: Defense begins asking questions of Antaramian.

Antaramian confirms that during rioting several people were "severely injured." Chirafisi mentions one man who was hit with a cement-filled water bottle and a police officer hit in head with a brick.

Antaramian confirms that Rittenhouse was placed under arrest at about 6 a.m. the morning after the shootings.

Defense asks if Rittenhouse was charged before all information from the shootings had been compiled by police, which Antaramian confirms is true.

Antaramian says he has had search warrants signed by judges that weren't executed, but it's rare.

Antaramian confirms that all the questions investigators had for Grosskreutz were not answered, including regarding Grosskreutz originally saying he had lost his gun when video shows he was still holding it upon being shot.

Grosskreutz never gave police permission to go through his phone, Antaramian says.

Antaramian says he was never able to get a search warrant for Anthony Huber's skateboard because police never learned its location. The location of the skateboard that Huber is shown in video swinging at Rittenhouse is still unknown to authorities.

Antaramian says investigators were unable to locate the pistol Joshua Ziminski, of Caledonia, allegedly fired into the air moments before Rittenhouse shot Joseph Rosenbaum.

Antaramian agrees with question posed by Chirafisi that the "only people" Rittenhouse shot at ran at him.

Prosecution asks if information learned later in investigation would've changed Kenosha officers' decision to charge Rittenhouse. Antaramian says he doesn't think so but can't remember for sure; it's been awhile since Antaramian read the criminal complaint. Prosecution notes that the decision to request charges against Rittenhouse was drafted after video showed Grosskreutz was carrying a gun when he was shot.

Rosenbaum's water bottle comes up again, with defense asking Antaramian if someone carrying an empty water bottle would lead to the officer expecting that person to commit a crime; Antaramian says he would not get that impression. Previously it's been alleged that Rosenbaum's water bottle could've been used to make some sort of weapon, although there isn't evidence of such.

Antaramian testifies on questioning from defense that Rosenbaum had "stippling" on his body, which is what happens when a firearm is fired very close to a person, leaving behind marks (oftentimes burns) on the person who was shot.

Prosecution plays video with audio that includes Rosenbaum in gas station parking lot. Audio is heard of someone saying something to the effect of "Don't point that mother(expletive) gun at me!" moments before Rosenbaum is heard saying "Shoot me (N-word)! Shoot me (N-word)!" at armed individuals. A video taken moments later includes someone yelling "Do not burn my city! I support Black Lives Matter! Burn the police station!"

Pool Report: With Kenosha detective Ben Antaramian on the stand, another detective put on purple latex gloves to pull the AR-style semiautomatic rifle Rittenhouse carried the night of the shooting out of a long white box lying on the floor behind the prosecution table. He held the black firearm aloft for jurors sitting a few feet away, with lead prosecutor Thomas Binger also drawing the jury's attention to a strap on the butt of the weapon.

3:20 p.m.: Court about to return to session. Kenosha Police Detective Ben Antaramian called to the stand.

Antaramian says the KPD was "absolutely" equipped to respond to other 911 calls in Kenosha that were unrelated to the riots during the riots thanks to the response of the National Guard and others. He further says police were able to respond to threats to life, but not to minor things like smashed car windows.

Defense hammers home, via Antaramian's recollection, that no one else was seriously injured or killed the night of Aug. 25 other than those shot by Rittenhouse.

Antaramian and Detective Howard confirmed within hours of the shootings that Rittenhouse was the shooter and that he was 17.

2:57 p.m.: Break

2:48 p.m.: Prosecution ends questioning. Defense begins asking questions, after a laughable moment as Harris tried to step down but is reminded that defense now has a chance to ask questions. "First time," Harris laughs to himself.

When prosecution gets chance to ask questions again, Harris notes that Rittenhouse was with the armed men described as a "militia" but that Rittenhouse was not dressed like the rest of the them. He had a T-shirt on, while others had protective vests and sometimes helmets.

Harris' video show one of the armed individuals yelling at protesters "Want to (expletive) and find out!?" a seeming threat to protesters, which prosecution is using to show antagonism from those Rittenhouse was with. Defense objects. Judge sides with defense, saying "The group isn't on trial. Mr. Rittenhouse is."

2:25 p.m.: Kristan Harris called to the stand. He's the livestreamer who leads Rundown Live and says he's a talk show host.

He is based out of the Milwaukee area. His livestreaming includes some of the most well-circulated clips of rioting in Kenosha last year.

Harris testifies about a conversation he had with Rittenhouse, in which Harris said he tried to tell Rittenhouse that protesters did not see him as a "friendly" as the teenager attested to be.

2:08 p.m.: Kenosha Police Officer Jason Kreuger called to the stand. He is Pep Moretti's partner; the two were in a squad car Rittenhouse walked up to in the hectic moments after the shootings. The two are shown in video/audio telling Rittenhouse to stop walking toward them, and Rittenhouse not following those orders. "We were giving him verbal commands to stay back."

He testifies he didn't hear anything the crowd said about Rittenhouse. "There was a lot of noise ... I didn't hear any specific words being shouted toward me," Kreuger said.

Kreuger says his squad car would not be good defense against rifle rounds, nor would be his vest.

Kreuger says he believed Rittenhouse to be a "threat ... I did not want somebody walking up to my squad car in that scene."

Kreuger says he tried to pepper-spray Rittenhouse as he walked up; he's not sure if the pepper-spray was effective, but that Rittenhouse did leave.

Kreuger says he spoke with prior witness, Richie McGinniss, at the hospital. McGinniss is the Daily Caller reporter who filmed the shooting of Joseph Rosenbaum and then rendered aid to Rosenbaum.

At 2:25 p.m., Kreuger is dismissed.

1:54 p.m.: Heather Williams takes the stand. She works for a state crime laboratory in Milwaukee, a firearms examiner.

She is the first witness to wear a mask as she walked up to the stand, but took it off as she began speaking.

She testifies to the authenticity of the bullets fired by Rittenhouse's AR-15; defense presents no questions. She is dismissed.

1:52 p.m.: Grosskreutz's testimony concludes.

1:48 p.m.: Defense asking questions again.

"You never said a word to him other than approach him with your gun out from three feet away?" Chirafisi says. Grosskreutz replies in the affirmative.

1:28 p.m.: Prosecutors asking questions again.

Video played with voice identified as Grosskreutz's heard saying "We have our own medics, go home," toward armed groups.

Grosskreutz says on the stand that he never made any verbal threats toward Rittenhouse.

Grosskreutz says, upon questioning from defense, that "if" his intent was to shoot Rittenhouse he would not have gotten as close as he did, while Grosskreutz still asserts he did not intend to shoot Rittenhouse.

1:24 p.m.: Court is back in session. Grosskreutz remains on the stand.

Grosskreutz confirms he does not have any "regrets" about that evening. Chirafisi follows up by asking about statements made by Jacob Marshall, Grosskreutz's former roommate.

"Did you tell Mr. Marshall that your only regret" was not "emptying your entire mag" into Rittenhouse, as Marshall allegedly wrote Grosskreutz did in a Facebook comment? Grosskreutz said he never said that.

12:14 p.m.: Break for lunch and also for a legal discussion to be had while jury is out of the courtroom.

With jury out of the room, defense argues they should be allowed to ask Grosskreutz about a Facebook comment made by Grosskreutz's former roommate. Prosecution says the Facebook comment shouldn't be admitted because it is hearsay.

Prosecution indicates it is OK with the line of questioning, but that the jury shouldn't be allowed to see the Facebook comment in question. Defense appears OK with that.

Lunch break begins for all at 12:18 p.m.

11:25 a.m.: Attorney Corey Chirafisi of the defense begins cross-examination.

Chirafisi brings up statement Grosskreutz made to police on Aug. 26, saying at some point during Aug. 25 his Glock fell off his waist. Grosskreutz said he didn't remember making that statement, but confirms it via written statement.

Chirafisi says "That's a lie, no?" regarding the statement the gun fell. Grosskreutz says what he wrote was not a lie. "I told multiple officers that I dropped my firearm," the statement reads, according to Chirafisi.

"You were chasing Mr. Rittenhouse with your gun, right?" Chirafisi asks. Grosskreutz says "I wasn't chasing the defendant."

Chirafisi brings up lawsuit filed by Grosskreutz, seeking $10 million from Kenosha.

Regarding Grosskreutz carrying a firearm, Chirafisi notes "You left that out," which Grosskreutz doesn't deny.

Chirafisi hammers home that Grosskreutz was armed "for protection" even though he didn't have a valid license for concealed carry. Grosskreutz implies he didn't realize his license had lapsed until after Aug. 25.

Chirafisi notes that Grosskreutz is running in same direction as Rittenhouse after Rosenbaum is shot, but Grosskreutz says he was not trying to "chase down" Rittenhouse  an implication Chirafisi is trying to make.

Grosskreutz says he witnessed Jump Kick Man "go over" Rittenhouse but didn't witness any kicks connecting with Rittenhouse's faces.

Grosskreutz originally told police that he told Huber to "stop hitting that guy (Rittenhouse) with the skateboard" but now Grosskreutz says "with the benefit of hindsight" that that statement was "not correct," upon questioning from Chirafisi.

"You omitted the fact (to police) that you ran up on him and had a Glock pistol in your hand?" Chirafisi asks, which Grosskreutz confirms, but notes that he just got out of surgery and "was on pain meds," and the "traumatic experience I had just gone through." Grosskreutz says that the omission was not "purposeful."

Chirafisi then brings up that Grosskreutz had a "thoughtful process" to not share his occupation (out of concerns for safety) and make other statements accurately, but then he somehow didn't mention having a gun.

Grosskreutz said he was advised by his lawyer to not answer questions from police about the shooting itself.

Very grainy video still is shown with Grosskreutz's Glock shown maybe three feet from Rittenhouse with the gun appearing to be pointed at Rittenhouse while Rittenhouse points the AR-15 back at Grosskreutz. Grosskreutz describes the still as "the moment my bicep was vaporized."

"It is vaporized as you are pointing a gun at (Rittenhouse)," Chirafisi responds.

11:17 a.m.: After Aug. 25, Grosskreutz says he feared for his safety due to things people said online and to him in person. Defense objects. Prosecution says it goes to "state of mind" regarding Grosskreutz, who's trustworthiness was brought into question by a police witness regarding how he worked with law enforcement. Judge sides with prosecution, allowing Grosskreutz to continue testifying about "concerns for (his) safety."

"It had been made aware to me that people online were making threats," Grosskreutz says. He says people went outside his place of residence and the homes of his mom, grandma and "an aunt I barely talked to."

Police asked Grosskreutz, via an attorney, to turn over his cell phone for evidence, Grosskreutz testifies. Grosskreutz says that he never refused to turn over evidence to law enforcement.

Grosskreutz says he still has "physical issues" with his arm. "Besides the obvious loss of tissue, muscle doesn't grow back ... Heavier things are harder to life," he said. He can still move his forearm but can't feel most of it, from his right elbow "through his thumb."

On Grosskreutz's arm, he says he has a tattoo that says "Do no harm," a mantra of the medical field.

11:05 a.m.: Back from break.

Grosskreutz speaks about getting into law enforcement vehicle after police responded to his shooting and then being taken to hospital. He said a second tourniquet was put on in police vehicle since he was still bleeding after the first one wasn't applied perfectly by a livestreamer.

Grosskreutz said he was moved from one hospital to another one by ambulance. Then he was taken by Flight for Life to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa. There, he was "brought into the trauma room" and prepped for surgery.

He said he was in hospital for about a week followed by "several months of physical therapy."

10:42 a.m.: Break.

10:00 a.m. (Grosskreutz breaking down his recollection of the shooting of Huber and being shot): After the shootings and talking to Rittenhouse as the teenager ran toward police, "I thought he was an active shooter," Grosskreutz says.

Before the moments around when Anthony Huber shot, Grosskreutz said he had not pulled out his handgun. It was when the group started running after Rittenhouse and there were gunshots that Grosskreutz said he first pulled out his handgun.

Prosecutor asks: "When you pulled your gun out were you intending to use it?" Grosskreutz replies, after a pause. "If I had to."

When asked what was going through his mind, Grosskreutz says "That I was going to die."

An objection is sustained after Grosskreutz says Rittenhouse "murdered" Anthony Huber. Judge explains to jurors that the conclusion of "murder" is up jury. One juror nodded her head in agreement when the judge instructed the jury to disregard Grosskreutz's characterization of the fatal shooting of another protester in terms of murder.

Upon reviewing video of shootings, prosecutor shows Grosskreutz put his hands up as Rittenhouse pointed AR-15 at Grosskreutz, and then Grosskreutz said he witnessed Rittenhouse "reracking" to make it ready to fire.

"So after you raised your hands ... you saw the defendant rerack the weapon?" prosecutor says. Grosskreutz replies says "reracking the weapon means in my mind the defendant pulled the trigger when my hands were in the air." Grosskreutz said he didn't believe Rittenhouse "accepted my surrender."

Grosskreutz says "At that moment, I feel like I had to prevent myself from being killed." He says that's why "I closed the distance between him and I. From there, I don't know." Grosskreutz begins stuttering, saying he "never had the opportunity" to disarm Rittenhouse. "I was never trying to kill the defendant."

When asked why he didn't shoot Rittenhouse when he believed the teenager was an active shooter, Grosskreutz replies "Thats not the kind of person I am. Thats not why I was out there. Thats not why I was out there for 75 days previous (acting as medic at protests). That's not why I had up until that point spent my time, my money, my education" in caring for people in medical career. Of being someone who killed another, that is "definitely not something I would want to become."

While saying Grosskreutz was clearly trying not to cry on the stand. Before that, he had remained composed while watching video of his own shooting and very graphic photos of his injury.

Of the injuries, "I lost a large majority of my right bicep."

Bloody photos of Grosskreutz's injuries are shown in court. Binger warns jury the images are "Graphic."

When a prosecutor played graphic video of Grosskreutz's badly injured arm, with much of his bicep torn away by the gunshot, a few jurors seemed to grimace and look away from large monitors outside the jury box.

At the defense table, Rittenhouse took notes when Grosskreutz spoke about the moment he was shot and thought he was about to die. Rittenhouse otherwise displayed little outward emotion as he glanced up at the footage on a table-top monitor.

9:35 a.m.: Prosecutor Binger asks Grosskreutz if he ever, while working as an EMT, had to respond to someone who was shot. He said he had. When asked to describe the experiences.

Grosskreutz took a long time to respond. "There's a lot of blood," he notes, adding how "traumatic" gunshots are to the human body and often the threat to first responders. "It can be very hectic. It definitely doesn't get easier the more you do it."

He's turning to the jury and addressing them directly when he answers questions  something you usually only see with expert witnesses or cops.

Grosskreutz said he attended many protests after George Floyd was killed. Upon responding to first call for a "Medic!" at a protest, Grosskreutz said he and another medically trained friend said they would start volunteering since there were no organized medical response for protesters.

Binger notes, after an objection from the defense over how many questions he's asking about Grosskreutz being an emergency responder, that he is aiming "to draw a contrast between him and the defendant (Rittenhouse)."

Grosskreutz says that he knew Kenosha well, having brought patients to the hospital there before, and that he knew there was a "propensity for violence" during rioting  factors for why he said he came to Kenosha on Aug. 25. He said "that day was like any other day" for having gone armed in Kenosha on Aug. 25. He said he had a Glock pistol that day but his permit had expired at the time of the riots.

Grosskreutz says of the 10 or so patients he treated that night before being shot, the most dire was a young woman hit by a rubber bullet on the inside of the arm.

A Kenosha News photo of Grosskreutz treating someone injured during protests is shown and submitted into evidence.

Grosskreutz said before he was shot he saw Rittenhouse "offering medical assistance" to someone who appeared to have an injured leg. According to Grosskreutz's testimony, he said he saw someone carried onto a Car Source lot, Rittenhouse offer aid, someone else yell something to the effect of "don't let them treat you" and then that person being carried off the lot without Rittenhouse being able to offer any aid.

Later upon cross-examination, Grosskreutz says he did not render aid either.

Grosskreutz was livestreaming a bit during the night. In one video, Ryan Balch  one of the armed men who was with Rittenhouse  is shown at a boarded-up Car Source as a woman yells at them "Protect your property, not the streets!" and another woman yells obscenities at the armed people. Grosskreutz said he doesn't remember hearing any of the armed men be threatened by Rosenbaum, who Grosskreutz said he didn't know, or others.

Grosskreutz confirms he never met Rittenhouse prior to Aug. 25. Seeing him early on in the night, Grosskreutz said he later realized it was odd that Rittenhouse was wearing latex gloves the whole time  by "proper hygiene protocol" medics should put on new gloves before seeing each patient.

Pool report: As Gaige Grosskreutz walked into court in the morning and sat on a spectator bench, Rittenhouse glanced over his shoulder to look at him several times. Rittenhouse appeared attentive once Grosskreutz took the stand, keeping his eyes on Grosskreutz as he testified.

When asked a question by the lead prosecutors, Grosskreutz turns to his left and looks straight at jurors feet away as he answers.

At the start of the day, the judge asked jurors how many jurors were fans of the Green Bay Packers and how many were Chicago Bears fans. About five of the 18 indicated they supported the Bears, with the judge saying that was "about right" for a city so close to the Wisconsin-Illinois border.

9:26 a.m.: Grosskreutz shares his background in EMT training and working on private ambulance "for a number of years."

9:21 a.m.: Trial is underway once again. First witness to be Gaige Grosskreutz.

Attorneys and judge share a laugh after judge nearly forgot to call in the jury, who were not sequestered over weekend.

9 a.m.: A man who suffered a severe arm injury when he was shot by Kyle Rittenhouse during a night of protests against racial injustice is expected to testify this week as prosecutors near the end of their case in Rittenhouse's murder trial.

Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, who had a gun in his hand as he stepped toward Rittenhouse, was shot in the arm moments after Rittenhouse fatally shot two others in the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Testimony during the first week of Rittenhouse's trial showed bystanders came to Grosskreutz's aid and placed a tourniquet on his arm before loading him into a vehicle that rushed him to a hospital.

Rittenhouse, 18, is charged with shooting Grosskreutz and fatally shooting Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber on Aug. 25, 2020. The one-time police youth cadet from Antioch, Illinois, was 17 when he went to Kenosha with an AR-style rifle and a medical kit in what he said was an effort to safeguard property from the demonstrations that broke out over the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by a white Kenosha police officer.

Rittenhouse is white, as are the three men he shot, but the case has raised polarizing questions about racial justice, policing, firearms and white privilege.

In the first week of Rittenhouse's trial, prosecutors played numerous videos that showed the events of that night from different angles. Jurors heard testimony from people who were with Rittenhouse, as well as from police officers and loved ones of the men who died.

Jason Lackowski, a former Marine who was on the streets of Kenosha carrying his own rifle, testified Friday about Rosenbaum, the first man Rittenhouse shot. Lackowski said Rosenbaum was acting belligerently but did not appear to pose a serious threat.

Lackowski said he considered Rosenbaum a babbling idiot, and turned his back and ignored him. He acknowledged that he didnt see everything that went on between Rittenhouse and Rosenbaum, including their final clash.

Other witnesses testified last week that a hyperaggressive Rosenbaum angrily threatened to kill Rittenhouse that night and that Rosenbaum was gunned down after he chased Rittenhouse and lunged for the his rifle.

Prosecutors have portrayed Rittenhouse as the instigator of the bloodshed as well as an inexperienced teen who misrepresented his age and medical training to others that night. Rittenhouse's lawyer has argued that he acted in self-defense, suggesting among other things that Rittenhouse feared his weapon would be taken and used against him.

The prosecution suffered a potential blow when Rosenbaums fiancee, Kariann Swart, disclosed that he was on medication for bipolar disorder and depression but hadn't filled his prescriptions because the local pharmacy was boarded up due to the unrest  information Rittenhouses lawyers could use in their bid to portray Rosenbaum as the aggressor.

On the day he was killed, Rosenbaum, 36, had been released from a Milwaukee hospital. The jury was told that much, but not why he had been admitted  after a suicide attempt.

Rosenbaums killing has emerged as one of the most crucial moments that night because it set in motion the bloodshed that followed moments later.

Rittenhouse shot and killed Huber, a 26-year-old protester seen on bystander video hitting Rittenhouse with a skateboard. Rittenhouse then wounded Grosskreutz,

Rittenhouse could get life in prison if convicted. The case has stirred furious debate over self-defense, vigilantism, the right to bear arms and the racial unrest that erupted around the U.S. after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and similar cases.

Two jurors were also dismissed last week. One man was dismissed for potential bias after he told a joke about the Blake shooting to a court security officer, and a woman who is pregnant was dismissed after she said she was experiencing some discomfort. Eighteen jurors remain, and 12 will ultimately be picked to deliberate.  Associated Press

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 9)  San Miguel Corporation (SMC) president and chief executive officer Ramon Ang is willing to sell Petron Corporation back to the Philippine government, with the payment made on an installment basis over a five-year period.

Ang made the remark at Monday's hearing of the House Committee on Ways and Means on proposals to suspend the fuel excise tax in the wake of rising oil prices worldwide.

Yung sina-suggest na bilhin ng gobyerno yung Petron...anytime po, pwede ko pa ipautang sa Philippine government," Ang said.

[Translation: The suggestion for the government to buy Petron, anytime I can also loan it to the Philippine government.]

"Bilhin ninyo ito ng over five years to pay," he also said. "I swear, kung gusto ng gobyerno bilhin...ibebenta ko kaagad sa inyo. Pagawan niyo na ng evaluation immediately.

[Translation: You can buy it over five years to pay. I swear if the government wants to buy it, I will immediately sell it. Make the evaluation immediately.]

Ang said the government can buy Petron if it thinks the company is profitable despite racking up 18 billion in losses in 2020.

Hindi kami yung nag-kukunya-kunyari dito ngayon," he said. "Kung sa tingin niyo, jackpot yung negosyong yan, let the government buy it. At the market valuation lang.

[Translation: We are not pretending here. If you really think this business is a jackpot, let the government buy it. At the market valuation only.]

Bayan Muna party-list Representatives Carlos Zarate, Ferdinand Gaite and Eufemia Cullamat have filed House Bill No. 244 seeking to renationalize Petron, which was owned by the government until 1993.

In a statement, Gaite welcomed Angs readiness to sell Petron back to the government. He said he is hopeful that the current administration or the next one will take the offer.

"In fact, our House Bill 244 specifically calls for the full renationalization of Petron in a span of four to five years so that we can have a midterm to long term deterrent to runaway oil price hikes," Gaite said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 8)  The country reported its first case of the Kappa variant, but the patient was long tagged as recovered, a Health official said.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the patient was a local case from Floridablanca, Pampanga whose sample was taken back in June 2. The official said he only exhibited mild symptoms.

During the time of sample collection, Kappa was named a variant of interest. But in September, the World Health Organization downgraded it into a variant under monitoring.

The B.1.617.1 emerged from the same lineage as the Delta variant and is most commonly found in India, Vergeire said.

The case was detected late because the government is sequencing older samples to trace the source of the feared Delta variant.

The Health department also reported 651 more cases of the Delta variant from the 748 samples taken from March, April, May, June, September, and October. The country now has a total of 5,982 cases of the Delta variant, which was the driver of the surge back in September.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 8)  As the elections of the International Law Commission draw nearer, more Filipino lawyers from different organizations have joined the growing opposition to presidential spokesperson Harry Roques candidacy.

In a letter of objection released to the media on Monday, over 150 lawyers urged members of the United Nations General Assembly not to vote for Roque, saying to allow his undeserved election to the ILC, which develops and codifies international law, might affect its credibility.

The signatories said Roque is unfit to sit at the commission as he repeatedly justified President Rodrigo Dutertes unacceptable positions on human rights, justice, pandemic response and good governance.

As a lawyer, he is supposed to be a purveyor of facts and the truth and should uphold the administration of justice, a role he has sacrificed in exchange for his blind loyalty to a strongman president, they said. We fear he will bring this with him to the ILC.

In defending his nomination by the Duterte government, Roque previously cited his expertise in international law.

READ: Roque defends his nomination to UN law body

Critics of his ILC bid, however, argued that he has openly undermined international mechanisms on accountability, such as the International Criminal Court which is probing the Duterte administrations drug war. They also cited the United Nations Human Rights Council and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

As fellow lawyers, we are scandalized by his spins and reinvention of basic legal principles and concepts in his zealousness to repackage President Dutertes pronouncements of questionable legal and constitutional bases, the letter further read.

Among the signatories are incumbent and former government officials, including Senator Leila de Lima, and Representatives Edcel Lagman and Carlos Zarate. Also joining them are deans of law schools, heads of bar associations, law professors, and human rights and international lawyers from all over the country.

The ILC elections are scheduled on Friday, Nov. 12, according to National Union of Peoples' Lawyers president Edre Olalia.

Earlier, officials of Roques alma mater University of the Philippines-Diliman have also opposed his ILC nomination.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 8)  Senators will hold more session days to scrutinize the proposed 5.024-trillion national budget for 2022, Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III announced on Monday.

In a text message to reporters, Sotto said the senators agreed to have plenary sessions until Thursday this week, instead of the usual Monday to Wednesday schedule.

Next week, budget debates may be held until Friday, Sotto said.

He added that beginning this Wednesday, senators will open budget deliberations in the morning instead of the usual 3 p.m. schedule of plenary sessions.

More people will also be allowed to enter Senate premises, as long as they have negative RT-PCR test results for the last 72 hours.

These rules were agreed upon by the senators during a caucus on Monday as they resumed the third regular session after a month-long congressional break.

Senator Sonny Angara, chairman of the committee on finance, is expected to sponsor the budget bill at the plenary on Tuesday.

Next year's proposed budget is considered the highest in Philippine history, with allocations for pandemic response and recovery. It's also an election year budget.

"Many of the Committee report amendments are still about our COVID response and health-related interventions: salaries, benefits, and allowances of health workers; added funds for booster vaccines, testing, and tracing; improving health facilities; [and funding for the] medical scholarship law," Angara said in a text message to reporters.

"We cannot overemphasize the importance of the budget for 2022, because it will be the first for the new administration as it faces humongous problems - including the heavy task of leading the nation to recovery from the effects of the pandemic," Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson said in a separate statement.

Sotto earlier said he's hoping the Senate will pass the proposed national expenditure plan by the first week of December to avoid a reenacted budget.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 8)  Tens of thousands of workers were estimated to have returned to their jobs after Metro Manila eased to a lower alert level, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said Monday.

"Ang mga natira po sa estimate namin bago nag-Alert Level 2 ay mga 100,000ito po 'yung inaasahan namin na makabalik ngayong Alert Level 2," Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said in a virtual briefing.

[Translation: What was left of our estimate before we shifted to Alert Level 2 was 100,000. This is the number (of workers) we expect have returned to work.]

Lopez likewise highlighted the estimated 3.6 billion in revenues expected every week with the capital region's Alert Level 2 status as computed by the National Economic and Development Authority.

"Kinukumusta ko rin po iyong mga iba-ibang sector simula po noong weekend at tsaka po ngayon. Sila po ay masayang-masaya na parang naf-feel na nila 'yung pagdating ng mas masaganang Kapaskuhan kumpara po last year," the Trade secretary further explained.

[Translation: I've also checked up on various sectors starting last weekend up to now. They're very happy, as if they're already feeling this coming Christmas is merrier than last year's.]

More establishments have been allowed to operate under Alert Level 2, while businesses that have been permitted to open before were granted higher additional capacities. Minors may also engage in intrazonal and interzonal travel under the said classification.

With this, Lopez appealed to business owners and mall operators to strictly observe minimum public health standards to prevent a surge in cases which will lead again to the re-tightening of quarantine measures.

Metro Manila is under Alert Level 2 from Nov. 5 to 21.
(CNN)  If and when Elon Musk sells a large chunk of his Tesla shares, it'll probably have relatively little to do with a Twitter poll among his loyal followers  and everything to do with a looming multi-billion-dollar tax bill.

Musk published a Twitter poll over the weekend, noting that because he doesn't receive a cash salary he pays income tax only when he sells shares. And because "much is made lately of unrealized gains being a means of tax avoidance," he asked the Twitterverse if he should sell 10% of his shares. Some 58% of respondents said yes.

The tweet got attention, as many of Musk's social media antics do. But the move is not really about a populist vote.

The real reason is because Musk is just months out from a deadline to exercise the stock options he received years ago. If he doesn't use them, he loses them. And if he does exercise his shares, he's going to face a monster tax bill between nearly $11 billion to as much as $16 billion at current share prices.

Continued increases in the value of Tesla stock could push his tax bill even higher. Shares of the EV maker, which rose 743% last year, are up another 68% so far this year  though they did drop 3% Monday following his weekend poll.

Musk received the 22.9 million stock options in question as part of his 2012 compensation package. Those options are due to expire August 13, 2022, making them worthless unless Musk exercises them before the deadline.

Once he exercises, however, those shares would be treated as regular income subject to income tax, said Mark Luscombe, principal federal tax analyst for Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting.

In most cases, options like these, which are based on hitting performance numbers, are taxable not as income but instead at the lower capital gains rate. But Musk would face the income tax rate because of a special rule: He owns more than 10% of Tesla's total shares.

The taxable income is calculated based on the market value of the stock on the exercise date, minus the price paid to exercise the options. At Monday's level, that taxable amount would be about $27 billion  and the top federal income tax rate is 37%, with another 3.8% net investment tax on top of that. So exercising would cost Musk nearly $11 billion today.

Musk owns 170.5 million shares of Tesla stock outright, and he has options to buy another 73.5 million as of today including the ones expiring next year. He'll get even more if Tesla continues to grow and hits very achievable financial targets.

The value of those shares and options comes to nearly $300 billion, making him the richest person in the world, but an analysis by ProPublica in June found Musk paid no federal income taxes in 2018  and in 2017 he paid only $65,000.

"Note, I do not take a cash salary or bonus from anywhere. I only have stock, thus the only way for me to pay taxes personally is to sell stock," Musk tweeted on Saturday. In June he tweeted a response to a tweet about his tax bill, saying that the "only time I sell Tesla stock is when my stock options are expiring & I have no choice."

State taxes could add to his tax bill

Musk may also face state taxes on top of the federal bill.

He did move his residence from California to Texas, which has no state income tax, compared to California's top rate of 13.3%. He has announced plans to also move Tesla's California headquarters to Texas.

But he could be hit with at least some California state income tax, given that Tesla still has a major factory and offices in California and Musk still spends time working there. Musk acknowledged that in the June tweet: "Btw, I will continue to pay income taxes in California proportionate to my time in state, which is & will be significant."

It's not clear what the final state tax bill would come to, as California may or may not try to tax all of Musk's proceeds from these expiring options since almost all of Tesla's operations were in the state when the original grant was made. An additional 13.3% state income tax would come to $3.6 billion.

It's also possible Musk will receive additional options to buy 2.6 million more shares from that 2012 grant. Those options could be worth another $3 billion if he gets them by the August 2022 expiration date.

A major stakeholder announcing plans to sell shares is rarely a good thing for a stock. But many analysts are still bullish on Tesla, predicting further price increases in the year ahead. Investors were already pricing in some stock sales by Musk due to the expected tax bill, said Daniel Ives, senior equity research analyst at Wedbush Securities.

"With a tax bill that we calculate at north of $10 billion, selling stock over the coming months is not a surprise," Ives wrote in a note to clients Monday, "although holding a Twitter poll to sell 10% of his stock is another bizarre soap opera that can only happen to one company and one CEO in the world."

-- CNN Business' Ramishah Maruf contributed to this report

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Taxes, not Twitter, are the real reason Elon Musk might sell some Tesla shares."
(CNN)  Imagine if a photo of you, without your knowledge or consent, began appearing in advertisements around the world?

That's what happened to actor B.J. Novak, best known for his role in "The Office," whose face has been used to sell everything from face paint in Uruguay to Calvin Klein cologne in Sweden.

Novak said in an Instagram post he believes his unpaid role as an international pitchman started after his photo was mistakenly added to a public domain website. He also said he's too amused to do anything about it.

But his example raises questions for the rest of us about copyright issues and the potential misuse of images in the social media age, when personal photos can be reproduced and repurposed all over the internet.

To better understand this complex minefield, we asked two experts to explain.

What does public domain mean?

Public domain is an intellectual property term referring to creative works -- photos, movies, music, etc. -- that are not protected by copyright law and thus available for anyone to use free of charge and alter as they wish.

In such cases, no permission is needed to use the content.

It's unclear how Novak's photo entered the public domain. He has provided few details and has not commented on its use.

Are social media platforms considered public domain?

No. Even on social media, the use of your photographs is limited by copyright law and by the terms and conditions of the platform where you post them.

"When you sign up for a social media platform, you agree to that site's terms and conditions ... essentially a contract governing -- among other things -- what the site can and cannot do with the stuff you post," said Meredith Rose, a senior policy counsel and copyright expert for Public Knowledge, which promotes freedom of expression and an open internet.

"It is industry standard for part of that agreement to say, 'whatever you upload, you give us permission to show to the world, as well as make incidental copies on our servers to allow for things like retweeting/sharing functions/etc.,' " she said.

That permission is referred to as a license, and it varies with different platforms.

"But fundamentally you, as the user, have given limited permission to the site for it to display, transmit, and reproduce the work you've uploaded," Rose said.

Do I own the copyright for photos of myself?

You don't -- unless they are selfies.

The photographer holds the copyright, Rose said. That's why Kendall Jenner was sued by paparazzi for posting their photos of her on social media.

"The fact that a person is pictured in a photograph does not give that person any measure of ownership in the copyright of the photograph, nor any right to make use of the photograph," said Jeffrey Sedlik, a professor at the Art Center College of Design in California and an expert in copyright law.

In 24 states, the person in the photo may have a "right of publicity" -- which prevents the unauthorized commercial use of someone's name or likeness, Sedlik said.

That protects the person if their photo is used to appear as if they're endorsing something.

A person may have a right in some states, under certain circumstances, to restrict a photographer's ability to commercially exploit their likeness, Sedlik said. In some states only celebrities have this right, he added.

But right of publicity is not the same as copyright protection.

"Copyright is designed to incentivize the artist pushing the shutter button, not the model in the photo itself," Rose said. "The exception to this rule is the selfie, where the subject is also the photographer -- and as the photographer, they hold a copyright in this photo of themselves."

Of course, copyright law or a platform's terms and conditions can't stop someone from snatching your photo and reposting it for their own purposes.

Could what happened to Novak happen to anyone?

Probably not.

"It's certainly more likely for folks who have modeled professionally, especially for stock photographs," Rose said.

Stock photos are generic images that are licensed for use by individuals or organizations. For example, a news article about birth rates may use a stock photo of a newborn.

"But the practical constraints of what makes a photo good to use as a stock photo, or what qualities make it useful for designers to extract and put on labeling (color balance, composition, etc), are pretty specific," Rose added.

"Because of that, I don't think there's any risk that, say, your old high school candids will be used to hawk electric razors."

But could an image of me end up in the public domain?

Eventually. But you may not be around to see it happen.

In the United States, images are protected by copyright during the photographer's life and for 70 years after their death. After that, the photograph enters the public domain.

"For example, an unpublished photograph created in the late 1800s by a photographer who passed away in 1952 could still be fully protected by copyright in 2021, 69 years after the photographer's death," said Sedlik, who's also a photographer.

"A photograph enters the public domain only if the term of copyright expires. Some people suggest that a copyright owner can voluntarily inject a photograph into the public domain by signing a written statement. However there is no provision in copyright law supporting this suggestion, and no provision under which a copyright owner can voluntarily abandon copyright ownership."

The copyright term is different when a photograph is created by a corporation or an anonymous person.

Every year, Duke Law School publishes a list of classic works liberated from copyright constraints. This year, the list included F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel "The Great Gatsby," the silent films of Buster Keaton and the jazz standard, "Sweet Georgia Brown."

What happens after a copyright expires?

The work then enters the public domain -- essentially meaning anyone can use it without the consent of the creator.

But this wasn't always the case. Prior to the 1970s, copyright wasn't automatic. One had to register a work at the US Copyright Office for a shorter term and manually renew it once the term was up, Rose said.

As an example she cited the 1946 Jimmy Stewart film, "It's a Wonderful Life." The studio forgot to renew its copyright and it slipped into the public domain, where it has remained ever since.

That explains why the movie airs on TV every Christmas, Rose said, because television stations don't have to pay anyone to show it.

Have things evolved with the digital world?

Not really.

In the age of Instagram and Twitter, people are constantly reposting others' photographs, modifying images and sharing memes. The law has not kept up with social norms around sharing, remixing and content consumption online.

"The core structures of copyright law rely on some basic assumptions about who is creating material, how they're creating it, how that material will be released into the world, who will consume it and under what conditions," Rose said.

"Specifically, it baked in assumptions that you had a very linear path from a work's creation, through publishing channels, and then into the hands of consumers -- and that in most cases, that's where the path stopped. It was a one-way arrow with a clear start and end point."

So technically, people are constantly violating copyright law without realizing it, Rose said.

"That's the social norm around how we use the internet today, and in the vast majority of cases, these practices are seen as harmless," she said.

What can you do if your photo ends up in an ad without your consent?

Photographers can send a takedown notice under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, a federal law that protects copyright holders from online theft.

"Takedown notices are very easy to send -- arguably too easy," Rose said. "They have been widely abused to remove things for a variety of non-copyright reasons." Even repressive regimes have used them to censor activists.

In Novak's case, it's unclear who the photographer was and whether they sent a takedown notice.

Sedlik said the right of publicity law -- which prevents the unauthorized commercial use of someone's likeness -- varies in different countries, making enforcement across borders complex and expensive.

To protect themselves, the subject of a professional photograph can retain some control by negotiating that clause into their contract with the photographer, Rose said.

This story was first published on CNN.com 'How your photo could end up in the public domain  and used in ads around the world'
(CNN) -- You've turned back your clocks for Daylight Saving Time, but what now?

Many people look forward to that extra hour of sleep, but it's not enough to erase chronic sleep debt, said Dr. Kannan Ramar, professor of medicine at the Center for Sleep Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

However, the additional hour of rest could have you waking up feeling more refreshed, which may motivate you to get more shut-eye, he said.

This is a great time to implement healthy "sleep hygiene" practices, which will help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep, Ramar said.

Set up a sleep routine

He recommended going to sleep around the same time each night, making sure you're going to sleep early enough to get seven to eight hours of rest.

In the 30 minutes before bedtime, begin shutting off electronics to limit your exposure to light, Ramar explained.

If after 20 minutes you can't fall sleep, get out of bed and do a quiet activity like meditation, he said. This is not the time to jump back on your electronics, he warned.

Avoid eating a large meal before bedtime, and cut off your caffeine intake in the afternoon, Ramar advised. Make sure to reduce your fluid intake before bed and avoid alcohol around this time, he added.

If those tips do not work for you, Ramar recommended you speak to a medical professional.

A rise in seasonal affective disorder

As the nights grow longer and the weather becomes bleaker in parts of the country, people may develop seasonal affective disorder. It's a specific type of depression that often begins in the fall and ends in the spring, said Michelle Drerup, director of behavioral sleep medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorders Center in Ohio.

Some common symptoms include irritability, extreme fatigue, inability to concentrate, carbohydrate cravings, anxiety and withdrawal from social activities, she said.

The time change from Daylight Saving Time ending can trigger SAD, Drerup said.

A study published in 2017 found there was an 11% increase in the number of seasonal depressive episodes at the end of daylight saving.

Light exposure boosts mood

People with seasonal affective disorder should try to expose themselves to bright, natural light when possible, said Dr. Bhanu Prakash Kolla, an addiction psychiatrist and sleep physician at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The rays of light increase the release of the neurotransmitter serotonin, known as the "happy hormone."

Those in gloomier parts of the country can use a light box to mimic sunlight, he said.

If you notice the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder are significantly impacting your ability to function for more than two weeks, Drerup recommended seeing a doctor. A medical professional can help diagnose you, evaluate for other possible mental health conditions, and provide a personalized treatment plan.

This story was first published on CNN.com "Daylight Saving Time has ended. Here's how to make the most of your time and combat seasonal mental health issues".
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, Metro Manila)  Presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said Vice President Leni Robredo should tell those calling for his disqualification from the coming elections to withdraw the petition, which he had described as a "nuisance."

"Sabihin niya sa mga kasama niya na i-withdraw na [She should tell her associates to withdraw it]," he said at a briefing in Tacloban City on Monday.

Robredo said last week that she had nothing to do with the petition.

"Kung ang purpose ng disqualification para maalis siya sa contest na ito, hindi naman kailangan. Naglaban na kaming noong 2016, nanalo naman kami na walang ganiyan," Robredo said at a press conference in Bacolod.

[Translation: If the purpose of the disqualification is to remove him from this contest, its not needed. We faced each other in 2016, and we won without that.]

Marcos called the petition a "nuisance," saying he believed the issue against him had already been resolved.

The 57-page petition of civic leaders asserted that Marcos was convicted in July 1995 by a Quezon City court for his multiple failures to file income tax returns from 1982 to 1985. They said it was a crime of "moral turpitude," comparing it to the Marcos family's "repeated evasion" of duty for refusing to settle unpaid estate tax, a liability which now amounts to 203.8 billion.

READ: Petition vs. Bongbong Marcos' presidential bid filed before Comelec

Marcos also said lawyers he had spoken to agreed it was a nuisance petition, but that he would answer the issues at the right time.

"Pero pagdating ng panahon sasagutin pa rin namin at ipapaliwanag natin at ipapakita natin na walang grounds para mag-dismiss sa aking kandidatura," he said.

[Translation: When the time comes, we will still respond and explain and show that there are no grounds for the dismissal of my candidacy.]

When asked if he had seen the petition, Marcos said just some of it but added it did not look like a legal document.

"Parang hindi legal document e. Pero again...I cannot give a legal opinion. Ang reaction ko is that it does not look like a legal document. That's all," he said.

[Translation: It doesn't look like a legal document. But again...I cannot give a legal opinion. My reaction is that it does not look like a legal document. That's all.]

Marcos said he is confident his certificate of candidacy will not be cancelled.

RELATED: More groups to file petitions vs Bongbong Marcos presidential bid
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 8)  Amid eased restrictions in Metro Manila and some parts of the country, the government's pandemic response task force is considering a proposal to impose the use of face shields depending on the vaccination rate and alert level system in an area.

Speaking to CNN Philippines' The Source on Monday, Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said some members of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases have raised the idea, amid pleas to get rid of face shields under eased quarantine restrictions.

Last week, the Department of Interior and Local Government proposed to the COVID-19 task force to do away with the mandatory wearing of face shields in enclosed spaces, except in high-risk locations like hospitals.

READ: DILG to propose scrapping face shield mandate

"We proposed this last week but we are just one agency among the many agencies that comprise the IATF and there are many agencies supporting us but there are also some who would like to wait for the recommendations and studies being done by DOH (Department of Health)," Malaysa said.

"There are some proposals to link the use of face shield to the alert level system to the vaccination rate so these are being ironed out at present," he added.

Citing a recent meeting with the Metro Manila Council, Malaya said majority of the Metro Manila mayors are also in favor of the idea of scrapping the use of face shields, but the IATF still has to make a final decision after the DOH finishes its evaluation on the matter.

On Monday, the city government of Manila issued Executive Order No. 42 which removes the face shield requirement except in hospitals.

The cities of Davao and Iloilo have also previously scrapped the mandatory use of the protective gear in their localities.

READ: Manila City scraps face shield policy, except in hospitals
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 8)  Use of face shield is no longer mandatory in the City of Manila, except in hospitals, effective Monday. However, all local government units were advised to wait for the final decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force.

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno on Monday signed Executive Order No. 42, citing the latest stance of the Department of Interior and Local Government that favors the removal of the face shield requirement.

"Ang kailangan na lang natin gawin ay mag-mask, para kahit paano maibsan ang inyong gastusin dahil sa face shield na yan. Kailangan ko ang kusang disiplina niyo. Magpabakuna kayo," the local official said.

[Translation: You just need to wear your mask, so we can somehow lessen your spending due to the face shields. I need your cooperation. Please get vaccinated.]

It is the first local government in the National Capital Region to scrap the IATF policy mandating the use of face shields in enclosed spaces to control the spread of COVID-19.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Benhur Abalos said the 17 local chief executives in the capital region agreed to only require face shields in "critical areas," such as hospitals, health centers, and public utility vehicles. He said they will forward their "official position" to the IATF, which will have the final say.

Meanwhile, Malacanang said Manila governments new ordinance is null and void as the IATF has not yet decided on the proposal to remove the face shield requirement.

Another way of looking at it is null and void po siya (it is null and void) for being in violation of an existing executive policy decreed by the President himself, in the exercise of police powers, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a briefing on Monday.

The use of face shield is also no longer mandatory in Iloilo City and Davao City.

Malacanang reminded all mayors to follow the chain of command of the Executive branch.

Pero ang aking pakiusap po sa mga local government units natin, sa ating mga mayor, lahat ng mayor ay under the control and supervision of the President in the Executive branch of the government. Ang desisyon po ng IATF, ay desisyon ng Presidente, said Roque.

[Translation: Im reminding all our local government units, that all mayors are under the control and supervision of the President in the Executive branch of the government. The decision of the IATF is also the decision of the President.]

Kaunting pasensya lang po, pero kinakailangan sundin naman po natin ang chain of command sa Executive branch of government.

[Translation: Please be patient for now. We still need to follow the chain of command in the Executive branch of the government.]

Last week, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte also issued an executive order which made the wearing of face shields optional in the city, even in crowded areas, close-contact settings, and enclosed spaces.

Amid the pronouncements, the Department of Health urged all local government units to postpone the scrapping of the policy so as not to create confusion. The DOH will submit its "updated recommendation" to the IATF on Thursday, spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

"Until we can have the IATF resolution, we urge all local governments to just hold their executive orders or their issuances so that we can all be uniform in our implementation and we are all aligned," the DOH official said.

Despite the DOH's appeal, Moreno said they will push through with the order's implementation since majority of its residents are already vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Palace said that it is up to the DILG if it will impose sanctions on Moreno.

The effectiveness of face shield has been a contentious issue among the public and lawmakers. A wind engineer from the University of the Philippines earlier said face shields would only trap COVID-19 airborne particles, stressing these do not offer an additional layer of protection.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 8)  Should she win in next year's presidential race, Vice President Leni Robredo is targeting to initially tap discretionary funds amounting to 500 billion to help kick off her "ambitious" pandemic response plan.

In a briefing, Robredo said her team has estimated the funding needed to pursue her recovery plan dubbed as "Kalayaan sa COVID".

The official, who is running as independent, plans to realign the budget of some departments to focus on COVID-19 response.

"Mayroon na kaming kwenta. Tinitingnan namin kung saan mahuhugot yung mga pondo... Ang kwenta namin na nahanap namin sa budget ay somewhere in the area of 500 billion," she said.

[Translation: We already have estimates. We are looking at where to get the funds... The available money we found in the budget is somewhere in the area of 500 billion.]

Some of the money will come from the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Health, and the Office of the President, Robredo noted.

She stressed her COVID-19 recovery planwhich was described as ambitious by some criticsis "possible" as long as all agencies are committed to delivering the available money.

"Kailangan maging ambitious kasi ang laki ng problema natin ngayon," Robredo said.

"Kailangan lang talaga all hands on deck tayo," she added.

[Translation: We need to be ambitious because we're facing major problems now. We just really need all hands on deck.]

Robredo also said that the government will explore partnerships with the private sector as she stressed the need to engage all sectors of the Philippine society to rebuild the country.

During the briefing, the official promised that Filipinos who suffered from the economic fallout from COVID-19 would face a brighter 2022 under her administration.

Under her plan, Robredo bared the proposal to create an unemployment insurance system, where those who lost their jobs during the pandemic will receive 80% of their salary for the first three months.

She said the program will "give them enough time" to look for employment or explore other income streams.

Small businesses will also get financial backing from Robredo's administration to avoid layoffs, the presidential hopeful said.

Some of the plans for the health sector that were earlier revealed include curbing corruption, providing living wages to medical frontliners, and boosting hospitals with equipment and beds.

READ: Strengthen healthcare system, fight hunger, continue learning: Robredo details pandemic recovery plan

She also vowed to provide free and accessible healthcare to Filipinos and would tap service providers to expand telemedicine services.

Robredo added she would fund the full payment of medical claims from the state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corp.

The government official reiterated that face-to-face classes will resume in low-risk areas, while students residing in high-risk areas will be provided with gadgets and internet allowance.

She said they would team up with telco players to provide students with free internet access to educational websites and online resources. Her office would also scale up community hubs in high-risk areas.

Robredo said she has been in discussion with experts in the different sectors to craft a clearer and effective COVID-19 plan.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 8)  The distribution of COVID-19 booster shots and third doses may begin before Nov. 20, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. said Monday, but it is still subject to the release of protocols from health authorities.

He said they are awaiting the guidelines from the World Health Organization's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization and from the Department of Health.

Amendments to the emergency use authorization for third doses and booster shots are also pending with the Food and Drug Administration.

"So, yung tatlo po na 'yun, hinihintay po natin. Hopefully, dumating po 'yon before Nov. 20," Galvez said, in what is an apparent delay in the earlier target to launch the booster and third shots by Nov. 15.

[Translation: So, we are waiting for those three requirements. Hopefully, they will come before Nov. 20.]

Galvez said in their discussion, vaccine experts told him they will try to finish their deliberations on Monday, Nov. 8, and submit their findings to the FDA on the same day.

He said he expects the EUA amendments to be approved within the week.

Among the priority recipients of the booster doses are health care workers and immunocompromised individuals.

Up to 6 million doses have been set aside for these groups, according to Galvez, with 1.5 million shots for medical frontliners and 4.5 million for those with impaired immunity due to illness.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 9)  Cebu City Hall employees will receive a 20,000 Christmas bonus this year -- but only if all of them have received their COVID-19 vaccine.

Bonus will be granted for all... But as Ive saidno release of bonus unless all have been fully vaccinated, acting Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama announced on Monday.

Rama explained there is a need for such policy to set themselves as an example for their citizens as government employees.

Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera, head of the citys Emergency Operations Center (EOC), supported Ramas new directive.

The mayor said the bonus is on top of the 13-month pay and is a prerogative of the City Government to grant or not to grant.

This is also seen to further boost the local governments vaccination program that is still around 40% of the target population, he noted.

Cebu City has fully vaccinated around 290,000 residents out of the more than 700,000 target population qualified for the vaccine.

According to latest government data, the city has a total of 43,023 COVID-19 cases, of which 244 are currently ill patients. More than 41,000 patients recovered, while over 1,300 died.
(CNN)  Former US President Barack Obama went to the international climate conference in Glasgow on Monday because climate envoy John Kerry knew the Biden administration needed help convincing the world America was actually serious about combating climate change.

But as much as Obama expressed regret for former President Donald Trump's "four years of active hostility towards climate science" and the climate denialism which defines the modern Republican Party, he expressed a deeper, broader worry that politics all over the world is falling short of what needs to be done to save the planet.

"I recognize that we're living in a moment when international cooperation has atrophiedin part because of the pandemic, in part because of the rise of nationalism and tribal impulses around the world, in part because of a lack of leadership on America's part for four years on a host of multilateral issues," Obama said.

Obama's speech came a week after President Joe Biden's own appearance at the conference, during which he explicitly apologized for Trump's abandonment of the Paris climate accords. And it came amid major international doubts that Biden, Congress or America is actually serious about climate change, no matter what Obama said.

Obama said that the US is reengaging with the world on climate, and he sought to convince the world that the US has stayed on track, even during the Trump years, as questions persist at the conference over how the US plans to make up for lost time.

"Of course, back in the United States, some of our progress stalled when my successor decided to unilaterally pull out of the Paris Agreement in his first year in office. I wasn't real happy about that," Obama said.

But he said these lost years are not reason to lose faith in the power of what global cooperation can achieve, or even in the US' commitment to climate. Despite Trump, Obama said, "the American people met our original commitment under the Paris Agreement."

"Not only that, but the rest of the world stayed in the deal. And now with President Biden and his administration rejoining the agreement, the US government is once again engaged and prepared to take a leadership role."

'Vote like your life depends on it'

The former President pleaded that climate change should be the one issue which transcends politics. And Obama said he has his own doubts this is possible, which he tries to fight back.

"We are nowhere near where we need to be yet. For starters, despite the progress that Paris represented, most countries have failed to meet the action plans they set six years ago," he said.

"As I'm sure is true for all of you, there are times when I feel discouraged, when the future seems bleak, and I am doubtful that humanity can get its act together before it's too late," Obama said "And images of dystopia start creeping into my dreams. And yet, whenever I feel such despondency, I remind myself that cynicism is the recourse of cowards. We can't afford hopelessness."

Obama's appearance at an international conference is already an unusual move for a former president, as is his public criticism of "my successor" -- the closest Obama came to saying Trump's name. Also unusual is his criticism of current foreign leaders, as he called out Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin for skipping the COP 26 entirely. He called that decision "particularly discouraging," adding "their national plans reflect what appears to be a dangerous absence of urgency, a willingness to maintain the status quo, on the part of both those countries."

Addressing the younger people in the audience, Obama said "you're right to be frustrated."

"For most of your lives, you've been bombarded with warnings about what the future will look like if we don't address climate change," Obama said. "And you've grown up watching many of the adults who are in a position to do something about it either act like the problem doesn't exist or refuse to make the hard decisions necessary to address it."

Picking up on a theme he has repeatedly hit on the campaign trail back home, Obama pleaded for young people not to give up on politics.

"Vote like your life depends on it," he said, since "the cold, hard fact is that we will not have more ambitious climate change plans unless governments get behind them."

But he warned that young people need to rethink their approach. He said that first and foremost, young people need to "vote the issue."And he picked up on another theme he's expressed before: that today's youth mistakes online activism and insular virtue signaling for making a difference.

"Protests are necessary to raise awareness. Hashtag campaigns can spread awareness. But to build the broad-based coalitions necessary for bold action, we have to persuade people who either currently don't agree or are indifferent to the issue," Obama said. "We have to do a little more listening. We can't just yell at them, or tweet at them -- it's not enough to inconvenience them by blocking traffic through protests. We're going to have to listen to the objections and reluctance of ordinary people that see their countries move too fast on climate change. We have to understand their realities, and work with them so that serious action on climate change doesn't adversely impact them."

Obama pressed the point that local governments and many privates businesses stayed committed to hitting the Paris accord targets, despite Trump's withdrawal of the federal government. They should believe in Biden's commitment now, he added, and said he has faith a larger Build Back Better plan with more extensive climate measures will soon pass Congress, despite the hold-ups in Washington last week which led to a vote on only one of the infrastructure bills.

Nonetheless, Obama praised the "meaningful progress" made by world leaders through the agreements reached last week in Scotlandsuch as those to combat methane emissions and deforestation, as well as those signed by two dozen countries, not including the United States, to end public subsidies for fossil fuels and pledging to end the use of coal completely.

While in Scotland, Obama will also meet with several groups of climates leaders, as well as business and philanthropic leaders, and local elected officials. He was introduced by an Obama Foundation leader who is a Northern Mariana Islands representative, and he will spend time with several others during the trip.

Obama had championed addressing environmental issues while in office, but Trump -- a longtime climate crisis denier -- attempted to remove many of the policy guardrails installed by the Obama administration to limit the emissions of greenhouse gases. Since taking office, Biden has been reversing many of these actions by the Trump administration and has made ambitious pledges to tackle the climate crisis.

Notably, the climate summit is taking place five years after the Paris Agreement took effect. In 2015, after the COP21, more than 190 countries signed onto the agreement at the time to limit the increase in global temperatures to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, but preferably to 1.5 degrees.

Biden reentered the Paris Agreement after former Trump pulled the United States out of it, and apologized to his fellow world leaders in remarks on the first day of COP26.

"I guess I shouldn't apologize, but I do apologize for the fact that the United States -- the last administration -- pulled out of the Paris Accords and put us sort of behind the 8-ball," the President said last week in Glasgow.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Obama swipes at Trump for 'four years of active hostility' on climate in Glasgow speech."
Source: Adobe/Oksana Trygub

South Koreas top financial regulator says that non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are not cryptoassets  and will likely exclude them from capital gains taxation.

The status of NFTs has recently fallen under scrutiny from MPs who have variously accused the government of being overly strict and lenient with its controversial crypto tax policies. A number of lawmakers have stated that it makes no sense that, for instance, bitcoin (BTC) investors will have to pay 20% capital gains tax on profits of USD 2,100 and above from January 1, 2022, while NFT traders will not need to pay a penny on their own profits.

But citing recently updated Financial Action Task Force (FATF) guidelines, a spokesperson for the South Korean Financial Services Commission (FSC) was quoted by Fn News as stating:

In light of the updated FATF guidelines, we have interpreted that ordinary NFTs are not virtual assets and are thus not subject to regulation. The [South Korean] financial authorities are not taking a different position on this.

The comments might mean that the FSC has no intention of taxing NFT-related transactions.

Furthermore, the same official said that the FATFs position is that NFTs that are used as payment or investment tools can be regulated as virtual assets.

The FSC spokesperson added that NFT issuers who released hundreds of thousands of tokens at once could also see their coins regulated like virtual assets.

The FSC also appeared keen to leave itself some wriggle room for what the media outlet called later reinterpretation, adding that in some cases, NFTs could be considered as virtual assets in the future.

And the regulator suggested that countries around the world were free to interpret the FATF guidelines as they wished  and create their own policies on NFTs.

But in the case of NFTs, the FSC stated, the fact that the tokens make use of blockchain protocols would not dictate regulatory policy.

The spokesperson stated that as NFTs [typically] use the Ethereum (ETH) protocols EIP-721 Non-fungible Token Standard, it is ridiculous to discuss whether a technology is a virtual asset or not.

In a separate report from the same outlet, the FSC noted that it was currently considering how it would seek to define NFTs in the text of the Virtual Assets Business Rights Act  a piece of legislation that would grant a new legitimacy to crypto providers, but could also seek to add new regulations.

Analysts in South Korea say they believe the draft legislation could be ready to pass before the National Assembly before the year is out.

___

Learn more:

- NFT-Backed Lending Market Rises, USD 1.4M Borrowed With an NFT as Collateral

- CryptoPunk Mistakenly Sells at Over 99% Discount, NFT Sales Plunge Again



- FATF Wants Countries to Get Serious About Crypto Regulation, Mentions NFTs, DeFi

- South Korean Taxman to Be Granted Right to Search Crypto Tax Evaders Homes
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) 

Fifteen Vermont food producers have been selected as finalists in a national competition that honors ethics and taste.

Vermont cheeses and maple delights are in the running for blue ribbons from the San Francisco-based Good Food Foundation as are elixers, grains, jams, honey, cider and pickles, the Burlington Free Press reported.

A total of 351 finalists were selected from around the country from producers that the foundation says are stubbornly swimming upstream to create and share the kind of food we all want to eat: tasty, authentic and responsible.

The number of Vermont finalists is ringing endorsement of local producers values, according to Erin Sigrist, executive director of Vermont Specialty Food Association.

Applicants undergo a rigorous review process and must meet specific criteria; including proven efforts in equity and inclusion, social and environmental responsibility, and transparency in supply chain practices, Sigrist said in a written statement.

The finalists can be found on the Good Food Awards online popup shop that is running through Nov. 14.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Information is from police reports and may be incomplete depending on the status of an investigation. Phone numbers are nonemergency.
The state Department of Health reported 57 cases of COVID-19 and no deaths for Cumberland County Monday.

The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 increased to 89 in Monday's report, up 10 from Sunday. There are 16 adults in intensive care (down one from Sunday) and 13 on ventilators (up one from Sunday). Eight adult ICU beds remain open of the 98 currently staffed across the county, and 26 of 95 ventilators in the county are in use.

Monday's report included 170 test results, with 18 probable cases. Comparing just the number of negative tests (113) and confirmed positive tests (39), the county saw 25.7% of its tests come back positive.

The southcentral region reported 509 cases and seven new deaths Monday, with 166 cases and three deaths in York County, 87 cases and one death in Blair County and 53 cases and one death in Dauphin County. York County topped 1,000 deaths (1,002) for the pandemic.

Franklin County reports 51 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 Monday (the same as Sunday), with four of 30 currently staffed ICU beds available in the county and 13 of 35 available ventilators in use. There are nine adults in intensive care and seven on ventilators.

Dauphin County reports 95 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 Monday (down five from Sunday), with 26 of 198 currently staffed ICU beds available in the county and 68 of 177 available ventilators in use. There are 31 adults in intensive care and 17 on ventilators.

School-age children

In its weekly update for the 10th week of the school year, the department reported 84 cases among children aged 5-18 in Cumberland County during the week of Oct. 27-Nov. 2, an increase of 12 from the 72 cases reported last week. That brings the total number of cases in Cumberland County for this school year to 1,346.

Statewide, the number of cases among 5- to 18-year-olds decreased for the sixth week in a row with 4,918 cases reported. The state said the total number of cases in that age group for the school year is 64,674.

Early Warning Dashboard

Cumberland County saw an increase in its in percent positivity and a decrease in its incidence rate per 100,000 people in the Health Department's weekly update to its Early Warning Monitoring System Dashboard Friday. Its percent positivity increased to 9.5% for the week of Oct. 29-Nov. 4, up from 8.4% the previous week. The incidence rate per 100,000 people decreased to 115.6, down from 128.3 the previous week.

Philadelphia County, which includes the city of Philadelphia, had the lowest percent positivity in the state for the week of Oct. 29-Nov. 4 at 3.4% and the lowest incidence rate per 100,000 people at 62.5.

Penn State Health update (Nov. 8)

Penn State Health lists a COVID-19 dashboard on its website tracking cases at each of its acute care hospitals  Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center, Hampden Medical Center and Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center. The dashboard will be updated every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Monday's update shows 92 total cases (88 adults, 4 pediatrics) in the health system's four hospitals  20 are fully vaccinated (21.7%) with five in an ICU and one on a ventilator, 58 are nonvaccinated (63%) with 19 adults in an ICU and eight adults on a ventilator, and 14 are unknown status patients. Three of four children hospitalized are unvaccinated (one is unknown status), with no one in an ICU and no one on a ventilator.

Holy Spirit Medical Center in Camp Hill has 19 COVID patients. Four are fully vaccinated adults (no one in ICU and no one on a ventilator) and 15 unvaccinated adults (one in an ICU and one on a ventilator).

Hampden Medical Center has eight COVID patients. Five are not fully vaccinated (two in an ICU, no one on a ventilator) and three are fully vaccinated (one in an ICU).

Vaccinations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention labels Cumberland County as having "high" transmission of the virus  the highest level, which is the transmission level for every county in the state except Philadelphia County which has dropped to "substantial," the next highest level. Community transmission is determined by the number of new cases per 100,000 people in the last seven days and the positivity rate over the last seven days, so the classification could vary from day to day based on those numbers.

In data updated Sunday evening, the CDC says Cumberland County has seen 63.4% of its total population of 253,370 become fully vaccinated. For the county's vaccine eligible population of people ages 12 and older, 73.2% have been fully vaccinated.

County numbers in the southcentral region (for Nov. 8):

Adams County (pop. 103,009): 31 new cases; 13,679 total cases (11,161 confirmed, 2,518 probable); 44,357 negatives; 231 deaths; 50.5% of county population vaccinated

31 new cases; 13,679 total cases (11,161 confirmed, 2,518 probable); 44,357 negatives; 231 deaths; 50.5% of county population vaccinated Bedford County (pop. 47,888): 14 new cases; 7,049 total cases (4,803 confirmed, 2,246 probable); 12,592 negatives; 176 deaths; 35.1% of county population vaccinated

14 new cases; 7,049 total cases (4,803 confirmed, 2,246 probable); 12,592 negatives; 176 deaths; 35.1% of county population vaccinated Blair County (pop. 121,829): 87 new cases; 18,337 total cases (14,460 confirmed, 3,877 probable); 47,464 negatives; 401 deaths (+1); 46.5% of county population vaccinated

87 new cases; 18,337 total cases (14,460 confirmed, 3,877 probable); 47,464 negatives; 401 deaths (+1); 46.5% of county population vaccinated Cumberland County (pop. 253,370): 57 new cases; 28,835 total cases (22,502 confirmed, 6,333 probable); 102,915 negatives; 634 deaths; 63.4% of county population vaccinated

57 new cases; 28,835 total cases (22,502 confirmed, 6,333 probable); 102,915 negatives; 634 deaths; 63.4% of county population vaccinated Dauphin County (pop. 278,299): 53 new cases; 35,538 total cases (30,467 confirmed, 5,071 probable); 129,194 negatives; 660 deaths (+1); 59.2% of county population vaccinated

53 new cases; 35,538 total cases (30,467 confirmed, 5,071 probable); 129,194 negatives; 660 deaths (+1); 59.2% of county population vaccinated Franklin County (pop. 155,027): 27 new cases; 22,263 total cases (18,083 confirmed, 4,180 probable); 64,702 negatives; 467 deaths; 46.2% of county population vaccinated

27 new cases; 22,263 total cases (18,083 confirmed, 4,180 probable); 64,702 negatives; 467 deaths; 46.2% of county population vaccinated Fulton County (pop. 14,530): 4 new cases; 2,334 total cases (1,147 confirmed, 1,187 probable); 5,056 negatives; 32 deaths; 31.7% of county population vaccinated

4 new cases; 2,334 total cases (1,147 confirmed, 1,187 probable); 5,056 negatives; 32 deaths; 31.7% of county population vaccinated Huntingdon County (pop. 45,144): 4 new cases; 6,993 total cases (5,743 confirmed, 1,250 probable); 21,011 negatives; 167 deaths; 47.3% of county population vaccinated

4 new cases; 6,993 total cases (5,743 confirmed, 1,250 probable); 21,011 negatives; 167 deaths; 47.3% of county population vaccinated Juniata County (pop. 24,763): 6 new cases; 2,987 total cases (2,724 confirmed, 263 probable); 6,725 negatives; 117 deaths (+1); 40.6% of county population vaccinated

6 new cases; 2,987 total cases (2,724 confirmed, 263 probable); 6,725 negatives; 117 deaths (+1); 40.6% of county population vaccinated Lebanon County (pop. 141,793): 32 new cases; 21,122 total cases (18,062 confirmed, 3,060 probable); 63,490 negatives; 341 deaths (+1); 51.3% of county population vaccinated

32 new cases; 21,122 total cases (18,062 confirmed, 3,060 probable); 63,490 negatives; 341 deaths (+1); 51.3% of county population vaccinated Mifflin County (pop. 46,138): 17 new cases; 7,462 total cases (7,059 confirmed, 403 probable); 17,697 negatives; 204 deaths; 49.5% of county population vaccinated

17 new cases; 7,462 total cases (7,059 confirmed, 403 probable); 17,697 negatives; 204 deaths; 49.5% of county population vaccinated Perry County (pop. 46,272): 11 new cases; 5,427 total cases (4,180 confirmed, 1,247 probable); 13,441 negatives; 127 deaths; 47.6% of county population vaccinated

11 new cases; 5,427 total cases (4,180 confirmed, 1,247 probable); 13,441 negatives; 127 deaths; 47.6% of county population vaccinated York County (pop. 449,058): 166 new cases; 64,425 total cases (52,443 confirmed; 11,982 probable); 195,487 negatives; 1,002 deaths (+3); 55.8% of county population vaccinated

ZIP code-level counts (updated Nov. 8):

17013: 3,460 positives, 15,949 negatives - +26 since Nov. 5

17015: 2,060 positives, 7,794 negatives - +13 since Nov. 5

17050: 3,272 positives, 16,270 negatives - +20 since Nov. 5

17055: 3,681 positives, 18,444 negatives - +19 since Nov. 5

17011: 3,390 positives, 15,464 negatives - +18 since Nov. 5

17007: 493 positives, 1,993 negatives - +5 since Nov. 5

17065: 355 positives, 1,379 negatives - +6 since Nov. 5

17324: 402 positives, 1,419 negatives - +2 since Nov. 5

17241: 925 positives, 3,459 negatives - +7 since Nov. 5

17257: 2,369 positives, 7,822 negatives - +11 since Nov. 5

17240: 230 positives, 706 negatives - +2 since Nov. 5

17025: 1,574 positives, 6,283 negatives - +12 since Nov. 5

17070: 1,482 positives, 5,967 negatives - +18 since Nov. 5

17043: 501 positives, 2,264 negatives - +9 since Nov. 5

17019: 1,743 positives, 6,052 negatives - +16 since Nov. 5

17266: 28 positives, 136 negatives - +0 since Nov. 5

School district and college case counts (updated Oct. 29)

The Sentinel's case counts for Cumberland County school districts and colleges or universities are updated Fridays. The policy for each school districts reporting is noted in the list below.

Big Spring School District (reports active cases in past 14 days with school exposure): 16 student cases and 3 staff cases being monitored as of the sites last update on Nov. 5.

(reports active cases in past 14 days with school exposure): 16 student cases and 3 staff cases being monitored as of the sites last update on Nov. 5. Camp Hill School District (posts chart that includes total case count): 12 new student cases and no new staff case since Oct. 29; 74 student cases and 8 staff cases this school year (started Aug. 25.)

(posts chart that includes total case count): 12 new student cases and no new staff case since Oct. 29; 74 student cases and 8 staff cases this school year (started Aug. 25.) Carlisle Area School District (reports cases as they occur and updates a chart): 4 new cases since Oct. 29; 168 cases this school year (started Aug. 25) according to the charts last update on Nov. 4.

(reports cases as they occur and updates a chart): 4 new cases since Oct. 29; 168 cases this school year (started Aug. 25) according to the charts last update on Nov. 4. Cumberland Valley School District (reports weekly and total number of cases with school exposure): 25 cases since Oct. 29; 219 cases this school year (started Aug. 31.)

(reports weekly and total number of cases with school exposure): 25 cases since Oct. 29; 219 cases this school year (started Aug. 31.) Mechanicsburg Area School District (chart lists total cases actively being monitored, updated Tuesday and Friday): 14 positive and presumed positive cases being monitored as of Nov. 5.

(chart lists total cases actively being monitored, updated Tuesday and Friday): 14 positive and presumed positive cases being monitored as of Nov. 5. Shippensburg Area School District (reports weekly and total confirmed case counts involving school exposure): 9 new cases since Oct. 29; 156 cases this school year (started Aug. 19) as of the charts last update on Nov. 3.

(reports weekly and total confirmed case counts involving school exposure): 9 new cases since Oct. 29; 156 cases this school year (started Aug. 19) as of the charts last update on Nov. 3. South Middleton School District (posts notices as cases occur, updates table of case counts weekly on Fridays): 1 new case since Oct. 22; 73 cases this school year (started Aug. 25) as of the charts last update on Oct. 29.

(posts notices as cases occur, updates table of case counts weekly on Fridays): 1 new case since Oct. 22; 73 cases this school year (started Aug. 25) as of the charts last update on Oct. 29. West Shore School District (reports active cases with school exposure within past 14 days): 63 student cases and 9 staff cases being monitored as of Nov. 5.

(reports active cases with school exposure within past 14 days): 63 student cases and 9 staff cases being monitored as of Nov. 5. Dickinson College : no new student cases and 3 employee cases since Oct. 29; 34 student cases and 27 employee cases this semester (started Aug. 30.)

: no new student cases and 3 employee cases since Oct. 29; 34 student cases and 27 employee cases this semester (started Aug. 30.) Messiah University : 8 new student cases and 5 new staff cases since Oct. 29; 66 student cases and 29 employee cases this semester (started Aug. 7.)

: 8 new student cases and 5 new staff cases since Oct. 29; 66 student cases and 29 employee cases this semester (started Aug. 7.) Shippensburg University: 1 new student case and no new staff cases since Oct. 29; 164 student cases and 21 employee cases this semester (started Aug. 1) as of the last update on Nov. 1.

(Counties with a percent positivity above 5% in a week go on the Department of Health's watch list)

Pennsylvania: Percent Positivity - 9.3% last 7 days (8.7% previous 7 days) Incidence Rate per 100,000 people last 7 days - 165.3 (165 previous 7 days)

Adams County: Percent Positivity - 14.2% last 7 days (15.2% previous 7 days) Incidence Rate per 100,000 people last 7 days - 192.2 (194.2 previous 7 days)

Cumberland County: Percent Positivity - 9.5% last 7 days (8.4% previous 7 days) Incidence Rate per 100,000 people last 7 days - 115.6 (128.3 previous 7 days)

Dauphin County: Percent Positivity - 10.6% last 7 days (11.8% previous 7 days) Incidence Rate per 100,000 people last 7 days - 140.1 (179.3 previous 7 days)

Franklin County: Percent Positivity - 11.1% last 7 days (11.7% previous 7 days) Incidence Rate per 100,000 people last 7 days - 138.7 (152.2 previous 7 days)

Lebanon County: Percent Positivity - 14% last 7 days (11.7% previous 7 days) Incidence Rate per 100,000 people last 7 days - 201 (186.9 previous 7 days)

Perry County: Percent Positivity - 9.1% last 7 days (14.7% previous 7 days) Incidence Rate per 100,000 people last 7 days - 97.3 (179.4 previous 7 days)

York County:

Percent Positivity - 15.9% last 7 days (15.3% previous 7 days)

last 7 days (15.3% previous 7 days)

Incidence Rate per 100,000 people last 7 days - 228.3 (249.2 previous 7 days)

Email Jeff at jpratt@cumberlink.com. Follow him on Twitter @SentinelPratt.

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The public is invited to attend the Nov. 18 premiere screening and community conversation around a film exploring the history of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School.

Home From School: The Children of Carlisle will be presented from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Carlisle Theatre, 40 W. High St., Carlisle.

The evening will begin with the screening followed by a panel discussion about the documentary moderated by Geoff OGara, the producer, writer and director of the film by Independent Lens/Caldera Productions.

The free event is sponsored by WITF, the Cumberland County Historical Society and Dickinson College. Registration is required through an Eventbrite link at https://www.historicalsociety.com/event/home-from-school-the-children-of-carlisle-film-premiere/. Face coverings are required inside the theater.

Home From School follows a delegation of Northern Arapaho tribal members who traveled from Wyoming to Carlisle in 2017 to retrieve the remains of three children who died at the Indian School in the 1880s. The film takes the audience on a journey into the history of Indian boarding schools and a quest to heal generational wounds.

My hope is that viewers will want to travel with us and understand better the impact of the past on the present, the humanity in our subjects and the complex process of healing historic injuries, OGara said.

The Carlisle Indian Industrial School was established in 1879 by Richard Henry Pratt as the first federally funded off-reservation boarding school in the U.S.

Located at Carlisle Barracks, the school became the flagship model for a government-run boarding school system that attempted to assimilate Native American children into white culture.

Tens of thousands of boys and girls were removed from tribal lands and stripped of their languages, traditions and culture.

The public will be encouraged to ask questions of the panelists that include Carlisle Indian School historian and biographer Barb Landis and Darren Lone Fight, an assistant professor of American Studies at Dickinson College.

College archivist Jim Gerencser will also be on the panel to share his insight as co-director of the Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center. For years, teams of Dickinson College students have scanned documents housed at the National Archives into a searchable online platform for scholars, historians and Indian school descendants.

During the summer of 2017, the college developed a focus project on resources related to Indian School students buried in the Carlisle Barracks cemetery. Information from this project was instrumental in helping the Army pinpoint the remains of one of the Northern Arapaho children disinterred from the cemetery.

I hope audience members can better understand the perspective of the Native American communities who were most thoroughly impacted by the whole boarding school movement, Gerencser said. How important it is for them to be able to have their own ceremonies and to have family members returned to their home community.

Dickinson College and the Historical Society helped the documentarys production team research the Carlisle Indian School and the three Northern Arapaho children reclaimed by the tribe.

Im very excited about this, said Cara Curtis, archives and library director at the society. Im hopeful that a lot of community members come out and learn about this. This was not just the history of the past, but also current history. We see this happen every summer. This is what Native communities are processing and going through. Its incredibly emotional at many different levels.

Since 2017, the remains of 21 Indian School students have been disinterred and repatriated to their tribal homelands.

The broadcast premiere of Home From School: The Children of Carlisle will air on WITF-TV on at 9 p.m. Nov. 23. The event is supported by Hoffman Funeral Home & Crematory with additional support from the Second Presbyterian Church of Carlisle and an anonymous Historical Society board member.

Email Joseph Cress at jcress@cumberlink.com.

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Three area residents face charges in Washington County after an alleged shooting incident in which a man's truck was shot multiple times before an altercation.

Casey Halbert, 24, Melton Spencer, 22, and Trenton Brooks, 19, have each been charged with unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action, and first-degree property damage. Additionally, Brooks is charged with fourth-degree assault, and Spencer faces a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm.

According to probable cause statements from the Washington County Sheriff's Office, on Oct. 30, Spencer, Halbert, and Brooks had been riding around together in Halbert's vehicle. A man had reportedly seen the vehicle driving away from his home on Route C after his truck had been shot multiple times.

Spencer, Halbert, and Brooks reportedly returned to the Highway C residence in the vehicle spotted earlier. Upon arrival, Brooks allegedly leaped out of the vehicle and began a physical altercation with a man.

The report states that three witnesses told police that Brooks struck the man and then wrestled him to the ground. The alleged victim reportedly attempted to defend himself until deputies arrived. He received minor scratches on his back from the incident, according to the statement.

Deputies arrived on the scene and stopped the physical altercation. Brooks, Spencer, and Halbert were then placed in handcuffs and transported to the Washington County Jail.

Brooks reportedly agreed to speak to police and stated he had been out shooting road signs with Halbert and Spencer while they were all drinking alcohol and riding around. Brooks stated Halbert and Spencer took him back to a residence on Juno Road and left. When they came back approximately an hour later, he said they informed him that someone was angry because they thought Brooks had shot the truck. Brooks said the person thought he had shot the truck because the alleged victim was now dating his ex-girlfriend.

Brooks reportedly confirmed to police that he did get in a physical altercation with the other man when they arrived at the residence because the man was yelling at him.

Halbert and Spencer reportedly told police that Brooks was with them and shot the truck multiple times as they drove past it.

According to reports, Halbert told police she had been target practicing with Spencer at their residence earlier that day. She said Brooks came over, and the three of them went riding that evening. Halbert stated she was shooting road signs along with Brooks and Spencer while they drove down Route C. She reportedly said Brooks had stated he wanted to shoot out the back window of another man's truck for taking his girlfriend.

Halbert reportedly recalled that she took the rifle and shot at the truck as they drove by the first time but missed the back window. The woman said they turned around, and Brooks got in the bed of the truck. Halbert stated she drove back to the residence, and Brooks shot several times. She said someone called and told them they had been seen shooting at the alleged victim's truck and told them to come back to the residence, so they did. Halbert reportedly said Brooks got out of the vehicle and started fighting with the other man before the police arrived.

Police interviewed Spencer and his recollection of events was about the same as Halbert's. He recalled shooting a gun earlier in the day before shooting road signs with Halbert and Brooks. He also reportedly told authorities that as they neared the alleged victim's house, Brooks mentioned that he wanted to shoot the truck belonging to the other man.

According to the report, Spencer said he drove by the address, and Halbert shot out the window toward the residence. Spencer stated he thought she was shooting at the road sign in front of the home and did not know she was shooting at the truck. According to the statement, Spencer explained that he got out of the vehicle at a turnaround spot just past the residence and switched seats with Halbert.

The report states Halbert then drove back by the residence while Brooks shot at it. Spencer also told police that Brooks missed, so they turned around again in Belgrade and went back. He reportedly recalled Brooks getting in the back of the truck this time, and he was able to shoot at the other man's truck multiple times while Halbert had their vehicle stopped in the middle of the highway.

Police reported that the firearm was located in the back floorboard of the vehicle along with seven spent .22 Cal. LR cartridges. Two more spent cartridges were reportedly located on the highway in front of the alleged victim's truck.

The report states the total cost in damages to the truck would be more than $1,000. Police reportedly located 10 bullet holes in the truck.

Brooks, Spencer, and Halbert were booked on the charges, and $50,000 bonds were set in each case. Brooks and Halbert have since posted their bonds and were released. While on bond, the three subjects are prohibited from having contact with the alleged victim and his property.

A criminal history review showed that Brooks and Halbert have no prior criminal convictions. The search indicated that Spencer was convicted in April of endangering the welfare of a child involving drugs.

Bobby Radford is a reporter for the Daily Journal. He can be reached at bradford@dailyjournalonline.com

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To help meet the countrys growing demand for veterinary technicians, Jefferson College has partnered with the University of Missouri to create a new transfer agreement for veterinary technology students.

The 2+2 agreement allows undergraduate students who earn a two-year associate degree in veterinary technology at Jefferson College to be automatically admitted as juniors at MU to pursue a newly-created bachelors degree in veterinary technology, which can expand their future employment opportunities and improve their upward mobility.

Missouri is an agriculture state, and we are proud of the support we have received from state legislators and the Missouri Farm Bureau, said Dena McCaffrey, president of Jefferson College. This is an example of public universities in Missouri supporting education that encourages workforce development opportunities in a growing field.

Demand for veterinary technicians has grown in recent years, and we are proud to provide new educational opportunities that can keep vet techs engaged and remaining in the profession long term, said Cindy Cravens, director of the Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Technology (BSVT) program at MU. Our graduates will serve Missourians in both rural and urban parts of the state, helping fill the unmet needs in our states workforce.

Veterinary technicians assist veterinarians in caring for both domestic companion animals and large farm animals, aiding with surgeries, farm calls, blood tests and routine care.

The agreement between the institutions, signed in September, allows veterinary technology students at Jefferson College who complete the two-year associate degree program this spring to be eligible to enroll at MU as juniors in Fall 2022. In addition to current and incoming Jefferson College students, the agreement also applies to graduates of Jefferson Colleges two-year veterinary technology program dating back to 1978, the year the program earned American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accreditation.

As our population continues to grow, there has been an increased demand for food production, and therefore a greater need for more veterinarian technicians to help take care of farm animals, said Christopher DeGeare, vice president of instruction at Jefferson College. Also, there has been an increase in the adoption of companion animals since the COVID-19 pandemic began, resulting in more veterinarian appointments. So, this partnership will help meet the growing demand for veterinary technicians.

In addition to veterinary technology, MU and Jefferson College have two plus two transfer agreements with more than 15 other degree programs, including biology, business, communications, engineering, economics, education, health sciences, journalism, nursing and political science. The complete list can be found at https://admissions.missouri.edu/apply-transfers/articulation-agreements-transfer-guides/jefferson/

To learn more about the Jefferson College Veterinary Technology program visit https://www.jeffco.edu/vet-tech

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WASHINGTON (AP)  The Biden administration is encouraging local school districts to host clinics to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to kids and information to parents on the benefits of the shots as the White House looks to speedily provide vaccines to those ages 5 to 11.

First lady Jill Biden and Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy visited the Franklin Sherman Elementary School in McLean, Virginia, on Monday to launch a nationwide campaign to promote child vaccinations. The school was the first to administer the polio vaccine in 1954.

The visit came just days after federal regulators recommended the COVID-19 vaccine for the age group. The White House says the first lady will visit pediatric vaccination clinics across the country over the coming weeks to encourage the shots.

The vaccine is the best way to protect your children against COVID-19, she told parents in the schools cafeteria, after touring a clinic in the gymnasium that vaccinated 260 students. Its been thoroughly reviewed and rigorously tested. Its safe. Its free. And its available for every child in this country, five and up."

At the same time, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona are sending a letter to school districts across the country calling on them to organize vaccine clinics for their newly eligible students. The officials are reminding school districts that they can tap into billions of dollars in federal coronavirus relief money to support pediatric vaccination efforts.

The Biden administration is providing local school districts with tools to help schools partner with pharmacies to administer shots. And it's asking schools to share information on the benefits of vaccines and details about the vaccination process with parents, to counter disinformation surrounding the shots.

The White House is encouraging schools to host community conversations and share fact sheets on the vaccines and is working with the American Academy of Pediatrics to partner local physicians with schools aiming to share science-based information about the shots.

Parenthood and worrying go hand-in-hand  its just what we do, the first lady told parents. So, I cant promise you that the dangers of the world will become any less frightening. Just wait until your kids start driving! But with this vaccine, we can take away at least one of those worries. A big one.

About 28 million kids ages 5 to 11 are newly eligible for shots now that the Pfizer vaccine is approved for the age group. The White House says the federal government has procured enough of the two-dose vaccine for all of them.

A Pfizer study of 2,268 children found the vaccine was almost 91% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infections. The Food and Drug Administration studied the shots in 3,100 vaccinated kids in concluding the shots are safe.

While kids are less likely than adults to develop severe COVID-19, with the delta variant they get infected and transmit just as readily as adults do, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the governments top infectious diseases expert, told a recent White House briefing.

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, at least 94 children ages 5 to 11 have died from COVID-19, more than 8,300 have been hospitalized and more than 5,000 have developed a serious inflammatory condition linked to the virus.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Houston police and fire department officials said their investigation will include reviewing video taken by concert promoter Live Nation, as well as dozens of clips from people at the show.

Officials also planned to review the events security plan and various permits issued to organizers to see whether they were properly followed during the event. In addition, investigators planned to speak with Live Nation representatives, Scott and people who were at the concert.

Izabella Ramirez of Texas City was celebrating her 21st birthday and said that once Scott came on stage, no one could move.

Everybody was squishing in and people were trying to move themselves to the front. You couldnt even lift up your arms, Ramirez said.

Ramirez said a security guard pulled her over the barricade, while her date, Jason Rodriguez, lifted her up.

Everyone was yelling for different things. They were either yelling for Travis or they were yelling for help, Rodriguez said.

On video posted to social media, Scott could be seen stopping the concert at one point and asking for aid for someone in the audience: Security, somebody help real quick.

In a tweet posted Saturday, Scott said he was absolutely devastated by what took place. He pledged to work together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need.

Associated Press writers Jake Bleiberg in Dallas; Randall Chase in Dover, Delaware; and Kristin M. Hall in Nashville contributed to this report.
Grosskreutz said he had gone to the protest in Kenosha to serve as a medic, wearing a hat that said paramedic and carrying medical supplies, in addition to a loaded pistol. He said his permit to carry a concealed weapon had expired and he did not have a valid one that night.

I believe in the Second Amendment. Im for peoples right to carry and bear arms, he said, explaining why he was armed. And that night was no different than any other day. Its keys, phone, wallet, gun.

He said he went into action after seeing Rittenhouse kill a man just feet away  the second person Rittenhouse fatally shot that night.

While Grosskreutz said he never verbally threatened Rittenhouse, Chirafisi, the defense attorney, said that people dont have to use words to threaten others. They can do so by their actions, like running after them down the street with a loaded firearm, Chirafisi said.

On cross-examination, Chirafisi sought to portray Grosskreutz as dishonest in his description of the moments right before he was shot, with Chirafisi asserting that Grosskreutz was chasing Rittenhouse with his gun out. Grosskreutz denied he was chasing Rittenhouse.

Chirafisi also said Grosskreutz lied when he initially told multiple police officers that he dropped his weapon.
The name of U.S. 1 is set to change on Jan. 1, and residents and businesses along U.S. 1 in the Fredericksburg area need to adjust their addresses accordingly.

The Virginia General Assembly approved a bill earlier this year to change any portion of U.S. 1 named after Confederate President Jefferson Davis to Emancipation Highway. The bill, which was sponsored by Del. Josh Cole, DFredericksburg, and signed into law by Gov. Ralph Northam, allowed local officials to establish another name for the highway, as long as it is done before Jan. 1, 2022.

In the Fredericksburg region, U.S. 1 traverses four localities: Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, Spotsylvania and Stafford. The highways name will be different in each locality.

Fredericksburg: Emancipation Highway

Caroline: U.S. 1

Spotsylvania: Patriot Highway

Stafford: Richmond Highway (except the Falmouth stretch named Cambridge Street).

The localities will change the small green-and-white intersection signs, but the Virginia Department of Transportation will replace the larger highway signs: four in Caroline and 21 each in Stafford and Spotsylvania.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  Democratic leaders in Virginia conceded Friday that Republicans have won control of the House of Delegates.

The Associated Press has not called all of Virginia's House races yet. But the concession means Republicans would complete an elections sweep in which they also reclaimed the offices of governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.

House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn issued a statement acknowledging the GOP majority shortly after Democratic Del. Martha Mugler conceded defeat in a tight race against Republican challenger A.C. Cordoza in the 91st House district, located in Virginia's Hampton Roads region. With Mugler's concession, Republicans now expect to hold at least 51 seats in the 100-member chamber.

While the results of the election were not in our favor, our work for the people of Virginia goes on, said Filler-Corn.

Garren Shipley, a spokesman for House Republican Leader Todd Gilbert, said Filler-Corn called Gilbert on Friday. The House Republican caucus appreciates her pledge to a smooth transition to the incoming majority, Shipley said.
"Almost, Maine" was a compilation of short stories exploring the different aspects of one of the most difficult emotions to understand: love. (Paul Magdaleno / Daily Titan)
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Two people were killed Monday after a shooting resulted in a multivehicle fire in a Denver neighborhood, according to officials.

Just after 6 a.m., a woman crashed a car into a parked truck in a houses driveway in the 8100 block of East Dartmouth Avenue, causing both vehicles to catch fire, the Denver Fire Department said. After neighbors pulled the woman from the car, they discovered she was suffering from a gunshot wound.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, apparently from the gunshot, the Denver Police Department said.

Police said the car the woman was driving was registered to a house down the street from the crash site. When officers went to the house, they found a man inside also suffering from a gunshot wound.

The man was taken to a hospital in critical condition, police said. He died of his injuries several hours later.

As of Monday afternoon, police had yet to release information about what led up to the shooting or whether there was another person involved; however, police said they dont believe there is an ongoing threat to the general public.

Police said the woman and man were in a relationship and both lived in the house where the man was found. No one else was in the house at the time.

No one else was injured during the incident, police said, including the residents of the house where the woman crashed the car.

Fire officials said they quickly extinguished the fire in the driveway before the blaze was able to reach the house. The official cause of the fire is under investigation.

The investigation into the shooting is also ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can be anonymous and are eligible for a $2,000 reward.

The victims' identities and causes of death will be released by the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner after their families have been notified.
A teenage boy was injured Sunday evening after a shooting broke out in a park in north Denver, according to the Denver Police Department.

Police said the shooting happened just after 7 p.m. at a park around the Elyria-Swansea neighborhood. Police said the victim left the park and they do not know in which park the shooting took place.

The victim was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life threatening.

Police said they do not know what led up to the shooting, but the victim is cooperating with investigators.

No arrests have been made and no suspect information was available as of Monday afternoon.

Anyone with information is asked to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can be anonymous and are eligible for a $2,000 reward.
Bharti Airtel has confirmed in a Bombay Stock Exchange filing that it has transferred 100% of shares in mobile operator AirtelTigo to the government of Ghana.

The transaction closes the Ghanaian states takeover of the operator. CommsUpdate reports that in April this year, the government signed a definitive acquisition agreement with AirtelTigos parent firms Bharti Airtel and Millicom to acquire 100% of the operators agreed liabilities, assets and customers.

While the companies have not disclosed any financial details of the acquisition, earlier this year Ghanas Minister for Communications and Digitalisation Ursula Owusu-Ekuful claimed in a social media post that the Ghanaian state had spent just US$1 to purchase AirtelTigo.

AirtelTigo was created in October 2017 through a merger of Bharti Airtel and Millicoms Ghanaian operations, and at the time of its establishment it was the second largest player in the market. It has since been overtaken by Vodafone Ghana. The countrys National Communications Authority (NCA) recorded AirtelTigo as having a market share of 19.1% at the end of June 2021, with 7.98 million mobile subscribers.
Brazilian regulator Anatel has closed bidding in the countrys multi-band 5G spectrum auction.

The long-awaited auction brought in a total of BRL47.2 billion (USD8.5 billion) in bids, with the 3.5GHz concessions attracting the highest bids  a total of BRL22.79 billion for national permits and BRL7.92 billion for regional permits. The 2.3GHz band brought in BRL9.45 billion, with the 700MHz band generating BRL3.57 billion and the 26GHz band raising BRL3.45 billion.

Brazils three biggest players Claro Brasil, Telefonica Brasil (Vivo) and TIM Brasil were the major spenders, although regional telcos - including Algar Telecom, Brisanet and Sercomtel - also lodged significant bids to obtain licences. Winity Telecom was a major winner in the 700MHz band.

President of the Special Bidding Commission Abraao Balbino e Silva underlined the importance of 5G spectrum to Latin America, saying: We never had an auction with such economic volume involved: privatisation did not yield that, 3G did not yield that, 4G did not yield that.

TeleGeography quoted Silva as saying that of the total bids, around BRL7.44 billion would be converted to goodwill bonds, with the winning bidders required to supply network coverage to pre-selected underserved regions in Brazil.
Two of the worlds leading telecommunications companies, Orange and Vodafone, have made major announcements in the regional press about planned undertakings in Egypts New Administrative Capital.

Firstly, Orange has confirmed plans (mentioned here in February) to build a new $135 million data centre in Egypts new administrative capital. The new facility will host all the smart city platforms of the new city. The new capital city lies just east of Cairo.

Orange is responsible for the new capitals services management centre for five years. The company aims to start the trial operation of the centre early next year.

The Data Centre Dynamics website says that Orange is due to open the first phase of another data centre  in the Al-Awayd area of Alexandria  soon. It also operates a data centre in Cairo.

The Administrative Capital for Urban Development (ACUD), a state-backed company and the new capitals owner and developer, is contracting Oranges regional subsidiary, Orange Egypt.

Also widely reported locally has been news that Vodafone Egypt is in negotiations with the countrys National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) regarding the possibility of undertaking 5G trials in the New Administrative Capital.

Theres little supporting detail available as yet, though Daily News Egypt noted that proposals in this area are currently being studied technically with NTRA regulators, though it was stressed that the two parties were still in the process of studying and exchanging ideas.

Connecting the new capital is not likely to be a simple or low-cost undertaking. We reported in September 2019 that Egypts communications ministry was planning to begin work on what was then estimated to be a $2.44 billion telecommunications network in the first phase of the new capital city.
Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, is currently considering a deal to merge the Saudi Telecom Company (STC) and Zain Saudi Arabias cellular infrastructure in a process that the media outlets Bloomberg and Al Arabiya.net said would create the kingdoms largest cellular company.

Bloomberg sources said that if the deal is completed, it will create a company with 23,000 towers, and it is likely that the Saudi Public Investment Fund will list it on the Saudi Exchange (Tadawul).

The report further said that the merger would reduce overlap in places where both companies own towers, investing in raising coverage and mobile internet speeds more efficient.

In September, Zain KSA's board of directors approved the non-binding offers received from the PIF, Prince Saud bin Fahad bin Abdulaziz, and Sultan Holding Co., to acquire 60%, 10%, and 10% stakes, respectively, in its tower infrastructure, according to a report by Argaam.

The offers estimated the value of 8,069 towers at SAR 3.026 billion ($807 million).

STC, which is majority-owned by the PIF, spun out its more than 15,000 towers into a new subsidiary called Tawal in 2019.

The Saudi Arabia telecom market is expected to register a CAGR of over 10% through 2026, according to a forecast by mordorintelligence.com.
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These are the best ways to protect yourself and the people around you from getting and spreading COVID-19. A layered approach a using multiple prevention methods a provides the strongest protection.

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Get vaccinated

COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk of getting and spreading the virus and provide strong protection against severe illness, hospitalization, and death. If you've received your initial vaccine series or are immunocompromised, you may also be eligible for a booster shot or an additional dose for added protection. Learn more about getting vaccinated at covidvax.alaska.gov.

Wear a mask

Wear a mask indoors in public, especially if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission. When cases are high in your community, this is an important protective measure even if you are vaccinated. You can check the alert level in your community on the COVID-19 cases dashboard.

In general, you do not need to wear a mask in outdoor settings, but you might consider wearing a mask during crowded outdoor activities when you're in close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated.

Use caution when gathering with others

Being around others is important to our health and well-being, but keep in mind that the risk of virus transmission is higher in places like restaurants, bars, fitness centers, or movie theaters.

Protect yourself when cases are high by minimizing time indoors around others, especially in crowded spaces with poor ventilation.

Spend time with others outdoors when you can. Wearing a mask when indoors around others can help protect you and those around you. Consider getting tested before or after an event, like a concert or a large family celebration, especially if it includes older adults or those with significant underlying medical conditions that put them at high risk for serious illness.

Physical distancing  staying 6 feet from others  can also be an important tool. Keeping distance from others is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Wash your hands

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, clean your hands with a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

Cover coughs and sneezes

If you are wearing a mask, cough or sneeze into your mask. Put on a new, clean mask as soon as possible and wash your hands.

If you are not wearing a mask, always cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, or use the inside of your elbow. Immediately wash your hands.

Clean and disinfect

Clean and disinfect high touch surfaces daily, especially if someone in your household is sick or has tested positive for COVID-19. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.

Monitor your health daily

Be alert for symptoms. Watch for fever, cough, shortness of breath, or other symptoms of COVID-19. If symptoms develop, take your temperature and follow CDC guidance. Stay home if you are sick to prevent spreading illness to others.

Focus on your overall health and wellness

Taking care of your mental and physical health can help protect you from severe illness from COVID-19 and other diseases too. Eat healthy foods, get plenty of rest, exercise regularly, and stay connected to friends and family.

Please seek help if you need it. Careline Alaska provides 24/7 mental health support at 1-877-266-4357 (HELP). The DHSS Section of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion offers many free programs to help you improve your overall health and prevent disease.

Resources
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.
But stepping onto Paines campus at age 12 was a big step and she was a little intimidated going to class with people who were sometimes a decade older than she was.

Every day, I was trying to figure out how to fit in, Lee said. Eventually, she developed friendships and saw how amazing some of her classmates could be. Her student government will serve as the liaison between students and faculty and staff.

We have many superstars with us present today, Lee said. Each student enrolls at Paine College to have someone that encourages them to go beyond and above and reach their full potential.

She credits those students and the Historically Black College and University experience with helping her grow since she enrolled but never thought back then she would become a leader.

I just thought I was going to be in the background because I didnt know how people would listen to somebody younger than them, Lee said. I didnt know how that would work.

She knows she would not be where she is without the strong role played by her family.

God has certainly blessed me with a wonderful family, Lee said. I would not be here today without their support.
The YWCA provides community services with the special mission of elevating women and addressing racism issues. Rhodes said it is the largest provider of gender-based services for victims of domestic violence. The organization also helps with workforce development programs and housing needs.

Essentially, what we do is when we see a community need, which typically is in underserved communities and lets call it what it is, Black and brown communities, we partner with the communities. We dont tell communities what they need. We partner with them so they get the resources they need to move from a space of surviving to thriving, Rhodes said.

The facility will be a multimillion dollar project and Warrick expects to begin fundraising at the first of the year, though she said donations are welcomed now. The school is now working with architects to form the plans for the new facility as well as for the renovation of Winsborough Hall, the residence hall Malone Jones lived in.
China is strengthening checks of cultivation processes and production sites to ensure food safety, according to the Vietnam Sanitary and Phytosanitary Notification Authority and Enquiry Point (SPS Vietnam).

It conducts these checks at Vietnamese enterprises three times a week, Le Thanh Hoa, director of SPS Vietnam, said at a recent forum on adapting to Chinas new farm and food import regulations.

Nguyen Lan Huong, chairwoman of Hoa Viet International Agriculture Joint Stock Company, said under a new food safety regulation, Vietnamese enterprises should not have dogs at their facilities. But most Vietnamese production plants have dogs for protection, she pointed out.

Vietnamese government agencies should establish centers and working groups to guide enterprises and cooperatives on how to meet Chinas new regulations, she said. "We are ready to pay to receive specific guidance on this issue".

Vo Quan Huy, director of An Huy Company, proposed that the agriculture ministry should set up a center to disseminate information about Vietnams major markets to assist producers and exporters.

It should also have more specific policies for crops that are exported in big volumes to China through land borders, he said.

Exports in the first 10 months of the year rose by nearly 17 percent year-on-year to over $267.9 billion, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. China was the second largest market with exports worth $44.7 billion.
A U.S. citizen formerly residing in Vietnam has received a nine-year jail term for attempting to engage in sexual conduct with a Vietnamese boy.

The sentence was handed out to Joseph Ricky Park, 66, by a U.S. federal court on Oct. 28, the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City stated Monday. He also received a lifetime of supervised release for the crime.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations at the U.S. Consulate General in HCMC (HSI/HCMC) in partnership with the Diplomatic Security Service at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi had led the investigation with assistance from other HSI field offices and Vietnams Ministry of Public Security.

The Department of Justice, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section prosecuted the case in Washington, D.C.

According to the verdict, in January 2015, Park invited three Vietnamese boys to his apartment under the guise of English language instruction.

Once inside, he initiated inappropriate sexual contact with one of the boys, then 11, who later disclosed the abuse to officials at the Public Security Ministry, and to HSI during a forensic interview.

In January 2016, Park was indicted by a federal court for "engaging or attempting to engage in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place," and was subsequently arrested by HSI Guam in February 2016 and removed to Washington, D.C.

Park appealed his indictment but remained in custody throughout the legal process, which was resolved when he pleaded guilty in February this year.

Court documents showed Park has multiple prior convictions for offenses against minors. In 1987, he was convicted in Connecticut of two counts of injury or risk of injury to children and one count of sexual assault for which he received a 10-year sentence. In 2003, he was convicted of attempted corruption of a minor in Cuba and served more than two years in prison.
The Organization of American States, or OAS, resoundingly adopted a resolution expressing alarm at the ongoing deterioration of the political and human rights situation in Nicaragua and at the Government of Nicaraguas efforts to subvert the electoral process.

The October 20 OAS resolution called for the immediate release of presidential candidates and political prisoners, urged the Nicaraguan government to implement electoral reforms to allow free and fair elections, and pledged as necessary to undertake further action in accordance with the OAS Charter and the Inter-American Democratic Charter, including an assessment of the November 7 elections in Nicaragua at the 51st regular session of the OAS General Assembly.

The OAS resolution comes after years of rights abuses by the regime of President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice-President Rosario Murillo. They have waged a campaign of repression against civil society, journalists, and political opponents. Hundreds of Nicaraguans have been imprisoned for political reasons; more than 100,000 others have fled the country. In August, the regime struck a major blow to any remaining hope for democratic elections by disqualifying the countrys main opposition party from running in the November 7 elections.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken applauded the OAS resolution, noting that it underscored the emphatic condemnation by member states of President Ortega and Vice-President Murillos undemocratic electoral process and ongoing repression.

Bradley Freden, U.S. Interim Permanent Representative to the OAS, said the resolution sent a clear message to President Ortega and Vice President Murillo that their actions will not be tolerated by countries in the Americas.

Sergio Ramirez, an acclaimed novelist now living in exile in Spain, is one of the leaders of Nicaraguas Sandinista revolution who, along with Daniel Ortega, helped overthrow Anastasio Somozas dictatorship in 1979. In a recent interview with the Havana Times newspaper, Ramirez said, [Ortega] could have gone down in history as a revolutionary leader, but hes going to be judged as a tyrant . . . The ideological color doesnt matter -- without a doubt, hes a dictator.

As U.S. Interim Permanent Representative Freden said, Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo do not have the consent of the Nicaraguan people to turn Nicaragua into a one-party, family-run dictatorship. The United States, he declared, will continue to use all of our diplomatic and economic tools to hold accountable those who undermine the ability of Nicaraguans to freely choose their future.
The State Department has announced two rewards for information regarding Pakistani national and human smuggler Abid Ali Kahn.

The first reward of up to $1 million is offered for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Ali Khan, while a second $1 million reward is offered for information leading to the financial disruption of Ali Khans human smuggling network.

Ali Khan allegedly operates a Pakistan-based smuggling network that facilitates the travel of undocumented individuals into the United States from the Middle East and southwest Asia in exchange for payment. In addition to planning and coordinating the international travel from Pakistan through multiple countries, Ali Khan allegedly provided false documents for foreign nationals to use for travel.

Smuggling organizations like Ali Khans take advantage of vulnerable populations and gravely endanger the individuals being smuggled. Persons smuggled to the United States are often subject to perilous travel through South and Central America, which can involve many days of walking through difficult terrain with little food or water, with many falling victim to robbery and abuse during the journey.

On April 7, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed a federal indictment filed in the Eastern District of Virginia charging Ali Khan with Conspiracy to Encourage and Induce an Alien to Unlawfully Enter the United States, Encouraging and Inducing an Alien to Unlawfully Enter the United States, and Bringing an Alien to the United States.

Also in April, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions against Ali Khan and the Ali Khan Transnational Criminal Organization pursuant to Executive Order 13581 Blocking Property of Transnational Criminal Organizations, stemming from the same criminal conduct.

These rewards are offered under the State Departments Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program. More than 75 transnational criminals and major narcotics traffickers have been brought to justice under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program and the Narcotics Rewards Program since 1986, with the Department paying more than $150 million in rewards to date.

To come forward with information on Abid Ali Khan, you may email abid_khan.tips@ice.dhs.gov, call 1-802-872-6199, or send a text via WhatsApp to +1-786-583-5997.

These reward offers demonstrate the United States commitment to combat transnational crime and bring major fugitives who operate outside the United States to justice.
ELKO  Gold Standard Ventures Corp. is hoping that the companys South Railroad Project will be permitted as a gold mine by the end of 2022, and the company is looking at two potential public road accesses to the site south of Interstate 80 on the Carlin Trend.

Gold Standards chief operating officer, Larry Radford, told Elko County Commissioners he wanted to let them know about the road routes while the official U.S. Bureau of Land Managements environmental impact statement process is in progress.

Permitting of the project is underway with the BLM, and we hope by the end of next year it will be permitted, he said.

Radford reported that the mine operations will all be in Elko County and will employ 300 people. The construction phase will require an additional 200 jobs.

He said that although the order under the Trump administration requiring that BLM complete an EIS within one year of starting has been rescinded under the Biden administration, he has faith in the Elko BLM Districts efforts.

I am confident it can be done by the end of next year, Radford said.

One option for access to the mine site would be from Elko via Bullion Road and out to South Railroad. The other option would be to drive around South Fork Reservoir and intersect Bullion Road.

Radford said the second route is a little easier and would affect less residential areas.

He told commissioners at their Nov. 3 meeting that if they had opinions on the public road routes, he would like to hear them as the permitting process moves along.

Commissioner Delmo Andreozzi said the economic benefits of the project, including jobs and net proceeds of mines taxes, would be a great thing for the county, and both routes are public, so he had no disagreement.

The bottom line is to be a good neighbor, which could involve looking at amounts of traffic and hours of operation, Andreozzi said. I look forward to the record of decision and the overall economic benefits.

Commission Chairman Jon Karr said that because the South Railroad property is great mule deer habitat he assumed Gold Standard would be working with the BLM on habitat.

South Railroad is located near the inactive Immigrant and Rain mines on a large land package on the Carlin Trend that Radford said is second only to the Carlin Trend holdings of Nevada Gold Mines.

Plans call for an open pit, heap leach operation. The package is 51,892 acres.

Elko County Commissioners earlier this year approved a memorandum of understanding to be participants in the EIS process on the South Railroad Project. That MOU stated that the expected mine life of the South Railroad mining operations would be 10 years.

Gold Standard Ventures is based in Vancouver but has an office in Elko. 

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LAS VEGAS (AP)  A state attorney asked a federal judge Friday for a quick hearing and ruling about the constitutionality of Nevadas execution procedure, saying a drug that officials want to use for condemned killer Zane Floyds lethal injection will expire in late February.

But U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware II did not promise to accelerate the pace of his review.

We need to continue to expedite this case, Chief Deputy Nevada Attorney General Randall Gilmer told the judge, who plans at least three days of hearings this month and possibly more next month amid challenges by Floyds attorneys of the method, the personnel and the drugs that would be used to kill him.

Floyd, a convicted mass killer, is fighting on several fronts to avoid becoming the first Nevada inmate put to death in 15 years. Other challenges by his team of federal public defenders are pending in the Nevada Supreme Court, in state court in Las Vegas and before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

Friday's hearing was largely about scheduling. Floyd's attorney, David Anthony, noted the timeline  including requirements for a state judge to issue a death warrant  suggests that no execution could be carried out this year.

Gilmer told Boulware a window closes after the Feb. 28 expiration date for the anesthetic ketamine. Prison officials have no reasonable belief that well be able to purchase additional drugs, the state attorney said.

Lawyers for ketamine manufacturer Hikma Pharmaceuticals have called for Nevada to return some 50 vials of the drug that it has obtained. They have threatened to sue if the state goes forward with plans to use it in an execution.

Hikma won a similar fight in 2018 over Nevada's plan to use the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl in the execution of Scott Raymond Dozier, a twice-convicted murderer who killed himself in prison in January 2019.

Nevadas execution procedure, or protocol, calls for using ketamine among three or four drugs, also including fentanyl, heart-stopping potassium chloride and perhaps a muscle paralytic called cisatracurium.

Gilmer acknowledged that no one involved in the current process has any experience with an execution.

New people, using an entirely new protocol thats never been used before, the state attorney said. Nevada has not executed anybody for a very long time.

The last person put to death in Nevada was Daryl Mack in 2006 for a 1988 rape and murder in Reno. His execution was at a state prison in Carson City that has since closed. Mack asked for his sentence to be carried out.

Floyd, 46, was convicted and sentenced to die for killing four people and wounding a fifth in a 1999 shotgun attack at a Las Vegas grocery store. His execution would be at a state prison in Ely, where a new lethal injection chamber has remained idle since it was completed in 2016 at a cost of $860,000.

Boulware in June put the brakes on executing Floyd to review the constitutionality of what he summarized Thursday as the protocol itself, how it is administered, and the drugs.

A state court judge in Las Vegas who had issued a death warrant to schedule Floyds lethal injection last summer followed with a formal order in July postponing the execution to allow time for appeals to be heard.

That case has been transferred to a different Clark County District Court judge, who has scheduled her first hearing in the case Nov. 12.

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The ASEAN Secretariat issued an announcement on Nov. 2 that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement had reached the necessary threshold to come into force. When the agreement takes effect on Jan. 1, 2022, those countries that have submitted instruments of ratification/acceptance (IOR/A) to the ASEAN Secretariat will be able to access the benefits of the agreement, which includes six ASEAN member states  Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam  and four non-ASEAN signatory states  China, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia.

Joining the RCEP was yet another step taken by China to further expand its process of opening-up since its entry into the WTO, and it demonstrates Chinas resolve to continuously expand opening-up while pushing forward mutual benefits and win-win results, experts and scholars told Peoples Daily Online recently. When the RCEP takes effect, it is expected to inject renewed certainty for the continued economic growth of countries within the region as well as for countries of the wider world.

In November 2020, the RCEP member states formally signed the agreement, which covers a significant share of the worlds population, economy and trade, and has shown great potential for future development. The establishment of the RCEP will create an integrated largescale market comprising around one third of the global economy. The RCEP plays a positive role in helping China to accelerate its new development pattern revolving around dual circulation while propelling the global economic recovery.

RCEP is the worlds largest free trade zone, covering a population more than four times that covered by the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and an economic size that is twice that under the CPTPP, said Cui Fan, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics based in Beijing. The RCEP will play a significant role in improving regional value chains and boosting global economic recovery in the post-pandemic era, he pointed out.

The RCEP agreement is different from other big trade agreements in that its member states have a comparatively large economic development gap and strong industrial complementarities, said Ma Yingying, an assistant researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences global economy and politics research institute. Once the RCEP agreement takes effect, tariffs on 91 percent of commodities will be phased out. This, together with the establishment of common rules for the service trade and international investment, will largely facilitate a boost in trade throughout the zone.

One benefit the RCEP agreement will bring about after it takes effect is that it will give consumers a wider range of cost-effective imported commodities to choose from. According to an agreement signed between China and Japan under the RCEP framework, the proportion of Japanese products that China will import with exemptions from tariffs is set to skyrocket from 8 percent to 86 percent.

Given that the RCEP agreement puts forward requirements and makes commitments for lowering or exempting tariffs, it is expected to reduce the prices of imported commodities and introduce new products from various countries into domestic markets, said Ma.

After the RCEP agreement takes effect, it will see more high-quality goods and services from around the world flow into the Chinese consumer market, said Cui Weijie, deputy director of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce. He added that the RCEP agreement will also help to drive the consumption upgrading of the domestic market, effectively improving the ability of the supply system to meet the demand of the domestic market, and unleashing Chinas huge consumption potential.
President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech via video at the opening ceremony of the fourth China International Import Expo and the Hongqiao International Economic Forum on Thursday, Nov 4, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

Xi's remarks at CIIE championing global engagement resonate far and wide

President Xi Jinping's remarks at the opening of the fourth China International Import Expo, or CIIE, on Thursday come as yet another sign of the country's openness to engage with the world and pursue true multilateralism for the common good, observers said.

They were also encouraged by the depth of China's commitment to help developing countries and the president's reassurance on China's role as a reliable trade partner. Xi's comments at the trade event gave hope to people around the world as pandemic-battered economies move toward recovery.

Muhammad Faisal, a research fellow at the China-Pakistan Study Centre at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, said Xi's speech came at an important time, as 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of China's joining the World Trade Organization.

"The key message of President Xi's important speech was that China aims to be the market for the world and it remains open to engage with the world," he said. "The fourth CIIE highlights the fact that the Chinese market remains full of potential for those wishing to do business with Chinese companies."

The president, in his speech, noted that the world "is experiencing the combined impacts of major changes and a pandemic both unseen in a century".

"Unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise, and economic globalization is facing headwinds," Xi said.

"We must stay on top of the prevailing trend of economic globalization, and support countries around the world in opening up wider while rejecting unilateralism and protectionism. This is significantly important if we are to take humanity to a better future."

For a country like Pakistan, these words are encouraging, and the CIIE serves as an important platform to connect with Chinese businesses.

"President Xi also acknowledged the importance of engaging with developing countries to promote South-South cooperation," Faisal said.

He also noted China's desire to promote high-quality development for the Belt and Road Initiative, which he says Pakistani companies can link with to meet their needs as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship project of the initiative.

Dennis Munene, executive director of the China-Africa Center at the Africa Policy Institute, said that China, which managed to grow its economy in 2020 thanks to its effective response to the pandemic, has seen its image rise overseas.

More and more countries are embracing the spirit of building a community with a shared future for mankind, as evidenced by the increased number of exhibitors at the expo in Shanghai, Munene said.

This year's expo, which ends on Nov 10, has drawn about 3,000 exhibitors from 127 countries and regions.

Furkan Halit Yolcu, a research assistant at Sakarya University-Middle East Institute in Turkey, said Xi gave a reassuring speech, with the academic saying China has been "a reliable and accountable country for international trade".

In his speech, Xi reiterated that China is a firm believer in backing its words with actions, outlining the progress the country has made since the third CIIE. These achievements include the introduction of the cross-border trade in services at the Hainan Free Trade Port, reform and innovation for pilot free trade zones, and the continued expansion of access for foreign investors.

The president referred to China's opening-up several times with an assuring tone of leadership, Yolcu said. "The Chinese welcoming of the new international partnerships was a certain point that he wanted to make as he invited international companies to invest in China for business," said Yolcu.

Kamaruzaman Bin Yusoff, a Middle East political analyst and former professor of Middle Eastern politics at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in Johor, said Xi's speech "shows how China is really serious about helping others, especially developing countries, to flourish and keep up with global challenges".

Xi also pledged that China will take an active role in negotiations on issues covering the digital economy, trade and the environment, industrial subsidies and state-owned enterprises, among others, as the main channel for international rules-setting to safeguard the stability of global industrial supply chains.

'Lead the change'

Yolcu noted Xi's mention of the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement, established between New Zealand, Chile and Singapore. The academic said the agreement which China is seeking to join is important as it shows that China "is ready to lead the change in the ways that international trade is conducted".

"As the current system is fueling the already-developed markets while exploiting the underdeveloped ones, the digital economy initiative is regarded as a remedy for reducing the loss of profit for the less developed parties that occurs in the international transfer of goods," said Yolcu.

He said the president sought to reach an international audience with a firm stance in support of global cooperation.

Yusoff added: "Western powers must accept the good intentions of China to work hand-in-hand to keep the world safe and achieve sustainable development."

Liu Hongjie in Beijing contributed to the story.
Representatives of the agricultural sector of Hoa Binh province and import-export enterprises at the ceremony to export the first batch of sugarcane to Germany. (Photo: nhandan.com.vn)

The sugarcane was shaved and cut into 35cm pieces and frozen, in addition to ensuring the food safety standards of the European Union, before being transported to Germany.

The sugarcane was produced by Tung Duong Agricultural and Forestry Service Cooperative, purchased and packed by Tien Ngan Trading Investment Company,and exported by Fusa Fertilizer JSC.

The 10-tonne batch of of Hoa Binh sugarcane is expected to arrive in Germany in 40 days.

Additional 44 tonnes of sugarcane is scheduled for export to Germany in December this year.

Director of Hoa Binh Plant Protection and Cultivation Department Nguyen Hong Yen said that sugarcane must meet strict inspection on microorganisms, insects, soil, nitrate residues, and pesticide residues to be eligible to enter the German market. Therefore, the Vietnamese side must strictly comply with food safety regulations from planting and harvesting to preliminary processing, packaging, storage and transportation.

In addition to sugarcane, Hoa Binh province also exports other agricultural products to foreign markets, particularly Cao Phong oranges  a famous brand within the domestic market for years. Since the beginning of this year, the province has also export about 293 tonnes of banana to China and the Republic of Korea.

Standard Chartered: Vietnam- a priority destination among emerging economies

Standard Chartered Bank has identified the nation as one of the priority destinations among emerging economies due to its development potential and open-door policy, reported VOV News.

Standard Chartered Bank has identified Vietnam as one of priority destinations among emerging economies thanks to its development potential and open-door policy (Photo:baodautu.vn)

These remarks were made by Jose Vinals, group chairman of the bank, during the course of a dialogue with Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien held within the framework of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinhs recent trip to COP26 in Glasgow, the UK.

Minister Dien stated that the country will devise necessary institutions in a bid to reinforce the internal strength of the national economy and raise the competitiveness of Vietnamese enterprises. These institutions will thereby help businesses to take full advantage of various free trade agreements (FTAs), particularly in export activities whilst meeting the needs of the domestic market.

Furthermore, the Vietnam Ministry of Industry and Trade will move to speed up digital transformation in all production fields and trade, whilst also pursuing a sustainable development model. Vietnamese industrial policy orientations include seeking cleaner, greener production and using energy in a more economical and efficient manner. This is in addition to the development of basic and supporting industries based on achievements of Industry 4.0.

Minister Dien incentivised investors to build projects in line with the nations overall industrial development strategy.

In response, Vinals highlighted Standard Chartereds investment ability to promote technology transfer whilst simultaneously contributing economic benefits to the country.

Moreover, there remains an opportunity for the nation to become one of the world's important factories, with the country able to participate intensively in the global value chain.

He went on to express his confidence that his bank's investment strategy is compatible with Vietnamese priority development areas.

Standard Chartered is one of the first five international banks to be present in the nation, officially operating a local branch back in 2009.

Standard Chartered Bank was voted the best priority bank in Vietnam by International Finance Magazine in 2017 and 2018, the best e-retail bank in Vietnam in 2018 and 2019, and the best foreign retail bank in Vietnam in 2021.

Mother language training courses help promote Vietnamese culture abroad

The second course for Vietnamese teachers in Europe and North America kicks off virtually on November 6. (Photo: baoquocte.vn)

One hundred and fifty teachers from 10 countries and territories in the Asian  Australia region have successfully completed a Vietnamese language training course hosted by the Foreign Ministry's State Commission for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (COVA), reported Vietnam News Agency.

In his speech at the closing ceremony on November 7, Director of the COVA's Department of Information and Culture Dinh Hoang Linh said the course is the first in the framework of a programme on training overseas Vietnamese teachers in teaching the Vietnamese language in 2021.

During nearly one month of the course, trainees were equipped with pedagogical skills, formal and professional Vietnamese teaching methods, and more knowledge about Vietnamese culture and history. They were also provided with teaching materials from experienced lecturers at Vietnamese universities.

Previously on November 6, the second course of this kind for Vietnamese teachers in Europe and North America kicked off virtually, with the participation of nearly oversea 130 teachers from Austria, Poland, Belarus, Belgium, the US, Canada and Germany.

Addressing the event, Ambassador Luong Thanh Nghi, Deputy Chairman of COVA affirmed that the committee always pays attention to the teaching and learning of the Vietnamese language in Vietnamese communities abroad.

At the closing ceremony of the first course on November 7. (Photo: VNA)

This is an important task to help overseas Vietnamese communities preserve the cultural identity and traditions, contributing to popularizing the Vietnamese language and culture abroad.

Professional training courses in teaching Vietnamese language for overseas teachers is an annual activity conducted by the committee since 2013. So far, nearly 400 teachers have completed both face-to-face and online training courses.

According to Nguyen Van Son, a Vietnamese language teacher in the Czech Republic, Vietnamese association in the Czech have actively maintained the popularization of Vietnamese language to children with the support of the Vietnamese Embassy and volunteer teachers.

He expressed his hope that the Vietnamese Party and Government will pay more attention to promoting the teaching and learning of the Vietnamese language abroad.

On the occasion, a seminar was held to discuss measures and share experience to promote teaching and learning the Vietnamese language abroad and remove difficulties in implementing the programme.

Vietnam ranks high in girls participation in political life and policies

The 2021 Asia-Pacific Girls Report: Voice, Choice and Power, a follow-up to Plans groundbreaking 2020 report about girl and young women leaders in the region affirmed that Vietnam is among the leading countries in Asia in ensuring the participation of girls in political life and policies.

Photo for illustration. (Source: baodantoc.vn)

The aim of the study is to measure opportunities of adolescent girls and young women in the region using a Girls Leadership Index with six different domains: education, health, economic opportunities, protection, political voice and representation, and laws and policies.

Among 19 Asian countries, Vietnam ranks 4th in the overall Girls Leadership Index with a score of 0.712, decreasing from that of 0.721 in 2020 Girls Leadership Index. However, Vietnam tops in Laws and Policies and ranks second in Political Voice and Representation domains.

Laws and Policies score is the result of evaluating inheritance, equal pay, sexual harassment, child marriage, and domestic violence. Vietnams Laws and Policies score is 1.000, ranking in the top of Asia with Thailand and the Philippines.

Vietnams Political Voice and representation score of 0.773 is calculated based on evaluation of representation, justice, and registration in the country, coming second after Singapore in Asian countries group.

Besides these two, Vietnams GLI also witnesses improvement in Health (ranked 8th) and Education (ranked 6th) domains compared to the 2020 index. While its Protection score remains unchanged, Vietnams Economic opportunities score slightly decreased, ranking 10th in the region.

The 2021 Asia-Pacific Girls Report highlights that youth activism in Asia-Pacific is critical for ensuring gender equality, leadership and promoting advocacy messages, emphasizing governments and civil society must do their part to support girls and young women in developing and using their voice.

We must create a safe, inclusive and open space for them to use their voice, spread their message of ensuring equal rights for all and develop their collective and individual power, said BhagyashriDengle, Regional Director, Plan International Asia-Pacific Hub./.




Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh arrives at Orly airport in Paris, France on November 3. (Photo: VNA)

By participating in the conference, Vietnam has reaffirmed its strong message to all international friends about a responsible and proactive Vietnam in handling one of the common challenges, also the most concerning issue  climate change, Dung told the press on the outcome of the PMs six-day Europe tour.

It reflected the country's external policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation, and that Vietnam is an active and responsible member of the international community, Dung said.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, the UK. (Photo: VNA)

PM Chinhs commitment related to net zero emissions by 2050, joining the Global Methane Pledge and the Glasgow Declaration on forests and land use showed the countrys determination and political commitment in responding to climate change.

The proposals that PM Chinh put forth at COP26 were welcomed and supported by other countries, he said, adding that this opened up many opportunities for Vietnam to strengthen cooperation with other nations and partners in finance, technology transfer and capacity building to support Vietnam's efforts to respond to climate change.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has affected external activities and international exchanges over the past two years, the fact that the PM and the Vietnamese delegation had more than 20 meetings and with senior leaders of countries around the world, including strategic partners and leaders of international financial institutions and environmental organisations, have helped promote cooperation between Vietnam and other countries, the deputy minister said.

It contributed to consolidating solid external relations, creating favourable conditions for the maintenance of peace, stability and development of the country, Dung stressed.

He went on to say that: This is also an opportunity for us to deploy vaccine and health diplomacy, mobilise resources, including finance and technology, actively contribute to COVID-19 prevention and control and socio-economic recovery towards sustainable, green and inclusive growth.

As both the UK and France are big countries in the world, permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, members of the G7 Group, and strategic partner of Vietnam, the PMs visits to the two countries achieved many important targets, practical results and strategic significance, the deputy minister said.

During their meetings and talks, leaders of the two countries said they treasured Vietnam's role and position. They agreed on major orientations, and assigned ministries and sectors to implement specific cooperation measures to deepen cooperation with Vietnam in all fields in a more substantive and effective manner.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (the sixth from left, second row) witnessed the signing of cooperation deals between businesses of Vietnam and the UK. (Photo: VNA)

The Vietnamese PM and leaders of the UK and France pledged to soon promote high-level visits, soon resume cooperation mechanisms between ministries and localities as well as trade and travel between the two countries.

At the same time, they agreed to make efforts to strengthen cooperation in economic recovery and development, create favourable conditions for goods to access each other's markets, and take advantage of free trade agreements between Vietnam and the European Union and the UK, focusing on promoting clean energy projects, organic agriculture, digital economy and innovation.

Leaders of the UK and France shared and supported Vietnam on international issues such as response to climate change; security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation based on compliance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Dung said.

The deputy FM said PM Chinhs visits also obtained impressive results in trade and investment promotion activities with the signing of nearly 60 Memoranda of Understanding on cooperation with a total pledged investment of over 30 billion USD.

The cooperation focuses on the sectors of renewable energy, digital economy, digital transformation, environment, infrastructure development, planning, aerospace industry, prevention and control of diseases, agriculture and tourism.

Business forums held in the UK and France attracted the participation of nearly 450 big European companies. Leaders of these companies expressed their joy with the PMs message that Vietnam has moved into a phase of safe and flexible adaptation, effective control of COVID-19, accompanying and creating favorable conditions so that companies can feel confident about investing and doing long-term business in the country

According to Dung, health cooperation and vaccine diplomacy, the mobilisation of partners to support Vietnam in pandemic control are at the centre of the PMs visits.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (right) shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron on November 4. (Photo: VNA)

France announced an additional aid of nearly 1.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine through the bilateral channel and the COVAX Facility, bringing its total donation to over 2 million doses, while the UK said it will help Vietnam to improve its medical capacity, technology transfer for the production of COVID-19 vaccine.

In general, the six-day Europe tour of PM Chinh and the high-ranking delegation was very successful, achieving comprehensive and specific results, realizing the foreign policy of the 13th National Party Congress of independence and self-reliance for peace, friendship, cooperation and development, helping to realise the aspiration for the development of a prosperous and happy country, he said./.
CAIRO, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- From Syrian olive oil to Turkish coffee and Israeli hi-tech equipment, companies from the Middle East are passionately promoting their products at the ongoing China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, with high expectations for increasing their market presence.

Nearly 3,000 businesses from 127 countries and regions are participating in the world's first import-themed national-level expo, whose fourth edition ends on Nov. 10.

IDEAL PLATFORM

"The CIIE is without a doubt the best platform to promote our technology and our company," said Ivan Melnikov, CEO of Beer Itzhak Energy (BIE) Group Headquarter in China.

BIE -- an Israel-based family business -- is no stranger to the expo, making its first appearance in 2019, after which the company established a presence in Shanghai. Today its business in China covers infrastructure, energy, venture capital and sci-tech innovation.

According to Melnikov, the company accumulated more than 400 potential clients by attending the expo in the last two years. "Trying to achieve this effect through other commercial means of promotion would have cost us millions of dollars," he said.

Comparing the CIIE to a "window" for foreign companies, he said the expo offers a chance for businesses to communicate directly with more Chinese buyers and develop a strategy that fits the Chinese market.

Syria's Near East Olive Products has taken part in the past three editions of the CIIE. Yassin Diab, a regional sales manager of the olive oil export company, said the expo has been a game-changer for the company's business in China.

Previously, it only focused on exporting raw material to China. After attending the first edition of the event in 2018, the company saw great potential in the Chinese market, and registered two local brands to better reach Chinese consumers.

Taking part in the expo through agents this year, Diab expressed hope that his Chinese partners will help expand the reach of his goods. "We are looking forward to having China as our main export destination."

Ramazan Tuzen, a Turkish businessman running a shop in Shanghai, has been doing business in China for the past 12 years. Having taken part in the previous editions of the CIIE, Tuzen said the expo enables him to increase the sales of his Turkish specialty products and expand his business.

Handcrafts items, jewelry, carpets and colorful lights are among the most popular products in China, he said, adding that he aspires to grow his business to cover more Chinese cities.

VAST MARKET

The active participation of foreign companies at the CIIE mirrors their confidence in the Chinese market.

"With the success of China's fight against poverty and the economic development in recent years, Chinese residents have become more and more powerful consumers," Melnikov said.

"We are very optimistic about the Chinese market, and we believe that China's domestic demand will definitely continue to increase," he added.

Murat Kolbasi, chairman of Turkey's Arzum Electrical Home Appliances, said the company will promote its coffee machine at the expo, since "coffee consumption has seen a tremendous rise in China."

He believes that the pandemic has brought about a change in the way of life and people started to spend more time at home. There must be "a large increase in demand for all kinds of electrical home appliances" in China, he said.

Yiftach Brunner, general manager of China subsidiary of Aquestia, said the Israeli company has been operating in China for about 15 years, active mainly in the water industry and water technology with a focus on hi-tech valves.

"The Chinese market and Chinese people are early adopters when it comes to technology," he said. "We believe that when we boost new technology and pioneering product, there is room and there is a lot to do in China."

The company is participating in the CIIE for the first time. Brunner said he looks to boost cooperation with local Chinese firms and also firms from other countries at the expo.

Editor: WXL
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has redirected to Gazprom a question about the filling of Gazprom gas storage facilities in Austria and Germany, given reports that the company has abstained from booking additional gas piping capacities, but said that such actions do not contravene the relevant directive from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Journalists noted at Peskov's press briefing on Monday that Putin tasked Gazprom in October with increasing the amount of gas pumped into its storage facilities in Germany and Austria starting November 8, yet the company has not booked the capacities for pumping gas to Europe. Journalists concluded that the presidential order has not been fulfilled.

"You should ask Gazprom for explanations. It's Gazprom that is in daily contact with counterparties in European countries," Peskov said.

He gave a negative answer to a question whether the Kremlin thinks that Gazprom has been dodging fulfilling Putin's order.

Putin tasked Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller at a meeting on October 27 with increasing the amount of gas pumped into Gazprom storage facilities in Austria and Germany after filling storage facilities in Russia.
Naftogaz asks German regulator to involve it in Nord Stream 2 certification process

Ukraine is asking Germany's Federal Network Agency or Bundesnetzagentur to involve it in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline's certification process, agency spokesperson Fiete Wulff told Interfax.

"The Federal Network Agency can confirm that Ukraine's Naftogaz national joint-stock company and Gas Transmission System of Ukraine LLC have filed a request for invitation to this process," he said.
Ukraine has registered 13,068 new cases of COVID-19, as well as 8,200 recoveries and 473 deaths in the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Health Ministry's press service said on Monday.

"Over the past day, November 7, Ukraine recorded 13,068 new cases of COVID-19 (including 790 children and 145 medical workers), while 85,083 people were vaccinated for COVID-19, including 51,603 persons who received their first shot of vaccine, and 33,480 who completed their vaccination. Also in the past 24 hours, 3,532 persons were hospitalized, 473 died, and 8,200 recovered," the ministry said on Telegram.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Ukraine has seen a total of 3,088,501 coronavirus infections, including 2,520,956 recoveries and 72,557 deaths.

To date, 11,406,284 people have been vaccinated for COVID-19 in Ukraine, among them 11,406,282 persons who have received the first shot of vaccine and 7,938.053 fully vaccinated persons (including two persons who received one shot of vaccine abroad). As many as 19,344,335 shots have been administered.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has given Ukrainians recommendations on the escalation of the armed conflict in Ethiopia, and urged citizens not to go to this country, and those who are already there are advised to exercise caution, the Foreign Ministry's press service said.

"Due to aggravation of the security situation and the imposition of a state of emergency in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends that Ukrainian citizens temporarily refrain from traveling to this country," the statement said.

The Foreign Ministry's press service also recommends that those already in Ethiopia avoid visiting the country's northwestern provinces, restrict movement between settlements, register in the electronic system "Friend", monitor reports on the situation, consider reducing the length of their stay in country.

Also, in case of an emergency, the Ministry recommends contacting Ukrainian diplomats at the Embassy in Ethiopia - +251 (967) 41 90 01 and emb_et@mfa.gov.ua, as well as the round-the-clock hotline of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - 38 044 238 16 57 and cons_or@mfa.gov.ua.
Heads of the diplomatic missions of the European Union (Matti Maasikas, Antti Hartikainen), the North Atlantic Alliance (Vineta Kleine) and the United States (Kristina Kvien) in Ukraine call on the MPs to adopt at the second reading the law on reforming the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

After the successful completion of the reform, the special service will focus on the fight against terrorism, counterintelligence and protection of state secrets, having lost the powers of pretrial investigation, an article written by Western diplomats for the website of Yevropeiska Pravda (European Truth) says.

"A central reform element in the draft law is the gradual termination of SSU [SBU] pretrial investigative powers. This would transform the SSU into a Special Service focused on counterintelligence rather than law enforcement. Pretrial investigative powers would move to law enforcement agencies that are better placed to investigate crimes and operate under stricter oversight than intelligence agencies," the article posted on Monday says.

It says that other key elements in the draft law include the immediate introduction of a temporary parliamentary oversight system (until a dedicated Parliamentary Oversight Committee is established), the downsizing of staff to 20,000 and de-militarization of most of the Service. "There are open questions in the draft law related to the inclusion of far-reaching powers that may infringe on human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as the use of physical force, special means, firearms, and detention facilities; ambiguities in the attestation of SSU staff; and the possibility to appoint redundant SSU staff without competition for positions in other agencies," diplomats added.

They emphasize that the weaknesses mentioned should be addressed, especially during the implementation of key provisions enhancing judicial control and oversight, but should not prevent the Verkhovna Rada from adopting the draft law as soon as possible.

"We call on all political parties in the Verkhovna Rada to seize this historic opportunity and adopt the draft law without delay," the western diplomats summarized.
Eilat is interested in development of cooperation with Nikolaev - The Embassy of Ukraine to the State of Israel

The issue of development of cooperation in the spheres of logistics, port activity, high technologies and tourism between the Israeli city of Eilat and Ukrainian Mykolayiv was the subject of the meeting of the Ambassador of Ukraine Yevhen Korniychuk with the Mayor of Eilat Eli Lankri. The Embassy reported this at Facebook.

The Ambassador provided the Israeli side with information on the economic and investment potential of Mykolayiv. In order to continue working on the development of bilateral relations at the regional level, it was proposed to E.Lancry to work on the establishment of twinning relations between Eilat and Mykolayiv. The mayor supported the above-mentioned initiative and expressed interest in developing cooperation with the Ukrainian city in the fields of logistics, port activities, high technologies and tourism, - the statement reads.

To formalize bilateral cooperation, it was agreed to work with the city authorities of Eilat and Mykolayiv to discuss the exchange of bilateral visits.

The Ambassador also informed the Mayor about the state and prospects of Ukrainian-Israeli relations, the situation in Ukraine, the reform process, legislative initiatives of the Ukrainian authorities aimed at improving the conditions of foreign business in Ukraine, - the Embassy noted.
Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova asks the Georgian authorities to provide a citizen of Ukraine, former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, who has been on hunger strike for 39 days, with proper treatment.

"The health of a citizen of Ukraine, head of the Executive Committee of the National Council of Reforms under the President of Ukraine Mikheil Saakashvili, who has been on hunger strike for 39 days, is rapidly deteriorating. According to the council of doctors who visited Mikheil today in penitentiary facility No.12 in Rustav (Georgia), his state of health unsatisfactory and can change for the worse every minute," Denisova said on Facebook.

Thus, the commissioner called on the Georgian authorities to immediately ensure the transfer of the Ukrainian citizen to a hospital that is equipped to provide emergency resuscitation measures and meets the standards for providing medical care to such patients, taking into account all the recommendations of the council of doctors.

"Due to the dissemination in the media of reports of representatives of the Georgian authorities about the alleged food intake by Mikheil Saakashvili, he refused from November 6, any medications, vitamins and maintenance medicine therapy. Although their list was determined by the head of the medical department of the Special Penitentiary Service and the medical staff of the facility to prevent the onset of deaths. The motivation of Mikheil to give up these medicines is nothing more than a way of depriving him of his life," she said.

Denisova also asks foreign states and international human rights organizations to strongly condemn the actions of Georgian officials who violate the rights of a citizen of Ukraine to life and health.

"I appeal to the Georgian authorities to urgently provide Ukrainian citizen Mikheil Saakashvili with proper treatment that can save his life," she said.
Former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, who has been on hunger strike for 39 days, was transferred from a prison in the city of Rustavi to Gldani without the consent of his relatives and lawyers, MP of the Verkhovna Rada and Saakashvili's common-law wife Yelyzaveta Yasko has said.

"Contrary to the statements of the council of doctors, the Georgian and Ukrainian ombudsmen, the position of Ukraine; he was transferred to the most dangerous place for his life  Gldani!" Yasko said on her Facebook page.

Earlier, Yasko said that Saakashvili was taken out of a prison in the city of Rustavi in an unknown direction.

"About an hour ago, Mikhail was taken out of the prison in an unknown direction. His transfer was not agreed with either his relatives or lawyers," Yasko said.

She also said that Saakashvili is in critical condition, however "how critical, no one can confirm now."

Yasko said that the prison does not provide information about where Saakashvili is now and in which direction he was taken.
On Wednesday, November 10, at 11.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host press conference entitled "Results of first Ukrainian forum 'Architects for communities." Participants include President of the National Union of Architects of Ukraine Oleksandr Chyzhevsky; Director of the state-run enterprise National Infrastructure Projects under the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine Viktor Khlon; assistant to the President of the National Union of Architects of Ukraine Yulia Suprunovych (8/5a Reitarska Street). The broadcast will be available on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine. Due to quarantine restrictions, the number of seats in the press center is limited. Admission of journalists requires registration on the spot.
The state portal and application Diia has completed the transition to Active-Active mode on the basis of two private data centers GigaCloud and DeNovo, the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine reported in the Telegram channel on November 6.

As a result of these works, Diia will operate on the basis of two geographically distributed data centers, which will be connected by two independent optical links and operate in Active-Active mode.

"Also, together with the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection, the Ministry of Finance is building a state data center, which will be used to reserve critical state information systems and registers. We plan to complete it by the end of the year," the press service of the Digital Transformation Ministry told Interfax-Ukraine.

The Diia team hastened the transition to a new fault-tolerant infrastructure and completed it two months earlier than planned.

As reported in April, as a result of these works, Diia will operate on the basis of two geographically distributed data centers, which will be interconnected by two independent optical links and operate in Active-Active mode.
Prince Harry Not Gonna Wear his Military Uniform? (Photo : REUTERS )

Not long from now, Prince Harry will be in New York for a generally excellent reason: On November 10, he'll show up on the Intrepid warship to give out decorations to five U.S. military veterans, as a feature of the Salute to Freedom occasion.



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It bodes well that Harry would be tapped to do this, as his record of both help and backing of veterans is a feature of his magnanimous work. Be that as it may, he will not be permitted to wear his uniform when he distributes these awards-and it's causing somewhat of a contention.



Not long from now, Prince Harry will be in New York for an excellent reason: On November 10, he'll show up on the Intrepid warship to distribute decorations to five U.S. military veterans, as a feature of the Salute to Freedom affair. It bodes well that Harry would be tapped to do this, as his record of both help and backing of veterans is a feature of his magnanimous work. However, he will not be permitted to wear his uniform when he distributes these awards-and it's causing somewhat of a contention.



Harry has been a long-term vocal ally of military veterans, having served in the British Army himself for a considerable length of time, where he rose to the position of Captain and completed two visits to Afghanistan. He additionally established the Invictus Games, a game for injured, harmed, and wiped out assistance individuals to help recuperation, motivation, and "create a more extensive agreement and regard for those who serve their country."



In any case, in spite of this record, at the Salute to Freedom function he'll be clad in a dark suit to distribute the awards, as he isn't permitted to wear his uniform since pulling back from illustrious obligations last year..



As a component of the transition to the U.S. also, out of the imperial spotlight, Harry was deprived of his privileged regal titles remembering Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Honington for Suffolk, Commodore-in-Chief, Small Ships and Diving, Royal Naval Command, and Captain-General of the Royal Marines, was given over to him from Prince Philip. The distribution revealed that forfeiting the titles was essential for the arrangement he and Meghan made to leave imperial obligations, however he had allegedly haggled to attempt to keep them (an arrangement that was in the end struck down).



However, not every person figures he ought to be kept out of uniform. Charles Rae, a previous regal journalist, contended on GB News that Harry's tactical experience ought to be sufficient to permit him to wear the uniform.


The Military Joint Committee between Egypt and Israel agreed to increase the number of Egyptian border guards at the Rafah border area with Israel, the Egyptian Armed Forces announced on Monday.
President Sisi stressed the importance of localising industry and the transfer of technology in all joint ventures with the French side

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed on Wednesday with the French Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire the prospects for maximising France's investments in Egypt, as well as efforts to expand the activities of some of its existing ventures.

The Egyptian president held the talks with Le Maire at his residence in Paris, according to Presidential Spokesperson Bassam Rady,

El-Sisi, who has been on a visit to France since Sunday upon an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron, took part in the Paris Conference to support the Sudanese transition and a summit on financing African economies that were held on 17 and 18 May, respectively.

El-Sisi also held a trilateral summit with Macron and the King of Jordan Abdullah II to discuss means to reach a ceasfire in the Palestinian territories.

The Egyptian president expressed during his meeting with Le Maire his appreciation for the efforts of the French economy and finance ministry in the field of strengthening economic and trade relations between the two countries, the statement said.

In this regard, El-Sisi reviewed the investment incentives associated with the developing business climate in Egypt, in addition to the huge investment opportunities for the French business sector in Egyptian national projects, especially in the transport, energy, water, and health sectors.

France has sizable investments in Egypt, with about 160 French companies operating in the Egyptian market in various fields, Rady noted in previous TV statements.

According to the French Chamber of Commerce in Egypt, the volume of French investments in Egypt exceeds 5 billion Euros, while the volume of trade exchange between the two countries reaches 3 billion Euros annually.

El-Sisi, the statement adds, stressed the importance of localising industry and the transfer of technology in all joint ventures with the French side.

Meanwhile, the French minister affirmed his country's interest in strengthening joint cooperation between the two countries with the aim of providing advanced technology to Cairo in all fields, in addition to encouraging French companies to work and invest in Egypt within the framework of contributing to the advancement of the comprehensive development process underway.

Le Maire stressed that French interest in expanding investments in Egypt comes in light of the positive economic developments that the country has been recently witnessing, including creating an attractive environment for foreign direct investments, taking serious steps forward to facilitate government procedures and licenses related to investment, and encouraging the private sector to participate in many projects.

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Egypt's Deputy Foreign Minister for African Affairs Hamdy Loza discussed at a meeting in Cairo on Tuesday with Chairperson of the National Defense and Armed Forces Committee at the French National Assembly Francoise Dumas and MP Gwendal Rouillard the significant progress in Egyptian-French ties and a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern.

During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on the developments in Libya, Syria and the Palestinian territories, as well as the Sahel region.

For their part, the two French MPs lauded great efforts exerted by Egypt to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as well as the initiative launched by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on the reconstruction of the enclave and offering humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people.

They also probed the latest updates related to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) crisis. Loza reviewed Egypt's stance on the necessity of reaching a legally binding agreement on filling and operating the dam, without harming the rights and interests of the three Nile Basin countries concerned; namely Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.

Le Maire's visit

Earlier Tuesday also Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat discussed with a delegation from the French finance ministry the final details of a new financing package meant to fund priority development projects in several sectors from 2021 through 2025.

The new package comes in culmination of President Abdel Fattah El Sisis visit to France last December, which has given a strong push to relations between the two countries.

The meeting also touched on preparations for the visit of French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire to Egypt, scheduled for June 12-13. The French minister is set to meet with Mashat and a number of Egyptian officials for talks on fields of joint cooperation.

In a statement released Tuesday, Mashat said the new financing package is due to be directed to projects in the transport field, the housing sector, the electricity field and wholesale markets in accordance with the Egyptian government priorities and sustainable development goals.

Mashat emphasised the strength of strategic cooperation relations between Egypt and France, noting in this regard that development financing documents worth 715.6 million were signed during President Sisis visit to France last December.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly held as well a meeting earlier Tuesday with Supply and Internal Trade Minister Ali Moselhi, Finance Minister Mohamed Maait and Mashat, in which he discussed and reviewed the joint projects and the various avenues of cooperation, especially in economic domains between Egypt and France.

The premier said that the meeting aimed to outline a package of projects to be implemented jointly by both countries, stressing the government's keenness to continue providing support and creating a favorable business climate for foreign investments in addition to increasing investment opportunities in Egypt in line with directives by President El-Sisi.

Cabinet spokesman Nader Saad said the meeting took up a number of proposed joint projects covering the sectors of electricity, energy, transport, wholesale markets, housing, sanitation and aviation.

According to official numbers, the current cooperation portfolio between Egypt and France amounts to 1 billion.

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Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly witnessed on Sunday the signing of several cooperation deals between Egypt and France in various fields.

This came after Madboulys meeting with French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, where Finance Minister Mohamed Maait, Transport Minister Kamel El-Wazir, and International Cooperation Minister Rania Al-Mashat, along with other diplomats and officials, were present.

The deals were signed by Al-Mashat, and Le Maire from the Egyptian and French sides respectively.

The deals are expected to provide a financing package worth 1.7 billion Euros, 776 million Euros from the French government and 990 million Euros from the French Development Agency, to fund projects in the fields of transport, housing, electricity, education, and wholesale markets.

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The president urged that this generation of imams should strengthen the states strategy by promoting rational moderate thought and the principles of true religion and to correct misconceptions

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi urged the cultivation of a distinguished generation of enlightened Muslim imams and preachers as he met on Thursday with Religious Endowments Minister Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa.

Sisi urged that this generation of imams should strengthen the states strategy by promoting rational moderate thought and the principles of true religion and to correct misconceptions, a statement by the Presidency read.

The implementation of this strategy comes through the cultivation of this enlightened generation of imams and preachers who can formulate a disciplined religious public opinion, El-Sisi explained.

This should be done in a way that adopts the jurisprudence of reality without failing to preserve the principles of the true Islamic law (Sharia), the president noted.

During the meeting, the endowments minister briefed El-Sisi on the ministrys efforts to intensify communication with moderate religious institutions worldwide to contribute to spreading moderate thought, and achieving global peace.

Gomaa said the ministrys efforts to communicate with these institutions also seek to consolidating the foundations of existence based on mutual respect among peoples and nations and to establish the concept of the national state and the respect of citizenship rights.

El-Sisi urged enhancing the efforts aiming to support the financial conditions of imams and ordered intensifying the high-level scientific and cultural programs they receive.

This includes the training programs for imams in the International Awkaf Academy and in cooperation with the institutions concerned with building awareness, according to El-Sisi.

Over the past few years, El-Sisi has affirmed the need to reform religious discourse as an important element in confronting extremist ideology.

This comes especially amid Egypts battle against terrorism especially in North and Central Sinai. Terror attacks have targeted Christian and Muslim worshippers, police and army forces and civilians.

Officials have frequently affirmed that the challenge of terrorism must be countered through a comprehensive approach that includes security and ideological solutions.

Earlier this week, El-Sisi said the Egyptian state would provide financial support for works of art that develop real awareness of the challenging issues facing the country, including terrorism and the need for the renewal of religious discourse.

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Corruption, instability and mismanagement threaten millions of Africans with famine, and the Middle East is right behind

The UN has been warning of imminent famine in a number of African and Arab countries, unable until present to put together the resources necessary to prevent widespread hunger. This will be the subject of discussion of the UN General Assembly this week.

The UN announced in 2016 a list of areas threatened with famine or near-famine. The list included northeastern Nigeria, southern Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, eastern Syria, Burkina Faso and Tigray in northern Ethiopia.

In every case the famine, which can affect the lives of millions if not tens of millions of people, is man-made, resulting from war, mismanagement, corruption or all three.

Countries on the verge of famine in Africa and the Middle East all share a fragile political situation and the mismanagement of their resources, which in turn have led to civil war, said Nirvana Shawki, regional director for the Middle East at CARE International.

War is the last link in a chain of failures to establish a stable political situation, manage state resources as rationally as possible and fight corruption.

Many developing countries in Africa and Asia are using climate change as an excuse for their failure to deal with the effects of changes such as drought, flooding and desertification. The efficiency of a country in responding to the challenge of climate change is an indicator of its efficiency in resource management and the quality of its economic policies, Shawki said.

The 1984 famine in Sudan is a striking example of what happens when politics takes priority over lifting peoples suffering. Sudanese president Jaafar Numeiri refused to declare his country was stricken with drought and desertification, preferring not to receive international assistance in order to preserve the image of a strong regime. The famine, however, was one of the factors that led to his overthrow the following year after a popular uprising organised by professional unions.

Corruption in Nigeria, which President Muhammadu Buhari admitted was one of his countrys most catastrophic challenges, has resulted in the failure of one of Africas largest armies to terminate the terrorism of Boko Haram.

The terrorist group embarked on attacks starting in 2010 and to this day the army and security forces have not managed to beat it. Even worse, they failed to retrieve tens of girls whom Boko Haram kidnapped. This failure embarrassed the Nigerian authorities, and resulted in former president Jonathan Goodluck losing the 2015 elections.

The damage of Boko Haram expanded with its proliferation in neighbouring countries, such as Cameroon, Chad and Niger. The joint forces of Niger, Nigeria and Benin has not made tangible progress towards liquidating the terrorist organisation.

The groups terrorist attacks and the governments retaliatory responses have led to the death of more than 37,000 people and the displacement of over two million.

The disasters that result from displacement end up in a bitter conflict to make available the slightest amount of food. This is when a famine starts, beginning with malnourishment of women and children, until hunger strikes the entire country, Shawki said.

The mismanagement of resources, coupled with widespread corruption, led to crises that contributed to the creation of terrorist movements, such as Boko Haram, or reviving secessionist trends in Africas more populous countries, the people of which stand at 200 million.

That Boko Haram targeted girls and children led to heightened fears for their lives, and consequently locking them up in houses, preventing them from going to school or work, Shawki added.

This is man-made famine: corruption, terrorism and mismanagement of resources, and it could spread to neighbouring countries with fragile economic and political conditions. According to international reports, South Sudan has more than ever before since its independence been suffering the lack of food security.

Since 2013, South Sudan has been enduring an ethnic civil war between the Dinka  the largest ethnic community from which President Silva Kiir and the majority of government, army and security forces hail  and the Nuweir, the group to which Vice President Riak Mashar belongs.

The civil war that broke out following independence in 2011 has claimed the lives of 400,000 South Sudanese, while 8.3 million people  70 per cent of the population  have become largely dependent on humanitarian aid, according to UN reports.

Days before the countrys independence, the Secretary-General of the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement, the ruling party in South Sudan, Pagan Amum, told Al-Ahram Weekly he was optimistic that his country would turn into a major food producer, thanks to its huge animal wealth and torrential rains.

Two years after the secession, civil war broke out, with countless rape cases recorded.

Rape and sexual slavery, being used as weapons of war, mean preventing mothers from going out of their houses or their escape to dangerous places, and consequently depriving children of food and care, Shawki stated.

Rape was used as a weapon of war in the Darfur conflict, the westernmost region in Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a doctor, Denis Mukwege win a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end sexual violence as a weapon of war and conflict. Mukwege shared the prize with Yazidi campaigner Nadia Murad, who had escaped the sexual slavery of the Islamic State.

The rape incidents during the Darfur conflict led the agriculturally rich region to the cusp of famine.

Rape is currently being used as a weapon in the conflict between the Ethiopian government and the Tigrayans, which is the model most significant in man-made famine, according to a report by Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, the US.

The report pointed out that farmers are being forcibly prevented from cultivating their lands, and the women are widely raped, which threatens the northern region with a famine that may affect more than two out of the regions six million people.

Under normal circumstances, when farmers are allowed to cultivate crops, and with a rainy season like this years, the people can harvest large amounts of food.

In refugee camps, many women were raped by Amhara militias, preventing them from going out to work, searching for food, bringing water to drink or clean up, and rendering their children, especially those below the age of five, prone to death.

A report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated that 363,000 children below five years old in Somalia died for reasons that could have been avoided.

The Tigray famine is the second largest in the history of Ethiopia, following the 2011 East Africa drought, during which millions of people went hungry. The famine was exacerbated by locust attacks dealing a deafening blow to the fragile food security situation the year before.

Ethiopia had known prosperity from 2003 to 2012, with its growth rates hiking to 10 per cent, according to government estimates. Then the country ushered in a period of economic slowdown, political instability, and the civil war which international bodies are saying may lead to famine that could destroy Tigray, as happened in the 1980s.

It is true that after 1980, the number of famine victims has gone down, according to a study by Tufts University professor Alex de Waal in his book Mass Starvation: The History and Future of Famine. However, it has become clear that politics pays an integral role in creating famines, as evidenced in the tactic used by the Syrian government to prevent food from reaching rebel cities from 2011 till present.

Famine threats in Middle East

Today, millions of people living by the Euphrates are suffering due to the drought resulting from climate change on the one hand and the blocking of water shares of Syria and Iraq behind Turkish dams on the other.

In both cases, the Iraqi and Syrian governments didnt address climate change and drought seriously enough.

The drought of 2005-2009 was one of the main reasons behind the Syrian Revolution. The state ignored the suffering of its people, leading to fury and the bearing of arms. The result was the death of more than 300,000 people and the displacement of millions across neighbouring countries. Damages were estimated at $250 billion.

The situation in the Arab worlds poorest country, Yemen, is growing even worse with the conflict over humanitarian aid and political fights between the warring parties, the internationally recognised government and the Houthis.

Half of the Yemeni population depend on humanitarian aid, a field to which 200 organisations are dedicated, albeit with very limited resources.

Some pundits believe the rise of the European and American right has resulted in a decrease in aid in crisis-stricken areas.

Aid workers are hoping for an international move this week at the UN General Assembly to alleviate the pain and suffering of tens of millions of people.

There is a multi-dimensional structural crisis in the political, economic, educational and service fields, Shawki said. Even with a technology advanced enough to face the repercussions of the climate change challenge, all partial solutions would remain insufficient.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 23 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Announced by UN Secretary-General Ant nio Guterres last October, the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit was held on Thursday as the first of its kind, convening world leaders

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has affirmed that the danger of famine limits the abilities of countries and governments to implement the objectives of sustainable development at all its levels.

Delivering a speech on Thursday via video conference to the UN Food Systems Summit, held during the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, El-Sisi said: "Today's summit is convening at a very critical time which requires exerting more efforts to stand against complicated challenges that should be faced."

El-Sisi pointed out that establishing a sustainable food system that achieves food security tops priorities of our communities especially in light of the accelerated impact of climate change along with complicated political conditions in some areas.

Announced by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last October, the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit was held on Thursday as the first of its kind, convening world leaders.

The summit aims at transforming food systems so as to ensure all people have access to safe and nutritious food and mobilise national and regional action to achieve the UNs Sustainable Development Goals (SDGSs).

This includes totally ending hunger and poverty by 2030 and achieving gender equality and climate action.

The summit comes amid a rise in the number of people living in poverty due to the coronavirus pandemic, the UN said on Thursday, noting that 600 million people are projected to remain poor by 2030.

Speakers at the summit included Guterres, World Bank President David Malpass, Director General of the World Trade Organization Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and a number of key officials and state leaders.

"The danger of famine is threatening many areas of the world especially in Africa," El-Sisi said, adding that the escalation of such danger requires finding quick and effective solutions to save millions of humans, most of whom are women and children.

Egypt has realised from an early time the favorable chance this summit represents to present ideas and solutions for these challenges as well as the role [the summit] can play in enhancing international cooperation and mobilising the necessary funding in this regard, El-Sisi said.

Egypt, therefore, hastened to play its role within the framework of the preparatory process for the summit nationally and regionally.

On the national level, Egypt launched a comprehensive national dialogue on these issues in December 2020 that has resulted in a consensus on a national document for the transition to a healthy and sustainable food system, El-Sisi said.

The dialogue has involved relevant governmental institutions, private sector representatives and civil society organisations, he added.

Egypt also joined the School Meals Coalition, believing in the importance of providing healthy food to female and male students and the centrality of the international partnerships contribution to achieving this goal, El-Sisi said.

He affirmed that Egypt has become among the largest countries to implement this program in the region.

On the regional level, Egypt has been involved in formulating a unified African stance during the summit, which reflects the priorities of the continents peoples and the particularities of their challenges that are related to the food security, El-Sisi added.

We are determined to continue working with our African brothers in the face of these challenges in an effort to expedite the implementation of the African Union Agenda 2063, El-Sisi said.

The president said the success of this summit depends on the extent of our ability to come up with results that contribute to formulating a sustainable, ambitious, feasible food system.

This food system should consider the particularities of each state and its priorities without imposing certain visions and models, El-Sisi said.

He also urged providing the necessary funding through developing the creative financing mechanisms and an effective international cooperation that bring states together with the UN system parties and development partners.

The president highlighted the importance of setting effective and flexible follow-up mechanisms on the national and international levels, which contribute to achieving our desired goals and legitimate aspirations in meeting the needs of all our people.

El-Sisi delivered on Tuesday a recorded speech to the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), where he urged debt relief for developing and African countries.

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'It would not be an exaggeration to say' that at least a third of Afghanistan's population of around 33 million is affected by "imminent hunger," a UN official warned

Natalia Kanem, director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said via video that the situation in the country was dire.

"It would not be an exaggeration to say" that at least a third of Afghanistan's population of around 33 million is affected by "imminent hunger," Kanem warned.

Harsh winters, disrupting the ability to transport supplies to isolated areas of the mountainous country, plus the coronavirus pandemic will aggravate an already complicated situation, she added.

"There is a lot of anxiety over how we're going to deliver health care, where the next meal is going to come from," Kanem told AFP from the UNFPA headquarters in New York.

The doctor from Panama warned that women and girls would bear the worst of it.

"It is urgent, for women and girls in particular who were already suffering. This is one of the countries with the highest death during childbirth and pregnancy rates.

"We cannot underscore enough that even during a transitional period, women and girls have human rights and these are to be respected," she said.

Kanem repeated calls made by the international community to the Taliban, who swept to power last month as the United States withdrew its last troops, ending Washington's 20-year war there.

"The women of Afghanistan have made clear over years that they want their education, they want their health care, and that they're also ready, willing and able to design programs and to be able to lead in their communities," she said.

Taliban leaders have tried to portray the group as more moderate than when it last ran Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. Then, women were banned from school or work and only allowed to leave home with a male chaperone.

They have promised to change, saying they will respect women's rights within the framework of Islamic sharia law, but many remain sceptical.

But not a single woman was appointed to the provisional government and the Islamists seem to be incrementally stripping away Afghans' freedoms.

Kanem notes that in a country ravaged by decades of conflict, many women, particularly in areas most affected by violence, are the sole breadwinners.

"We're all anxiously hoping that there will be regularity and ability of delivery of goods" to people in small communities where many of the UNPFA's staff are women, she said.

"We have said that we want to be able to maintain a functioning health system.

"(It's) pretty challenging right now with the airport having been closed, with certain professionals who have left the country," Kanem added.

She warned that if the health system breaks down, that's going to spell "complete disaster," but added that for the most part the agency's family health centers have remained open.

The UN on Wednesday released $45 million in emergency aid to support Afghanistan's health system.

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Top officials at the World Health Organization said Thursday that Europe has seen a more than 50% jump in coronavirus cases in the last month, making it the epicenter of the pandemic despite an ample supply of vaccines.

``There may be plenty of vaccine available, but uptake of vaccine has not been equal,'' WHO emergencies chief Dr. Michael Ryan said during a press briefing on Thursday.

He called for European authorities to ``close the gap'' in vaccinations. However, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said countries that have immunized more than 40% of their populations should stop and instead donate their doses to developing countries that have yet to offer their citizens a first dose.

``No more boosters should be administered except to immuno-compromised people,'' Tedros said.

More than 60 countries have started giving booster doses to combat waning immunity before winter, when another COVID-19 wave is expected. In the United States, children ages 5 to 11 started getting COVID-19 shots this week after authorities decided the benefits outweighed the risks.

Earlier on Thursday, the director of WHO's 53-country Europe region, Dr. Hans Kluge, said the rising COVID-19 case counts are of ``grave concern.''

``Europe is back at the epicenter of the pandemic, where we were one year ago,'' Kluge said. He warned that coronavirus hospitalization rates more than doubled in the last week and predicted that on that trajectory, the region could see another 500,000 pandemic deaths by February, he said.

WHO Europe says the region, which stretches as far east as the former Soviet republics in Central Asia, tallied nearly 1.8 million new weekly cases, an increase of about 6% from the previous week, and 24,000 COVID-19 weekly deaths _ a 12% gain.

Kluge said the countries in the region were at ``varying stages of vaccination rollout'' and that regionwide an average of 47% of people were fully vaccinated. Only eight countries had 70% of their populations fully vaccinated.

The increase in Europe's COVID-19 marks the fifth consecutive week cases have risen across the continent, making it the only world region where COVID-19 is still increasing. The infection rate was by far the highest in Europe, which reported some 192 new cases per 100,000 people.

Sweden's chief epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell, said Thursday that ``we are clearly in another wave,'' and added that ``the increased spread is entirely concentrated in Europe.''

Several countries in Central and Eastern Europe have seen daily case numbers shoot up in recent weeks.

At an online briefing Thursday by the Amsterdam-based European Medicines Agency, experts urged people to get vaccinated.

``The epidemiological situation in Europe is very concerning now as we head into the winter with increases in infection rates, hospitalization and we can also see the increase in fatalities,'' said Fergus Sweeney, the EMA's head of clinical studies and manufacturing task force.

He stressed that ``it's very important that everybody gets vaccinated or completes their dose of vaccination if they've already had a first dose but not a second dose. It's really important that we're all vaccinated because we are not all protected until everyone is protected in that respect.''

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Egypts First Lady Entissar Amer and Brigitte Touadera, the First Lady of Central African Republic, discussed on Saturday the two countries' efforts to support and empower women.

On Facebook, Amer said she was honored to meet with Central African Republics first lady, underscoring Egypts efforts over the past years to empower women.

Over the past years, Egypt has made great achievements in enhancing the status of Egyptian woman in society and in boosting their condition at all levels, Amer wrote.

She added that Egypt has been implementing national initiatives to establish the principle of social justice, including Hayah Karima (Decent Life), Takaful wi Karama (Solidarity and Dignity), and Nour Al-Hayah (The Light of Life).

The country has launched many social support and medical initiatives, especially over the past five years, that have targeted female breadwinners and women in general.

Egypt, through these and other initiatives is making its way toward the new republic, with Egyptian woman taking the lead, she said, adding they are currently living in a golden age.

On many occasions, Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has affirmed the importance of supporting and empowering Egyptian women.

In September, El-Sisi launched Egypts new National Strategy for Human Rights that secures the rights of all peoples, including women and other marginalised groups.

Women have also occupied an unprecedented percentage of seats in parliament and state offices over the past five years, including heading many ministries.

In October, El-Sisi also issued a decree to appoint a total of 98 female members of the State Lawsuits Authority and the Administrative Prosecution to positions within the State Council.

This comes a few months after he announced that Egyptian women can work at the State Council and the Public Prosecution for the first time in the countrys history.

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The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) approved the regulations that govern the instant payment network (IPN) services in the domestic market, the bank announced on Sunday.

IPN is the intra network between banks operating in the Egyptian market through which instant e-payments are circulated around the clock.

Banks will provide a package of e-banking services via IPN, covering financial and non-financial transactions.

The services include money transfers and purchasing operations, in addition to providing balance inquiries and mini-bank account statements.

The banks have been instructed to assign a password (IPN PIN) and create an instant payment access (IPA) for every account to be linked to the clients mobile phone.

The CBE set the maximum limit of each transaction at EGP 50,000, and EGP 60,000 and EGP 200,000 as the maximum daily and monthly transactions, respectively.

Banks are also allowed to draw on technology service providers (TSPs), provided they are accredited by the CBE and the IPN through direct contraction between the bank and the provider.

The Egyptian Banks Company (EBC) was assigned to manage the IPN and issue terms of operation and updates.

The regulations are meant to encourage the public to be less reliant on cash and to raise the efficiency of the payment services infrastructure in Egypts banking system, the CBE said.

Over the past few years, Egypts e-payment sector has seen a number of developments. These include launching the national payment system Meeza, the issuance of the non-cash payment bill, the establishment of the FinTech Regulatory Sandbox, and applying the e-collection system in government payments.

The CBE adopts a fintech strategy that targets turning Egypt into a hub for fintech in Africa and the Arab world as part of Egypts Vision 2030 and its strategy for digital transformation.

The CBE also plans to automate all registration and deposit operations for government securities and related settlements through a central system.

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The West African regional bloc ECOWAS on Sunday announced sanctions including travel bans and assets freezes against individual members of the military junta ruling Mali since an August 2020 military takeover.

The Economic Community of West African States "has decided to sanction all those implicated in the delay" in organising elections set for February 27 in Mali, ECOWAS Commission President Jean-Claude Kassi Brou said after a summit of the 15-nation group.

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Belarus's tactical use of migrants 'unacceptable': NATO

AFP , Monday 8 Nov 2021

NATO on Monday slammed as "unacceptable" Belarus's allegedly tactical use of migrants to put pressure on the EU, saying it was worried about "escalation" on the border with Poland.
The Military Joint Committee between Egypt and Israel agreed to increase the number of Egyptian border guards at the Rafah border area with Israel, the Egyptian Armed Forces announced on Monday.

According to the statement, the joint committee between the Egyptian and Israeli armies signed a security amendment to the 1978 Camp David Accords allowing the increase of the number of border guards as well as their capabilities in a specific area on the borders.

According to international news reports, the amendment was approved and ratified by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and his cabinet.

The amendment allows the Egyptian Armed Forces to increase their presence in the region officially known in the peace agreement as Area C.

The Camp David Accords stipulate that Sinai is divided into three areas, and that Egypt is allowed a limited number of troops and arms in each of them.

Area C, the closest to Israels borders with Egypt, is the most restricted.

The exact number of Egyptian forces to be added was not disclosed whether in the Egyptian or Israeli statements.

Egypt has already increased the presence of the Egyptian army in the region following the increase of terrorist attacks in North Sinai, where hundreds of military and police personnel as well as civilians have been killed.

In response, hundreds of terrorists were killed as well in military operations against militant groups.

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Loreal plans to expand its operation in the Egyptian market after doubling production out of its factory in the country to meet increasing local demand, especially amid the ongoing health crisis, said Benoit Julia, the country managing director of Loreal Egypt.

Julia made the comments in response to a question from Ahram Online about the companys future plans in the Egyptian market and how it is supporting the states green transition efforts.

This took place during a press conference held on Monday on the sidelines of the 11th edition of the Sustainable Development Forum in Cairo.

Egypt is a strategic market for Loreal, and that is why we established our factory, the only one in the Middle East and North Africa, which exports 80 percent of its production to the region, Julia said.

Julia said that Loreal is investing around $50 million in its factory in 10 Ramadan City.

Julia also noted that Loreal is supporting Egypts green transition efforts under the countrys Vision 2030, with a target of using 100 percent renewable energy over the coming few years.

We plan to produce more of our new brands here in Egypt. In addition, we are already expanding in bringing know-how strategies and technologies to the Egyptian market, Julia said.

Loreal has been operating in Egypt since 2009 and has brought 14 products to the domestic market.

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Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced on Monday that the Arab League summit will be held in Algiers in March 2022.

The announcement was made in Algiers at a conference of Algerian diplomats and consular missions abroad according to Xinhua, news agency.

Tebboune expressed his hope that the upcoming summit would be an opportunity to "reform the Arab League."

The Arab summit was forced to be postponed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

In September 2020, the Algerian president stressed that the Palestinian cause will remain "sacred" for Algeria, reaffirming his country's commitment to the Arab peace initiative adopted in the Arab summit held in Beirut in 2002.

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Ioannis Chrysoulakis, the secretary-general of Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy at the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who is set to start a visit to Egypt, spoke to Ahram Online about the depth of cooperation between Egypt and Greece along with future projects.

Chrysoulakis, who has significant experience in international administrative and scientific work, is a professor at various academic institutions in Greece and abroad, and he currently holds the title of professor emeritus.

He has also worked as a manager in the public and private sectors, collaborating with many international organisations, and participating in a large number of councils, committees, and conventions.

Moreover, he serves as the president of the National Centre for Public Administration and Local Government and elected vice-president of the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration.

During my career, I have collaborated with many organisations and councils of local Greek communities both in Europe and the USA. I currently serve as the secretary-general for Greeks abroad and public diplomacy at the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he said.

He emphasised that the main challenges facing Greeks living abroad are related to the implementation of existing government policies that target benefiting expats.

In these difficult times, we have managed to formulate a comprehensive strategy for the Greek diaspora, designed to support and promote the interests of Greeks abroad as well as to strengthen their relations with the motherland, he said.

The Greek government aims to safeguard the identity and awareness of Greek diaspora everywhere, preserving the Greek language and culture for the younger generations of expatriate Greeks, creating incentives for Greek expatriates to actively participate in the affairs of their home country, and promoting peaceful coexistence by forming a permanent bridge of communication and cooperation.

Engagement with diasporas is an important strategic function in todays interconnected world, he stressed.

The challenge, therefore, is to recognise the huge potential of diaspora networks, which can be mobilised for the mutual benefit of countries such as Greece and Egypt, as well as internationally, he added.

IDEA exhibition

Chrysoulakis said that his coming visit to Egypt coincides with the inauguration of the IDEA-Ancient Greek Science and Technology exhibition that is presented by the Thessaloniki Science Centre and Technology Museum (NOESIS), which will be held at Bibliotheca Alexandrina from 9 November through the beginning of February.

According to Chrysoulakis, this event offers an excellent opportunity to meet with his Egyptian counterparts once again and discuss ways to reinforce their partnership on diaspora issues.

He will also have a chance to meet with members of the Greek diaspora in Egypt.

The exhibition will be inaugurated in the presence of the Egyptian Minister of Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates Nabila Makram and the Greek Deputy Minister for Research and Technology Christos Dimas.

The General Secretariat of Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs proudly put the event under its auspices, as we strongly believe that such commendable initiatives deserve our utmost support. More importantly, it is completely in line with our vision regarding the promotion of ancient Greek culture and its undisturbed influence to this day, Chrysoulakis noted.

Egypt, which is one of the most ancient and important civilisations in the history of mankind, is an ideal place to present this exhibition, he said.

Hosting the event within the premises of an iconic institution in Alexandria, a city with such an extraordinary history for many prominent Greeks throughout the centuries, strikes a sensitive chord within all Greeks, both expatriates and those living in our homeland.

Chrysoulakis believes that this exhibition, which highlights the evolution of Greek thought  with its unparalleled impact on a number of scientific, technical, and artistic fields  will make a decisive contribution to the promotion of all the technological achievements that led the ancient Greek civilisation to its current standing in the world.

For this reason, Chrysoulakis expressed his warmest gratitude to Bibliotheca Alexandrina and personally to its Director, Mostafa El-Feki, for hosting this grandiose event.

Moreover, Chrysoulakis pointed out that there will be a parallel lecture by Professor Christos Arampatzis, president of the Supervisory Committee of the Hellenic Institute of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies in Venice, on the Codex of Alexander, a most richly decorated Byzantine manuscript of the 14th century, fully decorated with 250 miniatures, which depict the life of Alexander the Great.

Greek-Egyptian cooperation

He said that one of the big joint-projects is the first interconnection between Europe and Africa in the Southeastern Mediterranean region.

On 19 October 2021, Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus met at the 9th Trilateral Cooperation and Coordination Summit in Athens to declare that they welcomed the signing of the agreement for the establishment of a trilateral electricity inter-connector.

Since 2014, Greece, Egypt, and Cyprus have established a trilateral cooperation mechanism based on a constructive regional dialogue platform that promotes close partnership and contributes to peace, stability, and regional cooperation in the eastern Mediterranean.

This cooperation focuses especially on the respect of international law, the UN Charters principles, as well as the respect of good neighbourly relations, and results in very productive cooperation in areas of common interest, such as energy, tourism, shipping, technology, and environmental and diaspora issues, he said.

Chrysoulakis emphasised that during the recent ninth trilateral summit held in Athens on 19 October  in the presence of our leaders of state and government  a memorandum of understanding on issues regarding diaspora was signed, further strengthening and deepening our cooperation towards promoting common values and collective interest abroad and recognising the important role the presence and actions of the diaspora plays.

Active participation of expatriate youths is encouraged in order to bring young people closer together through joint events and meetings at all levels.

In this respect, he said that he is proud of the NOSTOS (Ancient Greek word for ones return to home) programme, the flagship initiative for Greek expats.

This innovative initiative  which includes a visit by young people from each country  focuses on the youths of these countries and aims to further strengthen the ties of the young generations and the people of Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus.

Such ventures lay the groundwork for a deeper understanding between nations and countries and bring about major structural shifts at all levels.

The most recent implementation of the programme was successfully unfurled in the summer of 2021, and we are looking forward to repeating this initiative in the future, he added.

Appreciating Egyptian achievements

In these trying times, Egypt is one of the few countries that has managed to maintain positive growth in its economy, which is a major accomplishment, said Chrysoulakis.

He stressed that the health and economic crisis caused by the pandemic underscores the importance of advancing the human capital agenda, moving towards a resilient economy, dealing with the climate crisis, and strengthening social cohesion.

To this vision, I understand that new cities  like New Cairo  are a strong catalyst, with smart infrastructures and big projects encapsulating technological innovations to the existing backbones, he said.

Another one of these big projects, which was also signed during the ninth trilateral summit in October, is the agreement for the establishment of a trilateral electricity inter-connector.

According to Chrysoulakis, this agreement, along with the adoption of the statute of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF), is of great importance both geopolitically and in energy terms, not only for the three neighbouring countries, but also for the whole of Europe, since it is promoting an agenda of peace, cooperation, energy security, regional stability, and wealth for the broader MENA area and the European Union.

The impacts of the pandemic

Chrysoulakis said that the COVID-19 pandemic has posed, and probably still poses, serious threats to social and economic stability around the world.

The pandemic knows no borders. However, despite all tensions and hardships, I consider myself an optimist, he says.

This moment in history reveals the basic realities of global interdependence and the value of international cooperation to tackle shared challenges. As the world emerges from the current crisis, it is essential that we create institutions and norms for closer collaboration so that we are better prepared to manage the next possible global crisis. Today, cooperation must be open, inclusive, partnership-based, and done with all the actors from civil society, local authorities, and also the diasporas.

According to Chrysoulakis, the pandemic requires us to rethink the way we venture into new ambitious initiatives that bring countries closer together.

I am extremely happy that Greece and Egypt have found new important possibilities to strengthen our bilateral cooperation in these difficult times, he stressed.

Greek investments in Egypt

The portfolio of Greek investments in Egypt is estimated at 1.2 billion, with concentrations in cement manufacturing, oil and gas exploration and extraction, construction, food, manufacturing of building materials and paints, aluminum production, distribution and logistics, irrigation systems, banking, sea and air transportation, and training services.

In 2020, Greek direct investments in Egypt have mainly been realised in the sectors of financial services, real estate management, and wholesale, and have been estimated at 81 million, said Chrysoulakis.

I believe that the strong economic presence of our country in Egypt, briefly outlined above, has laid the foundations for the better communication of our two peoples; besides, it is indicative of the excellent bilateral relations of Greece and Egypt. Despite the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on business and trade flows, the interest of Greek companies to invest in Egypt has remained strong, he emphasised.

The Greek Cultural Centre in Cairo

The Greek Cultural Center in Cairo (GCCC), which was established on the basis of a bilateral agreement between Greece and Egypt has been facilitating for many years the access of Egyptians to Greek culture, serving as an important bridge between our two peoples.

It is administered by a council with the participation of the Greek ambassador while the Greek Community holds an active role, according to Chrysoulakis.

Greek language courses are one of the centres main activities, reflecting the strong interest of Egyptian students in the Greek language and culture.

The centre, which is directed by Christos Papadopoulos, also cooperates with several Egyptian universities departments of Ancient Greek or Modern Greek language and literature courses.

Furthermore, the GCCC collaborates with various cultural partnerships on cinema screenings, art exhibition initiatives, literature translation workshops, and maintaining its library resources.

Greek language classes are also offered by the Alexandrian branch of the Greek Cultural Foundation.

Chrysoulakis also added that the Greek film Director, Angelos Frantzis, was the guest of honour at the 37th Alexandria Mediterranean Countries Film Festival in September.

Also, the upcoming 43rd edition of the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) is scheduled to screen three films co-produced either by Greek producers or filmed in Greece.

Chrysoulakis revealed that the future projects of the GCCC include the planning of a photo exhibition with photos from Egypt and Greece.

The GCCC will also celebrate in December in an online event the life of Constantine Cavafy, one of the most original and influential Greek poets of the 20th century, who lived in Alexandria.

The digital platform for learning Greek

StaEllinika.com, the official platform for learning Greek, is an ever-spreading initiative of the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the SNF Centre For Hellenic Studies at Simon Fraser University (SFU) with support by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

The platform offers a full curriculum targeting beginners in schools and individuals at home through engaging lesson materials and rich interactive experiences.

Ever since its launch, it has been enthusiastically received, according to Chrysoulakis.

So far, it has reached more than one million views in 157 countries and 32,000 registered students. We are very pleased by this feedback, because it proves the importance of this initiative as an innovative action in support of Greek schools abroad, spreading Greek language and culture around the world, both to our young expatriates and to those who wish to learn the Greek language and get to know Greek culture without barriers and frontiers.

I would also like to mention our cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs to promote the StudyinGreece.edu.gr portal, which is the official Gateway to the Greek academic world and serves as a one stop gateway for the provision of information concerning study opportunities and everyday life in Greece and facilitates the networking between Greek and international academics and researchers, he says.

It should be pointed out that 19 public universities around Greece offer about 140 international masters programs taught in foreign languages (mainly English) in a broad range of disciplines: from theoretical fields such as archaeology and classics to scientific fields such as medicine, biology, physics, IT, computer science, engineering, and telecommunications, among others.

Additionally, undergraduate programmes for international students are already available in medicine and classical studies, while more are under design and will be available soon.

Greek Diaspora  History, Achievements, and Contributions to Greece

The Academy of Athens and the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs will organise a one-day conference dedicated to the Greek Diaspora titled Greek Diaspora  History, Achievements, and Contributions to Greece, on 15 November.

Through this event, Chrysoulakis assured that both institutions aim to deliver an overall, objective, view on the two-way connection between Greeks or those of Greek ethnic background that live in other countries and their homeland.

Presentations by prominent experts and personalities will be hosted, focusing on various scientific and cultural fields, such as physical sciences, ethical and political sciences, as well as letters and the fine arts.

The Greek community in Egypt

According to Chrysoulakis, the small, but vibrant, Greek community in Egypt has deep historical roots.

Today, the largest communities are those in Cairo and Alexandria, followed by the Greek populations of Ismailiya, Port Said, and Kafr Al-Zayat.

A large number of active Greek associations and clubs, as well as schools and cultural centres, work towards the promotion of cultural exchanges, friendship, and further cooperation between our countries and peoples.

These communities apart, I would like to stress the presence of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, with activities extending across the entire African continent, besides Saint Catherines Monastery in Sinai, dating back to the 6th century, he said

During my visit to Egypt, I will have the opportunity to hold a series of important meetings and symbolic visits. I will meet with his Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa and with representatives of the Greek Community of Alexandria.

My programme also includes the laying of a wreath at the Greek Memorial in Al-Alamein, a visit to the Tositseio Elementary School of Alexandria, a visit to the Averofeio Greek School, a visit to the Cavafy Museum, as well as to the model nursing home Manna of the Hellenic Community of Alexandria, he says.

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Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed the latest developments in the Middle East with US special envoy to Iran, Robert Malley, in Washington on Sunday.

Egypt has repeatedly stressed the importance of maintaing stability and security in the Gulf region as well as total rejection of any foreign intervention in the internal affairs of Arab Gulf countries.

Shoukry is currently in Washington for several-days-visit to head Egypts delegation in the US-Egypt Strategic dialogue, which will be held on 8-9 November.

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US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken affirmed on Monday the US support for a negotiated agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dispute between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia that will address the interest of all parties including Egypt's water needs.

Blinken said that the GERD issue, alongside the latest developments in Ethiopia, is among the main issues set to be discussed with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in the US-Egypt Strategic Dialogue, which kicked off in Washington on Monday after a six-year halt.

In the opening statements for the dialogue in Washington, the US secretary of state praised Egypts key role in Libya in pushing forward an inclusive political process and for elections to be held on time in December.

Blinken said that both the US and Egypt are working together to help the Libyans resolve pressing economic issues, including the unification of the Libyan Central Bank.

We very much agree on the full withdrawal of foreign forces, fighters and mercenaries from the country, Blinken said.

Egypt has maintained its official stance of demanding the full withdrawal of foreign forces from Libya immediately to ensure stability for the whole region.

Blinken also praised the vital role Egyptian mediation played in securing a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza in May as well as how Egypt committed $500 million to the Gaza reconstruction project.

Regarding the ongoing situation in Sudan, the secretary of state said both the US and Egypt share common interest in getting the countrys democratic transition back on track.

Blinken condemned the military takeover of 25 October, demanded the release of the Sudanese detainees and praised the Sudanese protesters for their ongoing demonstrations.

We share serious concerns regarding Irans destabilising influence in the region, including its support of terrorism, its domestic ballistic missile programs and the practice of arbitrary detention of foreign nationals, including US citizens, to exert political pressure, Blinken said, stressing that Iran would be an even greater destabilising force with a nuclear program.

On Sunday, Egypts FM Shoukry met US special envoy for Iran Robert Malley.

Human rights, climate change and COVID-19

Regarding the human rights situation in Egypt, Blinken said, We welcome Egypts launch of the national strategy for human rights and are committed to working together on human rights goals, like refining the pre-trial detention regulations and protecting freedom of the press and expression.

For his part, Shoukry said that the launching of the national strategy for human rights and the recent presidential decree ending the state of emergency in Egypt are evidence of Egypts commitment to the advancing human rights.

Blinken also spoke about the collaboration between the two countries in facing challenges like the coronavirus and climate change.

Regarding climate change, Blinken praised President El-Sisis commitment at COP26 to doubling Egypts dependence on renewable fuels to 40 percent by 2030 and reducing subsidies for fossil fuels.

We are looking forward to partnering with Egypt as it takes this transition [from fossil fuel to renewable energy] through a visit by US companies to the country to be part of this transition, he said, announcing the launch of a new US-Egypt climate working group.

Blinken also said the US welcomes Egypts bid to host COP27 next year.

On the coronavirus, Blinken said that the US has provided Egypt with more than 8 million doses of vaccines through the COVAX initiative, in addition to $55 million in assistance to the healthcare sector.

Economic cooperation

Blinken said that the US wants to deepen economic relations with Egypt in a way that benefits both peoples, and revealed that a new joint economic commission is being launched this week.

Shoukry stressed the necessity of continuing cooperation between Egypt and the US in trade, energy, research, technology, higher education, cultural exchange and healthcare.

The FM said that over the past 10 years, Egypt has achieved stability plays a major role in stabilising the region.

The US-Egypt Strategic Dialogue was first launched in the mid-1990s, lasting until 2009 when it was halted, before resuming in 2015.

On Thursday, the US Department of State expressed its commitment to strengthening the 40-year US-Egypt partnership by enhancing security cooperation, advancing human rights, and growing economic relations and cultural ties.

Shoukry, who is currently in Washington with a delegation of officials from different ministries, is set to meet a number of US officials, congressmen, and members of the most prominent US think tanks.

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Nicaragua's incumbent Daniel Ortega won re-election with 75 percent of votes, according to official partial results announced Monday, securing a fourth consecutive five-year term for the long-term president.

The announcement came as votes in 49 percent of the Central American nation's polling stations were counted, said the electoral council, which put participation at 65.34 percent.

The opposition had called on Nicaraguans to stay home in protest of an electoral process that has been roundly criticized as not credible by foreign powers.

In June, police arrested seven potential presidential challengers to Ortega on charges that essentially amount to treason. They remained in detention on election day. Some two dozen other opposition leaders were also swept up ahead of the elections.

The remaining contenders were little known politicians from minor parties seen as friendly with Ortega's Sandinista Front.

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Pakistani authorities Monday announced a month-long cease-fire with a key militant group behind numerous attacks on security forces and civilians over the last 14 years.

Government spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said on Twitter that the Taliban government in Afghanistan helped facilitate the cease-fire between the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

In a statement, TTP spokesperson Mohammad Khurasani confirmed the cease-fire beginning Nov. 9 will remain in place until Dec. 9, during which both sides will form a committee to continue talks. He said both sides will adhere to the cease-fire.

The agreement was reached amid ongoing peace talks between the government and the TTP that began last month. Chaudry said the truce could be extended if talks continue to make progress.

Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan is an umbrella group and is a separate organization from Afghanistan's Taliban, who seized power in August.

The TTP has been emboldened by the return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Chaudhry provided no details about the ongoing talks, during which he said both sides agreed on the cease-fire.

Authorities had earlier said that peace talks were taking place with TTP leaders in Afghanistan, where they have been hiding for the past several years.

The TTP was formed by Pakistani militants in 2007 and since then thousands of people have been killed in scores of attacks claimed by the group in the past 14 years.

Chaudhry said elders from the former tribal regions were being kept abreast of the talks with the militant group.

About a million people were displaced when Pakistan launched operations in the northwest in 2013 to clear out TTP fighters. They returned to their homes after 2017 when Pakistan claimed victory against the militants.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the leader of the opposition Pakistan People's Party, denounced the prime minister for not informing Parliament about the talks with TTP.

He noted the group was behind a 2014 attack on an army-run school in the northwestern city of Peshawar that killed 154 people, mostly schoolchildren. Zardari said the party believes such an important matter should have been debated in Parliament.

Some Pakistanis criticized the government for holding talks with Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, which has stepped up attacks on security forces in recent years, primarily in the northwest.

Before the Taliban came into power in Afghanistan, Islamabad and Kabul often blamed each other for sheltering militants. Pakistan says it has completed 90% of a fence being constructed along the border with Afghanistan to prevent cross-border militant attacks.

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While at times interesting, the entire discussion is focused on an issue that I feel is a dangerous diversion. Similar to my thoughts during the negotiations that led to the JCPOA, I find myself asking again why we are expending so much political capital,imposing so many sanctions, and involving so many important countries to address a problem that doesn't exist, while doing nothing to address real problems plaguing the region.



The simple fact is that Iran doesn't have a nuclear bomb and, as difficult as it may be for some to accept, even if it did have one, it could never use it. Meanwhile, the real problem posed by Iran is the meddlesome role its playing across the region. Let's look more closely at both of these matters.



First, Iran has no bomb and even if it did it could not use it for two reasons. In the age of "mutually assured destruction," Irans use of a nuclear warhead would result inits becoming a radioactive parking lot within minutes. Even if it were not flattened by a counterattack, its use of such a horrible weapon would ensure not only worldwide condemnation, but also repercussions that would mark the end of the Islamic Republic. Further, Iran could never use a nuclear bomb because of the consequences of the explosions fallout. If it bombed Israel, radioactivity (depending on the direction the wind was blowing) would also take countless Palestinian, Jordanian, and Lebanese lives and possibly many others as well. And if Iran were to use a nuclear bomb across the Gulf, the impact would devastate the entire region, including Iran itself.



For these same reasons, Israel, despite reportedly possessing hundreds of nuclear warheads, has never used them in any of its many wars with its Arab neighbors, nor can it use them in the future. The same is true for India, Pakistan, and North Korea.



Given this, the only apparent reason for possessing such a weapon is the bragging rights. In reality, our obsessive preoccupation with Iran's "program" is giving it more attention and bragging rights than Iran would ever get from actually having a bomb it couldn't use. Iran sits center stage with all of the world's powers meeting with and cajoling its leaders. It's exactly the type of attention "bad boys" crave and we're giving it to them, while not paying attention to the really dangerous things Iran is doing across the region.



Ironically, it was Israel who pushed the Iranian "nuclear threat" to the front burner.When the Obama administration took the bait and negotiated the nuclear deal, Israel then led the charge against the deal. There are two reasons for this:First, Israel and Iran need each other as foils. Second, their intended audience is the Arab World that lies between them.



When Israel was bombing Lebanon, Iran was able to play to the Arab masses saying: "Look at what Israel's doing and only our ally, Hizbollah, is standing against them and the US." As a result, a little more than a decade ago, Iran and Hizbollah had extraordinarily high favorable ratings in most Arab countries. But during the past decade, as Iran's machinations in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen have become increasingly clear, Iran's ratings plummeted across the region and some Arabs came to see Israel as a possible source of support against the Islamic Republic's meddlesome behaviors.



It was for this reason that I could never understand why so much effort was expended on stopping Iran's nuclear program while ignoring its dangerous and unsettling regional role. These are exactly the issues we should be addressing.



At this point, the P5+1 nations and their negotiators should focus on ways of assisting Iraqis and Lebanese in building non-sectarian governments that can rein in Iranian-backed militias, bringing them under the control of their respective governments. Our polling in both countries makes clear that strong majorities support this. There should also be a concerted effort in Yemen to stop the Houthi assault on Ma'rib and press for negotiations that can bring an end to that horrible conflict.



At home, Iran has problems on all sides that must be addressed, facing unrest with their substantial Azeri population in the north and their Arab citizens in the Ahwaz region. Iran also faces the renewed threat from the unsettling situation resulting from the Taliban victory in Afghanistan. And, if that were not enough, young Iranians in major cities continue to demand more jobs and personal freedoms.



These are the issues that need to be on the table. Rather than focusing on a bomb that doesn't exist, we should direct diplomacy and apply economic pressure on efforts to make Iran see the benefits of becoming responsible citizens in the Gulf and Arab East by reining in their meddlesome behaviors and putting their own people's needs first. Such an effort might not yield immediate results or even work at all. But it would at least be focused on the right issues.

*The writer is the President of the Arab American Institute

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Swedish poet Tomas Transtromer, a winner of the Nobel prize for literature, has died of a stroke at the age of 83, members of the Swedish Academy that confers the award said on Friday.

Transtromer was known for a relatively spare canon of surreal and lyrical poetry. His 2011 Nobel victory pleased many in the prize's homeland, which had not celebrated a winner since 1974.

"Yes, it is true. I have spoken with his wife. I'm pretty shaken," Academy member Kjell Espmark, a friend of the poet for 60 years, told Reuters. Another member, Per Wastberg, said Transtromer had died in a Stockholm hospital late on Thursday.

An earlier stroke, in 1990, had left him partly paralyzed and made it hard for him to speak. He had been a perennial favorite with bookmakers for years before he won the Nobel, for which he had been nominated every year since 1993.

The Swedish Academy said in its citation it had awarded him the prize "because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality".
The Simatai section of the Great Wall is blanketed in white as Beijing welcomes its first flurry of snow in the winter on Nov. 7, 2021. [Photo: VCG]

The Juyongguan section of the Great Wall is painted white as Beijing welcomes its first snow of the winter on Nov. 7, 2021. [Photo: VCG]

The Badaling section of the Great Wall is covered in snow as Beijing welcomes the first drifts of winter on Nov. 7, 2021. [Photo: VCG]
KYODO NEWS - Nov 8, 2021 - 16:18 | All, Japan

A man was arrested on suspicion of attempting to start a fire on a shinkansen bullet train in southwestern Japan on Monday morning, in an incident that appeared to be inspired by a recent arson attack on a train in Tokyo on Halloween, police said.

Kiyoshi Miyake, 69, from Fukuoka was arrested at the scene, they said. No injuries were reported on the train from Hiroshima bound for Kagoshima-Chuo Station, which was running in Kumamoto Prefecture at the time of the incident around 8:40 a.m., according to Kyushu Railway Co., known as JR Kyushu.

Miyake was quoted as telling the prefectural police that he "wanted to imitate" the recent knife and arson attack on a train in Tokyo after seeing the news about it.

In the Oct. 31 incident, a man wearing a costume reminiscent of Batman villain the Joker injured 17 people, including one seriously, during the attack on a Keio Line train. The man, Kyota Hattori, has told investigators he adores the Joker and wanted to kill people and be given the death penalty.

In the latest case, Miyake said he spread a liquid, set fire to a piece of paper using a lighter and threw it on the floor, according to the police.

Smoke was seen inside the No. 3 car with around 30 people aboard, the operator said. After the emergency buzzer was sounded, the train made an emergency stop.

After moving passengers in the No. 3 car to another car, the train arrived at its final destination at around 10:25 a.m.

Some shinkansen services were temporarily suspended, resulting in delays of up to 50 minutes and affecting around 900 passengers.

A number of attacks on trains and station premises in the Tokyo area have occurred in recent years. A man stabbed and slashed 10 passengers in August on an Odakyu Electric Railway commuter train in the capital's Setagaya Ward.

In the worst incident on a bullet train, a man set himself alight on a shinkansen in June 2015, killing himself and a woman in her 50s. A total of 26 other passengers were injured, including two seriously, among the around 800 aboard.

Related coverage:

Joker train attacker targeted Tokyo in hopes of increasing kill count

2 injured in acid attack in Tokyo subway station, suspect at large

Man, out to kill "happy women," nabbed over random Tokyo train attack
KYODO NEWS - Nov 8, 2021 - 18:39 | All, Japan

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi went aboard the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Izumo helicopter carrier on Monday to see progress in retrofitting the ship into an full-fledged aircraft carrier.

Kishi inspected the deck of the Izumo, which has been reinforced to withstand the heat emitted by F-35Bs during short landing and vertical takeoff procedures, and was briefed on test runs using U.S. aircraft conducted last month.

"It is absolutely necessary that we are capable of launching and landing F-35Bs at sea in order to successfully carry out defense policy, so that we can deal with the new security environment and be prepared to defend our territory, which includes a wide area in the Pacific Ocean," Kishi told reporters after boarding the ship at the MSDF's base in Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo.

Japan plans to introduce a total of 42 F-35Bs, with the first to enter service as early as fiscal 2024. It is modifying its two Izumo-class helicopter carriers -- the other is the Kaga -- to house the advanced stealth fighter jets, including by changing the front of the ships into a squarer shape.

The plan is aimed at countering China's growing assertiveness in regional waters and improving interoperability with the U.S. military, which already operates F-35Bs out of one of its bases in Japan.

Related coverage:

German navy chief looks to send vessels to Indo-Pacific every 2 years

Japan defense chief inspects German navy frigate Bayern

China likely to own at least 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030: Pentagon
KYODO NEWS - Nov 7, 2021 - 19:44 | Others

The chief of the German navy has said he is looking to dispatch vessels to the Indo-Pacific every two years to help maintain peace and order based on international law in the region.

Germany has been enhancing its defense cooperation with Japan and other partners amid China's military buildup and assertive territorial claims in the area.

"If possible, I would like to dispatch ships to the area once every two years," Vice Adm. Kay-Achim Schonbach said in a recent interview with Kyodo News, adding he hopes to enhance cooperation with Japan, Australia and other countries.

German frigate Bayern arrived in Tokyo on Friday, becoming the country's first military vessel to make a port call in Japan in nearly 20 years. The navy has said the frigate would also visit South Korea and sail through the South China Sea, where China is building military outposts.

Schonbach said the navy may again send ships to the region in 2023, "depending on the situation in the South China Sea," and decisions made by politicians.

He also said he is considering deploying vessels in the Indo-Pacific "for one and a half to two years" in the future and having them participate in military exercises with allies during such deployment.
KYODO NEWS - Nov 8, 2021 - 21:56 | World, All

Senior Japanese and U.S. diplomats agreed Monday to aim for an early visit to the United States by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for a meeting with President Joe Biden, with Tokyo eyeing a November date for the trip, according to Japanese government sources.

Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori reached the agreement during a meeting in Tokyo with Daniel Kritenbrink, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, the sources said.

In a separate meeting, Kritenbrink and Keiichi Ichikawa, director general of the Foreign Ministry's North American Affairs Bureau, discussed ways to achieve a free and open Indo-Pacific in a veiled counter to China's attempts to alter the regional status quo with coercive measures.

They also exchanged views on a so-called two-plus-two meeting involving the two allies' defense and foreign ministers, with the next round of the talks expected to be held by the end of the year.

Kritenbrink had a separate meeting with Takehiro Funakoshi, head of the Japanese ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, at which they affirmed cooperation in addressing the issues of North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as its development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

A former U.S. ambassador to Vietnam, Kritenbrink has served as senior adviser for North Korea policy at the State Department, senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council, as well as postings to the U.S. embassies in Tokyo and Beijing.

Kritenbrink arrived in Tokyo Sunday on his first trip to Japan since becoming the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia in late September. He plans to stay in Japan through Wednesday before making a three-day trip to Seoul, according to the U.S. government.
Melbourne:

A cancer therapy -- considered to be gold-standard treatment -- is causing men to lose muscle mass and gain fat, putting them at increased risk of other disorders like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and osteoporosis, a study has found.

Researchers from Deakin University in Australia showed men treated with hormone therapy for prostate cancer often had a dangerously high fat to muscle ratio. The study said while the five-year survival rate for Australian men with prostate cancer was now 95 per cent, side-effects from the intense treatment regimen were becoming an increasing concern.

"Men diagnosed with prostate cancer are now living longer due to medical advancements, but are susceptible to a range of treatment side-effects," said Patrick Owen, lead author of the study published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle.

"Prostate cancer survivors are now more likely to die from other conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, than prostate cancer, which may in part be due to our inability to detect and subsequently treat side-effects of therapy," Owen said in a statement. "It's critical we are able to quickly and easily identify modifiable risk factors for these other conditions," he said.

"The amount of muscle we have relative to fat is one of the biggest indicators for diabetes risk, decreased physical function needed to complete daily tasks, and lots of other adverse health conditions," he added.

The research examined the muscle and fat in 70 men treated with hormone therapy for prostate cancer compared to 52 men with prostate cancer not treated with hormone therapy and 70 healthy men of a similar age.

It found men treated with hormone therapy for prostate cancer had the same amount of total muscle mass compared to other men in the study, but four to six kilograms more fat mass. "When muscle was considered in relation to this fat mass, men treated with hormone therapy for prostate cancer had lower fat-adjusted muscle mass, which may predispose them to further health issues," Owen said.

"When men are diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer they are often treated with hormone therapy to reduce their testosterone levels, which discourages cancer growth. This is considered the gold-standard of treatment," he said. "It puts men through the equivalent of menopause.

There's a loss of muscle and bone, they gain fat, and even start to have hot flushes," he said. While men with prostate cancer treated with hormone therapy may have the same or greater absolute muscle mass than non-treated and healthy men, it's not as functional as the same amount of muscle in otherwise healthy weight men.

Owen said he hoped his research would encourage more clinicians to test their patients for muscle mass relative to body fat. Lifestyle interventions that could be used to help men with prostate cancer reduce body fat and increase muscle.

"Given the current treatment and medical landscape, people are living longer with cancer, so there needs to be a shift in focus towards improving the quality of these additional years of living," Owen said.
New Delhi:

The Election Commissions order curtailing campaigning for the last phase of polls in West Bengal invited hard-hitting rebuttal from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who termed the decision unprecedented, unconstitutional and unethical gift to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

There is no such law and order problem in West Bengal that Article 324 can be clamped. It is unprecedented, unconstitutional and unethical. It is actually a gift to Modi and (BJP president) Amit Shah, she said in a press conference, adding that she had never seen this type of EC which is full of RSS people.

Furthering her attack in the poll panel, Mamata said the EC was working at the behest of the BJP and the politically biased and unethical decision was timed to allow PM Modi to hold his scheduled rallies in the state on Thursday.

The Trinamool chief went on to compare the incident to the violence after the demolition of the Babri Masjid. Goons were brought from outside, they created violence wearing saffron. Violence was similar to when Babri Masjid was demolished, Banerjee said.

Banerjee said that the poll panel was creating "Emergency like situation" to conduct polls in the state and was "conspiring" against the Trinamool Congress.

In first such action in India's electoral history, the Election Commission on Wednesday ordered campaigning in nine West Bengal constituencies to end at 10 pm on Thursday, a day before its scheduled deadline, in the wake of violence between BJP and TMC workers in Kolkata.

The Election Commission (EC) also ordered the removal of Principal Secretary (Home) Atri Bhattacharya and Additional Director General, CID, Rajeev Kumar from their postings in West Bengal.

The EC's action came a day after parts of Kolkata witnessed widespread violence during BJP president Amit Shah's massive road show in the city. A bust of 19th century Bengali icon Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar was also vandalised during the violence.

Continuing her attack on the Election Commission, Mamata said the two officers were removed "not by the EC, but by Modi and Amit Shah".

She reiterated her claim that the violence in Kolkata was caused by BJP goons who were brought into the state by Shah from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Stating that the EC should have taken action against Shah for violence in Kolkata, Mamata wondered whether the poll bodys directives were due to the threat issued by the BJP chief during a press briefing in Delhi earlier in the day.

Shah, in a press conference earlier today, had accused the Trinamool Congress for violence during his roadshow in Kolkata and accused the Election Commission of "double standards" for remaining a "mute spectator" to rigging and violation of the poll code in the state.

On its part, the TMC released videos to claim that "BJP goons" damaged the statue of Vidyasagar and said the videos not only establish what the saffron party did, but proved that Shah is a "liar" and a "dhokebaaz" (betrayer).

The West Bengal Chief Minister also made personal attack on the PM, saying that Narendra Modi you cannot take care of your wife, how can you take care of the country?

Power-drunk Mamata throttling democracy: PM Modi

PM Modi said that the Mamata Banerjee government is out to destroy everything in West Bengal and people's conviction and courage will evict the "torturous rule".

The entire nation had seen (on TV) how the roadshow of BJP president Amit Shah was attacked by the TMC goons and is anxiously watching the outcome of the poll results in West Bengal, he said.

Shah's roadshow in Kolkata was attacked Tuesday after Banerjee had asserted that TMC will take revenge against BJP, Modi claimed.

"Didi's (Mamata) goons carrying guns and bombs are bent upon destruction ... Her government is out to destroy everything in the state. People's conviction and courage will evict the torturous rule", he told a poll rally at Taki on the Indo-Bangla border in North 24 Parganas district.

"Didi is frightened by the rise of BJP in West Bengal. The people of the state had given respect to here by making her the chief minister. But power-drunk Mamata Banerjee is throttling democracy", Modi said.

Keeping up his attack on Banerjee, Modi said "You have looted peoples' money in the chit fund scam and when they sought explanations you abused them".

"Democracy has given you the chief minister's chair and you are killing it. The entire country is watching your misdeeds....Didi should not be kept in power. In the last four to five years she has shown her colours".

He held Banerjee responsible for destroying the state's culture of 'Bhadra Lok'.

The people of Bengal have made up their mind to end the Banerjee's "despotic rule" he said.

Arun Jaitley on EC action

Senior BJP leader and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the EC order shows there is a classic case of breakdown of the Constitutional machinery in the state.

A constitutional authority, the Election Commission of India, has effectively held West Bengal to be a "state in anarchy", said Jaitley in series of tweets.

Repeatedly escalating violence, state supported vandals, a partisan police and home department are the illustrations the ECI has given, he noted.

"A free campaign is not possible and therefore the campaign has to be cut short. This is a classical case of breakdown of the Constitutional Machinery," the minister said.

Congress Ahmed Patel questions EC order

Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel wondering if the poll panel is "waiting for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to complete his public meetings" there.

Reacting to the development, Patel tweeted, "If situation in Bengal is so severe that campaigning must be stopped, why is EC waiting until tomorrow? Is it because PM has scheduled rallies tomorrow?"

"Isn't it unprecedented that EC claims it's an unprecedented situation in West Bengal but yet is waiting for PM to complete his public meetings?" he said in another tweet.

WB Governor condemns vandalisation of Vidyasagar statue

West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi condemned the vandalising of a bust of 19th century Bengali icon Iswarchandra Vidyasagar and said the culprits should be traced and punished.

"As the chancellor of Calcutta University, I am greatly pained at the vandalising of Vidyasagar statue. The real culprit for breaking the statue must be traced out and suitably punished," he said in a statement.

What the EC ordered

In a hurriedly-convened press conference, Deputy Election Commissioner Chandra Bhushan Kumar said it was for the first time that such an action has been taken using constitutional powers of the poll panel.

The poll panel also ordered the removal of Principal Secretary (Home) Atri Bhattacharya and Additional Director General, CID, Rajeev Kumar from their postings in West Bengal.

Deputy Election Commissioner Sudeep Jain, who is in charge of West Bengal, said Bhattacharya "stands relieved" from his current charge immediately, "for having interfered in the process of conducting elections" by directing the state chief electoral officer, which he was not supposed do. The state chief secretary will look after the charge of the home secretary.

He said Rajeev Kumar has been attached to the Ministry of Home Affairs here and should report to his new assignment by 10.00 AM Thursday.

"This would be the first time when EC has invoked Article 324 in this manner but it may not be the last in cases of repetition of lawlessness and violence which vitiate the conduct of polls in a peaceful and orderly manner," Deputy Election Commissioner Kumar said.

"Now, therefore, the Election Commission of India, in exercise of its powers under Article 324 of the Constitution ...Hereby directs that no person shall convene, hold, attend, join or address any public meeting or procession in connection with the election," the eight-page order read.

The order also barred any musical concert, theatrical performance to attract people in connection with the polls.

It said liquor or similar intoxicants cannot be served in election going areas in bars, hotels and traven shops during the ban period.

The EC invoked Article 324 of the Constitution to curtail the campaigning for the last phase of the election on May 19.

The constituencies where campaigning has been curtailed are -- Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jaynagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Kolkata Dakshin and Kolkata Uttar.

The order on curtailment of the campaigning was signed by Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and Election Commissioners Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra.

(With inputs from agencies)
New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address election rallies in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. In Bengal, he will hold public meetings in Laxmikantapur and Dumdum Central Jail Maidan. In UP, he will address ralies in Mau and Mirzapur. BJP chief Amit Shah is scheduled to hold a roadshow in Gorakhpur. Amit Shah, along with UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and party candidate from Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat Ravi Kisan, will address the gathering. "Around 1 lakh people are expected to take part in the roadshow". The road show will start from the Town Hall and end at Vijay Chowk.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to hold a mega road show in Patna Sahib constituency in favour of party candidate Shatrughan Sinha. Sinha is locked in battle against BJPs candidate and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who is contesting his Lok Sabha elections. He is also likely to visit Alwar to meet the gangrape victim.

The BSP-SP alliance is scheduled to hold a joint rally, to be addressed by BSP chief Mayawati and SP national president Akhilesh Yadav. The venue of this rally would be near Ravidas temple in Sir gobardhan area. Both leaders Mayawati and Akhilesh  might visit the temple on the day of their rally.

In first such action in India's electoral history, the Election Commission on Wednesday ordered campaigning in nine West Bengal constituencies to end at 10 PM on Thursday, a day before its scheduled deadline, in the wake of violence between BJP and TMC workers in Kolkata. In a hurriedly-convened press conference, Deputy Election Commissioner Chandra Bhushan Kumar said it was for the first time that such an action has been taken using constitutional powers of the poll panel.

Stay tuned for all the LIVE election update here:

21:17 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu writes to EC over its decision to order re-polling at 5 polling stations of Chandragiri AC and Chittoor PC. Letter states, "I'm writing this letter to strongly oppose the partial one sided and undemocratic motivated actions of the EC".

21:16 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Election Commission has sought factual report from Chief Electoral Officer, Madhya Pradesh by tomorrow in the matter of Pragya Singh Thakur's statement "Nathuram Godse was, is and will remain a 'deshbhakt'".

20:07 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Congress president Rahul Gandhi holds a roadshow with Shatrughan Sinha, party's candidate from Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav also present.



Patna: Congress President Rahul Gandhi holds a roadshow with Shatrughan Sinha, party's candidate from Patna Sahib LS constituency. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav also present. pic.twitter.com/pkg10kOUpe

 ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2019



20:06 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Kolkata Police constitutes Special Investigation Team (SIT) for investigation into the vandalism of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's statue at Vidyasagar College in Kolkata on May 14.

19:09 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Why are you forgetting that Left had created similar situation for you and at that time constitutional bodies of the nation ensured a fair election in West Bengal. If these constitutional bodies and central forces weren't there, you would not have been CM today: PM Modi in Dum Dum.

18:53 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Election Commission of India declares polls held on April 11 at 5 polling stations of the Chandragiri Assembly constituency and the Chittoor Parliamentary constituency of Andhra Pradesh as void. Re-polls to be held on May 19.

18:32 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In BJP President Amit Shah campaigns for party's candidate from Gorakhpur, Ravi Kishan. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also present.



Gorakhpur: BJP President Amit Shah campaigns for party's candidate from Gorakhpur, Ravi Kishan. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also present. pic.twitter.com/g68dNJu6Wz

 ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) May 16, 2019



18:07 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Delhi: Opposition delegation met with EC over ending election campaign in West Bengal 24 hours early. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Congress says, "We did not receive a satisfactory response from the Election Commission".

18:06 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Didi has resorted to threats, today in the morning I received the threat of being sent to jail. Yesterday I saw in media that didi had threatened to take over BJP's office, she is also threatening to take over homes of BJP workers: Narendra Modi.

18:06 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In There is a problem here regarding Durga puja and Saraswati puja, saying Jai Sri Ram has become a crime. People of Bengal were troubled by these things since a few years, who brought these issues on a national platform? Which party has become voice of Bengal today, it's BJP: PM Modi.

18:06 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In TMC goons spread violence, they vandalised statue of Vidyasagar. CCTV cameras were installed there. The way the state govt erased evidences of Narada and Sarada scam, it is trying to remove evidence in the incident. I demand a strict action should be taken: PM Modi in West Bengal.

17:15 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In West Bengal has vowed to help BJP cross 300 seats in 2019 elections: PM Modi in Mathurapur.

17:02 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal: They allowed Modi ji's rallies and ended campaigning after it, it makes it clear that Election Commission is totally biased. It is very dangerous for the country.

16:39 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In We had a meeting y'day, why was it cancelled? Can only the PM hold a meeting? Don't we have any rights in democracy? Only that the Election Commission says will happen? They curtailed our campaign 24 hours ago, now we have to adjust our meetings: Mamata Banerjee.

16:38 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Digvijaya Singh, Congress LS candidate from Bhopal on Pragya Thakur's remarks: Modi ji, Amit Shah ji and the state BJP should give their statements and apologise to the nation. I condemn this statement, Nathuram Godse was a killer, glorifying him is not patriotism, it is sedition.

16:38 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Punjab: BJP's Gurdaspur candidate Sunny Deol campaigns in Amritsar; all 13 parliamentary seats in Punjab will go to polls in the last phase of Lok Sabha elections on 19th May, Sunday.



Punjab: BJP's Gurdaspur candidate Sunny Deol campaigns in Amritsar; all 13 parliamentary seats in Punjab will go to polls in the last phase of Lok Sabha elections on 19th May, Sunday pic.twitter.com/jWJ03X2HNN

 ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2019



16:37 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In R Surjewala,Congress: India's soul is under attack by successors of Godse, the BJP ruling dispensation.BJP leaders are describing the murderer of father of the nation as a true nationalist and declaring those who sacrificed their lives for nation like Hemant Karkare as anti-nationals.

15:56 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In BJP has intensified 'hate-filled politics' to avoid being questioned on 'achche din' promise: Tejashwi Yadav.

15:52 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Rahul Gandhi will play 'central role' in formation of new government, Tejashwi Yadav.

15:49 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The Election Commission has one set of rules for opposition and another for ruling party: MK Stalin.

15:40 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee asks the crowd to chant, "Chowkidar Chor Hai", at a rally in Diamond Harbour.



#WATCH: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee asks the crowd to chant, "Chowkidar Chor Hai", at a rally in Diamond Harbour. pic.twitter.com/Dpj1Ex3Aa5

 ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2019



15:37 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In In last 5 years you (PM) couldn't make a Ram Temple and you want to make Vidyasagar's statue? People of Bengal won't beg before you. Your goonda neta came here and said 'Bangal kangal hai'. Are Bengalis kangal? Are Bengalis kangal?: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee at Diamond Harbour

14:56 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In PM told you that he himself will deposit 15 lakh in your accounts and the President of the same party, after the elections said it was a 'chunaavi jumla', will you trust them again? asks Priyanka Gandhi Vadra

14:53 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In 'Nathuram Godse was a 'deshbhakt', is a 'deshbhakt' and will remain a 'deshbhakt': Pragya Singh Thakur

13:45 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In WB CM Mamata Banerjee in Mathurapur, South 24 Parganas: I feel sad but I don't have anything to say, I am ready to go to jail for saying this. I am not scared to say the truth.

13:44 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In WB CM Mamata Banerjee in Mathurapur: Last night we came to know that BJP had filed a complaint with EC so that we can't hold any meeting after Narendra Modi's meeting. EC is brother of BJP, earlier it was an impartial body now everyone in the country says EC has sold out to BJP.

13:36 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Addressing a rally in Mathurapur in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee accused PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah of torturing people.

12:18 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In A strong government is necessary for a strong nation, says PM Modi in Chandoli.

12:09 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Alleging that the TMC is intimidating Hindu voters in south Kolkata, the BJP has approached the Election Commission.

12:09 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Hitting out at Mamata Banerjee, BJP chief Amit Shah said the West Bengal Chief Minister wants to silence opponents through violence. Bengal was never known for violence.

11:34 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In PM Narendra Modi in Mau: Some months back during my rally in West Medinipur, TMC goons indulged in hooliganism. After this in Thakurnagar the situation was such that I had to cut short my speech and was forced to leave the stage.

11:15 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Congress President Rahul Gandhi: Soon after I heard about the incident (Alwar gang rape) I spoke to Ashok Gehlot Ji. This is not a political issue for me. I met the victim's family and they have sought justice which will be done. Action will be taken against culprits.

11:15 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In

PM Narendra Modi in Mau: SP-BSP has given ticket to a person here who is an absconder in a rape case. SP has this history in UP, people know, but Behen ji will you seek votes for such candidates?













11:08 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In FIR registered against Computer Baba for violating model code of conduct after a complaint alleging that he was campaigning for Congress Bhopal candidate Digvijaya Singh.

10:15 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Congress' Randeep Surjewala accused the Election Commission of keeping in mind PM Modi 's rally in Bengal before banning campaigning in Bengal.

10:02 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Mayawati: Election Commission has banned campaigning in West Bengal, but from 10 pm today just because PM has two rallies in the day. If they had to ban then why not from today morning? This is unfair and EC is acting under pressure.

10:02 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In This is a very dangerous and unjust trend and one which doesn't suit the PM of the country: Mayawati.

09:59 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In This is a planned attack and part of a conspiracy on the West Bengal government, says Mayawati.

08:12 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Navjot Kaur Sidhu: I was denied ticket after our CM sa'ab & Asha ji had specifically said that I can't win from Amritsar. If I'm working for party,at least don't have such small heart & brain that when you can see the larger picture that country needs to be saved from Modi... My message was Capt sa'ab should respect women. You talk of women reservation,then consider them. When educated leaders like me, ready to serve others come, it's decent to tell us that someone's better so it's being done but don't deny us tickets by lying.



07:16 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The BSP-SP alliance is scheduled to hold a joint rally, to be addressed by BSP chief Mayawati and SP national president Akhilesh Yadav.

07:15 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Sinha is locked in battle against BJPs candidate and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who is contesting his Lok Sabha elections. He is also likely to visit Alwar to meet the gangrape victim.

07:15 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Congress president Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to hold a mega road show in Patna Sahib constituency in favour of party candidate Shatrughan Sinha.

07:15 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In BJP chief Amit Shah is scheduled to hold a roadshow in Gorakhpur. Amit Shah, along with UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and party candidate from Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat Ravi Kisan, will address the gathering.
New Delhi:

CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Thursday lambasted the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over party's Bhopal Lok Sabha candidate Pragya Singh Thakur's remark that Mahatma Gandhis assassin Nathuram Godse was a "patriot".

Sitaram Yechury said, "The truth about where RSS-BJP stands on terror gets clearer all the time. A senior minister in (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi's Cabinet said Godse was not a terrorist, now terror-accused Pragya Thakur calls the murderer of Gandhi ji a 'desh bhakt'. The BJP remains inspired by the killers of the Mahatma."

Right from Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh, PDP president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti to CPI leader D Raja, all slammed the BJP and Pragya Singh Thakur.

In a tweet, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Bapu ka hatyara deshbhakt? Hey Ram! Distancing yourself from your candidate is not enough. Nationalistic luminaries of the BJP, have the guts to spell out your stand."

On the other hand, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. Speaking to reporters, he said, "Narendra Modi ji, Amit Shah ji and BJP leaders from Madhya Pradesh should apologise to the country. I condemn the words used against the Father of the Nation. Nathuram Godse was a killer and eulogising him is not patriotism, but an anti-national act."

Earlier today, Thakur had said, Nathuram Godse was a desh bhakt, he is and will remain one. Those calling him a terrorist should introspect. They will be given a befitting reply in this election." It is to be noted that she was responding to a question over actor-turned politician Kamal Haasan's remarks that free India's first terrorist was a Hindu.

After facing backlash from both the opposition as well as her party, Pragya Thakur retracted her remarks and said, "I believe in my organisation, I work for it, and the party's line is my line."
New Delhi:

In an alarming, an intel report has said that the terrorists are planning to carry out attacks on Srinagar and Awantipora air bases. According to news agency ANI, the security forces are on high alert in and around these air bases. Pakistan-based terror group Jaish e Muhammad and ISI are planning an unprecedented attack in Kashmir Valley during Ramzan. Alert has been issued around National Highway, South Kashmir and some key installations of Indian Army, Air Force and Jammu and Kashmir Police.

Intel agencies had warned that the attack might be carried out in the Lethipora region of the Pulwama district. As per the report, the terrorist will not use vehicle - as done during the February 14 Pulwama attack - but will target security establishments, camps, and buildings using Improvised Explosive Device (IED), as per media reports.

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New Delhi:

Accusing the BJP-RSS of systematically attacking Bengal and its ethos, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday said the saffron party was opposed to the very ideas propagated by social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, whose statue was desecrated in the violence during BJP president Amit Shah's roadshow in Kolkata.

BJP and TMC supporters on Tuesday fought pitched battles on the streets of Kolkata during a massive roadshow by Shah, who escaped unhurt but was forced to cut short the jamboree and had to be escorted to safety by police.

"Not about just a statue, but a systematic attack on Bengal. One of the biggest symbols of the Bengal renaissance is what BJP-RSS have attacked. These obscurantists have always opposed Vidyasagar's ideas. But Bengal will not succumb," Yechury tweeted.

While both the BJP and the ruling TMC has begun a blame game on the issue, Yechury said that the violent clashes between the two parties was "hitting at the heart of Bengal and its core."

"Vidyasagar was conferred the title of the ocean of knowledge. A leading figure in the Bengal renaissance, he stood for progress, pathbreaking reform and enlightenment. It is very clear why the Sangh parivar would seek destruction of his ideas," he tweeted.

While Shah on Wednesday said that the TMC was indulging in violence in the state and alleged that the Election Commission has been a "mute spectator", TMC national spokesperson Derek O' Brien said the saffron party was perpetuating violence through its "goons brought from outside".
New Delhi:

Acting strongly in the wake of violence between BJP and TMC workers in Kolkata on Tuesday, the Election Commission on Wednesday ordered election campaigning in the state to end at 10 pm on Thursday till the conclusion of Lok Sabha elections -- a day before its scheduled deadline.

As per the EC order, a ban on poll campaigning has been imposed in nine Parliamentary constituencies of Dumdum, Barasat, Basirghat, Jaynagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Habour, Jadavpur, Kolkata Dakshin and Kolkata Uttar which will see polling on May 19.

Expressing anger over the violence that marred Kolkata on Tuesday evening, the poll panel invoked Article 324 for the first time ever.

"This is probably the first time that ECI has invoked Article 324 in this manner but it may not be last in cases of repetition of lawlessness and violence which vitiate the conduct of polls in a peaceful manner," the Election Commission said in a media briefing.

"The Commission is deeply anguished at the vandalism done to the statue of Vidyasagar. It is hoped that the vandals are traced by the state administration," it added.

In a strict action, the poll panel also removed ADG CID Rajiv Kumar from his post and shifted him to MHA. Also, Atri Bhattacharya,Principal Secretary, Home and Health Affairs (West Bengal government) was removed for "interfering in process of conducting polls by directing West Bengal Chief Election Officer".

Earlier in the day, Shah blamed West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress for violence during his roadshow in Kolkata and accused the Election Commission of "double standards" for remaining a "mute spectator" to rigging and violation of the poll code in the state.

In a separate press conference, Trinamool Congress released videos to claim that "BJP goons" damaged the statue of Vidyasagar and accused the saffron party of violence.

Shah in turn accused TMC "goons" of vandalising the bust, saying it was done to gain "sympathy" as the Banerjee-led party has realised its "reverse count" has begun. He too showed pictures of Tuesday's violence to blame the TMC.



BJP and Trinamool supporters on Tuesday fought pitched battles on the streets of Kolkata during a massive road show by Amit Shah, who escaped unhurt but was forced to cut short the jamboree and had to be escorted to safety by the police.

Parts of the city plunged into a welter of violence as his convoy was attacked with stones by alleged Trinamool supporters from inside the hostel of Vidyasagar College, triggering a clash between supporters of the two parties.

Furious BJP supporters retaliated and were seen exchanging blows with their TMC rivals outside the college entrance.

The Trinamool also accused Deputy Election Commissioner Sudeep Jain of giving orders to the police not to intervene in BJP issues in state.
New Delhi:

The CBI probe into the Bofors case pertaining to the alleged Rs 64 crore kickbacks in the purchase of the Swedish artillery guns will continue, officials said on Thursday.

"In view of certain revelations made by one Michael Hershman, CBI sought the permission of the trial court to conduct further investigation in the Bofors case," CBI spokesperson Nitin Wakankar said.

He said on May 8, 2019, the court had observed that when independent right and power is available with the CBI to further investigate the matter on their own, if in their wisdom it is necessary to do so then, why still such application is being filed in the court.

"After obtaining legal opinion, CBI filed an application on May 16, 2019 in the court of CMM, Rouse Avenue Courts, New Delhi, stating that for conducting further investigation under section 173(8) of CrPC, permission of the court is not mandatorily required by CBI and an intimation to the court in this regard will suffice," he said.

He said the probe in the Bofors case will continue.

The agency's response came after it withdrew from a Delhi court its application to seek permission to further probe the politically sensitive Rs 64-crore Bofors payoff case.

The CBI had also filed an appeal in the Supreme Court in February 2, 2018 against the May 31, 2005 verdict of the Delhi high Court discharging all the accused in the case.

The apex court had on November 2, 2018 dismissed CBI's appeal in which it had sought condonation of the 13 year delay in filing the appeal against the high court judgment.

The apex court had said that it was not convinced with the grounds of the CBI to condone over 4,500 days' delay in filing the appeal.

However, one of the appeals is still alive in the apex court in which CBI is one of the respondents and the top court on November 2, 2018 said that the agency can assist in the matter as respondent.

The apex court said the CBI can raise all grounds in the appeal against the high court verdict filed by advocate Ajay Agrawal who has also challenged the judgement.

Agrawal, who has now become a rebel BJP leader after he was denied Lok Sabha ticket from Rai Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, in 2005 had challenged the high court verdict after the CBI did not file the appeal in the mandatory 90 days period.

The agency had swung into action for a permission for further probe in the case after the Attorney General had orally given it a go ahead to file the appeal in the case in which it cited the October 2017 interview of private detective Michael Hershman, alleging that the then Rajiv Gandhi government had sabotaged his probe.

Justice R S Sodhi (since retired) of the Delhi High Court had on May 31, 2005 quashed the CBI case in the Bofors pay-off scam.

Before the 2005 verdict of Justice Sodhi, another judge of the Delhi High Court, Justice J D Kapoor (since retired), had on February 4, 2004 exonerated the late prime minister in the case and directed the framing of charge of forgery under section 465 of the IPC against Bofors company.

The Rs 1,437-crore deal between India and Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors for the supply of 400 155mm howitzer guns for the Indian Army was entered into on March 24, 1986.

Swedish Radio on April 16, 1987 claimed that the company had paid bribes to top Indian politicians and defence personnel.

The CBI on January 22, 1990 registered the FIR for alleged offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery under the India Penal Code and other sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Martin Ardbo, the then president of AB Bofors, alleged middleman Win Chadda and the Hinduja brothers.

It alleged that certain public servants and private persons in India and abroad had entered into a criminal conspiracy between 1982 and 1987 in pursuance of which the offences of bribery, corruption, cheating and forgery were committed.

The first charge sheet in the case was filed on October 22, 1999, against Chadda, Ottavio Quattrocchi, the then defence secretary S K Bhatnagar, Ardbo and the Bofors company.

A supplementary charge sheet was filed against the Hinduja brothers -- S P Hinduja, G P Hinduja and P P Hinduja -- on October 9, 2000.

A special CBI court in Delhi on March 4, 2011, had discharged Quattrocchi in the case, saying the country could not afford to spend hard-earned money on his extradition which had already cost Rs 250 crore.

Quattrocchi, who had fled from India on July 29-30, 1993, never appeared before any court in India to face prosecution. He passed away on July 13, 2013. The other accused who died are Bhatnagar, Ardbo and Chadda.





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Ottawa:

A fugitive on Canadas most wanted list ended up leading police to his doorstep after announcing where he was living in a defiant Facebook message to a television station publicising his case. Jessie Dean Kowalchuk, 27, was wanted in westernmost British Columbia province for violating his probation related to three separate crimes in 2015.

When he spotted his photo on the website of television station CFJC Today in Kamloops, he sent a Facebook message to taunt the news shows producersand said he was in the capital of neighboring Alberta province.

News flash morons Im in Edmonton and not coming back, Kowalchuk wrote, according to the station.

The police were notified of his apparent location and arrested him in Edmonton, where he had apparently been living for three years.

Were just really pleased that he sent the message advising where he was living in Alberta and that we were able to extend the warrants to Alberta so that we could bring him back here to face charges, federal police Corporal Jodi Shelkie told public broadcaster CBC.

Youve got to face up to your actions at some point and you know it doesnt matter where you gosooner or later, the police are going to find you, she said late Tuesday.

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Aravakurichi:

Tension prevailed at a public meeting of Makkal Needhi Maiam founder Kamal Haasan at Aravakurichi on Thursday after two unidentified persons allegedly hurled eggs and stones at the dais, police said.

Meanwhile, police in Coimbatore district denied permission for the actor to undertake campaign for the Sulur bypoll on Friday.

No one was injured in the incident at Aravakurichi which happened when Haasan was getting off the stage after completing his address. He was escorted to safety, police said.

MNM workers roughed up the two persons suspected to have hurled stones and eggs, before police rescued them and took then away for questioning. MNM workers staged a protest but police officials held talks with them.

The incident comes a day after footwear was hurled towards a vehicle from which Haasan was addressing an election meeting in the Tirupparankundram Assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday evening.

Haasan, founder of new political outfit Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), kicked up a controversy this week with his comment that free Indias first extremist was a Hindu, a reference to Mahatma Gandhis assassin Nathuram Godse

Police said permission has not been granted for Haasan to undertake the bypoll campaign in Sulur in Coimbatore in the backdrop of the ongoing controversy.
Islamabad: A recent example of how Pakistan defeats terrorists has been re-seen in a court verdict there. Mumbai attacks mastermind Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed and six lashkar-e-taiba terrorists have been acquitted by a Lahore court. All of them were sentenced for funding terrorism. According to the report, the Lahore High Court on Saturday rejected the conviction of six senior leaders of Lashkar-e-Taiba and its main organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JUD) in the case on the ground that the prosecution had failed to prove the charge of funding terrorism.

At the conclusion of the meeting on October 21, FATF had retained Pakistan in its "grey list" and asked Pakistan to take action against terrorist groups declared terrorists by the United Nations (UN) and its leaders and commanders. In April, an anti-terror court in Lahore sentenced top Lashkar and Jamaat-ud-Dawa leaders Malik Zafar Iqbal, Yahya Mujahid, Nasrullah, Samiullah and Omar Bahadur to nine years in jail and Abdul Rahman Makki to six months in prison.

Makki is also the husband of the sister of Lashkar founder Hafiz Saeed. The Lahore High Court on Saturday quashed his conviction and acquitted all six people. An unnamed court official told the media that the prosecution has failed to prove the charges against the men. The court also observed that the statement of the prosecution's main witness was not credible as there was 'no evidence' of it. A bench of Chief Justice Muhammad Amir Bhatti and Justice Tariq Salim Sheikh pronounced the verdict. It may be recalled that in 2008, the Taj Hotel in Mumbai was attacked by Jamaat-ud-Dawa terrorists, killing more than 160 civilians, including six US citizens.

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Lucknow: In Uttar Pradesh, the situation over sofas is at its peak these days. In fact, on November 3, Samajwadi Party (SP) national president and former CM Akhilesh Yadav had reached the house of a victim's family who lost their lives due to dengue in Gija village under Saifai tehsil of Etawah. Meanwhile, politics has started on the sofa on which Akhilesh was sitting. In fact, Mukesh Batham, a family based in Village Gija under Saifai tehsil, has five sons.

Mukesh runs a small food and drink hotel in Saifai market to raise his family. At the same time, he does agricultural work. Mukesh's number four son was married 3 months ago, who died of dengue on October 20, which Akhilesh Yadav had visited his house on learning about. Mukesh Batham said that his two sons were married within the last 4 months, in which one son died of dengue, which led to the death of SP president Akhilesh Yadav at his house for a walk and the sofa on which he was sitting received a gift at the wedding of the same deceased son 3 months ago.

Mukesh Batham said that the second brown sofa was also gifted at his second son's wedding 4 months ago. Both the sofas found at the wedding were set and the table on which Akhilesh Yadav was sitting. Mukesh however said that hundreds of people in the village are ill and suffering from dengue. Akhilesh Yadav's picture of the same sofa was attacked by the BJP and the Congress. Youth Congress president Srinivas Biwi had hit out at where the sofa came from in a house where there is no plaster. Meanwhile, Mukesh has now said that he met Sofa at his sons' wedding.

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Dhaka: Bangladesh Health administration has given out 70 million Covid-19 vaccine doses so far, with the figure expected to reach 120 million by January next year if current trends continue, according to Health Minister Zahid Maleque.

Bangladesh is said to have purchased a total of 210 million doses of the vaccines, and there is currently no shortage. More than 30 million of the ordered vaccine doses are expected to arrive in the country this month, with another 30 million due in December, according to the Maleque. In January of this year, Bangladesh launched its Covid-19 vaccination campaign to combat the pandemic that has swept the country.

However, after India abruptly banned vaccine exports, the Bangladeshi government was forced to halt the administration of the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The vaccination campaign with Chinese Sinopharm vaccines resumed in June in some parts of the country.

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Japan: A former Japanese defence minister Gen Nakatani will be appointed as the prime minister's rights aide, according to a cabinet official. Fumio Kishida, Japan's new prime minister, has said that Japan should stand firm for democracy in Hong Kong, which is ruled by China, and that he supports a parliamentary resolution condemning China's treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority.

When asked about a meeting between Kishida and a former defence minister earlier in the day amid speculation he would become the prime minister's aide on rights, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki said arrangements were being made to appoint Gen Nakatani to the post on Wednesday. Nakatani, 64, wants to introduce a Japanese version of the United States' Magnitsky Act, which allows foreign human rights violators to be punished with asset freezes and travel bans in the United States.

Since 2016, Chinese authorities have been accused of facilitating forced labour by detaining approximately a million Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities in camps. China denies any wrongdoing, claiming that vocational training centres have been established to combat Islamist militancy. Nakatani's appointment is scheduled for Wednesday, when parliament will hold a special session to re-elect Kishida as prime minister following his ruling Liberal Democratic Party's election victory on Oct. 31.

Seoul invites foreign Korean War veterans ahead of event

United Nations reiterates its support for Libya's upcoming elections.

Guterres strongly condemns the attempted assassination of Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki
New Delhi: Mediapart, a French online magazine, has made a big claim over the Rafale fighter jet deal. Publishing fake invoices, the magazine claimed that Dassault Aviation, a French rafale maker, had bribed Indian middleman Sushen Gupta for about Rs 65 crore (7.5 million) to get the deal done and was also known to CBI and ED, but did not take any action.

The report claims that indian agencies decided not to pursue the matter even after the documents were made. 59,000 crores from France. The report says, "This includes offshore companies, suspicious agreements and fake challans. Mediapart may reveal that Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) associates have evidence since October 2018 that Dassault has given a secret commission of at least Rs 65 crore to middleman Sushen Gupta. '

According to Mediapart, the alleged fake challans enabled Gupta to pay at least 7.5 million euros, or about Rs 65 crore, to help French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation secure a deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets with India. However, even after the present of these documents, Indian agencies did not show interest in the matter and did not initiate an inquiry.

141 people to receive Padma Awards today, President gives Padma Vibhushan to Pandit Channulal

T20 World Cup: Mysterious death of 'Indian' who prepared the pitch for New Zealand-Afghanistan match

On the first day of Chhath festival, the water of Yamuna river became poisonous, the picture went viral.
Ahmedabad: Gujarat Police has registered a FIR against 10 Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) jawans for murder and attempt to murder. According to reports, an Indian fishing boat was allegedly fired upon in the Arabian Sea off the Gujarat coast, killing one crew member and injuring another.

An official said, sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 114 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and FIR were registered at Navi Bandar police station in Porbandar district on Sunday night under relevant provisions of the Arms Act. According to FIR, 10 unidentified PMSA personnel set fire to the Indian fishing boat 'Jalpari' at 4 pm on Saturday. In the incident, a 32-year-old fisherman, Sridhar Chamre, from Palghar district of Maharashtra, was killed and one fisherman Dilip Solanki (34) was injured. He was from Diu.

Dileep is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Okha coastal town of Devbhoomi Dwarka district of Gujarat. Tell us that there were 7 crew members on the Indian boat. An official source said on Sunday that we have taken this incident seriously and we are going to raise this issue diplomatically with Pakistan.

Drugs case: NCB gets call from Dubai, Nawab Malik suspected of phone tapping

Harekala Hajba, an orange seller who was awarded Padma Shri

Orange Vendor, Receives the Prestigious Padma Shri Award From President Of India
Mumbai: Today (November 8, Monday) has completed five years of the demonetisation decision taken by the Modi government at the Centre. Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut and NCP leader and Minister Nawab Malik have targeted the Modi government at the Centre today. In fact, Nawab Malik has tweeted. In addition to this tweet, he also held a press conference today. He termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation decision as a complete failure.

At a press conference, he said, "Today is five years since demonetisation, no black money has come back, corruption has not come down and terrorism has not stopped. Modi ji had asked for three months, now let him tell us at what intersection we have to go to. Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, on the other hand, also termed demonetisation as a total disaster and a quadrupling of the economy. He also demanded that the Central Government apologise to the country for the decision.

Talking to media today, Sanjay Raut said, "Five years after the demonetisation decision, black money has increased in the country today. Terrorism has increased in Kashmir. That is, demonetisation has proved to be a total disaster for the country. After the demonetisation came into force, many people lost their lives, many lost their jobs. The Central Government apologises to the country for this failure of demonetisation. Tell all of you that Sanjay Raut has always been in the news for his controversial statements and now his statement is also in the news.

United Nations reiterates its support for Libya's upcoming elections.

Punjab Vidhan Sabha will convene on Monday Nov 8

Flights to Singapore to be increased by second-largest South Korean airline
Hyderabad: Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Central government and lashed out at party state president Bandi Sanjay. At the same time, he even warned that BJP leaders should avoid petty things or else we would cut off your tongue.

Talking to media, K Chandrasekhar Rao said that the captive Sanjay is misleading telangana farmers by asking them to cultivate paddy and giving them false hope that bjp will ensure that crop is procured. KCR took an aggressive stand and said, "The Centre is saying that it will not buy paddy produce and the BJP in the state is saying that it will buy. Avoid petty things and if annargal speaks about us, we will cut off your tongue(of bjp leaders of the state).'

K Chandrasekhar Rao further said that the Union Government has made it clear that it will not buy paddy crop and the Agriculture Minister has also asked farmers to opt for another crop. He further said, 'I met the union minister concerned directly and asked him to take boiled rice purchased from the farmers. He said he would take a decision and tell me, but I haven't received any response yet. Telangana state already has about 5 lakh tonnes of paddy last year. The center isn't buying it.'

Taliban pledges military action in case Pakistan discussions with TTP fail

United Nations reiterates its support for Libya's upcoming elections.

Punjab Vidhan Sabha will convene on Monday Nov 8
United Nations: A senior UN official has reaffirmed his support for Libya's upcoming elections. Raisedon Zenenga, Assistant Secretary-General and Coordinator of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), made his remarks during a virtual consultation with a diverse group of civil society representatives from across the country, according to reports. "Participants shared their perspectives on elections, with a common message that the goal of the elections should be to deliver stability and enable the country to emerge from recurrent political crises," the UNSMIL said in a Twitter post.

Zenenga praised the participants' cooperation with the UNSMIL and emphasised the importance of civil society in ensuring a stable, peaceful, and democratic Libya. "He reaffirmed UNSMIL's commitment to assisting Libyans in holding elections that are timely, credible, and inclusive, in accordance with the Libyan political road map and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and that will result in Libyan stability," according to the mission.

The UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) selected a new executive authority of a unity government and a presidency council in February, bringing the North African country's years of political division to an end. The main task of the new authority, as endorsed by the LPDF, is to prepare for the general elections on December 24. Elections were originally scheduled for December 2018, but were pushed back to early 2019.

Guterres strongly condemns the attempted assassination of Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki

6 terrorists acquitted in terror funding case, Hafiz Saeed's brother-in-law also involved

Flights to Singapore to be increased by second-largest South Korean airline
Home  Just In  Nepal values money but not the notes. Central bank officials are concerned yet helpless

Every year, Nepal Rastra Bank prints new notes worth in excess of Rs 50 billion. As they are printed before Dashain and Tihar, the two biggest festivals of Nepal, the new notes go bad quite quickly which has started a debate whether Nepal should be wasting so much money on printing new notes.

The loop of losses

Even this year, the central bank printed notes worth Rs 60 billion. According to the executive director of the NRB Currency Management Department, Rewati Raman Nepal, most of these new notes will come back to the NRB quite quickly as they will be unusable. These old notes are then burnt down.

According to the central bank, old notes worth Rs 40 to 50 billion are destroyed every year. Nepal says until 2021, the NRB has destroyed notes worth Rs 560 billion. Most of these notes are those with smaller denominations, says Nepal. A former NRB governor Dipendra Bahadur Chhetri says sometimes the bank receives notes after two days of issuing them.

The amount of times one note is circulated is quite high in Nepal. That is why these notes go bad in as little as one day, says Chhetri.

He says these notes go bad because everyone has a different way to keep them. Some keep them nicely, some fold them, some crumble them while in some cases people even handle them with their wet hands.

Itll obviously go bad when these things like these happen, says Chhetri.

He says as per the quality of notes, they tend to go bad quite quickly. Compared to dollars, pound sterling, yen and euro currencies, Nepali notes are printed in inferior-quality papers.

Yen uses the same raw material as lokta paper, but thats expensive and as we cant afford it, we use a cheap one, says Chhetri.

Destroying old notes and printing new ones is also causing a lot of financial burden on the country, says Nepal.

Its an endless loop of losses. Around 15 to 20 per cent of new notes are useless in four months of circulation, says Nepal.

No respect to resources

File: People receive new banknotes before Dashain.

Citizens Bank CEO Ganesh Raj Pokharel says people are realising the ill-handling of notes and have been keeping them safe.

We need to raise awareness because not all of us keep money in our wallets. Some fold it while some crumble it and put it in their pockets. If we start keeping our money without folding it in our wallets, notes will last long, says Pokharel.

But due to different sizes of peoples wallets, this is not possible.

Nepal Microfinance Bankers Associations vice-chairperson Min Bahadur Bohara says people in rural areas lack awareness about the need to take care of the new notes. But that said, he says that people in urban areas, even though they are aware, do not care about the need to look after new notes.

Conductors in busses dont keep notes safely and meat shops hand over wet notes to people even though they know these notes go bad soon. They dont lack awareness; they just dont care, he says. In villages, they are kept in a pouch or in a box. But they are never wet. People in rural Nepal care more even though they lack awareness.

But, when the same urban people carry the Indian rupees or US dollars, they tend to keep them safely, he says. The US dollars, if treated like Nepali rupee notes, will not be taken by anyone. Experts argue that Nepalis just do not respect Nepali notes compared to foreign ones.

The charge on culture

According to Nepal, the executive director of the NRB Currency Management Department, notes go bad due to cultural reasons too. In the Hindu culture, people offer money to gods and goddesses. Money is also handed out as dakshina, during every event. This money used that time is covered in vermilion powder among others, which damages the notes.

I talk about note safety when I myself cant guarantee its safety at my home, says Nepal. Some rituals ask us to carry the note and water at the same time. When this happens, how do we guarantee its safety?

NRB spokesperson Dev Kumar Dhakal says Nepalis nature is also to blame for notes going bad quickly.

People take it for granted. Touching money with wet hands and crumbling it and putting it in their pockets doesnt help the life of these new notes, says Dhakal.

Interestingly, the NRB even held discussions with astrologers and priests on how to extend the life of notes circulated in the market. But, that discussion was not fruitful at all.

Santosh Vashistha, an astrologer and priest, during the discussion did say that the use of the money during various rituals was not compulsory and not sought by the scriptures. He says it is wrong and is a new phenomenon started by a new generation of priests.

Nowhere is it written that people need to offer money. In our culture, we offer coins, not notes, but here people have started to offer notes as its denomination is high and that is wrong, says Vashistha.

High printing costs of the notes

File image: Nepal Rastra Bank

According to Laxmi Prapanna Niraula, a former executive director of the Currency Management Department of the NRB, printing new notes costs Nepal around Rs 400 million a year. Nepal does not have a note printing machine and it asks foreign countries to print them, which also results in the decrease of foreign currency reserves in the country.

If we take care of notes, we will save a lot of foreign currency from going abroad, says Niraula.

Additional money is also wasted on the distribution of these notes to rural parts of the country.

According to the NRB, it costs more to print notes of small denominations. Officials say it costs Rs 1.68 to print a Rs 5 note while it takes Rs 1.40 to print a Rs 10 note. The bank spends Rs 1.73 to print a Rs 20 note and Rs 2.99 for a Rs 100 note. The central bank stopped printing Rs 1 and Rs 2 notes because it cost a lot to print those. To print a Rs 1,000 note, Nepal has to pay Rs 3.37 while to print a Rs 500 note costs Rs 4.68.

Legal efforts

File: A bus conductor carries notes in his hands

Meanwhile, Niraula says the NRB has to become strict in order to save new notes.

In order to save notes, the NRB had drafted a Clean Note Policy in 2016. In the policy, the NRB has asked banks to set three categories of notes  ideal for ATMs, ideal for their cash counters and lastly, not ideal for both. The policy also states people are not allowed to write on notes as it wanted people themselves to preserve notes.

Even the law prevents people from doing so as section 264 of the National Penal Code Act states a person will be jailed for three months if he/she damages a note and will be fined up to Rs 5,000.

Despite jail terms being listed, people still continue to damage notes purposely as laws have not been effective enough, says the NRB spokesperson Dhakal.

Former governor Dipendra Bahadur Chhetri says people still are not aware of the consequences of damaging notes that are national property. He says as the policy cannot figure out who damages these notes, the bank cannot punish the culprits.

Even when there are proofs, we still havent been able to book them. An example is finance companies putting their stamps on notes. Why havent we been able to stop these people from repeating the same thing? says Chhetri.

He says people need to promote the use of digital banking as it will save the nation a lot of money.

The executive director of the NRB Currency Management Department, Nepal, says the officials are also talking about adding the need to save notes into the syllabus so that children learn this from an early age. This proposal has been taken to the Curriculum Development Centre but is yet to be implemented.

If kids learn this from an early age, it will be easy for us to raise awareness. This is being done in many developed countries, says Nepal.
The land of the mythical snow leopard, Upper Dolpo in Dolpa has a lot to offer. Home to the pristine Phoksundo lake, the area is untouched, raw, rugged and extremely beautiful. Its a place in Nepal that will take you back in time with its simplicity.

Over the past few years, a lot of people have been going to Dolpo to witness the grandeur of the Phoksundo lake. But, the lake is just the tip of the iceberg. There is a lot more that you can experience in the region. From learning about the Bon religion to visiting one of the highest human settlements in the world, Dolpo will make you come back for more.

Today, we bring you a list of places you can visit when you are in the region.

1. Phoksundo lake

File: The Phoksundo lake, Dolpo

This pristine lake is the crown jewel of Dolpa. Situated at an elevation of 3,612 metres, the turquoise blue lake is mystical on its own. There is a belief among locals that the lake is so pure that no organism lives there. People are not allowed to swim or boat in the lake, but they do not have to. If you stare long enough at the lake from the multiple viewpoints on the trail, you will definitely be mesmerised.

2. Shey Gompa

File: Shey Gompa, Dolpo

Another gem in the region is the Shey Gompa or the Crystal Monastery that was built in the 11th century just below the holy Crystal Mountain. Many consider this monastery the spiritual heart of the region and was made famous by Peter Matthiessen in the book the Snow Leopard.

It is also known for its 12-metre tall-breezed golden statue of Shakyamuni (Gautam) Buddha which covers three floors of the monastery. It lies in the trekking route to cross Kanga La pass (5,151 m), which is among the highest passes in the Himalayas, from where one can see the mesmerising beauty of the mountains and panoramic landscapes.

3. Shey Phoksundo National Park

File: A trek to the Shey-Phoksundo National Park, Dolpo

Dolpa is home to the Shey-Phoksundo National Park, arguably the prettiest national park in the country. The place is full of different species like the elusive snow leopard, blue sheep, grey wolf and musk deer among many others. Elevations in the park range from 2,130 m in Ankhe to 6,883 m at the summit of Kanjiroba Himal. Apart from Shey Gompa, the national park is home to multiple other monasteries along with different glaciers. Because this place is remote, many call this place a heaven on earth and a must-visit place if you love trekking.

4. Bon religion

Dolpa is one of few places where the Bon religion is practised. The Bon religion in Dolpo offers you its unique and primitive culture including monasteries and temples that are practising and preserving the culture of Bonpo (followers of Bon) in different parts of this region. These places seek the attention of the world to preserve and flourish this ancient religion before it disappears.

5. Dho Tarap valley

File: Dho Tarap valley, Dolpa / Dolpo

The village of Dho Tarap is one of the highest settlements on earth. This used to be the capital of Dolpo before Prithvi Narayan Shah annexed it in the 18th century. This village, like others in the region, follows the Bon culture, and there are eight monasteries including a Bon monastery. Dho Tarap is located in a very strategic centre and can be reached in a travel distance of one day from nine different villages of Dolpo.

6. Ringmo

Ringmo is another traditional village in Dolpo that preaches the Bon religion. The village is small and is by a lake. It sits on the landslide dam that formed the Phoksundo lake at about 3,660 m (12,000 ft) above sea level. A Bon temple also named Ringmo can be found just outside the town, and the river that drains from Phoksundo plunges over an impressive 167 m (548 ft) waterfall about half a kilometre south of the village.

7. Suligad waterfall

Near Ringmo is the Suligad waterfall, which is 167 metres long. The water comes straight from the Phoksundo lake and is a gem to look at. Not many people venture out to these places. The waterfall drops into the Bheri river forming Thulo Bheri and is quite a hike from Ringmo, but once there, you will surely feel that the hike is worth it.
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" " Flickr (CC By 2.0) Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dali i Domenech, 1st Marquis of Dali de Pubol, also known as Salvador Dali, died in 1989, but will be resurrected by The Dali Museum in April 2019.

When "Dali Lives" opens in the spring of 2019, it will be "an unconventional experience of this very unconventional artist," according to Kathy Greif, the chief operating officer of the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. Wouldn't Dali have loved to be there for this one-of-a-kind exhibition? Maybe in some way he will be. As he once wrote, "If someday I may die, though it is unlikely, I hope the people in the cafes will say, 'Dali has died, but not entirely.'"

Courtesy of the 21st century and massive leaps in artificial intelligence (AI), Dali's wish is coming true in a big way.

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The Changing Museum Experience

The first museums were private collections of exotic objects known as cabinets of curiosities or wonder rooms. Only guests of the wealthy owners were admitted to view the items. Now works of art and wonders of science are available to everyone online anytime, without ever leaving home. But you should leave home, especially now that museums are offering immersive experiences to engage you with artists and artifacts as never before.

In the last decade or so, smart museums have acknowledged that smartphones are collaborative tools and not just competition for eyeballs. Mobile tech is embedded in many, if not most, museum experiences, and apps abound. Some apps provide real-time answers to visitor questions, some let you create a customized tour by selecting "really big" or "really old," for example. Augmented reality apps re-animate 3D dinosaurs to great effect and bring to life historical figures who virtually guide you through exhibits.

The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida is no stranger to delivering digital experiences. Its latest is even stranger and more wonderful than previous tech-inspired offerings. "Dali Lives: Where Art Meets Artificial Intelligence", opening in April 2019, presents a kind of rebirth of Salvador Dali decades after his death.

Throughout the exhibit, visitors will be invited to connect with an AI resurrection of Dali. Click a button, and a life-size image of the larger-than-life artist appears on one of many screens throughout the exhibit. Visitors gain insight into the work by interacting with AI Dali as they wander the museum's more than 2,000 paintings, illustrations, sculptures and photographs.

"This Dali speaks directly to guests about his work and his world, and about our current world," explains Greif. "Visitors won't be guided directly through the galleries. They'll experience the work as they engage with the person who knew Dali best  the artist himself."

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Enter Goodby Silverstein & Partners

To create AI Dali, museum staff amassed archival footage and hundreds of interviews and quotes and shared them with Goodby Silverstein & Partners, the design agency that created the museum's earlier digital experiences. GS&P found an actor who matched Dali's physical proportions and then trained an AI algorithm to learn Dali's face and integrate his likeness with the actor's face and expressions. New footage was created of the actor performing monologues based on Dali's quotes and writings but with a present-day twist.

"Along with his original thoughts, AI Dali might comment on the current weather or time of day for an authentic, conversational experience," says Greif. Authenticity that is delivered, paradoxically, by AI.

The museum's AI experience was inspired by Salvador Dali himself. Throughout his long career, the artist combined technical expertise with dreamlike symbolism to create work that fascinates as it disquiets. Distorted objects on meticulously painted landscapes, elephants with impossibly long legs, melting timepieces. All part of the world of Dali, which thanks to this exhibit is now more accessible than ever.

"This is one of the pillars of our digital strategy  using cutting-edge technology to preserve Dali's remarkable legacy," Greif says. "The museum industry has become very adaptive; we're proud to be part of this new wave."

Before "Dali Lives", The Dali Museum collaborated with GS&P in a 2014 exhibit that turned visitor selfies into replicas of a Dali painting. The two organizations then co-created "Dreams of Dali" in 2016, a virtual reality experience where viewers immerse themselves in the surrealism of a Dali painting. "Dreams" garnered international attention and continues to be a popular attraction. The museum also has another, yet to be revealed digital project in the works.

Now That's Interesting Dali was exhumed in 2017 for DNA paternity testing (which proved he wasn't the dad in question). The embalmer was surprised and delighted that Dali's signature 'stache was still perfectly intact, not a whisker out of place.
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A University of Florida research team is helping to build the case that coronaviruses move between animals and people at a more frequent rate than previously understood.

Earlier this year, the team reported the first known instance of a coronavirus common in pigs to have spilled over into people. Spillovers refer to events where a virus that is adapted to a certain kind of hostsay, a dog, or pigacquires features that allow it to infect an entirely different species of host, such as a person.

In their newest work, the team retrospectively uncovered an instance where a coronavirus known from dogs, called a canine coronavirus, infected at least one person visiting Haiti in early 2017. The infected person had a mild illness with fever and fatigue. The new work published in Clinical Infectious Diseases on Oct. 28,2021.

In an unusual twist, the virus was determined to closely match a canine coronavirus reported earlier in 2021 from Malaysia where it caused pneumonia-like symptoms in several people. In neither instance was there evidence of further spread of the virus within human populations.

From Malaysia to Haiti

The UF team is part of a larger effort to understand unexplained illnesses with fevers in Haiti. They have analyzed biosamples from study participants in Haitis Gressier region since 2013. When participants have a fever but test negative for viruses known to be in the areasuch as Zika, chikungunya, or denguethey begin a process of laboratory tests with the goal of detecting and identifying unknown viruses.

In early 2017, a US medical team member traveled to Haiti and then fell ill upon returning home. Fever and tiredness were the individuals main symptoms. At the time, there was an outbreak of Zika virus in Haiti, but tests for this were negative. The team took portions of a urine sample obtained from the medical team member and used it to inoculate cell cultures. They then observed visual changes take place in the cells consistent with a viral infection.

A diagnostic test that confirms the presence of human endemic coronaviruses gave a signal that indicated a coronavirus was present, but it was not strong enough to match with one that normally circulates in people. They next tested for specific coronavirus species using RT-PCR tests on portions of the inoculated cell culture, but these were also all negative.

This led the team to use an unbiased amplification and sequencing approach. This allowed them to copy portions of the genetic sequence for the virus that was present in the cell culture. On a hunch, the team used advanced laboratory sequencing techniques to evaluate if the viral material they had was similar to a newly discovered canine coronavirus strain that had been recently found in people in Malaysia. That spillover was reported in Clinical Infectious Diseases in May.

It wasnt just similar, it was a 99.4% match. But it differed slightly in one way: the sample under analysis by the UF team appeared to have undergone recombination, a form of genetic mixing, with other dog coronaviruses, as well as coronaviruses from pigs and cats.

How often do novel coronaviruses spill into people?

Coronaviruses were once an obscure and arcane area of research, even among virologists. This family of viruses were known to occur in birds and mammals and to drive patterns of seasonal cold symptoms in people. But they werent thought to frequently cross species barriers between animals and people.

Then came outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS in 2002 and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), in 2012. Seven years later, COVID-19 rapidly spread across the world.

All of these outbreaks were due to coronaviruses common in certain animals gaining access to human hosts. And each caused more severe illness and death than endemic coronavirus strains that cause the common human cold. The seeming increasing frequency with which disease-causing coronavirus strains are appearing in people has left many researchers wanting to know more about this diverse group of viruses.

Dogs, pigs, and people: coronaviruses like em all

Usually, most of these spillovers dont transmit beyond their new human host. They simply reach a dead end. But the possibility that these viruses could one day acquire genes that cause severe disease in people underscores the need to know how frequently these spillovers occur and which types of coronaviruses are more prone to spillover.

These concerns are underscored by the apparent ease with which this canine coronavirus appears to have acquired genes from other canine coronaviruses, as well as coronaviruses from pigs and cats, says UF Emerging Pathogens Director J. Glenn Morris, Jr., M.D., M.P.H & T.M. who is the senior author to the study It is likely that this exchange of genes and movement among hosts has occurred for many years, as part of normal evolution.

Better knowledge = reduced risk for future outbreaks

Many experts believe that the best way to prevent another coronavirus-driven pandemic is to better understand these viruses in both animals and people. Detecting and identifying previously unknown coronaviruses in animals, for example, will better position scientists to develop diagnostic tests that can be used in routine surveillance and monitoring.

Gaining a deeper understanding of how these coronaviruses move between species will also allow scientists to better predict which gene combinations within a coronavirus might represent a threat to humans, Morris says. This will provide time for development of vaccines and other therapies to reduce the likelihood of future pandemics.

The all-UF team behind this work:

John A. Lednicky (UF College of Public Health and Health Professions/EPI), Massimiliano S. Tagliamonte (UF College of Medicine/EPI), Sarah K. White (UF College of Public Health and Health Professions/EPI), Gabriela M. Blohm (UF College of Public Health and Health Professions/EPI), Md. Mahbubul Alam (UF College of Public Health and Health Professions/EPI), Nicole M. Iovine (UF College of Medicine/EPI), Marco Salemi (UF College of Medicine/EPI), Carla Mavian (UF College of Medicine/EPI), and J. Glenn Morris, Jr. (UF College of Medicine/EPI)

Read More

Coronavirus spillovers more frequent than thought

UF Team uncovers emerging viruses in Haiti

Madariaga virus spreads to Haiti

Written by DeLene Beeland
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Pesquera (Colombia), 20 nov (EFE).- A los habitantes de Pesquera siempre les han tachado de guerrilleros, les daba verguenza decir de donde venian porque les miraban mal; lo mismo pasaba -y sigue pasando- en las zonas de Colombia donde el desarme de las FARC aun sigue sin haber supuesto mucho cambio. Al atardecer en Pesquera, un caserio del este de Colombia a orillas del rio Arauca, unos ninos juegan al futbol por las calles sin pavimentar, mientras otro da vueltas a la cuadra en bici. Las mujeres aprovechan que el calor afloja para salir a conversar con las vecinas. Sin embargo, las pintadas en las paredes aun frescas de las FARC y el ELN dan la bienvenida a los pocos visitantes de este pueblo, que fue controlado durante anos por ambas, a pesar de que la guerrilla mas antigua del mundo se desmovilizo hace cinco anos, con el Acuerdo de paz. "Si hay guerrilla, pero no aqui en Pesquera. De pronto estaran en otras partes, y si algun dia vienen pues haran sus cosas y se van", dice a Efe la vicepresidenta de la Junta de Accion Comunal de este pueblo, Edelmira Suarez. Ella sobrevivio dos veces a las balas, la ultima hace dos anos cuando intentaron atacar el gasoducto que pasa por mitad del pueblo, un objetivo constante del ELN. Tambien se acuerda de como una balacera casi le arrebata a su hija mas pequena mientras pescaba en el rio. "Una aqui ha sufrido tremendo", resume la mujer, que llego a este pueblo con su familia desplazada de la costa caribena. Ha cambiado algo la paz? "Cuando estaba mas en calma todo quiso mejorar, pero cuando empezo la guerrilla a reubicarse, ahi es donde vino otra vez", responde. La calma se vivio brevemente antes y despues de la firma, y lo que vino despues no es lo que prometieron. Luego senala a un pequeno puesto de salud con una fachada reluciente. "No se deje enganar", asegura. El interior es "antihigienico" y no tienen un medico permanente que atienda a las 26 veredas de alrededor. "EL ESTADO NO CUMPLIO" "Cuando no hay presencia institucional del Estado en inversion social, en atencion a las necesidades de la poblacion, infortunadamente los grupos armados ejercen justicia y controles", resume Ariel Pedraza, presidente de la Junta de Accion Comunal de Puerto Narino, otro pueblo de Arauca donde nadie se atreve a bajar la banderola de la entrada que conmemora los 57 anos "en pie" de las FARC. Los guerrilleros ya no se pasean de uniforme como antes de la firma, pero las comunidades siguen notando la influencia de los grupos de las FARC que se negaron al acuerdo y del ELN, la otra guerrilla fuera de las negociaciones y que tiene en Arauca un feudo. Y esto se debe a "la falta de presencia del Estado", asegura Pedraza. "El sistema de salud colombiano es ineficiente, no cubre las necesidades de la poblacion; el sistema educativo tambien es una catastrofe y las politicas sociales de Estado no estan llegando a las comunidades", alega Yesid Robles, de la Red Departamental de Derechos Humanos. Muchos ninos tienen que dejar los estudios porque la escuela secundaria esta a una hora por caminos de barro que se inundan en la temporada de lluvias. Quienes quieren seguir sus estudios universitarios o tecnicos tienen que acudir a la privada o conformarse con los pocos cursos que ofrece la publica en Arauca para despues ahorrar lo suficiente y seguir en el interior del pais. La falta de oportunidades y la desidia son el caldo de cultivo perfecto para los grupos armados y los residuos de la guerrilla que buscan afianzarse. Este problema no es endemico de Arauca, sino tambien de zonas del Pacifico o en la frontera con Venezuela donde la paz no se tradujo en el desarrollo que las comunidades pedian tras mas de 50 anos de conflicto. "Y cada vez que se reclama la falta del Estado, la respuesta no es inversion social o presencia institucional para llenar vacios, sino presencia militar, el aumento del pie de fuerza, mas fusiles, mas tanquetas", critica Pedraza. ANHELO DE PAZ La ausencia institucional ha creado un tejido social muy fuerte, con juntas de accion comunal en cada territorio y otras organizaciones civicas. Quienes lideran estas organizaciones son conscientes que pedir mas justicia o un simple alumbrado publico les puede costar la vida, como ya les ha pasado a 1.266 lideres desde la firma de la paz, segun la ONG Indepaz. "No hay garantias", repite una y otra vez Ingrid Castillo, mientras habla frustrada de como apostaron a la paz, de las esperanzas que tenian los campesinos y del "atropello" que se han llevado a cambio. "Soy victima del conflicto armado y me duele que el Gobierno apueste los recursos al conflicto armado y al paramilitarismo, cuando deberia hacer vias, educacion, generar empleo para nuestros jovenes", dice esta lider indigena. La paz aqui aun resuena lejana, a pesar de la notable disminucion de violencia. "La paz es una palabra muy grande, muy inmensa y pienso que muchos en Colombia no la conocemos y no se si la llegaremos a conocer", dice otro lider de la zona, Adenis Contreras. "El Gobierno quiere humanizar la guerra para continuarla, no para acabarla. Quiere que la guerra sea parte de nuestro vivir y que asimilemos los familiares caidos como algo normal, por eso es que la paz en Colombia tiene muchas aristas, y para mi la paz lo es todo", asegura. Irene Escudero (c) Agencia EFE
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Workforce

Labor Department rolls back Trump-era religious exemption for contractors

The Department of Labor is rolling back a rule made during the Trump administration that clarified religious exemptions for federal contractors organized around faith-based activities that would allow them to discriminate against certain groups in hiring decisions.

A proposal to rescind the rule will be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday. DOL will be accepting comments on the proposed rescission until Dec. 9.

The department had already signaled its intent to rescind the rule after facing lawsuits opposing the rule, which went into effect on Jan. 8, 2021.

Since its proposal, civil rights groups had opposed the rule, saying that it stoked confusion about nondiscrimination laws and encouraged those wanting to discriminate to seek federal contracts. They also warned that it could usher in discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in particular.

The Biden administration said the rule had been a departure from "long-standing policy and practice" of how the department had interpreted an existing religious exemption for contractors.

The Trump-era rule "retreats" from the principle that religious employers can't take employment actions "that amount to discrimination on the basis of protected characteristics other than religion, even if the decisions are made for sincerely held religious reasons," reads the department's proposal for recession.

The policy being rolled back "undermines the government's interest in ensuring equal employment opportunity by federal contractors," and stokes confusion about how the religious exemption for contractors works, DOL's rulemaking document states.

Overturning the rule back will mean that existing religious exemption policies are the same as they were in the administrations of presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, DOL says.

Chairman Bobby Scott (D-Va.) of the House Education and Labor Committee said in a statement that the Trump-era rule "gave companies receiving taxpayer dollars the power to hire and fire employees for discriminatory reasons under the guise of religious freedom" and that he applauded the OFCCP's action to change the rule.

Committee ranking member Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) said in a statement that the Biden administration's action was a "direct attack on every employer who dares to follow their faith."
* CS had said it would shut most prime brokerage business

* Customers offered streamlined process if switch to BNP

* Move builds on BNP's expansion in equities (Adds quotes, details)

By John Revill

ZURICH, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Credit Suisse said on Monday it had struck a deal to refer hedge fund clients to rival BNP Paribas following the Swiss lender's decision to exit prime broking and some derivatives businesses in the wake of the Archegos scandal.

The news comes after Switzerland's second-biggest bank said last week it would all but stop funding hedge funds by shutting most of its prime brokerage business, a division blamed for racking up $5.5 billion in losses when investment fund Archegos Capital Investment defaulted in March.

The collapse of Archegos as its highly leveraged stock bets went sour triggered a damning independent report that slammed the bank's risk management and raised questions about its ability in the longer term to compete with rivals.

On Monday, Credit Suisse said it had enlisted BNP Paribas to help its prime services and derivatives clearing customers find new providers, a move industry watchers said might hobble the Swiss bank as its prime services unit has been a key generator of revenues.

"Credit Suisse will support affected customers as they select alternative Prime Services providers of their choice," the bank said.

"Should customers seek to benefit from the referral agreement between Credit Suisse and BNP Paribas, there will be a streamlined process in place to facilitate them obtaining Prime Services from BNP Paribas, under its terms."

Credit Suisse last week said it was quitting prime services, a business which provides financing, custody, clearing and advisory services to hedge funds and institutional clients, as it moves to focus on less risky wealth management.

For BNP, the agreement will build on its continued expansion in equities.

Jerome Legras, head of research at Axiom Alternative Investments, which invests in bank equity and debt, said BNP Paribas was gaining market share in this business via several bolt-on acquisitions.

Story continues

"It's a business where scale matters," Legras said. "Now in the euro zone it's BNP Paribas against the Americans really."

Data from Coalition Greenwich showed prime broking has been a growth engine for revenues from banks' investment banking businesses in recent years.

Global revenues from banks' prime broking businesses hit $15 billion in 2020, up by half from a decade ago, the data showed.

In 2019, BNP took on Deutsche Bank's prime brokerage and electronic trading units when the German lender announced its exit from equities trading.

In March it said it was to take full control of equity brokerage unit Exane, stating it planned to be one of the top equity houses in Europe.

BNP said last month its revenue from equity and prime services was up 79% in the third quarter from a year earlier at 835 million euros ($965 million).

The bank's stock has gained 38% this year, while a European banking stock index is up 36%.

In contrast, Credit Suisse shares have fallen nearly 20% this year. Last week, the bank posted a 21% fall in third quarter profit and said it expected a loss in the final three months of 2021 as it writes off some 1.6 billion francs ($1.8 billion) of goodwill related to the investment bank.

During a torrid year, Credit Suisse has also been fined for arranging a fraudulent loan to Mozambique, tarnished by its involvement with defunct financier Greensill Capital, and rebuked by regulators for spying on its executives.

($1 = 0.8655 euros) (Reporting by John Revill and Julien Ponthus; Additional reporting by Rachel Armstrong and Saikat Chatterjee; Editing by Silke Koltrowitz and Mark Potter)
DUBLIN, November 08, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Construction in Bahrain - Key Trends and Opportunities to 2025 (H2 2021)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Bahrain's construction industry shrunk by 0.9% in real terms in 2020, owing to the dual impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and a fall in oil prices.

Previously, the industry had grown by 2.6% in 2019, and at an annual average rate of 3.3% between 2017-2019. In April 2020, the government cut spending of ministries and government agencies by 30%, and rescheduled some construction and consulting projects to free up funding for initiatives to combat the pandemic.

In another setback for the industry's output in 2020, a sharp decline in oil prices eroded government revenues, most of which are derived from the oil and gas sector. This led to a significant widening of Bahrain's fiscal deficit, and as a result, the government debt rose from 102% of GDP in 2019 to 130% of GDP in 2020. High debt levels and a fall in government income is expected to have weighed on public spending on infrastructure in 2020.

The industry is expected to rebound in 2021, growing by 2% in real terms in 2021, before registering an annual average growth of 4.2% between 2022-2025, supported by investments in the oil, transport infrastructure and housing sectors.

In March 2021, the government released the budget for the Fiscal Years (FY) 2021-2022 (1st January, 2021 to December 31st, 2022), which includes a project expenditure of BHD600 million (US$1.6 billion) over the next two years. This includes allocations for projects in the infrastructure, housing, health, education, sports, culture, electricity and water sectors, among others.

In another positive development, the country awarded contracts worth BHD601.6 million (US$1.6 billion) in the first quarter of 2021, with the oil, aviation and engineering sectors securing the highest value of contracts respectively that quarter.

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Bahrain currently has BHD24.5 billion (US$65 billion)-worth of projects in various stages, making it the 10th largest in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region. Some of the major projects currently under construction are the BHD11.2 billion (US$4.2 billion) Sitra Oil Refinery modernization and expansion project, the BHD752 million (US$2 billion) Marassi Al Bahrain mixed-use development project, and the BHD488.8 million (US$1.3 billion) Al Dur 2 IWPP (Independent Water and Power Plant) project.

Scope

Historical (2016-2020) and forecast (2021-2025) valuations of the construction industry in Bahrain, featuring details of key growth drivers.

Segmentation by sector (commercial, industrial, infrastructure, energy and utilities, institutional and residential) and by sub-sector

Analysis of the mega-project pipeline, including breakdowns by development stage across all sectors, and projected spending on projects in the existing pipeline.

Listings of major projects, in addition to details of leading contractors and consultants

Reasons to Buy

Identify and evaluate market opportunities using the publisher's standardized valuation and forecasting methodologies.

Assess market growth potential at a micro-level with over 600 time-series data forecasts.

Understand the latest industry and market trends.

Formulate and validate strategy using the publisher's critical and actionable insight.

Assess business risks, including cost, regulatory and competitive pressures.

Evaluate competitive risk and success factors.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Executive Summary

2 Construction Industry: At-a-Glance

3 Context

3.1 Economic Performance

3.2 Political Environment and Policy

3.3 Demographics

3.4 COVID-19 Status

3.5 Risk Profile

4 Construction Outlook

4.1 All Construction

Outlook

Latest news and developments

4.2 Commercial Construction

Outlook

Project analytics

Latest news and developments

4.3 Industrial Construction

Outlook

Project analytics

Latest news and developments

4.4 Infrastructure Construction

Outlook

Project analytics

Latest news and developments

4.5 Energy and Utilities Construction

Outlook

Project analytics

Latest news and developments

4.6 Institutional Construction

Outlook

Project analytics

Latest news and developments

4.7 Residential Construction

Outlook

Project analytics

Latest news and developments

5 Key Industry Participants

5.1 Contractors

5.2 Consultants

6 Construction Market Data

7 Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/9b9337

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005580/en/

Contacts

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
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - November 8, 2021) - Bitrise coin is now the most searched crypto on CoinMarketCap. The crypto coin market has been bombarded by a plethora of crypto coins in 2021. Though hundreds made it into the market, very few have been successful. Those that have been successful, like Bitrise, Safemoon, Dogecoin, Shiba Inu, and others, have performed beyond most people's imagination.

Bitrise

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8372/102350_c2ee5c6ad4b6e8b0_001full.jpg

Of all of the top trending crypto coins in the market, Bitrise coin has been the most outstanding and currently the #1 choice for crypto investors. In October, $BRISE token was trending No.1 on the CoinMarketCap.

This crypto coin has huge potential, as seen in its tokenomics and the products. These are two aspects that are attracting thousands of new members joining Bitrise coin every day.

On tokenomics, Bitrise coin is without a doubt one of the most attractive crypto projects today. It is a hyper-deflationary token, which means token demand and price will automatically soar with every transaction. Upon the token launch, 50% of the quadrillion tokens in supply were burnt.

To regulate the tokens in supply, Bitrise is using an automated buyback process, making it the first cryptocurrency to include automatic buyback with a real use case of payment systems. Every 5% of the 12% fee charged on every transaction goes to the buyback contract to automatically buy tokens from the liquidity pool. The purchased tokens are burnt immediately.

It is also important to mention that only 38% of the total token supply was allocated to the liquidity pool for investors to purchase. Still, on tokenomics, 4% of the 12% fee is distributed to the token holders in BNBs. The rewards are automatically sent to token holder wallets every 60 minutes. Therefore, investors are receiving static income that comes on an hourly basis.

Story continues

For the products, Bitrise is like no other token in the market. It has products that have investors joining the coin in thousands. Bitrise Audit and Techrate Audit are free-to-audit programs for blockchains and smart contracts. They were released in August and have been a game-changer in audits.

Bitrise dApp wallet was the second product according to the roadmap. The wallet combines an intuitive interface with powerful functionality, which makes it popular with crypto traders. Already, thousands of traders have downloaded the mobile app wallet on Google Play Store. The iOS version is coming soon on the Apple App Store.

Bitrise exchange and IBitrise blockchain are the products in the development stage. These are just some of the factors making Bitrise coin the No.1 choice of crypto coin for cryptocurrency investors. There are many products coming along the way before the launch of the IBitrise blockchain. Therefore, it is projected the coin will keep growing bigger going forward.

Media Contact

John K

Email: contact@bitrisetoken.com

Website: https://www.bitrisetoken.com

Telegram: https://t.me/bitrisetoken

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/102350
On track to obtain FDA feedback and initiate a Phase 3 study for gedatolisib during the first half of 2022

Will present updated Phase 1b data during a Spotlight Poster Discussion Session at the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in December 2021

Entered into clinical trial collaboration with University of Rochester Wilmot Cancer Center and Puma Biotechnology to evaluate new therapeutic option for metastatic breast cancer patients with brain metastases

Management to host webcast and conference call today, November 8, 2021, at 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT

MINNEAPOLIS, MN / ACCESSWIRE / November 8, 2021 / Celcuity Inc. (Nasdaq:CELC), a clinical-stage biotechnology company pursuing an integrated therapeutic and companion diagnostic strategy for treating patients with cancer, today announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2021 and summarized recent business progress.

"We made great progress advancing our gedatolisib program this past quarter. We initiated preparation for a Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating gedatolisib in combination with Ibrance and Faslodex in patients with ER+/HER2- advanced or metastatic breast cancer that we expect to activate in the first half of 2022," said Brian Sullivan, CEO and co-founder of Celcuity. "Site identification and feasibility activities are underway. We are excited to have the opportunity to present updated results from our Phase 1b clinical trial in patients with ER+/HER2- advanced breast cancer at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in December. Finally, we are pleased to have entered into another clinical trial collaboration to evaluate CELsignia selected patients with advanced breast cancer. The collaboration with University of Rochester Wilmot Cancer Center and Puma represents an important opportunity to identify a potential new treatment for patients with breast cancer that has metastasized to the brain."

Third Quarter 2021 Business Highlights and Other Recent Developments

Story continues

Completed transfer of regulatory, clinical trial, and safety reporting responsibilities for gedatolisib from Pfizer to Celcuity ahead of schedule.

Updated data from Celcuity's ongoing Phase 1b clinical trial for patients with ER+/HER2- advanced breast cancer will be presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium during a Spotlight Poster Discussion Session on December 10, 2021. Rachel M. Layman, MD, an oncologist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center who was a principal investigator for the clinical trial, will be the presenting author.

Celcuity entered into a clinical trial collaboration agreement with the University of Rochester Wilmot Cancer Center and Puma Biotechnology in October 2021. This single arm Phase 2 trial will evaluate the efficacy and safety of Puma's pan-HER inhibitor, NERLYNX (neratinib), and capecitabine, a chemotherapy, in patients selected with Celcuity's CELsignia HER2 Activity Test who have metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer that has progressed on prior treatments. Based on estimates of patient enrollment rates, Celcuity expects to obtain interim results 12 to 15 months after initiation of the trial followed by the final results 12 to 15 months later. Enrollment is planned to begin by mid-2022.

Enrollment in the FACT-1 and FACT-2 trials that are evaluating CELsignia selected patients who have early-stage ER+/HER2- breast cancer was negatively impacted by COVID-19 related delays during the third quarter. Hospitalizations of patients with COVID-19 increased dramatically during this period which led hospitals to reduce clinical trial related activities. Interim results are now expected to be available in the second half of 2022.

Third Quarter 2021 Financial Results

Unless otherwise stated, all comparisons are for the third quarter ended September 30, 2021, compared to the third quarter ended September 30, 2020. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes on Form 10-Q for the third quarter ended September 30, 2021.

Total operating expenses were $5.6 million for the third quarter of 2021, compared to $2.5 million for the third quarter of 2020.

Research and development (R&D) expenses were $5.0 million for the third quarter of 2021, compared to $2.0 million for the third quarter of 2020. The increase in R&D expenses during the third quarter of 2021 compared to the prior year primarily resulted from costs associated with the development of gedatolisib. Employee related expenses, including consulting fees, accounted for $1.1 million of the increase. The remaining increase of $1.9 million in expenses is related to clinical trials, patent legal fees, and costs associated with the transfer of the gedatolisib-related activities from Pfizer to Celcuity.

General and administrative (G&A) expenses were $0.6 million for the third quarter of 2021, compared to $0.5 million for the third quarter of 2020. The increase in the third quarter of 2021 arose primarily from non-cash stock-based compensation.

Net loss for the third quarter of 2021 was $6.0 million, or $0.41 loss per share, compared to a net loss of $2.5 million for the third quarter of 2020, or $0.24 loss per share. The Non-GAAP adjusted net loss for the third quarter of 2021 was $5.1 million compared to a non-GAAP adjusted net loss of $2.0 million for the third quarter of 2020. Non-GAAP adjusted net loss excludes stock-based compensation expense, issuance of common stock and non-cash interest. Because these items have no impact on Celcuity's cash position, management believes non-GAAP adjusted net loss better enables Celcuity to focus on cash used in operations. For a reconciliation of financial measures calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) in the United States to non-GAAP financial measures, please see the financial tables at the end of this press release.

Net cash used in operating activities for the third quarter of 2021 was $4.0 million, compared to $1.6 million for the third quarter of 2020.

At September 30, 2021, Celcuity had cash and cash equivalents of $90.4 million, compared to cash and cash equivalents of $11.6 million at December 31, 2020.

Anticipated Milestones

Celcuity expects to achieve the following potential milestones over the next twelve months:

Obtain formal feedback from the FDA on the design of its proposed Phase 3 clinical trial by early 2022.

Initiate a Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate gedatolisib in combination with Ibrance and Faslodex in patients with ER+/HER2- advanced breast cancer in the first half of 2022, subject to the FDA feedback.

Provide an update on lifecycle development priorities for gedatolisib in the first half of 2022.

Obtain interim results from the FACT-1 and FACT-2 trials in the second half of 2022.

Webcast and Conference Call Information

The Celcuity management team will host a webcast/conference call at 4:30 p.m. ET today to discuss the third quarter financial results and provide a corporate update. To participate in the teleconference, domestic callers should dial (877) 407-0784 and international callers should dial (201) 689-8560. A live webcast presentation can also be accessed using this weblink: https://78449.themediaframe.com/dataconf/productusers/vvdb/mediaframe/46959/indexl.html. A replay of the webcast will be available on the Celcuity website following the live event.

About Celcuity

Celcuity is a clinical-stage biotechnology company seeking to extend the lives of cancer patients by pursuing an integrated therapeutic and companion diagnostic and strategy. Its CELsignia companion diagnostic platform is uniquely able to analyze live patient tumor cells to identify new groups of cancer patients likely to benefit from already approved targeted therapies. Its therapeutic efforts are focused on in-licensing and developing molecularly targeted therapies that address the same cancer driver its companion diagnostics can identify. Celcuity is headquartered in Minneapolis. Further information about Celcuity can be found at www.celcuity.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, expectations with respect to receiving FDA feedback, plans to provide further details about clinical trial design, plans to commence clinical trials, and clinical trial results and any new treatment paradigms that may result therefrom. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," "intends" or "continue," and other similar expressions that are predictions of or indicate future events and future trends, or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of Celcuity, which include, but are not limited to, the unknown impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Celcuity's business and those other risks set forth in the Risk Factors section in Celcuity's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 16, 2021 and in Exhibit 99.4 to Celcuity's Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 8, 2021. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Celcuity undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this press release, except as required by law.

Contacts:

Celcuity Inc.

Brian Sullivan, bsullivan@celcuity.com

Vicky Hahne, vhahne@celcuity.com

Westwicke ICR

Robert Uhl, robert.uhl@westwicke.com

(619) 228-5886

Celcuity Inc.

Condensed Balance Sheets

September 30,

2021 December 31,

2020 (unaudited) Assets Current Assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 90,366,812 $ 11,637,911 Deposits 22,009 22,009 Deferred transaction costs - - Payroll tax receivable 356,309 190,000 Prepaid assets 437,351 317,040 Total current assets 91,182,481 12,166,960 Property and equipment, net 365,533 558,876 Operating lease right-of-use assets 289,586 230,911 Total Assets $ 91,837,600 $ 12,956,747 Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity: Current Liabilities: Accounts payable $ 1,746,425 $ 217,377 Finance lease liabilities 5,840 5,810 Operating lease liabilities 190,458 187,518 Accrued expenses 879,851 774,612 Total current liabilities 2,822,574 1,185,317 Finance lease liabilities 3,916 8,299 Operating lease liabilities 108,915 60,861 Note payable, non-current 14,427,809 - Total Liabilities 17,363,214 1,254,477 Total Stockholders' Equity 74,474,386 11,702,270 Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity $ 91,837,600 $ 12,956,747

Celcuity Inc.

Condensed Statements of Operations

(unaudited)

Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021 2020 2021 2020 Operating expenses: Research and development $ 4,960,515 $ 1,962,610 $ 20,266,965 $ 5,576,250 General and administrative 639,271 517,465 1,768,058 1,428,578 Total operating expenses 5,599,786 2,480,075 22,035,023 7,004,828 Loss from operations (5,599,786 ) (2,480,075 ) (22,035,023 ) (7,004,828 ) Other income (expense) Interest expense (433,072 ) (28 ) (824,283 ) (93 ) Interest income 5,612 5,805 7,803 81,639 Loss on sale of fixed assets - - (263 ) - Other income (expense), net (427,460 ) 5,777 (816,743 ) 81,546 Net loss before income taxes (6,027,246 ) (2,474,298 ) (22,851,766 ) (6,923,282 ) Income tax benefits - - - - Net loss $ (6,027,246 ) $ (2,474,298 ) $ (22,851,766 ) $ (6,923,282 ) Net loss per share, basic and diluted $ (0.41 ) $ (0.24 ) $ (1.78 ) $ (0.67 ) Weighted average common shares outstanding, basic and diluted 14,877,619 10,273,567 12,867,484 10,262,636

Cautionary Statement Regarding Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release contains references to non-GAAP adjusted net loss and non-GAAP adjusted net loss per share. Management believes these non-GAAP financial measures are useful supplemental measures for planning, monitoring, and evaluating operational performance as they exclude stock-based compensation expense, issuance of common stock and non-cash interest from net loss and net loss per share. Management excludes these items because they do not impact Celcuity's cash position, which management believes better enables Celcuity to focus on cash used in operations. However, non-GAAP adjusted net loss and non-GAAP adjusted net loss per share are not recognized measures under GAAP and do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP. As a result, management's method of calculating non-GAAP adjusted net loss and non-GAAP adjusted net loss per share may differ materially from the method used by other companies. Therefore, non-GAAP adjusted net loss and non-GAAP adjusted net loss per share may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. Investors are cautioned that non-GAAP adjusted net loss and non-GAAP adjusted net loss per share should not be construed as alternatives to net loss, net loss per share or other statements of operations data (which are determined in accordance with GAAP) as an indicator of Celcuity's performance or as a measure of liquidity and cash flows.

Celcuity Inc.

Reconciliation of GAAP Net Loss to Non-GAAP Adjusted Net Loss and

GAAP Net Loss Per Share to Non-GAAP Adjusted Net Loss Per Share

Three Months Ended

September 30, Nine Months Ended

September 30, 2021 2020 2021 2020 GAAP net loss $ (6,027,246 ) $ (2,474,298 ) $ (22,851,766 ) $ (6,923,282 ) Adjustments: Stock-based compensation Research and development (1) 434,597 254,537 1,017,855 813,099 General and administrative (2) 265,319 194,410 671,476 523,690 Issuance of common stock, licensing agreement (3) - - 5,000,000 - Non-cash interest expense (4) 194,741 - 369,709 - Non-GAAP adjusted net loss $ (5,132,589 ) $ (2,025,351 ) $ (15,792,726 ) $ (5,586,493 ) GAAP net loss per share - basic and diluted $ (0.41 ) $ (0.24 ) $ (1.78 ) $ (0.67 ) Adjustment to net loss (as detailed above) 0.06 0.04 0.55 0.13 Non-GAAP adjusted net loss per share $ (0.35 ) $ (0.20 ) $ (1.23 ) $ (0.54 ) Weighted average common shares outstanding, basic and diluted 14,877,619 10,273,567 12,867,484 10,262,636

(1) To reflect a non-cash charge to operating expense for Research and Development stock-based compensation.

(2) To reflect a non-cash charge to operating expense for General and Administrative stock-based compensation.

(3) To reflect a non-cash charge to operating expense for the Issuance of common stock related to a licensing agreement.

(4) To reflect a non-cash charge to other expense for amortization of debt issuance and discount costs and PIK interest related to the issuance of a note payable.

SOURCE: Celcuity Inc.





View source version on accesswire.com:

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On this weeks episode of Inside The Photographers Mind, were joined by New York-based street photographer Derek Fahsbender (aka Like a Macheen). He kindly took an hour out of his busy schedule to discuss all things photography, including the new release of his latest book, Twenty Twenty. Well also cover his relationship with Fujifilm, and why the camera you use is important. Its a fantastic episode and one youll enjoy from start to finish. Below is an overview of what to expect.

Editor in Chiefs Note: We have to address the elephant in the room here. We are aware that Derek Fahsbender is a B&H Photo employee and a Creator. Weve reported on the many wrongs that B&H Photo has done over the years. Theres things like discrimination, tax evasion, and more. As a reminder, theyve been sued for discrimination many times over the past decade and get away with slaps on the wrist. But, we dont think everyone who works there are awful. There are people who work there because the company pays them just enough money and health care benefits to make them not want to leave. I, for a few years, was one of those people. And I built my escape out of there with this website. In the podcast, Derek briefly mentions B&H Photo and then moves past it. I can personally relate as years ago Id tell people I worked theretoo. But then colleagues would say, No Chris, tell them who you really are. If this annoys any readers and listeners, I profusely apologize.

Derek Fahsbender on Being Burned Out

We opened the podcast by discussing Dereks current relationship with photography. After continuing to push hard and create during the initial phases of the pandemic, Derek Fahsbenderr has found himself in a situation where he needs to rest. Burned out and in a creative rut, hes taking a step back to recharge, spend time with his family, and focus on his other passion, running.

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Derek Fahsbender on Creating His Photobook

The main reason to sit down and speak with Derek was to cover his newly released photo book, Twenty Twenty. Initially, he wasnt going to create the book. He was worried about being another cliche in a long list of books that covered the events of 2020.

Relatively speaking, Derek was one of the few people going out and creating photographs. While people made a choice to stay at home and ride out the pandemic, Derek wanted to document what was happening in the world (once he was authorized to do so, of course).

He wanted to create a book that showed everyone at home what New York was like during the pandemic. His aim was to create something authentic: his personal perspective on the worlds events. He did a fantastic job, and its worth listening to his full process, which he explains on the podcast. He also discusses how he intends on using a portion of the profits to help get someone started in photography.

On His Relationship With Fujifilm

Derek Faschbender is an official Fujifilm creator and ambassador. Both of us discuss the idea that while the camera is just a tool, it does make an impact on the way a photographer creates their images. After being encouraged by a friend, Derek reached out to Fujifilm and began a symbiotic relationship. After reviewing his work, both parties started a professional relationship. Derek does workshops on behalf of Fujifilm, helping to train photographers so they can create better images.

He explains how being an ambassador does not define him, and while it certainly gave him a confidence boost, creating images and helping others is what really makes him tick.

On Photography and Mental Health

As is often the case on Inside The Photographers Mind, we spoke about photographys impact on a persons mental health. Derek began photographer during what he describes as one of the lowest points of his life. He had lost his job and was out of work for two years. Feeling like everyone in the world around him was succeeding, he hit rock bottom. It was then he decided to begin creating images. During a trip to Utah, he realized photography helped him be happy and it started turning his mental health around. It was a blessing in disguise for Derek, as he now works full time in the photo industry.

Derek is a fantastic guest and has a compelling stor. Its one of the best shows yet on Inside The Photographers Mind, and one you wont want to miss. Hit play on the video or audio player above and start listening now.

Inside The Photographers Mind

Inside The Photographers Mind is The Phoblographers official podcast. From gear to the creative process, we aim to bring you the best in photography conversation. If theres a guest you would like to see on the show, please let us know in the comments below. Also, please support us by subscribing to the podcast and sharing it with others. Thanks!

You can check out more of Dereks work by visiting his website and Instagram.
Worlds largest barbecue concept to give away one FREE Pulled Pork Sandwich to veterans on Nov. 11

Dickey's Barbecue Pit Dickeys Honors Americas Heroes with Free Legit. Texas. Barbecue. this Veterans Day

Worlds largest barbecue concept to give away one FREE Pulled Pork Sandwich to veterans on Nov. 11

Worlds largest barbecue concept to give away one FREE Pulled Pork Sandwich to veterans on Nov. 11

Dallas, Texas, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- It's been 80 years since WWI Veteran Travis Dickey founded the very first Dickey's Barbecue Pit. Ever since that day in 1941, the Texas-style barbecue brands commitment to saluting our nation's heroes has remained steadfast. That's why on Thursday, Nov. 11, Dickey's is giving away a FREE Pulled Pork Sandwich* to veterans who use the code VETFREE. Veterans can redeem the offer in-store for carryout and online for pickup all day at their nearest Dickey's.

Dickeys support for military personnel doesnt stop there. From Nov. 11 through Dec. 31, Barbecue at Home by Dickeys is taking 15% off all orders for veterans when they use the code VETERAN15. Barbecue At Home allows barbecue enthusiasts from all over the U.S. to have craft sausages, premium quality meats, and unique rubs and spices shipped right to their door.

Supporting veterans dates all the way back to Dickeys inception, said Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. Even as 80 years have passed, honoring those who have bravely fought for our nation is still ingrained at our brands core. Were proud to commemorate Americas heroes nationwide through two different special offers this Veterans Day.

To honor Mr. Dickey and his service along with all veterans, the company is also reimbursing all Dickeys Barbecue Pit Owner/Operators for the cost of the pulled pork sandwiches distributed on Veterans Day.

*Dickeys Veterans Day code is not valid with any other offer or discount. Limit one Pulled Pork Sandwich per customer.

To learn more about Dickeys, follow Dickeys Barbecue Pit on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Download the Dickeys Barbecue Pit app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

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About Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants, Inc.

Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., the worlds largest barbecue concept, was founded in 1941 by Travis Dickey. For the past 80 years, Dickeys Barbecue Pit has served millions of guests Legit. Texas. Barbecue. At Dickeys, all our barbecued meats are smoked onsite in a hickory wood burning pit. Dickeys proudly believes theres no shortcut to true barbecue and its why they never say bbq. The Dallas-based, family-run barbecue franchise offers several slow-smoked meats and wholesome sides with 'No B.S. (Bad Stuff)' included. Dickeys has over 550 locations across the United States and six other countries and is on track to have over 600 locations by the end of 2021.

In 2016, Dickeys won first place on Fast Casuals Top 100 Movers and Shakers list, was named a Top 500 Franchise by Entrepreneur in 2018 and was named to Hospitality Technology Industry Heroes in 2021. Led by CEO Laura Rea Dickey, who was named among the countrys 50 most influential women in foodservice in 2020 by Nations Restaurant News and was recognized as one of the top 25 industry leaders on Fast Casuals 2020 Top 100 Movers and Shakers list, Dickey's Barbecue Pit has also been recognized by Fox News, Forbes Magazine, Franchise Times, The Wall Street Journal and QSR Magazine. For more information, visit www.dickeys.com.

Attachment

CONTACT: Chrissy Bachman Dickey's Barbecue Pit 469-580-0459 cbachman@dickeys.com




Exploration Well is Located Near the Company's Successful Helium Discovery Well

First Helium Inc. (TSXV: HELI, FRA: 2MC) (CNW Group/First Helium Inc.)

TSXV: HELI FRA: 2MC

CALGARY, AB, Nov. 8, 2021 /CNW/  First Helium Inc. ("First Helium" or the "Company") (TSXV: HELI) (FRA: 2MC), a helium exploration company with access to significant development opportunities across western Canada, is pleased to announce that it has commenced drilling its first exploratory well ("First Well") on its core Worsley Property. The First Well is located near the Company's discovery well ("Discovery Well"), which was previously tested to contain 1.3% helium content based on a 10-day flow period at 2 million cubic feet per day of raw gas. The raw gas stream is comprised of approximately 65% natural gas which will be produced with the helium gas, sold to market and also used to generate power for facility operations. Assuming this raw gas flow rate, approximately 22 barrels per day of associated condensate will also be separated, collected and sold.

"We are pleased to start drilling our first new well on the Worsley Property. It is the next step in building on the success of First Helium's Discovery Well in order to begin producing and delivering helium to market," said Ed Bereznicki, President & CEO of First Helium. "In addition, our detailed geological and geophysical evaluation of First Helium's lands in the vicinity of the Discovery Well, the First Well, and on the broader Worsley Trend, has yielded a number of additional drill locations. We will incorporate the results from the drilling and testing of the First Well to strategically pursue these, and potentially new drill locations," added Mr. Bereznicki.

As at March 31st, 2021, Sproule Associates Ltd, independent engineers ("Sproule"), evaluated the Discovery Well to contain Best Estimate Contingent Resources of 323 million cubic feet of helium gas and 12.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas, both on an Unrisked basis. Based on these volumes, Sproule calculated the Net Present Value of the Discovery Well to be $15.2 million, using a discount rate of 10%.

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The Company expects that the First Well will be completed and then shut-in, pending tie-in along with the Discovery Well for production and processing to a new helium and natural gas processing facility. The Company is in the process of soliciting financing alternatives to fund the cost of the processing facility, including the possibility of engaging a third-party custom processor.

ABOUT FIRST HELIUM

First Helium is a helium exploration and development company operating in the Worsley area of Alberta, Canada. In response to the shifting supply dynamics of the global helium marketplace, First Helium was founded to capitalize on the untapped potential of significant helium resources in Western Canada. Building on its successful discovery well, which has repeatedly production tested at over 1.3% of helium content and 65% natural gas content, First Helium is working to develop its land base of over 79,000 acres along the highly prospective Worsley helium trend, and 880,000 acres of exploration option lands located in southeast Alberta, near existing helium operations. To establish its operating base, First Helium seeks to market its helium gas into the North American market via term off-take marketing arrangements with established third-party distribution companies.

For more information about the Company, please visit www.firsthelium.com. The Company's final prospectus, financial statements and management's discussion and analysis, among other documents, are all available on its profile page on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Edward J. Bereznicki

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) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FORWARD-LOOKING AND CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain statements or disclosures relating to First Helium that are based on the expectations of its management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to First Helium which may constitute forward-looking statements or information ("forward-looking statements") under applicable securities laws. All such statements and disclosures, other than those of historical fact, which address activities, events, outcomes, results or developments that First Helium anticipates or expects may, or will, occur in the future (in whole or in part) should be considered forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of the words "expect", "will" and similar expressions. In particular, but without limiting the foregoing, this news release contains forward-looking statements pertaining to the listing of the Common Shares on the Exchange, the use of funds and the Company's strategy. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release reflect several material factors and expectations and assumptions of First Helium including, without limitation: that First Helium will continue to conduct its operations in a manner consistent with past operations; the general continuance of current or, where applicable, assumed industry conditions; availability of debt and/or equity sources to fund First Helium's capital and operating requirements as needed; and certain cost assumptions.

Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the date the statements are made and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those set out in the Final Prospectus dated June 28, 2021 and filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. First Helium does not undertake any obligation to update forward looking statements, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

SOURCE First Helium Inc.

Cision

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Competitive bidding process for Utility-Scale renewable resources to open first quarter 2022

ATLANTA, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Power is committed to maintaining a diverse, reliable generation mix while providing all customers with renewable energy options. With more than 2,700 MW* of renewable capacity already online and an additional 2,700 MW slated to come online by the end of 2024, Georgia Power continues to offer one of the largest voluntary renewable portfolios in the nation. As part of this continued expansion, Georgia Power has released its draft Request for Proposals (RFP) for approximately 1,030 MW* of new Utility-Scale renewable resources with in-service dates in 2023 and 2024 (The 23-24 RFP).

Georgia Power logo. (PRNewsFoto/Georgia Power)

The 23-24 RFP is the second of two Utility Scale renewable solicitations from the company's 2019 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which authorized Georgia Power to procure energy from a total of 2,000 MW of Utility Scale renewables resources. The company will begin accepting bids in Q1 2022 in the continuing evolution of the company's energy mix.

"Renewable energy is thriving in Georgia and we are excited to launch this RFP to allow us to review and select projects that will provide the most value to our customers," said Wilson Mallard, director of Renewable Development for Georgia Power. "Georgia Power has worked closely with the Georgia Public Service Commission to grow the amount of renewable energy supplying our customers in Georgia, and we are eager to implement the next phase of competitive RFPs to procure additional economic renewable resources for our diverse generation mix."

Renewable resources greater than 3 MW in size and located in the continental United States are eligible to participate in The 23-24 RFP. The 23-24 RFP seeks both energy-only as well as renewable-coupled storage products. The Accion Group, Inc. serves as the Independent Evaluator, and interested parties are invited to register on the Accion website to review the RFP and PPA documents.

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To learn more about Georgia Power's various solar programs, as well as solar tools and resources for customers, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com/Solar.

* REC Disclaimer: Georgia Power purchases only the null energy output from some renewable generating facilities that have contracted to sell that energy to Georgia Power. Ownership of the associated RECs is specified in each respective power purchase agreement. The party that owns the RECs retains the right to use them.

About Georgia Power

Georgia Power is the largest electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), America's premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and Stewardship are the cornerstones of the company's promise to 2.6 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind. Georgia Power focuses on delivering world-class service to its customers every day and the company is recognized by J.D. Power as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), Twitter (Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram (Instagram.com/ga_power).

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information contained in this release is forward-looking information based on current expectations and plans that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking information includes, among other things, statements concerning expected renewable growth. Georgia Power cautions that there are certain factors that can cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information that has been provided. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is not a guarantee of future performance and is subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of Georgia Power; accordingly, there can be no assurance that such suggested results will be realized. The following factors, in addition to those discussed in Georgia Power's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2021, June 30, 2021, and September 30, 2021, and subsequent securities filings, could cause actual results to differ materially from management expectations as suggested by such forward-looking information: the ability to control costs and avoid cost overruns during the development and construction of generating facilities, to construct facilities in accordance with the requirements of permits and licenses, to satisfy any environmental performance standards and the requirements of tax credits and other incentives, and to integrate facilities into the Southern Company system upon completion of construction; and potential business strategies, including acquisitions or dispositions of assets or businesses, which cannot be assured to be completed or beneficial to Georgia Power. Georgia Power expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking information

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SOURCE Georgia Power
DUBLIN, November 08, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Global Directed Energy Weapons Market by Technology (High energy lasers, High-power microwave, electromagnetic weapon technology, Sonic weapon technology), Platform (Land, Airborne, naval, Space), Application, Range, Product and Region - Forecast to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The directed energy weapon market is valued at USD 4.3 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach USD 10.1 billion by 2026 at a CAGR of 18.7%.

The key drivers propelling growth of the global directed energy weapons market is the defense of terrorist attacks, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials so that civilian lives and the national security of a country can be preserved. Directed energy weapons like lasers, high power microwaves, and electromagnetic weapons are being used to defend against attacks from threats like ballistic missiles, anti-satellite weapons, and nuclear weapons, etc.

The directed energy weapon market includes major players Lockheed Martin Corporation (US), Raytheon technologies (US), Northrop Grumman Corporation (US), The Boeing Company (US), Thales Group (France), Leonardo SPA (Italy), BAE Systems (UK), Elbit Systems (Israel) and L3Harris Technologies (US). These players have spread their business across various countries includes North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific.

The military segment of the market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2021 to 2026.

Based on application, the military application segment is estimated to capture the largest share of 70.78% of the total directed energy weapons market in 2021 due to the increase in demand for precise technology in lethal weapons from military forces, globally

Based on platform, the Naval platform segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

Naval directed energy weapon systems consist of weapons that are used in naval applications, for instance, on combat ships and submarines, among others. The naval segment is further divided into combat ships, submarines, and unmanned surface vehicles. Defense ships are specifically designed for use by coast guards and naval forces to ensure the security of water borders.

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The North American region is estimated to account for the largest share of the directed energy weapons market in 2021

The directed energy weapons market in the North American region is expected to witness substantial growth during the forecast period, owing to increased investments in directed energy weapon technologies by countries in this region. Department of defense of the US and Canada are involved in the development of technologically advanced directed energy weapon platforms such as high energy lasers and high-power microwaves, which drives the market growth. Well-established and prominent manufacturers of directed energy weapon systems in this region include Lockheed Martin (US), Northrop Grumman (US), L3Harris Technologies, Inc. (US), and Raytheon (US).

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Increased Demand in Combat Operations

Rising Modernization and Investments in Military Platforms

Rapid Advancements in Ai, Big Data Analytics, and Robotics Technologies

Increasing Focus on Development of Small, Compact Dew for Uav Platforms

Restraints

Restrictions on Anti-Personnel Lasers

Utilization of Dew for Law Enforcement Missions

Possibility of High Collateral Damage

Opportunities

Increase in R&D in Advanced Technologies

Complexities in Directed Energy Product Development

Challenges

Increased Barriers in Designing Military Dew Systems

Integrating Existing Systems with New Technologies

Companies Mentioned

Applied Research Associates

Applied Technology Associates

Aqwest LLC.

Bae Systems plc.

Dynetics

Eagle-Picher

Elbit Systems Ltd

Epirus Inc.

General Atomics

Honeywell Inc.

L3Harris Technologies

Leonardo

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Mbda

Moog Inc.

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Qinetiq Group plc

Radiance Technologies

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems

Raytheon Technologies Corporation

Rheinmetall Ag.

Roketsan

Textron Inc.

Thales Group

The Boeing Company

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/pz95a2

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005771/en/

Contacts

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
OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 8, 2021 /CNW/ - On November 4 and 8, 2021, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, presented a total of 63 Meritorious Service Decorations (MSD)Military Division, to outstanding members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

As Chancellor and a Commander of the Order of Military Merit, the Governor General also invested two of the above MSD recipients into the Order: one as a Commander of Military Merit for their outstanding meritorious service and demonstrated leadership in duties of great responsibility; and the other as a Member of Military Merit for exceptional service or performance of duty.

The two ceremonies took place virtually.

Created by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Meritorious Service Decorations recognize Canadians for exceptional deeds that bring honour to our country. Along with the Order of Military Merit, they are central elements of the Canadian Honours System that also includes the Order of Canada, the Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers and Decorations for Bravery.

All recipients share a desire to help others, to achieve excellence and to contribute to their communities and to Canada.

Quote:

"With this honour and recognition comes the weight of responsibility you collectively hold to work towards a Canadian Armed Forces that values all those within its ranks. I challenge each of you to lead by example."

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada

Quick facts:

Created by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Meritorious Service Decorations recognize Canadians for exceptional deeds that bring honour to our country.

The Meritorious Service Cross was originally created in 1984, for members of the military. In 1991, a medal was added to the military division.

Encouraging and recognizing excellence is at the core of every governor general's mandate.

Associated Links:

For more information about Canadian honours, visit our website at www.gg.ca/honours.

Stay connected:

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Follow GovernorGeneralCanada on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

List of Recipients

Recipients of the Meritorious Service Cross (Military Division)

Commander William Brown M.S.C., C.D.

Ottawa, Ontario

From January to July 2020, Commander Brown displayed exceptional leadership, professionalism and compassion while deployed to the Mediterranean, Black and Baltic seas as commanding officer of Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Fredericton. Throughout the seven-month deployment, he ensured his crew remained operationally focused and resilient despite unprecedented hardships imposed by the COVID-19 global pandemic and by the tragic loss of the ship's helicopter and its six crew members. Commander Brown's remarkable efforts directly contributed to Canada's impressive standing among its allies.

Master Coporal Anthony Bullen M.S.C., C.D.

Gander, Newfoundland & Labrador

On March 5, 2017, as the search and rescue team leader on Rescue 901 from 103 Search and Rescue Squadron, Master Corporal Bullen responded to a mayday call from the fishing vessel Northern Provider, caught in a fierce North Atlantic storm 280 kilometres northeast of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Demonstrating exceptional professionalism and determination in perilous circumstances, Master Corporal Bullen was lowered into the frigid water twiceonce with a compromised immersion suitto rescue two fishers who had abandoned ship in extremely hazardous sea conditions.

Major-General Jennie Carignan C.M.M., M.S.C., M.S.M., C.D.

Stittsville, Ontario

As commander of NATO Mission Iraq from November 2019 to November 2020, Major-General Carignan provided inspired leadership during a turbulent and dangerous period, working tirelessly to maintain the political and military viability of the mission. She provided key advice to the Alliance's civilian and military leadership to help them develop future options for NATO in Iraq, while serving as their trusted agent in interactions with senior Iraqi government and defence officials. Major-General Carignan's extraordinary leadership and foresight reinforced the credibility of both NATO and Canada.

Colonel Scott Malcolm M.S.C., C.D.

Greely, Ontario

From February to June 2020, Colonel Malcolm's exceptional performance as director of Health Services Operations was critical to the success of the Canadian Armed Forces' COVID-19 pandemic response. Under challenging circumstances, he expertly guided the planning and execution of the many military health services contributions that were implemented to safeguard Canadian citizens from the virus. Colonel Malcolm's inspirational leadership, fortitude and strategic acumen provided comfort and hope to Canadians, and brought great credit to himself and the Canadian Armed Forces.

Colonel Travis Morehen M.S.C., C.D.

Kingston, Ontario

Colonel Morehen was deployed as commander of Task Force Mali from January to September 2019, where he built a resilient, combat-capable team able to effectively operate in an austere and violent operational environment. During his tenure, the task force achieved 3 800 hours of tactical aviation flying and executed more than 30 deliberate operations. In addition to aeromedical support, he meticulously and discreetly coordinated tactical support for a sensitive national operation. Colonel Morehen's tremendous leadership within a complex UN mission brought considerable honour to Canada.

Lieutenant(N) Kevin Okihiro M.S.C., C.D.

Victoria, British-Columbia

On 26 August 2019, in Upton Cross, England, Lieutenant(N) Okihiro displayed exceptional leadership and courage representing the Canadian Armed Forces abroad as the primary explosive ordnance disposal operator in charge. En route to a domestic threat, he instinctively gave direction to establish a cordon for public safety. With the targeted building full of secondary flammable hazards and the ground soaked with unknown accelerants, he rendered safe 10 improvised explosive devices. His conspicuous actions saved lives and preserved critical infrastructure.

General Terrence John O'Shaughnessy

Boulder City, Nevada (United States of America)

As commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command from 2018 to 2020, General O'Shaughnessy's devotion to duty and selfless service to Canada and the United States contributed to a robust, integrated bi-national defense of North America. His positive influence, exceptional strategic engagement and strong leadership have contributed significantly to the evolution of continental defence and security. General O'Shaughnessy undeniably enhanced the long-standing, unique and well-entrenched relationship between Canada and the United States.

Brigadier-General Michel-Henri St. Louis O.M.M., M.S.C., M.S.M., C.D.

Kingston, Ontario

From April 2019 to June 2020, Brigadier-General St-Louis was deployed as commander of Joint Task Force  IMPACT, the Canadian Armed Forces mission in Iraq and Syria against Daesh . He worked tirelessly to strengthen relationships with key allies, advancing the Canadian government's strategy in the Middle East. During increased tensions resulting from kinetic strikes, he demonstrated calm and courage under enemy fire while protecting his task force. Brigadier-General St-Louis' outstanding performance in a complex multinational environment brought great honour to Canada.

Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (Military Division)

Lieutant(N) Christopher Barker M.S.M., C.D.

Cobourg, Ontario

Since 1992, Lieutenant(N) Barker has demonstrated a sustained commitment to preserving the history of Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Skeena, and to commemorating the sailors who served and perished during a violent storm on October 25, 1944. On his own initiative, he gathered historical artefacts, organized annual memorial services, spearheaded the construction of a monument in Iceland, and organized a recreational trip for all cadets. His unwavering dedication honoured veterans, inspired cadets and created a legacy for all Canadians.

Commander William Barlow M.S.M., C.D.

Ottawa, Ontario

From August to December 2019, Commander Barlow demonstrated outstanding leadership and professionalism as commanding officer of Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Ottawa while deployed to the Indo-Asia Pacific region. He subsequently assumed command of Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Calgary from March to May 2020, during Operation LASER, the Canadian Armed Forces' response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Commander Barlow's exceptional ability to build combat-capable teams and excel in operations significantly advanced Canadian international and domestic strategic objectives.

Major John Benson M.S.M., C.D.

Quebec, Quebec

From October 2018 to November 2019, Major Benson was deployed to Baghdad, Iraq as military assistant to the commander. Part of the inaugural rotation of NATO Mission Iraq, he quickly developed an impressive understanding of wide-ranging issues and environmental dynamics, which permitted him to contribute extensively to key mission activities. His relationship-building in support of NATO Mission Iraq and his exceptional management of sensitive diplomatic files were particularly noteworthy. Major Benson's consistent and unequivocal efforts during his deployment brought great credit to Canada.

Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Boland M.S.M., C.D.

Edmonton, Alberta

As the commanding officer of Task Force  Latvia's National Support Element from January to July 2020, Lieutenant-Colonel Boland displayed remarkable leadership, creativity, patience and unwavering commitment to mission success. His efforts guaranteed a safe, COVID-19-constrained environment for all soldiers, enhanced logistical support, and enabled Canada to improve upon its duties as a framework nation in NATO's deterrence efforts. Lieutenant-Colonel Boland's outstanding performance during a global health crisis directly contributed to the tremendous success of Canada's mission in Latvia.

Captain Maxwell Brownfield M.S.M., C.D.

Sittsville, Ontario

From April 2019 to November 2020, Captain Brownfield demonstrated outstanding professionalism in supporting counterterrorism operations in Iraq while employed in the United States Central Command Partnership Integration Enterprise in Qatar, and the Joint Targeting Intelligence Centre in Ottawa, Ontario. In particular, his contributions to innovating remote intelligence exploitation resulted in operational success both on the battlefield and for the Canadian Armed Forces Targeting Enterprise. Captain Brownfield's efforts significantly enhanced the process by which intelligence information is shared in a coalition environment.

Chief Petty Officer 1st Class Darcy Burd M.M.M., M.S.M., C.D.

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Chief Petty Officer 1st Class Burd was coxswain on Her Majesty's Canadian Ship St. John's, deployed on Operation REASSURANCE from January to July 2018. His operational focus and People First, Mission Always leadership kept the crew motivated, disciplined and focused despite the difficult, complex and changing operational environment. His efforts reached beyond his ship, tirelessly working with NATO partners in the volatile Eastern Mediterranean and Baltic seas, to raise camaraderie, increase operational output, and ultimately enhance Canada's reputation on the global stage.

Major Caroline Cameron M.S.M., C.D.

Saint-Basile, Quebec

From April to July 2020, Major Cameron distinguished herself with honour through her exceptional commitment and dedication as commander of the Initial Medical Assistance Force in the Montreal region. Her quick initial actions were critical and resulted in the effective integration of military personnel into the residential and long-term care centres (CHSLD) during Operation LASER. To meet the growing demand for assistance, her team welcomed more than 200 personnel to help more than 2 000 vulnerable residents in 15 CHSLDs. Major Cameron's outstanding leadership and professionalism contributed to the exceptional outreach by the Canadian Armed Forces.

Colonel Kevin Cameron C.D.

Nepean, Ontario

Colonel Cameron has demonstrated remarkable visionary leadership over the past three years and has been the driving force behind reinventing transition. His devotion and collaborative approach have significantly strengthened the Canadian Armed Forces' (CAF) partnership with Veterans Affairs Canada. His exemplary work ethic and expertise in the transition space were instrumental to the development and implementation of innovative transition tools and services for CAF members and their families. Colonel Cameron's noteworthy contributions and personal actions epitomize the fundamental values espoused by the CAF.

Chief Warrant Officer Patrice Chartrand M.M.M., M.S.M., C.D.

Lancaster Park, Alberta

From April to October 2019, Chief Warrant Officer Chartrand was deployed as sergeant major of the mission to assist the Security Forces of Ukraine. His involvement in the professionalization of Ukrainian non-commissioned officers inspired them and strengthened the cohesiveness of the multinational effort. His performance and judgment illustrated the ideal of the NCO, combining experience and critical thinking. Chief Warrant Officer Chartrand's leadership enhanced the Canadian Armed Forces' reputation for excellence among representatives of the agencies present in Ukraine and contributed to Canada's positive branding on the world stage.

Commander Peter Chu M.S.M., C.D.

Hubbard, Nova Scotia

Commander Chu was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea from February to June 2018 as Commanding Officer of Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Windsor. His tactical acumen and exceptional leadership abilities were unprecedented during sensitive operational patrols while participating in two key NATO exercises. His crew was praised for providing a surveillance capability that proved invaluable to NATO's efforts toward establishing comprehensive maritime situational awareness in the region. Commander Chu's gallant and tireless efforts under extremely challenging circumstances brought great credit to Canada.

Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Cote M.S.M., C.D.

Shannon, Quebec

From April to October 2019, Lieutenant-Colonel Cote was deployed as Task Force commander during the Canadian Armed Forces military mission to assist the Security Forces of Ukraine. He demonstrated a high level of discernment and ingenuity in order to improve all operational aspects of the joint forces. He skilfully used communication and partnership as a cornerstone of his innovative plan to promote Canada's contribution. Lieutenant-Colonel Cote's exemplary leadership and professionalism brought international attention to the military contribution to Canada's strategy in Ukraine.

Commander Guillaume Cote M.S.M., C.D.

Nepean, Ontario

As director of the Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ship Project from July 2018 to September 2020, Commander Cote demonstrated unwavering determination to ensure the delivery of the first vessel of the fleet renewal project. Through his focused and dynamic efforts, he gained the confidence of numerous stakeholders from National Defence, various government departments and industry. His exemplary leadership led to the delivery of Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Harry DeWolf, the first warship built as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy.

Commander Jeffrey Dargavel M.S.M., C.D.

Ottawa, Ontario

From July to December 2020, Commander Dargavel displayed outstanding leadership, initiative and professionalism as the commanding officer of Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Toronto. During operations in the Baltic, Norwegian and North seas in support of NATO assurance measures, HMCS Toronto became the first Canadian frigate to successfully execute an expeditionary deployment during a global pandemic. Commander Dargavel's remarkable efforts and tactical acumen directly contributed to mission success and Canada's strong standing among its NATO allies.

Lieutenant-Colonel Erik Deneau

Ottawa, Ontario

From April to October 2019, Lieutenant-Colonel Cote was deployed as Task Force commander during the Canadian Armed Forces military mission to assist the Security Forces of Ukraine. He demonstrated a high level of discernment and ingenuity in order to improve all operational aspects of the joint forces. He skilfully used communication and partnership as a cornerstone of his innovative plan to promote Canada's contribution. Lieutenant-Colonel Cote's exemplary leadership and professionalism brought international attention to the military contribution to Canada's strategy in Ukraine.

Colonel Stephane Dumas M.S.M., C.D. (Ret'd)

Spencerville, Ontario

From July 2019 to August 2020, Colonel Dumas was deployed as Canadian Task Force commander and as deputy chief of staff  Operations and Plans, as part of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). He successfully led the planning and execution of operations against armed groups, ensured the protection of civilians, oversaw MONUSCO's response to COVID-19 and strengthened democratic institutions and the rule of law. A skilled commander, Colonel Dumas contributed significantly to the mission and brought great honour to Canada.

Lieutenant-Colonel Allan Ferriss M.S.M., C.D.

Belleville, Ontario

Lieutenant-Colonel Ferriss was deployed to Gao, Mali, from January to August 2019, as chief of operations for Task Force Mali. Responsible for the day-to-day conduct, coordination and future planning for all tactical units, Lieutenant-Colonel Ferriss demonstrated stalwart leadership and relentless mission focus that enabled responsive and agile tactical aviation operations in support of the UN Multi-dimensional Stabilization Mission in Mali. Lieutenant-Colonel Ferriss' relentless pursuit of excellence, personal dedication and exemplary conduct set the conditions for mission success, bringing great credit to the Canadian Armed Forces.

Brigadier General Peter Fesler

Colorado Springs, Colorado (United States of America)

As deputy director of Operations for North American Aerospace Defense Command from 2017 to 2020, Brigadier General Fesler demonstrated selfless commitment to the defence and security of Canada and the United States. He contributed immeasurably to innovative thought on continental deterrence and on a prioritized investment and modernization strategy for defending Canadian and American sovereignty. Brigadier General Fesler undeniably enhanced the evolution of continental defence within the long-standing and iconic defence relationship between Canada and the United States.

Captain(N) Martin Fluet M.S.M., C.D.

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Captain(N) Fluet was deployed to the Mediterranean and Black seas from January to August 2019 as commanding officer of Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Toronto. A highly effective warfare commander, he distinguished himself within the NATO fleet by his operational expertise and keen understanding of the adversary while operating in close proximity to Russian forces. With his remarkable leadership and firm grasp of tactical and strategic needs, he ensured that the ship's crew remained vigilant and safe, all while admirably representing Canada.

Commander Brian Foxton M.S.M., C.D. (Ret'd)

Kanata, Ontario

As project director for the Canadian Surface Combatant Project from May 2018 to March 2021, Commander Foxton demonstrated unwavering resolve throughout the successful design phase, ensuring the Royal Canadian Navy's requirements were properly fulfilled. His special talent for articulating military requirements and developing common understanding among diverse military and civilian stakeholders was pivotal to the project. His knowledge, leadership and perseverance have helped prepare the future fleet to meet Canada's needs and obligations for years to come.

Captain James Fukakusa M.S.M.

Manotick, Ontario

From May 2020 to February 2021, Captain Fukakusa was deployed to Kuwait. After his arrival, he was unexpectedly thrust into the role of Operation IMPACT task force surgeon and senior medical authority, wherein he performed beyond reproach and well above the expectations of his rank. His strategic understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with his expert provision of medical advice, enabled the chain of command to return to full operations in minimum time, while endeavoring to protect all personnel from the virus.

Chief Warrant Officer Dominic Gaudreau M.M.M., M.S.M., C.D.

Quebec, Quebec

As sergeant major of NATO Mission Iraq from November 2019 to November 2020, Chief Warrant Officer Gaudreau made an exemplary contribution to the mission command team during a very demanding period. His loyalty, courage, intellectual acumen and diplomacy enabled him to play a key role during a tumultuous time stemming from restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Chief Warrant Officer Gaudreau embodies the excellence sought in our senior non-commissioned officers. He contributed significantly to NATO Mission Iraq and brought great honour to Canada within the Alliance.

Major Ralph Holah M.S.M., C.D.

Kingston, Ontario

From 2014 through 2018, Major Holah developed and implemented an internationally recognized and accredited Collateral Damage Estimation (CDE) course for the Canadian Armed Forces Targeting Enterprise. His tireless efforts evolved and aligned the CAF course with key allied partners and international standards. He is a trusted expert in the United States and his input on policy and technical issues is regularly sought out. Major Holah's dedication and tactical expertise in CDE methodology has brought great credit to the Canadian Armed Forces.

Master Warrant Officer Scott Howell M.S.M., C.D.

Petawawa, Ontario

While deployed on Operation IMPACT, Master Warrant Officer Howell demonstrated proactive leadership that ensured the Special Operations Task Force was well prepared for unprecedented challenges. He applied the highest standards of a non-commissioned officer while refining force protection measures, establishing the 2019 Novel Coronavirus protocols, and playing an instrumental role during a national retrograde. Master Warrant Officer Howell's remarkable actions brought great credit to the Canadian Armed Forces.

Colonel Bryan Hunt

Carlisle, Pennsylvania (United States of America)

From July 2019 to July 2021, Colonel Hunt demonstrated exceptional leadership and dedication as the deputy commander of the Canadian Army Training Authority. His expertise on collective and individual training files, before and during the pandemic, had a direct impact on the operational readiness of the Canadian Army. His work to collect COVID-19 lessons learned from our allies and adapt them to Canadian Armed Forces training concepts for restarting readiness activities brought great credit to the Forces and to the U.S. Army.

Brigadier General Christopher Ireland (Ret'd)

Pittston, Maine (United States of America)

From August 2017 to August 2019, Brigadier General Ireland served as Deputy Combined/Joint Force Air Component commander at 1 Canadian Air Division/Canadian NORAD Region Headquarters, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He led the daily apportionment and execution of air support for all Canadian Armed Forces domestic and international operations. His many contributions and dedication to the Royal Canadian Air Force mission, while serving in this critical role, brought great credit to both Canada and the United States, strengthening the binational relationship and promoting Canadian interests globally.

Brigadier-General Colin Keiver M.S.M., C.D.

Ottawa, Ontario

Brigadier-General Keiver was deployed to Kuwait from June 2018 to May 2019 as commander of Joint Task Force  Impact. Throughout his tenure, he demonstrated exceptional vision, dedication and professionalism. Moreover, he worked tirelessly to lay down the foundation for training delivered to partner forces and oversaw the reinvestment of Canadian Armed Forces personnel to new initiatives in support of the mission to combat Daesh. Brigadier-General Keiver's remarkable leadership was praised by allies and advanced the Canadian government's Middle East strategy.

Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Langlais M.S.M., C.D.

Bolton-Ouest, Quebec

From January 2019 to August 2020, Lieutenant-Colonel Langlais was deployed as chief liaison officer for the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). His outstanding leadership and engagement resulted in a strong partnership between MONUSCO and the Forces armees de la Republique democratique du Congo, which allowed the dispersed liaison section to play a vital role in protecting civilians. Lieutenant-Colonel Langlais did an exceptional job representing Canada, and his efforts significantly contributed to the mission's success.

Captain(N) Marie-France Langlois O.M.M., M.S.M., C.D. (Ret'd)

Gatineau, Quebec

From May 2017 to April 2019, Captain(N) Langlois demonstrated strong dedication, initiative and remarkable leadership. She spearheaded a multitude of efforts to bridge the gap between the Canadian Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Canada. Her outstanding work ethic and professionalism were instrumental in securing resources that have resulted in improved services for many thousands of Canadian Forces members, veterans and their families. Her unwavering commitment, contribution and actions embody, beyond any doubt, the fundamental values espoused by the Canadian Armed Forces and the Government of Canada.

Lieutenant-Colonel Genevieve Lortie M.S.M., C.D.

Stittsville, Ontario

From 2012 to 2018, Lieutenant-Colonel Lortie led the drafting and enforcement of the regulatory amendments resulting from Bill C-15, aimed at strengthening military justice in the defence of Canada. She played a key role in enabling the Government of Canada to respond to the first five-year evaluation of the National Defence Act. Her exceptional leadership and professionalism, legal acumen and selfless dedication greatly contributed to the ongoing effectiveness of the military justice system.

Chief Petty Officer 1st Class James Mahoney M.S.M., C.D.

Halifax, Nova Scotia

From July 2019 to January 2020, Chief Petty Officer 1st Class Mahoney distinguished himself as coxswain of Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Halifax while deployed to the Mediterranean. Displaying exceptional deck-plate leadership and problem-solving skills, he united the ship's crew, thereby empowering command to deliver mission effectiveness as the flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2. Chief Petty Officer 1st Class Mahoney's unconditional dedication to the crew's well-being and morale, coupled with his tireless work ethic, contributed immensely to the ship's mission success.

Captain Karoline Martin M.S.M., C.D.

Onoway, Alberta

From April 2020 to July 2020, Captain Martin oversaw the deployment of Canadian Armed Forces-augmented civilian care teams into seven Ontario long-term care facilities, where she ensured technical and professional standards of care and practice were implemented and maintained. Moreover, her honest and diligent reporting of on-site conditions resulted in significant government mobilization towards solutions. Captain Martin's critical leadership and expertise during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in operational success that was forefront in the public eye.

Captain Brian McNeil M.S.M., C.D.

Winnipeg, Manitoba

During his tenure as 1 Canadian Air Division staff officer for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), in Winnipeg, Manitoba, from August 2015 to June 2019, Captain McNeil was instrumental in overseeing the creation of all Records of Airworthiness Risk Management, flight permits and operational airworthiness clearances for all UAS flying in support of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) operations and training. His tireless dedication to improving the airworthiness process for UAS greatly enhanced CAF intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities.

Chief Warrant Officer Steven Merry M.M.M., M.S.M., C.D.

Kingston, Ontario

Chief Warrant Officer Merry was deployed to Baghdad from October 2018 to November 2019, as initial command senior enlisted leader of NATO Mission Iraq. He proved central to the development of a cohesive group dedicated to mission success, despite significant obstacles and challenges. An outstanding role model, he consistently demonstrated the critical importance of the non-commissioned officer corps to Iraqi and international counterparts alike. Chief Warrant Officer Merry's leadership was essential to establishing a new and vital mission, and ensured Canadian credibility on the world stage.

Captain Yu Mi M.S.M., C.D.

Arlington, Virginia (United States of America)

During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, beginning in April 2020, Captain Mi expertly led a team of military and industry personnel in establishing a groundbreaking digital supply chain for the Government of Canada's procurement of personal protective equipment. In collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada, the team's development of multiple low- and high-value contracts resulted in the ability to immediately receive, store and efficiently distribute tens of millions of items. Captain Mi's exceptional efforts were critical to ensuring a successful response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chief Petty Officer 1st Class Barbara Mondelli M.M.M., M.S.M., C.D.

Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia

From January to August 2019, Chief Petty Officer 1st Class Mondelli was deployed to the Mediterranean as coxswain of Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Toronto. Her outstanding leadership and mentorship were critical in integrating and focusing the non-commissioned members of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 towards diplomatic strategic objectives. Furthermore, her presentation on the joint Canadian Forces and NATO goal of gender equality across the ranks, which she delivered to the Ukrainian Military Academy, garnered significant attention and reflected favourably on the CAF.

Captain Ivan Nahachewsky M.S.M.

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Captain Nahachewsky was deployed to Yavoriv, Ukraine, from October 2019 to April 2020. As task force padre, he expanded his role of internal pastoral support by fostering connections within the Ukrainian Orthodox community. Furthermore, he increased Canadian exposure with community outreach projects and collaborated directly with religious leaders on public holiday celebrations. Captain Nahachewsky's outstanding professionalism and exceptional outreach efforts operationalized his role by expanding the influence of the Canadian task force within the Ukrainian community and effectively growing the international partnership.

Commander Scott Nelson M.V.O., M.S.M., C.D.

Halifax, Nova Scotia

From July 2019 to January 2020, Commander Nelson displayed remarkable leadership while deployed to the Mediterranean as commanding officer of Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Halifax, during its term as flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2. He successfully led the fleet in locating and monitoring Russian forces, participating in large-scale operations and exercises with other NATO and allied nations, and executing strategic engagements in foreign ports to advance Canada's global interests. Commander Nelson's professionalism contributed to Canada's high standing among its allies.

Chief Petty Officer 1st Class John Oake M.M.M., M.S.M., C.D.

Oberammergau, Bavaria (Germany)

From July to December 2020, as coxswain of Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Toronto, Chief Petty Officer 1st Class Oake was deployed to the Baltic, Norwegian and North seas in support of NATO assurance measures. He displayed remarkable leadership, which ensured the morale and well-being of the crew and fostered unit cohesion. Chief Petty Officer 1st Class Oake's close coordination and collaboration across all departments within the ship was the bedrock for maintaining unity of effort on operations, and was vital to HMCS Toronto's operational effectiveness.

Master Sailor Sergiy Onyshchenko M.S.M.

Rockland, Ontario

As a multi-disciplined language analyst at the Alaska Mission Operation Center from 2015 to 2018, Master Sailor Onyshchenko greatly contributed to the strengthening of collaborative efforts between the United States and Canada, and increased the security of Allied and NATO forces. In addition to identifying a new point of access on a priority target, he contributed to over 100 reports, in which he addressed critical intelligence gaps. His innovative approach to analysis has had a profound and far-reaching impact on the intelligence community.

Major James Pinhorn M.S.M., C.D.

Gander, Newfoundland & Labrador

On March 5, 2017, as the aircraft commander on Rescue 901 of 103 Search and Rescue Squadron, Major Pinhorn responded to a mayday call from the fishing vessel Northern Provider, caught in a fierce North Atlantic storm 280 kilometres northeast of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Through an outstanding display of leadership, composure and life-saving performance under perilous conditions, Major Pinhorn expertly piloted the rescue helicopter to save five fishers who had abandoned ship in extremely hazardous sea conditions.

Colonel Simon Poudrier M.S.M., C.D.

Gatineau, Quebec

From March to July 2020, Colonel Poudrier demonstrated outstanding professionalism in support of the Government of Canada's emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic. By leading an integrated logistics team at the Public Health Agency of Canada, he contributed to the successful execution of a sustainable and large-scale logistics operation that allowed Canada to respond appropriately to this global crisis. Colonel Poudrier excelled in this critical task of national importance, which brought great honour to the Canadian Armed Forces.

Lieutenant-Colonel Rene Poulin M.S.M., C.D.

St.-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec

As deputy commandant of Royal Military College (RMC) Saint-Jean from 2016 to 2020, Lieutenant-Colonel Poulin excelled during a period of significant change. A builder and facilitator of internal and external relations, he was the driving force behind the College's return to university status. Thanks to his diplomacy and tireless energy, he was able to brilliantly reassure and guide all military and civilian personnel by setting common and achievable goals. Through his efforts and dedication, Lieutenant-Colonel Poulin contributed to the success of RMC Saint-Jean's mission.

Bridaier-General Paul Prevost O.M.M., M.S.M., C.D.

Ottawa, Ontario

From February to July 2018, Brigadier-General Prevost was deployed to Doha, Qatar, as director of the 609th Air Operations Center of the United States Central Command Multinational Force. His outstanding leadership and tactical acumen quickly earned him the respect and trust of American and coalition leaders, and contributed to tactical, operational and strategic advances against Daesh and the Taliban. BrigadierGeneral Prevost played a key role in the fight against Daesh and in coalition counter-insurgency operations, and made an extraordinary contribution to peace and security in the Middle East.

Major Marc Raven M.S.M., C.D.

Kingston, Ontario

Renowned as an air-land integration subject matter expert, Major Raven has been a key enabler to the revitalization of the Tactical Air Control Party capability within the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). Between 2015 and 2020, his actions and initiative were instrumental in the development of training and the introduction of a command and control restructure. Major Raven's actions have strengthened the relationship between the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force, while enhancing CAF credibility in joint and combined operations.

Lieutenant-Commander Nicole Robichaud M.S.M., C.D.

Halifax, Ontario

From January to July 2020, Lieutenant-Commander Robichaud was deployed to the Mediterranean, Black and Baltic seas as executive officer of Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Fredericton. Following the crash of the ship's helicopter and the loss of its six crew members on April 29, she initiated preparations for the repatriation of the fallen, including a dignified onboard ceremony. Her remarkable and empathetic leadership contributed to the mental readiness of the crew members and their ability to return to the ship's important mission.

Master Corporal Erik Schneider M.S.M.

Rockland, Ontario

Master Corporal Schneider has been employed as a regional lead analyst within Canadian Joint Operations Command headquarters since March 2017. With a primary focus on Africa, he has supported expeditionary operations reach-back, planning efforts and, most recently, full-spectrum targeting efforts pertaining to information operations. Master Corporal Schneider's extraordinary professionalism has had a wide-ranging impact on how Canadian Armed Forces personnel contribute to international humanitarian efforts and to maintaining the reputation Canada has built within the international community.

Warrant Officer Tyler Schulze M.S.M., C.D.

Embrun, Ontario

From June 2018 to June 2019, Warrant Officer Schulze was instrumental in the development of the first Canadian position within the Overhead Management Centre in Denver, Colorado. He played a critical role in organizing a tailored training program designed specifically to develop and operationalize Canada's new burgeoning capability. Warrant Officer's Schulze's efforts promoted Canada among other country partners in a highly professional manner that brought considerable benefit to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defence.

Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamad Shamas M.S.M., C.D.

Terrebonne, Quebec

Lieutenant-Colonel Shamas was deployed to Kuwait from August 2019 to July 2020 as commanding officer of the Operational Support HubSouth-West Asia. During his assignment, he ably provided logistical support to this most important and diverse Canadian Armed Forces mission. He provided sound advice to numerous commanders and defence attaches, leading to successful operations in seven countries. Through his remarkable initiative, Lieutenant-Colonel Shamas exercised significant leadership and influence, which brought honour to Canada.

Commander Thomas Sheehan M.S.M., C.D.

Timberlea, Nova Scotia

As a strong advocate for mental health, Commander Sheehan applied his exceptional leadership, tenacity and vision in the development of an innovative Road to Mental Readiness program, an effective, customized training approach for the Defence team. His unwavering professionalism and dedication have made a profound and lasting impression, contributing greatly to Strong, Secure, Engaged efforts, and have significantly improved the resiliency and capacity of personnel throughout the Canadian Armed Forces.

Colonel Tod Strickland M.S.M., C.D.

Kingston, Ontario

From June 2018 to November 2019, Colonel Strickland served in the Republic of Korea as the commander of the Canadian Contingent and the deputy chief of staff Operations, United Nations Command Headquarters. In an uncertain and dynamic security situation, his tremendous leadership and professionalism were instrumental in establishing the Canadian Contingent, revitalizing United Nations Command, and implementing confidence-building measures between the two Koreas in order to restore lasting peace. Colonel Strickland's efforts greatly enhanced Canada's reputation and visibility in the region.

Major Brenda Tinsley M.S.M., C.D.

Barrie, Ontario

As commanding officer of 51 Aerospace Control and Warning Squadron from 2017 to 2019, Major Tinsley led the modernization of Canadian Air Defence Sector Tactical Command and Control training. She was instrumental in creating the Mission Training Centre, an innovative air battle management facility, which leveraged modern synthetic learning environments and platforms. Her commitment to strengthening operator training and advancing Royal Canadian Air Force initiatives brought great credit to the Canadian Armed Forces and enhanced North American Aerospace security.

Captain(N) Luc Tremblay M.S.M., C.D.

Gatineau, Quebec

Captain(N) Tremblay was assigned to Baghdad, Iraq, as defence attache from July 2019 to July 2020. He initiated a cycle of engagement and assessment with Canadian task forces and coalition partners to enable the Canadian ambassador to keep abreast of the situation on the ground. In a chaotic environment involving ballistic missile, rocket and mortar strikes, as well as civil unrest, his professionalism earned him the trust of Iraqi officials and quickly removed obstacles to mission success. Captain(N) Tremblay's outstanding work brought great honour to Canada.

Commander Bradley White M.S.M., C.D.

Bedford, Nova Scotia

From 2018 to 2020, Commander White was the major architect, program lead and driving force behind the development and implementation of the Concept of Operations for the Future Naval Training System in Esquimalt, British Columbia. As delineated in Strong, Secure, Engaged, the modernized program will leverage cutting-edge technology, optimize Royal Canadian Navy world-class individual training, and ensure long-lasting and vital effects. Commander White's transformational leadership influenced and motivated team members to excel, and brought great credit to the Canadian Armed Forces.

Major Gary Wolfman M.S.M., C.D.

Nepean, Ontario

As the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command's subject matter expert, Major Wolfman was instrumental in integrating cyber into the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) targeting processes and subsequently achieving its effects on operations. His ability to synchronize a diverse planning team consisting of CAF operational, legal and policy staffs, in addition to key inter-agency stakeholders, was truly commendable. Major Wolfman's remarkable efforts brought great credit to the CAF.

ORDER OF MILITARY MERIT RECIPIENTS

Please note that this list was provided by the Department of National Defence and reflects the rank and posting of the members at the time of their nomination.

Commander of the Order of Military Merit

Brigadier-General Marie Annabelle Jennie Carignan, C.M.M., M.S.M., C.D.

NATO Mission Iraq

Baghdad, Iraq

Officer of the Order of Military Merit

Chief Petty Officer 1st Class James Trent Mahoney, M.M.M., C.D.

Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Halifax

Halifax, Nova Scotia

SOURCE Governor General of Canada

Cision

View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2021/08/c5515.html
VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 8, 2021 /CNW/ - Group Eleven Resources Corp. (TSXV: ZNG) (OTC: GRLVF) (FRA: 3GE) ("Group Eleven" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has intersected several massive sulphide intervals at its preliminary drill campaign at Zone 3 and 4 of the Carrickittle prospect ("Carrickittle") within its 100%-owned PG West project ("PG West"), Ireland. These represent the best results to date at Zone 3 and 4, suggesting the mineralizing system remains robust and open over 400m SW of high-grade massive sulphides intersected last year at Zone 1. The Company also announces that drilling has begun at the 1km NW extension at Carrickittle.

Highlights:

This campaign represents the Company's first drilling at Zone 3 and 4 (totalling 4 holes and 518m)

G11-2840-22, drilled at Zone 4, intersected a thick (9.0m) zone, hosting seven narrower massive and semi-massive intervals, including 28.7% Zn, 2.2% Pb and 37.0 g/t Ag (over 37cm downhole thickness), 26.4% Zn, 5.8% Pb and 32.1 g/t Ag (20cm) and 22.3% Zn, 5.0% Pb and 28.6 g/t Ag (8cm)

Above zone hosts 3.55m of 5.4% zinc, 0.7% lead and 6.6 g/t Ag, starting at 10.85m downhole depth, including 2.52m of 6.9% Zn, 0.9% Pb and 8.9 g/t Ag; (true width is estimated at 73%), representing the best results to date at Zone 3 or 4

G11-2840-25, collared 55m from the above hole, intersected a wide interval ( 52.43m ) of low-grade (0.26% Zn, 0.11% Pb, 1.0 g/t Ag), including 1.30m of 2.0% Zn, 1.5% Pb and 14.0 g/t Ag

Mineralization at Zone 4 can now be traced over 100m in strike, trending approximately NW, sub-parallel to mineralization at Zones 1 and 2; further drilling at Zone 4 is warranted

At Zone 3, two holes returned anomalous zinc and lead, also confirming the NW mineralizing trend

Overall, the above results suggest the mineralizing system is strongest at Zone 1 and Zone 4, in line with the two most prospective structural corridors identified by the recent ground magnetic survey

With Zones 1-4 drilled and better understood, the Company will now focus on the prime target  the postulated 1km extension NW of Zones 1 to 4 , towards Glencore's Pallas Green zinc deposit 1

To that end, Group Eleven is pleased to report that drilling has now begun at the 1km NW extension, as part of a fully-funded drill campaign totalling up to 2,000m (success contingent)

"Despite drilling only a fraction of the meterage we completed at Zones 1 and 2, it is encouraging to see multiple intervals of high-grade massive and semi-massive sulphide at Zone 4, over 400m southwest of spectacular grades achieved at Zone 1 last year," stated Bart Jaworski, CEO. "This suggests a robust system at Carrickittle, which remains wide open to the north-west. We are excited that a drill program up to 4x larger than our last campaign has now started across this exciting target-rich area, over 1km in strike. This next drill phase is informed by powerful exploration vectors which emerged from our recent drill and ground magnetics data, historic holes which intersected high-grade massive sulphide over 500m to the north-west, as well as, prospective circular magnetic features, concentrated on the north side of the NW extension, thought to be related to zinc mineralization."

Story continues

_______________________

1 Resources and Reserves Report (Glencore, December 31, 2020)  45.4 million tonnes of 7% Zn + 1% Pb (Inferred)

Drilling at Carrickittle Zone 3 and 4 within PG West Project (100%-interest), Ireland

The Carrickittle prospect is located approximately 10km south-east of Glencore's Pallas Green zinc deposit1, along the 25km-long Pallas Green Corridor (see Exhibit 1). Carrickittle consists of Zone 1 to 4, as well as, the postulated 1km NW corridor (see Exhibit 2).

Exhibit 1. Location of Carrickittle Prospect at the Companys 100%-owned PG West Project, Ireland (CNW Group/Group Eleven Resources Corp.)

Notes to Exhibit 1: (a) Pallas Green MRE is owned by Glencore; (b) Stonepark MRE: please refer to the NI 43-101 Independent Report on the Zinc-Lead Exploration Project at Stonepark, County Limerick, Ireland, with an effective date of April 26, 2018, as found on SEDAR; (c) the historic estimate at Denison was reported by Westland Exploration Limited in 1988, the historic estimate at Tullacondra was reported by Munster Base Metals Ltd in 1973 and the historic estimate at Gortdrum was reported by G.M. Steed in 1986; these three historic estimates have not been verified as current mineral resources; none of the key assumptions, parameters and methods used to prepare the historic estimates were reported and no resource categories were used; significant data compilation, re-drilling and data verification may be required by a Qualified Person before the historic estimates can be verified and upgraded to be compliant with current NI 43-101 standards; a Qualified Person has not done sufficient work to classify them as a current mineral resource and the Company is not treating the historic estimates as current mineral resources.

Exhibit 2. Plan Map of the 1km NW Extension at Carrickittle Prospect, PG West Project, Ireland (CNW Group/Group Eleven Resources Corp.)

The Company's drill campaign at Zone 3 and 4 was relatively cursory in nature (four holes totalling 518m), compared to more detailed drilling at Zone 1 and 2 (17 holes totalling 1,800m). This reflects a better understanding of the controls on mineralization (derived from drilling at Zone 1 and 2 and determined to be predominantly NW-striking, steeply-dipping to the SW), as well as, the Company's intention to maximize remaining budgeted drill meterage for the prime target  the 1km NW extension, towards Glencore's Pallas Green zinc deposit1.

At Zone 4, approximately 400m from Zone 1, G11-2840-22 (collar azimuth 30, dip -45, depth 120.15m; see Exhibit 3 and 4), intersected a thick (9.00m) zone, hosting seven narrower massive and semi-massive sulphide intervals, including 28.7% Zn, 2.2% Pb and 37.0 g/t Ag (over 37cm downhole thickness), 26.4% Zn, 5.8% Pb and 32.1 g/t Ag (20cm) and 22.3% Zn, 5.0% Pb and 28.6 g/t Ag (8cm). The above zone hosts 3.55m of 5.4% Zn, 0.7% Pb and 6.6 g/t Ag, starting at 10.85m downhole depth), including 2.52m of 6.9% Zn, 0.9% Pb and 8.9 g/t Ag; true width is estimated at 73%). The entire 9.00m section grades 2.8% Zn, 0.4% Pb and 4.2 g/t Ag. This intercept is approximately 10m away from narrow massive sulphide intercepted in historic hole P2 (hosting 1.83m of 3.4% Zn and 1.5% Pb, see Exhibit 3 and 4).

Further down the hole (G11-2840-22), a chalcopyrite-bearing vein returned 0.19m of 2.55% Cu and 1.8 g/t Ag. It is encouraging to see notable copper intervals at Zone 4, given strongly elevated copper is also observed at Zone 1.

Exhibit 3. Plan Drill Hole Map Showing Recent Drilling at Zones 3 and 4, Carrickittle, PG West Project (CNW Group/Group Eleven Resources Corp.)

Note: "Alteration Zone" is inferred from a recent ground magnetic survey (see news release dated Sept 28, 2021); "generalized" means that, for clarity, holes from Zone 1 and 2 have not been shown with traces and labelled with relative grades;

G11-2840-25, also drilled at Zone 4 and collared 55m from the above hole, intersected a wide interval (52.43m) of low-grade cavity-fill and disseminated mineralization (grading 0.26% Zn, 0.11% Pb, 1.0 g/t Ag), including 1.30m of 2.0% Zn, 1.5% Pb and 14.0 g/t Ag and 0.50m of 2.5% Zn, 1.1% Pb and 2.1 g/t Ag (see Exhibit 3 and 4).

At Zone 3, two holes were drilled (G11-2840-21 and -24) returning anomalous levels of zinc and lead, confirming the NW mineralizing trend at this prospect. Note, hole G11-2840-23 was drilled at the Oola prospect (see news release dated October 18, 2021). A summary of the Company's drill results from Zone 3 and 4 is shown below (see Exhibit 4); whereas, key historic holes from the area are shown in Exhibit 5.

Overall, the above results suggest the mineralizing system is strongest at Zone 1 and Zone 4, in line with the two most prospective structural corridors identified by the recent ground magnetic survey (see news release dated September 28, 2021). The NW-oriented control on mineralization, now well established at Zones 1 to 4, provides a powerful exploration vector which the Company will now employ (along with historic intercepts of massive sulphide) as it begins to drill along the postulated 1km-long extension immediately NW of Zones 1 and 4.

In addition to the above, circular magnetic features interpreted to represent volcanic intrusives and/or diatremes towards the north (see Exhibit 2 and news release dated September 28, 2021) are thought likely to be related to zinc mineralization  and hence are prospective.

Exhibit 4. Results from Recent Drilling at Zone 3 and 4, Carrickittle Prospect, PG West Project

Hole ID From Int Zn Pb Ag ZnEq m x % Notes

m m % % g/t % ZnEq

Zone 3















G11-2840-21 47.55 12.00 0.08 0.06 1.0 0.18 2.2 Diss. and veins and 84.93 0.18 1.85 0.19 0.3 2.04 0.4 Vein G11-2840-24 115.00 0.10 0.37 0.59 2.7 1.06 0.1 Vein Zone 4















G11-2840-22 10.85 9.00 2.75 0.44 4.2 3.29 29.6 Lithology as below Incl. 10.85 3.55 5.35 0.71 6.6 6.22 22.1 Lithology as below Incl. 11.08 2.52 6.91 0.87 8.9 8.00 20.2 Lithology as below Incl. 10.85 0.23 4.66 0.86 3.3 5.61 1.3 Semi-massive, Diss. Incl. 11.08 0.37 28.70 2.17 37.0 31.77 11.8 Semi-massive Sx Incl. 13.40 0.20 26.40 5.80 32.1 32.98 6.6 Massive sulphide Incl. 16.10 0.08 22.30 5.04 28.6 28.03 2.2 Massive sulphide Incl. 19.68 0.17 5.90 1.89 30.0 8.52 1.4 Massive Sx, Diss. And 57.16 0.19 0.10 0.01 1.8 7.80 1.5 2.55% Cu (vein) G11-2840-25 12.50 52.43 0.26 0.11 0.99 0.40 20.8 Lithology as below Incl. 47.20 7.30 0.71 0.45 3.3 1.25 9.1 Diss. and veins Incl. 47.20 1.30 1.97 1.50 14.0 3.83 5.0 Diss. and veins And 54.00 0.50 2.48 1.13 2.1 3.66 1.8 Diss. and veins

Note: "ZnEq" means zinc-equivalent and combines Zn, Pb and Ag into a single comparable number, calculated from metal prices (US$) as follows: $1.00/lb Zn, $1.00/lb Pb, $15.00/oz Ag; "Diss." means disseminated; "Sx" means sulphide

Exhibit 5. Key Intercepts from Historic Drilling at Zones 3 and 4, Carrickittle Prospect, PG West Project

Hole ID From To Int Zn Pb Ag ZnEq m x %

m m m % % g/t % ZnEq Zone 3















P5 24.38 46.63 22.25 0.88 0.38 n/a 1.26 28.0 Incl. 31.09 33.83 2.74 4.79 2.25 n/a 7.05 19.3 and 63.40 74.68 11.28 0.62 0.09 n/a 0.72 8.1 Incl. 66.75 67.67 0.91 4.50 0.45 n/a 4.95 4.5 P15 61.72 76.20 14.48 1.63 0.30 n/a 1.93 28.0 Incl. 66.75 67.97 1.22 6.80 1.20 n/a 8.00 9.8 and 73.46 74.68 1.22 5.00 1.23 n/a 6.23 7.6 Zone 4















P1 8.53 42.98 34.44 0.83 0.20 n/a 1.02 35.2 Incl. 8.53 12.19 3.66 2.65 1.00 n/a 3.65 13.4 P2 8.53 49.99 41.45 0.75 0.26 n/a 1.00 41.5 Incl. 20.73 28.04 7.32 1.75 0.80 n/a 2.55 18.6 Incl. 20.73 22.56 1.83 3.40 1.50 n/a 4.90 9.0 P3 17.68 51.82 34.14 0.28 0.04 n/a 0.31 10.7 Incl. 28.04 29.87 1.83 2.24 0.28 n/a 2.52 4.6

Note: "ZnEq" means zinc-equivalent and combines Zn, Pb and Ag into a single comparable number, calculated from metal prices (US$) as follows: $1.00/lb Zn, $1.00/lb Pb, $15.00/oz Ag; "n/a" means samples were not assayed for silver

Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) Information

Drill-core samples were prepared and assayed in the ALS Minerals Laboratory in Loughrea, Ireland. Samples were fine-crushed (CRU-31) to 70% < 2mm and pulverized and riffle-split to 85% < 75 m. Zinc, lead and silver assays were obtained by multi-acid (4-acid) digestion/ICP-MS Package (48 Elements), with ore-grade samples analysed using multi-acid ICP-AES. Analytical accuracy and precision are monitored by the submission of 5 standards and 5 blanks inserted into the sample train of 168 samples by Group Eleven personnel. ALS analysed 10 blanks, 30 duplicates and 38 standards as part of their internal QC procedures.

Qualified Person

Technical information in this news release has been approved by David Furlong, P.Geo., Chief Operating Officer, and 'Qualified Person' as defined under Canadian National Instrument 43-101.

About Group Eleven Resources

Group Eleven Resources Corp. (TSX.V: ZNG; OTC: GRLVF and FRA: 3GE) is a mineral exploration company focused on advanced stage zinc exploration in Ireland. Additional information about the Company is available at www.groupelevenresources.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Bart Jaworski, P.Geo.

Chief Executive Officer

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Such statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the future results of operations, performance and achievements of the Company, including the timing, content, cost and results of proposed work programs, the discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/ reserves and geological interpretations. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located. All of the Company's public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials, including the technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties.





Group Eleven Resources Corp. logo (CNW Group/Group Eleven Resources Corp.) (CNW Group/Group Eleven Resources Corp.)

SOURCE Group Eleven Resources Corp.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2021/08/c1435.html
LONDON, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

Crisis worsens as workers re-assess their priorities or leave for more money

Shortage in cyber security professionals highest ever  jumping by more than a third this year

Number of women working in tech continues to rise at a snail's pace

6 in 10 digital leaders report a decrease in the mental wellbeing of their tech teams

Climate Change - companies are missing the opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint of power hungry tech

The seemingly unending growth in the UK tech sector is under threat as massive skills shortages reach an all-time high just as companies signal their intentions to increase technology investment (61% intend to) and headcount (66%) to record levels, finds the world's largest and longest running survey of senior technology decision makers.

Harvey Nash Group Logo

The Harvey Nash Group Digital Leadership Report, in collaboration with CIONET and contributed to by Massachusetts Institute of Technology CISR also found that as the UK's tech skills crisis reaches new heights, 8 in 10 digital leaders report that, post-pandemic, new life priorities amongst staff are making retention even more difficult. 4 in 10 in the UK admit they can't keep key people as long as they would like, as they're being lured away by the offer of more money. Only 1 in 3 organisations (38%) have redesigned their employee offer to make it attractive to staff in the new hybrid working world.

Bev White, CEO of Harvey Nash Group said:

"With businesses planning record levels of digital investment, we could be standing on the verge of a 'second renaissance' for technology. Organisations are looking to push their digital transformations further and faster than ever before, putting technology at the very heart of how they operate. This will take them beyond being merely 'tech-centric': technology will literally be dispersed throughout the business, everywhere."

Full release here

Media Contacts:

David Pippett, ProServ PR

david@proservpr.com

+44 (0) 7899 798197

Story continues

About Harvey Nash Group

Harvey Nash Group are the leading global provider of talent and technology solutions.

We're equipped with a unique network, that realises the potential where people and technology meet. We partner with organisations to realise the enormous value from talent and technology, building digitally savvy, agile organisations.

www.harveynashgroup.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1680703/Harvey_Nash_Group_Logo.jpg
Produced by Kevin Drew and Nyles Spencer, Usher brings to life her and Downie's shared vision of creating music as a family with new album featuring two of their four children

TORONTO, Nov. 8, 2021 /CNW/ - Today, Kaya Usher premiered, on Spotify and Apple Music, her first single as a recording artist, Heart Clicks , a song about the transcending power of love and the ways in which it unites humanity. The song comes a week ahead of the November 17 release of her debut album, All This Is, produced by Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene and Nyles Spencer. Mastered by Grammy award-winner Emily Lazar, the 10-track project also features Andrea Nann on back-up vocals and two of Usher and Downie's children, Lou and Willo. Bringing to life the couple's dream of one day forming a family band, All This Is will be released by Arts & Crafts Productions, the label behind Downie's solo career.

"This is a very personal album for me, not only because I get to jam out with my kids, but also because music has helped me to rise up and transcend what was holding me back," says Kaya Usher. "Everyone can connect to music. My hope is that this album helps others reach new heights too."

All This Is represents a reset. It is Usher's story, told for the first time through a series of songs. Haunting melodies and soul-searching lyrics create an experience for the listener that reflects Usher's awakening process, a journey that began when she fought breast cancer in her forties. The album speaks to her unraveling, her epiphany and, finally, her metamorphosis.

Kaya Usher, photographed by Richard Briant (CNW Group/Kaya Usher)

Kevin Drew met Usher in 2013 through Downie, and they soon became good friends. Their collaboration is heard throughout the album, in its robust compositions, ambient chords and hypnotic rhythms. Featuring her son Lou on keyboard and drums, her daughter Willo on harmonies and Usher playing classical guitar, organ, harmonica and providing vocals, All This Is is an offering almost thirty years in the making.

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The project was recorded at The Bathouse Recording Studio  a studio owned and managed by The Hip, near Kingston on the shores of Lake Ontario. The album art was designed by Willo.

The newly launched single Heart Clicks can be streamed here and the accompanying music video, directed by Drew Berry, with visual effects from Jordan Allen (What GIFS) can be watched here .

You can pre-order All This Is here .

ALBUM TRACK LIST

Coming Home Quickening First Frequency Core Thunderclap Ascension Disappearing Bridge The Field Brilliant Self Heart Clicks

All This Is is infused with high levels of frequency, found to be beneficial for inducing calm and deep relaxation. The album, which will also be available on meditation app Medito, is an extension of Usher's frequency work . Her online platform, The Simplicity Platform , offers sessions, classes, recordings and other tools designed to help others achieve a deep state of calm and inner peace. The project is the first in a series of projects geared at healing, self-discovery and growth, with two books on the subject authored by Usher debuting in 2022. More information on the books can be found here .

ABOUT KAYA USHER

Kaya Usher is a Canadian artist, musician and frequency work professional currently residing in Southern Ontario. Her work helps others to heal, discover and grow.

At 20, Montreal native Usher met Gord Downie at university, and fell madly in love. A talented lyricist and musician in her own right, Usher stayed home and raised the couple's four children. But in private, Usher and Downie would sing duets at family functions and share creative ideas. Their life together was a ride of experiences and themes that have made it into All This Is.

Follow Kaya Usher on Instagram at @thekayausher .

ABOUT ARTS & CRAFTS PRODUCTIONS

Arts & Crafts is an independent record company formed in Toronto in 2002 by Jeffrey Remedios and Kevin Drew.

Kaya Usher (CNW Group/Kaya Usher)

SOURCE Kaya Usher

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2021/08/c5844.html
Transaction marks KKRs first infrastructure investment in Japan

TOKYO, November 08, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced the signing of definitive agreements under which KKR will acquire Japanese chemical storage tank operator Central Tank Terminal ("CTT" or the "Company") from an affiliate of Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets ("MIRA"). The investment will be used to reinforce CTTs leading position in the chemical storage tank industry and to pursue future growth opportunities, including bolt-on acquisitions.

CTT is Japans largest independent chemical storage tank operator, offering over 300,000 cubic meters of storage capacity across seven terminals located near key ports and strategic hubs around Tokyo Bay, Osaka Bay, Nagoya and Kitakyushu. The Company provides tank storage and auxiliary services to more than 80 blue-chip customers, including major chemical manufacturers with decades-long relationships with CTT. In 2020, CTT began reporting its environmental, social and governance ("ESG") performance based on the GRESB Infrastructure Asset Assessment, and reported lower-than-peer-average emissions and energy consumption intensities.

Following the transactions close, KKR looks forward to working alongside CTTs management team to help enhance the business operations and services on behalf of CTTs customers, in addition to exploring bolt-on opportunities for growth.

Hiro Hirano, Partner for KKR Asia Pacific and CEO of KKR Japan, said, "We are pleased to mark our first infrastructure investment in Japan with a leading business like CTT. We view this as the latest milestone for KKR in the market and believe this underscores our ability to leverage our experience and access to best global business practices to help take Japanese businesses to their next stage of growth across industries and sectors."

Taka Hirayama, a Director on KKRs Infrastructure team based in Tokyo, said, "Under the leadership of CEO Miyakawa, CTT has established itself as one of the top operators in Japans tank storage sector, and forged a strong culture of responsible safety and environment management. This is evident in its long relationships with its major customers spanning decades, and its initiative to report its ESG performance annually. We are excited to invest behind CTT and its growth, and look to build on its success by sharing KKRs network and knowledge."

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KKR is making its investment from its Asia Pacific Infrastructure Fund. Supported by an experienced and growing local team, KKRs infrastructure strategy in Japan is focused on leveraging KKRs global expertise and platform to help domestic companies drive operational excellence of their assets and expand into overseas markets. KKR continues to seek out compelling opportunities where KKR can be value-add investors and create synergies for its infrastructure investments. With this latest investment, KKR has signed or completed infrastructure investments in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, China, India, and the Philippines in 2021.

In addition, the transaction marks KKRs latest investment in Japan and builds on its track record as an active investor in the country. In addition to CTT, KKR has made several investments in Japan from its private equity strategy, which include Seiyu, a nationwide supermarket chain, Koki Holdings, a power tool and life science equipment manufacturer, Kokusai Electric, a leading semiconductor manufacturer, PHC, a leading manufacturer of medical devices, Marelli, a leading supplier of automotive components, and From Scratch, an integrated data-driven marketing SaaS platform in Japan.

The transaction is expected to be completed by Q4 2021, subject to regulatory approvals and closing conditions. Further details of the investment have not been disclosed.

Rothschild & Co. acted as KKR's financial advisor.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKRs insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life, and reinsurance products under the management of The Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKRs investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKRs website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211107005146/en/

Contacts

Media

KKR Asia Pacific

Anita Davis

+852 3602 7335

Anita.Davis@kkr.com

or

Wei Jun Ong

+65 6922 5813

WeiJun.Ong@kkr.com

KKR Americas

Cara Major or Miles Radcliffe-Trenner

+1 212-750-8300

Media@kkr.com

Finsbury (for KKR Japan)

Deborah Hayden, +81 702492 0463

Hannah Perry, +81 70 3769 9633

FinsburyKKRJapan@finsbury.com
By Florence Tan

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia has raised the price differential of its flagship crude to Asia by more than double in December versus November, exceeding market expectations and sending a bullish signal to the global oil market, traders said.

The sharper-than-expected price hike comes after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, a group known as OPEC+, agreed last week to maintain a production hike of 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) for December despite consumers' calls for higher output.

On Saturday, state oil giant Saudi Aramco hiked the official selling price (OSP) for Arab Light crude by $1.40 to $2.70 a barrel above the average of Platts Dubai and DME Oman prices in December, its highest level since September.

This far exceeds a hike of 30-90 cents a barrel forecast for Arab Light in a Reuters survey on Oct. 29.

Brent and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures gained more than $1 on Monday following Saudi's announcement. Brent has risen about 60% from the start of the year as global oil demand recovers from the pandemic. [O/R]

"It just tells you that Saudi is very bullish and they also think that the market is very tight and that's why they dare to hike prices so much," a Singapore-based trader said.

The trader said the producer likely based its price calculations on Asia's refining margins, which jumped in October from sharp gains in gasoline and naphtha.

The OSPs for lighter grades - Arab Super Light and Arab Extra Light, which yield more of those two products - rose by more than $2 a barrel in December.

Saudi Aramco also hiked OSPs for heavier grades by more than $1 a barrel despite weaker fuel oil margins. These prices will set the trend for other medium and heavy grades from Kuwait, Iraq and Iran.

The price hikes have made Saudi crude, especially heavier grades, "very expensive", several buyers told Reuters.

Saudi Aramco as a matter of policy does not comment on prices.

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The price hikes come even as Middle East producers are increasing output as previously agreed in a pact to raise output starting from August.

Saudi oil production will exceed 10 million bpd in December, for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV said on Thursday.

Middle East benchmarks jumped higher last week after Brent's premium to Dubai quotes stretched to its highest since 2013. That made Brent-linked crude from the Atlantic Basin and Latin America more expensive than those from the Middle East and Russia.

(Reporting by Florence Tan; Editing by Tom Hogue)
NEW YORK, November 08, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Academy Securities, a registered broker-dealer, certified Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE), and Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), today announced the addition of Michael DiMeglio as Director, Fixed Income Sales & Trading.

Mr. DiMeglio has over a decade of financial industry experience. Most recently, Mr. DiMeglio was a Director at BNY Mellon Capital Markets where he specialized in U.S. government agency discount notes, designed benchmark bonds, and fixed and floating rate medium term notes. He has also held positions at Jefferies as a Senior Vice President and lead trader, as well as GE Capital, where he managed the issuance of CDs and commercial paper.

"Michael is a strong addition to the fixed income team," stated Academys Chairman and CEO Chance Mims. "His knowledge of commercial paper and short-term funding will greatly benefit our rates liquidity team in their efforts to serve the needs of our clients."

Mr. DiMeglio commented on joining Academy: "It is an honor and a privilege to join Academy Securities and further the firm's mission of supporting our veterans. Our team is well-positioned to deliver tremendous value to our clients as we leverage the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our members."

Mr. DiMeglio has a Bachelors in Finance and Accounting from NYU Stern School of Business. He holds his Series 7 and 63 licenses.

"Michaels substantial experience in sales and trading of fixed income products will greatly benefit Academy and we are thrilled to welcome him to the team" stated Academys President Phil McConkey.

About Academy Securities

Academy Securities is a preeminent disabled veteran owned investment bank with strength in capital markets, public finance, fixed income and equity trading. Leadership and staff have had intensive military training prior to entering and gaining in depth financial services experience in global capital markets. We are mission driven with a high ethical code, a solid sense of accountability and strive for excellence in the pursuit of our clients success. Intellectual assets, strong visionary leaders and a proud team commitment bring out the best in each other for the benefit of our clients. Academy is our nations first and only post-9/11 disabled veteran owned investment bank and is a certified as a DVBE, SDVOSB, and MBE. The firm has a strong top and middle tier client base served by a national platform with offices in New York City, Dallas, Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles, Chapel Hill, Kansas City, Austin, Louisville, and Sacramento. Information about Academy Securities is available at www.academysecurities.com.

Story continues

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005456/en/

Contacts

Academy Securities

Michael Boyd, 646-736-3995

Chief Compliance Officer

mboyd@academysecurities.com
Dr. Hamidi-Azar

As scenes of desperation played out by the gates of Kabuls airport in August, the parents of 4-month-old Sohail Ahmadi handed their baby over the fence to U.S. troops, thinking it would be safer for him on the other side than in the midst of the chaotic crowd gathered outside of the airport.

They thought theyd be reunited with their son within minutesbut they havent seen him since.

We didn't know which military member we handed the baby to on August 19, Soraya, Sohails mother, told The Daily Beast in an interview. There was a big rush to cross the gate and I was afraid. I was not able to breathe and we decided to give the baby to the military to pass the gate more easily.

Sheer Chaos: At Least 13 U.S. Troops Killed as Blasts Rock Kabul Airport

Soraya and her husband, Mirza, Afghan refugees who are now living in Fort Bliss, Texas, told The Daily Beast they had searched frantically for Sohail to no avail once they had made it inside of the airport gates.

After crossing the gate, we looked for the baby. We looked for three days, Soraya said. Eventually, the parents, along with their other four children, were flown to Qatar, then Germany, ultimately landing in Texas where they are awaiting resettlement within the U.S. Hearing that their son may have been evacuated separately, Sohails parents said they searched for him at every step of their journey, including in Qatar and Germany, but We could not find him, said Soraya.

An American government official told Reuters that since then, Sohails case had been flagged to all agencies involved, but, unfortunately no one can find the child.

In a statement to The Daily Beast, the State Department wrote, While we generally don't comment on specific cases, the U.S. government is aware of this case and we are working with our international partners and the international community to explore every avenue to locate the child, which includes an international amber alert that was issued through the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

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A U.S. government agency worker involved in Sohails case told The Daily Beast that efforts to locate the baby have reached an impasse.

Many different agencies have been trying to work together through their respective channels to locate this baby, the caseworker, who asked The Daily Beast not to publish her name as they arent authorized to speak to the press about the investigation, said. But they have not yet been successful in their efforts.

Dr. Saman Hamidi-Azar, chair of the unaccompanied children task force at Afghan Refugee Relief, told The Daily Beast she had been referred to Sohails case on Oct. 3. Since then, several other NGOs, including Operation Allies Welcome and UNICEF have been involved in efforts to locate the baby.

It has been heartbreaking, honestly speaking. I see the baby in my dreams sometimes, and as a mother of four it haunts me even more, Hamidi-Azar told The Daily Beast. I have a 10-month-old. Its been frustrating and I dread anytime I have to give updates that are not positive. But I try to give them hope.

A Journalists Tortuous Escape From the Taliban Kill List

In the meantime, Hamidi-Azar told The Daily Beast that the plan on our end is to continue to spam the story and his face across the world as much as we can. If anyone has come across his face, they can alert us or the authorities.

She added: The biggest hurdle has been the sheer amount of chaos with this whole situation. Everything is shrouded in mystery. Those moments at the airport were chaotic. I am in touch with their family in Afghanistan and they are also frantic. Everyone is trying to keep hope alive.

Meanwhile, Sohails mother Soraya said her children have been asking her where their brother has gone, leading to one sleepless night after another ever since the day he went missing at the airport. She told The Daily Beast there has been no news about her son from the agencies involved in investigating his disappearance so far.

It's a deep pain and I cannot describe it, she said. I feel deep inside the loss and I'm waiting to be brought back to him. I'm praying he comes back to me it is a nightmare.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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North America Wire and Cable Industry is set to register around 6% CAGR between 2021 and 2027 driven by expansion & refurbishment of building infrastructures along with the development of smart grid networks.

Selbyville, Delaware, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --



North America wire and cable market value is set to cross USD 44 billion by 2027, as reported in the latest study by Global Market Insights Inc. on account of increasing inclination toward high-speed communication systems and rising adoption of smart artificial intelligence systems. Ongoing development & expansion of railway lines in line with increasing emphasis toward the integration of wide-ranging frequency distribution links will propel the business potential.

Increasing investments in building infrastructure along with the establishment of new smart grids to fulfil the rising electricity demand will propel the business spectrum. The rapid expansion of the e-commerce industry in line with growing consumer electronics demand will further accelerate product adoption. Moreover, the extensive application of wires and cables across the renewable energy sector along with stringent government norms to limit GHG emissions will drive the business landscape.

Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/4841

Wires and cables are designed to transfer both energy and data in various application industries, which in turn will fuel its deployment across the telecom sector. Robust development of hyper-scale data centers by tech giants including Google, Microsoft, and AWS is set to escalate the product demand. Growing necessity for affordable & efficient power supply coupled with increasing integration of decentralized generation units will energize the industry dynamic.

Some prime findings of the North America wire and cable market report include:

Increasing private and public investments for the deployment of smart grid technologies across the civil/infrastructure sector will augment the product demand.

Rising residential and commercial building electrification coupled with the replacement of existing electric grid infrastructure will drive the industry landscape.

Accelerating 5G network in line with growing concerns for energy-efficiency across the U.S. will foster the product penetration.

The eminent players operating in the North America wire and cable market include CommScope, LS Cable & System, Prysmian Group and Condumex Group.

Browse key industry insights spread across 190 pages with 95 market data tables & 34 figures & charts from the report, North America Wire and Cable Market By Product (Coaxial Cable/Electronic Wire, Fiber Optics Cable, Power Cable, Signal & Control Cable, Telecom & Data Cable), Voltage (Low, Medium, High), Application (Food & Beverages, Automotive, Material Handling/Logistics, Entertainment/Leisure, Utilities, Railways, Consumer Electronics, Building Infrastructure), Industry Analysis Report, Country Outlook, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2021  2027 in detail along with the table of contents:

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https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/north-america-wire-and-cable-market

North America wire and cable market from automotive segment has witnessed a moderate growth on account of surging consumer shift toward electric or hybrid-run vehicles. The rapid adoption of these vehicles over conventional-fuel run vehicles is anticipated to increase the adoption of low and medium-voltage wire and cables. Moreover, government initiatives to decrease the dependency on conventional fuels will augment the market growth. For instance, in August 2021, the U.S. government initiated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and released an executive order to manufacture half of all new vehicles running on electricity by 2030.

During the COVID- 19, the region witness decline in business growth owing to the closure of publicly funded construction projects and product demand from end-users. Supply chain disruptions restrained the industry growth, resulting in the closure of small & medium scale enterprises. However, respective governments sequentially lifted the lockdown measures to boost the economy in line surging development across healthcare sector will augment the market statistics.

Mexico America Wire and Cable Market is anticipated to record around 9% CAGR through 2027 owing to increasing private investments and integrated planning to develop infrastructure for smart grid technologies. Increasing technological advancements in consumer electronics, automotive, and communication systems will significantly influence the regional market expansion.

Browse the Toc of this report @ https://www.gminsights.com/toc/detail/north-america-wire-and-cable-market

About Global Market Insights

Global Market Insights Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider, offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy, and biotechnology.

CONTACT: Contact Us: Arun Hegde Corporate Sales, USA Global Market Insights Inc. Phone: 1-302-846-7766 Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688 Email: sales@gminsights.com




New wind project represents a C$350 million investment in Alberta that will create up to 200 new jobs

ALBERTA, Canada, Nov. 8, 2021 /CNW/ -- Pattern Energy Group LP (Pattern Energy) announced today it has started construction of its Lanfine Wind power project in Alberta, Canada. The 150 megawatt (MW) project, which will provide enough clean energy to power approximately 25,000 homes in Alberta annually, is expected to enter full commercial operation by the end of 2022.

Sunset over the Lanfine Wind project site in Alberta

"The Lanfine Wind project is bringing substantial economic and environmental benefits to Alberta by creating hundreds of new jobs, generating millions in revenue locally, and establishing strong community benefits," said Mike Garland, CEO of Pattern Energy. "We are thrilled to be expanding into Alberta and look forward to growing our footprint in the province, as we continue to expand our portfolio of renewable facilities across Canada."

The Lanfine Wind project will utilize 35 Vestas V150-4.2 MW turbines, delivered in 4.3 MW operating mode. Developed by Pattern Canada, the Lanfine Wind project will be located to the south and west of Oyen, Alberta in Special Area 3.

Lanfine Wind represents a projected investment of roughly C$350 million in Alberta and will bring lasting and diverse economic benefits, including up to 200 construction jobs. In addition to employment and contracting opportunities, Lanfine Wind will generate landowner revenue and provide tax revenue to the local community, which will directly contribute to education, community services, roads, and first-responder capabilities. Further, a Community Benefits Program funded by the project will support local initiatives and community-based organizations.

With Lanfine Wind, Pattern Canada has now brought 11 wind energy projects into construction and operation across five provinces over the last decade, creating thousands of Canadian jobs and millions of dollars in direct economic benefits to our local communities. For more information please visit patterncanada.com.

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About Pattern Energy

Pattern Energy is one of the world's largest privately-owned developers and operators of wind, solar, transmission, and energy storage projects. Its operational portfolio includes 28 renewable energy facilities that use proven, best-in-class technology with an operating capacity of 4.4 GW in the United States, Canada and Japan. Pattern Energy is guided by a long-term commitment to serve customers, protect the environment, and strengthen communities. For more information, visit www.patternenergy.com.

Contact:

Matt Dallas

Pattern Energy

917-363-1333

matt.dallas@patternenergy.com

Pattern Canadas Grand Renewable Wind facility in Haldimand County, Ontario

Pattern Energy Group Inc. Logo (PRNewsFoto/Pattern Energy Group LP)

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SOURCE Pattern Energy Group LP

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PM Hotel Group

Wave Resort | Long Branch, NJ

Wave Resort | Long Branch, NJ

Chevy Chase, Md, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PM Hotel Group today announces its merger with Paramount Management Associates. The combined company will manage a portfolio of 70 branded and independent properties across 22 states.

The union pairs the strengths of each organization, producing enhanced synergies, support, and expertise. The companys expanded footprint and resources will position it to deliver greater returns to owners while curating exceptional guest experiences.

This merger presented us with the opportunity to do something truly transformational. Relationships, with our owners, associates, and partners, have always been our focus. Now with the people and scale of our combined portfolio we are positioned to leverage our size for greater success, said Joseph Bojanowski, President and CEO of PM Hotel Group. He added that, Paramounts senior executives bring exceptional operational and acquisition expertise that further enhances our team and positions us for continued strategic growth.

Ethan Kramer, co-founder and president of Paramount, joins as Chief Investment + Development Officer. He will lead the investment team, sourcing and analyzing acquisition opportunities, working with owners seeking additional opportunities and overseeing the expansion of third-party management contracts.

We are excited to finalize this merger and are confident that joining our two companies, both of which have been steadfastly committed to culture and people, will create both increased value for our owners and additional career opportunities for our team members, said Ethan Kramer.

The newly merged company will operate as PM Hotel Group with headquarters in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Art Adler, President of Adler Hotel Advisors, consulted on the deal.

ABOUT PM HOTEL GROUP

A Top-15 hotel management company, PM Hotel Group has over two decades of experience building relationships with brands, partners, and third-party hotel owners. We have participated in the development and acquisition of more than $3 billion in premium-branded and independent hotel properties across the United States. As an operator, PM Hotel Group is committed to its core values of respect- for one another, our guests, and the planet. We manage with a dedication to sustainability, a tradition of teamwork, and a passion for innovation and entrepreneurship. At PM Hotel Group we know that our people are our greatest resource. By focusing on our associates and the communities in which we work, we deliver strong performance for our owners. Learn more at pmhotelgroup.com

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CONTACT: Jennifer Diamond Haber PM Hotel Group 301,957,0012 jhaber@pmhotelgroup.com




Associated Press

A difficult political atmosphere for President Joe Biden may have become even more treacherous with the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse. Biden was already facing sliding poll numbers with an electorate worn down by the coronavirus pandemic and increasing inflation. Now, the president finds himself caught between outraged Democrats  some of whom were already stewing over Bidens inability to land police reform and voting rights legislation  and Republicans looking to use the Rittenhouse case to exploit the national divide over matters of grievance and race.
Dublin, Ireland--(Newsfile Corp. - November 8, 2021) - Ravendex becomes a perfect DEX on the Cardano Blockchain. Ravendex is a Cardano-based decentralized exchange utilizing the automated market maker (AMM) protocol with a goal to enable users to trade their cryptocurrencies on the Cardano blockchain without having to rely on a central authority to control it.





Figure 1: Ravendex On A Mission To Become The Go To DEX On The Cardano Blockchain

About Ravendex

Ravendex is a decentralized exchange built on the Cardano blockchain where users can easily convert their native Cardano assets to ADA. It plans to provide wallet connect feature, price feed transactions, and Asset Price Displays to all her users.

Ravendex aims to make DeFi more accessible by providing fast and secure transactions with affordable costs. And will be able to process trades using smart contracts that are based on mathematical calculations.

Staking Platform

A Staking platform where users can be able to stake their $RAVE tokens and earn rewards as well as a lending and borrowing platform will be one of the numerous features of the Ravendex ecosystem, making it stand out among other Cardano projects as one of the few third generation blockchain projects to do so.

Multiple Liquidity Pools

Ravendex, like other DEX such as Uniswap and Pancakeswap will make trading possible by utilizing a variety of assets shared across multiple liquidity pools. Traders will be able to swap and buy tokens from pools that users have locked up their funds in, while liquidity providers earn commissions in return. Investors and liquidity providers can provide liquidity to tokens in exchange for transaction fees.

Users will not need to go via a third party to trade on Ravendex; instead, holders of our native token, $RAVE, will make the decisions surrounding Ravendex. All users who have it, will be able to propose improvements to how the ecosystem should work.

Trustworthy DEX statistics

Ravendex also aims to provide trustworthy DEX statistics by displaying transaction volume and emphasizing that no KYC is necessary to use our platform, guaranteeing that users' financial privacy and anonymity are protected.

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Ravendex is on a mission to power and promote decentralized financial apps developed by Cardano projects by delivering a range of powerful service offerings such as a DEX, IDO Launchpad, and Borrowing & Lending Platform.

Every token sales of Ravendex has filled up within hours of making it live, showcasing users immense support and trust.

Ravendex will not fail to deliver an increasingly greater assortment of services to take the Cardano ecosystem to the next level as we continue to create and stick to our strategy.

Benefits of using Ravendex

Traders can obtain Cardano-based tokens on Ravendex since we will provide access to newly launched Cardano tokens before they are available on centralized exchanges.

Decentralized exchanges are undoubtedly here to stay, and investors who want to be a part of the future can include $RAVE in their portfolio.

Ravendex is also very important for those users who want to swap their way into a wider selection of Cardano projects.

Why The Cardano Ecosystem?

The Cardano blockchain has increased in popularity and value over the last four years, particularly with the activation of its smart contract following the Alonzo hard fork upgrade to Cardano's mainnet, which enabled the deployment of Dapps on the Cardano blockchain.

Despite the spike in demand, there are still little flaws in the ecosystem that all cryptocurrency fans are aware of and one of them is difficulty in trading ADA based tokens. Ravendex emerged as a result of the lack of a seamless way for investors to trade tokens on the Cardano blockchain.

Social Links:

Telegram: http://t.me/ravendexlabs

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ravendexlabs

Contact Channels:

Company Name: Ravendex Labs

Email: hello@ravendex.io

Website: https://ravendex.io/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/102452
(Repeats story from Sunday with no changes to text)

* Oct exports +27.1% yr/yr vs +24.5% forecast, +28.1% in Sept

* Oct imports +20.6% yr/yr vs +25.0% forecast, +17.6% in Sept

* Oct trade surplus at $84.54 bln, vs $65.55 bln forecast

BEIJING, Nov 7 (Reuters) - China's export growth slowed in October but beat forecasts, helped by booming global demand ahead of winter holiday seasons, an easing power crunch and an improvement in supply chains that had been badly disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

However, imports missed analysts' expectations, likely pointing to the overall weakness in domestic demand.

Outbound shipments jumped 27.1% in October from a year earlier, slower than September's 28.1% gain. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast growth would ease to 24.5%.

Zhiwei Zhang, chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management, said the strong exports would help to mitigate the weakening domestic economy, and give the government greater room for manoeuvre on economic policy.

"The government can afford to wait until the year-end to loosen monetary and fiscal policies, now that exports provide a buffer to smooth the economic slowdown," he said.

Recent data has pointed to a slowdown in manufacturing. Factory activity shrank for a second month in October, an official survey showed, while growth in industrial output eased to the lowest since March 2020 - the first wave of the pandemic.

EASING CONSTRAINTS

However, under heavy government intervention, some supply constraints have started to ease in recent weeks, including a power crunch that had been triggered by a shortage of coal, tougher emission standards and strong industrial demand.

Premier Li Keqiang said on Tuesday the government would take measures to support the industrial sector as the economy faces renewed downward pressures.

Imports jumped 20.6% in October from a year earlier, accelerating from a 17.6% gain in September but well below expectations for a rise of 25%.

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Goldman Sachs data showed the value of crude oil imports grew 56.3% year-on-year, up from 34.9% in September, and the value of coal imports rose 292% on-year, accelerating further from a 234% gain in September, as the global energy crunch and post-COVID economic recovery drove up commodity prices.

China posted a trade surplus of $84.54 billion last month, the highest on record. It was also above the poll's forecast of $65.55 billion and September's $66.76 billion surplus.

The world's second largest economy grew 4.9% in the July-September quarter from a year earlier, the weakest reading since the third quarter of last year.

China's trade surplus with the United States was $40.75 billion in October, Reuters calculations based on customs data showed, down from $42 billion in September.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai pledged last month to exclude some Chinese imports from tariffs while pressing Beijing over its failure to keep some promises made in a "Phase 1" trade deal made under the Trump administration. (Reporting by Albee Zhang, Stella Qiu and Ryan Woo; Editing by Sam Holmes, William Mallard and Gareth Jones)
PRINCETON, N.J., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Soligenix, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNGX) (Soligenix or the Company), a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing products to treat rare diseases where there is an unmet medical need, announced today that it has been granted a Pediatric Investigation Plan (PIP) product-specific waiver from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for HyBryte (SGX301 or synthetic hypericin), which has successfully concluded a Phase 3 pivotal clinical study for the treatment of early stage cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL).

HyBryte (PRNewsfoto/Soligenix, Inc.)

The waiver was provided for all subsets of the pediatric population from birth to less than 18 years of age on the grounds that clinical studies in this rare population are not feasible. Earlier this year the European Medicines Agency (EMA) also granted a waiver to the Pediatric Investigational Plan requirements for the European Union (EU). With the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the EU effective January 1, 2021, the MHRA became the UK's standalone medicines and medical devices regulator.

"This achievement is an important regulatory milestone as we move forward with marketing applications worldwide," stated Christopher J. Schaber, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Soligenix. "The PIP waiver allows us to work towards advancing a marketing authorization application (MAA) in the UK in a more cost-effective manner since we will not need to expend resources to conduct a pediatric clinical study."

About HyBryte

HyBryte (SGX301) is a novel, first-in-class, photodynamic therapy utilizing safe, visible light for activation. The active ingredient in HyBryte is synthetic hypericin, a potent photosensitizer that is topically applied to skin lesions that is taken up by the malignant T-cells, and then activated by visible light 16 to 24 hours later. The use of visible light in the red-yellow spectrum has the advantage of penetrating more deeply into the skin (much more so than ultraviolet light) and therefore potentially treating deeper skin disease and thicker plaques and lesions. This treatment approach avoids the risk of secondary malignancies (including melanoma) inherent with the frequently employed DNA-damaging drugs and other phototherapy that are dependent on ultraviolet exposure. Combined with photoactivation, hypericin has demonstrated significant anti-proliferative effects on activated normal human lymphoid cells and inhibited growth of malignant T-cells isolated from CTCL patients. In a published Phase 2 clinical study in CTCL, patients experienced a statistically significant (p=0.04) improvement with topical hypericin treatment whereas the placebo was ineffective. HyBryte has received orphan drug and fast track designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, as well as orphan designation from the EMA.

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The Phase 3 FLASH trial enrolled a total of 169 patients (166 evaluable) with Stage IA, IB or IIA CTCL. The trial consisted of three treatment cycles. Treatments were administered twice weekly for the first 6 weeks and treatment response was determined at the end of the 8th week of each cycle. In the first double-blind treatment cycle, 116 patients received HyBryte treatment (0.25% synthetic hypericin) and 50 received placebo treatment of their index lesions. A total of 16% of the patients receiving HyBryte achieved at least a 50% reduction in their lesions (graded using a standard measurement of dermatologic lesions, the CAILS score) compared to only 4% of patients in the placebo group at 8 weeks (p=0.04) during the first treatment cycle (primary endpoint). HyBryte treatment in the first cycle was safe and well tolerated.

In the second open-label treatment cycle (Cycle 2), all patients received HyBryte treatment of their index lesions. Evaluation of 155 patients in this cycle (110 receiving 12 weeks of HyBryte treatment and 45 receiving 6 weeks of placebo treatment followed by 6 weeks of HyBryte treatment), demonstrated that the response rate among the 12-week treatment group was 40% (p<0.0001 vs the placebo treatment rate in Cycle 1). Comparison of the 12-week and 6-week treatment groups also revealed a statistically significant improvement (p<0.0001) between the two groups, indicating that continued treatment results in better outcomes. HyBryte continued to be safe and well tolerated. Additional analyses also indicated that HyBryte is equally effective in treating both plaque (response 42%, p<0.0001 relative to placebo treatment in Cycle 1) and patch (response 37%, p=0.0009 relative to placebo treatment in Cycle 1) lesions of CTCL, a particularly relevant finding given the historical difficulty in treating plaque lesions in particular.

The third (optional) treatment cycle (Cycle 3) was focused on safety and all patients could elect to receive HyBryte treatment of all their lesions. Of note, 66% of patients elected to continue with this optional compassionate use / safety cycle of the study. Of the subset of patients that received HyBryte throughout all 3 cycles of treatment, 49% of them demonstrated a treatment response (p<0.0001 vs patients receiving placebo in Cycle 1). Moreover, in a subset of patients evaluated in this cycle, it was demonstrated that HyBryte is not systemically available, consistent with the general safety of this topical product observed to date. At the end of Cycle 3, HyBryte continued to be well tolerated despite extended and increased use of the product to treat multiple lesions.

Overall safety of HyBryte is a critical attribute of this treatment and was monitored throughout the three treatment cycles (Cycles 1, 2 and 3) and the 6-month follow-up period. Its mechanism of action is not associated with DNA damage, making it a safer alternative than currently available therapies, all of which are associated with significant and sometimes fatal, side effects. Predominantly these include the risk of melanoma and other malignancies, as well as the risk of significant skin damage and premature skin aging. Currently available treatments are only approved in the context of previous treatment failure with other modalities and there is no approved front-line therapy available. Within this landscape, treatment of CTCL is strongly motivated by the safety risk of each product. HyBryte potentially represents the safest available efficacious treatment for CTCL. With no systemic absorption, a compound that is not mutagenic and a light source that is not carcinogenic, there is no evidence to date of any potential safety issues.

The Phase 3 CTCL clinical study was partially funded by the National Cancer Institute via a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant (#1R44CA210848-01A1) awarded to Soligenix, Inc.

About Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL)

CTCL is a class of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), a type of cancer of the white blood cells that are an integral part of the immune system. Unlike most NHLs which generally involve B-cell lymphocytes (involved in producing antibodies), CTCL is caused by an expansion of malignant T-cell lymphocytes (involved in cell-mediated immunity) normally programmed to migrate to the skin. These malignant cells migrate to the skin where they form various lesions, typically beginning as patches and may progress to raised plaques and tumors. Mortality is related to the stage of CTCL, with median survival generally ranging from about 12 years in the early stages to only 2.5 years when the disease has advanced. There is currently no cure for CTCL. Typically, CTCL lesions are treated and regress but usually return either in the same part of the body or in new areas.

CTCL constitutes a rare group of NHLs, occurring in about 4% of the approximate 700,000 individuals living with the disease. It is estimated, based upon review of historic published studies and reports and an interpolation of data on the incidence of CTCL that it affects over 25,000 individuals in the U.S., with approximately 3,000 new cases seen annually.

About Soligenix, Inc.

Soligenix is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing products to treat rare diseases where there is an unmet medical need. Our Specialized BioTherapeutics business segment is developing and commercializing SGX301 (synthetic hypericin) as a novel photodynamic therapy utilizing safe visible light for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. With a successful Phase 3 study completed, regulatory approval and commercialization for this product is being advanced initially in the U.S. Development programs in this business segment also include expansion of synthetic hypericin (SGX302) into psoriasis, our first-in-class innate defense regulator (IDR) technology, dusquetide (SGX942) for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, and proprietary formulations of oral beclomethasone 17,21-dipropionate (BDP) for the prevention / treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) disorders characterized by severe inflammation, including pediatric Crohn's disease (SGX203).

Our Public Health Solutions business segment includes active development programs for RiVax, our ricin toxin vaccine candidate, SGX943, our therapeutic candidate for antibiotic resistant and emerging infectious disease, and our research programs to identify and develop novel vaccine candidates targeting viral infection including Ebola, Marburg and SARS-CoV-2 (the cause of COVID-19). The development of our vaccine programs incorporates the use of our proprietary heat stabilization platform technology, known as ThermoVax. To date, this business segment has been supported with government grant and contract funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the Defense Threat Reduction Agents (DTRA) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

For further information regarding Soligenix, Inc., please visit the Company's website at https://www.soligenix.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter at @Soligenix_Inc.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements that reflect Soligenix, Inc.'s current expectations about its future results, performance, prospects and opportunities, including but not limited to, potential market sizes, patient populations and clinical trial enrollment. Statements that are not historical facts, such as "anticipates," "estimates," "believes," "hopes," "intends," "plans," "expects," "goal," "may," "suggest," "will," "potential," or similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results in future periods to differ materially from what is expressed in, or implied by, these statements, such as experienced with the COVID-19 outbreak. Soligenix cannot assure you that it will be able to successfully develop, achieve regulatory approval for or commercialize products based on its technologies, particularly in light of the significant uncertainty inherent in developing therapeutics and vaccines against bioterror threats, conducting preclinical and clinical trials of therapeutics and vaccines, obtaining regulatory approvals and manufacturing therapeutics and vaccines, that product development and commercialization efforts will not be reduced or discontinued due to difficulties or delays in clinical trials or due to lack of progress or positive results from research and development efforts, that it will be able to successfully obtain any further funding to support product development and commercialization efforts, including grants and awards, maintain its existing grants which are subject to performance requirements, enter into any biodefense procurement contracts with the U.S. Government or other countries, that it will be able to compete with larger and better financed competitors in the biotechnology industry, that changes in health care practice, third party reimbursement limitations and Federal and/or state health care reform initiatives will not negatively affect its business, or that the U.S. Congress may not pass any legislation that would provide additional funding for the Project BioShield program. In addition, there can be no assurance as to the timing or success of any of our clinical/preclinical trials. Despite the statistically significant result achieved in the SGX301 Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, there can be no assurance that a marketing authorization from the FDA or EMA will be successful. Further, there can be no assurance that RiVax will qualify for a biodefense Priority Review Voucher (PRV) or that the prior sales of PRVs will be indicative of any potential sales price for a PRV for RiVax. Also, no assurance can be provided that the Company will receive or continue to receive non-dilutive government funding from grants and contracts that have been or may be awarded or for which the Company will apply in the future. These and other risk factors are described from time to time in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, Soligenix's reports on Forms 10-Q and 10-K. Unless required by law, Soligenix assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events.

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SOURCE Soligenix, Inc.
The 'SPAC king' just warned investors that tech stocks could get 'really pummeled' soon  here are the 3 areas he wants to be in right now

Tech stocks have led the charge in the market rally over the past few years. But that doesnt mean theyre immune to the threat of inflation.

Just ask billionaire investor Chamath Palihapitiya.

The venture capital investor  often referred to as the SPAC King because of his big bets on blank-check acquisition companies  has long been a fan of the tech sector. However, on the All-In Podcast last month, he warned that tech companies could get really pummeled when rates go up.

He argues that investors are okay with tech stocks in a low-rate environment because these companies can reinvest the money at much better rates.

But with high inflation and rising interest rates, investors tend to demand more money upfront because the future becomes more uncertain.

The good news? Palihapitiya suggested three assets that could help investors hedge against inflation  one of them might be worth following with your leftover pennies.

Hypergrowth companies

Tada Images/Shutterstock

Palihapitiyas first recommendation to combat higher prices is a simple one: Invest in companies that can outrun inflation. He calls them hypergrowth businesses.

Think of that as companies that are growing 50%+ per year, Palihapitiya said.

Which businesses fit this description?

Palihapitiya highlighted three companies that he helped go public through SPACs: personal finance technologist SoFi Technologies, real estate transaction platform Opendoor Technologies, and next-gen Medicare Advantage insurer Clover Health Investments. While these companies are growing rapidly, their shares are all particularly volatile. But you dont have to go all-in.

These days, you can build your own hypergrowth portfolio just by using your own digital nickels and dimes.

Cash flow producers

Rob Bayer/Shutterstock

Palihapitiya also likes assets that produce boatloads of cash flow.

Youll want the thing that was generating a ton of cash because in a rising rate environment that has very positive attributes that work in your favor, he said.

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Palihapitiya mentioned miners as healthy producers of cash. He didnt give specific examples, but sticking with the largest miners might be a good idea.

For fiscal year 2021, Australian giant BHP Group generated $27.2 billion in operating cash flow. Free cash flow came in at a record $19.4 billion.

Then theres Rio Tinto, which brought in $10.2 billion in free cash flow over the first six months of 2021, marking a 262% year-over-year increase.

Both BHP and Rio Tinto shares are down about 20% year to date, which could be an opportunity for investors looking for value.

Of course, if youre on the fence about jumping into this volatile sector, some apps might give you a free share of a mining stock just for signing up.

Non-correlated assets

kitti Suwanekkasit/Shutterstock

Palihapitiya also suggests owning assets that don't move in tandem with the stock market.

I want to own non-correlated assets, Palihapitiya told CNBC.

In that context, Palihapitiya likes cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and blockchains like Solana as they can act as a great counterintuitive hedge.

Investing in crypto is also easier than before. Last month, ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF made its debut in the U.S. The ETF holds bitcoin futures contracts that trade on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

There are also companies that have tied themselves to Bitcoin.

Tesla, for instance, owned close to 42,000 bitcoins according to Elon Musks Twitter account. Meanwhile, enterprise software technologist MicroStrategy had a stash of 114,042 bitcoins at the end of Q3.

Of course, you can also buy crypto directly.

These days, many exchanges charge up to 4% in commission fees just to buy and sell crypto. But some investing apps charge 0%.

And theres no need to buy a whole coin. You can start with as little as $1.

A 'finer' fourth way

antoniodiaz/Shutterstock

While hypergrowth companies, mining stocks, and crypto-related investments can help investors hedge against inflation, they are also very volatile.

If you want to invest in something that has little correlation with the ups and downs of major markets, you might want to consider an overlooked asset  fine art.

Contemporary artwork has already outperformed the S&P 500 by a commanding 174% over the past 25 years, according to the Citi Global Art Market chart.

Investing in fine art by the likes of Banksy and Andy Warhol used to be an option only for the ultra-rich like Palihapitiya.

But with a new investing platform, you can invest in iconic artworks too, just like Jeff Bezos and Peggy Guggenheim.

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
TORONTO, Nov. 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rogers Communications Inc. announced today that it will not seek an appeal of last weeks British Columbia Supreme Court ruling.



About Rogers

Rogers is a proud Canadian company dedicated to making more possible for Canadians every day. Our founder, Ted Rogers, purchased his first radio station, CHFI, in 1960. We have grown to become a leading technology and media company that strives to provide the very best in wireless, residential, sports, and media to Canadians and Canadian businesses. Our shares are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI). If you want to find out more about us, visit about.rogers.com.

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DUBLIN, November 08, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Construction in Thailand - Key Trends and Opportunities to 2025 (H2 2021)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Thailand's construction industry was not as severely affected by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic as some of its regional peers, with the industry registering an annual growth of 2.3% in real terms in 2020 - an improvement on growth of 1.6% that the construction industry recorded in 2019.

The industry continued to remain strong in the first half of 2021, supported by strong export demand and investment in the infrastructure and energy and utilities sector. According to the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), the construction industry's value-add increased by 8.6% year on year (YoY) in the first half of 2021.

Despite the strong growth in the first half of the year, the publisher expects construction industry to expand by 5.3% in real terms in 2021, with growth expected to decelerate over the second half of the year due to a surge of infections since July 2021, resulting in the government tightening restrictions.

Growth will continue to be supported by government plans to attract foreign investment, revive the tourism industry, develop affordable housing and increase investment on transport and renewable energy infrastructure. In the short term, however, the emergence of the third wave of COVID-19 will hinder construction activities. According to the World Bank, if the government's objective to vaccinate 70% of the population were to be delayed, then domestic mobility, consumption and tourism would be significantly affected.

Over the remainder of the forecast period, the industry is expected to register an average annual growth of 4% between 2022 and 2025, supported by improving investor and consumer confidence and government investments on road, rail, renewable energy and housing projects.

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Further supporting growth will be investment in both the Southern (SEC) and Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) programmes. The value of approved developments in the EEC totals THB669 billion (US$20.7 billion), with four of the corridor's six flagship projects currently in execution, and being developed through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP).

Despite the economic disruption, the government remains hopeful private investment in the EEC will reach THB300 billion (US$9.2 billion) this year or next and rise to an average of THB500 billion (US$15.3 billion) annually between 2023 and 2027.

In the SEC, the government plans to invest THB106.8 billion (US$3.4 billion) towards the development of 116 projects between 2019 and 2022.

Scope

Historical (2016-2020) and forecast (2021-2025) valuations of the construction industry in Thailand, featuring details of key growth drivers.

Segmentation by sector (commercial, industrial, infrastructure, energy and utilities, institutional and residential) and by sub-sector

Analysis of the mega-project pipeline, including breakdowns by development stage across all sectors, and projected spending on projects in the existing pipeline.

Listings of major projects, in addition to details of leading contractors and consultants

Reasons to Buy

Identify and evaluate market opportunities using the publisher's standardized valuation and forecasting methodologies.

Assess market growth potential at a micro-level with over 600 time-series data forecasts.

Understand the latest industry and market trends.

Formulate and validate strategy using the publisher's critical and actionable insight.

Assess business risks, including cost, regulatory and competitive pressures.

Evaluate competitive risk and success factors.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Executive Summary

2 Construction Industry: At-a-Glance

3 Context

3.1 Economic Performance

3.2 Political Environment and Policy

3.3 Demographics

3.4 COVID-19 Status

3.5 Risk Profile

4 Construction Outlook

4.1 All Construction

Outlook

Latest news and developments

Construction Projects Momentum Index

4.2 Commercial Construction

Outlook

Project analytics

Latest news and developments

4.3 Industrial Construction

Outlook

Project analytics

Latest news and developments

4.4 Infrastructure Construction

Outlook

Project analytics

Latest news and developments

4.5 Energy and Utilities Construction

Outlook

Project analytics

Latest news and developments

4.6 Institutional Construction

Outlook

Project analytics

Latest news and developments

4.7 Residential Construction

Outlook

Project analytics

Latest news and developments

5 Key Industry Participants

5.1 Contractors

5.2 Consultants

6 Construction Market Data

7 Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/awlgze

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005585/en/

Contacts

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
TAIPEI, TAIWAN --News Direct-- Academia Sinica

TAIPEI, TAIWAN - Media OutReach - 8 November 2021 -Academia Sinica (AS), the preeminent research institution in Taiwan, announces the application for 2022 fall semester of its Taiwan International Graduate Program (TIGP@AS). The online applicationis open from 1st November 2021 to 27th January 2022 (GMT+8).

TIGP@AS provides 13 interdisciplinary and funded programs ranging from physical sciences, life sciences to social sciences and the humanities. The all-English Ph.D. Program cooperates closely with Taiwans leading universities and provides superior scientific training courses. It is aimed to attract the top talents from around the world with ambition to grow personally and professionally.

TIGP@AS offers competitive financial support for its students. All admitted students enjoy a monthly stipend of NTD 34,000 (about USD 1,100) for the first year. For those who perform well, this stipend will be extended to the 2nd and the 3rd year. In subsequent years, financial support will come from the thesis advisor. Besides, full-time TIGP Ph.D. candidates or students who have passed their qualifying exams with distinction are eligible to apply for the TIGP@AS Research Performance Fellowship. Awardees can receive an additional NTD 6,000 per month for one year.

Through Academia Sinicas substantial connections with first-rate institutions worldwide, TIGP@AS can make arrangements for students to visit and conduct research in renowned laboratories around the globe. The yearly Travel Grant Award of TIGP@AS encourages students to join important global symposiums. Other international exposure opportunities include attending seminars abroad, doing short-term research projects abroad, and participating in international meetings such as Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. Academia Sinica also invites distinguished scholars, entrepreneurial masters, and Nobel Laureates to visit the campus and share their unique stories on achieving success in their respective fields.

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To facilitate first-year students quicker adaptation to the local environments, TIGP@AS provides free-of-charge Mandarin language courses at the entry-level and a convenient and affordable fully-furnished dormitory. All the students of TIGP@AS will find their experiences at Academia Sinica and in Taiwan not only personally rewarding but also culturally enriching.

Application is free of charge through TIGP@AS online system. For any questions, please visit the TIGP@AS official website or contact Ms. Huan-Yi Shen with the TIGP@AS Admission Office at tigp@gate.sinica.edu.tw.

About TIGP@AS

Started in 2002, TIGP@AS is a joint-effort between Academia Sinica and top research-leading universities in Taiwan. It integrates first-class facilities with outstanding faculty to offer interdisciplinary Ph.D. programs across a wide range of disciplines. All courses are conducted in English. After completing the graduation requirements, students receive certificates from Academia Sinica and degrees from the partner universities. TIGP@AS also periodically accepts applications to funded International Internship Program, which provides an opportunity for young talents to experience Academia Sinicas research environment.

The 13 interdisciplinary programs within TIGP@AS are in cooperation with 10 top domestic universities as follows.

Chemical Biology and Molecular Biophysics Molecular Science and Technology Molecular and Biological Agricultural Sciences Bioinformatics Molecular and Cell Biology Nano Science and Technology Molecular Medicine Earth System Science Biodiversity Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Sustainable Chemical Science and Technology Social Networks and Human-Centered Computing Artificial Intelligence of Things

TIGP@AS is a genuinely international community with over 579 students from 44 countries. To date, more than 568 students have completed TIGP@ASs rigorous requirements and obtained Ph.D. degrees. In the past years, TIGP@AS students have published more than 1,952 research papers in top scholarly journals; many alumni have taken up teaching or research positions in world-renowned universities and academic institutions.

TIGP@AS graduates also proved themselves qualified to contribute their expertise to the industry. Many of them are now working in internationally well-known companies such as Samsung and TSMC. Academia Sinica has recently launched its National Biotechnology Research Park as a biotech industry corridor linking Taiwan to the global market. Right next to the campus of TIGP@AS, the Park should shortly become a bridging platform of multidisciplinary research collaboration and occupational opportunities for the students.

Academia Sinica - laying foundations for discovery

As the leading government-funded research institute in Taiwan, Academia Sinica (AS) has spearheaded numerous fundamental and interdisciplinary research initiatives to address diverse challenges in Taiwan and beyond. Its key objectives, outlined by its president, James Liao, are to achieve global recognition, fulfil social responsibilities, and attract and cultivate top talent. These objectives are embedded in the diverse research programmes at AS, spanning life sciences, mathematics and physical sciences, as well as humanities and social sciences.

#AcademiaSinica

Contact Details

Huan-Yi Shen

tigp@gate.sinica.edu.tw

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/thriving-with-academia-sinica-fully-funded-phd-scholarships-available-in-taiwans-leading-academic-institution-785316054
FILE PHOTO: The spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in London

By Sarah Young

LONDON (Reuters) - The reopening of the United States to British travellers will help all airlines operating between the two countries, but for UK-based trans-Atlantic-focused Virgin Atlantic, it means "the world", its chief executive said.

"Virgin would not be Virgin without the Atlantic," CEO Shai Weiss said in an interview. "This is the market that is at the heart of everything that we do."

Virgin Atlantic, founded by billionaire Richard Branson, is 51% owned by Branson's Virgin Group with the balance held by Delta Air Lines.

In 2020, it came close to collapse as COVID-19 travel bans hammered business. Pre-pandemic it had depended on trans-Atlantic travel for as much as 70% of its revenues.

The last of those bans ends on Monday when the United States reopens for fully vaccinated UK travellers. Since August, Virgin has also benefited from the UK opening to vaccinated U.S. citizens.

Weiss said that he was very pleased with ticket sales to the United States, adding that there was strong demand for the Thanksgiving holidays and the lead-up to Christmas.

Asked about the next three to six months, he said there was "positive momentum".

British Airways owner IAG said on Friday it was "very optimistic" about the reopening of trans-Atlantic travel.

Virgin survived the pandemic thanks to a 1.5 billion pound rescue deal between Sept. 2020 and March 2021 and axing around half its staff to cut costs.

Asked if there were any current funding worries for Virgin, Weiss said: "No."

"Now that things are opening up we're in a better position. I think we're going to further strengthen our balance sheet," he said, without giving details of what Virgin was planning.

Reports have said the airline is considering floating next year, but Weiss declined to comment on "market speculation".

(Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Nick Macfie)
City stimulus checks: More major metros in the US are providing COVID relief money

Congress and the White House aren't wanting to give Americans a fourth pandemic stimulus check, so more large cities across the nation are stepping up to provide COVID aid money to people who need it.

And it's not necessarily a one-time thing: If you're eligible, you may get recurring cash payments you can spend any way you want.

Heres where you find these "city stimulus" programs  and how you can dig up extra money on your own if your community isn't offering relief.

50 local programs offer aid money

4045 / Shutterstock

The federal government's stimulus checks have prompted cities and nonprofits to launch around 50 programs to give cash to people who are still struggling from the pandemic.

Local officials "recognize the value of recurring cash payments for communities in acute financial crises and long-term economic instability," says the National League of Cities.

One group pushing for more cities to provide financial relief is Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI). Its member mayors have started pilot programs in 12 cities, and there are plans for another 20 locations to get on board.

We look forward to data from our pilots fueling the creation of a guaranteed income at the national level for all who need it," says Sukhi Samra, the groups director.

Major metros giving out their own stimulus checks

These are some of the largest cities putting money in the hands of people who need it.

Los Angeles

TierneyMJ / Shutterstock

With a $40 million price tag, the nations largest direct payment program is unfolding in Los Angeles.

Hundreds of Angeleno families experiencing hardship due to COVID-19 are about to receive cash windfalls: $1,000 each month for a year. Some 3,200 families will be chosen at random.

To qualify, you must be at least 18, live within the city, have an income not greater than the federal poverty level, be pregnant or have at least one dependent child, and have struggled from economic or medical difficulties due to the pandemic. Applications are being accepted until Nov. 7.

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Chicago

JaySi / Shutterstock

Chicago will give 5,000 low-income residents $500 each month for a year, to spend however they want.

The City Council passed a budget on Oct. 27 to fund the $31.5 million program. Full details arent available yet. But a spokesperson for the mayors office told a local radio station that applicants must have been economically very hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic to be eligible.

New York

Supamotion / Shutterstock

A plan to give $2,000 a year to New Yorkers living in poverty failed with the defeat of mayoral candidate Andrew Yang. It was a hallmark of his campaign.

But 120 miles north, in Hudson, 75 lower-income residents will receive $500 checks each month  for five years.

To be eligible, applicants must live in Hudson, be over 18 and earn less than $39,364. A lottery decides who gets the cash.

Pittsburgh

Mihai_Andritoiu / Shutterstock

Pittsburgh is focusing on low-income residents, to alleviate poverty.

The city council approved the mayors plan to give unrestricted $500 payments every month for two years to those living within five low-income ZIP codes. Half the 200 participants will be Black women. The others will be randomly selected people from any race and gender.

Youll have to check with the city to learn how you can apply since the program is still being developed.

Seattle

Agnieszka Gaul / Shutterstock

If you meet certain requirements in Seattle, you could receive $1,000 to $3,000, depending on your household size.

The new $16 million Seattle Relief Fund was announced on Oct. 25. to help those impacted by the pandemic.

Regardless of your citizenship or immigration status, you may be eligible if youre at least 18 and meet the income eligibility requirement for your household size. You also have either be a city resident or an artist who has rented an art studio in Seattle anytime since March 2020. Applications close on Nov. 15.

How to add extra cash to your monthly budget

Trismegist san / Shutterstock

If you dont qualify for these new types of stimulus funds, you can still find extra cash and potentially add hundreds to your monthly budget:

Deal with your debt. Credit cards have helped many households get through the last couple of years, but the expensive interest will only make life harder going forward. Folding your balances into a single debt consolidation loan can cut the cost of your debt and help you pay it off faster.

Slash your insurance premiums . When was the last time you looked around for a better price on your auto insurance? If its been a while, it may be costing you more than $1,000 extra every year. Shop around to ensure youve really got the best possible rate.

Stop overpaying for essentials. Even if you put yourself on a lean budget, youll still need to stock up on supplies every now and then. And when that time comes, use this free browser extension to automatically scour the internet for lower prices and coupons.

Turn pennies into a portfolio. Even if you don't have much money to spare, you can still earn returns from todays hot stock market. A popular app can help you invest your spare change from everyday purchases into a diversified portfolio.

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
DUBLIN, November 08, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Vitrectomy Devices Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product, By Application (Diabetic Retinopathy, Retinal Detachment), By End-use (Hospitals, Ambulatory Surgical Centers), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2021-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global vitrectomy devices market size is expected to reach USD 1.7 billion by 2028. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.2% from 2021 to 2028.

Companies Mentioned

Alcon Inc.

Bausch & Lomb Incorporated

BVI

NIDEK CO., LTD.

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.

Blink Medical

Topcon Corporation

Carl Zeiss Meditec AG

Hoya Surgical Optics

The growing prevalence of diabetes is expected to drive the probability of diabetic retinopathy, thus, contributing to market growth. Additionally, the growing demand for vitrectomy due to its associated advantages for providing support to other ophthalmic surgeries is also expected to boost market growth.

Ophthalmic diseases are seen prevalent in the elderly population. The growing geriatric population is expected to drive the market and the need for vitrectomy devices. As per the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the elderly population is expected to reach 72.0 million people by 2030, which may drive the prevalence of ophthalmic disorders. In addition to this, an increasing number of hospital admissions for retinal surgeries such as vitrectomy is expected to drive the market growth. Moreover, hospitals have also installed vitrectomy devices to enhance vitreoretinal surgery procedures.

COVID-19 is expected to negatively impact the market in 2020. This is due to the reduction in medical setting visits for ophthalmic care to avoid the spread of infection. Additionally, people with COVID have to experience ophthalmic problems like conjunctivitis, which in turn, is causing hindrance among the medical professionals to perform general ophthalmic surgeries. However, the development of government guidelines to provide constant and effective medical care including ophthalmology may boost market growth during the forecast period.

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The risks associated with vitrectomy are also expected to hinder market growth. Patient undergone vitrectomy has a high probability of generating cataract after few years, thus, negatively impacting its adoption. Additionally, the lack of professional ophthalmologists to understand the operations of advanced vitrectomy devices with multiple functionalities may also pose a threat to the market.

Vitrectomy Devices Market Report Highlights

The vitrectomy machines held the largest revenue share in 2020 owing to the development of advanced machines with features such as small gauge size, and intraocular pressure control

The vitrectomy packs segment is expected to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period owing to its growing adoption for various indications

The retinal detachment application segment is expected to grow at the fastest rate over the forecast period owing to the growing prevalence of high myopia. Patients with high myopia have a larger probability of developing retinal detachment

The ambulatory surgical centers segment is expected to exhibit the highest growth rate during the forecast period due to its reduced costs and shorter wait time

In Asia Pacific, the market is expected to grow at the highest rate due to the maximum cases of diabetic retinopathy in the region and the presence of a large patient pool

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter 1. Methodology and Scope

Chapter 2. Executive Summary

Chapter 3. Vitrectomy Devices Market Variables, Trends & Scope

3.1. Market Lineage Outlook

3.1.1. Parent market outlook

3.1.2. Related/ancillary market outlook

3.2. Penetration & Growth Prospect Mapping

3.3. Industry Value Chain Analysis

3.3.1. Reimbursement framework

3.4. Market Dynamics

3.4.1. Market driver analysis

3.4.1.1. Rising prevalence of eye diseases

3.4.1.2. Technological advancements

3.4.1.3. Government initiatives for increasing awareness related to visual impairment

3.4.2. Market restraint analysis

3.4.2.1. Risks associated with vitrectomy

3.5. Vitrectomy Devices Market Analysis Tools

3.5.1. Industry Analysis - Porter's

3.5.1.1. Supplier power

3.5.1.2. Buyer power

3.5.1.3. Substitution threat

3.5.1.4. Threat of new entrant

3.5.1.5. Competitive rivalry

3.5.2. PESTEL Analysis

3.5.2.1. Political landscape

3.5.2.2. Technological landscape

3.5.2.3. Economic landscape

3.5.3. Major Deals & Strategic Alliances Analysis

3.5.4. Market Entry Strategies

Chapter 4. Vitrectomy Devices: Product Estimates & Trend Analysis

Chapter 5. Vitrectomy Devices: Application Estimates & Trend Analysis

Chapter 6. Vitrectomy Devices: End - use Estimates & Trend Analysis

Chapter 7. Vitrectomy Devices Market: Regional Estimates & Trend Analysis

Chapter 8. Competitive Landscape

8.1. Recent Developments & Impact Analysis, By Key Market Participants

8.2. Company/Competition Categorization

8.2.1. Innovators

8.2.2. Market Leaders

8.2.3. Emerging Players

8.3. Vendor Landscape

8.3.1. List of key distributors and channel partners

8.3.2. Key customers

8.3.3. Key company market share analysis, 2020

8.4. Public Companies

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/9efz2f

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005664/en/

Contacts

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
Warmer-than-average conditions return to Fredericksburg area this week.

Typical Fredericksburg area daily high temperatures for the second week of November are in the low 60s. With high pressure sprawling from New England to the Gulf Coast this week will feature above average warmth. TodayMondaybegins that trend, with afternoon highs boosting into the upper 60s after morning lows that dipped to the mid-30s. Winds will be out of the north at 5-10 mph.

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That 30-plus degree diurnal range (i.e. daily cycle) of temperatures is possible thanks to clear skies and very dry air. Dew points in and around Fredericksburg are in the upper 30s as I write this, meaning there is scant moisture to hold in the suns heat after darkness falls. During summer months, when dew points are higher, the diurnal temperature range is much less drastic, thanks to water vapors ability to retain heat after the sun sets.

Speaking of sunset, temperatures will drop quickly after the sun dips below the horizon at 5:03 p.m. (!) this afternoon. By dawn Tuesday, local thermometers will register lows in the upper 30s and low 40s under clear skies. Tomorrow afternoon then looks to bring a return to 70-degree readings for Fredericksburg and vicinity, fully 10 degrees above the early November average.
"This is about many many years ahead, starting now," he said. This is how we do right by the next generation.

While hes selling the infrastructure bill as evidence that Democrats can deliver, Biden still will have to contend with ongoing dickering on the other big item on his agenda  the social spending bill.

Unlike the infrastructure bill, which passed with the support of 19 Republicans in the Senate, the social spending package is facing unified GOP opposition, which means Biden will need every Democratic vote in the Senate to get it across the finish line. With the partys moderate and progressive factions squabbling over the details of the final bill, and two centrist holdouts  Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona  opposed to many key progressive priorities, winning final passage of the second part of his agenda may be a much tougher puzzle to solve.

Everybody agreed on infrastructure. You can always agree on whether or not build the roads and the bridges and create the water and sewage that you need and fix your rail and your ports, said Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., on Fox's Fox News Sunday.

But its something else again when you start getting into new stuff," Clyburn said.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
It seemed to catch the will of the people ... who we work for, he said. However, he added that the state cannot eliminate the grocery tax without considering the effect on local government.

Were going to have to see how to make them whole, he said, otherwise, its basically an unfunded mandate on localities and we cant do that.

Youngkins other proposals include exempting the first $40,000 in military pensions from the state income tax, doling out $300 in tax rebates to Virginia adults  $600 to joint filers  and delaying Democrats most recent 5-cent increase to the gas tax.

Knight said he supports the military pension proposal, but said bearing the burden of the cost could prompt lawmakers to phase it in.

As for the rest of Youngkins tax package, Knight said were going to have to look at it, he said, because we cant do everything.

Much may come down to Youngkins ability to adjust into the role of governor  more deal-maker than high-powered CEO.

Were going in with a spanking new governor and were going in with appropriations people who have been there for a while, Knight said. Its the legislative branch that appropriates money.
A month before his release from prison on a burglary charge earlier this year, a 35-year-old Fremont man was charged again after his blood was found at another burglarized home.

Anthony C. Morabito pleaded guilty to the new charge of burglary in the Dodge County District Court and was found guilty by Judge Geoffrey Hall Monday.

On July 22, 2019, Morabito was sentenced to three to five years in prison for delivery of a controlled substance and one to two years for attempted delivery of a controlled substance in Madison County.

A little over two months after his sentencing, the Fremont Police Department received confirmation that one of the fingerprints lifted from a Feb. 15, 2019, robbery was Morabitos. He was interviewed at the Lincoln Correctional Center on July 14, 2020, but declined to give a statement.

On Dec. 22, 2020, Morabito pleaded no contest to the burglary charge and was sentenced to one to three years in prison to run concurrently with his previous sentence. He was released on March 29.

Morabitos new burglary charge came from March 6, 2019, when FPD responded to a burglary call. The homes occupant said they were only gone for 30 minutes before returning to the house, which had items missing.

Officers discovered a broken basement window, and they also discovered small droplets of blood at the crime scene located on the dining room floor, Deputy Dodge County Attorney Emily Beamis said at the plea hearing.

A witness also reported a vehicle at the scene prior to the burglary and a man leaving the home, putting a bag in the truck, getting in the passenger door and leaving.

An item reported stolen in the burglary was pawned two days later by Shane C. Rupe, 40, who had a vehicle registered to him that matched the description of the witness report. Attempts to locate Rupe have been unsuccessful and he is believed to be somewhere in Iowa.

On Jan. 19, FPD was notified by the Nebraska State Patrol Crime Lab that the blood at the scene of the burglary matched Morabito, who was incarcerated at the Omaha Correctional Center and did not wish to speak about the incident with a detective.

Additionally, the DNA sample found in Fremont matched that of blood found at a burglary scene in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Beamis said as part of Morabitos plea deal, the state was not opposed to a term of 18 months of probation as long as he complied with its conditions, had no arrests and would pay restitution of $1,034.34.

Hall ordered a presentence investigation and set Morabitos sentencing for Dec. 20.

In other district court news on Monday:

Taylor R. Daniels, 29, of Omaha was sentenced to 30 months of intensive supervised probation for possession of a controlled substance and theft involving stolen property. On July 5, an FPD officer pulled over a vehicle for traffic violations. After backup was called, another officer found a small bag of meth on the passenger seat where Daniels had been sitting and a pipe in a backpack. Daniels admitted to owning them, as well as another pipe located on him. During an inventory search of the vehicle, a wallet containing another persons ID was found in the passenger door. Bodycam footage showed Daniels placing the wallet in the door during the traffic stop. The owner of the wallet was contacted and said that their car had been broken into recently. Daniels pleaded no contest to the two separate charges on Oct. 4. Beamis said although the state had issues with a probation term, as Daniels previously had terms revoked in 2016 and 2019, she said he was honest about wanting probation and treatment. Daniels attorney agreed and said his client was willing to take a chance to turn his life around. I dont want to be like my peers, Daniels said. I want to be a productive member with my community peers. Although Hall said Daniels record wasnt great, he said he had potential to make a change. Youve been given some talent to do things, to get a job, to be employed, to be a positive support for yourself and your family, and youre wasting it, he told Daniels. So whats it going to take? Hall gave Daniels 30-month sentences on each of the charges to run concurrently. He also ordered him to take part in 60 hours of community service, a 12-step program, employment enhancement and relapse prevention. Daniels was also ordered to obtain his GED by Dec. 31, 2022.

Michael A. Wright, 41, of Fremont was sentenced to 30 months of ISP for tampering with physical evidence. On April 16, FPD officers were called to a residence in regard to Wright, who had an active warrant for his arrest. As Wright was being placed under arrest, he reached into his pocket and threw a blue object into the yard. Although he told officers the item he threw was a lighter, officers searched the yard and found the item, which was discovered to be a methamphetamine pipe. Wright pleaded guilty to evidence tampering on Sept. 20. Beamis said the state was not opposed to a probation term, which Wrights attorney said his client would prefer. He said Wright had completed inpatient treatment that day and was planning on moving into a halfway house. Along with probation, Wright was also ordered to take part in 60 hours of community service.

David M. Nabity, 36, of Fremont was sentenced to 24 months of probation and fined $500 for failing to register as a sex offender. Nabity was placed on the registry for 25 years on June 13, 2006, for first-degree sexual assault of a minor. He failed to complete his mandatory verification status with the Dodge County Sheriffs Office in February, violating the Nebraska Sex Offender Registration Act. Although Nabity initially pleaded not guilty, he withdrew the plea and admitted to violating the act on Sept. 27. Beamis said the state was not opposed to a probation term, with Nabitys attorney agreeing. He said his client had no ill intent with failing to register, which he called a mistake. Along with probation, Nabity was also ordered to take part in a money management program.

Andrew W. Whitley, 40, of Fremont appeared on a motion to revoke his probation. On Jan. 25, Whitley was sentenced to 12 months of probation and 200 days in jail for operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest and driving while revoked five months prior. A motion to revoke his probation was made last month after he was arrested for possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person and possession of a controlled substance on Oct. 18. Hall set Whitleys bond at $100,000 and set his next hearing for Nov. 29.

Gabriel Medina Jr., 45, of Fremont had his status hearing set for Dec. 6. Medina has pleaded not guilty to separate charges of possession of a controlled substance from July 31 and Sept. 2. After a request from Medinas attorney, Hall lowered his bond to 10% of $40,000.

Heather L. Charles, 33, of Omaha; David B. Jorgensen, 23, of Plattsmouth; and Angela G. Greser, 45, of Fremont were not present for their hearings. Hall issued bench warrants at $150,000 for each of their arrests.

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United Nations agencies have kicked off a polio vaccination campaign for children across Afghanistan, the first nationwide drive to fight the potentially fatal disease in more than three years.

Health Ministry officials say 10 million children under the age of 5 are expected to receive the vaccine drops during the house-to-house inoculation campaign starting on November 8.

This includes more than 3 million children in parts of the war-torn country who had previously remained inaccessible to vaccination campaigns against the infectious disease, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Childrens Fund, UNICEF.

UNICEF and WHO announced last month that the Taliban leadership had given its support to resuming polio vaccinations across Afghanistan.

The Taliban has attacked polio vaccination teams in the past, accusing them of gathering intelligence on its militants. But the hard-line Islamist group is now ruling Afghanistan after toppling the internationally backed Kabul government in mid-August.

Polio is an incurable disease transmitted through sewage that can cause paralysis and death.

Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan are the last countries in the world where the disease is still endemic.

With only one case of wild poliovirus reported this year in Afghanistan, compared with 56 in 2020, the country has an extraordinary opportunity to eradicate the disease, WHO said.

"Vaccinate your #children against polio and protect their future!" UNICEF urged families in Afghanistan via Twitter on November 7.

This story includes reporting by Radio Azadi correspondents in Afghanistan. Their names are being withheld for their protection.
Since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in August, many thousands of Afghans have fled their homes and crossed into Iran and Pakistan, sometimes with the help of human traffickers. Migrants say they're desperate for jobs, food, and medical care as the economy collapses in their home country.
The Pakistani government has revoked a ban on a radical Islamist party behind a protest march toward Islamabad that has triggered deadly clashes with police.

The Interior Ministry lifted the ban on Tehrik-e Labaik Pakistan (TLP) late on November 7, saying the party will now be allowed to participate in mainstream politics in the "larger national interest."

The move came days after the TLP and the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan reached a secret agreement to end a 10-day -- and at times deadly violent -- march to the capital calling for the expulsion of Frances ambassador and the release of the party's jailed leader.

The protest march saw supporters clash with police at several points along the way. At least five police officers and four demonstrators were reported killed.

Under the secret deal with the government, the TLP abandoned its plan to march on Islamabad from the eastern city of Lahore and promised not to stage violent protests in future, according to officials.

The Dawn newspaper reported that TLP leader Saad Rizvi was expected to be released from custody later on November 8.

Rizvi was arrested in April amid violent demonstrations against France linked to the publication of political cartoons depicting Islams Prophet Muhammad.

The radical Islamist group, which gained prominence in 2017, has a history of staging violent protests to pressure the government to accept its demands.

In Pakistans 2018 elections, it campaigned on the single issue of defending the countrys blasphemy law, which calls for the death penalty for anyone who insults Islam.
Mourners began building a memorial to those lost at a Texas concert as authorities said they would watch video, interview witnesses and review concert protocols to determine how eight people died when fans suddenly surged toward the stage to watch rapper Travis Scott
This Gazette file photo shows a room at Children's Hospital Colorado in Colorado Springs, which has six of 24 beds in the emergency department dedicated to mental health patients. But with increasing demand for services, regular medical beds are sometimes used for mental health cases. (Gazette file photo)
Colorado Springs firefighters responded to a fire in an apartment complex Monday after fire alarms sounded in the building, firefighters tweeted.

Firefighters arrived at 825 S. Union Blvd. around 10:10 a.m. and reported seeing smoke billowing off the building, the department's tweets said.

Firefighters rescued two residents from the building's third floor using a ladder and evaluated multiple people sufferings from smoke inhalation. Emergency responders did not transport anyone to the hospital as of 10:50 a.m., the agency tweeted.

Officials investigated the cause of the fire, which is unknown as of 10:50 a.m. Monday.

This is a developing story.
A shooting north of The Citadel mall Saturday killed one of the two victims, Colorado Springs police said.

A person on a yellow, white and black dirt bike-style motorcycle is suspected of firing shots into a car that hit a man and woman around 5:20 p.m. Saturday on the 3600 block of East Galley Road, a news release from the Colorado Springs police said.

Two people crashed into a utility pole at Galley Road and Auburn Drive where the police found them, the statement said. The police went to the scene of the crash after hearing the shots and came across the car, it said.

The two were taken to the hospital where the woman died and the man was treated and released. The case is considered a homicide, according to the release.

The police have surveillance video of the motorcyclist arriving just prior to the shooting, police said. But have been unable to obtain additional information about the person who was wearing a black helmet and black clothing.

The woman was not identified by the police.

However, police spokeswoman Natashia Kerr said Monday the two people involved in the crash were a husband and wife.

Those who have information about the motorcycle or the driver can call the Colorado Springs Police Department at (719) 444-7000. Anonymous tipsters can call Crime Stoppers at (719) 634-STOP (7867) or 1-800-222-8477.
Colorado Springs firefighters and police are investigating a fire at an apartment building in northeast Colorado Springs, where a person was also found dead Sunday night.

Firefighters arrived at the Enfield Apartments at 3010 N. Hancock Avenue where flames were coming from a third-story unit, department spokesman Capt. Mike Smaldino said.

A person was also found dead outside of the building, beneath one of the building's windows, he said.

Colorado Springs police were on scene and were working with the fire department in the investigation.

Smaldino said about 30 firefighters responded and doused the blaze in 20 minutes.

Firefighters also pulled one person from the third story. That person was transported to the hospital for smoke inhalation, Smaldino said.

The fire was contained to one unit, but surrounding units have possible smoke damage.

Information on how many residents were displaced by the fire was not immediately available. The Red Cross has been contacted to assist, Smaldino said.

This is a developing story. Stay with Gazette.com for updates.
Police say bomb threats at three elite U.S. universities not credible
An emotional journey: Families reunite in U.S. with tears, balloons as COVID travel ban ends
Coloradans love their pets. Our state is happily one of the most pet-friendly in the nation.
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.
Tampa CV pilot seeks volunteers

As it moves onto the testing and implementation stages of its connected vehicle (CV) technology pilot, the Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority is recruiting volunteer drivers to help improve driver safety in the downtown area.

Since 2015, THEA has been partnering with the U.S. Department of Transportation on pilot projects that leverage vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication technology to improve safety and traffic conditions in downtown Tampa. By the end of the year, THEA will partner with Honda, Acura, Hyundai, Kia and Toyota to equip 300 privately owned vehicles with onboard CV technology that shows drivers safety messages in the vehicles rearview mirror.

According to DOT, early research suggests that CV technology can have a dramatic impact on the number of serious traffic-related incidents. Honda Research Institute Chief Engineer Sue Bai said at least 78% of vehicle-to-vehicle related collisions can be addressed via the technology.

The THEA pilot, though, is not just about technology, its about improving people's lives and creating a collision-free society," Bai said in a video explaining the programs technology.

Partners include DENSO, which will develop a common set of CV apps for the onboard units, enabling the rapid communication between vehicles and surrounding infrastructure. Siemens is developing roadside units that will communicate with connected vehicles and with the citys Transportation Management Center via dedicated short-range communications, or DSRC. Researchers at the University of South Florida Center for Urban Transportation Research are evaluating the safety benefits of the technology by analyzing the participants behavioral responses to the deployment of the CV applications.

Seven new applications will be tested in this phase. These will include traffic-related alerts for imminent forward collisions, necessary ramp deceleration and hard braking ahead. Drivers will also receive warning about hazards in intersections, potential pedestrian collisions and wrong-way entry onto the expressway.

In the past, THEA has tested as many as 13 different CV applications across six different use cases. Ultimately, it plans to test DSRC between the CV-equipped cars, public transit vehicles such as buses and trolleys and roadside units along city streets.

Prospective volunteers must be 18 years or older and drive a vehicle from one of the participating companies. The equipment installed in their vehicles will show safety messages and collect data on drivers reactions to warnings. Volunteers will receive discounted toll fares on the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway for their participation in the pilot. Those interested can sign up by completing THEAs survey.
Law enforcement officers fatally shot a Bedford County woman early Sunday after she came out of her burning house with a handgun following an earlier confrontation with authorities, state police said.

Chelsae L. Clevenger-Kirk, 29, of Goodview, was shot after Bedford County Sheriffs deputies and a Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources conservation officer fired upon her. She died at the scene, Virginia State Police said in a news release.

No law enforcement officers were injured.

At 5:30 p.m. Saturday, the conservation officer tried to stop a female motorcyclist who was not wearing a helmet and not displaying a license plate, state police said.

The motorcyclist refused to stop, went to a home in the 100 block of Afton Lane in Goodview, and went inside.

The wildlife resources officer tried to make contact with the woman, later identified as Clevenger-Kirk, but heard no response. As he walked back to his car, he heard shots inside the home, state police said. He requested help from state police and the Bedford County Sheriffs Office.
For example, the number of votes cast in Fairfax County was up 14.6% over the 2017 contest for governor. But in Southwest Virginias Washington County, the tally rose 34%.

In Powhatan County it leapt by 42%. Powhatans 12,582 votes for Youngkin were more than it cast for all candidates combined in the 2017 election for governor.

Population centers

In unofficial returns as of Saturday evening, Youngkin beat McAuliffe by 13,073 votes in Virginia Beach, 6,804 votes in Chesterfield County and 5,172 votes in Chesapeake.

Youngkin taking Chesterfield in a contest for governor is a reversion to the norm. In 2017, Democrat Ralph Northam became the first Democrat to carry Chesterfield for governor since Albertis Harrison in 1961. Republican Ken Cuccinelli had carried Chesterfield by 8,249 votes in his 2013 contest with McAuliffe.

McAuliffe still put up big numbers Tuesday in Virginias 10 largest counties and cities. He carried Fairfax by 128,542 votes, Arlington County by 51,465, Richmond by 44,993, Henrico County by 25,613, Prince William County by 22,519, Norfolk by 21,315 and Loudoun County by 17,923.
Contrary to many political prophecies, the election of Republican Glenn Youngkin as governor of Virginia does not augur a bloodbath for Democrats in the 2022 midterms. If it finally pounds in the lesson that the woke crusades of the far left are poison to the party, it may even improve the partys prospects.

The Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe lost in a state that had preferred Joe Biden over Donald Trump by 10 points. Candidate Youngkin managed to thread the needle of not attacking Trump while keeping a far distance. In his victory speech, he didnt even mention Trumps name.

There was a lesson here for Republicans, too.

Youngkin exploited the alarm many Virginia parents have at stories of crusades to make white kids feel guilty over the traumas suffered by African Americans. Though the fears were way overblown, they did find traction in the noisy demands of elite lefties.

And if you think thats a suburban Virginia thing, consider the conflict at a public school in the liberal Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn. It was over a mural placed in the cafeteria that read Black Lives Matter, Black Trans Lives Matter and the more militant Your Silence Will Not Protect You.
It is hard to get a handle on the size of this movement. Is it a minuscule splinter of the total force as New York would seem to suggest? Or is it more? One hopes it is the former, but even if it is the latter, were still better off doing without them than caving in to them. Yes, losing a critical number of police officers would constitute a threat to public safety. But so would leaving unvaccinated officers in place to interact daily with an unsuspecting public.

And thats just in the short term. Over the long term, there is another  arguably, greater  concern. Meaning that of leaving law enforcement power in the hands of those who clearly dont respect the law, who think themselves above it.

People often rhapsodize about police as a thin blue line standing between us and social chaos. The fact that chaos is hard upon us is obvious from the perusal of any random days news. Last week, for instance, hundreds of QAnon followers stood in the rain in Dallas Dealey Plaza where John F. Kennedy was murdered on Nov. 22, 1963, waiting for the return of the 35th president and his namesake son, who died in a plane crash on July 16, 1999. They believed the two John Kennedys, the elder now 104 years old, would return that day to install Donald Trump as president.
Spencer grew up in Mount Airy and was drafted as a teenager in 1969. He trained at Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Fort Knox in Kentucky. Spencer served as an Army armored reconnaissance specialist in the infantry in South Vietnam, where he was hit in the neck with shrapnel. As a Black soldier, Spencer said he also faced discrimination and violent racism.

When Spencer came back, his younger brother Byron was about 6 years old. He ran up the stairs, greeted his older brother at the door and then went off to play. Byron had no understanding of his brothers military service or sacrifice, then or in the years to follow.

Spencer never really talked about his experience in the military, colleagues hed lost or the nature of his discharge, Byron Spencer said, even though he was also in the Army.

It wasnt until recently that I understood what he went through, Byron Spencer said. It feels so good that he is able to get this recognition and, most importantly, that hes still here.

The military family

In Spencers case, Carolina law students used military and health records to appeal his discharge on the grounds of discrimination and protocol violations. They also learned that Spencer was wounded during the war, earning him a Purple Heart.
The gesture is called the Signal for Help and was created as a discreet way to signal that a person needs help , according to the Canadian Womens Foundation. It became more well-known during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it became more difficult for those who are at risk of abuse or violence to safely reach out for help.

If you see someone use the Signal for Help, check in with the person safely to find out what they need and want you to do, the Canadian Womens Foundation said. They may want to tell you what is happening. They may ask you to listen and be there for them. They may ask for help finding services. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911 or your local emergency services (police, fire, ambulance).
The funeral was organized as part of a weekend of commemoration ahead of the anniversary of the massacre. Halseys descendants were present at the funeral, along with local political figures, activists and others who attended to support the family and the cause behind the research into the massacre.

The violence was not random or impulsive; it was meticulously planned and committed at every level of government, Sullivan said of the massacre.

The violence of the massacre was intended to break apart the Fusion coalition, which was working to transform the state of North Carolina and by 1898 had found great success in doing so, Sullivan said.

That violence, though, didnt end in 1898, Barber said. The theme of his eulogy for Halsey centered on modern rhetoric that echoes that of 1898. He described in detail groups in the government, media and community coming together to plot against the Black community in Wilmington, which was at the time one of the largest cities in North Carolina, and compared Alfred Moore Waddell, who led the massacre, to former-President Donald Trump.
" " The Fugate and Combs families of Kentucky (not pictured) had blue-looking skin thanks to a rare genetic trait. HowStuffWorks/Library of Congress

In the isolated hollows of rural Kentucky, they were known as the blue Fugates and the blue Combses. For more than a century, these Appalachian families passed along an exceedingly rare genetic blood condition that turned their skin a disarming shade of blue.

Embarrassed by their bluish hue, the families retreated even further from society, which only exacerbated the problem. Cut off from contact with the wider population, they married cousins, aunts and other closely related kin, which greatly increased the odds of inheriting the condition.

As scientists discovered in the 1960s, the mutation that causes the Smurf-like skin is carried by a recessive gene, and it takes two people with that same gene to produce a blue child.

"If you took any random person in the population, maybe one in 100,000 would carry this gene, if that many," says Ricki Lewis, a science writer and author of the textbook "Human Genetics: Concepts and Applications," now in its 13th edition. "But if you're marrying your cousin, it's one in eight. The risk skyrockets if you're sharing blood."

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When Two Strangers Lost the Genetic Lottery

Martin Fugate arrived in the unsettled frontier of Kentucky in 1820. He was a French orphan who knew nothing of his lineage. Legend has it that Martin himself may have had a blue tinge to his skin, but not the dark blue color of later Fugates.

Martin married a red-headed American woman named Elizabeth Smith and the two set up a homestead on the banks of Troublesome Creek near Hazard County, Kentucky. Elizabeth had pale white skin, almost translucent. What neither she nor Martin could have known is that they both carried the recessive gene for a rare hereditary blood disorder called methemoglobinemia.

"The beginning of this story is so wild because Martin moved to Kentucky from Europe and married a complete stranger, a nonrelative who just happened to have the same mutation," says Lewis. "That's crazy."

Martin and Elizabeth had seven children, four of whom were "bright blue" according to Fugate family lore.

Since rail lines and paved roads didn't make it out to Troublesome Creek for nearly a century, the blue recessive gene was passed down to generations of Fugates and neighboring families, all of whom came to be known as "the blue people of Kentucky."

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Why Their Blood Turned Blue

Methemoglobinemia is a blood condition, not a skin condition. It has nothing to do with melanin, the amino acid that gives people darker skin tones. In people with methemoglobinemia, the skin appears blue because the veins beneath the skin are coursing with dark blue blood.

" " This 25-year-old woman had symptoms of weakness, fatigue, shortness of breath, and skin discoloration. A diagnosis of methemoglobinemia was made. New England Journal of Medicine

If you stayed awake in high-school biology, you might remember that blood is red because red blood cells are packed with proteins called hemoglobin. Hemoglobin gets its red color from a compound called heme that contains an iron atom. That iron atom binds with oxygen, which is how red blood cells circulate oxygen throughout the body.

Oxygen, or a lack of oxygen, is what turns the blood from red to blue in people with methemoglobinemia. A mutated gene causes their bodies to build up a rare form of hemoglobin called methemoglobin that can't bond with oxygen. If enough blood is "infected" with this faulty type of hemoglobin, it changes from red to an almost purple-ish dark blue.

For the Fugates, family members expressed the gene to varying degrees. If their blood had a lower concentration of methemoglobin, they might only blush blue in cold weather, while people with higher concentrations of methemoglobin were bright blue from head to toe.

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Is There a Cure for Blue Skin?

Methemoglobinemia is one of the rare genetic conditions that's treatable with a simple pill.

The man who discovered the cure for methemoglobinemia was Madison Cawein III, a hematologist (blood doctor) at the University of Kentucky who heard tales of the "blue people" and went looking for specimens in the 1960s.

Cawein got lucky when a brother and sister named Patrick and Rachel Ritchie walked into a Hazard County clinic. "They were bluer'n hell," said Cawein in a 1982 interview with Science 82. "I started asking them questions: 'Do you have any relatives who are blue?' then I sat down and we began to chart the family." He remembered that the Ritchie siblings "were really embarrassed about being blue." However, the disorder didn't seem to cause any special health problems.

The condition was clearly genetic, but the key for Cawein was reading reports of hereditary methemoglobinemia among isolated Inuit populations in Alaska where blood relatives often married. He knew the same thing was happening in this secluded corner of Appalachia.

In the Inuit communities, scientists had pinpointed the problem, a deficiency of an enzyme that converted methemoglobin to hemoglobin. Studying the problem, Cawein figured out that he could convert methemoglobin to hemoglobin without the enzyme. All he needed was a substance that could "donate" a free electron to the methemoglobin, allowing it to bond with oxygen.

The solution, oddly enough, was a commonly used dye called methylene blue. He injected the Ritchie siblings with 100 milligrams of the blue dye and didn't have to wait long to see results.

"Within a few minutes. the blue color was gone from their skin," Cawein said. "For the first time in their lives, they were pink. They were delighted."

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What Happened to the Blue People?

When young people started moving away from the farms surrounding Troublesome Creek in the mid-20th century, they took their recessive blue genes with them. Over time, fewer and fewer babies were born blue, and those who were took a methylene blue pill once a day to put the pink back in their cheeks.

There are other ways to get blue skin without inheriting it, though. Methemoglobinemia can also be caused by reactions to certain topical pain relievers like benzocaine and xylocaine. And at least in one famous case, a man turned his skin permanently blue from drinking too much colloidal silver supplements and rubbing colloidal silver cream on his skin (the condition is called argyria or silver poisoning). See the video below.

Now That's Interesting The famous painting of the blue Fugates is not based on an actual family photograph, but was a composite illustration created by artist Walt Spitzmiller for a 1982 magazine article.
Ronald Lee Golas: 2018 felony partner or family member assault (third offense), pleaded guilty. Sentenced to 74 days in jail, three years in the Department of Corrections, all suspended. Suspended sentence revoked in 2021.

Kathleen Grace Bryan: 2017 felony criminal child endangerment, amended to misdemeanor DUI (first offense), pleaded guilty. Sentenced to one year in jail, suspended. Suspended sentence revoked in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

David Edward Neill: 2018 felony partner or family member assault, pleaded guilty. Sentenced to five years with three suspended. Misdemeanor obstructing a public servant, dismissed by the court. Suspended sentence revoked in 2021. Felony aggravated burglary and felony partner or family member assault, both dismissed by court. Felony strangulation of a partner or family member, pleaded guilty. Sentenced to five years all suspended. Felony assault on a minor, dismissed by court. Misdemeanor destruction of a communication device, dismissed by court. Another suspended sentence revoked in 2021.

Logan Peter Grove: 2019 felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs, deferred imposition of sentence. Misdemeanor paraphernalia possession, pleaded guilty. Sentenced to four months all suspended. Misdemeanor violation of a protective order, pleaded guilty. Sentenced to four months all suspended. Revocation of suspended sentence dropped by the prosecutor in 2021.

Cynthia Bright: 2020 felony criminal child endangerment, pleaded guilty. Sentenced to three years all suspended. Two other felony counts of criminal child endangerment dropped by the prosecutor.

Kyle William Tenney: 2020 felony burglary, misdemeanor partner or family member assault (first offense), misdemeanor criminal mischief, misdemeanor partner or family member assault (second offense), misdemeanor destruction of a communication device and misdemeanor violation of a no contact order, all dropped by the prosecutor.

Bruce Alan Lewis: 2019 felony criminal mischief, dropped by prosecutor.

Lacey Leigh Blumhagen: 2020 felony strangulation of a partner or family member and misdemeanor PFMA, both remanded to lower court.

Shohneen Bickler: 2020 felony assault on a minor, dropped by prosecutor.

Kaide Donald Ferriter: 2020 three counts of felony criminal mischief and misdemeanor drug paraphernalia possession, all dropped by prosecutor.

Jessica Christianson: 2021 felony assault with a weapon, misdemeanor reckless driving and misdemeanor theft, all dropped by prosecutor. Misdemeanor criminal mischief amended to a felony, pleaded guilty. No sentence listed.

Kevin Andrew Grotbo: 2021 felony intimidation, amended to felony criminal endangerment, deferred imposition of sentence. Misdemeanor PFMA, dropped by prosecutor.

Benjamin Lebert Halverson: 2021 felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs and misdemeanor paraphernalia possession, dropped by prosecutor.

Lena Elisabeth Lambertson: 2020 felony issuing a bad check, dropped by prosecutor.

Jerry Marlon Carlson Jr.: 2021 felony PFMA, dropped by prosecutor.

Aaron Nash Dale: 2021 felony aggravated assault, dropped by prosecutor.

Wesley James Rhodes: 2021 felony robbery, pleaded guilty. Sentenced to five years with two suspended. Misdemeanor assault, misdemeanor tampering with a communication device, misdemeanor obstructing a peace officer and felony theft, dropped by prosecutor. Felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs, pleaded guilty. Sentenced to three years all suspended. Misdemeanor fleeing from police, pleaded guilty. Sentenced to six months all suspended.

Kale Lee Buchanan: 2021 felony sexual intercourse without consent, dropped by prosecutor.

Cameron Christopher Ulsher: 2021 felony tampering with a witness, dismissed by court. Misdemeanor sexual assault, dismissed by court.

Joseph Reuben Schwarz: 2021 felony assault with a weapon, remanded to lower court.

Jacob Edward Segovia: 2021 felony criminal mischief, dropped by prosecutor.

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History is present in so many aspects of life across Helena. And thanks to the work of several local business owners, two restaurants that lie on the outskirts of the city limits transport diners back in time to a sophisticated era of enjoyment.

Just northwest of the Lewis & Clark County Fairgrounds, across Ten Mile Creek, Maison and the Oddfellow Inn are situated on 41 acres of stunning land in the West Prickly Pear Valley. In its early days, the property housed the Montana Lodge No. 1 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F), which provided a place to live for children and adults who were indigent and helpless, according to a 1910 article in the Helena Daily Independent.

The building that plays home to todays restaurant and inn is nearly a century old, constructed in 1928 after the previous edifice on the site, built in 1909, burned down in 1926 as the result of a fire. In the middle of the 20th century, it strictly served the elderly as a rest home. Sold by the I.O.O.F in 1977, it had several owners in recent decades, housing a ranch, a supper club, and later, the Mountain Meadow Inn bed and breakfast for 23 years until July 2019, when Jared Engels and Paul Mabie, the current owners, purchased the property and prepared to open their inn, restaurant, and working farm.

Engels says that he and Mabie were originally looking for land to farm for other restaurants when they came upon this unique property, which instantly captured their imagination. After the sale, they returned the farm to working condition. He says the duo is proud that they were able to return this gem, hidden in plain sight, to its original spirit of taking care of others in a convivial gathering place.

Its a place for guests to experience literal farm-to-table meals, including a delectable brunch, or spend a long weekend away from the world  there are no televisions in the guest rooms  just minutes from downtown Helena. Engels even undertook the task of reestablishing the Helena chapter of the I.O.O.F. in recent months, and now serves as the Noble Grand.

Just minutes away from the Oddfellow sits another historic property that has seen a new lease on life in recent years. On Highway 12, heading toward MacDonald Pass and just before arriving at the current day Broadwater Hot Springs, visitors having been stopping at the Wassweiler Dinner House for generations.

In 1865, Ferdinand and Caroline Wassweiler established a small hotel and bathhouse on 160 acres of land near Ten Mile Creek. An immigrant from Germany, Ferdinand Wassweiler met his wife, Caroline, in Kansas, before they came to Virginia City in 1864 and ultimately settled in Helena. Shortly thereafter, they gained title to two hot springs and became a destination for miners seeking respite from work on the nearby Last Chance Gulch. Efforts were undertaken to promote the springs to not just area miners, but tourists from far away as well, with one 1868 publication going as far as to posit that, The Hot Springs is destined, at some future day, to be to Montana what Saratoga now is to New York.

The Wassweilers later established a new inn in the building that houses the current day restaurant, as well as a bathhouse that today is home to the neighboring gift shop, in 1883. They are the only remaining hot springs structures from those built by either Wassweiler or Colonel Charles Broadwater, to whom the Wassweilers sold a portion of their land in 1874, in the Helena area.

The inn and bathhouse closed in 1907, after which time the property served many purposes, including as a residence, antique store, and even a turkey farm. It was also abandoned on and off over the years. Fortunately, the property was listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the Department of the Interior in the late 1970s.

Todays Wassweiler retains the charm of yesteryear while providing guests with outstanding cuisine, known especially for its steaks and famed candied bacon appetizer. Purchased by owner Marci Andersen in 2014, the restaurant opened for business in late 2017 after a commercial kitchen was installed. Andersen says she is thrilled that it is once again being used to entertain and feed people, something Ferdinand Wassweiler loved to do.

The Wassweiler and Oddfellow properties have historically served two very different purposes and two very different clienteles over the years. However, todays restaurants at these sites have a common objective: providing guests from Helena and across the globe outstanding food and drink in marvelously restored historic settings. Kudos to Jared, Paul, and Marci for their efforts to preserve these beautiful structures and surprise visitors with a top-notch dining experience.

Chris Averill is the vice president of government affairs and communications at Strategies 360 in Helena. He serves as chair of the Helena/Lewis and Clark County Heritage Tourism Council, which provides the Nuggets from Helena column for the Independent Record.

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Recent work by the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service has digitized easements identifying access routes to 450 tracts of public land, including about 29,600 acres in Montana and Idaho that had previously been identified as landlocked, according to onX, a Montana based digital mapping company.

The BLM and Forest Service are doing incredible work, said Lisa Nichols, access advocacy manager for onX, which has incorporated the new information into its hunting app that is downloadable to cellphones. On the apps, the routes show up as yellow outlines with green cross hatches.

Not all of the routes are going to be marked or signed as public, Nichols added, noting some may be old roads showing little recent use.

We just want to emphasize, please keep in mind, that these are routes for passing through private property, she said.

The information can also be found online at the BLM MT Public Land Access Web App where the new easements show up as yellow lines overlying existing roads.

Expanding

Now were trying to do the same thing for all the western states exclusive of Alaska,

said Adam Carr, public access project manager for BLMs Montana-Dakotas State Office, who is based in Lewistown.

Its neat to find these areas that have access that, in some cases, the field office didnt even know about, he added.

The undertaking wont be easy. Carr estimated there are 5,000 easements and 12,000 patent reservations stored in BLM file cabinets awaiting digitization, many dating back to the 1960s. Patent reservations are where the agency has preserved access across lands it has sold.

Out of the many easements, one of the largest blocks of BLM land where public access was digitized and published was 12,000 acres in the Humbug Spires south of Butte, part of which is a wilderness study area.

I hate saying its new, its not new, its just made publicly available, Carr said.

Partners

Groups like the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation have been vocal advocates of digitizing such records.

As RMEF continues to lead quality public access improvement projects across the West, we see this as a model to improve hunt planning and navigation, Jennifer Doherty, RMEFs director of lands, told the BLM.

Efforts are also underway via legislation introduced in Congress. Both the House and Senate are considering the MAPLand Act, which would help federal agencies paying for the hours of research and work to conduct easement digitization. The act would also require the work to be completed in three years.

Access is one of the most important issues facing hunters and anglers today, and the MAPLand Act is a commonsense investment to ensure all Americans can take full advantage of the recreational opportunities on our public lands, said Whit Fosburgh, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, in a press release.

Admin

Out of the 450 access points identified in Montana and Idaho, 378 provide public access, Carr qualified. The rest provide only administrative access, allowing land managers access to oversee federal lands.

Uses of the administrative access can be for timber sales, hazardous fuel reduction, livestock grazing management and others, he wrote in an email.

Carr credited BLM realty specialist and land tenure lead Jim Ledger, who works in the BLMs Missoula office. with leading his agencys pioneering effort in Montana and the Dakotas, calling him a walking encyclopedia of information.

Its surprising how complicated some of them can be, and the ways access is gained, Carr said. It really is an interesting part of federal land management that I hadnt been exposed to.

The process of combing through historical documents and deeds, deciphering the notes, legally verifying the records, and then digitizing the data in the correct location can be difficult and time consuming, onX noted after meeting with Forest Service Region 1 personnel. It may take hours to days to accurately digitize one easement.

Help

To help with its workload, Carr said the BLM is getting extra help from an outside contractor, Premier Data Services.

States and field offices have a limited number of realty specialists to complete their regular duties, let alone the research and GIS work for the access project, Carr wrote. The state and field offices are providing the documents to the contractor who is completing the research and creating the GIS features. We are hoping to publish more data toward the middle of 2022 and have the project completed by July of 2023.

Once the information is digitized, Nichols said onX can quickly upload and incorporate the information into its apps.

It makes a huge difference to have it digitized, she said.

Inaccessible

Prior to the recently compiled easement data, onX calculated that Montana had more than 3 million acres of inaccessible public lands  about 1.52 million federal and 1.56 million state. Montana has the dubious distinction of having the most landlocked state lands in the West and ranks third for federally inaccessible acreage, behind Wyoming (3.05 million acres) and Nevada (2.05 million acres).

Across the West the 2018 onX study, conducted with the help of TRCP, calculated a total of 9.52 million acres of federal land with no permanent legal access. The 2019 state land study identified 6.35 million acres off-limits to the public. In Montana and the Dakotas alone the BLM oversees 8.3 million acres of land.

As we get more states done it can make a big difference in letting people know where they can go, Carr said.

Making such information public does have one drawback, he noted.

Some peoples honey holes will be found out.

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Every year on Nov. 8 at exactly 10:40 a.m., the Centennial Bell housed in the Montana Capitol building rotunda is rung by special guests to commemorate the Treasure State's statehood.

This year's special guests were Bainville Public School teacher April Wills and some of her fifth and sixth grade students.

Wills received the Montana Historical Society's 2021 Montana History Teacher of the Year award. She and her students made the long trek from Bainville to help ring in Statehood Day.

Wills is a native of Columbus who graduated from Broadwater High School in Townsend. She received her elementary education degree from the University of Montana in Missoula and her masters degree in learning and technology from Western Governors University.

Former Bainville Public Schools Superintendent Renee Rasmussen nominated Wills for the award and spoke during the ceremony.

"To those who know her, it's no surprise April Wills won this award," Rasmussen said. "She loves awakening an appreciation of Montana in her students."

Wills called the award an honor and said as a small town elementary teacher, she never had designs of winning such an award.

"I'm very appreciative of this opportunity," she said, encouraging fellow small town teachers to continue putting in the long hours and hard work to help educate the state's youth. "I'd like to thank all the teachers that are all in this with me. ... I see you."

For Wills, the job of instilling curiosity about their heritage has long been a passion, one she hopes to continue long into the future.

"I will always be there to encourage you to be lifelong learners," she said, directly addressing her students and challenging them to bring their unique perspectives to their future endeavors.

Friend and fellow Bainville teacher Samantha Keefner touted Wills' ability to bring the sometimes stuffy pages of history textbooks to life by incorporating art, video and real-world experiences.

"She does not keep her passion for Montana history to herself," Keefner said.

The award was established in 1990, and this year it came along with three $1,500 checks totaling $4,500 from each of the events three main sponsors: the Montana Television Network, the Montana History Foundation and the Sons and Daughters of Montana Pioneers.

The Montana Historical Society funded the bus trip from Bainville.

"This is such a great way to celebrate Montana becoming the 41st state," Montana Historical Society Director Molly Kruckenberg said. "The role we share in making our history accessible has an enormous impact on our future."

Montana attorney general and Bainville native Austin Knudsen also spoke during the ceremony.

Knudsen said he was among the first kindergartners to attend classes at the then new school in Bainville in 1987.

"It is a real treat for me to have locals come all the way to Helena for such a special award," he said, congratulating Wills.

Gov. Greg Gianforte also congratulated Wills. Gianforte said his daughter just became a teacher, so he knows firsthand how important the work is.

"Not only does your work have a lasting impact in the lives of your students, but it imparts in them an understanding and appreciation of our state's history," he said. "Our shared history is what binds us together as Montanans, and it couldn't be more important to preserve. Preserving and learning from that history helps our state meet the challenges of today and build a strong, more prosperous tomorrow."

The Centennial Bell was placed in the Capitol building in front of the Senate by an act of the state Legislature in 1989. It is rung every Nov. 8 to commemorate President Benjamin Harrison's declaration of statehood for Montana on that day in 1889. Montana was the 41st state inducted into the union.

Editor's note - This story has been updated to correct information about the entities that donated funds to the winner of the Montana History Teacher of the Year award.

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With all of the attention given to getting Montanans vaccinated, theres one part of our getting-back-to-normal strategy that is frequently overlooked: COVID-19 testing.

Testing is a critical part of our ability to separate the standard cold from early symptoms of a highly contagious and potentially serious disease  especially for the unvaccinated. That knowledge allows us to remain at work, travel freely and safely gather with friends and family.

Over the past year, Montana has made tremendous strides increasing access to timely COVID-19 testing. At the same time, access to and coverage for testing has changed considerably. Its critical that Montanans understand their options and know how to find the most appropriate and affordable testing in their community.

You should get tested for COVID-19 if you or a loved one are exhibiting any combination of the following symptoms: fever or chills; cough; shortness of breath or difficulty breathing; fatigue; muscle or body aches; headache; new loss of taste or smell; sore throat; congestion or runny nose; nausea or vomiting; and/or diarrhea. Its frustrating but true: COVID-19 symptoms are similar to the typical crud we see this time of year.

Here are some tips to find the best place for a COVID-19 test:

Use the CDC and your county public health websites to find the testing sites in your community. The most common testing sites are national pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS; community health centers; and your primary care provider. If you have health insurance, be sure to contact your health plan to understand what they cover for COVID-19 related tests and services. Earlier in the pandemic, most health plans waived co-pays and deductibles for COVID-19 tests and care. Many of those co-pays and deductibles are now in effect again. If you had a test last year that you didnt pay for, you may be surprised to find you have to pay for it this year. If you dont have insurance, its important to shop around. The federal government has shifted the vast majority of testing resources to national pharmacy chains like Walgreens and CVS. The federal government is fully funding the PCR test (the gold standard COVID-19 test for its accuracy and reliability) at pharmacy chains, community health centers, and Indian health centers across Montana. This was a deliberate move to make testing more widely available to consumers while providing relief to hospitals so they can focus on the treatment of severe COVID-19 cases. Testing for patients who do not have symptoms (including tests for travel purposes) may be limited. For travel testing, its important you do your research to determine which tests are accepted at your destination. Confirm your testing site can provide the appropriate test and results in the required timeframe.

On behalf of the hospitals, community health centers, Urban Indian Centers and other healthcare providers we represent, we continue to encourage every eligible Montanan to get vaccinated. The vaccine is safe and provides effective protection against COVID-19. If you havent been vaccinated, please speak to your primary care provider today. Widespread adoption of the vaccine is the fastest path to reducing the crisis inside our hospitals, slowing the spread of the disease, and getting us back to normal.

Rich Rasmussen is President and CEO of the Montana Hospital Association. Cindy Stergar is CEO of the Montana Primary Care Association.

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Jim Edwards commentary in The Daily Montanan on Nov. 2 (and the Independent Record on Nov. 5), raises some important questions about the incident involving St. Peter's hospital health care providers being allegedly threatened by three public officials for their refusal to provide horse wormer as a COVID treatment to an 80-year-old COVID patients  who just happened to be on the A list in the Republican party. Indeed, when the bat signal went up, Lt. Attorney General Kristen Hansen, reached out to Attorney General Austin Knudsen who then enlisted one of his highway patrol minions to investigate. The highway patrol officer, who was likely caught in the middle, reported to Leo Gallagher, Lewis and Clark County attorney, who, in turn, determined that no criminal conduct worthy of prosecution was involved.

End of story? Not quite. Mr. Edwards raised some good question about what the facts of this whole incident were and who were the other two public officials.

That prompted me to ask a couple of different newspaper friends: what happened to the public's right to know here? Why arent the media perusing Freedom of Information Requests of the AG and governors office.

Well, the answer I got was a kissing your sister response. No one had any comment on Article II Section 9 and as for the FOIA requests, apparently the governors office was six months out on responding to these sorts of inquiry.

Just to be clear, Article II, Section 9 of Montanas Constitution provides the public with a fundamental right to examine documents and observe deliberations of all public bodies. The right is self-executing, meaning that the public and press can sue for violations of the right directly without any implementing statutory authorization. And there are no time limitations prescribed in the right  meaning that the public has the right to know NOW, not six months from now or not when the governor and the generals and lieutenants and their highway patrol minions get their acts together and circle the wagons.

The right to know is meaningless if its exercise is not met contemporaneously with the information requested  information provided six months, or six weeks, or six days after the fact is not in compliance with the right to know. And politicians and generals and partisan flunkies must not be permitted to frustrate and effectively eviscerate the public's right to know by imposing time limits that the constitutional provision does not, itself, contain.

It didnt take the lieutenant general and the general long to jump into the battle after two unnamed public officials and Ms. Hansen (none of whom, I suspect, have any medical expertise whatsoever) determined that their partisan comrade was being denied horse wormer  a treatment that St. Peters doctors could not legally or ethically provide. Yet, when it comes time to fess up and disclose who the public officials were (who were abusing their power, by the way) and what were the results of the highway patrol officers investigation? Well, folks, thats going to take six months.

In other words, if we delay this long enough, the public will forget that it ever happened. So much for your right to know.

A free and vibrant press provides the only source from which the actions of the public officials can be held to the fire of public scrutiny. Indeed, the public's right to know is only as good as the press diligence in and ability to enforce it.

And, in furtherance of this fact, I want to make two other related points. First, what most people dont know is that the press has been subsidizing and financing the publics right to know for years. Under the law, where a right to know suit is filed and the press wins  which the press almost 100% of the time does  it is up to the presiding judge whether the press is awarded its attorneys fees and cost  which the press almost of 100% of the time never is. The press has over the decades since the time when Article II, Section 9, was adopted has spent literally hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars enforcing the publics right to obtain information to which it is constitutionally entitled, but which is denied by craven politicians and partisans. That law needs to be changed: if the press or a private citizen wins its right to know suit, then the state, the politicians, the parties must, by law, pay the winners attorneys fees and costs. Denial of the publics right to know needs to be expensive to the loser.

Second, the governors office, the generals office and the Legislative spokespersons dont like to answer press inquiries. Indeed, those offices in the new administration simply dont answer their phones when the press calls. And what better way to throw cold water on the publics right to know inquiries: just dont answer your phone. Again, thats just a sophomoric way of telling the public: your right to know is below the dignity and power of us, your elected and canonized public officials, to acknowledge. We will emasculate your right to know by denying its existence, by putting it on hold or a menu of options that never ends. Public servants, contrary to their inflated self-image, werent canonized as saints on being elected. Public officials and public officers  who are paid by taxpayers, by the way  should be courteous and answer their phones. At least they should have the courage to tell the press personally, Sorry, the publics right to know doesnt mean squat in this administration. Sue us if you dont like it.

So General Knudsen, lets just focus on your failures; heres my challenge to you: tell us all who the public officials were who harassed St. Peters doctors and health care providers; disclose the full and complete results of yours and the highway patrols investigation. That includes publishing the actual documents involved. We dont care about the name of your partisan comrade or her family; we dont want HIPPA protected information. The public officials and police officers involved in this dont have privacy interests to be protected. Neither do you, by the way.

Im betting you dont have the guts to honor the requirements of the publics right to know, Article II, Section 9. And that means now, not six months from now.

The balls in your court, general.

James C. Nelson of Helena is a retired Montana Supreme Court justice.

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The video above is live only when court is in session and the judge allows video/audio to be broadcast.

Lee Enterprises will be carrying a live blog of events in the homicide trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, which began with jury selection Nov. 1 and opening statements the following day.

Rittenhouse, 18, shot two people and wounded a third during a night of unrest in Kenosha on Aug. 25, 2020. His attorneys contend he acted in self-defense, while prosecutors have portrayed him as an instigator.

Lee Enterprises/Kenosha News reporter Deneen Smith is reporting from inside the Kenosha County Courthouse, with reporting on this page augmented by remote staff.

More coverage:

Recommended for you

4:45 p.m.: Court done for the day; Antaramian dismissed.

3:45 p.m.: Defense begins asking questions of Antaramian.

Antaramian confirms that during rioting several people were "severely injured." Chirafisi mentions one man who was hit with a cement-filled water bottle and a police officer hit in head with a brick.

Antaramian confirms that Rittenhouse was placed under arrest at about 6 a.m. the morning after the shootings.

Defense asks if Rittenhouse was charged before all information from the shootings had been compiled by police, which Antaramian confirms is true.

Antaramian says he has had search warrants signed by judges that weren't executed, but it's rare.

Antaramian confirms that all the questions investigators had for Grosskreutz were not answered, including regarding Grosskreutz originally saying he had lost his gun when video shows he was still holding it upon being shot.

Grosskreutz never gave police permission to go through his phone, Antaramian says.

Antaramian says he was never able to get a search warrant for Anthony Huber's skateboard because police never learned its location. The location of the skateboard that Huber is shown in video swinging at Rittenhouse is still unknown to authorities.

Antaramian says investigators were unable to locate the pistol Joshua Ziminski, of Caledonia, allegedly fired into the air moments before Rittenhouse shot Joseph Rosenbaum.

Antaramian agrees with question posed by Chirafisi that the "only people" Rittenhouse shot at ran at him.

Prosecution asks if information learned later in investigation would've changed Kenosha officers' decision to charge Rittenhouse. Antaramian says he doesn't think so but can't remember for sure; it's been awhile since Antaramian read the criminal complaint. Prosecution notes that the decision to request charges against Rittenhouse was drafted after video showed Grosskreutz was carrying a gun when he was shot.

Rosenbaum's water bottle comes up again, with defense asking Antaramian if someone carrying an empty water bottle would lead to the officer expecting that person to commit a crime; Antaramian says he would not get that impression. Previously it's been alleged that Rosenbaum's water bottle could've been used to make some sort of weapon, although there isn't evidence of such.

Antaramian testifies on questioning from defense that Rosenbaum had "stippling" on his body, which is what happens when a firearm is fired very close to a person, leaving behind marks (oftentimes burns) on the person who was shot.

Prosecution plays video with audio that includes Rosenbaum in gas station parking lot. Audio is heard of someone saying something to the effect of "Don't point that mother(expletive) gun at me!" moments before Rosenbaum is heard saying "Shoot me (N-word)! Shoot me (N-word)!" at armed individuals. A video taken moments later includes someone yelling "Do not burn my city! I support Black Lives Matter! Burn the police station!"

Pool Report: With Kenosha detective Ben Antaramian on the stand, another detective put on purple latex gloves to pull the AR-style semiautomatic rifle Rittenhouse carried the night of the shooting out of a long white box lying on the floor behind the prosecution table. He held the black firearm aloft for jurors sitting a few feet away, with lead prosecutor Thomas Binger also drawing the jury's attention to a strap on the butt of the weapon.

3:20 p.m.: Court about to return to session. Kenosha Police Detective Ben Antaramian called to the stand.

Antaramian says the KPD was "absolutely" equipped to respond to other 911 calls in Kenosha that were unrelated to the riots during the riots thanks to the response of the National Guard and others. He further says police were able to respond to threats to life, but not to minor things like smashed car windows.

Defense hammers home, via Antaramian's recollection, that no one else was seriously injured or killed the night of Aug. 25 other than those shot by Rittenhouse.

Antaramian and Detective Howard confirmed within hours of the shootings that Rittenhouse was the shooter and that he was 17.

2:57 p.m.: Break

2:48 p.m.: Prosecution ends questioning. Defense begins asking questions, after a laughable moment as Harris tried to step down but is reminded that defense now has a chance to ask questions. "First time," Harris laughs to himself.

When prosecution gets chance to ask questions again, Harris notes that Rittenhouse was with the armed men described as a "militia" but that Rittenhouse was not dressed like the rest of the them. He had a T-shirt on, while others had protective vests and sometimes helmets.

Harris' video show one of the armed individuals yelling at protesters "Want to (expletive) and find out!?" a seeming threat to protesters, which prosecution is using to show antagonism from those Rittenhouse was with. Defense objects. Judge sides with defense, saying "The group isn't on trial. Mr. Rittenhouse is."

2:25 p.m.: Kristan Harris called to the stand. He's the livestreamer who leads Rundown Live and says he's a talk show host.

He is based out of the Milwaukee area. His livestreaming includes some of the most well-circulated clips of rioting in Kenosha last year.

Harris testifies about a conversation he had with Rittenhouse, in which Harris said he tried to tell Rittenhouse that protesters did not see him as a "friendly" as the teenager attested to be.

2:08 p.m.: Kenosha Police Officer Jason Kreuger called to the stand. He is Pep Moretti's partner; the two were in a squad car Rittenhouse walked up to in the hectic moments after the shootings. The two are shown in video/audio telling Rittenhouse to stop walking toward them, and Rittenhouse not following those orders. "We were giving him verbal commands to stay back."

He testifies he didn't hear anything the crowd said about Rittenhouse. "There was a lot of noise ... I didn't hear any specific words being shouted toward me," Kreuger said.

Kreuger says his squad car would not be good defense against rifle rounds, nor would be his vest.

Kreuger says he believed Rittenhouse to be a "threat ... I did not want somebody walking up to my squad car in that scene."

Kreuger says he tried to pepper-spray Rittenhouse as he walked up; he's not sure if the pepper-spray was effective, but that Rittenhouse did leave.

Kreuger says he spoke with prior witness, Richie McGinniss, at the hospital. McGinniss is the Daily Caller reporter who filmed the shooting of Joseph Rosenbaum and then rendered aid to Rosenbaum.

At 2:25 p.m., Kreuger is dismissed.

1:54 p.m.: Heather Williams takes the stand. She works for a state crime laboratory in Milwaukee, a firearms examiner.

She is the first witness to wear a mask as she walked up to the stand, but took it off as she began speaking.

She testifies to the authenticity of the bullets fired by Rittenhouse's AR-15; defense presents no questions. She is dismissed.

1:52 p.m.: Grosskreutz's testimony concludes.

1:48 p.m.: Defense asking questions again.

"You never said a word to him other than approach him with your gun out from three feet away?" Chirafisi says. Grosskreutz replies in the affirmative.

1:28 p.m.: Prosecutors asking questions again.

Video played with voice identified as Grosskreutz's heard saying "We have our own medics, go home," toward armed groups.

Grosskreutz says on the stand that he never made any verbal threats toward Rittenhouse.

Grosskreutz says, upon questioning from defense, that "if" his intent was to shoot Rittenhouse he would not have gotten as close as he did, while Grosskreutz still asserts he did not intend to shoot Rittenhouse.

1:24 p.m.: Court is back in session. Grosskreutz remains on the stand.

Grosskreutz confirms he does not have any "regrets" about that evening. Chirafisi follows up by asking about statements made by Jacob Marshall, Grosskreutz's former roommate.

"Did you tell Mr. Marshall that your only regret" was not "emptying your entire mag" into Rittenhouse, as Marshall allegedly wrote Grosskreutz did in a Facebook comment? Grosskreutz said he never said that.

12:14 p.m.: Break for lunch and also for a legal discussion to be had while jury is out of the courtroom.

With jury out of the room, defense argues they should be allowed to ask Grosskreutz about a Facebook comment made by Grosskreutz's former roommate. Prosecution says the Facebook comment shouldn't be admitted because it is hearsay.

Prosecution indicates it is OK with the line of questioning, but that the jury shouldn't be allowed to see the Facebook comment in question. Defense appears OK with that.

Lunch break begins for all at 12:18 p.m.

11:25 a.m.: Attorney Corey Chirafisi of the defense begins cross-examination.

Chirafisi brings up statement Grosskreutz made to police on Aug. 26, saying at some point during Aug. 25 his Glock fell off his waist. Grosskreutz said he didn't remember making that statement, but confirms it via written statement.

Chirafisi says "That's a lie, no?" regarding the statement the gun fell. Grosskreutz says what he wrote was not a lie. "I told multiple officers that I dropped my firearm," the statement reads, according to Chirafisi.

"You were chasing Mr. Rittenhouse with your gun, right?" Chirafisi asks. Grosskreutz says "I wasn't chasing the defendant."

Chirafisi brings up lawsuit filed by Grosskreutz, seeking $10 million from Kenosha.

Regarding Grosskreutz carrying a firearm, Chirafisi notes "You left that out," which Grosskreutz doesn't deny.

Chirafisi hammers home that Grosskreutz was armed "for protection" even though he didn't have a valid license for concealed carry. Grosskreutz implies he didn't realize his license had lapsed until after Aug. 25.

Chirafisi notes that Grosskreutz is running in same direction as Rittenhouse after Rosenbaum is shot, but Grosskreutz says he was not trying to "chase down" Rittenhouse  an implication Chirafisi is trying to make.

Grosskreutz says he witnessed Jump Kick Man "go over" Rittenhouse but didn't witness any kicks connecting with Rittenhouse's faces.

Grosskreutz originally told police that he told Huber to "stop hitting that guy (Rittenhouse) with the skateboard" but now Grosskreutz says "with the benefit of hindsight" that that statement was "not correct," upon questioning from Chirafisi.

"You omitted the fact (to police) that you ran up on him and had a Glock pistol in your hand?" Chirafisi asks, which Grosskreutz confirms, but notes that he just got out of surgery and "was on pain meds," and the "traumatic experience I had just gone through." Grosskreutz says that the omission was not "purposeful."

Chirafisi then brings up that Grosskreutz had a "thoughtful process" to not share his occupation (out of concerns for safety) and make other statements accurately, but then he somehow didn't mention having a gun.

Grosskreutz said he was advised by his lawyer to not answer questions from police about the shooting itself.

Very grainy video still is shown with Grosskreutz's Glock shown maybe three feet from Rittenhouse with the gun appearing to be pointed at Rittenhouse while Rittenhouse points the AR-15 back at Grosskreutz. Grosskreutz describes the still as "the moment my bicep was vaporized."

"It is vaporized as you are pointing a gun at (Rittenhouse)," Chirafisi responds.

11:17 a.m.: After Aug. 25, Grosskreutz says he feared for his safety due to things people said online and to him in person. Defense objects. Prosecution says it goes to "state of mind" regarding Grosskreutz, who's trustworthiness was brought into question by a police witness regarding how he worked with law enforcement. Judge sides with prosecution, allowing Grosskreutz to continue testifying about "concerns for (his) safety."

"It had been made aware to me that people online were making threats," Grosskreutz says. He says people went outside his place of residence and the homes of his mom, grandma and "an aunt I barely talked to."

Police asked Grosskreutz, via an attorney, to turn over his cell phone for evidence, Grosskreutz testifies. Grosskreutz says that he never refused to turn over evidence to law enforcement.

Grosskreutz says he still has "physical issues" with his arm. "Besides the obvious loss of tissue, muscle doesn't grow back ... Heavier things are harder to life," he said. He can still move his forearm but can't feel most of it, from his right elbow "through his thumb."

On Grosskreutz's arm, he says he has a tattoo that says "Do no harm," a mantra of the medical field.

11:05 a.m.: Back from break.

Grosskreutz speaks about getting into law enforcement vehicle after police responded to his shooting and then being taken to hospital. He said a second tourniquet was put on in police vehicle since he was still bleeding after the first one wasn't applied perfectly by a livestreamer.

Grosskreutz said he was moved from one hospital to another one by ambulance. Then he was taken by Flight for Life to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa. There, he was "brought into the trauma room" and prepped for surgery.

He said he was in hospital for about a week followed by "several months of physical therapy."

10:42 a.m.: Break.

10:00 a.m. (Grosskreutz breaking down his recollection of the shooting of Huber and being shot): After the shootings and talking to Rittenhouse as the teenager ran toward police, "I thought he was an active shooter," Grosskreutz says.

Before the moments around when Anthony Huber shot, Grosskreutz said he had not pulled out his handgun. It was when the group started running after Rittenhouse and there were gunshots that Grosskreutz said he first pulled out his handgun.

Prosecutor asks: "When you pulled your gun out were you intending to use it?" Grosskreutz replies, after a pause. "If I had to."

When asked what was going through his mind, Grosskreutz says "That I was going to die."

An objection is sustained after Grosskreutz says Rittenhouse "murdered" Anthony Huber. Judge explains to jurors that the conclusion of "murder" is up jury. One juror nodded her head in agreement when the judge instructed the jury to disregard Grosskreutz's characterization of the fatal shooting of another protester in terms of murder.

Upon reviewing video of shootings, prosecutor shows Grosskreutz put his hands up as Rittenhouse pointed AR-15 at Grosskreutz, and then Grosskreutz said he witnessed Rittenhouse "reracking" to make it ready to fire.

"So after you raised your hands ... you saw the defendant rerack the weapon?" prosecutor says. Grosskreutz replies says "reracking the weapon means in my mind the defendant pulled the trigger when my hands were in the air." Grosskreutz said he didn't believe Rittenhouse "accepted my surrender."

Grosskreutz says "At that moment, I feel like I had to prevent myself from being killed." He says that's why "I closed the distance between him and I. From there, I don't know." Grosskreutz begins stuttering, saying he "never had the opportunity" to disarm Rittenhouse. "I was never trying to kill the defendant."

When asked why he didn't shoot Rittenhouse when he believed the teenager was an active shooter, Grosskreutz replies "Thats not the kind of person I am. Thats not why I was out there. Thats not why I was out there for 75 days previous (acting as medic at protests). That's not why I had up until that point spent my time, my money, my education" in caring for people in medical career. Of being someone who killed another, that is "definitely not something I would want to become."

While saying Grosskreutz was clearly trying not to cry on the stand. Before that, he had remained composed while watching video of his own shooting and very graphic photos of his injury.

Of the injuries, "I lost a large majority of my right bicep."

Bloody photos of Grosskreutz's injuries are shown in court. Binger warns jury the images are "Graphic."

When a prosecutor played graphic video of Grosskreutz's badly injured arm, with much of his bicep torn away by the gunshot, a few jurors seemed to grimace and look away from large monitors outside the jury box.

At the defense table, Rittenhouse took notes when Grosskreutz spoke about the moment he was shot and thought he was about to die. Rittenhouse otherwise displayed little outward emotion as he glanced up at the footage on a table-top monitor.

9:35 a.m.: Prosecutor Binger asks Grosskreutz if he ever, while working as an EMT, had to respond to someone who was shot. He said he had. When asked to describe the experiences.

Grosskreutz took a long time to respond. "There's a lot of blood," he notes, adding how "traumatic" gunshots are to the human body and often the threat to first responders. "It can be very hectic. It definitely doesn't get easier the more you do it."

He's turning to the jury and addressing them directly when he answers questions  something you usually only see with expert witnesses or cops.

Grosskreutz said he attended many protests after George Floyd was killed. Upon responding to first call for a "Medic!" at a protest, Grosskreutz said he and another medically trained friend said they would start volunteering since there were no organized medical response for protesters.

Binger notes, after an objection from the defense over how many questions he's asking about Grosskreutz being an emergency responder, that he is aiming "to draw a contrast between him and the defendant (Rittenhouse)."

Grosskreutz says that he knew Kenosha well, having brought patients to the hospital there before, and that he knew there was a "propensity for violence" during rioting  factors for why he said he came to Kenosha on Aug. 25. He said "that day was like any other day" for having gone armed in Kenosha on Aug. 25. He said he had a Glock pistol that day but his permit had expired at the time of the riots.

Grosskreutz says of the 10 or so patients he treated that night before being shot, the most dire was a young woman hit by a rubber bullet on the inside of the arm.

A Kenosha News photo of Grosskreutz treating someone injured during protests is shown and submitted into evidence.

Grosskreutz said before he was shot he saw Rittenhouse "offering medical assistance" to someone who appeared to have an injured leg. According to Grosskreutz's testimony, he said he saw someone carried onto a Car Source lot, Rittenhouse offer aid, someone else yell something to the effect of "don't let them treat you" and then that person being carried off the lot without Rittenhouse being able to offer any aid.

Later upon cross-examination, Grosskreutz says he did not render aid either.

Grosskreutz was livestreaming a bit during the night. In one video, Ryan Balch  one of the armed men who was with Rittenhouse  is shown at a boarded-up Car Source as a woman yells at them "Protect your property, not the streets!" and another woman yells obscenities at the armed people. Grosskreutz said he doesn't remember hearing any of the armed men be threatened by Rosenbaum, who Grosskreutz said he didn't know, or others.

Grosskreutz confirms he never met Rittenhouse prior to Aug. 25. Seeing him early on in the night, Grosskreutz said he later realized it was odd that Rittenhouse was wearing latex gloves the whole time  by "proper hygiene protocol" medics should put on new gloves before seeing each patient.

Pool report: As Gaige Grosskreutz walked into court in the morning and sat on a spectator bench, Rittenhouse glanced over his shoulder to look at him several times. Rittenhouse appeared attentive once Grosskreutz took the stand, keeping his eyes on Grosskreutz as he testified.

When asked a question by the lead prosecutors, Grosskreutz turns to his left and looks straight at jurors feet away as he answers.

At the start of the day, the judge asked jurors how many jurors were fans of the Green Bay Packers and how many were Chicago Bears fans. About five of the 18 indicated they supported the Bears, with the judge saying that was "about right" for a city so close to the Wisconsin-Illinois border.

9:26 a.m.: Grosskreutz shares his background in EMT training and working on private ambulance "for a number of years."

9:21 a.m.: Trial is underway once again. First witness to be Gaige Grosskreutz.

Attorneys and judge share a laugh after judge nearly forgot to call in the jury, who were not sequestered over weekend.

9 a.m.: A man who suffered a severe arm injury when he was shot by Kyle Rittenhouse during a night of protests against racial injustice is expected to testify this week as prosecutors near the end of their case in Rittenhouse's murder trial.

Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, who had a gun in his hand as he stepped toward Rittenhouse, was shot in the arm moments after Rittenhouse fatally shot two others in the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Testimony during the first week of Rittenhouse's trial showed bystanders came to Grosskreutz's aid and placed a tourniquet on his arm before loading him into a vehicle that rushed him to a hospital.

Rittenhouse, 18, is charged with shooting Grosskreutz and fatally shooting Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber on Aug. 25, 2020. The one-time police youth cadet from Antioch, Illinois, was 17 when he went to Kenosha with an AR-style rifle and a medical kit in what he said was an effort to safeguard property from the demonstrations that broke out over the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by a white Kenosha police officer.

Rittenhouse is white, as are the three men he shot, but the case has raised polarizing questions about racial justice, policing, firearms and white privilege.

In the first week of Rittenhouse's trial, prosecutors played numerous videos that showed the events of that night from different angles. Jurors heard testimony from people who were with Rittenhouse, as well as from police officers and loved ones of the men who died.

Jason Lackowski, a former Marine who was on the streets of Kenosha carrying his own rifle, testified Friday about Rosenbaum, the first man Rittenhouse shot. Lackowski said Rosenbaum was acting belligerently but did not appear to pose a serious threat.

Lackowski said he considered Rosenbaum a babbling idiot, and turned his back and ignored him. He acknowledged that he didnt see everything that went on between Rittenhouse and Rosenbaum, including their final clash.

Other witnesses testified last week that a hyperaggressive Rosenbaum angrily threatened to kill Rittenhouse that night and that Rosenbaum was gunned down after he chased Rittenhouse and lunged for the his rifle.

Prosecutors have portrayed Rittenhouse as the instigator of the bloodshed as well as an inexperienced teen who misrepresented his age and medical training to others that night. Rittenhouse's lawyer has argued that he acted in self-defense, suggesting among other things that Rittenhouse feared his weapon would be taken and used against him.

The prosecution suffered a potential blow when Rosenbaums fiancee, Kariann Swart, disclosed that he was on medication for bipolar disorder and depression but hadn't filled his prescriptions because the local pharmacy was boarded up due to the unrest  information Rittenhouses lawyers could use in their bid to portray Rosenbaum as the aggressor.

On the day he was killed, Rosenbaum, 36, had been released from a Milwaukee hospital. The jury was told that much, but not why he had been admitted  after a suicide attempt.

Rosenbaums killing has emerged as one of the most crucial moments that night because it set in motion the bloodshed that followed moments later.

Rittenhouse shot and killed Huber, a 26-year-old protester seen on bystander video hitting Rittenhouse with a skateboard. Rittenhouse then wounded Grosskreutz,

Rittenhouse could get life in prison if convicted. The case has stirred furious debate over self-defense, vigilantism, the right to bear arms and the racial unrest that erupted around the U.S. after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and similar cases.

Two jurors were also dismissed last week. One man was dismissed for potential bias after he told a joke about the Blake shooting to a court security officer, and a woman who is pregnant was dismissed after she said she was experiencing some discomfort. Eighteen jurors remain, and 12 will ultimately be picked to deliberate.  Associated Press

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John Durham, the U.S. attorney appointed in 2019 by then Attorney General William Barr to investigate the origins of the FBIs investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, has finally begun to show his hand. It doesnt look good for either the FBI or the Democratic Party.

On Thursday he indicted a former Brookings Institution researcher named Igor Danchenko on five counts of lying to the FBI. Danchenko was the primary source for former British intelligence officer Christopher Steeles infamous dossier, which alleged an elaborate conspiracy between Donald Trumps presidential campaign and the Kremlin. That document set the media and Democratic Party narrative for the first two and a half years of Trumps presidency, and was crucial evidence the FBI submitted to the federal surveillance court in late 2016 to obtain a warrant to monitor a Trump campaign aide.

Its been clear for nearly two years that Steeles dossier was garbage. This is mainly thanks to the work of Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who released a report in 2019 skewering the FBI for its use of the dossier in its warrant applications, concluding that the bureau could not confirm any of its original reporting. The main takeaway from the Horowitz investigation was that the FBI cut corners and gamed the surveillance court.

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Durhams investigation has taken a different approach. His last two indictments suggest that the FBI was not a villain but a victim, conned by Democratic operatives to pursue bogus investigations into the Trump campaign.

In September, Durham indicted Michael Sussman, a lawyer who represented the Clinton campaign in 2016. That indictment alleges that Sussman failed to disclose to the FBI that he was representing the Clinton campaign when he presented evidence alleging that servers for the Trump campaign had unusual communications with servers from the Russian Alfa Bank. Sussman, whose lawyers have denied their client misled the FBI, also shopped the story to journalists.

Durhams lengthy indictment quotes researchers warning that the Alfa Bank story would not withstand public scrutiny. It also says that if Sussman had acknowledged he was working for Clintons campaign, the bureau would have treated his claims with more skepticism. The FBI eventually concluded there was nothing to the Alfa Bank story.

Like Sussman, Danchenko is also charged with hiding his relationship to a prominent Democrat in interviews with the FBI about the dossier.

According to the indictment, Charles Dolan Jr., a senior strategist at KGlobal, was likely the source for several items in the dossier. This undermines one of the central claims in the initial coverage of the dossier  that it was well-sourced Kremlin intelligence from a respected professional. It turns out that much of it was rumor conveyed in part by a Democratic partisan.

Durhams indictment says Danchenkos lies deprived FBI agents and analysts of probative information that would have, among other things, assisted them in evaluating the credibility, reliability, and veracity of the dossier. Again, Durham portrays the FBI as the victims of the Clinton campaigns efforts.

Its a fair point as far as it goes. But FBI agents were able to discern that Steeles information was worthless without the benefit of knowing Danchenkos relationship to Dolan. They reached this conclusion over the course of four interviews with Danchenko in 2017. Nonetheless, much of the media treated Steeles allegations as a credible part of an epic FBI investigation until Special Counsel Robert Mueller announced that he had no evidence of a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia to influence the 2016 election.

In this respect, the real victim of these Democratic Party deceptions was not the FBI, but the American public. Thats why Durhams investigation, now in its third year, remains not only relevant but vital.

Eli Lake is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering national security and foreign policy.

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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  The North Carolina General Assembly completed redistricting maps Thursday for the next decade, carving boundaries that would likely give Republicans at least two more U.S. House seats and help the GOP retain its state legislative majorities.

The House and Senate voted along party lines for districts drawn on the basis of 2020 census figures. Each of the three maps  for the House, the Senate and the congressional delegation  had already passed one chamber by Wednesday.

Democratic Gov. Roy Coopers veto stamp cant block redistricting plans, leaving Democrats and their allies with lawsuits as their remaining tool to fight them. In the 2010s, they successfully challenged GOP maps as illegal partisan and racial gerrymanders  problems they believe exist again now. One lawsuit already has been initiated.

Is it going to come down to litigation being filed? Yes  and what the courts have to say about it, said state Sen. Jay Chaudhuri of Wake County, the Democrats' No. 2 leader. If the maps are upheld, they would get first use for the March 8 primary. Candidate filing begins Dec. 6.
Aoun's office said the president told Zaki that there should be a separation between what the government announces and statements made by individuals, especially if they have no official post Aoun was referring to Kordahi's comments that he made before becoming a minister.

Aoun added that Lebanon is ready to take steps to improve relations with the gulf nations, especially Saudi Arabia, based on mutual respect of sovereignty.

Mikatis office quoted the prime minister as saying that Lebanon wants normal relations to be rerstored with Saudi Arabia and Gulf Arab nations, adding that the Arab League can play a role in that. Mikati also said Lebanon will remove all obstacles to restore the relations, according to his office.

The spat has threatened to destabilize Mikati's government, formed in September after a 13-month deadlock between rival Lebanese groups.

Mikati has urged Kordahi to do what needs to be done  an apparent appeal for him to step down but the minister has so far refused to apologize or resign.
Are you feeling like maybe now is the right time to treat your family to a special experience? If so, here are five resort destinations to consider.
" " This statue of Scotland's hero king, Robert the Bruce, was unveiled in 2011 at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. Diane Macdonald/Getty Images

One of the most famous  fine, infamous  episodes in the biography of Robert the Bruce occurred Feb. 10, 1306, when Robert arranged a meeting with his longtime political rival, John "the Red" Comyn, inside a church. The two men openly despised each other, says Michael Brown, a professor of Scottish history at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. The last time they'd met, Comyn had to be pulled off Robert's throat.

The meeting took place at a moment of high political tension in Scotland following the failure of William Wallace's armed uprising against the English King Edward I, who refused to allow Scotland to crown its own monarch. But that didn't stop people like Robert and Comyn, both leaders of powerful Scottish clans, from hatching schemes and hastily forming alliances to claim the Scottish throne for themselves.

"There's an awful lot of plotting going on in Scotland in 1305 and 1306," says Brown, author of "The Wars of Scotland: 1214-1371."

No one knows exactly what went down inside that church in the town of Dumfries or what kind of deal Robert proposed to his bitter rival, but the negotiations quickly broke down.

"It gets out of hand, the two men draw swords and Robert the Bruce's men are quicker or perhaps better prepared," says Brown. "Comyn and his uncle are cut down."

Whether it was a planned assassination or a crime of passion, Robert murdered Comyn at the church altar, simultaneously breaking the laws of God and man, and turning him into both an outlaw and an outcast.

While that's a wild story, what's even more amazing is that Robert the Bruce, this brazenly ambitious character, mounted a comeback in which he not only became king of Scotland, but won Scottish independence from the hated English. While Robert the Bruce isn't as "pure" a Scottish hero as Wallace, who was immortalized by Mel Gibson in the movie "Braveheart," he's still a legendary figure of Scottish national pride.

" " Isabella MacDuff, Countess of Buchan, crowns Robert the Bruce at Scone in 1306, from a modern tableau at Edinburgh Castle. Wikimedia Commons (CC BY SA 3.0)

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What's the Backstory on Robert the Bruce?

Robert was born July 11, 1274, into the wealthy and politically connected Bruce family. His father's line came from Northern France as part of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, so they all spoke French. His official name would have been Robert VIII de Bruce (as in Robert VIII of the Bruces), and historians like Brown have no idea why it shifted to Robert le Bruce (Robert the Bruce) not long after his death in 1329.

He wasn't the first Bruce to set his sights on the Scottish throne, either. The whole brouhaha with Comyn dated back to a rivalry between Robert's grandfather, nicknamed "the Competitor," and Comyn's uncle, John Balliol. When the Scottish king died without an heir, both Robert's grandfather and Balliol lobbied Edward I with claims to be the next rightful ruler of Scotland, but Balliol prevailed and was crowned king in 1292.

Brown says that Robert and his grandfather's royal ambitions wouldn't have been seen as selfish or power-hungry in their day. Scottish nobles of the medieval period were raised to be fierce competitors whose sole purpose was to increase the clan's landholdings and status.

"You defend and extend what you inherit and pass it on," says Brown. "If an opportunity comes and you don't take it, that shows that you're 'lacking.' Both Bruce and his grandfather are of that same mold. It's something that's built into their job as the head of the family."

As it turned out, Robert's grandfather dodged a bullet. Balliol's rule was short (just four years) and unpopular (the Scots nicknamed him Toom Tabbard or "Empty Coat"). In 1296, a band of Scottish noblemen seized power and aligned with the French. Edward I invaded, stripped Balliol of the throne and decided to rule Scotland as a feudal holding of England.

William Wallace wasn't having it. In 1297, the Scottish rebel launched a guerilla military campaign against English rule in Scotland. In "Braveheart," the movie depicts Robert the Bruce betraying Wallace at the fateful Battle of Falkirk, where the kilted rebel was routed by the English. But Brown says such a meeting likely never happened. What's true is that Robert originally backed Wallace's rebellion before capitulating to Edward I in exchange for keeping his lands.

Wallace famously made no such deal and paid a horrific price for it, with Edward ordering him hung, disemboweled, drawn and quartered, and his head placed on a spike on London Bridge.

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Robert Credited His Comeback to a Spider

That brings us full circle back to the moment when Robert kills Comyn at the church altar. In England, Comyn's murder was decried as an "outrageous sacrilege inhumanly committed against God and the holy Church" and Robert was declared public enemy No. 1.

Instead of laying low, Robert saw this as his moment to cement power. He won absolution from the Bishop of Glasgow and rallied support among Scottish noblemen. (Not all of them, though. Many, says Brown, still saw Robert as a "terrorist.")

On March 26, 1306, just weeks after killing Comyn, Robert the Bruce was crowned king of Scotland in direct repudiation of the authority of Edward I, who didn't take open rebellion lightly. Edward recruited Scottish clans still loyal to Comyn and went after Robert's forces.

During the summer of 1306, Robert's army was handily defeated in a string of battles. Far worse, three of his brothers were captured and brutally killed (hung, drawn and quartered, of course), and Robert's wife and daughter were held prisoner in England.

According to legend, Robert fled to an island off the West Coast of Scotland to hide out for the winter. It was there, in a coastal cave that Robert had a life-changing vision. He saw a spider dangling from a silken thread trying over and over again to weave its web. And each time it fell, it pulled itself up to try once again. Robert vowed that he, too, wouldn't give up until the battle was won.

"Scottish writers intended [the apocryphal spider story] to be seen as a kind of penance," says Brown. "Robert the Bruce had done wrong, broken God's law and had to pay a price. The defeats, the slights, the death of his brothers, the imprisonment of his wife and daughter, are all part of that. Once he's expiated the sins he committed, it's all about Robert not giving up, not capitulating."

" " Historic King's Cave, set in sandstone cliffs near Blackwaterfoot on the Isle of Arran, is one of several locations in which Robert the Bruce is said to have had his famed encounter with a spider. Atw Photography/Getty Images

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Victory at Bannockburn and Independence

Back in the fight, Robert used guerilla tactics to inflict damage on the English forces, but those small victories failed to align all of the Scottish noblemen behind his authority as the true king of Scotland. In 1313, Robert issued an ultimatum  that all of Comyn's loyalists join him or give up their lands, and that the English forces in Scotland surrender.

Edward II, the new (and inept) heir to the English throne, led a massive invasion of Scotland with 25,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry riders, to face down a regular Scottish army of some 6,000 and change.

The turning point came at Bannockburn, an epic battle that quickly became shorthand in Scotland for independence and national honor. Over two days, the undermanned Scots outwitted and outfought the English, and Robert more than proved his mettle as a fierce fighter and inspiring leader of men. Edward II fled back to England and released Robert's wife and daughter in exchange for captured English noblemen.

More importantly, the decisive victory at Bannockburn convinced the last of Comyn's supporters to throw their full weight behind King Robert I of Scotland. The war with the English went on for another 14 years before another English King, Edward III, finally signed the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton in 1328 that granted full independence to Scotland.

Robert the Bruce died just a year later, having achieved everything he sought out to achieve for both his clan and his country. It wasn't always a clean fight, but victory was his.

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Now That's Cool After Robert's death, Sir James Douglas was tasked with delivering the king's heart to the Holy Land, but Douglas was waylaid at a battle against the Moors in Spain. Charging against the enemy, Douglas reportedly threw the heart before him and cried, "Lead on brave heart! I'll follow thee!"




The 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) is held in Shanghai between November 5 and 10, 2021. At the intangible cultural heritage area, the Hunan Yuhua District Intangible Cultural Heritage Hall presents hundreds of handicraft works to showcase folk crafts and history of Huxiang Culture.

At the exhibition area of the hall, there are four special zones, respectively displaying Yuhua-mode of intangible cultural heritage protection; intangible cultural heritage specialties, such as Hunans tea, porcelain, embroidery, and souvenirs; intangible cultural and creative products; and, intangible cultural performances. Some intangible cultural heritage representative items with local characteristics are showcased, including Jiangyong Nvshu (womens script), Baoqing porcelain carving, and Hunan embroidery.

The Yuhua District Intangible Cultural Heritage Hall participates in the expo to promote cultural products, increase the influence of Hunans intangible cultural heritage brands, and show the distinctive handicrafts featuring both traditional Huxiang culture and modern elements to the world. Meanwhile, it will facilitate international purchase of intangible cultural heritage products, and investment and cooperation in related industries. Online and offline channels will be explored to raise the profile of Hunans traditional cultural brands around the world.

Translator: Pang Yuehui
Before the United States expanded beyond the Mississippi River, the land that would become Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee was known as the Southwest. This map shows the Old Natchez Trace passing through Choctaw and Chickasaw lands. NPS Image

Chickasaw Origins

The prophets (hopayi') directed their people to move from the west, so the brothers Chiksa' and Chahta led the tribes to the southeast. When the brothers parted ways, Chiksa' became the leader of the Chickasaw people. They were skilled traders and warriors who descended from ancient mound building societies. During the Woodland and Mississippian periods, the mound builders constructed great earthen temples, large ceremonial complexes, and raised agricultural fields to support their sedentary communities. Many of those earthen work mounds can still be seen today along the Natchez Trace Parkway.

Homelands

The Chickasaw people settled in the thick forests of the areas of what we now call northern Mississippi, western Tennessee, northwestern Alabama, and southwestern Kentucky. They built homes for their families. Poles sunk into the ground supported mud and reed daub walls with thatched roofs. The Chickasaw people nurtured their lands, and ornithologist Alexander Wilson described them as park-like settings. Waterways were plentiful and used for sustenance and travel routes for trade. The American Indians of this area also developed a network of trails (traces) the Old Natchez Trace being a main corridor. The corridor was used heavily for trading from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.The Natchez Trace Parkway, and the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail, commemorate and protect remaining portions of the ancient trail. The old trail was likely originally part of the trails of mastodons, giant bison, and other prehistoric and more modern animals.

European Contact

The richness of the area attracted European explorers who encountered the Chickasaw communities. These first European did not make a good impression. Hernando de Soto led a Spanish expedition through southeastern North America in the 1500s. In the Chickasaw homeland, de Soto and his soldiers camped near the town of Chicaza (thought to have been near the region of modern-day Starkville, MS). The Chickasaw minko (chief) presented the Spaniards with deer skins and supplies. The Spanish then demanded 200 burden bearers (people they could enslave) from the minko to complete their journey. The Chickasaw protected their people by launching a surprise attack on the Spanish soldiers, decimating livestock, and several of their men, forcing them to flee the territory.



Chickasaw communities governed by a democratic process. Minkos (chiefs) led councils of elders. The councils met in council houses and discussed decisions regarding their nation. Along the Parkway you can visit the commemorative site of a Chickasaw Council House at milepost 251.1.



During the early 1700s the Chickasaw warriors allied with European forces, especially with the British. During the 1700 and 1800s, alliances like these were common as they provided some security to the tribes and established broad trade connections. The Chickasaw aided in battles against other American Indian groups and even other European forces. One of the more notable allied battles was the Battle of Ackia in 1736, where the Chickasaw aligned with the British to defeat the French who had enlisted the aid of the Choctaw.



Some European settlers became influential members of the areas where they lived. The Colbert family was important in the relationship between the Chickasaw and United States during the early 1800s. James Logan Colbert, from a Jacobite Scot family, married into the Chickasaw leadership in northwest Alabama. The Chickasaws matrilineal traditions enabled James's children to inherit the status of their Chickasaw mothers. The Colberts were fluent in both English and Chickasaw, which provided opportunities for them to interact with both the US government and the Chickasaw tribes.



George Colbert, also known as Tootemastubbe and his brother Levi (Ittawamba) were principal negotiators between the Chickasaw tribe and the United States.The Colberts owned and operated a large plantation and inn for travelers along the Old Trace in Northwestern Alabama. George ran an important ferry business which provided passage of merchants, travelers, and troops across the mighty Tennessee River. He also owned agricultural land in north Mississippi, and his wife, Selichi, ran a respected inn in what is now Tupelo, MS. George Colbert served under Andrew Jackson during the Creek War of 1813-1814.



The Alabama inn was primarily run by Levi. Levi was determined to see that his tribe was rightfully compensated when they were forced to remove to Oklahoma. He died prior to the relocation of the Chickasaw people. Colbert descendants remain influential in todays Chickasaw Nation.



Visitors to the Natchez Trace Parkway can explore the site of Levis inn and lands at Buzzard Roost Spring at milepost 320.3, and the sites of the plantation and Georges ferry at Colberts Ferry at milepost 327.3.

Removal

With the influx of European colonizers settling in the southern United States, American Indians were displaced from their homelands, sometimes by treaties and political manipulation, and other times by force. These methods of colonization slowly encroached on the homelands of the Chickasaw people. Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal Act of 1830, required the Chickasaw people, along with all the other eastern American Indian tribes, to move to the western territory. If they chose to remain, they were required to abandon their heritage and traditions and be assimilated into the new culture. Chickasaw people who remained were often ostracized by the white settlers.The Chickasaws were the last tribe to withdrawn to Oklahoma Territory. They had learned about the hardships experienced by other tribes. Encamping near Pontotoc, Mississippi, they waited until they could negotiate an apparently suitable relocation process. They also received funds from the sale of their homelands, which in turn they used to pay for their removal. A large Chickasaw congregation left from Memphis, Tennessee, on July 4, 1938. Like other tribes, the Chickasaws were traumatized and lost many people along the way to their territory in Oklahoma.

Modern Chickasaw Nation



Today, the Chickasaw Nation continues to be strong and resolute in preserving its historical connection with North Mississippi and the Natchez Trace Parkway. You can learn about the Chickasaw Nation of the 21st century through the Chickasaw Nation website and enjoy artistic and informative teaching videos at Home | Chickasaw.tv
ACS is supporting the 2022 Australia and New Zealand Women in AI (WAI) Awards as a community partner.

WAI is a global not-for-profit organisation working towards inclusive AI that benefits global society.

The organisation empowers women and minorities to become AI and data experts, innovators and leaders, while encouraging ethical applications and responsible use of artificial intelligence.

The partnership is part of ACS active promotion of public policy and direct action to increase female participation in the technology workforce.

Only 29% of ICT workers are women, and only one in five ICT graduates are women, said Rupert Grayston, Chief Executive Officer, ACS.

Australia needs 60,000 new technology workers every year for the next five years, and we need to access all talent. Its events like these that strengthen our collective resolve to address our industrys imbalances and attract people of all backgrounds.

ACS inclusion programs include school outreach programs encouraging students to embrace technology skills and careers while the National Diversity and Inclusion Council (NDIC) has new corporate guidelines for workplace diversity and inclusion, which ACS is adopting as a pilot program.

Entries for the awards close on 17 December; for further information, or to nominate someone, visit www.womeninai.co/waiawards2022aus-nz.
Newsom spokesperson Erin Mellon said the governor will appear virtually at the U.N. conference next week.

The Governor will participate in a couple events next week focused on global efforts to advance zero emission vehicles and to move beyond oil, she said Thursday.

Newsom submitted some prerecorded remarks to a transit conference earlier this week and his office announced some appointments to state agencies and boards. He also posted a photo on his Instagram account with his wife and four children, aged 5 to 12, dressed as pirates on Halloween.

His Twitter account went dark from Oct. 28 until Tuesday, when he tweeted Election Day support to fellow Democratic Govs. Phil Murphy of New Jersey and Terry McAuliffe of Virginia, who were seeking reelection. As the week went on, Newson's Twitter account was more active.

It's rare, but not unprecedented, for Newsom to go a whole week without some type of appearance. Such absences are usually explained, including when Newsom leaves the state for vacation.
The world has been going through significant changes: facing a global COVID-19 pandemic, researching how the SARS-CoV-2 virus works and then delivering a defense via vaccines to fight back. Similarly, in the world of cybersecurity, we saw many changes in the first half of 2021. A10 Networks (News - Alert) recent report on the H1 2021: The Global State of DDoS Weapons sheds light on potential DDoS weapons and their behavior to ensure DDoS attacks can be mitigated regardless of the country or organization they belong to. The report provides detailed insights into the origins of DDoS activity, how easily and quickly modern malware can hijack IoT devices and convert them into malicious botnets, and what organizations can do to protect against such activities.

As per the report, while DDoS attacks kept growing in size and frequency, attackers particularly focused on low-volume attacks that ran for longer periods of time, frequently injecting attack traffic. These low-volume attacks helped them evade basic defensive measures, but low thresholds still had a significant impact systems and operations. We also saw some positive changes, for example, a large-scale botnet takedown by an international operation across different continents. Organizations began paying a lot more attention to DDoS, raising awareness around the role of malware in DDoS attacks, and providing insights into how systems and operations can be protected from attacks, large or small.

Organizations are paying more attention to infectious malware, like Mozi. In fact, some vigilante groups have even started using DDoS attacks as a defensive measure, attacking systems that exhibit scanning behavior. A10 has seen this behavior exhibited on our own honeypots. While employing DDoS attacks against the very attackers might be considered controversial, it helps ultimately reduce DDoS attacks and the expansion of botnets.

Key Insights from the report:

The total number of DDoS weapons has increased by approximately 2.5 million in the first half of 2021, in line with the last two reports, with a total number of approximately 15 million weapons. This number includes both reflected amplification weapons as well as botnet agents readily available for exploitation by attackers.

SSDP (Simple Service Discovery Protocol), which can be a dangerous and potent DDoS weapon, remained at the top with over 3.2 million potential weapons exposed to the internet. The rest of the weapons remained virtually the same as before, with SNMP, Portmap, TFTP and DNS Resolvers as the top-five. It is important to note that almost all of these weapons experienced a growth in numbers with the exception of DNS Resolvers, which had a reduction of over 300,000 weapons.

China continues to lead in hosting the highest number of potential DDoS weapons (almost 2 million), including both amplification weapons and botnet agents.

The United States remains the second largest source of DDoS weaponry, particularly amplification weapons.

The number of total botnet agents was almost halved, with China hosting 44% of the total number of drones available worldwide.

Mozi, one of the highly prevalent malware in the DDoS world, topped out at over 360,000 unique systems using more than 285,000 unique source IP addresses, likely due to address translation. First identified in 2019, Mozi has been evolving and increasing in size ever since. It can now persist on network devices by infiltrating the devices file system, remaining functional even after the device has been rebooted. The Mozi botnet includes infected bots around the globe with China, India, Russia, Brazil, and Vietnam leading the list of countries and regions.

In conclusion, cybercriminals and cyberattacks have been evolving at a steady pace. With new attacks and new malware variants that come out, we see new layers of sophistication in how IoT and smart devices are weaponized. While these attacks become more prevalent, one thing is quite obvious  they dont go unnoticed. Now is the time to update our defensive strategies by incorporating the Zero Trust model and investing in modern, artificial intelligence/machine learning-based solutions that will not only defeat attacks in real time, but also protect against the unknown.

Edited by Luke Bellos
Lets talk scams is the theme adopted by more than 350 partners across government, private and community organisations who have joined the fight against scams in this years national Scams Awareness Week.

Scam Awareness Week opened on Monday (8 November) and will run until 12 November with the aim of the campaign by the ACCC and iits 350 parters of encouraging open and honest conversations about scams to help people detect, prevent, and avoid scams.

The more we talk about scams, the more awareness we have, and the harder it is for scammers to steal our money or personal information, ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.

There is no need to feel ashamed or embarrassed about being scammed, because it can happen to anyone, but sharing your experiences with others can help disrupt and prevent scams.

Scams can affect anyone, and data from the reports we receive at Scamwatch shows how easy it is to fall for a scam, Rickard said.

The ACCC reports that so far this year, Australians have already lost over $236 million to scams and, while people aged 65 and older still have the highest losses (15.6 per cent) and are losing the most money, an increasing number of reports are coming from younger age groups.

People aged 35 to 44 had the second highest number of reports (15.3 per cent), followed by people aged 25 to 34 (14.4 per cent), which the ACCC says shows scams can impact people of all ages.

According to the ACCC there have been a wide variety of scams in 2021 so far, with scammers continuing to impersonate government agencies, such as the Australian Border Force.

In one scam, scammers pretending to be from the Australian Taxation Office claimed people would receive tax refunds but needed to update their personal and financial details.

The ACCC cautions that the emergence of the flubot malware scam, and the way it continued to evolve into different variants throughout the year shows how quickly scammers can adapt their scams.

Scams are becoming more and more sophisticated, using technology to make their scams even harder to detect, Rickard said.

Scammers adapt and in a moment of inattention, it is unfortunately all too easy for even the most careful person to click on a message or fall for another type of scam. But your experience can help warn others to be even more careful.

This Scams Awareness Week, I want to encourage everyone to have a conversation about scams. Talk to people around you, your friends, family, and colleagues. The more we all know about them and how to avoid them, the less likely scammers will succeed, Rickard concluded.

The ACCC says that if anyone thinks they have been scammed they should contact their bank or financial institution immediately and if you have lost personal information to a scammer and are concerned, you can contact IDCARE(link is external).

And you can also report a scam to Scamwatch, follow on Twitter(link is external) or subscribe to radar alerts.

The ACCC has released statistics which reveal the full extent of scam activity in Australia in the 10 months between the start of January and 17 October this year:

Statistics  1 January to 17 October

There have been 242,000 reports to Scamwatch this year, up 50 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Losses have increased by 87 per cent to $236 million.

Scams originating over the phone have increased by 74 per cent to almost to 126,000 reports.

The highest losses have been reported for investment scams (up 160 per cent to $121 million); dating and romance scams ($39 million); false billing scams ($13 million) and remote access scams ($12 million).

Top scams reported are phishing (59,491); threat-based scams (35,351) and identity theft (19,154).

Indigenous consumers made 3,256 reports with over $3.7 million in losses.

Phishing scams: 546 reports and $1.1 million in losses

Investment scams: 1.22 million in losses from 111 reports.

Consumers with a CALD background made 9,468 reports to Scamwatch with over $28.5 million in losses.

Phishing scams: 1,651 reports and $1.2 million in losses

Investment scams: $11.7 million in losses from 592 reports.

Consumers with disability made 9,477 reports to Scamwatch with almost $14 million in losses.

Phishing scams: 1,922 reports and $102,181 losses

Investment scams: $5.25 million in losses from 356 reports

We know that talking about scams can help prevent them, so were encouraging you to talk to your friends, colleagues and family members about your experiences with scams, the telecommunications industry regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) says.

Scams Awareness Week is a timely reminder that scammers target everyone and no-one is too smart to be scammed. Australians need to be alert to the threat of phone scams, protect their personal information and report scams to Scamwatch.

The ACMA is a proud supporter of Scams Awareness Week, a national campaign for Australian government agencies and businesses to work together to raise public awareness about scams, the ACMA noted.
After Joel ran out of medical supplies, he placed a plastic bag over the chest injury of a fellow soldier to congeal the blood and save the soldiers life.

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His meticulous attention to duty saved a large number of lives and his unselfish, daring example under most adverse conditions was an inspiration to all."

In addition to the Medal of Honor, Joel received the Bronze Star, the Silver Star and the Purple Heart.

Joel died in 1984, and the city named its new coliseum in honor of him and his fellow veterans in 1986.

In 2012, to commemorate Joels 84 birthday, his family shared some of their memorabilia with the public.

One of the people who came to the exhibit was a soldier who was treated by Joel on Nov. 8, 1965. Art Thomas came from his home in Graham to see the display.

He saved my life. The only reason Im standing here today is because of him, Thomas said, his voice cracking with emotion. There was about 80 men out there that day, (and) 48 of them are on the wall in Washington.
Vaccination clinic hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays except Thursday, which is from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday hours normally are 9 a.m. to noon, but the hours for Nov. 20 will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The kids dose is about one-third of the adult version, and is given with smaller needles. These doses are free, as are shots for people ages 12 and older.

Due to the difference in prepping and administering the Pfizer vaccine for 5-11 year-olds, which is a third of the dose used for ages 12 and up, there will be community vaccination events devoted solely to children.

The county health department is conducting a kids 5 to 11 only vaccination event from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Kaleideum North, 400 W. Hanes Mill Road.

Schedule an appointment at Bit.Ly/KaleideumVaccinations. Due to space limitations, there is a limit of one adult per child. Children who receive the vaccine will get free admission for a future visit to Kaleideum.

Forsyth health director Joshua Swift has estimated that about 20,000 of the 35,500 children ages 5 to 11 in the county would get fully vaccinated.

Swift recommends parents have their child get their first dose by mid-November so that they can be fully vaccinated by Christmas

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PORTLAND, Maine  An 83-year-old from Alabama started walking when he retired more than a quarter-century ago  and never stopped.

M.J. Sunny Eberhart strode into the record books Sunday as the oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail.

Eberhart, known by the trail name Nimblewill Nomad, acknowledged that despite having tens of thousands of miles under his belt, the trail was tough going at his age, leading to quite a few spills on slippery rocks.

Ive a got a couple of skid marks on me, but Im OK, he said in a recent interview. Youve got to have an incredible resolve to do this.

He hiked the trail out of order, in sections, to take advantage of optimal weather, and had already completed northern sections including Maines Mount Katahdin. He completed his final section in western Massachusetts, in the town of Dalton, in the same year in which a 5-year-old became among the youngest to complete the feat.

Joining Eberhart for the finish was the former record holder, Dale Greybeard Sanders, who lives outside Memphis, Tenn. He completed the hike at age 82 in 2017. Hes not sad to see the record fall.
LONDON, Ky.  Law enforcement officials in Kentucky say a 16-year-old girl missing from North Carolina has been found after someone noticed her using a distress signal made popular on TikTok.

According to the Laurel County Sheriff's Office, police have charged the driver who had the girl in his car with unlawful imprisonment and possession of material showing a sexual performance by a minor.

Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, the sheriff's office spokesperson, told The Lexington Herald-Leader on Friday that the girl and the driver were acquainted. The girl initially went with the driver willingly, but at some point got scared.

The sheriff's office says the girl's parents reported their daughter missing from Asheville, North Carolina on Tuesday. On Thursday, a separate driver heading south on Interstate 75 called 911 in Laurel County in Kentucky to report that a girl in a silver Toyota car was making distress hand signals he recognized from TikTok as a signal for domestic violence.

Officials say the driver continued following the separate vehicle and giving dispatchers updates. Deputies eventually made a traffic stop to pull over the Toyota. Its driver was later arrested.
Sister may have been right back then, the values of The Greatest Generation still pervasive; but clearly it hasnt held true recently, at least not for 70-odd million of us. Thankfully, it has for 80-odd million of us.

Over the years, Ive put Sisters optimism in perspective. Still, on the occasion when Ive pondered what could tumble our democracy, Ive always imagined it would have to be something of gravitas, something momentous. Never could I have imagined that our great countrys demise could be caused by someone so weightless, so innately hollow and meritoriously trivial.

J. Kevin Bokeno

Boone

School protocols

Don't get me wrong, I personally love our school system and think that I get a good education. But there is something that really bothers me at public school.
One of Lincolns tallest buildings has a new owner.

U.S. Bank, which has owned the 20-story building at 13th and M streets adorned with its name since 1997, confirmed that it sold the building last week.

U.S. Bank spokeswoman Caitlin Hurley said the building was purchased by a joint venture between Crescent Investment Group and MAP Holdings LLC. She did not disclose the price for the building, but real estate transfer documents indicate the price was just short of $6.2 million, well below the building's assessed value of $10.55 million.

Crescent Investment Group, like U.S. Bank, is based in the Minneapolis area. It owns two of the largest office buildings in St. Paul, Minnesota, and also owns an office building in Pittsburgh. MAP Holdings, an asset-management firm, also is based in the Minneapolis area.

Hurley said U.S. Bank has signed a long-term lease to remain in the building, "and we do not expect this to impact our customers or to change the number of our employees who work in the building."
Like livestock producers across the country, Pillen Family Farms suddenly faced not only the challenge of keeping employees on the job without normal revenues, but also the ongoing costs of caring for animals that couldnt be sold (including feed, water, veterinary care, and utility costs), she said in an email.

The Trump administrations support enabled farmers and ranchers to weather the massive market disruptions caused by COVID-19 and continue to produce Americas food supply, and were grateful, she said.

Other candidates seeking the governors seat in 2022 declined to comment on Pillens use of the PPP loans, including GOP contenders Charles Herbster and Brett Lindstrom and Democratic candidate Carol Blood.

Gov. Pete Ricketts said the state had encouraged Nebraskans to apply for the loans if they were eligible.

Every business was doing everything they could do to meet the challenges of the moment, he said. Just like everyone else, the Pillens were entitled to apply for this help. I applaud them for going above and beyond and repaying a large portion of their PPP, even when most of these loans are forgiven.
Susie Buffett, 68, said she is honored to join the board, some of whose members she has known most of her life.

Im looking forward to continuing to learn from my dad for at least another ten years, but the shareholders can be confident that when hes gone, the unique culture will continue, she said. Hes built an amazing company  along with amazing managers  and the board members understand the importance of continuing and preserving what we have.

Lawrence Cunningham, a George Washington University professor who has written books on Buffett and Berkshire, said that while some might be skeptical of another Buffett joining the board, both new directors are naturals.

Most Berkshire shareholders buy into Berkshire culture and want to see it preserved. But Cunningham said that is increasingly a challenge when growing amounts of the stock are owned by index funds or others who see it as just another investment.

When Buffett is gone, it will be up to the board  now including Susie Buffett  to show mettle and ensure that the culture endures, he said.
In addition to previously identified projects and proposals that spread across the state, "the concept of doing a larger reservoir lake between Omaha and Lincoln is on the table now," the speaker said.

But there are lots of questions yet to be answered about the impact of such a lake, he said.

Professional engineering and financial consultants hired by the committee are studying all of that now, Hilgers said.

"We are finding the best ideas to fit the mission," Hilgers said.

"A great idea might not be doable," he noted, due to its environmental impact or potential impact on water supply.

"We are taking the conceptual to the real now," he said.

A number of proposals for a lake between Lincoln and Omaha have been aired during the past 50 years, some of which would do so by constructing a dam on the Platte River and others that would result in flooding Ashland.

Although Hilgers said studies are still underway, a new proposal, if it is pursued, would not follow that pattern.

"Absolutely no impact on Ashland or other areas that are being developed around Ashland," he said.
President Joe Biden commended the government's actions, saying he was making good on his commitment to Russian leader Vladimir Putin that the U.S. would hold cyber criminals accountable.

He said in a statement that the U.S. was bringing the full strength of the federal government to disrupt malicious cyber activity and actors and to bolster resilience at home.

The announcement of the criminal charges came hours after European law enforcement officials revealed the results of a lengthy, 17-nation operation. As part of that operation, Europol said, a total of seven hackers linked to REvil and another ransomware family have been arrested since February, including two last week by Romanian authorities.

The Justice Department has tried multiple ways to address a ransomware scourge that has exploded over the last year with attacks against critical infrastructure and major corporations. Arrests of foreign hackers are significant for the Justice Department, and rare, since many of them operate in the refuge of countries that do not extradite their own citizens to the U.S. for prosecution.

Theres lots of reasons why people travel, and I cant get into the specific reasons why Mr. Vasinskyi traveled, but boy are we glad he did, FBI Director Christopher Wray said Monday.
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RACINE  What killed baby A.H.?

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That is the underlying issue in a homicide trial currently underway in Racine County Circuit Court, where a jury must decide if A.H. died from injuries when he was allegedly shaken by his father, Jeremy Marquez, or whether the baby died from other causes.

The jury was seated on Nov. 1 and have listened to a week of testimony. The trial is to resume today.

Abuse from shaking was referred to as shaken baby syndrome when The Journal Times first reported on this case, but doctors now more commonly refer to it as abusive head trauma.

In some cases where a baby has died of abusive head trauma, there is a pattern of abuse; other bruises and sometimes fractured bones are often found.

In the case of A.H., there were no apparent injuries to suggest someone grabbed the baby and shook him. There were no fingermarks on his tiny body indicative of being held and shaken with force.

The signs of injury are all internal and resulted in bleeding on the brain and on the eyes.

Doctors testified for the prosecution that the internal injuries to A.H. were the classic signs of abusive head trauma.

Referred to as the triad, the three injuries most associated with abusive head trauma are swelling of the brain, subdural hematoma (blood building up on the surface of the brain), and bleeding in the retinas of the eyes.

However, doctors testifying for the defense countered those injuries could stem from a number of causes, which are being considered in light of the absence of a pattern of abuse and the babys underlying health issues.

This case is medically complicated, and its more complicated after medical staff tasked with treating the dying baby made a crucial mistake.

What will the jury do when the scientists themselves have not reached consensus?

Case history

Jeremy Marquez, 27, is charged with reckless homicide for the 2019 death of his 3-month old son, A.H. (The Journal Times is not publishing the name of the deceased child.)

Marquez is accused of shaking his son, causing damage to the babys brain that led to his death. Marquez denied the accusations and maintains his innocence.

Marquez was caring for his son on Feb. 22, 2019 while the babys mother was out for the day.

Shortly before 3 p.m., he called the babys mother to say the infant was not breathing. She called 911.

Officers from the Racine Police Department were dispatched to the duplex where the baby lived with his mother.

At the door, they were met by Marquez, who handed over A.H. The officers began infant CPR until paramedics arrived and took over.

Paramedics intubated the baby but, according to courtroom testimony, the tube was placed incorrectly, so oxygen was actually pushed into his stomach, not his lungs.

The infant underwent 45 minutes of CPR.

A.H. was taken first to Ascension All-Saints Hospital and then transferred to Childrens Hospital of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa.

Two tests confirm A.H. was brain dead. He was kept alive on life support until his organs could be donated.

Interview

Marquez was interviewed by RPD officers almost immediately after the baby was transported. The taped interview was shown to the jury.

In the interview, Marquez described the events that day.

He told police the baby was fussy, hot and sweating so profusely Marquez had to change his clothes. He tried three times to feed the baby, but A.H. kept throwing up his formula.

He told the police he thought something was wrong with the baby, perhaps a stomachache.

A.H. was born with a formula intolerance, and he threw up frequently until his mother found a soy formula he would tolerate. Further, he was recovering from RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and reportedly had a persistent cough.

He was born at a normal weight but on the low end. Due to his struggles with formula intolerance and RSV, he had become underweight over time.

On this particular day, the baby was crying and sucking hard on his pacifier. Marquez put the baby in his infant swing where he finally fell asleep.

While the baby slept, Marquez said he took a shower and did a load of laundry. While he was in the kitchen, he heard noises from the baby, which he described as strongly choking.

He checked on his son. He said the boy was violently throwing up, to the point that formula was coming out of his nose.

Thats when I knew something was wrong, he told officers.

The baby made a noise and Marquez realized he was no longer breathing.

I was freaking out, he said.

After 911 was called, Marquez patted A.H. on the back because he did not know CPR.

In a recorded telephone call that Marquez made from the Racine County Jail, which was played for the jury, he admits he did not tell the police everything, could not immediately remember everything and lied because he was scared. He also said in the recording, What happened, happened. Im not lying.

In a second recorded interview, Marquez was shown being questioned by police after learning his son had died.

He cried throughout the interview, was slumped over and barely audible.

However, Marquez challenged the police when they brought up injuries to A.H.

What injuries? he demanded.

Cause of death

Dr. Jessica Lelinski, an assistant medical examiner with Milwaukee County Medical Examiner, performed the autopsy on A.H.

She told the jury that baby A.H. died from damage to the brain that caused him to stop breathing, which led to cardiac arrest, and the injury to the brain was from intentional trauma.

Dr. Angela Rabbit, who is a child abuse pediatrician, told the jury the retinal hemorrhaging in baby A.H.s eyes was serious.

Both of his eyes were covered in blood, she said.

She explained there are many causes of retinal hemorrhaging, but the pattern on A.H.s eyes was most associated with trauma stemming from rotational forces on the head as seen in abusive head trauma.

Meningitis?

However, the doctors treating baby A.H. also ran a series of tests to determine if the injuries to baby A.H. could have been caused by something else, such an infection.

Rabbit said there was no evidence of meningitis on an MRI nor was the infants white blood cell count indicative of an infection.

However, the defense presented information that the injuries to baby A.H. could equally be explained by meningitis, an infection in the meninges, that results in inflammation of the fluid and membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

Baby A.H. was recovering from RSV, an upper respiratory infection, which could lead to meningitis.

According to court testimony, meningitis could make a baby sick, fussy and feverish. Eventually the baby could have a seizure, lose consciousness and stop breathing  many of the symptoms described by Marquez to the police in the hours after his son was transported to the hospital.

Dr. Evan Matches, a forensic pathologist with NAAG Pathology Labs, testified the testing on baby A.H. at the autopsy was not as thorough as it could have been.

He showed the jury the results of further testing, which showed pus around the brain, spinal cord and the nerves on the spinal cord.

We dont get pus around our brains without a reason, he told the jury.

Matches also explained while an infection could move from upper respiratory to the brain through the bloodstream, it was also possible for the infection to move to the brain through the nasal cavity, and therefore would not show up on a blood test.

However, according to Dr. Rabbit, if the baby had meningitis, he would have been sick in the days leading up to his death.

According to the babys mother, on the day before his death he was his normal, smiling self.

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Vacant building destroyed by fire

RACINE  A vacant apartment building was destroyed by fire late Friday in the 1600 block of Liberty Street.

The Racine Fire Department said the fire was reported shortly before 7 p.m. in a two-story building that once housed four families.

More than 20 firefighters battled the blaze for two hours, but the structure was declared a total loss, with a property value of $68,000, according to the RFD.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Student charged in attack that prompted protests

MADISON  A Madison high school student has been charged with sexually assaulting a girl at a homecoming party, an attack that prompted student protests across Madison and the resignation of the principal at East High School.

The 17-year-old was charged Friday with second-degree sexual assault and strangulation in the Oct. 10 incident.

According to the complaint, the victim, who does not attend East High School, was at a friends homecoming after-party when the suspect allegedly locked her in a bedroom and sexually assaulted her after he and some friends crashed the party.

The suspect was arrested Wednesday, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. He was released on bond Friday.

In the days following the assault, East students staged two walkouts in support of the victim and called for the resignation of East Principal Sean Leavy over his handling of the schools response.

Students at the districts three other main high schools also held protests. Leavy stepped down as principal Oct. 27 and took another job with the district.

East High said Thursday it would work to meet many of the students demands, including an initiative for sexual violence awareness, defining clear protocols for reporting sexual assault, and refining a system to connect survivors with helpful resources.

2 officers shot at Wauwatosa hotel

WAUWATOSA  A shooter wounded two officers as they investigated a report of shots fired inside a Wauwatosa hotel, police said.

The officers responded Saturday night to the Radisson Hotel, Wauwatosa police said in a news release.

Witnesses and guests told the officers that gunshots had come from the second floor, police said.

The officers were shot when they went to investigate.

Both sustained injuries not considered to be life-threatening.

The suspect was arrested but was not immediately identified.

Additional officers performed a sweep of the hotel and no other injuries were reported, police said.

The Milwaukee Area Investigative Team was expected to handle the investigation.

Journal Times staff and Associated Press

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RACINE  Twin Disc, headquartered at 1328 Racine St., reported a 3.4% increase in sales for the first quarter of their fiscal 2022 year.

According to a release last week, sales for the fiscal 2022 first quarter, which ended Sept. 24 of this year, were $47.8 million compared to $46.2 million in the same period last year.

The companys sales growth was due to improving demand within its global oil/gas and industrial/marine markets compared to last year. Foreign currency exchange had a $500,000 positive impact on the same quarters sales as well.

However, the improving market has been partially offset by global supply chain challenges, limiting sales revenue in the same quarter.

Demand across many of our global markets is improving, and I am encouraged by our strong first quarter performance as we worked tirelessly to navigate unprecedented global supply chain issues, John H. Batten, CEO of Twin Disc, said in a statement. We continue to focus on strategies that modernize our global facilities and realign our cost structure.

Batten added the company anticipates on those supply chain issues persisting through the second fiscal quarter before easing through the second half of the overall fiscal year.

By the numbers

According to the release, Twin Disc completed a sale leaseback of its Rolla production facility for net proceeds of $1.9 million; this resulted in a gain of $2.9 million.

The companys restructuring actions at its Belgium operation is expected to complete this fiscal year, and the company anticipates incurring about $1 million of restructuring expenses in its second quarter.

These actions as well as future actions are expected to generate annualized pre-tax savings of approximately $1.6 million, while reducing the capital requirements necessary to operate our business, Batten said.

The companys six-month backlog at Sept. 24 reported $86.1 million, compared to $69.4 million the same time in 2020. It also showed $70.3 million this past June.

The 22.5% increase in our six-month backlog over the past three months is encouraging and supported by improving demand trends across many of our global markets, Batten said.

He continued: The investment cycle in the North America pressure pumping industry has yet to materialize. However, we are optimistic an oil and gas investment cycle will begin in the coming quarter supported by an aging fleet of equipment and higher oil and gas prices.

According to the release, gross profit percent for the fiscal 2022 first quarter was 28.2% compared to 21% in the fiscal 2021 first quarter.

The increase in gross profit margin percentage was due to higher, more profitable sales; the positive outcomes of targeted cost reduction initiatives; and the favorable impact of the Employee Retention Credit, a federal COVID-19 relief program.

The quarter also benefitted from the impact of the NOW subsidy, a COVID-19 program of the Netherlands government.

Overall, I am pleased with the progress we are making to transform our business, Batten said. We ended the quarter with strong rates across many areas of our business and we believe fiscal 2022 will be a good year of profitable growth for Twin Disc.

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SOMERS  Former governor and current UW System President Tommy Thompson was in an especially jovial mood on a recent Thursday afternoon.

Thompson, who made a visit to the UW-Parkside campus Oct. 28 to celebrate the news the school had reached a 70% COVID-19 vaccination rate, spent several minutes with students during a question-and-answer session inside the library.

Sporting a green Parkside polo and gifted teal and green socks as part of the universitys Brats and Socks for Shots campaign, Thompson addressed the students and faculty in attendance on a number of topics.

Thompson said hes always interested in finding ways to improve each of the states 26 campuses.

You have tremendous capabilities (here), he said. I would like to expand the graduate schools to have more students. I would like to have more courses down here. I would like to expand the physical buildings and improve them.

I would also like to see some of the property that we have here going into joint ventures with the university, Thompson said. You have all this beautiful space. We have the opportunity to improve it (through) joint ventures, keep the land and also develop (other ways) so we can get more dollars, more resources, so we can expand this wonderful university to its fullest. Thats my dream.

Thompson stayed with that dream theme when he answered a question from a student about advice he could offer to future graduates.

Graduation is always a time of renewal, he said. Graduation is a time when you look back and say, I did something, I accomplished something, I got educated, I put myself through school.

Its a time of recollection of all the study hours and all the things you have done. But more importantly, now that you have that education, you have that passport for whatever you want to do in life.

Thompson added that advice he often gives when he speaks at graduations is to never settle for anything but what a student wants to achieve.

Had he taken no for an answer, Thompson said he never would have ventured into public office. He is the longest-serving governor in Wisconsin history, serving in that office from January 1987 to February 2001, and is the only person to be elected four times.

Thompson also served as the secretary of Health and Human Services in the cabinet of President George W. Bush.

Dont let anybody ever say you cant do it, Thompson said. And if they say you cant do it, I always tell them, Just get the hell out of my way, and Ill show you I can do it.

I would have never run for public office if I would have listened to all the naysayers. Every time I was going to run for something, I believed in myself. Dont let anybody stand in your way.

Thompson was hired as the UW System president in June of last year  but it took persistence for him to take the job, as he twice turned it down.

But now that hes in that position, Thompson said hes thankful he offered his services.

Im so happy I did, he said. I never expected to be president of the (system). Im happy that I did, because its a great system. We have 167,000 students, we graduate 37,000 students every year, and for the next five years, they stay in Wisconsin, building Wisconsin.

We have 26 campuses, 13 universities, we have 40,000 employees. Were a $6 billion operation. For every dollar we get from the State of Wisconsin, we return 24 dollars. Thats a heck of an investment. We are the best asset next to our people that we have in Wisconsin. I mean that sincerely. I want this university to grow and expand, and I want to give more resources.

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Two California couples gave birth to each others' babies after a mix-up at a fertility clinic and spent months raising children that weren't theirs, according to lawsuit.
WASHINGTON  Republicans are increasingly optimistic about flipping governors offices in key battleground states next year, buoyed by President Joe Bidens sagging approval ratings, Democratic infighting in Congress and better-than-expected results in elections in Virginia and New Jersey.

Democrats were already steeled for tough races, but the upset loss in Virginias governors race and a close win in deeply blue New Jerseys confirmed the difficult conditions ahead. In both places, the party was largely caught off guard by the potency of culture-war debates over schools and struggled to stop voters once turned off by former President Donald Trump from migrating back to Republicans.

Bidens approval is pulling down Democrats everywhere, said Charles Franklin, the pollster at Marquette Law School, which released a survey this week showing Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers' approval rating had slid even more. Theres no question national forces are playing a big role.

Democratic incumbents will be playing defense in much-watched Michigan and Wisconsin, and trying to hold an open seat in Pennsylvania. The three governorships are seen as Democrats best chance to slow the GOPs ascendancy in the Rust Belt. The GOP currently holds the governors office in 27 states, compared with Democrats 23. Thirty-six are up next year nationwide.

Those races are poised to become expensive and intense contests, as voters and political parties have increasingly relied on state leaders to advance  or block  consequential policy. Evers and Democratic Govs. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania have emerged as major national figures, credited with stymieing Republican-controlled legislatures' efforts to add restrictions on voting and to curb precautions during the coronavirus pandemic.

New urgency

Democrats see added urgency in holding the three governorships, in part because of their role in presidential elections. Trump and his backers last year pushed swing-state governors to name electors who would cast votes for Trump in the Electoral College, even though Biden won their states. All refused, but a new crop of more Trump-friendly governors could act differently should the next presidential races results be similarly disputed.

Flipping Michigan and Wisconsin and winning Pennsylvania  Wolf is term-limited and cant run again  would also likely give Republicans a boost heading into 2024 whether that years elections results be ultimately challenged or not.

Having Republican governors in key presidential battlegrounds like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan can be worth a point or two on the presidential ballot, said Phil Cox, former executive director for the Republican Governors Association, who is advising GOP gubernatorial candidates for 2022. Republican governors can be difference makers in 2024.

GOP strategy

Republican strategists say Wisconsin and Michigan are among their best pickup chances next year, along with Kansas  a normally deep-red state where Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly narrowly won a three-way 2018 race. Nevada, Maine and perhaps New Mexico could be within reach, they say.

GOP candidates across the country will likely try to energize conservative parents by denouncing schools adhering to critical race theory, an academic framework about systemic racism that has become a catch-all phrase for teaching about race in U.S. history. Defending parents' rights to push back against school districts' efforts to teach about things like institutional racism helped Republican Glenn Youngkin win the governor's race in Virginia, a state Biden carried by 10 percentage points just last year, and could further resonate in toss-up states.

When youre talking about governors, youre talking about people who are actually in charge of whats going to wind up in our kids schools, said Rick Hess, director of education programs for the conservative American Enterprise Institute. For senators and members of Congress, its a little more difficult. But this is such a gut-level, values-driven conversation, it will absolutely still motivate.

Democrats see opportunity

Democrats, meanwhile, see pickup opportunities in open governorships in Maryland and in Arizona, where Biden last year became just the second Democratic presidential candidate to win since 1948.

Marshall Cohen, the Democratic Governors Associations political director, said the party is also eyeing Ohio and Texas, where former Senate and presidential candidate Beto ORourke is expected to challenge Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

Both parties, meanwhile, are also focused on Georgia, which narrowly went for Biden in 2020 and elected two Democratic senators in January. Incumbent GOP Gov. Brian Kemp faces the potential of a primary challenge from a Trump-backed Republican.

No one knows what the environments going to be like in the fall of 2022, Cohen said. These races are not being held tomorrow.

For now, though, Bidens approval rating has slumped since the early months of his presidency, falling to 48% in an October AP-NORC poll from 59% in July.

National level

That, plus the party being slow to pass its domestic agenda, may be a drag on governors in-state accomplishments. Congress approved a White House-backed $1 trillion infrastructure package late Friday, but it came too late to help the party during elections in Virginia and New Jersey.

Many of the things that we are seeing and hearing about in the Build Back Better infrastructure are things that Democratic governors have already been doing in their states, Wendi Wallace, deputy executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, said, referencing a spending bill endorsed by the White House which has yet to clear Congress. Our in-state efforts are sometimes overshadowed by whats happening in Washington.

Bidens trouble, meanwhile, could increase pressure on Democratic governors facing tough reelection fights to distance themselves from the White House in coming months. Thats mostly not happened, though reactions to Bidens vaccine mandate for all Americans who work at companies of more than 100 employees could offer some hints that schisms are possible.

Swing voters

Polls show that such requirements are popular among Democrats and unpopular among staunch Republicans  but governors races are likely to be decided by independent and swing voters.

In Kansas, Kelly argued that mandates like the Biden administrations vaccine requirements for larger businesses tend not to work." Whitmer and Evers have said little about the policy.

A former Wisconsin state school superintendent, Evers beat two-term Republican Gov. Scott Walker by fewer than 30,000 votes in 2018.

The Marquette Law School poll taken last week showed 45% of respondents approve of Evers performance, a metric weighed down by approval among independents and in line with pessimism among roughly half of registered voters about the direction the state is headed. Still, a majority of registered Wisconsin voters approve of the job Evers has done handling the COVID-19 pandemic, the poll found.

Whitmer won her first term comfortably in 2018 and became a national face of imposing restrictions to slow the pandemics spread last year. But shes softened some in recent months.

Democratic strategist Amy Chapman said Whitmer has long known that, given the backlash she and other Democratic governors have faced over efforts to control the spread of COVID-19, 2022 would be a challenge. Whitmer was the subject of multiple threats and a kidnapping plot foiled by federal authorities.

I dont think there was ever a presumption in Michigan that this was going to be easy, said Chapman, who was Barack Obamas state director in 2008 and a senior adviser in 2012. The governor has known that she really has to be vigilant about this.

Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa.

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State Farm on Monday told USA Today that it's standing by Aaron Rodgers.

We dont support some of the statements that he has made, but we respect his right to have his own personal point of view. We recognize our customers, employees, agents and brand ambassadors come from all walks of life, with differing viewpoints on many issues. Our mission at State Farm is to support safer, stronger communities. To that end, we encourage vaccinations, but respect everyones right to make a choice based on their personal circumstances.

Rodgers last week told The Pat McAfee Show he had sought alternative treatments to COVID-19 vaccination because he is allergic to an ingredient in two of the FDA-approved shots. Rodgers did not say what ingredient he was allergic to, or how he knows he is allergic.

Rodgers has strongly questioned the NFLs COVID-19 protocols, along with any organization forcing health requirements on individuals.

I believe strongly in bodily autonomy and the ability to make choices for your body, not to have to acquiesce to some woke culture or crazed group of individuals who say you have to do something, he said Friday. Health is not a one size fits all for everybody, and for me it involved a lot of study in the offseason.

On Saturday, Green Bay, Wisconsin-based health care organization Prevea Health announced it would be ending a nine-year partnership with Rodgers.

The statement said Prevea Health "remains deeply committed to protecting its patients, staff, providers and communities amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes encouraging and helping all eligible populations to become vaccinated against COVID-19 to prevent the virus from further significantly impacting lives and livelihoods.

The company has primary and specialty health-care services in more than 80 clinic and hospital locations throughout Wisconsin.

Rodgers was the keynote speaker at the American Red Cross Serving Central Illinois Evening of Stars in 2018.

State Farm and I have a long relationship and so I know that they are headquartered here, and its really fun to be back and to be able to have some time to look around and meet some of the people, he said during the event, held in Normal, Illinois.

The COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. were tested in tens of thousands of people and proven to be both safe and effective at dramatically reducing the risk of serious disease and death. The vaccines now have been given to more than 200 million Americans and that real-world use plus extra government safety tracking have made clear that serious side effects are extremely rare  and that any risk is far lower than the risks posed by COVID-19.

Rodgers, who has been tested daily as part of NFL protocols for unvaccinated players, found out he contracted COVID-19 on Wednesday. He cant rejoin the Packers for 10 days and will miss Sundays game at Kansas City. He must have a negative test to return to the team on Nov. 13.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Republican legislators have been discussing some ideas regarding safeguarding the election process.

A cynical reaction during these hyper-political times might have one saying, that in wake of the results from the 2020 election, the legislators are simply looking at ways to try to stem the tide of Democratic turnout in future elections.

A more objective reaction would be to say why not see if there are factors that can be studied and perhaps improved to make sure future elections are conducted fairly.

The ideas are, according to Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, just that  ideas. And the speaker has said that some of them may in fact not be good ones.

The ideas on the table, according to an Oct. 22 article by Patrick Marley in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, include requiring felons to pay all fines before they can have their voting rights restored and requiring the bipartisan state Elections Commission  instead of just the chairperson  sign off on the certification of presidential votes.

But one item mentioned in the article gave us cause to pause: Amending the state constitution to restrict a law that allows people who say they are confined to their homes to vote absentee without first placing a copy of their ID on file with their municipal clerk.

There are legitimate concerns that people may be abusing that provision. According to the article, in 2020 about 215,000 voters called themselves indefinitely confined  a nearly four-fold increase over 2016 when about 57,000 were identified as indefinitely confined.

How does that happen, we wonder. Was it the pandemic? What other factors caused that spike?

Republicans passed legislation this summer that would have required confined voters to produce IDs to get absentee ballots in most cases. But Gov. Tony Evers vetoed the bill.

According to Marley, Vos, R-Rochester, said that one way to address the issue would be to adopt an amendment to the state constitution  a move governors could not block.

But it would take years to accomplish. Amendments must be approved by the Legislature in two consecutive legislative sessions and then by voters in a referendum.

According to the article, Vos also raised the idea of performing random audits after elections to determine whether a sampling of indefinitely confined voters were actually confined.

That, we say, would be a much more preferable approach than the drastic measure of a constitutional amendment.

Barbara Beckert, director of the Milwaukee office of Disability Rights Wisconsin, told Marley that she fears a constitutional amendment could be written in a way that would make it difficult or impossible for some disabled voters to cast ballots.

But Beckert said she is open to audits of indefinitely confined voting, depending on how they are structured.

While we continue to have concerns about the use of unmanned ballot drop boxes, we contend that in most cases and in most municipalities the provisions for absentee and early voting are working well and provide ample time for voters to cast their ballots.

We also believe the voter ID laws that have been in place for over a decade in Wisconsin work well. And we contend it is reasonable for municipal clerks to audit confined voters every 10 years and ask for certification of their condition and to include a copy of their ID when doing that.

We know that there is social service assistance available for people to make consultations with, request assistance from, and provide advocacy to help them vote within the parameters of the law.

In the meantime, we will be watching with interest to see what will be coming from the Republican leadership regarding voting legislation ideas.

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1. Yes. Nonprofit youth organizations are underfunded in the city. Its a good decision.

2. Yes. In conjunction with city-run programs, it will provide needed opportunities.

3. No. The money should be used to benefit all residents, not just the citys youth.

4. No. The funds should be invested in the area where the project is being developed..

5. Unsure. Its hard to say whether its an appropriate use of the money.

Vote

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While offering names for the new Rotary Lights mascot, many readers are also sharing their favorite Rotary Lights memories.

Here are some of their posted memories on the Tribunes entry form at https://go.lacrossetribune.com/rotarymascot. You can offer names and share memories by completing the form. Monday is the deadline for submitting it.
Heres a look at how area members of Congress voted over the previous week.

House vote

Recognizing Indian tribe: The House has passed the Lumbee Recognition Act (H.R. 2758), sponsored by Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., to federally recognize the Lumbee Indian tribe in North Carolina, with associated member eligibility for benefits and the potential formation of a tribal reservation. Butterfield said the Lumbees case for recognition was not in dispute, so it is long past time for Congress to give the Lumbee the respect they deserve and to treat them with the fundamental fairness that has been withheld for so many years. The vote, on Nov. 1, was 357 yeas to 59 nays. Yeas:

Kind D-WI (3rd)

California tribal land: The House has passed the Pala Band of Mission Indians Land Transfer Act (H.R. 1975), sponsored by Rep. Darrell E. Issa, R-Calif., to have 721 acres in San Diego County, Calif., already owned by the Pala Band designated as part of the bands reservation. The vote, on Nov. 2, was 397 yeas to 25 nays. Yeas:

Kind D-WI (3rd)

Arizona tribal land: The House has passed the Old Pascua Community Land Acquisition Act (H.R. 4881), sponsored by Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, D-Ariz. The bill would assign to the Pascua Yaqui Indian tribal reservation certain lands in Pima County, Ariz. The vote, on Nov. 2, was 375 yeas to 45 nays. Yeas:

Kind D-WI (3rd)

Cherokee tribe: The House has passed the Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act (H.R. 2088), sponsored by Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., to add 76 acres of land, including two memorials and one museum, to the Eastern Bands reservation. The vote, on Nov. 2, was 407 yeas to 16 nays. Yeas:

Kind D-WI (3rd)

Small business investment: The House has passed the Investing in Main Street Act (H.R. 4256), sponsored by Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., to increase the amount of money that banks can invest in small business investment companies, which fund small companies. The vote, on Nov. 2, was 413 yeas to 10 nays. Yeas:

Kind D-WI (3rd)

Cuban government: The House has passed a resolution (H. Res. 760), sponsored by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., to call for Cubas government to release arbitrarily detained citizens and stop repressing the citizenry. Schultz said the resolution would send a message to the brave Cubans who are desperately yearning for freedom and legitimate self-governance: The American people are firmly by your side. The vote, on Nov. 3, was 382 yeas to 40 nays. Yeas:

Kind D-WI (3rd)

Diplomacy with Nicaragua: The House has passed the Reinforcing Nicaraguas Adherence to Conditions for Electoral Reform Act (S. 1064), sponsored by Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. The bill would direct U.S. diplomacy to be used to encourage free, fair elections in Nicaragua on Nov. 7 and uphold human rights in the country. The vote, on Nov. 3, was 387 yeas to 35 nays. Yeas:

Kind D-WI (3rd)

Age and job applications: The House has passed the Protect Older Job Applicants Act (H.R. 3992), sponsored by Rep. Sylvia R. Garcia, D-Texas, to bar potential employers from limiting, segregating, or classifying job applicants based on their age. Garcia said some hiring practices might seem age-neutral on their face, but they actually impact job applicants that are older disproportionately. The vote, on Nov. 4, was 224 yeas to 200 nays. Yeas:

Kind D-WI (3rd)

Advanced air mobility: The House has passed the Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act (H.R. 1339), sponsored by Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., to establish an interagency working group in the Transportation Department that will support advanced air mobility, a term that refers to small airplanes with vertical takeoff and landing capacity and electric propulsion. The vote, on Nov. 4, was 383 yeas to 41 nays. Yeas:

Kind D-WI (3rd)

Senate votes

Appeals court judge: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Beth Robinson to serve as a judge on the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Robinson has been a justice on the Vermont Supreme Court since 2011. The vote, on Nov. 1, was 51 yeas to 45 nays. Nays: Johnson R-WI; yeas:

Baldwin D-WI

Second appeals court judge: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Toby J. Heytens to serve as a judge on the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Heytens, Virginias solicitor general since 2018, was previously a law professor at the University of Virginia and lawyer in the U.S. Solicitor Generals Office.The vote, on Nov. 1, was 53 yeas to 43 nays. Nays: Johnson R-WI; yeas:

Baldwin D-WI

Foreign aid official: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Isobel Coleman to be deputy administrator for policy and programming at the U.S. Agency for International Development. Coleman has been a longtime senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a policy ambassador to the United Nations during President Obamas second term. The vote, on Nov. 3, was 59 yeas to 39 nays. Nays: Johnson R-WI; yeas:

Baldwin D-WI

Voting and elections: The Senate has rejected a cloture motion to end debate on a motion to consider the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (S. 4), sponsored by Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt. The bill would change the criteria for federal review of changes to voting procedures by state and local governments by requiring those governments to seek federal preapproval, before making changes, if they are found to have violated voting rights too many times in the past 25 years. The vote, on Nov. 3, was 50 yeas to 49 nays, with a three-fifths majority required to end debate. Nays: Johnson R-WI; yeas:

Baldwin D-WI

EPA general counsel: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Jeffrey Prieto to serve as general counsel for the Environmental Protection Agency. Prieto was the Agriculture Departments general counsel in the Obama administrations second term; currently, he is general counsel for the Los Angeles Community College District. The vote, on Nov. 3, was 54 yeas to 44 nays. Nays: Johnson R-WI; yeas:

Baldwin D-WI

Labor policy: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Rajesh Nayak to serve as assistant secretary for policy at the Labor Department. Nayak, a senior official at the agency during the Obama administration, this year returned to the agency as a senior advisor. The vote, on Nov. 3, was 52 yeas to 45 nays. Nays: Johnson R-WI; yeas:

Baldwin D-WI

Census director: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Robert Santos to serve as director of the U.S. Census Bureau for a term ending at the close of 2026. A supporter, Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., said Santos, currently vice president of the Urban Institute, brings over 40 years of experience in both the public and private sectors as a manager and expert in the field of survey design and statistical research. The vote, on Nov. 4, was 58 yeas to 35 nays. Not voting: Johnson R-WI; yeas:

Baldwin D-WI

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The Zippo lighter was ubiquitous during the Vietnam War, as standard as a pair of boots and an M16 rifle.

And for many, the aluminum, reusable lighters did more than ignite a Camel, Kool, Chesterfield or Marlboro cigarette.

Embossed with names, dates, places, unit numbers and insignias, each tells a story.

One of the many lighters for Eric Oxendorf, who was an aviation electricians mate in the U.S. Navy and served in Vietnam from 1969 to 1971, features the USS Kearsarge. Oxendorf was aboard the Essex-class aircraft carrier for missions in the Gulf of Tonkin for airstrikes and rescue missions, among other places. All told, he served on 13 aircraft carriers, ammunition ships and light cruisers during his four years in the Navy.

One of the things I did was collect a lighter from every ship that I was attached to, Oxendorf, a Milwaukee native, said in an oral history recorded in 2019. I have a box of them and I dont smoke.

And now one of his lighters is part of the great wall of lighters, part of a new exhibit that opened Friday at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum on Capitol Square.

Souvenirs of Service: The Things They Kept, is scheduled to run for at least the next 18 months and chronicles the varied items collected or purchased by Wisconsin veterans during times of war.

The exhibit ranges from the Civil War through Afghanistan and includes scores of photographs taken by service members, German patches, a parka worn by a U.S. Navy chaplain assigned to Antarctica, Iraqi license plates and a Saudi Arabian Pepsi can. Theres a bottle of cognac brought home from Germany during World War I and even a dress made from a silk World War II parachute. The exhibit has only a smattering of the tools of war.

Oftentimes in military history we get lost in the ephemera of war, said Kevin Hampton, the museums curator of history. We get lost in the tanks, the planes and the weaponry and we forget about the people behind it.

The museum, which reopened in July after being shuttered due to COVID-19, has been around since 1901, has 25,000 items in its collection, exhibits on wars, and digital and in-person archives for researchers to tap for history or genealogy work. It hosts special events and educational programs, and has millions of pages of digital and paper records, more than 100,000 photographs, and one of the largest oral history databases in the country.

The exhibit on souvenirs includes about 50 displays but will change over time, said Christopher Kolakowski, the museums director. Some include QR codes that allow visitors to use their smart phones to access audio or video clips about an individual item, while others have circles on the floor that when stood on activate multimedia stories. The exhibit is part of the continuing mission of the museum to better connect veterans with nonveterans from different eras.

Its an ancient human impulse to preserve some memento from something that was important for you or made an impression on you. Every human being does that. Veterans are no different, said Kolakowski, who notes that only about 3% of the museums collection is ever displayed at any one given time. A lot of this really hasnt ever been displayed, but its an opportunity for us to get it out into the public, show some really interesting stuff in the collection and also tell some great stories.

The exhibit begins with a series of what are called cartes de visite, small photographs that during the Civil War were reproduced and shared with family, friends and fellow soldiers. Peter Arndt, of Kenosha, the first assistant surgeon with the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment that was part of the famous Iron Brigade, collected 192 cartes de visite during his time in the war. It includes those from the Confederate Army.

A few feet away is a pair of Sioux buckskin trousers presented as a gift to Lt. Charles King, of Milwaukee, from William Buffalo Bill Cody during the 1876 Great Sioux War.

The dress made from a parachute has a spectacular story.

On Nov. 21, 1944, 1st Lt. Floyd Steiners B-29 was badly damaged over Japan. The Eau Claire native and the rest of his crew eventually bailed out over Japanese-occupied territory in eastern China and were smuggled back to safety by local farmers. Steiner mailed the parachute that saved his life back home to his wife with instructions to make a dress for herself.

The nearly empty of bottle of Remy Martin & Co. cognac is also a good tale, thanks to Reuben Lewis, of Waupaca, who enlisted in the Wisconsin National Guard four months before his 18th birthday. The buglers unit eventually became part of the 32nd Infantry Division, and in 1918 Lewis found himself in Europe. During this time, a fellow member of his company acquired a bottle of cognac that in the years after the war would become the centerpiece of the Last Mans Club. Under the rules set forth by those Lewis served with, the bottle could not be opened until there were just five men remaining.

It was opened, with considerable effort, thanks to a rotten cork that crumbled, in 1986. The moment was captured on video that is included in the exhibit. Lewis died in 1988. About an eighth of the cognac remains in the bottle.

When it comes to lighters in the exhibit, they arent just limited to the Vietnam War era. And one comes with a macabre back story.

Norra Prohaska of Cudahy served with the Wisconsin National Guard in Iraq in 2003 and 2004 and was attached to the 18th MP Brigade and the 89th MP Brigade during Operation Iraqi Freedom. One day, a merchant selling lighters approached her squad. One of the lighters had the New York Citys Twin Towers on it with a plane headed into one of the towers. Osama bin Ladens picture is in one corner of the lighter, and when its opened and flicked, theres an opening that gives the appearance of explosion.

More than 2,700 people died in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in New York.

The merchant, who seemed clueless about the lighters symbolism, was asked to leave by Prohaskas squad leader.

And he left, but its interesting, Prohaska said. I mean, he wasnt aware of what it meant. But he thought for some reason we would want it.

Barry Adams covers regional news for the Wisconsin State Journal. Send him ideas for On Wisconsin at 608-252-6148 or by email at badams@madison.com.

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Recovery? What recovery?

The third-quarter results of 12 publicly held companies with sizable Lancaster County operations showed spotty evidence of a continuing rebound from the pandemic-induced recession of spring 2020.

Eight of the 12 posted weaker bottom lines in the July-through-September period, compared to the third quarter a year earlier. And of those eight, four were in the red.

Commonly cited culprits were difficulty obtaining parts and raw materials, challenges arranging shipping and higher costs for whatever products and transportation they managed to find.

The surveyed companies, which employ more than 7,000 people locally, were selected by LNP | LancasterOnline to represent a cross-section of local economic sectors. Heres a summary of how the 12 performed, based on reports they released over the past four weeks.

The companies that lost money in the third quarter pointedto higher costs or a special circumstance.

Armstrong Flooring fell much farther into the red in the third quarter, with a net loss of $29.7 million ($1.34 a share), compared to a net loss of $11.7 million (53 cents a share) in the 2020 quarter, even though sales climbed 7.6% to $168.5 million.

The Lancaster-based manufacturer blamed higher raw-material costs and shipping expense as well as supply-chain disruptions. These impacts surpassed Armstrongs ability to recoup expenses by raising prices. Bigger spending on salaries, benefits and travel also hurt the bottom line.

Burnham Holdings posted a third quarter net loss of $1.3 million (29 cents a share), compared to a net profit of $1.5 million (33 cents a share) in 2020s third quarter, despite a 9.5% improvement in net sales to $53.3 million.

Burnham blamed the red ink on significantly higher raw material and transportation costs, manufacturing inefficiencies within our manufacturing operations, supply chain disruptions, staffing challenges and higher employee medical costs.

The Lancaster-based maker of boilers and other HVAC products added, Multiple pricing actions have been taken in response to these increased costs.

Donegal Group had a net loss of $6.7 million (22 cents a share), compared to a net profit of $11.8 million (41 cents a share) in 2020s third quarter, despite a 3.4% increase in revenues to $203.1 million.

The Marietta-based insurance holding company pointed to elevated weather-related, large fire and large workers compensation losses. In addition, personal automobile loss frequency returned closer to historical average .

Donegal Group noted that during the 2020 quarter, we experienced lower claim frequency due in large part to pandemic conditions.

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers struggled in the third quarter, posting a net loss of $11.0 million (11 cents a share), down from a net profit of $12.9 million (14 cents a share) in 2020s third quarter. The red ink came despite a 9.0% increase in revenue to $112.5 million.

Creating the red ink was a $33.8 million loss on the early extinguishment of debt. That more than offset several positive indicators in the quarter, said the North Carolina-based firm, which has a center on Lincoln Highway East. These included higher occupancy, strong traffic and tenant sales per square foot.

Three other firms in the survey saw their profits shrink, but they remained clearly profitable.

Armstrong World Industries experienced a down quarter, with net profits declining 5.9% to $50.8 million ($1.06 a share) from $54.0 million ($1.13 a share) in the year-earlier quarter.

Sales, however, were up 18.6% to $292.2 million for the Lancaster-based designer and manufacturer of ceilings and walls, benefiting from the contributions of three firms acquired in 2020 and other factors.

Profits did not keep pace, though, due to higher selling, general and administrative expense, higher manufacturing costs, and increased incentive and deferred compensation costs. Also, the 2020 quarter was boosted by a $7 million gain on the sale of a ceilings plant in China.

Weis Markets saw third-quarter net profits slide 9.0% to $28.5 million ($1.06 a share) from $31.3 million ($1.16 a share) in the year-earlier period. Sales, however, grew 6.1% to $1.06 billion, thanks to a rise in pharmacy revenue.

Sunbury-based Weis, the second-biggest supermarket chain in the county,blamed the dip in profits to higher product and supply-chain costs.

Cereal, snack and frozen-food maker Kellogg Co. saw third-quarter net profits drop 11.8% to $307 million (89 cents a share) from $348 million ($1.01 a share), though sales grew 5.6% to $3.62 billion from $3.43 billion.

Hurting the bottom line was higher mark-to-market accounting expense and bigger income tax expense, offset in part by lower interest expense and smaller selling, general and administrative expense.

The ongoing strike at four Kellogg cereal-making plants, including one on State Road, started after the quarter ended.

Net profits at Hershey Co. slipped slightly in the third quarter, dipping 0.5% to $444.9 million ($2.14 a share) from $447.3 million (also $2.14 a share) in 2020s third quarter. Sales grew 6.3% to $2.36 billion from $2.22 billion.

The nations biggest candymaker said its profits were restrained by 74.2% drop in derivative commodity gains, as well as higher costs for logistics, packaging and labor, and higher selling, marketing and administrative expense. These more than offset the benefit of a lower effective tax rate.

Although sales were up, Hershey indicated it could have had a larger uptick, except for capacity constraints and industry-wide supply chain disruptions (that) resulted in lower retailer and distributor inventory levels.

Hershey owns Twizzlers manufacturer Y&S Candies on Running Pump Road.

The remaining four companies in the survey saw their bottom lines improve.

Fulton Financial saw a strong upswing in third quarter net profits in large part because of a financial U-turn in its provision for loan losses.

The Lancaster-based holding company for Fulton Bank, the countys largest, reported an 18.5% increase in net profits to $73.0 million (45 cents a share) from $61.6 million (38 cents a share) in 2020s third quarter.

A big reason for that was Fultons $600,000 negative provision, due to improvements in the economic conditions, compared to a $7.1 million expense in the year-earlier quarter. That resulted in $171.9 million in net interest income after the provision, up 16.9%, which more than offset a 1.1% dip in total non-interest income, a 3.9% increase in non-interest expense and a 49.7% rise in income tax expense.

Farm and construction equipment giant CNH Industrial landed back in the black in the third quarter, with net profits of $323 million (24 cents a share), reversing a net loss of $942 million (70 cents a share) in the 2020 period. Revenues were $7.97 billion, up 22.8%.

London-based CNH, with its New Holland division here, pointed to its team showing exceptional agility and determination to meet strong demand despite acute supplier issues.

The upturn was broad-based, with farm equipment sales increasing 31.3%, construction sales 34.2% and commercial and specialty vehicle sales 21.4%. CNH also benefited from a $42 million gain on the sale of its stake in Naveco, while the 2020 quarter was depressed by a $190 million loss from the remeasurement of the value of its stake in Nikola.

The parent company of Ephrata National Bank reported a 41.0% surge in third quarter net income, due to a sizable, positive change in its provision for loan losses.

ENB Financial had net profits of $4.1 million (74 cents a share), up from $2.9 million (53 cents a share) in the 2020 quarter, as its provision for loan losses was a $250,000 credit, due to the reversal of a specific allocation assigned to a commercial loan that paid off during the quarter. That credit contrasted with a $1.3 million expense in the 2020 quarter.

ENBs bottom line also benefited from an 11.4% rise in net interest income and a 27.9% upturn in noninterest income (excluding mortgage gains). These improvements more than offset a 10.0% increase in total operating expenses.

Net profits for Donnelley Financial Solutions in the third quarter were $42.2 million ($1.22 a share), six times the $7.1 million (21 cents a share) notched in the 2020 period, which was depressed by $14.4 million in after-tax charges.

Sales improved by 18.2% to $247.7 million, thanks to growth in sales to capital markets and to software solutions customers, partially offset by lower print and distribution volume. The quarter marked the first time that sales of software solutions exceeded sales of print and distribution services.
For more than a century, the Chief Uncas has been plying through the waters of the Susquehanna River, albeit 300-some miles north of Lancaster County.

The Chief Uncas, a 55-foot mahogany electric boat built in 1912, was the pleasure craft owned by Anheuser-Busch co-founder Adolphus Busch. It was used by his family at their summer estate on Otsego Lake near Cooperstown, New York.

In October, the Chief Uncas made its way to Lancaster County, its new home  at least when it's in the water.

The boat was purchased by the Susquehanna National Heritage Area and will be open for tours on the Susquehanna beginning in 2022. The organization has been giving free pontoon boat tours as part of their River Discovery Tours, which take passengers around Lake Clarke on a variety of themed tours that usually last around an hour or so.

But to charge people for the tours, the Susquehanna National Heritage Area wanted something unique to add to the Susquehanna.

Its like owning a museum piece and operating it at the same time, Susquehanna National Heritage Area President Mark Platts said.

Despite the Susquehanna Rivers 444 miles of running water, theres only two other touring boats on the river  The Pride of the Susquehanna, in Harrisburg, and the Hiawatha Paddlewheel Riverboat, in Williamsport.

The boat was designed and built by the Electric Launch Company, later named Elco, in Bayonne, New Jersey. It was delivered to Busch on July 15, 1912.

The boat was converted to a gas engine in the 1950s before being restored back to electric in 2012. It runs on 16 batteries, weighing approximately 160 pounds each, that power two propellers under the back of the boat.

Platts said he fell in love with the boat when he was riding on it at Otsego Lake, shortly after the heritage organization learned about it.

The boat was owned by a fourth-generation descendant of Adolphus Busch, Lou Hager. And once Hager learned what the intentions were for the boats future, he was onboard to sell the boat.

Tours will be given on the boat, varying in topics all related to the river, such as a nature tour, historical tour or Lake Clarke, or an informational tour on bird species on the Susquehanna.

The start-up cost for the Chief Uncas project, which includes buying the boat, totaled about $190,000, Platts said. This includes money to restore the boat, fix problems and getting the project started.

The boats purchase cost was less than half of that price, Platts said.

Donations from Ann. B. Barshinger, of Lancaster, and Doug Hoke and George and Bambi Long, of York, helped fund the project, along with national grant funding by the National Parks Service and other state agencies.

All aboard thats going ashore

Getting Chief Uncas from Cooperstown, New York, to Lancaster proved to be a challenge.

Platts said the process was a meticulously planned endeavor. The drive usually takes about four and a half hours -- hauling the oversized boat and cradle, which in total weighed nearly 17,000 pounds (or 8.5 tons), doubled the travel time.

Now that the boats back in Lancaster County, just miles from where it will launch in 2022, more business needs to be handled.

Since Chief Uncas will be carrying passengers, Platts said the boat has to be approved by the Coast Guard and it must be captained by a Coast Guard-approved captain. Some other safety measures have to be updated, too.

Three things really made the boat appealing to the Susquehanna National Heritage Area, according to Platts -- the rich history of the boat, the fact that its a 109-year-old green electric-powered boat and the fact that the boat has always operated in the Susquehanna River.

Were just so excited to be offering this to our local community and have a really neat experience on our part of the Susquehanna, Platts said.

Where does the boats name come from?

The mahogany-planked boat currently donning the title of Chief Uncas is actually the second Chief Uncas. The first one was only 54-foot long and was gas powered, according to an achieved story from the Freemans Journal, a newspaper in Cooperstown.

The name for the boat derived from a character in James Fenimore Coopers novel, The Last of the Mohicans. Despite Uncas being a historically factual group of 17th-century Native Americans, mostly occupying what is now Connecticut, the boat was named for the fictional Uncas, according to the Susquehanna National Heritage Area. The organization says that this reflects the common appropriation and romanticizing of Indian culture and leaders in early 20th century America.
Fall foliage in Lancaster County will reach its best color this week, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Colors have popped in Lancaster County and much of southeastern Pennsylvania, with much of the region reaching its peak in the week ending Nov. 10, a DCNR graphic shows. Peak colors have already arrived in nearby Berks County.

Fall color enthusiasts can visit Hopewell Furnace or any state park south and east of Reading, or the Wertz Tract near Wernersville to catch beech, sassafras, hickory and maple foliage, DCNR said.

Some long-lived color remains throughout much of the central swath of the state, but is beginning to fade and wont last for more than a few days. Much of northern Pennsylvania and some parts of the southwestern corner of the state are past their peak, with all or nearly all foliage color already gone.
Pennsylvania State police are searching for a Strasburg woman who has been missing for nearly two weeks.

Anna Shreiner, 24, was last seen at an address on Hilltop Road around 5 p.m. on Oct. 27, police said in a news release.

Shreiner, who was reported missing Sunday morning, was described as 5-foot-2, about 180 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. A photograph of Shreiner was not provided by police.

Anyone with information about Shreiners whereabouts is urged to contact state police, Lancaster Station, at 717-299-7650.
BUTLER, Pa. (AP)  U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell took the stand Monday in his contentious custody case and broadly denied allegations by his estranged wife that he had hurt her and their children, a newspaper reported.

Testifying under oath in Butler County court, Parnell said he never choked his estranged wife or pinned her down, as she had accused him of doing, and never struck one of their children in a fit of rage, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Did you ever choke your wife? Parnells attorney asked him.

Never, Parnell responded.

Asked if he ever got physical with his wife, Parnell answered, never, the Inquirer reported.

Monday was the first opportunity for Parnell to testify and for his lawyers to cross examine Laurie Snell after she testified last week that she had endured years of rage and abuse from him, including once being choked until she had to bite him.

Parnell is endorsed by former President Donald Trump in the contested Republican primary after running for Congress last year and narrowly losing in a Pittsburgh-area district.

Parnell gave similarly unequivocal denials Monday to questions about other allegations lodged by Snell, including kicking her out of their car alongside a highway and telling her to go get an abortion.

It just wasnt a good relationship, he said.

Meanwhile, Parnell's lawyers pointed out that a judge had rejected Snell's request for a restraining order in 2018 based on two allegations she made that he had physically harmed their children.

Neither episode ever happened, Parnell testified.

In one, Snell accused Parnell of striking one of their children hard enough through a T-shirt to leave welts. Parnell said it never happened.

In the second, an angry Parnell punched a closet door, sending it flying into another childs face, leaving a bruise, she had testified.

Parnell testified that Snell made up the story and that the child got startled and bumped his own head on the door.

Laurie wasnt even there, Parnell said.

Under cross-examination Monday, Snell acknowledged that she went on vacation with Parnell and their children almost immediately after he allegedly struck the child.

Later, after the closet door episode, Snell asked Parnell if he wanted to watch the children and told him, I know youre a good dad and its important that the kids see you, according to text messages submitted as evidence.

Parnell responded to his estranged wifes testimony last week by releasing a statement insisting he never raised a hand in anger towards my wife or any of our three children and saying he would set the record straight when he testifies.

Pennsylvanias election next year for an open U.S. Senate seat is expected to be among the nations most competitive and help determine control of the chamber.

To underscore his support, Trump and Donald Trump Jr. are headlining a fundraiser for Parnell on Jan. 25 at Trumps Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.

The Parnells have been living apart for at least three years, but have split custody of their children evenly.

Snell is seeking sole custody and testified on Monday that Parnell carried on an affair with another woman while they were married.

Parnells lawyer asked Snell during cross-examination whether Parnell was a good father.

Snell said Parnell is a good dad when hes not angry, the Tribune-Review of Greensburg reported.

Parnell, a decorated former Army Ranger who led a platoon in Afghanistan, has told of being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.

Parnell penned a memoir of his service in Afghanistan, which became a New York Times bestseller. He also has written four action novels, and emerged as a regular guest on Fox News programs before running for Congress last year.

Parnells history with his wife became a subject in the Republican primary campaign, days after Trump endorsed Parnell over several other rivals.
When: Columbia Borough Council meeting, Nov. 4.

What happened: Council members plan to combat illegal fireworks by adding their discharge to a list of activities prohibited by the boroughs noise ordinance. Council may also decide to make pyrotechnics a nuisance.

The plan: Fireworks would remain illegal except for certain holiday periods such as July 4 and New Years Eve, with possible weekends added in if the holiday falls midweek. Borough counsel Evan Gabel presented the proposal to council members.

State law: Pennsylvania began allowing people to purchase consumer fireworks, such as firecrackers, Roman candles and bottle rockets, in 2017. These products must limit explosive material to 50 milligrams. However, state law also prohibits anyone from setting off these same pyrotechnics within 150 feet of an occupied building, whether or not anyone is inside at the time. In addition, those setting off a display must get permission from the property owner.

Quotable: People are obviously not obeying that, Gabel told council members. Police officers or witnesses have to see someone set off fireworks to charge that person. Usually, Gabel said, officers arrive long after those responsible have left the area.

What changes?: Adding fireworks to a list of noise problems or nuisances would allow police to charge people associated with pyrotechnics, such as a property owner where fireworks were lit instead of proving who lit them. The borough also could create fines that increase each time someone is charged. This is something Ive done with a few other municipalities, and its worked pretty well, Gabel said.

Health advisory council: Columbia wants a seat on the new Lancaster County Health Advisory Council, and council directed Borough Manager Mark Stivers to find out how to make that happen. The representative doesnt have to be a council member and could be a health professional.

Background: The county plans to set up an advisory council after it failed to get enough support from area municipalities and school boards to create a county health department. Commissioners have started accepting applications from anyone who lives or works in Lancaster County. The council, which will include nine to 13 members, may only analyze data and offer advice on how to handle public health issues.

Moving money to another account: About $550,000 in federal pandemic funds will move to a newly created bank account so the borough can be transparent about how the money is spent, Borough President Heather Zink said. In addition, council Vice President Sharon Lintner recommended seeking public opinion on how the money should be spent.

Whats next: The borough will hold a council meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9. The meeting will be streamed on the boroughs Facebook page.
CONESTOGA VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT

The Conestoga Valley School District will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 8, in the Harry W. Wirth Administration Center, 2110 Horseshoe Road. Among the agenda items:

 Commentary on district activity: (a) board comments; (b) superintendent comments.

 Action/discussion items: (a) Upper Leacock memorandum of understandinga associated with Leola Elementary School renovation; (b) Leola Elementary School renovation additional services authorization; (c) review of local independent audit (2020-2021)  BBD, LLP; (c) 2022-23 budgetary process; (e) policy review: (1) Policy 610 -bidding of products and services; (2) Policy 611  purchasing; (3) Policy 614  payroll authorization; (4) Policy 616  payment of bills; (f) K-8 ELA curriculum and resource technical assistance; (g) Lifetouch agreement for extracurricular activities; (h) engagement letter for outside scheduler to develop recovery schedule for new middle school.

HEMPFIELD SCHOOL DISTRICT

The Hempfield School Board will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9, in the Performing Arts Center at Hempfield High School, 200 Stanley Ave., Landisville. Among the agenda items:

 COVID-19 update.

LANCASTER CITY COUNCIL

Lancaster City Council will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, in council chambers, City Hall annex, 120 N. Duke St., Marion Street entrance. Among the agenda items:

 Reports of Committee of Council meetings held Nov. 1: (a) Public Safety Committee  Councilor Garcia-Molina; (b) Public Works Committee Councilor Soto; (c) Economic Development Committee  Councilor Arroyo; (d) Finance Committee  Councilor Bakay; (e) Community Planning Committee  Councilor Craig; (6) Personnel Committee  Councilor Diaz.

 Legislative agenda: (a) Nominations for appointment  consider nomination for appointment to the Historical Commission and the Downtown Investment District Authority; (b) ordinances for first reading  Administration Bill No. 23-2021, authorizing a memorandum of understanding with Lancaster Township for the Little Conestoga Creek project

LANCASTER CITY ZONING

Lancaster City Zoning Hearing Board will meet at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10, in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, 120 N, Duke St. Among the agenda items:

 No 21-048: The Airbnb Management Co., 709 N. Duke St., variance to reduce one space by six inches, or in the alternative, variance to eliminate one parking space.

n No. 21-051: St. Anne Catholic Church, 929 N. Duke St., use variance for a commercial studio; special permit for a business office.

 No. 21-053: CHN Construction, 811 N. Prince St., sSpecial permit for wood products.

 No. 21-054: K2 Property Group, LLC, 435 W. Grant St., special permit for a multifamily dwelling.

 No. 21-058: Chris & Jane Horst, 224 Lancaster Ave., variance to exceed 65% total coverage by 10%.

 No. 21-060: Sharoon Bhatti, 527 High St., special permit for parking from front.

 No. 21-061: Kandy Properties, 847 S. Prince St., special permit for multifamily dwelling; variance to reduce side yard setback from seven feet to four feet.

 No. 21-062: Sandra Ramos, 196 Pitney Road, use variance for a 12 child day care.

LANCASTER COUNTY PLANNING

The Lancaster County Planning Commission will meet at 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 8, at 150 N. Queen St., Rooms 102/104. Online at call.lifesizecloud.com/1696302; or call 312-584-2401, code 1696302#. Among the agenda items:

 New planning matters (a) Summary: Dean Seveerson, director for planning services; (b) community planning reviews: (1) No. 11-80, Columbia Borough  rroposed rezoning of approximately 8.74 acres of land located at 430 S. Front St. from Riverfront Commercial and a portion of Conservation to General Industrial, providing for the repeal of inconsistent ordinances, providing that for the severability of the ordinance, and providing that the ordinance shall take effect in accordance with Pennsylvania law; (2) No. 11-81, Columbia Borough  proposed rezoning of approximately 3.27 acres from Light Industrial to Downtown Commercial, providing that for the repeal of inconsistent ordinances, providing that for the severability of the ordinance, and providing that the ordinance shall take effect in accordance with Pennsylvania law; (3) No. 46-151, Mount Joy Township  proposed rezoning of land identified as 611 Campus Road from Industrial District (IN) to Medium-Density Residential District (R-2); (c) subdivision and land development: (1) No. 65-20-1  Sundance Car Wash, Lincoln Highway, East Lampeter Township; (2) No. 70-141-4  Featherton Crossing, Phase 5, Mount Joy Township; (3) No. 76-65-4  Pequea Valley School District new intermediate/high school, Leacock Township; (4) No. 80-161-3  Mister Car Wash, East Lampeter township; (5) No. 82-201-2B  Stonehenge Estates,  Tract 1 Phase II, Manheim Township; (6) No. 86-50-3F, 632 & 662  Integrity Drive, Petersheim Property, Manheim and East Hempfield Townships; (7) No. 05-84-1  Quarry View Shop, East Lampeter Township; (8) No. 06-79-1  Stephen S. and Susie S. Esh, Leacock Township; (9) No. 12-38-1  LSF Ag Group, LLC and BRDR Holdings, LLC, Drumore and Martic townships; (10) No. 15-11-1  Nathan M. Brubaker, Brecknock Township.

 Next scheduled meeting: Monday, Nov. at 2:30 p.m.

LANCASTER TWP. SUPERVISORS

Lancaster Township Supervisors will meet at 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 8, at the township office, 1240 Maple Ave. Among the agenda items:

 Regular meeting: secretarys report, treasurers report, payment of bills, other reports, workshop/department updates.

n Announcements: Monday, Nov. 8  woody waste facility hours change 2-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, Saturday hours remain 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 12, large appliance/tire collection takes place townshipwide on this day only. All tagged items must be curbside the evening of Thursday, Nov. 11; Saturday, Nov. 20  last Saturday for woody waste facility, 8 a.m. 1 p.m.; Wednesday, Nov. 24  last day for woody waste facility, 2-5 p.m.; Thursday, Nov. 25  no trash/recycle recollection with Thursday collection on Friday, Nov. 26; Thursday/Friday Nov. 25-26  township office closed; Monday Dec. 6, 6:30 p.m.  Historical Commission meeting.

 Planning and zoning business: The board will act on the following requests  to acknowledge receipt of time extensions for stormwater management plans for 1234 Wheatland Ave; 340-47472 Wheatland Avenue and 188 Waypoint Dr.; a request to alter an historic resource at 321 President Ave. with renovations and additions.

 New business: The board will act on the following requests: to direct the township manager to advertise Ordinance 2021-04 for the entering into a MOU for the Little Conestoga Creek Blue/Green Corridor Project; to direct the township manager to advertise the 2022 proposed budget for public inspection starting Nov. 15 through Dec. 13.

MANHEIM TWP. COMMISSIONERS

Manheim Township commissioners will meet at 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 8, at the Manheim Township Public Library, 595 Granite Run Drive. Remote access and info: manheimtwp.org. Among the agenda items:

 Public hearings/presentations/appointments: (a) police department monthly report; (b) fire rescue monthly report; (c) Manheim Township Ambulance Association monthly report; (d) 2022 proposed budget presentation.

 New business: (a) Consent agenda: (1) Patriot Towing  preliminary/final land development plan, 117 McKinley Ave., Zoned I-2 & T-6 overlay, extension of time request; (2) Stoner Farm  Final Phase I subdivision/land development plan, Eden Road, zoned R-2, financial security reduction No. 1; (3) Sunset Ridge II, Phase II  final Phase II subdivision and land development plan, Amber Drive and Alexa Drive, zoned R-1, financial security reduction No. 8; (b) resolutions: (1) Resolution 2021-56: establishing holiday leave for 2022-23; (2) Resolution 2021-57: budget amendment  preliminary design component of the Little Conestoga Creek Blue/Green Corridor Project; (c) ordinances: (1) Ordinance 2021-16  property maintenance and rental housing code; (2) Ordinance 2021-18  traffic ordinance (installation of Watch Children signs on HIllcrest Avenue); (3) Ordinance 2021-19  authorizing Manheim Township to enter into a memorandum of understanding regarding The Little Conestoga Creek Blue/Green Corridor Project; (d) motions/decisions: (1) motion  authorizing advertising of the 2022 budget; (2) Grandview Strand  preliminary subdivision and land development plan, 1251 New Holland Pike, zoned B-1, R-3, T-4 & T-1 Overlay, move to table; (3) Parkside Reserve  revised preliminary subdivision and land development plan, Petersburg Road, zoned R-1; (4) motion  bid recommendation for snow removal equipment rental; (5) motion  authorize township solicitor to begin process for arbitration with Lancaster Township regarding the agreement for police services.

 Other business/deliberations: (a) discuss proposed Ordinance 2021-03 amending the authority and responsibilities of the township manager- secretary.

WEST LAMPETER TWP. SUPERVISORS

West Lampeter Township Board of Supervisors will meet at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 8, in-person, in the meeting room of the municipal building, 852 Village Road. Among the agenda items:

 Oath of office administered: Officer Juan Guadalupe-Baez.

 Presentations: Lancaster EMS, Bob May.

 Planning matters: (a) Concept Sketch  Parkside Development; (b) lLetter of credit reduction request, Country Meadows.

 Monthly reports: (a) treasurers report; (b) Public Works Department report  Hollinger Road bridge update; (c) Police Department report; (d) Community Development Department report; (e) township managers report.

 Township administration matters: (a) Approve 2022 meeting dates and holidays; (b) Resolution 16-2021, authorize disposal of certain township records; (c) Groff Farm Invitation to Bid; (d) contract for waste and recyclable material bid.
When: Strasburg Township supervisors meeting, Nov. 1.

What happened: Supervisors heard a contribution request from Bob May, executive director of Lancaster EMS. Supervisors did not take action on the requested increase to $7,794 per year for 2022 and 2023 contributions. The township contributed $2,500 in the 2021 budget. Supervisor Peggy Dearolf was absent.

Why it matters: Strasburg officials are still drafting the 2022 budget. May said EMS services across America are "in crisis" and "in a state of collapse." Lancaster EMS serves 21 municipalities, including Strasburg Township along with Strasburg Borough and the City of Lancaster. In Pennsylvania, EMS services are not considered an essential service like fire and police.

A glimmer of hope: May told the supervisors that insurance companies forward the bill for services onto the patient, which often results in nonpayment. To combat this, there are six EMS authorities in Pennsylvania. Similar to a sewer authority, these organizations have the power to tax and put liens on the property of people who are placed in collections. May said he has been in talks with Northwest EMS Director Scott Kingsboro about creating an authority in Lancaster County, adding that the fruition of it is 3-4 years away.

Calculation: May said he used the 2019 Strasburg Township numbers to calculate the contribution request. The calculation format that he used was the 2019 percentage of total 911 calls in Strasburg Township, which was 1.11% multiplied by $700,000, the total of all requested amounts from the 21 municipalities. In 2019, 6% of Strasburg Township residents used EMS services. He did not use 2020 numbers because volume dipped due to the pandemic.

Retention: May told the supervisors that staffing is a big problem. The pandemic and vaccine mandates have negatively affected retention. May said the vacancy rate of Lancaster EMS is 18%, compared to zero percent five years ago.

Wages: May said the contribution would help improve wage rates. Currently, an EMT at Lancaster EMS makes $15 an hour, which May said is not a livable wage. He is eyeing to increase his EMT salary to $18 an hour. While paramedics currently make $21 an hour, May is eyeing to increase to $25 per hour. By increasing wages, he can compete with FedEx, Sheetz and Amazon.

Investment: May said Lancaster EMS is planning to invest $150,000 to increase wages in addition to the $700,000 requested from all 21 municipalities.

Supervisors comment: Chair Tom Willig said the township should give more to Lancaster EMS. He then said he wants to make sure the EMS station in Strasburg stays in operation. May responded there are no plans to decommission the Strasburg station at 20 Lancaster Ave., even though it is not utilized often. Vice Chairman Mike Weaver said to May, you will get more calls, after noting upcoming population growth from higher-density housing projects coming to the township.

Quotable: Ive been doing this for 40 years, and Ive never seen it this bad, May said. People think we are too vital to fail. We will lose ambulance services if somebody doesnt step up and take responsibility.

Zoning change: Supervisors formally approved a zoning amendment where an R-2 district was created on North Star Road to accommodate higher-density developments. The zoning change affects eight properties on North Star Road. Supervisors advertised the draft ordinance in September.

Whats next: Supervisors will meet at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6 at the township building, 400 Bunker Hill Road, Strasburg.
Im no Katniss Everdeen, but holding a bow and arrow while staring down the target in Lebanon Countys new indoor archery range sure made me feel like her.

Of course, all possibilities of a Hunger Games-esque transformation were dashed to smithereens as my arrow soared and found its mark in between the two targets only 20 yards in front of me.

At Lebanon Indoor Archery on Lehman Street, even a beginner is made to feel like they could potentially work their way up to being the girl on fire or a true archery competitor with enough practice.

Forrest Hoffert transformed much of the nearly 70,000-square-foot building that once housed Sookies Apparel into five separate ranges, complete with an area to shop for archery supplies and repair bows.

Initially, archery was just a hobby for Hoffert when he acquired the building in 2020. It initially served as a storage facility for his other company, H&M Glass, which specializes in glass restoration and repair, shower enclosures and other products.

(Archery) was always a big passion of mine, Hoffert said. Instead of just having it as a hobby, I could turn it into a business.

At first, the facility was only open to H&M Glass employees, but Lebanon Indoor Archery opened to the public June 2.

Lebanon was uncharted territory for an archery range. Aside from a few clubs devoted to the sport, Hoffert said there wasnt anything like this in the county before.

Notching an arrow

Larry Miller, Hofferts longtime friend and the ranges manager, is a certified archery trainer offering 20 years of wisdom to help guide customers as they step onto the range.

While teaching me, an uncoordinated lefty, he offered clear and patient guidance including how far to draw a bow  straight back to the corner of your mouth. And, though he is right-handed, he took one left-handed shot that was far better than all of mine combined.

The more often you do it, the better you get, he said as one of my arrows hit the target for the first time.

Before his job at Indoor Archery, Miller built cars for a living. In his free time, though, he traveled the world competing in target archery. He scored in the top hundred out of 3,000 in the 2019 Vegas Shoot  a prestigious international archery event.

I always wanted to shoot, Miller said, adding that since he started 20 years ago, hes amassed 100 different trophies and medals. I just loved it, couldnt put it down.

Hes been instructing others, including his son, Dakota Miller, and his sons friend, for a decade.

Its a pride thing, I guess, Larry Miller said. I taught them everything they know.

And it paid off. Both boys placed at the top of the Pennsylvania State Archery Association tournament several years in a row, he said.

Room to grow

My target practice took place on the learning range, but the business 18,000-square-foot basement holds four other ranges to satisfy all experience-levels. Similar to the learning range, archers can gain some spot practice at the spot range. In archery, the familiar bullseye targets are called target spots.

Another range offers 3D targets placed at various angles and distances from where archers are stationed to take their shot. At the opposite side of the building, those who prefer more traditional shooting, like with wooden stick bows, can shoot 3D targets at a closer range.

In the larger 3D range, archers can shoot at models of pigs and alligators with a bow and arrow or shoot at square bales specifically made to take the impact of a crossbow that shoots at much faster speeds.

For those looking to get an idea of what itd be like to hunt in an African Safari, or perhaps contend in a zombie apocalypse, the building has a TechnoHUNT video range. The range offers customers different scenarios, from the usual deer or gazelle hunt to warding off the undead. Those renting a bow and arrow, like I did, cannot use this space.

With a variety of ranges and the space available, Miller and Hoffert envision Lebanon Indoor Archery becoming a place where locals can host birthday parties and other events.

Were pretty proud of it, Hoffert said. In a short period of time, we turned (the range) into this. Give us a little more time and well have this place more scenic and more decorative.

Eventually, Hoffert hopes to put together a team sponsored by the range and become regional qualifiers for archery tournaments like those hosted by the International Bowhunting Organization. Additionally, Hoffert plans to expand the archery supply area into the upper level of the building.

For now, Miller and Hoffert are mainly aiming to get more customers in the door.

Everyone who comes in seems to love it, Miller said, adding that several customers have indicated theyll be coming back and bringing company next time. It all sounds good for the future. Im just hoping to get more people in the door a little bit quicker.
ISLAMABAD (AP)  Pakistan said Monday it has lifted a ban on a radical Islamist party behind a violent anti-France protest last month that triggered clashes with police, leaving six officers and four demonstrators dead.

The development follows an agreement reached last week between the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Tehreek-e-Labiak Pakistan that the party would halt its march to Islamabad. The march was called to demand the closure of the French Embassy in the Pakistani capital.

The interior ministry lifted the ban late Sunday. In response, the party on Monday afternoon ended its two-week protest along a highway in the city of Wazirabad, telling demonstrators that TLP's leader Saad Rizvi would soon be released from jail and urging them to return to the city of Lahore to await his release.

TLP was outlawed a year ago amid violent rallies over the publications of caricatures of Islams prophet in France. The party started demanding the expulsion of French envoy in October 2020, when French President Emmanuel Macron tried to defend caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad as freedom of expression.

Macrons comments came after a young Muslim beheaded a French school teacher who had shown caricatures of the prophet 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.

That enraged many Muslims who believe those depictions were blasphemous.

Pakistan's move to lift the ban on TLP drew criticism on social media. The government said the ban was lifted in the larger national interest amid assurances the party would not indulge in violent activities in future.

The protest march on Islamabad, which started Oct. 22, also demanded the release of Rizvi, who was arrested a year ago, as well as thousands of Islamists who were detained in a crackdown to foil Islamists march from the city of Lahore to Islamabad.

Authorities say they last week freed more than 1,000 detained TLP supporters and that a process was underway to release Rizvi.

Rizvis party gained prominence in Pakistans 2018 elections, campaigning on the single issue of defending the countrys blasphemy law, which calls for the death penalty for anyone who insults Islam.

Pakistan's military was to brief lawmakers later Monday on the current security situation in the country.
Early in 1755, Andreas Bausman emigrated from Germany and purchased a large property just west of what is now Lancaster city. That was the year following the start of the French and Indian War. Bausman was pleased to settle in a relatively safe place.

Peace has been declared, and the Indians have been pushed back 300 miles, he wrote. I have bought 317 acres of land for 1,700 Guldens (about $425).

The war continued, but not on Bausmans land. For more than a quarter of a millennium, peace has prevailed on the Bausman tract at the heart of a village that today is known as Bausman in Lancaster Township.

The original farmstead has dwindled to 6 acres and includes several structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

One of those historic buildings is an impressive brick barn that has made news in this newspaper recently as the place where a group of white nationalists and antisemites formed the National Justice Party in August 2020. Charles Bausman, who is descended from the Bausmans who settled here in the 18th century, owns the barn.

Charles Bausman embraces the beliefs of the National Justice Party and other reactionary ideas. He also produces a pro-Kremlin website. He joined the mob that invaded the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

He has admitted that he fled to Russia because he feared he might be charged with a crime. He remains in Russia, his wifes homeland.

Are Bausmans turning over in their graves because one of their descendants allowed a reprehensible political group to form in the bank barn Philip and Mary Bausman built in 1869? It is at least safe to say that the ancestral Bausmans would not approve of the notoriety that suddenly has attached itself to the family homestead.

This may be the most reactionary political party to form here in modern times, but its members are not the areas only high-profile extremists. Paul Gottfried, a professor emeritus of humanities at Elizabethtown College and a columnist for the Lancaster New Era from 20072014, formed the H.L. Mencken Club in Elizabethtown in 2008.

The H.L. Mencken Club embraces white nationalists and the far-right ideology that accompanies them. The Southern Poverty Law Center identifies the H.L. Mencken Club as one of 36 hate groups operating in Pennsylvania. Another is the Committee for Open Debate on the Holocaust, headquartered in York.

Hate knows no boundaries, of course.

The Loyal Knights of the Ku Klux Klan are located all over the state (and much of the nation, for that matter).

Snooze news

On Oct. 20, Kurt Shellenberger, of Lancaster, was surprised to find a brief history of Lancaster Newspapers, a predecessor to LNP Media Group, freshly minted on the Atlas Obscura website.

Atlas Obscura is an American-based online magazine and travel company that catalogs unusual and obscure travel destinations.

The entry does not mention LNPs current situation with foreign ransomware attackers but does go on at length about the bronze Newspaper Reader sculpture at the entrance to Steinman Park on West King Street.

This curious bookworm has been poring over his paper since 1980, when a New Jersey sculptor created him, Atlas Obscura explains. He has been reading the same bronze newspaper for 41 years.

Lancaster has adopted the reader as a sort of local celebrity, suggests the website, and continues: As long as Lancasters newspaper heritage is alive and well, so too will the love for the worlds slowest reader!

Jack Brubaker, retired from the LNP | LancasterOnline staff, writes The Scribbler column every Sunday. He welcomes comments and contributions at scribblerlnp@gmail.com.
THE ISSUE: Its Monday, the day we take a few moments to highlight the good news in Lancaster County and the surrounding region. Some of these items are welcome developments on the economic front or for area neighborhoods. Others are local stories of achievement, perseverance, compassion and creativity that represent welcome points of light in a still-difficult time of the pandemic. All of this news deserves a brighter spotlight.

A couple of news items tied to the value that Lancaster County places on preservation lead this weeks roundup of good things.

Carol and John F. Pyfer Jr. have granted $1 million to the Lancaster Conservancy to boost efforts to rebuild and restore trails at the popular Tucquan Glen and Pyfer nature preserves in Martic Township, LNP | LancasterOnline reported Nov. 1.

John F. Pyfer Jr. was chair of the conservancys board of directors from 2019 until earlier this year, according to the announcement, which notes that the organization was able to acquire more than 1,190 acres during that period, this newspaper wrote. The conservancy preserves natural land by taking ownership of wild spaces to ensure that they will not be developed  a process that relies heavily on donations, either of land or public and private grant dollars.

The funds will help with needed maintenance in the nature preserves and the creation of more sustainable trails, ensuring more people can enjoy their beauty in the long run.

In what we see as appropriate thanks for the generous gift, the Lancaster Conservancy will name one of the trails the Pyfer Trail.

In a different kind of preservation, the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County recently honored seven projects that focus on historic buildings and sites.

The C. Emlen Urban Awards recognize projects that reflect the trust's mission of educating and advocating for the preservation of historic sites and architecture, LNP | LancasterOnline's Erin Negley reported last week. The awards are named after Urban, a renowned architect who modernized the citys landscape.

Negley detailed the seven sites honored:

 The Accelerator, 252 N. Prince St., Lancaster, owned and redeveloped by Henrietta Heisler, won an adaptive reuse award.

 Best Engine Works, 341-349 E. Fulton St., Lancaster, also won an adaptive reuse award (Caldwell, Heckles & Egan; Tippetts/Weaver Architects; and RGS Associates).

 Columbia Market House, 15 S. Third St., Columbia, won the community revitalization award. The project by Columbia borough, CHI St. Joseph Childrens Health and Hammel Associates Architects renovated the market house, which was built in the 1860s.

 Jeremy Simmons won the historical awareness recognition award for preserving and salvaging the farmhouse at 791 Stony Battery Road before its demolition.

 Elizabeth Furnace Campus, 2121 Furnace Hills Pike, Lititz, won the landmark property rehabilitation award. Owner Craig Coleman, James Bubb of BubbDesign and Lynn Scott Paden of Citadel DCA restored the 18th century estate.

 Long Crest-Presbyterian Senior Living, 200 N. West End Ave., Lancaster, won the neighborhood preservation award. Presbyterian Senior Living Housing Management Corp. Wohlsen Construction, Noelker & Hull Associates and RGS Associates remodeled the former Long Home and carriage house to create apartments for seniors.

 And Chestnut Level Presbyterian Church, 1068 Chestnut Level Road, Quarryville, won the preservation award. Chestnut Level Presbyterian Church and Hammel Associates Architects restored and expanded the historic church.

Its wonderful to see all of these locations mix the old with the new and continue to be a thriving part of Lancaster Countys heritage.

In other good things:

 Penn Manor School District announced that the Manor FFA Poultry Evaluation Team placed in the top 10 nationally at the FFA National Convention.

FFA (formerly the Future Farmers of America) is a youth organization preparing members for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology sectors of agriculture.

On Oct. 28 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, "the team of Lizzy Strickler, Jenna Smith, Carly Railing and Molly Gehr  all Penn Manor sophomores  earned a gold ranking and placed ninth out of 37 teams in the National Poultry Evaluation Career Development Event," the school district reported.

The competition involved a written test on poultry management, a team problem-solving activity center on poultry nutrition, the evaluation of live hens and broilers and the grading of eggs based on U.S. Department of Agriculture criteria.

Our hats are off to these Penn Manor students for their fine efforts. Additional applause goes to 2020 Penn Manor graduate Darby Conrad, who received the American Degree  FFA's highest honor  during the national convention.

 Finally, Lampeter-Strasburg School District is preparing for its annual turkey drive, which gives folks an opportunity to brighten some local families spirits at Thanksgiving.

The drive, sponsored by Lampeter-Strasburg/Willow Street Community Churches, will hold its collection at district schools Nov. 15-17 and then allow registered families to pick up meals Nov. 22-23 at Lampeter Church of the Brethren.

Items sought are: canned vegetables, gravy, cranberry sauce and fruit; boxed stuffing; instant mashed potatoes; $25 Weis or Giant gift cards (so recipients can purchase turkey or ham and a dessert). Monetary donations also are accepted so that organizers can ensure there are enough gift cards and food items for each recipient.

Meals must be reserved by Friday. For more information and/or to register, go to bit.ly/LSturkey
Shoppers at CommunityAid on Rohrerstown Road, or any of the organizations five other locations in central Pennsylvania, might consider it just another thrift store where they can find some great gently used items at discount prices.

But theyd be wrong.

We are so much more than a thrift store, says Emily Gorski, director of marketing and community impact.

CommunityAid is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that in turn supports more than 500 nonprofits in central Pennsylvania, including 63 in Lancaster County. Focus areas include community churches, housing, food insecurity, children, mental health, veterans, addiction, re-entry and more.

Since 2009, CommunityAid has donated more than $15 million to those nonprofits.

Our main purpose is to support our nonprofit neighbors, Gorski says. By supporting our other nonprofits were supporting a bigger community in need of assistance.

CommunityAid thrift stores are the main fundraising vehicle to give large grants to those nonprofit partners to advance their missions, she says.

While CommunityAid actively donates to its nonprofit partners year-round, they also have a grant program each year that offers unrestricted funding to award recipients.

We are really proud to be able to provide unrestricted funding, Gorski says. We are flexible in the types of funding requests we receive, whether its direct program costs or overhead.

A nonprofit manned solely by volunteers might use that funding to hire a staff or they may simply use it to keep the lights on, she says.

I have heard stories from smaller nonprofit organizations that the funding that they get from CommunityAid has been literally life-changing.  It gives the green light for these nonprofits to grow in their missions and the work that they do.

Another way CommunityAid helps those in need is through Care Cards that its nonprofit partners can issue to the individuals and families that they serve. The cards allow families in crisis or other financial need to purchase items at a CommunityAid store.

Those individuals can go into our stores and shop for themselves with dignity, Gorski says. It looks like a gift card because we want to make sure the process of getting help is stigma-free.

In 2020, CommunityAid distributed over $200,000 in Care Cards.

So how can you help CommunityAid carry on its mission?

One way is to shop at one of its six thrift stores.

Another way is to place donations in one of the many tan CommunityAid bins located throughout the region. Each bin represents a nonprofit partner organization that receives 4 cents per pound of the items donated in their bin. There are also virtual partners that receive funding based on donations dropped off at one of CommunityAids donation centers.

Shoppers can help even more by rounding up their purchases at the register. Each quarter, that extra change goes to six select nonprofit partners, notes Emily Rohrbaugh, brand manager at CommunityAid.

If you think a few extra cents wont make a big difference, think again. Last quarter, the extra change at all six CommunityAid stores added up to $30,000 for six nonprofits, Rohrbaugh says.

As we approach the holidays, CommunityAid wants the public to know that making purchases at one of its stores is a fun and easy way to help others during this season of giving.

Whether its just going thrifting or choosing CommunityAid for your holiday shopping, you know its going to give back beyond the items you purchase, Gorski says. Beyond just being an awesome place to shop  its really an awesome vehicle to reach so many peoples lives.

CommuntyAids Lancaster store and donation center is located at 31 Rohrerstown Road. Store hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The donation center is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. CommunityAid also has thrift stores in Mechanicsburg, Hanover, York, Harrisburg and Selinsgrove. For more information, visit communityaid.org/impact.
Autumn is a time of personal reflection and brilliant color. The Lancaster Symphony Orchestra will embrace the pensive season of change by inviting audiences to consider what happens when the familiar is reimagined and the future is approached with a new focus. Guest conductor Delta David Gier will lead performances of the November Masterwork series reVision, the second of four music director finalists visiting Lancaster.

The program will feature two works by contemporary Puerto Rican-born composer Roberto Sierra: Sinfonietta for Strings and Sinfonia No. 4. Sierra has a knack for infusing traditional symphonic forms with Latin color, rhythm, and inspiration. This is not your great-great-grandparents classical music. The first movement of his Sinfonietta loosely follows a traditional structure used in western classical music  sonata-allegro form. However, from the start, salsa rhythms collide with Caribbean rhythms and melodies. The second movement evokes the Puerto Rican danza, a very popular piano genre during the nineteenth century, Sierra explains. A very quick scherzo-like movement follows. . .The work closes as it started, with the propulsion of Caribbean infused rhythms.

In his Sinfonia No. 4, Sierra reimagines a classic German symphony. The conventional pattern of two competing melodies which are developed and restated is nowhere to be found. Instead, themes are introduced and reimagined immediately, gradually building layers of sound. Sierra notes that a fragment of a melody heard at the fringes of the first movement becomes the core of the second movement. The concept of memory has become an important aspect of my recent work, Sierra states. The third movement, a bolero, includes contrasts of fast music occurring within slow passages and vice versa. In the final movement, structure devours structure. . . At the end, the process becomes one not of transformation but of transcreation; a term which describes the process of adapting a message from one language to another, while maintaining its intent, style, tone, and content.

Sierra was born in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, and studied at the National Conservatory in San Juan, the Royal College of Music in London, the Musikhochschule in Hamburg, Germany, and several other prestigious institutions. He has received several honors and awards including the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Music (2003), election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2010), and the Tomas Luis de Victoria Prize 2017, Spains highest honor to a Spanish or Latin-American composer.

Sierras works of reimagining pair well with Sergei Rachmaninoffs vast and romantic Second Symphony. The premiere and reception of his First Symphony in 1897 were, in a word, disastrous. While the material was harshly criticized (one reviewer said it Would have brought ecstasy to the inhabitants of hell.), it certainly wasnt helped by the allegedly intoxicated conductor leading the orchestra. Rachmaninoff fell into a deep, three-year depression, writing no new music during that time and eventually seeking treatment through hypnotherapy. Nine years later, the refocused composer shook off his demons in a classic comeback, his Second Symphony.

Performances of reVision will take place on Friday, November 12 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, November 13 at 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm at First Presbyterian Church of Lancaster. Preceding the weekend performances, the Symphony will present its second LSO Neighborhood Series, Inside Look with Composer Roberto Sierra, on Thursday, November 11 at 7:00 pm. This free/pay-what-you-can performance will include selections from the reVision concert with commentary by Roberto Sierra and Delta David Gier. This relaxed, hour-long concert will allow the community to connect more deeply with the music, its creators, and each other. The Neighborhood Series is general admission: tickets are not required, and availability is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

For the dreamers, the inventors, the romantics, the overcomers, this concert is not to be missed.

Tickets and additional information about the LSOs 75th anniversary season can be found at lancastersymphony.org or by calling the LSO office at (717) 291-6440.
Like livestock producers across the country, Pillen Family Farms suddenly faced not only the challenge of keeping employees on the job without normal revenues, but also the ongoing costs of caring for animals that couldnt be sold (including feed, water, veterinary care, and utility costs), she said in an email.

The Trump administrations support enabled farmers and ranchers to weather the massive market disruptions caused by COVID-19 and continue to produce Americas food supply, and were grateful, she said.

Other candidates seeking the governors seat in 2022 declined to comment on Pillens use of the PPP loans, including GOP contenders Charles Herbster and Brett Lindstrom and Democratic candidate Carol Blood.

Gov. Pete Ricketts said the state had encouraged Nebraskans to apply for the loans if they were eligible.

Every business was doing everything they could do to meet the challenges of the moment, he said. Just like everyone else, the Pillens were entitled to apply for this help. I applaud them for going above and beyond and repaying a large portion of their PPP, even when most of these loans are forgiven.

No PPP loans were found for Nebraska-based entities tied to other announced gubernatorial candidates, to potential candidates Theresa Thibodeau and former Gov. Dave Heineman, or to Ricketts.
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"He seemed like a young and impressionable kid," Balch said. "He seemed a little under-equipped and under-experienced as well, which is one of the reasons we kind of stayed with him." Balch did not say why he felt Rittenhouse was under-equipped.

Balch said he kept an eye on Rittenhouse throughout the evening, protecting him as Rittenhouse walked around shouting that he was a medic and could help anyone who was injured. Balch recounted one protester insulting Rittenhouse with profanity and Rittenhouse yelling back "I love you, too, ma'am." Balch said he told him not to respond because it would only antagonize the crowd further.

"That's when I told him, 'hey, don't say that,'" Balch testified. "It can cause somebody to escalate the situation if they feel like you're making fun of them a little bit. So, just wasn't needed."

Former Marine Jason Lackowski testified Friday that he also traveled to Kenosha armed with a semi-automatic rifle and a knife to protect businesses.

He said Rittenhouse introduced himself and said he was an emergency medical technician. Rittenhouse didn't say how old he was, but Lackowski testified that he thought Rittenhouse was at least 18 because minors can't possess firearms in Wisconsin and he thought a person had to be 18 to get an EMT license.
Rittenhouse is white, as are the three men he shot, but the case has raised polarizing questions about racial justice, policing, firearms and white privilege.

In the first week of Rittenhouse's trial, prosecutors played numerous videos that showed the events of that night from different angles. Jurors heard testimony from people who were with Rittenhouse, as well as from police officers and loved ones of the men who died.

Jason Lackowski, a former Marine who was on the streets of Kenosha carrying his own rifle, testified Friday about Rosenbaum, the first man Rittenhouse shot. Lackowski said Rosenbaum was acting belligerently but did not appear to pose a serious threat.

Lackowski said he considered Rosenbaum a babbling idiot, and turned his back and ignored him. He acknowledged that he didnt see everything that went on between Rittenhouse and Rosenbaum, including their final clash.

Other witnesses testified last week that a hyperaggressive Rosenbaum angrily threatened to kill Rittenhouse that night and that Rosenbaum was gunned down after he chased Rittenhouse and lunged for the his rifle.
Students: We want to help you help someone else in need during the holidays. But we need to hear from you soon!

The deadline for our annual Helping Hands program is Nov. 15. As it does each year, the Wisconsin State Journal is inviting children and teens to write or email a brief letter about someone in their community who could use a helping hand during the winter holidays. Readers ages 18 and younger are asked to explain what they would do if they had $200 to help someone else.

Helping Hands coordinators will choose some of these letters and help carry out the writers plans to aid a classmate, friend, neighbor or community member. Letters are carefully screened to make sure these gifts are being sent to people who are among those who need them the most. The selected entries, edited for length and to avoid identifying recipients, will be published in the State Journal in December.

Here is how to submit a letter to Helping Hands:

Email it to helpinghands@madison.com, or mail it to: Helping Hands, Attn: Gayle Worland, Wisconsin State Journal, P.O. Box 8058, Madison, WI 53708. Families, classes or other groups may submit entries individually or in a single envelope.
The walls dont last forever.

When enough sand in front of a seawall washes away, the wall will fall forward or otherwise fail, Meadows added. Aerial maps of Lake Michigan show bands of sunken structures once built to protect the shoreline. Now beneath the water, they lurk as hazards to people and wildlife.

Richard Norton has noticed that shoreline residents get stuck on one concept as he urges them to consider lake levels in their planning: The lakefront properties they own today will look much different in 30 years.

In order for the beach to stay the same, it has to be able to change. It has to be able to move and shift and grow and decrease over time as lake levels go up and down as conditions change, said Norton, a professor at the University of Michigans Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. Thats the paradox of beach dynamics.

Armoring the shoreline attempts to pin to a precise location, disrupting sands natural movement and possibly losing beach, he said.

You can save the beach or you can save the beachhouse. You cant save both, Norton said. Part of the message that I give to local officials is you have more authority to act through your zoning than what you may think you do, Norton said.
But elections officials were also contending with a bitterly divided state government that failed to enact any laws that might have guided them in their work.

State law can appear contradictory, on the one hand requiring voters to provide specific information for their ballots to be counted, and on the other deeming that elections-related requirements should be construed to give effect to the will of electors, even when full compliance with some statutory provisions does not occur, as the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau put it in a Oct. 22 audit that found no widespread fraud or abuse that might have affected the outcome of the election.

Based on guidance from the Elections Commission, local elections officials were, for example, told to try to fill in missing address information for absentee ballot witnesses using reliable information, such as personal knowledge, voter registration information, or a telephone call with a voter or witness, according to the LAB.

Missing signatures or other errors also required clerks to require the individuals who cast the ballots or the witnesses to resolve these issues, the LAB reported.

Want to steal an election in Wisconsin? It's harder than you think The state has multiple, overlapping safeguards aimed at preventing ineligible voters from casting ballots, tampering with the ballots or altering vote totals.

Corrections made

As a result, nearly as common as errors were errors corrected, either by voters or clerks offices.
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.

That tornado, which struck both Champaign and Vermilion counties, destroyed homes, businesses and damaged a school eight years ago. Both the water tower and the water plant were demolished. Along with Rural Development funding, insurance and other grants helped get Giffords water tower and water plant functioning again as the village embarked on recovery.

To help rural communities like these, Hammonds department of the USDA put together a new resource guide in September for those seeking disaster resiliency and recovery assistance. It is available at bit.ly/3vGaSro.

The resource guide outlines Rural Development programs and services that can help rural residents, businesses and communities impacted by disasters and support long-term planning and recovery efforts, Hammond said.

It is focused in four areas: housing assistance and community and economic development planning; infrastructure and equipment financing; industry, entrepreneurship and local business development; and education and training, she said.

During the pandemic, funding helped in most of these areas, including with remote learning and telemedicine. In rural communities, when a specialist cant immediately be present when a resident is experiencing a stroke, telemedicine gives local doctors access to the experts, as well as helping individuals get medical information they need, Hammond said.

Parts of the COVID Relief package, including Emergency Rural Healthcare grants, help rural hospitals, ambulances and health centers meet the needs in many communities, she said.

Griggsville, a community in western Illinois bordering Iowa, recently benefitted from a community facility grant which helped solve two problems.

The rural town of about 1,300 got a grant which helped buy about 32 breathing apparatus bottles for firefighters which cost about $32,000 in total. It is something firefighters use every time they respond to a fire, said Griggsville Fire Chief Larry Bradshaw.

The breathing apparatuses they had passed their 15 years of service date by a few months, and the cost to replace them was more than the community could afford. The grant paid 75% of the cost and the community covered the rest, Bradshaw said.

Grants also made the work of firefighters easier in another way. In the past, during an emergency with a power outage, Griggsville firefighters would have to climb on top of the firetruck to heave the giant garage door open to get the truck out before responding to the emergency. A grant helped the community buy a generator so they can open the door and get the firetruck moving quickly, Bradshaw said.

We are pretty happy about that, the fire chief said.

What to do, where to go

Derecho, fires, floods and tornadoes all too often strike rural communities and farms in the Midwest. Such events, along with the COVID-19 pandemic, remind people how important it is to be prepared for disasters.

There are many resources available to help people complete these tasks. Here are a few that can help in your planning:

Red Cross has a number of resources and emergency preparedness tips links on its website https://www.redcross.org/local/illinois.html.

Red Cross Safety Mobile Apps are available at https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/mobile-apps.html

National disaster preparedness tips and resources are available at www.ready.gov

Altona village board president Derrick Appell has compiled a handy list of disaster prevention tips and resources as https://altonaillinois.weebly.com/healthsafety.html.

USDAs Rural Development branch released an updated resource guide as part of National Preparedness month in September to help rural communities seeking disaster resiliency and recovery assistance at https://www.rd.usda.gov/sites/default/files/rd_disastertoolkit-final508.pdf

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BOISE  After 100 hours of work on the application and support from Idahos governor and congressional delegation, the Idaho Hispanic Foundation became one of 11 recipients of the U.S. Small Business Administrations Community Navigator Pilot Program grants, which will provide funding for seven organizations focused on supporting Hispanic, Black and Indigenous entrepreneurs across Idaho.

Diane Bevan, chief executive officer of the Idaho Hispanic Foundation and executive director of the Idaho Womens Business Center, worked on the grant application in July and received the official notice of award on Wednesday. As a Tier 2 awardee, the foundation will receive up to $2.5 million in funds.

The Community Navigator Pilot Program is a $100 million program from the federal American Rescue Plan Act that aims to reduce barriers faced by underserved and underrepresented people trying to grow or start a business.

The grant is based on a hub and spoke model Bevan calls Idaho Connect, where the Womens Business Center will serve as the hub providing training for the spoke organizations, who will reach out directly to those who would benefit from services such as access to financial assistance, financial literacy counseling, government contracts support and language technical assistance, particularly to the Hispanic community. The seven spoke organizations include the Idaho Veterans Chamber of Commerce, Veteran Entrepreneur Alliance, the Idaho Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Idaho Black Community Alliance, Shoshone-Bannock Tribe, North Idaho Native Fund and the Nez Perce Tribe.

Leaders of Idaho organizations say grant will play a vital role in outreach efforts

Enrique Rivera, chief executive officer of the Idaho Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, told the Idaho Capital Sun in an email that the chamber expects to receive $250,000 in grant funds and will use them to expand resources and education programs and to assist with the translation of materials for community members who prefer to learn and engage in Spanish.

We also plan to utilize this grant opportunity to strengthen our partnerships in underserved communities, especially in agricultural areas, where we are seeing an increase in entrepreneurship in Hispanic communities, Rivera said. (We are) committed to supporting underserved entrepreneurs on to the path of economic recovery, and this grant will play a vital role in helping us accomplish this goal.

Trish Walker, founder and chief executive officer of the Idaho Black Community Alliance, said she worked with Bevan to start the Alliance during the grant application process. Walker was born and raised in Idaho and started a Black Employee Network during the years she worked at Micron in Boise, and served as the employee resource group lead for Black employees. Walker is also an operations manager for the annual Boise Soul Food Festival, and she said one of her first priorities with the grant funding will be to reach out to those 40 vendors to see how she might be able to support them.

Some of it will be financial support, some will be training, or learning how to better brand their business, Walker said. Some of them just need a website, or resources on how to start a business, how to grow a business, how to market a business and reach a bigger audience.

Some businesses dont have a brick and mortar shop and want one, she said, while others conduct business online and need help with that. Walker also hopes to use the grant in a way that facilitates the promotion, preservation and appreciation of Black culture in Idaho communities.

While Black business owners are a small community in Idaho, Walker said the grant will be helpful to those entrepreneurs and the people who want to support them.

It helps the Black businesses to be able to sustain, it helps them to be able to be successful. It helps us as a community, it helps us as a state because it pours those resources back into Idaho and it allows us to be able to grow, Walker said. It does so much for diversity, equality and inclusion, and thats my whole goal is just to make this state more diverse, make equality for all and just include everyone.

Idaho congressional delegation wrote joint letter of support for grant award

Bevan said her grant application was the only one from Idaho, and it was selected out of 700 applicants. She said this was the first grant she has worked on that required a letter of support from a state elected official, which she received not only from Gov. Brad Little, but from Idahos entire congressional delegation as well.

All four of our delegation members banded together and wrote a joint letter to approve Idaho for this opportunity, Bevan said.

The grant will include enough funding to pay for one full-time employee for two years for each participating organization, as well as three to four positions for the Womens Business Center to administer the program.

Its going to be one of the most inclusive projects that Idaho has ever seen, Bevan said.  We know for a fact that there are Native American, Latino, members of many of our underserved communities that did not get any access to (recent) federal funding. Some of them dont have email, technology, broadband, so this is going to be a huge team effort to reach out to entrepreneurs and really connect them to all the resources that Idaho really has. We are very rich in business resources, but we also have a very large community of underserved residents.

The launch date for the project is Dec. 1, Bevan said, and she hopes to have an official kickoff event around the same date.

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Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on November 3, 2021

This is the last story in a three-part series about how Idahos homeless children and families faced unique challenges in the past two years. This series spotlights how Idaho educators are making extraordinary efforts to meet their needs. Here are the first and second stories.

Idaho school districts and charters have new funds this year to help students experiencing homelessness.

The federal government allocated $2.8 million for Idaho schools to help homeless youth, through two rounds of COVID-relief funding. Districts across the state put the first chunk of money toward tutoring programs, mental health counseling and transportation.

Plans for the second round of funds are still evolving. The State Department of Education was still waiting for the federal government to approve plans for its share of the funding in late October. Some school districts have opted out of receiving funds, and others are trying to chart the best plan for the moneys long-term use.

This is a real opportunity to make some lasting improvements, said Angie Harker, a McKinney-Vento liaison in the American Falls School District. Im trying to be careful and considerate about how we use these funds.

Congress gave U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona $800 million dollars this year as part of the American Rescue Plan, earmarked specifically to help identify and support homeless youth after the pandemic. Advocates say thats more money than all of the funds congress has appropriated for homeless youth over the past 10 years, combined.

Even before the coronavirus pandemic highlighted and exacerbated inequities in Americas education system, students experiencing homelessness faced numerous challenges as they strove to learn and achieve in school each day, Cardona said in a news release from the U.S. Department of Education. Amid COVID-19 and the transition to remote and hybrid learning, for so many students, these challenges intensified.

In Idaho, climbing home prices added to families challenges. Homeless education coordinators across the state report families are increasingly priced out of rentals, and that once a family becomes homeless, its increasingly difficult to get rehoused.

States and districts can use the new money to identify homeless students, help them participate in school activities, and to provide wrap-around services that help them thrive in and out of school.

Schools had to apply for the first round of homeless funds. Only 34 of 170-plus districts and charters did. Heres how some of them will use the $720,000 the SDE handed out:

Emmett School District

is in the process of bringing an on-site mental health counselor into schools. The district plans to use some of its funds to cover therapy costs for homeless students who do not have insurance.

Boise School District

will use funds to supplement funding for transportation, gas cards, and emergency housing, as well as pre-paid cell phones to help homeless students and their guardians stay in contact with schools.

Parma School District

will give supplemental stipends to counselors for providing additional help for homeless students, and supplement the pay for a community engagement facilitator to help coordinate wrap-around services for kids.

Vallivue

will use funds to send district administrators to a national conference about how to best serve homeless youth, and supplement the districts budget for paying for food, clothes, transportation or emergency hotel stays.

Find the full list of how districts are spending these funds here.

Theres a second round of funding just rolling out.

The SDE got 25% of these funds, and was planning to get the remaining $1.6 million handed out to districts before Oct. 30.

In an application to the feds, the SDE said it plans to spend $540,560 on projects like a new data dashboard to help the state and districts monitor the progress of homeless youth. The department will also give grants to housing coalitions and Idaho community schools collaboratives to help facilitate services for kids and families experiencing homelessness.

Districts and charters will get the remaining 75% of the funds, and will have to send a brief description of their spending plans to the state.

Jessica Baksis, the McKinney-Vento coordinator in Bonneville, said her district will use federal funds to pay for medical needs for families, including dental visits and eye doctors appointments. Harker, in American Falls, is brainstorming possible mental health partnerships with the local community, or transportation for homeless students to get to preschool programs. The Nampa School District will use homeless funds, as well as other pandemic relief money, to add more members to the McKinney-Vento team, homeless education liaison Natalie Sandoval said.

Districts are grateful for the funds. But they also recognize their limits: Education dollars are not going to solve the affordable housing crisis that is displacing families around the state.

Its going to have to be community and government that step up to the plate, Harker said.

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BOISE  The first time Kate Stevens remembers having an active shooter drill in school, she was in second grade.

In ninth grade, Stevens, now a senior at Boise High, said one of her teachers, who she described as kind of a jokester, had corn cans and bug spray in the classroom. The teacher told students if there was an active shooter, that was their line of defense. Theyd throw the cans and spray the bug spray.

The first thing we should be thinking about when we walk into school and when we walk into a classroom is not, Oh, am I going to die today?  Stevens told the Idaho Statesman. It should be, What am I going to learn? 

Simon Richardson, now a junior at Boise High, remembers having a lockdown in fourth grade because there was a man outside his school with a gun, he said.

I can still remember (it) today and how scary that was thinking that I could die or my classmates could be injured, he said. And I was so little.  That really sticks with me to this day, that we were so powerless.

Students in high school have grown up with the idea that someone could come into their school with a gun at any point. It is something they have been learning about and preparing for since they were little.

Now, they are trying to take steps to change that.

Stevens, Richardson and a group of Boise-area high school students on Idahos March for Our Lives board are drafting legislation to require licensing for minors to purchase weapons. Its a small step, they said, to eventually achieving the organizations bigger goal: ending gun violence.

The hope is that its a bipartisan bill that will help prevent suicides, school shootings and other forms of gun violence. The aim is to slow down the process minors go through to buy a gun, so students in the midst of a mental health crisis cant as easily access a firearm, Stevens said. The group is working with lawmakers to draft the bill.

We dont want students to come to school and be able to shoot other students, said Stevens, the state director of the board. Its just an issue that shouldnt be an issue.

What do Idahos gun laws say now?

Minors younger than 18 in Idaho cant buy or possess firearms unless they have written permission from a parent or guardian, or are accompanied by a parent or guardian.

It shall be unlawful to directly or indirectly sell to any minor under the age of eighteen (18) years any weapon without the written consent of the parent or guardian of the minor, Idaho law says.

Children under 12 in possession of a weapon must be accompanied by an adult, according to the law.

Children and teens younger than 18 cant be in possession of a handgun, fully automatic weapon or sawed-off shotgun regardless of parental consent except as specifically provided. Exceptions  which dont apply to handguns  can include taking part in a class or competition, or being on private property.

Stevens said the current laws make it so that kids who dont have firearm safety training can handle deadly weapons.

You can be 12, and go down to your Walmart as long as your parent is with you, and buy a deadly weapon that you dont have adequate safety training with, and operate it legally, she said.

Students also said the laws around concealed carry are inadequate, and reflect that Idahos gun laws for minors are part of a bigger problem. Its not an issue the students are trying to change now, as people younger than 18 cant legally carry a concealed weapon.

But the students wanted to show the steps people need to go through to get the licenses are, in their opinion, too easy.

So several students on the March for Our Lives board completed the concealed weapons course and finished it within a matter of minutes. To get a concealed carry license, people need to be able to demonstrate that they are familiar with firearms, according to the Idaho Sheriffs Association website.

What we did was we took our concealed weapons permit class, said Shiva Rajbhandari, a junior at Boise High. It took me 5 minutes and 31 seconds to complete.

What does the draft legislation say?

The legislation the students are drafting, which is still in the early stages, would require minors to go through a few steps before they can buy a firearm.

Those include submitting an application for a license from the sheriffs office and exhibiting familiarity with a firearm by showing proof of in-person training on firearm safety by an approved instructor. Idaho does not have licensing requirements to purchase guns.

The legislation is still being drafted, so some of the provisions could change, Stevens said.

Students hope the bill isnt made political.

Mental health is an issue that should not be politicized, Stevens said. Were trying to make it so that we have support from both Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature.

The group said any amount of friction they can add to the process of minors buying or possessing a gun will help.

Especially common sense things that everyone agrees on, Rajbhandari said. Lets implement those. And I mean, see how it goes. Were kind of at rock bottom right now.

Students also cited research showing how licensing can reduce gun homicides.

Legislation passed in Connecticut in 1995 that required a permit or license, including a background check, to buy a handgun was associated with a 28% decrease in firearm homicide rates and a 33% decrease in firearm suicides from 1996 to 2017, according to a study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

That law was not focused on minors, but it did have some similar provisions to what students are putting forward, including requiring people who wanted to own a handgun to apply for a permit in-person and receive at least 8 hours of approved handgun safety training.

I dont understand why children  need a license to drive a car but they dont need a license to operate a firearm when theyre both deadly machines, Stevens said.

The students are working with state Sen. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, who said she wants to help them understand the process, regardless of how hard it might be to get this legislation passed.

Wintrow said students are still doing research for the legislation. Its not the first time, Wintrow said, that shes been contacted by students concerned over gun laws.

Our state does have some of the most liberal, lax gun laws, Wintrow said.

Its not unreasonable, she said, to require safety training for kids to use deadly weapons.

It could be an uphill battle, though. Wintrow said she has presented other bills before this that deal with firearms, but they didnt become law.

Trying to protect people

Students said theyre not trying to take away peoples guns. Theyre just trying to make it safer for people to own them.

Were trying to make it a safer process, were trying to make it take a little bit more time, Stevens said.

Because it is so easy to get a firearm in Idaho, Stevens said, people could access one while going through a mental health crisis, making suicides, homicides and avoidable accidents more likely. In Idaho, 19 children and teens on average die by gun every year, and more than 80% of those are suicides, according to Everytown for Gun Safety.

Its really important to put a kink in that process, Stevens said. And make sure that kids who are operating firearms do have adequate safety training.

The students also said they shouldnt have to feel unsafe at school. Rajbhandari said every time there is a lockdown at school, he thinks back to the text messages and phone calls students made to their parents or loved ones during past school shootings.

Why are we allowing this to happen when theres common sense laws that can be passed to prevent it? he said.

The 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where a gunman killed 17 people, made it even more clear to Rajbhandari how real of a threat this is.

The place where we go to feel safe, the place where we go to learn, we can be killed, he said. Our friends can be killed.

Last school year, a sixth grade girl injured three people in a shooting at Rigby Middle School in East Idaho. Rajbhandari said he wants gun legislation that could help prevent that.

Thats going to stay with them their entire lives  thats not something you can change, he said. When were saying were cognizant of mental health, that looks like putting barriers up to prevent people with mental health issues from getting a gun and using it when theyre having an issue.

It also includes building up institutional support, he said, such as having enough counselors in schools to help students.

The pandemic has made that even more important. Doctors and mental health providers reported seeing an increase in kids experiencing anxiety and depression over the past year and a half, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Childrens Hospital Association last month declared an emergency in childrens mental health.

Sensible gun legislation is the cheapest, most effective way to reduce suicide and reduce homicides, Rajbhandari said. So why not do it?

This bill is just a baby step, Stevens said. But its a start.

Baby steps are what were doing right now to hopefully get to bigger goals, she said, which is just to help gun violence prevention in Idaho.

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Hailey Nash had been counting down the days until her 6-year-old son could get his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Her son, Nolan, is immunocompromised and has been in and out of the hospital multiple times over the past two years. Hes undergone several procedures, and was recently diagnosed with Crohns disease.

Over the past year and a half, Nash and her family have had to be very careful.

Weve been very conscientious of his health, she told the Idaho Statesman, while sitting in the waiting room at a clinic, excitedly awaiting her turn so Nolan could get his first COVID-19 shot.

Its been scary. Its been hard to have so many things out of our control.

Nolan on Thursday became one of the first kids in the 5-11 age group in Idaho to receive his COVID-19 vaccination. The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Tuesday recommended Pfizer-BioNTechs COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11 and, shortly after, the CDCs director signed off on it.

The authorization was a welcome relief for many parents who have been waiting for months to get their young kids vaccinated. Families in the Boise area were eager to make vaccine appointments, filling up slots as soon as they became available or walking into clinics offering the shots.

Idaho has reported 260 COVID-19 hospitalizations, but no deaths, among those under 18 since the pandemic began. Health care providers in the state have been encouraging parents to vaccinate their kids and sharing as much information as they can about the vaccines.

Theyre safe and effective, highly effective  against acquiring disease, but very, very effective against hospitalizations and deaths, said Dr. Cathy Oliphant, co-chair of pharmacy practice and administrative sciences at Idaho State Universitys College of Pharmacy.

 No one wants that to happen to their kid.

How can you get your child vaccinated?

The vaccine for kids 5-11 requires a lower dose than the shots for people 12 and older but still requires two shots three weeks apart. About 114,000 doses of the vaccine arrived in the state Tuesday and tens of thousands more are on the way.

Families can schedule appointments to get the free vaccine in several ways. Central District Health (cdhd.idaho.gov) put out a list of locations offering appointments with information on how parents can schedule the shots.

Primary Health is offering the shots at some of its clinics, and parents can make appointments online. Three Saint Alphonsus pediatric clinics will start offering appointments for children on Monday. St. Lukes will also be offering the vaccine for kids 5-11 at some of its clinics, but they wont be offering walk-in appointments for kids in this age range.

Parents can also schedule appointments at pharmacies in the Treasure Valley, including Walgreens and Rite Aid.

School districts may also play a role in vaccine distribution. The Boise School District is helping parents who want to vaccinate their kids find vaccine providers, said Dan Hollar, public affairs administrator with the district.

The district is also looking into potentially offering optional vaccination clinics at its schools as a way of increasing accessibility for eligible students, he said.

Because the EUA (emergency use authorization) was just approved, these conversations are preliminary at this point, Hollar said in an email Thursday.

ANOTHER STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Medical professionals have said the vaccines for kids 5-11 are safe and effective, and the risks of COVID-19 far outweigh those of the vaccine. They are urging parents to get their kids vaccinated both for their own safety and to protect the community.

Doctors emphasized even though kids typically experience more mild symptoms from the virus, thats not always the case. Kids have gotten very sick, been hospitalized and even died from the virus.

Some kids also develop multisystem inflammatory syndrome after getting the virus. MIS-C causes organs in the body to become inflamed. Kathryn Turner, deputy state epidemiologist, said during a briefing earlier this week 37 Idaho children have developed the infection after getting COVID-19.

The delta variant caused a major surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations in recent months.

Delta doesnt discriminate, Oliphant said. It affects everybody  Across the board, (kids) probably do get less severe disease, but we cant pick and choose, we dont know what COVID is going to do to anybody who gets infected.

Even if kids dont get severe symptoms at first, they can experience long COVID, having symptoms for weeks or months after testing positive for the virus, she said.

Kids can also spread the virus to their loved ones. More people getting vaccinated can reduce transmission of the virus, and help protect the more vulnerable members of the community.

In Idaho, COVID-19 vaccination rates have been lower with each eligible age group. Only 37% of 12- to 15-year-olds have received at least one dose of a vaccine.

With vaccines now available, doctors said younger kids will be able to get back to doing some of the things they have missed over the past 18 months.

That includes gathering more safely with family over the upcoming holidays, especially those who are immunocompromised, said Dr. David Peterman, CEO of Primary Health Medical Group.

The ability to get these children vaccinated  its huge. It means grandparents are not at risk with their grandchildren. It means aunts and uncles that may have an immune problem can be with their nieces and nephews, he said. What weve all been through in the last 18-24 months is awful and a terrible tragedy and this is another step in the right direction.

COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT COVID-19 VACCINE FOR KIDS

Not all parents are ready to vaccinate their kids. And hesitancy is understandable, experts said.

Peterman said hes seen three types of families: those parents who absolutely want to vaccinate their children, those who are asking questions of their health care providers to ensure it is safe and then those who arent interested in vaccinating their children at all.

From his perspective, asking questions is a good thing, he said. And hes happy to answer any questions parents have to ensure they feel comfortable getting their kids vaccinated.

I believe the best source of vaccinations for children is with their medical home, he said. Because thats who they trust.

Pediatricians and family doctors for years have been talking to parents about childhood vaccinations, he said. Its something theyre used to doing, and they know how to do.

Peterman said parents frequently ask if he thinks the vaccine is safe, express concerns over it being a new vaccine and question whether he thinks enough children have had it that its an adequate trial.

He tells parents that mRNA vaccines have been studied for decades, so even though this particular vaccine is new, the concept and making of mRNA vaccines is not.

Data from trials for children 5-11 show the vaccines were safe and more than 90% effective, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Side effects seen in the trial were mild and similar to those seen in adults, according to the CDC.

Millions of vaccine doses have also been given to children and teens ages 12-18 all over the world, Peterman said.

Other concerns parents have expressed about the vaccine have been over the possibility of developing myocarditis, which is inflammation of the heart muscle.

Peterman pointed to a study from the CDC that shows the risk of children under 16 having myocarditis is 37 times higher among those who are infected with COVID-19 than those who havent gotten the virus. The CDC said the study underscores the importance of implementing evidence-based COVID-19 prevention strategies, including vaccination, to reduce the public health impact of COVID-19 and its associated complications.

The benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks, experts said.

Youre saying to parents, I want you to have this vaccine, because the chances of your child having a serious side effect are way, way, way less than if they get COVID and have a serious side effect, Peterman said.

HOPING FOR THIS DAY

Peterman said the enthusiasm from families so far has been remarkable.

Primary Health started to take appointments for vaccines on Wednesday. By the end of the day, combining the number of vaccinations given and the number of appointments booked, they had more than 1,000.

This is just wonderful news, Peterman said. Im absolutely thrilled. At a Primary Health clinic on Thursday, parents and their children filled the waiting area, both excited and nervous as they waited their turn to get the shots.

Logan Gates, 8, wore his Marvel mask and his brother Toby, 5, had a Spiderman one.

When both boys got their vaccines, they rolled up their sleeves. Anne Thomas, who was giving their shots, told them to make a wet spaghetti noodle arm. Then, in a split second, they were done. Their mom, Mari Gates, let out a yelp in excitement after each shot and gave her sons high-fives.

For the first time, Ive actually seen kids excited to get shots, Thomas said.

Logan has asthma, so Gates wanted to get him vaccinated as soon as possible. She was excited for her boys to be able to more safely see the rest of their family, and to be more protected at school.

Vaccines have been used for hundreds of years, she said. Her grandfather even worked on the polio vaccine, she said.

But she said she wished more people would get vaccinated in Idaho.

I wish that people cared more, she said. For Nash, the additional protection her son will get with the vaccine gives her piece of mind.

Over the past year and a half, she and her family have continued to wear masks. They have been tested multiple times out of caution, though none of them have gotten COVID-19.

Nash has also seen firsthand  as her son has been in and out of the hospital  how hard the doctors and nurses work, she said.

They are good, good people that I owe a lot to, she said.

In addition to protecting her son and her community, she said she wanted to do anything she could to help those in the medical field. Getting vaccinated is a big way to do that, she said.

Weve been counting down the days, checking the news  waiting, hoping for this day, Nash said. I feel like its a blessing, an answer for us, an extra layer of relief.
The biggest single headline out of Tuesdays elections in Idaho cities and school districts probably was a structural one: Lewiston will now have a strong mayor system, shifting from its long-time council-manager form, and it also elected a strong mayor to the post.

Lewiston has had a council-manager system for decades, long one of the few adherent to that system in the state, and voters in 2001 rejected a proposal to change it; that proposal was led in part by John Bradbury, now a member of the city council. The complaint was that the unelected manager was effectively setting the agenda for the city, and voters could have a stronger voice with an elected mayor. The argument seems to have gained force, finally winning decisively on Tuesday.

If you look for a through line in Idahos elections on Tuesday, you might seize on the idea of voters wanting to ensure theyre being heard and in control. That idea fits the facts, up to a point. There arent many other through lines, and even that one is a little shaky.

The second-biggest news from Idaho elections this week may have come from Pocatello, where long-time mayor Brian Blad took the plurality vote but not an outright majority, meaning that he will be thrown into a runoff electionalways dangerous for an incumbent. (Ask David Bieter of Boise, a four-term mayor who lost his job in a runoff election last cycle.)

Blad seems to have been the exception, however. Across the municipal line in Chubbuck, Mayor Kevin England easily rebuffed a serious challenge from a city council member. A little to the north, Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper sailed to a third term, and three council members were re-elected. The mayor in Idahos third-largest city of Nampa, Debbie Kling, was easily re-elected too.

The Boise city election was shaken up structurally this year by outside reasons: a change in state law, requiring districting of council members. But the election didnt much shake up the council itself, since the two council members seeking re-election were easily re-elected. And while another major-city runoff for mayor did appearin Caldwellthat will feature two non-incumbents, since long-time mayor Garrett Nancolas is retiring. But even there the probable winner, Jarom Wagoner, has deep background in Caldwell city government.

Coeur dAlene, which often has seen rough and tumble city elections, saw mostly stability this time. The new mayorthe incumbent was retiringwill be the former mayor of Post Falls, and not likely to mark a major change of direction.

School districts were a little different; a wave of very conservative (anti-masking and culture warrior) candidates were contesting many board seats around Idaho, and they won some of them, but the record was spotty.

Two candidates heavily backed by area Republicans (and featured on a talk show hosted by the state Republican chair) did win the two seats open in the West Ada School District, not a surprise in a heavily Republican area. A group of three culture warriors will take over the Nampa School Board majority.

But the partisans fell short in Caldwell and Kuna. More significantly, a contest in Post Falls that pulled national attention saw the Republican-backed candidate (who, IdahoEdNews reports, came under scrutiny for his far-right ties and a string of anti-Semitic tweets) losing by a big margin. Maybe even more significantly than that, in two eastern Idaho races, board members who had joined Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachins indoctrination task force, in Blackfoot and Sugar-Salem, were buried under landslides.

In many other districts (Coeur dAlene is a good example), neither side won all the races.

Like I said: Be cautious in drawing too many sweeping conclusions.

Randy Stapilus is a former Idaho newspaper reporter and editor and blogs at ridenbaugh.com. He can be reached at stapilus@ridenbaugh.com. His new book What Do You Mean by That? has just been released and can be found at ridenbaugh.com/whatdoyoumeanbythat and on Amazon.com.

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As the deadline for public comment on a controversial Bureau of Land Management plan to restrict some recreation on public land near American Falls approaches, some rock climbers are hustling to get the word out.

The area commonly called Massacre Rocks is an area north of Massacre Rocks State Park and the Snake River and west of American Falls. Formerly called the American Falls Archaeological District by the BLM, the land is a mosaic of BLM, Bureau of Reclamation, state land and private land.

The BLM Burley Field Office released a draft plan in August presenting five alternatives to addressing the issue of protecting cultural resources on the federal land in the area. Called the Cedar Fields Draft Environmental Impact Statement, the alternatives range from keeping the status quo to applying restrictions to certain activities in the area, namely rock climbing and off-highway vehicle use. The BLM will gather statements on the alternatives until Nov. 10, finalize their plan, and are expected to implement it sometime next year. It stated its preferred alternative is to implement the most restrictive plan.

The most restrictive plan does not prohibit cattle grazing, hiking, horseback riding or camping.

Lisa Kuscu, a founding member of the East Idaho Climbing Coalition, has been circulating a petition for people to sign in hopes of getting the attention of the BLM. She and other coalition members also invited staff of Idahos Congressional delegation to take a tour of Massacre Rocks last week to familiarize them with the issue and perhaps wins some allies for their cause of keeping climbing access to the public land. Currently there are about 700 bolted climbing routes across the 7,000-acre area. Rock climbers have been visiting the area for more than 30 years.

We showed them the area and talked about the problem that we see associated with this, Kuscu said. We took them to a bolted wall. And said Heres an example of what climbs look like. The BLM has said that we were causing de-vegetation and we wanted to show them what a climb looks like.  It was a behind the wheel tour.

Representatives from the lawmakers offices said they had plans to contact the BLM office in Burley to learn more about the issue.

Our office is aware of the proposed changes to recreation use in the Cedar Fields area, Congressman Mike Simpsons spokeswoman Nikki Wallace told the Post Register in an email. We are communicating regularly with stakeholders to gather information and to stay up to date on the BLMs process.

The BLM held two open houses recently, one at the American Falls School District office and one virtually online to discuss the proposed alternatives for the area.

The original proposal to apply restrictions was brought up in 2011, rehashed in 2017 and 2018, and is coming to completion now. The BLM said the timing is not politically related to different federal administrations.

It took a few years, said Mike Courtney, district manager at the Twin Falls BLM office. It never went away. Weve been working on this since it started all those years ago. It was a continual thing that is now coming to fruition.

Courtney said the agency is obligated by law to protect the cultural resources found in that area because of its historical designation.

For over 12,000 years, the Shoshone, Bannock and Paiute peoples occupied these lands and the significance of the Archaeological District to these tribes cannot be overstated, Courtney said. The BLM is committed to balancing protection of cultural and sacred values with compatible recreation uses.

Ken Crane, BLM field manager in Burley, said the BLM favors the most restrictive of the alternatives, banning rock climbing and restricting off-highway vehicles to a few designated paths.

Ben Burr, policy director for Blue Ribbon Coalition/ShareTrails said with proper management, the BLM could protect what needs protecting and still allow plenty of recreation.

I think that before we entertain something like a closure, we should do a whole lot more to inform and educate the public about where its appropriate to engage in various forms of recreational use, Burr said. I always will fight for increased management over closure. I think the BLM and Bureau of Reclamation should adopt one of the alternatives that leans more toward a management approach rather than a closure approach.

Burr said the value of the outdoor experiences can rank as high to one group as cultural values to another group.

I think that in certain times and places the level of meaningfulness that comes from these recreation experiences is as high as any other uses of these lands, he said. And it deserves protection.

Although only recently circulated on a few social media sites, Kuscus petition had 407 signatures as of Thursday afternoon.

To find a copy of the petition, go to bit.ly/Massacre_Rocks.

For information or to submit comments on the Cedar Fields Draft Environmental Impact Statement, go online to bit.ly/Draft_EIS.

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Hagen still held office when his first trial in October 1970 resulted in a hung jury. And he was still in office in November 1971  though he had chosen not to run for reelection  when he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of being an accessory after the fact to the air conditioner theft.

The 1971 trial had been delayed in part by the immunity rule for state legislators, the same one that came under discussion in Hursts 2020 stop. The judge, who sentenced Hagen to 30 days in jail and fined him $1,000, concluded by saying, If you havent learned your lesson by now, you never will.

Hagen had more lessons to learn, as only three years later he was sentenced to 2 years in prison for selling firearms in Richmond without a dealers permit  testimony showed he was selling rifles and shotguns in Capitol Square during the 1970 General Assembly session.

Despite his troubles, Hagen, who died in 1999, maintained a friendship with prominent Republican Rep. M. Caldwell Butler for the rest of his life.

Wishneff, whose brush with impropriety was far less serious, continued to have a role in major projects  for example, acting as a consultant for developments and renovations undertaken by Carilion Clinic and Center in the Square.
When I say there is some debate about the inflection point, I mean that some researchers think its around 2,000 to 4,000 students. Others think its in the low tens of thousands. Alas, North Carolinas largest systems exceed these thresholds. Wake Countys district enrolls nearly 160,000 students. Charlotte-Mecklenburg has 140,000. Guilford (69,000), Forsyth (51,000), and Cumberland (49,000) are also quite big.

While I have long advocated dividing the gargantuan Wake and Mecklenburg systems into three or four districts, Im open to the idea that the other urban systems should be subdivided, as well. My main argument has long been that giving parents more choices among district-run public schools would improve academic quality and the return on taxpayer investment.

Two recent studies show the promise of such a strategy. In a 2017 paper, Katie Sharron of Florida State University and Lawrence Kenny of the University of Florida exploited the fact that some states require there to be only one school district per county while others impose no such requirement. That allows for a robust test of whether school-district competition has educational benefits. We find strong evidence that restricting competition among public school districts has an adverse impact on student learning, they found.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Cardiac rehabilitation enrollment rose among adults with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction after Medicare started covering it in 2014, yet overall enrollment among Medicare beneficiaries remains very lowless than 10% of those eligible according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association's Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions 2021.

Heart failure occurs when the heart isn't pumping as well as it should to deliver oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood to cells and organs throughout the body. Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction means the ejection fraction, or how much blood the left ventricle pumps with each contraction, is at or below 40%. Normal ejection fraction is considered 50% to 70%.

According to the American Heart Association's Heart Disease and Stroke Statistical Update 2021, more than 6 million American adults have heart failure. Heart failure prevalence is projected to increase by 46% from 2012 to 2030, affecting more than 8 million people 18 years of age and older.

"There are nearly 1.1 million hospitalizations for heart failure annually, making it one of the most common reasons for hospital admission among people 65 years of age or older, whose health care costs are primarily covered by Medicare," said study author Vinay Guduguntla, M.D., a third-year internal medicine resident at the University of California, San Francisco. "Despite recent advancements in treatment, long-term survival after hospitalization is poor for adults with heart failure. Overall, more than 70% of adults with heart failure are re-hospitalized or die within one year after discharge. In addition, most experience declining exercise capacity and reductions in daily living activities and quality of life."

There is strong evidence that a supervised exercise regimen, like the physical activity plan integrated into cardiac rehab programs, can prevent death, reduce hospitalization and improve physical function in adults with heart failure. However, less than 3% of eligible patients had enrolled in cardiac rehab prior to 2014, when the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) expanded coverage of cardiac rehab to include people with stable, chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

To determine what, if any, benefit the expanded Medicare reimbursement had among patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, researchers analyzed a sample of Medicare claims data from 2008 to 2017, prior to and after the 2014 CMS ruling. They identified 849,054 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries, 65 years of age and older, who had heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. The analysis found:

Nearly 34,200 people (about 4% of the population studied) attended cardiac rehabilitation during the study period.

Analysis of the time period prior to the Medicare reimbursement change, from 2008 to 2014, found that cardiac rehabilitation use increased slowly, from 3.30% to 4.30%, about a 5% relative increase year-to-year.

After the 2014 Medicare expansion to cover cardiac rehab for people with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, rates of cardiac enrollment went from 4.30% in 2014 to 5.54% in 2017, with a relative increase of about 10% year-to-year.

Overall, although the absolute enrollment rate in cardiac rehabilitation remained low, expanding Medicare coverage in 2014 was associated with a notable increase in the use of cardiac rehab among adults with heart failure.

"Despite clear benefits of cardiac rehabilitation in preventing death, reducing hospitalizations and improving physical ability, cardiac rehabilitation is used by very few. Based on the current data, more than 90% of people with heart failure will not receive a treatment that could improve their health and survival," Guduguntla said. "Our study highlights insurance coverage as one important factor that impacts increasing cardiac rehabilitation participation. Future work should aim to identify and address all barriers to enrollment and find creative solutions to this complex problem."

"Enacting public policies is one effective way to address the enrollment barriers that prevent the majority of people with heart failure from benefitting from cardiac rehabilitation," said Randal J. Thomas, M.D., a past chair of the American Heart Association's Council on Clinical Cardiology and professor of medicine in the Mayo Clinic Cardiac Rehabilitation Program in Rochester, Minnesota, who was not involved in the study. "Additional congressional funding is needed to support the federal Million Hearts Initiative which is doing important work to improve access to and participation in cardiac rehabilitation through measures such as increasing physician referrals, promoting transportation services and advancing telehealth support. In addition, lawmakers should support legislation such as the bipartisan 'Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Care Act'. This legislation would expand cardiac rehabilitation resources by accelerating the timetable for enabling physician assistants, nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists to order and supervise cardiac rehabilitation."

Thomas noted CMS participation criteria is also a significant barrier to cardiac rehabilitation for people with heart failure. "CMS criteria requires that patients wait at least 6 weeks after a heart failure hospitalization to participate in cardiac rehabilitation," he said. "Studies show that any delay in starting cardiac rehabilitation after hospitalization decreases participation rates and worsens patient outcomes."

A limitation of the study is the lack of information about cardiac rehabilitation by location, race/ethnicity and other demographic factors about individuals. Guduguntla said this information is important to fully understand why the use of cardiac rehab is so low.

"Recent literature reviewed demographic information at a high level and suggests there are disparities in cardiac rehabilitation use across race/ethnicity and geographic location," Guduguntla said. "We are pursuing further analyses of the specific impact of Medicare coverage expansion for cardiac rehabilitation among people from different social and ethnic groups."

Explore further Cardiac rehab coverage expands for chronic heart failure patients with symptoms
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British veterans who served during the Afghanistan War and sustained traumatic injuries while deployed were up to twice as likely to develop metabolic syndrome and had additional markers of increased cardiovascular disease risk compared to their counterparts who returned home injury-free, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2021.

"Because of the advances in modern medical care, people are surviving battlefield injuries they never would have 50 years ago. As a result of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts coming in rapid succession of each other, we have many veterans with combat injuries for which we don't understand the long-term psychological and cardiovascular outcomes," said lead study author Christopher J. Boos, M.B.B.S., Dip IMC, M.D., Ph.D., FRCP, a professor at Poole Hospital of the University Hospitals Dorset in Poole, United Kingdom. "It was important to undertake this study to better understand the long-term psychological and medical outcomes of these individuals."

ADVANCE (Armed Services Trauma Rehabilitation Outcome Study), a collaboration between the Academic Department of Military Rehabilitation (ADMR, Stanford Hall), Imperial College London and King's College London, is an ongoing, 20-year, observational cohort study following 1,144 British combat veterans who were deployed in the United Kingdom-Afghanistan War between 2003 and 2014. The participants, all male, were an average age of 26 years at the time of their injury/deployment and 34 years at the time of their baseline assessment for the study. They were recruited between March 2016 and August 2020; 579 men had experienced a traumatic injury such as loss of limb or gunshot injury and 565 men returned home injury-free. The injured were far less likely (27.5%) than the non-injured (80.4%) participants to be still serving in the military.

Now in its sixth year, the study follows the men to investigate cardiovascular disease, mental health and social outcomes. During follow-up visits, participants undergo a range of health tests, including blood tests, physical measurements, health questionnaires and measures of arterial stiffness such as augmentation index (AIx), a calculation derived from blood pressure measurement that indicates arterial stiffness and flexibility.

Each injured veteran was matched according to age, rank, deployment period and role to a veteran who did not experience a severe physical injury. The average time since the injury or deployment was eight years. There was no difference in smoking status, ethnicity or family history of cardiovascular disease between the two groups. In the first analysis from the ADVANCE study, researchers examined baseline measurements for all participants. They investigated whether battlefield injuries increased the risk of metabolic syndrome (a cluster of risk factors that increases the chance of a cardiovascular event) and arterial stiffness.

Among the key findings:

Among all veterans who returned home with physical injuries, 18% had metabolic syndrome, compared to 11.8% of the men who did not sustain an injury. In a subset analysis of the injured veterans, 21% of those who were severely injured had metabolic syndrome.

Injured soldiers had a higher augmentation index (17.6%) than the injury-free veterans (15.2%), which indicates increased stiffness of the heart's arteries. The augmentation index among the severely injured veterans was even higher at 18.2%.

"The trend is very consistent. In the injured, the triglyceride counts were higher, the HDL (good cholesterol) counts were lower and the injured had a much greater proportion of visceral fat than the non-injured," Boos said. "Additionally, the injured had a nearly 50% higher hs-CRP value, a marker of vascular inflammation. Although it was still within the normal range, higher is worse."

"The stress related to an injury, the disruption of sleep and the enforced sedentary lifestyleall of these likely lead to less healthy eating patterns, certainly less physical activity and greater physiological stress. The body responds to these kinds of stressors with reactions such as worsening blood sugar levels and higher blood pressure readings. Ultimately, this puts people at higher risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke," said Donald Lloyd-Jones, M.D., Sc.M., FAHA, president of the American Heart Association and chair of the department of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, who was not involved in the study. "As veterans, all of these men probably had some level of psychological stress. However, the additional stress and burden of the lifestyle pattern that's imposed by a traumatic injury, it's likely that may be what we're seeing in the results of this study."

Boos noted this analysis is the first of many to come from the ADVANCE cohort, as the veterans will be followed for 16 more years. How tightly these findings translate into future cardiovascular events is yet to be seen.

"I could see a time where we start to see more hypertension, worse lipid profiles and potentially pre-diabetes, each of which require the need for targeted interventions to reduce potential cardiovascular events," Boos said. "We could be looking at various therapiespsychotherapy, exercise, meditation and medications, among a host of things. I think there will be targeted interventions, however, we are not there yet and still have much to learn."

The study is limited in that its findings are only among men, however, the United Kingdom did not allow women to serve in front-line combat units during the war in Afghanistan.

Explore further High blood pressure risk higher among veterans who experienced sexual trauma while serving
Children with kidney cancers continue to be diagnosed with larger and more advanced tumours in the UK and Ireland than in other Western European countries, according to research presented at the NCRI Festival.

As a result, a leading childhood cancer expert has called for all staff providing primary healthcare for children in the UK's National Health Service (NHS) to be trained in paediatric medicine so that diseases such as kidney cancer can be detected earlier.

Mrs Reem Al-Saadi, a senior translational research manager at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, UK, presented findings from the first study to look systematically at how children are diagnosed with kidney cancer in the UK.

Reporting on 603 out of 712 children registered with kidney cancer between 2012 and 2018 from 20 treatment centres in the UK and Ireland (about 90% of all children diagnosed with kidney cancer in these countries), she said that 86% had Wilms tumour (the most common type of kidney cancer in children) and 14% had non-Wilms kidney tumours. Computerised tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans that create detailed images of the inside of the body were reviewed centrally as part of the investigations to ensure consistency of diagnosis.

"We found that spread of the kidney cancer to the lungs was detected in 24% of children; this was definite in 18% and detected only by the CT scan in 6%, which means the nodules were so small that there is uncertainty about whether they are cancerous or not," she said.

"The majority of children were only diagnosed once they had started to show symptoms: 77% had symptoms specific to tumours at diagnosis, such as abdominal mass, abdominal pain or blood in urine; 16% had non-specific symptoms; 5% were diagnosed as a result of genetic screening and 2% as a result of a child health check. This means that only a few cancers are being picked up incidentally before symptoms start to show."

The average (median) size of tumours was 547ml in volume, with one quarter being larger than 901ml.

"The tumour volumes we saw are not significantly different to those from an analysis of children diagnosed in 2002-2011 when tumour volumes were shown to be larger than those found at diagnosis in Germany. The median volume then was 572ml in the UK compared to 382ml in Germany," said Mrs Al-Saadi.

The findings come from the IMPORT study (Improving Populations Outcome of Renal Tumours of childhood), which has since been expanded to include international research groups and has become the UMBRELLA study. With the exception of work in Germany, it is the only initiative in the world to collect standardised data on the route to diagnosis for a child with kidney cancer.

Kathy Pritchard-Jones, Professor of Paediatric Oncology at Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, is chief investigator of the IMPORT and UMBRELLA studies. Speaking before the NCRI Festival, she said: "We only have very early comparative data for about 1,000 cases diagnosed from 2019 onwards, but this early analysis from the UMBRELLA study found that 75% of children in the UK and Ireland are diagnosed with tumour-related symptoms, which is higher than in most other European countries. This confirms similar findings from an international trial conducted between 2001 and 2011."

She continued: "We know that in European countries where children have smaller tumours at diagnosis, the primary care provision is done by trained paediatricians working in the community. They may be more likely to examine a child all over when they come in with vague symptoms and, therefore, are more likely to pick up that something isn't quite right in the abdomen.

"Efforts are required to achieve earlier diagnosis of kidney cancers in children in order to improve survival rates in the UK and Ireland. We believe that frontline primary healthcare for children should be provided by staff trained in children's medicine. The problem of late diagnosis for kidney cancer is part of a wider problem of late diagnosis of serious diseases in childhood in the UK that has been highlighted by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health."

The findings reported today include two years of follow-up of the children after 2018. During this time 78 (13%) relapsed and 44 (7%) died.

Prof Pritchard-Jones said: "Treatments haven't changed in the past decade, and we expect the UMBRELLA study to show overall survival rates to remain similar at just over 90%. The study will enable us to make international comparisons to see how the UK is performing in terms of early diagnosis and treatment for children with abdominal tumours, and it will help us to monitor improvements."

Childhood kidney cancer is a rare disease. Wilms tumour is diagnosed in about 87 children each year in the UK. Treatment is one of the success stories in childhood cancer in recent years, with more than 90% of children surviving. However, there are some sub-groups that have a poor outcome, suffering recurrences of their cancer and, in some cases, dying. Early diagnosis before cancer has started to spread, combined with improved treatments, could help improve outcomes in these children.

Prof Pritchard-Jones and colleagues are investigating ways to personalise treatment to each child based on biological signals that could be used to identify the intensity of treatment needed. They are also testing the use of artificial intelligence to assess the nodules seen in CT scans for their likelihood of being cancer that has spread (metastasised) from the primary tumour.

Richard Neal, member of the NCRI Screening, Prevention and Early Diagnosis (SPED) Group and Professor of Primary Care at the University of Exeter, UK, who was not involved with the research, said: "It's disappointing to see that there has been very little progress in the past 20 years in diagnosing this disease at an earlier stage, when the tumours are smaller and easier to treat successfully. This works also demonstrates the difficulty in picking up these tumours at an early stage. There may be additional challenges in diagnosis as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with fewer patients, including children, being seen face to face and having physical examinations. We urgently need work to explore what interventions might work to improve the situation."

Explore further UK diagnoses children's kidney cancer at a later stage than Germany

More information: 'Efforts to achieve earlier diagnosis of renal tumours in childhood are required to improve survival rates in the UK and Ireland', by Mrs Reem Al-Saadi et al. Short talks  Prevention and early detection session, 18.30-19.00 hrs, Thursday 11 November: 'Efforts to achieve earlier diagnosis of renal tumours in childhood are required to improve survival rates in the UK and Ireland', by Mrs Reem Al-Saadi et al. Short talks  Prevention and early detection session, 18.30-19.00 hrs, Thursday 11 November: conference.ncri.org.uk/program  and-early-detection/

Provided by National Cancer Research Institute
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Mindful awareness is about both accepting and engaging with life's challenges, and that's what popularized concepts of mindfulness tend to miss, new research has found.

Studying popular concepts of mindfulness, the researchers found most laypeople are confusing the practice with passive acceptance of problema misconception scientists say ignores the important work of engaging with them.

Originating in Buddhist religious practice, much of the mindfulness movement's popularity grew from clinical research affirming its potential for reducing stress and related health disorders.

"Scientific understanding of mindfulness goes beyond mere stress-relief and requires a willingness to engage with stressors," said Igor Grossmann, corresponding author of the project and a professor of social psychology at Waterloo. "It is, in fact, the engagement with stressors that ultimately results in stress relief. More specifically, mindfulness includes two main dimensions: awareness and acceptance."

Grossmann and colleagues compared critics' claims to popular interpretations of mindfulness to evaluate how people understand and apply the concept in their daily lives. They found that in practice, most people conflate acceptance with passivity or avoidance.

The research team conducted an extensive empirical project that examined the meaning of mindfulness in three parts: analyses of the semantic meaning of the term mindfulness in the English language, meta-analysis of the results from a widely used mindfulness measure, and empirical tests of association with markers of wisdom and effective emotion regulation.

"While we found that people seem to conceptually understand that mindfulness involves engagement, the general public is not walking the talk. Our results suggest that laypeople may understand what awareness is, but the next step of acceptance may not be well understoodlimiting potential for engaging with problems," said Ellen Choi, lead author on the paper and an assistant professor of organizational behavior at Ryerson University.

Using social media as a topical example, Grossmann says that with algorithms curating increasingly hateful content, the ability to be mindful of others' perspectives has never been more critical. "Mindfulness might not provide an easy answer to the divisiveness that surrounds us, but an accurate understanding that includes the practice of acceptance may herald the re-emergence of sincere discussion and authentic connection."

The paper, "What do people mean when they talk about mindfulness?," authored by Grossmann, Choi, Norman Farb of the University of Toronto, University of Guelph's Ekaterina Pogrebtsova and Jamie Gruman, was recently published in the journal Clinical Psychology Review.

Explore further Certain meditation strategies may help perfectionists

More information: Ellen Choi et al, What do people mean when they talk about mindfulness?, Clinical Psychology Review (2021). Journal information: Clinical Psychology Review Ellen Choi et al, What do people mean when they talk about mindfulness?,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2021.102085
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People who were struggling financially before the pandemic are more than twice as likely, compared to people who were already living comfortably, to say they are now even worse off, find UCL researchers as part of the COVID-19 Social Study.

Among people who were finding it difficult before the pandemic, 55 percent said in October 2021 they were worse off than before the pandemic, compared to 19 percent of people who were living comfortably before the pandemic.

The study found that people who were living comfortably before the pandemic were also most likely to say they were now much better off.

Launched in the week before the first lockdown started, the ongoing UCL COVID-19 Social Study is funded by the Nuffield Foundation with additional support from Wellcome and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). It is the UK's largest study into how adults are feeling about the lockdown, government advice and overall wellbeing and mental health with over 70,000 participants who have been followed across the last 84 weeks.

Lead author Dr. Elise Paul (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care) said: "These widening disparities are cause for concern, as we have been finding throughout the pandemic that people with low household incomes report higher levels of depression and anxiety symptoms, and loneliness, and lower levels of life satisfaction and happiness. People on lower incomes have also reported worries about being able to access sufficient food. This may not have always been due to the pandemic, as Brexit and petrol problems have also been contributing factors this year.

"Many people on lower incomes have been hit hard by economic impacts of lockdowns, particularly those whose employment may have already been precarious, while many people on higher incomes have been less affected and may have been more likely to work remotely. In many ways, the impacts of the pandemic have not been shared equally, so recovery plans need to prioritize lifting up all groups of people who have been struggling over the last year and a half."

The study has also found that the proportion of people concerned about catching or becoming seriously ill from COVID-19 has been increasing somewhat over the past several months and is now similar to what it was in February 2021, at 34 percent. Women and people with a physical or mental health diagnosis continue to be more worried about the disease.

Confidence in the government's ability to handle the pandemic has been decreasing in England over the past six months and is now similar to autumn 2020 levels and is lower in England than in Scotland or Wales.

The researchers also found that compliance with COVID-19 guidelines is at an all-time low; while majority compliance was reported by 84 percent of respondents, only 32 percent reported complete compliance.

Cheryl Lloyd, Education Programme Head at the Nuffield Foundation said: "The latest release from the COVID-19 Social Study is further evidence of the profound, ongoing and disproportionate effects of the pandemic on people on low incomes. Increasing numbers of people who were on lower incomes prior to the pandemic are finding it more difficult to manage financially, and that has knock-on effects on their mental health and wellbeing. This suggests that recovery plans have been insufficient in terms of helping those most in need and that action is required to prevent further deterioration in people's ability to cope financially, and to address the social and psychological impacts that we continue to see."

Explore further Young people more worried about Brexit than COVID-19

More information: COVID-19 Social Study: Understanding the psychological and social impact of the pandemic. COVID-19 Social Study: Understanding the psychological and social impact of the pandemic. www.covidsocialstudy.org/
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Denmark will re-introduce a health pass because of a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Monday, less than two months after scrapping controls.

The Epidemic Commission has recommended the government classify the coronavirus as a "socially threatening disease" and re-impose the pass, Frederiksen told journalists.

"The government will follow this recommendation."

Frederiksen acknowledged that the return of the pass would make life more difficult for those who were not vaccinated, but added: "That's how I think it should be."

In Denmark, with a population of 5.8 million, 85.9 percent of people over the age of 12 have been fully vaccinated.

But at the end of last week, the authorities warned about the risk of hospitals being overwhelmed because of COVID-19, flu and other infectious diseases.

"The health authorities were expecting more people to be infected (by COVID) and hospitalised, but the things have gone faster than expected," Frederiksen added.

The number of new coronavirus cases was higher than 2,000 again Monday, for the fifth day running. Medical staff are treating 26 people in intensive care.

The health pass will be re-introduced in bars, restaurants and night clubs and will be obligatory for those aged 15 and above.

"You can live with the corona-pass," said Frederiksen.

"It gives you peace of mind when you go to the cinema or to a concert," she added.

Denmark was a pioneer of the health pass last spring, when the number of new cases was four times lower than it is now.

The health pass was scrapped on September 10 when the number of new cases was four times lower than it is now.

So far in Denmark 2,745 people have died of the coronavirus.

Explore further Denmark shuts malls and shops over Christmas

 2021 AFP
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Public access defibrillators are disproportionately lacking in the most deprived areas of England, which are among the communities at the greatest risk of cardiac arrest, according to new analysis led by the University of Warwick.

Using information from ambulances services in England on defibrillators that have been registered with them, researchers have also found that fewer defibrillators are installed in residential areasat locations such as outside community halls and primary schoolswhere cardiac arrests are most likely to occur.

The study is part of a project at the University of Warwick funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the research partner of the NHS, public health and social care, investigating where defibrillators should be installed to optimize their accessibility and is published in the journal Resuscitation.

Many, but not all, defibrillators are registered with ambulance services. A registered defibrillator is more likely to be used because when a member of the public calls 999 in an emergency the call operator can direct them to the nearest one.

The researchers from Warwick Clinical Trials Unit and the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) West Midlands, used data from ten of the 11 ambulance services in England on registered defibrillators in their areas and combined this with information from the Office for National Statistics on the characteristics of the population in those areas, such as ethnic backgrounds, education level and types of employment. They also used the Index of Multiple Deprivation, which is the official measure of relative deprivation for small areas (or neighborhoods) in England.

This allowed the researchers to establish an overall picture of the distribution of registered defibrillators in England, which revealed that the more deprived areas tended to have the lowest number of defibrillators. Only 27.4 percent of areas in the lowest decile of the Index of Multiple Deprivation had at least one defibrillator, compared to about 45 percent in the highest.

Defibrillators are more likely to be placed in areas where people are likely to work rather than residential areas. Areas with a larger proportion of the population that identified themselves from mixed and non-white ethnic background were also less likely to have a registered defibrillator.

However, because there is no legal requirement to register a defibrillator with an ambulance service, there is uncertainty around the number of unregistered ones in these communities. As 999 call operators would not know the location of the nearest defibrillator in an emergency, it means those communities will be experiencing a health inequality compared to less deprived areas.

Lead author of the study, Dr. Terry Brown from Warwick Clinical Trials Unit, said: "We know that cardiac arrests occur more often in deprived areas, but registered defibrillators are more likely to be found in areas where the population is more affluent, predominantly identify as white ethnic, and with high socio-economic occupations. The question is whether this is because they're not registered in more deprived areas, or because there aren't any?

"We want to get more defibrillators registered. Any future program that aims to get defibrillators out there should be targeted to the areas that need them most. In particular, they should be put in more deprived communities, and in accessible locations in residential areas given that more than 80 percent of out of hospital cardiac arrests happen in the home. There should be a more evidence-based distribution program to ensure they are accessible.

"If they are registered, more easily accessible, and people had the confidence to use them, we believe there will be an improvement in survival rates from cardiac arrest."

Many defibrillators are installed by local community groups, often as a result of fundraising efforts, or by businesses. The lifesaving benefits of community defibrillators is substantially reduced if they are not registered with ambulance services. Defibrillator guardians are being encouraged to register their defibrillators onto The Circuit, national defibrillator network. (www.thecircuit.uk).

Sue Hampshire, Director of Clinical and Service Development at Resuscitation Council UK, said: "A cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time. Not only is defibrillator use a crucial step in the Chain of Survival, the presence of defibrillators in public places can help raise awareness and stimulate people to think about what they would do in an emergency.

"The findings of this important study show that there currently unacceptable inequalities in the provision and availability of Public Access Defibrillators across the country. Out of hospital cardiac arrests are more likely to happen in the areas with neighborhood characteristics where AED provision is currently lower. If more lives are going to be saved through CPR and defibrillation, a more evidence-based and coordinated approach to their placement is needed and we encourage community groups and other organizations to make use of guidance and existing evidence."

Professor Melanie Davies, Director NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, said: "Evidence shows that access to public defibrillators vastly improves the chances of surviving life-threatening cardiac arrests.

"Central to NIHR's mission is to tackle health inequalities and their wider determinants. That's why it's important this high quality research has cast a light on the gap in provision of defibrillators in some of the most deprived areas and in residential areas. These findings provide robust evidence in another step to help improve the quality and accessibility of health services."

Explore further If you witness a cardiac arrest, your actions could save a life

More information: Terry P Brown et al, Are there disparities in the location of Automated External Defibrillators in England?, Resuscitation (2021). Terry P Brown et al, Are there disparities in the location of Automated External Defibrillators in England?,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2021.10.037
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Earlier epinephrine treatment during a cardiac arrest is linked to better recovery compared to later treatment, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association's Resuscitation Science Symposium (ReSS) 2021.

"Our study's findings should guide emergency medical services professionals towards earlier administration of epinephrine during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest management," said lead study author Shengyuan Luo, M.D., M.H.S., an internal medicine resident physician at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

Unlike a heart attack, which results from blocked blood vessels, a cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating due to a malfunction in the rhythm of the heartbeat. Although a cardiac arrest can result from a heart attack, it also can occur on its own and without a prior diagnosis of heart disease. Visible signs of cardiac arrest include unresponsiveness and undetectable or abnormal breathing, such as gasping.

According to the American Heart Association's Heart and Stroke Statistical Update 2021, each year more than 356,000 people have a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting in the U.S. Previous research found that only about 1 in 5 people survive a cardiac arrest outside of the hospital and those who do survive often have long-term impairment in the ability to perform daily living tasks.

During a cardiac arrest, immediate CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is critical. For some types of cardiac arrest, an AED, or automated external defibrillator, also is used to deliver an electric shock through the chest to the heart to restore a heartbeat. For these "shockable" cardiac arrests, the hormone epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, is injected to help restore blood flow. Previous research indicated that epinephrine should be given after three unsuccessful electric shocks with an AED, however, it was unclear whether it should be given even earliersuch as after the first electric shock.

To compare the effects of earlier versus later administration of epinephrine, the researchers examined medical records to compare epinephrine timing to patient recovery. Study subjects included 6,416 multi-ethnic adults across North America who had an out of hospital cardiac arrest with shockable initial rhythm from 2011-2015. They were an average age of 64 years, and most were men.

Overall, epinephrine administration within four minutes after the first shock from an AED corresponded with a greater likelihood of an individual's recovery, while administration after four minutes was associated with a lesser likelihood. Specifically, people who received epinephrine after four minutes were nearly half as likely to have heartbeat and blood flow restored before hospital admittance and half as likely to survive to hospital discharge or be able to perform daily tasks, as measured by a standard test, at discharge. Furthermore, the risks of later epinephrine treatment continued to increase with each minute of delayed treatment.

"It is crucial that whenever a cardiac arrest event is suspected, the emergency medical system be notified and activated immediately, so that people with cardiac arrest receive timely, life-saving medical care," Luo said.

These findings support the latest American Heart Association CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Guidelines, which were released in October 2020. The guidelines indicate epinephrine should be administered as early as possible to maximize the chance of good resuscitation outcomes. The guideline recommendation was based on previous observational data that suggest better outcomes when epinephrine is given sooner.

Although this study found an association between earlier epinephrine administration and better recovery after cardiac arrest, it could not account for other influences on recovery. To confirm the study's findings, additional research accounting for other potential influences is needed.

Explore further Delay in administration of adrenaline and survival for children with cardiac arrest
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A plateau in U.S. COVID-19 cases following several weeks of declining infections is a "worrisome" indication for a potential spike this winter as people congregate inside more often because of holidays and colder weather, a Johns Hopkins University expert said Friday.

The United States had been reporting case declines of 10 percent or more each week throughout September and October, but the 508,332 cases reported this week is nearly the same as last week, according to data from the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

"This week compared to last week, the cases have pretty much stalled," said Jennifer Nuzzo, the CRC's epidemiology lead, during a Friday online briefing. "That's worrisome for two reasonsone, because we like to see the declines continue, but also because where we're stalling is at a level of weekly case numbers that are still well above what we saw at the lower periods at the end of June and in early July."

The average daily case counts this week stands at 73,000, about the same as it has been for the past two weeks. Cases have increased in 22 states, located mostly in the Midwest and West.

"There are a number of states where these increases have persisted for two or more weeks, and that's usually the metric we look for to say a trend is happening," added Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. "So there are some early signs that we're headed in the wrong direction."

The stalled case numbers have not translated into increases in hospitalizations or deaths, she added. But those are typically "lagging indicators" that wouldn't show signs "for a number of weeks."

"It's really urgent that we do more to address the stalling," Nuzzo said.

The best solution? Increasing immunity in the population through vaccination.

"Unfortunately, if you look at the data in terms of the progress we are making with vaccinations, we seem to be doing a lot more third doses than first and second doses," she said. "And there's still a long way to go."

The United States has fully vaccinated just about 59 percent of its population, less than 50 other nations, according to CRC data. That leaves the nation in a "much more vulnerable situation" for increasing transmission, she added.

"In the United States I would say any optimism has to be tempered a bit, [especially] when we look at what's happening globally," Nuzzo said.

Cases that had been on the decline around the world are increasing, especially in Eastern Europe and Africa.

"This emphasizes that this global pandemic is very much not over," she said. "And that we must make more progress in increasing vaccine uptake not just here in the United States, but globally. Because what happens elsewhere could come here."

Credit: Johns Hopkins University

Those worrisome trends, however, are not visible in Maryland.

Brian Garibaldi, the CRC clinical lead and medical director for the Johns Hopkins Biocontainment Unit, said COVID hospitalizations in Maryland have continued to decline to about 600 hospitalized patients, down from about 1,000 a month ago. The patients who do arrive in intensive care units are either unvaccinated or have compromised immune systems, Garibaldi said.

"There is reassuring data from the CDC  that the risk of hospitalization and severe disease is much higher in unvaccinated individuals," he added. "So the vaccines are still holding against the delta variant."

More than 67 percent of Maryland's population is fully vaccinated, while the national average still hovers below 60 percent.

"We still need to push very hard to get people who have not yet gotten their first series of vaccines to get vaccinated, and that includes children," he said. "Many people are very excited about the fact that children ages five to 11 are now eligible to get vaccinated. But it remains to be seen what that enthusiasm is going to be for vaccinating kids."

The federal government authorized emergency use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for children this week.

The risk of a rare side effect of inflammation of the heart, called myocarditis or pericarditis, is "far greater" from COVID than it is from a vaccine.

"The vaccine for children is safe and effective. ... Kids are much more likely to get severely ill from COVID than they are to have even a mild side effect from the vaccine," he said. "The risk benefit far favors getting vaccinated for children five to 11, as quickly as possible. The sooner we do that the better off we're going to be in preventing what we hope is not going to happen: a winter surge as we all go inside and start congregating more."

Until more children are vaccinated the nation still needs to support steps that are known to be effective at mitigating transmission, such as mask mandates, especially in schools where many unvaccinated people gather daily.

"The data is very clear that in schools that have masks, transmission is much lower than in school systems that have not implemented masks," Garibaldi said.

He added that people should get their flu shotsin addition to their COVID vaccinesand consider wearing masks in areas where flu infections are high.

While flu cases remain low currently, Garibaldi said there has been an increase in RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, a common respiratory virus with cold-like symptoms.

Garibaldi said he is still wearing a mask indoors due to COVID but also to avoid the other seasonal viruses.

"I think it's still appropriate to continue to wear masks indoors and to be really diligent about hand hygiene and to really consider getting vaccinated if you're eligible and haven't done so," he said.

Explore further As Africa goes unvaccinated, US remains awash in shots
University of Minnesota researchers tested several filtration devices that can reduce COVID-19 spread and make dental cleaning procedures safer. Credit: U of M School of Dentistry

In a new study using 3D holographic imaging, University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers tested the effectiveness of three filtration devices that can mitigate the spread of aerosols during ultrasonic scaling, a common dental cleaning procedure. The findings could increase health safety in dental offices during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The researchers found that two of the devicesa high-volume evacuator and an extraoral local extractorwere very successful at reducing aerosol spread. This is one of the first studies to use advanced engineering imaging techniques to map the size, distribution, and mitigation of aerosols in dental offices.

The paper was published recently in the Journal of the American Dental Association, a peer-reviewed scientific publication from the world's largest dental organization.

The University of Minnesota research team was led by College of Science and Engineering Professor David Pui and Associate Professor Jiarong Hong in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, with help from Professor Paul Olin, the Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs in the University's School of Dentistry.

In August 2020, the World Health Organization advised that citizens refrain from going to nonessential dentist appointments due to the higher quantity of COVID-19 aerosolstiny particles released when we exhalethat could be generated by infected patients during dental procedures. Minnesota dental offices welcomed patients back after the governor's executive order lifted, but there's limited data on how many aerosols are actually produced during dental procedures and if those aerosols are infective.

Documented cases of COVID-19 transmission in dental offices are near non-existent, and the University of Minnesota has had over 100,000 appointments since March 2020 without transmission to or from the patients. But until recently, dental clinics were still delivering care at a decreased capacity due to social distancing and waiting periods between appointments to give time for the aerosols to filter out.

"That has a huge impact, not only economically but also in terms of the amount of care we can provide," Olin said. "We were significantly cutting down on the number of patients we can help in a day. It's important for us as dentists to understand the aerosols we create and whether they are a mechanism for the transmission of viruses and other things. And if they are, how can we mitigate that? But now that we understand the airflow and aerosol production, our clinics are back at full capacity with the use of mitigation processes and procedures."

This video first demonstrates the aerosols and splatter released during an ultrasonic scaling procedure on a dental manikin, then shows how this is mitigated when the researchers turned on the extraoral local extractor (ELE) filtration device. Credit: Flow Field Imaging Laboratory, University of Minnesota

In this study, the researchers looked specifically at aerosol generation during ultrasonic scaling, which involves using a high-speed, vibrating tool to remove tartar, a type of dental plaque, from a patient's teeth. Using a dental manikin and thermoplastic teethand with real dental hygienists performing the procedurethe researchers used holographic imaging to map the size and distribution of aerosols released.

"This technique allows us to look at suspended particles in the air or in liquids," explained Hong, whose lab specializes in 3D imaging of particles and flow. "If you look at conventional microscopy, you put a particle on a slide and have to use a microscope and manually focus in on the object in order to see that particle. Holography imaging allows us to directly see the particles as they're moving in the air."

Then, the researchers tested three devices that aim to filter the aerosols from the air. These included a saliva ejector, a high-volume evacuator (HVE)both tools that dentists already use regularly to remove saliva after rinsingand an extraoral local extractor (ELE), a vacuum-esque mechanism made by Donaldson Company, an industry collaborator of the University's Center for Filtration Research.

They found that the ELE and HVE were most effective at filtering out the particles, reducing the amount of aerosols by 96 and 88 percent, respectively. The researchers also found that using combinations of the different devices doesn't necessarily lead to better particle removal. For example, using the ELE alone is more efficient than combining it with the saliva ejector or the HVE. And, the positioning of the suction devices matters too.

The researchers hope that their findings can guide dental professionals on what strategies they can use to keep COVID-19 from spreading in their offices.

"The Journal of the American Dental Association is obviously a very important journal for the dental community," said Pui, who is also a University Regents Professor and the LM Fingerson/TSI Chair in Mechanical Engineering. "By publishing our study there, dentists can review our findings and know what methods they can use to control the potential spreading and help mitigate the spray from dental operations."

This study also paves the way for further exploration of this topic. The engineering researchers are already working with the School of Dentistry on a different project that measures aerosol generation from another dental tool, a high-speed hand piece. They also plan to more accurately model how aerosols travel in dental clinics in order to provide better guidelines for how much time dentists can allow between patient appointments.

In addition to Pui, Hong, and Olin, other University of Minnesota contributors to this research include mechanical engineering senior research scientist Qisheng Ou and graduate student Rafael Grazzini Placucci, who both helped design and implement the experiments; mechanical engineering research scientist Siyao Shao; professors Judy Danielson and Gary Anderson in the Department of Developmental and Surgical Sciences; Professor Paul Jardine in the Department of Diagnostic and Biological Sciences; and dental laboratory production manager John Madden in the Department of Restorative Sciences. Industry collaborators at Donaldson Company include Qinghui Yuan, the director of modeling and data science, and Timothy Grafe, the company's vice president.

Explore further Sources of SARS-CoV-2 and other microorganisms in dental aerosols

More information: Qisheng Ou et al, Characterization and mitigation of aerosols and spatters from ultrasonic scalers, The Journal of the American Dental Association (2021). Journal information: Journal of the American Dental Association Qisheng Ou et al, Characterization and mitigation of aerosols and spatters from ultrasonic scalers,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.adaj.2021.06.007
A face mask was left back on the Roemerberg square in Frankfurt, Saturday, Nov.. 6, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Michael Probst

Germany's coronavirus infection rate climbed to its highest recorded level yet on Monday as what officials have called a "pandemic of the unvaccinated" gathers pace.

The national disease control center, the Robert Koch Institute, said the country has seen 201.1 new cases per 100,000 residents over the past seven days. That was above the previous record of 197.6 from Dec. 22 last year. While it's still a lower rate than in several other European countries, it has set alarm bells ringing.

The seven-day infection rate has long ceased to be the only policy yardstick in Germany, with new hospital admissions now an important factor. Those are currently at just under 4 per 100,000 residents over a weekcompared with a peak of about 15.5 last Christmasbut officials say hospitals are filling up in badly affected areas.

The disease control center said Monday that 15,513 new COVID-19 cases were reported over the past 24 hoursdown from a record 37,120 on Friday, but figures are typically lower after the weekend. Another 33 deaths were recorded, bringing Germany's total to 96,558.

Germany has struggled to find ways to pep up its much-slowed vaccination campaign. At least 67% of the population of 83 million is fully vaccinated, according to official figures, which authorities say isn't enough. Unlike some other European countries, it has balked at making vaccinations mandatory for any professional group.

As at many times during the pandemic, Germany has a patchwork of regional rules. Most places restrict access to many indoor facilities and events to people who have been vaccinated, have recovered or been testedwith the latter now being excluded in some areas. Those rules are often enforced laxly.

Rules on whether schoolchildren must wear masks in class vary from state to state.

Free rapid tests for all were scrapped nearly a month ago in an effort to incentivize more people to get vaccinated. There are now widespread calls for them to be reintroduced. And officials now advocate booster vaccinations for everyone who got their initial shots six months ago or more.

Germany currently has a caretaker national government after its election in September. The parties that are expected to form the next government plan to bring legislation to parliament this week that would allow an "epidemic situation of national scope," in place since March 2020, to expire at the end of the month but provide a new legal framework for coronavirus measures.

There has been criticism of that decision. But Katrin Goering-Eckardt, the parliamentary leader of one of those parties, the Greens, told ARD television that "we need to create measures now that can't be questioned by courts."

She argued that, with two-thirds of residents vaccinated, the current rules weren't legally waterproof.

Schools and other facilities can be closed if necessary, but "with so many people vaccinated, we won't be able legally to do a complete lockdown for those who are vaccinated," Goering-Eckardt said.

Explore further Germany sees 2nd straight COVID case record, mulls response

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Hispanics adults hospitalized for treatment of symptoms of peripheral artery disease (PAD) were more likely to access this care by going to the emergency room (ER), and they experienced longer and more expensive hospitalizations than non-Hispanic white patients with PAD, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association's Quality of Care and Outcomes (QCOR) Research Scientific Sessions 2021.

Peripheral artery disease, or PAD, affects 8.5 million Americans and shares many of the same risk factors as coronary artery disease, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, type 2 diabetes and older age. PAD occurs when blood flow is restricted in the lower legs and can reduce a person's mobility and ability to perform routine, daily living activities. The condition increases the risk for heart attack and stroke.

"The Hispanic population is one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in the U.S., and prior studies have shown worse outcomes among Hispanic adults with PAD, including higher rates of amputation and fewer revascularization procedures compared to non-Hispanic white adults with PAD," said lead study author Kristie Harris, Ph.D., an instructor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. "The prevalence of PAD among Hispanic individuals has been difficult to determine because this population often experiences a lack of access to health care and is underrepresented in many population-based studies. Our study raises awareness and confirms some of these disparities."

Harris and her team examined hospital admission data from the 2011-2017 National Inpatient Sample to study differences in the experiences of Hispanic and non-Hispanic white adults treated for PAD symptoms. They investigated whether people sought inpatient PAD care by presenting to the ER or if they came for a planned, elective visit, likely sent by an outpatient care professional.

During the study period, there were 1,018,220 PAD hospitalizations among adults age of 18 years and older in the U.S. (39% female; 14% Hispanic adults).

The percentage of people who accessed inpatient hospital care via the emergency department increased among both Hispanic adults and non-Hispanic white adults between 2011-2017. The increase was substantial among those who are Hispanic, with the percentage of PAD hospital admissions occurring through the ER jumping from 50% to 70% over the course of the study period.

The researchers found that Hispanic adults with PAD were 80% more likely to access inpatient PAD care by going to the emergency room for symptoms compared with non-Hispanic white adults hospitalized with PAD. Additionally, Hispanic adults were 12% less likely to undergo elective hospital admissions for PAD.

Among the other findings in the study:

Across all years, 58% of hospital admissions among Hispanic adults began with a visit to the emergency room, compared with 36.7% for non-Hispanic white adults.

The average hospital visit was 4.5 days for Hispanic patients versus 3.7 days for non-Hispanic white patients, and overall hospital costs were higher, too  $63,813 versus $52,368, respectively.

"Our findings reinforce other research that indicates Hispanic individuals often lack a usual source for routine health care and frequently defer or avoid care due to costs," Harris said. "Instead of delaying care, a better way to manage PAD and reduce the risks of future complications is with regular evaluation and follow-up, usually with a primary care doctor or vascular specialist."

Harris said prevention is key, and as with any other type of cardiovascular disease, people should be encouraged to quit smoking, be physically active and to manage diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, which all increase the risk for PAD. Individuals who develop pain in their feet or legs with walking not associated with muscle strain should seek medical care early for a comprehensive evaluation.

"This study highlights the importance of better tailoring PAD prevention and management, especially among Hispanic people, which could reduce the need for hospital emergency room care or hospitalization," she said. "Systematic efforts are needed to ensure Hispanic people with PAD have more accessible, affordable and culturally sensitive outpatient care. Efforts should include supports that educate the community regarding the signs and symptoms of PAD and encouragement to seek care early."

Explore further Past-year dental visits more frequent in urban versus rural areas
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People who went into cardiac arrest in the cardiac catheterization lab were more likely to survive to hospital discharge than those who had a cardiac arrest in the intensive care unit (ICU), yet less likely to survive than those who had an arrest in the operating room (OR), according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association's Resuscitation Science Symposium (ReSS) 2021.

Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart malfunctions and stops beating; it differs from a heart attack, which occurs when blood flow to the heart is blocked. While it often happens outside the hospital, cardiac arrest also occurs among hospitalized patients. An estimated 292,000 adults experience in-hospital cardiac arrest each year in the U.S., based on recent data from the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation quality improvement program.

"Cardiac arrest while in the hospital cardiac catheterization laboratories is likely on the rise due to the increase in complex procedures being done on people at high risk for complications," said study author Ahmed Elkaryoni, M.D., a cardiology fellow at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois. "There are, however, unanswered questions about cardiac arrest while in the cardiac catheterization lab, including how common it is compared to other areas of the hospital, characteristics of the cardiac arrest event and what the chances are of survival to discharge. In this study, we compared rates of survival to hospital discharge for people who had in-hospital cardiac arrest while in the cardiac catheterization lab, versus the OR and ICU."

Researchers referred to the American Heart Association's Get With the Guidelines-Resuscitation registry to identify adults ages 18 years and older who had an in-hospital cardiac arrest in the cardiac catheterization lab (cath lab), ICU or OR between 2000 and 2019.

The analysis found:

Across 428 hospitals, 193,950 adults had an in-hospital cardiac arrest. Nearly 6,900 of those were in the cardiac catheterization lab; nearly 182,000 were in the ICU; and about 5,180 were in the OR.

Overall, 38.1% of people who had in-hospital cardiac arrest in the cardiac catheterization lab survived to discharge, compared to 16.9% in the ICU and 40.5% of people who had a cardiac arrest while in the OR.

Patients who survived a cardiac arrest in the cath lab were more likely to be younger, white adults; have their arrest during normal hours and on weekdays; and initially experience pulseless ventricular fibrillation, the most serious cardiac rhythm disturbance, while in cardiac arrest.

Patients were less likely to survive to discharge after an in-hospital cardiac arrest in the cardiac catheterization lab if they had any of these factors: experienced a heart attack during this or a prior hospitalization; had low blood pressure, metabolic or electrolyte abnormalities, or respiratory insufficiency; or required mechanical ventilation.

"Our study shows that in-hospital cardiac arrest in the cardiac catheterization lab is not uncommon and has a slightly lower survival rate when compared with in-hospital cardiac arrest in the OR," Elkaryoni said. "The reasons for this difference, however, deserve further study given that cardiac arrest in both settings is witnessed and response time should be similar."

A study limitation is that while the American Heart Association's Get With the Guidelines-Resuscitation quality improvement program is the largest nationwide multicenter registry detailing in-hospital cardiac arrest in the U.S., it represents only about 15% of all U.S. hospitals. Therefore, these findings may not be generalizable to hospitals not participating in the registry, Elkaryoni noted.

Explore further Earlier epinephrine treatment during cardiac arrest linked to better recovery
A passenger arrives from overseas at the arrival hall of Haneda international airport in Tokyo, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Koji Sasahara

Japan reported no daily deaths from COVID-19 on Sunday for the first time in 15 months, as infections decline rapidly in the country.

Health officials on Monday said there were no deaths the previous day, giving Japan a total of 18,310 fatalities since the pandemic began.

Japan on Monday also eased entry restrictions for foreign students, workers and short-term business travelers who are fully vaccinated, have their activity plans guaranteed by sponsors and observe 10 days of self-isolation.

Self-quarantine for Japanese citizens and foreign residents was also shortened to three days from the previous 10 days.

The last time Japan reported no new coronavirus deaths was on Aug. 2, 2020, according to the ministry.

Japan was then hit by several waves of infections, including one led by the delta variant last summer, when daily cases peaked at around 25,000. Health care systems came close to collapse and tens of thousands of patients who were unable to find hospital beds had to recover at home. In Tokyo, new daily cases rose to nearly 6,000.

Nationwide cases started falling in September. Experts have attributed the decline to vaccination progress as well as widespread mask wearing and use of disinfectants, among other reasons.

Passengers arriving from overseas come through the arrival hall of Haneda international airport in Tokyo, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Koji Sasahara

People wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk at the Ginza shopping district on Tokyo Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Koji Sasahara

Vaccinations in Japan, despite a slow start, accelerated in June, and now nearly 74% of the population is fully immunized. The government plans to begin booster shots in December and also secure newly developed COVID-19 medicines.

Japan is gradually expanding social and economic activities, though experts caution against easing restrictions too quickly.

Dr. Shigeru Omi, who heads a government coronavirus panel, stressed the need to catch early signs of any upsurge in cases and take necessary steps without delay.

Explore further Japan to lift all coronavirus emergency steps nationwide

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The study found people who continued to spend a higher amount of time sitting between April and June 2020 were likely to have higher symptoms of depression. Credit: Canva/Free Media License Agreement

As people adhered to stay-at-home orders or self-isolated during the early months of the COVID-19 outbreak, daily commutes turned into shuffles between the bedroom and the living room. Clicking Zoom links erased time spent walking to meeting rooms, and Netflix spilled into time otherwise dedicated to the gym.

In short, a lot of people suddenly became more sedentary during the onset of the pandemic. Recently published research found people who continued to spend a higher amount of time sitting between April and June 2020 were likely to have higher symptoms of depression. A closer investigation into this association could play a role in helping people improve their mental health.

"Sitting is a sneaky behavior," said Jacob Meyer, assistant professor of kinesiology at Iowa State University and lead author of the paper. "It's something we do all the time without thinking about it."

As the director of the Wellbeing and Exercise Laboratory at ISU, Meyer and his team look at how physical activity and sedentary behaviors are related to mental health, and how changes to those influence the way people think, feel and perceive the world.

"In March 2020, we knew COVID was going to affect our behavior and what we could do in lots of weird, funky ways that we couldn't predict," Meyer said.

To get a snapshot of those changes, Meyer and a team of researchers received survey responses from more than 3,000 study participants from all 50 states and the District of Colombia. Participants self-reported how much time they spent doing activities, like sitting, looking at screens and exercising, and how those behaviors compared to pre-pandemic times. Using standard clinical scales, they also indicated changes to their mental well-being (e.g., depression, anxiety, feeling stressed, lonely).

"We know when people's physical activity and screen time changes, that's related to their mental health in general, but we haven't really seen large population data like this in response to an abrupt change before," Meyer said.

Survey data showed participants who were meeting the U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines (i.e., 2.5-5 hours of moderate to vigorous physical activity each week) before the pandemic decreased their physical activity by 32%, on average, shortly after COVID-19-related restrictions went into effect. The same participants reported feeling more depressed, anxious and lonely. Meyer and his fellow researchers published their findings in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health last year.

Meyer's latest paper in Frontiers in Psychiatry served as a follow-up to see whether the participants' behaviors and mental health changed over time. Participants filled out the same survey each week between April and June.

"In the second study, we found that on average, people saw their mental health improve over the eight-week period," Meyer said. "People adjusted to life in the pandemic. But for people whose sitting times stayed high, their depressive symptoms, on average, didn't recover in the same way as everyone else's."

The participants who continued to spend a large portion of their day sitting experienced blunted mental health improvements.

Meyer emphasized that finding an "association" between sitting and mental health is not the same as saying more sitting causes depression. He said it's possible people who were more depressed sat more or that people who sat more became more depressed. Or there could have been some other factor that the researchers did not identify.

"It's certainly worthy of more investigation," Meyer said, adding that monthly survey data from June 2020 to June 2021 are intended to become publicly available soon. "I think being aware of some of the subtle changes we've made during the pandemic and how they might be beneficial or detrimental is really important as we look to the other side of pandemic life."

Meyer said both starting and stopping a habit is very difficult, even when someone wants to change their behavior. But he hopes more people will recognize that even a little bit of movement can improve their mood and mental health, and try to find ways to build it into their day.

Meyer recommended people take breaks when sitting for long periods of time.

"If you're no longer walking down the hall for in-person meetings, you can still incorporate that break from sitting by taking a short walk before and after your Zoom call," Meyer said.

People working from home can try walking around the block before and after the workday to mimic their pre-pandemic commute, which Meyer said can benefit people physically and mentally, and help add structure to the day.

Researchers at Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin and University of Limerick contributed to this research.

Explore further Replacing time spent sitting with sleep or light activity may improve your mood

More information: Jacob D. Meyer et al, High Sitting Time Is a Behavioral Risk Factor for Blunted Improvement in Depression Across 8 Weeks of the COVID-19 Pandemic in AprilMay 2020, Frontiers in Psychiatry (2021). Journal information: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Jacob D. Meyer et al, High Sitting Time Is a Behavioral Risk Factor for Blunted Improvement in Depression Across 8 Weeks of the COVID-19 Pandemic in AprilMay 2020,(2021). DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.741433
Bacteria could help fight chronic middle ear infections. Credit: Australian Department of Health

Bacteria found in children's upper respiratory systems could help fight chronic middle ear infections, the leading cause of preventable hearing loss and deafness in Indigenous communities.

The University of Queensland's Dr. Seweryn Bialasiewicz said this discovery helped explain a long-held mystery, while providing hope for potential treatments.

"We've been puzzled for years now, trying to work out why some children never develop chronic ear disease, despite being in a high-risk category for contracting it," Dr. Bialasiewicz said.

"By focusing on the microbiomes in the upper respiratory tracts of disease-resistant kids, we could investigate the ecological networks of bacterial interactions that seemed to be working together to protect against the condition.

"It was clear that these two groups of bacteria needed to not only be present, but to be interacting with each other, to provide protection from middle ear infections."

Dr. Bialasiewicz said they were hoping to use this information to figure out what the exact mechanism of protection is, and then mimic it in the very young children, as a therapy or a preventative measure.

"This could take the form of a molecule that can be used as a drug for treatment, or as a protective probiotic so that these 'good' bacteria can be seeded in the nose early enough to offer protection against the incoming 'bad' bacteria," he said.

Dr. Andrea Coleman, who completed her Ph.D. work on the project this year, said the research provided a new perspective on how middle ear infections develop and could pave the way for new treatments.

"Chronic middle ear infections can affect between one third to one half of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, which is far above the four percent threshold that the World Health Organization considers as a disease needing urgent public health action," Dr. Coleman said.

"This disease can cause hearing loss and can have life-long impacts on speech and language development, education, and future employment prospects, and in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations contributes to the wide gap in educational and employment outcomes."

The study investigated the microbiomes of 103 children aged two to seven from two north Queensland communities.

Dr. Bialasiewicz said chronic middle ear infections resulting in hearing loss was a major problem with Indigenous and other disadvantaged populations globally.

"Our discovery could be applied across the world, helping improve health and reducing the disadvantage gap for a wide range of people," he said.

The team has acknowledged the support of the Deadly Ears team, the Queensland Health's statewide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ear Health Program doing on-the-ground treatment and education, as well as the generous assistance of parents and children within the participating communities.

The research has been published in Microbiology Spectrum.

Explore further Flu vaccine elicits robust immune responses in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations

More information: Andrea Coleman et al, Upper Respiratory Tract Microbiome of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children in Ear and Nose Health and Disease, Microbiology Spectrum (2021). Andrea Coleman et al, Upper Respiratory Tract Microbiome of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children in Ear and Nose Health and Disease,(2021). DOI: 10.1128/Spectrum.00367-21
T-cell receptor in complex with the MHC class II-peptide complex. Credit: Juan Gaertner via Shutterstock

Researchers from the University of Sydney and Monash University have made a significant discovery that uncovers what is happening at the molecular level when an organ transplant is recognized as foreign by the immune system.

Working in mice, the team identified the precise molecular targets of transplant rejection and showed how this knowledge could potentially be used in the future to improve immune monitoring of clinical transplant recipients.

The study is published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Each year around 1500 Australian lives are saved through organ transplants, but the risk of that transplant being rejected remains significant. Rejection occurs when a person's immune system recognizes the organ as foreign and starts to attack it, just like it would a virus.

"While the early outcomes of organ transplants are excellent, the long-term results aren't nearly as good with many people losing their transplant within 10 to 15 years," said senior author Associate Professor Alexandra Sharland from the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre and Faculty of Medicine and Health.

Clinicians currently detect transplant rejection through a range of techniques, including monitoring organ function via blood tests or more invasive procedures such as regular biopsies of the transplanted organ.

However, once evidence of damage is apparent it may not be completely reversible, eventually leading to transplant loss.

Associate Professor Helen Pilmore, President of the Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand said: "The findings of the pre-clinical study in mice could, if transferable to humans, have significant implications for clinical transplant management."

"We hope that one day this research could lead to a simple blood test that is able to distinguish the donor reactive T cellsthat is the cells that can specifically recognize the transplanted organ as foreign and respond to it, from all the other cells," said co-author Dr. Nicole Mifsud, Group Leader of the Clinical Immunology Laboratory at the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute.

Figure 1: The research team discovered that self-peptides pairing with foreign MHC molecules are recognised by donor-reactive T cells, leading to transplant rejection. Figure 2: If the same applies in humans this discovery could be used as the basis of a diagnostic test to accurately distinguish the presence of donor reactive T cells from all other T cells present. Credit: Journal of Clinical Investigation

"This could potentially be used to identify which patients are at risk of rejection or to accurately adjust the level of immunosuppression, the drugs used to lower the body's ability to reject the organ. Using the appropriate level of immunosuppressants can prove vital to maintaining the viability of transplanted organs."

The study explained

In this study, the researchers were able to definitively answer an ongoing question in transplant researchwhether self-peptides (short fragments of proteins produced inside cells) in association with foreign MHC molecules (a molecule on the outside of cells which differs between donor and recipient) are recognized by the bulk of donor-reactive T cellsin turn causing transplant rejection.

After confirming this, the team then constructed a laboratory procedure to accurately identify and quantify the majority of donor-reactive T cells in a rejecting skin graft.

The researchers' next step will be to analyze the molecules in humans (which are different to those in mice) using the same scientific approach.

The study was made possible by a research collaboration that brought together the University of Sydney's strength in transplant immunobiology with Monash University's leading expertise in immunopeptidomics. Co-author Professor Anthony Purcell from Monash University said the published findings are the fruit of nearly 10 years of teamwork by the research groups.

A transplant recipient's experience

When a newlywed in 2006, Wendy Jenkins was diagnosed with a life-threatening lung condition and given only two years to live. She was lucky enough to be matched with an organ donor and it is now 14 years since her transplant.

"I am however very mindful that chronic organ rejection is one of the key factors in limiting long-term survival for lung transplant patients such as myself, with the average life expectancy post lung transplant in Australia being only seven years. It would be an exciting prospect if doctors could better manage this risk by having a simple blood test to monitor the exact immune cells that cause this rejection," said Ms Jenkins.

Explore further Simple donor-specific biomarker predicts liver transplant rejection independent of recipient

More information: Eric T. Son et al, The self-peptide repertoire plays a critical role in transplant tolerance induction, Journal of Clinical Investigation (2021). Journal information: Journal of Clinical Investigation Eric T. Son et al, The self-peptide repertoire plays a critical role in transplant tolerance induction,(2021). DOI: 10.1172/JCI146771
Shabana Maani, gives a polio vaccination to a child in the old part of Kabul, Afghanistan, March 29, 2021. The Taliban-run Afghan public health ministry announced Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021, the start of a four-day nationwide polio vaccination campaign aimed at inoculating children under age 5. Credit: AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File

The Taliban-run Afghan public health ministry announced Sunday the start of a four-day nationwide polio vaccination campaign aimed at inoculating children under age 5.

For the past three years before taking control of Afghanistan, the Taliban had barred U.N.-organized vaccination teams from doing door-to-door campaigns in parts of the country under their control. The group apparently was suspicious the team members could be spies for the previous government or the West.

Because of the ban and ongoing fighting, some 3.3 million children over the past three years have not been vaccinated.

"Without any doubt polio is a disease that without treatment will either kill our children or cause them with permanent disability, so in this case the only way is to implement the vaccination," said Dr. Qalandar Ebad, the Taliban's acting public health minister.

Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan are the only countries in the world where polio remains endemic and the disease can cause partial paralysis in children. Since 2010, the country has been carrying out regular inoculation campaigns in which workers go door to door, giving the vaccine to children. Most of the workers are women, since they can get better access to mothers and children.

Shabana Maani, gives a polio vaccination to a child in the old part of Kabul, Afghanistan, March 29, 2021. The Taliban-run Afghan public health ministry announced Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021, the start of a four-day nationwide polio vaccination campaign aimed at inoculating children under age 5. Credit: AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File

The four-day campaign will start Monday and take place countrywide, Ebad said. The estimated target population is Afghanistan's 10 million children under age 5, including the more than 3.3 million who could not be reached since 2018.

"Vaccination of (children) less than five years of age in the country during the national immunization days is a gigantic task. It is not possible for the ministry of public health alone to complete this task successfully, so we need the support of all lined departments," said Nek Wali Shah Momin, a health ministry official in the polio eradication department.

The Taliban's reported endorsement of the campaign appeared aimed at showing the international community they are willing to cooperate with international agencies. The longtime militant insurgent force has been trying to win the world's recognition of its new government and re-open the door for international aid to rescue the crumbling economy.

The World Health Organization and the U.N. children's agency UNICEF in a joint statement last month said they welcomed the decision by the Taliban leadership supporting the resumption of house-to-house polio vaccinations across the country.

Large sections of the country have been out of reach for vaccinations in recent years. In parts of the south, particularly, the ban by the Taliban was in effect. In other areas, door-to-door campaigns were impossible because of fighting between the government and insurgents, or because of fears of kidnappings or roadside bombs. In some places, hard-line clerics spoke out against vaccinations, calling them un-Islamic or claiming they were part of a Western plot.

Explore further Pakistan launches another vaccination drive against polio

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Older adults can experience negative health effects due to social isolation. Credit: Shutterstock

Older adults, especially those who live in rural areas, are affected by their isolation. In Newfoundland and Labrador, 22 percent of residents are over the age of 65. These older adults live in the sparsely populated coastal communities or in the small number of more urban centers that are scattered throughout the province.

Social isolation and loneliness negatively influence the quality of life of older adults. The rurality of N.L. threatens older adults' ability to engage with peers, their community and the health-care system.

Arts-based programming

The combination of an aging population and the potential negative health effects caused by social isolation presented a problem that our teamconsisting of members from the Regional Health Authority, the Western Regional School of Nursing, health professionals and a local performing arts organizationaimed to address.

We designed opportunities for older adults with mild to moderate frailty or cognitive decline to be socially connected through participation in arts-based activities. Our program aim was to prove that engagement in the arts could help these older adults maintain their cognitive health and improve their quality of life.

SmART Aging was a community-based virtual arts program delivered by local professional artists in western Newfoundland. The program connected socially or geographically isolated older adults with artists and other participants through online sessions that featured a variety of expressive arts disciplines. Local artists developed engaging programming that was specifically aimed at the older adult population.

Eight artist-led sessions were available using virtual technology, and older adults could participate from the comfort of their own home and at no cost. The art sessions ranged in focus from letter writing to painting and drawing, as well as storytelling and theater skills. Participants could choose to attend only one session, or complete all the sessions.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program was affected in various ways, including a delayed start, a change from the proposed blended in-person and virtual format to solely virtual, and changes in the recruitment process. Initially, community health nurses identified eligible participants from their existing caseloads. However, due to the impacts of the pandemic, the recruitment process changed to public promotion and self-referral.

Virtual arts classes can help foster social interaction for older adults who feel isolated. Credit: Shutterstock

Positive feedback

To measure program effectiveness, the project team offered an anonymous survey to participants that asked them to provide feedback on their experience and satisfaction with the program. Virtual focus groups were also held at the end of the sessions with the project team and the artists to evaluate the program and to identify strengths, opportunities for improvement and the overall sustainability of offering a similar program in the future. The distance that clients would have needed to travel for this program if virtual access was not available was also tracked.

Participant and artist feedback confirmed that the program was successful in engaging participants and enhancing their quality of life. Participants enjoyed the sessions, interacted with others and felt included in the art sessions. Participants were interested in participating in future sessions, and 90 percent would recommend the program to family and friends. One participant's feedback reflected the success of the program: "The artist was fantastic. I felt very relaxed once we got started. And it was so nice to see the other ladies and man on the screen. It was like having company in my house: but I didn't have to clean up!"

Artist feedback was also very positive, with all of the artist respondents receiving participant feedback that they were engaged in the sessions and enjoyed it. The findings support further program offerings and the possible expansion of the program. One artist wrote: "I am grateful for the braveness of the participants who stepped into something new! I was amazed to see and feel a shift from 'chaos' to 'calmness' from the participants after we settled into the activities and a sense of 'confidence' by the end. It was great when participants could share their audio and video so we could directly connect in those ways."

Alleviating social isolation

While the pandemic altered both program delivery and recruitment, and decreased the expected participation, overall the program was a success. Even the small number of attendees represented a significant impact on saved travel time and cost.

Collectively, the participants would have had to travel 3,836 kilometers (return) if they had attended in-person art sessions. It is the hope that art-based projects like this will continue to be explored as an option for improving older adult social isolation and positively benefiting health.

Explore further Virtual exercise effective for people with arthritis and helps them stay socially connected too

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Belarus and Kuwait

On November 7, 2021 Kuwait City hosted the first round of political consultations in the history of bilateral relations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Belarus and Kuwait.

The event was co-chaired by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Mikalai Barysevich, and the Deputy Foreign Minister Assistant for Europe Affairs of the State of Kuwait, Naser Al Hain.

During the consultations, the parties discussed various areas of bilateral cooperation, upcoming in 2022 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Belarus and Kuwait.

The sides reached a principle agreement on raising the level and intensifying the political dialogue between the two countries in the nearest future, developing the legal framework and maintaining a high level of interaction within international organizations.

Special attention was paid to the issues of enhancing trade and economic cooperation, resuming the work of the Joint Commission on Economic, Trade and Technical Cooperation, as well as stimulating business contacts.

Prospects for cooperation in the field of education, culture, tourism and were also discussed.

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Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus S.Aleinik meets the Ambassador of hina

On November 8, 2021 the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Sergei Aleinik, met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Peoples Republic of China to the Republic of Belarus, Xie Xiaoyung.

During the meeting, the parties discussed issues of further cooperation between Belarus and China within international organizations, including specialized agencies of the United Nations system, as well agreed to coordinate joint efforts on the international arena.



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Missoula lawyer Quentin Rhoades issued an apology Monday regarding a comment he made suggesting people should shoot superintendents they do not agree with at a meeting at Crosspoint Church.

In the Monday statement, Rhoades said that he became aware that the "thoughtless quip" may have caused some in the education community to feel unsafe.

"To those, I apologize unreservedly. I do so whether they are school officials, educators, students, parents, trustees or members of the public. It was unkind and un-Christian," Rhoades said in the statement.

He added that he apologizes for any harm caused to his firm or clients by his remark. Rhoades works with the firm Rhoades Siefert & Erickson.

At the meeting last week, Missoula County Public Schools Trustee Mike Gehl called on Rhoades to stand up from his seat in the audience to recall a conversation they had at a similar meeting in late August. At that meeting, Rhoades recommended the group change the makeup of the school board in the the upcoming election and fire the superintendent.

Instead of responding with his initial recommendation, Rhoades responded with "shoot 'em?" The exchange was captured in a video from the meeting shared on the Crosspoint Church's website.

Following the meeting, Rhoades said the comment was made in jest and was received by the audience as such because the room broke out into laughter.

Rhoades' remark has been condemned by MCPS as well as state Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen. Arntzen was at the meeting as a speaker, but was not in the room at the time Rhoades' comment was made.

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  Many Kansas families would save hundreds of dollars a year under a proposal Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly outlined Monday to eliminate the state's unusually high sales tax on groceries.

Kelly's proposal, which would save consumers roughly $450 million a year, comes at a time when the state is flush with cash, thanks to tax collections that have exceeded expectations for months. But if a measure reducing or eliminating the tax passes the Republican-controlled Legislature, she'll face a partisan fight over credit as she seeks reelection next year.

The governor unveiled her proposal three days after GOP Attorney General Derek Schmidt called on lawmakers to cut or eliminate the 6.5% tax. Schmidt didn't make a specific proposal but told top Republicans in a letter Friday that he is ready to assist them in passing a measure.

Kelly made reducing or eliminating the sales tax on groceries a key campaign promise during the governor's race in 2018. She said she's waited until now to push the issue to be sure that the state's finances are stable enough to sustain the tax relief into the future. Tax collections have run 18.9% ahead of expectations from July 1 through Oct. 31 and generated a surplus of $440 million.

We can deliver this for families without diverting resources from other state services or agencies, Kelly said.

Kelly announced her proposal during a news conference in the produce section of a Dillons grocery store in north Topeka, as curious shoppers looked on. She held up an axe to symbolize her push to axe the tax on groceries and wore an axe pin on her lapel.

The proposal would save consumers $6.50 for every $100 spent on groceries. A family that spends an average of $200 a week on groceries would save $676 over a year.

Kansas is one of only 13 states with a sales tax on groceries and one of only six that taxes groceries at the same rate as other consumer goods, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators. Kansas' rate of 6.5% is second only to Mississippi's 7%.

Eliminating the sales tax on groceries can immediately benefit all Kansans, and it will provide the greatest help to those in greatest need, Schmidt said in his letter to GOP legislative leaders, echoing an argument that lawmakers in both parties have made for more than two decades.

Cutting or eliminating the tax is likely to have widespread appeal to consumer-voters.

I work hard and I try to eat the right foods and try to eat healthy, said Karen Thornwall, a part-time instructor at Washburn University and substitute teacher in Topeka. A lot of people will say they cant afford to buy even the healthy foods because its expensive but a lot of it is the tax that we pay on the food as well.

But the Legislature's debate next year will likely be clouded by election-year politics.

Republican lawmakers included proposals for modest reductions in the sales tax on groceries in two tax-cutting bills they approved in 2019, but they tied their proposals to income tax cuts that Kelly called fiscally reckless. She vetoed both bills.

They always play politics with it, said House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat, who advocated eliminating the sales tax on groceries during his unsuccessful run for governor in 1998.

Republicans hope to persuade swing voters that Kelly couldn't deliver on her 2018 promise and that a measure wouldn't pass without Schmidt intervening.

Indeed, Schmidt's campaign posted on social media ahead of Kelly's event Monday that, "We need a governor who will get the job done for Kansas families.



Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin has disclosed what his campaign says are summaries of recent tax returns that show the substantial amounts of income he made and has given away.

Summaries of his returns over the past five tax years indicate the former private equity firm executive cumulatively made $127 million during that period. Almost half of that income, or $59 million, originated from capital gains, according to a spreadsheet provided to The Washington Post by his campaign a few days after the Republican defeated Democratic rival Terry McAuliffe. It also shows Youngkin also gave $52.6 million to charity and paid nearly $18 million in taxes, the newspaper reported.

Virginia gubernatorial candidates arent required to disclose their returns. Youngkins release comes after his campaign and McAuliffe's campaign made commitments to The Associated Press months ago that they would disclose at least some information from recent tax returns before the Nov. 2 election. But time passed and neither fulfilled that commitment.

Youngkin, who stepped down as co-CEO of the Carlyle Group in 2020, made $39.8 million last year, the Post reported. He also gave nearly $15 million to charity and paid about $6.8 million in federal income taxes.

His campaign didnt provide copies of his actual tax filings. Neither the Post nor AP could independently verify the figures.

The campaign also did not disclose who benefited from his charitable giving. But the Post reported that Youngkin and his wife, Suzanne, gave about $23 million between 2016 and 2018 to the Phos Foundation, a religious nonprofit they founded and direct from their home, according to an IRS form filed by the foundation.

The familys extensive charitable giving extends to many charitable organizations that they did not found, Youngkins campaign said in a statement.

Mandatory financial disclosure forms filed by Youngkin and McAuliffe earlier this year provide a broad look at each candidates personal liabilities, investments and income from business interests. And campaign finance reports show that as of late October, Youngkin had poured at least $20 million of his own money into his run against McAuliffe, who was governor from 2014 to 2018.

Youngkin pledged in April not to accept a salary as governor, saying he would donate his paycheck to charity.

When McAuliffe was elected in 2013, Republican rival and then-Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, allowed reporters to examine eight years worth of complete federal and state income tax returns. McAuliffe later released summaries of three years of federal returns to reporters.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, The Washington Post.

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New information has emerged in the investigation of Saturdays shooting that left three dead at a casino on the border of Montana and North Dakota near Bainville.

The shooting was a domestic dispute turned murder-suicide between a man and his wife from Williston and a second man from Bainville, Roosevelt County Sheriff Jason Frederick told the Gazette Monday.

Bradford Mann, 56, followed his wife, Jennifer Mann, 49, and Scot Panasuk, 63, to Colbys Casino Saturday evening, said Frederick.

Surveillance footage from the parking lot showed Panasuk and Bradford Mann get out of their vehicles and get in a quarrel, according to the sheriff. Soon after the quarrel, Bradford Mann took out a gun and shot Panasuk dead. He then turned the gun on his wife in the car killing her before shooting himself, the sheriff said.

During the shooting, an off-duty Fort Peck Tribes police sergeant was in a nearby casino and responded immediately. Calls to 911 dispatched agencies from across the region, including Roosevelt deputies, MHP, NDHP, Williams County Sheriffs deputies from North Dakota and Williston Police alongside EMTs and fire departments from nearby towns.

With an off-duty officer on scene, law enforcement had a clear picture ahead of time of what they were responding too. We were getting a play-by-play account from the officer on scene, said Fredericks, and first responders were aware the scene was safe before their arrival.

The investigation is considered closed, the Sheriff said, and no further investigation will be conducted. Examinations on the victims and shooter were performed Sunday night and all the evidence has been processed from the scene.

Bainville is a small town about 300 miles from Billings in northeast Montana near the border with North Dakota. The region has experienced a boom in population after fracking in the Baaken oilfields dramatically increased the population over the past decade.

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Children, ages 5 to 12, are now eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19, marking a major event to protect young populations from the deadly pandemic.

U.S. health officials, including a panel of independent experts and the director of the Centers for Disease Control, voted recently to approve the Pfizer vaccine for children. It was not previously offered to this age group.

Childrens doses of the Pfizer vaccine consists of one-third of the dose adults receive.

Full inoculation requires two injections, three weeks apart.

The news has important implications for Native communities, Dr. Mary J. Owen told Indian Country Today. Owen is the president of the Association of American Indian Physicians and executive director of the Center of American Indian and Minority Health at the University of Minnesota.

Kids are going to school, and over and over, no matter how well we try to protect them, they're still getting infected there, and then they're bringing that infection back home.

She urged children to be vaccinated to protect all generations.

We are still losing critical members, such as elders, children, and other people who haven't been vaccinated in our communities. So get it done now. It's safe.

The vaccine was found to be 90 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 in children 5 to 11, according to data by the CDC in clinical trials. The study included approximately 3,000 children.

If you were speaking to the families of Native children specifically, would you urge them to get their kids vaccinated? What would you say to them?

I would definitely urge them to get their kids vaccinated. We are still seeing significant death and illness in our community and it is because not enough people are vaccinated. We haven't been able to, until now, get our kids vaccinated, but this is the final piece that we need to keep our community safe," she said.

Owen said the research behind the childrens vaccine is extremely safe.

People don't realize just how much has gone into preparations and the work to get these vaccinations out to every single community, of every single age, and for our children whom we worry about the most, of course, the testing has been much more stringent, Owen said.

Data shows COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted Native communities and is more deadly for American Indians and Alaska Natives than other races and ethnicities.

It's one of the areas of our highest health disparities. And in fact, we died at four times the non-Native rate for H1N1, and we're seeing similar effects, three times the rates, of other populations from COVID-19.

The CDCs Director Rochelle Walensky said while the risk of severe disease and death is lower in young children than adults, it is real. She added that COVID-19 has had a profound social, mental health and educational impact on youngsters, including widening disparities in learning.

There are children in the second grade who have never experienced a normal school year, Walensky said. Pediatric vaccination has the power to help us change all of that.

The process to get emergency use authorization of the vaccine required a green light from both the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC. Both agencies had special panels of independent experts who evaluated the data from clinical trials.

The American Academy of Pediatrics welcomed the decision as its members get ready to start the first injections into little arms, which began Wednesday.

Over the weekend, drugmaker Pfizer began shipping millions of the pediatric shots to states, doctors offices and pharmacies. This move allowed many communities to prepare for the inoculations ahead of time.

In the U.S., there have been more than 8,300 coronavirus-related hospitalizations of kids ages 5 to 11, about a third requiring intensive care, according to government data. The CDC has recorded at least 94 deaths in that age group, with additional reports under investigation.

And while the U.S. has seen a recent downturn in COVID-19 cases, experts are worried about another uptick with holiday travel and as winter sends more activity indoors where its easier for the coronavirus to spread.

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GLASGOW, Scotland (AP)  Barack Obama expressed confidence at U.N. climate talks Monday that the Biden administration will ultimately get its $555 billion climate package through Congress, and faulted U.S. rivals China and Russia for what he called a dangerous lack of urgency in cutting their own climate-wrecking emissions.

As nations complained of lagging trust and progress in the climate talks, Obama, one of the leaders who paved the way for the historic 2015 Paris climate deal, threw in a touch of his trademark hope but admitted that images of dystopia were creeping into his dreams.

There are times where the future seems somewhat bleak. There are times where I am doubtful that humanity can get its act together before its too late, Obama said at the two-week-long negotiations. (But) we cant afford hopelessness.

His comments came as conference leaders acknowledged Monday that many key sticking points exist after a week of talks. A trust gap between rich and poor nations has once again emerged and developing countries used the word disappointing when leaders talked Monday about the progress to date in the talks.

The U.N. climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, is the former American president's first since he helped deliver the triumph of the 2015 Paris climate accord, when nations committed to cutting fossil fuel and agricultural emissions fast enough to keep the Earth's warming below catastrophic levels of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).

That celebration has been replaced by worry. Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris accord. And while President Joe Biden put America back in the climate deal the Trump move set back U.S. efforts. Other top polluters  including China, India and Russia  are moving far more slowly on fighting climate change than scientists say is needed.

1.5 C is on life support now, its in ICU, said Alden Meyer of E3G, an environmental think tank.

Obama's appearance sought to remind governments of the elation that surrounded the Paris accord and urge them to announce more immediate, concrete steps to put the 2015 deal into action. Optimism and unity is required to save the planet, he said.

It doesnt matter if youre a Republican or a Democrat if your Florida house is flooded by rising seas, or your crops fail in the Dakotas, or your California house is burning. Nature, physics, science  they dont care about party affiliation, Obama said. We need everybody  even if we disagree on other things.

Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate wrote Monday on Twitter that she was 13 when Obama was part of rich nations who promised $100 billion a year to poor countries to help them fight global warming, but said those nations broke the promise. Nakate told The Associated Press that she wasn't attacking the former president but that is me speaking the truth.

This money was promised, but it hasnt been delivered," she said, adding that the $100 billion a year was the bare minimum for climate finance.

Despite opposition within Biden's own Democratic party that has blocked the president's climate-fighting legislation, Obama was confident that some version of Biden's ambitious climate bill will pass and be historic.

It will set the United States on course to meet its new climate targets, he said.

And while the rapport between U.S. and Chinese negotiators paved the way to the Paris accord, Obama on Monday criticized Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin for not joining other leaders at the climate talks in Glasgow.

It was particularly discouraging to see the leaders of two of the worlds largest emitters, China and Russia, decline to even attend the proceedings, and their national plans reflect what appears to be a dangerous lack of urgency, Obama said.

Obama spoke earlier Monday to a session on Pacific Island nations, including ones whose existence is threatened by rising oceans.

All of us have a part to play. All of us have work to do. All of us have sacrifices to make" on climate, he said. But those of us who live in wealthy nations, those of us who helped to precipitate the problem ... we have an added burden.

No deals have been made yet on three main goals of the U.N. conference. Those are pledges to cut emissions in half by 2030 to keep the Paris climate deals 1.5 degree Celsius temperature limit goal alive; the need for $100 billion annually in financial help from rich countries to poor ones; and the idea that half of that money goes to adapting to global warmings worst effects. Several other issues, including trading carbon and the transparency of national emissions commitments, also werent solved yet.

Representatives of 77 developing nations, along with China, said until this climate conference produces financing to help poor nations the talks can't be considered successful.

There is a history of broken promises and unfulfilled commitments by developed countries, said Diego Pacheco Balanza of Bolivia.

Scientists say the Earth is only a few years away from the point where it becomes impossible to meet the goals set in the Paris accord, due to mounting damage from coal, petroleum, agriculture and other pollution sources. The last few days have seen huge protests in Glasgow and around Europe by young people and others demanding faster action from nations in fighting global warming.

Obama met later Monday with a dozen climate activists, many in their 20s, and urged them to keep up the public pressure despite any frustrations they may feel at governments' inaction.

The question is, where are the countries that really met our expectations? And it turns out, those are the places where there was pressure, where there was political mobilization, where there were activists, a shirtsleeves-clad Obama said.



Associated Press reporter Frank Jordans contributed to this report.



Follow all AP stories on climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Hundreds if not thousands of migrants sought to storm the border from Belarus into Poland on Monday, cutting razor wire fences and using branches to try and climb over them. The siege escalated a crisis along the European Union's eastern border that has been simmering for months.

Poland's interior ministry said it had rebuffed the illegal invasion and claimed the situation was under control. The Defense Ministry posted a video showing an armed Polish officer using a chemical spray through a fence at men who were trying to cut the razor wire. Some migrants threw objects at police. Video footage from Belarusian media showed people using long wooden poles or branches to try to get past a border fence as police helicopters circled overhead.

Defense Ministry video taken later Monday showed the migrants settling in for the night by the border, having put up scores of tents and cooking meals.

A coordinated attempt to massively enter the territory of the Republic of Poland by migrants used by Belarus for the hybrid attacks against Poland has just begun, a spokesman for Poland's security forces, Stanislaw Zaryn, said in a statement.

Noting that it's also NATO's eastern border, Zaryn stressed that the large groups of migrants ... are fully controlled by the Belarusian security services and army. He accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of acting to destabilize Poland and other EU countries to pressure the bloc into dropping its sanctions on Minsk. Those sanctions were put into place after Belarus cracked down brutally on democracy protests.

Piotr Mueller, Poland's government spokesperson, said 3,000 to 4,000 migrants were next to the Polish border on the Belarusian side.

Polish border officials said the border crossing in Kuznica, in the northeast, will be closed early Tuesday.

There was no way to independently verify what was happening. Journalists have limited ability to operate in Belarus and a state of emergency in Poland is keeping reporters and human rights workers out of the border area.

The massing of people at the border appeared to rev up the crisis that has being going on for months in which the autocratic regime of Belarus has encouraged migrants from the Mideast and elsewhere to illegally enter the European Union, at first through Lithuania and Latvia and now primarily through Poland.

Anton Bychkovsky, spokesman for Belarus State Border Guard Committee, told The Associated Press that the migrants at the border are seeking to exercise their right to apply for refugee status in the EU. Bychkovsky insisted they are not a security threat.

But the massive group was viewed as a threat by Poland and other European countries, including Germany  the main destination for many. Steffen Seibert, German Chancellor Angela Merkels spokesman, told reporters Monday that the Belarusian regime is acting as a human trafficker.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on the bloc's 27 nations to approve extended sanctions on the Belarusian authorities responsible for this hybrid attack.

She said two top EU officials  EU Commission vice president Margaritis Schinas and EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell  will travel to the main countries of origin for the migrants to ensure that they act to prevent their own nationals from falling into the trap set by the Belarusian authorities.

The EU said it hoped that Poland would finally accept help from Frontex, the blocs border agency, a step that Polands ruling nationalists have so far refused to do. Frontex would not comment Monday on the border situation.

Bix Aliu, the U.S. charge d'affaires in Warsaw, tweeted that Lukashenkos regime was risking the migrants' lives and using them to escalate the border crisis and provoke Poland. He demanded an immediate end to the hostile actions by Belarus.

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Twitter that more than 12,000 soldiers have been deployed to the border and a volunteer Territorial Defense force was put on alert. He also posted video footage of what appeared to be a large group of migrants in Belarus, near Kuznica.

Polish ministers held an emergency meeting on the border crisis, with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki writing on Facebook that Poland's border is sacred and not just a line on the map."

Poland's deputy foreign minister, Pawel Jablonski held talks with Iraqi charge d'affaires Hussein al-Safi on ways of ending the migration crisis and thanked Iraq for having Belarus close its consulates in Baghdad and Irbil that were giving tourist visas to migrants.

Meanwhile, in Poland's EU neighbor Lithuania, officials were preparing for the possibility of a similar incursion, with the Interior Ministry proposing to declare an emergency situation.

We are getting ready for all possible scenarios, said Rustamas Liubajevas, the head of Lithuania's border guards.

Since the summer, Poland and Lithuania have seen thousands of migrants from the Mideast and Africa trying to cross into the EU. Poland has sought to block the attempts or send those they catch back into Belarus.

Belarusian political analyst Valery Karbalevich told the AP that the Moscow-backed Lukashenko regime seemed to be trying to use the migrants to scare the EU.

The largest attack of migrants on EU borders is taking place three days after Belarus and Russia signed a new agreement on military cooperation. The Kremlin is at least aware of the details of whats happening, Karbalevich said.



Daria Litvinova in Moscow, Yuras Karmanau in Kyiv, Ukraine, Jan M. Olsen in Copehagen, Denmark, Liudas Dapkus in Vilnius, Lithuania, and Lorne Cook and Samuel Petrequin in Brussels contributed.



Follow all AP stories on global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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So youve cast your vote. Now what? Thats what numerous friends and relatives are asking me after Election Day this year. A lot of Montanans seem to have lost faith that one vote can make a difference in their community.

The great thing about our American system of government is that voting is only a small part of what the average person can do to make a change.

Drawing from my years as an advisor for statewide Montana candidates and officeholders, here are some tips for how the average person can make a difference beyond election day.

First, contact your representatives directly.

The popular sentiment seems to be that once a candidate is elected, they stop listening to their constituents. On the contrary, the sole job of elected officials is to represent you. In fact, our federal and statewide officeholders have entire departments dedicated to reading and responding to email inquiries, answering phone calls and connecting constituents with people who can help solve their problems.

Obviously, statewide officeholders cant directly monitor or respond to every inquiry (they have busy schedules!), so youll most likely be interacting with a staffer. However, dont take that to mean your message wont make a difference. Staff are paid to help elected officials be effective representatives and credible interactions provide valuable information about what constituents care about.

Montanans are lucky to have an even more direct line to local and legislative officials. The benefit of having a part-time, citizen legislature is most representatives have their email or phone number listed on the legislative website, and they watch it closely. Contacting your local representative directly is a great way to get their attention, make them aware of your concerns and get to the bottom of an issue.

Second- and third-hand accounts of political issues on social media can often be unreliable and intentionally inflammatory. By contacting your representative directly, you give them the opportunity for a direct explanation. Odds are they can share important information about an issue that wasnt communicated clearly or fairly by others.

Second, aim for peaceful dialogue.

In our polarized political environment, most messages our representatives receive are hate mail, filled with insults and threats that accomplish nothing. Engaging in an impactful way with your representatives requires breaking through this vitriol and demonstrating your credibility.

Start by being charitable in your interactions. Its safe to assume your representative, like most people, is simply trying to do the right thing. Try approaching your local representative like you would a new neighbor. Introduce yourself politely and offer genuine interest in their point of view. Perhaps invite them to sit down for a coffee and an extended discussion. By offering them respect, youll receive it back and your representative will be more open to what you have to say.

Next, do your research and come prepared. Representatives have a lot of smart, informed people vying for their attention. Worn-out catchphrases and passionate hyperbole from social media dont translate well into constructive information an elected official would find useful. This is one reason why disruptive protests rarely lead to concrete policy change. Instead, marshal your arguments, gather evidence and try to focus on communicating your unique perspective about an issue.

From my experience, average Montanans who engage with their local representatives directly and peacefully can truly make a difference. But dont take my word for it, give it a try.

Kendall Cotton is president and CEO of the Frontier Institute, a think tank dedicated to breaking down government barriers so all Montanans can thrive.

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Other vaccine locations

Other vaccine locations

For those who cant make it to the vaccine clinics throughout the month, here are some other locations offering COVID-19 vaccines around Burke County:

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. The pharmacy now is vaccinating children ages 5-11. 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.
As a youngster growing up on his familys farm in Trempealeau County in western Wisconsin, Larry Spangberg and his older and younger brothers, Merwyn and David, helped his parents Joel and Marion Spangberg with the work. In time, all three boys served in the military. Their Dad, too young for World War I and too old for World War II, worked 37 years at the Uniroyal plant where they made bomber tires during the war.

During summers while going to college, Spangberg worked on the construction of I-90, and was working on road construction when he received his draft notice.

Spangberg entered the Army on February 3, 1964, completed basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri and then trained at Ft. Gordon, Georgia as a Military Police officer. One day in March 1965, officers asked for volunteers to go to Southeast Asia.

Spangberg said, I looked at my buddy, Bob Powers from the Seattle area, and said, lets go see whats going on over there.

In May 1954, the French garrison at Dien Bien Phu fell after a four-month siege led by Vietnamese nationalist Ho Chi Minh. Active communist rebellions in other area countries caused President Eisenhower to fear a domino effect if one country fell. In 1955 the U.S. agreed to train the South Vietnamese army; over time, tensions grew and in March 1965, the first U.S. Marines were deployed.

Spangberg and the others reported to Ft. Riley, Kansas in mid-July for pre-deployment training. In mid-August they left for Vietnam on the USS J.C. Breckenridge with troops and some dependents. The MPs had duty shifts while on the ship.

He said, Id never seen the ocean before, but the Golden Gate Bridge and the trip to Hawaii was beautiful with five days of perfect weather.

We arrived at Pearl Harbor in the morning. As we passed the USS Arizona everyone went silent; all the military personnel saluted. The memory of that and all those who died during the attack on Dec. 7, 1941 was very moving and even now thinking about it still gives me goosebumps.

They sailed on the edge of a typhoon during the voyage from Hawaii, stopping in Yokohama, Japan for two nights, where the dependents got off.

After 23 days, they arrived at Cam Ranh Bay on the southeast coast of Vietnam.

Spangberg said, All of our gear went to a different port, so we only had pup tents. It was monsoon season and very muddy. We could see big rats running all over the place. One day Bob got a care package from home that had macadamia nuts in it. He woke up in the night to see a rat sitting on his chest eating the nuts, and woke up everyone yelling and swinging a bayonet at it!

One day Larry and his buddies obtained a deuce-and-a-half to get materials from the Air Force to build a hooch. In a month their gear arrived, and they had to tear it down.

The MPs were with the 630th Escort Guard Company. Ships from the U.S. and other NATO countries brought in fuel, ammo and supplies with four MPs being assigned to each ship for security.

Spangberg said, While on R and R in Hong Kong, we met three Chinese men our age. Asian cities are like a big ant pile! They showed us the town, and we had a five-course meal that was delicious and memorable.

My time in Vietnam was a good experience. I was dealt a good hand; we were never in danger of enemy fire, but didnt know that initially. President Johnson came to our base one time, and security was really tight.

On Dec. 26, 1965, Bob Hope came to our base and guys came from all over the area to see him. Six of us MPs were off duty, but put on our armbands and walked into the area like we were part of security and got a ringside seat to see the show, he said with a grin.

He returned to the U.S. and was discharged January 29, 1966 as a SP/4, receiving the Good Conduct, National Defense Service, Vietnam Service and Campaign 60 medals.

As an 11-year-old boy, Spangberg came west with his older brother Merwyn and wife on vacation one summer.

He said, I fell in love with the Shining Mountains and determined to return and try living out here.

In 1972 he moved to Butte, and to Deer Lodge in 1989. He worked at Montana State Prison until retirement in 2004.

He and his wife, Lynn, have been married for 27 years. Their combined family includes Michelle Davidson, Kari Abramson, John Reistad, Wendy Nelson, and Wade Reistad.

Spangberg is a lifetime member of Deer Lodge American Legion Post 10 (56 years), VFW Post 689 and the DAV in Anaconda. He served as commander of both Post 10 and 689. In 1995, the Deer Lodge Veterans Honor Guard was formed. He has served with them since, and is a past commander.

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Wildfires and their increased air pollution, unprecedented heat waves, drought with water shortages, Montana experienced all of these this year.

As health professionals, we are concerned about climates impact on the people and communities we care for. We believe it is imperative that those of us in health care do our part to mitigate global warming. Currently, the U.S. health care industry produces at least 8.5% of U.S. total carbon emissions and 25% of worldwide health care emissions. Lowering these numbers can have a significant positive impact on global warming and serve as a model for others.

Regionally, there are some leaders in these efforts. The Providence Healthcare system, including St. Patricks Hospital in Missoula and St. Josephs in Polson, has taken major steps in reducing its environmental impact, going so far as to set an ambitious goal to become carbon negative by 2030, eliminating or offsetting all greenhouse gas emissions.

A large health system with over 50 hospitals in 7 states, Providence has examples of on-site solar, wind, and geothermal renewable energy, and green tariff programs with utilities for significant renewable electricity. They have committed to reducing waste by 50% by 2030, enacting their "Waste Optimization" platform and to purchase 25% of the food used within the system sustainably by 2025. They have reduced greenhouse gases from anesthetic agents by 70%, on their way to 95%. Providence Healthcare has reduced business travel by 70%. As a Catholic system committed to justice, its hospitals and clinics are working with the communities they serve to understand and address inequities posed by climate change and other pollution.

These efforts are not only helpful in mitigating global warming; they are also fiscally beneficial.

Brian Chesebro, MD, the Providence Oregon Region Medical Director for Environmental Stewardship, recently commented: I would say that two environmental stewardship initiatives in the operating room (anesthesia emissions reductions and surgical supply optimization) have thus far saved the Providence Oregon Region a combined $3.5 million/year across 8 hospitals.

We applaud Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health (SCL Health) for recently joining Practice Greenhealth. Montana hospitals in this healthcare system include St. Vincents in Billings, Holy Rosary in Miles City, and St. James in Butte.

Health Care Without Harm, with 17,000 hospital members worldwide and its sister organization, the U.S.-based Practice Greenhealth, are available to assist hospitals and clinics in making the transition to more environmentally friendly care delivery. Many professional organizations offer guidelines for practice improvements including the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the Association of American PeriOperative Registered Nurses, and the American Academy of Family Physicians, among others.

Whether you are a patient or a healthcare provider, ask your hospital to consider sustainability!

We encourage all of our health care professional colleagues to become informed regarding climate change, its effects on the health of our patients, and the ways in which we can decrease those effects. We are all being adversely impacted by climate change and it is imperative that all of us providing health care in Montana actively become stewards of our planet as well as our local communities. Please join us in these efforts!

Montana Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate is a Montana non-profit working to increase awareness of climate change, its impacts on human health and actions we can take to lessen those impacts.

Contributors to this opinion include Cathy White MD, Butte; Ned Vasquez MD, Missoula; Robert Byron MD, Hardin; Lori Byron MD, Hardin; and Teresa Blascovich MD, Billings.

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SAN DIEGO (AP)  Parents held children born while they were stuck abroad. Long-separated couples kissed, and grandparents embraced grandchildren who had doubled in age.
We are very excited to come to Georgia, a state that not only welcomes business but enthusiastically supports and welcomes companies in the firearms industry, Remington CEO Ken DArcy said in a statement.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp famously pointed a shotgun at another person in a campaign commercial when the Republican was seeking his current office in 2018.

Georgias firearms industry is responsible for thousands of jobs and millions of dollars of investment in our communities, Kemp said in a statement. I am a proud owner of some of Remingtons first-class product, and now, I am excited to welcome them to their new home in the Peach State."

Scott Malone, the economic development director for the city of LaGrange, said Remington has already secured at least one building in the city, and will operate from a combination of new and renovated facilities. He said local governments would offer property tax abatements, plus utility and infrastructure improvements.

Phil Smith, a spokesperson for the United Mine Workers of America, which represents some workers at a factory in Ilion, said the union had no information about whether workers in New York would be affected. The new owners recently restarted operations there, calling back more than 200 workers who had been laid off. The local government in New York offered 10 years of tax breaks in exchange for the restart and upgrades.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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A missing teenager from North Carolina was rescued by Kentucky police after she signaled for help by using a hand gesture known on TikTok to represent violence at home, according to police.

The 16-year-old from Asheville, North Carolina, was reported missing by her parents on Tuesday, according to the Laurel County Sheriff's Office in Kentucky. On Thursday, a motorist in Kentucky called 911 to report seeing a girl in distress in a vehicle on the interstate.

"The complainant was behind the vehicle and noticed a female passenger in the vehicle making hand gestures that are known on the social media platform 'Tik Tok' to represent violence at home -- I need help -- domestic violence," reads the statement posted on Friday by the Laurel County Sheriff's Office.

The hand gesture is a one-handed sign someone can use when in distress, according to the Canadian Women's Foundation. Someone using the signal holds their hand up with their palm facing out, then tucks their thumb into their hand and then closes their fingers to trap thumb.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Attorneys spent the first week of Kyle Rittenhouse's murder trial sparring over who provoked whom, with prosecutors portraying the Illinois teenager as the aggressor and the defense working to show that the men he shot had threatened him.

The stakes are enormous as jurors weigh whether Rittenhouse fired in self-defense because he legitimately felt threatened or whether he overreacted.

To establish self-defense, the first prong is the defense must show there was going to be interference with Rittenhouse and that Rittenhouse had a belief that could result in great bodily harm, said former Milwaukee County prosecutor Daniel Adams, who isn't involved in the case.

Rittenhouse brought a semi-automatic rifle to a protest against police brutality in Kenosha in August 2020. The city was in the throes of several nights of chaotic demonstrations after a white police officer shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, after Blake resisted arrest during a domestic dispute. Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time, said he was trying to protect downtown businesses from looters and vandals. He's charged with homicide and attempted homicide, as well as being a minor in possession of a dangerous weapon.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Hundreds if not thousands of migrants sought to storm the border from Belarus into Poland on Monday, cutting razor wire fences and using branches to try and climb over them. The siege escalated a crisis along the European Union's eastern border that has been simmering for months.

Poland's interior ministry said it had rebuffed the illegal invasion and claimed the situation was under control. The Defense Ministry posted a video showing an armed Polish officer using a chemical spray through a fence at men who were trying to cut the razor wire. Some migrants threw objects at police. Video footage from Belarusian media showed people using long wooden poles or branches to try to get past a border fence as police helicopters circled overhead.

Defense Ministry video taken later Monday showed the migrants settling in for the night by the border, having put up scores of tents and cooking meals.

A coordinated attempt to massively enter the territory of the Republic of Poland by migrants used by Belarus for the hybrid attacks against Poland has just begun, a spokesman for Poland's security forces, Stanislaw Zaryn, said in a statement.
That vote on Wednesday sparked fury  and not just from the opposition. Generally supportive newspapers reflected the anger, with the Daily Mail proclaiming: Shameless MPs Slink Back Into Sleaze.

Sleaze  corrupt or unethical behavior, often for financial gain  is an especially emotive word in British politics, especially for Conservatives. Allegations of Tory sleaze have been leveled at Conservative governments for decades.

The media and political backlash triggered a rapid government U-turn, saying it would look for cross-party consensus on overhauling the disciplinary process. Paterson abruptly quit Parliament after 24 years as a lawmaker.

The Paterson scandal has sparked calls from transparency groups for a review of rules on lawmakers holding second jobs. Members of Parliament are allowed to earn outside income on top of their 82,000 pound ($110,000) annual salaries, as long as they declare it and it does not shade into lobbying.

Environment Minister George Eustice said the uproar was a storm in a teacup of little interest to the wider public.

But former Conservative Prime Minister John Major lashed out at Johnson, saying the way the Conservative government had acted was shameful, wrong and unworthy of this or indeed any government.

Theres a general whiff of we are the masters now about their behavior, Major told the BBC. It has to stop, it has to stop soon.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Passengers wearing protective masks hold American and British flags before a JetBlue flight to London at JFK International Airport in the Queens borough of New York City, New York on Aug. 11, 2021.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during the welcome segment of the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida on Feb. 26, 2021.
Migrants travel in a caravan heading to Mexico City, in Arriaga near the border with Oaxaca state, Mexico on Nov. 7, 2021.
Telecommunications company Liquid Intelligent Technologies has partnered with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to expand its data centre capacity and increase fibre cable rollouts in Africa.

The partnership has seen Liquids subsidiary Africa Data Centres get IFC equity and debt investments to the tune of approximately $250 million (R3.77 billion) to support its hyperscale data centre capacity in Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.

This money will also support the ongoing rollout of Liquids fibre broadband network, which currently stretches more than 100,000 kilometres across sub-Saharan Africa.

The IFC said the continued build-out of Liquids network would help to connect businesses and individuals to the Internet across the continent and position Liquid to be at the forefront of Africas digital transformation with the provision of complementary digital services.

As Africas population grows and is increasingly urbanised, data consumption is expected to grow strongly and with this comes the need for secure local data hosting, said the IFC.

Liquid Intelligent Technologies executive chairman and founder, Strive Masiyiwa, said the company was pleased with the IFCs continued support.

The investments in our data centres and fibre broadband network will directly support our growth plans over the coming years by encouraging the adoption of new services such as cloud and other digital services, services that are critical in driving sustainable development across Africa, said Masiyiwa.

The IFCs latest investment follows its Liquid bond issuance on Euronext Dublin, Irelands main stock exchange, through which the IFC raised $620 million (R9.33 billion) for the company.

According to the Broadband Commission on Sustainable Development, sub-Saharan Africa will need around $100 billion (R1.5 trillion) in investment to achieve universal, affordable, and high-quality broadband access by 2030.

It will also need at least 250,000km of new fibre.
Elon Musks social media followers have spoken: The Tesla Inc. chief should sell 10% of his stake in the electric-car maker.

A majority of 3.5 million Twitter users  58%  said theyd support such a sale in a Twitter poll that Musk launched Saturday and closed shortly after 2:15 p.m. Sunday in New York. The stake would be valued at about $21 billion based on 170.5 million Tesla shares he holds.

I was prepared to accept either outcome, Musk said in a tweet after the poll closed.

A cryptocurrency version of Teslas shares trading on FTX suggests Musks tweeting may cause the shares to fall when Wall Street wakes up Monday. They were fetching $1,137.60 as of about 5:20 p.m. Sunday in New York, 6.9% lower than Fridays close for the real stock.

The crowd-sourcing exercise is the latest example of Musks long history of using Twitter and his legions of fans on the platform to stoke interest in his company, sometimes pushing the envelope with tongue-in-cheek tweets. The worlds richest person proposed the move in a tweet citing recent discussions about the ultra-wealthy hoarding unrealized gains to avoid paying taxes. Musk doesnt take a salary, but has to pay taxes on any stock options that he exercises.

Musks tweets have moved Tesla shares in the past, sometimes drawing the ire of authorities. Musk in 2018 agreed to get approval from a Tesla attorney prior to communicating material information to investors as part of a settlement with U.S. securities regulators. It wasnt clear whether that official previewed Musks Twitter poll.

Signaling Intentions

While large sales by insiders are often seen as a negative signal, a sale of this size wont alter Teslas story in a meaningful way, said Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities. Demand remains high for Tesla shares among both institutional and retail investors, he said. The unorthodox step of getting buy-in from fans and investors via a poll may also ease any concerns.

Selling 10% is probably going to add 1.5% to 2% to the float, so it doesnt really significantly move the needle, Ives said in a phone interview. I do believe that him doing it in this way definitely would soften the blow and would help the perception as well.

The automakers stock has soared 73% this year to $1,222.09 as of Nov. 5, giving it a valuation of $1.2 trillion. The number of shares that Musk  its chief executive officer and largest shareholder  could be set to offload is equivalent to 80% of Teslas average daily trading volume in the past three months. The amount of stock he may potentially sell would be even greater if his options are included.

Teslas stock wont officially begin trading again until the early morning hours of Monday in the U.S.

Personal Fortune

Musks fortune stands at $338 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. About one-quarter of that consists of Tesla stock options that hes free to exercise at any time. The securities come from two big awards he received in 2012 and 2018. The older contracts expire in August next year.

If he exercised all of the options now and immediately sold the shares, they would net him $95.9 billion before taxes.

Musk may be signaling that he wants liquidity beyond the cash hes secured by borrowing against his holdings in the EV maker. Last week he suggested hed sell some stock if the UN could prove $6 billion could help alleviate world hunger. For years, Musk has said he would be the last to ever sell stock, and has often added to his position when Tesla has raised money from Wall Street so that his stake is not diluted.

Tax Situation

Musk moved to Texas, which has no state personal income tax, in late 2020. But as Teslas market value has skyrocketed and his personal wealth has ballooned, Musk has become a symbol of rising inequality  something he appears to be sensitive to. He was among the billionaires mentioned in a Pro Publica investigation of how the ultra rich avoid paying taxes, and has become a target of members of Congress who are pushing a billionaires tax.

Whether or not the worlds wealthiest man pays any taxes at all shouldnt depend on the results of a Twitter poll, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, wrote in a tweet Saturday. Its time for the Billionaires Income Tax.

On his way to becoming the worlds richest person, Musk has made millionaires  and even at least one billionaire  among some of his fans, employees and other investors. Among them is Leo KoGuan, a Singapore-based retail investor and business owner who used his already considerable wealth to amass more than $7 billion in Tesla shares.

Count KoGuan among those Twitter followers who say its time for Musk to take some money out of the automaker, even if it is just to use it in Musks other ventures exploring space and neural networks. Politically and from tax point of view and given that Elon is poor in cash, he has no choice but to sell his stakes to pay tax and to be cash-rich, KoGuan posted on Nov. 6.
The value of bitcoin passed the R1 million milestone on South African cryptocurrency exchanges Luno, Valr, and AltCoinTrader in the early hours of Monday morning.

It comes as the price of bitcoin surged overnight from under $62,000 to over $66,000 on dollar-denominated exchanges.

Bitcoins price hit all-time highs in October following the launch of the first exchange-traded fund (ETF) based on futures of the cryptocurrency.

Trading under the ticker BITO, the ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF launched on the New York Stock Exchange on 19 October 2021.

Bloomberg reported that more than 24 million BITO shares changed hands on launch day, representing a turnover of almost $1 billion (around R14.4 billion on the day).

According to Bloomberg, bitcoin climbed to its all-time high thanks to a rush of pandemic-era liquidity, speculative bets, and expectations of broader adoption by institutional investors.

It was a rough ride.

After leaping to new highs in April, bitcoin plunged below $30,000 in Junedipping close to R400,000 in South Africaafter Elon Musk posted on Twitter about the energy consumption of Bitcoins mining algorithm.

Bitcoin mining is the process of solving complex mathematical problems that helps secure transactions on the blockchain.

Musk had given bullish endorsements for Bitcoin and posted several in-jokes on Twitter involving alternative cryptocurrency Dogecoin.

His endorsements of Bitcoin included an investment by Tesla of $1.5 billion (R21.7 billion) in the worlds biggest cryptocurrency.

Musk had also announced that Tesla would accept bitcoin as payment for its electric vehicles.

However, the billionaire backtracked, stating that Tesla would not be accepting bitcoin payments citing concerns about rapidly increasing use of fossil fuels for Bitcoin mining and transactions, especially coal.

Cryptocurrency enthusiasts found Musks sudden U-turn curious, as he must have known about the amount of computing power currently devoted to the Bitcoin network.

Regardless, Musks tweets kickstarted a rapid correction in the manic cryptocurrency market, ultimately wiping out over $1.25 trillion (R18 trillion) of value.

Prices have recovered since July, despite regulatory crackdowns around the world and the banning of Bitcoin mining in China.

Before the ban, China was the biggest contributor of computing power to the Bitcoin network.

Wall Street enthusiasm has also increased.

Bank of New York Mellon, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley are among firms offering crypto-related services.

Dawn Fitzpatrick, chief investment officer of Soros Fund Management, said her firm holds some coins and that crypto has gone mainstream.

At the same time, there is still a long way to go.

For instance, SkyBridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci said that while theres a feeding frenzy in crypto among about 10% of financial-services firms, the vast majority are hesitant about the asset class.

Over the past few years, a whole new crypto-economy has also formed.

Non-fungible tokens or NFTs  which allow holders of digital art and collectables to track ownership  have stepped into the limelight.

So has the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem, which allows people to lend, borrow, trade and take out insurance directly from each other, without intermediaries such as banks.

Bitcoins record came in time for its birthday  the digital coin was born on Halloween 2008 with the publication of a research paper by someone who went by the name Satoshi Nakamoto.

The paper was titled Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.

Its birth ignited a digital currency revolution that led to the emergence of more than 12,000 other coins, according to CoinMarketCap data.

The total market value of cryptocurrencies exceeds $2.5 trillion (R36.1 trillion).
As video streaming resolution increases, 1080p full HD TVs are no longer enough to experience the best visual fidelity that money can buy.

Companies such as Samsung and LG have made their 8K TVs available to buy in South Africa for those who want the highest resolution TVs available.

These 8K resolution TVs come with a hefty price tag, with the largest Samsung variant  their 98-inch Q900R coming in at R699,995.

LGs options are slightly cheaper but the company does not offer an 8K TV as large as Samsungs. LGs 88-inch OLED is available for R355,000.

There are also a number of 4K TVs available. We selected the two with the most impressive features.

Overall, we selected devices from Samsung, LG, Hisense, and Sony. The best TVs available from each of these brands are described below.

Samsung Q900R QLED 8K Smart TV

Samsungs Q900R 8K Smart TV offers a full 7,6804,320-pixel resolution with a 200Hz motion rate and is available in a range of sizes.

The TV features AI-powered upscaling and HDR support, allowing lower resolution content to look like it is of higher quality.

The display features 33 million pixels, and the Q900R 8K Smart TV is available in the following sizes:

65-inch  R45,999

 R45,999 75-inch  R49,995

 R49,995 98-inch  R699,995

LG 8K OLED TV

LGs 8K OLED boasts a full 7,6804,320-pixel resolution with LGs self-lit pixel technology, which the company says provides a more realistic picture quality.

It also includes AI-upscaling to make 2K and 4K resolution content appear to be of higher resolution  enabled by its 9 Gen3 AI Processor.

LGs 8K TV is ideal for console gamers with support for Nvidia G-Sync, which LG says provides clearer and smoother gameplay with less stutter.

The TV features an 88-inch display and is available in South Africa for R355,000.

Hisense Laser 4K TV

Hisenses most impressive TV available in South Africa is the L5(F) 4K laser TV, which comes with a 100-inch or 120-inch display.

The TV boasts a 25,000+ hour lifespan, brightness of 2,700 lumens, and an 84% DCI-P3 wide colour gamut.

The 120-inch variation, which uses Hisenses Laser Engine projection technology, is available for R79,999 from MHC World.

Sony A8H OLED 4K Smart Android TV

Sonys best TV sold in South Africa is the A8H OLED 4K Smart TV, available from R48,995 (on special).

The TV features Sonys X1 processor, which the company says analyses image data to make the most of the contrast capabilities of OLED displays.

Sonys Acoustic Surface Audio feature uses two 20W actuators and two 10W subwoofers behind the display to make the screen itself the speaker.

The TV has a resolution of 3,8402,160 pixels. Sony offers it in sizes ranging up to the 65-inch model in South Africa.
When Barbara Tonsberg offered to help restore the Pacific Union College Churchs massive Rieger pipe organ, a church leader told her she couldnt get it done for a reasonable price.

Note to future doubters: Never tell this 95-year-old Angwin woman what she cant do.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Special offer: $5 for your first 5 months!

At a recital on Saturday, Nov. 6, the largest organ of its kind on the West Coast made its triumphant return to public performance, repaired of wear and tear and significant damage sustained during the 2014 Napa earthquake.

Somebody had to fix it, said Tonsberg, one of the churchs former organists who last played in 2018. It couldnt just sit here. That wasnt going to happen as far as I was concerned.

This March marked the 40th anniversary of the organs arrival from an Austrian factory, which shipped it to Angwin in crates. It took a four-man crew six weeks to assemble the organs three main components. A fourth division, operated by the top keyboard or manual, was installed later, completing the 55-foot-tall instrument.

The cost of the restoration is still being tallied but will probably be around $130,000, less than one-fifth of the cost that had been estimated before Tonsberg got involved.

Tonsberg served on the committee that selected the organ in the late 70s.

We searched all over the United States and couldnt find what we wanted, she recalled.

They visited organ makers in Canada. Then they flew to France. Their search finally ended at the Rieger Orgelbau factory in Austria.

Tonsberg says the organ is of genuine Austrian heritage with a Germanic accent, but made in the French style.

Organs of this scale each have a unique sound. For instance, the one at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco is wonderful, but totally different, Tonsberg said.

Even the manuals of the PUC Church organ are unique. Instead of the familiar modern arrangement of white keys for the natural notes and black keys for the half-tones, the colors are reversed, a throwback to 18th-century harpsichords.

Years of regular use by organists and students took their toll, and the 2014 earthquake caused some of the heaviest pipes to bounce up and down, smashing the delicate toes beneath them, leaving some parts dangling by fishing line and rendering the organ all but unplayable.

It was worth $2 million and it was just sitting here, recalled Tonsberg.

The necessary repairs were estimated at $750,000, which the church considered too expensive. When Tonsberg told a church leader she could fix the organ for a fraction of that cost, she remembers him telling her you cant do that.

I could tell he had no faith in me at all, Tonsberg said. I said, Try me.

Tonsberg pared down the estimate by eliminating what she deemed unnecessary frills and focusing on the essentials: replacing the faulty slider motors that were letting air get into the pipes and causing the organ to play on its own, replacing the toes and other parts that had been damaged by the earthquake, replacing the bamboo balanciers that had deteriorated over time, and replacing the felt pads under the four keyboards.

Tonsberg said Pastor Emeritus John Hughson provided valuable help with fundraising  he was so nice and so much fun to work with  and the San Leandro-based Hupalo & Repasky did the actual work, but she called the shots, working closely with John Rupalo.

I knew what needed to be done and he knew how to do it, Tonsberg said. We got along very well.

When asked how she feels now that the organ is finally restored, Tonsberg heaved a big sigh of relief. Thats how it feels, she said.

You can reach Jesse Duarte at 967-6803 or jduarte@sthelenastar.com.

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Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, will host a virtual town hall Nov. 16 on police reform and racial justice featuring two longtime champions of both.

Panelists include California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Sen. Steven Bradford.

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The town hall will be streamed live over multiple channels and broadcast on KSVY Sonoma. Panelists will take live and submitted questions.

The event will stream live at 6 p.m. on KSVY.org. It will stream live at sd03.senate.ca.gov, facebook.com/SenBillDodd, and SonomaTV.org.

The event also will be broadcast locally on KSVY, 91.3 FM

You may email questions to townhall@ksvy.org, or call in questions at (707) 933-9133.
The first public debate over a charter middle school proposed for downtown Napa produced passion both for and against the project, and little apparent middle ground.

At a hearing last week held by the Napa school districts board of education, backers of the Mayacamas Charter Middle School  intended to open in August 2022 as an alternative to larger traditional campuses  competed for district leaders ears with opponents who warned the academy would drain a public school system already grappling with falling enrollment and shrinking state funding.

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Over about two hours, the Napa Valley Unified School Districts board heard dueling claims from more than 40 speakers that the charter school, which would educate more than 300 sixth- to eighth-graders inside the former St. John the Baptist Catholic School at 983 Napa St., would offer a more nurturing, small-school experience for young teens  or siphon off money and resources urgently needed by the local middle school community as a whole.

A nonprofit foundation is seeking a five-year agreement with NVUSD to support Mayacamas through June 2027. Enrollment at the middle school is expected to begin at about 180 students next year, gradually increasing to 336.

Mayacamas allies including Lauren Daley, a co-organizer of the project, warned that brushing off alternatives to conventional public schools would drive more local families into private schools, and that the Napa district needs to extend a hand to parents who have preferred current and former charters like the soon-to-close River Middle School for offering a more nurturing and supportive environment than what larger campuses could offer.

Since we started this endeavor, weve received many emails from parents and grandparents expressing relief at the notion of this school and wanting to know how to register, Daley told the board by videoconference. While the current middle school options are likely great for a large number of students, there are clearly families who need the Mayacamas option. Many have said this is their last hope for remaining in public school in Napa.

However, several educators urged NVUSD to reject the Mayacamas plan, warning that the siphoning-off of students  and the resulting loss of per-student educational funding by the state  would lead to even more teacher layoffs on top of the staff cuts the district has made during six years of shrinking student counts.

Losing (336) students means we will lay off 12 to 14 middle school teachers; thats about 9% of our middle school teaching staff, predicted Jennifer Kohl, principal of Silverado Middle School. This is a significant impact any way you look at it; it will negatively impact our academic and our elective programs, any way you look at it.

The campaign to approve the Mayacamas school continues a battle over school choice that intensified when NVUSD trustees voted in April to close two middle schools in June 2022  Harvest, which provides English-Spanish dual-language instruction, and River, which was a charter until 2019 and which provides a smaller-classroom teaching model based on closer teacher-pupil interaction. (Rivers campus on Salvador Avenue will house the new dual-language Unidos Middle School starting next fall, after Harvest closes.)

After the approval of the middle-school shutdowns, charter school supporters announced plans for Mayacamas, forming the nonprofit Napa Foundation for Options in Education to push for the schools creation  despite organizers admitting that gaining NVUSDs approval would be a longshot so soon after the districts belt-tightening.

Its definitely an uphill battle to get this approved and to get the school district to change their minds, Daley, who moved her daughter from River to a private middle school after the closure vote, told the Napa Valley Register shortly before the foundation filed its petition Sept. 15 to launch Mayacamas. California law gave NVUSD 60 days to schedule a public hearing on the charter school proposal, a forum that took place on Thursday via Zoom.

Such enthusiasm for a new charter academy, however, failed to sway district teachers and others who argued that Mayacamas would merely duplicate offerings at Silverado, Redwood or American Canyon, NVUSDs conventional grade 6-8 campuses.

Our two middle schools should receive all the attention and resources, given the percentage of English learners and socioeconomically disadvantaged students that we serve, said Daralyn Christensen of Silverado Middle Schools parent-faculty club. We would welcome all of these students at Silverado and Redwood. We feel very responsible for making sure our students have every opportunity to learn, based on their needs.

During Thursday's forum, a mother of River students attacked such opposition as a sign of continued resistance to schools outside the districts direct control.

This seems to be a clear case of NVUSD telling the community what they need, rather than listening to what they want, said Maureen Theunissen, who opposed the districts decision this spring to close River.  Not listening to the kids and their parents is exactly why many charter schools start. When a district cannot or will not meet the needs of the community, the community will organize and create a charter school.

New Napa middle school planned for St. Johns downtown school building These Napans hope to open a new charter middle school at the old St. John's elementary campus downtown.

NVUSD has scheduled the online publication of its recommendation on the Mayacamas school plan for Nov. 24, and the school board is set to vote on the petition Dec. 9, within the 90-day period California law gives school districts to either approve or reject a charter school application.

A charter school petition in California must include 15 elements, including a description of its education program, a governance structure, yardstick for student outcomes, qualifications for staff, and a plan for achieving a racial and ethnic balance reflecting the school districts population. Enrollment is voluntary, and a charter school may select pupils by lottery if the demand for seats outstrips supply.

Currently, NVUSD's only charter school is Stone Bridge, a K-8 academy that this fall moved from Carneros to the former Mt. George Elementary, one of two district grade school campuses to be closed in 2020 due to low enrollment. Stone Bridge teaches a Waldorf-based, low-technology curriculum that focuses largely on experience-based learning.

You can reach Howard Yune at 530-763-2266 or hyune@napanews.com

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Institutions collect secrets when they stand for 130 years. The stately, tree-shaded campus of the Sonoma Developmental Center may harbor more than most.

Closed since 2018, it's a tranquil place these days, the steady stream of neighborhood walkers diverted only by an occasional team of firefighters or police units practicing tactical operations in the empty buildings. But the facility's 1,670 oak-shaded acres, which straddle Arnold Drive in the tiny community of Eldridge, belie a bleak past, a history that the state of California is only now beginning to redress.

Opened as a home for the developmentally disabled in 1891, the site is long known as Sonoma State Home became the epicenter of state-mandated sterilization.

Between 1909 and 1952, some 5,500 or more Eldridge residents were coerced or compelled into undergoing vasectomies or salpingectomies (removal of one or both of a woman's fallopian tubes). The procedures were justified at the time in shockingly derogatory and racist language that labeled them morons, imbeciles and undesirables who should not be allowed to breed.

The subjects included middle-aged women and wayward teenage boys, severely impaired wards and people whose primary deficiency may have been nothing more irreversible than poverty. The few victims who have publicly recounted the experience describe feelings of loss, anger and shame.

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Marian Rose White was probably the most famous of those victims, thanks to a 1982 TV movie in which she was portrayed, improbably, by Nancy Cartwright, better known as the voice of Bart Simpson. On a still-summery September day this year, White made a return trip to the site where she had lived most of her life.

She arrived inside a decorative box, her earthly remains tucked under the arm of her dear friend Mary Veal, who worked at Sonoma Developmental Center for 20 years as a psychiatric technician.

"OK, we're back, Miss Stinky," Veal said affectionately to the feisty, gregarious woman she came to regard as an eccentric aunt.

Veal, 74, has had the ashes since White's death in 2003. They usually sit in her garage in Petaluma. Her photo albums are more readily accessible.

Flipping through them, Veal laughs about White's fascination with Liberace and the way she transferred that love to the entertainer's namesake  the little dog White named Bebe Liberace. She still gets a kick out of the way White would double her friend's name when she got excited about something: "Mary Veal! Mary Veal! We have to get started on our Christmas dresses!"

One of Veal's most vivid mental images is of White bent over thread and needle, her face inches from the material as she squints at a half-finished doll through Coke-bottle glasses. Veal says White created dozens, perhaps hundreds of the oversized, color-splashed figures. She would stay up entire nights to finish them, like a cobbler at her bench, not stopping to eat unless White put food in front of her.

"I really felt because she wanted children and didn't have any, that was the reason she made all those dolls," Veal said. "It was really heavy on her."

A revolving operating room

White was unable to bear children because the state of California decided she was unqualified for the role. She had been institutionalized at age 9, after her doting father died and her mother, unequal to raising a headstrong young woman with mild disabilities, committed her to Sonoma State Home.

Sometime after White's arrival, a doctor sterilized her there, though the details are murky.

The harm done to White by the government was deeply personal, but also connects her to more than 20,000 people in California institutions who were rendered unable to procreate by an operation many of them didn't understand, or actively oppose.

More than 25% of those operations happened in Sonoma, where a zealous superintendent turned his surgical unit into what reproduction researcher Alexandra Stern calls "something of a revolving operating room."

Available evidence suggests Sonoma was the busiest of America's institutional sterilization centers, and possibly the world's. The only place in the U.S. that looks to have come close in number was Patton State Hospital in San Bernardino, which is estimated at a little over 4,500. Patton remains open.

Sonoma State Home was more than a surgical ward, of course.

Christian Pease, a member of the Eldridge Memorial Committee and a creator of the Eldridge Portraits Project, which attempts to photograph and honor some of the home's last residents, said the institution was regarded with admiration for many years.

Pease said he believes the institution began "as light in the darkness. Then it goes dark. And it comes back later as a bright light in the darkness."

The light first shone when the campus opened as the California Home for the Care and Training of the Feeble Minded. Like many other rural facilities of the day, it was founded as a high-minded, bucolic refuge for young ladies and school-aged kids who required more than parental assistance. Some residents tended apple and pear orchards, played music or helped take care of younger children.

Much later, in its final decades as Sonoma Developmental Center, the facility regained its image as a safe living environment for family members with severe learning disabilities.

Somewhere in the middle, Sonoma State Home entered its dark era. It became wrapped into a movement of population control that swept the nation in the first part of the 20th century, eventually inspiring the architects of Nazi Germany. Sterilization became the ultimate lever of that control.

California has crept closer to offering reparation payments to the subjects of those involuntary procedures, the state finally spurred to action by years of passionate advocacy, the current moment of cultural reckoning and similar legislative acts in Virginia and North Carolina.

The mechanism was originally Assembly Bill 1007, authored by Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo of Los Angeles. In July, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two newer bills establishing the Forced or Involuntary Sterilization Compensation Program and earmarking $7.5 million for victims.

There aren't many left. The majority of California's institutional sterilizations occurred in the 1930s and 1940s. Survivors are rare. But the impact remains.

The relentless drive to end disfavored genealogical trees left shattered families in its wake.

Relatives wrestled over their decisions to consent to the sterilizations, or protested helplessly as their wishes were overruled by the state. And some of the more able victims never completely got over what was taken from them on the operating table. Some mourned like Marian Rose White, who spent days and nights making children out of cloth.

The Human Betterment Foundation

"Now that we know the laws of heredity," a German observer told a comrade nearly 100 years ago, "it is possible to a large extent to prevent unhealthy and severely handicapped beings from coming into the world. I have studied with interest the laws of several American states concerning prevention of reproduction by people whose progeny would, in all probability, be of no value or be injurious to the racial stock."

The speaker was Adolf Hitler, who became captivated by theories that had taken root in the United States.

The word "eugenics," which refers to shaping human reproduction to maximize desirable characteristics, carries grim and distasteful connotations now. In the early part of the last century, it was often pitched as part of a progressive movement that brought reforms like food safety codes, labor laws and vaccinations.

"For the most part, these were white elites who didn't have a lot of patience for the working class. They basically wanted to mold people into what they saw when they looked in the mirror and saw themselves."

Be mindful of who was defining "progressive," said Alexandra Stern, a University of Michigan professor who has guided the most complete research into California's campaign through her Sterilization and Social Justice Lab.

"For the most part, these were white elites who didn't have a lot of patience for the working class," she observed. "They basically wanted to mold people into what they saw when they looked in the mirror and saw themselves."

The American eugenicists  epitomized by the chillingly named Human Betterment Foundation, a Pasadena-based think tank  believed they could make the world a better place by using scientific principles to influence the gene pool. They saw sterilization as the most effective way to do that.

Starting with Indiana in 1907, 32 states passed compulsory sterilization laws, resulting in more than 60,000 institutional operations between 1909 and 1957, according to researchers at the University of Vermont.

The movement drew some of the day's most influential thinkers, including former President Theodore Roosevelt, who supported racial hierarchies and sterilization; inventor Alexander Graham Bell, who emphasized the need to prevent the immigration of "undesirable ethnical elements"; and Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger, now hailed as a hero of reproductive rights.

Horticultural pioneer Luther Burbank, the man who put Santa Rosa on the map, was also an adherent.

"Suppose we blend together two poisonous plants and make a third even more virulent, a vegetable degenerate, and set their evil descendants adrift to multiply over the earth, are we not distinct foes to the race?" Burbank wrote in a 1907 treatise titled, "The Training of the Human Plant." "What, then, shall we say of two people of absolutely defined physical impairment who are allowed to marry and rear children? It is a crime against the state."

Eugenics enjoyed popular appeal, too. A 1917 Hollywood release called "The Black Stork" featured Dr. Harry J. Haiselden, a Chicago physician who had made newspaper headlines by refusing to operate on children with birth defects, arguing instead to let them die. Haiselden wrote the script and played himself.

In the silent film, he urges an "ill-matched" couple not to procreate. They disregard his advice, and their baby is born with defects. The child dies and levitates to heaven, into the waiting arms of Jesus.

One advertisement for the movie read, "Kill Defectives, Save the Nation and See 'The Black Stork.'"

The German Nazi party embraced the idea and eventually took eugenics to its extreme by murdering an estimated 6 million Jews, 1.8 million non-Jewish Poles, 500,000 Roma people, 312,000 Serb citizens, 1,900 Jehovah's Witnesses, 70,000 petty criminals and an undetermined number of gay noncombatants.

Even after World War II ended and the world recoiled in horror as Allied forces exposed the malevolent excesses of the Nazi death camps, Sonoma State Home kept at it. Another 1,000 or so people would be sterilized there before more exacting consent requirements effectively halted the practice in 1952.

Americans may now find it comforting to create a firebreak between our homegrown eugenics movement and Hitler's Germany. In truth, it sometimes didn't look all that different.

During the height of the fervor, one founder of the Human Betterment Foundation, Paul Popenoe, wrote to the other, C.L. Gosney, to recount an incident that occurred at Mendocino State Hospital in Ukiah. While hosting a convention of the Association of Railway Surgeons, hospital officials invited the association's president to sterilize two inmates as a "special honor."

"Both women died in agony a few days later," Popenoe wrote. "Autopsy showed that instead of tying the fallopian tubes, the surgeon had tied up the ureters, so they both died of kidney poisoning from being unable to urinate."

Every 2.2 days for 33 years

Rick McAleese knows how badly Fred O. Butler's reputation has been tarnished over the years. It just doesn't match the personal memories he holds of his grandfather.

Butler was born in a log cabin in Russiaville, Indiana, and he and his wife, Tilly, were true salt of the earth, McAleese said. Once, the Butlers stumbled upon ripe blackberries on the vine while vacationing. Grandma Tilly's solution was to fire up the stove and can the fruit, right there in their motel room.

Butler's devotion to eugenics? McAleese didn't have any window into that. "It's not like he came over to mom and dad's house and said, 'OK, I'm sterilizing,'" McAleese told The Press Democrat. "For a kid that was that young, I probably didn't know about any of it."

Controlling reproduction wasn't an idea that came to Fred Butler slowly during his 31 years as medical superintendent at Sonoma State Home. He brought it to his first board meeting, as he ran through the institution's immediate needs.

"I said the first thing is to get plenty of water. We were very short of water," Butler recounted in an interview with researcher Margot W. Smith in 1970, long after he had retired. "And the second was to start the program of sterilization."

California had passed legislation to permit state-mandated sterilization in 1909, but the Eldridge facility performed none in nearly a decade under medical superintendent William Dawson.

It wasn't that Dawson considered the practice cruel. He worried that shutting down the reproductive system of female inmates would encourage promiscuity, or even prostitution.

The approach changed dramatically when Dawson died in 1918 and Butler, his senior intern, assumed command. Butler was an enthusiastic eugenicist, and he would almost singlehandedly turn the campus in Sonoma Valley into the American hub of forced sterilizations, a status evident from data gleaned by several research projects.

Stern's team counts 5,465 sterilization requests from Sonoma State Home between 1919 and 1952  the equivalent of one surgery every 2.2 days, for 33 years. If it had been its own state, the professor said, Eldridge would have ranked fourth in the nation.

And yes, Butler had regrets.

"We are not sterilizing, in my opinion, fast enough," he said in the Journal of Psycho Asthenics in 1930.

The youngest person recommended for sterilization at Sonoma was 7, according to records. The oldest was 67.

Site superintendents like Butler held tremendous power over sterilization orders, a dynamic made clear in the case of Juan Romero, a teenager from San Francisco who had been accused of a long string of burglaries.

When Butler asked Juan's father for permission to perform a vasectomy at Sonoma, Mr. Romero appealed to the health officer at the San Francisco Detention Hospital, J.C. Geiger, saying he rejected the claim his son was feebleminded and was "violently opposed" to the idea.

The father "is, of course, an ignorant, unintelligent Spanish man, and it is impossible to convince him of the value of the operation for sterilization either for his son's protection or for that of society," Geiger wrote in a letter to Butler in 1931. The Sonoma director applied for sterilization, and the state approved his request.

'Maybe he went overboard in what he did'

Some fought back.

Concepcion Ruiz, a 16-year-old Mexican American girl, brought a $150,000 lawsuit in November of 1930, citing Butler, three probation officers and the judge who sent her to Sonoma State Home. Ruiz claimed that "despite her protests and outcries, (she) was forced into the operating room," as the Healdsburg Tribune put it, and sterilized at Sonoma on June 15 of that year. The outcome of her case is unknown.

Six years later, a 24-year-old mother of four named Mary Arevelo escaped from Sonoma State Home with the help of her husband, who refused to consent to her sterilization.

The San Francisco courts had ruled that Arevelo "was a moron and steadily continued to bring more children into the world although the family was on relief and could ill afford it," according to a Sonoma Index-Tribune story from 1936.

An attorney was able to secure the woman's release with a court order demanding that Butler show a valid reason for her detention.

Defiance was an uphill battle, though. Officially, each sterilization recommendation had to be approved by the state director of institutions (the Commissioner in Lunacy, as he was known early on). The reality was less layered.

"I've never seen a case where one of these people said no," said Natalie Lira, a University of Illinois professor who was a key member of Stern's original research team.

So Butler was able to transform the facility in Sonoma County into a sterilization assembly line. That is, a disassembly line.

In the early years of the program, practically all such operations at Eldridge were performed on long-term residents such as Marian White. But California's institutions began to suffer from overcrowding, and Butler believed he had a solution.

The focus at Sonoma shifted to young people sent to the institution "for sterilization only."

All over the state, teenage boys who had run-ins with the law, truants and young women deemed inappropriately sexual were signed over to Sonoma State Home. There, they and their families faced a choice. They could stay locked up on the work farm indefinitely. Or they could sign their consent and be sterilized.

If they opted for surgery, they'd be sent home after a bewildering few weeks at Eldridge.

"I think my grandfather thought he was doing best for the community, and for the situation, and for the benefit of the patient. But maybe he went overboard in what he did."

Butler was a hands-on medical chief, too. He claimed to have performed more than 1,000 of the operations himself, part of the infamous profile Butler has acquired. Stern called him "very nefarious."

Butler's grandson, on the other hand, describes him as stern but generous. He believes at his core that Butler was a good man.

"My grandfather was wonderful," said McAleese, who has maintained a home in Sonoma for practically his whole life and still lives a short stroll from the Developmental Center.

"I think my grandfather thought he was doing best for the community, and for the situation, and for the benefit of the patient. But maybe he went overboard in what he did."

After retiring in 1949, Butler became head of the Human Betterment Foundation and traveled the country, urging voluntary sterilization of the mentally defective and ill. He remained steadfast in that belief for the rest of his days.

"Now with the new population explosion, I endorse it more than ever," Butler said in the interview he conducted with Smith in 1970, three years before his death at 94. "I think it needs to be done now more than ever in the history of the world. All types. Normals and subnormals."

'Peons breed like rabbits'

In the case files of Sonoma State Home, residents were ascribed labels such as "Idiot," "Imbecile" and "Moron." (The categories were sometimes further broken down into subclasses like "High Moron" and "Low Moron.") Those descriptions were set by IQ tests, which had become hugely popular among social scientists of the era.

The problem, so easy to spot in retrospect, was the subjective, classist and racist ways in which the labels were applied. The state's targets included men it considered effeminate, or women who loved other women, or people with epilepsy or cerebral palsy.

"For the most part, these were people who were marginalized to begin with," Stern said. "Maybe they came from a home with one parent, or were raised by aunts and uncles, or simply didn't conform to what was seen as a good family at the time."

Not surprisingly, those singled out for sterilization overwhelmingly came from the lower economic classes, and especially from immigrant communities.

"For the most part, these were people who were marginalized to begin with. Maybe they came from a home with one parent, or were raised by aunts and uncles, or simply didn't conform to what was seen as a good family at the time."

Using sterilization recommendation forms from Sonoma and other California institutions, Stern and her team at the University of Michigan found female patients with Latino surnames were 59% more likely to be recommended for sterilization. Latino-surnamed men were 23% more likely. Italian, Scandinavian and German immigrants were overrepresented, too, if not to the same degree.

That suited people like C.M. Goethe, founder of the Eugenics Society of Northern California, who wrote to a colleague in 1935, "It is this high birthrate that makes Mexican peon immigration such a menace. Peons breed like rabbits."

And it was Sonoma and another institution, Pacific Colony in Pomona, that powered the shift.

The other facilities involved in state sterilizations, including Napa and Mendocino, were psychiatric hospitals that housed a more varied cross section of society. Sonoma and Pacific Colony focused on intellectual impairment. The use of IQ tests, which could be ordered by probation officers, social workers and teachers (and were conducted in English), put vulnerable communities at greater risk.

Institutional officials of the early 20th century also had a tendency to define sexual precociousness or promiscuity as a mental defect in women, another thing that could get a girl sterilized. Popenoe's 1926 study of Sonoma State Home reported nearly half the female inmates there had been classified as sexually delinquent.

Doctors scrutinized not just behavior, but also female sex organs. Of the 82 women admitted to Sonoma between January 1918 and August 1919, wrote Purdue University medical historian Wendy Kline in her book "Building a Better Race," exactly half were marked as having "abnormal genitals."

Twenty-two of them were said to have enlarged genitals, then considered a mark of sexual overstimulation.

In some cases, a rape  even incest committed by an older relative  might be the incident that triggered institutionalization.

Barbara Swarr believes it was sexuality that got her Aunt Rosie locked up in Sonoma.

"My cousins who were her age all said she was 'very friendly,'" said Swarr, who is 71 and lives in Hayward. "It was code for 'too easy for boys to be friendly with.'"

When Swarr's grandmother became ill, one of Rose Zaballos' older brothers-in-law took custody of her. But he found her hard to handle and had her committed her to Napa State Hospital for the mentally ill. Zaballos wound up at Sonoma and was recommended for sterilization. It turned out to be a death sentence.

She died on the operating table in 1939, a few days before her 17th birthday.

Butler, for one, felt loss of life was worth the surgical risk. He made his case in a paper he cowrote for the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology in 1951. Butler explained that in 2,984 salpingectomies during his tenure at Sonoma State Home, five women had died. He calculated a "loss of life expectation" per operation of 31 days.

"A salpingectomy costing less than $150 and involving 31 days of mortality, or two vasectomies costing $50 with no mortality, will probably prevent the birth of about one feebleminded child (0.9) and the upbringing of another by inadequate parents," Butler wrote. "The net public-health value of the procedure is obvious."

The men in Rose Zaballos' family were not apt to talk about her institutionalized death, Swarr said. They built a thriving property business in Southern California and felt shame in the shared last name.

But the women never let the episode fade. That includes Swarr, who honors her Aunt Rosie with a framed portrait atop her piano.

"That's the only way to keep her alive," Swarr said, "because she never had a chance to have children."

A woman who smelled of carnations

Maria Luz Sanchez Zermenos was born in Guanajuato, Mexico, in 1901, and was living in Alameda County as Lucy Rodriguez when her husband died in 1939, documents and Press Democrat interviews suggest.

Rodriguez had nine children (she had been pregnant a total of 18 times) and suddenly found herself with no income. The state intervened and committed her to Sonoma State Home.

Some of Rodriguez's children were adults by 1939. Those who were younger found themselves scattered to various foster-care settings around the Bay Area. At least one, Ruth Rodriguez, was institutionalized, according to her daughter Joyce Currie.

Lucy and Ruth both are believed to have been sterilized, Ruth as a young child.

Stern, who copied a massive trove of sterilization documents from California institutions  the state subsequently lost or misplaced the originals during a departmental restructuring  found records of a Lucy Rodriguez who was sterilized at Sonoma State Home on May 26, 1939, just a week after being committed.

She was labeled a "high imbecile," with an IQ of 41.

The birth date on that form doesn't match that of the Lucy Rodriguez cited above in genealogical records, so it's hard to be absolutely certain. But the documents align with the recollections of several people who knew Lucy well, including two of her granddaughters.

Ruth Rodriguez, meanwhile, found out about her sterilization only when, as a married adult, she was raced to the emergency room one night with shooting pains in her abdomen. Medical examiners initially thought Ruth had been poisoned, Currie said. Police interrogated her husband. But doctors eventually understood the source of the pain: Rodriguez was experiencing an ectopic pregnancy.

Her fertilized egg didn't make it to the womb, but rather it became implanted in a fallopian tube.

Because unknown to Ruth, her tubes had been clamped or removed. She knew she had gone into surgery while institutionalized, but had never realized she'd been sterilized during the procedure.

"We talked about it when I was older," Currie said. "Because it's something that really bothered her."

Ruth's yearning for motherhood was too strong to deny, though. She and her husband, Charles Blood, adopted two girls. The state of California had unilaterally excised Ruth's ability to raise children, then restored the privilege by approving the adoptions.

Cindy Blood died in 2018. Joyce Blood Currie lives in Napa.

Unfortunately, Ruth Rodriguez was not an ideal adoptive mother. Currie says her mother physically and mentally abused her daughters, and was prone to violent bursts of rage.

It's an example the eugenicists would have waved overhead as evidence of the need to filter out "bad parents." And certainly, pregnancy would have been a huge burden, perhaps scarring, for any Sonoma State Home resident with profound disabilities. Even Marian Rose White, Veal said, "was an adult but also a child" who would have needed assistance to be a mother.

There are counterarguments to selecting parents, of course. A longitudinal study of people diagnosed as intellectually impaired in San Francisco in the 1930s found that 40 years later, more than 67% were living normal lives  working, raising families, paying mortgages.

"Finding individuals and telling their stories is really important. But it's also important to keep in mind that this was a systematic thing. If we look at the kinds of processes used, the quote-unquote consent made by patients or parents  at an institution like Sonoma in the 1940s, in no way would this be considered consent by the bioethical standards of today."

Who was a reasonable candidate for mandated sterilization, and who wasn't? Stern says it's the wrong question.

"Finding individuals and telling their stories is really important," she said.

"But it's also important to keep in mind that this was a systematic thing. If we look at the kinds of processes used, the quote-unquote consent made by patients or parents  at an institution like Sonoma in the 1940s, in no way would this be considered consent by the bioethical standards of today."

Currie also is convinced that a good deal of her mother's rage and instability was triggered by her experience in the institution, and the knowledge that a potentially healthy baby was left to wither in her fallopian tubes.

"I think the baby was supposed be a little boy," Currie noted. "I was supposed to have an older brother. My mom had some psychological damage from that. She would try to fight everybody."

Currie gets by at the age of 62 by working three jobs. Her life hasn't been smooth. It took her years of therapy and recovery from a drug addiction to come to terms with her childhood.

That sort of family trauma is at the root of the drive for reparations.

They will come a year or two late for Ruth Rodriguez, and three decades too late for Lucy. But others may benefit yet. Stern's revised estimates for 2022 are 383 surviving victims from California institutions, and more than 200 specifically from Sonoma  which, thanks to Fred Butler, carried out the practice later than most facilities.

And Currie has balanced the ledger. She has two children, five grandchildren and a great-grandbaby.

Her daughter manages a winery tasting room and currently lives with Joyce while she house-hunts. Currie's son lives in Fairfield and works for Multi-Color, a company that makes wine labels.

They all get together regularly to laugh and commiserate and bicker  the run-of-the-mill connection that defines an enduring human family.

Susan Hetrick is happy to hear that Lucy's modern-day family is thriving. Named Susan Noonan as a child, she grew up three doors down from the home in Sonoma where Lucy Rodriguez worked as a housekeeper  and where Lucy later lived as wife to the man who had employed her, former Sonoma police chief Art Lavin.

Hetrick, who now lives in North Carolina, agrees with others who knew Lucy that describing her as "feebleminded" or something similar would have been not only cruel, but inaccurate. She recalls a kind, generous woman who cooked like an angel and smelled of carnations, and who spoke openly of her sterilization.

"I thought it was awful," Hetrick said. "Every little girl, they can't wait till they grow up and can be mommies, too. And these ladies didn't get to be mommies. Later, when I had kids, it just made me pissed off. How dare the state do this to anyone?"

Hetrick finds a bit of comfort in knowing the California government will finally acknowledge that it had no business guiding procreation, at least not in the absence of true consent.

"Lucy and all those like her deserve respect," Hetrick said. "They may only get it in their afterlife, but that's better than not at all."

(Editor's note: While the original mechanism for payments to victims of institutional sterilizations was California Assembly Bill 1007, the legislation was approved, and money appropriated, through two other bills. The original version of this story misstated the process.)

How we reported this story

Press Democrat reporter Phil Barber spent several months researching this story. He conducted dozens of interviews and reviewed hundreds of pages of documents and audio recordings to learn more about what happened at Sonoma State Home. He also consulted with DNA genealogist Bonnie Bossert to track down relatives of those who had been forcibly sterilized.
California has undergone an astonishing socioeconomic and political evolution over the past three decades, to the delight of some and the despair of others.

There are many underlying reasons for that change but perhaps the most important was the end of the Cold War between the U.S.-led West and the Soviet Union.

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During World War II California blossomed into an industrial powerhouse to build weapons of war and it became the primary staging point for the war against Japan, with dozens of military installations.

The Cold War quickly followed World War II and California continued its role as the nations West Coast arsenal. By 1953, according to a research paper written by James Clayton of Hamilton College in 1962, California had surpassed New York in domestic military spending and eventually would receive upwards of a quarter of the Pentagons domestic budget.

In the Golden State, defense spending has served as a monolithic catalyst, vastly accelerating Californias industrial expansion and population explosion during the past decade, Clayton wrote.

Military spending not only fueled economic and population growth, especially in Southern California, but also underwrote scientific research that triggered the economic eruption of Silicon Valley.

However, as the San Francisco Bay Areas economy exploded in the 1990s, the end of the Cold War was clobbering the Southern California-based defense industry.

Weapons contracts were canceled and the Pentagon closed many of Californias military bases, triggering a sharp recession centered in Southern California. More than a million people, especially skilled defense industry workers and their families, left the region for other states, taking their conservative voting habits with them.

The exodus changed the regions political orientation enough to tilt the entire state, as I was to detail in a 2008 book, The New Political Geography of California. Most obviously, Los Angeles County, with a quarter of the states population, shifted from a roughly even partisan orientation to very strongly Democratic during the 1990s. Combined with other factors, that turned what had been a purple state into a very blue one.

California voted Republican in all but two presidential elections during the post-World War II period until Democrat Bill Clinton carried the state in 1992. The state has voted Democratic in every presidential election since by increasingly large margins, Democrats hold three-quarters of state legislative seats and also overwhelmingly control the states congressional delegation.

This stroll through history is offered because the Pentagon issued its annual report on state-by-state spending this month, revealing that in 2020, it was $61 billion in California. That sounds like a lot, but it amounts to less than 2% of the states $3-plus trillion economy. Texas is No. 1 in Pentagon spending these days at $83 billion or 4.6% of its economy.

To put it another way, 1960 defense spending in California was $5 billion, several times larger than the state budget, but the $61 billion in 2020 equates to about a quarter of the state budget. Its also just 10.3% of domestic military spending, less than Californias share of the national population.

Does it matter that the Pentagon no longer underwrites Californias economy? Perhaps not, but the sharp decline in its once-heavy impact is a warning about taking prosperity for granted. While high-tech reigns supreme in Northern California these days and logistics  the movement of goods  dominates Southern Californias economy, both are fragile.

Were seeing tech companies, such as Hewlett-Packard and Tesla, flee to Texas and other states due to high costs in California and the horrendous, human-caused backup of cargo ships in Southern California may push shippers to seek more efficient entry points.

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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A year before the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans hold a clear lead on the congressional ballot as President Joe Biden's approval rating sinks to a new low of 38%, USA TODAY reported.

A USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll, taken Wednesday through Friday, found that Biden's support cratered among the independent voters who delivered his margin of victory over President Donald Trump one year ago.

Biden and his party are poised for a rebound, advocates argue, after the House passed a $1.2 trillion "hard" infrastructure bill late Friday, sending the signature measure to Biden's desk for his signature. An encouraging economic report released Friday morning showed stronger-than-expected job growth.

That said, the survey illuminates the size of the hole Democrats need to dig out of as they look toward the elections in one year  on Nov. 8, 2022  that will determine control of Congress and shape the second two years of Biden's term.

At the moment, views of the president have soured.

Among the findings:

Nearly half of those surveyed, 46%, say Biden has done a worse job as president than they expected, including 16% of those who voted for him. Independents, by 7-1 (44%-6%), say he's done worse, not better, than they expected.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans, 64%, say they don't want Biden to run for a second term in 2024. That includes 28% of Democrats. Opposition to Trump running for another term in 2024 stands at 58%, including 24% of Republicans.

Vice President Kamala Harris' approval rating is 28%  even worse than Biden's. The poll shows that 51% disapprove of the job she's doing. One in 5, 21%, are undecided.

Americans overwhelmingly support the infrastructure bill Biden is about to sign, but they are split on the more expensive and further-reaching "Build Back Better" act being debated in Congress. Only 1 in 4 say the bill's provisions would help them and their families.

If the election were today, those surveyed say, they would vote for their Republican congressional candidate over the Democratic one by 46%-38%, an advantage that would bode well for GOP hopes of gaining a majority in the House and the Senate. In a president's first midterm election, his party usually loses ground, and this time the GOP needs to flip just five seats in the House and one in the Senate to claim control.

That outcome would make it even harder for Biden to pass legislation  already a difficult task in a Democratic-controlled Congress  and open the door to aggressive Republican oversight of his administration.

The poll of 1,000 registered voters, taken by landline and cellphone, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
Japan concerned over joint air patrols of Russia and China near country's borders

In Mexico, 600 migrants were found in two trucks

US is going to build a nuclear power plant on the moon

Biden's son helps Chinese company buy mine in Africa

China lowers level of diplomatic relations with Lithuania

Russia and US confirm their intentions to send joint mission to Venus

Putin and Pashinyan discuss situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and measures to stabilize it

Honored Art Worker of Armenia, composer Ruben Altunyan passes away

492 new cases of coronavirus confirmed in Armenia

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
Adding Turkeys involvement in Azerbaijan's 44-day military aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) and Armenia last fall to Turkey's denial of the Armenian Genocide, Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar preaches peace and condemns Armenia.

Akar visited Azerbaijani capital Baku on the one-year anniversary of the cessation of hostilities unleashed by the Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem, and made anti-Armenian statements.

In particular, the Turkish minister "urged Armenia to abandon its inimical policy and join the platform of 3 + 3 regional cooperation."

According to him, the presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey "showed a very constructive approach aimed at creating a peaceful life for future generations, and opened the door to a new era based on [regional] stability and cooperation."

"We expect that Armenian officials, abandoning their current policy, will use this historic opportunity, including our proposal for a 3 + 3 [regional] platform," Akar said.

He added that the war in Karabakh is over and "a new struggle has begun to ensure lasting peace in the Caucasus."

"Everyone should know that the future cannot be built on hatred. Armenia must stop the enmity and look forward. For our part, we will continue our efforts to ensure peace, stability in our region," Hulusi Akar said.

The aforesaid statements by the Turkish defense minister, however, actually mean that Turkey demands from Armenia to stop the efforts aimed at the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the recognition of the right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to self-determination. But whatever the "efforts" for peace pledged by the Turkish minister would be, the international community has already seenwith the example the 44-day Artsakh war last fallthe use of combat drones against the civilian population, banned weapons, and mercenaries from the Middle East.
I have viewpoints that I dont hide  yes, Armenia needs to have good relations with everyone in the world. This is what President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian said in an interview with Argumenty i Fakty newspaper.

I would like for the problems with Azerbaijan to be solved, even though this is a complicated issue. It would be nice to have good relations with Turkey, and this is even more difficult. After all, how can the history be forgotten? Armenia is responsible for its decisions not only before the citizens of Armenia, but also all Armenians, and even more, and these people might ask more sensitive questions in the future, Sarkissian said.

Asked if he views the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation as possible or all is lost forever, Sarkissian said the following: The response is trivial. Nothing lasts forever, neither the ultimate victory nor the ultimate defeat. Anything is possible. France and Germany battled each other for over a century, but everything changed after WWII. I believe Turkey needs to take the initiative. There needs to be tolerance in terms of culture, history, monuments, religion, the church and everything else. Nothing will work out, if there is no mutual respect.
Citizens holding a protest near the statue of Garegin Nzhdeh with the demand to hold Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan liable marched to the building of the Prosecutor Generals Office to submit a report on crime.

The participants held signs reading Nikol violated the constitutional order, He needs to be sentenced, The statement of November 9 does not correspond to international norms The statement of November is illegitimate and We reject the statement of November 9.

As Armenians and as responsible people, we must raise our voices about the crime. This goes against the Constitution. Nobody in Armenia can violate the Constitution. If there are such people, let them present a list of names, one of the participants said.

Twenty-seven organizations signed under the report on crime to be submitted to the Prosecutor Generals Office, and the text of the letter was read during the protest.

Afterwards, the protesters also visited the embassies of the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group and submitted letters.

Currently, they are heading towards Yerablur Military Pantheon.
Armenia could become a country that serves as a base for Russia for the development of certain directions, just like it was during the Soviet era. This is what President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian said in an interview with the Argumenty i Fakty newspaper.

Asked how he would assess the level of economic cooperation with Russia, taking into consideration the fact that the volume of reciprocal trade dropped by 8% (only USD 2,000,000,000) in 2020, Sarkissian said the following: This concerns the government. I can talk about the trends and strategies, and the strategy is simple  Armenia could become a country that serves as a base for Russia for the development of certain directions, just like it was in the Soviet era. Armenia has the opportunity to engage people and know-hows from the United States, other countries and the West and become a country with new technologies. Is this good for Russia? Yes, it is simply excellent.

My dream is to see Armenia become a hai-tech (high-tech) country. In Armenian, hai means Armenian. We Armenians refer to our country as Haiastan, that is, the land of Armenians. So, my dream is to see Armenia have hai-tech, that is, Armenian technologies. My dream is also to be proudly able to sell or share anything made in my small country, including with the Russian Federation, and it needs to be hai-tech. An example of hai-tech is producing brandy from the same type of grapes  it is more difficult than preparing grape juice, but the price is incomparably higher. The same goes for programming, artificial intelligence, biotechnologies, vaccines, healthcare, etc.
What the peacekeepers are doing is of great significance from the perspective of regional policy, the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, the future of the region and the possible negotiations over exclusion of war in the future. This is what President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian said in an interview with Argumenty i Fakty newspaper.

Asked how he would assess the work of the Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh and how long they will need to be there, Sarkissian said the following: Always. The Russian army has been in this region for decades and centuries, and its presence is extremely important. Perhaps I need to take the opportunity and express gratitude to them [the Russian peacekeepers]. At the end of the day, they are soldiers who could have served in a Russian territory at ease. After all, who can guarantee that nothing will happen to us Armenians in the future? However, Vladimir Putin and your countrys leadership made a difficult decision, and I would also like to thank them for this.
Our view is that there can be no unblocking of territories without its legal-contractual basis, its real assessment in terms of security, economy, demographics. Seyran Ohanyan, the head of the opposition "Armenia" Faction in the National Assembly (NA) and former defense minister of Armenia, said this at Mondays press briefing in the NA.

According to him, the reopening of regional roads is premature when there is no peace treaty with the adversary, when the latter forces to go to it, whereas the Armenian side begs for peace instead of forming a security system.

"This unblocking will lead to a deeper blockade, and there will be economic pressure, and the demographic picture will change, especially in the Syunik [Province] sector," the opposition MP added.

He stressed that there must be a full-fledged peace, but for that, the adversarythat is, Azerbaijan, and the Turkish-Azerbaijani tandemmust change its rhetoric towards peace, must also show by its actions that its is truly going for peace, must leave the territories of Armenia where it has penetrated, and refrain from all kinds of pressure.

"No one says there is no need for peace. But there must be conditions for that peace, peace must not be begged for, peace must be imposed, or at least in today's conditions, that peace must be fully defended," Ohanyan said.

He noted that the trilateral document of November 9, 2020 was basically imposed on the Armenian authorities, territories were handed over to Azerbaijan from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), and after that the Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem appeared on the borders of Armenia.
Armenian News - NEWS.am presents the daily digest of Armenia-related top news as of 08.11.21:

Junior Sergeant of the Armenian Armed Forces Grigor Vardanyan was fatally wounded on Sunday.

The incident took place as a result of the violation of the rules for handling weapons at one of the combat positions of the military unit in the northeastern direction, the Armenian defense ministry reported.

An investigation is underway to clarify all the circumstances of the case.

The Turkish parliament on Tuesday will discuss the issue of extending the mandate for Turkish military presence in Azerbaijan, Anadolu agency reported.

The bill, signed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will be considered at a plenary session of the parliament.

Demonstration against November 2020 tripartite statement has been held in Yerevan.

It was mentioned during this protest that 27 political and non-governmental organizations have issued a statement and submitted a petition to the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia demanding to launch a criminal case against PM Nikol Pashinyan.

A ceremony to tear the November 9, 2020 trilateral statementby the leaders of Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan was planned during this demonstration.

As of Monday morning, 810 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in Armenia, and the total number of these cases has reached 321,243 in the country.

Also, 30 more deaths from COVID-19 were registered, making the respective total 6,700 cases.

A case of death of a pregnant woman due to COVID-19 was registered last night in Armenia. Minister of health Anahit Avanesyan stated about this at the parliamentary standing committees joint debates Monday on the countrys draft state budget for 2022

According to her, the Delta strain of the coronavirus, in contrast to the other strains last year, is quite aggressive.

The minister added that pregnant women are at risk if they are infected with the above-mentioned strain, at the moment about 100 pregnant women are receiving hospital treatment in Armenia, and half of them have pneumonia.
In regard to the war, I would like to present some irrefutable and undeniable facts, and the first fact is that the incumbent authorities did everything to make the war inevitable. This is what second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan stated during the rally held by the opposition Armenia Alliance at Freedom Square in Yerevan.

The authorities led the process of negotiations to failure, moved the discussion on the issue to the field of territorial integrity and, in essence, incited a war. The second fact is that the incumbent authorities did everything for defeat in this war. The defeat began sooner, that is, when they started persecuting heroes, beheading the army and reducing personnel in the army. They needed a loyal army, not a combat-ready army.

The third fact is that Armenia was left alone during the 44-day war. Diplomacy completely failed. No country condemned the country that unleashed the war. Nothing like this had happened since the end of WWII. Now these authorities want to open an era of peace in the region. Youre not in a situation to do that, Kocharyan said, adding that the fourth fact is that the authorities rejected the opportunity to stop the war on October 19 and, according to some information, on October 7. I can bring many other facts, but this is enough. These facts are stated in the confessional speeches and statements of officials, and they will be held liable for all this, Kocharyan said.
At the invitation of Minister of Defense of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Kamo Vardanyan, Minister of Defense of Armenia Arshak Karapetyan on Saturday left for Artsakh on a two-day working visit, as reported the press service of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia.

Karapetyan, accompanied by the commander of the Defense Army of Artsakh, visited the military bases, met with the soldiers serving on-duty and learned about the fortification works at the military positions.

Highly appreciating the efforts that were made for protection of the borders of Artsakh during and after the 44-day war, Karapetyan awarded several soldiers of the Defense Army certificates and medals of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia.

The same day, Minister Karapetyan, within the scope of cooperation of the Ministries of Defense of Armenia and Artsakh, attended the working consultation with the leadership of the Defense Army and discussed several security issues.

On November 7, Minister Karapetyan also visited Syunik Province, particularly the Sev Lake territory. The minister toured the area near the side of the lake, met border guards and thanked them for their on-duty, round-the-clock service.

Talking about the possible solutions to the problem with infiltration of the Azerbaijani units into the territory, the minister reaffirmed that there is no alternative to restoration of the state border and that the Azerbaijani soldiers need to leave the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia.

During the visit, Minister Karapetyan paid special attention to the construction of military bases in the highly mountainous zone, the living conditions of servicemen, and gave assignments to the leadership of the military formation to solve the problems in a short period.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia has issued a statement in which it strongly condemns Azerbaijans gross violation of the ceasefire regime. The statement reads as follows:

On November 8, the Azerbaijani side attacked civilians carrying out construction works near the Stepanakert-Shushi road in the area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeepers, as a result of which one was killed and three others were wounded.



We strongly condemn the gross violation of the ceasefire regime by the Azerbaijani armed forces, which was established by the Statement of November 9, 2020. It is noteworthy that the incident took place on the eve of the first anniversary of the signing of the Trilateral Statement and on the day of the visit of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to Shushi, wherein another statement full of Armenophobic rhetoric and threats of use of force was delivered



The consistent Armenophobic rhetoric of the highest leadership of Azerbaijan, the repeated incidents of violation of the ceasefire regime clearly demonstrates the hollow nature of the statements made by official Baku on the normalization of relations between Armenia and the Armenian people.



It should be noted that this is the second case of attack on civilians by the Azerbaijani armed forces within a month, resulting in human casualties. We are convinced that the proper investigation of such crimes and the bringing of those responsible to justice can prevent further attacks on the civilian population.



We express our condolences to the relatives of the victim and wish a speedy recovery to all wounded.


50s

Shelly Frome, B.A. 56, recently published her book Miranda and the D-Day Caper in 2020. He is a member of Mystery Writers of America, a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at the University of Connecticut, a former professional actor and, all told, has written over twenty-five plays in addition to his articles and novels. His fiction includes Twilight of the Drifter, Lilac Moon, the Hollywood crime caper Tinseltown Riff, Murder Run, and the recently released The Secluded Village Murders and Moon Games.

70s

Sam Johnson, B.S. 73,

Independent Environmental Consultants, LLC continues to provide online environmental consulting, including independent peer review, saving clients valuable time and money. For additional information, including reference to a soon-to-be-published guidebook entitled "Wallet Biopsies In The Environmental And Professional Consulting Industries During Times of Pandemic, Political & Economic Uncertainties - A Guidebook For Discerning Clients & Their Consultants" visit www.envirosolutions.consulting. Assisting UM alumni takes top priority!

Douglas Capone, B.S. 73, Ph.D. 78, published a new book Marine Nitrogen Fixation by Springer Publishers. The book provides a centralized reference for students and researchers studying marine nitrogen fixation. It offers an in-depth overview of the important aspects of nitrogen fixation as it relates to the marine environment and bridges knowledge gaps between nitrogen fixation in marine versus terrestrial environments.

Eduardo Pino, B.S. 78, is the medical director of the Hoops Family Children's Hospital since 2015 and was named Chief Medical Information Officer for Mountain Health Network in October 2021. He is an associate professor of pediatrics at the Joan C. Edwards Marshall University School of Medicine in Huntington, WV. He is also a lecturer for Kaplan Medical.

Jackie Lee, B.A. 79, is happy to announce that after 18 successful years as a freelance wedding calligrapher in Miami and San Antonio, she turned her career towards music. Lee is now a Worship Leader for Holy Cross Lutheran Church in South Daytona and a vocalist/keyboardist with a local band "Blue Velvet.

80s

Bradley Feuer, B.S. '80, J.D. '90, who serves as Chief Surgeon of the Florida Highway Patrol, recently had his article "First Responder Peer Support: An EvidenceInformed Approach published in the Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology. A physician and attorney, Dr. Feuer is board-certified in family medicine and a fellow of both the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians and the American College of Legal Medicine. He was founding DIO of the Palm Beach Consortium for Graduate Medical Education, a multi-facility academic medical center affiliated with HCA Healthcare, and regional clinical dean/clinical professor of family medicine at both Nova Southeastern University and the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. Dr. Feuer is an experienced healthcare attorney, having been a founding member, vice president and co-chief operating officer of the Florida office of Brennan, Manna, and Diamond, PL.

Steven Kaplan, B.A. 87, is hosting his own show on the Daily Gospel Network. A Jewish believer of Jesus who ministers around the world, Kaplan is the president of Jewish Outreach International and a licensed Southern Baptist Minister. He has been certified by the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention as an Interfaith Evangelism Specialist on Judaism and wrote a book entitled, God Stories from the Jewish Mission Field. His new show airs at 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and can be watched on AppleTV, Roku TV, and Amazon Fire TV.

Roy Weinfeld, B.A. 89, J.D. 95, has presented five Florida Bar Approved Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars via Zoom since the start of the pandemiccomplimentary to all attendees. The five seminars were offered in the following subject areas: Bankruptcy Implications in Real Estate, Constitutionality of the Eviction Moratorium, Moratoriums and Stays on Writs of Possession, Post-Judgment Collections in Florida, Replevin Law in Florida, and Understanding the Commercial Letter of Intent.

90s

Suzanne Sissy DeMaria-Koehne, B.G.S. 93, CEO of Cultivate PR and WorldWise PR Affiliates, has been appointed to join Baptist Health Foundation's Miami Cancer Institute Council Directors. As a council member, DeMaria-Koehne will be responsible for contributing innovative and creative ideas to raise funds, enhance donor relationships and support overall foundation initiatives.

Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, B.S. 94, has been named chair of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and UC San Diego Health. Gyamfi-Bannerman joins the faculty from Columbia University Irving Medical Center where she spent the last 16 years of her career, most recently as the Ellen Jacobson Levine and Eugene Jacobson Professor and vice chair for faculty development in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.



Earnest DeLoach, B.A. 96, was recently named a 2021 Orlando Business Journal "Diversity in Business" awardee. DeLoach was cited for his work as national co-lead for Balfour Beatty's DEI Taskforce and African American affinity group, NOBLE. He has also been a speaker on various DEI panels, including those sponsored by the Texas Bar Association and the Association of Corporate Counsel. He is the Vice President - Legal for the Southeast division of Balfour Beatty Construction.

00s

Neeta Toprani, B.S. 00, has joined Establishment Labs Holdings Inc., a medical technology company focused on womens health, as General Counsel & Corporate Secretary. Toprani most recently served as Division General Counsel for Zimmer Biomet, where she was a member of the executive leadership team and oversaw legal affairs for the dental, craniomaxillofacial, and thoracic business units. She previously worked as a corporate and securities attorney for the multinational law firm Morrison & Foerster, LLP, in its U.S. and Hong Kong offices. Earlier in her career, she served as a law clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She received her J.D. from Harvard Law School.



Michelle Shapiro, B.F.A. 06, published her first book, Loving Yourself Isnt Selfish. The book shares Shapiros thoughts on finding the courage and confidence to create a space for self-love and learning to stop pleasing others and saying no when the time is right.

Joshua Weiss, B.S. 08, M.D. 12, was elected to be Vice-Chair of Surgery at Boca Raton Regional Hospital where he has established an endoscopic skull base surgery program in conjunction with the neurosurgery department. He was also elected to represent the Florida Society of Otolaryngology Delegate to the Florida Medical Association.

Aravind Prakash, M.S. 09, earned his Ph.D. from Syracuse University in 2015. He then was hired as an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Binghamton University and received the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award by the National Science Foundation.

10s

Alejandro Castano, B.S. 10, is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a top periodontist for his dedicated service to the dental field. Castano is the owner of Castano Periodontics and Dental Implants in Denville, NJ. He is Board Certified in Periodontology and Dental Implant Surgery. Castano earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree at the College of Dental Medicine at Columbia University in the City of New York on the Dr. Marlene Klyvert Merit Scholarship. After completing his doctorate, he was accepted into residency at New York University College of Dentistry where he graduated with a Specialty Certificate in Periodontics and Implant Dentistry. Castano enjoys public speaking and gives lectures on the use of 3D printing in bone grafting procedures and surgical techniques for periodontal plastic surgery. He also lectures on immediate implant placement and tooth provisionalization to help other dentists learn about options for tooth replacement via dental implants.

Heather Alberro, B.A. 14, is a lecturer in Global Sustainable Development at Nottingham Trent University. She specializes in radical environmental politics, environmental ethics, and green utopian studies. Alberro is interested in human-nonhuman relations and in human attitudes towards nature and other species.

Eric Golnick, B.A. 09, M.A. 14, has been selected as one of 51 national scholars to participate in the George W. Bush Institutes 2021 Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program, an initiative for individuals serving veterans who are motivated to broaden their skillsets, knowledge, and influence. Co-founder and CEO of Forge VFR, Golnick served as a Senior Foreign Policy Analyst at the Department of Defense dealing with U.S. military operations in Latin America where he worked directly with the National Security Council, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the U.S. Congress on many topics regarding U.S. foreign policy.

Griffin Udelson, B.S. 10, recently joined Avon Family Dentistry in Avon, CT. As a part of this practice, she provides comprehensive dental care for all ages. Udelson graduated from UM in 2010 and was a member of the volleyball team. She now resides in West Granby, CT, with her husband and their adopted greyhound, Charlie.



Cory Pardo, B.A. 13, has been involved in New York City's response to the COVID-19 pandemic since January 2020. Pardo is the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's All Hazards Emergency Planning Lead. She has led and supported multiple aspects of the response, including management of the internal Incident Command System (ICS) response processes and protocols, internal response and Vaccine Hub staff management, response sustainability plans, and more. Pardo is proud for her efforts in overseeing and helping set up the public-facing component at one of the NYC Vaccine Hubs as the Client Assistance Unit Leader where over 2,000 vaccines were administered to essential healthcare workers and the elderly. To date, the NYC Vaccine Hubs have administered over 500,000 vaccines

David Acosta, B.A. 16, is a masters candidate pursuing a liberal arts degree in International Relations at Harvard University. Acosta also serves on the Council of Student Sustainability Leaders at Harvard. It is through that engagement in which he works on efforts that seek to faithfully apply and strengthen the University's sustainability plan. Acosta says that his degree in International Relations, coupled with his engagements in the environmental and climate space, will help shape and define his purpose and professional career for years to come.

Jared Awner, B.A. 18, was swore into the Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Office of Intelligence and Threat Analysis as an Intelligence Operations Specialist in July.

Horvey Palacios, B.A. 18, will attend the University of Oklahoma to pursue a funded Ph.D. in Anthropology, Human Health, & Biology. Palacios will be working with Dr. Cecil M. Lewis and joining the renowned Laboratory for Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research (LMAMR), as well as the Center for the Ethics of Indigenous Genomic Research (CEIGR). He will be investigating archaeological biomolecules and genomic ethics, and their relationship to ancient complex societies and modern-day indigenous communities.

20s

Chuan Liu, Ph.D. 20, is a new adjunct faculty member in the Chemistry Department at Miami Dade College.

Salim Ayoub, Ph.D. 20, is the new Director of the Centre Francophone in St. Louis, and the Jane and Bruce Robert Endowed Professor of Francophone Studies at Webster University.
It will take more than scientists studying the melting of glaciers and rising greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.

Schoolteachers, bus drivers, warehouse workers, lawyers, doctors, and even grade school kidsthe very people who live in neighborhoods impacted by rising seas and extreme heatwill also have to help lead the fight against climate change.

And that is why the University of Miami is part of a new initiative that trains citizens to collect climate data in Miami-Dade County that will be analyzed and eventually used to enact policies that address sustainability across the region.

As part of the CSCAN project, students measure flood levels in Miami-area neighborhoods. Photo courtesy of Amy Clement

The Southeast Florida Regional Citizen Science Climate Action Network, or CSCAN, operates on a hyperlocal level, arming residents with tape measures to determine the depth of water in flooded areas, refractometers to measure the salinity of the water, coliform kits to detect the presence of bacteria, and heat sensors to measure temperature and humidity levels at locations like transit stops, crosswalks, and parks.

They record their readings via a smartphone app, transmitting the information to University of Miami oceanography and climatology students who are analyzing the data.

Florida International University and Miami Dade College are partners with the University of Miami on the initiative. It is one of 12 finalists for the Climate Challenge Cup, an international competition that showcases U.K.- and U.S.-based civic research partnerships between organizations and local communities to combat climate change.

Winners will be announced November 10 during a global livestreamed event at the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

Its critical that our climate adaptation efforts be connected to peoples lives in their communities, said Amy Clement, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, who is spearheading the University of Miamis component of the project.

The way that people are experiencing climate change can be quite different from what we learn from climate models or from monitoring stations, she said. The data that were collecting is getting us much closer to what people really need.

Since CSCANs launch, citizen scientists have made about 300 flood observations and taken more than half a million temperature readingsdata that is being converted to statistics and maps used by community partners like the Miami-Dade Office of Resilience.

The cities of Miami and Miami Beach are also partnering on the project, which is based on a citizen science flood-monitoring event called Sea Level Solutions Day.

Clements graduate and undergraduate students, some of whom are also participating in data collection, have discovered some interesting resultsamong them, that weather readings taken at Miami International Airport are not always an accurate gauge of how hot and how humid it is in the city.

Airport temperature sensors are used for official guidance, especially for heatwaves and heat emergencies, said Marybeth Arcodia, a Ph.D. candidate in atmospheric sciences at the Rosenstiel School, who is one of the students helping to analyze CSCAN temperature data. But what weve found is that the airport is just not a good proxy for heat throughout the entirety of Miami.

Readings taken from sensors placed at different locations all around the county show much higher temperature and humidity levels, making it possible for emergency managers to issue heat warnings and to allocate resources where they are needed most, Arcodia noted.

Projects like CSCAN are providing the tools to get people engaged, not just in identifying problems but thinking about a pathway to solutions, Clement said.
After close to a year of waiting, children ages 5 to 11 can now get vaccinated against COVID-19.

And three University of Miami pediatricians hope that parents and guardians will take advantage of the vaccine soon, so their children can be fully protected before the Christmas holiday.

This vaccine will bring the infection rates down lower, and it will reduce the spread of the virus to keep kids in school, said Dr. Lisa Gwynn, an associate professor of pediatrics and public health at the Miller School of Medicine, as well as interim division chief of child and adolescent health in the Department of Pediatrics. Gwynn also directs the Pediatric Mobile Clinic, which offers free COVID-19 tests and vaccines, along with all school vaccinations, to children across Miami-Dade County. It also means we can get back to normal sooner, with less of a risk of people getting infected and dying.

Gwynn

Dr. Melvin Almodovar, who is chief of pediatric cardiology at the Miller School, said he would also recommend the vaccine to his patients.

Vaccination remains the key to preventing the acquisition and spread of COVID-19, or severe illness and possibly death in children who acquire the infection, said Almodovar, who also directs the Childrens Heart Center and Cardiac Intensive Care Unit in the Department of Pediatrics and Holtz Childrens Hospital. It may also help reduce the impact of active, primary COVID-19 infections and associated conditions, like multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C).

With the support of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week, children who are 5 years old and older can now roll up their sleeves and get the two-dose Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine. Gwynn, who is also president of the Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), said pediatricians across the state are downright giddy about the news and cannot wait to get the vaccine in their offices.

Were thrilled, she said. We knew it was coming, and the trials look promising for the babies too. So, we are looking forward to that.

Like adults, children will get their Pfizer shots three weeks apart. They will not be fully vaccinated until two weeks after the second injection. But the pediatric vaccine is also slightly different from the original version. For example, the pediatric vaccine is a third of the potency of the adult vaccine, and it is compounded differently. Yet, that does not mean it will not offer a similar protection as the adult vaccination, according to Gwynn. In trials, the vaccine was 90.7 percent effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19, news reports state.

Kids immune systems are more reactive, so they dont need as much vaccine to stimulate the immune response and to produce antibodies to fight off this virus, Gwynn said.

Still, because of the differences in preparation, and its emergency use status, the federal government decided the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine will only be available at pharmacies, clinics, and in pediatricians offices. The University will be getting its share of the vaccine from the Florida Department of Health this week, and it will start distributing it on Monday, Nov. 15, through the Pediatric Mobile Clinic, the Shotz-2-Go van, at school clinics, and at the Universitys pediatric practices.

Almodovar

The availability of a vaccine for this younger population will give pediatricians a new tool to combat COVID-19. Although the novel coronavirus primarily affected older individuals at the start of the pandemic, pediatricians saw an increase in child and teen COVID-19 cases last winter, and then during August and September from the highly contagious Delta variant. AAP reports indicate that more than 6 million U.S. children have contracted COVID-19 throughout the pandemic, representing 16.6 percent of all cases. Nearly 800 children and adolescents have died from COVID-19, with 173 in the 5 to 11 age range, the CDC reports. Dr. Ivan Gonzalez, associate professor of clinical pediatrics, said that he thinks the vaccine will be especially helpful for parents and guardians with children who are immunosuppressed, those with chronic diseases, or who are obese and are therefore at risk for severe COVID-19.

A lot of the kids we are seeing in the hospital today are in that age group (5-11) and they could not get vaccinated before, said Gonzalez, who also leads the training program for pediatric infectious diseases in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology at the Miller School. Others decided not to get vaccinated, or they had conditions that would make them more susceptible to COVID-19. So hopefully, with the vaccine, we will see fewer hospitalizations in this age group.

Evidence also indicates that the vaccines help lower the transmission of COVID-19. So, if young children get the vaccine, it could also protect immunocompromised family members and others at risk for severe disease, Almodovar pointed out.

Despite the concerns about possible side effects, University pediatricians also say that the risk of anything more severe than some soreness at the injection site, a headache, or some fatigue are extremely low. While many are worried about myocarditis, an inflammation around the heart that has affected some adolescent boys who received the vaccine, the physicians say the condition is very treatable and that none of these teens have died from it.

Kids are 10 times more likely to get severe COVID-19 or multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) from being unvaccinated than getting a side effect like myocarditis from the vaccine, Gonzalez said. And when you get complications from a COVID-19 infection, those complications last for a while and kids have trouble breathing, sometimes for up to six weeks.

Gonzalez also noted that the vaccine is coming at a time when public schools are starting to relax their mask mandates in upper grades. If these rules trickle down to elementary schools, Gonzalez said that vaccinating children may be the best option to protect children from getting COVID-19 or spreading the dangerous illness to others. Last week, because of low infection rates in the community, Miami-Dade County Public Schools began allowing middle and high school students to opt out of the mask mandate, and Broward County allowed high school students to opt out of masks a few days before that.

Gonzalez

The timing is really crucial right now, he said. As mask mandates are relaxed, and people gather for the holidays, theres a potential for lots of kids to get infected. But if they get vaccinated, they can develop immunity and get protection against the disease. So they are not at risk for getting a severe COVID-19 infection.

Gwynn and Gonzalez agreed that the larger challenge will be convincing parents and guardians that the vaccine is safe because of all the misinformation swirlingoften fueled by social media. Polls indicate that up to 60 percent of parents and guardians either want to wait or would not consider vaccinating their 5 to 11-year-old children. But the pediatricians hope that opinions will change as the positive effects of these vaccines are highlighted.

Theres no reason to wait and see. We need to protect kids now, Gwynn said. These vaccines are safe and effective and have gone through all the rigorous standards of evaluating a vaccine. We trust the science, and we hope parents will trust it too, and have those discussions with their pediatricians.

To get a vaccine through the Universitys Pediatric Mobile Clinic or at its Shotz-2-Go van, check the schedule to see where they are located each day.
Oxfam: climate plan won't help HK's poorest adapt

Oxfam: climate plan won't help HK's poorest adapt

Oxfam Hong Kong has criticised the SAR's climate action plan, saying the blueprint will do little to help the poor adapt to climate change.



The government announced details of its 2050 climate plan last month, identifying four key decarbonisation strategies: net-zero electricity generation, energy saving and green buildings, green transport and waste reduction. It's promised to spend $240 billion over the next 15 to 20 years in taking forward the measures.



However, Oxfam says the administration has not formulated specific climate adaption goals and measures geared towards helping the poor cope with extreme weather.



Speaking on RTHK's Hong Kong Today show on Monday, Oxfam's programme director for Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, Wong Shek-hung, said the effects were particularly serious for people living in subdivided flats, who face temperatures 5.8 degrees hotter than outdoors.



She called on the government to provide more transitional housing for people waiting for public flats.



"More than 100,000 of these families are now living in the subdivided flats and this situation is really worse," Wong told RTHK's Janice Wong. "I think the supply (of transitional homes) is not enough for those living in the subdivided flats right now and waiting for the public housing. We demand more and more.



"So we ask for the government to maximise the use of the idle short-term tenancy sites, especially those used as car parks."



She said "innovative ideas" could allow the conversion of parking to short-term housing.



Oxfam has also pointed to street cleaners as a group that faces challenges in extreme heat. It has suggested cleaners could be offered flexible working hours.
Police seize drugs hidden in shipment of orange juice

Police seize drugs hidden in shipment of orange juice

Police said on Monday that they had seized more than 600 kilogrammes of cocaine which had been hidden inside a shipment of frozen orange juice from Brazil.



Officers said a 28-year-old man was arrested on Saturday following a raid on an industrial building in Kwai Chung in connection with the seizure.



The cocaine was said to have a street value of HK$620 million.
Obama calls for more support for island nations

Former US President Barack Obama was speaking at the UN climate conference in Glasgow. Photo: AFP

Former US President Barack Obama called on the UN climate conference in Glasgow on Monday to address the risks that island nations face from rising sea levels.



Obama said their tales at the 2015 climate talks had been crucial to the resulting Paris Agreement, which commits countries to holding the rise in the average global temperature to "well below" 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.



"I have been shaped by my experience growing up in Hawaii," Obama said, adding: "we have to act now to help with adaptation and resilience".



Other speakers at the Cop26 summit pressed Obama about the failure of the United States and other Western countries to meet pledges to provide US$100 billion a year in climate finance.



"Among others, the USA is woefully short of paying its fair share of climate finance," said Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, adding: "Now we are most vulnerable are told to suck it up and wait."



"Developed nations are failing us," Bainimarama said. (Reuters)
Citi takes hit from Korean consumer banking sale

Citigroup says it will continue to maintain a presence in Singapore, Hong Kong, the UAE and London. Photo: AFP

Citigroup Inc said on Monday it expects to take a cash charge of nearly US$1.2 billion to US$1.5 billion related to the closure of its consumer banking business in South Korea.



The bank had announced its plan to exit consumer businesses in 13 markets in Asia and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), where it does not have the scale necessary to compete, in April.



The move is part of chief executive Jane Fraser's plan to streamline operations and boost the bank's profitability.



The exit will help release roughly US$7 billion of allocated tangible common equity over time and boost its capital, the bank had said last month.



"In terms of Korea...the economics of winding down the consumer business are much more attractive than continuing to run the business," chief financial officer Mark Mason said in a statement.



He said the exit from South Korea would help the bank release roughly US$2 billion of allocated tangible common equity and in the remaining markets, it was in talks with potential buyers.



Citigroup will continue to maintain its institutional presence in Asia and EMEA through four wealth centres  Singapore, Hong Kong, the UAE and London.



The charges related to the closure will be incurred through the rest of 2021 and 2022, the bank said in a regulatory filing.



As part of its push to trim its operations, the bank had in August announced an agreement to sell its Australian consumer unit to National Australia Bank for nearly US$882.24 million. (Reuters)
(20211108 14:29:30)MADRID -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- At the 2021 International Critical Communications Awards (ICCA) held on November 3rd in Madrid, Spain, Hytera received the Best Use of Critical Communications in Utilities award in recognition of its Hytalk PoC solution for Turkey Electricity Company DICLE ELEKTRIK DAGITIM A.S. (DEDAS).

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211107005143/en/

As is the case in every mission critical sector, utilities companies exist in a space where nothing can be allowed to go wrong. The effective deployment of communications technology is integral to this. This award celebrates innovation, reliability, and the fulfilment of specific operational requirements, which was with respect to the launch of the Hytalk PoC solution provided by Hytera.

The DEDAS project is a great example of how Hytera's PoC solution, quality service and flexible approach helped the customer solve its problems. Hytera's PNC550 PoC terminal enabled DEDAS to overcome coverage issues, reduce device and service costs, and greatly improve the efficiency of meter readings thanks to a bespoke smart meter reading app.

While we firmly believe PoC is the future of communications in a variety of industries, there is no denying that PoC is still a relatively new concept for industries such as the utility industry, said Stanley Song, Deputy General Manager of Hytera Overseas Sales Department. Therefore, we consider the progress we have made so far in Turkey an inspiration and an encouragement for the PMR industry.

For more information about Hytera Hytalk PoC solution for DEDAS, please visit: https://bit.ly/2YlAX2I About Hytera Hytera Communications Corporation Limited (SZSE: 002583) is a leading global provider of professional communications technologies and solutions. With voice, video and data capabilities, we provide faster, safer, and more versatile connectivity for business and mission critical users. We enable our customers to achieve more in both daily operations and emergency response to make the world more efficient and safer.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211107005143/en/

CONTACT: Jia Liu Jia.Liu@hytera.com
Tracing Trauma, a digital print on chiffon, is one of multimedia artist Kean OBriens recent works. (Photo provided)

Artist to share work, discuss activism and social justice roles

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Multimedia artist Kean OBrien will present his work during a discussion next week at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

OBrien will present Tracing Trauma Through the Landscape of Trans Bodies at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 10, in Morris Librarys John C. Guyon Auditorium. Admission is free and the event, a visiting artist lecture sponsored by the College of Arts and Media and the School of Media Arts, is open to the public. SIU is committed to protecting the community, so all those attending this event must wear masks and follow current campus and state pandemic safety protocols.

Interdisciplinary artist

OBrien works between video, photography, found images, installation and writings where he focuses on queer strategies of survival in end times, the nuance of gendered construction, whiteness, the body as landscape for survival, death, grief and trauma, according to the artists website.

Tracing Trauma, the website states, holds space for the way trauma traces upon the body, upon OBriens own body. Using sculptures and photos, he creates an index of the trauma that is both positive and negative.

Heather M. OBrien, an assistant professor in cinema who is not related to the artist, teaches several courses in the School of Media Arts where we often discuss topics of gender identity and artistic practice. She noted that several students identify as queer/nonbinary so this talk comes at a timely moment that offers a connection for these students, as well as others to understand the importance of inclusion and diversity as it comes to gender identity.

Presenting the trajectory of his work, Kean OBrien will discuss his evolution with conceptions of gender, trauma on the trans body both individually and collectively, and the role of artists in activism and social justice, she said.

Kean OBrien has a Master of Fine Arts from the School of Photography at the California Institute of the Arts and a bachelors degree from the School of Photography and Performance from The School of Art Institute of Chicago.
Geology and history major is SIUs 2021 Lincoln Laureate

by Tim Crosby

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Francesca Burkett is the 2021 Lincoln Academy of Illinois student laureate for Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

The homeschooled Carterville native will receive the Abraham Lincoln Civic Engagement Award this month. The Lincoln Academy of Illinois will present the award with $500 this year to one outstanding graduating senior from each of the states four-year colleges and universities, as well as one from the states community colleges. Students are honored for their leadership and service in the pursuit of the betterment of humanity and for overall excellence in curricular and extracurricular activities.

A double major in geology and history, Burkett said she was always deeply fascinated by both subjects.

Geology and history tell stories, Burkett said. Studying them allows us to investigate the past and give us insight into what is happening today.

As a recipient of the Vince Demuzio Internship at SIUs Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, Burkett worked the Jackson County states attorney office to create a local music program, as well helping writing a policy for truancy.

She also worked as a student researcher for the Illinois State Geological Survey, assisting geologists in the field and in the office. As a recipient of SIUs Research-Enriched Academic Challenge (REACH) grant award, she looked into the melt production at the mid-ocean ridges and subduction zones. She also worked at SIUs STEM Education Research Center doing both laboratory and field work using ground-penetrating radar.

Burkett is a member of the Phi Alpha Theta history honors society, as well as an honors student and a University Excellence Scholar all four years at SIU. She was on the deans list 2018-2021.

Burkett participated in community service with Salukis in Action and Saluki Science Ambassadors, with local K-12 students and children at Carbondale Boys and Girls Club.

Burkett said SIU has allowed her to pursue research in many various interests, working with professors and students all across campus and in various disciplines. She singled out James Conder, professor in the School of Earth Systems and Sustainability, and Jonathan Bean, director of the School of History and Philosophy, as especially important to her.

Both the geology and history programs have been wonderful, and Ive enjoyed every class in both studies, she said. Multiple professors have been instrumental in offering support and guidance in my studies and research. The University Honors Program has also offered support and endless opportunities to lead and to serve.

The university also has provided opportunities to be involved and serve in many groups and events across campus and community, including Undergraduate Student Government, New Student Orientation and leading studies at STEM camp for children, Burkett said. As a volunteer at the Center for English as a Second Language, she met students from other countries, including a young woman from Kuwait who has become a close friend.

Most of all, SIU has provided a diverse learning community with students and professors from all over the world, which has allowed me to constantly learn about other cultures and ideas, she said.

Burkett plans to pursue postgraduate study in both geology and history, as well as continuing to mentor youth, teach and research.

I will never be able to fully describe the impact SIU has had, and Im proud to be a Saluki, she said.
SIU Carbondale announces three strategic hires

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill.  After national searches, Southern Illinois University Carbondale Chancellor Austin A. Lane is announcing the hiring of three campus leaders.

Coming soon to SIU are:

Jeffery T. Burgin Jr, vice chancellor for student affairs.

Fred Martino, director, WSIU Broadcasting Services.

Mark Owens, director, Facilities and Energy Management.

Burgin will begin his duties on campus today, Nov. 8. He has been vice president of student affairs at Talladega College since 2019. Prior to that, he was vice provost for student engagement at Kentucky State University from April 2018 to June 2019 and was an assistant professor of education and human development. He served as associate provost and dean of students at Belmont University from December 2013 to November 2017. At Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University from August 2007 to November 2013, Burgin held several roles, including vice president for student affairs, dean of students and assistant professor of educational leadership/urban affairs. He also has prior appointments at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, William & Jefferson College, Florida State University and Ohio University.

Burgin earned his doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Alabama and a masters in education in college student personnel from Ohio University. He earned a bachelors degree in African American studies and pre-law from the University of Cincinnati.

Martino will begin his duties on campus on Dec. 6. He is director of content at KRWG Public Media at New Mexico State University, a position he has held since 2008. He is also anchor/executive producer of that regions television news magazine, Newsmakers, which airs on KRWG-TV. He supervises all production and news employees for both the public television and public radio operations. Prior to coming to KRWG, Martino was the director of news and public affairs for nine years at WGVU Public Media at Grand Valley State University. He also has prior experience as an anchor, reporter and producer at television stations in South Bend/Elkhart, Indiana; Elmira, New York, and Wallingford, Pennsylvania.

Martino earned his doctorate in educational administration with a focus on public media from New Mexico State University. He also has masters degrees in communication and public administration from Grand Valley State University and a bachelors degree in communication management from Ithaca College.

Owens will begin his duties on campus Dec. 1. He comes to SIU Carbondale as a project manager with more than 15 years of experience overseeing a diversified portfolio of projects in the higher education, environmental, property management and construction industries. Owens has been the director of facilities at Greenville University since January 2011, where among other duties, he was responsible for all functions and departments of facilities operations on the multi-building campus. Prior to his job at Greenville University, Owens was a senior project manager at Chase Environmental Group Inc., in Centralia, Illinois, and United Science Industries Inc., in Woodlawn, Illinois.

Owens earned an MBA from Greenville University, a bachelors degree in construction management from Illinois State University and an associate degree in architectural technology from Rend Lake College.
SIU plans Veterans Day commemoration

by Tim Crosby

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Southern Illinois University Carbondale will publicly commemorate Veterans Day with the annual vigil at the flagpole near the center of campus.

This years Nov. 11 Veterans Day event marks the 40th anniversary of the flagpole vigil, which began in 1981. The event, organized by SIUs ROTC programs, honors SIU and Southern Illinois veterans who served their country in the U.S. armed forces.

This years vigil will start at 6:30 a.m. at the Old Main Flagpole, just south of Woody Hall. ROTC cadets from SIUs Air Force and Army detachments will stand silent vigil throughout the day, changing shifts every 15 minutes, until 5 p.m. The vigil runs roughly from sunrise to sunset.

At 11 a.m., Air Force and Army ROTC members will hold a wreath-laying ceremony at the flag pole. Lt. Col. Jessica Dwyer, SIU ROTC commander, will make brief welcoming remarks, followed by Paul Copeland, SIU veterans services coordinator, who will make introductions. Carbondale Mayor Mike Henry will then read a proclamation, followed by a keynote address by Meera Komarraju, SIU provost.

The wreath-laying, a bugler playing Taps and remarks by a cadet emcee will close the ceremony.

SIU is committed to protecting the community, so all those attending this event must follow current campus and state pandemic safety protocols.
Google's CEO Sundar Pichai. Justin Sullivan /Getty Images

Google temps at a data centre had a $200 weekly bonus cut last month, The New York Times reports.

Hundreds of workers pushed back via a Google workers' union, per The Times.

The workers had their bonuses reinstated two days later, the report said.

Google temps working at a data center in Iowa fought against a bonus cut and won, The New York Times reports.

The temps were working as contractors for Google via a firm called Modis. The Times reported that the roughly 250 workers were promised a $200 weekly bonus in August for every full week they worked until the end of the year.

But staff stopped receiving these bonuses in October, despite working the full 40-hour weeks needed to qualify, according to the report. Modis sent an email to employees saying that the bonuses had raised a red flag for managers at Google and that the program was being put on hold, The Times reported.

On October 27, Modis told staff the program had been terminated, and that they would not receive back pay, per the report.

The Times reported the Alphabet Workers Union - which was first formed in January of this year - organized a push back. Per The Times, workers sent management more than 100 messages about the bonus cut, and 130 workers organized a video call to discuss further action, including drafting a letter and even potentially stopping work.

On Friday, October 29, Modis announced the program would restart, per The Times. Workers would receive back pay and the scheme would last until December 19, a Modis manager said, per The Times.

It's not entirely clear whether the union effort caused the u-turn. In a statement to The New York Times, Google said a "billing error and miscommunication" had stopped the bonus scheme. Modis did not respond when contacted by The Times for comment.

Google and Modis did not immediately respond when contacted by Insider for comment.

"The union definitely strengthened people's resolve to standing up for the fight," Ned McNally, a union member and data center technician at the facility, told The Times.

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In a statement on Twitter, the Alphabet workers union said it wasn't just Modis at fault. "@Google's two-tiered employment system is designed to exploit workers," it said.

Google has come under fire before over how it treats its so-called "shadow workforce" of contractors, which is reportedly larger than its salaried employee workforce.

The Times and The Guardian reported in September the tech giant had illegally underpaid thousands of temporary workers, and that in one instance a Google manager had suggested firing seven contract workers rather than give them benefits.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A Bossier Parish school raised $3,000 to benefit two Terrebonne elementary schools' Hurricane Ida recovery efforts after a local mother reached out for their assistance.

Elm Grove Middle School, in south Bossier Parish, raised the money by holding a free dress day at its school.

The effort was initiated by Terrebonne Parish resident Jennie Caplis Chatagnier, a mother of two who was born and raised in Bossier Parish. She reached out to the middle school where her mother, now retired, was formerly an educator.

The money raised will benefit Upper Little Caillou Elementary and Grand Caillou Elementary.

Elm Grove Middle School Principal Michael Pedrotty and Jennie Chatagnier of Terrebonne Parish pose for a photo with an oversized check valued at $3,000 to benefit two Terrebonne Parish elementary schools' Hurricane Ida recovery efforts.

Its very overwhelming that in such a short period of time they could do something thats going to make a very large and powerful impact to a place that, right now, looks a little bit like a Third World country," Chatagnier said. "So the principals of the two schools that are going to be the recipients of this donation are very humbled and overwhelmed. It makes me very proud to be from here.

Recovery funding: Houma-Thibodaux area nonprofits can apply for Hurricane Ida recovery grants

'We're going to lose people': Grand Isle faces long road to recovery after Ida

In a news release, Elm Grove Principal Michael Pedrotty said he'd like to "throw down the gauntlet" to encourage other Bossier Parish schools to locate a school that needs help after Hurricane Ida and raise more money than Elm Grove.

Chatagnier was inspired to reach out to the Bossier Parish middle school because of the group of retired teachers her mother-in-law, a retired Terrebonne educator, is involved with. The group of retired teachers has been collecting school supplies for those who need it most, Chatagnier said.

-- Emily Enfinger is a reporter for The Courier and the Daily Comet. Follow her on Twitter at @EmilyEnfinger. Email Emily at eenfinger@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Courier: Bossier Parish school raises $3k to help Terrebonne elementary schools
Associated Press

Lewis Hamilton inched closer to the Formula One championship lead with a dominating victory Sunday in the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix to earn back-to-back wins and chip away at Max Verstappen's points advantage. Hamilton, who also won last week in Brazil, has trimmed 11 points from Verstappen's lead in the title race in seven days. Verstappen still holds an eight-point lead with two races remaining in one of the most dramatic F1 title fights in at least a decade.
Susan Ginise, owner of Hope Farm and a certified equine assisted instructor, gives student Callie Rogers, 12, a riding lesson on horse Captain. Callie and her twin sister Emma have been students of Ginise for 9 years.

GRANVILLE  She teaches children and adults with physical, cognitive and/or emotional challenges  on a horse.

I think the gifts the horse brings are unique, said Susan Ginise. Its really very exciting.

Ginise is a certified equine assisted instructor with the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International. Her Hope Farm Granville is also a PATH International member.

Im positive the equine assisted therapy is a game changer for our students, she added. And I really think were making a difference in their quality of life.

Susan Ginise, owner of Hope Farm and a certified equine assisted instructor, laughs as student Callie Rogers, 12, tells her a story during a riding lesson on horse Captain. Callie and her twin sister Emma have been students of Ginise for 9 years.

Ginise grew up around horses in Rolling Hills, California, a suburb of Los Angeles.

Everyone in my neighborhood had horses, she recalled. My family always had horses. Horse trails connected all of our houses where I grew up. We rode bikes and horses every day after school.

My babysitter rode her pony over to babysit me, she continued. When she went to college she gave me her Shetland pony named Termite. I was 5 years old. And then when I was 11 we bought a Morgan/Quarter Horse named Merry from a friend who was going to college.

Ginise graduated from high school and The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), both in the 1980s. She earned an elementary education teaching credential from Loyola Marymount University in 1989 and then taught second grade in El Segundo, California. In 1994 she also received a certificate to teach reading recovery through California State University, San Bernardino.

I saw equine assisted therapy in California so I always thought someday thats what I want to do, she said. Ive always enjoyed teaching, specifically people who have trouble learning in the traditional way.

Susan Ginise, owner of Hope Farm and a certified equine assisted instructor, gives a riding lesson to Emma Rogers, 12, on horse Captain. Emma and her twin sister Callie have been students of Ginise for 9 years.

The challenge was to coordinate her teaching techniques with her love of horses, and somehow add a slower pace of life to the mix. The answer presented itself when her husband Russ was transferred to this area in 2002. They now have about 8 acres on Granview Road, which fulfilled their dream to find a place for our children to grow up with a yard large enough to keep them out of the street and large enough to have our horses at our house.

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They opened Hope Farm Granville in 2009 and now have 3 lesson horses and 7 volunteers to help with the non-profit operation. Ginise serves about 30 students a week.

Im always amazed, noted her husband Russ, that she just finds a way to get through to her students. When she pairs students with their horses, she works a little magic. She never gets discouraged, shes always got a smile, shes always cheerful.

Shes exhausted at the end of every day, Russ concluded. But its a good kind of exhaustion because she does what she loves.

For more

Hope Farm Granville is located at 3738 Granview Road in Granville. For more information call 740-321-1387 or log on www.hopefarmgranville.com.

Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs  whether they're unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at advocate@newarkadvocate.com or 740-328-8821.

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Aces: Granville's Ginise mixes love of horses, therapy at Hope Farm
Adam Peaty says the pressure of 'Strictly' has pushed him over the edge. (BBC)

Adam Peaty has confessed he is "not okay" following his stint in Strictly Come Dancing which he says "pushed me over the edge."

The 26-year-old Olympic swimmer became the sixth celebrity to be voted off the BBC dance contest on Sunday night. He admitted the pressure of the show got him, coming on the back of the Tokyo Olympic Games in July this year.

Peaty said: "I didnt know how much it meant to me until I got a bit emotional after my dance-off; however, I dont think it was the dancing that pushed me over the edge, but the two years of the constant challenge with myself combined with the energy to win the Olympics and becoming a father at the same time. My emotions are one of my strongest attributes and Im not ashamed to show that Im human.

"Its crazy to me because I thought I was ok but I am not. We all have to wear a piece of armour to get the job done and it wasnt until this week that I knew I could let it go. Im still healing from the trials and tribulations that elite sporting athletes go through but with that Im also adapting and learning from life."

Read more: Craig Revel Horwood wants to steal John Whaite's Rhumba for his wedding dance

The Olympic Gold-medalist said he is "grateful" for his time on the show, which he called "incredible".

And he thanked professional dance partner Katya Jones, saying: "I dont have enough positive words for you and what an amazing person and dancer you are."

Adam Peaty says he is 'not okay' after being voted off the celebrity dance show. (BBC)

But he added: "For the people who tried to bring us down throughout the show, please challenge yourself to be better. The world needs much more positivity and truth.

"Time to get some rest (although my book launches this week!!!) Ill come back the strongest version of the real me and I cant wait to start racing again!"

Peaty lost out in the dance-off to children's TV chef Tilly Ramsay.

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After the judges chose to save the 19-year-old TikTok star, Jones said she did not think Peaty deserved to be going home so soon.

Adam Peaty addressed speculation he almost kissed Katya Jones on the 'Strictly' dancefloor. (BBC)

She said: "After the dance-off, I looked at him and he had tears in his eyes. Someone whos an absolute unbeatable machine that we see defending his titles for seven years non-stop, being emotional about dancing."

Peaty competed in the Tokyo Olympic Games in July this year, winning two Gold Medals and setting a World Record for the 100 metre medley relay race, before signing up for the BBC celebrity dance contest.

He had previously admitted he was feeling the strain of being in the public eye following speculation that he "almost kissed" pro partner Katya Jones at the end of their passionate Argentine Tango in Week 4.

Adam Peaty and his partner Eirianedd Munro has a 14-month-old son. (Getty Images)

Peaty  who has a 14-month-old son with girlfriend Eirianedd Munro  tweeted: "My favourite dance so far. Thank you to everyone who has sent supporting messages! I loved it.

My favourite dance so far  Thankyou to everyone who has sent supporting messages! I loved it  To everyone who wants to see what they want, your comments have real life consequences. I will not be overcome or lowered by your gossip. Protect your energy  pic.twitter.com/qa8TamcNDY Adam Peaty MBE (@adam_peaty) October 17, 2021

"To everyone who wants to see what they want, your comments have real life consequences. I will not be overcome or lowered by your gossip. Protect your energy."

The 26-year-old Olympian  who met Munro when he was training at Loughborough University where she was a student  was shown moving his face close to Jones at the end of their dance on Saturday night as he swept her backwards into a hold, before quickly adjusting his pose.

His girlfriend Munro has already made fun of the speculation that Peaty had been about to kiss Jones on live TV with a video posted on TikTok.

Watch: Adam Peaty's girlfriend reacts to that 'almost kiss' on Strictly

In a parody video she pretended to cry to camera, writing: Watching your boyfriend almost kiss another woman on live TV. She then threw her head back dramatically adding: Finding out 10 million other people also watched it live.

During the 2018 series of Strictly, Jones, 32, was pictured kissing her celebrity partner comedian Seann Walsh last year while enjoying a night out between rehearsals.

Read more: Strictly's Dan Walker jokes he'll go topless in rehearsals he's so comfortable dancing

She and Walsh both publicly apologised but were voted out of the BBC dance contest a week later.

Jones split from her husband, Strictly pro dancer Neil Jones, 39, in August 2019.

Watch: Who is Strictly's Adam Peaty?
Albertville police continue to investigate the death of a woman found on Dixie Dale Road Friday morning, according to Chief Jamie Smith.

The body of Jana Miller Chatman, 32, of Douglas, was found outside a silver SUV after police received calls about the vehicle in a ditch on the rural road. Smith said she had been shot; detectives are awaiting information from the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences regarding her cause of death.

Police found shell casings at the scene when Chatman's body was located.

Contact Gadsden Times reporter Donna Thornton at 256-393-3284 or donna.thornton@gadsdentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Albertville police: Douglas woman was shot, investigation continues
Alec Baldwin wants a police presence on all sets where guns are being used.

The actor, who fatally shot Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins last month when he fired a gun mistakenly loaded with live bullets, made the public plea Monday as Hollywood scrambles to avoid another catastrophe.

Every film/TV set that uses guns, fake or otherwise, should have a police officer on set, hired by the production, to specifically monitor weapons safety, he tweeted from his locked account.

After the accidental shooting, which also injured director Joel Souza, both Dwayne Johnson and The Rookie showrunner Alexi Hawley banned live guns from their sets.

State Sen. Dave Cortese, D-Silicon Valley, chair of the California Senates Labor Committee, announced late last month that he plans to introduce legislation to ban live ammunition and firearms that are capable of firing live ammunition from movie sets and theatrical productions.

There is an urgent need to address alarming work abuses and safety violations occurring on the set of theatrical productions, including unnecessary high-risk conditions such as the use of live firearms, he said in a statement.

The sister of Brandon Lee, who was similarly shot in a gun mishap on the set of The Crow in 1993, has also called for the ban of live weapons.

Hollywood, I know you know that guns that fire blanks on sets also unnerve and injure people. They create a lot of tension and anxiety for all involved, Shannon Lee wrote in an essay for Variety last week.

Ive talked to some who are relieved now that their production is moving away from real firearms and blanks. Innovating away from real firearms could be seen as a level of care for the basic stress and mental health levels of cast and crew.

Local police have launched an investigation into the Rust shooting but no charges have been filed yet.


The U.S. has reopened the border to vaccinated Mexican tourists.

Shortly after midnight in the Eastern time zone, El Paso's three 24-hour international ports of entry began welcoming Mexican nationals with valid tourist visas after nearly two years of border restrictions.

About a dozen people waited at the top of the Paso del Norte bridge, visas in hand, to enter the U.S into El Paso.

Alicia Tagle, 60, second from left, and others line up on the Paso Del Norte International bridge awaiting the reopening of the border for Mexicans with U.S. tourist visas on Nov. 7, 2021.

Alicia Tagle, 60, clutched a clear plastic folder full of documents. She said she was going to request an I-94 permit to see her sister in Colorado. Tonight shed stay with an aunt who lives near Montana Avenue and Raynor Street.

I am so happy, she said. My aunt is just waiting for us to call her when we cross.

More: Binational community of El Paso, Juarez eager to rejoin after nearly two years of border restrictions

At the Bridge of the Americas, better known as the free bridge because there is no toll, passenger vehicles stretched about a mile into Juarez.

Camilo Chavarria Jaques and his wife Amelia Armas Duran pulled to the side on the Paso Del Norte International bridge as they waited for the reopening of the border on November 7, 2021.

Five portable toilets were set up in the home stretch  a sign that the Mexican government is expecting extreme wait times  and side roads were barricaded to prevent cars from cutting into the line.

More: Follow along for live updates on the US Mexico border opening in El Paso

Juarez waited nearly 2 years for COVID restrictions to lift

Juarez residents have been waiting nearly two years for the U.S. to lift restrictions on non-essential travel. On Sunday night, the moment was hours away.

Downtown, pedestrians waited with their visas and vaccine cards ahead of the 12 a.m. eastern time zone reopening.

Mexicans who hold U.S. tourist visas enter the U.S. on the Paso Del Norte International bridge on November 7, 2021 as Customs and Border Protection check documentation.

In March 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Homeland Security placed restrictions on non-essential travel at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Effectively, Mexican nationals holding tourist cards were banned from traveling over the land border  although air travel between points in the interior of both countries never ceased.

More: Downtown El Paso merchants adapted, now anxiously await return of Mexican shoppers

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U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, medical personnel, students and those with work authorization were deemed essential under the restrictions and were permitted to cross the border.

'Essential' travel rising between El Paso, Juarez

Cross-border traffic of "essential" travelers between El Paso and Juarez has been rising steadily, reaching nearly 800,000 crossings of passenger vehicles in August, according to the Border Region Modeling Project at the University of Texas at El Paso.

The border restrictions, in place for nearly 20 months, limited travel between the two countries during a period of deadly contagion. But they outlasted the reopening of the U.S. and Mexican economies and continued after communities on both sides of the border reached high levels of vaccination against COVID-19.

"Nobody anticipated that this pandemic would last as long as it has, in terms of travel restrictions," said Hector Mancha, U.S. Customs and Border Protection director of field operations in El Paso. "People have not crossed over and visited with family in going on two years... Unfortunately, the pandemic has kept us from (reopening). I think it's overdue."

Lauren Villagran can be reached at lvillagran@elpasotimes.com.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: US-Mexico border ports of entry to reopen to non-essential traffic
American Family Insurance is investing $1.2 million into four existing community spaces in Milwaukee as part of its efforts to support the city and close equity gaps.

American Family announced the concept it calls Urban Future Centers in a news release Monday. The company has identified four sites for Urban Future Centers: Sherman Phoenix, Journey House, the Milky Way Tech Hub and Young Enterprising Society.

The idea behind Urban Future Centers is to bring technology education and other resources to people in Milwaukee's high-population, inner-city neighborhoods. The locations provide education programming in STEAM disciplines, offer cultural events, mentorship, training and entrepreneurship support.

This investment in Milwaukee neighborhoods will provide opportunities and access for youth and adults right where they live, said Jim Buchheim, American Family community and social impact officer, in the news release. By identifying and addressing needs and bringing support directly to neighborhoods, Urban Future Centers will help close equity gaps for people of color and foster economic empowerment.

American Family has committed to a multiyear investment at the Sherman Phoenix, Journey House, the Milky Way Tech Hub and Young Enterprising Society. Each site will receive $100,000 for three years, according to the release.

The Urban Future Centers are part of American Family's Free to Dream equity initiative that it launched in February. The Madison-based insurance company committed $105 million to the initiative focused on economic empowerment, education and health equity, climate resilience, criminal justice reform and workforce diversity, equity and inclusion.

Sarah Hauer can be reached at shauer@journalsentinel.com or on Instagram @HauerSarah and Twitter @SarahHauer. Subscribe to her weekly newsletter Be MKE at jsonline.com/bemke.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: American Family is investing $1.2 million into Urban Future Centers
The Arab League Monday backed the resignation of Lebanon's information minister whose comments on the Yemen war sparked a damaging diplomatic row with Gulf States.

"From the very beginning, the resignation could have defused the crisis," the League's assistant secretary general, Hossam Zaki told a news conference in Beirut.

"We need stronger confirmation that this step could still happen," he said following talks with parliament speaker Nabih Berri.

Zaki, who also met Prime Minister Najib Mikati and President Michal Aoun said Information Minister George Kordahi's departure could be a starting point for "detente" between Lebanon and Gulf states.

The diplomatic rift, which threatens to plunge Lebanon deeper into meltdown, prompted Saudi Arabia and some of its allies to recall ambassadors and block imports from Lebanon.

Import restrictions are a further blow to a country where a weak government is struggling to secure international aid, namely from wealthy Arab neighbours.

The dispute was triggered by comments made by Kordahi in an interview taped in August before he became information minister and broadcast in late October.

Kordahi characterised the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen since 2015 as an "external aggression," sparking rebukes from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

Each of those states support the Saudi-led military coalition against Iran-backed Huthi rebels fighting Yemen's internationally recognised government.

The diplomatic rift has prompted calls for the resignation of Kordahi, an ally of the powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah.

Hezbollah, which is backed by Riyadh's arch rival Iran, has opposed calls for Kordahi's resignation, saying he did nothing wrong.

And Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem went further on Sunday saying it was up to Saudi Arabia to "apologise".

Kordahi has said stepping down was out of the question.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said this month that Hezbollah's dominance made "dealing with Lebanon pointless for the kingdom".

lar/ho/hkb
ISLAMABAD (AP)  Australia will tour Pakistan for the first time in nearly 24 years when it plays three test matches, three one-day internationals and a Twenty20 international next year, the Pakistan Cricket Board said Monday.

Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore are scheduled to host the three test matches in March and the limited-overs portion will be played in Lahore from March 29-April 5.

The test matches will be part of the World Test Championship. The ODIs will be counted toward World Cup Super League.

Mark Taylor led Australia to a 1-0 victory in the last test series it played in Pakistan in 1998. Since then Pakistan has hosted Australia four times at neutral venues in Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates.

Australia are one of the high-performing sides and them playing in our backyard for the first time after a gap of 24 years will be a special treat for the fans, PCB chairman Ramiz Raja said in a statement.

Likewise, it will be a great opportunity for the Australia cricketers to not only play at our iconic venues but also feel and enjoy the respect, love and hospitality that this great country offers, something which most of their previous generation of cricketers missed out by playing offshore.

Pakistan was off limits for hosting international cricket for almost a decade after the Sri Lanka team's bus came under attack at Lahore in March 2009. Eight people were killed during the terror attack, and several Sri Lankan players were injured.

Pakistan also lost its status as a co-host for the 2011 Cricket World Cup.

Sri Lanka was the first team to return for a test series, in December 2019, and was followed by Bangladesh and South Africa. Other teams have toured for limited-overs series.

Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley acknowledged the efforts of the PCB in planning next year's tour and said he looked forward to close cooperation to finalize the operations, logistics, security and COVID-19 protocols.

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The safety and welfare of our players and staff remains our No. 1 priority, Hockley said in a statement. We will continue to work with the PCB and relevant agencies to ensure that appropriate and sufficient arrangements are put in place for the tour.

The PCB said a Cricket Australia delegation will visit Pakistan to meet with government officials and finalize arrangements.

Pakistan and Australia are set to meet in the semifinals of the T20 World Cup at Dubai on Thursday.

Just before the T20 World Cup, New Zealand abandoned its limited-overs tour of Pakistan due to security concerns, and England also pulled out citing player welfare concerns.

Pakistan is set to host West Indies from Dec. 13-22 in three T20s and and three ODIS between Dec. 13-22. It will be the West Indies first tour of Pakistan since April 2018 when it played three T20s.

___

Schedule:

March 3-7: 1st test at Karachi

March 12-16: 2nd test at Rawalpindi

March 21-25: 3rd test at Lahore

March 29: 1st ODI at Lahore

March 31: 2nd ODI at Lahore

April 2: 3rd ODI at Lahore

April 5: T20 at Lahore

___

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP)  Australia's top diplomat met Monday with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on issues including the coronavirus pandemic during the second stop of her four-nation Southeast Asian tour.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne exchanged views with her host on trade and Australias provision of assistance to Cambodia in the education, health, agriculture and defense sectors, said Eang Sophalleth, a spokesman for the Cambodian premier.

Payne mentioned during talks that Australia will provide 3.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Cambodia, with 1.5 million doses set to arrive by the end of this year, the spokesman added. Australia in February announced a separate grant of $28 million for Cambodia to purchase 3 million doses.

Payne, who also serves as Minister for Women, paid a visit to a shelter for women survivors of violence in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh that receives support from the Australian government.

Ahead of Paynes trip to Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade announced last week that one of its goals was to strengthen our shared work to promote the regions economic and health recovery from COVID-19.

It also said her trip was a follow-up to an agreement last month to establish a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between ASEAN  the Association of Southeast Asian Nations  and Australia.

Cambodia last month assumed the ASEAN chair, which rotates annually among the regional bloc's 10 members.

Several ASEAN members, including Malaysia and Indonesia, have expressed concern about Australias plan to build nuclear-powered submarines under its recently announced AUKUS defense technology pact with Britain and the United States.

Hun Sens spokesman said Payne briefed the prime minister on the agreement, and he thanked her for the explanation. Cambodia is a close ally of China, which has criticized the pact.

Payne, who arrived from Malaysia, next visits Vietnam and then concludes her tour in Indonesia, the regions biggest country.
SREENAGAR, Bangladesh (AP)  Bangladesh's ruling party is set to win a series of local elections to choose representatives at the village level amid a boycott by the countrys largest opposition party, after widespread allegations of misconduct in the last national vote.

The ruling Awami League party of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is all but certain to win Thursday's election for 848 rural councils. A total of 4,571 local councils, known as union parishads and responsible for community development and public welfare services at the village level, are being contested in phases.

In the first phase of elections for 204 councils in June, 148 candidates from the ruling party won and the rest went to independents.

Analysts say it's an opportunity for the ruling party to consolidate its position ahead of the next general elections slated for 2023. It follows the trend in the last two general elections in 2014 and 2018, which Hasina's party won in a landslide despite allegations of vote rigging and manipulation.

The way political and institutional structure has been designed and rendered into, I think it's difficult to imagine that the truly free and fair election will take place in Bangladesh in the next round, said Iftekharuzzaman, who heads the Bangladesh chapter of the Berlin-based Transparency International.

He blamed the Election Commission for incompetence and top officials' allegiance to the ruling party.

We have decided to stay away from this local government election," said Rumeen Farhana, a lawmaker from the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, an archrival of Hasina. "My party has made their position very clear that without a non-party, neutral government we will not contest the next general elections.

Since 2014 the election process has been destroyed, from grassroots to the national level and its going from bad to worse. There is no choice left for the voters to choose their candidates, she said.

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Obaidul Qauder, the Awami Leagues general secretary, said that people from Zias party are taking part in the election as independent candidates.

If you have the courage, take part in the polls visibly with your party symbol, he told reporters.

The opposition often says a skewed political atmosphere is preventing them from participating fairly in national elections.

Farhana says their activists across the country are facing politically motivated charges, a common tactic in Bangladesh to keep the opposition busy with legal protection. Authorities routinely deny such allegations, saying the court cases come from specific charges.

Since 1991, when Bangladesh returned to a democratic system, Hasina and Zia had alternately ruled the country before Hasina came to power with an overwhelming win in the 2008 election that was accepted as free and fair.

But that has changed. Election monitoring groups say more than half of the constituencies in the 300-seat Parliament were elected uncontested from the ruling party in 2014, while ballot stuffing was a common practice in 2018 amid allegations of intimidation.

Iftekharuzzaman said the politics in Bangladesh under the two major parties has become a zero-sum game, and they have used the Election Commission and public administration for their partisan benefits.

The key problem lies with the institution of the Election Commission, which has been rendered dysfunctional ... as well as allegations of corruption against them, he said.

The Election Commission has denied the allegations and said they are performing their constitutional duties properly.

Iftekharuzzaman said democracy is the main victim as the country's leaders can no longer claim full legitimacy from elections.

They do not have the genuine mandate of the people and they do not have the confidence needed to really claim themselves as public representatives, he said.

Many voters feel they are left with little choice.

I want an election that is inclusive of all parties, which used to happen in Bangladesh, and which is now lost," said Mohammed Mojibor, a businessman. This election is one-sided. I dont know about others, but personally I feel that this is unacceptable.
Emily Lancaster of Mountain Home shows off the numerous ribbons she has won for her baking from the Baxter County Fair, the Northwest Arkansas District Fair and the Arkansas State Fair and Livestock Show.

While Baltimore has Duff Goldman and Hoboken has Buddy Valastro, Mountain Home now has its own baker extraordinaire.

Emily Lancaster, formerly of Yellville, had a very successful run last month at the Arkansas State Fair and Livestock Show in Little Rock, all but destroying her fellow bakers in the open bake competition.

She submitted 10 entries and received 10 ribbons, with two being for best of show. She took home five first place ribbons, two second place and three third place in the cookies, pies, cake and bread divisions.

Born and raised in Yellville, Lancaster and her husband Brett took over the home of her paternal grandmother, Willodean Brightwell, when she went into the nursing home some years ago.

Inside an old dresser, she found a drawer full of the ribbons Brightwell had won for her baking.

Lancaster said her granny taught her to bake, knit and crochet when she was young and took up baking again as a way to remember her because she couldnt remember me, she said.

Emily and Brett moved to Mountain Home last year with their five little taste testers, Emily, Destiny, Michael, Katie and Layton.

Lancaster started in 2016 on a quest to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie, just like the Friends character Monica did on her favorite episode of the television show.

She is a phlebotomist at Baxter Regional Family Clinic on Market and uses her co-workers as test subjects.

She said her husband Brent believes he deserves a shout out for all the baked goods that leave this house that he doesnt get to eat.

A sheet of Emily Lancaster's chocolate chip cookies are seen cooling off. Lancaster's cookies recently won a blue ribbon at the Arkansas State Fair.

Her former co-worker, Dr. John Leslie, tried an early batch of her chocolate chip cookies and advised her to refrigerate her dough before baking them.

After following his advice, Lancaster now has the best chocolate chip cookies in the state.

A year before Lancaster started on her culinary quest, she was diagnosed with Type II diabetes.

My doctor wishes I didnt eat what I bake, she said. But, Ive gotta try it.

Lancaster recalls a time when she had made a batch of competition cookies that she left out on a plate to cool when her son Layton was about six or seven. Layton helped himself to a cookie and unfortunately ate the one-- the one that was picture perfect with an even distribution of chocolate chips and just the right shade of tan.

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She admits she went a little crazy and now when her kids see a plate of cookies, they ask first if they can have one.

Lancaster said she and her husband are very competitive and in 2018 he entered the quick bread division with his own homemade banana bread. He won district, then state and retired after that.

Since 2018, the banana bread category hasnt been back at the state fair. Lancaster hopes it comes back soon so she can compete because she cant stand living in her husbands shadow, she joked.

The two can be so competitive that he even accused her of sabotaging several batches of his winning banana bread.

As a diabetic, she uses the brown sugar substitute Stevia to use on her baked sweet potatoes and Brett even took the container the Stevia is in and marked it with an M for Mom.

Brett made batch after batch of his banana bread and complained it just didnt taste right. Lancaster later realized when all of her Stevia disappeared that he had been using it instead of regular brown sugar.

He jokingly blamed her for his mistake.

She said its all in good fun and that her husband even constructed her a ribbon holder that hangs on the wall between their dining room and kitchen.

This years state judging coincided with the opening of deer season so Lancasters mother Cathy Brightwell and niece Lillie Hall made the three hour trek to Little Rock with her.

She baked Friday night in order to travel on Saturday and they drove slowly and super carefully. Her mom even bought her a wheelie cart to transport the baked goods safely from the car to the judging area.

Lancaster said it took three and a half hours for judges to taste and award the winners.

In previous years, Rhonda Hull of Mabelvale has been her biggest competition in open baking.

Emily Lancaster poses with her award-winning bakery items at the Arkansas State Fair.

She won everything, she said. Id come in second to her.

This year Hull was beaten in seven divisions.

State fair organizers usually will take a photo of the winner with all of their entries, but after judging, Hull packed it all up and went home.

Lancaster learned that cheesecake doesnt travel well.

It turned into pudding, she said.

She came in third.

A competitor she refers to as The Pie Lady -- because she makes the most beautiful pies -- won first in the cream pie category, along with best in show. Lancaster came in second to her with a recipe her granny Agnes Dunlap got from her mother, who found the recipe in a newspaper.

I gave her (Dunlap) the ribbon after I won, she said.

After the competition was over, Lancasters mom cleaned her out of all of the competition leftovers, even the soupy cheesecake, to feed her uncles and cousins who were in town.

Lancaster said was going to branch outside of the baking zone with a soup that she was going to put in the ethnic food group, but the group wasnt included this year.

Granny Willodean died last year, but I think she helped me along the way, she said.

In the future, Lancaster wants to submit an entry to each category in the open bake, including corn bread, which she admits shes not much of a fan of because its too gritty.

Just because I dont like it doesnt mean that I cant bake it, she said. I dont like oatmeal raisin cookies, but I make the best.

At home, Lancaster even makes her own pancake mix, and her pancakes are a real hit with the family, along with their two dogs. Even her mom will steal the leftover pancakes, freeze them. Then shell reheat them and eat them out of her hands like cookies, with no butter or pancake syrup on them.

Even though she loves baking, Lancaster said she hates to cook.

They are definitely two different things, she says of cooking versus baking.

10 for 10

Emily Lancaster of Mountain Home submitted 10 baked goods into competition at the Arkansas State Fair, and returned home with 10 ribbons.

In the cookie division she received:

Oatmeal raisin, first place and Best in Show

Chocolate chip, first place

Sugar cookies, third place

Carmel bars, third place

In the pie division she received:

Cream, second place

In the cakes division she received:

Carrot, first place;

Pound, first place

Devils food, second place

Cheesecake, third place

In the bread division she received:

Cinnamon rolls, first place and Best in Show



This article originally appeared on Baxter Bulletin: Best in show
At least three Senate Democrats have raised concerns with the White House over the nomination of Saule Omarova to serve as comptroller of the currency, people familiar with the matter tell Axios.

Why it matters: With all 50 Republicans expected to oppose her nomination, President Biden is on notice her candidacy is in jeopardy. This comes as he's also weighing whether to replace Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell with Fed governor Lael Brainard  its own decision fraught with political risks.

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Some progressives, like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), oppose Powell.

They've signaled that installing a strong regulator at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is a top priority for them.

Omarova  a 55-year-old Cornell University law professor  has started to meet with senators.

Among those who are concerned: Democratic Sens. Jon Tester of Montana, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virgina. That list may grow in the coming days.

While Tester has publicly expressed his concern, the potential opposition of additional Democrats would make the math to confirm her nearly impossible.

Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, the top Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, told Axios "Republicans will overwhelmingly oppose this self-described radical.

A White House official told Axios: "Saule Omarova is eminently qualified and was nominated for this role because of her lifetime of work on financial regulation, including in the private sector, in government and as a leading academic in the field."

"The White House continues to strongly support her historic nomination."

The big picture: Omarova is meeting stiff opposition from Republicans and the banking industry for political comments critical of the finance industry.

She once called it a quintessential asshole industry.

She's also taking heat for her academic writings, in which she's suggested a smaller role for big banks and a larger one for the Federal Reserve.

Born in Kazakhstan when it was still part of the Soviet Union, Omarova studied at Moscow State University before moving to the U.S. in 1991 and becoming an American citizen.

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If confirmed, she'd be the first woman to lead the OCC.

Driving the news: Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), chair of the Senate Banking Committee, pleaded with his fellow Democrats during their caucus meeting last week to hear out Omarova.

We're going to confirm her, he told Axios. It's going be close.

Republicans have already decided that character assassination is the best way to defeat her, said Brown. The White House is all in; the White House isn't always all in for every nomination."

During an interview with the Wall Street Journal published Saturday, Omarova cited an unfortunate misunderstanding of my position with respect to community banks.

I actually am a huge supporter of community banks, she said.

Be smart: The first hurdle for Omarova is in committee. And even if she survives there, she'll face a difficult challenge before the full Senate.

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Nicaragua election Orlando Valenzuela/Getty Images

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, are expected to claim victory after national elections Sunday in which the Ortegas faced only nominal opposition from little-known candidates representing small parties seen as friendly to Ortega's Sandinista Front. The Ortega government arrested seven potential opposition candidates starting in May, as well as 32 leading businessmen, journalists, political foes, and student and peasant leaders.

The election completes Ortega's "transformation into a 21st century version of the dynastic dictator he helped overthrow as a guerrilla revolutionary more than 40 years ago," The Wall Street Journal reports. Ortega's Sandinistas toppled right-wing dictator Anastasio Somoza in 1979. Ortega then led Nicaragua from 1985 until 1990, when he was defeated by Violeta Barrios de Chamorro. He returned to power in 2007.

Chamorro's daughter, Cristiana Chamorro, was one of the opposition politicians Ortega arrested. When she was detained in June, the Journal notes, she had a 53 percent favorability rating, versus Ortega's 39 percent. A recent CID-Gallup poll found that 19 percent of Nicaraguans would vote for Ortega if he faced one of the seven jailed candidates.

The U.S. and European Union denounced Sunday's election as a sham. President Biden, in a statement Sunday night, called it "a pantomime election that was neither free nor fair, and most certainly not democratic," adding that the U.S. would work with the international community to "use all diplomatic and economic tools at our disposal to support the people of Nicaragua and hold accountable the Ortega-Murillo government."

The U.S. has steadily ramped up sanctions on Ortega's government  including his wife and children he placed in power  after it violently cracked down on a wave of protests in 2018, killing 328 Nicaraguans. Biden is expected to sign legislation passed last week to expand sanctions on Nicaraguan authorities and review Nicaragua's membership in the Central American Free Trade Agreement.

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Ortega's ongoing crackdown on dissent "reeks of Putin-style tactics," Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), the bill's lead sponsor, told The Washington Post. "What he's doing is basically taking steps to set up a dynastic regime, just like the Somozas before him."

But "Washington faces a dilemma: If it imposes tougher economic sanctions, they could harm ordinary people in Nicaragua," leading to more migration, the Post reports. "And yet if Ortega faces no repercussions for holding a rigged election," other tentative democracies in the region could similarly tip into autocracy.

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BALTIMORE  President Joe Biden will visit Baltimore this week  his second trip to the city in three weeks  and tout the just-passed infrastructure package and its effect on ports and supply chains, the White House said Sunday.

The president will tour the Port of Baltimore on Wednesday.

He made his first visit to the city as chief executive on Oct. 21, when he answered questions at a CNN town hall held at Baltimores Center Stage theater.

The House of Representatives late Friday night gave final approval to legislation intended to improve roads, bridges, transit systems and broadband, and bolster Chesapeake Bay restoration.

The measure will upgrade the nations ports and strengthen supply chains to prevent disruptions, the White House said in a news release announcing the Baltimore visit.

The White House said Saturday that the infrastructure package would address decades of neglect and underinvestment in our infrastructure [that] have left the links in our goods movement supply chains struggling to keep up with our strong economic recovery from the pandemic.

The legislation passed the House 228-206 late Friday.

The package, which was cut from its original size of $3.5 trillion to about $1 trillion in infrastructure investments, was a point of contention between moderate and progressive Democrats for months. Republicans largely opposed the bill on account of its cost.

The final bill contains $17 billion for ports, but it is unclear how much the Port of Baltimore will receive.

It comes as American ports, particularly along the West Coast, are experiencing a traffic jam thats spurred price jumps for a number of products.

Last month, the Biden administration announced that the Port of Los Angeles would begin operating 24 hours a day to help clear a backlog of ships waiting to unload their goods.

Baltimores port has seen issues over the past few years, too. Two times in as many years, truck drivers have protested long wait times at the terminal to receive their cargo. But Sunday, port officials touted long-term investments in the terminal and said they havent seen the level of recent congestion hindering larger ports like Los Angeles.

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In September, four new cranes arrived at the ports Seagirt Marine Terminal. The cranes, among the largest in the world, allowed longshoremen to unload larger containers from arriving ships two at a time. Its part of an effort to bolster the ports capacity that also includes a $466 million upgrade to the Howard Street Tunnel, which will allow freight trains leaving the port to carry containers stacked two-high, putting the terminal on par with its competition in New York, Virginia and South Carolina. That project will break ground later this year.

We welcome President Joe Biden to the Port of Baltimore to survey ongoing berth construction projects, the 4 new Neo-Panamax cranes, the recently completed dredging operations and discuss future projects that will benefit from the recently passed Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, said Maryland Port Administration Executive Director William P. Doyle in a statement Sunday.

With its proximity to Washington, Baltimore is a frequent destination for presidential visits.

Biden was scheduled to make his first trip to the city as president in March, which would have included a tour of the Emergent BioSolutions plant manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines. But the visit was scrapped as the Gaithersburg-based company struggled with vaccine production. The East Baltimore plant contaminated thousands of Johnson & Johnson doses, rendering them unusable, and officials eventually documented numerous problems at the facility, from personnel training to waste disposal.

In April, Vice President Kamala Harris toured the mass vaccination site staged at Baltimores M&T Bank Stadium.

Former President Donald Trump visited Baltimore multiple times during his tenure. Trump spoke at a hotel in Harbor East to a gathering of U.S. House Republicans in September 2019. For Memorial Day in 2020, he spoke at Fort McHenry, and also made an appearance there during the Republican National Convention in August 2020.


Gov. Mike DeWine signed a fireworks bill into law Monday that will allow people to ignite firecrackers, Roman candles and other consumer-grade fireworks on more than 20 days a year.

Ohioans will be able to shoot off fireworks legally starting July 1, 2022 on certain holidays.

Last summer, DeWine vetoed a similar fireworks bill but agreed to sign House Bill 172, saying it included important compromises that would improve safety.

Ohio fireworks: Ohio lawmakers pass bill to legalize consumer use of fireworks, DeWine expected to sign it

A Phantom Fireworks employee stocks shelves in the Millersport store in 2018. The fireworks industry won a major victory on Monday when Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law a measure that will legalize the consumer use of firecrackers, Roman candles, bottle rockets and other popular pyrotechnics. Child safety advocates fought against the measure for more than two decades.

Ohio's previous law only permitted consumers to use sparklers and a handful of other pyrotechnics. Consumers were allowed to purchase other fireworks but couldn't legally ignite them in Ohio and were required to take them out of state within 48 hours.

Based on the sounds ringing out over the Fourth of July weekend, many Ohioans disregarded that law.

The new law will allow adults to use consumer-grade fireworks on private property on more than 20 days, including New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, Cinco de Mayo, Juneteenth, Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends and July 3, 4, 5 as well as the three-day weekends bracketing July 4.

Use is prohibited while under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances. Local communities could opt-out or restrict the dates and times fireworks can be set off.

The fireworks industry has pushed for more than two decades to legalize the use of consumer-grade fireworks in Ohio. Child safety advocates and health care groups had successfully held off that push until this fall.

Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Mike DeWine signs Ohio consumer fireworks bill into law
LISBON (Reuters) - Portuguese police have found the charred body of a three-year-old British-German boy in a burned-out car and his father's body nearby in a rural area some 100 km south of Lisbon in what they believe is a murder-suicide, local authorities said on Monday.

A local police spokesman in Grandola said the bodies were found on Sunday and the case was being handled by Portugal's criminal investigation police, who would not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment.

The British embassy in Lisbon told Reuters it was "supporting the family of a British-German dual national child who has sadly died in Portugal".

Local media said the father was an architect and a German national. The British mother had reported her son missing a week ago, according to media reports.

The father's body was reportedly found near the car with a gunshot wound to the head and the baby's body was inside the vehicle, which appeared to have been set on fire by the father before he shot himself, local media said.

Portuguese Jornal de Noticias newspaper said the couple had broken up earlier this year but both stayed in Portugal. The father picked up his son from his mother's house last week but never returned, it added.

The British embassy said consular staff had been in regular contact with the child's family and local authorities since they were first reported missing and "will continue to support them at this very difficult time".

(Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Hugh Lawson)
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP)  A Cambodian activist wept in frustration Monday after learning her autistic teenage son, imprisoned for comments critical of the government he made on social media, would not be released as anticipated in a case that has drawn global attention.

Prum Chantha told disappointed supporters who had gathered with her early in the day outside Prey Sar prison on the outskirts of Phnom Penh that authorities said her son's time served had been miscounted, and that he would instead be released Wednesday.

My son would have been feeling so excited when hearing he would be freed today and knowing that I was here with the others to welcome him, but now theyre keeping him in jail for two more days, she said.

Why would the court keep him in jail?

Her son, 16-year-old Kak Sovannchhay, was convicted last week of incitement to commit a felony and public insult for comments he had made in a Telegram chat group in June defending his father, a senior political opposition member who is himself in custody facing charges, and for sharing Facebook posts criticizing Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Kak Sovannchhay was sentenced to eight months in prison but he had been in custody since June. Under Cambodian sentencing guidelines including credit for time served, he was scheduled for release this week and the family had been told it would take place Monday.

In a statement after his conviction, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court said that his age had been a factor in reducing his jail time, and said that it had received no medical confirmation of his autism during the trial.

Observers said, however, that during the trial, the court refused two requests to evaluate the boys disability and support needs.

Many criticized the verdict, including U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia W. Patrick Murphy who said in a Twitter post that the case seemed to be politically motivated.

How does jailing the teenage son of an opposition figure demonstrate respect for human rights? Murphy wrote.

Story continues

Prum Chantha is a member of the group Friday Wives, which holds protests to demand the release of their husbands who have been jailed for expressing their views critical of Hun Sens government. Her husband, Kak Komphear, has been in detention since May 2020.

She said Monday that she had no intention of backing down, despite her son's prosecution.

The authorities wanted to intimidate us and wanted us to stop opposing them, she said.

The posts the teen made came in response to others calling his father a traitor, she said.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has been in power for 36 years and has often been accused of heading an authoritarian regime and using the judicial system to help stifle opposition.

Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch, urged Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne to bring up the case and others with Cambodian officials before she concludes her two-day trip to the country later Monday.

Penalizing a boy with mental disabilities because of the activities of his father shows just how far the human rights situation in Cambodia has deteriorated, he said in a written statement.
Police use tear gas around the Capitol, where Trump supporters riot and breach the Capitol on January 6. Photo by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

A Capitol riot suspect accused of attacking police is now claiming asylum in Belarus.

Evan Neumann is on the FBI's most wanted list for charges related to the US Capitol riot.

He sold his California home in the spring and fled to Europe. He has since surfaced in Belarus.

A Capitol riot suspect accused of attacking police during the insurrection has fled the country and is claiming asylum in Belarus.

Evan Neumann, 48, is on the FBI's most wanted list for charges related to the US Capitol riot on January 6.

Neumann faces six charges, including assaulting officers, obstructing law enforcement, knowingly entering the Capitol without permission, and violent conduct, according to documents filed by the US district court.

But just a month after the court documents were filed, Neumann sold his California house and fled to Ukraine in the summer to avoid arrest, ABC News reported.

He has since surfaced in Belarus.

Neumann appeared on Belarus state TV this weekend, according to The Moscow Times.

The man initially traveled to Italy in March and made his way to Ukraine, where he rented an apartment for four months, Belarus 1 reported. He said Ukrainian security services were "following" him after two weeks, so he fled to Belarus.

A Belarus state TV presenter said Neumann was being "persecuted by the US government" in his interview, The Moscow Times reported.

Read the original article on Business Insider
MONTREAL (Reuters) - The chief executive of Canada's largest carrier should have to improve his French as part of his annual board review, the country's No. 2 government official said on Monday as a language controversy dogged the airline.

Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau pledged last week to improve his French skills and apologized for remarks suggesting he did not need to speak French, Canada's second language, even though the airline is officially bilingual.

Language remains a sensitive issue in mostly French-speaking Quebec, the country's second-most-populous province, where unhappiness over the dominance of English helped the rise of the separatist Parti Quebecois (PQ) in the 1970s.

Rousseau's comments and decision to give a speech almost entirely in English triggered criticism from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and in Montreal, where the airline is headquartered.

Air Canada was not immediately available for comment.

In a letter to Air Canada's board made public on Monday, deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland said Rousseau's ability to communicate in French "should be incorporated as one of his key performance goals established by the board and play an important part in the boards evaluation of his annual performance."

Freeland, who is also Canada's finance minister, said the ability to communicate in French should become a criterion for promotion to senior positions at the airline.

As part of a pandemic bailout package, Ottawa in April took a stake in Air Canada, which is subject to the country's Official Languages Act and must serve customers in English and French.

Freeland noted in the letter that Ottawa holds about 6% of Air Canada's outstanding stock, and is one of the carrier's largest shareholders.

"This issue raises questions about the quality of governance exercised by the board of Air Canada with respect to the treatment of the French language within the management ranks of the company," Freeland wrote.

(Reporting By Allison Lampert in Montreal; Editing by Dan Grebler)
Fox News

As scenes of Middle Eastern migrants alternately storming fences in an attempt to get into Europe and huddling frozen around campfires make headlines, the handy conclusion was that Belarus' president, Alexander Lukashenko, wanted to wreak a little havoc to get back at the West for sanctions. Or that he wanted to make Western leaders who have in large part not recognized him as president this time around finally face up to him. Or that he wanted to make countries like Poland look like the evil on
By Yew Lun Tian

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's military has built mockups in the shape of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and other U.S. warships, possibly as training targets, in the desert of Xinjiang, satellite images by Maxar showed on Sunday.

These mockups reflect China's efforts to build up anti-carrier capabilities, specifically against the U.S. Navy, as tensions remain high with Washington over Taiwan and the South China Sea.

The satellite images showed a full-scale outline of a U.S. carrier and at least two Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers had been built at what appears to be a new target range complex in the Taklamakan Desert.

The images also showed a 6-meter-wide rail system with a ship-sized target mounted on it, which experts say could be used to simulate a moving vessel.

The complex has been used for ballistic missile testing, the U.S. Naval Institute reported https://news.usni.org/2021/11/07/china-builds-missile-targets-shaped-like-u-s-aircraft-carrier-destroyers-in-remote-desert, quoting geospatial intelligence company All Source Analysis.

For a graphic, click here https://tmsnrt.rs/3wmFA9i

China's anti-ship missile programs are overseen by the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF). China's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to the Pentagon's latest annual report on China's military, the PLARF conducted its first confirmed live-fire launch into the South China Sea in July 2020, firing six DF-21 anti-ship ballistic missiles into the waters north of the Spratly Islands, where China has territorial disputes with Taiwan and four Southeast Asian countries.

The tests at sea may have shown China "they are still far from creating an accurate ASBM," said Collin Koh, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. "I don't think the desert targets are going to be the final stage. It's meant for further refinement."

Story continues

An anti-ship ballistic missile test in the desert would not reflect the realistic conditions of a marine environment, which could affect sensors and targeting, but would allow China to carry out the tests more securely, Koh said.

"The best way to test it and keep it out of the prying eyes of the U.S. military and intelligence assets is to do it inland," he said.

Neighbouring countries, concerned about the missiles hitting other ships around the target, might also object to China's testing at sea, he added.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in July this year that the United States will defend the Philippines if it comes under attack in the South China Sea and warned China to cease its "provocative behaviour".

(Reporting by Yew Lun Tian. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
Bells rang as women in brightly-colored dresses, called saris, and men in long tunics known as sherwanis filled the Hindu Temple of Siouxland to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.

Women helped children light small tea lights and families brought offerings of fruit, milk-based cookies and sweet rice yogurt for the many Hindu gods.

Diwali, the largest holiday in India, is a five-day celebration that marks the battle of good over evil in Hindu mythology as the king Rama, who is also a god, defeated an evil king after he took his wife Sita.

Every year, candles and oil lamps, known as diyas, are lit to help Rama and Sita on their way home.

Here at the Hindu Temple of Siouxland as Diwali celebrations begin. pic.twitter.com/7UnNI98mu3  Annie Todd (@AnnieTodd96) November 6, 2021

Held in late October or early November, Diwali is like Christmas and Fourth of July rolled into one, Kalyan Boinapalli, the president of the Hindu Temple of Siouxland, said. People enjoy sweet treats, loved ones receive gifts and firecrackers and sparklers are often lit.

People go wild in India, Boinapalli said. Its nothing compared to Fourth of July, its much bigger and crazier.

This is the first Diwali celebration the temple has hosted since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020. In past years, the celebrations were normally held at a local high school with hundreds showing up, multiple people said.

Lighting candles during the Diwali celebrations at the Hindu Temple of Siouxland in Tea on Friday, Nov. 5.

Im going to see so many faces today that I havent seen in two years, Boinapalli said.

This year, organizers scaled down the celebrations and had it on Friday night, a day after Diwali was celebrated in India. Friday marked the new year in Hindu culture.

The holiday also allows the 2,000 Hindus across Sioux Falls to come together for the celebration. Although, there were only about a hundred people at the temple.

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More: 'We're all related as a community': Sioux Falls celebrates Native American Day with a traditional meal, stories

Its to pull community together, Boinapalli said. Everything in Hinduism we do, it always signifies anything you do it says celebrate it with friends and family.

Little girls get ready to light candles for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, at the Hindu Temple of Siouxland in Tea on Friday, Nov. 5.

During Diwali, puja, a worship ceremony, was held with 16-year-old Ashirvad Sharma singing praises to each Hindu god in Sanskrit. As Sharma went through the praises, those gathered for the celebration caught up with one another.

Throughout the puja, Sharma, a junior at Brandon Valley High School, offered gods like Ganesh, the elephant-headed god of beginnings, and Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth who is also celebrated during Diwali, food and anointed the foreheads of all those present with red paint.

A large lantern, called an aarit, was lit and Sharma passed it over the crowd.

It removes ego, he explained afterward.

Offerings for the gods during Diwali, the festival of lights, at the Hindu Temple of Siouxland on Friday, Nov. 5.

While 1.38 billion people in India celebrate Diwali, the small gathering at the Hindu Temple in Tea has allowed immigrants to share their culture with their children.

Both of my kids are being brought up here so were growing roots here and events like this gives us a chance to give some of those roots to my kids, Boinapalli said. Its a way to pass some of my culture to them.

More: How this Sioux Falls family from Mexico honors past generations on Day of the Dead

Follow Annie Todd on Twitter @AnnieTodd96. Reach out to her with tips, questions and other community news at atodd@argusleader.com or give her a call at 605-215-3757.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: How Hindus celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights in Sioux Falls
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Chuck Schumer says legislation to cancel student debt is unlikely to pass through a partisan Congress.

That's why Biden should cancel student debt using executive action, Schumer said.

Biden is continuing to review his authority to do so as student-loan payments are resuming in 85 days.

With the Senate evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, and a slim Democratic majority in the House, every vote matters when it comes to passing legislation. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says that's why Congress shouldn't even debate student debt legislation - and President Joe Biden should act on it himself.

"You read about the tough time we're having with legislation, the bill to build roads, bills to make prescription drug costs lower, the bills to get a tax break and get our kids out of poverty and get them to get a good education, to help small businesses," Schumer said at a virtual event hosted by Mitu, a Latino digital media company. "Those all require the House and Senate to pass it but these days, with the partisanship, filibuster and all that, it's not so easy."

"The president can do this on his own," Schumer added, referring to student debt cancellation.

Schumer and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren have been leading efforts in calling on Biden to cancel $50,000 in student debt per borrower. Warren previously said during a press call that going the legislative route for debt cancellation would take too long, especially with infrastructure and reconciliation bills being the tops of lawmakers' agendas at the time.

Warren even promised during her presidential campaign to cancel $50,000 in student debt per borrower, and while Biden campaigned on approving $10,000 in student debt cancellation, he has yet to fulfill that promise, and his administration says he is still reviewing his authority for broad student debt cancellation.

But, as Insider reported last week, Biden's administration has known whether he has had that authority since at least April. The Debt Collective, the nation's first debtors' union, obtained documents and internal Education Department emails via a Freedom of Information Act request that showed a first draft of the memo - titled "The Secretary's Legal Authority for Broad-Based Debt Cancellation" - has existed since April 5.

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Still, his administration continues to say they are still examining the authority and have not commented on the release of the redacted memo.

And with student-loan payments expected to resume in 85 days after being on pause for what will be nearly two years, Warren and Schumer remain adamant broad cancellation is the best way to give borrowers needed relief quickly.

"Cancelling $50,000 in student debt would completely wipe out student loans for 84% of borrowers, including more than 3 million borrowers who have been repaying their loans for more than 20 years," Warren previously told Insider. "This is the single most effective executive action President Biden could take to jumpstart our economy and begin to narrow the racial wealth gap."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Costume designer Jacqueline Durran pored over countless images of Princess Diana to get a feel for her clothing and style before meeting with Spencer director Pablo Larrain.

Durran, whose credits include Atonement and Little Women, grew up in the U.K and remembers that though Diana was a style icon to many, her look wasnt admired in the same way as Kate, Duchess of Cambridge or Meghan Markle. Durrans style boards featured plaids, block colors and other outfits worn by the Princess to help craft Kristen Stewarts wardrobe.

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Chanel also played a hand in collaborating with Durran, opening the archive to the film and to the costume designer. Durran talks about the iconic cream dress featured in the films poster and how the fashion brand played a part in building that dress.

Spencer is out now in theaters.

Pablo Larrain and Kristen Stewart in Spencer. Costumer Jacqueline Durran wanted to create Dianas aura with her designs. - Credit: Frederic Batier

Frederic Batier

Diana was so iconic, but as a fellow Brit what did she mean to you?

Maybe youd understand this, but when I was in England and growing up, I was wasnt that interested in Diana, and by that, I mean, she was a member of the Royal family, so I didnt take much notice of what she was. I had never really delved into her costume in any detail before.

We werent that interested in the royal family when we were growing up, but you glazed over it because it was a part of our lives. We understood the Sloane Square Range Rover crowd, but it wasnt something you tried to emulate.

When the poster dropped, were you on social media to see the reaction?

Im not very good at that because I dont have any social media. I was just oblivious to it, but people did call and send me text messages, but it was a bit of an event. Then the trailer came out. I did look at it, and I was thrilled with it because it is such a strong image. That costume ticked all the images because its one of the pivotal dresses. I wanted it to be light-colored and a fuller hem because it goes through all these passages  from getting dressed, to the hallways, to the outside and the derelict house. It had to work in so many different settings.

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Where did you begin when conceiving the look for the film with Larrain?

He said, The wardrobe is really important and its very specific. I want us to be very coordinated in terms of when were using different costumes. the context in terms of the sets, and the context of the DoP, and I want it to be very planned.

He was in Chile, so I had a few weeks before I met him. I set about trawling through picture after picture of her on Getty Images and other online sites to get a sense of how she made her choices in clothing and the kind of thing she chose over and over again, and the themes in her look.

II had these boards where she was doing block colors, geometrics, plaids or contrast lapels, and she was doing them repeatedly. I was putting in colors specifically so that we could talk about what Pablo wanted to pull out and what he thought would be a good structure.

We pretty much prepped a costume for each of the scenes of the film and had a long nine-hour fitting with Kristen. We put the costumes in order and we more or less stayed on track. We had the bare bones done, and we didnt deviate too much.

The place where we had the options to find new things all the time was in the montage. Pablo had this idea that we had the structure and story arc. The montage was a parallel thing where he said he would shoot Kristen in an extra costume every day of the shoot. I was constantly looking for vintage pieces that I could buy that he could then use just for these flashbacks of her that he ended up using towards the end of the film. But at the time I didnt know how he would use it when we were shooting it.

Jacqueline Durran spent hours on Getty Images looking at Princess Dianas style choices.

Youve mentioned working with Chanel. Kristen is also an ambassador for the brand, but how did Chanel weave itself into your work for this?

Ive worked with them before, and when they get behind a project, theyre so great to collaborate with. We approached them and asked if they would be interested, but I sent a wish list and they sent a whole lot of things that we were looking for from the Chanel archive.

Thats where the pivotal cream dress came from  the archive. It was an original Karl Lagerfeld from the mid-80s. When we put it on, it was just something that worked in terms of the idea of her as a princess, and it worked for all the things we were hoping for. But it was far too precious for us to use. Chanel said we couldnt use it outside and that it could only be worn for a certain number of hours. In the end, they said they would make it for us in the couture workroom. They made a fantastic, perfect replica of the original, and that was the dress for the movie. So, Chanel was supportive.

Most of the Chanel that Diana wore was later, but one standout costume was from 1988 that Diana wore when she was in Paris. It was a red Chanel hat and coat. They had something from the archive, and that was something they sent over. It didnt fit Kristen, but the color was great, again they remade the coat in her size. Its the same style and the same fabric and we used it for our Sandringham Christmas morning coat.

We mixed it up in the film. We werent doing The Crown in any way, shape, or form, and we knew Diana didnt wear that to Sandringham, it was about finding things that created the aura of Diana, her style or what she could have worn and putting them in the order that we wanted for the movie.

What kind of creative license did you have in portraying some of her famous outfits or did you try to stick with what had actually been worn?

I think I wanted to do both. I wanted it to have some moments where you nailed Diana so that the audience would almost think, Oh yeah, well thats that she did wear that. And then you could veer off quite far and just do something else that was the in the spirit of Diana, but it fits into the story that were telling about this woman, and you dont need to be worrying about the minute by minute record of what she was wearing at any given time.

Do you have a favorite outfit or look that you put together?

I loved the plaid jacket she wore at the beginning. It was so hard to find a plaid that was that big. I was searching everywhere and could not find it. But, I found some in Cyprus, and they only had one jacket length. I bought the wool in Cyprus, and it had to ship it, but because it was COVID it was a nightmare, and when it arrived there was so little of it. I had to make the jacket, but then I had to make a double for the driver. But I love it because it was made from 80s fabric.

I also love the bomber jacket she wears to the beach. I found that online for sale. I have a photo of Diana wearing that exact jacket, and so it was entirely accurate.

How did you want costume to reflect her emotional state?

I didnt really do that. I wanted the costume to completely support Kristen in whatever she wanted to do in each scene. I wanted it to be a rock-solid framework so that she would know exactly what was coming each time, and it would just be part of the structure for her and fully support her. I think her performance is phenomenal. I didnt plot it that way. I think in those stories what is useful is a dissonance between the costumes and whats happening to the person.

Kristen Stewart channels Diana in vintage plaid. - Credit: Neon/Topic Studios

Neon/Topic Studios

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YUKON  Take it from Dacey Strong: getting the COVID-19 vaccine is no big deal.

Dacey, 7, with her pink sloth stuffed animal and her mom by her side, got her first dose Saturday evening at the Walgreens store in Yukon.

It barely even hurt! she exclaimed after the pinch.

Four of the Strong siblings  Dacey, along with Delilah, 11; Spencer, 8; and Joshua, 5  each got their first dose Saturday, a long-awaited moment for their parents.

They piled into a small room, where a pharmacy technician administered their shots in reverse age order. First up was Delilah, who then helped distract her younger siblings from the needle.

It was better than I expected, said Spencer, in between licks of his lollipop reward. It feels awesome.

Walgreens employee Jennifer Kline administers Pfizer's pediatric vaccine to Dacey Strong, 7, as her mother Lydia Strong holds her on Saturday in Yukon.

The Strongs were among some of the first newly eligible kids in Oklahoma to get their COVID-19 vaccinations this weekend.

After federal officials approved Pfizers vaccine for emergency use in kids ages 5 to 11 Tuesday evening, kids in that age group were eligible to start getting shots immediately, but not all providers have received shipments of pediatric vaccines.

Oklahoma County COVID-19 vaccine tracker: 58% of people fully vaccinated

Vaccinations are expected to ramp up this week as more supplies arrive in Oklahoma. While the pediatric vaccines are the same formula as the ones for adults and adolescents, theyre given at a smaller dose and are in different vials to accommodate the smaller dose for younger children.

Spencer Strong, 8, gets a COVID-19 vaccine from Walgreens employee Jennifer Kline on Saturday in Yukon.

Weve been waiting for this one, and were so excited that its finally available for (younger children), because we just want to do all that we can to protect our kids, said Lydia Strong, the kids mother.

Strong and her family have experienced firsthand how devastating COVID-19 can be. Lydias father-in-law died in January after contracting the virus and having to be put on a ventilator.

I know he was really looking forward to being able to get the vaccine himself, Strong said. Once he passed away, it was like, OK, were going to do this in his honor and hopefully not have to watch anybody else go through this.

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Strongs two older children, who are 14 and 16, are already fully vaccinated, and Strong and her husband received their booster doses last week. By the time Christmas rolls around, the whole family will be protected.

More: With OK from CDC on COVID-19 shots for kids 5-11, heres what's next for doses in Oklahoma

Talking to kids about the vaccine

The COVID-19 vaccine is now recommended for children ages 5 to 11. Anyone over 12 is also eligible and encouraged to get vaccinated, too.

It's wise for parents to talk with their children about the vaccine and hear out any concerns they might have, said Laura Hubbs-Tait, a professor and parenting specialist with Oklahoma State University Extension.

Family meetings can help children bring concerns to the table and allow a family to process vaccine information and other important family topics together," Hubbs-Tait said in a statement.

Heather Levy, of Oklahoma City, said she talked with her 10-year-old son, Edwin, about the vaccine before scheduling his appointment.

It is his body, so we wanted to make sure that he was comfortable with it, she said.

Lydia Strong holds her son Joshua, 5, as Walgreens employee Jennifer Kline applies a small bandage to his arm after administering Pfizer's pediatric COVID-19 vaccine.

He had some questions about how he might feel afterwards, after seeing his older sister feel fatigued for a day after her second dose. Though hes not big on shots, hes still looking forward to getting vaccinated, his mom said.

He also knows that he could get some ice cream or hot cocoa afterwards, Levy said.

For her family, getting Edwin vaccinated wasnt a tough decision. Levy has an autoimmune disease that means even full vaccination and a booster dose likely doesnt offer her the same protection as most people, so having her son vaccinated means an extra layer of protection, she said.

I didnt realize how much weight it had on us, until we finally got the notice that it was getting approved, Levy said. Its just a feeling of being able to breathe a little easier.

More: OKC Zoo's Gorilla Rubi receives first dose of animal COVID-19 vaccine

For parents who might have questions about the vaccine for their children, Levy suggested talking to their doctor about it.

For me, the person anybody should go to is your primary care doctor or pediatrician and ask them, she said. Our kids pediatrician was like, yes, and shes far more knowledgeable than I am about this.

'Part of the club'

For Kristin Richter, getting her 11-year-old, Kailyn, vaccinated was a no brainer.

Their family took great care to avoid COVID-19, especially since Kailyn has long struggled with asthma, her mother said.

More: Inhofe seeks suspension of military COVID-19 vaccine mandate

Kailyn Richter (right), 11, and her cousin Berkley Vickers, also 11, pose for a photo after getting their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine Sunday.

Of course, my level of concern for her was through the roof  she was the one person that I really wanted to protect, she said.

Despite their efforts, Kailyn got COVID-19 shortly after school began this year. Luckily, her only symptom was the loss of her sense of smell.

With Kailyn on her way to being fully vaccinated against the disease, Richter said her family will have peace of mind that even if a new variant crops up, our bodies will be able to handle whatever comes our way.

Its been such a long, difficult road, she said. Weve seen and heard so many sad stories, and we dont want to be a part of those sad stories.

For her part, Kailyn was ready for her shot, especially after seeing her older brother handle his COVID-19 vaccinations with ease, Richter said. She was scheduled for her first dose Sunday at a Walgreens pharmacy.

She keeps saying, I get to be part of the club! Richter said. I feel like she wants to be part of that greater good.

Where to make an appointment for kids

Expect to see more vaccination appointments becoming available this week for children ages 5 to 11, as providers receive shipments of pediatric vaccine vials.

Retail pharmacies were among the first providers to begin offering vaccines to children in the latest age group. Appointments can be found online at CVS and Walgreens.

The Cherokee Nation was also offering pediatric vaccines this week at its health centers.

The Cherokee Nation is now offering the Pfizer Pediatric #COVID19 vaccine to children ages 5-11 at all its tribal health center locations. See more below 



To schedule an appointment call 1-539-234-4099. Walk-ins are also welcome! Visit https://t.co/S2JTh3Kp4e for more info. pic.twitter.com/VblNb3ZAN4  Cherokee Nation (@CherokeeNation) November 4, 2021

To search for a vaccine provider near you, visit vaccines.gov. On the website, you can enter your zip code and select the pediatric Pfizer vaccine to find providers that have it in stock in your area.

Vaccine appointments can also be found on the Oklahoma state vaccine scheduling portal at vaccinate.oklahoma.gov, but as of Sunday, the states portal wasnt allowing appointment scheduling for anyone under 12.

The Oklahoma City-County Health Department has also not yet begun offering vaccination opportunities to kids under 12, but when appointments are available, theyll be on vaxokc.com.

The Tulsa Health Department is awaiting shipments of pediatric vaccines, but when they arrive, vaccination opportunities will be listed on the department's website and social media pages.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Kids' COVID vaccinations offer dose of relief for some Oklahoma families
Richard Soliz, who spent 28 days in the hospital for Covid-19, tells doctors he regrets not getting vaccinated (KOMO News)

A man who narrowly survived Covid-19 has returned to the hospital that saved his life to deliver a heartfelt message.

I deeply regret, you know, not making the decision to get vaccinated, Richard Soliz told Dr James Town of Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, in an emotional moment captured by KOMO News.

Mr Soliz spent 28 days at Harborview from August to September, when he was treated for the deadly virus and put on a ventilator. When the hospitals staff first asked him if hed been vaccinated, Mr Soliz says he was embarrassed to say no.

But in October, when Mr Soliz returned to Harborview in good health, doctors didnt shame him for his decision.

No one blames you or judges you, Dr Town told him. Everyone is just happy that you are willing to share the story, I think. And happy that youre better.

Oh wow, you look great! a nurse named Kimmy Siebens exclaimed when she saw him. To see you alive is just amazing.

Mr Soliz, a graphic designer, says he was discouraged from getting the vaccine by misinformation he saw on social media, including that the shots have dangerous side effects or contain a secret microchip.

All of that is false. The three vaccines authorised in the United States  from Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson  have proven extremely safe and effective, and do not contain microchips or tracking devices of any kind.

But Mr Soliz chose to forgo the shot, and in August, he started to feel ill. He developed a fever, became exhausted, and struggled to breathe.

Thats when I really knew I was in a bad situation, Mr Soliz told KOMO. Thats when I knew, hey, this is Covid. Man, I contracted the virus.

Before long, he was in the intensive care unit at Harborview. Dr Town, the ICUs director, says he wasnt surprised when Mr Soliz said no to the vaccination question. Vaccinated patients in the ICU, he says, are really uncommon.

Mr Soliz says he is still slowly recovering from the virus. His lungs are scarred, and he gets winded easily  but hes alive.

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We never really get to see people get that much better, Nurse Siebens said. And so its amazing. It makes it feel like its definitely all worth it.

In addition to thanking the hospital, Mr Soliz says he has a message for Covid skeptics.

Please go get vaccinated because this virus is real, he said. Real enough to take someones life or put you in the ICU.

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Leaked documents obtained by National Public Radio and WNYC/Gothamist suggest that 13 members of the Chicago police department have belonged to the far right anti-government group The Oath Keepers.

Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.

Why it matters: The leader of the group, Stewart Rhodes, encourages members to "refuse to comply with any" legislation President Joe Biden passes.

What they're saying: One CPD employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told NPR he let his Oath Keepers membership lapse years ago and "didn't even know this thing still existed."

State of play: The Chicago Police Department issued a statement to NPR and Axios saying they have initiated an investigation.

"While CPD members have the First Amendment right to express their personal views, the Department has strict rules of conduct prohibiting members from engaging in any behavior that would impede the Department's efforts to achieve its goals or discredit the Department.  We have zero tolerance for hate or extremism within CPD."

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By Scott Murdoch and Anshuman Daga

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Credit Suisse's key decision making power for Asia Pacific will stay in the region despite the previously separate division being integrated into the bank's broader structure as part of its new strategy, its regional chief executive said.

The Swiss-based bank last week said Asia Pacific would no longer be a stand alone division and its wealth management and investment banking units would be absorbed into global divisions as part of a paring back of the bank.

The decision has stoked worries from local bankers who fear a loss of autonomy could contribute to the bank's already declining market share in key investment banking divisions in Asia, two sources said.

"We have always worked together with our global colleagues, whether they are in Europe or the U.S., for example on deals that have required a global solution for clients, and the collaboration across APAC will also continue. Nothing will change on that front," Helman Sitohang, Credit Suisse's Asia Pacific chief executive told Reuters on Monday.

Sources said Credit Suisse's standalone Asia private bank was a differentiator for both customers and bankers.

Under that structure, senior managers usually had leeway to take decisions such as balance sheet lending and staff promotions, unlike many private banks in the region that relied a lot on their headquarters for key approvals.

One source said that despite assurances by management, there were worries that risk taking would be curtailed and the speed of decision making might slow down.

"As a region, we continue to be empowered to make decisions such as those related to market presence, key clients and HR-related matters, and at the same time maintain our speed of decision-making and connectivity to the global infrastructure that certain deals require," Sitohang said.

For years, Credit Suisse has been one of the most active investment banks in developing markets such as Indonesia and Vietnam, as it won mandates from entrepreneurs and business families, often backed by financing.

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Asia Pacific contributes about 20% of Credit Suisse's global revenue, according to its most recent financial results. Its investment banking market share in Asia Pacific, including Japan, has fallen so far in 2021, according to Refinitiv data.

The bank sits tenth on the announced mergers and acquisition league table with a market share of 3.1%, down from 4.9% for the full year in 2020.

In equity capital markets  a key driver of fee revenue in Asia  it has a 2% market share, down from 3.1%, the figures showed.

Sitohang said Credit Suisse's Asian investment banking performance had been "difficult because of the various headwinds we have had as a firm globally", pointing to scandals involving hedge fund Archegos and supply chain financier Greensill.

But he was confident the business could rebound.

"The intent is to come back strongly and regain our market position," he said.

(Reporting by Scott Murdoch in Hong Kong and Anshuman Daga in Singapore; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
A Dallas police officer was shot in the hand Monday morning while responding to a call about a burglary in progress, according to a news release from police.

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said in a tweet around 4:30 a.m. the officer was in good spirits, but did not share any information on his condition. The officer was stable when he was transported to the hospital, according to the release.

Just met with our @DallasPD officer at the hospital. He is in good spirits with a gunshot wound to the hand. More to follow as we head out to the scene. https://t.co/Fbyilppyuv  Eddie Garcia (@DPDChiefGarcia) November 8, 2021

Police said the officer was the first to arrive at the scene at the Residence at Lake Highlands apartments in the 9800 block of Audelia Road around 1 a.m. Monday. He called out to the suspect, who shot multiple rounds at the officer and hit his right hand.

Police said in the news release they were questioning a man matching the suspects description.

Dallas police said around 1:45 p.m. Monday they did not have any updates to share on the officers condition or whether any arrests had been made or charges filed.
A photo included in a motion from the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia allegedly shows Christopher Worrell spraying pepper spray gel toward law enforcement officers outside the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2020.

Christopher John Worrell, the East Naples man accused of participating in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection and in federal custody since March, is back in Southwest Florida.

Worrell's attorney, Alex Reed Stavrou, Sr., of Tampa, said his client was transferred last week from federal custody in Washington D.C. because of issues involving his medical care. He was released and has returned to Naples.

Orders outlining the conditions of Worrell's release stipulated that he must not violate federal, state or local laws while on release, cooperate to provide a DNA sample if authorized and advise the court, pretrial services office or supervising officer in writing if he changes his residence or phone number.

Worrell, 50, was ordered to be released from the Washington, D.C. jail after the mistreatment of detainees was claimed after an unannounced inspection by U.S. Marshals on Oct. 18  and transported Nov. 3 to an Alexandria, Virginia, detention facility for processing.

Related: East Naples man held as suspect in Jan. 6 D.C. insurrection files motion on cancer treatment

Previous coverage: Judge orders East Naples man accused in Jan. 6 insurrection released due to medical care issue

In case you missed it: Third attorney takes over U.S. Capitol riot case of East Naples man with Proud Boys ties

"As the jail was ordered to do so immediately," said Stavrou. "He will be seeking chemotherapy immediately upon his release." Worrell had been undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkins lymphoma when he was taken into custody in March.

Christopher Worrell of East Naples, in yellow shirt, is shown with what appears to be other members of the Proud Boys. Photos show Worrell wearing what appears to be a Proud Boys patch on his tactical vest. The photos were included in an FBI statement of facts complaint a federal magistrate signed March 10, 2021. Worrell was arrested March 12, 2021, in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

There were additional conditions for Worrell's release as well including being placed in custody of Trish Priller, his girlfriend, a Naples resident and a former employee of The Naples Daily News. He must submit to GPS monitoring and is on home detention except for activities including work, school, religious services, medical, and attorney visits.

Worrell must also surrender his passport to the U.S. Pretrial/Probation Office, avoid contact with any witnesses or victims connected to the investigation or prosecution, and not possess firearms, destructive devices or other weapons.

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Priller also organized a a Christian-based crowdfunding website GiveSendGo for Worrell and has collected more than $100,000 earmarked for his legal, medical and living expenses.

Christopher Worrell of East Naples at the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a photo included in an FBI statement of facts a federal magistrate signed March 10, 2021.

A explanation on the website written by Priller said: "After participating in the January 6 protests in Washington DC, Christopher Worrell has been imprisoned and denied bail, after using non-lethal means to defend himself and others from violent anti-protesters. He has been subject to horrific conditions, including the denial of basic human rights."

"He has Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma which is a form of cancer. His cancer has now spread since being incarcerated. The United States Government and DC Jail systems have denied access to his life-saving cancer treatment, or any medications since his detention on March 12."

"Since his arrest and internment, Chris has contracted COVID-19 putting his life in further danger. He has been denied access to any treatment or compassionate release."

"It is obvious to all Patriotic Americans that Chris is being held as a political prisoner. He has been denied his Constitutional rights as an American, and his God-given rights as a human-being."

"Please contribute to Chris' legal defense, medical bills and cost of living expenses.

Chris, his family and all his friends THANK YOU for your SUPPORT."

As of Sunday the site, organized in August, had collected more than $110,000 with a goal of $300,000. A number of donors, the majority listed as anonymous, donated from $500 to $1,000.

Connect with breaking news reporter Michael Braun: MichaelBraunNP (Facebook), @MichaelBraunNP (Twitter) or mbraun@news-press.com.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Christopher Worrell in custody of girlfriend and now living in Naples
A student from the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District's Careerline Tech Center was among the winners in the 2021 Mosaic Mobile short film competition.

A student from the Careerline Tech Center was among the winners in the 2021 Mosaic Mobile short film competition at The Mosaic Film Experience this week.

Mosaic Mobile is a competition where high school students create short films entirely shot and edited on mobile devices. Carley Guerrero of CTC won third place for the film One Day at a Time. The third place finish comes with a $250 prize.

Each entry is between two and three minutes long featuring a theme, prop and saying. This years contest features the next chapter as the theme, box as the prop and show me as the saying.

Ten finalists were announced and screened Wednesday, Nov. 3, during the 10th annual Mosaic Event in Grand Rapids. Bree Mathis of Grand Rapids City Middle/High School took first place and won the popular vote as well. Sam Johnston of Kenowa Hills was awarded second place.

Former GVSU president to receive military honor

A former leader of Grand Valley State University will be inducted into the Michigan Military and Veterans Hall of Honor later this month.

President Emeritus Thomas Hass, who served as GVSU president from 2006 to 2019, will be inducted into the hall on Friday, Nov. 19. A ceremony for the 2021 inductees will be held at the Michigan History Museum in Lansing.

Hass was selected because of longtime service in the Coast Guard along with his leadership at GVSU, stated MMVHOH board member Bill MacDhubhain.

Haas graduated with honors from the Coast Guard Academy in 1973 and served two years aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Acacia in Port Huron. He earned a Masters Degree in chemistry from the University of Michigan and spent most of his 23 years of service as a chemistry professor and member of the permanent staff at the academy in Connecticut.

Hass was recognized as an expert in hazardous material transportation, strategic planning and higher education leadership. He worked with the United Nations to establish protocols for the safe shipment of cargoes in and out of domestic and international ports.

He was also part of the Coast Guard team that responded to the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. Haas retired from the Coast Guard in 1996, but returned to the academy as a civilian for a five-year stint as chief academic officer.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Education briefs: Careerline Tech student wins film award
NBC Sports

Liverpool hardly broke a sweat as they beat Arsenal 4-0 at Anfield on Saturday, which left manager Jurgen Klopp in a very good mood post-game [ MORE: Manchester United board set for emergency Solskjaer meeting ] Below is live reaction (via the BBC) from Anfield following Liverpool vs Arsenal, as the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fell to
By Eric M. Johnson

SEATTLE (Reuters) - The number of Boeing Co employees seeking a vaccine exemption on religious or medical grounds has reached more than 11,000 - or nearly 9% of its U.S. workforce - a level many times higher than executives initially estimated, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The widespread reluctance has left executives scrambling for a strategy that keeps employees safe and complies with President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate for federal contractors, but avoids an exodus of engineering and factory labor, the people said.

The standoff comes as the U.S. planemaker tries to muscle through industrial and certification challenges on its 787, 777X and Starliner spacecraft programs, as well as depressed demand and supply-chain shortages.

Late last week, the White House pushed back to Jan. 4 its deadline for employees at federal contractors to be vaccinated or be tested regularly if they receive exemptions.

Boeing on Friday then delayed its deadline by about a month to Jan. 4 for employees to take a COVID-19 vaccine, or file an exemption on religious or medical grounds, according to industry sources and a company email seen by Reuters.

"Compliance remains a condition of employment," the internal email said.

The Boeing email also said employees whose requests are approved would be required to wear a face covering, physically distance and frequently test for COVID-19.

"Anyone who has not received their final dose or been approved for an accommodation, and registered their vaccination status by Jan. 4, will be issued a final warning, and will be expected to promptly come into compliance if they wish to remain employed at Boeing," the email said.

A Boeing spokesperson declined to provide a count of vaccination exemption requests.

"Boeing is committed to maintaining a safe working environment for our employees, and advancing the health and safety of our global workforce is fundamental to our values," the spokesperson said.

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EXEMPTION REQUESTS

Wearing a face mask on companywide webcasts, Boeing Chief Executive Dave Calhoun has urged employees to take a vaccine, two employees said.

Two Boeing insiders said executives initially estimated vaccine resistance from some 2% of workers, a number the company could manage. But by last week, one person familiar with the matter said more than 10,000 employees had filed religious exemptions, and a second person said the number stood at more than 11,300. Another 1,000 or so workers filed a medical exemption, another person said.

The fact that the vast majority of applications were on religious grounds has thrust one of America's largest employers into the center of a debate about the ethics of probing an employee's religious beliefs.

One person seeking a religious exemption said the company had no right to do so under the law or its own anti-discrimination policies.

Another person, a veteran engineer, said: "The long list of program issues makes it tough to have company pride. The handling of the vaccine mandate is it for many."

The issue is hitting other aerospace companies. Around 50 employees at Boeing-Lockheed Martin Corp's United Launch Alliance (ULA) rocket factory in Decatur, Alabama, have already been placed on unpaid leave, or decided to retire early, after refusing to take a vaccine by a company deadline, two of the sources said.

A third person said ULA executives expect in a worst-case scenario to lose 15% of its roughly 2,600-person workforce, or as many as 390 people.

A ULA spokesperson said so far 1% of its workforce, or roughly 26 people, had permanently left the company. ULA "decided to require vaccinations to ensure the health and safety of our employees and to align with our U.S. government customer and industry direction," the spokesperson said.

The departures come after ULA executives decided to deny all employee applications for an exemption on religious grounds, deciding it would be too time-consuming to evaluate each case, among other reasons, the third person said.

"I don't conform to strong-arming or coercion," said ULA welder Brent Vandiver, 45, who was among the workers placed on unpaid leave.

(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Editing by Joseph White, Matthew Lewis and Michael Perry)
Syringes that will be used with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are at the ready at Corinthian Baptist Church in Cincinnati.

There is a lot of discussion about religious reasons for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine, but in reality, there are actually very few religions who have documented, doctrinal reasons for not believing in immunizations.

Despite the fact that it has been dominating national news, evangelical Christianity isnt one of them.

Still, some Christians and other people of faith are citing their religion as a reason why they wont get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Common faith perspectives: Pastors have power when it comes to persuading congregants to get COVID vaccine

White evangelical Protestants are the only religious group that didn't reach a majority when asked in a Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) poll if they believe they should get vaccinated because it "helps protect everyone" and "is a way to live out the religious principle of loving my neighbors."

Only 43% of white evangelical Protestants agreed with those statements, compared to 56% of Black Protestants and 61% of Hispanic Protestants, according to the survey.

"So convenient": Columbus community organizations, churches host walk-in COVID-19 vaccine clinics

One way white evangelical Protestants say their faith is against the vaccine is by talking of eternal life, like Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves did in late August.

When you believe in eternal life  when you believe that living on this earth is but a blip on the screen  then you dont have to be so scared of things, Reeves said.

That belief, that God controls everything, is a core belief of evangelicals, said PRRI Director of Research Natalie Jackson.

Senior Pastor Michael Brown of Franklin Church in New Albany has publicly prayed with congregants about the vaccine being well-used and effective. Otherwise, he hasn't discussed it much from the pulpit, other than to say he and his wife got vaccinated.

Most religions don't prohibit vaccines

There are many religious arguments for and against the COVID-19 vaccination. Here are some of the major religions' beliefs about it:

Catholicism

Catholic officials expressed initial concerns about the use of cell lines from aborted fetuses in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but ultimately said Catholics could still get the vaccine if it was the only one available.

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In a March statement, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops said "being vaccinated can be an act of charity that serves the common good.

"Puzzling": Use of cell lines from aborted fetuses to create vaccine 'serious disappointment' to Columbus Catholic Bishop, others

Almost 80% of white Catholics were accepting of the vaccine in July, according to a PRRI study, and Hispanic Catholics were one of the religious groups whose vaccine acceptance increased the most. It went from 56% in March to 80% in June, according to PRRI.

Columbus Catholic Bishop Robert Brennan greets people as they arrive for the annual Catholic Social Services' Breakfast with the Bishop on Sept. 10. In a March statement, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops said "being vaccinated can be an act of charity that serves the common good.

Other Christians

Christians, not including Catholics, were 77% accepting of vaccines, according to PRRI's release in July.

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The vast majority of Christian denominations have no theological opposition to vaccines, including Eastern Orthodox, Amish, Anglican, Baptist, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mennonites, Quakers and Pentecostal Christians, according to Vanderbilt University Medical Center research.

Christian denominations with a theological opposition to vaccination

The only Christian denominations who cite a theological reason for opposing vaccines are the Dutch Reformed Church and Church of Christ, Scientist, according to Vanderbilt.

Some members of the Dutch Reformed Church decline vaccines because it "interferes with divine providence," while others accept it as a gift from God, Vanderbilt research shows.

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Other research points to illnesses from smallpox vaccines in the 19th century as a reason some in the religion do not want vaccines.

Denominations that believe in faith healing, or laying hands on people in order to heal their illnesses, also likely don't believe in vaccines.

Church of Christ, Scientist, teaches that prayer will alleviate and prevent disease, so members may request vaccine exemptions, the Vanderbilt research shows. The denomination doesn't strictly prohibit vaccination, though.

Vaccine mandates: Ohio State now requiring the COVID-19 vaccine. Will other universities follow?

In a release on the church's website, officials say that most members rely on prayer for healing.

"So weve appreciated vaccination exemptions and sought to use them conscientiously and responsibly, when they have been granted," the release states. "Church members are free to make their own choices on all life-decisions, in obedience to the law, including whether or not to vaccinate their children. These arent decisions imposed by their church."

Islam

The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) released information encouraging people to get the vaccine and to take other precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

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"One of the highest objectives of Islamic law is to preserve and protect human life," said Imam Mohamed Magid, former president of the ISNA and the executive imam of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society Center in Sterling, Virginia.

Magid spoke for a Religion News Service (RNS) recorded interview on the COVID-19 vaccine in January.

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"Muslims have done preventive medicine throughout history, and Muslims are among the first people to believe in the idea of vaccination," Magid said, according to RNS.

"The idea of preventing harm comes from the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, who said, if there's any contagious disease in a city, you should not enter that city or leave it. If you contract that sickness, you should not go on to spread it. This is the theological foundation for vaccination."

Early on during COVID-19 vaccination efforts, there were concerns expressed that pork products  which the religion forbids followers to consume  might be in the vaccines. ISNA said in its release that the vaccines don't contain pork products.

Judaism

Rabbi Hillel Skolnik of Congregation Tifereth Israel on East Broad Street said people visiting during the High Holidays must be vaccinated and wear masks.

Jewish people support vaccination, as one of the most important tenets of the religion is preserving life. Protecting one's health is a mitzvah, or obligation, according to Chabad.org.

Praying safely: Vaccines, masks to be required at many Jewish High Holiday services in Columbus area

"It is not enough to deal with health issues as they arise; we must take precautions to avoid danger," the site states.

The Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Union for Reform Judaism and the Orthodox Union all released statements supporting vaccination.

Many Columbus synagogues, of all denominations, are requiring vaccines and masks at High Holiday services this year.

dking@dispatch.com

@DanaeKing

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Few religions are against COVID vaccine based on doctrine
The family of a 27-year-old concertgoer said he died trying to save his fiancee from being crushed at last week's Travis Scott show in Houston that left eight people dead and hundreds injured.

Mourners gathered on Sunday for the funeral of Danish Baig, who died at the show on Nov. 5 after a packed crowd estimated at 50,000 suddenly surged forward at the Astroworld music festival.

"We are grieving, we are in pain," Baig's anguished brother, Basil Baig, told NBC Dallas Forth Worth. "You go to a concert to have fun. You don't go to a concert to die."

The family of Danish Baig, 27, said he was killed while trying to save his fiancee from being trampled at a Travis Scott show in Houston at which eight people died last week. (Basil Mirza Baig / Facebook)

Basil Baig wrote on Facebook on Nov. 6 that "people were trampled, walked, and stomped on" at the concert.

"My brother tried to save my sister in law from these horrendous acts that were being done to her in the process he lost his life," he wrote. "I am lost of words and in true trauma from this event. I was there and i wasnt able to save my brother. People were hitting pushing and shoving and did not care for anyones life."

Baig told NBCDFW that shortly before Scott took the stage at 9 p.m. local time, the crowd surged forward, crushing people.

They were chanting to stop the event, Baig said. Nobody stopped the event. We need to bring awareness to this because this is not how you handle things, this is not how you do it.

Baig wrote on Facebook that his family "will got to the full extent to make sure he is brought to justice" in reference to Scott. The rapper and the festival organizers are now facing multiple civil lawsuits.

Police have opened a criminal investigation into the concert after eight people died, all of them under 30 and one as young as 14. No one has been charged.

Witnesses described feelings of helplessness as some fans fell unconscious before being trampled. In addition to the deaths, 25 people were hospitalized, including 11 who suffered cardiac arrest.

Scott, 30, paused his performance multiple times, at one point calling for help from the stage for a person he said was passed out. But the show went on for nearly an hour.

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The rapper released a statement on social media a day after the concert, writing that he was absolutely devastated by what took place and sending his prayers to those who were affected.

Scotts girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, who was also at the concert, said the two were not aware of any deaths until after the show.

He added that he is cooperating with Houston police in their investigation.
Wang Yaping, one of the three astronauts on China's six-month Shenzhou-13 spaceflight mission, became the first Chinese woman to ever make a spacewalk. Xinhua via Getty Images

Astronaut Wang Yaping ventured outside China's Tiangong space station for six hours on November 8.

She made the spacewalk to install equipment with fellow Shenzhou-13 crew member Zhai Zhigang.

Shenzhou-13's three-member crew is on a six-month mission to move construction forward at the Chinese space station.

Astronaut Wang Yaping has become the first woman in Chinese history to walk in space.

Wang, 41, is one of the three astronauts - or taikonauts, China's term for the country's space explorers - currently stationed at the Tiangong space station. She is part of the Shenzhou-13 crew, which blasted off from a launch center in the Gobi Desert on October 16 to embark on a six-month mission in the Tianhe module, the core of the space station.

Wang and fellow astronaut Zhai Zhigang, 55, left the Tianhe module and ventured out into space on November 8 for six hours to install equipment and test the station's robotic arm, per a media release from the China Manned Space Agency (CMS). The third crew member, Ye Guangfu, 41, assisted the team from within the space station.

"This marks the first extravehicular activity of the Shenzhou-13 crew, and it is also the first in China's space history involving the participation of a woman astronaut," the CMS said in its statement. "The whole process was smooth and successful."

In a video published by the South China Morning Post, the astronauts are seen performing tasks outside their space station and waving hello via a livestream beamed to Earth.

Wang, Zhai, and Ye will continue to work on the space station during their six-month stay. China's space agency said the team will "carry out tasks such as mechanical arm operation, extravehicular activities, and modules transfer" and test how a long-term stay in space would work within the country's space station, in terms of resource management and life support.

Tiangong, which can be translated to mean "heavenly palace," is currently under construction. Its core module Tianhe is slated to eventually be connected to two other sections, Mengtian and Wentian. China plans to finish its new space station by the end of 2022, a task that will involve at least seven more missions, per Reuters.

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Under the 2011 Wolf Amendment, Chinese astronauts were banned from launching to the International Space Station (ISS) by US law. However, the ISS may be out of commission by the 2030s, which might leave Tiangong as the only working space station at that point.

China previously sent another crew into space, composed of taikonauts Tang Hongbo, Nie Haisheng, and Liu Boming. The trio, who made up the Shenzhou-12 crew, landed in Mongolia on September 17 after a three-month stay at the Tiangong space station. At the time, Shenzhou-12's mission was the longest space flight in Chinese history, but that record is now set to be broken by Shenzhou-13's taikonauts.

Read the original article on Insider
Kyle Park can strum the mandolin. He can greet you with a swagger. He can lean in for your chat. He can even chew his food. What he has trouble doing, is breathing.

The 27-year-old Tulane grad student is a very capable young man. Now that hes convinced the right doctors of that fact, hes one step closer to getting the lung transplant he desperately needs.

As Hurricane Ida neared the school's New Orleans campus in late August, Park evacuated to safety with friends in Tyler, Texas.

While there, the young man, described as highly intelligent and humble by those around him, developed COVID-19.

So did his father, Clifford Park, in Honolulu.

Kyle Park plays the mandolin to keep his spirits high while at Willis-Knighton Medical Center as he waits to be transported to San Diego for a lung transplant Sunday afternoon, November 7, 2021.

"If we had known it would be like that, we would have gotten vaccinated much earlier," said Kyle's mother Eileen Park.

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The father seemed to get better. The son got much worse.

Within a month, both of Kyles lungs stopped working completely. Early tests showed they were hard like bricks. Then the muscle in their place started to disappear.

Eileen was in Shreveport, watching her son through the protective glass at Willis-Knighton Medical Center, as he lay in a medically induced coma in the COVID ward, sustained only by life support, as her husband took a turn for the worse and passed away in Hawaii in a hospital, alone.

Willis-Knighton Medical staff says a prayer for Kyle Park who is leaving for San Diego to get a lung transplant Sunday afternoon, November 7, 2021.

The support system doctors at Willis-Knighton Medical Center in Shreveport have used to keep Kyle alive is the Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation machine, commonly used for cardiac arrest patients building back heart health.

The COVID pandemic - specifically the Delta-variant driven surge - has found more hospital crews using ECMO for severe respiratory conditions in young people, like the jovial Park once his lungs collapsed, said ECMO nurse practitioner Emily Tull, who said Park had no comorbidities.

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This round of ECMO patients after this surge has been really humbling, Christie Armstrong said in reference to patients young ages and prior virality.

Armstrong is the floor manager where Park has been hospitalized. Weve seen people in their 20s and 30s who were very sick which is not what we saw at the beginning of COVID.

ECMO replaces the respiratory system, pulling out the blood and balancing its oxygen and carbon dioxide levels before returning the blood to the body.

It is a risky form of treatment linked to the blood-clot-related death of 41-year-old Broadway star Nick Cordero in July 2020.

Willis-Knighton - ranked by U.S. News as the second-best hospital

in Louisiana - formed a team who took on the task of learning how the technology can be used to save the lives of the most affected COVID patients in their ward - patients who could no longer be helped by ventilators.

Weve had some really great wins for some people who have come in very sick and ECMO is the only reason we were able to keep them alive, Armstrong said.

The ECMO machine doesnt heal the lungs, but acts as the lungs do, allowing the other organs and muscles of the body to heal enough after pneumonia so the patient is deemed healthy enough for a transplant procedure.

Because no Louisiana hospitals perform COVID-related lung transplants, the Park family realized they'd be taking this saga to a fourth state. Hospitals associated with the University of Florida in Gainesville,and Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. accepted Kyle to the next step in the process - examination - but weren't able to admit him yet because they were at capacity.

Kyle Park, who is leaving Willis-Knighton Medical Center to get a lung transplant, says goodbye to nurse practitioner Emily Tull Sunday afternoon, November 7, 2021.

Doctors around the nation have different milestones they need patients to have met before theyll risk a lung transplant after ECMO treatment.

Essentially they want the patient to be able to sit up and eat. Other expressed abilities and signs of enjoying life also influence admissions. The team at Willis Knighton was driven to get Kyle into qualifying condition.

He was just as driven, understanding his love for playing music could now save his life.

Eileen said Kyle has played piano since 6-years-old when his father's relative introduced the instrument to him. Over the years he picked up drums, guitar, and cello. His Instagram page shows him busking for audiences while playing the banjo and mandolin at locales across the nation.

He's tagged smiling with friends in Hawaii, Southern California, Portland, Ore., Austin, Texas, and New Orleans, La.

Kyle studied musicology at Tulane. He majored in political science as an undergraduate at the University of California San Diego.

As the ECMO treatment worked, Kyle began playing the mandolin from his hospital bed, then progressed to playing while sitting in a chair. His return to a prior passion helped convince the right doctors.

On Sunday in Shreveport, a plane landed. It was from sunny San Diego.

Tull, who had been fielding potential transplant hospitals across the nation, received a call from the hospital associated with Park's alma mater saying was in appropriate condition to receive the next step: an examination to determine if he can survive surgery. If the San Diego team determines he has a good chance to survive, his name gets added to their transplant list.

As Kyle lay in the bed waiting to board his flight, he fiddled with the mandolin and listened to songs by Simon and Garfunkel through a Bluetooth speaker, surrounded by a dozen attentive and adoring medical professionals.

"The medical team was just wonderful. We really experienced the southern hospitality," Eileen said of the staff. "We really grew close to them like a family."

The Parks have family friends in San Diego who are prepared to help watch Kyle, giving Eileen the chance to step away from her son long enough to deal with her husband's passing.

Tull, Dr. Matthew Raley, and ECMO coordinator Polly Dowd will join Park and his mother Eileen on the trip to San Diego, with hope renewed that Kyle will receive new lungs and the hospital team will further develop their ECMO knowledge and ability of application.

Kyle will continue to receive ECMO treatment until a transplant is performed.

A GoFundMe set up to help his family through this time has raised more than $90,000 of its $250,000 goal. Updates posted by Kyle's sister Lauren and family friend Christine Yu lend a daily log of the struggles and successes the Park family has endured since Kyle and Cliff's hospitalizations.

Tull said post-transplant, Kyle faces a long road of recovery - probably a year.

But she has no doubt he can make it through. None of them do.

"He has a fighter's spirit," Lauren said when speaking of her brother's adventurous nature.

His mom believes he will once again become the passionate educator he's been for much of his adult life.

Kendrick Dante is a Government Watchdog Reporter in Shreveport. You can find him on Facebook as Kendrick Dante. Twitter @kendrickdante

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Tulane student, Kyle Park, battling COVID is a candidate for new lungs
SOUTH RIVER - A former borough emergency services dispatcher who was allegedly instructed to use a cheat sheet on a state test, had his mother's addiction issues used as part of his job training and dealt with other unethical and hostile behavior that made him uncomfortable, has filed a civil wrongful termination lawsuit.

Matthew Grekoski of Toms River has filed suit against the South River Police Department, his former supervisor, the police chief, the borough, the mayor and Borough Council members.

The lawsuit filed Oct. 29 states Grekoski was wrongfully fired after he disclosed and complained about unlawful and unethical work practices and objected to the unlawful conduct of the defendants. He is seeking punitive damages and compensation for emotional distress, pain and suffering, back pay as well as declaring the defendants actions in violation of the New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act.

Mayor John Krenzel declined comment on the advice of counsel.

According to the lawsuit, Grekoski was initially hired in April 2019 as a South River Special Police Officer Class 1 and then in October 2020, was hired as a borough full-time emergency services dispatcher which he viewed as a stepping stone toward his goal of becoming a police officer. The new job required that he resign from his special police officer position.

After being hired as a dispatcher, he was assigned training to get dispatcher certification from the state. The training involved passing several tests.

About three weeks into the training, Grekoski's supervisor and trainer Adam DeHanes allegedly instructed him to use an "answer key" to cheat on the state test and obtain certification. A high score was needed on the state test to keep dispatcher training in house, rather then having the state or other outside agency train borough dispatchers. Grekoski refused to use the cheat sheet, the lawsuit states.

READ: South River cops claim superior officer groped, sexually harassed them and town did nothing

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According to the lawsuit, a short time later, DeHanes allegedly began discussing Grekoski's estranged mother and her interactions with the police department as part of his training.

"Defendant DeHanes made plaintiff's mother, and her health issues and addiction problems, a daily and integral part of plaintiff's training," the lawsuit states.

DeHanes allegedly complained about how often Grekoski's late mother used emergency services due to her declining health and made inappropriate and discriminatory comments about her as part of a cruel and hostile approach to his training, the lawsuit states.

"These attacks on his mother made plaintiff extremely uncomfortable and created a hostile workplace. Plaintiff requested defendant DeHanes to 'dial it back a little bit,'" the lawsuit states. "Defendant DeHanes refused."

The lawsuit states DeHanes allegedly went into great detail about Grekoski's mother and told him about private and previously unknown events about her. Grekoski has been estranged from his mother for about 20 years, since the age of 6, because of her illnesses and addictions, the lawsuit states.

Grekoski was instructed how to do criminal history searches by reading and reviewing dozens of police interactions with his mother, the lawsuit states.

According to the lawsuit, Grekoski's supervisor also allegedly referred to a female police sergeant by a derogatory term and made negatives comments about callers and other borough workers. Grekoski told a co-worker the supervisor's behavior made him uncomfortable.

In December 2020, Grekoski was told to meet with Police Chief Mark Tinitigan at which time he was notified there were complaints filed against him for lack of performance. Grekoski, who had no indication there were problems with his work performance, was asked to sign a letter of resignation, but declined. After being read the alleged complaints, Grekoski was later advised he had been dismissed from his job and was escorted from the police station, the lawsuit states.

Email: srussell@gannettnj.com

Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Former South River dispatcher claims unethical work practices in suit
The Daily Beast

NBCFollowing a cold open wherein Cecily Strongs Jeanine Pirro celebrated the Kyle Rittenhouses not guilty verdict with his chummy judge, Saturday Night Lives Weekend Update gave their two cents.On Friday, Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty in the murder of two men during a Black Lives Matter protest. So, hopefully he got all that shooting out of his system before he becomes a cop, joked Che. SNLs Jeanine Pirro Celebrates Kyle Rittenhouse Verdict With His JudgeProtests are being held
Rademacher plays Jasper Jacks on ABC's "General Hospital." Michael Yada/ABC

"General Hospital" actor Ingo Rademacher is no longer a part of the show's cast, a source told Insider.

Rademacher reshared a tweet that called Dr. Rachel Levine, who is a trans woman, a "dude."

On Monday, the actor rejected claims he was transphobic in a 3-minute Instagram video.

Ingo Rademacher, who has played Jasper "Jax" Jacks on the longtime ABC soap "General Hospital" on and off since 1996, is no longer with the daytime drama, a source told Insider.

News of Rademacher's exit comes days after he appeared to misgender Dr. Rachel Levine, the assistant secretary for health for the Department of Health and Human Services, in a post he shared on Instagram.

Rademacher's last episode of "General Hospital" will air on November 22, the source said. It's unclear whether the decision was linked to his controversial social-media posts, what the timing of his departure was, and whether he was fired or chose to exit.

The actor faced backlash from "General Hospital" castmates over the weekend after sharing to his Instagram story a tweet from conservative podcast host Allie Beth Stuckey that referred to Levine, who was appointed by President Joe Biden earlier this year, a "dude."

In a post to Instagram on Monday addressing the criticism, Rademacher said he didn't have time to comment on his "General Hospital" status but said he would update his followers soon.

Rademacher said in his 3-minute video on Monday addressing the controversy that he should've crossed out the word "dude" in the post and replaced it with "transgender," rejecting claims that he was transphobic.

"While it's not okay to call a Black woman a white supremacist, I don't think either that it's okay to call a transgender an empowered woman, because where does that leave women?" Rademacher said.

"I do apologize again for not writing that correctly and taking that out because I wouldn't refer to a transgender person as a dude if they want to be called a she," he added. "That's totally fine."

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Levine is the first openly transgender four-star officer in the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. She is the highest-ranking transgender US official and was the first openly trans person to be confirmed by the US Senate, as Insider previously reported.

'General Hospital' stars called out Rademacher's post over the weekend

Cassandra James, who is a transgender woman and has played the role of Dr. Terry Randolph on "General Hospital" since 2018, appeared to reference Rademacher in a tweet, though she didn't call him out by name.

"I am aware of a transphobic post shared by a fellow General Hospital actor," she wrote Sunday. "Shame on you. You have some serious unlearning and education to do. I feel deeply disappointed that such a public display of ignorance could come from our GH family."

"Misgendering trans folks is violence and if you come for one of us, you come for all of us," she added.

As part of his video response on Monday, Rademacher addressed James directly.

"Cassandra, I apologize to you as well sincerely," he said. "I think you're an absolute talent and you're very beautiful as well. I don't think a transphobic man would say that. I think you're absolutely gorgeous."

At the end of his Instagram video post Monday, he added he once bought his 3-year-old son a "Disney princess dress" and allowed him to wear it with high heels, a tiara, and a wand.

"I don't think a transphobic dad would buy his dad a Disney princess dress," he said. "So, there you have it."

Nancy Lee Grahn, who has played Alexis Davis on the soap since 1996, also criticized Rademacher in a tweet and first shared the news he was no longer a "General Hospital" castmember.

-Nancy Lee Grahn (@NancyLeeGrahn) November 8, 2021

"The fellow actor, #IngoRademacher, is mercifully no longer a part of the #gh cast," she said. "Transphobia & misgendering are disgusting & should be unacceptable in any industry, including soaps/acting. I stand with my costar, @cassandrajames_, & the trans community."

Nancy Lee Grahn with Rademacher in a scene from "General Hospital." Nick Agro/ABC

Rademacher made headlines earlier this year for his social-media posts about the COVID-19 vaccine, which had already caused tension between himself and other members of the "General Hospital" cast, Deadline reported. Rademacher has staunchly opposed any effort to require COVID-19 vaccinations.

"If we don't send a strong message to the Biden administration to reverse course immediately where do you think this ends guys?" he wrote in a Sunday Instagram post, according to The Wrap. "With booster no. 25? Nope. Vaccine passports and more segregation is on its way right now. Wakey wakey."

Read the original article on Insider
PANAMA CITY  Life is changing for a local teacher who recently began her battle with cancer and whose family has helped her get support from the community.

Elma Ahmad, a devoted wife, mother, teacher, and friend to the Panama City community, was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer in July during a routine checkup. Her children created a GoFundMe account to raise money to help pay for her treatment.

As of Monday morning, the GoFundMe had raised $17,774.

To donate or share words of encouragement to help with her journey, visit Fundraiser by Adam Zawahry: Help Elma Beat Cancer! (gofundme.com).

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Elma Ahmad, a teacher at Panama City Advanced School, is battling stage three colon cancer.

Ahmad grew up in a military family and has had several places to call home. She currently resides in Panama City with her husband and four children. Shes lived in the city since 2009 and pursued her passion for making a difference in childrens lives. She was a nurse working in labor and delivery and prenatal care before starting a job in administration at Panama City Advanced School.

After her diagnosis in late July, Ahmad said her journey has been a humbling experience for her and she couldnt ask for a better support system to get her through this sensitive time in her life. She has been going through chemotherapy and radiation treatments while still doing everything she can for others.

I couldnt be more thankful for the people I have in my life, from my family, school and the community, Ahmad said. It makes me feel very loved and appreciative and I just wish I could personally thank everyone for the support.

Many days are tough for Ahmad, but she tries to have a positive mindset and said its OK to be emotional at times. She has been able to overcome many obstacles with support from her family and friends and hopes shes well prepared for anything in the near future.

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She encourages everyone to get screened regularly to ensure the wellness of their health and said its important to have advocation to help with the journey.

Elma Ahmad, a teacher at Panama City Advanced School, is battling stage three colon cancer.

Anyone going through something like this needs to have an advocate because most people are afraid to ask questions and its important to know everything going on with you. Ive had the pleasure of having my best friend by my side and since shes a doctor, she knows what questions to ask, Ahmad said.

Ahmad has worked in several roles at Panama City Advanced School and she is greatly appreciated at the school. She always strives to make her school the best place possible for the students and loves to be involved in most of the schools activities and organizations.

Hadeel Daoud, one of Ahmads colleagues, said it means a lot to her to be a part of Ahmads support system.

No amount of gratitude can show how much she means to me. Elma has always been there for everyone and she is more like a second mom, Daoud said. If she ever needed anything, it would be the least that anyone could do for her because shes just so selfless and so caring to everyone at her school.

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Fundraiser for Elma Ahmad, Panama City teacher with cancer, raises $17K
More than half of Goldman Sachs's pipeline of Chinese companies pursuing initial public offerings in the US are considering shifting their listings to Hong Kong, amplifying a trend of firms seeking to raise funds closer to home, according to one of its top bankers in Asia.

Increased geopolitical tensions between the US and China, combined with regulatory tightening by both Beijing and Washington this summer and weaker institutional investor sentiment for American listings by Chinese firms, is tilting the consideration in favour of the Hong Kong stock exchange, said Iain Drayton, co-head of investment banking for Asia excluding Japan.

"While the US will continue to be very attractive for Chinese companies, due to all of these factors, Hong Kong stands to benefit and already has," Drayton, who is based in Hong Kong, said in an interview with the Post. "The trend will continue."

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Hong Kong ranked third globally for new stock offerings and secondary listings this year through October 29, with US$38.02 billion of proceeds, according to financial data provider Refinitiv. Nasdaq topped the league table with US$76.6 billion, followed by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) with US$52.2 billion.

The Shanghai Stock Exchange and its Star Market ranked a close fourth with US$36.9 billion in proceeds. The Star Market is expected to host the biggest IPO globally this year when Syngenta Group, the Swiss agrichemicals giant owned by state-backed China National Chemical Corporation (ChemChina), goes public.

Goldman climbed one rung to fourth in Asia ex-Japan equity offerings this year through last week, garnering a 6.4 per cent share of the US$332 billion of proceeds credited to deal managers, according to Bloomberg data. Citic Securities, Morgan Stanley and China International Capital Corp led the league table.

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A crackdown on the tech sector in China this summer, alongside new rules for overseas listings, have unnerved investors and caused a number of Chinese companies to pause or rethink plans to list in New York this year.

At the same time, the US Securities and Exchange Commission is asking for additional disclosure by Chinese companies - and, in some cases, Hong Kong firms - about potential regulatory risks presented by Beijing.

Iain Drayton says the "balance of activity" in the IPO business is coming to Hong Kong. Photo: K.Y. Cheng alt=Iain Drayton says the "balance of activity" in the IPO business is coming to Hong Kong. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Against that backdrop, Hong Kong is seen as a safer venue for many Chinese issuers seeking foreign capital, Drayton said.

"This does not mean the US tap for Chinese issuers is turned off," he added. "It remains appealing, but access will be sector- and name-dependent. In fact, we have a few things that will come to New York in the coming weeks or months. It's just that the balance of activity is coming here."

Despite a weak third quarter for new IPOs, there are positive signs for future listings in Hong Kong.

Nicolas Aguzin, the CEO of the city's bourse operator Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), said last week that the pipeline for IPO applications in Hong Kong stood at more than 200 at the end of September, one of the highest levels on record.

2021 IPOs and secondary listings by market

South Korea

Source: Refinitiv

As more privately-owned enterprises in growth sectors in China go public, there is a "snowball effect" in which those companies are likely to go back to the market to raise more capital with follow-on deals, which is a good thing for Hong Kong, Drayton said.

Repeat issuance by companies in Hong Kong is at US$70 billion year-to-date, the highest level ever, he said. That compares with about US$50 billion in follow-on activity last year.

"This evolution and the fundamental requirement for capital to fuel growth, means regardless of listing venue, after floating on the market, there is a need for follow-on issuance which has a snowball effect," he said. "That backdrop, combined with the three factors driving a shift from New York to Hong Kong is creating an explosion of activity."

However, there remains some lingering uncertainty, particularly given the amount of issuance activity this year.

"A very good company, three to six months ago, would have commanded a premium valuation. As we get into Q4, where there has been such an explosion of issuance activity, investors' stomachs are full and there is a little bit of fatigue and uncertainty," Drayton said.

"There's going to be a compromise and it is going to come in the form that is acceptable to those investors. Then, it comes down to the individual issuer and their appetite and comfort around valuation. If you're going to say I need that premium valuation, it may make sense to wait."

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2021 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2021. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Brad Staton

HENDERSON, Ky. -- With the city of Henderson looking to elect a new mayor in 2022, the official candidate count is now at one.

Henderson City Commissioner Brad Staton announced plans to run for the office last week via social media. Henderson's current mayor, Steve Austin, is term-limited. He will finish his third and final stint in office next year.

General elections will be held next year on Nov. 8. To date, no other mayoral candidates have announced plans to run.

Said Staton: By the time next year is over, Ill be able to offer six years of experience as our mayor pro tem, over sixteen years of experience as a financial advisor, a family who is heavily invested in the overall success and growth of our community, and a heart as big as anyones for our city and for our people."

Staton and other elected officials have helped support economic development efforts to bring Pratt Industries to the city, creating more than 320 jobs with a starting wage of $60,000 a year. Since 2017, he has also helped lower city property taxes by almost 20 percent, and worked with citizens and organizations to provide funding for causes such as rent and utility assistance, business continuity grants and non-profit support during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If elected, Staton said he wants to focus on growth.

"I want us to work closely with developers to add between 100 and 500 new homes in the city of Henderson during my first term as mayor," Staton said.

He also plans to continue the construction of I-69 to "improve our city from a growth, functionality, and logistical perspective with an eye toward dramatically improved infrastructure."

Among the more localized issues Staton wants to tackle include seeing the Countryview Drainage and Flooding Project through to completion and working with the Economic Development Department to create incentive for residents wanting to open local businesses.

"I want to continue to bring to our citizens top-notch communication, transparency, and access to our city government," he said.

Staton grew up in Madisonville, Kentucky and has been working in Henderson since 1999. He's an alumnus of the University of Indiana where he obtained a Bachelor's degree in accounting and finance. He has worked as a financial advisor since 2006 and served as president of his own financial firm, Staton Investment Management, for 10 years. He is also a member of several local non-profits and charitable organizations.

This article originally appeared on Henderson Gleaner: City Commissioner Brad Staton to run for mayor of Henderson
ORLANDO, Fla.  Its been nearly 20 months since Holland America sailed with passengers from a Florida port. To mark its return from the pandemic shutdown, the cruise line has brought its newest ship to Port Everglades.

The Rotterdam arrived and set out during the first week of November, marking a busy week at the port, which also saw the arrivals of new vessels from Celebrity Cruise and Princess Cruises. If the name sounds familiar, its because the line just sold off its older ship with the same name in 2020. That smaller vessel, which came in at just under 62,000 gross tons, debuted in 1997 was sold to the Fred Olsen Cruise Line last year during the COVID-19 shutdown, and now goes by the name Borealis.

The new version of Rotterdam, at just under 100,000 gross tons, is the largest of the Holland America fleet, but still only with a 2,668-guest capacity based on double occupancy. Its slightly larger than its two sister ships in the Pinnacle Class which also have seen Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam call Port Everglades home when they debuted.

The line, which has traditionally been popular with an older sailing crowd is starting to find popularity with younger generations as well.

If you were rolling around in the mud at Woodstock, youre going to like what this ship has to offer, said Holland America spokesperson Erik Elvejord during a recent tour.

Part of that is the lines musical chops with venues including the Rolling Stone Rock Room, classical music at the Lincoln Center Stage, B.B Kings Blue Club and piano bar Billboard on Board.

Another highlight of the line that brings people to the table are its culinary offerings.

The includes specialty dining from whimsical chef Rudi Sodamin, known for his artistic plating of seafood in the shape of faces. Rudis Sel de Mer restaurant is a popular option of the line, and he recently brought the concept on board sister line Carnivals new ship Mardi Gras.

The cruise line does embrace touched of The Netherlands here and there in deference to its name, including the Grand Dutch Cafe.

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It also has more than $1 million invested into ship artwork and sculptures adoring the public spaces.

For stage productions, the cruise ship does have the massive World Stage theater with a 270-degree screen surrounding the walls of the venue.

Its a vast space for a ship that has a relatively small number of staterooms compared to similar cruise lines.

Rotterdam is the final ship in the Pinnacle Class, with no announcement yet for further expansion to the fleet.

The line has been coming to Port Everglades for Caribbean offerings since the 1990s. The upcoming winter season will see the line offering 67 sailings aboard Rotterdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Nieuw Statendam and Eurodam.

Rotterdams voyages include 10- and 11-night options in the fall before shifting to seven-night sailings in the sprin


Doug Austin monologues as Falstaff in a Stratford Players 2016 event called "Will in the Woods." The Idyllwild philanthropist and actor died on Nov. 5, 2021.

Longtime Idyllwild resident, philanthropist and actor Doug Austin died Friday in San Jacinto at age 74. The former businessman, who was described as a local "celebrity" by friends and acquaintances, supported a range of charitable causes  particularly those related to education  and frequently appeared in local theatrical performances.

Austin gave generously to local philanthropic causes, including Soroptimists International, the Idyllwild HELP Center, the Rotary Club and Friends of the Idyllwild Library. He supported local literacy promotion projects at the Idyllwild Middle School, scholarships for local youth through the Mary Austin Scholarship and Grants Program, among other charitable ventures.

"He was fondly referred to as Mr. Idyllwild because he did so much work up there," said Patricia Alvarez Austin, Austin's wife of eight years.

Austin was born and raised in the greater Los Angeles area. He worked at the Temple City Sheriff Department in the 1970s before moving to the corporate world. He eventually became western region vice president for Land O'Lakes, according to Patricia Austin, holding the role for more than a decade. Austin would later use much of the money he earned during this period as an agriculture executive to support his philanthropic work in Idyllwild, she said.

Austin first moved to Idyllwild in 1986. He left the mountain community several years later due to job requirements before moving back permanently in the late 1990s. He lived there with his first wife of 26 years, Mary Austin, until she died in 2009.

John Drake, a photographer and videographer who worked for Austin on various events for nearly two decades, said Austin helped get him and his wife work when they first moved to Idyllwild.

"We got here in '01," Drake recalled. "In those days it was pretty scarce work. ... He made sure to give us any little job he had. They weren't always big jobs, but in those beginning days to have someone like that in your corner was of enormous comfort to us."

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Many of the events Drake was hired to shoot were theatrical productions featuring Austin. The former businessman, who had a bachelor's degree in theatre, was an avid thespian and regular performer in plays by theatre groups Olde English Theatre and Stratford Players.

"He was a big ham of a guy," said Drake. "He loved to act and loved Shakespeare."

"He loved (Charles) Dickens," Drake added. "You'd see him every Christmas with a troupe of other people being very 'Dickinsonian' and dressing up in a sort of Dickens cosplay."

In addition to theatrical work, Austin served as the master of ceremonies at the Idyllwild Summer Concerts series.

"Doug was a personality about town. He was celebrity," said Barry Zander, a former Idyllwild resident who worked with Austin on local events over many years.

Doug Austin reading from his antique copy of " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas" to the crowd at the 2009 Tree Lighting Festival in Idyllwild.

Zander said Austin's "booming voice" was a major feature at local events, particularly during his annual Christmas readings of " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas" to the Idyllwild public. Zander added Austin stood out as "the most generous person that youll ever meet in your life" for his constant support of local philanthropic causes.

Austin married Patricia Alvarez several years after his first wife's passing. The pair remained in Idyllwild until late 2020, when health-related issues required them to relocate to San Jacinto.

In addition to his widow, Austin is survived by two sons, James Austin and Jeff Austin, two stepsons, Paul Garza and Israel Hernandez, as well as five grandchildren. No service will be held, according to Patricia Austin, who said her husband "wanted people to remember him for the man he was."

Austin's family is asking that, in lieu of flowers, those wishing to honor him donate to the Idyllwild HELP Center or the Rotary Club.

James B. Cutchin covers business in the Coachella Valley. Reach him at james.cutchin@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Idyllwild philanthropist and actor Doug Austin dies at 74
Janice Richardson, Artist & Owner of Splinters-N-Rust, shows one of the many examples of what people can create at her DIY Workshop business during Friday's Ignite! Business Expo, a business networking event, held on Nov. 5, 2021 in the Sunflower North and South buildings at the Kansas State Fairgrounds.

More than 100 booths representing Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce member businesses lined the Sunflower buildings on Friday for the first Ignite! Business Expo. Previously, before the chamber's Annual Meeting, they had a smaller two-hour chamber sponsor exhibition but decided chamber members would benefit from a full-day display.

"This year, we wanted to give our members a bigger way to showcase themselves, particularly in a year that has been harder to get out and connect," said President/CEO of the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce Debra Teufel.

Ignite! Business Expo displays and presentations

The exhibition featured four presentations by chamber members, including two from Nex-Tech Wireless, Express Employment Professionals and Eagle Communications, covering new business applications, cybersecurity essentials, building employee retention strategies and marketing principles.

Brian Meder of Nex-Tech Wireless spoke about the importance of utilizing cybersecurity within a small or medium-sized business. He informed attendees about the different ways hackers could breach secure information and combat attacks.

Brian Meder, with Nex-Tech, gives his talk, "CybersecurityFive Ways to Protect Your Business and Five Things to do if Youre Attacked" on the Expo Stage in the Sunflower North building during Friday's Ignite! Business Expo.

"It's a plan, a proactive one; it's not just keeping track of your password or computer applications, it's got to be all of it. Small and medium businesses are the number one target now," Meder said.

Each booth at the Ignite! Business Expo represented all facets of industry in Reno County, from boutiques to banking; just about every type of enterprise was on display.

The Reno County Health Department, a long-time member of the chamber, set up a booth to network with other companies regarding insurance and ways to connect with current and potential employees in the area.

Substance misuse health educator Seth Dewey examined the opportunity Ignite! Business Expo presented for partnership between the health department and the small businesses in Hutchinson.

Diane Swinney, right, a health educator with the Reno County Health Department, talks to Jessi Berger and Kristine McKeown during Friday's Ignite! Business Expo, a business networking event, held Nov. 5, 2021 in the Sunflower North and South buildings at the Kansas State Fairgrounds.

"Collaboration is key  whether we're in public health, public safety or business, economic development, we all face adaptive challenges. Those are things that we don't even always know their cause, let alone the solution. And the best way for us to find the answers is to collaborate. So if we can do that, it's going to trickle down to the community," Dewey said.

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The exhibition also presented opportunities for growth for new or growing businesses in Hutchinson. For example, after moving to a new storefront on Main Street downtown this summer, Splinters-N-Rust Do It Yourself Workshop experienced growth in its customer base.

Splinters-N-Rust artist and owner Janice Richardson exhibited her company at Ignite! to grow her networks within the business community.

"It all kind of interconnects, and the chamber is a great way for you to showcase your business," Richardson said.

Allen Samuels Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram acted as the presenting sponsor for the exhibition. The dealership brought in the Hutchinson Police and fire departments to teach about the importance of safety.

Everett Gates, 3, adjusts his firefighter hat with his mother Sophia Gates during Friday's Ignite! Business Expo, a business networking event, held on Nov. 5, 2021 in the Sunflower North and South buildings at the Kansas State Fairgrounds.

Hutchinson Fire Department fire inspector Michael Cain talked to the businesses at the exhibition on ways his firefighters work with the community in fire prevention and safety.

"Getting the businesses here and making sure their buildings are up to code and trying to make that as seamless as possible," Cain said.

Future plans for the exhibition

Teufel said the Ignite! Business Expo will become a yearly event for chamber members, where individuals can represent their companies to other industries and the community. The exhibition garnered more than 500 attendees in its inaugural year, with 105 different businesses exhibited on Nov. 5 at the Sunflower North and South buildings at the Kansas State Fairgrounds. Multiple companies provided giveaways and rewards for attendees who participated in a variety of raffles.

Teufel said she looks forward to the exhibition growing in the future and having more chamber members display their companies.

This article originally appeared on The Hutchinson News: Ignite Business Expo invited 105 chamber businesses to exhibition
Insecure star Jay Ellis was fully prepared to become public enemy number one after Sunday nights episode aired. Titled Pressure, Okay?!, the half hour was dedicated to what happened after Lawrence (Ellis) and Condola (Christina Elmore) welcomed their son and all the drama that comes with co-parenting.

Maybe I can be public enemy number two or three, Ellis joked, catching up with Variety over the phone ahead of the episodes debut, as he steeled himself for fan reactions.

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I remember first reading it during the table read and I was like, This is gonna be rough, he added. Like I might go to Mexico or Cuba or something and hide out for a few weeks after this episode because theres some stuff thats really hard to come back from.

In fact, Ellis hadnt yet watched the episode, despite series creator and star Issa Rae telling him that it was one of her favorites of the series. The actor admitted that he was a little terrified to relive the emotional roller coaster captured on screen and, after taking a pronounced pause to gather his thoughts, explained why.

Its funny because Christina is a mother  she has two children and shed just had her second child about six weeks before we shot this episode. She was experiencing being away from her newborn at the time, he shared. And I was experiencing being away from my daughter [Nora, who turned 2 on Monday] and my fiance [Nina Senicar] at the same time, because of a family emergency while we were filming this episode, so there were so many things that were real in terms of distance and what distance does to you.

Ellis described filming the episode as a pretty lonely experience. All of the scenes with Lawrence alone in that San Francisco apartment, like that shit was miserable, he chuckled. I was on set by myself. I didnt get to go back to talk to any other actors. Id literally just go into a green room that was just my chair, just me by myself. To relive all of that and see how it really plays out for Lawrence, I dont want to cry all day long. Im such a fan, too, and he said some stuff thats pretty, pretty harsh.

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So, instead, the actor opted to take the punches live with the fans on Sunday, unsure if even the ever-supportive #LawrenceHive would be able to save him.

Written by Jason Lew and directed by Ava Berkofsky, the capsule episode takes a deep dive into the experience of co-parenting while not in a relationship, plus the challenges that arise when one person lives hundreds of miles away from the baby. The half hour begins with Lawrence settling into his new life in San Francisco  getting into the groove of his new office and recovering from his breakup with Issa, before his world turns upside down with the ding of a text message.

Yes, Lawrence learned that he and Condolas child was born via a text  that he received while in the middle of a date. So Lawrence hops on a flight to Los Angeles, where he meets his son Elijah Mustafa, as well as Condolas mother Jackie (Lela Rochon) and sister Kira (Keke Palmer) for the first time.

A quick aside: Rae explained that the casting for Palmer (whos been a longtime and very vocal supporter of the show) was its own inside joke, coming after Palmer tweeted that she wanted to beat Condola down for getting in between Issa and Lawrence.

I saw that tweet from Keke and it cracked me up. And then I was like, Okay, say less. And then as we were crafting the story, we came up with this idea for Condolas sister, Rae told Variety. And given the context of Kekes original tweet about beating Condolas ass, I thought itd be funny to have her be Condolas ally instead. So she came on set like, Okay, I see what you did there.

Thats Team Condola, and, of course, on Team Lawrence are the representatives of Men-secure  namely Chad (Neil Brown Jr.) and Derek (Wade Allain-Marcus). The duo dole out new daddy advice to Lawrence, who, as the episode progresses, struggles to prove that hes ready to step up to the task of fatherhood, because building a crib in his San Francisco apartment isnt going to cut it.

Below, Ellis details Lawrences perspective moving forward and why this episode was so emotional to film.

What was your initial reaction when you found out that Lawrence and Condola would get this capsule episode to really explore whats going on with them as new parents?

I cannot think of a time in television, where we have gotten to watch two characters have a moment like this, even more so from the guys perspective of it and whats going on inside of his head, and how he thinks. Hes got this vision and this picture of what co-parenting is going to look like  coming down on the weekends and being a good dad, and at some point, obviously, thinking that you know, Elijah is going to come up [to San Francisco]. I think there was some delusion.

I remember asking the writers, Why is he taking his office and turning it into this nursery? And we just started talking about [how Lawrence] just doesnt know how to deal with this situation. Hes not talking to anybody there. Theres probably like this little bit of  I dont want to use the word depression  but theres this separation from his kid, from Elijah, and I think hes creating this narrative in his head, like, Elijahs going to come up here and spend time with me, and were gonna have fun in the Bay Area. But hes never had this conversation with Condola at all, whatsoever. Hes never thought about what she needs or how he could possibly help and be a better co-parent.

And at the same time, we see him going through this, seeing him wanting to be a father, and then wanting to try, and then wanting to be good at it, but just not communicating, not talking. And obviously it gets to an ugly place at a point.

It gets to that ugly place, but that blow-up seems like what they needed to be brutally honest about the fact that this is not working and they have to figure something else out. So where do you think Lawrence and Condola could go from here?

At the end of that episode, when we see Lawrence hit that turbulence and have that moment  about seven days after my daughter was born, I actually had to fly to Mexico to scout for the episode I directed in Season 4. We came into Puerto Vallarta and we hit a little bit of turbulence. Ive flown a billion times, so by no means did I think the plane was going to go down because we hit turbulence, but it does do something to you where it makes you go like, Have I squared everything away? Like if something were to go wrong, how will I be remembered? Did I leave things right with people? Was I a good father? A good partner? A good son? All of these things. And I think, when Lawrence has that moment on the plane, for him, its like, no matter what, I just want to figure out how to be the best for Elijah and do whatever is best for him.

So I hope that that is where they go. Because I think on the flip side of that, it could also mean that Condola tells him like, Hey, maybe its best if you just take a step back for a little bit, that would be easier than this fly in on the weekend chaos that you create. I hope thats not where she goes. But its a possibility when youre talking about doing whats right for a child and especially doing whats right for the person who is taking care of that child.

And if thats where it goes, then whats he gonna do with this crib?

I know, right? Hes just gonna stare at it all day long. He built it and its just in his office? I dont know maybe hell flip it over and it becomes his new desk?

What was your first reaction to the name Elijah Mustafa?

I died. Died. I was like, why would she do that? Wouldnt she just call him and just be like, Hey, what do you think about this? She just straight went for it. I think its amazing. We came up with some cute nicknames for him. Mustafa is a very strong name, [but] I like it.

What did you make of the dichotomy this episode presents of Lawrence and Condolas experiences as new parents  even using a split screen to compare how each of their lives have, or havent, changed?

Reading it, what I thought about was these highs and lows. Hes having this high in his career, and hes living this life that he wanted as a professional, and it took some time for him to get there. If we go all the way back to Season 1, this is the challenge that Issa put in front of him of like, Hey, maybe you should figure out what youre really passionate about and go be good at that. And now here we are five seasons later and hes figured that thing out. But on the flip side, his personal life is a full wreck. Hes not with the woman he loves, probably heartbroken about that, and definitely not communicating it or healing from it. He also now has this child that he loves, but with this woman who hes not connected with. And in some ways, that is a low for him. He wanted the dream  he wanted the wife, the kid, the happy home.

I remember thinking  which, to me, is so much of the journey of this series for Lawrence, but even more so this season  you can have a vision of the thing that you want and you could have an end goal, but just because you dont go down the yellow brick road to get there and you end up taking a different journey, doesnt mean that that goal or that vision is not as beautiful, sweet or as fulfilling as it was when you first thought about it. It just means you got a little more life experience.

As a father yourself, what was an element of this story that was important to get right?

We talked about what does it feel like when a baby is really crying  our babies were still great by the way; Christina and I worked with four or five sets of twins in this episode, and they were all amazing. None of them cried when we needed them to cry. All of them were so happy.

But there were a lot of things that we wanted to make sure felt very real for new parents. Like the sleep deprivation is crazy, decisions are hard to make. Everything is hazy all the time. Its inevitable that your baby is probably going to cry all night for some reason and you have no idea what it is and the kind of frustration that that brings between two people, its neither of their fault, but because you dont know how to stop it, you end up taking it out on each other.

I loved putting together like all my daughters toys and crib and all that stuff, so all of that was a lot of fun to me. And Ava, who directed this episode, was becoming a parent later that summer, probably about three months after we finished that episode. So there were also so many things that Ava was like, Oh, okay, Im gonna remember that. Thats great.

Chad and Derek also get their own opportunities to share fatherly advice for Lawrence.

Which is amazing. Theyre both fathers in real life: Neil has two boys that are in their early 20s now, and then Wades daughter is about the same age as my daughter. So what was happening on set with these characters was amazing, because clearly these two look at parenting in a completely different way. Chad is the last person to take advice from when it comes to kids. And Derek feels like hes still figuring it out and hasnt fully bought in either at times, but then theres times where its like, Oh, hes the perfect dad. Hes so amazing.

When cameras were not rolling, all three of us would just be showing pictures of our kids to each other and talking about stories. Neil being the O.G. of the group is like, Wait till this thing happens. It was really cool to be able to sit there with two guys who I absolutely adore and love, and Im so grateful that Ive had the opportunity to work with, and be able to experience both, fatherhood as these characters and talking about it, but then also experiences like in real life at the same time.

What does this development in Lawrence and Condolas relationship mean for Issa and Lawrence? Is there a possibility they could still be endgame?

I mean, sure theres a possibility. But Lawrence has to figure out  and I believe this about any relationship  youve got to figure out your own shit before you go into a relationship; youve got to figure out your own happiness and your own inspiration and all those things.

Now, with this new addition into Lawrences life, Lawrence needs to figure out what fatherhood is and what being a co-parent is, before he could even entertain bringing the woman that he loves, who is his soulmate into his life and asking her to be a part of the situation. Because I think if he doesnt understand who he is, that co-parent relationship with Condola, and who he is the father, then its just going to have horrible, horrible ripple effect with Issa. So hes got to learn that first.

But once he gets a hold of that and figures that out, I think theres a world in which Issa could see that, and see the man and the father that hes become and still say, This is my soulmate, and well figure it out. I think theres a possibility.

Insecure airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on HBO.

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By David Shepardson and Julia Harte

NEW YORK/LONDON/TIJUANA (Reuters) -Paul Campbell had waited nearly two years to reunite with his German fiancee at Boston's Logan airport on Monday, the day the United States eased travel restrictions imposed on much of the world since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

"I'm just ecstatic that she's here, I'm happy," said Campbell, 63, a retired firefighter from Vermont who greeted her with a heart-shaped balloon. "Our relationship is still thriving even though we've been apart for two years."

At John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, a child held a sign reading, "Do I look bigger?" as he waited for the first British Airways https://www.reuters.com/world/us/excitement-emotion-aboard-flight-london-new-york-travel-resumes-2021-11-08 flight from London's Heathrow. "730 days missed u! Aunty Jill + Uncle Mark," his sign said.

The travel ban, imposed since early 2020, barred access to non-U.S. citizens travelling from 33 countries - including China, India and much of Europe - and had also restricted overland entry from Mexico and Canada.

While travel continued for residents of other countries and visitors falling under exceptions, the ban eliminated the sources of more than half the visitors to the United States in 2019, according to trade group U.S. Travel, primarily tourists https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-looks-coax-tourists-back-after-long-restrictions-2021-11-08 and other non-essential travellers to the United States.

"Today America is open for business. That is our message to the world," U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told Reuters in an interview at Chicago's O'Hare airport.

For many arriving on packed flights from Europe or lining up at border crossings in Canada and Mexico, Monday's was an emotional journey https://www.reuters.com/world/us/no-words-covid-19-travel-ban-lifts-grandmother-meets-her-grandson-2021-11-08 that ended in the arms of joyful relatives clutching flowers, balloons and homemade signs.

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Months of pent-up demand triggered a major spike in bookings on Monday, with travellers only required https://www.reuters.com/world/us/what-you-need-know-about-new-us-international-air-travel-rules-2021-11-07 to show official proof of vaccination and a recent, negative viral test. Travel bookings for the holiday season in the United States continue to rise rapidly, according to airlines and industry data.

No major issues at airports were flagged in an early morning call among airlines and U.S. government officials although authorities have warned about possible long queues https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-warning-international-travelers-long-lines-monday-official-2021-11-05 and delays.

Earlier, long-term rivals British Airways and Virgin Atlantic carried out simultaneous take-offs from Heathrow's parallel runways, a stunt aimed at highlighting the importance of transatlantic business to the UK's aviation sector.

"It's a major day of celebration," Weiss said, adding thatplanes were "filling up nicely," in what he called a significanttipping point for an industry brought to its knees by thepandemic.

LAND BORDER CROSSINGS

U.S. land borders also reopened to non-essential travel on Monday.

Canadian travellers https://www.reuters.com/world/us/tremendous-pent-up-demand-us-border-reopens-canadian-land-travelers-2021-11-08, particularly retirees headed to U.S. sun spots, flocked to the U.S. land border to drive across for the first time in 20 months, although testing requirements could dampen short-stay travel.

Janet Simoni, who lives in London, Ontario crossed the U.S.-Canada border just after midnight and drove to the house near Detroit where her husband lives.

"This whole half of my life has been missing for almost two years," said Simoni.

In Mexico's Ciudad Juarez, across from the Texan city of El Paso, a line of about 20 people formed early. They crossed and embraced family on the other side of the border, a Reuters witness said.

"We thought they were going to tell us again that they had decided not to open it," said Lorena Hernandez, stroking her grown-up daughter's hair and smiling broadly after they were reunited in El Paso. "I said, if they don't reopen, Im going to take a plane."

Hundreds of migrants have arrived at Mexican border cities such as Tijuana in recent days, hoping the reset will make it easier to cross and seek U.S. asylum, despite warnings from advocates that the re-opening is for people who have papers.

'SO SURREAL'

Aysha Mathew struggled to hold back tears after her mother and sister arrived at New York's JFK airport on Monday, fresh off the first British Airways flight from London's Heathrow.

Mathew was holding her toddler, Adam, and pushing a stroller with her infant, Aaron, whom her mother and sister were meeting for the first time.

"It's so surreal to finally be here and see them meet in person," Mathew said. "I'm really, really happy."

U.S. allies had heavily lobbied the Biden administration to lift the rules.

While cheering the resumption of the two-way transatlantic traffic, airline officials stressed that tourism and family trips alone will not be enough for https://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSKBN2HT0JMcarriers whose profits depend on filling the most expensive seats. [L1N2RZ0LF]

According to U.S. Travel, declines in international visitation since the start of the pandemic resulted in nearly $300 billion in lost export income and a loss of more than one million U.S. jobs.

(Reporting David Shepardson in Chicago, Julia Harte in New York, Tara Oakes, Stuart McDill, Sarah Young in London, Antony Paone in Paris, Jose Luis Gonzalez in Ciudad Juarez, Amran Abocar and Anna Mehler Paperny in Toronto, Brian Snyder in Boston; Writing by Ingrid Melander and Maria Caspani; Editing by Gareth Jones, Nick Macfie, Philippa Fletcher and Cynthia Osterman)
Does the November share price for Codan Limited (ASX:CDA) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will estimate the stock's intrinsic value by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Models like these may appear beyond the comprehension of a lay person, but they're fairly easy to follow.

Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Check out our latest analysis for Codan

Is Codan fairly valued?

We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 Levered FCF (A$, Millions) AU$115.7m AU$124.6m AU$136.7m AU$143.6m AU$148.9m AU$153.7m AU$157.9m AU$161.9m AU$165.6m AU$169.2m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x3 Analyst x3 Analyst x2 Analyst x1 Est @ 3.74% Est @ 3.18% Est @ 2.78% Est @ 2.5% Est @ 2.31% Est @ 2.18% Present Value (A$, Millions) Discounted @ 6.9% AU$108 AU$109 AU$112 AU$110 AU$107 AU$103 AU$99.1 AU$95.0 AU$91.0 AU$87.0

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = AU$1.0b

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After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (1.9%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 6.9%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2031  (1 + g)  (r  g) = AU$169m (1 + 1.9%)  (6.9% 1.9%) = AU$3.4b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= AU$3.4b ( 1 + 6.9%)10= AU$1.8b

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is AU$2.8b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of AU$10.2, the company appears quite undervalued at a 34% discount to where the stock price trades currently. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent.

dcf

The assumptions

We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Codan as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 6.9%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.147. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

Next Steps:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. Can we work out why the company is trading at a discount to intrinsic value? For Codan, we've compiled three fundamental aspects you should consider:

Risks: For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs for Codan that you should be aware of before investing here. Future Earnings: How does CDA's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Australian stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

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.
ABC News investigative journalist James Gordon Meek remembers reporting on the ambush of Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) 3212, an Army Special Forces team, in Tongo Tongo, Niger, on Oct. 4, 2017. Four soldiers  Sgt. 1st Class Jeremiah Johnson, Staff Sgts. Bryan Black and Dustin Wright, and Sgt. LaDavid Johnson  were killed, and seven others were temporarily stranded with no reinforcements, until French forces evacuated them.

But although Meek was already confused over inconsistencies reported by the Army regarding the incident, the idea to start investigating didnt come to fruition until he received a phone call from his high school English teacher Dave Sharrett.

Army Private First Class Dave Sharrett II, Sharretts son, had been killed in Balad, Iraq in 2008. The Army originally told the Sharrett family their son had been killed by insurgents, but after Meek investigated on their behalf, it was revealed that Sharrett II had been shot by his own lieutenant, then 1st Lt. Timothy Hanson.

Sharrett had been at a Gold Star Family retreat run by the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), when he met the family of Jeremiah Johnson. Knowing Meeks past, Sharrett called and had him speak with the Johnson family, who had voiced their frustration over unanswered questions.

According to the families, who had been talking with each other, military brass couldnt get their stories straight on what had happened to the men.

Sgt. 1st Class Johnsons family said that he had been killed in a gunfight at the same time as Wright.

But Wrights family had been told he was killed by mortar fire. And when his brother Will Wright, an Army veteran himself, looked at his brothers body, he knew that wasnt the case.

Sgt. Johnsons family had first been told he was missing in action and had potentially been taken hostage by ISIS forces in the area. Then they were told he was killed after the truck hed been in during the ambush crashed and he was fatally ejected.

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When Meek confirmed that all four families had received conflicting reports on what happened to their loved ones, he decided to start the investigation.

During the three years that Meek has been working on this story, Pentagon and Africa Command officials have almost always declined to comment or could not be reached, he said.

As a human being its hard to see people suffer and the fact that they had this additional layer of doubt layered on top of their pain, whenever I see that happening, it hurts my heart, Meek told Military Times.

I promised them I would find out [what really happened], Meek said. I had no idea that it would be three and a half years of digging and result in a feature film.

Meek turned to his more than 20-years of experience covering terrorism, special operations and doing combat embeds, in his approach to conducting the investigation. And the serious relationships hed made in the special forces, intelligence and national security communities at large were instrumental in his hunt for the truth.

For every person we had on camera, there were probably 15 people who were not on camera who were confidential sources close to the people involved, Meek said.

I spoke to people up and down the chain of command and the stories lined up quite well, even between people who didnt speak with each other.

And while Meek didnt know everyone he spoke to personally, they still seemed to have respected his background, not just as an embed journalist but also as a former Top Secret Clearance holder who had worked with the Department of Homeland Security Committee, he said.

I think they respected that, and knew that I would treat the material with great sensitivity and care but most importantly tell the truth, he said.

In a briefing from Pentagon officials, including Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, then-Commander of AFRICOM, the members of ODA 3212 were blamed for the incident. They were accused of going on a rogue mission in order to kill or capture a top Islamic State commander. Officials also said that they werent properly trained in basic soldier skills.

Jaws dropped at the insinuation that a group of Green Berets and support soldiers not only went rogue but that they were inadequately-trained, Meeks said.

Once the findings to the investigation came out, that really infuriated a lot of people in the national security community, so while the Pentagon put out what I think we proved is a false narrative about this incident, a lot of people were willing to take a risk in some cases to speak to me about classified operations and facts.

During his own investigation, Meek was able to conduct interviews with a top Pentagon whistleblower, the former general in charge of special operations in Africa and the teams own commander in Niger.

The families of the fallen soldiers were also heavily involved. All four soldiers families provided interviews and insights for the documentary, which for some, like Wrights mother Terri Criscio, it was the first time theyd spoken to a journalist on film about the incident.

When in a generation have we had a combat incident where all of the fallens family members are saying We were lied to? Meek asked. All they were wanted were answers and accountability, something that was reiterated by Criscio in the documentary, sticking with Meek as one of the more poignant moments of the past three years.

I cant change the past, I cant bring Dustin back, she says in the documentary. But I can be a thorn in your side and get my point across, and that point is that if were going to have a strong country, we have to have a strong military. That means, when you make a mistake, you are accountable.

She said it perfectly, Meek told Military Times.

While Meek said there are still a few questions that havent been answered from this process, the investigation was overall successful.

I think with investigations like this you have to be prepared for, You dont know what you dont know and I feel like we now know most of what we need to know here, he said.

But he does still believe there will be revelations that will come in the years to follow.

There was just recently information actually, that was given to the families that spoke to the valor of these men, Meek said. They fought to the last round, they fought when they had bullets ripping through their flesh and bone and they never quit until the last breath exited their lungs.

Meek said that the families of the fallen also have hopes for the film and its ramifications.

The families hope that the film will be the reason or roadmap for a Pentagon review of the incident, he said. Also, that the reprimands given to certain commanders will be lifted and that the valor awards given will be reviewed and reconsidered for higher level awards.

Meek shared that not included in the film is the fact that Wright had originally been recommended for the Medal of Honor for his actions in the firefight, but it was downgraded to the Silver Star. ODA 3212s commander on the ground that day Capt. Mike Perozenis Army Commendation Medal was also the result of a downgrade  he was supposed to have been given a Bronze Star.

Both support soldiers, Sgt. First Class Johnson and Sgt. Johnson, however, were posthumously awarded green berets, which has never been done before. Meek said that did give the Johnson families some comfort.

The documentary will be available on Hulu Nov. 11.
With the launch of its latest season, the Iowa Stage Theatre Company is picking up right where it left off before the COVID-19 pandemic scattered its plans to stage "The Cake."

The first performance of the topical comedy will be at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12 at Stoner Theater, 221 Walnut St., and it will run through Nov. 21.

Its heartful, its moving, its funny and this team was in great shape when everything shut down in March of 2020," said Matthew McIver, the theater company's artistic director, noting that the cast is back in its entirety. We wanted them to have a chance to show the work theyve put in on the show."

The Iowa Stage Theatre Company's 2021 season will begin with "The Cake."

More: University of Iowa student wins Student Academy Award for short film showcasing Iowa landscapes

"The Cake" focuses on Jen, who requests a wedding cake from an old family friend. The woman refuses to make it when it becomes apparent Jen has a same-sex fiancee. The work of Beckah Brunstetter, an Emmy-nominated writer and co-producer for the NBC drama "This Is Us," the show debuted in Los Angeles in 2017.

As with all Des Moines Performing Arts productions, masks will be required and audience members must present proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within the last 72 hours.

Individual tickets for the show are $40 and are available through desmoinesperformingarts.org, which also offers $175 passes for the Iowa Stage season.

Also on the schedule are:

Cast and crew members of Iowa Stage Theatre Company's 2021 production of "The Cake."

'It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play'

"The Cake" isn't the only show in the company's season that originally was planned for last year. Also making a return is this production of "It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play." In the soon-to-be 75 years since its cinematic premiere, "It's a Wonderful Life" has grown from a tepidly received dud to a beloved Christmas classic, spurring this radio play-styled adaptation.

The show will run from Dec. 16-23, and like "The Cake," it starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Stoner Theater, with individual tickets priced at $40.

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We were talking with Iowa PBS last fall (about broadcasting the show), but we got bit by COVID and we werent able to pull that back together," said McIver.

More: Actress Donna Reed left an impact as 'Iowa's Daughter' in Hollywood, and Iowans are celebrating her legacy

'Long Day's Journey Into Night'

One of Eugene O'Neill's most well-regarded works will be the subject of a February production.

Opening Feb. 11 and running until Feb. 20, the Pulitzer-winning "Long Day's Journey Into Night" was first performed in 1956 and follows the Tyrone family, tracking the vices and foibles of the various family members.

'Sweat'

Written by Lynn Nottage, two-time winner of the Pulitzer for drama, "Sweat" is yet another 2020 holdover.

The drama depicting working-class Americans in Reading, Pennsylvania, opens March 25 and runs through April 3. Set in the first decade of the 21st century, it centers on a parole officer shuttling between meetings with Jason, who has white supremacist tattoos, and Chris, a Black man struggling to return to society after his felonies.

" 'Sweat' was going to happen after The Cake, so thats another one that got pushed because of the pandemic. So were pulling that company back together again," said McIver.

'Girls' Weekend 2'

The original cast will be back for the sequel to Girls Weekend, Girls Weekend 2.

The 2014 play, "Girls' Weekend," written by Des Moines metro playwright Karen Schaeffer and first produced by Iowa Stage Theatre Company, is getting a sequel. McIver said he couldn't be more thrilled to be premiering "Girls' Weekend 2."

As an artistic director, its very hard to find comedies and its very hard to find great comedies," said McIver, "and to find great comedies that are funny is pretty much the holy grail.

The first play told the story of four Iowa women spending a weekend in the woods to drink wine and talk about books before their plans go pear-shaped. Since its premiere, "Girls' Weekend" has been performed in theaters across the country.

McIver said "Girls' Weekend 2" brings back the same cast that premiered the original seven years ago. The impetus this time is the wedding of one of the characters, spurring a return to the cabin for an epic bachelorette party. The show premieres on April 29 and runs until May 15.

More: Des Moines Playhouse stages 'Escaping the Labyrinth' as part of nationwide new play festival

Were excited to be able to find ways to support Iowa writers and create opportunities for new works to enter the canon," said McIver. "I think this is going to meet with at least the same level of success as the original, if not more.

Isaac Hamlet covers arts, entertainment and culture at the Des Moines Register. Reach him at ihamlet@gannett.com or (319)-600-2124, follow him on Twitter @IsaacHamlet.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Stage Theatre Company returns with topical comedy 'The Cake'
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A drone attack that targeted the Iraqi prime minister on Sunday was carried out by at least one Iran-backed militia, Iraqi security officials and militia sources said, weeks after pro-Iran groups were routed in elections they say were rigged.

But the neighbouring Islamic Republic is unlikely to have sanctioned the attack as Tehran is keen to avoid a spiral of violence on its western border, the sources and independent analysts said.

Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi escaped unhurt when three drones carrying explosives were launched at his residence in Baghdad. Several of his bodyguards were injured.

The incident whipped up tensions in Iraq, where powerful Iran-backed paramilitaries are disputing the result of a general election last month that dealt them a crushing defeat at the polls and greatly reduced their strength in parliament.

Many Iraqis fear that tension among the main Shi'ite Muslim groups that dominate government and most state institutions, and also boast paramilitary branches, could spiral into broad civil conflict if further such incidents occur.

Baghdad's streets were emptier and quieter than usual on Monday, and additional military and police checkpoints in the capital appeared intent on keeping a lid on tensions.

Iraqi officials and analysts said the attack was meant as a message from militias that they are willing to resort to violence if excluded from the formation of a government, or if their grip on large areas of the state apparatus is challenged.

"It was a clear message of, 'We can create chaos in Iraq - we have the guns, we have the means'," said Hamdi Malik, a specialist on Iraqs Shiite Muslim militias at the Washington Institute.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Iran-backed militia groups did not immediately comment and the Iranian government did not respond to requests for comment.

Two regional officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said Tehran had knowledge about the attack before it was carried out, but that Iranian authorities had not ordered it.

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Militia sources said the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards overseas Quds Force travelled to Iraq on Sunday after the attack to meet paramilitary leaders and urge them to avoid any further escalation of violence.

Two Iraqi security officials, speaking to Reuters on Monday on condition of anonymity, said the Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq groups carried out the attack in tandem.

A militia source said that Kataib Hezbollah was involved and that he could not confirm the role of Asaib.

Neither group commented for the record.

INTRA-SHI'ITE TENSIONS

The main winner from the election, Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, is a rival of the Iran-backed groups who, unlike them, preaches Iraqi nationalism and opposes all foreign interference, including American and Iranian.

Malik said the drone strike indicated that the Iran-backed militias are positioning themselves in opposition to Sadr, who also boasts a militia - a scenario that would hurt Iran's influence and therefore would likely be opposed by Tehran.

"I don't think Iran wants a Shi'ite-Shi'ite civil war. It would weaken its position in Iraq and allow other groups to grow stronger," he said.

Many Iran-aligned militias have watched Sadr's political rise with concern, fearing he may strike a deal with Kadhimi and moderate Shi'ites allies, and even minority Sunni Muslims and Kurds, that would freeze them out of power.

The Iran-backed groups, which like patron Iran are Shi'ite, regard Kadhimi as both Sadr's man and friendly towards Tehran's arch-foe the United States.

Iran-backed militias have led cries of fraud in the Oct. 10 election but offered no evidence. Since then their supporters have staged weeks of protests near Iraqi government buildings.

MADE IN IRAN

One of the Iraqi security officials said the drones used were of the "quadcopter" type and that each was carrying one projectile containing high explosives capable of damaging buildings and armoured vehicles.

The official added that these were the same type of Iranian-made drones and explosives used in attacks this year on U.S. forces in Iraq, which Washington blames on Iran-aligned militias including Kataib Hezbollah.

The United States last month targeted Iran's drone programme with new sanctions, saying Tehran's elite Revolutionary Guards had deployed drones against U.S. forces, Washington's regional allies and international shipping.

(Reporting by Baghdad newsroom; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Ireland Baldwin and her father Alec Baldwin. Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Comedy Central

Ireland Baldwin has compared the Astroworld tragedy reaction to that of her famed father's fatal "Rust" shooting.

In now-deleted posts, Ireland ripped those "spewing cancel culture bullshit" in the wake of the deadly concert incident.

Ireland said the incident was not rapper Travis Scott's "fault," but later said, "He incites the rage" at shows.

Actor Alec Baldwin's daughter, Ireland, ripped those "spewing cancel culture bullshit" as she made comparisons on social media about public reaction to her father's fatal "Rust" shooting to its reaction from rapper Travis Scott's Astroworld concert that left eight people dead.

In a series of now-deleted posts to her Instagram story, the 26-year-old fashion model slammed the public for "spreading misinformation" in the wake of Friday's concert tragedy in Houston.

"Y'all are really killing me these days," Ireland wrote, according to screenshots published by the Daily Mail.

"You believe everything that you see on Twitter and Tik Tok and completely bandwagon on spreading misinformation," said Ireland, adding, "First, you were armory/ stunt coordination pros when it came to the horrific tragedy involving my dad and now Travis Scott is demonic because he ALLOWED people to die at his show?"

Chaos unfolded during Scott's performance last week at the sold-out show at NRG Park when a packed crowd surged toward the stage.

"I'll start by saying I am heartbroken for the families who lost a loved one. Everyone should feel safe when they're going to enjoy live music. But it's not Travis Scott's fault," Ireland said, explaining, "Any actual musician would validate that you can't see or hear anyone up there."

Scott continued performing for more than 30 minutes after police declared the festival to be a mass casualty event.

"C'mon people do a little research before you go spewing cancel culture bullshit," Ireland posted. "People lost their children at this show and you've got to say that Travis Scott's music is demonic and be belongs in prison? Jesus."

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In another post, according to a screenshot, Ireland said she was "in no way defending Travis Scott because honestly, I don't know him or care personally and the only aspect of this i (sic) care about is that people have died because this brand new festival neglected to have the proper safety protocols in place."

Ireland went on to say that she has been to two of Scott's shows where she witnessed fans "get carried out on stretchers with head injuries and from ODs [overdoses]."

"He incites the rage. No doubt about that," Ireland posted.

She added, "But I refuse to fall into this twisted cancel culture bullshit when it's coming from people who have no idea how anything works."

Ireland said in another post that she deleted her previous posts because "people on the internet are scary and so misinformed."

"The point I was trying to make was stop rage-blaming. Make informed opinions and posts. So many people are at fault. Not just one person," she said.

Ireland's famed father fired a revolver on the New Mexico "Rust" set during a scene rehearsal on October 21, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.

The Colt .45 revolver that Alec Baldwin fired during a rehearsal was supposed to be loaded with dummy rounds, but investigators have said live ammunition had been loaded into the weapon.

Read the original article on Insider
More COVID-19 vaccination drives will be coming to Jackson Public Schools after federal officials gave the green light for the shots to be distributed to children ages 5-11 last week.

During a board of trustees meeting Thursday, Jackson Superintendent Errick L. Greene said he's excited to be able to offer the vaccinations to families in the district.

"We're sure and confident that many families will want to take advantage of it and we're excited to be able to get that closer to them and more convenient for them," he said.

The Jackson schools initiative comes as the vaccination rate for district employees continues to rise. Greene said roughly 76% of all employees in the district have been fully vaccinated as of Thursday. Another 3% have received their first dose, he said.

RELATED: How the state health department is preparing as some parents choose to vaccinate

"We're certainly seeing the benefits of the vaccination as it pertains to COVID cases and to quarantining," Greene said. "Team members are continuing to take advantage of the testing sites and we're looking at the data there and refine our processes as we need to to ensure everything is happening as smoothly as possible."

The district implemented a vaccination requirement for employees in September. Staff in the district who choose not to be vaccinated must submit to weekly testing for the virus, which is paid for by the district.

Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Errick L. Greene said COVID-19 vaccination drives will be coming to schools in the district after the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave emergency use authorization for existing vaccines to be used in children ages 5-11 last week.

COVID-19 shots now available for younger Mississippi children

The Food and Drug Administration gave emergency use authorization for vaccinations for children ages 5-11 on Oct. 29. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave its recommendation for the shots Tuesday.

Lee Savio Beers, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, praised the move, calling it a huge step forward.

RELATED: Will children of color get vaccinated at the rates of other kids? Experts say equity is key

"Pediatricians are eager to participate in the immunization process and talk with families about this vaccine," he said in a statement. "We want to ensure that access to this vaccine is equitable, and that every child is able to benefit."

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Officials from the Mississippi State Department of Health said in a statement roughly 51,000 doses of the vaccine will be available for children beginning this week. Shots will be available at county health departments, as well as through private clinics and other outlets.

Have an education-related news tip? Contact Keisha Rowe at nrowe@gannett.com, on Twitter or at (601) 760-2483.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: JPS to host COVID-19 vaccination drives for young children
By Tetsushi Kajimoto

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed on Monday to establish an $88 billion university fund to promote Japan as a science and technology nation as part of a growth strategy needed to distribute wealth to the wider public.

Some of the growth initiatives, like the university fund, will likely be featured in the planned stimulus package worth several tens of trillion yen that Kishida has pledged to compile around the middle of this month, government officials said.

"We want to put new capitalism into gear by carrying out what needs to be tackled right away with an economic package," Kishida said at the end of a 'new capitalism' panel meeting.

"To promote Japan as a science and technology nation, we will realise a 10-trillion-yen university fund by this fiscal year-end. We will develop clean energy by backing domestic production of storage batteries and promoting electric vehicles."

The panel, in its recommendations, called for the establishment of a separate fund aimed at backing research and development over multiple years on digital transformation and green innovation as pillars of Japan's new growth strategy.

The panel's proposals for Japan's growth strategy, which was presented at its meeting on Monday, made no mention of the scale of the stimulus and extra budget to fund it.

The proposals will lay the groundwork for Kishida's economic policy mix of pro-growth policies of former premier Shinzo Abe's "Abenomics" stimulus steps and will more directly shift wealth from companies to households.

For wealth distribution, the panel urged revamping the tax system in a way that will make it favourable for companies, thus helping to raise pay for employees, through greater tax credit and other measures.

The proposals come as Kishida's government is considering an economic stimulus package worth more than 30 trillion yen ($265 billion) to ease the pain from the COVID-19 pandemic, a plan which would require the issuing of new bonds, Kyodo news reported.

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Kishida has also pledged to put economic security among his policy priorities, including boosting the domestic output of semiconductors.

To this end, the panel called for the creation of a strong supply chain and construction of domestic chip factories with state support over the coming years.

The government is likely to subsidise up to half of Taiwan's TSMC's estimated 1-trillion-yen ($8.82 billion) investment for building a chip plant in Kumamoto, southern Japan, the Nikkei has reported.

($1 = 113.3500 yen)

(Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Jacqueline Wong)
Recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Jay-Z reportedly had some comments about the Netflix comedy special of his inductor.

Legendary rapper Jay-Z, who was recently inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, had some comments on the controversial comedy special of his inductor, Dave Chappelle.

The emcee-mogul was part of a recent Twitter Spaces conversation with the creators and stars of the new Netflix western, The Harder They Fall, for which he is one of the executive producers. Jay-Z, who does very little press, was asked about several hot button topics, including Chappelle.

Dave Chappelle (left) and Jay-Z (right) are shown during the 36th annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony on Oct. 30 in Cleveland, Ohio, where the comic inducted the rap icon. (Photos: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

If you spend time with him, hes brilliant, Jay-Z said, according to a new Buzzfeed report, asserting that The Closer pushed a lot of buttons  and that even he found the special challenging to watch in places.

But I think that what happens with true art is it has to cause conversation, he contended. And, you know, sometimes its gonna be abrasive, and sometimes its gonna be off-putting to folks. But it opens up an opportunity to have a dialogue about, you know, whatever the issue is.

Jay-Z calls Dave Chappelle brilliant while speaking on the controversial special The Closer pic.twitter.com/khAMFsTyMY  jordan (@JustJordan_925) November 5, 2021

Jay-Z noted that great art is divisive, adding, When youre making great art, you have to be fearless and you have to create something that you believe in. And thats what its about.

The Closer, the reported last of a Chappelle Netflix anthology, was released in October and has been described as transphobic, homophobic and misogynistic. Employees of Netflix protested the special with a trans solidarity walkout, and a pregnant Black employee was fired for sharing confidential, commercially sensitive information outside the company related to its payout to Chappelle, officials said.

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We understand this employee may have been motivated by disappointment and hurt with Netflix, their statement read, but maintaining a culture of trust and transparency is core to our company.

In Chappelles speech to induct Jay-Z into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame late last month, the stand-up comic joked about an apology as he welcomed the crowd of celebrities and fans to Ohio, where he has a ranch in Yellow Springs.

He called it an incredible honor to induct this next man into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

I need everybody in rock and roll know that even though we are honoring him, he is ours. He is hip-hop, he said of Jay-Z. Forever and ever and a day.

While inducting Jay-Z, Chappelle spoke of the iconic rappers business acumen, but even more of his overall dedication to the craft and the culture.

He will always remember us, said Chappelle. That we are his point of reference, that he is going to show us how far we can go if we just get hold of the opportunity. For this, we will always love him; we always treasure him.

Have you subscribed to theGrio podcasts Dear Culture or Acting Up? Download our newest episodes now!

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The post Jay-Z defends Dave Chappelle amid transphobic controversy appeared first on TheGrio.
The trial of a Kansas City police detective accused in the fatal shooting of a Black man who was killed while backing his pickup truck into his garage is scheduled to begin on Monday in Jackson County Circuit Court.

Eric DeValkenaere is charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action. He is accused of killing Cameron Lamb, 26, on Dec. 3, 2019.

Prosecutor said it will be the first time that a Kansas City police officer will stand trial in a fatal shooting. Circuit Court Judge J. Dale Youngs will preside over the bench trial, which is expected to last a week.

According to court records, DeValkenaere said he and another detective were responding to a traffic call at Lambs home when, after noticing a gun, he fired his weapon. Prosecutors allege Lamb did not have a weapon in his hand.

Judge to hear Strickland innocence case Monday

Starting at 10 a.m. Monday, the Jackson County Prosecutors Office will argue before Judge James Welsh that Missouri prisoner Kevin Strickland, of Kansas City, is innocent in a triple murder and should be released. The hearing could last several days.

The Missouri Attorney Generals Office, which contends Strickland is guilty, will challenge Prosecutor Jean Peters Bakers efforts to free him.

Welsh plans to order each side to file post-trial briefs, meaning they will assert their arguments again in writing after the hearing. It remains unclear when Welsh will make a ruling.

In May, Strickland received rare support from Bakers office, Kansas Citys mayor and other officials who called for his exoneration. Prosecutors determined he is innocent in the April 25, 1978, killings at 6934 S. Benton Ave. in Kansas City.

Kansas Legislature to hold third meeting on COVID-19 mandates

On Tuesday, the Kansas Legislatures special committee on government overreach and the impact of COVID-19 mandates will meet for the third time.

The committee met for the first time at the end of October and held two days of public hearings that included several instances of misinformation from members of the public about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

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On Tuesday the committee is scheduled to discuss the constitutional implications of federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

City Council to discuss housing people after incarceration

The City Council, which is scheduled to meet Wednesday at 3 p.m. instead of its usual Thursday meeting, is set to debate a resolution that would direct the city manager to find a long-term solution to housing people who are incarcerated in the city and those detained by the Kansas City Police Department.

The Special Committee on Housing Policy is set to discuss a contract with Lotus Care House to convert a single-room occupancy hotel into permanent or transitional housing to serve 100 people who are houseless.

And the Special Committee for Legal Review, which meets Monday at 1:30 p.m., is set to discuss resolutions setting the citys legislative priorities for the 2022 session of the Missouri General Assembly and for the 117th United States Congress.

Kansas City to hold climate workshop

Kansas City will hold a climate strategy workshop Tuesday as part of the development of its Climate Protection & Resiliency Plan. The workshop is open to the public.

The last in a series of such events, it will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Southeast Community Center, 4201 E. 63rd St.

People can register to attend online or in person by visiting playbook.kcmo.gov.

The city is using the workshops to focus on collaborating with residents and organizations and explore ideas that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create more resilient neighborhoods.

Entertainment options

 The whole family can get into the holiday spirit by walking among more than 20 miles of lights at Powell Gardens fifth annual Festival of Lights, 4-11 p.m. Nov. 11-Dec. 30, Wednesdays-Sundays except holidays, plus Dec. 20-21 and 27-28 ($6-$13). powellgardens.org.

 Katt Williams will bring his comedy act to the T-Mobile Center, 8 p.m. Nov. 12 ($59-$250). t-mobilecenter.com.

 Australian Christian music veterans Newsboys, with Mandisa, We Are Messengers, Cade Thompson and Adam Agee, will play at Cable Dahmer Arena, 7 p.m. Nov. 13. ($15-$89.75). cabledahmerarena.com.

 The Lyric Opera of Kansas City will open its 2021-22 season at the Kauffman Center with Lyric Opera Goes to Hollywood, 7 p.m. Nov. 13 and 2 p.m. Nov. 14 ($54.50-$93.50). kcopera.org.
Katherine Ryan has said her breast implants are so 'noughties'. (Getty Images)

Katherine Ryan has said she is planning to have her breast implants removed as she thinks they are an outdated trend of the noughties.

The 38-year-old comedian  who welcomed son Frederick in June  said pregnancy and breastfeeding had delayed her plans to have her breast augmentation surgery reversed, as she is no longer happy with them.

Ryan told The Observer: The only thing thats preventing me from getting them out now is finding the time. I was pregnant for 18 months and now Im breastfeeding. But now I think they were such an emblem of the noughties  theyre like a lower-back tattoo.

Read more: BBC defends Katherine Ryan 'straight white men' joke against viewer complaints

But the All That Glitters presenter admitted that as a teenager she thought cosmetic surgery was aspirational and she loved her implants when she first got them.

Katherine Ryan said she used to view cosmetic surgery as aspiratonal. (Getty Images)

She said: "When I was in high school, I certainly knew about plastic surgery and I valued being beautiful. I thought plastic surgery was an aspirational, very Hollywood thing that rich people could do.

"I thought it was so amazing that they could change the way they looked with science. I had a checklist of surgeries, all part of my plan for becoming a nice girl whos pretty and tanned. I wanted to alter things, not for any deep dark body dysmorphia. Just curiosity. I wanted to be feminine, and I wanted to be liked. So I got breast implants. And they were great.

The Canadian comedian also defended working at Hooters, an American restaurant chain where the female staff are known being objectified by their tight-fitting uniforms, and calling herself a feminist.

Speaking about setting an example to her 12-year-old daughter Violet she said: "Violet might look at me and say, Why work at Hooters, thats not very feminist?

Katherine Ryan and Bobby Kootstra welcomed a son earlier this year. (Getty Images)

"Well, I was just living in the world that I was in, and it was different. And we didnt have smartphones, Violet, and this was still acceptable. Its not like I was misbehaving  thats what the world was.

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Ryan welcomed her second child after confirming she was pregnant this summer. In April 2020 she shared on her podcast Telling Everybody Everything that she had experienced a miscarriage.

Read more: Katherine Ryan praises Meghan Markle for opening up about miscarriage

Ryan is married to Bobby Kootstra, who was her high school sweetheart, but they went their separate ways after breaking-up in their teens. The comedian moved to the UK to pursue her career and ended up becoming a mother to 12-year-old Violet.

She reunited with businessman Kootstra 20 years later on a visit to her home town and they entered into a civil partnership in 2019 with a ceremony in Denmark.

Watch: Katherine Ryan hits back at comments over her daughter's Halloween costume
Kazakhstans financial monitoring system will now target cryptocurrency businesses.

New legislation passed by the Kazakhstan Senate means businesses that deal with digital assets as well as crypto trading services must adhere to anti-money laundering (AML) regulations.

According to the legislation, the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry must be notified by a company that launches a cryptocurrency trading service, where a risk assessment will be taken to ensure the company is complying with AML regulations.

Senator Olga Perepechina said Kazakhstans current financial monitoring system does not cover legal individuals trading cryptocurrency into cash, property, and other entities as well as possessing digital assets.

Perepechina insisted the updated regulation framework was required as money laundering, terrorist-financed crimes and the growth of the black market would only become more prevalent in the country without the necessary regulation.

Kazakhstans crypto mining

The crackdown on Bitcoin mining in China meant many miners flocked to central Asia, including Kazakhstan, which enjoys some of the worlds cheapest electricity.

The mass migration of miners propelled Kazakhstan to second in crypto production with 18.1 percent of the global market share, according to the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF).

The increased income generated from Bitcoin mining saw Kazakhstan president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev sign a law to introduce an additional charge of 1 tenge (US$0.0023) per kilowatt-hour for miners which begins on January 1 2022.

Tokayev called on the regulation of crypto mining due to an electricity deficit and said a need to maintain a power supply was urgent in order to prevent energy problems in winter.
An East Village man was arrested for stalking and robbing an 80-year-old neighbor of $60 late last month, the second Manhattan mugging of an elderly person in a week, according to police.

Ralph Williams, 50, who lives on E. 13th St., stopped the octogenarian on Oct. 28 just after noon to bum a cigarette and then followed him home, police said.

When the two men got into the elevator together, Williams flashed a box cutter and took the money from the elderly man while he sat on his walker, according to the NYPD.

Williams turned himself into the 9th Precinct stationhouse at 3:20 p.m. Sunday and was charged with robbery and weapon and stolen goods possession.

He has four prior arrests going back to 1985, all for robbery, sources said.

On Thursday, two gun-toting men pushed into the apartment of a 90-year-old man in Hamilton Heights, according to police. One man stood guard while the other took $270 and a cell phone from the elderly victim, cops said. They fled on foot, and no arrests have been made.
A 22-year-old college student was declared dead on Wednesday, becoming the ninth person whose death was linked to the deadly crowd surge at the Astroworld Festival. The victims' ages range from 14 to 27.

According to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, the exact cause of death for each of the victims has not yet been determined.

Scores were injured when a crush of people rushed the stage during Travis Scott's performance at the festival last Friday, and a 9-year-old remains in critical condition. Houston fire chief Samuel Pena said Saturday that concertgoers started to "compress" toward the stage during Scott's performance, which "caused some panic, and it started causing some injuries."

Dozens of victims and their families are suing Scott, and other defendants in lawsuits include Drake, who also performed, the venue and entertainment company Live Nation. Scott has been blamed for not stopping his performance, and cell phone video from the concert showed attendees telling security "there's someone dead in there" and the crowd yelling "stop the show" while he performed.

Travis Scott, Drake, Live Nation, others sued by concertgoers over crowd surge at Astroworld music festival

Victims of the Astroworld tragedy

Here is what we know about the victims so far:

John Hilgert

John Hilgert was a freshman at Memorial High School in Houston, Texas, according to his school district.

"Our hearts go out to the student's family and to his friends and our staff at Memorial. This is a terrible loss, and the entire MHS family is grieving today," Spring Branch ISD said in a statement. "Please keep the student's family in your thoughts and prayers as they face this tragedy. We will make counselors available to students next week to offer any help and support needed."

The district said a special memorial will be held for Hilgert at 5 p.m. CT on Sunday, CBS Houston affiliate KHOU-TV reported.

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Franco Patino

Franco Patino, 21, was a University of Dayton student, according to a campus-wide email. Patino, originally from Naperville, Illinois, was a mechanical engineering technology major with a minor in human movement biomechanics, the school said.

In a statement, Patino's family said he was a graduate of the class of 2018 at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville. During his time there, he was involved with the football, wrestling and rugby teams for four years.

"Franco was a beloved friend, cousin, nephew, brother, and son," his family said. "He was loved by so many because of the loyal, loving, selfless, protective, funny, and caring person he was. Even though he was a hardworking individual, he would always try to make time for his family and the people he cared about. We will miss the big heart Franco had and his passion for helping others. We're glad Franco always tried to live life to the fullest and are glad to know he was the type of person that would put himself before others until the very end."

According to CBS Chicago, Patino was attending the concert with his friend Jacob Jurinek, who also died on Friday.

The university said Patino was a member of Alpha Psi Lambda, a Hispanic interest fraternity, and was active in the Greek and Multi-Ethnic Education and Engagement Center on campus.

"On behalf of Alpha Psi Lambda National Inc., we extend our condolences to his family, friends, Alpha Nu Chapter and all that share in this loss," Alpha Psi Lambda said in a statement. "May his memory be eternal."

Patino was also a member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and was working in an engineering coop program in Mason, Ohio, the school said.

Jacob Jurinek

Jacob Jurinek, 20, was also a Naperville native and a junior at Southern Illinois University  Carbondale, according to a statement from his family.

"Jake was beloved by his family and by his seemingly countless number of friends for his contagious enthusiasm, his boundless energy, and his unwavering positive attitude," his family said. "He was an avid fan of music, an artist, a son, a best friend to many, and a loving and beloved cousin, nephew, and grandson. Always deeply committed to his family, he was affectionately known as 'Big Jake' by his adoring younger cousins, a name befitting of his larger-than-life personality."

His family said he and his father, Ron Jurinek, were best friends and "inseparable," especially after the 2011 death of his mother, Alison. The pair enjoyed going to Chicago White Sox and Blackhawks games, shared a love of professional wrestling and spent weekends with extended family and friends at Jacob Jurinek's favorite place, the family cottage in Southwestern Michigan.

"We are all devastated and are left with a huge hole in our lives," said Ron Jurinek. "Right now, we ask for the time and space for our family to process this tragic news and begin to heal. We're comforted by the fact that the hundreds of people Jake touched over the years will carry a piece of his spirit with them."

Austin Lane, chancellor of Southern Illinois University  Carbondale, described Jurinek in a statement as a "creative, intelligent young man, with a promising career in journalism and advertising."

Rudy Pena

Rudy Pena's sister, Jennifer Pena, confirmed her brother's death to the Laredo Morning Times. Jennifer Pena told the paper they learned just after midnight that Rudy had been taken to the hospital unconscious, and later learned he had died.

Pena's brother-in-law Sergio Gonzalez said they learned of his death "in the worst way."

"We found out around 12:30 last night from a friend of Rudy that was with him that he had just passed out," Gonzalez told People. "It wasn't until this afternoon that we found out he had died."

"It's devastating knowing that you're no longer with us," Jennifer Pena posted on Facebook. "You left a mark that can never be erased. The memories we've created will never be forgotten. You were always an amazing person and never failed to laugh or dance. We will never forget you."

Mirza Danish Baig

Mirza Danish Baig's brother posted on Facebook that he died after he "tried to save my sister in law from these horrendous acts that were being done to her."

"My brother was killed in this horrendous event that was managed poorly and supervised by such horrible people," Basil Mirza Baig wrote on Facebook. "People were trampled, walked, and stomped on."

Basil Mirza Baig said he was at the concert and "tried to save my brother."

"People were hitting pushing and shoving and did not care for anyone's life," he wrote. "Travis Scott provoked these people and made them do just that and more he called people to the stage to jump into the crowd and did not stop the show."

Basil Mirza Baig described his brother as a "beautiful soul" whose "smile would light up the room and put everyone before himself."

"In this time of mourning and grief and such pain, I would like everyone to pray for my family and my brother," he wrote. "This is not the end my family and I will go to the full extent to make sure he is brought to justice."

Brianna Rodriguez

Brianna Rodriguez, 16, was a junior at Heights High School in Houston.

The school's band tweeted in remembrance of Rodriguez, writing she performed with the band and was "someone who could always make anyone smile."

Axel Acosta

Axel Acosta, 21, was from Tieton, Washington, according to an attorney for his family. Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee is representing the family as well as dozens of other concertgoers who were injured, Buzbee said at a press conference on Monday with Acosta's family.

At a press conference Monday, Acosta's father Edgar said he he learned about his son's death after seeing an image circulating on social media, KHOU-TV reported. Edgar Acosta said when he heard the news about the tragedy at Astroworld, he called Axel, and when he didn't answer, he called the hotel, which said he did not spend the night there, KHOU reported.

Edgar Acosta started calling the police and the reunification center at the hotel near NRG Park, the site of the festival, according to KHOU. Edgar said he was told over and over that his son was neither on the list of the injured nor the dead. Eventually Acosta's phone was found in the lost and found, but Edgar Acosta said it wasn't until the picture was circulated on social media that he learned his son was dead.

Edgar Acosta said Monday that his son was studying to be an engineer and computer programmer "because he wanted to provide for his family," KHOU reported.

"He was the first grandkid, he was the oldest one. He always took care of his cousins and nieces," Edgar said.

"He is in a better place and I hope he knows we all loved him with all of our hearts," Acosta's brother wrote on Facebook. "And I hope he knows that I loved him as well. Please help pray for my family and my brother."

Western Washington University confirmed Acosta was one of their students.

"We join with Axel's family in grieving the loss of someone with such a bright future and so much life to live ahead of him, taken far too soon," the university said in a statement.

Madison Dubiski

Madison Dubiski, 23, was from Cypress, Texas, according to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. According to the Houston Chronicle, Dubiski graduated in 2017 from Cy-Fair High School and was a varsity cheerleader and member of the National Charity League, a community service organization for mothers and daughters in grades 7-12, according to the paper.

Bharti Shahani

Bharti Shahani, 22, was a student at Texas A&M, her family said in a press conference on Thursday. Shahani died at an intensive care unit surrounded by her family around 7 p.m. Wednesday night, her father said. She has two sisters, one of whom was at the festival with her.

Her mother, Karishma, said Thursday, "Bharti is love - I won't be able to live without her. It's impossible."

Namrata, her younger sister who was at the festival, said she was holding her sister's hand before they got separated in the crowd surge. The last thing Bharti said to her was, "Are you OK?" Namrata said her sister was like a second mother to her.

"It feels like she meant everything to me," Namrata said. "We were always together, always doing things together."

Sophie Reardon contributed to this report.

Law professor discusses Kyle Rittenhouse trial with closing arguments set to begin Monday

Prosecutor says it appears missing 14-year-old was a runaway

Fiancee speaks out after ex-boyfriend shot and killed her husband-to-be in 2018
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  The gunman who killed 51 worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, is considering appealing his convictions and prison sentence, his lawyer said Monday.

Australian Brenton Tarrant was subject to inhumane and degrading treatment in jail, prompting him to plead guilty under duress, lawyer Tony Ellis wrote in a memo to the chief coroner.

Tarrant, a white supremacist, livestreamed the 2019 attacks on Facebook. It was the worst atrocity in New Zealands modern history and prompted lawmakers to swiftly ban the deadliest types of semiautomatic weapons.

Last year before his trial was due to begin, Tarrant pleaded guilty to all charges, including 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one count of terrorism. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, the toughest sentence available in New Zealand.

The lawyer's memo was not immediately made publicly available Monday. Ellis said the gunman had authorized him to discuss the case with only two local media outlets, RNZ and Stuff.

The coroner's office did not immediately release a copy of the memo, referring requests back to Ellis. But the coroner's office did not dispute the memo's existence or the characterization of it by the media outlets.

RNZ reported that Ellis had advised his client to appeal his sentence and convictions on the basis that his rights had been breached, and that Tarrant was considering such an appeal.

Ellis said the gunman was held in solitary confinement for much of the time while awaiting his trial and lacked proper access to lawyers, information and documentation about his case.

The gunman told his lawyer that his treatment in jail affected his "will to carry on and had decided the simplest way out was to plead guilty, RNZ reported.

The memo came after Chief Coroner Deborah Marshall's office last month opened an inquiry into the deaths of the victims, the latest in a series of probes into the attacks.

Rosemary Omar, whose 24-year-old son Tariq was gunned down at Al Noor mosque, told RNZ that the gunman's claims were nothing more than him seeking further attention.
I don't go to Smyrna as often as I'd like. But I love Smyrna. It's a growing city that has managed to maintain a hometown feel.

When I do go, I make a point to try a new place or eat at one of my favorite locally owned spots.

Giorgio's Pizza, 901 Rock Springs Road in Smyrna: hand-tossed New York-style pepperoni pizza.

Last week I stumbled upon Giorgio's Pizza, owned by Andy Hassan. Although Giorgio's has been at 901 Rock Springs Road in Smyrna for nearly five years, I've never noticed this little gem of a pizzeria.

People always ask about where to find the best pizza, especially New York-style. You'll find it at Giorgio's.

Hassan, a native of Egypt, attended a culinary school and studied French and Middle Eastern cuisine before immigrating to the United States.

When he moved to New York City, he worked for pizza shops for nearly 30 years before moving his family to Middle Tennessee.

But he's always looking for new recipes, no matter what the cuisine.

"I like to cook everything," Hassan said.

He opened up the small pizzeria in Smyrna and garnered a word-of-mouth following since.

The first item I ordered was a Greek salad of mixed greens topped with olives, tomatoes, onions and feta cheese with house-made dressing on the side. I'm pretty picky about Greek salads and this was one I'd order again.

You think Italian, you think pasta. So traditional spaghetti and meatballs was next. The meatballs as well as the spaghetti sauce are both scratch made. Delicious and a must-try menu item.

But let's face it. I was there for pizza. I'm a self-avowed pizza snob and this is a legit pie. The fold-over crust was dripping with grease  just like a good pizza pie-should be  with plenty of cheese and pepperoni.

Giorgio's Pizza, 901 Rock Springs Road in Smyrna: scratch-made spaghetti and meatballs.

I also saved room for a handmade cannoli, made with a sweet, creamy cheese piped into a crisp pastry tube. Don't leave without one, even if you have to take it home.

Other menu items include a variety of gourmet pasta dishes like chicken and eggplant parmesan, salads, sub sandwiches, strombolis and calzones, and an array of appetizers, including wings. The restaurant is kid friendly, too, and catering is available.

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Order to-go and delivery by calling 615-625-3102 or online at giorgiospizzasmyrna.com.

Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, and 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Reach reporter Nancy DeGennaro at degennaro@dnj.com. Keep up with restaurant news by joining Good Eats in the 'Boro (and beyond) on Facebook and follow Murfreesboro Eats on TikTok.

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: New York-style pizza, Italian fare on the menu at Giorgio's in Smyrna
Under a bright blue sky, veterans Terry Rollins and Tom Sancrant of the Erie Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 3925 prepare to post the colors during the Luna Pier Veterans Day Service Saturday.

LUNA PIER -- Luna Pier residents gathered this weekend to give thanks and to honor veterans during the eighth annual Veterans Day Parade.

The only Veterans Day parade in Monroe County honored three Gold Star families who have lost loved ones while they served our nation in various wars. The families rode on a float in the parade and also placed a Veterans Memorial Wreath at the park in Luna Pier.

Gold star family members Arnold Coleman, brother-in-law of U.S. Marine PFC Elliott R. Smith of the Vietnam War; Robin Bitz, niece of US Army PFC James E. Yenor of the Korean War, and Kelly Greer, mother of US Army Nicholas Greer of the Iraq War, participate in the placement of the Veteran's Memorial Wreath at the park in Luna Pier Saturday.

Photographs of honored Veterans US Army PFC James E. Yenor of the Korean War, US Marine PFC Elliott R. Smith of the Vietnam War and US Army Nicholas Greer of the Iraq War were on display at the Luna Pier Veterans Day Service.

Arnold Coleman was there to represent his brother-in-law, US Marine PFC Elliott R. Smith of the Vietnam War; Robin Bitz, represented her uncle, US Army PFC James E. Yenor of the Korean War, and Kelly Greer represented her son, US Army Nicholas Greer of the Iraq War.

The ceremony following the parade was opened by Luna Pier Mayor Jim Gardner, who welcomed the crowd to the city.

Veterans in Jeeps participated in the eighth annual Luna Pier Veterans Parade on Saturday.

The Ida High School Marching Band played during the Luna Pier Veterans Parade on Saturday.

Today we honor our nation's servicemen and women who have fought valiantly to defend our country and grant us the freedoms we have today, Gardner said.

Gardner then introduced the Master of Ceremonies and U.S. army veteran who fought in the Vietnam War, Dave Davison. Davison said he knew they were in luck for the day because as they were setting up for the parade, two bald eagles began circling in the sky above them.

It was a beautiful sight and we just knew it was going to be a good day, Davison said.

Davison called out each war and conflict our nation has fought in to recognize each veteran in the crowd.

All of our veterans have given something of themselves for this country in whatever capacity, said Davison. Many laid down their lives, were subject to captivity or were never foundwe strive to always respect these sacrifices and be faithful stewards of the freedoms that we have been granted.

First District Judge Michael C. Brown, who also presides over the Veterans Treatment Court, was the ceremonys keynote speaker. Brown explained that the Veterans Treatment Court is offered to veterans who have committed non-violent crimes and who suffer from mental health, drug or alcohol issues. The program teams them up with a fellow veteran who acts as a mentor and guide.

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Brown described the court as a one-stop shop for veterans in trouble. The Veterans Affairs (VA) also provides them with health care, mental health and substance abuse treatment and assistance with applying for VA benefits, housing and legal services.

Much of what I see as a judge daily is some of the worst of societybut this court I have to say is a very uplifting part of my job. It's a way to help veterans and have them become successful people in our society again, said Brown. This court gives them a second chance to begin to become successful civilians in our society and in my opinion that's something that we owe to them."

Members of the Erie Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 3925 honored all veterans with a 21-Gun Salute at the Luna Pier Veterans Day Service Saturday.

The Ida High School band performed and Pastor Jim French from the Luna Pier Baptist Church provided the invocation. Taps were played by Donna Baker and the Erie Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 3925 provided the 21-gun salute.

This years Grand Marshal, Harry Bodie, Korean War veteran and Luna Pier resident, could not attend due to an illness but watched the parade from his home.

Eight-year-old twins Jacob and Maria Cousino held flags along with their brother Jason, 13, and mother Kim Cousino at the eighth annual Luna Pier Veteran's Parade Saturday.

US Air Force Veteran Gary Walton sings the National Anthem at the Luna Pier Veterans Day Service alongside master of ceremonies US Army Vietnam Veteran Dave Davison. Behind them is Kendra Kruzel who lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

First District Judge Michael C. Brown, who also presides over the Veterans Court, gives the keynote speech at the Luna Pier Veterans Day Service on Saturday.

Eight-year-old twins Maria and Jacob Cousino held flags as the eighth annual Luna Pier Veteran's Parade approaches them on Saturday.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Luna Pier honors veterans with annual parade, ceremony
The side of a Phoenix police vehicle.

A man is critically injured after a shooting occurred near 35th Avenue and Camelback Road on Sunday night.

Phoenix police responded to a report of shots fired around 7:45 p.m. Officers discovered a man on the scene who appeared to have a gunshot wound.

The man was transported to the hospital with serious injuries.

Phoenix police provided no further information about the man who was shot or any suspects.

Reach breaking news reporter Caroleina Hassett at caroleina.hassett@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @lena_hassett.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man critically hurt in shooting near 35th Ave., Camelback in Phoenix
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
Nov. 7A Manchester firefighter injured in a three-alarm blaze Saturday night that killed one person is in a Boston hospital recovering from second- and third-degree burns over 35-40% of his body, officials said Sunday.

Capt. Steve DesRuisseaux became engulfed in flames during a flashover while rescuing a man from the second floor of a six-unit multi-family building on Dutton Street, Manchester Fire Battalion Chief Dave Fleury said.

"The actions of the crews last night went above and beyond the call of duty, and Captain DesRuisseaux's were nothing short of heroic," Fleury said.

The fire broke out around 6:08 p.m. Saturday at 8-10 Dutton St., a six-unit building.

"Upon arrival, an apartment building was found to be heavily involved in fire," officials said in a statement.

After the fire was extinguished, a victim was found dead on the second floor back porch, New Hampshire State Fire Marshal Sean Toomey said.

Identification of the victim and cause and manner of death are pending an autopsy scheduled for Monday.

Firefighters rescued six people, including a baby, officials said. Two girls, two men and a woman were rescued from the third floor and a man helped down from the second floor by ladder, officials said. But DesRuisseaux's breathing device got caught on a ladder, trapping him after he became engulfed in flames.

Lt. Scott Brassard climbed the ladder to try to free DesRuisseaux. Firefighter Joshua Charpentier noticed heavy fire coming from the second floor and decided to knock the ladder away from the building to prevent further injury to Capt. DesRuisseaux.

Lt Brassard sprained his ankle as a result of the 10-15 foot fall, but continued to battle the blaze throughout the incident, seeking medical treatment after the fact.

Capt. DesRuisseaux was transported by AMR ambulance to Elliot Hospital, then to Massachusetts General Hospital by UMass Memorial Lifeflight, officials said. He suffered 2nd- and 3rd-degree burns to approximately 35-40% of his body, and was receiving treatment for his injuries late Sunday.

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Another person, a civilian, was sent to a Boston hospital for respiratory injuries.

Among the six people rescued was a baby. Video shows a firefighter clutching a young baby tightly, climbing down a ladder to safety. The same firefighter then climbed back up the ladder to rescue more people trapped inside.

Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig said Sunday her thoughts are with everyone affected by the blaze, including the family and loved ones of those injured and the individual who died.

"I am so grateful for the heroism shown by the Manchester Fire Department, including Captain Steve DesRuisseaux and Lieutenant Scott Brassard who were injured," said Craig.

"Because of Captain DesRuisseaux's quick actions, along with his fellow firefighters, the lives of six individuals were saved. The men and women of the Manchester Fire Department run into danger without hesitation to keep others safe. Their courageous and valiant efforts know no bounds, and their dedication to the residents of Manchester is unwavering. I am thankful for everything they do for our community."

A man who gave his name as Ken said he was having a beer at his home on nearby Concord Street when he saw flames and heard fire trucks outside. He headed down the block and saw the flames.

"I saw them carrying that baby down," said Ken. "They brought it down carefully, it looked like they came from a window in the middle of the third floor. I've never seen nothing like that."

Jennifer lives on Concord Street, up the road and around the the corner from the fire scene.

"We saw the flames and smoke," Jennifer said.

She rushed over because her 70-year-old friend lived in the building that burned. The friend is OK and staying with relatives, she said, but fire personnel have been unable to find the woman's pet cat.

"They are hopeful she may have gotten out," said Jennifer.

Eleven fire departments helped the Manchester Fire Department battle the blaze  Allenstown, Auburn, Bedford, Concord, Derry, Hudson, Hooksett, Litchfield, Londonderry, Merrimack and Nashua.

Investigators with arson dogs were at the scene Sunday. A cause has yet to be determined.

Paul Feely is the City Hall reporter for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. Reach him at pfeely@unionleader.com
A mere few months after the chaotic and deadly end to Americas largest war, the Marine Corps prepares to celebrate its 246th birthday by honoring those joined after the Sept. 11, 2001, attack, which started the war in Afghanistan.

Just before the two-minute mark the video cuts to news scenes from New York City moments before the first twin tower fell.

When our nation called, Marines were there to defend her, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger said during the five minute and 16-second video.

The commandant then compared 9/11 to Japans attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, which brought the U.S. into World War II.

That day changed everything, Berger said.

The Marine Corps is about to become pickier about whom it recruits

The video cuts to Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Troy Black listing off famous battles of Afghanistan and Iraq, where Marines once again cemented themselves in history as one of the worlds finest fighting forces.

Sangin, Anbar, Fallujah, Helmand, Mosul  to most of the country they are semi-familiar names on distant maps, but for the Marines who fought there they are intimate memories and reminders of the deaths of friends, brothers, sisters and comrades.

The Marines who fought there are heroes and legends like the Marines who made their way through Okinawa and Iwo Jima, Japan, in World War II, fought in the freezing cold in North Koreas Chosin Reservoir or who held the line during the siege of Khe Sanh in Vietnam.

We earned our reputation as an elite counter insurgency force, Black said in the video.

The video then takes a look at the future and the changes the Corps is going through as the force moves away from 20 years in the Middle East to a potential future conflict with China.

What Marines are, what Marines have always been, is amphibious warfighters  and the changing battle now requires us to return to our origins, relying on foundations built by the Marines that came before us, Berger said.

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Black said the current force changes are just more changes in a long history of paradigm shifts the Marine Corps has gone through.

The hard-won lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan and the blood Marines have shed there will not soon be forgotten, Black said. Were using the lessons of our past combined with the weapons of the future to reimagine our warfighting abilities.

Berger then used the video to ask Marines to provide ideas and feedback to move the Corps into the future.

The videos final moments are used to honor Marine veterans who may no longer be directly associated with the Corps.

As Marine brothers and sisters, Semper Fidelis is a pledge that we promise to live by, Berger said.

Despite all the recent changes Berger said Corps identity is not at risk.

The next generation of Marines may operate differently and in different places than the Marines who wear the eagle, globe and anchor today, he said. But they will join a long and proud heritage of Marine fighters who have never turned from a threat, never turned from an enemy.

Our infantry battalions will remain in the center of what we do and the Marine and their rifle will continue to be one of the deadliest weapons on the battlefield.
The new ambition builds on the company's existing goal of reaching carbon neutrality in its operations by FY30

DUBLIN --News Direct-- Medtronic

DUBLIN, November 8, 2021 /3BL Media/ - Medtronic, a global leader in healthcare technology, today announced its ambition to achieve net zero carbon emissions by fiscal year (FY) 2045 across its operations and value chain (scopes 1, 2, and 3) to accelerate efforts to combat climate change. The announcement comes during the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26), where world leaders are focusing on collectively cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels.

As published in Medtronics new Decarbonization Roadmap, the FY45 milestone builds on the companys existing goal of reaching carbon neutrality in its operations by FY30, to encompass GHG emissions reductions across its entire value chain. To achieve its ambition, Medtronic will pursue setting GHG emission reduction targets across scopes 1, 2, and 3 through the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)  a multi-year initiative that provides companies a clearly defined path to reduce emissions aligned with the Paris Agreement.

As a global healthcare technology leader, our goal is to transform industry expectations and behavior where health and climate change intersect, said Geoff Martha, Medtronic chairman and chief executive officer. Our teams across 150 countries are actively working to protect our planet by reducing our energy use, investing in renewables, and now moving toward net zero emissions throughout our operations, supply chain and logistic partners, by pursuing science-based targets.

The health care industry is responsible for 4.5% of global carbon emissions. Medtronic is taking a leadership role in collaborative climate action with the National Health Service (NHS) in England and the U.S. National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Medtronic has joined the International Leadership Group for a Net Zero NHS, and Martha recently signed a joint letter with CEOs from Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, Microsoft, and other member companies to support Englands largest health system in its net zero goals. Medtronic is also participating in the NAM Action Collaborative to Decarbonize the U.S. Health Sector, which brings together multi-sector leaders to co-develop and implement a shared action agenda to reduce environmental impacts and strengthen sustainability and climate resilience. Greg Smith, Medtronic EVP of global operations and supply chain, serves as co-lead of the Infrastructure and Supply Chain Working Group within the NAM Action Collaborative.

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Medtronics new aspiration to reach net zero emissions by FY45 is part of the companys ongoing environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy. To learn more about Medtronic progress on ESG priorities in its last fiscal year, download the full 2021 Integrated Performance Report: Engineering Impact.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Medtronic on 3blmedia.com

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/medtronic-announces-2045-net-zero-emissions-ambition-to-combat-climate-change-801237674
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  The Oklahoma City Thunder seem to wake up when they get down by double digits.

Mike Muscala scored 20 points in 14 minutes, and the Thunder rallied from 16 points down to beat the San Antonio Spurs 99-94 on Sunday night.

The Thunder have trailed by at least 16 points in all three of their wins. They trailed the Los Angeles Lakers by 26 before getting their first win of the season in Oklahoma City, then trailed the Lakers by 19 points last Thursday before winning.

What impressed Thunder coach Mark Daigneault most about Sunday's victory was how the Thunder handled the intensity level during their latest comeback.

The stuff that really stood out to me is the physicality of the game and the competitiveness that we played with, especially in the second half, he said. The fact that we could recognize in real time in the game that we needed to amp it up and then did it on a pretty quick turn.

Muscala made 5 of 6 field goals and 7 of 9 free throws in one of the most productive offensive games of his career. The 30-year-old averages 6.0 points per game for his career, which includes stops in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Los Angeles with the Lakers and Oklahoma City.

Felt like I got into a little bit of a rhythm there, so that felt nice, he said. Ive kind of been struggling shooting the ball a little bit. I thought in general guys were really unselfish tonight passing the ball and trusting the shot, and that was a big point of emphasis in practice.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 14 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, and Darius Bazley added 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder, who were coming off a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.

Keldon Johnson scored 22 points, Lonnie Walker IV added 15 points and Drew Eubanks chipped in 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs.

Eubanks said the Thunder are a talented young team that the Spurs overlooked.

You play the Bucks, you play Brooklyn, you play L.A., you kind of get up for those games, Eubanks said. Weve got to learn from that, not just settling and continue to do what we do to keep those leads.

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San Antonio had possession with 22.9 seconds left in regulation, trailing 97-94. Walker missed a deep 3-pointer off the backboard, Oklahoma City rebounded, and Muscala made two free throws with 3.6 seconds left to put the game out of reach.

Lu Dort's 3-pointer for Oklahoma City at the halftime buzzer cut the Spurs' lead to 55-45 at the break.

The Thunder continued the rally in the opening minutes of the second half. Rookie Jeremiah Robinson-Earl's jumper put Oklahoma City up 66-65.

The Thunder led 79-69 at the end of the third quarter. They outscored the Spurs 34-14 in the period, led by nine points from Gilgeous-Alexander. Oklahoma City made 13 of 24 field goals in the third.

San Antonio took an 84-83 lead before Bazley hit a corner 3-pointer, then threw down a nasty one-handed put-back dunk with his elbow at rim level to give the Thunder an 88-84 lead. Oklahoma City led the rest of the way.

TIP-INS

Spurs: Scored the game's first nine points. ... Dejounte Murray missed his first six shots and ended up making just 5 of 19. ... Eubanks scored 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting in the first half. ... Keita Bates-Diop went down hard in the third quarter and was holding his lower back before leaving the court.

Thunder: Missed their first seven shots. ... Shot just 6 for 26 from the field in the first quarter. ... Muscala scored 14 points in seven minutes in the first half. He made all four of his field goals, including three 3-pointers. ... Held the Spurs to 7-for-26 shooting in the third quarter.

HALFCOURT SHOT

Spencer Greene, an 18-year-old from Norman, Oklahoma, made a half-court shot during a break in the action to win $20,000 from MidFirst Bank. The two-handed fling banked off the glass and in, making him the second winner this season.

TWO-WAY, TWO GAMES

Vit Krejci became the first player to compete for the Thunder and their G-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, in the same day. According to the Thunder, it was the 59th time for a G-League player to play for their NBA team on the same day. Krejci had a defensive rebound in six minutes in the Thunder's win and scored nine points in 26 minutes with the Blue in a 114-81 win over Salt Lake City.

STAT LINES

Spurs guard Derrick White missed all 10 of his shots and did not score. He entered the game averaging 13.7 points.

UP NEXT

Spurs: Host the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.

Thunder: Visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.

___

Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: twitter.com/CliffBruntAP.

___

More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports.
Nov. 7Twenty-five years ago, wireless internet was just an idea and floppy disks were often needed to transport data from one computer to another. It might seem quaint these days, but that didn't stop the scientists at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in the southeast corner of Kern County from conducting groundbreaking research.

Last month, NASA administrators and staff reflected on 25 years of progress by opening a time capsule sealed in 1996. Filled with memorabilia contributed from every department at the time, the opening corresponded with the 75th anniversary of the center's existence.

"When you are in this environment that we're in, you don't really have a realization of the importance of what you're working on at the time," said Andy Blua, a machinist at the research center for 31 years who helped build the capsule. "I tell all of my guys, you never know what you're working on. A lot of really important research happens here that really affects the whole nation."

Over the years, some of that research has been vital to building the plane that eventually broke the sound barrier and the development of the first lunar lander. More recently, NASA is developing at the site a "quiet" supersonic plane that can fly faster than the speed of sound without the massive boom associated with breaking the sound barrier.

For the guys known as the "Home Depot" of Armstrong, the time capsule provided an opportunity to look back on the work they have done that went on to become breakthroughs in aviation engineering.

"You never know what you are working on or the significance of whatever that piece is," Blua said. "It becomes history later on, and then you say, 'Oh my god, I machined that.'"

For Don Whitfield, a retired civil servant who worked as a welder at NASA for 45 years, the time capsule is more than just a vessel for remembering the past. Whitfield welded the device together, wondering at the time how every department would be able to contribute.

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"Once we were done, I thought what could they possibly put in this pipe that (could accommodate) everybody from every different place, there wasn't enough room," he said. "How are they going to put something from everybody in there? It just didn't seem big enough."

For 25 years, the time capsule sat in the cockpit of the Bell X-1 that stands guard outside the research center. On Oct. 13, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson visited the facility for the official opening ceremony.

They found photos of research aircraft, a VHS tape, floppy disk, "too much documentation," and even 30 texts and drawings from local school children.

"What they pulled out of there was amazing," Whitfield said.

Operations are now underway to create another capsule that will be opened on the center's 100th anniversary, in 2046. The agency plans to use the same capsule for the second round, meaning the work Whitfield and Blua contributed to 25 years ago will live on.

By the time 2046 rolls around, who knows what new technological advancements will have taken place, but there's a good chance the Armstrong Flight Research Center will have played a role in a few.

You can reach Sam Morgen at 661-395-7415. You may also follow him on Twitter @smorgenTBC.
Nashville Zoo; Chart: Jacque Schrag/Axios

Over the last 24 years, visitors have flocked to the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere to pet the kangaroos, stand within a few feet of an Andean bear or play on the city's best jungle gym.

The zoo has become one of Nashville's top tourist magnets and has won industry awards for creative exhibits and financial management.

To help fuel more growth, Nashville Mayor John Cooper has proposed $15 million toward a new parking garage, but the idea has received substantial pushback in the Metro Council.

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Why it matters: Zoo president and CEO Rick Schwartz tells Axios the new parking garage is the lynchpin of its ambitious $185 million expansion that will include a first-of-its-kind African river safari in which visitors will board a boat to float amongst animals.

Continued growth is impossible without the new 1,044-space parking structure, Schwartz says. And the zoo's plans for a fundraising campaign to help finance its expansion depend on the garage being built.

Context: As Nashville grapples with its tourism reputation, the family-friendly zoo in south Nashville provides an option completely independent from light beer and George Strait covers.

Between 2009 and 2019, the zoo's attendance more than doubled from 615,086 to over 1.2 million visitors, more than the combined attendance at Predators and Titans home games in 2019. Attendance dropped to 544,000 last year amidst the pandemic.

Schwartz tells Axios they expect 2 million visitors annually by 2027.

The zoo hasn't received Metro funding since Mayor Karl Dean committed a combined $26 million in infrastructure projects during his eight years in office, which ended in 2015.

What he's saying: On the zoo's busiest days, vehicles overwhelm its current parking lots. It's not uncommon for traffic jams to cram up busy Nolensville Pike.

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"Without this parking garage we can't only not grow, we can't sustain what we're doing now," Schwartz says.

The other side: Some Metro Council members, led by Freddie O'Connell, questioned the large capital commitment for zoo parking.

O'Connell tells Axios he is "very pro-zoo." But he says he's "aghast" that Metro isn't spending more on bike lanes, sidewalks and bus routes.

He filed an amendment to reroute the funds Cooper earmarked for zoo parking to instead be spent on those modes of transportation.

A potential compromise would add $15 million to the capital spending plan for those priorities while keeping the zoo parking funding.

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Commuter rail will be coming to the Triangle sooner because of the massive federal infrastructure spending bill, elected officials said Monday at Union Station in downtown Raleigh.

Thats one of many projects that North Carolinians will see on a faster track because of the bill President Joe Biden is expected to soon sign into law.

Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act over the weekend with bipartisan support, delivering a political win to the Biden administration and other Democrats. For billions of Americans, it means money for bridges, roads, airports, trains, water systems and broadband internet expansion. The passage of the bill means nearly $9 billion for North Carolina over the next five years, The News & Observer previously reported.

Rep. Deborah Ross and Rep. David Price were joined by other Democratic state and local elected officials to tout the passage of the bill they described as a once in a generation investment.

Price said that the bill will accelerate funding that would otherwise not be available for years. He said the projects that would get the money in North Carolina are already shovel ready.

The only question is how fast we can do it, how much we can accelerate it. So the jobs impact will be very visible I think, in very short order, Price said.

Local, state and federal elected officials held a press conference at Union Station in downtown Raleigh about the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on Monday, Nov. 8, 2021.

Money coming to the state will pay for bridges, highways, broadband internet expansion and water improvements.

N.C. Transportation Secretary Eric Boyette said the state will work with the local metropolitan planning organizations, known as MPOs, in planning projects.

Ross, who represents Wake County, said the bill brings Americas aging infrastructure finally into the 21st century. She said that while Wake is fast-growing, sadly, our infrastructure has not grown with our community.

Triangle commuter rail

Raleigh City Council member Corey Branch said that the spine of the Triangles transit network will be the greater Triangle commuter rail line which will stop here at Union Station as it travels between West Durham, Garner and Clayton.

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GoTriangle and GoRaleighs bus rapid transit, or BRT, system will connect commuter rail and communities, Branch said.

We are committed to improving the transit system we have, and the legislation will modernize the nations transit network, he said.

Commuter rail is in the feasibility study phase, which will be finished in February or March, Wake County Commissioner Sig Hutchinson said. Then Durham and Wake leaders will begin the process of applying for federal funding.

After that, there will be another two years of design work, he said, and if it stays on schedule, commuter rail could open in 2030.

U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross talks to reporters at Union Station in downtown Raleigh.

Station numbers and locations have not yet been approved for a project that leaders expect to both ease car congestion between Durham and Clayton as well as be an economic development driver. Plans call for a commuter rail line along the North Carolina Railroad Co. corridor that could run up to 43 miles, with potential stops at N.C. State University, Cary, Morrisville, Research Triangle Park and in downtown Durham.

A previous Triangle mass transit project, the Durham-Orange light-rail transit project, faced several hurdles and was eventually derailed in March 2019 by Duke University. That project did not include Raleigh.

For more North Carolina government and politics news, listen to the Under the Dome politics podcast from The News & Observer and the NC Insider. You can find it at link.chtbl.com/underthedomenc or wherever you get your podcasts.
Watch: Boris Johnson visits Northumbria hospital

An NHS Trust has defended Boris Johnson after he was criticised for not wearing a face mask during a hospital visit.

The prime minister was visiting Hexham hospital in Northumbria on Monday when several photographs were released showing him without a face covering while talking to NHS workers. Multiple pictures also showed Johnson wearing a mask at other points during the day.

Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth condemned the PM for "irresponsibly parading round a hospital without a mask".

He added: "Patients and NHS staff deserve better than this."

It is not the first time Johnson has faced backlash over his mask wearing etiquette recently; last week, he was criticised at the opening of COP26 opening ceremony after he was seen maskless sitting next to the 95-year-old broadcaster and natural historian, Sir David Attenborough.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson meets with medical staff during a visit to Hexham General Hospital in Northumberland. Picture date: Monday November 8, 2021.

Official NHS guidance for Hexham hospital, which is part of the Northumbria Trust, says: "Anyone attending our hospitals and community settings must continue to wear a face-covering at all times to protect patients, visitors and staff.

"We urge you to bring your own face covering, whether bought or home-made, however masks will be available if you do not have one.

"Please do not remove it unless advised to do so by a medical professional. Try to ensure you have no gaps in the sides of your face covering and avoid touching it."

Watch: Boris Johnson left baffled after being confronted over being maskless next to David Attenborough

However, the hospital defended Johnson and sought to reassure the public he was following the rules.

The Northumbria NHS said: "Please be assured that infection prevention and control remains an utmost priority for our Trust.

"The Prime Minister Boris Johnson followed strict measures, including wearing a mask, in each clinical area he visited."

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Despite this, there was an online backlash with critics highlighting it comes at a time when COVID-19 case rates and hospital admissions are climbing nationally.

Boris Johnson was heavily criticsed for going maskless while sitting next to national treasure Sir David Attenborough at Cop26.

Deepti Gurdasani, a senior lecturer in epidemiology at Queen Mary University of London, said: "The irresponsibility of not wearing a mask in a hospital- around HCWs [healthcare workers] who come into contact with vulnerable patients. This is our PM. It wasn't worth this small sacrifice to protect others - in a hospital. None of us would be allowed in without a mask. So why has he?"

Kit Yates, a biologist at the University of Bath, said: "This really is grotesque. Taking precautions like tucking in your tie and rolling up sleeves in a health care setting, but being so committed to your ideology that you wont wear a mask in a pandemic.It makes me sick, and more importantly it might make vulnerable others sick."

Last week, when Johnson was challenged by CNN's Christiane Amanpour over why he failed to wear a face covering while sitting next to Sir David Attenborough for a prolonged period of time, he appeared to stumble over his words.

"I've been wearing masks in confined spaces with people I don't normally talk to," he said.

"It's up to people to take a judgment whether they're at a reasonable distance from someone ... that's the approach we take."

Read more:

Boris Johnson called out for not wearing mask next to David Attenborough

Where is Boris Johnson on the day MPs debate sleaze?

Johnson has been accused of using the hospital visit to dodge parliament as MPs debated parliamentary standards following the Owen Paterson lobbying scandal.

Boris Johnson today had the chance to answer for his mistakes, apologise to the country and act to put them right. Instead he did what he always does - ran away," said Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

File photo dated 28/02/17 of Owen Paterson who has has resigned as the MP for North Shropshire. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised MPs a fresh vote on Owen Paterson's suspension for an alleged breach of lobbying rules "as soon as possible" after performing an extraordinary U-turn. Issue date: Thursday November 4, 2021.

This Phileas Fogg-impersonating PM would go 80 ways around the world to avoid scrutiny, and he pretty much has. Any time there are questions to be answered, hes off on his travels again.

Britain deserves better than the corruption and cowardice of this Government.

Paterson was found guilty of "egregious" breaches of lobbying rules by the independent parliamentary standards watchdog after their report found Paterson to have breached the MPs code of conduct after two firms paid him a sum total of 112k a year.

He was handed a 30-day suspension, however government moved to prevent the suspension by proposing changes to rules - which included reforming the watchdog to a committee with a Tory majority.

The Catch-up sign up

However, after public outcry and opposition MPs refusing to serve on the new committee, the government announced a U-turn; shortly after, Paterson resigned.

Today, the prime minister refused to apologise - and international trade secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, defended Johnson's lack of attendance to the debate this morning claiming he was focusing on more "important" issues.

Watch: We were 'trying' to look at misconduct process, says Boris Johnson
By Julia Harte and Kate Holton

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Tears flowed, airline officials applauded, and cameras flashed as 1-year-old Kai Patel met his grandmother for the first time on Monday at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

After months https://www.reuters.com/world/the-great-reboot/grandmother-grandson-finally-meet-us-flights-reopen-2021-11-05 of only being able to talk to her grandson via FaceTime, Bhavna Patel was elated to be hugging Kai and holding his hands as he toddled around the terminal.

"There's no words," she said, wiping her eyes. "How can you describe this feeling?"

Bhavna Patel and her daughter Bindiya were two of the passengers on BA001, the first New York-bound British Airways flight leaving Heathrow after the United States lifted COVID-19 restrictions https://www.reuters.com/world/us/international-travellers-head-united-states-flights-reopen-2021-11-08 that have barred much of the world from entering for over 20 months.

Then-President Donald Trump imposed the first COVID-19-related restrictions for air travelers from China who were non-U.S. citizens in January 2020. The ban was extended to dozens of other countries afterwards.

The British flag carrier marked the moment of the reopening with a first flight reserved for friends and families separated during the pandemic.

For nearly two years, the unprecedented restrictions have prevented families from gathering in person to celebrate weddings, grieve at funerals, or meet new babies.

Kai's father, Kushal, said the most painful part of the pandemic for him was not being able to introduce his son to his sister and mother sooner.

Asked what the family planned to do during Bhavna and Bindiya's 10-day visit, Kushal Patel said he was going to "let them hug Kai as much as possible," for starters.

"We're trying to make up for a whole year of not getting to see each other," he said.

Bhavna Patel agreed that all she wanted to do for the next week and a half was "sit and look" at her grandson.

"I have other relatives in New York, but I said, 'these ten days are just for him,'" she said, gazing fondly at Kai.

(Reporting by Julia Harte, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
The Guardian

The wrapping of ecological disaster with fears of rampant immigration is a narrative that has flourished in far-right fringe movements in Europe and the US Sure, you want good things for the children of the world. But ultimately you will put your children first. Photograph: Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images Standing in front of the partial ruins of Romes Colosseum, Boris Johnson explained that a motive to tackle the climate crisis could be found in the fall of the Roman empire. Then, as now, h
Former President Barack Obama on Monday urged world leaders to ramp up efforts to combat climate change, lamenting what he referred to as "active hostility toward climate science" from Republicans and the Trump administration.

In his speech before the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, Obama criticized former President Donald Trump and other Republicans for reversing policies implemented under the Obama administration and obstructing comprehensive action in Congress.

When it comes to climate, time really is running out. We have not done nearly enough to address this crisis, Obama said during the conference, with John Kerry, his former secretary of state and now President Joe Bidens climate envoy, in the audience.

Obama said that progress stalled on climate change when his successor decided to unilaterally pull out of the Paris Agreement in his first year in office, referring to Trump. I wasnt real happy about that, he added.

Despite four years of active hostility toward climate science coming from the very top of our federal government, Obama said, the U.S. wound up meeting its original commitment under the Paris Agreement.

Obama, however, emphasized that the U.S. and other countries must step up their response to the changing climate, cautioning, It's not just that we can't afford to go backward  we can't afford to stay where we are.

Obama said that he would have done more to address the issue during his eight years in office if he had a stable congressional majority that was willing and eager to take action. He said that he didnt have that majority for the bulk of his presidency.

Gaining such majorities require an engaged citizenry willing to do what it takes to reward politicians who take this problem seriously and send out of office those who don't, said Obama, who said that Bidens $1.75 trillion social safety net package, if passed, would be historic and a huge plus for U.S. action on climate change.

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The legislation would allocate more than $550 billion to tackle the climate crisis by expanding clean energy tax credits and lowering carbon emissions, among other things.

Obama said that both he and Biden have been constrained by the absence of a robust majority. He added that theyve been hamstrung in large part by the fact that one of our two major parties has decided not only to sit on the sidelines, but express active hostility toward climate science and make climate change a partisan issue.

The former president concluded his speech by encouraging people to pressure companies to do the right thing when it comes to climate change and to persuade people to change their minds on the issue. He said that people who are eligible to vote should vote like your life depends on it, because it does.
Nov. 8The Ohio Army National Guard has expressed concern about an enlisted member who has reportedly not contacted her family since Oct. 26.

The father of Spc. Michaela Nelson filed a report on a missing person with the Columbus police, according to the "armyguarddayton" Instagram account. The account is the official Ohio Army National Guard recruiting page for the Dayton area.

"Spc. Michaela Nelson is a valued member of the Ohio Army National Guard's Recruit Sustainment Program (RSP)," a statement from the guard to the Dayton Daily News said Monday. "Spc. Nelson's family has filed a missing person's report and anyone with information is urged to contact the Columbus Police Department at 614-645-4545.

The statement adds: "Our No. 1 priority is ensuring she is found safe, and we will provide any assistance needed to her family and law enforcement."

A Columbus police report said Nelson's father reported on Nov. 5 that Nelson had been missing for a few weeks. "The victim hasn't even spoken to the complainant or other family members since 10/26/2021. The victim is also AWOL (absent without leave) from the army and they are contacting the complainant as well."

Nelson, 26, enlisted in September 2020, the Guard said. She completed Advanced Individual Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, for military religious affairs specialist. Her unit is Company G in the Recruit Sustainment Program, and Company G is based in Dayton.

Nelson is a graduate of Cedarville University, said Mark Weinstein, a spokesman for the university. She graduated in 2017 with a B.S. degree in exercise science.

"If she is still missing, I hope she is found safely very soon," Weinstein said.

A poster on Instagram said Nelson attended Xenia Christian High School, now Legacy Christian Academy.
Morrison poses with a copy of her book "Beloved" in New York in Sept. 1987.

In 2005, the Cincinnati community struggled with some of the toughest history that ever happened here. The Cincinnati Opera premiered a new opera, Margaret Garner, composed by Richard Danielpour and with lyrics written by Nobel laureate Toni Morrison. Our community came together to face head-on the troubling truths about our history this opera revealed.

We grappled with the fact that right here in our backyard, in Richwood, Kentucky, an enslaved woman, Margaret Garner, had been repeatedly raped by the white man who "owned" her. Surely, she dreamed of freedom.

In January 1856, she and her husband, Robert, also enslaved, escaped with their four children across the frozen Ohio River, to Mill Creek in western Cincinnati. Cornered by authorities, Margaret chose to kill her child rather than to allow her to return to the hell of slavery.

The opera put this story in front of us. Through library conversations, movie discussions, and church gatherings, we talked openly about slaverys inherent horrors. Our community actively reached towards what Toni Morrison has long demonstrated: Art can help us to process pain, face the past with courage and honesty, and seek healing.

Great literature does that.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin, right, speaks to supporters as Lt. Gov. candidate Winsome Sears, second from right, and Attorney General candidate, Jason Miyares, left, listen during a rally in Fredericksburg, Va., Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. Youngkin will face Democrat former Gov. Terry McAuliffe in the November election.

But in Virginia, a potentially healing truth is not what some leaders are seeking. Instead, one candidate in the governors race has attacked the inclusion of Toni Morrisons Pulitzer Prize-winning 1987 novel, "Beloved," in a high school advanced placement English course. He claims that this novel  which was inspired by Margaret Garners life  is inappropriate for high school students.

"Beloved" illuminates the emotional life of an enslaved woman, Sethe, and provides readers a window on slaverys cruelties, including rape and murder. The novel invites us to imagine what it would have felt like to have your children sold away, to be treated worse than most animals, to have your humanity denied. These insights are crucial for contemporary readers as our country seeks to reckon with a complicated history.

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When faced with the unbearable reality that her children are to be returned to slavery, Sethe chooses death for them, much as the historical Margaret Garner did. Sethe never looks away from atrocity: this brave mother is able to face her grim choices. Crucially, "Beloved" also demonstrates that the only way to recover from the trauma of slavery is through the healing balms of community, honesty and love.

As a teacher, I am heartened that students can handle honesty about our countrys past, especially through reading literature. This deepening consciousness is essential as we all seek to create an ever more perfect union.

Oprah Winfrey, center, plays former slave Sethe, who is haunted by the memory of a child in Beloved, a film based on the novel by Toni Morrison. Thandie Newton, left, plays Beloved and Kimberly Elise plays Denver. Courtesy photo

Just as Sethe does not look away from her painful experience, Toni Morrison also stares straight at the appalling truth of slavery. When asked if "Beloved" was difficult for her to write, she said, yes. But Morrison also said that she was determined that if they  enslaved people  could live it, then she could write it. And if they could live it, and she could write it, surely we can read it.

We havent looked away from our past here in Cincinnati, and we are all better for it. Lets hope that Virginia, and the rest of the country, can realize the value of facing the whole truth of history.

Kristine Yohe is an associate professor of English at Northern Kentucky University, where she specializes in African American literature. She lives in Hyde Park.

Kristine Yohe

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Opinion: Great literature can help us process pain, heal
South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius could be considered for parole, after serving half his sentence for murdering his girlfriend, an official and a lawyer said Monday.

The athlete shot dead model Reeva Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine's Day in 2013 when he fired four times through the door of his bedroom toilet.

Pistorius was found guilty of manslaughter in 2014 and sentenced to six years, but the conviction was later upgraded to murder, with a 13-year term.

By July this year, the 34-year-old had served half the term, the minimum period to be considered for parole, according to the victim's family lawyer.

The Correctional Services department was due to hold preliminary talks with Steenkamp's parents, but the meeting was postponed and has yet to be rescheduled.

Before the parole process can begin, the department needs to conduct a dialogue with the victim's family and the offender.

"There is the issue of victim-offender dialogue that needs to take place before his profile can be taken to the parole board," prisons spokesman Singabakho Nxumalo told AFP. "It's quite a sensitive and emotional process."

Tania Koen, lawyer for the Steenkamps, said the parole board had been due to discuss his parole on October 27 or 29.

"But because certain requirements were not met, they have stopped the process and they will have to make sure they have the necessary reports," including talks with the victim's family, the offender and supply of psychologist and social worker reports, she said.

- 'Opens the wound' -

"He has been eligible for parole since July of this year," said Koen, "but that does not mean he has automatic right to be released on parole."

The year before he killed Steenkamp, Pistorius became the first double-amputee to race at the Olympics when he took part In the London 2012 Games. He competed on prosthetic blades -- a feat that had earned him the nickname Blade Runner.

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Pistorius became a role model for disabled people worldwide until his televised murder trial, which fixated South Africans and generated international headlines.

He has always maintained that he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder when he fired four high-calibre bullets through a locked toilet cubicle.

Koen said the reaction of Reeva's parents June and Barry Steenkamp was one of shock when they were first contacted by the prisons services.

"But over that shock, they were distraught, especially after the department cancelled the meeting. That was a double blow," said Koen. "It opens the wound."

Earlier Monday, Pistorius' father Henke told a local TV news network, eNCA, "Our compassion and condolences go out to them all the time".

sn/ri
Pakistan has lifted a ban on a radical party that staged massive anti-France protests, after reaching a deal with the group that ended the latest round of deadly unrest.

In a notification published late Sunday, the government said the move was in the "national interest", coming after seven police officers were killed in clashes during a rally that began last month.

Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) was protesting the detention of its leader, arrested in April when the group was outlawed by authorities, and demanding the expulsion of the French ambassador.

Over the past several years, TLP has staged a series of such disruptive protests, mainly linked to the flash-point issue of blasphemy in Muslim-majority Pakistan.

"The federal government is pleased to remove the name of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan as proscribed organisation," the government said in a statement.

It said the decision was made after assurances from the group -- which has three members in parliament -- that it would abide by the law.

Hundreds of detained TLP supporters were also released from detention earlier this month as part of the deal.

"This label has been a source of major concern for us as all our activists were being booked under the anti-terrorism act. We were told last night about the decision," TLP spokesman Sajjad Saifi told AFP by phone on Monday.

But TLP leader Saad Rizvi remains in detention.

Saifi added that they expect Rizvi to be released this week.

The party launched its anti-France campaign after Paris-based satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo last year republished cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed -- an act deemed blasphemous by many Muslims.

Protests in April led to the French embassy issuing a warning for all its citizens to leave the country.

The latest round of protests, which drew thousands to a march that began in the eastern city of Lahore, resulted in several Pakistani cities facing gridlock and suspended some train services.

jaf/ecl/lb
By Asif Shahzad

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Pakistan and local Taliban militants have agreed a one-month ceasefire which may be extended if both sides agree, spokesmen said on Monday, opening the possibility of a fuller peace accord to help end years of bloodshed.

The Pakistani Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), are a separate movement from the Afghan Taliban and have fought for years to overthrow the government in Islamabad and rule the South Asian nation of 220 million with their own brand of Islamic Sharia law.

There have been numerous failed attempts to reach peace agreements in the past. The latest talks were opened following the victory of the Afghan Taliban in August and the two sides have been meeting across the border in Afghanistan, with the aid of Afghan Taliban leaders.

"The government of Pakistan and banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan have agreed on a complete ceasefire," Pakistan's Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said in a statement, adding that the ceasefire would be extended as the talks progressed.

Best known in the West for attempting to kill Malala Yousafzai, the schoolgirl who went on to win the Nobel Prize for her work promoting girls' education, the TTP has killed thousands of military personnel and civilians over the years in bombings and suicide attacks.

Among its attacks was a 2014 assault on a military-run school in Peshawar, near the border with Afghanistan, which killed 149 people including 132 children.

As recently as Saturday, it claimed a bomb blast that killed four soldiers and wounded another in North Waziristan tribal district. It said the attack was in revenge for the killing of four of its fighters two days earlier.

Chaudhry said the ceasefire agreement would be under the Constitution of Pakistan and would ensure state sovereignty and national integrity.

The TTP, which sources said had been demanding the release of a number of prisoners as a condition for full ceasefire negotiations, said it was "ready for a dialogue that will lead to lasting peace in the country".

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It said the ceasefire would come into force from Tuesday and last until Dec. 9 and could be extended if both sides agreed. Special committees had been set up to try to map out the negotiation process.

The agreement comes days after the government in Islamabad reached an accord with another militant group Tehrik-e-Labaik Pakistan or TLP, after weeks of violent clashes.

The TTP, which is on a U.S. State Department list of foreign terrorist organisations, has carried out a brutal campaign of oppression in tribal districts along the Afghan-Pakistan border, including public floggings and executions to enforce its harsh version of Sharia.

The group was badly weakened by Pakistan military offensives which drove it from its stronghold in the tribal districts but it is estimated to control some 4,000-5,000 fighters, many based across the border in Afghanistan.

Both Pakistan and the former Western-backed government in Kabul regularly accuse each other of providing shelter to Taliban groups and allowing them to conduct cross-border attacks.

(Additional Reporting by Jibran Ahmad in Peshawar, Saud Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan; Editing by Hugh Lawson, Nick Macfie and Bernadette Baum)
I am a life-long South Dakotan and a proud member of the states Jewish community. I have been a member of Mt. Zion Congregation for many years and was recently elected president of the Mt. Zion board of directors. Mt. Zion Congregation is a part of the Reform Movement, the progressive branch of Judaism.

In many ways my experience is typical of Jewish life in South Dakota. I am not the only mom who explains Hanukkah at my kids schools or searches the Hy-Vee to find Matzah before Passover. I am not the only person who explains what kosher means, or why we fast on Yom Kippur. But in many ways, my experience is not typical of Jews in South Dakota because: there is no typical Jewish experience here.

There are lots of different ways to be Jewish. In fact, Jewish tradition encourages discussion about what rules and practices we should follow. As the saying goes: two Jewish people in a room equals three opinions. But in all seriousness...There are many thousands of pages of rabbis interpreting scriptures and setting out Jewish rules and practices. These are writings we take to our hearts, but no topic is beyond investigation and questioning. Even in a place where the Jewish population is small, there are multiple perspectives on how we enact our traditions, express our values, and engage with the broader community.

More: Perspectives: Im a refugee, and also a proud South Dakotan. Heres why.

In South Dakota, we have to grapple with a unique set of questions about how we will live a Jewish life here. How will we pass along our Jewishness to our children? How will we embrace the opportunities to be an ambassador? One thing that is common throughout South Dakotas Jewish community is resilience. To keep our traditions alive, to honor our values and raise a new generation of Jewish South Dakotans, we must persist in defining what it means to be Jewish in ways that feel authentic and relevant. In the face of rising anti-Semitism across the nation and in our state, the Jewish community here will not shy away from our identity as we know we have a larger community to rally around us. In recent times when we have had to question our safety as a community, we find comfort in knowing we have allies with our our Indigenous, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Pagan and Buddhist neighbors.

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Jews have been a part of the fabric of South Dakota since before its establishment as a state. We have always flourished despite small numbers, distance from other Jewish population centers and at times, an inhospitable environment. Synagogues in Aberdeen, Rapid City, and Sioux Falls  including the states oldest synagogue, Mt. Zion Congregation  bring together Jewish people in celebration and remembrance, to share our stories and traditions with the broader community, and to reaffirm a positive place for us in the fabric of South Dakota.

More: Perspectives: Anxiety, generational trauma can hold first-generation immigrants back

I am so proud of what my congregation gives back to South Dakota, and specifically to Sioux Falls, as teachers, social justice advocates, business owners, lawyers, and doctors, and so grateful for what it contributes to my life and raising my family. As a Jewish mom, I will give my children a foundation in Jewish tradition of mitzvot (good deeds), study, and lessons of resilience to prepare them to be good neighbors to the larger community of South Dakota.

Jen Dreiske is the Program and Development Director for South Dakota Voices for Peace, president of Mt. Zion Congregation in Sioux Falls, board member of SD Faith in Public Life and most importantly mom to seven year old Jakob and bonus mom to Sophia.

Perspectives is an ongoing series of columns from South Dakota's African American, Latinx, Indigenous, South Asian, immigrant and refugee communities.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Opinion: There is no 'typical' Jewish life in South Dakota
Mike Pences daughter Charlotte Pence Bond was called out by a physician and reminded that people are still dying every day after she posted a message on Instagram against Covid-19 vaccinations.

Ms Pence Bond had posted a photo that showed the words Do Not Comply along with the caption fight back on her Instagram page on 6 November.

Physician Lily Grace hit out at Ms Pence Bonds messaging in a comment on the post.

As a physician who spent the last year working in a Covid ICU, please be very cautious with your audience and your message. Vaccines save lives. They are not perfect, but they protect so many loved ones, she said.

The politics of mandates and mandatory vaccinations are debatable, but always consider that people are still dying every day. Its important to reflect on how you want to come across to those who have had loved ones die, who may have been saved with a shot, she added.

Focusing on opposition or anger toward a president or administration should never be put above protecting and saving the lives of people from this terrible illness. Its easy to get angry as a young healthy person, but think of the elderly or immunocompromised who may not get vaccinated because of the rhetoric.

Ms Pence Bonds post has so far received a little over 700 likes.

She had tagged the conservative news website The Real Daily News Wire, where she is an author.

The website, founded by political analyst Ben Shapiro, sued the Joe Biden administration last week over a vaccine mandate for federal workers employees of large businesses that will come into effect in January next year.

Mr Shapiro had termed the mandate as an insanely authoritarian regulation. The website has also been running a campaign urging people to not comply with such mandates.

Eleven states have sued the federal government over the mandate as well.

Ms Pence Bonds father was one of the first to receive the Covid-19 vaccine last year. Mr Pence had then referred to the vaccine as a medical miracle and said that vaccines would mark the beginning of the end of the pandemic.

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Data from the USs Centres for Disease Control and Prevention showed that 78.8 per cent of US population above the age of 12 had received at least one dose of the vaccine. Cases are, however, continuing to surge in the US, especially in southern states where vaccine compliance is low.

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Migrants from the Middle East and elsewhere rest on the ground as they gather at the Poland border near Grodno, Belarus (AP)

Poland scrambled 12,000 troops and an anti-terror squad to its border on Monday to block the passage of migrants it claims were sent by the Belarusian regime.

Footage from the morning showed a column of perhaps 2,000, mostly Kurdish migrants, women and children included, making their way towards the Polish border at Kuznica.

By late afternoon, videos were showing a tense showdown with soldiers, with rocks being thrown in one direction and tear gas in the other. There were several attempts to cross the border with force.

Early reports suggesting that at least part of the group managed to break through appear premature.

It is the largest and most violent episode of a manufactured migrant crisis which is exacerbating difficult relations between Europe and Belarus.

Europe accuses authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko of organising migrant flows from the Middle East to western borders in his attempt to wreak revenge for sanctions.

On Monday, defence minister Mariusz Blaszczak said the Polish army had been put on a state high alert. Deputy foreign minister Piotr Wawrzyk, meanwhile, warned that the standoff could end with people dying.

In response, the Belarusian border service accused the Poles of inhuman treatment... provoking migrants to commit such a desperate step.

Migrants gather near a barbed wire fence in an attempt to cross the border with Poland (via REUTERS)

It is unclear what precise role Minsk played in the events leading to the armed showdown. Video interviews suggested at least some of the migrants resolved to travel to the border themselves  with the aim of claiming asylum at the border crossing. The prospect of an oncoming winter likely strengthened their intentions.

But Belarusian troops appear to have assisted the crisis, diverting the migrants away from the official crossing points to the adjacent woods  and an unofficial showdown. It is also implausible that Belarusian security services did not notice thousands of migrants making their way from Minsk to the border.

Mondays showdown is not an unexpected escalation of a crisis which has been months in the making. Migrants first began appearing on Europes borders over the summer following thinly veiled threats by Mr Lukashenko about migrant and drug flows to Europe. Belarusian state tourism firms are understood to have played a prominent role promoting Minsk in the Middle East as a stepping-stone migrant destination before Europe.

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Poland, Lithuania and Latvia say Belarusian authorities have chaperoned dozens of migrants to unofficial crossing points at the EU border every day. Over the past 24 hours, the number of illegal crossings reportedly climbed to to 222. Many of the migrants remain in the woods in no-mans land because Belarusian authorities refuse to let them return.

One explanation for the Monday operation is that Mr Lukashenko is looking for ways to extract leverage in negotiations with Europe. The contested leader remains ostracised in the west following his disputed 2020 election victory, the subsequent merciless crackdown, and the hijacking of a Boeing 737 in May. But there appears little prospect that the EU will now step back from plans to introduce a fifth round of sanctions this month.

Belarusian soldiers patrol the border as hundreds of migrants try to cross from the Belarus side of the border with Poland near Kuznica Bialostocka (via REUTERS)

It is also unclear if Mr Lukashenko had the Kremlins backing in provoking a risky armed showdown with the EU on its eastern borders.

At his daily press conference with journalists, Vladimir Putins spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Belarus had a large weight on its shoulders with the world watching.

We have no doubt that the migration services of Belarus will do everything they can to keep the situation in legal check, he said.

Read More

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A Nashville pastor is being hailed a hero by his congregation after he tackled a man waving a gun in the air and pointing it at people during a church service Sunday, police said.

No shots were fired and no one was injured during the incident at Nashville Light Mission Pentecostal Church on 930 West Trinity Lane, the Metro Nashville Police Department reported.

Police identified the man as 26-year-old Dezire Baganda. MNPD spokeswoman Brooke Reese said Monday Baganda faces 57 counts of felony aggravated assault.

On Monday, he remained jailed in Davidson County on a $375,000 bond. He is set to appear before a judge Wednesday, court records show. His bond amount was expected to increase.

"God was taking care of me and everyone else in the building," Nzojibugami Noe, who sat in the sanctuary's front row and watched the incident unfold, told The Tennessean Monday.

Noe, a choir and church member, identified the pastor as Ezekiel Ndikumana.

I am very happy that I got to him first before he was able to shoot and hurt any of my members because they are my family, Ndikumana said in a statement through a translator.

He also said he was even happier after the gun was out of the suspect's hand.

How the incident unfolded

Metro police spokesman Don Aaron said that the incident began as the pastor was praying with several members at the altar inside the church, located about seven miles north of downtown Nashville.

The suspect was sitting down in a row off to the right side of the pastor, Aaron said.

The pastor then conducted an altar call, and stepped down from the pulpit where he was preaching, an arrest affidavit shows. The suspect then stood up and made his way to the pulpit.

Once on stage, where the pulpit was located, the affidavit continues, the suspect pulled a handgun from his waistband and began waving it at the entire congregation "causing turmoil."

At some point, Aaron said, the pastor managed to sneak behind the suspect.

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"After moving a chair out of his way, he rushed and tackled the suspect, bringing him to the ground," Aaron said.

Others joined to help disarm him, he said, and the group held him down until officers arrived.

According to an arrest affidavit, the action of the suspect put the lives of the congregation at risk and caused them to fear for their lives.

It goes onto read that while being taken into custody, Baganda told police he was Jesus and that "all churches and schools need to be shot up."

While he was not a member of the church, the pastor told police Baganda had attended there before.

A motive in the attack remained under investigation Monday.

'When David fought Goliath'

Noe, a 26-year-old choir member at the church, said the 85 person congregation had 68 people in attendance Sunday.

One of them, Ndikumana, who has lead the church since 2009 after immigrating to the United States in 2007 from Burundi, played a heroic role with God's help, he said.

"It happened real fast," Noe recalled.

Before the suspect pulled out the gun, Noe said he was singing with his eyes closed, "Help me oh God King of Kings."

"I came to open my eyes when I heard him (the suspect) say, "Do you think I'm playing with you?'"

"He snuck right behind me as soon as he got up and snagged to the left pretending to go out, then quickly quickly got on him," Noe recalled. "It was very amazing."

Noe also said before the incident began, he prayed for God to fill him with the Holy Spirit and give the church strength like when David fought Goliath in the Bible.

"Forty minutes after my prayer that happened and God used the pastor to tackle him  a man who could have killed many people," Noe said. "We are blessed."

This is a developing story.

Find reporter Rachel Wegner at rawegner@tennessean.com or on Twitter @rachelannwegner.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville pastor tackles, disarms man with gun at church service
A search is on for a 20-year-old University of Alabama student who disappeared after he left a bar in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, early Sunday.

University of Alabama student Garrett Walker. (University of Alabama)

The man, Garrett Walker, was seen at The Grey Lady on Greensboro Avenue early Sunday, his mother, Debbie Walker, said in a statement that was shared by the university.

The statement was updated Monday afternoon to say Walker was last seen around 4:20 or 4:40 a.m. near 17th Ave.-Queens City.

His phone was found at a riverwalk Sunday afternoon, the statement said. His family reported him missing after his phone was found.

No one has seen or heard from him since, his mother wrote in the statement.

He was last seen wearing a gray polo shirt, a gray and black plaid button-up shirt and blue jeans.

Syndication: Tuscaloosa News (Gary Cosby Jr. / Tuscaloosa News via USA Today Network)

Tuscaloosa police said in a statement that officers recovered a clothing item from the Black Warrior River that is believed to belong to Walker.Tuscaloosa police and Fire Rescue search crews were scheduled to search the river and the surrounding area at first light Monday.

Anyone with information about Walker's whereabouts is asked to call the University of Alabama Police Department at 205-348-5454 or 911 or the Tuscaloosa Police Department at 205-349-2121.
An 11-year-old city boy missing since Saturday afternoon has been located, Rochester police said Sunday evening.

The boy, Tajmere Johnson, was reported missing Sunday afternoon.

"We have located the missing child and he is safe and reunited with his family," the police said in a news release.

Contact Gary Craig at gcraig@gannett.com or at 585-258-2479. Follow him on Twitter at gcraig1.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Tajmere Johnson: Missing 11-year-old city Rochester boy found safe
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - AirAsia Group Bhd's logistics arm Teleport is aiming to expand its fleet of cargo planes but that may not involve tapping into its parent's large order for Airbus SE A321neos, Teleport's chief executive said on Monday.

In an interview with Reuters, Pete Chareonwongsak backed away from comments he made last week that Teleport would look to convert a "meaningful chunk" of AirAsia's orders for 362 A321neo passenger planes to a potential newly built freighter model of the A321neo.

"All I was saying was, if (Teleport is) successful, we're talking about large orders in magnitude of freighters," Chareonwongsak said. "Obviously, AirAsia gives us a huge advantage, but that doesn't automatically mean that we can or we're able to source freighters from AirAsia."

Teleport will look at freighters converted from passenger planes like a Boeing 737-800 it inducted last week as well as newly built freighters to grow its fleet, he said.

Airbus has not announced the development of a freighter model of the A321neo and it faces little or no pressure to win freighter sales to boost the model's production, industry sources said.

Chareonwongsak said Teleport had been involved in AirAsia and Airbus' discussions about the feasibility of a dedicated A321neo freighter model.

He said Teleport aims to scale up its freight business to a size that AirAsia would consider it for operating part of its fleet for freight. Teleport could also source freighters from other airlines or cargo operators, he added.

(Reporting by Liz Lee; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
Eric Hoffman

MUNCIE, Ind.  Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman's office will establish a "high-tech crime investigation unit" that will help law enforcement authorities in 11 eastern Indiana counties process digital evidence.

Electronic devices, especially cell phones, are now frequently elements in criminal investigations.

To date, all digital evidence has been sent to the Indiana State Police Cyber Crime Unit for evaluation.

With the growing use of such devices, the ISP unit at times becomes "severely backlogged," leading to long delays in processing evidence.

That prompted the Indiana General Assembly to fund a proposal by the Indiana Prosecuting Attorney's Council to create 10 "regional hubs... to assist prosecuting attorneys in investigating, collecting evidence and prosecuting high tech crimes."

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Each county selected as home of a "regional hub"  Delaware County is one of 10 across the state to be chosen  will be "partnered with academic institutions," according to a news release.

The Delaware County unit will be partnered with Ball State University.

The Delaware County High Tech Crime Unit  to be housed in the local prosecutor's office  will serve authorities in Delaware, Blackford, Fayette, Grant, Henry, Jay, Randolph, Rush, Union, Wabash and Wayne counties.

Hoffman's office will each year receive $285,000 in state funding to operate the unit.

The Delaware County prosecutor said the unit's staff will include a director, two investigators and up to two interns.

Community partners in the project, along with Ball State University, are the Ball Brothers Foundation, Jud Fisher and the Ball Brothers Project Sybertooth, the Muncie and Ball State University police departments and the Delaware County Sheriff's Department.

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Hoffman called the unit a "real game-changer in criminal investigations."

"We now have the ability to process digital evidence locally and do so for our surrounding counties," he said. The new unit is expected to be in place by early 2022.

Hoffman said his chief deputy prosecutor, Zach Craig, led the pursuit of a proposal to place a unit in Delaware County.

Craig said the new unit would be "instrumental in aiding police agencies to swiftly combat crime and provide justice to our community."

STAY INFORMED AND SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM: Subscribe today using the link at the top of this page.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Regional high-tech crime lab coming to Delaware County
DAYTONA BEACH  What can be done to improve the beachside's Main Street, a once-thriving corridor that's now devoid of traffic except during biker events?

How can Seabreeze Boulevard be upgraded and modernized? And the peninsula's main north-south road, State Road A1A?

Those three roads, and two others, will be the focus of a public meeting Wednesday night to get local residents' input.

The Florida Department of Transportation is hosting the meeting on future plans for State Road A1A, East International Speedway Boulevard, Main Street, Seabreeze Boulevard and Oakridge Boulevard.

Plans are already in place for Oakridge Boulevard, which is under construction, and East ISB, which is slated to begin construction next year. But public input is being sought for improvements to A1A, Main Street and Seabreeze.

The idea to build a roundabout at the intersection of State Road A1A and East International Speedway Boulevard has been scrapped, but next year construction will begin on other improvements and changes to East ISB between the river and ocean. Florida Department of Transportation officials are also looking to make roadway improvements to A1A, Main Street and Seabreeze Boulevard.

The meeting will run from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Ocean Center. At 6 p.m. a formal presentation will begin to provide updates on Oakridge and East ISB, and share ideas so far for the other three roads.

Meeting attendees will also be able to look at renderings and displays and ask questions of FDOT officials who will be attending. People can also submit their thoughts and ideas verbally and in writing.

Revised corridor concepts based on community input received at a public meeting earlier this year will be presented to seek additional input and build consensus.

Renderings showing embedded in-pavement lighting, new bike lanes, added greenery, widened sidewalks and curved stretches of roadway to slow traffic were displayed at the July community meeting on the main beachside roads that drew about 100 people to The Plaza Resort & Spa.

Read more about Daytona's beachside: A1A: Pockmarked Paradise

Related coverage: Bike lanes, landscaping, sidewalks: Public reacts to Daytona beachside roadway concepts

State Road A1A in Daytona Beach could see upgrades and modernization such as new LED lights, landscaping and flashing lights at crosswalks to keep pedestrians safer. A1A and other major beachside roads will be discussed at a public meeting at the Ocean Center Wednesday evening.

Wednesday's meeting is being held as part of FDOT's ongoing evaluation of proposed transportation projects on the beachside roadways. FDOT is doing a study considering capacity, safety and multi-modal enhancements along the corridors.

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The core beachside area has struggled economically for years, grappling with a poor housing stock, crime and lack of diverse businesses to attract both tourists and local visitors. Needed roadway improvements is one of the key issues the area faces.

Daytona beachside road ideas

Maryam Ghyabi-White, CEO and President of Ghyabi Consulting and Management in Ormond Beach, has been heavily involved with the beachside road projects. She said there's been no talk of widening A1A, but there has been an emphasis on making the road safer, beautifying it and modernizing it.

That could include planting new landscaping, adding LED lights, reconfiguring turn lanes, coming up with a new plan for where delivery trucks can park and creating bike lanes separated from traffic, Ghyabi-White said.

Tom Caffrey, owner of the World's Most Famous Brewery on Main Street, is full of ideas for beachside roads.

"For starters, I'd like to see them close Main Street (to motorized vehicles) from Peninsula Drive to A1A, except during special events," Caffrey said Monday. "It's never busy."

If that idea is rejected, then he'd like to see the road turn into a one-way thoroughfare with only eastbound traffic "to create a flow."

Caffrey would also like to see Auditorium Boulevard turned into a one-way road. He noted that Oakridge and Seabreeze used to have two-way traffic but are both one-way roads now.

He said Main Street is only busy during special events, so it make sense to make it more of a pedestrian-friendly road. There's plenty of parking nearby that business patrons could use, he said.

He thinks a pedestrian-only stretch of road would attract more customers. Wider sidewalks on Main Street would allow for outdoor cafe seating and a farmers market, he said.

"It can be a catalyst for growth," Caffrey said.

On A1A, he would like to see flashing lights installed at crosswalks to improve pedestrian safety. The road could also use new pavement and landscaping, he said.

Daytona Beach's State Road A1A is one of five main beachside corridors that will be the focus of discussion at a meeting Wednesday evening that is being held to get public input on road improvements. The meeting will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Ocean Center. (Nigel Cook/News-Journal)

Eddie Hennessy, owner of the Streamline Hotel, owns all of the property fronting A1A from his hotel south to ISB. He also owns properties along East ISB, and he's glad to see the planned improvements for that gateway to the beach are just months from beginning now.

"I'm excited. I can't wait for the new road to come in," Hennessy said. "It will change the whole perception of Daytona Beach."

He's also happy to hear the other main beachside corridors are in line for improvements.

Other ways to take part in the meeting

Those who prefer can join the meeting virtually from a computer, tablet or mobile device. To join the meeting live virtually, advance registration is required by visiting https://bit.ly/39HclDE.

Once registered, participants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting online. Virtual participants should note that Internet Explorer cannot be used to register or attend the webinar.

Those who want to listen by phone can join the meeting in listen-only mode by dialing 1-866-901-6455 and entering the pass code 293-633-999 when prompted.

All meeting materials, including a presentation, will be available on the project website at https://www.cflroads.com/project/449490-1 prior to the meeting.

Those who require accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or need translation services can contact FDOT Manager Project Manager Steven Buck at 386-943-5171 or by email at steven.buck@dot.state.fl.us at least seven days prior to the meeting.

Those who are hearing or speech impaired can contact FDOT using the Florida Relay Service at 1-800-955-8771 (TDD) or 1-800-955-8770 (Voice).

You can reach Eileen at Eileen.Zaffiro@news-jrnl.com

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona Beach's main beachside corridors will be focus of meeting
Elizabeth Dickey stood naked in the nurses office, staring at the white block walls.

The 15-year-old pointed to each tattoo, piercing and scar on her bare body as the nurse matched them up on a sheet. Then the nurse checked her for brought-in drugs.

Squat. Cough.

Elizabeth wasnt in prison, exactly. She was at Strategic Behavioral Health, a psychiatric residential institution for North Carolina kids, because she had been suicidal.

The strip search was traumatic. Elizabeth is a sexual assault survivor, and she was supposed to be there for care, because she was in a fragile state.

At Strategic psychiatric center, the environment fed Elizabeth Dickey's anxiety. She would punch walls when she had panic attacks and have to be sent to the padded room. The monkey next to her photo is her childhood stuffed animal since birth.

USA TODAY Network-North Carolina spoke to her, numerous other survivors and experts and reviewed years of state investigative records during a wide-ranging, seven-month examination of psychiatric residential treatment facilities for children across North Carolina.

That first evening at the Strategic facility, Elizabeth was shown to a room that would be her living quarters for the next four and a half weeks. Nobody checked on her, she said. Staff ordered her to stay there; they would bring meals.

There was no clock. It seemed like hours. She felt ignored and unsafe. And she was getting hungry. About 9 p.m., staffers finally brought her dinner, a ham sandwich.

As her ensuing month-plus stay at Strategic unfolded, the environment fed her anxiety. She saw staffers threaten girls with restraints and sedation. It was deployed gratuitously, she felt.

She would punch walls when she had panic attacks and have to be sent to the padded room. Her hand would swell up like a Mickey Mouse glove and splotch with bruises. Elizabeth was X-rayed to see if any bones were broken.

In her view, the locked facilitys biggest failure was that she never got what she came for: treatment. The therapist saw her once, and the psychiatrist twice, each for five-minute intervals.

Diary of a psychiatric child center, North Carolina: "We went to lunch and when we came back S_____ was flipping about I want a f------ sandwich." At some point she just started her ... chant. Then she proceeded to start bashing herself in the nose. She began smearing and spitting blood all over the walls. The big burly security guys had to come. The halls still look catastrophic after S_____'s paint job. The fire alarm is malfunctioning so we had to stand in the hall. They couldnt find a fire blanket."

Amy Dickey, her mother, said in hindsight that her daughter should never have gone to the Charlotte psychiatric unit. At the time, the concerned parent was just trying to navigate North Carolinas mental health maze so her daughter could find solutions.

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I didnt know any better, Amy Dickey said.

Its a trap that has ensnared many parents and their children in North Carolina.

Other kids are caught in the jaws of the same psychiatric youth center system, too, but without reliable parents like Amy Dickey trying to help them.

They are the invisible children the state itself has shunted to psychiatric centers from a beleaguered foster care program that disproportionately controls the lives of Black and brown kids in North Carolina.

'Inhumane and irresponsible. It is a government failure.'

On any given day, hundreds of children from North Carolina eat, go to school and sleep inside locked psychiatric facilities that operate almost entirely outside public view.

In these facilities, behind walls that few outsiders can penetrate, sometimes unspeakable things happen to them. Our "Locked Away" investigation discovered the magnitude of the problem as we reviewed hundreds of investigative reports and spoke to survivors. Many kids dont get help. Others never needed institutional care in the first place. Some are hurt.

An employee at Jackson Springs Treatment Center near Fayetteville who had served time in prison for second-degree murder repeatedly punched a boy in the face, records show.

He broke the child's eye socket.

No one sent for medical treatment for the boy. Four days later, he finally was taken to the hospital.

A worker at Carolina Dunes Behavioral Health near Wilmington sexually exploited a 14-year-old girl, according to a state investigative report. The staffer groomed the girl, and they communicated secretly through the use of a notebook the child kept hidden.

The girl "sabotaged her treatment and discharge by staying up all night in an effort to maintain a relationship" with the adult caretaker, according to records.

8:13am from staff #10..."As I walked in this morning [Client #3] pulled me aside and told me about an incident that has all the girls a little wound up. Apparently, [Client #1] has been spotted with a female 3rd shift staff (I did not catch the name) multiple times in her bathroom and that someone saw them kiss this morning. [Client #3] said one of the girls admitted this on camera around 7:18. [Client #3] asked if she could speak with you when you get a chance to provide you with more details.

Reports like this are not uncommon in some hard-to-find state records, in federal advocacy research and in personal testimonies collected from around North Carolina by our team of journalists on the "Locked Away" investigation.

The consequences are lasting.

Kids put into isolating circumstances in locked institutions with psychiatric conditions can continue to harm themselves. In this photo taken by an adult visitor, a child's arm wounds have become infected at a psychiatric center North Carolina sends kids into. The facility has battled issues with staph infections due to building cleanliness problems.

Across the country, children sent to these centers  which are not mental health hospitals  are less likely to graduate high school and more likely to go to prison than most other young people.

USA TODAY Network studied about 40 psychiatric residential treatment facilities across the Carolinas and seven other states. Our reporting sought to understand how well one state, North Carolina, carries out a life-altering responsibility: the care and protection of kids whove been abused and neglected.

Psychiatric residential treatment facilities are supposed to provide safe, 24-hour care for kids with severe mental health and behavior problems. The government pays the bill for many of the youths, who are under the supervision of the state foster care system because they have been mistreated at home.

A review of inspection records, state and federal reports and other data made clear what is happening to them and many other youngsters. North Carolina warehouses kids in psychiatric residential treatment facilities because state lawmakers have not paid for alternatives that research suggests is cheaper and more effective.

We are ruining peoples lives, and were doing it in the most expensive way possible, said State Rep. Verla Insko, an Orange County Democrat, who serves on the North Carolina Legislatures Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Medicaid and Health Choice. Its inhumane and irresponsible. It is a government failure.

Here are the major findings of our broad Locked Away USA TODAY-North Carolina investigation, based on dozens of expert interviews, extensive review of investigative reports and discussions with survivors and families:

Physical restraints and seclusion can cause trauma, injuries and death and should be used as little as possible, experts said. Yet since the start of 2019, workers at some psychiatric residential treatment facilities in North Carolina have used physical restraints, seclusion or other restrictive interventions hundreds of times, according to state investigative reports.

Researchers say states should put children in psychiatric residential treatment facilities only as a last resort because they can suffer trauma with each move. Some kids in North Carolina left a center only to be moved to another facility, a sign the therapy was not effective or there was nowhere else for the state to put them.

The longer kids stay in psychiatric residential treatment facilities, the harder it is to reunite them with their families, experts warn. Children from North Carolinas foster care system stay in the centers 184 days on average, state officials say, far more than the 90-day goal set when the centers started opening here more than a decade ago.

There is broad agreement that children should be placed in centers close to home so they can maintain relationships with siblings and other family. Yet North Carolina in a one-year period shipped at least 227 kids in foster care to psychiatric residential treatment facilities in other U.S. states, including centers with a history of allegations of abuse and mistreatment.

North Carolina spends more than $100 million a year to put children in the centers but has no conclusive proof that psychiatric residential treatment facilities work. Officials didn't promise to start tracking what happens to kids once they are discharged from each center until this year, some 15 years after the first center opened in the state.

Children suffer broken bones, sprains and bruises at the hands of poorly trained and low-paid employees, our investigation found. Some endure bullying and sexual abuse from other teens when workers fail to properly supervise them.

One grandmothers worry

Inside psychiatric residential treatment facilities, Brenda Ballard's granddaughter Mi Cayla has been punched, kneed and had her hair pulled by other clients. That leads to more self-harming behavior, said the Charlotte grandma.

Brenda Ballard says her granddaughter has stayed in three psychiatric residential treatment facilities in less than two years. The girl continues to harm herself.

Ballard now spends her days worrying about her and fighting with state agencies over how she has been treated. We are in fear every time the phone rings that we have lost our granddaughter, Ballard said.

She and her husband, who live in Charlotte, are MiCaylas permanent legal guardians.

The girls mental health deteriorated a couple years ago when she was bullied on social media about her physical appearance.

MiCayla, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, reacted as many vulnerable children with this type of disability do. She cut her arms, she cut her legs and she cut her abdomen with sharp objects. She has suicidal thoughts.

MiCayla has been punched, kneed and had her hair pulled by other psychiatric center clients, her grandmother said. That leads her to harm her own body as a way to stem a tide of negative thoughts.

The girl is now staying at the psychiatric residential treatment facility at Bryn Marr Hospital in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

On a recent day, Ballard got more bad news. MiCayla had tested positive for COVID-19.

The whole system is broken, Ballard said.

Nowhere else to go

The state Legislature, the governors office and agencies responsible for protecting children were warned more than a decade ago about the dangers inside some psychiatric residential treatment facilities.

Federal and state research reports dating back to at least 2007 detailed abuses and ineffective treatment and recommended less use of the centers and other institutional care to treat children and others with mental illness. Since then, the number of facilities in North Carolina has only grown.

Jane, a mother who lives near Fayetteville, North Carolina, is fighting for her children trapped in the state psychiatric residential center system. USA TODAY Network is not using her real name to avoiding identifying her son still in custody care. "You look at him and see he had been punched in the face," she recalled about a visit to her son in the psychiatric center. "He had two loose teeth. He had two busted lips. I was upset and confused. I didn't want to leave my son there, but I had to."

By 2019, there were nearly 1,100 beds in the state, a 119 percent increase from 2010, according to Disability Rights North Carolina, a watchdog that monitors facilities on behalf of the federal government.

Lanier Cansler, former secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, said kids who were never meant to be there are being locked into psychiatric residential treatment facilities.

There is nowhere else to put them, Cansler said.

When a teenage girl with a history of suicidal behavior and suspected physical abuse fled Eliada Homes, an Asheville psychiatric center, barefoot and returned with bruises and scratches on her arms, she reported that shed been raped. Her caretakers did not call the police, according to a state report, even though they are required to do so by law. After the same girl slipped away from the facility another time, the report says, she stood in the middle of a highway, and passing cars swerved, narrowly avoiding hitting her.

A few other states offer more community-based services where foster care kids can remain home while getting treatment instead of going into a psychiatric residential treatment facility or another institution.

Research from nine other states shows that children felt better, improved in school and used and abused drugs and alcohol less often when they had community-based alternatives.

Worried about costs, North Carolina has limited the role of community-based services in favor of privatization.

State lawmakers set aside $47.5 million that would pay for the services after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1999 that people with disabilities had the right to treatment in their communities or the least restrictive environment possible.

Since then, North Carolina legislators instead spent most of the money elsewhere and failed to build up a network of quality community service providers, said a scathing report released by the state earlier this year.

USA TODAY Network-North Carolina called or emailed the 12 members of the General Assemblys Joint Oversight Committee on Medicaid and NC Health Choice. Only Insko, the Orange County Democrat, responded.

A trip to Carolina Dunes goes badly

Alex Matthews

By the time Alex Matthews arrived at Carolina Dunes, the child from Durham was already a veteran of psychiatric treatment centers.

Matthews had moved through facilities since the age of 13, first to one in Utah, then to one in South Carolina and then a third in Connecticut.

He was short and angular, with tightly cropped brown hair. Matthews speaks of his past with a perspective that belies the fact that he, at age 17, remains a juvenile.

Officially, his diagnosis at the time included ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder. His mental health challenges made him a handful, he said.

Resentment he felt toward his mother caused him to break things around the house and dip at school from being a great student to a poor one to being unable to attend at all.

Eventually, Matthews ended up at Carolina Dunes, a center outside of Wilmington in southeastern North Carolina.

On his first night, his air-filled pillow deflated when he rested his head on it. He slept on a towel instead, that night and every night for the next five months.

The food, he said, was awful. When he tried to eat breakfast, the inedible, liquidy eggs often sluiced around his plate.

USA TODAY Network reached out to Strategic Behavioral Health, which owns Carolina Dunes, but was told the company had no comment.

No evidence of effectiveness

A team of researchers from the University of North Carolina reviewed 230 studies of psychiatric residential treatment facilities from around the nation and found there was no evidence that they were effective.

The "dearth of research supporting the effectiveness of interventions delivered in (psychiatric treatment centers) should be alarming to families, advocates, practitioners, and policymakers, they wrote in a report published last year.

Roderick Rose, one of the researchers, said psychiatric residential treatment facilities offer evidence-based therapy less often than community-based services.

An adult visitor shared photos of a locked facility in Arkansas where the state of North Carolina sends children who need mental health care  or who don't, but lack a foster care placement bed. In this Piney Ridge center, the children's rooms are reportedly locked during the day and they sometimes lie on the floor in the halls.

Instead, kids in psychiatric centers are given a lot of pills.

Its cheaper to prescribe a kid a drug than it is to spend an hour, an hour and a half with them doing this practice, Rose said.

In North Carolina, managed care organizations help the state decide how to spend Medicaid money and oversee psychiatric residential treatment facilities.

Craig Martin, chief medical officer for Vaya Health, a managed care organization, said officials are trying to put more kids into community-based programs. Putting kids in these locked facilities instead can have unintended consequences, he admitted.

One, you're putting them with a lot of other kids who may have problems and they may learn new things that are not good rather than better coping skills, he said. The other thing that happens is the family and the community may get used to not having that kid around and they say, Our life is better because we don't have a challenging kid to care for.'

Transforming North Carolinas system is going to take time, Martin said.

What happened to Elizabeth

Elizabeth Dickey cant escape memories of her time in different locked North Carolina psychiatric wards.

In one North Carolina hospital unit, at night during a drill, staff from the childrens wing left to tend to patients on the connecting adult unit. There was one staff member left behind, but then they disappeared.

That night, an older boy dragged Elizabeth into the bathroom and raped her.

As he pushed himself on her, she thought she was going to die. She was 13.

At Strategic two years later, the new wounding inflicted on her was isolation and loneliness. She learned some of the girls had been there for months, others over a year.

Elizabeth weighed 90 pounds and took 125 milligrams of Seroquel a day; it made her feel like a zombie.

How long would she stay? She wondered if she needed to be there. Her behavioral issues did not match the magnitude of what she witnessed other children exhibiting  extreme behavioral and physically violent episodes.

The screams of the little girl restrained in front of everybody still haunt her. The kid attacked a staff member and cried and flailed until staff subdued her. Once inside her room, she screamed and screamed.

Elizabeth and the other girls watched the whole incident play out and were upset. Staffers sat in the hallway on their phones, disengaged.

Elizabeth Dickey circa 2011. She was 11 when issues started. Within two years, her mother would discover Elizabeth was suicidal and was cutting herself. Her parents drove Elizabeth to the local psychiatric hospital. Now 21, she has been living on her own and working as a server in a restaurant. Dickey is happy that she finally has been able to grow her hair out again, nice and long.

Employees threatened her with the same restraints and sedation if she didnt calm down. It frightened her.

She began to comb her hair more often to soothe herself. Staffers took her brush away, so she ran her fingers through her hair and rocked back and forth.

Elizabeth's parents werent getting answers on how their daughter was doing. They were supposed to have family therapy. Amy Dickey wondered if her daughter was getting therapy or schooling. She couldnt get a straight answer. I didnt feel everything was right, the mother said.

Strategic officials finally got back to her, and said snow had delayed therapy and school for the kids. It made no sense.

Families could visit once a month, so the family pastor decided to visit and report back to them.

When he came by, Elizabeth didnt make eye contact with him. She told him shed seen a therapist only once. He thought she was getting worse.

A week after the pastors visit, Amy Dickey and her husband made the trip to get their child out. Officials told her parents it was against the therapists suggestion.

They took their daughter, who had a big bald spot on her scalp, and left.

Later, the facility would hit a turning point.

In one incident, someone broke a window and 10 children escaped. Marred by numerous allegations such as physical violence against patients, verbal and sexual abuse, the Charlotte branch of Strategic Behavioral Health off Sharon Road eventually closed.

Facilities for children with reports similar to these remain open in every region of North Carolina.

 Fred Clasen-Kelly is the lead reporter for "Locked Away" and recently published the "Segregated by Section 8" investigation. He is an award-winning enterprise and investigative journalist based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the Housing & Social Justice Ramifications reporter for USA TODAY Network-Southeast. Send story tips to fclasenkelly@gannett.com.

UPCOMING

Our final "Locked Away" installment Nov. 18 explains why one North Carolina family wants to keep their teen out of psychiatric centers and what alternatives there could be, if changes are made.

MORE IN THIS SERIES

Punching, predators, neglect. Traumatized NC children suffer inside dismal psychiatric centers.

North Carolina ships abused, neglected kids to out-of-state facilities. Some are traumatized again.

I miss my damn charmed life': At risk for suicide, Ariel navigated chaos in youth centers

Foster kids just needed a bed. Lacking one, North Carolina sent them to psychiatric lockup instead.

Psychiatric centers fail many children. North Carolina keeps spending gobs of money on them.

'They're the boss of your child.' Why one NC teen's parents want to keep her from a psych unit

The team behind the Locked Away Investigation

REPORTING: Fred Clasen-Kelly, Amritpal Kaur Sandhu-Longoria, Rachel Berry, Brad Zinn, Kristen Johnson, Brian Gordon

VISUAL JOURNALISM: Ken Blevins, Andrew Craft, Amanda Rossmann, Kim Luciani

EDITORS: Fred Clasen-Kelly, William Ramsey

NARRATIVE STORYTELLING: Jeff Schwaner, Donnie Fetter

DIGITAL DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT: Spencer Holladay

FACT-CHECKER: Rachel Berry

PROOFING: Amy Dunn

SOCIAL MEDIA, ENGAGEMENT AND PROMOTION: Kara Edgerson

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: NC kids seeking mental health treatment traumatized in psychiatric centers
The season 3 cast of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," which aired on Bravo in 2011. Tommy Garcia/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

A new tell-all book about "The Real Housewives" franchise shares never-before-heard scandals.

"RHONJ" star Teresa Giudice and her family were involved in a 2011 brawl that never aired on Bravo.

Author Dave Quinn also shares what producers really thought about the brawl on "Potomac."

When penning his new tell-all, "Not All Diamonds and Rose: The Inside Story of The Real Housewives From the People Who Lived It," one thing became apparent to author Dave Quinn - drama happened off-camera that we were never supposed to find out about...until now.

To create the definitive oral history of the creation of this hit Bravo franchise, the journalist interviewed more than dozens of housewives, producers, network executives along with famed reunion host and executive producer, Andy Cohen.

And while fans may be familiar with the franchise's biggest scandals, such as "Beverly Hills'" "Puppygate" drama between Lisa Vanderpump and Dorit Kemsley to the reunion fight between "Atlanta" stars Kenya Moore and Porsha Williams, they may not be familiar with other fights and scandals that never aired, Quinn told Insider.

The cast of 'RHONJ' was involved in a brawl in the Dominican Republic that never aired on Bravo

The cast of Bravo's "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," Melissa Gorga, Caroline Manzo, Kathy Wakile, Teresa Giudice, and Jacqueline Laurita, appear on NBC News' "Today" show. Charles Sykes/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

In "Not All Diamonds and Rose," Quinn recalls how the cast of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" was involved in a brawl with strangers while vacationing in the Dominican Republic - a fight that surprisingly never aired on Bravo.

In 2011, star Teresa Giudice accidentally sprayed a bottle of champagne on a nightclub dance floor while the cast was in Punta Cana, Caroline Manzo told Quinn. The incident incited a brawl with strangers causing "all hell to [break] loose," Melissa Gorga added in the book.

"It was so interesting to me because when it came up in my interviews, somebody casually mentioned it to me," Quinn recalled to Insider last month. "And I said, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you talking about?'"

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"I thought going into this, I knew it all. I never knew that," he added. "So then I started asking more questions and one by one, the women would say to me, 'I'm not supposed to tell you this. I know we're not allowed to talk about this. We swore up and down we would never speak about this.'"

According to the tell-all book, Dominican Republic authorities seized the passports of Guidice's then-husband, Joe, along with Albie and Chris Manzo and another family friend. The book also detailed how Bravo executive producer Lucilla D'Agostino spent five days contacting lawyers and the Dominican Republic officials, which eventually led to no formal charges being pressed against any cast member.

"The Manzo family will never set foot on Dominican Republic soil again," Caroline Manzo added in the book.

Although 'Potomac' escalated into a barnyard fight and higher ratings, producers told Quinn 'they're not looking for that' and 'it's a huge issue'

During season five of "The Real Housewives of Potomac," Monique Samuels and Candiace Dillard Bassett got into a fight during a wine tasting. Bravo

Even in the midst of the biggest altercations, however, "Housewives'" producers and Bravo executives do not condone physical violence and often find themselves conflicted about the show's direction when the drama gets too messy.

During season five of "The Real Housewives of Potomac," Monique Samuels and Candiace Dillard Bassett had an intense exchange of words that resulted in a physical fight between the women during a wine tasting.

The altercation led to a Dillard Bassett filing charges against Samuels for her role in the fight with the mother of three later filing counter charges. The charges were later dropped on both sides. Ultimately, Samuels did not return to the show.

Samuels told Insider back in January that she was treated unfairly by reunion host Cohen, and "felt very free" leaving "Potomac" after that season in which a baseless rumor was spread that her son, Chase, was the product of an alleged affair.

"I've always said that if the show ever interfered with my family or my marriage that I would definitely get to packing," the reality star told Insider writer, Keyaira Boone, then.

Quinn said fights, like the one that happened on season five of "Potomac," are a "huge issue" with Bravo execs.

"What you hear from the executives [in the book] and what you hear from the producers, they don't really like that. They're not looking for that," Quinn said of the altercations on "Potomac" that led to fights. "They're not wanting these women to get into any sort of physical altercations."

Quinn said he spoke "really openly to Monique and Candiace about that" in the book, adding that he doesn't "think anybody involved in that is proud of" what happened.

Despite the drama on- and off-camera, fans have been loyal to the shows and the housewives they relate to most.

"For better or worse, there is nothing like the impact of reality television," Quinn told Insider. "We all thought that it would be a hit it and quit it thing, maybe 15 years ago ... It's not going anywhere."

Dave Quinn's "Not All Diamonds and Rose: The Inside Story of The Real Housewives From the People Who Lived It" is available where all books are sold.

Read the original article on Insider
If dining out on Thanksgiving has become an annual tradition, you will find fewer options this year.

Several restaurants that have been open on Thanksgiving in the past say they will be closed for the holiday due to staff shortages. (Char Steak and Lounge at the Strathallan Hotel, a popular place for holiday dining, continues to be closed after a fire in mid-October.)

You'll also find that prices have increased considerably  some Thanksgiving meals are $10 more per person than they were in 2019.

Also, it bears reminding that chefs and wait staff are sacrificing their own holidays to work on Thanksgiving, so more-generous-than-usual tipping would be appropriate.

Here's a selection of Rochester-area restaurants that will be open on Thanksgiving.

The 1833 Kitchen and Bar

The 1833 Kitchen and Bar at The Aurora Inn, a historic hotel at 391 Main St., Aurora, Cayuga County, will serve a three-course meal with seatings at 11 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. The cost is $75 per adult or $25 per child under the age of 12. Reserve online at 1833kitchen.com or call (315) 364-8888.

Brody's on the Bay

Brody's on the Bay, which overlooks Irondequoit Bay at 1400 Empire Blvd. in Penfield, will serve a Thanksgiving buffet from noon to 4 p.m. The cost is $38 for adults or $18 for children 12 and under. Reservations are required; call (585) 685-8016.

D&R Depot

D&R Depot, a homey restaurant in a former train depot 63 Lake St., Le Roy, Genesee County, will be open for 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Turkey dinner will be available for $16.99 per person. Call (585) 768-6270.

Edgar's Restaurant

Edgar's Restaurant at Belhurst Castle, a historic hotel 4069 West Lake Road, Geneva, will serve its full menu, seasonal specials and a four-course turkey prix fixe dinner ($44.95) from noon to 5 p.m. For reservations, call (315) 781-0201, extension 3.

Erie Grill

Erie Grill, an upscale restaurant at The Del Monte Lodge Renaissance Rochester Hotel & Spa, 41 N. Main St., Pittsford, will serve a special Thanksgiving menu from 3 to 7 p.m. A roasted turkey dinner, sourced from Autumn's Harvest Farm, will cost $45. Reservations can be made online at eriegrill.com or by calling (585) 419-3032.

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Farmer's Creekside Tavern and Inn

Farmer's Creekside Inn in Le Roy will be open on Thanksgiving and will also offer takeout meals.

Farmer's Creekside Tavern and Inn, a beautifully restored nearly 200-year-old building at 1 Main St., Le Roy, Genesee County, will serve a three-course prix fixe menu at a cost of $75 for adults and $25 for ages 12 and under. Seatings are at 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. It also will offer family-style Thanksgiving dinners in its private outdoor igloos. They cost $150 to rent, plus $55 per person for the meal. Reserve a table or igloo at farmerscreekside.com, or call (585) 768-6007.

Grappa

Grappa, in the College Town complex, will be open for Thanksgiving dinner.

Grappa, an Italian restaurant at 30 Celebration Drive in the College Town complex, will serve a special Thanksgiving menu from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The menu will include a cider brined and roasted free-range local turkey dinner for $35. Reserve online at grapproc.com or call (585) 445-5770.

Horizons at Woodcliff Hotel & Spa

Horizons at Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, the upscale hotel at 199 Woodcliff Drive, Perinton, will offer two dining options for Thanksgiving Day: a buffet or four-course prix fixe menu. A Thanksgiving buffet will cost $48 for adults and $25 for children 12 and under. Buffet entrees will include carved turkey, pork loin, seared salmon, vegetable pappardelle and beef ribeye. Four-course dinners, beginning at $42, offer a choice of salad, starter, entree and dessert. For reservations call (585) 248-4825. For more information, go to woodcliffhotelspa.com/holiday.

Monroes

Monroes, an Italian-American restaurant at 3001 Monroe Ave., Pittsford, will serve a Thanksgiving buffet that will include a carving station with turkey, ham and beef tenderloin. The cost is $52 per person. Call (585) 348-9103 for reservations or to order. Find full menus online at monroes3001.com.

New York Kitchen

The restaurant at New York Kitchen, a beautiful facility that celebrates New York's agriculture and craft beverages, 800 S. Main St. in Canandaigua, will serve a Thanksgiving buffet in its restaurant. It will include turkey breast, baked ham, lasagna rolls, traditional sides and assorted desserts. The cost is $49. To reserve, call (585) 394-7070 or email kerrie@bestbeverage.com.

More: 20 options for Thanksgiving takeout in Rochester: Turkey, sides and the meal

Nicks Seabreeze Inn

Nicks Seabreeze Inn, a cozy Italian restaurant at 4581 Culver Road, Irondequoit, will serve a roast turkey dinner for $21.95 or $14.95 for children under 10. Its holiday menu also has 11 other items including prime rib, seafood fra diavolo and lamb shank. For reservations call (585) 323-1950 between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday to Friday. Find a full menu online at nicksseabreezeinn.com.

The Northside Inn

The Northside Inn, a longtime Italian restaurant at 311 N. Washington St. in East Rochester, will be open from 1 to 7 p.m. It will serve a holiday menu of its most popular entrees including gnocchi, pasta with clam sauce and chicken French. A turkey dinner special will cost $26.95. Call (585) 248-3470 for reservations.

Nucci's Italian Seafood and Steak House

Nucci's Italian Seafood and Steak House, 807 Ridge Road in Webster, will serve its full menu and specials from 1 to 8 p.m. The specials will include a turkey dinner, baked glazed ham, or pork tenderloin for $26.99. To make a reservation, call (585) 347-4961.

Perlos

Perlos, an Italian restaurant at 202 N. Washington St., East Rochester, will serve a Thanksgiving menu from noon to 7 p.m. Diners will have a choice of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, prime rib, salmon or pasta with meatball or sausage for $34.95. The meal includes bread and butter, nonalcoholic beverages as well as a choice of pie. Call (585) 248-5060 for reservations.

Red Fedele's Brook House

Red Fedele's Brook House, a spacious Italian restaurant at 920 Elmridge Center Dr. in Greece, will be open from noon to 5 p.m. Instead of its usual buffet, it will offer a choice of turkey ($27), ham ($18) or prime rib ($35) plated dinner, served with a choice of soup or salad as well as pie. Its many Christmas decorations will be on display. To reserve, call (585) 723-9988.

Rose Tavern

Rose Tavern, the restaurant at the new upscale The Lake House on Canandaigua, 770 S Main St., Canandaigua, will serve a buffet-style feast from noon to 8 p.m. It will feature roasted cider-brined turkey, Niman Ranch prime rib, local vegetables, salads, sides, breads, cheeses and a dessert table. The cost is $65 for adults and 35 for children 12 and under. Reserve on resy.com or call (585) 394-1480.

Royal of India

Royal of India, the Indian restaurant at 300 Park Point Dr., is an option for folks who prefer not to partake in a turkey dinner. It will serve a buffet from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and order off the menu from 5 to 9 p.m. Takeout will be available. Call (585) 360-4418 for reservations. Online ordering is available at royalofindiarochester.com.

Tournedos

Tournedos, the fine dining restaurant at the Inn on Broadway, 26 Broadway downtown, will be open from noon to 4 p.m. It will serve its full menu in addition to a three-course turkey dinner for $59.95 per person. Reservations are required. Call (585) 232-3595.

Veraisons Restaurant

Veraisons Restaurant, which overlooks the vineyard at Glenora Wine Cellars, 5435 State Route 14, Starkey, Yates County, will offer a Thanksgiving buffet with seatings at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. A carving station will offer carved turkey, ham and tofu wellington. It will include a bounty of appetizers, salads, sides and desserts. The price will be $48 for adults or $24 for children ages 10 and under. Find a full menu online at glenora.com. For reservations call (800) 243-5513.

More: 8 places to get takeout vegan Thanksgiving meals, appetizers and desserts in Rochester

Chain restaurants open on Thanksgiving

These chain restaurants will be open on Thanksgiving:

 Boston Market, 942 Jefferson Road, Henrietta, (585) 272-8110.

 Cracker Barrel, 2075 Hylan Drive, Henrietta, (585) 321-3230.

 Denny's, 2890 W. Ridge Road in Greece, 911 Jefferson Road in Henrietta and other area locations.

 Golden Corral, 450 Jefferson Road in Henrietta, (585) 426-7725.

Tracy Schuhmacher is food and drink reporter and a storytelling coach for the USA Today Network's Storytellers Project. Email her at TracyS@Gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram as @RahChaChow. Thanks to our subscribers for supporting local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Restaurants open on Thanksgiving in Rochester NY
By Tom Balmforth

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Most Russians went back to work on Monday for the first time in more than a week as a nationwide workplace shutdown was lifted across most regions, even though the numbers of new COVID-19 cases and deaths are hovering near record daily highs.

President Vladimir Putin announced last month that Oct. 30 to Nov. 7 would be paid "non-working days" - an attempt to slow the surge in cases by imposing the strictest nationwide restrictions since the early months of the pandemic last year.

But officials on Monday reported 1,190 nationwide coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours, higher than in the days before the enforced work break and just five short of the record reported last Thursday.

There were 39,400 new COVID-19 cases, down from a peak of 41,335 on Saturday.

The Kremlin said it was early to judge the impact of the shutdown yet, but it cited Moscow's mayor, a close Putin ally, as saying the epidemic in the capital was stabilising.

Despite developing one of the first vaccines against COVID-19 infection last year, Russia has failed to persuade swathes of the population to accept it. Only around 40 percent of the population is immunised.

Immunologist Nikolay Kryuchkov told Reuters he was sceptical of the effectiveness of the work pause, which only a handful of Russia's more than 80 regions have chosen to extend into this week.

"I think it will either have a weak effect or a very weak effect," Kryuchkov said. "It has to be longer and fuller... This is not the same as a European lockdown. It's a much softer version."

While people were not meant to work during the lockdown, there was nothing to stop them socialising or travelling in Russia or abroad. Travel agents reported a boom in people flying off on foreign beach holidays.

In Moscow, all shops apart from pharmacies and supermarkets were meant to close, but some pubs and beauty salons were still working.

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Kryuchkov said rather than relaxing the curbs, regions such as Moscow and St Petersburg should be expanding them and keeping them in place for longer.

"I fear there is going to be a significant period in which we stay at the same point (in the pandemic) and then it will go down and the rate is going to slowly fall. That is not a very good scenario," he said.

The Kremlin has said it is up to regional authorities to tailor their lockdowns to match the severity of the outbreaks they face.

Many regions that have lifted the workplace shutdown will now require visitors to present a QR code on their mobile phones when visiting cafes, restaurants or shopping centres to prove they have been vaccinated or previously had the virus.

The situation in the region surrounding Moscow remained "tense", but the number of people being rushed to hospital has stabilised over the last week, a senior local health official was quoted by TASS news agency as saying.

The recent surge in COVID-19 inpatients has put oxygen supplies under strain, and the Russian navy's Baltic Fleet said it had handed over five tonnes of liquefied oxygen to help treat hospital patients, the Interfax news agency reported.

(Reporting by Tom Balmforth, Gleb Stolyarov, Maria Kiselyova, Polina Nikolskaya; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Peter Graff)
MOSCOW (Reuters) -A Moscow court on Monday fined Alphabet Inc.'s Google 2 million roubles ($28,085) for not deleting content that Russia deems illegal, part of a wider dispute between Moscow and the U.S. tech giant.

Russia has threatened to fine Google a percentage of its annual Russian turnover for repeatedly failing to delete banned content on its search engine and YouTube, in Moscow's strongest move yet to rein in foreign tech firms.

Google confirmed Monday's fine, but gave no additional comment. Last month Google and a Russian lawmaker said the company had paid more than 32 million roubles in previous fines.

Russia also fined messaging app Telegram 4 million roubles. Telegram did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Two other administrative cases against Google were postponed until Nov. 29, the court said, in order for a Google representative to have more time to study the case materials.

($1 = 71.2111 roubles)

(Reporting by Alexander Marrow; additional reporting by Maria Vasilyeva; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
Christmas-themed decor is displayed Oct. 29 at The Crooked Queen in Merrill. The seasonal shop's Christmas Market will be held from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 12 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 13 and 14.

If you're looking for holiday gifts that support small businesses, look no further. Across central Wisconsin, many organizations are hosting opportunities to buy from local crafters, artists and vendors. Keep reading to discover where to find your next gift with a handmade or personal touch.

Marshfield area

Craft Boutique at Alpine Holiday, 4-8 p.m. Nov. 12 and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 13 at Columbus Catholic Schools, 710 S. Columbus Ave., Marshfield. Over 30 craft, direct sales and small business vendors. For more information: Facebook or columbuscatholicschools.org.

Celebrate Fall in Marshfield, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 13 at Oak Ave Community Center, 201 S. Oak Ave., Marshfield. Over 30 craft, direct sales and small business vendors. For more information: Facebook or the Oak Ave website.

St. Mary Help of Christians Parish Annual Holiday Fair, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 13 at Colby Lions Shelter, 103 W. Adams St., Colby. Bake sale, handmade wreaths, silent auction. For more information: 715-223-3048 or Facebook.

Bauman Christmas Barn, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 19-21, Nov. 26-28 and Dec. 3-5 at Bauman Nursery and Landscaping, 221584 Fairfield Drive, Edgar. Handmade home goods, refreshments for sale, and Christmas trees and wreaths. For more information: 715-897-3508 or bauman-nursery.com

Wake Up Santa Craft and Vendor Event, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 20 and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 21 at Marshfield Mall, 503 E. Ives St., Marshfield. Over 40 craft, direct sales and small business vendors. For more information: 715-305-7102 or marshfieldmall.com.

33rd Spencer PTA Fall Craft Sale, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 27 at Spencer School District, 300 N. School St., Spencer. Over 100 craft vendors. For more information: spencerwipta@gmail.com or Facebook.

Shop Local Vendor Event, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 27 at Spencer Kids Group, 117 E. Clark St., Spencer. A dozen handmade and direct sales vendors. For more information: 715-659-4969 or Facebook.

Holiday Showcase on Chestnut, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 5 at Chestnut Center for the Arts, 208 S. Chestnut Ave., Marshfield. Features live music, refreshments for sale and handcrafted goods. For more information: Facebook or 715-389-8999.

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A crowd browses through displays at the Spencer PTA Fall Craft Sale. This year's sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 27 at the Spencer School District, 300 N. School St., Spencer.

Stevens Point area

Fine Art Gift Gallery, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, from Nov. 10-Dec. 23, at the Riverfront Arts Center, 1200 Crosby Ave., Stevens Point. Opening reception from 4:30-7:30 p.m. Nov. 12. For more information: 715-343-6251 or Facebook.

Holiday Makers Market, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 20 and Dec. 11 at Rose House, 1140 Clark St., Stevens Point. Ten craft vendors and refreshments for sale. For more information: 715-997-9556 or Facebook.

Tinsel Trail, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 21 at the Holiday Inn Convention Center, 1001 Amber Ave., Stevens Point. Over 150 vendors, $3 entrance fee. For more information: Facebook.

St. Bron's Youth Fundraiser Open House Home Parties & Crafters Event, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Nov. 21 at St. Bronislava Parish, 3200 Plover Road, Plover. Features 15 direct sales and craft vendors. For more information: Facebook.

19th Annual Holiday Home Party and Craft Extravaganza, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 27 at the Holiday Inn Convention Center, 1001 Amber Ave., Stevens Point. Over 30 craft, direct sales and small business vendors. For more information: 715-421-5878 or bepampered@grafsville.com.

Tomorrow River Christmas Craft Show, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 4 at the Jensen Community Center, 487 N. Main St., Amherst. Over 40 vendors selling handmade items. For more information: Facebook or fletcherstrc@gmail.com.

Something Special from Wisconsin Holiday Market, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Holiday Inn Convention Center, 1001 Amber Ave., Stevens Point. Features over 45 small businesses that sell products made in Wisconsin. Admission is $2. For more information: Facebook or somethingspecialwi.com.

Artwork on display during the Fine Art Gift Gallery at the Riverfront Arts Center, 1200 Crosby Ave., Stevens Point. This year's exhibit will run Nov. 10 to Dec. 23.

Wausau area

The Crooked Queen Christmas Market, 3-6 p.m. Nov. 12 and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 13-14 at The Crooked Queen, N1764 High Ridge Road, Merrill. A home decor shop that specializes in seasonal goods. For more information: 715-574-2061 or Facebook.

MORE: The Crooked Queen near Merrill draws shoppers from across the Midwest for annual Christmas market

Rib Mountain PTO Fall Bazaar, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 13 at Rib Mountain Elementary School, 2701 Robin Lane, Wausau. For more information: Facebook.

11th Annual Fall Extravaganza Expo, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 13 at the New Testament Church, N2519 Lincoln County K, Merrill. Features handmade items, direct sales and baked goods. More information: Facebook or 715-536-8554.

7th Annual Widows Weekend Craft and Vendor Event, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 20 at Jefferson Elementary School, 1914 Jackson St., Merrill. For more information: Facebook.

18th Annual Home Party Plan & Craft Show, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 20 at Dale's Weston Lanes, 5902 Schofield Ave., Weston. A dozen direct sales and craft vendors. For more information: 715-359-8488 or Facebook.

St. Therese Holiday Showcase, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 20 at St. Therese Church, 112 W. Kort St., Schofield. Over 60 vendors, a bake sale and a raffle. For more information: 715-359-2421 or Facebook.

Wausau Area Fall Craft Show, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 20 at Greenheck Field House, 6400 Alderson St., Weston. Over 100 vendors selling handmade items. For more information: craftshow@wausau4thofjuly.org.

Small Shop Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 27 at Marathon Elementary School, 100 Spring Valley Drive, Marathon City.

Christmas Artisan, Craft and Small Business Show, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 4 at Mosinee High School, 1000 High St., Mosinee. Features over 170 vendors. For more information: mosineechamber.org or 715-693-4330.

12th Annual Deck the Malls Craft Event, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 12 and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 13 at Cedar Creek Mall, 10101 Market St., Rothschild. Over 50 crafters, direct sales and small business vendors. For more information: Facebook or cedarcreekmall.com.

Holiday Night Market 2021, 4-9 p.m. Dec. 18 at Whitewater Music Hall, 130 N. First St., Wausau. Handmade goods from over 30 vendors. For more information: 715-937-2809 or Facebook.

Wisconsin Rapids area

Holiday Art and Gift Fair, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, from Nov. 11-Dec. 18, at Central Wisconsin Cultural Center, 2651 Eighth St. S., Wisconsin Rapids. Special hours from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 27. Original artwork, handmade home decor, accessories and wearables, with a Holiday Opening Reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Nov. 11. For more information: 715-421-4598 or culturalcenterarts.com.

Holiday Shopping Expo, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 13 at Hotel Mead, 451 E. Grand Ave., Wisconsin Rapids. Over 30 craft, direct sales and small business vendors. For more information: Facebook.

Vendor and Craft Show, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 20 at Ponderosa Pines Pub, Eatery, and Campground, 287 State 73, Bancroft. Features over a dozen craft, direct sales and small business vendors. For more information: 715-335-2267 or Facebook.

Rudolph's Country Christmas, 2-7 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Rudolph Volunteer Fire Department, 1559 Main St., Rudolph. 20 craft vendors and holiday food and activities. For more information: Facebook.

Junkyard's Christmas Bazaar, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 12 at The Junkyard Bar & Grill, 9047 State 13 S., Wisconsin Rapids. About a dozen direct sales and craft vendors. For more information: 715-325-6060 or Facebook.

Vendor and Craft Show and Lunch with Santa, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 18 at Ponderosa Pines Pub, Eatery, and Campground, 287 State 73, Bancroft. Features direct sales and local small businesses. For more information: 715-335-2267 or Facebook.

Did we miss a holiday bazaar or craft fair? Email rloroff@gannett.com to submit your event to this list.

This article originally appeared on Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune: Search for the perfect gift at central Wisconsin craft fairs, bazaars
Kristine Willhite is the new CEO of Siffrin, a local nonprofit that serves and empowers people with disabilities. With her is Shawn Crable, Siffrin's new chief operating officer.

JACKSON TWP.  Finding a CEO with leadership skills and business savvy is good  but getting one with real-world, first-hand experience is even better.

As a sister and mother of people with disabilities Kristine Willhite, the new head of Siffrin, has both.

Siffrin is a nonprofit that assists and empowers adults who have disabilities. Started by a group of local families and disability advocates in 1976, Siffrin serves more than 900 people in eight counties with employment training, residential support, transportation, day services, needs assessments and financial management.

More: Siffrin names Kristine Willhite as CEO

More: Alliance native, 'Black 14' member secures 40,000 pounds of donations for pantries

A native of Massillon, Willhite was appointed in August after serving on Siffrin's board of directors for two years. She holds a bachelor's degree in early childhood education from Kent State University, and a master's in nonprofit administration from Louisiana State University.

She succeeds Brad Vincent.

"We empower people with disabilities to help them achieve full community access," Willhite said. "I had an older brother who had an intellectual disability and blindness. Siffrin provided services for him. It was just seeing how an agency provided my brother with dignity as an adult that was so impressive."

When Willhite later became a foster parent for Pathway Caring for Children, one of those she fostered was Brandon Harter, who was nonverbal and autistic. Willhite and her husband adopted Harter through open adoption, and maintain a relationship with his birth family. Today, he is 27.

"Being a sibling and parent of people with disabilities provides me with a different perspective," she said.

Dreams and goals

Willhite said agencies such as Siffrin symbolize a significant change in how society regards people with disabilities.

Siffrin is licensed through the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities and holds a number of accreditations and memberships, including CARF International, Ohio Provider Resource Association, the Disability Housing Network and the Gold Star Collaborative, and is a certified vendor with Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities.

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"It's far from the days of institutionalism, where people didn't see them as having hopes and dreams and goals for their lives," she said.

Willhite points out that Aultman Hospital has an internship program in partnership with Siffrin called EPIC. The agency also offers Siffrin Academy in partnership with Kent State University's Stark Campus, which provides post-secondary education and prevocational training in a university setting.

"I don't think some people think they have employable skills," Willhite said.

Willhite previously served as a regional coordinator at the Early Childhood Resource Center, a ministry of the Sisters of Charity Foundation, where Shawn Crable, Siffrin's new chief operating officer, was one of her colleagues.

Willhite and Crable said their goal is to uphold Siffrin's motto: Making Life Accessible Since 1976 by expanding its reach to serve even more families who may not be aware that they qualify for Siffrin's services.

Medicaid is the agency's major source of funding.

Sense of purpose

Crable said he was seeking new opportunities and challenges when Willhite reached out.

"The biggest thing for me, I wanted to be able to steer something, and help in some capacity," he said. "Working with the developmentally disabled community is a very heartfelt spot that I have in my heart. I think God moves you in the right direction. It worked out well."

Crable said his personal goal is to be a "bridge" for Willhite so that she can concentrate on the bigger picture.

"So she can focus on what Siffrin can be in 20 years, or the next century," he said.

Willhite said many of Siffrin's employees are longtime staff "because they have big hearts."

The agency currently is seeking new direct-care staff, who would work with clients residing in 39 supervised-living homes in Stark, Summit, and Mahoning counties. Siffrin is named after the late Elsie Siffrin, whose estate donated money used to lease a home for seven men in 1976.

Willhite is encouraging people to consider Siffrin.

"It's about inspiring others, and to be inspired by the work," she said. "We're living in a time when so many people don't feel a sense of purpose. They would find a purpose if they tried it."

Willhite said that despite the social progress, misconceptions about people with disabilities still persist.

"The biggest misconception is that they don't have skills that are useable, and they can't have meaningful relationships like the rest of us, or that they're not seeking them," she said. "I think people just don't think about it."

Willhite said being at Siffrin feels like destiny.

"It's one of those moments when passion and beliefs come together in one piece," she said. "I feel like it's a great place where I can use my experience and skills."

For more details about the agency, go to: https://www.siffrin.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/siffrininc.

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @cgoshayREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Kristin Willhite heads nonprofit that empowers those with disabilities
Four years after a 26-year-old man's fatal drug overdose in Johnson City, the person accused of selling him heroin pleaded guilty.

But over the course of those four years, three different courts grappled with the question of whether he should be prosecuted for manslaughter. It was finally settled in October by the highest court in New York state, which essentially said "No."

Richard B. Gaworecki, then 29, was accused of selling five bags of heroin for $100 to 26-year-old Nicholas A. McKiernan on July 20,2017. Then, sometime between July 21 and 22, McKiernan died of an overdose.

A grand jury indictment later charged Gaworecki with second-degree manslaughter and drug crimes, but his defense attorney argued there wasn't enough proof for the homicide charge. A Broome County Court judge agreed.

When Judge Kevin Dooley tossed out the manslaughter charge in December 2017, he stated there was no direct evidence Gaworecki knew the heroin he sold to McKiernan was particularly potent or strong.

But later, a midlevel state appeals court reinstated the manslaughter charge. Two dissenting judges' opinions, however, enabled Gaworecki's attorney to ask the Court of Appeals, which is New York state's highest court, to decide the matter.

The Court of Appeals released its decision Oct. 7, saying evidence presented to the grand jury in 2017 was not enough to establish Gaworecki acted with recklessness or negligence that could support charges of second-degree manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide.

"The evidence demonstrated that (Gaworecki) knew that the heroin he sold the decedent was strong and required caution," the Court of Appeals decision says. "That the heroin was potent, however, does not equate to a substantial and unjustifiable risk that death would result from the use of the heroin."

The opioid crisis: Fentanyl is the drug trade's murderous menace, and it's upending treatment and policing

Story continues

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Monica Goods case: Indictment of NY state trooper again raises questions over police narrative

Gaworecki pleaded guilty Monday in Broome County Court to a felony count of third-degree attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance. He could've faced up to nine years in prison, but his plea agreement with prosecutors resolved the case with a three-year conditional discharge.

Dooley issued the sentence, which requires Gaworecki to stay out of trouble for the three years to avoid facing any other penalties, and reminded him that in some ways, whether the heroin he sold contributed to McKiernan's death remains unclear. That's a moral issue, Dooley said, not a legal issue.

"My client has accepted responsibility for what happened," defense lawyer Veronica Gorman said at Monday's guilty plea.

Fatal heroin overdose: A closer look at the evidence

The Broome County Court building in downtown Binghamton, New York.

Johnson City police were called to McKiernan's home early July 22, 2017 and found empty blue and green packets of heroin, court records said. His death was determined to have been caused by acute heroin toxicity.

Although one bag of heroin recovered by police from Gaworeckis vehicle tested positive for heroin and fentanyl, the Court of Appeals said there was no evidence the heroin he sold to McKiernan also contained fentanyl, or, if it did, that Gaworecki had cut or packaged the drugs himself.

Court documents say witnesses testified before the grand jury that it was "common knowledge" among heroin users that different samples of heroin have different potencies and the strength of a heroin sample could vary a great deal.

Witnesses in the grand jury also testified they used the same sample of heroin purchased from Gaworecki before July 22, 2017 and survived, according to court documents.

There was also no evidence that Gaworecki was McKiernan's only heroin supplier, according to the Court of Appeals.

Text messages, which were mentioned in court records, indicated Gaworecki texted McKiernan the afternoon of July 20: "I told you so bro, I hooked you up. Just be careful."

McKiernan replied, "Yeah I just did one."

When interviewed by detectives, Gaworecki stated, "I told him to be wicked careful."

Follow Anthony Borrelli on Twitter @PSBABorrelli. Click here to catch up on Anthony's recent work. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: New York court says Broome County heroin overdose not homicide
The House committee handling redistricting plans to meet Wednesday and will likely release its map for its redrawn 124 districts based on population growth and changes in the 2020 U.S. Census.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  South Carolina voters should have an idea by the end of this week what both their state Senate and House districts will look like when they go to the polls next year.

The House committee handling redistricting plans to meet Wednesday and will likely release its map for its redrawn 124 districts based on population growth and changes in the 2020 U.S. Census.

A Senate committee released a proposed map of that chamber's 46 districts last Thursday and plans a public hearing this Friday.

Both chambers have suggested they will hold early December special sessions to approve the state House and Senate maps, as well as a U.S. House map they will collaborate on.

Previously: SC House to hold more redistricting meetings this week as maps delayed

More: One district highlights South Carolina's history of drawing lines to re-elect incumbents

The biggest change for the Senate districts was taking the district currently represented by Democratic Sen. Dick Harpootlian of Columbia and moving it to Charleston.

The move was the conclusion of a cascade of tweaks to the maps as many rural and more Democratic districts in the rural areas between Charleston and Columbia either lost population or grew slower than the state as a whole from 2010 to 2020.

South Carolina added nearly 500,000 people over the decade, its population growing 10.7% to more than 5.1 million, according to the new U.S. Census population count.

But that growth was concentrated in areas like Horry County, Charleston and the rest of the coast, York and northern Lancaster County near Charlotte, North Carolina, and around Greenville and Spartanburg.

The House map will likely have several new districts in those areas.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina House to release redistricting map for 124 districts
KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP)  Sudans top general promised that he won't hold a government position after planned elections in July 2023, speaking two weeks after he toppled a transitional government in a widely condemned coup.

The military leader, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, has repeatedly promised to hand over power to an elected civilian government eventually. His weekend announcement that he will not run for office does not preclude other top generals from shedding their military titles and becoming candidates.

On Oct. 25, the military dissolved the country's transitional government and detained more than 100 government officials and political leaders, along with a large number of protesters and activists. Since then, at least 13 anti-coup protesters have been killed due to the excessive force used by the country's security forces, according to Sudanese doctors and the U.N.

On Sunday, security forces tear-gassed demonstrators and rounded up more than 100 people, most of them anti-coup teachers in the capital of Khartoum.

In comments aired Sunday by the Al-Jazeera satellite television news network, Burhan also said that security forces were not responsible for the protesters' deaths.

Burhan has maintained the military was compelled to take over because of quarrels between political parties that he claimed could lead to civil war. But the takeover also took place less than a month before he was supposed to surrender the leadership of the country's top governing body to a civilian.

Sudan has been in the midst of a fragile transition to democracy that began after a popular uprising forced the militarys removal of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir and his Islamist government in April 2019. For weeks before the coup, there had been mounting tensions between military and civilian leaders over the pace of the transition.

In another development, the powerful leader of Sudan's large paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, made his first public comments since the coup. Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo said in a video statement released by his office late Sunday that the generals seized power to correct the course of the people's revolution" and achieve stability.

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He accused a handful of political parties in the government of monopolizing power and neglecting the people's interests. Dagalo, who is known as Hemedti, has been seen by Burhan's side in many of the post-coup meetings with international diplomats. He wields extensive influence in the country after leading brutal campaigns against the insurgency in the restive Darfur province under al-Bashir. His forces have also been accused of violently dispersing a sit-in during the 2019 uprising that led to protester deaths.

Since the coup, large-scale demonstrations have taken place around the country, demanding the return of a civilian government.

Burhan also told Al-Jazeera that the military will not stop any political activity as long as it is peaceful and within the boundaries of the 2019 constitutional declaration.

The document was approved in August 2019 after drawn-out negotiations between the military and the protest movement that had led the uprising against al-Bashir. It established the now-deposed transitional government that includes a civilian-military Sovereign Council and a Cabinet, led by former U.N. economist Abdalla Hamdok, to run day-to-day affairs.
In this May 27, 2008 file photo, the gurney in Huntsville, Texas, where Texas' condemned are strapped down to receive a lethal dose of drugs is shown.

WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday in a case that may determine whether death row inmates are entitled to a spiritual adviser who can both pray audibly and make physical contact at the moment they are executed.

John Ramirez, convicted of a 2004 murder at a Corpus Christi convenience store, sued Texas officials over a policy that prohibits his pastor from placing his hands on him and praying aloud during his execution.

The case sits at the intersection of the court's push to expand protection for religious exercise and its reluctance to stop executions in response to eleventh-hour appeals.

The justices will hear arguments after an extraordinary series of developments, including the high court's decision to halt Ramirez's scheduled execution in September. The court moved the case off its emergency docket and into the group of 70-80 cases it considers every year on their merits.

Death row: Supreme Court grapples with prayer, touch in execution chamber

More: Supreme Court halts execution of Texas inmate seeking pastor's touch, prayer

"It has significance with respect to human dignity and basic decency," said Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, a nonpartisan group. "It says what kind of people we are, more than anything else, and do we believe that at the time of death people should have the opportunity for religious comfort."

On the other hand, Dunham noted, as long as there is a death penalty there will come a point at which the state's interest in carrying out the execution overcomes the interest of the individual inmate to exercise his or her freedom of religion.

Figuring out where that point is will be a major focus of the court's discussion Tuesday.

Ramirez has been meeting with Pastor Dana Moore of the Second Baptist Church in Corpus Christi, Texas, since 2017. In an interview earlier this year, Moore said he makes the four-hour drive to the Allan B. Polunsky Unit about once a month.

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"I just want to be able to touch John," Moore told USA TODAY. "If I'm standing right by him, why can't I just reach out?"

Texas has told the Supreme Court it has an interest in limiting the interaction between an inmate and a spiritual adviser to ensure the execution goes smoothly. State officials have questioned how far an inmate may go in making demands to facilitate their religious exercise and they have accused Ramirez of trying to delay his sentence.

In a brief last month, Texas officials said Ramirez is playing an "ongoing game of ecclesiastical whack-a-mole" to try to stall his execution.

"An outsider touching the inmate during lethal injection poses an unacceptable risk to the security, integrity, and solemnity of the execution," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asserted in court papers. "Even inadvertent interference with the IV lines could cause pain to Ramirez and emotional distress to his victim's family."

That argument may draw sharp questioning from some of the justices given that Alabama allowed a pastor into the execution chamber last month when Willie Smith was put to death by lethal injection for the 1991 kidnapping and murder of a 22-year-old woman. The pastor appeared to be praying with Smith and placed a hand on his leg at the beginning of the execution, according to witnesses.

Ramirez, 37, fatally stabbed Pablo Castro, a convenience store clerk, in 2004. He and two women were looking for drug money when they confronted Castro outside the store. According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Ramirez beat and kicked Castro and stabbed him 29 times. The three left with $1.25.

Ramirez was arrested four years later at the Texas-Mexico border.

"Since that night over seventeen years ago, the Castro children have endured delay after delay in securing justice for their father and closure for themselves," the family of the victim told the high court last month. "Ramirez has pursued a manipulative, dilatory litigation strategy that has robbed Pablo Castros children of even the smallest measure of closure and peace."

Federal courts have intervened three times to halt Ramirezs execution.

At a time when conservatives on the Supreme Court have sought to shield religious freedom from interference in other contexts, such as when those protections conflict with LGBTQ rights, the justices have also been expanding the rights of death row inmates to worship.

In 2019, the court was criticized for refusing to block the execution of a Muslim man in Alabama who was denied an imam  even though the state permitted Christian chaplains to attend executions. A majority of the court said that Domineque Ray had made his appeal too late. Ray, convicted of killing a 15-year-old girl in 1995, was executed hours after the Supreme Courts order.

A month later, a 7-2 majority halted the execution of a Texas prisoner who initially wasnt permitted to have a Buddhist spiritual adviser at his side during his execution. Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that once a state permits a religious adviser of one denomination, such as a Christian preacher, it cant exclude rabbis, imams and other advisers.

The result was that Texas and Alabama barred all spiritual advisers from the execution chamber. But earlier this year, another appeal to the Supreme Court changed the calculus once again. In that case, Smith  the Alabama inmate  sued to have a pastor at his execution and a majority that included Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett and the court's liberals ruled in his favor.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Supreme Court to weigh religious rights for Texas death row inmate
Washington  The Supreme Court on Monday grappled with whether to allow a case brought by three Muslim men against the FBI to proceed, with the men arguing the federal government targeted them and their Southern California community for surveillance based on their religion.

Across arguments spanning more than two hours, the justices seemed likely to issue a narrow ruling in the case known as FBI v. Fazaga, with some expressing concerns about the leeway the federal government has in keeping information from public view by invoking national security. A federal appeals court allowed claims brought by the California men to proceed, and the federal government asked the high court to review that decision.

"The problem is that now the government takes a much stronger view of what state-secrets doctrine is," Justice Neil Gorsuch told Deputy Solicitor General Edwin Kneedler, who argued on behalf of the FBI.

There is a "pretty good argument," Gorsuch said, that the government is using the state-secrets privilege, under which information is shielded from disclosure when it's necessary to safeguard national security, "as a means to dismiss the case."

The case, which was brought against the bureau and five agents in 2011, turns on whether a provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) displaces the state-secrets privilege, which was invoked by the federal government in seeking to block the suit.

The legal battle before the justices arose after the FBI used a confidential informant named Craig Monteilh to gather information about Muslim residents in Orange County from 2006 to 2007. Over a 14-month span, Monteilh allegedly surveilled the Muslim Americans through non-electronic and electronic means, including by gathering personal information through face-to-face meetings and through video and audio recordings from inside mosques, homes, businesses and at events, according to court filings.

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The FBI's operation, known as Operation Flex, fell apart when Monteilh began expressing interest in violence and said he had access to weapons and wanted to take violent action, according to filings with the Supreme Court. Members of the Muslim community reported him to law enforcement, after which he was revealed to be an FBI informant.

Three of the men who met with and were surveilled by Monteilh  Sheikh Yassir Fazaga, Ali Uddin Malik and Yasser AbdelRahim  sued the FBI in federal court, alleging they were targeted for surveillance because of their religion.

But the federal government moved to dismiss the suit, arguing the claims couldn't be litigated without risking the disclosure of state secrets  namely, who was being investigated and why  and invoked the state-secrets privilege.

The district court upheld the government's assertion of the state-secrets privilege, finding its disclosure would compromise national security. But the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed, ruling that the procedures established under FISA regarding the legality of challenged electronic surveillance displaces the state-secrets privilege and the district court should have reviewed the materials first to see whether the surveillance was unlawful.

Justice Stephen Breyer suggested Monday that a district court judge should have the opportunity to examine evidence from the federal government that underpins its reason for wiretapping someone.

"A plaintiff sues government officials and says: You have unlawfully been wiretapping or surveying, whatever. OK? The government goes back and says: Judge, we have a good reason for doing that wiretapping, and we don't want to tell people what it is. Doesn't the judge  shouldn't he still look to see if they're right?" Breyer asked.

"My point," he said later, "is there should be a way to look at the information for the court and decide what to do."

Justice Brett Kavanaugh suggested the case could make its way back up to the Supreme Court if the justices sent it to the lower courts for further proceedings and warned against "doing a drive-by in this case on a massively important issue."

A decision from the justices is expected by summer of 2022.

U.S. reopens borders for vaccinated international travelers

Crisis in Ethiopia worsens as rebel forces advance toward capital

Some businesses are firing employees who submit fake vaccination cards
TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker, said on Monday it had not disclosed detailed information on clients in its response to a U.S. chip data request.

TSMC is among several companies, including South Korea's Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, that the U.S. government has asked to volunteer information so it can better understand the global chip shortage. It has set a Nov. 8 deadline for submission of the information.

But the U.S. request has triggered industry concerns on trade secrets. The South Korean firms - the world's two biggest makers of memory chips - plan to leave out detailed information when supplying Washington with data, two sources said last week.

TSMC, a major Apple Inc supplier, said it had responded to the U.S. request to help address the semiconductor shortage that has disrupted production for car makers and consumer electronics suppliers.

TSMC said it remained "committed to protecting our customers' confidentiality as always, ensuring no customer-specific information is disclosed in the response".

It did not give any further detail.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in September said the request for information was aimed at boosting supply chain transparency. She warned if companies did not answer the call "then we have other tools in our tool box that require them to give us data".

Tech powerhouse Taiwan has said it was doing all it could to resolve the chip shortage. TSMC has pledged to spend $100 billion over the next three years to expand chip capacity.

Taiwan's government said it respects U.S. commercial law but that it would back domestic firms if they receive any "unreasonable requests".

(Reporting By Yimou Lee; Editing by Kim Coghill and Himani Sarkar)
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP)  Houston quarterback Tyrod Taylor had an excuse waiting if he wanted one. He could have blamed his numbers Sunday on the fact that he had missed nearly two months because of a hamstring injury and that he wasnt in any sort of game rhythm.

Instead, he took ownership.

Taylor threw three interceptions for just the second time in his college and pro career Sunday, part of another dismal day for the Texans (1-8). Despite forcing five turnovers, they lost 17-9 at Miami and had their losing streak reach eight games.

We didnt execute, Taylor said. That falls on me.

His only other game as a pro with three interceptions was Sept. 20, 2015, for Buffalo against New England, and even that one comes with a bit of an asterisk since his final giveaway that day skipped off the fingers of a receiver as the Bills tried to complete a frantic comeback down the stretch.

Otherwise, every other game in his NFL career, before Sunday, saw him throw no more than one interception. He never had more than two in any game in college at Virginia Tech, either.

This week we wanted to put the pressure on Tyrod, Dolphins safety Eric Rowe said. Once you see an offense and they cant figure it out, you keep running it. Thats our mindset, get pressure on these quarterbacks.

Taylor completed 24 of 43 passes for 240 yards, no touchdowns and the three interceptions. It was his first game action since the first half of Houstons Week 2 matchup. Hed been sidelined since by injury.

I walked into this game fully confident in my ability to go out and perform, Taylor said. It just was a lack of execution and like I said, that starts with me. I own up to that. I have to be better for our team to have a chance to win and Ill be better.

It wasnt just the interceptions that bothered Taylor. He missed some easy throws as well.

Most damning of them all, he thought, was this: A third-quarter play where Danny Amendola had gotten behind the Miami defense and probably would have been able to walk into the end zone for a score. Taylor rolled right, saw Amendola alone, and wasnt even close with the throw.

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Its a routine play that we make all the time, Taylor said. Just misfired. Comes with the game. Obviously, you want to have those back. I hate incompletions, obviously, but you want to have all those back.

At 1-8, the Texans probably know that realistic hope is gone as far as a playoff push. They have their bye next week, then resume against Tennessee on Nov. 21.

Taylor said theres still time to get things better.

We regroup and we continue to keep pushing, preparing, Taylor said. One game at a time, one day at a time. As far as hope, theres not a lack of hope. If anything, guys are eager to get out there and turn it around.

___

More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
New coronavirus cases leaped in Louisiana in the week ending Sunday, rising 18.9% as 3,378 cases were reported. The previous week had 2,840 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Louisiana ranked 46th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States decreased 2.8% from the week before, with 503,769 cases reported. With 1.4% of the country's population, Louisiana had 0.67% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 22 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

More: Should you get your children vaccinated against COVID-19? Here's what doctors say

More: What parents in Terrebonne and Lafourche say about vaccinating kids against COVID-19

Terrebonne Parish reported 64 cases and seven deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 74 cases and four deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 19,453 cases and 349 deaths.

Within Louisiana, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Plaquemines Parish with 780 cases per 100,000 per week; Avoyelles Parish with 595; and Natchitoches Parish with 220. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Adding the most new cases overall were Jefferson Parish, with 295 cases; Lafayette Parish, with 280 cases; and Avoyelles Parish, with 239. Weekly case counts rose in 30 parishes from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Avoyelles, Plaquemines and Jefferson parishes.

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

Louisiana ranked 45th among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 54.2% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 67.4%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most used in the United States, require two doses administered a few weeks apart.

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In the week ending Sunday, Louisiana reported administering another 107,588 vaccine doses, including 19,206 first doses. In the previous week, the state administered 55,552 vaccine doses, including 10,971 first doses. In all, Louisiana reported it has administered 4,954,751 total doses.

Across Louisiana, cases fell in 30 parishes, with the best declines in Calcasieu, with 89 cases from 136 a week earlier; Caddo, with 135 cases from 168; and Acadia, with 29 cases from 61.

In Louisiana, 68 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 85 people were reported dead.

A total of 761,849 people in Louisiana have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 14,615 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 46,487,791 people have tested positive and 754,429 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Nov. 7.

Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

Last week: 281

The week before that: 289

Four weeks ago: 538

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

Last week: 69,049

The week before that: 69,531

Four weeks ago: 84,705

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Courier: Terrebonne Parish COVID cases increased by 64 this week
More than 3,400 people have signed a petition calling for a formal investigation into the North Port police departments handling of the Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie investigation.

The change.org petition, addressed to Florida governor Ron DeSantis, urged him to start an internal investigation into this case but added that the bigger picture is to bring about change.

Police deal with citizens on a daily basis and the actions of incompetence can have tremendous, life-altering effects on numerous people in their communities, the petition said. What happens when you have a department thats full of incompetence? Well, Governor DeSantis, this case right here is what happens.

The petition was started by a user with the name Gabbys Safe Haven 2.0, and has so far collected 3,445 signatures.

The petitioner claimed that the North Port police were incompetent in their handling of both Petitos and Laundries missing persons cases. The petitioner specifically asked that the handling of the case by the North Port police department, City of North Port public information officer Josh Taylor, and North Port police chief Todd Garrison be investigated.

Millions of taxpayers money was spent on this investigation over a months time with little to no results. Within a day of the search area being opened back up to the public, the person of interests parents were the ones [sic] to discover belongings of that of their son.

The Sarasota County, Florida Sheriff says Brian Laundrie by all accounts probably committed suicide and he was right out there where we thought he was.

And the North Port Police chief says Laundrie was "presumably" already dead when they became the lead on the case. pic.twitter.com/Q5nc5Rkcea  Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) November 2, 2021

The petition raised doubts over the handling of evidence and chain of custody and said that it was highly suspicious.

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Even after the remains of Brian Laundrie were discovered and confirmed, the search area was reopen [sic] to the public once again within 24 hours of discovery, it added.

Laundrie was a person of interest in the disappearance and death of his fiancee, Gabby Petito. His remains were found in the Carlton Reserve, a protected swamp, on 20 October, more than a month after he went missing. Petitos remains were found on 19 September. Her death was ruled a homicide by manual strangulation.

Petito was reported missing by her parents in September when Laundrie returned from their road trip without her. The two had embarked on a cross-country trip earlier in the year.

The North Port police faced criticism after it was revealed that the departments chief, Todd Garrison, erroneously claimed he knew where Laundrie was located. On 16 September, Mr Garrison told the press he was aware of Laundries whereabouts. However, Laundrie had actually left his home on 12 September.

Steven Bertolino, the attorney representing the Laundrie family, said that he told investigators that Laundrie had not returned from his hike the following day, but a search for him did not begin until 17 September.

A spokesperson for the North Port police claimed that officers mistook Roberta Laundrie, his mother, for him. He claimed the two were similarly built and that officers saw the woman, wearing a baseball cap, driving her sons silver Mustang.

The spokesperson, Josh Taylor, later said that there was a very good possibility that Laundrie was dead two days after Petito was reported missing on 11 September.
Photo Illustration by Kelly Caminero/The Daily Beast/Getty

For months, Houston officials fretted about potential hazards at Astroworld, a packed music festival that ended in eight casualties last week when fans were crushed to death. Observers raised alarms about lack of exits, insufficient security, and a packed, enthusiastic crowd.

But outside official investigations, a bizarre theory about the deadly concert gained traction this weekend. Anyone else notice that the stage is an inverted cross leading to a portal to Hell, asked one TikTok video that racked up more than a million views in a day.

Within days of the mass casualty event, Astroworld has become a magnet for Satanic Panic-style conspiracy theories. Those theories have flourished among young people on sites like TikTok, as well as with a more established conspiracy scene, like believers of the QAnon movement. The result is a coalition of clout-chasers and far-right influencers meeting to falsely accuse rapper Travis Scott of deliberately killing people in a Satanic ritual.

Best Friends Traveled to Astroworld to Celebrate a Birthday. Neither Made It Home.

Scott, who headlined and organized the recurring Astroworld festival, has pledged cooperation with investigators. "My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival. Houston PD has my total support as it continues to look into the tragic loss of life," Scott said in a statement this weekend, adding that he was absolutely devastated by what took place last night.

Scotts involvement in the tragedy has drawn scrutiny and already become the subject of a lawsuit. Prior to the festival, Houstons police chief personally visited Scott to warn him of the potential for rowdy crowds, comprised largely of enthusiastic young fans who had missed concerts during COVID-19, The New York Times reported. Other emergency preparation documents stressed the need for many exits to the venuesomething concert-goers said never materialized. When fans converged in a stampede-like crush during Scotts performance, he was seen pausing, asking the crowd to calm down, then proceeding with his performance, even after an ambulance entered the audience.

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Footage of Scotts performance has been used to support a far-right movement that is already deeply embroiled in Satanic Panic conspiracy theories like QAnon, which falsely accuses Donald Trumps foes of participating in a Satanic pedophilia and cannibalism ring.

Travis Scott did a sacrifice, tweeted the head of a white supremacist website, adding that one of Scotts album covers featured depravity, i.e., scantily clad women.

Daily Wire podcaster Matt Walsh tweeted that Scott was a satanic weirdo who encouraged crowds to get violent.

Far-right fixation on supposed Satanism is nothing new, especially when it comes to music and art. The Satanic Panic of the 1980s and 90s led to overheated fears about children being indoctrinated into Satanic cults via heavy metal music and games like Dungeons & Dragons. Some of those themes have re-emerged in the QAnon conspiracy theory, as well as in fights over the arts across the country. In Idaho this spring, an aspiring library board member unseated the incumbent candidate by running on a campaign to purge certain satanic books on race and gender from the librarys childrens section. I dont think the public libraries need to be an extension of scriptural knowledge only, she wrote on her campaign site, but they sure shouldnt be forcing taxpayer funding of satanic agendas that lead to the destruction of our nation.

With a far-right audience ready to promote Satanism conspiracy theories, and a young musical audience looking for answers about Astroworld, it hasnt taken long for both communities to meet.

QAnon Crowd Super Bummed That JFK Jr. Did Not Appear in Dallas

Multiple viral tweets and TikTok videos have called attention to what they claim are signs of Satanic rituals in Scotts performance, including flames and a circle onstage, which people claimed could be used for summoning demons. Some invoked astrologypopular among young peopleto support their claims, because the tragedy took place during Scorpio season, which some theorists said sounds like the word corpse.

Others posited that the concert opened a portal to Hell. A screenshot of a Reddit post, now going viral on Twitter, purports to be from a Travis Scott concert-goer whose experience led them to believe that Travis Scott is a demon sent from hell.

The actual post is from 2017 and the Redditor describes themselves as tripping absolute nut sack at the concert in question. Other Redditors chimed in with similar experiences at the time. My dad tripped at a Dead show in the 80's and swears he saw the devil crawl out of the bass drum and start yelling at him, one wrote, with another adding that they took hallucinogens at a Chance The Rapper concert and believed that Chance was a literal god.

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Annie Schmidt, 8, has attended the All Souls Procession seven times in her life  which is every year since she was born. A sixth-generation Tucsonan, she missed the event last year when it went into pandemic hiatus for the first time since it started 31 years ago.

Her favorite part?

"Looking at everyone's makeup and putting flowers in my hair," she said on Sunday afternoon after getting her face painted at Crooked Tooth Brewery in Tucson. She'll probably have to get a new crown of flowers soon, because the one she has worn for the last few years, adorned with white, pink and red marigolds, is getting a little tight for her head.

Annie and her friends are spending the afternoon with their families at the brewery getting their faces painted by makeup artist Vanessa Lopez-Edwards in preparation for the return of the All Souls Procession, the beloved event that brings the community together in celebration and grief.

Started in 1990 by local artist Susan Johnson as a way to commemorate her father, All Souls has grown through the years to become one of the largest public events in the city. In previous years, tens of thousands of Tucsonans have gathered to walk in commemoration of lost loved ones, many wearing outfits inspired by La Calavera Catrina, the Mexican icon of death popularized by Diego Rivera.

For Tiila Abbitt and her daughter Aurelia, this will be their first All Souls Procession. Newly transplanted from San Francisco, the two joined Annie in getting glitter around their eyes and skeletal grins across their faces. Whether first-timers or life-long participants, wearing full Dia de los Muertos-inspired sugar skull makeup or just a flower tucked behind an ear, all seem ready for the festivities to start.

The 32nd annual All Souls Procession and Ceremony is 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday from Grande Avenue to MSA Annex near Avenida del Convento and Cushing Street in Tucson. It was free. An after-party, where admission is $10, will go from 9:30 to 11 p.m. at MSA Annex.

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Reach breaking news reporter Julie Luchetta at jluchetta@arizonarepublic.com.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Tucsonans happy to see return of iconic, annual All Souls Procession
A 22-year-old Ukrainian arrested in Poland has been indicted in the United States as part of a global operation against ransomware attacks, including the high-profile July hack of IT software company Kaseya, officials said Monday.

Yaroslav Vasinskyi, who was detained in Poland on October 8, was the most prominent of several people whose arrests were announced on Monday by US and European authorities.

The arrests were linked to the Russian-based hacker group REvil, also known as Sodinokibi, and the ransomware group GandCrab.

Interpol said the four-year operation dubbed "Quicksand" or "GoldDust" was carried out by 19 law enforcement agencies in 17 countries.

It said those arrested "are suspected of perpetrating tens of thousands of ransomware infections and demanding more than 200 million Euros ($230 million US) in ransom."

Vasinskyi's indictment for fraud and money laundering was announced by the US Justice Department, which also announced the seizure of $6.1 million in funds from alleged ransom payments made to Yevgyeniy Polyanin, a Russian national.

Polyanin, 28, is accused of conducting REvil/Sodinokibi ransomware attacks against businesses and government entities in Texas in August 2019.

Polyanin, who has been indicted in Texas for conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering, is believed to be in Russia, possibly in Barnaul, according to the FBI.

The EU police agency Europol said that in addition to Vasinskyi, two people were arrested in Romania, one in Kuwait and three in South Korea.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland said the United States is seeking Vasinskyi's extradition from Poland.

"Cybercrime is a serious threat to our country: to our personal safety, to the health of our economy, and to our national security," Garland told reporters.

"Our message today is clear. The United States, together with our allies, will do everything in our power to identify the perpetrators of ransomware attacks, to bring them to justice, and to recover the funds they have stolen from their victims."

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- 'Core priority' -

Ransomware is an increasingly lucrative form of digital hostage-taking in which hackers encrypt victims' data and then demand money for restored access.

According to the US indictments, Vasinskyi and Polyanin deployed REvil/Sodinokibi ransomware to encrypt data on the computers of victim companies.

Vasinskyi was allegedly responsible for the July ransomware attack against Kaseya, a company that provides network and infrastructure services to thousands of small businesses around the world.

Malicious REvil/Sodinokibi code caused the encryption of data on computers of many users of Kaseya software.

Victims were told to pay a ransom in virtual currency. If they paid the ransom, they were given a decryption key and were able to access their files.

If they refused, the hackers threatened to publicly release the stolen data, sell it to third parties and continue to deny access.

Vasinskyi and Polyanin, if convicted of fraud and other charges, could face more than 100 years in prison.

President Joe Biden welcomed the operation and said cybersecurity was a "core priority" of his administration.

"When I met with President (Vladimir) Putin in June, I made clear that the United States would take action to hold cybercriminals accountable," Biden said in a statement. "That's what we have done today."

The Department of State said meanwhile it was offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of leaders of the REvil/Sodinokibi organized crime group.

And the US Treasury Department announced that it was taking actions against Chatex, a virtual currency exchange accused of laundering the proceeds of ransomware.

The department said ransomware payments in the United States reached $590 million in the first half of 2021, compared to a total of $416 million in 2020.

cl/mdl
Federal prosecutors revealed charges Monday against a Ukrainian man accused of raking in millions of dollars by carrying out ransomware attacks that targeted businesses in the U.S. and around the world.

Yaroslav Vasinskyi, 22, was arrested last month at the request of the U.S. government while trying to enter Poland from Ukraine. The U.S. is now seeking his extradition. Court documents unsealed Monday accused him of conducting around 2,500 ransomware attacks that brought in $2.3 million in payments to unlock infected computer systems.

Prosecutors said he was involved in a widespread scheme to spread a specific kind of ransomware known as Sodinokibi/REvil. A grand jury indictment said Vasinskyi and other co-conspirators wrote the software, which they first unleashed in April 2019, and regularly refined it.

Court documents said 10 American companies in eight states were among the victims. They were not identified by name.

The Justice Department said he was behind an attack that targeted a Miami-based company, Kaseya, which sells software to help small businesses control their computer networks. The attack hit over the July 4th weekend, affected at least 1,500 businesses in the U.S. and other countries by spreading through Kaseya software that it infected.

It demanded a $70 million ransom to be paid in cybercurrency for the key code to unlock affected computers.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said Vasinskyi was actually charged just six weeks after the July attack. His arrest demonstrates how quickly we will act, alongside our international partners, to identify, locate and apprehend alleged cybercriminals no matter where they are.

After the attack, President Joe Biden called Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, urging him to stop providing a safe haven for cybercriminals.

In a separate case, the Justice Department also revealed that it seized $6 million in ransomware payments from Yevgeniy Polyanin, a Russian national accused of carrying out more than 3,000 ransomware attacks that targeted American companies.

Late last week, Romanian authorities said they arrested two individuals suspected of deploying the REvil software to rake in about $580,000. The arrests were part of an international law enforcement effort that involved 17 countries, all targeting the REvil ransomware attacks.

Garland said the Biden administration has urged Congress to pass a law requiring American companies to notify the government promptly when they are victimized by a ransomware attack.
By Nick Carey

LONDON (Reuters) - Charging infrastructure company Connected Kerb said on Monday it plans to install 190,000 on-street public chargers in the UK by 2030, requiring up to 1.9 billion pounds ($2.55 billion) in investment, as demand for electric vehicles (EVs) soars.

The London-based company has around 1,000 public chargers in service, with contracts signed for 10,000 more. Chief Executive Chris Pateman-Jones told Reuters that Connected Kerb should have deals for an additional 30,000 chargers by the end of the first quarter of 2022.

Connected Kerb uses long-term contracts spanning 15 to 25 years, financed by large infrastructure banks and groups like infrastructure investor Equitix. For public chargers for residential use, the company also uses UK government subsidies.

Britain has pledged to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol cars from 2030. The UK government estimates the country will need around 400,000 EV charging points by that point but Pateman-Jones said Connected Kerb believes demand will be much higher.

According to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, or ACEA, UK sales of fully-electric cars jumped 88% in the first nine months of 2021 versus the same period of the previous year.

But while EV sales are soaring, a lag in installing charging infrastructure is causing a roadblock. European and U.S. cities planning to phase out combustion engines over the next 15 years first need to solve the issue for millions of residents who park their cars on the street.

"The real barrier to buying an EV is the total lack of convenience in the charging infrastructure and the total lack of reliability that exists in the charging infrastructure today," Pateman-Jones said.

Earlier this year Royal Dutch Shell said it would vastly expand its network of EV charging points in Britain and aims to install 50,000 on-street posts by 2025 via its on-street charging unit ubitricity.

($1 = 0.7439 pounds)

(Reporting By Nick Carey; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP)  Members of Bosnias collective presidency have offered assurances that there will be no repeat of ethnic clashes in the war-scarred nation, a senior U.S. diplomat said on Monday, despite deep tensions triggered by Bosnian Serb separatist moves.

The most important thing that we agreed with all of the interlocutors that we met with today is that we all agree that there will be no war and thats the most important message, said U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar after his meetings with Bosniak, Serb and Croat presidency members.

And thats not just the message that you are going to hear from all of the leaders that I met with today, but you are going to hear this from regional leaders as well, he added.

The Bosnian War started in 1992 when Bosnian Serbs, with the help of the Yugoslav army, tried to create ethnically pure territories with an aim of joining neighboring Serbia. More than 100,000 people were killed and millions were left homeless during the worst bloodshed in Europe after World War II.

The 1992-1995 war pitted Bosniaks, who are mostly Muslims, Serbs and Croats against each other and ended with the U.S.-sponsored peace agreement that created two regions - the Republika Srpska and the Bosniak-Croat Federation. The two regions were given wide autonomy, but some joint institutions were kept including the army, the top judiciary and tax administration.

Escobars visit comes a week after the chief international representative in Bosnia, German diplomat Christian Schmidt, warned that the 1995 peace deal that stopped the bloody civil war could unravel. Schmidt also warned that Balkan nation could break up if the international community does not curb threatened separatist actions by Bosnian Serb leader and presidency member Milorad Dodik.

Dodik, who has tacit support from Russia and Serbia, recently intensified his campaign, pledging that the Bosnian Serb parliament would by the end of November prepare laws allowing for the creation of its own army, tax authority and judiciary.

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After separate talks with Dodik and the other two presidency members - Croat Zeljko Komsic and Bosniak Safik Dzaferovic - Escobar said the thing we wanted to make sure is that Bosnia remains independent sovereign and territorially whole.

The U.S. official said Bosnia needs political stability to help integrate the Balkans economically and prepare them for eventual membership to the European Union.

Escobar said he had a productive meeting with Mr. Dodik where he was open to discussing withdrawing all of the legislation that would weaken the central institutions."

But Dodik said on Monday that the Bosnian Serb parliament would continue drafting laws withdrawing support for the joint army, judiciary and tax collection.
The US Supreme Court heard arguments on Monday in a case involving national security and the claims of three Muslim men in California who say they were illegally surveilled at their mosque by the FBI.

The three men -- Yassir Fazaga, imam of the Orange County Islamic Foundation, Ali Uddin Malik and Yasser Abdelrahim -- filed a lawsuit arguing that the surveillance conducted after the September 11, 2001 attacks was based solely on their religion.

The Justice Department maintains it carried out the surveillance program for objective reasons -- not because those being watched were Muslims.

But it has invoked state secrets privilege in refusing to say what the alleged reasons were and urged the courts to reject the case.

A district court in California dismissed the plaintiffs' claim, accepting the FBI argument that state secrets risked being revealed.

But the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed, saying the lower court should have held closed-door hearings to evaluate any secret evidence.

The FBI appealed that decision, and the US high court agreed to hear the case.

It will decide whether a district court can consider classified evidence in determining whether secret government surveillance is lawful.

According to the plaintiffs, the FBI sent a confidential informant with a prior criminal history to several mosques in Orange County in 2006 and 2007, ordering the man to pose as a convert and gather information.

The ACLU, the civil rights group representing the plaintiffs, said the informant secretly recorded prayer groups and made videos in mosques, homes and businesses.

ACLU lawyer Ahilan Arulanantham said the informant "started, again at his FBI handlers' behalf, to try to incite violence, but he scared a bunch of people, when he was talking about things like bombing, Jihad and the war in Iraq and Afghanistan (and) they reported him to the FBI."

The imam and his two congregants filed a complaint against the FBI for spying on them in violation of federal law and their constitutional rights.

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- 'Should be a way' -

Several of the Supreme Court justices appeared to be sympathetic to the government's case on Monday.

"Dealing with some super secret information in district court and district courthouses around the country would create an incredible security problem," said Justice Samuel Alito, a conservative. "Most district courts don't have the facilities to deal with information of that sensitivity."

"It's not the kind of information you want floating around, even in the White House," said Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Others appeared wary of giving carte blanche to the government.

"I must say, on the face of the complaint, that the plaintiffs might be able to prove without your information that... they've been unlawfully surveilled," said Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a liberal.

Justice Stephen Breyer, a liberal, said there "should be a way to look at the information for the court and decide what to do."

The court is expected to announce its decision by June 2022.

chp/cl/bgs
Nov. 8BRATTLEBORO  A Wilmington, Vt., man was arrested Saturday and charged with stealing approximately $1,200 from a vehicle in Brattleboro last month, according to a news release from local police.

Misbah A. Abdul-Kareem, 36, has been charged with grand larceny after being identified in surveillance footage of the crime.

At around 11 a.m. on Oct. 11, Brattleboro police received a call for a theft on Forest Street that had occurred during the previous weekend. Officers found and arrested Abdul-Kareem on Saturday.

Abdul-Kareem was held in lieu of $500 bail and is scheduled to appear in Windham Superior Court at 12:30 p.m. Monday.

Molly Bolan can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1436 or mbolan@keenesentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @BolanMolly.
Voters went to the polls for the 2020 election in high numbers. For the 2021 local election, those numbers dwindled.

In August, Dodge City Commissioners approved a resolution to put a special question on the 2021 election ballot on whether the city would impose a one-half percent sales tax for city-wide retailers that would go into effect on April 1, 2022 and last over the next 10 years.

After the canvass vote of the 2021 election ballots on Monday, Nov. 8, voters voted No, to that question.

The final tally of the special question was 1,047 No  1,038 Yes.

On election day the vote was close with 1,032 for no and 1,024 for yes. Because the vote was so close, the final result went to the canvass vote to make it official.

The question on the 2021 ballot read:

Shall the following be adopted?

Shall the City of Dodge City, Kansas, be authorized to impose a one-half percent (0.50%) City-wide retailers' sales tax on April 1, 2022, or as soon thereafter as permitted by law, and shall terminate ten years after its commencement, the proceeds of which shall be used to finance the costs of transportation improvements, including the rehabilitation, construction and reconstruction of streets, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, trails, transit facilities, bicycle lanes, traffic signalization, signage, landscaping along rights-of-way, and all related improvements; all pursuant to the provisions of K.S.A. 12-187 et seq., as amended?

The vote on election day was too close to call and went to the canvass vote for finalization.

According to Ford County Clerk Debbie Cox, a canvass vote is, "The county board of canvassers, which is composed of the members of the board of county commissioners, conducts the final canvass in the local elections and the intermediate canvass in the national and state elections. The tabulated results are presented to the county canvassers along with issues that need to be resolved. (provisionals).

"The county board of canvassers has the statutory duty to make the final decisions as to which ballots are valid and which are invalid. "They are given the list from the state guidance on whether to count the provisional ballots or not. I have the list of provisional and the reasons they are provisional and if according to the guidelines they should count. If I have a question on a provisional that I cannot find an answer for in the guidance then the board canvassers will decide. They are not allowed to know who the provisionals voters are. Once they say to count, we come up here and count the ones we can count."

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For the city moving forward, city manager Nick Hernandez said, "I appreciate all of the hard work of city staff during the sales tax educational campaign. This was an extremely close vote, and as was discussed by staff during the past several months, we will continue to do our best with the resources given.

"With the rejection of the vote, there is now only one city with a population greater than 2,000 in Kansas which has both a lower city portion of the property tax and overall sales tax rate than Dodge City and that city is Wichita. Additionally, being the largest city west of Wichita with the lowest sales tax rate, hopefully shoppers and retail developers will recognize that and give Dodge City their business."

Voter Turnout

"I wish I knew why people dont vote in the local elections," said Cox. "They are just as important or as important than the other elections. It is that way every place and it is sad."

When it comes to elections not involving a U.S. presidential race, historically, voter turnout ends up considerably low.

The recent election saw 2,937 voters out of 15,102 registered voters in Ford County.

"Turnout always seems to be low for our local elections," said Dodge City resident of 50 years Jacki Miller. "Its sad because they are really just as important, or more so actually, as national elections. People say they want things to change but wont do the one thing that could actually make those changes happen.

"I kind of get it though, because most everyone that runs is of the same mindset so its 6 of 1, half a dozen of the other."

To contact the writer email vmarshall@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Dodge City Daily Globe: Voters say No to sales tax increase
Santa Claus, Indiana postmark created by high school student Lily Vance for Christmas 2021

It's a small but unique detail that some people with an exuberant holiday spirit are willing to go the extra mile (or 70) to acquire during the Christmas season.

We're talking about a one-of-a-kind Santa Claus postmark from the only post office in the world with the Santa Claus name.

Each year, the Santa Claus, Indiana, post office, which is about 70 miles from Louisville on Interstate 64 West or about 60 east from Evansville, Indiana, features a new holiday postmark to cancel the postage stamps on holiday mail.

The small-town post office receives over 400,000 pieces of mail in December  compared to only 13,000 pieces of mail per month the rest of the year.

Patrons from all over the world request the Santa Claus holiday postmark. Some drive into town to personally hand cancel their holiday mail with the famous picture postmark and others request the special postmark by mail, Postmaster Cheryl Bailey said. The famous Santa Claus postmark is a long-standing tradition for the town and its always fun to see the unique artwork each year.

This special picture postmark has been offered every Christmas season since 1983. Each year a contest between local high school art students decides the design. This years postmark artist is Lily Vance of Lamar, Indiana.

Lily Vance designed the 2021 Santa Claus postmark available at the Santa Claus, Indiana post office Dec. 1-24, 2021

The world-famous Santa Claus post office will begin offering the picture postmark on Dec. 1, but there are some guidelines you'll need to follow if you want the special cancellation on your holiday mail. Here's what to know:

Allow at least a 2-inch by 4-inch space in the stamp area for the picture postmark

Apply postage to cards or letters before bringing or mailing them to the post office

The picture postmark is available on working days between Dec. 1 and 24

You need to specifically request the picture postmark

To ensure a good postmark imprint, do not enclose large or bulky items in your holiday mail (no reindeer food, snowflakes, glitter, stickers, etc.)

There is no charge for postmarking; however, there is a limit of 50 picture postmarks (hand cancellations) per person per day

If you wish to mail Christmas cards to the post office, package them  with postage stamps already on them  in a sturdy envelope or box, and mail to: Postmaster, P.O. Box 9998, Santa Claus, IN 47579-9998

You may like: Don't wait for Black Friday if you want the best holiday deals. Why you should shop now

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There are plenty of holiday-related events to enjoy if you choose to visit Santa Claus, Indiana this time of year, many of which take place in November. There is a Santa Claus Christmas parade, Christmas fireworks, live reindeer exhibit, Santa Claus train ride and more. You can find details on all upcoming events at SantaClausInd.org/Events.

Reach Kirby Adams at kadams@courier-journal.com or Twitter @kirbylouisville.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Where to send cards to Santa Claus? The Santa Claus, IN post office
The Crew-2 astronauts pose during a training session at the SpaceX training facility in Hawthorne, California. SpaceX

SpaceX is set to complete its second full astronaut mission for NASA on Monday, when four astronauts will ride the company's Crew Dragon spaceship from the International Space Station (ISS), through Earth's atmosphere, to an ocean splashdown.

SpaceX launched the NASA mission, called Crew-2, to the ISS in April, carrying astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur of NASA, Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency. They flew on the same Crew Dragon capsule, Endeavour, that carried SpaceX's first crewed test flight to the ISS in 2020.

Crew Dragon Endeavour shortly before undocking from the International Space Station on November 8, 2021, as seen on NASA's livestream. NASA

The Crew-2 astronauts have been on the space station for six months, conducting spacewalks, doing maintenance, and running science experiments, including growing hot chilis in space. Now their shift is over and they're once again sealed in the Endeavour spaceship.

The capsule undocked from the ISS at 2:05 p.m. ET, firing its thrusters to back away from the station. If everything goes as planned, Endeavour will orbit Earth for about eight hours, lining up with its pre-established landing spot in the Gulf of Mexico. Then Endeavour will fire its thrusters to push itself into a fall back to Earth, plow through the atmosphere, release parachutes, and splash down off the coast of Pensacola, Florida at 10:33 p.m. ET.

Watch the return trip live via NASA's broadcast, below.

Unlike the astronauts who flew aboard Crew Dragon before them, Kimbrough, McArthur, Hoshide, and Pesquet will wear diapers during their return journey. That's because the astronauts recently discovered a leak in the spaceship's toilet system. SpaceX executives said the company fixed the issue for future flights, but can't fix Endeavour's toilet until the spaceship is back on Earth.

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Crew Dragon Endeavour parachutes into the Gulf of Mexico with astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on board, August 2, 2020. NASA/Bill Ingalls

SpaceX is set to launch its next mission, Crew-3, on Wednesday at 9:03 p.m. ET, aboard a different Crew Dragon capsule. Those four astronauts  NASA's Tom Marshburn, Raja Chari, and Kayla Barron, along with ESA's Matthias Maurer  will replace Crew-2 on the ISS.

They were originally supposed to launch on Halloween, but their mission was delayed by weather and a minor medical issue with one of the astronauts. NASA has not disclosed details about the medical issue or which astronaut was affected, though the agency noted that the issue was not an emergency and not COVID-19-related.

Read the original article on Business Insider
In this article we will analyze whether KKR & Co Inc. (NYSE:KKR) is a good investment right now by following the lead of some of the best investors in the world and piggybacking their ideas. There's no better way to get these firms' immense resources and analytical capabilities working for us than to follow their lead into their best ideas. While not all of these picks will be winners, our research shows that these picks historically outperformed the market by double digits annually.

Is KKR & Co Inc. (NYSE:KKR) a safe investment today? Hedge funds were reducing their bets on the stock. The number of long hedge fund bets retreated by 2 lately. KKR & Co Inc. (NYSE:KKR) was in 54 hedge funds' portfolios at the end of June. The all time high for this statistic is 56. Our calculations also showed that KKR isn't among the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds (click for Q2 rankings). There were 56 hedge funds in our database with KKR holdings at the end of March.

To most market participants, hedge funds are perceived as worthless, outdated investment tools of the past. While there are more than 8000 funds in operation at present, Our experts look at the creme de la creme of this club, about 850 funds. These investment experts oversee most of the hedge fund industry's total asset base, and by watching their matchless stock picks, Insider Monkey has deciphered numerous investment strategies that have historically exceeded the broader indices. Insider Monkey's flagship short hedge fund strategy outpaced the S&P 500 short ETFs by around 20 percentage points per annum 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.

Charles Akre Akre Capital Management

Charles Akre of Akre Capital Management

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At Insider Monkey, we scour multiple sources to uncover the next great investment idea. For example, billionaire John Paulson is loading up on the miners, so we are checking out stock pitches like this mining 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 let's take a peek at the new hedge fund action regarding KKR & Co Inc. (NYSE:KKR).

Do Hedge Funds Think KKR Is A Good Stock To Buy Now?

At Q2's end, a total of 54 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey were bullish on this stock, a change of -4% from the previous quarter. The graph below displays the number of hedge funds with bullish position in KKR over the last 24 quarters. So, let's find out which hedge funds were among the top holders of the stock and which hedge funds were making big moves.

Is KKR A Good Stock To Buy?

Of the funds tracked by Insider Monkey, ValueAct Capital, managed by Mason Morfit, holds the biggest position in KKR & Co Inc. (NYSE:KKR). ValueAct Capital has a $1.6126 billion position in the stock, comprising 19.3% of its 13F portfolio. The second most bullish fund manager is Charles Akre of Akre Capital Management, with a $872.8 million position; 5.4% of its 13F portfolio is allocated to the company. Some other professional money managers that hold long positions encompass Ric Dillon's Diamond Hill Capital, John Armitage's Egerton Capital Limited and John W. Rogers's Ariel Investments. In terms of the portfolio weights assigned to each position ValueAct Capital allocated the biggest weight to KKR & Co Inc. (NYSE:KKR), around 19.28% of its 13F portfolio. Hudson Way Capital Management is also relatively very bullish on the stock, earmarking 16.87 percent of its 13F equity portfolio to KKR.

Due to the fact that KKR & Co Inc. (NYSE:KKR) has witnessed declining sentiment from the aggregate hedge fund industry, it's safe to say that there were a few hedgies who were dropping their entire stakes by the end of the second quarter. Interestingly, Panayotis Takis Sparaggis's Alkeon Capital Management sold off the largest position of the "upper crust" of funds monitored by Insider Monkey, comprising about $118.3 million in stock, and Renaissance Technologies was right behind this move, as the fund sold off about $11.5 million worth. These transactions are important to note, as total hedge fund interest was cut by 2 funds by the end of the second quarter.

Let's also examine hedge fund activity in other stocks - not necessarily in the same industry as KKR & Co Inc. (NYSE:KKR) but similarly valued. These stocks are LyondellBasell Industries NV (NYSE:LYB), Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM), Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE:ADM), Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc (NYSE:HLT), Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc (NYSE:ZBH), Rockwell Automation Inc. (NYSE:ROK), and Chewy, Inc. (NYSE:CHWY). This group of stocks' market valuations are closest to KKR's market valuation.

[table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position LYB,41,888236,-6 YUM,35,652331,3 ADM,41,837799,7 HLT,45,4558478,-2 ZBH,48,1785063,-2 ROK,25,535840,-1 CHWY,43,634747,11 Average,39.7,1413213,1.4 [/table]

View table here if you experience formatting issues.

As you can see these stocks had an average of 39.7 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $1413 million. That figure was $5348 million in KKR's case. Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc (NYSE:ZBH) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Rockwell Automation Inc. (NYSE:ROK) is the least popular one with only 25 bullish hedge fund positions. Compared to these stocks KKR & Co Inc. (NYSE:KKR) is more popular among hedge funds. Our overall hedge fund sentiment score for KKR is 81.9. 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. 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 returned 29.6% in 2021 through November 5th but still managed to beat the market by 3.1 percentage points. Hedge funds were also right about betting on KKR as the stock returned 35.8% since the end of June (through 11/5) and outperformed the market by an even larger margin. Hedge funds were clearly right about piling into this stock relative to other stocks with similar market capitalizations.

Get real-time email alerts: Follow Kkr & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR)

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Disclosure: None. This article was originally published at Insider Monkey.
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Justice for Denise! Justice for Denise!

A group of approximately 30 protesters huddled together in front of the Pavilion at Queens Hospital Center and chanted the three-word refrain in unison. It had been over 50 days since Denise Williams untimely and unexpected death at Queens Hospital. Just a few weeks after the 29-year-old gave birth to her second child, she had sought emergency psychiatric care there for severe perinatal mood and anxiety disorder (PMAD), colloquially referred to as postpartum depression.

On Aug. 30, two days after Williams was admitted to the New York City Health + Hospitals facility, Williams mother Linda Magee received a call from an unknown 212 number. The coroner on the other end of the line informed Magee that her daughter had died and that she needed to come identify the body. New York Citys Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Queens Hospital, and the New York City Health + Hospitals Corporation refused to provide Magee with information about what happened to her daughter.

This latest rally, held on the bright, crisp morning of Oct. 17, was the third of its kind and by far the largest. The attendees demands to the city were cleargive the family an explanation for the cause and manner of Denise Williams death and fix the maternal health-care system that allowed it to happen. No woman, nobody, should go into a hospital to get treated for depression and come out dead, Williams sister, Belinda, exclaimed, holding back tears.

Theres a New Drug for Postpartum Depression. But at $20K Those Most at Risk Can't Afford It.

Four days later, on Oct. 21, New York Citys Office of the Chief Medical Examiner provided The Daily Beast with a cause and manner of death: While admitted in the psychiatric department at the New York City Health + Hospitals facility for the Williams died naturally from a pulmonary embolism that had gone undetected. She left behind an 8-week-old and a 3-year-old.

For Williams family, nothing about Denises death, or the citys handling of it, has seemed natural. Denise Williams experienced some of the most severe mental and physical health complications that a new parent can experience in the first weeks of her fourth trimester, the 12-week period immediately after giving birth when more than half of all pregnancy-associated deaths occur. By the time Williams was able to access emergency psychiatric care at Queens Hospital, after weeks of suffering without treatment, hospital staff didnt catch the physical condition that ultimately killed her.

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Her death highlights what Williams family and many birth justice advocates consider to be huge gaps in maternal health-care policy, particularly on postpartum care. In New York City alone, at least four Black women, including Williams, have died giving birth or within the first 42 days postpartum since the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in early March 2020.

Jessica Madris

Thats emblematic of a larger trend in the U.S. maternal mortality crisis, where Black women die from pregnancy-associated causes at 2.5 times the rate of their white counterparts.

Attention to Williams death, and the larger issues surrounding maternal mortality and postpartum care in the U.S., comes at the same time Congress negotiates key social policies in the Build Back Better Act. On Thursday afternoon, Vice President Kamala Harris confirmed in a tweet that Build Back Better would contain many of the provisions of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, a win for advocates and policymakers alike.

Why Are So Many Moms Dying?

One such provision makes federal funding permanently available for every state to expand Medicaid coverage up to one year postpartum. Currently, only three states in the country provide continuous postpartum Medicaid coverage for the full 12 months. A bill in Albany that would extend New York Medicaid coverage from 60 days to one year postpartum passed the state Senate in June and will be taken up again in the coming legislative session.

According to a report from the Century Foundation, maintaining continuity of care through the postpartum period is vital for screening and treatment for physical, mental, and behavioral health issues that arise in the fourth trimester. For birthing people on Medicaid, who accounted for approximately 43.1 percent of births in 2018, maintaining their insurance coverage for the first year after childbirth could save their lives.

Even with expanded Medicaid coverage, however, many experts argue that U.S. postpartum care is insufficient. Many states Medicaid plans, and most private health insurance plans, dont cover postpartum doula care or mental and behavioral health care for PMADs, for example. Paige Bellenbaum, a PMADs expert and founding director of the Motherhood Center, cites insurance as one of the major barriers to accessing adequate postpartum care, especially for PMAD treatment. What insurance companies are willing to cover in the field of behavioral health, she says, isnt nearly enough for practitioners like her to keep their businesses open. As a result, many postpartum behavioral health practitioners and postpartum doulas are out-of-network and unaffordable for most low-income new parents.

Germany, on the other hand, provides new birthing parents with at-home midwifery visits every day until 10 days post-birth, and an additional 16 visits as needed through the first eight weeks postpartumall fully covered by the countrys nationalized health-care system. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) estimates that up to 40 percent of birthing parents in the U.S. never attend the one recommended postpartum checkup most insurance companies cover. And while all Medicaid plans under the ACA are required to cover midwifery care, including midwifery postpartum visits, there are far too few midwives across the country to meet demand.

The at-home visits that midwives, doulas, nurses, and community health-care workers provide are vital for diagnosing serious physical and mental health complications that occur in the postpartum period before they become life threateningas was the case for Denise Williams. Pulmonary embolisms in the postpartum period are difficult to detect. When caught early, however, the Cleveland Clinic asserts that theyre easily treated. With regard to PMADs, 80 percent of all cases go undiagnosed and untreated, because of the stigma and the shame that surrounds maternal mental illness said Bellenbaum. New York City was slated to launch its first postpartum home-visiting program in early 2020, but city officials scrapped its New Family Home Visits program due to COVID-19.

One of the biggest barriers to accessing postpartum care is a lack of paid parental leave. After days of public backlash to President Bidens announcement last Thursday that the final Build Back Better bill would contain no paid family or medical leave, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on Thursday that her Democratic colleagues intend to add four weeks of paid leave back into the bill. While a welcome step, experts agree that a new birthing parent needs a minimum of six to eight weeks just to recover physically from childbirth.

In the meantime, Williams family continues to demand justice for Denise. Health + Hospitals said in a statement that both the agency and Queens Hospital representatives have been in frequent communication with Williams family, a claim the family disputes. On the delay in autopsy reporting, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner pointed to a recent Mayors Management Report, which shows that Williams autopsy was produced well under the average 144 days the office has taken to complete autopsies in 2021. Abe George, the lawyer representing the family, said he and the family will decide whether to move forward with a lawsuit pending an experts review of Williams medical records.

On Nov. 14, Williams family and a coalition of birth justice activists will hold their fourth rally for Denise outside Queens Hospital Center. Shawnee Benton Gibson, whose daughter Shamony Gibson died from a preventable pulmonary embolism in 2019, made the call to action clear at the Oct. 17 rally: If theres anyone out here who has a new mother in their lives or family, check in on them. Because we stigmatize Black and brown women who are not mentally stable So ask if they are OK. Ask their mate if they are OK. Cause if theyre both not OK, the babies are not going to be OK. Black wombs matter. Black minds matter. Black bodies matter. Black communities matter. Justice for Denise.

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The New York Legislature voted Monday to close six prisons across the state as part of the 2021-2022 budget, citing a declining prison population and savings to taxpayers.

The closures slated for March 10 include Downstate Correctional Facility in Dutchess County, the closest state facility to New York City in the current list. Downstate  long the first stop for city prisoners after being sentenced  is currently at just over half-capacity. State data shows there are 688 inmates at Downstate and 644 staff.

The statewide prison population as of Monday was 31,469, a drop of more than 41,304, or 56.7%, since a high of 72,773 in 1999. The current total is also the lowest number of people in prison since 1984, prison officials said.

Prison officials said they reviewed all 50 prisons before selecting the six to be closed. Nearly all of them have more staff than prisoners and are operating at well under capacity. The closures will save the state an estimated $142 million.

Advocates have been pressing for prison closures for years, while the state correction unions and local pols have resisted because the institutions bring jobs and boost local economies.

The move was lauded by activist Jose Saldana, who said it didnt go far enough. New Yorks prisons still hold roughly two times more incarcerated people today than in the 1970s, at the dawn of our nations mass incarceration era, said Saldana, director of the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign.

Therefore, Governor Hochul and the legislature must use their powers to safely release people from prison. The governor must use her clemency powers frequently, inclusively and transparently.

He called for passage of bills that release older people and reduce and accelerate sentences for parole violations, which send people back to prison.

Without these measures, and despite these closures, thousands will continue to needlessly languish behind bars, he said. Tens of thousands of Black and Latinx families are counting on New Yorks leaders to bring their loved ones home.

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The medium-security Willard Drug Treatment Campus in Seneca County near Syracuse will also close. The lockup has a staff of 329 overseeing 168 incarcerated people  well under the capacity of 664.

The other facilities scheduled to close include Ogdensburg on the Canadian border, Moriah Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility in the Catskills, the maximum-security Southport Correctional Facility in central New York, which has a staff of 405 watching 268 prisoners, and Rochester Correctional Facility, which houses just 46 people.

Among these facilities, Southport, a prison dedicated exclusively to solitary confinement for decades, tortured countless souls and ripped apart many families, Saldana said.

Prison officials said staff at the shuttered facilities will either be transferred to other prisons or considered for employment at other state agencies. No layoffs are anticipated. How the facilities will be used in the future remains unclear.

Inmates housed in the facilities will be moved to other prisons.


Youth protesters call for urgent action on climate change in march at COP26

This past Friday around 10,000 protesters marched on the Glasgow city centre to mark the end of the first week of COP26.

A youth-focused event headlined by participation from teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, the protest was a statement against global inaction on climate change. The march was organized by the NGO Fridays for Future and aimed to put pressure on the leaders debating the climate response inside.

Collective action, especially by young people is what will achieve true action, Malaika Collette, 18, an organizer with Climate Strike Canada, told The Weather Network. So far during COP26, we have seen world leaders come and go within a span of two days, leaving not much more than pretty speeches and empty promises as in every other COP.

People power is needed to keep the pressure on politicians and show the world that young people will not stop fighting and demanding justice, Collette added.

children in iceland (stockstudioX/ E+/ Getty Images)

Children at Jokulsarlon Lagoon in Iceland. (stockstudioX/ E+/ Getty Images)

The mood on the ground during the protest was reported as one of frustration, urgency, and impatience with the bureaucratic proceedings of the COP summit carrying on behind closed doorswhere the old guard, like activist Al Gore and John Kerry, in his role as US climate envoy, were engaged in the proceedings.

Just as the climate crisis was brought about by older generations only to become the burden of the future, the youth march put on display intergenerational tensions.

Fridays for Future is entirely youth-led and represents how we are striking for our future, Collette said. We organize these strikes ourselves because nobody else will. We know we have no time left to waste and it is our future at stake.

The urgency felt in the crowd had been building all week. In Glasgow, protesters have assembled for other rallies and marcheseven as the Greenpeace protest ship Rainbow Warrior made its way along the River Clyde toward the COP26 venueand climate protests have been afoot across the globe, with some of the largest in Germany, Italy, and India.

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But the march was not all doom and gloom. An assembly of students thereteenaged and youngerprevailed with a hopeful, inclusive spirit despite the serious agenda. Youth accompanied by their parents sang together, chanted, and held aloft colourful signs.

The energy reached a pitch with the introduction of Thunberg, who addressed the crowd at George Square. We cannot solve a crisis with the same methods that got us into it in the first place, Thunberg stated to those gathered.

We need immediate, drastic annual emission cuts unlike anything the world has ever seen, Thunberg added. As we dont have the technological solutions that alone will do anything even close to that, that means we will have to fundamentally change our society.

Click here to view the video

Other youth activists, in collaboration with Thunberg, launched a petition calling on global leaders to achieve the 1.5C threshold of warming from the Paris agreement, quickly shift from fossil fuel economics, and provide $100 billion (US) to address climate disasters and adaptation.

More than 1.5 million people have signed the petition.

While a vision of such sweeping change seems unlikely to be achieved by the policies being written behind the summit doors, the protest created space and attention for these grander possibilities.

Our goal here at COP26 is to raise awareness of environmental racism and provide diversity among the groups assembling and represent the Black youths of Canada, Tyjana Connolly, an intern with the Canadian Coalition for Environmental and Climate Justice, told The Weather Network.

Connolly continued, If people understood how environmental racism relates to different aspects of their health and well-beingwhy do their kids have asthma or why the women in their family are more likely to have cancer?they may be motivated to mobilize and demand more from political leaders.

This gathering of children and grandparents, students and activists offers a new angle on the global climate summit that Thunberg has called a global north green wash festival.

The question is one of stakes, and there is no doubt the stakes are higher for the contingent that gathered in George Square than it is for those leaders playing politics and PR inside.

We are literally marching and chanting for our lives, Collette told The Weather Network.

Young people are the ones that will be most impacted by this crisis and therefore we will not be silent.

Thumbnail credit: LeoPatrizi/ E+/ Getty Images
By Praveen Menon and David Brunnstrom

WELLINGTON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Leaders of the Asia-Pacific trade group APEC will focus on the region's economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, emphasising supply chain support and decarbonising economies, at virtual talks that begin this week.

Tensions are expected, however, during this week's talks among the 21-economy group over Taiwan's bid to join a regional trade pact and the United States' bid to host the 2023 round of meetings.

New Zealand is hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Week entirely online thanks to its hardline pandemic response that has kept the international border shut to almost all travellers for 18 months.

"This meeting will focus on charting a path to recovery out of this once-in-a-century crisis," New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement.

Talks will first be held between trade and foreign ministers of the 21-economy group, which includes the United States, China and Russia, before state leaders meet online on Friday night.

APEC's member economies account for around 38% of the world's population and more than 60% of its gross domestic product.

"Together we are continuing to keep supply chains functioning and are supporting trade in critical medical supplies  including testing kits, PPE and now vaccines," Ardern said.

APEC members pledged at a special meeting in June to expand sharing and manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines and lift trade barriers for medicines.

The APEC gathering comes in the shadow of the high-profile G20 summit in Rome and the COP26 climate meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, both attended in person by leaders.

In a news conference on Monday, Ardern acknowledged the virtual event meant the country misses out on making a big splash.

"It means our ability to put New Zealand on the world stage isn't quite what it would have been if we had an in-person event," Ardern said, adding that it did allow better participation of business leaders.

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Tensions are expected around Taiwan's stated aim to use the gathering to garner support for its bid to join a regional trade pact, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

China, which has also applied to join the pact, opposes Taiwan's membership https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taiwan-woo-backers-apec-bid-join-pacific-trade-pact-2021-11-02 and has increased military activities near the island which Beijing claims and has not ruled out taking by force.

U.S. HOST BID

Also likely to raise tensions is the U.S. offer to host APEC in 2023, which would be the country's first time since then-President Barack Obama led the group in Hawaii in 2011.

Diverting attention and resources to the region has become a centrepiece of President Joe Biden's administration, as it turns away from old security preoccupations with the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

But Russia is yet to officially support the U.S. proposal, a source aware of the discussions said, creating an unusual situation for the bloc, which usually agrees hosting venues well in advance.

Russia has sought an assurance that its representatives will be able to attend a U.S. gathering even if some of them are under sanctions, the source said, adding that China has neither agreed nor rejected the U.S. offer.

Neither country has commented publicly on the proposal. The Russian foreign ministry could not immediately be reached for comment.

China's foreign ministry said APEC is an important Asia-Pacific forum for economic cooperation and upholds the principle of reaching consensus through negotiation.

"China will participate in this process of reaching consensus through negotiation," it said.

"I'm sure the U.S. and New Zealand would like to resolve this before (the) Leaders' Meeting, but the dispute shouldn't hold up the communique, since leaders can always say they look forward to meeting in Thailand next year and leave it at that," said Matthew Goodman, an adviser at the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

A Leaders Declaration has been issued after every annual APEC leaders meeting since the first in 1993, except in Papua New Guinea in 2018 due to disagreements between the United States and China.

(Reporting by Praveen Menon in Wellington and David Brunnstrom in Washington; additional reporting by Yew Lun Tian in Beijing; editing by Jane Wardell and Jonathan Oatis)
Senate Democrats are asking the Virginia Supreme Court to reject three redistricting special master candidates nominated by Republicans on Nov. 1, accusing them of having "disqualifying conflicts of interest."

"We urge the Court to reject the minority leaders' nominees and direct them to resubmit new, unbiased nominees. We do not send this letter lightly, but these three nominees cannot lawfully serve and their mere nomination undermines public confidence in these critical, once-a-decade proceedings to redraw Virginias electoral maps," Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw wrote to the clerk of the high court Monday.

A Constitutional amendment approved by voters last year called for a bipartisan Virginia Redistricting Commission to redraw the state's legislative and Congressional districts with the new Census data. The effort ended in a partisan deadlock last month, and under the amendment the job went to the Virginia Supreme Court.

The high court asked leaders of both parties in the House of Delegates and Senate to nominate three qualified special masters  from which the court would pick two  to assist the justices. Saslaw's letter contends that the Democrats' nominees have academic backgrounds and experience as redistricting special masters in Virginia and elsewhere unlike the Republican nominees.
The jury, Largess said, agreed that race and gender were unlawful factors in his termination and that he was fired solely to make room for more diverse leaders at Novant Health.

The evidence went undisputed that Duvall met all of his goals and had no written criticisms, and, in fact, those reporting to Duvall were surprised by his termination. The absence of any documentation of concerns and the timeline of the plan were important to our case, Largess said.

Largess wants to make clear that the lawsuit was not a statement against diversity and inclusion programs. In fact, his client was a strong advocate for these programs at Novant and sat on the executive committee that supported the initiatives.

Duvall had received praise from the health systems diversity and inclusion chief for his efforts, and had even met with the pastor from his church to discuss ways to advance diversity there.

Duvall hired a Black woman as director of marketing and then promoted her to vice president. That woman now has Duvalls former position.

That was the irony in his termination, his strong belief in and actions toward diversity and inclusion. He is not an angry white man, Largess said.
Political wonks with long memories might well recall a case that trumps either of these what were they thinking? moments.

The night of April 24, 1970, Republicans had gathered in Fincastle to select a candidate for the Virginia Senate. The nominee would almost certainly have been Del. John Hagen, who for six years had spoken for Salem and Roanoke County in the General Assembly  except that word spread among the gathered that Hagen had been arrested that afternoon in Roanoke on a grand larceny charge.

A president of three local businesses who had been named one of the Outstanding Young Men of America in 1965, when he was 30, Hagen was accused of receiving and concealing 30 stolen air conditioners in a warehouse.

In a move reminiscent of another currently beleaguered Democrat  Roanoke Councilman Robert Jeffrey, who awaits trial on four felony indictments  Hagen chose to keep his seat in the House of Delegates, despite a call for his resignation by the Roanoke Times Editorial Board.

Hagen still held office when his first trial in October 1970 resulted in a hung jury. And he was still in office in November 1971  though he had chosen not to run for reelection  when he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of being an accessory after the fact to the air conditioner theft.
Thousands of Japanese citizens took part in a march through Tokyo on Sunday in favour of a constitutional amendment. At the same time, there were protests in favour of the refugees from Myanmar and against the military coup that took place there.

After a snap general election that granted the governing LPD party the absolute majority in the parliament, there has been the call to amend the Japanese constitution and to redraft it.

While many members of parliament seem to be favouring this plan, Sunday's march underlines a section of public support for this political move.

After the surrender of Japan in 1945, the country was first occupied by the US and set itself a US tailor-made constitution which prohibited any standing army, as well as an anti-militaristic nature of the country.
Police have arrested a man on suspicion of starting a fire on a bullet train in Japan's southwestern region of Kyushu. No one was injured.

Officials say the individual claims to have been inspired by the attack in Tokyo last month.

The male passenger allegedly set fire to the floor of the Kyushu Shinkansen train shortly before 9 a.m. on Monday while it was traveling from Kumamoto Station to Shin-Yatsushiro Station.

The fire triggered an emergency alarm. The train stopped at Shin-Yatsushiro Station, where police arrested the man on suspicion of attempted arson.

Investigators say the suspect is Miyake Kiyoshi, a 69-year-old man from the city of Fukuoka in Kyushu. The incident has disrupted Kyushu Shinkansen services.

This is the latest in a series of attacks on Japanese trains that have been carried out in recent months. On Halloween, Tokyo police arrested a knife-wielding suspect, after he allegedly stabbed a man and started a fire on a moving train. Seventeen people were injured in that attack. Police and railway companies say they have stepped up security following the incident.
New Delhi: Paytm, an Indian multinational technology company that specialises in digital payment systems, e-commerce, and finance opened its initial public offer (IPO) for subscription on Monday. Last week, five other companies have successfully completed the IPOs. The three-day IPO will be closing on November 10. Paytms IPO is considered to be the highest in India at $2.46 billion (Rs 18,300 crore).

Here are some details about Pytms IPO you need to know:

The Bidding

The IPO has started from today and those who are interested in bidding have to practice so in the lot of six and its multiples. To get a single lot of the offer promoted by One97 Communication, the parent company of Paytm, the minimum investment will account to Rs 12,480.

Price Band

The IPO will be available at a price band of Rs 2,080-Rs 2,150. Besides, the allotment will be finalised by November 15 whereas the listing is expected on November 18.

Size of the issue

IPO beholds fresh issuance of equity shared priced Rs 8,300 crore and Rs 10,000 crore from an offer for sale (OFS) by existing shareholders. Notably, the offer will be considered to be the biggest after Coal Indias IPO in 2010 where the company has acquired Rs 15, 200 crores.

Reportedly, Paytm on Wednesday raised Rs 8,235 crore from anchor investors. It has signed up BlackRock, CPPIB collaboratively along with the sovereign wealth funds of Singapore and Abu Dhabi as anchor investors.

Who will be diluting their shares in Paytm?

With the opening of IPO, top investor Ant Financial plans to sell its 27.% stake in Paytm amounting to $643 million. Besides, Vijay Shekhar Sharma Paytms managing director and CEO will also deposit shares worth up to $53.94 million ( 402.65 crore).

What is Paytm?

Launched in 2010, Paytm an online platform was mainly used for mobile recharging. In 2016, the company grew owing to demonetisation in India. Ever since, the company branched out into services like insurance and gold sale, movie and flight ticketing, bank deposits, and bank remittances. The company undergoes nearly $800 billion of payments annually to 22 million merchants. Besides, it has 337 million customers.
New Delhi: The assassination attempt on Bashundhara Group Managing Director (MD) Sayem Sobhan Anvir has triggered wave of protests and marches across the country by citizens as well as business community. The protests against murderous plot on one of key assets of nation entered 3rd day on Monday, with people calling for capital punishment of the assailant.

Sayem Sobhan Anvir, MD of Bashundhara Group and Chairman of Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra Limited was targeted on November 5 during Friday prayers. A youth named Saiful Islam Saad tried to shoot the businessman dead during the Jummah prayers but was apprehended by the police in nick of time. The attacker was arrested, produced before the court, following which he has been sent on three-day remand.

The 23-year-old youth hails from Sautul Quran Madrasah. According to a report, Jatiya Sangsad whip Shamsul Haque Chowdhury and his son Nazmul Karim Chowdhury Sharun are the one who planned this wicked plot to kill Bangladeshs noted businessman.

Protests across the country against plot to kill Bashundhara MD

The country has been witnessing widespread protests against the murderous attempt on life of Sayem Sobhan Anvir. Monday marked the third day of protest.

In Shahbagh of Dhaka, a human chain was held in front of the National Museum on Monday. People from all walks of life took part in human chain and protest rallies that took place in areas like Bogura, Sirajganj, Rangpur, Kushtia, Khulna, Jashore, Mymensingh, Pabna and Barishal.

Hundreds of protestors, especially journalists denounced the murder plot and demanded that Anvirs attackers be given exemplary punishment. Protestors also demanded immediate arrest of the masterminds Whip Shamsul Haque Chowdhury and Nazmul Karim Chowdhury Sharun, on whose behest the murderous plot was hatched.

Tuhin Ahmed, one of the organisers of the rally stated, We are demanding arrest of whip Shamsul Haque and his son Sharun for their involvement in the conspiracy to kill Bashundhara MD. Sayem Sobhan Anvir is working for welfare of the country. He stood beside the poor and destitute in all critical times. He created employment of thousands of people.

Russel, who participated in the rally said that Whip Shamsul and Sharun assigned a youth named Saad to disguise himself as domestic help and appear in the house of Anvir and implement the plot.

In Gulshan-2, protestors demanded immediate arrest of the culprits for their attempt to murder the MD of Bashundhara Group. The protestors stated that several such conspiracies were hatched by the culprits to end Anvirs life and hence an exemplary punishment was need of the hour.

In ECB Chattar of Dhaka, the residents of Manikdi and Cantonment areas took part in the protest.

In Uttara of the capital, a human chain was formed protesting multiple attempts to kill the countrys top business conglomerate Bashundhara Groups MD and Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra chairman Sayem Sobhan Anvir. The programme was held at Jasim Uddin intersection around 11:30 AM on Monday, where hundreds of locals joined the protests.

In Barishal, the business community expressed deep concern over the crime. Rebeka Sultana, secretary of Barisal District Women Business Forum, slammed the heinous attempt and asserted that protest will continue until the plotters are brought to book.

In Mymensingh, businessmen of the district demanded stringent punishment for the culprit. Other areas that witnessed protests against the heinous crime inlcuded Pabna, Sirajgan, Laxmipur, Manikgan, Jamalpur, Faridpur, Khulna, and Jashore.
A notice in a shoe store window in Traunstein, Germany alerting shoppers to a new obligatory face mask ordinance. Photo: Matthias Balk/dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images

Multiple countries in Europe are experiencing upticks in COVID-19 infections as the continent enters its second pandemic winter. According to Reuters, the region saw a 6 percent increase in new cases last week, with nearly 1.8 million new cases, compared to the week before; the number of deaths rose 12 percent in the same period. On Friday, days after German health officials said the country was entering a fourth wave of the pandemic, Germany recorded more than 37,000 daily COVID cases  a record high for the second day running. Cases in Russia, Ukraine, and Greece are also soaring. The trend follows a recent surge in the U.K. as well.

Illustration: Our World in Data Daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases per million people in Germany, Greece, Russia, Ukraine, and the U.K.

The surge in infections has prompted a call to action from the World Health Organization, which warned that Europe overall is at a critical point in the pandemic. The group said the region could see another 500,000 COVID deaths by February. We are, once again, at the epicenter, said Hans Kluge, the agencys head in Europe, adding that 43 of the 53 countries he oversees could also see high or extreme stress on hospital beds. With a widespread resurgence of the virus, I am asking every health authority to carefully reconsider easing or lifting measures at this moment.

The WHO linked the resurgence to uneven vaccine coverage and the premature relaxation of public safety measures. That tracks: Eastern Europe has among the lowest vaccination rates in the region. Ukraine, for instance, is lagging the world in vaccination with only 26 percent of the countrys 41 million people having at least one dose of a vaccine.

Illustration: Our World in Data Vaccination percentages of the populations in Germany, Greece, Russia, Ukraine, and the U.K.

The rise in cases has sparked debate on whether to reintroduce curbs to tame the virus, especially as it spreads faster in the winter months when people gather indoors. Last week, for instance, Germany expanded its booster vaccine program to all adults and the Netherlands reimposed the use of face masks. Vienna, the capital of Austria, also announced it will ban people who are not vaccinated against the disease from cafes, restaurants, hairdressers, and any events with more than 25 people starting from the end of next week, according to CNN.

Health experts in the U.S. are closely watching activity in Europe, as it can often be a bellwether for whats next in the pandemic. The rise in cases also comes as the U.S. is preparing to open its borders to fully vaccinated foreign visitors.
Photo-Illustration: Konstantin Sergeyev/Intelligencer. Photo: Archive Holdings/Getty Images

By now youve likely heard of Havana syndrome, the frightening illness spreading among diplomats and spies across the globe. First documented in Cuba in 2016, the ailment, which is typically marked by sometimes-incapacitating headaches, dizziness, vertigo, and brain fog, has reportedly afflicted federal employees stationed on four continents, in locales ranging from Austria to Vietnam to a Trader Joes in Arlington, Virginia. It has led to probes conducted by both the Trump and Biden administrations, and a steady stream of thorough journalistic investigations. But five years after the first cases, the matter of what, exactly, is causing people to get sick remains unclear. The most popular theory among politicians and intelligence officials: Havana syndrome is the result of directed energy weapons developed and deployed by a hostile foreign actor (Russia is the leading candidate) that have somehow evaded all detection by U.S. investigators.

If you think this sounds too far-fetched a plot even for a B-movie thriller, youve got a point. Indeed, there has been little solid evidence presented to date that any individual has been attacked, much less by a yet-to-be-invented ray gun. Yet the leading countervailing theory  that Havana syndrome represents a mass sociogenic illness (a phenomenon sometimes previously known as mass hysteria, an outdated term with misogynistic undertones)  remains a controversial one. Though the idea has gained increasing traction among mainstream media outlets in recent weeks (after kicking around at the edge of the debate for years), it is still often cast as ridiculous or offensive. In large part, this is due to the occupation of the affected individuals. As one Hill staffer told Puck News reporter Julia Ioffe, Why would we question the sanity of people who are highly trained to handle some of the governments most sensitive information and negotiations?

Yet this type of thinking stigmatizes mental illness while reflecting exactly what the national-security community, and much of the reporting that has parroted its point of view, has gotten wrong about Havana syndrome. Trying to separate suffering of the mind and the body is a fools errand. Every symptom, after all, is all in our heads. And this goes for everyone: young or old, more or less educated, high-level diplomat or otherwise.

Sociogenic illnesses among various populations have been a constant for hundreds of years. A 2002 review by sociologist Robert E. Bartholomew and psychiatrist Simon Wessely traced episodes beginning in the 15th century, with outbreaks of bizarre motor behaviors among groups of nuns living under bleak and highly oppressive religious orders. Such epidemics were often attributed to demonic possession. As societal fears shifted, so did the cause of the cases. For instance, Bartholomew and Wessely note that the use of chemical gas in World War I led to outbreaks of shortness of breath and dizziness in numerous communities that were initially attributed to nonexistent noxious gases. Importantly, they conclude that there is no particular predisposition to mass sociogenic illness. In other words, it is something that can afflict any of us under the right conditions.

And Havana syndrome fits into the historical pattern. The high-pressure setting in Havana in 2016-17  with Donald Trump incoming and detente between Cuba and the U.S. on ice  provided ripe conditions for an outbreak. As news of a shadowy threat spread quickly among the tight-knit diplomatic community, and as media coverage depicted a foreign menace (and invisible weapon) behind the attacks, its plausible that a sociogenic illness went global. (Bartholomew, along with the neurologist Robert Baloh, have most prominently made this case, in articles and a 2020 book.)

This chain of events may conjure up images of Havana syndrome as a frenzied panic, whereas the reality is no doubt more complex  and quotidian. I cannot determine the cause of symptoms in any one individual. However, it seems likely that a multitude of factors could be at work in producing the manifestations of Havana syndrome (potentially including undiagnosed conditions for some), and that these may vary widely among individuals. It is the spreading conviction of attack by microwave that should be seen as socially contagious, not the underlying illness itself.

After all, as any physician would attest, the symptoms associated with Havana syndrome are debilitating but not uncommon: According to one comprehensive study in New Zealand, 89 percent of the general population suffers from one or more symptoms, and 23 percent from ten or more. This includes many people with the same sorts of constitutional and neurologic problems described by ill spies and diplomats: 35.5 percent with fatigue, 35.4 percent headache, 15.2 percent difficulty concentrating, 12.4 percent numbness or tingling, and 12.1 percent memory problems. Such symptoms are sometimes associated with specific medical diagnoses (say, dementia), but often they are not. They can also be driven or exacerbated by stressors, anxiety, and depression.

Moreover, every one of us is susceptible to nocebo effects  uncommon experiences we errantly associate with particular stimuli, but that are real nevertheless. For instance, in the placebo arm of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine trial, 47.4 percent suffered fatigue, 41.9 percent headache, and 11.0 percent new or worsening joint pain. Similarly, new research has found that the muscle pains commonly attributed to cholesterol-lowering statin medications are mostly, if not entirely, nocebo effects. Indeed, I suspect that such experiences are simply a part of being alive. Early in the pandemic, I developed a fear of contracting COVID-19 and infecting the patients and staff at the ICU where I work as a physician. With that anxiety emerged physical symptoms Id vaguely define as sore throat and chest heaviness. After testing negative, I slowly came to realize that these were sensations I had always experienced from time to time, but which had become more intense due to this fear  and the focus it engendered. This kind of brain-body connection might explain Havana syndrome symptoms for some.

For others, Havana syndrome might be better characterized as a variety of a condition called Functional Neurological Disorder, or FND. in which people experience a disordered and enhanced feedback loop between their sensations, perceptions, and suffering. Symptoms can be numerous, severe, chronic, and debilitating, although many improve with physical rehabilitation, muscular retraining, and psychological support.

Are such symptoms all in our heads? Of course  just like every symptom. A severed arm suffers nothing by itself. As human beings, all pain is computed and processed and generated in and by our brains  and this is equally true whether severe fatigue or brain fog stems from, say, a shattering wave of debilitating depression or occult pulmonary tuberculosis. An understanding of this reality led to the development of the biopsychosocial model of medicine in the 1970s  the idea that, fundamentally, a complex interaction of internal and external factors conspire in the production of illness. This is an idea too often forgotten today.

Indeed, commentators and even researchers have again and again demonstrated a confused and sometimes even offensive misunderstanding of how sickness works, describing Havana syndrome as real or fake, or of the mind or body. For instance, in a heavily influential investigation published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, University of Pennsylvania researchers argued against the sociogenic hypothesis on the grounds that patients were largely determined to continue to work, as if laziness was the culprit behind FND or nocebo-related suffering. Other commentators have similarly emphasized the occupation or security clearances of the patients, as if spies do not suffer the same spectrum of neuropsychiatric ailments as us mere mortals.

None of this is to argue that the etiology (or underlying cause) of illnesses do not matter: They do, both to direct proper treatment and to ensure that we do not, say, go to war with Russia based on a risible theory. But etiology can be elusive, and very often, a multitude of causes drive our symptoms and suffering. In any event, the proximate reason for someones pain should never serve as a reason to deny empathetic and thorough evaluation, treatment, and social support. Havana syndrome may have nothing to do with a sonic death ray, but it is quite real. And for the people experiencing it, thats all that matters.

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Tembe Denton-Hurst is a writer whose interests include shiny lip gloss and natural hair. Before the Strategist, she wrote about race and beauty for Nylon and Elle. Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Courtesy

A few weeks ago, I found myself at a launch party amid a sea of Black and brown creatives. Oversize tailoring, baby Brandon Blackwood bags, and chunky silver jewelry made frequent appearances among the crowd. Also in attendance: Ami Cole Lip Treatment Oil. The tube is unmistakable, so much so I can spot it from across the room. Transparent with a black cap, the rosy brown gloss inside betrays how close its owner is to needing a replacement.

I spotted the gloss a few times throughout the night, often in the hands of people I follow on Instagram. Once, I saw a circle of friends pass it around, each person checking out the tube. I suddenly realized the Lip Treatment Oil, which launched last May, had not just become a staple in my own makeup bag. It was a verifiable thing. Before venturing to write about the phenomenon, I polled my Instagram, asking whod tried it. Seven die-hard fans responded, and many who hadnt tried it were hoping to. I reached out to some of the respondents to ask what actually made it so good. Interestingly, they mostly said the same things.

First, theres the color: Despite being dark in the tube, the gloss goes on near clear with a slight brown tint. Its a universal nude that I havent found in any other formulation. It fits my skin when I have a tan during the summer and when I dont, says Asia Milia Ware, a junior fashion and beauty writer at the Cut. Nudes can be very tricky, and its not too nude. Its the perfect tint, says stylist Mecca James-Williams, who also said it also works for her complexion year-round. Because its not a true nude gloss, it merges easily with different makeup looks, whether Im wearing a bold eye or a monochromatic one.

It does look good on literally everyone. Ive seen it enough in the wild to know for sure. The Lip Treatment Oil is like a next-gen Fenty Fu$$y. Its replaced every lip product I had, says Shenell Renwick, a publicist who has been following Ami Cole since it was a moodboard page on Instagram. I was using the Fenty Lip Balm and Gloss Bomb, and I stopped using those. Ware has a similar story. Fenty and Glossier were my favorites before this, she says. But Fenty can get icky and sticky, especially with masks. I also like to over apply because I like super glossy lips, and I can do that with Ami Cole. I can do as many swipes as I want.

Ami Cole fans are just as excited about its perfect formula as they are about the color. Beauty writer Akili King says its a perfect blend of stickiness and softness: Some glosses are too sticky or melted, but this is the perfect balance. Blake Newby, who heads up beauty and style at Essence, told me its so nourishing that shes been able to leave her Aquaphor behind. I keep it for a rainy day, but if its not Ami Cole, Im not putting it on my lips. The gloss, which uses clean ingredients and is both vegan and cruelty free, contains baobab and camellia oil, which work together to moisturize and nourish for hours, making it a high-shine gloss thats good for your lips too.

Its also long wearing. Writer Hunter Harris, who describes herself as a true disciple of Jennifer Lopez, the year 2004, and lip gloss, recently wore it to a wedding and was happy with how it lasted throughout the night. I dont have to worry about it moving; its super nourishing and wears really nicely without being super sticky, she says. Its wet and luscious but not so sparkly. Ware, who wears it daily  even to the gym  agrees: When I was on the beach this summer, I could apply it in the morning and be good all day long.

Also, people keep losing them. Misplacing an Ami Cole lip gloss means fans are forced to use their old favorites as a stopgap. And those favorites are not cutting it. I was so upset about losing the first one, I immediately went online and bought two so I could put one in my bag and have one at home, says Ayanna McNeil, a creative strategist. I heard this type of story a few times  so much so that I had to wonder if Id tapped into a hyperlocal trend. Was this an echo chamber? Was the Lip Treatment Oil only a thing among Black girls who work in beauty and fashion and live in New York?

To get a sense of the scope of its influence, I spoke to Ami Coles brand community manager Samantha Scott, who told me the trend is indeed national. (Interestingly enough, Hunter was inspired to buy the gloss after Scotts rave reviews  and a slew of pointed Instagram ads.) Its a mix of people from different walks of life doing different things  from small content creators to large ones to girls who are just buying makeup and are really excited, she says. Its made fans of everyone from aesthetician and skin-care influencer Sean Garrette to vintage-shop owners to micro-influencers to beauty-obsessed moms.

at this point yall need to start selling the lip oil in packs, @byamicole.  yungFEVER (@MsTiffanyBender) September 14, 2021

nah them lip oils are so FYEEEEE i got one in every bag  https://t.co/EQl2vfPGOn  ayanna (@wowiwrite) September 14, 2021

Ami Cole, with its minimal-but-melanated approach to beauty, feels like a love letter to Black community. Its not a coincidence that the brand deftly creates both an actually great product and a distinctly Black brand story. Diarrha NDiaye-Mbaye, the brands founder, is a Glossier and LOreal alum and has always been vocal about championing Black women and their beauty concerns. NDiaye understands formulation, distribution, branding, and marketing, says Newby. The brand started with the basics: skin tint, highlighter, and the lip oil  giving Black women their own your-skin-but-better makeup experience without sacrificing quality. Its clear that not only is she looking to make great products, but shes specifically making products with Black women in mind, says McNeil. For example, NDiaye-Mbaye polled 400 people to get a sense of the gaps in the makeup market.

Ami Coles omnipresence has created a community that moves seamlessly from the internet to real life. McNeil recalls pulling it out at an event, her friends raving about it, and convincing the lone girl in the group who hadnt tried it yet to buy a tube. When someone pulls Ami Cole out, its like Oh, youre in the know. Youre not pulling out Glossier. Its the kind of camaraderie I havent seen since the early days of Fenty. But Fenty was built on the power of a megastar and fashion behemoth LVMH. Ami Cole was started by a beauty veteran from Harlem whos building a community from the ground up. Some of her early investors are Black women, including HBFIT founder Hannah Bronfman and the Cuts Lindsay Peoples Wagner. That difference isnt lost on Black women: It makes it even more community-based and special to me, said McNeil.

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Massive icebergs from Jakobshavn Glacier melting in Disko Bay on a summer evening, Ilulissat, Greenland.

Global warming has made extreme ice melting events in Greenland more frequent and more intense, raising the risk of sea level rises and floods around the world, according to a study.

In the past decade, 3.5 trillion tonnes of ice has melted from the surface of the island and flowed into the ocean  enough to cover the entire UK with meltwater around 45 feet deep.

A study led by researchers at the University of Leeds is the first to use satellite data to detect this phenomenon (known as ice sheet runoff) from space.

The findings, published in Nature Communications, reveal that Greenland's meltwater runoff has risen by 21% over the past four decades and has become 60% more erratic from one summer to the next.

Watch: Global warming and health risks?

Read more: A 1988 warning about climate change was mostly right

Lead author Dr Thomas Slater, a research fellow at Leeds' Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, said: As weve seen with other parts of the world, Greenland is also vulnerable to an increase in extreme weather events.

As our climate warms, its reasonable to expect that the instances of extreme melting in Greenland will happen more often  observations such as these are an important step in helping us to improve climate models and better predict what will happen this century.

The research shows that over the decade from 2011 to 2020 increased meltwater runoff from Greenland raised the global sea level by one centimetre.

One-third of this total was produced in just two hot summers, 2012 and 2019, when extreme weather led to record-breaking levels of ice melting not seen in the past 40 years.

Raised sea levels caused by ice melt heightens the risk of flooding for coastal communities worldwide and disrupts marine ecosystems in the Arctic Ocean that indigenous communities rely on for food.

Read more: Why economists worry that reversing climate change is hopeless

The changes are related to extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, which have become more frequent and are now a major cause of ice loss from Greenland because of the runoff they produce.

Story continues

Dr Slater said: There are, however, reasons to be optimistic. We know that setting and meeting meaningful targets to cut emissions could reduce ice losses from Greenland by a factor of three, and there is still time to achieve this.

Dr Amber Leeson, senior lecturer in environmental data science at Lancaster University, said: Model estimates suggest that the Greenland ice sheet will contribute between about 3cm and 23cm to global sea level rise by 2100.

This prediction has a wide range, in part because of uncertainties associated with simulating complex ice melt processes, including those associated with extreme weather.

Watch: What is net zero?
Veterans Day, Nov. 11, was established as a day to recognize, honor and thank the men and women who have served our county.

This day was specifically chosen in honor of the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918 that signaled the end of World War I.

This national holiday is a reminder to show appreciation to veterans who have made sacrifices for protection of the United States.

Auburn and Opelika will be hosting Veterans Day ceremonies on Nov. 11 to honor local veterans.

Opelika

The City of Opelika will host a breakfast and a celebration at the Opelika Public Library located at 1100 Glenn Street.

We are honored to spend the morning with our veterans, first with breakfast and then by celebrating their bravery and sacrifice, Mayor Gary Fuller said in a press release.

Breakfast will be served at 9 a.m. and will be free for veterans and their families. At 10 a.m. the celebration will start with a speech by Opelika resident Major General Sylvester Cannon and will also showcase the Opelika High School Choir.
Washington, PA (15301)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. High 46F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Rain showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low 31F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
General Hospital

Days of Our Lives

The Young and the Restless

The Bold and the Beautiful

This Week in Soaps history...

November 7-11, 2016

This week on the US Daytime Soaps...Nicole met the jet when it landed from its trip to Hawaii and was horrified to find Zende and Sasha in bed together in the jet's private cabin. Once Zende learned that Nicole hadn't gone through with the surrogacy, he begged her to forgive him and pick up where they'd left off. Nicole refused, and Sasha wondered what it meant for her and Zende.As Eric watched from home with Katie, Quinn conducted her first Forrester fashion show. Her jewelry pass got mixed reactions, and right before the finale, Ridge made Steffy refuse to wear the custom showstopper. To everyone's amazement, Quinn donned the white gown and floated down the runway to save the showing.Chloe told Philip that Daniel and Nicole were her baby's parents.Brady feared that Theresa was back to her old ways of drinking and drugs. Brady begged Kimberly to help him get through to Theresa. Theresa pushed Brady away to keep him and Tate safe. Theresa turned to drugs as the final step in her plan.Gabi helped Chad out of a jam. Chad started to have feelings for Gabi.Steve asked Kayla to marry him, and she said yes. Shane told Steve that he wanted to help Hope.Kate got through to Andre. Hope made a deal with Andre to clear Rafe and Roman.Sonny asked Justin if he was still in love with Adrienne.Sonny asked Paul to work for him.Abe was released from the hospital. Theo asked Claire to help him keep Valerie away from Abe.Joey tried to break up with Jade until she told him that she was pregnant.Andre and Laura had faked Abigail's death for reasons yet to be revealed. Laura called Andre and told him that Abigail was probably on her way back to Salem. A mystery woman spied on Chad.J.J. told Gabi that he had cheated on her.Jax returned to Port Charles for Morgan's funeral and to help Carly bury her son.Sonny wrote a letter then asked Nelle to give it to Carly after the service. Everyone was stunned when Sonny pulled out a gun during his son's eulogy and explained that he had to ensure that Morgan could rest in peace.Laura was shocked when Alexis revealed that Mikkos had changed his will before he'd died and that Valentin was the legal heir to the Cassadine empire.Alexis drank wine and passed out while babysitting Danny, but she averted disaster when she woke up in time to stop an oven fire from spreading. Sam questioned her mother about the incident with Danny, but Alexis denied that she'd been drinking.Brad found Finn's stash of Zekenestrol, which Liesl promptly reported to Monica.Finn was horrified when a lab accident infected Hayden with the deadly virus that he'd been battling. Hayden quickly fell ill and had to be treated at the Quartermaine mansion because Finn had been blocked from entering his lab.Elizabeth learned that the man who had raped her had been paroled. Franco vowed that he would not let Tom Baker hurt Elizabeth.A DNA test proved that Griffin was not Charlotte's father.Dylan handed Christian over to Nick. The rift between Sharon and Dylan grew.Victor forced Curtis Fielding to confess to GC Buzz that he'd fabricated the Newman documents and sold them. Devon refused to air the story, but he relented when Victor offered to drop his lawsuit if the segment aired.Hilary was intrigued when she spied a conversation between Kevin and Mariah about Dr. Anderson and a baby. Hilary's investigation led her to Patty, who spilled the entire story about Sharon raising Nick's son. Hilary aired the story live on GC Buzz. Sharon worried that she'd be arrested for kidnapping. Hilary realized that Mariah had known Sharon's secret, and she appealed to Mariah to tell her side of the story on-camera.Cane required surgery for a torn ACL, but he insisted on working. Lily appealed to Billy and Victoria to convince Cane to proceed with the surgery, and Cane agreed.Michelle visited Genoa City after splitting from her husband, and she indicated her interest in getting back together with Travis. Travis rebuffed Michelle, but he ended up at her hotel room after a tiff with Victoria.Ashley walked in on Jack and a shirtless Phyllis. Ashley launched the Jabot Go app with great success, but she gave credit to Jack, hoping he'd fire Phyllis in return. Jack assigned Phyllis to run a new division in New York. During their ensuing argument, Jack pulled Phyllis into a passionate kiss.November 6-10, 2006Rebecca and Theresa went head-to-head at the bed and breakfast.Believing that he had only a short time left, Kay refused to break off her engagement to Fox even though she had told Miguel that she loved him.Luis tried to rescue Fancy from certain death, but they both ended up falling to the bottom of a mineshaft. Source 3 and
As climate change becomes an increasingly important global issue, the debate over whether nuclear energy really is a green source of energy is raging once again

Whats worse: climate change or radioactive nuclear waste with a half-life of tens of thousands of years? This is the question at the heart of a debate over nuclear energy that is currently ramping up against the backdrop of the COP26 climate summit taking place in Glasgow.

Of course, this is an oversimplification. There is a lot of nuance to the arguments for and against nuclear energy. Critics of nuclear energy point to high costs, the reliance of the industry on government handouts, the risk of a potential nuclear meltdown, and the cost of storing and maintaining nuclear waste for hundreds and thousands of years. Reactors worldwide produce thousands of tons of highly radioactive detritus per year, on top of what has already been left by decades of harnessing the atom to electrify homes and factories around the world, the Associated Press reported this week.

Advocates for nuclear, however, say that the risks of the nuclear energy industry are hugely overblown. In fact, the argument is that nuclear energy actually saves lives overall. Over the past 50 years, nuclear power has prevented approximately 74 Gt of carbon dioxide emissions that would have otherwise been created through the use of fossil fuels. In fact, it has been estimated by scientists from NASAs Goddard Institute that nuclear power has already saved a whopping 1.8 million lives that would have been lost to the air pollution associated with the combustion of fossil fuels in general, and coal in particular.

This debate is currently playing out on a grand scale within the European Union, which is starkly divided on whether to recognize nuclear power as a green form of energy production. Much hinges on this decision, which would decide whether or not nuclear power is included in the EUs climate policy and whether or not it will receive billions of Euros worth of funding in the coming years. The outcome of this debate has far-reaching consequences. As a leading international governmental body, the EUs decision on nuclear will likely set an influential precedent for the rest of the world.

Within the EU, Germany is leading the charge against nuclear, while France - a nation that is already reliant on nuclear for a significant portion of its energy mix - is leading a consortium of European nations advocating for nuclear development. France is positioning nuclear energy as both a weapon to fight climate change and a reliable fuel source that could save Europe from future energy crunches like the one that they are experiencing now. Last month, France sent a letter to the European Commission advocating for nuclear power as a "key affordable, stable and independent energy source" that would protect EU consumers who are currently seeing sky-high energy bills from being further "exposed to the volatility of prices."

Whats more, nuclear advocates argue that the bottom line is that the harms caused by nuclear energy simply pale in comparison to the risks imposed by catastrophic climate change. It is, quite simply, the lesser of two evils. Advocates argue that we can no longer afford to debate the nuclear energy issue - developing new plants will be absolutely essential to meeting the goals set by the Paris climate accord.

The scale of what human civilization is trying to do over the next 30 years (to fight climate change) is staggering, Columbia Universitys Center for Global Energy Policys Matt Bowen was quoted by the Associated Press. It will be much more daunting if we exclude new nuclear plants - or even more daunting if we decide to shut down nuclear plants all together [sic].

As the Western world quibbles over nuclear energy, China is moving full steam ahead on developing new nuclear capacity. With lots of capital and no political hang-ups due to the governments totalitarian approach, China is poised to swiftly take over the nuclear energy sector. Beijing plans to bring 150 nuclear reactors online over the next 15 years - more nuclear capacity than the entire world has built in the last 35 years.



By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com

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Saudi Arabia raised on Saturday the official selling prices (OSPs) for its crude in December to all customers by much more than traders and refiners had expected, suggesting that the world's largest oil exporter believes the market will continue to tighten.

Saudi Aramco hiked the price of its flagship Arab Light crude grade to Asia for December by $1.40 per barrel to a premium of $2.70 a barrel over the Oman/Dubai average, the benchmark off which Middle East's crude exports to Asia are being priced.

The $1.40-per-barrel price hike for the world's most important oil-importing market was much higher than analysts and refiners had expected.

A Reuters survey showed at the end of October that traders expected the Saudis to raise the price of Arab Light for Asia in December by between $0.30 and $0.90 a barrel over the $1.30 per barrel premium to the Oman/Dubai average for November.

According to Bloomberg estimates, the Saudi price hike for December was the second-highest monthly increase in OSP for Arab Light to Asia in 20 years, excluding the March-early April 2020 price war with Russia.

"The price increments are much higher than market expectations and give a bullish signal on supply tightness," ING strategists Warren Patterson and Wenyu Yao said on Monday.

"OPEC's steady approach on the output increments at 400Mbbls/d per month and stronger oil demand in global markets appears to have contributed to the increase in prices," the strategists added. Related: Iraq Cuts Its Once-Popular Basrah Light Crude Oil Blend

Saudi Arabia also raised the prices for all its crude grades to all regions, including the heavy crudes to Asia, despite weaker fuel oil margins there.

"It just tells you that Saudi is very bullish and they also think that the market is very tight and that's why they dare to hike prices so much," a trader based in Singapore told Reuters.

Saudi Arabia generally sets the pricing trend for Middle Eastern crude from other major exporters such as Kuwait and Iraq.

The large increase in prices from the Saudis came two days after the OPEC+ alliance defied calls from the U.S. Administration to boost supply more and decided to continue easing the collective oil production cuts by just 400,000 barrels per day next month.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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"There are other tools in the arsenal that we have to deal with other countries at an appropriate time," President Biden said this weekend, referring to OPEC+ and its refusal to boost crude oil supply in response to repeated calls from Washington to that tune.

The mentioning of "tools in the arsenal" came in response to a question about whether Washington was considering the release of some crude from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as a means of reining in retail fuel prices.

"I'm not anticipating that OPEC would respond, that Russia and/or Saudi Arabia would respond," President Biden said, as quoted by Reuters. "They are going to pump some more oil. Whether they pump enough oil is a different thing."

"We can get more energy in the pipeline figuratively and literally speaking," the president added.

The U.S. administration has been urging OPEC and its partners in OPEC+ to add more barrels to their combined output since July as recovering demand for oil products pushed prices at the pump to politically uncomfortable highs.

Most recently, the calls have turned into demands and accusations of OPEC+ threatening the global economic recovery by withholding barrels from the market.

"Opec+ seems unwilling to use the capacity and power it has now at this critical moment of global recovery for countries around the world," a spokesperson for President Biden's National Security Council said last week, as quoted by the Financial Times. "Our view is that the global recovery should not be imperilled by a mismatch between supply and demand."

The option of releasing crude from the SPR has been mentioned a few times, including by Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, but for now, the administration appears to be reluctant to tap the strategic reserve. As to what the other tools are that Washington plans to use to convince OPEC+ to pump more oil, details on those have yet to be shared publicly.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Occidental Petroleum plans to stop hedging its oil output next year as prices remain elevated with substantial upside potential.

"Our current oil and gas hedges will expire by the end of this year, and we have not added any new hedges for future periods," said chief financial officer Rob Peterson during a call with analysts, as quoted d by Bloomberg.

Last week, Pioneer Natural Resources also said it would significantly reduce hedging amid the higher oil prices. Chief executive Scott Sheffield said he expected prices in 2022 to be between $80 and $100 per barrel.

Pioneer suffered substantial losses from its hedging bets this year, at some $2 billion, as it hedged its future production at prices much lower than where they are now.

"I do think that we're getting in a very, very tighter market over the next several years. Unused capacity in OPEC+ is going to be used up in the next two years," Sheffield said as quoted by Reuters.

Pioneer was by far not the only one to suffer losses stemming from its hedging decisions. Early this year, as West Texas Intermediate reached $70 per barrel, IHS Markit calculated that prematurely hedging producers lost billions because they hedged their output at $55 per barrel.

For the first half of 2021, IHS Markit said in July, losses reached $7.5 billion, but if oil prices remained around $75 per barrel, this could add another $12 billion during the second half of the year as demand continues to improve.

Prices are still on the rise after a quick dip following last week's OPEC+ meeting. On Friday, Saudi Aramco raised its official selling price for oil, which added fuel to the price rally as it supported expectations that oil demand will remain strong in the coming months. That's despite a slump in China oil imports resulting from the higher prices.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The OPEC+ group has the capability to increase its crude oil supply to the market if there is demand, according to one of the key members of the coalition, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The UAE has the capacity to boost its own crude oil supply to the market in case the market needs it and the OPEC+ alliance endorses it, Suhail al-Mazrouei, the UAE's Energy Minister, told Dubai-based Asharq TV channel as carried by Reuters.

Despite the UAE's reassurance that market demand will be met, the OPEC+ group ignored calls from the U.S. Administration and other major oil importers such as India and Japan to increase December supply more than initially planned.

OPEC+ decided last week to continue easing the collective oil production cuts by just 400,000 barrels per day next month, ignoring calls from major oil-consuming nations to open the taps and tame the price rally. The rationale for keeping a cautious approach seems to be assessments from OPEC+ experts that Q4 would see a smaller market deficit than expected earlier and that the balance would tip into surplus next year.

Days before that, U.S. President Joe Biden had said at the G20 meeting in Rome that the refusal of OPEC+ in recent weeks to increase crude oil production is affecting America's working class.

OPEC+ not only ignored the calls for extra crude oil supply, but it also told the market, via Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, that "oil is not the problem" in the global energy crisis.

The OPEC+ decision was taken "to ensure a stable and a balanced oil market, the efficient and secure supply to consumers and to provide clarity to the market at times when other parts of the energy complex outside the boundaries of oil markets are experiencing extreme volatility and instability, and to continue to adopt a proactive and transparent approach which has provided stability to oil markets," OPEC said after the meeting.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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News

THE GREAT STATE PLATE DEBATE

The Great State Plate Debate: Over a half century, license plates have generated a carload of controversy

Charlotte Higgins Nebraska license plates over the years. Debate over many of them has proved time and time again that people really do care about license plates. Photo illustration by Charlotte Higgins, The World-Herald Nebraska license plates over the years. Debate over many of them has proved time and time again that people really do care about license plates. NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES (1976-1983) NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES (1984-86) NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES (1987-1989) NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES (1990-1992) NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES (1993-95) NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES (1997-1999) NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES (1999-2001) NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES (2002-2004) NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES (2005-2010) (2009) NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES (2011-2016) State of Nebraska (2015) NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES (2017-2022)

A popular automobile industry blog recently ranked Nebraskas license plate 45th out of the 50 states, faulting it for the obscure image of The Sower and a perceived lack of effort.

Is that an 18th-century dandy with a purse standing on a Reeses peanut butter cup? the writer from Autoblog said of the vague Sower image. Really, though, thats the most indicative thing you can depict from your state?

That blogger has hardly been the only critic of Nebraskas plates over the years.

License plates serve a simple purpose, helping identify cars and offering proof they have been properly approved for the road.

But over the past half century, plates have generated a carload of controversy in Nebraska.

Who can forget Plategate, when the states online plate vote got hijacked?

Or the U.S. bicentennial plates that seemed they might still be around for the nations 250th birthday?

Or the current plate that originally used the wrong Sower image?

While these misfires might not rank among the great government scandals of our time, the resulting controversies have proved time and time again that people really do care about license plates.

When done right, a license plate can add a little bit of class to even a clunker of a car.

Theyve also come to serve as little chamber of commerce billboards we bolt to our bumpers, projecting an image of the state to the wider world.

Nebraskas current plate, introduced in 2017, doesnt seem to score well on that front.

And when you look over other states plates, you can see why some would in comparison rate Nebraskas plate so poorly. It could be worse, though. Autoblog rated Michigan  arguably the auto capital of the world  as having the worst plate.

In all fairness, in trying to come up up with a plate most Nebraskans can be happy with, the state does face some challenges.

Nebraska doesnt have any particularly well-known landmarks or geography. Think of all the license plate mileage South Dakota and Colorado have gotten out of Rushmore and the Rockies.

And while Nebraska has a rich agricultural heritage, and the vast majority of the states land is still devoted to farms, more than 60% of the states population lives in two metropolitan cities.

As we will see, that has often made it hard to find a plate design or slogan that a sizable number of urban Nebraskans wont consider too corny or country bumpkinish. If you are trying to project your state as an exciting place to live, covered wagons dont really sell.

Fortunately, there are now a number of attractive specialty plate choices Nebraskans can slap on their cars if they pay extra.

And if you dont like the current plate, the Sowers days are numbered. The Ricketts administration in the months ahead is expected to introduce a new design that will go on cars beginning in 2023.

Going back nearly a half century, heres a look at the states plate debates  and even a few plates that we actually liked.

The celebration that never ended (1976-1983)

Issued to mark the nations 200th birthday in 1976, these red, white and blue plates were notable for a couple reasons. Due to technology changes, it was the first time plates could feature graphic images and more than just two colors. But novel as they were, Nebraskans would grow sick of them. The Legislature at least twice delayed issuing new plates due to budget constraints, keeping the frayed, faded, battered plates on cars for eight years. Consider that no previous plate lasted more than four, or that the bicentennial was by the end a distant memory. But state lawmakers soon ran into more plate problems. ...

Plain label (1984-86)

It started when a senator from Lincoln had the audacity to suggest it was time for old plate slogans like The Beef State and The Cornhusker State to go. The Legislature haggled for hours over possible replacements, among them the Tree Planter State and Prairie State. A last-ditch pitch for The Good Life fell just one vote short. That led to production of these plain plates. Plain-label foods, in generic black and white packaging, were strangely popular at the time. So in a way, it became kind of a parody plate. Most people didnt see the humor though.

And we finally have a winner (1987-1989)

Due to the previous plate debacle, state lawmakers going forward took plate designs out of their own hands and left the job to the states governor. Most thought the administration of Gov. Bob Kerrey came through with flying colors in creating this plate with Nebraska in a stylized script and a bright, artistic rendering of a sunset on a braided Platte River. A plate collectors group at the time named it one of the nations best. Its arguably still the best Nebraska ever produced.

But its not a Dempster  (1990-1992)

The administration of Gov. Kay Orr kept the river motif of the previous plate but replaced the sun with a windmill. Some big-city residents likely thought the windmill hickish. And even some rural folks who liked the windmill were critical that it didnt feature the distinctive vane of a Dempster, a windmill variety manufactured in Nebraska.

Something for both city and rural folk (1993-95)

This plate produced by the administration of Gov. Ben Nelson certainly threaded the needle on the states urban/rural divide. It had appeal from Omaha to the Panhandle, mainly because it featured silhouette images of the Omaha skyline and State Capitol on the right side and western Nebraskas Chimney Rock on the left  with even a river and windmill thrown in to boot. The plate was certainly popular with Nelson, as we will see. ...

If it was good enough the first time ... (1996-1998)

Ummm, havent we seen this one before? Well, yes, you have. And theres a story behind that. State DMV officials developed a new plate design. But just to help Nelson feel he was getting a say, the DMV director brought along a rejected version of the previous plate, featuring a slightly different color scheme, when she went to unveil the new plate to her boss. To her surprise, you can guess which one Nelson chose.

Go Big Red! (1997-99)

With three national championships in four years, 1990s football fervor led to the introduction of the first in an ongoing series of Husker Spirit plates. The plate would also be the vanguard of a wide variety of specialty plate options. There are now some three dozen such choices. As perhaps a sign of recent football woes, a plate featuring a mountain lion  first introduced by Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers  in recent years has surpassed Husker Spirit as the top-selling specialty design.

Just make them bigger this time (1999-2001)

Yep, Ben Nelson sure loved him some images of buildings and Chimney Rock. The third and final plate created during his eight-year tenure featured some very familiar images, but on steroids. Perhaps it was time for some new thinking?

Contest produces a winner (2002-2004)

Given what a political football it can be to pick a plate, Gov. Mike Johanns wisely punted. He held a state contest to allow Nebraskans to submit their own designs and then let the public vote among several finalists. The process produced this winner of a plate, featuring flying sandhill cranes silhouetted against a colorful Nebraska sunset. But the voting idea wouldnt always work so smoothly.

Yes, we travel by wagon out here (2005-2010)

A covered wagon heading into a Nebraska sunset won out in a close, very divided vote, with three finalists each getting more than one-fourth support. Many city residents thought the winner was the worst of the three, a backwards rube of a plate that snuck through when the urban vote split on the other designs. How does a covered wagon promote the state? And didnt most of those pioneers just pass through anyway? Detractors soon had more to gripe about: Gov. Dave Heineman then chose a state quarter design that also featured a covered wagon.

Plategate: The vote gets pranked (2009)

For a few days, this gray plate prominently featuring the states website was set to adorn state vehicles after Heineman declared it the winner of an online vote. But a website called CollegeHumor.com had hijacked the poll, encouraging its audience to vote for the plate to ensure Nebraska got stuck with a boring one. Heinemans administration claimed the vote had not been compromised. But probing by The World-Herald uncovered Plategate, as officials finally acknowledged that votes originating from the humor site had indeed swayed the result. With those votes tossed, the winner became ...

Better late than never (2011-2016)

The voting debacle aside, there was a feel-good story behind the ultimate winning design. The plate featuring the western meadowlark (state bird) and goldenrod (state flower) had actually been submitted for the contest six years earlier. It was resurrected by DMV officials and placed back on the ballot. By then, designer Ginny Ruark had left the state. She had no idea until informed by a reporter that her handiwork would grace state bumpers. One blogger ranked it the 22nd best in the country.

You reap what you sow (2015)

No more design contests. Gov. Pete Ricketts administration chose its own. But as the governor released this plate said to feature the Sower statue from atop the State Capitol, it faced criticism as obscure (who outside Nebraska understands this?), even a little erotic (just what is that guy reaching for anyway?) or perhaps a conspiracy to sell more specialty plates. And after more hard-hitting investigative reporting by this newspaper, it was revealed the plate featured the wrong Sower  from a relief sculpture at Michigan State University. The artist who created the design admitted the mistake.

OK, the right Sower, but ... (2017-2022)

The state quickly reversed course and changed to the correct Sower. But in the end, did it really matter? Once printed on plates, the Sower image appeared almost ghostlike, a faint gray muddle of squiggly lines lurking behind numbers and letters. And as Autoblog pointed out, the Sower is indeed obscure. Take away the Sower theme, and you are pretty much left with a plain, boring plate. CollegeHumor.com would surely have approved. Specialty plate anyone?
They were worrying and figuring out, OK, Im down to almost my last diaper. What do I do now? Do I go find some cans [to sell]? Do I go sell some things in my house? Who in my social network might have some extra cash right now? I talked to moms who sell blood plasma just to get their infants diapers.

Q: What coping strategies stood out to you?

Those of us who study diapers often call them diaper-stretching strategies. One was leaving on a diaper a little bit longer than someone might otherwise leave it on and letting it get completely full. Some mothers figured out if they bought a (more expensive) diaper that held more and leaked less, they could leave the diaper on longer.

They would also do things like letting the baby go diaperless, especially when they were at home and felt like they wouldnt be judged for letting their baby go without a diaper. And they used every household good you can imagine to make makeshift diapers. Mothers are using cloth, sheets and pillowcases. Theyre using things that are disposable like paper towels with duct tape. Theyre making diapers out their own period supplies or adult incontinence supplies when they can get a sample.
Two adults and three teens were arrested early Monday after someone in their vehicle allegedly fired a shot at an unmarked Omaha police vehicle.

The incident began shortly after midnight when Omaha police officers reported hearing gunfire in the area of 65th Street and Hartman Avenue. An officer driving an unmarked police vehicle observed a vehicle being driven erratically near Immanuel Medical Center and tried to follow it, a police spokesman said.

An occupant in the vehicle shot at the officers vehicle, the spokesman said. Other officers responded to the area and pursued the vehicle into Iowa before it returned to Omaha and ended up at the Nebraska Medical Center.

A 20-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of felony flight to avoid arrest, possession of a stolen firearm and accessory to a felony. A 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of a stolen firearm and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Both were booked into the Douglas County Jail.
Id say that Bailey is grateful for the sake of her family, he said, particularly for her daughter, Nahla.

Jeff Pickens, Boswells co-counsel with the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy, said it was clear that Trail, who had spent most of his life in prison for fraud, had exploited Boswell. Lancaster added that their roles were different in the murder.

Prosecutors left the courthouse Monday without commenting. They had pushed for the death penalty, pointing to the purchase of cutting tools and the senseless killing of a young girl looking for a friend. They argued that Trail and Boswell had conspired to make it seem like Boswell was a victim rather than a major player in the slaying. They also noted that Trail and Boswell, just days after Loofe was murdered, were talking about abducting, torturing and killing someone else, a foreign student at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

In justifying her ruling for the death penalty, Judge Johnson compared the killing of Loofe to the two murders committed by John Joubert in Sarpy County in 1983, in which Joubert hunted for helpless young boys and then bound, tortured and killed them for sexual gratification. The judge said the mutilation to Loofes body was worse than that of Jouberts victims. Joubert was executed in 1996.
Sasse, who wrote a book how the nation could heal its divide, would have scored below average if it werent for the 10 points he got for his book. Thats because he was the only member of the states congressional delegation to score zero in the categories of official performance and personal actions.

In addition to official performance and personal actions, the scores were based on public statements and willingness to commit, in a survey, to positive behaviors. Bonus points were awarded for exemplary efforts, which Bacon received for some of his bipartisan efforts and Sasse received for his book.

Sasses office declined to comment on the Common Ground ratings.

Beyond getting zero in each of five categories, Ricketts score included only this statement: No evidence of Common Grounder spirit or practice yet found or provided. In terms of governors, the scores of Republican Govs. Kristi Noem of South Dakota and Ron DeSantis of Florida were slightly higher than Ricketts.

Ricketts spokesperson did not respond to an email seeking comment on the rating.

Fischers and Smiths offices did not respond to requests for comment. Fortenberrys office did not immediately offer a comment on the congressmans rating.
Nebraska will immediately return to daily releases of more extensive COVID-19 data as hospitalizations have crossed a key threshold, Gov. Pete Ricketts said Monday.

The state averaged 400 people hospitalized with COVID last week, up from 386 the week before, according to a World-Herald analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. That is at or close to 10% of the states staffed beds  a number the state has used as a trigger for how much data it releases on its public dashboard and how often.

The dashboard had been scaled down for the last 2 weeks. The pared-down version has been updated weekly rather than daily and has not included county-specific or demographic data.

The week before Ricketts announced the change on Oct. 21, an average of 381 Nebraskans were hospitalized with the virus. At the same time, Ricketts announced that the state would rescind a directed health measure that delayed some elective surgeries.

At a Monday press conference, Ricketts looked to Dr. Gary Anthone, the state director of public health, who confirmed that Nebraska would return to daily data releases effective Monday.

Ricketts said the state was not, however, planning to reinstate the pause on elective surgeries.
Kuhn, the victim in Nelson, was also African American, and among five Black men and two Mexicans lynched between 1879 and 1919, according to the Nebraska History article. The Black population of Nebraska never exceeded 1% during that era, Potter wrote, though the African American percentage of lynching victims was about 8%.

Like most lynchings in those days, the incident in Nuckolls County ended with no arrests of those involved.

There were also silly incidents associated with the Nuckolls County Jail.

In 1983, Nuckolls County was the scene of a lion hunt, after a local man intentionally released two African lion cubs he had purchased from a traveling circus.

Former County Sheriff Jim Marr, who was a deputy at the time, said the 80-pound cubs were mostly tame but had claws and fangs that were dangerous. They also could roar like their wild cousins.

It took several days to round up the lions, but Marr said that once they were located, they were easily lured into cages. The animals were stored in the jails garage until they were relocated, eventually, to a zoo back east, Marr said.
Do or do not. There is no try.

Yoda is the teacher, and this is the Legislatures STAR WARS Committee  and it is thinking big with construction of a large reservoir between Omaha and Lincoln funded by federal coronavirus recovery assistance on the table for possible consideration now.

That potential project, with its strong recreation, tourism, flood control, economic development and water sustainability aspects, joins water development opportunities already identified at Lake McConaughy near Ogallala, and at Lewis and Clark Lake and Niobrara State Park along the border with South Dakota, all of which are on the legislative study committees project list.

Its a concept now, not a proposal, Speaker of the Legislature Mike Hilgers of Lincoln stressed during an interview. He is chairman of the Statewide Tourism and Recreational Water Access and Resources Sustainability, or STAR WARS, Committee.

Its one of many projects were looking at, he said, and its under review by the committees engineering and financial consultants now.

Gov. Pete Ricketts has been kept closely informed, Hilgers said.
Yeutter stood out for his notable combination of talents. He had a keen understanding of agriculture  Yeutter never left the farm, his friend and Nebraska business leader Duane Acklie once noted  as well as economics, law and politics. He held three degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln: a bachelors, a law degree and a Ph.D. in agricultural economics. Remarkably, he pursued those last two degrees simultaneously.

Yeutter held Cabinet posts including U.S. trade representative and secretary of agriculture in the 1980s and 90s. He earlier had been the CEO of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and, in the late 1960s, was chief of staff for then-Gov. Norbert Tiemann.

At the UNL event last week, Warren Maruyama, who worked with Yeutter in the U.S. Trade Representative office and at a Washington, D.C., law firm, explained how Yeutter played a central role in opening trade with Canada, which led to a dramatic increase in U.S. trade with both Canada and Mexico in the 1990s. Yeutter showed particular skill in opening the Japanese market to U.S. beef, Maruyama said.

Until Yeutters determined efforts in the 1980s in international negotiations, agriculture had been at the periphery of discussions, hamstringing U.S. export ability, Maruyama said.
Cagle talks redistricting to Rotarians

A newly reconfigured map of Harris County Pct. 4 could extend from Cinco Ranch near Katy, circling northern Harris County and extending on the east side of Harris County all the way to Baytown.

Lake Houston is included in Pct. 4.

Pct. 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle had a strong, negative opinion about that map, proposed by fellow commissioner for Pct. 1, Rodney Ellis.

Im looking at your Four-Way Test, Cagle said to the Rotarians of Lake Houston, who were holding their weekly Wednesday meeting Oct. 20 at the Lake Houston Family YMCA. That map doesnt meet your test.

Reading from the Rotarian banner displayed at each meeting, Cagle said, Is it the truth? No, it is not. Is it fair to all concerned? No, we wont be able to provide the kind of service our community is used to with such an increase in area without additional funds. And is it fair to those residents who were forced out of their precinct and into Pct. 2? Of course not.

Cagle continued, Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Frankly, at this point, I am lacking some goodwill right now. And the final test, will it be beneficial to all concerned? Absolutely not.

Cagle then hinted that, if adopted, the Ellis map may lead to litigation.

It is redistricting season in Harris County, Texas and throughout the country. Precincts 3 and 4 have both grown faster than the other precincts, with Cagles precinct 42,000 residents   above the ideal population, he said, but the increase is within the 10 percent margin required to redistrict. Pct. 2, however, falls above the 10 percent threshold   so the court could simply shift a few people over.

Ellis map, however, has created a Pct. 4 that, in Cagles words,   looks like a crooked table, taking 450,000 people from Pct. 3 and 200,000 people from Pct. 2 and shifting them into Pct. 4.

This map wedges as many residents of unincorporated Harris County as possible into Pct. 4, Cagle said, spreading many current Precinct 4 residents out into the other three precincts, weakening their voting strength and representation.

Under the proposed map, Lake Houston would remain in Pct. 4.

Cagle pointed out that there are other redistricting maps that could be included or adapted including one that would put Tomball into Pct. 1.

Rotarian Jess Fields Jr. asked what the proposed map would do to the courts political leanings.

Cagle candidly admitted that Pct. 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey could not win election under the proposed Ellis plan, placing the court in a 4-1 position with Cagle being the only Republican.

It may mean higher property taxes with the new 4-1 supermajority, Cagle said. Some residents will be redistricted into a different precinct.

Most of unincorporated Harris County would be in Pct. 4 under the Ellis map and, with only one-fourth of the total funding, Cagle said he would have to make difficult choices about which services to provide.

Rotarian Pam McNair asked how Rotarians could help to keep the map from being adopted.

Cagle asked Rotarians to contact the commissioners and the county judge,   she represents the entire county and that includes you. You have a voice. It matters.

Cagle did admit, however, Those in the majority get to decide how the lines are drawn.

On a lighter note, Cagle discussed his high regard for Rotary.

In high school, I won the local Rotary speech contest, then district and then the state contest, Cagle recalled.

Then I went to nationals and won a Rotary scholarship, so Rotary is partially responsible for who I am and where I am today.

The Rotary Club of Lake Houston Area meets Wednesdays, 11:45 a.m., at the Lake Houston YMCA.

The Summer Creek Satellite Club meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays at the second floor board room of Generation Park at 8:30 a.m.

To learn more about the advantages of being a Rotarian, lharotary.com.
DESOTO  Its been nearly 80 years since Jack Tripp battled Germans in the mountains of northern Italy, but he remembers it like it was yesterday.

He was thrust into a hot mess virtually the minute his transport ship arrived in Europe.

The first 24 hours were as bad as anything I went through over there, said Tripp, sharp and sassy at age 97. We were always in a battle here or there.

As a member of the 88th Infantry Division, Tripp landed in Naples in 1944. He spent eight months in German-held Italy, where combat was a regular occurrence. Though death and destruction was all around him, he managed to come home without a scratch.

I never got wounded, he said. I didnt get a Purple Heart. I didnt want a Purple Heart.

His life began on the family farm in Jackson County. His father had contacted the doctor because Tripps mother was in labor. The doctor said she was not yet ready to give birth, and he headed out for another house call. But it wasnt a false alarm after all.

My dad had to help with the birth, Tripp said. He cut the umbilical cord.

His parents never registered the birth, so Tripp didnt have a birth certificate. When he became draft age, he had to report to the clerk in the county seat of Murphysboro with an affidavit signed by his mother attesting the date of his birth: Aug. 11, 1924. After 17 weeks of basic training in Texas, he took a train to Newport News, Virginia.

The next day I was on a damn ship, he said. There were 96 ships in the convoy. We zigzagged all across the Atlantic because the Germans had submarines. We had a sub chaser in our convoy.

Tripp credits life on the farm with providing him with the skills, strength and stamina to survive the hell of war. He also developed quite a talent for cursing.

When I was a kid I plowed ground with a team of horses, he said. I hunted with a .22 rifle. A rabbit would get up and Id shoot that (SOB) in the head. I was a good rifleman.

He carried an M1 carbine throughout his time in the service. He isnt sure if he ever killed anyone. I shot at them and they went down in the weeds. I dont want to know.

One particularly memorable battle took place in a vineyard, where several German soldiers were holed up in a house. Tripp crawled up the hill looking for water and came across five dead GIs.

I hauled ass out, went back down and told the captain, he said. Just before dark we took off into a little wooded area. The Germans opened up on us with 81mm mortars. The guys down in the woods were getting tree bursts and hollering for medics. They were shooting the hell out of us.

Tripp and two others headed up the hill through the grapevines; Tripp was the only one who made it to the top.

Tate must have got shot on the way up, and then someone opened up on me with a machine gun, he said. I hit the ground and rolled, something Id learned in basic. They had been trimming the vines, and my britches snagged on something and tore almost all the way off.

He still had his rifle in the darkness and stuck it into the belly of a soldier and was ready to pull the trigger.

I had my gun right in his guts, he said. I had my safety off. I was scared to death; I was going to shoot him. He said, Dont shoot, Im one of your buddies. I didnt shoot him; he talked me out of it.

Sure enough, it was a fellow GI. Reinforcements arrived and began attacking the farmhouse occupied by the Germans.

We started throwing mortars on them and they started running, Tripp said. The only thing there when we reached the place was a motorcycle that theyd left.

Tripp had numerous close calls, including once surviving friendly artillery fire after his unit had reached a forward position earlier than anticipated. During a long hike he was just a few feet from a fellow soldier who took a sniper round through the heart.

Even before being drafted Tripp expected to be in the war, and he prepared at home.

I was a country boy and a farm boy. Before I went into the service I knew I was going to end up in that damn thing, he said. I would go into the woods and play soldier. Id dart from one tree to another, protecting myself. I used that when I was in Italy.

He doesnt claim to be a hero, only a survivor.

Every day I was scared, he said. I wasnt shaking but I was scared.

He wanted to continue farming when he returned, but his father had rented out the family farm. Later it was sold to a coal company.

I didnt have enough money to farm, he said.

Instead, he became a carpenter. Today he lives alone in a modest house and spends much of his time enjoying his favorite hobby, singing karaoke. Tripp sings once or twice a week at various venues.

War is a constant companion.

I saw eight months of combat, he said. I didnt get hit; I was damn lucky. I was a farm boy and I knew how to take care of myself. I managed to get through it without getting killed.

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For months, consumers have been hearing theyll need to shop early to keep supply chain issues from playing Scrooge with holiday gift-giving. Some are heeding that advice when shopping for Thanksgiving feasts too.

About 400 people have ordered turkeys from Paulina Market  twice the number of orders the Chicago butcher shop and specialty grocer would usually have this early in November, said owner Bill Begale.

We have Christmas orders already, which is rare, he said.

Begale isnt worried about running short. He ordered more than 1,400 turkeys from a Minnesota farm in August. Grocery stores, too, say theres no reason to panic: cranberries and canned pumpkin wont be as scarce as toilet paper and hand sanitizer were at the start of the pandemic. Still, industry experts say people should avoid waiting until the last minute to shop, and expect to pay more.

Veronica Nigh, senior economist at the American Farm Bureau Federation, said she would expect the cost of a typical Thanksgiving dinner to increase roughly in line with the U.S. Department of Agricultures 3% to 4% forecasted rise in food prices for the year.

Last year, the national average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner for 10 with a 16-pound turkey, sides and homemade pumpkin pie was $46.90, according to the Farm Bureaus annual survey. This years estimate is not yet available, but a 3.5% increase would add $1.64 to the price.

The turkey is the most expensive item on the Farm Bureaus shopping list, accounting for about 40% of the total cost last year, and its also likely to see the biggest price increase this year.

A 10.4% increase in meat, poultry and fish prices drove the Consumer Price Index for food up 4.5% in September compared with the same month last year. Poultry prices didnt spike as much as other meats but still rose 6.1%.

As of late last month, the wholesale price for frozen turkeys weighing between 8 and 16 pounds was roughly 13% higher than last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Turkey production has been declining over the past couple years while demand is up as more consumers have been cooking at home during the pandemic, pushing prices up, said Wells Fargo senior vice president and agribusiness consultant Kevin Bergquist.

Manufacturers are also facing higher costs. Tight staffing has pushed wages up and shortages of truck drivers have led to transportation bottlenecks, he said.

Its not just meat and turkey. First Slice Pie Cafe, with shops in Ravenswood Manor and Andersonville, is paying more for some ingredients, such as condensed milk and pumpkin, which First Slices supplier now considers a more expensive special order item, said catering coordinator Nicole Mancha. Theyre also spending more to send drivers to pick up items from alternate vendors when their usual suppliers are sold out.

First Slice had to raise prices by about a dollar a pie, though that doesnt fully cover its cost increases, Mancha said. Large pies, serving 10 to 12 people, cost between $26 and $33.

At this point, First Slice isnt limiting the number of pumpkin pies people can order for Thanksgiving, but it isnt taking special requests for some pies not on its Thanksgiving menu, such as banana cream.

Its hard enough to get the product we need without worrying about additional things, Mancha said.

The foods themselves usually arent in short supply. But ongoing supply chain woes disrupt the process of getting products to store shelves, from labor issues at food manufacturers and transportation companies to shortages of components such as packaging materials.

After a year of scaled-back festivities, more families will be planning big get-togethers, boosting demand for Thanksgiving items, said Peter Goldsmith, professor and director of the Food and Agribusiness Management Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

While consumers shouldnt be concerned about shortages, dont wait until Wednesday night, he said.

Some of Petes Fresh Markets suppliers have put items such as pie crusts, dinner rolls, cream cheese, cranberry sauce and canned pumpkin and pineapple on allocation, which means Petes isnt getting as much of those items as it wants, even though the company placed orders months ago, grocery buyer Leno Asuncion said in an email.

The company works with multiple vendors but has still been challenged to make sure shelves are stocked for Thanksgiving, he said.

Buyers and suppliers at Trader Joes have been working tirelessly to keep our holiday products in stock for as long as we can, as consistently as we can, a spokesperson said in an email. Still, retailers of all kinds are facing supply chain issues and when demand for certain items increases, product shortages are unfortunately a possibility.

Some businesses said theyre working to head off supply issues by ordering early.

Chris Dallas, owner of HarvesTime Foods in Ravenswood, said his turkey supplier wants orders in 10 days before Thanksgiving  earlier than usual  but everyone who orders before the deadline will get one.

The challenge is guessing how customers plans to celebrate will shape shopping lists.

A lot of people are getting together and really doing it up, he said. We dont know what thats going to translate to when it comes to customers looking to buy things.

Hoosier Mama Pie Co., with shops in East Ukrainian Village, Ravenswood and Evanston, plans to finalize its ingredient orders for Thanksgiving pies this week and work ahead as much as possible, filling their freezers with crusts, said assistant general manager Sally Arenberg.

One location already sold all the Thanksgiving pies available for advance orders, though more will be available for walk-up customers.

Hoosier Mama hasnt been able to get its preferred brand of gingersnaps, used in some pie crusts, since August, Arenberg said. The company found other options, but lemon puree has been tougher. Their usual brand is dealing with labor shortages, and some of the substitutes they found are now sold out too.

We need to be able to give vendors a heads up.  Its just more careful planning, she said.

Sunset Foods, with five stores in the north suburbs, ordered its Thanksgiving turkeys several months earlier than usual because the farm warned it was having trouble hiring workers, said Dan Humphrey, the stores director of meat and seafood.

The turkeys are arriving and he isnt worried about shortages. Canned ham, on the other hand, is running low, because manufacturers having trouble keeping up with demand tend to cut items that are less popular or more labor intensive.

But Sunset Foods feels like its in a good spot, especially now that a couple items they were waiting for, such as canned pumpkin and Nestle chocolate chips, have arrived, said grocery buyer Chris Hanson.

People should not panic, said Sunset Foods spokeswoman Sarah Hanlon. It might be a different brand or size, but everyones going to find what they need for a traditional Thanksgiving.

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REMINDERS FOR VETERANS DAY

Don't forget about the special Tomb of the Unknowns exhibit at the LeRoy American Legion Post. The display, with Sentinels walking the post for 24 hours, will be open from noon on Nov. 11 to noon Nov. 12.

Veterans organizations will hold the traditional Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m. Nov. 11 on the east side of the McLean County Museum of History.

Details of both events were provided in the Nov. 1 Veterans Corner column.

VETERANS RETREAT

Moraine View R&R is a fellowship retreat devoted to physical, mental, emotional and spiritual strengthening through education and therapy, providing resilience to our nations veterans. Established in 2020 by veterans and families in Central Illinois, the retreat is designed to assist veterans and active-duty personnel in providing a diverse program to help deal with psychological trauma and other mental health challenges. Moraine View R&R, about 20 minutes outside Bloomington near LeRoy, will hold an open house on Nov. 13 from 1 to 4 p.m. Veterans and their families are invited to check out the beautiful 40-acre facility. There will be a bonfire and food. For more detailed location information, visit www.moraineviewretreat.org.

MARINE CORPS FITNESS TEST FUNDRAISER

Complete a workout and support a veteran! The Training and Performance Center will hold a Marine Corps Fitness Test event on Nov. 13 at 8 a.m. at the TPC at 1111 Trinity Lane, Suite 120 in Bloomington, as a fundraiser for the VFW Post 454 Auxiliary. The Marine Corps Combat Fitness Test measures functional fitness and simulates the demands of battle in full-combat utility uniforms. The fitness test includes an 880-meter run, ammo can (30-pound DB) lift, crunches, pull-ups and maneuver under fire course. Participation-only entrance is $20, and $45 for participation and T-shirt. Visit www.tpcbloomington.com or call 1-309-433-9355. Come and join the fund and see how you stack up against the Marine Corps Fitness Test and raise funds to support the VFW Auxiliary!

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY VETERANS DAY SPECIAL EVENT

Arlington National Cemetery will host a public memorial procession and military flyover on Nov. 11 in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknowns. Troops from the Old Guard, the 3rd Infantry Regiment, the Marine Corps Ceremonial and Guard Company, honor guards from the Air Force, the Navy, and the Coast Guard and Pershings Own, U.S. Army Band will begin at the main entrance to the cemetery on Memorial Avenue near the Welcome Center. The procession will enter the cemetery along Eisenhower Drive, then along McClellan Drive and Roosevelt Drive and conclude at the base of the plaza on the east side of the Tomb, near the Roosevelt fountain. This event will probably be telecast on PBS stations, and some of the cable news channels. Review your local listings for more details.

Jerry Vogler is superintendent of the McLean County Veterans Assistance Commission.

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The Volta Development Forum, a business society in the Volta region is demanding answers from the government and the Aviation Ministry as to why the Ho airport has since not been operationalized several months after domestic flight operators, African World Airlines undertook a test flight to the facility and declared it fit for purpose.



At a press briefing earlier today in Ho, the Executive Director of VDF, Daniel Agboka-Dzegede stated that the opening of the $25 million dollar facility has been long overdue and demanded from the government an immediate response and action.



It isworrying that many months after this test flight and all the promises that followed, the 25 million dollar Ho airport has since not been operationalized and this begs for answers. In just about a weeks time, the volta region will be opening to the business world its fixed trade and investment fair.



This trade fair will bring together hundreds of exhibitors, top business and investment personalities as we showcase once more the business opportunities the volta region can offer in the areas of tourismI want to state that the opening of the Ho Airport is long overdue and it will be very much appreciated if the government can expedite action in opening the Ho Airport for the benefit of all and sundry.



The $25 million dollar facility since its completion in 2017 has been left unopened despite the numerous calls from the public demanding its operationalization.



In April this year, domestic flight operators, African World Airlines undertook a test flight from the Kotoka International airport to the facility to explore the possibility of commencing commercial activities there and duly declared the airport as fit for purpose.



Other airlines, including Passion Airlines, were said to have shown interest in taking their operations to Ho.







Source: starrfmonline.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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The government has cautioned the public, especially the youth, to be wary of the activities of QNET, a company that claims to offer jobs in some African countries.



A Deputy Minister of Information, Ms Fatimatu Abubakar, told a news conference in Accra yesterday that victims of QNET ended up as hostages in Cote dIvoire, Togo, Mali and other countries under deplorable conditions. Victims are lured into lucrative non-existing jobs but end up entrapped in the operations of a network marketing company, QNET.



Upon arrival in these countries, the victims are stripped off their valuables, held hostage under squalid conditions and forced to commit to QNET services by signing a contract under duress. The only way for victims to gain their freedom is to be compelled to lure others into the business, she said.



Rescue



Ms Abubakar revealed that the government had to rescue three Ghanaian youths from a QNET facility in Mali after a report was lodged with the Ghanaian Mission in Bamako.



Checks have revealed that some Ghanaians are caught up in several QNET facilities across Mali. Consequently, the Ghanaian Mission in Bamako is liaising with the law enforcement agencies in Mali to rescue Ghanaians forcibly engaged in QNET activities in Mali, she said.



She said nationals of some other African countries had also been caught up in the said scam by travelling to Ghana for non-existing jobs.



There have been reports of similar syndicates operating in Ghana, particularly in Pokuase and Amasaman, who convince Nigerians, Beninois, Burkinabes and Camerounians to come to Ghana on the pretext of securing jobs for them, she added.



A-Gs petition



This is not the first time the government has taken steps in relation to QNET.



In July this year, the Attorney-General (A-G) and Minister of Justice, Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame, filed a petition at the Accra High Court seeking the dissolution of QNET on the basis of allegedly engaging in various illegalities.



Investigations by the National Security Council Secretariat disclosed that the respondent, (QNET), operates in a manner akin to a Ponzi scheme by luring clients to make deposits and investments with them which they eventually lose, the petition said.



It is the case of the A-G that QNET mainly operates in the Ashanti, Western, Eastern and Ahafo regions, and engages in various fraudulent schemes such as inviting the public to buy products for outrageous and non-existent profits.



Petitioner avers that to become a member of the false schemes put in place by respondent, respondent requires prospective subscribers to purchase various online items for various sums ranging between GH5,000 and GH15,000, the petition said.



The principal legal advisor to the government further avers that investigations indicated that QNET also took money from people with the false representation that it could help them find jobs.



The respondent lures unsuspecting members of the public to pay the sum of about GH5,000 for the purpose of placing them in various jobs which turned out to be a hoax, the petition added.



After taking the money, the A-G said, the company would then orchestrate the arrest of its victims who try to make noise about its fraudulent activities.



The petition was filed under the Corporate Insolvency and Restructuring Act, 2020 (Act 1015).











Source: graphiconline.com









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Tesla Inc shares fell 7.5% in premarket trading on Monday as investors prepared for its chief Elon Musk's proposed sale of about a tenth of his holdings in the electric-car maker following his Twitter poll.



Musk, Tesla's chief executive officer and the world's richest person, tweeted on Saturday that he would offload 10% of his stock if users of the social media network approved the proposal.



The electric-vehicle maker's shares (TSLA.O) were down 6.2% at $1,146.43. Shares listed in Frankfurt were down about 7% at 989.10 euros.



The Twitter poll asking Musk's followers if he should sell stock garnered more than 3.5 million votes, and 57.9% of the people voted "Yes". read more



Musk had previously said he would have to exercise a large number of stock options in the next three months, which would create a big tax bill. Selling some of his stock could free up funds to pay the taxes.



"I was prepared to accept either outcome," Musk said, after the voting ended. Market participants expected speculators would try to front-run his selling.



As of June 30, Musk's shareholding in Tesla came to about 170.5 million shares and selling 10% would amount to close to $21 billion based on Friday's close, according to Reuters calculations.



Including stock options, Musk owns a 23% stake in Tesla, the world's most valuable car company.



In the three months to Nov. 4, company insiders at Tesla sold $259.62 million worth of shares, excluding dispositions of indirectly held shares, according to Refinitiv Eikon data.



Musk's straw poll follows a proposal by U.S. Senate Democrats to tax billionaires' stocks and other tradeable assets to help finance President Joe Biden's social spending agenda and fill a loophole that has allowed them to defer capital gains taxes indefinitely.



"The last thing you do when offloading a massive exposure is to reveal your hand," said Chris Weston, head of research at broker Pepperstone in Melbourne.



"The buyers tend to step away when you have an overhang like this, but this is no ordinary story and is Musk's way of getting back at the proposal to tax the elite with gains on unrealized profits."



Tesla breached a trillion dollars in market capitalization last month, becoming the fifth U.S. company to join a club which includes Apple (AAPL.O), Microsoft (MSFT.O), Amazon (AMZN.O) and Alphabet (GOOGL.O).



"The dip isn't going to last too long, because Tesla has had such a phenomenal record of bouncing back from these sort of sell-offs," said David Madden, markets analyst at Equiti Capital in London.



Investors will also be watching for any response from regulators to Musk's Twitter poll. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had ordered Tesla to vet any material public communications Musk made regarding the EV maker, following his 2018 tweet that he had "funding secured" to possibly take Tesla private in a $72 billion transaction.

Source: REUTERS









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The Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) has been adjudged Africas best investment promotion agency for the third year consecutively, by the Capital Finance International magazine (CFI.co).



In the citation for the award, the CFI.co highlighted GIPCs multi-level approach to investment attraction - leveraging technology, social media, and other ingenious initiatives to deliver on its mandate. It further touted the Centres effectiveness, in fashioning and supporting groundbreaking measures that have enhanced Ghanas investment climate.



The GIPC, has in recent times upscaled its activities to keep up with changing business trends, as it seeks to continually provide topnotch services to investors. The Centre adopted a dynamic system which makes aggressive use of digital media, coupled with high-level stakeholder engagements and business-to-business (B2B) linkages.



It has also broadened Ghanas investment pool, with increased advocacy for Diaspora Direct Investment (DDI), followed through by the establishment of Diaspora Investment Desk (DID). This compounded with the set-up of an Aftercare Division, aimed at providing post- investment services to nurture lasting stakeholder relationships.



Moreover, in line with the global drive for sustainable investments, the GIPC collaborated with the UNDP to launch the SDG Investor Roadmap, which aims to mobilize private-sector investments to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.



The afore-mentioned multifaceted drive by the Centre, helped it to attract an impressive amount of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) amid the COVID-19 crisis, leading Ghana to rank as the best country in West Africa to invest, per a latest report by the Rand Merchant Bank. It therefore becomes unsurprising that, the GIPC has again, been pronounced the best IPA in Africa, by CFI.co, for the third year running.



The prestigious award arrives, right at the time, when the Centres CEO, Mr Yofi Grant, has been reelected as the Director for Sub-Saharan Africa on the Steering Committee of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA).



Commenting on GIPCs recent feat, Mr Grant opined that the award is testament to the great work being done by the Centre, and the progress it has made so far. He added that the



Centre will continually strive to do more, to ensure that Ghana cements its place, as the investment hub of Africa.



Aside the GIPC, other big winners of this years CFI.co awards included; the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), Mckinsey & Company, JPMorgan Chase & Co., China Construction Bank (CCB), Germanys Commerzbank (CBKG.DE), and UKs NatWest Bank,



The new CFI.co award adds to other respected honors the Centre has received over the last few years. It was similarly named the best Investment Promotion Agency in West and Central Africa for five years in a row, by the Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) awards. AIM is the worlds leading investment-focused event, initiated by the UAE Ministry of Economy, to acknowledge and enrich institutional, corporate and individual investors.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/ghana









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Energy Minister, Hon. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has met with power producers Lekela on the sidelines of the COP26 Climate Change Conferec currently taking place in Glasgow, Scotland, to engage the company on how they could best align with Ghana's energy sector and economic development plans.



Lekela is Africas largest renewable energy Independent Power Producer (IPP), with more than 1 gigawatt of projects in operation across Africa, including in Egypt, Senegal, and South Africa.



The discussions centered on a business proposal of a 225mw of wind power, on a take-and-pay contract with no government guarantee and with a very competitive energy charge denominated in pesewas.



At the meeting, Dr. Prempeh, who is also the MP for Manhyia South, assured the company of governments eagerness to engage them to conclude an agreement with a local distribution company in Ghana.



On his part, the CEO of Lekela, Chris Antonopoulous said his company brings with it the highest international standards for responsible investing and a comprehensive plan for sustainable investment in the project-affected community and will create hundreds of jobs in the process between construction and operation as well as procure a considerable amount of local content, helping to upskill workers.



He thanked the Minister for the opportunity to meet and looked forward to the development of the project to fit in with Ghana's energy transition agenda, meet Ghana's energy needs and contribute towards the country's renewable energy targets.



Mr. Antonopoulous was joined by the companys Chief Commercial Officer, Bernard Kiernan, with Mr. Paul Akwaboah, Chairman of the UK Ghana Chamber of Commerce Advisory Board in attendance.



In attendance from the Ministry of Energy were the Chief Director, Mr. Lawrence Apaalse and the Director of Legal, Ms Sarah Fafa Kpodo.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana









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The Vice President of the Republic, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has admonished high school students not to abuse the use of mobile phones and the internet in this era of technological advancement and digitization, at the expense of their studies.



Addressing staff and students of Navrongo Senior High School on Saturday November 6, 2021, during the 60th Anniversary celebration of the school in Navrongo, Dr. Bawumia noted that, mobile phones and the internet, enhance the education of students, hence the government's decision to provide Free WiFi to all senior high schools, but he also warned the students not to allow them to be a source of distraction.



"Let me also admonish students on the use of mobile phones and the internet," Dr. Bawumia said.



"Our digital and educational revolution requires the use of these instruments. But, they must never become inseparable companions and distractions to you," he cautioned



"Although the mobile phone has a lot of positives, some students often use them for negative activities and spend more time on the phone to the detriment of their studies. Let us embrace the technological progress for academic excellence.



Dr. Bawumia said the education sector has not been left out of government's digital revolution, adding that the supply of over 300,000 laptops to teachers, as well as the provision of free internet WiFi to over 700 Senior High Schools and public tertiary institutions across the country, demonstrate government's commitment.



The laptops to teachers will be programmed with school syllabus and text books, so that all teachers across the country can electronically access them offline, regardless of where they are in the country.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Some Communities in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality and Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region have identified limited health facilities for the management of mental health conditions as one of the causes of increased depression and hypertension.



The communities also called for the management of other Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), especially hypertension at the Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) levels within the Districts.



The views were contained in a formative qualitative study conducted by the Navrongo Health Research Centre (NHRC) to understand the management of NCDs in 13 communities across the two Districts at the CHPS level.



The study showed that Community Health Officers (CHOs) and NCDs checked the Blood Pressures (BPs) of the aged and also monitored medications taken by hypertensive and depressed patients in the communities.



Madam Maria Anyorikeya, a Senior Research Officer at the NHRC, who disclosed this in an interview with journalists from the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), said the care was limited and clients had to travel far to access health care from higher facilities.



She said the few Communities Mental Health Officers were overwhelmed with the large client to provider ratio in the provision of mental health services.



CHOs and Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) said they could provide more management for hypertension and depression at the CHPS level when given the needed training, logistics and supervision.



Madam Anyorikeya, who is also the Coordinator for the project, Adopting the World Health Organisations (WHO) Cardiovascular Risk Management package into the Ghanaian CHPS, said the project was a one-year collaboration between NHRC and the Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai in the USA.



She said the aim of the project was to improve the management of NCDs at the CHPS level in Ghana, adding that the formative study gathered the views of community members and health workers at the CHPS and district levels on managing depression and hypertension, and the challenges they encountered.



From the qualitative interviews, community members expressed the gap in the management of depression and hypertension and the urgent need for such services at the community level.

The Project Coordinator said findings from the formative study would guide the implementation of a pilot study to test the feasibility of managing depression and hypertension at the CHPS level using supervised CHOs and CHVs.



Madam Irene Kuwolamo, a Health Research Officer at the NHRC, also told the journalists that the Centre was implementing a project dubbed It takes a village, to test an intervention to encourage expectant mothers and their families to seek modern Ante-Natal Care (ANC)

services.



She said the project was implemented in five healthcare facilities in the Bolgatanga Municipality, Talensi, Tempane and Garu Districts with Field Officers stationed in selected facilities in the districts to enroll the expectant mothers on to the project.



Madam Kuwolamo said the 18-month project was a partnership between the NHRC, the University of Ghana and the University of Berkeley in the United States of America (USA), which started in June 2021 and was expected to end by December 2022.



She said per the WHOs recommendations, pregnant women were expected to start ANC early and receive at least a minimum of four Ante-Natal visits, noting that many pregnant women in Ghana still started late, failed to meet the recommendations which sometimes affected them and led to negative outcomes.

Madam Kuwolamo attributed some of the factors of the delay to traditional beliefs, influences from family relations and lack of motivation for the expectant mothers from both the community and family.



She said the NHRC had initiated community durbars, phone calls and home visits as interventions to encourage more pregnant women to attend ANC.

Source: GNA









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The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has imposed sanctions against individuals and groups who have been identified as obstructing the move by the bloc to restore democratic rule to Mali.



The sanctions, which include travel bans and freeze of financial assets, apply to the entire members of the transitional authorities and transition institutions, as well as members of their families.



The Authority in a Communique issued after its extraordinary meeting in Accra on Sunday said the sanctions were as a result of the inability of the Malian authorities to keep to the February 27, 2022 deadline for elections.



It thus called on the African Union, the European Union, the United Nations, bilateral and other multilateral partners to endorse and support the implementations of the sanctions.



On the political situation in Guinea, the Authority urged the transition authorities to urgently submit a detailed timetable of activities to be carried out under the transition towards the holding of elections.



The bloc maintained the sanctions earlier taken against members of the military junta and their families until constitutional is restored.



Meanwhile, ECOWAS has appointed Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambers as a special envoy to Guinea.

Source: GNA









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The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has commended the Konkomba Youth Association (KOYA) for establishing the Konkomba Education Endowment Fund, to promote education.



Speaking at the launch of the Konkomba Education Endowment Fund in Accra on Sunday, Vice President Bawumia said, the initiative is a laudable one, which will go a long way to promote the education of not only Konkomba Youth but Ghanaian youth in general.



"I commend the eminent Konkomba Chiefs, the Konkomba Youth Association (KOYA), the Konkomba Development Committee (KDC), and all the good people of Kikpakpaan for this great initiative that has brought us together," Dr. Bawumia said.



"It is a is a great milestone towards the development of the youth of Konkomba."



The Vice President said in choosing to establish the fund, the Konkomba youth have chosen a path the Akufo-Addo believes in, that is investing in the education of the youth, and development of human capital, which he said are sure ways to propel the country up.



"I am excited about this initiative and by extension, any such laudable initiative geared towards the development of the human capital of our citizenry."



"It is hard for any country to achieve sustainable economic development without a substantial investment in human capital. Education enriches peoples understanding of themselves and the world. It improves the quality of their lives and leads to broad social benefits."



"His Excellency, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and I are passionate about the youth. Our governments ceaseless efforts at building a data-driven, digital economy is aimed at improving resource mobilization and efficient public administration that will maximize resource-use for the benefit of the youth and all."



"Our country is indeed blessed with a youthful population. It is therefore our collective responsibility to educate, empower and prepare them for the increasingly complex and competitive job market."



Dr. Bawumia enumerated a number of educational interventions and youth development programmes the Akufo-Addo government has initiated, including expanding access to senior secondary school as well as technical and vocational education, expansion of educational infrastructure, restoration of teacher trainee allowance, recruitment of more teachers, expansion of access to scholarship through digitization.



Dr. Bawumia added that despite the large number of scholarships awarded year on year, not all qualified applicants are successful because of increased numbers, adding that governments efforts in the promotion of education need be complemented by philanthropists, non-governmental organizations, development partners, proactive social groups, private sector actors.



"I therefore have no doubt that the Konkomba Education Endowment Fund (KEEF) is a step in the right direction."



After officially launching the Fund, Dr. Bawumia donated 100,000 Ghana Cedis during the Fund.

Source: Office of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia









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The Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS has appointed Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas as a Special Envoy to Guinea to strengthen dialogue with the authority towards the successful and short transitional process.

The decision was taken at the extraordinary session of the authority held in Accra yesterday.



The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr Jean Claude Kassi Brou, who announced this at a press conference after the closed-door meeting, said the authority, after deliberations, endorsed the main recommendation contained in a memorandum on the political situation in Guinea.



The meeting also endorsed a report on the political situation in Mali, which was made available after visits to the two countries by high-powered ECOWAS delegations led by the ECOWAS Chairman, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.



Yesterdays meeting was to review the political developments in the two countries and advance deliberations on the political situation.



The membership of Mali and Guinea in the community has been suspended as a result of the recent military takeover of their governments.



Attendance



The extraordinary session was chaired by President Akufo-Addo, and in attendance were Presidents Alassane Ouattara of Cote dIvoire, Umaro Sissoco Embalo of Guinea Bissau, Mohamed Bazoum of Niger and Macky Sall of Senegal.



The others were the Vice-President of Benin, Mr Chabi Talatathe; the Vice-President of Nigeria, Oluyemi Osinbajo; Prime Minister Christophe Marie Joseph Dabire of Burkina Faso, the Minister of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment, Seedy Keita; the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Togo, Mr Robert Dussey, and the Ambassador of Cape Verde to Nigeria, Mr Belarmino Monteiro Silva.



Guinea transition



On the transitional situation in Guinea, Mr Brou said the authority reaffirmed its demand for the unconditional release of former President Alpha Conde, and noted the recent development in Mali  the adoption of a transitional charter and the appointment of a Prime Minister  as well as the formation of a transitional government.



He said the Heads of State urged the transitional authorities to submit a detailed timetable of activities to be carried out in the transition towards the holding of elections, in accordance with the decision of the extraordinary summit of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government held in September this year.



At that meeting, Mr Brou said, the authority had upheld the suspension of Guinea from all ECOWAS governing bodies, as well as a travel ban and a freeze on financial assets of the members of the National Committee for Reconciliation and Development (CNRD) and their family members until constitutional order was restored.



Mali situation



Touching on the political transition in Mali, the ECOWAS Commission President said the authority remained concerned about the deterioration of the security situation in Mali as a result of the heightened political uncertainties in that country.



The authority called on the transitional authority to intensify its efforts to improve the security situation, especially by ensuring effective state presence in the affected area, he said.



He called on neighbouring countries to step up their security presence along the border with Mali and instructed the ECOWAS Commission to deepen the ongoing discussion with the AU Commission with the view to enhancing the security situation in the Sahel.



The Authority of Heads of State and Government highly deplored the lack of progress made in preparation for elections in Mali, including the absence of a detailed timetable of activities for the conduct of elections on the agreed date, Mr Brou said, and reiterated the need to adhere to the transitional timetable in respect of the elections scheduled for February 27, 2022.



In conformity with the decision taken on September 16, 2021, the authority decided to impose sanctions with immediate effects on individuals and groups which have been identified, including the entire members of the transitional authority and other transitional institutions, he said.



The authority condemned the expulsion of the ECOWAS Permanent Representative in Mali and further instructed the President of the commission to propose additional sanctions at its next ordinary session, scheduled for December 12, this year, should the situation persist.



Morning session



President Akufo-Addo, at the opening of the extraordinary session, said the military governments in Mali and Guinea had met the requirements of sending delegations to Ghana to meet with him to outline their plans for the future.



He said visits by delegations of the military leaders came on the heels of visits by a high-powered ECOWAS delegation to Mali and Guinea to convey the sentiments of the community and engage the respective military governments on the way forward.



We also visited the former President of Guinea, Prof. Alpha Conde, to satisfy ourselves about his welfare and plans for the future, the ECOWAS Chairman added.

Dr

He indicated that reports of the visits would be laid before the Heads of State during the closed session of the extraordinary session today.



Commiseration



The ECOWAS Chairman, on behalf of the authority, expressed solidarity with and sympathies to Niger and Sierra Leone on recent tragic happenings in those countries.



More than 68 Nigerien civilians were killed in an attack by jihadist groups in a Nigerien town near the Malian border last Tuesday, while last Saturday, about 100 Sierra Leoneans perished in an explosion after an oil tanker had collided with a lorry in Freetown, the Sierra Leonean capital.



On behalf of ECOWAS Heads of State, President Akufo-Addo expressed deep regret and condolences on the sad incidents and observed a minutes silence in memory of the victims and the population of the respective countries.









Source: Graphiconline.com









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Government has released adequate funds to settle all caterers who provided hot meal to private and public Junior High School (JHS) 2 & 3 students as part of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.



According to the National Coordinator of the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), Mrs. Gertrude Quashigah the money is expected to hit caterers accounts in the next few days.



Mrs. Quashigah dropped the hint during one of her newly adopted unannounced visits to some schools in Accra to personally assess the performance of caterers contracted to provide nutritious meals to pupils on every school going day.



Funds have been released by the government for us to clear arrears of the One Hot Meal for JHS 2&3; and I can assure you that everyone would be paid from next week.



The provision of the hot meal was a stop gap measure introduced by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2020 to provide cooked foods and drinking water to over 584,000 students and 146,000 teachers in about 17,440 public and private JHS across the 260 districts nationwide.



But payment to some of the caterers who provided the services could not be effected due to some challenges.



On the other hand, the National Coordinator of GSFP, Mrs. Quashigah has also hinted that the Government is also making significant efforts to pay caterers arrears for the 2nd term of the 2021 academic year as soon as possible. Other arrears to caterers including those that are outstanding since 2019 are under serious consideration for payment.



The unannounced visit of schools was initiated by Mrs. Quashigah to among others, ensure that caterers meet the required standards; and to offer her the opportunity to interact with Education Directors, Circuit Supervisors, Headteachers, teachers, pupils and caterers.



She noted that there are some caterers who see this contract as a service to God and therefore in spite of all the challenges, they are performing marvellously, attestable by all stakeholders. Just like Madam Diana Masopeh who cooks for the Association Community Model Basic School at Labone which we just visited, and I believe you all tasted her food and you can confirm the quality of the food she is serving to the children. So people like her and many others, they have to be recognized and awarded for their efforts.



THE NEW FACE



Interacting with the School Improvement Support Officer for Airport Rangoon as well as staff of Association Community Model Basic School and La Yahoushua A & B Primary Schools, Mrs. Quashigah touched on the ongoing digitization drive at GSFP, which is currently being piloted in some schools in partnership with the World Food Programme.



Currently, the digitization of GSFPs monitoring and evaluation tools is being piloted and we are looking at digitizing the entire operations of school feeding to increase the efficiency of the pro-poor programme.



CATERER RE-ENGAGEMENT



Mrs. Quashigah, encouraged the caterers to show themselves approved and suitable for reengagement under the Programme in the next academic year.



She reminded them to also get their Ghana Cards ready as one of the key verification documents for the selection of Caterers.



We will be operating under a new paradigm shift that would also put smiles on the faces of our pupils. As a caterer the push you can give to these young ones to become useful and responsible future leaders is providing them with nutritious meals. GSFP is a humanitarian work, if you dont have love for kids dont venture. Any caterer who misbehave would be replaced, Mrs. Quashigah who is a renowned international nutritionist admonished.



The National Coordinator strongly pointed out, If we dont give the children nutritious meal then we have failed. GSFP feeds perfectly into the Sustainable Development Goals of eradicating poverty and malnutrition, therefore if you are a caterer and you are starving the children or serving them with poor quality food, then you dont have a place under the Programme.



The School Improvement Support Officer (formerly Circuit Supervisor) for Airport Rangoon, Madam Mercy Adjatey, recounted the impact of school feeding especially on attendance.



Some pupils eat and reserve some for their siblings at home who have nothing to eat. Tell Papa Akufo-Addo that we are grateful and God bless him.



But I will plead with the School Feeding Secretariat that since we value the feeding programme, you should be more cautious about the kind of people you contract to cook because some are giving the programme a bad name.



The National Coordinator was accompanied on the monitoring by the Greater Accra Regional Coordinator of GSFP, Madam Christiana Nkansah and some staff of GSFP at National Secretariat and Regional Levels.









Source: Graphiconline.com









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As government prepares to present its 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy to Parliament on 17th November, 2021, the Minister for Information, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has been taking inputs from young entrepreneurs on how the government can deepen its entrepreneurial interventions.

Youth entrepreneurship has become topical in recent weeks following public discussions about how more young Ghanaians can be supported to succeed in private business.



Mr. Oppong Nkrumah through a live virtual conversation on Sunday October 31, 2021, dubbed #ListenUP sought to take feedback from young entrepreneurs on how the entrepreneurial ecosystem is functioning.



Feedback from the session will be channelled into governments decision-making processes to inform its policy directions for the future.



Organised by the Ministry of Information, the live audio conversation on social networking site, Twitter, is an occasional platform for deepening engagements with the Ghanaian people and at the same time take feedback that will aid government to better roll out its policies.



The minister was joined by nearly 2,000 young entrepreneurs who freely shared their feedback and suggestions for improvement.



Things government must consider



The Deputy National Youth Organizer of the NDC, Edem Agbana, who is also into farming, suggested that one of the means government could support young entrepreneurs in the country was through the creation of startup banks that would make available funds to young entrepreneurs at low lending rates to enable the to properly fund their businesses.



He bemoaned the lack of tax holidays targeted at young entrepreneurs.



He said a lot of companies that enjoy tax holidays in the country are companies that enjoy economies of scale, stressing that compared to these companies, young startups must be supported with tax reliefs to make them competitive.



One participant who also joined the Space bemoaned the ease of business registration in the country, noting that young entrepreneurs face difficulties to get their business registered and often times get frustrated.



He said though government had made frantic effort at digitising the business registration process, he believed a lot could still be done to make it seamless.



What to do differently



Proferring solutions, the participants agreed that already, the government had created a foundation of which young entrepreneurs should take advantage of. One of such foundation is the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).



They were of the view that young entrepreneurs should take advantage of the free trade area and push their products into foreign markets to increase their profit margins.



One area participants also suggested would improve young businesses was investments in Research and Development (R and D).



This they said would enable young entrepreneurs to innovate and introduce new products and services to the market in order to rake in more revenue.









Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Professor Stephen Adei, an educationist and economist has called on independent voices in the country to speak up and contribute to the development of Ghana.



Prof Adei said the development of the country cannot be left for the politicians alone.



Speaking on Asaase FM, he said, What is needed is independent voices and people who dont depend on the system for survival. And I believe that especially people in academia have a lot more to do. People in businesses are very vulnerable because our system has a way of crippling your business irrespective of what you are doing for Ghana if you get to the wrong side of the politician.



He cited social media commentary as the reason why some sane voices are not being heard.



especially these social media insult thats why you dont hear people like Kwame Pianim, Ishmael Yamson; these are people who have brains but they dont talk because a serial caller will just insult you



I think that certain voices must be heard. I think that there is too much silence and therefore the only people you are hearing are these politicians.



He added, But there is the need for independent voices that put Ghana first [to be heard] and you wont get from the typical politician because of their trade I can tell you, we need only 50 sane voices and Ghana will change.

Source: asaaseradio.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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Five students of the Konongo Odumasi Senior High School (KOSS) in the Asante Akyem South District in the Ashanti Region are in the grip of the police for their involvement in the death of 17-year-old Larhan Sam-una, a Form One student of the school.



The suspects, all Form Two students aged 17, are alleged to have taken part in acts that led to Sam-unas death last Friday. The deceased was allegedly stabbed in the left rib with a kitchen knife by a Form Two student for refusing to be bullied by Form Two students.



Sam-una, who tried to stop his seniors from bullying his mate, was stabbed with the knife which was concealed on one of the alleged culprits.He was rushed to the Konongo Government Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival after he had lost so much blood.



Arrest

Confirming the arrest to the media, the Konongo District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr Adu Agyemang Duah, said at 9:50 p.m. last Friday, the Assistant Headmaster of KOSS, Mr David Kwabena Asare, assisted by the Konongo Divisional Police Task Force, arrested two of the suspects, including the one who had allegedly stabbed Sam-una.



He said three other suspects, who were mentioned as accomplices, were later arrested, bringing the number of suspects to five.



Facts



According to DSP Asare, information picked indicated that last Friday, after the close of prep around 8:30 p.m. when all students had retired to their dormitories, the five suspects ganged up and marched to House Three to bully Form One students there. They first attacked one Kwame Manu, also known as Network', and assaulted him. From there, they moved to the mini market, which is on the school premises, and grabbed one of the first-year students, Prince Amoakoh, and attempted to drag him away to molest him, the police commander said.



He said the first-year students, who felt the action of the suspects was uncalled for, resisted and rescued Amoakoh from the grip of the bullies. However, DSP Asare said, their action infuriated the main suspect, who rushed on one of the first-year students and tried to slap him.



The deceased, who was close to that first-year student, stopped the suspect, and that action infuriated the bully and he pulled out a small kitchen knife which he had concealed on him and stabbed the deceased in the lower left ribs, he indicated.





The deceased started bleeding profusely and was rushed to the Konongo Government Hospital where he was pronounced dead, he said.



Evidence



DSP Asare said the bloodstained knife, together with the blood-soaked outfit of the deceased had been retrieved and was in the custody of the police, while the body had been deposited at the Stewards Hospital Mortuary at Yaw Kwei, near Konongo. As part of measures to maintain peace and prevent any reprisal attacks in the school, he said, the police would patrol the school and maintain some personnel on the compound.

















Source: graphiconline.com









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The Executive Chairman of JL Properties Limited, Dr James Orleans Lindsay, has called for mergers and partnerships among local estate developers to mobilise the resources needed to augment the governments effort to provide decent public housing and reduce the countrys housing deficit.



He said such partnerships were required to raise the finances needed to execute big ticket projects such as public affordable housing for all classes of the Ghanaian society.



In this country, it is difficult for businesses to merge or even partner to execute projects but from where I sit, and looking at the gap between property owners and seekers, we have to do something drastic and that includes partnerships among ourselves, Dr Lindsay said.



Dr Lindsay made the call last Tuesday at a ceremony in Accra to mark the 10th 1anniversary of the establishment of JL Properties Limited, a wholly owned Ghanaian estate developing company with a track record of providing decent inner-city housing for the middle-class.



Mini city



Dr Lindsay said to tackle the housing challenges in the major cities in the country, especially in Accra, there was a need to create a mini city with all the essential amenities available somewhere on the outskirts of the city to encourage individuals and families to relocate outside the city which was already choked.



We are looking at creating a mini city at a place next to Accra like Dodowa with about 2,000 housing units, he said.



But with such projects, the funding must be available and that is where partnerships come in, he explained.



He said the company would in the next 10 years construct 10,000 homes across the country to help provide decent housing for the Ghanaian working-class.



The company, he said, would devote some 30 per cent of its work to the expansion of social housing in the country.



Already the company has collaborated with a state institution to build some 4,000 housing units for its workers while a similar arrangement was in the pipeline for the construction of 1,500 housing units for workers of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.



Funding for both projects, he said, had already been secured and feasibility studies were ongoing.



We need to look at the affordability aspect very well because I have spoken to a few institutions wanting us to construct 1,500 homes, others 1,000 but they are unable to meet the mortgage criteria why should a nurse, teacher not be able to afford a three-bedroom home so those are the people we should be targeting and that is why we need to look at how we can drive down the cost of homes, he said.



Achievements



The company has in the last 10 years developed over 1,000 residential houses within prime areas in Accra with a vision to soon venture into 3D concrete printing.



In the next 10 years, we are going to do something around 300 homes and then we graduate, until the end of the third year by which we believe that we would have built a 3D concrete printing factory with this we would be able to do homes in 16 days still using concrete, he said.



According to Dr Lindsay, discussions with consultants from Nigeria and China as well as the Africa Development Bank, ECOWAS Bank for Construction and Development for the construction of the 3D concrete printing factory were still in progress.



Climate-friendly



Addressing climate change, Dr Lindsay said the companys specialty was to develop disused sites in cities such as dumpsites or landfill sites into decent living spaces.



Each home is built to high international standards using modern technology and fittings to stand the test of time.



There is also one tree planted in each of the homes we have built.



If you look around the communities we have built, all the roads are constructed with rocks and not bitumen to help reduce the effect on the climate, he said









Source: graphiconline.com









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Two judges have lamented the continuous seeking of adjournments by some lawyers tasked to represent their clients in cases.



The practice, according to the judges, was one of the major impediments to the determination of cases and ensuring expeditious trial.



Justices Kweku Tawiah Ackah-Boafo and Justice Eric Kyei Baffour, expressed their reservations about the issue on separate occasions in Accra last Wednesday and Thursday.



Justice Ackah-Boafo was speaking at the 10th Dowuona-Hammond Memorial Lecture organised by the Winnesec Old Students Association (WOSA) while Justice Kyei Baffour, a Court of Appeal judge presiding over a High Court case with additional responsibilities as a High Court judge, expressed his opinion on the matter.



Justice Ackah-Boafo wondered why a simple matter between two litigants would travel for decades in court.



Blame



Why should a simple matter between Aunty Martha and Kofi Konadu spend 10 years in a court? Justice Ackah-Boafo querried, adding: And with that, I must be very honest to say that with the experience on the bench, I blame at least 70 per cent of that on the lawyers.



Because I sit on the bench, and I have read your docket and I think that you have a good case and that it is the lawyer who is seeking an adjournment.



And sometimes you are asking yourself why? Can we move this motion, Oh no my lord we want adjournment, we want to come back some other time, he added.



Reasonable time



Justice Kyei Baffour, who was reading the courts position on a matter in which a defence counsel was seeking an adjournment, also wondered why defence lawyers who were supposed to defend the rights of accused persons were interested in violating that constitutional right of their own clients to be tried within a reasonable time.



A court must uphold the rights of all parties and if a defence lawyer is not interested in upholding this right, I cannot waive this constitutional right, he told the defence counsel while he dismissed the prayer for adjournment.



Memorial lecture



The lecture is in honour of the founder of the school, Mr Alfred Dowuona-Hammond - a former Minister of Education, under the first republic which was led by Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.



The lecture has over the years engaged the alumni association to discuss pertinent issues of concern including topics such as: Unlocking the potential of the African child for nation building and quality education: the socio-economic need for Ghana.



This years lecture was on the theme: Legal Education and its impact on economic transformation: the role of the judiciary in national development.



Also in attendance was a retired Court of Appeal Judge, Justice Isaac Duose.



Legal education



Justice Ackah-Boafo said there was the need for legal education to be enhanced and supported since a well-trained legal mind would be an asset to the nation.



He noted that the countrys lawyer to citizen ratio was relatively low as compared to Nigeria.



Currently, according to the national record, there are 4,882 lawyers in active practice out of the 7,867 produced since 1877.



This figure excludes the 278 lawyers who were called to the bar in October this year. With this figure, it means one lawyer is to over 3,000 citizens.



However, there are 197,015 lawyers in Nigeria with a ratio of 1:1,054 citizens.



He further underscored the need to improve the lawyer to citizen population ratio without compromising on quality since people with legal education had contributed to the development of the country, adding: Because legal education has become an indispensable aspect of every civilised society, Ghana cannot be an exception.



For a country like Ghana, he said, there was the need to focus on quality legal education with the aim of achieving sustainable social and economic development.



A strong and effective judiciary, he said, was necessary for a positive economic benefit.









Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Konongo-Odumasi District Court presided over by Her Worship Joyce Bamfo has remanded the five students of the Konongo Odumasi Senior high school who are being held over the murder of their colleague student.



They were remanded for seven days and will be kept at the Juaso juvenile detention center.



The students are standing trial in connection with the stabbing of a 15-year-old first-year student on Friday 5th November 2021.



The students allegedly went on bullying spree on Friday night after prep hours leading to the attack on the deceased, Samun Larhan.



The students are facing murder-related charges in the case held in camera because of their juvenile status.



Larhan Samun, the deceased, was allegedly stabbed with a knife by his colleague after he attempted to resolve a scuffle between the suspect and his mates.



Preliminary investigations by the police suggest that the prime suspect, 17-year-old Emmanuel Frimpong, was allegedly abusing some form-one students causing the intervention by the now deceased.









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Samsung's latest home appliances, mobile phones, TVs, and sound devices are undoubtedly on the top of many Ghanaians wish-list as we enter the festive gift-giving season.



This is why this year's Black Friday specials from Africa's Number One Electronics brand1 are destined to make many people very happy. There are many reasons why you'll want to be first in line to take full advantage of the Black Friday period from 15 November to 28 November.



The excitement will be amplified even more as Samsung customers discover the fantastic discounts on many popular smartphones, TVs, fridges, washing machines, and more.



Bargain hunters can also benefit by being up to date with what Samsung Ghana has on offer this Black Friday. See promotions deals below at low prices. With amazing deals from one of the Top Five brands in the world2, Samsung Ghana is turning Black Friday into a November to remember.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/ghana









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Nana Akomea, the Managing Director of the State Transport Company has said that a promise by then-candidate Akufo-Addo to reduce the prices of fuel was a campaign promise which should not be held against him.



According to Nana Akomea, on the campaign trail, politicians make all kinds of promises, some of which they are unable to fulfill.



He explained that President Akufo-Addo's promise was borne out of the excitement of the political campaign and therefore should be disregarded.



Nana Akomea who was on Metro TVs Good Morning Ghana show last week with the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablawka accused the lawmaker of making similar promises as a member of the Committee for Joint Action, CJA.



He however added that politicians should show honesty by apologizing to the citizenry when they are unable to fulfill a promise they made.



He singled out former President John Agyekum Kufuor as a leader who conceded to not being able to fulfill a promise he made during his campaign.



Every political leader on campaign makes the same comment. CJA, where Sammy Okudzeto says that is where he got his political influence, they made the same sentiments. All of them. When leaders are campaigning they make these promises but when they come into office, there is a reality check.



When you are a political leader and you make certain statements as part of your messaging to the Ghanaian people and you come into office and see that the reality is different, you need to go back to tell them why you made this promise but why it is difficult for you to fulfill that promise. You need to do that.



President Kufuor is very famous for that when he talks about some issue that he campaigned against the Rawlings government. When he came into government and realized that the reality of the situation is that he couldnt do much about it, he actually acknowledged and accepted it. He came out and said it is different and acknowledged it. I think leadership should acknowledge it, he said.



Some Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) recently week increased the prices of fuel at their respective pump stations.



Viral photos indicate that Total has increased their prices of petrol and diesel to GH6.90.



Chief Policy Analyst at Ghana Institute of Public Policy Options, Charles Wereko Brobbey has meanwhile advised the government to use the windfall from the oil revenue to cushion the price.



Weve been told by the President that were a net exporter of oil now. That means that each time oil prices go above the baseline figure of $54 per barrel [that is used for our budgeting for revenue projections], the Government of Ghana is making a windfall from the price increase and as this goes on, we the consumers are suffering from the price increase because of the application of price formula.



So I think if the Government of Ghana wants to be a caring government, it should ensure that all the extra windfall profits which have come from $54 to $85 are applied to moderate the price increase, he said.





Source: ghanaweb.con









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A Northern Regional Chair hopeful of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) calls for free, fair and transparent elections at the branch, constituency and regional levels.



As a former Regional Organizer, Godfred Wumbei Apasinaba alias Yellowman in a statement decried what appeared to be vote buying that characterized the last local elections and said it should not be repeated.



According to him, the incidence of votes buying in the NDCs internal contests caused a lot of damage to the party in the region at the 2020 polls.



He insists that the upcoming local elections at all levels should be devoid of any machinations, to build a united NDC for a resounding victory in 2024.



Below is the full text:



Towards Stronger Branches in 2024



As NDC prepares itself for the task in 2024 we must take a keen interest in strengthening the party at all levels and more importantly at the branches. The efficiency of every political party is anchored in the vibrancy of its grassroots, and it behoves us as members of our beloved party to remind ourselves as we move towards our branch elections and reorganization.



For me and other concerned members who feel obliged to give everything we can give to have a strong base, I find it necessary to remind our members in northern region that the party has a lot of work to do in our region and starting with a functioning branch system is the first step to victory in 2024.



However, we cannot have a functioning branch system if issues of interferences and maneuvering continue to undermine our branch elections and reorganization processes. In the run up to the last elections, there were widespread complaints and allegations about immense interference in branch elections. Such allegations, true or otherwise, did quite a lot of damage to the partys electoral fortunes across several constituencies in the region.



Going forward, I would like to offer my two cents to us all. We cannot have the vibrancy we will need to win and most constituencies in 2024. We must discourage all forms of interferences in our branch elections. The system must be allowed to elect hardworking and deserving branch executives to make our victory a reality. Its not helpful if people with their personal and parochial interests maneuver to have their preferred candidates become branch executives, irrespective of whether they can do the job or not.



I therefore call on all NDC faithful in the northern region to be crusaders of free and fair branch elections to give us the needed efficiency to win the next elections. If the sad story of the region in the last two elections must change, it should start from the branches and eschewing all forms of interferences and maneuvering is the best way to go.



Northern region has a big contribution to make towards NDCs victory in the 2024 elections and for that matter need to revisit our strategy to build stronger branches.



God bless NDC.



Godfred Wumbei Apasinaba

Source: King Saha Abdullah, Contributor









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The Liberian government has announced a $15,000 total cash reward for any useful information for the arrest of recent high-profile murderers in the capital, Monrovia.



Mr Ledgerhood Rennie, Liberias Minister of Information and Culture disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, November 7.



According to Rennie, the Liberia National Police has named Christian Anderson and William Anderson (also known as Baby Shad) as initial persons of interest in the investigation.



Rennie said that the government would set aside $5,000 for actionable information on each of the persons of interest.



Last week, the Ministry of Justice ordered post mortem examinations on the remains of John Tubman, Maude Elliot and William Tolbert, III  who were all discovered dead in their homes  as part of a full scale investigation.



The Joint Security of Liberia, under the chairmanship of the Ministry of Justice, is scheduled to convene on Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021, to review the general security situation in the country.



The public is assured that the Joint Security is working around the clock to solve three recent murder cases in Monrovia and provide enhanced security to the public, Rennie said.

Rennie said that the Government condemns the unwarranted politicisation of the death of these individuals.



The Minister said that the Government emphasised that it took seriously the death of any Liberian.

Rennie noted that the national Security Apparatus had been mandated by President George Weah to explore all necessary legal means within its authority to ensure the safety of all Liberians and foreign residents in the country.













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Half of the 400,000 extra students who benefitted from the Akufo-Addo governments free senior high school programme were girls  a situation that deprived most middle-class families of house helps  since the girls parents went for their wards from such homes so they could access free secondary school education, Vice-president Mahamudu Bawumia has revealed.



Speaking at the launch of the Konkomba Education Endowment Fund on Sunday, 7 November 2021, Dr Bawumia said: An additional 400,000 students have benefitted from Free SHS half of them were girls; many of whom would have been at home because their parents could not have afforded [SHS education].



In fact, when we implemented Free SHS, a lot of middle-class families in Accra and the other cities were finding it difficult to get house girls because the parents of the girls came for them and put them in school, he noted.



So, Free SHS has been very beneficial for the girl-child in education, said Dr Bawumia.



Justifying the policy, Dr Bawumia said: We introduced Free senior high school education to create equal opportunities for the poor without compromising quality.



He said despite the good intentions of the policy, there were those who opposed and bastardised it.



They said it was a hoax; a 419 promise."



"They said if they had GHS2 billion, they will not spend it on Free SHS. They said Free SHS would collapse the education system", he recalled.



In fact, if we had listened to them, if we had listened to them, Free SHS would not have happened, Dr Bawumia insisted, But, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo stuck to his guns and we successfully implemented the Free SHS policy.



He observed: Thankfully, the predictions of doom for Free SHS have not materialised.



Buttressing his point, he said: The recent results of the first batch of Free SHS graduates, has shown that quality has not been compromised.



Indeed, the 2020 results of the WASSCE candidates is the only year in the past six years that more than 50 per cent of the candidates who sat the examination, obtained between A1 and C6 in all core subjects. This is the first time in six years.

Source: classfmonline.com









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Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, George Mireku Duker has operationalized the Tarkwa Community Mining Scheme to provide alternative mining livelihoods in the locality.



A durbar attended by Chiefs and residents was held on Friday, November 5, 2021 to commemorate the operationalization ceremony which activates the Scheme launched by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on October 25 this year at Tarkwa.



The Deputy Minister, who doubes as Tarkwa-Nsuaem Member of Parliament (MP), urged the management of the Community Mining Scheme to adhere to all provisions in line with legal mining in Ghana.



The project is aimed at creating over 1000 jobs for the people of Tarkwa.



''A mercury-free gold processing equipment worth US$ 100,000.00 was donated by government to the Scheme to support their operations'', the Deputy Minister disclosed.



He also launched the Small-Scale and Community Mining Operational Manual which is a ''blueprint document that outlines the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and legal framework in undertaking sustainable small-scale mining in Ghana''.



Nana Kwabena Gyan II, Chief of Mahamo, speaking on behalf of Tarkwa-Nsuaem Chiefs, commended the sector Minister, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor and Hon. Mireku Duker's efforts as well as government for this employment initiative.



Hon. Kwabena Okyere Darko Mensah, Western Regional Minister, also advised the residents and miners in the community not to engage in any illegalities.



He further implored them to embrace the governments Community Mining Scheme agenda.



The Deputy Minister was accompanied by Mr. Benjamin Aryee; Advisor on Mines, Mr. Samuel Tika; Deputy CEO of Minerals Commission and other officials.





Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has sworn into office, a new Governing Board for the Veterans Administration of Ghana (VAG), in line with the Veterans Administration, Ghana Act (Act 844).



The 13-member Board is led by Maj. Gen Clayton Yaachie (Rtd), and includes Brig. Gen Amoah Boakye, Col Emmanuel T Darquah (Rtd), Capt. Ben Edmund Duah (Rtd), Hon Maj Derek Oduro (Rtd), Maj Anim Alex (Rtd), Ex-WO1 Koranteng Samuel Smart, Ex-WO1 Omane Joseph Evans, Ex-WO1 Dozie Kwesi Gyilley, Ex-WO1 Daniel Kwateng, Hon Cecilia Amoah, and a representative each from the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare.



Inaugurating the Board at the Jubilee House on Monday, 8th November, 2021 Vice President Bawumia reiterated the commitment of the Commander in Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, H.E. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to the welfare of the retired soldiers.



I wish to congratulate our veterans and service men and women for their patriotism, love and willingness to serve and sacrifice for our dear nation, Ghana.



They dedicated their lives to the service of this country and also offered important services and aid to other nations in need. Their welfare and well-being are, therefore, a national obligation that we cannot neglect.



The welfare of our veterans, attracts the greatest attention of this government. The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, identifies with the interests of our military veterans. He is committed to furthering the cause of veterans and supporting VAG projects and programmes.



Government, he said, is aware of the key issues of great interest to the military veterans, such as encroachment on VAGs landed properties, pensions, health-related issues, and livelihood for those strong enough and eager to work and support family.



I wish to reiterate His Excellency the Presidents commitment to resolving these issues and uplifting the welfare and well-being of our cherished veterans. Furthermore, this government is determined to ensure that VAG is managed in line with best practices that will yield results to the benefit of all military veterans," he assured.



He charged the new Board to resolve the contemporary challenges facing veterans and military widows, and make their tenure of office a memorable one.



It is my prayer that you will move the affairs of VAG beyond the expectations of its members. I have no doubt that you would have provided the required directions and guidance for VAG to improve and increase the welfare of our military veterans by the end of your tenure.



I entreat you to ensure that the needs of our veterans are well taken care of. Let us serve them well as they have served our nation.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, United Kingdom, may be entering its last embers of a dying summit but what is chiefly agitating the minds of Ghanaians is not the necessarily WHAT has been said or agreed on by world leaders.



The WHO and HOW many people formed Ghanas delegation to the confab are the talking points. The number of delegates from Ghana to the conference has generated controversies with critics utterly shocked at the figure.



A full list of government attendees to the COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, indicates that Ghana presented a list of 337 delegates.



The conference commenced from October 31 and is expected to end on November 12, 2021.



Brazil leads the pack with some 479 delegates, followed by Turkey, then the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ghana in that order. Russia rounds up the top five.



But perhaps what has ignited this discussion is the fact that Africa as a continent contributes just 4 percent carbon emissions to climate change (Ghana's carbon emissions is even less than 1%), thus leading to questions on whether or not the numbers were justified, and concerns over whether government or the private sector funded this trip.



The Vice President of IMANI Ghana, Bright Simmons has registered his displeasure with the move.



He questions the logic in Ghana flying the about 330 government officials to the climate conference.



''Who is paying for the trip and per diems, the tax payer?'', he twitted.



COP26 Website Figures



Per the provisional list published on the website of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, there are over 300 representatives from Office of the President, Parliament, Environmental Protection Agency, various ministries, departments, the media, among others.



Meanwhile, government has sought to shot down the claims saying the number of people whose cost was borne by the state are only 24.



Only 24 From Govt, Other Figures Misinformation



Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Henry Kwabena Kokofu told Asaase Radio in an interview that government only sent 24 out of the 170 delegates to the summit.



Some of them did not get their Visas, others registered just to participate virtually, others couldnt make it. By the count of the day we had about 170 people as participantsAnd these 170 people, most of them are coming from civil society organisations, academia and the private sector. The government delegation per say amounted to 24 in numberSo the 337 that is being bandied around is quite misinformation. The number that presented themselves for registration not all of them were able to attend, and I have explained: either constraints, others decided to stay back home and do virtual, he is reported to have said.





Page 307 to 323 details full list of names of Ghanas delegates. Check it out below



In a related development, President Akufo-Addo has assured the world of Africas commitment to climate change.



In his speech read on Tuesday, November 2, the President said; Ghana acknowledges the importance and effects of Climate Change, and the urgent need to combat it, and we acknowledge equally the importance of protecting our development. We believe that a balance must be struck

and maintained between our social, economic and environmental imperatives.



Even though we, in Africa, are the least of the contributors to this phenomenon, responsible for less than four percent (4%) of the global volume of carbon emissions, we suffer the most because our agrarian and resourcedriven economies are peculiarly susceptible to the effects of climate change, and our capacity to withstand its shocks is weak.



The Almighty has blessed our lands with abundant natural resources, and it would be wholly unfair for the world to demand that Africa abandons the exploitation of these same resources needed to finance her development, and help us to cope better with the threat of climate change, at a time when many countries on the continent have only just discovered them.



The development and industrialisation of the wealthy nations of today were also hinged on the exploitation of their natural resources. This development came at the expense of pollution and the emission of greenhouse gases. Even today, the western world is responsible for 76% of carbon emissions.





Page 307 to 323 details full list of names of Ghanas delegates. Check it out below

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Despite Media conglomerate comprising; Peacefmonline, UTV, Peace FM, Okay FM, Neat FM and Hello FM won awards at the 11th edition of the RTP Awards that happened on Saturday, November 6, 2020.



The awards event was held at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra.



Media personalities in the persons of Abeiku Aggrey Santana, Akosua Ago Aboagye, Nana Ama Mcbrown, Dan Kweku Yeboah, Agya Kwabena, Kwame Nkrumah Tikese, Nana Yaa Konadu among others won big on the night.



Despite Media was adjudged the Media Group of the Year and Peacefmonline won the Online Portal of the Year.



Peace FM and UTV also won Radio Station of the Year and TV Station Of The Year respectively.



Abeiku Santana took the ultimate award as the RTP Personality of The Year.



Catch a glimpse of the awards below:

































































































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There are indeed many Managing Directors but there is in fact none like Dr. Fadda Dickson, the Managing Director of Despite Media, as his managerial skills transcend the boundaries of business management.



Affectionately called the 'godfather' of Ghana's media, Dr. Fadda Dickson has nurtured topnotch media personalities in Ghana.



He has over the years unearthed and mentored the creme de la creme in media and ran the Despite Media conglomerate comprising Peace FM, Peacefmonline, UTV, Okay FM, Neat FM and Hello FM to become leading media organizations in the country.



His leadership qualities have contributed to Despite Media's successes.



Of course, it is no wonder that Despite Media bagged home twenty-three (23) awards at the 2021 Radio and TV Personality Awards at Movenpick Hotel on Saturday, November 6 because with Fadda's leadership, the sky can only be one's limit.



Last year, the godfather was honored with a lifetime award dubbed the Super Hero Award at the 10th edition of RTP Awards held at Kempinski Hotel, Accra, for his excellence in media management.



In respect of his outstanding management and mentorship, Dr. Fadda Dickson has once again picked up an award piling up his awards of excellence.



He has been adjudged the Personality of the Year.



He won the 2021 Personality of Year (media category) at this year's Ghana Business Awards to top up his many laurels.



This award goes to cement Dr. Fadda Dickson's insurmountable rich experience in building successful business and bringing the best out of people.



Congratulatory messages have been trickling in for the man of the moment!



























































































































































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By Alexandra Lin

Levant Rooftop Bar (Photo: Levant)

Perched atop a charming shophouse at 32 Tras Street, Levant is the destination for breezy cocktail hours flowing with libations and moreish mezze inspired by flavours of the Mediterranean region.

Acquaint yourself with a variety of unique spirits through cocktails like Greek Forest ($22), where honeycomb-infused tsipourou (un-aged brandy) and Greek vermouth are accented with mountain pine liqueur and Maglini lemon. Athenas Olive Branch ($24) meanwhile is a herbaceous and dry concoction of Madeira wine with Gin Mare, and olive air accented with floregano (edible flower). Another contemporary creation is the Amber Constellation ($22), a Negroni-inspired drink using Monkey 47 gin, Gran Classico bitters, bergamot, and star anise smoke.

Feeling peckish? There's a wide variety of Mediterranean-esque bites such as whitebait fish fries with sumac and harissa yoghurt, and beef kofta sliders with eggplant fritter and green chilli shatta.

+65 6304 3298

Mr. Stork

With 360-degree views of the city and playful teepee huts nestled in cosy spots throughout the venue, its no wonder that Instagram-worthy Mr. Stork has become a destination bar. The botanical-inspired cocktails ($25 each) draw inspiration from the bars lush tropical landscaping. A must-try is Rhubarb, a fizzy tipple combining fresh rhubarb puree, strawberry and lemon juice, sparkling wine, and a shot of vodka. You'll also find Andaz Pale Ale on tap here, an exclusive in-house brew made in collaboration with local microbrewery RedDot Brewhouse.

Currently, a pop-up series welcomes famed bartenders from around Singapore for a one-night only guest shift. These guest bartenders will also create cocktails exclusively available at Mr. Stork for the whole month. For November, Bryan Bonifacio from Employees Only Singapore, will shake up his signature creations like Dr. Funk made with Doorlys XO, hibiscus cordial, and lime juice.

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+65 6408 1288

Art

For drinks with a sweeping view of the Padang, look no further than Art, a contemporary Italian restaurant-bar located at National Gallery. Overlooking the dazzling Marina Bay skyline, the restaurants alfresco bar is perfect for picturesque sundowners or nightcaps to seal off a memorable evening.

Sip refreshing cocktails like All Summer Long ($22), a Prosecco-Elderflower-Lychee take on the traditional spritzer. Or go on an Art Escape ($22) where Berry Rum and Overproof Rum are livened up with a pineapple-lime-coconut cream concoction. Those who prefer their classics would appreciate the Orient Negroni ($24), a barrel-aged Negroni made with Japanese whisky, Lillet Blanc, and Pedro Ximenez. The bar also has a wide variety of digestifs, aperitifs, beers, and spirits that will suit any fancy.

+65 6866 1977

Southbridge

Photo by Southbridge

Sitting atop a shophouse along Boat Quay, Southbridge is your go-to for buzzy date nights matched with top-notch food and drinks. Fresh oysters, gins from around the globe, and lovely 360-views of the Singapore River  what more could you ask for?

Start your Southbridge experience by slurping on plump and sweet Pacific oysters ($20 during happy hour, $24 after 8 pm, for half a dozen) harvested from Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand. Theres also a slew of hearty bar bites like Smoked Pork Tacos ($18) and the indulgent Triple Cheese Truffle Bikini ($18). Pairing perfectly with these moreish plates are gins sourced from independent small-batch distilleries and leading producers. Sip on these gins neat, or enjoy them in a variety of creative and fruit-forward cocktails.

+65 6877 6965

Loof

Photo by Loof

Since it launched in 2005, Loof, Singapores first standalone rooftop bar, has become an iconic hotspot. Grab a seat on one of the colourful high tables and stools, cane chairs or padded timber bar stools, and enjoy the breezy evening.

Loof kicked off 2021 with a selection of new cocktails added to its drinks programme, developed in partnership with The Compound Collective. The elevated cocktail list takes inspiration from local and regional flavours. New creations include Firecracker ($19), a gin-based concoction playfully pairs the flavours of watermelon and chilli. Or savour the new all-day liquid breakfast of champions is Set B ($21)  a spin on the Singaporean breakfast staple of traditional kopi and kaya toast  made with vodka, Mr. Black coffee liqueur, kaya and espresso. Signatures such as the Loof Bubble Tea is still a mainstay on the menu.

Munch on Cheeseburger Yakitori Skewer ($18) comprising wagyu meatballs topped with American cheese and marmite honey, or the Crispy Chicken Satay ($16)  with cracker-crumbed chicken and a tangy honey mustard achar on the side.

+65 6337 9416

Vue

Photo by Vue

If youre looking for a sophisticated rooftop experience, head to VUE at the penthouse of OUE Bayfront on Collyer Quay. This rooftop spritz bar is especially great for post-work sunsets. Start with something refreshing like the Basil Spritz ($24), a combination of dry gin, basil syrup, and lemon. Or a cocktail with a sweeter profile: Ispahan ($22), made with raspberry-infused gin and rose and lychee liqueur. And for a perk-me-up, try the bitter-sweet Cafe Royale No. 2 ($26) with Delord XO Armagnac, Kalua and Espresso. Theres plenty of wines, whiskies and gins to be had too. Pair your drinks with a variety of charcuterie and cheese, oysters or light bar bites like grilled mushrooms ($18), octopus karaage ($22) and binchotan-grilled chicken skewers ($22). Theres even a steak selection grilled over binchotan charcoal and served with red wine jus (request for preferred portions)
The freshwater swamp forest of Hlanzoun is one of the last of its kind in Benin and is at risk of disappearing.

In the freshwater swamp forest of Hlanzoun in southern Benin, majestic trees hum with chirping birds and playful monkeys.

Home to once bustling flora and fauna, experts now warn that the fragile environment, one of the last of its kind in the West African country and accessible only by canoe, is at risk of disappearing.

The 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) of forest, which takes its name from the river Hlan, is home to 241 plant and 160 animal species including the rare red-bellied monkey, the marsh mongoose and the sitatunga, a swamp-dwelling antelope.

Perched at the top of a gigantic tree squawks a hornbilla big bird known for its long, down-curved and colourful bill, similar to toucans.

"Hornbills feed on insects and fruits. They like to follow monkeys around because they force insects to come out when they move around, making it easier for hornbills to catch," explains Vincent Romera, a French ornithologist and photographer.

With his binoculars, Romera admires a family of monkeys jumping from tree to tree, while keeping a clear distance.

"The animals here have become fearful," he says. He's considering using camera traps to try to photograph them, but also to count the forest's animal population.

The 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) of forest, named after the river Hlan, is only accessible by canoe.

"The numbers are in freefall," he says.

Sometimes, the forest's noisy concert is interrupted by gun shots, he says, probably from poachers.

Logging

Communities living around the forest "need money, so those who can shoot go and kill animals," explains Roger Hounkanrin, a local tourist guide.

Despite steady economic growth in recent years, poverty is widespread in Benin, especially in rural areas, and 40 percent of the population lives below the poverty line according to World Bank data.

On the side of the road that lines Hlanzoun forest, lizards, crocodiles and snakes killed by hunters are sold and bought. Monkeys, too, are sometimes sold for meat.

But even more than poaching, excessive logging threatens the forest.

Between 2005 and 2015, Benin's forest cover was slashed by more than 20 percent according to the World Bank, and the deforestation rate continues to be high at 2.2 percent annually.

Between 2005 and 2015, Benin's forest cover was slashed by more than 20 percent, according to the World Bank.

Trees are cut down for firewood, and the fermented sap of palm trees is used to make a local alcohol, sodabi.

The damaging practice of slash-and burn agriculture has also become more prevalent, warns Josea Dossou Bodjrenou, director of Nature Tropicale, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that works on environmental issues in Benin.

The destruction of the forest habitat reduces areas where animals can thrive, forcing them towards farms to find food and exposing them to poachers.

"This is a location that is at risk of disappearing," says local agricultural economist Judicael Alladatin.

"It's a poor area and we can't blame people for wanting to feed themselves," Alladatin says, urging authorities "to create conditions for alternative sources of income."

The government does not officially recognise Hlanzoun forest despite the lobbying efforts of several NGOs and scientific papers on the forest since 2000.

The government does not officially recognise Hlanzoun despite lobbying efforts.

But it has started to recognise the importance of safeguarding forests in general, according to the World Bank.

In Hlanzoun, the state "must act quickly" said Bodjrenou, and "support forest communities so that they can continue to make profit... but in a different way" by developing agriculture, trade and sustainable tourism.

Explore further Light at the end of the tunnel: Restored forest now shelters dozens of endangered species

 2021 AFP
A new instrument called NEID is helping astronomers scan the skies for alien planets. TACC supports NEID with supercomputers and expertise to automate the data analysis of distant starlight, which holds evidence of new planets waiting to be discovered. WIYN telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory. Credit: Mark Hanna/NOAO/AURA/NSF

Thousands of alien worlds are known to orbit stars beyond our solar system. And many more worlds, possibly harboring life, lie waiting to be discovered. A new astronomical instrument called NEID, the NN-explore Exoplanet Investigations with Doppler spectroscopy, has come online in 2021 to help scientists hunt for new alien worlds.

The Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) is assisting the effort with supercomputer time and expertise in NEID's scientific search for new worlds.

The name "NEID" derives from the word meaning "to see" in the native language of the Tohono O'odham, on whose land Kitt Peak National Observatory is located. NEID is a spectrograph attached to the WIYN 3.5m telescope at the observatory in Arizona.

"We're proud that NEID is available to the worldwide astronomical community for exoplanet discovery and characterization," said Jason Wright, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State and NEID project scientist. "I can't wait to see the results we and our colleagues around the world will produce over the next few years from discovering new, rocky planets, to measuring the compositions of exoplanetary atmospheres, to measuring the shapes and orientations of planetary orbits, to characterization of the physical processes of these planets' host stars."

NEID does this by breaking down visible light from distant stars into its component wavelengths with a spectrograph, like a simple prism does but with additional parts such as diffraction gratings. Optical fibers feed starlight to the spectrograph, where light signatures are recorded by a detector.

NEID takes advantage of the Doppler effect. The light data collected can be used to detect minute shifts in wavelength over time, which like the pitch change of an approaching or receding train horn, indicates movement. The wobbly movement evidenced by light wavelength shifts indicates a gravitational tug on a host star by potentially undiscovered planets.

The NEID instrument is shown mounted on the 3.5-meter WIYN telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory. Credit: NSF's National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory/KPNO/NSF/AURA

Each night, NEID collects about 150 gigabytes of light data that is sent to Caltech and then to TACC for processing. The center developed a fully automated computational pipeline for NEID data.

"The pipeline copies data to us from Caltech via the Globus research data management network," said Mike Packard of TACC's Cloud & Interactive Computing (CIC) group. "A data analysis then runs on TACC's Frontera system. It uses the Tapis API to store metadata. Then it sends the data back to Caltech for scientists to analyze."

The NASA Exoplanet Science Institute coordinates the data processing and makes the data available through its community archive.

The Tapis project, funded by the National Science Foundation, is a collaboration of TACC and the ITS-Cyberinfrastructure group at the University of Hawaii. Tapis provides a hosted, unified web-based API for securely managing computational workloads across institutions.

"NEID is the first of hopefully many collaborations with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and other institutions where automated data analysis pipelines run with no human-in-the-loop," said Joe Stubbs, who leads TACC's CIC group and is the lead technical person at TACC on the NEID project. Stubbs is also a principal investigator on the Tapis project.

"Tapis Pipelines, a new project that has grown out of this collaboration, generalizes the concepts developed for NEID so that other projects can automate distributed data analysis on TACC's supercomputers in a secure and reliable way with minimal human supervision," Stubbs said.

Supercomputers searching for alien worlds. Stampede2 (top right); Lonestar5 (top left), Frontera (bottom) systems of the Texas Advanced Computing Center aid in data analysis of NEID spectrometer. Credit: TACC

The NEID pipeline has used several thousand compute hours on TACC's Lonestar5, Frontera, and Stampede2 supercomputers. Furthermore, TACC supports NEID with virtual machines, hardware nodes on the Rodeo cloud system, and network connectivity to Globus Online.

Built as part of a joint NSF and NASA program, NEID's mission is to enable some of the highest precision measurements currently possible, as well as to attempt to chart a path to the discovery of terrestrial planets around other stars.

The seething convection on the surface of stars, threaded by invisible lines of magnetic force and marred by ever changing active regions and "starspots" can pose a substantial challenge to NEID's measurements. This stellar activity is one of the major impediments to enabling the detection of rocky planets like our own. For very small signals it is difficult to tell which are planets and which are just manifestations of stellar activity.

However, the researchers added, there is one star for which we know the answer, because we know exactly how many planets orbit itour sun. In addition to observing stars during the night, NEID will also look at the sun through a special smaller solar telescope that the team has developed.

"Thanks to the NEID solar telescope funded by the Heising-Simons Foundation, NEID won't sit idle during the day," said Eric Ford, professor of astronomy and astrophysics and director of Penn State's Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds. "Instead, it will carry out a second mission, collecting a unique dataset that will enhance the ability of machine learning algorithms to recognize the signals of low-mass planets during the nighttime."

The NEID instrument is funded by the joint NASA/NSF Exoplanet Observation Research Program, NN-EXPLORE, managed by JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California. The 3.5-meter WIYN Telescope is a partnership among Indiana University, the University of Wisconsin, Penn State, the University of Missouri-Columbia, Purdue University, NOIRLab and NASA.

The NEID team includes members at Penn State, JPL, NOIRLab, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Arizona, the University of Wisconsin, the National Institute of Standards and Technology / University of Colorado, Boulder (NIST/CU), the Space Telescope Science Institute, Macquarie University, Princeton University and Carleton College, and the University of California, Irvine.

Explore further Exoplanet discovery tool begins its mission

More information: Jeffrey W. Percival et al, The NEID precision radial velocity spectrometer: port adapter overview, requirements, and test plan, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VII (2018). Jeffrey W. Percival et al, The NEID precision radial velocity spectrometer: port adapter overview, requirements, and test plan,(2018). DOI: 10.1117/12.2312209
Each year the global temperature is 1 C above the 1951-80 average temperature, glaciers lose, on average, about 0.8 metres of water equivalent depth. Credit: Jeff Walllis/flickr, CC BY-SA 4.0

The year 2021 will likely be one of the worst for glaciers in southern British Columbia, Alberta, Washington and Montana.

It started out OK. A weak La Nina arrived in the fall of 2020 and continued through the winter. La Ninas tend to favor cool conditions and ample snowfall, so the winter of 2020-21 wasn't bad for glaciers. But what followed was.

In late June, the so-called heat dome settled over the west, creating exceptional warming that melted snow cover on the glaciers and exposed ice in a matter of days. The timing was especially bad, as it coincided with days when energy from sunlight is at its maximum.

The hot weather also helped spark wildfires in British Columbia, Oregon and California that spread through the mountains. When soot, dust and debris from wildfires settle on snow and ice, it darkens the surface, causing them to absorb more solar energy and melt more.

The warm conditions continued throughout the summer, and preliminary work suggests that these summer events led to exceptional rates of mass loss from glaciers. As a glaciologist who has been studying glaciers for over two decades, it is clear that that glaciers are unwellthanks to us. To avoid widespread loss of glaciers in the Earth's mountainous regions, policy-makers need the courage to commit to meaningful reductions of greenhouse gas emissions.

Helm Glacier in the Southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia. Credit: Hakai UNBC Airborne Coastal Observatory

A vital natural resource

Mountain glaciers are vital reservoirs of frozen water. There are more than 15,000 individual ice masses in western North Americaan area that lies outside of Alaska and the Alaska-British Columbia and the Alaska-Yukon borders.

Glaciers are primarily nourished by snowfall during the winter and depleted by melting seasonal snow and ice during summer, releasing large volumes of cool water into headwater streams. Glacier runoff buffers aquatic ecosystems that can suffer from heat or water stress, especially during late summer or years of drought.

To measure the year-to-year health of a glacier, scientists convert winter accumulation and summer melt to a measurement called "water equivalent depth," which can also be converted to "mass." The sum of these two terms define the glacier's health over the year, or its "net mass balance."

Glaciers are like mother nature's bank account. If more water is deposited into them than withdrawn, then the glacier had a year of positive mass balance. A negative mass balance means that the glacier lost more water.

Global temperature anomaly (1951-80) versus globally averaged net mass balance records. Data: World Glacier Monitoring Service. Credit: Brian Menounos

Sensitive indicators of climate change

In 1965, two things happened that, at first glance, seem unrelated. The first was that Frank Sinatra recorded the song It Was a Very Good Year. The second was the start of the International Hydrologic Decade, a period that aimed to recognize hydrology and standardize the ways in which scientists study water resources.

One outcome of the Hydrological Decade was that Canada established a glacier monitoring program to assess and report how much water was gained and lost each year from its benchmark glaciers, including three in Western Canada: Peyto, Place and Helm.

Back then, Canada's glaciers were probably valued more as a water resource than as sensitive indicators of climate change, but make no mistake, even in 1965, scientists were sounding the alarm about the dangers of excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Since then, carbon dioxide levels have jumped 120 percent, and surface air temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere are now about 1 C above the 195180 average.

Warming of surface air temperatures since 1965 mostly explains the trend of mass loss from our monitored glaciers. Looked at another way, each year the global temperature is about 1 C above the 195180 average, those monitored glaciers lose, on average, about 0.8 meters of water equivalent depth.

In particular, glacier mass loss over the past two decades in western North America has accelerated, with losses in the past decade that were four times greater than the decade before. This acceleration coincides with warm, dry conditions over some of the region's largest icefields, namely those in the Southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia.

Back to Frank's song. This song always made me sad. But was it because the character in the song was in the autumn of his life, its melancholy composition or perhaps a combination of both? It also makes me think of the current state of glaciers in western North America. I've taken the liberty to tweak the lyrics somewhat: "When I was 51, it was a very bad year "

Dust and soot from wildfires or burning fossil fuels can darken the surface of glaciers, and absorb more solar energy, which leads to more melt. Credit: Drew Brayshaw/flickr, CC BY-SA

Wildfires are likely accelerating mass loss for glaciers

Although heightened glacier mass loss coincides with continued warming, accelerated mass loss may be driven by other factors such as changes to how reflective the ice and snow surfaces are to incoming solar energy.

Debris, dust and black carbon from wildfires or fossil fuel consumption can darken snow and ice surfaces allowing them to absorb more solar energy, thereby enhancing melt. Warm, dry summers often favor wildfire activity and lead to pronounced darkening of snow and ice surfaces, and more melt. Warm temperatures also allow snow grains to become less reflective, lowering the snow reflectivity and thereby enhancing melt.

How will glaciers fare in the decades ahead?

Glacier mass balance is the direct response of meteorological conditions during the year, but it takes time for glaciers to adjust their dimensions. Even if temperatures were to remain stable for the next several decades, glaciers would continue to lose mass and shrink simply because they have not had sufficient time to adjust to present-day climate.

A modeling study in 2011, for example, showed that Alberta glaciers would lose 3140 percent of their volume even if temperatures stopped increasing immediately. A more recent study reveals nearly complete deglaciation in mid- to southern areas of British Columbia and Alberta even under moderate future emission scenarios.

Neither of these earlier projection studies take into account the most recent collection of global climate model experiments from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Sixth Assessment Report. The scientific community is currently using these scenarios to update projected glacier loss for many regions, including western North America, which will help clarify the rates and pattern of glacier loss in the decades ahead. But we should anticipate continued glacier shrinkage since glaciers remain strongly out of balance with present-day climate.

Sadly, losing these frozen reservoirs will impact us in ways we are only beginning to comprehend. A lack of real progress at COP26 will seal their future fate.

Explore further Video: Melting glaciers

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The presence of metal ions can quench the luminescence of the Eu-based metal-organic frameworks. Credit: SPbU

Scientists at St Petersburg University, Sirius University of Science and Technology, and St Petersburg Academic University have synthesized the smallest nano-sized metal-organic frameworks to detect heavy metal ions in water. The results and outcomes of the experiments and description of the properties of the crystals are published in Nanomaterials.

Metal-organic polymers, or metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), are crystals composed of metal ions interconnected by organic molecules, i.e. organic linkers. Various concentrations of the metal ions and organic linkers can be used to synthesize materials with different structures and properties. MOFs are widely used to design electro-chemical sensors as reaction catalysts in chemical industry or propellant additives.

Some of the MOFs are luminescent MOFs. They emit light caused by UV rays, electromagnetic field, or other disturbances. Luminescent MOFs are actively used as LED components and luminescent thermometers. Additionally, they are used in diagnosis of cancer. Luminescent MOFs are also used as luminescent sensors for pollutants.

St Petersburg University chemists synthesized the smallest nano-sized crystals by the ultrasound-assisted wet-chemical method. They were synthesized by a slow mixing of sodium terephthalate and europium chloride aqueous solutions by using the ultrasound-assisted wet-chemical method, precipitated in the form of a polycrystalline solid. Ultrasonication ensured a better mixing of solution, slowed growth of particles, prevented the aggregation of the microparticles, and resulted in the formation of individual microparticles.

Photo of microparticles. Credit: SPbU

The scientists synthesized particles of various sizes. The average particle size can be equal 8 nm up to hundreds micrometers. Today, the reported europium(III) terephthalate tetrahydrate (Eu 2 bdc 3 4H 2 O) metal-organic frameworks nanoparticles are the smallest nano-sized rare-earth-based MOF crystals.

"We did not expect that a twofold decrease in the concentration of reagents could lead to size reduction for several orders. Presumably, this effect may be due to europium-terephthalate 1:1 complex. This can accelerate the growth process of the particles. Earlier, scientists could synthesize nano-sized particles of terephthalate that were equal to 40 nm or even more. We managed to synthesize particles with the fivefold smaller size," said the head of the research, Associate Professor in the Department of Laser Chemistry at St Petersburg University and Doctor of Chemistry Andrey Mereshchenko.

The developed method to synthesize nanoparticles can make a positive contribution to nanotechnology and coordination chemistry. By using this method, we can synthesize nanoparticles from other MOFs. The experiments also reported the selective luminescence quenching by heavy metal ions. As a result, the synthesized nanoparticles can be used as sensors to detect heavy metal ions in water.

"This discovery has a potential to develop efficient sensors to monitor heavy metal ions in drinking water. Our luminescent MOFs demonstrate significantly lower limits of detection on heavy metal ions. This will ensure more accurate measurements of pollutants in water, even in small concentrations," said Viktor Nosov, a co-author of the article and a student in Chemistry at St Petersburg University.

The reported nanoparticles can also be used as luminescent sensors to detect Cu2+, Cr3+, and Fe3+ ions in water. The presence of these metals in water poses a threat to human beings and animals. Heavy metal accumulation in the body can effect human metabolism and lead to nervous system diseases, vascular diseases, and digestive disorders. The chemists are planning to continue the research and develop an express test to detect heavy metal ions in drinking water and waste.

Explore further Metal organic frameworks' metallic mastery

More information: Stefaniia S. Kolesnik et al, Ultrasound-Assisted Synthesis of Luminescent Micro- and Nanocrystalline Eu-Based MOFs as Luminescent Probes for Heavy Metal Ions, Nanomaterials (2021). Stefaniia S. Kolesnik et al, Ultrasound-Assisted Synthesis of Luminescent Micro- and Nanocrystalline Eu-Based MOFs as Luminescent Probes for Heavy Metal Ions,(2021). DOI: 10.3390/nano11092448
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

When Congress tasked a group of economists and social scientists in 2015 to study ways to cut child poverty in the U.S. in half, one finding stood out. More than any other policy, a "child allowance" of about $3,000 per year, per childsimilar to what most industrialized countries providewould have the most impact, according to the final National Academy of Sciences report.

"We looked at all sorts of policieswelfare, food stamps, Medicaid, subsidized housingbut the child allowance was the biggest kicker," says Robert Moffitt, a Johns Hopkins University economist who served on the National Academies committee.

The topic has come under fresh scrutiny this year, as the American Rescue Plan in March ushered in historic changes to the U.S. child tax credit policy. Now most American parents or guardians can receive up to $3,000 per year for each child between the age of 6 and 17, and $3,600 per year for each child under 6. And unlike the former credit, this one is fully refundablemeaning you don't have to file or owe taxes in the first place to receive itand a portion is delivered monthly rather than annually as a tax refund. Under the new system, for example, a married couple making less than $150,000 with two kids under 6 is eligible for $7,200 this yearmore than $3,200 more than their previous credit.

Last week congressional Democrats arrived at a spending framework that extends the child tax credit until 2023, but some want to see the policy become permanent. Debate also persists over the finer details, including which income levels should be eligible.

In a recent conversation with the Hub, Moffitt offered insight on the policy's significance and possible future.

What type of early evidence do we have on the policy's impact?

We know that many poor children in working-class families are already receiving it62 million kids in October, for example. Every indication is that the money going to poor children will greatly reduce the poverty rate in 2021. Also, some related effects may already be visible, including a 25% drop in food insufficiency for low-income families within the first month of the tax credit.

We may never be able to track exactly where families are spending the money. Theoretically, they can spend it on anything, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. In some low-income families, for example, the money might go toward paying down debt, or car loans, or fixing the dishwasher. And some investments can stream down indirectly to children: For example, a mother who puts money toward buying a car so she no longer takes two buses to workthe kids get the benefit of more time with her.

Why is it important that this credit is fully refundable?

Making it fully refundable means you get it regardless of family income. Without that feature, the impact is limited. The U.S. has had a child tax credit since 1998, and it's been tweaked a little here and there, but overall it's never been fully refundable until the American Rescue Plan. Previously, you only got a credit against taxes already owed. So the problem is that poor families who don't have incomeat least $15,000-$20,000 for exampleto pay tax taxes didn't receive the credit at all, and those with low incomes paying low taxes didn't get much. Most benefits would really only start with the middle class, while lower-income families were missing out on money that could be truly meaningful for them.

Why is that framework controversial?

There are a few reasons people may be opposed. One is the economic impact: This policy costs more than $109 billion extra on top of the $126 billion we were already spending on the tax credit, so that causes ripples in the broader economy.

Some don't like that there's no requirement for work. The old system was set up so a person would work and pay their regular taxes and earn the child credit that way. With the new policy, I think there's a view out there, particularly among moral conservatives, that it's providing a handout that makes people more dependent on welfare programs.

Among liberals, there's disagreement over which income levels should warrant the credit. Some believe if we make it fully refundable, we should really be concentrating benefits on the very poor. The Biden administration's plan allows some form of credit until you make up to $400,000 per year, which goes very much into the upper middle class.

So what rationale supports keeping the credit for higher incomes?

I think there's a broad feeling that the United States should be, in a general way, investing in children as a society. Almost every industrialized country in the world has a child allowance alreadyin western Europe, Scandinavia, the UK, Australia, Canada.

The philosophy is, children are important for the future of our countrythey need to be well fed and safe, they need quality health care, and when they grow up, those investments will benefit us all. Then, you know, children are expensive for everyone regardless of income. A lot of middle-class families may put the benefit toward child care, tutoring, enrichment, stuff like thatwhich, again, may help later on. Even many conservative viewpoints embrace this kind of philosophy.

What's the impact of distributing the payment monthly rather than as a lump sum?

It's interesting, because almost all other industrialized countries do something like this monthly, and many researchers have identified that frequency as important. If the credit only arrives once a year as a refund or credit at tax time, it doesn't help people with day-to-day struggles and bills, and unexpected expenses like car repairs. A couple of years ago a Federal Reserve Board survey found that about 40% of the U.S. doesn't have an extra $400 to spare. So this credit can serve as a patch.

Administratively, it's complicated. The IRS has never been in the business of sending monthly checks to the majority of the population. But other countries that provide a child allowance have figured out how to do that.

Are there any countries that could serve as a good model for the U.S.?

Canada is a good one, our neighbor to the north with a very similar economy and demographics to ours. Their poverty rates are lower than ours, and their government spends more on traditional welfare programs, but in other ways they're very close.

Canada's child tax credit, which started in 2016, has been considered a smashing success there, politically and economically. They found their poverty rate fell by 5%. Their program phases out at lower income levels than the current one in the U.S.it's relatively more concentrated on the poorbut overall similar in structure.

In your opinion what are the flaws of the current U.S. setup?

One problem is many poor families aren't getting the American Rescue Plan child tax credit at all, and the reason is they've never filed taxes. They're not in the system. The U.S. differs from a lot of other countries that offer government IDs not tied to their jobs, which is a whole other topic.

People who have never filed taxes due to poverty do have the option to go to the IRS website and register. But, for some families, that can be a struggle. Maybe they don't have a computer or Wi-Fi access, or they're intimidated by what may seem like a difficult bureaucratic obstacle. Certainly undocumented immigrants have reasons to stay away. But on the federal side there are also huge administrative issues to resolving all these issues.

Do you believe this expansion could have happened in the U.S. without pandemic?

You could say it was Biden's election in general and the introduction of more liberal policies that were in reaction to the pandemic. What's amazing about the pandemic is that when you add up all the programs and billions of dollars for familiesnot only the child tax credit, but the earlier stimulus payments and unemployment insurance and things like thatthe U.S. poverty rate did not rise during 2020. In fact, it fell a little due to all the cash that was funneled out.

With the child tax credit, we now have people getting used to this benefit and a lot want to keep it. Politicians who support it view this as their big moment, a chance that's not coming back soon.

But the idea has been on the agenda for liberals for many years. Senator [Michael] Bennett repeatedly introduced a form of this every session, so it's been discussed in the Washington subsurface. I think the only reason it wasn't a major topic in the media and general public is that people considered it unfeasible, a political non-starter. The pandemic played a role in changing that.

Explore further How the expanded child tax credit is helping families

More information: A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty: A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty: www.nap.edu/catalog/25246/a-ro  ducing-child-poverty
Piles of used clothes have been discarded in Chile's Atacama Desert.

A mountain of discarded clothing including Christmas sweaters and ski boots cuts a strange sight in Chile's Atacama, the driest desert in the world, which is increasingly suffering from pollution created by fast fashion.

The social impact of rampant consumerism in the clothing industrysuch as child labor in factories or derisory wagesis well-known, but the disastrous effect on the environment is less publicized.

Chile has long been a hub of secondhand and unsold clothing, made in China or Bangladesh and passing through Europe, Asia or the United States before arriving in Chile, where it is resold around Latin America.

Some 59,000 tons of clothing arrive each year at the Iquique port in the Alto Hospicio free zone in northern Chile.

Clothing merchants from the capital Santiago, 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) to the south, buy some, while much is smuggled out to other Latin American countries. But at least 39,000 tons that cannot be sold end up in rubbish dumps in the desert.

"This clothing arrives from all over the world," Alex Carreno, a former employee in the port's import area, told AFP.

"What is not sold to Santiago nor sent to other countries stays in the free zone" as no one pays the necessary tariffs to take it away.

"The problem is that the clothing is not biodegradable and has chemical products, so it is not accepted in the municipal landfills," said Franklin Zepeda, the founder of EcoFibra, a company that makes insulation panels using discarded clothing.

"I wanted to stop being the problem and start being the solution," he told AFP about the firm he created in 2018.

Women search for used clothes amid tons discarded in the Atacama desert, in Alto Hospicio, Iquique, Chile.

Water waste

According to a 2019 UN report, global clothing production doubled between 2000 and 2014, and the industry is "responsible for 20 percent of total water waste on a global level."

To make a single pair of jeans requires 7,500 liters (2,000 gallons) of water.

The same report said that clothing and footwear manufacturing contributes eight percent of global greenhouse gases, and that "every second, an amount of textiles equivalent to a garbage truck is buried or burnt."

Whether the clothing piles are left out in the open or buried underground, they pollute the environment, releasing pollutants into the air or underground water channels.

Clothing, either synthetic or treated with chemicals, can take 200 years to biodegrade and is as toxic as discarded tires or plastics.

Not all the clothing goes to waste: some of the poorest people from this region of 300,000 inhabitants pick through the dumps to find things they need or can sell in their local neighborhood.

Men work at a factory that recycles used clothes discarded in the Atacama desert for housing insulation panels, in Alto Hospicio, Iquique, Chile.

Venezuelan migrants Sofia and Jenny, who crossed into Chile only a few days earlier on a 350-kilometer journey, search through a clothing pile as their babies crawl over it.

The women are looking for "things for the cold," given the desert's nighttime temperatures drop to levels unheard of in their tropical homeland.

Changing attitudes

Chile, the richest country in South America, is known for the voracious consumerism of its inhabitants.

Fast fashion advertising "has helped to convince us that clothing makes us more attractive, that it makes us stylish and even cures our anxiety," said Monica Zarini, who makes lamp shades, notebooks, containers and bags from recycled clothing.

Things are changing, though, according to Rosario Hevia, who opened a store to recycle children's clothes before founding in 2019 Ecocitex, a company that creates yarn from pieces of discarded textiles and clothing in a poor state. The process uses neither water nor chemicals.

Fast fashion advertising "has helped to convince us that clothing makes us more attractive, that it makes us stylish and even cures our anxiety," said Monica Zarini, who makes lamp shades, notebooks, containers and bags from recycled clothing.

"For many years we consumed, and no one seemed to care that more and more textile waste was being generated," she said.

"But now, people are starting to question themselves."

Explore further Gen Z willing to rent clothes to reduce waste

 2021 AFP
Tens of thousands of people thronged the streets of Glasgow on Saturday demanding faster action from governments after Greta Thunberg branded the summit "a failure"

UN climate talks entered their final week Monday with countries still worlds apart on key issues including how rapidly the world curbs carbon emissions and how to help nations already impacted by global heating.

After a week of headline announcements from host Britain on ending deforestation and phasing out coal, experts say the underlying COP26 negotiations have barely progressed.

Countries are in Glasgow to work out how to implement the Paris Agreement's goals of limiting temperature rises to between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius.

And while recent announcements mean they have inched closer, many disputes remain unresolved.

These include ratcheting up ambition on national carbon reduction plans, providing a long-promised $100 billion annually to developing nations and rules governing carbon markets.

"All countries are playing hardball," Stephen Leonard, climate law and policy specialist and veteran COP observer told AFP.

"The EU want the highest ambition possible. The African countries want as much finance for adaptation as possible. Australia and Japan want to be able to trade as much carbon as possible."

Addressing the first formal "stocktake" on Monday of progress so far, COP26 President Alok Sharma said one week of technical negotiations had "already concluded some important issues that will drive accelerated climate action".

Shows changes in greenhouse gas emissions up until 2030, according to countries' pledges (NDC) and emission trajectories needed up until 2060 to limit warming to 1.5C, 2C by 2100.

But he said any preliminary conference decision textover which ministers will haggle when they arrive in Glasgow later this weekhad not yet materialised.

"We have a lot of work to do across all issues that remain," said Britain's chief negotiator Archie Young.

"We will need to work at pace."

Some progress

COP26 is taking place a year late due to the Covid-19 pandemic and against a backdrop of ever-stronger drought, flooding and storms supercharged by higher temperatures that are battering countries across the globe.

Its first week saw around 100 nations commit to slash their emissions of methanea powerful greenhouse gasby at least 30 percent by 2030.

In another development likely to dent emissions, Indiathe fourth largest pollutersaid it would achieve carbon neutrality by 2070.

Experts said these announcements, along with countries' latest emissions cutting pledges, could have a real impact on future temperature rises.

Delegates from nearly 200 nations are in Glasgow to work out how to deliver the goals of the 2015 climate deal.

But a UN assessment late last week found emissions were still on course to increase 13.7 percent by 2030.

To keep warming to 1.5C, they must fall 45 percent this decade.

Tens of thousands of people thronged the streets of Glasgow on Saturday demanding faster action from governments after environmental activist Greta Thunberg branded the summit "a failure".

"Last week saw a flurry of announcements, from halting deforestation to reducing methane emissions," said Tracy Carty, head of Oxfam's COP26 delegation.

"Yet, for some of these announcements there is a glaring lack of detail. They must not be a distraction from the urgent issue of countries needing to increase the ambition of their national emission reduction targets by 2030."

Dozens of nations have signed up to a COP26 initiative to end their use of coalthe most polluting fossil fuelwithin decades, including major users South Korea and Vietnam.

But the pact excluded the top consumers China, India and the United States.

Major exporter Australia said Monday it would continue to sell coal "for decades into the future"

Major exporter Australia, which also declined to join the initiative, said Monday it would continue to sell coal for "decades into the future".

"We have said very clearly we are not closing coal mines and we are not closing coal-fired power stations," Australian Minister for Resources Keith Pitt told national broadcaster ABC.

Australia has been among the countries to recently unveil 2050 net zero plans criticised by scientists and green groups for lacking detail and relying heavily on as-yet-unrealised technologies to suck CO2 out of the air.

 2021 AFP
Nikki Traylor-Knowles takes out a rescued coral reef from a tank to study restoring Florida's coral reefs.

A bit of coral shimmers like gold in a US lab as part of urgent work to help the species protect itself from climate change, an effort even skeptical experts see as sadly justifiable.

Researchers in Florida are aiming to determine whether coral can be saved from rising water temperatures and acidification by transplanting stem cells from resistant varieties to those more vulnerable to climate impacts.

In other words, global warming worries have reached a point that scientists are trying to tweak some organisms' genetics so that they might survive.

"Reefs are dying at an alarming rate and they are not able to keep up with climate change," Nikki Traylor-Knowles, who heads a University of Miami team working on the coral, told AFP.

"At this point, we've just got to try everything and see what works," she said before nations gathered at the COP26 summit in Glasgowseen as a last chance to halt catastrophic climate change.

The Florida research is one of a handful of efforts backed by Revive and Restore, a non-profit based near San Francisco that sees genetic engineering as a valuable tool for conservationists working to save plants and animals from doom.

Organisms on Earth have survived in the long run by gradually evolving, or moving to places where the land, habitat or temperature are more hospitable. Climate change is altering the environment too quickly for that to work.

Rescued coral reef is seen on a microscope as it is kept for study of restoring Florida's coral reef.

"We don't have evolutionary time to help species make that kind of adaptation," Revive co-founder Ryan Phelan told AFP at a California conference.

"We're going to have to intervene, or we have to let it go," she said.

The concern for coral is particularly pressing because oceans absorb more than 90 percent of the excess heat from greenhouse gas emissions, shielding land surfaces but generating huge, long-lasting marine heatwaves.

'We may have to do it'

These are pushing many species of coraloften dubbed the "rainforests of the oceans" for their rich biodiversitypast their limits of tolerance.

Along with pollution and dynamite fishing, global warming wiped out 14 percent of the world's coral reefs between 2009 and 2018, according to a survey by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, the biggest ever carried out.

Assistant professor of the department of marine biology and ecology, University of Miami Nikki Traylor-Knowles studies a rescued coral reef for restoring Florida's coral reef.

More than half of an $8 million Catalyst Science Fund for backing biotechnology tools to help solve conservation's most intractable problems is being poured into coral projects.

"Our thinking is the tools we develop for coral will be generalizable for other marine species," said Bridget Baumgartner, who coordinates coral projects at Revive.

"We hope we can easily translate them to problems with kelp, oysters, sea stars, what have you."

Genetic projects backed by Revive and Restore elsewhere in the United States have yielded a black-footed ferret named Elizabeth Ann, cloned from frozen cells decades old, and which could be the salvation of her species.

And a yearling called Kurt being cared for in a California zoo is a resurrected Przewalski wild horse, which had gone extinct.

Though neither are connected to climate change, the creatures' existence are key to the group's argument in favor of their genetic work.

Researchers in Florida are aiming to determine whether coral can be saved from rising water temperatures and acidification by transplanting stem cells from resistant varieties to those more vulnerable to climate impacts.

Certainly genetic tinkering raises concerns, said Stanford University law and biosciences director Henry Greely, citing potential for deformations or an altered plant or animal causing unexpected consequences in the wild.

Yet he sees saving species, including coral, from decimation as worthy uses of the technology.

"I'm a fan of this approach, if it's done carefully, with appropriate regulation and prudence," Greely said of adding genetic technology tools to conservation efforts.

Gregory Kaebnick, a scholar at bioethics research institute The Hastings Center also supported creature-protecting tweaks, and noted the risk of a creation running amok was lower than simply failing to impart durable, effective changes.

"I'm not excited about the prospect of changing coral to let them survive, but it might be something that we have to do," he added.

 2021 AFP
Topography and characterization of proximitized Bi2Te3 thin films. (A) Quasiparticle dispersion around the superconducting gap without magnetic field (blue curve) and with magnetic field above B* (red curve) that induces gapless superconducting state (for parabolic dispersion B* ~ /evL, with e the electron charge, and v the Fermi velocity). (B) Schematic depiction of a segmented Fermi surface that arises owing to magnetic field B along x axis. Solid red lines indicate electron-dominated states, whereas dashed red lines show holedominated states. The pink line indicates the Fermi surface of the normal state. (C) Structure of the samples with few quintuple layers of Bi2Te3 on top of NbSe2. An external in-plane magnetic field Bext induces perpendicular screening supercurrent and Cooper pair momentum q. Insets show the topography of a large area (320  320 nm2) of the thin film with regions of varying thickness and an atomic resolution image (10  10 nm2) of Bi2Te3 lattice. White rectangle indicates the area where the dI/dV maps in Fig. 3 are measured. (D) Wide energy range differential conductance dI/dV spectra taken across the yellow line cut in (C). The set point is 0.1 V, 0.5 nA. CBM (VBM) stands for the conduction band minimum (valence band maximum) of the Bi2Te3 bulk bands. (E) The proximity induced superconducting gap along the same line cut as in (C). The set point is 2.5 mV, 0.5 nA. From the position of the coherence peaks we determine superconducting gap   0.5 meV. All STM measurements are conducted at a temperature of 40 mK. Credit: Science, doi:10.1126/science.abf1077

In a new report now published in Science, primary authors Zhen Zhu, Michal Papaj, and an international research team in physics, materials science, and condensed matter at the Jiao Tong University, China, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, U.S., and the Chinese Academy of Sciences discovered the Fermi surface of supercurrent-induced quasiparticles in a superconducting system for the first time. This discovery comes 50 years after the initial theoretical prediction was made by physicist Peter Fulde and revealed the impact of the finite Cooper pair momentum on the quasiparticle spectrum. In condensed matter physics, Cooper pairs are a pair of electrons with opposite spins loosely bound due to electron-lattice interactions. Superconductivity is based on their condensation to Bosonic states at low temperatures. The interplay of superconductivity and magnetic fields leads to the phenomenon of a 'segmented Fermi surface." A leading author of this work, MIT Professor of Physics Liang Fu, outlined the significance of this discovery.

Supercurrent flow in a superconductor

Physicists assume that a sufficiently large supercurrent can close the energy gap in a superconductor and create gapless quasiparticles via the Doppler shift of quasiparticle energy. This is facilitated by the finite momentum of Cooper pairs in the presence of supercurrent flow in a superconductor, where the shift in Cooper pair momentum can result in a Doppler shift. In this work, Zhu et al. used quasiparticle interference to image the field-controlled Fermi surface of bismuth telluride (Bi 2 Te 3 ) thin films proximitized by the superconductor niobium diselenide (NbSe 2 ). A small applied in-plane magnetic field induced a screening supercurrent, which led to finite momentum pairing on the topological surface states of Bi 2 Te 3 . The scientists identified distinct interference patterns to indicate a gapless superconducting state with a segmented Fermi surface to reveal the strong impact of the finite Cooper pair momentum on the quasiparticle spectrum. We asked Liang Fu at the Department of Physics at MIT, who led this research, to describe the significance of their work and how they arrived at this breakthrough, 50 years after its theoretical prediction. "It started with a purposeful search that, with some luck, led to a pleasant surprise" he said. "For a while I had the idea of creating zero-energy quasiparticles by applying a parallel magnetic field to a superconductor coated with a layer of topological insulator. These quasiparticles could be used to construct Majorana fermions and topological qubits."

Evolution of the quasiparticle Fermi surface as a function of energy calculated. This Using a hybrid material platform to detect supercurrent-induced quasiparticles

During the study, the team showed how the Cooper pair momentum resulted in a Doppler shift of the energy. The Doppler shift then changed the energy of the quasiparticles that moved parallel or antiparallel to the supercurrent in the setup, without affecting quasiparticles moving in the perpendicular direction, to result in anisotropic quasiparticle energy dissipation. In condensed matter physics, a Bogoliubov quasiparticle or Bogoliubon is a quasiparticle that occurs within superconductors with elementary excitation above the ground state. To detect segmented Fermi surface of Bogoliubov quasiparticles, they used spectroscopic methods with both energy and momentum resolution. Typically, a supercurrent often larger than the de-pairing current is required to close the superconducting gap. To overcome the difficulty of this approach, Zhu et al. used an alternative approacha hybrid material platform.

Liang Fu further described their platform: "My collaborator Jinfeng Jia, a world expert of scanning tunneling microscopy, was willing to give it a try [to detect the quasiparticles]. It turns out this material platform worked out beautifully, with a surprisingly small magnetic fieldmuch smaller than originally expected." Instead of passing a transport current directly through a superconductor, the team applied a small external magnetic field to produce a screening current near the surface through the Meissner effect. The platform of choice contained a thin film of Bi 2 Te 3, a quintessential topological insulator grown via molecular beam epitaxy on top of a bulk crystal NbSe 2 an S-wave superconductor. This setup provided an ideal platform to observe the formation of segmented Fermi surface. Liang Fu further described the nuance of this strategy to detect quasiparticles. "We later realized that the quasiparticles we saw are actually produced by the screening current flowing on the surface of the superconductor. The possibility of supercurrent-induced quasiparticles was first predicted by Peter Fulde over 50 years ago, but it was previously thought that to observe this effect requires a current so large as to destroy superconductivity. In hindsight, our experiment succeeded because this effect is amplified in the topological insulator film (bismuth telluride) that is proximitized by the superconductor (niobium diselenide)."

Density of states on the Bi2Te3/NbSe2 surface under in-plane magnetic field. (A) Differential conductance dI/dV spectra and (B) theoretical density of states curves for increasing magnetic field along the K direction. (C) Differential conductance dI/dV spectra and (D) theoretical density of states curves for increasing magnetic field along the M direction. For both (A) and (C) the spectra are acquired at set point of 2.5 mV and 0.5 nA, and temperature of 40 mK. The characteristic energy scale for theoretical calculations is E evA A xy = , , with e the electron charge, v the Fermi velocity, and Ax y, the magnetic vector potential (22). The arrows indicate the in-gap features attributed to pockets of segmented Fermi surface. Credit: Science, doi:10.1126/science.abf1077

Real and momentum space quasiparticle interference patterns for 6 different orientations of the in-plane magnetic field. (A to C) dI/dV maps depicting the real space QPI patterns. (D to F) The Fourier transforms of corresponding dI/dV maps, each displaying two bright segments. The arrows represent the magnetic field along K directions. (G to I) As in (A to C), but with magnetic field oriented along M directions. (J to L) Fourier transforms of (G to I), which display four bright segments. All the data was collected within the same area of 120  120 nm2, at bias voltage of 0 mV, temperature of 40 mK, and under in-plane magnetic field of 40 mT. Credit: Science, doi:10.1126/science.abf1077

Zhu et al. then presented the topography of the thin film and obtained the atomic resolution of the Bi 2 Te 3 lattice to demonstrate its high quality. Near the Fermi level they observed a hard, U-shaped superconducting energy gap at zero magnetic field. The team then applied an in-plane magnetic field to the thin film to investigate its gapless superconducting state by measuring the differential conductance. The observed in-gap features were a consequence of supercurrent induced quasiparticles. The team calculated the evolution of spectral function at energies around the Fermi level with the field. When asked about the impact of preceding research work that influenced this outcome, Liang Fu noted that "a lot influenced the outcome. I have worked for a long time on theory of topological superconductors and collaborated with Jinfeng Jia on related experiments. This kind of close collaboration between theory and experiment is essential to our success. Of course, the early theoretical works by Peter Fulde and Grigory Volovik are very important: They helped us see the big picture. The existence of zero-energy quasiparticles we discovered is by no means limited to proximitized topological insulators." The team thereafter detected the segmented Fermi surface directly within the momentum space by scanning the constant energy local density of states across the whole region of interest to obtain quasiparticle interference patterns.

Quasiparticle interference patterns of segmented Fermi surface. (A) QPI at zero magnetic field outside of the superconducting gap. The six bright segments correspond to scattering between the tips of the normal state Fermi surface. (B) QPI at B = 40 mT along K at V = 0 mV. The two bright segments correspond to vertical scattering between the tips of the star indicated in (H). (C) QPI at B = 40 mT along M at V = 0 mV. The four bright segments correspond to diagonal scattering between the tips of the star indicated in (I). (D to F) Numerical simulations (22) for QPI in hexagonally warped disordered Dirac surface state corresponding to the magnetic fields as in (A to C). (G to I) Spectral function displaying Fermi surface contours corresponding to the magnetic fields as in (A to C). Credit: Science, doi:10.1126/science.abf1077

Outlook

In this way, Zhen Zhu, Michal Papaj and colleagues led by Liang Fu revealed the strong impact of Cooper pair momentum caused by screening supercurrent on quasiparticle energy dissipation. The observation of segmented Fermi surface of Bogoliubov quasiparticles opens the way for further scanning tunneling microscopy studies of pair density wave and the formation of Cooper pairs with non-zero total momentum. When asked about the practical impact of these research outcomes, Liang Fu said, "It is too early to tell, but I can think of some possibilities. The quasiparticles we discovered could provide a potentially advantageous way to make topological qubits, which was my original motivation. These quasiparticles move freely and transport heat in a superconductor which is otherwise a poor thermal conductor. So, it seems to me that the ability of producing quasiparticles from electrical current may also enable a heat transistor controlling the flow of heat electrically."

Explore further To kill a quasiparticle: A quantum whodunit

More information: Zhen Zhu et al, Discovery of segmented Fermi surface induced by Cooper pair momentum, Science (2021). Zhen Zhu et al, Discovery of segmented Fermi surface induced by Cooper pair momentum,(2021). DOI: 10.1126/science.abf1077 Sangjun Jeon et al, Landau quantization and quasiparticle interference in the three-dimensional Dirac semimetal Cd3As2, Nature Materials (2014). DOI: 10.1038/nmat4023 Journal information: Science , Nature Materials

 2021 Science X Network
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The town of Tangier on Tangier Island, Chesapeake Bay, has lost 62% of its original habitable upland area since 1967, a new study has found. It will see further decline within the next 15-30 years, leaving hundreds of people without homes and income. The researchers estimate that fully protecting and restoring the town would cost roughly between $250m and $350m. The case of Tangier is a prime example of the consequences of continued sea level rise and human displacement due to the climate crisis.

The effects of the climate crisis can be seen all over the world. The last seven years were the warmest on record, and research is showing that future projections of climate crisis related changes, such as extreme weather events, extreme droughts, and global sea level rise, are more severe than previously thought.

Continued sea level rise is one of the most serious consequences of the climate crisis, according to the latest IPCC Assessment Report. Sea level rise leads to loss of habitat for plants and animals, more severe hurricanes and typhoons, and loss of habitable land for humans. Ultimately, sea level rise will force people to migrate to higher ground, creating climate change refugees.

A prominent example of the consequences of human driven sea level rise is the case of the Tangier in Tangier Island, Chesapeake Bay, US. Tangier Island is one of the last remaining inhabited islands in Chesapeake Bay and is primarily a fishing community. The town's population has shrunk from more than 1,100 inhabitants in the early 1900s, to 436 in 2020 and consists of three upland ridges: Canton, Main, and West.

A new study published in Frontiers in Climate found that Tangier has lost a significant portion of its original habitable upland area and is set to lose all habitable land within the next 15-30 years.

"Our study shows that sea level rise has already had a severe impact on a small town in the US. Soon, these Americans, inhabitants of the last isolated fishing community in Virginia, will become climate change refugees, forced to relocate," said lead author David Schulte, College of William and Mary, US.

A 2015 paper by Schulte found that Tangier Island had lost 67% of its total landmass since 1850 due to a combination of relative sea level rise and coastal erosion. The publication of the paper was followed by misinformation, the researchers said, with claims that coastal erosion alone was responsible for Tangier's land loss.

The current study is a follow up on the 2015 paper, to determine the impacts of sea level rise on Tangier, and to clarify the climate crisis related misinformation that followed the first study.

How much to move the whole town?

To determine the impacts of sea level rise on the town, the researchers analyzed local sea level rise data and compared upland to wetland conversion rate to the rate of population decline.

They found that, as of 2019, the town had lost 62% of its original habitable upland area since 1967. The results also showed that, if relative sea level rise were to continue as predicted, the year of full conversion to wetlands for each ridge is: 2033 (West Ridge), 2035 (Main Ridge), and 2050 (Canton Ridge).

"We noted that local sea level rise in the Chesapeake Bay region is higher than the global average, and that it is accelerating in a similar trend as the global mean rate. The rate of conversion of high ground to wetlands was generally an accelerating trend, just like the sea level rise that is driving it," explained Schulte.

The researchers also estimated what it would cost to relocate Tangier and what it would cost to protect and restore it. The estimates were developed referencing similar efforts by the US federal government in saving small coastal communities from sea-level rise.

The authors estimate that fully protecting and restoring the town would cost roughly between $250m and $350m. Necessary actions included in this estimate are, for example, applying protective stone along the vulnerable shorelines of the island and raising the three ridges by three meters using dredged sand. Natural based solutions, such as oyster reefs, could cost an additional $100-$300,000 per hectare of reef.

When human exodus from the island becomes inevitable, the estimated cost of relocating a town of 436 inhabitants is between $100m and $200m.

A wake-up call for the world

The authors predict that the population of Tangier will reach zero by the year 2053, which parallels the upland to wetland conversion rate. Though the decline in population can't only be attributed to sea level rise, a lot of the social issues the town faces, such as a lack of land for new commercial or residential use, are linked to it.

Eventually, the climate crisis will affect everyone. The majority of Americans live in coastal cities and Tangier Island is a warning for the effects and the economic cost of continued sea level rise.

"Our study shows that sea level rise impacts in the US are already severe in some areas, even forcing people to relocate, which most Americans do not realize is happening (mostly due to misinformation)," concluded Schulte.

"Our data and analysis suggest Tangier Island is almost out of time, just like many other coastal communities all over the world."

Explore further Islanders in Chesapeake Bay face exile from rising seas

More information: Frontiers in Climate, DOI: 10.3389/fclim.2021.779774
Credit:  K-D-uk, Shutterstock

The field of aquaponics has recently yielded a new plant-fish combination. For the first time, a salinity-tolerant plant commonly known as glasswort, or sea asparagus, has been grown together with flathead gray mullet (Mugil cephalus), an important food fish species found in coastal waters worldwide. The experiment was carried out by the Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA) at its center in Sant Carles de la Rapita, Spain, as part of the EU-funded NewTechAqua project.

The system was initially tested with lettuce instead of Salicornia, as the glasswort is also known. "In January 2021, in less than three months, we harvested 90 kg of lettuce. After ensuring the system's smooth operation, in the second phase, we have already grown Salicornia, of which we harvested 250 kg on 18 m2," observed IRTA aquaculture program head Dr. Enric Gisbert in an article posted on "FreshPlaza." "This proves that mullet is a good choice of fish to have an efficient aquaponics model."

Salicornia is a fleshy plant that usually grows along the edges of wetlands, marshes, seashores and mudflats, and it is widely distributed across the northern hemisphere. Its high nutritional value makes it a promising candidate in efforts to combat food insecurity. Thanks to its salty flavor, it is currently considered a trendy garnish in gourmet restaurants across Europe. However, in some regions such as Spain's Ebro Delta, the plant is a protected species, so harvesting it is prohibited.

Aquaponics is a solution to this problem. "Aquaponics could be an alternative to continue using this plant in the culinary world, with controlled management and food safety conditions and, at the same time, protecting the environment," stated Dr. Gisbert.

Studying greater amberjack reared in sea cages

Another research effort supported by the NewTechAqua project has focused on the sex differentiation process and resulting sex ratio of greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) when produced in hatcheries. Led by project partner Hellenic Center for Marine Research, Greece, the study found that the growth of greater amberjack under aquaculture conditions was similar for both sexes, and that females had the same size as males in all the samples taken. The results have been published in the journal Fish Physiology and Biochemistry.

When fish are reared in captivity, scientists need to know the sex differentiation process and resulting sex ratio of the fish produced in these conditions to ensure they do not deviate from natural sex ratios in the wild. Since there was no difference in size between the sexes, and the sex ratio was 1:1, early rearing in captivity seems to have no effect on sex differentiation.

In the NewTechAqua (New Technologies, Tools and Strategies for a Sustainable, Resilient and Innovative European Aquaculture) study, growth of greater amberjack was found to be closely linked to temperature: high until October, stable during winter and spring, and high again as temperatures rose in the summer months. This was similar to the growth rates recorded in a study on greater amberjack caught from the wild in September and subsequently grown in sea cages. NewTechAqua's aim is to expand and diversify European aquaculture production of finfish, molluscs and microalgae.

Explore further Catching up with DIVERSIFY: Fizzing with ideas for aquaculture

More information: Maria Papadaki et al, Histological evaluation of sex differentiation and early sex identification in hatchery-produced greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) reared in sea cages, Fish Physiology and Biochemistry (2021). Maria Papadaki et al, Histological evaluation of sex differentiation and early sex identification in hatchery-produced greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) reared in sea cages,(2021). DOI: 10.1007/s10695-021-01007-7 NewTechAqua project website: www.newtechaqua.eu/
Examples of parasitehost interactions preserved on marine animal host skeletons. Credit: University of Missouri

Over the last decade, John Huntley, a paleontologist and an associate professor of geological sciences at the University of Missouri, has studied the history of parasite-host interactions. These interactions can occur either outside a host's body, such as a tick, or inside a host's body, such as a flatworm.

Recently, Huntley and his colleagues developed the first known database of parasite-host interactions among animals living in the ocean, including the fossilized ancestors of today's crabs, shrimp and oysters. Their results were recently published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B.

Huntley explains how studying fossilized parasites can contribute to our knowledge of infectious diseases.

How can studying fossil parasites contribute to our knowledge of infectious diseases?

We're learning that paleontological research is more than a purely academic undertaking. Paleontologists have the privilege of studying ancient life and the environments in which these animals lived. By better understanding how parasite-host interactions have occurred in the past, we now have the primary evidence for how life has responded to a variety of calamities over hundreds of millions of years.

This insight can help us better understand the evolution of biodiversity over time, and give us greater context to modern problems such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.

What insights have you developed from your recent research on how parasite-host relationships have changed over time?

The first known occurrence of parasitism among animals occurred about 520 million years ago. Since that time, the occurrence of parasitism and the percentage of individuals affected by parasites has dramatically increased. In particular, the last 65 million years have seen an intensification in parasitism. This is consistent with my earlier studies of predator-prey interactions.

In general, we've found the world has become a more dangerous place for animals in the oceans over the last half a billion years. There are a variety of competing, but not mutually exclusive, ideas for why this has occurred, and arguments generally center around food chain processes, and changing nutrient and habitat availability.

What can these parasite-host relationships tell us about biodiversity and the health of ecosystems throughout the history of life on Earth?

We've found a strong correlation between parasitism and biodiversity. At the broadest scale, parasites are more common when there are more species. This makes sense because more species can mean more chances for developing these interactions. We also compared parasitism to the rate at which species originate and go extinct and found negative relationships, which suggests parasite-host interactions flourish when higher and more stable levels of diversity are present.

Therefore, we've seen evidence that parasites can positively stabilize coastal ecosystems that provide food and other services to millions of people in today's world. Even though parasites harm the individual hosts that they infest, evidence shows they make the overall ecosystem more stable because of their actions.

More information: Kenneth De Baets et al, Phanerozoic parasitism and marine metazoan diversity: dilution versus amplification, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2021). Journal information: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Kenneth De Baets et al, Phanerozoic parasitism and marine metazoan diversity: dilution versus amplification,(2021). DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0366
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The U.S. Fusion Outreach Team, a grassroots organization in the fusion community focused on reducing barriers to outreach efforts, has launched a new centralized website to engage an expanding workforce, media, educators, and the public in the journey toward a world powered by fusion energy.

The U.S. fusion community has just completed a two year strategic planning process to focus on a bold new direction: the construction of a prototype fusion power plant by 2035 (NAS report). Following a recommendation from the consensus reports created by researchers (Community Planning Process and Powering the Future reports), a diverse committee of stakeholders from the U.S. fusion energy community has collaborated to build usfusionenergy.org. The website will feature the latest fusion news and informative articles, events, and resources that will help anyone, anywhere, understand the promise of fusion energy.

The timing of this website launch could not be more relevant. The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, is underway in Glasgow as world leaders decide how to tackle climate change. Additionally, the U.S. Congress is currently debating policy on transitioning the country to clean energy. The development of fusion energy as a new power source will be revolutionary to both initiatives.

Furthermore, fusion energy is building momentum in the United States and around the world. The National Ignition Facility in California announced a significant step forward for laser-driven fusion this August. Additionally, Commonwealth Fusion Systems in Massachusetts recently leaped forward in magnet-driven fusion technology. Worldwide, the international ITER project in France reports steady progress with the first plasma scheduled for 2025.

With such advancements, there has never been a better time to get involved in fusion energy! The United States is teeming with private companies seeking to commercialize fusion, and the industry will need talent of all backgrounds. To meet the moment, the new website, usfusionenergy.org, prioritizes featuring jobs and opportunities across the United States to expand the definition of "Fusioneer," one who is involved in the fusion energy community.

Steffi Diem and Arturo Dominguez, co-leaders of the U.S. Fusion Outreach Team, are coordinating this effort. "We're excited to launch the U.S. Fusion Energy website to provide resources and up-to-date news on our field," said Dominguez. Diem also added, "We hope that this website will engage the public to be part of the fusion movement, recruit a diverse workforce and to provide a community for U.S. fusioneers."

The new fusion energy website is for those pushing toward a clean energy future and who want to support this effort. To learn more, visit usfusionenergy.org.

Explore further Researchers report argon fluoride laser fusion research findings
A new AI tool created to help identify certain kinds of substance abuse based on a homeless youth's Facebook posts could provide homeless shelters with vital information to incorporate into each individual's case management plan. Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Facebookits new corporate name is Metahas always wanted to get to know you. Its public goal has ostensibly been to connect people. It's been wildly successful in doing so by building out what can only be called everyday infrastructure around the world.

There are 3.5 billion people worldwide using Facebook's suite of products, which includes Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. As the infrastructure provider, Facebook knows a lot about who its users are, and what they do.

Recently, the company has announced a US$10 billion investment in the "metaverse"an immersive version of the internet that can only increase Facebook's hold on citizens via the data it collects about us.

This announcement comes at a time when everyone wants to do something about Facebook. Recent reporting on corporate ethics, fuelled by whistle-blower Frances Haugen's document dump and testimony in the United States Senatealong with a six-hour blackout of its services worldwide in Octoberdemonstrate both the scale of Facebook's reach and the consequences of letting the status quo persist.

But before we fix anything, we need to consider the logic behind determining what ought to be fixed.

A human rights focus

In order to effectively regulate data-intensive, privately held global infrastructure like Facebook, we need to prioritize human rights concerns. Upholding human rights can act as the underlying logic for any regulatory framework, and in doing do, provide it with an established, universal ethical heft.

Focusing on human rights means prioritizing the basic values embodied in the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights: protecting human dignity, ensuring autonomy and equality and "brotherhood" (or, in 2020s parlance, community). It means understanding that these rights are indivisible and interdependent.

The benefits and harms of social media affect human beingsthe subjects for whom human rights are intended. Facebook, and other companies like it, have changed our lives by becoming global infrastructure, affecting how, when and if we engage with others. Through this process, our lives have become "datafied."

We need to think more purposefully about how to embed human rights in our digital policies as we increasingly live and find meaning within online environments and contexts. As the UN's Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights affirm, states have a duty to protect human rights. Businesses, however, also have the responsibility to respect human rights.

A global communications giant

The focus on calls for reform to date, including Haugen's explosive Senate testimony, has been centered around content on the social network Facebook built and is best known for. But Facebook is much more than that.

The blackout showed that Facebook is an essential piece of global communications infrastructure. The corporation formerly known as Facebook, and its properties Instagram and WhatsApp, facilitates small business and informal economies around the world. It provides login credentials to thousands of other apps.

Some developing countries in Africa even rely on Facebook as a portal to the internet for significant portions of their populations.

And in the very near future, Meta intends to bring another billion people online through various internet infrastructure projects.

So how do we regulate a tech giant like Facebook to ensure human rights are upheld? Many cases for regulation have focused on the right of freedom of expression, because that's how most of us consciously experience it. However, a focus on content moderation is a losing game at best.

Human rights tied to freedom of expression

I've written previously about how Facebook has stepped into the void on adjudicating freedom of expression on its network through the Facebook Oversight Board.

But freedom of expression is not independent of other rights. The Oversight Board's own docket shows that deciding on cases involving freedom of expression does not happen in a vacuum. Other rightssuch as the right to non-discrimination, the right to security of the person and the right to lifeneed to be considered.

Various proposals for how to regulate Facebook and social media are already out there, advocating for transparency and accountability, changes to U.S. regulations that currently provide immunity to social media platforms and creating "toxicity taxes" in order to tackle the dilemma of content moderation.

The Canadian government now has a chance to fix problematic legislation it had previously proposed to curb social media content, which has the potential to erode other human rights in the process.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and many states are following the trust-busting strategy, an approach that is currently stalled in the courts.

The next big push, of the existential variety, is going to be the defenestration of the very companies that populate the top of the S&P 500. Just look around. Trust-busting and heavy regulation of Tech and social media is a matter of when, not if. If so, this chart stops falling. pic.twitter.com/FySJhfReEp  Jeff Weniger (@JeffWeniger) June 8, 2020

Global assent

Part of the problem is that people around the world continue searching for ethical frameworks to manage the relationship between technology and society when we already have a successful model readily available to us: international human rights. It's one one of the few global, ethical frameworks in existence that has overwhelming assent.

The other part of the problem is that we have mostly assumed that rights in the analog world should apply online. This means that territorial states are places of relevance and and enforcement. But Facebook's infrastructure is globalit's not a state. UN Special Rappoteurs are pointing out how the analog and digital don't always align in terms of privacy and expression, but this is just the beginning.

Anything that happens in the online world has a global impact, as we've seen with the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation. It's clear that the impetus for protecting human rights is critical, no matter who is potentially violating them. But how to go about designing human rights protections in the name of autonomy, dignity, equality and community is not currently being contemplated when it comes to our digital spaces.

We must acknowledge the global and everyday reach of Facebook's infrastructure. We need to understand how Facebook, and other tech companies like it, are dramatically shaping our experiences in ways that are both visible and invisible.

Understanding Facebook as a form of public infrastructure simply means acknowledging that it provides us with something essential: services that enable other services and activities, services we cannot get in the same way elsewhere.

Some have suggested that we treat Facebook as a hostile country to properly contain it. This seems unnecessary. Facebook is an example of a new type of global infrastructure that needs to protect and respect human rights.

Explore further Embattled Facebook releases new curbs on harassment

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
US special envoy John Kerry, a 30-year veteran of climate geopolitics, said he 'had never counted as many initiatives and as much moneyreal moneybeing put on the table'

The COP26 climate talks resuming Monday have so far unfolded on parallel planes, with high-level announcements stage-managed by host country Britain during week one riding roughshod over a laborious UN process built on consensus among nearly 200 countries.

A dizzying blitz of pledges to curb methane emissions, phase out coal-fired power, stop overseas fossil fuel financing, and halt deforestation would appear to have moved the dial towards the Paris Agreement's most ambitious goal of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

With a rise of 1.1C to date, storms, heatwaves and floods have become more frequent, intense and deadly.

An International Energy Agency (IEA) tally of the commitments, along with one by India to boost renewables and reach net zero by 2070, found they would hold warming to 1.8Cnot good enough, but way better than the "catastrophic" 2.7C projected by the UN just last month.

US special envoy John Kerry, a 30-year veteran of climate geopolitics, said he "had never counted as many initiatives and as much moneyreal moneybeing put on the table."

But not everyone was equally impressed.

On the streets, climate activist Greta Thunberg, leading a global protest march on Saturday, branded COP26 a "failure" and an exercise in greenwashing.

Several of the marquee pledges last week, while still signifiant, were considerably less that meets the eye, analysts pointed out.

"We've run the numbersthe IEA scenario still leaves an enormous emissions gap in 2030," researchers at Climate Analytics reported, highlighting the need to slash global emissions nearly in half within a decade to keep 1.5C within view.

Change in annual temperatures compared to pre-industrial levels according to 6 datasets.

'Two truths'

Many frontline negotiators were not happy either.

"This first week is a disappointment," said Ahmadou Sebory Toure, chair of the G77-plus-China group, a negotiating bloc of more than 130 poor and developing countries, the largest in the UN climate forum.

"Most of our concerns are not truly or effectively being taken into account," the Guinean diplomat told AFP in an interview.

Toure lambasted the failure of rich nations to cough up $100 billion a year by 2020a pledge first made in 2009, and now postponed to 2023to help vulnerable nations decarbonise their economies and cope with climate impacts.

"After the sub-prime crisis in 2008, the US mobilised $8 trillionand that was just for one country," he said.

Many experts and negotiators commented on the stark contrast between the competing narratives, and wondered if they could be reconciled during the home stretch of the talks, which run through Friday.

"We have two different truths here," said Helen Mountford of the World Resources Institute.

Observers and negotiators at the COP26 climate negotiations have talked about 'two COPs,' 'two truths', 'two realities'

"We've made much more progress in some ways that we could have ever imagined even in a couple of years ago, but at the same time we're nowhere near enough."

For Laurence Tubiana, head of the European Climate Foundation and, as France's top negotiator, a main architect of the 2015 Paris Agreement, "Glasgow could become the city of two tales".

"One is of fantastic mobilisation and progress," she told AFP.

"The otherwhich we see with the protests in the streetis that it's not really happening and companies are just cheating."

'Deficit of credibility'

"There is no mechanism for ensuring delivery, no capacity to check these claims," she added, noting that the flurry of pledges last week were made outside the framework of the UN talks.

"That is why I say greenwashing is the new climate denial."

UN Secretary Antonio Guterres raised a similar concern in launching the 13-days talks.

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg branded COP26 a 'failure' and an exercise in greenwashing.

"There is a deficit of credibility and a surplus of confusion over emissions reductions and net zero targets," he said, announcing the creation of an expert group to measure the claims of non-state actors, whether local governments or multinationals.

The "two COPs" may well collide during a formal "stocktake" on Monday of the first week, in which countries and negotiating blocs will air their views and grievances.

Some will call for an accelerated timetable for revising voluntary emissions reduction plans, currently submitted every five years.

Many will point to a lack of progress on issues that have stymied the talks for years: an architecture for international carbon markets, setting up a common timetable for national carbon cutting pledges, and a host of issues related to finance.

"It is too soon to know whether this is Glasgow half full or half empty," said Alden Meyer, a senior associate at climate policy think tank E3G.

"In the end, it has to be a balanced packaged. Nobody will come out with everything they want."

 2021 AFP
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The Great Lakes are experiencing record warmth this fall as water temperatures spike well above normal seasonal levels, fueling lake effect snow and potentially disrupting fish spawning.

The surging temperatures are most stark in Lake Superior, the northerly Great Lake notorious for its frigidity. It has never been so balmy this late into the fall and has consistently set records for its warmth, according to federal data dating back to 1995.

Lake Superior was nearly 60 degrees on Oct. 8, when the water is typically around 52. On Thursday, it was 51.5 degreesnearly 6 degrees higher than its normal average temperature, 45.7 degrees Fahrenheit.

All of the five Great Lakes have been 1 to 2 degrees Fahrenheit above normal temperatures since early October, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data. All of them have clocked at least a few days of record warmth.

It might sound like a mild fluctuation, but "a 1- to 2-degree change in temperature for the lakes is highly significant," said Andrea Vander Woude, manager of NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory's CoastWatch program, which has collected data on Great Lakes temperatures, wave heights, ice cover and more since 1995.

"It could have a negative impact on ecosystems, on fish, on zooplankton and phytoplankton and the whole dynamics of small animals within the lakes," she added.

Warm lakes also fuel rain and snow, said Lauren Fry, a physical scientist for the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. Much like a hot cup of coffee produces more steam on a cold day, warmer lakes lose more water through evaporation into cold air.

That phenomenon contributed to record-breaking lake effect snowfall in northern Michigan on Wednesday after a blast of cold air swept through the region, National Weather Service Meteorologist Kevin Farina said. Parts of northern Michigan, especially around Gaylord, got almost 12 inches of snow that day, more than any single-day snowfall in November on record.

"It's cold air over warm water that generates lake-effect snow," Farina said. "The colder the air is and the warmer the lakes are, the more intense it will be."

The Great Lakes were indeed warm that day.

On Monday, when meteorologists sent the alert that lake-effect rain would turn into snow, Lake Michigan was about 57 degreesmore than 5 degrees above normal, a record-warm day that followed a month of record-warm days for the storied western lake.

The rest of the lakes followed suit, all reaching temperatures well above normal:

Lake Superior was almost 53 degrees, the warmest Nov. 1 on record, about 6 degrees above average.

Lake Huron was 55 degrees, the warmest on record, about 5 degrees above average.

Lake Erie was almost 59 degrees, the warmest on record, more than 4 degrees above average.

Lake Ontario was almost 57 degrees, the warmest on record, more than 5 degrees above average.

Lake St. Clair was almost 54 degrees, more than 3 degrees above average but it did not set a record for that day.

This comes as summer and fall temperatures were "well above normal" throughout Michigan, Farina said.

Outdoor temperatures, and thus lake temperatures, don't look like they will be dropping soon. Farina said northern Michigan weather could be up to 15 degrees warmer than usual in the coming week.

Vander Woude said it is "extremely rare" for the lakes to clock temperatures so much warmer than average, but it isn't unheard of. The Great Lakes experienced a similar warm spell last summeraverage surface temperatures reached more than 5 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal on lakes Erie and Ontario in July.

Last year's hot streak was caused by a few factors, Vander Woude said, including warm summer temperatures and little winter ice cover.

Warm spells, while rare, fit into a decades-long trend toward warmer water fueled by a changing climate.

Jay Austin, a physics and astronomy professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth, studies Great Lakes water temperatures. He has used National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data to track how the lakes have warmed since 1980, when the administration started collecting data using buoys.

While water temperatures vary from year to year, all of the Great Lakes are getting warmer, he said. There tend to be fewer cold years to cool the average temperatures.

"We have more and more years like 2012, which was basically ice-free, a very warm winter that led to a relatively warm summer," Austin said. There have been "fewer and fewer years like 2014 or 2009, when we had heavy ice cover in winter, which results in a relatively cold summer condition."

The 40-plus-year data set shows average summer water temperatures on Lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron have warmed by about 3 degrees Fahrenheit. Lake Erie has warmed by about 1 degree.

Austin calculated the change by comparing average summer temperatures from 1980-89 with 2012-21. He does not have long-term data for Lake Ontario.

It's unclear exactly how Great Lakes fish will respond to the current warm spell, but even slight temperature changes could be significant for certain species, said Todd Wills, Lake Huron-Lake Erie area fisheries research manager for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Take lake trout, for example. They spawn in the fall when water temperatures are in the low 50s Fahrenheit. Unseasonably warm temperatures could delay their spawning, which could delay egg laying and egg hatching and reduce the number of fish that make it into adulthood.

"All fish have some sort of optimum temperature that they survive at," Wills said. "When you get past that optimal temperature, even by a few degrees, things like their ability to grow, to spawn and to survive can change. Even small changes in temperature for some species can really have a pretty substantial effect."

The jury is no longer out on what is causing the Great Lakes' slow warming, Austin said.

"It's climate change," he said. "We are seeing warmer and warmer air temperatures, which is causally linked to carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The lake temperature reflects that."

That means warm spells, like the one ongoing through the Great Lakes, likely will become more common, said Ed Rutherford, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory fishery biologist.

"The predictions about climate warming are really coming to pass, probably sooner than everybody thought," Rutherford said. "It's becoming more variable, but it is getting warmer, there's no doubt. I think the expectation is we're going to see more warm falls like this."

Explore further Ice cover takes deep dip on Great Lakes

2021 The Detroit News

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(A-K) ovules displaying the shape resembling sunflower seeds, with a tapered base terminating the dichotomized ultimate fertile branches. No cupule is observed around the ovule or along the fertile branches. Photo credit: Prof. De-Ming Wang.

In a paper published in National Science Review, a Chinese group of palaeobotanists described a new genus and species of Late Devonian ovule (seed before fertilization), Guazia dongzhiensis gen. et sp. nov., which is borne terminally and has folded, wing-like integumentary lobes but no cupule. G. dongzhiensis presents evidence for Devonian acupulate ovules (ovules without a cupule) and specialized integuments adapted to wind dispersal.

After observation of over 300 specimens collected from the Upper Devonian of Dongzhi County, Anhui Province, Prof. De-Ming Wang from Peking University turned his attention to a series of ovules directly attached to the tip of dichotomized ultimate branches. "That's unusual," says Prof. Wang, "the connection between these ovules and branches proved the lack of a cupule (surrounding the ovule and functioning as protection and pollination). By contrast, almost all the other Late Devonian ovules reported previously were born in a cupule. The history of acupulate ovules is thus stretched forward for about 40 million years."

These ovules are then named "Guazia" from Chinese pinyin "Gua Zi" referring to their shape similar to a sunflower seed, with a tapered base and a slightly wider middle and upper part. The morphology of these ovules is firstly revealed by degagement, showing four planate wings covering the most part of the central nucellus.

To determine the detailed structure of the ovules, Prof. Wang and his colleagues re-bonded several parts and counterparts of Guazia ovules with resin, and made serial transverse sections for microscope examination. In the sections, four outgrowths of integument heavily folded in U or V shapes are radially arranged around the nucellus and perpendicular to each other, and are fused at the middle and lower parts of the ovule but separated at the upper parts, which overtopped the central nucellus. "The 'wings' of Guazia ovules are not just a 'thin, flat plate," but should be interpreted as lengthwise-folded integumentary lobes," says Le Liu, who made the 3D reconstruction of the ovule.

Propagules with wing-like structures are common in both fossil and living seed plants, but are rare in the Late Devonian. The researchers believe that the four wing-like integumentary lobes of Guazia ovules may increase the windward area so as to achieve long distance dispersal. "Considering the height of the parent plant, even if these ovules may not be carried far by wind during abscission, they could be blown along the ground after landing," says Yi Zhou.

In the middle is the 3-D reconstruction of the ovule displaying the apex of nucellus (yellow) and wing-like integumentary lobes (green). The scale bar is 5 mm. Dashed horizontal lines labelled with A-D indicating the location of the sections illustrated on the right. (A'-D') the transverse sections of the ovule reconstruction shown in A, in ascending order. 3-D model reconstructed by Le Liu. Credit: Science China Press

Cupule and integument in the Late Devonian seed plants not only protect the ovule, but also help trap the wind-borne pollen. However, in the more derived later seed plant lineages, the cupule gradually reduced and finally disappeared but the importance and complexity of integument increased. "We could infer that the wing-like integuments of Guazia replaced the cupule for the role in protection and pollination, and may also perform the function of potential wind dispersal," says Prof. Wang.

A, one of the specimens used for serial sections. Horizontal lines labelled with a-i indicating the location of the sections illustrated on the right. (a-i) the nine transverse sections of the ovule shown in A, in ascending order. Credit: Prof. De-Ming Wang.

More information: De-Ming Wang et al, Guazia, the earliest ovule without cupule but with unique integumentary lobes, National Science Review (2021). De-Ming Wang et al, Guazia, the earliest ovule without cupule but with unique integumentary lobes,(2021). DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwab196
The EuChemS Element Scarcity Periodic Table of the 90 natural elements that make up everything: How much is there? Is that enough? Is it sustainable? Credit: EuChemS

The European Chemistry Society's Element Scarcity Periodic Table has been updated to reflect the significance of carbon in the week world leaders meet in Glasgow to tackle climate change.

The table, which organizes all discovered chemical elements allowing scientists to quickly refer to an element's properties such as its atomic mass and chemical symbol, is a key resource and classroom staple.

Today, to coincide with COP26, the European Chemical Society (EuChemS) has released this updated version of its iconic Periodic Table, first produced for the International Year of the Periodic Table in 2019.

For the first time, that version highlighted element availability and vulnerability and was created by a task group chaired by former President of the Society, University of St Andrews Professor of Chemistry, David Cole-Hamilton.

The new updated version released today (Wednesday 3 November 2021) graphically highlights the problems of carbon in our world now. Usually green, carbon features in the new table as a tricolor of green, red and gray which each represent a separate attribute of carbon.

The green represents the plentifulness of carbon in the form of carbon dioxide, carbonate rocks and vegetation; red represents that this plentifulness will cause serious problems if nothing is done to restrict its use; and gray reflects the fact that carbon resources, especially oil, can emanate from conflict resources such as from countries at war over oilfields or where oil revenues are used to fight wars.

Professor David Cole-Hamilton said: "This updated version of the Periodic Table graphically highlights the problems of carbon in our world now.

"If we behave responsibly by cutting our dependence on fossil fuels and never using them from conflict resources, we can save our beautiful and diverse planet and restore carbon to its rightful green color."

The carbon cycle balances photosynthesis, by which plants grow taking up carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), with respiration (breathing) by which humans and all flora and fauna live and give out CO 2 .

For millennia these two processes, compounded by CO 2 absorption and release by the oceans, have been in balance, justifying the benign green color given to carbon in the 2019 Periodic Table.

Burning carbon-based fuels (coal, oil, gas) pumps so much extra CO 2 into the air that photosynthesis and the oceans can't keep up, causing CO 2 levels to rise leading to global warming and climate change that will cause severe disruption to all forms of life on the planet in very much fewer than 100 years if we do nothing, hence the red color.

The gray color arises because, although most coal, oil and gas extraction is untainted by conflict, the proceeds of some oil sales are used to fund wars.

EuChemS President, Professor Floris Rutjes, said: "With the release of the updated version of the EuChemS Periodic Table, the European Chemical Society aims to keep drawing attention to the scarcity of elements, which is a global problem that affects all of us.

"In particular the change in the color of carbon shows the increasing challenges that we are facing with greenhouse gas production, which are far from being solved."

Professor Nicola Armaroli, Chair of the EuChemS Task Group on the Periodic Table and Executive Board member, said: "Plentiful carbon is the key chemical ingredient of life on Earth, but our energy-thirsty civilisation has made it an intricate environmental and geopolitical problem.

"The updated version of the EuChemS Periodic Table depicts the complexity of a unique element that will define the way we live up to the sustainability challenge being addressed at COP26 in Glasgow."

The updated version of the Periodic Table can be downloaded from EuChemS website.
A materials spins, depicted as red spheres, are probed by scattered neutrons. Applying an entanglement witness, such as the QFI calculation pictured, causes the neutrons to form a kind of quantum gage. This gage allows the researchers to distinguish between classical and quantum spin fluctuations. Credit: Nathan Armistead/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Quantum entanglement occurs when two particles appear to communicate without a physical connection, a phenomenon Albert Einstein famously called "spooky action at a distance." Nearly 90 years later, a team led by the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory demonstrated the viability of a "quantum entanglement witness" capable of proving the presence of entanglement between magnetic particles, or spins, in a quantum material.

The teamincluding researchers from ORNL, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, the Technical University of Berlin, Institut Laue-Langevin, Oxford University and Adam Mickiewicz Universitytested three entanglement witnesses using a combination of neutron scattering experiments and computational simulations. Entanglement witnesses are techniques that act as data analysis tools to determine which spins cross the threshold between the classical and quantum realms.

First introduced by John Stewart Bell in the 1960s, entanglement witnesses confirmed that the quantum theory questioned by other scientists had been correct. Bell's technique relied on detecting one pair of particles at a time, but this approach is not useful for studying solid materials composed of trillions and trillions of particles. By targeting and detecting large collections of entangled spins using new entanglement witnesses, the team extended this concept to characterize solid materials and study exotic behavior in superconductors and quantum magnets.

To ensure that the witnesses could be trusted, the team applied all three of them to a material they knew to be entangled because of a previous spin dynamics study. Two of the witnesses, which are based on Bell's approach, adequately indicated the presence of entanglement in this one-dimensional spin chaina straight line of adjacent spins that communicate with their neighbors while disregarding other particlesbut the third, which is based on quantum information theory, fared exceptionally well at the same task.

"The quantum Fisher information, or QFI, witness showed a close overlap between theory and experiment, which makes it a robust and reliable way to quantify entanglement," said Allen Scheie, a postdoctoral research associate at ORNL and a lead author of the team's proof-of-concept paper published in Physical Review B.

Because fluctuations in a material that appear to be quantum in nature can be caused by random thermal motion, which only vanishes at absolute zero on the temperature scale, most modern methods cannot distinguish between these false alarms and actual quantum activity. The team not only confirmed the theoretical prediction that entanglement increases as temperature decreases but also successfully differentiated between classical and quantum activity as part of the most comprehensive QFI demonstration since the technique was proposed in 2016.

"The most interesting materials are full of quantum entanglement, but those are precisely the ones that are the most difficult to calculate," said ORNL neutron scattering scientist Alan Tennant, who leads a project focused on quantum magnets for the Quantum Science Center, or QSC, a DOE National Quantum Information Science Research Center headquartered at ORNL.

Previously, the challenge of quickly identifying quantum materials presented a significant roadblock to the center's mission, which involves exploiting entanglement to develop novel devices and sensors while advancing the field of quantum information science. Streamlining this process with QFI allows QSC researchers to focus on harnessing the power of substances such as rare phases of matter called quantum spin liquids and materials that do not resist electricity called superconductors for data storage and computing applications.

"The power of QFI comes from its connection to quantum metrology, in which scientists entangle multiple quasiparticles to shrink uncertainty and obtain extremely precise measurements," Scheie said. "The QFI witness reverses this approach by using the precision of an existing measurement to determine the minimum number of particles each spin is entangled with. This is a powerful way to reveal quantum interactions, which means that QFI is really applicable to any quantum magnetic material."

Having established that QFI could correctly categorize materials, the team tested a second one-dimensional spin chain, a more complex material featuring anisotropy, which is a property that causes spins to lie in a plane rather than rotating at random. The researchers applied a magnetic field to the spin chain and observed an entanglement transition, in which the amount of entanglement fell to zero before reappearing. They published this finding in Physical Review Letters.

To achieve these results, the researchers studied both spin chains using neutron scattering and then analyzed legacy data from experiments conducted decades ago at the ISIS Neutron Source in England and the Institut Laue-Langevin in France along with new data from the Wide Angular-Range Chopper Spectrometer located at the Spallation Neutron Source, a DOE Office of Science user facility operated by ORNL. They also ran complementary simulations to validate the results against idealized theoretical data.

Neutrons, which Tennant describes as "beautifully simple," are an ideal tool for probing the properties of a material because of their neutral charge and nondestructive nature.

"By studying the distribution of neutrons that scatter off of a sample, which transfers energy, we were able to use neutrons as a gauge to measure quantum entanglement without relying on theories and without the need for massive quantum computers that don't exist yet," Tennant said.

According to the team, this combination of advanced computational and experimental resources provided answers about the nature of quantum entanglement originally asked by the founders of quantum mechanics. Scheie expects that QFI calculations are likely to become part of the standard procedure for neutron scattering experiments that could eventually characterize even the most mysterious quantum materials.

Explore further The best of both worlds: Combining classical and quantum systems to meet supercomputing demands
Credit: Shutterstock

Some schools around Australia, and elsewhere, have replaced individual desks with circular booths and shared tables for collaborative work.

But what does the evidence actually say? Do flexible learning spaces improve students' ability to work together, as well as their learning overall?

The evolution of the classroom

For many parents, the schools their children attend are markedly different in design to the schools of their own childhood. This is because school design in Australia and New Zealand (and internationally) is challenging the traditional classroom housing one teacher and 30 students seated in static, uniform desks and chairs.

This arrangement is being replaced by open-plan spaces accommodating several teachers working collaboratively with perhaps 100 students.

These new classrooms include include a profusion of color, arrangements, styles and types of furnishing such as shared tables, mobile chairs, ottomans and beanbags.

The aim is to encourage students to move freely and collaborate. The arrangement also provides options for students to work individually if they please.

What's the reason for these changes?

In its 2018 report The Future of Jobs, the World Economic Forum pointed to the importance of "human" skills such as "creativity, originality and initiative, critical thinking, persuasion and negotiation" as workplaces change with technology.

The obvious place to begin acquiring these skills is school. In its 2013 Innovative Learning Environments report, the OECD marked creativity, collaboration and digital literacy as of greater importance to a 21st-century workforce than traditional knowledge acquisition.

For at least the past two decades, teachers have focused increasingly on developing "21st-century skills." They have learnt to accommodate the learning needs and styles of 21st-century children, while also learning to accommodate and embrace the development of technology. The result is teaching has shifted from teacher-centered instruction to student-centered and student-led learning.

Modern classroom design in Hobsonville Point Primary School, Auckland. Credit: Leon Benade, Author provided

Does non-traditional school furniture improve learning?

One of the arguments for a non-traditional furniture set-up is its design and flexibility enhance student engagement. A 2020 study of ten classrooms in Texas with 206 elementary students in third and fourth grades reported the students experienced higher levels of enjoyment, comfort and attentiveness when using flexible furniture options.

The study found flexible furniture afforded opportunities for collaboration and developing student autonomy. Importantly, this study also showed flexible furniture can positively influence teachers' behavior, given appropriate professional development support. This is because it liberates them from controlling students, who are allowed to move freely around the classroom.

Some local studies have made similar findings. A 2018 University of Wollongong study found several factors enhanced student engagement and motivation, including students' autonomous use of flexible furniture.

And a New Zealand study recently found students made considered use of furniture choices in ways that reflected their conscious awareness of how the different kinds of furniture could support various learning activities.

There are possible negatives

Both Australasian studies reported, however, distractions and increased noise due to the sociability aspects of the range and type of furniture. These distractions led to off-task behavior and lowered concentration levels in some cases.

Designers of modern school furniture claim a range of physical and psychological health benefits for students. These include breaking the cycle of sedentary seated behavior common in traditional school settings. Some parents hotly contest this position and argue, for example, that options such as beanbags compromise children's postures.

Similarly, the Wollongong and New Zealand studies questioned the health benefits of students sitting hunched over low tables or at backless ottomans. But both concluded free and frequent student movement reduced any postural concerns.

While inconclusive, the evidence does indicate 21st-century students of all ages prefer the option of being able to move around freely, to sit, slouch or lie wherever they are most comfortable, and to work with their peers on collaborative tasks.

Whether this leads to better academic outcomes than being seated at more traditional tables and chairs arranged in straight lines is yet to be researched. For the moment, the more permissive environment of modern and flexible learning spaces is making students more engaged, and that can't be a bad thing.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Diver Everton Simpson carries pieces of staghorn coral from a nursery to be planted inside the White River Fish Sanctuary Monday, Feb. 11, 2019, in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Credit: AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File

One phrase, really just a number, dominates climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland: The magic and elusive 1.5.

That stands for the international goal of trying to limit future warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times. It's a somewhat confusing number in some ways that wasn't a major part of negotiations just seven years ago and was a political suggestion that later proved to be incredibly important scientifically.

Stopping warming at 1.5 or so can avoid or at least lessen some of the most catastrophic future climate change harms and for some people is a life-or-death matter, scientists have found in many reports.

The 1.5 figure now it is the "overarching objective" of the Glasgow climate talks, called COP26, conference President Alok Sharma said on the first day of the conference. Then on Saturday he said the conference, which takes a break on Sunday, was still trying "to keep 1.5 alive."

For protesters and activists, the phrase is "1.5 to stay alive."

And 1.5 is closer than it sounds. That's because it may sound like another 1.5 degrees from now but because it is since pre-industrial times, it's actually only 0.4 degrees (0.7 degrees Fahrenheit) from now. The world has warmed 1.1 degrees (2 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times.

People attend a Climate Strike demonstration in Zurich, Switzerland, Nov. 6, 2021. The overarching phrase that dominates Glasgow climate talks is simply a number: 1.5. That's the chief but elusive goal of negotiations. It's keeping warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times. Credit: Michael Buholzer/Keystone via AP, File

The issue isn't about the one year when the world first averages 1.5 more than pre-industrial times. Scientists usually mean a multi-year average of over 1.5 because temperatureswhile rising over the long term like on an escalatordo have small jags up and down above the long-term trend, much like taking a step up or down on the escalator.

But it's coming fast.

Scientists calculate carbon pollution the burning of fossil fuels can produce before 1.5 degrees is baked in. A report a few days ago from Global Carbon Project found that there's 420 billion tons of carbon dioxide left in that budget and this year humanity spewed 36.4 billion tons. That's about 11 years worth left at current levelswhich are rising not fallingthe report found.

To get there, scientists and the United Nations say the world needs to cut its current emissions by about half as of 2030. That's one of the three goals the U.N. has set for success in Glasgow.

"It's physically possible (to limit warming to 1.5 degrees), but I think it is close to politically impossible in the real world barring miracles," Columbia University climate scientist Adam Sobel said. "Of course we should not give up advocating for it."

Alok Sharma President of the COP26 summit speaks on Energy at the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Nov. 4, 2021. The 1.5 figure, which stands for the internationally accepted goal of trying to limit future warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), is the "overarching objective" of the Glasgow climate talks, called Sharma. Credit: AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File

A dozen other climate scientists told The Associated Press essentially the same thingthat if dramatic emission reductions start immediately the world can keep within 1.5 degrees. But they don't see signs of that happening.

That 1.5 figure may be the big number now but that's not how it started.

At the insistence of small island nations who said it was a matter of survival, 1.5 was put in near the end of negotiations into the historic 2015 Paris climate agreement. It is mentioned only once in the deal's text. And that part lists the primary goal to limit warming to "2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels."

The 2-degree goal was the existing goal from 2009's failed Copenhagen conference. The goal was initially interpreted as 2 degrees or substantially lower if possible.

But in a way both the "1.5 and 2 degree C thresholds are somewhat arbitrary," Stanford University climate scientist Rob Jackson said in an email. "Every tenth of a degree matters!"

A boy holds a traditional bag with a message during a rally leading to the Presidential Palace to call on Philippine President Benigno Aquino III to focus on "climate justice" when he speaks before the UN Climate Change Summit in the United States late this month, Sept. 12, 2014, in Manila, Philippines. The overarching phrase that dominates Glasgow climate talks is simply a number: 1.5. Credit: AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, File

The 2 degrees was chosen because it "is the warmest temperature that you can infer that the planet has ever seen in the last million years or so," University of East Anglia climate scientist Corinne LeQuere, who helped write the carbon budget study, said at the Glasgow climate talks.

When the Paris agreement threw in the 1.5 figure, the United Nations tasked its Nobel Prize-winning group of scientiststhe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCCto study on what difference there would be an Earth between 1.5 degrees of warming and 2 degrees of warming.

The 2018 IPCC report found that compared to 2 degrees, stopping warming at 1.5 would mean:

 Fewer deaths and illnesses from heat, smog and infectious diseases.

 Half as many people would suffer from lack of water.

 Some coral reefs may survive.

 There's less chance for summers without sea ice in the Arctic.

 The West Antarctic ice sheet might not kick into irreversible melting.

 Seas would rise nearly 4 inches (0.1 meters) less.

 Half as many animals with back bones and plants would lose the majority of their habitats.

 There would be substantially fewer heat waves, downpours and droughts.

"For some people this is a life-or-death situation without a doubt," report lead author Cornell University climate scientist Natalie Mahowald said at the time.

That finding that there's a massive difference to Earth with far less damage at 1.5 is the biggest climate science finding in the last six years, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research Director Johan Rockstrom said in an interview at the Glasgow conference.

"It gets worse and worse as you exceed beyond 1.5," Rockstrom said. "We have more scientific evidence than ever that we need to really aim for landing at 1.5, which is the safe climate planetary boundary."

Icebergs float in a fjord after calving off from glaciers on the Greenland ice sheet in southeastern Greenland, Aug. 3, 2017. The Greenland ice sheet, the second largest body of ice in the world which covers roughly 80 percent of the country, has been melting and its glaciers retreating at an accelerated pace in recent years due to warmer temperatures. If all of that ice melts, sea levels will rise by several meters, though there will be regional differences. Credit: AP Photo/David Goldman, File

People cool off with water in a fountain during a heatwave in Pamplona, northern Spain, Aug. 13, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos, File

Demonstrators from Extinction Rebellion push a cart in the shape of the climate target "1.5" in Berlin, Germany on Oct. 24, 2021. That stands for the internationally accepted goal of trying to limit future warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). Credit: Annette Riedl/dpa via AP, File

"Once we pass 1.5 we enter a scientific danger zone in terms of heightened risk," Rockstrom said.

In a new IPCC report in August, the world hit 1.5 in the 2030s in each of the four main carbon emissions scenarios they looked out.

Even when scientists and politicians talk about 1.5 they usually talk about "overshoot" in which for a decade or so the temperature hits or passes 1.5, but then goes back down usually with some kind of technology that sucks carbon out of the air, Stanford's Jackson and others said.

As hard as it is, negotiators can't give up on 1.5, said Canadian Member of Parliament Elizabeth May, who is at her 16th climate negotiations.

"If we don't hang on to 1.5 while it is technically feasible, we are almost criminal," May said.

Explore further Report: Most nations fall far short in plans to curb warming

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Cover paper of the October issue of Advanced Functional Materials. Credit: Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS)

Researchers in Korea succeeded in developing a core material for the next-generation neuromorphic (neural network imitation) semiconductor for the first time in the country. This is a result of a research team led by Dr. Jung-dae Kwon and Yong-hun Kim of the Department of Energy and Electronic Materials of the Korea Institute of Materials Science, together with Professor Byungjin Cho's research team at Chungbuk National University. KIMS is a government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT.

This new concept memtransistor uses a two-dimensional nanomaterial with a thickness of several nanometers. By reproducibly imitating the electrical plasticity of nerve synapses with more than 1,000 electrical stimulations, the researchers succeeded in obtaining a high pattern recognition rate of about 94.2% (98% of simulation-based pattern recognition rate).

Molybdenum sulfur (MoS 2 ), widely used as a semiconductor material, works on the principle that defects in a single crystal are moved by an external electric field, which makes it difficult to precisely control the concentration or shape of the defect. To solve the problem, the research team sequentially stacked an oxidic layer of niobium oxide (Nb 2 O 5 ) and a molybdenum sulfur material and succeeded in developing an artificial synaptic device having a memtransistor structure with high electrical reliability by an external electric field. In addition, they have demonstrated that the resistance switching characteristics can be freely controlled by changing the thickness of the niobium oxidic layer, and that brain information related to memory and forgetting can be processed with a very low energy of 10 PJ (picojoule).

Currently, as artificial intelligence hardware consumes large amounts of power and costs in the form of GPUs, FPGAs, and ASICs, it is expected to generate explosive demand as the industry grows in the future. The wearable AI market is expected to reach $42.4 billion by 2023, at a CAGR of 29.75% from about $11.5 billion in 2018.

A research team led by Dr. Jung-dae Kwon and Yong-hun Kim at KIMS said, "Using a high-reliable, new-concept memtransistor structure-based AI semiconductor can greatly reduce the circuit density and driving energy. It is expected to be applied to low-power edge computing and wearable AI systems in the future."

This research was published as a cover paper on the October 1st issue of Advanced Functional Materials.

Explore further Development of dendritic-network-implementable artificial neurofiber transistors

More information: Jae Hyeon Nam et al, Low Power MoS 2 /Nb 2 O 5 Memtransistor Device with Highly Reliable Heterosynaptic Plasticity (Adv. Funct. Mater. 40/2021), Advanced Functional Materials (2021). Journal information: Advanced Functional Materials Jae Hyeon Nam et al, Low Power MoS 2 /Nb 2 O 5 Memtransistor Device with Highly Reliable Heterosynaptic Plasticity (Adv. Funct. Mater. 40/2021),(2021). DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202170294

Provided by National Research Council of Science & Technology
Photos of target chamber without and with injection and guiding of ultra-intense laser pulse into 20 cm long waveguide. Laser guiding leads to multi-GeV electron acceleration, with an intense burst of electrons emerging at the exit of the plasma waveguide (to the right). Credit: University of Maryland

Charged particle accelerators have been a central tool of basic physics research for almost a hundred years, perhaps most famously as "atom smashers" for understanding the elementary constituents of the universe. As accelerators have progressed to ever higher energies to probe ever smaller constituents, they have grown to enormous size: the Large Hadron Collider is a remarkable 27 kilometers in circumference.

Recently, however, researchers at the University of Maryland have used intense lasers and plasmas to make a significant advance in shrinking the size of accelerators.

The advent of intense ultrashort pulse lasers in the 1980s and 90s (subject of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics) has led to electromagnetic (EM) fields hundreds of thousands of times stronger than used to accelerate charged particles in state-of-the-art conventional accelerators. If not for structure damage by ultra-strong EM fields, laser-driven accelerators could be hundreds of thousands times shorter. This is where plasmas come to the rescue, as realized by Tajima and Dawson in 1979, pioneering the field of plasma-based acceleration. Plasmas are indestructible (they are already, in some sense, destroyed!), and they add their own huge fields to accelerate electrons. But conventional accelerators have a long metal tube, a "waveguide," to keep the EM wave confined and strong to maintain the acceleration process. How can that be replaced for ultra-intense lasers?

The Maryland researchers demonstrated a functional equivalent of a confining metal tube waveguide in the form of a plasma waveguide generated in hydrogen gas by one or two additional laser pulses. In contrast to the metal tubes that are a few centimeters wide, the free-standing laser-generated plasma waveguide can confine an injected ultra-intense laser pulse to a width thinner than a human hair and maintain it over meter-scale distances (Figure 1). Although the plasma lasts only a few nanoseconds before it expands and recombines, this is good enough for the accelerator pulses, which move at nearly the speed of light.

In collaboration with Colorado State University, the Maryland group demonstrated plasma waveguiding of up to 300-terawatt laser pulses from the Aleph laser (the peak total U.S. power usage is less than 2 terawatts), and acceleration of electrons up to 5 GeV over a distance of only 20 cm. This gives an acceleration per meter of length that is thousands of times larger than conventional accelerators. This huge acceleration gradient is generated by the plasma's response to the intense pulse propagating down the waveguide; this "plasma wave" response can trap and accelerate bunches of electrons that "surf" on the wave. The goal of these experimentsfunded by the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundationis demonstration of a 10 GeV laser-driven acceleration stage, with the idea that multiple stages can contribute to a future linear collider for high energy physics.

One important new advance in these results is that the plasma density was kept very low while still maintaining efficient waveguide confinement of the pulse (it is much easier to make high density plasma waveguides). This ensures that the speed of the intense pulse in the waveguide is always very close to the speed of light in a vacuum. Remarkably, at higher plasma density, accelerated electrons can catch up to and outrun the laser pulse, decelerating in the process!

In addition to fundamental physics studies, accelerators are also used extensively for applications such as medical isotope production and medical therapy. In addition, because charged particles accelerate, they also emit beams of photons that are used in yet more applications.
Towering cumulonimbus thunderstorm clouds are seen in this photo taken Aug. 15, 2014, looking east toward the Atlantic Ocean from the Space Launch Complex 37 area at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (now Cape Canaveral Space Force Station) in Florida. NASA has selected a new Earth science mission called Investigation of Convective Updrafts (INCUS) that will study the behavior of tropical storms and thunderstorms, including their impacts on weather and climate models. Credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

NASA has selected a new Earth science mission that will study the behavior of tropical storms and thunderstorms, including their impacts on weather and climate models. The mission will be a collection of three SmallSats, flying in tight coordination, called Investigation of Convective Updrafts (INCUS), and is expected to launch in 2027 as part of NASA's Earth Venture Program.

NASA selected INCUS through the agency's Earth Venture Mission-3 (EVM-3) solicitation that sought complete, space-based investigations to address important science questions and produce data of societal relevance within the Earth science field. NASA received 12 proposals for EVM-3 missions in March 2021. After detailed review by panels of scientists and engineers, the agency selected INCUS to continue into development.

"Every one of our Earth science missions is carefully chosen to add to a robust portfolio of research about the planet we live on," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "INCUS fills an important niche to help us understand extreme weather and its impact on climate modelsall of which serves to provide crucial information needed to mitigate weather and climate effects on our communities."

INCUS aims to directly address why convective storms, heavy precipitation, and clouds occur exactly when and where they form. The investigation stems from the 2017 Earth Science Decadal Survey by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which lays out ambitious, but critically necessary, research and observation guidance.

"In a changing climate, more accurate information about how storms develop and intensify can help improve weather models and our ability to predict risk of extreme weather," said Karen St. Germain, NASA's Earth Science division director. "This information not only deepens our scientific understanding about the changing Earth processes, but can help inform communities around the world."

Climate change is increasing the heat in the oceans and making it more likely that storms will intensify more often and more quickly, a phenomenon NASA scientists continue to study.

Storms begin with rapidly rising water vapor and air that create towering clouds primed to produce rain, hail, and lighting. The greater the mass of water vapor and air that is transported upward in the atmosphere, the higher the risk of extreme weather. This vertical transport of air and water vapor, known as convective mass flux (CMF), remains one of the great unknowns in weather and climate. Systematic CMF measurements over the full range of conditions would improve the representation of storm intensity and constrain high cloud feedbackswhich can add uncertaintyin weather and climate models.

The principal investigator for INCUS is Susan van den Heever at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. The mission will be supported by several NASA centers, including the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, with key satellite system components to be provided by Blue Canyon Technologies and Tendeg LLC, both in Colorado. The mission will cost approximately $177 million, not including launch costs. NASA will select a launch provider in the future.

Explore further NASA selects gamma-ray telescope to chart Milky Way evolution
Mangroves are prominent along the northwest coast of Australia. The first image collected by Landsat 9, on Oct. 31, 2021, shows mangroves clustered in protected inlets and bays on the edge of the Indian Ocean. Fluffy cumulus clouds and high-altitude cirrus clouds hover nearby. The aqua colors of the shallow near-shore waters give way to the deep, dark blues of the ocean. Credit: NASA

Landsat 9, a joint mission between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that launched Sept. 27, 2021, has collected its first light images of Earth.

The images, all acquired Oct. 31, are available online. They provide a preview of how the mission will help people manage vital natural resources and understand the impacts of climate change, adding to Landsat's unparalleled data record that spans nearly 50 years of space-based Earth observation.

"Landsat 9's first images capture critical observations about our changing planet and will advance this joint mission of NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey that provides critical data about Earth's landscapes and coastlines seen from space," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "This program has the proven power to not only improve lives but also save lives. NASA will continue to work with USGS to strengthen and improve accessibility to Landsat data so decision makers in Americaand around the worldbetter understand the devastation of the climate crisis, manage agricultural practices, preserve precious resources and respond more effectively to natural disasters."

These first light images shows Detroit, Michigan, with neighboring Lake St. Clair, the intersection of cities and beaches along a changing Florida coastline and images from Navajo Country in Arizona that will add to the wealth of data helping us monitor crop health and manage irrigation water. The new images also provided data about the changing landscapes of the Himalayas in High Mountain Asia and the coastal islands and shorelines of Northern Australia.

Landsat 9 is similar in design to its predecessor, Landsat 8, which was launched in 2013 and remains in orbit, but features several improvements. The new satellite transmits data with higher radiometric resolution back down to Earth, allowing it to detect more subtle differences, especially over darker areas like water or dense forests. For example, Landsat 9 can differentiate more than 16,000 shades of a given wavelength color; Landsat 7, the satellite being replaced, detects only 256 shades. This increased sensitivity will allow Landsat users to see much more subtle changes than ever before.

"First light is a big milestone for Landsat usersit's the first chance to really see the kind of quality that Landsat 9 provides. And they look fantastic," said Jeff Masek NASA's Landsat 9 project scientist at Goddard Space Flight Center. "When we have Landsat 9 operating in coordination with Landsat 8, it's going to be this wealth of data, allowing us to monitor changes to our home planet every eight days."

Landsat 9 carries two instruments designed to work together to capture a broad range of wavelengths: the Operational Land Imager 2 and the Thermal Infrared Sensor 2. Data from both instruments are shown in this image. Credit: NASA

Landsat 9 carries two instruments that capture imagery: the Operational Land Imager 2 (OLI-2), which detects visible, near-infrared and shortwave-infrared light in nine wavelengths, and the Thermal Infrared Sensor 2 (TIRS-2), which detects thermal radiation in two wavelengths to measure Earth's surface temperatures and its changes.

These instruments will provide Landsat 9 users with essential information about crop health, irrigation use, water quality, wildfire severity, deforestation, glacial retreat, urban expansion, and more.

"The data and images from Landsat 9 are expanding our capability to see how Earth has changed over decades," said Karen St. Germain, Earth Science Division director at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "In a changing climate, continuous and free access to Landsat data, and the other data in NASA's Earth observing fleet, helps data users, including city planners, farmers and scientists, plan for the future."

NASA's Landsat 9 team is conducting a 100-day check-out period that involves testing the satellite's systems and subsystems and calibrating its instruments in preparation for handing the mission over to USGS in January. USGS will operate Landsat 9 along with Landsat 8, and together the two satellites will collect approximately 1,500 images of Earth's surface every day, covering the globe every eight days.

"The incredible first pictures from the Landsat 9 satellite are a glimpse into the data that will help us make science-based decisions on key issues including water use, wildfire impacts, coral reef degradation, glacier and ice-shelf retreat and tropical deforestation," said USGS Acting Director Dr. David Applegate. "This historic moment is the culmination of our long partnership with NASA on Landsat 9's development, launch and initial operations, which will better support environmental sustainability, climate change resiliency and economic growthall while expanding an unparalleled record of Earth's changing landscapes."

Landsat 9 data will be available to the public, for free, from USGS's website once the satellite begins normal operations.

Explore further Earth-monitoring Landsat 9 satellite launches in California
Figure 1. (a) The 0.44.0 keV exposure-corrected Chandra image of A1569 obtained after elimination of point sources and subtraction of particle background. The image has a pixel size of 0.492 arcsec and was smoothed using a gaussian kernel with

Using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, Indian astronomers have inspected a nearby galaxy cluster known as Abell 1569. Results of the study, published October 29 on arXiv.org, deliver important insights into the properties of this cluster and its intracluster medium.

Galaxy clusters contain up to thousands of galaxies bound together by gravity. They are the largest known gravitationally bound structures in the universe, and could serve as excellent laboratories for studying galaxy evolution and cosmology.

At a redshift of just 0.0784, Abell 1569 (or A1569 for short) is a nearby galaxy cluster with at least 56 member galaxies. Previous observations of this object have found that it consists of two unbound substructuresa northern subcluster (designated A1569N) and a southern subcluster (A1569S).

The researchers also found that both subclusters of Abell 1569 host extended radio galaxies at their centers. The double-lobed radio source, designated 1233+169, is hosted by A1569N, whereas A1569S harbors a wide-angle-tailed (WAT) radio galaxy known as 1233+168. Given that the nature of these sources and their interaction with the intracluster medium is still poorly understood, a group of astronomers led by Juhi Tiwari of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali, India, took a closer look at A1569.

"In this work, we have presented a detailed study of the thermodynamic properties of the intracluster gas in the two subclusters of A1569A1569N and A1569S," the researchers wrote.

The study found that the two subclusters of Abell 1569 have low X-ray luminosities. The X-ray luminosity of A1569N was measured to be some 4.5 tredecillion erg/s, what means that this subcluster is about five times fainter than A1569Swith X-ray luminosity at a level of 23.1 tredecillion erg/s. The average temperature of A1569N was found to be 1.6 keV while that of A1569S is 1.9 keV.

Chandra observations show that X-ray emission from A1569N and A1569S extends to a radius of about 808,000 and 1,206,000 light-years, respectively. This, according to the astronomers, along with the low temperature and luminosity values confirms that the two subclusters are indeed galaxy groups.

Furthermore, the mass of hot gas for A1569N and A1569S (within radius of X-ray emission) is estimated to be 0.57 and 2.3 trillion solar masses, respectively. Both subclusters appear to have a similar total gravitational masswhich is about 2021 trillion solar masses. It was noted that A1569N and A1569S lack the presence of a large cool core associated with the intracluster gas.

The research also detected a pair of cavities coincident with extended radio emission from the central galaxy 1233+168 in A1569N. The mechanical power associated with this cavity pair turns out to be an order of magnitude larger than the X-ray radiative loss in the central region of A1569N. The scientists explained that this finding points out to a cavity-induced heating of the gas in A1569N.

When it comes to A1569S, the authors of the paper found possible evidence for a small-scale cluster-subcluster merger. This merger is most likely responsible for the bending of the WAT radio galaxy 1233+168.

Explore further Indian scientists explore galaxy cluster Abell 725

More information: Juhi Tiwari, Kulinder Pal Singh, The complex intracluster medium of Abell 1569 and its interaction with central radio galaxies. arXiv:2110.15833 [astro-ph.GA], Juhi Tiwari, Kulinder Pal Singh, The complex intracluster medium of Abell 1569 and its interaction with central radio galaxies. arXiv:2110.15833 [astro-ph.GA], arxiv.org/abs/2110.15833

 2021 Science X Network
High tide in the flood basin of Lagos, life goes on. Credit: ISeeAfrica/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

One of the most prevalent natural disasters in Nigeria is perennial flooding. Some states are increasingly experiencing annual flooding during the rainy season.

Increasingly, a link is being made between increasing flood incidences and climate change.

Unlike some natural disasters, rainfall flooding can be controlled with proper planning and provision of necessary infrastructure. Nigeria's flooding is mainly human induced with poor urban planning practices and inadequate environmental infrastructure being contributing factors.

In 2012, Nigeria experienced its worst flooding recorded in recent history. Total losses were put at US$16.9 billion.

The extent and nature of Nigeria's flooding are such that the actual figures for displacements, losses and fatalities cannot be truly ascertained due to poor records and reporting.

But flooding threatens sustainability because it negatively affects the economy, health, social life and environment. Flooding constitutes a threat to Nigeria achieving the global sustainable development goals.

My recent paper highlights why. As part of my Ph.D. research, I study flooding within the context of sustainable development, environmental justice and flood risk management.

The sustainable development goals are global goals for achieving environmental and human development by 2030. Of the 17 development goals, nine are directly affected by flooding. These include eradicating poverty and hunger as well as providing clean water and sanitation.

In the case of Nigeria, flooding has had a major impact on the country's development goals in relation to the social, economic and environmental targets.

Drivers of flooding in Nigeria

Nigeria's flooding is mostly human induced and exacerbated by human-nature interactions. Poor or non-existent drainage systems are a major cause of flooding.

Many residential areas have no drainage system and rely on natural drainage channels. Increasing urbanization also means more areas are built with concrete and cannot absorb water, increasing runoff.

Poor waste management is another recognized factor. Citizens' poor attitude to waste disposal and non-provision of waste disposal services by municipal authorities contributes to flooding. It is not uncommon to have drains blocked by refuse in urban areas.

Other factors are unregulated urban expansionNigeria is experiencing high urbanization rates without commensurate provision of urban infrastructure and amenities. Agricultural lands are increasingly being converted to residential areas to accommodate housing needs.

But there's lax implementation of planning laws. One consequence of this is the there have been construction projects on natural floodplains and storm water paths. This has exacerbated flooding.

Corruption is also a factor. It is not uncommon for town planning officials to accept bribes and overlook issues. These may include unauthorized use of land and alteration of approved construction plans.

Some citizens also capitalize on the loophole of ineffective development control and extend their buildings over the approved areas. Sometimes they go as far as building over drains.

What needs to be done

Nigeria's president Muhammadu Buhari recently blamed flooding for the rising food insecurity in the country.

But what is missing is appropriate action to mitigate the flooding. Currently, there is no flood management policy in Nigeria. The lack of relevant legal and policy frameworks is an indication of the low importance given to controlling and managing flooding in Nigeria.

Integration of flood risk management with spatial planning is the way to go.

Historically, Nigeria has been more focused on post-disaster flood response than control. Reducing and addressing exposure to flood risk is now a national priority in the Nigerian government's disaster risk management agenda.

However, nothing concrete has been achieved. This is not encouraging despite the comprehensive post-disaster needs assessment conducted in 2012 by the federal government with international collaboration.

This raises questions on the political will to achieve this goal.

The government is not lacking research institutions and agencies with the skills to design a flood risk management strategy. For instance, the National Emergency Management Agency has a department of planning utilizing geographical information system to work on flood data. Still, there are no effective national early warning system in place for floods at the federal, state, and local governments.

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency, on its part provides seasonal rainfall predictions, but communication remains a problem. Integration and coordination are lacking among the existing government bodies who sometimes carry out flood control projects without liaising with each other.

Sustainable urban planning and green infrastructure could also be combined with information and communication technology tools. Citizens can use these to communicate with the relevant authorities at the onset of flooding.

Addressing Nigeria's perennial flooding is important for the country to make progress. The human-induced causes of flooding should be addressed urgently. Not doing this will delay its journey to sustainable development.

Explore further Urbanites face heightened flood risk due to forest loss

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

It's unclear when the pandemic will come to an end. What may be an even more important question is whether the U.S. will be prepared for the next one. The past year and a half suggests that the answer may be no.

As a medical anthropologist who has spent the past 20 years studying how the Chinese government reacts to infectious disease, my research can provide insight into how countries, including the U.S., can better prepare for disease outbreaks.

Researchers agree that a good response starts with a strong public health system. But this is something that has been sidelined by the United States' neoliberal system, which places more value on free markets and deregulation than public welfare.

As US neoliberalism evolved, public health devolved

Neoliberal economic policies became popular in the 1980s during the Reagan and Thatcher eras. This new approach aimed to make government leaner and more efficient through measures like market deregulation, privatization and reduction of government provision of public services like health and educationresources that do not necessarily lend themselves to market production.

While neoliberal governments still work to promote the health, welfare and security of their citizens, they place the responsibility of providing those services in the hands of private entities like health insurance companies and nongovernmental organizations. This gives the government space to focus on economic performance.

But placing responsibility for a public good into the hands of a private corporation turns that good into a commodity that people need to buy, rather than a service publicly available to all.

Spending on health care in the U.S., including on hospitals, medications and private insurance, has more than tripled in the past 60 years. But the public health system that helps the nation prepare for the unexpected has been neglected.

U.S. spending on the local health departments that help to avert epidemic outbreaks and protect the health of populations fell by 18% between 2010 and 2021. Two and a half cents of every medical dollar goes toward public health, a figure that has fallen from 1930 levels of 3.3 cents of every dollar. This has allowed the U.S. to manage health risks like chronic diseases that threaten individual's health. But it leaves the nation inadequately prepared for population-level major health threats that have a much bigger effect on the economy and society.

What is needed? A majority of the public favors increasing federal spending to improve the nation's public health programs. But the funding needs to hold steady beyond the crisis to be effective. pic.twitter.com/2vDGP5F1dU  Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (@RWJF) May 21, 2021

Public health cuts left the U.S with a skeletal workforce to manage the pandemic. Because of this, responsibility fell to individuals. For example, without mandatory workplace COVID-19 safety guidelines, essential workers faced daily exposure to the coronavirus with insufficient to no protective gear and sanitizing supplies. They had to protect both their own health and the health of their families when they returned home, a difficult task without proper resources and support.

And this was not unique to the U.S. There were similar COVID-19 outcomes in other neoliberal countries like the U.K. and India that had shifted priorities away from public health.

How Asian nations learned their lessons

The story was different in many Asian nations where people enjoy the same types of individual liberties as those who live in neoliberal societies. The difference is a collectivist type of mindset that guides these societies and encourages people and government to take responsibility for one another. In her book Flexible Citizenship, anthropologist Aihwa Ong argues that this leads to a societal model where citizens can be independent and self-reliant while also able to rely on a state that supports the collective. Countries like Taiwan and South Korea may have been better prepared to respond to the pandemic because most people are accustomed to protecting themselves and their communities.

Neoliberalism promotes a free market accessible to the wealthy few, making essential services less free for everyone else.

Like China, these countries also learned from their recent experience with a pandemic. In 2003, China and much of Asia were caught off guard with the emergence of SARS. Like the U.S., China's public health system had taken a backseat to investment in market reforms for over 20 years. As a result, it couldn't accurately track individual cases of infections.

Following the end of the SARS outbreak, however, the Chinese government improved training for public health professionals and developed one of the most sophisticated disease surveillance systems in the world. This allowed China to respond more quickly to the 2009 H1N1 pandemic and late 2019 COVID-19 outbreaks, once it was able to get past the initial bureaucratic and political hurdles that prevented local doctors and government officials from sounding the alarm.

Some have attributed this swift action to China's authoritarian form of government that allows for greater control over individual lives. But prioritizing public health is not new to China. This became official practice as early as 1910 when it adopted the methods of quarantine, surveillance and masking to respond to an outbreak of pneumonic plague.

Could this work in the US?

Much like SARS did with China, COVID-19 has exposed huge holes in the American public health infrastructure.

Take for example contact tracing. SARS taught China and other affected countries the importance of a robust system to identify and track people who may have been exposed to the COVID-19 virus. The Chinese government sent more than 1,800 teams of scientific investigators to Wuhan to trace the virus, which helped their efforts to quickly bring the virus under control.

In the U.S., on the other hand, poorly funded and thinly staffed public health departments struggled to test and notify people who had been in direct contact with infected individuals. This crippled the U.S."s ability to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

In my home state of Massachusetts, the local government teamed up with the global health organization Partners in Health to start a contact tracing operation. But even then, people were left to fend for themselves. This became all the more evident as people scrambled for vaccines after their initial approval, through Facebook groups and informal volunteer networks that worked to help people secure appointments. Those who had resources learned how to take advantage of the system while others were overlooked.

This is typical of a U.S. health care system that is consumer-oriented and market-based. Americans are often convinced that the solution to a health problem must be technical and costly. The focus was placed on developing vaccines and therapeutics, which are essential for ending the pandemic, while ignoring lower-cost solutions.

But masking and social distancingnon-pharmaceutical interventions that have long been known to save lives during disease outbreaksfell by the wayside. Uptake of these simple interventions is dependent on strong and coordinated public health messaging.

As seen in several Asian nations like Taiwan and South Korea, a well-thought-out plan for public health communication is key to a unified response. Without clear, coordinated directions from a public health system, it becomes difficult to prevent the spread of an outbreak.

What it takes to be prepared

Anthropologist Andrew Lakoff describes preparedness as more than just having the tools. It's also about knowing how and when to use them, and keeping the public properly informed.

Such preparedness can only happen in a coordinated fashion organized by national leadership. But the U.S. has seen little of this over the past year and a half, leaving pandemic response up to individuals. In an era where emergent viruses are an increasing threat to health and welfare, the individualism of neoliberal policies is not enough. While neoliberalism can be good for an economy, it's not so good for health.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Escape Reef bleached in 2020. Photo: Morgan Pratchett/ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies. Credit: James Cook University

A new study reveals the impacts of multiple climate extremes on coral reefs over the past three decades, with only 2% of the Great Barrier Reef escaping bleaching in that time.

Lead author Professor Terry Hughes from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University (Coral CoE at JCU) said the frequency, intensity and scale of climate extremes is changing rapidly due to global warmingand this includes the record-breaking marine heatwaves that cause corals to bleach and die.

"We no longer have the luxury of studying individual climate-related events that were once unprecedented or very rare," Prof Hughes said. "Instead, as the world gets hotter, we have to understand the effects of sequences of rapid-fire catastrophes, as well as their combined impacts."

The study shows only 2% of the Great Barrier Reef has escaped bleaching since the first event in 1998, then the world's hottest year on record. Bleaching is a stress response by overheated corals during heatwaves, where they lose their color and many struggle to survive. Eighty percent of reefs bleached severely in 2016, 2017 and 2020.

"Five bouts of mass bleaching since 1998 have turned the Great Barrier Reef into a checkerboard of reefs with very different recent histories, ranging from 2% of reefs that have escaped bleaching altogether, to 80% that have now bleached severely at least once since 2016," Prof Hughes said.

The Great Barrier Reef is comprised of more than 3,000 individual reefs stretching for 2,300km. The ecosystem supports 65,000 jobs in reef tourism. Globally, 100s of millions of people depend on the survival of coral reefs for their livelihoods and food security.

To better predict how coral reefs will fare under future climate change, Prof Hughes calls for a better understanding of compounding impacts: multiple, climate-driven disturbances that interact with each other over time and space, generating combined effects that cannot be predicted from single events alone.

"For the first time, in 2020, we saw severe bleaching across the whole length of the Reefin parts of the northern, central and especially the southern region," Prof Hughes said.

But, he added, each bleaching event has a different geographic footprint. The northern Reef escaped damage in 1998 and 2002 before being the worst-affected region in 2016. The south escaped in 2016 and 2017.

Drawing upon satellite data, the authors of the study also measured the duration and intensity of heat stress the Reef was exposed to each summer, to explain why different parts were affected in each event.

"Heat stress is a very precise predictor of the severity of bleaching every year," said coauthor Dr. Mark Eakin, formerly of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The scientists found the responses to extreme heat depended on the recent history of bleaching. In 2002 and 2017, it took more heat to reach similar levels of bleaching to those in 1998 and 2016.

"To our surprise, we found the threshold for bleaching was much higher on reefs that had experienced an earlier episode of heat stress," Dr. Eakin said.

"Consequently, the most vulnerable reefs each year were the naive ones that had not bleached recently."

Co-author Professor Sean Connolly from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute said when pairs of successive bleaching episodes were only one to three years apart, as they have been recently, the earlier event may have hardened affected areas to further impacts.

"But," he cautioned, "more frequent, severe bleaching events will only undermine the resilience of coral reef ecosystems. Corals still need time to recover before another round of heat stress so they can make babies that will disperse, settle and recover the depleted parts of the Reef."

"Action to curb climate change is crucial."

"Ironically, the publication of our study coincides with the COP26 meeting in Glasgow," Prof Hughes said.

"A drastic cut in greenhouse gas emissions by all countries is vital for the future of corals reefs, and for the 100s of millions of people who depend on them."

More information: Terry P. Hughes et al, Emergent properties in the responses of tropical corals to recurrent climate extremes, Current Biology (2021). Journal information: Current Biology Terry P. Hughes et al, Emergent properties in the responses of tropical corals to recurrent climate extremes,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.10.046
A whole worm from the muscle transgenic line where the muscle cells are glowing green. Credit: Lorenzo Ricci

Cut off the head of a three-banded panther worm and another will take its placemouth, brain, and all. Cut off its tail and it will grow another. Cut the worm in three separate pieces and within eight weeks there'll be three fully formed worms. Cut it in  well, you get picture

Put simply: Three-banded panther worms are one of the greatest of all time when it comes to whole-body regeneration. Its why scientists started studying this Tic Tac sized worm in order to learn how it pulls off this amazing feat. Now, a team of researchers is taking the study of these worms to the next level by making them glow in the dark.

The work is described in a new paper in Developmental Cell and is led by Mansi Srivastava, a professor of organismic and evolutionary biology at Harvard who first collected these worms in 2010 to use as a model organism.

Now, worms that glow in the dark with UV light may sound gimmicky, but the researchers of the study explain it's far from it.

The scientific way to say this is that the worms are now transgenic. Transgenesis is when scientists introduce something into the genome of an organism that is not normally part of that genome. "It's a tool that biologists use to study how cells or tissues work within the body of an animal," Srivastava said.

The glow in the dark factor comes from the introduction of a gene that, when it becomes a protein, gives off certain florescent glows. These fluorescent proteins either glow green or red and can lead to glowing muscle cells or glowing skin cells, for example.

What this glow up then allows is an ability to visualize with much better detail what the cells look like, where they are in the animal, and how they interact with each other.

Researchers are also able to add or takeaway specific information to the genome of the worm. This level of precisionwhen it comes to both visual resolution of the cells and ability to add to the genome or even tweak it how they wantis what makes transgenesis particularly powerful. It allows the researchers to study the specific mechanism of any process in an organism.

In the case of three-banded panther worms, a marine animal scientifically known as an acoel worm named Hofstenia miamia, researchers can do very precise manipulations, such as switching off certain genes. This could likely force the worm into some mistakes when it comes to regeneration, like growing a tail instead of a head or two heads instead of one and in the wrong place. This can ultimately help scientists truly narrow down what genes are required for the worm to carry out its usually perfect whole-body regeneration.

Now, with the ability to make transgenic worms, the researchers say they are most excited to study a population of stem cells critical to regeneration. The cells are called neoblasts and are believed to be pluripotent, meaning they can produce any other cell type in the animal, such as neurons, skin cells, muscle cells, or gut cells.

"We don't know how any one of these cells actually behave in the animal during regeneration," Srivastava said. "Having the transgenic worms will allow us to watch the cells in the context of the animal as it regenerates."

Already, transgenesis in these worms has allowed the scientists to gain some novel biological insights with how the muscles fibers in the worm connect to each other and to other cells, such as those in the skin and the gut. The researchers saw muscle cells have extensions that interlock in tight columns and keep a closely-knit grid that gives the worm structure and support, almost like a skeleton.

The researchers are interested in knowing next whether the muscles are doing more than just holding things together, but are also storing and communicating information on what needs to be regenerated.

Making a transgenic worm line takes about eight weeks and the Srivastava lab has the steps down packed. They inject modified DNA into embryos that have just been fertilized. That DNA and its modifications then gets incorporated into the genome of the cells as they divide. When that worm grows it will be glowing and that glow will be passed along to its children and their children.

Srivastava has been studying these worms for a decade since she collected 120 of them in Bermuda when she was a postdoctoral researcher at the Whitehead Institute. In 2015, she joined the Harvard Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, and launched a research program focused on studying regeneration and stem cells in panther worms. In a 2019 study, Srivastava and her colleagues uncovered a number of DNA switches that appear to control genes for whole-body regeneration in the worms.

Studying the worms for so long Srivastava and her team have grown quite attached to them, their striped patterns, and their intriguing behaviorfrom how they mate to being quite voracious predators, even cannibals on occasion. For instance, if they haven't been fed in a while and there's a few in a tank together they will take bites out of each other. Regeneration really comes in handy then, but if there's a much bigger worm in there, some have been known to swallow smaller worms whole.

All that considered: "They're absolutely charming," Srivastava said. "They're beautiful organisms."

Explore further Study uncovers genetic switches that control process of whole-body regeneration
Steven Hall, pictured, and his fellow researchers developed a new means of measuring nitrous oxide emissions from corn and soybean fields to help gather data for the study. The scientists tweaked previously existing technologies to measure nitrous oxide emissions every four hours. Credit: Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University

Poorly drained agricultural soils emit enough of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide that the resulting climate change effects could far exceed the benefits of using the same soils as a means of sequestering carbon, according to a recently published scientific study.

The study, published Monday in the academic journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that a range of agricultural soils produce nitrous oxide emissions in quantities big enough to contribute to climate change. The researchers compared soils with various moisture content and found agricultural soils are capable of high nitrous oxide emissions across a wide range of environmental conditions.

Nitrous oxide has 298 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide over 100 years, according to previous research, suggesting that climate change mitigation efforts must account for nitrous oxide, said Steven Hall, an associate professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology at Iowa State University and the study's senior author.

"In this study, we show that the climate warming effects of nitrous oxide emissions from local corn and soybean soils are two-fold greater than the climate cooling that might be achieved by increasing soil carbon storage with common agricultural practices," Hall said.

Researchers, farmers and policymakers are considering strategies that might encourage producers to store carbon dioxide, also a greenhouse gas, in the soil, where it can't contribute to climate change. Hall said storing carbon in agricultural soils is a valuable tactic to mitigate climate change, but the new research indicates any such policies should first take into account nitrous oxide emissions. Failure to do so could result in policies that are much less effective in addressing climate change.

Instead, Hall said management plans also should encourage nitrous oxide mitigation strategies in concert with carbon sequestration. Examples of such strategies include more precise and efficient use of nitrogen fertilizer. New products known as enhanced efficiency fertilizers, as well as the application of biochar to fields, might also help to limit nitrous oxide emissions.

Microorganisms in the soil give off nitrous oxide as a byproduct as they cycle nitrogen. Nitrogen stimulates nitrous oxide production, so adding nitrogen fertilizers to soil tends to result in more emissions.

"If we want to maximize our climate benefit, we want to be strategic about it," Hall said. "We're not simply going to flip the switch on climate just by putting more carbon in the soil. Nitrous oxide emissions need to be a priority as well."

Hall and his fellow researchers developed a new means of measuring nitrous oxide emissions from corn and soybean fields to help gather data for the study. The scientists tweaked previously existing technologies to measure nitrous oxide emissions every four hours. The technology utilizes small containers placed at various locations on top of the soil of ISU research farms in central Iowa. The containers pump air samples into a central shed where an analyzer automatically measures nitrous oxide content. This method hadn't been used before to measure nitrous oxide, and Hall said the researchers had to design the system to withstand the wet conditions often present in agricultural fields.

Hall's coauthors include Nathaniel Lawrence, an ISU graduate student in ecology, evolution and organismal biology; Carlos Tenesaca, a research scientist in ecology, evolution and organismal biology; and Andy VanLoocke, an associate professor of agronomy.

Explore further Winter is an important driver for nitrous oxide emissions from boreal lakes

More information: Nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils challenge climate sustainability in the US Corn Belt, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2021). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils challenge climate sustainability in the US Corn Belt,(2021). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2112108118
Measurements of carbon dioxide and methane are being made at COP26 from the Glasgow Science Centre Tower in central Glasgow and at a rural site north of Glasgow in Killearn. Measuring simultaneously from a rural and urban location enables elevations in emissions from the city to be seen more clearly. Credit: University of Bristol

Leading atmospheric scientists are measuring emissions of the most dangerous greenhouse gasses at COP26 and sharing them live online to highlight how rigorous measurement and detailed data reporting are essential in the fight against climate change.

The initiative, by the University of Bristol and an international team of scientists, deploys sophisticated instrumentation to measure the amount of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 )the main culprits in driving global warmingpresent in the air in Glasgow, where this year's United Nations Climate Change Conference is being hosted. The same technology is used in a wider Bristol-led project in partnership with the Met Office to gather this data from across the UK, called the Deriving Emissions linked to Climate Change (DECC) network. This globally unique system is used to check the accuracy of the UK government's greenhouse gas emissions report to the United Nations.

Experts from the team are involved in events and presentations at the 13-day summit to demonstrate how timely measurements present a vital but little-used tool to accurately monitor and effectively tackle climate change.

Prof. Matt Rigby, professor of atmospheric chemistry at the university's Cabot Institute for the Environment, said that "the UK is world-leading in its evaluation of emissions of greenhouse gasses, including the two which pose the biggest threat to our planet. The aim of this work is to demonstrate the huge potential of this technology, and urge other countries to follow, especially the industrial powerhouses of China, the US, and India."

Credit: University of Bristol

A feed of the Glasgow data in real time is available on an online dashboard and the statistics are being carefully analyzed by the team to identify possible trends and issues.

Professor Rigby said that "advanced measurement and tightly-scrutinized evaluation of emissions is imperative to detect any irregularities which may warrant further investigation and to enable countries, including the UK, to meet crucial targets to curb emissions and limit global warming. This approach can help ensure accurate, consistent, and reliable emissions reporting to build and evidence progress."

Government reporting of Greenhouse Gasses (GHGs) is based on "bottom-up" or inventory accountancy methods, which calculate the national total contribution to climate change by estimating emissions from individual gas leaks, cars, cows, etc., and adding up the total number of each contributor. Although comprehensive, they can be subject to substantial inaccuracies. These reports do not generally consider arguably key information: measurements that can indicate the actual amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.

Real-time measurements of carbon dioxide and methane are made using high-precision laser based instrumentation in a technique called cavity ring-down spectroscopy. Credit: University of Bristol

By contrast, the team measures real-time levels of GHGs in the atmosphere across the UK and uses computer models based on meteorological data to produce "top-down" emissions estimates. The UK was the first country to use this measurement-based approach to evaluate its GHG emission reports to the UN and is currently one of only three countries, including Switzerland and Australia, to do so.

Professor Alistair Manning, an atmospheric modeling expert at the Met Office, added that "as the UK government routinely cross-check with their figures against our top-down emissions estimates, the credibility of the UK reporting is greatly enhanced. By raising awareness of these methods at COP26 we hope that other countries will be encouraged to follow the UK's lead, in turn improving the accuracy of the global emissions reporting system, which needs to become more consistent and robust."

More information: Online Dashboard: Online Dashboard: openghg.github.io/dashboard/#/
Measurements of electric fields, magnetic fields, and camera images reveal the plasma explosions and clouds of debris created when very high velocity dust impacts the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft. By watching the dispersal of these small plasma and debris clouds, scientists can learn about how larger clouds of dust and debris are blown away from stars. Credit: NASA

The Parker Solar Probe spacecraft, NASA's newest and most ambitious effort to study the sun, has broken a lot of records: it has gotten closer to the sun than any other spacecraft to date, its instruments have operated at the hottest temperatures, and the probe is the fastest human-made object ever. But those records come at a cost: The spacecraft is moving so fast that running into even a tiny grain of dust can lead to serious damage.

New research by scientists at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado, Boulder and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) examines collisions between the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft and dust. Led by David Malaspina, a researcher at LASP, and Assistant Professor in the Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences Department at the University of Colorado, the team drew on electromagnetic and optical observations from Parker Solar Probe to produce the most complete picture yet of how hypervelocity dust impacts may damage a spacecraft and disturb its operations.

Traversing near-sun space at up to 180 kilometers per second (about 400,000 miles per hour), Parker Solar Probe plows through the densest region of the zodiacal cloud. The zodiacal cloud is a thick, pancake-shaped dust cloud that extends throughout the solar system and is made up of tiny dust grains shed from asteroids and comets. As Parker Solar Probe barrels through this region, thousands of tiny (about 2 to 20 microns in diameter, or less than a quarter of the width of a human hair) dust grains strike the spacecraft at hypervelocity (faster than 6,700 miles per hour). Upon impact, the material that makes up the dust grains and the spacecraft surface is heated so much that it first vaporizes, then ionizes. Ionization is a process where atoms in the vaporized material are separated into their constituent ions and electrons, producing a state of matter called plasma. The rapid vaporization and ionization creates a plasma explosion lasting less than one thousandth of a second. The largest of these impacts also generate clouds of debris that slowly expand away from the spacecraft.

In the new study, Malaspina and colleagues used antennas and magnetic field sensors to measure disturbances to the electromagnetic environment around the spacecraft produced by dust impact plasma explosions (Figure 1). The findings could lead to new insights into space weather around the sun. For example, these measurements allowed the team to study how these plasma explosions interacted with the solar wind, or the stream of ions and electrons that the sun generates on a constant basis.

"With these measurements, we can watch the plasma created by these dust impacts be swept away by the flow of the solar wind." Malaspina said. He added that learning how this "pick up" process works on a small scale may help scientists better understand how larger plasma regions, such as those in the upper atmospheres of Venus and Mars, are swept away by the solar wind.

The findings also have major implications for the safety of Parker Solar Probe and spacecraft that will come after it.

The team observed how metallic flakes and paint chips knocked loose during collisions with dust drifted and tumbled near the spacecraft. Those pieces of debris created streaks in the images taken by navigational and scientific cameras on Parker Solar Probe.

"Many image streaks look radial, originating near the heat shield," said study co-author Kaushik Iyer of APL, referring to the large shield that protects Parker Solar Probe from the intense heat near the sun. The study also reports that some debris scattered sunlight into the Parker Solar Probe navigation cameras, temporarily preventing the spacecraft from determining how it was oriented in space. That can be a dangerous prospect for a spacecraft that relies on precise pointing of its heat shield to survive.

Parker Solar Probe was launched in 2018 and has completed nine full orbits of the sun. Before its prime mission ends in 2025, it will complete another 15 orbits.

As Parker Solar Probe continues its journey of exploration near the sun, it can now add one more record to its long list: most sand-blasted spacecraft.

The results of this study will be presented on November 11, 2021, at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Plasma Physics in Pittsburgh, PA.

Explore further Researchers get a look at the sun's dusty environment
A devotee takes a dip in the Yamuna river in Delhi as part of rituals for the Hindu festival of Chhath Puja, despite a foam on the water created by industrial pollution.

One of India's holiest rivers was coated with toxic foam on Monday, adding to the woes of New Delhi residents already enduring a blanket of thick smog over the capital.

The Yamuna is already one of the most polluted waterways in the country but parts of the river, which courses through the centre of Delhi, were coated in mounds of white foam resembling snowfall.

The city government blamed the blight on "heavy sewage and industrial waste" discharged into the river from further upstream last week.

It did not deter several Hindu worshippers from taking a dip in the river to mark Chhath Puja, a four-day festival to offer prayers to the sun.

But the pollution did disrupt water supply to part of the city, according to local officials, who did not say how many households had been affected.

"I would like to thank the affected residents for their cooperation," Raghav Chadha, vice-chair of the city's water authority, said in a Sunday statement.

"Our team of officers and engineers are working day and night to ensure Delhi residents' water woes stay at a minimum."

Indian officials have long pledged to clean the Yamuna but without success, and the blooms of toxic foam have become an annual occurrence.

A 2020 government report found water quality in the river had become "critically worse" over the last five years.

Delhi and its surrounds have also been engulfed in thick and hazardous smog since last week.

The haze has been compounded by agricultural fires in nearby farming communities and a barrage of fireworks set off by the capital's residents to mark Diwali, despite a ban on their sale.

Levels of harmful PM 2.5 particles have topped 400 in several areas, which is 16 times higher than the daily safe limit set by the World Health Organization.

Explore further Delhi wakes to post-Diwali smog

 2021 AFP
GLENS FALLS  Democrat Matt Castelli officially kicked off his candidacy to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, claiming that she is out of touch with the district she represents.

Castelli, a former CIA counterterrorism officer, cited the Jan. 6 Capitol riot as a seminal event that prompted him to run for Congress. His niece was watching the events on TV and asked her mother what was going on. She said that bad people were hurting good people in Washington D.C.

What happened on Jan. 6 is not OK and our kids were watching. Our kids are still watching. Theyre watching to see how we protect them  not just from violent extremism and crime in our communities, but protect them from the uncertain of whether mom and dad are going to have a steady job to provide for their families, he said at event attended by about 50 people at the Lawrence Street Tavern.

Protect them from a virus that has kept them out of school and taken the lives of people in their community, maybe even their family. Protect them from the uncertainty of not knowing whether their family and their grandparents can access health care when they need it and afford that care when they bill comes.

Castelli said his name means castle in Italian and it is apt because he has spent his career working for the CIA, helping to track down terrorists such as Osama bin Laden.

Castelli said everything has gotten too political. He is from a bipartisan family. His mother was a teacher and his grandfather was a doctor who served in the Army. They were both Republicans. His father was a Democrat and the youngest of a large family that emigrated from Italy.

People need to come together around common ideals.

Work was important. Faith was important. Family was central, he said.

After he left the CIA, Castelli went to work for a nonprofit that helps veterans access health care.

Castelli criticized Stefanik for voting against the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which would deliver critical funding to the region.

She has turned away from this community and this country when we need her most, he said.

Castelli said the community cannot trust Stefanik. She puts her interests above the needs of her constituents and if you disagree with your positions, you are attacked as being un-American.

I dont see the values of our community and country represented in Elise Stefanik, he said.

Castelli said government is not the answer to all problems, but it is a powerful tool that can help tackle important problems like creating good jobs, providing quality health care and tackling climate change.

If people put country before party, Castelli said residents can put a stop to Stefaniks extremism and deliver results to the district.

Democrats weigh in

Many of the local Democratic officials were on hand for the announcement including Glens Falls 3rd Ward Supervisor Claudia Braymer, who introduced Castelli.

She said she hoped that the voters could flip the district from red to blue and defeat Stefanik, who Braymer said plays politics and has forgotten about the people she represents.

Warren County Democratic Committee Chairwoman Lynne Boecher said she attended the event because she has been getting a lot of calls from local Democrats wanting to learn more about Castelli.

He is a very strong candidate, according to Boecher.

He entered (the race) and earned a quarter-of-a-million dollars in three weeks, she said.

Castelli brought in about $275,000, according to the latest Federal Election Commission report. That topped the rest of the other Democratic candidates, which include Matthew Putorti, of Whitehall; Brigid Bridie Farrell, of North River; and Ezra Watson, of Wilton.

Keith Sherrill, of Sackets Harbor, filed paperwork to join the race on Sept. 24, but has not filed any fundraising documents.

Stefanik had raised $1.14 million and had $2.63 million on hand. Lonny Koons, of Carthage, is seeking to challenge her in the GOP primary. He has raised a couple thousand dollars.

Boecher said Castellis experience and patriotism allows him to compete with Stefanik on the issue of national security.

Stefanik has become completely partisan, according to Boecher. Any semblance that she is bipartisan is gone, she said.

Margaret Haggard, a member of the St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators, agreed that Stefanik has transformed into a rabid partisan.

She seems to have gone to the dark side and touting the Big Lie (of a stolen election), she said.

I think shes forgotten who she represents, she added.

Haggard liked Castellis education and experience and believes he would appeal to Democrats, Republicans and independents all across the North Country.

Were not extreme liberals. We want people to have good jobs and opportunities, she said.

Hamilton County Democratic Committee Chairman Lou Burke said Stefanik would not be able to paint Castelli as pro-gun control.

Washington County Democratic Committee Chairman Alan Stern said he hoped that the Democrats could avoid a protracted primary process like in 2018 and coalesce around a candidate. That candidate has to focus on issues that are important to North Country voters such as poverty and economic development.

And importantly, Stern said the Democratic candidate must be able to withstand the kind of negative campaigning that Stefanik for which Stefanik has become known.

Diane Collins, of Glens Falls, said the results of the Virginia elections in which the Republicans swept the top offices, was a wake-up call for Democrats. Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin focused on school issues and Democratic opponent and former Gov. Terry McAuliffe tried to tie Youngkin to Trump, which wasnt effective, instead of talk about his policies.

I just think the Democrats really need to get our act together, she said.

Stefanik is in her fourth term representing the NY-21 Congressional District, which covers all of Warren, Washington, Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties and portions of Saratoga and Herkimer counties.

Michael Goot covers politics, crime and courts, Warren County, education and business. Reach him at 518-742-3320 or mgoot@poststar.com.

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Warren County Health Services on Sunday reported 44 new COVID-19 cases and 43 recoveries.

The number of active cases stands at 335. A total of 322 people have mild illness. Thirteen people are hospitalized, which is two more than Saturday. One individual was in critical condition and the remainder have moderate illness, according to Health Services.

All of the new cases involve community spread of the virus. County health offiicals say that many recent exposures stem from workplace contacts where masks are not worn as employees interact. A large portion of the remainder stem from household exposures and indoor gatherings, according to a news release.

The agency continues to recommend all individuals eligible for the vaccines to get inoculated as soon as possible, and that all individuals  regardless of vaccination status  wear a mask while in public indoor spaces to reduce the spread of the virus.

People are also advised not to go to work or school if they are feeling ill.

Warren Countys seven-day average positivity rate is 5.5%.

Thirteen of the new cases involved people who had been fully vaccinated, bringing the number of breakthrough cases to 916, or a little over 2%, of the 44,346 Warren County residents that have been fully vaccinated. Of those, 861 had mild illness. A total of 37 people became moderately ill. Two became seriously ill and two critically ill. Fourteen people passed away  all elderly with extensive health issues. Seven of them were at nursing homes.

The vaccines have been proven to dramatically reduce the risk of infection and to lessen the severity of illness in the event a breakthrough cases does occur, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Warren County Health Services will hold the following free COVID-19 vaccination clinics in the coming days:

Tuesday, Warren County Municipal Center Human Services Building from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson available.

Friday, Johnsburg Central School, Pfizer booster doses, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 16, Warren County Municipal Center, time and vaccines to be determined.

Friday, Nov. 19, Warrensburg High School, times and vaccines to be determined.

Warren Countys vaccination rate is 69%. A total of 73.3% of residents have received at least one dose.

The Warren County vaccine team remains available for in-home vaccinations, school clinics and workplace clinics. Please call 518-761-6580 for details or questions about vaccination protocols.

Other counties

Washington County did not release any updated data over the weekend. However, the state report lists that the county had picked up 57 cases on Saturday.

Saratoga County added 100 cases, according to the state report.

Statewide

Statewide, 4,603 people tested positive for the virus on Saturday, the most recent day statewide data is available. Thats a positive test rate of 2.65%, which brings the states seven-day positive test rate average to 2.53%.

There are 1,805 people in the hospital. Twenty-five people died on Saturday.

A total of 111,486 vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours. Gov. Kathy Hochul urged people to get vaccinated.

The weather is getting colder, and friends and family will be spending more time indoors, increasing the risk of transmission and threatening the incredible progress weve made so far, she said in a news release. The vaccine is the way out of this pandemic, and I encourage parents and guardians to please get your children vaccinated soon so we can all enjoy the holidays safely this year.

Michael Goot covers politics, crime and courts, Warren County, education and business. Reach him at 518-742-3320 or mgoot@poststar.com.

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Somers Point

Live music at the firehouse: Fire Company No. 1 on Bethel Road hosts live music and dancing from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays. A different live musical duo is featured each week. Admission is $10 and includes light snacks, music, social and some line dancing. Singles and couples are welcome. For more information, call Rita Voli at 609-408-3619.

Vineland

Christmas parade: Main Street Vineland seeks vendors, participants, volunteers and sponsors for the annual Main Street Vineland Christmas Parade to take place 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 27 on Landis Avenue. The rain date is Sunday, Nov. 28. This years theme is An Olde Fashioned Christmas on The Ave. Trophies will be awarded to the first, second and third place winners in both the Large Float and Petite Float categories. The parade will proceed through the downtown toward Myrtle Street and will be preceded by a holiday-related performance by members of the Vineland Regional Dance Company. COVID-related safety measures will be in place. Registration to participate in the parade is needed by Nov. 19. Call 856-794-8653 or visit theave.biz.
Cape May received high marks from participants in a recent national poll, the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cape May announced Monday.

The business group touted two honors for the Victorian resort.

Cape May has been voted among the Best Small Coastal Town in America along with a No. 2 finish in the Best Small Town Shopping category in the USA Todays 10 Best Readers Choice Awards, according to chamber officials.

The posted list puts Cape May as No. 10, as evaluated by a team of travel experts and voted on by readers. Bucksport, Maine, was in the top slot, and towns in Texas, California, Mississippi and elsewhere made the list.

Cape May was the only town in New Jersey in the top 10. The story said Cape May has been a vacation destination since the idea of traveling for vacations arose, and cited the towns quaint architecture and family-friendly vibe.

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It boggles my mind that we are so irresponsible to think that this wont impact our youth. That were willing to sacrifice our children for a few dollars, he said.

Its been just over a year since New Jersey voters overwhelmingly said yes to legalization. Under the state law that followed that vote, towns can keep out cannabis shops but cannot prevent people from possessing and using it, or having it delivered.

Democrats on council have suggested it is hypocritical to approve liquor licenses and oppose this use, especially when it will mean opting out of a new revenue source.

This is not for children. Its for adults, Madden said.

I dont want it. It shouldnt be in Northfield, and Im appalled that we continue to bandy this about, Smith said.

City Council created a subcommittee to work on the issue, including ironing out fees and hours of operations, as well as how many licenses could be allowed. The committee includes Utts and Frank Perri, both Democrats, and City Council President Tom Polistina, a Republican. So far, Polistina has not signed off on a final version of an ordinance, and he was not at the most recent meeting.
Hilary Pritchard, a longtime business owner who leads the mall merchant group, said Friday if the HPC members are concerned about the brightness or layout of the lights, they can just come take a look at them. The LED lights are strung in a zig-zag pattern across the mall.

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According to Pritchard, the contractor had a limited time to undertake the work, so if the merchants wanted them up, they had to move quickly.

We didnt want to wait until spring to get the lights up. We wanted them up for the holidays, she said.

According to Pritchard, the business owners wanted to do something special for the 50th anniversary of the creation of the mall. Washington Street had been the citys commercial district for far longer, but it was in 1971 that the street was closed to traffic and reinvented as a pedestrian mall.

In a phone interview Friday, Pritchard said the merchants wanted to do something special and decided the mall was often dark, even with additional lights on trees, which were added years ago. She said Pamela Smarro of Madames Port organized the effort, which included raising funds from businesses owners and contributors.
In our survey in the summer of 2021, we were seeing signs of grave doubts in the integrity of elections in the country on the part of people in Nicaragua, said project director Elizabeth Zechmeister. We asked whether or not they believe that votes are counted fairly in the country and what we found is that only 26% of people in Nicaragua believe that their votes are always counted correctly. Interestingly enough, its about the same percentage of people who expressed support for the incumbent administration.

The Ortega administration has continued to close avenues for democratic participation with police banning public protests, electoral authorities banning some opposition political parties and potential candidates being arrested.

We ask people whether or not they think one can bring about change in politics through elections, through street protests, through either or through neither, Zechmeister said. And weve asked that question in the past. So were able to make comparisons across time, and we see in 2021 a significant decrease in the percentage of people who think that its possible to bring about political change in the country through either elections or through street protests.
As part of the program, Stockton is providing advisers as well as college admissions and financial aid workshops for prospective students and parents. There are also academic and merit scholarships available for eligible students.

This excellent start took a major step last month when Stockton announced a similar agreement with the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District. That will bring the benefits of the dual-path partnership to students in the three district high schools of Absegami, Oakcrest and Cedar Creek.

Were especially glad to see this robust opportunity offered to students at Greater Egg Harbor, which has borne the brunt of the growing popularity of the Atlantic County Institute of Technology. Each year hundreds of students in the district are accepted into ACIT, requiring GEHR to pay it millions of dollars to cover their education. And with the county vo-tech school expanding, it soon will accept double the number of freshman.

The Greater Egg Harbor Regional and Stockton University dual-path partnership isnt a cure for this inherent educational conflict  weve suggested a countywide district would be fairest to all and less expensive.

But the accelerated course of study should provide substantial value to some GEHR students and make continuing their educational and career path there more appealing.
November 8, 2021 in OS X Development (E)

[prMac.com] Hengchun, Taiwan - Ohanaware Co., Ltd. is very proud to announce the immediate release of Notched Up, its new Notch Simulator for macOS. Notched Up attempts to draw a Notch on any Mac running 10.13 (High Sierra) or never, as close as possible to the actual physical size of the Notch in Apple's latest 14" and 16" MacBook Pro.



Notched Up was designed to aid developers by displaying a close to real life Notch on their existing screens, which allows them to see what menus do not fit on the left side of the Notch, without having to purchase both the 14" and 16" MacBook Pro. Once developers can see which menus do not fit on the left side of the Notch, developers can then make a decisions as to what do about the menus in their applications, such as combining menus, re-naming menus, using icons instead of labels or culling some menus.



Notched Up can also be used to add a Notch to application screen shots, helping to illustrate an application's compatibility with Apple's Notched MacBook Pros. Alternatively, Notched Up can simply be used for fun, adding a cosmetic fake Notch to a screen. Notched Up was built with Xojo in conjunction with the Ohanaware App Kit, and wrapped with App Wrapper 4.



Features:

* Uses system info to draw Notch close to real size

* Multi screen support, the Notch can be dragged between screens

* 3 templates, 16", 14" and unconfirmed 13" display options

* Custom option, where screen dimensions, notch dimensions and even the notch color can be changed

* Current Screen option, where it will move to fit the current display

* Notch floats above the menubar

* Notch isn't hidden when hiding the application

* Notch can appear in Expose

* Notch can appear in Full Screen Apps

* Notch can be locked to Menubar height

* Screen calibration for incorrectly recognized displays



System Requirements:

* macOS 10.13 High Sierra ~ macOS 12 Monterey

* 4GB of RAM

* 15MB of disk space



Pricing and Availability:

Notched Up is freeware and available today from the Ohanaware web site. We're hoping that Apple will allow Notched Up on the Mac App Store shortly. For more information, please contact Sam Rowlands.

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.

###
A pandemic love story in Council Bluffs.

Jonathan Johnson spent more than a month in the intensive care unit at Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs battling COVID-19  spending more than three weeks on a ventilator.

Jenna Harvey, one of the nurses who helped care for Johnson, said that there were moments when staff questioned whether or not he would make it home.

Amy Waldstein, another nurse who cared for Johnson, said it was admirable how he fought against COVID the whole time.

He did every possible thing he needed to do to get past COVID, she said.

In mid-October the ventilator was removed  and a few days after, he knew it was time to marry his fiance, Mariah Copeland-Johnson.

I didnt want any regrets, he said. After coming off the ventilator, you view a lot of things differently in life.

With the help of hospital staff, including Waldstein and Harvey, friends and family, Johnson was able to surprise his fiance with a wedding in the ICU.

I wanted to make it a surprise, something she could remember, something the nurses from the ICU could remember, Johnson said.
If you watch the news, you get the impression that America is not doing well under the Biden administration. The media does not do justice to the great things that are happening in the country as a result of the Biden administration. President Biden has: cut child poverty in half, added 5.3 million jobs, recovered 80% of the jobs lost under the Trump recession, vaccinated 220 million Americans, reduced the deficit by $360 billion in one year, passed historic infrastructure investments for water, bridges, roads, and broadband. The Dow/401(k)s have been at an all-time high, hes taken important steps toward ending global warming and is trying to pass legislation to continue this process. These are all measures that directly affect Iowa. Despite all the whining, facts are stubborn. The United States is on a good path, thanks to President Joe Biden.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Prosecutors trying to convict Kyle Rittenhouse of murder have been working to paint him as an inexperienced teenager who misrepresented his age and medical training to other armed civilians in his group on the night he shot three men during a protest against police brutality in Wisconsin last year.

Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger has drawn out testimony during the first week of Rittenhouse's trial from several witnesses, including two military veterans, saying the Illinois teen appeared inexperienced, that he falsely claimed that he was old enough to possess a gun and that he was a certified medic when he was really just a lifeguard.

Phil Turner, a former federal prosecutor and attorney in Chicago who isnt involved in the case, said Binger is trying to show jurors that Rittenhouse didn't know what he was doing and that they shouldn't believe his self-defense claims.

In terms of how he reacted, they want to show it in context that he's young and he's not experienced and would be more likely to perceive (the protest) as a more threatening situation (than an older person), Turner said. A younger guy is going to think this guy is going to hurt me when really it's not true.
Schools are a trusted community hub, she said. Families, in general, feel very safe at these school sites. Were also not asking for identification or insurance cards. We dont want people to fear ICE showing up or something. We are just trying to get people vaccinated so we can get some of this behind us and get back to some semblance of normalcy.

In Hartford, Connecticut, schools superintendent Leslie Torres-Rodriguez said the vaccination clinics it is planning along with local hospitals will include school nurses, trusted by families. Only a third of the district's students 12 and older are vaccinated.

We take an equity stance here and think about the access and removing any barriers that our families might have, she said.

In nearby Tolland, Connecticut, school superintendent Walter Willett said his district also is teaming with health providers, including UConn Health, to offer vaccines at school sites to younger students. He said vaccines are important, not just for keeping kids in school, but for teachers, janitors and other staff who tend to be more at risk.

They can more effectively do their job when kids aren't bouncing in and out of the classroom in quarantine, he said.
Five-year-old Cooper Kloeckl tagged along to help his father load bison following the 56th Annual Fall Classic Custer State Park Bison Auction on Saturday, which also happened to be Bison Day.

Cody Kloeckl, who manages Jump Off Buffalo Ranch in Buffalo, purchased a mix of 93 bull calves and yearling heifers, which sold for about $60,000. Cooper often helps his dad around the ranch and even tried his hand at bidding with his two-year-old sister during the auction.

They were trying to bid on animals that we werent wanting to buy, Kloeckl laughed, but thats a part of having kids.

Kloeckl said when choosing which bison to bid on, hes focused on return on investment.

It depends on their weight, what you buy them at. I mean basically you try and figure out a dollar-per-pound of what your break-even is, and then you try to figure out where you want your profits to be, he said.

A total of 398 bison were sold Saturday at this year's auction. Jason Gooder, natural resource program manager for Custer State Park, said the number usually fluctuates around 350, based on how many calves are born in the spring and how many bison the park decides to keep over winter, which is usually about 1,000. After the bison are brought through the corrals during the roundup, they are sorted before the auction sale.

The animal is weighed, the IDs checked and then based off of weight and overall health of the animal, then we decide where its going to go, Gooder said.

In addition to weighing each animal, the cows are preg-tested. Some are selected to return to the herd, and others are auctioned off as either bred heifers (pregnant heifers) or open heifers. Bulls also go through fertility testing, and those that fail are may be sold as grade bulls or possibly returned to the park to be hunted as part of the non-trophy bison hunt program.

Eddie and Frida Gaw have been traveling to the Custer State Park for the annual auction from Cookeville, Tennessee, for the past 12 years.

Eddie Gaw said he used to raise cattle but switched to bison 16 years ago when he sold just five buffalo bulls at $20,500 compared to a sale of 20 head of cattle for $20,000.

I came back and sold all my cattle, and weve raised bison ever since, he said.

Gaw purchased two breeding bulls for $2,900 each at the auction. Gaw said he runs 125 to 150 head of bison at his Lazy G Ranch and runs one bull to about 12 to 15 cows, changing the bulls out every three years.

To me the bull is your herd, so thats why you want good bulls, and I like the quality of the animals here in Custer, he said.

Gaw noted the affinity he has for the animals themselves.

If you just look one in the eye, itll do something to you, he said.

Kloeckl noted that as long as he keeps the facilities and infrastructure up, the buffalo basically take care of themselves.

The creature itself is just very majestic, Kloeckl said. Theyre built for this country.

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South Dakota can expect to receive more than $2.8 billion after the U.S. House of Representatives approved an infrastructure package Friday worth $1.2 trillion.

The bipartisan measure passed the House Friday in a 228-206 vote. U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., voted against the bill.

"I appreciate that the infrastructure package is largely focused on roads, bridges, and hard infrastructure, but $1.2 trillion isnt a number I can support. [Fridays] bill relies on one-time funding sources that will create a massive fiscal cliff in a few years," Johnson said in a statement Friday.

The massive bill is the largest expansion of U.S. infrastructure investment in decades, placing more than $555 billion in new spending toward roads, bridges, internet capabilities, airports and other projects.

According to numbers from the White House, South Dakota's piece of the infrastructure bill equals more than $2.8 billion, with additional funding opportunities through competitive federal grants.

South Dakota has 1,038 bridges and 2,031 miles of highway that are in "poor condition," the White House said in August. Based on formula funding alone, the state would expect to receive $1.9 billion for highways and $225 million for bridge replacement and repairs over the next five years.

The state will also receive $124 million over five years to improve public transportation options and $29 million over five years to support expanded electronic vehicle charging stations.

One of the largest identified needs in South Dakota is expanding broadband internet capabilities in rural areas, something Republican Gov. Kristi Noem has highlighted through her own initiatives like "Connect SD" and a plan announced in August to invest in the state's broadband needs using American Rescue Plan Act funds.

The infrastructure bill passed by Congress on Friday will include a minimum allocation of $100 million to help provide broadband coverage across South Dakota. The bill also includes defining eligibility requirements for South Dakotans to receive the Affordability Connectivity Benefit, a program that will help 205,000 low-income residents in the state to afford internet access.

South Dakota will also receive $355 million over five years to improve water infrastructure, $19.6 million to protect against wildfires, and $11.7 million to protect the state against cyberattacks.

Airports across South Dakota will receive approximately $82 million for infrastructure development over the next five years.

One part of the infrastructure package that South Dakota will not receive is a portion of $66 billion for improvements to Amtrak's national railroad routes. Amtrak bypasses South Dakota and Wyoming, the only states in the contiguous United States that do not have passenger rail service.

According to the Associated Press, the five-year spending package would be paid for by tapping $210 billion in unspent COVID-19 relief aid and $53 billion in unemployment insurance aid some states have halted, along with an array of smaller pots of money, like petroleum reserve sales and spectrum auctions for 5G services.

When the U.S. Senate passed the bill in August, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., voted against it.

"For months, senators from both sides of the aisle engaged in good-faith negotiations to produce an infrastructure bill for the Senate to consider, and I applaud them for their tireless efforts, Thune said at the time. I have said from the very beginning that this bill should be fully paid for, and unfortunately, that is not the case. While I support investments in our nations infrastructure, I could not support this final product that will further increase the national debt and financially burden future generations.

U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., was part of the bipartisan team who crafted the infrastructure bill, although he would later come out against the package. He was absent from the Senate on the day of the August vote, joining his wife, Jean, during her treatment for cancer. Jean Rounds died from cancer on Nov. 2.

While he was with his wife in August, Rounds issued a statement saying he opposed the final version of the infrastructure measure.

The goal of bipartisan negotiations is to find areas of agreement and while that may require us to seek compromise on policy, its important that we never compromise on principles," Rounds said at the time. "As we combed through the legislative text of this 2,702 page bill and the subsequent amendments, there were many sections that I believe contradict the values of the people of South Dakota who sent me to Washington. With that in mind, I could not in good conscience support this legislation in its final form.

Contact Nathan Thompson at nathan.thompson@rapidcityjournal.com.

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Boevers cousin Nick Nemec was pleasantly surprised by the high level of public support for removal of Ravnsborg.

Im glad to see that the citizens of this state support his removal from office because Ravnsborg is a walking disaster, said Nemec, a Hyde County rancher.

According to an investigation, Ravnsborg said he was using his phone just before the crash, and that he thought he had hit a deer. Marks on the pavement show he left the travel lane before impact.

He pulled over and called authorities, but Boevers body was not discovered that night. Ravnsborg was allowed to use a local sheriffs personal vehicle to drive home. He found Boevers body in the ditch the next morning when returning the car. Nemec said Ravnsborgs testimony that he didnt know what he had hit was brought into question when investigators pointed out that Boevers glasses were found on Ravnsborgs front seat.

Nemec was also outraged that before trial, Ravnsborgs attorney raised the possibility that Boever was suicidal and had thrown himself in front of Ravnsborgs car. Nemec was also upset that Ravnsborg was cited for driving 57 mph in a 35-mph zone in Pierre just before sentencing and has a history of moving violations on his driving record.

Yet Nemec said poll results should not weigh into the decision by lawmakers on whether to impeach Ravnsborg.

The Legislature should look at the facts of the case, and the facts indicate that Ravnsborg has proven by his actions that he is not qualified to be the attorney general of South Dakota, Nemec said. Hes shown disregard for the laws of the state, and hes gotten special treatment that would not be afforded to any other defendant, so he should be impeached on the facts at hand.

In statements made to the public and press, Ravnsborg has expressed sorrow for Boever and his family, but he has also denied culpability. After sentencing, Ravnsborg released a statement saying he was unfairly treated by partisan opportunists who had manufactured rumors, conspiracy theories and made statements in direct contradiction to the evidence.
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.
A trophy cup, awarded to African American culinary trailblazer John Dabney for his famous mint julep cocktails heaped with fresh fruit and flowers, returns to Richmond  at long last.

Dabney achieved extraordinary success as a chef and restaurateur in 19th-century Richmond. In 1860, Dabney was not yet a free man when his unparalleled mint julep earned first prize in a contest in Warm Springs, Va. The Warm Springs Hotel awarded him $100 in gold.

Back in Richmond, the enslaved Dabney ran the kitchen and bar at the tony Exchange Hotel & Ballard House, a popular 19th-century hotel at 14th and Franklin streets until its closure and demolition in 1900  shortly after the newer and tonier Jefferson Hotel opened. Dabney received a silver cup with the inscription Complimentary to John Dabney from the citizens of Richmond Va. Champion Julep.

On Saturday, Nov. 6, Dabneys storied cup returned to Richmond, where it will be exhibited at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture in its newly expanded galleries slated to open next spring. The $30 million expansion will fundamentally re-imagine the museum and its mission. In a partnership with the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia, the VMHCs expanded galleries and educational programming are intended to tell a more inclusive narrative of the states history.
Senate Democrats are asking the Virginia Supreme Court to reject three redistricting special master candidates nominated by Republicans on Nov. 1, accusing them of having disqualifying conflicts of interest.

We urge the Court to reject the minority leaders nominees and direct them to resubmit new, unbiased nominees. We do not send this letter lightly, but these three nominees cannot lawfully serve and their mere nomination undermines public confidence in these critical, once-a-decade proceedings to redraw Virginias electoral maps, Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw wrote to the clerk of the high court on Monday.

A constitutional amendment approved by voters last year called for a bipartisan Virginia Redistricting Commission to redraw the states legislative and congressional districts with new census data. The effort ended in a partisan deadlock last month and, under the amendment, the job went to the Virginia Supreme Court.

The high court asked leaders of both parties in the House of Delegates and Senate to nominate three qualified special masters  from which the court would pick two  to assist the justices. Saslaws letter contends that the Democrats nominees have academic backgrounds and experience as redistricting special masters in Virginia and elsewhere unlike the Republican nominees.
Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena had said during a news conference on Saturday that the injuries and size of the crowd quickly overwhelmed the private companies providing security and medical services. Pena said even though the medical operations plan did not require that the fire department have units pre-positioned around the festival, his agency decided to have those units in place in case this incident escalated.

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said in a statement on Monday that he had a "brief and respectful" meeting with Scott and the rappers head of security on Friday before his performance. The chief said he asked them to work with the police department.

I expressed my concerns regarding public safety and that in my 31 years in law enforcement experience I have never seen a time with more challenges facing citizens of all ages, to include a global pandemic and social tension throughout the nation, Finner said.

G. Keith Still, a visiting professor of crowd science at the United Kingdoms University of Suffolk, said his independent investigations of similar tragedies typically begin with an evaluation of an events safety permitting process. He evaluates how a permit was issued and whether the event organizer adhered to permit conditions.
The founding dean of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Cynda Johnson, set out to recruit top educators when she established the new school in Roanoke.

At the top of her list was Richard Vari, assistant dean at the University of North Dakota, where he transformed the medical school curriculum into a new learning model.

Johnson said she wasnt sure how she would convince Vari to come to Virginia, but she called him in the winter of 2008 and told him how great the weather was in Roanoke.

I knew he was being recruited like crazy, she said. But that was my ace in the hole.

Vari came to Roanoke and designed the medical schools problem-based learning curriculum, where students learn basic sciences through real-life patient cases. The model is only used in a handful of medical schools across the country and has proven to be an effective tool for first-year students.

In the schools first year, student test scores were 10 points above the national average and each student was eventually matched with a great residency program, Vari said. Now each year, 5,000 students apply to the medical school and only about 50 are admitted.
Lane pointed out that mussels are the most imperiled creatures of all and, of the 23 mussel species that have already been declared extinct, half used to live in the Clinch River.

That river, he said, remains mussels last stronghold and is critical to the vitality of the biodiversity of the world.

This area of the Appalachians is recognized as one of the countrys biodiversity hot spots for freshwater mussels and other species.

Ten miles of the nearby Powell River, Lane said, serve as the last known home to the Appalachian monkeyface mussel. It used to thrive in the Powell, Clinch, and Holston rivers, but officials have only seen eight in recent years. Theyre very much on the brink, Lane said.

The AWCC has a license to hold some monkeyface mussels at their facility on the Buller Fish Hatchery campus, all part of the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. However, in the last two years, the AWCC staff has produced more than 200 of the monkeyface mussels and is working to reestablish them.

AWCC staff, Lane acknowledged, are tracking the monkeyfaces growth and development and have made discoveries about its reproductive process that are publishable because the information is new to the scientific community.
A spokesman for Youngkin, who campaigned heavily on election integrity, said the son misunderstood Virginias laws.

Its unfortunate that while Glenn attempts to unite the Commonwealth around his positive message of better schools, safer streets, a lower cost of living, and more jobs, his political opponents  mad that they suffered historic losses this year  are pitching opposition research on a 17-year old kid who honestly misunderstood Virginia election law and simply asked polling officials if he was eligible to vote; when informed he was not, he went to school, Devin OMalley said in a statement.

Virginia law allows any person who is 17 and will be 18 by Election Day to register in advance and vote in any intervening primary or special election.

Jennifer Chanty, a precinct captain, told The Washington Post she encountered the son, who left after initially being told he was too young to vote. She said he returned a short time later, saying a friend who was also 17 had been allowed to cast a ballot.
Identification of some of these related sites is why Crosson came to Smyth County. She told the group gathered at the museum in downtown Marion that local sites that seemed to have been visited by William Clark in 1809 included houses or taverns from Bristol to Wytheville.

Clark kept a journal of his groups travels but with no formal education and being a poor speller, much of the writing has been difficult to decipher. The Legacy Trail is divided into 24 segments (six of them in Virginia) with segment 10 being from Bean Station, Tenn., to Charlottesville along the Great Valley Road with a side trail to and from Fincastle.

Clarks journal entries mention such people and places as Col. John Preston, where he had breakfast on Nov. 12, passing through Abbingdon and staying at a brick house, then breakfast on Nov. 13 at a house one mile back of Seven Mile Ford, then staying all night at young Atkinses (possibly the Old Stone Tavern in Atkins), then traveling to Capt Kents house leaving horses at Capt Kents Tavern and on Nov. 14 passed through Wyth, staid all night at Majr. Kents a little off the main road possibly sending his servants to the tavern. On Nov. 15 he arrived at Majr Prestons late at night.
The forthright way many Republican Senators and House of Representative members responded to Watergate in the 1970s is truly a world apart from the avoid at all costs way current Republican Senators and congresspersons, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger excepted, have responded to the Jan. 6, 2021, mob attack on the U.S. Capitol.

And yet the Watergate scandal and Jan. 6 sacking of the Capitol are alike in the most profound ways.

Both break-ins were extremely dangerous attacks on the basic institutions of democratic governance, the rule of law and respect for the electoral process.

Along with their Democratic colleagues in the 1970s, most Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee and Senate Special Investigative Committee sincerely sought to uncover the myriad criminal activities of the Watergate Scandal, pushing as far, wide, and high as necessary to get at the facts and the truth.

Not that it was easy for Republicans to go against their president and high-ranking officials of his administration. But their commitment to preserving democracy, their moral discomfiture and even outrage at the Nixon Administrations criminal activities, drove them ever onward to do their constitutional duty and serve their country above all else.
The night of April 24, 1970, Republicans had gathered in Fincastle to select a candidate for the Virginia Senate. The nominee would almost certainly have been Del. John Hagen, who for six years had spoken for Salem and Roanoke County in the General Assembly  except that word spread among the gathered that Hagen had been arrested that afternoon in Roanoke on a grand larceny charge.

A president of three local businesses who had been named one the Outstanding Young Men of America in 1965, when he was 30, Hagen was accused of receiving and concealing 30 stolen air conditioners in a warehouse.

In a move reminiscent of another currently beleaguered Democrat  Roanoke Councilman Robert Jeffrey, who awaits trial on four felony indictments  Hagen chose to keep his seat in the House of Delegates, despite a call for his resignation by the Roanoke Times Editorial Board.

Hagen still held office when his first trial in October 1970 resulted in a hung jury. And he was still in office in November 1971  though he had chosen not to run for reelection  when he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of being an accessory after the fact to the air conditioner theft.
" " A false-color image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope illuminates the Orion Nebula. NASA

Deep inside the Orion Nebula, an epic battle of stellar supremacy is being duked out. A baby star inside the famed stellar nursery is dictating how and where its unborn siblings can spark to life  if it allows them to live at all.

Using NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)  a huge 106-inch (2.7-meter) diameter telescope that is flown inside the fuselage of a modified Boeing 747SP jetliner  astronomers can get a crystal-clear view of the nebula and view the otherwise invisible stars in infrared wavelengths. If the same telescope was used on the ground, the water vapor in our atmosphere would absorb the infrared light. So, as SOFIA flies above 99 percent of our atmosphere, it's almost as good as having that telescope in space, minus the launch costs.

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Even though the young stars are cocooned inside thick clouds of gas and dust, the infrared light they generate passes straight through unimpeded and is studied by SOFIA during flight. But, in new research announced at the 233rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle on Jan. 7, it's not the baby stars that are of interest, it's the powerful stellar winds they generate.

To form a star in a nebula, molecular gases clump together under gravity. If enough gas accumulates in these clumps, the gravity becomes so intense that nuclear fusion occurs. During this early violent phase, baby stars generate ferocious stellar winds that create rapidly expanding bubbles of hot gas. Using one of SOFIA's instruments, the German Receiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies, or GREAT, researchers peered deep into the Orion Nebula and measured the spectral fingerprint of ionized carbon inside an expanding bubble to clock the stellar wind speeds.

"Astronomers use GREAT like a police officer uses a radar gun," said astronomer Alexander Tielens, from Leiden Observatory, in a statement. "The radar bounces off your car, and the signal tells the officer if you're speeding."

The researchers used this ionized carbon signal like a tracer throughout the entire nebula, forming a map of wind speeds and the locations of stars. With this data, they learned how stellar wind interactions may influence the distribution of star birth.

Until now, it was assumed that other stellar events, such as supernovas, have the final say on star formation, but this study indicates that it might be the baby stars themselves that have a greater impact on the distribution of star-forming material.

For example, the bubble surrounding Theta^1 Ori C, a star near the center of the Orion Nebula, has a huge impact on star birth in its stellar neighborhood. It has snuffed out any chance of new stars forming nearby, but the powerful stellar winds have pushed the molecular gases to the bubble's outermost edge, creating new regions of dense star-forming material. In this case, although there may be few siblings for Theta^1 Ori C to grow up with, its presence has created new, fertile regions in the nebula for future star birth.

This study has provided an unparalleled look into how stellar nurseries form and how the newborn stars can influence the formation of their younger siblings. They can kill stellar formation by blowing away the seed material, but their winds can also corral stellar gases into dense regions, thereby boosting opportunities for star birth in other locations.

Now That's Interesting The Orion Nebula is also known as M42, Messier 42 and NGC 1976. Orion Nebula gets our vote.

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Originally Published: Jan 8, 2019
FLORENCE, S.C.  The Florence City Council could consider mandating masks again Monday.

On the agenda for the 1 p.m., Monday, meeting of the council is the first and final reading of an emergency ordinance that would mandate masks within the city and a resolution that would extend the current emergency ordinance that strongly encourages but does not require masks.

The mask mandate emergency ordinance contains exceptions for situations when social distancing is possible, for people with religious beliefs that conflict with the mandate, for children under 6, for people with medical or behavioral issues that prevent them from wearing a mask, people who are eating, for people who are told to remove a mask by law enforcement and situations where its not feasible to wear a mask (swimming or dental work are two examples).

The mask mandate emergency ordinance also carries penalties of $25 for a violation and $100 for employers whose employees violate the mask mandate.

Both the mask mandate ordinance and the encouraging masks ordinance require the use of masks in city buildings such as the city center.
 SCOTUS grants cert on two (consolidated) cases to consider physician criminal liability for unlawfully dispensing prescription drugs | Main | "Resurrecting Arbitrariness" 

The question in the title of this post is prompted by this recent AP article, headlined "Prosecutors seek 44 months in 1st sentence for riot violence," previewing a notable sentencing scheduled for this coming Wednesday. Here are the basics:

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday recommended a prison sentence of nearly four years for a New Jersey gym owner who is on track to be the first person sentenced for assaulting a law enforcement officer during the riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Scott Fairlambs sentencing, scheduled for next Wednesday, could guide other judges in deciding the appropriate punishment for dozens of other rioters who engaged in violence at the Capitol that day.

Prosecutors said Fairlamb, one of one of the first rioters to breach the Capitol, incited and emboldened other rioters around him with his violent actions....

If U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth adopts the Justice Departments recommendation for a 44-month prison term, Fairlambs sentence would be the longest for a rioter. An 8-month prison term is the longest sentence among the nearly two dozen rioters who have been sentenced so far. A man who posted threats connected to Jan. 6 but didnt storm the Capitol was sentenced to 14 months in prison.

Defense attorney Harley Breite said during an interview Wednesday that he intends to ask Lamberth to sentence Fairlamb to the time he already has served in jail, allowing for his immediate release. Fairlamb has been jailed since his Jan. 22 arrest at his home in Stockholm, New Jersey....

Fairlamb, a 44-year-old former mixed martial arts fighter, owned Fairlamb Fit gym in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey. He is the brother of a Secret Service agent who was assigned to protect former first lady Michelle Obama, according to defense attorney Harley Breite.

Fairlamb picked up a police baton as he joined the mob that broke past a line of police officers and breached the Capitol, according to prosecutors. A video showed him holding the collapsible baton and shouting, What (do) patriots do? We f disarm them and then we storm the f Capitol! After he left the building, Fairlamb shoved and punched a Metropolitan Police Department officer in the face, an attack captured on video by a bystander. The officer said he didnt suffer any physical injuries, according to prosecutors.

Fairlamb pleaded guilty to two counts, obstruction of an official proceeding and assaulting the police officer. The counts carry a maximum of more than 20 years in prison, but sentencing guidelines calculated by the courts probation department recommend a term of imprisonment ranging from 41 to 51 months. Lamberth isnt bound by any of the recommendations....

Fairlambs social media accounts indicated that he subscribed to the QAnon conspiracy theory and promoted a bogus claim that former President Donald Trump would become the first president of the new Republic on March 4, prosecutors wrote. QAnon has centered on the baseless belief that Trump was fighting against a cabal of Satan-worshipping, child sex trafficking cannibals, including deep state enemies, prominent Democrats and Hollywood elites.
A worker makes final checks at the serial production BMW i3 electric car in the BMW factory in Leipzig

By Victoria Waldersee and Pratima Desai

BERLIN/LONDON (Reuters) - European automakers reeling from a global chip shortage have in recent days hastened to assure shareholders that shortages of magnesium are not, for now, a risk to their production plans.

However, car part suppliers and industry associations warn that if production in China, which accounts for 85% of global magnesium supply, does not pick up pace soon, automakers could be facing significant shortfalls of the material.

Car makers do not ordinarily purchase large quantities of magnesium themselves. But part manufacturers supplying automakers with key components are heavily reliant on magnesium, which can be used by itself or combined with aluminium to reduce the weight of cars.

Making vehicles lighter is particularly useful for extending the driving range of electric vehicles, crucial for Europe's energy transition plans.

Chip shortages have already extended delivery times for new cars, sometimes up to a year. Without a speedy recovery in China's magnesium exports those queues could lengthen, an auto industry source said.

Auto firms Stellantis and BMW say they do not see an imminent problem with supplies. Others in the sector say their inventories and magnesium already in transit will see them through to early 2022.

But Volkswagen's head of purchasing in an earnings call said a shortage was expected.

"We cannot forecast right now if the shortage on magnesium, which will happen definitely according to planning, will be bigger than the semiconductor shortage," Volkswagen's Murat Aksel said.

China's magnesium output is about 50% of normal levels, industry sources said, as soaring coal prices and energy rationing prompted smelters to cut or shut down operations.

China has allowed some magnesium producers to resume output, but not by enough to significantly ease the shortage. Prices have retreated from record highs but they are still more than double the levels in January.

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"We are very concerned this is going to impact us in a couple of weeks," Jonathan O'Riordan, international trade director of Europe's automobile manufacturer association ACEA, told Reuters.

Germany's ZF, which uses magnesium for gearboxes and steering wheels, told Reuters it was seeking new sources of magnesium from other countries, but that offsetting the loss of Chinese supply was limited given the size of its market share.

"It's the calm before the storm," said Teresa Schad, a spokesperson for Germany's metal association, WV Metalle.

(This story corrects to amend title of Jonathan O'Riordan in para 11 to international trade director, not head of the association)

(Reporting by Victoria Waldersee and Pratima Desai; editing by Robert Birsel)
A link bridge to a terminal at Changi Airport. (PHOTO: Roslan Rahman/AFP via Getty Images)

Update: Added the airlines running the six daily designated services between the airports in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur

SINGAPORE  Singapore will launch a joint Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) with neighbouring Malaysia for travel between Changi Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) from 29 November, its transport minister S Iswaran said on Monday (8 November).

For a start, there will be six daily designated services between the two airports, with AirAsia, Jetstar Asia, Malaysia Airlines, Malindo Air, Scoot and Singapore Airlines operating these services, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said separately in a media release on 18 November.

The reopening only covers air travel, and does not include land travel via the Causeway or Tuas Second Link.

Vaccinated Travel Pass applications for short-term visitors and long-term pass holders will commence on 22 November, while fully-vaccinated returning Singaporeans and permanent residents need not apply.

Iswaran said that the two countries' Prime Ministers, Lee Hsien Loong and Ismail Sabri Yaacob, spoke earlier in the day to take stock of discussions on the VTL launch.

"Both Prime Ministers noted the significant progress that our countries have made in vaccinating our populations and managing the COVID-19 pandemic. They agreed that it is timely to progressively resume bilateral cross-border travel," he said.

PM Lee also added in a post on his Facebook page, We are also discussing reopening travel across the Causeway and the Second Link. We look forward to launching a similar VTL scheme between Singapore and Johor in the near future.

An estimated 100,000 Malaysians have been stuck in Singapore since borders closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March last year.

Currently, the two countries have implemented the Periodic Commuting Arrangement scheme, which facilitates movement of workers between both countries, allowing for cross-border travel but with various conditions, including a stay-home notice.

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The Ministry of Health will also upgrade its public health assessment of Malaysia from Category III to II from Friday.

Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) guide for Singaporeans and permanent residents (Infographic: Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore)

VTLs extended to Finland and Sweden

This will be Malaysia's first VTL, while Singapore had earlier announced VTLs with 13 other countries, including Australia, Britain and the United States.

Travellers entering Singapore under this scheme do not have to serve a stay-home notice, but will instead take a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction test prior to departure and upon arrival.

It will now extend the VTLs to Finland and Sweden from 29 November, with applications for short-term visitors and long-term pass holders commencing on 22 November.

With the extension, Iswaran said that Singapore will increase its daily quota for the VTL scheme from 4,000 travellers to 6,000 travellers from that date.

Singapore will also be expanding the types of tests recognised as a valid pre-departure test (PDT) for all travellers arriving in or transiting through Singapore from Category II or III countries and regions, including those arriving via VTL.

From 11.59pm on Thursday, the city-state will accept a negative, professionally-administered antigen rapid test (ART) result, taken within two days prior to departure.

Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) guide for short-term visitors and long-term pass holders (Infographic: Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore)

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore
An immaculate Northside home in a private setting is ready for you!! You wont need to do a thing!! This multi~level, 5 bedroom, 3.5 bath home sits on almost a  acre lot. This property features 3 bedrooms on the top level and a full bath. One of these rooms is a spacious master with a large walk~in closet, on~suite, hot tub and access to a private upper deck. The main level hosts a spacious kitchen with beautiful cabinets and gorgeous backsplash, a large living room with a bay window and vaulted ceiling, and a dining room with a sliding glass door allowing access to the back yard. Below is a spacious family room with a gas brick fireplace, laundry room and  bath. The lower level consists of 2 bedrooms with egress windows (large closets,) a work~out room, full bath and utility room with built~in shelves for storage. Amenities include: 2 car oversized garage, partially fenced yard, whole~house attic fan (save on those utilities,) water softener, beautiful landscaping and trees, and an in~ground sprinkler system. Updates include: new composite shingles in 2014, furnace up~grade in 2009, and A/C in 2017. Dont miss out on your chance to see this 3,377 finished square foot home; it could be yours!! All measurements are approximate and should be verified by buyer/buyer`s agent. Please note that there is audio or surveillance devices at this property...
Connie Ryan runs a La Vista-based biotech company that just expanded and is eager for more growth  yet she recently saw trouble looming.

Streck Inc. is based in a worker-starved state with a persistently low unemployment rate that recently dipped to a new record  the lowest in the country.

Moreover, Streck operates in Sarpy County, which has some of the priciest new housing and rents around.

So how, Ryan wondered, was her 400-employee company going to attract enough hourly workers and fresh college graduates necessary to sustain the operation  let alone grow into the future?

In an unusual move, perhaps unique in the Omaha areas recent history, Ryan and her team have decided to build Strecks own apartment complex to rent to employees at a discount.

Viewed as a recruitment and retention tool, the 84-unit residential structure will rise south of 117th and Harrison Streets  just steps away from the companys new multimillion-dollar manufacturing and information technology addition.

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.

Achola and others say that addressing worker shortages by providing more affordable housing increasingly depends on partnerships and projects driven by the private sector.

We believe Streck could spark a flurry of similar employee assisted-housing activity in other communities facing housing shortages, Achola said.

To be sure, the idea of employers providing housing assistance is not new. Some industries, such as hospitality or health and social care, in which employees work long hours offer on-site quarters.

Other employers offer money toward homeownership or rent. Tech titan Facebook is building the mixed-use Willow Creek village near its California headquarters, with plans to offer affordable rental housing.

But locally, Achola cant think of another private business doing what Streck envisions. Neither can Omaha developer Rodrigo Lopez, who is working with a coalition of area leaders to come up with affordable housing solutions.

The problem is very significant and across a broad spectrum, Lopez said.

From La Vista to Valentine, communities feel the pinch described in a recent study by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University.

Researchers found that in almost half of the nations largest 100 metro areas, the income that could afford a home last year isnt enough to afford one this year.

And that assumes that there is enough housing to begin with. Mayor Kyle Arganbright of Valentine said his city currently has fewer than 10 vacant houses or apartments available for a newcomer.

Construction costs including land and labor have escalated to the point, he said, that builders are turning to more high-priced housing to earn a return that makes sense to them. That leaves a lack of housing thats affordable to many in the workforce that Nebraska needs.

We need cities willing to take action, investors willing to help their hometown, and employers willing to consider housing as a critical component of workforce attraction, Arganbright said during a webinar organized by the Platte Institute.

In Omaha, more than one in three households east of 72nd Street pay more than 30% of their income for housing-related expenses. In fact, almost one in five pay more than 50% of their income for housing costs, according to research led by the Sherwood and Omaha Community Foundations.

Grace Thomas of the Omaha Missing Middle Housing Campaign cited the reports findings as one reason her group is pushing for policy changes that promote triplexes and other less conventional dwellings that would be more financially accessible than big houses on big lots.

Yet another group  this one representing builders, developers, real estate agents and more  is forming as the Welcome Home coalition. Its goal is to reduce starter home costs by changing regulations that have driven up costs, said consultant Perre Neilan.

Consider the backdrop challenging employers like Streck:

>> Nebraskas 2% unemployment rate in September was the lowest ever recorded in state data going back to 1976. It tied the lowest rate ever for any U.S. state.

>> Some Nebraska cities rates dipped even lower, including the Omaha area, which saw a 1.7% unemployment rate.

>> Sarpy County, with the states fastest-growing population, has an adjusted housing vacancy rate of 2.1%  which results in a dearth of affordable owner and rental units, according to a 2020 housing study financed by the Nebraska Investment Financing Authority.

>> The report said the starting wage provided by many of Sarpys major employers was about $15 an hour. Those wages are enough to afford monthly rents of up to $615 and houses costing up to $140,000.

>> But Sarpy Countys median gross rent was $979, and the median owner-occupied house value was about $191,000.

>> Of all incorporated Sarpy communities, La Vista had the highest gross rent, $967.

Ryan said Streck leaders have known for a while that a lack of affordable housing in the area was causing workforce recruiting woes. She said more pointed solution-oriented conversations began about a year and a half ago as she served on the Habitat for Humanity board with Achola.

Ryan said she shared details of a Streck employee who lived in North Omaha and took the bus as far as he could before walking numerous blocks from 108th and L streets to Harrison Street.

The situation, she said, provoked discussion: How can we make this easier?

It happened that, years ago, Streck had bought a 30-acre site near 117th and Harrison streets. Thats where the company recently built its 78,000-square-foot addition. (The main headquarters is about seven blocks away near 109th and Q streets.)

The Nest apartments will rise on a chunk of that 30 acres, near a pocket set aside for a future research and development facility.

Ryan said details of the employee rental subsidy have yet to be worked out. If apartments remain available after being offered to Streck staff, Ryan said, she would likely open the door to neighboring employers.

Ranging from studio to two-bedroom units, the apartments will contain higher-end finishes similar to other housing in the area, she said. Theyll have a pool and clubhouse. Holland Basham Architecture is leading the design; Ronco Construction is the general contractor.

In the past decade, Streck has grown its far-ranging workforce of scientists to shipping clerks by about 60%, Ryan said. She declined to provide sales or other financial figures. But a judge, in a recent lawsuit, agreed with an expert who in 2014 placed the companys value at $893 million.

Currently, the Streck team is short 25 workers, Ryan said. With longtime employees in position to retire, she hopes that the Nest, set to open in 2023, will nudge more workers Strecks way.

We needed something that defines us in a different way, Ryan said. I think the apartments do that.

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ORANGE CITY, Iowa -- Someday Kathy Lottman might forgive the man who shot and killed her brother.

Monday was not that day.

"Maybe God can forgive you, but right now I can't," Lottman said to Gregg Winterfeld, who fatally shot Grant Wilson, referred to as Wayne in statements given by seven family members who spoke at Winterfeld's sentencing hearing Monday in Sioux County District Court.

Wearing orange T-shirts and bandanas in honor of their husband, brother and father, Wilson's family members spoke of the pain they continue to feel and condemned Winterfeld's actions.

"Our family will never have closure from this," Wilson's sister Denise Oliver said. "I truly hope that God himself escorts you to hell."

A jury found Winterfeld guilty in October of second-degree murder for the May 9, 2020, death of Wilson, 58, of Cleghorn, Iowa.

Winterfeld, 71, of Spirit Lake, Iowa, likely will spend the rest of his life in prison. District Judge Jeffrey Neary sentenced him to a state-mandated 50 years in prison, and he must serve at least 35 years before he's eligible for parole. He also was ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution to Wilson's estate or heirs.

Winterfeld had claimed he acted in self-defense and reasserted that before he was sentenced.

"I believe the only thing that I'm guilty of is defending myself," Winterfeld told Neary.

Winterfeld shot Wilson at a rural Ireton, Iowa, house while the two were arguing. Winterfeld pulled out a Ruger .22-caliber revolver and shot Wilson in the forehead. Sheriff's deputies who arrived at the scene found Wilson dead inside the house. A woman inside the house at the time of the shooting was not harmed. The three had been drinking beer and whisky throughout the day prior to the shooting.

Originally charged with first-degree murder, Winterfeld was found guilty by a jury in April of second-degree murder, a lesser charge that allowed him to avoid a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. Neary granted Winterfeld a new trial in June because of an error made while choosing the jury.

Defense attorney Brendan Kelly had sought to have the second trial moved from Sioux County. Neary overruled his motion, and the case proceeded to a second trial, ending with the same guilty verdict as in the first.

Kelly said Monday he will appeal the verdict to the Iowa Supreme Court.

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The forum is part of a series being held across the state this fall to partner with businesses in addressing the states workforce shortage.

Attendees at the roundtables will be provided information regarding existing workforce strategies they can adopt to help meet their needs. Available resources will also be highlighted that help with hiring and retraining, collaborating with community and education partners, upskilling employees, and removing barriers such as childcare concerns that sometimes can block Iowans from entering the workforce.
ATLANTA (AP)  Republicans continued tinkering with a proposed map for Georgia's state House on Monday even as they set up a state Senate map for a Tuesday vote.

The new map rolled out by House Republicans would change more than 20 metro Atlanta districts, and alter some in GOP-friendly northern suburbs to make two districts more securely Republican and one more securely Democratic.

Although Georgia statewide is narrowly divided politically, independent analysts say Democrats are at a disadvantage not only because Republicans are drawing the maps, but also because their voters cluster so tightly in urban areas.

So even though most of Georgia's population growth has been in its largest metropolitan areas, and President Joe Biden carried Georgia with a narrow majority last year, Republicans are projected to control 54% of the House seats (98 of 180) and 59% of the Senate seats (33 of 56), according to statistical projections by Fair Districts GA.

While Monday's changes to the House map may not change the overall balance, it is likely to reduce the already-small number of districts where both major parties have realistic chances of winning. Fair Districts GA said competitive House districts would fall from 10 today to 7 under Monday's plan.

Changes were also made to a handful of Democratic-leaning districts in Fulton, DeKalb, Rockdale and Henry counties, aiding Democratic incumbents in at least two districts.

The Senate Rules Committee voted 11-3 to advance that chamber's proposed state Senate map to debate in the full chamber on Tuesday, despite complaints about how quickly Republicans are moving.

Normally, action in one chamber is only half the story in the Georgia General Assembly. However, Georgia's House and Senate traditionally haven't interfered in how the other chamber draws its districts. This means the Senate vote could be the final meaningful action on that chamber's map.

The General Assembly must redraw electoral districts at least once every decade to equalize populations following the U.S. Census. Georgia added more than a million people from 2010 to 2020, with urban districts generally growing and rural districts usually shrinking.

The Republicans' newest proposal doesn't make any more changes to areas southwest of Atlanta, where GOP Rep. Philip Singleton of Sharpsburg complains that an earlier proposal draws him into a heavily Democratic district that would reach north into Fulton County. Singleton has been on the outs with House Speaker David Ralston, a Blue Ridge Republican, and Singleton and others have said cutting up Coweta County smacks of retribution.

Singleton had asked his colleagues to redraw two of the proposed districts to create one that combines all of northern Coweta County with parts of south Fulton County and Douglas County to create a district he would have a better chance of winning. Doing so would decrease by one the number of majority-minority districts in the map.

I noticed that you guys have made significant changes in several areas over the state, but zero changes at all to my community of interest and to my county, Singleton said.

Redistricting committee chair Bonnie Rich noted she has family ties to Coweta County and said I do have sympathy for protesters' position, but suggested her hands were tied by requirements under the federal Voting Rights Act to maximize minority districts.

No matter how much anybody here on this committee or in this room thinks that the application is unfair here, this is just not the body that has any authority to change the Federal Voting Rights Act, said Rich, a Suwanee Republican.

A number of Fayette County residents complained about their county being split four ways.

Advocates renewed requests for more time to give meaningful input into the maps. State Rep. Ed Setzler, an Acworth Republican, said the changes Rich unveiled Thursday are a response to that input.

What you see before you has all of the changes madam chair highlighted for you that were based on the feedback we've gotten from the citizens of Georgia across the political spectrum, Setzler said.



Follow Jeff Amy at http://twitter.com/jeffamy.

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Lincoln Journal Star. Nov. 7, 2021.

Editorial: Cleanup plan at AltEn shows magnitude of work, disaster

Imagine pesticide-laden wet cake piled onto Tom Osborne Field to nearly the top of Memorial Stadium, which is surrounded by 273 Woods Park-sized swimming pools filled with contaminated wastewater.

Thats the potent visual illustration of the massive amount of pollutants that must be cleaned up at the AltEn biofuel plant south of Mead.

The volume size estimates from the Journal Stars Chris Dunker are based on a remedial action plan submitted to the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy by the AltEn Facility Response Group, a coalition of six seed-industry companies who are taking responsibility for cleaning up the environmental disaster at the ethanol plant that was shut down in February.

The plan, submitted last week, presents the outlines of what the response group intends to do to remove the 250,000 cubic yards of wet cake, 100,000 cubic yards of contaminated sludge at the bottom of lagoon systems and 173 million gallons of wastewater in the lagoons.

It also is what members of the Perivallon Group rightfully call a stunning indictment of AltEns owners, management and state regulators.

When the seed companies arrived at the plant in February, the report states that they found AltEn in a dire state of disrepair, requiring extensive emergency work to prevent environmental site damage resulting from facilities that AltEn had poorly maintained.

Former Sen. Al Davis, a member of the group formed this year to coordinate research efforts and community response to AltEn, said the report also shows the company never received more than written reprimand and empty threats of enforcement that were never carried out.

That is an indictment of state regulators who, by failure to take forceful action against the company, heightened a disaster that could have been mitigated had they been shut down earlier.

The plan, Davis said, brings into focus the extent of the environmental damage and human-health risks inflicted on Nebraska by AltEn as it proposes action to be taken to clean up the plant and the pollution.

Specifically, it calls for consolidating three wet cake piles into a single location on the AltEn grounds where the giant heap would be covered -- by what, the plan does not say -- and work done to collect any water that would come into contact with wet cake.

That would serve as storage until the group can determine how to dispose of the wet cake, either by incineration, taking it to a landfill or incorporating it into a cement kiln.

With any of those options, the plan, which will soon be open for public comment and will be the subject of a yet-to-be-scheduled public hearing, should require the disposal to be done in the safest possible manner and take into consideration concerns raised by the Perivallon Group, such as the need for containment underneath the giant pile to prevent leaching of the water in the wet cake to the ground.

Any plan that receives approval should also address off-site clean up of polluted soil and water. Farmers and landowners deserve to know what will be done to restore and protect their property and not see their interests put on the back burner in the clean up effort.

The plan and its ramifications also should be used by the Legislature next year to contribute to a detailed examination of the AltEn disaster and the regulatory actions of NDEE, either by a special committee as proposed by Sen. Carol Blood or the Natural Resources Committee.

The Legislature this year banned the use of pesticide-treated seed at ethanol plants, eliminating the direct cause of the AltEn pollution. The results of the legislative committee study should lead to legislation to strengthen enforcement and address other ethanol production issues to ensure that another such disaster can never again happen in the state.

Omaha World-Herald. Nov. 3, 2021.

Editorial: Contenders for Nebraska governor must demonstrate vision, leadership

Nebraska has the lowest unemployment rate in the nation, a mere 2.2%. It seems like great news, but the number also shouts that Nebraska has a severe labor shortage that weighs heavily on the states economy.

Many companies face major obstacles in delivering service at the needed level. The situation hinders businesses growth opportunities. This problem affects a broad range of the states economy: We have too few truck drivers and welders, not enough restaurant workers and nurses, shortages of contractors and software writers.

This labor scarcity hinders the growth potential for Nebraska communities. Indeed, for some communities it casts a shadow over their long-term survival.

Nebraska has a gubernatorial election next year. Its a crucial moment for the states future. Campaigning has already begun. Surely the candidates TV ads and public statements call for collaborative statewide strategies to lift Nebraskas economy and in the process address the labor shortage, right? No. Candidates so far are displaying little attention to the workforce issue.

We noted here recently that when 400 business leaders met in Kearney as part of the Blueprint Nebraska economic planning process, they named housing affordability and availability as the No. 1 concern statewide. Its a huge problem affecting the states urban areas and rural communities alike. During 2010-20, some 26 Nebraska counties saw their housing supplies shrink, and only five counties grew their housing supply at a significant rate when measured against population growth.

So, the TV ads and public statements from gubernatorial hopefuls include economic approaches that can help address this concern, correct? No; only silence so far on that concern too.

What some candidates have focused on  intently  is critical race theory. Will Nebraskas gubernatorial contest head down the same path as Virginias? That state held its gubernatorial election Tuesday, and political analysts pointed to critical race theory as a central issue.

Focusing on hot-button culture-war issues revs up voter anger, no question. Maybe such a political strategy can help a candidate win an election. But an aspirant for Nebraska governor would far better serve the state by doing something altogether different: Demonstrate the ability to bring Nebraskans together  urban, rural, from all backgrounds  to address our long-term needs.

Needs such as boosting the states ability to attract and retain newcomers. Housing affordability. Broadband access. Property tax solutions. Support for startups and entrepreneurs. Strategies to help small towns. Nurturing a welcoming atmosphere for all.

A particular word sums up the essential quality a candidate needs: leadership.

What defines leadership in regard to a governor? A maturity to look beyond short-term, self-serving political tactics and to focus on a states long-term needs. An enthusiasm for promoting consensus and collaboration  not ill will and division  to help the state move forward together. An ability to manage the large-scale apparatus of state government. A determination to build constructive government partnerships with sectors including private industry, the education community and nonprofits.

In Nebraska, a governor can serve up to eight years at a stretch. Thats a tremendous amount of time to affect the states future. Candidates have an obligation to set out their vision, up front, for Nebraska. Candidates who fail to do that disrespect the voters.

Gubernatorial contenders in 2022 must demonstrate they qualify for an all-important title: a public-spirited leader.

North Platte Telegraph. Nov. 7, 2021.

Editorial: Back opportunity for cattle growers and community

In The Telegraphs inaugural issue, founding Editor James McNulty declared that 15-year-old North Platte would develop into a populous and prosperous city and his newspaper will do all possible to hasten it.

Two columns away in that first issue of April 14, 1881, was an opinion of western cattle  specifically, Nebraska and Wyoming cattle reprinted from a British journal.

It said they come to market in very good condition, dressing a large amount of lean meat, and are therefore a desirable beast for the retail trades of our (British) cities.

This is cattle country. Our cattle growers feed the world. This hasnt changed in 140 years.

The Telegraph is for the prosperity and well-being of the people of North Platte, Lincoln County and west central Nebraska. Thats been a constant since 1881, too.

Nothing could be more natural than to say yes when our cattle producers propose to slaughter and process their animals here in North Platte and sell their beef here and all over the world.

So, yes, The Telegraph wants Sustainable Beef LLC to succeed. We believe our city officials should wisely  but definitively  lend what help they can so it might succeed.

Having lent organizers $1 million in Quality Growth Funds in August to aid their planning, the City Council finally has been officially asked to sell Sustainable Beef a retired sewer lagoon and grant $21.5 million in tax increment financing to prepare it for construction.

Barring serious last-minute surprises, the council should say yes Dec. 7 after the last of two public hearings between now and then.

We say this, as McNulty did and despite what some unhappy with this project might think, free of what our founder called liaisons with any clique, clan or faction.

We, as a city, county and region, have so very much to gain. As do our local cattle growers.

They are not faraway corporate elites. They are our own people, as our residents are.

For the benefit of all, we repeat the following:

 City Council approval does not  repeat, does not  mean this project is 100% guaranteed to happen.

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy  on behalf of or in conjunction with federal agencies  must hold hearings and decide whether Sustainable Beef gets a license to slaughter a single head.

 Yes, the state has no such application yet. Why? Because Sustainable Beef hasnt wrapped up its financing, doesnt have a signed construction contract and doesnt even yet own the place where it wants to build.

 Unless beef-plant organizers can accomplish the first two things, the old sewer lagoon wont change hands. Period. Thats in the redevelopment plan now before the city.

 That plan says the beef plant must go up on the west end of the 80-acre lagoon site, as far away as possible from the three households east near the Platte River forks.

 And it says the 8- to 10-feet-deep lagoon  which flooding in that area has not touched  must be built up so the processing floor is 5 feet higher than nearby Newberry Access. That road hasnt flooded, either.

What earthly sense would it make for Sustainable Beef to invest $325 million without making its plant as flood-proof as possible?

 Finally, the sale-and-TIF proposal requires Sustainable Beef to use the most up-to-date odor-control equipment. Thats for all of us.

That equipment has been in use for four years at CS Beef Packers in Kuna, Idaho. Our mayor, two councilmen and a Planning Commission member just went there for their own smell tests. One of our reporters went along.

Remember that our winds come from the northwest much of the year. North Plattes easternmost homes, both current and planned, are about a mile northwest of the lagoon.

In Kuna, our reporter and city officials smelled little at about that distance upwind.

Our would-be plant might smell now and then. But Nebraskans long have had a phrase for agricultural odors: the smell of money.

If Sustainable Beef never builds, the city will still own an empty sewer lagoon and our cattle-growing neighbors will have to repay the QGF planning loans.

Do we think enough of our tireless Nebraska ranchers, farmer-feeders and feedlot owners to bet on their success and what it can bring our city, county and region?

We do. So should you.

END

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP)  One of three men shot in the parking lot of a Sioux Falls business over the weekend has died of his injuries, police said at a briefing Monday.

A 37-year-old man died at a hospital where he was taken following the shooting outside a restaurant early Sunday morning, police spokesman Sam Clemens said.

Clemens says one person fired an undetermined amount of shots after there was a disagreement between two groups of about 40 people outside Gilibertos. The man who died has not been identified.

Clemens said dozens of people witnessed the shooting and others were recording the incident as well as what led up to the dispute. However, no arrests have been made.

The two other victims are a 26-year-old man who had a wound to his leg and a 29-year-old man who had a wound to his arm, Clemens said.

All three men were from Sioux Falls, according to police.

Various vehicles in the parking lot were damaged in the gunfire, Clemens said. Police are not yet releasing the number of shots fired or amount of shell casings found.

Police pursued a vehicle through central Sioux Falls after the driver of the vehicle attempted to hit a police officer while fleeing the scene, Clemens said.

A 20-year-old man is accused of aggravated assault on law enforcement, aggravated eluding, fleeing police and resisting arrest, according to police.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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The mother of a second-grade boy in Kade Reiman's class said her son could talk with Reiman about anything. "He had a really big impact on his students." Reiman also coached high school football in Palmyra.
BEIJING (AP)  Wang Yaping has become the first Chinese woman to conduct a spacewalk as part of a six-month mission to the countrys space station.

Fellow astronaut Zhai Zhigang left the stations main module on Sunday evening and Wang followed later. They installed equipment and carried out tests alongside the stations robotic service arm, according to the China Manned Space Agency. The spacewalk lasted until early Monday.

The third member of the crew, Ye Guangfu, assisted from inside the station, CMS said on its website.

Wang, 41, and Zhai, 55, had both traveled to Chinas now-retired experimental space stations, and Zhai conducted Chinas first spacewalk 13 years ago.

The three are the second crew on the permanent station, and the mission that began with their arrival Oct. 16 is scheduled to be the longest stretch of time in space yet for Chinese astronauts.

The Tianhe module of the station will be connected next year to two more sections named Mengtian and Wentian. The completed station will weigh about 66 tons, much smaller than the International Space Station, which launched its first module in 1998 and weighs around 450 tons.

Three spacewalks are planned to install equipment in preparation for the station's expansion, while the crew will also assess living conditions in the Tianhe module and conduct experiments in space medicine and other fields.

Chinas military-run space program plans to send multiple crews to the station over the next two years to make it fully functional.

Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya was the first woman to walk in space in 1984. Kathryn Sullivan became the first American woman to do so later the same year.

In 2019, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch participated in the first all-female spacewalk to replace a faulty power control unit outside the International Space Station. The walk lasted more than seven hours.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Hundreds if not thousands of migrants sought to storm the border from Belarus into Poland on Monday, cutting razor wire fences and using branches to try and climb over them. The siege escalated a crisis along the European Union's eastern border that has been simmering for months.

Poland's interior ministry said it had rebuffed the illegal invasion and claimed the situation was under control. The Defense Ministry posted a video showing an armed Polish officer using a chemical spray through a fence at men who were trying to cut the razor wire. Some migrants threw objects at police. Video footage from Belarusian media showed people using long wooden poles or branches to try to get past a border fence as police helicopters circled overhead.

Defense Ministry video taken later Monday showed the migrants settling in for the night by the border, having put up scores of tents and cooking meals.

A coordinated attempt to massively enter the territory of the Republic of Poland by migrants used by Belarus for the hybrid attacks against Poland has just begun, a spokesman for Poland's security forces, Stanislaw Zaryn, said in a statement.

Noting that it's also NATO's eastern border, Zaryn stressed that the large groups of migrants ... are fully controlled by the Belarusian security services and army. He accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of acting to destabilize Poland and other EU countries to pressure the bloc into dropping its sanctions on Minsk. Those sanctions were put into place after Belarus cracked down brutally on democracy protests.

Piotr Mueller, Poland's government spokesperson, said 3,000 to 4,000 migrants were next to the Polish border on the Belarusian side.

Polish border officials said the border crossing in Kuznica, in the northeast, will be closed early Tuesday.

There was no way to independently verify what was happening. Journalists have limited ability to operate in Belarus and a state of emergency in Poland is keeping reporters and human rights workers out of the border area.

The massing of people at the border appeared to rev up the crisis that has being going on for months in which the autocratic regime of Belarus has encouraged migrants from the Mideast and elsewhere to illegally enter the European Union, at first through Lithuania and Latvia and now primarily through Poland.

Anton Bychkovsky, spokesman for Belarus State Border Guard Committee, told The Associated Press that the migrants at the border are seeking to exercise their right to apply for refugee status in the EU. Bychkovsky insisted they are not a security threat.

But the massive group was viewed as a threat by Poland and other European countries, including Germany  the main destination for many. Steffen Seibert, German Chancellor Angela Merkels spokesman, told reporters Monday that the Belarusian regime is acting as a human trafficker.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on the bloc's 27 nations to approve extended sanctions on the Belarusian authorities responsible for this hybrid attack.

She said two top EU officials  EU Commission vice president Margaritis Schinas and EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell  will travel to the main countries of origin for the migrants to ensure that they act to prevent their own nationals from falling into the trap set by the Belarusian authorities.

The EU said it hoped that Poland would finally accept help from Frontex, the blocs border agency, a step that Polands ruling nationalists have so far refused to do. Frontex would not comment Monday on the border situation.

Bix Aliu, the U.S. charge d'affaires in Warsaw, tweeted that Lukashenkos regime was risking the migrants' lives and using them to escalate the border crisis and provoke Poland. He demanded an immediate end to the hostile actions by Belarus.

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Twitter that more than 12,000 soldiers have been deployed to the border and a volunteer Territorial Defense force was put on alert. He also posted video footage of what appeared to be a large group of migrants in Belarus, near Kuznica.

Polish ministers held an emergency meeting on the border crisis, with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki writing on Facebook that Poland's border is sacred and not just a line on the map."

Poland's deputy foreign minister, Pawel Jablonski held talks with Iraqi charge d'affaires Hussein al-Safi on ways of ending the migration crisis and thanked Iraq for having Belarus close its consulates in Baghdad and Irbil that were giving tourist visas to migrants.

Meanwhile, in Poland's EU neighbor Lithuania, officials were preparing for the possibility of a similar incursion, with the Interior Ministry proposing to declare an emergency situation.

We are getting ready for all possible scenarios, said Rustamas Liubajevas, the head of Lithuania's border guards.

Since the summer, Poland and Lithuania have seen thousands of migrants from the Mideast and Africa trying to cross into the EU. Poland has sought to block the attempts or send those they catch back into Belarus.

Belarusian political analyst Valery Karbalevich told the AP that the Moscow-backed Lukashenko regime seemed to be trying to use the migrants to scare the EU.

The largest attack of migrants on EU borders is taking place three days after Belarus and Russia signed a new agreement on military cooperation. The Kremlin is at least aware of the details of whats happening, Karbalevich said.



Daria Litvinova in Moscow, Yuras Karmanau in Kyiv, Ukraine, Jan M. Olsen in Copehagen, Denmark, Liudas Dapkus in Vilnius, Lithuania, and Lorne Cook and Samuel Petrequin in Brussels contributed.



Follow all AP stories on global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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ISLAMABAD (AP)  Pakistan said Monday it has lifted a ban on a radical Islamist party behind a violent anti-France protest last month that triggered clashes with police, leaving six officers and four demonstrators dead.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Security researchers disclosed Monday that spyware from the notorious Israeli hacker-for-hire company NSO Group was detected on the cellphones of six Palestinian human rights activists, half affiliated with groups that Israels defense minister controversially claimed were involved in terrorism.

The revelation marks the first known instance of Palestinian activists being targeted by the military-grade Pegasus spyware. Its use against journalists, rights activists and political dissidents from Mexico to Saudi Arabia has been documented since 2015.

A successful Pegasus infection surreptitiously gives intruders access to everything a person stores and does on their phone, including real-time communications.

It's not clear who placed the NSO spyware on the activists phones, said the researcher who first detected it, Mohammed al-Maskati of the nonprofit Frontline Defenders. The hacking began in July 2020, according to researchers.

Shortly after the first two intrusions were identified in mid-October, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz declared six Palestinian civil society groups to be terrorist organizations. Ireland-based Frontline Defenders and at least two of the victims say they consider Israel the main suspect and believe the designation may have been timed to try to overshadow the hacks discovery, though they have provided no evidence to substantiate those assertions.

Israel has provided little evidence publicly to support the terrorism designation, which the Palestinian groups say aims to dry up their funding and muzzle opposition to Israeli military rule. Three of the hacked Palestinians work for the civil society groups. The others do not, and wish to remain anonymous, Frontline Defenders says.

The forensic findings, independently confirmed by security researchers from Amnesty International and the University of Torontos Citizen Lab in a joint technical report, come as NSO Group faces growing condemnation over the abuse of its spyware and Israel takes heat for lax oversight of its digital surveillance industry.

Last week, the Biden administration blacklisted the NSO Group and a lesser-known Israeli competitor, Candiru, barring them from U.S. technology.

Asked about the allegations its software was used against the Palestinian activists, NSO Group said in a statement that it does not identify its customers for contractual and national security reasons, is not privy to whom they hack and sells only to government agencies for use against serious crime and terror.

An Israeli defense official said in a brief statement that the designation of the six organizations was based on solid evidence and that any claim it is related to the use of NSO software is unfounded. The statement had no other details, and officials declined requests for further comment. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters.

Israels Defense Ministry approves the export of spyware produced by NSO Group and other private Israeli companies that recruit from the countrys top cyber-capable military units. Critics say the process is opaque.

It's not known precisely when or how the phones were violated, the security researchers said. But four of the six hacked iPhones exclusively used SIM cards issued by Israeli telecom companies with Israeli +972 area code numbers, said the Citizen Lab and Amnesty researchers. That led them to question claims by NSO Group that exported versions of Pegasus cannot be used to hack Israeli phone numbers. NSO Group has also said it doesnt target U.S. numbers.

Among those hacked was Ubai Aboudi, a 37-year-old economist and U.S. citizen. He runs the seven-person Bisan Center for Research and Development in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, one of the six groups Gantz slapped with terrorist designations on Oct. 22.

The other two hacked Palestinians who agreed to be named are researcher Ghassan Halaika of the Al-Haq rights group and attorney Salah Hammouri of Addameer, also a human rights organization. The other three designated groups are Defense for Children International-Palestine, the Union of Palestinian Womens Committees and the Union of Agricultural Work Committees.

Aboudi said he lost any sense of safety through the dehumanizing hack of a phone that is at his side day and night and holds photos of his three children. He said his wife, the first three nights after learning of the hack, didnt sleep from the idea of having such deep intrusions into our privacy.

He was especially concerned about eavesdroppers being privy to his communications with foreign diplomats. The researchers' examination of Aboudis phone determined it was infected by Pegasus in February.

Aboudi accused Israel of sticking the terrorist logo on the groups after failing to persuade European governments and others to cut off financial support.

Israel says the groups are linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a leftist political faction with an armed wing that has killed Israelis. Israel and Western governments consider the PFLP a terror group. Aboudi served a 12-month sentence last year after being convicted of charges of involvement in the PFLP but denies ever belonging to the group.

Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler, a legal expert at the Israel Democracy Institute, called the findings really disturbing, especially if it is proven that Israel's security agencies, who are largely exempt from the country's privacy laws, have been using NSO Group's commercial spyware.

This actually complicates the relationship of the government with NSO," said Altshuler, if the government is indeed both a client and regulator in a relationship conducted under secrecy.

Aboudi, along with representatives from Al-Haq and Addameer, held a press conference in the occupied West Bank on Monday in which they condemned the hacks as an attack on civil society. Addameer director Sahar Francis called for an international investigation.

Of course we are not going to close our organizations, Francis said. We will continue our work, continue providing services.

The executive director of Frontline Defenders, Andrew Anderson, said the NSO Group cannot be trusted to ensure its spyware is not used illegally by its customers and says Israel should face international reproach if it does not bring the company to heel.

If the Israeli government refuses to take action then this should have consequences in terms of the regulation of trade with Israel, he said via email.

Al-Maskati, the researcher who discovered the hacks, said he was first alerted on Oct. 16 by Halaika, whose phone was determined to have been hacked in July 2020. Al-Haq engages in sensitive communications with the International Criminal Court, among others, involving alleged human rights abuses.

As human rights defenders living under occupation, we expect it was the (Israeli) occupation, Halaika said when asked who he believed was behind the hack.

The phone of the third named hacking victim, Hammouri, was apparently compromised in April, the researchers said. A dual French national living in Jerusalem, Hammouri previously served a seven-year sentence for security offenses, and Israel considers him a PFLP operative, allegations he denies.

Hammouri declined to speculate who was behind the hack, saying we have to determine who had the ability and who had the motive.

After Halaika alerted him, Al-Maskati said he scanned 75 phones of Palestinian activists, finding the six infections. He could not determine how the phones were hacked, he said, though the timeline of evidence encountered indicated the use of a so-called iMessage zero-click exploit NSO Group used on iPhones. The exploit is highly effective, requiring no user intervention, as phishing attempts typically do.

Facebook has sued NSO Group over the use of a somewhat similar exploit that allegedly intruded via its globally popular encrypted WhatsApp messaging app. A U.S. federal appeals court issued a ruling on Monday rejecting an effort by NSO Group to have the lawsuit thrown out.

A snowballing of new revelations about the hacking of public figures  including Hungarian investigative journalists, the fiancee of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and an ex-wife of the ruler of Dubai  has occurred since a consortium of international news organizations reported in July on a list of possible NSO Group surveillance targets. The list was obtained from an unnamed source by Amnesty International and the Paris-based journalism nonprofit Forbidden Stories. Among those listed was an Associated Press journalist.



Bajak reported from Lima, Peru. Associated Press writer Alan Suderman in Richmond, Virginia, 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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Tiny leaks, big impacts: New research points to urban indoor methane leaks

Posted on 8 November 2021 by Guest Author

This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Daniel Grossman

Methane, the major component of natural gas, punches way above its weight when it comes to damaging the climate. Humans send less than half a billion tons of methane into the air every year, only one percent of the amount of carbon dioxide we spew from our cars, homes and factories. Yet methane is responsible for about 20 percent of global warming. This fact should motivate humanity to reduce our reliance on natural gas as a fuel as quickly as possible and, in the meantime, plug even small leaks in the existing natural gas system from wells to gas-burning appliances, says Marc Fischer, a scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Researchers in Boston have been studying methane leakage in urban areas for eight years and the pandemic gave them a unique natural experiment to compare methane levels during the lockdown with those from normal activity. Publication of their findings this month give ammunition to scientists who have long contended that much more gas is leaking from city sources than has been widely believed. The findings suggest also that far more natural gas is seeping out from pipes and appliances in buildings than previously thought, and that slowing global warming requires fixing these leaks as soon as possible or, possibly, phasing the fuel out faster than policy makers are planning.

One strategy, said Maryann Sargent, a climate scientist at Harvard University and lead author of the new paper, might be to stop connecting new buildings to gas lines. If you stop consuming, you stop emitting, she said. You could have more of an impact than you might think in reducing methane emissions now.

Indoor stoves, heaters, ovens and gas-powered appliances

For thousands of years methane generated by human endeavors has wafted into the air. Rice paddies and cattle produce it. Farming obviously still emits methane today. But the largest source now is production and distribution of natural gas (which is 90% methane) and, to a lesser extent, coal mining and oil. Natural gas usage is growing fast both in the U.S. and abroad, adding urgency to efforts to prevent leakage. Climate researchers have warned about methane leaks from gas wells, pipelines, and other fossil fuel production and transportation infrastructure. But methane emissions from urban sources in buildings  for instance, stoves, ovens, heaters, and other gas-fired appliances inside homes and business  have not been on most experts radar.

Sargents latest research could change that. In 2020, soon after the first reported Covid-19 deaths in the United States, Boston University sent home its 34,000 students and the vast majority of its 10,000 staff members. Along with BUs several hundred buildings, BUs Tsai Performance Center, near the center of the urban campus, locked its doors, but an electric pump kept drawing exterior air into the Tsai Center through a thin hose that snaked from the roof to a device called a gas concentration analyzer measuring the amount of methane in Bostons air. The setup was part of Sargents study of how much natural gas escapes into the air around the city from appliances and the fuels labyrinthine supply network of indoor plumbing and underground pipelines.

Sargents research team included colleagues from BU, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Environmental Defense Fund, and other Harvard scientists. They analyzed methane measurements taken at BU and three other Boston-area sites. Sargent said the research record, much longer than that of any similar study, gave the team a unique view of emissions trends. It kind of tells a story, she says, offering researchers new insights into the location of leaks in Boston.

COVID pandemic opened way for new analysis, understanding

Before the pandemic year, the long-term experiment was already on course to support a dawning realization that cities are an important source of natural gas releases, and to give some clues about where leaks occur. But the unprecedented global health crisis supplied an additional vein of data they hadnt expected. The Covid quarantines enabled a clever natural experiment that probed how much gas escapes inside buildings such as those around the BU campus. When the pandemic closed the university, less natural gas leaked into the air. That result would not be expected if emissions leakage of methane inside buildings were negligible, as regulators have generally assumed.

The study could suggest new ideas for reducing leakage and avenues for further investigation, and it shows that many familiar objects around us are more threatening to the planet than has been imagined.

Thats a marvelous result, said Fischer, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory scientist, when he heard about the Covid findings. Fisher has spent more than a decade researching natural gas leakage.

He gave three cheers for the additional evidence that a large share of the unwanted, or fugitive emissions in Boston  and, by extension, in other cities  arise not only from leaky pipelines under streets, the usual suspect, but also from a combination of utility distribution equipment previously considered blameless and sources inside buildings.

Science at work: How the study was conducted

One day back in 2012, Fischer explains, he propped open the oak Arts and Crafts front door of his house, a couple of miles from downtown Berkeley. With help from Toby Haass Walpert, an undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, Fischer fitted a heavy-duty nylon panel known as a blower door into the frame, completely blocking the passage.

The scientist and student switched on a fan secured to the cloth barrier like a window-mounted air conditioner. It blew air out of the house, creating negative pressure and preventing gasses inside the house from seeping out from anywhere other than through the blower door. For the next hour the scientist and student measured methane in the fans slipstream. They turned the kitchen stove on and off and, for calibration purposes, released a standardized puff of methane from a tank.

Fischer and Walperts investigations were the first serious attempt to determine how much natural gas leaks out of residential homes. The results surprised them.

Most of the effort to stanch natural gas leakage in the United States focuses on wells, processing facilities, and the 300,000 miles of high-capacity pipeline. According to one well-regarded assessment of methane emissions from the U.S. oil and gas supply chain, 12 million tons of natural gas, or about 2.5 percent of production, escape each year from this infrastructure before arriving in urban areas.

Utility interests and regulators long have insisted that, compared to releases in the production and long-distance transport of natural gas, urban leakage is small. Their argument relies on the inventory method for estimating leaks, a procedure only an accountant could love. Leakage from each component in a citys gas distribution network, including every mile of pipeline and every valve and gas meter, is estimated and tallied up. Regulators usually dont even bother to include emissions occurring inside residences and commercial buildings, which they have considered very low.

A calculation of leaks using the inventory method with data published by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection determines that 0.4 percent of the natural gas supplied to the states urban distribution network escapes: Its a small figure compared to losses in long-distance production and transport of natural gas. But Sargent says that her research shows that the inventory method low-balls fugitive urban emissions. It also suggests that a large share of the uncounted urban emissions might emerge from inside buildings. To come to that conclusion, she and her colleagues used a distinctly different technique.

For more than a decade, some researchers have studied urban leaks by making direct measurements of the amount of methane in urban air. Their results have raised doubts about inventory studies and have caused concern that large leaks in urban areas have been overlooked. For instance, one paper that made direct air measurements found that 1 percent to 2 percent of the natural gas entering the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., region escapes into the air: Thats about 10 times as much as the inventory method suggests.

Sargent says calculating emissions by measuring methane in ambient air is complicated. She and her colleagues set up a network of ambient detectors, built a computer model of the air flow around Boston, and collected a huge database of known methane sources, including the natural (such as marshes) and human-made (such as landfills).

The investigators established background levels of methane  levels unaffected by local gas leaks  with tower-mounted detectors set up at two rural sites just outside the metropolis. Using fine-grained meteorological records, the scientists modeled step-by-step paths of hypothetical air parcels transiting from the regions outskirts to the detector at BU, and another on top of a downtown skyscraper. At increments in the simulated trips, the researchers boosted the methane in the made-up parcels by the amount that would be gained from the actual gas sources at those geographic locations. When simulated portions of air hypothetically arrived at a detector, they should have contained as much methane as actual gas measured there, assuming all methane sources had been properly inventoried.

Efforts to reduce leaks under streets didnt make difference in atmosphere  Why?

But the simulated methane figures didnt match up with actual measurements. There must be unknown sources somewhere. To make the numbers work, the scientists determined that 2.5% of natural gas delivered to Boston must escape into the air, six times the amount suggested by figures used by Massachusetts regulators.

We know this is coming from the natural gas system, Sargent says. Yet we dont know what part of the system is leaking. However, in addition to the results from the Covid shutdown, the researchers paper does provide some clues.

Over the eight years examined, Bostons annual average emissions remained level, despite substantial efforts by utilities to plug distribution leaks under streets. Between 2012 and 2019, utilities replaced 1,000 miles of antiquated cast and wrought iron mains with modern plastic pipe. And guess what, says Sargent, it didnt make any difference in the atmosphere. We cant even see the impact of it. This conclusion suggests that leaky pipes and valves buried underground might be only a part, perhaps a small part, of the problem, she says.

Seasonal trends tell the same story. The authors of the new research found that leakage increases in winter, when natural gas usage, for heating buildings, is highest, and declines in summer. Thats kind of a sign that maybe we shouldnt actually be looking at the pipeline system in terms of the biggest sources of natural gas losses, says Sargent. Distribution mains are pressurized year-round, she explains. If distribution pipes were the only big source of fugitive emissions, leakage would not change much between seasons.

The Boston research points to the probability of considerable leakage from residential and commercial buildings, though the researchers say there are probably also uncharted leaks in the urban distribution network.

Evidence leads to greater investigation

Fischer says he has been expecting results like this for years. When he studied his house in 2012, he noted that nearly 1 percent of the natural gas supplied to it escaped. Whoa, we should look at some other houses, he recalls thinking. A few years later, he surveyed natural gas escaping from a sampling of 75 California houses.

He and colleagues at Lawrence Berkeley reported in a 2018 paper that on average, California homes lose 0.5 percent of their natural gas, a figure far higher than generally assumed at that time. Thats one-sixth of Californias leaked natural gas, or 35,000 tons of methane.

Natalie Pekney, an environmental engineer at the National Energy Technology Laboratory, was intrigued when she read these findings. Maybe this does merit further investigation, she thought. Maybe it could be something thats significant. She and a coauthor later published their own paper highlighting evidence that sizable amounts of natural gas escapes from houses.

Fischers own house leaked more natural gas than almost any he ever found: Not enough to be a health or safety risk, but not so good for the planet. He blames the high losses in his house on an outdated stove with inefficient pilot lights and a tankless water heater that expelled a lot of gas before the flame takes when turned on. He has since shut off his pilot lights.

Not as much attention has been given yet to commercial establishments, such as restaurants, but Sargent says she thinks theyre also part of the problem. The pandemic decline in methane leaks around BU, a neighborhood crammed with offices, restaurants, and laboratories, suggests that leakages come from operation of appliances. If the worst offenders could be identified, perhaps they could be repaired or redesigned.

Or, maybe we have to just move away from natural gas altogether, Sargent says. Thats what Fischer is planning. Hes installing solar panels that, along with electricity sourced from non-fossil fuel generation, will halt reliance on natural gas.
While researching the leadership journeys of Black women in academia, psychologist Kecia M. Thomas, now dean of the college of arts and sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, noticed an unsettling theme repeating itself in the interviews she conducted. At the beginning of their careers, the women she spoke to said they believed they were well liked, if tokenized or overprotected by colleagues. But as they began to push for opportunities to grow or expand their roles, the benevolent tolerance they had enjoyed transformed into pushback, if not outright hostility. Thomas dubbed that transformation the pet to threat phenomenon. In an interview with Zora magazine, she explained that the inflection point most often came just as the women she spoke to were in a position for promotion or leadership. Thats when women are probably most vulnerable to getting recast as threatening, because their colleagues are pushing back on the person legitimately exerting their influence in the workplace, she said.

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This kind of experiencewhich results in justified paranoia and hypervigilance being layered on top of the double consciousness W.E.B. Du Bois describedis just one aspect of what Black women in predominantly white workplaces of all kinds endure. Cultural differences and unspoken norms can create the sense that colleagues are speaking on a frequency that requires a lobotomy to tune into. The hypervisibility that comes with being the only one can lead to constant second-guessing of our instincts. One unexpectedly chilly interaction or terse email can suddenly reframe an entire work relationship, slipping you into a parallel inverse universe where every kindness was actually a veiled attempt at sabotage. This anxiety-inducing, disturbing experience is fertile ground for horror, and would make the perfect basis for a thriller novel. Thats why its so disappointing that two recent books that attempt to unpack the unique dilemmas faced by Black women in the workplace fall flat.

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These novels, Zakiya Dalila Harris The Other Black Girl and Wanda M. Morris All Her Little Secrets, do include familiar office microaggressionssubtle slights like being forced to engage in code-switching, or being mistaken for another Black colleague. But they both miss an opportunity to explore, through the eyes of a character who has an awareness of the chilling nature of her experience and her interactions with white antagonists, the deeper levels of mundane yet terrifying psychological warfare that Black women experience in white workplaces.

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All Her Little Secrets tells the story of Ellice Littlejohn, a Black woman raised in poverty who has become the assistant general counsel for Houghton Transportation Company and is having an extramarital affair with her boss, Michael. After finding her lovers dead body and failing to call the police, shes offered his role. Despite her many misgivings, Michaels still-warm body, and the fact that her promotion is clearly a ploy to appease the protesters who have been decrying Houghtons discriminatory hiring practices, she accepts the offer.

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Its in the executive suite that Ellice realizes how deep the rot at Houghton goes, though fascinatingly enough her status as the only Black person in the entire legal department didnt previously offer her a clue that something may be amiss. From there, All Her Little Secrets offers a fairly straightforward, race-bent take on a typical legal conspiracy thriller. Anyone whos read a John Grisham novel will be familiar with the broad strokes. There are shady dealings at Houghton that Michael was murdered to cover up. Theres blackmail. There are at least two other murders besides Michaels. And theres also a white supremacist brotherhood dedicated to recruiting pure race executives and leaders.

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Ellice, despite having a law degree and being a Black woman in white corporate America, displays a stunning lack of self-preservation that veers into the fantastic. When one of her (smarter) friends asks her if shes safe at Houghton, Ellice responds, Im their token Black person in the C-suite. Nobody will touch me, at least not until they can get off those protestors. Im safe. This is quickly and predictably proved to be false. At one point, a young Ellicea Black woman who grew up in the South in the immediate aftermath of the civil rights movementsays of her abusive white police officer stepfather, I dont understand how he can be so mean if hes supposed to be a police officer. Her naivete about the ways in which racism operates in her workplace and the larger world isnt just unrealisticit denies the reader the experience of feeling horrified by it.

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The Other Black Girl has similar flaws. Its the story of Nella Rogers, an editorial assistant at Wagner Books, who begins to suspect that her new Black colleague, Hazel, might not be who she says she is. The sense of being a fraud in the face of Hazels more authentic Blackness is one of the books more interesting themes. Nella grieves the fact that she didnt have a close Black friend until after college, asking herself whether she shouldve tried harder to join the Black Student Association. But the reader cant help but notice that Nella seems to cherish her status as the only one, even as her bosses tone-deafness occasionally frustrates her. Its never clear if were supposed to sympathize with Nellas plight, or if lines that describe her soul as sounding a lot like Angela Davis are intended to endear her to us or make us cringe.

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That lack of clarity extends to the plot, which can be described, at best, as politically confused. Quickly after Hazels arrival, Nella receives a note that reads LEAVE WAGNER. NOW.* As Nella grapples with the threat, Hazel begins to ascend through the company ranks, primarily by undercutting Nella. Subplots, including the story of two Black women at Wagner decades earlier, quickly reveal that Hazels actions arent driven by a simple crabs-in-a-barrel mentality, which might have made for a more thoughtful conclusion. Instead there are murky (and underexplained) forces at play here, forces that ultimately deny Hazel her agency. No Black woman would ever do that to another Black woman, Harris writes, wrapping a broad, ahistorical generalization in the seductive logic of solidarity. Not without being deeply, deeply disturbed. Not while seeming so down. So human.

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Those same forces eventually offer Nella a choice: her career or her identity. The choice is a false one, but its unclear if the author is aware of that. While Nella and Hazel contend with impossible decisions, the structure that made those decisions necessary remains the sameif not more powerful, with its tokens safely secured.

Most of all, neither The Other Black Girl nor All Her Little Secrets has much to say about escaping what Tobi Haslett has called the shivering, conflicted existence that Black professionals, and Black women especially, face. And both books are entirely uninterested in perhaps the most important element for a Black office novel: white antagonists. Both Ellices and Nellas colleagues are painted in the broadest possible strokes, spouting off lines that seem pulled from a viral tweet that starts with You wont believe what my white co-worker just said. The lack of depth defangs any tension that arises, stripping these stories of the layers of fear and anxiety that could make them truly scary and leaving the readers with what is at times boring. Of course, racism is often boringa white man wants to say the N-word, a white woman considers her plight the same as her Black counterparts. Wash, rinse, repeat. But the feeling that every single interaction holds the potential for harm can be terrifying at the same time, as can the ingrained knowledge that your hypervigilance still cant save you. Im still waiting for a thriller novel about a Black woman at work that makes readers feel that.
On a recent episode of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick spoke to Elizabeth Wydra, president of the Constitutional Accountability Center, about the big cases at the Supreme Court last week concerning abortion and gun rights. The Constitutional Accountability Center is dedicated to the project of using the original text, purpose, and history of the Constitution to achieve progressive outcomes. In a portion of their conversation, transcribed below, Wydra breaks down the history of the protections created in the 14th Amendment. The text has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Dahlia Lithwick: That brings us to Dobbs. And youve already mentioned one really essential thing that I wanted to probethat chattel slavery and bodily autonomy, particularly in women, was very much a part of thinking about the crafting of the 14th Amendment. And to say nobody was thinking about women and their bodies and reproductive rights and families at the time really elides what you are describing as actual text and history. One of the things the Centers been arguing, and I think this is also getting missed in the sort of whirlwind, is the extent to which its not just Roe v. Wade and Casey thats on the hook. Can you talk briefly about what else is in the crosshairs if we start to do away with the idea that what was codified in Griswold, in Roe, in Casey, in Obergefell, if all that is just nonsense that can be swept away?

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Thats not how the Constitution works. Its not a recipe with lists of ingredients.  Elizabeth Wydra

Elizabeth Wydra: Youre exactly right. The 14th Amendment uses broad words. And the first thing we have to do as people who are interpreting, and when judges apply the law, is look at the words because thats whats the law. Theyre sweeping words of the 14th Amendment: equal protection of the law, due process. And when we look at what was meant by that exactly, we look at the concerns about the ways in which fundamental decision-making about the most important facets of your life were denied during chattel slavery. And the rights that are protected in that very broad concept of fundamental liberty include rights that we have seen protected by the Supreme Court, including the right to marry the person whom you love, protected in Obergefell in the marriage equality cases, the right to decide, again, whether, when, and if to have a child, protected in the abortion cases, but also in the cases that protect against state restrictions on contraception. And even, I would say, the right to marry a person of a different race that was protected by the Supreme Court in Loving.

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Im not just saying that because Im a fearmongerer. Im saying that because Jonathan Mitchell, who weve already talked about as one of the major proponents of S.B. 8, has suggested that in his own briefing. And people who are on that side of the S.B. 8 case are suggesting that some of these cases like the ones I just mentioned also could fall if there is a reimagining of the right in Roe. And one of the things that frustrates me when I talk about the Constitution to folks who arent constitutional lawyers is when they say, Well, the word abortion, or the word health care, or Word X is not in the Constitution.

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Thats not how the Constitution works. Its not a recipe with lists of ingredients. You talk about things like equality. And then, of course, what we do is we fight over what the meaning of equality is. So the fact that the word isnt there is something different.

And to bridge the main topics of this term, one of the other things that was included in the kind of 14th Amendment drafters of the idea of this fundamental right to decide for yourself, the fundamental right to have your home and your family of your own choosingand again, I think implicit in that is the right to choose not to have those thingswas, ironically, some protection for the right to have a gun in your home for self-defense. The drafters of the 14th Amendment knew that Black Americans were not being protected by a lot of the white supremacist local authorities, particularly in the Southern states, but it wasnt just limited to there. And so there was an idea that part of freedom and liberty was having the ability to protect yourself from, in that instance, racist terrorism.

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Its really ironic that a lot of this history is being talked about in the Supreme Court in some ways that are not particularly nuanced and not rooted in the whole story of the 14th Amendment. But it does get to some of the problems with looking to history, because thats why its important to start with the words. When it comes to abortion rights, we look at what equal and what the ideas of liberty protected in the 14th Amendment mean.

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And with the gun rights case and the Second Amendment cases, they dont ever really talk about the words so much. There is this idea that bear arms means to carry them around, but youve got to be careful when you look at history because, as was demonstrated in the gun arguments, there are really good arguments on the side of those who look to history and find gun regulations. I think the Scalia idea that all history suggests this broad right to carry a gun is not true. Even Scalia recognized that regulations that cover sensitive places like schools and so forth can stand under even his broad reading of the Second Amendment.

To hear the entire discussion, listen below, or subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.
GoGuardian is a software company that makes, essentially, spyware: software that helps teachers and schools block and monitor what kids are doing online. When a student is using a school-issued Chromebook that has GoGuardian on it, the teacher can see just about everything theyre doing. These technologies have been embraced by teachers and state Departments of Education alike, but students are less enthralled with having their online lives constantly surveilled.

On Fridays episode of What Next: TBD, I spoke with Priya Anand, a tech reporter for Bloomberg who wrote a story on GoGuardian, about the rise of the school surveillance state and the implications of this technology for students mental health and privacy.

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Lizzie OLeary: You wrote for Bloomberg about Pekin Community High School in Illinois, which has been using GoGuardian for three years. Tell me about how the technology is being used there.

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Priya Anand: Teachers can, at the start of class, start whats called a session. They can set the rules for what everyone whos in their class is allowed to do on the computer in a class. Then at the end of class, they also get a report on what everyone was actually doing online while they were in class. That way, they dont have to go around and actually peek behind every single screen.

Its steps further than just saying, OK, YouTube is not allowed. For example, if a student is typing something into a Google doc, it can flag for an administrator that a student typed whatever it might be into their Google doc, and then quickly deleted it, for example.

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GoGuardian has been around since 2014, but the pandemic seems to have really supercharged use by schools and school districts. How is the pandemic fit into this story?

Schools were already giving kids laptops, and the Obama administration had made a push for schools to get into the digital era. But during the pandemic, so many schools that were holdouts or maybe didnt give every single kid a laptop were then thrusting devices into their kids hands and saying, Just keep them and do your stuff all through your computer.

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What was the pitch that GoGuardian made to schools and to districts about why this software should be something that they should invest in?

Administrators told us that for them, it was like sending a teacher home with a kid. With GoGuardiansince teachers can see whats going on on a kids screen, and so can administratorsthey felt like it was akin to having a teacher walk behind a student. They could then see, Johnny is just playing video games all day on a school computer. These three assignments for these classes have not been done. Whats going on? Now we know that this kid is maybe having a hard time because of the pandemic. That was the argument.

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A lot of schools have returned to in-person learning. How are they using these tools now?

What I found really interesting when I visited that school in Pekin, Illinois, was teachers told me that they find GoGuardian more useful when they are in the classroom. For example, they had A days and B days, where every kid came in every other day last year. When kids were at home, they didnt tell them, Sit at your computer eight hours straight. You have math class at 8 a.m., English at 9 a.m. They gave kids assignments. They had to log in for attendance by a certain time, but the assignments were very much complete them as you wish. They also knew that some of their students had taken on jobs to be able to help support their families.

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Since kids werent necessarily in math class at 8 a.m., math teachers didnt want to block things like YouTube, for example, because a kid in a language class might need to watch a Spanish video to do that assignment. But in the classroom, teachers feel like its a great tool for them to be able to say, Nobody is going to open Netflix during my class. Nobody is going to open Minecraft during my class.

What type of reach does this company have? How many kids, how many schools, what kind of numbers are we talking about?

GoGuardian told us that their potential reach is more than 23 million students, which is a pretty sizable portion of the K to 12 population in the U.S. In Delaware and West Virginia, for example, the state Departments of Education signed contracts to offer GoGuardian to all their schools.

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When you talked to parents in Pekin, a lot of them were more than fine with this kind of technology being used on their kids. They compared it with the parental controls that they have at home.

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By and large, it seems like across the country theres not a huge groundswell of parents saying, Stop this now. We dont like this. Dont track our kids online. But there are parents in some pockets of the country, like Montclair, New Jersey, for example, who did protest GoGuardians implementation. The school district sent out a note earlier this year saying, OK, were testing this out. And parents there felt like, Where does the tracking end? Because GoGuardian does have a feature you can turn on thatll track kids on personal devices or family computers at home, if theyre logged into their school account. One of the parents I spoke with was concerned that, do kids have the right anymore to have space to themselves? He said, When I was a teenager, I just wanted to shut the door sometimes and have some time to myself.

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The response from GoGuardian is that they serve a more important purpose than just keeping students on task. The company says its algorithms can detect troubling searches, like content about suicide. The software can then alert administrators about kids whose online behavior might mean theyre experiencing a mental health crisis.

GoGuardian really pitches itself as a tool that can help schools understand kids mental health, possibly slipping to the point of self-harm or harm to others. Being able to track if they search for something that might indicate that they need help.

Is there any evidence that thats true? That these digital red flags have helped schools step in and help kids who are in crisis?

Youd be hard-pressed to find empirical hard evidence by a third-party researcher. But Pekin Community High School, for example, shared anecdotes about how they feel. Even if they catch one kid who might be slipping, they feel its worth it.

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The algorithms that GoGuardian uses are proprietary. If you are using a proprietary software tool in a public school to trigger alerts about some child to parents, administrators, and teachers, it seems tough if the algorithm itself is a black box.

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Critics do say that these companies, their algorithms, operate in a black box. And, if theyre heavily influencing how public schools are handling decisions about children in those schools, there should be more oversight. Its an open question. We dont know how these algorithms actually make these decisions. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, along with two other senators, sent a letter to GoGuardian and a couple of its competitors, asking for more of an explanation on how the algorithms work, and have the companies considered whether their algorithms account for potential bias? Have they considered whether their algorithms could help compound racial disparities in school discipline?

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The letter from Sen. Warren made me wonder a couple of different things. Lets say youre an LGBTQ kid, and youre looking for help online. Or you are Googling some stuff to kind of work through your sexuality, but you havent discussed that with your parents or anyone at school. Then, that gets flagged by the school. That seems like you could put children in a very difficult and uncomfortable position.

Ive talked to privacy experts whove said, What if a kid is Googling something about their identity that theyre not ready to share yet, and administrators and teachers see that? It could either influence their perception of the kid, or their behavior toward the kid, or put the kid in the position of having to explain themselves in a way they might not be ready for.

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You have this line in your story that really stuck with me after I read it. Its, But no one actually knows how well, or even if, these technologies work. What does it mean for this stuff to work? Whats the yardstick?

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More than 80 percent of teachers say that their school uses some kind of monitoring to track what kids are doing online. Among students, that research found that at least 26 percent are not comfortable with it, but the interesting thing is more than 80 percent said they reported being more careful about what I search online when I know what I do online is being monitored. Six in 10 students said that they agree with the statement, I do not share my true thoughts or ideas, because I know what I do online is being monitored. If they know theyre being monitored, but six out of 10 say theyre not sharing how they actually feelthen if the true point is to catch what theyre actually feeling, are you getting there? Is it actually working?

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Are there other equity implications with this technology?

Well, are there schools that dont turn on the extended monitoring that allows them to see what students are doing even on their personal computers? Are there kids out there who are just using their personal computers instead of their school computers? And therefore arent being monitored, because their families are well off enough to get around the fact that their school device is being tracked? Kids whose families cant afford another device for them to do their schoolwork on, are using a school laptop and thus being tracked in a way that the richer kids arent. Do rich kids get more privacy?

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When the pandemic began, a big question that lots of people asked was, What happens to learning if we close the schools? We know some answers to that now, but I wonder about the technological legacies of this pandemic. Could you ever see schools going back to a world where this kind of software isnt used?

Its hard to see a world in which schools would abandon this kind of technology. By all indications, schools seem to find this useful, even in non-remote times when kids are in school in real life, butts in chairs in the classroom, to make sure theyre on track. So its hard to imagine a world where the school surveillance state is put back in a box.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
When I asked Eric Lach how he ended up marching across the Brooklyn Bridge shoulder to shoulder with city workers protesting the mayors COVID vaccine mandate, he said, it all started with a flyer. Lach writes for the New Yorker, and a firefighter had forwarded him this invitation. It said: NYC Workers Anti-Mandate March for Choice, Monday, Oct. 25, 11:30 a.m. Make signs, bring your families. There are tens of thousands of us. This is our last stand,  Lach said.

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It was a dramatic statement, but Lach wasnt sure if anyone would really show up. It turns out: They did. Thousands of New York municipal workers came out to give speeches and wave placards. When Eric joined them, he says, it wasnt quite what he expected. It wasnt just a right-wing political rally, Lach said. Ive been to Trump rallies, and this was not that. It was colleagues standing around, everybody saying hi to each other, hugging each other, high fiving each other. There was some guys smoking cigars.

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I probably had conversations with 50 people, and five or six of them said they were vaccinated, and that they were just there to support their colleagues right to choose, he added.

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These are people who were deemed essential workers who went into work through the pandemic. Sanitation workers were on the backs of garbage trucks in March and April and May 2020, when nobody knew if COVID was transmitted by surfaces, and theyre handling everybodys garbage, Lach said. I talked to one EMS worker who was there. She was vaccinated, but she was just pissed. She was like, We worked through the pandemic. They told us just to reuse our masks at the beginning when there wasnt enough PPE to go around, and we got shunted this way and sent that way. And then now were being forced to do something. The frustration that her peers were expressing was totally resonating. She was mad. She was tired.

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On Mondays episode of What Next, I spoke with Lach about how the debate over who can dodge a vaccineand who cantis heating up. What happened with these workers in New York reveals how the fight could end. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Mary Harris: The latest vaccine mandate in New York City applies to all kinds of people: EMTs, firefighters, sanitation workers, cops. The mayor announced it just a few weeks ago, and he gave these city employees just nine days to get their shots.

Eric Lach: The mandate did come with a carrot-and-stick component, where the stick was that you go on unpaid leave if you dont get a shot. The carrot was that you would get $500 if you did get the shot on time. A lot of the city workers seemed to just dismiss this $500at least the ones at the march. Im sure there were plenty of city workers who were grateful for the $500, but the ones who were most vocally against the vaccine almost wanted to treat their $500 with suspicion. Like, Why are we being bribed to get this vaccine?

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This latest rule came down after months of back-and-forth over the vaccine. Back in the summer, the city had given workers a gentler mandate: They could choose to get the vaccine or show up for weekly COVID tests.

The idea with that policy was that the weekly tests were going to be so annoying that people would eventually just give in and get the shot.

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Is that how it worked?

In certain departments, particularly ones that turned out big for the march last weekthe fire department, the sanitation department, and to a certain extent, the New York Police Departmentthose numbers proved more stubborn than you might have expected. Those departments were in the 60s, percentage-wise, in terms of vaccinations.

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By the end of the summer, an average city resident was more likely to be vaccinated than a city worker. So the mayor and the governor began to crack down, starting with teachers and health care workers.

In September, City Hall had announced that teachers and health care workers were going to have to be vaccinated. And this all coincided with the FDA switching over the vaccine approval from emergency use authorization to just regular authorization.

I remember this because I have kids in school and it was a few weeks before school startedreally up to the wire.

It was in the swirl of back to school. It was in the swirl of how are we going to make school safe? How are we going to get everybody back to school? Whats this going to look like? And in that mix is when this mandate comes out.

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And the mandate gets rid of the weekly testing option. It just says you have to be vaccinated.

You have to be vaccinated. And there was an outcry from those workers, and there were lawsuits that were filed in response to that mandate. Those lawsuits just didnt work out in the courts in the workers favor. And eventually what the city government did is they worked out a deal with the unions representing those workers that said there was a slight carve-out for medical and religious exemptions. You could apply for the specific exemptions, and you wouldnt have to get the shot without those exemptions were being reviewed.

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So the bulk of people were buying time. And then in the end, a few of those workers would actually get an exemption.

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Yeah. Those departments ended up at over 95 percent vaccinated. Thats where they are today.

When the mayor noticed his vaccine mandate for teachers and health care workers seemed to be working, he decided to expand itas quickly as possibleto everyone else. Thats how you ended up in a sea of firefighters and cops and sanitation workers on the Brooklyn Bridge.

The Police Benevolent Association, which is the largest union that represents NYPD officers, has been a vocal, vocal presence in New York City politics for a long time. Its no surprise to see them fight with City Hall. They hate this mayor. It was more of a surprise to see the firefighters union and the sanitation workers and parks department workers, and NYCHA, the public housing agency, has one of the worst vaccination rates in the city. This involved city workers that havent played very vocal roles in some of the political fights of the past few years in the city. So to that extent, it was surprising to see how widespread this was.

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I wonder how you think about the politics of this nine-day warning that the mayor gave. I think that giving such a short timeline certainly led people to really burn hot in terms of their emotions, but they also seem to burn fast. We had a big protest. We had a lot of worry. And then it was here.

No matter what, there was going to be a vocal contingent of people who didnt want to do this. There was going to be some people who just refuse to get the shot. And regardless of the timeline you put on it, there was going to be ugliness. There was going to be this expression of political rage that threatens violence. You had some firefighters that went in uniform to the office of the state senator in the city here and demanded to know what was going on.

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They told them that theyd have blood on their hands if the mandate went forward.

That seems like it would have been expressed no matter whatif there was a three-month deadline or a nine-day deadline or a two-day deadline. There was some contingent of city workers that would feel that way and that would respond in this way.

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As of right now, who are the main holdouts when it comes to getting vaccinated?

FDNY, the firefighters. FDNY includes firefighters and EMS workers, and the EMS workers are close to 90 percent vaccinated at this point. The firefighters are still under 80 percent.

Why firefighters?

I think that the firefighters have a really strong job identity. The other thing that we havent really quite touched on yet is that a lot of firefighters who I talked to say, A lot of us already had COVID. We have antibodies, and therefore we shouldnt be forced to get the vaccine.

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They believe in a previously acquired immunity.

Yeah, exactly. And so that argument really seems to have taken hold in the fire department.

And we should say: The evidence shows that that immunity is not as strong as vaccine immunity.

The public health recommendation is to get vaccinated anyway, but they dismiss that.

I think of firefighters as risk takers. They run into burning buildings.

And risk assessors.

Yeah.

Just talking to some, especially the older firefighters, theres still this legacy of 9/11 and this special class that first responders were put in after 9/11. Some of them will say, We were told that working down on the pile after 9/11 was safe, and then a lot of us got sick. And theres been a multidecade fight with Congress for proper funding for people who got sick. Theres this institutional memory and residual feeling that this is a particular kind of job and we are a particular kind of city worker.

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There were other ways that New Yorkers were feeling this resistance from municipal employees who just werent comfortable with the shot. Like, my trash wasnt picked up for a day or two. I know that 311 complaints quadrupled. And union heads were warning, like, Oh, were not going to have enough people to send to fires, or Were not going to have enough people to respond to medical calls.

Yeah, obviously that was one of the big questions going into the deadline: Is this going to affect the functioning of city government? Even if its a fraction of the total city worker population that holds out.

Was the government worried about that?

Mayor de Blasio seemed pretty sanguine about that all week, saying, Friday is the deadline. The city workers have to get their shots by then. And after that, we move on.

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There have been some anecdotal reports of trash piling up on city sidewalks. And then last week, many, many firefighters called in sick. But so far, there havent been signs that this is really going to mess with the functioning of the city government in some visible or troubling way.

So where do we stand now? I think the latest I saw was 9,000 workers were on leave, but then 12,000 workers have applied for a religious exemption.

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Theres about 20,000 unvaccinated city workers and about half have applied for some kind of exemption. Those cases will be evaluated and then resolved one way or the other. Its yet to be seen whether this is the kind of holdout that is relatively temporary and a lot of those people come back or if they just hold out indefinitely.

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Theres a Facebook page for firefighters that I have been reading where theyve been posting tributes to people who retired, people who already had their 20 yearsand in some cases, much longer than that, 30 years, 40 yearsand they just opted to retire instead of getting vaccinated.

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There were reports that the Police Benevolent Association held an event where people could donate to people who would rather take early retirement than get vaccinated.

Definitely those people exist. We still dont know how many people those are. And over the next week or two, I think its going to be a lot more clear if were talking about a couple of hundred versus a couple thousand.

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As of Thursday, 91 percent of all municipal workers in New York City had been vaccinated. That means that after lagging behind the rest of the city for months, municipal workers are now more likely to be vaccinated than everyone else. Does that mean the vaccine mandate is working?

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Thats the outcome that City Hall was looking for. They just wanted everybody vaccinated.

So I think this is a success story.

Obviously the people who are holding out dont feel that way. But overall, this is a city policy that was put in a place in relatively short order that got the results they were looking for.

When you called back some of the sources youd met at that march, once the mandate was in effect, what did they sound like?

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I dont think anybody who I kept in touch with is holding out. On Friday morning, at fire department headquarters, people were lined up waiting for their vaccine. This was hours before the deadline. I went down there trying to catch people on their way out. And I talked to one firefighter who was like, I didnt think I would ever get it. I didnt want to get it. But you know, I have a car, I have a mortgage, I have a family. I cant afford to not get it. So I just did it. He was sad. And he said to me, You want to stand with your colleagues. But sometimes, unfortunately, you have to look out for yourself.

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ARCHIVED - Temperatures rise across Spain: weather update November 8



The mercury will begin to rise on Monday after plummeting temperatures throughout Spain last week

A polar air mass descended on much of Spain during the first week of November , resulting in plummeting temperatures and a notable change, particularly early in the morning and throughout the night. This week the country is in for something a little bit different, according to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), as the mercury is once again set to rise on Monday November 8.

Temperatures will begin to creep up on Monday across Spain, particularly in the central parts of the country, with weak rainfall expected in northern areas while potentially strong storms are a possibility on the Balearic Islands.

The latest forecast from Aemet is for intervals of strong winds in the Ebro valley (Cantabria), the Pyrenees, Ampurdan (Catalonia), in the east of the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands.

While the most notable temperature change will occur inland, weak frosts are still expected in mountainous areas while in the Pyrenees the snow level will be between 1,400 and 1,800 metres.

The intense rainfalls forecast for Cantabria and Navarra will taper off towards the coast.

Monday will begin with slightly cloudy or clear skies with northern municipalities expected to experience some early fog. Both day and night-time temperatures are on the rise, with a maximum of 22 degrees in Alicante on November 8.

Very strong north-westerly gusts are predicted in northern Castellon while southerly winds are expected on the coast of Alicante in the afternoon.

The day dawns with cloudy skies. Night-time temperatures are on the rise while the day-time remains largely unchanged, with the exception of the Altiplano. Winds will blow in from the northwest, which will be stronger in coastal areas.

Weak frosts can be expected in the eastern mountainous areas with slightly cloudy or clear skies. Temperatures will rise slightly with northerly winds predicted.

Image: Aemet
Queen Elisabeth II appreciates the hundred-year-old Slovak poetry, since still topical today.

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This piece has been replaced with a story written by the Spectators staff.

In the story we incorrectly stated that the current English translation is the very first translation of the Bloody Sonnets in English. We apologise for the inconvenience this may have caused.

Queen Elisabeth II appreciated the strong humane message sent out by the anti-war work of one of Slovakias most celebrated poets, Pavol Orsagh Hviezdoslav. Even though the Bloody Sonnets were first published in 1919, they are still topical.

The Queen received a special edition of the book, which was recently published in English for the first time , as a gift from the Slovak Embassy in London. The collection of 32 sonnets belongs among the most prominent poetic works of Slovak literature with an anti-war theme.

Slovak literature has been virtually unknown in the UK until recently, according to Julia Sherwood, a translator of Slovak origin who has been living in London for years.

That situation has begun to change and some contemporary writers, in particular, are now at least available in English, if not yet all that widely known, she told The Slovak Spectator.

A long way to translation

Hviezdoslav stands among the most important Slovak literary figures. He was a poet, dramatist and translator, as well as one of the main creators of Slovak literary realism and the main representative of Parnassianism in Slovakia.

He wrote The Bloody Sonnets as a response to the initial news about WWI. He expressed his pain and outrage at the moral decay of humans, who begin war conflicts and cause pain and suffering. He also thinks of ways of stopping the war conflict and what would happen after it is over. The book was first published in 1919, and since then has been translated into several languages.
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The Recovery Plan is not just about the short-term benefits that immediately impact people, but it is about creating an environment that will benefit Slovakia in the long run, says Livia Vasakova, who leads the reform team at the Governments Office. If reforms are implemented as planned, entrepreneurs can expect better access to justice and skilled workforce more willing to stay or come to work in Slovakia. The ambitious reforms are facing one major risk: the stability of the political environment may hinder the countrys ability to implement the reforms and subsequently the countrys access to the funds from the EU.

TSS: Slovakia has had problems and insufficiencies in drawing EU funds. What will be different this time?

LV: We dont even want to talk about drawing funds. Thats the rhetoric concerning EU funds and it is based on the primary aim of getting hold of money from the EU coffers. But our primary aim is to improve Slovakia, kick off the convergence process again and direct it towards the most successful countries and the EU average. These are the main motivations behind the Recovery Plan. The plan is a series of reforms and investments divided into milestones and targets.

Livia Vasakova is the head of the Recovery Plan section at the Governments Office. She previously served as the head of economic analyses section at the European Commission Representation in Slovakia, and before that at the Commissions directorate general for energy in Brussels.

TSS: What are the milestones and what are the targets?

LV: A milestone is a qualitative achievement, while a target is a quantitative achievement most of the time. That means there are clear indicators to measure whether we have managed to improve the country and the quality of life of our citizens. From my viewpoint it is only secondary that we will get money for it, though money may be a key element in setting up the motivation of the main stakeholders.

TSS: So you will not measure the success of the plan by the amount of money that will enter Slovakia?

LV: If we manage to do what we wrote in the plan, it will be just as beneficial for the country as if we spend all the money. At the same time, it is legally binding that as soon as we meet our goals, we will receive the money from Brussels.

TSS: You said that the implementation of the plan will be the main challenge, and as part of that youre facing a lack of people with the skills and experience to implement the plan in Slovakia. How big is this problem and how does it affect your work?
The health minister is the most trusted, finance minister and former PM the least trusted.

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The trustworthiness of most ministers, especially Economy Minister Richard Sulik, has been decreasing in the last month, according to a poll conducted by the Focus polling agency for television Markiza between October 20 to 27, 2021, on 1,009 respondents.

Martin Slosiarik, the director of Focus, told the Sme daily that the public's increasing lack of trust in most cabinet members is linked with society's tiredness from the pandemic and scepticism of whether the government can reverse the trend, the Sme daily wrote.

Sulik has been in focus in the past weeks due to his work trip to Dubai with his daughter and his ownership of a ranch in Australia. He also faced an ousting attempt in the parliament.

Problem with energy prices

Trust in Sulik has decreased by 9 percentage points compared to the poll from May 2021, and 20 percentage points when compared to last year's poll.

Sulik was once one of the most trustworthy members of the cabinet. The collected data did not reflect the recent controversy surrounding the involvement of Sulik's daughter in a work trip to Dubai.

Utilities authority proposes helping electricity intensive companies Read more

Slosiarik explains that Sulik is losing trustworthiness among voters of the parliamentary and non-parliamentary opposition in particular. Sulik was probably harmed the most by the increase in energy prices. The opposition objected to the fact that he did not introduce any contra-measures that would slow down the hike in prices.

Trustworthy Lengvarsky

Health Minister Vladimir Lengvarsky is still the most trustworthy politician, even though his trust decreased a bit when compared with the previous poll.

This result is in spite of the fact that the third wave is gaining momentum in Slovakia and the daily caseload exceeded 6,000 during the first week of November.

Slosiarik opined that his trustworthiness is high due to the way he communicates. People are likely impressed by his direct style which is in contradiction with his predecessor. Slosiarik opined that Finance Minister Igor Matovic's criticism of him did not hurt him in the poll.
As many as 1,300 doctors, nurses and other medical workers signed an open letter.

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While there is not enough medical staff in the hospitals, the number of patients who have to be hospitalised with Covid is increasing, and the staff is gradually losing strength.

Our paywall policy: The Slovak Spectator has decided to make all the articles on the special measures, statistics and basic information about the coronavirus available to everyone. If you appreciate our work and would like to support good journalism, please buy our subscription. We believe this is an issue where accurate and fact-based information is important for people to cope.

This is the main message sent by medical workers from hospitals located across Slovakia to the broader public on November 8.

They presented an open letter, signed by more than 1,300 healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses, in which they particularly address those who are hesitant about getting vaccinated against Covid.

The hospitals are being filled by people who should not have been there, the letter reads, referring to the young patients who end up in hospitals. Many of them have a very serious course of the disease, are separated from their families for weeks, unsure of when this will end. Quite often, these people are dying and we cannot help them. It is an indescribable feeling of helplessness and despair.

Vaccines are safe

Another group of people who have died as a result of Covid are those not infected with the virus. These are particularly patients who could not undergo surgery.

Most Covid deaths belong to deaths that could have been averted by vaccination, the letter reads. Unfortunately, the victims of the pandemic will include those who will fail to gain adequate medical treatment because the hospitals are full. So, through vaccination we can prevent excessive deaths caused by other diagnoses.

Health Ministry proposes national emergency for some regions. Final version of measures unknown Read more

Doctor Peter Sabaka, one of the authors of the letter, said people do not have to be afraid of side effects. They should instead think about what will come next, and vaccination is currently the only effective prevention, as reported by the TASR newswire.

We medical workers working in Covid departments across Slovakia are asking for your trust and help, the letter reads. We see the consequences of Covid every single day. People with a serious course of the disease are dying before our eyes. Vaccination is not a political issue, but more than anything else a medical issue.

Sabaka reiterated that vaccines are safe, and that medical workers working in Covid departments trust them.

The call has been supported by Health Minister Vladimir Lengvarsky (OLaNO nominee), who appreciated the attitude and work of all healthcare workers in Slovakia, and stressed that vaccination is the only way out of the pandemic, TASR reported.

Read more about the coronavirus developments in Slovakia:
https://sputniknews.com/20211108/amid-sleaze-clampdown-uk-mps-could-be-barred-from-consultancy-roles-by-commons-standards-watchdog--1090563184.html

Amid 'Sleaze' Clampdown UK MPs Could Be Barred From Consultancy Roles by Commons Standards Watchdog

Amid 'Sleaze' Clampdown UK MPs Could Be Barred From Consultancy Roles by Commons Standards Watchdog

Ahead of the emergency debate on the House of Commons standards system Monday, MPs have been calling for a full independent public inquiry into mounting... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

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boris johnson

owen paterson

lindsay hoyle

uk

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The UK House of Commons standards committee is said to be mulling plans to restrict MPs from having consultancy jobs to earn extra cash like former Conservative MP Owen Patersons amid calls to clampdown on sleaze, reported the Daily Mail. The limitations on moonlighting outside their parliamentary duties, purportedly to be decided within weeks, could potentially affect over 30 MPs. It is understood that a number of members of the standards committee, which is due to publish its report on the code of conduct for MPs, are convinced that restrictions on such aspects as paid consultancy work must be tightened after the Paterson scandal. The Former MP former for North Shropshire was found to have committed an egregious breach of lobbying rules by an investigation carried out by Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Kathryn Stone. While the committee has reportedly not yet discussed its final recommendations, one option suggested is to bar MPs from having second jobs, similar to the measures of this nature in place in the House of Lords and the Scottish and Welsh parliaments. One of the standards watchdogs members, Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, is expected to put forward his proposal as part of a review of the House of Commons' standards procedures amid this Mondays emergency parliamentary debate over the Paterson scandal. Dozens of MPs earn tens of thousands of pounds annually for their consulting and advising efforts for a range of companies. Analysis of the Register of Members' Financial Interests, cited by the outlet, reveals that 34 sitting MPs have listed payments from companies for whom they provide consulting work, with moonlighting earnings topping their yearly parliamentary salary of 81,932 many-fold. There are no rules against MPs receiving remuneration for advising external businesses. However, they must comply with the rules that require them to record the earnings in their register of interests, while strictly refraining from lobbying the Government on behalf of those businesses.The issue brought up now due to the Owen Paterson scandal is not new, as three years ago the Committee on Standards in Public Life recommended a ban on MPs working as consultants, stating: Westminster Storm The report comes as the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been fending of a barrage of criticism over its handling of the Paterson case. Former Conservative MP Owen Paterson had been facing a 30-day parliamentary suspension over an egregious case of paid advocacy after Kathyrn Stone, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, last week recommended the disciplinary measure in a report approved by a group of cross-party MPs on the standards committee. Paterson, said the report, had lobbied on behalf of two companies, diagnostics company Randox and sausage-maker Lynns Country Foods, which paid him more than 100,000 annually. However, Boris Johnson's government conceived a plan to block Patersons suspension by tearing up Parliament's anti-sleaze rules on 3 November. An amendment superseding the planned vote on Patersons case suggested a new select committee be set up to examine the parliamentary standards system and recommend whether to review Patersons misdeeds. The House voted 250 to 232 to approve the amendment on Wednesday, her was forced into a U-turn amid public outcry the following day. Once Paterson realised he would have to face a fresh vote on the 30-day suspension, he announced he would resign to leave the cruel world of politics. Boris Johnson and his ministers have been left facing tremendous backlash for "wallowing in sleaze". Furthermore, the government was accused of trying to bully the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner after Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng indicated, in a Sky News interview Thursday, that its difficult to see what the future of the commissioner is, given the fact that were reviewing the process its up to the commissioner to decide her position. Labour, the SNP and Liberal Democrats have all deplored the governments heavy-handed attempt to shield Patterson. Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer demanded Johnson apologise to the nation over Owen Paterson sleaze row ahead of the emergency Commons debate, requested by the Lib Dem chief whip, Wendy Chamberlain. He insisted the PM was trashing the reputation of our democracy and our country." However, the Owen Paterson lobbying scandal was dismissed as a mere "Westminster storm in a teacup" by UK Environment Secretary George Eustice. "I know you may put it to me that way, others - opposition leaders and so on, and opposition politicians - will no doubt say that, but I don't agree. I've been up here in Glasgow at COP, where some really big decisions are being taken, big, important decisions around the world on a big challenge like climate change. What we've seen is a sort of Westminster storm in a teacup, if I may say so," he said on Trevor Phillips On Sunday. .

anne00marie They should only have vocational MPs and banned from any form of 'cash for favours'. Not just the Tories who are at it,. 1

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https://sputniknews.com/20211108/authoritarian-anti-democratic-and-outright-dangerous-greta-thunberg-roasted-over-cop26-summit-1090556525.html

'Authoritarian, Anti-Democratic and Outright Dangerous': Greta Thunberg Roasted Over COP26 Summit

'Authoritarian, Anti-Democratic and Outright Dangerous': Greta Thunberg Roasted Over COP26 Summit

As the political editor of one of Norway's leading dailies put it, Greta Thunberg's rhetoric sows polarisation and division and spreads only contempt and... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T05:27+0000

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environment

climate change

climate

greta thunberg

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Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has received harsh criticism in Scandinavia, where politicians and opinion makers have accused her of luring other climate activists in an extremist and anti-democratic direction.In connection with the Glasgow climate summit, Greta Thunberg called the meeting of world leaders a fiasco, full of empty talk. She called the conference a festival of greenwashing and accused politicians of only engaging in blah blahblah and only faking involvement instead of actually doing something about the climate.Thunberg's tirades and tone made Norwegian Climate Minister Espen Barth Eide see red.Newspaper Aftenposten's political editor Kjetil Alstadheim minced no words as well in his criticism of Thunberg's rhetoric and how it can affect other climate activists, sowing more polarisation and division.Lisa Nabo, the leader of SSU, the youth wing of Sweden's ruling party, the Social Democrats, slammed Thunberg for making demands without coming up with solutions.Greta, you have said that the most important thing young people can do is become activists. I don't agree with you. No solution to the climate crisis will be politically neutral. The most important thing you as a young person can do is to get involved in politics and make sure that the right decisions are made, Nabo told SVT.Nabo ventured that if only a fifth of all the youths who demonstrated for the climate in Stockholm had joined the Social Democrats, they would have taken over this party and dictated the rules for Sweden's largest party.Thunberg, a teenage activist and an international media darling venerated as some sort of a climate guru, raised eyebrows during the COP26 summit, as she sang you can shove your climate crisis up your a*** and then saying no more whatever the f*** they are doing inside there.The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as the COP26 assembly, is dedicated to measures to avert the climate change. It has made headlines not only due to environmental resolutions agreed upon by politicians, but also because several world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, appeared to drift off to sleep during its proceeds.

Thomas Turk None of these brilliant Skanda Hooligan Politicos challenged her fake global warming. Sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is the highest its been in nine years, increasing more than 30% from last year, while the Antarctics level is well above normal. Most years the Arctic loses ice, but this year ice extent has increased more than 77,000 square miles. Thats according to the Ocean and Sea Ice Satellite Application Facilitys High Latitude Processing Center. The Antarctic interior recorded its coldest April-to-September this year since records began in 1957. According to the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC), the average temperature at the US Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station was minus 60.9C for the six months. It was also the stations second coldest winter (June, July and August) on record, with an average seasonal temperature of minus 62.9C. This was an extraordinary 3.4C below the long-term average (1881-2010) for winter. 8

Valentin Why should G T do this? She is already to corrupt to be trusted! The people around the whole world MUST react and denounce those criminals in steed of waiting for "somebody else" to react! United against corruption! 7

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Igor Kuznetsov

Igor Kuznetsov

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Igor Kuznetsov

environment, climate change, climate, greta thunberg, cop26
https://sputniknews.com/20211108/barack-obama-takes-part-in-panel-event-at-cop26-1090562466.html

Barack Obama Delivers Remarks at COP26

Barack Obama Delivers Remarks at COP26

The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow has entered its second week. 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T14:23+0000

2021-11-08T14:23+0000

2021-11-08T15:40+0000

barack obama

news

cop26

cop26 climate summit

world

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Sputnik goes live from Glasgow, Scotland, where the former US President Barack Obama is delivering remarks at the climate summit.According to his press secretary Hannah Hankins, the former US president will reflect "on the resilience of the Paris Accords: young activists taking up the baton; continued global commitment; state, local and private sector progress".Earlier, he took part in the Partnerships for Island Resilience: Sharing solutions in the Great Ocean States panel event.The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference is being held at the SEC Centre in Glasgow between 31 October and 12 November. *Follow Sputnik's live feed to find out more.

vigilante Obama looks seriously I'll. He lost so much weight. What is going on? 1

Francesco Slossel Dopo che non ha fermato la guerra in M O per me ha perso credibilita... 0

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barack obama, news, cop26, world
https://sputniknews.com/20211108/devotees-celebrate-chhath-puja-in-yamuna-river-under-covering-of-toxic-foam-1090567259.html

Devotees Celebrate 'Chhath Puja' in Yamuna River Under Covering Of Toxic Foam

Devotees Celebrate 'Chhath Puja' in Yamuna River Under Covering Of Toxic Foam

Every year, a layer of toxic foam can be seen floating on the surface of the Yamuna river near the Kalindi Kunj area in Indias capital city Delhi. According... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T17:31+0000

2021-11-08T17:31+0000

2021-11-08T17:31+0000

religion

politics

politics

bharatiya janata party (bjp)

india

politics

aam aadmi party

religion

religion

politics

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The presence of toxic foam in the Yamuna river is no novelty and every year, during the Chhath Puja festival, images of devotees standing waist-deep in the river's toxic foam come under the spotlight. This year was no exception as residents of Indias capital city New Delhi rushed this Monday to the river's shore to celebrate the first day of the festival.Chhath is an ancient Hindu Vedic festival celebrated in the Indian states of Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and the Mithila region of Nepal. It is devoted to the sun god Surya and his wife Usha, who is also known as Chhathi Maiya. During Chhath Puja, people thank Lord Surya, the god of energy, for sustaining life on Earth. The rituals, which include holy bathing and standing in water for long periods, last for three days.However, this year the celebrations were overshadowed by the appearance of huge amounts of white toxic foam on the Yamuna river - water which is considered holy. The hazardous foam was caused by a rise in the level of ammonia in the Yamuna to 3 ppm (parts per million) which indicates the level of pollution in the river. Sputnik visited the Kalindi Kunj area in Delhi and talked to some devotees about the difficulties they are having in performing the rituals because of the pollution.Soni Rani, a 30-year-old, said: For us, Yamuna is pure despite pollution as it is a holy river and washes away all our sins. However, the rising pollution is a concern but we dont have any option as it is a ritual which has to be performed without fail.Another devotee, Alok Kumar, said that the government has failed to keep its promise to clean the Yamuna river. [Delhi's chief minister] Arvind Kejriwal brought out an action plan to minimise the problems with the river but nothing has happened. Rather than working on cleaning the river, the government announced a ban to celebrate Chhath Puja on the banks of the Yamuna river, he added.The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has prohibited the celebration of Chhath Puja on the Yamuna's banks. This has led to a war of words between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Delhis ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). However, Chhath celebrations at designated cites apart from on the banks of the Yamuna have been allowed.BJP parliamentarian Manoj Tiwari also visited the Yamuna river at Kalindi Kunj and took a boat ride on the toxic foam-covered river. He even addressed media and berated the Kejriwal government for its failure to clean the holy river.He told Sputnik: The AAP government banned the Chhath Puja celebrations on the banks of Yamuna river to conceal the rising pollution levels. The situation is extremely worrying and exposes the failures of Arvind Kejriwal.He added that the Supreme Court of India should take this matter in hand without waiting for a charge to be brought - suo moto cognisance - and suspend the Delhi government for risking the lives of people of Delhi.When Kejriwal became state chief, he promised that he would clean the Yamuna river and people would be able to take a dip in clean water. The Yamuna river caters to the needs of all Delhi's residents and if the state chief has proved unable to fulfill his promise in the past seven years then he has no right to remain at his post, he added.

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religion, politics, politics, bharatiya janata party (bjp), india, politics, aam aadmi party, religion, religion, politics, religion and politics, india
https://sputniknews.com/20211108/family-of-kenyan-woman-allegedly-murdered-by-british-soldier-take-legal-action-against-uk-mod-1090558296.html

Family of Kenyan Woman Allegedly Murdered by British Soldier Take Legal Action Against UK MoD

Family of Kenyan Woman Allegedly Murdered by British Soldier Take Legal Action Against UK MoD

UK armed forces minister James Heappey, while on a visit to the African country, has pledged to "leave no stone unturned" and fully support Kenyan police who... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T07:31+0000

2021-11-08T07:31+0000

2021-11-08T07:31+0000

uk ministry of defence

uk

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The family of Agnes Wanjiru, a Kenyan woman believed to have been murdered by a British soldier in 2012 near an army base in Kenya, are taking legal action against the UK Ministry of Defence, reported Sky News. Relatives of the young woman, whose naked body was discovered at the Lions Court Inn in Nanyuki, some 122 miles (196 km) north of the Kenyan capital Nairobi, two months after she went missing, have instructed British legal firm Leigh Day to represent them. Agnes Wanjirus family has been demanding a judicial review in the High Court to explain why the death of the mother of a five-month-old daughter has never been investigated in the UK. The body of Agnes Wanjiru, a sex worker, had been found in Nanyuki when a maintenance worker noticed a smell coming from a septic tank at the Lions Court Inn. The town is close to the British Training Unit Kenya, known as BATUK, where the UK sends six infantry battalions annually for eight-week exercises. A post-mortem examination revealed the woman died of stab wounds to her chest and abdomen. A Kenyan police investigation in 2012 heard witnesses say that Agnes had been seen leaving a bar with a British soldier. Kenyan police in June 2012 sent a request to the British Royal Military Police (RMP) seeking the questioning of the nine soldiers who had checked in at the inn on the day that Agnes was seen by witnesses, and checked out the following one. However, the request appeared to have gone missing, according to a previous report in The Sunday Times. A Kenyan investigation after an inquest in 2019 came to the conclusion that Wanjiru was murdered by British soldiers. In response to the report, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence was quoted as saying: Cold Case Reopened The murder case of Agnes Wanjiru seemed to have gone cold until it was thrown into the spotlight by a report in The Sunday Times last month. It was claimed that a British soldier had allegedly confessed to killing the 21-year old Wanjiru and showed his comrades where he dumped her body. However, the crime was said to have been dismissed by military officials, with the purported perpetrator later flown back home. On 2 November Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, James Heappey, on a visit to the country, said that while legal jurisdiction lies with the government of Kenya, where the murder of Agnes Wanjiru was committed, he would "leave no stone unturned" and fully support Kenyan police.The minister insisted that the UK had nothing to hide. We want those responsible to be brought to justice because Agnes and her family have already had to wait too long, said Heappey. His remarks came against the backdrop of calls for justice in the womans native town of Nanyuki, especially after recent reports that the implicated soldiers joked about the murder, according to Facebook records. Meanwhile, Members of Parliament were also reported by Capital FM Kenya as contemplating scrapping a defence cooperation agreement between their country and the United Kingdom that was signed in June by President Uhuru Kenyatta and UKs Prime Minster Boris Johnson. The legislators in the National Assembly Defence committee said that the military agreement will not be ratified until the alleged British culprits in the murder of Agnes Wanjiru are prosecuted under the Kenyan laws.Defense Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa was cited as saying that the government was working on invoking provisions of the defence cooperation agreement with the UK side to prosecute the soldiers involved.

Manix Allegedly is the magic word the British twisted establishment, trough their subservient media, or should I say propaganda machine always use in order to dismiss any accusations against their wrong doings. One sometimes wonders if Sputnik isnt Rothschild controlled propaganda organ. 1

Tom One Oh please !! 2012 !! Lets hope Leigh Day get boycotted by everyone. 0

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https://sputniknews.com/20211108/french-police-officer-injured-in-knife-attack-in-cannes-assailant-neutralised-1090557983.html

French Police Officer Injured in Knife Attack in Cannes, Assailant 'Neutralised'

French Police Officer Injured in Knife Attack in Cannes, Assailant 'Neutralised'

Earlier, a policeman was reported to have been attacked with a weapon in Cannes, southern France, in what French officials don't rule out may have been a... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T06:46+0000

2021-11-08T06:46+0000

2021-11-08T07:45+0000

france

gerald darmanin

cannes

knife attack

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A police officer from the Cannes (Alpes-Maritimes) police station sustained injuries after being stabbed by an assailant at around 6.30 am.His knife-wielding attacker was "neutralized" , Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced on Twitter on Monday.The perpetrator had reportedly opened the door of a police car parked in front of the station, stabbing the policeman seated at the wheel with a knife, BFM TV reported, citing a police source.The individual purportedly tried to attack a second policeman in the same car, however, a third officer fired his weapon, injuring the attacker. According to French media, the policeman's life was possibly saved by his bulletproof vest. The main suspect in the attack, who has been hospitalized, is reported by AFP, citing police sources, to have exclaimed statements "in the name of the Prophet".

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france, gerald darmanin, cannes, knife attack
https://sputniknews.com/20211108/gettr-cop26-covid-19-this-weeks-news-headlines-1090561371.html

GETTR; COP26; COVID-19; This Week's News Headlines

GETTR; COP26; COVID-19; This Week's News Headlines

Join George Galloway for the Mother of All Talk Shows - this week we talk about the new social media platform GETTR, COP26, the future of travel and events... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T10:14+0000

2021-11-08T10:14+0000

2021-11-08T10:15+0000

radio

us

travel

social media

uk

the mother of all talk shows

covid-19

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GETTR; COP26; COVID-19; This Week's News Headlines Join George Galloway for the Mother of All Talk Shows - this week we talk about the new social media platform GETTR, COP26, the future of travel and events after Covid-19, and the latest headlines from the US & UK.

This week we talk to the CEO of GETTR Jason Miller about his new social media platform and the freedom of speech. Journalist and columnist Kevin McKenna delves into COP26. Lisa Francesca Nand - travel journalist & host of the Big Travel Podcast discusses ABBA's digital concert and the future of travel and events after COVID-19. Rachel Blevins - journalist and RT America correspondent updates us with the headlines of the week from the US. Journalist and campaigner James Giles brings us the latest UK news.Tune in every Sunday at 2 pm EST| 7 pm CET. You can also tweet George @GeorgeGallowayWe'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.com

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radio, us, travel, social media, uk, the mother of all talk shows, covid-19, cop26, 
https://sputniknews.com/20211108/hackers-breached-global-defence-organisations-in-massive-espionage-campaign-claims-security-firm--1090567490.html

Hackers Breached Global Defence Organisations in 'Massive Espionage Campaign' Claims Security Firm

Hackers Breached Global Defence Organisations in 'Massive Espionage Campaign' Claims Security Firm

After US infrastructure witnessed a swathe of hack attacks, including ransomware assaults this year, the State Department announced in July it was offering up... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T14:31+0000

2021-11-08T14:31+0000

2021-11-08T14:31+0000

news

us

china

hackers

national security agency

hacking

cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency (cisa)

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A foreign hacking group is reported to have breached nine global organisations in a sweeping espionage effort, according to a report by cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks. The cybercriminals purportedly tailored their attack to primarily target servers used by companies working with the US Department of Defense, as well as in the education, energy, healthcare and technology sectors. In a campaign that ostensibly began on 17 September and continued through early October, the hackers are said to have targeted organisations running Zoho servers, manipulating a vulnerability in software used to manage network passwords  Zoho Manage Engine  compromising at least one, claimed the report.Palo Alto Networks experts suggested that methods and tools used in the attack were consistent with those of the Chinese hacking group Emissary Panda, ostensibly connected with China's government. Stopping short of naming any of the targeted organisations, Palo Alto Networks underscored it was sharing the information with the dual goal of raising awareness about the cyber threat and urging a swift patch against the vulnerabilities exploited. CNN, which first reported the story, noted that the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) were actively tracking the threat. The report noted that threat information had been shared with other members of the Cyber Threat Alliance (CTA). According to Ryan Olson, a senior Palo Alto Networks executive, the nine confirmed victims are the "tip of the spear" of a massive spying campaign. Earlier this year, cybersecurity firm Mandiant claimed that China-linked hackers had been exploiting another software vulnerability to breach defence, financial, and public sector organizations in the US and Europe.The incident response division of the California-based cybersecurity firm, FireEye, had published a report on 20 April claiming two hacking groups had exploited virtual private networking software created by Pulse Secure between August 2020 until March 2021 to infiltrate defence, financial and public sector organisations in the US and Europe. One of the alleged hacking groups was identified by the firm as using techniques "similar" to a Chinese state-backed espionage group. In recent years, Washington has repeatedly accused Beijing of engaging in a concerted effort to infiltrate public and private institutions abroad, prompting Beijing to readdress the spying accusations to Washington. The Chinese foreign ministry dismissed groundless speculations in July, accusing the US of ganging up with its allies and engaging in smear and suppression out of political motives.

ASmith_ Vault-7 at Wiiileaks exposed the CIA Cyberattack tools formed 95% of the code used by the RansomWare attackers who largely just added a ransom demand to what was already written. The Marble tool for the CIA in Vault-7 was expressly used to illicit false trails on CIA, NSA Hackers to falsely accuse Russia, China, N.Korea, Iran and others. A CIA contractor is said to have sold these tools to global nations and then gave it to wikileaks for free to expose what Obama-Biden had ordered up against all Nations including so-called USA Allies. 3

Max75 For all I know these Palo Alto guys are doing the hacking posing as foreigners and getting paid by the US Government also. 2

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https://sputniknews.com/20211108/hands-off-ethiopia-protests-in-washington-dc-addis-ababa-urge-no-us-interference-in-civil-war-1090576188.html

Hands Off Ethiopia Protests in Washington DC, Addis Ababa Urge No US Interference in Civil War

Hands Off Ethiopia Protests in Washington DC, Addis Ababa Urge No US Interference in Civil War

Protests in Washington, DC on Monday and Addis Ababa over the weekend urged the US not to get further involved in Ethiopias civil war. As the Biden... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T21:05+0000

2021-11-08T21:05+0000

2021-11-08T21:05+0000

usaid

ethiopia

protest

washington dc

cnn

tplf (tigray people's liberation front)

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Organizers of a large pro-government rally outside the White House on Monday told Sputnik they expected up to 10,000 to attend. Waving Ethiopian national flags, they carried signs that read No More, USA Hands off Ethiopia, TPLF is a Killer and CNN, Stop Assisting the Terrorist TPLF.The rally followed a weekend in which pro-Tigray demonstrators also held a demonstration in Washington, DC, and massive rallies in Addis Ababa expressed their support for the Ethiopian government.On Saturday, the Tigrayan Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) announced it had joined with eight other regional groups to form a United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces (FEFCF), with the group saying they aimed to overthrow Ethiopia President Abiy Ahmed and form a transitional government "by force or by negotiation.The news came as TPLF forces advanced southward out of the northern Tigray region state and linked up with the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) to seize several towns about 250 miles from Addis Ababa. Last Tuesday, Abiy declared a six-month state of emergency and called on citizens to rally in defense of the capital.We dont recognize that, Negussie said of the TPLF-led united front.In 1991, the TPLF led a similar alliance of liberation groups from Ethiopias many nationalities, called the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), in a movement that forced the Marxist Derg military government to relinquish power. The TPLF dominated Ethiopian politics for the three decades that followed, ceding few democratic concessions while working to keep the countrys many ethnic groups off-balance in a federal system run by TPLF-dominated parties.After Abiy rode a wave of discontent by the non-Tigrayan ethnic groups to become president in 2018, he attempted to change this setup by merging the various ethnic parties into a single Prosperity Party. The TLPF objected to this arrangement and rejected it as illegal, and in September 2020, held regional elections in Tigray that Abiys government decried as illegal. By late November of that year, a shooting war had erupted in Tigray and neighboring Eritrea had entered the conflict on the side of Abiy.Amid a massive flight of refugees from the region and the onset of famine, a humanitarian crisis has taken shape and the US has called on Abiys government to end the conflict, threatening to use sanctions to coerce them into peace with the TPLF.Speaking to CNN on Tuesday, US Agency for International Development (USAID) chief Samantha Power said fundamentally, responsibility lies with the government and with the rebels who are now advancing out of Tigray and moving toward Addis Ababa. However, she added that Ethiopia is an incredibly important partner on the continent with whom the US wants a strong relationship.A bipartisan group of US senators last week also introduced a bill to sanction anyone whose dealings with the Ethiopian, Eritrean, or Tigray governments undermines efforts with respect to a peaceful negotiated settlement to end hostilities in northern Ethiopia and to block loans from financial institutions to Ethiopia and Eritrea. It follows a September executive order by Biden ordering the Treasury to explore similar actions.Mekdes Tefera told Sputnik at the rally on Monday that she had come to oppose US sanctions.We are here to show that we are in support of the government that we have and we dont want the US interference, she said. We want them to stop sanctioning the country when we have the government that has already been selected, that the people chose.Dagm Kabeta, an Ethiopian national who has been living in the United States for 15 years, told Sputnik that people have also come to protest the false coverage by the major US media outlets of the Ethiopian crisis.

Alba1970 America interfere in another sovereign .... never ... American is beyond that ... yeah right!! no doubt Washington is behind the rebel forces ... no doubt Ethiopia rejected America trying to set up a military base in the country 1

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usaid, ethiopia, protest, washington dc, cnn, tplf (tigray people's liberation front)
https://sputniknews.com/20211108/hijacked-bus-set-ablaze-near-belfast-fuels-fears-of-further-ni-protocol-related-post-brexit-1090560188.html

Hijacked Bus Set Ablaze Near Belfast Fuels Fears of Further NI Protocol-Related Post-Brexit Violence

Hijacked Bus Set Ablaze Near Belfast Fuels Fears of Further NI Protocol-Related Post-Brexit Violence

Disorder has erupted in and around Belfast in an apparent protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol, the Brexit deal which prevents a hard Irish border by... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T09:24+0000

2021-11-08T09:24+0000

2021-11-08T09:24+0000

belfast

northern ireland

brexit

post-brexit

uk

northern ireland protocol

maros sefcovic

david frost

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A double-decker bus was hijacked and set on fire on the outskirts of Belfast late on 7 November. The attack took place close to a loyalist estate, near Rathcoole, in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim just before 8pm. The driver and passengers were reportedly ordered off the bus by four masked men, who boarded it in Church Road. The vehicle was then set alight, with the footage of the fire shared online by Nichola Mallon, a politician from Northern Ireland serving as Deputy Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and infrastructure minister. The Irish minister condemned the disgraceful and disgusting attack  the fourth of its kind this year  and underscored that the criminals behind them harm their local community. A police spokesperson was cited by UK media as confirming that Church Road had been closed, with members of the public requested to avoid the area. The latest violence comes six days after another bus was burnt by masked men in a loyalist area of Newtownards, County Down. The hijacking happened in Abbot Drive at about 06:30 GMT on 1 November. It was reported that the two masked men implicated had "muttered something about the protocol" during the attack, in a reference to the contentious issue of the Northern Ireland Protocol. The infrastructure minister deplored what she said was the third attack on public transport in recent months, as she called upon those involved to "wise up".The incident followed last weeks disorders at a community interface in west Belfast between youths from the nationalist Springfield Road and loyalist Shankill Road, where police were attacked with fireworks on Wednesday and Friday in protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol. Responding to the bus attacks, Mike Nesbitt, Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) Member of Northern Ireland's Legislative Assembly, said that "if this was meant to be some kind of protest against the NI Protocol then it is entirely counterproductive". According to him, there is "absolutely no justification for the attack". UK-EU Stalemate Over NI ProtocolThe violent developments follow weeks of talks that have failed to end the impasse between the UK and the EU over their Brexit-related trade disputes linked with the NI protocol. Amid the standoff, Britain was reportedly considering triggering Article 16 to unilaterally impose "safeguard" measures, which would see the suspension of some rules required in the Brexit Withdrawal deal struck in October 2019 and which came into force in January this year. Following talks in London with Britain's Brexit minister Lord Frost, who underscored that the threat of invoking the Article remained "on the table" and time was running out for Brussels to dodge that outcome, European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic warned British authorities of "serious consequences". The protocol states that Article 16 can be used in the event of serious economic, societal or environmental difficulties that are liable to persist. The Northern Ireland Protocol, part of the European Union and United Kingdom's Brexit agreement, was designed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland. It prevents checks on goods coming from Northern Ireland (part of the UK) into the Republic of Ireland (part of the EU) in a bid to preserve the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which had finally ended decades of sectarian violence that Ireland had been mired in. However, Northern Ireland, accordingly, must follow the rules of the EU's single market, resulting in checks on certain goods coming in from England, Scotland and Wales. This has prompted protests from unionists in Northern Ireland, who argue the protocol weakens ties with the rest of the UK. Invoking Article 16, which could suspend customs checks across the Irish Sea is seen by Brussels as potentially threatening the European Single Market, in a move prompting retaliatory consequences. A senior EU diplomat was cited by The Telegraph as warning:

Charlie McD Utter ballix. Just some drug crazed loyalist drug gang out their faces having some good oul rioting! 1

LINDADREW AMERICA THREATENED UK and said you can't have ireland back we have plans for it they said. Pence said he was going all misty eyed just thinking about it. I think he meant ''play misty for me'' song 0

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https://sputniknews.com/20211108/india-lodges-strong-protest-over-killing-of-fisherman-by-pakistani-coast-guard-demands-probe-1090566833.html

India Lodges 'Strong Protest' Over Killing of Fisherman by Pakistani Coast Guard, Demands Probe

India Lodges 'Strong Protest' Over Killing of Fisherman by Pakistani Coast Guard, Demands Probe

New Delhi and Islamabad are also locked in a maritime dispute over joint claims to the sea off the coastline of Indias Gujarat state, which shares a border... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T13:20+0000

2021-11-08T13:20+0000

2021-11-08T15:29+0000

pakistan

india

gujarat

sindh province

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India on Monday lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over the killing of a fisherman by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) in what New Delhi has described as an act of unprovoked firing, officials said.New Delhi claims that the PMSA, which is the countrys coast guard, fired upon an Indian fishing boat 'Jalpari' on 6 November. The incident took place near Indias western seaboard off the coast of Gujarat state.The incident led to a fisherman's death and the injury of someone else on board the Indian fishing vessel who is being treated in hospital.Seven crew members were on board the Indian vessel at the time of the attack.While lodging its protest with Pakistan, the Indian government said that the loss of life is in contravention to all established international practices and bilateral understandings.Meanwhile, news agency Press Trust of India (PTI) reported that businesses in the killed fisherman's native village in Maharashtra state remained shut on Monday, in a mark of protest by local residents over the incident.Police in Gujarat have registered a complaint against unidentified Pakistani personnel accused of firing shots at the Indian vessel.According to the police complaint, the Indian fishing boat had sailed from the town of Okha in Gujarat on 25 October.

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https://sputniknews.com/20211108/india-offers-weapons-software-to-neighbours-to-tackle-rising-threats-in-indian-ocean-1090559912.html

India Offers Weapons, Software to Neighbours to Tackle Rising Threats in Indian Ocean

India Offers Weapons, Software to Neighbours to Tackle Rising Threats in Indian Ocean

The Indian Navy has been trying to maintain its dominant role in the Indian Ocean as Chinas economic and diplomatic influence increases. Aside from enhanced... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T14:31+0000

2021-11-08T14:31+0000

2021-11-08T14:33+0000

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maldives

goa

sri lanka

indian ocean

narendra modi

china

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Promising to do more than its fair share, India has emphasised the need for countries in the region to cooperate in tackling the newer and rapidly evolving threats in the Indian Ocean. Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Indias Foreign Secretary, urged the navies of 12 of the Western Indian Ocean's 17 other littoral states to promote inter-operability to confront the challenges. The littoral states are those with a coastline on the Western Indian Ocean and comprise (other than India), the Comoros, Djibouti, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, the Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Pakistan, the Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.Shringla has underlined that the region will face an increasingly complicated, rapidly evolving, and more demanding security situation, with an ever-increasing number of threats and uncertainties.We are willing to work with partners in upgrading maritime hardware and software. We have supplied equipment, vessels, and aircraft to friends such as Vietnam, Mozambique, Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Comoros, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, Shringla said.India has increased its defence collaboration with these countries by providing credit lines to supply weapons and vessels. In February this year, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the countrys defence manufacturers to focus on countries that are worried about their security in the present geo-political world.To achieve the ambitious $5 billion export target by 2024, India has listed 156 defence items for sale, including BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System, Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launchers, and the Combat Management System.India supplied HMS-X2 sonars to Myanmar, offshore patrol vessels to Mauritius, and spare parts for Jaguar aircraft to Oman. Most recently, New Delhi signed a deal to supply Armenia with SWATHI Weapon Locating Radar. Indias credit lines to Mauritius, Bangladesh, Myanmar, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka to buy Indian defence equipment are also progressing well.

https://sputniknews.com/20200914/russia-india-to-launch-new-brahmos-missile-capable-of-downing-aircraft-with-awacs-system-by-2024-1080450537.html

NthrnNYker59 LOL... there is SOFTWARE available for drinking cow's urine ? ? ? ? 2

vot tak Very transparent propaganda for the israeloamerican tools operating in india. Thumbs down. 2

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https://sputniknews.com/20211108/iraqi-security-forces-ask-why-us-defences-in-baghdad-werent-working-during-uav-attack-on-pms-home-1090574011.html

Iraqi Security Forces Ask Why US Defences in Baghdad Werent Working During UAV Attack on PMs Home

Iraqi Security Forces Ask Why US Defences in Baghdad Werent Working During UAV Attack on PMs Home

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi survived an assassination attempt early Sunday morning after three drones targeted his residence, situated in the... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T19:02+0000

2021-11-08T19:02+0000

2021-11-08T19:33+0000

iraq

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drone attack

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Iraqs Joint Operations Command (JOC) is asking why the US militarys counter rocket, artillery and mortar (C-RAM) installations appeared to have been inoperable during Sunday mornings attack on the prime ministers residence.While operational, the C-RAM system sounds sirens to warn of potential incoming attacks, and fires off rapid-fire machineguns to shoot down hostile air targets. The system was installed and activated last year amid repeated strikes on the Green Zone by militia rocket artillery following the January 2020 US assassination of Qasem Soleimani, a senior Iranian anti-terror commander. After its installation, the system has been repeatedly used to protect Green Zone airspace. However, it has not always been accurate, with a volley of rockets launched into the Green Zone in February failing to activate the system, reportedly after it was projected that the rockets would not land within the diplomatic compound.Shia Militias SuspiciousHe went on to claim that the fictitious explosion and gunfire at the prime ministers residence were meant to conceal yesterdays crimes, and destined to engage public attention, in reference to the violent clashes between security forces in Baghdad and protesters demonstrating against the results of the 10 October election, which some Iraqi parties allege were rigged, on Friday.No group has claimed responsibility for Sundays attack. However, Asaib Ahl al-Haq was put under the spotlight Sunday after its leader, Qais al-Khazali, was seen in a viral clip warning that the prime minister would be made to pay the price for violence against the protesters.Sheikh Ali al-Asadi, chief of the political council of the al-Nujaba Movement, another Iraqi Shia paramilitary group, also alleged foul play in Sundays incident, suggesting that the Americans were trying to unleash chaos in Iraq.All evidence and signs indicate that the American Embassy is involved in the incident, he claimed. If the evil American Embassy is found responsible for the attack, the seditionist US ambassador must then be expelled from Iraq, al-Asadi insisted.Brazen AttackAl-Kadhimi emerged unscathed in the wake of Sundays bomb-laden drone attack, with the incident leaving six security guards injured and causing damage to the prime ministers residence. Al-Kadhimi took to twitter to call for calm. Later, in an extraordinary session of the council of ministers, he promised to pursue the perpetrators of Sundays crime, saying the government know[s] them very well andwill expose them.The army was deployed across the capital in the aftermath of the attack to maintain order.Iraqi President Barham Salih, powerful Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, Kurdistan Region president Nechirvan Barzani and others each condemned the attack and expressed relief that al-Kadhimi wasnt hurt. Brig. Gen. Esmail Qaani, commander of Irans Revolutionary Guard Quds Force, reportedly flew to Baghdad on Sunday afternoon to meet with al-Kadhimi and Salih and call for calm and stability.Tehran slammed the attempt on the prime ministers life. Foreign Ministry spokesman Said Khatibzadeh indirectly accused the US of involvement, saying Sunday such incidents are in the interest of those who have violated the stability, security, independence and territorial integrity of Iraq over the past 18 years.The US State Department offered assistance to investigate the incident. President Joe Biden strongly condemned Sundays attack, and praised al-Kadhimi for his calm and restraint in protecting Iraqs state institutions and strengthening the war-torn nations democracy.

https://sputniknews.com/20211107/iran-slams-assassination-attempt-against-iraqi-pm-says-us-may-have-been-responsible-1090547580.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211107/iraqi-interior-ministry-calls-attempt-on-pms-life-a-terrorist-attack-1090540749.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211107/biden-strongly-condemns-terrorist-attack-on-iraqi-pms-residence-1090549220.html

wtfud America can never just say goodbye without leaving their genocidal calling card. Pure EVIL. 13

Willyspit They had to turn them off for erm.. maintenance....service... and so they didn't shoot down the drones they sent to kill the PM. Hope that clears things up. 13

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https://sputniknews.com/20211108/israel-egypt-agree-to-increase-presence-of-egyptian-forces-on-border-with-gaza-strip-1090563671.html

Israel, Egypt Agree to Increase Presence of Egyptian Forces on Border With Gaza Strip

Israel, Egypt Agree to Increase Presence of Egyptian Forces on Border With Gaza Strip

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Israeli and Egyptian military officials agreed to bolster the security presence of the Egyptian forces in the Rafah area, bordering the Gaza... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T11:45+0000

2021-11-08T11:45+0000

2021-11-08T11:45+0000

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On Sunday, the Joint Military Committee between the IDF and the Egyptian Armed Forces held a meeting in the city of Sharm el-Sheikh. The Israeli delegation was led by Head of the Operations Directorate Maj. Gen. Oded Basiuk, Head of the Strategic Planning and Cooperation Directorate Maj. Gen. Tal Kelman, and Head of the International Cooperation Division Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin."An amendment was signed on an agreement regulating the presence of security forces in the Rafah area, in favor of increasing the security presence of the Egyptian Armed Forces in that area. The amendment was approved by the State Security Cabinet," the IDF said on its Telegram channel.During the committee meeting, military officials also discussed other mutual issues faced by the countries armies, the IDF said.Rafah is the only crossing point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. For many years, it has been subjected to a prolonged Israeli-led blockade, which has placed severe restrictions on the Palestinian movement of goods and people.

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egypt, news, israel, gaza strip, border
https://sputniknews.com/20211108/kremlin-its-up-to-gazprom-to-comment-on-gas-pumping-into-european-storage-facilities-1090561862.html

Kremlin: It's Up to Gazprom to Comment on Gas Pumping Into European Storage Facilities

Kremlin: It's Up to Gazprom to Comment on Gas Pumping Into European Storage Facilities

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Questions about gas pumping into European underground storage facilities should be addressed to Russia's Gazprom, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T10:41+0000

2021-11-08T10:41+0000

2021-11-08T10:42+0000

news

russia

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nord stream 2

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Late last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed Gazprom to begin planned work to increase the volume of gas in European underground storage facilities after pumping gas into underground storage facilities in Russia. Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller said that the planned gas injection into Russian facilities would be completed by 1 November but it was decided to continue pumping gas above planned volumes through 7 November due to the announcement of non-working days across the country."You should address Gazprom for clarifications. Obviously, Gazprom maintains daily contacts with its partners in Europe ... There is no doubt that there was a presidential order ... but as for the daily management, you should ask them, Gazprom," Peskov told reporters.The Kremlin has not recorded any violations in the implementation of the presidential order, Peskov assured.He also said that no timeline for launching the Nord Stream 2 project has been determined yet."No, not yet. Of course, this will take some time, and here the main thing is to wait patiently," Peskov told reporters.The Kremlin spokesman added that the project is of major importance for the energy security of Europe.

https://sputniknews.com/20211107/bavarian-leader-for-launch-of-nord-stream-2-ahead-of-cold-winter-reports-say-1090539486.html

FeEisi Germany dragged their feet on NS2. Russia should not be in hurry to help the EU either. 7

Ladyshadow Make them beg. 2

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news, russia, dmitry peskov, gas, nord stream 2
https://sputniknews.com/20211108/kuwaits-government-submits-resignation-to-emir-state-media-reports-1090562121.html

Kuwait's Government Submits Resignation to Emir, State Media Reports

Kuwait's Government Submits Resignation to Emir, State Media Reports

On 13 January, Kuwait's Cabinet of Ministers resigned, and on 2 March, by decree of the emir, a new government was formed. 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T10:46+0000

2021-11-08T10:46+0000

2021-11-08T11:34+0000

kuwait

middle east

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Kuwait's government submitted its resignation to the ruling emir Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, state media reported.For the second time a government headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah has resigned this year over differences with the parliament.The government resigned amid the background of the ongoing crisis in relations between the parliament and the cabinet. As a result of the parliamentary elections held in December, 60% of the candidates up for re-election were defeated. Already in January, in accordance with a parliamentary request, which was supported by 30 deputies, it was decided to summon the Prime Minister of Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah to the National Assembly, where the deputies accused him of selecting unqualified and partly provocative figures for ministerial posts.Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah has been premier since late 2019.

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https://sputniknews.com/20211108/man-united-fans-support-bruno-fernandes-led-revolt-against-manager-ole-gunnar-solskjaer-1090560825.html

Man United Fans Support Bruno Fernandes-Led Revolt Against Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Man United Fans Support Bruno Fernandes-Led Revolt Against Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Man United's downward spiral this season has ignited an intense debate about the future of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Old Trafford, and his players have... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T12:13+0000

2021-11-08T12:13+0000

2021-11-08T16:31+0000

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Fans have come out in support of Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes, who is apparently leading a revolt alongside talisman Cristiano Ronaldo and other players against manager Solskjaer, according to The Daily Mail. Many of the club's fans are backing the uprising and calling for the Norwegian's head. If he goes, he'll be the sixth Premier League manager to be sacked this season. Solskjaer has been under fire for a few weeks now amid United's poor run of form in all competitions  including two painful recent defeats against archrivals Liverpool and Man City. To say he's on thin ice is an understatement and his players now want him out. United's hierarchy  including Chairmen Joel and Avram Glazer and Executive Vice-Chairman Ed Woodward  are yet to make a decision on Solskjaer's future but the pressure is building. Defender and club captain Harry Maguire's performances have been below par this season yet Solskjaer continues to play him, while the likes of midfielder Fred have also come under fire for a lack of determination and quality on the pitch. Record signing Jordan Sancho (100 million euros) has barely featured and Dutchman Donny Van de Beek (40 million euros) remains stuck to the bench, much to fans' bemusement. Cristiano Ronaldo's frustration is also mounting  at times he's almost single-handedly dragged United along this term, and given his influence in the changing room, news that he backs Fernandes' revolt is not good for Solskjaer. United are currently sixth with 17 points in the Premier League, nine points behind leaders Chelsea, who have 26.

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football, football, sport, manchester united, liverpool, cristiano ronaldo, manchester city, pep guardiola, sputnik, sport, sport, revolt, defeat, loss, manager, football club, footballers, football team, head coach, football star, ole gunnar solskjr
https://sputniknews.com/20211108/mossad-foiled-irgc-plot-to-target-israeli-tourists-on-safari-in-africa-israeli-media-claims-1090566333.html

Mossad Foiled IRGC Plot to Target Israeli Tourists on Safari in Africa, Israeli Media Claims

Mossad Foiled IRGC Plot to Target Israeli Tourists on Safari in Africa, Israeli Media Claims

Along with a public back-and-forth campaign of hostile rhetoric threatening to blow one another up with missiles and bombs, Tel Aviv and Tehran are known to be... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T12:40+0000

2021-11-08T12:40+0000

2021-11-08T12:56+0000

israel

iran

mossad

islamic revolutionary guard corps

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Five African nationals have been arrested on suspicion of receiving training from Irans elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force to target Israeli tourists and businesspeople, Israels Channel 12 television channel has reported.The television channel, which did not attribute its information to any sources, indicated that Mossad foiled the plot, which allegedly involved African recruits trained in Lebanon and operating in three countries disguised as religious students.The report did not go into detail about Mossads involvement in the operation, and indicated that the five suspects were arrested by local intelligence based information received from Western spies (Israel considers itself a Western nation).Channel 12 says all the suspects were detained before they could carry out their deadly missions, and that they are still undergoing questioning. The report did not indicate where or when the arrests took place. Officials in the aforementioned African countries have not commented on the media reporting.Iran has yet to comment on Channel 12s report, but previously dismissed earlier claims about its alleged attacks in Cyprus and Colombia as unfounded.Earlier this year, Israel and its US allies blamed Iran for a deadly attack on an Israeli-owned tanker. Tehran dismissed those allegations as baseless and urged the international community to be wary of Israeli fabrications and false flag operations.Israels security apparatus has been on edge searching for signs of Iranian revenge attacks in the wake of the November 2020 assassination of senior Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. Israeli officials neither confirmed nor denied the countrys involvement in the murder, while Iran blamed Tel Aviv directly, dubbed the incident a terrorist act, and vowed revenge at a time and place of Irans choosing.In May, IRGC Chief Hossein Salami boasted that a string of serious and inexplicable security incidents befalling Israel, including a controlled explosion at a rocket factory, a major fire at the Haifa oil refinery, a reported attack on a Mossad safe house in Iraq, a string of cyberattacks targeting Israeli companies, and a Syrian missile explosion 40 km from Israels sensitive Dimona nuclear facility, were evidence that the countrys national security bubble has burst. Salami went on to warn that in the event of a major conflict with Iran, the narrow geographic space in which Israels military has to manoeuvre means that a first blow can also be the last one. Israel has not attributed any of the aforementioned incidents to Iran.On top of back-and-forth threats to attack each other militarily, Israel and Iran have engaged in a major cyberwar, targeting everything from server infrastructure to ports, utilities, and even nuclear facilities. Last month, Irans civil defence chief accused Israel and the United States of responsibility for the recent cyberattack on Irans gas stations, which crippled hardware connected to cards used by ordinary Iranians to get cheap gasoline at subsidised rates. Iran also blamed Mossad for Aprils act of nuclear terrorism against the Natanz nuclear plant, which suffered major damage in a cyberattack. Israel neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in that incident.In September, The Cradle reported that a US and a Israeli commander had been assassinated in northern Iraq in the summer of 2021 in revenge for the January 2020 assassination of Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani. The Pentagon admitted that one of its senior commanders was killed in June, but said he died in a non-combat event. Israeli media reported that the Israeli soldier died on 1 July after collapsing during fitness training at a military base in central Israel.

USSuxRuskyNuts Mossad is the only organization targeting Israeli tourists! They're always looking for new Israeli martyrs for their cause! 7

eddie I highly doubt IRGC would purposefully target civilians even if they were Jews. Killing civilians is an Israeli specialty. 6

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https://sputniknews.com/20211108/mystery-object-detected-near-chinas-space-debris-cleaner-fuels-fears-of-satellite-crushing-weapon-1090566099.html

Mystery Object Detected Near Chinas Space Debris Cleaner Fuels Fears of 'Satellite-Crushing Weapon'

Mystery Object Detected Near Chinas Space Debris Cleaner Fuels Fears of 'Satellite-Crushing Weapon'

China launched its Shijian 21 satellite into orbit from Xichang late in October on a mission to test and verify space debris mitigation technologies... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T12:52+0000

2021-11-08T12:52+0000

2021-11-08T12:52+0000

china

space

space debris

tech

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US space tracking has detected a mysterious object orbiting along with Chinas Shijian-21 satellite, launched on 23 October to test and verify space debris mitigation technologies. On 3 November, the US Space Forces 18th Space Control Squadron (SPCS) catalogued a so-called companion object alongside Shijian-21 with the international designator 2021-094C, reported SpaceNews.com.The object is noted as likely to be an apogee kick motor (AKM) typically employed on artificial satellites to deliver the final impulse to change the trajectory from the transfer orbit into its final, geostationary orbit. After satellite separation, apogee kick motors usually employ a final manoeuvre in line with protocol to avoid the risk of collision. However, according to the report, Shijian-21 and the SJ-21 AKM are currently side by side in orbit. Other possible versions as to the origins of the enigmatic object suggest something related to space debris mitigation experiments, testing of rendezvous and proximity operations, refuelling trials or manipulations involving a robotic arm. Even potential counterspace operations tests are not ruled out. The Shijian-21 satellite was sent into space atop a Long March - 3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre on 23 October at 9:27 a.m. Beijing time for cleaning space debris, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp., Beijings state-run space company. The company stated that the satellite was tasked with demonstrating technologies to alleviate and neutralise space debris. In 2016, Beijing launched its first official "debris-clearing" satellite, Shijian 17, officially designated as a communication satellite with the mission to observe space debris. The launch of spacecraft like the Shijian-21 was part of Chinas effort to achieve space superiority through space and space-attack systems, warned the commander of the US Space Command, Air Force Gen. James Dickinson in April as he appeared in Congress. Beijing claims its intentions are entirely peaceful amid a global movement to reduce space debris such as spent rocket stages, broken satellites and micrometeoroids, or create active technologies to address it.

Roland Laycock THe US live in fear of there own shadow then again after all the murdering around the world they need to 9

WhatTheFishIsThis Tools can be Used for Good or Bad Purposes .. it's all in the Mind; Influenced by Culture or Violence. 6

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china, space, space debris, tech
https://sputniknews.com/20211108/nbpc-union-head-slams-border-crisis-as-biggest-we-have-ever-seen-amid-payments-rumors-1090555189.html

NBPC Union Head Slams Border Crisis as 'Biggest We Have Ever Seen' Amid Payments Rumors

NBPC Union Head Slams Border Crisis as 'Biggest We Have Ever Seen' Amid Payments Rumors

Biden reversed a number of his predecessor's immigration measures, including building a wall and requiring asylum seekers to remain in Mexico rather than the... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T03:36+0000

2021-11-08T03:36+0000

2021-11-08T03:36+0000

us-mexico border

us

border

us border patrol

migrant crisis

us customs and border protection (cbp)

border crossings

border policy

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Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, claimed on Sunday that the US is in the midst of the "biggest crisis we have ever seen" in terms of border security, claiming that this is due to the Biden administration's reversal of all of former President Trump's immigration policies.In an interview with "Fox News Live," Judd said that the US will end up having "tons of people cross our borders illegally" if those illegal aliens are released into the country "pending a hearing that theyre not going to show up to."The Biden administration, Judd continued, "unfortunately did away with everything that President Trump did that was in fact beneficial to border security," which, in turn, "opened the floodgates."According to the NBP Council chief, the country has seen an "explosion" of illegal immigration, which he blamed on Biden's policies.On Sunday, White House Senior Adviser Cedric Richmond refused to confirm or deny reports the Biden administration would provide payments to illegal immigrants separated from their children, but insisted that the POTUS is aware of the situation despite his seemingly contradictory recent statements on the subject.This Saturday, though, Biden stated that if an immigrant  legal or illegal  is separated from their child, they "deserve some sort of compensation no matter what the circumstances."Judd explained that he is concerned about whatever this government says "right now simply because they havent been forthcoming."Moreover, the organization's president added that the Biden administration has not reported how many people are being released into the US, how many people are unlawfully crossing the border, or how many of those detained have a criminal history."Theyre not forthcoming with the American public and the American public has a right to know exactly what is happening  and until this administration is in fact forthcoming with all these things, we have reason to be skeptical on anything that they tell us as it pertains to border security," he argued.

https://sputniknews.com/20211105/biden-perfectly-comfortable-with-compensation-for-illegal-migrants-separated-at-border--1090492455.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20211108/nz-shooter-brenton-tarrant-reportedly-to-appeal-convictions-as-guilty-pleas-obtained-by-duress-1090561207.html

NZ Shooter Brenton Tarrant Reportedly to Appeal Convictions As Guilty Pleas Obtained by Duress

NZ Shooter Brenton Tarrant Reportedly to Appeal Convictions As Guilty Pleas Obtained by Duress

Brenton Tarrant, the gunman behind the back-to-back mass shootings at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019 which left 51 dead and at least 50 injured... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T10:33+0000

2021-11-08T10:33+0000

2021-11-08T10:33+0000

new zealand

mosque

brenton tarrant

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The mass shooter who killed 51 and injured at least 50 people at two New Zealand mosques in 2019 is expected to appeal his convictions, according to Stuff.co.nz. Brenton Tarrant, who had live-streamed the carnage he unleashed at Al Noor Mosque and at the Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch on Facebook says he pleaded guilty last year because of the inhumane and degrading treatment he experienced while awaiting trial. After the gunman provided his lawyer, Tony Ellis, with a description of his alleged mistreatment while in custody, Ellis made the claim on his behalf in a memo to Chief Coroner Judge Deborah Marshall ahead of the Coronial Inquiry into the mass shooting, reported the outlet. According to the lawyer, this could signify a breach of the Bill of Rights.The lawyers memo is also reported to have underscored that Tarrant was denied access to counsel, information and to documentation which would impact his ability to participate in the Coronial Inquiry. The shooter had ostensibly been sent two copies of the Royal Commission which were withheld from him by the department. Furthermore, the Chief Coroner's failure to use the attacker's name in the Coroner's minute relating to the inquiry, only referring to him as "The Individual" was slammed by the lawyer as a "serious breach of human rights" and behaviour that is deeply offensive, and unlawful". "It is very important that Mr. Tarrant is not dehumanised, especially by judicial officers," said Ellis. According to the report, the lawyer had advised his client to appeal his sentence of life without the possibility of parole, because it is a "sentence of no hope". Christchurch Shooter Brenton Tarrant, the gunman behind two back-to-back mass shootings, at the Al Noor Mosque and at the Linwood Islamic Centre, in March 2019, in New Zealand's Christchurch, received a life sentence without parole from the High Court of Christchurch on 27 August 2020. New Zealand police had charged Tarrant with terrorism in addition to existing murder charges. The perpetrator had written what he described as a "manifesto" with anti-Muslim statements prior to committing the attack, which he live-streamed via Facebook. The video of the ensuing carnage was subsequently widely posted on other online platforms.

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https://sputniknews.com/20211108/sleazy-does-it-boris-1090569753.html

Sleazy Does It Boris

Sleazy Does It Boris

How many sleaze scandals can Boris Johnson and his Tory government endure? His Number 10 residence should be renamed Drowning Street from the stinking tide... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T15:27+0000

2021-11-08T15:27+0000

2021-11-08T15:27+0000

boris johnson

columnists

corruption scandal

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This is the prime minister who gets his sunshine holidays and house decorating paid for by rich Conservative party donors, and then bends policy to profit the business interests of his patrons.The latest cringe-fest saw Johnson and his Crony Party trying to cover up for a former minister who used his parliamentary position to benefit private companies for whom he was being paid a load of consultancy fees. Or, in plainer language: grifting and bribery.Instead of suspending the offending lawmaker, Number 10 wanted to re-write the rules for parliamentary watchdogs making it harder for them to nail corruption.The endemic sleaze in the Johnson regime is at the heart of the Brexit row with the European Union.The British government wants to ditch the Brexit deal it negotiated with the EU concerning trade arrangements for Ireland. When Johnson proclaimed his oven-ready divorce arrangement, the trade agreement with Europe relied on implementing a special protocol for Northern Ireland in which the latter would remain inside the EUs single market, thereby avoiding a hard land border with the Republic of Ireland.Johnson and Co now want to abandon the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol because London cant be bothered fulfilling the necessary customs regulations on trade between Northern Ireland the rest of Britain. Yet, the British government arrogantly expects to continue benefiting from trading advantages bestowed by the wider EU Brexit deal.This is the same cherry-picking, unaccountable mentality that is rife in the Johnson regime. Whether its breaking its own Covid-19 rules for the public or ignoring ethics laws over lobbying, this British government shows contempt for any accounting standards. Its a case of laws for the plebs, and none for us.Its the same with Brexit and Europe. Johnson doesnt like the hassle that comes with his own negotiated deal, so now the British government would prefer to discard the bit it doesnt like regarding obligations over Irish trade and maintaining the integrity of the EU single market as well as avoiding a politically explosive hard border in Ireland.One laugh (there are so many) is that the Brexit negotiator is Lord David Frost who, as his name suggests, is as slippery as an ice lolly. This guy is not even elected. He was made a peer in the unelected House of Lords  the upper chamber of the British parliament  by Johnsons government and then on foot of that Frost was appointed minister to oversee the Brexit deal.So here we have a British government backsliding on an international treaty (the Brexit withdrawal agreement with the EU) and indeed moving towards jettisoning the Northern Ireland Protocol. And all this is being conducted by an unelected political appointee. It doesnt get much sleazier than that.The sordid business of British politics is having an incendiary impact on Ireland. By not making the NI Protocol work through proper implementation, London is inflaming pro-British loyalists in Northern Ireland. On the other hand, if London trashes its legal commitments for EU trade, then a potential hard border across Ireland is inflaming nationalists. There is a real danger of bloody conflict returning to the island of Ireland.However, the attitude of Johnson and his cronies is incorrigible arrogance and ignorance  the kind of sanctimonious mindset that stems from elite privilege. The British Tory toffee-noses could not care a jot about what the consequences of their duplicity is for the ordinary people  whether in Ireland or Britain.If the duplicity leads to violence in Ireland, they dont care. If the duplicity results in the EU reciprocating by slapping trade tariffs on British exports thereby sinking jobs and livelihoods, they dont care.Johnsons whole career has been one of a sleazeball. He made his name in journalism writing outrageous lies about EU policies; he spun lies to push through his Brexit con job about Global Britain. And when the reality hits back, its more a case of sleazy does it.That the British electorate voted for this posh charlatan is coming back to haunt. People are now paying a bitter price with their livelihoods as the economic woes of Brexit hit home.Johnsons sleaze and that of his entire government is the hallmark of Britains corrupt class system. It is rotten to the core. The callousness is only matched by the sheer brazenness.The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.

https://sputniknews.com/20211108/amid-sleaze-clampdown-uk-mps-could-be-barred-from-consultancy-roles-by-commons-standards-watchdog--1090563184.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211108/uk-mps-to-debate-standards-reform-as-bojos-govt-faces-backlash-over-paterson-sleaze-row-1090556821.html

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boris johnson, columnists, corruption scandal
https://sputniknews.com/20211108/syrian-media-says-army-intercepting-israeli-aerial-attack-as-explosions-heard-over-homs-tartous-1090572673.html

Syrian Media Says Air Defences Have Intercepted Israeli Attack as Explosions Heard Over Homs, Tartus

Syrian Media Says Air Defences Have Intercepted Israeli Attack as Explosions Heard Over Homs, Tartus

Israel has launched hundreds of air and missile strikes into Syria in recent years, claiming to target "Iranian" or "Iranian-backed" forces seeking to... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T18:01+0000

2021-11-08T18:01+0000

2021-11-08T18:49+0000

syria

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Israel launched airstrikes against Syria from the direction of Beirut, Lebanon on Monday evening, targeting areas in the regions of Homs and Tartus, a military source told the Syrian Arab News Agency.The army reported that two of its servicemen were injured in the attacks, with some damage to ground infrastructure also caused. The attack was said to have taken place at 7:16 in the evening local time.Unauthenticated amateur footage of the battles in the skies showed bright flashes of light illuminating the night as Syrian air defence missiles tracked down and intercepted the Israeli projectiles. One video showed a bright explosion on the ground after a missile appeared to have reached its target, with a man filming and children heard screaming in terror in the background after the sound of the blast reached them.Monday's strikes follow an attack last Wednesday in the Damascus countryside. Syria also reported intercepting Israel missiles in the Damascus countryside on 30 October, with two soldiers injured and material damage caused in that strike. Syria used its Russian-made Buk-M2E missile systems to drop most of the aggressor's missiles from the skies in that act of aerial aggression.In mid-October, the Russian military accused Israel of carrying out a separate strike in Homs near the ancient city of Palmyra under the cover of two civilian aircraft. A high-ranking Israeli military officer assured Sputnik that the IDF has "a mechanism to minimize risks," and does "not use the movement of civililan aircraft as an advantage."Regular Israeli air attacks are just one of the major security problems afflicting Syria. Part of the country remains occupied by Turkish and US forces, and the nation faces crushing US and European sanctions aimed at strangulating its economy and preventing Damascus from rebuilding from a bloody, foreign-backed civil conflict which began in 2011. The country's northeastern regions, rich in oil, gas and food, are occupied by the Americans together with their Syrian Kurdish militia allies, depriving the once energy and food-self sufficient nation of its status as such.Syrian President Bashar Assad, who survived against all odds against the rag-tag collection of tens of thousands of jihadist fighters and 'moderate rebels' flooding into Syria since 2011, has vowed to one day restore control over the entirety of the country, including the Israeli-occuped Golan Heights, and has stated repeatedly that all foreign forces not explicitly invited into the Arab Republic must leave its soil immediately.

https://sputniknews.com/20211014/airstrike-over-homs-province-carried-out-by-israeli-forces-russian-military-reveals-1089932216.html

vot tak "5 o'clock" shlomo cowardly strikes again. Very much looking forward to when this accumulated "karma" comes due. 8

Burkhard Knoll Aggressive Israel is a kapitalism pile, you can nothing else expecting, Like sick small usa. 6

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Ilya Tsukanov

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https://sputniknews.com/20211108/tehran-has-no-regulations-to-hold-bilateral-nuclear-deal-talks-with-us-iranian-lawmaker-says-1090568553.html

Tehran Has No Regulations to Hold Bilateral Nuclear Deal Talks With US, Iranian Lawmaker Says

Tehran Has No Regulations to Hold Bilateral Nuclear Deal Talks With US, Iranian Lawmaker Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Iranian authorities have not discussed or developed any instructions to conduct bilateral negotiations with the United States regarding... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T14:31+0000

2021-11-08T14:31+0000

2021-11-08T14:31+0000

news

us

iran nuclear deal

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"According to Iran's strategic policy, we have not yet formally discussed the terms of negotiations with the United States. We have certain protocols in the JCPOA, according to which we held talks with Europe, and Russia, and China, and the United States. However, we do not have any decrees, documents or instructions regulating bilateral negotiations with the United States in Iran," Jalalzadeh said.Commenting on Iran's claims against the US, the politician said that Tehran demands nothing from Washington but the full return of the US to its obligations under the JCPOA, noting that all sanctions against Iran should be lifted.If the US government indeed has a political will, then Iran will not demand anything more than what is written in the nuclear deal, the politician added.The Vienna-hosted talks aimed at reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran nuclear deal, are expected to resume on 29 November.Since April, Vienna has been hosting talks aimed at reviving the Iran nuclear deal, which fell through after Washington's unilateral withdrawal and Tehran's retaliating actions. The sixth round of talks finished on June 20 and the negotiations have since hit a deadlock. A new round of talks is expected to resume on November 29.

https://sputniknews.com/20211103/iran-to-resume-jcpoa-negotiations-in-vienna-on-nov-29---iranian-deputy-fm-1090456972.html

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news, us, iran nuclear deal
https://sputniknews.com/20211108/uk-mps-to-debate-standards-reform-as-bojos-govt-faces-backlash-over-paterson-sleaze-row-1090556821.html

UK MPs to Debate Standards Reform as BoJos Govt Faces Backlash Over Paterson Sleaze Row

UK MPs to Debate Standards Reform as BoJos Govt Faces Backlash Over Paterson Sleaze Row

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Tory ministers have been under fire after an attempt to rip up the Commons disciplinary process and prevent the 30-day... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T05:38+0000

2021-11-08T05:38+0000

2021-11-10T07:42+0000

boris johnson

conservative party

news

owen paterson

keir starmer

uk

george eustice

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UK MPs are holding an emergency debate on the House of Commons standards system on Monday as the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson reels over the fallout from the Owen Paterson "sleaze" row. The attempt by Johnson to tear up Parliament rules and overhaul the standards system for MPs rather than allow the suspension of Conservative lawmaker Owen Paterson, found guilty of paid advocacy on behalf of two companies, has resulted in his government being slammed as politically corrupt. Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain made an application for the emergency debate on the consequences of the decision of the House on 3 November relating to standards on 4 November 2021. She added that, people around the country who play by the rules are being let down by Boris Johnson's Conservatives, who think the rules just don't apply to them. The Liberal Democrats are also proposing that MPs under investigation for breaching parliamentary rules be barred from taking part in House of Commons votes on disciplinary issues. Sleaze Row Former Conservative MP Owen Paterson had been facing a 30-day suspension over an egregious case of paid advocacy after Kathryn Stone, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, last week recommended the ban in a report approved by a group of cross-party MPs on the standards committee. The former MP for North Shropshire was found to have repeatedly lobbied on behalf of two companies - Randox and Lynns Country Foods  which paid him more than 100,000 annually.However, Boris Johnson's government chose not to endorse the standards watchdog's call for punishment and turn the spotlight onto the standards process itself. It backed the creation of a Tory-led committee to review the Paterson case, while overhauling the Commons standards system. If Paterson had been suspended, this could have resulted in recall proceedings that may have triggered a by-election. An amendment superseding an originally planned yes-no vote on Patersons suspension was put forward by Dame Andrea Leadsom on 3 November, suggesting a new select committee which would examine the parliamentary standards system and recommend whether to review Patersons case. The House voted 250 to 232, majority 18, to approve the amendment. Paterson himself had hailed it as a chance to clear his name after "two years of hell". However, a slew of anti-corruption campaigners, political observers and opposition MPs accused the Tories of "wallowing in sleaze". Furthermore, the government was accused of trying to bully the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner after Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng suggested Kathryn Stone should consider her position. The set-up of a new oversight committee, to be led by former Tory minister John Whittingdale, which the amendment approved, was denounced by Labour, the SNP and Liberal Democrats, who all vowed to boycott it and thus deprive it of any cross-party authority. Hit with an angry backlash, the Government performed a U-turn the following day, scrapping the proposed reforms.After Downing Street indicated on Thursday that Paterson would have to face a fresh vote on the 30-day suspension, The former MP announced he would resign to leave the cruel world of politics. Corrupt, Contemptible BehaviourFallout from the sleaze row has resulted in Boris Johnsons government facing a relentless barrage of criticism from the Opposition. Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer demanded that Johnson apologise to the nation over the Owen Paterson sleaze row ahead of the emergency Commons debate.Appearing on the Andrew Marr Show, Starmer claimed Downing Streets attempts to clear Paterson despite being found to have breached lobbying rules was corruption. Instead of upholding standards, he ordered his MPs to protect his mate and rip up the whole system  that is corrupt, it is contemptible and its not a one-off, said Starmer.UK Environment Secretary George Eustice attempted to dismiss the sleaze scandal as a mere storm in a teacup, while acknowledged that Boris Johnsons government had made a mistake.What we have seen is a Westminster storm in a teacup. Yes, we made a mistake in bringing that forward in the way that we did, so we withdrew it. But the overall principle, that you should have due process and a right of appeal in these types of situations, I dont think anybody doubts, he was quoted by Sky News as saying.

keyboardcosmetics BS Turkeys don't vote for Christmas. A debate is like complaining to the Madame of a whorehouse.... they are all prostitutes and journalists are the politicians pimps. 0

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Svetlana Ekimenko

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boris johnson, conservative party, news, owen paterson, keir starmer, uk, george eustice
https://sputniknews.com/20211108/whelan-tried-to-obtain-information-about-students-of-russias-fsb-school-prosecutor-says-1090559759.html

Whelan Tried to Obtain Information About Students of Russia's FSB School, Prosecutor Says

Whelan Tried to Obtain Information About Students of Russia's FSB School, Prosecutor Says

NIZHNY NOVGOROD Russia (Sputnik) - US citizen Paul Whelan, who is serving a prison sentence in Russia on espionage charges, tried to obtain information about... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T07:57+0000

2021-11-08T07:57+0000

2021-11-08T07:57+0000

russia

paul whelan

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"Pail Whelan tried to obtain information about students studying at FSB educational facility but was detained," Lukoyanov said at court hearings.The prosecutor did not mention the name and the location of the school.Whelan, who is also a citizen of Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom, was arrested in Russia in December 2018.Whelan is serving a 16-year jail term in Russia's Mordovia region in line with the Moscow court ruling last June. Whelan has denied the charges against him but did not challenge the verdict in the hope of being deported to the United States.

Terranian The 1st He's with 'Near Certainty' 100% a SPY, but he still plays the victim card, what a prick. What regular guy has 4 'Citizenships' ? He should jailed for the rest of his life. 6

vot tak One less israeloamerican spy out and about doing damage. :-D 6

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russia, paul whelan
https://sputniknews.com/20211108/white-house-defends-bidens-vaccine-mandate-for-us-workers-after-measure-halted-by-court-1090553644.html

White House Defends Biden's Vaccine Mandate for US Workers After Measure Halted by Court

White House Defends Biden's Vaccine Mandate for US Workers After Measure Halted by Court

This week, the Biden administration issued new federal rules that classify COVID-19 as an occupational hazard, requiring roughly 100 million American workers... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T01:33+0000

2021-11-08T01:33+0000

2021-11-08T02:38+0000

joe biden

us

white house

vaccine

covid-19

biden administration

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US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy defended the White House's actions after the administration issued a sweeping COVID-19 vaccine mandate for enterprises with 100 or more employees.In a Sunday interview on ABC's "This Week," Murthy said that President Joe Biden along with his administration "wouldn't have put these requirements in place if they didnt think that they were appropriate and necessary," and the White House is "certainly prepared to defend them." The doctor noted that the nation has had a history of times when mandatory vaccinations were necessary to protect the population.At least 27 states, according to the outlet, including Kentucky, Oklahoma, and West Virginia, have filed lawsuits challenging the mandate, claiming it is unconstitutional. Several business organizations have also spoken out against the imposed measure. Moreover, as the holiday shopping season approaches, the National Retail Federation has reportedly described the rule as "burdensome" for shops. Murthy was also asked about the potential impact of the mandate on businesses and the economy, given that the US is now experiencing a labor shortage and supply chain pressures.The requirement presently applies to enterprises with more than 100 employees, which accounts for around two-thirds of the country's workforce. When questioned if the mandate could be extended to businesses with less than 100 employees, Murthy stated that nothing is off the table and that regulations like these work."What we've seen in a report issued recently was that, on average, businesses that put these requirements in place see a 20% increase in vaccination rates, often boosting them into the 90s," he noted. "If we realize, as we have over the past year, that vaccination is one of our key pathways out of this pandemic, these requirements will do a lot to get us to over the finish line."Furthermore, Murthy expressed cautious optimism about the country's future due to the vaccination campaign.With the announcement of a new anti-viral drug from Pfizer that, according to the company, reduces the chance of hospitalization and death by 89%, Murthy weighed in on what impact it might have on the pandemic's trajectory if approved.However, the surgeon general welcomed the news of the new pill, but emphasized that getting vaccinated remains the best method to avoid catching COVID-19.This comes amid news that a federal appeals court on Saturday temporarily suspended Biden's mandate for large companies, finding that the new federal measures pose "grave statutory and constitutional issues."In an interview with NBC News, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain expressed his confidence that the measure will be upheld by courts in the end.At the same time, he noted, "In my opinion, it's been a rough and tough year. And we knew it would be. President Biden has said this all the time. We're in a yearlong effort to dig out of the holes we were left."According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, unvaccinated persons are 10 times more likely than vaccinated people to be hospitalized and 11 times more likely to die from the coronavirus.

Thomas Turk Irriots all, as Benny Hill would say..1 BitChute. Pfizer Blackmails Govts. 2. Global Research.. 57 Top Scientists and Doctors Release Shocking . Study on COVID Vaccines and Demand Immediate Stop to All Vaccinations 3 Forbidden knowledge. Medical Bombshell: Pfizer Vax Attacks Human Blood Creating Clots Under Microscope 4. Global Research. Hundreds of Thousands of COVID Vaccine Injury Reports Backlogged in VAERS, says Jessica Rose, Ph.D., a computational biologist and Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) analyst). The LIberty Beacon Nov. 5.. Most shocking, perhaps, is how doctors and administrators refuse to report the rising number of unexplained medical problems in otherwise healthy people as potential adverse reactions to COVID-19 experimental vaccine shots. To suggest that these shots are the cause of any medical problem  or that they are contributing to the alarming rise in non-COVID-related hospital populations  invites professional ridicule. 4

TruePatriot There is no defense of this unConstitutional overreach by JObama and company. And, Murthy obviously is too caught up with his cloud-based clinical trials for Big Pharma to speak the truth about the cold/flu bug. The jabs are NOT vaccines despite the CDC changing their definition of what a vaccine is. They are experimental gene therapies that are not proving to work since one can still get the big and transmit or shed the bug. And the CDC statement that was quoted is patently false. 60+% of those hospitalized for covid are those that have been fully jabbed. It causes microclots among other severe adverse reactions and will have people dropping like flies this winter. It is the pox of the vaccinated that is now upon us. Murthy should also know that at the height of a pandemic one never vaccinates en masse - that is how variants are produced. 3

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Kirill Kurevlev

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joe biden, us, white house, vaccine, covid-19, biden administration
https://sputniknews.com/20211108/why-bidens-build-back-better-plan-unlikely-to-save-dems-from-resounding-defeat-in-2022-1090572800.html

Why Biden's Build Back Better Plan Unlikely to Save Dems From Resounding Defeat in 2022

Why Biden's Build Back Better Plan Unlikely to Save Dems From Resounding Defeat in 2022

A bipartisan $1.2 trillion bill was passed in the House on 5 November while President Joe Biden's bigger $1.85 trillion Build Back Better plan is temporarily... 08.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-08T18:33+0000

2021-11-08T18:33+0000

2021-11-08T18:33+0000

joe biden

infrastructure

world

us

opinion

spending

republicans

democrats

federal reserve

build back better

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Even though the $1.2 trillion infrastructure legislation was described as a "bipartisan" measure, 13 GOP House lawmakers were subjected to criticism from their party fellows for voting for the "wasteful spending." At the same time, six progressive Democrats, the so-called "Squad," did not endorse the bill. "Its about making a promise and sticking with it," said Ilhan Omar while explaining why she voted against the bipartisan bill. The legislation had earlier been passed in the US Senate and went directly to Biden's desk.Meanwhile, Biden's signature $1.85 trillion plan  a revamped version of the $3.5 trillion social spending programme  met opposition from moderate Democrats who insist that it should be weighed by the CBO first.Moderate Dems' RebellionWhile neither Democrats nor Republicans appear to be unified on Biden's bold plans, the forthcoming vote on the $1.85 trillion plan isn't a done deal, according to Tom Luongo, a geopolitical analyst and publisher of the Gold Goats'n Guns Newsletter. He expects more infighting within the Democratic Party over the Build Back Better Act.One should not expect any rebellion from the maverick "Squad" and other progressives who are eager to vote for the Build Back Better Act "unless they believe the bill was too watered down," deems Ed Miller, professor in the Political Science department at the University of Wisconsin. But, when it comes to moderate Democrats, there are at least two senators who may throw sand in the legislation's gears, namely Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. Biden's social spending package will come in the form of a "reconciliation bill," which will help it avoid the GOP's filibuster and will require a simple majority in the US Senate. At the same time, however, every Democratic vote will be needed, which makes Manchin and Sinema's position extremely important.Manchin and Sinema have repeatedly come under fierce criticism from party fellows for urging Biden to reduce the price tag of his landmark $3.5 trillion plan. After the latter was revamped and shrunk to $1.85 trillion, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last week brought "parental leave" back to the revised bill, despite Manchin's criticism of the measure. When asked whether he would back the paid family leave, the West Virginia senator signalled that such a policy should only be passed with bipartisan support through separate legislation.Will Biden's Build Back Better Plan Transform Americans' Future?Since the spending and tax relief commitments have been cut in half from the original bill, the current version is less transformational than it might have been, according to Daniel Palazzolo, chairman of the political science department at the University of Richmond."It does make new commitments to expanding child care and combating climate change, but most of the provisions modify existing programs, including tax credits that reduce poverty among children, extended Medicare benefits, and additional support for the Affordable Care Act," the professor says. "Like many large bills, it also contains particular targeted benefits, like raising the state and local tax deduction, which seems focused mainly on states like New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, California, and the like, that have high tax burdens - so taxpayers in heavily taxed and mainly Democratic states will get a break."For his part, Luongo warns that the $1.85 trillion bill's new administrative powers, snooping, regulations on travel, cryptocurrencies, etc. "will continue to strangle the middle class." Both Biden's bills "are technocratic nightmares which should always be opposed root and branch," he notes, adding that as a libertarian he regards them "not only wasteful but immoral."Nothing Would Save Dems from DefeatLast week Democrats suffered defeat in the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election with Republican Glenn Youngkin coming out on top. The state has been regarded as a blue stronghold for the past decade. Some observers suggested that theDemocratic candidate's defeat was caused by the party's inability to pass any of its landmark measures in the US Congress. This prompted a number of Democratic lawmakers to chastise the party for failing to pass the $1.2 infrastructure bill ahead of the Virginia vote, which could have given Dems a legislative victory to campaign on.Daniel Palazzolo also believes that the result of the Virginia election had as much or more to do with local or state issues, like education and public safety. The professor believes that the Biden initiatives' effect on electoral politics is more likely to affect House and Senate races in 2022, according to him.For his part, Luongo deems that Democrats are kidding themselves by thinking that the passage of Biden's programme would improve their election odds either in a state or nation-wide. He also believes that nothing could save Democrats from the 2022 midterms defeat.Miller does not rule out that the Dems may face a defeat, arguing that this is largely linked to a historic trend:"Going forward the party in the White House typically loses seats in the midterm elections," he says. "There have been only two minor and explainable exceptions to this rule since 1934. At issue is the magnitude of the loss, which is dependent on the popularity of the president and the state of the economy."Meanwhile, Biden's approval rating is continuing to plummet triggering the Democratic Party's concerns. Suffolk University's latest poll found that Bidens rating has fallen to 38 percent. The survey also indicated that 46 percent of respondents believe Biden is doing a worse job as president than expected, including 16 percent of those who voted for him last year.

https://sputniknews.com/20211007/progressives-vs-centrists-why-biden-cant-unite-even-his-own-party--why-it-may-end-badly-for-dems-1089747795.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211104/duchess-is-calling-why-meghan-markles-parental-leave-lobbying-unlikely-to-save-the-day-for-dems---1090478837.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211103/gops-virginia-win-mini-referendum-on-biden--temperature-gauge-for-2022-midterms-observers-say-1090446398.html

https://sputniknews.com/20210508/is-pelosi-ready-to-raise-the-white-flag-why-dems-are-likely-to-surrender-the-house-to-gop-in-2023-1082829549.html

Tom One What a great article. Come on Donald your times nearing again. 1

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Ekaterina Blinova

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Ekaterina Blinova

joe biden, infrastructure, world, us, opinion, spending, republicans, democrats, federal reserve, build back better
An incident into the first turn of the 10th race at Flamboro Downs on Sunday (Nov. 7) forced the AGCO judges to declare a no contest.

Malcom G, driven by Mark Goddard, broke stride into the first turn of the mile and hooked wheels with the horse to his outside Arch We Lucky, driven by Wayne Henry. Goddard was unseated from the sulky and appeared tangled in the race bike, prompting the siren to sound for horses to pull up. All horses pulled up safely and no horses ran loose on the track. The veterinarian at Flamboro Downs, per the AGCO report, examined both horses involved in the incident and reported they were OK. Goddard also reported no injuries.

To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Flamboro Downs.
Mason said they believe he was abandoned because he was the runt of the litter, but the exact reason is not known. The puma was severely underweight when he was found living under the porch.

Its likely that he was abandoned. We dont know the circumstances around that, he said. He had been spotted several times on trail cams and had been seen away from mom for a long enough period of time that they knew mom was not in the area.

Due to his physical condition and being abandoned at an early age  he is thought to be between four to six months old  the cat was not fit to return to the wild. He hadnt yet developed his hunting skills and was likely surviving on carcasses and small animals. Mason said the puma wouldnt have survived much longer in his condition.

Normally in the wild, cubs would stay with mom for up to two years. He was a little on the skinny side when he was taken in. He had been separated from mom. It was determined he wouldnt be able to survive on his own in the wild, Mason said.

The zoo is now busy building an enclosure that will help the puma thrive.

Were currently working on some new platforms and climbing structures where its going to go. Right now, hes still pretty young, pretty small, Mason said.
CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP)  The prosthetic-tailed dolphin that starred in the Dolphin Tale" movies may be fighting a gastrointestinal infection, officials said.

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium said in a news release on Sunday that staff members noticed on Nov. 1 that Winter was not eating and was acting abnormally. Initial bloodwork showed the possible infection.

The aquarium's care team is monitoring the 16-year-old dolphin's condition around the clock, the news release said. She is in the aquarium's center pool, which does not have public underwater viewing. Visitors to the aquarium may see Winter from above the water on the third floor terrace.

Her story of survival has inspired millions of people around the world, and she continues to show a strong, determined, and fighting spirit, the news release said. Our dedicated staff will continue to keep a close watch on her through this healing process and provide her with the highest quality of care.
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To celebrate local veterans, a number of events have been planned, and the community is encouraged to join in celebrating those who have and continue to serve.

In Statesville, West Iredell High Schools JROTC will host its annual celebration honoring veterans beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Organizers said they are expecting more than 450 veterans for the annual celebration.

Last year, a drive-thru event honored veterans, but Wednesday the school will host an in-person celebration in the gymnasium. The celebration will include music and recognition of the branches of the military. A barbecue lunch for the veterans will follow.

Bunch-Johnson Funeral Home will honor veterans Thursday with a free to-go boxed lunch. Lunches can be picked up from noon to 2 p.m. at 705 Davie Ave. To reserve a lunch call 704-873-7223.

The city of Statesville will close its offices Thursday in recognition of Veterans Day. Mayor Costi Kutteh signed a proclamation honoring veterans for their services and highlighted the 46 veterans who are employed by the city. He called on all residents to observe the holiday by solemnly remembering the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly to preserve our heritage of freedom.
Arbery's mother told reporters outside the courthouse she was confused why more was not done to help her badly wounded son.

He had a guy lying in the road who was covered in blood," Wanda Cooper-Jones said. I cant understand why he didnt render aid.

When police arrive at a scene of gunfire, their first priority is to look for and mitigate any threats "and then they can come back and deal with the injured, said Keith Taylor, a former police sergeant in New York City whos now a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

A gunshot wound of the nature that was inflicted on this victim, that would probably be beyond the scope of ability for this officer to address, Taylor said, noting police generally have limited medical training.

Cooper-Jones stayed in the courtroom as the graphic photos were shown and could be heard exhaling quietly as Ramos identified closeup images of a gaping shotgun wound in her sons chest. Arberys father, Marcus Arbery Sr., got up and walked out before the jury was shown the images.

The second officer to respond to the shooting, William Duggan, testified Friday and jurors watched portions of his body camera video in which Duggan rolled Arbery over and pressed a hand to his wounded chest.
Many people believe we need to work less if we are to avoid catastrophic climate change. We must dramatically reduce economic activity says George Monbiot. We should cut working hours to save the planet agrees Simon Kuper.

In truth, though, there are other reasons to work less, as Martin Hagglund argued in his brilliant This Life. Our most fundamental possession, he says, is time, and we can only be truly free if we can choose what to do with this scarce asset. For many of us, though, having to work long hours or for many years deprives us of this freedom.

Which runs into the objection that working significantly less would be bad for the economy.

Hagglunds solution to this is ingenious. What we need, he says, is a revaluation of value. We must judge economic success not by how much we produce, but rather by how much free time we have:

To be wealthy is to be able to engage the question of what to do on Monday morning, rather than being forced to go to work in order to survive.

He believes such wealth  such freedom  is impossible under capitalism. Yes, capitalism tries to economise on labour. But it does do erratically and inequitably, by creating unemployment (with the misery it causes) alongside others who work too much.

History suggests he has a point. Working hours increased markedly during the industrial revolution, as E.P. Thompson described (pdf). And whilst theyve fallen since the late 19th century, the average working week is longer now than it was in the 15th century. (I'm using Bank of England data here.) Whats more, the pace of decline in working hours seems to have slowed. In the 30 years to 2019 they dropped less than 6%, compared to an 18% fall in the 1959-89 period: this fact might be connected to the weakening of trades unions in this time.

Of course, working hours are but one measure. By another, free time has increased hugely since the early 20th century because many of us are enjoying long retirements now. But progress here has stalled. The state pension age has risen, and young people  unable to save because of high rents - expect to work until they drop.

Which suggests Hagglund is right to say we need some radical economic changes if we are to increase free time.

Two other facts suggest as much.

One is that the smaller is the economy, the larger will be the share of government spending therein. If the economy shrinks spending on health and social care will not, so these will take up a bigger share of activity. Jason Hickel says that degrowth is compatible with increasing peoples access to the resources they need to live long, healthy, flourishing lives. But that means a big increase in the share of social spending in economic activity. Degrowth  for environmental or Hagglundian reasons  requires decommodification*.

The other is that whilst we wealthy people could easily work less and consume less, those who are working long hours just to get by cannot. One solution to this would be a cultural revalorization of work, to recognize the low-paid as being the skilled workers they in fact often are. But another would be greater redistribution, as Monbiot acknowledges.

In fact, well need redistribution in another sense  from landlords to tenants. Hagglunds democratic socialism would reduce capitalist exploitation, the fact that we work longer than necessary for the benefit of capitalists. But if we are to work less we also need to reduce rentier exploitation, the fact that we work longer than necessary to pay landlords. Otherwise, working less would mean handing over an even bigger share of ones wages to landlords.

The inference is clear: cutting working hours and output cannot be an isolated change. It requires other big cultural and economic changes.

Which runs into a problem: how would such changes affect productivity?

You might think this irrelevant for green degrowthers. Im not sure. Even if we are shrinking GDP we need to improve energy efficiency. And Hagglunds vision of more time increasing our freedom requires that productivity be high. The sooner we can get our work done the sooner we can knock off, and some of us will want to spend our freer time on some activities that consume resources.

But raising productivity is a massive task even in the best of times. It requires that we overcome not just vested interests but also Baumols law (its hard to raise productivity in many services), diminishing returns, and a lack of big innovations. Indeed, it might be that its impossible to do so, as productivity is determined by global factors rather than those under the influence of national governments.

And shrinking output and working hours would add to these obstacles.

For one thing, it would put us on the wrong side of Verdoorns law, the correlation between aggregate demand growth and productivity growth. If companies are to invest in energy or labour-saving technologies they need confidence that future demand will be sufficient to cover the cost of doing so. Degrowth reduces that confidence.

And for another, technical progress and innovation require competition: a lot of productivity growth comes not from incumbents upping their game, but from new entrants and exits (pdf). But degrowth increases the share of the social sector in GDP and shrinks the share of markets.

We mustnt be wholly pessimistic, however. Weve decent evidence (pdf) that cutting working hours  at least moderately  can raise productivity (pdf). And socialism could remove the barriers to productivity created by inequality and managerialism, not least by encouraging worker coops.

Nevertheless, all this leaves us with a big question: how to reconcile socialism with the competition necessary (but not sufficient!) to raise efficiency? This is made all the more difficult because nobody in British politics seems to be thinking about it*.

But theres another issue here. Working significantly less is not a change in degree but one of kind. And its one many of us will struggle to adjust to. As Maynard Keynes wrote in a famous essay (pdf):

There is no country and no people, I think, who can look forward to the age of leisure and of abundance without a dread. For we have been trained too long to strive and not to enjoy.

Being free from work can mean being free from roles, from meaning: think of the ennui endured by the women in Jane Austen novels or housewives such as Betty Draper in the mid-20th century. Ive a sense of this myself. Im planning on retiring next year, but I approach this as my teenage self regarded beautiful girls  with desire mixed with fear.

I fear theres a bigger danger. Recent years have confirmed what Benjamin Friedman wrote in 2006:

The history of each of the large Western democracies  America, Britain, France and Germany  is replete with instances in which [a] turn away from openness and tolerance, and often the weakening of democratic political institutions, followed in the wake of economic stagnation that diminished peoples confidence in a better future.

The biggest support for the Green party, remember, came in 1989  at the peak of a boom.

Which provides another challenge for degrowthers: how to prevent lower GDP leading to reactionary politics?

If all this reads like a critique of degrowth, it shouldnt. Rather, my scepticism is directed towards a particular type of politics  very often found among centrists as much as on the left - which Ill call the if I were king conception. We should not think of policies as standalone interventions imposed from the top down. Instead, they are embedded in, and arise from, particular cultures and configurations of class interests. Policy is endogenous.

I dont think this is a counsel of despair. It is to say that the left and greens must campaign for the cultural change without which degrowth is impossible. The precedent here is perhaps free market ideas in the 50s and 60s. These were marginalized, but years of often-neglected work by campaigners and thinktanks eventually led to them becoming accepted in the 80s. You can do a lot of important political work without having power.

* The papers cited in this sentence are paywalled  hence the links to scihub. Yes, there is irony in this fact.

** I am perhaps unique in believing that the decline in interest in market socialism is one of many intellectual wrong turns we have made in recent years.
People experiencing unbearable suffering from a terminal illness will now be able to ask for medical help to end their lives.

The assisted dying service has been formed as part of the implementation of the End of Life Choice Act 2019, it came into effect yesterday.

It is a new health service in New Zealand, available to some people with a terminal illness that is likely to end their life within six months

The Ministry of Health says ensuring a robust process for those seeking assisted dying is an essential safeguard as part of the new service.

The ministry has worked closely with a wide range of health and disability sector representatives to ensure the service is safe and accessible to those who request this option.



The Ministry will have oversight of the service. Clinical advisors are part of the secretariat to ensure appropriate information and support is on offer to help the person and their whanau navigate the steps in the assisted dying services, and provide follow up pastoral support following an assisted death.

Dr Kristin Good has been appointed the registrar.

The health sector has been thoughtful and engaged as we worked together over the past 12 months to form an assisted dying service, says Dr Good.

As well as meeting the legislative requirements, the implementation has focused on ensuring there is a workforce trained and ready to care for people with a terminal illness who may seek this service, and there are important safeguards in place.



Dr Good says as part of the initial establishment she will be making herself available to medical and nurse practitioners and psychiatrists to support navigating the new service.



Assisted dying will now be available as an option for people experiencing unbearable suffering from a terminal illness that is likely to end their life within six months.

Its important to reiterate that assisted dying is not a replacement for palliative care or health care services. It provides another option for people with a terminal illness in certain circumstances.



There are strict eligibility criteria. Not everyone with a terminal illness will be eligible.



A person seeking assisted dying needs to raise it with their doctor or health care team. A health professional cannot raise assisted dying with a person.



Were uncertain what demand for the new service will be like in New Zealand but were aware assisted dying typically accounts for between 0.3 and 2 per cent of all deaths in other jurisdictions, says Dr Good.



Not all doctors will provide assisted dying services, but they will be able to tell a person who raises it where to find the information they need, she says.

There is information about the service, including public resources, and contact details, on the Ministrys website.



Assisted dying is a sensitive topic and may be difficult for some people.

If reading this information has raised distressing feelings there is support available. You can call or text 1737 for free to speak to a trained counsellor at any time.


H

aiti's newly-appointed Consul to Turks and Caicos Islands says she is ready and willing to work with local government to address the nagging problem of Haitian sloops coming here from her country.Mrs. Sherly Lisme, who has been head of the Haitian Consulate since May 2021, said she has had meetings with government officials and members of the Haitian community to devise measures to address illegal migration which continues to be a strain on the Turks and Caicos Islands' economy and society.In an interview with The SUN, Mrs. Lisme said she believes it is possible to reduce the number of illegal sloops coming to Turks and Caicos Islands."I think its possible to reduce that number (of illegal immigrants). We are currently working in tandem with the government of the Turks and Caicos Islands to establish means of communication and regular controls between our respective police forces, taking into consideration all necessary steps to find solutions that will be mutually beneficial. I also believe that having a Turks and Caicos Islands diplomatic representation or an office of tourism affairs in the northern region of Haiti to process visa applications (for Haitian nationals) will really help in eradicating illegal entries to Turks and Caicos Islands," she said.When asked how she plans to help the Turks and Caicos Islands Government deal with the problem of illegal immigration, the Consul said: "One of the best ways to fight against illegal immigration is by working together. My main focus is on clear and precise communication between our two governments. I think that is the key to any success. Also, we need to sensitize people by showing them the great dangers they encounter when risking their lives and the lives of their loved ones by travelling on makeshift boats, attempting to immigrate illegally in a country."She added: "One other way is to educate them on the processes and conditions required when they want to immigrate to another country. I already had several meetings with community leaders, through many mediums of sensitization such as publicized messages, social media adverts and community radio and television interviews. These are some of the actions we are taking to help TCIs government deal with illegal immigration."Mrs. Lisme, whose diplomatic career started in Nassau, The Bahamas and who came to Turks and Caicos Islands after being posted in Italy, said she wants to be a major contributor in efforts to reduce illegal immigration and find a way to facilitate and simplify the administrative procedures for her compatriots here."Therefore, it would be a great accomplishment if I succeed in convincing the TCIs government to establish a system to process visa applications in Haiti," she added.She said that because the process of applying for a visa would be less expensive and less dangerous than coming on an illegal sloop, getting the visas in Haiti would perhaps deter the Haitians from taking the dangerous trek across the ocean."Let me make it very clear. I do not support illegal immigration. I believe you must come to a country legally and that you should also stay in that country legally. I also believe that if they (Haitians) have family here in Turks and Caicos and they can get a visa they would come, visit and they would return to Haiti and wait until they find an employer to apply for a work permit, because they understand the danger and challenges of being in the country illegally. They also understand that the law of TCI is you can be in the territory legally and file for your first work permit. However, some of them believe that if they pay all of that money to come on a boat they have no other choice, so they will be inclined to stay illegal. So we have to address these issues."As it now stands, Haitians applying for a TCI visa have to send their passports here and in some cases spend significant sums of money that is often scammed along with their passports.The SUN understands that when this happens, many of them then resort to coming on the illegal sloops.Meantime, some people, including politicians, have called for the closure of the Haitian Consulate here. When asked if she thinks this is necessary and whether she believes it is important to have a Haitian Consulate here, Consul Lisme said: "Having an Haitian Consulate on the island was decided by TCIs government and the Haitian government to meet a need created by the increasing numbers of Haitian immigrants. This need still exists, hence the importance of having a Consulate here. Its absolutely crucial to have it and again, I strongly encourage TCIs government to have a diplomatic representation, at least an Honorary Consul, in the northern region of Haiti where most of the people who emigrate to TCI are from."She added: "The vision, mission and objective of the Consulate remains the same to my predecessors or myself. I have a mandate to fulfill and to continue the task at hand and ahead. As the new Consul, Chief of mission, I am working according to the roadmap received from the Haitian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I was given the responsibility to accompany my Haitian fellows living in TCI and to reinforce the collaboration with TCIs Government and officials. Thats what I am dedicated to do."Asked what are some of the major issues identified since assuming office in May and what are some of the main complaints she received from Haitians living here, Mrs. Lisme said: "Since I took this position, I have two major issues that we continually and unfortunately face and address. The first one is the illegal vessels arriving to TCI from Haiti. The second one is difficulties encountered during the administrative procedures of regularization for my compatriots on this territory. However, I would rather talk about the challenges because issues dont really exist when youre willing to do your job. The major challenges I have identified is to find a better way, a remedial solution along with the TCIs Government, to reduce and even eradicate illegal immigration of my fellow Haitian.She added: "One of the main complaints received from Haitians living in TCI are, indeed, the difficulties they encounter in having family members visiting them. This is something we will address with the government and working on a solution to propose to them."Asked how she proposes to deal with those issues, Mrs. Lisme replied: "There is only one way the Consulate can deal with this complaint is by working with the TCI officials to find the best solutions to eradicate these evils from their roots."
Children who get COVID-19 typically recover quickly and will not require special support upon return to school. However, some people who contract the disease experience persistent symptoms and post-viral complications. These complications can include fatigue, shortness of breath, brain fog, changes in taste and smell, and headaches. This post-viral syndrome is called long-haul COVID-19, more commonly referred to as long COVID in the medical community.

Children who experience long COVID will need support at school. Some symptoms  such as fatigue, brain fog and memory impairment  are similar to those experienced after a concussion. But because these symptoms are challenging to identify or to track, it can be difficult for teachers to know how to help.

We are researchers who study how schools manage concussions and the prevalence of long COVID and associated mental health outcomes. We believe strategies that schools use to support students with concussions may also help those with prolonged COVID-19 symptoms.

Kids and long COVID

Not all physical symptoms experienced after COVID-19 illness indicate long COVID. When symptoms do last more than a few weeks, a thorough medical evaluation by a pediatrician with knowledge of long COVID is recommended. Pediatric post-COVID clinics are an excellent way to find such doctors. However, at this time, these clinics arent widespread in the United States.

Post-COVID complications have been reported frequently by adults. However, research on long COVID in children is scarce, with estimates of persistent symptoms varying widely. The wide-ranging estimates likely reflect differences in how study participants were recruited, how long after having acute COVID-19 they participated in the study, the symptoms researchers assessed and other methodological differences.

School accommodations

Students who continue to experience symptoms after theyve tested negative and been cleared to return to school should notify the school of persistent issues. Even if the child is not officially diagnosed with long COVID, a gradual return to school and activities, as well as academic and environmental accommodations, can support children during recovery.

We recommend that parents, teachers and doctors work together to support the childs recovery. This is whats called collaborative care. It is helpful if a school-based professional  such as a school nurse, counselor or psychologist  serves as a central communicator. This involves sharing accommodations with teachers, talking with doctors (with a signed release) and communicating progress back to the family.

Together, these collaborative care teams can establish temporary accommodations for the affected student, such as:

Allow a flexible attendance schedule with rest breaks to minimize fatigue.

Reduce physical activity and minimize exposure to overstimulating environments to prevent fatigue and headaches.

Modify the workload. This might include, for example, removing high-stakes projects and nonessential work, providing alternate assignments and allowing the student to drop classes without penalty. Base grades on adjusted work so the child is not penalized for memory problems.

Provide extra time to complete assignments and tests so a child with brain fog can process information.

Develop an emotional support plan for the student to prevent anxiety and depression. This might include identifying an adult at school to talk with if the child feels overwhelmed, or providing a support group for students to discuss their experiences and recovery.

Encourage the student to explore alternative extracurricular activities that are nonphysical and not cognitively taxing.

We recommend that schools front-load adjustments for a student with long COVID and gradually withdraw them as the student recovers. The symptoms, recovery rate and trajectory will vary for each student. Therefore, a gradual and monitored return to activity is important to help ensure that symptoms dont worsen when students engage in more activity. If symptoms do get worse, then accommodations should resume.

An evolving illness

We have much to learn about the long-term effects of COVID-19 and the prognosis for those who develop long COVID. These guidelines are based on what is known at this time and should be considered preliminary.

As COVID rates and treatments evolve, it is important for parents, educators and medical providers to continue talking with one another about persistent symptoms and effective treatments.

[Research into coronavirus and other news from science Subscribe to The Conversations new science newsletter.]

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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HOUSTON (AP)  Investigators Sunday worked to determine how eight people died in a crush of fans at a Houston music festival, as families mourned the dead and concertgoers recounted the horror and confusion of being trapped in the crowd.

Authorities planned to use videos, witness interviews and a review of concert procedures to figure out what went wrong Friday night during a performance by rapper Travis Scott. The tragedy unfolded when the crowd rushed the stage, squeezing people so tightly they couldn't breathe.

Billy Nasser, 24, who had traveled from Indianapolis to attend the concert, said about 15 minutes into Scotts set, things got really crazy and people began crushing one another. He said he was picking people up and trying to drag them out.

Nasser said he found a concertgoer on the ground.

I picked him up. People were stepping on him. People were like stomping, and I picked his head up and I looked at his eyes, and his eyes were just white, rolled back to the back of his head, he said.

Over the weekend, a makeshift memorial of flowers, votive candles, condolence notes and T-shirts took shape outside at NRG Park.

Michael Suarez, 26, visited the growing memorial after the concert.

Its very devastating. No one wants to see or hear people dying at a festival," Suarez said. "We were here to have a good time  a great time  and its devastating to hear someone lost their lives.

The dead, according to friends and family members, included a 14-year-old high school student; a 16-year-old girl who loved dancing; and a 21-year-old engineering student at the University of Dayton. The youngest was 14, the oldest 27.

Houston officials did not immediately release the victims' names or the cause of death, but family and friends began to name their loved ones and tell their stories Sunday.

Thirteen people remained hospitalized Sunday. Their conditions were not disclosed. Over 300 people were treated at a field hospital at the concert.

City officials said they were in the early stages of investigating what caused the pandemonium at the sold-out Astroworld festival, an event founded by Scott. About 50,000 people were there.

Authorities said that among other things, they will look at how the area around the stage was designed.

Julio Patino, of Naperville, Illinois, who was in London on business when he got a middle-of-the-night call informing him his 21-year-old son Franco was dead, said he had a lot of questions about what happened.

These concerts should be controlled," Patino said. If they dont know how to do that, they should have canceled the concert right then, when they noticed there was an overcrowd. He added: They should not wait until they see people laying down on the floor, lifeless.

Steven Adelman, vice president of the industry group Event Safety Alliance, which was formed after the collapse of a stage at the Indiana State Fair in 2011 killed seven people, helped write industry guidelines widely used today.

He said investigators will examine the design of the safety barriers and whether they correctly directed crowds or contributed to the crush of spectators. He said, too, that authorities will look at whether something incited the crowd besides Scott taking the stage.

Adelman said another question is whether there was enough security there, noting there is a nationwide shortage of people willing to take low-wage, part-time security gigs.

Security obviously was unable to stop people. Optically, thats really bad-looking, he said. But as for what it tells us, its too early to say.

Contemporary Services Corp., headquartered in Los Angeles, was responsible for security staff at the festival, according to county records in Texas. Representatives for the company  which advertises online as being recognized worldwide as the pioneer, expert and only employee owned company in the crowd management field  did not immediately respond to emails and phone messages seeking comment.

Houston police and fire department officials said their investigation will include reviewing video taken by concert promoter Live Nation, as well as dozens of clips from people at the show.

Officials also planned to review the events security plan and various permits issued to organizers to see whether they were properly followed. In addition, investigators planned to speak with Live Nation representatives, Scott and concertgoers.

Izabella Ramirez of Texas City was celebrating her 21st birthday and said that once Scott came on stage, no one could move.

Everybody was squishing in, and people were trying to move themselves to the front. You couldnt even lift up your arms, Ramirez said.

Ramirez said a security guard pulled her over the barricade, while her date, Jason Rodriguez, lifted her up.

Everyone was yelling for different things. They were either yelling for Travis or they were yelling for help, Rodriguez said.

On video posted to social media, Scott could be seen stopping the concert at one point and asking for aid for someone in the audience: Security, somebody help real quick.

There is a long history of similar catastrophes at concerts, sporting events and even religious events. In 1979, 11 people were killed as thousands of fans tried to get into Cincinnati's Riverfront Coliseum to see a concert by The Who. Other past crowd catastrophes include the deaths of 97 people at a soccer match in Hillsborough Stadium in 1989 in Sheffield, England, and numerous disasters connected with the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

Experts who have studied deaths caused by crowd surges say they are often a result of too many people packed into too small a space.

Also Sunday, at least two of the first of many expected lawsuits were filed on behalf of a man injured in the crush of people in state court in Houston. Attorneys for Manuel Souza sued Scott, Live Nation and others, saying they were responsible. Another lawsuit was filed on behalf of Noah Gutierrez by Ben Crump, a civil rights lawyer who has represented the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black people killed by police.

In a tweet posted Saturday, Scott said he was absolutely devastated by what took place." He pledged to work together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need.



Associated Press writers Jake Bleiberg in Dallas; Randall Chase in Dover, Delaware; Kristin M. Hall in Nashville and Bob Christie in New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.



A previous version of this story was corrected to show Travis Scott is 30, not 29.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Tech Giant Microsoft is hosting an online event November 9 named Reimagined, which is expected to announce education-related updates for Windows 11. There is not much information about the event but the company confirmed that the event will begin at 9:00 AM PST, which will be around 10:30 PM in India. "Join us for #MicrosoftReimagine, a forward-thinking digital event coming up on 11/9. Together with changemakers & industry leaders, well address gaps widened by the pandemic, share best practices to support inclusive learning, & so much more," Microsoft's event introduction reads.

Launch of Microsoft Surface Laptop SE expected

Based on the theme of the event, Microsoft is expected to launch a low-cost Surface Laptop SE, targeting students and entry segment buyers. Earlier, in the year, Microsoft had launched the Surface Go laptop. The new Surface Laptop SE is expected to be the next version of the same series, but designed for low-cost devices to compete with Google Chromebooks.

According to Windows Central, the new Surface Laptop SE will feature an 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) display, Intel's N4120 Celeron processor, and up to 8GB of RAM. With a single USB-A and USB-C port, this budget laptop is designed for K-12 kids and is as low-cost as feasible. Rumours suggest that the new laptop could cost less than $400 (around 29,670), Indian Express said. The expected new low-cost laptop of the software giant will be in direct competition with Chromebooks.

Windows 1 SE launch

In addition to Surface laptop SE, Microsoft is also expected to launch a new version of Windows 11, especially for the education market, which could be named as Windows 1 SE.

About the Event

The 45-minutes virtual event is to share the new and existing Microsoft education solutions, as the last 20 months of pandemic had done enough damage and brought many challenges in education, especially for the children. The event will have various industry leaders, educators, and influencers, including Common, the Grammy and Academy Award-winning artist, actor, author and activist.

Together, we have the power to turn dreamers into believers.



Join us for #MicrosoftReimagine on November 9 to hear @common speak on the importance of inclusive education for the next generation. https://t.co/jNdPiuPQxz #MicrosoftEDU pic.twitter.com/ulDreJQlO9  Microsoft Education (@MicrosoftEDU) October 29, 2021

You can watch the event while adding it to your calendar from - here.
Elon Musks Twitter followers have spoken: The Tesla Inc. chief should sell 10% of his stake in the electric-car maker. A majority of 3.5 million Twitter users -- 58% -- said theyd support such a sale in a Twitter poll that Musk launched Saturday and closed shortly after 2:15 p.m. Sunday in New York. The stake would be valued at about $21 billion based on 170.5 million Tesla shares he holds.

I was prepared to accept either outcome, Musk said in a tweet after the poll closed.

A cryptocurrency version of Teslas shares trading on FTX suggests Musks tweeting may cause the shares to fall when Wall Street wakes up Monday. They were fetching $1,137.60 as of about 5:20 p.m. Sunday in New York, 6.9% lower than Fridays close for the real stock.

The crowd-sourcing exercise is the latest example of Musks long history of using Twitter and his legions of fans on the platform to stoke interest in his company, sometimes pushing the envelope with tongue-in-cheek tweets. The worlds richest person proposed the move in a tweet citing recent discussions about the ultra-wealthy hoarding unrealized gains to avoid paying taxes. Musk doesnt take a salary, but has to pay taxes on any stock options that he exercises.

Musks tweets have moved Tesla shares in the past, sometimes drawing the ire of authorities. Musk in 2018 agreed to get approval from a Tesla attorney prior to communicating material information to investors as part of a settlement with U.S. securities regulators. It wasnt clear whether that official previewed Musks Twitter poll.

Signaling Intentions

While large sales by insiders are often seen as a negative signal, a sale of this size wont alter Teslas story in a meaningful way, said Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities. Demand remains high for Tesla shares among both institutional and retail investors, he said. The unorthodox step of getting buy-in from fans and investors via a poll may also ease any concerns.

Selling 10% is probably going to add 1.5% to 2% to the float, so it doesnt really significantly move the needle, Ives said in a phone interview. I do believe that him doing it in this way definitely would soften the blow and would help the perception as well.

The automakers stock has soared 73% this year to $1,222.09 as of Nov. 5, giving it a valuation of $1.2 trillion. The number of shares that Musk -- its chief executive officer and largest shareholder -- could be set to offload is equivalent to 80% of Teslas average daily trading volume in the past three months. The amount of stock he may potentially sell would be even greater if his options are included.

Teslas stock wont officially begin trading again until the early morning hours of Monday in the U.S.

Personal Fortune

Musks fortune stands at $338 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. About one-quarter of that consists of Tesla stock options that hes free to exercise at any time. The securities come from two big awards he received in 2012 and 2018. The older contracts expire in August next year.

If he exercised all of the options now and immediately sold the shares, they would net him $95.9 billion before taxes.

Musk may be signaling that he wants liquidity beyond the cash hes secured by borrowing against his holdings in the EV maker. Last week he suggested hed sell some stock if the UN could prove $6 billion could help alleviate world hunger. For years, Musk has said he would be the last to ever sell stock, and has often added to his position when Tesla has raised money from Wall Street so that his stake is not diluted.

Tax Situation

Musk moved to Texas, which has no state personal income tax, in late 2020. But as Teslas market value has skyrocketed and his personal wealth has ballooned, Musk has become a symbol of rising inequality -- something he appears to be sensitive to. He was among the billionaires mentioned in a Pro Publica investigation of how the ultra rich avoid paying taxes, and has become a target of members of Congress who are pushing a billionaires tax.

Whether or not the worlds wealthiest man pays any taxes at all shouldnt depend on the results of a Twitter poll, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, wrote in a tweet Saturday. Its time for the Billionaires Income Tax.

On his way to becoming the worlds richest person, Musk has made millionaires -- and even at least one billionaire -- among some of his fans, employees and other investors. Among them is Leo KoGuan, a Singapore-based retail investor and business owner who used his already considerable wealth to amass more than $7 billion in Tesla shares.

Count KoGuan among those Twitter followers who say its time for Musk to take some money out of the automaker, even if it is just to use it in Musks other ventures exploring space and neural networks. Politically and from tax point of view and given that Elon is poor in cash, he has no choice but to sell his stakes to pay tax and to be cash-rich, KoGuan posted on Nov. 6.
This 11.11, Dyson Malaysia is offering a range of limited-time offers for selected Dyson products. Starting from the 11th until the 13th of November 2021, Malaysian customers may visit all the Dyson demo Stores and www.dyson.my to check them out.

Among the products, the Dyson Omni-glide+ cord free vacuum will be RM100 off and an additional RM300 off if you purchase with Visa payments. This vacuum is the first-ever Dyson vacuum engineered for daily cleaning in city homes, making it the perfect choice for users who like to vacuum often. It's able to glide in all directions and can get into tight spaces.

Next, the Dyson Lightcycle will be RM600 off if you purchase with Visa. Its task light was engineered to regulate blue-light exposure, reducing eye strain in long periods and its LED bulbs can last up to 60 years. There's also a Dyson Pure Cool air purifier (TP04) and Supersonic hairdryer with RM550 off and a complimentary stand (worth RM399) respectively.

To learn more about the promotions, you can visit the aforementioned Dyson website to check them out. Stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com.
In preparation for 11.11, Samsung Malaysia just announced that a new Galaxy M52 5G smartphone is coming soon. For RM1699, it will only be exclusive on the Lazada platform with RM300 off as a special 11.11 sale. Besides that, there are other Samsung Galaxy phones on sale as well.

For those who don't know, the Galaxy M52 5G features a Snapdragon 778G chipset, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage (expandable to 1TB via microSD card). This mid-range tier device has a large 6.7-inch Infinity-O Super AMOLED+ display, supporting FHD+ resolution and up to a 120Hz refresh rate. You may find a side fingerprint scanner as well.

Moreover, the triple rear camera consists of a 64MP (main) + 12MP (ultrawide) + 5MP (macro) module whereas the front camera is 32MP. The battery is huge as expected with 5000mAh that supports up to 25W Super Fast Charging. Finally, it will be available in either black or light blue.

Aside from the Galaxy M52 5G having a special 11.11 discount, you can refer to the table below for other phones on sale:

Samsung Galaxy devices Discount Promo price (RM) RRP (RM) Freebies Galaxy M52 5G RM300 off 1399 1699 - Galaxy Note20 5G RM640 off 2559 3199 - Galaxy M02 30% off 279 399 - Galaxy M32 25% off 829 1099 - Galaxy Tab S6 Lite WiFi RM200 off 1299 1499 Book Cover for Tab S6 Lite worth RM269
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

American homeowners with solar panels can sell the surplus electricity they generate back to their local grids. Should electric vehicle (EV) owners be able to do the same thing?

University of Rochester researchers show how so-called V2G (vehicle-to-grid) technology can achieve grid stability and renewable energy storageand save vehicle owners potentially $120 to $150 a yearin a paper published in ACS Sustainable Chemical & Engineering.

The idea is gaining traction in parts of Canada and Europe as a way to balance the increasing mismatch in electrical usage and generation that occurs as weather-dependent solar and wind energy sources come online. Renewable energy sources, even though they're better for the planet, cannot replace traditional power because they aren't always available. The ability to store energy in a power-station-sized battery can solve this problem. But where can you find that kind of battery capacity? In parked EVs.

To help gage the feasibility of V2G systems, Heta Gandhi, a Ph.D. student in the lab of Andrew White, an associate professor of chemical engineering at Rochester's Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, has developed a computational model that takes into account factors not previously considered. For example, her model considers the degradation of batteries, as well as a wide range of commuter driving times, distances, and other scenarios. She and White, her coauthor, used the computational model to develop a cost-benefit analysis for V2G participants in six major US cities. The work helps researchers and engineers know how design decisions affect people using their own vehicles in V2G, an important consideration to achieve higher levels of renewable energy.

The analysis showed that:

Potential annual savings for V2G users in Boston, Chicago, Phoenix, New York City, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco ranged from $120 to $150 a year, with much of the variation reflecting differences in local variable electricity rates.

Letting commuters set their own threshold selling price is crucial to making a V2G scheme profitable for commuters.

Increasing both charging efficiency and the rate of battery charging are more important than developing lower price lithium-ion batteries in making V2G schemes profitable.

All findings were based on data gathered prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which profoundly altered peoples' work and driving habits. But there are already signs of a resurgence in travel, and increasing numbers of people returning to work, Gandhi notes. Moreover, the increasing use of both EVs and renewable energy in this country suggest that V2G will eventually be an important consideration for US policymakers.

"This paper, I think, is very valuable if we actually try to pursue a route where people can discharge electricity to their vehicles and sell it to the grid," Gandhi says. "It will require extra infrastructure. However, V2G offers an excellent solution for energy storage and grid stability. So why not do it here?"

Making vehicle-to-grid systems work

"An electric vehicle is already connected to the grid when you use a public charger, or any charger for that matter," Gandhi explains. "If you make [a charger] bidirectional it can also transfer energy from the vehicle to the grid."

A typical V2G operation works like this:

The EV battery is charged during off-peak hours, typically in the middle of the night.

The user commutes to work and uses a fraction of the battery capacity while doing so.

While the user is at work, the idle car is plugged into the grid at peak hours and electricity is sold back to the grid if the grid operator needs it.

Some battery capacity is reserved to travel back home.

The cycle is repeated.

The model described in this paper advances previous modeling in its extensive use of data from the US Census Bureau and other sources. Gandhi then used stochastic modeling to randomly sample across all the data to account for as many variables as possible, such as variations in individuals' commuter routes and distances, working patterns, and so forth. The model considers historic electricity rates and calculates battery degradation costs based on these variables.

"We did not stick to just one user or assume that all users will commute 10 miles each day and they all work from 8 to 5, because that's not the case," Gandhi says.

Explore further Collective battery storage beneficial for decarbonized world

More information: Heta A. Gandhi et al, City-Wide Modeling of Vehicle-to-Grid Economics to Understand Effects of Battery Performance, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering (2021). Heta A. Gandhi et al, City-Wide Modeling of Vehicle-to-Grid Economics to Understand Effects of Battery Performance,(2021). DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c05490
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen speaks to MEP's at the European Parliament in Brussels, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. MEP's and Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen discuss on Monday the negative impact on users of big tech companies' products and business models, and how EU digital rules can address these issues. Credit: AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert

European lawmakers have pioneered efforts to rein in big technology companies and are working to strengthen those rules, putting them ahead of the United States and other parts of world that have been slower to regulate Facebook and other social media giants facing increasing blowback over misinformation and other harmful content that can proliferate on their platforms.

While Europe shares Western democratic values with the U.S., none of the big tech companiesFacebook, Twitter, Googlethat dominate online life are based on the continent, which some say allowed European officials to make a more clear-eyed assessment of the risks posed by tech companies largely headquartered in Silicon Valley or elsewhere in the U.S.

But that's only part of the explanation, said Jan Penfrat, senior policy adviser at digital rights group EDRi.

The question, Penfrat said, should also be: "Why is the U.S. so much lagging behind? And that may be because of the immense pressure from the homegrown companies" arguing to officials in Washington that stricter rules would hobble them as they compete with, for example, Chinese rivals.

Drawing up a new package of digital rules for the 27-nation European Union is getting a boost from Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, who answered questions Monday in Brussels from a European Parliament committee. It's the latest sign of interest in her revelations that Facebook prioritized profits over safety after the former data scientist testified last month to the U.S. Senate and released internal documents.

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen speaks to MEP's at the European Parliament in Brussels, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. MEP's and Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen will discuss on Monday the negative impact on users of big tech companies' products and business models, and how EU digital rules can address these issues. Credit: AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert

If the EU rules are done right, "you can create a game-changer for the world, you can force platforms to price in societal risk to their business operations so the decisions about what products to build and how to build them is not purely based on profit maximization," Haugen told lawmakers. "And you can show the world how transparency, oversight and enforcement should work."

Since Haugen left Facebook, the company has renamed itself Meta as it focuses its business on a virtual reality world called the metaverse.

"I'm shocked they picked this name," she said. In the book that inspired the term, "the metaverse is a dystopian thing, that people's lives are so unpleasant that they need to hide in the system for half of their day."

Haugen has been on a European tour, meeting lawmakers and regulators in the EU and United Kingdom who are seeking her input as they work on stricter rules for online companies amid concerns that social media can do everything from magnify depression in teens to incite political violence. A wider global movement to crack down on digital giants is taking cues from Europe and gaining momentum in the U.S. and Australia.

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, right, speaks to MEP's at the European Parliament in Brussels, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. MEP's and Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen will discuss on Monday the negative impact on users of big tech companies' products and business models, and how EU digital rules can address these issues. Credit: AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert

Europe has been a trailblazer in applying more scrutiny for big tech companies, most famously by slapping Google with multibillion-dollar fines in three antitrust cases. Now, the European Union is working on a sweeping update of its digital rulebook, including requiring companies to be more transparent with users on how algorithms make recommendations for what shows up on their feeds and forcing them to swiftly take down illegal content such as hate speech.

The rules are aimed at preventing bad behavior, rather than punishing past actions, as the EU has largely done so far.

France and Germany also are bringing in legislation requiring social media platforms to take down illegal content quicker, though these rules would be superseded by the EU ones, which are expected to take effect no earlier than 2023.

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, right, prepares to speak to MEP's at the European Parliament in Brussels, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. MEP's and Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen will discuss on Monday the negative impact on users of big tech companies' products and business models, and how EU digital rules can address these issues. Credit: AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert

Meanwhile, the U.S. has only recently started cracking down on big tech companies, with regulators fining Facebook and YouTube over allegations of privacy violations and the government suing over their huge share of the market in the last couple of years. American lawmakers have proposed measures to protect kids online and get at the algorithms used to determine what shows up on feeds, but they all face a long road to passing.

While Haugen's testimony and the documents she has provided have shed light on how Facebook's systems work and spurred efforts in the U.S., European lawmakers may not be that surprised by what she has to say.

"The fact that Facebook is disseminating polarizing content more than other kinds of content is something that people like me have been saying for years," said Alexandra Geese, a European Union lawmaker with the Green party. "But we didn't have any evidence to prove it."

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen prepares to speak at the European Parliament in Brussels, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. MEP's will discuss on Monday with Frances Haugen the negative impact on users of big tech companies' products and business models, and how EU digital rules can address these issues. Credit: AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert

European lawmakers have been interested in digging in to algorithms, as they work on requiring platforms to be more transparent with users on how artificial intelligence makes recommendations on what content people see.

"It's rather about looking under the hood and regulating the kind of mechanisms that a company, a platform established to disseminate content or to direct people down rabbit holes into extremist groups," Geese said. What Haugen is doing is "shifting the focus, and I think this is something that many other people before didn't see."

In the U.K., which left the European Union last year, the government also is working on raft of digital regulations, including an online safety bill that calls for a regulator to ensure tech companies comply with rules requiring them to remove dangerous or harmful content or face big financial penalties.

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen speaks to MEP's at the European Parliament in Brussels, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. MEP's and Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen discuss on Monday the negative impact on users of big tech companies' products and business models, and how EU digital rules can address these issues. Credit: AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, center, poses during a visual protest, organised by campaign group SumOfUs, prior to her testimony at the European Parliament in Brussels, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. Facebook Whistleblower, Frances Haugen will speak Monday to MEP's about the negative impact of big tech companies' business models on users and societies and how this could be tackled by the EU's digital legislation. Credit: AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen arrives for a visual protest, organised by campaign group SumOfUs, prior to her testimony at the European Parliament in Brussels, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. Facebook Whistleblower, Frances Haugen will speak Monday to MEP's about the negative impact of big tech companies' business models on users and societies and how this could be tackled by the EU's digital legislation. Credit: AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert

For the European Union, there's still a lot of wrangling over the final details of the rules, two packages known as the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act, which the EU Commission hopes to get approved next year.

Free speech campaigners and digital rights activists worry that EU rules requiring platforms to swiftly remove harmful content will lead to overzealous deletion of material that isn't illegal. In a bid to balance free speech requirements, users will be given the chance to complain about what content is removed.

In London, there's been a similar debate over how to define harmful but illegal content.

Both the EU and U.K. rules call for hefty fines worth up to 10% of a company's annual global turnover, which for the biggest tech companies could amount to billions of dollars in revenue.

Explore further EU inches towards big tech clampdown

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Researchers wrote a simple script that identifies figurative phrases and replaces those with their literal meaning. As a result, the performance of dialog systems improved by up to 15 percent. Credit: University of California San Diego

Computer scientists recently examined the performance of dialog systems, such as personal assistants and chatbots designed to interact with humans. The team found that when these systems are confronted with dialog that includes idioms or similes, their performance drops to between 10 and 20 percent.

The research team also developed a partial remedy. They wrote a simple script that identifies figurative phrases and replaces those with their literal meaning. As a result, the performance of dialog systems improved by up to 15 percent.

The researchers are presenting their findings at the 2021 Conference on Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing, which takes place Nov. 7 to 11, 2021.

Applications for this work include not only personal assistants, but also systems that are designed to summarize information, such as the box summarizing search results at the top of a Google page. Automated systems that need to answer questions, for example when a bill needs to be paid or an appointment to be made, would also benefit from this work.

"We want to enable more natural conversations between people and dialog systems," said Harsh Jhamtani, the paper's first author.

Jhamtani is a Ph.D. student at Carnegie Mellon University and is currently working as a visiting researcher with senior author Taylor Berg-Kirkpatrick, a faculty member in the UC San Diego Department of Computer Science and Engineering.

The study was inspired by Jhamtani's own struggles with figurative language. He is a native Hindi speaker and also speaks English, India's other official language. But he had to learn the many U.S. idioms and metaphors his colleagues use.

For example, he panicked when a colleague said they were starving because in Hindi that might indicate a medical emergency. His colleague then explained it just meant he was hungry. By then Jhamtani was wondering if artificial dialog systems would have the same issue he did.

Credit: University of California San Diego

In the study, researchers tested five different systems designed to talk with humans, including GPT-2, which is trained to predict the next word in 40GB of Internet text and was developed by research company OpenAI.

Researchers first ran the dialog systems through a dataset of 13.1K conversations on colloquial topics like tourism, health and so on. They then extracted the conversations that included figurative language from the dataset and ran the systems through those only. They observed a drop in performance ranging from 10 to 20 percent.

They then wrote a script that allowed the systems to quickly check dictionaries that translate figurative speech into literal speech. This is faster and more efficient than re-training systems to learn the complete content of these dictionaries. Researchers observed that performance improved by as much as 15 percent.

The researchers still had to partially rely on human observers to identify figurative language within the dataset, before the text could be converted. Further study is needed in this area.

It will take several iterations before the algorithms the researchers developed will be ready for implementation. For example, they found that in some rare cases, replacing the figurative language with literal language distorted the grammar of a sentence to the point where the dialog systems couldn't no longer understand.
Seen on the screen of a device in Sausalito, Calif., Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announces the company's new name, Meta, during a virtual event on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. Zuckerberg promises that the virtual-reality "metaverse" he's planning to build will "let you do almost anything." That might not be such a great idea. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File

When Mark Zuckerberg announced ambitious plans to build the "metaverse"a virtual reality construct intended to supplant the internet, merge virtual life with real life and create endless new playgrounds for everyonehe promised that "you're going to able to do almost anything you can imagine."

That might not be such a great idea.

Zuckerberg, CEO of the company formerly known as Facebook, even renamed it Meta to underscore the significance of the effort. During his late October presentation, he effused about going to virtual concerts with your friends, fencing with holograms of Olympic athletes andbest of alljoining mixed-reality business meetings where some participants are physically present while others beam in from the metaverse as cartoony avatars.

But it's just as easy to imagine dystopian downsides. Suppose the metaverse also enables a vastly larger, yet more personal version of the harassment and hate that Facebook has been slow to deal with on today's internet? Or ends up with the same big tech companies that have tried to control the current internet serving as gatekeepers to its virtual-reality edition? Or evolves into a vast collection of virtual gated communities where every visitor is constantly monitored, analyzed and barraged with advertisements? Or foregoes any attempt to curtail user freedom, allowing scammers, human traffickers and cybergangs to commit crimes with impunity?

Picture an online troll campaignbut one in which the barrage of nasty words you might see on social media is instead a group of angry avatars yelling at you, with your only escape being to switch off the machine, said Amie Stepanovich, executive director of Silicon Flatirons at the University of Colorado.

"We approach that differentlyhaving somebody scream at us than having somebody type at us," she said. "There is a potential for that harm to be really ramped up."

That's one reason Meta might not be the best institution to lead us into the metaverse, said Philip Rosedale, founder of the virtual escape Second Life, which was an internet craze 15 years ago and still attracts hundreds of thousands of online inhabitants.

The danger is creating online public spaces that appeal only to a "polarized, homogenous group of people," said Rosedale, describing Meta's flagship VR product, Horizon, as filled with "presumptively male participants" and a bullying tone. In a safety tutorial, Meta has advised Horizon users to treat fellow avatars kindly and offers tips for blocking, muting or reporting those who don't, but Rosedale said it's going to take more than a "schoolyard monitor" approach to avoid a situation that rewards the loudest shouters.

A Facebook employee takes a photo in front of the new Meta Platforms Inc. sign outside the company headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg promises that the virtual-reality "metaverse" he's planning to build will "let you do almost anything." That might not be such a great idea. Credit: AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File

"Nobody's going to come to that party, thank goodness," he said. "We're not going to move the human creative engine into that sphere."

A better goal, he said, would be to create systems that are welcoming and flexible enough to allow people who don't know each other to get along as well as they might in a real place like New York's Central Park. Part of that could rely on systems that help someone build a good reputation and network of trusted acquaintances they can carry across different worlds, he said. In the current web environment, such reputation systems have had a mixed record in curbing toxic behavior.

It's not clear how long it will take Meta, or anyone else investing in the metaverse, to consider such issues. So far, tech giants from Microsoft and Apple to video game makers are still largely focused on debating the metaverse's plumbing.

To make the metaverse work, some developers say they are going to have to form a set of industry standards similar to those that coalesced around HTML, the open "markup language" that's been used to structure websites since the 1990s.

"You don't think about that when you go to a website. You just click on the link," said Richard Kerris, who leads the Omniverse platform for graphics chipmaker Nvidia. "We're going to get to the same point in the metaverse where going from one world to another world and experiencing things, you won't have to think about, 'Do I have the right setup?'"

Nvidia's vision for an open standard involves a structure for 3D worlds built by movie-making studio Pixar, which is also used by Apple. Among the basic questions being resolved are how physics will work in the metaversewill virtual gravity cause someone's glass to smash into pieces if they drop it? Will those rules change as you move from place to place?

Bigger disagreements will center on questions of privacy and identity, said Timoni West, vice president of augmented and virtual reality at Unity Technologies, which builds an engine for video game worlds.

"Being able to share some things but not share other things" is important when you're showing off art in a virtual home but don't want to share the details of your calendar, she said. "There's a whole set of permission layers for digital spaces that the internet could avoid but you really need to have to make this whole thing work."

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Georgetown University, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, in Washington. Zuckerberg promises that the virtual-reality "metaverse" he's planning to build will "let you do almost anything." That might not be such a great idea. Credit: AP Photo/Nick Wass, File

Some metaverse enthusiasts who've been working on the concept for years welcome the spotlight that could attract curious newcomers, but they also want to make sure Meta doesn't ruin their vision for how this new internet gets built.

"The open metaverse is created and owned by all of us," said Ryan Gill, founder and CEO of metaverse-focused startup Crucible. "The metaverse that Mark Zuckerberg and his company want is created by everybody but owned by them."

Gill said Meta's big splash is a reaction to ideas circulating in grassroots developer communities centered around "decentralized" technologies like blockchain and non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, that can help people establish and protect their online identity and credentials.

Central to this tech movement, nicknamed Web 3, for a third wave of internet innovation, is that what people create in these online communities belongs to them, a shift away from the Big Tech model of "accumulating energy and attention and optimizing it for buying behavior," Gill said.

Evan Greer, an activist with Fight for the Future, said it's easy to see Facebook's Meta announcement as a cynical attempt to distance itself from all the scandals the company is facing. But she says Meta's push is actually even scarier.

"This is Mark Zuckerberg revealing his end game, which is not just to dominate the internet of today but to control and define the internet that we leave to our children and our children's children," she said.

The company recently abandoned its use of facial recognition on its Facebook app, but metaverse gadgetry relies on new forms of tracking people's gaits, body movements and expressions to animate their avatars with real-world emotions. And with both Facebook and Microsoft pitching metaverse apps as important work tools, there's a potential for even more invasive workplace monitoring and exhaustion.

Activists are calling for the U.S. to pass a national digital privacy act that would apply not just to today's platforms like Facebook but also those that might exist in the metaverse. Outside of a few such laws in states such as California and Illinois, though, actual online privacy laws remain rare in the U.S.

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The world's first rhino horn NFT goes on auction in South Africa this week to raise funding for conservation efforts, the company that created the digital replica said Monday.

Organisers are hoping that wealthy collectors will be willing to open their wallets for a virtual rhino horn designed to finance efforts to protect real rhinos.

It's legal to trade in real rhino horns within South Africa, but the auction Thursday in Cape Town will sell a digital replica of a horn that's locked away for safekeeping.

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have made a huge splash among art collectors who have spent millions of dollars on digital drawings, animation, piece of music, photo, or video.

An NFT's authenticity is certified by block-chain technology, which is considered immutable, making the digital objects something that can be bought and sold.

"We came up with an idea. What if, instead of creating NFTs of art, we take it and we create NFTs in conservation and heritage assets," Maurice Crespi, CEO of Virtual Nation Builders, told AFP.

Leading rhino conservancy Black Rock Rhino tasked the company with creating a virtual recreation of a horn, which is locked away in a vault to prevent smuggling.

"We were tasked to assist in the conservation effort to find ways to try raise money to protect the rhinos because the rhinos are being poached left right and centre, there is no really way to raise money," Crespi said.

Black Rock Rhino is home to more than 200 rhinos. The auction, conducted both in-person and online, will raise money for the conservancy.

The NFT is structured so that if the buyer Thursday sells the virtual horn later, the conservancy will receive a commission from each future trade.

Poachers killed at least 249 rhinos in South Africa during the first six months of the year83 more than in the first half of 2020.

The animals are slaughtered for their horns, which are smuggled into Asia where they are highly prized for traditional and medicinal purposes.

In 2017 South Africa's top court lifted an eight-year moratorium on the domestic trade of rhino horns.

Explore further South Africa moves ahead on domestic trade in rhino horn

 2021 AFP
The question for this master plan update, he said, is whether Las Cruces airport could become the new Mojave airport, providing a similarly convenient access point for moving new technologies to rapid turnaround tests or commercial operations at the spaceport.

The airport is adjacent to an industrial park and completed crucial pavement upgrades a year ago. There are three runways that can accommodate arrivals and departures in six directions.

One of them, however, is in need of maintenance, and Hume said the city hopes to extend the length of the other two to 8,600 feet and 10,500 feet, respectively.

That would accommodate heavier aircraft, including commercial passenger jet launches from the airport.

Hume explained that at present, jets loaded with passengers can land at the airport, but can only take off empty under FAA regulations.

Both men said the planning update will present city officials with an assessment of potential investments conducive to the industrys needs, financial risks and strategic priorities for attracting private sector investment. Bennett said the planning document will present policymakers with a phased plan for immediate needs plus 5- and 10-year plans to position itself for regional aerospace activity.

Its going to be looked at by some hard-minded people asking the hard questions and we want to make sure that we have a well-studied set of options, Bennett said.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Las Cruces Sun-News.
Richwood, TX (77531)

Today

Cloudy early, then off and on rain showers for the afternoon. High near 80F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Showers early with some clearing overnight. Thunder is possible early. Low 56F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
"We met with him to bring him up to date," Hilgers said.

In addition to previously identified projects and proposals that spread across the state, "the concept of doing a larger reservoir lake between Omaha and Lincoln is on the table now," the speaker said.

But there are lots of questions yet to be answered about the impact of such a lake, he said.

Professional engineering and financial consultants hired by the committee are studying all of that now, Hilgers said.

"We are finding the best ideas to fit the mission," Hilgers said.

"A great idea might not be doable," he noted, due to its environmental impact or potential impact on water supply.

"We are taking the conceptual to the real now," he said.

A number of proposals for a lake between Lincoln and Omaha have been aired during the past 50 years, some of which would do so by constructing a dam on the Platte River and others that would result in flooding Ashland.
Ashley Olivas, assistant director for enrollment events and outreach, said the Cultural Unity Conference provides a great opportunity for students to learn more about higher education and the resources available at UNK.

Diversity and inclusion are so incredibly important because our world, local communities and student populations are increasingly diverse, said Olivas, who organized the event. We need to create welcoming and affirming spaces during the recruitment process and let these students know they have a home here at UNK.

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Grand Island Senior High School junior Clarisa Lopez is one of those students who feels at home with the Lopers. A repeat attendee of the conference, Lopez said she came back because it feels like a family here.

Lopez, who plans to study criminal justice, also looked forward to touring campus and seeing where her classes would take place.

GISH was one of several schools that brought large groups of students to the event. Others included Crete, Lexington and Wilber-Clatonia.

Maria Trejo, a GISH teacher who works with English language learners, has brought students to the conference for four years. She said its a good opportunity for them to meet other minority students from Nebraska.
YORK  The City of York has been awarded $435,000 for the third phase of its ongoing downtown revitalization project and the city council has signed off on the agreement with the Nebraska Department of Economic Development.

This is a highly competitive grant program in the state with many communities seeking these funds to help their downtown business and property owners rehabilitate their facades and structures, improving historic ambience and value.

The first two rounds have had a huge impact on our downtown and we now have about 13 more property owners who are talking about wanting to do this, Madonna Mogul, executive director of the York Area Chamber of Commerce, told the city council. We recommend approval of this so we can still keep improving our downtown.

It has been a great thing, said York Mayor Barry Redfern.

The council unanimously agreed and the third phase is now ready to begin.

The citys previous successful two rounds have resulted in many downtown buildings seeing historic restorations and renovations over the past few years. There have already been $1.4 million in improvements done through the first two phases.
Ashley Olivas, assistant director for enrollment events and outreach, said the Cultural Unity Conference provides a great opportunity for students to learn more about higher education and the resources available at UNK.

Diversity and inclusion are so incredibly important because our world, local communities and student populations are increasingly diverse, said Olivas, who organized the event. We need to create welcoming and affirming spaces during the recruitment process and let these students know they have a home here at UNK.

Grand Island Senior High School junior Clarisa Lopez is one of those students who feels at home with the Lopers. A repeat attendee of the conference, Lopez said she came back because it feels like a family here.

Lopez, who plans to study criminal justice, also looked forward to touring campus and seeing where her classes would take place.

GISH was one of several schools that brought large groups of students to the event. Others included Crete, Lexington and Wilber-Clatonia.

Maria Trejo, a GISH teacher who works with English language learners, has brought students to the conference for four years. She said its a good opportunity for them to meet other minority students from Nebraska.
People who are severely immuno-compromised may need a third vaccine shot, as well as a booster shot, to increase protection. She also urged people to continue to wear masks and practice social distancing.

Tests lag, too

Also unchanged is the low number of COVID tests. At the end of October, we had a pretty substantial drop in the number of tests done, Puckett said. Part of that is because some nursing homes are no longer required to do weekly testing.

But tests that are being done show the highest number of cases are occurring in people aged 10-50. This is a concern because these people in that age group are usually parents of kids aged 0-9. If they have COVID, they probably shared COVID with their kids, and then its hard to keep out of school, she said.

She said there were 70 new cases on Oct. 29 alone, so that number is likely to go higher. The daily cases is 59.27 per 100,000 people. The total population of Two Rivers is just above 97,000.

As of Thursday evening, Nebraska has recorded 288,257 cases of COVID-19 since record-keeping began March 20, 2020, and 2,988 deaths. Two Rivers recorded more deaths this week, but information has not yet been released.
As a mom and a doctor, I have been anxious and ready for the time to come to get my kids vaccinated, said Dr. Jill Fickenscher. I have seen the toll that COVID has taken on so many families, including the loss of a loved one or the long-term effects of the illness, the frustration of missing school and work, but also in our kiddos not being able to participate and experience so many things that are important to them and their friends as they have been growing up the past two years. Im not only looking to keep my own children safe and healthy by getting them vaccinated, but also to help to protect my family, patients and our community by helping to reduce the spread and severity of this pandemic.

Nationwide polls have been indicating about 30% of parents plan to get their kids vaccinated right away, about 30% want to wait and about 30% say they do not plan to do it at all.

I totally understand and empathize with those parents who are initially hesitant, Dr. Fickenscher said. We all want only what is best for our own children, to keep them safe and healthy. As a parent myself, I have been reassured by the fact that in the clinical trials, which included over 3,000 children who received the vaccine, there were no serious adverse events including severe allergic reaction, myocarditis or other major problems.
Paris, TX (75460)

Today

Overcast. Slight chance of a rain shower. Morning high of 69F with temps falling to near 55. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 39F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph.
CHICAGO - A 77-year-old retired Chicago Fire Department captain fatally shot a person who tried to rob him Saturday afternoon on the South Side, according to Chicago police and CFD spokesman Larry Langford.

About 12:30 p.m., the retired captain was in an open garage of a home in the 500 block of East 89th Street in the Burnside neighborhood when a vehicle driving through the alley pulled up next to him, police said.

An assailant got out of the vehicle, pulled out a gun and demanded the mans property.

The 77-year-old took out his own gun and shot at the would-be robber, hitting him in the head and chest, police said. The robber, whose identity was not released, died at the scene, police said.

The 77-year-old man was not injured.

Both guns were found at the scene, police said. The 77-year-old man, who retired from the department about 15 years ago, has a valid firearm owners identification card and conceal carry license.

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Chicago Cubs co-owner Todd Ricketts has stepped down after nearly four years as the finance chair of the Republican National Committee.

Ricketts, who also was finance chair of former President Donald Trumps reelection committee, was replaced by Trumps ambassador to Spain, Richard Duke Buchan III, at a meeting of Republican National Committee members on Friday.

Ricketts, who lives in Wilmette and is part of his familys ownership of the Cubs, said he was privileged to serve as national finance chair and having been entrusted to advance our partys values and promote our pro-growth, conservative agenda.

Im excited by all the Republican candidates we helped elect during my tenure as well as the investments we made and the infrastructure we developed as a party, Ricketts said in a statement. Im confident the RNC will continue to be an outstanding organization to serve Republicans across the country and I look forward to continuing to help the cause.

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Ricketts took on the party finance role after withdrawing as a potential deputy commerce secretary in the Trump administration because he was unable to unwind his familys complex finances enough to satisfy the federal Office of Government Ethics.

In February, Ricketts was reappointed to the party post he held since January 2018. He has often been mentioned as a potential GOP candidate for office in Illinois, though he has previously denied any interest in that.

While his sister, Laura, is a Democratic activist, Ricketts, his father Joe, his mother Marlene and other family members have been strong financial supporters of Republicans and GOP aligned interests. His brother, Pete, is completing his second and final term as Republican governor of Nebraska.

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Government-and-politics

editor's pick alert top story

BAMBERG COUNTY COUNCIL

Bamberg County debt refinancing attached to courthouse renovation

SPECIAL TO THE T&D This illustration shows what the Bamberg County Courthouse could look like with renovations.

Bamberg County Council is working to refinance its long-term debt in hopes of lessening the tax burden for its citizens, some of whom are still expressing concerns about already high taxes.

Council approved a resolution to refinance a portion of its debt following a financial presentation by its bond attorney and financial adviser during a Nov. 1 meeting.

The countys total debt comes in at $13,845,955 as of June 30, 2020, the latest year for which the county has audited figures. The countys general obligation debt stood at $3,374,863 as of June 30, 2020, also the latest year for which the county has audited figures.

Among the countys debts is $8.4 million in installment purchase revenue bonds, or IPRBs, authorized by council in 2013, in part to consolidate old debt. The Bamberg Facilities Corporation, or BFC, is a nonprofit charged with managing the $8.4 million in revenue bonds.

The bonds were issued to fund projects the county sought to complete with the help of the penny sales tax that was approved by voters in a November 2012 referendum.

Bamberg County Council: County being considered for investment, official says BAMBERG  SouthernCarolina Alliance Project Manager Garrett Dragano says his group is working to recruit several businesses to its seven-county region, including some that are considering Bamberg County.

Since that time, the county has successfully established an investment-grade credit rating of A from Standard & Poors and was then also able to refinance the debt and reduce its interest rate from 8.9% to 3.9% in 2015, saving the county $1.2 million in interest costs.

The BFCs revenue bonds are paid for with fee-in-lieu-of-taxes from certain companies, the first imposition of the capital project sales tax and small general obligation bonds, as needed. The general obligation debt is paid for with a special levy that is separated on tax notices.

What the countys debt consolidation plan did not cover was the $1.5 million bond council issued in 2008 to help offset its now-defunct hospitals debts and address safety issues at the facility.

The hospital has until 2028 to pay that bond off, with County Controller Gina Smith stating in an email following the meeting that the bond will be fully paid on April 1, 2028. The remaining outstanding principal on that bond stood at $940,000 as of June 30, 2020.

The countys bond attorney, Ray Jones of the law firm of Parker Poe of Columbia, was joined by the countys financial adviser, Brent Robertson, on Monday to present a plan that would not only refinance the BFCs 2015 bonds and the countys 2008 hospital bond, but also include a financing plan to complete long-awaited renovations at the county courthouse.

Under the new 2021 IPRB Plan of Finance, debt payments would be extended out to 2051 as compared to 2036 under the 2015 bond finance plan.

Company expanding broadband service in Bamberg County BAMBERG - A Walterboro-based telecommunications cooperative that has served the South Carolina Lowcountry for seven decades is expanding broadband service in Bamberg County with the help of a grant from the states Broadband Infrastructure Program.

Voting in favor of the plan were council members Spencer Donaldson, Dr. Jonathan Goodman, Evert Comer and Chairman Larry Haynes. Voting in opposition were council members Phil Myers, Clint Carter and Sharon Hammond.

Pretty quickly were going to start to see that our mill levy is going to have to increase, Robertson said, noting that the fund balance from the capital project sales tax will eventually all be drawn down, with GO bond issuances to go up as a result.

In 2027  were ultimately going to need to levy about 29 mills just to support the GO bonds, he said, noting that the millage would come in at 14.36 mills instead of 29 mills in 2027 under the 2021 finance plan.

There is an extension of the term on the existing 2015 bonds. The refinancing is actually at a lower interest rate, Robertson said, noting that the interest rate on the bonds would go from 4.13 to 3.49%.

So, yes, the term is being extended out to 2051 but in exchange, youve stabilized the mill levy and youre refinancing at a lower rate, he said.

Bamberg County in June 2018 announced it was moving ahead with a $6 million plan to renovate the countys historic courthouse.

Built in 1894, it was to be completely restored for the circuit court, probate court, clerk of court and public defender with the help of a $6 million USDA loan. The loan, however, which came with a 3.875% interest rate for a 40-year term, didnt come to fruition.

Parker said, We went round and round and round with USDA. Through a series of whether its miscommunication, changes in personnel or whatever it might be, we basically got to a point where they simply could not help us. Ill just leave it at that.

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Robertson said under the new finance plan, $7 million in new financing for courthouse renovations would be layered in.

Also included is the refinancing of the hospital bond. The hospital bond presently sits at an interest rate of 4.15%. Under this refinancing structure, it drops down to 2.81. This is also an instance of where were extending the final payment on the existing hospital bonds, Robertson said.

In exchange, it provides for a softer mill levy on the front end, and it allows for the laying in of $7 million for courthouse improvements. ... We dont get to 29 mills under the plan of refinance thats being proposed until 2039, he said.

Robertson continued, The new bonds are going to be sold with no more than a 10-year optional redemption provision, meaning the county would have the opportunity to come in and refinance at some point in the future.

He said new industry coming into the county would also help it pay off debt even quicker if they elected to dedicate any new fee-in-lieu-of-tax agreements to this plan of finance.

This goes to the payment flexibility  that you get through a facilities corporation. Theres just different ways to pay down the debt. Theres all sorts of flexibility for the county in the future to refinance, to dedicate other revenue sources, Robertson said.

Carter said he needed more information before he could vote on the new refinancing plan.

"We're talking $7 million. We got 30 years from now for this to be paid for. Is there any guarantee that this construction's going to last 30 years? Or in 30 years, are we going to be coming back, 'Well, we need another $7 million.' At that time, it'll probably be $15 million. I'm just asking questions," he said.

County Administrator Joey Preston said, "That's a good question. I mean, youve got to figure the courthouse was moved there in 1948, 1950."

Carter continued, "It looks to me like we can't get anything pinned down on some of this stuff, and we might be better off to ... start over with something new that the citizens may not argue so much about having built. In another 50 years, ain't nobody going to care nothing about that courthouse and whether it was moved there 300 feet 150 years ago."

"We'll be $20 million in the hole," Carter said, with the added expense of the courthouse.

Robertson said the county would be taking advantage of lower interest rates.

Carter said, "I just worry that if you extend out and the amount that you owe goes up, if something comes about that the county really needed to do, you don't have the finances to do it because you're obligated so far out."

Roberston said the new refinancing plan would create an increase in the countys borrowing capacity from approximately $200,000 to about a million dollars.

I don't think that necessarily addresses every concern y'all might have, he said, but noted that the new refinancing plan provide more the county with more flexibility.

Following the meeting, County Controller Gina Smith said in an email that the bottom line is that the refinance will actually lower the debt-service levies, and the resultant taxes will be lowered as well for the next 12 years.

County residents expressed concern about the potential tax impact.

Sue Clayton said, If we're increasing our millage by 29 to 32 mills, I don't know how that works out because I don't understand the mill. ... But we've got people that are already complaining about high taxes and already discouraging other people. You can look at the industries that are coming in through Southern Carolina. They are all going to other counties because of our high tax rate.

We cannot afford to continue this route. I don't care how you parse it, we're still going to owe $21 million instead of $14 million for a county that has $13,665 people. Somewhere down the line, the proverbial manure is going to hit the fan, and it's going to hurt," she said.

Sharon Carter said, We have the highest taxes in the state of South Carolina. With the 46 counties, and ours being the highest, why would industry want to be here? I'm here because my husband has family property, and we love it. But someone new is not going to come to the county with the highest taxes in the state.

Councilman Evert Comer said he is an optimist and feels sure that the county will attract more industry.

Carter said tacking on the courthouse renovation project to the refinancing plan would cause the county to spend the money you just saved and then some. So I'm saddened that we're not going to be fiscally responsible."

Ken Ahlin said in an email that the initiative to increased our indebtedness to revamp the old courthouse rings hollow.

The county has kicked this can down the road almost the last decade. In 2012 when the penny was first introduced to fix the courthouse, we got a bait-and-switch and the old courthouse was left alone. In our last penny sales tax, we elected to bypass the courthouse again to build a new human services and sheriffs facility, Ahlin said.

There is no way the sense of urgency to renovate the old hospital  superseded the crumbling courthouse, he said, noting that there was no need to tie the countys plan to refinance its debt with a courthouse upgrade.

The courthouse should stand on its own and should be put to the citizens. We are concerned about our millage rates and high taxes. The countys indebtedness is of concern, and taking on significantly more debt for a problem you have a flat out neglected is a red herring.

Preston in an email Wednesday stated that the plan was a good one.

We have determined that this is a better plan and stabilizes tax rates and, for a period, lowers tax rates, whereas the USDA option would not have done that, or allowed us to refinance the hold hospital bond that was approved just before the hospital closed, he said.

Preston continued, We have said this over and over, but it continues to get lost in the rhetoric. ... I believe that new business will consider Bamberg County more if we continue to improve the infrastructure to include county buildings and properties, including roads, streets and recreational facilities.
The challenge in polarized political times is to keep your eye on democratic institutions and their proper authority. Thats the reason to applaud the nine House Republicans who voted to hold Steve Bannon, the sometime Donald Trump counselor, in contempt for defying a congressional subpoena.

The subpoena was issued by the special committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, and there are no doubt some partisan motives at play. Speaker Nancy Pelosi hopes the committee will find evidence to back up her claim that the riot was part of a larger plot to stage an insurrection. If so, it was the dumbest coup attempt in history, but the committee wants to ask Bannon about his role.

Bannons claim of executive privilege has no legal merit. The Supreme Court has said the privilege applies to conversations with a president performing the responsibilities of his office or making policy or decisions. Bannon left the White House staff in the summer of 2017. He has no immunity as a private citizen who may have spoken with then-President Donald Trump.

The House voted to hold him in criminal contempt, 229-202, with all but nine Republicans in opposition. Congress has referred the contempt citation to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution.

The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia will have to decide whether to prosecute, and doing so would save Congress enforcement power from becoming a dead letter. That power has withered in recent decades as members of both parties have refused to cooperate with congressional investigations.

Republicans held official Lois Lerner in contempt in their probe of IRS bias, but Justice never prosecuted. We count at least four times in recent years that Congress made criminal contempt referrals, and none was prosecuted. If Bannon becomes another, everyone will assume that congressional subpoenas have no force.

One member of Congress who seems to get this is Rep. Nancy Mace, the first-term Republican from Charleston. She voted against impeaching Trump twice. But she voted to hold Bannon in contempt on grounds that she wants a subpoena to mean something when Republicans are in the majority, as they could be as soon as 2023. Partisanship should matter less on this point than the preservation of Congress power to investigate issues and the executive branch.

Congress also has its own inherent contempt power and could jail Bannon on its own until he testifies. Had the GOP taken that step against Lerner, the House special committee would be in a stronger position today.

Bannon has a Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself if he does testify. But he doesnt have the right to defy a subpoena with impunity. President Joe Biden blundered when he interfered with a prosecutorial decision by saying publicly that Justice should prosecute Bannon. Biden has since admitted his mistake.

Either Congress itself or Justice has good reason to vindicate Congress subpoena power under Article I. Republicans will be grateful when theyre back in power.

This editorial is from The Wall Street Journal via The Associated Press.

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(TBTCO) - Tinh tu 16 gio ngay 20/11 en 16 gio ngay 21/11, Viet Nam ghi nhan 9.889 ca nhiem moi. Trong o co 7 ca nhap canh va 9.882 ca ghi nhan trong nuoc, tang 364 ca so voi ngay truoc o. Tai 57 tinh, thanh pho co 5.361 ca trong cong ong, tang 585 ca so voi ngay hom qua.
Today

Cloudy this morning. A few showers developing during the afternoon. High 63F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 44F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch.

Tomorrow

Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. High 53F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.
BEIRUT  Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Monday that preliminary talks with the International Monetary Fund were advancing well and a revised financial recovery plan would be complete by the end of November.



For the first time we have handed over unified financial figures, Mikati told an economy conference in Beirut. We hope we will have a letter of intent soon.

Talks with the IMF that aimed to secure financial support broke down last year amid disagreements over the scale of losses in the countrys financial sector that collapsed in late 2019.

The central bank, private banks and a parliamentary committee representing major political parties argued that losses were much smaller than the roughly $83 billion estimated by the plan, despite the IMF viewing the figures as accurate.

Mikati said the central bank was now cooperating fully with Lazard, the advisor that helped draw up the previous plan.

Economists see an IMF programme as the only way for Lebanon to unlock international aid and begin recovering from one of the worst financial crises in the world.

Mikati also said Monday that legislative elections will definitely be held before the end of this Parliaments mandate.

Speaking during the televised economy conference in Beirut, he said the exact date of holding elections is debatable, but the vote would be held before May 21.
GILLETTE (AP)  For the past nine months, Juan Guajardo Jr. has been taking up temporary residence at the Campbell County jail.

Serving time while awaiting a sentence for check fraud and bringing drugs into jail, Guajardo quickly earned a spot on the work block outside crew.

He clocks in at 7:30 a.m. and clocks out at 4 p.m., and he can be seen shoveling snow, trimming trees, blowing leaves and any number of other tasks hes asked to do.

But when he completes these tasks, he goes straight to the workshop and gets straight to another type of work, the Gillette News Record reports.

He takes pieces of scrap wood and turns them into furniture and works of art.

When hes not in his cell, he spends his day trying to make the jail a better place.

Jails not the happiest place, man, Guajardo said.

But theres still happiness to be found there, you just have to know where to look. For Guajardo, that joy comes from seeing other people smile at the various projects hes made, including a birdhouse, a wishing well and a picnic table.

I do it for myself, but if someone else feels good about it, it makes me feel good that they feel good about it, he said.

Guajardo keeps to himself at the jail. Fraternization with other inmates is limited to a simple greeting. Hed rather watch romantic comedies than hang out with the others. Hes determined to not let jail get him down.

You could be back there, you could be miserable and mean, stuck in a rut, Guajardo said.

Misery loves company back there.

For Guajardo, woodworking is therapeutic.

As youre doing it, your minds clear, youre just thinking about your cuts, your measurements, how its going to look, he said.

Hes spent most of 2021 getting his mind clear, preparing to leave his old self behind.

Guajardo said he never got into trouble with the law until his early 30s. Then, he started hanging with the wrong crowd and making the wrong decisions. He started using meth, and things went downhill from there.

In 2016, Guajardo was sentenced to three to five years in prison for drug endangered child. He had been charged with eight counts of endangering children and possession of meth.

Deputies searched Guajardos home after learning that guns stolen in Hulett allegedly had been traded to him in exchange for meth, according to court documents. Deputies found 38 grams of meth and 25 prescription amphetamine pills, scales, suspected liquid meth and meth paraphernalia. He also admitted using meth there.

Guajardo said he wasnt ready for prison at that time. While he was in there, he felt like he had something to prove, because thats how everyone else was in there. He wanted to be that guy that nobody messed with. As a result, when he was released from prison, he wasnt much different from the person who walked in.

When he got out, he did pretty good to get back on my feet, and then he sabotaged himself again. In September 2020, Guajardo gave Bloedorn Lumber a check when there wasnt money in the account to cover the check. And in March he was arrested on a parole warrant, and a bag with 1.19 grams of meth was found on his back under his sweatpants.

He pleaded guilty to check fraud and bringing drugs into jail. On Wednesday, District Judge John R. Perry sentenced Guajardo to three years of supervised probation and fined him $1,000. It will be the first time Guajardos been on probation.

They gave me a second chance this time, he said. Im going to really take advantage of it.

He had to celebrate his 40th birthday in the Campbell County jail in September. Hes determined to not let that happen again.

No more birthdays in jail, he said.

Hes been on the work block for most of his time in jail, and hes been part of the outside crew for five months.

Tracy Keffeler, maintenance supervisor, said there have been projects that have needed to be done for years, and theyve finally been completed during Guajardos time at the jail.

Guajardos painted the evidence vault, the dispatch office and the visitation room, hes refinished the floor of the Sheriffs Office lobby and he deep-cleaned a hundred jail cells.

Keffeler is meticulous when it comes to trimming trees and painting. With Guajardo, Keffeler finally had someone who was willing to work up to that high standard.

When hes painting, hell put one hand behind his back just to steady himself. Thats the type of person he is, he wants to do a good job, Keffeler said.

Some people would say hes just doing that for show, he said. After 22 years, I know when its for show. When nobodys looking, hes still working.

Undersheriff Quentin Reynolds said a lot of talented people come through the jail: electricians, welders and painters, to name a few.

A lot of them are good people, they simply made a mistake, he said. And theyd rather work than sit in the block, so we give them an opportunity. In Juans case, he gets his stuff done and it gives him an opportunity to work on his special projects.

Guajardo has gained the trust of Keffeler and the other maintenance workers, and it goes beyond knowing that hell finish a job.

A lot of times you cant just let a guy go, Keffeler said. I can let him go, and trust that itll be done right.

When theyre done with their work, most inmates will call it a day. Theyll sit in the sun, or play cards or dominoes with each other.

Not Guajardo.

When he finishes his assigned work, its straight to the workshop.

It all started with a birdhouse. There was a small, old birdhouse sitting on top of a stump outside the undersheriffs office. Guajardo had to walk past it every day, and he thought it could use an upgrade.

I asked my boss if I could make a new one. They gave me permission, but they said dont get too carried away, he said.

They gave him some scrap lumber, and he ended up building a house that looks like a small-scale cabin that wouldnt look out of place on a lakefront, with doors, windows, a chimney and a wraparound deck.

The birdhouse was a hit, so Guajardo got permission to start on his next project. A long time ago, he made a wishing well for his grandmother using old privacy fence, and he decided to make one for the Sheriffs Office.

In the summer, it was placed outside the entrance to the Sheriffs Office and decorated with flowers. Its since been brought inside to protect it from the Wyoming winter weather.

It all starts with the ugliest piece of old lumber you can possibly think of, Guajardo said.

All the wood, its already been used, we just kind of made it new again, we repurposed it.

Keffeler said Guajardo sometimes goes ahead and starts on a project without asking permission. But when Keffeler sees what Guajardos done, its hard for him to say no.

Thats exactly what happened with Guajardos favorite project, a picnic table that sits behind the Sheriffs Office.

There was an old picnic table that had been there for more than two decades. And it had needed to be rebuilt and repainted several times. Guajardo kept bugging Keffeler to let him build a new one.

He told me no at first, but I got one board ready to go, and then he let us do it, Guajardo said.

Its a five-piece set, with two benches and two chairs, and it took him about a month to complete.

This table is going to be here for a while, Keffeler said.

Were talking a hundred years before this one goes away, he said. Its a legacy table.

Keffeler said Guajardo is always bugging him for more work to do. At one point, Guajardo got tired of asking Keffeler for work orders. He found an old mailbox in the junk pile. He attached it to a wooden post and wrote work orders on it.

It sums up Guajardos spirit in a nutshell, Keffeler said.

Ive had a lot of guys work for me, but none (who) quite had that much, just go, go go go, Keffeler said.

Having been to prison, Guajardo doesnt know why some people treat it as a badge of honor.

I dont understand why people even want to be in prison, its not a thing, theres nothing cool about it. You dont get props for going to prison, he said. Theres a lot of people who have stuff to prove, theyre like, Oh yeah, Ive done time. I hate saying that.

Hes ready to be back on the outside, but he knows that all this talk means nothing unless he can succeed on supervised probation.

Guajardo said he is better equipped for success now, and has a whole new arsenal of people to support him.

There are members of the Sheriffs Office who have told him theyre saving home improvement projects for him so that he has work to do when hes out of jail.

Guajardo knows there are some people who will frown upon this and make fun of him for working for the cops.

His message for these people? If you see somebody doing good, just get out of the way.

Some guys try to knock you down, call you a brown-noser or a kiss-ass, but theyve got to go to sleep every night with that in their heart, he said. I sleep fine.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, The Gillette (Wyo.) News Record.

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The Colonial Life Insurance Company (Trinidad) Ltd (CLICO) now owes the Government $1.21 billion as part of its 2009 bailout arrangement.

Its taken 12 years to have the debt reduced from $18 billion in 2009 to now $1.2 billion in 2021.
Keep the faith. God is great and he knows best.

Thats the uplifting message from New York-based singer Kevon Carter to the people of T&T during the current spike in Covid-19 cases here at home. T&T recorded 537 new cases of Covid and 17 deaths on Thursday.

Carter, who returned to the United States earlier this year following the reopening of international borders, says he is disturbed by the continued rise in Covid cases in T&T.
TWO cousins were ambushed and shot dead and then the body of one of them, a young girl, was 
Given the low rate of vaccination, our population is wide open to death or hospitalisation from the Delta variant.

That was bluntly stated in my column of September 5, ten weeks ago, with the foresight that the Government would helplessly wait around, self-praise tying up its brain, while its bouffs and bullying failed miserably to motivate the population to get vaccinated in sufficient numbers. No attempt at a creative legislative intervention to support vaccination was made.
By the numbers

Wonder what it takes to bring a production like Lin-Manuel Miranda's hip-hop musical "Hamilton" to the stage? Here's a look by the numbers:

13  53-foot trailers needed to bring the "Hamilton" set to Tucson

14  speakers hidden around the set so that the cast can hear the band playing

20  or more hidden prop boxes around the set

50-plus  different types of paper props in the show

60  people are involved in each performance, from actors and stage managers to stage techs and musicians

350-plus  lighting instruments

500-plus  days to engineer, build, paint and automate the set
When the pandemic canceled last years Arizona Symphonic Winds Veterans Day concert, Laszlo Veres took matters into his own hands.

He wasnt about to pause what has become a Tucson tradition for nearly four decades  a patriotic concert to honor veterans of all wars.

So Veres, a clarinetist and the Winds founder/music director, tapped his wife Frances, who played violin for more than 35 years for the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, to accompany him on piano as the pair played a front-yard Veterans Day concert for their neighbors.

And the neighbors showed up. We had about 40, 50 people here across the street with masks on, said Veres, who teamed up with his wife again last December to play a short holiday concert. For that one, they had their neighbors sing Christmas carols.

For Veterans Day 2021 on Thursday, Nov. 11, Veres is getting the band back together and will once again don his Sousa-style uniform when he takes the podium for the Winds 36th annual Veterans Day concert.

The concert of patriotic odes and anthems is personal for the 84-year-old Veres, who was drafted into the U.S. Army not long after he immigrated to the States from his native Hungary at age 19.
Thats 1,300 people that arent going to have to stand in line, that arent going to have to find a parking space near the port, Humphries said. Its going to alleviate congestion. Its going to speed up the process. So were doing everything humanly possible to be able to make the experience a better one.

Were fully aware of the economic implications. I know businesses want to get back up and going. We know the government makes money from sales tax revenue. And so we want both sides of the border to flourish.

The border reopening is huge for Arizona border towns like Nogales and Douglas but also for cities like Tucson and the state as a whole. Pre-COVID, the Department of Homeland Security counted 20 million to 25 million visits from Mexican nationals crossing the border into Arizona, spending about $1 billion in Tucson and about $2.5 billion a year across the state.

Isabel Gutierrez came up from Hermosillo on Monday to cross the border into Nogales, Arizona, for the first time in two years, with her teenager, her 4-year-old and her mother. They are excited to visit family in Phoenix, to go to the zoo and to do some shopping. She hasnt seen her cousins in Arizona since the closure, which is the case for many families who have been separated by the border closure.
The remains of Army Pfc. Glenn E. Collins, who was killed at the age of 21 in the Korean War, will be buried at South Lawn Cemetery on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.

The graveside service will begin at 11 a.m. at 5401 S. Park Ave.

In an interview last year after Collins remains were identified in April, sisters LaWanda Brothers and Kathern Ballentine said they were relieved that their brother was coming home to be laid to rest.

Collins will be buried where his parents and more than 80 relatives are interred.

We have prayed and cried for 70 years, and now he will be coming home, said Brothers last year. She and Ballentine are the remaining survivors of Collins immediate family.

He was a wonderful brother who helped take care of the family when my parents were at work. Our dad was working at Edwards Air Force Base, and our mom worked at a cannery, said Brothers, who was 13 when Collins, 19, enlisted in the Army in California. She said Collins was born in Marshall, Texas, and the family moved to Tucson and then to Tranquility, California, because their father worked construction jobs. The family eventually returned to Tucson and remained.
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. (AP)  A Brightline commuter train hit a car carrying a woman and her grandchild Monday on the higher-speed line's first day back in operation since the coronavirus pandemic began.

The 71-year-old woman suffered some broken bones and the child did not appear to be seriously injured, Pompano Beach Fire and Rescue spokeswoman Sandra King told news outlets. They were both taken to a hospital.

Television stations showed images of the woman's crushed car at the intersection in Pompano Beach, which is north of Fort Lauderdale.

The woman had made a right turn was was trying to cross the train tracks when the crash happened, King said.

The train was heading south from West Palm Beach to the Fort Lauderdale station with Brightline officials, including President Patrick Goddard. He was scheduled to appear at an event in Fort Lauderdale marking the train's return.

The train travels at speeds of up to 79 mph (127 kph) through some of Floridas most densely populated cities.
NEW YORK (AP)  A prominent New York City lawyer who married a Hollywood star and spent the last eight years overseeing police reforms as the NYPDs court-appointed federal monitor died Monday. Peter Zimroth was 78.

Zimroths death was confirmed by his top deputy on the monitoring team, Richard Jerome, who said he spent his last hours at home in New York City surrounded by the love of his family.

In March, Zimroth revealed he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Jerome said Zimroth was living with the disease for about two years and kept working into his final days.

Zimroth, a law professor and the director of New York Universitys Center on Civil Justice, married Academy Award-winning actress Estelle Parsons in 1983. Together, they adopted a son, Abraham.

In 2013, U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin appointed Zimroth to monitor the NYPD after she ruled that the department violated the constitution with its tactic of stopping, questioning and frisking mostly Black and Hispanic people on the street en masse.

She directed Zimroth to develop reforms to policies, training, supervision and discipline with input from communities most affected.
The railroads have said that employees will be disciplined if they fail to comply with the vaccine mandate.

The unions didn't immediately respond in court to BNSF's lawsuit Monday, but in the other lawsuits they have argued the railroads were violating the terms of their contract by requiring vaccines and by offering bonuses to workers if they do get vaccinated. Both Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern are offering employees $300 if they get the shots.

The non-negotiated bonuses and unilateral decision to discipline employees who are not vaccinated functioned to undermine the collectedly-bargained agreements and reduce Norfolk Southerns obligations under those agreements, the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers  Transportation Division, or SMART-TD, union said in its response to Norfolk Southern.

Leaders of the SMART-TD union and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have said they generally support workers getting vaccinated, but they don't think the railroads should require it without negotiating first.

Federal judges have yet to rule on any of these lawsuits related to the railroads' vaccine requirements.

BNSF, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific are three of the largest U.S. railroads. Spokeswomen for two other major major U.S. railroads, CSX and Kansas City Southern, said officials at those railroads are still considering whether to impose vaccine mandates in response to the executive order, but both railroads are encouraging employees to get the shots.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
She said other regulations are based on elaborate calculations about how many hands are needed to tend to various crops. "Its a crazy table. They say if you are growing cucumbers you can get X number of helpers per dunam.

Asked about the restrictions, the military said its forces aim to ensure a smooth fabric of life for all sides. The military sees great importance in the coordination of the olive harvest, and operates in accordance with guidelines and the situational assessment, it said in a statement.

Israel has always said the barrier was not intended to delineate a permanent border, and some supporters said at the time that by reducing violence it would aid the peace process.

The fence was built according to the needs of security only," said Netzah Mashiah, a retired Israeli colonel who oversaw construction of the barrier until 2008. "We understood while building it that it might be a border in the far future... but this was not the goal of this fence.

Indeed, the barrier only looks like a heavily guarded border.
OPINION: "The Afghan refugees arriving in Tucson will have traveled almost 8,000 miles to get here. First wave, second wave, and now this wave. A man who crossed the Spin Gar Mountains with his sons on donkeys, the man pulling a cart of used clothes in Islamabad, the families caught in the crush to board a plane out of their homeland. Strip away the differences, and it is all the same trauma, the same displacement," writes Tucsonan Adele Barker.
Hillarys expertise is just what we need to support, impact and empower young girls in our community, said Chief Executive Officer Regina Moon. We are so excited to work alongside her, and we are grateful she has chosen us and the girls of eastern Oklahoma.

Sutton has over 10 years of experience working in development and fundraising. Before joining Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma, she served as Director of Development at ahha Tulsa, formerly the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa, and at the G.M. Sutton Avian Research Center. Before working in the nonprofit industry, she was a Mayoral Aide for both Mayor Kathy Taylor and Mayor Dewey Bartlett. She has a proven track record of excellence and looks forward to working with an amazing team at GSEOK raising the necessary funds to support their ongoing efforts across the state.

Sutton is a lifelong Tulsan and has served on numerous boards across the city. She served as Chair for Tulsas Young Professionals (2013) and currently serves as Vice President of The Summit Club. Sutton attended the University of Kansas, and has a certification in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion from the University of South Florida Muma College of Business.

###
Among Cartwrights other distinctions he was the fourth African-American officer to achieve flag rank in the history of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Shortly before his death, Cartwright co-founded what has become a central part of his legacy: The Rocks Inc. is the largest professional military officers organization with a majority African-American membership.

Cartwright led the initiative to organize the group, which has multiple chapters and maintains a scholarship fund in his honor.

Among the familys keepsakes is a photo taken at a Rocks function of Cartwright with Colin Powell, who viewed him as a mentor.

Picking others up

Jones said her grandfathers achievements have always been inspiring to her. And while she was young when he died, she has some distinct memories of him.

He was so tall: When he would bend over and pick me up, it took forever, it felt like, to reach the top. Like being on an elevator. Then finally you were there, and there would be the smile and the laughter waiting for you.

Bending over to the pick others up is also a good way to describe how Cartwright lived his life, she said.
The arrival of child-sized doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has Oklahoma pediatricians fielding a new, common question: Does my child really need this?

And its a question theyre eager to address.

Children are not supposed to pass away, said Dr. Donna Tyungu, pediatric infectious disease specialist with Oklahoma Childrens Hospital-OU Health. COVID is now one of the 10 leading causes of death for children in this country  and now it has become a vaccine-preventable illness.

Thats what lands in the heart of a pediatrician.

Local pediatricians estimated that about a third of their patients parents are champing at the bit to get their children ages 5-11 vaccinated. Another third have questions or concerns to be addressed or want more time to wait and see how other kids do with the shots.

And that last third? They simply wont do it.

But to a person, doctors said they want their young patients parents to know they can come to them about this decision, no matter what.
Union Public Schools is accepting new and gently used bicycles and new bicycle helmets through Nov. 19 for its annual Bikes for Kids program. The districts manufacturing and automotive students will with area professionals to refurbish the bicycles, which are in turn given to local children.

Donations may be dropped off at the Union Collegiate Academy at 6636 S. Mingo Road on weekdays while school is in session.

Administration moves: On Nov. 1, Union Public Schools announced that Executive Director of Secondary Education John Federline is now an assistant superintendent for the district.

In his new role, Federline will continue to oversee secondary education, as well as guide the development of both Unions five-year strategic plan and its next bond package. A Union alumnus, Federline has worked for the district since 2005.

Comment period: The Oklahoma State Department of Education is soliciting feedback on the state academic standards for math, physical education, health and world languages through Dec. 7.

Application season: The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence is accepting applications through Feb. 1, 2022, from fifth and eighth grade teachers interested in its annual Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute.
Sometimes theyre right.

Pata, who often travels to rural parts of the state to support families, said she has heard prejudiced comments made about Native Americans by the people who are responsible for solving these cases.

Idas Law unlikely to bring Ida home

After El Reno police opened an investigation into Beards disappearance, only Beards mother and a friend, who was the last to see her, were questioned. No one else was interviewed until years later when a new detective took over the case.

El Renos Assistant Police Chief Maj. Kirk Dickerson said interviews related to Beards case were conducted on Wednesday. Dickerson joined the department in 2018, three years after Beard went missing.

We are still actively attempting to locate Ms. Beard, Dickerson said. I hope we find her somewhere sitting in a rocking chair on a front porch somewhere saying I just didnt want to talk to you guys. Until then, were going to keep looking for Ida.

Although the new detective looks at Beards case weekly, evidence and witness accounts have dwindled over time, along with the familys hope of finding their loved one.
Unless youve been in a deeply comatose state, youve probably noticed the profoundly intense battles occurring over the issue of critical race theory, the latest bogeyman for many right-wingers.

A number of conservative cultural critics have been working morning, noon and night in an attempt to discredit proponents of the movement. While some of these antics have been amusing, other attacks have been disingenuous and downright offensive.

In some cases, certain teachers have been subjected to physical, verbal and various other sorts of abuse, and in some cases, death threats.

Things have reached a fever pitch in a handful of state legislatures. Some states, like as Mississippi, Tennessee (where I currently live) and Oklahoma, have enacted laws prohibiting the teaching of such content, arguing that this kind of literature teaches children to develop an augmenting hatred for their nation and causes white children to feel bad about themselves.

None of this is true, and conservatives who have weaponized the issue for political gain know this.
Leaders of the Asia-Pacific trade group APEC will focus on the region's economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, emphasising supply chain support and decarbonising economies, at virtual talks that begin on Monday.

Tensions are expected, however, during this week's talks among the 21-economy group over Taiwan's bid to join a regional trade pact and the United States' bid to host the 2023 round of meetings.

New Zealand is hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Week entirely online thanks to its hardline pandemic response that has kept the international border shut to almost all travellers for 18 months.

"This meeting will focus on charting a path to recovery out of this once-in-a-century crisis," New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement.

Talks will first be held between trade and foreign ministers of the 21-economy group, which includes the United States, China and Russia, before state leaders meet online on Friday night.

APEC's member economies account for around 38% of the world's population and more than 60% of its gross domestic product.

"Together we are continuing to keep supply chains functioning and are supporting trade in critical medical supplies  including testing kits, PPE and now vaccines," Ardern said.

APEC members pledged at a special meeting in June to expand sharing and manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines and lift trade barriers for medicines.

The APEC gathering comes in the shadow of the high profile G20 summit in Rome and the COP26 climate meeting in Glasgow, both attended in person by leaders.

In a news conference on Monday, Ardern acknowledged the virtual event meant the country misses out on making a big splash.

"It means our ability to put New Zealand on the world stage isn't quite what it would have been if we had an in-person event," Ardern said, adding that it did allow better participation of business leaders.

Tensions are expected around Taiwan's stated aim to use the gathering to garner support for its bid to join a regional trade pact, Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

China, which has also applied to join the pact, opposes Taiwan's membership and has increased military activities near the island which Beijing claims and has not ruled out taking by force.

U.S host bid

Also likely to raise tensions is the U.S. offer to host APEC in 2023, which would be the country's first time since former President Barack Obama led the group in Hawaii in 2011.

Diverting attention and resources to the region has become a centrepiece of President Joe Biden's administration, as it turns away from old security preoccupations with the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

But Russia is yet to officially support the U.S. proposal, a source aware of the discussions said, creating an unusual situation for the bloc, which usually agrees hosting venues well in advance.

Russia has sought an assurance that its representatives will be able to attend a U.S. gathering even if some of them are under sanctions, the source said, adding that China has neither agreed or rejected the U.S. offer.

Neither country has commented publicly on the proposal. The Russian foreign ministry could not immediately be reached, while China's foreign ministry had no immediate comment.

"I'm sure the U.S. and New Zealand would like to resolve this before (the) Leaders' Meeting, but the dispute shouldn't hold up the communique, since leaders can always say they look forward to meeting in Thailand next year and leave it at that," said Matthew Goodman, an adviser at the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

A Leaders Declaration has been issued after every annual APEC leaders meeting since the first in 1993, expect in Papua New Guinea in 2018 due to disagreements between U.S. and China.
Here are todays leading news stories:

Society

-- Two people died on the spot and one was injured as a car crashed into a motorbike traveling on the opposite side in Kon Tum City of the namesake province in Vietnam's Central Highlands on Sunday afternoon.

-- The Department of Cybersecurity and Hi-Tech Crime Prevention under the Ministry of Public Security on Sunday broke up a massive online gambling ring whose transactions totaled about VND14 trillion (US$618 million).

-- A male tenth-grader passed away after falling from the third floors balcony of Quynh Coi High School in the northern province of Thai Binh while he was playing on a phone on Sunday.

-- High tide in Ho Chi Minh City reached 1.65-1.67 meters on Sunday evening, resulting in serious flooding on multiple roads and in neighborhoods.

-- People in Binh Thuan's Phan Thiet City have been banned from going outdoors from 7:00 pm to 5:00 am the next day from Sunday as part of the citys movement restrictions to reduce surging COVID-19 infections.

-- The Ministry of Public Security has arrested and initiated legal proceedings against Nguyen Minh Quan, director of Thu Duc City Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, and Nguyen Van Loi, director of Nguyen Tam Production Service Trading Co. Ltd., for manipulating bidding results to win a contract for purchasing medical equipment.

Lifestyle

-- Residents of Duong Lam Village in Son Tay Town, Hanoi have been upset as a film making crew painted on a national heritage ancient well for their shots.

Education

-- Dong Nai Province began vaccinating children aged 15 to 17 against COVID-19 on Sunday, in an effort to reach herd immunity and reopen schools early.

World News

-- Australia will begin administering booster shots of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine from Monday as millions in its largest city, Sydney, woke up to more freedom amid an accelerating immunisation drive against the coronavirus, according to Reuters.

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Rising sea levels threaten to engulf the eastern part of Ho Chi Minh City in water by 2030, according to a recent research produced by Climate Central, a U.S.-based science organization.

In its report, Climate Central created a map of sorts to assess which parts of the earth will be underwater before 2030 owing to rising sea levels, using information from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations body responsible for analyzing science related to climate change.

It appears that six cities, including Vietnams economic hub Ho Chi Minh City, could be underwater partially or entirely in less than a decade as icy glaciers continue to melt.

Climate Centrals map shows that the areas most at risk in Ho Chi Minh City are its eastern part  particularly the flat, heavily built-up marshland of Thu Thiem.

While the center of Ho Chi Minh City is unlikely to find itself underwater by 2030, it will almost certainly be more vulnerable to flooding and tropical storms, according to the report.

The other five cities named by Climate Central were Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Basra in Iraq, New Orleans in the U.S., Venice in Italy, and Kolkata in India.

Climate Central notes that the maps show future sea levels (in red) in the six cities but do not show what could happen during flooding or other extreme weather events.

Here are the six cities that could be underwater before 2030.

Photo: Climate Central

Photo: Climate Central

Photo: Climate Central

Photo: Climate Central

Photo: Climate Central

Photo: Climate Central

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Police in Vietnam have broken up a large-scale online gambling ring with processed transactions totaling some VND14 trillion (US$615 million) and detained 14 suspects for investigation.

The Ministry of Public Security confirmed on Sunday that it had coordinated with Hanoi police to crack down on a virtual gambling ring that operated interprovincially at https://bxx, from which gamblers downloaded an app for playing.

Around 200 police officers from 15 teams were deployed to simultaneously raid a series of locations of the racket in Hanoi and the provinces of Lang Son, Kien Giang, Quang Ninh, and Thai Nguyen.

Investigators had interrogated 23 suspects before detaining 14 of them for further investigation.

Local police seized four luxury cars, bank cards, cellphones, and other devices used for gambling activities.

Three of the four luxury cars seized by Hanoi police from the online gambling ring are seen in this supplied photo.

The total gambling amount gathered by the ring from July 2020 until it was busted has been estimated at VND14 trillion, police said.

The ring was led by three men, namely Pham Cong Anh, Hoang Manh Lam, and Dinh Van Hoang, all from Lang Son Province, who directed 42 agents in different cities and provinces.

This extremely large-scale ring was joined by many people suspected to be loan sharks, investigators said.

Last Wednesday, police also smashed another massive online gambling ring whose transactions topped VND30 trillion ($1.3 billion) in Hanoi and arrested 17 suspects.

Earlier on October 3, Hanoi police detained 18 people after uncovering another virtual gambling racket that had attracted approximately six million gamblers with a total gambling value of VND1.5 trillion ($65.9 million).

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Health authorities in Vietnam's Dong Nai Province began providing COVID-19 vaccination for students aged 15-17 on Sunday.

About 97,000 children in this age range will receive the vaccine during this campaign, according to Nguyen Huu Tai, deputy director of the provincial Department of Health.

Among them, more than 83,000 are high school students, while the others are learners of vocational schools and children at social protection centers, Tai elaborated.

The province currently focuses on vaccinating children aged 15-17 against COVID-19, the health official said, adding that those aged 12-14 will be provided with the vaccination when more doses are allocated to the area.

At a vaccination site in the provincial capital city of Bien Hoa, many students said they were nervous but believed that the vaccination would allow them to return to school soon.

Tran Bao Han, a twelfth grader, said her parents told her to stay home for the past four months due to the dangerous pandemic.

Therefore, both Han and her family members were very excited that she was finally able to get the shot.

Its my last year in high school and I cant wait to see my friends and teachers again, Han stated.

Nguyen Hai Ha, who resides in Vinh Cuu District, said she was happy and thankful that her teenage son was given the shot.

Dong Nai has been the third-largest COVID-19 epicenter in the country since the fourth outbreak began on April 27, with more than 72,100 local cases.

The Ministry of Health has approved Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for use in children aged 12-17 in Vietnam.

Health workers have administered nearly 4.6 million vaccine doses, with about 76 percent of the provinces adult population fully vaccinated, according to the provincial health department.

Dong Nais neighbors  Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong Province  previously began vaccinating children against COVID-19 on October 27 and October 31, respectively.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Health first issued guidelines on COVID-19 vaccination for children aged 12-17 on October 14.

Vietnam has authorized eight coronavirus vaccines for emergency use, namely the UK's AstraZeneca; Russia's Sputnik V; China's Sinopharm; Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson of the U.S.; the UAE's Hayat-Vax; and Cuba's Abdala.

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A male tenth grader passed away after falling from the third floors balcony of a high school in the northern Vietnamese province of Thai Binh while he was playing on a phone on Sunday.

A leader of Thai Binhs Quynh Phu District has refuted rumors circulating on social media that the deadly accident, which took place at Quynh Coi High School, was a suicide.

The victim, N.Q.S., just accidentally fell off the balcony while playing on his phone next to it, according to the leader.

The fall seriously injured S. before he died at the hospital.

Police officers examined the scene and handed over S.s body to his family shortly after.

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Vietnams Ministry of Health confirmed 7,988 additional coronavirus cases on Monday, together with 1,073 recoveries and 67 fatalities.

The latest cases, including 34 imported and 7,954 local transmissions, were reported in 55 provinces and cities, the ministry said, pointing out that 2,237 patients were infected in the community.

Ho Chi Minh City recorded 1,316 of the domestically-transmitted infections, Dong Nai Province 969, Binh Duong Province 823, An Giang Province 531, Tien Giang Province 392, Kien Giang Province 363, Tay Ninh Province 354, Dong Thap Province 351, Binh Thuan Province 267, Can Tho City 178, Ba Ria-Vung Tau 149, Hanoi 111, Khanh Hoa Province 80, Da Nang 21, Hai Phong City 16, and Quang Nam Province 14.

Vietnam had detected 7,631 locally-infected patients on Sunday.

The country has registered 971,711 community transmissions in all its 63 provinces and cities since the fourth virus wave emerged on April 27, 838,658 of them having recovered from the respiratory disease.

Ho Chi Minh City has been hardest-hit with 439,940 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 239,728, Dong Nai Province with 73,142, Long An Province with 35,824, Tien Giang Province with 18,496, An Giang Province with 13,953, Tay Ninh Province with 13,010, Kien Giang Province with 12,453, Dong Thap Province with 11,139, Khanh Hoa Province with 9,336, Can Tho City with 8,510, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province with 5,517, Hanoi with 5,314, and Da Nang with 5,069.

Vietnam detected only 1,570 locally-transmitted infections in total in the previous three waves.

The health ministry confirmed 1,073 recovered patients on Monday, lifting the total to 841,475.

The toll has risen to 22,598 deaths after the ministry logged 67 fatalities on the same day, including 35 in Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai Province 11, and Binh Duong Province eight.

Vietnam has found 976,672 infections since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit it early last year.

Health workers have administered nearly 90.7 million vaccine doses, including 987,621 shots on Sunday, since inoculation was rolled out on March 8.

More than 29.3 million people have got two doses.

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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A Vietnamese court has sentenced a former intelligence deputy chief to 14 years in prison for taking a bribe worth VND5 billion (US$220,000) in 2017.

Nguyen Duy Linh, former deputy head of the Ministry of Public Security's General Department of Intelligence, received the jail term on Saturday, ruled by the Hanoi Peoples Court in his absence for health reasons.

Linh, 50, was accused of receiving a VND5 billion bribe from Phan Van Anh Vu, his subordinate at the General Department of Intelligence, four years ago.

Vu, who was also chairman of Bac Nam 79 Construction JSC, was given a sentence of seven years and six months for offering bribes.

The last defendant of the case, Ho Huu Hoa, an acquaintance of both Vu and Linh, received a prison term of two years seven months 25 days, for brokering the bribery.

Since Hoas jail term was counted from March 12, 2019, when he was detained, the court announced his release after sentencing, as he was considered having finished serving the sentence.

According to the indictment, Vu was under investigation in June 2017 for intentionally leaking state secrets, along with other law-breaking cases in relation to the purchase, sale, and transfer of public houses and land in central Da Nang City as well as other localities.

Vu tried to contact Linh through Hoa to seek help and information related to the cases.

On December 17, 2017, Vu fled to Singapore after being informed by Linh that he might be investigated and arrested.

Three days later, an investigation was launched into Vu's revealing state secrets, but he had already traveled to Singapore.

He was then put on the international wanted list.

Vu was arrested by Singaporean authorities on December 28, 2017 for violating the Immigration Act of Singapore.

He was deported to Vietnam in early January 2018 and was detained for investigation.

Vu initially told investigators he had bribed Linh with cash, but he later changed his testimony, denying the indictment that affirmed he had given the intelligence deputy chief a bribe through Hoa.

Similarly, Linh denied receiving Vus money but admitted to taking gifts such as liquors, Lingzhi mushrooms, and cigarettes from him.

Meanwhile, Hoa confessed that he had acted as a bribery intermediary between Linh anh Vu.

In the face of the evidence as well as the relevant testimonies provided by the trial panel during the hearing, both the defendants eventually admitted to their crimes as stated in the indictment.

After Vu pleaded guilty to giving a bribe, Vus wife submitted the entire sum to the court on Friday, one day before the panel issued the sentences for the three defendants.

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Residents of Duong Lam Village in Son Tay Town, Hanoi are upset that a film making crew painted on a national heritage ancient well for their shots.

The residents flocked to the Mong Phu communal house, where the ancient well is located, on Sunday afternoon, demanding the film crew cease causing damage to the relic.

The production team has been filming a comedy at the communal house over the past few days, according to G.V.A., a local.

As the film crew has annually shot a comedy in Duong Lam Village for several years, Phan Van Hoa, chairman of Duong Lam Commune, gave them approval by word of mouth this year.

Located some 50km to the west of downtown Hanoi, Duong Lam Village has been recognized as a national relic since 2005 as it has many houses dating back hundreds of years.

While many sites in the village are considered sacred spaces, the film crew painted an ancient well in the courtyard of the Mong Phu communal house, which is recognized as a national heritage site itself, without permission.

The unauthorized transformation, which turned the brick wells peeled-off mortar layer covered by green patches of moss and ferns into a new honeycomb stone look-alike, has angered the locals in Duong Lam.

How come a bunch of people from somewhere I dont know blatantly damage such a national relic?

"Normally, any changes to it must be approved by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism."

A national heritage ancient well, which was originally built from bricks and mortar, is turned into a honeycomb stone look-alike in Duong Lam Village, Son Tay Town, Hanoi. Photo: Do Doan Hoang / Tuoi Tre

Chairman Hoa told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Sunday that he had neither received any proposals nor permitted the film crew to make any changes to the site.

Hoa said that local authorities have booked the case and suspended all filming activities of the production team in question, while requesting them to quickly restore the well to its original condition on Monday.

The fix is expectedly simple as the paint the crew used was lime wash, which can be easily removed.

The team was not required to pay any administrative fine, according to Hoa.

Truong Duc Thang, a representative of the film crew in question, admitted to the wrongdoing, pledging to learn from the incident while hoping for sympathy from local authorities and people to be allowed to complete the remaining scenes in the village.

Chairman Hoa said that on average, two film crews come and shoot their products in Duong Lam Village every month.

However, G.V.A. complained that those film crews brought almost no benefits to the local people, and instead left messes behind to be cleaned up by the residents.

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A long-running legal case over The Checkout between Giant Dwarfss Julian Morrow and CJZ producer Nick Murray is returning to court two years after it was first reported by TV Tonight.

The parties, who jointly produced the consumer show for ABC for 6 seasons, have been locked in a feud over company documents, future royalties, full disclosure and consumer law.

Giant Dwarf claims CJZ breached its contract by blocking it from making another series and wants compensation. CJZ says Giant Dwarf was deceptive and misleading over its plans for the extra series, which it did not know about when it agreed to sell its share of their joint venture, The Checkout Pty Ltd, to Giant Dwarf for $50.

ABC is not a party to the proceedings but Freedom of Information disclosure logs reveal it has spent more than $188,000 on legal advice, after both parties had subpoenaed documents.

Two years ago ABC stated it was looking at a new consumer affairs show rather than a return to The Checkout.

The case resumes on November 29 in the NSW Supreme Court.

Source: The Age, The Australian
Tyler, TX (75702)

Today

Cloudy skies with a few showers this afternoon. Thunder possible. High 72F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 44F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
Richard Ratcliffe has urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to deliver on his promises as he was joined by two celebrity supporters during his hunger strike outside the Foreign Office.

Strictly Come Dancing co-host Claudia Winkleman and writer and presenter Victoria Coren Mitchell again visited Mr Ratcliffe on the 16th day of his protest in central London.

Mr Ratcliffe called on Mr Johnson to meet an Iranian delegate at the Cop26 climate conference to demand the freedom of Britons detained in Evin prison  including his wife, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is detained over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Tehran government, having been arrested in 2016 during a holiday visit to show her baby daughter Gabriella to her parents.

Mr Ratcliffe says his wife, with whom he shares a daughter, Gabriella, is being held hostage due to the UK owing a 400 million debt to Iran over a failure to deliver Chieftain tanks ordered by the Shah of Iran before he was overthrown in 1979. An international arbitration process in 2008 ruled that the UK owes Iran the debt.

Mr Ratcliffe told the PA news agency that the Prime Minister needs to deliver on his promises to repay the debt and protect his wife. He is demanding Mr Johnson speaks to the Iranian delegate during the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow.

He said: The Iranian delegate needs to be asked about it. He (the Prime Minister) promised to settle a debt and he hasnt, and now my wife is being held hostage. He needs to deliver on that promise.

Mr Ratcliffe is on day 16 of his hunger strike (Aaron Chown/PA)

He needs to take responsibility for that and the consequences of his failings. I think if he does that, she will be protected.

Mr Ratcliffe, who has previously completed a 15-day hunger strike, says he is now in uncharted territory and is seeing the physical effects of 16 days without food, including experiencing cold hands and feet.

He said: Its definitely getting harder. My family are worried about how long it will go on for.

Story continues

Mr Ratcliffe says he is watching for various physical symptoms that are to be expected the longer a hunger strike goes on for, including becoming dazed and dizzy, losing weight and his skin turning yellow.

He said: It hasnt happened yet but Ive kept warm enough. Im taking it almost day-by-day.

The last time I did 15 days and it took some recovery. Now Im into uncharted territory. It is the first time I know what day 16 feels like. I dont know how I will feel the next day, or day 17 or 21 or 33. Its a balance between wanting a response from the Government and not putting my family under too much pressure the longer it goes on.

Mr Ratcliffe said the response from members of the public who have visited him and written him letters has been overwhelming.

A pile of letters addressed to Richard Ratcliffe, outside the Foreign Office sits next to him alongside a number of tents and signs saying Free Nazanin.

Broadcaster Victoria Coren Mitchell talks to Mr Ratcliffe

He said: People send lots of support and it shows so much kindness. People often get wrapped up in the world and complaining about the Government and whatever and its really extraordinary how kind people can be.

It gives you faith in human kindness.

Visiting him on Wednesday, Coren Mitchell, who also visited him on Monday at the scene of his protest, said: An accountant from Hampshire is starving himself on the steps of the Foreign Office, for goodness sake! We cant just ignore that like its one of those things.

Someone in the current Government could be the one to bring Nazanin back while Gabriella still has a childhood. Nazanin is a totally innocent woman who needs to come home to her family. Their ongoing torment is a major failure of British diplomacy in its core responsibility: To protect its citizens.

Its day 16, he is so cold and exhausted and starving, as a friend I want him to go home. But as a person I understand why he isnt. My family is everything to me too. If, God forbid, we were torn apart like this I would be equally desperate and urgent to do something to help.

Its getting into dangerous territory now, his body will be damaged and Im just praying he will be able to go home and someone powerful will say: Its OK. Were on it. Well take it from here.
By Denis Balibouse

BERN (Reuters) - A Swiss father of three on his eighth day of a hunger strike said on Monday he is willing to starve to death in a bid to make his government take bold action on climate change to safeguard his children's future.

Guillermo Fernandez, a 47-year-old former IT programmer, quit his job to go on strike from Nov. 1 -- the day after the start of the Glasgow COP26 climate summit https://www.reuters.com/business/cop.

He is demanding that Environment Minister Simonetta Sommaruga, who attended the conference, informs parliament of the "urgent and bleak" situation due to climate change and takes bold measures to address it.

"We are a small country, we are rich and we can invent the solution for the future. We just have to start now," Fernandez told Reuters in the capital of Bern's main square outside parliament.

"I do know that what I am demanding is tough and might require that I do die."

Temperatures in Switzerland are rising at around twice the global rate, melting glaciers and thawing permafrost, and many climate activists are disappointed with official measures. Climate Action Tracker, a tool developed by a scientific research group https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/switzerland, rated Switzerland as "insufficient".

A spokesperson for the environment ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Fernandez, from the town of Gruyeres in the canton of Fribourg, says he decided on his daughter's 13th birthday in August -- which coincided with the release of a major U.N. climate report warning of climate disruptions for decades https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-ipcc-report-idCAKBN2FA0JL -- to start the strike.

Fernandez said his children were proud of his actions.

"They understand that saving their future now requires a struggle. And in struggles for justice, you might die and they know it," he said, close to tears.

(Reporting by Denis Balibouse; Writing and additional reporting by Emma Farge; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Arce, a socialist who won presidential elections on October last year, criticized the developed countries for introducing what he called a "re-colonization" process in the global fight against climate change.

"Developed countries are promoting a new world re-colonization process that we can call the New Carbon Colonialism, because they are trying to impose their own rules in the climate negotiations," said Arce while addressing other world leaders.

The Bolivian leader added that this "re-colonization" process is part of an effort to continue "feeding the new green capitalist system and forcing developing countries to assume these rules without having any other option."

Arce also said the climite crisis wont be solved if global markets keep focusing on carbon.

"The solution lies in changing our current civilization model and moving towards an alternative one," the Latin American president said.

The UN Conference about Climate Change (COP26) is being held in Glasgow from October 31 to November 12.

During the two-week meeting, leaders will try to secure more ambitious action from the nearly 200 countries that signed the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global warming to well below 2.0 degrees Celsius - and preferably to 1.5C (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) - above pre-industrial levels.
U.S. allows visitors to return Geoff Robins/AFP/Getty Images

The U.S. on Monday lifted travel restrictions on visitors from 33 countries, including Canada, Mexico, and European nations, for the first time since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. All travelers will have to show proof they have been fully inoculated with one of the COVID-19 vaccines approved by U.S. regulators or the World Health Organization, and visitors from everywhere but Canada and Mexico will have show a negative coronavirus test to enter.

The U.S. travel and tourism industries were eagerly bracing for a deluge of travelers, and foreign nationals who have not seen loved ones in the U.S. for nearly 20 months were excited about the lifted travel ban, but people from green-lighted countries who were vaccinated with one of the shots not approved by the U.S. or WHO  namely Russia's Sputnik V and China's CanSino  were scrambling to get a Pfizer or Moderna booster.

This is less of an issue in Canada, where the WHO-approved AstraZeneca vaccine was widely used, than in Mexico, which ordered nearly 20 million doses of Sputnik V and 12 million of CanSino. "They screwed those of us who got this vaccine," Mexico City resident and Sputnik V recipient Rosenda Ruiz, 52, told The Associated Press. "There are lots of Mexicans who want to travel, but we can't. I am thinking of getting whatever other vaccine I can get." Hungary also inoculated 1 million citizens with Sputnik V, as did, to a lesser extent, Slovakia.

The WHO last week called Europe an "epicenter of the pandemic," especially in areas of Central and Eastern Europe where there are low vaccination rates.

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More than 60 high school students with aspirations of becoming teachers descended upon the University of North Georgia (UNG) to learn more about the profession on Future Georgia Educators (FGE) Day. UNG's College of Education (COE) students were happy to assist.

"We want to help sustain and increase the teacher pipeline," Dr. Christian Bello Escobar, director of academic and community engagement for the COE and UNG FGE Day coordinator, said. "There's a need for new teachers. Hosting this program allows us to be marketable to the students who have an interest in this profession."

Hosted on Oct. 26 at the Convocation Center on UNG's Dahlonega Campus, FGE Day helps pique the interest of the potential next wave of educators. High school students from the Carroll County, Commerce City, Fulton County, and Jones County school systems took part in the event, which was co-sponsored by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators. Multiple Georgia higher education institutions host FGE days to promote teaching as a profession to more than 4,000 high school students across the state.

Thirteen COE Student Ambassadors led students around campus and answered questions, while some led workshops. They are among the 470 UNG juniors and seniors in classrooms in some 112 schools across the state in the teacher preparation program for the 2021-22 school year.

Madison Standridge, a UNG senior from Homer, Georgia, pursuing a degree in English with teacher certification, appreciated the chance to share her knowledge and passion.
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 forty-third day of the war, November 8, Armenia's occupying forces have been trying to seize the re-liberated Azerbaijani lands all night. At the same time, not only ordinary occupants were dying, but also officers. The Armenian army also carried out strikes across the border with Azerbaijan. The exhausted group of invaders in the Aghdam region were firing their last shells and missiles at the settlements of the front-line zone, a civilian was wounded in the Terter region.

In the morning, it was revealed that the presidents of Russia and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a telephone conversation the day before: Erdogan stressed the need to withdraw the occupation forces of Armenia from Azerbaijan.

After 11:00, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev officially announced: Shusha has been liberated. He stressed that November 8 will forever go down in the history of Azerbaijan as Victory Day. The people of Azerbaijan took to the streets to celebrate this event. Ankara congratulated Baku on the de-occupation of Shusha.



In the afternoon, footage was revealed of the liberated village of Balasoltanogly in the Gubadly region and about the attack by Su-25 attack aircraft on the invaders in the Khojavend region. The shelling of the settlements of Azerbaijan continued: the Aghdam and Terter regions were under fire.



British media published a leak that Yerevan agreed to withdraw the occupation troops from Azerbaijan, and Baku agreed to deploy Russian and Turkish peacekeepers in Karabakh. The head of the National Security Service was dismissed in Armenia.

In the evening, another part of the occupation command was liquidated, the liberation Azerbaijani army was systematically advancing towards Khojavend.

Late in the evening, the first details of the liberation of Shusha were revealed: much of the fighting was hand-to-hand.



Thus, on the forty-third day of the war, there was the most important event of the entire Patriotic War of Azerbaijan - the cultural capital of the republic, the city of Shusha, was liberated from occupation. Since Shusha is located on a hill in the immediate vicinity of Khankendi and directly above the road from Lachin, the remnants of the occupation troops in Karabakh ended up in a cauldron: communication with Armenia was no longer possible (despite the fact that Lachin was still under occupation). It is not without reason that this day, November 8, was declared the Victory Day in Azerbaijan - the liberation of Shushi meant the complete defeat of the occupation forces of Armenia.
A march on the occasion of the Victory Day is being held in Azerbaijans Baku city on November 8.

The march with participation of a military orchestra, started at 10:00 (GMT+4) at the Azneft square and is to be held until the White City Boulevard.

Cadets of the Azerbaijan Higher Military School named after Heydar Aliyev will carry the flag of Azerbaijan. The cavalry are also involved in the march.

The flash mob will also be organized through the support of the Regional Development Public Union at the end of the march.

According to the decree of President Ilham Aliyev "On the establishment of Victory Day in the Republic of Azerbaijan" signed on December 3, 2020, November 8 is celebrated as Victory Day in Azerbaijan.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan has issued a statement in connection with November 8 - Victory Day of the Republic of Azerbaijan, according to the MFA press service.

"On November 8, 2021, the Republic of Azerbaijan celebrates Victory Day, which has become a celebration of the strength of our People and of our national pride, and is of exceptional importance for the honour and future development of our state.

As a result of the 44-Day Patriotic War, which began on September 27, 2020 in response to a provocation and further military aggression of Armenia, Azerbaijan liberated its lands from occupation, and in accordance with the related UN Security Council Resolutions, as well as numerous decisions and resolutions of other international organizations, Azerbaijans territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders was ensured, and the right of about one million Azerbaijani IDPs to live in their native homes has been restored," the statement reads.

"As a result of the 44-day long military operations, under the leadership of the victorious Commander-in-Chief, President Ilham Aliyev, the heroic Azerbaijan Army liberated more than 300 settlements, including the cities of Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Zangilan, Gubadli, as well as Shusha city, which has a special place in the history and culture of the Azerbaijani people. A Trilateral Statement signed by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia on November 10, 2020 has brought an end to the military operations, and Armenia, recognizing its defeat, withdrew its armed forces from Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions. Thus the conflict was resolved through military-political means," the ministry noted.

"After the war, Azerbaijan faces the important task of rebuilding and restoring, as well as of demining of the liberated territories. At the heart of this work is to ensure the safe and dignified return of Azerbaijani IDPs to their homes, whose fundamental rights have been violated for decades. In this process, which requires time, finances and serious efforts, Azerbaijan is not alone, friendly and partner countries are participating in the revitalization of the liberated territories. In the coming years, we will witness the return of the first IDPs to their homes.

Azerbaijan has taken appropriate steps to investigate illegal actions, violations of international law, war crimes, urbicide, culturicide and ecocide committed by Armenia within the framework of its nearly 30 year-long policy of aggression, as well as to bring to justice those responsible for these violations, and these steps will continue at the next stages. Punishing the perpetrators and ensuring justice are important in terms of preventing a recurrence of such cases in the future," the statement reads.

"Ensuring lasting peace, development, and progress is the basis of Azerbaijans vision for the future. After the elimination of the factor of occupation of its territories, Azerbaijan is ready to normalize relations with Armenia on the basis of strict adherence to the principles of international law, in particular, the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of international borders. In order to ensure future peace and security in the region, it is important at this stage to fully implement the trilateral statements, and Azerbaijan expects Armenia to reciprocate the steps taken by Azerbaijan in this direction.

With the end of the conflict, new realities have emerged in the South Caucasus region, and everyone must accept these realities. Armenia must choose between regional cooperation and illegal, as well as unfounded territorial claims against its neighbors. The international community must play a positive role in this regard and call on Armenia to realize that there is no alternative to peace. Attempts to directly or indirectly support revanchism and its armament in Armenia must be stopped," it was noted.

"November 8 - Victory Day is a celebration of international law and justice, forming a glorious page in the history of the Azerbaijani People. On this important day, we remember with deep respect and esteem the memory of all our Martyrs who gave their lives for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan," the statement concluded.
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian condemned the assassination attempt on the Iraqi Prime Minister in a telephone conversation with his Iraqi counterpart Fouad Hussain.

According to the Iraqi state-run media, Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazemi escaped unhurt after an attempted assassination attempt by a drone armed with explosives.

Amir-Abdollahian told Fouad Hussain such incidents were against the security and stability of Iraq, carried out by the ill-wishers.

Fouad Hussain, for his part, appreciated Iran's Foreign Minister on behalf of the Iraqi Prime Minister al-Kazemi, explaining the latest developments related to the assassination attempt.

He stressed that no one was injured in the attack and that the Iraqi officials were following up on the developments, Iran Press reported.
Iran is demanding that all U.S. sanctions should be lifted in a verifiable process, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Monday, a few weeks ahead of a resumption of talks between Tehran and world powers to revive a 2015 nuclear deal.

Khatibzadeh said Ali Bagheri-Kani, who is Irans top nuclear negotiator, will travel this week as Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs to the capitals of three European parties to the nuclear pact, Reuters reported.

Indirect talks between Iran and the United States, which stalled in June after the election of hardline Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, are set to resume here on Nov. 29 in Vienna to find ways to reinstate the deal. Former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the accord three years ago and reimposed sanctions on Iran.
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan claimed that Washington is ready for JCPOA talks while reiterating the claim that Tehran is not.

The United States is ready to return to talks on Iran nuclear deal or the JCPOA, but Tehran has not yet shown the willingness to do so, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN on Sunday.

Sullivan added that his country is working closely with its partners and allies to prepare the necessary conditions for the talks. He further reiterated the claim that the United States is ready to return to the negotiating table and continue working on the issue.

Washington's claim on readiness for the talks on Iran comes at a time when the current U.S. administration under Joe Biden is still continuing the same Maximum Pressure Campaign against Iran which was waged by the previous Donald Trump administration after its illegitimate withdrawal from the JCPOA in May 2018.

Iran and the remaining signatories to the JCPOA known as the P4+1 with the indirect involvement of the United States have held six rounds of talks so far with no results. The Western powers made excessive demands during the talks and the talks were halted amid the change in the government in Iran.

The Iranian deputy foreign minister and the new top negotiator said last Wednesday that the talks on the removal of the U.S. sanctions on Iran will start on November 29.

As part of the remedial measures taken by Iran amid the indifference of the JCPOA parties to continued U.S. violations of the JCPOA, Iran halted voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol, which allows unannounced inspections of its nuclear sites by the IAEA inspectors as per a piece of legislation approved in the Iranian parliament last December as well as the JCPOA provisions.
Libyas government Sunday rejected a decision by the countrys presidential council to suspend the foreign minister over allegations of monopolizing foreign policy.

The standoff between the two bodies is likely to increase political tensions in the North African county less than seven weeks before planned elections. It also comes a few days ahead of an international conference in Paris to push for holding the vote as scheduled Dec. 24.

The Government of National Unity said in a statement that the presidential council doesnt have the right to suspend Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush and hailed the ministers efforts as the countys chief diplomat. It pointed to her work at an international conference held in the capital of Tripoli last month with the aim of resolving the countrys thorniest issues ahead of general elections

The government said that naming members of the government and suspending or investigating government officials are duties exclusive to the prime minister, ABC news reported.

The presidential council, a three-member body serving as the country's president until one is elected, late Saturday suspended Mangoush and barred her from traveling abroad. It accused the minister of not coordinating foreign policy decisions with the council. The council did not elaborate on the circumstances behind the decision.

The country's election agency, meanwhile, announced the registration process for presidential and parliamentary hopefuls will start Monday. The agency said potential candidates have until Nov. 22 to register to run for the country's highest post, while parliamentary hopefuls have until Dec. 7 to register their candidacies.
First Vice-President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva has shared a post on the occasion of 8 November-Victory Day, on her official Instagram page.

"Dear fellow compatriots! I sincerely congratulate you on the first anniversary of the glorious Victory won in the Patriotic War. It is difficult to express in words the feelings and emotions that live in our hearts and given to us by the Almighty. Every Azerbaijani was looking forward to this Victory and every Azerbaijani is rightfully proud of it!

On this significant day, I want to express my boundless gratitude to the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan, our heroic soldiers and officers, and our fearless President who always keeps his word. May Allah rest the souls of all our unforgettable martyrs in peace. I bow my head to mothers and fathers who raised heroes ready to give their lives for their Motherland.

Azerbaijani people, live forever with your head held high! All of us together have passed a thorny, difficult but glorious path, the path to the great Victory! As a victorious nation, the sacred duty of each one of us now is to defend the independent Azerbaijan and our unity. May the Almighty protect the Azerbaijani people and our Motherland!"

On November 8, 2020, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, the city of Shusha, was completely liberated from occupation. Its release de facto put an end to the war, since the remnants of the Armenian occupation forces in Karabakh were cut off from communication with Armenia, and their elimination by the liberation Azerbaijani army was only a matter of time.
More than 120 representatives of various fields of art have called on Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and President Salome Zurabishvili to transfer ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili to a civil hospital.

Noting that they have united on behalf of human rights, the signatories of the address, including writer Nino Kharatishvili, pianist Lisa Batiashvili and film director Nana Ekvtimishvili, stress that they are against any political persecution despite their political views.

"We appeal to you to immediately assist the third president of Georgia and transfer him to a hospital, which has been recommended by the medical council and the public defender," the address reads.

Mikheil Saakashvili, who was detained in Tbilisi on October 1, faces several criminal charges. He denies all charges and remains on hunger strike. His lawyers have been demanded he be sent to a civil hospital for treatment, but the justice ministry and the special penitentiary facility claim the prison hospital is adequate, and there is no need to bring the ex-president elsewhere.
The Turkish Embassy in Azerbaijan has made a post on the occasion of November 8 - the Victory Day of Azerbaijan on its Twitter account.

"On the occasion of November 8 - Victory Day, which marks the liberation of Azerbaijani lands from Armenian occupation, we congratulate the President, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, the heroic Azerbaijani army and people and respectfully honor all our martyrs who gave this victory to everyone," the post said.
After several years using the World Bank Ease of Doing Business report as a measurement, Vietnam's business environment has made great strides.

On March 18, 2014, Resolution 19/NQ-CP was issued by the Government. The Resolution requires effective implementation of three strategic breakthroughs (improving institutions, developing infrastructure and raising the quality of human resources) in order to improve the business environment and enhance competitiveness.

The resolution set a target that by the end of 2015, a number of indicators in the World Bank Ease of Doing Business report would reach the average level of the ASEAN-6 group. World Bank Ease of Doing Business is closely related to the reform process of Vietnam's business investment environment and is one of the indicators for Vietnam to evaluate itself.

When the resolution was issued, it was praised, as it took the World Banks assessment as a clear standard, not just general objectives. This resolution is considered a milestone in the 7-year journey to promote the improvement of Vietnam's business environment.

In 2015, Vietnams ranking according to the World Bank Ease of Doing Business report rose by three places, from 93rd to 90th out of 189 economies. Compared to Southeast Asian countries, Vietnam had more reforms, resulting in a better business environment and better ranking (improving in five of 10 areas). At the same time, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand were downgraded, and Singapore held the leading position in the world.

From 2015 to 2018, every year, a Resolution with No. 19 was issued with the goal of reaching the top 4 in ASEAN, as affirming the continuation of the Government's consistent spirit of reforming the investment and business environment.

After several years using the World Bank Ease of Doing Business report as a measurement, Vietnam's business environment has made great strides. In the World Bank Ease of Doing Business report - the final report - Vietnam's global business environment ranking increased from 93/189 countries and territories in 2016 to 70/190 countries and territories in 2020. In Southeast Asia, Vietnam ranked 5th, behind Singapore (2), Malaysia (12), Thailand (21) and Brunei (66).

In particular, Vietnam's annual Getting Electricity index soared, achieving the highest ranking ever, standing at 27th out of 190 countries/economies (it was 135th in 2014). Vietnam has surpassed the Philippines and is currently ranked 4th in Southeast Asia in this category.

However, in general, Vietnam has not yet entered the top 4 of ASEAN in terms of Doing Business, as it is far behind Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

Effort and success depend on yourself

In 2019, the Resolution on improving the business environment and competitiveness was expected to be numbered 02, right after Resolution 01 of the Government, which clearly showed the guiding spirit of the Prime Minister of making the first breakthrough in institution.

Therefore, the Resolution on the business environment was numbered 02, instead of the old name of Resolution 19, which had been issued continuously since 2014. That resolution was followed by a series of resolutions that were also about improving the quality of the business environment and enhancing competitiveness like Resolution No. 35/NQ-CP, Resolution No. 68/NQ-CP...

The Government's 5-year socio-economic report (2016-2020) shows that every year, the Government issued a separate resolution on improving the business investment environment and enhancing national competitiveness. Up to now, 3,893/6,191 business conditions (63%), and 6,776/9,926 lists of goods subject to specialized inspection (68%) have been reduced and simplified, saving more than 18 million man-days, equivalent to more than 6.3 trillion VND/year.

However, according to the Government's assessment, there are still a lot of barriers, creating a burden of costs and risks for businesses. The quality of the business environment has improved, but it is still small and slow, while other economies have reformed more quickly and strongly. The management and specialized inspection of exported and imported goods has changed, but it is still slow.

As the author of Resolution 19 in 2014 from the very beginning, Nguyen Minh Thao, Head of the Research Department on Business Environment and Competitiveness (Central Institute for Economic Management), talked with VietNamNet about the World Banks discontinuation of the Ease of Doing Business report.

Thao said that Vietnam took the spirit of the World Bank Ease of Doing Business report to reform its business environment in the early period. Later on, Vietnams reforms in the business environment went far beyond that index.

According to Thao, the World Banks discontinuance of the report does not affect Vietnams reform process because Vietnam relied on it for the first two years only, to put pressure on reform. After that the country had a new basis to create pressure for ministries and sectors to reform.

However, Thao said he "regretted" that four indicators have improved very slowly for a long time: land, solving of disputes, bankruptcies, and business startups. She said experts will join relevant agencies to seek ways to make reforms in these fields.

The ease of doing business index was an index created jointly by Simeon Djankov, Michael Klein, and Caralee McLiesh, three leading economists at the World Bank Group. The report was discontinued by the World Bank on September 16, 2021. A nation's ranking on the index was based on an average of 10 subindices: Starting a business  Procedures, time, cost, and minimum capital to open a new business

Dealing with construction permits  Procedures, time, and cost to build a warehouse

Getting electricity  procedures, time, and cost required for a business to obtain a permanent electricity connection for a newly constructed warehouse

Registering property  Procedures, time, and cost to register commercial real estate

Getting credit  Strength of legal rights index, depth of credit information index

Protecting investors  Indices on the extent of disclosure, the extent of director liability, and ease of shareholder suits

Paying taxes  Number of taxes paid, hours per year spent preparing tax returns, and total tax payable as a share of gross profit

Trading across borders  Number of documents, cost, and time necessary to export and import

Enforcing contracts  Procedures, time, and cost to enforce a debt contract

Resolving insolvency  The time, cost, and recovery rate (%) under a bankruptcy proceeding

Luong Bang

Reform lessons from electricity sector: nothing is impossible Electricity access is one of 10 indicators that measure the quality of the national business environment according to the World Bank global business environment ranking.
Part 2:

Vietnamese submarine sailors are especially admired by specialists and lecturers at the Russian Naval Academy for fulfilling their training course two years ahead of schedule.

Under the initial plan, submarine soldier teams had to learn to master the ocean black holes Kilo 636 during four years of training in Russia.

In late August 2011, the command-operation and the submarine teams left Vietnam for Russia for training. On September 1, 2011, at Center 650, the center for foreign naval training, in Saint Petersburg, the Russian Naval Academy held the opening ceremony of the training course to use Kilo 636 submarine.

Vietnamese soldiers studied hard. After official learning hours, they studied and practiced in the evening and the morning of weekends as well. At the same time, professional lessons were given to those who still did not have basic knowledge.

Recalling the time of studying at 200 percent of capacity, Lieutenant Pham Trong Nghiem of Submarine 187 in Ba Ria  Vung Tau, said the predecessors transferred experience and documents to successors and trainees learned from each other, so they could save time.

The trainees also studied hard to improve their Russian skills by speaking Russian every day.

When the Russian skills improved, every time when we got documents, we translated them into Vietnamese. Every solider and cadre took pride in being chosen by the Party, the State and Army to study in Russia. We vowed to make every efforts to excellently fulfill the duties assigned to us, Nghiem said.

Vietnamese soldiers studied hard

The gift from Russian teacher

According to Senior Lieutenant Colonel Doan Anh Ky, Captain of Submarine 185 in Khanh Hoa, the first practical lesson for crew was getting familiar with submarine space - learning about the arrangement of compartments, and areas for living activities and combat positions on the ship with the length of 74 meters and displacement tonnage of 3,000 tons.

It was thrilling when we first got into the ship which we would use later when we return to Vietnam. We were also bewildered by the modern equipment system with thousands of buttons, he recalled.

However, as we were trained well, we could very quickly apply theoretical knowledge in practice, he said.

Lieutenant Colonel Le Trung Hieu, Vice-Captain of submarine 187 - Ba Ria - Vung Tau, still keeps the compass that his teacher Vladimir gave him in 2013. At that time, Major Hieu was the chief of the 4-7 division (information, radar, sonar) belonging to the submarine team No 2.

The teacher gave me this gift when I was practicing on Submarine 183  Ho Chi Minh City in Russia. I have been using the compass since I returned to Vietnam, though it got old and the paint has peeled off, Hieu said.

White snow and white-birch land

Major Nguyen Tien Doat, Captain of Submarine 187 - Ba Ria - Vung Tau, recalls the first days when they set foot on the land of white birch: We adored the beauty of St Petersburg with its magnificent palaces and ancient streets. It seemed that all historical values of Russia are preserved, especially historical artifacts of the Russian Navy.

Russian people are really hospitable. They respect true friendship, like communication and fun. They have special affection for women and have high sense of discipline, Doat said.

Lieutenant Do Van Nhan, a sailor on submarine 183 - Ho Chi Minh City, also liked the landscapes in Russia. He said before leaving for Russia, he watched television and enjoyed the snowy scene that covered the roofs, roads and frozen tree branches.

Lieutenant Ngo Ba Tinh from Submarine 184  Hai Phong, said that during the days of staying far from home, he contacted family members via social networks, feeling happy when listening to childrens stories. They celebrated Tet in Russia, but in a nice and warm atmosphere.

Russian language teachers, military specialists and trainers all praised Vietnamese soldiers and their intelligence, agility and spirit of solidarity. The two sides still communicate and exchange specialized knowledge. They also give each other small gifts typical of the two countries such as scarves, hats, golden star balm, Matryoshka dolls, and chocolates.

Minh Thuy - Quang Thang
The current challenges require an unprecedented consensus to overcome it, said former Director of the Central Institute for Economic Management Nguyen Dinh Cung.

From real life

Giang A Mia, a H'Mong ethnic man, arrived at a checkpoint in Thanh Hai commune, Thanh Liem district, Ha Nam province on the evening of October 8. It took him four days to pass more than 1,500km from the southern province of Binh Duong on his motorbike to Ha Nam.

Giang A Mia returned to his hometown in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang with an unpromising prospect. I will probably go to the fields and forests again. There's nothing else to do," he said, adding that the income from the job is far from 100,000 VND/month, which is not enough to buy 5kg of rice.

Chairman of Thanh Hai Commune Tran Van Tham, who has been on duty for several months at this checkpoint, said that this checkpoint had welcomed more than 8,000 migrant workers who were on their way home from the south.

"Up to 95% of the people who pass this checkpoint are ethnic minorities in the northern provinces," he said.

Since Ho Chi Minh City and some neighboring provinces lifted lockdown in early October, after more than five months implementing social distancing under Directive 16, migrant workers have left the city and these provinces for their hometowns, including northern mountainous provinces.

It is estimated that about 1.3 million people left the city in the first half of October.

Pham Hoai Nam, Director of the Department of Population and Labor Statistics, General Statistics Office, said that as of September 15, about 1.3 million workers had left industrial centers in Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces to return home.

In the third quarter of 2021, 23 provinces imposed a lockdown to fight the epidemic. Up to 4.7 million people lost their jobs, of which 1.7 million people were unemployed, an increase of 532,200 people compared to the previous quarter.

The income of workers in Ho Chi Minh City decreased by more than half, to over 4 million VND/month from more than 9 million VND, the deepest decrease recorded in the whole country.

"The reason is that Ho Chi Minh Citys social distancing lasted too long, causing the high unemployment rate in the formal sector," an official from the General Statistics Office explained.

In the report on labor and employment in the third quarter and the first nine months of 2021, the national statistics agency used descriptive words instead of the usual neutral words: The situation of labor and employment was worse; unemployment and underemployment rates rose to the highest ever; the average monthly income of workers decreased "seriously"

To the National Assembly session

Reporting to the National Assembly, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that as of October 15, the Government had provided support worth nearly 22 trillion VND for more than 24 million people and lent 566 billion VND to pay salaries for over 161,000 people.

In addition, the Government had provided more than 137,000 tons of rice to more than 2.4 million households with over 9.1 million people in 31 provinces and centrally-run cities affected by Covid-19.

Those support packages for people as well as other financial and monetary support packages for businesses were timely but likely far from their minimum needs.

For example, the Government's report said that, according to initial statistics, tens of millions of people need support at the same time; a total of about 7.5 million people in HCM City received support in three phases.

The fate of Giang A Mia and millions of other unemployed people is just a part of the socio-economic picture of the country that has experienced unprecedented difficulties, caused by the epidemic, which caused GDP growth in the third quarter to be -6.17 % - the lowest in statistical history in the country.

However, it is more worrying, said former director of the Central Institute for Economic Management Nguyen Dinh Cung, that the driving force for growth is declining. For example, retail sales growth declined sharply; the index of processing - manufacturing industry decreased deeply; public investment declined, while private investment increased slowly; the southern dynamic region weakened; and the GDP growth rate of the South was lower than in the North.

Thus, with GDP estimated at 3% this year and 2.91% in 2020, the GDP growth rate for two consecutive years has fallen sharply compared to the average and the deepest drop in the three periods of crisis since Doi Moi (renovation) started in 1986.

Cung said: "So what is the feasible task to achieve the target of 6% GDP growth in the period 2021-2025?

Credit guarantee fund is needed

Former director of the Vietnam Institute of Economics Tran Dinh Thien said the strength of enterprises is now much weaker than a year ago.

"To help Vietnamese businesses recover, the Governments strong support is necessary, which must be quick, timely and last long enough," he said.

He said liquidity or the ability to access new capital of Vietnamese enterprises is and will be the most critical issue for economic recovery. At this time, the cash flow of many businesses has dried up, and they cannot meet the conditions to take out bank loans.

I think it is necessary to establish a Credit Guarantee Fund as soon as possible. That is, the State provides guarantee for businesses to borrow from banks. This is a measure to save the economy, he said.

This suggestion will be necessary when the Ministry of Planning and Investment drafts the program for socio-economic recovery and development.

Creating momentum

During a meeting on the draft on October 24, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that the scope of this program must be wide enough and the time of implementation must be long enough. The program also has to closely follow the resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, the 5-year socio-economic development plan (2021-2025) and the socio-economic development program in 2022.

Nguyen Dinh Cung said that the country's resources are now available, such as foreign exchange reserves up to 100 billion USD, and international financial institutions have committed to provide multi-billion USD loans to stimulate the economy.

In a meeting with Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, Cung suggested that the budget deficit should be accepted at a high enough level, 8-10% of GDP, even higher, to cope with the current economic situation and create motivation for the coming years. That figure is about $30 billion, 3.7 times higher than the $8 billion stimulus package in 2009.

The current challenge is unprecedented, requiring an unprecedented consensus to overcome it, he said.

Cung does not personally know worker Giang A Mia, but he is familiar with similar scenarios of many others during the pandemic.

Millions of people are unemployed; millions of people have lost their jobs. If we don't spend money now to stimulate demands, then when? he said.

Tu Giang - Lan Anh

Economist warns of side effects from bailouts Vietnam is considering an unprecedented support package, including tax reductions, interest rate subsidies and cash to people. However, the package needs to be tailored to the economys size or it will cause side effects, an expert has said.
With Vietnams prolonged social distancing now in the rearview mirror for both Hanoi and HCM City, the countrys attention can turn to the possible re-opening of its borders to international travelers.

Agodas recent Welcome Back Travel survey provides fascinating insights into how the people of Vietnam expect this to unfold, with at least 60% expecting travel within Asia and globally to resume in the next six months but with some restrictions remaining in place.

Despite one in 10 expecting international visitors to be allowed into Vietnam two years from now, Vietnam has announced that it will begin opening certain destinations to international visitors in November  beginning with Phu Quoc  along with Hoi An, Halong Bay and other international travel drawcards which are looking to follow suit in the months that follow, ahead of a full reopening in June 2022.

Just 27% of respondents believed that full border re-openings will resume by the end of the year.

The timeframe most cited by respondents to the survey indicated for reopening was 7-11 months (20%), meaning around June 2022, followed by 4-6 months (19%) (around TET holiday). About 20% said they did not expect in-bound travel to resume fully until 80% of Vietnam is vaccinated.

About 11% expected international visitors to be allowed to travel into Vietnam only after two years.

Respondents aged 55 and older preferred the more conservative track, with 24% saying 12-24 months and 15% over 24 months respectively.

Respondents aged 45-54 were conversely the most optimistic about border re-openings, with 10% saying within three months and 26% saying between four and six months.

The youngest group  18-24  were the most inclined to link border re-openings directly to vaccine targets, with 27% of young adults saying that they would only expect inbound travel to resume when 80% of the population has been vaccinated.

Hanoi was the most conservative city, with a quarter of residents saying international visitation is 7 to 11 months away, while HCM City split the difference with 20% of respondents choosing four to six months or 7-11 months each.

Vietnamese said they would consider travel within Asia than globally.

Respondents aged 45-54 were most optimistic about restriction free international travel within Asia (52%) compared to only 38% of 25-34 year olds.

Interestingly the 55+ age group were most optimistic about global restriction free travel (54%), followed by 45% for 45-54 year olds.

Around 47% expect inbound short-term travel to resume within 11 months, with 20% expecting it to be linked to 80% vaccine coverage in Vietnam.

The youngest cohort  with more expecting inbound travel to be linked to vaccinations  seem to also be in tune with the broader thinking of policy-makers, who are looking at full vaccination as a pre-condition for entry, both for next months plans in Phu Quoc and also for its broader national plan next year.

Mai Lan

Nha Trang and Da Lat most searched by Vietnamese Five destinations in Vietnam, including Hanoi, HCM City, Da Nang, Nha Trang and Da Lat, are the most searched for on Booking.com by domestic travellers as the country is gradually restarting the tourism industry.
Kids under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult when in possession of a weapon, and they cant have handguns. Some other types of weapons are restricted unless the child and adult are on private property or taking part in a class or competition.

You can be 12, and go down to your Walmart as long as your parent is with you, and buy a deadly weapon that you dont have adequate safety training with, and operate it legally, Stevens said.

The students are drafting legislation that would require minors to go through a few additional steps before purchasing firearms, including submitting an application for a license from the sheriffs office and showing proof of in-person training on firearm safety by an approved instructor.

The legislation is still being drafted, so some of the provisions could change, Stevens said.

Mental health is an issue that should not be politicized, Stevens said. Were trying to make it so that we have support from both Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature.

The group said anything that can slow the process of minors buying or possessing guns will help.
Following the end of the Second World War, and once again an RAF station, Duxford entered its last operational phase. Now equipped with jet fighters such as the Gloster Meteor, Hawker Hunter, and Gloster Javelin, its pilots stood ready to shoot down Soviet bombers should the Cold War turn hot.

However Duxford was nearing the end of its life in operation under the RAF as the defense needs which had called RAF Duxford into being as a fighter station no longer applied; it was too far south and too far inland, and the costly improvements required for supersonic fighters could not be justified. In July 1961 the last operational flight was made from RAF Duxford, and for some 15 years, the future of the airfield remained in the balance.

IWM had been looking for a suitable site for the storage, restoration, and eventual display of exhibits too large for its headquarters in London and obtained permission to use the airfield for this purpose. Cambridgeshire County Council joined with IWM and the Duxford Aviation Society, giving the near-abandoned aerodrome a new lease of life.

Today IWM Duxford is established as the European center of aviation history. The historic site, outstanding collections of exhibits, and regular world-renowned Air Shows combine to create a unique museum where history really is in the air. For more information, visit www.iwm.org.uk


QUASQUETON  A second person has been arrested in connection with guns found during a search at a Quasqueton mobile home park in January.

Buchanan County sheriffs deputies arrested Vanessa Gene Johnson, 42, on Friday on charges of aiding and abetting the possession of firearms by a felon and a domestic abuser.

She has been released pending trial.

She is the second person to be arrested. Her husband, Cecil Clayton Johnson, 43, was arrested on Jan. 31 on several counts of felon in possession of a firearm.

Court records allege Cecil Johnson has a prior felony conviction in Missouri.

On Jan. 31, deputies searched the Johnsons mobile home at 310 S. Third Street and found handguns and long guns that were loaded and not locked in a cabinet.

Deputies seized a Hi Point .45-caliber rifle, a Hi Point .45-caliber pistol, a Taurus 9mm pistol, a Superior Arms 5.56-caliber AR-15 rifle, a Marlin .22-caliber rifle, a Hercules 20-gauge shotgun, a Hi Point .40-caliber pistol and five different types of ammo, according to court records.

Vanessa Johnson petitioned on Feb. 6 to have the weapons returned. Records indicate she admitted to purchasing the guns, and deputies allege she failed to keep them secured and away from Cecil Johnson.

Photos: Guns in Northeast Iowa crime cases

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WATERLOO  The court has turned down the request of a Waterloo woman to leave Iowa pending sentencing after she was found guilty of a lesser charge in a fatal shooting.

Judge Joel Dalrymple denied LaSondra Annette Johnsons request in an Oct. 15 order, noting that while she appeared for trial and pretrial hearings, she ran into problems while on pretrial release.

Defense attorneys said Johnson, 36, is worried about her safety following a September verdict that tossed a murder charge in favor of a felony charge of assault causing serious injury.

Defendant has safety concerns for herself and her children with staying in this area given the outcome of the jury trial, defense attorney Nichole Watt wrote. It is defendants position that it would be better to err on the side of caution and avoid any risk of retaliation against her or her family.

Johnson faces up to five years in prison for the assault charge, and sentencing is currently scheduled for December.

Authorities allege Johnson, 36, shot and killed Jada Young-Mills, 27, following an argument and fight in November 2020.

Johnson said she fired in self-defense after she was attacked by Young-Mills and others.

She had been free on bond pending trial, and following the verdict she had been allowed to stay outside of Black Hawk County. But corrections officials questioned this arrangement without proof of threats, according to the defense.

In the meantime, Johnson on Thursday began serving a four-day jail stint for allegedly violating pretrial release conditions by failing to recharge her GPS unit and other minor infractions while awaiting trial in June. The jail sentence had been postponed because of COVID-19 precautions at the jail.

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WATERLOO  Tyson Foods is facing new challenges in its effort to dispose of lawsuits that accuse the company of failing to protect workers from COVID-19, including workers at the Waterloo and Independence Tyson plants.

In recent months, the U.S. Department of Justice has sided with Tyson workers on a key element of the case. Also, a federal judge in Texas has rejected the companys claim that its actions were dictated by the federal government, and the U.S. Court of Appeals has questioned the logic underlying the companys defense.

Adding to Tysons woes is a recent report by the U.S. House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, which faulted the companys safety precautions at a Texas plant and concluded the nations meatpacking companies had prioritized profits and production over worker safety.

The subcommittee concluded that 269 American meatpacking workers have died of COVID-19, and infections among meatpackers have topped 59,000. Those totals, almost three times previous estimates, are based on data supplied by Tyson and four other meatpackers: JBS, Cargill, National Beef and Smithfield.

Tyson alone accounts for 29,462 of the infections and 151 deaths, the subcommittee reported. Tyson has said it has spent $700 million on COVID-19 safety precautions and that 96% of its workforce is now vaccinated.

Strategy challenged

Currently, there are lawsuits involving at least 49 Tyson employees who either died or were injured by COVID-19, allegedly after contracting the virus on the job.

Although one federal judge found no merit to Tysons claim it was acting on the direction of federal officers, sending some of the cases back to state court, Tyson appealed that ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. The appellate court ordered a stay on certain cases until the issue of jurisdiction could be decided.

At issue is Tysons claim that because it was acting under the direction of the federal government, any wrongful-death and injury claims must be decided in federal court, rather than state court, where the plaintiffs may stand a better chance of success.

While most of the cases are in limbo while the appeals court considers that claim, a few of the cases have proceeded.

In August, U.S. District Judge Michael Truncale issued a ruling in a Texas case involving 12 Tyson workers who contracted COVID-19, one of whom died. Truncale rejected Tysons argument that because it was closely monitored by federal regulators during the early stages of the pandemic, it was operating at the direction of the federal government.

Tyson, as an entity subject to federal regulation, is always closely monitored, the judge ruled, adding that the company did not receive any concrete, binding directives from federal authorities and merely received guidance from them.

On April 28, 2020, President Donald Trump ordered meat processing plants to stay open to protect the nations food supply amid the coronavirus pandemic.

But the judge noted the Texas workers contracted COVID-19 before that order took effect, and so  at least in that particular case  the order couldnt be relied upon as a defense for the companys actions.

Truncale ordered the case remanded back to state court, but agreed to stay that order and hear additional arguments in the case.

Then, in late September, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit heard oral arguments on the jurisdiction issue. Tyson argued the so-called federal officer removal statute allows state-law claims to be heard in federal court if the defendants were acting under the direction of a federal officer.

Others were being told to stay home and shut their doors, Tysons lawyer, former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement, told the appeals panel. We were being told we have a special responsibility to maintain our operations.

Judges Ralph Erickson and Jane Kelly seemed skeptical and questioned Clement as to what sort of specific directions the federal government had given the company.

Youve used words like encouragement, and should stay open, Kelly said. That doesnt sound like the same thing as being under the direction of a federal officer and assisting the government in doing something (for which) it would otherwise be responsible.

Erickson pointed out that in past cases in which the removal statute was applied, the companies were doing something the federal government would ordinarily do  and ordinarily the federal government does not produce food.

The U.S. Department of Justice has joined the case and urged the appeals court to uphold a lower courts decision remanding the case back to state court.

Dog an essential business?

Last year, Tyson Foods fired seven plant managers at its Waterloo facility following an independent investigation into allegations that the managers privately wagered money on the number of workers who would be sickened by COVID-19.

The attorneys for several of the plaintiffs suing the company have argued in court that despite Tysons claim that it remained open to ensure Americans had food to eat, the company processed so much meat during the pandemic that it was able to export product to China.

According to a lawsuit filed on behalf of three deceased former employees of Tysons Waterloo plant, the companys exports to China increased by 600% in the first quarter of 2020. In April 2020, the company allegedly exported 1,289 tons of pork to China, its largest single-month total in three years.

As for Tysons pet-products production, the Independence plant remained open even after Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a proclamation in March 2020 closing non-essential businesses. Perhaps sensing the tenuous nature of its claim that manufacturing dog treats was essential, employees were given a letter to carry with them indicating that their work was essential, one of the lawsuits alleges.

The lawsuit also claims that one employee called Tysons human resources department and asked whether it was safe to work and was told he had a better chance of getting COVID-19 by shopping at Walmart than by coming to work.

In addition to the wrongful-death claims, Tyson executives are also facing lawsuits from shareholders who claim the companys leaders breached their fiduciary duty by failing to protect front-line workers and by making false claims about risks associated with the pandemic.

Two such lawsuits, both filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, claim Tyson lobbied the government to deem meatpacking an essential business that could remain open, then ran advertisements warning Americans the food-supply chain was at risk, all while exporting product to China.

At the same time, the lawsuits claim, workers were allowed to wear face coverings such as bandanas and sleep masks as protective equipment, and the company provided financial incentives for employees to report for work even if they were sick. By December 2020, Tyson had allegedly recorded three times as many COVID-19 cases and two times as many deaths as other meatpackers.

The lawsuits accuse the Tyson executives of unjust enrichment, gross mismanagement and wasting corporate assets. The defendants have denied the allegations.

The plaintiffs

Heres a look at the individuals, or their estates, who have sued Tyson Foods due to injuries or death related to COVID-19:

Sedika Buljic, Waterloo:

Buljic was an employee of Tysons Waterloo plant. She died on April 18, 2020, from complications of COVID-19.

Isidro Fernandez, Waterloo:

Fernandez was a Tyson Foods employee working at the Waterloo facility. He died on April 26, 2020, from complications of COVID-19. (This lawsuit, combined with the one filed by the Buljic family, is now before the Court of Appeals, which is considering arguments on jurisdictional issues.)

Reberiano Garcia, Waterloo:

Garcia was a Tyson Foods employee working at the Waterloo Facility. He died on April 23, 2020, from complications of COVID-19.

Jose Ayala, Waterloo:

Ayala was an employee of Waterloo plan and died on May 25, 2020, from complications of COVID-19.

Pedro Cano Rodriguez, Columbus Junction:

Rodriguez was a Tyson employee at the companys Columbus Junction plant. He died intestate on April 14, 2020, at age 51.

James Orvis, Waterloo:

Orvis worked in the laundry room at the Tyson plant in Waterloo. He died on April 19, 2020, of COVID-19.

Arthur Scott, Independence:

Scott was a 51-year-old employee of Tysons Pet Products Plant in Independence. He died on April 23, 2020.

Brian Barker, Philadelphia, Pa.:

On April 23, 2020, Barker died of respiratory failure after contracting COVID-19. At the time, he was a meatpacking supervisor at Tyson Foods Original Philly Cheesesteak Co. meatpacking plant in Philadelphia. Although Barker was over 60 and had diabetes and high blood pressure, Tyson allegedly ordered him to take the temperatures of employees entering the plant on April 2, 2020. He died within three weeks.

Jose Angel Chavez and Thomas David Cowan, Texas:

Cowan worked at a Tyson plant in Sherman, Texas, and Chavez worked at a Tyson plant in Center, Texas.

Rolandette Glenn, Texas:

Glenn was working at the Tyson plant in Center, Texas, when she contracted COVID-19. She survived but alleges she is suffering from severe injury to her respiratory system and lungs.

The Amarillo workers: This lawsuit was filed on behalf of 38 employees of Tysons Amarillo, Texas, plant. Thirty-seven of the workers claim they contracted COVID-19 at the plant. The 38th plaintiff, Maung Maung Tar, allegedly contracted the virus at the plant and died as a result. Earlier thus year, a federal judge ruled Tyson was acting under the direction of federal officials when it kept the plant open and denied the workers request to have the case heard in state court. The federal case remains active.

Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence.

Timeline: Key moments in Iowa's COVID-19 outbreaks at meatpacking plants The Tyson plant in Waterloo was the site of one of the county's worst COVID-19 outbreaks. Here's a look back on important dates.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  A Kansas City man who has been jailed for more than 40 years for a triple murder adamantly and repeatedly denied having anything to do with the crime during testimony Monday in an evidentiary hearing that could lead to his freedom.

I had absolutely nothing to do with these murders. By no means was I anywhere close to that crime scene," said Kevin Strickland, who said he has been working toward his freedom since he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 1979.

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker and other legal and political leaders say Strickland was wrongfully convicted. She said evidence used to convict him had been recanted or disproven since his trial.

This is a triple murder in which three young people were executed, Peters Baker said Monday. The tragedy was made much, much worse by Kevin Stricklands conviction.

The evidentiary hearing in Strickland's case comes after months of delays caused by legal procedures and canceled hearings prompted mostly by motions filed by the state attorney general's office. Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican running for the U.S. Senate, has said he believes Strickland is guilty of the murders.

Attorneys for Strickland and the Attorney Generals office indicated during opening statements that the statements from Cynthia Douglas, the only survivor of the shootings, identifying Strickland as the shooter would be central to determining Stricklands fate. Strickland's supporters said Douglas recanted her identification before she died.

Andrew Clarke, an assistant prosecutor in the Attorney Generals office, said evidence existed to show Strickland was guilty. He said recorded phone calls between Douglas and her husband while he was incarcerated would show she was not interested in helping Strickland prove his innocence.

Clarke also said one of Strickland's fingerprints was found on a car used the night of the killings. It was owned by Vincent Bell, who later pleaded guilty to the murders.

Strickland testified that he often drove the car for Bell, who did not have a driver's license and he was surprised more of the his fingerprints weren't found on the car. Strickland also acknowledged he gave Bell some shotgun shells two to three weeks before the killings after Bell said he wanted to test a shotgun he was given. But Strickland maintained he did not know they would be used in a triple murder.

Strickland said he drank beer and smoked marijuana before police came to his home to question him about the killings.

During cross-examination on Monday from assistant prosecutor Christine Krug, Strickland acknowledged it was the first time in 43 years that he had ever said he was under the influence at the time.

Strickland, 62, was convicted in the April 25, 1978, fatal shootings of Larry Ingram, 21; John Walker, 20; and Sherrie Black, 22, in Kansas City.

Strickland, a Black man, saw his first trial end in a hung jury when the only Black juror, a woman, held out for acquittal. After his second trial in 1979, he was convicted by an all-white jury of one count of capital murder and two counts of second-degree murder.

Strickland has always maintained that he was home watching television and had nothing to do with the killings, which happened when he was 18 years old.

Two other men convicted in the killings later insisted that Strickland wasn't at the crime scene, The Kansas City Star reported. And Douglas, the only eyewitness to the killings, recanted her testimony that Strickland was the shooter.

During afternoon testimony, Douglas' daughter, mother, sister and a former co-worker all testified that she had told them she identified the wrong shooter and wanted to help exonerate Strickland,

Senoria Strickland said her daughter told her police pressured her to identify Strickland and she was was upset and depressed that she had chosen the wrong guy.

During his testimony, Strickland denied suggestions that he offered Douglas $300 to keep her mouth shut, and said he had never visited the house where the murders occurred before they happened.

Strickland said he went to the scene at the request of a friend who was Vincent Bell's sister. He said he cooperated with officers at the scene and later at the police station because he knew the system worked and I would not be convicted of something I didnt do.

Strickland, who has spinal stenosis, watched the testimony from a wheelchair. Before the hearing began, he told reporters he was scared.

In June, the Missouri Supreme Court declined to hear Stricklands petition. Republican Gov. Mike Parson also refused to pardon Strickland, saying he wasn't convinced that Strickland was innocent.

Hearings were scheduled in August in DeKalb County, where Strickland is imprisoned. Those hearings were canceled after Peters Baker used a new state law to seek an evidentiary hearing i n Jackson County, where Strickland was convicted. The law allows local prosecutors to challenge convictions if they believe the defendant did not commit the crime.

A hearing scheduled for Sept. 2 was delayed after Schmitt's office sought more time for the court to hear several motions his office filed in the case.

Schmitt sought to have all 16th Circuit judges in Jackson County recused from presiding over the evidentiary hearing because the presiding judge in that circuit had said he agreed that Strickland was wrongfully convicted.

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled Sept. 30 that the Jackson County judges should be recused from the hearing to avoid any suggestions of impropriety or bias, delaying another hearing. Retired Senior Judge James Welsh was then appointed to preside over the case.



This story has been corrected to show that Strickland watched the testimony from a wheelchair, but did not testify from a wheelchair.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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QAFFIN, West Bank (AP)  Three days a week, Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank village of Qaffin line up at a yellow gate and show military permits to soldiers in order to tend their crops on the other side of Israel's separation barrier.
Love is love. Science is science. Homes and offices in Washington, D.C., must display every politically correct lawn sign there is. Could it be these signs give a sense of belonging, the kind that used to be provided by organized religion? And what does Love is love and Science is science really mean?

This was the gist of remarks made by Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez at a recent conference in Madrid. He was asked to speak about some of the movements that seem to be playing a role that religion might otherwise do  social justice, wokeness, identity politics, intersectionality and the like.

They are replacements and rivals to traditional religious belief, Gomez says. In seeking to replace traditional religion, he posits that this is the woke salvation story: We cannot know where we came from, but we are aware that we have interests in common with those who share our skin color or our position in society. We are also painfully aware that our group is suffering and alienated, through no fault of our own. The cause of our unhappiness is that we are victims of oppression by other groups of society. We are liberated and find redemption through our constant struggle against our oppressors, by waging a battle for political and cultural power in the name of creating a society of equity.

Its worth noting that Gomez, who is currently president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, was born in Mexico. He leads the biggest and most diverse archdiocese in the United States, ministering in 40 languages. Hes not speaking from an ivory tower, oblivious to the human suffering of which he speaks. A constant voice for the unborn and immigrants, his was not a screed against left-wing causes, as some have suggested on the internet. Hes a pastor thinking through what is going on in the world today and how to engage with it.

Of course, we all want to build a society that provides equality, freedom, and dignity for every person. But we can only build a just society on the foundation of the truth of God and human nature, Gomez says. He sees the leading theories and ideologies of the day as profoundly atheistic. They deny the soul  the spiritual, transcendent dimension of human nature; or they think that it is irrelevant to human happiness. They reduce what it means to be human to essentially physical qualities  the color of our skin, our sex, our notions of gender, our ethnic background or our position in society. These secular movements, he says, are causing new forms of social division, discrimination, intolerance and injustice.

I see only too clearly how bad people are, Gomez quotes Dorothy Day, I wish I did not see it so. It is my own sins that give me such clarity. But I cannot worry much about your sins and miseries when I have so many of my own. ... My prayer from day to day is that God will so enlarge my heart that I will see you all, and live with you all, in His love.

We dont have all the answers  it takes a real strength to admit this, one that goes against the tide of our culture. Theres a certain confidence that comes with humility. While giving voice to individual conscience and tolerance, Gomez said, we need to promote greater humility and realism about the human condition. Acknowledging our common humanity means recognizing our common frailty. The truth is that we are all sinners, people who want to do the right thing but often do not.

Gomezs talk is an opportunity to take a few steps back and renew our confidence in the values that foster a robust civil society fueled by gratitude.

Kathryn Jean Lopez is senior fellow at the National Review Institute, editor-at-large of National Review Online and founding director of Catholic Voices USA.

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WASHINGTON  The world is changing faster than our sluggish political leaders  let alone the public  can manage.

The COVID-19 virus and climate change move far more quickly than the international community, as we saw last week at the G-20 in Rome and the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland. Back home, rapid social shifts push many Americans to embrace fraudsters who promise to save them. The urgent need to upgrade our fraying democracy is blocked by GOP naysayers and Democratic Party infighting.

Above it all, science is advancing at warp speed while we humans progress at sludge speed, too oblivious to recognize that the changes from which we now recoil will be dwarfed by those of the next five or 10 years.

That reality was highlighted by the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, Gen. Mark Milley, at the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday in Washington.

The general spoke of the uniqueness of the Chinese challenge, fueled by Beijings drive to surpass the United States in cyber capabilities and space. His real message was the need to recognize the urgency of this moment.

We are witnessing one of the largest shifts in geopolitical power that the world has witnessed, the general said. He was referring to China, of course, which in the last four decades has surged from a peasant economy and peasant army to the second-largest global economy with sophisticated capabilities in space and cybersecurity  on land, sea, air and underwater.

The general stressed, however, that these changes happened within a fundamental change in the character of war spurred by vast technological changes. The last big [shift, between World War I and World War II] was the introduction of the airplane, mechanization, and the radio. Today, youre seeing robotics, artificial intelligence  and a wide variety of other technologies.

If we, the United States military, dont do a fundamental change ourselves in the coming 10 to 20 years, were going to be on the wrong side of a conflict.

What the general was speaking about involves more than imprecise talk of a new Cold War between two unequal superpowers. The Soviet Union was a self-isolating country with lousy geography and a failing economy, whose power rested on a large arsenal of nuclear weapons and its energy supplies.

The new tripolar war, as the general labeled it, involves competition between the United States and a Chinese economic giant in hot pursuit of technological supremacy with America, trailed by a Russian economic midget still defined by oil, gas and nukes.

Again, rapid advances in science are the key to defining the new era we live in. Adding in all the technologies that are coming at us very quickly, the general said, were entering into a world that is potentially much more strategically unstable than the last 40 to 70 years.

Space and cyber capabilities are the big new worry. As Milley pointed out, our economy, country and military are entirely dependent on space and the satellites that provide local and global connectivity.

We are growing familiar with the mayhem cyber hackers  both governmental and criminal, or working in tandem  can wreak on our systems, from banks to energy supplies to hospitals.

And we think we know about space wars, because we have been watching them for years in the movies. But a real space war, that knocked out military and commercial satellites (which run our daily life), would be nothing like competing with Darth Vader.

Space today is a new domain of more conflict, the general said. We dont want to have conflict in space. I would say that we are the No. 1 country on Earth that has capabilities in space, but other countries are close behind. Space is becoming a very contested domain for the United States to operate in, and a lot of work remains to be done.

Yet the progress in doing that work that needs to be done  in the political, military, health and environmental spheres  doesnt remotely compute with the rapidity that is demanded.

As other speakers at the forum pointed out, the United States has the resources to catch up. Private companies are now working more closely with the Pentagon on combating cyber threats, and American scientific talent is still the best in the world (if we dont block the immigrant talent that has been so crucial to our breakthroughs).

Private-public partnerships are putting more satellites into space. The speedy emergence of safe COVID-19 vaccines proves that U.S. and international scientists can rise to new threats if they are funded and supported.

Yet, our political system seems incapable of upping its game. GOP leaders deny science and decry immigration while focusing on the big lie  even though Tuesdays elections show that it isnt fatal for the GOP to distance itself from Donald Trump.

President Joe Biden and his team grasp the need for speed but are thwarted in its application.

The challenges Milley outlined  from China and technological change  wont wait for legislators to pass the bills that would address them. As the general noted, the last Cold War with nukes involved a simple yes or no. A tired Soviet Union was not prepared to use them.

That is a different world from cyberspace, the general pointed out. The new world, and China, wont wait around for us to speed up our response.

Trudy Rubin is a columnist and editorial-board member for the The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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Minari (2020)

The plot: Oscar-nominated director Lee Isaac Chung moved as a child to rural Arkansas with his Korean immigrant family, and he details the struggles and the triumphs of their search for the American dream in this poignant semi-autobiographical drama. Its hard not to fall in love with Alan Kim, who was 7 years old when he played the Mountain Dew-chugging, cowboy-boot-wearing David Yi. Youn Yuh-jung, 74, who has been called the Meryl Streep of South Korea, steals scenes as grandmother Soon-ja, and she became the first Korean actress to win an Oscar, a BAFTA, a SAG Award or an Independent Spirit Award. 

Most nostalgic moment: Soon-ja and David plant minari (or water celery) seeds down by a creek, and the vegetables hardiness and resilience becomes a beautiful metaphor for the Yi family as a whole.

Watch it: Minari, on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube
Getty Images

En espanol

Retired bookkeeper Monica Perez is tempted to tell the Intuition Robotics ElliQ robot shes beta testing, I love you.



It greets me in the morning in a cheerful way. It uses my name frequently, so I feel very special to it, says Perez, 63, who has epilepsy and severe arthritis and lives alone in a small Beacon, New York, studio apartment. Without prompting, ElliQ asks Perez if shes gotten out, what she had for lunch, if shes taken her medications or wants to hear a joke. While Perez is certainly aware that ElliQ is a machine with a tablet, cameras, motors, sensors and a head that bows and nods on top of a stationary base, she acknowledges a kind of relationship with the robot, which could pass for an extra on the Pixar movie lot.

I dont think she could take the place of people, and I dont think she can take the place of pets, Perez says. I believe that shes a good adjunct.

Lifes daily challenges can be hard enough as people age in place. Confronting them becomes more taxing when loved ones, housekeepers and health care providers arent around to help with chores or keep a lonely person company.

Can a robot stand in for a caregiver or companion in the home? And if it can, is that a good thing?

The answer to both questions is yes, although there is a caveat to what degree, says Colin Angle, chief executive officer of iRobot, best known for the popular Roomba robot vacuums that have been autonomously cleaning floors and carpets for nearly two decades.

Not living up to The Jetsons

Robots have long pushed beyond the realm of science fiction. Designed for a specific purpose, they can provide genuine utility in the home, as Roomba and its ilk have shown.

But even with technological leaps in machine learning, artificial intelligence, computer vision and facial recognition, domestic droids encounter numerous obstacles. No two homes are the same. Robots are extraordinarily costly. Fair or not, they havent met the expectations of folks fantasizing about employing The Jetsons robot maid, Rosie.

Alas, no robot available today, or realistically anytime soon, is going to wash the dishes or fold your laundry. Nor can robots physically accomplish what caregivers can do, such as helping an older person get out of bed, bathe and dress, says Mike Dooley, chief executive of Labrador Systems in Los Angeles.

Connecticut officials initially declined to cover a robotic arm costing tens of thousands of dollars that could help Carissa Decelles of Willamantic open the fridge and pour herself a drink, WVIT-TV in West Hartford reported. Decelles, 30, has spinal muscular atrophy and is on Medicaid, but the state Department of Social Services called the Kinova Jaco robotic arm that she requested unproven and experimental. Bowing to pressure from media reports and her lawyer, the state reversed its decision.

Dooleys own Labrador robot is in home trials but still under wraps.

We are focusing on helping people move things where they have an impairment or pain restricting their own movement, he says. I think weve hit the nerve of an unmet need. He describes his company's robot as being big enough to do some decent lifting inside the home while being agile enough to work in tight spaces."

Amazons Alexa on wheels
Assessing the financial threat

Financial exploitation collectively costs older adults an estimated $6.3 billion a year, according to a 2020 analysis of state and federal case data by cybersecurity research company Comparitech. And thats just from known incidents; experts say the true toll is likely far higher, as most cases go unreported.

Compared to fraud by anonymous scammers, older adults typically suffer greater financial losses when they know the perpetrator, the CFPB found, with an average cost of $42,700 in cases involving family members.

Certain risk factors can make an older adult particularly vulnerable, says Peter Lichtenberg, director of the Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University in Detroit and an expert on elder financial exploitation.

This category includes older people who feel less confident about their money management skills due to memory loss or failing health, Lichtenberg says. Those who long for someone to help them make financial decisions could unsuspectingly welcome the attention of a person who exploits them.

When people feel they have no one to talk to about their finances, they'll often choose the wrong person to talk to, he says.

Isolation also increases risk, says Thomas West, a financial adviser in northern Virginia and creator of the Lifecare Affordability Plan, a program that helps families plan for long-term care. For example, a senior who does not have immediate family living nearby may need to depend on a distant relative with whom they dont have a close relationship.

Identifying the warning signs

Pay close attention to big, sudden changes in an older adults personal or financial life. The priorities a senior has may change, West says. New relationships may come into their life, or an older relationship may take on new significance.

Be wary if your loved one is helping this new person financially, especially if theyre being cagey about it, Lichtenberg says. They may be less forthcoming about the situation because they are being influenced by someone who is exploiting them under cover of forging a close bond.

And be on the lookout for someone who acts as a gatekeeper. Thats a significant red flag, when someone is trying to control the communication between the person and everyone else, West says.

Often the person being exploited will get an inkling that something isnt right. Thats what happened when a client of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, a law firm in Chattanooga, Tennessee, agreed to let a niece help with her finances but later noticed bank withdrawals that she had not authorized.

We see that a lot when we review bank records, says Rebecca Miller, an attorney with the firm who specializes in elder law. Either charges that are much larger than normal or charges for things that maybe that person would not need.

In this case, the client had no children, so she was drawn to this niece who said, I'll help you,  says Sally Brewer, an elder care paralegal with the firm. It was a befriending.

Minimizing the risk

Although elder financial exploitation is a growing threat, there are ways to decrease a loved ones chances of being targeted.

The financial services industry can play a role. For example, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), an industry group that works to protects investors interests, has rules requiring brokerage firms to seek the name of a trusted contact from anyone opening an account so the company has someone it can notify of suspicious activity.

Families can protect their loved ones by taking the following steps, experts say.

Keep multiple people in the loop

Often an older person will ask one family member or friend to help them manage their money, but nobody else in the family will know about it. That kind of isolation can lead to exploitation, and it can also lead to perceptions of exploitation, Lichtenberg says.

To avoid that, he suggests families create a formal arrangement in which one person does the heavy lifting but gives an accounting of their actions to the rest of the family periodically.

Ask questions

Respect older loved ones right to make their own decisions as long as they are cognitively able, but keep the lines of communication open. You might bring up the topic of financial exploitation and segue into asking what they are doing to protect their money.

Dont be afraid to broach tough topics, such as how often they are giving another family member or friend money, Lichtenberg says. If financial conversations among family members become difficult or tense, mediation might be helpful.

Report suspected cases

If you believe a family member or friend has exploited a loved one, place a call or write a letter to Adult Protective Services in your area, and contact local law enforcement. An elder law attorney may also be able to help  the federal governments Eldercare Locator can point you to legal assistance in your area.

Dont blame or shame

Victims of elder financial exploitation have done nothing wrong. Its not shameful if you get taken advantage of this way, West says.

Even if they suspect something is wrong, fear of being judged or deemed incapable of running their own lives can keep an older adult from admitting it, he adds. Reiterate to them that its not their fault.

Tamara E. Holmes is a Washington, D.C.-based writer and editor. She has written extensively about money, entrepreneurship and careers for more than two decades. Her work has appeared in such publications as USA Today, Working Mother and Essence.


Beetaloo Drilling Commences

Sydney, Nov 8, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Empire Energy Group Limited ( ASX:EEG ) ( OTCMKTS:EEGUF ) is pleased to announce that it has started drilling the C-2H well in Empire's 100% owned and operated EP187, located in the Beetaloo Sub-basin, Northern Territory.The C-2H well is located 11 kilometres north of the successful Carpentaria-1 well and on the same 2D seismic line. C-2H is targeting the same middle Velkerri Formation shale units as Carpentaria-1 although mapped over 200 metres deeper. With the additional depth, greater formation pressure and a moderately drier gas composition is anticipated. The continuity of the shale markers within the seismic section between the two well locations provide confidence in the depth prognosis at C-2H.After completion of drilling and formation evaluation, C-2H will be cased and suspended prior to rig release. Empire's technical team will then analyse the results and plan the C-2H fracture stimulation and flow testing program to be undertaken following the wet season.Empire will update shareholders as the C-2H drilling program progresses.A vertical well section is being drilled to ~1,800 metres to intersect all 4 targets (A, Intra A/B, B and C) in the middle Velkerri Formation. The extensive formation evaluation program will inform an updated resources assessment and Empire's ongoing appraisal drilling.The vertical well section will be cemented back to a kick-off point for the drilling of the C-2H horizontal well section. The horizontal target will be selected based on zonal contribution data analysis from Carpentaria-1 and technical data during the drilling of the C-2H vertical section.The horizontal well section length is planned for over 1,000 metres within the highest-graded shale target. The entire C-2H drilling program is expected to take approximately 45 days from spud to drill rig release.The design of the horizontal well section will allow for its suspension and re-entry to conduct Empire's first horizontal fracture stimulation and flow test in Q2 2022.In parallel to C-2H drilling, the acquisition phase of the Charlotte 2D Seismic Survey has commenced. The seven-line survey totalling ~162 kilometres is expected to take about two weeks to acquire. The seismic program is designed to further delineate and map the Velkerri Formation across EP187, providing data for Empire's appraisal planning and selection of future drilling locations.To view tables and figures, please visit:About Empire Energy Group Ltd

Empire Energy (ASX:EEG) (OTCMKTS:EEGUF) holds over 14.5 million acres of highly prospective exploration tenements in the McArthur and Beetaloo Basins, Northern Territory. Work undertaken by the Company since 2010 demonstrates that the Eastern depositional Trough of the McArthur Basin, of which the Company holds 80% has very considerable conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon potential. The Beetaloo sub-Basin, in which Empire holds a substantial position, has independently assessed world class hydrocarbon volumes in place with a major ramp up in industry activity underway to appraise substantial discoveries already made by major Australian oil and gas operators.

Empire Energy is an experienced conventional oil and gas producer with operations in the Appalachia region (New York and Pennsylvania). Empire has been successfully developing and producing oil and gas since 2006.


Exploration Program Updates

Melbourne, Nov 8, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Cohiba Minerals Limited ( ASX:CHK ) is pleased to announce that Titeline Drilling has completed HWDD05W1 (wedge hole) at the Horse Well Project. HWDD05W1 was completed on 20 October 2021 for a final hole length of 1,335.7m (vertical depth of approximately 1,290m), at a final dip of 59.9deg and an azimuth of 40.5deg TN.The drill core (Figure 1*) from HWDD05W1 has been photographed and transported to Adelaide where it is being prepared for analysis. Further detailed logging of the drill core is also being undertaken.The Company's subject matter experts have continued to provide exceptional technical support by way of detailed visual analysis of the drill core (logging) including mineralogical and petrological studies. This work is of paramount importance to the Company's understanding of the mineralising systems which it is targeting and has greatly assisted in optimising its exploration program.The Heritage Survey which accompanies the EPEPR for the next stage of drilling at Horse Well is booked in for November 8 - 10 and will include 8 representatives from the Kokatha people. On completion of the Heritage Survey the final EPEPR will be submitted for sign off by the DEM SA and the program of work, comprising up to 13 deep drill holes, will be scheduled for an immediate start.Pernatty CTiteline Drilling commenced drilling at Pernatty C and are currently over 230m down the first hole (PSDDH01) having passed through black shales of the upper Tapleys Hill Formation (Figure 2*) and into sandstone of the Pandurra Formation (Figure 3*).PSDDH01 is being drilled to investigate a shallow conductivity anomaly and magnetic anomaly trend (IOCG target) which was identified from previous programs of work. It is planned to drill the hole to a depth of 900m.Warriner Creek ProjectThe Warriner Creek Project has progressed rapidly with the Heritage Survey completed and the final modified EPEPR document submitted. There is a strong likelihood that drilling may be underway on this project prior to the end of the year.Cohiba's CEO, Andrew Graham says, "The Company is fully focussed on its program of work in the Gawler Craton. An extensive additional drilling program is earmarked for Horse Well to test multiple new targets and to continue investigations around current target zones. The Pernatty C drilling, which comprises two initial holes, will provide the basis for decision-making on future work in that region and the Warriner Creek Project, is rapidly progressing and may see drilling underway prior to the end of the year. The Company wishes to acknowledge the excellent efforts of its consultants and subject matter experts on all projects and its Farm-In partner, Tigers Dominion Group, in facilitating the Warriner Creek Project so well."*To view tables and figures, please visit:About Cohiba Minerals Limited

Cohiba Minerals Limited (ASX:CHK) is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange with the primary focus of investing in the resource sector through direct tenement acquisition, joint ventures, farm in arrangements and new project generation. The shares of the company trade under the ticker symbol CHK.

The Company recently acquired 100% of the shares in Charge Lithium Pty Ltd, which holds exploration licences in Western Australia.


Copper Producer Successfully Lists Raising $30m

Brisbane, Nov 8, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Shares in copper producer, Austral Resources Australia Ltd ( ASX:AR1 ) have commenced trading on the ASX following the completion of its $30m Initial Public Offer ("IPO"). At the Offer Price the Company will have a market capitalisation of $89m. The IPO had very strong support from the Australian public, offshore funds, local Funds and High Net Worth investors.Highlights:- Austral Resources Australia Ltd successfully listed on the ASX on 3rd November 2021. Capital raising was oversubscribed, $30m placement completed.- Funds raised will be applied to develop Austral's new Anthill Mine, prepare its Mt Kelly processing plant for ore deliveries Q1 2022, commence exploration and retire debt.- Qld Government environmental approval now permits commencement of earth moving at Anthill project.- Austral is targeting 10,000tpa of copper cathode production for four years from mid 2022.- Exploration targets being prioritised for copper oxide and sulphide resources. Sulphide resource evaluation underway at existing pits.Austral's Chief Executive Officer Steven Tambanis said:"This is an exciting time for the Company and its investors to participate as a copper producer with its fully permitted new mine, Anthill, and established infrastructure.Our immediate focus is to get Anthill into production and commence copper cathode production at 10,000 tonnes per annum for the next four years.Free cashflow from copper production will fund exploration and development activities with the intention of extending mine life and to further grow the Company. We have a lot of work in the pipeline."Dan Jauncey, Executive Director said:"On behalf of the Board and Company employees, I'd like to thank Austral's investors for participating in what we believe is an outstanding copper project with the key elements of a successful business: copper cathode production, expanding production near term, a buoyant copper price and highly prospective exploration and development upside.We are committed to delivering a safe and timely start of Anthill operations and look forward to updating investors as we progress to full production.I also want to acknowledge the excellent efforts by staff and contractors over the past two years to get this project evaluated, prepared, and permitted. Thank you all for a great effort to get us here."About Austral Resources Australia Ltd

Austral Resources Australia Ltd (ASX:AR1) is a copper cathode producer operating in the Mt Isa region, Queensland, Australia. Its Mt Kelly copper oxide heap leach and solvent extraction/electrowinning (SXEW) plant has a nameplate capacity of 30,000tpa of copper cathode. Austral is developing its Anthill oxide copper mine which has an Ore Reserve of 5.06Mt at 0.94% Cu. The Company expects to produce 40,000t of copper cathode over a four-year period from mid-2022.

Austral owns a significant copper inventory with a JORC compliant Mineral Resource Estimate of 60Mt at 0.7% Cu and 1,940km2 of highly prospective exploration tenure in the heart of the Mt Isa district, a world class copper and base metals province. The Company is implementing an intensive exploration and development programme designed to extend the life of mine and increase then review options to commercialise its copper resources.
Ive lived in New Mexico a long time. Long enough to memorize the feel of the winds, pathways of arroyos and the taste of local green chile. Dark skies, still starry nights, juniper, mountains and caves remind me that Im in a place thats sacred, old and carries a deep history in its soil.

New Mexico is not only where I call home, its what Ive chosen to protect. I work for the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) to ensure New Mexicos national parks, and cultural and heritage sites, are preserved. Across the country, our parks have seen an unprecedented increase in visitors, New Mexico included.

At first, this uptick in visitors gave me hope. After all, myself and my colleagues at NPCA encourage visitors to come to our parks, which welcome the public to wonder at our natural treasures and also bring in revenue that not only benefits our national economy, but also stimulates business in the communities that surround the parks. Our nation is home to over 400 national parks, 15 of which are in New Mexico, along with three national historic trails, 46 national historic landmarks and three world heritage sites.

After nearly two years into a global pandemic and numbers reaching over 1 million visitors per month in some national parks, my hope is tempered by concern. The instant influx of visitors has taken a toll on the land, the workers, the volunteers and the rangers in the parks. In New Mexico alone, we hosted a record 1.4 million visitors last year. Our parks rangers and other staff are juggling overwhelming public interest with new challenges from COVID and the ever-present challenges of climate change, all the while operating on shoe-string budgets with an insufficient investment from Congress.

But, theres hope on the horizon. Im happy that national parks in New Mexico and across the United States might soon benefit from the proposed Senate Interior Environment bill that would increase national parks funding by 9% for a total of $2.93 billion. These funds would help hire back more than 1,000 park rangers and employees from previous staffing cuts. An additional proposed $120 million is also in the bill to support conservation efforts, such as our work to preserve New Mexicos archaeological sites in and around Chaco Canyon and elsewhere.

More money for New Mexicos national parks and heritage sites would also hire back more educational staff who work with nearby communities to create programs that represent all of New Mexicos heritage and cultures. These guided tours and initiatives engage visitors, and that means not only are we increasing knowledge, but we are also cutting the numbers of people who get lost in the parks, or who may unknowingly damage protected species of plants and/or sacred cultural sites.

Protecting our parks in New Mexico is something that Sen. Martin Heinrich and Sen. Ben Ray Lujan understand, and we are thankful for their support. The current Senate bill to increase park funding is strong and could not come at a more important time. We encourage Heinrich and Lujan to push for the bills passage to protect not only New Mexicos national parks and heritage sites, but also national parks across the country for generations to come.
MESA, Ariz.  Two people have died in a fiery car crash Sunday in Mesa, authorities said.

Police said the crash occurred about 7 a.m. Sunday in a neighborhood southeast of the Loop 101.

Witnesses said a car was traveling at a high rate of speed when it struck a curb, crashed into a pole and burst into flames.

After crews were able to put out the fire, police said two people were found dead inside the car.

Police said the two bodies havent been identified yet.
PHOENIX  A man has been killed after he was hit by a box truck while waiting at a south Phoenix bus stop, according to authorities.

Police said officers responded to the crash site around 3:15 p.m. Saturday.

They reported that a truck pulling a car dolly drove onto the sidewalk and crashed into the bus stop and struck 64-year-old Javier Saavedra, who was declared dead at the scene.

Police said the 24-year-old man driving the truck was evaluated for impairment and later arrested.

Its still unclear what led to the crash, according to police who said their investigation was ongoing.
KINGMAN, Ariz.  Some members of the Mohave County Board of Supervisors want to distance themselves from county news releases on COVID-19 vaccinations for children.

Supervisor Hildy Angius suggested that the board include some kind of disclaimer on releases, raising the subject during a meeting Monday after a county release included information on federal officials approving Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations for children ages 5-11, the Kingman Miner reported.

Something like the following information has not been endorsed nor recommended by the Mohave County Board of Supervisors, or personally I would add, anyone with common sense,' added Angius, who referred to COVID-19 vaccinations for children as insanity.

Supervisor Ron Gould liked the disclaimer idea, saying he was not interested in endorsing the vaccination of children, so I dont want to send out a press release that says that.

Mohave County, which is largely rural but has several cities with populations over 30,000, has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the state.

U.S and Arizona health officials and leading doctors groups say elementary school-aged children should get vaccinated because of the risk of kids getting sick enough to be hospitalized and because vaccination also promises to help kids more safely resume school and social activities.

The Mohave County release attributed the vaccination recommendations to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but its going out on county letterhead, so the impression is its coming from us, Angius said.

Two other supervisors pushed back against including a disclaimer.

I think its confusing and I wouldnt want people saying, Well, the Board of Supervisors said not to get it, Supervisor Buster Johnson said, adding that he believes its a family decision.

Supervisor Jean Bishop said a disclaimer could be opening a can of worms we may not want.

If somebody gets COVID because they didnt get the vaccine based on our disclaimer, I think we could be found partially responsible, she said.

The supervisors gave no clear direction to county staff but officials would prepare a disclaimer for the board to decide whether to include in future releases, county spokesman Roger Galloway said.

Arizona on Saturday reported over 3,000 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases for the third straight day as virus-related hospitalizations reached their highest level since late September.

The state Department of Health Services coronavirus dashboard reported 3,592 additional cases and 60 deaths, increasing the states pandemic totals to 1,186,477 cases and 21,408 deaths.

As of Friday, 1,904 COVID-19 patients occupied hospital inpatient beds, the most since 1,933 on Sept. 20.

Virus-related hospitalizations during this falls surge peaked at 2,103 on Sept. 11. Hospitalizations then dropped to a low of 1,663 on Oct. 15 before starting to gradually rise again.

COVID-related emergency room visits on Friday totaled 1,623, the most since Sept. 29.

According to Johns Hopkins University data, the seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Arizona rose over the past two weeks, increasing from 2,243.1 on Oct. 21 to 2,809.7 on Thursday.

The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in Arizona dropped during the same period, decreasing from 47 to 36.00.
RENO, Nev.  A Nevada state regulatory board has narrowly voted against banning contests that give cash or other awards to hunters for killing coyotes.

The regulation was rejected by the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commission on a 5-4 vote Friday. It would have prohibited organizing, promoting or participating in contests or other competitions to capture or kill coyotes or other predatory or furbearing animals.

What are we regulating? questioned Commissioner Tom Barnes. Theyre really not doing anything illegal.

All 16 advisory panels to the nine-member board supported continuing to allow the contest, the Reno Gazette Journal reported.

Commissioner David McNinch, who introduced the language to end the competitions, said outlawing the events wasnt a biological issue but a response to changing societal views on sportsmanship.

I fully support people protecting their livestock, their pets, their family.  I just disagree that the best way to do it is through these contests, he said. Its not the act of killing the coyotes that bothers me, its how its done.

Board Chair Tiffany East said that at least one state legislator has written to the board saying that that, if the board failed to take action, lawmakers will consider the issue during their next session.

Conservationists had hoped that political pressure and other states banning the contests would prompt the commission to vote differently.

While some states offer bounties for coyotes to control their population, coyote killing contests have been banned in at least eight states since 2014, including Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico,

In Nevada, the Clark County Commission and the Reno City Council have approved resolutions asking the competitions be banned, but the Elko County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed one supporting the continuation of coyote hunting contests.

Eliminating killing contests would be the camels nose under the tent that could eventually threaten such wholesome family events like fishing derbies, according to the Elko County resolution.

During the past fiscal year, coyotes were responsible for deaths or injuries to 253 cattle, 82 domestic fowl, 330 goats, five pets and 596 sheep in Nevada, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Unlike predators such as gray wolves or prey species such as elk, coyotes have no species protections and can be killed without licenses.
BAILEY, Colo.  Rooted on a former Ute encampment in the foothills of the Front Range, the piney crown of a long-lived ponderosa pine pokes nearly 100 feet into the sky. Its trunk, gnarled and knobbly with age, is hollowed at the bottom, offering what could be a narrow shelter for someone to hunt from. Higher up, theres a peephole  just wide enough for an arrow  carved in the cinnamon-colored bark.

The trees trunk begins to spiral near the top, marking what some believe was a high energy source, ideal for healing, along what was a heavily traveled Native American trade route.

Before there were highway signs, trees served as natural signposts through the forest, marking important sites, such as water sources, sacred healing spots, hunting lookouts and birthing stations, Janet Shown, co-founder of The Association for Native American Sacred Trees and Places, said as she guided a group of curious people through the woods behind Glen Isle Resort in Bailey.

People are drawn to the unusually-shaped trees, known to some as culturally-modified trees or marker trees, and the tales some say they tell, yet they are entangled in controversy. Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute tribal officials say no evidence of shaped trees is found in their oral traditions and some archaeologists point to nature to account for the trees twists and turns.

Marker trees dot the 160-acre property of Glen Isle, a former railroad depot that first opened in the early 1900s. The 120-year-old Adirondack-style lodge now serves as a resort off U.S. 285 and as a cultural hub for Native American artifacts. A large collection of Native American dolls, acquired by the resorts former owner, is displayed inside the two-story building, along with artifacts such as beaded moccasins, cradle boards made from deer hide and other artifacts dating back to 1000 A.D.

While touching the curling bark over a straight-edged scar on a ponderosa pine, Shown said the girdling likely was done about 150 to 200 years ago, before the last Utes were forced off Glen Isles surrounding land in the 1880s. Native Americans often used a trees soft inner bark  the nutrient-rich cambium layer  to make medicinal teas.

The medicine trees would give sustenance to women giving birth or to those on their menstrual cycle, Shown said.

If Native Americans did a bark peel, they probably did this other very strange and unusual shape, she said, pointing upward toward a thick arm of the tree that juts out horizontally and then straight up, like a goalpost.

Some tribal members, and members of The Association for Native American Sacred Trees and Places, fear the historic trees will be chopped down as they say their significance remains largely unrecognized. The organization hopes to preserve the trees and the stories they tell by promoting responsible stewardship and working at a policy level, Shown said. Shown worked at Glen Isle in the 1970s and returned to help the resorts new owners identify important trees on their property, using the knowledge passed along from James Jefferson, a Southern Ute elder.

But a controversy stems from the twists and turns of the so-called culturally modified trees. Some archaeologists say the bizarre shapes are the consequence of natural phenomenon, like heavy snowpack, lightning or wind.

Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute tribal officials say their ancestors had no need to bend trees to provide direction. They knew their landscape well and used the mountains, stars, creeks and other landmarks to indicate their routes and hunting grounds, according to an official statement tribal leaders sent to federal, state and local governments in 2019.

According to Shown and fellow NASTaP cofounder Jefferson, many of the trees identified as markers across the Front Range, Royal Gorge and San Luis Valley  aboriginal territory and traditional hunting grounds for Ute bands  were intentionally changed by Native Americans to signal an important place in the forest.

The Utes were masters at grafting, often binding two pieces of a tree together with rope or hay, to construct sturdy perches to hunt from or to build a window, framing sacred places in the distance, Shown said.

In Colorado Springs, many trees frame Pikes Peak, also known as Tava or Sun Mountain, the most sacred mountain to the Utes, Shown said.

Its scary to think of how many have been cut, Shown said while standing behind Glen Isle Resort, pointing across the road toward land owned by the states forest service. They took a masticator and just decimated the forest.  We know this is a sacred site because of the number of (modified) trees around here and we wonder how many were lost. That happens all the time.

Many of the modified trees on the Glen Isle property are ponderosa pines, which are self-pruning conifers native to western North America. As the tree matures and more branches grow, the sun cant reach the bottom branches, so they die and break off.

In the forest near Glen Isle, the thick, sturdy branches that exist high on a ponderosa pine are often a result of grafting, Shown said.

The color of the bark is also a good tool to determine if a tree was modified by natives before they were forced off the land. Ponderosa bark appears gray during its younger stages of life and as it matures, it turns more red, forming broad pieces that break apart in large jigsaw puzzle-like pieces.

At about 200 years, about a fourth of a trees bark flaunts a red hue and at 400 years, almost all of its bark will be so, Shown said.

Sometimes, its tricky to determine if a tree was modified by animals or naturally, she said.

What we say in NASTaP is that theres definite yeses, theres definite noes and theres definite maybes  If I dont see three or more signs of human modification, I just figure its a maybe tree, Shown said. But we know that if theres one modified tree in an area, theres often more.

And if there are several signs of human modification, thats also a good indication the tree served as a marker hundreds of years ago, she said.

But tracing the roots of the bizarre trees is more complicated.

 Roots of controversy

As NASTaP aims to preserve the culturally-modified trees that they believe serve as important historical markers, other tribal members and archaeologists say theres no such thing  the trees are just bent.

Last summer, the Colorado Council of Professional Archaeologists issued a statement saying theres no scientific evidence that humans altered the growth of the trees and that identifying them as such, diverts valuable resources that could otherwise be used to document and protect legitimate cultural resources and results in the dissemination of false and misleading information to the lay public.

The CCPA cited the six-page statement sent by officials of the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain tribes that says the modification isnt part of tradition.

Some individuals, claiming to possess Ute cultural knowledge, have incorrectly asserted that Ute people purposefully bent trees for cultural purposes. According to tribal elders, tribal historians, spiritual leaders, and traditional practitioners from the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribes agree this is not a known Ute practice within our oral tradition; nor is it practiced today, the 2019 statement reads.

The historic preservation officers for the tribes did not respond to phone calls and emails, or said they were unable to comment.

Some individual families may have had their own tradition of bending trees, but to ascribe those traditions to Ute general customs on behalf of all Ute people is inaccurate, tribal leaders wrote in the statement. The only tree the Southern Ute tribe considers culturally modified, which is not physically bent, is known as a peeled tree, in which bark is intentionally peeled from a ponderosa pine and occasionally from aspen, the statement said.

There are certainly trees that we see evidence of cultural modification by native people from a long time ago, in some cases a few hundred centuries, Greg Wolff, president of the CCPA said.

That Native Americans harvested natural resources, including tree bark, for medicinal purposes and for food during times of food scarcity is well documented, Wolff said.

But twisted trunks appearing as trail markers or pointing toward a sacred peak arent culturally modified, he said.

The CCPA statement is based on archaeological, historical and ethnographic documentation and also forestry science, archaeological science, Wolff said. A lot of times what people ascribe to a cultural basis can often be explained by natural phenomenon. It is hard when folks categorically say a strange looking tree had to have been caused by human intervention.

Wolff understands why so many people would be intrigued by the unusual trees.

Its natural to be interested in such a phenomenon. Theres an innate human curiosity about the natural world, he said. Were curious, we want to know about things that are remarkable to us. But in many of these cases there are natural explanations for why these trees appear out of the ordinary.

Still, he urged caution.

Folks will believe what they want to believe, but again, scientific evidence does not support a lot of those cases and neither does the statement provided by the official Ute preservation departments, he said.

Culturally-modified trees have been contested for years. Jefferson, a Southern Ute elder and cofounder of NASTaP, is among those who disagree with the official Ute statement, contending that culturally-modified trees are an integral part of the Utes oral tradition.

This is part of history, said Jefferson, who lives on the Southern Ute reservation in Ignacio. We are trying to prove that this is all written history. All of the things that western science is discovering, the Indian people knew about and so they are only verifying what we knew, what the old people knew 10,000 years ago.

Jefferson, 88, said he hopes to preserve the tradition passed down from his elders. He disputes the statement from the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute tribes and hopes it will be reversed.

A lot of tribal people know about (the tradition), they just dont want to be fighting with all of these archaeologists, Jefferson said. These archaeologists are not Indian and never lived it. Never experienced like I have. We experienced all of this and we learned from our elders  and those are who told us.

Sequoia Subia, whose entire family is tribally enrolled and who recently became a member of NASTaP, thinks its important to raise awareness around the trees to preserve the oral tradition that she has learned from her mother.

This is the area my ancestors lived in, Subia said while walking along the Glen Isle Resort property. Being a descendant of medicine men, I know that this is stuff that my grandfathers once did decades ago.
The Arizona National Guard is assisting with vaccinations in Maricopa County jails.

Correctional Health Services has partnered since Tuesday with a team of Army Guard Medics personnel to administer COVID-19 vaccines, boosters, and flu shots to high-risk patients, county spokesperson Fields Moseley said.

Moseley told the Arizona Republic it was a temporary, collaborative effort that was expected to last three weeks.

The goal is to boost the number of COVID-19 and flu vaccinations in inmates before the height of flu season and return to the community, he said.

A request sent to the Countys Emergency Management Department on Oct. 22 stated Maricopa County Correctional Health Services is requesting 2-5 medics daily M-F. Start date TBD until 12/15/21 to assist in COVID-19 vaccinations.

The request said the medics would administer Moderna or Janssen vaccines. This would be at all six MCSO facilities on a rotating basis.

The request comes on the heels of a separate recent request from the Sheriffs Office for 135 National Guard troops because of staffing shortages at the Sheriffs Office. The Sheriffs Office rescinded the request, but the office said it is still looking at ways to use National Guard troops in the jails.
HOUSTON  A woman charged in connection with the death of her 8-year-old son, whose skeletal remains decomposed for months inside a Houston-area apartment with three surviving but abandoned siblings, continued to receive government assistance on his behalf even after he was allegedly beaten to death by her boyfriend, a prosecutor said Friday.

Gloria Y. Williams, 35, remains jailed after being charged with felony injury to a child by omission, injury to a child (causing serious bodily injury) and tampering with evidence (human corpse). Her boyfriend, Brian W. Coulter, 31, has been charged with murder and also remains jailed.

During a court hearing Friday, Andrea Beall, a prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorneys Office, said Williams abandoned her three (surviving) children and her actions showed that she was failing her primary duties as a mother.

Beall said Williams had been receiving about $2,000 a month in government assistance for three of her children, including for 8-year-old Kendrick Lee. After Kendrick was killed, Williams continued receiving assistance on his behalf, Beall said. Authorities have said that two of Williams children might be on the autism spectrum.

Authorities allege Coulter beat Kendrick to death in front of two of the childs siblings sometime around Thanksgiving last year. Kendricks three surviving brothers, ages 7, 10 and 15, were left to fend for themselves in the apartment that had no furniture and became infested with roaches and flies after Williams and Coulter moved out in March, authorities allege.

Beall said Friday that Williams and Coulter moved to another apartment that was furnished and that Williams acknowledged to investigators that she moved out so she could keep her sons body hidden.

The surviving siblings lived with Kendricks remains until the 15-year-old called deputies last month.

Authorities allege Coulter also punched the 10-year-old child in the jaw a few weeks before the body was discovered and that neither he nor Williams got the child any sort of medical care.

Beall told state District Judge Kelli Johnson during Fridays hearing the 10-year-olds jaw became infected and that it required reconstructive surgery.

At the request of prosecutors, Johnson raised Williams bond on the injury to a child charge from $350,000 to $1 million. Williams bonds on all three charges now total $1.55 million.

Neal Davis III, Williams court-appointed attorney, argued against raising her bond, saying it wasnt necessary as his client could not afford a $10,000 bond and any increase would be oppressive.

Davis said he was appointed to the case only a few days ago and was still learning about the allegations and about Williams. He said that Williams was not really sophisticated and that she didnt fully comprehend the severity of the charges she is facing.

I think theres more to this case than what meets the eye, Davis said.

Investigators were still seeking answers to how these children ended up in such an egregious situation, Beall said.

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Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70
SAN DIEGO  A Navy ship named for slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk, who served four years in the Navy before being forced out, was christened and launched in San Diego Bay on Saturday.

The replenishment oiler USNS Harvey Milk slid down the shipyard ways after a bottle of champagne was smashed on the bow by former Navy officer Paula M. Neira, clinical program director for the John Hopkins Center for Transgender Health.

Milks nephew, Stuart Milk, and Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro watched the traditional ceremony.

The secretary of the Navy needed to be here today, not just to amend the wrongs of the past, but to give inspiration to all of our LGBTQ community leaders who served in the Navy, in uniform today and in the civilian workforce as well too, and to tell them that were committed to them in the future, Del Toro said.

Del Toro said that, like many others, Milk had to mask that very important part of his life while he served in the Navy.

For far too long, sailors like Lt. Milk were forced into the shadows or, worse yet, forced out of our beloved Navy, Del Toro said. That injustice is part of our Navy history, but so is the perseverance of all who continue to serve in the face of injustice.

Milk was one of the first openly gay candidates elected to public office. He was serving on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1978 when a former political colleague, Dan White, assassinated him and Mayor George Moscone at City Hall.

In 2016, then-Navy Secretary Ray Mabus decided that six new oilers scheduled to be built would be named after civil and human rights leaders. In addition to Milk, they include Sojourner Truth, Chief Justice Earl Warren, Robert F. Kennedy, suffragist Lucy Stone and Rep. John Lewis of Georgia.

Del Toro told Mabus, who attended the christening, that it was a courageous decision.

Ship names are important because they express what we value as a Navy and as a nation and communicate those values around the globe in every port of call, Del Toro said.

Stuart Milk, co-founder and president of the Harvey Milk Foundation, thanked Mabus for providing the family details of his uncles discharge from the Navy.

He has a less-than-honorable discharge. He was forced to resign because he was gay, Stuart Milk said, adding that we have to teach our history to prevent ourselves from going backwards and repeating it.

Although there is a process for reversing such discharges, he said it was important to not do that for his late uncle in order to keep the memory of how we did not honor everyone in this very honorable service.

The naval tradition of having ship sponsors went to Neira and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who was unable to attend.

Feinstein was in San Francisco City Hall when Milk and Moscone were shot and then made the stunning announcement of their deaths. The ship will carry a rich legacy of civic leadership, Feinstein said in a letter read at the ceremony.

When the Harvey Milk sails, she will send a very strong message both domestically and around the globe to everybody that believes in freedom and justice and liberty, that there is a place for you in this family, said co-sponsor Neira.

General Dynamics NASSCO began construction of the six oilers in San Diego in 2018 under a $3.2 billion Navy contract. The first ship in the class, the John Lewis, was christened this summer.
Associated Press

CARLSBAD  State environmental regulators have cleared the way for work to continue on a multimillion-dollar ventilation shaft at the federal governments underground nuclear waste repository in southern New Mexico.

Ventilation has been an issue since 2014, when a radiation release contaminated parts of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and forced an expensive, nearly three-year closure, delayed the federal governments cleanup program and prompted policy changes at national laboratories and defense-related sites across the U.S.

The state Environment Department last week approved a permit modification requested by the U.S. Department of Energy to build and use the utility shaft. Temporary authorization previously was granted but work stopped in November 2020 after state officials opted not to renew the authorization, citing a rise in COVID-19 infections among workers at the repository.

Estimated to cost about $100 million, the shaft will be a key part of the repositorys revamped ventilation system. With more airflow, officials have said more employees can be in the underground space working on mining and waste operations simultaneously.

The project is expected to be completed in 2025 and would triple the available air flow, the Carlsbad Current-Argus reported.

In the notice of approval, New Mexico Environment Secretary James Kenney said more airflow was needed for the repository to achieve its mission.

Donavan Mager, a spokesman for Nuclear Waste Partnership  the contractor that manages the facility  said it was unclear when construction would resume.

Subcontractor Harrison Western-Shaft Sinkers was awarded a $75 million contract to build the shaft in 2019. When complete, it will reach a depth of about 2,275 feet and will include two access drifts to connect the shaft with the rest of the WIPP underground.

The project saw intense criticism from environmental and government watchdog groups that argued it was part of a larger plan to expand the repository beyond its presently permitted mission, which allows for disposal of 6.2 million cubic feet of waste. Officials have said it would take congressional action to increase the volume of waste permitted at WIPP.

The DOE is seeking a separate permit change to allow the mining and use of two additional disposal rooms to replace space that was lost to contamination in 2014.

Still, in public comments submitted to state, opponents voiced concerns that the project could lead to further expansions of the facility.

We object to NMEDs refusal to explain the true purpose of the shaft in their required notification documents for the public, wrote Virginia Necochea, executive director at the New Mexico Environmental Law Center. In order to provide informed public comments, the public must be able to review DOEs entire plan.

The project was supported by members of the Carlsbad City Council, the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce and local business owners. They defended WIPP, a major employer in the community, and argued that the shaft was needed to improve worker safety.
Have you ever boarded a train, only to find that it had square wheels?

It would be destined not to go anywhere  or worse  fall off the rails.

This appears to be what happened on the set of Rust, which was filming at Bonanza Creek Ranch just south of Santa Fe on Oct. 21.

A few weeks have passed since cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, was shot on the set and later died at an Albuquerque hospital. Director Joel Souza, 48, was injured. Earlier that week, seven crew members had walked off the set, citing concerns that included safety issues.

The shooting brought international attention to the New Mexico production. And now the New Mexico film community is under the microscope  yet it wasnt New Mexicans at the helm of the production or in the positions now being scrutinized.

Before principal photography began, it has been reported, there already were problems within the low-budget production.

From not getting paid on time  some waited nearly seven weeks for their paychecks  to the day-to-day schedules never finding a routine. These were just a few of the problems.

Reports from crew members also told of safety issues on set, including accidental gun discharges and allegations that guns on the set may have been used for target practice.

Then theres the issue that the production refused to pay for hotels for crew members  most of whom drove from nearly an hour away from the set  after working long shifts.

Interestingly, the shooting occurred just four days after an agreement was reached between the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The agreement addressed core issues such as rest periods, meal breaks and a living wage for those on the bottom of the pay scale.

Two Rust crew members laid the blame for some of the issues in the production on certain out-of-state leaders. The production was scheduled for a 21-day shoot.

We have a big vision on a small budget, and because of that I will be controlling costs very closely, an email from a supervisor to the production team said. Production is available to help in any way possible to help each department achieve their goals while staying within budget. Please utilize us in the creative problem solving process!

The email went on to say that departments should understand all 6th and 7th work days, additional man days, as well as pre-calls must be approved by myself and will be noted in writing in the PRs and with payroll. Pre-call requests should be with the understanding that the department will NDB (Non-Deductible Break) breakfast, so we do not incur meal penalties when we need to save those for actual meal penalty occurrences.

Working six and seven days on a production leaves little time for a rest period.

Crew members are now expressing regret about not raising concerns earlier, saying they feared repercussions.

The New Mexico Film Office has taken notice and put up a page on set safety on its website, nmfilm.com. It provides information on ways to submit workplace safety complaints to OSHA.

A duty officer will take the complaint and employees may remain anonymous, the site says.

The Film Office doesnt have the power to shut down a production, but OSHA can do that. The Film Office can only withhold the state tax incentive if cast/crew hasnt been paid.

The move to offer safety tips is likely just a first step toward what will probably be discussions about how the department can step in and help New Mexico crew members.

UpFront is a regular Journal news and opinion column. Comment directly to Arts editor Adrian Gomez at agomez@abqjournal.com. Go to www.abqjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor.
SANTA FE  New Mexico officials have been inundated with critical letters on proposed K-12 social studies standards over the inclusion of racial identity and social justice themes in a state with a Hispanic plurality where Indigenous tribes have persevered through war, famine, internment camps and boarding schools aimed at stamping out their cultures.

If approved, the standards would require students starting in kindergarten to identify some of their group identities and take group or individual action to help address local, regional, and/or global problems.

By high school, students would examine factors which resulted in unequal power relations among identity groups.

Critics, including some Hispanics, say the standards promote victimhood, while supporters have praised the standards as more just and anti-racist.

The proposed New Mexico standards represent a new frontier in the clash over critical race theory  an academic concept increasingly used by conservative activists as a catchall term for the study of systemic racism, historical oppression or progressive social activism.

Political organizing centered on the term has been credited for swaying voters in some states to elect Republican governors, with mixed results in other local elections across the country on Nov. 1.

New Mexico teachers already face a challenge explaining the regions history and its evolving social structures. The state is a patchwork of 23 federally recognized Native American nations, tribes and pueblos.

Nearly half of the state is Latino, and about 10% of New Mexicos students are Native American  with many tracing their heritage to pre-Columbian and 16th century Spanish conquistadors.

Tensions over that history erupted last year when a group of mostly white activists destroyed a historical marker memorializing Union soldiers who fought against Confederate soldiers and Indigenous people. The obelisk sat on the reference point for land appropriated by Spanish settlers.

The New Mexico Public Education Departments proposed standards are aimed at making civics, history and geography more inclusive of the states diverse population so that students feel at home in the curriculum and are prepared for a state in which the majority of the population consists of minorities. They add requirements for students to learn more details about Indigenous life, including more of the distinct Native cultures.

Some studies have found that ethnic studies programs at the high school level can increase school attendance and graduation rates. And a New Mexico lawsuit seeks to pressure the state Public Education Department to embrace teaching that students find relevant to their cultures and languages.

The department also wants to update the history portion of the social studies curriculum, which hasnt been changed in three decades. Proposed learning sections include the Sept. 11 attacks and the LGBTQ rights movement.

But many educators are concerned about the size and scope of the proposed updates.

They have said that updated school science standards in 2017 were based on an existing curriculum used in other states for years. Teachers and administrators also say they have been swamped with work returning to school amid the pandemic.

It feels like its being rushed, and I dont know why, said Kevin Summers, superintendent of the Aztec Municipal School District in northwestern New Mexico. Can we back off? Can we just get six more months?

State Republican officials have tried to tap into the national controversy over education. But a Republican effort last spring to recruit school board members on a critical race platform didnt take off.

State education officials originally planned a Nov. 12 in-person public forum for supporters and opponents to share their opinions about the proposed standards. But the venue was changed to Zoom.

That will deprive Republicans of a physical space to rally around. State GOP Chairman Steve Pearce said a rash, political decision to kill the public comment period is as dangerous as the proposal itself.

The education department in response said that all the public comment on proposed rule changes has been virtual since the pandemic began and extended the length of the Zoom session by several hours.

We are in a pandemic, so crowding in an indoor setting could be dangerous, education department spokeswoman Judy Robinson said.

The proposed changes represent the biggest curriculum controversy the education department has faced since its effort to update science standards in 2017, during Republican Gov. Susana Martinezs administration.

What New Mexico children learn in school is often determined less by legislation and more by the administrative rule-making process by education officials, which includes public comments, responses and possible incorporation of feedback.

Its one of the strongest powers the agency has, according to the education secretary who spearheaded the 2017 science standards.

Christopher Ruszkowski, education secretary under Martinez, said public education changes dont usually happen under legislation but are put into place by the education department, and 90% of policymaking is done at the rule level.

Public comment led to major changes in the science standards the agency proposed, he said, which had watered down scientific facts to placate anti-science constituents after early feedback sessions.

The education department removed the real age of the Earth and human evolution, which contradict some interpretations of the Bible, and struck explicit references to climate change unpopular in southeastern New Mexicos oil-producing regions.

Ruszkowski said he authorized the changes to a draft proposal, even though he did not support them personally.

That generated a backlash from scientists in letters, newspapers ads and a packed hall for the public comment forum.

In the end, the agency implemented the original science standards in full.

During the process of developing the science standards before they were drafted, sessions were held with members of the public to gather input. But the education department did not do that this time, instead inviting 64 people  mostly teachers and administrators  to draft the standards in private over the summer.

The draft was released on Sept. 28, and the education department wants students to learn using the new curriculum next school year.
Police say a man was killed in Southeast Albuquerque early Monday morning  the fourth shooting and third fatality that the Albuquerque Police Department responded to in less than 30 hours.

Officer Chase Jewell, a spokesman with the Albuquerque Police Department, said the latest homicide investigation began when officers were dispatched to a shooting at the Motel 6 at 1000 Avenida Cesar Chavez SE at 5:20 a.m. Jewell said callers reported that someone had been shot and was lying face down.

The victim was transported to the hospital where he died. Jewell said a dark SUV, possibly a Nissan Pathfinder, was spotted fleeing the scene.

The homicide comes on the heels of a violent weekend in Albuquerque.

At 6:45 p.m. on Sunday police received a 911 call after witnesses heard gunshots and then saw a man face down on the ground at Mountain Road and San Mateo in Northeast Albuquerque. Responding officers found that the man appeared to have been shot in the head and was dead.

About 19 hours earlier, at 12:50 a.m., police were dispatched to Adam Food Market at Central and Pennsylvania after two men were shot. One man died at the scene while the other was transported to the hospital and was listed in stable condition.

And eight minutes before that call, officers responded to the intersection of Menaul and University where an individual has been shot in the head.

Gilbert Gallegos, another APD spokesman, said the victim was transported to University of New Mexico Hospital.

The victim was later found to have no brain activity, Gallegos said in a news release. He said video obtained from a nearby business captured a white pickup truck involved in the shooting.
JERUSALEM  Security researchers disclosed Monday that spyware from the notorious Israeli hacker-for-hire company NSO Group was detected on the cellphones of six Palestinian human rights activists, half affiliated with groups that Israels defense minister controversially claimed were involved in terrorism.

The revelation marks the first known instance of Palestinian activists being targeted by the military-grade Pegasus spyware. Its use against journalists, rights activists and political dissidents from Mexico to Saudi Arabia has been documented since 2015.

A successful Pegasus infection surreptitiously gives intruders access to everything a person stores and does on their phone, including real-time communications.

Its not clear who placed the NSO spyware on the activists phones, said the researcher who first detected it, Mohammed al-Maskati of the nonprofit Frontline Defenders. The hacking began in July 2020, according to researchers.

Shortly after the first two intrusions were identified in mid-October, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz declared six Palestinian civil society groups to be terrorist organizations. Ireland-based Frontline Defenders and at least two of the victims say they consider Israel the main suspect and believe the designation may have been timed to try to overshadow the hacks discovery, though they have provided no evidence to substantiate those assertions.

Israel has provided little evidence publicly to support the terrorism designation, which the Palestinian groups say aims to dry up their funding and muzzle opposition to Israeli military rule. Three of the hacked Palestinians work for the civil society groups. The others do not, and wish to remain anonymous, Frontline Defenders says.

The forensic findings, independently confirmed by security researchers from Amnesty International and the University of Torontos Citizen Lab in a joint technical report, come as NSO Group faces growing condemnation over the abuse of its spyware and Israel takes heat for lax oversight of its digital surveillance industry.

Last week, the Biden administration blacklisted the NSO Group and a lesser-known Israeli competitor, Candiru, barring them from U.S. technology.

Asked about the allegations its software was used against the Palestinian activists, NSO Group said in a statement that it does not identify its customers for contractual and national security reasons, is not privy to whom they hack and sells only to government agencies for use against serious crime and terror.

An Israeli defense official said in a brief statement that the designation of the six organizations was based on solid evidence and that any claim it is related to the use of NSO software is unfounded. The statement had no other details, and officials declined requests for further comment. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters.

Israels Defense Ministry approves the export of spyware produced by NSO Group and other private Israeli companies that recruit from the countrys top cyber-capable military units. Critics say the process is opaque.

Its not known precisely when or how the phones were violated, the security researchers said. But four of the six hacked iPhones exclusively used SIM cards issued by Israeli telecom companies with Israeli +972 area code numbers, said the Citizen Lab and Amnesty researchers. That led them to question claims by NSO Group that exported versions of Pegasus cannot be used to hack Israeli phone numbers. NSO Group has also said it doesnt target U.S. numbers.

Among those hacked was Ubai Aboudi, a 37-year-old economist and U.S. citizen. He runs the seven-person Bisan Center for Research and Development in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, one of the six groups Gantz slapped with terrorist designations on Oct. 22.

The other two hacked Palestinians who agreed to be named are researcher Ghassan Halaika of the Al-Haq rights group and attorney Salah Hammouri of Addameer, also a human rights organization. The other three designated groups are Defense for Children International-Palestine, the Union of Palestinian Womens Committees and the Union of Agricultural Work Committees.

Aboudi said he lost any sense of safety through the dehumanizing hack of a phone that is at his side day and night and holds photos of his three children. He said his wife, the first three nights after learning of the hack, didnt sleep from the idea of having such deep intrusions into our privacy.

He was especially concerned about eavesdroppers being privy to his communications with foreign diplomats. The researchers examination of Aboudis phone determined it was infected by Pegasus in February.

Aboudi accused Israel of sticking the terrorist logo on the groups after failing to persuade European governments and others to cut off financial support.

Israel says the groups are linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a leftist political faction with an armed wing that has killed Israelis. Israel and Western governments consider the PFLP a terror group. Aboudi served a 12-month sentence last year after being convicted of charges of involvement in the PFLP but denies ever belonging to the group.

Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler, a legal expert at the Israel Democracy Institute, called the findings really disturbing, especially if it is proven that Israels security agencies, who are largely exempt from the countrys privacy laws, have been using NSO Groups commercial spyware.

This actually complicates the relationship of the government with NSO, said Altshuler, if the government is indeed both a client and regulator in a relationship conducted under secrecy.

Aboudi, along with representatives from Al-Haq and Addameer, held a press conference in the occupied West Bank on Monday in which they condemned the hacks as an attack on civil society. Addameer director Sahar Francis called for an international investigation.

Of course we are not going to close our organizations, Francis said. We will continue our work, continue providing services.

The executive director of Frontline Defenders, Andrew Anderson, said the NSO Group cannot be trusted to ensure its spyware is not used illegally by its customers and says Israel should face international reproach if it does not bring the company to heel.

If the Israeli government refuses to take action then this should have consequences in terms of the regulation of trade with Israel, he said via email.

Al-Maskati, the researcher who discovered the hacks, said he was first alerted on Oct. 16 by Halaika, whose phone was determined to have been hacked in July 2020. Al-Haq engages in sensitive communications with the International Criminal Court, among others, involving alleged human rights abuses.

As human rights defenders living under occupation, we expect it was the (Israeli) occupation, Halaika said when asked who he believed was behind the hack.

The phone of the third named hacking victim, Hammouri, was apparently compromised in April, the researchers said. A dual French national living in Jerusalem, Hammouri previously served a seven-year sentence for security offenses, and Israel considers him a PFLP operative, allegations he denies.

Hammouri declined to speculate who was behind the hack, saying we have to determine who had the ability and who had the motive.

After Halaika alerted him, Al-Maskati said he scanned 75 phones of Palestinian activists, finding the six infections. He could not determine how the phones were hacked, he said, though the timeline of evidence encountered indicated the use of a so-called iMessage zero-click exploit NSO Group used on iPhones. The exploit is highly effective, requiring no user intervention, as phishing attempts typically do.

Facebook has sued NSO Group over the use of a somewhat similar exploit that allegedly intruded via its globally popular encrypted WhatsApp messaging app. A U.S. federal appeals court issued a ruling on Monday rejecting an effort by NSO Group to have the lawsuit thrown out.

A snowballing of new revelations about the hacking of public figures  including Hungarian investigative journalists, the fiancee of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and an ex-wife of the ruler of Dubai  has occurred since a consortium of international news organizations reported in July on a list of possible NSO Group surveillance targets. The list was obtained from an unnamed source by Amnesty International and the Paris-based journalism nonprofit Forbidden Stories. Among those listed was an Associated Press journalist.

From that list of 50,000 phone numbers, reporters from various news organizations were able to confirm at least 47 additional successful hacks, the Washington Post has reported.NSO Group denied ever maintaining such a list.

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Bajak reported from Lima, Peru. Associated Press writer Alan Suderman in Richmond, Virginia, contributed to this report.
HOUSTON  The Houston police and fire departments were deeply involved in safety measures for the music festival where a surging crowd killed eight people, playing key roles in crowd control measures, on-site security staffing and the emergency response. The police chief even says he met with the headlining performer before the show.

Now the citys police department is leading the criminal investigation into how the deadly chaos erupted during Friday nights performance by rapper Travis Scott.

While a prominent local official is calling for a separate, independent review of the tragedy, experts in crowd safety say an investigation by neutral outsiders could help the city avoid potential conflicts of interest and promote transparency.

Houston Police Department spokeswoman Jodi Silva declined to comment on questions about whether its close involvement in the event created a conflict or if it considered handing the probe off to an outside agency. Such decisions are often made in investigations like police shootings.

All of the information we have available to put out at this time has been placed out on Twitter, Silva said.

The police departments probe would be separate from any independent investigation ordered by County Judge Lina Hidalgo, Harris Countys top elected official, according to Rafael Lemaitre, a spokesman for the county judges office. Hidalgo hasnt decided who would conduct such an independent review or how it would be done, Lemaitre said Monday.

She wants to know if this could have been prevented in any way, Lemaitre said. Its also entirely possible that it was not preventable for whatever reason, and thats something we would like to know, as well.

Key questions remained unanswered after the Astroworld festival at the Harris County-owned NRG Park. Some of the lingering questions involve what the Houston police and fire departments did before, during and after a crowd surged toward the stage, killing eight people and injuring may more, with over 300 people treated on site and at least 13 others hospitalized. Other questions center on the actions of event organizers.

Officials with the Houston police and fire departments have said that part of their investigation will include reviewing whether the concert promoter and others behind the festival adhered to the plans that were submitted for the event.

Astroworlds organizers laid out security and emergency medical response protocols for the festival in plans filed with Harris County. The 56-page operations plan, obtained by The Associated Press, says that a decision to evacuate the event would be made by the festival director after consultation with other individuals, including the security director. Such plans were filed with Harris County and Houston and have to be reviewed by Houston police officials.

Christopher Slobogin, director of the criminal justice program at Vanderbilt University, said an independent criminal investigation into what happened in Houston could be beneficial to avoid any potential conflicts of interest. But acknowledged that this case is different from typical situations where authorities are confronted with decisions over whether to step away from a case because of a conflict of interest.

The actual crime was probably not committed directly by the fire department or the police department, he said. But at least for appearance purposes, if an independent body did the investigation I think that would be the better practice.

Officials have said a private company was primarily responsible for providing security at the festival, but Houston police were also assigned to the event. The plan says medical care at the festival was provided by ParaDocs, a private company based in New York.

Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena had said during a news conference on Saturday that the injuries and size of the crowd quickly overwhelmed the private companies providing security and medical services. Pena said even though the medical operations plan did not require that the fire department have units pre-positioned around the festival, his agency decided to have those units in place in case this incident escalated.

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said in a statement on Monday that he had a brief and respectful meeting with Scott and the rappers head of security on Friday before his performance. The chief said he asked them to work with the police department.

I expressed my concerns regarding public safety and that in my 31 years in law enforcement experience I have never seen a time with more challenges facing citizens of all ages, to include a global pandemic and social tension throughout the nation, Finner said.

G. Keith Still, a visiting professor of crowd science at the United Kingdoms University of Suffolk, said his independent investigations of similar tragedies typically begin with an evaluation of an events safety permitting process. He evaluates how a permit was issued and whether the event organizer adhered to permit conditions.

Police can sometimes get too caught up in trying to take eyewitness accounts, he said. With 50,000 potential eyewitnesses, by the time they get done through with all of that, theyre left with a huge, confused mass.

Houston police and fire officials said their investigation will include reviewing video taken by concert promoter Live Nation, as well as dozens of clips from people at the show. Officials also planned to review the events security plan and determine whether its organizers properly followed permit requirements.

Steven Adelman, vice president of the industry group Event Safety Alliance, said in an email that he sees no issue with public safety authorities authorizing an independent investigation of the Houston tragedy.

I would hope and assume the investigation will be conducted by an outside person who is not subject to influence by the agencies that were involved with Astroworld. This is not an uncommon scenario in complex situations like this one, wrote Adelman, whose organization was formed after the collapse of a stage killed seven people at the Indiana State Fair in 2011.

Adelman said private forensic analysis experts independently investigated the Indiana stage collapse, examining the stage roof engineering and crowd management.

A good example of what I hope we see here, Adelman said of the investigation in Houston.

Finner has defended how long it took for the concert to be called off after the first signs of trouble. The police chief said his department immediately notified concert organizers after noticing that attendees were going down. The event was called off 40 minutes later after discussions that included the fire department and NRG Park officials.

You cannot just close when youve got 50,000  over 50,000  individuals, OK? Finner said. We have to worry about rioting  riots  when you have a group thats that young.

Pena said city officials limited the attendance to 50,000 even though the venue could have held 200,000 based on fire codes.

It was the crowd control at the point of the stage that was the issue, especially as the crowd began to surge toward the stage, Pena said.

Live Nation said in a statement that it is cooperating with local authorities so that both the fans who attended and their families can get the answers they want and deserve, and we will address all legal matters at the appropriate time.

Hidalgo tweeted on Saturday that she was calling for an objective and independent investigation into what happened. She also said her office was grateful for the work done by the police and fire departments.

It may well be that this tragedy is the result of unpredictable events, of circumstances coming together that couldnt possibly have been avoided, Hidalgo said. But until we determine that, I will ask the tough questions.

Hidalgos office isnt a law-enforcement agency and doesnt have authority over criminal investigations.

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This story has been updated to correct the name of the county judges spokesman to Rafael Lemaitre, not Maitre.

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Kunzelman reported from College Park, Maryland. Associated Press reporters Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville and Jake Bleiberg in Dallas contributed to this report.
Kirtland Air Force Base accounted for about 10% of the greater Albuquerque metro areas entire economy in the 2020 fiscal year, base commander Col. Jason Vattioni announced Monday.

Vattioni revealed the bases 2020 Economic Impact Statement, which is done biennially, during the Kirtland Partnership Committees annual breakfast on Monday morning.

All told, KAFB contributed about $4.6 billion to the local economy in the 2020 fiscal year, which was from Oct. 1, 2019 through Sep. 30, 2020. That marked a slight increase from $4.5 billion in the 2018 fiscal year.

More than 23,000 work on KAFB and the bases annual payroll is about $2.3 billion, according to the economic analysis. Of those employees, about 3,500 are military. So the vast majority of people who work on base are civilians.

The Department of Energy and Sandia National Laboratories account for about 12,700 of those employees and about $1.4 billion in payroll.

The presence of Kirtland and the professionals employed on the base have a big influence on the Albuquerque metro area, Vattioni said. These employees buy homes, pay taxes, and support local businesses, generating billions of dollars in local economic impact.

Vattioni said that the KAFB workforce grew by about 400 employees in the last two years. There are plans to add about 2,000 jobs in the coming years.

Kirtland the fifth-largest Air Force Base in the country  accounts for about 13% of jobs in the Albuquerque area.

KAFB also reported about $960 million in local expenditures in the 2020 fiscal year. The impact statement also said that the base entered into $287 million in contracts with businesses owned by women, minorities or veterans.

The total economic footprint of KAFB is about $7.4 billion nationally, so more than half of that impact is felt locally, Vattioni said.

Brad Steward, the chairman of the KPCs board of directors, said officials are working to improve reciprocal licenses for lawyers and other professions in order to make New Mexico more appealing to families considering relocating here for work at Kirtland. He asked those in attendance to continue to advocate for such policies on behalf of the base.

These numbers are massive, he said of the bases economic impact. Its phenomenal.
BRUNSWICK, Ga.  Jurors were shown graphic, closeup police photos Monday of the gunshot wounds that killed Ahmaud Arbery, while the first officer to find the 25-year-old Black man bleeding in the road testified he did not try to render medical aid because it would not have been safe.

Three white men are on trial for murder and other crimes in the slaying of Arbery, who was chased and shot Feb. 23, 2020, after he was spotted running in a neighborhood just outside the port city of Brunswick.

Glynn County police Sgt. Sheila Ramos walked the jury through dozens of crime scene photos she took about an hour after the shooting. Several jurors could be seen squirming as Ramos showed Arberys body lying in the street under a bloodstained covering. Other images showed closeup views of the gunshot wounds to his wrist as well as grievous injuries to his chest and underneath one of his arms.

Ricky Minshew, then a Glynn County police patrol officer, testified he arrived at the scene in the Satilla Shores subdivision about a minute after the gunshots sounded. Arbery was lying facedown in the street with blood pooling around him.

Minshew testified he heard Arbery make a noise he described as a death rattle. The officer radioed for 911 operators to send emergency medical responders, but said he did not have the training or equipment to treat such serious injuries.

Without having any other police units to have my back, there was no way I could switch to do anything medical and still watch after my own safety, Minshew said.

Father and son Greg and Travis McMichael armed themselves and used a pickup truck to pursue Arbery after they spotted him running in their neighborhood. A neighbor, William Roddie Bryan, joined the chase and took cellphone video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery in the street at close range.

No arrests were made for more than two months until the video of the killing leaked online, sparking an outcry amid a national reckoning over racial injustice. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case from local police. Both McMichaels and Bryan were soon charged with murder and other crimes.

Defense attorneys said the men were justified to chase and attempt to detain Arbery because he had been recorded by security cameras inside a nearby home under construction and they suspected he was a burglar. They say Travis McMichael fired in self-defense when Arbery attacked him with fists and tried to grab his gun.

Arberys mother told reporters outside the courthouse she was confused why more was not done to help her badly wounded son.

He had a guy lying in the road who was covered in blood, Wanda Cooper-Jones said. I cant understand why he didnt render aid.

When police arrive at a scene of gunfire, their first priority is to look for and mitigate any threats and then they can come back and deal with the injured, said Keith Taylor, a former police sergeant in New York City whos now a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

A gunshot wound of the nature that was inflicted on this victim, that would probably be beyond the scope of ability for this officer to address, Taylor said, noting police generally have limited medical training.

Cooper-Jones stayed in the courtroom as the graphic photos were shown and could be heard exhaling quietly as Ramos identified closeup images of a gaping shotgun wound in her sons chest. Arberys father, Marcus Arbery Sr., got up and walked out before the jury was shown the images.

The second officer to respond to the shooting, William Duggan, testified Friday and jurors watched portions of his body camera video in which Duggan rolled Arbery over and pressed a hand to his wounded chest.

I had pressure on, but there was nothing I could do, Duggan told other first responders on the video, saying Arbery died after about two minutes.

Ramos said Arbery had nothing in his pockets  no keys, cellphone, wallet or ID. Police identified his body using his fingerprints, she said.

She also photographed a home near the shooting scene where one of the shotgun blasts sent a projectile through a front window and into an inside wall. No one was injured.

The jury seated Friday for the trial is disproportionately white. Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley allowed the jury to be sworn over the objections of prosecutors, who said several Black potential jurors were excluded because of their race, leaving only one Black juror on the panel of 12.
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The 'Sicko Mode' rapper says he 'could just never understand the severity of the situation' after eight people died and hundreds were injured at his music festival.

Nov 8, 2021

AceShowbiz - Rapper Travis Scott had no idea people were dying during his "Astroworld" show on Friday (06Nov21).

At least eight people died during the event at NRG Park in Houston, Texas, Scott's hometown, with many more injured.

Seven of the victims have been identified, ranging in age from 14 to 27. A 16 year old was also among those who died. Houston medical chiefs have also released an image of a body they have not yet been able to identify.

At least 25 concertgoers were transported to the hospital, and 13 of them remained there on Saturday, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told CNN. Five of them are under the age of 18, with reports one is as young as 10.

The "Sicko Mode" star took to Twitter early on Saturday to share he was "absolutely devastated" over the tragedy and later that day shared a video to Instagram in which he insisted he had no idea what was happening in the audience during the first day of the sold-out event.

"I'm honestly just devastated," Scott said in the clip as he sighed and rubbed his eyes and forehead in the black-and-white clip, in which he responds to criticism that he should have stopped the show.

"Anytime I could make out, you know, anything that's going on, you know I stop the show and, you know, help them get the help they need."

"My fans really mean the world to me. I always just want to leave them with a positive experience. I could just never understand the severity of the situation."

"Everybody continue to keep your prayers. I mean, I'm honestly just devastated and I could never imagine anything like this happening. I'm going to do everything I can to keep you guys updated and keep you guys informed of what's going on. Love you all."

According to The Independent, Scott can be seen in livestreamed footage attempting to stop his concert several times, telling the crowd to make space for a person who was unconscious.

"We need somebody to help, somebody's passed out right here. Hold on - don't touch him, don't touch him. Everybody just back up... come on, come on, security, get in there," the rapper says in the clip.

Houston police officials, meanwhile, are reviewing footage of the concert and also trying to identify a person who reportedly stabbed one security officer in the neck with a needle containing an unknown substance.

"When he was examined, he went unconscious. They administered Narcan," Houston Police Chief Troy Finner explained on Saturday, referring to the drug that is used to treat narcotic overdoses.

"He was revived, and the medical staff did notice a prick similar to what you would get if somebody was trying to inject (him)."
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The 'Party of Five' alum admits he almost left the New York diner, where he was supposed to meet his now wife Kelley Limp for a blind date, but several people at the bar advised him to wait an hour.

Nov 8, 2021

AceShowbiz - Actor Scott Wolf would never have met his wife if it wasn't for restaurant patrons who told him to wait an hour for his blind date.

The "Party of Five" star was about to leave the New York diner, where he was supposed to meet Kelley Limp, when she was a no-show. But some women at the bar advised him to give her a little extra time, suggesting an hour was a fair cut-off point.

"I kept asking people at the bar, 'How long do you wait for a blind date?' and they were like, 'Kind of an hour, tops,' " he shared.

"She made it under the wire and 17 years later and three kids later... I was ready to leave and thankfully these people at the bar had a pretty long leash and they were like, 'Give her an hour.' "

Scott eventually married Kelley, a former star of MTV's "The Real World: New Orleans", in May 2004 after dating for two years. Their first child, a boy, was born in February 2009. They welcomed their second son in November 2012 and a daughter in 2014.

In 2018, he shared a relationship advice he got from his grandmother when he was still dating Kelley. "My nana told me, 'Marry the person you want to see across the breakfast table for the rest of your life,' " the 53-year-old actor told Us Weekly. "And I did that. Because all the hot stuff and the cold stuff, it ebbs and flows and comes and goes. But we really like each other. I married the best person."
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In a Twitter Spaces conversation, the Roc Nation founder acknowledges that the comedian and his friend 'pushed a lot of buttons,' but thinks that 'great art is divisive.'

Nov 8, 2021

AceShowbiz - Jay-Z has spoken up in defense of Dave Chappelle amid the backlash over his controversial jokes on "The Closer". In a Twitter Spaces conversation with Vulture's Craig Jenkins on Friday, the hip-hop mogul praised his friend as "super brave and super genius."

"I think that Dave is super brave and super genius," he said when asked about his thought on the comedian's controversial Netflix special. He acknowledged, "If you spend time with him, he's brilliant and I think he pushed a lot of buttons. I watched it sometimes like, 'Ah! Ah!' "

Hova insinuated that Dave's work is "true art," stating, "I think what happens with true art is that it has to cause conversation." He went on explaining, "Sometimes it's going to abrasive, something it's going to be off-putting to folks. But it opens up an opportunity to have a dialogue."

"These algorithms and things on these sites allow you to talk to people who agree with you. We have to speak to one another when we disagree," he continued. "Anything that doesn't have that tension, it's not going to be real. We had fake conversations all this time before Trump was in office, then we got to see people for who they really were. And then we got to have real conversations... "

When pressed by the host as to whether "The Closer" is "divisive," Jay-Z declined to speak specifically to Dave's work. He responded, "I don't want to answer for Dave Chappelle, so I'm not speaking specifically to his work - I think great art is divisive. Some people like it, some people hate it. When you're making great art, you have to be fearless and create something that you believe in. That's what it's about."

Jay-Z's comments on Dave's controversy comes after the funnyman introduced Jigga at the latter's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, during which he briefly touched on the backlash over his homophobic jokes. "I would like to apologize to Nah, I'm just f***in with ya," he teased, before praising his friend as "hip-hop, forever and ever and a day."
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At least eight people passed away and hundreds were injured in the chaos of the Friday, November 5 annual festival, which was hosted by Travis Scott in Houston.

Nov 8, 2021

AceShowbiz - Roddy Ricch is offering his helping hands in the wake of the Astroworld incident. After eight people were killed at the annual festival, the "Die Young" hitmaker declared that he will donate his "net compensation" to the families of the victims.

The 23-year-old made the announcement on Saturday, October 6 via Instagram Story. "Please have the families of those who we lost yesterday reach out to @shawnholiday. I'll b donating my net compensation to the families of this incident," he pointed out.

At least eight people died during the festival, which took place at NRG Park in Travis Scott (II)'s hometown of Houston, Texas. The youngest victim to die was a 14-year-old boy called John Hilgert, who's a freshman at Memorial High School in Houston.

The other victims included 16-year-old Brianna Rodriguez, a junior at Heights High School in Houston, 21-year-old Franco Patino, a student at the University of Dayton from Naperville, Illinois, 23-year-old Rudy Pena and 27-year-old Danish Baig. Meanwhile, hundreds were injured in the chaos of the Friday's show.

Following the incident, Travis shared a statement on Twitter, saying that he was "absolutely devastated" over the tragedy. He also posted an emotional video on Instagram, claiming that he had no idea people were dying at his concert.

"Anytime I could make out, you know, anything that's going on, you know I stop the show and, you know, help them get the help they need," he said in the clip. "My fans really mean the world to me. I always just want to leave them with a positive experience. I could just never understand the severity of the situation."

"Everybody continue to keep your prayers. I mean, I'm honestly just devastated and I could never imagine anything like this happening," Travis added. "I'm going to do everything I can to keep you guys updated and keep you guys informed of what's going on. Love you all."
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The actor, who is gay and was born in Lebanon, applauds Disney executives as well as director Chloe Zhao refuse to edit out the controversial gay sex scenes.

Nov 8, 2021

AceShowbiz - "Eternals" star Haaz Sleiman has slammed censors in some Middle Eastern countries, who have banned the new Marvel film after objecting to its intimate scenes and a same-sex romance.

In the new blockbuster, Sleiman's character Ben is married to Brian Tyree Henry's superhuman, Phastos, and the two share a screen kiss - the first time a gay couple has been depicted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Sleiman, who is gay and was born in Lebanon, is happy Disney executives and director Chloe Zhao stood their ground and refused to edit out those scenes, which appear to be the reason the film will not be shown in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman.

"They stood their ground and said, 'Nope, we are not going to compromise the integrity of our film.' It made these Arab countries looks so ignorant and pathetic [sic]," he told Variety of the ban.

"I have no respect for those governments. They have displayed to the world that they are not only a disgrace to humanity, but to God. Hopefully this will inspire the Saudi people, the Kuwaiti people and the people in Qatar to fight back."

"[People in those countries] are going to find a way to watch it, even if it's illegal. And then they can give their two middle fingers to their governments. Because even when it's banned, there's a way."

But Haaz was thrilled to be able to speak Arabic in "Eternals".

"That moment shows the love between me and Phastos and it's a statement on its own that you hear someone speak like that. I never thought I would see that, let alone that I got to do it," he told the outlet.

The film will, however, be released on November 11 in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt with all scenes of intimacy edited out, including the sex scene between Richard Madden and Gemma Chan.
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Jason Miller, a lamp operator and pipe rigger, reportedly 'endured multiple surgeries each day as doctors do their best to stop the infection and try to save his arm from amputation.'

Nov 8, 2021

AceShowbiz - Another crew member of "Rust" was transported to the hospital. Just weeks after Alec Baldwin's accidental shooting, it's reported that Jason Miller, a lamp operator and pipe rigger, was hospitalized for a spider bite.

Sky News reported that Jason was working to shut down the production at Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the shooting happened. Unfortunately, when he was at the location, he got bitten by a brown recluse, a venomous spider that is native to North America.

Several days later, Jason reportedly started experiencing severe symptoms. They included necrosis of his arm, which occurs when cells die, and sepsis.

A fundraising page is set up to cover Jason's medical bills. "He has been hospitalized and endured multiple surgeries each day as doctors do their best to stop the infection and try to save his arm from amputation," so read the note.

"It will be a very long road to recovery for Jason if the medical team is able to save his arm," the message added. "If under worse circumstances he loses his arm, this is a life-changing and devastating event for Jason and his family."

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the "Rust" producers, issued a statement to Sky News. The spokesperson said, "We do not comment on individual members of the cast and crew's private matters."

This arrived after Alec fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured the movie director, Joel Souza, on October 21. The Santa Fe Sheriff's Office continues to investigate Halyna's death. No criminal charges have yet been filed.

However, it was reported that Haylna's husband, Matthew Hutchins, is about to file a wrongful death lawsuit in the wake of the incident. TMZ claimed earlier this month that Matthew has hired a Los Angeles-based firm, Panish Shea Boyle Ravipudi, which specializes in wrongful death cases. He will also put several names as the defendants.
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The 50-year-old comedian is forced to pause his performance after one of the audience members loses consciousness at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

Nov 8, 2021

AceShowbiz - Katt Williams won't let the Astroworld tragedy happen again. After learning one of his fans passed out during his show at the KFC Yum! Center, the comedian put his performance on hold and cited the fatal incident at Travis Scott (II)'s annual festival.

The 50-year-old comic was performing in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday night, November 6. According to TMZ, someone in the crowd suddenly screamed, "Stop the show!" after one person lost consciousness. He then halted his set for 10 minutes as medical workers helped the individual.

"I'm sorry if I won't move on, but that s**t that happened at - that Astroworld s**t - I mean, we can never continue til' we know somebody is motherf**king good," the funnyman told the audience. "I'm not goin' to be leaving with that on my conscious."

Fans later applauded Katt for his decision. The "School Dance" actor then told the crowd, "I may be selfish, but if I fall out of my chair, ain't nobody better not tell another joke til' I get on the f**king stretcher and s**t, b***h."

"Don't let me hear people laughing as I'm getting wheeled out. Come back from commercial break, everything's gonna be OK," he further noted. "Thank you to the people that's over there, especially the lady that told me not to keep going because it was dark over there. Thank you so much, I appreciate that."

Katt was referencing Travis' Astroworld music festival on Friday night, which took place at NRG Park in Houston, Texas. Eight concertgoers died at the 50,000-person show while hundred others were injured.

The victims ranged in age from 14 to 27. They were 14-year-old John Hilgert, a freshman at Memorial High School in Houston, 16-year-old Brianna Rodriguez, a junior at Heights High School in Houston, 21-year-old Franco Patino, a student at the University of Dayton from Naperville, Illinois, 23-year-old Rudy Pena and 27-year-old Danish Baig.
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The 'Wake Up in the Sky' rapper, whose real name is Bill Kahan Kapri, seemingly regrets the past actions that led to him breaking up with one of his former partners.

Nov 8, 2021

AceShowbiz - Being rich and famous is not enough for Kodak Black. The "Wake Up in the Sky" rapper, who often got candid about him being depressed, recently took to his social media account to claim that he has lost those he loved after finding fame.

The 24-year-old emcee, whose real name is Bill Kahan Kapri, aired out his frustration on his Twitter page on Sunday, November 7. "I Jus Wanna B Loved," the "Dying to Live" artist first tweeted.

"I neva thought this fame a take da ones I loved away from me," Kodak further lamented in a separate post. Hours later, the Florida native wrote, "If I ain't neva went thru dat phone I'll prolly still b with my ex."

Around one month earlier, Kodak made his fans concerned after he let out several alarming tweets about depression. On October 7, he wrote, "So Lonely Depressed Sad & F**ked Up." He went on lamenting, "Nobody Love Me Nobody Cares  I'm Everywhere @ Once  Friends Playin I My Head  Girls Playin Wit My Heart."

Kodak also hinted that he regretted where he is now. "Wish I Can Go Back To The Start I'll Never Be Famous," he penned, before adding in a follow-up post, "Sitting In My Room Crying Feel Like Killing Myself."

Fans of the "ZEZE" spitter have since showed their support and prayers, with one writing, "depression is real no matter how people may seem to hide it. Praying he gets to feeling like himself soon." Someone else chimed in, "This time of the year is really depressing. Praying for you."

Shortly after letting out the suicidal tweet, Kodak, who was arrested in 2019 for weapons possession and was sentenced to almost four years in federal prison, deactivated his social media accounts. At that time, fans could not find his page on the blue-bird app as well as on Instagram.
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When slamming criticism about her appearance on 'And Just Like That...', the 'Sex and the City' star says that she knows what she looks like but she cannot stop aging.

Nov 8, 2021

AceShowbiz - Sarah Jessica Parker makes it clear that she is no fan of bullying. In a new interview, the "Sex and the City" star slammed "misogynist" criticism about her appearance on "Sex and the City" revival, "And Just Like That".

During the interview with Vogue for the magazine's December cover story, the 56-year-old actress shared, "There's so much misogynist chatter in response to us that would never. Happen. About. A. Man." The series creator, Michael Patrick King, chimed in, "There were a lot of positive reactions, but one b***hy response online was people sharing pictures of 'The Golden Girls' and I was like, 'Wow, so it's either you're 35, or you're retired and living in Florida. There's a missing chapter here.' "

In the article published on Sunday, November 7, Sarah also addressed the online conversation about photos that surfaced previously of herself rocking gray hair and a bare face, while out to brunch with Andy Cohen. "I'm sitting with Andy Cohen and he has a full head of gray hair, and he's exquisite," the HBO star said.

"Why is it okay for him? I don't know what to tell you, people! Especially on social media," Sarah fumed. The "Hocus Pocus" star added, "Everyone has something to say. 'She has too many wrinkles, she doesn't have enough wrinkles.' "

Sarah continued, "It almost feels as if people don't want us to be perfectly okay with where we are, as if they almost enjoy us being pained by who we are today, whether we choose to age naturally and not look perfect, or whether you do something if that makes you feel better." She went on saying, "I know what I look like. I have no choice. What am I going to do about it? Stop aging? Disappear?"

The revival series, which is set to premiere on HBO Max in December, will follow Sarah as Carrie, Cynthia Nixon as Miranda and Kristin Davis as Charlotte. According to a press release, "they navigate the journey from the complicated reality of life and friendship in their 30s to the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s." Other "Sex and the City" veterans namely Chris Noth, Mario Cantone, David Eigenberg, Evan Handler and Willie Garson, who died from pancreatic cancer in September, will also appear.
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According to the producers of the upcoming indie movie, they will be using rubber guns and adding flash and sound by computer instead of using a real one following Halyna Hutchins' death from a prop gun discharged by Alec Baldwin.

Nov 8, 2021

AceShowbiz - The producers of Ryan Phillippe's new movie "The Locksmith" are going all out to avoid another New Mexico shooting drama on their set by insisting all guns used are made of rubber.

The movie will be the first to commence filming in the state in the wake of the "Rust" tragedy, which cost a cinematographer her life last month (October 2021) when a live round found its way into a prop gun, fired by actor Alec Baldwin, and bosses have banned real guns and live ammunition from the production.

Instead, actors will be handling rubber guns with extra visual and sound effects being added later using computers.

The movie, also starring Kate Bosworth and Ving Rhames, will start shooting on November 15 in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

"We will be using rubber guns and adding flash and sound by computer during post production," a film spokesman tells Deadline. "The recent events caused us to go in the direction of rubber guns."

"The Locksmith" will mark the directorial debut of veteran first assistant director Nicolas Harvard.

The use of weapons on the set has been under scrutiny after director of photography Halyna Hutchins' death from a stopper gun provided by Alec during the production of "Rust" in October. The producers of the ABC police drama "The Rookie", have also said they will ban live weapons on the set after the incident.

Dave Cortese, a Democrat elected to the California Senate, has vowed to introduce legislation that will ban sharp ammunition on sets in California. Meanwhile, a petition to ban real weapons on film sets has attracted more than 100,000 signatories following the tragic incident.
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The Beatles member recalls his fond memory of his late bandmate while performing at the Royal Festival Hall in London for his first live event in two years.

Nov 8, 2021

AceShowbiz - Paul McCartney will always regret not telling his fellow Beatle John Lennon that he loved him.

On Friday, November 5, the "Yesterday" hitmaker appeared at the Royal Festival Hall in London for his first live event in two years and discussed his new book with poet Paul Muldoon, "The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present", about the inspiration for some of his best-loved songs.

The crowd of 3,000 people - which included actors Stephen Fry and Simon Pegg - gave the star a standing ovation when he hit the stage for the 90-minute talk, according to The Irish Times.

He fondly remembered how his life changed when he met up with the rest of The Fab Four - especially John.

"The four of us miraculously found each other," he said, explaining he and Lennon, who was shot and killed in 1980, shared a deep connection.

"It's like walking up a staircase and we've always been side by side on that staircase. I'm like a fan. I just remember how great it was to work with him and how great he was. Because you are not just messing around, you are not singing with Joe Bloggs, you are singing with John Lennon."

But Macca still has one huge regret now his pal is no longer around - he never told John he loved him.

"As 17-year-old Liverpool kids you could never say that. It just wasn't done," he shared.

"So I never really said, 'John, love you mate.' I never got around to it, so now it's great to know how much I love this man."
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During a press conference, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner addresses the report saying that the crowd was sent into panic after someone allegedly injected festivalgoers with some drugs.

Nov 8, 2021

AceShowbiz - Police are taking into consideration a swirling report which says that someone injected drugs to Astroworld Festival concertgoers. Following the tragedy at the Friday night, November 5 show, there has been a claim that a would-be culprit injected folks with a syringe, causing panic instead of surge.

During a press conference on Saturday, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner confirmed that at least one person fell unconscious after seemingly having been injected with drug. "We do have a report of a security officer, according to the medical staff that was out and treated him last night, that he was reaching over to restrain or grab a citizen and he felt a prick in his neck," Finner said.

"When he was examined - he went unconscious - they administered Narcan," the police chief continued. "He was revived, and the medical staff did notice notice a prick that was similar to a prick that you would get if somebody was trying to inject."

Finner, however, implored everyone to refrain from making assumptions out of respect of the victims' families. "A lot of narratives out there right now, on social media and even last night," he noted. "I think that all of us need to be respectful of the families and make sure we follow the facts and the evidence."

He later assured that police are investigating the report of possible drug injection at the festival as stating, "And that's what we're trying to do here in the Houston Police Department  This is now a criminal investigation that's going to involve our homicide division as well as narcotics."

Meanwhile, the New York Times reports that Finner visited Travis Scott (II) in his trailer to warn him of the dangers of continuing with the show ahead of his set at the Astroworld Festival. Fire Chief Samuel Pena went on insinuating that the rapper was responsible for the chaos as he refused to pause the show.

"The one person who can really call for and get a tactical pause when something goes wrong is that performer. They have that bully pulpit and they have a responsibility," Pena told the news outlet in a telephone interview on Sunday. "If somebody would have said, 'Hey, shut this thing down and turn on the lights until this thing gets corrected' - and that coming from the person with the mic - I think could have been very helpful."

Finner declined to confirm whether the private conversation took place, pending investigations.

Eight people were killed at the Astroworld Festival and many others were injured. In a statement released on Twitter in the wake of the tragedy, Scott said, "I'm honestly just devastated and I could never imagine anything like this happening. We're actually working right now to identify the families so we can help assist them through this tough time... I could just never understand the severity of the situation."
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The Jake Jagielski depicter on 'One Tree Hill', who secretly welcomed his new bundles of joy with his wife a little over a week ago, unveils his newborn babies' sex with a cute photo of two little pairs of Timberland boots.

Nov 8, 2021

AceShowbiz - Bryan Greenberg has offered more details of his newborn twins, whom he secretly welcomed with his wife Jamie Chung. The Jake Jagielski depicter on "One Tree Hill" revealed his babies' sex with a cute post he shared on his social media account.

On Saturday, November 6, the 43-year-old dad took to his Instagram Story to treat his fans and followers to a cute photo of two little pairs of Timberland boots. "My boys will be ready for NYC," he wrote over the snap.

Bryan Greenberg revealed his newborn twins' sex via Instagram Story.

Bryan and Jamie announced their twin baby boys' arrival on October 24. At that time, the "How to Make It in America" alum posted a video of himself resting the two newborn babies against his chest. "We got double the trouble now @jamiejchung," he captioned the post. In the comment section, Jamie replied with two red heart emojis.

Just days after announcing that they secretly welcomed twin babies, Jamie debuted the first photo of her newborn baby. On October 26, "The Hangover Part II" actress shared a selfie that saw her with her newborn sleeping on her chest. She also held the baby's hand in the snap. "x2," she captioned her post.

Jamie's post was flooded with loving messages from her celebrity pals. "ABHHHHHH BABEEEEEE. congratulations my loveeee," Vanessa Hudgens commented, while Jaime King wrote, "Congratulations my love I'm so happy for you both."

"Vanderpump Rules" star Scheana Shay went on to chime in, "Congrats!!!!!!" adding lots of smiling face with heart-shaped eyes emojis. In the meantime, Olivia Munn left several pink heart with arrow emojis.

Prior to their babies' arrival, Jamie, who decided to freeze her eggs two years ago, didn't seem to drop any hints about her pregnancy at her recent events. On October 14, she attended the Women's Image Awards where she looked chic in a red suit. Then on October 2, "Lovecraft Country" actress flaunted her toned abs in a crop top and skirt at Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic in Los Angeles when she and Bryan walked the red carpet together.
Instagram/WENN/Adriana M. Barraza Celebrity

In a clip which has gone viral, the news anchor looks infatuated with the 'Don't Look Up' actor when they greet each other at the LACMA Art + Film gala with her boyfriend by her side.

Nov 9, 2021

AceShowbiz - Lauren Sanchez may have scored her dream man, but that cannot hide the fact that she's a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio. The girlfriend of Jeff Bezos was caught publicly flirting with the actor in front of her boyfriend.

On Saturday, November 6, Lauren, Jeff and Leo were among the star-studded guests at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's 10th Art + Film gala. During a chance encounter, the couple greeted the Oscar-winning actor and vice versa, but the news anchor's reaction caught the attention of social media users.

In short footage of their encounter, Lauren was seen standing with her body inclined toward Leo's direction while her billionaire boyfriend was standing by her side. She looked infatuated with the environmental activist as she couldn't keep her eyes off of him.

Leo appeared to keep things cordial as he seemed to ignore her flirty body language, but occasionally took a glance at her to talk to her. He also alternately looked at Jeff's direction while speaking with the pair before walking ahead of them.

A Twitter user posted the video and trolled Jeff as writing in the caption, "200 billion and his girl still scouting lmao give up." Others, however, mocked Lauren for her seemingly shameful behavior in front of her boyfriend. "She really did all that right in front of her man," one pointed out.

Another alleged, "She really was flirting in front of the billionaire, she probably treats him like s**t with a dash of love." A third critic said, "Chile...ooohhh, the shame. She with a billionaire and STILLL he ain't enough over Leo! Welping me softly!"

"Lord, she looked DESPERATE! Sad. And Leo was like, Nah no thanks and couldn't get away fast enough," someone blasted the former "Extra" anchor. Another slammed her, "That's embarrassing. She looked parched, and right in front of her man."

One person, meanwhile, has come to Lauren's defense as arguing, "A woman simply being kind or friendly does not equal flirting. Don't play into this bulls**t, please."
WENN/Instar Celebrity

Tyrone A Blackburn, a lawyer of Kenneth's sexual assault victim Jennifer Hough, claims that members of the Makk Balla Brims gang has harassed his client online.

Nov 8, 2021

AceShowbiz - Nicki Minaj and Kenneth Petty have been hit with another accusation amid their legal dispute with his sexual assault victim. A lawyer of Jennifer Hough claimed that the married couple is affiliated with the Makk Balla Brims gang based in Queens, New York.

"[Kenneth] Petty and Maraj were both in this district, in Jamaica, Queens, New York," Tyrone A Blackburn told a judge. "As seen on an Instagram live video currently up on Maraj's Instagram page, both Maraj and Petty were seen associating with members of the Makk Ballers set of the Bloods Gang. Petty and Maraj are both members of this gang."

Tyrone then alleged that the members of the gang had harassed his client online. He said, "Shortly after Petty and Maraj are spotted with their gangster colleagues, a member of the gang posted a death threat to Ms. Hough on Twitter, stating: 'Jennifer if you see this, the Makks are coming to get you.' "

Jennifer filed her lawsuit against Nicki and Kenneth back in August as she accused them of intentional infliction of emotional distress, harassment as well as witness intimidation. She claimed the "Anaconda" femcee sent her lawyers to her home to pressure her into withdrawing her rape allegations. Prior to that, the "Bang Bang" hitmaker reportedly tried to bribe Jennifer's brother through her assistants, but the attempts didn't work.

Kenneth was convicted and placed on a sex offender list, but Nicki has always maintained her husband and Jennifer were dating at the time of the incident. However, the victim already denied the star's claims, telling Garcelle Beauvais and Adrienne Bailon on "The Real", "We both were 16, we were never in a relationship. I just felt woman to woman that was wrong of her."

As for Jennifer, she has filed a $15 million default judgment against Nicki and Kenneth. She took the move because the hip-hop star and her husband allegedly ignored her lawsuit.
The sun sets earlier this evening given the time change (4:58pm now), so keep those jackets or extra layers handy if you are out and about tonight! We will be seeing the clouds passing through overnight. They will clear out by morning, but this will keep temperatures in the upper 30s to low 40s for most of the valley as it provides some insulation for the heat.

Monday will be a day of transition. We begin the week clear, but clouds will be increasing throughout the day as our next system moves into Northern California Monday night into Tuesday morning. This system will bring rain and wind to the valley, and snow to the higher elevations. Overall models have been backing off on the amount of rain for the valley these last few days, but for now, about an inch of rain is possible. With the snow, its more difficult to forecast totals given the snow level will be shifting over the course of the storm. The most amount of snow will be in higher elevations such as Mt. Shasta, Lassen Peak, and the northern mountains of Trinity County. Wherever you are in the mountains and snow is falling, do be prepared for impacts to travel.

By Tuesday, this system will move on, but the clouds and showers will linger over the course of the day. Temperatures will drop for the valley, barely breaking out of the mid to upper 50s. Wednesday is when we begin the transition to a string of drier and warmer days. Am showers are possible, but short lived, giving way to a partly cloudy sky. This sets us up for warmer temperatures to take hold by Thursday(Veterans Day) and lasting through the weekend as highs top off in the low 70s for Friday and Saturday.
Hyundai Motor India launches its new brand campaign - Beyond Mobility, reinforcing Hyundais commitment towards the need of Indian Sustainable Socials

Based on Hyundais Global Vision of Progress for Humanity the new brand campaign has been developed on three pillars  Intelligent Technology, Sustainability and Innovation

The Beyond Mobility brand film depicts Intelligent technology, innovative solutions enhancing consumer lifestyle experiences and Hyundais commitment for better planet.

Sustainability initiatives through technology products like Zero emission EVs to Hydrogen powered Fuel cell vehicles, Hyundai is extending its environment friendly efforts Beyond Mobility i.e., across manufacturing and network

Beyond Mobility

Mumbai/ Gurugram, November 08, 2021  Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL), countrys first smart mobility solutions provider and largest exporter since inception, today introduced its new brand campaign Beyond Mobility that encapsulates the companys commitment and aspirations for the India of tomorrow. Drawing its inspiration from Hyundais Global Vision of Progress for Humanity, the Beyond Mobility campaign has been pegged on three pillars of Intelligent Technology, Sustainability and Innovation.

Commenting on the campaign introduction, Mr. S S Kim, MD & CEO, Hyundai Motor India, said, Hyundai has embarked on a journey to further strengthen its brand image as technologically advanced, sustainable and innovative. As a customer centric organization, we aim to elevate customer interactions with our brand, not just in the realms of mobility but create experiences that are beyond what is conventional. We understand that time is our most precious possession and we want to empower our customers with quality time. So we are redefining our services and experiences that create memories and surpass expectations of our customer thereby delivering quality time. Under the aegis of Hyundais global vision of Progress for Humanity, HMIs new brand campaign Beyond Mobility reinforces its commitment of future mobility which is intelligent and thrives with sustainability.

Launched nationwide, the campaign reinstates Hyundais global vision of Progress for Humanity- to help people understand and believe that tomorrows hyper connected automobiles will not only have advanced technology power their core, but also have intuitive features greatly enrich their lives. Capturing the evolving consumer needs and technological developments, the campaign illustrates HMIs approach to be the consumers lifetime partner. The brand campaign will encapsulate the companys capabilities to go beyond in every aspect of customers smart mobility experiences and has been developed on three pillars:

Intelligent Technology - is at the heart of everything that we do:

At Hyundai, we are developing technologies - that are intelligent, advanced and future ready. Technologies that deliver quality network experiences for consumers. Technologies that go beyond mobility by being a part of customers experiences and lifestyle.

We are continuously elevating customer experiences with technologies that are intelligent, advanced and future ready, taking customers beyond mobility with solutions that synergize with their lifestyle. Helping customers spend Quality Time with their loved ones while on the move, Hyundai offers advanced connected solutions with Bluelink that is available on 8 models in India, with up to 60+ connected features on certain models. Moving forward, we will engage with people, reinforce their connections and strive to create new ones at every single touch point.

This will be perfectly reflected in new digital ready, convenience driven approach to pre-sales, deliveries, services and more.

Sustainability - holding the key to the future:

Hyundais vision for future mobility is guided by our commitment to create a brighter and better tomorrow for Humanity. Sustainability holds the key to our future, and at Hyundai we continue to focus on creating sustainable solutions that dont just create a positive impact for customers but for humanity as well.

Through our initiatives across verticals, we will continue to evolve our processes, revisiting resource management from a renewable lens and become a beacon of hope for the sustainable progress of society and communities. Our environment initiatives, across our factory, dealer network and services aim to contribute towards betterment of society and nature.

Our manufacturing facility at Chennai is almost self-sustainable in terms of its reliance on water. We practice 100% rainwater harvesting at the manufacturing facility. With 6 ponds providing a total water storage capacity of 3.35 lakh kilo liters, we aim at absolute self-sustenance  targeting zero external water dependency by 2025. In addition to that, 89% of the plants reliance is on renewable forms of energy.

Our environmental initiatives are not only limited to factory but we are also taking these initiatives to our dealer network through initiatives like Dry Wash program, usage of LED lights and harnessing renewable energy.

The significance of all of these efforts and actions converge with a common purpose of creating a better tomorrow. Consumers will be able to see a side of Hyundai that truly brings prosperity to this country.

Innovation - ushering in a new era of choices

Hyundai has been at the heart of innovation across the automotive landscape. With our evolution from a manufacturer to a smart mobility solutions provider, we have redefined customers mobility experiences. We are moving forward with a vision to engage with people and striving to make every brand interaction a memorable one for our customers. We are therefore evolving towards creating an innovative ecosystem that takes care of everything with it  choice of transmissions, convenience to own, lifestyle membership programs and much more. Our Click to Buy end to end car buying platform is getting great traction from our customers delivering them seamless engagement with the brand. With our 30+ partners on Hyundai Mobility Membership, we are offering lifestyle solutions to our customers making their journey with Hyundai memorable.

The campaign is curated to promote Hyundais focus on intelligent technologies, sustainable initiatives and innovations that usher era of choices to our new age customers. It captures how user needs are evolving towards an integrated ecosystem and beautifully depicts the future of mobility that can deliver meaningful experiences making every moment truly worthwhile and rewarding.

The 360 outreach campaign will utilize print, TV, radio & digital medium and will showcase multi-dimensional visual perspective using minimal elements for bringing out Beyond Mobility as the core of the Hyundais campaign.
Akshay Bardapurkars Planet Marathi and Piiyush Singhs Golden Ratio Films bring UK's biggest Independent film studio onboard. Black Hangar Studios is the name behind many Hollywood productions like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Dark Tide, The Grand Tour, 24: Live Another Day, and many more. Also with the support from American film studio ORWO Studios, the name behind Hollywood productions like The Magnificent Seven, Maze Runner, Twilight, and many more. After making high-octane action Indian films like RA One, Black Hangar Studios and ORWO Studios is back in India but this time for a Marathi- Hollywood Film. Never before in the history of Marathi films, the industry has witnessed such a phenomenon. This is all a product of Akshay Bardapurkars vision to take Marathi films to an international level. Planet Marathi, a Vistas Media Capital takes the story of Moghul Mardini Chhatrapati Tararani.

The film will be titled Moghul Mardini Chhatrapati Tararani and is based on one of the greatest epics of valor of the warrior queen Chhatrapati Tararani who fought with the Mughals, Nizamshahi, Aadilshahi, Qutubshahi, Dutch, British, Portuguese, Siddis at the same time! The one who gave tough resistance to Aurangzeb till his grave dug into his own military camp, and ended his dream of destroying the Swarajya! All this while she was widowed at the tender age of 25. This story of the greatness of Maratha women, Marathi pride and Swarajya, will be brought to life on the celluloid by a team of experts. Chhatrapati Tararani will be directed by popular Marathi director Rahul Jadhav. With films like Hello Nandan and Murder Mestry under his belt, Rahul aims to make the story of Chhatrapati Tararanis great valor a memorable chapter in the history of the Marathi film industry too. After the massive success of Amitabh Bachchan starrer Marathi film AB Aani CD; filmmaker Akshay Bardapurkar has teamed up with Piiyush Singhs Golden Ratio for three new Marathi films namely Goshta Eka Paithanichi, Chandramukhi, and now Chhatrapati Tararani. The film will star the Hirkani of Marathi films, actress Sonalee Kulkarni in the lead. The actress has already proven her talent in historical and period films in the past. Her diverse range of performances certainly raises the bar for expectations from the film.

Planet Marathi CMD, Akshay Bardapurkar says, Chhatrapati Tararani is going to be a golden page in the history of Marathi cinema. Planet Marathi and Golden Ratio are proud to take the story of the Maratha warrior queen Chhatrapati Tararani to the world. This will be the first and one of the biggest Marathi-Hollywood films to go on floors with an international film studio. It is too soon to reveal more details about the film but we have a talented blend of filmmakers, musicians, and artists that are working hard to bring this beautiful presentation to our Marathi audiences. I strongly believe this film has the potential to take Marathi cinema at a newer height."

Black Hangar Studios and ORWO Studios is excited to be a part of an Indian regional film that narrates the historical epic. Jake Seal, CEO says, After working with the Indian Sci-fi genre we are excited to create the experience for a historical period drama. The story itself moves us and with the promise that Planet Marathi brings in filmmaking we are thrilled to see where this journey leads us. We aim to make films more engaging for global audiences irrespective of the language and medium and we are committed to making the story come alive.

Piiyush Singh, Cofounder, Golden Ratio Films said, We are excited for the first ever Marathi Hollywood historical film which will definitely be the most awaited one for 2022. The title itself comes with huge responsibility to us and the entire team is working to bring out the best for the viewers.

This mega-blockbuster, one-of-a-kind, film will be produced in both Marathi and English. Chhatrapati Tararani will create history yet again, this time as a first-ever Marathi Hollywood film. The makers are planning a Diwali 2022 release in India and overseas for this mammoth project.
One of Indias growing bike-taxi apps Rapido announced its first celebrity campaign Smart ho, toh Rapido. Rapidos strategic objective behind the campaign is to portray itself as a customer-centric brand and educate people about its key offerings and USPs. This is the first time the company has roped in movie stars to spread awareness about its unique services, intending to strengthen its presence in the market and transform daily commute for the better.

Going live from 5th November, the six-week-long campaign will run two films each for HSM and Non-HSM markets, directed by Sizil Srivastava (HSM)&Trivikram Srinivas (Non-HSM)and produced by Dream Vault media. Featuring stars Ranveer Singh and Allu Arjun, the campaign will air on OOH, Radio, TV, and Digital platforms Pan India, focusing on 14 cities.Rapido Head of Marketing Amit Verma said: We are delighted to introduce our first celebrity campaign with Ranveer Singh and Allu Arjun. Both these brilliant actors will help us seed the idea of using Rapido as an alternative yet regular medium of travel among the masses, ushering in an era of affordable and convenient daily commute.As a part of the ad campaign, Ranveer Singh and Allu Arjun will entertain their fans by enacting the roles of Babban and Guru, both smart and clever personalities. Their unique and interesting characters will guide the daily commuters, who are fed up with the hassles of traveling by buses/autos, to opt for a smart option like Rapido. The bike taxis offered by Rapido can swiftly cut through the traffic to offer timely, convenient, and pocket-friendly rides.Ranveer Singh said: I am glad to be associated with Rapido. I enjoyed collaborating on our first campaign together. It was a delightful experience shooting for this ad film, playing a peculiar character (Babban) who has a unique and original style and persona. Rapido is all set to make waves and Im happy to contribute my bit in what Im sure will be a successful endeavor.I like to consider myself as a person who knows how to tackle a situation with the best possible solution. Thats why I was excited when Rapido approached me for the role of Guru, which resembles me. What Rapido is doing is quite exceptional and Im happy to be a part of this campaign, which will help them scale their market presence to new heights, added Allu Arjun.Rapidos utmost commitment to quick commerce and the hyperlocal delivery sector has allowed the company to recover its overall revenue by 85% compared to pre-COVID levels. Post acquiring $52 million funding in August 2021. The company is set to scale its business operations, including expanding its auto fleet to 5 lakh by the end of 2021.
If its about Roadies, its all about adventure and excitement! Blend it up with a picturesque location, all the way to saat samundar paar with the desi swag, you have Season 18 calling you! Indias longest running adventure reality show promises to be grander this time and is set to jet off to South Africa for the ultimate journey.

Amidst the discussions on multiple locations like Dubai, Bahrain and Russia, the channel has confirmed the final location as South Africa for this season. This is the first time Roadies will ride across the South African terrain. The Roadies troop will hit the road and create a pitstop at 10 different locations, exploring and Safar-ing in SA.

Deborah Polycarp, Head - MTV Content Originals, Viacom18 said, The very spirit of Roadies lies in adventure and newness. To up the ante this time around as Roadies turns 18, we thought why not rewrite the very definition of adventure for the fans! Making Roadies all the more exciting, this time, we are racing to glory on the roads of South Africa to create some historic moments that will get our adrenaline pumping for years to come. The fans have a lot of surprises to look forward to and we cant wait to unfold them as we go along in this journey. The only thing I would want to tell all the Roadies fans right now is, let the race begin in South Africa.

The shoot for Season 18 on Roadies is expected to start mid-December and will soon air on MTV India.
While the global pandemic has bought economies to a halt and massively disrupted businesses, it has also fuelled start-up dreams and we even saw several Indian start-ups achieve Unicorn status during the pandemic period. The times have never been better for the budding entrepreneurs to give wings to their start-up dreams.

The Government, too, has come up with various schemes to support its Vocal for Local drive. A case in point is the recent Rs 1,000 crore Start-up India Seed Fund announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Start-up India International Summit 2021 held earlier this year.

Adgully is turning the spotlight on the entrepreneurs who fought against all odds to bring their dreams to fruition in our special series  START-UP STARS. We at Adgully wholeheartedly support the Vocal for Local movement and over the next few months will be featuring all local/ homegrown businesses, brands and Apps.

Toothsi is a start-up founded by Dr Pravin Shetty, Dr Arpi Shah, Dr Anirudh Kale and Dr Manjul Jain, who were all practicing orthodontists before they collaborated and established Indias first and largest at-home smile makeover service brand in November 2018. Dr Pravin Shetty, Co-founder, toothsi, went to Germany to learn lingual orthodontics. Upon his return, he was equipped to offer invisible lingual orthodontic treatment to all the patients looking to correct their crooked and protruded teeth.

However, not only did this technique require higher orthodontic skills, it also required patients to wear braces 24/7. This often led to occasions when a patient would need to book an emergency appointment on account of brackets becoming loose. To address this issue, Shetty went to France and Korea to learn more about aligner technology which was present in the US and Europe. Having received his training, Shetty returned to set up his laboratory and 3D printing unit in India and tried to make aligners more affordable for customers in the country. Over a period of time, the four orthodontists launched toothsi Clear Aligners with the aim to offering all demographics the opportunity to sport a confident smile irrespective of which age group they belong to.

Shettys toothsi journey is an extension of his commitment to the field of orthodontics, in which he continues to serve various roles. He is the first orthodontist in India to develop and patent the countrys first CAD/CAM-based lingual orthodontic system, known as Lingualmatrix.

In an exclusive conversation with Adgully, Dr Pravin Shetty, Co-founder, toothsi, speaks about how this company founded by orthodontists is catering to customers dental requirements, introducing technological innovations, as well as plans to become an end-to-end provider of smile makeover services, and more.

What gap did you want to fulfill with your start-up? What is the core business proposition?

During the conceptualisation of toothsi, our interactions with different stakeholders helped us confirm the need for better teeth-straightening services in India. Getting metal braces has been the conventional option available to people seeking smile correction services. The absence of a less-conspicuous alternative meant that adults who are required to navigate various social spheres would typically decide to forego this service altogether. This is because the prevailing belief has been that orthodontic treatment is best suited for individuals below 20 years of age. Through Clear Aligners, we aim to challenge this notion as we strongly believe that every person, irrespective of age, deserves to be given access to smile correction services aligned with their preferences, sensibilities, and needs.

Instead of metal braces, we provide our customers with invisible dental aligners crafted using best-in-class materials and advanced technology. These aligners are specifically designed according to each customers dental requirements, making the experience of wearing them super comfortable. At toothsi, we follow a D2C, customer-oriented model to enhance customers experiences at each step of their smile correction journey.

We have benefited from the first-mover advantage of being a smile makeover brand that offers teeth straightening service at the customers homes. As soon as a customer fixes an appointment with us, a scan of their dental structure is conducted followed by an in-depth analysis by our team of expert orthodontists. The tech-enabled analysis allows us to provide our customers with a preview of how their smile will look post-treatment. Once it is approved by the customers, the toothsi aligners are manufactured and delivered to them.

How did you identify your TG? Did you carry out any feasibility study prior to starting your business?

People around the world usually have their first orthodontic consultation by the age of 7. However, in India, dental care is not prioritised until early adulthood. As a result, the idea of getting metal braces for almost 2 years discourages many from seeking teeth straightening services. In fact, less than 10% of more than 600 million Indians access smile correction services. At toothsi, we aim to deliver state-of-the-art technology and a best-in-class digital aligner system to all the individuals looking to get their smiles corrected discreetly and cost-efficiently on the back of invisible, removable, and customised dental aligners. Our dream is to make this technology available to every Indian so that they can flaunt a confident smile and lead an active social life.

Our prime target audience includes young, aspirational urban consumers falling in the age bracket of 18-35 years. This is the age group that could not access teeth-straightening services in their childhood due to reasons ranging from a lack of awareness to financial constraints. Today, these individuals are part of Indias affluent workforce with a growing disposable income on their hands. Consequently, young adults in the country are increasingly accessing smile correction services. However, they want the orthodontic treatment to take place discreetly, a provision that traditional metal braces do not allow for. Clear Aligners perfectly meets the requirements of the modern Indian. The logistical convenience enabled by at-home scanning facility and digital consultation during the COVID era is another crucial factor contributing to the growing popularity of modern smile makeover services among the new-age Indian customers.

What were the challenges that you faced in your start-up journey and how did you overcome them?

Toothsis journey since the beginning has been exciting, satisfactory, and consistent. We have been fortunate enough to witness more ups than downs in our journey so far. Since its conception, the idea of a convenient and hassle-free teeth correction was alien to our prospective clients as well as investors. In fact, we received some 25-odd queries within a month of our websites launch, inquiring about the product and how it works. Thus, began our journey where these initial few customers helped to spread the word by posting testimonials, reviews and pre- and post-treatment images to keep the momentum going. We are grateful to have designed more than 25,000 smile plans so far. Customer advocacy and word-of-mouth have helped us maximise our outreach campaigns. We have also spent a good amount of time in educating people and peers by providing appropriate content across channels.

Our internal growth journey is a reflection of our business growth. From a team of 15 talented and dedicated orthodontists, we are now a team of more than 1,000, including tech enthusiasts, veteran orthodontists, dentists, and business-minded individuals, working in partnership with more than 2,000 clinics across 13 cities in India. These include Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Surat, Chandigarh, Indore, Pune, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Lucknow, and Ahmedabad.

When we started in 2018, the prospects were looking optimistic. Then COVID-19 arrived on Indian shores in March 2020. The harsh lockdowns made it difficult for us to reach out to our customers and keep our operations running. However, our determination and vigor kept us going such that we were able to get our operations back on track during, and despite, the pandemic. Our tech system empowered our orthodontic experts to conduct treatment planning, share files and data, and connect with patients for monitoring and consultation remotely. Our tech infrastructure also allowed us to manufacture clear aligners and deliver them to the customers at their doorstep.

The convenience enabled by a customer-centric focus coupled with strict compliance with safety protocols increasingly encouraged the customers to embrace our services. As a result, we managed to clock a 40% quarter-on-quarter growth since the initial lockdowns were implemented. Another major factor that contributed to the increased demand for smile makeover services is that the lockdowns gave people the opportunity to focus on self-care and try things they had been postponing until then. Beyond self-care, people recognized the importance of teeth straightening on account of the rise of videoconferencing as the primary mode of professional meetings. Video calls exaggerate the features of the face, which made prospective beneficiaries conscious of their smiles, thereby feeding their desire to sport a more confident smile.

At toothsi, we were equipped to address this growing need-gap. Our goal is to establish ourselves as an end-to-end provider of smile makeover services. This includes educating the prospective beneficiaries of the treatment about its benefits to designing the ideal smile plan for each customer and monitoring their progress to ensure that each customer can possess the smile they desire.

Funds/ finance is the prime issue of almost all start-ups. What can the industry and the Government do to address this issue and ease the capital requirements of start-ups?

The government must focus on improving the infrastructure across the value chain for primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors. The focus has always been there but, especially in the post-pandemic landscape, the development needs to be accelerated if we are to emerge from the throes of the viral outbreak better, healthier, more prepared and prosperous. The start-up ecosystem is resilient and also comprises the key to unlocking the accelerated post-pandemic recovery and subsequent progress. To make that process more seamless, the government should look to institute a one-window system for offering clearances across all the levels to fast-track the administrative processes and ease the regulatory friction. The government has already set up accelerator and incubator programs and has instituted funds to bolster the start-up activity in the country. The countrys economic growth, in part, will also hinge on how much and how soon the government can ramp up the scale and speed of these policy measures to drive sustained growth. In 2019, the government took a welcome step of exempting DPIIT-registered start-ups from the ambit of angel tax. The government can take more of such steps to offer more tax benefits to young start-ups to aid their growth journey.

Prime Minister Modi has just announced a Startup India Seed Fund. How do you see start-ups benefiting from it?

India is home to more than 41,000 start-ups, with more than 30 start-ups in the elite Unicorn club. This makes India the third-largest start-up ecosystem in the world. There are many high-potential ideas that could be established as start-ups; however, many ideas seldom flourish mainly due to a lack of adequate funding. I believe that the Startup India Seed Fund can remove the financial obstacle from the entrepreneurial journeys of many ventures, especially at the product trial stage. This government initiative is inclined to prove beneficial for the start-up sector by empowering entrepreneurs hailing from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities as well. Doing this will consolidate Indias position as one of the worlds top start-up ecosystems.

How is digital helping you further your business?

Our business model is primarily D2C, which enables us to deliver services digitally, minimising in-person interaction across the treatment period. Customers have the option of fixing an appointment with toothsi professionals for a free-of-charge digital intra-oral scan at their homes.

Following this step, everything takes place remotely. We have associated with one of the worlds top intra-oral scanner manufacturers based in Denmark. We have integrated their digital technology to enable seamless transfer of digital files to and from the customer sitting in any location in India. The aligners are then manufactured based on scan results and delivered to the customer with the necessary paraphernalia. Customers are then required to consult the orthodontic experts digitally. This approach minimises the physical contact environment across the value chain. Naturally, this model has proven to be even more successful in the post-pandemic landscape.

Moreover, leveraging the virtual space has helped us in scaling our operations to the increasing demand without compromising on efficiency. For instance, tools like video calling enable our customer service team to provide continued support to our customers throughout their journey with toothsi. We are also deliberating to start a hybrid model incorporating the best of both physical and digital worlds, once the pandemic subsides.

What were your key learnings from 2020? How do you see the start-up ecosystem progressing in 2021?

The advent of the pandemic forced the business world to transform the way it was used to functioning. The new normal was dictated by restrictions on physical movement and congregation. This meant that brands needed to find new ways of engagement that did not rely on in-person interactions. This is where digital technology stepped in to help businesses work around the said challenge. If there is one key takeaway from the past year, it is that technology is our friend. Another lesson is that discerning brands are agile: they can shift their sails in sync with the shifting tides and flow of winds. Businesses that were unable to transform their strategies found it more difficult to survive the post-pandemic storm. On the other hand, businesses that were in step with the latest developments were able to weather this storm.

However, the future of the start-up ecosystem is not just digital, it is also empathetic. The pandemic-led isolation and loss of human touch led people to recognise the value of social interactions that they took for granted before 2020. Brands need to be mindful of this change in consumer sensibilities if they are to effectively reach out to them. Because customers seek and value empathy not just in the way services are delivered, but also in the way brands engage with them. In line with this twin focus, brands must become empathetech to acquire, retain, and engage with customers in the long run. Finally, the pandemic taught us that newer challenges can open up different avenues. Discerning brands that can turn adversities into opportunities will be able to survive and thrive in the wake of any disruption in the future.

What would be your message for the budding entrepreneurs?

The only thing constant in life is change. We must always be prepared to embrace the change and reconfigure our strategies in its wake. The future is unpredictable. Therefore, the only certainty in your entrepreneurial journey will need to come from your end: the certainty of determination, perseverance, and continued innovation. While it may not be possible to control what happens to you, you can indeed control how you react to it. For this, entrepreneurs must inculcate agility and be forever invested in the habit of continuous learning, unlearning, and re-learning. This is how you can identify and capitalise on the opportunities that will help you advance towards your vision. Finally, when in doubt, it is a good habit to default to a people-first approach to decision-making. True empathy is reflected in the decisions you make not just when it comes to business outcomes, but also within the organisation.
Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research

Bern, 08.11.2021 - On 9 November, President Guy Parmelin, as head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, will attend the annual meeting of the EFTA and the EU ministers of finance and economy (known as the EFTA ECOFIN meeting).

At their annual gathering, EFTA and the EU representatives address current economic policy issues. In addition to Switzerland, EFTA also includes Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The focus this year is on developments since the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic recovery. The EFTA States and the EU have close economic and political links, which provide an opportunity for regular exchange on current challenges and joint solutions.

Mr Parmelin will address the economic situation in Switzerland and outline the countrys economic transition strategy. The Federal Council aims to normalise the situation by supporting recovery with tried and tested instruments, while at the same time strengthening the economy in the long term. Other topics include the importance of international cooperation and open markets, current supply bottlenecks, bilateral relations between Switzerland and the EU, and the need for a sustainable financial policy in order to be prepared for future challenges.

At their annual gathering, EFTA and the EU representatives address current economic policy issues. In addition to Switzerland, EFTA also includes Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The focus this year is on developments since the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic recovery. The EFTA States and the EU have close economic and political links, which provide an opportunity for regular exchange on current challenges and joint solutions.

Mr Parmelin will address the economic situation in Switzerland and outline the countrys economic transition strategy. The Federal Council aims to normalise the situation by supporting recovery with tried and tested instruments, while at the same time strengthening the economy in the long term. Other topics include the importance of international cooperation and open markets, current supply bottlenecks, bilateral relations between Switzerland and the EU, and the need for a sustainable financial policy in order to be prepared for future challenges.

Doorstep



A doorstep interview will be held for the media before the start of the ECOFIN meeting and afterwards (at 8am and 10am respectively).

Address for enquiries

EAER Communication, Tel. +41 58 462 20 07, info@gs-wbf.admin.ch

Publisher

Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research

http://www.wbf.admin.ch




General Secretariat of the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications; General Secretariat DETEC

Bern, 08.11.2021 - Federal Councillor Simonetta Sommaruga met in Bern today with Teresa Ribeiro, the Representative on Freedom of the Media at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Talks focused on the challenges in Switzerland and abroad surrounding freedom of opinion, freedom of the media and protecting members of the media.

In their talks, Ms Sommaruga and Ms Ribeiro emphasised how vital journalists are for a functioning democracy and expressed their concern over the increasingly frequent attacks on members of the media during the pandemic. Ms Sommaruga talked about the national action plan that Switzerland will create to protect media professionals, a move that Ms Ribeiro welcomed. They also discussed the growing incidence of hate speech and disinformation on the internet and possible approaches to regulating online platforms.

Ms Ribeiro will be visiting Switzerland for two days. Her schedule includes meetings with FDFA State Secretary Livia Leu and with media industry representatives.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of Media is an institute that plays a central role in promoting freedom of expression and freedom of the media in the Euro-Atlantic area. The Representative also provides early warning of infringements and attacks on the media and media professionals, and prepares twice-yearly reports for the OSCE Permanent Council analysing their situation in member states.

Teresa Ribeiro has held this role since 2020. Switzerland supports the Representatives mandate politically and financially through projects on protecting women journalists online and on the effect of artificial intelligence on freedom of opinion.

Address for enquiries

Federal Office of Communications OFCOM

Press Service

+41 58 460 55 50, media@bakom.admin.ch

Publisher

General Secretariat of the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications; General Secretariat DETEC

https://www.uvek.admin.ch/uvek/en/home.html



Federal Office of Communications

http://www.ofcom.admin.ch




Alton, IL (62002)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 59F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 27F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph.
Karen Kain's daughter Lorrin was severely injured by a routine childhoo vaccination. She died at age 15. Her mother is a powerful force in the vaccine community. Or should we say, the growing vaccine safety community? Below, she speaks out about the COVID vaccine and the PREP act which removes product liability during a pandemic.



###



Author: Rebecca Lindstrom

Published: 7:58 PM EDT October 8, 2020

11 Alive



ATLANTA  To build confidence in a COVID-19 vaccine, manufacturers have taken the highly unusual step of sharing their testing methods and pledged to keep politics out of the process. But the federal government is accused of doing the opposite, eroding public trust at a time when its needed most.

At issue, is how the government will handle adverse reactions or injuries associated with the vaccine. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) plans to use the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP).

It was created to cover damage caused by treatments for pandemics and security threats such as H1N1 and Ebola. In the past decade, 446 people filed claims, 39 were approved, but only 29 received compensation. Thats because HHS says the other 10 didnt have any medical expenses to reimburse. In all, $5.7 million has been paid out to vaccine injured through the program.

CICP is considered a compensation program of last resort. It only pays the medical costs or lost wages that were not covered by any other program and it does not pay anything for pain and suffering.

It is an administrative program controlled strictly by the secretary, attorney Mike Milmoe explained. Read more and see video at 11 Alive, Atlanta, Georgia.
CAVALIER, N.D.  Fifth-generation farmer and military veteran Sgt. Craig Vaughn was out removing cornstalks in one of his corn fields on Oct. 26, in preparation for next spring.

Weve finished with harvest and Im doing fieldwork now, he said.

Vaughn farms in Cavalier, N.D., in the northeastern corner of the state, with his wife, Kelly, and two kids, Weston, 6, and Maggie, 4, who will be the sixth-generations on the farm/ranch.

The family grows corn, wheat, soybeans, field peas and alfalfa hay, and raises seedstock registered Limousin.

They cut and bale hay in the summer for winter feed, as well as grow corn silage as part of the feed mix.

We do have some corn stalks we plan to graze this fall, he said.

Growing up on the farm, Vaughn enjoyed helping his dad, Tom, with farming and raising cattle. His dad began breeding seedstock Limousin some 40 years ago.

We have our own cows, but I raise purebred Limousin with my brother, David, and my Dad, Vaughn said. Farming and ranching is probably one of the only jobs where you can work with your family, and it definitely has its benefits.

Vaughn likes Limousin purebred cattle, and they have both black and red at the farm/ranch.

The Limousin have more muscle and definition than other cattle, and they just look like a nice animal, he said, adding he prefers the red Limousin cattle to the black. They stand out better.

They occasionally feed their cattle corn screenings, but they generally feed a hay mix with corn silage in the winter.
Anthony Spaulding, who attended Mountain Pointe for three years before finishing his high school education with the San Francisco Ballet Company, will be performing the lead role in the Ballet Theatre of Phoenix presentation of The Nutcracker.
https://www.aish.com/tp/ss/ssw/Vayetzei-5782-The-Secret.html

GOOD MORNING! In last weeks column I discussed Mark Twains remarkable article in Harpers magazine in March of 1898 where he observed that The Jews are peculiarly and conspicuously the worlds intellectual aristocracy. This week I will address Twains overarching question in that very same article  a question that he leaves unanswered: All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?

Like Twain, some of the historys greatest thinkers have made similar observations regarding the Jewish people.

The great Russian author Leo Tolstoy wrote: The Jew is the emblem of eternity. He whom neither slaughter nor torture of thousands of years could destroy. He whom neither fire nor sword nor inquisition was able to wipe off the face of the earth. He who was the first to produce the oracles of God. He who has been for so long the guardian of prophecy, and who transmitted it to the rest of the world  such a nation cannot be destroyed. The Jew is as everlasting as eternity itself.

Blaise Pascal, the French mathematician, physicist, and religious theologian lived a brief thirty-nine years, from 1623 to 1662. In 1654 he had a mystical vision and was enraptured. He subsequently abandoned his scientific work, and devoted himself to theology. The story is told of King Louis XIV of France asking Blaise Pascal for a proof of the existence of God. The reply was immediate. The Jews, your majesty, the Jews! replied Pascal.

Rabbi Yaakov Emden (also known as Yaavetz), one of the most famous rabbinic thinkers of the 18th century, wrote that the survival of the Jewish people over three millennia is the greatest miracle that God ever performed; eclipsing every other miracle, including the plagues in Egypt and the splitting of the Red Sea.

Obviously, there is a miraculous aspect to the survival of the Jewish people; as the Passover Haggadah points out, In every generation they have tried to destroy us but God has saved us. Still, I believe we can explain how this miracle occurred and address how we have survived and even thrived, and what it means for the future of the Jewish people.

This week's Torah portion contains an element of this formula for survival. In last weeks Torah reading we find that our forefather Jacob is forced to flee for his life after his mother warns him that his brother Eisav had laid plans to kill him for taking their fathers blessing (Eisav felt they were rightfully his). This weeks Torah reading opens with Jacob traveling to his ancestral homeland to both escape his brothers wrath and to seek a wife:

And Jacob departed from Beer Sheva and went to Haran. He encountered the place and spent the night there because the sun had set, he took from the stones of the place and put the around his head. (Genesis 28:10-11).

According to the Talmud (Brachos 26b), it was there that Jacob composed maariv  the evening prayers. That very same passage explains that the three daily prayers of the morning, afternoon, and evening were set by our forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob respectively. The Talmud goes on to explain that these prayers align to the times of the daily sacrifices brought in the Holy Temples. From then on they were considered obligatory.

What does this have to do with Jewish survival?

The eternal relationship between the Almighty and the Jewish people was actually promised to our forefather Abraham, I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you [] to be God to you and to your descendants after you in an everlasting covenant (Genesis 17:7).

I believe that the secret to the survival of the Jewish people is best understood by examining what makes diamonds so unique.

Let us examine two naturally occurring crystals that are made out of one the most common elements in the universe  carbon. Carbon has rightfully been referred as the building block of life because carbon atoms form the basis of most molecules that make up living things. In fact, a well-known sequence called the carbon cycle demonstrates the key role that carbon plays in our lives.

Plants consume carbon dioxide and convert it through photosynthesis into carbohydrates. The plants are consumed by animals and through metabolism they produce carbon dioxide (and other products) and return it to the atmosphere where it is, once again, consumed by plants.

There are two crystals that are made out of pure carbon  diamonds and graphite  and although they are formed from the exact same element they couldnt be more different. A diamond has a hardness rating of 10  one of the hardest substances on earth. By contrast, graphite is one of the softest  it has a hardness rating between 1-2. What causes this remarkable disparity?

Everything in life is about structure. From the physical world, to the business world, to the world of concepts, to the mystical world  everything requires a structure to maintain form integrity. Structure is known as a coherent form  otherwise referred to as organization. Coherence is defined as when parts of the same mass are held firmly together.

When structure is disrupted chaos reigns and the result is often very painful. Think about what happens when you stub your toe  when the incredibly complex structure that makes up your toe is properly in place everything operates smoothly. When that gets disrupted it results in extraordinary pain.

Simply put, structure is necessary for every element of your life  whether its your daily schedule, what you eat, what you accomplish, or your financial goals, the more structured your life is the more successful and productive it will be. In addition, when the structure is properly in place it creates a sense of stability and balance.

So, whats the difference between a diamond and graphite? Their molecular structure; a diamond has a giant covalent lattice and each carbon atom is bonded to four other carbon atoms. Graphite, on the other hand, is formed in layers and each carbon atom is bonded to three other carbon atoms. As a result, there will be an extra unbonded electron; thus forming a sea of delocalized electrons.

Diamonds are hard due to their giant covalent lattice and their many strong covalent bonds. By contrast, the weak bonds between the multiple sheets of carbon atoms in graphite make it soft and easily flake off on paper, allowing it to be used in your pencil to write. In addition to being soft and slippery, graphite also has a much lower density than diamond.

I believe this is the very same secret to the survival of the Jewish people. The Torah, which the Almighty offered the Jewish nation, is the ultimate superstructure. Almost every element of our lives is highly structured from our daily prayers, to what we eat, to key elements of our marriages.

Every person, and by extension every family, forms the cells of the body known as the Jewish people. We are bonded together by our observance of the Torah  the very structure of our existence. No other nation or people has ever had such a strong personal or communal structure and certainly not both.

Perhaps this is the clearest example; our sages instituted that we must pray three times a day in a congregation numbering no less than ten. So, in effect, we must gather as a community EVERY day. Even more importantly, Jews are prohibited from traveling on Shabbat and yet they must still attend synagogue. This means that Jews have to live in close proximity to one another, which naturally builds community  forming a covalent bond within the cells that form the corpus of the Jewish nation.

Even the structure of Jewish community is carefully designed: providing for the needy, organizing schooling, burial societies, etc. Thus, even as Jews were attacked and persecuted and were running for their lives for the last two millennia, the fortunate ones who escaped were easily able to connect to existing communities in new and strange lands. Within a generation or two they were bonded to their new community in marriage, business, and shared Torah ideals.

Small wonder then that when this critical structural element of the Jewish people is discarded or even slightly altered that it leads to assimilation, disconnection, and eventual disappearance. It doesnt take many threads to be pulled from a beautiful tapestry for it to become totally unraveled, resulting in a heap of disparate threads that will soon be discarded.

In closing, I want to mention that there is another startling similarity between a diamond and the Jewish people. Ordinary carbon turns into a diamond only when great pressure and high heat is applied to it. Likewise, the Jewish nation, perhaps like no other people, has had to endure tremendous pressure and intense heat from the rest of mankind. A diamond must also be cut and polished to truly sparkle and reveal all its potential and inner beauty. So too every ordinary Jew has the potential to sparkle and be greatly valued, but he must develop himself and strip away the outer shell of self-absorption and the empty pursuits of the physical world. Only in this way can a Jew fully develop to be a credit to his lineage and another jewel in the crown of the Almighty.

Vayetzei, Genesis 28:10 - 32:3

This week we have the trials and tribulations of Jacob living with and working for his father-in-law, Laban. Jacob agrees to work as a shepherd for seven years in order to marry Rachel  only to have Laban switch daughters on him at the wedding. (This is why we have the bedekin, the lifting of the veil, at traditional weddings  to ensure one is marrying the right bride.)

As Jacob tries to build his equity, Laban changes their agreement time after time. After 20 years, the Almighty tells Jacob the time has come to return to the land of Canaan. Jacob and his household secretly leave only to be pursued by Laban who has claims to put forth. The story ends with peace and blessings between Jacob and Laban.



http://www.aish.com/sh/c/ If a diamond is a girls best friend and a dog is mans best friend, you tell me which sex has more sense?





Dedicated with Deep Appreciation to



The Sam Fund




The Balfour Declaration was signed on November 2, 1917, at a time when Britain and its allies were driving the Turks and Germans out of Palestine, a barren region of a decayed and defeated Ottoman Empire.

The Palestine Campaign turned the tide of World War One. It was won by allied troops, including a large fighting contingent of Palestine Jews. No Arabs fought on the west side of the Jordan River, part of which is called, by ignorant activists and politicians, the West Bank.

America remained neutral until April 1917 and didnt get into the fight until the summer of 1918, by which time the Palestine Campaign was over. The Allied Powers met in San Remo in 1920 to decide the future of the defunct Ottoman Empire. The United States participated only as observers.

Arabs were rewarded with independence in Syria, Lebanon, and Mesopotamia (todays Iraq). Jordan was created later as a reward for Arab participation in the Palestine Campaign on the East Bank of the Jordan River. This part of Palestine was given to the Hashemite tribe, a minority in Jordan. The majority of Jordanians are Palestinians, as is the queen.

This fact has been conveniently forgotten by those physically and verbally fighting against Israel. Those with an aversion to history have held back peace for decades with a two-state non-solution that demands Israel give up its ancient historic homeland and divide Jerusalem, its eternal capital.

The Allied Powers gave Britain the mandate for Palestine based on the principle of the Balfour Declaration, which had become official British policy: It called for establishing Palestine as the national home for the Jewish people while protecting the civil and religious rights of all its citizens, which Israel has diligently done.

This was reaffirmed at the 1922 League of Nations Conference on the Mandate for Palestine. (The League of Nations was the forerunner of the United Nation.)

The world celebrated the return of the Jews to their ancient biblical...and then things went wrong.

British officers arrived in Jerusalem to administer British policy but instead turned against their own government policy by encouraging a raging anti-Semitic Arab leader to incite the murder and expulsion of Jews in Jerusalem, Hebron, and throughout pre-state Palestine.

The notorious Haj Amin al-Husseini was the architect of anti-Jewish terror that has lasted a century. After fleeing Jerusalem, he joined Adolph Hitler to plan the Final Solution of the Jewish Problem in the Middle East.

He became the mentor of Yasser Arafat who deceived the world at the 1993 White House ceremony by promising to deliver the peace of the brave. Instead, he gave Israelis the peace of the grave. Over a thousand Israeli Jews were slaughtered by Arafats terror war. This was after a peace agreement was signed in America. Ever since, America has propped up a corrupt Palestinian Authority with taxpayers money that the PA spends promoting and rewarding anti-Jewish terror.

Under Trump, this funding stopped. The Biden Administration renewed it, despite two existing US laws forbidding funding the Palestinians until they stop paying reward money to their killers.

According to the Clinton-era Oslo Accords, the West Bank was to be divided into three parts  A, B, and C:

Area A to be under full Palestinian control, administratively, and security.

Area B to be under Palestinian administration, with joint Palestinian and Israel security.

Area C to remain under sole Israeli administration and security control until a permanent peace can be reached with the Palestinians, which is highly unlikely given the past and current history of their divided leadership.

Palestinians can build homes in Areas A and B without any Israeli or American permission. Israel can only build in Area C, according to the Oslo Accords but, when we do, the US Administration is angry.

Recently, the Israeli Government approved 3,134 new homes to be built in Judea & Samaria, within Area C. We keep hearing that Judea and Samaria are occupied Palestinian land. Nothing is occupied Palestinian land until the Arabs sit down with Israel and agree to conditions of peace, borders, and cooperation.

Seven-hundred-thousand Jews live in 30 towns and villages in Area C. Three thousand new homes is a drop in the bucket of natural growth requirements. Nevertheless, Secretary of State Blinken told Israeli Defense Minister, Benny Ganz, that Jews building homes in Judea and Samaria was unacceptable.

State Department spokesman Ned Price called Jews building homes as being completely inconsistent with lowering tensions and reduces the prospects of a two-state solution.

The discrimination between rampant Arab construction and modest Jewish building is blatant and appalling.

What was missing from Prices biased venom was the absence of an official acknowledgment that Israel had made a historic gesture to Mahmoud Abbas by allowing 4,000 non-Israeli Arabs to build over 1,300 homes in Israeli-held Area C. On the other hand, the PA punishes with death any Arab who sells his land or builds a home for a Jew in either Area A or B.

The perfidy continues.

Israel is expected to agree that the only way she will have peace is to carve out pieces of her land, including Jerusalem our eternal capital, and feed them to the hungry beast. To this end, Biden wants Israel to divide her capital so the United States can support a consulate in Jerusalem for the Palestinians. This is reminiscent of the time when Jordan invaded Israel, drove Jews out of their homes in the Old City and East Jerusalem, and gave them to non-Israeli Arabs.

The 1967 liberation of Jerusalem and of Judea and Samaria are intertwined. Both places are integral parts of the biblical heartland. Any accommodation with the Arabs must take this, and the topographic advantages of retaining the high ground, into consideration. Israel must control both as an integral security necessity, as well as biblical legitimacy, in any agreement with the Palestinians.

It is puzzling that the Biden Administration is willing to put such strain on US-Israel relations over this minor issue of opening a consulate in the middle of Israels capital in West Jerusalem to serve non-Israeli Arabs who publicly declare Israel an enemy state that must be annihilated. When an Israeli official recommended that the State Department locate its office in Ramallah or in Gaza City, the State Department took great offense. Yet it remained deaf to Israels claims that there are no legal or historic precedents for the United States to use Israels capital to serve an external nation or entity, let alone an enemy.

Both sides of the warring Palestinian factions, backed by their Congressional supporters, are pushing the current Administration hard on this point. Its obvious that there is a growing anti-Israel, even anti-Semitic, groundswell in the Democrat Party, led by a radical grouping within the ruling government that is dictating thought, language, and policy.

Some observers say that the State Department is adopting an anti-Israel strategy as a sop to the radical wing of the party. This is precisely the point. They are the ones who are calling the shots, not Biden in the White House nor Blinken in the State Department.

As we have learned from our history, when a great power tacks away from its original and affirmative support and caters to those who are baying for Jewish blood, bad things happen. Planting a consulate in Jerusalem to assist an enemy is akin to planting a stake in the heart of Judaism.

Perfidy against Jews is never a good thing.

Barry Shaw is the International Public Diplomacy Director at the Israel Institute for Strategic Studies. Author of 1917 From Palestine to the Land of Israel.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
Like all rational Americans, I was happy with the results of the Virginia gubernatorial election this past Tuesday. However, Im not optimistic, one reason being that a photo-finish victory against a sleazy establishment bagman in a state that a decade ago was reliably red is an indication that we dodged a bullet rather than pulled ahead of the pack.

Youngkins surprise comeback can be attributed solely to the freak occurrence of the issue of critical race theory arising at just the right time in just the right place to swing just enough votes his way. A month, or a county, in either direction might well have nullified this accidental advantage.

Will Youngkin keep his word and take on critical race theory in schools? We shall see. Roughly half of Virginia voters apparently have no problem with their kids schools operating as racist indoctrination centers, and who knows how many Republican Mitt Romneys and John McCains will sit in this upcoming 51-49 legislative session. Still, I wanted to gauge the reaction of both sides before I offered any commentary.

So it's been a few days. How are Leftists translating this election?

Steve Israel at The Hill alleged that Republicans appealed more to voters emotions than their reason, and that Democrats werent excited about voting for graying white men.

Inversely, Dean Obeidallah at MSNBC countered that while policy is important for Democrat turnout, so is anger.

Gabriel Debenedetti at The Intelligencer thought Democrats didnt pander enough to lower-information voters (I would argue the opposite is true).

A coalition of progressive groups denounced the Republican victory as the result of "race-baiting bull****."

Maria Cardona at RealClearPolitics attributed Youngkins victory to his messaging of racial dog whistles that Trump supporters needed to hear.

Former ESPN announcer Jemele Hill concluded that America "simply loves white supremacy."

Jill Lawrence at USAToday found the election results "beyond comprehension," and offered such remedies such as...stop me if you've heard these...abolishing the Senate filibuster and packing the Supreme Court, which she likens to a "theocracy."

Ronald Brownstein at The Atlantic laid the loss at the feet of Joe Manchin.

Zak Cheney-Rice at The Intelligencer blamed the focus on CRT, a buzzy non-threat evoked to frighten voters who think school should be a place where white children dont have to encounter too many Black children.

Ja'han Jones, another Xeroxed MSN duplicate, jeered at "intellectually lazy people, many of them white."

Steve Phillips at the greasy dishrag known as The Guardian, which makes your average ISIS pamphlet sound positively pro-American, maintained that Youngkin "stoked the flames of white racial fear." Democrats, he argued, should "double down" on issues such as defunding the police and erasing the border.

Democrat voters themselves echoed these sentiments, telling reporters Youngkin appealed to his base through deception and "dog whistles."

Do these reactions reflect a party that realized they've overreached and need to rein in the 'crazy'? Do these reactions expose even a scintilla of humility, reconciliation, or self-reflection? Nope. The message of the Left is: Attack on all fronts. Attack, attack, and attack some more. Double down. Triple down. Attack as hard as you can and dont ease up. Don't budge an inch.

To the extent that future elections still have any lingering ramifications for the voters, the Left will use whatever 3 a.m. wins to their advantage, but this is mainly for show. Theyll continue to attribute any loss to racism or voter ignorance, spend a day or two ranting and flapping their arms about it, and then continue to plow full steam ahead with their agenda as if nothing happened.

And they don't need the Virginia statehouse to do it. They have the mainstream media. They have social media. They have the public schools. They have the universities. They have the corporations. They have the federal bureaucracy. They have the district attorneys. They have the Pentagon. They have the FBI. They have most of the judiciary, including those alleged constructionists like John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh. And they have the street mobs. The point is, they don't need to win elections to relentlessly enact their agenda.

To prove my case, here are a few more things that wont be happening anytime soon, despite our 50.8% "historic" "blowout": Merrick Garland wont retract his DOJ memo insinuating that concerned, law-abiding parents are domestic terrorists. Activists wont cease their coercion campaign against moderate Democrat senators by harassing them in bathroom stalls and ruining strangers weddings for not signing off on trillion-dollar socialist spending sprees. The blatant double standard of forcing masks on the peasantry whilst the nobility parties on unmasked will not cease. And no Biden official will resign, nor will be asked to resign, for any act of corruption, tyrannical overreach, or blatant incompetence.

As of this writing, congressional Democrats are still burning the midnight oil trying to ram their infrastructure and spending bills through a vote. "Does [the election] change the agenda for the House?" a naive reporter asked Nancy Pelosi. "No", she responded.

And how are conservatives translating this election?

Buck Sexton at American Consequences claims it will have enormous ramifications for the Biden White House.

Jim Geraghty at National Review insists that this should quash all the Republican poppycock about Virginia being a blue state.

Former Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich sees a "growing movement against Big Government Socialism."

Pollster Sean Trende attributes the win to voter anger over the abysmal economy and dismisses the idea that CRT drove concerned parents to the voting booths (despite polling evidence to the contrary).

I hate to be the killjoy when my desire is to celebrate with my fellow conservatives, but we simply can't afford to be this unrealistic. There will be no ramifications whatsoever for the Biden White House. Remember when Massachusetts of all places elected Scott Brown? A fat lot of good it did us. The Democrats ignored the voters, rammed Obamacare through anyway, and snickered as Massachusetts inevitably reverted back to blue in the next election.

Regarding McAuliffes juvenile campaign antics, Hugo Gordon at the Washington Examiner declared that Virginia voters were having none of it. Really? Because, at last count, 48.5% of Virginia voters were having plenty of it. This election wasn't the bloodbath it's being made out to be. We barely squeaked across the finish line. We stumbled upon the winning lotto ticket that McAuliffe had carelessly dropped, and nothing more.

Elaine Godfrey at The Atlantic titled her article, If Democrats Can Lose in Virginia, They Can Lose Almost Anywhere. Alexandra Desanctis at National Review came at it from the other direction with the celebratory, "Virginia Is a Purple State After All." These takes are stunning, but accurate, revelations about the direction of our country. Two decades ago, Republicans could count on a reliably-red Virginia. Last Tuesday notwithstanding, its now Democrats who claim Virginia as safe territory. Remember when New Hampshire, Colorado, Arizona, and Georgia were reliably Republican? It wasnt too long ago, was it? How many elections do we have before a purpling Texas goes full blue?

Looking to other electoral victories on Tuesday, many Republicans gloated that voters in Minneapolis voted 56 to 44 percent against abolishing their police department. A sane populace would have voted 100 to 0 percent against such a preposterous, suicidal notion. The fact that 44 percent of Minneapolis voters (and this is after mobs burned down much of their city and crime rates skyrocketed) think abolishing the police is a good idea is certainly not what I would call reason for celebration.

There is an unhidden willingness on the part of Democratic leadership to sacrifice their pawns for the sake of advancing their broader agenda. Terry McAuliffe will not be missed. He was nothing more than one of those Politboro chaps pictured next to Stalin who gets airbrushed out once he's lost his usefulness. In the span of a couple of days, the national conversation has already moved on from our "historic" "blowout" to the infrastructure bill, global warming, surrounding Joe Manchin's car, etc. The Democrats retain an impressively callous indifference to jettisoning their own wounded off the side of the battleship in their drive for power in ways we don't yet fathom. Hence, we are left asking questions like:

Doesnt CNN and MSNBC know their ratings are abysmal? Arent the Neverland Ranchers over at the Lincoln Project aware that we've figured out they're two-bit grifters? Doesn't the Democrats' internal polling inform them that their proposed (insert nonsensical legislative bill) is unpopular with voters? Don't they know pissing off suburban moms isn't the way to win elections? Don't the mobs understand they're burning down their own neighborhoods, their own futures?

Their answer to every one of these questions is, Yesand we dont care. And why should they? For all our gloating about our periodic electoral sweeps, we conservatives still dont grasp the strategic attainment of totalitarian power, at least not in the sense that its understood by the Left. The supposed "wake-up call" we just gave them was also given in 2016. And in 2010. And in 1994.

And...is our nation currently farther to the left or farther to the right than we were after any of those elections?

I'm not proposing a solution to this problem because I don't have a solution. What I'm saying is that we won't agree on a solution, or even think one necessary, until we fully grasp the nature of the power differentials taking place as we speak. Last Tuesday's election will not change the leftward trajectory of this nation towards a desolate totalitarianism. It won't even make a dent. If anyone needs a wake-up call, it's us.

Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
While it is true that there are similar views on issues within particular gender groups, nevertheless, gender groups, like race or ethnic groups, are not monolithic. Some women, almost always associated with academic institutions or affairs, have increasingly been involved prominently in bitter intellectual disputes with other women on issues pertinent to the nature and definition of gender and sex, and whether gender is dependent on social and cultural factors.

On this question, there are at least four relevant facts. First, the disputes have become more extreme and acrimonious than is customary on an intellectual issue, and they have also become offensive and discriminatory. Second, they have taken on a frenetic tone, as if the definition of gender and sexuality were an issue on the same life-threatening scale as Western relations with China or the nuclear deal with Iran. Third, unlike almost all other intellectual disputes, this dispute, mainly among educated women, has led to serious outcomes such as loss of job and discrimination. Fourth, above all, the issue is most significant because it is central to the principle of freedom of expression, especially in universities. The doctrine that ideas with which you disagree are dangerous and harmful and should be stopped is a crucial issue, fostering a culture of censorship.

The issue became prominent when J.K. Rowling, who enchanted us with Harry Potter, was accused of being "transphobic" after declaring that only women menstruate and had criticized a newspaper article titled "Creating a more equal post COVID-19 world for people who menstruate." Rowling held that "[e]rasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss one's life. It isn't hate to speak the truth."

The trans controversy continues. The medical journal The Lancet, after criticism of its September 1 article, apologized for using the phrase "bodies with vaginas" in place of "female." A 29-year-old law student at Abertay University, Dundee, and mother of two, Lisa Keogh, launched legal action for the disciplinary process against her after she said in a seminar on transgender issues that women have vaginas and are weaker than men. The university, she said, directly discriminated against her because of her belief in biological rather than a societal determination of sex identification. Her views, even though against the commonly held view in some corners of academia that gender is socially constructed, should be respected in a society that claims to be democratic. Though there appears to be no evidence that she had discriminated against anyone, and the university did not uphold the charge against her of making offensive comments and behaving in a disrespectful manner, Keogh has taken legal action for alleged breach of equality by the university in pursuing her for expressing her criticism of gender as a social construct. She is suing for stress and mental anguish at what she said was the most crucial moment in her university career. She felt that the university's action was a direct attack on her right to free speech.

In October 2021, Kathleen Stock, a 48-year-old professor of philosophy at the University of Sussex, who is critical of the generally held feminist view that gender is a social construct rather than biological, resigned from her job after students mounted demonstrations for her dismissal, bullying and harassing her because of her views on transgender people and her argument that people cannot change their sex.

The issue of free speech for individuals who hold views that are controversial in certain milieus is not confined to gender and sexuality. MIT, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, disinvited a speaker, Dorian Abbot, professor of geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago, due to give the prestigious John Carlson Lecture, a major honor, in which he was going to discuss climate change and the potential for life on other planets. The withdrawal was based on reasons not related to the subject of his talk. The Carlson Lecture is less a scientific talk for fellow scientists than a public outreach event, the purpose of which is to increase public understanding of climate science. The disinvitation was an egregious violation of the principles of academic freedom. Abbot is well known for his criticism of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. He and his colleague, Ivan Marinovic, who have co-authored statements on the subject, argue that these initiatives violate the ethical and legal principles of equal treatment and categorize people as merely a means to an end. People, Abbot argues, should be hired based on individual merit, fairness, and equality without consideration of race, sex, status, or other identity group membership.

Earlier, in 2019, MIT didn't disinvite Dr. Subramanian Swamy, a former Indian politician, from speaking at the MIT India Conference. While stating that the institution was committed to ensuring that different points of view can be heard and debated in a respectful and safe way, it hypocritically avoided the disinvitation by canceling the Abbot lecture, arguing that the current distractions would detract from the meaningfulness of the lecture.

The Abbot disinvitation was a sad decision and a betrayal of academic freedom. A small group of ideologues forced the cancelation of a distinguished science lecture because of differences in political positions.

To his credit, Robert P. George, professor of jurisprudence at Princeton, director of the James Madison Program, and founder of the Academic Freedom Alliance, hosted the lecture by Abbot, which was apparently seen by thousands on a Zoom broadcast, on October 21, 2021. George held that MIT had behaved disgracefully, part of a trend in the politicization of science.

On November 3, 2021, Jo Phoenix, professor of criminology at the Open University, was forced out of her job and likened to a "racist uncle at a Christmas dinner table." She had been invited to give a lecture at Essex University on the subject that men who claim they're women should not be in female prisons. Students complained she was a transphobe who was likely to engage in hate speech and threatened to shut down the lecture, which was canceled.

Phoenix claims she has been bullied by those who disagree with her on sex and gender issues and is bringing an employment tribunal claim in connection with the campaign of harassment and public vilification by her colleagues, who called her a transphobe and racist. She has not been invited back by Essex to give the lecture, which was on the topic of exploring the problems with applying trans rights to criminal justice. What is particularly disgraceful is that the UCU general secretary of the university and college union, Jo Grady, refused to condemn the ousting of Professor Stock.

However, the university's vice-chancellor. Anthony Forster, issued an apology to Phoenix, who commented that his action was a counterbalance to the attacks on gender-critical views and gender-critical research. Interestingly, Essex University also apologized to Professor Rosa Freedman of the University of Reading for events surrounding a Holocaust memorial week event in January 2020. Freedman had been invited to appear and was then disinvited but later reinstated because of her views on gender identity. The topic on which she was due to speak was totally unconnected to the question of gender identity.

Some, like Colin Riordan, vice-chancellor of Cardiff University, have been more forthright. In 2015, he rejected demands that Germaine Greer, the eminent Australian feminist, be banned from lecturing at Cardiff because she had made transphobic comments. In October 2021, Sarah Honeychurch, a fellow at the business school of the University of Glasgow, was fired as editor of the academic journal Hybrid Pedagogy because she had signed a public letter by 30 other feminists questioning the relationship of universities with the LGBT charity Stonewall. The letter condemned the anti-scientific claims that are presented as objective facts in the LGBT program, as well as the use of gender-neutral programs, and the argument that men should be allowed to use female changing rooms.

Undoubtedly the transphobia issue, like that of racism and sexism, is divisive and arouses strong emotions, but universities must approach it, as they do on other issues, by defending academic freedom and upholding free speech. People must be free to talk critically about gender identity. The issue should not be stifled in British or American universities.

Correction: Essex University, not the University of Reading, apologized to Professor Rosa Freedman

Image: CristianIS via Pixabay, Pixabay License.

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Looking at election 2021, all I can say is wow! Virginia was a big deal, but conservatives made gains in state legislatures, city councils, and school boards across the country. And these gains occurred even in blue states that Biden won by a landslide just one year ago. How quickly have fortunes changed. Biden remorse is for real.

But what lessons have the Dems taken away from their electoral drubbing? The smart ones are soiling themselves. The not-so-smart ones  that would be Bernie and the Squad  have analyzed the results and determined that they lost because they weren't  wait for it  progressive enough. Yup, they should never have tried to compromise with Republicans. If they had just gone for everything they wanted, everything would have been fine.

Just like that, the Republican prospects for 2022 are looking pretty good. The Dems have decided to ignore their 2021 losses and the "Let's go Brandon" chants. Instead, they've doubled down and gotten right back to work pushing their massive spending plans. The American people have spoken, and the Democrats have responded by giving them the finger. Twenty twenty-two is going to be bloodier for the Democrats than an Alec Baldwin dress rehearsal. San Fran Nan and Little Chucky Schumer are looking at that flea-infested bed they've made, and the clock says it's almost time to climb in and cuddle up for the night.

What it means politically is that Republicans will control at least part of the Legislative Branch, and Biden will continue to allegedly control the Executive Branch. We Americans will be treated to at least two years of magical gridlock. We're going to get a couple of years of our politicians being too busy screwing with each other to bother screwing with us.

It's probably a given that Republicans will retake the House of Representatives next year. Speaker Antoinette has told Americans to eat cake about five too many times. She almost lost the House in 2020, a year in which Biden allegedly got more votes than any candidate in U.S. history. Now she's doubled down, has unleashed the radicals, and wants to add another $5 trillion to our debt. She's done, and she knows it.

Though it will be harder, it's possible that the Republicans could even pick up the Senate next year. If they do, the Republicans will spend the next couple of years crafting legislation that will never pass. No matter what they do legislatively, either Biden will veto it or the RINOs will sabotage it. Unfortunately, we've still got the "New Maverick"  Senator Pierre Delecto  and a bunch of Vichy Republicans always ready to throw a monkey wrench in the precision machinery at the most inopportune time. Those would be the same "conservatives" that just helped the Dems pass a $1.2-trillion infrastructure bill  which is short on infrastructure and long on lunatic leftist causes. No worries  whether the Republicans win the Senate or not, we win. Congress is never working for Americans more than when it's not working at all.

But what's the people's house supposed to do if the Republicans don't win the Senate? There's no point in writing legislation that will never pass. What are lawmakers to do when they can't "lawmake"? It's going to be really boring for a bunch of folks who don't do boring very well. I guess they'll have to spend their time investigating. They're going to have subpoena power; they might as well have some fun with it. They may even have time for two or three impeachments. I think Biden has it in him to take Trump's record.

As investigations go, talk about a target-rich environment. The Dems have left more evidence lying around than an episode of CSI. Just think of the possible questions.

Attorney General Garland: What was the predicate for targeting parents as domestic terrorists? It's a legal thing. You may consult your lawyer if you don't understand it.

Defense Secretary Austin: Who told you ferreting out racism and promoting transgenderism is more important than combat readiness? Is your mission to win or just to ensure we get all of the pronouns right?

General Milley: What disciplinary steps have you taken against that general who left allies behind in Afghanistan to make room for a souvenir? What weaponry did we give the Taliban, and what steps were taken to prevent the donation? What military thinking led you to believe that evacuating soldiers before civilians was a good idea? We can't help but notice you have not resigned in protest.

Transportation secretary Buttigieg: How are your babies doing? Did you enjoy your time off? Have you and your "husband" found time for each other yet? We've decided to restrict our questioning to things we thought you might know something about.

FBI director Wray: What was the FBI's involvement in the Whitmer kidnapping attempt? How may FBI informants attended the January 6 protest? Did they falsify any evidence against protesters  as the FBI did against Carter Page? Did the FBI withhold any exculpatory evidence from the protesters  as the FBI did in the General Flynn case? We have a whistleblower who claims that the FBI picked its targets and then went looking for evidence. Is that a normal method of investigation for the FBI? It seems like a lazy way to solve crime  you know, create the crime first and then solve it. What was your predicate for raiding the homes of Project Veritas reporters, searching for Ashley Biden's diary? We can have Bill Barr explain what a predicate is if you'd like.

Jim Jordan may need extra time to question Director Wray.

It's just my opinion, but I recommend that the Republicans leave Joe Biden alone  other than crushing his agenda, that is. He is the lamest of lame ducks, but he does have an insurance plan. That insurance plan is named Kackling Kamala Harris. I say we just let old Joe keep mumbling, "Trump did this, Trump did that, and Trump did the other thing"  as if it somehow means something. Besides, President Gremlin is the electoral dead weight that the Dems have strapped themselves to. As Napoleon said, "If your enemy wants to go skinny dipping in the deep end with an anchor tied around his neck, let him." Or something like that.

John Green is a political refugee from Minnesota, now residing in Idaho. He currently writes at the American Free News Network (afnn.us). He can be followed on Facebook or reached at greenjeg@gmail.com.

Image: Lars Di Scenza via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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"Julian Reichelt is dethroned." So cheered the Berliner Zeitung a few days ago after it was revealed that Bild, Europe's largest newspaper, had been forced to sack its editor  and one of Germany's most popular journalists  following allegations made in a Ben Smith New York Times article of affairs with junior colleagues. The piece also suggested that Axel Springer SE, the German publishing giant that owns Bild, is out of touch with today's woke and #metoo values. Moreover, a few weeks earlier, Springer announced it was going to purchase Politico, the U.S. politics website, for about $1B  the German publisher's largest-ever investment. One more reason to adopt the new values that now dominate American capitalist culture. After all, as Ben Smith put it, an American manager would have been fired for as little as five percent of the allegations Reichelt faces.

All in all, we can say Springer has sacrificed at the altar of woke capitalism an excellent newspaper editor  or, in Springer boss Mathias Dopfner's words, "the last and only journalist in Germany who still courageously rebels against the new GDR authoritarian state."

Meanwhile, the debate is raging throughout the country about gender-neutral and inclusive language. Unfortunately, the whole matter is made more and more complicated by German grammar.

In France, the discussion is even more heated. Prominent French quarterly magazine Le Spectacle du Monde ran a few weeks ago a cover story titled "The Suicide of America." It blamed the U.S. retreat from Afghanistan on "a woke dictatorship" and questioned whether the American "empire was collapsing." In the same issue, an article faulted American universities as islands of extremism, where even students' Halloween costumes are policed, citing Yale University as a place where "offensive" costume-wearers are punished.

Emmanuel Macron's government, in turn, is making the fight against woke theories a cornerstone of its electoral strategy  the French presidential election will be held in April 2022. "Our country has become a target of the woke movement," said Pierre Valentin, an expert at the new think-tank Le Laboratoire de la Republique, headed by French education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer. "If there was a vaccine against the woke virus, it would be French and the leaders of the movement know that." Le Laboratoire de la Republique is tasked with combating what the minister calls U.S.-imported wokeism. "The [French] Republic is completely contrary to wokeism," Blanquer said in an interview with Le Monde. "In the United States, this ideology provoked a reaction and led to the rise of Donald Trump." He added: "France and its youth have to escape that."

Needless to say, the initiative has sparked controversy. "It's McCarthyism," said Rim-Sarah Alouane, from Toulouse Capitole University. "A minister is using a private entity to block discussions on these themes. He's saying 'this is my responsibility and I'm going to impose the state's vision on these topics.'" In an interview with Elle magazine last summer, President Macron himself complained that U.S.-imported "woke culture" is "racializing" France and creating more division among minorities. He was obviously criticized by progressives, but several members of his government, such as the delegate minister for gender equality and diversity, Elisabeth Moreno, a Black woman, have also shared anti-woke views. "The 'woke' culture is something very dangerous, and we shouldn't bring it to France," she said in an interview with Bloomberg News early this year.

"No, the woke is not a 'reaction' fantasy; it is a cultural revolution in progress," French journalist and essayist Brice Couturier wrote in Le Figaro on October 25, responding to those who deny the reality of woke activism and attribute his denunciation only to the conservatives. Couturier is the author of the recently published book Ok Millennials!: Puritanisme, victimisation, identitarisme, censure...L'enquete d'un  baby boomer  sur les mythes de la generation woke (Ok Millennials! Puritanism, victimization, identity, censorship... The investigation of a "baby boomer" on the myths of the woke generation). This new cultural revolution is not from China, he says, but from the United States. And it is devastating.

The "warriors of social justice," he argues, are our new red guards. "This book is devoted to piecing together the history of what has come to be known as the 'woke' revolution," the author declares in the introduction. "It focuses on recent American cultural history, where this 'esprit' was born and where it has already wrought havoc, and which is still far from having reached its peak in France. With us, it remains confined to the fringes of society. In the U.S. it conquered power, without ever winning a majority. By simply seizing cultural hegemony." L'Oreal bans the terms "white" and "bleaching" from its catalogs, Evian apologizes to Muslims for an advert posted on social media on the first day of Ramadan, LEGO is canceling its advertisements representing police officers in solidarity with Black Lives Matter...who can still claim that wokeness remains folklore for North America?

Britain is also facing hordes of radicals trying to tear the country apart. Who doesn't remember when a statue of prominent merchant and trader Edward Colston was torn down and thrown into a river by Black Lives Matter activists? Or take the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, which renamed itself The Churchill Fellowship and released a statement explaining that the change was due to Churchill's views on race. And what about the University of Edinburgh's recent efforts at "decolonization"? Let's recall that the college told its computer science staff to "avoid using predominantly Western names such as Alice/Bob," as the school "must challenge and rework the current pedagogy, which was rooted in imperial and colonial ideas about knowledge and learning." The terms "master/slave" to represent computing agents are also being discouraged in the faculty's courses, with staff urged to "instead use coordinator or workers."

It definitely seems that there's a sickness emanating from the United States that seeks to contaminate all of Western civilization. The debate is open.

Samuel Robert Piccoli is a blogger and the author of the books Being Conservative from A to Z (2014) and Blessed Are the Free in Spirit (2021). He is Italian and lives in the Venice area. http://www.aninfiniteidea.org/

Image: JMacPherson via Flickr, CC BY 2.0.

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President Biden's announced intention to reopen a U.S. consulate in East Jerusalem for outreach to Palestinians looms as a significant point of contention between the administration and Israel. A look at the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, 1963, is a logical starting point to analyze the problem. The Convention provides in Article 2.1:

The establishment of consular relations between States takes place by mutual consent.

Article 4.1 provides:

A consular post may be established in the territory of the receiving State only with that State's consent.

What, then, is the problem? President Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and relocated the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, later closing the consulate in East Jerusalem, merging it into the Embassy.



A new sign in Jerusalem, May 2018 (YouTube screen grab, cropped).

It would seem clear, then, that as the U.S. recognizes undivided Jerusalem as part of the territory of Israel, a consulate in Jerusalem may be opened (or re-opened) only with the consent of Israel as the receiving state.

But thus far, Biden intends to proceed with reopening the Jerusalem consulate for outreach to the Palestinians. Will he proceed over Israel's objections? If he does so, it seems to this observer that he could only justify such a move by declaring that the United States does not consider East Jerusalem (the apparent venue of a reopened Jerusalem consulate) Israeli territory. And that would be a huge thorn in the side of the relationship between the Biden administration and the Bennett government in Israel.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett could back down from opposition to a reopened U.S. consulate in Jerusalem and give the Consular Convention's Article 4.1 consent to the Biden move, consent that, from the Israeli point of view, would still be consistent with Israel's claim of sovereignty over an undivided Jerusalem. Biden could go along with this face-saving approach to the issue on Israel's behalf.

If Biden, or secretary of state Antony Blinken, were to declare that Israel's consent is not required, relations between the allies would suddenly become so frigid as to cause unsettling reverberations in the Middle East. Why? Because Biden establishing a consulate in East Jerusalem without Israel's consent would be signaling that American no longer accepts Israel's sovereignty over an undivided Jerusalem.

International law, however, is not the only factor in consideration of the question of reopening a U.S. consulate in East Jerusalem. There is the matter of U.S. law to consider, specifically, the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 (Public Law 104-95) cited in the November 1, 2021 letter to the president and signed by 200 House Republican members. (Twelve GOP members did not sign, but the signers included such disparate Republicans as Reps. Cheney and Kinzinger on the one hand and Reps. Taylor Greene and Gosar on the other.)

This important document stated in part that reopening the consulate general in Jerusalem "would be inconsistent" with the 1995 measure, "by promoting division of Jerusalem." The letter added, immediately, "This would be unacceptable, shameful, and wrong." The letter then pointed out that, as a senator in 1995, Biden supported the 1995 law, which "expressed U.S. policy that 'Jerusalem should remain an undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected[.]" The GOP House members' letter then quoted these words from the 1995 enactment: "Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel."

The valiant Republican 200 then pointed out: "After repeated presidential waivers since 1995, the Trump Administration implemented this bipartisan law by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital in 2017, opening the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem in 2018, and merging the U.S. consulate general in Jerusalem with the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem in 2018."

The letter went on to warn that the Biden administration

would create a misguided situation in which the U.S. would essentially have two separate diplomatic missions in Israel's capital, including the U.S. Embassy to Israel along with the consulate general for outreach to the Palestinians whose government is based in Ramallah.

Noting that the U.S. consulate general in Jerusalem had reported directly to the State Department, not to the Embassy, the letter told the president that "[t]he Trump administration fixed this ill-advised situation with the merger" of the consulate and Embassy.

The letter next advised the president:

Reopening the U.S. consulate general in Jerusalem would...reward and turn a blind eye to the Palestinian Authority engaging in the real obstacle to peace, such as refusing to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish State, supporting terrorism through incitement to violence and providing payments to terrorists and their families, encouraging discriminatory boycotts, divestments, and sanctions (BDS) against Israel, and facilitating an illegitimate International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation for false charges against Israel, to name a few examples.

The letter ended by urging the president "to respect our close ally Israel's opposition to the reopening of the U.S. consulate general in Jerusalem, especially since Israel's cooperation is essential."

But Israel's "cooperation is essential" only if Biden respects not only Israel's sovereignty over an undivided Jerusalem, but also the terms of the 1995 enactment calling for the U.S. to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. If Biden goes ahead and reopens the Jerusalem consulate, either he is confident that Prime Minister Bennett can be pressured into giving his consent or Biden will "damn the torpedoes" and go full speed ahead to deny Israel's sovereignty over an undivided Jerusalem. The latter move would be to the delight of the radical left, which has been clamoring to loosen the ties that bind the American and Israeli governments. As for pressure on Bennett, the pressure could include de facto sanctions on Israel, blocking Israel's trade with other countries. Or would Blinken tell Bennett: "If we cannot open a consulate in East Jerusalem, you will have to close one of your consulates in the U.S."?

Israel has stated that it that would have no objection to a U.S. consulate in Ramallah, on the West Bank, but the Palestinian Authorities insist, in effect, that Biden reverse President Trump's move in closing the Jerusalem consulate. Don't be surprised if Biden bows to Palestinian pressure. Oh, one other thing  so far, to this observer's knowledge, House Democrats have been silent on Biden's proposed move.

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It turns out that having a spine and openly defying the Democrats  and their establishment allies  pays off for a Republican politician. Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis has been peerless among state governors in refusing to yield to pandemic porn and has earned the Sunshine State the moniker "The free state of Florida."

His policies have kept Florida adding residents at a rapid pace, becoming a magnet for those seeking opportunity without hindrances of intrusive state government taxes or mandates. His latest freedom initiative is fighting the federal vaccine mandate:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Thursday vowed to fight President Biden's federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate, saying that the rule is "going down." DeSantis promised during a news conference in Jacksonville, Fla., that the state will contest the rule "immediately," according to a local NBC News affiliate station. "Florida will be responding, and I think the rule's going down, I just don't think that there's an adequate basis for it, and I think you've even seen people on their side acknowledge that they don't have firm constitutional footing for this," DeSantis said.

Just a week ago, Politico opined, "Gov. Ron DeSantis appears unstoppable."

A few days later, Politico detected an important sign that the powers that be among the Democrats are giving up on the idea of spending resources fighting his re-election:

The Democratic Governors Association has no plans to give significant financial help to Florida Democrats as they seek to unseat Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022, a major setback that will make it harder for challengers to take on the popular Republican. The DGA, which spent more than $15 million in Florida over the past two gubernatorial election cycles, is starting to deprioritize the state and is expected to have a much smaller footprint during the midterms, said two Florida Democratic consultants who have been in contact with the DGA.



Photo credit: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0 license.

Even though DeSantis won the governorship in 2018 by only 40,000 votes, Politico reports:

[T]here has long been a sinking feeling among Florida Democrats that DeSantis is on the verge of being unstoppable. Besides his enormous fundraising success, his hands-off pandemic response has made him intensely popular with the Trump base a year after the former president won the state by three points  a landslide in Florida.

Frankly, the Dems' likely candidates are not too impressive:

The first two Democrats to get in the race, [former Governor Charlie] Crist and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, have lagged in fundraising and exciting Democrats. That gave Miami state Sen. Annette Taddeo an opening to enter the race last month, making it a three-way primary likely to leave the winner with little cash in the bank headed into the general election.

I hope other Republican politicians get a clue from DeSantis and recognize that standing up to the media/Democrat establishment actually wins support when the issues are carefully chosen.

If President Trump decides not to run for president in 2024, Ron DeSantis is very likely to be the frontrunner for the nomination unless things change.

Hat tip: Matt Vespa.

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"By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food"

Genesis 3:19

By your own labor shall you be compensated. This is true for every person. Therefore, it's also true for the federal government, which is merely an extension of We the People.

President Lincoln used the above Bible quote to poetically describe slaveholders as "wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces." He made this statement in his Second Inaugural Address, when the Civil War was coming to an end  and with it, the end of slavery in America.

Or so we were told.

The truth is, the government took slaveholding away from individuals but they kept it for itself. And it's used it to make every employer in America a government slave.

On February 3, 1913, the 16th Amendment was passed, allowing the federal government to tax income directly. In the early days of the income tax, there was no withholding. People paid their full income tax bills for the previous year once a year on March 15, or in quarterly installments.

Then the Social Security Act of 1935 was passed. Here's how a portion of Title VIII, SEC. 802. (a) of that act reads: "The tax imposed ... shall be collected by the employer of the taxpayer by deducting the amount of the tax from the wages as and when paid. Every employer required so to deduct the tax is hereby made liable for the payment of such tax[.]"

The U.S. government passed a law that makes every employer a tax collection agent of the government. Yet employers are not compensated for their labor, time, or costs. However, they are subject to punishment if they don't comply.

This is nothing less than forced labor. Slavery.

To tell the truth, American slaves actually had it better than today's employers. At least slaves received food, clothing, and shelter for their labor. Employers get nothing.

And when the government saw they could get away with making employers their slaves, they decided to add to their burdens. In 1943, the Current Tax Payment Act was passed. This little beauty required employers to withhold taxes from employees' wages  as they were earned  and remit them to the government.

Again, no mention of compensating employers for working as federal tax collection agents. But there would be punishment in terms of fines and jail time if they didn't obey.

About 20 years later, the government decided its slaves employers should be working even harder for their masters. So in 1965, the people running the government put their heads together and came up with the Social Security Act Amendments, popularly known as the Medicare Bill. The bill was signed by President Lyndon "I'll have those n----- voting Democratic for 200 years" Johnson. Once again, Medicare and Medicaid were funded by forcing employers to be responsible for withholding and remitting these taxes.

Since employers have become such docile slaves over the decades, it's no wonder Resident Brandon has decided to give them more government work to do  this time regarding vaccination mandates. Using OSHA, Brandon has declared that employers with 100 or more employers "must develop, implement, and enforce a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, with an exception for employers that instead adopt a policy requiring employees to either get vaccinated or elect to undergo regular COVID-19 testing and wear a face covering at work in lieu of vaccination."

As before, employers are being forced to be government vaccine mandate compliance agents, to shoulder the cost burdens, and be subject to financial penalties for not acting like a good slave. Some employers are starting to rattle their fetters and fight back. But most are docilely submitting.

How many billions of dollars does all this cost employers annually? I don't know the answer to that. I just know who pays for it. Every employee through a lower paycheck. Every shareholder through lower capital gains.

And every American through the loss of our natural rights of Liberty and Property. Natural rights that we institute government to protect.

Graphic credit: thenounproject, public domain.

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California is a strange place. It has terrible public transportation and some of the highest gas prices in the country. The state spends a fortune on education, yet it's one of the lowest-ranked in the country for students performing at grade level. Meghan Markle lives in California, and she's a typical specimen of the celebrities who flock to the Golden State, to bask in the sun and spend tons of money and cry constantly about how abused they are. California also has the dubious distinction of having the biggest population of illegal aliens while prominent Californians like Nancy Pelosi and Kamala Harris push the idea that the United States is a racist nation.

However, it would be wrong to think that California is already as bizarre as it can get. Los Angeles, which vies with San Francisco for strangeness, has just decided to implement one of the strictest vaccination mandates in the country. If you want to go to almost any business in Los Angeles, such as a restaurant, a shopping mall, a theater, or a nail salon, you will have to provide proof of vaccination. Even gyms and yoga studios and museums will be required to ask patrons for their COVID vaccination card and deny them entry if they can't produce it.

What makes this order especially strange is that Los Angeles County has less stringent rules than the city of Los Angeles. Cities are allowed to pass harsher rules than the county, which is causing a great deal of confusion. Business-owners worry about losing customers and putting employees into dangerous situations by requiring them to ask prospective patrons for vaccination cards. City officials have shrugged off such concerns by giving businesses until the end of November to comply with the new mandate, with threats of fines ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 for violations.

It remains to be seen how this mandate will work in practice, considering that almost a million illegal aliens live in the Los Angeles metro area and Biden is not mandating that illegal aliens must be vaccinated against COVID. The homeless, who number in the tens of thousands, are also untouched by vaccine mandates. However, in Los Angeles, starting on November 29, 2021, only law-abiding, business-owning, tax-paying legal immigrants and American citizens are required to be vaccinated and to show proof of vaccination to be out in public. Yes, California is a strange place.

Pandra Selivanov is the author of Future Slave, a story about a 21st-century black teenager who is sent back in time and becomes a slave in the Old South.

Image: Downtown Los Angeles by Max Pixel. Public domain.

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"It is difficult to perceive any limitation on federal power, even in areas such as criminal law enforcement or education where States historically have been sovereign. Thus, if we were to accept the Government's arguments, we are hard-pressed to posit any activity by an individual that Congress is without power to regulate."

United States v. Lopez, 514 U.S. 549, 583 (1995)

What the Supreme Court is describing is called "the etiquette of Federalism" or the Founders' structural protection providing an outer limit of national power relative to state and citizen power. As a first principle to our governance system, it is maddeningly complex and elusively subtle.

The Court has always struggled to find the right balance. Virginia's voters just schooled the Court about where that balance is. The new lieutenant governor of Virginia, Winsome Sears, spelled it out in plain language when it came to Democrats' election-season church visits:

We don't need this kind of stuff. I mean, are you encouraged after you hear this so that you can continue worshiping? Why don't you go do that somewhere else?

Virginia's voters said federal power ends where citizen power begins. Virginia's voters said that indirect federal power, implemented through conditional funding of state agencies, will not be allowed to mask any overreach. Virginia's voters said, our children are our children; they are not mere creatures of the state.

So what is this nugget of governing genius the Founders left to us?

Federalism is a tug-of-war applied to governance. The force of compression draws power inward toward centralization; the force of tension pulls power outward toward decentralization. This is an ongoing battle, generation after generation, between the inclination toward the centralized or authoritarian and the decentralized or democratic.

The puzzle was, how would this new nation be governed after it successfully separated from Great Britain? How could personal liberty and citizen power be maintained in a world where foreign vultures were ready to devour the newly independent but weak nation? The answer was to create a congress of thirteen sovereign states, all signatories to the Articles of Confederation. There was no president of the United States.

The Articles honored the loyalties the representatives had to their states. However, in 1783, George Washington warned that extremely decentralized governing power might leave the nation in danger:

This is the time of their political probation, this is the moment when the eyes of the whole World are turned upon them . . . this is the favorable moment to give such a tone to our Federal Government, as will enable it to answer the ends of its institution, or this may be the ill-fated moment for the relaxing the powers of the Union exposing us to become the sport of European politics.

When the Founders devised a new constitution in 1787 that would strengthen the country's defense and deter abuse by other nations, a supremely important issue was how to create a check on the intoxication that national power inevitably produces.

The answer created at the Constitutional Convention was the concept of dividing power, splitting it apart, limiting its most dangerous manifestations at the national level, and placing plenary or general power with the states and ultimately the people.

Issues involving national defense, war, sovereignty, finance, and immigration, among other things, would be concentrated at the national level at full force. Power would be compressed for effectiveness. Regarding most other things where government control is necessary  residents' health, welfare, and morals  the states would assume power, retaining also "police power" over persons in their jurisdiction.

This is Federalism. For the level of power most dangerous to people  the federal level  temperance comes from Article I, section 8, and Article IV, section 4, of the U.S. Constitution, both of which enumerate specific federal responsibilities. Federal responsibilities are limited, but the power to carry them out is complete. Federalism provides a structure for the national strength George Washington thought we needed against the "sport of European politics," without sacrificing the people's liberties and the states' rightful power where the people reside.

As a check on accumulating power at the national level, one of the amendments in the Bill of Rights, Amendment X, says: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

Last Tuesday's civics lesson was that voters sensed that elected and appointed officials in Virginia were overwhelming the delicate balance between competing centers of power (state and federal) and the parents' reserved power. When the federal government decided that parents in Virginia questioning curricula in public schools should be federally investigated as domestic terrorists  that was the last straw.

Though Federalism does not create a perfect balance between Tyranny and Liberty, the Founders would be very proud of these Virginia moms and dads. The Founders left us more gifts of statecraft  a course in civics to learn them, perhaps?

M.E. Boyd's Apples of Gold  Voices From the Past that Speak to Us Now is available at www.amazon.com using the title and subtitle.

Image: The opening words of the Constitution.

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For years, we've heard about the magic of Obama. At the same time, Obama failed to deliver votes in another competitive campaign.

This is from Jeff Greenfield back in 2015:

As historians begin to assess Barack Obama's record as president, there's at least one legacy he'll leave that will indeed be historic  but not in the way he would have hoped. Even as Democrats look favorably ahead to the presidential landscape of 2016, the strength in the Electoral College belies huge losses across much of the country. In fact, no president in modern times has presided over so disastrous a stretch for his party, at almost every level o politics.

Well, we know how 2016 turned out. We also know how Virginia and New Jersey turned out, and Obama did not help much, either.

My friend Don Surber added some good thoughts this week. It may be time for Democrat candidates in 2022 to listen to Don rather than the consultants they are paying a ton of money to.

This is Don's message:

Obama is out of touch. Never one to bother with details, he failed to do his homework. He dismissed parental concerns about schools, telling supporters, "We don't have time to be wasted on these phony trumped-up culture wars, this fake outrage, the right-wing media peddles to juice their ratings." Wow. How clueless. For a fellow with jug ears, he sure is tone deaf.

Well said. Former president Obama has been tone-deaf for years. My guess is that Mr. Obama has always surrounded himself with people who tell him how consequential he is. I would add that it's difficult to understand public school parents battling an arrogant public teachers' union when your daughters have never stepped into a public school.

So who is going to tell the former president that he doesn't turn on the crowds anymore? "Hope and change" is one of those oldies that no one buys anymore.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).

Image: Pixabay, Pixabay License.

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Pets hold a special place in our hearts. For a flat rate of $50 along with a photo, celebrate their life and a special message through placing a Pet Obituary today. Pet Obits are published once a week in the Anchorage Press and on AnchoragePress.com. Our customer service team will contact you directly if there are any questions during our regular business hours. Thank you and please accept our deepest sympathies for your loss.

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(Image source from: Eenadu.net)

Chandrababu Slams AP Govt On Amaravati Farmers Padayatra:- TDP Chief and President Chandrababu Naidu took a dig on the government of Andhra Pradesh on Amaravati Farmers Padayatra which is getting applauded by the people of the state. The farmers of Amaravati have been protesting not to shift the capital from the place after the government took the decision to move the executive capital of Andhra Pradesh to Vizag. Chandrababu said that the YSRCP government has been creating obstacles for the people and the Amaravati Farmers Padayatra. He said that the cops are used for obstructing the padayatra calling it a bad sign for the state. He said that the court granted permission for padayatra but the government is against the protest. The government of Andhra Pradesh imposed restrictions on the name of covid restrictions.

"The government of Andhra Pradesh imposed restrictions for the padayatra of the Amaravati farmers which is not a good sign for the state. The government has conducted several meetings on Saturday after YS Jagan's Praja Sankalpa Yatra completed four years. YS Jagan made an unforgettable mistake of three capitals for Andhra Pradesh and this destroyed the dreams of the people and the state. Several obstacles are created for the farmers who are protesting for their rights. The court granted permission for the Amaravati Farmers Padayatra but it is the government which is against the movement" told Chandrababu.
(Image source from: Twitter.com/trspartyonline)

KCR Has A Warning For Telangana Farmers:- Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) kept a special focus on the field of agriculture. KCR on Sunday warned the farmers of the state not to make any mistakes about the sowing of paddy in the state. He reminded the farmers that the Centre that is led by Narendra Modi is no longer going to procure rice. He asked the farmers not to fall for the fake promises made by Telangana BJP Chief Bandi Sanjay. Sanjay ensured that BJP will purchase the every single grain of paddy that is grown in Telangana. KCR spoke on the issue in a hour long press conference that was held in Pragathi Bhavan last evening. He said that farming was made feasible by the government of Telangana over the past few years.

"The Centre will not purchase any parboiled rice from Telangana during this rabi season and the farmers have to be extra cautious. We were forced to write a letter that we will not give any parboiled rice from Yasangi. We have to ensure that the Centre accepts to take 20 lakh tonnes of parboiled rice from the existing stocks. India has been losing land at the borders of Arunachal Pradesh every day to China. India is beaten black and blue at the borders by China which is setting villages in India. Narendra Modi is unable to protect the borders of the country. The terrorists have been making surgical strikes. When India is in crisis, the Centre tries to distract the attention on the name of national security" told KCR.

(Video Source: T News Telugu)
(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 8 - A 47-year-old Albanian former sex worker whose denunciation of her pimps helped police smash a pan-Italian prostitution gang committed suicide in desperation at not seeing her refugees status confirmed, sources in Pavia said.

Adelina Sejdini, born in Durres in 1974, reported on her traffickers in 1996 at the age of 22, enabling police to dismantle a cross-Italian network of Albanian pimps.

She had recently been diagnosed with cancer and despite her poor health travelled to Rome to demand refugee status that would have helped her get a council flat.

Friends said she was hoping to speak to President Sergio Mattarella or failing that to some interior ministry officials.

But she could find no doors open, remaining officially stateless and Albanian.

She set fire to herself in front of the interior ministry on October 28, suffering serious burns.

She was supposed to return to Pavia at the request of authorities this week but last Saturday killed herself by throwing herself off a railway bridge. (ANSA).


FLORENCE - In order to allow for the rotation of the largest bell of Giotto's bell tower in Florence, the bell will not be rung from Monday until Nov. 26.



The bell tower will be closed to the public on four days: Monday, 9/11, 25/11, and 26/11.



The largest bell, also known as the Santa Reparata, was made in 1475 in honor of the saint in whose honor the ancient Florentine cathedral was named.



It is one of the largest bells still being rung in Italy, measuring a whopping 2 meters in diameter and 210 high, with a width of 15 cm and a weight of over 5 tons.



Work was done on it in 1705 after cracks had appeared in it.



The rotating of the bell had been made necessary because "use had thinned the thickness of the bronze at the point where it was rung" and "once 10% of the width is worn down", said Claudio Perego, head of the maintenance company AEI tasked with the work, "there is the need to intervene because otherwise the bell is likely to break".



This will be the last time that the bell can be rotated, since it has already been moved to other wides.



Once this side is worn down as well, the bell will need more work again.



It is not known exactly when the bell was rotated previously, but "it is assumed that it happened between 1956 and 1957, when the decision was made" to replace parts of the structure holding it in place with steel instead of wood.



The maintenance work was commissioned and coordinated by the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, which noted that it is work that is "complex but almost invisible, since it is carried out" inside the structure holding it in place, "except for on Nov. 8, 9, 25 and 26, when a crane will be present in the area in front and the monument will be closed to the public".



Giotto's bell tower has 12 bells including the five oldest ones no longer used but still inside the monument.



The other 7 including the largest one were from different eras and different sizes and are still functioning as part of what is commonly known as the "concert" of bells.(ANSAmed).


(di Valentina Maresca)

ROME - Morocco's Oscar submission 'Casablanca Beats' was one of the feature films shown as a preview over the weekend in Rome as part of the MedFilm Festival.



The film will be distributed in Italy from next year by Lucky Red.



MedFilm Festival will be in Rome until November 14 with many screenings as well as other events and debates.



Nabil Ayouch, French director of Moroccan origins, directed the biographical film that tells the story of a cultural center in which hip hop becomes a tool for emancipation for a group of youths from the outskirts of Casablanca similar to those he frequented when he lived in a working class district of Paris.



However, the director is also the founder of the center, which now has branches in Tangiers, Fez, and Agadir. On November 26, another one is expected to open in Marrakech.



"I gave life to the cultural center in Casablanca in 2013 thanks to a foundation. On its opening, women accounted for 10%, now that number has risen to 50%," he told ANSAmed, despite the fact that for them "it can be particularly difficult to use rap as a form of artistic expression" in some contexts.



"In every cultural center, the number of participants now fluctuates between 300 and 1,000 youths, very significant participation. I personally got to know Morocco at age 30, with cultural baggage from Paris that gave me more liberated cinematic language skills, able to deal with environments in which Moroccan cinema was not interested." Living between the two countries as part of his origins is, for Ayouch, a way to have a "particular view on freedom of expression" and of course there is no lack of difficulties in the dialogue between the different worlds and generations.



"There can be misunderstandings. Many parents have pulled their children from the centers because they did not understand the critical spirit conveyed by rap and they were afraid of it.



We then invited them to help them get to know better the activities in places where the energy of youth becomes music to express personal views as well as reflections on society, politics, and religion." Ayouch noted that, "from a cultural point of view, in the 1990s Morocco looked more to Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE as well as Egypt, thanks to satellite channels. After that, social media arrived, which gave a wider vision of the world." Rap began in the US - in the Bronx area of NYC - and Morocco, former French protectorate, "was the first country to recognise US independence", Ayouch noted .



The director underscored that he sees himself in the youths in the film and as well as the "crucial value of transmission" in relations between professor and students.



'Casablanca Beats' is, thus, a coming of age story that weaves its way with hip hop beats in the background and a look at youth trying to find their way in the world: a theme that unites populations and, as such, dear to MedFilm Festival.
TUNIS - Four start-ups from Jendouba, in Tunisia's mountainous northwest, have received the 'Wild Tunisia' certification, which aims to set up a system of environmentally friendly labels certifying economic development inside Tunisia's protected areas and natural reserves.

Speaking at a launch event at Tunis's City of Science, labelling expert Wafa Ben Hamida said that the four start-ups were Agromatica, specialized in honey production in Fernana; Tunaroma in Jendouba: Novaroma in Ain Drahem, specialized in essential oil extraction; and Dar El Aim, which organises excursions in Melloula, Tabarka.

This label of environmental quality, which certifies compliance with the principles of fairness and sustainability, is the result of the Wild Tunisia project launched in 2018 on the initiative of the North Africa branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature.

The project received 180,000 euros in funding from the Drosos Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation headquartered in Zurich that aims to improve the management of protected areas and natural sites with a high environmental value through the improvement of socio-economic conditions of those operating in the area.

The Wild Tunisia label will help create new 'green' jobs and innovation inside and outside these areas through the certification of products and services that are produced and supplied by young entrepreneurs.


Another protest Sunday in Tunisia against president In front of the parliament building

(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, NOV 8 - The collective called Citizens Against the Coup d'Etat has announced online that another protest will be held against President Kais Saied Sunday in front of the parliament building.



The group, consisting mostly of those backing the Islamist party Ennahdha and Al Karama, as well as civil society representatives, was to have held a press conference on Monday morning in Tunis.



However, due to a lack of authorisation from the place where it was to have been held, there was instead simply a meeting with the press outside.



The firm will to oppose what was referred to as the "coup d'etat" by the country's president was repeatedly mentioned during the meeting.



Among those most active in the collective are: Deputy Parliament Speaker Samira Chaouachi, the executive director of the Amal party, Ridha Belhaj, former Ennahdha leader Samir Dilou, and former advisor to Saied Abderraouf Betbaieb.



The collective underscored the need to hold early parliamentary elections, as well as engage in national inclusive dialogue and reform at all levels of the country.



To achieve this, the collective said that it hoped to see the finalisation of the election of Constitutional Court members and the setting up of a body for good governance and the fight against corruption. (ANSAmed).




BEIRUT - At least two were killed and five injured in clashes early on Monday between the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and jihadist affiliates of the Islamic State (ISIS), according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).



SOHR said that casualties had resulted from two incidents.



In the first, one person was killed in an attack by the SDF in the eastern part of the Deir al-Zor province during an operation in which US Special Forces helicoptered in took part.



One man was killed and a woman and another man were arrested.



In the second incident, ISIS fighters carried out an attack on a group of people gathered in the western part of Deir al-Zor for a funeral.



One person was killed and five others were injured.


ROME - "For 38 days, they have been protesting in front of the UNHCR offices in Libya in search of refuge: trapped in a country that has not been safe for years, they are asking to be heard and plead to be evacuated. There are at least 3,000 of them. They are sleeping outside. They are exposed to the cold and attacks that in recent weeks have left two dead. Among them are 600 women who, with their children, live in the streets without food or toilet facilities," MP Erasmo Palazzotto from the LeU party wrote in Italian on his Facebook page.



Palazzotto noted that the sit-in had been organised after the most recent violent round-ups aiming to capture and detain those who only escape route is via sea.



"We do not necessarily want to go to Europe. We just want to go to a safe country. With the round-ups the situation has worsened. There is a need to liberate those arrested, treat those injured, open humanitarian corridors, and evacuate everyone in danger. This situation is the responsibility of Italy and Europe. If necessary, we will die here in the streets," one of the migrants said, according to Palazzotto, who added that "is it necessary to remind anyone that these are women, men, and children who have survived abuse, torture, extortion, and deportation? People who, out of opportunism, we dismiss by calling them migrants and that daily find themselves victims of a systematic cycle of very serious violations that the most recent report by the Investigating Commission of the High Commissioner for Human Rights called 'crimes against humanity'." In Libya, the MP added, "a humanitarian tragedy of historic proportions is underway and we continue to be partially responsible for this tragedy. The people who, by proxy, we have captured and pushed back by the Libyan authorities are desperately trying to make their voices heard. We must listen to them. And evacuate them as soon as possible."
Calls in Parliament for a dedicated visa route to be provided for au pairs post-Brexit have been rejected by a minister, who said it was labour on the cheap.

It was also warned at Westminster taking such action to deal with a servant problem would lead to ridicule.

Meanwhile, Brexit critics argued it has taken a shortage of au pairs for some to realise that quitting the EU was an unmitigated, self-inflicted disaster.

Pressed on the issue in the House of Lords, Home Office minister Baroness Williams of Trafford said while there was no dedicated immigration route for au pairs, there were other options such as through the Youth Mobility Scheme arrangements, with participating countries and territories.

Hailing a previous au pair scheme, Tory peer Baroness Hodgson of Abinger said it gave hard-working families the benefit from flexible childcare and au pairs leaving the UK with improved English and are great ambassadors as well as giving business to our English language schools.

She added: Brexit has meant that there is no available visa route to bring au pairs to the UK.

Lady Hodgson referred to an earlier ministerial assurance that there would be a temporary visa work route for au pairs and urged Lady Williams to expedite this issue.

But Lady Williams said there was no plan for such a dedicated provision.

However, she pointed out 20,000 young people had come to Britain through the mobility scheme to experience life in the UK.

Tory former cabinet minister Lord Lilley, a prominent Brexiteer, said: I welcome the fact we are moving away from the deplorable British habit of paying British workers too little and not training them enough and instead relying on cheap labour from abroad.

I understand the reasons Lady Hodgson gives for wanting an exception in the case of au pairs but I counsel the House that it will open us to ridicule if the only exception we are prepared to make is helping us deal with a servant problem.

Lady Williams said: Au pairs certainly are labour on the cheap.

Labour peer and Brexit critic Lord Foulkes of Cumnock said: Does the minister agree with me that although we have had critical shortages of HGV drivers, of fruit pickers, of nurses, of doctors and care workers, it takes a a shortage of au pairs for some people to realise that Brexit is an unmitigated, self inflicted disaster?

When is the Government going to acknowledge this and try and find a new, positive relationship with the European Union?

Lady Williams said: He knows very well the problems with HGV drivers and poultry workers are an issue of easing supply chain pressures and they are nothing to do with Brexit.

Labour frontbencher Baroness Chapman of Darlington said: This isnt really about au pairs is it? This is about opportunities for young people.

Isnt it correct that the Government didnt think about opportunities for young people when it did its Brexit deal? Just like it didnt think about food producers, cultural industries or even the people of Northern Ireland.

She called on Lady Williams to speak to Brexit minister Lord Frost to make sure that the appropriate changes are made to the Brexit deal that deal with this alongside other problems that they have created.

But highlighting the youth mobility initiative, Lady Williams said: I wouldnt say that was a scheme that was closing down opportunity to young people.
Boris Johnson will face calls for a public inquiry into allegations of Tory sleaze as MPs consider how to clean up Westminster following the Owen Paterson row.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the Prime Minister should apologise to the nation and clean out the filthy Augean stable he has created.

The Commons will spend three hours hearing an emergency debate on the situation, despite ministers seeking to dismiss the row as a storm in a teacup.

The Liberal Democrats, who secured the debate, have called for a statutory public inquiry into sleaze and corruption allegations.

The inquiry, which would have the power to summon witnesses and take evidence under oath, would examine not only the Paterson row but also the awarding of coronavirus contracts, whether Mr Johnsons holidays in villas provided by friends were properly declared, and how the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat was funded.

A debate was granted last week by Speaker Lindsay Hoyle following Tory attempts to block an immediate 30-day suspension for Mr Paterson over an egregious breach of lobbying rules.

Conservative MPs were ordered instead to back the creation of a Tory-led committee to look again at Mr Patersons case and the whole standards system.

But after a backlash the Government performed a U-turn and Mr Paterson subsequently quit as an MP, leaving what he called the cruel world of politics.

Reports at the weekend suggested the Speaker may put forward his own proposals for reform of the standards process in an effort to take some of the increasingly bitter politics out of the row.

Ahead of the emergency debate, Sir Keir said the Prime Minister must publicly confirm that former Cabinet minister Mr Paterson will not be nominated for a peerage.

Downing Street sources have indicated there is no intention for Mr Paterson to be given a seat in the Upper Chamber.

Sir Keir will lead the debate for Labour, but Mr Johnson is expected to hand Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg the job of representing the Government.

Boris Johnson needs to attend this debate, answer for his mistakes, apologise to the country and take action to undo the damage he has done, Sir Keir said.

The country is yet to hear a word of contrition over his attempts to create one rule for him and his friends and another for everyone else. He must now come to the House and say sorry.

The Liberal Democrats pushed for a change to Commons rules to prevent any MPs being investigated by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards from voting on or proposing amendments to motions related to disciplinary issues.

Lib Dem chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said it was the equivalent of defendants in a court case also taking part in the jury.

She added: Time and again Government ministers have refused to properly investigate allegations of sleaze, failed to declare relevant meetings and donations and tried to rig the system to cover their own backs.

We need an independent public inquiry, with the powers and resources to get to the bottom of this Conservative sleaze scandal.

Tory MPs, who have been contacted by furious constituents about the situation, remain angry at the handling of the Paterson case and relations have not been helped by Environment Secretary George Eustices claim that it was a Westminster storm in a teacup.

High Peak MP Robert Largan, one of the new generation of Tory MPs elected in 2019, criticised Mr Eustices attempt to downplay the row, telling Times Radio: I dont think its very helpful to say, oh, its just a storm in a teacup.

In my view this was something that we got badly wrong and they need to fix it.

Another 2019 Tory MP told the PA news agency that Mr Eustices comments were complete nonsense.

The MP said: They need to get a grip and understand that this isnt the way the world works any more. It might have been 20 years ago or something like that, but people expect  rightly so  the highest standards.
A bus has been hijacked and set on fire at a loyalist estate on the outskirts of Belfast.

Four masked men boarded the double decker in Church Road at an entrance to the Rathcoole estate in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, at about 7.45pm and ordered the driver and passengers off.

The bus was then set alight across the road.

The charred remnants of the bus were still smouldering later on Sunday night as police in armoured vehicles monitored the scene.

Last Monday a bus was hijacked and burned in a loyalist area of Newtownards, Co Down, in an apparent protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Disorder also broke out at a community interface in west Belfast twice last week.

The violence involving youths from the nationalist Springfield Road and loyalist Shankill Road saw police being attacked with missiles and fireworks on Wednesday and Friday night.

Wednesdays disorder followed a protest against the protocol.

The burnt out double decker bus in Church Road near Rathcoole in Newtownabbey (David Young/PA)

Condemning Sundays hijacking, Stormont Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said the driver and passengers were safe after a terrifying experience.

It is disgraceful and disgusting that our public transport workers have been targeted for attack again, this time by masked men who ordered the driver and passengers off a bus this evening and then set fire to it. This is the fourth attack this year, she said.

Translink buses are public assets. Without them people cant get to and from work, or school, or hospital appointments. Our bus drivers are working class people who deserve to be safe in their jobs. People using public transport also deserve to feel safe and be able to go about their business without fear.

The criminals behind these reckless and cowardly attacks have done nothing more than harm their local community, depriving them of a critical public service. It is another extreme act of self harm consistently rejected by the people of Northern Ireland.

Infrastructure minister Nichola Mallon branded the attack reckless and cowardly (David Young/PA).

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson branded the attack senseless.

Such criminal behaviour could lead to death or serious injury, he tweeted.

This only harms local people and local communities. It serves no cause whatsoever. The ringleaders should step back. Change is brought about by politics not by burning buses.

Sinn Fein North Belfast MLA Gerry Kelly said: The hijacking and burning of a bus and threats to a driver in Rathcoole is dangerous, reckless and despicable.

There is absolutely no place in our society for this criminality and violence.

We need to see clear condemnation from unionist leaders tonight of this violence and further attempts to stir up tensions.

Words and actions are very important, and I would urge unionist leaders to end the provocative language and dishonesty around the protocol.

People want calm and responsible leadership to reduce tensions and ensure there is no further escalation of violence on our streets.

The scene on Abbott Drive in Newtownards last week after a bus was hijacked and set alight in an attack linked to loyalist opposition to Brexits Northern Ireland Protocol (David Young/PA)

A PSNI spokesman said: Police received a report of a hijacking incident in the Church Road area of Newtownabbey at around 7.45pm on Sunday evening.

It was reported that four men got onto the bus and ordered passengers off before the bus was then set alight.

Church Road is currently closed and diversions are in place and police would ask members of the public to avoid the area.
A Komodo dragon at London Zoo has welcomed a musical guest in the form of McFlys Dougie Poynter.

The pop bands bass guitarist visited Ganas, a 13-year-old Komodo dragon, at the zoo to launch its new Komodo Dragon Experience.

The species, which is considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, is the largest lizard on earth.

Poynter prepared food for Ganas before hiding meat inside logs and holes in the enclosure.

Its incredible to be able to get up close to such an amazing species and get stuck in behind the scenes at London Zoo, Poynter said.

Given there are fewer than 1,400 adult dragons left in the world, this is a great opportunity to learn more about wildlife and how we can care for them.

Dougie Poynter lays out meat for Ganas (ZSL London Zoo/PA)

Dougie Poynter and a zookeeper at London Zoo (ZSL London Zoo/PA)

Poynter was joined by zookeeper Joe Capon, who said: Were launching our Komodo Dragon Experience today and were thrilled to have Dougie here to help us.

Weve treated Ganas to a scent trail and a meaty meal, and Dougie has helped us encourage Ganas to use his razor-sharp teeth and tremendous strength to eat his food, in the same way his species would hunt large prey in the wild.

The zoos new Komodo Dragon Experience will be available from November 26 and will feature a behind-the-scenes look at the species.
A community famous for having the longest place name in the country will soon be able to access some of the fastest broadband speeds in Europe.

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogoch on Anglesey, in North Wales  often known as Llanfair PG- is benefiting from a partnership between local residents and Openreach.

Residents will be able to take advantage of speeds of up to one gigabit per second using Openreachs full fibre network where fibre is run directly from the exchange to properties.

The improved fibre broadband infrastructure is being enabled by an Openreach programme designed to help people living and working in rural communities that are not included in any current roll-out plans.

Pensioner and charity worker Alwyn Ellis uses a laptop at the station (Welsh Government News/PA)

Openreach said that, as befits providing ultrafast broadband to an area with such a long name, the latest community partnership is the largest of its kind in Wales with around 1,360 properties expected to be upgraded.

Openreach engineers will start work on installing a total of around 85km of fibre cable overhead and underground from the telephone exchange in Bangor to the residents of Llanfair PG.

Jamie Edwards, Openreach rural engagement manager, said: We all know how essential it is for homes and businesses up and down the country to have fast, reliable broadband. From running a business to home schooling and shopping  so much is done online.

While more than 95% of premises in Wales can already access superfast broadband, we know there is more to do to reach those final premises.

A small number of communities, like Llanfair PG, are missing out on good broadband connectivity. Our Community Fibre Partnership helps bring ultrafast connections to those areas to bridge this gap.
The introduction of optional pronoun name badges for Marks & Spencer employees has been praised.

After a suggestion from an employee, M&S workers have the option of wearing whichever combination of pronouns they choose.

A post on employment platform LinkedIn by the retailer said: Recently, we introduced pronoun name badges for our colleagues, encouraging as many of them as possible to wear whichever combination of pronouns is right for them.

An amazing initiative provided by one of our colleagues Morgen Kane to our Suggest to Steve programme, as we continue to build an inclusive future, together.

David Parkes M&S name badge (David Parke/PA)

M&S shared a post from employee David Parke, 28, a food PR manager from Croydon, in which he shared his own pronoun badge which read: He/Him/His.

Mr Parke told the PA news agency: Giving people the option to display their pronouns at work is really important as it encourages them to show allyship towards trans and non-binary colleagues.

Many of us already include our pronouns in our email signatures, but when youre talking to people in person its useful to know how they want to be referred to in order to help everyone feel comfortable and avoid any misgendering.

Right now trans people in the UK are facing more abuse and discrimination than ever before, and so its up to all of us to create an inclusive culture and make sure everyone gets the respect they deserve.

Its great that M&S is proactively taking these sorts of steps to support and celebrate LGBTQ+ colleagues.

Sasha Misra, associate director of communications and campaigns at Stonewall, said: Its great to see an increasing number of businesses offering the option of badges with pronouns for staff.

Creating an inclusive workplace starts with everyday actions, and having pronouns on badges is a simple yet impactful way to make sure LGBTQ+ identities are respected  for employees and customers alike.
Thousands of travellers are jetting off for long-awaited reunions with family and friends as the United States reopened its borders to UK visitors  600 days after a travel ban was imposed.

Rival airlines British Airways and Virgin Atlantic operated a synchronised departure from the west London airport on Monday morning.

The aircraft  both of which were full  took off from parallel runways at 8.51am and will land in New York JFK at around 11am local time.

The chief executive of Virgin Atlantic hailed it as a day of celebration.

Speaking to the PA news agency at Heathrow, Shai Weiss said: Its been 600 days that the US border has been shut down for UK nationals.

To see passengers coming in early in the morning, grandparents going to see grandchildren theyve never met, families reuniting, people going to care for elderly people and businesses reconnecting is really a day of celebration for all of us in the industry and, of course, for Virgin Atlantic.

Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss at Heathrow Airport as the US reopens its borders to UK visitors in a significant boost to the travel sector (Steve Parsons/PA)

He called the transatlantic route one of the most important in the world.

For us at Virgin Atlantic, we say it wouldnt be Virgin without the Atlantic, he said.

Mr Weiss counterpart at British Airways, Sean Doyle, earlier said the reopening of the US borders was a moment to celebrate after more than 600 days of separation.

The day is finally here!  . To celebrate the US reopening to the UK, we have teamed up with @VirginAtlantic for the first ever commercial dual take-off from London to New York. pic.twitter.com/XvySfPHQqV  British Airways (@British_Airways) November 8, 2021

Long queues formed at Heathrows Terminal 3 as eager travellers checked in to their flights.

Husband and wife Ben and Becca Akhurst told PA they cant believe this is actually happening, ahead of flying to Orlando, Florida.

The pair, both aged 31 and from Ashford, Kent, said: This trip has been a long time coming  after five cancellations we finally get to return to Orlando.

This is going to be an emotional trip and the relief once we had our negative test results a couple of days ago was an amazing feeling. We cant believe this is actually happening but look forward to savouring every moment and sharing it with our friends and family.

Passenger Christian Marcelia at London Heathrow Airports T3 as the US reopens its borders to UK visitors (Marc Ward/PA)

Christian Marcelia, 26, said he was excited and a bit nervous to fly to New York to visit his girlfriend there for the first time.

My girlfriend lives over there, so weve been sort of long distance for two years. Im going there to meet her family for the first time.

They have been a couple for nearly two years, he said, spending most of that time on different continents due to pandemic-induced travel restrictions.

Richard Clark was looking forward to seeing his American colleagues, he told PA, before jetting off to San Francisco on business.

The Briton, who works in software for an American company, said it was the first time in two-and-a-half years that he was heading to the US office.

Having worked at home for so long and being at home for so long for somebody that travels quite a lot historically, a bit apprehensive, I guess, with all the hoops you have to jump through to travel, but otherwise its going to be a good change of scenery, he said.

In early 2020, the coronavirus pandemic led then-president Donald Trump to ban visitors to the US from dozens of countries such as the UK, Ireland, the 26 Schengen nations in Europe, China, India and South Africa.

A passenger looks at a departures board at Heathrow as leisure flights to the US resume (Steve Parsons/PA)

The lifting of the travel ban is momentous, the under-secretary of state for transport Robert Courts told PA.

This is a massive moment for the aviation sector as we look to build back better from the terrible blow of the coronavirus pandemic.

Its about people, fundamentally, its about getting families back together

Thats particularly important with Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up.

Thats on top of the massive economic benefit that there is from having the United States and Great Britain  these great friends and allies, countries that have so much in common  back in regular contact with each other again.

Airlines have ramped up UK-US flight schedules to meet the increased demand for travel.

Its finally time! Weve heard some special customer stories this morning. If you're on your way too, share with #BritsAreBack  pic.twitter.com/YM0GZ4zFYZ  virginatlantic (@VirginAtlantic) November 8, 2021

A total of 3,688 flights are scheduled to operate between the countries this month, according to travel data firm Cirium.

That is up 21% compared with October, but remains 49% down on the pre-pandemic levels of November 2019.

Around 3.8 million British nationals visited the US every year prior to the pandemic, according to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Passengers arrive at Heathrows Terminal 3 as the US reopens its borders to UK (Steve Parsons)

In addition to being fully vaccinated, foreign travellers arriving by air must also provide proof of either a negative result from a coronavirus test taken no more than three days before travel, or that they have recovered from the virus in the previous three months.

There are limited exemptions for travellers who are not fully vaccinated.

Children are exempt from the vaccination requirement but those aged between two and 17 must take a coronavirus test three to five days after arrival.

Fully vaccinated people travelling from the US to the UK must take a test on or before the second day after their arrival.

Passengers arrive past cabin crew from Virgin Atlantic and British Airways at Heathrow (Steve Parsons/PA)

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps earlier called it a significant moment as transatlantic travel has long been at the heart of UK aviation.

The Cabinet minister was due to attend the take-off of the US-bound flights from Heathrow on Monday morning, but had to cancel after falling off his bike at the weekend.

In and out of hospital after coming off my bike while out this weekend. Big thanks to brilliant NHS staff East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust QE2 & Lister Hospitals who patched me up yesterday, followed by a minor op on my lip today, Mr Shapps said on social media on Sunday.
Two suspected criminal hackers have been charged in the United States in connection with a wave of ransomware attacks.

Attorney General Merrick Garland and other top officials announced charges against Ukrainian Yaroslav Vasinskyi and Russian Yevgeniy Polyanin, alleging them to be part of the REvil ransomware gang.

Officials said Vasinskyi was recently arrested in Poland and that the US government had recovered 6.1 million US dollars in ill-gotten funds from Polyanin.

The Justice Department is sparing no resource to identify and bring to justice anyone, anywhere who targets the United States with a ransomware attack, Mr Garland said.

The Treasury Department also announced sanctions against the pair as well in what it said was a virtual currency exchange, Chatex, the department said was used by ransomware gangs.

European law enforcement authorities also announced Monday that they had arrested two other suspected ransomware operators with links to REvil in Romania.

The arrests were part of a law enforcement investigation called GoldDust that involved the United States and 16 other countries.

REvil, also known as Sodinokibi, has been linked in recent months to ransomware targeting the worlds largest meat processor, JBS SA, as well as a Fourth of July weekend attack that snarled businesses around the world through a breach of a Florida-based software company called Kaseya.

The Justice Department has tried multiple ways to address a ransomware wave that it regards as a national security and economic threat.

Arrests of foreign hackers are significant for the Justice Department since many of them operate in the refuge of countries that do not extradite their own citizens to the US for prosecution.

The Justice Department in June seized 2.3 million dollars in cryptocurrency from a payment made by Colonial Pipeline following a ransomware attack that caused the company to temporarily halt operations, creating fuel shortages in parts of the country.
Irish premier Micheal Martin has said it is not inevitable that the UK Government will trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The Taoiseach urged Britain to consider the damage such a move would cause to its relationships with the EU and Ireland.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney warned at the weekend that if the UK moves to suspend elements of the protocol, the EU could do likewise with the Brexit trade deal.

Mr Martin has sought to play down talk of a looming trade war and urged the UK Government to engage faithfully in negotiations.

The Taoiseach said: I dont think anything should be taken as inevitable in respect of the current talks on the protocol that are under way between the European Union and the United Kingdom Government.

Obviously, European Union/United Kingdom relations are very important over time and they should be a relationship thats built on sustained trust, they should be constructive, he added.

They should lead to the mutual benefit of citizens of the UK and citizens of the European Union.

The relationship between Ireland and Great Britain is a fundamental one, the relationship between the two Governments over 30 years has been central to the peace process, central to the architecture of the Good Friday Agreement.

Theres an obligation on all parties to take those two fundamental sets of relationships into account before any action is taken.

Negotiations between London and Brussels over the protocol remain deadlocked and there is mounting speculation that the UK Government is poised to trigger Article 16 later this month.

Britain has repeatedly warned it will move to unilaterally suspend elements of the protocol if an agreed outcome is not reached.

The oversight role of the European Court of Justice in policing the operation of the protocol remains a key sticking point in the talks to resolve issues with its operation.

Mr Martin said it would be reckless and irresponsible to trigger Article 16, but refused to discuss the possibility of a trade war between the UK and the EU.

I think we should be aware of self-fulfilling prophecies as well, he said when asked if a trade war is looming.

Nothing, as I say, is certain in that regard, because weve been here before and negotiations are still under way.

He added: Theres still engagement between the European Union and the UK.

As I said in the Dail last week, and I stand over my comments, I think it would be reckless and irresponsible to trigger Article 16.

I believe that all parties need to take on board the fundamental importance of the relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom, and the relationship between the Irish Government and the British Government, in terms of what has happened over the last 30 years.

Mr Martin said that triggering Article 16 would represent a very serious issue in the context of both those relationships.

But he added that negotiations are continuing and he is hopeful they will bear fruit.

He said the EU has offered a very extensive set of measures to smooth out issues with the operation of the protocol, adding which I believe, if theres a will, should lead to a positive conclusion to these talks.

The Progressive Unionist Party this morning has published an extensive constitutional contribution. Our party supported the Belfast Agreement, but we are concerned the basis for that support has been erodehttps://t.co/ioUNp9QNrA pic.twitter.com/xYR2lh9oyv  PUP (@OfficialPUP) November 8, 2021

Mr Martin has also called on the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) to reconsider its decision to withdraw support for the Good Friday Agreement.

The PUP said on Monday that unionists should not support the peace deal because the consent principle, which is central to the 1998 accord, has been undermined by the protocol.

Mr Martin said: I would say to the PUP and others to reconsider that decision. They have been a party supportive of the Good Friday Agreement.

I would not agree with the comments that have been attributed to that party this morning in respect of the agreement itself, or in terms of the issue of consent.

Theres been a transformation in relationships north/south, within Northern Ireland, over time.
Poorer neighbourhoods in England are less likely to have access to a public defibrillator, according to a study.

Researchers led by a team at the University of Warwick examined the geographic locations of public-access defibrillators across the country.

A defibrillator is a potentially life-saving device that gives a high-energy electric shock to the heart of someone who is in cardiac arrest.

But despite a higher rate of cardiac arrests in deprived areas, the research team found that there were fewer public defibrillators in these communities compared with richer neighbourhoods.

We have gone live with a new database for life-saving defibrillators. If you're a defibrillator guardian we need your help. Find out more  https://t.co/gY4veGcW4s  North West Ambulance Service (@NWAmbulance) October 22, 2021

Only 27.4% of the most deprived areas had at least one defibrillator, compared with about 45% of the richest areas, according to the findings, published in the journal Resuscitation.

The investigators also found that fewer defibrillators were installed in residential areas  at locations such as outside community halls and primary schools  where cardiac arrests are most likely to occur.

Using data from 11 ambulance services across the country and population data, the researchers also found that people from a non-white background were less likely to have access to a registered defibrillator.

The study comes out amid a national call for all public-access defibrillators to be registered properly so emergency services have the most up-to-date information.

Were urging everyone who looks after a defibrillator to register their devices on The Circuit  The National Defibrillator Network, to help more lives from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. https://t.co/Iz80SiVeDV pic.twitter.com/CGuHnjpsH8  EEAST Ambulance Service (@EastEnglandAmb) November 1, 2021

The lead author of the study, Dr Terry Brown from Warwick Clinical Trials Unit, said: We know that cardiac arrests occur more often in deprived areas, but registered defibrillators are more likely to be found in areas where the population is more affluent, predominantly identify as white ethnic, and with high socio-economic occupations.

The question is whether this is because theyre not registered in more deprived areas, or because there arent any?

We want to get more defibrillators registered. If they are registered and more easily accessible, and people have the confidence to use them, we believe there will be an improvement in survival rates from cardiac arrest.

Sue Hampshire, a director of the Resuscitation Council UK, said: There are currently unacceptable inequalities in the provision and availability of public-access defibrillators across the country.
The partner of the youngest victim of serial killer Stephen Port has claimed he was pushed out by police investigating his boyfriends death because the pair were an unmarried gay couple.

Ricky Waumsley told the inquest into his boyfriend Daniel Whitworths death that he felt excluded by investigators and was not allowed to see an apparent suicide note left by the young chef until the year after he was found dead.

He told jurors at Barking Town Hall on Monday: If it was a straight couple I wouldnt have been pushed out as much as I was at the time.

They dismissed me in every single way. I believe and I stand by it, it was because we were a gay unmarried couple.

Stephen Port (Metropolitan Police/PA)

Mr Whitworths body was discovered in Barking, east London, on September 20 2014, after he was given a fatal overdose of the drug GHB by Port.

The serial killer left a fake suicide note on Mr Whitworths body falsely claiming that he had taken his own life after accidentally killing another man, Gabriel Kovari  who was in fact another of Ports victims.

Mr Waumsley said the police should have verified the handwriting on the note more carefully, rather than just asking the 21-year-olds grieving parents.

He told the jury: I just felt that they took the suicide note at face value. I believe they didnt do any more than that. That was my thought on it.

I thought they could have done more, they could have at least checked the handwriting and made sure that it was correct, and not just asked people at the time who were grieving and who are not in that profession looking at handwriting.

In the days after the young chefs death, the police refused to show Mr Waumsley the suicide note.

He said: I was really angry because he was my partner of four years and I wanted to see what he had to say for himself.

On September 30 2014, Mr Waumsley visited the site where Mr Whitworth had been found with his father Adam and stepmother Amanda, who were unmarried at the time.

A suicide note, written by serial killer Stephen Port, which was placed on the body of Daniel Whitworth (Metropolitan Police/PA)

Police officers took Adam and Amanda off to discuss the investigation privately without Mr Waumsley, which he said really pissed me off and made me feel pushed out by the police.

It was only in the following year at the first inquest into Mr Whitworths death when Mr Waumsley saw the note for the first time, and said it was really impersonal, did not mention any family members and he could not be sure it was his partners handwriting.

During the 2015 inquest it also emerged that officers had not DNA tested the bed sheet on which Mr Whitworth had been found, or the drugs bottle that was discovered with his body.

There was also some bruising on his chest that suggested manual handling but this had not been investigated.

Outside the hearing, Mr Whitworth told officers Paul Slaymaker and Rolf Schamberger You didnt do your f****** job properly.

He told the police that Mr Whitworth had never done drugs apart from one joint in Amsterdam, and he had never heard of the drug GHB before Daniel died.

But when Mr Whitworths stepmother Amanda had asked the police what the drug was, they had told her to ask Mr Waumsley because he should know.

Jurors were read part of a witness statement he gave to the police watchdog in 2017, then called the Independent Police Complaints Commission, that said: I didnt understand how they could just brush her question off and say that a typical gay person would know about drugs like that.

Left to right, Daniel Whitworth, Jack Taylor, Anthony Walgate and Gabriel Kovari (Metropolitan Police/PA)

I believe the police made too many assumptions from the content of the letter and not just because Daniel was gay.

I think they must have looked at the letter and taken it at face value and thought that was job done.

The jury then heard from Acting Detective Inspector Schamberger, who said that his team was overstretched when he was asked to supervise the officer in charge of the Whitworth investigation, DC Debbie Turrell, but that he had no option to refuse because all his colleagues were in the same boat.

I didnt really think I had an option any more to say. Im not best placed to deal with this, he told the jury.

He said that the system was overloaded and that he would deal with the biggest fire first in the tasks he was allocated, depending on officers to come to him to raise issues with cases.

Mr Schamberger attended the special post-mortem examination carried out on Mr Whitworths body on September 23 2014, with acting Detective Sergeant Stuart Denley.

In notes following the procedure, Mr Denley made reference to bruising found on Mr Whitworths underarms that the pathologist said could be consistent with being carried or moved before or after death.

But the officer instead put forward the idea that the marks could have occurred during rough sex, and wrongly claimed that Mr Whitworth: clearly led a double life that his partner knew nothing of.

The pathologist strongly recommended that officers have the bedsheet on which Mr Whitworth was found examined and the handwriting on the note confirmed.

But Mr Schamberger told the jury he did not remember this being said, simply that it should be checked if Daniel had a pen that matched the ink used on the note.

In 2016, Port, now aged 46, was found guilty of murdering fashion student Anthony Walgate, 23, Mr Kovari, 22, Mr Whitworth, 21, and final victim Jack Taylor, 25, between June 2014 and September 2015.

Inquests into the mens deaths are now being heard to determine whether lives could have been saved had police acted differently.
Boris Johnson must apologise to the country for his handling of the Owen Paterson sleaze row and act to clean up politics, Sir Keir Starmer said.

The Labour leader said the Prime Minister must publicly confirm that former Cabinet minister Mr Paterson will not be nominated for a peerage.

Ahead of an emergency Commons debate on standards at Westminster, Sir Keir said Mr Johnson needed to clean out the filthy Augean stable he has created.

Owen Paterson resigned as MP for North Shropshire (House of Commons/PA)

He also called for action against disgraced MP Rob Roberts, who was readmitted to the Conservative Party despite breaking Parliaments sexual misconduct policy.

Although he is back in the party, the Delyn MP sits as an independent in the Commons as the Conservative whip remains suspended.

A Commons debate last Monday was granted by Speaker Lindsay Hoyle following Tory attempts to block an immediate 30-day suspension for Mr Paterson over an egregious breach of lobbying rules.

Conservative MPs were ordered to back the creation of a Tory-led committee to look again at Mr Patersons case and the whole standards system.

But after a backlash over the plan the Government performed a U-turn and Mr Paterson subsequently quit as an MP, leaving what he called the cruel world of politics.

Sir Keir Starmer will lead Labours response in the emergency Commons debate (UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/PA)

Sir Keir said: Boris Johnson needs to attend this debate, answer for his mistakes, apologise to the country and take action to undo the damage he has done.

The country is yet to hear a word of contrition over his attempts to create one rule for him and his friends and another for everyone else. He must now come to the House and say sorry.

And he needs to go beyond just words. Today, the Prime Minister must begin to clean out the filthy Augean stable he has created.

The reference to cleaning the Augean stable will be familiar to the classics-loving Prime Minister, as it was one of the labours of Hercules.

Sir Keir, who will lead Labours response in the Commons debate, said Mr Johnson should confirm he will not nominate Mr Paterson or any other MPs who have been handed suspensions from Parliament for a peerage.

Downing Street sources have privately indicated there is no prospect of a seat in the Lords for Mr Paterson after speculation in Westminster that he would receive the honour.

In on-the-record comments on Friday a No 10 spokesman refused to rule out the possibility, saying only that there was a formal process.

Delyn MP Rob Roberts (UK Parliament/PA)

He also urged Mr Johnson to work together on plans to throw Mr Roberts out of the Commons  a loophole meant the Delyn MPs six-week suspension could not trigger the recall process which leads to a by-election.

Mr Roberts voted with Tory MPs for the plan to spare Mr Paterson an immediate suspension.

Sir Keir said: It is disgraceful that Mr Roberts has been welcomed back as both a Member of Parliament and the Conservative Party despite having been found to have sexually harassed a junior member of staff.

That he was able to aid and abet the Prime Minister in his attempts to corrupt British politics last week should be a source of shame to the Tories.

The Prime Minister was prepared to rip up the system to save one of his disgraced MPs  why will he not take action to protect others from this one?

Sir Keir also demanded a full, transparent investigation into how Randox  one of the firms that paid Mr Paterson  came to win Covid-19 testing contracts.

He said it was vital the public has confidence that Owen Patersons paid advocacy did not influence these decisions.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards investigation into Mr Patersons activities covered from October 2016 and February 2020, before the pandemic struck.

Sir Keir said if Mr Johnson did not agree to his demands it would send a message that the Prime Minister is either too arrogant or too cowardly to take responsibility for his own behaviour.

It will show that he believes there should be one rule for him and another for everyone else, and that the Tories are concerned with their own interests, not those of the country.

Liberal Democrat MP Wendy Chamberlain (Aaron Chown/PA)

The Liberal Democrats, who secured the emergency debate, have called for an independent statutory public inquiry into sleaze and corruption allegations.

The inquiry, which would have the power to summon witnesses and take evidence under oath, would examine not only the Paterson row but also the awarding of coronavirus contracts, whether Mr Johnsons holidays were properly declared and the refurbishment of the Downing Street flat.

The party also said that any MPs being investigated by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards should not be able to vote or propose amendments to motions related to disciplinary issues.

Lib Dem chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said it was the equivalent of defendants in a court case also taking part in the jury.

She added: Time and again Government ministers have refused to properly investigate allegations of sleaze, failed to declare relevant meetings and donations and tried to rig the system to cover their own backs.

We need an independent public inquiry, with the powers and resources to get to the bottom of this Conservative sleaze scandal.
By David Morgan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Monday that Republicans in the 2022 congressional elections should focus on the alleged misdeeds of Democrats rather than on former President Donald Trump, saying the campaign should not be "about the past."

At an appearance in Covington, Kentucky, the top Senate Republican said his party's strong showing in elections in Virginia, New Jersey and other states last week demonstrated voter concerns about the direction of the country under President Joe Biden and his Democratic allies in Congress.

"The key to 22 is to have a discussion with the American people about how they feel about the new administration and the Democratic Congress and what they're doing," said McConnell, who argued that voters reject the $1.75 trillion social-policy and climate-change legislation that Democrats are now trying to pass in the House of Representatives and Senate.

Asked if the Republican playbook would be to keep Trump at arm's length during next year's campaign, he said: "The election will be about the future, not about the past."

The elections will determine which party sets the agenda in Congress during the run-up to the 2024 presidential election. Republican hopes of reclaiming majorities in both chambers have surged since last Tuesday https://www.reuters.com/world/us/republicans-jolt-biden-with-win-virginia-close-race-new-jersey-2021-11-03, when Republican Glenn Youngkin won Virginia's governorship.

Youngkin's victory has raised questions about the future role for Trump, who falsely claims the 2020 election was stolen from him through massive voter fraud.

The Virginia Republican won back moderates who had supported Biden over Trump only a year ago, partly by distancing himself from the former president.

But Trump seems unlikely to fade into the political background. Over the weekend, he lashed out at McConnell and other Republicans who supported the $1 trillion infrastructure https://www.reuters.com/world/us/bidens-sweeping-infrastructure-social-spending-bills-finally-get-vote-2021-11-05 bill that passed the House on Friday after months of delay, calling them "RINOs" - a term meaning "Republican in name only."

McConnell, one of 19 Republicans who voted for the bill in the Senate, said Monday, "I was delighted that the House finally found a way to pass the infrastructure bill."

(Reporting by David Morgan; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
CHARLES DE GAULLE AIRPORT, France (AP)  The U.S. lifted restrictions Monday on travel from a long list of countries including Mexico, Canada and most of Europe, setting the stage for emotional reunions nearly two years in the making and providing a boost for the airline and tourism industries decimated by the pandemic.

Wives will hug husbands for the first time in months. Grandmas will coo over grandsons who have doubled in age since they last saw them. Aunts and uncles and cousins will snuggle babies they haven't met yet.

Im going to jump into his arms, kiss him, touch him, Gaye Camara said of the husband in New York she has not seen since before COVID-19 brought the fly-here-there-and-everywhere world to a halt.

Just talking about it makes me emotional, Camara, 40, said as she wheeled her luggage through Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, which could almost be mistaken for its pre-pandemic self, busy with humming crowds, albeit in face masks.

The rules that go into effect Monday allow air travel from a series of countries from which it has been restricted since the early days of the pandemic  as long as the traveler has proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test. Those crossing land borders from Mexico or Canada will require proof of vaccination but no test.

American citizens and permanent residents were always allowed to enter the U.S., but the travel bans grounded tourists, thwarted business travelers and often separated families.

Airlines are now preparing for a surge in activity after the pandemic and resulting restrictions caused international travel to plunge. Data from travel and analytics firm Cirium showed airlines are increasing flights between the United Kingdom and the U.S. by 21% this month over last month.

When Camara last saw Mamadou, her husband, in January 2020, they had no way of knowing that theyd have to wait 21 months before holding each other again. She lives in Frances Alsace region, where she works as a secretary. He is based in New York.

It was very hard at the beginning. I cried nearly every night, she said. I got through it thanks to him. He knows how to talk to me, to calm me.

Video calls, text messages, phone conversations kept them connected  but couldnt fill the void of separation.

I cannot wait, she said. Being with him, his presence, his face, his smile.

Maria Giribet has not seen her twin grandchildren Gabriel and David for about half of their lives. Now 3 1/2, the boys are in San Francisco, which during the height of the pandemic might as well have been another planet for 74-year-old Giribet, who lives on the Mediterranean isle of Majorca.

Im going to hug them, suffocate them, thats what I dream of, Giribet said after checking in for her flight. A widow, she lost her husband to a lengthy illness before the pandemic and her three grown children all live abroad.

I found myself all alone, said Giribet, who was flying for the first time in her life by herself.

For Martine Kerherve, being separated from loved ones in the United States was filled with worries that they might not survive the pandemic that has killed more than 5 million people worldwide.

We told ourselves that we could die without seeing each other, said Kerherve, who was heading for Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from Paris. We all went through periods of depression, anxiety.

Before the pandemic, it was a trip Kerherve and her partner, Francis Pasquier, would make once or twice a year. When they lost that, we lost our bearings, Pasquier said.

The change will also have a profound effect on the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada, where traveling back and forth was a way of life until the pandemic hit and the U.S. shut down nonessential travel.

Malls, restaurants and Main Street shops in U.S. border towns have been devastated by the lack of visitors from Mexico. On the boundary with Canada, cross-border hockey rivalries that were community traditions were upended. Churches that had members on both sides of the border are hoping to welcome parishioners they haven't seen in nearly two years.

River Robinsons American partner wasnt able to be in Canada for the birth of their baby boy 17 months ago. She was thrilled to hear about the U.S. reopening.

Im planning to take my baby down for the American Thanksgiving, said Robinson, who lives in St. Thomas, Ontario. If all goes smoothly at the border, Ill plan on taking him down as much as I can."

It's "crazy to think he has a whole other side of the family he hasnt even met yet, she added.

The U.S. will accept travelers who have been fully vaccinated with any of the shots approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization, not just those in use in the U.S. That's a relief for many in Canada, where the AstraZeneca vaccine is widely used.

But millions of people around the world who were vaccinated with Russias Sputnik V, Chinas CanSino or others not OK'd by the WHO wont be able to travel to the U.S.

The moves come as the U.S. has seen its COVID-19 outlook improve dramatically in recent weeks since the summer delta surge that pushed hospitals to the brink in many locations.

Those in the travel industry hope it will provide a boost after COVID-19 travel bans brought the sector to its knees.

Ben and Becca Akhurst were making the kind of trip Monday that many in the industry hope for: They were leaving London's Heathrow Airport to visit Disney World.

The husband and wife, both aged 31 and from Ashford, England, had been forced to cancel similar trips five times. They planned to spend time with friends they made during the pandemic through their shared love of Disney.

Travel agent Francis Legros, flying from Paris to a travel industry convention in Las Vegas, jetted off determined to breathe life back into his company.

We are rebuilding, he said. Its a new chapter, a new professional life.

___

Associated Press writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.

___

Follow AP's pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
Theres something to be said for doing things that give you joy or doing things that you have been putting off that now pop up occasionally to remind you that you havent done them. Read more
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YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. The Parliament of Artsakh will hold an extraordinary session on November 9 at the initiative of lawmakers.

The session will begin at 11:00.

One item is on the agenda: the statement of the Parliament about the inalienable right of the people of Artsakh to live freely and independently.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
STEPANAKERT, NOVEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. One person is dead and three others are wounded after Azerbaijani troops opened fire at Armenian civilians working on water supply pipes near the intersection of Shushi.

The shooting happened around 15:00, November 8.

The three wounded civilians are being treated at the Stepanakert hospital, the Artsakh National Security Service said.

National Security Service operatives, police teams and detectives are investigating to find out circumstances of the incident.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
The officials said that Jammu and Kashmir policeman Tawseef Ahmed Wani was shot and critically wounded by gunmen outside his residence

Soldiers stand guard during a search operation reportedly conducted after a tip-off about the presence of suspected militants in Bemina area of Srinagar. (TAUSEEF MUSTAFA / AFP)

SRINAGAR: After a lull of weeks, the target killers struck again in Srinagar on Sunday night, killing a policeman.

The officials said that Jammu and Kashmir policeman Tawseef Ahmed Wani was shot and critically wounded by gunmen outside his residence in SD Colony of Srinagar's Bemina area. He died on the way to hospital, the officials said.

The police sources said that after 29-year-old Wani was targetted by the assailants outside his home, his family members and neighbours rushed him to the city's Sri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead.

Dr. Kanwar Jeet Singh, Medical Superintendent SMHS Hospital, said that Wani had received a bullet injury in his head and he was brought dead to hospital."

Last month, in a series of target attacks, at, least, eleven persons were killed by gunmen in Kashmir Valley. The police had blamed these killings on separatist militants.

Most of the target killings including of members of minority Pandit and Sikh communities and seasonal labourers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh took place in and around Srinagar following which over five thousand additional Central armed police forces (CAPF) personnel were brought in from different parts of the country and deployed here and some other parts of the Valley to strengthen the security.
Mr Sidhu has been vehemently opposing the appointment of the A-G and the DGP by the new chief minister, Mr Charanjit Singh Channi

New Delhi: Its one step forward and two steps back for the Punjab Congress. After formally withdrawing his resignation as Punjab PCC chief, Navjot Singh Sidhu launched a fresh attack on state advocate-general A.S. Deol, accusing him of subverting justice by inaction in the sacrilege and drugs cases. He alleged that the A-G had appeared before the high court for the main conspirators and the accused in the case. He also alleged that Mr Deol was working for political gain and securing bail for the accused. Mr AG Punjab, Justice is blind but people of Punjab are not. Our Congress Party came in power with a promise to give justice in Sacrilege Cases, in which you appeared before the High Court for main conspirators/accused persons and made serious allegations against our Govt, Mr Sidhu said in a tweet on Sunday.

In another tweet, Mr Sidhu said: Today, you are representing the same government of the same political party in power and accusing me of spreading misinformation, whereas, I am fighting for justice in sacrilege cases and you were procuring blanket bail for the accused persons. May I know which interest (vested or otherwise) were you acting for when you appeared for the main conspirators and procured blanket bail for them and which interest you are acting now?

Mr Sidhu has been vehemently opposing the appointment of the A-G and the DGP by the new chief minister, Mr Charanjit Singh Channi. Taking on his own partys state government, Mr Sidhu asked the A-G: Are you acting at the behest of those who appointed you in this constitutional office and fulfilling their political gains? Did you advise the government to challenge the blanket bail order procured by you or any other adverse order in the sacrilege cases in the Supreme Court? Many feel that Mr Sidhus real target in this is the chief minister, who was not the choice of Mr Sidhu but was thrust upon by the party high command.

Interestingly, on Saturday, the advocate-general had issued a statement accusing Mr Sidhu of obstructing the functioning of the constitutional office of advocate-general. The statement had further accused Mr Sidhu of spreading misinformation to gain political advantage over his political colleagues. In the last few weeks, it has been a free for all in the Punjab Congress with the PCC chief taking on the state government. Taking a dig at the state unit chief, Lok Sabha MP from Punjab Ravneet Singh Bittu said: First please Sidhu then announce relief schemes and packages for the welfare of people of Punjab, otherwise he will question the motives of the government again.
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That would be George Barris, of course, the man that went down in history as the go-to authority for movie makers, as they were looking for the best vehicles to feature in their films. From the Lincoln-based original Batmobile to the Dragula featured in The Munsters, theres a bit for everyone in the Barris universe.The contraption you see here, officially called Turbo-Sonic, is also a George Barris machine, put together with help from Les Tompkins, Dick Dean and Tom Daniels at the start of the 1960s, when for some reason carmakers were trying to ride the wave of the nascent Space Age in terms of design.The thing was conceived as a dragster for the 25th century and is animated by a Turbonique turbine engine tied to a two-speed transmission, a powerplant that is capable of developing 1,000 horsepower and could push the contraption to a top speed of up to 300 mph (482 kph) over a quarter mile.The car is three-wheeled, with the engine mounted at the rear and constructed from aluminum and fiberglass, shaped not unlike the secret aircraft of its time. Motion is achieved by means of 10-inch steel wheels wrapped in Firestone slicks, while stopping power comes from both hardware you would normally expect on a road machine, like disc brakes, but also an offset blown parachute and four stabilizer wing flaps.Believe it or not this thing is functional, and was test-driven back in its day, including by means of a remote. Now, it sits in the Jackie and Gary Runyon collection, from where it will sell at the beginning of next year during Mecums huge auction in Kissimmee, Florida, with no reserve.We are not aware of the multi-colored contraption having set any type of records during its time on this planet and, for that matter, we are not even certain it was driven all that much.For George Barris fans though, and also for people with a thing for the Space Age, the Turbo-Sonic might be just what the doctor prescribed, so we do expect to make quite a splash during the sale in January (there is no estimate made as to how much it may fetch ). For effect, the seller throws into the mix vintage photos and postcards with the machine.
Officially unveiled more than two years ago, right before the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show (ah, the good old days!), the Sian FKP 37 Coupe was followed shortly by the Roadster . Production was capped at 63 units for the former and 19 for the latter, and both of them were sold in no time.A lucky few have had the unique chance to experience and even thrash them around the track, yet the video shared at the bottom of the page isnt about fast driving nor about revealing its quirks and features. Thats because this is more of a spy clip that puts the spotlight on a dark example, with light blue accents and brass (or is it copper?) wheels.The supercar in question was filmed in Italy, close to the SantAgata Bolognese facility, and likely represents some last-minute road testing of this particular Sian FKP 37 , before prepping it for shipping. The vehicle has white protective wrap on its entire front end, which keeps the nose safe from pebbles and other small debris, and it can also be seen around the wheel arches, on the side skirts, and parts of the diffuser.In case you forgot, the Sian FKP 37 uses the same 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 engine as the one in the Aventador, assisted by electricity, for a total output of 808 horsepower. From 0 to 62 mph (0-100 kph), it needs only 2.8 seconds, and flat-out, it can do 217 mph (350 kph).
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

NHTSA

The reason behind the campaign, which is being conducted by Alfa Romeo and the), is that certain Giulia sedans, 185 of them from the 2020 model year, may have been equipped with incorrect tires during assembly.These do not meet the load rating and therefore fail to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard #110 for Tire Selection and Rims. As a result, the Bridgestone tires, which were made in Italy by the famed company, will have to be replaced by new ones that will meet the safety guidelines.At the same time, technicians will also update the owners manual with the correct load index values, the safety agency says, adding that this recall is not related to a tire defect, but an assembly issue, where the affected vehicles got incorrect tires.FCA, which is Alfa Romeos parent company, will reimburse those who have changed the tires on their Giulia sedans included in this recall. However, in order for this to happen, owners will have to send the original receipt and/or other adequate proof of payment to the automaker for the confirmation of the expense.Alfa Romeo will begin notifying owners on or about December 22, and that is also when their dealers will be informed of the matter. Thus, the recall should kick off in a little over a month from today. Until then, owners who have questions on the topic can contact FCA U.S.s customer service at 1-800-853-1403, using the recall number Y83, or the NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236.
Thomas Pesquet is one of the four crew members of the mission, a French aerospace engineer, pilot, and astronaut who works for the ESA (European Space Agency). He is also the current ISS commander.Making the most of his last days on the Space Station, the astronaut shared on his Twitter some stunning photos of the auroras, which he labels as the most intense ones in the entire mission. As specified on his social media account, Pesquet says the mesmerizing northern lights were a final bouquet offered by nature and was captured over North America, with the amazing spikes being higher than our orbit. He added that the crew flew right above the center of the ring, with rapid waves and pulses all over.With such a sight in front of their eyes, the astronauts kept their noses glued to the windows as they flew through the aurora.Pesquet also snapped a shot of Florida, explaining that one of the unique aspects of space travel is the fact that you can see your destination before you leave.All four astronauts will return home soon, successfully completing SpaceX s third human mission for NASA. The other three crew members in the mission are NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, and astronaut Aki Hoshide from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency).The undocking from the ISS of the Crew Dragon spacecraft Endeavour carrying the four astronauts was postponed by a day due to bad weather. It is now scheduled for today, November 8, with a splashdown off the coast of Florida. You can watch the event live
Thats the image my brain produced when seeing this F-35A Lightning II taking off, a possible end scene for a blockbuster disaster movie that never came to be. But this is image is as real as they get.True to its years-long habit, the U.S. Air Force ( USAF ) keeps releasing incredible stills of the hardware it deploys around the world. This time, were treated with an F-35A Lightning II deployed with the 158th Fighter Wing of the Vermont Air National Guard. It is seen here departing the South Burlington base in the same state where its home is.The plane is going out not in search of survivors, but on a daily training mission called for by the fighter wings habit of keeping up to ten aircraft ready for duty at any time. In doing so, it becomes, once more for this incredible piece of engineering, a perfect fit for our Photo of the Day section.The 158th, and more specifically its 134th Fighter Squadron (aka Green Mountain Boys) were the first Air National Guard unit to field the F-35A. It is also the unit whose F-16 Fighting Falcons were sent on patrol over New York in the hours following the 9/11 attacks.Technically speaking, the F-35A is the USAF version of the very young stealth combat fighter. It was introduced in 2016, and at 28,999 lbs (13,154 kg) empty, it is the lightest of the three variants (the other two are the Marine Corps F-35B and the Navy F-35C).It is powered by a single Pratt & Whitney engine that can take it to speeds of Mach 1.6 and altitudes of 50,000 ft (15,000 m). Guns, missiles, and bombs make up for the deadly arsenal of this incredible beast.
The Cerberus GLH is described by the company as the next-gen tactical-level aerial fire support UAS (unmanned aircraft system) and the first portable multiple-shot one on the market. It comes with VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) launch capabilities and quick-release arms, which help you easily pack and unpack the device. With this being a portable aircraft, it weighs around 22 lb (10 kg).Skybornes compact UAV uses the companys HAVOC launcher, which holds five standard NATO 40mm rounds (they can be selected and fired at will). It has a low acoustic signature and a flight time of up to 30 minutes. Cerberus offers a range of up to 3 miles (5 km) and a speed of up to 43 mph (70 kph). Setting up and launching the UAS takes under two minutes and the operator remains out of harms way.The fact that Skyborne succeeded in demonstrating the firing capabilities of its Cerberus UAS is an important step for the defense tech company. Current regulations in Australia prohibit operation of a weaponized remotely piloted aircraft on private land, within civilian airspace. But under CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) approvals, Skyborne was able to demonstrate the Cerberus on a rural property in Queensland, with a part of the terrain being leased by the company to be used as a testing site.According to Skyborne CEO Michael Creagh, this is the first time that the 40mm HAVOC launcher has been fired from the air, with the trial taking on a crawl, walk, run approach. The recoil response from the Cerberus was a significant improvement compared to the companys single-shot variant, which was demonstrated two years ago in the United States. All five rounds were fired consecutively from the chamber, with the UAS performing flawlessly.
EV

During a meeting that was described as having a positive tone, Jim Farley praised Tesla for its easy configuration tool, simple pricing strategy, and way of handling things directly. Likewise, Ford's CEO has described the battery of Tesla models as being "better" while saying that "their customers pay less " for it (the battery). Jim Farley has also noted that Tesla has differentiated its products from those made by the other vehicle manufacturers, as The Detroit Free Press reports. Mind you, Tesla was not the only brand praised by Farley, as the CEO of the Ford Motor Company had good things to say about Rivian as well.In the case of Rivian, Jim Farley noted that the company has already begun delivering its electric pickup truck , despite being a startup. This goes to show that Tesla is making big waves in the industry, and all legacy vehicle manufacturers are taking notes.As you may remember, Herbert Diess , Volkswagen's CEO, even invited Elon Musk to dial into a company executive meeting. While getting noticed and praised by the CEOs of Volkswagen and Ford might not be an achievement for Elon Musk today, it is a big deal that this is happening outside of closed boardrooms.Interestingly, Ford's CEO has also spoken about Volkswagen to his employees, as the German company is the world's second-largestmanufacturer. Yes, just behind Tesla Motors. It is obvious where the head of the Blue Oval was going with this point.Usually, vehicle manufacturers, as well as large corporations, prefer to keep competitor analysis to themselves . Moreover, whenever a competitor's product is doing well on the market, it is uncustomary to praise it in public, even if the audience is composed of employees.Even with just an employee-only audience, anything you say can and will be used against you (pun intended). In the case of Farley's speech, this goes to show that the leaders of the world's biggest vehicle manufacturers are not blindsided by the corporations they lead and can keep a keen eye on the market.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

NHTSA

Thebecame aware of the failing connecting rod bearings on June 11th, 2018 when the Center for Auto Safety petitioned the federal watchdog to initiate a safety defect investigation into non-collision related fires. The reason these vehicles may catch fire boils down to the possibility of puncturing the block, allowing engine oil to leak onto a hot exhaust. Even though its a serious problem, a cause resulting from a manufacturing or design defect hasnt been identified yet.According to documents filed with the, affected Optima hybrids were produced between June 27th, 2016, and November 21st, 2017 while Optima plug-in hybrids were assembled between August 26th, 2016, and April 27th, 2018. Owners can always ring up the dealership to find out if their vehicles are called back, but the easiest way of telling that is by running the vehicle identification number on the NHTSAs online search engine.Known owners of the subject vehicles will be notified on November 29th while dealers will be informed of the recall on November 22nd. Service technicians will replace the engine if connecting rod bearing damage is found, and theyll also install KSDS software for extra peace of mind. The Knock Sensor Detection System is exactly what you think it is: software that prevents engine damage from excessive connecting rod bearing wear.Kia Motors America will extend the warranty coverage of the Optima hybrid and plug-in hybrid to 15 years or 150,000 miles (241,402 kilometers), whichever comes first, for long-block assembly repairs caused by connecting rod bearing damage. Also worthy of note, Kia will reimburse owners for repair expenses already incurred for this potentially fiery issue.
ECU

kW

You see, the super crossover, which is an interesting, albeit less powerful, alternative to the Lamborghini Urus, has already fallen victim to the controversial tuner. We have covered several Mansory RS Q8s and would have probably ignored this one, if it hadnt had its picture taken in Istanbul.The Turkish city was the vehicles catwalk, and even if were not big fans of the updated styling, these are probably some wallpaper-worthy shots for the right person. Speaking of the mods, they comprise the wide body kit, with swollen arches, carbon fiber addons, and new rear diffuser. The latter has five fins and incorporates the new quad exhaust pipes. A more aggressive spoiler lies on the roof, and a smaller one is attached to the tailgate.As all tuned cars need to have aftermarket wheels these days, the RS Q8 checks this box too, with the forged set that has a Y-spoke pattern and black finish spinning around the grey brake calipers with Audi Sport branding. These are a necessary asset that helps the super crossover come to a full stop, as it boasts even more power than the stock one.According to Mansory, the tunedand new high-performance exhaust system have unleashed 780 ps (769 hp / 574) and 1,000 Nm (738 lb-ft) of torque. As a result, from 0 to 100 kph (0-62 mph), youre looking at only 3.3 seconds, faster than some older supercars, and a top speed of 320 kph (199 mph).The twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine normally produces 600 ps (592 hp / 441 kW) and 800 Nm (590 lb-ft) in the stock model , working in concert with a dual-clutch eight-speed automatic transmission and quattro all-wheel drive. The 100 kph (62 mph) mark is hit in 3.8 seconds, and the maximum speed is electronically capped at 250 kph (155 mph) or 305 kph (190 mph) with the optional Dynamic Package.When they first launched the tuned Audi RS Q8 , Mansory was asking almost 290,000 for it in Germany. Thats around $335,000 at todays exchange rates, and more than twice the official starting price of the vehicle in Germany. Nowadays, they only have the controversial Ford GT on sale and a modified Bentley Flying Spur. However, it is likely that they will tune your RS Q8 for the right price, so those interested in it should reach out to them.
kWh

WLTP

Including the callback were covering today, the all-electric crossover has been recalled on eight separate occasions for software, design, and manufacturing issues that can be traced back to the automakers woeful quality control. As the headline implies, the latest campaign involves water entering the power steering control unit, leading to power steering failure.The Federal Motor Transport Authority, also known as the KBA , highlights 19,253 vehicles affected worldwide. 3,073 of those vehicles were originally sold in Germany. Mercedes-Benz dealers have been instructed to inspect the wiring harness and carry out any repairs as necessary, but in typical KBA fashion, they didnt divulge the root cause of the water infiltration.Adding insult to injury, the Stuttgart-based automaker has previously recalled the all-electric crossover in November 2020 for a damaged wiring harness that may lead to electric power steering failure and a vehicle fire.Manufactured in Germany at the Bremen plant and in China by the Beijing Benz joint venture, the Mercedes EQC is a dual-motor affair that runs primarily in front-wheel drive to preserve battery charge. Originally intended for the U.S. market as well, the zero-emission sibling of the GLC-Class is flexing an 80-battery pack and an 11-kW onboard charger.Back home in Deutschland, the Mercedes EQC offers anything between 373 and 437 kilometers (232 and 272 miles) on thecycle. The Model Y is listed on Tesla's configurator with 507 kilometers (315 miles), which is pretty bad news for the German competitor. Whats more, the American crossover is 56,990 ($65,860), while the EQC starts at 70,234 ($81,165).
For those of you who do not know, Mitsubishi offers a year-round military discount for veterans or active-duty military personnel. The company describes it as one of the industry's strongest incentives, and it will double that discount, $1,000 from the purchase price, until the end of November.The discount is available in addition to any other incentives offered at local Mitsubishi dealerships across the U.S., so this might be a good opportunity for those who are eligible for this kind of discount. Mitsubishi has announced the new rebate after a team of veterans from Record the Journey made an inspiring finish in the 2021 Rebelle Rally . Mitsubishi Motors North America has partnered with the non-profit Record the Journey since 2019.Record the Journey is a non-profit that was created to help service members successfully transition to civilian life after returning from combat. The team that entered this year's Rebelle Rally had the goal of raising awareness for PTSD, and it featured the first canine to ever compete in the event.The canine team member we are referring to is Sammy, a two-and-a-half-year-old German Shepherd that is a PTSD-trained service dog.The 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander was piloted by Selena Mason Converse, a retired U.S. Air Force emergency medical services technician, and Erin Mason, a retired U.S. Navy aviation structural mechanic.They finished the grueling, nine-day rally in an Outlander that was finished in a livery that celebrated Jutta Kleinschmidt, the first woman to ever win the Dakar Rally.You should keep in mind that not all Mitsubishi models are eligible for this discount, and other important rules and restrictions apply, so ask the participating dealer for more details on the matter.
SUV

Today, there are just a handful of crossovers and SUVs left in Buicks range for the U.S. market. They all start with the letter E as if to signal the retreat into the current safesales territory. And perhaps to make sure fans wont remember whos who between the Encore, Encore GX, (all-new) Envision , and the Enclave. And dont say they have the Avenirs, because those hardly qualify as being too distinct.Diehard Buick aficionados will fondly remember the days when nameplates such as Riviera, Century, Grand National, or Regal were battling for supremacy with their competitors. Speaking of certain fans of the 1980s and 1990s classics (who also happen to own a 1986 Buick Regal T-Type), theres one pixel master known only as Jim (aka jlord8 on social media) that can also take matters into his digital hands.And bring back the good old times with a thoughtfully elegant modern-day take on the Riviera personal luxury car. As always, theres little to no information about what kickstarted his mind on this imaginative journey, save for the self-expressed love of yesteryears big coupes. The rest, of course, can always be read between the lines.What we have here is a modernized Riviera Coupe that seems inspired by the fourth- and fifth-generation Rivieras from the looks of the distinctive rear-glass treatment. No information about the powertrain is being given, so we can easily speculate just about anything  from a traditional V8 and RWD configuration to futuristic independent all-wheel drive via four little electric engines!As for the donor car, anyone who is well acquainted with this CGI experts past work probably noticed an uncanny resemblance. Both background and the car itself seem close to a hypothetical big body Chevrolet sedan that probably couldnt decide if either the companys Caprice or Impala would be worthier of the rebirth.And that one was based on the defunct Cadillac CT6 four-door, so its probably safe to assume this new Buick Riviera is also piggybacking on the same real-to-virtual DNA.
For all intents and purposes, Harley was the main supplier of motorcycles for the American Army during the war. WLA is how the two-wheeled, belligerent wonder was called, and it was made in huge numbers: depending on the source, anywhere between 70,000 and 90,000 were made and deployed on the battlefields of the world.But the WLA was only the tip of the iceberg, as Harley, money-hungry and willing to help with the war effort as it was, tried its hand at some other things as well. Things like the TA knucklehead we have here.The TA is, if you like, an evolution for military use of the already-introduced Servi-Car . A trike, by all intents and purposes, that could have been used by American and allied troops in circumstances a regular motorcycle might have found a bit difficult.Using a knucklehead engine 68 cubic inches in displacement and tied to a three-speed transmission, the trike was meant as a workhorse operating away from the main roads, in challenging terrain and oftentimes under enemy fire.Harley started development of this trike in the early years of the conflict, at a time when the military was still getting its bearings. Sadly for Harley, the same was true for a company called Willys-Overland, which eventually was tasked with making the mother of all off-road machines for war use, the military Jeep.That meant the army favored four wheels over three, and Harley was left with just the 18 prototypes of the TA it made. Were not sure what happened to most of them, but presently there are only seven known to still be around. And heres one, probably the rarest wartime Harley in existence, listed for sale during the Mecum auction in Kissimmee, Florida, at the beginning of next year.
First reported by NewKerala, POREG (Policy Research Group) said that China, which provides more than 95% of Europe's magnesium requirements, has cut back on production significantly. Much to the chagrin of American and European automakers that rely on a steady magnesium flow to keep production floors operational.With such a massive percentage of the world's magnesium production delegated to one global superpower, other supplying nations like Russia, Israel, and the US are struggling mightily to compensate for the significant adverse change in global supply. Magnesium is a metallic element that requires a large degree of difficulty in its mining, cultivation, refining, and manufacturing processes. Such a labor-intensive process can only be supported with strong centralized manufacturing sectors.Much like the ones China was able to take advantage of before the current global health crisis more or less put international manufacturers on an even playing field once more. In a complex, global economy, the complete collapse of one nation's manufacturing sector has the potential to create a domino effect that touches every other industry on earth.It's a phenomenon that inevitably falls upon the average consumer to compensate for higher ownership costs and longer waiting times to purchase the vehicles they'd like to buy. Like the Indian Tata-operated Jaguar-Landrover alliance, some manufacturers have already predicted when they believe the global chip shortage will finally subside sometime in the second half of 2022.With another global resource shortage seemingly poised to rock the industry once again, they'd best get started on calculating the magnesium shortage as well if they want to maintain that 2022 resurgence.
Land Ark is an RV manufacturer based in Colorado and the builder of the Draper tiny home. This is an RV model suitable for a couple or an individual, its versatile and fully equipped. It comes with two lofts and it can sleep up to four people.With 300 sq ft (27.8 sq m) of space and a very cozy interior, this home on wheels is full of surprises. Outside, theres a Cumaru fold-down deck made from Brazilian hardwood, just perfect for relaxing and taking in the scenery. The floor-to-ceiling sliding door on the right welcomes you inside the Draper, with the kitchen and dining area being the first ones to meet your eyes. The materials and colors of the tiny home give a warm, natural, woody vibe.Theres a sofa in the right corner, which can also be used as a queen sleeper sofa, while the kitchen is fully equipped with everything you need, from a 10.1 cu. ft. fridge and freezer, to a three-burner stainless-steel LP gas oven with LED knobs, a digital thermostat, and a wall-mounted cooktop vent. Theres also a black matte kitchen faucet, a TV connection, and plenty of shelves and drawers.You can also enter the tiny home from the left, with the mudroom entry featuring a wardrobe, a washer and dryer, a nook with a bench, and plenty of storage space.The bathroom comes with a walk-in shower and a wall-mounted toilet.In order to reach the sleeping loft, you have to climb a custom-designed oak ladder.All the amenities included with the Draper come at a steep price, as this tiny home will set you back $164,900.
Japan is definitely not a beginner when it comes to satellite technology, and its aerospace industry has a long and reputable history. But space-related technology has only been launched from fixed sites on the ground, in Japan and all across Asia. This is about to change, as a result of the recent partnership between Bransons Virgin Orbit and ANA HOLDINGS, the owner of Japans largest airline.The two companies have signed a purchase agreement for twenty flights of the LauncherOne rocket. Virgin Orbit s air-launch service will debut in Japan, with support from ANAs logistics and transport services. More specifically, ANA, together with its other partners, will invest in the manufacturing of a new mobile ground support system.The orbital missions will be launched from a base located in the Oita prefecture, which is scheduled to become a fully-functional spaceport for air-launched services, by the end of 2022.The LauncherOne rockets will kick off their missions from Japan, with the help of a customized Boeing 747. The airplane acts as the rockets aerial launch pad, mobile mission control, and reusable first stage. Thanks to the aircrafts ability to deliver a long distance between take-off and release, the launch can be performed despite weather challenges, and with better direct-inject orbital flexibility, compared to fixed ground-based launches.Data shows that Japans aerospace industry is booming  the number of startups in this field has more than doubled in the past six years. Plus, according to ANAs Representative Director, Koji Shibata, demand for satellite launches is continuously increasing not just in Japan, but also throughout Asia. Air-launches have never been available in the region until now, which makes this a historic moment in Japans aerospace development.After receiving regulatory approvals in the U.S. and Japan, Oita will become the first LauncherOne-ready spaceport in the island country in East Asia.
In the classic comedy Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the eponymous character must deal with a psychotic enemy. One who is hellbent on destroying Los Angeles iconic streetcar line. The premise is that highways, suburbs, and cars were the future of the American working class.Living in gridlocked Florida, it would be nice to breathe fresh air downtown. That reality was stolen by a conglomerate of old men who had other interests. The second World War was an impetus for automakers to turn out as many new cars/trucks/buses as possible.Backed by wartime financing, GM, Ford, and Chrysler built cars regardless of consumer demands. It began with the media. Advertisements painted the suburbs as the future, and you needed a car to be a member. Therefore, how did they generate even more of a demand?More cars translates to more gasoline sold, more tires needed, and an addiction to automotive products/services. So a meeting of the minds took place in 1949. General Motors called Standard Oil, Phillips Petroleum, Firestone Tires, and Mack Trucks to Detroit. It was there our convenience was forfeited.In order to squeeze every dollar from the American worker, they agreed to collectively purchase every urban train and replace them with buses, car dealerships, and the land was perfect for whatever other urban headache they could push on us.You might think the big cities were immune to such abuses, but New York City lost its 3rd avenue elevated train in 1950. This led to overcrowding on the Lexington Avenue line, and it has only gotten worse over the past 72 years.Now that we have identified the guilty corporations, lets make them pay! That was the sentiment behind the antitrust lawsuit filed against GM in 1950. In order to pay for choking every downtown with dirty diesel buses, GM was fined $5,000 and their treasurer was forced to pay $1 in restitution.With the recent push to cut down on air pollution, it would be logical to once again choose electric transit over diesel or gas. After all, it was electric companies that often built them in the first place. So whats the first obstacle? Well, after Congress fined GM $5,000, the also made it illegal for energy companies to own or even consider a business other than energy.The Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 is almost as old as American lawmakers, the other big problem. Back in March 2020, Vice reported how far behind America really is. The latest subway line in Paris added 68 stations and 120 miles of track. Moscow just opened 98 miles with 79 stations. Meanwhile, New York Citys 2nd Avenue subway was built to replace the 3rd Avenue train...and it has been under construction since 1972. Corruption in construction still reigns supreme whilst government oversight has no means to hold them accountable.Should we follow the lead of Europe or Asia? Allowing the government to build transit is how Jacksonville, Florida got a monorail to nowhere. Gas isnt getting cheaper and the air wont clean itself. Cities like San Francisco, Portland, Salt Lake and Seattle are offering incentives for housing around their new stations, and residents are responding.The process will be slow, so rest assured that whatever argument your lawmakers have against public transit will soon be usurped. Get mad, get really mad and hold the rulers accountable for ruining our inner-cities. Your cars will thank you for the respite.
Today, that change has arrived in the Philippines, and what better way to show their commitment than by launching an all-new model. Meet the 2022 Kia Sorento.

Earlier this year, Kia rebranded itself with a new logo, slogan, and new brand philosophy . Aimed to deliver better products and improved customer service, the automaker aims to accelerate into a brighter and bolder future with movement that inspires.

The Sorento features Kia's new design language. Compared to the outgoing model, the 2022 Sorento has a more chiseled and defined exterior. It adopts a new tiger-nose grille that is larger than its predecessor. It also comes with stylish LED headlights, inverted L-shaped LED daytime running lights, and a sporty front bumper.

As for the rest of the vehicle, it adopts new vertical LED taillights inspired by its bigger brother, the Telluride. Meanwhile, it gets a frameless window look thanks to the door pillars painted in gloss black. The all-new crossover also breaks from tradition with its upswept window line.

Size-wise, the fourth-generation Sorento is now bigger than its predecessor. Measuring 4810mm long, 1900mm wide, and 1695mm tall, it's 30mm longer, 20mm wider, and 5mm taller than the outgoing model. The wheelbase has also been extended by 35mm and now measures 2815mm, resulting in a more spacious cabin.

Like the exterior, the cabin of the all-new Sorento gets a major redesign. The dashboard is lined with full-leather upholstery and metal accents. Providing infotainment is a massive 8-inch touchscreen media system that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The infotainment system is paired with a new 12.3-inch digital instrument panel. Like the third-generation model, the all-new Sorento comes with three rows of seats.

When it comes to its other amenities, it comes with the following: power seats with driver memory function, front-seat ventilation, electric folding rear seats, drive mode selection (Comfort, Eco, Sport, Smart), six-speaker sound system, heated steering wheel, power tailgate, and dual-zone automatic climate control.

Under the hood, the 2022 Sorento is powered by a 2.2-liter Smartstream turbo-diesel engine. It makes 202 PS with 441 Nm of torque and is paired to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.

In terms of safety, the all-new Sorento will be available with intelligent safety features on the range-topping SX. These include a blind spot monitor, 360-degree surround-view camera, rear cross-traffic alert, forward collision avoidance assist, and lane-keep with following assist.

Apart from those, the crossover also comes with 6 airbags, front/rear parking sensors, anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution, brake assist, traction control, and an electronic stability program.

The all-new Kia Sorento in top-of-the-line 4x2 SX DCT variant will be available starting the fourth week of November, while the 4x2 EX DCT will be on the market by January 2022. Available colors include Aurora Black Pearl, Silky Silver, and Snow White Pearl.

Pricing of the 2022 Sorento is as follows:

Sorento 2.2 4x2 EX DCT  PHP 2,398,000

Sorento 2.2 4x2 SX DCT  PHP 2,588,000
Ben Dell's job is to buy oil and gas assets, as a managing partner of private equity firm Kimmeridge. And he has a message for his peers: You're going unacceptably slow on carbon neutrality.

Driving the news: Kimmeridge recently formed Civitas Resources, via the $2.3 billion all-stock merger of publicly traded Bonanza Creek Energy and Extraction Oil & Gas. Civitas then purchased Crestone Peak, creating the largest pure-play energy producer in Colorado's DJ Basin.

Civitas also claims to be Colorado's first carbon-neutral oil and gas company.

In the well weeds: Yes, the idea of a carbon-neutral E&P feels inherently insincere. But Dell argues that companies like Civitas can improve production efficiency and buy carbon offsets to satisfy Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions (both of which relate to activities within a company's direct or indirect control).

"I believe all of our upstream investments in our go-forward funds need to be net zero on Scopes 1 and 2," Dell says. "Civitas is the beginning of that, and can demonstrate to others what the new business model for E&Ps needs to be. We can be carbon neutral for the planet and generate cash-flow for shareholders."

He adds that Civitas was a good test case because of the DJ Basin's rock quality and Colorado's stringent regulations in areas like air quality, emissions, noise monitoring and reporting.

But, wait, what about Scope 3? These are emissions resulting from activities that a company doesnt control, but which result from the use of a company's products (e.g., burning gasoline to power a truck).

To be sure, Civitas contributes to Scope 3 emissions by its very existence. And most oil companies indirectly create way more Scope 3 than Scopes 1 and 2 combined. But Dell argues that Scope 3 responsibilities belong to the consumer, and are best managed via techniques like increased carbon pricing.

If it's layered onto the E&Ps, he adds, then there's less incentive for Escalade drivers to transition to more efficient vehicles. It makes a certain amount of sense, even if self-serving, and is a distinction that could help persuade energy producers and private equity to not pass the buck on Scopes 1 and 2.

The bottom line, per Dell: "Most oil and gas companies and investors are talking about carbon neutrality by 2040 or 2050, but there's no reason they can't get there by 2030 at the latest. It's about walking the walk, not just talking the talk."
The Armenian government extended the one-week holiday later in October as part of its efforts to contain the latest wave of infections. The primary, secondary and high schools were thus effectively closed for the first time since October 2020.

The government last week opted against distance courses and decided to send schoolchildren back to classes instead despite clearly failing to cut the coronavirus infection rate.

The Armenian Ministry of Health reported a record 62 deaths from COVID-19 on November 2. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths officially registered in the country of about 3 million reached 8,037 on Monday.

Almast Avetisian, the principal of Yerevans Secondary School No. 197, welcomed the governments decision. She said that many of her students were infected with the coronavirus or seasonal flu in the run-up to the two-week break.

The children have recuperated during this period and we have very good attendance today, Avetisian told RFE/RLs Armenian Service.

Her students were also happy to be back at school while admitting that they have trouble wearing mandatory face masks during the classes.

We dont learn as much during distance courses as we do when coming to the school, said one schoolgirl.

Health Minister Anahit Avanesian cautioned that schools having major coronavirus outbreaks will have to switch to online classes.

On October 29, the Ministry of Health allowed children aged 12 and older to get vaccinated against the coronavirus with their parents consent. Only about 50 minors have been inoculated since then, according to Avanesian.

The ministry said in the morning that nearly 264,000 citizens have been fully vaccinated to date. Avanesian put a brave face on this statistics, arguing that the pace of vaccinations in Armenia has accelerated significantly over the past month thanks to administrative measures taken by the government.
The rally attended by thousands of supporters of the Hayastan (Armenia) alliance was held on the eve of the first anniversary of a Russian-brokered ceasefire that stopped the war over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Kocharian and his political allies again blamed Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian for Armenias defeat in the six-week war that left at least 3,800 Armenian soldiers dead. They also reiterated their allegations that Pashinian is intent on making more unilateral concessions to Azerbaijan.

Kocharian singled out Yerevans readiness to embark on a demarcation of Armenias long and contested border with Azerbaijan where tensions are still running high one year after the Karabakh war. He claimed that such a process would amount to Armenian recognition of Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh and a narrow land corridor connecting the disputed territory to Armenia.

The ex-president also accused Pashinian of breaking his promises to improve living standards, eliminate corruption and create a level playing field for all businesses. Poverty in the country has actually increased under the current government, he said.

We are going to fight, Kocharian told the crowd rallying in Yerevans Liberty Square. Rest assured that we will oust them through barricades or elections or in other ways. And I will be with standing with you, leading you on those barricades.

Kocharian and other speakers at the rally gave no details of their stated push for regime change. Nor did they announce dates for their next demonstrations.

A Hayastan declaration read out at the end of the rally said the resistance campaign could last for a week or months before achieving its key goal.

We are starting to get organized, it said. Our presence in the National Assembly will serve to strengthen the resistance. As soon as conditions are ripe, we will move our struggle only to the streets and squares.

Kocharian, who had ruled Armenia from 1998-2008, cautioned on October 4 that the opposition must generate greater popular anger at the government before trying to topple it with street protests. The biggest problem is that a considerable part of our people has come to terms with this situation and voted for these ones, he said, referring to Pashinians political team.

Pashinians Civil Contract party won Armenias June 20 parliamentary elections with almost 54 percent of the vote. Hayastan came in a distant second with 21 percent, according to official election results rejected by it as fraudulent.
Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 67F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A clear sky. Low 42F. Winds light and variable.
Welcome to our blog dedicated to Bandera County, TX. If you have never heard of this small yet vibrant community, you might be surprised to find out that it is actually home to many historical sites and attractions. Officially recognized as the Cowboy Capital of the World by the Texas Legislature, Bandera County is located on the Edwards Plateau in Texas and is part of the San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area. While the population is small  slightly above 20,000 people according to the 2010 census  the community is very close-knit, and the locals pride themselves on their hospitality.

Bandera County History: Brief Overview

Bandera Countys history of human habitation dates as far back as 8,000 to 4,000 BC. However, not much was known about the area until the discovery of 17th century Lipan Apalache and Comanche settlements. In 1841, the decisive Battle of Bandera Pass took place, where a group of Texas Rangers led by John Coffee Hays defeated the local Comanche warriors and took over the region. A couple of years later, a few families settled in the area to produce cypress shingles and subsequently planned and established the town of Bandera. Shortly after, 16 Polish families joined them by escaping from the growing tension between their home country and Prussia, Austria, and Russia. The remnants of the first Polish settlers are still evident in the local architecture. The county boasts the second oldest Polish Catholic Church in the US called St. Stanislaus. At last, in 1856, the Texas Legislature formally organized Bandera County from portions of Bexar County. The name Bandera in Spanish means flag. Local legends say that the Apache and Comanche Indians fought the Spanish Conquistadors fiercely to defend their hunting grounds. Finally, a red flag was installed to delineate the boundaries between the lands.

Bandera County in Recent Days: Country Charm and Hospitality

Situated less than an hour away from San Antonio, TX, Bandera County has preserved a great deal of its authentic appeal. This unique medley of Indian, Western, Mexican, and Polish cultures can hardly be seen anywhere else. The well-preserved cowboy spirit is evident from the common sights of horse-drawn wagons, the regular rodeos during the summer, and the many ranches.

How did Bandera County become known as the Cowboy Capital of the World?

In the 1880s, Bandera served as the starting point for the Great Western Cattle Drive. It is situated on the Western Trail  one of the crucial cattle driving paths in the US. Another part of the reason that the county earned its nickname is the abundance of ranches. These attractions have become increasingly popular, with San Antonians seeking to escape the summer heat.

Bandera County Tourism and Sightseeing

Bandera County is an excellent tourist destination, especially for family vacations with kids. The area offers plenty of free and budget-friendly activities, including:

Visit the Frontier Times Museum and the Frontier Times Museum

Stroll down the Bandera City Park

Plan a trip to the Hill Country State Natural Area

Spend the day by the Medina River

Drop by any of the local ranches like Rancho Cortez, Dixie Dude Ranch, Mayan Ranch, Silver Spur Ranch, Twin Elm Guest Ranch, etc.

Bandera County musical adventures

One thing we know for sure is that Bandera County locals love music. It is very common to stumble upon cozy jam sessions in the afternoon or walk into crowded sawdust-covered dancing floors in the evening. Bandera County residents favor the Texas Two-Step and are quick to teach the moves. Overall, Bandera County is a delightful place to visit and dip into the authentic Old Western atmosphere. Whether you travel alone or with a company, you will find plenty of things to enjoy in the area.
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Decades of slow growth in Southeast Texas affordable rental and housing markets has come to a head for low-income renters, leaving many that finally have the opportunity to land their own apartment without a place to stay.

The pandemic brought instability to several key parts of the U.S. economy  simultaneously impacting vulnerable families reeling from illness or missed paychecks and driving up housing prices as low-interest rates fuel a buying frenzy.

For Beaumont, that means there are more people approved for federally-subsidized housing and fewer landlords willing to participate in government programs.

Beaumont Housing Authority CEO Allison Landrum said storm damage and slow investments in new construction has been a problem for several years, but there seems to be fewer partnering properties than ever after the prolonged pandemic. This issue is then exacerbated by a federal government policy that only allows housing authorities to pay 110% of fair market value for an apartment  still below what most local landlords expect in the current market.

In our program, we have the capacity to serve about 2,000 people with the funds we have available, Landrum said. Right now, we have about 200 people with a Section 8 voucher in hand that cant find a suitable place to live.

These families searching for rental properties could have for months been waiting for final aid approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. But the state of the market could mean they ultimately lose out on the opportunity.

Landrum said people usually have about 60 days after approval to find an apartment, but extensions of up to 120 days are available if they cant find any renter willing to accept their voucher.

There are now approved families reaching that deadline that will have to start over once their time has expired.

Besides potentially starting over the lengthy process, they face another major problem: BHAs waiting list of thousands of applicants is now closed due to the high demand.

BHA does have a plan to solve this short-term crisis, and judging by the number of calls since it began earlier this month, it seems to be paying off, Landrum said.

The housing authority has available money from the CARES Act earmarked for housing that it will put toward incentives for qualified landlords to start accepting Section 8 tenants.

When a potential renter with a voucher negotiates with an interested landlord, they will be invited to participate in the program  potentially landing them a one-time payment of up to $2,500, depending on if its in a HUD-deemed high-opportunity zone. Landlords outside the zone would receive $1,000.

Local government bodies also have been using other federal COVID-relief dollars to keep qualified people in their homes through utility- and rental-assistance programs.

In Beaumont, struggling renters have utilized the emergency rent assistance program by the thousands.

The citys assistance program has been managed since last May by the administrative staff of Some Other Place, a non-profit relief organization formed by local religious organizations and one of the few resources in the city for those facing housing insecurity.

Executive Director Paula ONeal said the program, which is able to cover as much as three months of rent for an individual, has helped around 700 families  so far.

In the beginning, we were overwhelmed by the demand, but it has started to stabilize, ONeal said. The lack of affordable housing really does cause a lot of problems in the community, and it helps contribute to homelessness.

Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox

And theres plenty of aid left to assist more individuals and families, said Beaumont Director of Planning and Community Development Chris Boone.

The third round of funding for the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance Program is well on the way to being completed, Boone said in an email to the Enterprise.

Specifically, around $359,000 remain of the nearly $1.3 million allocated to the program.

Boone said most of the families assisted by the program already have met their aid cap of $3,000. From there, theyre referred to Jefferson Countys program, which has a higher maximum.

Jefferson Countys rental assistance program, which has a budget of around $14 million, is being managed by the Southeast Texas Regional Planning Commission.

jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/jd_journalism
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP)  Alabama officials are investigating the shooting deaths of a man and woman whose bodies were dumped on someone else's property over the weekend.

AL.com reports the victims were discovered in a shed in the west Alabama town of Sawyerville, according to Hale County District Attorney Michael Jackson. The district attorney identified the victims as Devyn Sterling and Shalondria Grey-Chavers. Both were 24.
ISLAMABAD (AP)  Pakistani authorities Monday announced a month-long cease-fire with a key militant group behind numerous attacks on security forces and civilians over the last 14 years.

Government spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said on Twitter that the Taliban government in Afghanistan helped facilitate the cease-fire between the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

In a statement, TTP spokesperson Mohammad Khurasani confirmed the cease-fire beginning Nov. 9 will remain in place until Dec. 9, during which both sides will form a committee to continue talks. He said both sides will adhere to the cease-fire.

The agreement was reached amid ongoing peace talks between the government and the TTP that began last month. Chaudry said the truce could be extended if talks continue to make progress.

Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan is an umbrella group and is a separate organization from Afghanistans Taliban, who seized power in August.

The TTP has been emboldened by the return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Chaudhry provided no details about the ongoing talks, during which he said both sides agreed on the cease-fire.

Authorities had earlier said that peace talks were taking place with TTP leaders in Afghanistan, where they have been hiding for the past several years. The TTP was formed by Pakistani militants in 2007 and since then thousands of people have been killed in scores of attacks claimed by the group in the past 14 years.

Chaudhry said elders from the former tribal regions were being kept abreast of the talks with the militant group. About a million people were displaced when Pakistan launched operations in the northwest in 2013 to clear out TTP fighters. They returned to their homes after 2017 when Pakistan claimed victory against the militants.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the leader of the opposition Pakistan People's Party, denounced the prime minister for not informing Parliament about the talks with TTP. He noted the group was behind a 2014 attack on an army-run school in the northwestern city of Peshawar that killed 154 people, mostly schoolchildren. Zardari said the party believes such an important matter should have been debated in Parliament.

Some Pakistanis criticized the government for holding talks with Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, which has stepped up attacks on security forces in recent years, primarily in the northwest.

Before the Taliban came into power in Afghanistan, Islamabad and Kabul often blamed each other for sheltering militants. Pakistan says it has completed 90% of a fence being constructed along the border with Afghanistan to prevent cross-border militant attacks.
Police have named two teens killed in a car crash early Sunday morning.

Clyde Thompson and Tonysha Lashay Smith, both 19, were killed as a result of the crash.

The Beaumont Police Department received a call for a major crash at 2:13 a.m in the 2400 block of S. Martin Luther King, a news release said.

The preliminary investigation has revealed that a black Chevrolet truck was traveling north in the southbound lanes in the 2400 block of S. MLK. At that time, the Chevrolet truck crashed into a gray Nissan Altima head on, Beaumont PD said in the release.

Police believe alcohol may have been a factor in the crash.

Thompson, who was driving, was pronounced dead at the scene. Smith, who was a passenger, died at the hospital.

The Chevrolet trucks driver is being treated for his injuries at a local hospital.

rachel.kersey@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/ontheREKord
PORT ARTHUR  The Port Arthur City Council is looking at another way to bring more businesses to the city.

At a council meeting in late October, the elected body allocated $500,000 to engineer and design an extension to Jimmy Johnson Boulevard. The plan is to develop 275 wooded acres at the end of the street.

Were trying to bring in much more commercial activity that would increase the tax base, the sales tax and the property tax base, said City Manager Ron Burton. Thats the end game.

Related: Toasted Yolk sets opening for Port Arthur location

Its been a long time coming, according to John Beard, a former city councilmember. The push to extend Jimmy Johnson Boulevard has been a topic of conversation since the early 2000s when then-City Councilmember Tom Gillam suggested it.

I think its some of the prime development property in terms of not just business and commercial, but real estate also in the city, Beard said.

And (Gillam) set forth that idea initially, but it didnt receive as warm a welcome as it should have at the time. He didnt have quite enough votes to get the job done.

Now Gillam is Justice of the Peace, but the city council has finally taken a liking to that idea. The project will be called Patel Mixed-Use Development and it will be a residential, office, retail, hotel, storage and resort RV park space.

It will take 10 years to complete, but in the first three years alone, the city can expect to see 300 new apartment units as well as a 100-room hotel, according to an economic impact report prepared by Impact DataSource, an Austin-based economic consulting, research and analysis firm.

After three years, the project should yield 48 new permanent direct and indirect jobs, $11 million in taxable sales and purchases and nearly $9 million in lodging sales at new hotels. Port Arthur can expect more than $4 million in revenue in that time alone.

When the projection goes out 20 years, an estimated 939 jobs will be created, and the city can expect to see more than $1 trillion in taxable sales and purchases. These benefits will spill over into Jefferson County as well, offering the county more than $26 million in property taxes and more than $5 million in sales tax because of an additional 4,200 residents.

According to Burton, construction in this area might not start for up to four years. Right now, the city is focusing on the concrete tasks necessary to physically expand the area.

Long before you even anticipate the construction of a street, you need to take into consideration the design and engineering, land acquisition, surveying and all those things, Burton said. All that comes before construction.

Burton said that scheduling engineering of the area and determining if city engineers will perform all of the tasks or if private, contracted engineering firms will assist in the process is one of the first steps the city is taking.

They also need to have a wetland study done of the area and ascertain whether or not the land will be a donation from the property owners or an acquisition for the city is important as well.

Even still, present priorities dont stop anyone from imagining what the city could make of that area. Beard, whose non-profit works for environmental justice and community development, believes that bringing eco-friendly businesses to the area would be a very good idea.

Related: Mid-County pollution, cancer risk front and center in ProPublica map

He also thinks a Veterans Affairs hospital would be a good idea.

We do have quite a few veterans, and they have to travel to Houston and even farther sometimes to get the help they need, Beard said.

So why cant we have a VA hospital right here, right in Port Arthur?

rachel.kersey@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/ontheREKord
Just one Southeast Texas county seems exempt from the task of redistricting that takes place every decade.

Over the course of the last decade, only Jasper County population shift was moderate enough to mean they likely wont have to redraw the lines that dictate which elected officials represent which areas. In 2010, the county had 35,710 people. In 2020, that number has fallen to 32,980. This relatively mild fluctuation makes for a smooth transition into the next census period.

It looks like were not going to have to redistrict our commissioner precinct lines or our JP lines, said Jasper County Judge Mark Allen. If the court votes to do it, were going to be able to retain the same boundaries that we had in 2010.

He says keeping the lines as-is also will save taxpayer dollars as they dont have to pay consultants to redraw the lines. The vote will occur at the countys monthly commissioners court meeting on November 22 or, possibly, at a special meeting if one should occur.

Hardin, Orange, Newton and Jefferson counties, however, are going to see some changes. The counties are working with Allison, Bass & Magee LLP, a law firm out of Austin that assists the majority of Texas counties in their redistricting efforts. The attorneys have indicated that all of the other local counties need to make various adjustments.

The whole purpose of this is to make sure that people are equally represented, said Fred Jackson, staff attorney to the Jefferson County judge. We don't have any gerrymandering here. You don't stack or pit one population group against another. We have consistent blocks of variant population in our four precincts to make elections and everything else more fair.

Related: Fairness matters

Toward that end, each court is working with the firm to get the new districts finalized by the end of the year.

We met for about two hours today in a special meeting, Hardin County Judge Wayne McDaniel said Thursday. We've changed some of our Commissioner precinct boundaries, and we do have a public hearing on that one option for the public to make any comments (next) Monday at 1:30.

All four commissioners' precincts will see a boundary shift. The final vote will happen at the Commissioners Court meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Three election precincts  two, 6 and 18  will be split because they each have over 5,000 registered voters. Proposed changes to even those districts out again are expected to be returned by Thanksgiving.

We currently have 19 voting precincts, McDaniel said. We're probably going to end up with at least 22 after we finish everything.

These changes will be adopted no later than December 31.

In Newton County, redistricting are set to be adopted on Friday.

Precinct two is the most affected area. Theyve lost the most residents, said Newton County Judge Kenneth Weeks. I think the major drop between 2010 and 2020 is we had a prison operation going on right north of town, which was in precinct two, which was in operation in 2010. In 2020, it was not in operation and so we lost around 900 residents out there that were counted in that population.

Related: Initial U.S. House maps show shakeup in Jefferson, Orange counties

As a result of the drop in population, precinct two will absorb several residents from precincts one and three to give every resident equal representation in the commissioners court.

Orange County has not yet seen its proposed maps, but they expect to see them within the next few days and adopt them in a few weeks.

We had growth in the county as a whole, but the majority of that growth was in precinct three, said Orange County Judge John Gothia. So, precinct three ended up having to give up about 3,000 voters to precinct one and precinct four on each side of them to balance the numbers out.

Gothia said that much of the countys growth came from new Hispanic residents. Because of the population shift, residents might find themselves working with a new commissioner, constable, and justice of the peace.

Related: Jefferson Co. employee to seek elected office

Jackson said Jefferson County hasnt seen a great shift this time around, but it may be necessary to shift a small portion of northeast Beaumont into precinct four.

Following a public hearing, the commissioners court will receive and approve the final plan on Tuesday, November 16.

Overall, none of the county judges had any complaints about this decades changes.

Were pretty well satisfied with the precinct lines, Weeks said.

The good Lord was smiling on us, said Allen.

rachel.kersey@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/ontheREKord
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Standing near Dhaka University, photojournalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol talks to BenarNews about his experience in jail, Feb. 28, 2021.

A cyber tribunal in Bangladesh on Monday charged yet another journalist under the controversial Digital Security Act, officials said, referring to the law that the United Nations and others said muzzles freedom of speech online.

The Dhaka tribunal charged photojournalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol with violating the act by circulating defamatory information on Facebook about some ruling party leaders, officials said Monday.

Judge Ash Sams Joglul Hossain framed charges against him after hearing both sides. The court also fixed Jan. 2 to start recording deposition of witnesses, Public Prosecutor Nazrul Islam Shamim told BenarNews.

The investigating officer (IO) has found truth in the allegations against Kajol.  That is why we argued to indict him and start trial.

Kajol, who went missing in March 2020 and was not located for 53 days, pleaded not guilty.

I am innocent, Kajol said.

His lawyer, Jyotirmoy Barua, said the journalist was a victim of conspiracy.

I argued on points of law for an hour, Barua said in a Facebook post after the indictment. Finally, the judge said charges framed without giving any reasons.

Meanwhile, Nazrul, the prosecutor, said 15 to 20 people would testify against Kajol.

The state will seek the highest punishment under the law, Nazrul said.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 million taka (U.S. $117,000) and up to 10 years in prison.

In March, Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, urged Bangladesh to review the Digital Security Act after writer Mushtaq Ahmed died while in custody.

Ahmed died Feb. 25 after he was transferred to a prison hospital for treatment. He had spent nine months in pre-trial detention for allegedly publishing an article and sharing Facebook posts critical of the governments COVID-19 response.

There needs to be an overhaul of the Digital Security Act under which Ahmed was charged  and all those detained under this Act for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and opinion must be released, Bachelet said in a statement.

Various U.N. human rights bodies have long raised concerns about the ill-defined, overly broad provisions of the Digital Security Act that have been used to punish criticism of the government.

Last year, at least 142 people, including journalists, writers and cartoonists, faced cases under the act, which was passed by the ruling Awami League government in October 2018, according to rights group Odhikar.

No room for free expression

A member of Dhakas National Press Club said he was not hopeful the photojournalist would be treated fairly.

I am doubtful whether Kajol will get justice, Elias Khan, the clubs general secretary, told BenarNews.

I am skeptical because of the way Kajol has been harassed since the beginning of the incident, Khan said, also alleging there was something fishy about him going missing for close to two months.

Kajol, editor of the fortnightly magazine Pokkhokal, went missing March 10, 2020, a day after Saifuzzaman Shikhor, a lawmaker with the ruling Awami League, filed a criminal defamation suit against him and 31 others.

Awami League activists then filed two more cases against Kajol on March 10 and 11. One accused Kajol of committing extortion by obtaining information illegally and publishing false, intimidating and defamatory material on Facebook and Messenger, according to Amnesty International.

Border guards on May 3 arrested Kajol as he walked into Bangladesh from India without a passport. Police brought him to a court in southwestern Jessore district, on the West Bengal border, and he was sent to jail, according to multiple accounts.

He was discovered in a field, blindfolded, with his legs and arms bound, Human Rights Watch said in its report on Aug. 11, 2020.

National Press Clubs Khan also claimed that Kajol was detained without bail for seven months because ruling party leaders had filed a case against him

The government has drafted and enforced the Digital Security Act in such a way that there is no room for free expression, Khan said.
Indonesian lawyer and human rights defender Veronica Koman receives the Sir Ronald Wilson Human Rights Award, presented by the Australian Council for International Development, in Sydney, Oct. 23, 2019.

Updated at 6:15 p.m. ET on 2021-11-08

Motorcyclists threw an explosive device at the family home of an Indonesian human rights lawyer who advocates for pro-independence activists in the troubled Papua region even though she has been living in Australia for years, police and rights activists said Monday.

No one was hurt in the blast Sunday outside the Jakarta family home of Veronica Koman, but a note found at the scene demanded her arrest, according to Aswin Siregar, an officer with Densus 88, the Indonesian polices anti-terrorism unit.

It cant be established yet that the object that exploded was a bomb, like those commonly used by terrorist groups, Aswin told BenarNews.

(The note) is thought to be a threat to the occupants of the house related to Veronica Komans actions, said Aswin, adding that five potential witnesses had been questioned.

A photo of the note published by online news outlets reads, in part, we are on a mission to destroy you wherever you are hiding, and those who protect you.

West Jakarta police chief Ady Wibowo said two people on a motorcycle threw an explosive at the house where her parents live.

Theres a strong suspicion that it was a firecracker, he told CNN Indonesia.

Koman has been living in Australia after being targeted by death threats and abuse on social media.

Through her Twitter feed, she has been a source for regular information about the situation in Papua. The province is largely closed off to Western media and information there is tightly controlled by Indonesian authorities.

In 2019, police charged Koman with spreading fake news in connection with a police crackdown on anti-government protests by Papuan students in East Java province in 2019.

Security personnels treatment of those Papuan students led to widespread protests in Papua and West Papua provinces in August and September 2019, some of which turned violent. More than 40 people were killed.

During an interview with BenarNews two years ago, Koman, an ethnic Chinese Indonesian, said she had been the target of death and rape threats and as well as racist and misogynistic abuse over social media.

She did not immediately respond to BenarNews requests for comment on Monday.

Human rights groups, meanwhile, urged police to arrest those responsible.

Previous incident

The attack Sunday was the second against Komans family in less than a month. On Oct. 24, two people on a motorcycle hung a package on a fence around the house that later burst into flames, activists said.

No one was hurt but activists said the incidents traumatized Komans parents.

The attacks and terror on Veronica Komans family confirm the finding that Indonesia is facing a phenomenon of democratic regression which is characterized by increased attacks on activists and human rights defenders, a group called the Civil Society Coalition said in a statement.

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) said the attacks were carefully planned.

We urge the police to immediately uncover these cases. The government has an obligation to protect human rights defenders, KontraS legal division leader Andi Muhammad Rezaldy said.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) reported at least 206 cases of intimidation against rights activists, from 2015 to 2019.

Indonesian government forces have been accused of engaging in actions against indigenous people in mainly Melanesian Papua, where violence linked to a separatist insurgency has simmered for decades.

Last year, at least 13 Papuan activists and students were convicted for raising Morning Star flags  the symbol of the Papuan independence movement  during pro-referendum rallies in 2019 as part of nationwide protests against racism toward Papuans. They were sentenced to between nine and 11 months in prison on treason charges.

Usman Hamid, the executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, said that Komans work was legitimate, and that she deserved protection.

What she says is actually factual, he told a press conference in Jakarta on Monday, according to Indonesian news outlet Tempo. Of course she must get protection from the state.
Amar Singh Ishar Singh (center), then-chief of the Royal Malaysia Polices Commercial Crime Investigation Department, and other police officers display photos of items seized during a raid from premises linked to former Prime Minister Najib Razak, in Kuala Lumpur, June 27, 2018.

A Malaysian court ordered the government Monday to return high-priced handbags, watches and other items seized from former Prime Minister Najib Razak and his family during a 2018 investigation into the 1MDB corruption scandal, but the Attorney Generals Chambers said it would appeal.

The government, in its legal bid to formally take possession of hundreds of boxes of jewelry and other luxury objects confiscated during police raids on addresses in the Malaysian capital linked with Najibs family, failed to prove these were bought with money funneled from 1Malaysia Development Berhad, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled.

The applicant [the government] merely listed down the properties seized and their value and, in turn, concluded that the respondents did not have the means to own such items based on their income, Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan said in handing down the ruling, referring to Najib, his wife and their children.

It is apparent that the applicant came to this conclusion based on presumption. This is insufficient as they need to credibly prove a direct link between the money that was gained illegally to the cash found as well as the items bought.

The ruling dealt another blow to the effort to recover millions of dollars of funds allegedly misappropriated by Najib from the troubled sovereign wealth fund. Last year, the ex-PM was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being convicted of money laundering and abuse of power in a case related to a 1MDB subsidiary.

In May, another judge dismissed the governments claim that the cash portion of the seizure from Najib-linked premises in the Kuala Lumpur area was linked to funds stolen from 1MDB.

On Monday, the Kuala Lumpur High Court also said that the government should return a Penang bungalow valued at $3.6 million confiscated from Jho Low, a fugitive financier who is also linked to the 1MDB financial scandal, and cash from three of his bank accounts. The judge said the government also could not prove a connection between these assets and the 1MDB case.

The government will appeal this ruling, said Harris Ong Mohd Jeffery Ong, the deputy public prosecutor, according to the Bernama state news agency.

Malaysian and U.S. prosecutors had alleged that at least $4.5 billion (18.8 billion ringgit) was stolen from 1MDB between 2009 and 2014, in a financial scandal that implicated foreign and local financial institutions and high-ranking officials, including Najib.

Najib, an influential leader of the United Malays National Organization party, or UMNO, founded 1MDB, the state development fund, in 2009 while serving as prime minister and finance minister. His alleged misappropriations from the fund took place during his 9-year stint as Malaysias 6th PM, prosecutors had said.

The eye-watering amount of assets seized from Najib-linked premises back in 2018 are worth around U.S. $223 million. They included 12,000 pieces of jewelry, 284 handbags, 423 watches and 234 sunglasses.

Along with the 114-million-ringgit of cash  in 26 different currencies  the total worth of the seizure was between 900 million (U.S. $216 million) to 1.1 billion ringgit (U.S. $264 million).

Last month, Malaysians were shocked that a court granted Najibs request to travel to Singapore for his grandchilds birth, even though he was convicted last year on charges related to a 1MDB subsidiary.

The former PM is appealing last years conviction and standing trial in a second case tied to the 1MDB scandal. In his second trial, Najib is facing 25 charges of abuse of power and money laundering connected with 2.3 billion ringgit ($551 million) that went missing from 1MDB.

His wife, Rosmah Mansor  the purported owner of the 248 high-end handbags, many of them from Hermes  was also allowed to travel to Singapore while she is under trial for alleged graft related to the approval of a school-related energy project.

When Najib leaves it will be his first trip abroad since authorities confiscated his passport and blocked him from leaving Malaysia after his UMNO party crashed out in the 2018 general election.

The unelected UMNO is back in power since August after two successive governments  one elected and the other unelected  crashed and burned.

In a post on his popular Facebook page, Najib celebrated his latest victory, claiming it absolved him from the accusation of being a thief.

We won again this morning, the former PM wrote.

[I]t is proof once more that the other sides propaganda that Najib is a robber who robs to buy rings, luxury items and the like, are slander.
Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

Cloudy with a few showers. High around 50F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 42F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch.
Betsy Bishop is the President of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, whose mission is focused on creating an economic climate conducive to business growth while enhancing Vermonts quality of life. She lives in East Montpelier. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Vermont News & Media.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Editor's Note: This story originally ran in The Berkshire Eagle in August, 2019. The Eagle requested comment from the Carnevale family as jury selection for the October Mountain shooting begins Monday. The Carnevale family declined to comment in light of the trial proceedings.

CHESHIRE  A nurse squeezed Cara Carnevale's hand and told her "to say what I needed to say" to her teenage son while there were still signs of life.

She told him to fight.

Her husband, Marc Carnevale, told him he loved him and watched a single tear slide down his son's cheek. Up until that point, Nick Carnevale had been unresponsive since being shot twice in the head.

"That was the first response I remember seeing from him," he said, tears in his eyes at the recollection. "To me, that was a sign that Nick was still in there."

A year later, Nick is walking, talking and deploying a whip-smart sense of humor.

Nick, now 20, was shot during a party Aug. 21, 2018, at October Mountain State Forest; one bullet pierced his left eye socket and another struck his lower right jaw.

Since then, Nick has had four major surgeries and two procedures treating aneurysms  ballooning blood vessels in the brain.

Prosecutors have called his recovery "miraculous," but his lifelong physician doesn't like to use that term.

"A miracle is something you can't explain," said Dr. John Dallenbach. But the reasons for Nick's survival are evident  each bullet took a lucky trajectory, he had healthy blood reserves and "he's a tough kid."

Now, a full year after the shooting, life for the Carnevale family is just beginning to settle. Nick is two months clear of his last major surgery, and the Carnevale homestead in Cheshire finally is functional after months of post-flooding renovations.

Four men face charges in the shooting; prosecutors allege that the assault was a joint venture between them. Kevin Nieves, Luis Delvalle-Rodriguez, Daquan Douglas and Christopher Frazier all face charges of armed assault with intent to murder, and aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

According to court records, Nieves, 20, previously dated the woman whom Nick took to the party that night and had posted on Facebook that anyone hanging out with his ex would need to "keep up with that beef."

After being shot, Nick lay in the woods near the Ashley Reservoir for an hour before first responders were able to retrieve him, his father said.

Now, Nick is working on muscle control in his right arm and right leg. He can clutch and make a fist with his right hand  it's his dominant hand  but he struggles to extend his fingers. His dad calls it "the claw."

He can't see or hear out of his left side. Doctors had hoped to put in a prosthetic eye, but now it appears that Nick won't be able to open his left eye again.

Dallenbach said Nick faces it all with poise.

"He's shown an amazing calm and resilience," he said, marveling that Nick has "worked hard and at the same time gone with the flow."

"I've not seen him frustrated," he said. "He's just basically doing it all and laughing about it."

Dallenbach said it has been challenging, too, as a physician and as a father to watch Nick go through it.

"The [alleged] shooter also happens to be my patient, and as you can imagine, that really messes with your head," he said. "That's not what my pediatric residency prepared me for."

'A reset button'

The shooting was "a reset button" for the Carnevale family, who say the ordeal has taught them all how to roll with life's punches.

Nick's parents say he went to the party that night an angsty, depressed teen who they wouldn't have expected could endure the struggles the past year posed. Since he came out of his coma, they say, his life outlook is much more laid-back and upbeat.

"Why do you think that is?" his mother asked him.

Nick shrugged.

"I'm a new person," he said.

His father said it feels to him that, after the shooting, he got back his son, who, before then, had grown distant.

"This was like a reset button," he said. "He's smiled more in the past year than he probably had in the five years prior to this."

And the reset affected the whole family.

"We just do not sweat the small stuff anymore," his mother said.

The parents often refer back to those uncertain moments of waiting in the hospital, unsure of whether their son would live and, later, whether he would live a full life.

"The first day that he opened his eyes, it was sort of like giving birth all over again," Cara recalled. That was Aug. 30.

Nick gave her a hairy eyeball, and she told him he was very manly and not babylike at all.

She showed a video of his brother, Tyler, who was emotional after finding Nick awake. He started to cry at the kitchen table and Cara joined in, giving him a hug.

The parents had a strict bedside rule: keep the conversation positive. Even as Nick was in a coma, Cara said, she wouldn't allow doctors to speak negatively about his recovery in his presence.

Upholding that pledge also meant that the parents set aside the shooting itself  and the alleged perpetrators along with it.

"It took a lot of love on our part to not get preoccupied with what was done to him, and focus on Nick," Cara said.

They said they protect themselves by not seeking out information about the court proceedings. Instead, they take it as it comes.

"I can't have that information bouncing around in my head," Marc said.

He said the strategy "made it a lot easier for me to stay positive."

But now that there have been more court hearings, Cara said Facebook posts about them have been unsettling. That's why Nick hasn't returned to Facebook.

"Do I want to open him up to that?" she asked, drawing mild scorn from her son.

"I'm 20," he told her.

Cara said she took down his page while he was in a coma. Those close to the accused were saying things about him that she didn't want him to wake up and have to read, she said.

Asked if he thinks much about the men alleged to have shot him, Nick said "nope."

"Not even a little bit," he said.

Nick's last surgery was in June. Doctors harvested nerves from his right calf and implanted them into his face to help animate muscles that help him show emotion. The effects are revealing themselves a millimeter at a time, Marc said.

The parents recalled a scary moment when Nick, who they call "Pyro," started a small fire in their home. Even though quite young, Nick saw the danger in it and rushed into action, his mother recalled.

"I got this," she remembered him saying. And since then, it has been a common refrain.

"That's Nick's response to every emergency," she said.

This time, she said to Nick as she grabbed his hand from across the table, "you do got this."

Nick gets recognized when they are out and about, and sometimes complete strangers will introduce themselves.

"And it literally brings them to tears," Marc said.

Cara said her son used to be shy. But the community support has brought him out of that, she said.

"It kept him going," she said. "It kept all of us going."

She said "that level of love has changed our lives."

Nick said he appreciates the support but sometimes that level of attention also can be taxing.

"Sometimes I just wanna be like everybody else," he said.

Beach birthday

This month, the extended Carnevale family gathered at their favorite vacation spot in New Hampshire to celebrate Nick's birthday. He turned 20 on Aug. 6.

Before the celebration, Nick's parents let him do some shopping, stocking him up on his Bape-brand clothing favorites. But the gifts he opened during the celebration had a more functional bent.

Family members bought Nick a Nintendo Switch controller that he can use one-handed  he still can't quite grip with his dominant hand. Nick also got an adaptive fishing device that allows him to reel in a fish with one hand.

Sun streaks lined his brown hair, caused by peroxide used to clean the scar on his head. He pulled on his mint-flavored vape, prompting a head shake from his mother.

"A 20-year-old will be a 20-year-old no matter what, I guess," Cara said.

Nick demonstrated how he ties his shoe with one hand, stepping on one lace to steady it while his finger made the loops. "Voila!" he said, smiling.

"There hasn't been much we haven't been able to figure out," Marc said.

As they readied to cross the street and watch the sun set, Marc plucked up a tan-colored bucket hat and placed it on his head. Nick didn't skip a beat.

"Dad, please take that hat away from your body," he said.

Nick thinks the hat looks goofy, Marc explained. He kept it on.

Nick's grandfather helped him tie his other shoe. "For expedience," he said.

Heading down the outside stairs from the second floor, Nick looked down as he slowly lowered one foot. And then the next.

Sitting in his wheelchair beside his parents, Nick looked out as the sun set over boats in the harbor. The family comes to the same spot every year.

"It's different this year than all the rest of them," Nick said.

Because he can't do everything he used to, he said.

"But, oh, well," he shrugged. "I still got Mario," referring to his Nintendo game's mascot.

Cara said the past year has seemed like "one obstacle after another."

The family's home flooded last fall while they stayed close to Nick's side. Cara said it took a while to discover the damage, and by the time they did, the house was covered in black mold.

A subsequent renovation has put them further in debt than even the medical bills, she said.

But her home renovation nightmares have a silver lining, she said, noting all the haphazard construction they found once the renovation was underway.

"What a blessing it is that this house flooded," she said. "Because if it hadn't, we might all be dead."

The road ahead

Nick is itching to get back behind the wheel of a car.

"It's a little boring," he said, walking around his parents' property this week. "I can't do everything that I want to do."

As his parents prepared ingredients for homemade pizza, Nick tried to open a bag of dough with one hand. He bounced it up and down repeatedly against the counter. Not seeing progress, he brought the bag to his mouth, using his teeth to make a small hole.

At that, his dad wordlessly inserted himself, taking the dough out of the bag and placing it on the counter.

The family plans to hold a party to mark the year since his shooting.

"I want it to be a celebration of the day that he lived," Cara said. "I just think we have a lot to celebrate and a lot to be thankful for."

She described gun violence in America as a national emergency, noting that she'd like to see more done to get illegal guns off the streets and out of the hands of young people.

"All these kids know where you can get an illegal gun," she said. Nick affirmed her point.

Marc said that something that could help would be mandatory minimums for people caught committing crimes with illegal weapons.

All told, they said the terrifying experience taught them a lot about life and love.

"If people knew what we know now, they'd be here with their kids more," Cara said.

Nick graduated from Mount Greylock Regional High School about two months before the shooting. At the time, he was considering going to trade school to learn diesel mechanics.

That's still a possibility, his mother reminded him. She said they also had talked about culinary school.

But his right hand might need to be more functional, he said.

He perhaps most misses his previous dexterity with video games.

"That's been tough," his mom said.

In addition to building back up his mobility, Nick said he's eager to bring his speech and reading up in speed. The part of the brain that was damaged rules word recollection and processing, Cara said.

"I want to be more fluent with everything," he said, noting that sometimes "I know what the word is, but I can't speak it."

Number recollection has been faster for him, he said, citing a recent numbers test.

"This past time it was good," he said, snapping his fingers with a smile.

Nick said he's done with surgeries for a while  the only surgery doctors discussed with him lately is a cosmetic one, which would minimize the tissue bulge to the right of his cheekbone. But Nick said he has no interest in spending unnecessary time in a hospital. He's seen enough.

For now, he's more focused on successfully getting his dad into headlocks. After eating pizza this week, he threw some playful punches at Marc.

The wrestling bouts are fun, Marc said, but "he doesn't win."

To that, Nick said, "Gimme one more year."
Reporter

Heather Bellow, a member of the investigations team, joined The Eagle in 2017. She is based in the South Berkshire County bureau in Great Barrington. Her work has appeared in newspapers across the U.S.
Community News Editor / Librarian

Jeannie Maschino is community news editor and librarian for The Berkshire Eagle. She has worked for the newspaper in various capacities since 1982 and joined the newsroom in 1989.
The Mildred Elley School in Pittsfield has agreed to provide more than $1 million in relief money to hundreds of former students after Attorney General Maura Healey's office determined that it violated state regulations.
Looking for something to do? Heres a list of local community and nonprofit events. Please check with your club or organization to be certain of meetings, outings and classes, as they may be canceled due to bad weather or COVID-19. If any listing is inaccurate or to submit an event, contact Julie Norwood at 231-592-8358 or julie.norwood@pioneergroup.com.

 Our Town: 7-9:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday, Nov. 11-12, and 2-4:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, at Big Rapids High School, 21175 15 Mile Road, Big Rapids. The Big Rapids High School Theatrical Arts Department presents "Our Town," a Pulitzer Prize winning play by Thornton Wilder. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for students, available at brhsmi.booktix.com.

VETERANS DAY WEEK EVENTS

 Big Rapids Elks Veterans Dinner: 4:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 8, at Big Rapids Elks Lodge, 203 E. Pine St, Big Rapids. Cost: Free. Contact: 231-796-5451.

 General Fuller Monument Dedication Ceremony: 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10, at Holland Park-Veterans & Homefront Heroes Memorial, West Spruce Street, Big Rapids. Contact: 231-796-6998.

 Meet and Greet the Admiral, Marine Corps Birthday: Noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10, at AMVETS Post 1941, 320 S. 4th Ave., Big Rapids. Cost: Free. Contact: 231-796-6998.

 Ferris State Veterans Day Breakfast: 7:45 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, at Ferris State University Center's Ballroom 202, 805 Campus Drive, Big Rapids. Cost: Free..

 S.O.S. Veterans Day Breakfast: 9-10:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, at AMVETS Post 1941, 320 S. 4th Ave., Big Rapids. Cost: Free. Contact: 231-796-6998.

 Veterans Day Parade: 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, along Michigan Avenue, in downtown Big Rapids.

 Veterans Day Post-Parade Luncheon: Noon on Thursday, Nov. 11, at AMVETS Post 1941, 320 S. 4th Ave., Big Rapids. Cost: Free, donations accepted. Contact: 231-796-6998.

 American Legion Post #473 Veterans Day Dinner: 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, at Fork Township Hall, 3265 20 Mile Road, Barryton, Free for veterans. There will also be a Blind Auction. Contact: 989-382-8742.

 Annual Veterans Day Concert: 4-5:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14, at Williams Auditorium, 901 S. State St. STR205, Big Rapids. Featuring the FSU West Central Concert Band with Dr. Richard Scott Cohen, musical director and conductor. Free admission, and open to the public.

RECURRING EVENTS

 Swiss Steak Dinner: 4-6:30 p.m. the last Friday of every month, April-October, at the Barryton Senior Center, 71 Northern Ave., Barryton. Includes dinner and dessert. Everyones welcome.

 Mecosta Co. Genealogical Society: Open from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. every second Saturday, at 424 N. Fourth Ave., Big Rapids, next to Recycle, or by appointment. Volunteers needed to help with sorting and indexing. Call Maureen Nelson at 231-250-5555 for more information.

 Mecosta County Sheriff Posse: 7 p.m. the second Thursday of each month at the Mecosta County Jail basement training room, 225 S. Stewart Ave., Big Rapids. This volunteer group is always looking for more members. For more info call 231-250-9241

 Morley Community Center: The center, at 151 7th St., Morley, hosts weekly pickleball, open gym, indoor garage sales and outdoor market, in addition to monthly ancestry class, craft night and blood drive. For a list of activities, visit morleycenter.org/events or call 231-856-4496.

ARTWORKS ONGOING CLASSES, EXHIBITS

106 N. Michigan Ave. in Big Rapids / 231-796-2420 / artworksinbigrapids.org

 After School Arts: 3:45-5:15 p.m. Wednesdays. Drop-ins welcome on a first come, first serve basis, but registration recommended. Register at Artworks gift shop or by calling 231-796-2420 the Monday before each session.

 Open Pottery: 5-8 p.m. Tuesdays. Cost: $10 per session, $60 for an eight-session punch card. (Additional firing fees apply. Clay may be purchased in bulk for $20 per 25 lbs.) Call 231-796-2420 to schedule your session.

 Forged in Fire for Beginners: 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Oct. 5-Nov. 9, at The Forge, 5710 18 Mile Road, Barryton. Learn the basics of bladesmithing by doing. Everything will be provided. Closed toe shoes are required. Cost: $150. Register at artworksinbigrapids.org/specialty-workshops.

 Fundamentals of Photography, Intermediate: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Nov. 9-Dec. 14, at Artworks 106 N. Michigan Ave Big Rapids. Cost: $75. Register at www.artworksinbigrapids.org/photography.

 Exhibit  Art in the Time of COVID: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday, Oct. 12-Nov. 14. Featuring creations from Dan Kaminsky, Kym Nicolas and other artists.
Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, Why is Kamala Harris so Unpopular?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
CAN REVERSAL PROGRAMMES

BEAT DIABETES?

Our modern way of life is at odds with the optimal functioning and upkeep of the human machine. Unreasonable demands on the body and mind, coupled with erratic food habits has only added to the overall deterioration of the body-mind equilibrium, leaving us with numerous lifestyle disorders, which could have been avoided with a hard reset of our erring way of life as it stands. Unfortunately, there hasnt been much of an improvement in that department and consequently we are faced with a burgeoning diabetes-affected population. Healthcare providers are in the fray to launch various diabetes reversal programmes, to tackle this calamitous national (and international) healthcare challenge. We shall try and find out just how effective and viable these programmes are.
9% of tested children are at active risk of one-eyed blindness

Hyderabad-based startup Healpha and its School Health Program conducted a detailed health study by establishing contact with 64,615 parents for a health screening of three to 18-year-olds from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra over 18 months pre-Covid in India.



According to the report, 90 per cent of the children have similar problems related to vital statistics, ENT, and eye problems.

41 per cent of all children suffer from hygiene-related problems in the ear. 39 per cent of children suffer from ear wax related issues reducing their focus on studies, 17 per cent of tested children suffer from BP issues, 9 per cent of tested children are at active risk of one-eyed blindness, 13 per cent of all children suffer from respiratory issues and 22 per cent of children suffer from tonsils.



The Healpha health report card has identified that 5 per cent of tested girls and 4 per cent of tested boys are at active risk of one-eyed blindness due to previously unidentified Lazyeye ailment. Additionally, 10 per cent more of screened children already suffer from Anismetropia which can eventually lead to Lazyeye ailment and potential blindness in one eye.



The number of children suffering from ENT related issues is certainly a serious concern given that the ear hygiene and ear wax related issues can result in hearing loss and infection Perforation issues in the ear over a while.
The Indian in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) industry will be pivotal to reimagining digital healthcare in the country with an emphasis on timely medical intervention, efficient disease management and improved patient outcomes

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, virtual healthcare has disrupted the functional paradigms of the healthcare industry of the country. In a survey conducted in 2020 by leading multinational market research and consulting firm Ipsos Group among Indian Healthcare Professionals (HCPs), 95 per cent of doctors affirmed that they consulted with their patients remotely. The integration of advanced digital technologies has the potential to make healthcare vastly accessible and affordable for large sections of the population. The Indian in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) industry will be pivotal to reimagining digital healthcare in the country with an emphasis on timely medical intervention, efficient disease management and improved patient outcomes.

Change has rapidly emerged as the new normal in the Indian healthcare space. With greater awareness of personal hygiene and concerns arising over visiting hospitals for fear of infections, there is an increase in the number of people making informed choices about availing healthcare services. Digital health tools like telemedicine are breaking new ground for personalised healthcare with consumers demanding a greater say in making critical healthcare decisions. With the pandemic mandating stringent distancing measures and restricting patient mobility, a majority of Indian companies in the diagnostics space laid stress on amplifying their digital presence to establish a direct one-on-one connection with patients. The focus has been on shifting direct-to-consumer (DTC) testing services to an online interface to make testing processes increasingly user-friendly and streamlined. At-home testing enabled through online guidance is fast emerging as a cost-effective and convenient way of getting accurate and reliable test results.

In pre-pandemic times, individuals were required to physically visit a healthcare facility, be it a hospital or laboratory for submitting blood and other specimens for clinical testing. There was a significant downtime involved after which they had to go to the facility and get their results. Technological advances in the IVD segment have enabled individuals to carry out sample collections within the confines and comfort of their homes. Low-cost and self-use over-the-counter (OTC) test kits enable consumers to conduct specimen testing on their own.

The Indian healthcare space is at an inflexion point today. By tapping the power of digital technology, the quality of healthcare services can be improved and healthcare access can be ensured for all. A digitally advanced healthcare ecosystem will present significant challenges and opportunities. The IVD industry will need to devise a consumer-centric marketing strategy and focus on scaling up its production capacities. The onus will also have to be on leveraging R&D to reorient their product portfolios to boost patient engagement and cater to the needs of a digitally-evolved consumer base.

Telehealth emerged as a priority focus globally and in India in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers and healthcare players in India and the world over are exploring options for safe healthcare access and delivery. Going ahead, the remote models of health and healthcare monitoring will witness stronger consumer traction. IVD manufacturers will play a more enabling role in boosting the telehealth market by ensuring wider availability of remote monitoring techniques and at-home diagnostics solutions.

Dr Veeraal Gandhi, Chairman and Managing Director, Voxtur Bio, Mumbai
The Government CXO Imperative

When seeking examples of leadership in e-government, many look to Estonia, whose efforts to revolutionize government services online have been ongoing since 1991.

But in a system as complex as government, digital transformation cannot be a single outcome, but rather a constant process of improvement. This complexity leaves many governments concerned and uncertain about mitigating risks, safeguarding data, and setting the appropriate pace and priorities for digitizing their services.

Download this white paper to access key insights from Estonias Government Chief Information Officer regarding his countrys success in e-government, and how technologies like integrated platforms and AI helped them thrive.
The drug policy median score across all 30 countries for humane and health driven drug policies is just 48/100, with Norway, despite topping the inaugural edition of the Global Drug Policy Index, still only managing a score of 74/100. The other four leading countries are New Zealand, Portugal, the UK and Australia, with Brazil, Uganda, Indonesia, Kenya, and Mexico the five lowest-ranking countries.

Source: luis carlos jimenez del rio 123rf

Repressive approach to drug control

Radical innovation

Criminal justice.

Extreme responses.

Health and harm reduction.

Access to internationally controlled medicines.

Development.

Progress is needed

The militarised and law enforcement approach to drug control continues to prevail. Some level of lethal use of force by military or police forces was reported in half of the countries surveyed, with widespread cases in Mexico and Brazil.

The disproportionate impact of drug control on marginalised people on the basis of gender, ethnicity and socio-economic status was reported to some extent across all dimensions, and across all countries.

Drug law enforcement targets primarily nonviolent offences, and especially people who use drugs. Only eight out of the 30 countries surveyed have decriminalised drug use and possession, and out of those, only three managed to truly divert people away from the criminal justice system.

The funding gap for harm reduction remains highly concerning. Only five out of 30 countries have allocated adequate funding to harm reduction, and of those countries, funding is considered secure in only one (Norway).

There is a huge gap between government policies and their implementation on ensuring access to controlled medicines, especially in countries like India, Indonesia, Mexico, and Senegal which score high on policy, but score 0/100 for actual availability for those in need.

Alternative development programmes in areas of illegal cultivation remains entrenched in interdiction and eradication, with Colombia scoring particularly low (23/100) due to its militarised strategy focusing on forced eradication and the harmful use of aerial spraying.

Forty-eight (48) out of 100 is a drug policy fail in anyones book, said Ann Fordham, executive director of the International Drug Policy Consortium which led on the development of the Index with the partners in the Harm Reduction Consortium.None of the countries assessed should feel good about their score on drug policy, because no country has reached a perfect score. Or anywhere near it. This Index highlights the huge room for improvement across the board, she adds.For decades, tracking how well - or badly - governments are doing in drug policy has been an elusive endeavour."In no small part, this is because data collection efforts by both governments and the UN have been driven by the outdated and harmful goal of achieving a drug-free society," says Fordham.Most governments continue to employ a repressive approach to drug control based on this skewed data, which in turns means they cannot be held accountable for the damage their policies inflict on the lives of so many people."The success of drug policies has not been measured against health, development, and human rights outcomes, but instead has tended to prioritise indicators such as the numbers of people arrested or imprisoned for drug offences, the amount of drugs seized, or the number of hectares of drug crops eradicated," she explains.The Global Drug Policy Index is the first-ever data-driven global analysis of drug policies and their implementation.The Global Drug Policy Index is nothing short of a radical innovation, said Helen Clark, chair of the global commission on Drug Policy and former prime minister of New Zealand.Good, accurate data is power, and it can help us end the `war on drugs sooner rather than later, she says.Whats clear from the results is that no government can be complacent, said Julita Lemgruber, former director of the Prison System of the State of Rio de Janeiro.Even in the highest-ranking countries, progress is sorely needed.Governments worldwide must abandon the idea of drug policies as instruments of war and understand them as means to promote human rights and citizenship.
The first oral Covid-19 medicine, Molnupiravir, for treatment of mild to moderate Covid-19 in adults, who have at least one risk factor for developing severe illness has been authorised by the UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Phase 3 MOVe-OUT clinical trial

About Molnupiravir

Supply

Producd by Merck & Co (MSD) and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, Molnupiravirs will trade as Lagevior in the UK.The first global authorisation of Molnupiravir is a major achievement in MSDs singular legacy of bringing forward breakthrough medicines and vaccines to address the worlds greatest health challenges, says Robert M Davis, chief executive officer and president, MSD.As an oral therapeutic, Molnupiravir offers an important addition to the vaccines and medicines deployed so far to counter the Covid-19 pandemic, says Dr. Dean Y. Li, executive vice president and president, MSD Research Laboratories.The authorisation is based on positive results from a planned interim analysis from the Phase 3 MOVe-OUT clinical trial.The MOVe-OUT trial (MK-4482-002) (NCT04575597) is a global Phase 3, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multi-site study of non-hospitalised adult patients with laboratory-confirmed mild-to-moderate CovidPatients enrolled in the study were unvaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, had at least one risk factor associated with poor disease outcomes, and symptom onset within five days prior to randomisation.The primary efficacy objective of MOVe-OUT is to evaluate the efficacy of molnupiravir compared to placebo as assessed by the percentage of participants who are hospitalised and/or die from the time of randomisation through Day 29.The Phase 3 portion of the MOVe-OUT trial was conducted globally in countries including Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Guatemala, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Ukraine, the UK and US.The most common risk factors for poor disease outcome included obesity, older age (>60 years), diabetes mellitus and heart disease.Delta, Gamma and Mu variants accounted for nearly 80% of the baseline viral variants that had been sequenced at the time of the interim analysis.Recruitment in Latin America, Europe and Africa accounted for 56%, 23% and 15% of the study population, respectively.Molnupiravir (MK-4482, EIDD-2801) is an investigational, orally administered form of a potent ribonucleoside analog that inhibits the replication of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of Covid-19.Molnupiravir is also being evaluated for post-exposure prophylaxis in MOVe-AHEAD, a global, multicenter, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 study, which is evaluating the efficacy and safety of molnupiravir in preventing the spread of Covid-19 within households.Molnupiravirs application is still under review by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency.MSD is actively working to submit applications to other regulatory agencies around the world.In anticipation of the results from MOVe-OUT and the potential for regulatory authorisation or approval, MSD has been producing molnupiravir at risk and expects to produce 10 million courses of treatment by the end of 2021, with at least 20 million courses to be produced in 2022.Earlier this year, MSD entered into a procurement agreement with the US government under which the company will supply approximately 1.7 million courses of molnupiravir to the US government, upon EUA or approval from the US FDA.Additionally, MSD has entered into supply and advance purchase agreements for molnupiravir with governments worldwide, including the UK government for 480,000 courses of therapy, pending regulatory authorisation, and is currently in discussions with additional governments.MSD plans to implement a tiered pricing approach based on World Bank country income criteria to reflect countries relative ability to finance their health response to the pandemic.
Google.org has announced the 34 funding recipients of the Google.org Impact Challenge for Women and Girls. The $25m global philanthropy challenge was launched in March 2021 and called for gender equity-focused organisations to submit their boldest and most innovative ideas to create a more equitable economic reality for women and girls.

Image supplied: The SwaTaleem Foundation

The application data

Google.org partnered with a women-led panel of experts - including leaders like Rigoberta Menchu, Naomi Osaka, Shakira, Susan Wojcicki, and Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and gender equity-focused organisations Vital Voices and Project Everyone to evaluate proposals based on four key criteria: innovation, impact, feasibility, and scalability.The selected organisations have outlined projects that will help women and girls, especially those in geographically, economically or socially marginalized populations, reach their full economic potential.In addition to funding of up to $1m each, recipients will participate in a four-month accelerator programme led by Googles Accelerator and Women Techmakers communities, in partnership with Vital Voices, to move their projects forward. Select organisations will also receive a Google.org fellowship and dedicated ad grants to promote their mission.Globally, women have been nearly twice as likely to lose their jobs during Covid-19 as men. Its vital that we elevate and support work that empowers women and girls to reach their full economic potential, especially in marginalised communities, says Jacquelline Fuller, president of Google.org. The pandemic recovery must be an inclusive one, and we know that when we invest in women and girls, we all benefit.Google.org received 7,800 applications; the most ever received for a Google.org Impact Challenge. An analysis of the application data, commissioned by Google.org and conducted by Kings College Londons Global Institute for Womens Leadership, identified four main focus areas for organisations around the world proposing pathways to economic empowerment for women and girls. These focus areas, with recipient examples, include:SwaTaleem Foundation (India) will use funding to build an app, which doesn't require an internet connection, that provides skills in math, science and financial awareness for young women and girls.Asociacion Colnodo (Colombia) will connect rural women entrepreneurs to the internet and each other through cohort programming and mentorship.Girls Inc of New York City (US) will build a financial budgeting app for girls of colour from low-income households.Project Akilah (Rwanda) will build a pipeline of formal economic career opportunities for rural women.At Project Everyone we know that achieving gender equality is at the heart of achieving all 17 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, so we were excited to partner with Google.org and Vital Voices on this powerful initiative, says Kate Garvey, cofounder at Project Everyone. The Impact Challenge is an example of how cross-sector collaborations can accelerate progress towards the Goals and demonstrates how we can all play our part in solving the worlds greatest problems.In addition to the Impact Challenge, Google.org will continue support through $15m in donated Google search ads for organisations focused on gender equity; including $10m to UN Women. The donated ads will connect the public via Google Search with in-depth, authoritative information on gender equity and connect underserved women with the resources they need. Each funded organisation will also receive full-time digital marketing support from a Google Ads expert for three months.For more information about the Google.org Impact Challenge for Women and Girls recipients, go here
Dozens of climate justice activists gathered outside Parliament as part of a global day of action on Saturday, 6 November. "Keep coal and Mantashe in the hole", "Government stop sell-outs" and "COP is a COP-out" read placards.

On Saturday, climate activists picketed outside parliament in Cape Town as part of a global day of action for climate justice. | Source: Marecia Damons.

The picket formed part of a Global Virtual Protest to coincide with the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference ( COP26 ), which started in Glasgow, Scotland, on 31 October and will continue until 12 November.The demonstration was also a joint call to action for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) by the Rural Womens Assembly (RWA), which includes members from Swaziland, Lesotho, Namibia, Madagascar, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe.In a statement , RWA criticised the makeup of the COP26 meeting: We foresee a COP26 without representation of women and girls, especially rural women and girls. This is, unfortunately, perpetuating a pattern we have noticed and spoken to in the last few years of the COP meetings and other such international meetings, where decisions about things that impact our lives are made.RWA called for a stop to greenhouse gas emissions, more solar and wind-powered energy, a human rights-based approach to climate change, and sustainable models of food production and distribution.Carmen Louw of RWA said although most of the emissions are caused by larger industrial nations, such as China and the United States, Africa will be among the hardest hit by climate change.We need those countries responsible for the climate damage to finance the alternatives, but on our terms and not on their terms. In that way, we can become self-sustaining, use our methods, and ensure that our women farmers have decent incomes and livelihoods.If there is no drastic change and theres an increase in temperature, we wont be able to farm with cattle and maize in a few years time. Our membership is reliant on small-scale production just for household food security and survival.Lungisa Huna, also of RWA, said given the severe droughts that have happened in the Southern African region, government cannot wait for a catastrophe to hit before it addresses the climate crises with urgency.For too long our government goes and sits in these air-conditioned conferences leaving the masses outside while they sign bilaterals and agree on COP without any changes that we can see on the ground.We can no longer wait for declarations to be signed, and discussions with no decisions taken. We need decisions to be taken now, not in 2030 or 2050, because we are struggling today, said Huna.President Cyril Ramaphosa announced last Tuesday that the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Germany and the European Union struck a R131bn deal with South Africa to accelerate its transition away from coal towards renewables.Ramaphosa said South Africa submitted a revised nationally determined contribution (NDC) to reduce domestic carbon emissions to within a target range for emissions of between 420 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) and 350 tonnes CO2e by 2030.This revised target is compatible with the ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement and represents our countrys best effort to confront climate change, which will have a devastating impact on sub-Saharan Africa without large-scale mitigation and adaptation efforts, said Ramaphosa.Partner countries will mobilise an initial $8.5 bn over the next three to five years through a range of instruments, including grants and concessional finance, to support the implementation of the countrys revised NDC.Ramaphosa said for the transition to a low carbon and climate-resilient economy to be just, decarbonisation must be implemented in a way that promotes and sustains employment, livelihoods and economic inclusion for historically marginalised communities.He said a joint taskforce will be established to take forward the partnership over the coming months.
Magazine Graphic Designer

Remuneration: R28000 - R32000 per month basic salary Location: Johannesburg Remote work: Not Applicable Education level: Diploma Job level: Mid/Senior Type: Permanent Reference: #YG#C_GraphicDesigner Company: Cardilogix

Job description

A copy of your CV.

A copy of your portfolio.

A link to your online portfolio or links showcasing your work.

To conceptualise and through creative thinking using your imaginary design skills, produce outstanding creative work within the scope of the brand and creative brief supplied and present to client.

The responsibility vests in the attitude, behaviour, determination and accountability to pursue all avenues in order to ensure that the end product/design craft is of a high standard.

By taking ownership, pride and the use of all available resources, the end product/design craft should project a keen attention to detail.

Exceptionally fast conceptual skills.

A portfolio that demonstrates these skills beyond a shadow of doubt and the results of the activities to prove it.

Finely honed design skills and latest techniques  graphic designer.

Capability to take on campaigns with multi-element tasks which require a concept and a thought through process

Previous big name agency exp and matching big brand exp is essential

Requirements

Must be fully computer literate on Mac in Freehand and Adobe: Photoshop, InDesign etc.

Must have strong conceptual skills

Raw design talent must be evident

Strong on running and meeting tight deadlines

You must really, really have a good given design talent

Must have a diploma/degree in fine arts/design or similar

Previous agency experience essential

Preference would be given to candidates with branding agency experience

Portfolio imperative to showcase your work

Min 5-7 years' experience essential

Able to do design, conceptualisation, etc.

A creative studio is seeking to hire a talentedto join their team as soon as possible. Full time.Based at our clients offices in Jozi.The search is on in finding the perfect candidate who combines conceptual and creative excellence with experience in design.This is a key role within the agency. You will be a key graphic designer across a number of extremely high profile accounts and will constantly champion excellent creative standards throughout the company.Please only apply if you have the relevant experience as per our job ad. Our client does not have the capacity to train anyone  you need to hit the ground running.Your application will be passed to our team of recruitment consultants and should your skills and experience match the recruitment needs of our client, we will be in touch within a 96 hour turn-around time.Should you not hear from us, please treat your application for this job as unsuccessful. Posted on 08 Nov 13:03, Closing date 7 Jan
The FBI searched the home of Project Veritas founder James OKeefe on Nov. 6, about a day after the agency had executed a search warrant at homes belonging to Veritas associates.

In a statement to The Epoch Times about whether OKeefes home was searched, an FBI spokesperson confirmed that a court-authorized law enforcement action was carried out in furtherance of an ongoing investigation.

Representatives for Project Veritas didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment. OKeefe hasnt made any public statements on whether his home was searched and instead posted a video of himself reading a chapter from George Orwells dystopian novel 1984.

OKeefe neighbor Jimmy Maynes confirmed to local New York media that the Veritas founders home in Mamaroneck, New York, was searched by federal law enforcement agents, a process that lasted several hours.

They asked for James, he said. I thought they were banging on my door. I opened the door.

Agents told me to close the door and I closed the door. Thats exactly what happened. It was still dark.

Brent Mickol, another neighbor who lives across the hall, said the agents announced something along the lines of FBI Warrant. Open up, he told the New York Post.

In a statement uploaded to YouTube on Nov. 5, OKeefe confirmed that the FBI is investigating his group and conducted searches at the homes of current and former Project Veritas journalists. Although he was told in a grand jury indictment to not discuss the search, OKeefe said that New York Times reporters contacted Project Veritas reporters for comment soon after the raids were carried out, begging the question of how the NY Times obtained information about the searches.

Apartment and homes of Project Veritas journalists and former journalists had been raided by FBI agents, he said, noting that he believes that the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York is targeting the group.

In late 2020, Project Veritas was contacted by individuals who claimed to have obtained a copy of a diary belonging to Ashley Biden, President Joe Bidens youngest daughter, OKeefe said in the video. Alleged tipsters told the organization that the diary was found abandoned in a room after she left and that the diary contained explosive allegations against then-presidential candidate Joe Biden.

Project Veritas never published the contents of the diary, although other media outlets did in 2020. Instead, his group turned the diary over to law enforcement.

At the end of the day, we made the ethical decision that because, in part, we could not determine if the diary was real, if the diary in fact belonged to Ashley Biden, or if the contents of the diary occurred, we could not publish the diary and any part thereof, OKeefe said on Nov. 5.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
The founder of Microsoft has warned of bioterrorist attacks and has urged world leaders to use "germ games" to prepare for them.

Bill Gates said governments must get ready for future pandemics and smallpox terror attacks by investing billions in research and development.

During a sit-down interview with the chair of the Health Select Committee, Jeremy Hunt, for the think tank Policy Exchange, Mr Gates suggested "germ games" could be used to practise how to respond to such events.

He also called for the formation of a new billion-dollar World Health Organisation (WHO) Pandemic Task Force.

"It'll take probably about a billion a year for a pandemic Task Force at the WHO level, which is doing the surveillance and actually doing what I call 'germ games' where you practice," he said.
Money raised by the Haunted Forest will support veterans and first responders living with post-traumatic stress disorder.

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CHELSEA KEMP/THE BRANDON SUN Wounded Warriors Canada Manitoba ambassador Kara Kallenbach (left) accepts a donation from Haunted Forest founders Brenda Tanner, Cora-Lee Cobb and Tryus Cobb Saturday.

Money raised by the Haunted Forest will support veterans and first responders living with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Haunted Forest raised $3,000 through its annual charity haunted house.

Haunted Forest co-creator Cora-Lee Cobb said they connected with Wounded Warriors through her husband and co-founder of the charity haunted house Tryus Cobb, who is also a firefighter-paramedic at CFB Shilo.

"Wounded Warriors is near and dear to him because they deal with PTSD in first responders, all the front-line workers," Cobb said. "They dont just help out the workers. They help out their families and their children with everything from counselling to a chat session."

The 2021 spooky season marked the first time the Haunted Forest sponsored Wounded Warriors as its chosen charity, Cobb said. She was pleased they could raise $3,000 for the charity with the help of approximately 1,500 visitors and 30 volunteers.

Cobb said they were proud to hit their fundraising goal and appreciates the donation will help Wounded Warriors support first responders living with PTSD.

Cobb said excitement is already building for next years Haunted Forest, and they are hoping to raise even more for the charity.

Kara Kallenbach, a Wounded Warriors Canada Manitoba ambassador, was on hand to accept the donation from the Haunted Forest.

She praised the event and the passion volunteers showed in creating a spooky experience for visitors.

"Its so exciting that people think about us, and that people will actually know in the public that this is going on," Kallenbach said. "Mental health is an issue for all of us."

The $3,000 raised by the Haunted Forest will be used to promote educational programs and services offered by Wounded Warriors. Kallenbach said they are always seeing programs added at the non-profit.

Each year Wounded Warriors provides 333,000 hours of clinical treatment, 100 PTSD service dogs, helps 1,200 veterans, first responders and family members, and has invested $30 million in programming to date.

Wounded Warriors strives to continue expanding program availability for veterans and first responders and increase awareness.

Kallenbach became a social worker after retiring from the Canadian Air Force. She was injured in the military and lives with PTSD.

Wounded Warriors is a non-profit support organization for any public servant experiencing physical or mental difficulties resulting from their service. In Canada, the organization was launched after the death of five soldiers in Afghanistan.

Any veteran, including military, police, firefighters, paramedics, can access programs created by the non-profit.

Talking about mental health is still taboo for some people, Kallenbach said.

For several decades survivors were unable to share their experiences or seek help for their PTSD.

Wounded Warriors raises funds for a variety of programs centred around healing from PTSD, including equine therapy, trauma resiliency, couples counselling, therapy dogs and peer support.

The common thread of programming and events is education about PTSD, Kallenbach said.

"I wanted to educate the world that this is an issue," she said. "We have each others back always; we can help support each other when its a mental health issue."

A part of the education is sharing stories about injuries and the path of healing as peers. Kallenbach said peer-to-peer guidance is essential because it can provide insight on how to begin healing from PTSD.

She is no stranger to fundraising for Wounded Warriors. Kallenbach participated in the "Battlefield Bike Ride" in Italy four times. During the event, cyclists visit battlefields from the Second World War and veteran cemeteries. The trip involved 112 bicyclists, each helping raise funds and awareness for PTSD and Wounded Warriors.

The COVID-19 pandemic has driven home the experience of PTSD, Kallenbach said, because people can see firsthand the trauma and sacrifice front-line workers have made during the global health crisis.

"Now with COVID weve seen other issues come out," Kallenbach said. "Its about fighting for each other."

 ckemp@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp
Halfway through its 2021 campaign, the Brandon Poppy Fund has distributed more than $24,000 raised last year to local organizations.

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Halfway through its 2021 campaign, the Brandon Poppy Fund has distributed more than $24,000 raised last year to local organizations.

The Poppy Fund, with collection boxes dispersed throughout the community, started accepting donations on Oct. 29. Poppies will be available for purchase by donation until Thursday.

CHELSEA KEMP/THE BRANDON SUN Prairie Oasis executive director Amanda Fast accepts a Poppy Fund donation from Legion Poppy Committee member Laura Hyrich at the Brandon Royal Canadian Legion Branch 3 Saturday.

Most of the funds raised from the campaign go to support veterans and their families, but donations are also distributed locally.

"We have a lot of young veterans that we need to take care of," said Cindy Stumme, president of the Brandon Royal Canadian Legion Branch 3. "Supports are needed for them."

Organizations can request funding through the local Poppy Fund committee. The funds  once approved by the committee, legion general membership and province  are presented in early November during the campaign.

"It lets the community know the money theyre giving for poppies here in Brandon stays right here in Brandon to help people living here," Stumme said.

CHELSEA KEMP/THE BRANDON SUN St. John Ambulance program co-ordinator Jadee Webster accepts a Poppy Fund donation from Legion Service Office Murray Tallant at the Brandon Royal Canadian Legion Branch 3 Saturday.

Last year was challenging for the Poppy Fund due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she said. 2020 saw a dip in fundraising compared to previous years.

The decrease in funds was largely driven by the fact they were unable to have volunteers out in the community, and the legion was working to adapt the Poppy Fund accordingly. Some grocery stores agreed to conduct a point of sale for the poppies and the partnership proved fruitful.

The success of the collaboration with local grocery stores allowed the legion to expand the Poppy Fund this year.

"Hopefully, our numbers will be back up and we can provide more support out there," Stumme said. "We still cant have our volunteers sitting out there with the poppies. Many, many businesses have stepped up, so were very hopeful that its going to be a healthy poppy year and well be able to support the community and the organizations that take care of us all."

Deputy fire Chief Jason Potter said the $2,300 donation from the Poppy Fund is a welcomed contribution to Brandon Fire and Emergency Services.

"It provides equipment and it provides vital assets that help out the members of the city," Potter said.

St. John Ambulance received $1,020 from the Poppy Fund. Program co-ordinator Jadee Webster said the donation will help buy much-needed equipment, including the mannequins used to run first-aid courses. Funds also support other programs, including sales, community service and therapy dog training.

CHELSEA KEMP/THE BRANDON SUN Brandon deputy fire Chief Jason Potter accepts a Poppy Fund donation from Brandon legion president Cindy Stumme at the Brandon Royal Canadian Legion Branch 3 Saturday.

Webster added St. John Ambulance is facing an increasingly busy time as COVID-19 public health measures are lifted. Many people let their first-aid courses lapse during the pandemic and there is now an increased demand as people look to learn these skills.

"Were starting to see an influx of people coming in to get training," Webster said. "Were always looking for volunteers to become first-aid responders."

A $1,500 donation to Prairie Oasis will assist that organizations relaunch of its Meals on Wheels program, said executive director Amanda Fast. It had been on hiatus due to the pandemic.

"This is us starting to get going again and trying to find the funds to do so," Fast said. "We have been closed, so we havent been bringing [in] any form of revenue."

She added along with raising funds, the organization is also looking to recruit volunteers to help with the program.

The donation will help in purchasing new equipment, along with covering the rising costs of gas and groceries.

Meals on Wheels is predominantly geared toward seniors and people living with disabilities, she said, helping them access healthy food and giving them a break from meal prep.

"They can just focus on all the other tasks in their day," Fast said.

Stumme said the legion is hoping community members will attend the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Keystone Centre on Thursday. Proof of full vaccination will be required.

A live-stream will also be available on WCGtv.

"Its still going to be a little different, what everyone is calling a new normal," Stumme said.

"I hope everyone takes some time to stop and remember.

"Canadians need ... to be able to stop, pause and remember those who gave it all so we can enjoy all that we do today."

 ckemp@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp
FINCH 

M, 116 minutes, Apple TV +

Tom Hanks is proof that nice guys dont always finish last. His affable, upright brand of Americana has made him one of the biggest stars of his generation  the kind of actor millions will go to see without caring much what the film is. Hes more reliable than Nathan Detroit. Unhappily, Finch is an exception.

Tom Hanks and friends in Finch. Credit:

I suspect he took the role because Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg have their names on it and he goes way back with them. He should have asked them why neither wanted to direct it.

The reins are held by newish director Miguel Sapochnik, who won an Emmy for Game of Thrones. Actually, the reins are held by the money, which insisted on a PG-13 rating (in America), thus removing anything challenging. Thats what comes with an investment from Walden Media, owned by conservative Christian billionaire Philip Anschutz.
Anyone without an intimate knowledge of the royal family might come away from Spencer believing that Maggie was a key player in Dianas evolution from trapped princess to empowered divorcee, but the truth, as always, is more nuanced.

When Maggie is suddenly whisked away on other business and replaced with a brusque schoolmarm-ish alternative, Diana is thrown into an even deeper state of distress than that shes already experiencing.

At the start of the film, which will be released in Australia in January, it is Maggie (Sally Hawkins) who is her only grown-up ally in a sea of Sandringham froideur, laughing with her as they work methodically through the rail of outfits Diana must wear for the rigorous festive schedule (Christmas Eve tea, Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas Day breakfast, Christmas Day church service, and on and on).

In Spencer, it often seems that the issue vexing Diana, played by Kristen Stewart, more than her distant husband or the controlling dynamics of her royal in-laws, is the absence of her beloved dresser, Maggie.

Like all women in the royal family, Diana would certainly have had a ladys maid at her disposal at any palace where she was in residence  and she would have had those she trusted and those she didnt. Even if there was no specific Maggie, these are people with access to the inner sanctum, likely seeing the royal family in a state of undress more often than their spouses.

The relationship between royals and their dressers is incredibly intimate, says author Anna Pasternak. There is this bond of trust between them which is not just about clothes, its so much more.

Characters such as Paul Burrell, who began working for Charles and Diana at Highgrove in 1987 and was one of the very few members of staff to stay with the princess after her divorce, have come to epitomise that unique relationship between the royal family and their servants. As Pasternak observes: These are the people pressing tissue into their silk smalls. Although in Burrells case, the media profile he has built for himself with claims that Diana called him the only man she ever trusted arguably betrays the expectation of loyalty.

One woman who has been credited as both a stylist and confidante of the late Princess of Wales is Anna Harvey, a Vogue editor who was assigned to help Diana with her wardrobe soon after her engagement. It was a great mark of trust to confide in me so soon, Harvey told me in 2017 (she died in 2018). Diana and I went on to work together for 16 years.

Harveys memories echo some of the dilemmas faced by Maggie in Spencer. As Harvey described: Were going to Balmoral and we have to dress for tea, Diana would say, and then wed have to guess about the style of dress she should wear and find lots of options.
Old History teachers like me are triggered by federal Education Minister Alan Tudges ruminations about the National Curriculum. He fears the recommended approach to teaching young people about war may lead to them being unwilling to take up arms for Australia. He suggests Anzac Day should not be a contested idea. Yet Australians questioning war is nothing new, from Archbishop Daniel Mannix to the Cold Chisel hit Khe Sanh. I should know: in 1972, I burnt my draft card. The Anzac legend: can it be taught as a contested idea? Credit:The Age Though I respectfully considered David Hasties defence of balance in history in the Herald and The Age on Monday  We have some yawning gaps in the history we teach  my early education by Irish Catholic nuns nursed me in nuance. Hastie nobly suggests that balance in history teaches our children what is best, good, honorable and beautiful and should be served in equal measures with what he terms emancipation (a concept with its own convict heritage). For those less blessed by colonialism, cultural heritage and dispossession can be one and the same. Loading The chimeric notion of balance is a distraction in a debate that demands a franker assessment of the performance of our federal Minister for Education and his colleagues. In that context, it seems timely to provide some feedback and assessment of how our political class in general has performed in education this year. I have a sneaking suspicion that many of our elected representatives once enjoyed report cards. I can almost picture them as youngsters, eagerly brandishing their academic results and lavish praise from favourite teachers at unwitting passers-by.

Our expectations of our political representatives are modest at best. A basic understanding of the school system (simply having attended school at some point years ago will do), a passing regard for intellectual values and a willingness to learn will suffice. Unfortunately, on the latter two requirements, some of our leaders have not applied themselves in 2021. Like every teacher, I have great hope we can improve on this in future. Does it really matter if the engagement of our political leaders in the public debate about education is stultifying? Some of their mob simply seem to be spoiling for a fight about everything from phonics to jingoism. Call me woke  and the cancel-culture conservatives will  but I dont think its unreasonable to hope that people making policy decisions about schooling respect critical thinking, questioning and the contest of ideas. Loading As educators, we believe everyone has the capacity to learn. Our political leaders would do well to listen more, particularly to teachers and others who have genuine expertise in the field of education. For the avoidance of doubt, I am not referring to carbon-copy cant from a cabal of conservative columnists, representatives of right-wing think-tanks or others who lend a veneer of respectability to anti-intellectualism. This year, COVID-19 highlighted strengths and flaws in our federalism. Some days, our federal government risked irrelevancy as the states sorted it out. In a similar vein, my colleagues in schools and education leadership are very excited about the opportunities afforded through the ongoing work towards a new NSW curriculum. This work, and what it means for students and school staff, matters. As when we responded to the pandemic, lets look and listen to the experts.
It is unfair for Alexander Downer to describe Malcolm Turnbulls and Kevin Rudds comments on government actions as coming from a place of bitterness (Rudd, Turnbull told to end bitter attacks, November 8). In a liberal democracy, they have every right to voice their criticism of the government. The public can either choose to accept or reject their comments. Downers characterisation of these comments as being sour grapes only serves to invalidate important criticisms emanating from experience which adds to and enriches the political debate. - Leo Sorbello, West Ryde Is Downer proffering this advice because their behaviour is mean-spirited, or because they are perfectly placed to tell the truth, and its hurting? Downer was very keen to share his opinions after he retired from politics. I suggest, unlike the former PMs he criticises, his opinions do not coincide with the outrage felt by many over the behaviour of our current PM. - Geoff Nilon, Mascot Downer conveniently overlooked Tony Abbotts behaviour after he was ousted as prime minister. Abbott continually undermined his successor. - Peng Ee, Castle Cove As Labor languishes in mediocrity and irrelevance  making itself a small target for the coming election  Turnbull is at least exposing the smoke and mirrors act that Scott Morrison calls leadership. - Chris Hughes, Clovelly Distressingly, Sean Kelly accurately spells out that Scott Morrison being called a liar will probably not shift a swag of votes in favour of the ALP (ALPs test: reason in shouty times, November 8). Further, he confirms Morrisons current popularity ascendancy over Anthony Albanese because voters are not experiencing harm that they can link to Morrison. ALP supporters have been waiting for Albanese to clearly distinguish himself from Morrison and for him to articulate attractive and adventurous policies. Regrettably, such an approach is not in Albaneses DNA and for many voters, he is not the serious option to which Kelly refers. - Ross Butler, Rodd Point

I disagree with your correspondent about the current Labor leadership (Letters, November 8). What people want from politicians is honesty, integrity and a vision for the future of this country, and a steady hand to guide us there. If you are not inclined to underestimate the shallowness of the electorate, Albanese is the man to do it. I, for one, am sick of the show ponies. - Lyndall Nelson, South Turramurra If Labor proposes any sort of climate policy with teeth, it will get battered by the Coalitions in-house media organisation, News Corp, and bludgeoned by Clive Palmer and his coal millions. As Tony Abbott can attest, if you put the frighteners on hard enough, half the electorate will believe you. - Sonia Lee, Dudley No teaching of history without context David Hastie accuses Frank Bongiorno of presenting a limited understanding of the lessons of history, but Mr Hastie displays a similar limitation (Some yawning gaps in balancing history, November 8). Cultural heritage encompasses not just the best and the good but also what we learn about culture, history and ourselves. We revere Anne Frank because of her humanity and her goodness, but we shouldnt lose sight of the context in which a debased Nazi regime murdered millions of innocents, including Anne Frank. Cultural heritage also needs contextual balance. What happened on April 25, 1915 and since needs to be understood in its contexts, not just celebrated as the best and the good. - David Eccleston, Molong Hastie is correct, up to a point. Balance is required in learning and teaching history, as in any academic/intellectual pursuit, but his balance between cultural heritage and emancipation is artificial. Australias colonial history, or the Anzac legend, should be analysed in their entirety, not somehow split into good and bad bits with carefully measured equal emphasis on each. We dont teach about gravity by carefully giving equal time to the fact that it generally keeps us attached to the earths surface, and its ability to cause nasty accidents. - Al Svirskis, Mount Druitt

Athens always (quite properly) gets a guernsey when talking about the origins of democracy. But equal credit should go to the folkmoots, witenagemots and althings of the Scandinavians and Anglo-Saxons which, in our institutional history, evolved into the parliaments and assemblies that govern Australia. The classical example of Athens was used as justification for the expansion of the powers of Parliament, rather than as a model, by 17th century writers who were in awe of Greco-Roman civilisation. It is arguable that we, and the United States, should have developed our democratic systems without the example of Athens, but a classical exemplar was a helpful extra impetus. - Lance Rainey, Rushforth Another day, another rort The revelation that federal Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar was aware that taxpayer monies were used to fund the employment of Liberal Party operatives in various ministers offices calls into question the failure by the government not to establish an authentic federal version of ICAC (Minister knew misused public funds boosted his faction, November 8). How many more instances of malpractice are we not aware of? Not a day goes by without questions being raised about the probity of the current federal government. - Stewart Copper, Maroubra The stinkiest aspect of the Sukkar business is Treasurer Josh Frydenbergs conclusion that the farcical departmental inquiry  outsourced to Sukkars old legal firm buddies  was appropriate (Minister bid to ensure rort report kept secret, November 8). - Mark Paskal, Clovelly Sukkars alleged misuse of public funds for political branch-stacking purposes is a disgrace. Im amazed he didnt use the traditional Liberal Party path of having anonymous donors set up a blind trust to pay for it. - John Bailey, Canterbury

The real question to arise from the allegations surrounding Sukkar is why are we not surprised? Just another rorting scandal being swept under the carpet. - Jo White, Bulli Need Bonus Now I find it quite offensive that NBN, after providing $77 million in bonuses to its executives, is now asking the federal government for additional funds (NBN seeks further $1b for better reach, November 8). While I endorse the objective of extending NBN coverage, I feel that we, the taxpayers, should not be indirectly contributing to the grossly extravagant bonuses that could well have been directed towards improving services. - Roger Epps, Armidale Low-hanging fruit With the eyes of the world upon Australia, you would think the government would do everything in its power to pick off low-hanging fruit to help reduce emissions, such as mandating that all new buildings are built to net zero standards. Our homes produce up to 20 per cent of our emissions, and the National Construction Code, which mandates minimum standards for new housing, is being debated right now at state level. We have the technology and the expertise and this should be a no-brainer. But heres the problem: the Australian Building Codes Board, which is the national part of the equation, comes under Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor. Will they put pressure on states and territories to stop them from mandating net zero housing, as this would mean renewables and no gas? - Eva Meland, Clareville

Mathias Cormann was part of the government that abolished a carbon pricing scheme, failed to take action to cut emissions and stymied international forums on the climate emergency. He described the Gillard governments proposed carbon tax as a very expensive hoax. In 2014, he supported the repeal of the tax. Now as OECD Secretary-General on a reported salary of $376,900, he urges countries to adopt an effective and fair approach to implementing a price on carbon emissions. Lets make ambitious and effective global action on climate change our No.1 priority, he told the G20. Carbon prices and equivalent measures need to become significantly more stringent, and globally better co-ordinated, to properly reflect the cost of emissions to the planet and put us on the path to genuinely meet the Paris Agreement climate goals. He obviously learnt a lot in the Coalition. I can smell the integrity. What a leaner. - Graham Cochrane, Balmain Windward wishes Thanks, Kaz Cooke (Gobsmacking palaver to boss women, November 8). In the 1980s, I was told women should not get jobs on boats because they cant pee over the side. I hoped the man who said this to me would be facing into the wind next time he was caught short on a boat. - Eve Moyse, Dora Creek A new sink tank Can I add three essentials (Letters, November 8) to perfect Kate Moons cartoon submarine for the modern-day Coalition submersible: an invisibility screen (nothing to see here), pin-point range-finders to target journalists asking too many questions (and maybe cartoonists too), and a silent-running capability  because we dont comment on operational matters. Please send the bill to the Australian taxpayer. - Patrick McGrath, Potts Point

How Swede it is I didnt know they had allen keys back then (Ikea-like beds unearthed in Pompeii slave quarters, November 8). - Michael Deeth, Como West Mutinous talk Does the spirit of Governor Bligh still abode at Government House? (Governor allegedly left staff in tears, November 9)? - Pasquale Vartuli, Wahroonga Words to adore
More than 20 lagging Queensland council areas are unlikely to hit a 70 per cent COVID vaccination rate before the first border reopening trigger, now less than two weeks away.

Federal vaccine rollout data released on Monday showed 80 per cent of residents in all states and territories, except Queensland, had passed the first-dose milestone.

People queue to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at Bunnings in Brisbane last month. Credit:Dan Peled/Getty Images

Queensland is expected to reach that figure in days. Meanwhile, averaged nationally and driven by high rates in outbreak states, 80.64 per cent of Australias population has been fully vaccinated.

Speaking to reporters in Brisbane on Monday, acting Chief Health Officer Peter Aitken said he had hoped to be standing there with better news about the states progress, with 79.63 per cent having received at least one dose and 67.38 per cent fully vaccinated.
E-scooter company Neuron is trialling a host of new safety features in locations around the world including Brisbane.

The move comes as the Queensland Ambulance Service raises concerns about e-scooters more generally, following recent incidents of people being hurt.

Neuron is starting a trial of extra safety technology on its scooters in Brisbane. Credit:Toby Crockford

A man suffered head injuries on the night of November 2, when he fell off a scooter in Brisbanes West End, and that same night a woman suffered minor abrasions after being hit by a person riding a scooter.

QAS clinical director Lachlan Parker said the two incidents on the same night prompted him to issue a warning for people to take e-scooters seriously.
Queenslanders can say goodbye to masks once the state reaches 80 per cent of people with first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced on Tuesday.

That means no masks indoors including [at] schools, cafes, pubs, clubs, hairdressers and workplaces, she wrote on Facebook.

Masks will only be needed at airports and on planes, in line with federal rules.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced that the state can leave masks behind once the state reaches 80 per cent. Credit:Getty Images

Queenslanders have done an incredible job all through the pandemic  the more of us vaccinated, the faster we can return to life the way it used to be.
Singapore: A Malaysian man facing the death penalty in Singapore this week has won a momentary stay of execution but it may last only 24 hours after a court scheduled his final appeal for Tuesday, the day before he is due to be hanged.

The pending execution of 33-year-old Nagaenthran Dharmalingam for smuggling 42.72g of heroin has garnered international attention in recent days amid pleas for his sentence to be downgraded due to a limited intellectual capacity and mental illness.

Nagaenthran Dharmalingam pictured with his nephew.

Malaysias Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, appealed to his Singaporean counterpart, Lee Hsien Loong, for leniency and the European Union delegation in the city state has joined rights groups in denouncing the sentence.

Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson also released a statement on Monday night calling on Singapores President Halimah Yacob to use her pardon powers [to] spare Nagaenthrans life.
Moscow: A man who participated in the Capitol riot on January 6 and is wanted by the FBI is now seeking asylum in Belarus, the countrys state media reported, presenting him as a simple American whose shops were burned by Black Lives Matter activists.

Evan Neumann, who appears to have sat down for an interview with Belarusian state television in a segment entitled Goodbye, America, on Tuesday AEDT is wanted in the United States on charges of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, as well as for assaulting, resisting and obstructing law enforcement during civil disorder.

Evan Neumann on Belarusian TV. Credit:Internet

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry could not be reached for comment.

Both Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and his close ally Russian President Vladimir Putin have frequently referenced the Capitol riot, calling the prosecution of those involved an example of double standards by the United States because it frequently criticises crackdowns on anti-government protests abroad.
Latest News Offenders are using payment text fields to harass victims  AUSTRAC These treats usually come with multiple low-value transaction amounts

Effi launches solution that can get brokers paid their commission on the day of settlement New product can reduce the time it takes for commissions to get paid from 45-60 days to just one

Turnaround times are a constant issue in the mortgage broker sector, with lenders constantly competing to increase their approval speed.

To the customer, however, the lender is just one part of the process of buying and refinancing. Brokers are responsible for their customers happiness from end-to-end, beyond just when their home loan is accepted: which is where the turnaround times of other process providers comes in.

Galilee Solicitors were named as the best panel law firm at the recent PEXA Awards, and can make the striking claim of reducing the time it takes to purchase a home by as much as a week and a half, through optimising the legal aspect of the property buying process.

We are the last bit of the mortgage transaction, said Simon Duke, managing partner at Galilee. A customer would approach the broker, who applies for the loan, which gets approved and then the lender instructs us Galilee as its panel solicitor to do the last bit.

READ MORE: CBA raised fixed rate by a massive 50 basis points

We are then responsible to document that loan, check that its all in order, check that the doc pack has been correctly executed, and that the mortgage is registerable. The lender then funds Galilee with the loan proceeds and were responsible for funding that if its a purchase and, if its a refinance, to pay out the outgoing mortgage.

Were the fulfilment space, the last piece. That experience that were responsible for delivering is a key part of the mortgage transaction and reflects directly back on how the customer perceives the experience with the broker and the lender.

For brokers, the signing process is often an afterthought, but it can make all the difference for a customer.

We see ourselves as a critical part of the value chain and a critical component for the experience that the end customer has, said Duke.

The effect of legal firms like Galilee on the lives of mortgage brokers, especially in terms of approval times, is potentially huge.

Introducing a key part of the loan turnaround time puzzle

Our e-signing platform enables us to deploy to document pack to the customer via a web portal, explains Duke. And to have them digitally sign via that portal.

That cuts out around 8-10 days versus the traditional model, which was for us to post the documents to the customer or where the lender approved it, to email them.

Having them returned instantaneously takes that time out of the last stage of the transaction, the fulfilment, so its a huge time-saver.

The benefits arent just time: its a customer experience benefit and also an accuracy benefit. We see the error rate in a paper transaction as more than 50% of loan packs being returned incomplete or incorrect.

Whereas with our digital signing platform, that percentage drops to 1 or 2%. The time saving of not having to rework the transaction is another benefit of the platform.

As the tech matures, it brings everyone in the value chain up. We invest less time in repetitive tasks that dont add value for the customer, and this part, the e-signing, is part of that.

Its necessary, but it doesnt add a huge amount of value and frees up everyone to invest more time in the things that customers really value, like getting a deeper insight into their financial goals and tailoring products that can help them achieve those goals.

Thats the value proposition from a digital signing platform for mortgages.
expects to log in a high double-digit sales growth this year as compared with 2020 and remains hopeful of repeating the performance next year as well riding on the back of strong demand for personal mobility, a senior company official said on Monday.

The company, which on Monday introduced a new brand campaign that encapsulates its commitment and aspirations in the country, is counting various positive factors like rapid pace of COVID-19 vaccination and improvement in the economy to achieve its business goals.

It, however, remains wary of resurgence of COVID cases in Europe and high fuel costs, which it believes can offset its business outcomes going ahead.

When you compare with last year obviously the numbers look much more positive. A high double-digit growth is around the corner. The shift towards personal mobility has really helped, Ltd (HMIL) Director (Sales, Marketing, Service) Tarun Garg told PTI in an interaction.

The demand is very strong and the company is sitting on a customer booking backlog of close to 95,000 units as most of the models are witnessing traction, he added.

Whether it is pace of vaccination or the general upliftment of the economy, all of this has helped to enhance the demand for our models, Garg noted.

He hoped that the situation would remain positive in the future as well.

We feel that going ahead demand should be consistent and good. Of course, the issue of chip shortage remains. Our procurement teams are making big efforts and hopefully we should be able to tide over the situation soon and then we would be able to supply as per the customer demand, Garg stated.

The challenging aspects remain the high fuel costs, and resurgence of COVID-19 in Europe, he added.

We hope that it does not (new COVID strains) come to India. If we are able to sustain this low COVID rate for the next month or so, hopefully things would look much brighter. We are looking to end the current year with a high double-digit growth over last year, Garg noted.

Hyundai sold 5,50,002 units in 2018; 5,10,260 units in 2019 and 4,23,642 units last year in the domestic market..

When asked about sales expectations in 2022, he said: As of now positives are probably outnumbering the negatives and that is why we are witnessing such a robust demand. A lot of demand next year would hinge upon the COVID situation. In case the COVID situation is fine, we have every reason to believe demand is going to be very strong.

The automaker, which sells models like Creta and Venue, follows a January-December financial year.

Drawing inspiration from Hyundai's global vision of Progress for Humanity', the company has launched a Beyond Mobility' campaign in the country.

The company has embarked on a journey to further strengthen its brand image as technologically advanced, sustainable and innovative. As a customer centric organisation, we aim to elevate customer interactions with our brand, not just in the realms of mobility but create experiences that are beyond what is conventional, MD & CEO SS Kim noted.

The automaker is redefining its services and experiences that create memories and surpass expectations of customer thereby delivering quality time, 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.)
Private equity firm on Monday announced that Amit Jain has joined the company as a managing director based in Mumbai and co-head of Carlyles India investment advisory team. Jains previous stint was with rival Blackstone, where he worked for 10 years and was most recently a senior managing director in its Mumbai office.

At Blackstone, Jain sat on a number of boards including Essel Propack where had acquired a majority stake for $470 million in 2019, Aakash Educational Services which was acquired by edtech giant Byjus in an estimated billion-dollar deal, Sona Comstar which went public in June, Fino Payments Bank and CMS Infosystems.

said Jains appointment underscores its commitment to India, which it views as one of the most attractive investment destinations globally. Since becoming one of the first international private equity firms to enter the region in 2005, has invested and committed over $5.5 billion dollars in the country across 44 investments to date.

During his tenure there at Blackstone, Jain was involved in investments in the consumer, healthcare, auto, telecom and packaging sectors as well as parts of financial services. At Carlyle, he will lead the investment advisory team and oversee the teams investment strategy across sectors. He will work with Neeraj Bharadwaj, who will continue as co-head of Carlyles India investment advisory team.

In a rejig, Bharadwaj and Ling Yang, the current head of Carlyles healthcare vertical in China, have been appointed co-heads of healthcare across Asia. Healthcare is one of Carlyles core sectors globally and remains an area of significant focus for Carlyle in Asia, where the firm has invested $2.8 billion over 15 years.

Amit Jain said, I am delighted to be joining Carlyle, which has a stellar reputation for helping Indian businesses grow and thrive both at home and overseas. Carlyle has exciting ambitions for further investment in India as well as globally, and I look forward to contributing to the firms continued development.

Prior to Blackstone, he worked at McKinsey & Company and started his career with Hindustan Unilever. He holds an MBA from the Indian School of Business and a B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur.
Beverages major India's net profit declined 28.4 per cent year-on-year to Rs 443.38 crore and its revenue from operations was down 16.2 per cent to Rs 2,297.51 crore in the pandemic-hit FY21, according to regulatory documents.

The cola major had logged a net profit of Rs 619.14 crore in FY20, while its revenue from operations in that year had stood at Rs 2,741.54 crore.

When contacted, a India spokesperson told PTI, this was mainly on account of the COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdowns and restrictions.

India's total income also declined 16.2 per cent to Rs 2,355.10 crore in the fiscal ended March 2021 as against Rs 2,811.99 crore in the preceding financial year, according to the Registrar of filing, shared by market intelligence firm Tofler.

In FY21, Coca-Cola India's other income also declined 18.2 per cent to Rs 57.59 crore as against Rs 70.44 crore a year ago.

During the financial year 2020-21, the company's total expenses were reduced by 11.2 per cent to Rs 1,740.92 crore as against Rs 1,961.28 crore in the previous year.

There has been a disruption in demand, especially from the out-of-home channels after the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, leading to people working from home and spending most of their time indoors.

Decline in revenue is on account of the COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdowns and restrictions, especially in the first two quarters of 2020 which was unprecedented and challenging for the industry at large. We continued to invest in our brands, people, community and capabilities to emerge stronger, said Coca-Cola India spokesperson.

India is an important growth region for the Coca-Cola system globally and continues to be amongst the key markets and is of prime significance to the Coca-Cola Company, he added.

In the current year, it is emerging stronger in away-from-home channels with improved mobility and focus on affordability. Brands like Coca-Cola and Thums Up are also growing at the back of effective market activations, the spokesperson said.

The company, which operates with power brands in Indian markets including - Coca Cola, Thums Up, Limca, Sprite, Maaza and Minute Maid - said it is committed to growth and emerging stronger.

We believe in the organisation's growth potential and will continue to focus on building capacity and capability, he said.

India is one of the leading markets for the Atlanta, US-headquartered The Coca-Cola Company.

It falls under Asia Pacific Market Zone, where the global beverage major had reported a 3 per cent unit case volume growth in its latest quarter announced for the period ending September 2021.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's has asked the country's top court to stall a Singapore arbitration panel's decision to freeze a $3.4 billion asset sale after e-commerce giant had sought to block the deal.

The dispute started when Future Retail, India's second-largest retailer with more than 1,700 stores agreed last year to sell retail and other operations to India's biggest retail group

has argued that its own deal with one of Future Group's businesses contained clauses prohibiting the Indian entity from selling retail assets to anyone on a "restricted persons" list that included Reliance.

Future Retail, which runs popular Big Bazaar outlets in India, denies having violated any contractual agreements with

The long-running dispute has placed two of the world's richest men - Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Reliance majority owner Mukesh Ambani - at odds and could help to determine whether Amazon can blunt Reliance's dominance of India's huge retail market.

On Monday urged the to put the Singapore arbitration panel's decision on hold, citing stress on its business unless the the sale goes through, according to a filing seen by Reuters and which is likely to be heard in the coming days.

As in previous court filings, Future said its bank loans and thousands of jobs remain at risk and a failure to conclude the Reliance deal could push it into liquidation.

The Singapore panel put the Future-Reliance deal on hold last year and in October declined Future Retail's request to revoke that decision. Subsequently, a Delhi court also declined to give Future any immediate relief under Indian law to put the panel's decision on hold.

Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

The US company has repeatedly argued that must not proceed with the Reliance deal in light of the arbitration panel's decisions.

(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.)
firms on the direction of the have deferred meetings of their respective shareholders and creditors, called on November 10 and 11, for seeking approval for the proposed merger into Future Enterprises as part of the Rs 24,713 crore deal with Reliance Retail, according to regulatory filings.

The Mumbai Bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Monday directed firms that no meeting to be held until final order is pronounced on the applications, said regulatory filings by the firms, including Future Retail, Future Enterprises, Future Lifestyle Fashions and Future Supply Chain Solutions.

Pursuant to the representation received from its secured Creditor, Future group firms along with the other transferor forming part of the Rs 24,713 crore deal had filed an application before the praying to reschedule the dates for convening the meetings.

The application was heard by on Monday, it added.

Meanwhile, e-Commerce major Amazon, which is contesting the deal, had also filed an application praying for dismissing the application for conducting the meetings, it added.

On hearing the parties at length, the NCLT has reserved the said application as well as the application filed by Amazon for orders. However, the NCLT has directed that no meeting to be held until final order is pronounced on the applications, the Future group firms said.

Accordingly, the meetings "are deferred under the directions of the NCLT and would not be conducted as per their earlier respective schedules, they informed.

Earlier on October 11, several listed transferor firms including Future Retail, Future Consumer, Future Enterprises, Future Lifestyle Fashions, Future Markets Networks and Future Supply Chain Solutions - had informed their shareholders and creditors about the proposed meetings on November 10 and 11.

The scheme of arrangement between Future and Reliance Retail, announced in August last year entails consolidation of Future Group's 19 operating in retail, wholesale, logistics and warehousing assets into one entity -- Future Enterprises Ltd.

Future Enterprises Ltd is the transferee company to Reliance Retail.

The meetings was called as per the order passed by the NCLT on September 28, that had asked Future group to take approval from its shareholders and creditors over the scheme of arrangement.

In August last year, Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd, a subsidiary of Ltd had said it will acquire the retail and wholesale business, and the logistics and warehousing business of Future Group for Rs 24,713 crore.

Amazon is contesting the deal through its shares in FCPL and had approached Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC).

On October 2020, an interim award was passed by the EA (emergency arbitrator) in favour of Amazon that barred FRL from taking any step to dispose of or encumber its assets or issuing any securities to secure any funding from a restricted party.

This was also upheld by SIAC last month and said FRL is a party to the ongoing arbitration between Amazon and Future group in the dispute over sale of its assets to Reliance Retail.

Moreover, in a separate filing Future Retail Ltd also informed that it has filed a Special Leave Petition before the Supreme Court against an interim order passed by the High Court of Delhi in an arbitration appeal filed by the company.

On Sunday, the independent directors of Future Retail approached the Competition Commission of India (CCI) urging it to revoke the approval it had given to the Amazon Future Coupons Pvt Ltd (FCPL) deal in 2019, alleging the e-commerce major of making false statements before it.

In November 2019, CCI had given its approval for Amazon to acquire a 49 per cent stake in FCL. FCL is a shareholder in Future Retail Ltd.

(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 on Monday moved to appeal against a Delhi High Court, which had endorsed a arbitration panels decision to freeze the ~24,700 crore transaction with Reliance Retail.

American retail giant Amazon, which owns 9.9 per cent stake in Future Courpons Pvt Ltd a promoter entity of Future Retail, had sought to block the Reliance Retail and Future deal saying the deal violates Amazon and Future's no compete deal.

In a statement to the stock exchanges, Future Retail said apart from the company, its promoters have also oved the top court against the Delhi High Court order.

Meanwhile, in Mumbai, another legal battle was playing out between the two partners with the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) staying the extraordinary general meetings of shareholders which was to vote on the fate of the with Reliance Retail transaction announced in August last year. The shareholders of Future groups listed entities were scheduled to vote on November 10.

The stayed the meetings till the next hearing following an application from Future group, which said its paper work is not ready for the EGMs.





The Future group wants to hold the meetings in the last week of November. During the hearing today, American retail giant, Amazon also objected to the EGMs saying vaiours courts including the Supreme Court, International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) and the Bombay High Court  had refused to grant interim reliefs in the matter.

On Sunday, the independent directors of Future Retail wrote to the Competition Commission of India (CCI) warning that Future Retail is on the brink of bankruptcy putting to risk over ~30,000 crore of loans extended by public sector banks to FRL and other group companies, employment of 50,000 employees of Future group; and repayment of ~10,000 crore to over 6,000 SMEs, who would otherwise become insolvent.

The EGMs are being held following a directive from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to hold the meetings of the shareholders to take a call on the transaction with Reliance Retail.

The US retail giant Amazon, which is opposing the RRL and Future group deal, has already moved the Supreme Court, appealing against the order that had allowed the Future Groups listed to hold shareholders and creditors meetings.

In its application, Amazon has urged the top court to pass an order to set aside the September 28 order of the NCLT, Mumbai Bench, pending disposal of the case by the top court.

Amazon owns 49 per cent stakes in Future Coupons Pvt Ltd, one of the promoter entities of Future Retail. FCPL, in turn, owns 9.9 per cent stake in Future Retail.

As both Amazon and Biyani promoter entities had signed a non-compete agreement, Amazon is opposing the deal with Reliance Retail and moved the arbitration court in The matter is pending in the and the arbitration court.

According to the data submitted to the stock exchanges, the promoter, the Kishore Biyani familys stake, has declined in all the while the public and institutions own majority of the stake. In flagship Future Retail, the Biyani family currently owns 19.9 per cent stake while the rest is owned by institutions and the public (see chart).

With the promoters stake now falling due to invocation of pledged shares by the banks, the voting by the public and institutional shareholders will be the key.
H2O.ai, the AI cloud company, today announced it has closed $100 million in Series E fund led by Australias largest bank, of Australia (CBA). H2O.ai has now raised over $250 million and is valued at $1.7 billion.

Pivot Investment Partners joins prior investors Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Crane Venture Partners. Existing investors include customers and partners such as Wells Fargo, New York Life and NVIDIA.

20,000 organisations, millions of data scientists, and half of the Fortune 500 trust H2O.ai as their AI provider. The company has a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 78 the highest in the industry. The capital will be used to scale partnerships, sales, marketing, and customer success globally.

Founded by Sri Satish Ambati, H2O.ai is headquartered in the San Francisco and has development center in India. The company will use the fund raised to also expand its India data and science team. Nexus Venture Partner holds a significant stake in the company.

Sri Ambati, founder and CEO of H2O.ai said,  and H2O.ai are led by our core belief that we can make the world better by serving our communities and customers with AI. This strategic partnership between the leading global AI Cloud movement and Australias largest bank will unleash the juggernaut of co-innovation and will further democratize AI with trust and freedom. This will be fun.

Matt Comyn, of Australia CEO, said: Commonwealth Bank processes and makes decisions based on millions of data points collected every day. AI already has helped us to improve our customer experience, however, we know there is untapped potential to do more. The investment in and strategic partnership with H2O.ai extends our leadership in artificial intelligence and ultimately boosts the banks ability to offer leading digital propositions and reimagine products and services to customers.

Andrew McMullan, PhD, Chief Data and Analytics Officer of CBA, joins the H2O.ai Board of Directors. H2O.ai and CBA have also entered a strategic partnership to further boost CBAs AI capabilities, co-create financial services AI applications powered by the H2O AI Cloud and together work on initiatives to improve communities and the planet.

The rapid adoption of the H2O AI Cloud has accelerated the companys growth. Launched in January 2021, the H2O AI Cloud brings all of H2O.ais products together on a single, unified platform. Designed to support H2O.ais core mission of democratizing AI, the H2O AI Cloud simplifies making responsible AI that users can trust, operating it efficiently and innovating with pre-built AI applications.

CBA is also participating in H2O.ais AI 4 Good initiatives, and recently announced the launch of the H2O.ai Wildfire and Bushfire Challenge, a global hackathon challenge to help reduce the economic and climate impact of wildfires and bushfires.
Mukesh Ambani-led has exited all its business in the upstream shale play that was based out of the United States.

A company statement said that Reliance Eagleford Upstream Holding (REULP), a wholly-owned step-down subsidiary of Reliance Industries, announced the signing of agreements with Ensign Operating III, a Delaware limited liability company, to divest its interest in certain upstream assets in the Eagleford shale play of Texas, USA.

"With this transaction, Reliance has divested all its shale gas assets and has exited from the shale gas business in North America," RIL said.

Reliance said that a Purchase and Sale Agreement has been signed between REUHLP and Ensign on November 5, 2021 for this sale. The sale is at a consideration higher than current carrying value of the assets.

RIL officials refused to disclose the price at which this transaction took place. The company is now left with nil interest in US-shale assets. A part of the Eagleford asset was sold in March 2018 to Sundance Energy for about $100 million.

Earlier this year, RIL had divested all of its interest in certain upstream assets in the Marcellus shale play of southwestern Pennsylvania. Those assets were sold to Northern Oil and Gas, (NOG), a Delaware corporation. The deal was for a consideration of $250 million cash and warrants that give entitlement to purchase 3.25 million common shares of NOG at an exercise price of $14.00 per common share in next seven years. A Purchase and Sale Agreement was signed between Reliance Marcellus and NOG on February 3, 2021 for this sale.

According to a company presentation, RIL's share of output from US shale business stood at 11.1 billion cubic feet (bcf) in the second quarter of financial year 2021-22. This was from 10.2 bcf output in financial year 2020-21. RIL's realisation from the US shale business stood at $ 6.20 per million cubic feet (mcf) in the quarter ending September 2021, up from $ 5.39 per mcf in the same months of the previous financial year.

In April 2020, Business Standard had reported that the falling demand for crude oil in the US will adversely impact investments made by Indian in the shale business there. For RIL, its investment in US shale has been providing it negative returns on equity. When crude oil prices drop, production of alternative fuels like shale becomes unviable.

RILs upstream joint ventures in US shale included a 45 per cent working interest (WI) partnership with Ensign Natural Resources in the Eagleford shale play, and a 40 per cent WI partnership with Chevron. In October 2017, RIL had sold the first of its shale assets for $126 million, a third of the price it paid seven years earlier, amid a downturn in global oil prices.
Rating agency Moodys on Monday said six India-based have exited the list of potential fallen angels following the change in India's outlook to stable in early October and the easing of Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic restrictions. Potential fallen angels are firms most at risk of losing their investment-grade ratings.

The six Indian entities which exited the list are Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), Oil India Ltd (OIL), Indian Oil Corp Ltd (IOCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL), Petronet LNG and UltraTech Cement. Three are government-related issuers (GRIs) namely ONGC, OIL and IOCL. All of them carry a Baa3 stable rating.

The easing of the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions and strengthening economic recovery support a decline in potential fallen angels among rated Asian (ex Japan and Australia) companies, the rating agency said in a statement. Moodys had upgraded outlook on Indias sovereign rating from negative to stable.

Moodys said it stabilised Ltd's (HPCL, Baa3 stable) outlook because its ratings incorporate expectation of support from the government (Baa3 stable) through ONGC. Petronet LNG Limited's (PLL, Baa3 stable) rating was also stabilized following the rating actions on key counterparties, including IOCL and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL, Baa3 negative).

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL, Baa3 negative), which is a candidate for privatisation, remains on the potential fallen angel list. The outlook on BPCL's ratings remains negative, reflecting uncertainty around its ownership, capital structure, liquidity and management control given the ongoing process by the government to sell its stake in the company.

Cement producer UltraTech Cement Limited is the sixth India-based company that left the potential fallen angels list. The company's ratings are capped at India's sovereign rating. As a result, its issuer rating was affirmed at Baa3 and changed the outlook to stable from negative, in line with the sovereign rating outlook.

As of October 31, the number of Asian most at risk of losing their investment-grade ratings  potential fallen angels  fell to the long-term average of 12 since 2018, from 19 as of September 30.

Annalisa Di Chiara, vice president, Moodys, said Potential fallen angels account for around five per cent of Asian investment-grade companies, down from a high of 9.7 per cent (20 companies) during the height of the pandemic in 2020.

"The 12 potential fallen angels have around $28 billion of bonds outstanding, with around $3.2 billion due by the end of 2022," she added.

The total number of fallen angels since January 2020 is five, similar to that during the commodity crisis. And most fallen angels have remained in the high-yield space, largely in the Ba1/Ba2 category. A few have been downgraded even further. Of the 30 fallen angels in Asia since 2008, only two climbed back to investment grade, the rating agency said.

Refinancing would likely be more-costly for potential fallen angels if their ratings were downgraded to high yield. Moreover, fallen angels could crowd out lower-rated companies, which would raise debt-service costs and refinancing risk for weaker and highly leveraged companies.
In a bid to reassert its influence in Afghanistan, protect precious physical and policy assets, and build on its popularity among the people of the embattled country, India will host a meeting of the advisors (NSAs) of regional neighbours of  that has refused to attend and is not expected to, citing scheduling issues.

The high point of the November 10 meeting  that was to be held earlier but was called off because of the Covid-19 outbreak  is that NSAs of all central Asian countries (not just those that have a physical border with Afghanistan), Russia, and Iran will be present, isolating those actors who consider themselves powerful in the region but have opted to be absent from the consultation. Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan have confirmed they will attend. All these countries have important stakes in

Afghanistans place in the region is dictated a lot by geography, said veteran watcher and Indian businessman in Kabul, Sumir Bhasin, adding, History tells us that regimes can succeed there only if the neighbourhood wills they should.

In that context, it is a coup of sorts for India to get the NSAs of almost all the important neighbours of Afghanistan, not just contiguous ones: even though some of them have cold-shouldered New Delhi in the recent past.

India was not invited by Iran for a similar consultation earlier this year on the grounds that it was not a contiguous neighbour.

The problems before New Delhi are many: while New Delhi has held off recognising the Taliban regime in Kabul, after the exit of the US, it has engaged with the group on the back channel and had its first formal meeting with an organisation it considers unlawful in August, citing the fate of Indians in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan as the proximate reason. However, Indian Ambassador in Kabul, Deepak Mittal raised Indias concern that Afghanistans soil should not be used for anti-Indian activities and terrorism in any manner, said the Ministry of External Affairs.

On October 30, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi flagged the same concern. After a meeting with Italian PM Mario Draghi on the sidelines of the Group of Twenty meeting in Rome, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said while briefing that the PM said any form of intimidation or threat that would emerge out of Afghanistan is something that the international community would have to watch out very carefully for.

With Taliban fighters becoming legit, and newer radical groups rising to take their place in battle, the spill-over of armed radicalism to India cannot be ruled out, said a retired Army officer, explaining Indias central concern.

The NSA meet will focus on United Nations Council (UNSC) Resolution 2593, which emphasises no spill-over of radicalisation and terror from Afghanistan and was passed under Indias presidency of UNSC.

India has invested more than $3 billion in development work in Afghanistan and has built close ties with the US-backed Kabul government. It has stakes in Chabahar Port and the International North-South Transport Corridor. Obviously, New Delhi will find it hard to shift gears overnight. But it is seeking out friends to help it write itself a role in a script that is a complex one.

Indian NSA Ajit Doval will preside over the meeting that will be day-long, followed by dinner that he will host for the participants. Bilateral meetings of the Indian NSA with his counterparts are also scheduled. Besides, all visiting NSAs will call on the PM.
Amid a potential fresh threat, the on Monday beefed up security for the family of industrialist at his residence Antilia in south Mumbai, official sources said.

The move came after a taxi driver alerted the after overhearing two suspicious persons who were reportedly collecting certain information on Antilia.

The police have detained the taxi driver to record his statement, prepare a sketch of the two 'mysterious' persons, and scouring the CCTV footage of the route on which they commuted.

Road blocks have been erected at various strategic locations in Mumbai to help track the two unknown persons, who were reportedly carrying a couple of bags, as per the taxi driver's statement, though the police declined to share further details.

Simultaneously, security has been further tightened with a dog squad, a Rapid Action Force team and more personnel outside Antilia, the residence of the Reliance Industries Ltd Chairman and his family.

Official sources hinted that after making preliminary enquiries, are likely to issue a formal statement in the sensitive matter.

Antilia was previously targeted on February 25 when an abandoned SUV with 20 gelatin sticks and a threat note was found near the building, sending the police into a tizzy besides kicking off a uproar sparking global concerns.

--IANS

qn/arm

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bharatiya Janata Party MP on Monday rode a boat in toxic foam-covered Yamuna in the capital.

The capital's water supply has also remained affected since Saturday evening due to a rise in ammonia levels in the Yamuna.

Devotees took a dip in the that had a thick layer of toxic foam near Kalindi Kunj on the first day of Chhath Puja on Monday. The people expressed their disappointment with the quality of water in the river.

Speaking to ANI in this matter, Tiwari said, "You can see that we are riding on the foam. The DDMA has allowed Chhath Puja on designated sites and not on Yamuna ghat."

"The government is not bothered about this development. government bans people from coming to ghats but makes false claims of cleaning it. The Supreme Court should take a suo -motu cognisance on this matter.

(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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A CBI court on Monday granted bail to Ashok Saikia, son of former chief minister Hiteswar Saikia, who was arrested by the central agency in connection with the alleged default of a loan of over Rs 9 lakh 25 years ago.

Saikia walked out of the court premise here on getting the bail after spending a night in the custody of the investigating agency.

He was questioned by CBI Guwahati team and was arrested on Sunday on the basis of a non-bailable warrant issued against him for not appearing in the court despite summons, they said.

Saikia, who is a businessman, had issued a statement through his elder brother on Sunday evening stating that he had taken a loan in 1996 from State Co-operative Agriculture and Rural Development Bank Ltd (ASCARD) which he claimed to have repaid. He also shared a purported letter from the then ASCARD general manager in-charge stating that no dues were pending.

The CBI team suddenly came to our house and said my loan is pending. I did not receive any notice from the CBI or the court. I do not know why the CBI has pushed me into a baseless and fictitious case. Only the CBI or the government will know this," the businessman said.

His elder brother Debabrata Saikia, who is the Leader of Opposition in Assembly, had also shared the purported ASCARD certificate with the media on Sunday.

It was issued by its then general manager in-charge H N Borah on October 28, 2015 and said that Ashok Kumar Saikia, the director of HPS India Pvt Ltd, had availed a loan of Rs 9,37,701 under the bridge loan scheme in 1996.

"As per our letter Ref. No. ASCARDB (L/C) 192/2002/61 dated 14.09.2011 under the compromise settlement scheme he has fully repaid the dues - both principal and interest. Now his aforesaid loan is liquidated," the ASCARD certificate said.

The authenticity of the said certificate could not be verified immediately.

Debabrata Saikia said, "The CBI claimed that they had sent a notice. Our mother, who lives with Ashok, stays at home all the time and she said no notice came to us. Our advocate said that this case should not have been pursued at all. I do not know why such an old settled case is being raked up."



A senior Congress leader has alleged that CBI is being "used" by the BJP-led government at the Centre to harass the leader of the opposition in Assam after his statement on Saturday in connection with the claims of state BJP leaders on defection to the saffron party.

"Saikia had said on Saturday that he will never join BJP after speculations became rife that he will do so. The speculations were floated just to demoralise Congress workers. The BJP is now using CBI to intimidate Saikia. It is tactic that the BJP adopts across the country," the Congress leader told PTI on the condition of anonymity.

(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 on Monday declined to entertain submissions from a counsel of a deceased accused, who was allegedly lynched in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence incident, seeking CBI probe in the matter.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli told the senior advocate Arun Bharadwaj, representing Ruby Devi, widow of deceased accused Shyam Sundar, that it is trying to introduce impartiality and fairness in the investigation in the FIRs in the incident by recommending a retired high court judge to monitor the investigation till the charge sheet is filed.

The Chief Justice, criticising the government over the poor progress in the investigation, told Salve that the court does not want to add to political overtones in the matter, as it emphasized on a retired high court judge to monitor the case.

Bhardwaj said: "I want CBI..."

The bench replied: "CBI is not the solution to every problem..."

The top court emphasised that it is inclined to appoint a retired high court judge, outside of the state of Uttar Pradesh, to monitor the day-to-day investigation till the filling of separate charge sheets in two FIRs -- one where a car mowed down protesting and the other where accused were beaten to death.

"We want to protect the evidence collected," said the bench.

Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for the government, clarified that the journalist killed in the violence was actually crushed by the car and he was outside. The bench said the impression was given that the journalist was beaten to death. "Some independent judge should monitor the proceedings. You find out with your government....", the Chief Justice told Salve.

Bhardwaj showed the photograph of Sundar before he was killed and accompanied by police personnel who were wearing bullet proof jackets and also had AK 47 rifles. The bench asked him not to continuously flash the photograph on screen and added, "That is why we are proposing monitoring by an independent judge..."

It further added that if the state government agrees to monitoring by an independent judge, then he can submit the material before him.

Bhardwaj added that he had sent the photograph to Additional Advocate General 15 days ago, but nothing has been done so far. Salve pointed out if CBI is brought in at this stage, then there will be a reverse problem.

The top court, in the order, said it has made certain suggestions to the Uttar Pradesh government -- referring to a high court judge outside the state -- as to how investigation is to be conducted, and asked Salve to seek instructions from the government on its suggestion. The top court posted the matter for further hearing on Friday.

--IANS

ss/dpb

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi [India], November 8 (ANI): The data for Bharat Biotech's Covaxin for Children, COVID-19 vaccine for children, is under evaluation and the process will take some more time for final approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), sources said.

"It's a sensitive matter. Data evaluation is underway. More data has been submitted," sources informed ANI.

Recently, the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) had given a recommendation to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for the use of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin COVID-19 vaccine for the beneficiaries aged between 2-18 years.

After evaluation of the data, the final approval will be given by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).

Earlier, Bharat Biotech, in an official statement, had said they are waiting for further approvals from the drug regulators.

"This represents one of the first approvals worldwide for COVID-19 vaccines for the 2-18 age group. sincerely thanks the DCGI, Subject Experts Committee, and CDSCO for their expedited review process. We now await further regulatory approvals from the CDSCO prior to product launch and market availability of COVAXIN for Children," their statement read.

had submitted data from clinical trials in the 2-18 years age group for COVAXIN (BBV152) to Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).

The data has been thoroughly reviewed by the CDSCO and Subject Experts Committee (SEC) and has provided their positive recommendations, the vaccine maker said.

The Subject expert committee on COVID-19 has already examined the data.

"After detailed deliberation, the committee recommended for grant of market authorization of the vaccine for the age group of 2 to 18 years for restricted use in an emergency situation subject to the setting conditions."

Earlier on November 3, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had also given Emergency Use Listing (EUL) to Covaxin.

(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.)
Aditya Garg headed to San Francisco in the early hours of Monday, relieved that he could finally get back to work and home with the US government lifting travel restrictions for international travellers who are fully vaccinated against Covid.

The young man from Jaipur, who works for a California-based electric vehicle company, was among the several people at the Delhi airport on Monday morning anxious to get to the US and boarding the first flight out they could.

The coronavirus pandemic had prompted the US to close its borders to international travellers from many countries, including India, last year. Later, only passengers holding visas belonging to certain categories were permitted to travel.

Starting today, November 8, the US has lifted all restrictions for fully vaccinated international travellers, including from India, but they will have to show proof of a negative coronavirus test before boarding a flight to the country.

Garg, who took a United Airlines flight scheduled to depart at 4:30 am, said he had last travelled to the US before the pandemic induced lockdown in March last year.

"I work and stay in Bay Area. It's a relief that after such a long time I am able to fly to the US as American authorities have eased restrictions for fully vaccinated passengers. Of course, we still have to take all precautions," he told PTI before entering the international departure lounge.

Pritam Deshwal is also a US-based professional but was unable to travel from India due to restrictions.

The airport designer, who took an Air India flight to the US, said, "I am based in New York, and the further lifting of restrictions on travellers will certainly help in getting reconnected to our offices and places, literally."



Since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, most companies and institutions had allowed employees to work from home with digital technology playing a big role in helping colleagues stay connected in a 'new normal' scenario.

Many US-bound passengers, including women, said their status had boosted their confidence.

"I am taking my first international flight after the outbreak of the pandemic. I am feeling fine," said a woman passenger who did not wish to be named.

Among those who took flights out to the US were the Vij brothers, who are based in Miami.

"I am a US citizen, so, there was no restriction for me as such, but I am glad more people can fly now to the US," said Siddhant Vij, who took a Qatar Airways flight with his brother Shivek.

American business executive Brad Nuss, who lives in Minnesota, flew to his home country on Monday and hoped that a sense of normalcy in international travel will return soon.

"The pandemic has changed our world and the way we see it and interact with others. And, with picking up in India and elsewhere, and US further lifting travel restrictions, I feel it's a sign of things slowly getting back to normal in a way," Nuss told PTI before boarding a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight.

At the airport, as family members bid goodbye to each other, many were overcome by emotion as they hugged, some taking the mandatory selfie to mark the occasion.

The White House late last month said the US will lift all travel restrictions for incoming non-citizens and non-immigrant travellers from November 8, with only limited exceptions. They will be required to be fully vaccinated and produce proof of their COVID-19 prior to boarding a flight to the country.

Passengers will need to show their vaccination status, and the airlines will need to match the name and date of birth to confirm the passenger is the same person reflected on the proof of vaccination, according to an official statement issued earlier.

Scheduled international passenger services have been suspended in India since March 23, 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. But special international flights have been operating under bilateral "air bubble" arrangements with approximately 28 countries since July 2020.

Under an air bubble pact between two countries, limited special international flights can be operated by their airlines between their territories with certain restrictions.

(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 Monday said it expected full cooperation from the Delhi government, police and on safety and security in courts and suggested strictly regulating entry to judicial complexes by deploying an appropriate number of personnel and devices based on a security audit.

A bench headed by Chief Justice D N Patel, hearing the suo motu case concerning the September 24 shootout that killed three persons in a courtroom in Rohini Court, proposed that the city government be accountable for allocation of budget for the purchase of security devices and as the police has the expertise, it should buy them under intimation to the government and the court.

The bench, which also comprised Justices Jyoti Singh, clarified that it will issue appropriate directions to the authorities after the stakeholders have perused the suggestions summarised by it.

The court said that based on the suggestions received from and various lawyers' bodies, it made its own short summary which may be put into practice.

The Police Commissioner will put together a team of experts for a security audit of courts and deploy an appropriate number of personnel, the court said.

It added that the entry of all, including advocates, would be subject to frisking which is quick and efficient-- and going through metal detectors, and no baggage be allowed inside courts without scanning.

The court also suggested placing all court complexes under round-the-clock CCTV monitoring, issuing stickers to vehicles that may be permitted entry inside a court complex and installing under vehicle scanning system as well as automated gates to tackle crowd.

The court further said that the Bar Council of Delhi should devise a mechanism to issue non-transferable identity cards having a QR-code or a chip to

It also said that wherever possible, high-risk undertrials should be produced virtually or else, in vulnerable witness rooms or in jails themselves.

The Registrar General of this court shall make a report on these aspects and the concerned district judges shall decide the number of entry and exit points in their respect court complexes, the court added.

This court expects full cooperation of the government, police and the Bar. Mainly, these are the things. Once an order is passed, an amendment (to the directions) will come after 2-3 months, the court said.

During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma said the police has already conducted a safety audit and the Security Unit of has taken over the responsibility of courts.

ASG Sharma highlighted that during Diwali, certain in Rohini court raised objections to being subjected to security checks.

You (Bar bodies) should pass a resolution on this point that there may not be any negative reaction. Lawyers should have faith in leaders otherwise no work will be done, the chief justice responded.

The police had told the court earlier that it has installed more metal detectors in all the seven district courts here Tis Hazari, Rohini, Karkardooma, Saket, Patiala, Dwarka and Rouse Avenue.

Earlier, had suggested that the use of technology should be maximised to reduce physical presence of parties in all the seven district courts here and updated security gadgets be installed there to obviate security concerns.

The high court had on September 30 initiated on its own a petition concerning security at courts in the capital following the September 24 shootout at the Rohini Court, saying there was a need for proper and effective deployment of a sufficient number of police personnel in courts.

Jailed gangster Jitendra Gogi and his two assailants posing as lawyers were killed inside the Rohini courtroom on September 24 in a dramatic shootout that also saw the police fire bullets in retaliation, the officials had said.

Video footage of the incident showed policemen and lawyers rushing out in panic as gunshots rang out inside courtroom number 207.

The two gunmen dressed as lawyers are suspected to be members of rival Tillu gang, an official had said, adding that over 30 shots were fired.

On September 24, Chief Justice of India N V Ramana had expressed deep concern over the shootout inside the crowded Rohini courtroom and spoke to the Chief Justice in this regard and advised him to talk to both police and the Bar to ensure that the functioning of the court is not affected.

The matter would be heard next on November 24.

(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.)
French investigative journal Mediapart has made fresh claims that alleged bogus invoices were used that enabled French aircraft maker Dassault Aviation to pay at least 7.5 million euros in secret commissions to a middleman to help it secure the with India.

Mediapart had reported in July that a French judge has been appointed to lead a "highly sensitive" judicial investigation into suspected corruption" and favouritism in the Rs 59,000-crore inter-governmental deal with India for the supply of 36 Rafale fighter jets.

There was no reaction yet on the latest report from the defence ministry or Dassault Aviation.

"Mediapart is today publishing the alleged false invoices that enabled French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation to pay at least 7.5 million euros in secret commissions to a middleman to help secure the sale of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft to India," the journal said in its new report on Sunday.

It alleged that despite the existence of "these documents", the Indian probe agencies decided not to pursue the matter.

"It involves offshore companies, dubious contracts and false invoices. Mediapart can reveal that detectives from India's federal police force, the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI), and colleagues from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which fights money laundering, have had proof since October 2018 that French aviation firm Dassault paid at least 7.5 million euros (equivalent to just under Rs 650 million) in secret commissions to middleman Sushen Gupta," Mediapart claimed in the report.

"This was in the context of the French firm's long and ultimately successful attempt to secure a 7.8 billion-euro-deal in 2016 to sell 36 of its Rafale fighters to India," it said.

Rafale manufacturer Dassault Aviation and India's defence ministry have previously trashed allegations of any in the contract.

India's Supreme Court too in 2019 dismissed petitions seeking a probe into the deal saying there was no ground for it.

In a statement published in April, reacting to Mediapart's report on the investigation, Dassault Aviation stated that the group, "acts in strict compliance with the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention and laws".

The NDA government had inked a Rs 59,000-crore deal on September 23, 2016, to procure 36 Rafale jets from Dassault Aviation after a nearly seven-year exercise to procure 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) for the Indian Air Force did not fructify during the UPA regime.

The Congress accused the government of massive irregularities in the deal, alleging that it was procuring each aircraft at a cost of over Rs 1,670 crore as against Rs 526 crore finalised by the UPA government during the negotiations for the MMRCA.

Prior to the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, Congress raised several questions about the deal and alleged corruption, but the government rejected all the charges.

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: The Assembly on Monday witnessed a novel mode of protest as an opposition legislator pedalled a bicycle to reach the House complex against the state government's stand not to forgo tax on petrol and diesel on the lines of the Centre.

When senior Congress leader and Kovalam legislator M Vincent rode a bicycle alone to the sprawling Assembly campus, it was a matter of amusement for passers-by and the staff at the House.

He chose the innovative protest method to express solidarity with the Congress party's state-wide 'wheel stop' agitation against the state government over the

Clad in the usual pristine white khadi dhoti and shirt, the two-time MLA was followed by a galaxy of TV cameramen when he entered the campus on the bicycle, which is generally regarded as the poor man's vehicle.

Though it is rare for anyone to reach the Assembly complex on a bicycle, the MLA had a smooth entry at the main entrance, where security personnel welcomed him with the usual honorary salute.

The MLA later parked his "vehicle" in the parking yard near a luxury four- wheeler.

The state government was looting the common people without reducing the tax on petrol and diesel, Vincent told reporters.

Meanwhile, workers of the Congress party staged the 15-minute stop wheel protests in the district headquarters across the state in the morning.

KPCC chief K Sudhakaran had earlier made it clear that the protest would be in such a manner that no traffic blocks would be created and no difficulty would be posed for the common people.

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Drug firm Zydus Cadila on Monday said it has received an order to supply 10 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, ZyCoV-D, to the Indian government at Rs 265 per dose.

"Zydus Cadila has received an order to supply one crore doses of ZyCoV-D, the world's first Plasmid DNA Vaccine, to the Government of India at Rs 265 per dose and the needle-free applicator being offered at Rs 93 per dose, excluding GST," the pharma firm said in a regulatory filing

The pricing has been decided in consultation with the central government, it added.

The vaccine will be administered using a needle-free applicator as opposed to traditional syringes. The applicator, called "PharmaJet".

The PharmaJet is a needle free applicator to ensure painless intradermal vaccine delivery which also leads to a significant reduction in any kind of major side effects.

"We are happy to support the government's vaccination programme with ZyCoV-D. The needle-free application of the vaccination, we hope, will motivate many more to vaccinate and safeguard themselves from COVID-19, especially children and young adults in the age group of 12 to 18 years," Zydus Cadila MD Sharvil Patel said.

ZyCoV-D is the first DNA plasmid vaccine in the world for human use, developed indigenously by the company against the COVID-19 virus, Zydus Cadila said.

The vaccine has shown good stability at temperatures of around 25 degrees for at least three months. The thermostability of the vaccine will help in easy transportation and storage of the vaccine without any problems of fluctuations in temperature, it added.

ZyCoV-D is the first vaccine cleared by India's drug regulator for inoculation of those aged 12 years and above.

The three doses of ZyCoV-D, are to be administered 28 days apart. The vaccine was given emergency use authorization (EUA) by the Indian drug regulator on August 20, this year.

The company has also sought approval for the two dose regimen of the vaccine.

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In a fresh attack on NCB's Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede, minister Nawab Malik on Monday asked if the officer's sister-in-law was involved in "drug business" and claimed a case against her was pending in a Pune court.

However, an official from the (NCB) said Wankhede was not even in service when the alleged case took place.

Malik in a Twitter post said, "Sameer Dawood Wankhede, is your sister-in-law Harshada Dinanath Redkar involved in the drug business? You must answer because her case is pending before the Pune court. Here is the proof."



The NCP leader also posted a snapshot of a document related to that case.

Reacting to it, an NCB official said Wankhede joined the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) in September 2008, while the case (pertaining to his sister-in-law) was registered in January 2008.

The official also said Wankhede married Kranti Redkar, the sister of Harshada Redkar, in 2017.

"When is Malik is going to stop attacks against women? As far as the case pertaining to Harshada Dinanath Redkar is concerned, it is a very old case and is in court. Wankhede has nothing to do with Harshada's case," the official said.

"Why is Malik making such allegations which have no credibility?" the official asked.

An NCB team led by Wankhede last month conducted a raid on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast and claimed to have seized drugs onboard.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan and 19 others were later arrested in connection with the cruise drugs case.

Malik has repeatedly termed the cruise drugs case as "fake" and levelled several allegations against Wankhede, including that he forged his caste certificate and other documents to secure government job.

Wankhede has denied the allegations levelled against him.

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Chief Minister said on Monday that the in the state was imposed in April 2016 with the consent of Opposition leaders, who are now politicising the issue.

"All the Opposition parties along with the MLCs had passed a resolution based on complaints lodged by women following which a large number of people quit drinking. Some are still addicted to liquor and stringent action will be taken against them," he told reporters after the weekly 'Janta Darbar'.

"Those who gave their consent to the move then are the ones doing politics over it now," the Chief Minister said.

"Further decisions would be taken during the assessment meeting on November 16. Efforts are on to create awareness against liquor and officials have been directed to take adequate measures in their respective jurisdictions," said.

"Strong action has been initiated against people involved in spurious liquor rackets," he added.

Meanwhile, police have arrested 195 persons, including Guddu Kumar who was involved in supplying spurious liquor in Gopalganj which claimed 10 lives. Around 15 others lost their eyesight in the incident. The sleuths of the special branch also seized Rs 7.5 lakh from his possession.

In another incident, Darbhanga SSP Babu Ram said that the district police raided the house of notorious liquor smuggler Laxman Nayak and seized Rs 15 lakh in cash from his possession. Nayak, however, managed to flee before the raid on Monday.

The police in Muzaffarpur also arrested 35 persons, including liquor smuggler Rohit Thakur, on Monday. Thakur fled Muzaffarpur after a liquor tragedy in Repura village on October 29. He was arrested from Motihari where he had taken shelter since then.

In Jahanabad, the anti-liquor task force raided two places in the East Unta area and recovered 170 lt country liquor.

--IANS

ajk/shb/arm

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The on Monday said it will hear on November 17 a petition seeking direction to the government and the State Election Commission (SEC) to hold elections to all municipalities and municipal corporations of the state at the earliest.

Petitioner's lawyer Sabyasachi Chatterjee submitted that elections to more than 100 civic bodies including municipal corporations of Kolkata and Howrah have been due for a long time.

Taking up the petition on Monday, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice I P Mukerji directed the petitioner to serve notice to all the parties in the matter, including the government and the SEC.

It directed that the matter will be taken up for hearing on November 17.

Chatterjee said the tenure of over 100 municipal bodies have long expired and the state government has been running them by appointing councillors and mayors or chairmen as coordinators of wards and administrators of the bodies respectively citing the Covid-19 pandemic.

The petitioner prayed for a direction to the SEC and the state government to immediately start the process of holding polls for all the municipalities and municipal corporations in the state, where it is due.

The SEC holds local body elections following recommendations by the state government.

Minister of State for Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Chandrima Bhattacharya recently said the government has held preliminary discussions about conducting polls in all civic bodies with the SEC.

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People who receive the or COVID-19 vaccine have antibody levels significantly higher than those infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to a study published in Scientific Reports journal on Monday.

A team led by researchers at the University of Montreal in Canada found that these antibodies were also effective against the Delta variant.

In the study, 32 non-hospitalised COVID-19 positive Canadian adults were recruited 14 to 21 days after being diagnosed through PCR testing in 2020, before the Beta, Delta and Gamma variants emerged.

"Everyone who had been infected produced antibodies, but older people produced more than adults under 50 years of age," said Jean-Francois Masson, a professor at the University of Montreal.

"In addition, antibodies were still present in their bloodstream 16 weeks after their diagnosis," Masson said.

Antibodies produced after an infection by the original viral strain also reacted to SARS-CoV-2 variants that emerged in subsequent waves, namely Beta, Delta and Gamma, with a reduction of 30 to 50 per cent in reactivity.

"But the result that surprised us the most was that antibodies produced by naturally infected individuals 50 and older provided a greater degree of protection than adults below 50," said Joelle Pelletier, a professor at the University of Montreal.

"This was determined by measuring the antibodies' capacity to inhibit the interaction of the Delta variant's spike protein with the ACE-2 receptor in human cells, which is how we become infected," he added.

The researchers, however, did not observe the same phenomenon with the other variants.

They noted that when someone who has had a mild case of COVID is vaccinated, the antibody level in their blood doubles compared to an unvaccinated person who has been infected by the virus.

Their antibodies are also better able to prevent spike-ACE-2 interaction, according to the researchers.

"But what's even more interesting is that we have samples from an individual younger than 49 whose infection didn't produce antibodies inhibiting spike-ACE-2 interaction, unlike vaccination," said Masson.

"This suggests that increases protection against the Delta variant among people previously infected by the native strain," Masson added.

The researchers believe more research should be conducted to determine the best combination for maintaining the most effective level of antibodies reactive to all variants of the virus.

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Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for two aimed at improving connectivity to the temple town of Pandharpur in via video conferencing on Monday.

He laid the foundation stone for four-laning of five sections of Shri Sant Dnyaneshawar Maharaj Palkhi Marg (NH-965) and three sections of Shri Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi Marg (NH-965G).

Dedicated walkways for 'Palkhi' (palanquin) will be constructed on either side of these national highways, providing hassle-free and safe passage to devotees. The projects are designed to facilitate pilgrims' journey to Pandharpur, a town associated with Sant Tukaram and Sant Dnyaneshawar. Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways V K Singh and Leader of Opposition in assembly Devendra Fadnavis were present in-person at the foundation stone laying ceremony at Pandharpur. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray participated in the event virtually. About 221 km of Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi Marg from Diveghat to Mohol and about 130 Km of Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi Marg from Patas to Tondale-Bondale will be four-laned at estimated costs of more than Rs 6,690 crore and about Rs 4,400 crore respectively.

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Prime Minister will perform the groundbreaking ceremony for the Noida International Airport near Delhi on November 25, the local MLA said on Monday.

BJP leader and Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will also attend the 'bhoomi pujan' at the greenfield project site at Jewar in district Gautam Buddh Nagar.

The Noida International Airport is being developed in public-private partnership (PPP) mode and is touted to be the biggest airport in India upon completion. It will be developed in four phases, with the entire project estimated to cost around Rs 30,000 crore, according to officials.

The airport is being developed by Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL), a 100 per cent subsidiary of Zurich International Airport AG, the Swiss concessionaire of the project.

"Speculation was rife for several months about the bhoomi pujan for the Noida International Airport. Prime Minister Modi's visit to Jewar was expected since a long time but finally it has been decided for November 25 when the bhoomi pujan will happen," the Jewar MLA said in a statement.

On Monday, District Magistrate Suhas L Yathiraj, Police Commissioner Alok Singh, Joint Commissioner Love Kumar, YIAPL CEO Christoph Schnellmann, Yamuna Expressway Authority CEO Arun Vir Singh, airport project incharge Shailendra Bhatia, among others, held a meeting to discuss arrangements for the programme.

Two locations have been shortlisted for the ceremony, which are close to Ranhera and Rohi villages in Jewar, the MLA said, adding that the final decision on the venue would be taken in a day or two.

He said the airport project was among the priorities of the Adityanath government since it came to power in Uttar Pradesh in 2017 and credited the chief minister with expediting work on it.

Earlier, Jewar and nearby region was counted among less developed areas but is now growing leaps and bounds, with the airport and a film city in the offing, he added.

Singh also expressed gratitude to the villagers who agreed for acquisition of their land by the government for the mega greenfield project.

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The Kerala police on Monday said they have busted a racket involved in money-laundering through deals and arrested four people.

Senior Kannur city police officer P P Sadanandan said Muhammed Riyas, C Shafeeque, Munavvarali and Muhammed Shafeeque have been arrested by police on the charge of embezzling crores of rupees from investors in connection with the deal.

Nishad, the kingpin of the racket, is absconding, police said.

Sadanandan, the Assistant Commissioner of Kannur, said the accused allegedly raised crores rupees through an online website created in the name of a fake company formed in Bengaluru and raised around Rs 100 crore from their customers by falsely promising them a dividend of two to eight per cent per day in

The police said around Rs 40 crore was found transacted through the account of one of the arrested and Rs 32 crore through the account of another.

The accused, after carrying out the transactions with their customers, allegedly transferred the rest of the huge funds into the account of Nishad, police said.

The crime branch wing of the Kerala police, which is investigating into a similar case in Malappuram district, had recently frozen Nishad's bank account with Rs 34 crore, police said.

Nishad was earlier arrested by police in Malappuram in connection with the money-laundering but he went absconding soon after securing bail, the police said.

He is said to be in the Middle-East, a senior police officer told PTI.

So far, only one complaint has been received from Kannur district, the police added.

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Company Chairman on Monday received the third highest civilian honour award from Ram Nath Kovind, the President of India.

Srinivasan is credited for the transformation of TVS from a 50cc moped maker in the 1980s to the third largest two-wheeler manufacturer in India, competing with the likes of Hero, Bajaj and Honda over a span of 21 years at the helm of the company.

Apart from TVS group companies, he has also served as a board member at Tata Sons, Tata Coffee and Oriental Hotels. He was conferred with Padma Shri back in 2010.
Union minister Jitendra Singh on Monday launched the first-ever mentorship programme for young innovators to mark the 75th year of India's independence.

In a statement, the Ministry of Science and Technology said the government is taking a number of steps to promote scientific temper among the masses, particularly youngsters, by strengthening scientific research and innovation efforts in the country.

The DBT-Star College Mentorship Programme' will help towards the concept of networking, hand holding and outreach, said Singh who is the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science and Technology.

Singh said the pan India scheme envisages a Star College' in every district of the country supported by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), under the science and technology ministry.

The plan envisages organising workshops and meetings every month, handhold colleges particularly in the rural areas or lesser endowed areas and conduct outreach activities with government schools, he said.

The activities will enable newer colleges which have begun their journey under the scheme to come up as per the mandate of Star College scheme, the minister said.

The Star Status Colleges will help in incorporating the vision of DBT towards strengthening of UG Science Courses throughout the country by mentoring the newer colleges through hand-holding and peer learning and bringing them under the aegis of Star College Scheme, he added.

Singh informed that a total of 278 undergraduate colleges across the country are currently being supported under the Star College Scheme.

He said the categorisation of the scheme into urban and rural categories during 2018-19 has ensured a level-playing field for applicants hailing from rural and urban areas of the country.

He noted with satisfaction that presently 55 colleges from rural areas and 15 colleges in aspirational districts are being supported under the scheme in a short time period of two years.

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has maintained its lead over 20 other states by again getting top place on an index to gauge the efficiency across states in 2021 due to its "well-developed infrastructure and services driven by a responsive government", according to a report released by commerce and industry minister It got the No. 1 rank in the 2019 index too.

Even as the state topped in indicators such as availability and quality of infrastructure, extent of facilitation and ease of obtaining all approvals, respondents to the survey that was conducted to construct the index complained that the potholes on road leading to Mundra port gets flooded and leads to congestion during the monsoon season and there is lack of connectivity between ports Mundra and Hazira via a coastal road.

On the other hand, Haryana has gained four places to come second in 2021 compared to the sixth spot in 2019, while Punjab lost one notch to get the third rank from the second two years back, showed the LEADS ( ease across different states) index.

The state has secured the highest score for several indicators such as quality of warehousing infrastructure, timeliness of cargo delivery during transportation, operating and regulatory environment, and efficiency of regulatory services, the report showed. But, it also suffered from various challenges such as bad condition of the road connecting major industrial areas in Panipat, Karnal, Jind and Rohtak. Besides, rail freight charges are high as compared to road freight charges when transporting rice from Sonipat, Panipat, and Taraori belts.

Tamil Nadu came fourth in 2021 against fifth position in 2019, while Maharashtra slipped a place to figure in the fifth ranking against fourth released by commerce and industry minister

In the first top five place, the opposition ruled states of Punjab and Maharashtra dropped one place each in 2021 compared to the rankings two year ago, while Tamil Nadu bettered its position.

Punjab's proactive policies such as single window clearance mechanism for regulatory approvals, fiscal incentives under the industrial and business development policy, grievance redressal mechanism and development of warehousing zones have had an immense impact on the logistic ecosystem, according to the report. However, there were issues such as the participating government agencies (PGAs) involved in the certification do not have their testing facilities anywhere near Ludhiana. This results in samples being sent over to Delhi for necessary testing and certification for clearance of exports and imports, adding to the total transaction time.





Maharashtra dropped one place due to worsened road infrastructure and congestion at the port terminals. Poor road connectivity to the gateway port of JNPT leads to time delays and escalated costs for shippers. This high cost of transportation and terminal services is reflected in the low scores obtained by the state in indicators of

reasonableness of road freight rates and terminal services, said the report.

Tamil Nadu proactively introduced policies to support such as granting priority status to logistics and pursuing development of a State Integrated Logistics Plan. State nodal agency has been appointed by the

State for integrated development of the logistics sector. However, the state has low scores for reasonableness of road freight rates and prices of terminal services. Few key factors influencing freight rates are congestion and poor road infrastructure, the report said.

If one looks at top ten positions, Odisha and Tamil Nadu, are the only opposition-ruled states to get a better ranking in 2021 versus 2019. Odisha got seventh place in 2021 against 10th in 2019.

On the other hand, the BJP-ruled Karnataka shed one rank to come at the eighth position in 2021 from seventh in 2019.

Adityanath Yogi-ruled Uttar Pradesh gained seventh place to get sixth position in 2021 from 13th two year ago.

Andhra Pradesh, ruled by the YSR Congress Party, lost six places to come at the ninth position against third in 2019. On the other hand, its erstwhile part-- Telangana-- was down two notches at the tenth place against eighth in 2019.

Among the northeastern states and himalayan union territories, Jammu Kashmir topped the chart. Among the remaining two union territories of Delhi and Chandigarh, the Kejriwal-ruled UT got the top position.

Speaking at the launch of the report, Goyal said the inputs given by the report can lead the way to bring down logistics cost by 5 per cent over the next five years. According to estimates, at present, the cost is about 13-14 per cent of the GDP.

Goyal said that efficient logistics was pivotal to bring ease and empowerment to businesses as well as citizens.

"Rather than just absolute improvement in one state, improvement of logistics across all states will be a force multiplier for the entire logistics ecosystem", he said.

When asked about the issue of container shortage, the minister said now the international trade is picking up "very well" and it augurs well for the Indian economy.

"India alone will be looking at 40 per cent plus growth in our exports and almost a 25 per cent growth in our imports," he said, adding the container problem was happening across the globe and the ministry is working with shipping lines, and container operators.

It is also trying to bring empty containers, customs is trying to speed up the processes, railways is helping to move empty containers at subsidised prices, he added.

With all these efforts, prices have stabilised and now gradually started coming down, Goyal said. "We do hope that in the months to come, we quickly see things stabilizing to normalcy," he added.

The commerce & industry ministry had launched the index in 2018, but there was no such ranking in 2020 due to Covid. In 2021, the overall index, based on a survey conducted during May to August, is based on twenty-one indicators including seventeen perception indicators and four objective indicators. The objective questions include those related to appointment of nodal officer, creation of state logistics cell, creation of state logistics policy,, single window system for approval. The survey got 3,771 responses from 1,405 respondents across the country.
The released its fifth cut-off list on Monday, with some colleges reopening admissions in a few courses for general category students.

As many as 68,849 students have secured admissions to the university since the first cut-off list was released.

The Ramjas College has reopened admissions for BA(Honours) Sanskrit and seats are still available in BCom(Honours) (97.75 per cent), BA(Honours) History (96.75 per cent), BA(honours) Hindi (91.25 per cent), BA(honours) English (97 per cent) and BA(honours) Economics (98.25 per cent).

The Lady Shri Ram College has reopened admissions for BA(Honours) English and BA(Honours) Philosophy at 98.50 per cent and 97 per cent respectively. The cut-off for BA(Honours) Journalism has come down to 98.50 per cent, a decline of 0.50 per cent from the fourth cut-off list.

The Aryabhatta College has reopened admissions for BA(Honours) History for the unreserved category, Political Science (Honours) and B.Com for the OBC category, BSc(honours) Computer Science for the SC category and B A.Programme(Economics and History) for the EWS category.

At Miranda House, only two courses are available for general category students -- BA(Honours) History (98.75 per cent) and BA(Honours) Sociology (97.75 per cent).

The Kirori Mal College still has seats available under BA(Honours) Economics (98.25 per cent), BA(Honours) English (97.25 per cent), BA(honours)History (97.25 per cent).

The admission under the fifth cut-off list will commence from Tuesday, while the special cut-off will be released on November 13.

In a related development, the Non-Collegiate Women's Board (NCWEB) released its second cut-off on Monday.

The NCWEB is a non-formal system of obtaining a degree from the with lectures being delivered only on the weekends. Only women students residing in the National Capital Territory of Delhi can enrol themselves as students of the board.

The Jesus and Mary College has pegged the cut-off at 82 per cent for BCom, a decline of five per cent from the first list, while Maitreyi College has kept it at 81 per cent, down from 83 per cent in the first list. The admission to the course has closed at Hansraj College and Miranda House.

The minimum marks required for getting admission to BA Programme (Economics + Political Science) are 82 per cent for Jesus and Mary College, down by four per cent from the first list while admissions are closed at Miranda House and Hansraj College.

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is a necessity in India in the absence of a social security net, but the government is taxing the sector heavily even as others in the financial sector are exempted, lamented former Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) member Nilesh Sathe.

Sathe was the keynote speaker at the round of the Business Standard BFSI Insight Summit.

Charging 18 per cent (Goods and Services Tax) on is atrocious, the respected insurance veteran said in his customary frank manner.

In the absence of any social security available to the citizens, insurance becomes a necessity. All essential commodities are out of the purview of GST, why should premium be taxed, and that too, so heavily, Sathe asked, adding nowhere in the world one has to pay such heavy tax on

There is no such tax on banking services or mutual fund services. These are also financial services, there is no reason why insurance services should be taxed and that too, so heavily. Even the premium for purchase of annuity attracts GST, said Sathe in his speech.

Sathe said the governments clear apathy towards the sector was evident when no immediate capitalisation was done to state-owned insurance companies when their solvency ratio (which must always remain above 150 per cent) fell below the threshold a couple of times.

The government is also not filling up vacancies in the insurance regulator fast enough.

IRDAI is headless for the last five to six months. Members' positions are vacant. Institutions weaken if not manned on time, Sathe said, adding, development of the sector is not the sole responsibility of the insurance companies alone, but all stakeholders will have to share the responsibility.

The government has to ensure that the GDP grows, employment grows, and the per capita income increases, said Sathe.

Insurance companies also have other challenges. Given the high solvency ratio, promoters must always infuse capital before an insurance company wish to grow exponentially. They cannot invest the way they like. The stipulation by IRDA that the insurance firms must invest at least half of their investible fund in government securities and other approved securities bring down the yields or internal rate of return for investors. This is because the yields on govt securities have been steadily coming down.

Insurance companies undertake long term liabilities, but the market has no matching asset instruments, resulting in asset liability mismatch, Sathe said, adding there is also a reinvestment risk.

The insurance company is a sunrise sector that can grow in double digits for the next few years, but increasing the penetration is not the responsibility only of the insurance companies. It is the responsibility of all the stakeholders, he said.

As the economy grows, so would be disposable income and domestic savings. As income level goes up, insurance penetration increases, Sathe said.

Indias highly favourable demographics, where around 40 per cent of the population is currently between 20 and 49 years, low social security cover, coupled with increasing life expectancy, will also fuel the need for insurance. In the country, about 40 per cent of the population continues to remain uninsured and the thumb rule of having 6 times the annual income as insurance is not adhered to here.

As the level of education increases, the general awareness of insurance and its benefits will also increase, providing further filip to the demand, said Sathe.

Technology has acted as a game changer, and there has been no data breach or security scare in the work from home environment during the corona period. Insurance companies, despite incurring losses in some cases, have settled over Rs 50,000 crore worth of claims last year.

Technology has been a gamechanger and there has been no security scare or database despite the work from home environment during the corona period. The insurance companies must share data between themselves, and must have a common database, particularly about cases of frauds, rejection and suspicious claims.

Insurance is a need and let us spread it to the nooks and corners of the country, Sathe said.
Security researchers disclosed Monday that spyware from the notorious Israeli hacker-for-hire company NSO Group was detected on the cellphones of six Palestinian human rights activists, half affiliated with groups that Israel's defense minister controversially claimed were involved in terrorism.

The revelation marks the first known instance of Palestinian activists being targeted by the military-grade Pegasus spyware. Its use against journalists, rights activists and political dissidents from Mexico to Saudi Arabia has been documented since 2015.

A successful Pegasus infection surreptitiously gives intruders access to everything a person stores and does on their phone, including real-time communications.

It's not clear who placed the NSO spyware on the activists' phones, said the researcher who first detected it, Mohammed al-Maskati of the nonprofit Frontline Defenders.

Shortly after the first two intrusions were identified in mid-October, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz declared six Palestinian civil society groups to be terrorist organisations. Ireland-based Frontline Defenders and at least two of the victims say they consider the main suspect and believe the designation may have been timed to try to overshadow the hacks' discovery, though they have provided no evidence to substantiate those assertions.

has provided little evidence publicly to support the terrorism designation, which the Palestinian groups say aims to dry up their funding and muzzle opposition to Israeli military rule. Three of the hacked Palestinians work for the civil society groups. The others do not, and wish to remain anonymous, Frontline Defenders says.

The forensic findings, independently confirmed by security researchers from Amnesty and the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab in a joint technical report, come as NSO Group faces growing condemnation over the abuse of its spyware and takes heat for lax oversight of its digital industry.

Last week, the Biden administration blacklisted the NSO Group and a lesser-known Israeli competitor, Candiru, barring them from U.S. technology.

Asked about the allegations its software was used against the Palestinian activists, NSO Group said in a statement that it does not identify its customers for contractual and national security reasons, is not privy to whom they hack and sells only to government agencies for use against serious crime and terror.

An Israeli defense official said in a brief statement that the designation of the six organisations was based on solid evidence and that any claim it is related to the use of NSO software is unfounded. The statement had no other details, and officials declined requests for further comment. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters.

Israel's Defence Ministry approves the export of spyware produced by NSO Group and other private Israeli companies that recruit from the country's top cyber-capable military units. Critics say the process is opaque.

It's not known precisely when or how the phones were violated, the security researchers said. But four of the six hacked iPhones exclusively used SIM cards issued by Israeli telecom companies with Israeli +972 area code numbers, said the Citizen Lab and Amnesty researchers. That led them to question claims by NSO Group that exported versions of Pegasus cannot be used to hack Israeli phone numbers. NSO Group has also said it doesn't target U.S. numbers.

Among those hacked was Ubai Aboudi, a 37-year-old economist and U.S. citizen. He runs the seven-person Bisan Center for Research and Development in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, one of the six groups Gantz slapped with terrorist designations on October 22.

The other two hacked Palestinians who agreed to be named are researcher Ghassan Halaika of the Al-Haq rights group and attorney Salah Hammouri of Addameer, also a human rights organisation. The other three designated groups are Defense for Children International-Palestine, the Union of Palestinian Women's Committees and the Union of Agricultural Work Committees.

Aboudi said he lost any sense of safety through the dehumanising hack of a phone that is at his side day and night and holds photos of his three children. He said his wife, the first three nights after learning of the hack, didn't sleep from the idea of having such deep intrusions into our privacy.

He was especially concerned about eavesdroppers being privy to his communications with foreign diplomats. The researchers' examination of Aboudi's phone determined it was infected by Pegasus in February.

Aboudi accused Israel of sticking the terrorist logo on the groups after failing to persuade European governments and others to cut off financial support.

Israel says the groups are linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a leftist political faction with an armed wing that has killed Israelis. Israel and Western governments consider the PFLP a terror group. Aboudi was detained years ago on allegations of being a PFLP member but denies ever belonging to the group.

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The It Takes Roots (ITR) delegation representing more than 60 frontline communities leaders and organisers will be taking action inside and outside the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) meetings in this Scottish city on Monday.

While former US President Barack Obama will hold a roundtable and meetings with key leaders, the ITR will be highlighting the 'Monster of Militarism' and the contradictions of his legacy of militarism, including greater military expansion into the Pacific, the expansion of drone warfare and the use of military interventions on water protectors fighting against the Dakota Action Pipeline.

Communities across the world have been devastated by war and occupation. The action during COP26 will point to the fact that the US military is the single largest consumer of fossil fuels in the world, and has served as the enforcer of occupation of indigenous and sovereign lands while upholding violent resource extraction across the world.

ITR believes that addressing climate change requires ending the military industrial complex.

Among the speakers during the action will be Alejandra M. Lyons of the SouthWest Organizing Project (SWOP).

"I am attending COP26 to represent New Mexico and to tell our world leaders that we are not a sacrifice zone. Our land and water must be protected as well as the rights of future Nuevo Mexican generations.

"We need to hold the US military accountable in this climate conversation no matter how much power they hold in our state," Lyons said.

Sheila Babauta of the Micronesia Climate Change Alliance will address the situation in the Pacific region.

"I am attending COP26 as an indigenous woman from the US territories in the Pacific. With the increasing militarization of the Pacific region and the climate crisis at our shorelines, we must join our allies to amplify our voices and unify on climate solutions."

Ramon Mejia, the Anti-Militarism National Organiser of Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, is another speaker at the protest.

"Over 790 military bases across 81 countries, colonies, and territories. The world's largest consumer of fossil fuels, and the worst emitter of greenhouse gases. We cannot meaningfully address the devastation caused by climate change without addressing the top contributors, including the US military.

"The US must come to terms with both the human and ecological costs of maintaining the current course," he added.

ITR is centering the voices and leadership of frontline communities and workers on the global stage. Its frontline delegation demands that world leaders commit to real solutions to advance climate justice and environmental justice at COP26.

Allowing for neoliberal constructs such as net-zero emissions, which equate carbon emission offsets and technology investments with real emissions reductions at source, would exacerbate existing pollution burdens on frontline communities. ITR is calling for a just transition off of fossil fuels at the climate negotiations.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)

--IANS

vg/ksk/

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Chinese aggression towards is responsible for driving towards the self-ruled island, said a European lawmaker who was part of a delegation that visited Taipei last week.

Raphael Glucksmann, chair of the European Parliament's Special Committee on Foreign Interference, said that the delegation's visit was intended to send a message to the world that "all political forces in have acknowledged the importance of engaging with Taiwan," News reported.

The French politician lauded for its collective response to the Chinese disinformation campaign by incorporating think tanks, NGOs, and the media.

Asked how the European Union stands to benefit from its shift to a more assertive backing of Taiwan, Glucksmann said aligning with democracies against authoritarianism is not only in the interest of the EU but also a matter of principle.

"China's aspiration goes beyond Taiwan only, and the failure to take action will only feed its growing ambitions," he argued.

The seven-member delegation, representing the political groups of the Parliament, will meet President of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen, the premier of the Executive Yuan, minister of mainland affairs, as well as the deputy Foreign Affairs Minister and the Speaker of the Legislative Yuan (Taiwanese Parliament).

During a meeting with Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang on Wednesday, INGE Chair and delegation head Raphael Glucksmann said that the "flourishing of your democracy is formidable."The world does not understand "how difficult and how courageous" it is to build a democracy while being threatened by an authoritarian regime like Beijing, Glucksmann was quoted as saying by Taiwan Focus.

The visit serves the additional purpose of expressing Europe's gratitude to Taiwan for its donation of surgical face masks and mask production lines in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Glucksmann said.

This meeting comes amid increasing Chinese military activities near the island in recent times.

Recently, Taiwan has been witnessing an increase in incursions as Beijing claims full sovereignty over the democratic island.

Back in October, Taiwanese Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng had said that Beijing might consider mounting a full-scale invasion of the island by 2025. The delegation is scheduled to stay in Taiwan until Friday.

has condemned the EU's actions, saying the European Parliament has undermined "China's sovereignty and territorial integrity" through its support for closer engagement with Taiwan.

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Travellers excited at the prospect of reuniting with family and friends headed for the on Monday as it lifted travel restrictions slapped on much of the world since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The travel ban, first imposed in early 2020, had barred access to non-U.S. citizens travelling from 33 countries - including China, India and much of Europe - and had also restricted overland entry from Mexico and Canada.

The lagged many other countries in lifting the curbs, made possible by the rollout of vaccines despite rising infections in many countries, and critical to reviving tourism around the globe.

Months of pent-up demand triggered a major spike in bookings on Monday, with travellers only required to show official proof of vaccination and a recent, negative viral test.

"Really, really exciting. I mean, I was meant to go just before COVID happened, and obviously it's been delayed this long, so it's really exciting to finally be able to go," Alice Keane, travelling to Miami to see her sister, said at London's Heathrow airport.

Long-term rivals British Airways and Virgin Atlantic carried out simultaneous take-offs from Heathrow's parallel runways just before 0900 GMT, a stunt aimed at highlighting the importance of the transatlantic market to the UK's aviation market.

The flights were full, Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss said, while passenger volume was expected to remain high in coming weeks with the approach of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

"It's a major day of celebration," Weiss said, in what he called a significant tipping point for an industry brought to its knees by the pandemic.

The was preparing for long lines and delays on Monday, with United Airlines alone expecting about 50% more total inbound passengers compared to last Monday when it had about 20,000.

Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) Chief Executive Ed Bastian warned travellers should be prepared for long waits.

"It's going to be a bit sloppy at first. I can assure you, there will be lines unfortunately," Bastian said, adding that "we'll get it sorted out".

'WE MIGHT START CRYING'

The prospect of long queues did little to dent the enthusiasm of those preparing to be reunited with loved ones.

"I think we might just start crying," Bindiya Patel, who was going to see her one-year-old nephew in New York for the first time, said at Heathrow, where jugglers dressed in the red, white and blue of the U.S. flag greeted travellers.

Restrictions on non-U.S. citizens were first imposed on air travellers from China in January 2020 by then-President Donald Trump and extended to dozens of other countries, without any clear metrics for how and when to lift them.

In January, Trump issued an order to lift travel restrictions on people in Europe and Brazil. But the order was reversed by President Joe Biden before it took effect.

U.S. allies had heavily lobbied the Biden administration, which had repeatedly said it did not endorse so-called "vaccine passports", to lift the rules.

Airline officials stressed that tourism and family trips alone will not be enough for carriers whose profits depend on filling the most expensive seats.

Experts say the real battle of the transatlantic, the world's most lucrative travel market, takes place at the front of the plane, in first, business, and premium class, where those paying the top prices help drive airline profits.

"As for business, we know the recovery is slower and so it's a question mark but what we know is that there are a certain number of sectors, especially domestic and medium-haul travel, where recovery is already happening and we hope to see this same tendency for the United States," said Air France-KLM commercial co-director, Henri de Peyrelongue.

LAND BORDER CROSSINGS

U.S. land borders also reopened to non-essential travel on Monday.

In Mexico's Ciudad Juarez, across from the Texan city of El Paso, a line of about 20 people formed early on Monday before crossing and embracing family on the other side of the border, a Reuters witness said. One of the people hadn't seen their relatives in El Paso since March 2020.

"We thought they were going to tell us again that they had decided not to open it," said Lorena Hernandez, stroking her grown-up daughter's hair and smiling broadly after they were reunited in El Paso. "I said, if they don't reopen, I'm going to take a plane."

Some inoculated Mexicans will not be able to enter the United States immediately if they received vaccines in Mexico that have not been approved by the World Health Organization, such as China's CanSino and Russia's Sputnik V.

Hundreds of migrants have arrived at Mexican border cities such as Tijuana in recent days, hoping the reset will make it easier to cross and seek U.S. asylum, despite warnings from advocates that the re-opening is for people who have papers.

In Canada, long lines formed overnight at U.S. border points for an early rush of travellers but a Canadian requirement that all returning travellers have a negative PCR test is expected to dampen travel.

Canada, which allowed fully vaccinated Americans to cross the land border in August, is under pressure to drop the negative test requirement from businesses and travellers, who say showing proof of vaccination should be enough.

Under-18s are exempt from the new vaccine requirements. Non-tourist travellers from nearly 50 countries with nationwide vaccination rates of less than 10% are also eligible for exemption.

(Reporting by Tara Oakes, Stuart McDill, Sarah Young, Antony Paone, David Shepardson; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Gareth Jones and Nick Macfie)

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Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's pledge to deliver a big economic stimulus this year faces challenges, including negotiations within his coalition and a tight schedule to secure funding for the spending.

Below are key issues confronting Kishida, his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the finance ministry, as discussions on the package begin in earnest on Monday:

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

The case for supporting Japan's is urgent as supply disruptions hurt mainstay exports for the world's third-biggest even as consumption has yet to accelerate after the Sept. 30 lifting of COVID-19 curbs.

Having deployed huge fiscal stimulus last year, risks a drop-off in support needed to support the fragile recovery, finance ministry officials say.

Delay in approving Kishida's promised extra budget for this year could disrupt passage of other key legislation as parliament's regular session next year must end in time for a summer upper house election.

"The government's hope is for parliament to pass the extra budget by year end so that the spending would underpin the in the first quarter of next year," a finance ministry official with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

HOW TIGHT IS THE TIMEFRAME?

Japan's government and ruling bloc usually agree on additional spending plans around October, giving the finance ministry time to draft an extra budget to be enacted before previous funding runs out.

This time, the schedule is tight because procedures to craft the package and extra budget were disrupted by the Oct. 31 general election, which affirmed Kishida's rule weeks after he took office.

Kishida says the package will focus on helping households hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic and include steps to distribute wealth more broadly to households. He has offered little detail on the size of the package beyond that it will be worth several hundred billion dollars.

Negotiations on the details have just begun, leaving little time for bureaucrats to compile a draft budget. The extra budget must pass through parliament next month to avoid a delay in enacting next year's budget by the March end of this fiscal year.

DELAY RISKS?The size and timing of the package will be swayed by how smoothly the LDP and its coalition partner Komeito agree on the size of payouts to individuals.

The government and coalition have agreed to pay each person up to age 18 about $900, costing the government some $18 billion, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Friday.

The coalition parties on Monday will discuss details on how much to offer children, said Kyodo news agency.

The spending plan will require delicate negotiations among lawmakers and bureaucrats. In a potential signal of resistance, the ministry's top bureaucrat, Koji Yano, recently issued a rare criticism of politicians engaging in pork-barrel spending.

MARKET FOCUS?

Another contentious issue will be how much debt the government must issue to fund the package, another area Kishida has not detailed. The lack of clarity leaves economists guessing.

Some tip the scale of the stimulus spending around 30 trillion yen ($260 billion), a figure once floated by Kishida, but estimates vary widely.

Takashi Miwa, chief economist at Nomura Securities, expects the package to total 45 trillion yen ($400 billion), funded by an extra budget one-third that size requiring the issuance of more than 5 trillion yen ($45 billion) in fresh government debt.

Takuya Hoshino, senior economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute, forecasts a notably smaller budget of 20 trillion to 30 trillion yen ($180-$260 billion) but which would require up to twice as much in bond issuance at 10 trillion yen ($90 billion).

($1 = 113.8400 yen)

(Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto and Takaya Yamaguchi; Additional reporting by Yoshifumi Takemoto; Editing by Leika Kihara and William Mallard)
Former US President Barack Obama lambasted those who would play politics to avoid acting on climate change, calling out Russia and China in the same breath as Republican politicians back home.

"It was particularly discouraging to see the leaders of two of the world's largest emitters, China and Russia, declined to even attend the proceedings" in Glasgow, Obama said.

Their "national plans so far reflect what appears to be a dangerous lack of urgency and willingness to maintain the status quo on the part of those governments, and that's a shame." The Democratic former president, speaking on the main stage at the COP26 climate summit, also took aim at domestic lawmakers from the Republican Party.

Obama said both he and current Democratic President Joe Biden had been "constrained in large part by the fact that one of our two major parties has decided not only to sit on the sidelines but express active hostility toward climate science and make a partisan issue." "For those listening back home in the US, let me say this: It doesn't matter if you're a Republican or a Democrat if your Florida house is flooded by rising seas, or your crops fail in the Dakotas or your California house is burning down.

"Nature, physics, science, do not care about party affiliation," he said.

Obama said the Paris agreement he helped to broker had created a framework to tackle climate change, but too little had been done since then.

"We are nowhere near where we need to be," he told the Glasgow audience, chiding the leaders of China and Russia.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Top oil exporter has raised the price differential of its flagship crude to by more than double in December versus November, exceeding market expectations and sending a bullish signal to the global oil market, traders said.

The sharper-than-expected price hike comes after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, a group known as OPEC+, agreed last week to maintain a production hike of 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) for December despite consumers' calls for higher output.

On Saturday, state oil giant Saudi Aramco hiked the official selling price (OSP) for Arab Light crude by $1.40 to $2.70 a barrel above the average of Platts Dubai and DME Oman prices in December, its highest level since September.

This far exceeds a hike of 30-90 cents a barrel forecast for Arab Light in a Reuters survey on Oct. 29.

Brent and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures gained more than $1 on Monday following Saudi's announcement. Brent has risen about 60% from the start of the year as global oil demand recovers from the pandemic. [O/R]

"It just tells you that Saudi is very bullish and they also think that the market is very tight and that's why they dare to hike prices so much," a Singapore-based trader said.

The trader said the producer likely based its price calculations on Asia's refining margins, which jumped in October from sharp gains in gasoline and naphtha.

The OSPs for lighter grades - Arab Super Light and Arab Extra Light, which yield more of those two products - rose by more than $2 a barrel in December.

Saudi Aramco also hiked OSPs for heavier grades by more than $1 a barrel despite weaker fuel oil margins. These prices will set the trend for other medium and heavy grades from Kuwait, Iraq and Iran.

The price hikes have made Saudi crude, especially heavier grades, "very expensive", several buyers told Reuters.

Saudi Aramco as a matter of policy does not comment on prices.

The price hikes come even as Middle East producers are increasing output as previously agreed in a pact to raise output starting from August.

Saudi oil production will exceed 10 million bpd in December, for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV said on Thursday.

Middle East benchmarks jumped higher last week after Brent's premium to Dubai quotes stretched to its highest since 2013. That made Brent-linked crude from the Atlantic Basin and Latin America more expensive than those from the Middle East and Russia.

(Reporting by Florence Tan; Editing by Tom Hogue)

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Multiple unfounded bomb threats were made over the weekend at Ivy League campuses, university and law enforcement officials said.

Cornell, Columbia and Brown universities had alerted students to threats on Sunday and deemed campuses safe a few hours later. Evacuations were ordered in some buildings on the campuses. Students were told to avoid campus until local police investigations concluded.

Two days earlier, a bomb threat at Yale forced the evacuation of several buildings as well as nearby businesses in New Haven, Connecticut. The university resumed normal operations on Friday evening.

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Oil prices rose on Monday as positive signs for global economic growth supported the outlook for energy demand, while Saudi Arabia's state-owned producer Aramco raised the official selling price for its crude.

Brent crude was up by 86 cents or 1% at $83.60 a barrel by 0745 GMT, after dropping nearly 2% last week. U.S. oil gained 89 cents or 1.1% to $82.16, having declined almost 3% through Friday.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday welcomed congressional passage of a long-delayed $1 trillion infrastructure bill, which may boost growth and demand for fuel.

China's export growth slowed in October but beat forecasts, buoyed by rising global demand ahead of the winter holiday seasons and improvements in coronavirus-hit supply chains.

"We can expect overall global GDP growth to hold up energy demand," said Avtar Sandu, senior commodities manager at Phillip Futures in Singapore, adding "prices can rise higher on tight fundamentals."

Saudi Arabia late on Friday raised the price of its benchmark crude for customers in Asia in December, exceeding market expectations.

The move by Aramco suggests "demand remains strong" as the OPEC producer and other major oil exporters keep the reins on supply, ANZ Research said in a note.

Demand for jet fuel looks set to take off as more governments make air travel easier with reduced restrictions for coronavirus.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies such as Russia, together known as OPEC+, agreed last week to stick to their plan to raise oil output by 400,000 barrels per day from December.

Biden had called on OPEC+ to produce more crude to dampen rising prices and on Saturday said his administration has "other tools" to deal with the higher price of oil.

Elsewhere, China's oil imports slumped in October to the lowest in three years, as state-owned refiners withheld purchases due to higher prices, while independent refiners were restrained by limited quotas for bringing in crude.

(Reporting by Aaron Sheldrick; editing by Richard Pullin and Kim Coghill)
has again delayed the upcoming launch of the agency's Crew-3 mission to November 10 because of weather concerns.

noted there was an 80 per cent chance of favourable weather for the new date.

"Following Crew-2's return to Earth, Falcon 9 will launch Dragon's third long-duration crew mission to the Space Station as soon as Wednesday, November 10, weather forecast is 80 per cent favorable for liftoff," the firm said in a tweet.

The Crew-3 launch to the Space Station was earlier planned for October 31 but was postponed, due to unfavourable weather, to November 3 and then delayed to November 6.

Even as the teams will continue to monitor crew health, Crew-3 astronauts will remain in quarantine at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket are in good shape and will remain at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy.

The Crew-3 flight will carry astronauts Raja Chari, mission commander; Tom Marshburn, pilot; and Kayla Barron, mission specialist; as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer, who will serve as a mission specialist, to the space station for a six-month science mission, staying aboard until late April 2022.

This is the third crew rotation mission with astronauts on the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and the fourth flight with astronauts, including the Demo-2 test flight, as part of the agency's Commercial Crew Programme.

Aboard Dragon with the crew will be more than 400 pounds of supplies and hardware, including over 150 pounds of which they will use to conduct experiments aboard the space station. Here is some of the research riding with them into low-Earth orbit.

In addition to the experiments flying with them aboard Dragon, the Crew-3 astronauts are also scheduled to conduct many additional experiments and technology demonstrations during their mission.

Crew-3 is crucial for the testing of new upgrades to the space station's Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS), including the newly installed toilet, the Brine Processing Assembly, carbon dioxide scrubbers, and two new hydrogen sensors slated to arrive aboard a SpaceX Cargo Dragon in late December.

--IANS

wh/dpb

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By Subrat Patnaik and Vidya Ranganathan

(Reuters) - shares fell 4.5% on Monday as investors prepared for its chief Elon Musk's proposed sale of about a tenth of his holdings in the electric-car maker following his poll.

Musk, the world's richest person, tweeted on Saturday that he would offload 10% of his stake if users of the social media network approved the proposal.

The poll asking Musk's followers if he should sell stock garnered more than 3.5 million votes, and 57.9% of the people voted "Yes".

Musk had previously said he would have to exercise a large number of stock options in the next three months, which would create a big tax bill. Selling some of his stock could free up funds to pay the taxes.

"I only have stock, thus the only way for me to pay taxes personally is to sell stock," Musk wrote along with his poll. "I was prepared to accept either outcome."

The electric-vehicle maker's shares were down at $1,167.66 in early trading, and if the losses hold, it would wipe off about $54 billion from the company's market value.

AT STAKE IS $21 BILLION

Market participants expected speculators would try to front-run his selling. Musk owned about 170.5 million shares as of June 30, and a 10% sale would amount to about $21 billion based on Friday's closing price, according to a Reuters calculations.

Including stock options, he owns 23% stake in the world's most valuable car company.

In the three months to Nov. 4, company insiders at Tesla sold $259.62 million worth of shares, excluding dispositions of indirectly held shares, according to Refinitiv data.

Musk's poll follows a proposal by U.S. Senate Democrats to tax stocks and other tradeable assets of billionaires to help finance President Joe Biden's social spending plan and fill a loophole that allowed the rich to indefinitely defer capital gains taxes.

"The last thing you do when offloading a massive exposure is to reveal your hand," said Chris Weston, head of research at broker Pepperstone in Melbourne.

"The buyers tend to step away when you have an overhang like this, but this is no ordinary story and is Musk's way of getting back at the proposal to tax the elite with gains on unrealized profits."

Last month, Tesla breached a trillion dollars in market capitalization, becoming the fifth U.S. company to join a club which includes Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Alphabet.

"The dip is not going to last too long, because Tesla has had such a phenomenal record of bouncing back from these sort of selloffs," said David Madden, markets analyst at Equiti Capital in London.

REGULATORY SCRUTINY

Known for his banter, announcements and lively interactions with followers, Musk has had his share of run-ins with financial regulators.

The billionaire was fined $20 million by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for tweeting in 2018 that he was considering taking Tesla private at $420 a share and had secured funding. The SEC also asked him to step down as chairman.

Investors will keep an eye on any response from the regulators on Musk's Twitter poll, especially as the regulator had ordered Tesla to vet any material public communications Musk made regarding the EV maker following his 2018 tweet.

(Reporting by Vidya Ranganathan in Singapore and Subrat Patnaik, Sruthi Shankar, Tanvi Mehta, Anisha Sircar in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Arun Koyyur)

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Leading South Korean and SK hynix were set to hand over their semiconductor data to the US government by Monday (US time).

According to a statement on Sunday by the South Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance, the chipmakers were preparing for a "voluntary submission" to hand over their internal data to the US.

In late September, the US Department of Commerce asked major chip and automakers to "voluntarily" share business information to address the global chip crisis, following President Joe Biden's executive order to secure and strengthen America's supply chains for key products.

The South Korean government has said it will strengthen the chip supply chain partnership with the US.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's largest chipmaker, has already submitted its answers to the US sans customers' detailed information, according to reports.

Kim Ki-nam, Vice Chairman and CEO of Samsung's device solutions division, said the company was "calmly" preparing answers to the request, during a meeting with reporters at the Korea Electronics Show (KES) last month.

"We are internally reviewing the matter and are in close talks with the (South Korean) government," said SK hynix CEO Lee Seok-hee, who also attended the event.

The information request by Washington has immediately spawned concerns about the possible leak of what chipmakers consider as major trade secrets, as questions touch upon a wide range of issues, including investment, inventories, pricing, customers and sales, Yonhap news agency reported last week.

It also raised questions on how to answer those sensitive questions while complying with filings and information disclosure rules required for publicly traded

While the US government said the information sharing is "voluntary", South Korean companies are under pressure to file the information as requested.

--IANS

na/vd

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The US lifted restrictions Monday on travel from a long list of countries including Mexico, Canada and most of Europe, allowing tourists to make long-delayed trips and family members to reconnect with loved ones after more than a year and a half apart because of the pandemic.



I'm going to jump into his arms, kiss him, touch him, Gaye Camara said of the husband in New York she has not seen since before Covid-19 brought the fly-here-there-and-everywhere world to a halt.



Just talking about it makes me emotional, Camara, 40, said as she wheeled her luggage through Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport, which could almost be mistaken for its pre-pandemic self, busy with humming crowds, albeit in face masks.



The rules that go into effect Monday allow air travel from a series of countries from which it has been restricted since the early days of the pandemic  as long as the traveller has proof of vaccination and a negative Covid-19 test. Those crossing a land border from Mexico or Canada will require proof of vaccination but no test.



US citizens and permanent residents were always allowed to enter the US, but the travel bans grounded tourists, thwarted business travellers and often separated families.



Airlines are now preparing for a surge in travel. Data from travel and analytics firm Cirium showed airlines are increasing flights between the UK and the US by 21 per cent this month over last month.



When Camara last saw Mamadou, her husband, in January 2020, they had no way of knowing that they'd have to wait 21 months before holding each other again. She lives in France's Alsace region, where she works as a secretary. He is based in New York.



It was very hard at the beginning. I cried nearly every night, she said. I got through it thanks to him. He knows how to talk to me, to calm me. Video calls, text messages, phone conversations kept them connected  but couldn't fill the void of separation.
regulator on Monday allowed (FPIs) to write off all debt securities that they are unable to sell.

This will be applicable only to such FPIs who wish to surrender their registration, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) said in a circular.

"In view of the requests received from various stakeholders, it has now been decided to permit the FPIs to also write off all debt securities in their beneficiary account which they are unable to sell for any reason.

"This shall be applicable only to such FPIs who wish to surrender their registration," said.

In September, the regulator permitted FPIs to write off shares of all the companies that they are unable to sell.

For the write-off, the process prescribed in the operational guidelines has to be complied with, it 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 are likely to resume trading on a quiet note after the holiday-break. The SGX Nifty futures were quoted at 17,971, down 25 points at 08:25 AM. Meanwhile, here are the top stocks to focus in trade today:



Earnings Today: 3i Infotech, Andhra Paper, Aurobindo Pharma, Automotive Axles, Balrampur Chini, Britannia, EID Parry, Fortis Hospitals, Goldiam International, GVK Power, PTC India, RS Software, Shankara Building, Sobha, Tamilnadu Petroproducts and Pharma are few of the major companies scheduled to report earnings today.

Realty stocks: Asia-focused investor PAG has taken a contra credit bet in Indian real estate over the past couple of years while most lenders have shied away from the sector in the aftermath of the NBFC liquidity crisis following IL&FS defaults in September 2018. READ MORE



Q2FY22 net rose 18.1 per cent to Rs 395.55 crore as against Rs 335.02 crore in Q2FY21. Total revenue was up 10.4 per cent YoY at Rs 848.67 crore. READ MORE The Q2FY21 net profit rose 18.1 per cent to Rs 606.39 crore when compared with Rs 513.30 crore in the corresponding quarter a year ago. Total income grew 15 per cent YoY to Rs 1,986.97 crore from Rs 1,727.42 crore.

McLeod Russel: The company has signed an inter creditor agreement (ICA) with banking lenders for debt resolution. Plan will have a mix of capital infusion by promoters and recast of balance debt. McLeod owes banks Rs 1,800 crore; with unpaid interest, the total is about Rs 2,300 crore. READ MORE



Gail India: The NCLT approved state-owned gas utility GAILs acquisition of bankrupt IL&FS 26 per cent stake in ONGC Tripura Power Company (OTPC). READ MORE



Muthoot Finance: Q2FY22 net increased 11.1 per cent YoY to Rs 994 crore from Rs 894.38 crore in Q2FY21. Total income was up 9.5 per cent at Rs 2,830.14 crore from Rs 2,583.41 crore during the same period.

TCI Express: Is looking to begin deliveries using drones by the end of the ongoing fiscal, a top company official said. In the trials conducted in Ahmedabad, medicines and other urgent/ immediate delivery packages weighing 5-10 kg were delivered to customers, he said. READ MORE



Suven Pharma: Net profit for the quarter ended September 2021 rose 76.3 per cent YoY t Rs 115.20 crore from Rs 65.33 crore in a year ago period. Total income increased by 42.7 per cent YoY from Rs 237.74 crore to Rs 339.32 crore.

Dalmia Cement: Company has turned to using biomass and industrial waste to protect itself from fuel price fluctuations that are eating into its margins. The company is also looking to raise Rs 10,000 crore for capital expenditure between FY22 and FY24 after reaching a negligible debt level. READ MORE



Dhanlaxmi Bank: Q2 net tumbled 73.9 per cent to Rs 3.66 crore for the quarter ended September 2021 from Rs 14.01 crore in the September 2020 quarter. Total income, however, was up 6.8 per cent at Rs 266.59 crore from Rs 249.66 crore.

Andhra Petrochemicals: September 2021 quarter net profit soared multi-fold to Rs 86.49 crore when compared with Rs 6.91 crore in the quarter ended September 2020. Total income grew by 83.1 per cent YoY to Rs 246.95 crore.

Selan Exploration: Q2 net nearly doubled to Rs 3.16 crore for the quarter ended September 2021 as against Rs 1.62 crore in September 2020. Total income was up 22.3 per cent at Rs 20.02 crore from Rs 16.37 crore.

Stocks in F&O ban: Escorts and PNB are the only two stocks in F&O ban today.
Shares of Barbeque Nation Hospitality surged 9 per cent to Rs 1,782.55 on the BSE in the intra-day trade on Monday, and has gained a solid 46 per cent in just six trading days, after the firm reported strong September quarter earnings.

The stock was trading at its highest level since its market debut on April 7, 2021. With the past six days' rally, the stock has zoomed 257 per cent from its issue price of Rs 500 per share. In comparison, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 0.16 per cent at 59,970 points at 10:43 am in trade today.

Barbeque Nation is one of Indias leading food services company. It currently owns and operates 169 outlets across India and 3 other countries. The company pioneered the format of over the table barbeque concept in Indian restaurants. With an expansive network and brand recognition, Barbeque Nation continues to be a staple in most metro and tier-1 and 2 cities. The company has a majority stake in Red Apple Kitchen, which operates 10 Italian cuisine restaurants under the popular brand Toscano



In July-September quarter (Q2FY22), Barbeque Nation reported a strong 190 per cent year-on-year (YoY) growth in revenue from operations of Rs 221 crore, as strong recovery in dine-in business with easing of restrictions and gradual reopening. Same store sales growth during the quarter was up 184 per cent, while delivery revenue increased by 219 per cent over Q2FY21.

The companys reported earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (ebitda) jumped 568 per cent YoY at Rs 49.80 crore. It had posted loss of Rs 10.4 crore in June quarter. Ebitda margins improved to 22.6 per cent from 9.8 per cent in a year ago quarter. The company reported profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 3.3 crore against loss of Rs 36.5 crore in Q2FY21 and loss of Rs 43.9 crore in Q1FY22.

The management said with COVID cases receding and increasing vaccinated population in the country, the mobility has been improving post the second wave. There has been a gradual easing of COVID related restrictions which augurs well for the growth of the companys dine-in business and this has led to a strong recovery during the quarter.

Our diversification strategy continues to reap benefits with both delivery and dine-in businesses growing over the previous year. We continue to remain focused on our core business through our investments in network expansion and in our digital platform covering reservations, delivery and loyalty, the management said.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Sunday said that the US is yet not ready to provide financial aid to Islamic Emirate in until they fulfil their commitments like inclusive government, protecting rights of women and not allowing the Afghan soil to be used again by any terrorist outfit.

"We are not yet in a position to be able to provide money directly through the current leadership in Afghanistan, the is not in a position we would want. Until we see a substantially improved approach to everything, from the inclusive government to other elements that we are discussing with them regularly, our focus is going to continue to be on providing funding ... through organizations and non-government organizations," Sullivan told the CNN broadcaster, reported Sputnik.

The US would need to see significant improvement in government inclusivity and other aspects, Sullivan said, adding that the US was regularly discussing this with the other party.

He stressed that Washington considers it the best way to "actually help the people of without creating a circumstance in which some of those funds could be used for purposes that are problematic to the national security interests of the

(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.)
Canara Bank advanced 3.67% to Rs 237.20 after ICRA upgraded the rating of bank's Basel-III Tier-II bonds worth Rs 7900 crore to 'ICRA AAA (Stable)' from 'ICRA AA+(hyb) (Stable)'.

The credit ratings agency has also upgraded its ratings on the Basel III Additional Tier l bonds worth Rs 1500 crore to 'ICRA AA+ (Stable)' from 'ICRA AA (hyb) (Stable)'.

ICRA said that the rating upgrade factors in the improvement in the solvency profile of Canara Bank which is expected to sustain going forward. An improved capital position has supported the bank's solvency profile, which is expected to get a further boost from improving profitability metrics and expectations of steady internal capital accruals.

The ratings continue to be supported by the bank's sovereign ownership and the demonstrated track record of capital support from the Government of India (GoI).

Canara had merged with erstwhile Syndicate Bank (e-SB), effective 1 April 2020. The merger had further increased the systemic importance of the bank in the Indian banking sector with a market share of 6.4% in advances and 7% in total deposits as on 30 June 2021. It is the third largest public sector bank (PSB) and the fourth-largest bank in the Indian financial system in terms of total business (advances and deposits cumulatively).

Though the asset quality stress because of the COVID-19 pandemic is lower than initially estimated, it remains a monitorable for the bank. The bank reported a sizeable quantum of restructured advances (3.5% of standard advances as on 30 September 2021) under the relief package to borrowers impacted by COVID-19. The performance of these advances will continue to be monitored.

Additionally, the overdue loan accounts (SMA-1 and SMA-2) for the bank stands at approximately 3.3% as on 30 September 2021. The gross fresh slippages are expected to remain high for FY2022 because of the elevated fresh slippages in H1 FY2022 (3.7% annualised), but moderate thereafter.

The bank has steadily increased the provision cover for legacy stressed assets and has reduced its net NPA levels to 3.2% as on 30 September 2021 from 4.8% as on 31 March 2020. Though the slippages could remain high in FY2022 due to declining provisions for legacy stressed assets, ICRA expects the credit provisions to moderate as the bank is likely to significantly absorb the credit provisions from its operating profits. As a result, the bank's profitability is expected to improve with a return on assets (RoA) of over 0.2-0.3% in FY2022 and over 0.3-0.5% in FY2023.

The 'stable' outlook on the ratings factor in the expectations of an improving solvency profile, internal capital generation and the strong liability profile of the bank, apart from its sovereign ownership.

Incorporated in 1906, Canara Bank was merged with erstwhile Syndicate Bank (e-SB) on 1 April 2020 to form the third-largest public sector bank and the fourth-largest bank in the Indian banking system with a total asset base of Rs 11.9 lakh crore as on 30 September 2021. The bank has a market share of 6.4% and 7% in net advances and total deposits, respectively, as on 30 June 2021, with the GoI holding a majority stake (62.93% as on 30 September 2021). It has a network of 9,804 branches and 10,988 ATMs as on 30 September 2021.

The state-run bank's net profit surged 199.86% to Rs 1,332.61 crore on 2.59% increase in total income to Rs 21,331.49 crore in Q2 September 2021 over Q2 September 2020.

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The Mainland Chinese stocks moved modestly higher on Monday, 08 November 2021, with the Shanghai composite and Shenzhen Composite indexes settling above the neutral line, after China's exports surged better than expected in October as compared with a year ago.

Also aiding sentiment toward the market, the Communist Party begins a meeting on Monday which is expected to pave the way for President Xi Jinping to secure an unprecedented third five-year term as president.

At close of trade, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index added 0.2%, or 7.06 points, to 3,498.63. The Shenzhen Composite Index, which tracks stocks on China's second exchange, rose 0.48%, or 11.56 points, to 2,417.97. The blue-chip CSI300 index gained 0.12%, or 5.83 points, to 4,848.18.

ECONOMIC NEWS: China's exports rose 27.1% to $300.2 billion in October 2021 as compared with a year ago, data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Sunday.

Imports increased 20.6%, leaving a trade surplus of $84.54 billion.

CURRENCY NEWS: China's yuan was tad up against the U. S. dollar on Monday after firmer mid-point fixing by central bank. Prior to the market opening, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) set the midpoint CNY=PBOC at 6.3959 per dollar, 0.03% firmer than the previous fix of 6.398. In the spot market, onshore yuan CNY=CFXS was changing hands at 6.3971 late afternoon, 0.03% firmer than the previous late session close.

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Infosys Ltd is quoting at Rs 1737.65, up 1.69% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The stock is up 52.89% in last one year as compared to a 44.63% jump in NIFTY and a 64.1% jump in the Nifty IT index.

Infosys Ltd is up for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 1737.65, up 1.69% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.59% on the day, quoting at 18022.1. The Sensex is at 60372.11, up 0.51%. Infosys Ltd has gained around 2.76% in last one month.

Meanwhile, Nifty IT index of which Infosys Ltd is a constituent, has gained around 1.78% in last one month and is currently quoting at 35334.25, up 1.34% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 28.32 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 71.12 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark November futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 1735.9, up 1.58% on the day. Infosys Ltd is up 52.89% in last one year as compared to a 44.63% jump in NIFTY and a 64.1% jump in the Nifty IT index.

The PE of the stock is 36.44 based on TTM earnings ending September 21.

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NACL Industries skid 2% to Rs 73.45 after the company mutually agreed with UPL to terminate the Contract Manufacturing Agreement (CMA) which was signed for the purpose of manufacturing three intermediate products at its Srikakulam Technical plant.

NACL Industries had earlier signed a Contract Manufacturing Agreement (CMA) with UPL for the purpose of manufacturing three intermediate products at the company's Srikakulam Technical plant. In view of changed business circumstances with respect to commercial feasibility of the project and other external and internal factors, the CMA was commercially unviable to both parties.

Accordingly, it has been mutually agreed between NACL Industries and UPL to terminate the CMA and all the ancillary documents/agreements vide execution of the 'Mutual Termination and Settlement Agreement (Termination Agreement)'. Such termination will materially not have any financial and business impact on NACL Industries, the firm further clarified.

NACL Industries' consolidated net profit jumped 30.3% to Rs 24.38 crore on a 28.7% surge in net sales to Rs 442.85 crore in Q2 FY22 over Q2 FY21.

NACL Industries is involved in the business of crop protection. It manufactures technicals (active ingredient) and formulations.

Shares of UPL rose 0.81% to Rs 743.50 on BSE.

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Reiterates disengagement from Cairn Energy

Vedanta (Cairn Oil & Gas, a division of Vedanta) reiterates that it is a separate entity with no connection to Cairn Energy PLC. Cairn Energy PLC, the Scottish oil and gas exploration company that is also commonly referred to as Cairn Energy, will discontinue the use of the brand name 'Cairn' as part of its corporate identity by December 2021. The brand 'Cairn' is exclusively owned by Vedanta.

After being taken over by the Vedanta Group, the company, Cairn India , disassociated itself from Cairn Energy PLC, the former having no association with Cairn Energy PLC and with both companies being separate legal entities with different promoters/shareholders. Cairn India was later merged into Vedanta in 2017.

As the two entities are separate, Cairn Oil and Gas, formerly known as Cairn India, does not have anything to do with the Cairn Energy PLC's retrospective tax dispute case.

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Since the 1960s, the Mullaperiyar dam has surfaced regularly as a contentious issue between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. For decades, the dam and its safety used to create panic among millions of people living in the downstream districts of Kerala, whenever rain intensified.

On the other side, the water is a lifeline for over 208,000 hectares of agricultural land in around five districts of Tamil Nadu. However, experts indicate that for the first time in over six decades, each of the two chief ministers (this time M K Stalin of Tamil Nadu and Pinarayi Vijayan of Kerala) has shown ...
Full service carrier Vistara has commenced non-stop flight services to Paris from Delhi under the air bubble agreement between India and Europe.

The airline operated its inaugural direct flight to Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday, a company release said on Monday.

Under the pact, Vistara will fly twice a week between the two cities - on Wednesday and Sunday -- with Boeing 787-9 (Dreamliner) aircraft, it said.

Paris is the seventh overseas airport for the Tata Sons-Singapore Airlines joint venture, where it currently operates its flights services under the air bubble agreement.

London, Frankfurt, Dubai, Doha, Sharjah, and Male are the other international destinations besides the newly-launched Paris.

"We are delighted to expand our global footprint as we bring India's finest airline to Paris," said Vistara Chief Executive Office, Leslie Thng.

He said Paris is one of the most popular destinations in Europe and Charles de Gaulle is an important airport for any airline intending to serve the region.

"Given the strong economic and cultural ties there is a high demand for direct connectivity between India and France, and therefore Paris fits our network very well," Thng added.

Bookings for the flights are open on all channels, including on the airline's website, mobile app, and through travel agents, Vistara said.

Vistara has a fleet of 50 aircraft comprising Airbus A320, Airbus A321neo, Boeing 737-800NG, and Boeing 787-9 planes.

(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.)
Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], November 8 (ANI/PNN): Nextillo, a seamlessly integrated online medical education app that brings together multiple effective learning tools under one roof, was launched by actor Sharman Joshi at hotel Shivalik View in Chandigarh today.

Sharman is also the brand ambassador of Nextillo.

This app focuses on helping doctors prepare for medical exams such as FMGE, NEXT, USMLE, KROK, PLAB, NEET, and NMAT, which are new universal exams for all MBBS doctors after completing a degree without a difference where they have completed their degree from. All Indian and Foreign MBBS graduates need to clear this exam.

Dr Sunil Sharma, MD, NextilloEdutech Pvt Ltd, said, "It's an immense pleasure for Nextillo to announce the mega launch of our most innovative medical education application. We are a passionate team of high-profile, experienced doctors, medical education enthusiasts, e-learning specialists and forward-thinking entrepreneurs. Consisting of diverse, talented individuals to create a unique, interdisciplinary perspective on medical education, our team keeps things simple but optimised for the best learning experience. We have our presence in all major cities of India and are also expanding globally. It is a one-stop solution tailored to enhance medical students' knowledge with its unique features."

Actor Sharman Joshi said, "I am happy to be associated with Nextillo, a digital learning platform that is specifically designed to cater to the needs of medical students. With a keen eye kept on the curriculum as well as the latest exam trends and patterns, Nextillo enhances the knowledge of every aspirant by putting fundamental ideas into the core of a student."

The founders and directors of Nextillo App, including Manjula Naidu, Dr Sunil Sharma, Dr Nakhat Singh, Dr Nirbhay Chandrana, Dr Vishal Sharma, were present at the launch programme.

Nextillo app is carefully designed and customised by the most efficient and renowned educators worldwide, sharing their knowledge and best practices through extraordinary content and key concept based videos exclusively for Nextillo application users. Nextillo is a prime digital education app that is Economical, User friendly, Flexible and exclusively designed to cater for the needs & requirements of every medical student worldwide. It is updated with the latest factors, patterns and syllabus as per the respective competitive exam that the student faces.

Dr Sunil Sharma further said that Nextillo robustly believes in being simple, reliable, and focused on offering cost-effective, affordable learning services to the medical education world. It looks to help medical students understand and apply key concept principles with interactive lessons and regular assessments to ensure content mastery.

Nextillo is an exclusively designed smart digital education platform for the medical students who are pursuing MBBS and also for those who are looking to face higher medical education like post-graduation not just in India but worldwide, facing competitive exams like FMGE (Foreign Medical Graduates Examination), USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Examination), KROK (examination for medical licensure in Ukraine), NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) UG/PG, PLAB (Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board), NMAT (National Medical Admission Test).

Nextillo ensures each lecture is a bundle of information engagingly packaged to you. It provides an experience beyond the classroom with a special focus on deepening the understanding of the clinical practice and medical examinations in relation to real-life case studies, so students can truly learn and assimilate all concepts. Explore through our concept-based video lectures to learn a vast range of topics.

This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN)

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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 8 (ANI/NewsVoir): NMIMS Deemed-to-be-University is offering a dual degree program in business analytics in association with Purdue University's Krannert School of Management.

Upon successful completion of the two-year program, participants will earn an MBA in Decision Science & Analytics from NMIMS University and a MS in Business Analytics and Information Management from Purdue University.

The 2-year program has:

3 terms at NMIMS University

2 terms at Purdue University

1 term dedicated to internship in India

The programme aims to develop graduates who can be effective analytics translators, who can liaise between business stakeholdes and the data team, and lead organizations towards data-driven decision making.

Students are trained on building both business skills through case-studies and experiential learning, and analytics skills through programming and building ML models. Finally, there are umpteen opportunities for students to apply their learning in solving real-world problems, through industry-driven internships, capstone projects etc.

Data science jobs are mainly available in new age industries. Candidates are required to demonstrate skills related to problem-solving, communication, creativity and teamwork. It is a mix of managerial and analytical capabilities, sharpened into leadership skills.

"As businesses get disrupted the world over, there is a huge vacuum for highly specialised skills particularly in the field of decision science. Data scientists, data engineers, and business analysts are amongst the most sought after roles today," says Dr. Prashant Mishra, Dean of the School of Business Management at NMIMS.

"Analytics roles are often multidisciplinary and they all require an ability to link analytics to business objectives. In this program students will be mentored to develop these skillsets, by top-notch faculty from the two leading business schools of the world," adds Binesh Nair, Programme Chairperson

Eligibility: To apply students must have a Bachelor's Degree in any discipline from a recognized University with minimum 55% marks in the aggregate.

Applicants should get minimum TOEFL score of 93 with minimum subsections scores; IELTS score of 7.0 or higher with minimum subsections scores as well will also accepted.

Admission Procedure:

Step 1: Register for NMAT by GMAC Last day to register is 10 November 2021)

Step 2: Register and apply for NMIMS MBA at (https://nmat.nmims.edu/?utm_source=NewsvoirPR & utm_medium=link & utm_campaign=purdue) (Last day to apply is either before the NMAT by GMAC first exam attempt date)

Note:

Important changes introduced by NMIMS for MBA Admissions 2022

NMIMS accepts score of the first NMAT examination attempted by the candidate

Apply for NMIMS before your scheduled NMATbyGMAC examination or before.

Accreditation

SBM has the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation, which is known as the longest-standing and most prestigious professional accreditation in business education. It has NAAC accreditation with Grade A+ (3.59 CGPA), Mumbai Campus and is recognized as Category-I University by MHRD/UGC Grant of Graded Autonomy Regulation, 2018.

SBM of SVKM's NMIMS, Deemed-to-be-University, is one of India's leading business schools with a legacy of world-renowned faculty and an excellent placement program. NMIMS which began as a business school 40 years ago, is known for its trailblazing curriculum. The school has consistently ranked among the top 10 B-Schools in the country since 1998, in various such published surveys.

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) owns and administers the NMAT by GMAC exam. The NMAT by GMAC is accepted by 38 leading institutions in India for securing admissions to their flagship MBA and other management programs in India. Besides India, the NMAT by GMAC exam today is delivered across 12 countries namely, South Africa, Philippines, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Botswana, Nepal, Sri Lanka, UAE, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia.

GMAC has two types of testing modes for the exam. One is online proctored exam that can be taken from home and the second is the centre-based online exam. Candidates have the option to take the test either at test centre that follows all the social distancing protocols or take the online proctored exam from the comfort of their homes.

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)

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Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 8 (ANI/NewsVoir): Sapio Analytics, an artificially intelligent support system for governments and citizens, and KGS Microsystems LLP, a leader in the archival digitization industry, have entered into an agreement of commitment for acquisition of KGS Microsystems LLP, at an undisclosed sum.

This agreement makes (https://sapioanalytics.com) Sapio Analytics India's largest smart digitization company, with clients spanning libraries, agencies, heritage sites and more.

Founded by Kishor Gulgule, a veteran imaging professional, and A Parvez Banatwala, a technology entrepreneur, KGS Microsystems LLP has active contracts worth around 1 million USD and a pipeline of around 20 million USD. It is currently in the process of digitizing hundreds of millions of images and records. Banatwala shall lead the smart digitization practice of the group.

"The anonymized intelligence driven out of the digitization by KGS Microsystems LLP, and its deep trust-based access to various clients in law enforcement, publications, heritage libraries, defense and PSUs, shall help Sapio significantly multiply its value. Our A.I. is powered by intelligence from the voice of millions of citizens, and more than a dozen world leaders and domain experts. Now, with KGS Microsystems LLP, invaluable intelligence from the analogue world shall also power our A.I. government systems," says Hardik Somani, Director and COO of Sapio Analytics.

Sapio expects to use this acquisition to power its heritage restoration division, law enforcement and intelligence division, smart healthcare division, and its other divisions for improving the state of economy of nations.

"There are billions of records in India alone that have not been digitized yet. We are saying that the future digitization of these records shall not just be about conversion from analog to digital, but shall also be about digital to intelligence, making us the only player with excellence in high end digitization technologies and new age artificially intelligent machine learning smartness. KGS Microsystems LLP has expertise in 'analog to digital' and Sapio has been leading 'intelligence in digital' for governments. Together, we become an undisputed market leader in smart and intelligent digitization," adds Somani.

The Library, Heritage & Archives digitization market is growing at 13.5% CAGR globally. Having worked on more than 25 million records, KGS Microsystems LLP now hopes to become the choice of digitization across the developing world with this acquisition.

Sapio Analytics works directly with citizens and generates revenue through a share of increase in revenue and GDP for governments and nations. Currently headquartered in Mumbai, and with subsidiary office in Palo Alto, it also works closely with the nations of Zimbabwe, Eswatini, New Zealand, Korea, Guyana, among others.

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)

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New Delhi [India], November 8 (ANI/SRV): This year's much-anticipated NEET-UG results have been announced by NTA on the 1st of November 2021, which can be viewed on the NTA NEET portal.

The NEET-UG 2021 recorded the highest attendance in five years with 16.14 lakh test subjects.

With the cut-off announced as UR/EWS - 720-138, OBC/SC/ST- 137-108 according to figures released by NTA, 15,44,275 students passed the exams and among them, only 8,70,074 students were able to pass. This year three students received a total mark which is 720/720.

As you all know that even after all the barriers NTA successfully conducted the NEET 2021 test on 12 Sep. Now the final key of NEET is also released by the NTA and the result.

Every year there are a large number of students who wish to pursue their MBBS from Bangladesh. Bangladesh is one of the few countries that offers MBBS courses with a very small package, which falls into the pocket of a middle-class family, and in Bangladesh, the cost of living is also very low which is the main reason why MBBS Seekers choose to go to Bangladesh.

There is no need to appear for any language entrance exams like IELTS/TOEFL/PTE to get admission in MBBS in Bangladesh.

Under the SAARC scholarship scheme, Bangladesh offers 22 seats allocated for Indian aspirants in Government Medical Colleges. On other hand, Private Medical Colleges are capable of intake 40-45 percent of International students every year. As we already know, Bangladesh is known for its affordable and high-quality medical MBBS courses, and this is the reason why most Students choose Bangladesh for their MBBS program.

Smile Education, a trusted and reliable authorized admission consultant for MBBS in Bangladesh; have better connections with Medical College Administration and Management.

Smile Education is facilitating dreams for many students who want to pursue MBBS and for students who are already pursuing their degree in Bangladesh. Smile Education has an authorized information centre for MBBS Admission in Bangladesh that provides career counseling for professional medical courses there.

Learn More Eligibility Criteria (https://www.mbbsinbangladesh.in/eligibility-criteria)

There are also a few pitfalls to studying in Bangladesh. Strict MBBS Admission Procedure, students Must Complete All Qualification Requirements, No Seat relaxation on basis of category, No AC Hostel (can be provided with a special request at additional cost), Full vegetarian or Vegan food may not go anywhere. Some hostel conditions are not up to the standards. Speaking Bengali is required when communicating with an outpatient patient, after 2.5 years (two and a half).

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The first year's tuition fee is higher compared to other countries. For example, if the total cost is US USD 36000 for a 5-year MBBS course, you may ask to pay 40 percent -50 percent of the US$15000 package for the First Year.

MBBS in Bangladesh for Indian students thrives and this is reflected in the percentage of breaking FMGE records of 27.11 percent in 2015-2018, 37.98 in 2019, and FMGE 2020 keeping the pass rate of 36.7 percent, Best Performance of -FMGE compared to other regions of the world. The MBBS program in the international program is very popular in India.

The Bangladesh Medical & Dental Council (BM & DC) is a statutory body with the responsibility of establishing and maintaining high standards of medical education in Bangladesh. The colleges are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and are affiliated with a university in the respective region. Currently, there are 112 recognized medical colleges out of which 37 are public and 70 are private colleges. All students receive the degree of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) at the graduate level from Government Medical Universities.

List of Public Medical Universities in Bangladesh

1 Bangladesh University of Professionals

2 Sylhet Medical University

3 Chittagong Medical University

4 University of Dhaka (Dhaka University)

5 Rajshahi Medical University

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Smile Education offers admission to All Medical Universities in Bangladesh. have the knowledge to choose the best Medical College in Bangladesh according to your needs. they are helping Indian students who want to do MBBS in Bangladesh. Smile Education works with various institutions and education providers to provide the best solutions.

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New Delhi [India], November 8 (ANI/India PR Distribution): Nalanda Learning Systems Pvt. Ltd, a well-known edtech startup that operates 'Little Laureates' pre-schools across eastern India, has announced major expansion plans in the edtech space.

Tamal Mukherjee (Chairman, ASSOCHAM Education Council: Eastern Region) and Timir Mukherjee; Directors of Nalanda learning Systems Pvt Ltd and the torch bearers of yearly years' education brought into existence their brainchild, Little Laureates, one of the most eminent pre-school brands in India in 2012 with soaring success and respect.

Today again at the time of global crisis and unprecedented situation where young learners have been most impacted with the disruption in their education, Nalanda stepped in to augment and foster the little minds, the future builders of the nation. With over 4000 students from all over India and incessant efforts from our educators, Little Laureates emerged as a pioneer in digital pre-schooling with state of art learning management systems and pedagogy.

The success story continues as Nalanda welcomed its new CEO, Amit Singh, a preschool industry veteran and ex CEO-New Business, EuroKids International. He says, "Education sector is changing at a very fast pace and to achieve our objectives we need to be nimble-footed and stay ahead of the curve through innovation and entrepreneurship and I am sure this will make Nalanda Learning the leading Edtech company of India"

As Tamal Mukherjee, Director of Nalanda Learning Systems Pvt Ltd says "We are nothing without our employees. We at Nalanda strongly believe in Employee- First culture and our dreams and passion will take off with strong wings from our people."

"All the success of an organization comes down to the skills and untiring application of its PEOPLE. The workforces are the real builders and architects of an organization and we at Nalanda pledge to foster values, respect, and inclusion amongst our people" says Subhankar Ghose, CHRO Nalanda Learning Systems Pvt Ltd and a stalwart in the HR fraternity. Nalanda Learning Systems strongly believes in constructive feedback-rich culture to keep employees productive, happy with professional advancement. "We are an organization of leaders and innovators with a rich talent pool and we encourage ingenious minds to join our family to create a history in the edtech world together"

With the right blend of customer centrism, rewarding work culture, industry stalwarts and tradition Nalanda surges forward with an oath to immerge as a leading Ed-tech industry of India.

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Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 8 (ANI/NewsVoir): (https://www.greaterspringfield.com.au) Springfield City Group (SCG), the master developer of Greater Springfield, in partnership with Australia India Business Council Ltd. (AIBC), the peak body for promoting and enhancing bilateral trade relations between the two countries, aims to further build the Australia-India relationship by attracting world-leading Indian technology companies to Australia.

Maha Sinnathamby, Chairman of SCG, said, "Greater Springfield's unique offering to Indian technology companies that are already in this country or planning to establish in Australia, is the chance to be involved in a fully master-planned city that offers innovation at its core. Greater Springfield is an economic powerhouse located in the heart of Southeast Queensland and provides a platform for companies to be innovative, entrepreneurial, and collaborative. Greater Springfield has, over three decades, solidified itself as a home for these types of organisations. With its own Data Centre, an extensive fibre network, a university, 15,000 students, and access to a population of over 500,000 within a 22-minute drive, Greater Springfield provides a true lifestyle within a 15-minute drive for employees that choose to work in the local Greater Springfield economy."

Jim Varghese, National Chair of AIBC said, "In our 35th year of celebrations, the Australia India Business Council was proud to support the Springfield City Group's Australia India IT Hub Summit held recently. AIBC believes in the power of Springfield City Group's one-stop-shop location for leading tech companies from India and Australia to collaborate and further build on bilateral ties between the two countries. Australia and India have a long and proud relationship of working together. The India Tech Hub planned at Springfield City will drive innovation in the technology field and Australia only stands to gain."

Ashok Mysore, Chair of AIBC's Information and Communications Technology and Digital Chapter said, "Indian technology companies have embraced Australia. It has proven a great place for them to access local talent and build a base of knowledge workers. These companies are projecting significant growth over the next decade and there is a tremendous opportunity for Australian engineers, software developers and innovators to be part of this growth and bring their own expertise to Australia. The opportunity is for Australia to show that it is the best place for these organisations to establish and grow."

To learn more about Springfield, please visit; (https://www.greaterspringfield.com.au).

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Surat (Gujarat) [India], November 8 (ANI/PNN): The Surat Jewellery Manufacturers Association, which represents jewellery manufacturers in Surat, will host the Gems & Jewellery Manufacturers Show (GJMS) in Surat from November 27 to 29, adding another feather to the Diamond City's hat.

It is the first-ever exhibition of gems and jewellery manufacturers being organised by a prominent association. The three-day show will be an exclusive B2B event and will present a unique opportunity for gems & jewellery manufacturers, wholesalers, suppliers, and buyers, to connect with one another, discover the latest and upcoming trends in global markets, and create business opportunities.

"The Gems & Jewellery Manufacturers Show will provide an exclusive and vibrant platform to showcase the latest global trends in the gems & jewellery industry before visitors from across the country. It will open new avenues for growing business by forming relations with clients from different markets," said Jayanti Savaliya, President of Surat Jewellery Manufacturers Association.

While Surat is famous as the global hub of diamond cutting and polishing, the city is also home to a thriving gem & jewellery industry. GJMS will give a new identity to Surat in the gems & jewellery industry.

The three-day expo, which will take place at the Surat International Exhibition and Convention Centre (SIECC), the largest such venue in Surat city, will see the participation of more than 200 manufacturers from the gems & jewellery industry from across the country.

"We have conducted multiple marketing events and held roadshows across several cities in the run-up to the exhibition to ensure high participation. We are eyeing tremendous responses from the exhibitors. We are also expecting more than 8,000 buyers and trade visitors from Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Surat, and other large gems & jewellery markets, presenting a huge business opportunity for the participants," said Savaliya.

Exclusive natural diamonds and jewellery, lab-grown/synthetic diamonds and jewellery, and machine-made, hand-made & designer jewellery will be among the unique attractions of the Gems & Jewellery Manufacturers Show.

The show will be a unique opportunity for gems & jewellery manufacturers and machinery manufacturers to meet and present their latest technology.

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Dubai [UAE], November 8 (ANI/NewsVoir): Telangana will showcase the success and capabilities of its startups and women entrepreneurs during November 09-12 at India Pavilion EXPO2020 Dubai.

The state has lined up events and meetings for sharing the business opportunities through new innovative ideas, products, and services that the business and startup ecosystem of the state can offer to the global investors.

A 17-member strong business delegation of The Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FTCCI), chamber member of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and industry (FICCI), led by the chamber's president and MD, Creamline Dairy Products, K Bhasker Reddy, will be exploring potential business tie-ups through these meetings and events.

"Government of India has set up an ambitious target of US $400 billion exports for 2021-22 and FTCCI aims at facilitating and supporting the ecosystem. The governments all across the world has captured the flourishing startup community and we are of the opinion that there could be huge synergies going forward between UAE and India and other countries," said Reddy.

Anil Agarwal, Sr VP, FTCCI and MD of Jeevaka Industries, Meela Jayadev, VP, FTCCI and MD, Sudhakar Irrigation Systems, Gautam Chand Jain, CMD, Pokarana Ltd. are among the other industry leaders from the state, who are part of the business delegation.

The members of the delegation will be meeting Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry besides holding B2B meetings with members of the Indian Business and Professional Council (IBPC). The delegation will also be part of the India-GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) business meet and India-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia meet. It will also hold interactive B2B & B2G meetings aimed at promoting trade and investments.

Among the 14 Startups, which will showcase their innovative capabilities, five have been founded by the women entrepreneurs, and are from diverse sectors, including healthcare, edutech, drones, prop tech, fintech, agritech, electric vehicles and apparel. These startups will pitch in the 'Elevate' session which is a pitching event that India Pavilion has designed to attract investors and will allow them to display their innovations to look for potential investors. The participating startups will also learn more about the latest sectoral trends, and the events will also include best practice workshops for startups and fireside conversations with business leaders.

To know more about India Pavilion at EXPO2020 Dubai, please visit:

Website - (https://indiaexpo2020.com)

Facebook - (https://www.facebook.com/indiaatexpo2020)

Instagram - (https://www.instagram.com/indiaatexpo2020)

Twitter - (https://twitter.com/IndiaExpo2020?s=09)

LinkedIn - (https://www.linkedin.com/company/india-expo-2020/?viewAsMember=true)

YouTube - (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6uOcYsc4g_JWMfS_Dz4Fhg/featured)

Koo - (https://www.kooapp.com/profile/IndiaExpo2020)br/>To know more about EXPO2020 Dubai, please visit - (https://www.expo2020dubai.com/en).

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Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 8 (ANI/Heylin Spark): Vipin Bhardwaj is known for his phenomenal acting in web series like Wanton and Crackdown season 1 released on MX Player and Voot, respectively.

His song "Yaaron Ne Dil Tod Diya", featured alongside Dr Elakshi Gupta, was released on November 3, 2021.

The song reflects true friendship and gives a profound perspective about relationships in this modern world and poured into the soothing music, directed by Cunal Ranjan, produced and written by Kumaar, sang by Jaidev Kumar and costume and styled by Suman Guha.

Furthermore, Vipin Bhardwaj's web series "The Mirage" will soon be hitting digital platforms. The series, produced by Yashvvi Films, will tell a riveting family story based on a vengeance narrative, and the premise is incredibly unique and novel.

This film's excellent storytelling approach and compelling characters will make it very appealing to moviegoers. The online series has finished filming and will most likely be available to the public in the following months.

Vipin Bhardwaj says about the web series, "The main criteria while selecting a project is the script. I believe content is the king, and nowadays, a project with good content sets the benchmark'. The online series is coming up with a novel concept to attract and captivate people. Vipin Bhardwaj plays the antagonist in the series. Gujjar, a killer from Haryana, will be the name of Vipin's character, giving Vipin's distinct choice of selecting the roles.

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A study published today at the virtual Dell Technologies Forum this week has revealed that the proliferation of data has become a burden, rather than an advantage for most Irish businesses.

The recent study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Dell Technologies has found that while almost two-thirds of respondents in Ireland (63%) say their business is data-driven, only 20% testify to treating data as capital and prioritising its use across their organisation while just 9% consider themselves as data champions.

The study of 102 businesses in Ireland reveals a number of other data paradoxes facing business leaders as they look to digitally transform. 48% of businesses in Ireland say theyve increased the volume of data they collect, yet 70% say they are gathering data faster than they can analyse and harness its value. Consequentially, the explosion in data is causing several issues which is hindering the pace of transformation. Sixty percent of businesses admit that they are battling data silos and 58% say they have not yet come close to realising their digital transformation goals.

Irish businesses are increasing their investment in technology to overcome the current challenges they face. IT spend by businesses has increased by 66% over the last three years with respondents expecting it to increase by a further 21% over the next three years.

Close to half of all businesses (47%) are planning to move to an as-a-Service model within the next one to three years to help combat high storage costs, outdated IT infrastructure and manual processes. The as-a-Service model enables businesses to scale up their IT as and when they need it so they can meet the changing needs of consumers.

The results of the study were unveiled to business and IT leaders this week at the Dell Technologies Forum. The virtual event showcased how AI, Cloud, Edge Computing and 5G technology can help businesses to harness the power of data within their organisation.

The Forum featured a keynote address by Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies on the data-driven future and Aongus Hegarty, President of International Markets, Dell Technologies on the business-critical importance of cyber resilience. Jason Ward, Vice-President and Managing Director at Dell Technologies Ireland was joined by Anne OLeary, CEO of Vodafone Ireland for a panel discussion to share their experience of managing the changing landscape of work.



Speaking last week, Vice-President and Managing Director, Dell Technologies Ireland, Jason Ward said, "The findings weve published reveal a curious paradox  data has the potential to become Irish businesses greatest obstacle to transformation while also being their number one asset. Thats why at the Dell Technologies Forum weve not only identified the data challenges facing business leaders in Ireland but also mapped out how organisations can best keep pace with data and unlock growth opportunities from it. Company leaders need to modernise their IT infrastructure to keep pace with the growing volume of data in their business and to ensure data can flow freely and securely within their organisation. Fostering a data-driven culture will be key to overcoming the data deluge facing many Irish businesses today."

He added, "As we look to fuel the recovery, ensuring that data creates value and not confusion for businesses will be critical to not only unlocking the true potential of digital transformation but in helping Ireland to build back better."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Convergint today announced its plans to expand recruiting efforts across all regions of Ireland to help meet the increase in customer demand and continue to provide best-in-class service to its customers. The announcement comes on the heels of the companys 20th anniversary celebration and significant growth and business momentum reported throughout Ireland, including its most recent technology center opening in Cork.

The $1.7B company is a global provider of electronic security systems integration. Convergint announced its expansion into Ireland in 2016 and shortly after acquired Irelands largest independently owned security systems company, MTS Security, in Dublin. Since then, Convergint has continued to embark on its global expansion initiatives to meet growing customer demand and provide sophisticated service at scale, on a global, enterprise-wide level. Current plans for expansion across Ireland include recruiting 50 colleagues over the next 24 months. The company is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.

Welcoming the news, Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar said, "I warmly welcome Convergints plans to create 50 new jobs across the country over the next two years. Convergint have had a presence in Ireland since 2016 and I really welcome this latest expansion and their continued commitment to Ireland. I wish the team all the very best."

General Manager for Convergint Ireland, Adrian Hill added, "Since joining Convergint in 2016, it was clear Ireland held tremendous growth and opportunity for us to build something extraordinary for our colleagues and clients alike. We are excited to be working with IDA Ireland and look forward to collaboratively identifying diverse talent, aligned with Convergints core Values and Beliefs."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
China announced in September that all crypto-related transactions will be considered illicit financial activity, including services provided by offshore exchanges. Photo: VCG

Cryptocurrency exchange Huobi Global expects to lose half of its users and see a 30% drop in revenue this year, as a result of Chinas ban on crypto-related transactions.

Huobi is on track to close all of its existing China-based accounts by the end of the year in compliance with government regulations, Jeff Mei, director of global strategy at Huobi Group, the parent of the exchange, told Caixin in an interview.

The exchange has already shut down derivatives functions for Chinese users, Mei added.

To ease the impact on its bottom line, the exchange is ramping up efforts to attract retail clients in overseas markets including Ukraine, Russia, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East.

It will also target institutional investors in London, the Cayman Islands, Switzerland, the Netherlands and other financial centers.

These are areas with high crypto adoption, high amount of user education with crypto uses and high trading volumes, Mei said.

The company, which is marking its eighth anniversary this month, is also accelerating the development of other business streams, including research, decentralized finance products, asset management and cloud mining. It will also be rolling out more derivative products in the near future.

China announced in September that all crypto-related transactions will be considered illicit financial activity, including services provided by offshore exchanges. Chinese nationals who work at offshore virtual currency exchanges and organizations that provide promotional, payment and technical support to them will be investigated.

The notice  released by 10 government agencies including the central bank, the top court and the market and cyberspace regulators  is the most detailed and toughest blow dealt to the industry by authorities thus far.

Virtual currency exchanges such as Binance, Huobi and OKEx had previously served Chinese mainland customers whose transactions were routed through their banks or fintech platforms that offered nonbank payment services such as Alipay.

Contact reporter Kelsey Cheng (kelseycheng@caixin.com) and editor Bertrand Teo (bertrandteo@caixin.com)

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Today, in the Real Estate Newsletter: Homebuilder Comments in October: Builders are lifting sales caps"



Excerpt (much more in newsletter):

Some homebuilder comments courtesy of Rick Palacios Jr., Director of Research at John Burns Real Estate Consulting (a must follow for housing on twitter!):

...

#Dallas builder: Due to a large number of sales in 2021, well have declines in 2022. This is due to land availability. Huge number of communities coming online in 2023. Supply chain issues are getting worse & have spread to land development..



#Seattle builder: Sales & closings in 2022 will be negatively impacted by limited supply of lots being delivered to the market in early 2022 with recovery in late 2022. No demand impacts are forecasted to impact sales or closings in 2022.



#Atlanta builder: We pulled so many extra sales & starts into 2021 that we're going to be severely short on vacant developed lots in the first half of 2022, hence the huge projected slowdowns in sales & starts in 2022.

You can subscribe at https://calculatedrisk.substack.com/ (Currently all content is available for free, but please subscribe).
Mazda has unveiled the first of its five all-new SUVs slated to arrive in the next two years the first-ever CX-50. Designed to meet the req...
Photo: The Canadian Press Deputy U.S. Attorney General Lisa Monaco

Two suspected hackers accused of 5,000 ransomware attacks have been arrested as part of a global cybercrime crackdown, Europol announced Monday.

The two, who were not identified by name, were arrested last week by Romanian authorities. Officials say the attacks, linked to the ransomware gang known as REvil, yielded about half a million euros in ransom payments.

The arrests were part of a 17-nation operation that involved the United States.

Deputy U.S. Attorney General Lisa Monaco appeared to foreshadow Monday's announcement in an interview with The Associated Press last week, saying that in the days and weeks to come, you're going to see more arrests.

The Justice Department has tried multiple ways to address a ransomware wave that it regards as a national security and economic threat, including through prosecutions like the ones announced Monday.

The Justice Department in June seized $2.3 million in cryptocurrency from a payment made by Colonial Pipeline following a ransomware attack that caused the company to temporarily halt operations, creating fuel shortages in parts of the country.
Re.: Mark Boyers letter There were more war heroes (Castanet, Nov. 3)

Unfortunately, Mark Boyer, in his haste to chastise Peter Emery for forgetting numerous wars that Canadians have fought and died in, has himself forgotten one. The Vietnam War.

More than 20,000 Canadians went south of the border and signed up to fight in Vietnam and 157 didn't come back. Many more were injured both physically and mentally.

They fought for the same reasons and ideals as anyone else, but it ended as an unpopular war and they are truly forgotten by their country of birth.

I knew a couple of people who fought and they returned whole in body but not in spirit, as much casualty as any soldier wounded in battle.

I hope Mark can find it in his heart to remember these soldiers, as well.

Bill Grigg, Kelowna
Photo: The Canadian Press

Eight years after he shot dead his girlfriend, Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius is up for parole, but first he must meet with her parents.

Pistorius, a world-famous double-amputee athlete who competed at the 2012 Olympics, has been eligible for parole since July after he was convicted of murder for shooting model Reva Steenkamp multiple times through a toilet door in his home on Valentine's Day 2013.

Pistorius was convicted of murder in 2015 and ultimately sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison. He became eligible for parole under South African law after serving half his sentence.

A parole hearing for Pistorius was scheduled for last month and then canceled, partly because a meeting between Pistorius and Steenkamp's parents, Barry and June, had not been arranged, lawyers for both parties told The Associated Press on Monday.

Corrections department officials scheduled the parole hearing for October but it was called off when a full report on Pistorius' time in prison wasn't available, said Julian Knight, a lawyer for Pistorius. The date for a new hearing has not yet been set, Knight said.

Also, Barry and June Steenkamp want a face-to-face meeting with Pistorius before he is considered for early release from prison, as is their right under South Africa's victim-offender dialogue policy. The Steenkamps have previously said they want to challenge Pistorius on why he shot their daughter and they would get to do that, with victim-offender meetings aimed at achieving some kind of closure for families of victims of crimes.

They (Barry and June) feel that Reeva has got a voice. They are Reevas voice, and they owe it to their beloved daughter, said Tania Koen, the Steenkamps' lawyer.

The Steenkamps will also be allowed to make recommendations to the parole board, although Koen wouldn't say if they will oppose Pistorius' release.

We have discussed it, Koen said, but declined to give details.

The opinion of victims' families is considered by a parole board when deciding whether to release an offender, but it's not the only criteria.

The 34-year-old Pistorius could be taken from where he is incarcerated at the Atteridgeville Correctional Center in the capital, Pretoria, to the Steenkamps' home city of Gqerberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) for the victim-offender meeting because, according to Koen, Barry Steenkamp is unable to travel due to his health.

Pistorius lawyer Knight said it might turn out that way but the corrections department would decide. Knight said he was hopeful that the meeting between Pistorius and the Steenkamps, which must happen before a parole hearing, could take place by the end of the year.

It was a huge surprise for the Steenkamps when corrections services officials contacted them last month to say that Pistorius is eligible for parole, Koen said. They believed he would only be eligible in 2023, she said.

(It) opens a lot of wounds, or rips off the plasters they had put on those wounds, Koen said.

The confusion over when he would be eligible emanated from Pistorius' long and protracted murder trial and two subsequent appeals by prosecutors. Pistorius went on trial in 2014 and his case was only finalized in 2018.

The multiple Paralympic champion was initially found guilty of culpable homicide  an offense comparable to manslaughter  for shooting Steenkamp with his licensed 9 mm pistol. He claimed at his trial it was a tragic accident and he mistook her for a dangerous intruder.

Prosecutors appealed the manslaughter finding and secured a murder conviction. Pistorius was sentenced to six years in jail for murder, but prosecutors again appealed what they called a shockingly light punishment for murder. The Supreme Court of Appeals then more than doubled his sentence in 2017.

Knight later sought clarification over the sentence from the Supreme Court to see if the time Pistorius had already served in prison for culpable homicide should count toward his parole. It did, Knight said, meaning Pistorius could be considered for parole two years earlier than courts had initially indicated.

Knight said he believed Pistorius had met the requirements to be released early.

From what I have observed of him he has been a model prisoner while he has been in prison, Knight said. My view is that he does meet the requirements to be placed on parole but the procedures must be followed.

Knight said a parole board could impose a range of conditions on Pistorius if he is released, like only being allowed to leave home to go to work during the week, and only for a limited time on weekends to buy groceries and attend church.
Photo: The Canadian Press

NDP MP Charlie Angus says no deal has been done with the Liberals to prop up Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority government for two to three years.

Angus confirmed that "an initial conversation" had taken place between NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Trudeau, but it was no more than "an initial meeting."

It follows reports that a deal is being thrashed out between the two party leaders behind the scenes.

Singh has previously set out a wish list for co-operation with the Liberals including action on housing, dropping a court battle over compensating Indigenous children and curbing climate change.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole railed against the idea of an agreement between the New Democrats and Liberals, calling it "radical."

O'Toole told a news conference that the deal would entail "billions of dollars of new spending to buy Jagmeet Singh's silence."

He says Canadians can't afford such a deal, that it would be a disaster for the economy and cause devastating financial impacts for workers and communities from coast to coast.
Photo: Glacier Media

The 2020 collapse of a grain silo in North Vancouver is now mired in a second lawsuit, this time with the terminal owner alleging their insurer has left them on the hook for the $80-million liability.

In a new civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court, Fibreco Export Inc. is suing Marsh Canada Ltd. and broker Thomas Liu.

At the time of the industrial accident, Fibreco was nearing the completion of a project to largely convert the waterfront terminal on McKeen Avenue from wood pellet exports to grain.

In March 2018, a company later acquired by Marsh Canada provided Fibreco with a builders risk policy that was to last right through the testing and commissioning phase of the project, the suit claims.

Fibreco says the limit of the liability under the policy was an estimated $85.3 million.

That policy was extended several times during construction, with the most recent end date for the policy being Aug. 30, 2020.

In their suit, Fibreco says they requested it be extended again until the end of October that year but Marsh and Liu advised Fibreco further extension of the builders policy was not necessary due to coverage available under an operations policy, and on Aug. 31, Marsh and Liu advised the company that their builders policy would be transitioned to an operations policy, the claim states.

During commissioning of the silos on Sept. 11, the first silo to be filled with grain collapsed, causing complete destruction of the silo as well as damage to the adjoining silo, tower and conveyor system.

The underwriters of the builders risk policy and operations policy have both denied coverage to Fibrecos claim, the suit states and, as a result, Fibreco has had to take on the costs of the investigation, demolition, redesign and construction of new silos on their own.

The representation by Marsh and Liu to Fibreco regarding coverage available under the operations policy were untrue, the claim states.

In June 2021, Fibreco sued AG Growth International, the firm that designed and built the silos, alleging they used substandard designs. In their response to Fibrecos suit, AGI contends Fibreco failed to maintain an all risk construction insurance policy, as required by their contract, court documents show.

The ability of Fibreco to recover its losses arising from the silo failure from AGI has been prejudiced by the negligence, misrepresentations and breach of the broker agreement by Marsh and Liu, the new claim states.

Business operations remain suspended while the remedial work is done.

According to the claim, Fibreco is facing damages and uninsured losses of $80 million.

Fibreco is asking the court to award general damages for negligence, negligent misrepresentation and breach of common law duties, plus special damages, costs from the AGI lawsuit, and any further damages that cant be recovered from AGI.

Neither of the suits has been heard in court yet and the allegations remain unproven.
Photo: The Canadian Press People receive a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at a mass vaccination clinic at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Sunday, June 27, 2021.

Several advocacy groups are concerned that a dearth of data about who is getting COVID-19 vaccines and who is not could be causing people of certain races or socio-economic backgrounds to fall through the cracks.

Without good information from the provinces, certain groups may be left vulnerable to the virus and disproportionately punished by vaccine mandates.

Dr. Kwame McKenzie, CEO of policy think tank Wellesley Institute, says research has indicated significantly less uptake in COVID-19 vaccines among racialized Canadians  particularly those who are Black  but the government is doing little about it.

As of Oct. 30, about 84 per cent of eligible Canadians have received at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

McKenzie says without accurate data, it's difficult to know precisely who those other 16 per cent of people are and how to develop strategies to support them and win their trust.

Provincial governments and the Public Health Agency of Canada have not collected detailed information about people as they received their shots, but the government did commission a survey to examine attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines back in spring 2021.
Photo: Contributed Eric McVeigh poses in this undated handout photo.

Dr. Corey Adams should perhaps buy himself a superhero costume.

Adams, a cardiac surgeon at the University of Calgary's Libin Cardiovascular Institute, has saved two men in the past 18 months by first performing CPR on them in public and then, days later, operating on them.

In June of last year, Adams and his wife Jennifer, who's also a doctor, were hiking near Canmore, Alta., when someone called for help. A man had collapsed and was turning blue.

Adams did 20 minutes of CPR on the 60-year-old man. Days later, a patient on whom he was performing a quintuple heart bypass turned out to be the same man.

It happened again in August.

The Adamses were on an outing with their children when Jennifer Adams spotted a man who had collapsed while running.

"He was face down. Nobody else was around and we pulled over. He didn't have a pulse, so I started CPR and we called people and all that stuff," Corey Adams told The Canadian Press on Monday.

"If he (had been) 10 feet down the road or in the woods ... nobody would have seen him and they would have found him dead."

The patient, Eric McVeigh, 34, was born with a heart defect.

"The odds are astronomically not in favour of it. Eric is really lucky," Corey Adams said. "Having a valve that doesn't open properly, to come back from CPR and then not have a neurological problem is really rare."

McVeigh recalled his memory about that run.

"I really kind of lost my breath and had to stop fully and went over to the side of the path. I figured this is nothing ... I started running again and that's the last thing I remember," he said from Edmonton.

"The next thing I remember, I woke up in the emergency room of Foothills Hospital (in Calgary) surrounded by doctors."

McVeigh had a valve replacement, performed by Adams, and is still taking physiotherapy.

"I feel incredibly lucky that someone was there to give me CPR (who) just happened to be an expert."

Adams, who is encouraging everyone to learn CPR, said he's been teased by colleagues who say he is busy enough that he shouldn't have to drive around looking for new patients.

He laughs off the good-natured jibes, but admits the double experience is a bit strange.

"If you look at life being like a small world, and it happens one time ... but the second time? Jen and I were like, 'What the heck is just happening here?'"
Saint Feast Days in September

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APCMA reports declining local and export dispatches

08 November 2021

All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) reports that cement dispatches declined by 9.1 per cent to 5.214Mt in October 2021 against 5.735Mt in the year-ago period. The breakdown indicates that the local share out of this total stands at 4.603Mt, compared to 4.859Mt in October 2020, showing a reduction of 5.3 per cent YoY. Exports suffered a significant 30.1 per cent decline, as volumes fell from 875,266t to 611,884t in October 2021.

A representative of the APCMA said that a continuous increase in input costs coupled with the recent hike in rupee to US dollar parity are major concerns for the industry. These price escalations are seriously affecting the cost of doing business in local as well as international markets. He appealed that government planners should take notice of declining exports and support the industry to compete in the international markets.

Cumulative dispatches

During the first four months of current fiscal year, total cement dispatches (domestic and exports) were 18.039Mt, down 6.7 per cent from 19.331Mt in the corresponding period of the last fiscal year. Further analysis indicates that domestic uptake of the commodity slightly increased by 1.1 per cent to 15.882Mt from 15.713Mt during July-October 2020, whereas exports during the same period fell by 40.4 per cent to 2.157Mt from 3.617Mt.

Published under
Semapa reports 68% climb in profit

08 November 2021

Portugals Semapa has recorded a net profit of EUR122.2m (US$141.17m) in the first nine months of 2021, up 68 per cent on EUR72.8m in the 9M20.



The groups consolidated turnover rose 4.7 per cent YoY to reach EUR1515.3m, with EUR366.7m contributed by Secil (-3.5 per cent YoY). EBITDA from the cement segment remained largely consistent at EUR107.3m (-0.1 per cent YoY).

Published under
Lee University Online has added a new associate degree program, which will be offered fully online starting January 2022.

We are excited at Lee Online to be able to offer an educational hurdle for adult students to earn online in between our certificates and bachelor's degrees, said Dr. Joshua Black, executive director for Lee Online. Lee understands that a four-year campus college experience is not possible for everyone, and this helps to provide another educational option for those not able to attend our campus.

The degree, which was submitted for approval last summer, was spearheaded by Dr. Black and accepted by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges this month.

The associate degree represents a new pathway, said Rusty Wienk, director of Enrollment and Student Services. This is an online opportunity, so it doesnt matter where you live or what is going on in your life, or whether you work a full-time job or a part-time job. This is a pathway that will allow you to get a degree for a job, finish your education, or simply gain more knowledge.

The associate degree is a two-year online program that will allow students to graduate with 60 hours, the completion of which may allow transfer into the third year of a bachelors degree.

The program offers asynchronous seven-week courses in general education and religion, as well as a variety of elective courses that allow students to explore specific areas of interest. Over the course of each term, students log in to classes for online instructions, videos, lectures, assignments, and discussions. Materials are available all day every day, and the instructor may schedule times to meet online with students.

Lee Onlines associate degree offers students the chance to be first in class, said Mr. Wienk. Not only will students of this program be the first in their class, they will also have the opportunity to experience a first-class education.

Lee Universitys online program, surveyed along with more than 1,200 regionally accredited institutions by U.S. News and World Report, was recently ranked 75 among 337 U.S. schools with online bachelors degree programs.

Best Online Bachelors Programs is one of four rankings Lee received for the 2021 assessment. Other rankings include being number 75 in Best Online Bachelors Programs for Veterans, number 79 in Best Online Bachelors in Business Programs, and number 197 in Best Online MBA Programs.

Not everyone is ready complete a full undergraduate degree program. The associate degree provides a great first step towards further education, said Mr. Wienk. We believe this program will provide students with a sense of accomplishment and the confidence to do great things.

Lee Online administrators are currently working on developing a scholarship for the associate degree.

Along with the associate degree, Lee Online offers seven undergraduate degree programs and multiple emphases, as well as four masters degree programs. All bachelors programs require at least 120 credit hours and include core areas in general education and religion.

For more information about Lee Online or the associate degree, visit leeuniversity.edu/online or call 614-8370. To apply, please visit applytolee.com and use the discount code ADLEE (case-sensitive).

For more information about SACSCOC, visit www.sacscoc.org.
When two new districts appear on the next Hamilton County ballot, voters should be forewarned that there are those who walk among us who, to be polite, aint like us. Two new districts will mean two new county commissioners and it will also mean two new school board members where, to be polite, there are already some who dont think the way I do.

No matter, you might say, there are enough good ones to outvote the zanies, but that's not true. Witness the outlandish search for a school superintendent where everybody with any sense can recognize Justin Robertson is a home-grown prize. But, no, the school board creates a search when we attract the disgruntled; the best candidates are happy where they are. And it gets worse. Rhonda Thurman is the best of the bunch and if she werent a beautician she would have pulled her hair out long ago.

In case you havent noticed, school boards across the country are under fire for their wokeness. Unfortunately, a deluge of candidates not like us have infiltrated school board ranks because too few people care. Now good communities are paying a handsome price for woke decisions  the insane Critical Race Theory is tearing some communities apart and as counties wake up to identify what woke really is, its too late.

Williamson County, its courthouse in Franklin about 30 miles from Nashville, is one of the hottest growth areas in the state. The school board is in no way similar to the townsfolk and last week there was an open meeting that featured an array of local celebs who quite frankly have had enough of the foolishness.

Clay Travis told the crowd of several hundred, Like a lot of you, I paid attention to who I voted for governor. I paid attention to who I voted for mayor, congressman, and senator. I never ever thought about who I voted for a school board election my entire life, Travis told the audience. I know that that was a flaw now. I know that not being as engaged as a parent allowed what has happened over the last 18 months to happen.

Chris Butler, who writes for the online website The Tennessee Star, filed this report:

* * *

WILLIAMSON COUNTY RESIDENTS RESIST WOKE PUBLIC SCHOOL IDEOLOGIES

By Chis Butler, The Tennessee Star, November 4, 2021

FRANKLIN, Tennessee  Clay Travis, John Rich, and other well-known speakers highlighted an event Tuesday where organizers urged Williamson County residents to rise up against woke ideologies in the public school system.

Members of Williamson Families, a Political Action Committee (PAC), also pressed the several hundred audience members to stand up to  and even run against  school board members who neglect their constituents most basic concerns. Organizers held the event at Liberty Hall at The Factory in Franklin.

Travis, whose children attend Williamson County Schools and who co-hosts The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, said the woke ideology is destined to destroy itself  but only if frustrated Americans stand up and say, no more.

Like a lot of you, I paid attention to who I voted for governor. I paid attention to who I voted for mayor, congressman, and senator. I never ever thought about who I voted for a school board election my entire life, Travis told the audience. I know that that was a flaw now. I know that not being as engaged as a parent allowed what has happened over the last 18 months to happen.

Hollywood actress Leigh-Allyn Baker, who spoke out against a COVID-19 mask mandate at a recent Williamson County School Board meeting, also appeared onstage.

I went from Americas favorite Disney mom to Americas favorite domestic terrorist, Baker said in jest.

The Bible, Baker went on to say, commands people in several passages  365 of them  not to fear. God has given you a do not be afraid for every day of the year, Baker said. So surely you can find your bravery for such a time as this.

Robby Starbuck, a Republican running to replace U.S. Representative Jim Cooper (D-TN-05) also spoke, alongside his wife Landon. We are going to say no to the people who want to control us. We are going to say no to the school systems who want to go and indoctrinate our children, Robby Starbuck said.

We are going to say no to every level of government that wants to tell us where we can work, when we can work, if we can open our doors, if we cant open our doors, if we have to wear a mask inside or outside. It doesnt matter. We say no.

Landon Starbuck, meanwhile, told audience members about what she said are globalist goals to take away parental rights, destabilize the nuclear family, and divide families against themselves.

U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) endorsed Robby Starbucks candidacy in June.

Williamson Families, according to its website, advocate for strong family values, individual responsibility, respect for tradition, and innovation for the future.

  

royexum@aol.com
David Carrolls new book Hello Chattanooga: Famous People Who Have Visited the Tennessee Valley is now available for purchases at eight area Food City stores. Signed copies are available at Food City stores at Ocoee Crossing in Cleveland, Soddy-Daisy, 7804 East Brainerd Road, Signal Mountain Road, 5604 Hixson Pike, Trenton, Fort Oglethorpe and 3801 Tennessee Ave. in St. Elmo.



Hello Chattanooga is a 700-page book featuring some two hundred photos, more than a hundred years of history and a full index allowing the reader to instantly track down the date that Tammy Wynette played Lake Winnie, President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Chickamauga Dam or Winston Churchill slammed the door of his Read House hotel room in the face of a newspaper reporter.



It started out as a history of Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium, he said, and then it became much bigger. I realized the Tivoli Theater should also be included. As I told people about the project, they said I should include the Riverbend Festival, and then the UTC Arena and so on. The deeper I got into it, I decided it should be a complete history that includes all of our famous visitors, with some stories and pictures mixed in. So I included all our area stages and venues, indoors and outdoors, plus every notable politician, president, movie star, athlete, author, military figure and evangelist, plus a listing of the movies and music videos that have been filmed here.



The book lists visitors from each category in chronological order, beginning in 1900, continuing to the present day. Mr. Carroll said, Our tri-state area has attracted some of the best-known celebrities and entertainers in the world, thanks to our historic venues, beautiful scenery and powerful people. This book will finally give readers the opportunity to settle a few arguments as they learn the dates and places that your favorite star (or president) visited here.



Hello Chattanooga also lists local residents who have achieved national and worldwide fame in all fields, including political figures like Bill Brock and Estes Kefauver, athletes such as Rick Honeycutt and Reggie White, and entertainers from Samuel L. Jackson to Usher to Kane Brown.



Amid the show listings and photographs are stories tracking the history of each local venue, especially Memorial Auditorium and the Tivoli, each nearing the 100-year mark. There are also stories detailing famous people who appeared on our local stages before they were famous, from Frank Sinatra, to Billy Graham, to Jimi Hendrix, to John Goodman.



The book also points out that many of todays superstars played area venues as opening acts, who were hired to fill some time as audiences found their seats while waiting for a headline act to perform. Among them are Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Jeff Foxworthy, Kenny Chesney and Taylor Swift.



There are also stories about big names who had a personal connection to the area, either through early jobs (Jim Nabors), a quickly-arranged wedding (Dolly Parton) or even run-ins with the law (Johnny Cash).



Mr. Carroll said, I am honored to share this interesting and valuable information that can now be added to our regions incredible story.



Hello Chattanooga: Famous People Who Have Visited the Tennessee Valley is available in softcover and hardback, with signed copies at ChattanoogaRadioTV.com. The book is also for sale at Food City stores in Cleveland, Soddy-Daisy, East Brainerd, Signal Mountain Road, Hixson and St. Elmo, Zarzours Restaurant in Chattanooga, Wallys in East Ridge, the Refindery on McCallie Avenue and the Barn Nursery, I-24 at 4th Avenue exit.
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center announced that violinist Soovin Kim and pianist Gloria Chien are the recipients of the 2021 CMS Award for Extraordinary Service to Chamber Music. The award will be presented on Tuesday at Alice Tully Hall in New York City, during a CMS concert.

Even during the deepest and darkest days of the pandemic, we knew that this award should go next to those who were working tirelessly to keep the art form thriving in the face of tremendous odds, said David Finckel and Wu Han, co-artistic directors of CMS. It was not long after the shutdown that we became aware of this couples aggressive, unstoppable, and truly inspired efforts to bring great music to people in times of intense need. As the months wore on, Soovin and Gloria mounted project after project in multiple locations. As young artistic directors, and stellar performers, they have set an example, not only as artists, but citizens of the world, and for that, we should all be truly grateful.

CMS musicians Soovin Kim and Gloria Chien are alumni of The Bowers Program, CMSs development program for young artists. They epitomize the kind of leadership, expertise, and passion that the program was designed to encourage, with careers as highly respected solo artists, busy chamber musicians (with CMS and independently), and artistic directors who launched their own series and are now at the helm of several different chamber music series and programs around the country.

Together, they are artistic directors of Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival in Burlington, Vt., and Chamber Music Northwest in Portland, Or. Dr. Chien is also artistic director of String Theory at the Hunter, a chamber music series at the Hunter Museum of American Art.

Throughout the pandemic, Mr. Kim and Dr. Chien brought chamber music to the people of Burlington, Portland, and Chattanooga by producing digital concerts, featuring both live performances and archival recordings; creating digital lecture series and educational programming; partnering with local public radio and television to extend the reach of programming; and offering many of these programs free to the public in an effort to help sustain them through the pandemic lockdown. As soon as restrictions began to ease in the summer of 2021, Mr. Kim and Dr. Chien also began reintroducing live performances, with in-person concerts, open rehearsals and master classes, family concerts, free performances, and even school visits.

In the early days of the pandemic, Dr. Chien launched Notes of Hope, daily 7 p.m. concerts that joined in the daily 7 p.m. expression of thanks for frontline healthcare workers. Notes of Hope ran for 42 days, from May 11 to June 21, with more than 65 artists and ensembles volunteering their time and talents. All the daily concerts are archived online at https://noteshope.org/archive/.

"It is such a great honor to receive this award and to be in the company of such distinguished past honorees, including the founder and the former artistic directors of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, said Dr. Chien and Mr. Kim. As artistic leaders, it is our responsibility to serve our communities, especially during this time of uncertainty. Music elevates and connects, two things we urgently needed during the pandemic. We want to share this award with our organizations in Portland, Burlington, and Chattanooga. We are thankful to Wu Han, David Finckel, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center for setting an example by providing invaluable support and guidance to their musicians and an abundance of rich musical offerings to their audiences!

Mr. Kim and Dr. Chien concertize worldwide as soloists and chamber artists. Mr. Kim serves on the violin faculty at New England Conservatory and Dr. Chien serves as artist in residence at Lee University. The two musicians first met in the summer of 1999 at the Verbier Festival and became colleagues in 2013 at Music@Menlo, Finckel and Hans festival in Silicon Valley. They married in 2015.

The CMS Award for Extraordinary Service to Chamber Music is presented to individuals and institutions who have shown exceptional dedication to the art form of chamber music and have significantly changed the landscape of chamber music through their passionate commitment and exceptional vision. Recipients, chosen by CMSs artistic department, can be artists, presenters, or others who have shown an exceptional commitment to chamber music.

This year, CMS felt strongly that the award should recognize contributions made specifically in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The inaugural CMS Award for Extraordinary Service to Chamber Music went to pianist Menahem Pressler in 2013 and the following year to CMS founding director Charles Wadsworth. Other prior recipients include Marlboro Music (2015), South Mountain Concerts (2016), Chamber Music Connection (2018) and David Shifrin (2019).



CMS is one of 11 constituents of the largest performing arts complex in the world, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, which includes the New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, Lincoln Center Theater, and The Metropolitan Opera. With its home in Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, CMS is known for the extraordinary quality of its performances and its programming, and for setting the benchmark for chamber music worldwide. Through its many performance, education, recording, and broadcast activities, it brings the experience of great chamber music to more people than any other organization of its kind. Annual activities include a full season in New York, as well as national and international tours.

For more information about the award, contact Kirshbaum Associates Beverly Greenfield, director of public relations, at (212) 222-4843 or email bgreenfield@kirshbaumassociates.com.

For more information about Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, visit https://www.chambermusicsociety.org/.




Rhea-diant is holiday event that serves as a primary fundraiser for The Rhea Medical Healthcare Foundation. Rhea Medical Center is located in Dayton. The Foundation supports Rhea Medical Centers mission of partnering with its physicians and the community to provide "safe, quality, compassionate and affordable healthcare." Proceeds from Foundation fund raisers help purchase equipment to benefit patients and medical center staff.

The Rhea-diant two-day events include a Gala and a Family Fun Day. The events will be held at The Rustic Farms Venue, 200 Hastings Dr. in Dayton.



The Gala will be held Friday, Nov. 19 from 7-9 p.m., with live and silent auctions. A light dinner will be served. Cost is $40 per person or $75 per couple.



The Family Fun Day will be held Saturday, Nov. 20 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. There will be new outdoor (weather permitting) childrens activities, along with already popular holiday activities. Santa Claus will be on-hand for photos with the children. New activities Include (weather permitting) a hayride, an inflatable bounce house and an inflatable obstacle course. Saturday activities are free to all children accompanied by an adult.

Click here for information and to purchase tickets.
A disorder was reported at East 11th Street/Peeples Street. Police spoke with a man who said that got into a verbal altercation with a white male that was acting suspicious and going from tent to tent looking in and saying he was looking for his wife that was kidnapped and turned into a prostitute. Both men are homeless and after they were checked for warrants, they were told to stay away from each other to avoid any further conflicts.

* * *

A man on Wilder Road told police that overnight someone entered his unlocked 2016 Audi and stole his tools. He said they do not have any kind of security cameras. He said about 10:45 p.m. the day before, they saw a white Silverado pickup stopping at houses in the cul-de-sac. He said it had stopped at his house, but when his wife looked out, it moved on.



* * *

A man at Construction Consultants, 2013 W Polymer Dr., told police that overnight someone had pried the deadbolt on their mini-construction trailer and stole three power tools. He said there are no security cameras on the jobsite, but he would check with a neighboring business to see if their security cameras would have any helpful footage. The man called police back later to say that a laser level was also taken.

* * *

People reported their vehicle on Awhila Drive had been stolen. They were able to provide police with video of a white male wearing a dark color T-shirt and jeans walking up to a vehicle and looking around the inside of the vehicle with a flashlight. The man on the video was also spotted at 4 a.m. on the same day on Nakwisa Road, which is a block away from where the auto theft occurred. Police observed in the video the man seemed to have shone his flashlight at the camera as he walked up to the vehicle.

* * *



A man on Bridge Circle told police that sometime within the last month his 2006 Nissan Altima had been burglarized. He said that there was no forced entry or damage to the vehicle. He also said there was a Glock 19 handgun stolen from the center console of the vehicle, and he provided police with the serial number of the gun. There is no suspect information. The handgun was placed into NCIC as stolen.

* * *

A man from JDH Company, 1133 E. Main St., told police that a large generator was stolen from a trailer that was parked on the company's parking lot. Police were shown video of a black male squeezing through the rear-locked chain-linked fence. Police observed the man push the generator through the fence and down the street. No further suspect information is known.

* * *

The manager at NAPA Auto Parts, 2225 E. 23rd St., told police that someone cut the catalytic

converter off of one of the delivery vehicles overnight, a Ford Ranger. He told police this is going to cost approximately $600 to repair, as the suspect cut a brake line in the process of stealing the converter. There in no suspect information.

* * *

A woman told police that while she was driving to work this morning on I-24, a Langley Roofing truck lost a piece of metal from the bed. She said the piece of metal struck her vehicle in the passenger front, causing damage. She provided police pictures of the damage. She said she attempted to flag down the driver, to no avail. She wanted this documented since she contacted Langley Roofing, who were willing to pay for repairs.

* * *

A man on Bridge Circle told police he just found a hole in the rear windshield of his Toyota. He said he does not know when this happened or how it happened. He said it was in the parking lot of the apartment complex he lives in when he found it,

* * *

A citizen, who did not wish to be identified, approached police in the Lowe's parking lot, 2180 Gunbarrel Road, with a backpack. The person said he found the backpack in the parking lot and wanted to turn the backpack over to police. Police looked through the backpack and found a TN driver's license and several credit cards, as well as needles and a crack pipe. Police collected the items and turned them into Property.

* * *

A man on Bridge Circle told police he found a bullet inside his vehicle after making a property damaged report earlier in the day. He said he wanted to turn it over to police. The bullet fragment was turn into the CPD Property Division.

* * *

A man on 6th Avenue told police he left his vehicle (TN tag, 2013 Chevy Malibu) running outside of his home, unlocked. He said he was preparing to take his wife to work, but when he returned outside, the vehicle was being driven off by an unknown person, who hit part of their fence when exiting the yard, heading south towards Rossville. The man didn't want to make a report for the

partially damaged fence, but only for the stolen vehicle. The estimated repair cost for the fence was $500. Police searched the surrounding area in an attempt to locate the vehicle, but were unsuccessful. The vehicle info was entered into NCIC.

* * *

The manager of Ferrell Gas, 1411 E 41st St., told police that sometime overnight someone broke into a company-owned Ford F-550 and stole property belonging to an employee and a company-owned Honeywell hand-held computer. He said the truck was locked and he does not know how entry was made. He said there was no sign of forced entry. He said they do not have security cameras on the premises. He was told that he will need to call police with the serial numbers for the Garmin and the computer.



* * *



An employee with Homeless Heath Care, 730 E 11th St., told police she wanted to document that a white male, who she identified and who she said had been trespassed, was in the building.

* * *

An employee at CHI Memorial, 2525 De Sales Ave., told police that a woman had been harassing him and several other co-workers. He said the woman wasn't happy about losing her job working as a door screener at the hospital. He and multiple co-workers showed police messages and social media posts from the woman. Because the co-workers had not told the woman that they didn't want her contacting them any more, warrants were not obtained for harassment. The man was

told to inform the woman to stop contacting him and his staff.

* * *

A manager at St. Nicholas School, 7525 Min Tom Dr., told police that sometime over the weekend a Chevy school bus (TN tag) had been burglarized and damaged. He said the rear door to the bus was unlocked, and he believed that is how the person(s) made entry. He said that a school Mastercard credit card was stolen from inside the bus. He also said that the catalytic converter was damaged to the bus. He believes that the person(s) attempted to steal the converter, but were unsuccessful. No suspect info could be obtained.

* * *

A disorder was reported at the Community Kitchen, 727 E. 11th St. A woman told police that another woman had been harassing her and accusing her of stealing her purse. She said the woman had stolen several of her articles of clothing as well. Police attempted to make contact with the accused woman to see if she was in possession of the items the woman described. The accused woman was no longer in the area and unable to be located.

* * *

A man at the Red Roof Inn Chattanooga Airport, 7014 Shallowford Road, reported that housekeepers found a box containing someone's driver license and other personal documents inside. He said the box was found inside of a trash can. The box with the personal documents was turned into the CPD Property Division.

* * *

A woman on S. Willow Street told police that the license plate (TN) was taken from her Toyota Rav4 vehicle sometime the day before. She said the vehicle was parked in her back yard and had not been moved. The license plate was entered into NCIC as stolen. There is no suspect information.

* * *

An employee of Marco's Pizza, 7794 E. Brainerd Road, who wished not to be identified, told police a man had called the business and said he had killed his wife and needed the employee to call the police and report the incident, because he was scared. The employee showed police the business's caller ID, which had the name of the caller with a phone number. Police ran the name in the system, but could not locate anything in regards to the name or phone number. Police contacted dispatch, who could not locate any information either. Police googled the number, which belonged to someone in Nevada. Police googled the name, which showed a Facebook page with that name. Police noticed on the man's Facebook page it stated he was from Nevada and currently lived in Madison, Al. Police contacted the Madison Alabama Police station and requested if possible to conduct a wellness check on the man's wife.
We are about to celebrate another Veterans Day. Our veterans have served America with the principle that freedom and democracy are ideals to be upheld around the world. There are more than 18 million veterans in our country. Most veterans didnt serve for a thank you, a discount, or a free meal. However, any genuine gesture of appreciation is appreciated by those who sacrificed.

We must do more as a society than repeat the well-deserved tributes of the bravery and patriotism that our veterans symbolize. Historically our government has often failed to keep its promises to those who served. Too many vets have become acquainted with indifference along with the unwanted souvenirs of wounds and scars.

When I returned to my hometown of Cleveland, Tn. in 1985 after my time in the Marine Corps to attend Lee University, I felt out of place there trying to adjust to a new normal and hoping to reintegrate and get my life back. I never felt like part of the University, nor was there any outreach on the universitys part to make me welcome. I appreciated my professors and could relate to many of them, but I couldnt relate to many of my fellow students.

I had already experienced a life most couldnt possibly understand. Thanks to a supportive wife and family, I channeled feelings of anxiety, isolation, fear, and guilt into a positive transition. I completed my undergraduate studies in less than three years. I was fortunate. The military builds character traits that are needed in society. Veterans are known hard workers, with the ability to learn quickly. Veterans are loyal to causes and people they believe in. They are usually men and women of integrity. Veterans are faithful and loyal, and willing to give their very lives to defend their country.

Has the handling of veterans improved in over 35 years at my alma mater? It is unlikely. That is also true of other public and private colleges and universities. Most veterans have desired qualities such as leadership, team building, personal resilience, or problem-solving. These characteristics were instilled during military service and should be embraced and utilized by a veteran-friendly campus. While many in higher education are promoting inclusivity and celebrating diversity, we are missing a golden opportunity to honor the men and women who made it all possible.

Many veterans return with physical issues, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, problematic alcohol use, and thoughts of suicide. Some veterans suffer from more than one of these conditions. We know that the average number of veterans who commit suicide remains at 20 a day. Younger veterans are included in that number.

Suicide is a complex issue, and veterans are not getting the help they need. Why is this not a national priority? It is good political rhetoric during campaign season. Veterans who are in crisis or are having thoughts of suicide, and those who know a veteran in crisis, should call the Veterans Crisis Line for confidential support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. They can call at 800-273-8255, chat online at www.VeteransCrisisLine.net/get-help/Chat, or send a text message to 838255. You can learn more about VAs suicide-prevention resources and programs at www.mentalhealth.va.gov/suicide_prevention.

A lot of veterans end up serving as police and corrections officers, firefighters, EMTs, and PreK-12 teachers. Many are teaching in Tennessee classrooms across the state. For them, teaching is an extension of their service to their state and nation. Our classrooms are full of children who are the sons and daughters of active-duty military and veterans. Tennessee has more current and former military among our citizenry than most states.

I am proud to have served in the Marine Corps and appreciate my fellow veterans. Anyone who has served will tell you it was an honor to wear the uniform of our nation and take the vows to defend our citizens, our country, and our Constitution. Military enlistment has no expiration date, and service to a nation is never-ending.

On this Veterans Day, let us remember the service of our veterans. Let us keep our promises and obligations to our veterans and their families who have sacrificed so much so we can live freely. We need to honor veterans and make them feel welcome throughout the year, beyond just one day.

JC Bowman

Executive Director of Professional Educators of Tennessee

* * *

Thank you, Mr. Bowman, for your service and the many Americans who have served and currently serve with our armed forces. Secondly, thank you for offering resources for our veterans to reach out for help.

Our state has been the backbone of our military might throughout history and hopefully this will continue. Warrior mindsets of all sorts are naturally made here.

My soon to be born son will be taught to respect our veterans, our country, and our constitution.

God Bless America and God bless our vets!

Jeff Irvin, Jr.












The Hamilton County Health Department reported one more coronavirus death on Monday and 46 new positive cases, up from 45 on Friday. The total number of cases in the county now stands at 64,412. The death total is at 653.

It is reported the death was a black man, age 81 or older.



The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations is 65 in Hamilton County - down from 79 on Friday. Four more are hospitalized with suspected COVID. There are 18 Hamilton County inpatients and 15 patients are in ICU - up from 11 on Friday.



The number of those who have recovered from coronavirus in Hamilton County is 63,158, which is 98 percent. There are 601 active cases, down from 635 on Friday.

Due to technical issues, the state of Tennessee Health Department will not report updated COVID-19 data on Monday.
The Reagans have strong ties with the Catholic church and the police department on Blue Bloods. That sometimes puts them in the middle of two very strong institutions. Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) had multiple hard conversations with Archbishop Kevin Kearns because of this. This is who plays the archbishop and more.

Who is Archbishop Kevin Kearns on Blue Bloods?

RELATED: Blue Bloods: Donnie Wahlberg Sneakily Puts 1 Thing on His Food During Family Dinner Scenes

The Archbishop and Frank usually reach out to each other for help. He has appeared in seven episodes so far. His first episode was Confessions back in season 7. A priest comes to Frank and asks for his help finding a 15-year-old missing boy from his parish. He knows where the boy is being held because of someones confession but is bound to not reveal it.

Frank eventually goes to see Archbishop Kevin Kearns. He asked for tapes from surveillance cameras in a specific church. He at first refused, which led Frank to threaten to get a subpoena. This makes him cave in.

Frank is Catholic himself, so he also had a personal relationship with these people. The Archbishop has popped up in later episodes because of a case that was brought to Franks attention.

Who plays Archbishop Kevin Kearns?

I am returning to The Blacklist TONIGHT as Robert Vesco on NBC @ 8/7c. Dont forget to watch. Enjoy!#TheBlacklist #NBC #tonight pic.twitter.com/EmTNTbW7a9  Stacy Keach (@StacyKeach1) November 4, 2021

RELATED: Blue Bloods: Does the Cast Ever Have Dinner Together Like the Reagans?

The character is played by Stacy Keach. The actor has been in successful movies, including Nebraska, Escape from L.A., The Bourne Legacy, and more. He also worked on multiple shows like Man with a Plan, NCIS: New Orleans, The Simpsons, and more.

The actors most recent appearance on the show was in season 12. Good Intentions showed Kearns visiting Frank because a priests home was burglarized. His 911 call was leaked to the press, most likely because the priest has been publicly in support of Defund the Police.

Frank thought this was humorous and isnt afraid to go up against supporters of the movement. But in the end, they all worked it out. Its unclear when or if fans will see Archbishop Kearns again.

Will he ever appear at family dinner?

Stacy Keach as Archbishop Kevin Kearns, Tom Selleck as Frank Reagan on Blue Bloods | John Paul Filo/CBS via Getty Images

RELATED: Blue Bloods: Why Did Eddies Partner, Rachel Witten, Leave Her Job?

Every week the Reagans have family dinner together. Theyre usually on Sundays, which is the same day they go to church. Its usually just a family event, but there have been exceptions.

Franks former partner, Lenny Ross (Treat Williams), was the first friend to be invited to the table. Then Maria Baez (Marisa Ramirez) was invited after getting hurt on the job. So friends are sometimes invited to the occasion.

But when Frank talks to Kearns, its usually tense instead of friendly. For this reason, its less likely Frank will invite the Archbishop any time soon. But who knows, maybe theyll become closer, or theyll find the right moment to have dinner together.
Chicago Fire Season 10 Episode 5 saw Matt Casey leave the firehouse for the foreseeable future. Jesse Spencer played Matt Casey, and it seems the actor wanted to move on to new projects and focus on his family life. Now, the show introduced fans to Matt Caseys replacement, Lieutenant Jason Pelham (played by actor Brett Dalton). But the showrunner hinted Pelham isnt here to stay.

Chicago Fire Season 10 brought Brett Dalton in to replace Jesse Spencers Matt Casey

Brett Dalton as Jason Pelham in Chicago Fire Season 10 | Adrian Burrows Sr/NBC

Fans watching Chicago Fire Season 10 are still reeling over Matt Casey leaving the show. Chicago Fire Episode 200 showed Caseys difficult decision to head to Oregon for three years. And in the meantime, Lieutenant Jason Pelham stepped in to replace Casey.

Joe Cruz actor Joe Minoso teased Pelhams entrance early on, TV Insider notes. Minoso noted the new lieutenant is going to manifest itself in a really fascinating way, especially with Gallo [Alberto Rosende] and Mouch [Christian Stolte]. Its a really great, great fun arc.

In Chicago Fire Season 10 Episode 8 airing Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021, well continue to see Pelham struggle to get on Blake Gallos good side. One Chicago Center notes the new episode centers on the tension between Pelham and Gallo. While the two were able to come to an understanding in episode 7, tensions seem to rise between them once again after Gallo fails to follow orders directed by Pelham. Additionally, it seems this may lead to Wallace Boden considering whether Pelham should stay.

The showrunner hinted Brett Daltons character, Lieutenant Jason Pelham, wont stick around much longer

Alberto Rosende as Blake Gallo and Brett Dalton as Jason Pelham | Adrian Burrows Sr/NBC

While Lieutenant Jason Pelham is adding a new storyline and new conflicts to Chicago Fire Season 10, it seems hes never meant to stay long. Showrunner Derek Haas hinted to TV Insider that the storyline regarding who will actually take over Truck 81 will be a major storyline that goes on through the winter break. This likely means the search for Matt Caseys replacement is far from over. And it also gives a clue that Pelham may get the boot from the firehouse.

A number of viewers think Stella Kidd may return to take over. She passed the lieutenants test and is currently working on projects of her own, but Caseys exit may bring her back.

That becomes a story going forward because the spot on Truck 81 is potentially open and she hasnt come back to claim it as of the next episode, Haas added.

Additionally, One Chicago Center notes Haas said fans can expect to see Kidd again before the end of this calendar year. Because the storyline of who will take over Truck 81 is also projected to last through the winter break, Kidds return may line up perfectly.

Is Jesse Spencer leaving Chicago Fire for good?

Jesse Spencer as Matthew Casey in Chicago Fire Season 10 | Lori Allen/NBC

So, is Jesse Spencer leaving Chicago Fire for good, or can we expect to see him again? According to Matt Caseys storyline, hes only in Oregon for three years. And Spencer already teased the possibility of returning.

And theres always a chance Ill come back, too, Spencer shared with Deadline. Were still toying with the Will Casey come back? Thats a possibility, you know. Derek and I talked about that and its a possibility for me too.

Not only that, but Haas noted hes keeping the long-distance romance between Matt Casey and Sylvie Brett going. This may also point to a future reunion between the lovers.

Chicago Fire Season 10 airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST on NBC.

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RELATED: Chicago Fire Season 10: Is Sylvie Brett Leaving After Matt Casey Exit?
Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness are one of Hollywoods most endearing celebrity couples. The two have been married for 25 years now and theyre still going strong. Both claim there was an immediate connection between them when they first met, and its a connection thats lasted Jackman and Furness their entire marriage.

However, the couple might not have met if it wasnt for a fortune teller giving Lee some much-needed direction in her life, which was what led her to her future husband in the first place.

Who is Deborra Lee-Furness?

Hugh Jackman and Deborra Lee-Furness | Noam Galai/Getty Images

Deborra Lee-Furness is an accomplished actor in her own right. She graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. Afterward, she started her career performing in stage plays. According to The New York Times, Furness would go on to play an Australian bride for Billy Moses in the CBS series Falcon Crest.

Furness would later receive attention and praise for her role in the 1988 Australian film Shame. Her performance earned Furness the best actor award from Film Critics Choice of Australia and Golden Space Needle.

How a fortune teller led Deborra-Lee Furness to Hugh Jackman

The film Shame not only boosted Furness profile, but she also credits the film for bringing her to LA. There, Furness attempted to establish her career even more in Hollywood. But eventually, Furness would grow tired of the auditioning process, and the business overall, on the west coast. Because of her newfound frustrations with living in LA, Furness visited a fortune teller to get both clarity and direction.

I literally saw a fortune teller in LA, Furness confided to the Aussies in Hollywood podcast. And I met with this woman. She said, You have to go to Australia. She goes, Everything comes into place there. You have to go back there.

Because of Furnessexperiences in California, she decided to follow the fortune tellers advice.

And I just thought, yknow what? What have I got to lose? Furness said. So, I went to Australia, and she was right. Everything fell into place.

When she moved back to Australia, Furness would later meet Jackman on the set of the Australian television series Corelli, proving the fortune-teller right.

Why Deborra Lee-Furness didnt want Hugh Jackman to do X-Men

The X-Men franchise helped Hugh Jackman become a superstar. His portrayal as Wolverine in 2000s X-Men was a standout performance that put Jackman on the path to glory, and he hasnt looked back since. Not only did he nail the Wolverine character to many, but he also played the role for 17 years, which is so far the longest an actor has ever played a superhero.

But when Jackman was first offered the role, Furness tried to dissuade the Prisoners star from accepting the part. In an interview with ABC TV & iview, Furness explained the reasoning behind telling Jackman to avoid the role.

Do you know how much s Ive got for this? Furness said. We read the script and it was like, these claws come out, and Im like, What is this? Hes at the national theater doing Oklahoma, yknow?

Furness admitted that she responded to the script the way she did because neither she or Jackman knew anything about X-Men, let alone the Marvel universe.

So, yes, thats the only time in our relationship that Ive ever been wrong, Furness said.

RELATED: Reminiscence Movie Review: Hugh Jackman Has a Total Recall Matrix
Dexter has officially returned, in the form of a revival series called Dexter: New Blood.

The original series aired for eight seasons between 2006 and 2013 and starred Michael C. Hall as the titular character, a crime scene technician living a double life as a serial killer. Many fans were sad to learn the revival would be without Yvonne Strahovskis Hannah McKay, Dexters girlfriend in the last seasons of Dexter. It wasnt immediately clear what happened to her, but her fate was finally revealed in a new interview.

[Warning: This post contains spoilers for the first episode of Dexter: New Blood, released on Sunday, Nov. 7.]

Yvonne Strahovski as Hannah McKay in Dexter | Randy Tepper/Showtime

What happened to Hannah on Dexter

As fans will recall, Dexter had Hannah flee to Argentina with his son, Harrison Morgan, in Dexter Season 8. He planned to join them, but after the death of his sister, he realized Harrison would never be safe with him and decided to leave him with Hannah. He then drove his boat out into the ocean during a storm in what appeared to be a suicide attempt, only for viewers to learn that he had faked his death and gone into hiding.

The revival reveals what came of Dexter and others who were in his orbit, but Hannah isnt part of it. Strahovski first confirmed she wasnt involved in the show in an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.

Im really looking forward to it because I have no idea what theyre going to do, she added in an interview with HeyUGuys. Im not part of it, so I am very curious as to how theyre going to navigate the storyline from this point forward.

The revival hasnt really touched on Hannah yet, but in an interview with Deadline, Hall confirmed shes dead. While he didnt share the circumstances behind her death, answers will likely come as the revival progresses.

RELATED: Dexter Fans React After Yvonne Strahovski Says Shes Not in the Revival

Harrison Morgan is ready to build a relationship with Dexter

Harrison wound up in foster care after losing Hannah, according to his official character description. But eventually, he left to find Dexter. He tracks him to a small town in Upstate New York, where Dexter now goes by the name Jim Lindsay. When he confronts Dexter, Dexter lies and sends him away, fearing hes no good. But just before his bus leaves, Dexter shows up and admits his true identity.

Hall spoke to Deadline about their reunion, teasing the show would explore whether Harrison has some version of the dark passenger himself.

Dexter definitely took himself out of Harrisons life because he was convinced that Harrison would be destroyed if he stayed close to him, he began. Just like Deb was destroyed, and Rita, and so many other people. So when Harrison reemerges, I think Dexter experiences two opposite things at once: this deep fear that Harrison is like him and also this deep dark wish that Harrison is like him. Hes sort of trying to manage both those things.

And I think as an audience, were sort of along for that ride, Hall continued. We ourselves wonder does Harrison have some version of the Dark Passenger? Is he his fathers son or not? I think a big part of that journey with that relationship is the two of them recognizing the things theyre keeping from one another are the things that really willif they choose to reveal thembind them.

RELATED: Dexter: New Blood Love Interest Has Secrets of Her Own, According to Michael C. Hall

Watch Dexter: New Blood now

Dexter: New Blood airs at 9 p.m. ET on Sundays on Showtime. There are nine episodes left until the finale, which showrunner Clyde Phillips describes as mind-blowing.

The ending of this one will be stunning, shocking, surprising, unexpected, he said on a panel during Comic-Con 2021. And without jinxing anything, I will say that the ending of this new season that were doing will blow up the internet.
Hannah Ferrier shared that when she was told Captain Mark Howard from Below Deck Mediterranean had passed, she initially thought he passed on returning to the show  not that he had died.

Ferrier recently opened up about the heartbreaking moment when her optimism that Howard was in talks to return to the show was crushed, realizing that the message she received was that he had died.

Hannah Ferrier recounted heartbreak when she learned Captain Mark from Below Deck had died

Ferrier opened up to Showbiz Cheat Sheet, sharing that she was shocked to learn he had died. He was an amazing captain to work with, she recalled. And it was so strange because [executive producer] Nadine [Rajabi] actually messaged me. And she said like Oh Im so sorry honey, Captain Mark has passed. And I woke up to that. So literally my first instinct was oh, I didnt know that they were in talks with him to do another season.

Hannah Ferrier recalled the heartbreaking way she learned Captain Mark from Below Deck had died |Laura Cavanaugh/WireImage

So I thought she said he had passed on doing the show, Ferrier said. And so I was like oh I didnt know you guys were in talks with him to replace [Captain] Sandy [Yawn]. And then I went onto my email from Bravo press. Then I was like, Oh my god, he passed. He didnt pass on doing the show, he passed. So that was heartbreaking.

Hannah Ferrier remembers Captain Mark as being a really good man

Ferrier said she then wished she had kept in closer touch with Howard. And then its like with a lot of people in these situations, it was like why didnt I talk to him more? she wondered. Or stay in touch more? And hed messaged me about [daughter] Ava and it was like a hope youre well kind of thing. And so afterward I was just so saddened that I hadnt kept in closer contact. She added, He was a really good man.

RELATED: Below Deck Mediterranean: Hannah Ferrier Dishes About Wedding Plans  Has She Set the Date? (Exclusive)

Ferrier was actually one of the crew members from Below Deck Med Season 1 who kept in contact with Howard and she shared an update about him in 2019 with Bravo. Captain Mark and I, we send a message maybe once a year, just to touch base, she told Bravos The Daily Dish. I really like him. Adding, I dont really think I knew what he was up to when I was working with him, let alone three years later, she remarked. He was like the opposite of [Captain Sandy Yawn]. He kind of drove the boat and stayed in his cabin, so it was lovely.

She told Showbiz Cheat Sheet shed touch base with Howard after each season would end. And I was always like, I need you, Mark! You need to come back!'

Captain Mark was the kind of captain Hannah Ferrier was used to working for in yachting

Ferrier said Howards style was closer to what she was used to in real yachting. Im definitely used to captains who were more hands-off like Mark, she said. Mark would definitely approach us if there was an issue or a guest complaint. But I was used to that level of trust and level of like, Shes the chief stew, thats her department.'

She added that Howard would just expect quality service, instead of worrying about the service beforehand. As opposed to asking like what time is this person getting up. And when is this and whats this? she said. And whats happening here. I definitely was not used to that.

Captain Mark Howard died in his Florida home on October 28. He was 65 years old.

RELATED: Below Deck Mediterranean: Captain Mark Howards Family Friend Blasts Sensational and Misleading Reports of His Death
Want a *chefs kiss* moment? Make Ree Drummonds Burnt Cheesecake. The celebrity chef promises that this particular Pioneer Woman dessert recipe is nothing short of perfection. Beyond that, the Food Network star says a taste of the creamy dish has the ability to be life-changing.

Ree Drummonds Burnt Cheesecake isnt a traditional cheesecake

Ree Drummond | Discovery Press/Food Network

Cheesecake is a classic dessert. Traditionally its comprised of crust (most often graham cracker) and a creamy, cheesy filling. But not Drummonds Burnt Cheesecake. Also called basque cheesecake, the Super Easy! authors dessert is what happens when the top of the cheesecake gets thoroughly charred during the baking process.

And, as Drummond explained while preparing the dish from her sprawling ranch in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, it doesnt have a crust. This recipe completely eliminates the crust, she said. The cheesecake is the crust and it bakes up with this amazing caramelized top.

The Pioneer Womans cheesecake recipe takes 2 hours to make

Per Drummonds Burnt Cheesecake recipe instructions on Food Networks website, its possible to have a dessert that, according to Drummond, is going to change your cheesecake life, on the table in two hours. As previously mentioned it doesnt have a crust so Drummond begins with the filling. Similar to most any other cheesecake recipe, the food blogger turned Food Network star starts by mixing together the ingredients for the filling. She uses standard ingredients such as vanilla extract, egg yolks, sugar, and, of course, cream cheese.

Heres the magic, guys. Theres no crust in the pan at all. You just go right in with the cheesecake batter, Drummond said as she transferred the filling from a mixing bowl to a springform pan.

Next, the 52-year-old puts the cheesecake in an oven preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Concerned about the high oven temp and long baking time? Dont be. Trust me, that thing is going to get burned in a delicious way, Drummond assured viewers.

And remember its called Burnt Cheesecake so a little  or a lot  of charring on the top isnt just expected its the goal. An hour later Drummond takes the cheesecake out of the oven. While it cools for about an hour she makes a simple blackberry sauce for the top. Finally, once the cheesecake is cooled and set she takes it out of the springform pan and slices it. All in all, the entire process takes about two hours from start to finish. And the majority of that time is spent waiting for the cheesecake to bake or cool.

The Food Network star has another unique cheesecake recipe

Drummonds Burnt Cheesecake isnt her only unusual take on the classic dessert. The Pioneer Woman has another variation even she admits is a little outlandish. She calls her Cheesecake Bites absolutely ridiculous in a very delicious way. Essentially bite-size pieces of deep-fried cheesecake, the Food Network star serves them up with a strawberry dipping sauce. And, unlike her Burnt Cheesecake recipe that doesnt have a crust, Drummonds Cheesecake Bites have graham cracker crumbs incorporated into the filling.

No matter the cheesecake mood Drummonds probably got a recipe for it. In the mood for something different? Make her Burnt Cheesecake or Cheesecake Bites. Dont want to use the oven? Whip up the Food Network stars No-Bake Cheesecake.

RELATED: The Pioneer Woman: How Ree Drummond Elevates Boxed Cake Mix
Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky are a famous couple on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The pair have been married for 25 years, and Richards and Umansky recently opened up about their journey to marriage. Richards even shared a sweet story of Umansky including her daughter, Farrah, into their proposal.

Mauricio Umansky and Kyle Richards | Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

How did Mauricio Umansky propose to Kyle Richards?

As the couple told The Knot, Richards and Umansky fell in love after meeting at a nightclub. They bonded over their same interests and common goals.

When Richards and Umansky wanted to take their relationship further, Umansky crafted a proposal at the restaurant Shutters in Santa Monica.

I took her to Shutters on a date, and I gave her a bouquet of flowers. And it was a very pretty, romantic evening and inside the flowers I had [a ring box that looked like a rosebud], Umansky explained. So I gave her the flowers hoping she would see the fake flower or box. Of course she didnt because it was such a good box. So I had to tell her, Honey, smell the flowers, like, do they all smell the same?

When Richards finally saw the box, she opened it and discovered a ring inside. This was when Umansky got down on one knee and proposed.

I was just so happy and excitedit was a dream for me, Richards said. The moment we started dating, I just felt like he was the one. 

Mauricio Umansky also gave Farrah 1 sweet gift

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When Richards met Umansky, she was already a mother to daughter Farrah Aldjufrie. Farrah was born in 1988 when Richards was still married to her ex-husband, Guraish Aldjufrie.

When Umansky proposed to Richards, he made sure to not leave Farrah out. The real estate broker also gave Farrah a sweet gift.

When my husband asked me to marry him, he also gave Farrah a little engagement ring that was a heart with two hands holding it, Richards revealed.

Umansky added, Thats right, I had to ask her to marry me too!

Richards shared that Umansky and Farrah had a great relationship. She explained, Oh my goodness, she was just so in love with [Mauricio]. Every night we would all lay in bed and she would suck her thumb and rub his ear with her other little hand like he was her blankie!

Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky had their wedding 3 months early

RELATED: RHOBH: What Is Kyle Richards Net Worth

Richards and Umansky got married in January 1996. The couple was actually supposed to wed in April of that year. However, Richards revealed they changed the wedding date so my dress would still fit, because I was pregnant.

Richards gave birth to their daughter Alexia in June 1996. They welcomed two more daughters in the coming years: Sophia (born 2000) and Portia (born 2008).

Richards and Umansky are known as one of the strongest couples on RHOBH. They shared with The Knot that they try to spend time together, partaking in shared hobbies or escaping to their sanctuary in Aspen, Colorado.

I think the difficulties weve gone through on the showand I know it sounds like a clichebut its made us stronger, Richards said. And its crazy to think you could say that about a reality show. But when youve been tested over time, you either cave and you lose, or you win and come out on top. And we definitely ended up being stronger from being tested.
The Golden Girls Rue McClanahan was married six times in her life, once prompting People to write about her: The problem is limiting her weakness for strays to the animal kingdom. Which husband left her disillusioned, which one scared her, and which one did she keep around the longest?

Rue McClanahan | Theo Westenberger/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images

Rue McClanahans first five marriages

Unlike her character Blanche Deveraux, McClanahan was not a fan of shacking up before marriage. She committed frequently, but often to relationships that werent meant to be.

People wrote in 1986 that McClanahans first three marriages were to actors, and the first two lasted a total of four years. Her fourth husband left after two years and her fifth marriage to an old boyfriend ended after just a year  and in McClanahan paying out a pricey financial settlement.

At the time, she said her fifth marriage cured her. She explained, I used to be a romantic, but no more. There were rumors she was planning to remarry her first husband, but she denied it and said, I dont have any plans to marry Tom, or anyone, again. If the tabloids want a story, I could make up one a lot better.

McClanahan explained shed married several times at that point due to her upbringing. She said she was brought up to believe that living with people was sinful and getting married was the thing to do.

Rue McClanahan called her first divorce disillusioning and said her second marriage was a replacement

McClanahans first marriage to actor Tom Bish produced her only child, Mark Bish, and ended in divorce within 17 months. She told People it was the worst thing that had ever happened to [her]. It was so disillusioning.

She admitted her second marriage to a former college friend was an attempt to replace what she thought she lost in her first marriage. They separated almost immediately, according to McClanahan, though they remained good friends.

Rue McClanahan was afraid of her third husband

McClanahans third marriage left both her and her son terrified. To tell you the truth I was afraid of him, she told People. She said he was very hot tempered and she had never known anyone like that.

She persuaded him to see a counselor. McClanahan quoted the counselor as saying, Ive only advised this once in my career, but I advise you not to stay together.

But she stayed with him until she realized her son had also grown afraid of him. He was scared and getting more and more withdrawn, she explained. She left when Mark was 13 after he gave her an ultimatum. He told her to leave her husband or he would move to Oklahoma with his grandparents.

Rue McClanahan c. 1980 | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Rue McClanahans fourth marriage left her bitter and her fifth husband took some of her Golden Girls money

As McClanahan told it, she and her fourth husband were talking about getting a divorce within a year of getting married. She said, There were a couple of buildings that Gus wanted me to invest in, but she stopped herself there. I better not talk about it, because I get real bitter over that one.

After it ended in 1979, McClanahan eventually described this marriage as a fluke to People. She said she didnt think everyone could be greedy.

McClanahans fifth husband was a high school boyfriend who visited her in Los Angeles. I was looking for someone to trust, and wed been close, she explained to People. We got married in a couple of months. It was a very rash thing.

She married Tom Keel in 1984. But the relationship ended in a messy and costly divorce in 1986  one year into her Emmy-winning run as Blanche Deveraux on The Golden Girls. She had refused a prenuptial agreement, so Keel ended up walking away with a large financial settlement.

Which of Rue McClanahans marriages was the longest?

McClanahans last marriage to actor Morrow Wilson was her longest. They wed in 1997 and their union lasted 12 years until they legally separated, which was their status when McClanahan died in 2010. Ive never loved anyone the way I loved Rue, Wilson told Inside Edition following McClanahans death.

RELATED: The Golden Girls: What Food Does Betty White Like to Eat Naked?
Rapper Travis Scott is making headlines after his annual Astroworld Festival turned into a tragedy. Numerous concertgoers at the event experienced a stampede that left many people either dead or injured.

However, this was not the first time that Scotts concert attracted questions about crowd behavior. In 2017, a fan was left paralyzed after attending a severely crowded and out of control show.

Travis Scott at Astroworld Festival 2021 | Erika Goldring/WireImage

Several people died and many were injured at Travis Scotts Astroworld Festival

Astroworld Festival 2021 was originally a two-day event taking place at NRG Park in Houston, Texas. On Nov. 5, it commenced its first day.

Just after 9 p.m. local time, Scott was on-stage when a crowd surge occurred. According to CNN, there were 50,000 people in attendance that evening.

Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena explained during a press conference the next morning, The crowd for whatever reason began to push and surge towards the front of the stage, which caused the people in the front to be compressed  they were unable to escape that situation.

At least eight people died, including a 10-year-old child. Over 300 people sustained injuries, with over 20 of them having to be hospitalized.

Officials are still investigating the event. Pena shared they will try to figure out what caused, one, the issue of the crowd surge, and two, what prevented people from being able to escape that situation.

Scott released a statement saying he was absolutely devastated by what happened. He added, My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival. Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life.

The second night of Astroworld Festival, which was supposed to take place on Nov. 6, was canceled.

A fan once became paralyzed at a Travis Scott concert in 2017

A man who was paralyzed at a 2017 Travis Scott show says he's "devastated" for the Astroworld victims and is "incensed by the fact that it could have been avoided" https://t.co/rdhq2rbeMN  Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) November 7, 2021

RELATED: BTS, Travis Scott, and Saweetie Just Changed the Way Well Be Eating for a Long Time

Back in April 2017, a man named Kylie Green attended a concert Scott held in Manhattan. According to Rolling Stone, Green was pushed off a balcony.

Green broke several bones including vertebrae in his fall and was subsequently hauled off the floor by show staff without a cervical collar, backboard and other safety precautions, Rolling Stone wrote, quote a lawsuit Green filed in October 2017.

His lawyer, Howard Hershenhorn also said, Security picked him up like a sack of potatoes and carried him toward the front. Travis offered him his ring. Then they finally carried him out. Unfortunately, he was paralyzed.

The outlet wrote that, from Greens view, the concert was what hes called a severely crowded and out-of-control event. On Twitter, one person posted a video of another fan dangling off a railing and Scott encouraging them to jump.

According to Hershenhorn, Green is very incensed at what happened at Astroworld Festival recently.

Hes even more incensed by the fact that it could have been avoided had Travis learned his lesson in the past and changed his attitude about inciting people to behave in such a reckless manner, the lawyer said.

Travis Scott has been arrested twice for disorderly conduct at concerts

RELATED: This Rihanna Hit Was Co-Written by Travis Scott

The deaths and injuries at Astroworld have shone a huge spotlight on Scotts history of disorderly conduct at his shows.

As recounted by The Los Angeles Times, in 2015, Scott was arrested on charges of reckless conduct after he encouraged fans to climb over security barricades and storm the stage. The rapper pleaded guilty and was put under court supervision for a year.

Then, in May 2017, Scott was arrested again after he, yet again, told fans to ignore security measures and run onto the stage at an Arkansas show. He faced three misdemeanor charges for his behavior: Inciting a riot, disorderly conduct and endangering the welfare of a minor. Afterward, Scott pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was ordered to pay $6,000 to two people who were injured at the event.
Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. participates in an Oct. 27 discussion hosted by the Oklahoma Policy Institute with the release of its A Better Path Forward report.
The proposed map for Oklahomas new U.S. House districts would move southwest Oklahoma into Dist. 3, and move parts of Logan and Lincoln counties into Dist. 5. It would also move Washington County and eastern Wagoner County out of Dist. 1 and into Dist. 2, which includes Tahlequah.
The Farmington Canal Heritage Trail is going to be added to a much larger network of trails that will ultimately connect it all the way up to Northampton, Massachusetts, and potentially beyond.

In order to keep track of all the facets of the trail, a member of a nonprofit group approached the Council at the Oct. 12 meeting to ask for the trail to be included under the umbrella branch name  The New Haven & Northampton Canal Greenway.

All the groups in the area have created the local New Haven/Northampton Greenway Alliance and I am a member of that, said Christy Bannish. During (the COVID-19 pandemic) we saw a huge amount of abuse (to the trail) on both sides, and nationally its been a discussion for years.

Banish explained that her nonprofit joined with the surrounding trail groups and voted on the name The New Haven & Northampton Canal Greenway as a unifying gesture.

 The goal of the alliance is not to make changes to anything or change how anything is done. Its really to unify all the nonprofits, she explained.

Bannish added that her group has created a website that will allow users to view a calendar of events for the entire trail as well as learn more about what the trail alliance group does to maintain the area and keep it in running order.

The trail itself is almost done, and Connecticut has been doing a great job finishing it, she said. What I have been doing is going from town to town, getting something in writing saying that (youre) supportive of the idea of an umbrella name.

By agreeing to be apart of the alliance, Cheshire can register the trail on national websites for use by tourists and hikers all over the country.

Right now, if you look at the trails for Connecticut on the state website, its all segmented into different pieces of the trail with each different name, she added. In some places its the Farmington Canal Heritage trail, other places its the Manhattan Trail or the Columbia Greenway. We really want to have that recognition because these are national networks we want to unite.

Bannish explained how trails previously were stand-alone segments without any form of connectivity, but now trails have become massive networks and webs for those who enjoy hiking on them, and her alliance would like a way to keep track of it all.

The Farmington Canal Trail branches off to the East Coast Greenway, and up in Massachusetts there is the Mass. Central Rail Trail that also breaks off this trail, she added. There is also a lot of talk about expanding the trail to New York. It just makes sense to have a unified name.

Bannish added that there is no cost to the Town to change the name, nor will the Town be under any sort of liability obligation.

This is really just all of the nonprofit organizations trying to promote what currently exists and put it under one name for the whole 81 miles, she concluded.

Councilor Jim Jinks asked Bannish about the possibility of applying for federal grants under the new umbrella name.

You can apply for the trail to become nationally recognized, she said. I know there are a lot of parts that are historical, and you can get those parts to be maintained in some effort by those federal funds 

Councilor Don Walsh added his concern about signage on the trail with the new name change.

The town is not going to be obligated to change any signs  this would (fall on) your nonprofit to add to any existing signage? he questioned.

Correct, answered Bannish.

Town Manager Sean Kimball added that the big Farmington Canal Heritage Trail signs at the entrances to the trail in Cheshire will not be changed, but some additional signage might be added along the way to indicate that the trail is part of something larger.

The Council voted unanimously to adopt the new name.
The first thing you notice about Thomas Schirrmachers home are the books.

Stuffed into shelves, stacked in piles, and even teetering on top of the toilet, they range from edited collections of Jewish history to works such as Mark Nolls The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind.

Schirrmacher is the recently elected secretary general and CEO of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA). He is also the author of scores of books himself.

Of note on Schirrmachers bookcases, however, is a title not written by him but in his honor: God Needs No Defense: Reimagining Muslim-Christian Relations in the 21st Century.

Opening with an essay on humanitarian Islam by former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid, the edited collection of essays, statements, and treatisesincluding an essay by Schirrmachers wife, Christine, who is a professor of Islamic studiescovers issues related to Christian-Muslim relations and religious freedom.

The volume is a testament to Schirrmachers vision: a world where, as the editors said, Muslim and Christian believers reach across racial, religious, cultural, and political lines to strive for the equal rights and dignity of every human being.

The authors said Schirrmacher is a man who is driven intellectually, emotionally, and theologically to work with a diverse range of partners in addressing some of the worlds most pressing issues.

The challenge now is to rally global evangelicals to do it with him.

Sometimes we [at the WEA] are criticized for our friendly interactions with Roman Catholics or Muslims or others, that we are interacting with the Antichrist or entering into spiritual union with them, he said. Sometimes certain ...

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Malaysian state criminalizes proselytizing, Christian conversions; violators face jail and canings

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The northeastern Malaysian state of Kelantan has implemented amendments to its criminal code based on sharia law, banning about two dozen activities, including attempts of converting out of Islam. Violators could face prison, fines or canings.

The Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code (I) Enactment 2019 went into effect on Nov. 1, making 24 activities illegal, The Star newspaper reports.

Banned activities include proselytizing, distorting Islamic teachings, disrespecting the month of Ramadan, destroying houses of worship, tattooing, undergoing plastic surgery, engaging in sexual intercourse with corpses and non-humans, witchcraft and false claims.

The new offenses are punishable by imprisonment up to three years and a fine up to RM5,000 (US$1,202) or six strokes of the cane.

The amendments to the states criminal code, proposed in 2019, are based on the Syariah Criminal Code (II) 1993 and the existing 1985 Syariah Criminal Code. The state sultan, Muhammad V, gave consent to the amendments in July 2020.

Kelantan Chief Minister Ahmad Yakob has said during a program on Oct. 31 that the enforcement of the new bans will help strengthen the sharia law not only in Kelantan but also in other states in the Muslim-majority Southeast Asian country.

He was also quoted as saying that the enforcement seeks to educate and bring the violators back to the right path of Islam and is not simply a means to punish them.

Malaysia is 66% Muslim and less than 10% Christian, according to The Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project.

Open Doors USAs 2021 World Watch List ranks Malaysia as the 46th-worst country globally when it comes to Christian persecution. In Malaysia, Christians have suffered from many forms of Islamic repression.

According to Open Doors USA, which monitors persecution in over 60 countries, Catholics and Methodists are monitored by authorities in Malaysia. Still, nontraditional Protestant groups are more often targeted because they tend to be more active in evangelism. Open Doors reports that it is illegal to share the Gospel with Malaysian Muslims.

Responding to the new ban, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern notes that critics in Malaysia are concerned the new enactment could contribute to an exclusive and intolerant Islam.

The womens rights group Sisters in Islam expressed concern that these developments violate fundamental principles of democracy because they suppress critical thought and expression.

The new enactment comes as the case of Malaysian Pastor Raymond Koh remains unsolved. Koh has been missing since he was abducted in a well-organized, military-style operation more than four years ago after being accused of preaching to Muslims.
At least some of 17 missionaries kidnapped in Haiti still alive, US official says

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At least some of the 17 missionaries kidnapped by the 400 Mawozo gang in Haiti, whose leader Wilson Joseph has threatened to kill them if he is not paid a $17 million in ransom, have been confirmed alive, a senior official in the Biden administration says.

An unnamed official told Reuters that the U.S. government had seen proof that at least some of the 16 Americans and one Canadian are still alive some three weeks after being kidnapped while serving with the Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries.

The statement comes in the wake of the Ministry of Defense in Haitis neighboring Dominican Republic confirming last Thursday that five U.S. helicopters likely on their way to Haiti on a humanitarian mission landed in Puerto Plata province to refuel and rest.

The Dominican Today reports that the helicopters caused a stir on social media due to the political crisis in Haiti that has been exacerbated by the missionaries kidnappings.

In their most recent statement on the kidnapping of the missionaries, Christian Aid Ministries said dealing with the situation has been intense." The group of missionaries includes five children, the youngest being less than a year old.

It is now the 21st day since the kidnapping in Haiti took place. The past three weeks have been an intense journey, but God has faithfully carried us and the families of the hostages. We trust He has been carrying the hostages as well, the international aid ministry said Friday.

Though the hostages face difficult circumstances, we pray that God will give them joy and reminders of His faithfulness and goodness.

The ministry added that it has no way of communicating with the hostages and wishes them the hope-filled encouragement of Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

The organization further noted that if it could communicate with the kidnapped missionaries, it would assure them they are constantly in our thoughts and prayers.

We are working for their return, and many believers around the world are remembering them, the CAM statement reads.

Last month, a video of Joseph, which recently began circulating on social media, showed the crime boss wasnt pleased with the pace of negotiations for the release of the missionaries.

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, according to a translation cited by Bloomberg Quicktake.

The gang leader further threatened Haitis Prime Minister Ariel Henry and 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.

Christian Aid Ministries noted in an update last week that nearly half of Haiti is now under the control of gangs.

The leader of the G9 Family and Allies federation of nine gangs that control parts of Port-au-Prince, Jimmy Barbecue Cherizier, urged the United States and United Nations last week to cut its ties with the government to liberate citizens. Chaos continues to unfold over three months after the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise.

We take this opportunity to invite the United Nations in general and the so-called friendly countries of Haiti, in particular the United States of America, to register in this page of history as loyal allies who want the well-being of the Haitian people by divorcing the status quo, Cherizier said at a press conference Wednesday.
USCIRF urges US gov't to add 4 countries to list of worst religious freedom violators

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The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has urged the State Department to add India, Russia, Syria and Vietnam to its list of countries designated as the worst religious freedom violators.

The State Department is expected this month to decide which countries should be designated as a Country of Particular Concern or placed on its Special Watchlist based on religious freedom conditions as per the USCIRFs latest annual report.

In a press release, the commission, a congressionally mandated body of independent experts tasked with advising the federal government on religious freedom issues, says it's reiterating that it has recommended four countries for CPC status that the State Department did not previously designate.

Countries subject to the State Departments CPC designation face negative consequences, including the possibility of crippling sanctions.

The additional countries USCIRF recommends for CPC designation include India, Russia, Syria and Vietnam, the press release says. The additional countries USCIRF recommends for the SWL include Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Turkey and Uzbekistan.

In recent years, Christians in India have faced escalating persecution that has seemingly coincided with the rise to power of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. The country is ranked by Open Doors USA as the 10th-worst in the world regarding the severity of Christian persecution.

However, allies of the Indian government have worked to pressure the USCIRF to reverse its recommendation that the State Department label India as a CPC.

Indian American Christians are deeply concerned about a campaign run by a foreign Hindu nationalist government through its proxies in Washington to reverse the USCIRF recommendation on India, John Prabhudoss, the chairman of the Washington, D.C.-based Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations, said at a panel event in April to discuss Indias Designation as CPC hosted by International Christian Concern.

While the USCIRF included India on its list of countries of particular concern in its 2020 annual report, the U.S. State Department never acted on that recommendation. USCIRF cited the implementation of national-level policies violating religious freedom across India as a cause for particular concern. However, the Indian government rejected the reports findings as biased.

Human rights groups in India said last month they had documented over 300 incidents of Christian persecution in just the first nine months of 2021, warning that this year might be the worst in terms of the number of such incidents in the countrys history.

About Russia, the USCIRF said in its report: For years, the Russian government has conducted a purge of non-traditional religions  Russian courts continue to deliver harsher and more numerous prison sentences for Jehovahs Witnesses seeking to practice their faith. Those on the governments expansive extremism and terrorism list include many who have not been convicted of a crime. Individuals remain on the list even after serving out sentences, with their finances frozen or restricted as a consequence, and their right to participate in religious activity prohibited.

About Syria, the report noted: In 2020 and 2021, both the Syrian government as controlled by President Bashar al-Assad and a variety of non-state actors such as Turkish-backed Islamist groups have perpetrated violations of religious freedom. While in regime-controlled areas the government did not crack down on religious minorities if they had no specific record of political opposition, President Assad continued to progressively co-opt religious authority.

The USCIRF said it continued to receive reports that local authorities in Vietnam carried out physical assaults, detention, imprisonment, forcible confiscation of church properties and assets, and other abuses against members of Hmong and Montagnard Christian communities, including efforts to force these Christians to renounce their faith.
China increases surveillance of pastors, tests loyalty to communist party

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has voiced concern about measures adopted by the Chinese government this year to further tighten state control over government-sanctioned churches, including requiring full support of the Chinese Communist Party and banning religious activity by house churches.

The regulations, called the Measures on the Management of Religious Clergy, supplement the revised 2018 Regulations on Religious Affairs.

The new regulations went into effect earlier this year and reflect the Chinese governments abuses targeting the clergy of religious groups, the congressionally mandated bipartisan panel warned in a factsheet published last month.

The regulations limit the freedom of clergy members of the five state-sanctioned religious groups in China  the Buddhist Association of China, the Chinese Taoist Association, the Islamic Association of China, the Protestant Three-Self Patriotic Movement and the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association. They also ban religious activity by independent clergy who are not part of the five state-sanctioned religious groups.

The new Measures expand an invasive and comprehensive system of control and

surveillance on clergy, the USCIRF report reads. Article 3 of the Measures requires clergy  among other demands  to support the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) rule, the Chinese socialist political system, and the CCPs sinicization of religion policy, effectively

imposing a political test to ensure clergies loyalty to the CCP.

USCIRF notes that Articles 6 and 12 of the regulations prohibit clergy from engaging in illegal religious activities and foreign infiltration using religion.

These vague provisions could be used as a broad pretext to crack down on independent religious groups, ethnoreligious minority groups, and religious groups with perceived foreign connections, USCIRF warned.

The U.S.-based persecution watchdog group China Aid reports that the new rules make house churches  which were already illegal in China  the main targets of the CCP and government-sanctioned churches.

Since the new regulations were issued earlier this year, USCIRF notes that Chinese authorities have detained and arrested scores of underground Catholic priests, including Bishop Joseph Zhang Weizhu of Xixiang, Hebei province.

Unregistered Protestant house church leaders have also been detained or arrested, including Elder Zhang Chunlei of Renai Reformed Church and Pastor Yang Hua of Living Stone Church in Guiyang city, Guizhou province.

China Aid notes that the State Administration of Religious Affairs installed other systems to monitor new, current and retired clergy members and surveil clergy suspected of violating any of the stringent restrictions.

Open Doors USA, which covers persecution in over 60 countries, estimates that China has more than 97 million Christians, many of whom worship in unregistered or illegal underground churches.

China ranks as the 17th-worst country globally when it comes to Christian persecution on Open Doors USAs 2021 World Watch List.

Even before the new measures were implemented, house churches faced much oppression from government entities.

House churches across China are seeing an increased harassment from church raid, crackdown on their activities, to the detention of their leaders, said Gina Goh, the regional manager for Southeast Asia at the U.S.-based International Christian Concern, earlier this year.

Beijing seeks to intimidate the leaders in hopes that the churches will dissolve due to fear. Their plot will not succeed, thanks to the resiliency of the Chinese house church. They survived the Cultural Revolution, and they will survive Xis era as well.

Open Doors reports that Chinese Christians face increasing pressure from the government. From 2020 to 2021, China jumped six places on the World Watch List. Over the last three years, China has risen 26 spots on the World Watch List rankings amid a rapidly deteriorating situation for Christians.

In recent years, there has been an increase in raids and harassment of Christians while thousands of churches have been damaged, confiscated or destroyed. Open Doors warns that laws regulating religion passed in 2018 continue to be rolled out in provinces nationwide.

The country has also been labeled by the U.S. State Department as a country of particular concern for engaging in severe violations of religious freedom.

ICC documented more than 100 incidents of Christian persecution in China between July 2020 and June 2021.
Evangelical leaders urge pastors not to forsake teaching Bible prophecy, talk End Times

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Pastors who refuse to preach about Bible prophecy are failing to "teach 20 to 40 percent of the Bible, said Jack Hibbs, pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Southern California.

Hibbs' remarks came as part of the Prophecy Q&A event held at Calvery Chapel where the pastor was joined by Jan Markell, the director of Olive Tree Ministries, Pastor Barry Stagner of Calvary Chapel Tustin in Costa Mesa, California, and Amir Tsarfati, the founder of the nonprofit organization Behold Israel.

Hibbs urged pastors not to forsake teaching prophecy, adding that The book of Revelation, Chapter 19 tells us that Jesus Himself is the Spirit of prophecy. Jesus said, I give you these things in advance, so when they happen you will know that I Am  the self-existing eternal God.

He added that at some seminaries, Bible prophecy is no longer being taught, which he said is problematic because courses in eschatology teach about the prophetic Word given by God, about the Messiah and about salvation.

People are going to go pay $100,000 to go get their doctorate in theology and come out expected to become a pastor of a church and the world around them is being prophetic, whether they like it or not, Hibbs said at the Oct. 19 event. Its happening and they dont know what to do. They dont know what to say, so they avoid it because they have never been taught in the seminaries.

Thats not a good start. Watch out where youre going to seminary if youre going. Its sad, Hibbs lamented.

Even Jesus rebuked His disciples when they didn't believe in prophets and prophecy, Tsarfati said, because they missed out on the plan of the God of salvation who is the Messiah.

As far as Im concerned, when they leave prophecy out  its the number one sign of the woke and progressive and thats the progression of the world, Tsarfati added. The progression of the believer is when they realize it was Jesus. The progression of the church that is not into Jesus is [going] down to the road of shame, embarrassment and sadness.

While he stressed that pastors should be teaching prophecy, Tsarfati said people shouldn't stop attending a particular church simply because it doesn't teach about prophecy. Because, he added, being around other Christians is important.

Christians in these scenarios, he said, should seek out knowledge about biblical prophecy and prophets from other avenues if their churches do not offer that information.

How many times have you encountered people who say, we dont have any church around 10, 20 miles [of us]? Im saying this: if thats the only church around, go there and take food supplements. And the supplements are online  watching others teaching Bible prophecy because you dont get that in your church, Tsarfati advised. If they're the only church around, you dont want to not go to church. You need that fellowship.

When asked about his thoughts on progressive preachers, Stagner said he avoids listening to preachers that deny the existence of prophecy and prophets.

I dont listen to this nonsense.  It takes me too quickly to the phrase shut up, Stagner responded. If you hear [in church] more about improving your this-life-situation and solving society's woes, than you are hearing about being equipped to get people into the Kingdom of God, leave.

Stagner said that, unfortunately, all throughout the world, many people are forced into the only available churches in their communities that have pastors who are intimidated by the idea of teaching about prophecy and prophets. He said there should be no excuse for pastors avoiding parts of the Bible, and every pastor should put in the effort to study the Scriptures to fully understand all parts of the Bible.

Prophecy and prophets are part of the Book. It needs to be taught as you come upon it in Scripture. You cant just skip over those things because they're hard, Stagner advised. If we skipped over everything that was hard or difficult, we would be teaching John 3:16 every week because everybody knows that. But there are things in Scripture that are hard to deal with.

These things require a lot of study and homework to understand them fully and completely  especially in light of times that we live in today. And it takes that effort to get in there and mine those things out. And not everyone is willing to do that. But they should be, Stagner continued.

As the event came to a close, the panelists discussed how they view the End Times and how in the last days, the anti-Christ will come on Earth.

Hibbs predicted that the U.S. dollar will collapse.

Scripture says [the anti-Christ] is going to deceive the world. Something economically has to collapse: the U.S. dollar soon, with whats happening, and theres going to be a need for a new economy, Hibbs estimated. The anti-Christ is going to have the answer and hes going to bring peace because theres going to be Mayhem.

If a believer is not eagerly awaiting the expectation of Jesus return, Tsarfati said, there is something terribly wrong with their understanding of the Scriptures.

The believer has to have that expectation for the return of Jesus to take him out of here. And if he doesnt have it, he never probably studied [Scriptures] to understand how important it is and [theres] a big problem with your Christian understanding if you dont have that, he said.

The speakers all agreed that the world wont stay the same during the tribulation.

The whole geopolitical landscape is going to change during the tribulation.  Everythings going to change during the tribulation, Stagner said.

Everythings going to change in a moment," he added. "If youre heavenly-minded, you will want to do more good because youll want to take people with you. We have a mandate from God: the Great Commission. Rescue those who are drawn toward death. We are here to save souls. Thats exciting. To act on behalf of God. Christians will be able to handle whatever comes their way during the End Times.

While echoing predictions of End Times events, Tsarfati added that the world will welcome the anti-Christ to bring peace amid chaos. Christians, he said, should recognize that Jesus said He is coming back and He wants to find his followers doing His business.

People will celebrate the death of the people of God. The moral standard is going to change so dramatically. Its going to be horrific. In the future, beheading will be the practice of the governments of the world, he predicted in reference to the tribulation period. He who will not take that Mark of the beast when the beast will be here ruling the world, his head will be chopped off. Its not going to be a crime.

Hibbs stressed that Christians, however, won't have to face the tribulations associated with biblical End Times: Can we be clear that if youre a born again Christian and believer you wont see that.
Fearing Christs return as a Christian

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God used the teaching of Bible prophecy to bring me to Himself. As an engineering student in college, I was blown away by the statistical impossibilities of the Old Testament predictions of Christs first coming happening by chance, with God opening my eyes to the fact that No prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (2 Peter 1:21).

My jaw dropped even further when I became educated to the fact that just 20 percent of the Old Testament prophets spoke about His first coming, but 80 percent speak to His second coming. Moreover, there are 1,500 passages in the Old Testament that refer to Christs second coming, and one out of every 25 verses in the New Testament refer to Jesus return.

The study of Bible prophecy and the second coming became a special area of joy and study for me, and I woke up every day praying, Maranatha (1 Cor. 16:22; O Lord come). Chances are, as a Christian, you do the same.

Scripture testifies to the fact that, as believers, we should be looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus (Titus 2:13) and awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 1:7).

The Bible tells us we ought to join with John in saying, Amen. Come, Lord Jesus (Rev. 22:20) because our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:20) and in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing (2 Tim. 4:8).

The intensity of this desire is made especially strong when we observe the upside-down world in which we now live.

Today our society vilifies law enforcement and celebrates lawbreakers, imprisons the innocent and releases criminals, murders babies in the womb and lets killers go free, feigns respect for women while letting biological males into their bathrooms, disrespects strong work ethics, and coddles the lazy, shirks responsibility and embraces victim mentalities, preaches justice while committing injustice through mob-driven tactics, prioritizes gender-neutral toy aisles over stopping rampant business theft, decries racism with its mouth while promoting it through its actions, steals from others in the name of "equity," censors truth while promoting lies, and cancels anyone with an opposing view.

Our culture is summed up well by Pauls simple statement, whose glory is in their shame (Phil. 3:19).

Given all this, how could any believer not pray every hour for Christ to come back? And yet, let me explain why theres a growing part of me that has great trepidation about Christs return.

The dark side of the second coming

The best passage that sums up the unease I have about the second coming is from the Old Testament book of Amos:

Alas, you who are longing for the day of the Lord,

For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you?

It will be darkness and not light;

As when a man flees from a lion

And a bear meets him,

Or goes home, leans his hand against the wall

And a snake bites him.

Will not the day of the Lord be darkness instead of light,

Even gloom with no brightness in it? (5:18-20).

Amos portrays some in Israel as eagerly anticipating the Messiahs arrival, not knowing that it would be a day of terror for them. Paul references this group of people when he writes, For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abrahams descendants (Rom. 9:6-7).

The New Testament version of this is Jesus final discourse in the Sermon on the Mount: Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness. (Matt 7:21-23).

The Bibles words on this subject send a strong shiver down my spine. The reason is, if youre like me, you know people who the puritan Matthew Mead calls The Almost Christian. They count themselves as believers when in reality their house is built on the sand (Matt. 7:26-27).

They think that because of who they are (like Israel) or what theyve supposedly done (works salvation) they will be welcomed by God into His kingdom. But in a horrifying turn of events, their house of cards will collapse, and destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape (2 Thess. 5:3).

While Ive looked heavenward a lot and asked, What are you waiting for?, these days I have more appreciation for what Peter says in his second letter: The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9).

I fully believe in the sovereignty of God and Jesus words, All that the Father gives Me will come to Me (John 6:37). That said, Im more spurned on than ever to evangelize the lost, especially those who think they are born again but are self-deceived.

Today, as always, there are two types of people in the world: those with their judgment behind them and those with their judgment ahead of them. While I still hope for Christs return each day, I also have great fear for those who dont know Jesus but think they do.

I hope youll join with me in relaying to the almost Christian the important warnings and examples we find in Scripture about the day of the Lord so they obtain a true saving faith: See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven (Heb. 12:25).
Sen. Hawley urges USCIRF to add Canada to Watch List, says religious freedom is 'in peril'

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Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri has urged the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to consider placing Canada on its Watch List due to its continued lockdown restrictions, arrests of Christian pastors and seizure of church property.

Hawley called out what he deems as the government's systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom, adding that he's deeply concerned that freedom is in peril across our nations northern border."

Some congregations in Canada have seen the forced closure of church buildings, arrests of pastors, in addition to stiff fines and jail time for church leaders over their defiance of authorities' ongoing lockdown orders in response to COVID-19.

Many have contended that secular entities, non-Christian religious gatherings and protesters have also gathered in large numbers but haven't faced similar penalties.

In his letter to the USCIRF, Hawley added, I am troubled that our Canadian neighbors are effectively being forced to gather in secret, undisclosed locations to exercise their basic freedom to worship."

Frankly, I would expect this sort of religious crackdown in Communist China, not in a prominent Western nation like Canada, he continued. Canadian authorities arrest of faith leaders and seizure of church property, among other enforcement actions, appear to constitute systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.

He asked the Commission to address the situation and consider adding Canada to its Watch List for these violations of religious freedom.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent, bipartisan federal commission dedicated to defending the universal right to freedom of religion worldwide.

Hawley mentioned Canadian Pastor Tim Stephens of Fairview Baptist Church in Calgary and Pastor James Coates of GraceLife Church in Spruce Grove, Alberta, as examples of faith leaders who've been arrested and jailed for holding worship services in defiance of ongoing COVID-19 gathering restrictions.

Stephens was arrested for holding an outdoor worship service after authorities ordered the church building to close its doors.

Police arrested him earlier this month in front of his tearful eight children after an outdoor worship gathering was discovered by a police helicopter flying above.

Stephens was previously arrested for holding a church service that did not comply with public health orders, including masking, physical distancing and attendance limits.

Coates of GraceLife Church in Canada has also faced arrest for breaking COVID-19 gathering restrictions.

His church was subsequently fenced off by Alberta Health Services to prevent Sunday worship gatherings.

A judge recently ruled that the actions taken against Coates did not violate his religious freedom despite his claim that the government's restrictions were unconstitutional.

Artur Pawlowski, the pastor of Street Church and Cave of Adullam Church in Calgary, Alberta, accused the Canadian government of a double standard in a recent interview with The Christian Post.

Pawlowski asserted that law enforcement repeatedly descended on his church services but allowed mosques to remain "fully operational.

Not one Imam was being harassed or intimidated. And to this day, theres not one Imam or one Muslim that has a ticket, even though we have video evidence and pictures [of] them gathering even recently through the whole Ramadan by the thousands, he added. Pawlowskis YouTube channel includes a video of a gathering of thousands of Muslims that took place on the last day of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Muslim calendar.

Pawlowski had been arrested along with his brother for violating gathering restrictions.

He said he had received 29 COVID-19 tickets, three court orders, two injunctions and two court contempt trials over the past year.

Im not afraid of what I believe in; the Bible is filled with people that have resisted authorities, evil authorities, from the very beginning to the very end, Pawlowski said as he described the mistreatment he has endured due to his defiance to the governments gathering restrictions.

Hawley noted that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states that [e]veryone has the following fundamental freedoms, which include the freedom of conscience and religion.

He claimed Canadas actions to enforce overly burdensome and unjustified orders do not live up to the charters praiseworthy statement.

I urge the Commission on International Religious Freedom to take whatever action is necessary to address and rectify this situation, and consider adding Canada to the Commissions Watch List.

Last year, Hawley similarly urged the Department of Justice to bring federal lawsuits to defend the rights of houses of worship under burdened by unjust restrictions.
Religious freedom commission demands Biden hold India accountable for priests death

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has urged the Biden administration to hold the Indian government accountable for the death of 84-year-old Jesuit priest and human rights defender Fr. Stan Swamy.

Condemning in the strongest terms the deliberate neglect and targeting by the government of India that led to the death of the priest, USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza urged the United States to hold the Indian government accountable and to raise religious freedom concerns in the U.S.-India bilateral relationship.

Swamy died Monday, days after suffering a cardiac arrest at Tajola Central Prison in May. He was later put on a ventilator at a private hospital in western Mumbai city due to his deteriorating health.

The priest was suffering from Parkinsons disease and had contracted COVID-19 in pre-trial detention.

Despite international concern and urgent pleas for bail on medical grounds, Indian officials and the courts denied Swamy bail and timely medical care, USCIRF said.

He was arrested last October and charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, or UAPA, for suspicion of ties to organizations accused of instigating violence in Maharashtra state in 2018. Officials used UAPA and other statutes to detain advocates, the media, and academics, including religious minorities.

Fr. Jerome Stanislaus Dsouza, the president of Jesuits in India, issued a statement.

Stan worked to light the world and do away with injustice. The government may have succeeded in snuffing his life out, but his spirit will continue to inspire, Dsouza said, according to The Washington Post.

Swamy had cited the inhumane treatment he was receiving in prison, including being denied a sipper to drink water, in the several letters he wrote.

His arrest by the NIA, without proper evidence, his bail pleas that were repeatedly denied despite his deteriorating health, and the inhumane treatment he received while in prison are all reminders of the shocking violations of basic human rights that remain a regular occurrence in India, Scot Bower, chief executive of the U.K.-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide, said in a statement.

CSW quoted Fr. Cedric Prakash, a Jesuit priest and human rights activist in India, as saying that Swamy championed the cause of the indigenous people.

He did all he could to ensure that the natural resources (water, forest and land) which are rightly theirs, which are being exploited by the powerful, the rich and the mining mafias, were not illegally snatched away from them," said Prakash. "Because of this, he paid the price. I personally believe that Father Stan will never die. He has finished his pilgrimage here on Earth, but he will continue to live in the hearts of thousands of people and we will see many more Father Stans springing up for the sake of India.

The Washington Post noted that Indias anti-terror law, amended in 2019, allows the government to designate an individual as a terrorist and detain people for up to six months without producing any evidence. Further, the accused can subsequently be imprisoned for up to seven years. Critics have called the law draconian, and accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modis government of using it to mute dissent.

Church groups and civil society leaders in India protested against the Jesuit priest's arrest on charges of being a Maoist or extreme Marxist. The Catholic Church in India said he was being punished for protecting the rights of aboriginal people.

Two days before his arrest, Swamy had said in a video message posted on YouTube that he feared he would be arrested because he fought against the government's indiscriminate arrest of thousands of young aboriginal people and local settlers who question big business projects that take away their land.

During the past three decades I have tried to identify myself with the Adivasi (aboriginal) people and their struggle for a life of dignity and self-respect, Swamy said. As a writer, I have tried to analyze the different issues they are faced with. In this process, I have clearly expressed dissent with several policies, laws enacted by the government in light of the Constitution.

The Indian government is increasingly being seen as heavy-handed.

Last June, New Delhi denied entry visas to representatives of the USCIRF who had planned to investigate reports of persecution of Muslims and Christians following the release of its report that designated India as a Country of Particular Concern.
5 takeaways from Election Day 2021

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On Tuesday, voters across the United States went to the polls in the first general election since President Joe Biden took office in January. The election was widely seen as a preview of next year's midterm elections that will decide the control of U.S. Congress and as a referendum on the president's first nine-and-a-half months in office.

While most political observers focused intensely on the Virginia gubernatorial race, New Jersey also had a gubernatorial election. Additionally, voters weighed in on hot-button cultural issues that were the subject of referendums at the state and local levels.

The following pages highlight five takeaways from Election Day 2021.

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Pastor, Al Sharptons younger brother indicted for distributing cocaine

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Alabama Pastor Kenneth Sharpton-Glasgow, the troubled younger half-brother of civil rights activist Al Sharpton, pleaded not guilty in federal court Wednesday to distributing cocaine with an unnamed suspect.

An indictment alleges that Glasgow, 56, who runs Kenny Sharpton-Glasgow Ministries International, distributed drugs over a period of time, WDHN reports. It did not specify how long the distribution continued. A hearing for the case against Glasgow is scheduled for March 2022.

Glasgow, from Dothan, has a checkered past with law enforcement, including a capital murder charge in 2018 that was eventually dropped.

Jamie Townes, a passenger in his car, shot a woman who had apparently stolen Townes vehicle, WAFF reported. Townes was charged with murder, and Glasgow was also charged under Alabamas complicity law because he was driving when the shooting occurred.

Glasgow is the son of Sharptons father, Al Sharpton Sr., and Sharptons older half-sister Tina Glasgow, ProPublica reported. Tina Glasgow is one of two children Sharptons mother Ada had during her first marriage in Alabama.

Tina Glasgow was 16 when she moved in with Sharpton and his parents in the early 1960s in Queens, New York. Sharptons father and his half-sister began a sexual relationship. When it was discovered, the two moved out of the home. Glasgow was born in May 1965.

The relationship was a scandal for Sharptons family at the time. Glasgows mother would eventually move back to Dothan with him when he was 12. It was there that his troubles with the law began.

While in Dothan, Glasgow, who described himself as sensitive when he was a child, said an acquaintance of his mother sent him to purchase weed. The seller turned out to be a cop, and Glasgow was arrested.

I was born messed up. My fingers messed up. Its meant for me to be messed up, he told the publication.

After high school, Glasgow got married and had children. But he also began using drugs and went in and out of jail.

In a letter to his brother published in The Village Voice in 2001, Glasgow revealed how his addiction to crack cocaine over the years had left him delusional and opined over the disparate lives they had lived.

I became immune to cocaine, he wrote. It got to a point where I didnt get high anymore. I started going to my mothers just to [stare] at [her], my daughter, and my granddaughter, and cry. I didnt tell them [that] other crackheads didnt want to get high with me anymore.

When I hit [got high], Alfred, I would start preaching! Yes, preaching and prophesying. I would visualize scripture in my mind and see vivid pictures of peoples lives. When I would tell them [what I saw], they would get uncomfortable. Some would cry. All who I got high with agreed that God was calling me and I should quit, he continued. Since I wouldnt quit, they just wouldnt get high with me. No matter how much I paid them, they didnt want to pray and get high with me.
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Knowing me to be a minister, a friend recently asked me about the expression, "the patience of Job." She said, "You know, some people will say that someone has the 'patience of Job.' Doesn't that phrase come from the Bible? What does it mean?"

I responded that it does come from the Bible, specifically the book of Job. "It's a remarkable story about a man who essentially lost everything dearest to him," I said. "But with patience, he endured his trials faithfully and kept his faith. Someone with the 'patience of Job' demonstrates an extraordinary amount of endurance and forbearance."

She said, "I find that so interesting." I replied, "Well, I have a book in my library that lists numerous commonly used expressions drawn from the Bible. If you would like, I'll share it with you." A few days later, I delivered a book titled I Didn't Know That Comes from the Bible.

The book, writtenby Karlen Evins, is an easy read that explains the biblical origin and meaning of interesting everyday expressions such as:

Forbidden fruit

The sweat of your brow

Raising Cain

Old as Methuselah

Mess o' Pottage

'I've Been to the Mountaintop.'

Apple of my eye

Hitting the nail on the head

Bringing down the house

Man after my own heart

A painted Jezebel

Old as the hills

Out of the mouths of babes

At their wits end

These are just some of the phrases about which Evins writes in her book.

Evins said that she did the research and wrote the volume because she hoped "the words, phrases and stories offered" would inspire people to dust off the Bible and read it.

One of the ironies of our time is that biblical illiteracy is extensive and increasing. Yet, so much of our culture has been amazingly influenced by Scripture, not just the little sayings and terms from the Bible that often make up our conversations, but also the profound impact on the much weightier aspects of civilization.

One of my favorite books was written by Dr. D. James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe. Its title asks a question of incredible significance, What if the Bible Had Never Been Written? The book is a well-documented and in-depth look at how the Bible has shaped morality, the law, politics, science, literature, exploration, art, education, and the founding of America.

As noted on the book's jacket: "From the Ten Commandments, which many of our laws and government are based upon, to the Golden Rule, a verse taken straight out of the New Testament, to many of today's most common phrases and expressionsthere is no doubt as to the influence the Bible has on everyone, in some degree, every day."

Nowadays many people query whether the Bible offers real solutions to our pressing problems in ethics and politics. The late American Reformed theologian, R.C. Sproul, once beautifully addressed this concern. He wrote:

"We are faced with new ethical issues that make application of ongoing principles difficult in a new environment. For example, previous generations didn't have to worry about when to pull the plug of a life-support system on somebody dying in a hospital. You didn't have to worry about that ethical dilemma because you didn't have the sophisticated equipment that makes that dilemma a reality. In that sense, we have situations that previous generations did not have to struggle with ethically. "However, the principles we draw from sacred Scripture about the sanctity of life and the dignity of death, for example, speak eloquently to those specific problems that come to us afresh in each generation. I believe that we find in Scripture not simply the insights and opinions of primitive seminomadswhat we find in Scripture is transcendent truth  truth that comes to us from an eternal perspective. That means we get nothing less than the mind of the Creator, who knows and reveals to us principles of what is right, good, and beautiful, and these principles can be applied throughout the scope of human history. [T]o think that the Scriptures were no longer applicable to my society or that they were out of date and old-fashioned would be to think that God is out of date, old-fashioned, and irrelevant."

There is nothing that has affected the world for more good than the Bible, especially Western culture. It truly has no equal. It is the Word of God, without error, infallible, and always relevant. A return to faith in its sacred pages would solve many of our current difficulties of great consequence.

But even more important than the way the Bible has touched society is the way it can touch you  the way it can impact your life for good  the way it can turn everything around. If the Bible can have such a positive impact on the whole world, think of what it can do for your little world.

Perhaps it's time to dust off the Bible and read it.
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On Tuesday, Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated incumbent Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia governor race. The issue that gave Youngkin the edge was education, something that Republicans in Virginia typically do not perform as well on. Things have apparently changed in the Commonwealth, however, after a year and a half of school shutdowns, heated disagreements over masking policies, debates over whether critical theory should be taught in the classroom on issues of race and LGBTQ, a horrific cover-up by the Loudon County school board, and, especially, Governor McAuliffes comment during a September debate that parents "shouldnt be telling schools what to teach."

As shocked as Virginians were by the statement, the view of education it reflects has a storied history. The late sociologist Christopher Lasch described it in his 1979 bestseller, The Culture of Narcissism: American Life in an Age of Diminishing Expectations. Lasch believed that when industrialization took labor outside of the home, it led many Americans to question whether other responsibilities should leave home, too. Lasch quotes two national education officials who, in 1918, said, Once the school had mainly to teach the elements of knowledge; now it is charged with the physical, mental and social training of the child as well.

Around the same time, Sigmund Freud was psychoanalyzing parenthood, often casting parents in the role of villain. This was also the era in which the modern concept of social work was born, and when America launched the juvenile justice system. Entire industries were built upon the premise that parents were largely unqualified to raise their kids, or at least needed a lot of help from the state. In the late 1800s, Ellen Richards, the founder of modern social work, suggested that in a social republic, the child as a future citizen is an asset of the state, not the property of its parents.

A few decades earlier, Dutch theologian, statesman, and philosopher Abraham Kuyper outlined a very different theory of the relationship between the family, the state, and other aspects of society. With his view of sphere sovereignty, Kuyper suggested that government was only one of the God-ordained governing institutions, each created with their own purview and scope of authority. Though they have a vested interest in the education of citizens, governments dont bear the responsibility or the right to usurp parents authority.

Kuyper believed that societal breakdown was inevitable whenever a God-ordained authority either abandoned or exerted authority outside of its ordained sphere. Thats an ominous analysis today when so many, including gubernatorial candidates, see the state as society rather than as a mere element of society.

Scripture describes the birth of a child as a gift from God. God gave Isaac to Abraham and Sarah, Samuel to Hannah, and so on. The Lord has given me many sons, said King David. Of course, Gods gifts come with responsibilities. Parenthood intrinsically commits Christians to follow Jesus, to be thoughtful and self-sacrificing, to live virtuously and teach kids to do the same, to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Any authority we have over our children is God-given, and must ultimately and eventually be surrendered to God.

Sometimes carrying out parental duties requires help. Modern parents are incredibly fortunate to have access to pediatricians, child psychologists, family counselors, pastors, educators, and even whole institutions that assist them in their roles as moms and dads. At the same time, both the parents and the experts have to keep straight who is the authority and who is the helper. We take our children to the doctor when theyre sick, but we dont expect them to bathe, feed and clothe them. Having more technical knowledge of a childs body neither alters the line of authority nor implies that they know our child.

Thomas Jefferson believed the purpose of public education was to foster citizens who were knowledgeable of history and virtuous enough to peacefully self-govern. That, however, requires an accurate view of what it means to be human, what it means to be human together in families and societies, what it means to be fallen humans, and how fallen humans can become self-governable people.

When a culture loses its grip on those foundations, the experts (or, as C.S. Lewis called them conditioners) step in. They loudly suggest that a college degree in education and a place on the governments payroll gives someone the vocational and moral authority over kids. Dont buy it. That authority belongs to God, Who assigns it to parents, along with the responsibility to educate children. If we believe that, we should also trust Him to equip us to rise to the occasion of raising our children.

Originally published at BreakPoint.
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In America today, when it comes to the question of critical race theory (CRT), we are like ships, really like battleships, passing each other in the night. One side shouts, Weve got to get CRT out of our schools! It is hurting our children! The other side responds, CRT is not being taught in our childrens schools! This is just a racist dog whistle! Is there any way to bridge the divide?

To illustrate the depth of our divisions, an August 2021 article posted on the Brookings.edu website stated, Fox News has mentioned critical race theory 1,300 times in less than four months. Why? Because critical race theory (CRT) has become a new boogie man for people unwilling to acknowledge our countrys racist history and how it impacts the present.

That is quite a serious charge.

Is Fox really engaging in white supremacist fearmongering? Or are fair-minded parents across America genuinely concerned about a destructive educational agenda in their kids schools?

Thats why I said that when it comes to CRT. We are like battleships passing each other in the night and shooting at each other as we pass by.

Yet I do believe that some of these divisions are more artificial than real, with the first problem being one of definitions. When we speak of CRT, are we speaking about the same thing? Can we even define it in our own words?

If you say, CRT is good and I say, CRT is bad, do we mean the same thing by CRT?

If we want to move beyond the current impasse, our first question should be, What, exactly, do you mean by CRT? Can you define it?

A colleague of mine asked me these same questions, writing to me from the perspective of a God-fearing, Bible-believing, highly respected black educator.

This led to a fruitful and insightful discussion, one through which we understood one another better and could better define where we agreed and disagreed.

But we cant debate CRT if we cant define it. So, let this be our starting point: What, exactly, do you mean by CRT?

This leads to the next: Do you believe that CRT is being taught in our childrens schools (meaning, K-12)?

My colleague assured me that, in his state (Virginia), CRT was not being taught in the schools. Instead, he explained, CRT was an academic theory taught at college or grad school levels.

But when I asked him if classes were being taught through the lensof CRT or if teachers were being informed byCRT, he said that was a very different question. Yet that was the very thing I meant when I referred to CRT being taught in our schools. Our interaction brought this difference to the surface.

It is the viewpoint of the black civil rights leader Bob Woodson that CRT is explicitly and implicitly a racist approach to education, and that approach is increasingly infiltrating our schools. That is what many parents are reacting to, and thats why childrens education was such a hot topic in Virginia and beyond in the recent elections.

It was not a chimera or a racist dog whistle. It was (and is) an issue of real concern.

Britt Hume put it like this: There's ample evidence that critical race theory very much influences and is injected into what is being taught in those schools and these parents knew that. That was the point I was making to my colleague, and that would be true even if many parents could not define CRT with precision.

Hume continued, Now, you could say technically it is not being taught in the sense of volumes have been written on critical race theory and it's not been handed out as a textbook  which was the point my colleague was making to me  but its influence and its tenants are in those schools.

That, again, is the crux of the matter, and thats what brings me to an approach that, hopefully, can help us work together for the betterment of our children, exposing bigoted and racist attitudes on all sides.

We continue to dig deeper with two sets of questions for parents.

1. Do you want your children to gain a truthful and accurate perspective of American history which includes the beautiful and the ugly, the good and the bad? That would exclude things like the 1619 Project, given its deep flaws and biases. It would also exclude an airbrushed telling of our national story. Do we want balance and honesty here? If so, can we agree on which textbooks and curricula to use? And can we help educate one another and fill in each others blind spots?

2. Do you agree that it is wrong to make a child feel guilty or inferior or evil because of the color of their skin? Do you also agree that is wrong to separate children into different groups, based on skin color and ethnicity? And do you agree that it is wrong to identify some children as part of the oppressed class and others as part of the oppressor class?

If we can say yes to the first set of questions, that rebuts the idea that parents who oppose CRT dont want their kids to know the truth about slavery and segregation (and more). To the contrary, these parents are saying, Yes, let the whole story be told, but in a fair and accurate way.

If we can say yes to the second set of questions, that rebuts the idea that proponents of CRT want white children to feel guilty or that they want to incorporate identity politics into the classroom. On the contrary, they are saying, We have no desire to lay a guilt trip on white Americans.

On the other hand, those who want to whitewash our history will expose their own bigotry by saying No to the first set of questions, while those who have replaced anti-black racism with anti-white racism will expose their bigotry by saying No to the second set of questions.

But at least this way, we can expose and confront bigotry and bias while working with others of like heart and mind to do our best to continue to move forward as a nation.

Can we at least give this a shot by putting these questions on the table? Its sure better than fomenting more division and anger by yelling and accusing as we sail by each others ships in the dark of night.
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What is freedom?

Its a question at the heart of the American experiment. Our national anthem dubs us "the land of the free." Our Declaration of Independence proclaims that America ought to be Free and Independent States. Our Constitutions stated purpose is to "secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity."

In a certain sense, America has been seeking the meaning of freedom since the countrys founding. In asserting our independence from Britain, we declared that all people "are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It was an extraordinarily bold statement, but it also left the fundamental concepts of liberty and "happiness" open to interpretation. Perhaps that was Thomas Jeffersons intention in writing those words, to set forth an ideal that America could eternally strive to define and reach for, and in doing so, create the freest and most prosperous country the world has ever known.

What could possibly go wrong?

The great American paradox

Jefferson followed up his declaration of mans unalienable rights with these words: "That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." Consent of the governed was not a completely new idea; the king of England ruled with the consent of Parliament, which represented the people. However, our Founders took this principle of consent even further by establishing a constitutional republic  foregoing a monarch and entrusting lawmaking to representatives elected by the people.

This leads us to the central paradox of the American experiment. By choosing to define civic freedom in this way, America took a great gamble  it bestowed governing power to a majority, trusting that that majority would decide against tyranny. Ever since then, an uneasy and terrifying possibility has lingered in the back of the American consciousness: If a majority of Americans are somehow convinced that freedom should be abolished, they could in theory freely choose tyranny.

A modern iteration of this paradox is currently playing itself out in our culture. On one hand, a sizeable portion of Americans believes that freedom is the ability to do whatever one wants whenever one wants, usually with a vaguely defined caveat that ones free choices should not harm somebody else. But on the other hand, another large portion of Americans believes that freedom is innately tied to virtue and responsibility  in other words, an authentically free choice must be not only for ones own good but also for the general welfare of society at large.

At first glance, there may not seem to be much difference between these two views. But theres a crucial difference: The first view sees personal autonomy as the highest good, whereas the second view sees personal virtue as the highest good. Here again, we come up against a fundamental paradox and an open question. In a country where everyone is free to decide for themselves what the definition of freedom is, how long can that country maintain some semblance of unity before devolving into either fascism or an anarchy of moral relativism?

The true source of freedom

As Christians, we know that true freedom can only come when we freely choose to live in accordance with Gods law. The Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church concisely states this truth well:

"By free will one shapes ones own life. Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward God, our beatitude."

The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom except in the service of what is good and just. The choice to disobey and do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to "the slavery of sin." [Romans 6:17]

In America, we see a culture that is awash in the abuse of freedom. In the name of "freedom of choice," the lives of unborn babies are extinguished in their mothers wombs, often due to pressure from fathers and family members. In the name of "freedom of expression," pornography clogs the internet and sweeps up millions of Americans into the slavery of addiction. In the name of "freely choosing ones identity," children are indoctrinated, speech is restricted, and people are canceled. The list goes on and on.

One of the greatest tragedies of the Christian life is to witness others make wrong and poor choices about freedom that lead to enslavement to sin and, ultimately, spiritual death. But herein lies the golden opportunity for American believers. As faithful Christians, we have discovered the only true source for happiness, contentment, and true freedom: faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to His laws.

Thus, by "always be[ing] prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3:15), we can help spread a true understanding of freedom to our family members, friends, coworkers, and anyone else in our circles of influence, always remembering to "do it with gentleness and reverence" (1 Peter 3:15).

A moral and religious people

By Gods grace, America has remained a flawed but free country for 238 years, arguably the longest-standing democracy in the world. But, as former President Ronald Reagan famously said, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction." Indeed, we are seeing authoritarianism creep its way into American life as we speak.

This is why for Christian citizens, American freedom will always be bittersweet. We treasure our freedom to believe and live out our faith in our daily lives, but we also know that it could vanish if enough of our fellow citizens make terrible choices. Consequently, believers ought to not only share their faith with boldness and work to educate their friends and neighbors on the values of civic freedom, but we should also bear witness to what will truly set the human heart free: to do what one ought to in accordance with Gods law. As our second President John Adams wisely observed, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

Despite the precarious nature of American freedom, there is a silver lining in it. The very fact that our country remains free only by the choice of its citizens is a stark reminder for Christians that our true home is not here. As brilliant as our Founding Fathers were in establishing our constitutional republic, it is impossible for fallen human beings to create a system of government that will deliver a utopian paradise (despite what some believe).

The paradox of American freedom reminds believers that there is only one truly free place  the heavenly kingdom ruled by our Creator. And while we are called to be good citizens of both the City of God and City of Man (Phil. 3:20), we are nevertheless "sojourners and exiles" in this world (2 Peter 2:11).

To be a Christian citizen of America is to be a person of trust. We harness the opportunities that American freedom gives us by witnessing to the Gospel and leave the rest up to God. What could be more freeing than that?

Originally published at the Family Research Council.
Christian Aid Ministries says gangs taking power in Haiti; crime boss urges US to cut ties with govt

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As they continue praying for the release of their 17 missionaries kidnapped by gangsters in Haiti, the Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries said nearly half the country is now under the control of gangs, as a powerful local crime boss called on the United States and the United Nations to sever ties with the government to liberate citizens.

This is now the 19th day since the kidnapping in Haiti took place. Our workers and loved ones are still being held. Our prayer is that God would protect them and give them courage as they endure yet another day as hostages, Christian Aid Ministries said in a statement Wednesday. The political situation in Haiti remains extremely volatile. Numerous reports state that nearly half the country is under the control of gangs. Pray for the many Haitians who suffer during this time of upheaval.

Jimmy Barbecue Cherizier, leader of the G9 Family and Allies, a federation of nine violent gangs that control much of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, called on the U.S. and U.N. Wednesday to cut ties with his government nearly four months after the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise.

We take this opportunity to invite the United Nations in general and the so-called friendly countries of Haiti, in particular the United States of America, to register in this page of history as loyal allies who want the well-being of the Haitian people by divorcing the status quo, Cherizier said at a press conference.

The call comes amid the growing insecurity in the Caribbean nation, including hundreds of kidnappings, such as those of the 17 Christian Aid Ministries missionaries being held captive by the 400 Mawozo gang since October. A civil society group in that country reports that 600 kidnappings were recorded from January to September, compared with 231 over the same period last year.

Jimmy Barbecue Cherizier is leader of the G9 Family and Allies, a federation of nine violent gangs that control much of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. | YouTube/Al Jazeera English

Cherizier, who is reportedly one of Haitis most wanted men, has blamed the unrest on Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry whose resignation he has repeatedly called for.

Wilson Joseph, leader of the 400 Mawozo gang, recently threatened to put a bullet in the heads of the kidnapped missionaries if his $17 million ransom demand for their release isnt met.

I swear by thunder that if I dont get what Im asking for, I will put a bullet in the heads of these Americans, he said in a video that has been circulating on social media.

The group of missionaries who were kidnapped on Oct. 16 while they were working with Christian Aid Ministries include six men, six women and five children, of which 16 are Americans and one is Canadian. They range in age from an 8-month-old baby to a 48 year old.

Last week, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said President Joe Biden continues to be briefed daily about the kidnapping of the missionaries and noted that he was particularly concerned about the five children in the group.

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.

While there has been no official update on the negotiations to free the 17 missionaries, the Ministry of Defense in Haitis neighboring Dominican Republic confirmed on Thursday that five U.S. helicopters that landed in Puerto Plata province to refuel and rest are likely on their way to Haiti on a humanitarian mission.

Invasion? Or a mission to liberate kidnapped missionaries in Haiti? Those helicopters are NOT ours. Video this early morning at Dominican-Haitian border. Please retweet. pic.twitter.com/JvwY9w1rVV  juan ml. valenzuela (@johnny2004) November 4, 2021

The helicopters caused a stir on social networks, due to the political crisis in Haiti, aggravated by the kidnapping of 17 American missionaries, said the Dominican Today. The operation is likely the start of a U.S. humanitarian mission in Haiti.
OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (AP)  A Mississippi-based pharmaceutical company has agreed to pay a $175,000 federal fine to resolve allegations it didn't properly maintain records about its opioids and controlled substances as required under the law, according to a federal prosecutor's office.

Acting U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca said the fine is being paid by Pharmaceutical Trade Services Inc., which does business as Durbin USA. The company is a supplier of medical and pharmaceutical products to companies in 160 countries, according to its website.
WEST HARTFORD  It was one simple question on Facebook that inspired Jordan Abbott to start her new business.

People had been asking on the Neighbors and Friends of West Hartford page about ways they could support local retailers and small businesses in Connecticut who had been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

There were 50 to 100 different responses, Abbott said. Its inconvenient to go to multiple places and [with COVID] it didnt feel safe either. I thought what if we brought all of these small businesses together then through one gift youre supporting seven small businesses.

Thats what led to Nutmeg + Honey, an online business the West Hartford resident launched in March.

Shoppers can log on to Abbotts website, and pick from pre-made gift boxes that contain a variety of items sourced from Connecticut farms, artisans and coffee shops, among other places. In all, Abbott said they carry items from over 45 different small businesses in Connecticut.

Its been a really interesting experience, Abbott said. Im a Connecticut native and I hadnt heard of most of these places.

They even went local with the packaging. The blue boxes gifts are made in Bridgeport and the wooden crates available are made in West Hartford by Evergreen Studios CT. Their logo was done by the Small Business Collective and West Hartford businesses WeHa Candle Co and J. Rene Coffee Roasters have their products featured in gift boxes.

When she first approached these local businesses with her idea, she wasnt sure how they would react.

I was overwhelmed by how amenable they were to working with us, Abbott said. They said it was an awesome idea and that they wanted to be part of it.

To make it work, Abbott buys the items at wholesale. She started by purchasing around 30 of each product to gauge the interest.

You start quickly discovering which products are flying off the shelves and which ones you might not do again, Abbott said.

She said orders are coming in daily, but her goal for the future is corporate clients. She has one West Hartford business that has ordered 50 boxes, which she said will make business sustainable.

Abbott, who works part-time as director of parent relations at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, is also hoping her first holiday season will generate plenty of orders. Her website offers a variety of holiday-themed options.

No matter the volume of orders, she plans on making the turnaround time a quick one.

My big thing is efficiency and convenience, Abbott said. When someone orders its not going to take four days to fulfill the order. I fulfill it in a day. It ships through UPS so people can get gifts within two days.
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The House Select Committee investigating the events of Jan. 6 has issued a slew of new subpoenas to prominent Trump World figures  including Michael Flynn, John Eastman, Jason Miller, and more  in a significant acceleration in its inquiry into the causes of the Capitol attack.

In the days before the January 6th attack, the former Presidents closest allies and advisors drove a campaign of misinformation about the election and planned ways to stop the count of Electoral College votes, Select Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said in a statement. The Select Committee needs to know every detail about their efforts to overturn the election, including who they were talking to in the White House and in Congress, what connections they had with rallies that escalated into a riot, and who paid for it all.

In addition to Flynn, Trumps former national security adviser who has become one of nations most prominent conspiracy theorists; Eastman, the former Trump lawyer who drafted a memo instructing former Vice President Mike Pence how to overturn the election results on Jan. 6; and Miller, a Trump campaign adviser, the committee is also calling for documents and testimony from Bill Stepien, who managed Trumps 2020 campaign, Angela McCallum, a Trump campaign assistant, and Bernie Kerik, a former New York City police commissioner whom Trump pardoned.

The committee is calling for all six of the figures issued subpoenas to produce documents by Nov. 23, and to testify before the committee in depositions that will take place at the end of November and into December.

Heres what we know about why the committee is targeting these six figures:

Michael Flynn: Flynns subpoena refers to an Oval Office meeting Flynn reportedly attended on December 18, 2020. At the meeting in question, participants apparently discussed seizing voting machines, declaring a national emergency, invoking certain national security emergency powers, as well as the best ways to continue messaging that the 2020 election was marred by widespread fraud. Why would the committee think Flynn would have anything to do with a conversation like that? Perhaps because the day before, the former Trump White House national security adviser appeared on Newsmax, where he detailed the potential options available to Donald Trump, including the seizure of voting machines and use of military capabilities in order to rerun the election in certain states. People out there talk about martial law like its something that weve never done. Martial law has been instituted 64 times, Flynn said.

None of that, of course, was particularly surprising either, given Flynns well-documented history of anti-Democratic inclinations, his chummy private conversation with a Russian ambassador, his involvement in a plot to kidnap and smuggle a Turkish dissident to an island prison for $15 million, or his suggestion (hes since claimed to have been misquoted) at a QAnon convention that the United States should have its own Myanmar-style military coup. (That coup has claimed at least 1,000 lives so far.)

John Eastman: Eastmans role in the attack has been brought into question recently after it was revealed in a new book from Bob Woodward and Robert Costa that he drafted a memo instructing Pence how to subvert the Constitution and block the certification of the 2020 election results on Jan. 6. The committee notes that Eastman, a former Trump lawyer, also told legislators that it was their duty to make sure that were not putting in the White House some guy that didnt get elected, and that he participated in a Jan. 5 meeting at the Willard Hotel in which Rudy Giuliani, Steve Bannon, and others plotted how to overturn the election results. Eastman also delivered a speech at the rally at the Ellipse on Jan. 6.

Jason Miller: Miller was a longtime  in Trump World terms, anyway  adviser to and spokesperson for Trump who worked on the 2020 campaign. Miller repeatedly pushed the idea that the election was stolen, helped coordinate post-election press events broadcasting the idea that it was rigged, and reportedly participated in the Jan. 5 meeting at the Willard Hotel in which Bannon, Giuliani, and others discussed how to overturn the results and prevent Biden from taking office.

Bill Stepien: Stepien was Trumps campaign manager in 2020, a role that would typically consist entirely of helping your candidate attempt to win the election. But after failing utterly in that task, Stepien took things a step further, urging state and party officials to delay the certification of Bidens win, an attempt to create chaos and sow doubt about the outcome. The teams endgame was to get state lawmakers to send an alternative slate of electoral votes to Congress, allowing Trumps GOP allies there to override the will of their voters during a certification process on Jan. 6.

Angela McCallum: The subpoena sent by the select committee identifies McCallum as national executive assistant on Trumps 2020 re-election campaign. The subpoena says the committees ongoing investigation and public news reports have revealed credible evidence that you are aware of, and participated in, efforts to spread false information about alleged voter fraud in the November 2020 election.

Specifically, the subpoena cites reporting by a Michigan news outlet that said McCallum left a voicemail for an unnamed Michigan state representative in December 2020. At the time, then-President Trump had declared Joe Bidens victory fraudulent and invalid, and lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell were spewing baseless claims about rigged voting machines and voter fraud. In her voicemail message, McCallum said she was calling from Trump campaign headquarters on behalf of the president. She told the lawmaker that he could be a crucial part of Trumps reelection and urged him to reclaim your authority and send a slate of electors that will support President Trump and Vice President Pence.

McCallum ends the message by asking if Trump can count on you to support a rival slate of electors. In the end, the leaders of Michigans Republican-controlled state legislature did not send a rival slate of electors, saying they did not have the legal power to do so. You can listen to McCallums voicemail message here.

Bernard Kerik: Where to begin with Bernie Kerik? Kerik first landed on the national scene as the tough-talking New York Police Department commissioner under then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani at the time of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Keriks profile rose from there, and President George W. Bush nominated him to run the Department of Homeland Security in 2004.

Keriks fall, however, was as swift as his rise, his legal troubles piling up before he ultimately pleaded guilty to two counts of tax fraud, one count of making a false statement on a loan application, and five counts of making false statements to the federal government in 2010. But in early 2020, President Trump granted him a full pardon, with Trump personally delivering the news. With his connection to Giuliani, Kerik found a place in Trumps inner circle, and played a not-insignificant part in the Trump teams efforts to stop Bidens election victory by any means necessary.

According to the select committees subpoena, Kerik allegedly participated in a pivotal meeting on January 5th at the Willard Hotel across the street from the White House. Also at the meeting were Giuliani, Steve Bannon, DOJ lawyer and election-saboteur John Eastman, and several others. The attendees discussed strategies for overturning the results of the election, the subpoena says, including pressuring Vice President Pence to not certify the electoral college results.

Kerik did more than attend that January 5th meeting. He also paid for rooms and suites at Washington hotels that served as election-related command centers as well as helped Giuliani since as early as November 5th investigate allegations of voter fraud and promote Stop the Steal efforts, the subpoena says.

Its unlikely that everyone who was subpoenaed Monday will cooperate. Steve Bannon defied a subpoena to testify before the committee last month, prompting the House to vote to hold him in criminal contempt. The Justice Department is now deciding how it plans to proceed.

Jeffrey Clark, a Trump Justice Department official, responded to a subpoena but last week refused to answer questions from the committee, claiming executive privilege. He has a very short time to reconsider and cooperate fully, Thompson said on Friday. We need the information that he is withholding and we are willing to take strong measures to hold him accountable to meet his obligation.

Its unclear if the committee will attempt to subpoena members of Congress, but theyd have good reason to considering Rolling Stones report last month that several prominent Republican lawmakers were intimately involved in the planning of the events of Jan. 6 that turned violent. In the meantime, the committee is drilling down on what Trumps inner circle knew about the attack on the Capitol that left five dead and dozens injured in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 election.
It was a big weekend for Succession. Kieran Culkin, who plays the youngest of the Roy clan, returned to Saturday Night Live 30 years after guest starring alongside brother Mac (as in Macaulay Culkin). On November 7, the fourth episode of the current third season aired, giving us a much-anticipated reunion between Jeremy Strong's Kendall and Brian Cox's Logan, the first time the characters have shared airtime this go-around.

In Sunday's episode, Logan and Kendall have to convince Adrien Brody's Josh Aaronson, who holds 4 percent of their family's company, Waystar, to not jump ship ahead of the upcoming shareholder's meeting while the two Roys battle it out and face an impending DOJ investigation.

Sunday also gave us the fourth episode of The Official Succession Podcast with Kara Swisher, another bit of content that has held fans over following the show's two-year-long absence from TV. This week's guest? None other than Texan billionaire and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

Each week, podcast host Swisher sits down with a member of the cast or in the case of the latest episodes, someone from the "real world" who can provide valuable context for the Roy family's high jinks. Former White House communications director Jennifer Palmieri has shared her thoughts on power and influence; organizational psychologist Adam Grant unpacked toxic sibling rivalries in the Waystar workplace; and for episode 13, Cuban shared background for us poors on the world of shareholders.

Cuban isn't new to keeping shareholders satisfied. The Pennsylvania native sold Broadcast.com to Yahoo in 1999 in a deal that clocked in at $5.7 billion. A regular on Shark Tank, Cuban has stakes in Magnolia Pictures, AXS TV, and dozens of small startups, per Forbes.

Unlike Aaronson, Cuban tries to steer clear of family-owned businesses.

"Hate them! Actually, I'm not going to name the company, but I have an investment that I've had for 15 years now. I did it originally because it was in an industry I was in," Cuban says. "I thought the father, who has since died, was going to turn it over to serious management, and he turned it over to his daughters and now all the kids are fighting  sound familiar?  to get control of the company. It's just destroyed the value of the stock."

"There's always family dynamics. There's no perfect family."

Cuban mentions his brothers do work for him, but aren't in a management role. He goes onto explain Aaronson's calculated moves during the meeting with Kendall and Logan, where Brody insists the trio take a literal hike.

"He only gains leverage and he can test the players to learn what's going on how the dynamic is working. He's applying pressure to see where the weak points are," Cuban says.

While breaking down his losses with Waystar as the company's stock keeps plummeting following Kendall's very public takedown of the elder Roy, Aaronson says he's lost $350 million, or what Cuban calls "real money."

"He's not a happy camper. If that's me, I'm sitting there thinking, 'what the hell is going on?," Cuban says.

"When Kendall comes back and says 'well the Beatles did some of their best sh*t after they broke up,'... I know I've got the leverage at that point and they're telling me they have no idea what they're going to do next," Cuban says. "He's saying we're broken up, we're disconnected, maybe individually we've got some things we can go together on and I'm like, 'you know what if you've got 'Let It Be' sitting in your vault, bring it out cause otherwise you haven't shown me anything.'"

These conversations are, of course, delicate. Especially when we consider the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission,

"There's no numbers mentioned, no material information that was not public. That's the key," Cuban says.

For more on Cuban's take listen to the entire episode here.
BEIRUT (AP)  A top Arab League envoy was in Beirut on Monday to explore ways to resolve an unprecedented diplomatic rift between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia that emerged following comments by Lebanon's information minister on Yemen's civil war.

The minister had criticized the war in Yemen that a Saudi-led coalition is waging against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The Arab League official said his visit was an initiative to put the crisis on the right track.

Hossam Zaki, the leagues deputy chief, told reporters after meeting Lebanese President Michel Aoun that he was ready to visit Saudi Arabia but that some tangible moves to ease the crisis have to be felt first.

The interests of Lebanon and Gulf nations are our goal, Zaki said, and openly asked what Lebanese authorities plan to do to end this crisis.

Lebanon has said that Information Minister George Kordahis remarks about Yemen, aired in late October, do not represent official government views. Zaki later Monday met with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the country's parliament speaker.

Zaki said that had Kordahi resigned earlier, it would have ended the crisis from the start but the situation continued. He said Lebanese leaders told him during their meetings that the crisis should end and are hoping that Kordahi resigns.

Aoun's office said the president told Zaki that there should be a separation between what the government announces and statements made by individuals, especially if they have no official post Aoun was referring to Kordahi's comments that he made before becoming a minister.

Aoun added that Lebanon is ready to take steps to improve relations with the gulf nations, especially Saudi Arabia, based on mutual respect of sovereignty.

Mikatis office quoted the prime minister as saying that Lebanon wants normal relations to be rerstored with Saudi Arabia and Gulf Arab nations, adding that the Arab League can play a role in that. Mikati also said Lebanon will remove all obstacles to restore the relations, according to his office.

The spat has threatened to destabilize Mikati's government, formed in September after a 13-month deadlock between rival Lebanese groups.

Mikati has urged Kordahi to do what needs to be done  an apparent appeal for him to step down but the minister has so far refused to apologize or resign.

Saudi Arabia has withdrawn its ambassador from Beirut and asked the Lebanese envoy to leave the kingdom. It has also banned Lebanese imports, undermining the small nations foreign trade and depriving it of millions of dollars even as it struggles amid an economic meltdown.

Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have also pulled their ambassadors from Lebanon, deepening the spat.

Kordahi, who was named to the government by a party allied to the militant Hezbollah group, has insisted Yemens Houthis have the right to defend themselves and said he did not mean to offend with his comments, which were recorded before he became minister.
MOSCOW (AP)  Tens of thousands marched across Azerbaijan's capital on Monday to mark the one-year anniversary of the country's victory in the six-week battle over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev declared Nov. 8 as Victory Day to mark the capture of the strategic city of Shusha by Azerbaijani forces. The city's capture forced Armenia to accept a Russia-brokered truce two days later.

We have restored our dignity, Aliyev said. We will live forever as a victorious country and a victorious nation. If any force in Armenia looks askance at us or engages in revanchist tendencies, it will see our fist.

As part of Monday's celebrations, demonstrators and military cadets carried a huge 440-meter (1,444-foot) national flag across the capital of Baku.

Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a separatist war there ended in 1994.

Hostilities that erupted in September 2020 marked the biggest escalation of the conflict in more than a quarter century. In 44 days of fierce fighting that killed thousands, the Azerbaijani military routed Armenian forces and moved deep into Nagorno-Karabakh.

The agreement that ended the conflict saw the return to Azerbaijan of a significant part of Nagorno-Karabakh and also required Armenia to hand over all the regions it held outside the separatist region. Russia deployed nearly 2,000 peacekeepers for at least five years to monitor the peace deal.

The peace deal was celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan, but sparked months of massive street protests in Armenia against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who was accused by the opposition of betraying national interests.

About 10,000 opposition supporters rallied Monday in the Armenian capital of Yerevan to denounce Pashinyan's rule.

Robert Kocharyan, the countrys former president who leads Armenia's opposition bloc, criticized Pashinyan for triggering last year's hostilities with what he called ill-conceived policies and then missing a chance for an earlier truce that could have prevented Azerbaijan from winning control over a large part of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The government has done everything to lose the war, Kocharyan said at the rally.

Ishkhan Sagatelyan, a deputy parliament speaker, called for a nationwide resistance movement to prevent Pashinyan from making new concessions to Azerbaijan, which the opposition fears.
The Four Lakes Task Force has partnered with Central Michigan University to conduct a series of surveys to better understand the potentially changed ecosystem after the May 2020 dam failures.

Over the summer, trained students and faculty of CMU completed surveys of Secord and Smallwood lakes and of the areas immediately downstream of their respective dams.

Dr. Daelyn Woolnough, a Research Associate Professor at Central Michigan University-Biology Department and Institute for Great Lakes Research, said freshwater survey efforts will return next summer on Wixom and Sanford lakes.

Four Lakes Task Force (FLTF) partnered with the university to examine a federal and state endangered species in Smallwood and Secord lakes this year.

The freshwater snuffbox mussel is one of the few endangered species in mid-Michigan and previously gained attention from the local communities just before the May 2020 dam failures.

As of October, FLTF Vice President Dave Rothman said zero snuffbox mussels were found in Secord or Smallwood lakes.

In Secord Lake, Woolnough said her team did find one live species - known as the Giant Floater - and six more species in shells only. She said the presence of shells could mean the population was there or just upstream of the site.

In Smallwood Lake, Woolnough said a total of 12 species were found, and some species found were designated of special concern by the state of Michigan. She also added Smallwood Lake is largely dominated by the Giant Floater.

A final report will be completed and submitted to the Four Lakes Task Force by the end of this year. Rothman said the surveys were necessary in its goal of environmental restoration.

After the May 2020 dam failures, Rothman said the group wants to better understand the ecosystem of the four lakes and how it has potentially changed.

Rothman said FLTF, which is a delegated authority for Midland and Gladwin counties, had two questions to be answered. The first would examine whether or not there is a snuffbox mussel problem in the four lakes that potentially needed to be addressed, and the second would provide an overview mussel populations in the four lakes.

The snuffbox is globally rare, or, as Woolnough put it, Its like finding a needle in a haystack.

Although the snuffbox may be hard to find, experts like Woolnough say mussels like it are important to the ecosystem.

I like to say theyre like the kidney of the rivers and lakes because they really are (the) filter, she said.

So the snuffbox is difficult to spot, but where is it found?

When we find it, we collect that information about the habitat it's found in," Woolnough said. "Generally, its found in rivers. But it can also be found upstream and downstream of some of these perfect habitats. It tends to be like more of a sand-gravel mix, rather than a sand-silty mix, but thats one of the questions that were asking here in the next couple of summers specifically in Wixom and Sanford (lakes).

Woolnough said abiotic data, or information about the habitat, are being collected as well. She also noted this information will be shared with Midland and Gladwin communities with the goal of being published as peer-reviewed literature.

Although researchers are working to collect information on the snuffbox mussel species in the four lakes, Woolnough said this is a population that people beyond the Great Lakes are taking an interest in.

"There are people around the world, especially in the United States, that are watching these surveys, and really interested in how this happened, because we know that our infrastructure and the dams across the country are not doing well," she said.

According to the Midwest Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, dams and invasive mussels are two of the four listed threats to the endangered species.

In future survey efforts, Woolnough said she hopes to work with more property owners.

Just before the dam failures of May 2020

The year before the world changed with a health crisis and local communities changed with an environmental crisis, the snuffbox mussels were identified in the four-lake system.

In 2019, Woolnough said previous survey efforts found mussels on the Tobacco River side (upstream of Dale Road) of Wixom Lake.

And on April 30, 2020, the State of Michigan filed a lawsuit against 10 defendants -- including Boyce Hydro and the now-former owner of the dams, Lee Mueller -- alleging harm to the endangered population.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed the lawsuit, which claimed Boyce Hydro lowered the level of Wixom Lake during extended drawdown periods in 2018 and 2019. According to the lawsuit, the lowered water levels resulted in the death of thousands if not millions of the snuffbox mussel.

At the time, FLTF issued a statement to community members to clarify it was not a legal party in the lawsuit filed on April 30, 2020. Now, FLTF is working to ensure wildlife populations are safe ahead of planned projects and goals to restore the lakes.

We knew that in order to move forward with our plans, we were going to have to get our hands around whether or not there was an endangered species issue to work with, said Rothman recently. The best way to do that was to get hold of people who are experts in freshwater mussels and, particularly, that specific freshwater mussel.

Last year, in a press release following the dam failures, Boyce Hydro owner Lee Mueller stated the following: The state agencies clearly care more about mussels living in the impoundment than they do about the people living downstream of the dams.

Following this press release, Boyce Hydro filed to move the lawsuit to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, citing the recent exercise of federal oversight jurisdiction by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce with respect to Edenville Dam and the Wixom Reservoir on June 10, 2020.

So far, there's no news that tells us this (CMU surveys) is going to affect our plans for rebuilding the dams and refilling the lakes, Rothman said. He also confirmed FLTF has not completed projects or restabilization work that would threaten potential populations.

According to the FLTF website, two state agencies conducted mussel surveys and collection around the Tobacco side of Wixom Lakes lakeshore on Dec. 9-10, 2020.
LAPORTE COUNTY, Ind. (AP)  A 47-year-old Illinois man wearing body armor has been arrested after leading state police on a high-speed chase in northwestern Indiana.

The chase started about 2 a.m. Monday when a trooper attempted to stop an SUV that was traveling east on Interstate 94 at 93 mph, police said.

State police were able to puncture the SUVs tires and forced it to stop in LaPorte County.

The driver from Harvey, Illinois, faces resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, wearing body armor while committing a felony and reckless driving charges.

His passenger, a 26-year-old Dolton, Illinois, resident was found with a loaded .40-caliber handgun. He was charged with possession of a handgun without a permit, police said.

Both were being held in the Lake County Jail.
CAIRO (AP)  Egypt and Israel said Monday they agreed on an increase in Egyptian border forces in a restive northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, where Egypt has battled Islamic militants for years.

The Egyptian military said a joint military committee with Israel agreed to amend a security deal between the two countries, allowing Cairo to increase the number and capabilities of border guards in the town of Rafah.

The military was apparently referring to security arrangements linked to the peace treaty the neighboring countries signed in 1979. It said the new arrangements were part of the militarys efforts to secure the countrys northeastern borders.

Israels military said in a separate statement the amendment was signed during the committees meeting Sunday, allowing Egypt to increase its military presence in the area. Neither country's military gave additional details.

Egypt was the first Arab country to reach a peace agreement with Israel, but only after the two countries fought four wars between 1948 to 1973. The agreement put restrictions on Egypt's military presence in towns bordering Israel.

The announcement comes after years of coordination between Egypt and Israel to contain the common threat posed by militant groups operating in Sinai. The Israelis are believed to have granted every request by Egypt to bring additional forces into the region, as long as all operations were closely coordinated.

Egypt has battled militants in northern Sinai for years, but attacks against its military and police have expanded since the military removed Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in 2013 amid mass protests against his divisive rule.

Egypts military under President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has managed in recent years to prevent large-scale attacks in Sinai and elsewhere in the country.
BERLIN (AP)  Germany's coronavirus infection rate climbed to its highest recorded level yet on Monday as what officials have called a pandemic of the unvaccinated gathers pace.

The national disease control center, the Robert Koch Institute, said the country has seen 201.1 new cases per 100,000 residents over the past seven days. That was above the previous record of 197.6 from Dec. 22 last year. While it's still a lower rate than in several other European countries, it has set alarm bells ringing.

The seven-day infection rate has long ceased to be the only policy yardstick in Germany, with new hospital admissions now an important factor. Those are currently at just under 4 per 100,000 residents over a week  compared with a peak of about 15.5 last Christmas  but officials say hospitals are filling up in badly affected areas.

The disease control center said Monday that 15,513 new COVID-19 cases were reported over the past 24 hours  down from a record 37,120 on Friday, but figures are typically lower after the weekend. Another 33 deaths were recorded, bringing Germany's total to 96,558.

Germany has struggled to find ways to pep up its much-slowed vaccination campaign. At least 67% of the population of 83 million is fully vaccinated, according to official figures, which authorities say isn't enough. Unlike some other European countries, it has balked at making vaccinations mandatory for any professional group.

As at many times during the pandemic, Germany has a patchwork of regional rules. Most places restrict access to many indoor facilities and events to people who have been vaccinated, have recovered or been tested  with the latter now being excluded in some areas. Those rules are often enforced laxly.

Rules on whether schoolchildren must wear masks in class vary from state to state.

Free rapid tests for all were scrapped nearly a month ago in an effort to incentivize more people to get vaccinated. There are now widespread calls for them to be reintroduced. And officials now advocate booster vaccinations for everyone who got their initial shots six months ago or more.

Germany currently has a caretaker national government after its election in September. The parties that are expected to form the next government plan to bring legislation to parliament this week that would allow an epidemic situation of national scope, in place since March 2020, to expire at the end of the month but provide a new legal framework for coronavirus measures.

There has been criticism of that decision. But Katrin Goering-Eckardt, the parliamentary leader of one of those parties, the Greens, told ARD television that we need to create measures now that can't be questioned by courts.

She argued that, with two-thirds of residents vaccinated, the current rules weren't legally waterproof.

Schools and other facilities can be closed if necessary, but with so many people vaccinated, we won't be able legally to do a complete lockdown for those who are vaccinated, Goering-Eckardt said.

___

Follow APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
ATLANTA (AP)  Republicans continued tinkering with a proposed map for Georgia's state House on Monday even as they set up a state Senate map for a Tuesday vote.

The new map rolled out by House Republicans would change more than 20 metro Atlanta districts, and alter some in GOP-friendly northern suburbs to make two districts more securely Republican and one more securely Democratic.

Although Georgia statewide is narrowly divided politically, independent analysts say Democrats are at a disadvantage not only because Republicans are drawing the maps, but also because their voters cluster so tightly in urban areas.

So even though most of Georgia's population growth has been in its largest metropolitan areas, and President Joe Biden carried Georgia with a narrow majority last year, Republicans are projected to control 54% of the House seats (98 of 180) and 59% of the Senate seats (33 of 56), according to statistical projections by Fair Districts GA.

While Monday's changes to the House map may not change the overall balance, it is likely to reduce the already-small number of districts where both major parties have realistic chances of winning. Fair Districts GA said competitive House districts would fall from 10 today to 7 under Monday's plan.

Changes were also made to a handful of Democratic-leaning districts in Fulton, DeKalb, Rockdale and Henry counties, aiding Democratic incumbents in at least two districts.

The Senate Rules Committee voted 11-3 to advance that chamber's proposed state Senate map to debate in the full chamber on Tuesday, despite complaints about how quickly Republicans are moving.

Normally, action in one chamber is only half the story in the Georgia General Assembly. However, Georgia's House and Senate traditionally haven't interfered in how the other chamber draws its districts. This means the Senate vote could be the final meaningful action on that chamber's map.

The General Assembly must redraw electoral districts at least once every decade to equalize populations following the U.S. Census. Georgia added more than a million people from 2010 to 2020, with urban districts generally growing and rural districts usually shrinking.

The Republicans' newest proposal doesn't make any more changes to areas southwest of Atlanta, where GOP Rep. Philip Singleton of Sharpsburg complains that an earlier proposal draws him into a heavily Democratic district that would reach north into Fulton County. Singleton has been on the outs with House Speaker David Ralston, a Blue Ridge Republican, and Singleton and others have said cutting up Coweta County smacks of retribution.

Singleton had asked his colleagues to redraw two of the proposed districts to create one that combines all of northern Coweta County with parts of south Fulton County and Douglas County to create a district he would have a better chance of winning. Doing so would decrease by one the number of majority-minority districts in the map.

I noticed that you guys have made significant changes in several areas over the state, but zero changes at all to my community of interest and to my county, Singleton said.

Redistricting committee chair Bonnie Rich noted she has family ties to Coweta County and said I do have sympathy for protesters' position, but suggested her hands were tied by requirements under the federal Voting Rights Act to maximize minority districts.

No matter how much anybody here on this committee or in this room thinks that the application is unfair here, this is just not the body that has any authority to change the Federal Voting Rights Act, said Rich, a Suwanee Republican.

A number of Fayette County residents complained about their county being split four ways.

Advocates renewed requests for more time to give meaningful input into the maps. State Rep. Ed Setzler, an Acworth Republican, said the changes Rich unveiled Thursday are a response to that input.

What you see before you has all of the changes madam chair highlighted for you that were based on the feedback we've gotten from the citizens of Georgia across the political spectrum, Setzler said.

___

Follow Jeff Amy at http://twitter.com/jeffamy.
GRAFTON  On Dec. 8, St Patricks Catholic Church will mark 150 years in the small town located at the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers.

The arrival of Jacques Marquette  sometimes known as Pere  and his fellow explorers to the Grafton area in 1673 is significant to the town and the Catholic Church.

For the town, it marks the first recorded appearance of anyone in Illinois territory. For the church, it is important because these men were Catholics. Marquette was a Jesuit missionary priest.

Anytime a parish reaches its 150th anniversary, it is quite a cause for celebration, especially so with St. Patricks parish, said the Rev. Martin Smith, pastor for the church. This is because, despite the fact that St. Patricks was built just a few hundred feet from the Illinois River and has been completely flooded a few times in its history, the original church building still stands.

He sees that as a metaphor of the invisible grace and presence of God, and of the faith of the people of St. Patricks Church throughout its history, he said. Even though the parish is small, it is a beautiful place with loving, humble, hardworking and faith-filled people who continue to celebrate and live by example their devotion to God and their Catholic Faith, despite the storms and floods, spiritual and physical, encountered in life.

Father Louis Hennepin  another priest explorer  was likely among the second group of men to arrive in the Grafton vicinity. But many years went by before the recorded appearance of the next Catholic priest in Grafton. Perhaps there was an occasional Mass said there for the wandering American Indian tribes and settlers migrating during the War of 1812; however, history is silent in this regard.

One reliable source says Father Verreydt in 1838 had Grafton as his mission. But it was not until the quarries came into prominence, around 1856, that evidence exists of a Catholic community in Grafton. At that time many families of Irish descent had arrived, prompting the desire for a priest.

In 1857, Mass was celebrated at the home of Sarah Dempsey by Father Manyan. In the years that followed, Father Carroll said Mass in the school while Bishop Juncker  head of the then Alton Diocese  conducted meetings in the Methodist Church, a sign of ecumenism even in those early days.

For a time, Mass was said over the store of John Slaten by Fathers Sullivan and Laurant. Father Harty from Jerseyville held Mass in private homes and Father Bourke held Mass in the Quarry Hall in 1871.

It was at this time that the Catholic community set about building a church. But before work could begin, a location had to be chosen. Irish families living in lower Grafton wanted the church there; German families living in upper Grafton wanted the church in their area.

In a compromise, it was decided to build the church in German part of Grafton and name it St. Patricks in honor of the Irish.

On Dec. 8, 1871  the Feast of the Immaculate Conception  the entire parish attended the first Mass in St. Patricks church. It had been built for $5,000, with many hours of donated labor and native stone from the quarry.

That same building, with some alterations, still serves Grafton today.

The first rectory was built in 1872 at a cost of $2,000. Nearly 100 years later  in December 1971 a parish hall was erected and dedicated under the direction and dedication of Father Patrick Morrow.

I have a unique perspective of St. Patricks Church, as I am a life-long member and a lifelong neighbor, said Karen Kinder, the parish sacristan.

Every morning, I am greeted by the cross atop the steeple, she said. This church, and this cross, have stood as a reminder to me and so many that with faith all things are possible.

To celebrate the Sesquicentennial Jubilee, the parish council has been planning a celebration for Dec. 11. The event will begin with a 5:45 p.m. Mass followed by festivities on the church grounds, including Christmas lights, a live Nativity and Christmas carolers.

Refreshments will be served in the parish hall, where a history of the church will be presented by Margret Ann Voke. The parish council also has been working on commemorative items, including Christmas ornaments and holy cards.

St Patricks also has received an Apostolic Blessing from Pope Francis.

I have been a lifelong member of St. Patricks Church, parishioner Martha Carey said. I feel honored and blessed to be a part of such a wonderful parish and to have raised my family in the rich traditions of the Catholic faith here.

It is truly one of my favorite places on earth, she said.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  A first-term Republican representative is the only elected official from the Legislature in a reconfigured district in southwestern Idaho, and has announced he'll run for a now open Senate seat.

Rep. Ben Adams of Nampa made the announcement on social media on Sunday.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Kuwait's government resigned Monday for the second time this year, underscoring the political problems plaguing the small, oil-rich nation.

The state-run KUNA news agency said Kuwait's ruler, Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, received the government's resignation notice. However, the report did not say whether Sheikh Nawaf would accept the resignation, tendered by the country's prime minister, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al Hamad Al Sabah.
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP)  Barack Obama expressed confidence at U.N. climate talks Monday that the Biden administration will ultimately get its $555 billion climate package through Congress, and faulted U.S. rivals China and Russia for what he called a dangerous lack of urgency in cutting their own climate-wrecking emissions.

As nations complained of lagging trust and progress in the climate talks, Obama, one of the leaders who paved the way for the historic 2015 Paris climate deal, threw in a touch of his trademark hope but admitted that images of dystopia were creeping into his dreams.

There are times where the future seems somewhat bleak. There are times where I am doubtful that humanity can get its act together before its too late, Obama said at the two-week-long negotiations. (But) we cant afford hopelessness.

His comments came as conference leaders acknowledged Monday that many key sticking points exist after a week of talks. A trust gap between rich and poor nations has once again emerged and developing countries used the word disappointing when leaders talked Monday about the progress to date in the talks.

The U.N. climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, is the former American president's first since he helped deliver the triumph of the 2015 Paris climate accord, when nations committed to cutting fossil fuel and agricultural emissions fast enough to keep the Earth's warming below catastrophic levels of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).

That celebration has been replaced by worry. Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris accord. And while President Joe Biden put America back in the climate deal the Trump move set back U.S. efforts. Other top polluters  including China, India and Russia  are moving far more slowly on fighting climate change than scientists say is needed.

1.5 C is on life support now, its in ICU, said Alden Meyer of E3G, an environmental think tank.

Obama's appearance sought to remind governments of the elation that surrounded the Paris accord and urge them to announce more immediate, concrete steps to put the 2015 deal into action. Optimism and unity is required to save the planet, he said.

It doesnt matter if youre a Republican or a Democrat if your Florida house is flooded by rising seas, or your crops fail in the Dakotas, or your California house is burning. Nature, physics, science  they dont care about party affiliation, Obama said. We need everybody  even if we disagree on other things.

Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate wrote Monday on Twitter that she was 13 when Obama was part of rich nations who promised $100 billion a year to poor countries to help them fight global warming, but said those nations broke the promise. Nakate told The Associated Press that she wasn't attacking the former president but that is me speaking the truth.

This money was promised, but it hasnt been delivered," she said, adding that the $100 billion a year was the bare minimum for climate finance.

Despite opposition within Biden's own Democratic party that has blocked the president's climate-fighting legislation, Obama was confident that some version of Biden's ambitious climate bill will pass and be historic.

It will set the United States on course to meet its new climate targets, he said.

And while the rapport between U.S. and Chinese negotiators paved the way to the Paris accord, Obama on Monday criticized Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin for not joining other leaders at the climate talks in Glasgow.

It was particularly discouraging to see the leaders of two of the worlds largest emitters, China and Russia, decline to even attend the proceedings, and their national plans reflect what appears to be a dangerous lack of urgency, Obama said.

Obama spoke earlier Monday to a session on Pacific Island nations, including ones whose existence is threatened by rising oceans.

All of us have a part to play. All of us have work to do. All of us have sacrifices to make" on climate, he said. But those of us who live in wealthy nations, those of us who helped to precipitate the problem ... we have an added burden.

No deals have been made yet on three main goals of the U.N. conference. Those are pledges to cut emissions in half by 2030 to keep the Paris climate deals 1.5 degree Celsius temperature limit goal alive; the need for $100 billion annually in financial help from rich countries to poor ones; and the idea that half of that money goes to adapting to global warmings worst effects. Several other issues, including trading carbon and the transparency of national emissions commitments, also werent solved yet.

Representatives of 77 developing nations, along with China, said until this climate conference produces financing to help poor nations the talks can't be considered successful.

There is a history of broken promises and unfulfilled commitments by developed countries, said Diego Pacheco Balanza of Bolivia.

Scientists say the Earth is only a few years away from the point where it becomes impossible to meet the goals set in the Paris accord, due to mounting damage from coal, petroleum, agriculture and other pollution sources. The last few days have seen huge protests in Glasgow and around Europe by young people and others demanding faster action from nations in fighting global warming.

Obama met later Monday with a dozen climate activists, many in their 20s, and urged them to keep up the public pressure despite any frustrations they may feel at governments' inaction.

The question is, where are the countries that really met our expectations? And it turns out, those are the places where there was pressure, where there was political mobilization, where there were activists, a shirtsleeves-clad Obama said.

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Associated Press reporter Frank Jordans contributed to this report.

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Follow all AP stories on climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP)  Kentucky's Democratic governor and senior Republican senator sounded upbeat Monday about the prospects for a new a bridge to unclog a notoriously congested route between their state and Ohio.

The cross-party optimism stemmed from congressional passage of President Joe Biden's $1 trillion infrastructure package last week. It's seen as the best chance in decades to build a new span over the Ohio River to connect Cincinnati and Kentucky, relieving the aging Brent Spence Bridge.

I want to get this thing done," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told reporters. "Weve talked about it for decades. This is our best opportunity to do it. I want to be the governor that gets this done. What was once viewed as impossible, suddenly now appears to be very possible.

Speaking in northern Kentucky earlier Monday, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said the massive infrastructure measure offers a chance to resolve long-standing infrastructure problems across the country. That includes the prominent gateway over the Ohio River into his home state.

This will be the first time Ive come up here in a quarter of a century when I thought, maybe there was a way forward on the Brent Spence Bridge, the Kentucky senator said.

The infrastructure bill was passed largely by Democrats in Congress, though McConnell was among a group of 19 Senate Republican lawmakers to support it. Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman was another key supporter of the infrastructure measure.

The traffic woes along the Brent Spence Bridge  a crucial link for interstate commerce  have been a symbol of the nation's growing infrastructure needs for decades.

With the federal infrastructure measure now passed, plenty of decisions still need to be made by officials in Kentucky and Ohio to get the long-stalemated bridge project moving.

Beshear said Monday that his administration will work hard to try to win the funding needed to build a new companion bridge to the Brent Spence. Funding support will be requested from a pool of federal money designated for major projects, he said.

If we are to get a substantial award from there, I believe that we can do this whole project without tolls," Beshear said. "That is my goal ... And this gives us a chance to do what many thought was previously impossible.

An influx of money coming from the infrastructure bill will lead to projects across the Bluegrass State, the governor said.

Kentucky will receive more than $4.7 billion over five years to repair roads and bridges, he said. Also under the measure, he said, Kentucky will receive:

$647 million to improve water infrastructure.

$100 million to expand broadband coverage,

$391 million for public transportation.

$204 million to improve airports.

$69 million to expand the state's electric vehicle charging network.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP)  A shooting involving a married couple that stemmed from a domestic disturbance left a woman dead and her husband wounded, according to sheriff's officials.

The shooting happened Sunday morning at a home in Pottawattamie County just east of Council Bluffs, investigators with the Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office said.
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP)  Authorities said Monday that a gunman who killed a man outside of an Alaska grocery store over the weekend didn't break stride as he continued inside and sprayed gunfire across the store, wounding one other person.

Joshua Eric Butcher, 41, who turned himself into police minutes after Sunday's shooting in Fairbanks, has been charged with first-degree murder and was being held at the Fairbanks Correctional Center.

Butcher appeared Monday afternoon for an arraignment, where he was ordered held on $10 million bail. He was appointed a public defender. A message sent to the public defenders office in Fairbanks seeking comment was not immediately returned.

Fairbanks District Attorney Joseph Dallaire said he anticipates at least one other charge will be filed against Butcher. According to a criminal complaint signed by Fairbanks police investigator Caleb Reuter, authorities allege Butcher fired multiple shots at the man outside the store and did not break stride and continued into the store, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

The shooter then fired multiple shots toward the north side of the store, causing multiple people to take cover and flee. Multiple gun defects were found on walls, checkout registers and banners throughout the store, the complaint says.

Police have not identified a motive in the shooting, the department said in a statement.

Police received multiple calls reporting a shooting at the Safeway grocery store. Responding officers found the first victim, a 41-year-old man, unresponsive on the sidewalk.

Additional officers entered the store, where they found a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun on the floor inside the entrance. They also found the second victim, a 24-year-old man located behind the customer service desk who had been shot in the foot.

He described the shooter as a heavy-set man wearing a plaid shirt.

Both victims were transported to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, where the older man was pronounced dead. The man shot in the foot was treated and has since been released.

About 11 minutes after the shooting, police said they received a call from Butcher who said he was outside the police department. He said he had been at Safeway, and officers could come outside and arrest him, according to the statement. He also said he would not answer questions without an attorney present.

Police said he matched the description of the shooter and had an empty gun holster and empty magazine holders on him.

While detectives processed the grocery store scene they observed multiple firearm magazines and multiple spent and unspent 9mm rounds, the statement says. Teal Soden, a police spokesperson, declined to detail how many shots were fired.

Security camera footage shows a man approaching the entrance of the store and shooting the 41-year-old man in the stomach as he was leaving the store, the statement says. The video footage then shows the gunman continuing into the store with a firearm in his hand.

He walked behind the registers, heading north in the building but then turned around and headed out the same entrance he entered, the statement says. It wasnt immediately clear how long he was in the store.

All of the camera footage is still being reviewed closely but right now we know the first victims shooting was clearly on video, Soden said in an email to The Associated Press. Well need to review more before we definitely say whether the second victims shooting was clearly on video or not.

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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of the last name of the police spokesperson. They are Teal Soden, not Sodden.
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP)  A student was stabbed in the parking lot of a Maryland high school on Monday morning and the school is sheltering in place, authorities said.

Officers were called to Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring around 10 a.m. for a student who had been stabbed, Montgomery County police said in a news release. One student was taken to a hospital with injuries that weren't considered life-threatening and police said a suspect is not in custody. Both are juveniles and students at the school, police said.
MOUNT VERNON, Ind. (AP)  The deaths of a couple in their 70s at their southwestern Indiana home are being investigated by police detectives as homicides.

The Posey County coroner on Sunday identified the victims as 74-year-old John Hall and 74-year-old Elizabeth Hall. A relative was checking on their welfare and found the bodies Saturday morning in Mount Vernon, state police said.
PRAGUE (AP)  Slovakia on Monday expanded strict coronavirus restrictions including hotel, bar and restaurant closures to almost a half of the country amid a record surge of infections.

The government is expected to discuss additional measures as the countrys health minister joined medical personnel who treat COVID-19 patients in urging Slovaks to get vaccinated.

Only vaccination can take us through the pandemic, Health Minister Vladimir Lengvarsky said.

The measures will affect 36 of the countrys 79 counties. Indicative of how fast infections are spreading, only five counties had imposed the measures three weeks ago, and another five a week later.

On top of the hotel, bar and restaurant closures, people will be allowed to only buy takeout meals. Fitness, wellness and aquatic centers also have been shuttered.

The maximum number allowed at public gatherings has been reduced to 100 fully vaccinated people. Face masks are compulsory indoors and outdoors.

Slovakia, which has a population of nearly 5.5 million people, is one of the countries in the European Union that have been hardest hit by the pandemic. It has registered around 457,431 cases and 12,917 deaths.

Daily infections have set three new records within last week, with the most recent of 6,805 cases being set on Thursday.

The governments advisory group of health experts has proposed new restrictions such as limits on the movements of the unvaccinated in a bid to forestall a potential collapse of the health system.

About 80% of the 2,108 people who currently need hospitalization in Slovakia were either partially vaccinated or havent received a shot at all. Many hospitals have started to only treat COVID-19 patients.

Slovakia has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the EU. Less than half, or 2.41 million people, have been fully vaccinated.

The vaccination could have prevented most of the deaths, a petition signed by some 1,300 medical personnel and the health minister said. Amid worries that the worst is yet to come, we are asking you to get vaccinated.

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Follow all AP stories on the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  Some banners were burned at a temporary memorial honoring the 49 victims who died in a massacre at a Florida gay nightclub five years ago, and the foundation that runs it is seeking the public's help in catching the vandal.

The onePulse Foundation over the weekend released security video on its Facebook page showing a man in a wheelchair setting fire to an outdoor wall on which banners, photos, messages and flowers are posted in memory of the victims who died at the Pulse nightclub.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A suspected Ukrainian hacker has been arrested and charged in the United States in connection with a string of costly ransomware attacks, including one that snarled businesses around the globe on the Fourth of July weekend, U.S. officials said Monday.

Yaroslav Vasinskyi was arrested last month after traveling to Poland, according to the Justice Department, which also announced the recovery of $6.1 million in ill-gotten funds from a Russian national who was separately charged and remains sought by the FBI.

Both men are alleged to be affiliated with the prolific Russia-based REvil ransomware gang, whose attacks have compromised tens of thousands of computers worldwide and yielded at least $200 million in ransom payments, said Attorney General Merrick Garland. Victims have included the world's largest meat processor, JBS SA, and a technology company called Kaseya, which was hit in a holiday weekend attack last July that the company said affected between 800 and 1,500 businesses that relied on its software.

The coordination of multiple agencies across the Biden administration amounted to perhaps the most high-profile response yet to a blitz of ransomware attacks that officials say continues to threaten national security and the economy. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco appeared to foreshadow Monday's announcement in an interview with The Associated Press last week, saying that in the days and weeks to come, youre going to see more arrests" as well as more seizures of illicit ransomware proceeds.

Speaking at a news conference Monday, she said, We have been using every tool at our disposal and leveraging every authority we have to hunt down and hold accountable cybercriminals wherever they seek to hide."

The indictment accuses Vasinskyi, 22, of deploying REvil ransomware, also known as Sodinokibi, a broad range of victims  including the massive Kaseya attack.

Yevgeniy Polyanin, a Russian national, is charged in a separate indictment. He's accused of conducting roughly 3,000 ransomware attacks on companies and entities across the U.S., including law enforcement agencies and local governments in the state of Texas.

Both indictments were filed in federal court in the Northern District of Texas, a state where REvil ransomware compromised the computer networks of some two dozen local government agencies in the summer of 2019.

The U.S. is seeking Vasinskyi's extradition from Poland. Though it successfully seized $6 million in ransomware payments from Polyanin, the FBI is continuing to seek his arrest, and the State Department on Monday announced a $10 million reward for anyone with information leading to the capture of any leaders of the REvil group.

The Treasury Department, meanwhile, announced sanctions against the pair as well as a virtual currency exchange, Chatex, that it said was used to facilitate financial transactions for ransomware gangs.

President Joe Biden commended the government's actions, saying he was making good on his commitment to Russian leader Vladimir Putin that the U.S. would hold cyber criminals accountable.

He said in a statement that the U.S. was bringing the full strength of the federal government to disrupt malicious cyber activity and actors and to bolster resilience at home.

The announcement of the criminal charges came hours after European law enforcement officials revealed the results of a lengthy, 17-nation operation. As part of that operation, Europol said, a total of seven hackers linked to REvil and another ransomware family have been arrested since February, including two last week by Romanian authorities.

The Justice Department has tried multiple ways to address a ransomware scourge that has exploded over the last year with attacks against critical infrastructure and major corporations. Arrests of foreign hackers are significant for the Justice Department, and rare, since many of them operate in the refuge of countries that do not extradite their own citizens to the U.S. for prosecution.

Theres lots of reasons why people travel, and I cant get into the specific reasons why Mr. Vasinskyi traveled, but boy are we glad he did, FBI Director Christopher Wray said Monday.

Even so, ransomware attacks  in which hackers seize and encrypt data and demand often-exorbitant sums to release it to victims  have been hard to curb. Monaco told the AP last week that since Biden's admonitions to Putin last summer to rein in ransomware gangs, we have not seen a material change in the landscape.

Garland did not answer directly when asked if there was evidence that the Russian government was aware of REvil's activities, but said, we expect and hope that any government in which one of these ransomware actors is residing will do everything it can to provide that person to us for prosecution.

The $6.1 million seizure in this case builds on a similar success from months ago.

Federal authorities in June seized $2.3 million in cryptocurrency from a payment made by Colonial Pipeline following a ransomware attack that caused the company to temporarily halt operations, creating fuel shortages in parts of the country.

Justice Department officials also used Monday's news conference to urge Congress to create a national standard for the reporting of significant cyber incidents, and to require that that information be shared immediately with federal law enforcement.

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Suderman reported from Richmond, Virginia. Associated Press writer Jake Bleiberg in Dallas contributed to this report.

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Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP.
Update: The stolen 50-foot serpent installation, created for the upcoming Luminaria Contemporary Arts Festival, has been found. Luminaria and two members of the "Of the Serpent" artistic team shared in a video that the trailer containing the irreplaceable artwork was recovered.

However, the suspect is still in possession of Trofimenkov's black Nissan Frontier and several tools. After some work to the structure, it is still expected to show at this weekend's festival.

Original story continues below.

On Sunday, November 7, a massive serpent installation, entitled "Of the Serpent," was stolen outside artist Timofey Trofimenkov's studio in the Lone Star Arts District. The 50-foot-long piece was to be prominently featured in the upcoming Luminaria Contemporary Arts Festival.

In the minutes approaching midnight, the suspect broke into the studio at 111 Lonestar Boulevard. He stole Trofimenkov's keys and swiftly left the scene with the artist's black Nissan Frontier. Attached to the truck is a U-Haul trailer containing the massive disassembled installation, which was being test-run at the festival grounds in Hemisfair park over the weekend. A suspect was spotted via security footage.

"I felt this piece was kind of a centerpiece of the festival," says Yadhira Lozano, Luminaria's executive director.

"It's just heartbreaking because there's so much passion that goes into every single installation that's going to be at the festival. And so, you know, we've all grown as a community, we've all bonded, we've all felt each other's motivation and been inspired by each other as a community. And to have this happen, the week of the festival, it's just unnerving," says Lozano. "I just pray that we get it back."

Constructed out of wood and metal materials, LED lights and projection mapping technology, the piece has been in the works for about a year. It was to serve as a connector tunnel for attendees to walk through in the center of Hemisfair.

Trofimenkov and his team are all San Antonio-based artists that have previously created works for national festivals like Burning Man in Nevada.

Trofimenkov advises the public to keep an eye out not only for the truck, but for the dissembled artwork, perhaps resting on the side of the road. The wood is identifiable by a unique carved pattern.

The artist doesn't believe the art was stolen intentionally, especially since the structure is so complicated to build. He jokes that he'd like to see the suspect attempt to rebuild it.

"There's a 50-foot-long structure that's 10 feet high that is disassembled. Right? So yeah, I want to see them put it together. Like maybe they can work with us," says Trofimenkov.

Residents are encouraged to call 9-1-1 if they spot a Nissan Frontier license plate GYF 4960 or a U-Haul trailer with plate number RV 3706.
Tom Reel /San Antonio Express-News

The statewide gas price average in Texas remains above three dollars for the third straight week. According to a November 4 report from AAA Texas, the statewide gas price in the Lone Star State is $3.07 for a gallon of regular unleaded fuel. The cost is $1.27 more per gallon compared to November 4, 2020.

Of the major metropolitan areas surveyed in Texas, drivers in El Paso are paying the most on average at $3.36 per gallon, while drivers in Amarillo are paying the least at $2.91 per gallon, according to AAA Texas. The national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded is $3.41, which is higher than it's been at any point since 2014.
A slew of conservative thinkers, ideologues and media personalities have signed on to the creation of a new alternative university in Austin, Texas, according to tweets and articles published by the newly-announced school's staff Monday morning.

Called the University of Austin, the college announced in a Monday video tweet its charter, objectives and a list of staff and supporters. Those associated with the new institution range from former New York Times columnist Bari Weiss to experimental psychologist and one-time Jeffrey Epstein associate Steven Pinker.

"We're done waiting for America's universities to fix themselves," the school's video rollout states. "So we're starting a new one."

In a blog post on Weiss' "Common Sense with Bari Weiss" Substack, University of Austin founder Panos Kanelos, the former president of St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland, railed against what he believes is a culture of illiberalism permeating higher education in America today.

"So much is broken in America," Kanelos writes. "But higher education might be the most fractured institution...Nearly 70% of students favor reporting professors if the professor says something students find offensive."

The school's website lists its physical location at 2112 Rio Grande Street in Austin, Texas and claims it is looking for land in the surrounding area for its campus. Among its stated objectives, the school notes its desire to cut against "illiberalism and censoriousness" on American college campuses, and claims it will offer a suite of "Forbidden Courses" by "Summer 2022." On its "Frequently Asked Questions" page, the University of Austin claims it is a "private, non-profit institution fiscally sponsored by Cicero Research" and chose Austin as its location out of an affection for comedian Joe Rogan and SpaceX billionaire Elon Musk.

"If it's good enough for Elon Musk and Joe Rogan it's good enough for us," the site states. "But seriously: Texas is experiencing a historic boom in talent and capital. Austin, in particular, is a hub for builders, mavericks and creatorsthe kind of people our university aims to attract and from whom we want to receive guidance."

The University of Austin's announcement comes as critical race theory and public school curricula have seen increasing scrutiny from Texas politicians in recent months. Texas Rep. Matt Krause in October announced a sweeping investigation into hundreds of books on shelves at school libraries in the state, sparking anger and incredulity from authors whose works were targeted. Many of the books included on Krause's book list include themes of race and sexuality.

"I'd like Matt Krause to know that nothing he does will keep my work out of the hands of young readers," said San Antonio young adult author Kalynn Bayron in October. "Texas educators are, for the most part, amazing people and we work together to make sure the work gets to the kids who need it most."

As a private entity, University of Austin's proposed "forbidden courses" and "unfettered pursuit of truth" would fall outside the scope of reviews such as Krause's. The school is currently unaccredited and not accepting student applications, but hopes to fast-track its way to accreditation by the time its proposed 2022 courses begin.

On its site, UATX says that it's "seeking accreditation as a private postsecondary educational institution from the Texas Higher Education Board and initial accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission, an accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as an assigned regional accrediting organization."
A guide to family immigration for Canadians who wish to sponsor their spouse or common-law partner from Nigeria.

How to sponsor your spouse from Nigeria A guide to family immigration for Canadians who wish to sponsor their spouse or common-law partner from Nigeria.

How to sponsor your spouse from Nigeria A guide to family immigration for Canadians who wish to sponsor their spouse or common-law partner from Nigeria.

How to sponsor your spouse from Nigeria A guide to family immigration for Canadians who wish to sponsor their spouse or common-law partner from Nigeria. Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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If you want to sponsor your spouse or common-law partner from Nigeria, the first step is to make sure you and your one true love are eligible.

To be eligible to sponsor your spouse, you need to be over the age of 18, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, and be able to financially support you and your family. This includes your spouse and any dependent children you have.

To get more specific, you can sponsor your spouse from outside Canada, but only if you are a Canadian citizen. Permanent residents must sponsor their spouses from inside Canada, even if their one true love is out of the country.

Check Your Eligibility for Spousal Sponsorship

If you live in Quebec, you have meet eligibility requirements at the provincial level as well. The Quebec government website offers the information you need to sponsor your partner to Quebec.

To meet the income requirement, you cannot be receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability. However, if youre receiving maternity, parental, or sickness benefits, you may still be eligible to sponsor. Other benefits such as employment insurance and federal training allowances are not eligible sources of income.

In most cases, there is no minimum income cut off for sponsoring spouses, common-law partners, and children. There are very specific instances where you must meet a low-income-cut-off score, which are determined by the government each year. Generally, it only applies if the partner youre sponsoring has a dependent child who also has a dependent child of their own.

What can make me ineligible to sponsor my spouse?

Certain circumstances could make you ineligible to sponsor. Beyond violent criminal offences, you could also be ineligible for non-criminal reasons. Perhaps you failed to pay an immigration loan, are going through bankruptcy and not discharged, or if you sponsored a previous spouse within three years of your application. These are just some of the factors that could affect your eligibility to sponsor.

Also, if you were a sponsored spouse now turned Canadian permanent resident, you cannot sponsor a new spouse within five years of your landing.

Once you determine that you are eligible, the next step is to make sure that your partner is admissible to Canada.

Is my spouse eligible to be sponsored?

Your spouse must be over the age of 18, and pass background, security, as well as medical checks.

The government department that processes immigration applications, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), will check to see that your spouse is admissible through medical and background security checks. People with criminal convictions are generally not allowed to come to Canada, but there may be options to overcome criminal inadmissibility.

The immigration officer handling your file will also want to see that you and your partner are in a genuine relationship. They generally want to avoid admitting people who are just getting married for the sole purpose of getting Canadian permanent residency status.

Outland vs Inland sponsorship for residents of Nigeria

If your Nigerian partner is living abroad during the sponsorship process, you will be considered outland applicants. Although it is possible for Canadian citizens to live in Nigeria throughout the sponsorship process, you have to show that you and your partner will both move to Canada if you are approved for permanent residency.

However, if you and your partner are living in Canada you will likely be processed as inland applicants. When applying from within Canada your spouse may be eligible for an Open Work Permit.

What documents do you need from Nigeria?

IRCC changes these guidelines regularly. The documents required for foreign nationals will depend on residency status, where they are applying from, and maybe even your travel history. The government provides an application guide with more specific and up-to-date information.

In addition to the application guide, IRCC offers a documents checklist, which shows you the forms and instructions you need for your application. This checklist also changes, so it is important to double-check before submitting all the documents.

At the time this article was written, here is what the checklist said about what sorts of documents are required for Nigerian spousal sponsorship applications specifically. This is assuming you do not need to supply documents from other countries.

There are two additional forms that Nigerian residents have to fill out: travel history, and military service.

You and your family members over the age of 18 have to fill out the travel history form, called the IMM 5562. There you report all of the trips you have taken out of Nigeria over the past 10 years.

The military service form, known as the IMM 5546, is for anyone in your application who has ever served in the military, army, defence or police unit. If you do have to fill out this form, you will have to submit a copy of your military card or booklet, including the blank pages.

IRCC also has special instructions for Nigerian birth certificates. If your spouse or childrens birth certificate was not issued at the time of their birth, you have to submit the supplementary judgement as well as:

other official documents naming the parents;

school documents listing the parents, or an explanation if the documents are not available; and

a copy of the household registry.

What happens after you submit the application?

The processing begins once IRCC receives your complete application. If the officer finds that your application is incomplete, they will return it to you and you will have to submit again.

IRCC has a 12-month processing standard on spousal sponsorship applications, although it may take longer.

During the processing period, IRCC asks for biometrics and a medical exam from the foreign spouse. You will have 30 days to send them in. IRCC may also ask for more information or an in-person interview at any time.

You can track and update your application status online until IRCC makes a decision on your application. IRCC will send you instructions about the final steps the foreign spouse or common-law partner needs to take to become a permanent resident.

The last step is to complete the landing process. After that, you have officially immigrated to Canada.

See if Youre Eligible for Spousal Sponsorship

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
Alberta is the fourth largest province in Canada and a popular choice for newcomers.

Immigrate to Canada without a job offer: Alberta PNP Alberta is the fourth largest province in Canada and a popular choice for newcomers.

Immigrate to Canada without a job offer: Alberta PNP Alberta is the fourth largest province in Canada and a popular choice for newcomers.

Immigrate to Canada without a job offer: Alberta PNP Alberta is the fourth largest province in Canada and a popular choice for newcomers. Alexandra Miekus Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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If you are interested in immigrating to Alberta and do not have a job offer, the Alberta Express Entry stream may be a great option for you.



While the most popular immigration route in Canada is known as the Express Entry system, there is an equally promising route called the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

Express Entry is based on a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) in which points are accumulated based on human capital factors. While in most cases Express Entry candidates do not require a job offer, having one will result in a much higher number of points, and therefore a better chance of being invited to apply for permanent residence in Canada.

Canadas PNP, on the other hand, was introduced to ensure a more balanced distribution of the benefits of immigration throughout the country. The program gives participating provinces and territories the opportunity to nominate a set number of economic immigrants for permanent residence each year. PNPs are quite different from one province to another, with each province determining its own set of nomination requirements.

In order to immigrate to Canada through a PNP, you must first be nominated by the province or territory.

Canadian provinces and territories with a PNP have at least one enhanced nomination stream, meaning one that is linked to the federal Express Entry system.

The Alberta Express Entry is one such stream while providing an immigration route for foreign nationals without a job offer.

Get a Free Canadian Immigration Evaluation

Over the past few weeks, CIC News has covered a number of other PNP-related immigration pathways that dont require a job offer, including Ontario and Saskatchewan. Today, we take a look at Alberta.

As the fourth largest province in Canada, Alberta is a top choice for newcomers, with Edmonton and Calgary being the two most popular cities.

According to the provinces population estimates, the province welcomes approximately 40,000 new immigrants per year. Albertas total share of immigrants in Canada is approximately 13 per cent, the third-highest in the country, after Ontario (44.7 per cent) and British Columbia (15.8 per cent). According to the most recent statistics, Albertas population now stands at almost 4.5 million. Economically, the province plays an important role in Canadas oil, mining, and natural gas industries.

Can I immigrate through the Alberta Express Entry stream without a job offer?

Foreign nationals wishing to live and work in Alberta can apply under the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP). Among the various streams administered under the AINP, the Alberta Express Entry stream does not require applicants to have a job offer.

As mentioned above, the Alberta Express Entry stream is an enhanced PNP, which means it is linked to the federal Express Entry system. Express Entry candidates who receive a provincial nomination from the province of Alberta are awarded an additional 600 points toward their CRS score. This award effectively guarantees them a chance to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

In order to receive a notification of interest from Alberta under this stream, candidates must create an Express Entry profile and indicate their interest in settling permanently in Alberta.

So far this year, 5,910 candidates have received notifications of interest from Alberta through this stream.

Alberta Express Entry Requirements

In order to be eligible to receive a notification of interest, you must:

have a valid Express Entry profile in the IRCC Express Entry system;

have stated an interest to immigrate to Alberta;

work in an occupation that supports Albertas economic development;

Have a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 300.

Your chances of receiving a Notice of Interest from Alberta may be greater if you :

have a job offer in Alberta or work experience in the province;

are a graduate of a Canadian post-secondary institution;

have a parent, child, or sibling who is a permanent resident or Canadian citizen living in Alberta.

Get a Free Canadian Immigration Evaluation

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
Wilkes-Barre, PA (18701)

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Cloudy with occasional light rain throughout the day. High 53F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

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Occasional light rain. Low 41F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.




Austinburg, Ohio

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Population in 2010: 516.

Males: 199 (38.8%) Females: 317 (61.2%)

Median resident age: 36.4 years Ohio median age: 39.6 years

Zip codes: 44010.

Estimated median household income in 2019: $44,580

Austinburg: $44,580 OH: $58,642

Estimated per capita income in 2019: $27,416



Austinburg CDP income, earnings, and wages data



Estimated median house or condo value in 2019: $128,200 Austinburg: $128,200 OH: $157,200

Mean prices in 2019: all housing units: $385,021; detached houses: $383,526 $44,580$27,416$128,200$385,021;$383,526

Median gross rent in 2019: $1,422.

March 2019 cost of living index in Austinburg: 88.9 (less than average, U.S. average is 100)

Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2019: 55.3%

(43.8% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 100.0% for Black residents, 100.0% for two or more races residents)

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Most recent value % change since 2k Data: Median household income ($) Median household income (% change since 2000) Household income diversity Ratio of average income to average house value (%) Ratio of average income to average rent Median household income ($) - White Median household income ($) - Black or African American Median household income ($) - Asian Median household income ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median household income ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median household income ($) - Multirace Median household income ($) - Other Race Median household income for houses/condos with a mortgage ($) Median household income for apartments without a mortgage ($) Races - White alone (%) Races - White alone (% change since 2000) Races - Black alone (%) Races - Black alone (% change since 2000) Races - American Indian alone (%) Races - American Indian alone (% change since 2000) Races - Asian alone (%) Races - Asian alone (% change since 2000) Races - Hispanic (%) Races - Hispanic (% change since 2000) Races - Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone (%) Races - Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone (% change since 2000) Races - Two or more races (%) Races - Two or more races (% change since 2000) Races - Other race alone (%) Races - Other race alone (% change since 2000) Racial diversity Unemployment (%) Unemployment (% change since 2000) Unemployment (%) - White Unemployment (%) - Black or African American Unemployment (%) - Asian Unemployment (%) - Hispanic or Latino Unemployment (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Unemployment (%) - Multirace Unemployment (%) - Other Race Population density (people per square mile) Population - Males (%) Population - Females (%) Population - Males (%) - White Population - Males (%) - Black or African American Population - Males (%) - Asian Population - Males (%) - Hispanic or Latino Population - Males (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Population - Males (%) - Multirace Population - Males (%) - Other Race Population - Females (%) - White Population - Females (%) - Black or African American Population - Females (%) - Asian Population - Females (%) - Hispanic or Latino Population - Females (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Population - Females (%) - Multirace Population - Females (%) - Other Race Coronavirus confirmed cases (Nov 21, 2021) Deaths caused by coronavirus (Nov 21, 2021) Coronavirus confirmed cases (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) Deaths caused by coronavirus (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) Daily increase in number of cases (Nov 21, 2021) Weekly increase in number of cases (Nov 21, 2021) Cases doubled (in days) (Nov 21, 2021) Hospitalized patients (Nov 21, 2021) Negative test results (Nov 21, 2021) Total test results (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses distributed (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses administered (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses distributed (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses administered (Nov 21, 2021) Likely homosexual households (%) Likely homosexual households (% change since 2000) Likely homosexual households - Lesbian couples (%) Likely homosexual households - Lesbian couples (% change since 2000) Likely homosexual households - Gay men (%) Likely homosexual households - Gay men (% change since 2000) Cost of living index Median gross rent ($) Median contract rent ($) Median monthly housing costs ($) Median house or condo value ($) Median house or condo value ($ change since 2000) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 1, detached ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 1, attached ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 2 ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure by units in structure - 3 or 4 ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 5 or more ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - Boat, RV, van, etc. ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - Mobile home ($) Median house or condo value ($) - White Median house or condo value ($) - Black or African American Median house or condo value ($) - Asian Median house or condo value ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median house or condo value ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median house or condo value ($) - Multirace Median house or condo value ($) - Other Race Median resident age Resident age diversity Median resident age - Males Median resident age - Females Median resident age - White Median resident age - Black or African American Median resident age - Asian Median resident age - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Multirace Median resident age - Other Race Median resident age - Males - White Median resident age - Males - Black or African American Median resident age - Males - Asian Median resident age - Males - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - Males - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Males - Multirace Median resident age - Males - Other Race Median resident age - Females - White Median resident age - Females - Black or African American Median resident age - Females - Asian Median resident age - Females - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - Females - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Females - Multirace Median resident age - Females - Other Race Commute - mean travel time to work (minutes) Travel time to work - Less than 5 minutes (%) Travel time to work - Less than 5 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 5 to 9 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 5 to 9 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 10 to 19 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 10 to 19 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 20 to 29 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 20 to 29 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 30 to 39 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 30 to 39 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 40 to 59 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 40 to 59 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 60 to 89 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 60 to 89 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 90 or more minutes (%) Travel time to work - 90 or more minutes (% change since 2000) Marital status - Never married (%) Marital status - Now married (%) Marital status - Separated (%) Marital status - Widowed (%) Marital status - Divorced (%) Median family income ($) Median family income (% change since 2000) Median non-family income ($) Median non-family income (% change since 2000) Median per capita income ($) Median per capita income (% change since 2000) Median family income ($) - White Median family income ($) - Black or African American Median family income ($) - Asian Median family income ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median family income ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median family income ($) - Multirace Median family income ($) - Other Race Median year house/condo built Median year apartment built Year house built - Built 2005 or later (%) Year house built - Built 2000 to 2004 (%) Year house built - Built 1990 to 1999 (%) Year house built - Built 1980 to 1989 (%) Year house built - Built 1970 to 1979 (%) Year house built - Built 1960 to 1969 (%) Year house built - Built 1950 to 1959 (%) Year house built - Built 1940 to 1949 (%) Year house built - Built 1939 or earlier (%) Average household size Household density (households per square mile) Average household size - White Average household size - Black or African American Average household size - Asian Average household size - Hispanic or Latino Average household size - American Indian and Alaska Native Average household size - Multirace Average household size - Other Race Occupied housing units (%) Vacant housing units (%) Owner occupied housing units (%) Renter occupied housing units (%) Vacancy status - For rent (%) Vacancy status - For sale only (%) Vacancy status - Rented or sold, not occupied (%) Vacancy status - For seasonal, recreational, or occasional use (%) Vacancy status - For migrant workers (%) Vacancy status - Other vacant (%) Residents with income below the poverty level (%) Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level (%) Children below poverty level (%) Poor families by family type - Married-couple family (%) Poor families by family type - Male, no wife present (%) Poor families by family type - Female, no husband present (%) Poverty status for native-born residents (%) Poverty status for foreign-born residents (%) Poverty among high school graduates not in families (%) Poverty among people who did not graduate high school not in families (%) Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - White Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Black or African American Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Asian Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Hispanic or Latino Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Multirace Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Other Race Air pollution - Air Quality Index (AQI) Air pollution - CO Air pollution - NO2 Air pollution - SO2 Air pollution - Ozone Air pollution - PM10 Air pollution - PM25 Air pollution - Pb Crime - Murders per 100,000 population Crime - Rapes per 100,000 population Crime - Robberies per 100,000 population Crime - Assaults per 100,000 population Crime - Burglaries per 100,000 population Crime - Thefts per 100,000 population Crime - Auto thefts per 100,000 population Crime - Arson per 100,000 population Crime - City-data.com crime index Crime - Violent crime index Crime - Property crime index Crime - Murders per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Rapes per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Robberies per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Assaults per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Burglaries per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Thefts per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Auto thefts per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Arson per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - City-data.com crime index (5 year average) Crime - Violent crime index (5 year average) Crime - Property crime index (5 year average) 1996 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Clinton) 1996 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Dole) 1996 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2000 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Gore) 2000 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Bush) 2000 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2004 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Kerry) 2004 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Bush) 2004 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2008 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Obama) 2008 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (McCain) 2008 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2012 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Obama) 2012 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Romney) 2012 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2016 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Clinton) 2016 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Trump) 2016 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2020 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Biden) 2020 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Trump) 2020 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other Ancestries Reported - Arab (%) Ancestries Reported - Czech (%) Ancestries Reported - Danish (%) Ancestries Reported - Dutch (%) Ancestries Reported - English (%) Ancestries Reported - French (%) Ancestries Reported - French Canadian (%) Ancestries Reported - German (%) Ancestries Reported - Greek (%) Ancestries Reported - Hungarian (%) Ancestries Reported - Irish (%) Ancestries Reported - Italian (%) Ancestries Reported - Lithuanian (%) Ancestries Reported - Norwegian (%) Ancestries Reported - Polish (%) Ancestries Reported - Portuguese (%) Ancestries Reported - Russian (%) Ancestries Reported - Scotch-Irish (%) Ancestries Reported - Scottish (%) Ancestries Reported - Slovak (%) Ancestries Reported - Subsaharan African (%) Ancestries Reported - Swedish (%) Ancestries Reported - Swiss (%) Ancestries Reported - Ukrainian (%) Ancestries Reported - United States (%) Ancestries Reported - Welsh (%) Ancestries Reported - West Indian (%) Ancestries Reported - Other (%) Educational Attainment - No schooling completed (%) Educational Attainment - Less than high school (%) Educational Attainment - High school or equivalent (%) Educational Attainment - Less than 1 year of college (%) Educational Attainment - 1 or more years of college (%) Educational Attainment - Associate degree (%) Educational Attainment - Bachelor's degree (%) Educational Attainment - Master's degree (%) Educational Attainment - Professional school degree (%) Educational Attainment - Doctorate degree (%) School Enrollment - Nursery, preschool (%) School Enrollment - Kindergarten (%) School Enrollment - Grade 1 to 4 (%) School Enrollment - Grade 5 to 8 (%) School Enrollment - Grade 9 to 12 (%) School Enrollment - College undergrad (%) School Enrollment - Graduate or professional (%) School Enrollment - Not enrolled in school (%) School enrollment - Public schools (%) School enrollment - Private schools (%) School enrollment - Not enrolled (%) Median number of rooms in houses and condos Median number of rooms in apartments Housing units lacking complete plumbing facilities (%) Housing units lacking complete kitchen facilities (%) Density of houses Urban houses (%) Rural houses (%) Households with people 60 years and over (%) Households with people 65 years and over (%) Households with people 75 years and over (%) Households with one or more nonrelatives (%) Households with no nonrelatives (%) Population in households (%) Family households (%) Nonfamily households (%) Population in families (%) Family households with own children (%) Median number of bedrooms in owner occupied houses Mean number of bedrooms in owner occupied houses Median number of bedrooms in renter occupied houses Mean number of bedrooms in renter occupied houses Median number of vehichles in owner occupied houses Mean number of vehichles in owner occupied houses Median number of vehichles in renter occupied houses Mean number of vehichles in renter occupied houses Mortgage status - with mortgage (%) Mortgage status - with second mortgage (%) Mortgage status - with home equity loan (%) Mortgage status - with both second mortgage and home equity loan (%) Mortgage status - without a mortgage (%) Average family size Average family size - White Average family size - Black or African American Average family size - Asian Average family size - Hispanic or Latino Average family size - American Indian and Alaska Native Average family size - Multirace Average family size - Other Race Geographical mobility - Same house 1 year ago (%) Geographical mobility - Moved within same county (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from different county within same state (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from different state (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from abroad (%) Place of birth - Born in state of residence (%) Place of birth - Born in other state (%) Place of birth - Native, outside of US (%) Place of birth - Foreign born (%) Housing units in structures - 1, detached (%) Housing units in structures - 1, attached (%) Housing units in structures - 2 (%) Housing units in structures - 3 or 4 (%) Housing units in structures - 5 to 9 (%) Housing units in structures - 10 to 19 (%) Housing units in structures - 20 to 49 (%) Housing units in structures - 50 or more (%) Housing units in structures - Mobile home (%) Housing units in structures - Boat, RV, van, etc. (%) House/condo owner moved in on average (years ago) Renter moved in on average (years ago) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1999 to March 2000 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1995 to 1998 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1990 to 1994 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1980 to 1989 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1970 to 1979 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1969 or earlier (%) Means of transportation to work - Drove car alone (%) Means of transportation to work - Carpooled (%) Means of transportation to work - Public transportation (%) Means of transportation to work - Bus or trolley bus (%) Means of transportation to work - Streetcar or trolley car (%) Means of transportation to work - Subway or elevated (%) Means of transportation to work - Railroad (%) Means of transportation to work - Ferryboat (%) Means of transportation to work - Taxicab (%) Means of transportation to work - Motorcycle (%) Means of transportation to work - Bicycle (%) Means of transportation to work - Walked (%) Means of transportation to work - Other means (%) Working at home (%) Industry diversity Most Common Industries - Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining (%) Most Common Industries - Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (%) Most Common Industries - Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (%) Most Common Industries - Construction (%) Most Common Industries - Manufacturing (%) Most Common Industries - Wholesale trade (%) Most Common Industries - Retail trade (%) Most Common Industries - Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (%) Most Common Industries - Transportation and warehousing (%) Most Common Industries - Utilities (%) Most Common Industries - Information (%) Most Common Industries - Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (%) Most Common Industries - Finance and insurance (%) Most Common Industries - Real estate and rental and leasing (%) Most Common Industries - Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (%) Most Common Industries - Professional, scientific, and technical services (%) Most Common Industries - Management of companies and enterprises (%) Most Common Industries - Administrative and support and waste management services (%) Most Common Industries - Educational services, and health care and social assistance (%) Most Common Industries - Educational services (%) Most Common Industries - Health care and social assistance (%) Most Common Industries - Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (%) Most Common Industries - Arts, entertainment, and recreation (%) Most Common Industries - Accommodation and food services (%) Most Common Industries - Other services, except public administration (%) Most Common Industries - Public administration (%) Occupation diversity Most Common Occupations - Management, business, science, and arts occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Management, business, and financial occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Management occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Business and financial operations occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Computer, engineering, and science occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Computer and mathematical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Architecture and engineering occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Life, physical, and social science occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Education, legal, community service, arts, and media occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Community and social service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Legal occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Education, training, and library occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Health diagnosing and treating practitioners and other technical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Health technologists and technicians (%) Most Common Occupations - Service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Healthcare support occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Protective service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Fire fighting and prevention, and other protective service workers including supervisors (%) Most Common Occupations - Law enforcement workers including supervisors (%) Most Common Occupations - Food preparation and serving related occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Personal care and service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Sales and office occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Sales and related occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Office and administrative support occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Construction and extraction occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Production, transportation, and material moving occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Production occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Transportation occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Material moving occupations (%) People in Group quarters - Institutionalized population (%) People in Group quarters - Correctional institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Federal prisons and detention centers (%) People in Group quarters - Halfway houses (%) People in Group quarters - Local jails and other confinement facilities (including police lockups) (%) People in Group quarters - Military disciplinary barracks (%) People in Group quarters - State prisons (%) People in Group quarters - Other types of correctional institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Nursing homes (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals/wards, hospices, and schools for the handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals/wards and hospices for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Hospices or homes for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Military hospitals or wards for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Other hospitals or wards for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals or wards for drug/alcohol abuse (%) People in Group quarters - Mental (Psychiatric) hospitals or wards (%) People in Group quarters - Schools, hospitals, or wards for the mentally retarded (%) People in Group quarters - Schools, hospitals, or wards for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Institutions for the deaf (%) People in Group quarters - Institutions for the blind (%) People in Group quarters - Orthopedic wards and institutions for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Wards in general hospitals for patients who have no usual home elsewhere (%) People in Group quarters - Wards in military hospitals for patients who have no usual home elsewhere (%) People in Group quarters - Juvenile institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Long-term care (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for abused, dependent, and neglected children (%) People in Group quarters - Residential treatment centers for emotionally disturbed children (%) People in Group quarters - Training schools for juvenile delinquents (%) People in Group quarters - Short-term care, detention or diagnostic centers for delinquent children (%) People in Group quarters - Type of juvenile institution unknown (%) People in Group quarters - Noninstitutionalized population (%) People in Group quarters - College dormitories (includes college quarters off campus) (%) People in Group quarters - Military quarters (%) People in Group quarters - On base (%) People in Group quarters - Barracks, unaccompanied personnel housing (UPH), (Enlisted/Officer), ;and similar group living quarters for military personnel (%) People in Group quarters - Transient quarters for temporary residents (%) People in Group quarters - Military ships (%) People in Group quarters - Group homes (%) People in Group quarters - Homes or halfway houses for drug/alcohol abuse (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the mentally ill (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the mentally retarded (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Other group homes (%) People in Group quarters - Religious group quarters (%) People in Group quarters - Dormitories (%) People in Group quarters - Agriculture workers' dormitories on farms (%) People in Group quarters - Job Corps and vocational training facilities (%) People in Group quarters - Other workers' dormitories (%) People in Group quarters - Crews of maritime vessels (%) People in Group quarters - Other nonhousehold living situations (%) People in Group quarters - Other noninstitutional group quarters (%) Residents speaking English at home (%) Residents speaking English at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking English at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking English at home - Foreign born (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Foreign born (%) Residents speaking other language at home (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Foreign born (%) Class of Workers - Employee of private company (%) Class of Workers - Self-employed in own incorporated business (%) Class of Workers - Private not-for-profit wage and salary workers (%) Class of Workers - Local government workers (%) Class of Workers - State government workers (%) Class of Workers - Federal government workers (%) Class of Workers - Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business and Unpaid family workers (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Utility gas (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Bottled, tank, or LP gas (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Electricity (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Coal or coke (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Wood (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Solar energy (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Other fuel (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - No fuel used (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Utility gas (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Bottled, tank, or LP gas (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Electricity (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Coal or coke (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Wood (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Solar energy (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Other fuel (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - No fuel used (%) Armed forces status - In Armed Forces (%) Armed forces status - Civilian (%) Armed forces status - Civilian - Veteran (%) Armed forces status - Civilian - Nonveteran (%) Fatal accidents locations in years 2005-2019 Fatal accidents locations in 2005 Fatal accidents locations in 2006 Fatal accidents locations in 2007 Fatal accidents locations in 2008 Fatal accidents locations in 2009 Fatal accidents locations in 2010 Fatal accidents locations in 2011 Fatal accidents locations in 2012 Fatal accidents locations in 2013 Fatal accidents locations in 2014 Fatal accidents locations in 2015 Fatal accidents locations in 2016 Fatal accidents locations in 2017 Fatal accidents locations in 2018 Fatal accidents locations in 2019 Alcohol use - People drinking some alcohol every month (%) Alcohol use - People not drinking at all (%) Alcohol use - Average days/month drinking alcohol Alcohol use - Average drinks/week Alcohol use - Average days/year people drink much Audiometry - Average condition of hearing (%) Audiometry - People that can hear a whisper from across a quiet room (%) Audiometry - People that can hear normal voice from across a quiet room (%) Audiometry - Ears ringing, roaring, buzzing (%) Audiometry - Had a job exposure to loud noise (%) Audiometry - Had off-work exposure to loud noise (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Has high blood pressure (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Checking blood pressure at home (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Frequently checking blood cholesterol (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Has high cholesterol level (%) Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on food at supermarket/grocery store Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on food at other stores Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on eating out Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on carryout/delivered foods Consumer Behavior - Income spent on food at supermarket/grocery store (%) Consumer Behavior - Income spent on food at other stores (%) Consumer Behavior - Income spent on eating out (%) Consumer Behavior - Income spent on carryout/delivered foods (%) Current Health Status - General health condition (%) Current Health Status - Blood donors (%) Current Health Status - Has blood ever tested for HIV virus (%) Current Health Status - Left-handed people (%) Dermatology - People using sunscreen (%) Diabetes - Diabetics (%) Diabetes - Had a blood test for high blood sugar (%) Diabetes - People taking insulin (%) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Diet health (%) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Milk product consumption (# of products/month) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Meals not home prepared (#/week) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Meals from fast food or pizza place (#/week) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Ready-to-eat foods (#/month) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Frozen meals/pizza (#/month) Drug Use - People that ever used marijuana or hashish (%) Drug Use - Ever used hard drugs (%) Drug Use - Ever used any form of cocaine (%) Drug Use - Ever used heroin (%) Drug Use - Ever used methamphetamine (%) Health Insurance - People covered by health insurance (%) Kidney Conditions-Urology - Avg. # of times urinating at night Medical Conditions - People with asthma (%) Medical Conditions - People with anemia (%) Medical Conditions - People with psoriasis (%) Medical Conditions - People with overweight (%) Medical Conditions - Elderly people having difficulties in thinking or remembering (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever received blood transfusion (%) Medical Conditions - People having trouble seeing even with glass/contacts (%) Medical Conditions - People with arthritis (%) Medical Conditions - People with gout (%) Medical Conditions - People with congestive heart failure (%) Medical Conditions - People with coronary heart disease (%) Medical Conditions - People with angina pectoris (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever had heart attack (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever had stroke (%) Medical Conditions - People with emphysema (%) Medical Conditions - People with thyroid problem (%) Medical Conditions - People with chronic bronchitis (%) Medical Conditions - People with any liver condition (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever had cancer or malignancy (%) Mental Health - People who have little interest in doing things (%) Mental Health - People feeling down, depressed, or hopeless (%) Mental Health - People who have trouble sleeping or sleeping too much (%) Mental Health - People feeling tired or having little energy (%) Mental Health - People with poor appetite or overeating (%) Mental Health - People feeling bad about themself (%) Mental Health - People who have trouble concentrating on things (%) Mental Health - People moving or speaking slowly or too fast (%) Mental Health - People having thoughts they would be better off dead (%) Oral Health - Average years since last visit a dentist Oral Health - People embarrassed because of mouth (%) Oral Health - People with gum disease (%) Oral Health - General health of teeth and gums (%) Oral Health - Average days a week using dental floss/device Oral Health - Average days a week using mouthwash for dental problem Oral Health - Average number of teeth Pesticide Use - Households using pesticides to control insects (%) Pesticide Use - Households using pesticides to kill weeds (%) Physical Activity - People doing vigorous-intensity work activities (%) Physical Activity - People doing moderate-intensity work activities (%) Physical Activity - People walking or bicycling (%) Physical Activity - People doing vigorous-intensity recreational activities (%) Physical Activity - People doing moderate-intensity recreational activities (%) Physical Activity - Average hours a day doing sedentary activities Physical Activity - Average hours a day watching TV or videos Physical Activity - Average hours a day using computer Physical Functioning - People having limitations keeping them from working (%) Physical Functioning - People limited in amount of work they can do (%) Physical Functioning - People that need special equipment to walk (%) Physical Functioning - People experiencing confusion/memory problems (%) Physical Functioning - People requiring special healthcare equipment (%) Prescription Medications - Average number of prescription medicines taking Preventive Aspirin Use - Adults 40+ taking low-dose aspirin (%) Reproductive Health - Vaginal deliveries (%) Reproductive Health - Cesarean deliveries (%) Reproductive Health - Deliveries resulted in a live birth (%) Reproductive Health - Pregnancies resulted in a delivery (%) Reproductive Health - Women breastfeeding newborns (%) Reproductive Health - Women that had a hysterectomy (%) Reproductive Health - Women that had both ovaries removed (%) Reproductive Health - Women that have ever taken birth control pills (%) Reproductive Health - Women taking birth control pills (%) Reproductive Health - Women that have ever used Depo-Provera or injectables (%) Reproductive Health - Women that have ever used female hormones (%) Sexual Behavior - People 18+ that ever had sex (vaginal, anal, or oral) (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever had vaginal sex with a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever performed oral sex on a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever had anal sex with a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever had any sex with a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever had vaginal sex with a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever performed oral sex on a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever had anal sex with a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever had any kind of sex with a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Average age people first had sex Sexual Behavior - Average number of female sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of female vaginal sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average age people first performed oral sex on a woman (18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of woman performed oral sex on in lifetime (18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male anal sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average age people first performed oral sex on a man (18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male oral sex partners in lifetime (18+) Sexual Behavior - People using protection when performing oral sex (%) Sexual Behavior - Average number of times people have vaginal or anal sex a year Sexual Behavior - People having sex without condom (%) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male sex partners in lifetime (females 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male vaginal sex partners in lifetime (females 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of female sex partners in lifetime (females 18+) Sexual Behavior - Circumcised males 18+ (%) Sleep Disorders - Average hours sleeping at night Sleep Disorders - People that has trouble sleeping (%) Smoking-Cigarette Use - People smoking cigarettes (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ having problems with smell (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ having problems with taste (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had wisdom teeth removed (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had tonsils teeth removed (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had a loss of consciousness because of a head injury (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had a broken nose or other serious injury to face or skull (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had two or more sinus infections (%) Weight - Average height (inches) Weight - Average weight (pounds) Weight - Average BMI Weight - People that are obese (%) Weight - People that ever were obese (%) Weight - People trying to lose weight (%) Settings Get link Loading data... Based on 2000-2020 data Loading data...

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538 81.1% White alone 116 17.5% Two or more races 5 0.8% Black alone 4 0.6% Hispanic

Races in Austinburg detailed stats: ancestries, foreign born residents, place of birth





According to our research of Ohio and other state lists, there was 1 registered sex offender living in Austinburg, Ohio as of November 21, 2021.

The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in Austinburg is 460 to 1.





Ancestries: American (32.8%), Irish (19.2%), Italian (15.1%), German (11.7%), Portuguese (5.7%), Polish (4.2%).

Current Local Time: EST time zone

Elevation: 817 feet

7 residents are foreign born This place: 1.1% Ohio: 4.6%

Latitude: 41.77 N, Longitude: 80.85 W

Area code: 440

Unemployment in November 2020:

Here: 5.6% Ohio: 5.2%

Air pollution and air quality trends

(lower is better) AQI SO 2 Ozone

Air Quality Index (AQI) level in 2018 was 48.8. This is significantly better than average. City: 48.8 U.S.: 74.2

Sulfur Dioxide (SO 2 ) [ppb] level in 2018 was 0.324. This is significantly better than average. Closest monitor was 8.2 miles away from the city center. City: 0.324 U.S.: 1.789

Ozone [ppb] level in 2018 was 33.7. This is about average. Closest monitor was 19.5 miles away from the city center. City: 33.7 U.S.: 33.3

Tornado activity: Austinburg-area historical tornado activity is below Ohio state average. It is 24% smaller than the overall U.S. average.

On 5/31/1985, a category F4 (max. wind speeds 207-260 mph) tornado 16.2 miles away from the Austinburg place center killed 12 people and injured 82 people and caused between $5,000,000 and $50,000,000 in damages. On 5/31/1985, a category F5 (max. wind speeds 261-318 mph) tornado 42.4 miles away from the place center killed 18 people and injured 310 people and caused between $50,000,000 and $500,000,000 in damages.

Earthquake activity: Austinburg-area historical earthquake activity is significantly above Ohio state average. It is 58% smaller than the overall U.S. average.



On 9/25/1998 at 19:52:52, a magnitude 5.2 (4.8 MB, 4.3 MS, 5.2 LG, 4.5 MW, Depth: 3.1 mi, Class: Moderate, Intensity: VI - VII) earthquake occurred 30.7 miles away from the city center

On 1/31/1986 at 16:46:43, a magnitude 5.0 (5.0 MB) earthquake occurred 19.7 miles away from the city center

On 8/23/2011 at 17:51:04, a magnitude 5.8 (5.8 MW, Depth: 3.7 mi) earthquake occurred 308.8 miles away from the city center

On 6/10/2019 at 14:50:45, a magnitude 4.0 (4.0 MB, Depth: 1.2 mi, Class: Light, Intensity: IV - V) earthquake occurred 31.7 miles away from Austinburg center

On 1/26/2001 at 03:03:20, a magnitude 3.9 (3.9 MB, Depth: 3.1 mi, Class: Light, Intensity: II - III) earthquake occurred 12.1 miles away from Austinburg center

On 12/31/2011 at 20:05:01, a magnitude 4.0 (4.0 ML, Depth: 3.1 mi) earthquake occurred 45.8 miles away from the city center

Magnitude types: regional Lg-wave magnitude (LG), body-wave magnitude (MB), local magnitude (ML), surface-wave magnitude (MS), moment magnitude (MW)

Natural disasters: The number of natural disasters in Ashtabula County (12) is smaller than the US average (15).

Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 6

Emergencies Declared: 5



Causes of natural disasters: Storms: 4, Floods: 3, Hurricanes: 2, Snowstorms: 2, Tornadoes: 2, Blizzard: 1, Power Outage: 1, Snow: 1, Tropical Storm: 1, Wind: 1, Other: 1 (Note: some incidents may be assigned to more than one category).

Hospitals and medical centers in Austinburg: AUSTINBURG NSG AND REHAB CTR (2026 STATE ROUTE 45) Other hospitals and medical centers near Austinburg: PINE GROVE HEALTHCARE CENTER (Nursing Home, about 5 miles away; GENEVA, OH)

SUNSET MANOR (Nursing Home, about 5 miles away; GENEVA, OH)

WALDEN RESIDENTIAL CENTERS,INC (Hospital, about 5 miles away; GENEVA, OH)

GRAND MANNER INC (Nursing Home, about 5 miles away; GENEVA, OH)

GENEVA VILLAGE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY, LTD (Nursing Home, about 5 miles away; GENEVA, OH)

COMMUNITY DIALYSIS CENTER (Dialysis Facility, about 6 miles away; JEFFERSON, OH)

JEFFERSON HEALTHCARE CENTER (Nursing Home, about 6 miles away; JEFFERSON, OH)

Operable nuclear power plant near Austinburg: 15 miles: Perry 1 in North Perry, OH.



Colleges/universities with over 2000 students nearest to Austinburg: Lakeland Community College ( about 28 miles; Kirtland, OH ; Full-time enrollment: 6,170)

28 ; 6,170) Allegheny College ( about 38 miles; Meadville, PA ; FT enrollment: 2,249)

38 ; 2,249) Edinboro University of Pennsylvania ( about 39 miles; Edinboro, PA ; FT enrollment: 6,746)

39 ; 6,746) John Carroll University ( about 41 miles; University Heights, OH ; FT enrollment: 3,546)

41 ; 3,546) Case Western Reserve University ( about 44 miles; Cleveland, OH ; FT enrollment: 7,034)

44 ; 7,034) Cleveland State University ( about 47 miles; Cleveland, OH ; FT enrollment: 14,161)

47 ; 14,161) Cuyahoga Community College District (about 47 miles; Cleveland, OH; FT enrollment: 20,271) Private high school in Austinburg: GRAND RIVER ACADEMY (Students: 81, Location: 3042 COLLEGE ST, Grades: 9-12, Boys only) Public elementary/middle school in Austinburg: AUSTINBURG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Students: 360, Location: 3030 STATE ROUTE 307, Grades: PK-5) See full list of schools located in Austinburg

Ashtabula County has a predicted average indoor radon screening level between 2 and 4 pCi/L (pico curies per liter) - Moderate Potential

Average household size: This place: 2.3 people Ohio: 2.4 people

Percentage of family households: This place: 61.3% Whole state: 65.0%

Percentage of households with unmarried partners: This place: 8.1% Whole state: 6.8%



Likely homosexual households (counted as self-reported same-sex unmarried-partner households) Lesbian couples: 0.0% of all households

0.0% Gay men: 0.6% of all households

121 people in nursing facilities/skilled-nursing facilities in 2010

Banks with branches in Austinburg (2011 data): The Andover Bank: Austinburg Branch at State Route 45 And College Street , branch established on 1970/11/16 . Info updated 2006/11/03: Bank assets: $327.0 mil , Deposits: $277.0 mil , headquarters in Andover, OH , positive income , Mortgage Lending Specialization , 8 total offices , Holding Company: Andover Bancorp, Inc.

State Route 45 And College Street 1970/11/16 2006/11/03: $327.0 mil $277.0 mil Andover, OH , Mortgage Lending Specialization 8 Andover Bancorp, Inc. Conneaut Savings Bank: Austinburg Branch at 2046 State Route 45, branch established on 2006/12/14. Info updated 2006/11/03: Bank assets: $84.4 mil, Deposits: $71.9 mil, headquarters in Conneaut, OH, positive income, Mortgage Lending Specialization, 4 total offices

For population 15 years and over in Austinburg: Never married: 29.0%

29.0% Now married: 38.5%

38.5% Separated: 0.0%

0.0% Widowed: 22.5%

22.5% Divorced: 10.0%

For population 25 years and over in Austinburg: High school or higher: 75.5%

75.5% Bachelor's degree or higher: 22.9%

22.9% Graduate or professional degree: 11.3%

Education Gini index (Inequality in education) Here: 11.6 Ohio average: 10.8



Religion statistics for Austinburg, OH (based on Ashtabula County data) Religion Adherents Congregations Catholic 14,134 11 Mainline Protestant 11,475 56 Evangelical Protestant 9,418 82 Black Protestant 1,097 4 Other 559 7 None 64,814 - Source: Clifford Grammich, Kirk Hadaway, Richard Houseal, Dale E.Jones, Alexei Krindatch, Richie Stanley and Richard H.Taylor. 2012. 2010 U.S.Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Jones, Dale E., et al. 2002. Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center. Graphs represent county-level data

Food Environment Statistics: Number of grocery stores: 21 Ashtabula County : 2.08 / 10,000 pop. State : 1.89 / 10,000 pop. Number of supercenters and club stores: 1 Ashtabula County : 0.10 / 10,000 pop. Ohio : 0.13 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (no gas): 17 Ashtabula County : 1.68 / 10,000 pop. Ohio : 1.25 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (with gas): 32 Ashtabula County : 3.16 / 10,000 pop. State : 2.93 / 10,000 pop. Number of full-service restaurants: 78 This county : 7.71 / 10,000 pop. Ohio : 6.25 / 10,000 pop. Adult diabetes rate: Ashtabula County : 9.8% Ohio : 10.3% Adult obesity rate: Ashtabula County : 29.5% State : 29.1% Low-income preschool obesity rate: This county : 12.8% Ohio : 11.9%

4.06% of this county's 2016 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2015 ($36,715 average adjusted gross income) Here: 4.06% Ohio average: 5.23% 10 or fewer of this county's residents moved from foreign countries between 2015 and 2016.

Top counties from which taxpayers relocated into this county between 2015 and 2016:

from Lake County, OH 0.91% ($34,138 average AGI) from Trumbull County, OH 0.33% ($33,254) from Geauga County, OH 0.31% ($48,726)



4.25% of this county's 2015 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2016 ($38,466 average adjusted gross income) Here: 4.25% Ohio average: 5.51% 10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries between 2015 and 2016.

Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2015 and 2016:

to Lake County, OH 1.05% ($40,426 average AGI) to Trumbull County, OH 0.32% ($29,000) to Cuyahoga County, OH 0.28% ($47,152)

Businesses in Austinburg, OH Name Count Name Count Burger King 1 McDonald's 1 Comfort Inn 1 Sleep Inn 1 Dennys 1 Subway 1 FedEx 1 UPS 3 MasterBrand Cabinets 2 Waffle House 1

Strongest AM radio stations in Austinburg: WFUN (970 AM; 5 kW; ASHTABULA, OH; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WKNR (850 AM; 50 kW; CLEVELAND, OH; Owner: CARON BROADCASTING, INC.)

CARON BROADCASTING, INC.) WTAM (1100 AM; 50 kW; CLEVELAND, OH; Owner: JACOR BROADCASTING CORPORATION)

JACOR BROADCASTING CORPORATION) WHK (1220 AM; 50 kW; CLEVELAND, OH; Owner: CARON BROADCASTING, INC.)

CARON BROADCASTING, INC.) WWOW (1360 AM; 5 kW; CONNEAUT, OH; Owner: WWOW BROADCASTING, INC.)

WWOW BROADCASTING, INC.) KDKA (1020 AM; 50 kW; PITTSBURGH, PA; Owner: INFINITY BROADCASTING OPERATIONS, INC.)

INFINITY BROADCASTING OPERATIONS, INC.) WJR (760 AM; 50 kW; DETROIT, MI; Owner: ABC, INC.)

ABC, INC.) WWVA (1170 AM; 53 kW; WHEELING, WV; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WNIO (1390 AM; 10 kW; YOUNGSTOWN, OH; Owner: YOUNGSTOWN RADIO LICENSE, L.L.C.)

YOUNGSTOWN RADIO LICENSE, L.L.C.) WWJ (950 AM; 50 kW; DETROIT, MI; Owner: INFINITY BROADCASTING OPERATIONS, INC.)

INFINITY BROADCASTING OPERATIONS, INC.) WFDF (910 AM; 50 kW; FLINT, MI; Owner: ABC, INC.)

ABC, INC.) WDFN (1130 AM; 50 kW; DETROIT, MI; Owner: AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.)

AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.) WWMK (1260 AM; 10 kW; CLEVELAND, OH; Owner: ABC, INC.) Strongest FM radio stations in Austinburg: WREO-FM (97.1 FM; ASHTABULA, OH; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WZOO-FM (102.5 FM; EDGEWOOD, OH; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WCVJ (90.9 FM; JEFFERSON, OH; Owner: AGAPE SCHOOL, INC.)

AGAPE SCHOOL, INC.) WKSV (89.1 FM; THOMPSON, OH; Owner: KENT STATE UNIVERSITY)

KENT STATE UNIVERSITY) WFXJ-FM (107.5 FM; NORTH KINGSVILLE, OH; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) W211AL (90.1 FM; ASHTABULA, OH; Owner: YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY)

YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY) WKKY (104.7 FM; GENEVA, OH; Owner: MUSIC X-PRESS B/CNG CORP. OF NE OHIO)

MUSIC X-PRESS B/CNG CORP. OF NE OHIO) WENZ (107.9 FM; CLEVELAND, OH; Owner: RADIO ONE LICENSES, LLC)

RADIO ONE LICENSES, LLC) WMXY (98.9 FM; YOUNGSTOWN, OH; Owner: CITICASTERS LICENSES, L.P.)

CITICASTERS LICENSES, L.P.) WGOJ (105.5 FM; CONNEAUT, OH; Owner: BIBLE BROADCASTING, INC.)

BIBLE BROADCASTING, INC.) WUSE (93.9 FM; FAIRVIEW, PA; Owner: NM LICENSING, LLC)

NM LICENSING, LLC) W219CP (91.7 FM; ASHTABULA, OH; Owner: PENSACOLA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE, INC.) TV broadcast stations around Austinburg: WXOX-LP ( Channel 65; CLEVELAND, OH; Owner: VENTURE TECHNOLOGIES GROUP, LLC)

65; CLEVELAND, OH; VENTURE TECHNOLOGIES GROUP, LLC) W53AX ( Channel 53; CLEVELAND, OH; Owner: WORD OF GOD FELLOWSHIP, INC.)

53; CLEVELAND, OH; WORD OF GOD FELLOWSHIP, INC.) W63CT ( Channel 63; EASTLAKE, ETC., OH; Owner: IDEASTREAM)

63; EASTLAKE, ETC., OH; IDEASTREAM) WKBN-TV (Channel 27; YOUNGSTOWN, OH; Owner: PIEDMONT TELEVISION OF YOUNGSTOWN LICENSE LLC)

Austinburg, Ohio

Fatal accident count 11

Vehicles involved in fatal accidents 19

Fatal accidents involving drunk persons: 6

Fatalities 13

Persons involved in fatal accidents 27

Pedestrians involved in fatal accidents 2 Ohio average

Fatal accident count 7814

Vehicles involved in fatal accidents 12518

Fatal accidents involving drunk persons 2721

Fatalities 8529

Persons involved in fatal accidents 19013

Pedestrians involved in fatal accidents 1014 See more detailed statistics of Austinburg fatal car crashes and road traffic accidents for 1975 - 2019 here

National Bridge Inventory (NBI) Statistics

31 Number of bridges

Number of bridges 276ft / 83.8m Total length

Total length 217,221 Total average daily traffic

Total average daily traffic 50,731 Total average daily truck traffic

Total average daily truck traffic 134,201 Total future (year 2039) average daily traffic

New bridges - historical statistics

1 Before 1900

3 1900-1909

1 1930-1939

2 1940-1949

7 1950-1959

5 1960-1969

2 1970-1979

3 1980-1989

3 1990-1999

3 2000-2009

1 2010-2018 See full National Bridge Inventory statistics for Austinburg, OH

FCC Registered Antenna Towers: 25 (



FCC Registered Broadcast Land Mobile Towers: 1 Lat: 41.764056 Lon: -80.857167, Call Sign: WRKH564,

Assigned Frequencies: 452.112 MHz, 452.487 MHz, 452.787 MHz, Grant Date: 01/05/2021, Expiration Date: 01/05/2031, Certifier: Ed Alberts, Registrant: Dennis R. Spaulding, Inc., 250 Fairgrounds Road, Painesville, OH 44077, Phone: (440) 354-3715, Fax: (440) 354-4302, Email:

FCC Registered Amateur Radio Licenses: 10 (



FAA Registered Aircraft: 3 Aircraft: PIPER J3C-65 ( Category: Land, Seats: 2, Weight: Up to 12,499 Pounds, Speed: 67 mph), Engine: Reciprocating

N-Number: 42345, N42345, N-42345, Serial Number: 14595, Airworthiness Date: 06/30/1965, Certificate Issue Date: 08/28/1989

Registrant (Individual): James T Kujanpaa, 607 Forman Rd, Austinburg, OH 44010

PIPER J3C-65 ( Land, 2, Up to 12,499 Pounds, 67 mph), Reciprocating 42345, N42345, N-42345, 14595, 06/30/1965, 08/28/1989 James T Kujanpaa, 607 Forman Rd, Austinburg, OH 44010 Aircraft: WILLIAM KOLENO LEGEND ( Category: Land, Seats: 2, Weight: Up to 12,499 Pounds), Engine: 4 Cycle

N-Number: 751LA, N751LA, N-751LA, Serial Number: LA18K007, Certificate Issue Date: 04/10/2018

Registrant (Individual): William T Koleno, 1897 Sexton Rd, Austinburg, OH 44010

WILLIAM KOLENO LEGEND ( Land, 2, Up to 12,499 Pounds), 4 Cycle 751LA, N751LA, N-751LA, LA18K007, 04/10/2018 William T Koleno, 1897 Sexton Rd, Austinburg, OH 44010 Aircraft: BRANTLY B-2B (Category: Land, Seats: 2, Weight: Up to 12,499 Pounds, Speed: 75 mph), Engine: LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER (180 HP) (Reciprocating)

N-Number: 2252U, N2252U, N-2252U, Serial Number: 411, Year manufactured: 1964, Airworthiness Date: 05/28/1964, Certificate Issue Date: 12/21/2015

Registrant (Co-Owned): William Koleno, 1897 Sexton Rd, Austinburg, OH 44010, Other Owners: John Williams

Deregistered: Cancel Date: 05/04/2019

25 ( See the full list of FCC Registered Antenna Towers in Austinburg 10 ( See the full list of FCC Registered Amateur Radio Licenses in Austinburg

2002 - 2018 National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) incidents According to the data from the years 2002 - 2018 the average number of fires per year is 10. The highest number of fire incidents - 20 took place in 2008, and the least - 1 in 2002. The data has a growing trend.



Fire incident types reported to NFIRS in Austinburg, OH



77 44.5% Structure Fires



64 37.0% Outside Fires



32 18.5% Mobile Property/Vehicle Fires When looking into fire subcategories, the most reports belonged to: Structure Fires (44.5%), and Outside Fires (37.0%). See full National Fire Incident Reporting System statistics for Austinburg, OH

Houses and condos Apartments 47.9% Other fuel

21.1% Utility gas

15.5% Electricity

9.9% Wood

5.6% Bottled, tank, or LP gas 67.3% Utility gas

32.7% Electricity





Austinburg compared to Ohio state average: Unemployed percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Black race population percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Hispanic race population percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Median age significantly above state average.

significantly above Foreign-born population percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Length of stay since moving in significantly above state average.

significantly above Number of rooms per house below state average.

below Institutionalized population percentage significantly above state average.

Austinburg on our top lists: #10 on the list of "Top 101 cities with the most residents born in Peru (population 500+)" #65 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the lowest percentage of residents relocating to other counties in 2011 (pop. 50,000+)"

#82 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the lowest percentage of residents relocating from other counties between 2010 and 2011"

#101 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the lowest Sulfur Oxides Annual air pollution readings in 2012 (g/m3)"

Cost of Living Calculator Your current salary: State of origin: Choose state Alaska Alabama Arkansas Arizona California Colorado Connecticut District of Columbia Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Iowa Idaho Illinois Indiana Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Massachusetts Maryland Maine Michigan Minnesota Missouri Mississippi Montana North Carolina North Dakota Nebraska New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico Nevada New York Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Virginia Vermont Washington Wisconsin West Virginia Wyoming Destination state: Choose state Alaska Alabama Arkansas Arizona California Colorado Connecticut District of Columbia Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Iowa Idaho Illinois Indiana Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Massachusetts Maryland Maine Michigan Minnesota Missouri Mississippi Montana North Carolina North Dakota Nebraska New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico Nevada New York Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Virginia Vermont Washington Wisconsin West Virginia Wyoming




Bloomfield Township, Michigan

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Population in July 2007: 43,211.

Males: 20,952 (48.5%) Females: 22,259 (51.5%)

Median resident age: 45.2 years Michigan median age: 35.5 years

Zip codes: 48302.

Estimated median household income in 2019: $136,259 (it was $103,897 in 2000)

Bloomfield Township: $136,259 MI: $59,584

Estimated per capita income in 2019: $88,833 (it was $62,716 in 2000)



Bloomfield Township CDP income, earnings, and wages data



Estimated median house or condo value in 2019: $520,298 (it was $342,400 in 2000) Bloomfield Township: $520,298 MI: $169,600

Mean prices in 2019: all housing units: $313,591; detached houses: $332,534; townhouses or other attached units: $226,912; in 2-unit structures: $212,701; in 3-to-4-unit structures: $156,408; in 5-or-more-unit structures: $191,349; mobile homes: $47,273; occupied boats, rvs, vans, etc.: $166,331 $136,259 ($103,897$88,833 ($62,716$520,298 ($342,400$313,591;$332,534;$226,912;$212,701;$156,408;$191,349;$47,273;$166,331

March 2019 cost of living index in Bloomfield Township: 100.8 (near average, U.S. average is 100)

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37,247 86.6% White alone 2,772 6.4% Asian alone 1,835 4.3% Black alone 595 1.4% Hispanic 452 1.1% Two or more races 65 0.2% Other race alone 32 0.07% American Indian alone 23 0.05% Native Hawaiian and Other

Pacific Islander alone

Races in Bloomfield Township detailed stats: ancestries, foreign born residents, place of birth





According to our research of Michigan and other state lists, there were 2 registered sex offenders living in Bloomfield Township, Michigan as of November 21, 2021.

The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in Bloomfield Township is 21,606 to 1.

The ratio of registered sex offenders to all residents in this city is much lower than the state average.





Crime rates in Bloomfield Township by year Type 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Murders

(per 100,000) 1

(2.4) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 1

(2.4) 0

(0.0) 1

(2.4) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) Rapes

(per 100,000) 4

(9.6) 3

(7.3) 4

(9.8) 3

(7.4) 4

(9.9) 0

(0.0) 2

(4.8) 3

(7.2) 3

(7.1) 2

(4.7) 3

(7.1) 2

(4.7) 2

(4.7) 1

(2.4) Robberies

(per 100,000) 13

(31.3) 8

(19.4) 11

(26.9) 11

(27.0) 6

(14.8) 9

(21.9) 4

(9.7) 9

(21.5) 7

(16.6) 4

(9.5) 3

(7.1) 1

(2.4) 2

(4.7) 1

(2.4) Assaults

(per 100,000) 10

(24.1) 8

(19.4) 13

(31.8) 15

(36.9) 9

(22.2) 11

(26.8) 15

(36.3) 11

(26.3) 6

(14.2) 7

(16.6) 14

(33.1) 11

(26.0) 17

(40.3) 9

(21.3) Burglaries

(per 100,000) 137

(329.7) 129

(312.9) 139

(340.1) 118

(289.9) 139

(343.3) 91

(221.7) 106

(256.2) 74

(177.1) 67

(159.1) 68

(161.2) 65

(153.6) 52

(123.0) 35

(82.9) 41

(96.9) Thefts

(per 100,000) 551

(1,326) 514

(1,247) 476

(1,165) 487

(1,197) 392

(968.1) 345

(840.7) 329

(795.3) 333

(796.8) 248

(588.9) 319

(756.1) 338

(798.8) 284

(671.5) 283

(670.6) 267

(630.8) Auto thefts

(per 100,000) 39

(93.9) 40

(97.0) 31

(75.9) 33

(81.1) 21

(51.9) 21

(51.2) 17

(41.1) 28

(67.0) 15

(35.6) 15

(35.6) 18

(42.5) 24

(56.7) 9

(21.3) 16

(37.8) Arson

(per 100,000) 4

(9.6) 3

(7.3) 1

(2.4) 1

(2.5) 2

(4.9) 3

(7.3) 0

(0.0) 1

(2.4) 2

(4.7) 0

(0.0) 1

(2.4) 1

(2.4) 2

(4.7) 0

(0.0) City-Data.com crime index 110.4 95.0 98.7 96.0 83.7 65.2 71.9 67.1 55.8 54.3 60.5 49.7 47.6 41.9 The City-Data.com crime index weighs serious crimes and violent crimes more heavily. Higher means more crime, U.S. average is 270.6. It adjusts for the number of visitors and daily workers commuting into cities. Click on a table row to update graph

Crime rate in Bloomfield Township detailed stats: murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, arson



Full-time law enforcement employees in 2019, including police officers: 86 (68 officers).

Officers per 1,000 residents here: 1.61 Michigan average: 1.74



Latest news from Bloomfield Township, MI collected exclusively by city-data.com from local newspapers, TV, and radio stations

Ancestries: German (19.3%), Irish (14.0%), English (13.6%), Polish (8.3%), Italian (5.6%), French (4.2%).

Current Local Time: EST time zone

Land area: 24.9 square miles. Population density: 1,733 people per square mile (low).

6,095 residents are foreign born (6.8% Asia, 4.9% Europe). This place: 14.2% Michigan: 5.3%

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units in 2000: Bloomfield Township CDP: 1.2% ($4,246) Michigan: 1.3% ($1,461)

Latitude: 42.58 N, Longitude: 83.27 W

Daytime population change due to commuting: -372 (-0.9%)

Workers who live and work in this place: 3,036 (15.3%)

Area code commonly used in this area: 248

Unemployment in November 2020:

Here: 6.8% Michigan: 6.3%

Most common industries in Bloomfield Township, MI (%) Both Males Females

Professional, scientific, technical services (16.5%)

Health care (12.7%)

Transportation equipment (12.6%)

Educational services (9.5%)

Finance & insurance (6.8%)

Real estate & rental & leasing (3.3%)

Construction (3.3%)

Professional, scientific, technical services (18.3%)

Transportation equipment (16.6%)

Health care (10.6%)

Finance & insurance (7.7%)

Construction (4.6%)

Educational services (3.7%)

Real estate & rental & leasing (3.1%)

Educational services (17.5%)

Health care (15.6%)

Professional, scientific, technical services (14.0%)

Transportation equipment (6.9%)

Finance & insurance (5.7%)

Real estate & rental & leasing (3.5%)

Social assistance (2.6%) Most common occupations in Bloomfield Township, MI (%) Both Males Females

Other management occupations, except farmers and farm managers (7.8%)

Sales representatives, services, wholesale and manufacturing (6.8%)

Top executives (6.3%)

Other sales and related occupations, including supervisors (6.2%)

Physicians and surgeons (5.3%)

Lawyers (4.8%)

Preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school teachers (4.2%)

Top executives (8.8%)

Other management occupations, except farmers and farm managers (8.8%)

Sales representatives, services, wholesale and manufacturing (8.5%)

Physicians and surgeons (7.3%)

Other sales and related occupations, including supervisors (6.9%)

Lawyers (6.3%)

Engineers (6.2%)

Preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school teachers (8.6%)

Other management occupations, except farmers and farm managers (6.4%)

Secretaries and administrative assistants (5.6%)

Other sales and related occupations, including supervisors (5.2%)

Retail sales workers, except cashiers (4.8%)

Other office and administrative support workers, including supervisors (4.8%)

Sales representatives, services, wholesale and manufacturing (4.4%)

Average climate in Bloomfield Township, Michigan Based on data reported by over 4,000 weather stations

Air pollution and air quality trends

(lower is better) AQI CO NO 2 SO 2 Ozone PM 2.5 Pb

Air Quality Index (AQI) level in 2018 was 90.4. This is worse than average. City: 90.4 U.S.: 74.2

Carbon Monoxide (CO) [ppm] level in 2018 was 0.459. This is significantly worse than average. Closest monitor was 8.8 miles away from the city center. City: 0.459 U.S.: 0.267

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO 2 ) [ppb] level in 2018 was 12.5. This is significantly worse than average. Closest monitor was 5.0 miles away from the city center. City: 12.5 U.S.: 5.6

Sulfur Dioxide (SO 2 ) [ppb] level in 2018 was 0.927. This is significantly better than average. Closest monitor was 5.0 miles away from the city center. City: 0.927 U.S.: 1.789

Ozone [ppb] level in 2018 was 26.3. This is better than average. Closest monitor was 8.8 miles away from the city center. City: 26.3 U.S.: 33.3

Particulate Matter (PM 2.5 ) [g/m3] level in 2018 was 10.1. This is about average. Closest monitor was 8.9 miles away from the city center. City: 10.1 U.S.: 8.5

Lead (Pb) [g/m3] level in 2010 was 0.00582. This is significantly better than average. Closest monitor was 5.0 miles away from the city center. City: 0.00582 U.S.: 0.00984

Tornado activity: Bloomfield Township-area historical tornado activity is slightly above Michigan state average. It is 39% greater than the overall U.S. average.

On 3/20/1976, a category F4 (max. wind speeds 207-260 mph) tornado 3.7 miles away from the Bloomfield Township place center killed one person and injured 55 people and caused between $5,000,000 and $50,000,000 in damages. On 7/4/1957, a category F4 tornado 8.4 miles away from the place center injured 6 people and caused between $50,000 and $500,000 in damages.

Earthquake activity: Bloomfield Township-area historical earthquake activity is significantly above Michigan state average. It is 48% smaller than the overall U.S. average.



On 9/25/1998 at 19:52:52, a magnitude 5.2 (4.8 MB, 4.3 MS, 5.2 LG, 4.5 MW, Depth: 3.1 mi, Class: Moderate, Intensity: VI - VII) earthquake occurred 165.5 miles away from Bloomfield Township center

On 1/31/1986 at 16:46:43, a magnitude 5.0 (5.0 MB) earthquake occurred 127.4 miles away from the city center

On 7/12/1986 at 08:19:37, a magnitude 4.5 (4.5 MB, Class: Light, Intensity: IV - V) earthquake occurred 152.2 miles away from the city center

On 5/2/2015 at 16:23:07, a magnitude 4.2 (4.2 MW, Depth: 2.8 mi) earthquake occurred 112.9 miles away from the city center

On 7/27/1980 at 18:52:21, a magnitude 5.2 (5.1 MB, 4.7 MS, 5.0 UK, 5.2 UK) earthquake occurred 304.4 miles away from the city center

On 8/23/2011 at 17:51:04, a magnitude 5.8 (5.8 MW, Depth: 3.7 mi) earthquake occurred 428.1 miles away from Bloomfield Township center

Magnitude types: regional Lg-wave magnitude (LG), body-wave magnitude (MB), surface-wave magnitude (MS), moment magnitude (MW)

Natural disasters: The number of natural disasters in Oakland County (12) is smaller than the US average (15).

Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 6

Emergencies Declared: 5



Causes of natural disasters: Storms: 6, Floods: 5, Tornadoes: 3, Winter Storms: 2, Blizzard: 1, Hurricane: 1, Power Outage: 1, Snowstorm: 1, Wind: 1, Other: 1 (Note: some incidents may be assigned to more than one category).

Hospitals and medical centers near Bloomfield Township: BLOOMFIELD HILLS CARE CENTER (Nursing Home, about 2 miles away; BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI)

MEDILODGE OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS, INC (Nursing Home, about 2 miles away; BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI)

PREMIERCARE HOME HEALTH SOLUTIONS (Home Health Center, about 2 miles away; BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI)

PRIME HOMECARE AGENCY, L L C (Home Health Center, about 2 miles away; BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI)

WOODWARD HILLS NURSING CENTER (Nursing Home, about 3 miles away; BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI)

MERCY AMICARE HOME HEALTHCARE (Home Health Center, about 3 miles away; BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI)

CRANBROOK HOSPICE CARE (Hospital, about 3 miles away; BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI)

Amtrak stations near Bloomfield Township: 5 miles: BIRMINGHAM (449 S. ETON ST.) . Services: public payphones, free short-term parking, free long-term parking, call for taxi service, public transit connection.

BIRMINGHAM (449 S. ETON ST.) . public payphones, free short-term parking, free long-term parking, call for taxi service, public transit connection. 5 miles: PONTIAC (1600 WIDE TRACK DR.) . Services: partially wheelchair accessible, enclosed waiting area, public payphones, vending machines, free short-term parking, free long-term parking, call for taxi service, intercity bus service, public transit connection.

PONTIAC (1600 WIDE TRACK DR.) . partially wheelchair accessible, enclosed waiting area, public payphones, vending machines, free short-term parking, free long-term parking, call for taxi service, intercity bus service, public transit connection. 9 miles: ROYAL OAK (201 S. SHERMAN DR.) . Services: enclosed waiting area, public payphones, vending machines, paid short-term parking, taxi stand, intercity bus service, public transit connection.

Birthplace of: John Coyle (speed skater) - Short-track speed skater.

Oakland County has a predicted average indoor radon screening level between 2 and 4 pCi/L (pico curies per liter) - Moderate Potential

Average household size: This place: 2.5 people Michigan: 2.6 people

Percentage of family households: This place: 75.6% Whole state: 68.5%

Percentage of households with unmarried partners: This place: 2.0% Whole state: 5.3%



Likely homosexual households (counted as self-reported same-sex unmarried-partner households) Lesbian couples: 0.1% of all households

0.1% Gay men: 0.3% of all households Residents with income below the poverty level in 2009:

This place: 2.5% Whole state: 10.5% Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level in 2009:

This place: 1.3% Whole state: 4.8%

People in group quarters in Bloomfield Township in 2000: 227 people in nursing homes

136 people in other noninstitutional group quarters

34 people in homes for the mentally retarded

22 people in other group homes

10 people in other nonhousehold living situations

7 people in religious group quarters

2 people in homes for the mentally ill

Banks with branches in Bloomfield Township (2011 data): The Huntington National Bank: Bloomfield Township Branch at 3681 West Maple Road , branch established on 1964/12/09 . Info updated 2012/04/02: Bank assets: $54,183.4 mil , Deposits: $44,300.3 mil , headquarters in Columbus, OH , positive income , Commercial Lending Specialization , 878 total offices , Holding Company: Huntington Bancshares Incorporated

3681 West Maple Road 1964/12/09 2012/04/02: $54,183.4 mil $44,300.3 mil Columbus, OH , Commercial Lending Specialization 878 Huntington Bancshares Incorporated RBS Citizens, National Association: Woodward-Square Lake Branch at 42869 Woodward Avenue, branch established on 2005/01/13. Info updated 2007/09/19: Bank assets: $106,940.6 mil, Deposits: $75,690.2 mil, headquarters in Providence, RI, positive income, 1135 total offices, Holding Company: Uk Financial Investments Limited

For population 15 years and over in Bloomfield Township: Never married: 17.4%

17.4% Now married: 69.4%

69.4% Separated: 0.7%

0.7% Widowed: 6.3%

6.3% Divorced: 6.2%

For population 25 years and over in Bloomfield Township: High school or higher: 96.2%

96.2% Bachelor's degree or higher: 65.8%

65.8% Graduate or professional degree: 32.8%

32.8% Unemployed: 3.4%

3.4% Mean travel time to work (commute): 24.9 minutes

Education Gini index (Inequality in education) Here: 9.6 Michigan average: 11.3



Religion statistics for Bloomfield Township, MI (based on Oakland County data) Religion Adherents Congregations Catholic 289,116 64 Evangelical Protestant 155,826 319 Mainline Protestant 73,373 159 Other 58,590 117 Black Protestant 16,826 35 Orthodox 13,844 23 None 594,787 - Source: Clifford Grammich, Kirk Hadaway, Richard Houseal, Dale E.Jones, Alexei Krindatch, Richie Stanley and Richard H.Taylor. 2012. 2010 U.S.Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Jones, Dale E., et al. 2002. Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center. Graphs represent county-level data

Food Environment Statistics: Number of grocery stores: 293 This county : 2.44 / 10,000 pop. State : 2.34 / 10,000 pop. Number of supercenters and club stores: 22 Here : 0.18 / 10,000 pop. State : 0.18 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (no gas): 162 Oakland County : 1.35 / 10,000 pop. Michigan : 1.52 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (with gas): 292 This county : 2.43 / 10,000 pop. State : 2.99 / 10,000 pop. Number of full-service restaurants: 983 Here : 8.18 / 10,000 pop. Michigan : 6.80 / 10,000 pop. Adult diabetes rate: Here : 8.8% State : 9.7% Adult obesity rate: Oakland County : 25.6% Michigan : 29.7% Low-income preschool obesity rate: Oakland County : 13.0% State : 13.4%

5.79% of this county's 2016 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2015 ($67,400 average adjusted gross income) Here: 5.79% Michigan average: 5.43% 0.05% of residents moved from foreign countries ($1,525 average AGI) Oakland County: 0.05% Michigan average: 0.03%

Top counties from which taxpayers relocated into this county between 2015 and 2016:

from Wayne County, MI 1.66% ($55,624 average AGI) from Macomb County, MI 1.00% ($59,917) from Genesee County, MI 0.21% ($52,122)



6.00% of this county's 2015 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2016 ($72,081 average adjusted gross income) Here: 6.00% Michigan average: 5.69% 0.09% of residents moved to foreign countries ($1,458 average AGI) Oakland County: 0.09% Michigan average: 0.04%

Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2015 and 2016:

to Wayne County, MI 1.36% ($53,755 average AGI) to Macomb County, MI 1.03% ($48,295) to Livingston County, MI 0.25% ($76,620)

Businesses in Bloomfield Township, MI Name Count Name Count CVS 1 Nike 2 Jimmy John's 1 Starbucks 1 Little Caesars Pizza 1

Strongest AM radio stations in Bloomfield Township: WXYT (1270 AM; 50 kW; DETROIT, MI; Owner: INFINITY BROADCASTING CORP. OF DETROIT)

INFINITY BROADCASTING CORP. OF DETROIT) WWJ (950 AM; 50 kW; DETROIT, MI; Owner: INFINITY BROADCASTING OPERATIONS, INC.)

INFINITY BROADCASTING OPERATIONS, INC.) WJR (760 AM; 50 kW; DETROIT, MI; Owner: ABC, INC.)

ABC, INC.) WCHB (1200 AM; 50 kW; TAYLOR, MI; Owner: RADIO ONE OF DETROIT, LLC)

RADIO ONE OF DETROIT, LLC) WDFN (1130 AM; 50 kW; DETROIT, MI; Owner: AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.)

AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.) WFDF (910 AM; 50 kW; FLINT, MI; Owner: ABC, INC.)

ABC, INC.) WOAP (1080 AM; 50 kW; OWOSSO, MI)

WUFL (1030 AM; daytime; 5 kW; STERLING HEIGHTS, MI; Owner: FAMILY LIFE BROADCASTING SYSTEM)

FAMILY LIFE BROADCASTING SYSTEM) WDEO (990 AM; 9 kW; YPSILANTI, MI; Owner: WORD BROADCASTERS, INC.)

WORD BROADCASTERS, INC.) WXDX (1310 AM; 5 kW; DEARBORN, MI; Owner: AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.)

AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.) WTKA (1050 AM; 10 kW; ANN ARBOR, MI; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WEXL (1340 AM; 1 kW; ROYAL OAK, MI; Owner: WMUZ RADIO, INC.)

WMUZ RADIO, INC.) WPON (1460 AM; 1 kW; WALLED LAKE, MI; Owner: FOREIGN RADIO PROGRAMS, INC.) Strongest FM radio stations in Bloomfield Township: WBFH (88.1 FM; BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI; Owner: BLOOMFIELD HILLS SCHOOL DISTRICT)

BLOOMFIELD HILLS SCHOOL DISTRICT) WRIF (101.1 FM; DETROIT, MI; Owner: GREATER BOSTON RADIO, INC.)

GREATER BOSTON RADIO, INC.) WKRK-FM (97.1 FM; DETROIT, MI; Owner: INFINITY BROADCASTING OPERATIONS, INC.)

INFINITY BROADCASTING OPERATIONS, INC.) WYCD (99.5 FM; DETROIT, MI; Owner: INFINITY BROADCASTING CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN)

INFINITY BROADCASTING CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN) WDTJ (105.9 FM; DETROIT, MI; Owner: RADIO ONE OF DETROIT, LLC)

RADIO ONE OF DETROIT, LLC) WMGC-FM (105.1 FM; DETROIT, MI; Owner: GREATER BOSTON RADIO, INC.)

GREATER BOSTON RADIO, INC.) WCSX (94.7 FM; BIRMINGHAM, MI; Owner: GREATER BOSTON RADIO, INC.)

GREATER BOSTON RADIO, INC.) WDRQ (93.1 FM; DETROIT, MI; Owner: ABC, INC.)

ABC, INC.) WDVD (96.3 FM; DETROIT, MI; Owner: ABC, INC.)

ABC, INC.) WKQI (95.5 FM; DETROIT, MI; Owner: AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.)

AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.) WAHS (89.5 FM; AUBURN HEIGHTS, MI; Owner: AVONDALE SCHOOL DISTRICT)

AVONDALE SCHOOL DISTRICT) WNIC (100.3 FM; DEARBORN, MI; Owner: AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.)

AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.) WOMC (104.3 FM; DETROIT, MI; Owner: INFINITY BROADCASTING CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN)

INFINITY BROADCASTING CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN) WJLB (97.9 FM; DETROIT, MI; Owner: AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.)

AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.) WMUZ (103.5 FM; DETROIT, MI; Owner: WMUZ RADIO, INC.)

WMUZ RADIO, INC.) WVMV (98.7 FM; DETROIT, MI; Owner: INFINITY BROADCASTING OPERATIONS, INC.)

INFINITY BROADCASTING OPERATIONS, INC.) WMXD (92.3 FM; DETROIT, MI; Owner: AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.)

AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.) WDTR-FM (90.9 FM; DETROIT, MI; Owner: BOARD OF EDUCATION, CITY OF DETROIT)

BOARD OF EDUCATION, CITY OF DETROIT) WDTW (106.7 FM; DETROIT, MI; Owner: AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.)

AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.) WXOU (88.3 FM; AUBURN HILLS, MI; Owner: OAKLAND UNIVERSITY) TV broadcast stations around Bloomfield Township: WXYZ-TV ( Channel 7; DETROIT, MI; Owner: CHANNEL 7 OF DETROIT, INC.)

7; DETROIT, MI; CHANNEL 7 OF DETROIT, INC.) WKBD ( Channel 50; DETROIT, MI; Owner: VIACOM STATIONS GROUP OF DETROIT INC.)

50; DETROIT, MI; VIACOM STATIONS GROUP OF DETROIT INC.) WJBK ( Channel 2; DETROIT, MI; Owner: FOX TELEVISION STATIONS, INC.)

2; DETROIT, MI; FOX TELEVISION STATIONS, INC.) WDIV-TV ( Channel 4; DETROIT, MI; Owner: POST-NEWSWEEK STATIONS, MICHIGAN, INC.)

4; DETROIT, MI; POST-NEWSWEEK STATIONS, MICHIGAN, INC.) WWJ-TV ( Channel 62; DETROIT, MI; Owner: CBS BROADCASTING INC.)

62; DETROIT, MI; CBS BROADCASTING INC.) WDWB ( Channel 20; DETROIT, MI; Owner: WXON LICENSE, INC.)

20; DETROIT, MI; WXON LICENSE, INC.) WTVS ( Channel 56; DETROIT, MI; Owner: DETROIT EDUC. TV FOUNDATION)

56; DETROIT, MI; DETROIT EDUC. TV FOUNDATION) WBXD-CA ( Channel 5; DETROIT, MI; Owner: THE BOX WORLDWIDE LLC)

5; DETROIT, MI; THE BOX WORLDWIDE LLC) WFUM ( Channel 28; FLINT, MI; Owner: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN)

28; FLINT, MI; UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN) WADL ( Channel 38; MOUNT CLEMENS, MI; Owner: ADELL BROADCASTING CORPORATION)

38; MOUNT CLEMENS, MI; ADELL BROADCASTING CORPORATION) W33BY ( Channel 68; DETROIT, MI; Owner: HIGHLAND PARK BROADCASTING, L.P.)

68; DETROIT, MI; HIGHLAND PARK BROADCASTING, L.P.) WLPC-LP ( Channel 26; DETROIT, MI; Owner: GLENN R. AND KARIN A. PLUMMER)

26; DETROIT, MI; GLENN R. AND KARIN A. PLUMMER) WEYI-TV ( Channel 25; SAGINAW, MI; Owner: WEYI BROADCASTING, LLC)

25; SAGINAW, MI; WEYI BROADCASTING, LLC) WDWO-CA ( Channel 18; DETROIT, MI; Owner: TCT OF MICHIGAN, INC.)

18; DETROIT, MI; TCT OF MICHIGAN, INC.) WPXD ( Channel 31; ANN ARBOR, MI; Owner: PAXSON COMMUNICATIONS LICENSE COMPANY, LLC)

31; ANN ARBOR, MI; PAXSON COMMUNICATIONS LICENSE COMPANY, LLC) W48AV (Channel 48; DETROIT, MI; Owner: PAXSON COMMUNICATIONS LICENSE COMPANY, LLC)

National Bridge Inventory (NBI) Statistics

18 Number of bridges

Number of bridges 108ft / 32.8m Total length

Total length $277,000 Total costs

Total costs 419,570 Total average daily traffic

Total average daily traffic 21,399 Total average daily truck traffic

New bridges - historical statistics

1 1930-1939

1 1950-1959

1 1960-1969

4 1980-1989

1 1990-1999

2 2000-2009

8 2010-2018 See full National Bridge Inventory statistics for Bloomfield Township, MI



FCC Registered Amateur Radio Licenses: 2 Call Sign: WB2ADX, Previous Call Sign: KC2QDC, Licensee ID: L01187855, Grant Date: 03/08/2017, Expiration Date: 05/01/2027, Cancellation Date: 12/04/2020, Certifier: Joseph D Raznik, Registrant: Joseph D Raznik, 5166 Provincial Drive, Bloomfield Township, MI 48302

WB2ADX, KC2QDC, L01187855, 03/08/2017, 05/01/2027, 12/04/2020, Joseph D Raznik, Joseph D Raznik, 5166 Provincial Drive, Bloomfield Township, MI 48302 Call Sign: WB8ADX, Previous Call Sign: WB2ADX, Licensee ID: L01187855, Grant Date: 12/04/2020, Expiration Date: 12/04/2030, Certifier: Joseph D Raznik, Registrant: Joseph D Raznik, 5166 Provincial Drive, Bloomfield Township, MI 48302



Home Mortgage Disclosure Act Aggregated Statistics For Year 2009

(Based on 11 full and 1 partial tracts) A) FHA, FSA/RHS & VA

Home Purchase Loans B) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans C) Refinancings

D) Home Improvement Loans

F) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A B C & D) G) Loans On Manufactured

Home Dwelling (A B C & D) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 122 $189,619 267 $316,354 1,142 $293,806 27 $111,014 37 $226,963 0 $0 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 15 $162,017 24 $414,864 147 $345,093 2 $73,000 9 $246,604 0 $0 APPLICATIONS DENIED 21 $197,033 58 $350,687 432 $359,213 16 $132,261 31 $188,129 1 $43,000 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 19 $173,722 42 $270,518 169 $292,322 2 $86,000 9 $237,889 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 4 $156,250 14 $373,964 75 $298,850 0 $0 1 $163,000 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2008

(Based on 11 full and 1 partial tracts) A) FHA, FSA/RHS & VA

Home Purchase Loans B) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans C) Refinancings

D) Home Improvement Loans

F) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A B C & D) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 56 $193,307 370 $347,613 706 $360,392 31 $127,984 50 $215,078 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 8 $177,969 43 $353,916 102 $369,898 14 $66,643 6 $253,500 APPLICATIONS DENIED 17 $202,126 112 $662,428 403 $420,431 39 $194,464 29 $255,986 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 9 $213,501 61 $416,263 120 $333,786 5 $88,222 7 $252,857 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 2 $228,190 15 $662,629 60 $508,406 5 $279,472 2 $249,760 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2007

(Based on 11 full and 1 partial tracts) A) FHA, FSA/RHS & VA

Home Purchase Loans B) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans C) Refinancings

D) Home Improvement Loans

F) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A B C & D) G) Loans On Manufactured

Home Dwelling (A B C & D) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 7 $153,143 450 $352,727 1,030 $385,986 67 $215,306 80 $339,591 0 $0 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 0 $0 86 $498,023 218 $385,714 19 $184,189 22 $500,820 0 $0 APPLICATIONS DENIED 2 $204,500 249 $665,619 473 $465,007 43 $153,208 38 $349,785 2 $22,000 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 0 $0 76 $587,119 187 $429,347 7 $94,944 14 $236,575 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 27 $507,916 69 $425,698 6 $72,333 4 $367,000 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2006

(Based on 11 full and 1 partial tracts) A) FHA, FSA/RHS & VA

Home Purchase Loans B) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans C) Refinancings

D) Home Improvement Loans

E) Loans on Dwellings For 5+ Families

F) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A B C & D) G) Loans On Manufactured

Home Dwelling (A B C & D) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 7 $93,571 650 $389,826 1,162 $388,211 93 $249,367 1 $193,320 85 $340,629 0 $0 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 1 $155,000 135 $441,243 223 $358,927 27 $117,031 0 $0 17 $285,306 0 $0 APPLICATIONS DENIED 0 $0 302 $616,321 510 $450,142 50 $206,780 0 $0 43 $319,780 1 $14,000 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 1 $155,000 112 $570,096 233 $407,146 21 $569,570 0 $0 13 $280,701 1 $3,000,000 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 24 $467,418 98 $360,619 4 $258,933 0 $0 1 $680,000 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2005

(Based on 11 full and 1 partial tracts) A) FHA, FSA/RHS & VA

Home Purchase Loans B) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans C) Refinancings

D) Home Improvement Loans

F) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A B C & D) G) Loans On Manufactured

Home Dwelling (A B C & D) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 3 $161,000 813 $404,037 1,471 $381,637 86 $187,085 123 $323,938 1 $229,300 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 1 $91,000 119 $451,781 227 $411,922 17 $252,057 14 $367,567 2 $40,000 APPLICATIONS DENIED 2 $211,000 165 $485,450 451 $405,950 38 $211,885 25 $316,716 0 $0 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 0 $0 130 $594,437 326 $412,619 26 $276,910 22 $389,574 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 37 $789,838 151 $370,153 5 $410,000 3 $704,667 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2004

(Based on 11 full and 1 partial tracts) A) FHA, FSA/RHS & VA

Home Purchase Loans B) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans C) Refinancings

D) Home Improvement Loans

E) Loans on Dwellings For 5+ Families

F) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A B C & D) G) Loans On Manufactured

Home Dwelling (A B C & D) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 17 $131,412 822 $357,375 2,160 $336,734 76 $167,422 0 $0 82 $276,858 2 $108,500 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 22 $115,955 163 $278,393 316 $346,885 10 $429,274 0 $0 23 $364,807 2 $33,500 APPLICATIONS DENIED 5 $122,600 142 $470,109 436 $427,047 40 $118,661 0 $0 29 $363,394 1 $20,000 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 3 $180,000 57 $540,648 289 $346,688 15 $74,597 1 $54,000 9 $352,450 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 24 $306,281 175 $342,971 7 $338,274 0 $0 7 $320,829 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2002

(Based on 11 full and 1 partial tracts) A) FHA, FSA/RHS & VA

Home Purchase Loans B) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans C) Refinancings

D) Home Improvement Loans

F) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A B C & D) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 28 $128,107 883 $299,868 4,885 $309,319 76 $66,037 122 $211,735 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 1 $129,000 83 $330,608 500 $318,638 12 $57,164 14 $301,986 APPLICATIONS DENIED 5 $142,800 48 $360,150 462 $333,229 41 $26,151 24 $272,958 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 3 $123,333 56 $317,791 437 $323,522 14 $53,322 15 $315,090 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 11 $363,265 177 $317,311 2 $85,000 3 $237,383 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2001

(Based on 11 full and 1 partial tracts) A) FHA, FSA/RHS & VA

Home Purchase Loans B) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans C) Refinancings

D) Home Improvement Loans

F) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A B C & D) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 15 $107,467 842 $289,614 3,343 $291,972 167 $65,950 76 $200,618 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 2 $95,500 84 $346,284 290 $248,551 33 $58,591 8 $210,250 APPLICATIONS DENIED 2 $118,500 72 $355,111 394 $299,096 48 $45,606 15 $198,187 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 0 $0 70 $350,738 323 $303,032 22 $54,789 10 $220,172 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 1 $93,000 17 $291,746 100 $340,438 7 $136,637 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2000

(Based on 11 full and 1 partial tracts) A) FHA, FSA/RHS & VA

Home Purchase Loans B) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans C) Refinancings

D) Home Improvement Loans

E) Loans on Dwellings For 5+ Families

F) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A B C & D) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 18 $102,479 1,165 $264,654 768 $279,382 167 $53,449 1 $2,100,000 55 $155,549 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 1 $96,150 133 $256,575 83 $221,299 56 $40,477 0 $0 10 $162,823 APPLICATIONS DENIED 2 $111,500 110 $231,763 202 $268,468 46 $52,150 0 $0 11 $147,808 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 3 $109,333 75 $301,280 144 $268,724 24 $144,655 0 $0 4 $174,815 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 22 $321,773 41 $235,207 4 $52,500 0 $0 2 $123,150 Aggregated Statistics For Year 1999

(Based on 11 full and 1 partial tracts) A) FHA, FSA/RHS & VA

Home Purchase Loans B) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans C) Refinancings

D) Home Improvement Loans

F) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A B C & D) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 25 $98,874 1,007 $275,735 1,744 $273,427 164 $49,082 61 $204,222 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 1 $154,750 65 $268,653 162 $237,789 47 $48,266 5 $299,038 APPLICATIONS DENIED 3 $113,927 59 $232,658 240 $267,093 48 $50,457 9 $111,344 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 2 $77,945 76 $318,023 220 $241,146 27 $154,788 9 $222,658 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 1 $177,880 21 $383,417 54 $279,440 1 $599,040 3 $58,790 Choose year: 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2002 2001 2000 1999

Detailed mortgage data for all 12 tracts in Bloomfield Township, MI



Private Mortgage Insurance Companies Aggregated Statistics For Year 2009

(Based on 11 full and 1 partial tracts) A) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans B) Refinancings

Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 35 $225,021 11 $310,985 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 10 $294,100 9 $254,254 APPLICATIONS DENIED 15 $308,133 13 $325,148 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 3 $367,783 5 $342,400 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 4 $310,103 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2008

(Based on 11 full and 1 partial tracts) A) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans B) Refinancings

C) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A & B) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 64 $246,787 19 $301,087 3 $106,333 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 33 $321,248 16 $299,813 2 $417,500 APPLICATIONS DENIED 7 $652,450 8 $289,049 2 $327,850 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 8 $294,679 1 $160,000 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 1 $287,000 0 $0 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2007

(Based on 11 full and 1 partial tracts) A) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans B) Refinancings

C) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A & B) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 59 $256,290 33 $342,565 8 $264,625 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 4 $398,750 17 $348,348 1 $215,000 APPLICATIONS DENIED 0 $0 2 $456,500 0 $0 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 3 $469,940 1 $139,000 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 1 $633,000 1 $437,000 1 $633,000 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2006

(Based on 10 full and 1 partial tracts) A) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans B) Refinancings

C) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A & B) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 25 $273,430 15 $301,821 3 $188,000 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 5 $257,600 6 $312,957 0 $0 APPLICATIONS DENIED 1 $253,000 0 $0 0 $0 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 2 $431,000 6 $308,667 1 $89,000 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 1 $316,000 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2005

(Based on 11 full and 1 partial tracts) A) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans B) Refinancings

C) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A & B) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 46 $241,024 23 $287,853 8 $186,639 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 6 $284,992 15 $253,821 1 $297,950 APPLICATIONS DENIED 0 $0 1 $1,150,960 0 $0 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 2 $376,500 2 $336,500 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 1 $321,870 1 $171,000 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2004

(Based on 11 full and 1 partial tracts) A) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans B) Refinancings

C) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A & B) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 66 $249,210 29 $239,025 6 $277,598 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 15 $269,809 16 $276,756 0 $0 APPLICATIONS DENIED 1 $123,000 2 $457,865 1 $270,000 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 6 $256,645 2 $210,500 4 $244,718 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 1 $401,200 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2003

(Based on 11 full and 1 partial tracts) A) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans B) Refinancings

C) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A & B) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 78 $237,457 68 $218,764 5 $218,518 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 11 $231,141 26 $304,466 4 $293,543 APPLICATIONS DENIED 0 $0 5 $246,400 0 $0 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 6 $265,932 10 $505,034 1 $254,590 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2002

(Based on 11 full and 1 partial tracts) A) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans B) Refinancings

C) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A & B) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 129 $216,488 70 $224,828 4 $201,000 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 17 $240,338 20 $269,000 2 $158,500 APPLICATIONS DENIED 5 $375,368 1 $106,000 1 $396,840 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 6 $177,162 6 $258,145 2 $215,500 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2001

(Based on 11 full and 1 partial tracts) A) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans B) Refinancings

C) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A & B) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 121 $211,487 75 $220,459 6 $130,345 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 135 $142,495 24 $205,083 10 $154,300 APPLICATIONS DENIED 5 $189,288 2 $523,000 1 $461,000 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 7 $170,599 6 $319,303 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2000

(Based on 11 full and 1 partial tracts) A) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans B) Refinancings

C) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A & B) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 151 $202,780 25 $227,426 5 $105,400 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 157 $133,338 7 $189,857 13 $108,308 APPLICATIONS DENIED 51 $124,588 2 $182,500 2 $151,000 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 14 $118,857 1 $162,000 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 1 $463,000 1 $600,000 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 1999

(Based on 11 full and 1 partial tracts) A) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans B) Refinancings

C) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A & B) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 164 $210,513 41 $235,572 8 $150,106 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 19 $158,829 12 $196,374 2 $139,665 APPLICATIONS DENIED 9 $167,784 2 $349,785 0 $0 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 9 $215,780 4 $233,905 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 2 $325,260 0 $0 Choose year: 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999

Houses and condos Apartments 94.6% Utility gas

4.0% Electricity

0.7% Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.

0.4% Bottled, tank, or LP gas

0.3% Other fuel 84.1% Utility gas

13.2% Electricity

1.4% Bottled, tank, or LP gas

0.4% Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.

0.4% Other fuel

0.4% No fuel used





Bloomfield Township compared to Michigan state average: Median household income significantly above state average.

significantly above Median house value significantly above state average.

significantly above Unemployed percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Black race population percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Hispanic race population percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Median age above state average.

above Foreign-born population percentage above state average.

above Renting percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Length of stay since moving in significantly above state average.

significantly above Number of rooms per house significantly below state average.

significantly below House age significantly below state average.

significantly below Institutionalized population percentage significantly above state average.

significantly above Percentage of population with a bachelor's degree or higher significantly above state average.

Bloomfield Township on our top lists: #5 on the list of "Top 101 cities with largest percentage of males in occupations: physicians and surgeons (population 5,000+)"

#11 on the list of "Top 101 cities with largest percentage of males in occupations: lawyers (population 5,000+)"

#11 on the list of "Top 101 cities with largest percentage of males in industries: transportation equipment (population 5,000+)"

#12 on the list of "Top 101 cities with largest percentage of females in occupations: physicians and surgeons (population 5,000+)"

#16 on the list of "Top 101 cities with largest percentage of females in industries: transportation equipment (population 5,000+)"

#17 on the list of "Top 101 cities with largest percentage of females in occupations: lawyers (population 5,000+)"

#18 on the list of "Top 101 cities with largest percentage of males in industries: health care (population 5,000+)"

#20 on the list of "Top 101 cities with largest percentage of males in occupations: sales representatives, services, wholesale and manufacturing (population 5,000+)"

#21 on the list of "Top 101 cities with largest percentage of females in occupations: top executives (population 5,000+)"

#24 on the list of "Top 101 cities with the largest percentage of elementary and middle school students in private schools (5,000+ students)"

#26 on the list of "Top 101 cities with the largest racial income disparity between any two races with at least 200 householders"

#67 on the list of "Top 101 cities with largest percentage of males in industries: sewing, needlework, and piece goods stores (population 5,000+)"

#71 on the list of "Top 101 cities with largest percentage of females in industries: furniture and home furnishings, and household appliance stores (population 5,000+)"

#82 on the list of "Top 101 cities with largest percentage of males in industries: miscellaneous durable goods merchant wholesalers (population 5,000+)"

#95 on the list of "Top 101 cities with largest percentage of females in industries: petroleum and coal products (population 5,000+)" #6 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the highest percentage of residents that visited a dentist within the past year"

#12 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the most Orthodox congregations"

#14 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the most Orthodox adherents"

#38 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the most Mainline Protestant adherents"

#39 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the most Catholic adherents"

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Boylston, Massachusetts

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Population in 2010: 4,355.

Population change since 2000: +8.7%

4,355.+8.7%

Males: 2,091 (48.0%) Females: 2,264 (52.0%)

Median resident age: 44.5 years Massachusetts median age: 39.2 years

Zip codes: 01505.

Estimated median household income in 2019: $110,795 (it was $67,703 in 2000)

Boylston: $110,795 MA: $85,843

Estimated per capita income in 2019: $54,904 (it was $32,274 in 2000)



Boylston town income, earnings, and wages data



Estimated median house or condo value in 2019: $382,203 (it was $175,700 in 2000) Boylston: $382,203 MA: $418,600

Mean prices in 2019: all housing units: $345,896; detached houses: $359,605; townhouses or other attached units: $293,904; in 2-unit structures: $294,624; in 3-to-4-unit structures: $296,728; in 5-or-more-unit structures: $198,605; mobile homes: $74,819; occupied boats, rvs, vans, etc.: $20,048 $110,795 ($67,703$54,904 ($32,274$382,203 ($175,700$345,896;$359,605;$293,904;$294,624;$296,728;$198,605;$74,819;$20,048

March 2019 cost of living index in Boylston: 136.1 (high, U.S. average is 100)

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4,021 92.3% White alone 159 3.7% Asian alone 64 1.5% Hispanic 63 1.4% Two or more races 29 0.7% Black alone 9 0.2% American Indian alone 10 0.2% Other race alone

Races in Boylston detailed stats: ancestries, foreign born residents, place of birth





According to our research of Massachusetts and other state lists, there was 1 registered sex offender living in Boylston, Massachusetts as of November 21, 2021.

The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in Boylston is 4,355 to 1.

The ratio of registered sex offenders to all residents in this city is much lower than the state average.





Crime rates in Boylston by year Type 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Murders

(per 100,000) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) Rapes

(per 100,000) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 1

(21.4) 0

(0.0) Robberies

(per 100,000) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) Assaults

(per 100,000) 1

(23.3) 0

(0.0) 2

(46.5) 0

(0.0) 2

(45.6) 2

(45.6) 7

(156.8) 4

(88.8) 6

(131.8) 2

(43.4) 2

(42.8) 4

(85.2) Burglaries

(per 100,000) 9

(210.0) 4

(93.1) 10

(232.7) 7

(161.7) 10

(228.1) 19

(433.6) 25

(560.2) 17

(377.2) 14

(307.6) 1

(21.7) 7

(149.8) 0

(0.0) Thefts

(per 100,000) 29

(676.8) 22

(512.2) 21

(488.6) 22

(508.1) 116

(2,646) 31

(707.4) 14

(313.7) 13

(288.4) 7

(153.8) 14

(303.7) 5

(107.0) 2

(42.6) Auto thefts

(per 100,000) 0

(0.0) 1

(23.3) 1

(23.3) 1

(23.1) 7

(159.7) 0

(0.0) 1

(22.4) 1

(22.2) 0

(0.0) 1

(21.7) 1

(21.4) 0

(0.0) Arson

(per 100,000) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) City-Data.com crime index 46.4 28.9 47.0 33.5 143.7 67.8 84.9 57.5 54.1 24.1 42.1 18.7 The City-Data.com crime index weighs serious crimes and violent crimes more heavily. Higher means more crime, U.S. average is 270.6. It adjusts for the number of visitors and daily workers commuting into cities. Click on a table row to update graph

Crime rate in Boylston detailed stats: murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, arson



Full-time law enforcement employees in 2019, including police officers: 14 (10 officers).

Officers per 1,000 residents here: 2.13 Massachusetts average: 2.37



Latest news from Boylston, MA collected exclusively by city-data.com from local newspapers, TV, and radio stations

Boylston, MA City Guides: Boylston, MA Guides 1

Ancestries: Irish (26.5%), English (18.0%), Italian (13.8%), German (9.6%), French (8.8%), French Canadian (8.1%).

Current Local Time: EST time zone

Elevation: 443 feet

Land area: 16.0 square miles. Population density: 272 people per square mile (very low).

208 residents are foreign born (1.7% Europe, 1.6% Asia, 1.3% North America). This town: 5.2% Massachusetts: 12.2%

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units in 2000: Boylston town: 1.5% ($2,621) Massachusetts: 1.3% ($2,336)

Latitude: 42.34 N, Longitude: 71.73 W

Area codes: 508, 774

Single-family new house construction building permits: 1997: 24 buildings , average cost: $130,000

24 $130,000 1998: 20 buildings , average cost: $150,800

20 $150,800 1999: 22 buildings , average cost: $145,100

22 $145,100 2000: 12 buildings , average cost: $217,700

12 $217,700 2001: 13 buildings , average cost: $208,400

13 $208,400 2002: 23 buildings , average cost: $223,000

23 $223,000 2003: 21 buildings , average cost: $221,100

21 $221,100 2004: 43 buildings , average cost: $341,100

43 $341,100 2005: 14 buildings , average cost: $355,000

14 $355,000 2006: 21 buildings , average cost: $407,200

21 $407,200 2007: 9 buildings , average cost: $297,100

9 $297,100 2008: 8 buildings , average cost: $323,300

8 $323,300 2009: 1 building , cost: $275,000

1 $275,000 2010: 1 building , cost: $275,000

1 $275,000 2011: 11 buildings , average cost: $220,300

11 $220,300 2012: 14 buildings , average cost: $275,800

14 $275,800 2013: 17 buildings , average cost: $239,100

17 $239,100 2014: 24 buildings , average cost: $239,100

24 $239,100 2015: 20 buildings , average cost: $239,100

20 $239,100 2016: 21 buildings , average cost: $239,100

21 $239,100 2017: 20 buildings , average cost: $239,100

20 $239,100 2018: 20 buildings , average cost: $239,100

20 $239,100 2019: 20 buildings, average cost: $239,100

Unemployment in November 2020:

Here: 4.3% Massachusetts: 6.2%

Most common industries in Boylston, MA (%) Both Males Females

Health care (12.8%)

Educational services (11.7%)

Computer & electronic products (8.2%)

Construction (7.0%)

Professional, scientific, technical services (6.1%)

Finance & insurance (5.6%)

Public administration (5.2%)

Construction (12.5%)

Health care (8.5%)

Professional, scientific, technical services (8.5%)

Computer & electronic products (8.4%)

Educational services (4.4%)

Public administration (4.3%)

Finance & insurance (3.2%)

Educational services (21.1%)

Health care (18.4%)

Finance & insurance (8.7%)

Computer & electronic products (8.0%)

Public administration (6.5%)

Accommodation & food services (3.6%)

Professional, scientific, technical services (3.1%) Most common occupations in Boylston, MA (%) Both Males Females

Computer specialists (8.4%)

Other management occupations, except farmers and farm managers (5.2%)

Other sales and related occupations, including supervisors (5.0%)

Preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school teachers (4.7%)

Engineers (3.7%)

Material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing workers (3.4%)

Construction traders workers except carpenters, electricians, painters, plumbers, and construction laborers (3.1%)

Computer specialists (10.9%)

Other sales and related occupations, including supervisors (5.7%)

Engineers (5.5%)

Other management occupations, except farmers and farm managers (5.4%)

Construction traders workers except carpenters, electricians, painters, plumbers, and construction laborers (5.4%)

Sales representatives, services, wholesale and manufacturing (4.0%)

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers (3.7%)

Preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school teachers (10.1%)

Registered nurses (5.5%)

Computer specialists (5.2%)

Secretaries and administrative assistants (5.2%)

Other management occupations, except farmers and farm managers (4.8%)

Other sales and related occupations, including supervisors (4.2%)

Information and record clerks, except customer service representatives (3.7%)

Average climate in Boylston, Massachusetts Based on data reported by over 4,000 weather stations

Air pollution and air quality trends

(lower is better) AQI CO NO 2 SO 2 Ozone PM 2.5

Air Quality Index (AQI) level in 2018 was 70.9. This is about average. City: 70.9 U.S.: 74.2

Carbon Monoxide (CO) [ppm] level in 2018 was 0.280. This is about average. Closest monitor was 6.0 miles away from the city center. City: 0.280 U.S.: 0.267

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO 2 ) [ppb] level in 2018 was 11.2. This is significantly worse than average. Closest monitor was 4.6 miles away from the city center. City: 11.2 U.S.: 5.6

Sulfur Dioxide (SO 2 ) [ppb] level in 2018 was 0.559. This is significantly better than average. Closest monitor was 4.6 miles away from the city center. City: 0.559 U.S.: 1.789

Ozone [ppb] level in 2018 was 30.8. This is about average. Closest monitor was 4.6 miles away from the city center. City: 30.8 U.S.: 33.3

Particulate Matter (PM 2.5 ) [g/m3] level in 2018 was 6.81. This is better than average. Closest monitor was 6.1 miles away from the city center. City: 6.81 U.S.: 8.46

Tornado activity: Boylston-area historical tornado activity is slightly above Massachusetts state average. It is 21% smaller than the overall U.S. average.

On 6/9/1953, a category F4 (max. wind speeds 207-260 mph) tornado 11.1 miles away from the Boylston town center killed 90 people and injured 1228 people and caused between $50,000,000 and $500,000,000 in damages. On 6/9/1953, a category F3 (max. wind speeds 158-206 mph) tornado 11.8 miles away from the town center injured 17 people and caused between $500,000 and $5,000,000 in damages.

Earthquake activity: Boylston-area historical earthquake activity is significantly above Massachusetts state average. It is 72% smaller than the overall U.S. average.



On 10/7/1983 at 10:18:46, a magnitude 5.3 (5.1 MB, 5.3 LG, 5.1 ML, Class: Moderate, Intensity: VI - VII) earthquake occurred 172.7 miles away from the city center

On 4/20/2002 at 10:50:47, a magnitude 5.3 (5.3 ML, Depth: 3.0 mi) earthquake occurred 179.9 miles away from the city center

On 4/20/2002 at 10:50:47, a magnitude 5.2 (5.2 MB, 4.2 MS, 5.2 MW, 5.0 MW) earthquake occurred 179.0 miles away from Boylston center

On 1/19/1982 at 00:14:42, a magnitude 4.7 (4.5 MB, 4.7 MD, 4.5 LG, Class: Light, Intensity: IV - V) earthquake occurred 80.6 miles away from Boylston center

On 10/16/2012 at 23:12:25, a magnitude 4.7 (4.7 ML, Depth: 10.0 mi) earthquake occurred 102.7 miles away from Boylston center

On 8/22/1992 at 12:20:32, a magnitude 4.8 (4.8 MB, 3.8 MS, 4.7 LG, Depth: 6.2 mi) earthquake occurred 235.5 miles away from Boylston center

Magnitude types: regional Lg-wave magnitude (LG), body-wave magnitude (MB), duration magnitude (MD), local magnitude (ML), surface-wave magnitude (MS), moment magnitude (MW)

Natural disasters: The number of natural disasters in Worcester County (27) is a lot greater than the US average (15).

Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 15

Emergencies Declared: 12



Causes of natural disasters: Floods: 9, Storms: 8, Hurricanes: 6, Snowstorms: 5, Winter Storms: 4, Blizzards: 2, Snows: 2, Fire: 1, Heavy Rain: 1, Snowfall: 1, Tornado: 1, Wind: 1 (Note: some incidents may be assigned to more than one category).

Hospitals and medical centers in Boylston: WORCESTER CO HOSP (PAUL WARE DRIVE) Other hospitals and medical centers near Boylston: KNOLLWOOD NURSING CENTER (Nursing Home, about 3 miles away; WORCESTER, MA)

UMASS MEMORIAL HOME HEALTH (Home Health Center, about 4 miles away; WORCESTER, MA)

UMASS MEMORIAL HOSPICE (Hospital, about 4 miles away; WORCESTER, MA)

AUTUMN VILLAGE, LLC (Nursing Home, about 4 miles away; WORCESTER, MA)

SALISBURY N H (Nursing Home, about 4 miles away; WORCESTER, MA)

SHREWSBURY NURSING AND REHABILITATION CENTER (Nursing Home, about 4 miles away; SHREWSBURY, MA)

MEDI STAFF CORP (Home Health Center, about 4 miles away; WORCESTER, MA)

Amtrak stations near Boylston: 7 miles: WORCESTER (WORCHESTER, 45 SHREWSBURY ST.) . Services: ticket office, fully wheelchair accessible, enclosed waiting area, public restrooms, public payphones, vending machines, free short-term parking, free long-term parking, call for taxi service, public transit connection.

WORCESTER (WORCHESTER, 45 SHREWSBURY ST.) . ticket office, fully wheelchair accessible, enclosed waiting area, public restrooms, public payphones, vending machines, free short-term parking, free long-term parking, call for taxi service, public transit connection. 17 miles: FRAMINGHAM (443 WAVERLY ST.) . Services: public payphones, snack bar, paid short-term parking, taxi stand, public transit connection.

Local government website: www.boylston.org

Colleges/universities with over 2000 students nearest to Boylston: Quinsigamond Community College ( about 4 miles; Worcester, MA ; Full-time enrollment: 5,877)

4 ; 5,877) Assumption College ( about 6 miles; Worcester, MA ; FT enrollment: 2,580)

6 ; 2,580) Worcester Polytechnic Institute ( about 6 miles; Worcester, MA ; FT enrollment: 3,930)

6 ; 3,930) Worcester State University ( about 8 miles; Worcester, MA ; FT enrollment: 5,426)

8 ; 5,426) Clark University ( about 8 miles; Worcester, MA ; FT enrollment: 3,687)

8 ; 3,687) College of the Holy Cross ( about 8 miles; Worcester, MA ; FT enrollment: 3,125)

8 ; 3,125) Framingham State University (about 16 miles; Framingham, MA; FT enrollment: 5,743) Public high school in Boylston: TAHANTO REGIONAL HIGH (Students: 488, Location: 1001 MAIN STREET, Grades: 6-12) Public elementary/middle school in Boylston: BOYLSTON ELEMENTARY (Students: 377, Location: 200 SEWALL STREET, Grades: PK-5) See full list of schools located in Boylston

Library in Boylston: BOYLSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY (Operating income: $154,108; Location: 695 MAIN ST.; 27,661 books; 2,181 audio materials; 2,081 video materials; 34 state licensed databases; 59 print serial subscriptions)

Birthplace of: Jeff Fuller (racing driver) - Racing driver, David Lee Child - Abolitionist, Eliakim H. Moore - Politician, Marcus Child - Politician, William N. Davenport - Politician.

Worcester County has a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L (pico curies per liter) - Highest Potential

Drinking water stations with addresses in Boylston and their reported violations in the past: BOYLSTON WATER DISTRICT (Population served: 3,040, Groundwater): Past health violations: MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In JUN-2014 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St AO (w/o penalty) issued (SEP-09-2014)

JUN-2014 Coliform St AO (w/o penalty) issued (SEP-09-2014) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In MAY-2014 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St AO (w/o penalty) issued (SEP-09-2014)

MAY-2014 Coliform St AO (w/o penalty) issued (SEP-09-2014) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In DEC-2013 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St AO (w/o penalty) issued (FEB-21-2014) , St Compliance achieved (JUL-23-2014)

DEC-2013 Coliform St AO (w/o penalty) issued (FEB-21-2014) St Compliance achieved (JUL-23-2014) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In OCT-2013 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St AO (w/o penalty) issued (DEC-20-2013) , St Compliance achieved (JUL-23-2014)

OCT-2013 Coliform St AO (w/o penalty) issued (DEC-20-2013) St Compliance achieved (JUL-23-2014) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In SEP-2013 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St AO (w/o penalty) issued (OCT-25-2013) , St Compliance achieved (OCT-25-2013)

SEP-2013 Coliform St AO (w/o penalty) issued (OCT-25-2013) St Compliance achieved (OCT-25-2013) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In JUL-2013 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St AO (w/o penalty) issued (SEP-09-2013)

JUL-2013 Coliform St AO (w/o penalty) issued (SEP-09-2013) 3 other older health violations Past monitoring violations: Follow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R - In JUL-01-2013 , Contaminant: Lead and Copper Rule . Follow-up actions: St AO (w/o penalty) issued (NOV-26-2013)

JUL-01-2013 Lead and Copper Rule St AO (w/o penalty) issued (NOV-26-2013) 3 minor monitoring violations

One regular monitoring violation MEADOWBROOK VILLAGE CONDOMINIUMS (Address: 120 SHREWSBURY STREET Population served: 150, Groundwater): Past monitoring violations: Follow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R - In JUL-01-2009 , Contaminant: Lead and Copper Rule . Follow-up actions: St AO (w/o penalty) issued (DEC-14-2009), St Compliance achieved (DEC-09-2010)

JUL-01-2009 Lead and Copper Rule St AO (w/o penalty) issued (DEC-14-2009), St Compliance achieved (DEC-09-2010) 52 regular monitoring violations PINEWOOD ON THE GREEN CONDOS (Address: 120 SHREWSBURY STREET Population served: 50, Groundwater): Past health violations: MCL, Average - Between JAN-2007 and MAR-2007 , Contaminant: Arsenic . Follow-up actions: St AO (w/o penalty) issued (AUG-09-2007) , St Compliance achieved (AUG-09-2007)

JAN-2007 MAR-2007 Arsenic St AO (w/o penalty) issued (AUG-09-2007) St Compliance achieved (AUG-09-2007) MCL, Average - Between OCT-2006 and DEC-2006 , Contaminant: Arsenic . Follow-up actions: St AO (w/o penalty) issued (FEB-06-2007)

OCT-2006 DEC-2006 Arsenic St AO (w/o penalty) issued (FEB-06-2007) MCL, Average - Between JUL-2006 and SEP-2006, Contaminant: Arsenic. Follow-up actions: St AO (w/o penalty) issued (NOV-14-2006) Past monitoring violations: Monitoring and Reporting (DBP) - Between JUL-2013 and SEP-2013 , Contaminant: Chlorine . Follow-up actions: St AO (w/o penalty) issued (NOV-26-2013), St Compliance achieved (NOV-26-2013)

JUL-2013 SEP-2013 Chlorine St AO (w/o penalty) issued (NOV-26-2013), St Compliance achieved (NOV-26-2013) One minor monitoring violation BOYLSTON WATER DISTRICT (3,040Groundwater):MEADOWBROOK VILLAGE CONDOMINIUMS (120 SHREWSBURY STREET 150Groundwater):PINEWOOD ON THE GREEN CONDOS (120 SHREWSBURY STREET 50Groundwater):

Average household size: This town: 2.6 people Massachusetts: 2.5 people

Percentage of family households: This town: 72.5% Whole state: 63.0%

Percentage of households with unmarried partners: This town: 4.9% Whole state: 7.0%



Likely homosexual households (counted as self-reported same-sex unmarried-partner households) Lesbian couples: 0.5% of all households

0.5% Gay men: 0.3% of all households Residents with income below the poverty level in 2009:

This town: 2.8% Whole state: 9.3% Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level in 2009:

This town: 1.5% Whole state: 4.4%

8 people in group homes for juveniles (non-correctional) in 2010

4 people in workers' group living quarters and job corps centers in 2010

Banks with branches in Boylston (2011 data): Clinton Savings Bank: Boylston Branch at 81 D Shrewsbury Street, branch established on 2005/10/18. Info updated 2012/04/03: Bank assets: $479.5 mil, Deposits: $362.7 mil, headquarters in Clinton, MA, positive income, Mortgage Lending Specialization, 7 total offices, Holding Company: Clinton Financial Services, Mhc

For population 15 years and over in Boylston: Never married: 19.3%

19.3% Now married: 64.3%

64.3% Separated: 1.0%

1.0% Widowed: 6.8%

6.8% Divorced: 8.6%

For population 25 years and over in Boylston: High school or higher: 93.0%

93.0% Bachelor's degree or higher: 37.7%

37.7% Graduate or professional degree: 15.4%

15.4% Unemployed: 0.9%

0.9% Mean travel time to work (commute): 25.8 minutes

Education Gini index (Inequality in education) Here: 10.2 Massachusetts average: 13.1



Religion statistics for Boylston, MA (based on Worcester County data) Religion Adherents Congregations Catholic 306,925 118 Mainline Protestant 43,326 171 Evangelical Protestant 37,511 203 Other 18,931 69 Orthodox 7,935 15 Black Protestant 497 6 None 383,427 - Source: Clifford Grammich, Kirk Hadaway, Richard Houseal, Dale E.Jones, Alexei Krindatch, Richie Stanley and Richard H.Taylor. 2012. 2010 U.S.Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Jones, Dale E., et al. 2002. Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center. Graphs represent county-level data

Food Environment Statistics: Number of grocery stores: 135 Worcester County : 1.73 / 10,000 pop. State : 1.98 / 10,000 pop. Number of supercenters and club stores: 4 Here : 0.05 / 10,000 pop. Massachusetts : 0.05 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (no gas): 140 This county : 1.79 / 10,000 pop. Massachusetts : 2.22 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (with gas): 174 This county : 2.22 / 10,000 pop. Massachusetts : 1.77 / 10,000 pop. Number of full-service restaurants: 569 Worcester County : 7.27 / 10,000 pop. Massachusetts : 8.76 / 10,000 pop. Adult diabetes rate: Worcester County : 8.0% Massachusetts : 8.1% Adult obesity rate: Worcester County : 24.0% Massachusetts : 22.5% Low-income preschool obesity rate: Here : 16.6% State : 16.5%

4.16% of this county's 2016 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2015 ($64,114 average adjusted gross income) Here: 4.16% Massachusetts average: 5.79% 0.03% of residents moved from foreign countries ($598 average AGI) Worcester County: 0.03% Massachusetts average: 0.05%

Top counties from which taxpayers relocated into this county between 2015 and 2016:

from Middlesex County, MA 1.22% ($72,434 average AGI) from Norfolk County, MA 0.28% ($80,228) from Suffolk County, MA 0.20% ($65,864)



4.47% of this county's 2015 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2016 ($70,534 average adjusted gross income) Here: 4.47% Massachusetts average: 6.31% 0.03% of residents moved to foreign countries ($414 average AGI) Worcester County: 0.03% Massachusetts average: 0.08%

Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2015 and 2016:

to Middlesex County, MA 0.92% ($71,780 average AGI) to Norfolk County, MA 0.26% ($69,053) to Suffolk County, MA 0.23% ($82,087)

Businesses in Boylston, MA Dunkin Donuts: 1

Strongest AM radio stations in Boylston: WCRN (830 AM; 50 kW; WORCESTER, MA; Owner: CARTER BROADCASTING CORPORATION)

CARTER BROADCASTING CORPORATION) WTAG (580 AM; 5 kW; WORCESTER, MA; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WKOX (1200 AM; 50 kW; FRAMINGHAM, MA; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WBIX (1060 AM; 40 kW; NATICK, MA; Owner: LANGER BROADCASTING CORPORATION)

LANGER BROADCASTING CORPORATION) WEEI (850 AM; 50 kW; BOSTON, MA; Owner: ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC)

ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC) WAMG (890 AM; 25 kW; DEDHAM, MA; Owner: MEGA COMMUNICATIONS OF DEDHAM LICENSEE, LLC)

MEGA COMMUNICATIONS OF DEDHAM LICENSEE, LLC) WVNE (760 AM; daytime; 25 kW; LEICESTER, MA; Owner: BLOUNT MASSCOM, INC.)

BLOUNT MASSCOM, INC.) WRKO (680 AM; 50 kW; BOSTON, MA; Owner: ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC)

ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC) WVEI (1440 AM; 5 kW; WORCESTER, MA; Owner: ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC)

ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC) WAZN (1470 AM; 7 kW; MARLBOROUGH, MA; Owner: MULTICULTURAL RADIO BROADCASTING, INC.)

MULTICULTURAL RADIO BROADCASTING, INC.) WALE (990 AM; 50 kW; GREENVILLE, RI; Owner: NORTH AMERICAN BROADCASTING CO., INC.)

NORTH AMERICAN BROADCASTING CO., INC.) WORC (1310 AM; 5 kW; WORCESTER, MA; Owner: CHOWDER BROADCAST GROUP LLC)

CHOWDER BROADCAST GROUP LLC) WWZN (1510 AM; 50 kW; BOSTON, MA; Owner: ROSE CITY RADIO CORPORATION) Strongest FM radio stations in Boylston: WAAF (107.3 FM; WORCESTER, MA; Owner: ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC)

ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC) WSRS (96.1 FM; WORCESTER, MA; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WICN (90.5 FM; WORCESTER, MA; Owner: WICN PUBLIC RADIO, INC)

WICN PUBLIC RADIO, INC) WXLO (104.5 FM; FITCHBURG, MA; Owner: CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY)

CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY) WBMX (98.5 FM; BOSTON, MA; Owner: INFINITY RADIO OPERATIONS INC.)

INFINITY RADIO OPERATIONS INC.) WJMN (94.5 FM; BOSTON, MA; Owner: AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.)

AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.) WCRB (102.5 FM; WALTHAM, MA; Owner: CHARLES RIVER BROADCASTING WCRB LICE)

CHARLES RIVER BROADCASTING WCRB LICE) WTKK (96.9 FM; BOSTON, MA; Owner: GREATER BOSTON RADIO, INC.)

GREATER BOSTON RADIO, INC.) WROR-FM (105.7 FM; FRAMINGHAM, MA; Owner: GREATER BOSTON RADIO, INC.)

GREATER BOSTON RADIO, INC.) WBOS (92.9 FM; BROOKLINE, MA; Owner: GREATER BOSTON RADIO, INC.)

GREATER BOSTON RADIO, INC.) WGBH (89.7 FM; BOSTON, MA; Owner: WGBH EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION)

WGBH EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION) WBUR-FM (90.9 FM; BOSTON, MA; Owner: TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY)

TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY) WCUW (91.3 FM; WORCESTER, MA; Owner: WUW, INC.)

WUW, INC.) WODS (103.3 FM; BOSTON, MA; Owner: INFINITY BROADCASTING OPERATIONS, INC.)

INFINITY BROADCASTING OPERATIONS, INC.) WFEX (92.1 FM; PETERBOROUGH, NH; Owner: FNX BROADCASTING OF NEW HAMPSHIRE LLC)

FNX BROADCASTING OF NEW HAMPSHIRE LLC) WXKS-FM (107.9 FM; MEDFORD, MA; Owner: AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.)

AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.) WMJX (106.7 FM; BOSTON, MA; Owner: GREATER BOSTON RADIO, INC.)

GREATER BOSTON RADIO, INC.) WBPR (91.9 FM; WORCESTER, MA; Owner: UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS)

UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS) WFCR (88.5 FM; AMHERST, MA; Owner: UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS)

UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS) WYCM (90.1 FM; CHARLTON, MA; Owner: BAY PATH VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL) TV broadcast stations around Boylston: WUNI ( Channel 27; WORCESTER, MA; Owner: ENTRAVISION HOLDINGS, LLC)

27; WORCESTER, MA; ENTRAVISION HOLDINGS, LLC) WUTF ( Channel 66; MARLBOROUGH, MA; Owner: TELEFUTURA BOSTON LLC)

66; MARLBOROUGH, MA; TELEFUTURA BOSTON LLC) WCVB-TV ( Channel 5; BOSTON, MA; Owner: WCVB HEARST-ARGYLE TV, INC.)

5; BOSTON, MA; WCVB HEARST-ARGYLE TV, INC.) WGBH-TV ( Channel 2; BOSTON, MA; Owner: WGBH EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION)

2; BOSTON, MA; WGBH EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION) WMFP ( Channel 62; LAWRENCE, MA; Owner: WSAH LICENSE, INC.)

62; LAWRENCE, MA; WSAH LICENSE, INC.) WHDH-TV ( Channel 7; BOSTON, MA; Owner: WHDH-TV)

7; BOSTON, MA; WHDH-TV) WBZ-TV ( Channel 4; BOSTON, MA; Owner: VIACOM INC.)

4; BOSTON, MA; VIACOM INC.) WGBX-TV ( Channel 44; BOSTON, MA; Owner: WGBH EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION)

44; BOSTON, MA; WGBH EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION) WSBK-TV ( Channel 38; BOSTON, MA; Owner: VIACOM INC.)

38; BOSTON, MA; VIACOM INC.) WLVI-TV ( Channel 56; CAMBRIDGE, MA; Owner: WLVI, INC.)

56; CAMBRIDGE, MA; WLVI, INC.) WFXT ( Channel 25; BOSTON, MA; Owner: FOX TELEVISION STATIONS INC.)

25; BOSTON, MA; FOX TELEVISION STATIONS INC.) WYDN ( Channel 48; WORCESTER, MA; Owner: EDUCATIONAL PUBLIC TV CORPORATION)

48; WORCESTER, MA; EDUCATIONAL PUBLIC TV CORPORATION) WCRN-LP ( Channel 34; LEICESTER, MA; Owner: CARTER BROADCASTING CORPORATION)

34; LEICESTER, MA; CARTER BROADCASTING CORPORATION) W40BO ( Channel 40; BOSTON, MA; Owner: PAXSON COMMUNICATIONS LPTV, INC.)

40; BOSTON, MA; PAXSON COMMUNICATIONS LPTV, INC.) WBPX ( Channel 68; BOSTON, MA; Owner: PAXSON BOSTON-68 LICENSE, INC.)

68; BOSTON, MA; PAXSON BOSTON-68 LICENSE, INC.) WTMU-LP ( Channel 32; BOSTON, MA; Owner: ZGS BOSTON, INC.)

32; BOSTON, MA; ZGS BOSTON, INC.) WPXQ ( Channel 69; BLOCK ISLAND, RI; Owner: OCEAN STATE TELEVISION, L.L.C.)

69; BLOCK ISLAND, RI; OCEAN STATE TELEVISION, L.L.C.) WCEA-LP ( Channel 58; BOSTON, MA; Owner: CHANNEL 19 TV CORPORATION)

58; BOSTON, MA; CHANNEL 19 TV CORPORATION) WNAC-TV ( Channel 64; PROVIDENCE, RI; Owner: WNAC, LLC)

64; PROVIDENCE, RI; WNAC, LLC) WWDP ( Channel 46; NORWELL, MA; Owner: NORWELL TELEVISION, LLC)

46; NORWELL, MA; NORWELL TELEVISION, LLC) WPRI-TV ( Channel 12; PROVIDENCE, RI; Owner: TVL BROADCASTING OF RHODE ISLAND, LLC)

12; PROVIDENCE, RI; TVL BROADCASTING OF RHODE ISLAND, LLC) WLNE-TV ( Channel 6; NEW BEDFORD, MA; Owner: FREEDOM BROADCASTING OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND, INC.)

6; NEW BEDFORD, MA; FREEDOM BROADCASTING OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND, INC.) WFXZ-CA ( Channel 24; BOSTON, MA; Owner: BOSTON BROADCASTING CORP.)

24; BOSTON, MA; BOSTON BROADCASTING CORP.) WJAR (Channel 10; PROVIDENCE, RI; Owner: OUTLET BROADCASTING, INC.)

Boylston fatal accident statistics for 1975 - 2019

See more detailed statistics of Boylston fatal car crashes and road traffic accidents for 1975 - 2019 here

National Bridge Inventory (NBI) Statistics

4 Number of bridges

Number of bridges 13ft / 3.6m Total length

Total length $5,013,000 Total costs

Total costs 71,573 Total average daily traffic

Total average daily traffic 6,686 Total average daily truck traffic

Total average daily truck traffic 129,977 Total future (year 2031) average daily traffic

2002 - 2018 National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) incidents According to the data from the years 2002 - 2018 the average number of fire incidents per year is 11. The highest number of fires - 23 took place in 2014, and the least - 1 in 2002. The data has an increasing trend.



Fire incident types reported to NFIRS in Boylston, MA



94 48.7% Structure Fires



62 32.1% Outside Fires



26 13.5% Mobile Property/Vehicle Fires



11 5.7% Other When looking into fire subcategories, the most reports belonged to: Structure Fires (48.7%), and Outside Fires (32.1%). See full National Fire Incident Reporting System statistics for Boylston, MA

Houses and condos Apartments 74.0% Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.

11.0% Utility gas

7.8% Electricity

3.9% Wood

2.7% Bottled, tank, or LP gas

0.5% Coal or coke 44.5% Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.

37.1% Electricity

18.4% Utility gas





Boylston compared to Massachusetts state average: Unemployed percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Black race population percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Hispanic race population percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Median age above state average.

above Foreign-born population percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Renting percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Length of stay since moving in significantly above state average.

significantly above Number of rooms per house significantly below state average.

significantly below House age significantly below state average.

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Damascus, Oregon

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Population in 2014: 10,893 (78% urban, 22% rural).

Males: 5,380 (49.4%) Females: 5,513 (50.6%)

Median resident age: 43.3 years Oregon median age: 39.7 years

Estimated median household income in 2019: $80,294

Damascus: $80,294 OR: $67,058

Estimated per capita income in 2019: $41,866



Damascus city income, earnings, and wages data



Estimated median house or condo value in 2019: $441,900 Damascus: $441,900 OR: $354,600

Mean prices in 2019: all housing units: $489,538; detached houses: $511,623; mobile homes: $82,759 $80,294$41,866$441,900$489,538;$511,623;$82,759

Median gross rent in 2019: $1,664.

March 2019 cost of living index in Damascus: 102.3 (near average, U.S. average is 100)

Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2019: 4.5%

(5.0% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 6.4% for two or more races residents)

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Most recent value % change since 2k Data: Median household income ($) Median household income (% change since 2000) Household income diversity Ratio of average income to average house value (%) Ratio of average income to average rent Median household income ($) - White Median household income ($) - Black or African American Median household income ($) - Asian Median household income ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median household income ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median household income ($) - Multirace Median household income ($) - Other Race Median household income for houses/condos with a mortgage ($) Median household income for apartments without a mortgage ($) Races - White alone (%) Races - White alone (% change since 2000) Races - Black alone (%) Races - Black alone (% change since 2000) Races - American Indian alone (%) Races - American Indian alone (% change since 2000) Races - Asian alone (%) Races - Asian alone (% change since 2000) Races - Hispanic (%) Races - Hispanic (% change since 2000) Races - Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone (%) Races - Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone (% change since 2000) Races - Two or more races (%) Races - Two or more races (% change since 2000) Races - Other race alone (%) Races - Other race alone (% change since 2000) Racial diversity Unemployment (%) Unemployment (% change since 2000) Unemployment (%) - White Unemployment (%) - Black or African American Unemployment (%) - Asian Unemployment (%) - Hispanic or Latino Unemployment (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Unemployment (%) - Multirace Unemployment (%) - Other Race Population density (people per square mile) Population - Males (%) Population - Females (%) Population - Males (%) - White Population - Males (%) - Black or African American Population - Males (%) - Asian Population - Males (%) - Hispanic or Latino Population - Males (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Population - Males (%) - Multirace Population - Males (%) - Other Race Population - Females (%) - White Population - Females (%) - Black or African American Population - Females (%) - Asian Population - Females (%) - Hispanic or Latino Population - Females (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Population - Females (%) - Multirace Population - Females (%) - Other Race Coronavirus confirmed cases (Nov 21, 2021) Deaths caused by coronavirus (Nov 21, 2021) Coronavirus confirmed cases (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) Deaths caused by coronavirus (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) Daily increase in number of cases (Nov 21, 2021) Weekly increase in number of cases (Nov 21, 2021) Cases doubled (in days) (Nov 21, 2021) Hospitalized patients (Nov 21, 2021) Negative test results (Nov 21, 2021) Total test results (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses distributed (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses administered (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses distributed (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses administered (Nov 21, 2021) Likely homosexual households (%) Likely homosexual households (% change since 2000) Likely homosexual households - Lesbian couples (%) Likely homosexual households - Lesbian couples (% change since 2000) Likely homosexual households - Gay men (%) Likely homosexual households - Gay men (% change since 2000) Cost of living index Median gross rent ($) Median contract rent ($) Median monthly housing costs ($) Median house or condo value ($) Median house or condo value ($ change since 2000) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 1, detached ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 1, attached ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 2 ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure by units in structure - 3 or 4 ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 5 or more ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - Boat, RV, van, etc. ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - Mobile home ($) Median house or condo value ($) - White Median house or condo value ($) - Black or African American Median house or condo value ($) - Asian Median house or condo value ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median house or condo value ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median house or condo value ($) - Multirace Median house or condo value ($) - Other Race Median resident age Resident age diversity Median resident age - Males Median resident age - Females Median resident age - White Median resident age - Black or African American Median resident age - Asian Median resident age - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Multirace Median resident age - Other Race Median resident age - Males - White Median resident age - Males - Black or African American Median resident age - Males - Asian Median resident age - Males - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - Males - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Males - Multirace Median resident age - Males - Other Race Median resident age - Females - White Median resident age - Females - Black or African American Median resident age - Females - Asian Median resident age - Females - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - Females - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Females - Multirace Median resident age - Females - Other Race Commute - mean travel time to work (minutes) Travel time to work - Less than 5 minutes (%) Travel time to work - Less than 5 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 5 to 9 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 5 to 9 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 10 to 19 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 10 to 19 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 20 to 29 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 20 to 29 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 30 to 39 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 30 to 39 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 40 to 59 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 40 to 59 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 60 to 89 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 60 to 89 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 90 or more minutes (%) Travel time to work - 90 or more minutes (% change since 2000) Marital status - Never married (%) Marital status - Now married (%) Marital status - Separated (%) Marital status - Widowed (%) Marital status - Divorced (%) Median family income ($) Median family income (% change since 2000) Median non-family income ($) Median non-family income (% change since 2000) Median per capita income ($) Median per capita income (% change since 2000) Median family income ($) - White Median family income ($) - Black or African American Median family income ($) - Asian Median family income ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median family income ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median family income ($) - Multirace Median family income ($) - Other Race Median year house/condo built Median year apartment built Year house built - Built 2005 or later (%) Year house built - Built 2000 to 2004 (%) Year house built - Built 1990 to 1999 (%) Year house built - Built 1980 to 1989 (%) Year house built - Built 1970 to 1979 (%) Year house built - Built 1960 to 1969 (%) Year house built - Built 1950 to 1959 (%) Year house built - Built 1940 to 1949 (%) Year house built - Built 1939 or earlier (%) Average household size Household density (households per square mile) Average household size - White Average household size - Black or African American Average household size - Asian Average household size - Hispanic or Latino Average household size - American Indian and Alaska Native Average household size - Multirace Average household size - Other Race Occupied housing units (%) Vacant housing units (%) Owner occupied housing units (%) Renter occupied housing units (%) Vacancy status - For rent (%) Vacancy status - For sale only (%) Vacancy status - Rented or sold, not occupied (%) Vacancy status - For seasonal, recreational, or occasional use (%) Vacancy status - For migrant workers (%) Vacancy status - Other vacant (%) Residents with income below the poverty level (%) Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level (%) Children below poverty level (%) Poor families by family type - Married-couple family (%) Poor families by family type - Male, no wife present (%) Poor families by family type - Female, no husband present (%) Poverty status for native-born residents (%) Poverty status for foreign-born residents (%) Poverty among high school graduates not in families (%) Poverty among people who did not graduate high school not in families (%) Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - White Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Black or African American Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Asian Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Hispanic or Latino Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Multirace Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Other Race Air pollution - Air Quality Index (AQI) Air pollution - CO Air pollution - NO2 Air pollution - SO2 Air pollution - Ozone Air pollution - PM10 Air pollution - PM25 Air pollution - Pb Crime - Murders per 100,000 population Crime - Rapes per 100,000 population Crime - Robberies per 100,000 population Crime - Assaults per 100,000 population Crime - Burglaries per 100,000 population Crime - Thefts per 100,000 population Crime - Auto thefts per 100,000 population Crime - Arson per 100,000 population Crime - City-data.com crime index Crime - Violent crime index Crime - Property crime index Crime - Murders per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Rapes per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Robberies per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Assaults per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Burglaries per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Thefts per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Auto thefts per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Arson per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - City-data.com crime index (5 year average) Crime - Violent crime index (5 year average) Crime - Property crime index (5 year average) 1996 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Clinton) 1996 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Dole) 1996 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2000 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Gore) 2000 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Bush) 2000 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2004 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Kerry) 2004 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Bush) 2004 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2008 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Obama) 2008 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (McCain) 2008 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2012 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Obama) 2012 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Romney) 2012 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2016 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Clinton) 2016 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Trump) 2016 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2020 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Biden) 2020 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Trump) 2020 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other Ancestries Reported - Arab (%) Ancestries Reported - Czech (%) Ancestries Reported - Danish (%) Ancestries Reported - Dutch (%) Ancestries Reported - English (%) Ancestries Reported - French (%) Ancestries Reported - French Canadian (%) Ancestries Reported - German (%) Ancestries Reported - Greek (%) Ancestries Reported - Hungarian (%) Ancestries Reported - Irish (%) Ancestries Reported - Italian (%) Ancestries Reported - Lithuanian (%) Ancestries Reported - Norwegian (%) Ancestries Reported - Polish (%) Ancestries Reported - Portuguese (%) Ancestries Reported - Russian (%) Ancestries Reported - Scotch-Irish (%) Ancestries Reported - Scottish (%) Ancestries Reported - Slovak (%) Ancestries Reported - Subsaharan African (%) Ancestries Reported - Swedish (%) Ancestries Reported - Swiss (%) Ancestries Reported - Ukrainian (%) Ancestries Reported - United States (%) Ancestries Reported - Welsh (%) Ancestries Reported - West Indian (%) Ancestries Reported - Other (%) Educational Attainment - No schooling completed (%) Educational Attainment - Less than high school (%) Educational Attainment - High school or equivalent (%) Educational Attainment - Less than 1 year of college (%) Educational Attainment - 1 or more years of college (%) Educational Attainment - Associate degree (%) Educational Attainment - Bachelor's degree (%) Educational Attainment - Master's degree (%) Educational Attainment - Professional school degree (%) Educational Attainment - Doctorate degree (%) School Enrollment - Nursery, preschool (%) School Enrollment - Kindergarten (%) School Enrollment - Grade 1 to 4 (%) School Enrollment - Grade 5 to 8 (%) School Enrollment - Grade 9 to 12 (%) School Enrollment - College undergrad (%) School Enrollment - Graduate or professional (%) School Enrollment - Not enrolled in school (%) School enrollment - Public schools (%) School enrollment - Private schools (%) School enrollment - Not enrolled (%) Median number of rooms in houses and condos Median number of rooms in apartments Housing units lacking complete plumbing facilities (%) Housing units lacking complete kitchen facilities (%) Density of houses Urban houses (%) Rural houses (%) Households with people 60 years and over (%) Households with people 65 years and over (%) Households with people 75 years and over (%) Households with one or more nonrelatives (%) Households with no nonrelatives (%) Population in households (%) Family households (%) Nonfamily households (%) Population in families (%) Family households with own children (%) Median number of bedrooms in owner occupied houses Mean number of bedrooms in owner occupied houses Median number of bedrooms in renter occupied houses Mean number of bedrooms in renter occupied houses Median number of vehichles in owner occupied houses Mean number of vehichles in owner occupied houses Median number of vehichles in renter occupied houses Mean number of vehichles in renter occupied houses Mortgage status - with mortgage (%) Mortgage status - with second mortgage (%) Mortgage status - with home equity loan (%) Mortgage status - with both second mortgage and home equity loan (%) Mortgage status - without a mortgage (%) Average family size Average family size - White Average family size - Black or African American Average family size - Asian Average family size - Hispanic or Latino Average family size - American Indian and Alaska Native Average family size - Multirace Average family size - Other Race Geographical mobility - Same house 1 year ago (%) Geographical mobility - Moved within same county (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from different county within same state (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from different state (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from abroad (%) Place of birth - Born in state of residence (%) Place of birth - Born in other state (%) Place of birth - Native, outside of US (%) Place of birth - Foreign born (%) Housing units in structures - 1, detached (%) Housing units in structures - 1, attached (%) Housing units in structures - 2 (%) Housing units in structures - 3 or 4 (%) Housing units in structures - 5 to 9 (%) Housing units in structures - 10 to 19 (%) Housing units in structures - 20 to 49 (%) Housing units in structures - 50 or more (%) Housing units in structures - Mobile home (%) Housing units in structures - Boat, RV, van, etc. (%) House/condo owner moved in on average (years ago) Renter moved in on average (years ago) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1999 to March 2000 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1995 to 1998 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1990 to 1994 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1980 to 1989 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1970 to 1979 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1969 or earlier (%) Means of transportation to work - Drove car alone (%) Means of transportation to work - Carpooled (%) Means of transportation to work - Public transportation (%) Means of transportation to work - Bus or trolley bus (%) Means of transportation to work - Streetcar or trolley car (%) Means of transportation to work - Subway or elevated (%) Means of transportation to work - Railroad (%) Means of transportation to work - Ferryboat (%) Means of transportation to work - Taxicab (%) Means of transportation to work - Motorcycle (%) Means of transportation to work - Bicycle (%) Means of transportation to work - Walked (%) Means of transportation to work - Other means (%) Working at home (%) Industry diversity Most Common Industries - Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining (%) Most Common Industries - Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (%) Most Common Industries - Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (%) Most Common Industries - Construction (%) Most Common Industries - Manufacturing (%) Most Common Industries - Wholesale trade (%) Most Common Industries - Retail trade (%) Most Common Industries - Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (%) Most Common Industries - Transportation and warehousing (%) Most Common Industries - Utilities (%) Most Common Industries - Information (%) Most Common Industries - Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (%) Most Common Industries - Finance and insurance (%) Most Common Industries - Real estate and rental and leasing (%) Most Common Industries - Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (%) Most Common Industries - Professional, scientific, and technical services (%) Most Common Industries - Management of companies and enterprises (%) Most Common Industries - Administrative and support and waste management services (%) Most Common Industries - Educational services, and health care and social assistance (%) Most Common Industries - Educational services (%) Most Common Industries - Health care and social assistance (%) Most Common Industries - Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (%) Most Common Industries - Arts, entertainment, and recreation (%) Most Common Industries - Accommodation and food services (%) Most Common Industries - Other services, except public administration (%) Most Common Industries - Public administration (%) Occupation diversity Most Common Occupations - Management, business, science, and arts occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Management, business, and financial occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Management occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Business and financial operations occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Computer, engineering, and science occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Computer and mathematical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Architecture and engineering occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Life, physical, and social science occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Education, legal, community service, arts, and media occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Community and social service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Legal occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Education, training, and library occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Health diagnosing and treating practitioners and other technical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Health technologists and technicians (%) Most Common Occupations - Service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Healthcare support occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Protective service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Fire fighting and prevention, and other protective service workers including supervisors (%) Most Common Occupations - Law enforcement workers including supervisors (%) Most Common Occupations - Food preparation and serving related occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Personal care and service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Sales and office occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Sales and related occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Office and administrative support occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Construction and extraction occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Production, transportation, and material moving occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Production occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Transportation occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Material moving occupations (%) People in Group quarters - Institutionalized population (%) People in Group quarters - Correctional institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Federal prisons and detention centers (%) People in Group quarters - Halfway houses (%) People in Group quarters - Local jails and other confinement facilities (including police lockups) (%) People in Group quarters - Military disciplinary barracks (%) People in Group quarters - State prisons (%) People in Group quarters - Other types of correctional institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Nursing homes (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals/wards, hospices, and schools for the handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals/wards and hospices for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Hospices or homes for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Military hospitals or wards for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Other hospitals or wards for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals or wards for drug/alcohol abuse (%) People in Group quarters - Mental (Psychiatric) hospitals or wards (%) People in Group quarters - Schools, hospitals, or wards for the mentally retarded (%) People in Group quarters - Schools, hospitals, or wards for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Institutions for the deaf (%) People in Group quarters - Institutions for the blind (%) People in Group quarters - Orthopedic wards and institutions for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Wards in general hospitals for patients who have no usual home elsewhere (%) People in Group quarters - Wards in military hospitals for patients who have no usual home elsewhere (%) People in Group quarters - Juvenile institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Long-term care (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for abused, dependent, and neglected children (%) People in Group quarters - Residential treatment centers for emotionally disturbed children (%) People in Group quarters - Training schools for juvenile delinquents (%) People in Group quarters - Short-term care, detention or diagnostic centers for delinquent children (%) People in Group quarters - Type of juvenile institution unknown (%) People in Group quarters - Noninstitutionalized population (%) People in Group quarters - College dormitories (includes college quarters off campus) (%) People in Group quarters - Military quarters (%) People in Group quarters - On base (%) People in Group quarters - Barracks, unaccompanied personnel housing (UPH), (Enlisted/Officer), ;and similar group living quarters for military personnel (%) People in Group quarters - Transient quarters for temporary residents (%) People in Group quarters - Military ships (%) People in Group quarters - Group homes (%) People in Group quarters - Homes or halfway houses for drug/alcohol abuse (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the mentally ill (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the mentally retarded (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Other group homes (%) People in Group quarters - Religious group quarters (%) People in Group quarters - Dormitories (%) People in Group quarters - Agriculture workers' dormitories on farms (%) People in Group quarters - Job Corps and vocational training facilities (%) People in Group quarters - Other workers' dormitories (%) People in Group quarters - Crews of maritime vessels (%) People in Group quarters - Other nonhousehold living situations (%) People in Group quarters - Other noninstitutional group quarters (%) Residents speaking English at home (%) Residents speaking English at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking English at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking English at home - Foreign born (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Foreign born (%) Residents speaking other language at home (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Foreign born (%) Class of Workers - Employee of private company (%) Class of Workers - Self-employed in own incorporated business (%) Class of Workers - Private not-for-profit wage and salary workers (%) Class of Workers - Local government workers (%) Class of Workers - State government workers (%) Class of Workers - Federal government workers (%) Class of Workers - Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business and Unpaid family workers (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Utility gas (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Bottled, tank, or LP gas (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Electricity (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Coal or coke (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Wood (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Solar energy (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Other fuel (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - No fuel used (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Utility gas (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Bottled, tank, or LP gas (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Electricity (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Coal or coke (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Wood (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Solar energy (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Other fuel (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - No fuel used (%) Armed forces status - In Armed Forces (%) Armed forces status - Civilian (%) Armed forces status - Civilian - Veteran (%) Armed forces status - Civilian - Nonveteran (%) Fatal accidents locations in years 2005-2019 Fatal accidents locations in 2005 Fatal accidents locations in 2006 Fatal accidents locations in 2007 Fatal accidents locations in 2008 Fatal accidents locations in 2009 Fatal accidents locations in 2010 Fatal accidents locations in 2011 Fatal accidents locations in 2012 Fatal accidents locations in 2013 Fatal accidents locations in 2014 Fatal accidents locations in 2015 Fatal accidents locations in 2016 Fatal accidents locations in 2017 Fatal accidents locations in 2018 Fatal accidents locations in 2019 Alcohol use - People drinking some alcohol every month (%) Alcohol use - People not drinking at all (%) Alcohol use - Average days/month drinking alcohol Alcohol use - Average drinks/week Alcohol use - Average days/year people drink much Audiometry - Average condition of hearing (%) Audiometry - People that can hear a whisper from across a quiet room (%) Audiometry - People that can hear normal voice from across a quiet room (%) Audiometry - Ears ringing, roaring, buzzing (%) Audiometry - Had a job exposure to loud noise (%) Audiometry - Had off-work exposure to loud noise (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Has high blood pressure (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Checking blood pressure at home (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Frequently checking blood cholesterol (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Has high cholesterol level (%) Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on food at supermarket/grocery store Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on food at other stores Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on eating out Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on carryout/delivered foods Consumer Behavior - Income spent on food at supermarket/grocery store (%) Consumer Behavior - Income spent on food at other stores (%) Consumer Behavior - Income spent on eating out (%) Consumer Behavior - Income spent on carryout/delivered foods (%) Current Health Status - General health condition (%) Current Health Status - Blood donors (%) Current Health Status - Has blood ever tested for HIV virus (%) Current Health Status - Left-handed people (%) Dermatology - People using sunscreen (%) Diabetes - Diabetics (%) Diabetes - Had a blood test for high blood sugar (%) Diabetes - People taking insulin (%) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Diet health (%) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Milk product consumption (# of products/month) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Meals not home prepared (#/week) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Meals from fast food or pizza place (#/week) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Ready-to-eat foods (#/month) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Frozen meals/pizza (#/month) Drug Use - People that ever used marijuana or hashish (%) Drug Use - Ever used hard drugs (%) Drug Use - Ever used any form of cocaine (%) Drug Use - Ever used heroin (%) Drug Use - Ever used methamphetamine (%) Health Insurance - People covered by health insurance (%) Kidney Conditions-Urology - Avg. # of times urinating at night Medical Conditions - People with asthma (%) Medical Conditions - People with anemia (%) Medical Conditions - People with psoriasis (%) Medical Conditions - People with overweight (%) Medical Conditions - Elderly people having difficulties in thinking or remembering (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever received blood transfusion (%) Medical Conditions - People having trouble seeing even with glass/contacts (%) Medical Conditions - People with arthritis (%) Medical Conditions - People with gout (%) Medical Conditions - People with congestive heart failure (%) Medical Conditions - People with coronary heart disease (%) Medical Conditions - People with angina pectoris (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever had heart attack (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever had stroke (%) Medical Conditions - People with emphysema (%) Medical Conditions - People with thyroid problem (%) Medical Conditions - People with chronic bronchitis (%) Medical Conditions - People with any liver condition (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever had cancer or malignancy (%) Mental Health - People who have little interest in doing things (%) Mental Health - People feeling down, depressed, or hopeless (%) Mental Health - People who have trouble sleeping or sleeping too much (%) Mental Health - People feeling tired or having little energy (%) Mental Health - People with poor appetite or overeating (%) Mental Health - People feeling bad about themself (%) Mental Health - People who have trouble concentrating on things (%) Mental Health - People moving or speaking slowly or too fast (%) Mental Health - People having thoughts they would be better off dead (%) Oral Health - Average years since last visit a dentist Oral Health - People embarrassed because of mouth (%) Oral Health - People with gum disease (%) Oral Health - General health of teeth and gums (%) Oral Health - Average days a week using dental floss/device Oral Health - Average days a week using mouthwash for dental problem Oral Health - Average number of teeth Pesticide Use - Households using pesticides to control insects (%) Pesticide Use - Households using pesticides to kill weeds (%) Physical Activity - People doing vigorous-intensity work activities (%) Physical Activity - People doing moderate-intensity work activities (%) Physical Activity - People walking or bicycling (%) Physical Activity - People doing vigorous-intensity recreational activities (%) Physical Activity - People doing moderate-intensity recreational activities (%) Physical Activity - Average hours a day doing sedentary activities Physical Activity - Average hours a day watching TV or videos Physical Activity - Average hours a day using computer Physical Functioning - People having limitations keeping them from working (%) Physical Functioning - People limited in amount of work they can do (%) Physical Functioning - People that need special equipment to walk (%) Physical Functioning - People experiencing confusion/memory problems (%) Physical Functioning - People requiring special healthcare equipment (%) Prescription Medications - Average number of prescription medicines taking Preventive Aspirin Use - Adults 40+ taking low-dose aspirin (%) Reproductive Health - Vaginal deliveries (%) Reproductive Health - Cesarean deliveries (%) Reproductive Health - Deliveries resulted in a live birth (%) Reproductive Health - Pregnancies resulted in a delivery (%) Reproductive Health - Women breastfeeding newborns (%) Reproductive Health - Women that had a hysterectomy (%) Reproductive Health - Women that had both ovaries removed (%) Reproductive Health - Women that have ever taken birth control pills (%) Reproductive Health - Women taking birth control pills (%) Reproductive Health - Women that have ever used Depo-Provera or injectables (%) Reproductive Health - Women that have ever used female hormones (%) Sexual Behavior - People 18+ that ever had sex (vaginal, anal, or oral) (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever had vaginal sex with a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever performed oral sex on a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever had anal sex with a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever had any sex with a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever had vaginal sex with a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever performed oral sex on a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever had anal sex with a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever had any kind of sex with a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Average age people first had sex Sexual Behavior - Average number of female sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of female vaginal sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average age people first performed oral sex on a woman (18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of woman performed oral sex on in lifetime (18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male anal sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average age people first performed oral sex on a man (18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male oral sex partners in lifetime (18+) Sexual Behavior - People using protection when performing oral sex (%) Sexual Behavior - Average number of times people have vaginal or anal sex a year Sexual Behavior - People having sex without condom (%) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male sex partners in lifetime (females 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male vaginal sex partners in lifetime (females 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of female sex partners in lifetime (females 18+) Sexual Behavior - Circumcised males 18+ (%) Sleep Disorders - Average hours sleeping at night Sleep Disorders - People that has trouble sleeping (%) Smoking-Cigarette Use - People smoking cigarettes (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ having problems with smell (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ having problems with taste (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had wisdom teeth removed (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had tonsils teeth removed (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had a loss of consciousness because of a head injury (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had a broken nose or other serious injury to face or skull (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had two or more sinus infections (%) Weight - Average height (inches) Weight - Average weight (pounds) Weight - Average BMI Weight - People that are obese (%) Weight - People that ever were obese (%) Weight - People trying to lose weight (%) Settings Get link Loading data... Based on 2000-2020 data Loading data...

123 Hide US histogram



9,169 80.4% White alone 1,164 10.2% Hispanic 627 5.5% Asian alone 249 2.2% Two or more races 74 0.6% Black alone 72 0.6% American Indian alone 22 0.2% Native Hawaiian and Other

Pacific Islander alone

Races in Damascus detailed stats: ancestries, foreign born residents, place of birth





According to our research of Oregon and other state lists, there was 1 registered sex offender living in Damascus, Oregon as of November 21, 2021.

The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in Damascus is 11,201 to 1.

The ratio of registered sex offenders to all residents in this city is much lower than the state average.





Ancestries: American (14.3%), German (8.5%), English (8.4%), Welsh (4.3%), Ukrainian (4.2%), European (3.0%).

Current Local Time: PST time zone

Elevation: 527 feet

1,248 residents are foreign born (4.5% Europe, 3.0% Latin America). This city: 11.0% Oregon: 9.9%

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with mortgages in 2019: $4,720 (0.9%)

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with no mortgage in 2019: $3,774 (0.9%)



Latitude: 45.42 N, Longitude: 122.46 W

Area code commonly used in this area: 503

Unemployment in November 2020:

Here: 5.4% Oregon: 5.5%

Air pollution and air quality trends

(lower is better) AQI CO NO 2 SO 2 Ozone PM 2.5 Pb

Air Quality Index (AQI) level in 2018 was 78.8. This is about average. City: 78.8 U.S.: 74.2

Carbon Monoxide (CO) [ppm] level in 2018 was 0.260. This is about average. Closest monitor was 8.9 miles away from the city center. City: 0.260 U.S.: 0.267

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO 2 ) [ppb] level in 2018 was 8.75. This is significantly worse than average. Closest monitor was 8.9 miles away from the city center. City: 8.75 U.S.: 5.56

Sulfur Dioxide (SO 2 ) [ppb] level in 2018 was 0.434. This is significantly better than average. Closest monitor was 8.9 miles away from the city center. City: 0.434 U.S.: 1.789

Ozone [ppb] level in 2018 was 22.2. This is significantly better than average. Closest monitor was 8.2 miles away from the city center. City: 22.2 U.S.: 33.3

Particulate Matter (PM 2.5 ) [g/m3] level in 2018 was 7.18. This is about average. Closest monitor was 8.9 miles away from the city center. City: 7.18 U.S.: 8.46

Lead (Pb) [g/m3] level in 2003 was 0.00810. This is better than average. Closest monitor was 6.8 miles away from the city center. City: 0.00810 U.S.: 0.00984

Earthquake activity: Damascus-area historical earthquake activity is significantly above Oregon state average. It is 1481% greater than the overall U.S. average.



On 4/13/1949 at 19:55:42, a magnitude 7.0 (7.0 UK, Class: Major, Intensity: VIII - XII) earthquake occurred 126.7 miles away from the city center, causing $80,000,000 total damage

On 2/28/2001 at 18:54:32, a magnitude 6.8 (6.5 MB, 6.6 MS, 6.8 MW, Class: Strong, Intensity: VII - IX) earthquake occurred 115.8 miles away from the city center, causing $2,000,000,000 total damage and $305,000,000 insured losses

On 2/28/2001 at 18:54:32, a magnitude 6.8 (6.8 MD, Depth: 32.2 mi) earthquake occurred 120.4 miles away from Damascus center

On 4/29/1965 at 15:28:43, a magnitude 6.6 (6.6 UK) earthquake occurred 131.5 miles away from Damascus center, causing $28,000,000 total damage

On 1/31/1922 at 13:17:28, a magnitude 7.6 (7.6 UK) earthquake occurred 361.8 miles away from Damascus center

On 11/8/1980 at 10:27:34, a magnitude 7.2 (6.2 MB, 7.2 MS, 7.2 MW, 7.0 ML) earthquake occurred 312.0 miles away from Damascus center

Magnitude types: body-wave magnitude (MB), duration magnitude (MD), local magnitude (ML), surface-wave magnitude (MS), moment magnitude (MW)

Natural disasters: The number of natural disasters in Clackamas County (13) is near the US average (15).

Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 11

Emergencies Declared: 1



Causes of natural disasters: Floods: 7, Landslides: 4, Mudslides: 4, Storms: 4, Winter Storms: 4, Snows: 2, Winds: 2, Earthquake: 1, Fire: 1, Heavy Rain: 1, Hurricane: 1, Other: 1 (Note: some incidents may be assigned to more than one category).

Hospitals and medical centers near Damascus: KAISER SUNNYSIDE MEDICAL CENTER Acute Care Hospitals (about 6 miles away; CLACKAMAS, OR)

Acute Care Hospitals PNRS CLACKAMAS KIDNEY CENTER (Dialysis Facility, about 6 miles away; CLACKAMAS, OR)

CARE VISTA (Nursing Home, about 6 miles away; PORTLAND, OR)

HEALTHCARE AT FOSTER CREEK (Nursing Home, about 6 miles away; PORTLAND, OR)

VILLAGE HEALTH CARE (Nursing Home, about 6 miles away; GRESHAM, OR)

REGENCY GRESHAM NURSING AND REHAB CENTER (Nursing Home, about 6 miles away; GRESHAM, OR)

FMC DIALYSIS MT HOOD (Dialysis Facility, about 6 miles away; GRESHAM, OR)

Amtrak stations near Damascus: 8 miles: OREGON CITY (1757 WASHINGTON ST.)

OREGON CITY (1757 WASHINGTON ST.) 14 miles: PORTLAND (800 NW 6TH AVE.) . Services: ticket office, fully wheelchair accessible, enclosed waiting area, public restrooms, public payphones, full-service food facilities, paid short-term parking, paid long-term parking, call for car rental service, taxi stand, intercity bus service, public transit connection.

PORTLAND (800 NW 6TH AVE.) . ticket office, fully wheelchair accessible, enclosed waiting area, public restrooms, public payphones, full-service food facilities, paid short-term parking, paid long-term parking, call for car rental service, taxi stand, intercity bus service, public transit connection. 19 miles: VANCOUVER (FOOT OF W. 11TH ST.) . Services: ticket office, fully wheelchair accessible, enclosed waiting area, public restrooms, public payphones, vending machines, free short-term parking, free long-term parking, call for taxi service.

Clackamas County has a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L (pico curies per liter) - Low Potential

Drinking water stations with addresses in Damascus and their reported violations in the past: EASTMONT WATER COMPANY (Population served: 250, Groundwater): Past health violations: MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In OCT-2012 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif received (NOV-09-2012) , St Public Notif requested (NOV-27-2012) , St Violation/Reminder Notice (DEC-03-2012) , St Compliance achieved (DEC-17-2012)

OCT-2012 Coliform St Public Notif received (NOV-09-2012) St Public Notif requested (NOV-27-2012) St Violation/Reminder Notice (DEC-03-2012) St Compliance achieved (DEC-17-2012) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - Between JUL-2012 and SEP-2012 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif received (SEP-19-2012) , St Public Notif requested (OCT-25-2012) , St Violation/Reminder Notice (OCT-29-2012) , St Compliance achieved (DEC-17-2012)

JUL-2012 SEP-2012 Coliform St Public Notif received (SEP-19-2012) St Public Notif requested (OCT-25-2012) St Violation/Reminder Notice (OCT-29-2012) St Compliance achieved (DEC-17-2012) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - Between JAN-2012 and MAR-2012 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif received (MAR-19-2012) , St Public Notif requested (APR-23-2012) , St Violation/Reminder Notice (APR-30-2012) , St Compliance achieved (JUN-05-2012)

JAN-2012 MAR-2012 Coliform St Public Notif received (MAR-19-2012) St Public Notif requested (APR-23-2012) St Violation/Reminder Notice (APR-30-2012) St Compliance achieved (JUN-05-2012) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In NOV-2009 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (DEC-11-2009) , St Public Notif received (DEC-17-2009) , St Violation/Reminder Notice (DEC-28-2009) , St Compliance achieved (JAN-05-2010)

NOV-2009 Coliform St Public Notif requested (DEC-11-2009) St Public Notif received (DEC-17-2009) St Violation/Reminder Notice (DEC-28-2009) St Compliance achieved (JAN-05-2010) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In OCT-2009 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (NOV-16-2009) , St Violation/Reminder Notice (NOV-23-2009) , St Compliance achieved (JAN-05-2010) , St Public Notif received (MAY-03-2010)

OCT-2009 Coliform St Public Notif requested (NOV-16-2009) St Violation/Reminder Notice (NOV-23-2009) St Compliance achieved (JAN-05-2010) St Public Notif received (MAY-03-2010) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In SEP-2009 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (OCT-14-2009) , St Violation/Reminder Notice (OCT-19-2009) , St Compliance achieved (JAN-05-2010) , St Public Notif received (FEB-17-2010)

SEP-2009 Coliform St Public Notif requested (OCT-14-2009) St Violation/Reminder Notice (OCT-19-2009) St Compliance achieved (JAN-05-2010) St Public Notif received (FEB-17-2010) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In NOV-2007, Contaminant: Coliform. Follow-up actions: St Compliance achieved (DEC-17-2007) Past monitoring violations: 22 regular monitoring violations CARVER MOBILE RANCH (Population served: 110, Groundwater): Past health violations: MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In AUG-2007, Contaminant: Coliform. Follow-up actions: St Compliance achieved (OCT-02-2007) Past monitoring violations: Failure to Conduct Assessment Monitoring - In MAY-2012 , Contaminant: COLIPHAGE . Follow-up actions: St Violation/Reminder Notice (JUN-25-2012)

MAY-2012 COLIPHAGE St Violation/Reminder Notice (JUN-25-2012) Failure to Conduct Assessment Monitoring - In APR-2012 , Contaminant: COLIPHAGE . Follow-up actions: St Violation/Reminder Notice (2 times from MAY-30-2012 to JUN-26-2012)

APR-2012 COLIPHAGE St Violation/Reminder Notice (2 MAY-30-2012 JUN-26-2012) Failure to Conduct Assessment Monitoring - In MAR-2012 , Contaminant: COLIPHAGE . Follow-up actions: St Violation/Reminder Notice (APR-30-2012)

MAR-2012 COLIPHAGE St Violation/Reminder Notice (APR-30-2012) Failure to Conduct Assessment Monitoring - Between JAN-2012 and DEC-2012 , Contaminant: COLIPHAGE . Follow-up actions: St Violation/Reminder Notice (FEB-04-2013), St Compliance achieved (FEB-14-2013)

JAN-2012 DEC-2012 COLIPHAGE St Violation/Reminder Notice (FEB-04-2013), St Compliance achieved (FEB-14-2013) Monitoring and Reporting (DBP) - Between JAN-2005 and DEC-2007 , Contaminant: TTHM . Follow-up actions: St Compliance achieved (DEC-17-2008)

JAN-2005 DEC-2007 TTHM St Compliance achieved (DEC-17-2008) One minor monitoring violation

102 regular monitoring violations

One other older monitoring violation STILL MEADOW (Population served: 40, Groundwater): Past health violations: MCL, Monthly (TCR) - Between APR-2011 and JUN-2011, Contaminant: Coliform. Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (JUL-27-2011), St Violation/Reminder Notice (AUG-01-2011), St Compliance achieved (AUG-23-2011) Past monitoring violations: Monitoring, Source Water (GWR) - In AUG-01-2011 , Contaminant: E. COLI . Follow-up actions: St Violation/Reminder Notice (SEP-26-2011)

AUG-01-2011 E. COLI St Violation/Reminder Notice (SEP-26-2011) 8 routine major monitoring violations

2 regular monitoring violations GREEN TREE MHP (Population served: 30, Groundwater): Past health violations: MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In APR-2013 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (APR-25-2013) , St Public Notif received (APR-30-2013) , St Compliance achieved (JUN-26-2013)

APR-2013 Coliform St Public Notif requested (APR-25-2013) St Public Notif received (APR-30-2013) St Compliance achieved (JUN-26-2013) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In DEC-2012 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Violation/Reminder Notice (DEC-31-2012) , St Public Notif requested (DEC-31-2012) , St Public Notif received (FEB-04-2013) , St Violation/Reminder Notice (FEB-04-2013) , St Compliance achieved (FEB-27-2013)

DEC-2012 Coliform St Violation/Reminder Notice (DEC-31-2012) St Public Notif requested (DEC-31-2012) St Public Notif received (FEB-04-2013) St Violation/Reminder Notice (FEB-04-2013) St Compliance achieved (FEB-27-2013) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In MAY-2012 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif received (MAY-31-2012) , St Public Notif requested (JUN-19-2012) , St Violation/Reminder Notice (JUN-25-2012) , St Compliance achieved (OCT-16-2012)

MAY-2012 Coliform St Public Notif received (MAY-31-2012) St Public Notif requested (JUN-19-2012) St Violation/Reminder Notice (JUN-25-2012) St Compliance achieved (OCT-16-2012) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In JAN-2011 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (FEB-17-2011) , St Violation/Reminder Notice (FEB-22-2011) , St Compliance achieved (FEB-23-2011)

JAN-2011 Coliform St Public Notif requested (FEB-17-2011) St Violation/Reminder Notice (FEB-22-2011) St Compliance achieved (FEB-23-2011) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In DEC-2010 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Compliance achieved (JAN-18-2011) , St Public Notif requested (JAN-20-2011) , St Public Notif received (JAN-21-2011) , St Violation/Reminder Notice (JAN-24-2011)

DEC-2010 Coliform St Compliance achieved (JAN-18-2011) St Public Notif requested (JAN-20-2011) St Public Notif received (JAN-21-2011) St Violation/Reminder Notice (JAN-24-2011) MCL, Acute (TCR) - In DEC-2006 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Compliance achieved (JUN-18-2007)

DEC-2006 Coliform St Compliance achieved (JUN-18-2007) 2 other older health violations Past monitoring violations: Monitoring, Source Water (GWR) - In JAN-01-2011 , Contaminant: E. COLI . Follow-up actions: St Violation/Reminder Notice (FEB-22-2011), St Compliance achieved (MAY-18-2012)

JAN-01-2011 E. COLI St Violation/Reminder Notice (FEB-22-2011), St Compliance achieved (MAY-18-2012) Monitoring, Repeat Major (TCR) - In APR-2005 , Contaminant: Coliform (TCR) . Follow-up actions: St Compliance achieved (MAY-03-2005)

APR-2005 Coliform (TCR) St Compliance achieved (MAY-03-2005) 2 minor monitoring violations EASTMONT WATER COMPANY (250Groundwater):CARVER MOBILE RANCH (110Groundwater):STILL MEADOW (40Groundwater):GREEN TREE MHP (30Groundwater):

Average household size: This city: 2.9 people Oregon: 2.5 people

Percentage of family households: This city: 82.4% Whole state: 63.4%

Percentage of households with unmarried partners: This city: 4.9% Whole state: 8.0%



Likely homosexual households (counted as self-reported same-sex unmarried-partner households) Lesbian couples: 0.5% of all households

0.5% Gay men: 0.4% of all households

People in group quarters in Damascus in 2010: 17 people in group homes intended for adults

8 people in group homes for juveniles (non-correctional)

5 people in residential treatment centers for adults

Banks with branches in Damascus (2011 data): KeyBank National Association: Damascus Branch at 19830 S.E. Highway 212, branch established on 1974/05/31. Info updated 2008/03/03: Bank assets: $86,198.8 mil, Deposits: $64,214.8 mil, headquarters in Cleveland, OH, positive income, Commercial Lending Specialization, 1067 total offices, Holding Company: Keycorp

For population 15 years and over in Damascus: Never married: 29.1%

29.1% Now married: 56.1%

56.1% Separated: 0.5%

0.5% Widowed: 6.6%

6.6% Divorced: 7.7%

For population 25 years and over in Damascus: High school or higher: 96.2%

96.2% Bachelor's degree or higher: 28.9%

28.9% Graduate or professional degree: 10.6%

10.6% Mean travel time to work (commute): 31.0 minutes

Education Gini index (Inequality in education) Here: 8.6 Oregon average: 11.2



Religion statistics for Damascus, OR (based on Clackamas County data) Religion Adherents Congregations Evangelical Protestant 49,829 194 Catholic 27,128 13 Other 15,447 51 Mainline Protestant 15,118 49 Orthodox 2,275 5 None 266,195 - Source: Clifford Grammich, Kirk Hadaway, Richard Houseal, Dale E.Jones, Alexei Krindatch, Richie Stanley and Richard H.Taylor. 2012. 2010 U.S.Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Jones, Dale E., et al. 2002. Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center. Graphs represent county-level data

Food Environment Statistics: Number of grocery stores: 56 Clackamas County : 1.49 / 10,000 pop. Oregon : 2.03 / 10,000 pop. Number of supercenters and club stores: 10 Here : 0.27 / 10,000 pop. Oregon : 0.33 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (no gas): 55 This county : 1.47 / 10,000 pop. State : 2.01 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (with gas): 59 Here : 1.57 / 10,000 pop. Oregon : 1.69 / 10,000 pop. Number of full-service restaurants: 284 Clackamas County : 7.57 / 10,000 pop. Oregon : 9.93 / 10,000 pop. Adult diabetes rate: This county : 6.9% State : 7.4% Adult obesity rate: Clackamas County : 25.7% State : 25.6% Low-income preschool obesity rate: Clackamas County : 13.5% Oregon : 14.2%

Local government employment and payroll (March 2017) Function Full-time employees Monthly full-time payroll Average yearly full-time wage Part-time employees Monthly part-time payroll Other and Unallocable 0 $0 0 $0 Totals for Government 0 $0 0 $0

Expenditure Revenue Damascus government finances - Expenditure in 2017 (per resident): Construction - Regular Highways: $25,000 ($2.30)

$25,000 ($2.30) Current Operations - Central Staff Services: $2,158,000 ($198.11) Financial Administration: $257,000 ($23.59) Judicial and Legal Services: $215,000 ($19.74) Regular Highways: $96,000 ($8.81) Solid Waste Management: $15,000 ($1.38) Natural Resources - Other: $13,000 ($1.19)

$2,158,000 ($198.11) Intergovernmental to Local - Other - Police Protection: $1,054,000 ($96.76) Other - General - Other: $47,000 ($4.31) Other - Central Staff Services: $15,000 ($1.38) Other - Regular Highways: $6,000 ($0.55) Other - Judicial and Legal Services: $4,000 ($0.37) Other - Solid Waste Management: $2,000 ($0.18)

$1,054,000 ($96.76) Intergovernmental to State - Judicial and Legal Services: $17,000 ($1.56)

$17,000 ($1.56) Other Capital Outlay - Parks and Recreation: $520,000 ($47.74) Central Staff Services: $5,000 ($0.46)

$520,000 ($47.74) Total Salaries and Wages: $973,000 ($89.32) Damascus government finances - Revenue in 2017 (per resident): Local Intergovernmental - Other: $520,000 ($47.74) General Local Government Support: $102,000 ($9.36) Housing and Community Development: $13,000 ($1.19)

$520,000 ($47.74) Miscellaneous - Fines and Forfeits: $282,000 ($25.89) General Revenue - Other: $87,000 ($7.99) Interest Earnings: $54,000 ($4.96)

$282,000 ($25.89) State Intergovernmental - Highways: $556,000 ($51.04) General Local Government Support: $220,000 ($20.20) Housing and Community Development: $14,000 ($1.29)

$556,000 ($51.04) Tax - Property: $3,698,000 ($339.48) Public Utilities Sales: $441,000 ($40.48) Damascus government finances - Cash and Securities in 2017 (per resident): Other Funds - Cash and Securities: $5,911,000 ($542.64)

9.53% of this county's 2016 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2015 ($71,396 average adjusted gross income) Here: 9.53% Oregon average: 8.52% 0.04% of residents moved from foreign countries ($513 average AGI) Clackamas County: 0.04% Oregon average: 0.05%

Top counties from which taxpayers relocated into this county between 2015 and 2016:

from Multnomah County, OR 3.47% ($63,680 average AGI) from Washington County, OR 1.41% ($87,030) from Marion County, OR 0.38% ($58,661)



8.21% of this county's 2015 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2016 ($61,459 average adjusted gross income) Here: 8.21% Oregon average: 7.23% 0.05% of residents moved to foreign countries ($560 average AGI) Clackamas County: 0.05% Oregon average: 0.06%

Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2015 and 2016:

to Multnomah County, OR 2.52% ($49,893 average AGI) to Washington County, OR 1.34% ($62,985) to Marion County, OR 0.60% ($50,893)

Businesses in Damascus, OR Name Count Name Count Curves 1 Subway 1 Dairy Queen 1 U-Haul 1 Starbucks 1 Vons 1

Strongest AM radio stations in Damascus: KXL (750 AM; 50 kW; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: ROSE CITY RADIO CORPORATION)

ROSE CITY RADIO CORPORATION) KPOJ (620 AM; 50 kW; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: CITICASTERS LICENSES, L.P.)

CITICASTERS LICENSES, L.P.) KEX (1190 AM; 50 kW; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: CITICASTERS LICENSES, L.P.)

CITICASTERS LICENSES, L.P.) KKSN (1520 AM; 50 kW; OREGON CITY, OR; Owner: ENTERCOM PORTLAND LICENSE, LLC)

ENTERCOM PORTLAND LICENSE, LLC) KOTK (1080 AM; 50 kW; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: FISHER BROADCASTING - PORTLAND RADIO, L.L.C.)

FISHER BROADCASTING - PORTLAND RADIO, L.L.C.) KDZR (1640 AM; 10 kW; LAKE OSWEGO, OR; Owner: ABC, INC.)

ABC, INC.) KKSL (1290 AM; 10 kW; LAKE OSWEGO, OR; Owner: ABC, INC.)

ABC, INC.) KPAM (860 AM; 50 kW; TROUTDALE, OR; Owner: PAMPLIN BROADCASTING-OREGON, INC.)

PAMPLIN BROADCASTING-OREGON, INC.) KGUY (1010 AM; daytime; 5 kW; MILWAUKIE, OR; Owner: NORTHWEST RADIO BROADCASTING COMPANY)

NORTHWEST RADIO BROADCASTING COMPANY) KKPZ (1330 AM; 5 kW; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: KPHP RADIO, INC.)

KPHP RADIO, INC.) KKAD (1550 AM; 50 kW; VANCOUVER, WA; Owner: PAMPLIN BROADCASTING-WASHINGTON, INC)

PAMPLIN BROADCASTING-WASHINGTON, INC) KFXX (910 AM; 10 kW; VANCOUVER, WA; Owner: ENTERCOM PORTLAND LICENSE, LLC (DE))

ENTERCOM PORTLAND LICENSE, LLC (DE)) KBNP (1410 AM; 5 kW; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: KBNP RADIO, INC.) Strongest FM radio stations in Damascus: K242AF (96.3 FM; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: EDUCATIONAL MEDIA FOUNDATION)

EDUCATIONAL MEDIA FOUNDATION) K274AR (102.7 FM; GRESHAM, OR; Owner: EDUCATIONAL MEDIA FOUNDATION)

EDUCATIONAL MEDIA FOUNDATION) KNRK (94.7 FM; CAMAS, WA; Owner: ENTERCOM PORTLAND LICENSE, LLC (DE))

ENTERCOM PORTLAND LICENSE, LLC (DE)) KGON (92.3 FM; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: ENTERCOM PORTLAND LICENSE, LLC (DE))

ENTERCOM PORTLAND LICENSE, LLC (DE)) KKSN-FM (97.1 FM; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: ENTERCOM PORTLAND LICENSE, LLC (DE))

ENTERCOM PORTLAND LICENSE, LLC (DE)) KXJM (95.5 FM; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: ROSE CITY RADIO CORPORATION)

ROSE CITY RADIO CORPORATION) KFIS (104.1 FM; SCAPPOOSE, OR; Owner: CARON BROADCASTING, INC.)

CARON BROADCASTING, INC.) KBOO (90.7 FM; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: THE KBOO FOUNDATION)

THE KBOO FOUNDATION) KWJJ-FM (99.5 FM; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: FISHER BROADCASTING - PORTLAND RADIO, L.L.C.)

FISHER BROADCASTING - PORTLAND RADIO, L.L.C.) KINK (101.9 FM; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: INFINITY RADIO OPERATIONS INC.)

INFINITY RADIO OPERATIONS INC.) KKCW (103.3 FM; BEAVERTON, OR; Owner: CITICASTERS LICENSES, L.P.)

CITICASTERS LICENSES, L.P.) KRRC (104.1 FM; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: THE REED INSTITUTE)

THE REED INSTITUTE) KOPB-FM (91.5 FM; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: OREGON PUBLIC BROADCASTING)

OREGON PUBLIC BROADCASTING) KUFO-FM (101.1 FM; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: INFINITY RADIO OPERATIONS INC.)

INFINITY RADIO OPERATIONS INC.) KMHD (89.1 FM; GRESHAM, OR; Owner: MT. HOOD COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT)

MT. HOOD COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT) KVMX (107.5 FM; BANKS, OR; Owner: INFINITY RADIO OPERATIONS INC.)

INFINITY RADIO OPERATIONS INC.) KLTH (106.7 FM; LAKE OSWEGO, OR; Owner: INIFINITY RADIO OF PORTLAND INC.)

INIFINITY RADIO OF PORTLAND INC.) KUPL-FM (98.7 FM; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: INFINITY RADIO OF PORTLAND INC.)

INFINITY RADIO OF PORTLAND INC.) KPDQ-FM (93.7 FM; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: SALEM MEDIA OF OREGON, INC.)

SALEM MEDIA OF OREGON, INC.) KKRZ (100.3 FM; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: CITICASTERS LICENSES, L.P.) TV broadcast stations around Damascus: KATU ( Channel 2; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: FISHER BROADCASTING - PORTLAND TV, L.L.C.)

2; PORTLAND, OR; FISHER BROADCASTING - PORTLAND TV, L.L.C.) KPDX ( Channel 49; VANCOUVER, WA; Owner: MEREDITH CORPORATION)

49; VANCOUVER, WA; MEREDITH CORPORATION) KOIN ( Channel 6; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: EMMIS TELEVISION LICENSE CORPORATION)

6; PORTLAND, OR; EMMIS TELEVISION LICENSE CORPORATION) KPTV ( Channel 12; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: MEREDITH CORPORATION)

12; PORTLAND, OR; MEREDITH CORPORATION) KNMT ( Channel 24; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: NATIONAL MINORITY T.V., INC.)

24; PORTLAND, OR; NATIONAL MINORITY T.V., INC.) K57IF ( Channel 57; SALEM, OR; Owner: LaGRANDE BROADCASTING, INC.)

57; SALEM, OR; LaGRANDE BROADCASTING, INC.) KGW ( Channel 8; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: KING BROADCASTING COMPANY)

8; PORTLAND, OR; KING BROADCASTING COMPANY) KOPB-TV ( Channel 10; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: OREGON PUBLIC BROADCASTING)

10; PORTLAND, OR; OREGON PUBLIC BROADCASTING) KPXG-LP ( Channel 54; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: PAXSON COMMUNICATIONS LICENSE COMPANY, LLC)

54; PORTLAND, OR; PAXSON COMMUNICATIONS LICENSE COMPANY, LLC) K58CO ( Channel 58; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN BROADCASTING)

58; PORTLAND, OR; NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN BROADCASTING) K14HN ( Channel 14; VANCOUVER/CAMAS, WA; Owner: MEREDITH CORPORATION)

14; VANCOUVER/CAMAS, WA; MEREDITH CORPORATION) K16CB ( Channel 16; HAPPY VALLEY, OR; Owner: MEREDITH CORPORATION)

16; HAPPY VALLEY, OR; MEREDITH CORPORATION) KWBP-LP ( Channel 4; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: TRIBUNE BROADCASTING HOLDINGS, INC.)

4; PORTLAND, OR; TRIBUNE BROADCASTING HOLDINGS, INC.) KWBP ( Channel 32; SALEM, OR; Owner: TRIBUNE BROADCAST HOLDINGS, INC.)

32; SALEM, OR; TRIBUNE BROADCAST HOLDINGS, INC.) KKEI-CA ( Channel 56; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: WATCHTV, INC.)

56; PORTLAND, OR; WATCHTV, INC.) KPXG ( Channel 22; SALEM, OR; Owner: PAXSON SALEM LICENSE, INC.)

22; SALEM, OR; PAXSON SALEM LICENSE, INC.) K18EL ( Channel 18; NEWBERG/TIGARD, OR; Owner: MEREDITH CORPORATION)

18; NEWBERG/TIGARD, OR; MEREDITH CORPORATION) KORK-CA (Channel 35; PORTLAND, OR; Owner: WATCHTV, INC.)

National Bridge Inventory (NBI) Statistics

18 Number of bridges

Number of bridges 207ft / 63.1m Total length

Total length $2,375,000 Total costs

Total costs 164,452 Total average daily traffic

Total average daily traffic 10,538 Total average daily truck traffic

Total average daily truck traffic 155,314 Total future (year 2030) average daily traffic

New bridges - historical statistics

1 1940-1949

3 1950-1959

4 1960-1969

5 1970-1979

4 2000-2009

1 2010-2018 See full National Bridge Inventory statistics for Damascus, OR

2006 - 2018 National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) incidents Based on the data from the years 2006 - 2018 the average number of fire incidents per year is 28. The highest number of reported fire incidents - 48 took place in 2015, and the least - 5 in 2006. The data has a rising trend.



Fire incident types reported to NFIRS in Damascus, OR



148 40.8% Structure Fires



142 39.1% Outside Fires



64 17.6% Mobile Property/Vehicle Fires



9 2.5% Other When looking into fire subcategories, the most incidents belonged to: Structure Fires (40.8%), and Outside Fires (39.1%). See full National Fire Incident Reporting System statistics for Damascus, OR

Houses and condos Apartments 55.2% Utility gas

35.0% Electricity

5.3% Wood

2.3% Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.

1.5% Other fuel

0.4% No fuel used

0.3% Bottled, tank, or LP gas 51.6% Electricity

42.8% Utility gas

5.6% Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.





Damascus compared to Oregon state average: Unemployed percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Black race population percentage below state average.

below Median age above state average.

above Renting percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Number of rooms per house above state average.

Damascus on our top lists: #47 on the list of "Top 101 cities with largest percentage of females in industries: management of companies and enterprises (population 5,000+)" #27 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the highest percentage of residents that exercised in the past month"

#31 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the highest surface withdrawal of fresh water for public supply"

#44 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the highest total withdrawal of fresh water for public supply"

#48 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the highest percentage of residents that keep firearms around their homes"

#78 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the lowest number of births per 1000 residents 2007-2013"

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Fairfield, Vermont

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Population in 2010: 1,891.

Population change since 2000: +5.1%

1,891.+5.1%

Males: 977 (51.7%) Females: 914 (48.3%)

Median resident age: 40.0 years Vermont median age: 45.8 years

Zip codes: 05455.

Estimated median household income in 2019: $70,662 (it was $44,219 in 2000)

Fairfield: $70,662 VT: $63,001

Estimated per capita income in 2019: $31,290 (it was $17,307 in 2000)



Fairfield town income, earnings, and wages data



Estimated median house or condo value in 2019: $219,649 (it was $99,100 in 2000) Fairfield: $219,649 VT: $233,200

Mean prices in 2019: all housing units: $251,617; detached houses: $262,832; townhouses or other attached units: $289,978; in 2-unit structures: $198,676; in 3-to-4-unit structures: $225,765; in 5-or-more-unit structures: $213,109; mobile homes: $119,051 $70,662 ($44,219$31,290 ($17,307$219,649 ($99,100$251,617;$262,832;$289,978;$198,676;$225,765;$213,109;$119,051

March 2019 cost of living index in Fairfield: 98.1 (near average, U.S. average is 100)

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1,810 95.7% White alone 36 1.9% Hispanic 26 1.4% Two or more races 11 0.6% American Indian alone 4 0.2% Black alone 4 0.2% Asian alone

Races in Fairfield detailed stats: ancestries, foreign born residents, place of birth





According to our research of Vermont and other state lists, there were 4 registered sex offenders living in Fairfield, Vermont as of November 21, 2021.

The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in Fairfield is 473 to 1.

The ratio of registered sex offenders to all residents in this city is near the state average.







Latest news from Fairfield, VT collected exclusively by city-data.com from local newspapers, TV, and radio stations

Ancestries: United States (19.8%), French (16.4%), English (14.6%), French Canadian (13.0%), Irish (12.5%), German (6.1%).

Current Local Time: EST time zone

Elevation: 509 feet

Land area: 67.8 square miles. Population density: 28 people per square mile (very low).

51 residents are foreign born (1.8% North America, 0.9% Europe). This town: 2.8% Vermont: 3.8%

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units in 2000: Fairfield town: 1.8% ($1,786) Vermont: 2.0% ($2,196)

Latitude: 44.81 N, Longitude: 72.93 W

Area code commonly used in this area: 802

Single-family new house construction building permits: 1997: 5 buildings , average cost: $87,400

5 $87,400 1998: 9 buildings , average cost: $87,400

9 $87,400 1999: 11 buildings , average cost: $87,400

11 $87,400 2000: 8 buildings , average cost: $87,400

8 $87,400 2001: 10 buildings , average cost: $87,400

10 $87,400 2002: 9 buildings , average cost: $130,700

9 $130,700 2003: 9 buildings , average cost: $125,900

9 $125,900 2004: 11 buildings , average cost: $127,200

11 $127,200 2005: 10 buildings , average cost: $150,200

10 $150,200 2006: 9 buildings , average cost: $150,200

9 $150,200 2007: 7 buildings , average cost: $150,200

7 $150,200 2008: 6 buildings , average cost: $150,200

6 $150,200 2009: 10 buildings , average cost: $200,000

10 $200,000 2010: 10 buildings , average cost: $200,000

10 $200,000 2011: 1 building , cost: $220,300

1 $220,300 2012: 1 building , cost: $220,300

1 $220,300 2013: 1 building , cost: $220,300

1 $220,300 2014: 6 buildings , average cost: $241,400

6 $241,400 2015: 5 buildings , average cost: $241,400

5 $241,400 2016: 6 buildings , average cost: $241,400

6 $241,400 2017: 6 buildings , average cost: $241,400

6 $241,400 2018: 6 buildings , average cost: $241,400

6 $241,400 2019: 11 buildings, average cost: $262,400

Unemployment in November 2020:

Here: 2.2% Vermont: 2.8%

Population change in the 1990s: +66 (+3.8%).

Most common industries in Fairfield, VT (%) Both Males Females

Agriculture, forestry, fishing & hunting (13.4%)

Health care (8.2%)

Educational services (8.1%)

Computer & electronic products (5.9%)

Construction (5.2%)

Professional, scientific, technical services (4.4%)

Food (4.3%)

Agriculture, forestry, fishing & hunting (20.1%)

Construction (9.4%)

Computer & electronic products (7.6%)

Food (4.7%)

Motor vehicle & parts dealers (4.5%)

Health care (4.5%)

Educational services (3.7%)

Educational services (12.9%)

Health care (12.2%)

Public administration (6.8%)

Agriculture, forestry, fishing & hunting (6.1%)

Professional, scientific, technical services (6.1%)

Social assistance (5.0%)

Accommodation & food services (4.3%) Most common occupations in Fairfield, VT (%) Both Males Females

Farmers and farm managers (7.8%)

Other production occupations, including supervisors (6.2%)

Agricultural workers, including supervisors (4.8%)

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers (3.7%)

Other office and administrative support workers, including supervisors (3.7%)

Other sales and related occupations, including supervisors (3.5%)

Material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing workers (2.8%)

Farmers and farm managers (11.9%)

Other production occupations, including supervisors (7.2%)

Agricultural workers, including supervisors (7.2%)

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers (6.1%)

Other sales and related occupations, including supervisors (4.9%)

Electrical equipment mechanics and other installation, maintenance, and repair workers, including supervisors (4.1%)

Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers (3.7%)

Other office and administrative support workers, including supervisors (6.3%)

Other production occupations, including supervisors (5.2%)

Secretaries and administrative assistants (4.5%)

Other teachers, instructors, education, training, and library occupations (3.8%)

Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks (3.8%)

Counselors, social workers, and other community and social service specialists (3.8%)

Farmers and farm managers (3.4%)

Average climate in Fairfield, Vermont Based on data reported by over 4,000 weather stations

Air pollution and air quality trends

(lower is better) AQI CO SO 2 Ozone PM 2.5

Air Quality Index (AQI) level in 2018 was 53.2. This is better than average. City: 53.2 U.S.: 74.2

Carbon Monoxide (CO) [ppm] level in 2018 was 0.100. This is significantly better than average. Closest monitor was 20.0 miles away from the city center. City: 0.100 U.S.: 0.267

Sulfur Dioxide (SO 2 ) [ppb] level in 2018 was 0.180. This is significantly better than average. Closest monitor was 20.0 miles away from the city center. City: 0.180 U.S.: 1.789

Ozone [ppb] level in 2018 was 34.3. This is about average. Closest monitor was 20.0 miles away from the city center. City: 34.3 U.S.: 33.3

Particulate Matter (PM 2.5 ) [g/m3] level in 2018 was 4.82. This is significantly better than average. Closest monitor was 20.0 miles away from the city center. City: 4.82 U.S.: 8.46

Earthquake activity: Fairfield-area historical earthquake activity is significantly above Vermont state average. It is 77% smaller than the overall U.S. average.



On 4/20/2002 at 10:50:47, a magnitude 5.3 (5.3 ML, Depth: 3.0 mi, Class: Moderate, Intensity: VI - VII) earthquake occurred 43.3 miles away from Fairfield center

On 4/20/2002 at 10:50:47, a magnitude 5.2 (5.2 MB, 4.2 MS, 5.2 MW, 5.0 MW) earthquake occurred 45.1 miles away from the city center

On 10/7/1983 at 10:18:46, a magnitude 5.3 (5.1 MB, 5.3 LG, 5.1 ML) earthquake occurred 91.9 miles away from Fairfield center

On 1/19/1982 at 00:14:42, a magnitude 4.7 (4.5 MB, 4.7 MD, 4.5 LG, Class: Light, Intensity: IV - V) earthquake occurred 112.2 miles away from the city center

On 10/16/2012 at 23:12:25, a magnitude 4.7 (4.7 ML, Depth: 10.0 mi) earthquake occurred 140.6 miles away from Fairfield center

On 6/16/1995 at 12:13:11, a magnitude 3.8 (3.8 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi, Class: Light, Intensity: II - III) earthquake occurred 61.8 miles away from Fairfield center

Magnitude types: regional Lg-wave magnitude (LG), body-wave magnitude (MB), duration magnitude (MD), local magnitude (ML), surface-wave magnitude (MS), moment magnitude (MW)

Natural disasters: The number of natural disasters in Franklin County (23) is greater than the US average (15).

Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 19

Emergencies Declared: 1



Causes of natural disasters: Floods: 16, Storms: 15, Winds: 2, Winter Storms: 2, Heavy Rain: 1, Hurricane: 1, Ice Storm: 1, Landslide: 1, Snow: 1, Tropical Storm: 1, Other: 1 (Note: some incidents may be assigned to more than one category).

Hospitals and medical centers near Fairfield: SAINT ALBANS HEALTHCARE AND REHABILITATION CENTER (Nursing Home, about 8 miles away; SAINT ALBANS, VT)

FLETCHER ALLEN HEALTHCARE - ST. ALBANS SATELLITE (Dialysis Facility, about 8 miles away; SAINT ALBANS, VT)

NORTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER INC Acute Care Hospitals (about 8 miles away; SAINT ALBANS, VT)

Acute Care Hospitals REDSTONE VILLA (Nursing Home, about 8 miles away; ST ALBANS, VT)

FRANKLIN COUNTY REHAB CENTER LLC (Nursing Home, about 9 miles away; ST ALBANS, VT)

Amtrak station near Fairfield: 8 miles: ST. ALBANS (40 FEDERAL ST.) . Services: ticket office, partially wheelchair accessible, enclosed waiting area, public restrooms, public payphones, full-service food facilities, ATM, free short-term parking, free long-term parking, call for car rental service.

Colleges/universities with over 2000 students nearest to Fairfield: Saint Michael's College ( about 26 miles; Colchester, VT ; Full-time enrollment: 2,336)

26 ; 2,336) Community College of Vermont ( about 26 miles; Winooski, VT ; FT enrollment: 3,394)

26 ; 3,394) University of Vermont ( about 27 miles; Burlington, VT ; FT enrollment: 11,566)

27 ; 11,566) Champlain College ( about 28 miles; Burlington, VT ; FT enrollment: 2,623)

28 ; 2,623) SUNY College at Plattsburgh ( about 28 miles; Plattsburgh, NY ; FT enrollment: 5,934)

28 ; 5,934) Norwich University ( about 49 miles; Northfield, VT ; FT enrollment: 4,221)

49 ; 4,221) Middlebury College (about 58 miles; Middlebury, VT; FT enrollment: 3,077) Public elementary/middle school in Fairfield: FAIRFIELD CENTER SCHOOL (Students: 279, Location: 57 PARK STREET, Grades: PK-8) See full list of schools located in Fairfield

Library in Fairfield: BENT NORTHRUP MEMORIAL (Operating income: $52,184; Location: 57 PARK ST.; 13,763 books; 166 audio materials; 231 video materials; 26 print serial subscriptions)

Birthplace of: Chester A. Arthur - (1830-1886), Consuelo N. Bailey - Politician.

Franklin County has a predicted average indoor radon screening level between 2 and 4 pCi/L (pico curies per liter) - Moderate Potential

Drinking water stations with addresses in Fairfield and their reported violations in the past: FAIRFIELD FIRE DISTRICT 2 (Address: 693 CHURCH RD Population served: 126, Groundwater): Past monitoring violations: Monitoring, Repeat Major (TCR) - In JUL-2010 , Contaminant: Coliform (TCR) . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (SEP-14-2010), St Formal NOV issued (SEP-14-2010), St Public Notif received (JUN-27-2011), St Compliance achieved (FEB-08-2012)

JUL-2010 Coliform (TCR) St Public Notif requested (SEP-14-2010), St Formal NOV issued (SEP-14-2010), St Public Notif received (JUN-27-2011), St Compliance achieved (FEB-08-2012) Monitoring and Reporting (DBP) - Between JUL-2010 and SEP-2010 , Contaminant: Chlorine . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (OCT-07-2010), St Formal NOV issued (OCT-07-2010), St Public Notif received (JUN-27-2011), St Compliance achieved (NOV-08-2012)

JUL-2010 SEP-2010 Chlorine St Public Notif requested (OCT-07-2010), St Formal NOV issued (OCT-07-2010), St Public Notif received (JUN-27-2011), St Compliance achieved (NOV-08-2012) Follow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R - In OCT-01-2008 , Contaminant: Lead and Copper Rule . Follow-up actions: St Formal NOV issued (DEC-08-2008), St Tech Assistance Visit (DEC-08-2008), St Other (DEC-08-2008), St Public Notif requested (DEC-08-2008), St Public Notif received (SEP-22-2009), St Compliance achieved (APR-26-2011)

OCT-01-2008 Lead and Copper Rule St Formal NOV issued (DEC-08-2008), St Tech Assistance Visit (DEC-08-2008), St Other (DEC-08-2008), St Public Notif requested (DEC-08-2008), St Public Notif received (SEP-22-2009), St Compliance achieved (APR-26-2011) Monitoring, Repeat Major (TCR) - In MAR-2006 , Contaminant: Coliform (TCR) . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (JUN-12-2006), St Formal NOV issued (JUN-12-2006), St Public Notif received (JUL-02-2007), St Compliance achieved (JAN-29-2010)

MAR-2006 Coliform (TCR) St Public Notif requested (JUN-12-2006), St Formal NOV issued (JUN-12-2006), St Public Notif received (JUL-02-2007), St Compliance achieved (JAN-29-2010) Follow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R - In JAN-01-1997 , Contaminant: Lead and Copper Rule . Follow-up actions: St Violation/Reminder Notice (JUL-01-1997), St Compliance achieved (APR-26-2011)

JAN-01-1997 Lead and Copper Rule St Violation/Reminder Notice (JUL-01-1997), St Compliance achieved (APR-26-2011) One minor monitoring violation FAIRFIELD FIRE DISTRICT 2 (693 CHURCH RD 126Groundwater):

Average household size: This town: 2.6 people Vermont: 2.3 people

Percentage of family households: This town: 72.4% Whole state: 62.5%

Percentage of households with unmarried partners: This town: 9.5% Whole state: 9.2%



Likely homosexual households (counted as self-reported same-sex unmarried-partner households) Lesbian couples: 0.3% of all households

0.3% Gay men: 0.7% of all households Residents with income below the poverty level in 2009:

This town: 9.3% Whole state: 9.4% Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level in 2009:

This town: 3.3% Whole state: 3.6%

For population 15 years and over in Fairfield: Never married: 25.3%

25.3% Now married: 61.3%

61.3% Separated: 1.9%

1.9% Widowed: 4.2%

4.2% Divorced: 7.3%

For population 25 years and over in Fairfield: High school or higher: 84.2%

84.2% Bachelor's degree or higher: 16.8%

16.8% Graduate or professional degree: 3.0%

3.0% Unemployed: 3.8%

3.8% Mean travel time to work (commute): 32.0 minutes

Education Gini index (Inequality in education) Here: 10.8 Vermont average: 11.7



Religion statistics for Fairfield, VT (based on Franklin County data) Religion Adherents Congregations Catholic 16,526 15 Mainline Protestant 3,085 28 Evangelical Protestant 874 8 Other 216 3 Orthodox - - None 27,045 - Source: Clifford Grammich, Kirk Hadaway, Richard Houseal, Dale E.Jones, Alexei Krindatch, Richie Stanley and Richard H.Taylor. 2012. 2010 U.S.Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Jones, Dale E., et al. 2002. Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center. Graphs represent county-level data

Food Environment Statistics: Number of grocery stores: 17 Franklin County : 3.55 / 10,000 pop. Vermont : 3.84 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (no gas): 8 This county : 1.67 / 10,000 pop. Vermont : 1.95 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (with gas): 37 Franklin County : 7.74 / 10,000 pop. State : 6.40 / 10,000 pop. Number of full-service restaurants: 35 This county : 7.32 / 10,000 pop. Vermont : 11.52 / 10,000 pop. Adult diabetes rate: Franklin County : 7.3% Vermont : 6.8% Adult obesity rate: Franklin County : 26.4% Vermont : 22.3% Low-income preschool obesity rate: Franklin County : 15.2% Vermont : 13.3%

5.16% of this county's 2016 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2015 ($44,911 average adjusted gross income) Here: 5.16% Vermont average: 5.96% 10 or fewer of this county's residents moved from foreign countries between 2015 and 2016.

Top counties from which taxpayers relocated into this county between 2015 and 2016:

from Chittenden County, VT 2.40% ($46,006 average AGI) from Lamoille County, VT 0.31% ($37,159) from Grand Isle County, VT 0.25% ($32,000)



5.55% of this county's 2015 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2016 ($43,443 average adjusted gross income) Here: 5.55% Vermont average: 6.30% 10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries between 2015 and 2016.

Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2015 and 2016:

to Chittenden County, VT 2.00% ($44,687 average AGI) to Grand Isle County, VT 0.30% ($37,823) to Lamoille County, VT 0.29% ($37,533)

Strongest AM radio stations in Fairfield: WCHP (760 AM; 35 kW; CHAMPLAIN, NY; Owner: CHAMPLAIN RADIO, INC.)

CHAMPLAIN RADIO, INC.) WVMT (620 AM; 5 kW; BURLINGTON, VT; Owner: SISON BROADCASTING, INC.)

SISON BROADCASTING, INC.) WRSA (1420 AM; 1 kW; ST. ALBANS, VT)

WICY (1490 AM; 50 kW; MALONE, NY; Owner: CARTIER COMMUNICATIONS INC.)

CARTIER COMMUNICATIONS INC.) WDEV (550 AM; 5 kW; WATERBURY, VT; Owner: RADIO VERMONT, INC.)

RADIO VERMONT, INC.) WEAV (960 AM; 5 kW; PLATTSBURGH, NY; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WVAA (1390 AM; 5 kW; BURLINGTON, VT; Owner: RADIO VERMONT, KDR, LLC)

RADIO VERMONT, KDR, LLC) WTWK (1070 AM; daytime; 5 kW; PLATTSBURGH, NY; Owner: CHAMPLAIN COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION)

CHAMPLAIN COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION) WGY (810 AM; 50 kW; SCHENECTADY, NY; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WNNZ (640 AM; 50 kW; WESTFIELD, MA; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WRKO (680 AM; 50 kW; BOSTON, MA; Owner: ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC)

ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC) WCRN (830 AM; 50 kW; WORCESTER, MA; Owner: CARTER BROADCASTING CORPORATION)

CARTER BROADCASTING CORPORATION) WEEI (850 AM; 50 kW; BOSTON, MA; Owner: ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC) Strongest FM radio stations in Fairfield: WLFE-FM (102.3 FM; ST. ALBANS, VT; Owner: CHAMPLAIN COMMUNICATIONS CORP.)

CHAMPLAIN COMMUNICATIONS CORP.) WEZF (92.9 FM; BURLINGTON, VT; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WVPS (107.9 FM; BURLINGTON, VT; Owner: VERMONT PUBLIC RADIO)

VERMONT PUBLIC RADIO) WLKC (103.3 FM; WATERBURY, VT; Owner: RADIO BROADCASTING SERVICES, INC.)

RADIO BROADCASTING SERVICES, INC.) WCVT (101.7 FM; STOWE, VT; Owner: RADIO VERMONT CLASSICS, L.L.C.)

RADIO VERMONT CLASSICS, L.L.C.) WNCS (104.7 FM; MONTPELIER, VT; Owner: MONTPELIER BROADCASTING, INC.)

MONTPELIER BROADCASTING, INC.) WCEL (91.9 FM; PLATTSBURGH, NY; Owner: WAMC)

WAMC) WDEV-FM (96.1 FM; WARREN, VT; Owner: RADIO VERMONT, INC.)

RADIO VERMONT, INC.) WCPV (101.3 FM; ESSEX, NY; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WGLY-FM (91.5 FM; BOLTON, VT; Owner: CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES, INC.)

CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES, INC.) WBTZ (99.9 FM; PLATTSBURGH, NY; Owner: PLATTSBURGH BROADCASTING CORPORATION)

PLATTSBURGH BROADCASTING CORPORATION) WGMT (97.7 FM; LYNDON, VT; Owner: VERMONT BROADCAST ASSOCIATES, INC.)

VERMONT BROADCAST ASSOCIATES, INC.) WYUL (94.7 FM; CHATEAUGAY, NY; Owner: CARTIER COMMUNICATIONS INC.)

CARTIER COMMUNICATIONS INC.) WXLU (88.3 FM; PERU, NY; Owner: THE ST. LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY)

THE ST. LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY) WDOT (95.7 FM; DANVILLE, VT; Owner: MONTPELIER BROADCASTING INC)

MONTPELIER BROADCASTING INC) WXZO (96.7 FM; WILLSBORO, NY; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WIZN (106.7 FM; VERGENNES, VT; Owner: BURLINGTON BROADCASTERS, INC.) TV broadcast stations around Fairfield: W52CD ( Channel 52; ST. ALBANS, VT; Owner: VERMONT LOW POWER TV, LP)

52; ST. ALBANS, VT; VERMONT LOW POWER TV, LP) WVNY (Channel 22; BURLINGTON, VT; Owner: C-22 FCC LICENSEE SUBSIDIARY, LLC)

Fairfield, Vermont

Fatal accident count 11

Vehicles involved in fatal accidents 16

Fatal accidents involving drunk persons: 5

Fatalities 14

Persons involved in fatal accidents 21

Pedestrians involved in fatal accidents 0 Vermont average

Fatal accident count 724

Vehicles involved in fatal accidents 1032

Fatal accidents involving drunk persons 304

Fatalities 814

Persons involved in fatal accidents 1800

Pedestrians involved in fatal accidents 43 See more detailed statistics of Fairfield fatal car crashes and road traffic accidents for 1975 - 2019 here

National Bridge Inventory (NBI) Statistics

14 Number of bridges

Number of bridges 75ft / 22.6m Total length

Total length $1,773,000 Total costs

Total costs 4,478 Total average daily traffic

Total average daily traffic 291 Total average daily truck traffic

Total average daily truck traffic 6,227 Total future (year 2015) average daily traffic

New bridges - historical statistics

1 Before 1900

1 1910-1919

1 1930-1939

2 1950-1959

1 1960-1969

1 1970-1979

1 1980-1989

2 1990-1999

4 2010-2018 See full National Bridge Inventory statistics for Fairfield, VT



FCC Registered Broadcast Land Mobile Towers: 2 Town Hall ( Lat: 44.808389 Lon: -72.957917), Call Sign: WXP473,

Assigned Frequencies: 154.265 MHz, 154.445 MHz, Grant Date: 04/24/1998, Expiration Date: 07/14/2003, Cancellation Date: 09/14/2003, Registrant: Fairfield, Town Of, Town Hall, Fairfield, VT 05455, Phone: (802) 827-3261

44.808389 -72.957917), WXP473, 154.265 MHz, 154.445 MHz, 04/24/1998, 07/14/2003, 09/14/2003, Fairfield, Town Of, Town Hall, Fairfield, VT 05455, (802) 827-3261 Town Clerks Office Fairfield Cntr (Lat: 44.808389 Lon: -72.957917), Call Sign: WZM976,

Assigned Frequencies: 155.235 MHz, Grant Date: 10/07/1999, Expiration Date: 12/14/2004, Cancellation Date: 02/19/2005, Registrant: Fairfield School District, Town Clerks Office, Fairfield, VT 05455, Phone: (802) 827-3261

FCC Registered Amateur Radio Licenses: 4 Call Sign: KB1IL, Licensee ID: L00948030, Grant Date: 01/10/2017, Expiration Date: 03/27/2027, Registrant: John A Dority Jr, 353 Hill Road, Fairfield, VT 05455

KB1IL, L00948030, 01/10/2017, 03/27/2027, John A Dority Jr, 353 Hill Road, Fairfield, VT 05455 Call Sign: KB1EZX, Licensee ID: L00224807, Grant Date: 03/11/2020, Expiration Date: 04/05/2030, Certifier: John H Bouchard, Registrant: John H Bouchard, 79 Fisher Drive, Fairfield, VT 05455

KB1EZX, L00224807, 03/11/2020, 04/05/2030, John H Bouchard, John H Bouchard, 79 Fisher Drive, Fairfield, VT 05455 Call Sign: KB1NGV, Licensee ID: L01131364, Grant Date: 01/12/2016, Expiration Date: 03/21/2026, Certifier: Carl W Gleason, Registrant: Carl W Gleason, Fairfield, VT 05455

KB1NGV, L01131364, 01/12/2016, 03/21/2026, Carl W Gleason, Carl W Gleason, Fairfield, VT 05455 Call Sign: KB1WUB, Licensee ID: L01692127, Grant Date: 02/27/2012, Expiration Date: 02/27/2022, Certifier: Matthew R Cote, Registrant: Matthew R Cote, 9 Route 36, Fairfield, VT 05455



Houses and condos Apartments 62.1% Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.

22.9% Wood

12.6% Bottled, tank, or LP gas

1.6% Other fuel

0.4% Utility gas

0.4% Coal or coke 62.3% Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.

14.9% Bottled, tank, or LP gas

12.3% Wood

9.6% Electricity

0.9% Utility gas





Fairfield compared to Vermont state average: Unemployed percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Black race population percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Median age below state average.

below Foreign-born population percentage below state average.

below Renting percentage below state average.

below Length of stay since moving in significantly above state average.

significantly above Number of rooms per house significantly below state average.

significantly below House age significantly below state average.

significantly below Number of college students below state average.

below Percentage of population with a bachelor's degree or higher below state average.

no other airmen in this city. There is 1 pilot andother airmen in this city.

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Hartland, Vermont

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Population in 2010: 3,393.

Population change since 2000: +5.3%

3,393.+5.3%

Males: 1,720 (50.7%) Females: 1,673 (49.3%)

Median resident age: 45.5 years Vermont median age: 45.8 years

Zip codes: 05048.

Estimated median household income in 2019: $75,255 (it was $49,388 in 2000)

Hartland: $75,255 VT: $63,001

Estimated per capita income in 2019: $39,684 (it was $23,715 in 2000)



Hartland town income, earnings, and wages data



Estimated median house or condo value in 2019: $267,252 (it was $130,300 in 2000) Hartland: $267,252 VT: $233,200

Mean prices in 2019: all housing units: $306,901; detached houses: $323,335; townhouses or other attached units: $267,298; in 2-unit structures: $268,878; in 3-to-4-unit structures: $197,610; in 5-or-more-unit structures: $208,338; mobile homes: $146,934 $75,255 ($49,388$39,684 ($23,715$267,252 ($130,300$306,901;$323,335;$267,298;$268,878;$197,610;$208,338;$146,934

March 2019 cost of living index in Hartland: 99.8 (near average, U.S. average is 100)

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Most recent value % change since 2k Data: Median household income ($) Median household income (% change since 2000) Household income diversity Ratio of average income to average house value (%) Ratio of average income to average rent Median household income ($) - White Median household income ($) - Black or African American Median household income ($) - Asian Median household income ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median household income ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median household income ($) - Multirace Median household income ($) - Other Race Median household income for houses/condos with a mortgage ($) Median household income for apartments without a mortgage ($) Races - White alone (%) Races - White alone (% change since 2000) Races - Black alone (%) Races - Black alone (% change since 2000) Races - American Indian alone (%) Races - American Indian alone (% change since 2000) Races - Asian alone (%) Races - Asian alone (% change since 2000) Races - Hispanic (%) Races - Hispanic (% change since 2000) Races - Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone (%) Races - Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone (% change since 2000) Races - Two or more races (%) Races - Two or more races (% change since 2000) Races - Other race alone (%) Races - Other race alone (% change since 2000) Racial diversity Unemployment (%) Unemployment (% change since 2000) Unemployment (%) - White Unemployment (%) - Black or African American Unemployment (%) - Asian Unemployment (%) - Hispanic or Latino Unemployment (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Unemployment (%) - Multirace Unemployment (%) - Other Race Population density (people per square mile) Population - Males (%) Population - Females (%) Population - Males (%) - White Population - Males (%) - Black or African American Population - Males (%) - Asian Population - Males (%) - Hispanic or Latino Population - Males (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Population - Males (%) - Multirace Population - Males (%) - Other Race Population - Females (%) - White Population - Females (%) - Black or African American Population - Females (%) - Asian Population - Females (%) - Hispanic or Latino Population - Females (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Population - Females (%) - Multirace Population - Females (%) - Other Race Coronavirus confirmed cases (Nov 21, 2021) Deaths caused by coronavirus (Nov 21, 2021) Coronavirus confirmed cases (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) Deaths caused by coronavirus (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) Daily increase in number of cases (Nov 21, 2021) Weekly increase in number of cases (Nov 21, 2021) Cases doubled (in days) (Nov 21, 2021) Hospitalized patients (Nov 21, 2021) Negative test results (Nov 21, 2021) Total test results (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses distributed (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses administered (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses distributed (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses administered (Nov 21, 2021) Likely homosexual households (%) Likely homosexual households (% change since 2000) Likely homosexual households - Lesbian couples (%) Likely homosexual households - Lesbian couples (% change since 2000) Likely homosexual households - Gay men (%) Likely homosexual households - Gay men (% change since 2000) Cost of living index Median gross rent ($) Median contract rent ($) Median monthly housing costs ($) Median house or condo value ($) Median house or condo value ($ change since 2000) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 1, detached ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 1, attached ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 2 ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure by units in structure - 3 or 4 ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 5 or more ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - Boat, RV, van, etc. ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - Mobile home ($) Median house or condo value ($) - White Median house or condo value ($) - Black or African American Median house or condo value ($) - Asian Median house or condo value ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median house or condo value ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median house or condo value ($) - Multirace Median house or condo value ($) - Other Race Median resident age Resident age diversity Median resident age - Males Median resident age - Females Median resident age - White Median resident age - Black or African American Median resident age - Asian Median resident age - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Multirace Median resident age - Other Race Median resident age - Males - White Median resident age - Males - Black or African American Median resident age - Males - Asian Median resident age - Males - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - Males - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Males - Multirace Median resident age - Males - Other Race Median resident age - Females - White Median resident age - Females - Black or African American Median resident age - Females - Asian Median resident age - Females - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - Females - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Females - Multirace Median resident age - Females - Other Race Commute - mean travel time to work (minutes) Travel time to work - Less than 5 minutes (%) Travel time to work - Less than 5 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 5 to 9 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 5 to 9 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 10 to 19 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 10 to 19 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 20 to 29 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 20 to 29 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 30 to 39 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 30 to 39 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 40 to 59 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 40 to 59 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 60 to 89 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 60 to 89 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 90 or more minutes (%) Travel time to work - 90 or more minutes (% change since 2000) Marital status - Never married (%) Marital status - Now married (%) Marital status - Separated (%) Marital status - Widowed (%) Marital status - Divorced (%) Median family income ($) Median family income (% change since 2000) Median non-family income ($) Median non-family income (% change since 2000) Median per capita income ($) Median per capita income (% change since 2000) Median family income ($) - White Median family income ($) - Black or African American Median family income ($) - Asian Median family income ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median family income ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median family income ($) - Multirace Median family income ($) - Other Race Median year house/condo built Median year apartment built Year house built - Built 2005 or later (%) Year house built - Built 2000 to 2004 (%) Year house built - Built 1990 to 1999 (%) Year house built - Built 1980 to 1989 (%) Year house built - Built 1970 to 1979 (%) Year house built - Built 1960 to 1969 (%) Year house built - Built 1950 to 1959 (%) Year house built - Built 1940 to 1949 (%) Year house built - Built 1939 or earlier (%) Average household size Household density (households per square mile) Average household size - White Average household size - Black or African American Average household size - Asian Average household size - Hispanic or Latino Average household size - American Indian and Alaska Native Average household size - Multirace Average household size - Other Race Occupied housing units (%) Vacant housing units (%) Owner occupied housing units (%) Renter occupied housing units (%) Vacancy status - For rent (%) Vacancy status - For sale only (%) Vacancy status - Rented or sold, not occupied (%) Vacancy status - For seasonal, recreational, or occasional use (%) Vacancy status - For migrant workers (%) Vacancy status - Other vacant (%) Residents with income below the poverty level (%) Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level (%) Children below poverty level (%) Poor families by family type - Married-couple family (%) Poor families by family type - Male, no wife present (%) Poor families by family type - Female, no husband present (%) Poverty status for native-born residents (%) Poverty status for foreign-born residents (%) Poverty among high school graduates not in families (%) Poverty among people who did not graduate high school not in families (%) Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - White Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Black or African American Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Asian Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Hispanic or Latino Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Multirace Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Other Race Air pollution - Air Quality Index (AQI) Air pollution - CO Air pollution - NO2 Air pollution - SO2 Air pollution - Ozone Air pollution - PM10 Air pollution - PM25 Air pollution - Pb Crime - Murders per 100,000 population Crime - Rapes per 100,000 population Crime - Robberies per 100,000 population Crime - Assaults per 100,000 population Crime - Burglaries per 100,000 population Crime - Thefts per 100,000 population Crime - Auto thefts per 100,000 population Crime - Arson per 100,000 population Crime - City-data.com crime index Crime - Violent crime index Crime - Property crime index Crime - Murders per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Rapes per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Robberies per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Assaults per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Burglaries per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Thefts per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Auto thefts per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Arson per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - City-data.com crime index (5 year average) Crime - Violent crime index (5 year average) Crime - Property crime index (5 year average) 1996 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Clinton) 1996 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Dole) 1996 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2000 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Gore) 2000 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Bush) 2000 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2004 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Kerry) 2004 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Bush) 2004 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2008 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Obama) 2008 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (McCain) 2008 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2012 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Obama) 2012 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Romney) 2012 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2016 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Clinton) 2016 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Trump) 2016 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2020 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Biden) 2020 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Trump) 2020 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other Ancestries Reported - Arab (%) Ancestries Reported - Czech (%) Ancestries Reported - Danish (%) Ancestries Reported - Dutch (%) Ancestries Reported - English (%) Ancestries Reported - French (%) Ancestries Reported - French Canadian (%) Ancestries Reported - German (%) Ancestries Reported - Greek (%) Ancestries Reported - Hungarian (%) Ancestries Reported - Irish (%) Ancestries Reported - Italian (%) Ancestries Reported - Lithuanian (%) Ancestries Reported - Norwegian (%) Ancestries Reported - Polish (%) Ancestries Reported - Portuguese (%) Ancestries Reported - Russian (%) Ancestries Reported - Scotch-Irish (%) Ancestries Reported - Scottish (%) Ancestries Reported - Slovak (%) Ancestries Reported - Subsaharan African (%) Ancestries Reported - Swedish (%) Ancestries Reported - Swiss (%) Ancestries Reported - Ukrainian (%) Ancestries Reported - United States (%) Ancestries Reported - Welsh (%) Ancestries Reported - West Indian (%) Ancestries Reported - Other (%) Educational Attainment - No schooling completed (%) Educational Attainment - Less than high school (%) Educational Attainment - High school or equivalent (%) Educational Attainment - Less than 1 year of college (%) Educational Attainment - 1 or more years of college (%) Educational Attainment - Associate degree (%) Educational Attainment - Bachelor's degree (%) Educational Attainment - Master's degree (%) Educational Attainment - Professional school degree (%) Educational Attainment - Doctorate degree (%) School Enrollment - Nursery, preschool (%) School Enrollment - Kindergarten (%) School Enrollment - Grade 1 to 4 (%) School Enrollment - Grade 5 to 8 (%) School Enrollment - Grade 9 to 12 (%) School Enrollment - College undergrad (%) School Enrollment - Graduate or professional (%) School Enrollment - Not enrolled in school (%) School enrollment - Public schools (%) School enrollment - Private schools (%) School enrollment - Not enrolled (%) Median number of rooms in houses and condos Median number of rooms in apartments Housing units lacking complete plumbing facilities (%) Housing units lacking complete kitchen facilities (%) Density of houses Urban houses (%) Rural houses (%) Households with people 60 years and over (%) Households with people 65 years and over (%) Households with people 75 years and over (%) Households with one or more nonrelatives (%) Households with no nonrelatives (%) Population in households (%) Family households (%) Nonfamily households (%) Population in families (%) Family households with own children (%) Median number of bedrooms in owner occupied houses Mean number of bedrooms in owner occupied houses Median number of bedrooms in renter occupied houses Mean number of bedrooms in renter occupied houses Median number of vehichles in owner occupied houses Mean number of vehichles in owner occupied houses Median number of vehichles in renter occupied houses Mean number of vehichles in renter occupied houses Mortgage status - with mortgage (%) Mortgage status - with second mortgage (%) Mortgage status - with home equity loan (%) Mortgage status - with both second mortgage and home equity loan (%) Mortgage status - without a mortgage (%) Average family size Average family size - White Average family size - Black or African American Average family size - Asian Average family size - Hispanic or Latino Average family size - American Indian and Alaska Native Average family size - Multirace Average family size - Other Race Geographical mobility - Same house 1 year ago (%) Geographical mobility - Moved within same county (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from different county within same state (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from different state (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from abroad (%) Place of birth - Born in state of residence (%) Place of birth - Born in other state (%) Place of birth - Native, outside of US (%) Place of birth - Foreign born (%) Housing units in structures - 1, detached (%) Housing units in structures - 1, attached (%) Housing units in structures - 2 (%) Housing units in structures - 3 or 4 (%) Housing units in structures - 5 to 9 (%) Housing units in structures - 10 to 19 (%) Housing units in structures - 20 to 49 (%) Housing units in structures - 50 or more (%) Housing units in structures - Mobile home (%) Housing units in structures - Boat, RV, van, etc. (%) House/condo owner moved in on average (years ago) Renter moved in on average (years ago) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1999 to March 2000 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1995 to 1998 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1990 to 1994 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1980 to 1989 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1970 to 1979 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1969 or earlier (%) Means of transportation to work - Drove car alone (%) Means of transportation to work - Carpooled (%) Means of transportation to work - Public transportation (%) Means of transportation to work - Bus or trolley bus (%) Means of transportation to work - Streetcar or trolley car (%) Means of transportation to work - Subway or elevated (%) Means of transportation to work - Railroad (%) Means of transportation to work - Ferryboat (%) Means of transportation to work - Taxicab (%) Means of transportation to work - Motorcycle (%) Means of transportation to work - Bicycle (%) Means of transportation to work - Walked (%) Means of transportation to work - Other means (%) Working at home (%) Industry diversity Most Common Industries - Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining (%) Most Common Industries - Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (%) Most Common Industries - Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (%) Most Common Industries - Construction (%) Most Common Industries - Manufacturing (%) Most Common Industries - Wholesale trade (%) Most Common Industries - Retail trade (%) Most Common Industries - Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (%) Most Common Industries - Transportation and warehousing (%) Most Common Industries - Utilities (%) Most Common Industries - Information (%) Most Common Industries - Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (%) Most Common Industries - Finance and insurance (%) Most Common Industries - Real estate and rental and leasing (%) Most Common Industries - Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (%) Most Common Industries - Professional, scientific, and technical services (%) Most Common Industries - Management of companies and enterprises (%) Most Common Industries - Administrative and support and waste management services (%) Most Common Industries - Educational services, and health care and social assistance (%) Most Common Industries - Educational services (%) Most Common Industries - Health care and social assistance (%) Most Common Industries - Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (%) Most Common Industries - Arts, entertainment, and recreation (%) Most Common Industries - Accommodation and food services (%) Most Common Industries - Other services, except public administration (%) Most Common Industries - Public administration (%) Occupation diversity Most Common Occupations - Management, business, science, and arts occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Management, business, and financial occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Management occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Business and financial operations occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Computer, engineering, and science occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Computer and mathematical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Architecture and engineering occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Life, physical, and social science occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Education, legal, community service, arts, and media occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Community and social service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Legal occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Education, training, and library occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Health diagnosing and treating practitioners and other technical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Health technologists and technicians (%) Most Common Occupations - Service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Healthcare support occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Protective service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Fire fighting and prevention, and other protective service workers including supervisors (%) Most Common Occupations - Law enforcement workers including supervisors (%) Most Common Occupations - Food preparation and serving related occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Personal care and service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Sales and office occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Sales and related occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Office and administrative support occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Construction and extraction occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Production, transportation, and material moving occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Production occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Transportation occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Material moving occupations (%) People in Group quarters - Institutionalized population (%) People in Group quarters - Correctional institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Federal prisons and detention centers (%) People in Group quarters - Halfway houses (%) People in Group quarters - Local jails and other confinement facilities (including police lockups) (%) People in Group quarters - Military disciplinary barracks (%) People in Group quarters - State prisons (%) People in Group quarters - Other types of correctional institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Nursing homes (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals/wards, hospices, and schools for the handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals/wards and hospices for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Hospices or homes for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Military hospitals or wards for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Other hospitals or wards for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals or wards for drug/alcohol abuse (%) People in Group quarters - Mental (Psychiatric) hospitals or wards (%) People in Group quarters - Schools, hospitals, or wards for the mentally retarded (%) People in Group quarters - Schools, hospitals, or wards for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Institutions for the deaf (%) People in Group quarters - Institutions for the blind (%) People in Group quarters - Orthopedic wards and institutions for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Wards in general hospitals for patients who have no usual home elsewhere (%) People in Group quarters - Wards in military hospitals for patients who have no usual home elsewhere (%) People in Group quarters - Juvenile institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Long-term care (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for abused, dependent, and neglected children (%) People in Group quarters - Residential treatment centers for emotionally disturbed children (%) People in Group quarters - Training schools for juvenile delinquents (%) People in Group quarters - Short-term care, detention or diagnostic centers for delinquent children (%) People in Group quarters - Type of juvenile institution unknown (%) People in Group quarters - Noninstitutionalized population (%) People in Group quarters - College dormitories (includes college quarters off campus) (%) People in Group quarters - Military quarters (%) People in Group quarters - On base (%) People in Group quarters - Barracks, unaccompanied personnel housing (UPH), (Enlisted/Officer), ;and similar group living quarters for military personnel (%) People in Group quarters - Transient quarters for temporary residents (%) People in Group quarters - Military ships (%) People in Group quarters - Group homes (%) People in Group quarters - Homes or halfway houses for drug/alcohol abuse (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the mentally ill (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the mentally retarded (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Other group homes (%) People in Group quarters - Religious group quarters (%) People in Group quarters - Dormitories (%) People in Group quarters - Agriculture workers' dormitories on farms (%) People in Group quarters - Job Corps and vocational training facilities (%) People in Group quarters - Other workers' dormitories (%) People in Group quarters - Crews of maritime vessels (%) People in Group quarters - Other nonhousehold living situations (%) People in Group quarters - Other noninstitutional group quarters (%) Residents speaking English at home (%) Residents speaking English at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking English at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking English at home - Foreign born (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Foreign born (%) Residents speaking other language at home (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Foreign born (%) Class of Workers - Employee of private company (%) Class of Workers - Self-employed in own incorporated business (%) Class of Workers - Private not-for-profit wage and salary workers (%) Class of Workers - Local government workers (%) Class of Workers - State government workers (%) Class of Workers - Federal government workers (%) Class of Workers - Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business and Unpaid family workers (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Utility gas (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Bottled, tank, or LP gas (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Electricity (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Coal or coke (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Wood (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Solar energy (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Other fuel (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - No fuel used (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Utility gas (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Bottled, tank, or LP gas (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Electricity (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Coal or coke (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Wood (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Solar energy (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Other fuel (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - No fuel used (%) Armed forces status - In Armed Forces (%) Armed forces status - Civilian (%) Armed forces status - Civilian - Veteran (%) Armed forces status - Civilian - Nonveteran (%) Fatal accidents locations in years 2005-2019 Fatal accidents locations in 2005 Fatal accidents locations in 2006 Fatal accidents locations in 2007 Fatal accidents locations in 2008 Fatal accidents locations in 2009 Fatal accidents locations in 2010 Fatal accidents locations in 2011 Fatal accidents locations in 2012 Fatal accidents locations in 2013 Fatal accidents locations in 2014 Fatal accidents locations in 2015 Fatal accidents locations in 2016 Fatal accidents locations in 2017 Fatal accidents locations in 2018 Fatal accidents locations in 2019 Alcohol use - People drinking some alcohol every month (%) Alcohol use - People not drinking at all (%) Alcohol use - Average days/month drinking alcohol Alcohol use - Average drinks/week Alcohol use - Average days/year people drink much Audiometry - Average condition of hearing (%) Audiometry - People that can hear a whisper from across a quiet room (%) Audiometry - People that can hear normal voice from across a quiet room (%) Audiometry - Ears ringing, roaring, buzzing (%) Audiometry - Had a job exposure to loud noise (%) Audiometry - Had off-work exposure to loud noise (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Has high blood pressure (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Checking blood pressure at home (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Frequently checking blood cholesterol (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Has high cholesterol level (%) Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on food at supermarket/grocery store Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on food at other stores Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on eating out Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on carryout/delivered foods Consumer Behavior - Income spent on food at supermarket/grocery store (%) Consumer Behavior - Income spent on food at other stores (%) Consumer Behavior - Income spent on eating out (%) Consumer Behavior - Income spent on carryout/delivered foods (%) Current Health Status - General health condition (%) Current Health Status - Blood donors (%) Current Health Status - Has blood ever tested for HIV virus (%) Current Health Status - Left-handed people (%) Dermatology - People using sunscreen (%) Diabetes - Diabetics (%) Diabetes - Had a blood test for high blood sugar (%) Diabetes - People taking insulin (%) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Diet health (%) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Milk product consumption (# of products/month) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Meals not home prepared (#/week) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Meals from fast food or pizza place (#/week) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Ready-to-eat foods (#/month) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Frozen meals/pizza (#/month) Drug Use - People that ever used marijuana or hashish (%) Drug Use - Ever used hard drugs (%) Drug Use - Ever used any form of cocaine (%) Drug Use - Ever used heroin (%) Drug Use - Ever used methamphetamine (%) Health Insurance - People covered by health insurance (%) Kidney Conditions-Urology - Avg. # of times urinating at night Medical Conditions - People with asthma (%) Medical Conditions - People with anemia (%) Medical Conditions - People with psoriasis (%) Medical Conditions - People with overweight (%) Medical Conditions - Elderly people having difficulties in thinking or remembering (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever received blood transfusion (%) Medical Conditions - People having trouble seeing even with glass/contacts (%) Medical Conditions - People with arthritis (%) Medical Conditions - People with gout (%) Medical Conditions - People with congestive heart failure (%) Medical Conditions - People with coronary heart disease (%) Medical Conditions - People with angina pectoris (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever had heart attack (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever had stroke (%) Medical Conditions - People with emphysema (%) Medical Conditions - People with thyroid problem (%) Medical Conditions - People with chronic bronchitis (%) Medical Conditions - People with any liver condition (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever had cancer or malignancy (%) Mental Health - People who have little interest in doing things (%) Mental Health - People feeling down, depressed, or hopeless (%) Mental Health - People who have trouble sleeping or sleeping too much (%) Mental Health - People feeling tired or having little energy (%) Mental Health - People with poor appetite or overeating (%) Mental Health - People feeling bad about themself (%) Mental Health - People who have trouble concentrating on things (%) Mental Health - People moving or speaking slowly or too fast (%) Mental Health - People having thoughts they would be better off dead (%) Oral Health - Average years since last visit a dentist Oral Health - People embarrassed because of mouth (%) Oral Health - People with gum disease (%) Oral Health - General health of teeth and gums (%) Oral Health - Average days a week using dental floss/device Oral Health - Average days a week using mouthwash for dental problem Oral Health - Average number of teeth Pesticide Use - Households using pesticides to control insects (%) Pesticide Use - Households using pesticides to kill weeds (%) Physical Activity - People doing vigorous-intensity work activities (%) Physical Activity - People doing moderate-intensity work activities (%) Physical Activity - People walking or bicycling (%) Physical Activity - People doing vigorous-intensity recreational activities (%) Physical Activity - People doing moderate-intensity recreational activities (%) Physical Activity - Average hours a day doing sedentary activities Physical Activity - Average hours a day watching TV or videos Physical Activity - Average hours a day using computer Physical Functioning - People having limitations keeping them from working (%) Physical Functioning - People limited in amount of work they can do (%) Physical Functioning - People that need special equipment to walk (%) Physical Functioning - People experiencing confusion/memory problems (%) Physical Functioning - People requiring special healthcare equipment (%) Prescription Medications - Average number of prescription medicines taking Preventive Aspirin Use - Adults 40+ taking low-dose aspirin (%) Reproductive Health - Vaginal deliveries (%) Reproductive Health - Cesarean deliveries (%) Reproductive Health - Deliveries resulted in a live birth (%) Reproductive Health - Pregnancies resulted in a delivery (%) Reproductive Health - Women breastfeeding newborns (%) Reproductive Health - Women that had a hysterectomy (%) Reproductive Health - Women that had both ovaries removed (%) Reproductive Health - Women that have ever taken birth control pills (%) Reproductive Health - Women taking birth control pills (%) Reproductive Health - Women that have ever used Depo-Provera or injectables (%) Reproductive Health - Women that have ever used female hormones (%) Sexual Behavior - People 18+ that ever had sex (vaginal, anal, or oral) (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever had vaginal sex with a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever performed oral sex on a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever had anal sex with a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever had any sex with a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever had vaginal sex with a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever performed oral sex on a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever had anal sex with a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever had any kind of sex with a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Average age people first had sex Sexual Behavior - Average number of female sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of female vaginal sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average age people first performed oral sex on a woman (18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of woman performed oral sex on in lifetime (18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male anal sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average age people first performed oral sex on a man (18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male oral sex partners in lifetime (18+) Sexual Behavior - People using protection when performing oral sex (%) Sexual Behavior - Average number of times people have vaginal or anal sex a year Sexual Behavior - People having sex without condom (%) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male sex partners in lifetime (females 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male vaginal sex partners in lifetime (females 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of female sex partners in lifetime (females 18+) Sexual Behavior - Circumcised males 18+ (%) Sleep Disorders - Average hours sleeping at night Sleep Disorders - People that has trouble sleeping (%) Smoking-Cigarette Use - People smoking cigarettes (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ having problems with smell (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ having problems with taste (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had wisdom teeth removed (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had tonsils teeth removed (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had a loss of consciousness because of a head injury (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had a broken nose or other serious injury to face or skull (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had two or more sinus infections (%) Weight - Average height (inches) Weight - Average weight (pounds) Weight - Average BMI Weight - People that are obese (%) Weight - People that ever were obese (%) Weight - People trying to lose weight (%) Settings Get link Loading data... Based on 2000-2020 data Loading data...

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3,289 96.9% White alone 45 1.3% Hispanic 37 1.1% Two or more races 14 0.4% Asian alone 5 0.1% Black alone 2 0.06% Native Hawaiian and Other

Pacific Islander alone 1 0.03% American Indian alone

Races in Hartland detailed stats: ancestries, foreign born residents, place of birth





According to our research of Vermont and other state lists, there were 5 registered sex offenders living in Hartland, Vermont as of November 21, 2021.

The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in Hartland is 679 to 1.

The ratio of registered sex offenders to all residents in this city is lower than the state average.







Latest news from Hartland, VT collected exclusively by city-data.com from local newspapers, TV, and radio stations

Ancestries: English (22.6%), Irish (13.6%), French (13.2%), German (11.3%), French Canadian (8.8%), United States (8.6%).

Current Local Time: EST time zone

Elevation: 587 feet

Land area: 45.0 square miles. Population density: 75 people per square mile (very low).

78 residents are foreign born (2.0% Europe, 0.4% North America). This town: 2.4% Vermont: 3.8%

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units in 2000: Hartland town: 1.9% ($2,482) Vermont: 2.0% ($2,196)

Latitude: 43.57 N, Longitude: 72.42 W

Area code: 802

Unemployment in November 2020:

Here: 2.0% Vermont: 2.8%

Most common industries in Hartland, VT (%) Both Males Females

Health care (14.2%)

Educational services (8.6%)

Construction (6.9%)

Accommodation & food services (6.3%)

Public administration (5.7%)

Professional, scientific, technical services (5.3%)

Administrative & support & waste management services (3.4%)

Construction (13.1%)

Health care (7.6%)

Professional, scientific, technical services (7.0%)

Public administration (5.6%)

Accommodation & food services (4.6%)

Truck transportation (4.5%)

Motor vehicle & parts dealers (4.3%)

Health care (21.1%)

Educational services (14.4%)

Accommodation & food services (8.0%)

Public administration (5.8%)

Administrative & support & waste management services (3.9%)

Social assistance (3.8%)

Professional, scientific, technical services (3.6%) Most common occupations in Hartland, VT (%) Both Males Females

Other management occupations, except farmers and farm managers (5.5%)

Other office and administrative support workers, including supervisors (4.1%)

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers (3.9%)

Other production occupations, including supervisors (3.8%)

Secretaries and administrative assistants (3.5%)

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (3.4%)

Material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing workers (2.9%)

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers (7.5%)

Other management occupations, except farmers and farm managers (5.5%)

Other production occupations, including supervisors (5.2%)

Electrical equipment mechanics and other installation, maintenance, and repair workers, including supervisors (5.1%)

Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers (4.7%)

Metal workers and plastic workers (4.6%)

Material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing workers (4.0%)

Other office and administrative support workers, including supervisors (7.6%)

Secretaries and administrative assistants (6.6%)

Other management occupations, except farmers and farm managers (5.5%)

Registered nurses (5.4%)

Preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school teachers (4.8%)

Cashiers (4.8%)

Other teachers, instructors, education, training, and library occupations (3.9%)

Average climate in Hartland, Vermont Based on data reported by over 4,000 weather stations

Air pollution and air quality trends

(lower is better) AQI SO 2 Ozone PM 2.5

Air Quality Index (AQI) level in 2018 was 57.3. This is better than average. City: 57.3 U.S.: 74.2

Sulfur Dioxide (SO 2 ) [ppb] level in 2001 was 4.62. This is significantly worse than average. Closest monitor was 14.9 miles away from the city center. City: 4.62 U.S.: 1.79

Ozone [ppb] level in 2018 was 24.6. This is better than average. Closest monitor was 7.0 miles away from the city center. City: 24.6 U.S.: 33.3

Particulate Matter (PM 2.5 ) [g/m3] level in 2018 was 6.34. This is better than average. Closest monitor was 7.0 miles away from the city center. City: 6.34 U.S.: 8.46

Tornado activity: Hartland-area historical tornado activity is slightly above Vermont state average. It is 63% smaller than the overall U.S. average.

On 8/20/1968, a category F3 (max. wind speeds 158-206 mph) tornado 37.7 miles away from the Hartland town center injured one person and caused between $5000 and $50,000 in damages. On 7/9/1962, a category F2 (max. wind speeds 113-157 mph) tornado 14.1 miles away from the town center caused between $5000 and $50,000 in damages.

Earthquake activity: Hartland-area historical earthquake activity is significantly above Vermont state average. It is 70% smaller than the overall U.S. average.



On 4/20/2002 at 10:50:47, a magnitude 5.3 (5.3 ML, Depth: 3.0 mi, Class: Moderate, Intensity: VI - VII) earthquake occurred 90.9 miles away from the city center

On 10/7/1983 at 10:18:46, a magnitude 5.3 (5.1 MB, 5.3 LG, 5.1 ML) earthquake occurred 99.5 miles away from the city center

On 4/20/2002 at 10:50:47, a magnitude 5.2 (5.2 MB, 4.2 MS, 5.2 MW, 5.0 MW) earthquake occurred 90.4 miles away from the city center

On 1/19/1982 at 00:14:42, a magnitude 4.7 (4.5 MB, 4.7 MD, 4.5 LG, Class: Light, Intensity: IV - V) earthquake occurred 41.5 miles away from the city center

On 10/16/2012 at 23:12:25, a magnitude 4.7 (4.7 ML, Depth: 10.0 mi) earthquake occurred 88.5 miles away from the city center

On 6/16/1995 at 12:13:11, a magnitude 3.8 (3.8 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi, Class: Light, Intensity: II - III) earthquake occurred 55.6 miles away from Hartland center

Magnitude types: regional Lg-wave magnitude (LG), body-wave magnitude (MB), duration magnitude (MD), local magnitude (ML), surface-wave magnitude (MS), moment magnitude (MW)

Natural disasters: The number of natural disasters in Windsor County (20) is greater than the US average (15).

Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 16

Emergencies Declared: 2



Causes of natural disasters: Floods: 14, Storms: 13, Tropical Storms: 2, Heavy Rain: 1, Hurricane: 1, Ice Storm: 1, Landslide: 1, Snowstorm: 1, Wind: 1, Winter Storm: 1 (Note: some incidents may be assigned to more than one category).

Hospitals and medical centers near Hartland: MT ASCUTNEY HOSPITAL Critical Access Hospitals (about 6 miles away; WINDSOR, VT)

Critical Access Hospitals WHITE RIVER JCT VA MEDICAL CENTER (Hospital, Acute Care - Veterans Administration, about 8 miles away; WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT)

BROOKSIDE HEALTH AND REHABILITATION (Nursing Home, about 9 miles away; WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT)

CEDAR HILL HEALTH CARE CENTER (Nursing Home, about 10 miles away; WINDSOR, VT)

VNA AND HOSPICE OF VERMONT AND NH (Hospital, about 11 miles away; WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT)

FRESENIUS MEDICAL CARE OF LEBANON (Dialysis Facility, about 12 miles away; LEBANON, NH)

HANOVER TERRACE HEALTHCARE (Nursing Home, about 13 miles away; HANOVER, NH)

Amtrak stations near Hartland: 7 miles: WINDSOR-MOUNT ASCUTNEY (WINDSOR, DEPOT AVE.) . Services: public payphones, free short-term parking, free long-term parking, call for car rental service, intercity bus service.

WINDSOR-MOUNT ASCUTNEY (WINDSOR, DEPOT AVE.) . public payphones, free short-term parking, free long-term parking, call for car rental service, intercity bus service. 8 miles: WHITE RIVER JUNCTION (RAILROAD ROW) . Services: ticket office, fully wheelchair accessible, enclosed waiting area, public restrooms, public payphones, free short-term parking, paid long-term parking, call for car rental service, call for taxi service, public transit connection.

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION (RAILROAD ROW) . ticket office, fully wheelchair accessible, enclosed waiting area, public restrooms, public payphones, free short-term parking, paid long-term parking, call for car rental service, call for taxi service, public transit connection. 15 miles: CLAREMONT (PLAINS RD.) . Services: public payphones, free short-term parking, free long-term parking.

Colleges/universities with over 2000 students nearest to Hartland: Dartmouth College ( about 12 miles; Hanover, NH ; Full-time enrollment: 6,030)

12 ; 6,030) Castleton State College ( about 39 miles; Castleton, VT ; FT enrollment: 2,079)

39 ; 2,079) Plymouth State University ( about 39 miles; Plymouth, NH ; FT enrollment: 4,838)

39 ; 4,838) Norwich University ( about 42 miles; Northfield, VT ; FT enrollment: 4,221)

42 ; 4,221) Keene State College ( about 46 miles; Keene, NH ; FT enrollment: 5,098)

46 ; 5,098) Middlebury College ( about 49 miles; Middlebury, VT ; FT enrollment: 3,077)

49 ; 3,077) NHTI-Concord's Community College (about 51 miles; Concord, NH; FT enrollment: 2,865) Public elementary/middle school in Hartland: HARTLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Students: 328, Location: 97 MARTINSVILLE ROAD, Grades: PK-8) See full list of schools located in Hartland

Library in Hartland: HARTLAND PUBLIC (Operating income: $139,982; Location: 153 RTE. 5; 21,768 books; 834 audio materials; 1,293 video materials; 2 local licensed databases; 19 state licensed databases; 65 print serial subscriptions)

Birthplace of: Daniel Willard - Railroad businessman.

Windsor County has a predicted average indoor radon screening level between 2 and 4 pCi/L (pico curies per liter) - Moderate Potential

Drinking water stations with addresses in Hartland and their reported violations in the past: HARTLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Address: 97 MARTINSVILLE RD Population served: 500, Groundwater): Past health violations: MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In OCT-2013 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Tech Assistance Visit (NOV-12-2013) , St Formal NOV issued (NOV-12-2013) , St Boil Water Order (NOV-12-2013) , St Public Notif requested (NOV-12-2013) , St Compliance achieved (NOV-18-2013) , St Public Notif received (NOV-18-2013)

OCT-2013 Coliform St Tech Assistance Visit (NOV-12-2013) St Formal NOV issued (NOV-12-2013) St Boil Water Order (NOV-12-2013) St Public Notif requested (NOV-12-2013) St Compliance achieved (NOV-18-2013) St Public Notif received (NOV-18-2013) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In JUL-2009, Contaminant: Coliform. Follow-up actions: St Boil Water Order (AUG-05-2009), St Formal NOV issued (AUG-05-2009), St Tech Assistance Visit (AUG-05-2009), St Public Notif requested (AUG-05-2009), St Public Notif received (DEC-02-2009), St Compliance achieved (NOV-08-2010) Past monitoring violations: One routine major monitoring violation

21 regular monitoring violations HARTLAND RECREATION CENTER (Population served: 104, Groundwater): Past monitoring violations: Follow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R - In JUL-01-2004 , Contaminant: Lead and Copper Rule . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (DEC-02-2004), St Formal NOV issued (DEC-02-2004), St Compliance achieved (APR-26-2011)

JUL-01-2004 Lead and Copper Rule St Public Notif requested (DEC-02-2004), St Formal NOV issued (DEC-02-2004), St Compliance achieved (APR-26-2011) Follow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R - In JUL-01-1999 , Contaminant: Lead and Copper Rule . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (JAN-01-2000), St Violation/Reminder Notice (JAN-01-2000), St Public Notif received (MAR-10-2000), St Compliance achieved (APR-26-2011)

JUL-01-1999 Lead and Copper Rule St Public Notif requested (JAN-01-2000), St Violation/Reminder Notice (JAN-01-2000), St Public Notif received (MAR-10-2000), St Compliance achieved (APR-26-2011) Follow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R - In JUL-01-1999 , Contaminant: Lead and Copper Rule

JUL-01-1999 Lead and Copper Rule 2 regular monitoring violations HARTLAND TOWN ACTIVITY CENTER (Population served: 50, Groundwater): Past health violations: MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In AUG-2012, Contaminant: Coliform. Follow-up actions: St Tech Assistance Visit (AUG-22-2012), St Formal NOV issued (AUG-22-2012), St Public Notif requested (AUG-22-2012), St Boil Water Order (AUG-22-2012), St Compliance achieved (SEP-13-2012) Past monitoring violations: One routine major monitoring violation

2 regular monitoring violations COBB HILL COHOUSING INC (Address: 24 LINDEN RD Population served: 41, Groundwater): Past health violations: MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In DEC-2013 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif received (DEC-26-2013) , St Tech Assistance Visit (DEC-27-2013) , St Formal NOV issued (DEC-27-2013) , St Public Notif requested (DEC-27-2013) , St Boil Water Order (DEC-27-2013) , St Compliance achieved (JAN-10-2014)

DEC-2013 Coliform St Public Notif received (DEC-26-2013) St Tech Assistance Visit (DEC-27-2013) St Formal NOV issued (DEC-27-2013) St Public Notif requested (DEC-27-2013) St Boil Water Order (DEC-27-2013) St Compliance achieved (JAN-10-2014) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In OCT-2013 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif received (OCT-28-2013) , St Tech Assistance Visit (NOV-05-2013) , St Formal NOV issued (NOV-05-2013) , St Public Notif requested (NOV-05-2013) , St Boil Water Order (NOV-05-2013) , St Compliance achieved (NOV-27-2013)

OCT-2013 Coliform St Public Notif received (OCT-28-2013) St Tech Assistance Visit (NOV-05-2013) St Formal NOV issued (NOV-05-2013) St Public Notif requested (NOV-05-2013) St Boil Water Order (NOV-05-2013) St Compliance achieved (NOV-27-2013) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In MAY-2013 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (MAY-17-2013) , St Formal NOV issued (MAY-17-2013) , St Boil Water Order (MAY-17-2013) , St Compliance achieved (JUN-03-2013) , St Public Notif received (JUN-03-2013)

MAY-2013 Coliform St Public Notif requested (MAY-17-2013) St Formal NOV issued (MAY-17-2013) St Boil Water Order (MAY-17-2013) St Compliance achieved (JUN-03-2013) St Public Notif received (JUN-03-2013) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In JUL-2009 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Boil Water Order (JUL-16-2009) , St Formal NOV issued (JUL-16-2009) , St Tech Assistance Visit (JUL-16-2009) , St Public Notif requested (JUL-16-2009) , St Compliance achieved (NOV-08-2010)

JUL-2009 Coliform St Boil Water Order (JUL-16-2009) St Formal NOV issued (JUL-16-2009) St Tech Assistance Visit (JUL-16-2009) St Public Notif requested (JUL-16-2009) St Compliance achieved (NOV-08-2010) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In AUG-2007 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Boil Water Order (AUG-17-2007) , St Formal NOV issued (AUG-17-2007) , St Tech Assistance Visit (AUG-17-2007) , St Public Notif requested (AUG-17-2007) , St Public Notif received (AUG-21-2007) , St Compliance achieved (NOV-08-2010)

AUG-2007 Coliform St Boil Water Order (AUG-17-2007) St Formal NOV issued (AUG-17-2007) St Tech Assistance Visit (AUG-17-2007) St Public Notif requested (AUG-17-2007) St Public Notif received (AUG-21-2007) St Compliance achieved (NOV-08-2010) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In JUL-2006, Contaminant: Coliform. Follow-up actions: St Tech Assistance Visit (JUL-17-2006), St Boil Water Order (JUL-17-2006), St Formal NOV issued (JUL-17-2006), St Public Notif requested (JUL-17-2006), St Public Notif received (JUL-27-2006), St Compliance achieved (MAY-24-2007) Past monitoring violations: Follow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R - In OCT-01-2007 , Contaminant: Lead and Copper Rule . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (DEC-11-2007), St Formal NOV issued (DEC-11-2007), St Compliance achieved (APR-26-2011)

OCT-01-2007 Lead and Copper Rule St Public Notif requested (DEC-11-2007), St Formal NOV issued (DEC-11-2007), St Compliance achieved (APR-26-2011) Follow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R - In JUL-01-2004 , Contaminant: Lead and Copper Rule . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (DEC-02-2004), St Formal NOV issued (DEC-02-2004), St Public Notif received (DEC-17-2004), St Compliance achieved (APR-26-2011)

JUL-01-2004 Lead and Copper Rule St Public Notif requested (DEC-02-2004), St Formal NOV issued (DEC-02-2004), St Public Notif received (DEC-17-2004), St Compliance achieved (APR-26-2011) 3 minor monitoring violations

3 regular monitoring violations MIKES STORE AND COLLECTABLES INC (Address: 91 WEBSTER RD Population served: 25, Groundwater): Past monitoring violations: One routine major monitoring violation HARTLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (97 MARTINSVILLE RD 500Groundwater):HARTLAND RECREATION CENTER (104Groundwater):HARTLAND TOWN ACTIVITY CENTER (50Groundwater):COBB HILL COHOUSING INC (24 LINDEN RD 41Groundwater):MIKES STORE AND COLLECTABLES INC (91 WEBSTER RD 25Groundwater):

Average household size: This town: 2.4 people Vermont: 2.3 people

Percentage of family households: This town: 68.8% Whole state: 62.5%

Percentage of households with unmarried partners: This town: 8.3% Whole state: 9.2%



Likely homosexual households (counted as self-reported same-sex unmarried-partner households) Lesbian couples: 1.1% of all households

1.1% Gay men: 0.4% of all households Residents with income below the poverty level in 2009:

This town: 2.6% Whole state: 9.4% Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level in 2009:

This town: 0.8% Whole state: 3.6%

7 people in religious group quarters in 2000

Banks with branches in Hartland (2011 data): Mascoma Savings Bank: Hartland Branch at 7 Route 12, branch established on 1979/10/20. Info updated 2011/07/21: Bank assets: $990.7 mil, Deposits: $719.7 mil, headquarters in Lebanon, NH, positive income, Commercial Lending Specialization, 18 total offices

For population 15 years and over in Hartland: Never married: 19.4%

19.4% Now married: 62.1%

62.1% Separated: 0.8%

0.8% Widowed: 4.8%

4.8% Divorced: 12.8%

For population 25 years and over in Hartland: High school or higher: 90.1%

90.1% Bachelor's degree or higher: 26.9%

26.9% Graduate or professional degree: 11.4%

11.4% Unemployed: 2.4%

2.4% Mean travel time to work (commute): 21.0 minutes

Education Gini index (Inequality in education) Here: 10.6 Vermont average: 11.7



Religion statistics for Hartland, VT (based on Windsor County data) Religion Adherents Congregations Catholic 6,485 10 Mainline Protestant 4,700 45 Other 1,964 17 Evangelical Protestant 1,750 21 Orthodox 55 1 None 41,716 - Source: Clifford Grammich, Kirk Hadaway, Richard Houseal, Dale E.Jones, Alexei Krindatch, Richie Stanley and Richard H.Taylor. 2012. 2010 U.S.Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Jones, Dale E., et al. 2002. Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center. Graphs represent county-level data

Food Environment Statistics: Number of grocery stores: 28 Windsor County : 4.93 / 10,000 pop. Vermont : 3.84 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (no gas): 7 Windsor County : 1.23 / 10,000 pop. State : 1.95 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (with gas): 45 Here : 7.93 / 10,000 pop. Vermont : 6.40 / 10,000 pop. Number of full-service restaurants: 85 This county : 14.97 / 10,000 pop. State : 11.52 / 10,000 pop. Adult diabetes rate: Windsor County : 7.1% State : 6.8% Adult obesity rate: Windsor County : 22.8% Vermont : 22.3% Low-income preschool obesity rate: Windsor County : 9.7% Vermont : 13.3%

6.86% of this county's 2016 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2015 ($56,226 average adjusted gross income) Here: 6.86% Vermont average: 5.96% 10 or fewer of this county's residents moved from foreign countries between 2015 and 2016.

Top counties from which taxpayers relocated into this county between 2015 and 2016:

from Grafton County, NH 1.00% ($55,796 average AGI) from Orange County, VT 0.52% ($35,195) from Rutland County, VT 0.41% ($42,971)



6.92% of this county's 2015 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2016 ($54,435 average adjusted gross income) Here: 6.92% Vermont average: 6.30% 10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries between 2015 and 2016.

Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2015 and 2016:

to Grafton County, NH 0.80% ($72,721 average AGI) to Orange County, VT 0.59% ($33,513) to Sullivan County, NH 0.48% ($55,320)

Strongest AM radio stations in Hartland: WNHV (910 AM; 1 kW; WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT)

WNTK (1020 AM; 10 kW; NEWPORT, NH; Owner: KOOR COMMUNICATIONS, INC.)

KOOR COMMUNICATIONS, INC.) WNBX (1480 AM; 5 kW; SPRINGFIELD, VT)

WNNZ (640 AM; 50 kW; WESTFIELD, MA; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WRKO (680 AM; 50 kW; BOSTON, MA; Owner: ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC)

ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC) WTSL (1400 AM; 1 kW; HANOVER, NH; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WCRN (830 AM; 50 kW; WORCESTER, MA; Owner: CARTER BROADCASTING CORPORATION)

CARTER BROADCASTING CORPORATION) WGY (810 AM; 50 kW; SCHENECTADY, NY; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WDCR (1340 AM; 1 kW; HANOVER, NH; Owner: TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE)

TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE) WEEI (850 AM; 50 kW; BOSTON, MA; Owner: ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC)

ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC) WSYB (1380 AM; 5 kW; RUTLAND, VT; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WKOX (1200 AM; 50 kW; FRAMINGHAM, MA; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WPTR (1540 AM; 50 kW; ALBANY, NY; Owner: KIMTRON, INC.) Strongest FM radio stations in Hartland: WMXR (93.9 FM; WOODSTOCK, VT; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WVPR (89.5 FM; WINDSOR, VT; Owner: VERMONT PUBLIC RADIO)

VERMONT PUBLIC RADIO) WHDQ (106.1 FM; CLAREMONT, NH; Owner: GREAT NORTHERN RADIO, L.L.C.)

GREAT NORTHERN RADIO, L.L.C.) WJJR (98.1 FM; RUTLAND, VT; Owner: 6 JOHNSON ROAD LICENSES, INC.)

6 JOHNSON ROAD LICENSES, INC.) WZRT (97.1 FM; RUTLAND, VT; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WEBK (105.3 FM; KILLINGTON, VT; Owner: 6 JOHNSON ROAD LICENSES, INC.)

6 JOHNSON ROAD LICENSES, INC.) WWOD (104.3 FM; HARTFORD, VT; Owner: FAMILY BROADCASTING, INC.)

FAMILY BROADCASTING, INC.) WXXK (100.5 FM; LEBANON, NH; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WGLV (91.7 FM; WOODSTOCK, VT; Owner: CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES INC)

CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES INC) WHDQ-FM1 (106.1 FM; RUTLAND, VT; Owner: GREAT NORTHERN RADIO, L.L.C.)

GREAT NORTHERN RADIO, L.L.C.) WVRR (101.7 FM; NEWPORT, NH; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) W232AP (94.3 FM; WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WEVH (91.3 FM; HANOVER, NH; Owner: NEW HAMPSHIRE PUBLIC RADIO INC)

NEW HAMPSHIRE PUBLIC RADIO INC) WRJT (103.1 FM; ROYALTON, VT; Owner: LISBON COMMUNICATIONS, INC.)

LISBON COMMUNICATIONS, INC.) WGXL (92.3 FM; HANOVER, NH; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) W294AB (106.7 FM; HANOVER, NH; Owner: GREAT NORTHERN RADIO, L.L.C.)

GREAT NORTHERN RADIO, L.L.C.) WFRD (99.3 FM; HANOVER, NH; Owner: TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE)

TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE) WEQX (102.7 FM; MANCHESTER, VT; Owner: NORTHSHIRE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.)

NORTHSHIRE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.) WJAN (95.1 FM; SUNDERLAND, VT; Owner: 6 JOHNSON ROAD LICENSES, INC.)

6 JOHNSON ROAD LICENSES, INC.) WJEN (94.5 FM; RUTLAND, VT; Owner: 6 JOHNSON ROAD LICENSES, INC.) TV broadcast stations around Hartland: WVTA ( Channel 41; WINDSOR, VT; Owner: VERMONT ETV, INC.)

41; WINDSOR, VT; VERMONT ETV, INC.) WNNE ( Channel 31; HARTFORD, VT; Owner: HEARST-ARGYLE STATIONS, INC.)

31; HARTFORD, VT; HEARST-ARGYLE STATIONS, INC.) W17CI ( Channel 17; CLAREMONT, NH; Owner: UPPER VALLEY BROADCASTING, LLC)

17; CLAREMONT, NH; UPPER VALLEY BROADCASTING, LLC) W15BK (Channel 15; HANOVER, NH; Owner: UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE)

Hartland fatal accident statistics for 1975 - 2019

See more detailed statistics of Hartland fatal car crashes and road traffic accidents for 1975 - 2019 here

National Bridge Inventory (NBI) Statistics

29 Number of bridges

Number of bridges 328ft / 100m Total length

Total length $18,951,000 Total costs

Total costs 130,876 Total average daily traffic

Total average daily traffic 13,951 Total average daily truck traffic

New bridges - historical statistics

1 Before 1900

1 1910-1919

1 1920-1929

4 1930-1939

1 1940-1949

5 1950-1959

13 1960-1969

1 1980-1989

2 2000-2009 See full National Bridge Inventory statistics for Hartland, VT



FCC Registered Commercial Land Mobile Towers: 2 Kent Hill .85 Mi E Of Hartland Hill Rd Woodstock Hartland Town Line ( Lat: 43.604806 Lon: -72.467028), Type: Tower, Structure height: 43 m, Call Sign: WPPE525,

Assigned Frequencies: 455.800 MHz, Grant Date: 11/10/1999, Expiration Date: 04/01/2022, Certifier: Robert J Wolf, Registrant: Great Eastern Radio, LLC, 35 South Main Street Suite 300, Hanover, NH 03755, Phone: (603) 298-9494

43.604806 -72.467028), Tower, 43 m, WPPE525, 455.800 MHz, 11/10/1999, 04/01/2022, Robert J Wolf, Great Eastern Radio, LLC, 35 South Main Street Suite 300, Hanover, NH 03755, (603) 298-9494 Hartland Hill Road (Lat: 43.604778 Lon: -72.467028), Type: Tower, Structure height: 39.6 m, Call Sign: WPUK605,

Assigned Frequencies: 450.010 MHz, Grant Date: 03/22/2002, Expiration Date: 04/01/2022, Certifier: Stephen G Davis, Registrant: Clear Channel Broadcasting Licenses, Inc., 2625 S. Memorial Drive, Suite A, Tulsa, OK 74129, Phone: (918) 664-4581, Fax: (918) 664-3066, Email:

FCC Registered Microwave Towers: 2 4910 RELAY SITE 1, Atop Kent Hill ( Lat: 43.604806 Lon: -72.467028), Type: Tower, Structure height: 36.6 m, Overall height: 42.7 m, Call Sign: WPON231,

Assigned Frequencies: 949.500 MHz, Grant Date: 03/21/2000, Expiration Date: 04/01/2022, Certifier: Signature On File, Registrant: Rini Coran, Pc, 1615 L Street, Nw Suite 1325, Washington, DC 20036, Phone: (202) 955-3933, Fax: (202) 296-2014, Email:

43.604806 -72.467028), Tower, 36.6 m, 42.7 m, WPON231, 949.500 MHz, 03/21/2000, 04/01/2022, Signature On File, Rini Coran, Pc, 1615 L Street, Nw Suite 1325, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 955-3933, (202) 296-2014, 57002 RELAY SITE, Atop Kent Hill (Lat: 43.604806 Lon: -72.467028), Type: Tower, Structure height: 36.6 m, Overall height: 42.7 m, Call Sign: WHQ225,

Assigned Frequencies: 948.000 MHz, Grant Date: 10/31/1991, Expiration Date: 04/01/2022, Registrant: Great Eastern Radio, LLC, 35 South Main Street Suite 300, Hanover, NH 03755, Phone: (918) 664-4581, Fax: (918) 664-3066, Email:

FCC Registered Paging Towers: 1 0.85 Mile Nnw Of Hartland Hill (Lat: 43.604778 Lon: -72.467028), Call Sign: KCI295,

Assigned Frequencies: 43.5600 MHz, Grant Date: 05/11/1999, Expiration Date: 04/01/2009, Cancellation Date: 12/02/2003, Certifier: Paul H Kuzia, Registrant: Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP, 2300 N Street, N.W., 7th Floor, Washington, DC 20037, Phone: (202) 783-4141, Fax: (202) 783-5851, Email:

FCC Registered Amateur Radio Licenses: 17 (



FAA Registered Aircraft Manufacturers and Dealers: 1 TERRY TIMOTHY D DBA, 19 Hartland Hill Rd, Hartland, VT 05048

Certificate: D006056 (Individual), Certificate Issue Date: 04/09/2015, Expiration Date: 04/08/2016

FAA Registered Aircraft: 2 Aircraft: PIPER J3C-65 ( Category: Land, Seats: 2, Weight: Up to 12,499 Pounds, Speed: 67 mph), Engine: CONT MOTOR A&C65 SERIES (65 HP) (Reciprocating)

N-Number: 35843, N35843, N-35843, Serial Number: 6601, Year manufactured: 1941, Airworthiness Date: 08/11/1961, Certificate Issue Date: 11/14/1975

Registrant (Individual): John C Barker, 215 Brothers Rd, Hartland, VT 05048

PIPER J3C-65 ( Land, 2, Up to 12,499 Pounds, 67 mph), CONT MOTOR A&C65 SERIES (65 HP) (Reciprocating) 35843, N35843, N-35843, 6601, 1941, 08/11/1961, 11/14/1975 John C Barker, 215 Brothers Rd, Hartland, VT 05048 Aircraft: BISHOP MARVIN L SA 6B (Category: Land, Seats: 2, Weight: Up to 12,499 Pounds), Engine: CONT MOTOR C85 SERIES (85 HP) (Reciprocating)

N-Number: 4279M, N4279M, N-4279M, Serial Number: P2054, Year manufactured: 1996, Airworthiness Date: 11/05/1996, Certificate Issue Date: 04/22/2016

Registrant (Individual): Daniel B Warner, Po Box 300, Hartland, VT 05048

17 ( See the full list of FCC Registered Amateur Radio Licenses in Hartland

2002 - 2018 National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) incidents According to the data from the years 2002 - 2018 the average number of fires per year is 17. The highest number of reported fire incidents - 36 took place in 2005, and the least - 4 in 2015. The data has a decreasing trend.



Fire incident types reported to NFIRS in Hartland, VT



137 46.3% Structure Fires



112 37.8% Outside Fires



40 13.5% Mobile Property/Vehicle Fires



7 2.4% Other When looking into fire subcategories, the most incidents belonged to: Structure Fires (46.3%), and Outside Fires (37.8%). See full National Fire Incident Reporting System statistics for Hartland, VT

Houses and condos Apartments 65.8% Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.

19.7% Bottled, tank, or LP gas

13.4% Wood

1.2% Electricity 54.6% Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.

36.6% Bottled, tank, or LP gas

7.0% Electricity

1.8% Wood





Hartland compared to Vermont state average: Unemployed percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Black race population percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Foreign-born population percentage below state average.

below Renting percentage below state average.

below Length of stay since moving in significantly above state average.

significantly above Number of rooms per house significantly below state average.

significantly below House age significantly below state average.

significantly below Number of college students significantly below state average.

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Jackson Center, Pennsylvania

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Population in 2019: 207 (0% urban, 100% rural).

Population change since 2000: -6.3%

207 (0% urban, 100% rural).-6.3%

Males: 118 (57.1%) Females: 89 (42.9%)

Median resident age: 42.3 years Pennsylvania median age: 40.8 years

Zip codes: 16133.

Estimated median household income in 2019: $60,070 (it was $35,625 in 2000)

Jackson Center: $60,070 PA: $63,463

Estimated per capita income in 2019: $30,777 (it was $15,721 in 2000)



Jackson Center borough income, earnings, and wages data



Estimated median house or condo value in 2019: $110,663 (it was $67,000 in 2000) Jackson Center: $110,663 PA: $192,600

Mean prices in 2019: all housing units: $113,404; detached houses: $133,753; mobile homes: $18,145 $60,070 ($35,625$30,777 ($15,721$110,663 ($67,000$113,404;$133,753;$18,145

Median gross rent in 2019: $753.

March 2019 cost of living index in Jackson Center: 91.8 (less than average, U.S. average is 100)

Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2019: 9.9%

(9.4% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 100.0% for two or more races residents)

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Most recent value % change since 2k Data: Median household income ($) Median household income (% change since 2000) Household income diversity Ratio of average income to average house value (%) Ratio of average income to average rent Median household income ($) - White Median household income ($) - Black or African American Median household income ($) - Asian Median household income ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median household income ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median household income ($) - Multirace Median household income ($) - Other Race Median household income for houses/condos with a mortgage ($) Median household income for apartments without a mortgage ($) Races - White alone (%) Races - White alone (% change since 2000) Races - Black alone (%) Races - Black alone (% change since 2000) Races - American Indian alone (%) Races - American Indian alone (% change since 2000) Races - Asian alone (%) Races - Asian alone (% change since 2000) Races - Hispanic (%) Races - Hispanic (% change since 2000) Races - Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone (%) Races - Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone (% change since 2000) Races - Two or more races (%) Races - Two or more races (% change since 2000) Races - Other race alone (%) Races - Other race alone (% change since 2000) Racial diversity Unemployment (%) Unemployment (% change since 2000) Unemployment (%) - White Unemployment (%) - Black or African American Unemployment (%) - Asian Unemployment (%) - Hispanic or Latino Unemployment (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Unemployment (%) - Multirace Unemployment (%) - Other Race Population density (people per square mile) Population - Males (%) Population - Females (%) Population - Males (%) - White Population - Males (%) - Black or African American Population - Males (%) - Asian Population - Males (%) - Hispanic or Latino Population - Males (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Population - Males (%) - Multirace Population - Males (%) - Other Race Population - Females (%) - White Population - Females (%) - Black or African American Population - Females (%) - Asian Population - Females (%) - Hispanic or Latino Population - Females (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Population - Females (%) - Multirace Population - Females (%) - Other Race Coronavirus confirmed cases (Nov 21, 2021) Deaths caused by coronavirus (Nov 21, 2021) Coronavirus confirmed cases (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) Deaths caused by coronavirus (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) Daily increase in number of cases (Nov 21, 2021) Weekly increase in number of cases (Nov 21, 2021) Cases doubled (in days) (Nov 21, 2021) Hospitalized patients (Nov 21, 2021) Negative test results (Nov 21, 2021) Total test results (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses distributed (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses administered (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses distributed (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses administered (Nov 21, 2021) Likely homosexual households (%) Likely homosexual households (% change since 2000) Likely homosexual households - Lesbian couples (%) Likely homosexual households - Lesbian couples (% change since 2000) Likely homosexual households - Gay men (%) Likely homosexual households - Gay men (% change since 2000) Cost of living index Median gross rent ($) Median contract rent ($) Median monthly housing costs ($) Median house or condo value ($) Median house or condo value ($ change since 2000) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 1, detached ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 1, attached ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 2 ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure by units in structure - 3 or 4 ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 5 or more ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - Boat, RV, van, etc. ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - Mobile home ($) Median house or condo value ($) - White Median house or condo value ($) - Black or African American Median house or condo value ($) - Asian Median house or condo value ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median house or condo value ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median house or condo value ($) - Multirace Median house or condo value ($) - Other Race Median resident age Resident age diversity Median resident age - Males Median resident age - Females Median resident age - White Median resident age - Black or African American Median resident age - Asian Median resident age - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Multirace Median resident age - Other Race Median resident age - Males - White Median resident age - Males - Black or African American Median resident age - Males - Asian Median resident age - Males - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - Males - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Males - Multirace Median resident age - Males - Other Race Median resident age - Females - White Median resident age - Females - Black or African American Median resident age - Females - Asian Median resident age - Females - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - Females - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Females - Multirace Median resident age - Females - Other Race Commute - mean travel time to work (minutes) Travel time to work - Less than 5 minutes (%) Travel time to work - Less than 5 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 5 to 9 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 5 to 9 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 10 to 19 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 10 to 19 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 20 to 29 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 20 to 29 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 30 to 39 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 30 to 39 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 40 to 59 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 40 to 59 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 60 to 89 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 60 to 89 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 90 or more minutes (%) Travel time to work - 90 or more minutes (% change since 2000) Marital status - Never married (%) Marital status - Now married (%) Marital status - Separated (%) Marital status - Widowed (%) Marital status - Divorced (%) Median family income ($) Median family income (% change since 2000) Median non-family income ($) Median non-family income (% change since 2000) Median per capita income ($) Median per capita income (% change since 2000) Median family income ($) - White Median family income ($) - Black or African American Median family income ($) - Asian Median family income ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median family income ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median family income ($) - Multirace Median family income ($) - Other Race Median year house/condo built Median year apartment built Year house built - Built 2005 or later (%) Year house built - Built 2000 to 2004 (%) Year house built - Built 1990 to 1999 (%) Year house built - Built 1980 to 1989 (%) Year house built - Built 1970 to 1979 (%) Year house built - Built 1960 to 1969 (%) Year house built - Built 1950 to 1959 (%) Year house built - Built 1940 to 1949 (%) Year house built - Built 1939 or earlier (%) Average household size Household density (households per square mile) Average household size - White Average household size - Black or African American Average household size - Asian Average household size - Hispanic or Latino Average household size - American Indian and Alaska Native Average household size - Multirace Average household size - Other Race Occupied housing units (%) Vacant housing units (%) Owner occupied housing units (%) Renter occupied housing units (%) Vacancy status - For rent (%) Vacancy status - For sale only (%) Vacancy status - Rented or sold, not occupied (%) Vacancy status - For seasonal, recreational, or occasional use (%) Vacancy status - For migrant workers (%) Vacancy status - Other vacant (%) Residents with income below the poverty level (%) Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level (%) Children below poverty level (%) Poor families by family type - Married-couple family (%) Poor families by family type - Male, no wife present (%) Poor families by family type - Female, no husband present (%) Poverty status for native-born residents (%) Poverty status for foreign-born residents (%) Poverty among high school graduates not in families (%) Poverty among people who did not graduate high school not in families (%) Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - White Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Black or African American Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Asian Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Hispanic or Latino Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Multirace Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Other Race Air pollution - Air Quality Index (AQI) Air pollution - CO Air pollution - NO2 Air pollution - SO2 Air pollution - Ozone Air pollution - PM10 Air pollution - PM25 Air pollution - Pb Crime - Murders per 100,000 population Crime - Rapes per 100,000 population Crime - Robberies per 100,000 population Crime - Assaults per 100,000 population Crime - Burglaries per 100,000 population Crime - Thefts per 100,000 population Crime - Auto thefts per 100,000 population Crime - Arson per 100,000 population Crime - City-data.com crime index Crime - Violent crime index Crime - Property crime index Crime - Murders per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Rapes per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Robberies per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Assaults per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Burglaries per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Thefts per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Auto thefts per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Arson per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - City-data.com crime index (5 year average) Crime - Violent crime index (5 year average) Crime - Property crime index (5 year average) 1996 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Clinton) 1996 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Dole) 1996 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2000 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Gore) 2000 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Bush) 2000 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2004 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Kerry) 2004 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Bush) 2004 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2008 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Obama) 2008 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (McCain) 2008 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2012 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Obama) 2012 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Romney) 2012 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2016 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Clinton) 2016 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Trump) 2016 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2020 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Biden) 2020 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Trump) 2020 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other Ancestries Reported - Arab (%) Ancestries Reported - Czech (%) Ancestries Reported - Danish (%) Ancestries Reported - Dutch (%) Ancestries Reported - English (%) Ancestries Reported - French (%) Ancestries Reported - French Canadian (%) Ancestries Reported - German (%) Ancestries Reported - Greek (%) Ancestries Reported - Hungarian (%) Ancestries Reported - Irish (%) Ancestries Reported - Italian (%) Ancestries Reported - Lithuanian (%) Ancestries Reported - Norwegian (%) Ancestries Reported - Polish (%) Ancestries Reported - Portuguese (%) Ancestries Reported - Russian (%) Ancestries Reported - Scotch-Irish (%) Ancestries Reported - Scottish (%) Ancestries Reported - Slovak (%) Ancestries Reported - Subsaharan African (%) Ancestries Reported - Swedish (%) Ancestries Reported - Swiss (%) Ancestries Reported - Ukrainian (%) Ancestries Reported - United States (%) Ancestries Reported - Welsh (%) Ancestries Reported - West Indian (%) Ancestries Reported - Other (%) Educational Attainment - No schooling completed (%) Educational Attainment - Less than high school (%) Educational Attainment - High school or equivalent (%) Educational Attainment - Less than 1 year of college (%) Educational Attainment - 1 or more years of college (%) Educational Attainment - Associate degree (%) Educational Attainment - Bachelor's degree (%) Educational Attainment - Master's degree (%) Educational Attainment - Professional school degree (%) Educational Attainment - Doctorate degree (%) School Enrollment - Nursery, preschool (%) School Enrollment - Kindergarten (%) School Enrollment - Grade 1 to 4 (%) School Enrollment - Grade 5 to 8 (%) School Enrollment - Grade 9 to 12 (%) School Enrollment - College undergrad (%) School Enrollment - Graduate or professional (%) School Enrollment - Not enrolled in school (%) School enrollment - Public schools (%) School enrollment - Private schools (%) School enrollment - Not enrolled (%) Median number of rooms in houses and condos Median number of rooms in apartments Housing units lacking complete plumbing facilities (%) Housing units lacking complete kitchen facilities (%) Density of houses Urban houses (%) Rural houses (%) Households with people 60 years and over (%) Households with people 65 years and over (%) Households with people 75 years and over (%) Households with one or more nonrelatives (%) Households with no nonrelatives (%) Population in households (%) Family households (%) Nonfamily households (%) Population in families (%) Family households with own children (%) Median number of bedrooms in owner occupied houses Mean number of bedrooms in owner occupied houses Median number of bedrooms in renter occupied houses Mean number of bedrooms in renter occupied houses Median number of vehichles in owner occupied houses Mean number of vehichles in owner occupied houses Median number of vehichles in renter occupied houses Mean number of vehichles in renter occupied houses Mortgage status - with mortgage (%) Mortgage status - with second mortgage (%) Mortgage status - with home equity loan (%) Mortgage status - with both second mortgage and home equity loan (%) Mortgage status - without a mortgage (%) Average family size Average family size - White Average family size - Black or African American Average family size - Asian Average family size - Hispanic or Latino Average family size - American Indian and Alaska Native Average family size - Multirace Average family size - Other Race Geographical mobility - Same house 1 year ago (%) Geographical mobility - Moved within same county (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from different county within same state (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from different state (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from abroad (%) Place of birth - Born in state of residence (%) Place of birth - Born in other state (%) Place of birth - Native, outside of US (%) Place of birth - Foreign born (%) Housing units in structures - 1, detached (%) Housing units in structures - 1, attached (%) Housing units in structures - 2 (%) Housing units in structures - 3 or 4 (%) Housing units in structures - 5 to 9 (%) Housing units in structures - 10 to 19 (%) Housing units in structures - 20 to 49 (%) Housing units in structures - 50 or more (%) Housing units in structures - Mobile home (%) Housing units in structures - Boat, RV, van, etc. (%) House/condo owner moved in on average (years ago) Renter moved in on average (years ago) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1999 to March 2000 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1995 to 1998 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1990 to 1994 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1980 to 1989 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1970 to 1979 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1969 or earlier (%) Means of transportation to work - Drove car alone (%) Means of transportation to work - Carpooled (%) Means of transportation to work - Public transportation (%) Means of transportation to work - Bus or trolley bus (%) Means of transportation to work - Streetcar or trolley car (%) Means of transportation to work - Subway or elevated (%) Means of transportation to work - Railroad (%) Means of transportation to work - Ferryboat (%) Means of transportation to work - Taxicab (%) Means of transportation to work - Motorcycle (%) Means of transportation to work - Bicycle (%) Means of transportation to work - Walked (%) Means of transportation to work - Other means (%) Working at home (%) Industry diversity Most Common Industries - Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining (%) Most Common Industries - Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (%) Most Common Industries - Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (%) Most Common Industries - Construction (%) Most Common Industries - Manufacturing (%) Most Common Industries - Wholesale trade (%) Most Common Industries - Retail trade (%) Most Common Industries - Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (%) Most Common Industries - Transportation and warehousing (%) Most Common Industries - Utilities (%) Most Common Industries - Information (%) Most Common Industries - Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (%) Most Common Industries - Finance and insurance (%) Most Common Industries - Real estate and rental and leasing (%) Most Common Industries - Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (%) Most Common Industries - Professional, scientific, and technical services (%) Most Common Industries - Management of companies and enterprises (%) Most Common Industries - Administrative and support and waste management services (%) Most Common Industries - Educational services, and health care and social assistance (%) Most Common Industries - Educational services (%) Most Common Industries - Health care and social assistance (%) Most Common Industries - Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (%) Most Common Industries - Arts, entertainment, and recreation (%) Most Common Industries - Accommodation and food services (%) Most Common Industries - Other services, except public administration (%) Most Common Industries - Public administration (%) Occupation diversity Most Common Occupations - Management, business, science, and arts occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Management, business, and financial occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Management occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Business and financial operations occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Computer, engineering, and science occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Computer and mathematical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Architecture and engineering occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Life, physical, and social science occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Education, legal, community service, arts, and media occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Community and social service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Legal occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Education, training, and library occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Health diagnosing and treating practitioners and other technical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Health technologists and technicians (%) Most Common Occupations - Service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Healthcare support occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Protective service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Fire fighting and prevention, and other protective service workers including supervisors (%) Most Common Occupations - Law enforcement workers including supervisors (%) Most Common Occupations - Food preparation and serving related occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Personal care and service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Sales and office occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Sales and related occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Office and administrative support occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Construction and extraction occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Production, transportation, and material moving occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Production occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Transportation occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Material moving occupations (%) People in Group quarters - Institutionalized population (%) People in Group quarters - Correctional institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Federal prisons and detention centers (%) People in Group quarters - Halfway houses (%) People in Group quarters - Local jails and other confinement facilities (including police lockups) (%) People in Group quarters - Military disciplinary barracks (%) People in Group quarters - State prisons (%) People in Group quarters - Other types of correctional institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Nursing homes (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals/wards, hospices, and schools for the handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals/wards and hospices for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Hospices or homes for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Military hospitals or wards for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Other hospitals or wards for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals or wards for drug/alcohol abuse (%) People in Group quarters - Mental (Psychiatric) hospitals or wards (%) People in Group quarters - Schools, hospitals, or wards for the mentally retarded (%) People in Group quarters - Schools, hospitals, or wards for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Institutions for the deaf (%) People in Group quarters - Institutions for the blind (%) People in Group quarters - Orthopedic wards and institutions for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Wards in general hospitals for patients who have no usual home elsewhere (%) People in Group quarters - Wards in military hospitals for patients who have no usual home elsewhere (%) People in Group quarters - Juvenile institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Long-term care (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for abused, dependent, and neglected children (%) People in Group quarters - Residential treatment centers for emotionally disturbed children (%) People in Group quarters - Training schools for juvenile delinquents (%) People in Group quarters - Short-term care, detention or diagnostic centers for delinquent children (%) People in Group quarters - Type of juvenile institution unknown (%) People in Group quarters - Noninstitutionalized population (%) People in Group quarters - College dormitories (includes college quarters off campus) (%) People in Group quarters - Military quarters (%) People in Group quarters - On base (%) People in Group quarters - Barracks, unaccompanied personnel housing (UPH), (Enlisted/Officer), ;and similar group living quarters for military personnel (%) People in Group quarters - Transient quarters for temporary residents (%) People in Group quarters - Military ships (%) People in Group quarters - Group homes (%) People in Group quarters - Homes or halfway houses for drug/alcohol abuse (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the mentally ill (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the mentally retarded (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Other group homes (%) People in Group quarters - Religious group quarters (%) People in Group quarters - Dormitories (%) People in Group quarters - Agriculture workers' dormitories on farms (%) People in Group quarters - Job Corps and vocational training facilities (%) People in Group quarters - Other workers' dormitories (%) People in Group quarters - Crews of maritime vessels (%) People in Group quarters - Other nonhousehold living situations (%) People in Group quarters - Other noninstitutional group quarters (%) Residents speaking English at home (%) Residents speaking English at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking English at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking English at home - Foreign born (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Foreign born (%) Residents speaking other language at home (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Foreign born (%) Class of Workers - Employee of private company (%) Class of Workers - Self-employed in own incorporated business (%) Class of Workers - Private not-for-profit wage and salary workers (%) Class of Workers - Local government workers (%) Class of Workers - State government workers (%) Class of Workers - Federal government workers (%) Class of Workers - Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business and Unpaid family workers (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Utility gas (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Bottled, tank, or LP gas (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Electricity (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Coal or coke (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Wood (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Solar energy (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Other fuel (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - No fuel used (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Utility gas (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Bottled, tank, or LP gas (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Electricity (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Coal or coke (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Wood (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Solar energy (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Other fuel (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - No fuel used (%) Armed forces status - In Armed Forces (%) Armed forces status - Civilian (%) Armed forces status - Civilian - Veteran (%) Armed forces status - Civilian - Nonveteran (%) Fatal accidents locations in years 2005-2019 Fatal accidents locations in 2005 Fatal accidents locations in 2006 Fatal accidents locations in 2007 Fatal accidents locations in 2008 Fatal accidents locations in 2009 Fatal accidents locations in 2010 Fatal accidents locations in 2011 Fatal accidents locations in 2012 Fatal accidents locations in 2013 Fatal accidents locations in 2014 Fatal accidents locations in 2015 Fatal accidents locations in 2016 Fatal accidents locations in 2017 Fatal accidents locations in 2018 Fatal accidents locations in 2019 Alcohol use - People drinking some alcohol every month (%) Alcohol use - People not drinking at all (%) Alcohol use - Average days/month drinking alcohol Alcohol use - Average drinks/week Alcohol use - Average days/year people drink much Audiometry - Average condition of hearing (%) Audiometry - People that can hear a whisper from across a quiet room (%) Audiometry - People that can hear normal voice from across a quiet room (%) Audiometry - Ears ringing, roaring, buzzing (%) Audiometry - Had a job exposure to loud noise (%) Audiometry - Had off-work exposure to loud noise (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Has high blood pressure (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Checking blood pressure at home (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Frequently checking blood cholesterol (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Has high cholesterol level (%) Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on food at supermarket/grocery store Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on food at other stores Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on eating out Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on carryout/delivered foods Consumer Behavior - Income spent on food at supermarket/grocery store (%) Consumer Behavior - Income spent on food at other stores (%) Consumer Behavior - Income spent on eating out (%) Consumer Behavior - Income spent on carryout/delivered foods (%) Current Health Status - General health condition (%) Current Health Status - Blood donors (%) Current Health Status - Has blood ever tested for HIV virus (%) Current Health Status - Left-handed people (%) Dermatology - People using sunscreen (%) Diabetes - Diabetics (%) Diabetes - Had a blood test for high blood sugar (%) Diabetes - People taking insulin (%) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Diet health (%) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Milk product consumption (# of products/month) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Meals not home prepared (#/week) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Meals from fast food or pizza place (#/week) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Ready-to-eat foods (#/month) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Frozen meals/pizza (#/month) Drug Use - People that ever used marijuana or hashish (%) Drug Use - Ever used hard drugs (%) Drug Use - Ever used any form of cocaine (%) Drug Use - Ever used heroin (%) Drug Use - Ever used methamphetamine (%) Health Insurance - People covered by health insurance (%) Kidney Conditions-Urology - Avg. # of times urinating at night Medical Conditions - People with asthma (%) Medical Conditions - People with anemia (%) Medical Conditions - People with psoriasis (%) Medical Conditions - People with overweight (%) Medical Conditions - Elderly people having difficulties in thinking or remembering (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever received blood transfusion (%) Medical Conditions - People having trouble seeing even with glass/contacts (%) Medical Conditions - People with arthritis (%) Medical Conditions - People with gout (%) Medical Conditions - People with congestive heart failure (%) Medical Conditions - People with coronary heart disease (%) Medical Conditions - People with angina pectoris (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever had heart attack (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever had stroke (%) Medical Conditions - People with emphysema (%) Medical Conditions - People with thyroid problem (%) Medical Conditions - People with chronic bronchitis (%) Medical Conditions - People with any liver condition (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever had cancer or malignancy (%) Mental Health - People who have little interest in doing things (%) Mental Health - People feeling down, depressed, or hopeless (%) Mental Health - People who have trouble sleeping or sleeping too much (%) Mental Health - People feeling tired or having little energy (%) Mental Health - People with poor appetite or overeating (%) Mental Health - People feeling bad about themself (%) Mental Health - People who have trouble concentrating on things (%) Mental Health - People moving or speaking slowly or too fast (%) Mental Health - People having thoughts they would be better off dead (%) Oral Health - Average years since last visit a dentist Oral Health - People embarrassed because of mouth (%) Oral Health - People with gum disease (%) Oral Health - General health of teeth and gums (%) Oral Health - Average days a week using dental floss/device Oral Health - Average days a week using mouthwash for dental problem Oral Health - Average number of teeth Pesticide Use - Households using pesticides to control insects (%) Pesticide Use - Households using pesticides to kill weeds (%) Physical Activity - People doing vigorous-intensity work activities (%) Physical Activity - People doing moderate-intensity work activities (%) Physical Activity - People walking or bicycling (%) Physical Activity - People doing vigorous-intensity recreational activities (%) Physical Activity - People doing moderate-intensity recreational activities (%) Physical Activity - Average hours a day doing sedentary activities Physical Activity - Average hours a day watching TV or videos Physical Activity - Average hours a day using computer Physical Functioning - People having limitations keeping them from working (%) Physical Functioning - People limited in amount of work they can do (%) Physical Functioning - People that need special equipment to walk (%) Physical Functioning - People experiencing confusion/memory problems (%) Physical Functioning - People requiring special healthcare equipment (%) Prescription Medications - Average number of prescription medicines taking Preventive Aspirin Use - Adults 40+ taking low-dose aspirin (%) Reproductive Health - Vaginal deliveries (%) Reproductive Health - Cesarean deliveries (%) Reproductive Health - Deliveries resulted in a live birth (%) Reproductive Health - Pregnancies resulted in a delivery (%) Reproductive Health - Women breastfeeding newborns (%) Reproductive Health - Women that had a hysterectomy (%) Reproductive Health - Women that had both ovaries removed (%) Reproductive Health - Women that have ever taken birth control pills (%) Reproductive Health - Women taking birth control pills (%) Reproductive Health - Women that have ever used Depo-Provera or injectables (%) Reproductive Health - Women that have ever used female hormones (%) Sexual Behavior - People 18+ that ever had sex (vaginal, anal, or oral) (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever had vaginal sex with a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever performed oral sex on a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever had anal sex with a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever had any sex with a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever had vaginal sex with a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever performed oral sex on a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever had anal sex with a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever had any kind of sex with a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Average age people first had sex Sexual Behavior - Average number of female sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of female vaginal sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average age people first performed oral sex on a woman (18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of woman performed oral sex on in lifetime (18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male anal sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average age people first performed oral sex on a man (18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male oral sex partners in lifetime (18+) Sexual Behavior - People using protection when performing oral sex (%) Sexual Behavior - Average number of times people have vaginal or anal sex a year Sexual Behavior - People having sex without condom (%) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male sex partners in lifetime (females 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male vaginal sex partners in lifetime (females 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of female sex partners in lifetime (females 18+) Sexual Behavior - Circumcised males 18+ (%) Sleep Disorders - Average hours sleeping at night Sleep Disorders - People that has trouble sleeping (%) Smoking-Cigarette Use - People smoking cigarettes (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ having problems with smell (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ having problems with taste (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had wisdom teeth removed (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had tonsils teeth removed (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had a loss of consciousness because of a head injury (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had a broken nose or other serious injury to face or skull (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had two or more sinus infections (%) Weight - Average height (inches) Weight - Average weight (pounds) Weight - Average BMI Weight - People that are obese (%) Weight - People that ever were obese (%) Weight - People trying to lose weight (%) Settings Get link Loading data... Based on 2000-2020 data Loading data...

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178 98.3% White alone 1 0.6% Two or more races

Races in Jackson Center detailed stats: ancestries, foreign born residents, place of birth





According to our research of Pennsylvania and other state lists, there was 1 registered sex offender living in Jackson Center, Pennsylvania as of November 21, 2021.

The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in Jackson Center is 199 to 1.







Latest news from Jackson Center, PA collected exclusively by city-data.com from local newspapers, TV, and radio stations

Ancestries: German (26.8%), American (25.4%), Austrian (7.0%), European (7.0%), Irish (7.0%), English (5.6%).

Current Local Time: EST time zone

Land area: 1.14 square miles. Population density: 181 people per square mile (very low).

3 residents are foreign born This borough: 1.4% Pennsylvania: 4.1%

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with mortgages in 2019: $1,421 (1.6%)

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with no mortgage in 2019: $1,009 (0.9%)



Latitude: 41.27 N, Longitude: 80.14 W

Area code commonly used in this area: 724

Unemployment in November 2020:

Here: 7.1% Pennsylvania: 6.1%

Most common industries in Jackson Center, PA (%) Both Males Females

Health care (15.2%)

Educational services (10.5%)

Repair & maintenance (7.6%)

Truck transportation (6.7%)

Metal & metal products (4.8%)

Real estate & rental & leasing (4.8%)

Department & other general merchandise stores (3.8%)

Repair & maintenance (13.8%)

Truck transportation (12.1%)

Metal & metal products (8.6%)

Health care (6.9%)

Construction (5.2%)

Administrative & support & waste management services (5.2%)

Educational services (5.2%)

Health care (25.5%)

Educational services (17.0%)

Department & other general merchandise stores (8.5%)

Professional, scientific, technical services (8.5%)

Plastics & rubber products (6.4%)

Real estate & rental & leasing (6.4%)

Accommodation & food services (6.4%) Most common occupations in Jackson Center, PA (%) Both Males Females

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers (14.3%)

Laborers and material movers, hand (7.6%)

Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers (7.6%)

Child care workers (5.7%)

Construction traders workers except carpenters, electricians, painters, plumbers, and construction laborers (4.8%)

Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides (3.8%)

Other management occupations, except farmers and farm managers (3.8%)

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers (25.9%)

Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers (13.8%)

Construction traders workers except carpenters, electricians, painters, plumbers, and construction laborers (8.6%)

Laborers and material movers, hand (8.6%)

Motor vehicle operators, except bus and truck drivers (5.2%)

Engineers (3.4%)

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (3.4%)

Child care workers (12.8%)

Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides (8.5%)

Other management occupations, except farmers and farm managers (8.5%)

Other financial specialists (8.5%)

Food and beverage serving workers, except waiters and waitresses (6.4%)

Other sales and related occupations, including supervisors (6.4%)

Laborers and material movers, hand (6.4%)

Average climate in Jackson Center, Pennsylvania Based on data reported by over 4,000 weather stations

Air pollution and air quality trends

(lower is better) AQI CO NO 2 SO 2 Ozone PM 10 PM 2.5 Pb

Air Quality Index (AQI) level in 2018 was 65.4. This is about average. City: 65.4 U.S.: 74.2

Carbon Monoxide (CO) [ppm] level in 2013 was 0.139. This is significantly better than average. Closest monitor was 21.8 miles away from the city center. City: 0.139 U.S.: 0.267

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO 2 ) [ppb] level in 2008 was 12.2. This is significantly worse than average. Closest monitor was 21.8 miles away from the city center. City: 12.2 U.S.: 5.6

Sulfur Dioxide (SO 2 ) [ppb] level in 2017 was 0.432. This is significantly better than average. Closest monitor was 10.8 miles away from the city center. City: 0.432 U.S.: 1.789

Ozone [ppb] level in 2018 was 25.0. This is better than average. Closest monitor was 10.8 miles away from the city center. City: 25.0 U.S.: 33.3

Particulate Matter (PM 10 ) [g/m3] level in 2015 was 19.0. This is about average. Closest monitor was 19.1 miles away from the city center. City: 19.0 U.S.: 19.6

Particulate Matter (PM 2.5 ) [g/m3] level in 2018 was 8.03. This is about average. Closest monitor was 18.2 miles away from the city center. City: 8.03 U.S.: 8.46

Lead (Pb) [g/m3] level in 2015 was 0.00133. This is significantly better than average. Closest monitor was 15.5 miles away from the city center. City: 0.00133 U.S.: 0.00984

Tornado activity: Jackson Center-area historical tornado activity is slightly above Pennsylvania state average. It is 2% smaller than the overall U.S. average.

On 5/31/1985, a category F5 (max. wind speeds 261-318 mph) tornado 7.5 miles away from the Jackson Center borough center killed 18 people and injured 310 people and caused between $50,000,000 and $500,000,000 in damages. On 5/31/1985, a category F4 (max. wind speeds 207-260 mph) tornado 24.3 miles away from the borough center killed 16 people and injured 125 people and caused between $5,000,000 and $50,000,000 in damages.

Earthquake activity: Jackson Center-area historical earthquake activity is significantly above Pennsylvania state average. It is 58% smaller than the overall U.S. average.



On 9/25/1998 at 19:52:52, a magnitude 5.2 (4.8 MB, 4.3 MS, 5.2 LG, 4.5 MW, Depth: 3.1 mi, Class: Moderate, Intensity: VI - VII) earthquake occurred 20.1 miles away from the city center

On 1/31/1986 at 16:46:43, a magnitude 5.0 (5.0 MB) earthquake occurred 57.5 miles away from Jackson Center center

On 8/23/2011 at 17:51:04, a magnitude 5.8 (5.8 MW, Depth: 3.7 mi) earthquake occurred 260.5 miles away from the city center

On 12/31/2011 at 20:05:01, a magnitude 4.0 (4.0 ML, Depth: 3.1 mi, Class: Light, Intensity: IV - V) earthquake occurred 30.0 miles away from the city center

On 7/27/1980 at 18:52:21, a magnitude 5.2 (5.1 MB, 4.7 MS, 5.0 UK, 5.2 UK) earthquake occurred 292.9 miles away from the city center

On 6/10/2019 at 14:50:45, a magnitude 4.0 (4.0 MB, Depth: 1.2 mi) earthquake occurred 73.7 miles away from the city center

Magnitude types: regional Lg-wave magnitude (LG), body-wave magnitude (MB), local magnitude (ML), surface-wave magnitude (MS), moment magnitude (MW)

Natural disasters: The number of natural disasters in Mercer County (10) is smaller than the US average (15).

Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 6

Emergencies Declared: 4



Causes of natural disasters: Floods: 3, Storms: 3, Hurricanes: 2, Tornadoes: 2, Snowfall: 1, Snowstorm: 1, Tropical Storm: 1, Wind: 1, Winter Storm: 1, Other: 1 (Note: some incidents may be assigned to more than one category).

Hospitals and medical centers near Jackson Center: AVALON SPRINGS NURSING CENTER (Nursing Home, about 6 miles away; MERCER, PA)

COUNTRYSIDE CONV HME LMTD PARTNERSHIP (Nursing Home, about 7 miles away; MERCER, PA)

COUNTRYSIDE CONVAL HOME LTD PA (Nursing Home, about 7 miles away; MERCER, PA)

GROVE CITY MEDICAL CENTER TCC (Nursing Home, about 8 miles away; GROVE CITY, PA)

HILLCREST NURSING CTR (Nursing Home, about 8 miles away; GROVE CITY, PA)

TRINITY LIVING CENTER (Nursing Home, about 8 miles away; GROVE CITY, PA)

GROVE MANOR (Nursing Home, about 8 miles away; GROVE CITY, PA)

Colleges/universities with over 2000 students nearest to Jackson Center: Grove City College ( about 9 miles; Grove City, PA ; Full-time enrollment: 2,560)

9 ; 2,560) Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania ( about 16 miles; Slippery Rock, PA ; FT enrollment: 8,424)

16 ; 8,424) Allegheny College ( about 27 miles; Meadville, PA ; FT enrollment: 2,249)

27 ; 2,249) Youngstown State University ( about 29 miles; Youngstown, OH ; FT enrollment: 11,575)

29 ; 11,575) Butler County Community College ( about 33 miles; Butler, PA ; FT enrollment: 2,518)

33 ; 2,518) Clarion University of Pennsylvania ( about 41 miles; Clarion, PA ; FT enrollment: 5,771)

41 ; 5,771) Edinboro University of Pennsylvania (about 42 miles; Edinboro, PA; FT enrollment: 6,746) Private high school in Jackson Center: DUTCH LANE AMISH SCHOOL (Students: 26, Location: 47 DUTCH LN, Grades: 1-9)

Mercer County has a predicted average indoor radon screening level between 2 and 4 pCi/L (pico curies per liter) - Moderate Potential

Drinking water stations with addresses in Jackson Center and their reported violations in the past: JACKSON CENTER VOL FIRE CO AUX (Population served: 35, Groundwater): Past monitoring violations: 2 routine major monitoring violations

One minor monitoring violation YELLOW CREEK INN (Population served: 25, Groundwater): Past health violations: MCL, Monthly (TCR) - Between APR-2013 and JUN-2013 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (AUG-13-2013) , St Compliance achieved (AUG-13-2013) , St Violation/Reminder Notice (AUG-13-2013)

APR-2013 JUN-2013 Coliform St Public Notif requested (AUG-13-2013) St Compliance achieved (AUG-13-2013) St Violation/Reminder Notice (AUG-13-2013) MCL, Acute (TCR) - Between APR-2013 and JUN-2013, Contaminant: Coliform. Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (AUG-13-2013), St Compliance achieved (AUG-13-2013), St Violation/Reminder Notice (AUG-13-2013) Past monitoring violations: Monitoring, Source Water (GWR) - Between JUN-11-2013 and JUL-11-2013 , Contaminant: E. COLI . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (AUG-13-2013), St Compliance achieved (AUG-13-2013), St Violation/Reminder Notice (AUG-13-2013)

JUN-11-2013 JUL-11-2013 E. COLI St Public Notif requested (AUG-13-2013), St Compliance achieved (AUG-13-2013), St Violation/Reminder Notice (AUG-13-2013) 2 routine major monitoring violations

One minor monitoring violation JACKSON CENTER DAIRY QUEEN (Population served: 25, Groundwater): Past monitoring violations: 2 routine major monitoring violations JACKSON CENTER VOL FIRE CO AUX (35Groundwater):YELLOW CREEK INN (25Groundwater):JACKSON CENTER DAIRY QUEEN (25Groundwater):

Average household size: This borough: 2.8 people Pennsylvania: 2.5 people

Percentage of family households: This borough: 72.5% Whole state: 65.0%

Percentage of households with unmarried partners: This borough: 15.0% Whole state: 6.6%



Likely homosexual households (counted as self-reported same-sex unmarried-partner households) Lesbian couples: 3.8% of all households

3.8% Gay men: 0.0% of all households

2 people in religious group quarters in 2000

For population 15 years and over in Jackson Center: Never married: 18.4%

18.4% Now married: 57.9%

57.9% Separated: 3.2%

3.2% Widowed: 4.0%

4.0% Divorced: 16.5%

For population 25 years and over in Jackson Center: High school or higher: 81.2%

81.2% Bachelor's degree or higher: 11.3%

11.3% Graduate or professional degree: 3.0%

3.0% Unemployed: 7.1%

7.1% Mean travel time to work (commute): 36.8 minutes

Education Gini index (Inequality in education) Here: 9.3 Pennsylvania average: 11.3



Religion statistics for Jackson Center, PA (based on Mercer County data) Religion Adherents Congregations Catholic 28,244 15 Mainline Protestant 21,831 78 Evangelical Protestant 13,739 94 Black Protestant 1,147 7 Orthodox 929 6 Other 612 9 None 50,136 - Source: Clifford Grammich, Kirk Hadaway, Richard Houseal, Dale E.Jones, Alexei Krindatch, Richie Stanley and Richard H.Taylor. 2012. 2010 U.S.Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Jones, Dale E., et al. 2002. Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center. Graphs represent county-level data

Food Environment Statistics: Number of grocery stores: 23 Mercer County : 1.97 / 10,000 pop. Pennsylvania : 2.04 / 10,000 pop. Number of supercenters and club stores: 1 Mercer County : 0.09 / 10,000 pop. State : 0.09 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (no gas): 7 Here : 0.60 / 10,000 pop. State : 0.88 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (with gas): 32 Here : 2.74 / 10,000 pop. Pennsylvania : 2.52 / 10,000 pop. Number of full-service restaurants: 81 Mercer County : 6.93 / 10,000 pop. Pennsylvania : 7.12 / 10,000 pop. Adult diabetes rate: Mercer County : 10.5% Pennsylvania : 9.1% Adult obesity rate: Here : 29.4% Pennsylvania : 27.2% Low-income preschool obesity rate: Mercer County : 13.9% Pennsylvania : 11.5%

Local government employment and payroll (March 2017) Function Full-time employees Monthly full-time payroll Average yearly full-time wage Part-time employees Monthly part-time payroll Sewerage 1 $7,141 $85,692 0 $0 Other Government Administration 0 $0 10 $426 Financial Administration 0 $0 4 $1,632 Totals for Government 1 $7,141 $85,692 14 $2,058

Expenditure Revenue Jackson Center government finances - Expenditure in 2017 (per resident): Current Operations - Central Staff Services: $40,000 ($193.24) Sewerage: $30,000 ($144.93) General - Other: $24,000 ($115.94) Regular Highways: $18,000 ($86.96) Miscellaneous Commercial Activities - Other: $5,000 ($24.15) Local Fire Protection: $4,000 ($19.32) Solid Waste Management: $2,000 ($9.66) Parks and Recreation: $1,000 ($4.83) Jackson Center government finances - Revenue in 2017 (per resident): Charges - Sewerage: $74,000 ($357.49)

$74,000 ($357.49) Local Intergovernmental - Other: $9,000 ($43.48)

$9,000 ($43.48) Miscellaneous - Interest Earnings: $2,000 ($9.66)

$2,000 ($9.66) State Intergovernmental - Other: $9,000 ($43.48)

$9,000 ($43.48) Tax - Property: $15,000 ($72.46) Individual Income: $12,000 ($57.97) Public Utility License: $1,000 ($4.83) Jackson Center government finances - Cash and Securities in 2017 (per resident): Other Funds - Cash and Securities: $192,000 ($927.54)

3.56% of this county's 2016 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2015 ($42,471 average adjusted gross income) Here: 3.56% Pennsylvania average: 4.58% 10 or fewer of this county's residents moved from foreign countries between 2015 and 2016.

Top counties from which taxpayers relocated into this county between 2015 and 2016:

from Lawrence County, PA 0.38% ($49,544 average AGI) from Trumbull County, OH 0.35% ($27,590) from Allegheny County, PA 0.32% ($48,556)



4.27% of this county's 2015 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2016 ($43,184 average adjusted gross income) Here: 4.27% Pennsylvania average: 4.96% 10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries between 2015 and 2016.

Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2015 and 2016:

to Trumbull County, OH 0.49% ($31,418 average AGI) to Allegheny County, PA 0.39% ($36,441) to Lawrence County, PA 0.36% ($40,677)

Businesses in Jackson Center, PA Dairy Queen: 1

1 U-Haul: 1

Strongest AM radio stations in Jackson Center: KDKA (1020 AM; 50 kW; PITTSBURGH, PA; Owner: INFINITY BROADCASTING OPERATIONS, INC.)

INFINITY BROADCASTING OPERATIONS, INC.) WKBN (570 AM; 5 kW; YOUNGSTOWN, OH; Owner: CITICASTERS LICENSES, L.P.)

CITICASTERS LICENSES, L.P.) WKNR (850 AM; 50 kW; CLEVELAND, OH; Owner: CARON BROADCASTING, INC.)

CARON BROADCASTING, INC.) WTAM (1100 AM; 50 kW; CLEVELAND, OH; Owner: JACOR BROADCASTING CORPORATION)

JACOR BROADCASTING CORPORATION) WNIO (1390 AM; 10 kW; YOUNGSTOWN, OH; Owner: YOUNGSTOWN RADIO LICENSE, L.L.C.)

YOUNGSTOWN RADIO LICENSE, L.L.C.) WBZY (1280 AM; 5 kW; NEW CASTLE, PA; Owner: CITICASTERS LICENSES, L.P.)

CITICASTERS LICENSES, L.P.) WHK (1220 AM; 50 kW; CLEVELAND, OH; Owner: CARON BROADCASTING, INC.)

CARON BROADCASTING, INC.) WKST (1200 AM; 5 kW; NEW CASTLE, PA; Owner: CITICASTERS LICENSES, L.P.)

CITICASTERS LICENSES, L.P.) WWVA (1170 AM; 53 kW; WHEELING, WV; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WPIC (790 AM; 1 kW; SHARON, PA; Owner: CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.)

CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.) WHKW (1440 AM; 5 kW; WARREN, OH; Owner: SCA LICENSE CORPORATION)

SCA LICENSE CORPORATION) WHBC (1480 AM; 15 kW; CANTON, OH; Owner: NM LICENSING, LLC)

NM LICENSING, LLC) WTVN (610 AM; 50 kW; COLUMBUS, OH; Owner: CITICASTERS LICENSES, L.P.) Strongest FM radio stations in Jackson Center: WLLF (96.7 FM; MERCER, PA; Owner: CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.)

CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.) WICT (95.1 FM; GROVE CITY, PA; Owner: YOUNGSTOWN RADIO LICENSE, L.L.C.)

YOUNGSTOWN RADIO LICENSE, L.L.C.) WMXY (98.9 FM; YOUNGSTOWN, OH; Owner: CITICASTERS LICENSES, L.P.)

CITICASTERS LICENSES, L.P.) WSAJ-FM (91.1 FM; GROVE CITY, PA; Owner: GROVE CITY COLLEGE)

GROVE CITY COLLEGE) WOXX (99.3 FM; FRANKLIN, PA; Owner: FOREVER BROADCASTING, LLC)

FOREVER BROADCASTING, LLC) WWIZ (103.9 FM; MERCER, PA; Owner: CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.)

CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.) WGYY (100.3 FM; MEADVILLE, PA; Owner: FOREVER BROADCASTING, LLC)

FOREVER BROADCASTING, LLC) WHOT-FM (101.1 FM; YOUNGSTOWN, OH; Owner: CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.)

CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.) WHUZ (94.3 FM; SAEGERTOWN, PA; Owner: FOREVER BROADCASTING, LLC)

FOREVER BROADCASTING, LLC) WYTN (91.7 FM; YOUNGSTOWN, OH; Owner: FAMILY STATIONS, INC.)

FAMILY STATIONS, INC.) WYFM (102.9 FM; SHARON, PA; Owner: CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.)

CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.) WEXC (107.1 FM; GREENVILLE, PA; Owner: BEACON BROADCASTING, INC.)

BEACON BROADCASTING, INC.) WUUZ (107.7 FM; COOPERSTOWN, PA; Owner: FOREVER BROADCASTING, LLC)

FOREVER BROADCASTING, LLC) WAWN (89.5 FM; FRANKLIN, PA; Owner: AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION)

AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION) WAKZ (95.9 FM; SHARPSVILLE, PA; Owner: YOUNGSTOWN RADIO LICENSE, L.L.C.)

YOUNGSTOWN RADIO LICENSE, L.L.C.) WRBP (101.9 FM; HUBBARD, OH; Owner: STOP 26-RIVERBEND, INC.)

STOP 26-RIVERBEND, INC.) W248AD (97.5 FM; NEW WILMINGTON, PA; Owner: YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY)

YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY) WVMN (90.1 FM; NEW CASTLE, PA; Owner: THE MOODY BIBLE INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO) TV broadcast stations around Jackson Center: WFXI-CA ( Channel 17; MERCER, PA; Owner: PIEDMONT TELEVISION OF YOUNGSTOWN LICENSE LLC)

17; MERCER, PA; PIEDMONT TELEVISION OF YOUNGSTOWN LICENSE LLC) WKBN-TV ( Channel 27; YOUNGSTOWN, OH; Owner: PIEDMONT TELEVISION OF YOUNGSTOWN LICENSE LLC)

27; YOUNGSTOWN, OH; PIEDMONT TELEVISION OF YOUNGSTOWN LICENSE LLC) WFMJ-TV ( Channel 21; YOUNGSTOWN, OH; Owner: WFMJ TELEVISION, INC.)

21; YOUNGSTOWN, OH; WFMJ TELEVISION, INC.) W50BF ( Channel 50; SHARON, PA; Owner: CORNERSTONE TELEVISION, INC.)

50; SHARON, PA; CORNERSTONE TELEVISION, INC.) W56CL ( Channel 56; NEW CASTLE, PA; Owner: BRUNO-GOODWORTH NETWORK, INC.)

56; NEW CASTLE, PA; BRUNO-GOODWORTH NETWORK, INC.) WYFX-LP ( Channel 62; YOUNGSTOWN, OH; Owner: PIEDMONT TELEVISION OF YOUNGSTOWN LICENSE LLC)

62; YOUNGSTOWN, OH; PIEDMONT TELEVISION OF YOUNGSTOWN LICENSE LLC) WYTV ( Channel 33; YOUNGSTOWN, OH; Owner: CHELSEY BROADCASTING COMPANY OF YOUNGSTOWN, LLC)

33; YOUNGSTOWN, OH; CHELSEY BROADCASTING COMPANY OF YOUNGSTOWN, LLC) W52BO (Channel 52; MEADVILLE, PA; Owner: TRINITY BROADCASTING NETWORK)

Jackson Center fatal accident list: Apr 8, 2006 02:13 AM, Us-62, Lat: 41.272220, Lon: -80.140870, Vehicles: 1, Persons: 3, Fatalities: 1, Drunk persons involved: 1

Aug 2, 1991 07:30 PM, 62, Vehicles: 2, Persons: 4, Fatalities: 1, Drunk persons involved: 1

Aug 28, 1982 01:99 AM, Vehicles: 1, Persons: 4, Fatalities: 1



National Bridge Inventory (NBI) Statistics

21 Number of bridges

Number of bridges 105ft / 31.8m Total length

Total length $935,000 Total costs

Total costs 45,525 Total average daily traffic

Total average daily traffic 11,163 Total average daily truck traffic

Total average daily truck traffic 39,266 Total future (year 2032) average daily traffic

New bridges - historical statistics

1 1920-1929

1 1940-1949

2 1950-1959

11 1960-1969

3 1970-1979

1 1990-1999

2 2000-2009 See full National Bridge Inventory statistics for Jackson Center, PA

FCC Registered Antenna Towers: 14 (



FCC Registered Broadcast Land Mobile Towers: 3 S Side Of Fire Sta Pa Rt 62 ( Lat: 41.276722 Lon: -80.140056), Structure height: 15 m, Call Sign: KGD413, Licensee ID: L00027204,

Assigned Frequencies: 33.8200 MHz, 33.8800 MHz, Grant Date: 10/03/2012, Expiration Date: 12/23/2022, Registrant: County Of Mercer, 205 S Erie St, Mercer, PA 16137, Phone: (412) 662-3800

41.276722 -80.140056), 15 m, KGD413, L00027204, 33.8200 MHz, 33.8800 MHz, 10/03/2012, 12/23/2022, County Of Mercer, 205 S Erie St, Mercer, PA 16137, (412) 662-3800 Lat: 41.270083 Lon: -80.153472, Call Sign: WQZY374,

Assigned Frequencies: 464.087 MHz, 464.137 MHz, Grant Date: 09/06/2017, Expiration Date: 09/06/2027, Certifier: Linda Baun, Registrant: Cara Enterprises Inc, Las Vegas, NV 89140-0124, Phone: (702) 838-9728, Fax: (702) 363-4607, Email:

41.270083 -80.153472, WQZY374, 464.087 MHz, 464.137 MHz, 09/06/2017, 09/06/2027, Linda Baun, Cara Enterprises Inc, Las Vegas, NV 89140-0124, (702) 838-9728, (702) 363-4607, MOB, Lat: 41.262833 Lon: -80.160750, Call Sign: WRCE546,

Assigned Frequencies: 461.750 MHz, 461.875 MHz, 463.775 MHz, 463.825 MHz, 464.175 MHz, Grant Date: 09/11/2018, Expiration Date: 09/11/2028, Certifier: Matt Roberts, Registrant: Bearcom Operating LLC, Dallas, TX 75355-9001, Phone: (800) 458-9887, Email:

FCC Registered Paging Towers: 1 0.5 Mi. West Of (Lat: 41.268944 Lon: -80.155889), Type: Tower, Structure height: 76.2 m, Overall height: 82.3 m, Call Sign: KNKK317,

Assigned Frequencies: 152.510 MHz, Grant Date: 03/03/2009, Expiration Date: 04/01/2019, Cancellation Date: 01/29/2019, Registrant: Blooston, Mordkofsky, Dickens, Duffy & Prendergast, LLP, 2120 L Street, Nw, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20037, Phone: (202) 828-5540, Fax: (202) 828-5568, Email:

FCC Registered Amateur Radio Licenses: 13 (



FAA Registered Aircraft: 1 Aircraft: CESSNA 172RG (Category: Land, Seats: 4, Weight: Up to 12,499 Pounds), Engine: LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER (180 HP) (Reciprocating)

N-Number: 9539B, N9539B, N-9539B, Serial Number: 172RG0865, Year manufactured: 1981, Airworthiness Date: 04/27/1981, Certificate Issue Date: 10/26/2010

Registrant (Individual): Steven E Kalasky, 405 S Foster Rd, Jackson Center, PA 16133

14 ( See the full list of FCC Registered Antenna Towers in Jackson Center 13 ( See the full list of FCC Registered Amateur Radio Licenses in Jackson Center

Home Mortgage Disclosure Act Aggregated Statistics For Year 2009

(Based on 1 partial tract) C) Refinancings

Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 2 $105,410 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 0 $0 APPLICATIONS DENIED 1 $65,830 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2008

(Based on 1 partial tract) B) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans C) Refinancings

D) Home Improvement Loans

Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 1 $81,430 1 $115,670 1 $19,900 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 APPLICATIONS DENIED 0 $0 1 $124,900 0 $0 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2007

(Based on 1 partial tract) B) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans C) Refinancings

D) Home Improvement Loans

Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 1 $69,230 1 $130,030 1 $19,360 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 APPLICATIONS DENIED 0 $0 1 $82,510 0 $0 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2006

(Based on 1 partial tract) B) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans C) Refinancings

Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 1 $101,220 1 $127,040 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 0 $0 0 $0 APPLICATIONS DENIED 0 $0 1 $105,440 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 0 $0 1 $60,180 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2005

(Based on 1 partial tract) B) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans C) Refinancings

D) Home Improvement Loans

Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 1 $127,580 2 $69,145 1 $20,900 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 APPLICATIONS DENIED 0 $0 2 $91,465 0 $0 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 0 $0 1 $106,620 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2004

(Based on 1 partial tract) B) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans C) Refinancings

D) Home Improvement Loans

Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 1 $96,470 2 $70,065 1 $21,950 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 APPLICATIONS DENIED 0 $0 2 $76,490 0 $0 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 0 $0 1 $107,680 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2003

(Based on 1 partial tract) B) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans C) Refinancings

D) Home Improvement Loans

Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 1 $84,650 3 $108,270 1 $20,120 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 0 $0 1 $39,040 0 $0 APPLICATIONS DENIED 0 $0 1 $148,100 0 $0 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 0 $0 1 $69,200 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 1999

(Based on 1 partial tract) B) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans C) Refinancings

D) Home Improvement Loans

Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 1 $47,740 1 $70,220 1 $12,970 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 0 $0 1 $33,740 0 $0 APPLICATIONS DENIED 0 $0 1 $35,960 0 $0 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Choose year: 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 1999

Detailed HMDA statistics for the following Tracts: 0325.02





Most common first names in Jackson Center, PA among deceased individuals Name Count Lived (average) William 15 77.3 years John 14 76.7 years Mary 12 78.6 years George 11 77.2 years Ruth 10 81.3 years Dorothy 10 76.2 years James 10 75.1 years Charles 9 73.7 years Walter 7 74.4 years Paul 7 71.6 years Most common last names in Jackson Center, PA among deceased individuals Last name Count Lived (average) Oakes 10 80.6 years Brocklehurst 7 80.1 years Jenkins 7 57.1 years Weaver 7 78.8 years Turner 6 78.5 years Rodgers 5 83.0 years Winklevoss 5 87.4 years Jones 5 71.4 years Montgomery 5 75.6 years Mccurdy 5 78.8 years

Houses and condos Apartments 64.6% Utility gas

20.0% Electricity

10.8% Wood

4.6% Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. 100.0% Utility gas





Jackson Center compared to Pennsylvania state average: Median house value below state average.

below Unemployed percentage below state average.

below Black race population percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Hispanic race population percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Median age below state average.

below Foreign-born population percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Number of college students significantly below state average.

significantly below Percentage of population with a bachelor's degree or higher below state average.

Jackson Center on our top lists: #30 on the list of "Top 100 least racially diverse cities" #15 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the highest Particulate Matter (PM 2.5 ) Annual air pollution readings in 2012 (g/m 3 )"

#35 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the lowest percentage of residents relocating from other counties between 2010 and 2011 (pop. 50,000+)"

#47 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the lowest number of births per 1000 residents 2007-2013"

#48 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the highest number of deaths per 1000 residents 2007-2013 (pop. 50,000+)"

#50 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the lowest percentage of residents relocating to other counties in 2011 (pop. 50,000+)"

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Jefferson City, Missouri

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Population in 2019: 42,708 (99% urban, 1% rural).

Population change since 2000: +7.8%

42,708 (99% urban, 1% rural).+7.8%

Males: 22,692 (53.1%) Females: 20,016 (46.9%)

Median resident age: 39.8 years Missouri median age: 38.9 years

Estimated median household income in 2019: $53,388 (it was $39,628 in 2000)

Jefferson City: $53,388 MO: $57,409

Estimated per capita income in 2019: $29,172 (it was $21,268 in 2000)



Jefferson City city income, earnings, and wages data



Estimated median house or condo value in 2019: $150,714 (it was $97,700 in 2000) Jefferson City: $150,714 MO: $168,000

Mean prices in 2019: all housing units: $191,431; detached houses: $192,829; townhouses or other attached units: $224,660; in 2-unit structures: $184,673; in 5-or-more-unit structures: $146,803; mobile homes: $30,781 $53,388 ($39,628$29,172 ($21,268$150,714 ($97,700$191,431;$192,829;$224,660;$184,673;$146,803;$30,781

Median gross rent in 2019: $711.

March 2019 cost of living index in Jefferson City: 82.6 (low, U.S. average is 100)

Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2019: 12.9%

(9.4% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 29.3% for Black residents, 12.5% for Hispanic or Latino residents, 22.2% for other race residents, 29.9% for two or more races residents)

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31,146 72.2% White alone 8,038 18.6% Black alone 1,644 3.8% Hispanic 1,127 2.6% Asian alone 1,021 2.4% Two or more races 112 0.3% American Indian alone 46 0.1% Other race alone

Races in Jefferson City detailed stats: ancestries, foreign born residents, place of birth





According to our research of Missouri and other state lists, there were 143 registered sex offenders living in Jefferson City, Missouri as of November 21, 2021.

The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in Jefferson City is 303 to 1.

The ratio of registered sex offenders to all residents in this city is near the state average.





Crime rates in Jefferson City by year Type 2006 2007 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Murders

(per 100,000) 2

(5.1) 1

(2.6) 2

(4.9) 1

(2.4) 1

(2.3) 2

(4.6) 0

(0.0) 1

(2.3) 2

(4.6) 4

(9.3) 4

(9.3) 5

(11.7) 2

(4.7) Rapes

(per 100,000) 19

(48.3) 25

(63.9) 5

(12.2) 6

(14.6) 9

(20.8) 12

(27.6) 7

(16.2) 6

(13.8) 14

(32.5) 9

(20.8) 16

(37.2) 37

(86.3) 30

(70.1) Robberies

(per 100,000) 40

(101.7) 30

(76.7) 41

(100.4) 40

(97.3) 58

(134.1) 39

(89.8) 36

(83.3) 25

(57.6) 42

(97.4) 35

(81.1) 38

(88.4) 27

(63.0) 23

(53.7) Assaults

(per 100,000) 263

(668.4) 230

(587.9) 189

(462.9) 150

(365.0) 177

(409.4) 208

(479.1) 157

(363.5) 101

(232.9) 104

(241.1) 126

(291.9) 94

(218.7) 82

(191.3) 64

(149.6) Burglaries

(per 100,000) 250

(635.4) 244

(623.7) 218

(533.9) 284

(691.1) 282

(652.2) 235

(541.3) 235

(544.1) 166

(382.7) 178

(412.7) 179

(414.6) 164

(381.5) 131

(305.7) 125

(292.1) Thefts

(per 100,000) 1,241

(3,154) 1,186

(3,032) 1,157

(2,834) 1,348

(3,280) 1,305

(3,018) 1,311

(3,020) 1,162

(2,690) 1,134

(2,615) 1,153

(2,673) 1,085

(2,513) 1,032

(2,401) 1,053

(2,457) 910

(2,127) Auto thefts

(per 100,000) 76

(193.1) 54

(138.0) 34

(83.3) 36

(87.6) 26

(60.1) 40

(92.1) 49

(113.4) 31

(71.5) 47

(109.0) 54

(125.1) 58

(134.9) 93

(217.0) 66

(154.2) Arson

(per 100,000) 7

(17.8) 4

(10.2) 31

(75.9) 19

(46.2) 10

(23.1) 10

(23.0) 6

(13.9) 4

(9.2) 2

(4.6) 1

(2.3) 1

(2.3) 5

(11.7) 4

(9.3) City-Data.com crime index 399.1 372.8 299.7 305.4 314.6 320.2 265.4 216.6 257.2 257.5 252.2 286.6 229.3 The City-Data.com crime index weighs serious crimes and violent crimes more heavily. Higher means more crime, U.S. average is 270.6. It adjusts for the number of visitors and daily workers commuting into cities. Click on a table row to update graph

Crime rate in Jefferson City detailed stats: murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, arson



Full-time law enforcement employees in 2019, including police officers: 123 (88 officers).

Officers per 1,000 residents here: 2.06 Missouri average: 2.37



Latest news from Jefferson City, MO collected exclusively by city-data.com from local newspapers, TV, and radio stations

Ancestries: German (26.8%), American (12.0%), English (6.3%), Irish (4.4%), African (2.8%), European (2.2%).

Current Local Time: CST time zone

Elevation: 702 feet

Land area: 27.3 square miles. Population density: 1,567 people per square mile (low).

1,956 residents are foreign born (1.7% Africa, 1.1% Asia, 0.6% Latin America). This city: 4.6% Missouri: 4.2%

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with mortgages in 2019: $1,467 (1.0%)

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with no mortgage in 2019: $1,498 (0.9%)



Latitude: 38.57 N, Longitude: 92.19 W

Daytime population change due to commuting: +28,233 (+65.8%)

Workers who live and work in this city: 16,500 (87.2%)

Area code: 573

Single-family new house construction building permits: 1997: 144 buildings , average cost: $139,200

144 $139,200 1998: 149 buildings , average cost: $126,800

149 $126,800 1999: 162 buildings , average cost: $146,700

162 $146,700 2000: 152 buildings , average cost: $130,500

152 $130,500 2001: 140 buildings , average cost: $124,900

140 $124,900 2002: 148 buildings , average cost: $155,800

148 $155,800 2003: 139 buildings , average cost: $157,900

139 $157,900 2004: 144 buildings , average cost: $145,400

144 $145,400 2005: 180 buildings , average cost: $130,000

180 $130,000 2006: 102 buildings , average cost: $184,400

102 $184,400 2007: 73 buildings , average cost: $191,900

73 $191,900 2008: 50 buildings , average cost: $224,400

50 $224,400 2009: 63 buildings , average cost: $147,200

63 $147,200 2010: 61 buildings , average cost: $166,800

61 $166,800 2011: 66 buildings , average cost: $162,800

66 $162,800 2012: 65 buildings , average cost: $161,000

65 $161,000 2013: 79 buildings , average cost: $166,900

79 $166,900 2014: 56 buildings , average cost: $208,000

56 $208,000 2015: 42 buildings , average cost: $178,900

42 $178,900 2016: 37 buildings , average cost: $177,300

37 $177,300 2017: 54 buildings , average cost: $175,800

54 $175,800 2018: 44 buildings , average cost: $200,400

44 $200,400 2019: 48 buildings, average cost: $273,200

Unemployment in November 2020:

Here: 3.2% Missouri: 3.9%



Population change in the 1990s: +3,780 (+10.5%). +3,780 (+10.5%).

Most common industries in Jefferson City, MO (%) Both Males Females

Public administration (25.0%)

Educational services (8.6%)

Health care (7.7%)

Accommodation & food services (5.5%)

Construction (4.9%)

Finance & insurance (4.8%)

Professional, scientific, technical services (4.8%)

Public administration (23.8%)

Construction (8.6%)

Accommodation & food services (6.2%)

Professional, scientific, technical services (4.9%)

Educational services (4.9%)

Health care (4.0%)

Finance & insurance (3.7%)

Public administration (26.2%)

Educational services (12.2%)

Health care (11.3%)

Finance & insurance (5.9%)

Social assistance (5.1%)

Accommodation & food services (4.9%)

Professional, scientific, technical services (4.7%) Most common occupations in Jefferson City, MO (%) Both Males Females

Other office and administrative support workers, including supervisors (8.3%)

Other management occupations, except farmers and farm managers (5.1%)

Secretaries and administrative assistants (4.1%)

Preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school teachers (3.5%)

Other sales and related occupations, including supervisors (3.3%)

Computer specialists (3.1%)

Other production occupations, including supervisors (2.9%)

Other management occupations, except farmers and farm managers (6.0%)

Other office and administrative support workers, including supervisors (5.2%)

Other production occupations, including supervisors (4.2%)

Computer specialists (4.1%)

Electrical equipment mechanics and other installation, maintenance, and repair workers, including supervisors (4.0%)

Other sales and related occupations, including supervisors (3.9%)

Law enforcement workers, including supervisors (3.3%)

Other office and administrative support workers, including supervisors (11.2%)

Secretaries and administrative assistants (7.9%)

Preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school teachers (6.2%)

Other management occupations, except farmers and farm managers (4.2%)

Information and record clerks, except customer service representatives (3.9%)

Registered nurses (3.4%)

Retail sales workers, except cashiers (3.0%)

Average climate in Jefferson City, Missouri Based on data reported by over 4,000 weather stations

Tornado activity: Jefferson City-area historical tornado activity is slightly below Missouri state average. It is 22% greater than the overall U.S. average.

On 5/1/1983, a category F3 (max. wind speeds 158-206 mph) tornado 16.9 miles away from the Jefferson City city center injured 3 people and caused between $500,000 and $5,000,000 in damages. On 11/27/1990, a category F3 tornado 25.5 miles away from the city center caused between $50,000 and $500,000 in damages.

Earthquake activity: Jefferson City-area historical earthquake activity is significantly above Missouri state average. It is 410% greater than the overall U.S. average.



On 9/3/2016 at 12:02:44, a magnitude 5.8 (5.8 MW, Depth: 3.5 mi, Class: Moderate, Intensity: VI - VII) earthquake occurred 299.5 miles away from the city center

On 4/18/2008 at 09:36:59, a magnitude 5.4 (5.1 MB, 4.8 MS, 5.4 MW, 5.2 MW) earthquake occurred 233.0 miles away from Jefferson City center

On 9/26/1990 at 13:18:51, a magnitude 5.0 (4.7 MB, 4.8 LG, 5.0 LG, Depth: 7.7 mi) earthquake occurred 174.5 miles away from the city center

On 5/4/1991 at 01:18:54, a magnitude 5.0 (4.4 MB, 4.6 LG, 5.0 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi) earthquake occurred 190.1 miles away from Jefferson City center

On 4/18/2008 at 09:36:59, a magnitude 5.2 (5.2 MW, Depth: 8.9 mi) earthquake occurred 233.0 miles away from Jefferson City center

On 11/6/2011 at 03:53:10, a magnitude 5.7 (5.7 MW, Depth: 3.2 mi) earthquake occurred 328.6 miles away from Jefferson City center

Magnitude types: regional Lg-wave magnitude (LG), body-wave magnitude (MB), surface-wave magnitude (MS), moment magnitude (MW)

Natural disasters: The number of natural disasters in Cole County (23) is greater than the US average (15).

Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 13

Emergencies Declared: 7



Causes of natural disasters: Floods: 14, Storms: 12, Tornadoes: 9, Winter Storms: 6, Winds: 4, Drought: 1, Heavy Rain: 1, Hurricane: 1, Snowstorm: 1, Other: 1 (Note: some incidents may be assigned to more than one category).

Main business address for: EXCHANGE NATIONAL BANCSHARES INC (NATIONAL COMMERCIAL BANKS).

Hospitals in Jefferson City: CAPITAL REG MED CTR-MADISON-SW (provides emergency services, 1125 S MADISON ST)

CAPITAL REGION MEDICAL CENTER (Voluntary non-profit - Private, provides emergency services, 1125 MADISON ST)

CENTRAL MISSOURI MEDICAL PARK SURGERY CENTER, LLC (1705 CHRISTY DRIVE, SUITE 100)

COMMUNITY HOSPICES OF AMERICA-CENTRAL (2418 HYDE PARK ROAD)

RIVERSIDE HOSPITAL (1314 WEST EDGEWOOD DRIVE)

ST MARYS HEALTH CENTER (Proprietary, 100 ST MARYS MEDICAL PLAZA) Nursing Homes in Jefferson City: ADAMS STREET -A STONEBRIDGE COMMUNITY (1024 ADAMS STREET)

CAPITAL HEALTHCARE CENTER (1024 ADAMS STREET)

CHASTAINS OF JEFFERSON CITY (1024 ADAMS STREET)

GOLDEN LIVINGCENTER-JEFFERSON CITY (3038 WEST TRUMAN BLVD)

JEFFERSON CITY MANOR CARE CENTER (1720 VIETH DR)

JEFFERSON CITY NURSING AND REHABILITATION CTR, LLC (1221 SOUTHGATE LANE)

LINCOLN NURSING CENTER (3038 W TRUMAN BLVD)

OAK VIEW LIVING CENTER (1207 STADIUM BLVD)

ST JOSEPH'S BLUFFS (1306 WEST MAIN STREET)

VILLA MARIE SNF (1030 EDMONDS STREET) Dialysis Facilities in Jefferson City: DIALYSIS CLINICS, INC - JEFFERSON CITY EAST (1916 BOGGS CREEK ROAD)

DIALYSIS CLINICS, INC - JEFFERSON CITY WEST (144 SCOTT STATION RD) Home Health Centers in Jefferson City: CAPITAL REGION HOME HEALTH (1125 MADISON ST)

HOMEMAKER HEALTH CARE INC (1760 SOUTHRIDGE DRIVE)

MO RIVER HHA INC (1440 AARON COURT)

PYRAMID HOME HEALTH SERVICES - JEFFERSON CITY, INC (PO BOX 6818)

SSM HOME CARE AT ST MARY'S HEALTH CENTER (1241 STADIUM BLVD)

Amtrak station: JEFFERSON CITY (101 JEFFERSON ST.) Services: ticket office, fully wheelchair accessible, public payphones, vending machines, free short-term parking, free long-term parking, call for taxi service. JEFFERSON CITY (101 JEFFERSON ST.) ticket office, fully wheelchair accessible, public payphones, vending machines, free short-term parking, free long-term parking, call for taxi service.

Local government website: jeffcity.net/cityclerk

Library in Jefferson City: MISSOURI RIVER REGIONAL LIBRARY (Operating income: $2,798,575; Location: 209 ADAMS STREET; 197,804 books; 7,579 e-books; 17,037 audio materials; 16,431 video materials; 11 local licensed databases; 14 state licensed databases; 549 print serial subscriptions; 14 electronic serial subscriptions)

User-submitted facts and corrections: Please post under Colleges/Universities in Jefferson City. COLUMBIA COLLEGE (Full-time enrollment: 1,039; Location: 3314 Emerald Lane, Jefferson City, MO; Private; Website: www.ccis.edu



Birthplace of: Maya Moore - Basketball player, Ayla Brown - Basketball player, Cedric the Entertainer - Comedian, Jack Kilby, Blaine Luetkemeyer - Politician, Chester Himes - (died 1984), author, Deborah Digges - Poet, Harold Volkmer - Politician, Joe Crede - 2005 Major League Baseball player (Chicago White Sox, born: Apr 26, 1978), John A. Gordon - General.

Cole County has a predicted average indoor radon screening level between 2 and 4 pCi/L (pico curies per liter) - Moderate Potential

Drinking water stations with addresses in Jefferson City and their reported violations in the past: COLE CO PWSD 2 (Population served: 12,600, Groundwater): Past health violations: MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In AUG-2008 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (AUG-15-2008) , St Violation/Reminder Notice (AUG-15-2008) , St Compliance achieved (JAN-22-2014)

AUG-2008 Coliform St Public Notif requested (AUG-15-2008) St Violation/Reminder Notice (AUG-15-2008) St Compliance achieved (JAN-22-2014) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In OCT-2005 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (OCT-21-2005) , St Violation/Reminder Notice (OCT-21-2005) , St Public Notif received (NOV-29-2005) , St Compliance achieved (JAN-22-2014)

OCT-2005 Coliform St Public Notif requested (OCT-21-2005) St Violation/Reminder Notice (OCT-21-2005) St Public Notif received (NOV-29-2005) St Compliance achieved (JAN-22-2014) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In JUN-2005, Contaminant: Coliform. Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (JUN-16-2005), St Violation/Reminder Notice (JUN-16-2005), St Compliance achieved (JAN-22-2014) COLE CO PWSD 4 (Population served: 7,283, Groundwater): Past health violations: MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In SEP-2005 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Violation/Reminder Notice (2 times from SEP-19-2005 to SEP-19-2005) , St Public Notif requested (2 times from SEP-19-2005 to SEP-19-2005) , St Formal NOV issued (NOV-14-2005) , St Public Notif received (DEC-16-2005) , St Compliance achieved (JAN-22-2014)

SEP-2005 Coliform St Violation/Reminder Notice (2 SEP-19-2005 to SEP-19-2005) St Public Notif requested (2 SEP-19-2005 to SEP-19-2005) St Formal NOV issued (NOV-14-2005) St Public Notif received (DEC-16-2005) St Compliance achieved (JAN-22-2014) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In JUN-2005, Contaminant: Coliform. Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (JUL-01-2005), St Violation/Reminder Notice (JUL-01-2005), St Formal NOV issued (NOV-14-2005), St Public Notif received (DEC-16-2005), St Compliance achieved (JAN-22-2014) Past monitoring violations: One minor monitoring violation COLE CO PWSD 3 (Population served: 1,875, Groundwater): Past monitoring violations: 3 regular monitoring violations EUGENE (Population served: 220, Groundwater): Past health violations: MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In SEP-2008, Contaminant: Coliform. Follow-up actions: St Violation/Reminder Notice (SEP-29-2008), St Public Notif requested (SEP-29-2008) Past monitoring violations: One minor monitoring violation TABLE ROCK VINEY CREEK 105 (Population served: 110, Groundwater): Past health violations: MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In JUN-2009, Contaminant: Coliform. Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (JUN-30-2009), St Violation/Reminder Notice (JUN-30-2009), St Public Notif received (JUL-16-2009), St Compliance achieved (JAN-22-2014) Past monitoring violations: One routine major monitoring violation

One minor monitoring violation

One regular monitoring violation WOOD CREST CONDOMINIUMS (Address: 1132 S ROCK CREEK RD Population served: 100, Groundwater): Past health violations: MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In MAY-2006 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St BCA signed (FEB-09-2006) , St Public Notif requested (MAY-26-2006) , St Violation/Reminder Notice (MAY-26-2006) , St Public Notif received (JUN-26-2006) , St Formal NOV issued (SEP-27-2006) , St Compliance achieved (FEB-09-2009)

MAY-2006 Coliform St BCA signed (FEB-09-2006) St Public Notif requested (MAY-26-2006) St Violation/Reminder Notice (MAY-26-2006) St Public Notif received (JUN-26-2006) St Formal NOV issued (SEP-27-2006) St Compliance achieved (FEB-09-2009) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In JAN-2006 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (JAN-27-2006) , St Violation/Reminder Notice (JAN-27-2006) , St Public Notif received (FEB-08-2006) , St BCA signed (FEB-09-2006) , St Formal NOV issued (SEP-27-2006) , St Compliance achieved (FEB-09-2009)

JAN-2006 Coliform St Public Notif requested (JAN-27-2006) St Violation/Reminder Notice (JAN-27-2006) St Public Notif received (FEB-08-2006) St BCA signed (FEB-09-2006) St Formal NOV issued (SEP-27-2006) St Compliance achieved (FEB-09-2009) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In DEC-2005 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (DEC-30-2005) , St Violation/Reminder Notice (DEC-30-2005) , St BCA signed (FEB-09-2006) , St Formal NOV issued (SEP-27-2006) , St Compliance achieved (FEB-09-2009)

DEC-2005 Coliform St Public Notif requested (DEC-30-2005) St Violation/Reminder Notice (DEC-30-2005) St BCA signed (FEB-09-2006) St Formal NOV issued (SEP-27-2006) St Compliance achieved (FEB-09-2009) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In NOV-2005 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (NOV-15-2005) , St Violation/Reminder Notice (NOV-15-2005) , St Public Notif received (NOV-26-2005) , St BCA signed (FEB-09-2006) , St Formal NOV issued (SEP-27-2006) , St Compliance achieved (FEB-09-2009)

NOV-2005 Coliform St Public Notif requested (NOV-15-2005) St Violation/Reminder Notice (NOV-15-2005) St Public Notif received (NOV-26-2005) St BCA signed (FEB-09-2006) St Formal NOV issued (SEP-27-2006) St Compliance achieved (FEB-09-2009) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In OCT-2005 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (OCT-21-2005) , St Violation/Reminder Notice (OCT-21-2005) , St Public Notif received (OCT-31-2005) , St BCA signed (FEB-09-2006) , St Formal NOV issued (SEP-27-2006) , St Compliance achieved (FEB-09-2009)

OCT-2005 Coliform St Public Notif requested (OCT-21-2005) St Violation/Reminder Notice (OCT-21-2005) St Public Notif received (OCT-31-2005) St BCA signed (FEB-09-2006) St Formal NOV issued (SEP-27-2006) St Compliance achieved (FEB-09-2009) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In SEP-2005, Contaminant: Coliform. Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (SEP-26-2005), St Violation/Reminder Notice (SEP-26-2005), St Public Notif received (OCT-19-2005), St BCA signed (FEB-09-2006), St Formal NOV issued (SEP-27-2006), St Compliance achieved (FEB-09-2009) Past monitoring violations: One routine major monitoring violation CENTRAL MO CRRCTNL CTR (Population served: 42, Groundwater): Past health violations: Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) - In MAY-2014 , Contaminant: GROUNDWATER RULE . Follow-up actions: St Formal NOV issued (JUN-30-2014) , St Public Notif requested (JUN-30-2014)

MAY-2014 GROUNDWATER RULE St Formal NOV issued (JUN-30-2014) St Public Notif requested (JUN-30-2014) Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) - In APR-2014, Contaminant: GROUNDWATER RULE. Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (MAY-28-2014), St Formal NOV issued (MAY-28-2014), St Public Notif received (JUN-12-2014) Past monitoring violations: 2 routine major monitoring violations

31 regular monitoring violations RAINBOW LANES BOWLING (Population served: 40, Groundwater): Past monitoring violations: Failure To Address Deficiency - In OCT-29-2011 , Contaminant: GROUNDWATER RULE . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (JAN-11-2012), St Violation/Reminder Notice (JAN-11-2012), St Public Notif received (JAN-25-2012)

OCT-29-2011 GROUNDWATER RULE St Public Notif requested (JAN-11-2012), St Violation/Reminder Notice (JAN-11-2012), St Public Notif received (JAN-25-2012) 2 routine major monitoring violations Drinking water stations with addresses in Jefferson City that have no violations reported: COLE CO PWSD 1 (Population served: 12,400, Primary Water Source Type: Groundwater) COLE CO PWSD 2 (12,600Groundwater):COLE CO PWSD 4 (7,283Groundwater):COLE CO PWSD 3 (1,875Groundwater):EUGENE (220Groundwater):TABLE ROCK VINEY CREEK 105 (110Groundwater):WOOD CREST CONDOMINIUMS (1132 S ROCK CREEK RD 100Groundwater):CENTRAL MO CRRCTNL CTR (42Groundwater):RAINBOW LANES BOWLING (40Groundwater):

Average household size: This city: 2.2 people Missouri: 2.5 people

Percentage of family households: This city: 57.7% Whole state: 65.3%

Percentage of households with unmarried partners: This city: 6.1% Whole state: 6.7%



Likely homosexual households (counted as self-reported same-sex unmarried-partner households) Lesbian couples: 0.3% of all households

0.3% Gay men: 0.2% of all households

People in group quarters in Jefferson City in 2010: 3,488 people in state prisons

804 people in college/university student housing

456 people in nursing facilities/skilled-nursing facilities

71 people in group homes intended for adults

61 people in other noninstitutional facilities

36 people in local jails and other municipal confinement facilities

14 people in residential treatment centers for adults

13 people in emergency and transitional shelters (with sleeping facilities) for people experiencing homelessness

11 people in workers' group living quarters and job corps centers

10 people in residential treatment centers for juveniles (non-correctional) People in group quarters in Jefferson City in 2000: 1,939 people in local jails and other confinement facilities (including police lockups)

1,583 people in state prisons

510 people in college dormitories (includes college quarters off campus)

456 people in nursing homes

122 people in other noninstitutional group quarters

45 people in other group homes

29 people in homes for the mentally retarded

18 people in homes for the mentally ill

16 people in religious group quarters

15 people in unknown juvenile institutions

Banks with most branches in Jefferson City (2011 data): The Central Trust Bank: Central Bank West Branch, Limited Service Branch (Courier), at 238 Madison Street, Central Motor Branch, Wal-Mart Supercenter Facility, - Wal Mart Ea . Info updated 2006/11/03: Bank assets: $2,004.0 mil , Deposits: $1,184.0 mil , local headquarters , positive income , 13 total offices , Holding Company: Central Bancompany

238 Madison Street, Central Motor Branch, Wal-Mart Supercenter Facility, - Wal Mart Ea 2006/11/03: $2,004.0 mil $1,184.0 mil 13 Central Bancompany Jefferson Bank of Missouri: Jefferson City Facility, Jefferson City Facility, Jefferson City Facility, Jefferson Bank Of Missouri . Info updated 2007/01/25: Bank assets: $488.9 mil , Deposits: $428.8 mil , local headquarters , positive income , Commercial Lending Specialization , 5 total offices , Holding Company: Central Bancompany

2007/01/25: $488.9 mil $428.8 mil , Commercial Lending Specialization 5 Central Bancompany Hawthorn Bank: at 132 East High Street, West Facility, South Facility, East Facility . Info updated 2011/03/16: Bank assets: $1,152.2 mil , Deposits: $971.8 mil , local headquarters , positive income , Commercial Lending Specialization , 24 total offices , Holding Company: Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc

132 East High Street, West Facility, South Facility, East Facility 2011/03/16: $1,152.2 mil $971.8 mil , Commercial Lending Specialization 24 Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc Providence Bank: Ellis Blvd Branch, Stadium Blvd Branch, Missouri Blvd Branch . Info updated 2010/10/18: Bank assets: $670.4 mil , Deposits: $564.2 mil , headquarters in Columbia, MO , negative income in the last year , Commercial Lending Specialization , 13 total offices , Holding Company: Linco Bancshares, Inc.

2010/10/18: $670.4 mil $564.2 mil Columbia, MO , Commercial Lending Specialization 13 Linco Bancshares, Inc. Regions Bank: Madison Street Branch at 425 Madison Street , branch established on 1884/01/01 . Info updated 2011/02/24: Bank assets: $123,368.2 mil , Deposits: $98,301.3 mil , headquarters in Birmingham, AL , positive income , Commercial Lending Specialization , 1778 total offices , Holding Company: Regions Financial Corporation

425 Madison Street 1884/01/01 2011/02/24: $123,368.2 mil $98,301.3 mil Birmingham, AL , Commercial Lending Specialization 1778 Regions Financial Corporation Legends Bank: Taos Branch at 8201 Highway M , branch established on 1986/08/25 . Info updated 2006/11/03: Bank assets: $256.9 mil , Deposits: $209.4 mil , headquarters in Linn, MO , positive income , Commercial Lending Specialization , 10 total offices , Holding Company: Linn Holding Company

8201 Highway M 1986/08/25 2006/11/03: $256.9 mil $209.4 mil Linn, MO , Commercial Lending Specialization 10 Linn Holding Company U.S. Bank National Association: Jefferson City Branch at 101 West Mccarty Street , branch established on 1895/01/01 . Info updated 2012/01/30: Bank assets: $330,470.8 mil , Deposits: $236,091.5 mil , headquarters in Cincinnati, OH , positive income , 3121 total offices , Holding Company: U.S. Bancorp

101 West Mccarty Street 1895/01/01 2012/01/30: $330,470.8 mil $236,091.5 mil Cincinnati, OH 3121 U.S. Bancorp UMB Bank, National Association: Jefferson City Branch at 300 Dix Road , branch established on 1974/07/01 . Info updated 2007/12/13: Bank assets: $11,205.9 mil , Deposits: $8,538.8 mil , headquarters in Kansas City, MO , positive income , 107 total offices , Holding Company: Umb Financial Corporation

300 Dix Road 1974/07/01 2007/12/13: $11,205.9 mil $8,538.8 mil Kansas City, MO 107 Umb Financial Corporation Farmers Bank of Lohman, Missouri: Farmers Bank Of Lohman - Jefferson C at 103 Lomo Drive , branch established on 1982/07/17 . Info updated 2006/11/03: Bank assets: $56.7 mil , Deposits: $47.3 mil , headquarters in Lohman, MO , positive income , 2 total offices

103 Lomo Drive 1982/07/17 2006/11/03: $56.7 mil $47.3 mil Lohman, MO 2 2 other banks with 2 local branches

For population 15 years and over in Jefferson City: Never married: 35.1%

35.1% Now married: 42.0%

42.0% Separated: 1.6%

1.6% Widowed: 5.3%

5.3% Divorced: 15.9%

For population 25 years and over in Jefferson City: High school or higher: 91.1%

91.1% Bachelor's degree or higher: 32.6%

32.6% Graduate or professional degree: 12.1%

12.1% Unemployed: 4.9%

4.9% Mean travel time to work (commute): 14.9 minutes

Education Gini index (Inequality in education) Here: 10.5 Missouri average: 10.9



Religion statistics for Jefferson City, MO (based on Cole County data) Religion Adherents Congregations Evangelical Protestant 23,002 55 Catholic 20,145 9 Mainline Protestant 7,247 15 Other 1,624 10 Black Protestant 859 4 None 23,113 - Source: Clifford Grammich, Kirk Hadaway, Richard Houseal, Dale E.Jones, Alexei Krindatch, Richie Stanley and Richard H.Taylor. 2012. 2010 U.S.Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Jones, Dale E., et al. 2002. Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center. Graphs represent county-level data

Food Environment Statistics: Number of grocery stores: 11 Here : 1.50 / 10,000 pop. Missouri : 1.88 / 10,000 pop. Number of supercenters and club stores: 1 Here : 0.14 / 10,000 pop. Missouri : 0.18 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (no gas): 3 This county : 0.41 / 10,000 pop. Missouri : 0.60 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (with gas): 40 Here : 5.44 / 10,000 pop. State : 4.34 / 10,000 pop. Number of full-service restaurants: 52 Here : 7.07 / 10,000 pop. Missouri : 7.37 / 10,000 pop. Adult diabetes rate: Cole County : 8.3% State : 8.8% Adult obesity rate: This county : 28.6% Missouri : 29.6% Low-income preschool obesity rate: This county : 12.9% Missouri : 13.5%

Health and Nutrition: Healthy diet rate: Here: 49.0% Missouri: 50.9%

Average overall health of teeth and gums: This city: 46.0% Missouri: 48.6%

Average BMI: This city: 28.8 Missouri: 28.7

People feeling badly about themselves: Jefferson City: 20.5% State: 20.6%

People not drinking alcohol at all: This city: 10.5% State: 10.1%

Average hours sleeping at night: Jefferson City: 6.8 Missouri: 6.8

Overweight people: This city: 34.0% State: 34.3%

General health condition: Jefferson City: 56.2% Missouri: 57.5%

Average condition of hearing: Jefferson City: 79.2% State: 79.3%

More about Health and Nutrition of Jefferson City, MO Residents

Local government employment and payroll (March 2019) Function Full-time employees Monthly full-time payroll Average yearly full-time wage Part-time employees Monthly part-time payroll Police Protection - Officers 80 $366,592 $54,989 0 $0 Firefighters 72 $327,515 $54,586 0 $0 Parks and Recreation 49 $302,674 $74,124 0 $0 Other and Unallocable 42 $62,701 $17,915 0 $0 Sewerage 36 $245,938 $81,979 0 $0 Police - Other 31 $123,973 $47,990 3 $2,577 Transit 26 $69,846 $32,237 0 $0 Streets and Highways 25 $92,247 $44,279 0 $0 Health 12 $53,761 $53,761 1 $1,434 Financial Administration 10 $41,334 $49,601 0 $0 Judicial and Legal 6 $28,046 $56,092 4 $2,038 Fire - Other 4 $23,960 $71,880 0 $0 Other Government Administration 3 $21,024 $84,096 12 $12,468 Airports 3 $10,258 $41,032 1 $1,023 Housing and Community Development (Local) 2 $8,629 $51,774 0 $0 Totals for Government 401 $1,778,498 $53,222 21 $19,540

Expenditure Revenue Debt Jefferson City government finances - Expenditure in 2018 (per resident): Construction - Sewerage: $6,707,000 ($157.04) General - Other: $6,220,000 ($145.64)

$6,707,000 ($157.04) Current Operations - Parks and Recreation: $12,200,000 ($285.66) Police Protection: $10,342,000 ($242.16) Local Fire Protection: $6,990,000 ($163.67) Sewerage: $5,884,000 ($137.77) Regular Highways: $5,613,000 ($131.43) Central Staff Services: $3,422,000 ($80.13) Transit Utilities: $2,405,000 ($56.31) General - Other: $2,075,000 ($48.59) Financial Administration: $934,000 ($21.87) Judicial and Legal Services: $651,000 ($15.24) Protective Inspection and Regulation - Other: $592,000 ($13.86) Natural Resources - Other: $507,000 ($11.87) Miscellaneous Commercial Activities - Other: $5,000 ($0.12)

$12,200,000 ($285.66) General - Interest on Debt: $1,846,000 ($43.22)

$1,846,000 ($43.22) Other Capital Outlay - General - Other: $612,000 ($14.33) Transit Utilities: $189,000 ($4.43) Parks and Recreation: $9,000 ($0.21) Jefferson City government finances - Revenue in 2018 (per resident): Charges - Sewerage: $11,720,000 ($274.42) Other: $2,944,000 ($68.93) Parks and Recreation: $2,752,000 ($64.44)

$11,720,000 ($274.42) Miscellaneous - Interest Earnings: $1,618,000 ($37.89) Fines and Forfeits: $967,000 ($22.64) General Revenue - Other: $683,000 ($15.99) Sale of Property: $503,000 ($11.78) Donations From Private Sources: $322,000 ($7.54)

$1,618,000 ($37.89) Revenue - Transit Utilities: $260,000 ($6.09)

$260,000 ($6.09) State Intergovernmental - General Local Government Support: $3,431,000 ($80.34) Other: $2,138,000 ($50.06) Transit Utilities: $1,084,000 ($25.38)

$3,431,000 ($80.34) Tax - General Sales and Gross Receipts: $23,534,000 ($551.04) Public Utilities Sales: $7,422,000 ($173.78) Property: $5,387,000 ($126.14) Other License: $836,000 ($19.57) Jefferson City government finances - Debt in 2018 (per resident): Long Term Debt - Beginning Outstanding - Unspecified Public Purpose: $61,207,000 ($1433.15) Outstanding Unspecified Public Purpose: $58,106,000 ($1360.54) Beginning Outstanding - Public Debt for Private Purpose: $26,943,000 ($630.87) Outstanding Nonguaranteed - Industrial Revenue: $22,968,000 ($537.79) Retired Nonguaranteed - Public Debt for Private Purpose: $3,975,000 ($93.07) Retired Unspecified Public Purpose: $3,101,000 ($72.61) Jefferson City government finances - Cash and Securities in 2018 (per resident): Bond Funds - Cash and Securities: $6,135,000 ($143.65)

$6,135,000 ($143.65) Other Funds - Cash and Securities: $52,096,000 ($1219.82)

$52,096,000 ($1219.82) Sinking Funds - Cash and Securities: $28,450,000 ($666.15)

6.25% of this county's 2016 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2015 ($42,139 average adjusted gross income) Here: 6.25% Missouri average: 7.04% 10 or fewer of this county's residents moved from foreign countries between 2015 and 2016.

Top counties from which taxpayers relocated into this county between 2015 and 2016:

from Callaway County, MO 1.04% ($37,758 average AGI) from Boone County, MO 0.74% ($46,275) from Osage County, MO 0.32% ($36,579)



6.85% of this county's 2015 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2016 ($42,878 average adjusted gross income) Here: 6.85% Missouri average: 7.16% 10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries between 2015 and 2016.

Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2015 and 2016:

to Callaway County, MO 1.04% ($36,319 average AGI) to Boone County, MO 0.74% ($39,558) to St. Louis County, MO 0.34% ($46,107)

Businesses in Jefferson City, MO Name Count Name Count AT&T 2 Lane Furniture 1 Ace Hardware 1 Little Caesars Pizza 1 Advance Auto Parts 1 Long John Silver's 1 American Eagle Outfitters 1 Lowe's 1 Applebee's 1 Marriott 1 Arby's 1 MasterBrand Cabinets 5 AutoZone 1 Maurices 1 Barnes & Noble 1 McDonald's 5 Baskin-Robbins 1 Menards 1 Bath & Body Works 1 Motel 6 1 Baymont Inn 1 New Balance 3 Best Western 1 Nike 3 Big O Tires 2 Nissan 1 Blockbuster 1 Old Navy 1 Burger King 1 Panera Bread 1 Chevrolet 1 Papa John's Pizza 1 Chipotle 1 Payless 2 Cold Stone Creamery 1 Penske 1 Comfort Suites 1 Pier 1 Imports 1 Curves 1 Pizza Hut 3 Dairy Queen 1 Quiznos 2 Days Inn 1 RadioShack 2 Deb 1 Red Lobster 1 Decora Cabinetry 2 Ruby Tuesday 1 Domino's Pizza 2 Ryan's Grill 1 DressBarn 1 SAS Shoes 1 Dressbarn 1 SONIC Drive-In 3 Econo Lodge 1 Shoe Carnival 1 FedEx 14 Sprint Nextel 2 Ford 1 Staples 1 GNC 1 Starbucks 2 GameStop 1 Steak 'n Shake 1 Goodwill 2 Subway 6 H&R Block 2 Super 8 1 Hardee's 1 T-Mobile 3 Hilton 1 T.J.Maxx 1 Hobby Lobby 1 Taco Bell 2 Holiday Inn 2 Target 1 Honda 1 Toyota 1 Hyundai 1 U-Haul 2 JCPenney 1 U.S. Cellular 2 Jones New York 3 UPS 17 Justice 1 Vans 1 KFC 1 Victoria's Secret 1 Kmart 1 Walgreens 2 Kohl's 1 Walmart 2 Kroger 2 Wendy's 2 La-Z-Boy 1 YMCA 1

Strongest AM radio stations in Jefferson City: KLIK (1240 AM; 5 kW; JEFFERSON CITY, MO; Owner: PREMIER RADIO GROUP)

PREMIER RADIO GROUP) KWOS (950 AM; 5 kW; JEFFERSON CITY, MO; Owner: ZIMMER RADIO OF MID-MISSOURI, INC.)

ZIMMER RADIO OF MID-MISSOURI, INC.) KRMS (1150 AM; 10 kW; OSAGE BEACH, MO; Owner: VIPER COMMUNICATIONS, INC)

VIPER COMMUNICATIONS, INC) KXEN (1010 AM; 50 kW; FESTUS-ST. LOUIS, MO; Owner: BDJ RADIO ENTERPRISES, LLC)

BDJ RADIO ENTERPRISES, LLC) KMOX (1120 AM; 50 kW; ST. LOUIS, MO; Owner: INFINITY BROADCASTING OPERATIONS, INC.)

INFINITY BROADCASTING OPERATIONS, INC.) WHB (810 AM; 50 kW; KANSAS CITY, MO; Owner: UNION BROADCASTING, INC.)

UNION BROADCASTING, INC.) KFAL (900 AM; 1 kW; FULTON, MO; Owner: ZIMMER RADIO OF MID-MISSOURI, INC.)

ZIMMER RADIO OF MID-MISSOURI, INC.) KBNN (750 AM; daytime; 5 kW; LEBANON, MO; Owner: OZARK BROADCASTING, INC.)

OZARK BROADCASTING, INC.) KJPW (1390 AM; 5 kW; WAYNESVILLE, MO; Owner: PULASKI COUNTY BROADCASTERS, INC.)

PULASKI COUNTY BROADCASTERS, INC.) KKHK (1250 AM; 25 kW; KANSAS CITY, KS)

WSDZ (1260 AM; 20 kW; BELLEVILLE, IL)

WHO (1040 AM; 50 kW; DES MOINES, IA; Owner: CITICASTERS LICENSES, L.P.)

CITICASTERS LICENSES, L.P.) WCRV (640 AM; 50 kW; COLLIERVILLE, TN; Owner: BOTT BROADCASTING COMPANY/TENNESSEE) Strongest FM radio stations in Jefferson City: KJMO (104.1 FM; JEFFERSON CITY, MO; Owner: PREMIER RADIO GROUP, L.L.C.)

PREMIER RADIO GROUP, L.L.C.) KJLU (88.9 FM; JEFFERSON CITY, MO; Owner: LINCOLN UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI)

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI) KTXY (106.9 FM; JEFFERSON CITY, MO; Owner: ZIMMER RADIO OF MID-MISSOURI, INC.)

ZIMMER RADIO OF MID-MISSOURI, INC.) KBBM (100.1 FM; JEFFERSON CITY, MO; Owner: PREMIER RADIO GROUP)

PREMIER RADIO GROUP) KATI (94.3 FM; CALIFORNIA, MO; Owner: ZIMMER RADIO OF MID-MISSOURI, INC.)

ZIMMER RADIO OF MID-MISSOURI, INC.) K248AO (90.1 FM; JEFFERSON CITY, MO; Owner: LAKE AREA EDCTNAL B/CNG FOUNDATION)

LAKE AREA EDCTNAL B/CNG FOUNDATION) KOQL (106.1 FM; ASHLAND, MO; Owner: MID-MISSOURI BROADCASTING, INC.)

MID-MISSOURI BROADCASTING, INC.) KCMQ (96.7 FM; COLUMBIA, MO; Owner: ZIMMER RADIO OF MID-MISSOURI, INC.)

ZIMMER RADIO OF MID-MISSOURI, INC.) KPLA (101.5 FM; COLUMBIA, MO; Owner: COLUMBIA FM, INC.)

COLUMBIA FM, INC.) KBXR (102.3 FM; COLUMBIA, MO; Owner: FT. SMITH FM, INC.)

FT. SMITH FM, INC.) KBIA (91.3 FM; COLUMBIA, MO; Owner: UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI)

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI) KNLG (90.3 FM; NEW BLOOMFIELD, MO; Owner: NEW LIFE EVANGELISTIC CENTER, INC)

NEW LIFE EVANGELISTIC CENTER, INC) KCLR-FM (99.3 FM; BOONVILLE, MO; Owner: ZIMMER RADIO OF MID-MISSOURI, INC)

ZIMMER RADIO OF MID-MISSOURI, INC) KLOZ (92.7 FM; ELDON, MO; Owner: BENNE BROADCASTING COMPANY, LLC)

BENNE BROADCASTING COMPANY, LLC) KMCV (89.9 FM; HIGH POINT, MO; Owner: COMMUNITY BROADCASTING, INC.)

COMMUNITY BROADCASTING, INC.) KWWR (95.7 FM; MEXICO, MO; Owner: KXEO RADIO, INC.)

KXEO RADIO, INC.) K265CT (100.9 FM; JEFFERSON CITY, MO; Owner: LIFESOUNDS, INC.)

LIFESOUNDS, INC.) KKCA (100.5 FM; FULTON, MO; Owner: ZIMMER RADIO OF MID-MISSOURI, INC.) TV broadcast stations around Jefferson City: K11TB ( Channel 11; JEFFERSON CITY, MO; Owner: CHELSEY BROADCASTING COMPANY OF COLUMBIA, LLC)

11; JEFFERSON CITY, MO; CHELSEY BROADCASTING COMPANY OF COLUMBIA, LLC) KRCG ( Channel 13; JEFFERSON CITY, MO; Owner: MEL WHEELER INC.)

13; JEFFERSON CITY, MO; MEL WHEELER INC.) KNLJ ( Channel 25; JEFFERSON CITY, MO; Owner: NEW LIFE EVANGELISTIC CENTER, INC.)

25; JEFFERSON CITY, MO; NEW LIFE EVANGELISTIC CENTER, INC.) K32FH ( Channel 32; WARRENSBURG, MO; Owner: ROGER E. HARDERS)

32; WARRENSBURG, MO; ROGER E. HARDERS) KMOS-TV ( Channel 6; SEDALIA, MO; Owner: BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF CENTRAL MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY)

6; SEDALIA, MO; BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF CENTRAL MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY) KMIZ ( Channel 17; COLUMBIA, MO; Owner: CHELSEY BROADCASTING COMPANY OF COLUMBIA, LLC)

17; COLUMBIA, MO; CHELSEY BROADCASTING COMPANY OF COLUMBIA, LLC) KOMU-TV ( Channel 8; COLUMBIA, MO; Owner: THE CURATORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI)

8; COLUMBIA, MO; THE CURATORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI) K43EU ( Channel 43; ST LOUIS, MO; Owner: ROGER E. HARDERS)

43; ST LOUIS, MO; ROGER E. HARDERS) K41OI ( Channel 41; JEFFERSON CITY, MO; Owner: TRINITY BROADCASTING NETWORK)

41; JEFFERSON CITY, MO; TRINITY BROADCASTING NETWORK) K56AU (Channel 56; COLUMBIA, MO; Owner: TRINITY BROADCASTING NETWORK)

National Bridge Inventory (NBI) Statistics

407 Number of bridges

Number of bridges 4,203ft / 1,281m Total length

Total length $201,979,000 Total costs

Total costs 2,607,217 Total average daily traffic

Total average daily traffic 225,983 Total average daily truck traffic

Total average daily truck traffic 2,485,003 Total future (year 2036) average daily traffic

New bridges - historical statistics

11 1900-1909

3 1910-1919

10 1920-1929

23 1930-1939

20 1940-1949

28 1950-1959

87 1960-1969

43 1970-1979

58 1980-1989

79 1990-1999

29 2000-2009

16 2010-2018 See full National Bridge Inventory statistics for Jefferson City, MO

Home Mortgage Disclosure Act Aggregated Statistics For Year 2009

(Based on 4 full and 6 partial tracts) A) FHA, FSA/RHS & VA

Home Purchase Loans B) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans C) Refinancings

D) Home Improvement Loans

E) Loans on Dwellings For 5+ Families

F) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A B C & D) G) Loans On Manufactured

Home Dwelling (A B C & D) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 102 $103,982 285 $102,710 774 $128,908 76 $59,531 5 $345,780 122 $70,751 2 $115,315 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 6 $118,843 24 $131,967 128 $127,906 4 $67,348 0 $0 15 $76,819 0 $0 APPLICATIONS DENIED 8 $115,180 26 $98,417 93 $119,532 17 $17,315 0 $0 8 $94,896 2 $27,665 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 11 $114,945 9 $149,926 84 $117,138 1 $49,950 0 $0 5 $100,414 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 2 $65,000 0 $0 12 $99,059 0 $0 0 $0 1 $41,000 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2008

(Based on 3 full and 6 partial tracts) A) FHA, FSA/RHS & VA

Home Purchase Loans B) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans C) Refinancings

D) Home Improvement Loans

E) Loans on Dwellings For 5+ Families

F) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A B C & D) G) Loans On Manufactured

Home Dwelling (A B C & D) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 67 $100,194 323 $111,960 335 $120,988 76 $52,642 12 $703,681 149 $89,276 4 $39,620 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 3 $101,100 27 $108,979 57 $104,615 4 $16,198 0 $0 11 $85,026 0 $0 APPLICATIONS DENIED 12 $94,581 32 $90,654 121 $120,547 28 $30,620 2 $2,753,500 10 $135,621 6 $60,895 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 10 $92,892 32 $102,363 63 $123,031 1 $126,630 0 $0 6 $63,500 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 3 $53,810 3 $104,600 15 $123,188 0 $0 1 $2,180,000 0 $0 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2007

(Based on 3 full and 6 partial tracts) A) FHA, FSA/RHS & VA

Home Purchase Loans B) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans C) Refinancings

D) Home Improvement Loans

E) Loans on Dwellings For 5+ Families

F) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A B C & D) G) Loans On Manufactured

Home Dwelling (A B C & D) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 17 $123,193 454 $104,060 254 $103,827 78 $32,802 10 $273,239 128 $78,523 2 $18,265 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 3 $82,620 40 $96,213 57 $123,951 10 $53,715 0 $0 13 $73,888 2 $23,290 APPLICATIONS DENIED 3 $96,213 51 $94,240 175 $108,515 37 $39,310 1 $2,507,590 11 $81,621 5 $50,050 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 3 $91,810 37 $93,927 78 $104,957 7 $68,649 0 $0 8 $58,405 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 9 $109,897 21 $131,595 1 $38,020 1 $2,371,000 2 $85,385 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2006

(Based on 4 full and 6 partial tracts) A) FHA, FSA/RHS & VA

Home Purchase Loans B) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans C) Refinancings

D) Home Improvement Loans

E) Loans on Dwellings For 5+ Families

F) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A B C & D) G) Loans On Manufactured

Home Dwelling (A B C & D) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 30 $103,558 542 $93,085 313 $94,169 85 $44,082 7 $702,784 178 $85,170 6 $27,440 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 1 $145,770 54 $80,565 58 $100,859 7 $38,079 0 $0 17 $84,130 2 $51,105 APPLICATIONS DENIED 4 $80,953 77 $81,768 200 $92,924 36 $57,561 1 $1,195,000 26 $82,962 8 $50,270 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 3 $60,460 51 $92,363 138 $99,731 10 $117,822 1 $2,344,660 8 $92,465 1 $30,270 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 11 $85,177 36 $104,786 1 $22,580 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2005

(Based on 4 full and 6 partial tracts) A) FHA, FSA/RHS & VA

Home Purchase Loans B) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans C) Refinancings

D) Home Improvement Loans

E) Loans on Dwellings For 5+ Families

F) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A B C & D) G) Loans On Manufactured

Home Dwelling (A B C & D) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 34 $114,861 565 $94,300 360 $89,776 87 $44,682 11 $277,960 201 $72,467 6 $11,357 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 1 $117,550 65 $77,585 47 $85,553 5 $43,698 0 $0 12 $70,562 12 $36,533 APPLICATIONS DENIED 5 $116,170 69 $74,919 252 $94,036 39 $37,262 1 $615,320 23 $76,734 15 $44,367 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 3 $78,560 56 $100,286 145 $98,436 8 $94,901 4 $204,868 9 $56,822 1 $76,150 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 3 $63,463 26 $97,475 1 $62,020 0 $0 4 $92,053 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2004

(Based on 4 full and 6 partial tracts) A) FHA, FSA/RHS & VA

Home Purchase Loans B) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans C) Refinancings

D) Home Improvement Loans

E) Loans on Dwellings For 5+ Families

F) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A B C & D) G) Loans On Manufactured

Home Dwelling (A B C & D) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 27 $107,362 518 $93,563 493 $96,326 76 $52,419 6 $501,710 186 $73,860 4 $30,170 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 1 $72,810 57 $86,415 81 $86,452 9 $48,859 0 $0 17 $78,892 6 $36,578 APPLICATIONS DENIED 6 $98,045 72 $69,192 233 $86,471 35 $33,909 0 $0 30 $57,331 12 $34,865 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 3 $125,070 25 $96,277 120 $89,850 12 $49,225 0 $0 17 $69,138 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 3 $127,777 49 $97,359 5 $24,496 0 $0 1 $57,550 0 $0 Choose year: 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004

Detailed mortgage data for all 10 tracts in Jefferson City, MO



Private Mortgage Insurance Companies Aggregated Statistics For Year 2009

(Based on 3 full and 6 partial tracts) A) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans B) Refinancings

C) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A & B) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 83 $119,270 84 $127,680 0 $0 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 17 $115,168 29 $142,410 1 $52,080 APPLICATIONS DENIED 12 $110,583 10 $142,398 0 $0 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 11 $93,045 12 $131,387 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 1 $52,730 4 $170,783 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2008

(Based on 3 full and 6 partial tracts) A) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans B) Refinancings

C) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A & B) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 122 $104,012 57 $128,571 10 $62,379 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 28 $107,373 24 $131,313 1 $39,140 APPLICATIONS DENIED 11 $114,325 4 $154,035 5 $119,600 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 5 $91,970 3 $103,613 1 $149,990 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 2 $165,510 0 $0 1 $88,480 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2007

(Based on 3 full and 6 partial tracts) A) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans B) Refinancings

C) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A & B) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 188 $105,156 45 $111,788 7 $85,789 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 18 $106,616 7 $113,900 2 $67,000 APPLICATIONS DENIED 3 $93,387 0 $0 0 $0 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 6 $93,862 0 $0 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 3 $74,670 0 $0 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2006

(Based on 3 full and 6 partial tracts) A) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans B) Refinancings

C) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A & B) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 153 $101,963 36 $118,604 8 $51,524 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 10 $95,748 10 $100,213 1 $52,830 APPLICATIONS DENIED 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 5 $105,240 4 $178,738 1 $33,870 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2005

(Based on 3 full and 6 partial tracts) A) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans B) Refinancings

C) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A & B) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 161 $100,519 55 $108,409 12 $54,430 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 10 $113,305 12 $119,168 2 $149,120 APPLICATIONS DENIED 1 $63,750 0 $0 0 $0 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 4 $71,185 4 $111,293 0 $0 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 0 $0 1 $68,420 0 $0 Aggregated Statistics For Year 2004

(Based on 3 full and 6 partial tracts) A) Conventional

Home Purchase Loans B) Refinancings

C) Non-occupant Loans on

< 5 Family Dwellings (A & B) Number Average Value Number Average Value Number Average Value LOANS ORIGINATED 163 $95,136 86 $105,796 13 $61,239 APPLICATIONS APPROVED, NOT ACCEPTED 7 $107,316 11 $106,266 0 $0 APPLICATIONS DENIED 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 APPLICATIONS WITHDRAWN 9 $93,184 3 $120,567 2 $83,390 FILES CLOSED FOR INCOMPLETENESS 2 $86,000 0 $0 0 $0 Choose year: 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004

2002 - 2018 National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) incidents Based on the data from the years 2002 - 2018 the average number of fire incidents per year is 90. The highest number of reported fire incidents - 298 took place in 2006, and the least - 0 in 2010. The data has a growing trend.



Fire incident types reported to NFIRS in Jefferson City, MO



680 44.5% Outside Fires



522 34.2% Structure Fires



238 15.6% Mobile Property/Vehicle Fires



88 5.8% Other When looking into fire subcategories, the most reports belonged to: Outside Fires (44.5%), and Structure Fires (34.2%). See full National Fire Incident Reporting System statistics for Jefferson City, MO

Most common first names in Jefferson City, MO among deceased individuals Name Count Lived (average) Mary 396 79.4 years William 330 74.4 years John 328 75.7 years James 265 71.1 years Robert 204 71.8 years Charles 201 74.9 years Helen 170 80.9 years Anna 162 82.2 years Margaret 156 80.3 years Dorothy 145 78.6 years Most common last names in Jefferson City, MO among deceased individuals Last name Count Lived (average) Smith 150 73.7 years Jones 86 73.4 years Miller 84 75.3 years Johnson 74 74.2 years Williams 72 74.7 years Rackers 71 77.6 years Wilson 65 76.0 years Prenger 61 78.8 years Thompson 60 75.6 years Scott 57 75.1 years

Houses and condos Apartments 60.3% Utility gas

36.3% Electricity

1.8% Bottled, tank, or LP gas

1.4% Wood

0.2% Other fuel 68.3% Electricity

29.1% Utility gas

1.2% Bottled, tank, or LP gas

0.8% No fuel used

0.3% Other fuel

0.3% Wood





Jefferson City compared to Missouri state average: Unemployed percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Black race population percentage above state average.

above Institutionalized population percentage significantly above state average.

significantly above Percentage of population with a bachelor's degree or higher above state average.

Jefferson City on our top lists: #74 on the list of "Top 101 cities with the largest percentage of high school students in private schools (500+ students)"

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Lawtell, Louisiana

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Population in 2010: 1,198.

Males: 486 (40.6%) Females: 712 (59.4%)

Median resident age: 36.0 years Louisiana median age: 37.7 years

Estimated median household income in 2019: $38,681

Lawtell: $38,681 LA: $51,073

Estimated per capita income in 2019: $21,733



Lawtell CDP income, earnings, and wages data



Estimated median house or condo value in 2019: $112,700 Lawtell: $112,700 LA: $172,100

Mean prices in 2019: all housing units: $90,029; detached houses: $106,962; mobile homes: $46,001 $38,681$21,733$112,700$90,029;$106,962;$46,001

Median gross rent in 2019: $616.

March 2019 cost of living index in Lawtell: 81.5 (low, U.S. average is 100)

Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2019: 24.3%

(60.4% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 8.0% for Black residents)

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Most recent value % change since 2k Data: Median household income ($) Median household income (% change since 2000) Household income diversity Ratio of average income to average house value (%) Ratio of average income to average rent Median household income ($) - White Median household income ($) - Black or African American Median household income ($) - Asian Median household income ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median household income ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median household income ($) - Multirace Median household income ($) - Other Race Median household income for houses/condos with a mortgage ($) Median household income for apartments without a mortgage ($) Races - White alone (%) Races - White alone (% change since 2000) Races - Black alone (%) Races - Black alone (% change since 2000) Races - American Indian alone (%) Races - American Indian alone (% change since 2000) Races - Asian alone (%) Races - Asian alone (% change since 2000) Races - Hispanic (%) Races - Hispanic (% change since 2000) Races - Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone (%) Races - Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone (% change since 2000) Races - Two or more races (%) Races - Two or more races (% change since 2000) Races - Other race alone (%) Races - Other race alone (% change since 2000) Racial diversity Unemployment (%) Unemployment (% change since 2000) Unemployment (%) - White Unemployment (%) - Black or African American Unemployment (%) - Asian Unemployment (%) - Hispanic or Latino Unemployment (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Unemployment (%) - Multirace Unemployment (%) - Other Race Population density (people per square mile) Population - Males (%) Population - Females (%) Population - Males (%) - White Population - Males (%) - Black or African American Population - Males (%) - Asian Population - Males (%) - Hispanic or Latino Population - Males (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Population - Males (%) - Multirace Population - Males (%) - Other Race Population - Females (%) - White Population - Females (%) - Black or African American Population - Females (%) - Asian Population - Females (%) - Hispanic or Latino Population - Females (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Population - Females (%) - Multirace Population - Females (%) - Other Race Coronavirus confirmed cases (Nov 21, 2021) Deaths caused by coronavirus (Nov 21, 2021) Coronavirus confirmed cases (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) Deaths caused by coronavirus (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) Daily increase in number of cases (Nov 21, 2021) Weekly increase in number of cases (Nov 21, 2021) Cases doubled (in days) (Nov 21, 2021) Hospitalized patients (Nov 21, 2021) Negative test results (Nov 21, 2021) Total test results (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses distributed (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses administered (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses distributed (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses administered (Nov 21, 2021) Likely homosexual households (%) Likely homosexual households (% change since 2000) Likely homosexual households - Lesbian couples (%) Likely homosexual households - Lesbian couples (% change since 2000) Likely homosexual households - Gay men (%) Likely homosexual households - Gay men (% change since 2000) Cost of living index Median gross rent ($) Median contract rent ($) Median monthly housing costs ($) Median house or condo value ($) Median house or condo value ($ change since 2000) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 1, detached ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 1, attached ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 2 ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure by units in structure - 3 or 4 ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 5 or more ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - Boat, RV, van, etc. ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - Mobile home ($) Median house or condo value ($) - White Median house or condo value ($) - Black or African American Median house or condo value ($) - Asian Median house or condo value ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median house or condo value ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median house or condo value ($) - Multirace Median house or condo value ($) - Other Race Median resident age Resident age diversity Median resident age - Males Median resident age - Females Median resident age - White Median resident age - Black or African American Median resident age - Asian Median resident age - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Multirace Median resident age - Other Race Median resident age - Males - White Median resident age - Males - Black or African American Median resident age - Males - Asian Median resident age - Males - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - Males - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Males - Multirace Median resident age - Males - Other Race Median resident age - Females - White Median resident age - Females - Black or African American Median resident age - Females - Asian Median resident age - Females - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - Females - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Females - Multirace Median resident age - Females - Other Race Commute - mean travel time to work (minutes) Travel time to work - Less than 5 minutes (%) Travel time to work - Less than 5 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 5 to 9 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 5 to 9 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 10 to 19 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 10 to 19 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 20 to 29 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 20 to 29 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 30 to 39 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 30 to 39 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 40 to 59 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 40 to 59 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 60 to 89 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 60 to 89 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 90 or more minutes (%) Travel time to work - 90 or more minutes (% change since 2000) Marital status - Never married (%) Marital status - Now married (%) Marital status - Separated (%) Marital status - Widowed (%) Marital status - Divorced (%) Median family income ($) Median family income (% change since 2000) Median non-family income ($) Median non-family income (% change since 2000) Median per capita income ($) Median per capita income (% change since 2000) Median family income ($) - White Median family income ($) - Black or African American Median family income ($) - Asian Median family income ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median family income ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median family income ($) - Multirace Median family income ($) - Other Race Median year house/condo built Median year apartment built Year house built - Built 2005 or later (%) Year house built - Built 2000 to 2004 (%) Year house built - Built 1990 to 1999 (%) Year house built - Built 1980 to 1989 (%) Year house built - Built 1970 to 1979 (%) Year house built - Built 1960 to 1969 (%) Year house built - Built 1950 to 1959 (%) Year house built - Built 1940 to 1949 (%) Year house built - Built 1939 or earlier (%) Average household size Household density (households per square mile) Average household size - White Average household size - Black or African American Average household size - Asian Average household size - Hispanic or Latino Average household size - American Indian and Alaska Native Average household size - Multirace Average household size - Other Race Occupied housing units (%) Vacant housing units (%) Owner occupied housing units (%) Renter occupied housing units (%) Vacancy status - For rent (%) Vacancy status - For sale only (%) Vacancy status - Rented or sold, not occupied (%) Vacancy status - For seasonal, recreational, or occasional use (%) Vacancy status - For migrant workers (%) Vacancy status - Other vacant (%) Residents with income below the poverty level (%) Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level (%) Children below poverty level (%) Poor families by family type - Married-couple family (%) Poor families by family type - Male, no wife present (%) Poor families by family type - Female, no husband present (%) Poverty status for native-born residents (%) Poverty status for foreign-born residents (%) Poverty among high school graduates not in families (%) Poverty among people who did not graduate high school not in families (%) Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - White Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Black or African American Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Asian Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Hispanic or Latino Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Multirace Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Other Race Air pollution - Air Quality Index (AQI) Air pollution - CO Air pollution - NO2 Air pollution - SO2 Air pollution - Ozone Air pollution - PM10 Air pollution - PM25 Air pollution - Pb Crime - Murders per 100,000 population Crime - Rapes per 100,000 population Crime - Robberies per 100,000 population Crime - Assaults per 100,000 population Crime - Burglaries per 100,000 population Crime - Thefts per 100,000 population Crime - Auto thefts per 100,000 population Crime - Arson per 100,000 population Crime - City-data.com crime index Crime - Violent crime index Crime - Property crime index Crime - Murders per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Rapes per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Robberies per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Assaults per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Burglaries per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Thefts per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Auto thefts per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Arson per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - City-data.com crime index (5 year average) Crime - Violent crime index (5 year average) Crime - Property crime index (5 year average) 1996 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Clinton) 1996 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Dole) 1996 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2000 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Gore) 2000 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Bush) 2000 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2004 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Kerry) 2004 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Bush) 2004 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2008 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Obama) 2008 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (McCain) 2008 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2012 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Obama) 2012 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Romney) 2012 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2016 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Clinton) 2016 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Trump) 2016 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2020 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Biden) 2020 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Trump) 2020 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other Ancestries Reported - Arab (%) Ancestries Reported - Czech (%) Ancestries Reported - Danish (%) Ancestries Reported - Dutch (%) Ancestries Reported - English (%) Ancestries Reported - French (%) Ancestries Reported - French Canadian (%) Ancestries Reported - German (%) Ancestries Reported - Greek (%) Ancestries Reported - Hungarian (%) Ancestries Reported - Irish (%) Ancestries Reported - Italian (%) Ancestries Reported - Lithuanian (%) Ancestries Reported - Norwegian (%) Ancestries Reported - Polish (%) Ancestries Reported - Portuguese (%) Ancestries Reported - Russian (%) Ancestries Reported - Scotch-Irish (%) Ancestries Reported - Scottish (%) Ancestries Reported - Slovak (%) Ancestries Reported - Subsaharan African (%) Ancestries Reported - Swedish (%) Ancestries Reported - Swiss (%) Ancestries Reported - Ukrainian (%) Ancestries Reported - United States (%) Ancestries Reported - Welsh (%) Ancestries Reported - West Indian (%) Ancestries Reported - Other (%) Educational Attainment - No schooling completed (%) Educational Attainment - Less than high school (%) Educational Attainment - High school or equivalent (%) Educational Attainment - Less than 1 year of college (%) Educational Attainment - 1 or more years of college (%) Educational Attainment - Associate degree (%) Educational Attainment - Bachelor's degree (%) Educational Attainment - Master's degree (%) Educational Attainment - Professional school degree (%) Educational Attainment - Doctorate degree (%) School Enrollment - Nursery, preschool (%) School Enrollment - Kindergarten (%) School Enrollment - Grade 1 to 4 (%) School Enrollment - Grade 5 to 8 (%) School Enrollment - Grade 9 to 12 (%) School Enrollment - College undergrad (%) School Enrollment - Graduate or professional (%) School Enrollment - Not enrolled in school (%) School enrollment - Public schools (%) School enrollment - Private schools (%) School enrollment - Not enrolled (%) Median number of rooms in houses and condos Median number of rooms in apartments Housing units lacking complete plumbing facilities (%) Housing units lacking complete kitchen facilities (%) Density of houses Urban houses (%) Rural houses (%) Households with people 60 years and over (%) Households with people 65 years and over (%) Households with people 75 years and over (%) Households with one or more nonrelatives (%) Households with no nonrelatives (%) Population in households (%) Family households (%) Nonfamily households (%) Population in families (%) Family households with own children (%) Median number of bedrooms in owner occupied houses Mean number of bedrooms in owner occupied houses Median number of bedrooms in renter occupied houses Mean number of bedrooms in renter occupied houses Median number of vehichles in owner occupied houses Mean number of vehichles in owner occupied houses Median number of vehichles in renter occupied houses Mean number of vehichles in renter occupied houses Mortgage status - with mortgage (%) Mortgage status - with second mortgage (%) Mortgage status - with home equity loan (%) Mortgage status - with both second mortgage and home equity loan (%) Mortgage status - without a mortgage (%) Average family size Average family size - White Average family size - Black or African American Average family size - Asian Average family size - Hispanic or Latino Average family size - American Indian and Alaska Native Average family size - Multirace Average family size - Other Race Geographical mobility - Same house 1 year ago (%) Geographical mobility - Moved within same county (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from different county within same state (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from different state (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from abroad (%) Place of birth - Born in state of residence (%) Place of birth - Born in other state (%) Place of birth - Native, outside of US (%) Place of birth - Foreign born (%) Housing units in structures - 1, detached (%) Housing units in structures - 1, attached (%) Housing units in structures - 2 (%) Housing units in structures - 3 or 4 (%) Housing units in structures - 5 to 9 (%) Housing units in structures - 10 to 19 (%) Housing units in structures - 20 to 49 (%) Housing units in structures - 50 or more (%) Housing units in structures - Mobile home (%) Housing units in structures - Boat, RV, van, etc. (%) House/condo owner moved in on average (years ago) Renter moved in on average (years ago) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1999 to March 2000 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1995 to 1998 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1990 to 1994 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1980 to 1989 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1970 to 1979 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1969 or earlier (%) Means of transportation to work - Drove car alone (%) Means of transportation to work - Carpooled (%) Means of transportation to work - Public transportation (%) Means of transportation to work - Bus or trolley bus (%) Means of transportation to work - Streetcar or trolley car (%) Means of transportation to work - Subway or elevated (%) Means of transportation to work - Railroad (%) Means of transportation to work - Ferryboat (%) Means of transportation to work - Taxicab (%) Means of transportation to work - Motorcycle (%) Means of transportation to work - Bicycle (%) Means of transportation to work - Walked (%) Means of transportation to work - Other means (%) Working at home (%) Industry diversity Most Common Industries - Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining (%) Most Common Industries - Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (%) Most Common Industries - Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (%) Most Common Industries - Construction (%) Most Common Industries - Manufacturing (%) Most Common Industries - Wholesale trade (%) Most Common Industries - Retail trade (%) Most Common Industries - Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (%) Most Common Industries - Transportation and warehousing (%) Most Common Industries - Utilities (%) Most Common Industries - Information (%) Most Common Industries - Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (%) Most Common Industries - Finance and insurance (%) Most Common Industries - Real estate and rental and leasing (%) Most Common Industries - Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (%) Most Common Industries - Professional, scientific, and technical services (%) Most Common Industries - Management of companies and enterprises (%) Most Common Industries - Administrative and support and waste management services (%) Most Common Industries - Educational services, and health care and social assistance (%) Most Common Industries - Educational services (%) Most Common Industries - Health care and social assistance (%) Most Common Industries - Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (%) Most Common Industries - Arts, entertainment, and recreation (%) Most Common Industries - Accommodation and food services (%) Most Common Industries - Other services, except public administration (%) Most Common Industries - Public administration (%) Occupation diversity Most Common Occupations - Management, business, science, and arts occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Management, business, and financial occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Management occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Business and financial operations occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Computer, engineering, and science occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Computer and mathematical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Architecture and engineering occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Life, physical, and social science occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Education, legal, community service, arts, and media occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Community and social service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Legal occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Education, training, and library occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Health diagnosing and treating practitioners and other technical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Health technologists and technicians (%) Most Common Occupations - Service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Healthcare support occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Protective service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Fire fighting and prevention, and other protective service workers including supervisors (%) Most Common Occupations - Law enforcement workers including supervisors (%) Most Common Occupations - Food preparation and serving related occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Personal care and service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Sales and office occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Sales and related occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Office and administrative support occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Construction and extraction occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Production, transportation, and material moving occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Production occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Transportation occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Material moving occupations (%) People in Group quarters - Institutionalized population (%) People in Group quarters - Correctional institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Federal prisons and detention centers (%) People in Group quarters - Halfway houses (%) People in Group quarters - Local jails and other confinement facilities (including police lockups) (%) People in Group quarters - Military disciplinary barracks (%) People in Group quarters - State prisons (%) People in Group quarters - Other types of correctional institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Nursing homes (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals/wards, hospices, and schools for the handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals/wards and hospices for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Hospices or homes for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Military hospitals or wards for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Other hospitals or wards for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals or wards for drug/alcohol abuse (%) People in Group quarters - Mental (Psychiatric) hospitals or wards (%) People in Group quarters - Schools, hospitals, or wards for the mentally retarded (%) People in Group quarters - Schools, hospitals, or wards for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Institutions for the deaf (%) People in Group quarters - Institutions for the blind (%) People in Group quarters - Orthopedic wards and institutions for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Wards in general hospitals for patients who have no usual home elsewhere (%) People in Group quarters - Wards in military hospitals for patients who have no usual home elsewhere (%) People in Group quarters - Juvenile institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Long-term care (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for abused, dependent, and neglected children (%) People in Group quarters - Residential treatment centers for emotionally disturbed children (%) People in Group quarters - Training schools for juvenile delinquents (%) People in Group quarters - Short-term care, detention or diagnostic centers for delinquent children (%) People in Group quarters - Type of juvenile institution unknown (%) People in Group quarters - Noninstitutionalized population (%) People in Group quarters - College dormitories (includes college quarters off campus) (%) People in Group quarters - Military quarters (%) People in Group quarters - On base (%) People in Group quarters - Barracks, unaccompanied personnel housing (UPH), (Enlisted/Officer), ;and similar group living quarters for military personnel (%) People in Group quarters - Transient quarters for temporary residents (%) People in Group quarters - Military ships (%) People in Group quarters - Group homes (%) People in Group quarters - Homes or halfway houses for drug/alcohol abuse (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the mentally ill (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the mentally retarded (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Other group homes (%) People in Group quarters - Religious group quarters (%) People in Group quarters - Dormitories (%) People in Group quarters - Agriculture workers' dormitories on farms (%) People in Group quarters - Job Corps and vocational training facilities (%) People in Group quarters - Other workers' dormitories (%) People in Group quarters - Crews of maritime vessels (%) People in Group quarters - Other nonhousehold living situations (%) People in Group quarters - Other noninstitutional group quarters (%) Residents speaking English at home (%) Residents speaking English at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking English at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking English at home - Foreign born (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Foreign born (%) Residents speaking other language at home (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Foreign born (%) Class of Workers - Employee of private company (%) Class of Workers - Self-employed in own incorporated business (%) Class of Workers - Private not-for-profit wage and salary workers (%) Class of Workers - Local government workers (%) Class of Workers - State government workers (%) Class of Workers - Federal government workers (%) Class of Workers - Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business and Unpaid family workers (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Utility gas (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Bottled, tank, or LP gas (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Electricity (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Coal or coke (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Wood (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Solar energy (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Other fuel (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - No fuel used (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Utility gas (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Bottled, tank, or LP gas (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Electricity (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Coal or coke (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Wood (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Solar energy (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Other fuel (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - No fuel used (%) Armed forces status - In Armed Forces (%) Armed forces status - Civilian (%) Armed forces status - Civilian - Veteran (%) Armed forces status - Civilian - Nonveteran (%) Fatal accidents locations in years 2005-2019 Fatal accidents locations in 2005 Fatal accidents locations in 2006 Fatal accidents locations in 2007 Fatal accidents locations in 2008 Fatal accidents locations in 2009 Fatal accidents locations in 2010 Fatal accidents locations in 2011 Fatal accidents locations in 2012 Fatal accidents locations in 2013 Fatal accidents locations in 2014 Fatal accidents locations in 2015 Fatal accidents locations in 2016 Fatal accidents locations in 2017 Fatal accidents locations in 2018 Fatal accidents locations in 2019 Alcohol use - People drinking some alcohol every month (%) Alcohol use - People not drinking at all (%) Alcohol use - Average days/month drinking alcohol Alcohol use - Average drinks/week Alcohol use - Average days/year people drink much Audiometry - Average condition of hearing (%) Audiometry - People that can hear a whisper from across a quiet room (%) Audiometry - People that can hear normal voice from across a quiet room (%) Audiometry - Ears ringing, roaring, buzzing (%) Audiometry - Had a job exposure to loud noise (%) Audiometry - Had off-work exposure to loud noise (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Has high blood pressure (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Checking blood pressure at home (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Frequently checking blood cholesterol (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Has high cholesterol level (%) Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on food at supermarket/grocery store Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on food at other stores Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on eating out Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on carryout/delivered foods Consumer Behavior - Income spent on food at supermarket/grocery store (%) Consumer Behavior - Income spent on food at other stores (%) Consumer Behavior - Income spent on eating out (%) Consumer Behavior - Income spent on carryout/delivered foods (%) Current Health Status - General health condition (%) Current Health Status - Blood donors (%) Current Health Status - Has blood ever tested for HIV virus (%) Current Health Status - Left-handed people (%) Dermatology - People using sunscreen (%) Diabetes - Diabetics (%) Diabetes - Had a blood test for high blood sugar (%) Diabetes - People taking insulin (%) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Diet health (%) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Milk product consumption (# of products/month) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Meals not home prepared (#/week) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Meals from fast food or pizza place (#/week) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Ready-to-eat foods (#/month) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Frozen meals/pizza (#/month) Drug Use - People that ever used marijuana or hashish (%) Drug Use - Ever used hard drugs (%) Drug Use - Ever used any form of cocaine (%) Drug Use - Ever used heroin (%) Drug Use - Ever used methamphetamine (%) Health Insurance - People covered by health insurance (%) Kidney Conditions-Urology - Avg. # of times urinating at night Medical Conditions - People with asthma (%) Medical Conditions - People with anemia (%) Medical Conditions - People with psoriasis (%) Medical Conditions - People with overweight (%) Medical Conditions - Elderly people having difficulties in thinking or remembering (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever received blood transfusion (%) Medical Conditions - People having trouble seeing even with glass/contacts (%) Medical Conditions - People with arthritis (%) Medical Conditions - People with gout (%) Medical Conditions - People with congestive heart failure (%) Medical Conditions - People with coronary heart disease (%) Medical Conditions - People with angina pectoris (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever had heart attack (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever had stroke (%) Medical Conditions - People with emphysema (%) Medical Conditions - People with thyroid problem (%) Medical Conditions - People with chronic bronchitis (%) Medical Conditions - People with any liver condition (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever had cancer or malignancy (%) Mental Health - People who have little interest in doing things (%) Mental Health - People feeling down, depressed, or hopeless (%) Mental Health - People who have trouble sleeping or sleeping too much (%) Mental Health - People feeling tired or having little energy (%) Mental Health - People with poor appetite or overeating (%) Mental Health - People feeling bad about themself (%) Mental Health - People who have trouble concentrating on things (%) Mental Health - People moving or speaking slowly or too fast (%) Mental Health - People having thoughts they would be better off dead (%) Oral Health - Average years since last visit a dentist Oral Health - People embarrassed because of mouth (%) Oral Health - People with gum disease (%) Oral Health - General health of teeth and gums (%) Oral Health - Average days a week using dental floss/device Oral Health - Average days a week using mouthwash for dental problem Oral Health - Average number of teeth Pesticide Use - Households using pesticides to control insects (%) Pesticide Use - Households using pesticides to kill weeds (%) Physical Activity - People doing vigorous-intensity work activities (%) Physical Activity - People doing moderate-intensity work activities (%) Physical Activity - People walking or bicycling (%) Physical Activity - People doing vigorous-intensity recreational activities (%) Physical Activity - People doing moderate-intensity recreational activities (%) Physical Activity - Average hours a day doing sedentary activities Physical Activity - Average hours a day watching TV or videos Physical Activity - Average hours a day using computer Physical Functioning - People having limitations keeping them from working (%) Physical Functioning - People limited in amount of work they can do (%) Physical Functioning - People that need special equipment to walk (%) Physical Functioning - People experiencing confusion/memory problems (%) Physical Functioning - People requiring special healthcare equipment (%) Prescription Medications - Average number of prescription medicines taking Preventive Aspirin Use - Adults 40+ taking low-dose aspirin (%) Reproductive Health - Vaginal deliveries (%) Reproductive Health - Cesarean deliveries (%) Reproductive Health - Deliveries resulted in a live birth (%) Reproductive Health - Pregnancies resulted in a delivery (%) Reproductive Health - Women breastfeeding newborns (%) Reproductive Health - Women that had a hysterectomy (%) Reproductive Health - Women that had both ovaries removed (%) Reproductive Health - Women that have ever taken birth control pills (%) Reproductive Health - Women taking birth control pills (%) Reproductive Health - Women that have ever used Depo-Provera or injectables (%) Reproductive Health - Women that have ever used female hormones (%) Sexual Behavior - People 18+ that ever had sex (vaginal, anal, or oral) (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever had vaginal sex with a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever performed oral sex on a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever had anal sex with a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever had any sex with a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever had vaginal sex with a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever performed oral sex on a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever had anal sex with a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever had any kind of sex with a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Average age people first had sex Sexual Behavior - Average number of female sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of female vaginal sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average age people first performed oral sex on a woman (18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of woman performed oral sex on in lifetime (18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male anal sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average age people first performed oral sex on a man (18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male oral sex partners in lifetime (18+) Sexual Behavior - People using protection when performing oral sex (%) Sexual Behavior - Average number of times people have vaginal or anal sex a year Sexual Behavior - People having sex without condom (%) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male sex partners in lifetime (females 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male vaginal sex partners in lifetime (females 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of female sex partners in lifetime (females 18+) Sexual Behavior - Circumcised males 18+ (%) Sleep Disorders - Average hours sleeping at night Sleep Disorders - People that has trouble sleeping (%) Smoking-Cigarette Use - People smoking cigarettes (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ having problems with smell (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ having problems with taste (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had wisdom teeth removed (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had tonsils teeth removed (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had a loss of consciousness because of a head injury (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had a broken nose or other serious injury to face or skull (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had two or more sinus infections (%) Weight - Average height (inches) Weight - Average weight (pounds) Weight - Average BMI Weight - People that are obese (%) Weight - People that ever were obese (%) Weight - People trying to lose weight (%) Settings Get link Loading data... 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864 69.3% Black alone 384 30.8% White alone

Races in Lawtell detailed stats: ancestries, foreign born residents, place of birth





According to our research of Louisiana and other state lists, there was 1 registered sex offender living in Lawtell, Louisiana as of November 21, 2021.

The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in Lawtell is 1,362 to 1.

The ratio of registered sex offenders to all residents in this city is much lower than the state average.





Ancestries: French Canadian (15.2%).

Current Local Time: CST time zone

Elevation: 60 feet

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with mortgages in 2019: $358 (0.3%)



Latitude: 30.52 N, Longitude: 92.18 W

Area code: 337

Unemployment in November 2020:

Here: 8.8% Louisiana: 8.1%

Tornado activity: Lawtell-area historical tornado activity is near Louisiana state average. It is 69% greater than the overall U.S. average.

On 10/15/1957, a category F3 (max. wind speeds 158-206 mph) tornado 7.1 miles away from the Lawtell place center killed one person and injured 29 people and caused between $50,000 and $500,000 in damages. On 2/9/1983, a category F3 tornado 7.4 miles away from the place center caused between $50,000 and $500,000 in damages.

Earthquake activity: Lawtell-area historical earthquake activity is significantly above Louisiana state average. It is 40% smaller than the overall U.S. average.



On 5/17/2012 at 08:12:00, a magnitude 4.8 (4.8 MW, Depth: 3.1 mi, Class: Light, Intensity: IV - V) earthquake occurred 161.8 miles away from the city center

On 9/2/2013 at 23:51:15, a magnitude 4.3 (4.3 MW, Depth: 2.9 mi) earthquake occurred 163.9 miles away from Lawtell center

On 9/10/2006 at 14:56:08, a magnitude 5.9 (5.9 MB, 5.5 MS, 5.8 MW, Class: Moderate, Intensity: VI - VII) earthquake occurred 448.7 miles away from Lawtell center

On 10/24/1997 at 08:35:17, a magnitude 4.9 (4.8 MB, 4.2 MS, 4.9 LG, Depth: 6.2 mi) earthquake occurred 294.8 miles away from Lawtell center

On 9/2/2013 at 21:52:38, a magnitude 4.2 (4.2 MW, Depth: 3.0 mi) earthquake occurred 170.9 miles away from Lawtell center

On 1/25/2013 at 07:01:19, a magnitude 4.1 (4.1 MB, Depth: 3.1 mi) earthquake occurred 155.2 miles away from Lawtell center

Magnitude types: regional Lg-wave magnitude (LG), body-wave magnitude (MB), surface-wave magnitude (MS), moment magnitude (MW)

Natural disasters: The number of natural disasters in St. Landry Parish (6) is a lot smaller than the US average (15).

Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 2

Emergencies Declared: 1



Causes of natural disasters: Hurricanes: 3, Floods: 2, Storms: 2, Other: 1 (Note: some incidents may be assigned to more than one category).

Hospitals and medical centers near Lawtell: WYBLE GROUP HOME (Hospital, about 6 miles away; OPELOUSAS, LA)

MEDSOURCE HOME HEALTH (Home Health Center, about 6 miles away; OPELOUSAS, LA)

GARLAND GROUP HOME (Hospital, about 6 miles away; OPELOUSAS, LA)

MASION DEVILLE NURSING HOME (Nursing Home, about 7 miles away; OPELOUSAS, LA)

LOUISIANA HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE (Hospital, about 7 miles away; OPELOUSAS, LA)

PHYSICIANS HH OF LOUISIANA, IN (Home Health Center, about 7 miles away; OPELOUSAS, LA)

FMCNA - OPELOUSAS (Dialysis Facility, about 7 miles away; OPELOUSAS, LA)

Colleges/universities with over 2000 students nearest to Lawtell: Acadiana Technical College-Lafayette Campus ( about 23 miles; Lafayette, LA ; Full-time enrollment: 2,378)

23 ; 2,378) South Louisiana Community College ( about 23 miles; Lafayette, LA ; FT enrollment: 2,519)

23 ; 2,519) University of Louisiana at Lafayette ( about 24 miles; Lafayette, LA ; FT enrollment: 14,493)

24 ; 14,493) Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College ( about 59 miles; Baton Rouge, LA ; FT enrollment: 27,321)

59 ; 27,321) Southern University and A & M College ( about 60 miles; Baton Rouge, LA ; FT enrollment: 5,837)

60 ; 5,837) SOWELA Technical Community College ( about 62 miles; Lake Charles, LA ; FT enrollment: 2,160)

62 ; 2,160) Baton Rouge Community College (about 63 miles; Baton Rouge, LA; FT enrollment: 5,744) Public elementary/middle school in Lawtell: LAWTELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Students: 694, Location: 1010 SCHOOL RD., Grades: PK-8) See full list of schools located in Lawtell

St. Landry Parish has a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L (pico curies per liter) - Low Potential

Drinking water stations with addresses in Lawtell and their reported violations in the past: LAWTELL WW DISTRICT NO 1 (Population served: 4,101, Groundwater): Past health violations: MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In FEB-2012 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Compliance achieved (MAR-05-2012) , St Public Notif received (MAR-05-2012) , St Public Notif requested (MAR-26-2012) , St Violation/Reminder Notice (MAR-26-2012)

FEB-2012 Coliform St Compliance achieved (MAR-05-2012) St Public Notif received (MAR-05-2012) St Public Notif requested (MAR-26-2012) St Violation/Reminder Notice (MAR-26-2012) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In JAN-2012 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Compliance achieved (JAN-31-2012) , St Public Notif received (JAN-31-2012) , St Public Notif requested (FEB-13-2012) , St Violation/Reminder Notice (FEB-13-2012)

JAN-2012 Coliform St Compliance achieved (JAN-31-2012) St Public Notif received (JAN-31-2012) St Public Notif requested (FEB-13-2012) St Violation/Reminder Notice (FEB-13-2012) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In SEP-2010 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (OCT-07-2010) , St Violation/Reminder Notice (OCT-07-2010) , St Public Notif received (OCT-14-2010) , St Compliance achieved (JAN-27-2011)

SEP-2010 Coliform St Public Notif requested (OCT-07-2010) St Violation/Reminder Notice (OCT-07-2010) St Public Notif received (OCT-14-2010) St Compliance achieved (JAN-27-2011) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In SEP-2007, Contaminant: Coliform Past monitoring violations: Monitoring and Reporting (DBP) - Between JUL-2013 and JUN-2014 , Contaminant: Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) . Follow-up actions: St Violation/Reminder Notice (AUG-15-2014), St Public Notif requested (AUG-15-2014)

JUL-2013 JUN-2014 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) St Violation/Reminder Notice (AUG-15-2014), St Public Notif requested (AUG-15-2014) Monitoring and Reporting (DBP) - Between JUL-2013 and JUN-2014 , Contaminant: TTHM . Follow-up actions: St Violation/Reminder Notice (AUG-15-2014), St Public Notif requested (AUG-15-2014)

JUL-2013 JUN-2014 TTHM St Violation/Reminder Notice (AUG-15-2014), St Public Notif requested (AUG-15-2014) Monitoring and Reporting (DBP) - Between JAN-2013 and JUN-2013 , Contaminant: Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (AUG-13-2013), St Violation/Reminder Notice (AUG-13-2013), St Public Notif received (AUG-23-2013)

JAN-2013 JUN-2013 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) St Public Notif requested (AUG-13-2013), St Violation/Reminder Notice (AUG-13-2013), St Public Notif received (AUG-23-2013) Monitoring and Reporting (DBP) - Between JAN-2013 and JUN-2013, Contaminant: TTHM. Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (AUG-13-2013), St Violation/Reminder Notice (AUG-13-2013), St Public Notif received (AUG-23-2013) LAWTELL WW DISTRICT NO 1 (4,101Groundwater):

Average household size: This place: 2.5 people Louisiana: 2.5 people

Percentage of family households: This place: 61.2% Whole state: 67.1%

Percentage of households with unmarried partners: This place: 4.3% Whole state: 6.8%



Likely homosexual households (counted as self-reported same-sex unmarried-partner households) Lesbian couples: 0.6% of all households

0.6% Gay men: 0.4% of all households

Banks with branches in Lawtell (2011 data): American Bank & Trust Company: Lawtell Branch at Highway 190, branch established on 1970/05/14. Info updated 2006/11/03: Bank assets: $156.8 mil, Deposits: $138.1 mil, headquarters in Opelousas, LA, positive income, Commercial Lending Specialization, 8 total offices, Holding Company: American Bancorp, Inc.

For population 15 years and over in Lawtell: Never married: 24.4%

24.4% Now married: 62.9%

62.9% Separated: 0.0%

0.0% Widowed: 2.3%

2.3% Divorced: 10.5%

For population 25 years and over in Lawtell: High school or higher: 82.6%

82.6% Bachelor's degree or higher: 5.8%

5.8% Graduate or professional degree: 0.0%

Education Gini index (Inequality in education) Here: 8.3 Louisiana average: 11.7



Religion statistics for Lawtell, LA (based on St. Landry Parish data) Religion Adherents Congregations Catholic 49,234 35 Evangelical Protestant 6,083 38 Black Protestant 2,062 7 Mainline Protestant 1,319 11 Other 406 4 None 24,280 - Source: Clifford Grammich, Kirk Hadaway, Richard Houseal, Dale E.Jones, Alexei Krindatch, Richie Stanley and Richard H.Taylor. 2012. 2010 U.S.Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Jones, Dale E., et al. 2002. Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center. Graphs represent county-level data

Food Environment Statistics: Number of grocery stores: 36 Here : 3.94 / 10,000 pop. Louisiana : 2.56 / 10,000 pop. Number of supercenters and club stores: 1 St. Landry Parish : 0.11 / 10,000 pop. Louisiana : 0.18 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (no gas): 13 This county : 1.42 / 10,000 pop. Louisiana : 1.29 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (with gas): 42 St. Landry Parish : 4.60 / 10,000 pop. Louisiana : 4.49 / 10,000 pop. Number of full-service restaurants: 21 St. Landry Parish : 2.30 / 10,000 pop. Louisiana : 5.92 / 10,000 pop. Adult diabetes rate: This county : 12.9% State : 10.9% Adult obesity rate: This county : 30.1% Louisiana : 29.2% Low-income preschool obesity rate: This county : 12.7% Louisiana : 13.7%

5.20% of this county's 2016 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2015 ($41,741 average adjusted gross income) Here: 5.20% Louisiana average: 6.26% 10 or fewer of this county's residents moved from foreign countries between 2015 and 2016.

Top counties from which taxpayers relocated into this county between 2015 and 2016:

from Lafayette Parish, LA 1.69% ($48,737 average AGI) from Acadia Parish, LA 0.56% ($41,161) from Evangeline Parish, LA 0.39% ($30,547)



5.47% of this county's 2015 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2016 ($38,018 average adjusted gross income) Here: 5.47% Louisiana average: 6.56% 10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries between 2015 and 2016.

Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2015 and 2016:

to Lafayette Parish, LA 1.60% ($44,914 average AGI) to Acadia Parish, LA 0.57% ($37,835) to Evangeline Parish, LA 0.39% ($33,826)

Strongest AM radio stations in Lawtell: KSLO (1230 AM; 1 kW; OPELOUSAS, LA; Owner: KSLO BROADCASTING CO., INC.)

KSLO BROADCASTING CO., INC.) KDYS (1520 AM; 10 kW; LAFAYETTE, LA; Owner: CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY)

CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY) KVOL (1330 AM; 5 kW; LAFAYETTE, LA; Owner: CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY)

CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY) KEUN (1490 AM; 1 kW; EUNICE, LA; Owner: TRI-PARISH BROADCASTING CO., INC.)

TRI-PARISH BROADCASTING CO., INC.) KJCB (770 AM; 1 kW; LAFAYETTE, LA; Owner: R & M BROADCASTING, INC.)

R & M BROADCASTING, INC.) WWL (870 AM; 50 kW; NEW ORLEANS, LA; Owner: ENTERCOM NEW ORLEANS LICENSE, LLC)

ENTERCOM NEW ORLEANS LICENSE, LLC) KNEK (1190 AM; daytime; 0 kW; WASHINGTON, LA; Owner: CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY)

CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY) KJMJ (580 AM; 5 kW; ALEXANDRIA, LA; Owner: RADIO MARIA, INC.)

RADIO MARIA, INC.) WLNO (1060 AM; 50 kW; NEW ORLEANS, LA; Owner: COMMUNICOM CO. OF LOUISIANA, L.P.)

COMMUNICOM CO. OF LOUISIANA, L.P.) KWDF (840 AM; daytime; 8 kW; BALL, LA; Owner: BALL BROADCASTING CO.)

BALL BROADCASTING CO.) KTRH (740 AM; 50 kW; HOUSTON, TX; Owner: AMFM TEXAS LICENSES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

AMFM TEXAS LICENSES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) KPEL (1420 AM; 1 kW; LAFAYETTE, LA; Owner: REGENT BROADCASTING OF LAFAYETTE, INC.)

REGENT BROADCASTING OF LAFAYETTE, INC.) KEEL (710 AM; 50 kW; SHREVEPORT, LA; Owner: CITICASTERS LICENSES, L.P.) Strongest FM radio stations in Lawtell: KSMB (94.5 FM; LAFAYETTE, LA; Owner: CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY)

CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY) KRXE (105.9 FM; OPELOUSAS, LA; Owner: CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY)

CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY) KRVS (88.7 FM; LAFAYETTE, LA; Owner: THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA AT LAFAYETTE)

THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA AT LAFAYETTE) KJJB (105.5 FM; EUNICE, LA; Owner: TRI-PARISH BROADCASTING INCORPORATED)

TRI-PARISH BROADCASTING INCORPORATED) KBON (101.1 FM; MAMOU, LA; Owner: ROSE ANN MARX)

ROSE ANN MARX) KNEK-FM (104.7 FM; WASHINGTON, LA; Owner: CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY)

CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY) KAJN-FM (102.9 FM; CROWLEY, LA; Owner: RICE CAPITAL BROADCASTING CO., INC.)

RICE CAPITAL BROADCASTING CO., INC.) KZMZ (96.9 FM; ALEXANDRIA, LA; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) KSJY (90.9 FM; LAFAYETTE, LA; Owner: AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION, INC.)

AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION, INC.) KQIS (102.1 FM; BASILE, LA; Owner: THIRD PARTNER BROADCASTING, INC.)

THIRD PARTNER BROADCASTING, INC.) KTDY (99.9 FM; LAFAYETTE, LA; Owner: REGENT BROADCASTING OF LAFAYETTE, INC.)

REGENT BROADCASTING OF LAFAYETTE, INC.) KXKC (99.1 FM; NEW IBERIA, LA; Owner: BONIN BROADCASTING CORPORATION)

BONIN BROADCASTING CORPORATION) KBEB-FM (106.7 FM; RAYNE, LA; Owner: BROADCAST PARTNERS, INC.)

BROADCAST PARTNERS, INC.) KRRQ (95.5 FM; LAFAYETTE, LA; Owner: CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY)

CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY) KBXG (99.5 FM; LAKE CHARLES, LA; Owner: APEX BROADCASTING, INC.)

APEX BROADCASTING, INC.) WYPY (100.7 FM; BATON ROUGE, LA; Owner: GUARANTY BROADCASTING COMPANY OF BATON ROUGE, LLC)

GUARANTY BROADCASTING COMPANY OF BATON ROUGE, LLC) KKST (98.7 FM; OAKDALE, LA; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) KOOJ (93.7 FM; NEW IBERIA, LA; Owner: CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY)

CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY) KVPI-FM (92.5 FM; VILLE PLATTE, LA; Owner: VILLE PLATTE BROADCASTING CO., INC.)

VILLE PLATTE BROADCASTING CO., INC.) KRKA (107.9 FM; ERATH, LA; Owner: REGENT BROADCASTING OF LAFAYETTE, INC.) TV broadcast stations around Lawtell: KADN ( Channel 15; LAFAYETTE, LA; Owner: KADN-15, INC.)

15; LAFAYETTE, LA; KADN-15, INC.) KLPB-TV ( Channel 24; LAFAYETTE, LA; Owner: LOUISIANA EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION AUTHORITY)

24; LAFAYETTE, LA; LOUISIANA EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION AUTHORITY) KLFY-TV ( Channel 10; LAFAYETTE, LA; Owner: KLFY, L.P.)

10; LAFAYETTE, LA; KLFY, L.P.) KATC ( Channel 3; LAFAYETTE, LA; Owner: KATC COMMUNICATIONS, INC.)

3; LAFAYETTE, LA; KATC COMMUNICATIONS, INC.) K50FI ( Channel 50; OPELOUSAS, LA; Owner: NATIONAL MINORITY T.V., INC.)

50; OPELOUSAS, LA; NATIONAL MINORITY T.V., INC.) K69HD ( Channel 69; CHURCH POINT, LA; Owner: GULF MANAGEMENT II, L.L.C.)

69; CHURCH POINT, LA; GULF MANAGEMENT II, L.L.C.) KDCG-LP ( Channel 22; OPELOUSAS, LA; Owner: ACADIANA CABLE ADVERTISING, INC.)

22; OPELOUSAS, LA; ACADIANA CABLE ADVERTISING, INC.) KAGN-LP ( Channel 65; CROWLEY, LA; Owner: RICE CAPITAL BROADCASTING COMPANY, INC.)

65; CROWLEY, LA; RICE CAPITAL BROADCASTING COMPANY, INC.) KPLC ( Channel 7; LAKE CHARLES, LA; Owner: LIBCO, INC.)

7; LAKE CHARLES, LA; LIBCO, INC.) WVLA ( Channel 33; BATON ROUGE, LA; Owner: KNIGHT BROADCASTING OF BATON ROUGE LIC. CORP.)

33; BATON ROUGE, LA; KNIGHT BROADCASTING OF BATON ROUGE LIC. CORP.) K58GA ( Channel 46; LAFAYETTE, LA; Owner: WNTZ-48, INC.)

46; LAFAYETTE, LA; WNTZ-48, INC.) KLFT-LP ( Channel 21; LAFAYETTE, LA; Owner: K. SANDOVAL BURKE)

21; LAFAYETTE, LA; K. SANDOVAL BURKE) KLAF-LP (Channel 62; OPELOUSAS, LA; Owner: WNTZ-48, INC.)

Lawtell fatal accident list: Jun 22, 2007 05:24 PM, Us-190, Lat: 30.519658, Lon: -92.174200, Vehicles: 1, Persons: 3, Fatalities: 2, Drunk persons involved: 1

Mar 15, 2005 10:30 PM, Us-190, Lat: 30.521030, Lon: -92.164440, Vehicles: 1, Persons: 1, Fatalities: 1, Drunk persons involved: 1

Feb 11, 1990 08:00 PM, Pr6-40, Vehicles: 1, Persons: 1, Fatalities: 1, Drunk persons involved: 1

Aug 6, 1984 03:45 PM, Us190, Vehicles: 1, Persons: 1, Fatalities: 1



National Bridge Inventory (NBI) Statistics

32 Number of bridges

Number of bridges 151ft / 45.8m Total length

Total length $1,832,000 Total costs

Total costs 39,225 Total average daily traffic

Total average daily traffic 7,840 Total average daily truck traffic

Total average daily truck traffic 51,330 Total future (year 2036) average daily traffic

New bridges - historical statistics

3 1930-1939

3 1950-1959

9 1960-1969

1 1970-1979

4 1980-1989

3 1990-1999

6 2000-2009

3 2010-2018 See full National Bridge Inventory statistics for Lawtell, LA

FCC Registered Antenna Towers: 18 (



FCC Registered Broadcast Land Mobile Towers: 1 MP 583, Mp 583, Beaumont Sub (Lat: 30.517806 Lon: -92.202194), Type: Bant, Structure height: 4 m, Call Sign: WPQE238,

Assigned Frequencies: 160.470 MHz, 160.875 MHz, 160.515 MHz, Grant Date: 05/21/2015, Expiration Date: 06/08/2025, Certifier: L J Kopiasz, Registrant: Prokarma, 222 So 15th St, Ste 505n, Omaha, NE 68102, Phone: (402) 522-5068, Fax: (402) 346-6676, Email:

FCC Registered Microwave Towers: 1 LAWTELL, Uprr Mp 584.25, 200ft W Of Birdlane (Lat: 30.520472 Lon: -92.178167), Type: Tower, Structure height: 30 m, Call Sign: WQEN783,

Assigned Frequencies: 928.081 MHz, 952.081 MHz, Grant Date: 02/23/2016, Expiration Date: 03/14/2026, Certifier: Brad G Zielie, Registrant: Prokarma, 222 So 15th St , Suite 505n, Omaha, NE 68102, Phone: (402) 522-5068, Fax: (402) 346-6676, Email:

FCC Registered Amateur Radio Licenses: 1 Call Sign: KI5IP, Previous Call Sign: KA5ILD, Grant Date: 08/28/1990, Expiration Date: 08/28/2000, Cancellation Date: 08/29/2002, Registrant: Preston H Walls Sr, Lawtell, LA 70550

18 ( See the full list of FCC Registered Antenna Towers in Lawtell

2002 - 2018 National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) incidents Based on the data from the years 2002 - 2018 the average number of fires per year is 6. The highest number of fire incidents - 18 took place in 2005, and the least - 0 in 2007. The data has a declining trend.



Fire incident types reported to NFIRS in Lawtell, LA



57 54.8% Outside Fires



27 26.0% Structure Fires



18 17.3% Mobile Property/Vehicle Fires



2 1.9% Other When looking into fire subcategories, the most reports belonged to: Outside Fires (54.8%), and Structure Fires (26.0%). See full National Fire Incident Reporting System statistics for Lawtell, LA

Houses and condos Apartments 54.4% Electricity

45.6% Utility gas 100.0% Utility gas





Lawtell compared to Louisiana state average: Median house value below state average.

below Unemployed percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Black race population percentage above state average.

above Hispanic race population percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Foreign-born population percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Number of college students significantly below state average.

significantly below Percentage of population with a bachelor's degree or higher significantly below state average.

no other airmen in this city. There is 1 pilot andother airmen in this city.




Midland, North Carolina

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Population in 2019: 3,805 (0% urban, 100% rural).

Males: 1,994 (52.4%) Females: 1,811 (47.6%)

Median resident age: 35.2 years North Carolina median age: 39.1 years

Estimated median household income in 2019: $72,333

Midland: $72,333 NC: $57,341

Estimated per capita income in 2019: $32,455



Midland town income, earnings, and wages data



Estimated median house or condo value in 2019: $251,800 Midland: $251,800 NC: $193,200

Mean prices in 2019: all housing units: $226,255; detached houses: $260,902; mobile homes: $102,163 $72,333$32,455$251,800$226,255;$260,902;$102,163

Median gross rent in 2019: $912.

March 2019 cost of living index in Midland: 81.9 (low, U.S. average is 100)

Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2019: 6.5%

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Most recent value % change since 2k Data: Median household income ($) Median household income (% change since 2000) Household income diversity Ratio of average income to average house value (%) Ratio of average income to average rent Median household income ($) - White Median household income ($) - Black or African American Median household income ($) - Asian Median household income ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median household income ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median household income ($) - Multirace Median household income ($) - Other Race Median household income for houses/condos with a mortgage ($) Median household income for apartments without a mortgage ($) Races - White alone (%) Races - White alone (% change since 2000) Races - Black alone (%) Races - Black alone (% change since 2000) Races - American Indian alone (%) Races - American Indian alone (% change since 2000) Races - Asian alone (%) Races - Asian alone (% change since 2000) Races - Hispanic (%) Races - Hispanic (% change since 2000) Races - Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone (%) Races - Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone (% change since 2000) Races - Two or more races (%) Races - Two or more races (% change since 2000) Races - Other race alone (%) Races - Other race alone (% change since 2000) Racial diversity Unemployment (%) Unemployment (% change since 2000) Unemployment (%) - White Unemployment (%) - Black or African American Unemployment (%) - Asian Unemployment (%) - Hispanic or Latino Unemployment (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Unemployment (%) - Multirace Unemployment (%) - Other Race Population density (people per square mile) Population - Males (%) Population - Females (%) Population - Males (%) - White Population - Males (%) - Black or African American Population - Males (%) - Asian Population - Males (%) - Hispanic or Latino Population - Males (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Population - Males (%) - Multirace Population - Males (%) - Other Race Population - Females (%) - White Population - Females (%) - Black or African American Population - Females (%) - Asian Population - Females (%) - Hispanic or Latino Population - Females (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Population - Females (%) - Multirace Population - Females (%) - Other Race Coronavirus confirmed cases (Nov 21, 2021) Deaths caused by coronavirus (Nov 21, 2021) Coronavirus confirmed cases (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) Deaths caused by coronavirus (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) Daily increase in number of cases (Nov 21, 2021) Weekly increase in number of cases (Nov 21, 2021) Cases doubled (in days) (Nov 21, 2021) Hospitalized patients (Nov 21, 2021) Negative test results (Nov 21, 2021) Total test results (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses distributed (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses administered (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses distributed (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses administered (Nov 21, 2021) Likely homosexual households (%) Likely homosexual households (% change since 2000) Likely homosexual households - Lesbian couples (%) Likely homosexual households - Lesbian couples (% change since 2000) Likely homosexual households - Gay men (%) Likely homosexual households - Gay men (% change since 2000) Cost of living index Median gross rent ($) Median contract rent ($) Median monthly housing costs ($) Median house or condo value ($) Median house or condo value ($ change since 2000) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 1, detached ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 1, attached ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 2 ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure by units in structure - 3 or 4 ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 5 or more ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - Boat, RV, van, etc. ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - Mobile home ($) Median house or condo value ($) - White Median house or condo value ($) - Black or African American Median house or condo value ($) - Asian Median house or condo value ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median house or condo value ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median house or condo value ($) - Multirace Median house or condo value ($) - Other Race Median resident age Resident age diversity Median resident age - Males Median resident age - Females Median resident age - White Median resident age - Black or African American Median resident age - Asian Median resident age - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Multirace Median resident age - Other Race Median resident age - Males - White Median resident age - Males - Black or African American Median resident age - Males - Asian Median resident age - Males - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - Males - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Males - Multirace Median resident age - Males - Other Race Median resident age - Females - White Median resident age - Females - Black or African American Median resident age - Females - Asian Median resident age - Females - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - Females - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Females - Multirace Median resident age - Females - Other Race Commute - mean travel time to work (minutes) Travel time to work - Less than 5 minutes (%) Travel time to work - Less than 5 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 5 to 9 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 5 to 9 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 10 to 19 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 10 to 19 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 20 to 29 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 20 to 29 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 30 to 39 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 30 to 39 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 40 to 59 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 40 to 59 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 60 to 89 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 60 to 89 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 90 or more minutes (%) Travel time to work - 90 or more minutes (% change since 2000) Marital status - Never married (%) Marital status - Now married (%) Marital status - Separated (%) Marital status - Widowed (%) Marital status - Divorced (%) Median family income ($) Median family income (% change since 2000) Median non-family income ($) Median non-family income (% change since 2000) Median per capita income ($) Median per capita income (% change since 2000) Median family income ($) - White Median family income ($) - Black or African American Median family income ($) - Asian Median family income ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median family income ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median family income ($) - Multirace Median family income ($) - Other Race Median year house/condo built Median year apartment built Year house built - Built 2005 or later (%) Year house built - Built 2000 to 2004 (%) Year house built - Built 1990 to 1999 (%) Year house built - Built 1980 to 1989 (%) Year house built - Built 1970 to 1979 (%) Year house built - Built 1960 to 1969 (%) Year house built - Built 1950 to 1959 (%) Year house built - Built 1940 to 1949 (%) Year house built - Built 1939 or earlier (%) Average household size Household density (households per square mile) Average household size - White Average household size - Black or African American Average household size - Asian Average household size - Hispanic or Latino Average household size - American Indian and Alaska Native Average household size - Multirace Average household size - Other Race Occupied housing units (%) Vacant housing units (%) Owner occupied housing units (%) Renter occupied housing units (%) Vacancy status - For rent (%) Vacancy status - For sale only (%) Vacancy status - Rented or sold, not occupied (%) Vacancy status - For seasonal, recreational, or occasional use (%) Vacancy status - For migrant workers (%) Vacancy status - Other vacant (%) Residents with income below the poverty level (%) Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level (%) Children below poverty level (%) Poor families by family type - Married-couple family (%) Poor families by family type - Male, no wife present (%) Poor families by family type - Female, no husband present (%) Poverty status for native-born residents (%) Poverty status for foreign-born residents (%) Poverty among high school graduates not in families (%) Poverty among people who did not graduate high school not in families (%) Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - White Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Black or African American Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Asian Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Hispanic or Latino Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Multirace Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Other Race Air pollution - Air Quality Index (AQI) Air pollution - CO Air pollution - NO2 Air pollution - SO2 Air pollution - Ozone Air pollution - PM10 Air pollution - PM25 Air pollution - Pb Crime - Murders per 100,000 population Crime - Rapes per 100,000 population Crime - Robberies per 100,000 population Crime - Assaults per 100,000 population Crime - Burglaries per 100,000 population Crime - Thefts per 100,000 population Crime - Auto thefts per 100,000 population Crime - Arson per 100,000 population Crime - City-data.com crime index Crime - Violent crime index Crime - Property crime index Crime - Murders per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Rapes per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Robberies per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Assaults per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Burglaries per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Thefts per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Auto thefts per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Arson per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - City-data.com crime index (5 year average) Crime - Violent crime index (5 year average) Crime - Property crime index (5 year average) 1996 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Clinton) 1996 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Dole) 1996 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2000 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Gore) 2000 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Bush) 2000 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2004 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Kerry) 2004 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Bush) 2004 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2008 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Obama) 2008 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (McCain) 2008 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2012 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Obama) 2012 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Romney) 2012 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2016 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Clinton) 2016 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Trump) 2016 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2020 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Biden) 2020 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Trump) 2020 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other Ancestries Reported - Arab (%) Ancestries Reported - Czech (%) Ancestries Reported - Danish (%) Ancestries Reported - Dutch (%) Ancestries Reported - English (%) Ancestries Reported - French (%) Ancestries Reported - French Canadian (%) Ancestries Reported - German (%) Ancestries Reported - Greek (%) Ancestries Reported - Hungarian (%) Ancestries Reported - Irish (%) Ancestries Reported - Italian (%) Ancestries Reported - Lithuanian (%) Ancestries Reported - Norwegian (%) Ancestries Reported - Polish (%) Ancestries Reported - Portuguese (%) Ancestries Reported - Russian (%) Ancestries Reported - Scotch-Irish (%) Ancestries Reported - Scottish (%) Ancestries Reported - Slovak (%) Ancestries Reported - Subsaharan African (%) Ancestries Reported - Swedish (%) Ancestries Reported - Swiss (%) Ancestries Reported - Ukrainian (%) Ancestries Reported - United States (%) Ancestries Reported - Welsh (%) Ancestries Reported - West Indian (%) Ancestries Reported - Other (%) Educational Attainment - No schooling completed (%) Educational Attainment - Less than high school (%) Educational Attainment - High school or equivalent (%) Educational Attainment - Less than 1 year of college (%) Educational Attainment - 1 or more years of college (%) Educational Attainment - Associate degree (%) Educational Attainment - Bachelor's degree (%) Educational Attainment - Master's degree (%) Educational Attainment - Professional school degree (%) Educational Attainment - Doctorate degree (%) School Enrollment - Nursery, preschool (%) School Enrollment - Kindergarten (%) School Enrollment - Grade 1 to 4 (%) School Enrollment - Grade 5 to 8 (%) School Enrollment - Grade 9 to 12 (%) School Enrollment - College undergrad (%) School Enrollment - Graduate or professional (%) School Enrollment - Not enrolled in school (%) School enrollment - Public schools (%) School enrollment - Private schools (%) School enrollment - Not enrolled (%) Median number of rooms in houses and condos Median number of rooms in apartments Housing units lacking complete plumbing facilities (%) Housing units lacking complete kitchen facilities (%) Density of houses Urban houses (%) Rural houses (%) Households with people 60 years and over (%) Households with people 65 years and over (%) Households with people 75 years and over (%) Households with one or more nonrelatives (%) Households with no nonrelatives (%) Population in households (%) Family households (%) Nonfamily households (%) Population in families (%) Family households with own children (%) Median number of bedrooms in owner occupied houses Mean number of bedrooms in owner occupied houses Median number of bedrooms in renter occupied houses Mean number of bedrooms in renter occupied houses Median number of vehichles in owner occupied houses Mean number of vehichles in owner occupied houses Median number of vehichles in renter occupied houses Mean number of vehichles in renter occupied houses Mortgage status - with mortgage (%) Mortgage status - with second mortgage (%) Mortgage status - with home equity loan (%) Mortgage status - with both second mortgage and home equity loan (%) Mortgage status - without a mortgage (%) Average family size Average family size - White Average family size - Black or African American Average family size - Asian Average family size - Hispanic or Latino Average family size - American Indian and Alaska Native Average family size - Multirace Average family size - Other Race Geographical mobility - Same house 1 year ago (%) Geographical mobility - Moved within same county (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from different county within same state (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from different state (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from abroad (%) Place of birth - Born in state of residence (%) Place of birth - Born in other state (%) Place of birth - Native, outside of US (%) Place of birth - Foreign born (%) Housing units in structures - 1, detached (%) Housing units in structures - 1, attached (%) Housing units in structures - 2 (%) Housing units in structures - 3 or 4 (%) Housing units in structures - 5 to 9 (%) Housing units in structures - 10 to 19 (%) Housing units in structures - 20 to 49 (%) Housing units in structures - 50 or more (%) Housing units in structures - Mobile home (%) Housing units in structures - Boat, RV, van, etc. (%) House/condo owner moved in on average (years ago) Renter moved in on average (years ago) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1999 to March 2000 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1995 to 1998 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1990 to 1994 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1980 to 1989 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1970 to 1979 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1969 or earlier (%) Means of transportation to work - Drove car alone (%) Means of transportation to work - Carpooled (%) Means of transportation to work - Public transportation (%) Means of transportation to work - Bus or trolley bus (%) Means of transportation to work - Streetcar or trolley car (%) Means of transportation to work - Subway or elevated (%) Means of transportation to work - Railroad (%) Means of transportation to work - Ferryboat (%) Means of transportation to work - Taxicab (%) Means of transportation to work - Motorcycle (%) Means of transportation to work - Bicycle (%) Means of transportation to work - Walked (%) Means of transportation to work - Other means (%) Working at home (%) Industry diversity Most Common Industries - Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining (%) Most Common Industries - Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (%) Most Common Industries - Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (%) Most Common Industries - Construction (%) Most Common Industries - Manufacturing (%) Most Common Industries - Wholesale trade (%) Most Common Industries - Retail trade (%) Most Common Industries - Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (%) Most Common Industries - Transportation and warehousing (%) Most Common Industries - Utilities (%) Most Common Industries - Information (%) Most Common Industries - Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (%) Most Common Industries - Finance and insurance (%) Most Common Industries - Real estate and rental and leasing (%) Most Common Industries - Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (%) Most Common Industries - Professional, scientific, and technical services (%) Most Common Industries - Management of companies and enterprises (%) Most Common Industries - Administrative and support and waste management services (%) Most Common Industries - Educational services, and health care and social assistance (%) Most Common Industries - Educational services (%) Most Common Industries - Health care and social assistance (%) Most Common Industries - Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (%) Most Common Industries - Arts, entertainment, and recreation (%) Most Common Industries - Accommodation and food services (%) Most Common Industries - Other services, except public administration (%) Most Common Industries - Public administration (%) Occupation diversity Most Common Occupations - Management, business, science, and arts occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Management, business, and financial occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Management occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Business and financial operations occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Computer, engineering, and science occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Computer and mathematical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Architecture and engineering occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Life, physical, and social science occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Education, legal, community service, arts, and media occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Community and social service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Legal occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Education, training, and library occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Health diagnosing and treating practitioners and other technical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Health technologists and technicians (%) Most Common Occupations - Service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Healthcare support occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Protective service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Fire fighting and prevention, and other protective service workers including supervisors (%) Most Common Occupations - Law enforcement workers including supervisors (%) Most Common Occupations - Food preparation and serving related occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Personal care and service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Sales and office occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Sales and related occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Office and administrative support occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Construction and extraction occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Production, transportation, and material moving occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Production occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Transportation occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Material moving occupations (%) People in Group quarters - Institutionalized population (%) People in Group quarters - Correctional institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Federal prisons and detention centers (%) People in Group quarters - Halfway houses (%) People in Group quarters - Local jails and other confinement facilities (including police lockups) (%) People in Group quarters - Military disciplinary barracks (%) People in Group quarters - State prisons (%) People in Group quarters - Other types of correctional institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Nursing homes (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals/wards, hospices, and schools for the handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals/wards and hospices for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Hospices or homes for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Military hospitals or wards for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Other hospitals or wards for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals or wards for drug/alcohol abuse (%) People in Group quarters - Mental (Psychiatric) hospitals or wards (%) People in Group quarters - Schools, hospitals, or wards for the mentally retarded (%) People in Group quarters - Schools, hospitals, or wards for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Institutions for the deaf (%) People in Group quarters - Institutions for the blind (%) People in Group quarters - Orthopedic wards and institutions for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Wards in general hospitals for patients who have no usual home elsewhere (%) People in Group quarters - Wards in military hospitals for patients who have no usual home elsewhere (%) People in Group quarters - Juvenile institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Long-term care (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for abused, dependent, and neglected children (%) People in Group quarters - Residential treatment centers for emotionally disturbed children (%) People in Group quarters - Training schools for juvenile delinquents (%) People in Group quarters - Short-term care, detention or diagnostic centers for delinquent children (%) People in Group quarters - Type of juvenile institution unknown (%) People in Group quarters - Noninstitutionalized population (%) People in Group quarters - College dormitories (includes college quarters off campus) (%) People in Group quarters - Military quarters (%) People in Group quarters - On base (%) People in Group quarters - Barracks, unaccompanied personnel housing (UPH), (Enlisted/Officer), ;and similar group living quarters for military personnel (%) People in Group quarters - Transient quarters for temporary residents (%) People in Group quarters - Military ships (%) People in Group quarters - Group homes (%) People in Group quarters - Homes or halfway houses for drug/alcohol abuse (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the mentally ill (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the mentally retarded (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Other group homes (%) People in Group quarters - Religious group quarters (%) People in Group quarters - Dormitories (%) People in Group quarters - Agriculture workers' dormitories on farms (%) People in Group quarters - Job Corps and vocational training facilities (%) People in Group quarters - Other workers' dormitories (%) People in Group quarters - Crews of maritime vessels (%) People in Group quarters - Other nonhousehold living situations (%) People in Group quarters - Other noninstitutional group quarters (%) Residents speaking English at home (%) Residents speaking English at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking English at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking English at home - Foreign born (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Foreign born (%) Residents speaking other language at home (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Foreign born (%) Class of Workers - Employee of private company (%) Class of Workers - Self-employed in own incorporated business (%) Class of Workers - Private not-for-profit wage and salary workers (%) Class of Workers - Local government workers (%) Class of Workers - State government workers (%) Class of Workers - Federal government workers (%) Class of Workers - Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business and Unpaid family workers (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Utility gas (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Bottled, tank, or LP gas (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Electricity (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Coal or coke (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Wood (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Solar energy (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Other fuel (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - No fuel used (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Utility gas (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Bottled, tank, or LP gas (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Electricity (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Coal or coke (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Wood (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Solar energy (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Other fuel (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - No fuel used (%) Armed forces status - In Armed Forces (%) Armed forces status - Civilian (%) Armed forces status - Civilian - Veteran (%) Armed forces status - Civilian - Nonveteran (%) Fatal accidents locations in years 2005-2019 Fatal accidents locations in 2005 Fatal accidents locations in 2006 Fatal accidents locations in 2007 Fatal accidents locations in 2008 Fatal accidents locations in 2009 Fatal accidents locations in 2010 Fatal accidents locations in 2011 Fatal accidents locations in 2012 Fatal accidents locations in 2013 Fatal accidents locations in 2014 Fatal accidents locations in 2015 Fatal accidents locations in 2016 Fatal accidents locations in 2017 Fatal accidents locations in 2018 Fatal accidents locations in 2019 Alcohol use - People drinking some alcohol every month (%) Alcohol use - People not drinking at all (%) Alcohol use - Average days/month drinking alcohol Alcohol use - Average drinks/week Alcohol use - Average days/year people drink much Audiometry - Average condition of hearing (%) Audiometry - People that can hear a whisper from across a quiet room (%) Audiometry - People that can hear normal voice from across a quiet room (%) Audiometry - Ears ringing, roaring, buzzing (%) Audiometry - Had a job exposure to loud noise (%) Audiometry - Had off-work exposure to loud noise (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Has high blood pressure (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Checking blood pressure at home (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Frequently checking blood cholesterol (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Has high cholesterol level (%) Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on food at supermarket/grocery store Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on food at other stores Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on eating out Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on carryout/delivered foods Consumer Behavior - Income spent on food at supermarket/grocery store (%) Consumer Behavior - Income spent on food at other stores (%) Consumer Behavior - Income spent on eating out (%) Consumer Behavior - Income spent on carryout/delivered foods (%) Current Health Status - General health condition (%) Current Health Status - Blood donors (%) Current Health Status - Has blood ever tested for HIV virus (%) Current Health Status - Left-handed people (%) Dermatology - People using sunscreen (%) Diabetes - Diabetics (%) Diabetes - Had a blood test for high blood sugar (%) Diabetes - People taking insulin (%) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Diet health (%) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Milk product consumption (# of products/month) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Meals not home prepared (#/week) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Meals from fast food or pizza place (#/week) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Ready-to-eat foods (#/month) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Frozen meals/pizza (#/month) Drug Use - People that ever used marijuana or hashish (%) Drug Use - Ever used hard drugs (%) Drug Use - Ever used any form of cocaine (%) Drug Use - Ever used heroin (%) Drug Use - Ever used methamphetamine (%) Health Insurance - People covered by health insurance (%) Kidney Conditions-Urology - Avg. # of times urinating at night Medical Conditions - People with asthma (%) Medical Conditions - People with anemia (%) Medical Conditions - People with psoriasis (%) Medical Conditions - People with overweight (%) Medical Conditions - Elderly people having difficulties in thinking or remembering (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever received blood transfusion (%) Medical Conditions - People having trouble seeing even with glass/contacts (%) Medical Conditions - People with arthritis (%) Medical Conditions - People with gout (%) Medical Conditions - People with congestive heart failure (%) Medical Conditions - People with coronary heart disease (%) Medical Conditions - People with angina pectoris (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever had heart attack (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever had stroke (%) Medical Conditions - People with emphysema (%) Medical Conditions - People with thyroid problem (%) Medical Conditions - People with chronic bronchitis (%) Medical Conditions - People with any liver condition (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever had cancer or malignancy (%) Mental Health - People who have little interest in doing things (%) Mental Health - People feeling down, depressed, or hopeless (%) Mental Health - People who have trouble sleeping or sleeping too much (%) Mental Health - People feeling tired or having little energy (%) Mental Health - People with poor appetite or overeating (%) Mental Health - People feeling bad about themself (%) Mental Health - People who have trouble concentrating on things (%) Mental Health - People moving or speaking slowly or too fast (%) Mental Health - People having thoughts they would be better off dead (%) Oral Health - Average years since last visit a dentist Oral Health - People embarrassed because of mouth (%) Oral Health - People with gum disease (%) Oral Health - General health of teeth and gums (%) Oral Health - Average days a week using dental floss/device Oral Health - Average days a week using mouthwash for dental problem Oral Health - Average number of teeth Pesticide Use - Households using pesticides to control insects (%) Pesticide Use - Households using pesticides to kill weeds (%) Physical Activity - People doing vigorous-intensity work activities (%) Physical Activity - People doing moderate-intensity work activities (%) Physical Activity - People walking or bicycling (%) Physical Activity - People doing vigorous-intensity recreational activities (%) Physical Activity - People doing moderate-intensity recreational activities (%) Physical Activity - Average hours a day doing sedentary activities Physical Activity - Average hours a day watching TV or videos Physical Activity - Average hours a day using computer Physical Functioning - People having limitations keeping them from working (%) Physical Functioning - People limited in amount of work they can do (%) Physical Functioning - People that need special equipment to walk (%) Physical Functioning - People experiencing confusion/memory problems (%) Physical Functioning - People requiring special healthcare equipment (%) Prescription Medications - Average number of prescription medicines taking Preventive Aspirin Use - Adults 40+ taking low-dose aspirin (%) Reproductive Health - Vaginal deliveries (%) Reproductive Health - Cesarean deliveries (%) Reproductive Health - Deliveries resulted in a live birth (%) Reproductive Health - Pregnancies resulted in a delivery (%) Reproductive Health - Women breastfeeding newborns (%) Reproductive Health - Women that had a hysterectomy (%) Reproductive Health - Women that had both ovaries removed (%) Reproductive Health - Women that have ever taken birth control pills (%) Reproductive Health - Women taking birth control pills (%) Reproductive Health - Women that have ever used Depo-Provera or injectables (%) Reproductive Health - Women that have ever used female hormones (%) Sexual Behavior - People 18+ that ever had sex (vaginal, anal, or oral) (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever had vaginal sex with a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever performed oral sex on a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever had anal sex with a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever had any sex with a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever had vaginal sex with a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever performed oral sex on a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever had anal sex with a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever had any kind of sex with a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Average age people first had sex Sexual Behavior - Average number of female sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of female vaginal sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average age people first performed oral sex on a woman (18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of woman performed oral sex on in lifetime (18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male anal sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average age people first performed oral sex on a man (18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male oral sex partners in lifetime (18+) Sexual Behavior - People using protection when performing oral sex (%) Sexual Behavior - Average number of times people have vaginal or anal sex a year Sexual Behavior - People having sex without condom (%) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male sex partners in lifetime (females 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male vaginal sex partners in lifetime (females 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of female sex partners in lifetime (females 18+) Sexual Behavior - Circumcised males 18+ (%) Sleep Disorders - Average hours sleeping at night Sleep Disorders - People that has trouble sleeping (%) Smoking-Cigarette Use - People smoking cigarettes (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ having problems with smell (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ having problems with taste (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had wisdom teeth removed (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had tonsils teeth removed (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had a loss of consciousness because of a head injury (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had a broken nose or other serious injury to face or skull (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had two or more sinus infections (%) Weight - Average height (inches) Weight - Average weight (pounds) Weight - Average BMI Weight - People that are obese (%) Weight - People that ever were obese (%) Weight - People trying to lose weight (%) Settings Get link Loading data... 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2,800 75.7% White alone 381 10.3% Hispanic 330 8.9% Black alone 188 5.1% Two or more races

Races in Midland detailed stats: ancestries, foreign born residents, place of birth





According to our research of North Carolina and other state lists, there were 8 registered sex offenders living in Midland, North Carolina as of November 21, 2021.

The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in Midland is 435 to 1.

The ratio of registered sex offenders to all residents in this city is near the state average.





Midland, NC City Guides: Midland, NC Guides 2

Ancestries: American (18.6%), German (7.0%), Scotch-Irish (6.2%), Irish (5.0%), Polish (4.9%), English (4.1%).

Current Local Time: EST time zone

Elevation: 500 feet

332 residents are foreign born (6.0% Latin America, 2.7% Europe). This town: 8.8% North Carolina: 8.0%

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with mortgages in 2019: $1,809 (0.7%)

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with no mortgage in 2019: $1,297 (0.8%)



Latitude: 35.23 N, Longitude: 80.50 W

Area code commonly used in this area: 704

Unemployment in November 2020:

Here: 5.7% North Carolina: 6.1%

Air pollution and air quality trends

(lower is better) AQI CO NO 2 SO 2 Ozone PM 10 PM 2.5

Air Quality Index (AQI) level in 2018 was 74.4. This is about average. City: 74.4 U.S.: 74.2

Carbon Monoxide (CO) [ppm] level in 2018 was 0.236. This is about average. Closest monitor was 13.8 miles away from the city center. City: 0.236 U.S.: 0.267

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO 2 ) [ppb] level in 2018 was 6.30. This is about average. Closest monitor was 9.1 miles away from the city center. City: 6.30 U.S.: 5.56

Sulfur Dioxide (SO 2 ) [ppb] level in 2018 was 0.166. This is significantly better than average. Closest monitor was 8.7 miles away from the city center. City: 0.166 U.S.: 1.789

Ozone [ppb] level in 2018 was 28.2. This is about average. Closest monitor was 13.9 miles away from the city center. City: 28.2 U.S.: 33.3

Particulate Matter (PM 10 ) [g/m3] level in 2018 was 15.5. This is better than average. Closest monitor was 16.1 miles away from the city center. City: 15.5 U.S.: 19.6

Particulate Matter (PM 2.5 ) [g/m3] level in 2018 was 8.12. This is about average. Closest monitor was 15.1 miles away from the city center. City: 8.12 U.S.: 8.46

Tornado activity: Midland-area historical tornado activity is slightly above North Carolina state average. It is 11% greater than the overall U.S. average.

On 5/5/1989, a category F4 (max. wind speeds 207-260 mph) tornado 9.2 miles away from the Midland town center killed one person and injured 6 people and caused between $5,000,000 and $50,000,000 in damages. On 10/18/1990, a category F3 (max. wind speeds 158-206 mph) tornado 14.6 miles away from the town center injured 2 people and caused between $50,000 and $500,000 in damages.

Earthquake activity: Midland-area historical earthquake activity is significantly above North Carolina state average. It is 27% smaller than the overall U.S. average.



On 8/23/2011 at 17:51:04, a magnitude 5.8 (5.8 MW, Depth: 3.7 mi, Class: Moderate, Intensity: VI - VII) earthquake occurred 233.9 miles away from the city center

On 8/9/2020 at 12:07:37, a magnitude 5.1 (5.1 MW, Depth: 4.7 mi) earthquake occurred 92.5 miles away from Midland center

On 8/2/1974 at 08:52:09, a magnitude 4.9 (4.3 MB, 4.9 LG, Class: Light, Intensity: IV - V) earthquake occurred 147.0 miles away from the city center

On 11/22/1974 at 05:25:55, a magnitude 4.7 (4.7 MB) earthquake occurred 162.3 miles away from the city center

On 7/27/1980 at 18:52:21, a magnitude 5.2 (5.1 MB, 4.7 MS, 5.0 UK, 5.2 UK) earthquake occurred 280.7 miles away from Midland center

On 11/30/1973 at 07:48:41, a magnitude 4.7 (4.7 MB, 4.6 ML) earthquake occurred 198.8 miles away from the city center

Magnitude types: regional Lg-wave magnitude (LG), body-wave magnitude (MB), local magnitude (ML), surface-wave magnitude (MS), moment magnitude (MW)

Natural disasters: The number of natural disasters in Cabarrus County (10) is smaller than the US average (15).

Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 5

Emergencies Declared: 3



Causes of natural disasters: Hurricanes: 3, Droughts: 2, Blizzard: 1, Freeze: 1, Ice Storm: 1, Tropical Storm: 1, Winter Storm: 1, Other: 1 (Note: some incidents may be assigned to more than one category).

Hospitals and medical centers near Midland: VOCA-HARRISBURG ROAD GROUP HOME (Hospital, about 11 miles away; CHARLOTTE, NC)

THE OAKS AT TOWN CENTER (Nursing Home, about 11 miles away; HARRISBURG, NC)

VOCA-NORWICH ROAD GROUP HOME (Hospital, about 12 miles away; CHARLOTTE, NC)

RIDGEFIELD HOME (Hospital, about 12 miles away; MONROE, NC)

VOCA-WOODBRIDGE ROAD GROUP HOME (Hospital, about 13 miles away; CHARLOTTE, NC)

WOODBEND GROUP HOME (Hospital, about 13 miles away; MATTHEWS, NC)

LAKE PARK NURSING AND REHABILITATION CENTER (Nursing Home, about 13 miles away; INDIAN TRAIL, NC)

Amtrak station near Midland: 19 miles: CHARLOTTE (1914 N. TYRON ST.) . Services: ticket office, partially wheelchair accessible, enclosed waiting area, public restrooms, public payphones, vending machines, free short-term parking, free long-term parking, call for car rental service, taxi stand, public transit connection.

Colleges/universities with over 2000 students nearest to Midland: University of North Carolina at Charlotte ( about 15 miles; Charlotte, NC ; Full-time enrollment: 22,807)

15 ; 22,807) Stanly Community College ( about 17 miles; Albemarle, NC ; FT enrollment: 2,307)

17 ; 2,307) Wingate University ( about 18 miles; Wingate, NC ; FT enrollment: 2,125)

18 ; 2,125) Central Piedmont Community College ( about 19 miles; Charlotte, NC ; FT enrollment: 15,371)

19 ; 15,371) Queens University of Charlotte ( about 19 miles; Charlotte, NC ; FT enrollment: 2,083)

19 ; 2,083) Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte ( about 20 miles; Charlotte, NC ; FT enrollment: 2,518)

20 ; 2,518) Rowan-Cabarrus Community College (about 29 miles; Salisbury, NC; FT enrollment: 5,749) Public elementary/middle school in Midland: BETHEL ELEMENTARY (Location: 2425 MIDLAND ROAD, Grades: KG-6) See full list of schools located in Midland

Points of interest: Click to draw/clear town borders

Cabarrus County has a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L (pico curies per liter) - Low Potential

Drinking water stations with addresses in Midland and their reported violations in the past: REED GOLD MINE-ST PRK HISTORIC (Population served: 165, Groundwater): Past monitoring violations: One routine major monitoring violation WAYSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH (Population served: 70, Groundwater): Past health violations: MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In SEP-2008, Contaminant: Coliform. Follow-up actions: St Public Notif requested (OCT-03-2008), St Formal NOV issued (OCT-03-2008), St Public Notif received (OCT-08-2008), St Compliance achieved (AUG-30-2010) Past monitoring violations: Failure to Conduct Assessment Monitoring - In MAY-2010, Contaminant: E. COLI. Follow-up actions: St Compliance achieved (MAY-06-2010) PINE BLUFF METHODIST CHURCH (Population served: 50, Groundwater): Past monitoring violations: One routine major monitoring violation

One regular monitoring violation TERRY`S KITCHEN (Population served: 25, Groundwater): Past monitoring violations: 13 routine major monitoring violations

2 regular monitoring violations GENE`S BACKYARD BBQ (Population served: 25, Groundwater): Past health violations: MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In JAN-2010 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Formal NOV issued (FEB-04-2010) , St Public Notif requested (FEB-04-2010) , St Compliance achieved (SEP-13-2010)

JAN-2010 Coliform St Formal NOV issued (FEB-04-2010) St Public Notif requested (FEB-04-2010) St Compliance achieved (SEP-13-2010) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - Between APR-2009 and JUN-2009 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Formal NOV issued (JUL-14-2009) , St Public Notif requested (JUL-14-2009) , St Compliance achieved (SEP-13-2010)

APR-2009 JUN-2009 Coliform St Formal NOV issued (JUL-14-2009) St Public Notif requested (JUL-14-2009) St Compliance achieved (SEP-13-2010) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - Between APR-2007 and JUN-2007, Contaminant: Coliform. Follow-up actions: St Formal NOV issued (MAY-02-2007), St Public Notif requested (MAY-02-2007), St Public Notif received (MAY-15-2007), St Compliance achieved (SEP-13-2010) Past monitoring violations: Monitoring, Source Water (GWR) - In DEC-30-2009, Contaminant: E. COLI. Follow-up actions: St Compliance achieved (MAR-22-2010), St Formal NOV issued (MAR-30-2010), St Public Notif requested (MAR-30-2010), St Public Notif received (APR-07-2010) REED GOLD MINE-ST PRK HISTORIC (165Groundwater):WAYSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH (70Groundwater):PINE BLUFF METHODIST CHURCH (50Groundwater):TERRY`S KITCHEN (25Groundwater):GENE`S BACKYARD BBQ (25Groundwater):

Average household size: This town: 2.6 people North Carolina: 2.5 people

Percentage of family households: This town: 74.7% Whole state: 66.7%

Percentage of households with unmarried partners: This town: 4.9% Whole state: 5.9%



Likely homosexual households (counted as self-reported same-sex unmarried-partner households) Lesbian couples: 0.4% of all households

0.4% Gay men: 0.3% of all households

Banks with branches in Midland (2011 data): Fifth Third Bank: Midland Branch at 4411 Nc Highway 24/27 East, branch established on 1974/10/07. Info updated 2009/10/05: Bank assets: $114,540.4 mil, Deposits: $89,689.1 mil, headquarters in Cincinnati, OH, positive income, Commercial Lending Specialization, 1378 total offices, Holding Company: Fifth Third Bancorp

For population 15 years and over in Midland: Never married: 25.2%

25.2% Now married: 60.6%

60.6% Separated: 0.5%

0.5% Widowed: 5.7%

5.7% Divorced: 8.0%

For population 25 years and over in Midland: High school or higher: 92.2%

92.2% Bachelor's degree or higher: 28.4%

28.4% Graduate or professional degree: 9.3%

9.3% Mean travel time to work (commute): 36.3 minutes

Education Gini index (Inequality in education) Here: 9.3 North Carolina average: 11.8



Religion statistics for Midland, NC (based on Cabarrus County data) Religion Adherents Congregations Evangelical Protestant 57,730 188 Mainline Protestant 27,978 69 Catholic 8,472 2 Black Protestant 3,058 19 Other 1,335 4 None 83,485 - Source: Clifford Grammich, Kirk Hadaway, Richard Houseal, Dale E.Jones, Alexei Krindatch, Richie Stanley and Richard H.Taylor. 2012. 2010 U.S.Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Jones, Dale E., et al. 2002. Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center. Graphs represent county-level data

Food Environment Statistics: Number of grocery stores: 27 This county : 1.66 / 10,000 pop. North Carolina : 2.05 / 10,000 pop. Number of supercenters and club stores: 5 Here : 0.31 / 10,000 pop. North Carolina : 0.14 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (no gas): 10 Cabarrus County : 0.61 / 10,000 pop. North Carolina : 0.92 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (with gas): 65 Cabarrus County : 3.99 / 10,000 pop. North Carolina : 4.75 / 10,000 pop. Number of full-service restaurants: 136 Here : 8.35 / 10,000 pop. North Carolina : 7.57 / 10,000 pop. Adult diabetes rate: Cabarrus County : 9.7% State : 9.8% Adult obesity rate: This county : 28.5% State : 28.3% Low-income preschool obesity rate: Cabarrus County : 17.8% State : 15.6%

Local government employment and payroll (March 2017) Function Full-time employees Monthly full-time payroll Average yearly full-time wage Part-time employees Monthly part-time payroll Other Government Administration 2 $11,829 $70,974 1 $1,295 Financial Administration 0 $0 1 $115 Totals for Government 2 $11,829 $70,974 2 $1,411

Expenditure Revenue Midland government finances - Expenditure in 2017 (per resident): Construction - Regular Highways: $74,000 ($19.45)

$74,000 ($19.45) Current Operations - Central Staff Services: $318,000 ($83.57) Local Fire Protection: $283,000 ($74.38) Solid Waste Management: $222,000 ($58.34) Police Protection: $151,000 ($39.68) Housing and Community Development: $147,000 ($38.63) Judicial and Legal Services: $127,000 ($33.38) General Public Buildings: $48,000 ($12.61) Financial Administration: $40,000 ($10.51) General - Other: $2,000 ($0.53) Parks and Recreation: $2,000 ($0.53)

$318,000 ($83.57) General - Interest on Debt: $15,000 ($3.94)

$15,000 ($3.94) Other Capital Outlay - Police Protection: $62,000 ($16.29) Midland government finances - Revenue in 2017 (per resident): Charges - Miscellaneous Commercial Activities: $46,000 ($12.09)

$46,000 ($12.09) Local Intergovernmental - General Local Government Support: $317,000 ($83.31)

$317,000 ($83.31) Miscellaneous - General Revenue - Other: $30,000 ($7.88) Interest Earnings: $0 ($0.00)

$30,000 ($7.88) State Intergovernmental - General Local Government Support: $443,000 ($116.43) Highways: $83,000 ($21.81)

$443,000 ($116.43) Tax - Property: $785,000 ($206.31) Other License: $4,000 ($1.05)

9.84% of this county's 2016 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2015 ($56,629 average adjusted gross income) Here: 9.84% North Carolina average: 7.88% 0.04% of residents moved from foreign countries ($238 average AGI) Cabarrus County: 0.04% North Carolina average: 0.08%

Top counties from which taxpayers relocated into this county between 2015 and 2016:

from Mecklenburg County, NC 3.46% ($63,873 average AGI) from Rowan County, NC 0.96% ($34,566) from Stanly County, NC 0.26% ($42,711)



7.78% of this county's 2015 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2016 ($52,230 average adjusted gross income) Here: 7.78% North Carolina average: 7.23% 0.03% of residents moved to foreign countries ($211 average AGI) Cabarrus County: 0.03% North Carolina average: 0.09%

Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2015 and 2016:

to Mecklenburg County, NC 2.25% ($56,408 average AGI) to Rowan County, NC 1.27% ($35,123) to Iredell County, NC 0.26% ($63,350)

Businesses in Midland, NC Name Count Name Count Dunkin Donuts 1 Subway 1 Jones New York 1 U-Haul 1 La-Z-Boy 1 UPS 1

Strongest AM radio stations in Midland: WNOW (1030 AM; daytime; 9 kW; MINT HILL, NC; Owner: CHARLOTTE METRO RADIO, INC.)

CHARLOTTE METRO RADIO, INC.) WBT (1110 AM; 50 kW; CHARLOTTE, NC; Owner: JEFFERSON-PILOT COMMUNICATNS CO. OF NORTH CAROLINA)

JEFFERSON-PILOT COMMUNICATNS CO. OF NORTH CAROLINA) WAGL (1560 AM; daytime; 50 kW; LANCASTER, SC; Owner: PALMETTO BROADCASTING SYSTEM, INC.)

PALMETTO BROADCASTING SYSTEM, INC.) WGFY (1480 AM; 10 kW; CHARLOTTE, NC; Owner: ABC, INC.)

ABC, INC.) WFNZ (610 AM; 5 kW; CHARLOTTE, NC; Owner: INFINITY RADIO SUBSIDIARY OPERATIONS INC.)

INFINITY RADIO SUBSIDIARY OPERATIONS INC.) WTRU (830 AM; 50 kW; KERNERSVILLE, NC; Owner: TRUTH BROADCASTING CORPORATION)

TRUTH BROADCASTING CORPORATION) WHKY (1290 AM; 50 kW; HICKORY, NC; Owner: LONG COMMUNICATIONS, LLC.)

LONG COMMUNICATIONS, LLC.) WLTC (1370 AM; 20 kW; GASTONIA, NC)

WCEO (840 AM; daytime; 50 kW; COLUMBIA, SC; Owner: EASTERN BROADCASTING GROUP, INC.)

EASTERN BROADCASTING GROUP, INC.) WYFQ (930 AM; 5 kW; CHARLOTTE, NC; Owner: BIBLE BROADCASTING NETWORK, INC.)

BIBLE BROADCASTING NETWORK, INC.) WCGC (1270 AM; 10 kW; BELMONT, NC; Owner: WHVN, INC.)

WHVN, INC.) WBAJ (890 AM; daytime; 50 kW; BLYTHEWOOD, SC; Owner: FAMILY FIRST)

FAMILY FIRST) WPTF (680 AM; 50 kW; RALEIGH, NC; Owner: FIRST STATE COMMUNICATIONS) Strongest FM radio stations in Midland: WSSS (104.7 FM; CHARLOTTE, NC; Owner: INFINITY RADIO SUBSIDIARY OPERATIONS INC.)

INFINITY RADIO SUBSIDIARY OPERATIONS INC.) WFAE (90.7 FM; CHARLOTTE, NC; Owner: UNIVERSITY RADIO FOUNDATION, INC.)

UNIVERSITY RADIO FOUNDATION, INC.) WSOC-FM (103.7 FM; CHARLOTTE, NC; Owner: INFINITY RADIO SUBSIDIARY OPERATIONS INC.)

INFINITY RADIO SUBSIDIARY OPERATIONS INC.) WWMG (96.1 FM; SHELBY, NC; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WKKT (96.9 FM; STATESVILLE, NC; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WRFX-FM (99.7 FM; KANNAPOLIS, NC; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WABZ-FM (100.9 FM; ALBEMARLE, NC; Owner: SUSQUEHANNA RADIO CORP.)

SUSQUEHANNA RADIO CORP.) WLNK (107.9 FM; CHARLOTTE, NC; Owner: JEFFERSON-PILOT COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY OF NORTH CAROLINA)

JEFFERSON-PILOT COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY OF NORTH CAROLINA) WRCM (91.9 FM; WINGATE, NC; Owner: COLUMBIA BIBLE COLLEGE BROADCASTING CO)

COLUMBIA BIBLE COLLEGE BROADCASTING CO) WTHZ (94.1 FM; LEXINGTON, NC; Owner: DAVIDSON COUNTY BROADCASTING CO, INC)

DAVIDSON COUNTY BROADCASTING CO, INC) WPEG (97.9 FM; CONCORD, NC; Owner: INFINITY RADIO SUBSIDIARY OPERATIONS INC.)

INFINITY RADIO SUBSIDIARY OPERATIONS INC.) WLYT (102.9 FM; HICKORY, NC; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WNKS (95.1 FM; CHARLOTTE, NC; Owner: INFINITY RADIO SUBSIDIARY OPERATIONS INC.)

INFINITY RADIO SUBSIDIARY OPERATIONS INC.) WYFQ-FM (93.5 FM; WADESBORO, NC; Owner: BIBLE BROADCASTING NETWORK, INC.)

BIBLE BROADCASTING NETWORK, INC.) WDAV (89.9 FM; DAVIDSON, NC; Owner: THE TRUSTEES OF DAVIDSON COLLEGE)

THE TRUSTEES OF DAVIDSON COLLEGE) WFMX (105.7 FM; STATESVILLE, NC; Owner: MERCURY BROADCASTING COMPANY, INC.)

MERCURY BROADCASTING COMPANY, INC.) WBAV-FM (101.9 FM; GASTONIA, NC; Owner: INFINITY RADIO SUBSIDIARY OPERATIONS INC.)

INFINITY RADIO SUBSIDIARY OPERATIONS INC.) WXRC (95.7 FM; HICKORY, NC; Owner: PACIFIC BROADCASTING GROUP, INC.)

PACIFIC BROADCASTING GROUP, INC.) WEND (106.5 FM; SALISBURY, NC; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WCHH (92.7 FM; HARRISBURG, NC; Owner: RADIO ONE OF NORTH CAROLINA, LLC) TV broadcast stations around Midland: WUNG-TV ( Channel 58; CONCORD, NC; Owner: UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA)

58; CONCORD, NC; UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA) WGTB-LP ( Channel 28; CHARLOTTE, NC; Owner: VICTORY CHRISTIAN CENTER, INC.)

28; CHARLOTTE, NC; VICTORY CHRISTIAN CENTER, INC.) WAFF ( Channel 48; HUNTSVILLE, AL; Owner: RAYCOM AMERICA, INC.)

48; HUNTSVILLE, AL; RAYCOM AMERICA, INC.) WTVI ( Channel 42; CHARLOTTE, NC; Owner: CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG PUBLIC BROADCASTING AUTHORITY)

42; CHARLOTTE, NC; CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG PUBLIC BROADCASTING AUTHORITY) WSOC-TV ( Channel 9; CHARLOTTE, NC; Owner: WSOC-TV HOLDINGS, INC.)

9; CHARLOTTE, NC; WSOC-TV HOLDINGS, INC.) WCCB ( Channel 18; CHARLOTTE, NC; Owner: NORTH CAROLINA BROADCASTING PARTNERS)

18; CHARLOTTE, NC; NORTH CAROLINA BROADCASTING PARTNERS) W25BR ( Channel 25; CHARLOTTE, NC; Owner: WORD OF GOD FELLOWSHIP, INC.)

25; CHARLOTTE, NC; WORD OF GOD FELLOWSHIP, INC.) W52CW ( Channel 52; CHARLOTTE, NC; Owner: TRINITY BROADCASTING NETWORK)

52; CHARLOTTE, NC; TRINITY BROADCASTING NETWORK) WAXN ( Channel 64; KANNAPOLIS, NC; Owner: WSOC-TV HOLDINGS, INC.)

64; KANNAPOLIS, NC; WSOC-TV HOLDINGS, INC.) WBTV ( Channel 3; CHARLOTTE, NC; Owner: JEFFERSON-PILOT COMMUNICATIONS/WBTV, INC.)

3; CHARLOTTE, NC; JEFFERSON-PILOT COMMUNICATIONS/WBTV, INC.) WJZY ( Channel 46; BELMONT, NC; Owner: WJZY-TV, INC.)

46; BELMONT, NC; WJZY-TV, INC.) WWWB ( Channel 55; ROCK HILL, SC; Owner: WWWB-TV, INC.)

55; ROCK HILL, SC; WWWB-TV, INC.) WCNC-TV ( Channel 36; CHARLOTTE, NC; Owner: WCNC-TV, INC.)

36; CHARLOTTE, NC; WCNC-TV, INC.) W34BN ( Channel 34; CHARLOTTE, NC; Owner: THREE ANGELS BROADCASTING NETWORK)

34; CHARLOTTE, NC; THREE ANGELS BROADCASTING NETWORK) WFMY-TV ( Channel 2; GREENSBORO, NC; Owner: WFMY TELEVISION CORPORATION)

2; GREENSBORO, NC; WFMY TELEVISION CORPORATION) WUPN-TV ( Channel 48; GREENSBORO, NC; Owner: WUPN LICENSEE, LLC)

48; GREENSBORO, NC; WUPN LICENSEE, LLC) WXLV-TV ( Channel 45; WINSTON-SALEM, NC; Owner: WXLV LICENSEE, LLC)

45; WINSTON-SALEM, NC; WXLV LICENSEE, LLC) WTWB-TV ( Channel 20; LEXINGTON, NC; Owner: WTWB OF THE TRIAD, LLC)

20; LEXINGTON, NC; WTWB OF THE TRIAD, LLC) WLXI-TV (Channel 61; GREENSBORO, NC; Owner: TRI-STATE CHRISTIAN TV, INC.)

Midland fatal accident statistics for 1975 - 2019

See more detailed statistics of Midland fatal car crashes and road traffic accidents for 1975 - 2019 here

National Bridge Inventory (NBI) Statistics

23 Number of bridges

Number of bridges 233ft / 71.0m Total length

Total length 57,080 Total average daily traffic

Total average daily traffic 4,334 Total average daily truck traffic

Total average daily truck traffic 114,160 Total future (year 2025) average daily traffic

New bridges - historical statistics

1 1920-1929

2 1950-1959

4 1960-1969

3 1970-1979

3 1980-1989

4 1990-1999

1 2000-2009

5 2010-2018 See full National Bridge Inventory statistics for Midland, NC

2002 - 2018 National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) incidents Based on the data from the years 2002 - 2018 the average number of fire incidents per year is 29. The highest number of reported fires - 58 took place in 2011, and the least - 0 in 2003. The data has a rising trend.



Fire incident types reported to NFIRS in Midland, NC



227 45.8% Structure Fires



187 37.7% Outside Fires



51 10.3% Mobile Property/Vehicle Fires



31 6.3% Other When looking into fire subcategories, the most incidents belonged to: Structure Fires (45.8%), and Outside Fires (37.7%). See full National Fire Incident Reporting System statistics for Midland, NC

Houses and condos Apartments 57.8% Electricity

17.5% Utility gas

17.1% Bottled, tank, or LP gas

4.2% Wood

3.4% Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. 85.7% Electricity

8.4% Utility gas

5.9% Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.





Midland compared to North Carolina state average: Unemployed percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Black race population percentage below state average.

below Median age below state average.

below Renting percentage below state average.

below Length of stay since moving in below state average.

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Newburgh, Maine

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Population in 2010: 1,551.

Population change since 2000: +11.3%

1,551.+11.3%

Males: 784 (50.5%) Females: 767 (49.5%)

Median resident age: 41.6 years Maine median age: 43.0 years

Zip codes: 04444.

Estimated median household income in 2019: $58,656 (it was $39,850 in 2000)

Newburgh: $58,656 ME: $58,924

Estimated per capita income in 2019: $32,282 (it was $19,000 in 2000)



Newburgh town income, earnings, and wages data



Estimated median house or condo value in 2019: $182,210 (it was $91,400 in 2000) Newburgh: $182,210 ME: $200,500

Mean prices in 2019: all housing units: $170,506; detached houses: $186,641; townhouses or other attached units: $165,470; in 2-unit structures: $188,869; in 3-to-4-unit structures: $447,223; in 5-or-more-unit structures: $287,906; mobile homes: $67,592; occupied boats, rvs, vans, etc.: $26,279 $58,656 ($39,850$32,282 ($19,000$182,210 ($91,400$170,506;$186,641;$165,470;$188,869;$447,223;$287,906;$67,592;$26,279

March 2019 cost of living index in Newburgh: 91.5 (less than average, U.S. average is 100)

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1,510 97.4% White alone 13 0.8% Hispanic 7 0.5% Black alone 7 0.5% American Indian alone 8 0.5% Two or more races 3 0.2% Asian alone 3 0.2% Other race alone

Races in Newburgh detailed stats: ancestries, foreign born residents, place of birth





According to our research of Maine and other state lists, there were 3 registered sex offenders living in Newburgh, Maine as of November 21, 2021.

The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in Newburgh is 517 to 1.

The ratio of registered sex offenders to all residents in this city is near the state average.





Ancestries: English (21.2%), French (11.4%), Irish (11.0%), United States (10.8%), Scottish (5.1%), French Canadian (4.7%).

Current Local Time: EST time zone

Land area: 30.9 square miles. Population density: 50 people per square mile (very low).

21 residents are foreign born This town: 1.5% Maine: 2.9%

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units in 2000: Newburgh town: 1.3% ($1,228) Maine: 1.5% ($1,417)

Latitude: 44.72 N, Longitude: 69.00 W

Area code: 207

Single-family new house construction building permits: 1997: 3 buildings , average cost: $64,000

3 $64,000 1998: 3 buildings , average cost: $64,000

3 $64,000 1999: 3 buildings , average cost: $64,000

3 $64,000 2000: 4 buildings , average cost: $104,800

4 $104,800 2001: 6 buildings , average cost: $89,200

6 $89,200 2002: 13 buildings , average cost: $83,800

13 $83,800 2003: 15 buildings , average cost: $81,500

15 $81,500 2004: 12 buildings , average cost: $128,300

12 $128,300 2005: 13 buildings , average cost: $133,600

13 $133,600 2006: 7 buildings , average cost: $84,400

7 $84,400 2007: 7 buildings , average cost: $122,100

7 $122,100 2008: 8 buildings , average cost: $178,100

8 $178,100 2009: 3 buildings , average cost: $108,300

3 $108,300 2010: 2 buildings , average cost: $80,000

2 $80,000 2011: 2 buildings , average cost: $80,000

2 $80,000 2012: 2 buildings , average cost: $175,000

2 $175,000 2014: 1 building , cost: $211,200

1 $211,200 2015: 3 buildings , average cost: $173,300

3 $173,300 2018: 4 buildings , average cost: $153,700

4 $153,700 2019: 7 buildings, average cost: $135,700

Unemployment in November 2020:

Here: 2.7% Maine: 4.7%

Most common industries in Newburgh, ME (%) Both Males Females

Health care (11.7%)

Construction (9.7%)

Educational services (6.7%)

Finance & insurance (5.0%)

Agriculture, forestry, fishing & hunting (4.2%)

Public administration (4.0%)

Accommodation & food services (3.8%)

Construction (16.7%)

Truck transportation (5.9%)

Agriculture, forestry, fishing & hunting (5.7%)

Public administration (5.7%)

Health care (4.9%)

Educational services (4.4%)

Motor vehicle & parts dealers (3.7%)

Health care (19.0%)

Finance & insurance (9.4%)

Educational services (9.1%)

Social assistance (6.1%)

Accommodation & food services (4.5%)

Professional, scientific, technical services (3.7%)

Used merchandise, gift, novelty, souvenir, other miscellaneous stores (2.9%) Most common occupations in Newburgh, ME (%) Both Males Females

Other management occupations, except farmers and farm managers (4.5%)

Retail sales workers, except cashiers (4.0%)

Material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing workers (3.7%)

Customer service representatives (3.7%)

Other office and administrative support workers, including supervisors (3.7%)

Other production occupations, including supervisors (3.6%)

Other sales and related occupations, including supervisors (3.5%)

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers (6.6%)

Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers (5.4%)

Other production occupations, including supervisors (4.7%)

Electrical equipment mechanics and other installation, maintenance, and repair workers, including supervisors (4.7%)

Other management occupations, except farmers and farm managers (4.4%)

Material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing workers (4.4%)

Sales representatives, services, wholesale and manufacturing (4.4%)

Secretaries and administrative assistants (6.4%)

Other office and administrative support workers, including supervisors (6.1%)

Customer service representatives (5.9%)

Preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school teachers (5.1%)

Retail sales workers, except cashiers (5.1%)

Information and record clerks, except customer service representatives (5.1%)

Other management occupations, except farmers and farm managers (4.5%)

Average climate in Newburgh, Maine Based on data reported by over 4,000 weather stations

Air pollution and air quality trends

(lower is better) AQI Ozone PM 2.5

Air Quality Index (AQI) level in 2018 was 59.4. This is better than average. City: 59.4 U.S.: 74.2

Ozone [ppb] level in 2018 was 32.7. This is about average. Closest monitor was 1.4 miles away from the city center. City: 32.7 U.S.: 33.3

Particulate Matter (PM 2.5 ) [g/m3] level in 2018 was 5.28. This is significantly better than average. Closest monitor was 12.6 miles away from the city center. City: 5.28 U.S.: 8.46

Earthquake activity: Newburgh-area historical earthquake activity is significantly above Maine state average. It is 79% smaller than the overall U.S. average.



On 4/20/2002 at 10:50:47, a magnitude 5.3 (5.3 ML, Depth: 3.0 mi, Class: Moderate, Intensity: VI - VII) earthquake occurred 231.7 miles away from Newburgh center

On 10/16/2012 at 23:12:25, a magnitude 4.7 (4.7 ML, Depth: 10.0 mi, Class: Light, Intensity: IV - V) earthquake occurred 113.0 miles away from the city center

On 4/20/2002 at 10:50:47, a magnitude 5.2 (5.2 MB, 4.2 MS, 5.2 MW, 5.0 MW) earthquake occurred 232.9 miles away from Newburgh center

On 10/7/1983 at 10:18:46, a magnitude 5.3 (5.1 MB, 5.3 LG, 5.1 ML) earthquake occurred 269.5 miles away from the city center

On 1/19/1982 at 00:14:42, a magnitude 4.7 (4.5 MB, 4.7 MD, 4.5 LG) earthquake occurred 154.2 miles away from the city center

On 2/26/1999 at 03:38:43, a magnitude 3.8 (3.8 LG, Depth: 2.0 mi, Class: Light, Intensity: II - III) earthquake occurred 30.4 miles away from Newburgh center

Magnitude types: regional Lg-wave magnitude (LG), body-wave magnitude (MB), duration magnitude (MD), local magnitude (ML), surface-wave magnitude (MS), moment magnitude (MW)

Natural disasters: The number of natural disasters in Penobscot County (19) is greater than the US average (15).

Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 11

Emergencies Declared: 7



Causes of natural disasters: Floods: 9, Storms: 8, Snows: 5, Heavy Rains: 2, Blizzard: 1, Hurricane: 1, Ice Storm: 1, Snowfall: 1, Wind: 1, Winter Storm: 1, Other: 2 (Note: some incidents may be assigned to more than one category).

Hospitals and medical centers near Newburgh: BANGOR NURSING AND REHABILITATION (Nursing Home, about 12 miles away; BANGOR, ME)

ST JOSEPH HOSPICE (Hospital, about 12 miles away; BANGOR, ME)

ST JOSEPH HOSPITAL Acute Care Hospitals (about 12 miles away; BANGOR, ME)

Acute Care Hospitals BANGOR AREA VISITING NURSES (Home Health Center, about 12 miles away; BANGOR, ME)

HOSPICE OF EASTERN MAINE (Hospital, about 12 miles away; BANGOR, ME)

KINDRED NURSING AND REHABILITATION-WESTGATE (Nursing Home, about 12 miles away; BANGOR, ME)

AMEDISYS HOME HEALTH OF BANGOR (Home Health Center, about 13 miles away; BANGOR, ME)

Colleges/universities with over 2000 students nearest to Newburgh: Husson University ( about 13 miles; Bangor, ME ; Full-time enrollment: 2,421)

13 ; 2,421) University of Maine ( about 21 miles; Orono, ME ; FT enrollment: 8,931)

21 ; 8,931) University of Maine at Augusta ( about 48 miles; Augusta, ME ; FT enrollment: 3,204)

48 ; 3,204) University of Maine at Farmington ( about 57 miles; Farmington, ME ; FT enrollment: 2,036)

57 ; 2,036) Southern Maine Community College ( about 96 miles; South Portland, ME ; FT enrollment: 4,666)

96 ; 4,666) Saint Joseph's College of Maine ( about 96 miles; Standish, ME ; FT enrollment: 2,010)

96 ; 2,010) University of Southern Maine (about 97 miles; Portland, ME; FT enrollment: 6,647) Public school in Newburgh: NEWBURGH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Location: 2220 WESTERN AVENUE, Grades: PK) See full list of schools located in Newburgh

Birthplace of: Ricky Craven - Craftsman Truck series NASCAR driver (born: May 24, 1966).

Penobscot County has a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L (pico curies per liter) - Highest Potential

Average household size: This town: 2.5 people Maine: 2.3 people

Percentage of family households: This town: 71.7% Whole state: 62.9%

Percentage of households with unmarried partners: This town: 9.3% Whole state: 9.4%



Likely homosexual households (counted as self-reported same-sex unmarried-partner households) Lesbian couples: 0.8% of all households

0.8% Gay men: 0.0% of all households Residents with income below the poverty level in 2009:

This town: 5.9% Whole state: 10.9% Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level in 2009:

This town: 2.2% Whole state: 4.1%

For population 15 years and over in Newburgh: Never married: 20.0%

20.0% Now married: 60.0%

60.0% Separated: 1.8%

1.8% Widowed: 6.2%

6.2% Divorced: 12.0%

For population 25 years and over in Newburgh: High school or higher: 84.5%

84.5% Bachelor's degree or higher: 18.2%

18.2% Graduate or professional degree: 6.2%

6.2% Unemployed: 2.0%

2.0% Mean travel time to work (commute): 25.2 minutes

Education Gini index (Inequality in education) Here: 10.4 Maine average: 11.2



Religion statistics for Newburgh, ME (based on Penobscot County data) Religion Adherents Congregations Catholic 16,581 15 Mainline Protestant 9,715 59 Evangelical Protestant 7,523 80 Other 2,936 22 Orthodox 300 1 None 116,868 - Source: Clifford Grammich, Kirk Hadaway, Richard Houseal, Dale E.Jones, Alexei Krindatch, Richie Stanley and Richard H.Taylor. 2012. 2010 U.S.Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Jones, Dale E., et al. 2002. Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center. Graphs represent county-level data

Food Environment Statistics: Number of grocery stores: 34 Here : 2.29 / 10,000 pop. Maine : 2.80 / 10,000 pop. Number of supercenters and club stores: 2 Penobscot County : 0.13 / 10,000 pop. State : 0.14 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (no gas): 38 Penobscot County : 2.56 / 10,000 pop. Maine : 2.20 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (with gas): 85 Penobscot County : 5.72 / 10,000 pop. Maine : 5.75 / 10,000 pop. Number of full-service restaurants: 110 Here : 7.41 / 10,000 pop. Maine : 11.02 / 10,000 pop. Adult diabetes rate: Penobscot County : 9.0% Maine : 8.2% Adult obesity rate: Penobscot County : 28.0% Maine : 25.0%

4.70% of this county's 2016 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2015 ($42,368 average adjusted gross income) Here: 4.70% Maine average: 5.91% 10 or fewer of this county's residents moved from foreign countries between 2015 and 2016.

Top counties from which taxpayers relocated into this county between 2015 and 2016:

from Hancock County, ME 0.46% ($39,233 average AGI) from Somerset County, ME 0.31% ($32,551) from Waldo County, ME 0.30% ($35,315)



5.36% of this county's 2015 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2016 ($47,844 average adjusted gross income) Here: 5.36% Maine average: 5.73% 10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries between 2015 and 2016.

Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2015 and 2016:

to Cumberland County, ME 0.52% ($78,156 average AGI) to Hancock County, ME 0.43% ($64,636) to Waldo County, ME 0.35% ($39,428)

Strongest AM radio stations in Newburgh: WZON (620 AM; 5 kW; BANGOR, ME; Owner: THE ZONE CORPORATION)

THE ZONE CORPORATION) WABI (910 AM; 5 kW; BANGOR, ME; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WSKW (1160 AM; 10 kW; SKOWHEGAN, ME; Owner: MOUNTAIN WIRELESS, INCORPORATED)

MOUNTAIN WIRELESS, INCORPORATED) WDEA (1370 AM; 5 kW; ELLSWORTH, ME; Owner: CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.)

CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.) WNZS (1340 AM; 1 kW; VEAZIE, ME; Owner: WATERFRONT COMMUNICATIONS INC.)

WATERFRONT COMMUNICATIONS INC.) WTME (780 AM; 10 kW; RUMFORD, ME; Owner: MOUNTAIN VALLEY BROADCASTING, INC.)

MOUNTAIN VALLEY BROADCASTING, INC.) WRKO (680 AM; 50 kW; BOSTON, MA; Owner: ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC)

ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC) WFAU (1280 AM; 5 kW; GARDINER, ME; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WEEI (850 AM; 50 kW; BOSTON, MA; Owner: ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC)

ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC) WBZ (1030 AM; 50 kW; BOSTON, MA; Owner: INFINITY BROADCASTING OPERATIONS, INC.)

INFINITY BROADCASTING OPERATIONS, INC.) WCRN (830 AM; 50 kW; WORCESTER, MA; Owner: CARTER BROADCASTING CORPORATION)

CARTER BROADCASTING CORPORATION) WNNZ (640 AM; 50 kW; WESTFIELD, MA; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WMTW (870 AM; 10 kW; GORHAM, ME; Owner: RADIO PARTNERS OF MAINE, L.P.) Strongest FM radio stations in Newburgh: WWBX (97.1 FM; BANGOR, ME; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WBFB (104.7 FM; BELFAST, ME; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WKIT-FM (100.3 FM; BREWER, ME; Owner: THE ZONE CORPORATION)

THE ZONE CORPORATION) WWMJ (95.7 FM; ELLSWORTH, ME; Owner: CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.)

CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.) WFZX (101.7 FM; SEARSPORT, ME; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WQCB (106.5 FM; BREWER, ME; Owner: CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.)

CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.) WMEH (90.9 FM; BANGOR, ME; Owner: MAINE PUBLIC BROADCASTING CORPORATION)

MAINE PUBLIC BROADCASTING CORPORATION) WEZQ (92.9 FM; BANGOR, ME; Owner: CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.)

CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.) WVOM (103.9 FM; HOWLAND, ME; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WHCF (88.5 FM; BANGOR, ME; Owner: BANGOR BAPTIST CHURCH)

BANGOR BAPTIST CHURCH) WERU-FM (89.9 FM; BLUE HILL, ME; Owner: SALT POND COMMUNITY B/C COMPANY)

SALT POND COMMUNITY B/C COMPANY) WMEP (90.5 FM; CAMDEN, ME; Owner: MAINE PUBLIC BROADCASTING CORP.)

MAINE PUBLIC BROADCASTING CORP.) WQSS (102.5 FM; CAMDEN, ME; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WGUY (102.1 FM; DEXTER, ME; Owner: CONCORD MEDIA GROUP, INC.)

CONCORD MEDIA GROUP, INC.) WTOS-FM (105.1 FM; SKOWHEGAN, ME; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WBZN (107.3 FM; OLD TOWN, ME; Owner: CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.)

CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.) WJCX (99.5 FM; PITTSFIELD, ME; Owner: CSN INTERNATIONAL)

CSN INTERNATIONAL) WCTB (93.5 FM; FAIRFIELD, ME; Owner: MOUNTAIN WIRELESS, INC.)

MOUNTAIN WIRELESS, INC.) WHQO (107.9 FM; SKOWHEGAN, ME; Owner: MOUNTAIN WIRELESS, INC.)

MOUNTAIN WIRELESS, INC.) WWWA (95.3 FM; WINSLOW, ME; Owner: LIGHT OF LIFE MINISTRIES, INC.) TV broadcast stations around Newburgh: WABI-TV ( Channel 5; BANGOR, ME; Owner: COMMUNITY BROADCASTING SERVICE)

5; BANGOR, ME; COMMUNITY BROADCASTING SERVICE) W36CK ( Channel 36; BANGOR, ME; Owner: TRINITY BROADCASTING NETWORK)

36; BANGOR, ME; TRINITY BROADCASTING NETWORK) WCKD-LP ( Channel 30; BANGOR/DEDHAM, ME; Owner: J. MCLEOD, ME FAMILY B/CING., INC.)

30; BANGOR/DEDHAM, ME; J. MCLEOD, ME FAMILY B/CING., INC.) WLBZ ( Channel 2; BANGOR, ME; Owner: PACIFIC AND SOUTHERN COMPANY, INC.)

2; BANGOR, ME; PACIFIC AND SOUTHERN COMPANY, INC.) WBGR-LP ( Channel 33; BANGOR/DEDHAM, ME; Owner: MAINE FAMILY BROADCASTING, INC.)

33; BANGOR/DEDHAM, ME; MAINE FAMILY BROADCASTING, INC.) WMEB-TV ( Channel 12; ORONO, ME; Owner: MAINE PUBLIC BROADCASTING CORPORATION)

12; ORONO, ME; MAINE PUBLIC BROADCASTING CORPORATION) W66CL (Channel 66; BANGOR, ME; Owner: MS COMMUNICATIONS, LLC)

Newburgh fatal accident list: Feb 19, 2014 09:08 PM, Us-202/Sr-9 Western Ave, Lat: 44.713250, Lon: -69.032939, Vehicles: 2, Persons: 3, Fatalities: 1

Dec 1, 2011 04:14 PM, Littlefield Road, Lat: 44.687058, Lon: -69.006597, Vehicles: 1, Persons: 2, Fatalities: 1

Jul 30, 2007 04:30 PM, Sr-9, Lat: 44.708586, Lon: -69.045408, Vehicles: 2, Persons: 2, Fatalities: 1



National Bridge Inventory (NBI) Statistics

2 Number of bridges

Number of bridges 46ft / 14.2m Total length

Total length 3,419 Total average daily traffic

Total average daily traffic 170 Total average daily truck traffic

Total average daily truck traffic 4,862 Total future (year 2036) average daily traffic



FCC Registered Broadcast Land Mobile Towers: 1 2093 Carmel Rd (Lat: 44.731389 Lon: -68.964417), Type: Ltower, Structure height: 51.9 m, Overall height: 57.9 m, Call Sign: WNFV843,

Assigned Frequencies: 151.047 MHz, Grant Date: 03/10/2021, Expiration Date: 04/04/2031, Registrant: Town Of Newburgh, 2220 Western Avenue, Newburgh, ME 04444-4519, Phone: (207) 234-4151, Email:

FCC Registered Amateur Radio Licenses: 13 (



FAA Registered Aircraft: 5 Aircraft: PIPER PA-11S ( Category: Sea, Seats: 2, Weight: Up to 12,499 Pounds, Speed: 67 mph), Engine: CONT MOTOR C90 SERIES (95 HP) (Reciprocating)

N-Number: 4504M, N4504M, N-4504M, Serial Number: 11-7, Year manufactured: 1947, Airworthiness Date: 05/26/1982, Certificate Issue Date: 05/14/2012

Registrant (Individual): John M Miller, 115 North Rd, Newburgh, ME 04444

PIPER PA-11S ( Sea, 2, Up to 12,499 Pounds, 67 mph), CONT MOTOR C90 SERIES (95 HP) (Reciprocating) 4504M, N4504M, N-4504M, 11-7, 1947, 05/26/1982, 05/14/2012 John M Miller, 115 North Rd, Newburgh, ME 04444 Aircraft: CESSNA 150J ( Category: Land, Seats: 2, Weight: Up to 12,499 Pounds, Speed: 90 mph), Engine: CONT MOTOR 0-200 SERIES (100 HP) (Reciprocating)

N-Number: 61143, N61143, N-61143, Serial Number: 15070834, Year manufactured: 1969, Airworthiness Date: 06/02/1969, Certificate Issue Date: 10/26/1984

Registrant (Individual): Wesley H Hedlund, 2865 Kennebec Rd, Newburgh, ME 04444

CESSNA 150J ( Land, 2, Up to 12,499 Pounds, 90 mph), CONT MOTOR 0-200 SERIES (100 HP) (Reciprocating) 61143, N61143, N-61143, 15070834, 1969, 06/02/1969, 10/26/1984 Wesley H Hedlund, 2865 Kennebec Rd, Newburgh, ME 04444 Aircraft: BEECH V35A ( Category: Land, Seats: 6, Weight: Up to 12,499 Pounds, Speed: 150 mph), Engine: CONT MOTOR IO 520 SERIES (285 HP) (Reciprocating)

N-Number: 7694N, N7694N, N-7694N, Serial Number: D-8869, Year manufactured: 1968, Airworthiness Date: 09/26/1968, Certificate Issue Date: 10/13/2010

Registrant (Partnership): Dennis M Bradley, 57 Kimball Rd, Newburgh, ME 04444, Other Owners: Doreen M Bradley

BEECH V35A ( Land, 6, Up to 12,499 Pounds, 150 mph), CONT MOTOR IO 520 SERIES (285 HP) (Reciprocating) 7694N, N7694N, N-7694N, D-8869, 1968, 09/26/1968, 10/13/2010 Dennis M Bradley, 57 Kimball Rd, Newburgh, ME 04444, Doreen M Bradley Aircraft: PIPER PA-11 ( Category: Land, Seats: 2, Weight: Up to 12,499 Pounds, Speed: 67 mph), Engine: LYCOMING 0-235 SERIES (115 HP) (Reciprocating)

N-Number: 98197, N98197, N-98197, Serial Number: 18358, Year manufactured: 1946, Airworthiness Date: 07/15/1959, Certificate Issue Date: 04/30/2019

Registrant (Individual): Gene E Veinote, 2095 Kennebec Rd, Newburgh, ME 04444

PIPER PA-11 ( Land, 2, Up to 12,499 Pounds, 67 mph), LYCOMING 0-235 SERIES (115 HP) (Reciprocating) 98197, N98197, N-98197, 18358, 1946, 07/15/1959, 04/30/2019 Gene E Veinote, 2095 Kennebec Rd, Newburgh, ME 04444 Aircraft: PIPER J-3C (Category: Land, Seats: 2, Weight: Up to 12,499 Pounds, Speed: 54 mph), Engine: CONT MOTOR A&C65 SERIES (65 HP) (Reciprocating)

N-Number: 98294, N98294, N-98294, Serial Number: 18671, Year manufactured: 1946, Airworthiness Date: 06/13/1956, Certificate Issue Date: 12/03/2008

Registrant (Individual): Gene E Veinote, 2095 Kennebec Rd, Newburgh, ME 04444

13 ( See the full list of FCC Registered Amateur Radio Licenses in Newburgh

Houses and condos Apartments 75.4% Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.

20.1% Wood

3.2% Electricity

1.3% Bottled, tank, or LP gas 79.8% Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.

11.2% Wood

6.7% Bottled, tank, or LP gas

2.2% Electricity





Newburgh compared to Maine state average: Unemployed percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Black race population percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Hispanic race population percentage below state average.

below Foreign-born population percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Renting percentage below state average.

below Length of stay since moving in significantly above state average.

significantly above Number of rooms per house significantly below state average.

significantly below House age significantly below state average.




Sebec, Maine

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Population in 2010: 630.

Population change since 2000: +2.9%

630.+2.9%

Males: 310 (49.2%) Females: 320 (50.8%)

Median resident age: 49.3 years Maine median age: 43.0 years

Zip codes: 04426.

Estimated median household income in 2019: $48,779 (it was $33,125 in 2000)

Sebec: $48,779 ME: $58,924

Estimated per capita income in 2019: $23,600 (it was $13,495 in 2000)



Sebec town income, earnings, and wages data



Estimated median house or condo value in 2019: $154,539 (it was $84,300 in 2000) Sebec: $154,539 ME: $200,500

Mean prices in 2019: all housing units: $153,691; detached houses: $164,885; townhouses or other attached units: $180,942; in 2-unit structures: $189,259; in 3-to-4-unit structures: $202,583; in 5-or-more-unit structures: $113,035; mobile homes: $61,623 $48,779 ($33,125$23,600 ($13,495$154,539 ($84,300$153,691;$164,885;$180,942;$189,259;$202,583;$113,035;$61,623

March 2019 cost of living index in Sebec: 91.5 (less than average, U.S. average is 100)

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611 97.0% White alone 9 1.4% Two or more races 5 0.8% American Indian alone 4 0.6% Hispanic 1 0.2% Asian alone

Races in Sebec detailed stats: ancestries, foreign born residents, place of birth





According to our research of Maine and other state lists, there was 1 registered sex offender living in Sebec, Maine as of November 21, 2021.

The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in Sebec is 630 to 1.

The ratio of registered sex offenders to all residents in this city is lower than the state average.







Latest news from Sebec, ME collected exclusively by city-data.com from local newspapers, TV, and radio stations

Ancestries: English (28.8%), French (24.0%), Irish (17.5%), Scottish (11.8%), United States (10.8%), Italian (5.2%).

Current Local Time: EST time zone

Elevation: 358 feet

Land area: 37.0 square miles. Population density: 17 people per square mile (very low).

7 residents are foreign born This town: 1.1% Maine: 2.9%

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units in 2000: Sebec town: 0.8% ($667) Maine: 1.5% ($1,417)

Latitude: 45.24 N, Longitude: 69.11 W

Area code commonly used in this area: 207

Unemployment in November 2020:

Here: 2.6% Maine: 4.7%

Most common industries in Sebec, ME (%) Both Males Females

Health care (14.3%)

Agriculture, forestry, fishing & hunting (9.1%)

Educational services (7.3%)

Miscellaneous manufacturing (7.0%)

Public administration (6.3%)

Construction (5.2%)

Food & beverage stores (3.8%)

Agriculture, forestry, fishing & hunting (14.8%)

Construction (8.7%)

Miscellaneous manufacturing (6.7%)

Public administration (6.7%)

Wood products (5.4%)

Real estate & rental & leasing (5.4%)

Motor vehicle & parts dealers (4.7%)

Health care (25.4%)

Educational services (12.3%)

Miscellaneous manufacturing (7.2%)

Public administration (5.8%)

Food & beverage stores (4.3%)

Pharmacies & drug stores (4.3%)

Professional, scientific, technical services (4.3%) Most common occupations in Sebec, ME (%) Both Males Females

Other sales and related occupations, including supervisors (5.2%)

Other production occupations, including supervisors (4.9%)

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (4.9%)

Electrical equipment mechanics and other installation, maintenance, and repair workers, including supervisors (4.2%)

Secretaries and administrative assistants (3.5%)

Registered nurses (3.5%)

Information and record clerks, except customer service representatives (3.1%)

Electrical equipment mechanics and other installation, maintenance, and repair workers, including supervisors (8.1%)

Other production occupations, including supervisors (7.4%)

Other sales and related occupations, including supervisors (6.0%)

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers (6.0%)

Information and record clerks, except customer service representatives (5.4%)

Other management occupations, except farmers and farm managers (5.4%)

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (5.4%)

Secretaries and administrative assistants (7.2%)

Registered nurses (6.5%)

Assemblers and fabricators (5.8%)

Law enforcement workers, including supervisors (5.1%)

Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides (5.1%)

Cooks and food preparation workers (5.1%)

Counselors, social workers, and other community and social service specialists (5.1%)

Average climate in Sebec, Maine Based on data reported by over 4,000 weather stations

Air pollution and air quality trends

(lower is better) AQI Ozone

Air Quality Index (AQI) level in 2001 was 71.1. This is about average. City: 71.1 U.S.: 74.2

Ozone [ppb] level in 2001 was 28.8. This is about average. Closest monitor was 7.5 miles away from the city center. City: 28.8 U.S.: 33.3

Earthquake activity: Sebec-area historical earthquake activity is significantly above Maine state average. It is 81% smaller than the overall U.S. average.



On 4/20/2002 at 10:50:47, a magnitude 5.3 (5.3 ML, Depth: 3.0 mi, Class: Moderate, Intensity: VI - VII) earthquake occurred 230.6 miles away from Sebec center

On 4/20/2002 at 10:50:47, a magnitude 5.2 (5.2 MB, 4.2 MS, 5.2 MW, 5.0 MW) earthquake occurred 232.0 miles away from Sebec center

On 10/16/2012 at 23:12:25, a magnitude 4.7 (4.7 ML, Depth: 10.0 mi, Class: Light, Intensity: IV - V) earthquake occurred 137.1 miles away from the city center

On 10/7/1983 at 10:18:46, a magnitude 5.3 (5.1 MB, 5.3 LG, 5.1 ML) earthquake occurred 272.8 miles away from the city center

On 1/19/1982 at 00:14:42, a magnitude 4.7 (4.5 MB, 4.7 MD, 4.5 LG) earthquake occurred 172.4 miles away from the city center

On 2/26/1999 at 03:38:43, a magnitude 3.8 (3.8 LG, Depth: 2.0 mi, Class: Light, Intensity: II - III) earthquake occurred 56.5 miles away from Sebec center

Magnitude types: regional Lg-wave magnitude (LG), body-wave magnitude (MB), duration magnitude (MD), local magnitude (ML), surface-wave magnitude (MS), moment magnitude (MW)

Natural disasters: The number of natural disasters in Piscataquis County (22) is greater than the US average (15).

Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 15

Emergencies Declared: 6



Causes of natural disasters: Floods: 13, Storms: 12, Snows: 7, Heavy Rains: 2, Blizzard: 1, Ice Storm: 1, Landslide: 1, Snowfall: 1, Wind: 1, Winter Storm: 1, Other: 2 (Note: some incidents may be assigned to more than one category).

Hospitals and medical centers near Sebec: MAYO REGIONAL HOSPITAL Critical Access Hospitals (about 8 miles away; DOVER FOXCROFT, ME)

Critical Access Hospitals HIBBARD NURSING HOME (Nursing Home, about 8 miles away; DOVER FOXCROFT, ME)

Colleges/universities with over 2000 students nearest to Sebec: University of Maine ( about 32 miles; Orono, ME ; Full-time enrollment: 8,931)

32 ; 8,931) Husson University ( about 33 miles; Bangor, ME ; FT enrollment: 2,421)

33 ; 2,421) University of Maine at Farmington ( about 65 miles; Farmington, ME ; FT enrollment: 2,036)

65 ; 2,036) University of Maine at Augusta ( about 72 miles; Augusta, ME ; FT enrollment: 3,204)

72 ; 3,204) Saint Joseph's College of Maine ( about 120 miles; Standish, ME ; FT enrollment: 2,010)

120 ; 2,010) Southern Maine Community College ( about 124 miles; South Portland, ME ; FT enrollment: 4,666)

124 ; 4,666) University of Southern Maine (about 124 miles; Portland, ME; FT enrollment: 6,647)

Piscataquis County has a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L (pico curies per liter) - Highest Potential

Drinking water stations with addresses in Sebec and their reported violations in the past: ROCKIN P SPORTING LODGE (Population served: 72, Groundwater): Past monitoring violations: 3 routine major monitoring violations

One regular monitoring violation SEBEC COUNTRY STORE (Population served: 36, Groundwater): Past monitoring violations: 5 routine major monitoring violations

One minor monitoring violation

4 regular monitoring violations ROCKIN P SPORTING LODGE (72Groundwater):SEBEC COUNTRY STORE (36Groundwater):

Average household size: This town: 2.3 people Maine: 2.3 people

Percentage of family households: This town: 71.1% Whole state: 62.9%

Percentage of households with unmarried partners: This town: 8.8% Whole state: 9.4%



Likely homosexual households (counted as self-reported same-sex unmarried-partner households) Lesbian couples: 0.7% of all households

0.7% Gay men: 0.0% of all households Residents with income below the poverty level in 2009:

This town: 7.5% Whole state: 10.9% Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level in 2009:

This town: 3.1% Whole state: 4.1%

For population 15 years and over in Sebec: Never married: 19.4%

19.4% Now married: 60.8%

60.8% Separated: 1.0%

1.0% Widowed: 6.5%

6.5% Divorced: 12.3%

For population 25 years and over in Sebec: High school or higher: 86.2%

86.2% Bachelor's degree or higher: 13.2%

13.2% Graduate or professional degree: 4.1%

4.1% Unemployed: 8.6%

8.6% Mean travel time to work (commute): 24.8 minutes

Education Gini index (Inequality in education) Here: 8.9 Maine average: 11.2



Religion statistics for Sebec, ME (based on Piscataquis County data) Religion Adherents Congregations Mainline Protestant 2,108 13 Evangelical Protestant 855 13 Catholic 320 3 Other 318 5 None 13,934 - Source: Clifford Grammich, Kirk Hadaway, Richard Houseal, Dale E.Jones, Alexei Krindatch, Richie Stanley and Richard H.Taylor. 2012. 2010 U.S.Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Jones, Dale E., et al. 2002. Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center. Graphs represent county-level data

Food Environment Statistics: Number of grocery stores: 9 Here : 5.24 / 10,000 pop. Maine : 2.80 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (no gas): 7 Piscataquis County : 4.08 / 10,000 pop. State : 2.20 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (with gas): 15 Piscataquis County : 8.74 / 10,000 pop. Maine : 5.75 / 10,000 pop. Number of full-service restaurants: 18 Piscataquis County : 10.49 / 10,000 pop. State : 11.02 / 10,000 pop. Adult diabetes rate: Piscataquis County : 8.4% Maine : 8.2% Adult obesity rate: Piscataquis County : 27.5% Maine : 25.0%

5.46% of this county's 2015 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2016 ($38,197 average adjusted gross income) Here: 5.46% Maine average: 5.73% 10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries between 2015 and 2016.

Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2015 and 2016:

to Penobscot County, ME 1.68% ($30,806 average AGI) to Somerset County, ME 0.41% ($40,280) to Cumberland County, ME 0.37% ($51,217)

Strongest AM radio stations in Sebec: WZON (620 AM; 5 kW; BANGOR, ME; Owner: THE ZONE CORPORATION)

THE ZONE CORPORATION) WSKW (1160 AM; 10 kW; SKOWHEGAN, ME; Owner: MOUNTAIN WIRELESS, INCORPORATED)

MOUNTAIN WIRELESS, INCORPORATED) WABI (910 AM; 5 kW; BANGOR, ME; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WTME (780 AM; 10 kW; RUMFORD, ME; Owner: MOUNTAIN VALLEY BROADCASTING, INC.)

MOUNTAIN VALLEY BROADCASTING, INC.) WRKO (680 AM; 50 kW; BOSTON, MA; Owner: ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC)

ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC) WEEI (850 AM; 50 kW; BOSTON, MA; Owner: ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC)

ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC) WCHP (760 AM; 35 kW; CHAMPLAIN, NY; Owner: CHAMPLAIN RADIO, INC.)

CHAMPLAIN RADIO, INC.) WBZ (1030 AM; 50 kW; BOSTON, MA; Owner: INFINITY BROADCASTING OPERATIONS, INC.)

INFINITY BROADCASTING OPERATIONS, INC.) WDEA (1370 AM; 5 kW; ELLSWORTH, ME; Owner: CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.)

CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.) WNNZ (640 AM; 50 kW; WESTFIELD, MA; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WCRN (830 AM; 50 kW; WORCESTER, MA; Owner: CARTER BROADCASTING CORPORATION)

CARTER BROADCASTING CORPORATION) WKOX (1200 AM; 50 kW; FRAMINGHAM, MA; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WALE (990 AM; 50 kW; GREENVILLE, RI; Owner: NORTH AMERICAN BROADCASTING CO., INC.) Strongest FM radio stations in Sebec: WQCB (106.5 FM; BREWER, ME; Owner: CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.)

CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.) WDME-FM (103.1 FM; DOVER-FOXCROFT, ME; Owner: THE ZONE CORPORATION)

THE ZONE CORPORATION) WVOM (103.9 FM; HOWLAND, ME; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WGUY (102.1 FM; DEXTER, ME; Owner: CONCORD MEDIA GROUP, INC.)

CONCORD MEDIA GROUP, INC.) WHCF (88.5 FM; BANGOR, ME; Owner: BANGOR BAPTIST CHURCH)

BANGOR BAPTIST CHURCH) WTOS-FM (105.1 FM; SKOWHEGAN, ME; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WWBX (97.1 FM; BANGOR, ME; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WBZN (107.3 FM; OLD TOWN, ME; Owner: CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.)

CUMULUS LICENSING CORP.) WBFB (104.7 FM; BELFAST, ME; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WSYY-FM (94.9 FM; MILLINOCKET, ME; Owner: KATAHDIN COMMUNICATIONS, INC.)

KATAHDIN COMMUNICATIONS, INC.) WHMX (105.7 FM; LINCOLN, ME; Owner: BANGOR BAPTIST CHURCH) TV broadcast stations around Sebec: W27CE (Channel 19; DOVER-FOXCROFT, ME; Owner: TRINITY BROADCASTING NETWORK)

Sebec, Maine

Fatal accident count 8

Vehicles involved in fatal accidents 13

Fatal accidents involving drunk persons: 3

Fatalities 10

Persons involved in fatal accidents 18

Pedestrians involved in fatal accidents 0 Maine average

Fatal accident count 1384

Vehicles involved in fatal accidents 2030

Fatal accidents involving drunk persons 488

Fatalities 1525

Persons involved in fatal accidents 3339

Pedestrians involved in fatal accidents 120 See more detailed statistics of Sebec fatal car crashes and road traffic accidents for 1975 - 2019 here

National Bridge Inventory (NBI) Statistics

1 Number of bridges

Number of bridges 16ft / 4.8m Total length

Total length 902 Total average daily traffic

Total average daily traffic 45 Total average daily truck traffic

Total average daily truck traffic 1,443 Total future (year 2036) average daily traffic



FCC Registered Antenna Towers: 2 Edward G Roach, Tower Road (Me16897-A) ( Lat: 45.245944 Lon: -69.148528), Type: 87.5, Structure height: 23021 m, Overall height: 79.9 m, Registrant: Sba Towers Vi, LLC, Eroach@sbasite.Com, , Boca -Raton, Phone: (561) 995-7670

45.245944 -69.148528), 87.5, 23021 m, 79.9 m, Sba Towers Vi, LLC, Eroach@sbasite.Com, , Boca -Raton, (561) 995-7670 Edward G Roach, Tower Road (Me16897-A) (Lat: 45.245944 Lon: -69.148528), Type: 87.5, Structure height: 23021 m, Overall height: 79.9 m, Registrant: Sba Towers Vi, LLC, Eroach@sbasite.Com, , Boca -Raton, Phone: (561) 995-7670

FCC Registered Broadcast Land Mobile Towers: 1 SEBEC TOWER, Tower Road (Me16897-A) (Lat: 45.245944 Lon: -69.148528), Type: Ltower, Structure height: 79.9 m, Overall height: 87.5 m, Call Sign: WRJU568,

Assigned Frequencies: 155.025 MHz, Grant Date: 10/29/2020, Expiration Date: 10/29/2030, Certifier: Gary Grant, Registrant: New Wave Licensing Services Inc., 818 Taneytown Rd, Gettysburg, PA 17325, Phone: (717) 334-0910, Email:

FCC Registered Microwave Towers: 1 Sebec, 167 Tower Road (Lat: 45.245944 Lon: -69.148528), Type: Ltower, Structure height: 80.5 m, Overall height: 87.5 m, Call Sign: WQUK767,

Assigned Frequencies: 10775.0 MHz, 10735.0 MHz, 10775.0 MHz, 10735.0 MHz, 10775.0 MHz, 10735.0 MHz, 10775.0 MHz, 10735.0 MHz, 10775.0 MHz, 10735.0 MHz... (+17 more), Grant Date: 08/05/2014, Expiration Date: 08/05/2024, Cancellation Date: 07/24/2020, Certifier: Jessica B Lyons, Registrant: At&t Services, Inc., 208 S. Akard Street, Room 2100, Dallas, TX 75202, Phone: (855) 699-7073, Email:

FCC Registered Amateur Radio Licenses: 8 (



FAA Registered Aircraft: 3 Aircraft: CESSNA 180 ( Category: Land, Seats: 4, Weight: Up to 12,499 Pounds, Speed: 121 mph), Engine: CONT MOTOR O-470 SERIES (230 HP) (Reciprocating)

N-Number: 180D, N180D, N-180D, Serial Number: 31168, Airworthiness Date: 08/01/1985, Certificate Issue Date: 05/12/2010

Registrant (Co-Owned): Edgar C Jr Prouty, 728 Milo Rd, Sebec, ME 04481, Other Owners: Cathrine L Prouty

CESSNA 180 ( Land, 4, Up to 12,499 Pounds, 121 mph), CONT MOTOR O-470 SERIES (230 HP) (Reciprocating) 180D, N180D, N-180D, 31168, 08/01/1985, 05/12/2010 Edgar C Jr Prouty, 728 Milo Rd, Sebec, ME 04481, Cathrine L Prouty Aircraft: CESSNA 150H ( Category: Land, Seats: 2, Weight: Up to 12,499 Pounds, Speed: 90 mph), Engine: LYCOMING O-320-E2D (150 HP) (Reciprocating)

N-Number: 564G, N564G, N-564G, Serial Number: 15068276, Year manufactured: 1968, Airworthiness Date: 06/23/2018, Certificate Issue Date: 08/21/2020

Registrant (Individual): Kole B Stevens, 1023 Milo Rd, Sebec, ME 04481

CESSNA 150H ( Land, 2, Up to 12,499 Pounds, 90 mph), LYCOMING O-320-E2D (150 HP) (Reciprocating) 564G, N564G, N-564G, 15068276, 1968, 06/23/2018, 08/21/2020 Kole B Stevens, 1023 Milo Rd, Sebec, ME 04481 Aircraft: PIPER PA-28-140 (Category: Land, Seats: 4, Weight: Up to 12,499 Pounds, Speed: 107 mph), Engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 HP) (Reciprocating)

N-Number: 6187W, N6187W, N-6187W, Serial Number: 28-20213, Airworthiness Date: 07/22/1964, Certificate Issue Date: 04/01/2019

Registrant (Individual): Jimmi T Brown, 470 Milo Rd, Sebec, ME 04481

Deregistered: Cancel Date: 05/03/2018

8 ( See the full list of FCC Registered Amateur Radio Licenses in Sebec

Houses and condos Apartments 70.3% Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.

25.7% Wood

3.2% Electricity

0.9% Bottled, tank, or LP gas 85.7% Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.

14.3% Wood





Sebec compared to Maine state average: Black race population percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Hispanic race population percentage below state average.

below Median age above state average.

above Foreign-born population percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Renting percentage below state average.

below Length of stay since moving in significantly above state average.

significantly above Number of rooms per house significantly below state average.

significantly below House age significantly below state average.

significantly below Percentage of population with a bachelor's degree or higher below state average.

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Simsbury, Connecticut

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Population in 2010: 23,511.

Population change since 2000: +1.2%

23,511.+1.2%

Males: 11,465 (48.8%) Females: 12,046 (51.2%)

Median resident age: 43.5 years Connecticut median age: 39.2 years

Zip codes: 06070.

Estimated median household income in 2019: $123,263 (it was $82,996 in 2000)

Simsbury: $123,263 CT: $78,833

Estimated per capita income in 2019: $63,001 (it was $39,710 in 2000)



Simsbury town income, earnings, and wages data



Estimated median house or condo value in 2019: $386,377 (it was $226,300 in 2000) Simsbury: $386,377 CT: $280,700

Mean prices in 2019: all housing units: $275,948; detached houses: $296,342; townhouses or other attached units: $203,802; in 2-unit structures: $198,718; in 3-to-4-unit structures: $175,983; in 5-or-more-unit structures: $134,322; mobile homes: $115,071 $123,263 ($82,996$63,001 ($39,710$386,377 ($226,300$275,948;$296,342;$203,802;$198,718;$175,983;$134,322;$115,071

March 2019 cost of living index in Simsbury: 112.2 (more than average, U.S. average is 100)

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21,118 89.8% White alone 888 3.8% Asian alone 737 3.1% Hispanic 369 1.6% Black alone 335 1.4% Two or more races 45 0.2% Other race alone 15 0.06% American Indian alone 4 0.02% Native Hawaiian and Other

Pacific Islander alone

Races in Simsbury detailed stats: ancestries, foreign born residents, place of birth





According to our research of Connecticut and other state lists, there was 1 registered sex offender living in Simsbury, Connecticut as of November 21, 2021.

The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in Simsbury is 23,511 to 1.

The ratio of registered sex offenders to all residents in this city is much lower than the state average.





Crime rates in Simsbury by year Type 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Murders

(per 100,000) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 1

(4.2) 0

(0.0) 1

(4.2) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) Rapes

(per 100,000) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 2

(8.4) 0

(0.0) 1

(4.2) 1

(4.2) 0

(0.0) 2

(8.5) 1

(4.2) 1

(4.2) 2

(8.2) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 1

(4.0) Robberies

(per 100,000) 4

(16.9) 3

(12.7) 1

(4.2) 1

(4.2) 3

(12.5) 2

(8.5) 2

(8.5) 2

(8.5) 1

(4.2) 1

(4.2) 3

(12.2) 2

(8.1) 2

(7.9) 2

(7.9) Assaults

(per 100,000) 1

(4.2) 3

(12.7) 1

(4.2) 2

(8.5) 2

(8.3) 3

(12.7) 4

(17.0) 2

(8.5) 3

(12.6) 1

(4.2) 2

(8.2) 2

(8.1) 3

(11.9) 0

(0.0) Burglaries

(per 100,000) 16

(67.7) 31

(130.9) 31

(130.8) 36

(152.2) 20

(83.4) 20

(84.9) 25

(106.0) 24

(101.5) 33

(138.1) 12

(49.8) 42

(171.3) 15

(61.1) 21

(83.5) 5

(19.9) Thefts

(per 100,000) 123

(520.8) 186

(785.7) 191

(805.6) 156

(659.5) 154

(642.0) 156

(662.3) 147

(623.1) 128

(541.2) 109

(456.0) 109

(452.4) 116

(473.1) 133

(541.6) 112

(445.1) 121

(480.8) Auto thefts

(per 100,000) 4

(16.9) 24

(101.4) 5

(21.1) 9

(38.0) 6

(25.0) 5

(21.2) 4

(17.0) 6

(25.4) 11

(46.0) 10

(41.5) 8

(32.6) 16

(65.1) 17

(67.6) 20

(79.5) Arson

(per 100,000) 2

(8.5) 4

(16.9) 1

(4.2) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 2

(8.5) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 2

(8.2) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) 0

(0.0) City-Data.com crime index 32.9 55.0 51.9 43.0 42.3 42.6 48.1 41.8 47.1 30.3 45.4 35.2 33.8 32.5 The City-Data.com crime index weighs serious crimes and violent crimes more heavily. Higher means more crime, U.S. average is 270.6. It adjusts for the number of visitors and daily workers commuting into cities. Click on a table row to update graph

Crime rate in Simsbury detailed stats: murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, arson



Full-time law enforcement employees in 2019, including police officers: 49 (38 officers).

Officers per 1,000 residents here: 1.51 Connecticut average: 2.01



Latest news from Simsbury, CT collected exclusively by city-data.com from local newspapers, TV, and radio stations

Simsbury, CT City Guides: Simsbury, CT Guides 5

Ancestries: Irish (23.0%), English (17.4%), German (15.6%), Italian (13.7%), Polish (7.6%), United States (5.5%).

Current Local Time: EST time zone

Elevation: 181 feet

Land area: 33.9 square miles. Population density: 694 people per square mile (low).

1,500 residents are foreign born (3.1% Europe, 1.8% Asia, 0.7% North America). This town: 6.5% Connecticut: 10.9%

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units in 2000: Simsbury town: 1.9% ($4,198) Connecticut: 1.8% ($2,961)

Latitude: 41.87 N, Longitude: 72.82 W

Area code: 860

Single-family new house construction building permits: 1997: 59 buildings , average cost: $175,900

59 $175,900 1998: 73 buildings , average cost: $135,200

73 $135,200 1999: 68 buildings , average cost: $162,600

68 $162,600 2000: 34 buildings , average cost: $217,800

34 $217,800 2001: 26 buildings , average cost: $216,600

26 $216,600 2002: 34 buildings , average cost: $219,300

34 $219,300 2003: 24 buildings , average cost: $212,700

24 $212,700 2004: 19 buildings , average cost: $209,800

19 $209,800 2005: 60 buildings , average cost: $171,600

60 $171,600 2006: 71 buildings , average cost: $132,500

71 $132,500 2007: 19 buildings , average cost: $203,500

19 $203,500 2008: 10 buildings , average cost: $194,200

10 $194,200 2009: 3 buildings , average cost: $240,000

3 $240,000 2010: 14 buildings , average cost: $186,400

14 $186,400 2011: 18 buildings , average cost: $198,800

18 $198,800 2012: 17 buildings , average cost: $226,400

17 $226,400 2013: 19 buildings , average cost: $200,100

19 $200,100 2014: 8 buildings , average cost: $225,900

8 $225,900 2015: 15 buildings , average cost: $235,300

15 $235,300 2016: 17 buildings , average cost: $305,800

17 $305,800 2017: 16 buildings , average cost: $234,000

16 $234,000 2018: 59 buildings , average cost: $152,500

59 $152,500 2019: 54 buildings, average cost: $143,800

Unemployment in November 2020:

Here: 5.0% Connecticut: 7.7%

Most common industries in Simsbury, CT (%) Both Males Females

Finance & insurance (18.2%)

Educational services (12.9%)

Health care (10.8%)

Professional, scientific, technical services (8.2%)

Accommodation & food services (3.6%)

Construction (3.5%)

Transportation equipment (2.9%)

Finance & insurance (18.0%)

Professional, scientific, technical services (9.4%)

Educational services (7.8%)

Health care (6.6%)

Construction (5.8%)

Transportation equipment (4.5%)

Accommodation & food services (3.7%)

Educational services (19.0%)

Finance & insurance (18.5%)

Health care (15.9%)

Professional, scientific, technical services (6.8%)

Social assistance (4.0%)

Accommodation & food services (3.5%)

Real estate & rental & leasing (3.2%) Most common occupations in Simsbury, CT (%) Both Males Females

Other management occupations, except farmers and farm managers (6.1%)

Other sales and related occupations, including supervisors (6.0%)

Preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school teachers (4.8%)

Computer specialists (4.4%)

Sales representatives, services, wholesale and manufacturing (4.3%)

Top executives (4.2%)

Other office and administrative support workers, including supervisors (4.1%)

Other management occupations, except farmers and farm managers (8.0%)

Top executives (6.8%)

Other sales and related occupations, including supervisors (6.4%)

Computer specialists (5.7%)

Sales representatives, services, wholesale and manufacturing (5.6%)

Engineers (4.6%)

Advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, and sales managers (3.1%)

Preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school teachers (8.7%)

Registered nurses (6.3%)

Other office and administrative support workers, including supervisors (5.7%)

Other sales and related occupations, including supervisors (5.4%)

Secretaries and administrative assistants (5.3%)

Other management occupations, except farmers and farm managers (3.8%)

Other teachers, instructors, education, training, and library occupations (3.4%)

Average climate in Simsbury, Connecticut Based on data reported by over 4,000 weather stations

Air pollution and air quality trends

(lower is better) AQI CO NO 2 SO 2 Ozone PM 10 PM 2.5

Air Quality Index (AQI) level in 2018 was 82.3. This is about average. City: 82.3 U.S.: 74.2

Carbon Monoxide (CO) [ppm] level in 2018 was 0.302. This is about average. Closest monitor was 9.9 miles away from the city center. City: 0.302 U.S.: 0.267

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO 2 ) [ppb] level in 2018 was 10.7. This is significantly worse than average. Closest monitor was 9.6 miles away from the city center. City: 10.7 U.S.: 5.6

Sulfur Dioxide (SO 2 ) [ppb] level in 2018 was 0.347. This is significantly better than average. Closest monitor was 9.6 miles away from the city center. City: 0.347 U.S.: 1.789

Ozone [ppb] level in 2018 was 27.6. This is better than average. Closest monitor was 8.2 miles away from the city center. City: 27.6 U.S.: 33.3

Particulate Matter (PM 10 ) [g/m3] level in 2018 was 15.8. This is better than average. Closest monitor was 9.6 miles away from the city center. City: 15.8 U.S.: 19.6

Particulate Matter (PM 2.5 ) [g/m3] level in 2018 was 7.43. This is about average. Closest monitor was 9.9 miles away from the city center. City: 7.43 U.S.: 8.46

Tornado activity: Simsbury-area historical tornado activity is slightly above Connecticut state average. It is 14% smaller than the overall U.S. average.

On 10/3/1979, a category F4 (max. wind speeds 207-260 mph) tornado 7.7 miles away from the Simsbury town center killed 3 people and injured 500 people and caused between $50,000,000 and $500,000,000 in damages. On 5/29/1995, a category F4 tornado 27.5 miles away from the town center killed 3 people and injured 24 people and caused between $5,000,000 and $50,000,000 in damages.

Earthquake activity: Simsbury-area historical earthquake activity is significantly above Connecticut state average. It is 70% smaller than the overall U.S. average.



On 10/7/1983 at 10:18:46, a magnitude 5.3 (5.1 MB, 5.3 LG, 5.1 ML, Class: Moderate, Intensity: VI - VII) earthquake occurred 163.4 miles away from the city center

On 4/20/2002 at 10:50:47, a magnitude 5.3 (5.3 ML, Depth: 3.0 mi) earthquake occurred 188.0 miles away from Simsbury center

On 4/20/2002 at 10:50:47, a magnitude 5.2 (5.2 MB, 4.2 MS, 5.2 MW, 5.0 MW) earthquake occurred 186.6 miles away from the city center

On 1/19/1982 at 00:14:42, a magnitude 4.7 (4.5 MB, 4.7 MD, 4.5 LG, Class: Light, Intensity: IV - V) earthquake occurred 128.6 miles away from the city center

On 10/16/2012 at 23:12:25, a magnitude 4.7 (4.7 ML, Depth: 10.0 mi) earthquake occurred 162.3 miles away from Simsbury center

On 8/23/2011 at 17:51:04, a magnitude 5.8 (5.8 MW, Depth: 3.7 mi) earthquake occurred 385.6 miles away from Simsbury center

Magnitude types: regional Lg-wave magnitude (LG), body-wave magnitude (MB), duration magnitude (MD), local magnitude (ML), surface-wave magnitude (MS), moment magnitude (MW)

Natural disasters: The number of natural disasters in Hartford County (24) is greater than the US average (15).

Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 13

Emergencies Declared: 11



Causes of natural disasters: Storms: 7, Hurricanes: 5, Floods: 4, Snowstorms: 4, Blizzards: 3, Snows: 3, Tropical Storms: 2, Winter Storms: 2, Snowfall: 1, Tornado: 1, Wind: 1 (Note: some incidents may be assigned to more than one category).

Main business address for: HARTFORD LIFE INC (LIFE INSURANCE), HARTFORD LIFE INSURANCE CO .

Hospitals and medical centers in Simsbury: C I B: EVANS DRIVE (24 EVANS DRIVE)

GOVERNOR'S HOUSE REHABILITATION AND NURSING CENTER (36 FIRETOWN RD)

MCLEAN HEALTH CENTER (75 GREAT POND RD)

MCLEAN HOME (75 GREAT POND RD)

SIMSBURY MANOR INC, FORM'Y HOLLY HILL (40 FIRETOWN RD)

Airports located in Simsbury: Simsbury Airport (4B9) (Runways: 1, Air Taxi Ops: 75, Itinerant Ops: 1,200, Local Ops: 11,500)

Amtrak stations near Simsbury: 10 miles: WINDSOR (41 CENTRAL ST.) . Services: enclosed waiting area, public restrooms, public payphones, free short-term parking, call for car rental service, call for taxi service, public transit connection.

WINDSOR (41 CENTRAL ST.) . enclosed waiting area, public restrooms, public payphones, free short-term parking, call for car rental service, call for taxi service, public transit connection. 11 miles: HARTFORD (1 UNION PLACE) . Services: ticket office, partially wheelchair accessible, enclosed waiting area, public restrooms, public payphones, full-service food facilities, snack bar, vending machines, ATM, paid short-term parking, paid long-term parking, call for car rental service, taxi stand, intercity bus service, public transit connection.

HARTFORD (1 UNION PLACE) . ticket office, partially wheelchair accessible, enclosed waiting area, public restrooms, public payphones, full-service food facilities, snack bar, vending machines, ATM, paid short-term parking, paid long-term parking, call for car rental service, taxi stand, intercity bus service, public transit connection. 11 miles: WINDSOR LOCKS (S. MAIN ST. (RTE. 159)) . Services: public payphones, free short-term parking, free long-term parking, call for car rental service, call for taxi service, public transit connection.

Local government website: www.town.simsbury.ct.us

Library in Simsbury: SIMSBURY PUBLIC LIBRARY (Operating income: $1,177,259; Location: 725 HOPMEADOW ST.; 126,879 books; 61 e-books; 6,664 audio materials; 4,910 video materials; 12 local licensed databases; 30 state licensed databases; 5 other licensed databases; 470 print serial subscriptions; 3 electronic serial subscriptions)

Birthplace of: Gifford Pinchot - Conservationist, John S. Phelps - Union Army officer, Elisha Phelps - Politician, George P. McLean - Politician, Reuben Humphrey - Politician.

Hartford County has a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L (pico curies per liter) - Low Potential

Drinking water stations with addresses in Simsbury and their reported violations in the past: ETHEL WALKER SCHOOL (Population served: 560, Groundwater): Past health violations: MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In JUL-2011 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Public Notif received (JUL-29-2011) , St Public Notif requested (AUG-09-2011) , St Violation/Reminder Notice (AUG-09-2011) , St Compliance achieved (SEP-30-2011)

JUL-2011 Coliform St Public Notif received (JUL-29-2011) St Public Notif requested (AUG-09-2011) St Violation/Reminder Notice (AUG-09-2011) St Compliance achieved (SEP-30-2011) MCL, Acute (TCR) - In JUL-2011, Contaminant: Coliform. Follow-up actions: St Public Notif received (JUL-29-2011), St Public Notif requested (AUG-09-2011), St Violation/Reminder Notice (AUG-09-2011), St Compliance achieved (SEP-30-2011) Past monitoring violations: Monitoring and Reporting (DBP) - Between APR-2009 and JUN-2009 , Contaminant: Chlorine . Follow-up actions: St Compliance achieved (MAY-31-2009), St Public Notif requested (SEP-14-2009), St Violation/Reminder Notice (SEP-14-2009), St Public Notif received (OCT-23-2009)

APR-2009 JUN-2009 Chlorine St Compliance achieved (MAY-31-2009), St Public Notif requested (SEP-14-2009), St Violation/Reminder Notice (SEP-14-2009), St Public Notif received (OCT-23-2009) Monitoring and Reporting (DBP) - Between APR-2006 and JUN-2006 , Contaminant: Chlorine . Follow-up actions: St Violation/Reminder Notice (SEP-11-2006), St Compliance achieved (OCT-02-2006)

APR-2006 JUN-2006 Chlorine St Violation/Reminder Notice (SEP-11-2006), St Compliance achieved (OCT-02-2006) One routine major monitoring violation

One minor monitoring violation

3 regular monitoring violations ETHEL WALKER SCHOOL (560Groundwater):

Average household size: This town: 2.6 people Connecticut: 2.5 people

Percentage of family households: This town: 75.4% Whole state: 66.3%

Percentage of households with unmarried partners: This town: 3.2% Whole state: 6.6%



Likely homosexual households (counted as self-reported same-sex unmarried-partner households) Lesbian couples: 0.4% of all households

0.4% Gay men: 0.3% of all households Residents with income below the poverty level in 2009:

This town: 2.2% Whole state: 7.9% Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level in 2009:

This town: 0.9% Whole state: 3.9%

People in group quarters in Simsbury in 2010: 234 people in nursing facilities/skilled-nursing facilities

95 people in workers' group living quarters and job corps centers

18 people in group homes intended for adults

7 people in college/university student housing people in nursing homes in 2000 in 2000

Banks with branches in Simsbury (2011 data): The Simsbury Bank & Trust Company: at 981 Hopmeadow Street , branch established on 1995/03/31 . Info updated 2010/09/29: Bank assets: $376.9 mil , Deposits: $344.9 mil , local headquarters , positive income , 5 total offices , Holding Company: Sbt Bancorp, Inc.

981 Hopmeadow Street 1995/03/31 2010/09/29: $376.9 mil $344.9 mil 5 Sbt Bancorp, Inc. Webster Bank, National Association: Simsbury Branch at 690 Hopemeadow Street , branch established on 1988/08/28 . Info updated 2008/12/23: Bank assets: $18,674.3 mil , Deposits: $13,861.5 mil , headquarters in Waterbury, CT , positive income , Commercial Lending Specialization , 167 total offices , Holding Company: Webster Financial Corporation

690 Hopemeadow Street 1988/08/28 2008/12/23: $18,674.3 mil $13,861.5 mil Waterbury, CT , Commercial Lending Specialization 167 Webster Financial Corporation Bank of America, National Association: Simsbury Branch at 740 Hopmeadow Street , branch established on 1917/12/01 . Info updated 2009/11/18: Bank assets: $1,451,969.3 mil , Deposits: $1,077,176.8 mil , headquarters in Charlotte, NC , positive income , 5782 total offices , Holding Company: Bank Of America Corporation

740 Hopmeadow Street 1917/12/01 2009/11/18: $1,451,969.3 mil $1,077,176.8 mil Charlotte, NC 5782 Bank Of America Corporation Sovereign Bank, National Association: Simsbury Branch at 741 Hopmeadow Street , branch established on 1961/10/07 . Info updated 2012/01/31: Bank assets: $78,146.9 mil , Deposits: $48,042.9 mil , headquarters in Wilmington, DE , positive income , Commercial Lending Specialization , 718 total offices , Holding Company: Banco Santander, S.A.

741 Hopmeadow Street 1961/10/07 2012/01/31: $78,146.9 mil $48,042.9 mil Wilmington, DE , Commercial Lending Specialization 718 Banco Santander, S.A. People's United Bank: Simsbury Stop And Shop Branch at 498 Bushy Hill Road, Farmington , branch established on 1997/01/28 . Info updated 2012/02/16: Bank assets: $27,319.3 mil , Deposits: $20,835.4 mil , headquarters in Bridgeport, CT , positive income , Commercial Lending Specialization , 374 total offices

498 Bushy Hill Road, Farmington 1997/01/28 2012/02/16: $27,319.3 mil $20,835.4 mil Bridgeport, CT , Commercial Lending Specialization 374 TD Bank, National Association: Simsbury Branch at 714 Hopmeadow Street, branch established on 1970/12/03. Info updated 2010/10/04: Bank assets: $188,912.6 mil, Deposits: $153,149.8 mil, headquarters in Wilmington, DE, positive income, 1314 total offices, Holding Company: Toronto-Dominion Bank, The

For population 15 years and over in Simsbury: Never married: 18.0%

18.0% Now married: 68.9%

68.9% Separated: 0.8%

0.8% Widowed: 5.0%

5.0% Divorced: 7.3%

For population 25 years and over in Simsbury: High school or higher: 94.5%

94.5% Bachelor's degree or higher: 61.4%

61.4% Graduate or professional degree: 25.8%

25.8% Unemployed: 2.3%

2.3% Mean travel time to work (commute): 24.1 minutes

Education Gini index (Inequality in education) Here: 9.6 Connecticut average: 12.8



Religion statistics for Simsbury, CT (based on Hartford County data) Religion Adherents Congregations Catholic 278,203 100 Mainline Protestant 73,522 183 Evangelical Protestant 50,619 214 Other 28,183 94 Black Protestant 8,446 26 Orthodox 3,665 13 None 451,376 - Source: Clifford Grammich, Kirk Hadaway, Richard Houseal, Dale E.Jones, Alexei Krindatch, Richie Stanley and Richard H.Taylor. 2012. 2010 U.S.Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Jones, Dale E., et al. 2002. Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center. Graphs represent county-level data

Food Environment Statistics: Number of grocery stores: 215 Hartford County : 2.46 / 10,000 pop. Connecticut : 2.21 / 10,000 pop. Number of supercenters and club stores: 5 Hartford County : 0.06 / 10,000 pop. Connecticut : 0.07 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (no gas): 92 Hartford County : 1.05 / 10,000 pop. Connecticut : 1.02 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (with gas): 203 Here : 2.32 / 10,000 pop. Connecticut : 2.27 / 10,000 pop. Number of full-service restaurants: 755 Here : 8.63 / 10,000 pop. Connecticut : 9.19 / 10,000 pop. Adult diabetes rate: Hartford County : 7.4% State : 7.3% Adult obesity rate: Hartford County : 22.1% Connecticut : 21.5% Low-income preschool obesity rate: Here : 16.0% State : 15.8%

3.91% of this county's 2016 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2015 ($66,102 average adjusted gross income) Here: 3.91% Connecticut average: 4.51% 0.04% of residents moved from foreign countries ($650 average AGI) Hartford County: 0.04% Connecticut average: 0.04%

Top counties from which taxpayers relocated into this county between 2015 and 2016:

from New Haven County, CT 0.53% ($52,965 average AGI) from Tolland County, CT 0.43% ($58,256) from Middlesex County, CT 0.32% ($63,792)



4.91% of this county's 2015 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2016 ($81,622 average adjusted gross income) Here: 4.91% Connecticut average: 5.34% 0.07% of residents moved to foreign countries ($2,656 average AGI) Hartford County: 0.07% Connecticut average: 0.07%

Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2015 and 2016:

to Tolland County, CT 0.51% ($59,435 average AGI) to New Haven County, CT 0.43% ($54,707) to Middlesex County, CT 0.37% ($71,069)

Businesses in Simsbury, CT Name Count Name Count Bed Bath & Beyond 1 Nike 4 CVS 1 Staples 1 Dunkin Donuts 2 Starbucks 1 Famous Footwear 1 Stop & Shop 1 FedEx 1 Subway 1 GNC 1 True Value 1 McDonald's 1 UPS 5 Men's Wearhouse 1 Walgreens 1 New Balance 1

Strongest AM radio stations in Simsbury: WTIC (1080 AM; 50 kW; HARTFORD, CT; Owner: INFINITY RADIO OPERATIONS INC.)

INFINITY RADIO OPERATIONS INC.) WDZK (1550 AM; 5 kW; BLOOMFIELD, CT; Owner: ABC, INC.)

ABC, INC.) WNNZ (640 AM; 50 kW; WESTFIELD, MA; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WDRC (1360 AM; 5 kW; HARTFORD, CT; Owner: BUCKLEY BROADCASTING CORPORATION)

BUCKLEY BROADCASTING CORPORATION) WLAT (910 AM; 5 kW; NEW BRITAIN, CT; Owner: MEGA COMMUNICATIONS OF NEW BRITAIN LICENSEE, LLC)

MEGA COMMUNICATIONS OF NEW BRITAIN LICENSEE, LLC) WPOP (1410 AM; 5 kW; HARTFORD, CT; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WCRN (830 AM; 50 kW; WORCESTER, MA; Owner: CARTER BROADCASTING CORPORATION)

CARTER BROADCASTING CORPORATION) WTMI (1290 AM; 1 kW; WEST HARTFORD, CT; Owner: MARLIN BROADCASTING, LLC)

MARLIN BROADCASTING, LLC) WHYN (560 AM; 5 kW; SPRINGFIELD, MA; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WVNE (760 AM; daytime; 25 kW; LEICESTER, MA; Owner: BLOUNT MASSCOM, INC.)

BLOUNT MASSCOM, INC.) WACE (730 AM; 5 kW; CHICOPEE, MA; Owner: CARTER BROADCASTING CORP.)

CARTER BROADCASTING CORP.) WALE (990 AM; 50 kW; GREENVILLE, RI; Owner: NORTH AMERICAN BROADCASTING CO., INC.)

NORTH AMERICAN BROADCASTING CO., INC.) WSPR (1270 AM; 5 kW; SPRINGFIELD, MA; Owner: ANTONIO F. AND HELENA R. GOIS, TENANTS BY THE ENTIRETY) Strongest FM radio stations in Simsbury: WCCC-FM (106.9 FM; HARTFORD, CT; Owner: MARLIN BROADCASTING, LLC)

MARLIN BROADCASTING, LLC) WTIC-FM (96.5 FM; HARTFORD, CT; Owner: INFINITY RADIO OPERATIONS INC.)

INFINITY RADIO OPERATIONS INC.) WWUH (91.3 FM; WEST HARTFORD, CT; Owner: UNIVERSITY OF HARTFORD)

UNIVERSITY OF HARTFORD) WRCH (100.5 FM; NEW BRITAIN, CT; Owner: INFINITY RADIO OPERATIONS INC.)

INFINITY RADIO OPERATIONS INC.) WJMJ (88.9 FM; HARTFORD, CT; Owner: ST. THOMAS SEMINARY)

ST. THOMAS SEMINARY) WAQY (102.1 FM; SPRINGFIELD, MA; Owner: SAGA COMMUNICATIONS OF NEW ENGLAND, LLC)

SAGA COMMUNICATIONS OF NEW ENGLAND, LLC) WWYZ (92.5 FM; WATERBURY, CT; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WKSS (95.7 FM; HARTFORD-MERIDEN, CT; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WHCN (105.9 FM; HARTFORD, CT; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WZMX (93.7 FM; HARTFORD, CT; Owner: INFINITY RADIO OPERATIONS INC.)

INFINITY RADIO OPERATIONS INC.) WMRQ (104.1 FM; WATERBURY, CT; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WPKT (90.5 FM; MERIDEN, CT; Owner: CONNECTICUT PUBLIC BROADCASTING, INC)

CONNECTICUT PUBLIC BROADCASTING, INC) WDRC-FM (102.9 FM; HARTFORD, CT; Owner: BUCKLEY BROADCASTING CORPORATION)

BUCKLEY BROADCASTING CORPORATION) WPKX (97.9 FM; ENFIELD, CT; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)

CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) WHYN-FM (93.1 FM; SPRINGFIELD, MA; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WRNX (100.9 FM; AMHERST, MA; Owner: WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS RADIO COMPANY)

WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS RADIO COMPANY) WKCI-FM (101.3 FM; HAMDEN, CT; Owner: CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.)

CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING LICENSES, INC.) WPLR (99.1 FM; NEW HAVEN, CT; Owner: COX RADIO, INC.)

COX RADIO, INC.) WAMC-FM (90.3 FM; ALBANY, NY; Owner: WAMC)

WAMC) WFCR (88.5 FM; AMHERST, MA; Owner: UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS) TV broadcast stations around Simsbury: WUVN ( Channel 18; HARTFORD, CT; Owner: ENTRAVISION HOLDINGS, LLC)

18; HARTFORD, CT; ENTRAVISION HOLDINGS, LLC) WTIC-TV ( Channel 61; HARTFORD, CT; Owner: TRIBUNE TELEVISION COMPANY)

61; HARTFORD, CT; TRIBUNE TELEVISION COMPANY) W11BJ ( Channel 11; HARTFORD, CT; Owner: COMMUNICATIONS SITE MANAGEMENT LLC)

11; HARTFORD, CT; COMMUNICATIONS SITE MANAGEMENT LLC) WFSB ( Channel 3; HARTFORD, CT; Owner: MEREDITH CORPORATION)

3; HARTFORD, CT; MEREDITH CORPORATION) WHCT-LP ( Channel 38; HARTFORD, CT; Owner: VENTURE TECHNOLOGIES GROUP, LLC)

38; HARTFORD, CT; VENTURE TECHNOLOGIES GROUP, LLC) WTXX ( Channel 20; WATERBURY, CT; Owner: WTXX INC.)

20; WATERBURY, CT; WTXX INC.) WVIT ( Channel 30; NEW BRITAIN, CT; Owner: OUTLET BROADCASTING, INC)

30; NEW BRITAIN, CT; OUTLET BROADCASTING, INC) WEDH ( Channel 24; HARTFORD, CT; Owner: CONNECTICUT PUBLIC BROADCASTING, INC.)

24; HARTFORD, CT; CONNECTICUT PUBLIC BROADCASTING, INC.) WHTX-LP ( Channel 10; HARTFORD, CT; Owner: ENTRAVISION HOLDINGS, LLC)

10; HARTFORD, CT; ENTRAVISION HOLDINGS, LLC) WRDM-LP ( Channel 13; HARTFORD, CT; Owner: ZGS HARTFORD, INC.)

13; HARTFORD, CT; ZGS HARTFORD, INC.) WMLD-LP ( Channel 6; HARTFORD, CT; Owner: HARVARD BROADCASTING, INC.)

6; HARTFORD, CT; HARVARD BROADCASTING, INC.) WWLP ( Channel 22; SPRINGFIELD, MA; Owner: WWLP BROADCASTING, LLC)

22; SPRINGFIELD, MA; WWLP BROADCASTING, LLC) WYDN ( Channel 48; WORCESTER, MA; Owner: EDUCATIONAL PUBLIC TV CORPORATION)

48; WORCESTER, MA; EDUCATIONAL PUBLIC TV CORPORATION) WTNH ( Channel 8; NEW HAVEN, CT; Owner: WTNH BROADCASTING, INC.)

8; NEW HAVEN, CT; WTNH BROADCASTING, INC.) WUTH-CA ( Channel 47; HARTFORD, CT; Owner: ENTRAVISION HOLDINGS, LLC)

47; HARTFORD, CT; ENTRAVISION HOLDINGS, LLC) WCTX ( Channel 59; NEW HAVEN, CT; Owner: WTNH BROADCASTING, INC.)

59; NEW HAVEN, CT; WTNH BROADCASTING, INC.) WEDY ( Channel 65; NEW HAVEN, CT; Owner: CONNECTICUT PUBLIC BROADCASTING, INC.)

65; NEW HAVEN, CT; CONNECTICUT PUBLIC BROADCASTING, INC.) WHPX ( Channel 26; NEW LONDON, CT; Owner: PAXSON HARTFORD LICENSE, INC.)

26; NEW LONDON, CT; PAXSON HARTFORD LICENSE, INC.) W67DF ( Channel 67; SPRINGFIELD, MA; Owner: TRINITY BROADCASTING NETWORK)

67; SPRINGFIELD, MA; TRINITY BROADCASTING NETWORK) WDMR-LP ( Channel 65; SPRINGFIELD, MA; Owner: ZGS HARTFORD, INC.)

65; SPRINGFIELD, MA; ZGS HARTFORD, INC.) W12CL (Channel 12; GRANBY, CT; Owner: SALVATORE MINNITI)

National Bridge Inventory (NBI) Statistics

14 Number of bridges

Number of bridges 184ft / 56.2m Total length

Total length $1,900,000 Total costs

Total costs 344,592 Total average daily traffic

Total average daily traffic 40,368 Total average daily truck traffic

Total average daily truck traffic 507,940 Total future (year 2034) average daily traffic

New bridges - historical statistics

1 1920-1929

2 1940-1949

6 1950-1959

1 1970-1979

2 1980-1989

2 1990-1999 See full National Bridge Inventory statistics for Simsbury, CT

2002 - 2018 National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) incidents Based on the data from the years 2002 - 2018 the average number of fire incidents per year is 43. The highest number of fire incidents - 68 took place in 2008, and the least - 5 in 2011. The data has a declining trend.



Fire incident types reported to NFIRS in Simsbury, CT



456 62.6% Structure Fires



185 25.4% Outside Fires



67 9.2% Mobile Property/Vehicle Fires



20 2.7% Other When looking into fire subcategories, the most incidents belonged to: Structure Fires (62.6%), and Outside Fires (25.4%). See full National Fire Incident Reporting System statistics for Simsbury, CT

Houses and condos Apartments 73.2% Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.

15.5% Utility gas

7.5% Electricity

3.1% Bottled, tank, or LP gas

0.4% Wood

0.1% Other fuel 53.3% Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.

37.7% Electricity

6.9% Utility gas

1.2% Bottled, tank, or LP gas

0.5% Wood

0.4% Other fuel





Simsbury compared to Connecticut state average: Median household income above state average.

above Unemployed percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Black race population percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Hispanic race population percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Median age above state average.

above Foreign-born population percentage significantly below state average.

significantly below Renting percentage below state average.

below Length of stay since moving in significantly above state average.

significantly above Number of rooms per house significantly below state average.

significantly below House age significantly below state average.

significantly below Number of college students below state average.

below Percentage of population with a bachelor's degree or higher above state average.

Simsbury on our top lists: #9 on the list of "Top 101 cities with largest percentage of males in occupations: mathematical science occupations (population 5,000+)"

#22 on the list of "Top 101 cities with largest percentage of females in occupations: other financial specialists (population 5,000+)"

#35 on the list of "Top 101 cities with largest percentage of females in industries: finance and insurance (population 5,000+)"

#43 on the list of "Top 101 cities with largest percentage of males in occupations: financial managers (population 5,000+)"

#47 on the list of "Top 101 cities with largest percentage of males in occupations: secondary school teachers (population 5,000+)"

#58 on the list of "Top 101 cities with largest percentage of males in occupations: top executives (population 5,000+)"

#58 on the list of "Top 101 cities with largest percentage of males in industries: finance and insurance (population 5,000+)"

#67 on the list of "Top 101 cities with largest percentage of females in occupations: preschool, kindergarten, elementary and middle school teachers (population 5,000+)" #2 on the list of "Top 101 counties with highest percentage of residents voting for Obama (Democrat) in the 2012 Presidential Election"

#17 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the most Catholic congregations"

#19 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the lowest Particulate Matter (PM 10 ) Annual air pollution readings in 2012 (g/m 3 )"

#24 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the highest percentage of residents that visited a dentist within the past year"

#29 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the most Mainline Protestant congregations"

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White Hills, Arizona

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Population in 2010: 323.

Males: 162 (50.2%) Females: 161 (49.8%)

Median resident age: 60.2 years Arizona median age: 38.3 years

Zip codes: 86445.

Estimated median household income in 2019: $50,179

White Hills: $50,179 AZ: $62,055

Estimated per capita income in 2019: $27,575



White Hills CDP income, earnings, and wages data



Estimated median house or condo value in 2019: $186,200 White Hills: $186,200 AZ: $255,900

Mean prices in 2019: all housing units: $132,938; detached houses: $155,862; mobile homes: $103,004 $50,179$27,575$186,200$132,938;$155,862;$103,004

March 2019 cost of living index in White Hills: 83.5 (less than average, U.S. average is 100)

Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2019: 34.3%

(37.4% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 28.2% for Hispanic or Latino residents)

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Most recent value % change since 2k Data: Median household income ($) Median household income (% change since 2000) Household income diversity Ratio of average income to average house value (%) Ratio of average income to average rent Median household income ($) - White Median household income ($) - Black or African American Median household income ($) - Asian Median household income ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median household income ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median household income ($) - Multirace Median household income ($) - Other Race Median household income for houses/condos with a mortgage ($) Median household income for apartments without a mortgage ($) Races - White alone (%) Races - White alone (% change since 2000) Races - Black alone (%) Races - Black alone (% change since 2000) Races - American Indian alone (%) Races - American Indian alone (% change since 2000) Races - Asian alone (%) Races - Asian alone (% change since 2000) Races - Hispanic (%) Races - Hispanic (% change since 2000) Races - Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone (%) Races - Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone (% change since 2000) Races - Two or more races (%) Races - Two or more races (% change since 2000) Races - Other race alone (%) Races - Other race alone (% change since 2000) Racial diversity Unemployment (%) Unemployment (% change since 2000) Unemployment (%) - White Unemployment (%) - Black or African American Unemployment (%) - Asian Unemployment (%) - Hispanic or Latino Unemployment (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Unemployment (%) - Multirace Unemployment (%) - Other Race Population density (people per square mile) Population - Males (%) Population - Females (%) Population - Males (%) - White Population - Males (%) - Black or African American Population - Males (%) - Asian Population - Males (%) - Hispanic or Latino Population - Males (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Population - Males (%) - Multirace Population - Males (%) - Other Race Population - Females (%) - White Population - Females (%) - Black or African American Population - Females (%) - Asian Population - Females (%) - Hispanic or Latino Population - Females (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Population - Females (%) - Multirace Population - Females (%) - Other Race Coronavirus confirmed cases (Nov 21, 2021) Deaths caused by coronavirus (Nov 21, 2021) Coronavirus confirmed cases (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) Deaths caused by coronavirus (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) Daily increase in number of cases (Nov 21, 2021) Weekly increase in number of cases (Nov 21, 2021) Cases doubled (in days) (Nov 21, 2021) Hospitalized patients (Nov 21, 2021) Negative test results (Nov 21, 2021) Total test results (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses distributed (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses administered (per 100k population) (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses distributed (Nov 21, 2021) COVID Vaccine doses administered (Nov 21, 2021) Likely homosexual households (%) Likely homosexual households (% change since 2000) Likely homosexual households - Lesbian couples (%) Likely homosexual households - Lesbian couples (% change since 2000) Likely homosexual households - Gay men (%) Likely homosexual households - Gay men (% change since 2000) Cost of living index Median gross rent ($) Median contract rent ($) Median monthly housing costs ($) Median house or condo value ($) Median house or condo value ($ change since 2000) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 1, detached ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 1, attached ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 2 ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure by units in structure - 3 or 4 ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 5 or more ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - Boat, RV, van, etc. ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - Mobile home ($) Median house or condo value ($) - White Median house or condo value ($) - Black or African American Median house or condo value ($) - Asian Median house or condo value ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median house or condo value ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median house or condo value ($) - Multirace Median house or condo value ($) - Other Race Median resident age Resident age diversity Median resident age - Males Median resident age - Females Median resident age - White Median resident age - Black or African American Median resident age - Asian Median resident age - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Multirace Median resident age - Other Race Median resident age - Males - White Median resident age - Males - Black or African American Median resident age - Males - Asian Median resident age - Males - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - Males - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Males - Multirace Median resident age - Males - Other Race Median resident age - Females - White Median resident age - Females - Black or African American Median resident age - Females - Asian Median resident age - Females - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - Females - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Females - Multirace Median resident age - Females - Other Race Commute - mean travel time to work (minutes) Travel time to work - Less than 5 minutes (%) Travel time to work - Less than 5 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 5 to 9 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 5 to 9 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 10 to 19 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 10 to 19 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 20 to 29 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 20 to 29 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 30 to 39 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 30 to 39 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 40 to 59 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 40 to 59 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 60 to 89 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 60 to 89 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 90 or more minutes (%) Travel time to work - 90 or more minutes (% change since 2000) Marital status - Never married (%) Marital status - Now married (%) Marital status - Separated (%) Marital status - Widowed (%) Marital status - Divorced (%) Median family income ($) Median family income (% change since 2000) Median non-family income ($) Median non-family income (% change since 2000) Median per capita income ($) Median per capita income (% change since 2000) Median family income ($) - White Median family income ($) - Black or African American Median family income ($) - Asian Median family income ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median family income ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median family income ($) - Multirace Median family income ($) - Other Race Median year house/condo built Median year apartment built Year house built - Built 2005 or later (%) Year house built - Built 2000 to 2004 (%) Year house built - Built 1990 to 1999 (%) Year house built - Built 1980 to 1989 (%) Year house built - Built 1970 to 1979 (%) Year house built - Built 1960 to 1969 (%) Year house built - Built 1950 to 1959 (%) Year house built - Built 1940 to 1949 (%) Year house built - Built 1939 or earlier (%) Average household size Household density (households per square mile) Average household size - White Average household size - Black or African American Average household size - Asian Average household size - Hispanic or Latino Average household size - American Indian and Alaska Native Average household size - Multirace Average household size - Other Race Occupied housing units (%) Vacant housing units (%) Owner occupied housing units (%) Renter occupied housing units (%) Vacancy status - For rent (%) Vacancy status - For sale only (%) Vacancy status - Rented or sold, not occupied (%) Vacancy status - For seasonal, recreational, or occasional use (%) Vacancy status - For migrant workers (%) Vacancy status - Other vacant (%) Residents with income below the poverty level (%) Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level (%) Children below poverty level (%) Poor families by family type - Married-couple family (%) Poor families by family type - Male, no wife present (%) Poor families by family type - Female, no husband present (%) Poverty status for native-born residents (%) Poverty status for foreign-born residents (%) Poverty among high school graduates not in families (%) Poverty among people who did not graduate high school not in families (%) Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - White Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Black or African American Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Asian Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Hispanic or Latino Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Multirace Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Other Race Air pollution - Air Quality Index (AQI) Air pollution - CO Air pollution - NO2 Air pollution - SO2 Air pollution - Ozone Air pollution - PM10 Air pollution - PM25 Air pollution - Pb Crime - Murders per 100,000 population Crime - Rapes per 100,000 population Crime - Robberies per 100,000 population Crime - Assaults per 100,000 population Crime - Burglaries per 100,000 population Crime - Thefts per 100,000 population Crime - Auto thefts per 100,000 population Crime - Arson per 100,000 population Crime - City-data.com crime index Crime - Violent crime index Crime - Property crime index Crime - Murders per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Rapes per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Robberies per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Assaults per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Burglaries per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Thefts per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Auto thefts per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - Arson per 100,000 population (5 year average) Crime - City-data.com crime index (5 year average) Crime - Violent crime index (5 year average) Crime - Property crime index (5 year average) 1996 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Clinton) 1996 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Dole) 1996 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2000 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Gore) 2000 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Bush) 2000 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2004 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Kerry) 2004 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Bush) 2004 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2008 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Obama) 2008 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (McCain) 2008 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2012 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Obama) 2012 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Romney) 2012 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2016 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Clinton) 2016 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Trump) 2016 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other 2020 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Democratic Party (Biden) 2020 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Republican Party (Trump) 2020 Presidential Elections Results (%) - Other Ancestries Reported - Arab (%) Ancestries Reported - Czech (%) Ancestries Reported - Danish (%) Ancestries Reported - Dutch (%) Ancestries Reported - English (%) Ancestries Reported - French (%) Ancestries Reported - French Canadian (%) Ancestries Reported - German (%) Ancestries Reported - Greek (%) Ancestries Reported - Hungarian (%) Ancestries Reported - Irish (%) Ancestries Reported - Italian (%) Ancestries Reported - Lithuanian (%) Ancestries Reported - Norwegian (%) Ancestries Reported - Polish (%) Ancestries Reported - Portuguese (%) Ancestries Reported - Russian (%) Ancestries Reported - Scotch-Irish (%) Ancestries Reported - Scottish (%) Ancestries Reported - Slovak (%) Ancestries Reported - Subsaharan African (%) Ancestries Reported - Swedish (%) Ancestries Reported - Swiss (%) Ancestries Reported - Ukrainian (%) Ancestries Reported - United States (%) Ancestries Reported - Welsh (%) Ancestries Reported - West Indian (%) Ancestries Reported - Other (%) Educational Attainment - No schooling completed (%) Educational Attainment - Less than high school (%) Educational Attainment - High school or equivalent (%) Educational Attainment - Less than 1 year of college (%) Educational Attainment - 1 or more years of college (%) Educational Attainment - Associate degree (%) Educational Attainment - Bachelor's degree (%) Educational Attainment - Master's degree (%) Educational Attainment - Professional school degree (%) Educational Attainment - Doctorate degree (%) School Enrollment - Nursery, preschool (%) School Enrollment - Kindergarten (%) School Enrollment - Grade 1 to 4 (%) School Enrollment - Grade 5 to 8 (%) School Enrollment - Grade 9 to 12 (%) School Enrollment - College undergrad (%) School Enrollment - Graduate or professional (%) School Enrollment - Not enrolled in school (%) School enrollment - Public schools (%) School enrollment - Private schools (%) School enrollment - Not enrolled (%) Median number of rooms in houses and condos Median number of rooms in apartments Housing units lacking complete plumbing facilities (%) Housing units lacking complete kitchen facilities (%) Density of houses Urban houses (%) Rural houses (%) Households with people 60 years and over (%) Households with people 65 years and over (%) Households with people 75 years and over (%) Households with one or more nonrelatives (%) Households with no nonrelatives (%) Population in households (%) Family households (%) Nonfamily households (%) Population in families (%) Family households with own children (%) Median number of bedrooms in owner occupied houses Mean number of bedrooms in owner occupied houses Median number of bedrooms in renter occupied houses Mean number of bedrooms in renter occupied houses Median number of vehichles in owner occupied houses Mean number of vehichles in owner occupied houses Median number of vehichles in renter occupied houses Mean number of vehichles in renter occupied houses Mortgage status - with mortgage (%) Mortgage status - with second mortgage (%) Mortgage status - with home equity loan (%) Mortgage status - with both second mortgage and home equity loan (%) Mortgage status - without a mortgage (%) Average family size Average family size - White Average family size - Black or African American Average family size - Asian Average family size - Hispanic or Latino Average family size - American Indian and Alaska Native Average family size - Multirace Average family size - Other Race Geographical mobility - Same house 1 year ago (%) Geographical mobility - Moved within same county (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from different county within same state (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from different state (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from abroad (%) Place of birth - Born in state of residence (%) Place of birth - Born in other state (%) Place of birth - Native, outside of US (%) Place of birth - Foreign born (%) Housing units in structures - 1, detached (%) Housing units in structures - 1, attached (%) Housing units in structures - 2 (%) Housing units in structures - 3 or 4 (%) Housing units in structures - 5 to 9 (%) Housing units in structures - 10 to 19 (%) Housing units in structures - 20 to 49 (%) Housing units in structures - 50 or more (%) Housing units in structures - Mobile home (%) Housing units in structures - Boat, RV, van, etc. (%) House/condo owner moved in on average (years ago) Renter moved in on average (years ago) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1999 to March 2000 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1995 to 1998 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1990 to 1994 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1980 to 1989 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1970 to 1979 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1969 or earlier (%) Means of transportation to work - Drove car alone (%) Means of transportation to work - Carpooled (%) Means of transportation to work - Public transportation (%) Means of transportation to work - Bus or trolley bus (%) Means of transportation to work - Streetcar or trolley car (%) Means of transportation to work - Subway or elevated (%) Means of transportation to work - Railroad (%) Means of transportation to work - Ferryboat (%) Means of transportation to work - Taxicab (%) Means of transportation to work - Motorcycle (%) Means of transportation to work - Bicycle (%) Means of transportation to work - Walked (%) Means of transportation to work - Other means (%) Working at home (%) Industry diversity Most Common Industries - Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining (%) Most Common Industries - Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (%) Most Common Industries - Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (%) Most Common Industries - Construction (%) Most Common Industries - Manufacturing (%) Most Common Industries - Wholesale trade (%) Most Common Industries - Retail trade (%) Most Common Industries - Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (%) Most Common Industries - Transportation and warehousing (%) Most Common Industries - Utilities (%) Most Common Industries - Information (%) Most Common Industries - Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (%) Most Common Industries - Finance and insurance (%) Most Common Industries - Real estate and rental and leasing (%) Most Common Industries - Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (%) Most Common Industries - Professional, scientific, and technical services (%) Most Common Industries - Management of companies and enterprises (%) Most Common Industries - Administrative and support and waste management services (%) Most Common Industries - Educational services, and health care and social assistance (%) Most Common Industries - Educational services (%) Most Common Industries - Health care and social assistance (%) Most Common Industries - Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (%) Most Common Industries - Arts, entertainment, and recreation (%) Most Common Industries - Accommodation and food services (%) Most Common Industries - Other services, except public administration (%) Most Common Industries - Public administration (%) Occupation diversity Most Common Occupations - Management, business, science, and arts occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Management, business, and financial occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Management occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Business and financial operations occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Computer, engineering, and science occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Computer and mathematical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Architecture and engineering occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Life, physical, and social science occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Education, legal, community service, arts, and media occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Community and social service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Legal occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Education, training, and library occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Health diagnosing and treating practitioners and other technical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Health technologists and technicians (%) Most Common Occupations - Service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Healthcare support occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Protective service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Fire fighting and prevention, and other protective service workers including supervisors (%) Most Common Occupations - Law enforcement workers including supervisors (%) Most Common Occupations - Food preparation and serving related occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Personal care and service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Sales and office occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Sales and related occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Office and administrative support occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Construction and extraction occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Production, transportation, and material moving occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Production occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Transportation occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Material moving occupations (%) People in Group quarters - Institutionalized population (%) People in Group quarters - Correctional institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Federal prisons and detention centers (%) People in Group quarters - Halfway houses (%) People in Group quarters - Local jails and other confinement facilities (including police lockups) (%) People in Group quarters - Military disciplinary barracks (%) People in Group quarters - State prisons (%) People in Group quarters - Other types of correctional institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Nursing homes (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals/wards, hospices, and schools for the handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals/wards and hospices for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Hospices or homes for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Military hospitals or wards for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Other hospitals or wards for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals or wards for drug/alcohol abuse (%) People in Group quarters - Mental (Psychiatric) hospitals or wards (%) People in Group quarters - Schools, hospitals, or wards for the mentally retarded (%) People in Group quarters - Schools, hospitals, or wards for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Institutions for the deaf (%) People in Group quarters - Institutions for the blind (%) People in Group quarters - Orthopedic wards and institutions for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Wards in general hospitals for patients who have no usual home elsewhere (%) People in Group quarters - Wards in military hospitals for patients who have no usual home elsewhere (%) People in Group quarters - Juvenile institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Long-term care (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for abused, dependent, and neglected children (%) People in Group quarters - Residential treatment centers for emotionally disturbed children (%) People in Group quarters - Training schools for juvenile delinquents (%) People in Group quarters - Short-term care, detention or diagnostic centers for delinquent children (%) People in Group quarters - Type of juvenile institution unknown (%) People in Group quarters - Noninstitutionalized population (%) People in Group quarters - College dormitories (includes college quarters off campus) (%) People in Group quarters - Military quarters (%) People in Group quarters - On base (%) People in Group quarters - Barracks, unaccompanied personnel housing (UPH), (Enlisted/Officer), ;and similar group living quarters for military personnel (%) People in Group quarters - Transient quarters for temporary residents (%) People in Group quarters - Military ships (%) People in Group quarters - Group homes (%) People in Group quarters - Homes or halfway houses for drug/alcohol abuse (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the mentally ill (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the mentally retarded (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Other group homes (%) People in Group quarters - Religious group quarters (%) People in Group quarters - Dormitories (%) People in Group quarters - Agriculture workers' dormitories on farms (%) People in Group quarters - Job Corps and vocational training facilities (%) People in Group quarters - Other workers' dormitories (%) People in Group quarters - Crews of maritime vessels (%) People in Group quarters - Other nonhousehold living situations (%) People in Group quarters - Other noninstitutional group quarters (%) Residents speaking English at home (%) Residents speaking English at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking English at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking English at home - Foreign born (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Foreign born (%) Residents speaking other language at home (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Foreign born (%) Class of Workers - Employee of private company (%) Class of Workers - Self-employed in own incorporated business (%) Class of Workers - Private not-for-profit wage and salary workers (%) Class of Workers - Local government workers (%) Class of Workers - State government workers (%) Class of Workers - Federal government workers (%) Class of Workers - Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business and Unpaid family workers (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Utility gas (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Bottled, tank, or LP gas (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Electricity (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Coal or coke (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Wood (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Solar energy (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Other fuel (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - No fuel used (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Utility gas (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Bottled, tank, or LP gas (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Electricity (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Coal or coke (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Wood (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Solar energy (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Other fuel (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - No fuel used (%) Armed forces status - In Armed Forces (%) Armed forces status - Civilian (%) Armed forces status - Civilian - Veteran (%) Armed forces status - Civilian - Nonveteran (%) Fatal accidents locations in years 2005-2019 Fatal accidents locations in 2005 Fatal accidents locations in 2006 Fatal accidents locations in 2007 Fatal accidents locations in 2008 Fatal accidents locations in 2009 Fatal accidents locations in 2010 Fatal accidents locations in 2011 Fatal accidents locations in 2012 Fatal accidents locations in 2013 Fatal accidents locations in 2014 Fatal accidents locations in 2015 Fatal accidents locations in 2016 Fatal accidents locations in 2017 Fatal accidents locations in 2018 Fatal accidents locations in 2019 Alcohol use - People drinking some alcohol every month (%) Alcohol use - People not drinking at all (%) Alcohol use - Average days/month drinking alcohol Alcohol use - Average drinks/week Alcohol use - Average days/year people drink much Audiometry - Average condition of hearing (%) Audiometry - People that can hear a whisper from across a quiet room (%) Audiometry - People that can hear normal voice from across a quiet room (%) Audiometry - Ears ringing, roaring, buzzing (%) Audiometry - Had a job exposure to loud noise (%) Audiometry - Had off-work exposure to loud noise (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Has high blood pressure (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Checking blood pressure at home (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Frequently checking blood cholesterol (%) Blood Pressure & Cholesterol - Has high cholesterol level (%) Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on food at supermarket/grocery store Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on food at other stores Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on eating out Consumer Behavior - Money monthly spent on carryout/delivered foods Consumer Behavior - Income spent on food at supermarket/grocery store (%) Consumer Behavior - Income spent on food at other stores (%) Consumer Behavior - Income spent on eating out (%) Consumer Behavior - Income spent on carryout/delivered foods (%) Current Health Status - General health condition (%) Current Health Status - Blood donors (%) Current Health Status - Has blood ever tested for HIV virus (%) Current Health Status - Left-handed people (%) Dermatology - People using sunscreen (%) Diabetes - Diabetics (%) Diabetes - Had a blood test for high blood sugar (%) Diabetes - People taking insulin (%) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Diet health (%) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Milk product consumption (# of products/month) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Meals not home prepared (#/week) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Meals from fast food or pizza place (#/week) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Ready-to-eat foods (#/month) Diet Behavior & Nutrition - Frozen meals/pizza (#/month) Drug Use - People that ever used marijuana or hashish (%) Drug Use - Ever used hard drugs (%) Drug Use - Ever used any form of cocaine (%) Drug Use - Ever used heroin (%) Drug Use - Ever used methamphetamine (%) Health Insurance - People covered by health insurance (%) Kidney Conditions-Urology - Avg. # of times urinating at night Medical Conditions - People with asthma (%) Medical Conditions - People with anemia (%) Medical Conditions - People with psoriasis (%) Medical Conditions - People with overweight (%) Medical Conditions - Elderly people having difficulties in thinking or remembering (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever received blood transfusion (%) Medical Conditions - People having trouble seeing even with glass/contacts (%) Medical Conditions - People with arthritis (%) Medical Conditions - People with gout (%) Medical Conditions - People with congestive heart failure (%) Medical Conditions - People with coronary heart disease (%) Medical Conditions - People with angina pectoris (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever had heart attack (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever had stroke (%) Medical Conditions - People with emphysema (%) Medical Conditions - People with thyroid problem (%) Medical Conditions - People with chronic bronchitis (%) Medical Conditions - People with any liver condition (%) Medical Conditions - People who ever had cancer or malignancy (%) Mental Health - People who have little interest in doing things (%) Mental Health - People feeling down, depressed, or hopeless (%) Mental Health - People who have trouble sleeping or sleeping too much (%) Mental Health - People feeling tired or having little energy (%) Mental Health - People with poor appetite or overeating (%) Mental Health - People feeling bad about themself (%) Mental Health - People who have trouble concentrating on things (%) Mental Health - People moving or speaking slowly or too fast (%) Mental Health - People having thoughts they would be better off dead (%) Oral Health - Average years since last visit a dentist Oral Health - People embarrassed because of mouth (%) Oral Health - People with gum disease (%) Oral Health - General health of teeth and gums (%) Oral Health - Average days a week using dental floss/device Oral Health - Average days a week using mouthwash for dental problem Oral Health - Average number of teeth Pesticide Use - Households using pesticides to control insects (%) Pesticide Use - Households using pesticides to kill weeds (%) Physical Activity - People doing vigorous-intensity work activities (%) Physical Activity - People doing moderate-intensity work activities (%) Physical Activity - People walking or bicycling (%) Physical Activity - People doing vigorous-intensity recreational activities (%) Physical Activity - People doing moderate-intensity recreational activities (%) Physical Activity - Average hours a day doing sedentary activities Physical Activity - Average hours a day watching TV or videos Physical Activity - Average hours a day using computer Physical Functioning - People having limitations keeping them from working (%) Physical Functioning - People limited in amount of work they can do (%) Physical Functioning - People that need special equipment to walk (%) Physical Functioning - People experiencing confusion/memory problems (%) Physical Functioning - People requiring special healthcare equipment (%) Prescription Medications - Average number of prescription medicines taking Preventive Aspirin Use - Adults 40+ taking low-dose aspirin (%) Reproductive Health - Vaginal deliveries (%) Reproductive Health - Cesarean deliveries (%) Reproductive Health - Deliveries resulted in a live birth (%) Reproductive Health - Pregnancies resulted in a delivery (%) Reproductive Health - Women breastfeeding newborns (%) Reproductive Health - Women that had a hysterectomy (%) Reproductive Health - Women that had both ovaries removed (%) Reproductive Health - Women that have ever taken birth control pills (%) Reproductive Health - Women taking birth control pills (%) Reproductive Health - Women that have ever used Depo-Provera or injectables (%) Reproductive Health - Women that have ever used female hormones (%) Sexual Behavior - People 18+ that ever had sex (vaginal, anal, or oral) (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever had vaginal sex with a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever performed oral sex on a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever had anal sex with a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Males 18+ that ever had any sex with a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever had vaginal sex with a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever performed oral sex on a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever had anal sex with a man (%) Sexual Behavior - Females 18+ that ever had any kind of sex with a woman (%) Sexual Behavior - Average age people first had sex Sexual Behavior - Average number of female sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of female vaginal sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average age people first performed oral sex on a woman (18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of woman performed oral sex on in lifetime (18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male anal sex partners in lifetime (males 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average age people first performed oral sex on a man (18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male oral sex partners in lifetime (18+) Sexual Behavior - People using protection when performing oral sex (%) Sexual Behavior - Average number of times people have vaginal or anal sex a year Sexual Behavior - People having sex without condom (%) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male sex partners in lifetime (females 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of male vaginal sex partners in lifetime (females 18+) Sexual Behavior - Average number of female sex partners in lifetime (females 18+) Sexual Behavior - Circumcised males 18+ (%) Sleep Disorders - Average hours sleeping at night Sleep Disorders - People that has trouble sleeping (%) Smoking-Cigarette Use - People smoking cigarettes (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ having problems with smell (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ having problems with taste (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had wisdom teeth removed (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had tonsils teeth removed (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had a loss of consciousness because of a head injury (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had a broken nose or other serious injury to face or skull (%) Taste & Smell - People 40+ that ever had two or more sinus infections (%) Weight - Average height (inches) Weight - Average weight (pounds) Weight - Average BMI Weight - People that are obese (%) Weight - People that ever were obese (%) Weight - People trying to lose weight (%) Settings Get link Loading data... Based on 2000-2020 data Loading data...

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206 78.6% White alone 40 15.3% Hispanic 12 4.6% Black alone

Races in White Hills detailed stats: ancestries, foreign born residents, place of birth





According to our research of Arizona and other state lists, there was 1 registered sex offender living in White Hills, Arizona as of November 21, 2021.

The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in White Hills is 245 to 1.





Ancestries: Scottish (14.4%), English (12.6%), Italian (8.6%), Swiss (8.6%), European (7.5%), Czech (5.2%).

Current Local Time: MST (no DST) time zone

Elevation: 2797 feet

8 residents are foreign born (3.1% Europe). This place: 3.1% Arizona: 13.3%

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with mortgages in 2019: $1,503 (0.4%)

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with no mortgage in 2019: $397 (0.4%)



Latitude: 35.74 N, Longitude: 114.40 W

Unemployment in November 2020:

Here: 8.7% Arizona: 7.6%

Earthquake activity: White Hills-area historical earthquake activity is significantly above Arizona state average. It is 5141% greater than the overall U.S. average.



On 6/28/1992 at 11:57:34, a magnitude 7.6 (6.2 MB, 7.6 MS, 7.3 MW, Depth: 0.7 mi, Class: Major, Intensity: VIII - XII) earthquake occurred 161.9 miles away from the city center, causing 3 deaths (1 shaking deaths, 2 other deaths) and 400 injuries, causing $100,000,000 total damage and $40,000,000 insured losses

On 10/16/1999 at 09:46:44, a magnitude 7.4 (6.3 MB, 7.4 MS, 7.2 MW, 7.3 ML) earthquake occurred 143.0 miles away from White Hills center

On 7/21/1952 at 11:52:14, a magnitude 7.7 (7.7 UK) earthquake occurred 264.6 miles away from White Hills center, causing $50,000,000 total damage

On 5/19/1940 at 04:36:40, a magnitude 7.2 (7.2 UK) earthquake occurred 189.2 miles away from White Hills center, causing $33,000,000 total damage

On 6/28/1992 at 15:05:30, a magnitude 6.9 (6.3 MB, 6.7 MS, 6.5 MW, 6.9 ME, Depth: 3.1 mi, Class: Strong, Intensity: VII - IX) earthquake occurred 169.8 miles away from the city center

On 12/31/1934 at 18:45:56, a magnitude 7.1 (7.1 UK) earthquake occurred 225.1 miles away from the city center

Magnitude types: body-wave magnitude (MB), energy magnitude (ME), local magnitude (ML), surface-wave magnitude (MS), moment magnitude (MW)

Natural disasters: The number of natural disasters in Mohave County (12) is smaller than the US average (15).

Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 8

Emergencies Declared: 2



Causes of natural disasters: Floods: 7, Storms: 5, Drought: 1, Fire: 1, Heavy Rain: 1, Hurricane: 1, Wind: 1, Winter Storm: 1, Other: 1 (Note: some incidents may be assigned to more than one category).

Colleges/universities with over 2000 students nearest to White Hills: Nevada State College ( about 35 miles; Henderson, NV ; Full-time enrollment: 2,346)

35 ; 2,346) Mohave Community College ( about 39 miles; Kingman, AZ ; FT enrollment: 3,309)

39 ; 3,309) University of Nevada-Las Vegas ( about 49 miles; Las Vegas, NV ; FT enrollment: 21,153)

49 ; 21,153) College of Southern Nevada ( about 56 miles; Las Vegas, NV ; FT enrollment: 18,996)

56 ; 18,996) Dixie State University ( about 106 miles; Saint George, UT ; FT enrollment: 6,485)

106 ; 6,485) Yavapai College ( about 138 miles; Prescott, AZ ; FT enrollment: 4,258)

138 ; 4,258) Northcentral University (about 143 miles; Prescott Valley, AZ; FT enrollment: 5,927)

Mohave County has a predicted average indoor radon screening level between 2 and 4 pCi/L (pico curies per liter) - Moderate Potential

Drinking water stations with addresses in White Hills and their reported violations in the past: WHITE HILLS TEXACO - A WELCOME STOP (Address: 19210 N US HIGHWAY 93 Population served: 100, Groundwater): Past health violations: MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In JAN-2014 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Violation/Reminder Notice (FEB-24-2014) , St Compliance achieved (MAY-06-2014)

JAN-2014 Coliform St Violation/Reminder Notice (FEB-24-2014) St Compliance achieved (MAY-06-2014) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In FEB-2013 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Violation/Reminder Notice (MAR-28-2013) , St Compliance achieved (JUN-27-2013)

FEB-2013 Coliform St Violation/Reminder Notice (MAR-28-2013) St Compliance achieved (JUN-27-2013) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In SEP-2012, Contaminant: Coliform. Follow-up actions: St Violation/Reminder Notice (NOV-05-2012), St Compliance achieved (JUN-27-2013) Past monitoring violations: Monitoring, Source Water (GWR) - In FEB-28-2013 , Contaminant: E. COLI . Follow-up actions: St Violation/Reminder Notice (MAR-28-2013), St Compliance achieved (MAY-14-2013)

FEB-28-2013 E. COLI St Violation/Reminder Notice (MAR-28-2013), St Compliance achieved (MAY-14-2013) 4 routine major monitoring violations

3 minor monitoring violations

2 regular monitoring violations BOULDER INN (Address: 19949 HIGHWAY 93 Population served: 29, Groundwater): Past health violations: MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In AUG-2010 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: St Violation/Reminder Notice (SEP-30-2010) , St Compliance achieved (JUN-27-2011)

AUG-2010 Coliform St Violation/Reminder Notice (SEP-30-2010) St Compliance achieved (JUN-27-2011) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In JAN-2009 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: State No Longer Subject to Rule (FEB-26-2009)

JAN-2009 Coliform State No Longer Subject to Rule (FEB-26-2009) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In DEC-2008 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: State No Longer Subject to Rule (FEB-26-2009)

DEC-2008 Coliform State No Longer Subject to Rule (FEB-26-2009) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In NOV-2008 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: State No Longer Subject to Rule (FEB-26-2009)

NOV-2008 Coliform State No Longer Subject to Rule (FEB-26-2009) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In JAN-2008 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: State No Longer Subject to Rule (FEB-26-2009)

JAN-2008 Coliform State No Longer Subject to Rule (FEB-26-2009) MCL, Monthly (TCR) - In NOV-2007 , Contaminant: Coliform . Follow-up actions: State No Longer Subject to Rule (FEB-26-2009)

NOV-2007 Coliform State No Longer Subject to Rule (FEB-26-2009) 3 other older health violations Past monitoring violations: Initial Tap Sampling for Pb and Cu - In JUL-01-2011 , Contaminant: Lead and Copper Rule . Follow-up actions: St Violation/Reminder Notice (AUG-26-2011)

JUL-01-2011 Lead and Copper Rule St Violation/Reminder Notice (AUG-26-2011) Monitoring, Repeat Major (TCR) - In JAN-2009 , Contaminant: Coliform (TCR) . Follow-up actions: State No Longer Subject to Rule (FEB-26-2009)

JAN-2009 Coliform (TCR) State No Longer Subject to Rule (FEB-26-2009) Monitoring and Reporting (DBP) - Between JAN-2009 and MAR-2009 , Contaminant: Chlorine . Follow-up actions: St Compliance achieved (MAY-03-2011)

JAN-2009 MAR-2009 Chlorine St Compliance achieved (MAY-03-2011) Monitoring, Repeat Major (TCR) - In DEC-2008 , Contaminant: Coliform (TCR) . Follow-up actions: State No Longer Subject to Rule (FEB-26-2009)

DEC-2008 Coliform (TCR) State No Longer Subject to Rule (FEB-26-2009) Monitoring and Reporting (DBP) - Between OCT-2008 and DEC-2008 , Contaminant: Chlorine . Follow-up actions: State No Longer Subject to Rule (JAN-01-2009)

OCT-2008 DEC-2008 Chlorine State No Longer Subject to Rule (JAN-01-2009) 13 routine major monitoring violations

12 minor monitoring violations

29 regular monitoring violations

26 other older monitoring violations WHITE HILLS TEXACO - A WELCOME STOP (19210 N US HIGHWAY 93 100Groundwater):BOULDER INN (19949 HIGHWAY 93 29Groundwater):

Average household size: This place: 2.0 people Arizona: 2.6 people

Percentage of family households: This place: 51.9% Whole state: 66.2%

Percentage of households with unmarried partners: This place: 10.5% Whole state: 7.8%



Likely homosexual households (counted as self-reported same-sex unmarried-partner households) Lesbian couples: 0.6% of all households

0.6% Gay men: 0.0% of all households

For population 15 years and over in White Hills: Never married: 15.8%

15.8% Now married: 41.7%

41.7% Separated: 0.0%

0.0% Widowed: 22.5%

22.5% Divorced: 20.0%

For population 25 years and over in White Hills: High school or higher: 84.3%

84.3% Bachelor's degree or higher: 34.1%

34.1% Graduate or professional degree: 14.8%

Education Gini index (Inequality in education) Here: 11.8 Arizona average: 12.2



Religion statistics for White Hills, AZ (based on Mohave County data) Religion Adherents Congregations Catholic 18,500 5 Evangelical Protestant 13,180 97 Other 8,930 22 Mainline Protestant 4,061 12 Orthodox 64 2 Black Protestant - 1 None 155,451 - Source: Clifford Grammich, Kirk Hadaway, Richard Houseal, Dale E.Jones, Alexei Krindatch, Richie Stanley and Richard H.Taylor. 2012. 2010 U.S.Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Jones, Dale E., et al. 2002. Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center. Graphs represent county-level data

Food Environment Statistics: Number of grocery stores: 24 This county : 1.23 / 10,000 pop. Arizona : 1.36 / 10,000 pop. Number of supercenters and club stores: 2 Mohave County : 0.10 / 10,000 pop. State : 0.14 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (no gas): 12 Here : 0.61 / 10,000 pop. Arizona : 0.55 / 10,000 pop. Number of convenience stores (with gas): 71 Mohave County : 3.62 / 10,000 pop. State : 2.47 / 10,000 pop. Number of full-service restaurants: 134 Mohave County : 6.84 / 10,000 pop. State : 6.21 / 10,000 pop. Adult diabetes rate: This county : 9.3% Arizona : 8.0% Adult obesity rate: Here : 26.2% State : 22.8% Low-income preschool obesity rate: Mohave County : 12.0% State : 14.2%

8.55% of this county's 2016 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2015 ($45,794 average adjusted gross income) Here: 8.55% Arizona average: 6.11% 0.04% of residents moved from foreign countries ($185 average AGI) Mohave County: 0.04% Arizona average: 0.09%

Top counties from which taxpayers relocated into this county between 2015 and 2016:

from Clark County, NV 0.79% ($34,077 average AGI) from San Bernardino County, CA 0.60% ($49,906) from Los Angeles County, CA 0.59% ($57,005)



6.85% of this county's 2015 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2016 ($40,266 average adjusted gross income) Here: 6.85% Arizona average: 5.15% 10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries between 2015 and 2016.

Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2015 and 2016:

to Clark County, NV 0.86% ($44,384 average AGI) to Maricopa County, AZ 0.74% ($47,654) to San Bernardino County, CA 0.26% ($33,116)

Strongest AM radio stations in White Hills: KDWN (720 AM; 50 kW; LAS VEGAS, NV; Owner: RADIO NEVADA CORP.)

RADIO NEVADA CORP.) KXNT (840 AM; 50 kW; NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV; Owner: INFINITY RADIO OPERATIONS INC.)

INFINITY RADIO OPERATIONS INC.) KLSQ (870 AM; 10 kW; WHITNEY, NV; Owner: KLSQ-AM LICENSE CORPORATION)

KLSQ-AM LICENSE CORPORATION) KSFN (1140 AM; 10 kW; NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV; Owner: INFINITY RADIO OPERATIONS INC.)

INFINITY RADIO OPERATIONS INC.) KDOX (1280 AM; 5 kW; HENDERSON, NV; Owner: S & R BROADCASTING, INC.)

S & R BROADCASTING, INC.) KENO (1460 AM; 10 kW; LAS VEGAS, NV; Owner: LOTUS BROADCASTING CORP.)

LOTUS BROADCASTING CORP.) KMIA (710 AM; 50 kW; BLACK CANYON CITY, AZ; Owner: ENTRAVISION HOLDINGS, LLC)

ENTRAVISION HOLDINGS, LLC) KNUU (970 AM; 5 kW; PARADISE, NV; Owner: NEVADA MEDIA GROUP, INC.)

NEVADA MEDIA GROUP, INC.) KBAD (920 AM; 5 kW; LAS VEGAS, NV; Owner: LOTUS BROADCASTING CORP.)

LOTUS BROADCASTING CORP.) KLAC (570 AM; 50 kW; LOS ANGELES, CA; Owner: AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.)

AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.) KKVV (1060 AM; 5 kW; LAS VEGAS, NV; Owner: LAS VEGAS BROADCASTERS, INC.)

LAS VEGAS BROADCASTERS, INC.) KSHP (1400 AM; 5 kW; NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV; Owner: LAS VEGAS RADIO CO. INC)

LAS VEGAS RADIO CO. INC) KFI (640 AM; 50 kW; LOS ANGELES, CA; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP) Strongest FM radio stations in White Hills: KVGS (107.9 FM; LAUGHLIN, NV; Owner: DESERT SKY MEDIA, LLC)

DESERT SKY MEDIA, LLC) KXPT (97.1 FM; LAS VEGAS, NV; Owner: LOTUS BROADCASTING CORP.)

LOTUS BROADCASTING CORP.) KJUL (104.3 FM; NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV; Owner: KJUL LICENSE, LLC)

KJUL LICENSE, LLC) KNPR (89.5 FM; LAS VEGAS, NV; Owner: NEVADA PUBLIC RADIO CORPORATION)

NEVADA PUBLIC RADIO CORPORATION) KOAS (105.7 FM; DOLAN SPRINGS, AZ; Owner: DESERT SKY MEDIA, LLC)

DESERT SKY MEDIA, LLC) KSTJ (102.7 FM; BOULDER CITY, NV; Owner: KJUL LICENSE, LLC)

KJUL LICENSE, LLC) K211DC (90.1 FM; PAHRUMP, NV; Owner: CALVARY CHAPEL OF TWIN FALLS, INC.)

CALVARY CHAPEL OF TWIN FALLS, INC.) K256AA (99.1 FM; KINGMAN, AZ; Owner: CAROL L. VINE DBA VINE COMMUNICATNS)

CAROL L. VINE DBA VINE COMMUNICATNS) K264AB (100.7 FM; KINGMAN, AZ; Owner: CAROL L. VINE DBA VINE COMMUNICATNS)

CAROL L. VINE DBA VINE COMMUNICATNS) K268AC (101.5 FM; KINGMAN, AZ; Owner: CAROL L. VINE DBA VINE COMMUNICATNS)

CAROL L. VINE DBA VINE COMMUNICATNS) K240CL (95.9 FM; BULLHEAD CITY, AZ; Owner: CAMERON BROADCASTING, INC.)

CAMERON BROADCASTING, INC.) K295AJ (106.9 FM; NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV; Owner: CSN INTERNATIONAL)

CSN INTERNATIONAL) KRRN (92.7 FM; DOLAN SPRINGS, AZ; Owner: ENTRAVISION HOLDINGS, LLC)

ENTRAVISION HOLDINGS, LLC) K280EH (103.9 FM; KINGMAN, AZ; Owner: JANE G. BREDER)

JANE G. BREDER) K242AQ (96.3 FM; KINGMAN, AZ; Owner: DONALD F. HENDREN)

DONALD F. HENDREN) KGMN (100.1 FM; KINGMAN, AZ; Owner: NEW WEST BROADCASTING SYSTEMS, INC.)

NEW WEST BROADCASTING SYSTEMS, INC.) KQOL-FM (93.1 FM; LAS VEGAS, NV; Owner: CITICASTERS LICENSES, L.P.)

CITICASTERS LICENSES, L.P.) K224BV (92.7 FM; KINGMAN, AZ; Owner: RICHARD R. FULKERSON)

RICHARD R. FULKERSON) KXTE (107.5 FM; PAHRUMP, NV; Owner: INFINITY RADIO OPERATIONS INC.)

INFINITY RADIO OPERATIONS INC.) KOMP (92.3 FM; LAS VEGAS, NV; Owner: LOTUS BROADCASTING CORP.) TV broadcast stations around White Hills: K57FA (Channel 57; LAS VEGAS, NV; Owner: TRINITY BROADCASTING NETWORK)

White Hills, Arizona

Fatal accident count 10

Vehicles involved in fatal accidents 23

Fatal accidents involving drunk persons: 1

Fatalities 20

Persons involved in fatal accidents 63

Pedestrians involved in fatal accidents 0 Arizona average

Fatal accident count 7738

Vehicles involved in fatal accidents 11811

Fatal accidents involving drunk persons 2169

Fatalities 8617

Persons involved in fatal accidents 20086

Pedestrians involved in fatal accidents 1906 See more detailed statistics of White Hills fatal car crashes and road traffic accidents for 1975 - 2019 here

National Bridge Inventory (NBI) Statistics

19 Number of bridges

Number of bridges 66ft / 20.5m Total length

Total length $2,000 Total costs

Total costs 140,902 Total average daily traffic

Total average daily traffic 11,263 Total average daily truck traffic

Total average daily truck traffic 141,092 Total future (year 2034) average daily traffic

New bridges - historical statistics

5 1930-1939

14 1980-1989 See full National Bridge Inventory statistics for White Hills, AZ



FCC Registered Antenna Towers: 7 Tim Lewis, Wind Farm Located Near ( Lat: 35.893222 Lon: -114.400778), Type: 114.3, Structure height: 04015 m, Overall height: 114.3 m, Registrant: Kim.David@fpl.Com, , Stuar-t, Phone: (772) 260-2834

35.893222 -114.400778), 114.3, 04015 m, 114.3 m, Kim.David@fpl.Com, , Stuar-t, (772) 260-2834 Tim Lewis, Wind Farm Located Near ( Lat: 35.893222 Lon: -114.400778), Type: 114.3, Structure height: 04015 m, Overall height: 114.3 m, Registrant: Kim.David@fpl.Com, , Stuar-t, Phone: (772) 260-2834

35.893222 -114.400778), 114.3, 04015 m, 114.3 m, Kim.David@fpl.Com, , Stuar-t, (772) 260-2834 Tim Lewis, Wind Farm Located Near ( Lat: 35.893222 Lon: -114.400778), Type: 114.3, Structure height: 04015 m, Overall height: 114.3 m, Registrant: Kim.David@fpl.Com, , Stuar-t, Phone: (772) 260-2834

35.893222 -114.400778), 114.3, 04015 m, 114.3 m, Kim.David@fpl.Com, , Stuar-t, (772) 260-2834 Tim Lewis, Wind Farm Located Near ( Lat: 35.893222 Lon: -114.400778), Type: 114.3, Structure height: 04015 m, Overall height: 114.3 m, Registrant: Kim.David@fpl.Com, , Stuar-t, Phone: (772) 260-2834

35.893222 -114.400778), 114.3, 04015 m, 114.3 m, Kim.David@fpl.Com, , Stuar-t, (772) 260-2834 Tim Lewis, Wind Farm Located Near ( Lat: 35.893222 Lon: -114.400778), Type: 114.3, Structure height: 04015 m, Overall height: 114.3 m, Registrant: Mohave County Wind Farm, LLC, Tim.Lewis@fpl.Com, , Juno -Beach, Phone: (305) 552-4041

35.893222 -114.400778), 114.3, 04015 m, 114.3 m, Mohave County Wind Farm, LLC, Tim.Lewis@fpl.Com, , Juno -Beach, (305) 552-4041 Tim Lewis, Wind Farm Located Near ( Lat: 35.893222 Lon: -114.400778), Type: 114.3, Structure height: 04015 m, Overall height: 114.3 m, Registrant: Mohave County Wind Farm, LLC, Tim.Lewis@fpl.Com, , Juno -Beach, Phone: (305) 552-4041

35.893222 -114.400778), 114.3, 04015 m, 114.3 m, Mohave County Wind Farm, LLC, Tim.Lewis@fpl.Com, , Juno -Beach, (305) 552-4041 Tim Lewis, Wind Farm Located Near (Lat: 35.893222 Lon: -114.400778), Type: 114.3, Structure height: 04015 m, Overall height: 114.3 m, Registrant: Mohave County Wind Farm, LLC, Tim.Lewis@fpl.Com, , Juno -Beach, Phone: (305) 552-4041

FCC Registered Broadcast Land Mobile Towers: 4 E1/2nw1/4nw1/4sw1/4 Sec 3, T25n R21w North Mount Perkins ( Lat: 35.581667 Lon: -114.520833), Type: Pole, Structure height: 3 m, Overall height: 9 m, Call Sign: WQHH578,

Assigned Frequencies: 171.100 MHz, Grant Date: 07/21/2017, Expiration Date: 07/30/2027, Certifier: Nicholas S Hont, Pe, Registrant: Mohave County Flood Control District, 3250 E Kino Ave, Kingman, AZ 86402, Phone: (928) 757-0925, Fax: (928) 757-0912, Email:

35.581667 -114.520833), Pole, 3 m, 9 m, WQHH578, 171.100 MHz, 07/21/2017, 07/30/2027, Nicholas S Hont, Pe, Mohave County Flood Control District, 3250 E Kino Ave, Kingman, AZ 86402, (928) 757-0925, (928) 757-0912, Cr143@mp8 7625 W1/2ne1/4nw1/4se1/4ne1/4 Sec 2, T29n, R21w ( Lat: 35.934000 Lon: -114.499111), Type: Pipe, Structure height: 3 m, Overall height: 9 m, Call Sign: WQKE966,

Assigned Frequencies: 171.862 MHz, Grant Date: 03/30/2019, Expiration Date: 04/24/2029, Certifier: Nicholas S Hont, Pe, Registrant: Mohave County Flood Control District, 3675 E Andy Devine Ave., Kingman, AZ 86402, Phone: (928) 757-0925, Fax: (928) 757-0912, Email:

35.934000 -114.499111), Pipe, 3 m, 9 m, WQKE966, 171.862 MHz, 03/30/2019, 04/24/2029, Nicholas S Hont, Pe, Mohave County Flood Control District, 3675 E Andy Devine Ave., Kingman, AZ 86402, (928) 757-0925, (928) 757-0912, Lat: 35.893222 Lon: -114.400778, Call Sign: WRFU638,

Assigned Frequencies: 451.687 MHz, 451.737 MHz, 452.887 MHz, 456.737 MHz, 457.887 MHz, Grant Date: 05/05/2020, Expiration Date: 05/05/2030, Cancellation Date: 05/05/2020, Certifier: Tim Lewis, Registrant: Florida Power & Light Co, 9250 W Flagler St, Miami, FL 33174, Phone: (305) 552-4041, Email:

35.893222 -114.400778, WRFU638, 451.687 MHz, 451.737 MHz, 452.887 MHz, 456.737 MHz, 457.887 MHz, 05/05/2020, 05/05/2030, 05/05/2020, Tim Lewis, Florida Power & Light Co, 9250 W Flagler St, Miami, FL 33174, (305) 552-4041, Mohave-White Hills W, Wind Farm Located Near (Lat: 35.893222 Lon: -114.400778), Type: Ltower, Structure height: 114.3 m, Call Sign: WRHX494,

Assigned Frequencies: 452.225 MHz, Grant Date: 07/07/2020, Expiration Date: 07/07/2030, Certifier: Tim Lewis, Registrant: Florida Power & Light Co, 9250 W Flagler St, Co Tim Lewis, Imogo, Miami, FL 33174, Phone: (305) 552-4041, Email:

FCC Registered Microwave Towers: 1 WHTEHLLSTOPOP015, Rural Site (Lat: 35.793583 Lon: -114.470250), Type: Pole, Structure height: 6 m, Overall height: 7 m, Call Sign: WRFT763,

Assigned Frequencies: 11245.0 MHz, 11245.0 MHz, 11245.0 MHz, 11245.0 MHz, 11245.0 MHz, 11245.0 MHz, 11245.0 MHz, 11245.0 MHz, Grant Date: 04/29/2020, Expiration Date: 04/29/2030, Certifier: Marty Mizrahi, Registrant: Intelpath, Hinsdale, IL 60522, Phone: (312) 841-9188, Email:

FCC Registered Amateur Radio Licenses: 7 Call Sign: AA7JY, Previous Call Sign: AA6XW, Licensee ID: L00367127, Grant Date: 10/04/2011, Expiration Date: 11/05/2021, Registrant: Daniel P Dufresne, 20209 N Comanche Dr, White Hills, AZ 86445

AA7JY, AA6XW, L00367127, 10/04/2011, 11/05/2021, Daniel P Dufresne, 20209 N Comanche Dr, White Hills, AZ 86445 Call Sign: KB7PYA, Licensee ID: L00527084, Grant Date: 09/05/2012, Expiration Date: 09/05/2022, Registrant: Theresa C Dufresne, 20209 N Comanche, White Hills, AZ 86445

KB7PYA, L00527084, 09/05/2012, 09/05/2022, Theresa C Dufresne, 20209 N Comanche, White Hills, AZ 86445 Call Sign: KC7ZOW, Previous Call Sign: KD5CDV, Licensee ID: L00180651, Grant Date: 02/25/2004, Expiration Date: 02/25/2014, Cancellation Date: 02/26/2016, Registrant: Donald E Hammack, 8803 West Vista Verde Drive, White Hills, AZ 86445

KC7ZOW, KD5CDV, L00180651, 02/25/2004, 02/25/2014, 02/26/2016, Donald E Hammack, 8803 West Vista Verde Drive, White Hills, AZ 86445 Call Sign: KD7CWG, Licensee ID: L01436081, Grant Date: 09/11/2018, Expiration Date: 10/08/2028, Registrant: Daniel L Twyman, 21450 N. Tahoe Dr, White Hills, AZ 86445

KD7CWG, L01436081, 09/11/2018, 10/08/2028, Daniel L Twyman, 21450 N. Tahoe Dr, White Hills, AZ 86445 Call Sign: K7EET, Previous Call Sign: N8DBM, Licensee ID: L00572115, Grant Date: 09/04/2013, Expiration Date: 09/12/2023, Certifier: Earl E Twyman, Registrant: Earl E Twyman, 21450 N. Tahoe Dr., White Hills, AZ 86445

K7EET, N8DBM, L00572115, 09/04/2013, 09/12/2023, Earl E Twyman, Earl E Twyman, 21450 N. Tahoe Dr., White Hills, AZ 86445 Call Sign: KE7OOP, Licensee ID: L01316208, Grant Date: 08/21/2007, Expiration Date: 08/21/2017, Cancellation Date: 08/22/2019, Certifier: William P Moody, Registrant: William P Moody, 8614 W Marloma Dr, White Hills, AZ 86445

KE7OOP, L01316208, 08/21/2007, 08/21/2017, 08/22/2019, William P Moody, William P Moody, 8614 W Marloma Dr, White Hills, AZ 86445 Call Sign: KI6YIO, Licensee ID: L01304552, Grant Date: 03/13/2019, Expiration Date: 04/09/2029, Certifier: Randy M Sherwood, Registrant: Randy M Sherwood, 21052 West Palm Desert Drive, White Hills, AZ 86445



FAA Registered Aircraft: 26 (

26 ( See the full list of FAA Registered Aircraft in White Hills

63.9% Electricity

36.1% Bottled, tank, or LP gas





White Hills compared to Arizona state average: Median house value below state average.

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MIAMI (AP)  Leanne Lewis was sleeping late on her 26th birthday when she was awakened by the piercing sound of her mother-in-laws screams: Brady! Brady! Brady!

Lewis 4-year-old son, BradyJ Lee Yarbrough, who had been stricken with catastrophic brain damage at birth, wasnt breathing.

Lewis laid her son on a kitchen island and began chest compressions  one, two, three, four.. breathe, breathe, one, two, three, four.. breathe, breathe  as the doctors had trained her. When a police officer and paramedics arrived 10 minutes later to relieve her, Lewis glanced toward a corner. Her two other children had witnessed the horror.

That night, after Lewis had made arrangements with a Starke, Florida, funeral home, Lewis finally sat down with her adopted children, aged 4 and 6. Do you remember when Cleo went to heaven? she said of the family dog. This morning, Brady got to go to heaven, too.

Fighting tears, Lewis relived that day, April 20, 2019, last week at a board of directors meeting for the state-sponsored fund that had subsidized much of Bradys medical care.

Floridas Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Association  despised by many parents, including Lewis, for its delays and denials of care  had just been overhauled by the state Legislature following an investigative series, called Birth & Betrayal, by the Miami Herald and the nonprofit newsroom ProPublica.

The reforms were broad and far-reaching, including an increase from $100,000 to $250,000 in the one-time award to parents entering the program. Along with their emotional scars, parents can incur massive debts raising  and losing  a child with severe disabilities.

While the reforms took care of the future, they frustrated parents like Lewis, whose child died while in the program two years earlier and therefore is no longer part of NICA.

It was, Lewis says, as if she didnt exist. As if Brady never existed.

Caring for a profoundly disabled child was the hardest job Lewis ever held, she said. But no more difficult than watching a child die.

We are both parents, she told the board, referring to the parents of living and deceased NICA children. Our children both exist.

Lawmakers created NICA in 1988 as an antidote to obstetricians complaints that malpractice insurance premiums had become too burdensome. The law stripped parents like Lewis of the right to sue their doctors and hospitals when children are born with a specific type of brain damage resulting from oxygen deprivation or spinal injury. In return, NICA promises to provide all medically necessary and reasonable healthcare for the rest of a childs life.

Since its inception, NICA has amassed nearly $1.7 billion in assets, fed by annual assessments paid by doctors. But parents have complained  and records confirm  that administrators assumed sweeping power over struggling families, arbitrarily denying requests for reimbursement, from medication to wheelchairs to therapy, and sometimes paying thousands in legal fees to avoid paying hundreds for care.

In June, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation that transforms the program. The law was passed unanimously. A centerpiece was the $150,000 increase in the one-time payment to parents accepted for compensation, retroactive to all current participants. The law also set aside $10,000 annually for families mental health care.

Neither of those provisions will help Lewis, though, or the parents of about 215 other NICA children who died either before their petitions were accepted for compensation, or after. The decision, parents say, has left them raw with anger once again.

Have you ever been faced with explaining to your very young children that they would never see their brother again, and that what they witnessed that day was their mother trying to save his life _ and failing? Lewis told the seven-member board, which includes a NICA parent and an advocate for disabled children for the first time in its 33 years.

Last week, Lewis was one of nearly a dozen NICA parents who spoke to the new board. Half of those parents are still in mourning, even years later, from the death of a child. Several said they intend to keep attending meetings, which are being monitored by the states top insurance consumer advocate, until their pleas are answered.

They would like the $150,000 benefit extended to them, since they faced the same prohibition on holding their doctor or hospital accountable through litigation. Many of them were left financially impoverished by the strains of caring for a stricken child.

Lewis told the board shed also like to provide her surviving children _ they are actually Bradys cousins, adopted from foster care _ counseling to help them cope with their loss, as well as the trauma of that day. Shed like to speak to a counselor too, as the three antidepressants shes taking have failed to assuage her grief. But she cant afford it.

I dont have $150 per week for grief counseling, because I cant afford insurance, said Lewis, 28, who works in a dental office. Im not going anywhere. Ill be back for your next meeting.

We Are Broken

Since NICAs inception, about 1,240 families have filed compensation petitions. At least 440 of those were accepted for coverage, including about 143 petitions from parents whose child died by the time the claim was approved.

The other children whose claims were compensated died sometime after they entered the program, NICA has said. Those children had an average life span of 8.2 years after acceptance.

The parents of children who died at birth, or shortly after, were entitled to the same one-time $100,000 award as parents whose children are enrolled in NICA. And parents were given a $10,000 death benefit to offset the costs of a funeral and burial when their children succumbed to their injuries. Lewis said Bradys funeral and burial cost $18,000 _ $8,000 of which she had to finance.

The new law did raise the death benefit to $50,000, and the parents of all deceased children were given $40,000 retroactively.

Beginning shortly after DeSantis signed the new law, several families filed claims with the state Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH), where petitions for NICA compensation are adjudicated. They say the new law, which restricts the $150,000 supplement and $10,000 in mental health benefits to only current participants, is discriminatory.

Among those parents are Lindsey and James Johnson, whose son, Cooper Reilly Johnson, was born on June 13, 2017 _ and died eight days later from the oxygen deprivation he suffered at birth.

Excluding families like theirs assumes their loss is a lesser burden than those whose children are still living, the couple wrote in a court pleading filed exactly four years and one day after Coopers birth.

NICA did not take into consideration that our lives are forever changed; we are not the same people we were the morning our son was taken from us. It has been almost four years since Cooper was born and died  and not a day goes by that we are not haunted by the image of our son dying in (our) arms, watching his heart take its last beat.

We are broken, and will always be broken, the Winter Park couple, whose story was detailed by the Herald, said in a written filing.

The Johnsons appeal, which will be heard by Judge W. David Watkins, has yet to be set for hearing.

A similar petition filed by the parents of an Orlando child who died a year before Cooper was rejected almost immediately. On June 3, Ruth and Jean Jacques asked a different judge, Todd P. Resavage, to reopen their 2016 petition and extend the new benefits to them, as well. Resavage dismissed the petition, which allows the couple to refile their claim as a new case at DOAH.

This trauma exists, they wrote, for those whose children were fortunate to live, and those whose children were not.

In remarks to the board last week, Ruth Jacques said that just because your baby is dead, it doesnt mean you dont deserve to be celebrated on Mothers Day. That is insulting.

She added: I am not going away.

One of NICAs lawyers, Stephen Ecenia, told the parents he was empathetic to their plight. But, he added, what they were requesting is entirely the province of the Legislature.

NICAs new board chairman, Jim DeBeaugrine, seemed to say the same thing in an email to state insurance regulators Thursday. DeBeaugrine said board members were listening to NICA parents concerns, but that some fixes would require legislation.

DeBeaugrine wrote that NICAs interim director had been asked to determine the financial impact of paying $150,000 to about 216 families  an expenditure that would appear to be about $32 million. The money would come not from tax dollars but from NICAs $1.7 billion in assets.

When asked by the Herald whether Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis favored extending benefits to the parents of deceased children, a spokesman declined to answer. In a prepared statement, Frank Collins III said: The CFO doesnt think anything should be off the table when it comes to providing NICA families with much needed relief.

Renee Oliver, one of the boards new members, is raising a son in the NICA program. As the children of roughly half of the families compensated by the program are now deceased, she said during last weeks meeting, any one of us could be in their shoes.

Oliver sobbed as she beseeched her colleagues on the board to support the parents of the dead.

Make it right for all the parents in NICA, she said. This is not a club any one of us wants to belong to.

In an emailed statement, NICA administrators said they couldnt discuss the pending legal claims from parents, but they believe the bill sponsors took great care to listen to many current and former NICA families during the 2021 legislative session, crafting the legislation based on what they learned.

NICA is implementing the new law for the benefit of NICA families as dictated by the Legislature, and will continue to do so with any future legislative enactments, the program wrote.

Sen. Gary Farmer, a Fort Lauderdale Democrat who represents clients who allege medical malpractice as part of his legal practice and supported the legislation, said he doesnt recall much discussion of making the benefits retroactive to the parents of all deceased children. Farmer said he favors doing so, and would back such a measure in the upcoming lawmaking session.

The heartstrings, he said, are in favor of that.

Constant Battles

Robin Grillakis son, Julian, spent nearly a decade as a NICA participant. Grillakis said she spent most of that time fighting the program. A log kept by NICA caseworkers  which was given to the Herald by Grillakis  confirms much of her account.

Julian was born Sept. 14, 2008, at South Seminole Hospital in Longwood, near Orlando. His first two APGAR scores  numeric measures of a newborns health  were zero and zero. He required resuscitation, and then a breathing tube, to survive.

Grillakis and her husband, Michael Grillakis, believed their son would not have suffered severe brain damage but for the actions of the medical professionals who delivered him. But their attorney insisted they had no choice under Florida law but to petition for NICA coverage. The claim was accepted in December of 2011.

Alayna Curry, a spokeswoman for Orlando Heath, which operates South Seminole, issued a short statement: At Orlando Health South Seminole Hospital, the health and safety of our patients is our top priority, and we provide every patient with expert medical care during their stay.

Due to federal privacy laws, she added, we cannot address a specific case.

The friction between NICA and the Grillakis family began soon after the couple entered the program, and lasted for much of Julians life, his mother said.

The family fought over Julian attending an educational program for children with the neurological condition cerebral palsy, as well as gas money and tolls when his parents decided to send him there without NICAs help.

They fought over who would pay for the boys dental bills. NICA agreed to pay for an anesthesiologist _ because many people with severe disabilities require a hospital setting even for even routine dental care _ but questioned everything else, records show.

The couple fought over a hospital bed, alternative therapies such as hyperbaric oxygen or stem cells, food for the boys feeding tube that wasnt approved by Medicaid, Floridas insurance program for needy or disabled people, and a therapist the family wanted to consult in Cocoa, Grillakis said. All those things we had to do out-of-pocket, she said.

NICA quibbled over the price of a wheelchair/stroller, and insisted the family pay $354 in addition to the $2,801 NICA was willing to pay _ out of a $500 discretionary fund parents were allowed to spend on therapeutic Christmas toys, the log said.

When Julians cerebral palsy made the boys legs become scissored and rigid, causing his hips to slide out of their sockets, the parents asked for permission to send Julian to an orthopedic surgeon in New Jersey who was the go-to specialist for a procedure designed to prevent the hip from dislocating.

But NICA was reluctant to pay for the procedure, which the program said was not the standard treatment. Advised them we were trying to help them get care for their son, a caseworker wrote of the dispute. Stated several times that NICA wanted the child to have the care he needs.

Bonnie Grillakis, Julians grandmother, said correcting the boys hips was especially important because Julian was nonverbal, incapable of telling anyone when he was in pain.

Of course, they fought it and fought it, Robin Grillakis said of NICA administrators. Eventually, NICA agreed to pay for one hip. But when Julian was being prepped for the procedure, the surgeon reported that both hips were now shot, the log said.

The surgeon recommended operating on both hips while Julian was anesthetized. But NICA administrators said the program would only pay for the one hip, Robin Grillakis said. Administrators wanted the boy to complete the one surgery, then go through the arduous process of getting permission for another.

I said, `sorry, Im not doing this to my son again,  Robin Grillakis said. After she raised her voice, NICA relented.

Its always been a struggle, Robin Grillakis said.

In February of 2018, the Grillakises took Julian to the hospital for a procedure on his digestive tract. A few days later, on Feb. 2, he died in his sleep. Robin Grillakis told her caseworker blood was pouring out of her sons mouth and throat, the familys log said.

Julians death ended the familys constant battles with NICA. But a different pain endured.

The Grillakis familys years-long struggle left the couple bitter and angry. But thats not the reason, Robin Grillakis said, they deserve additional compensation.

The one-time payment, she said, was designed to relieve pain and suffering.

We are still very much full of pain  and suffering every damn day, Grillakis said. Most families have their pain and issues, but at least they get to hug and kiss their babies every morning and every night. 

I do not have that luxury.

Hospitals And Love

Brady J Yarbrough was born on May 21, 2014. His delivery required five pulls from a vacuum extraction device, and he had to be intubated and ventilated in order to breathe, records say. Nine doses of epinephrine were required to start the boys heart.

Lewis said it took doctors 31 minutes to revive her son, and she could only watch helplessly as the medical staff formed a wall around the newborn.

Doctors cooled his body for three days, a treatment designed to stanch the damage to his brain.

The damage was so severe, however, that, even medicated, Bradys seizures were serious enough to kill him. Brady, Lewis told the board, lived a life full of hospitals, therapies, appointments, machines  and love.

I swear, our love kept him alive so many times, Lewis told board members. So many times I could see it in his eyes. He was so tired, but he held on so long it was like he knew I needed him in order to survive. As long as he was OK, I was OK.

On April 18, 2019, Brady spent the night at UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville, recovering from a grand mal seizure in which he lost consciousness. On the 19th, Lewis brought him home, and he spent the day lying on a double recliner with his mom.

On the morning of Lewis birthday, she awakened to the shrieks of Bradys grandmother. Lewis suctioned her sons airway, and immediately began CPR until a rescue team arrived. When she diverted her eyes away from her son, she saw her other children were watching from a corner, stricken.

She knew her son was gone when paramedics refused to allow her to ride with him in the ambulance.

The following day was Easter. Her older child asked when Brady would be returning from heaven. He wouldnt, Lewis said.

You dont get sick in heaven, she told them. You dont have seizures in heaven. You can walk in heaven. You can talk in heaven. Everything Brady couldnt do here, he can do in heaven.

Brady was laid to rest with a stuffed bunny and a Stitch doll from Lilo and Stitch. His favorite toy, a little yellow duck named Chirp, now belongs to his sister, who sleeps with the toy nightly.

In her remarks to the NICA board, Lewis said: Apparently, there is an expiration date on the pain and suffering that one experiences after losing a child.

Has the parent of a child who is still living suffered or lost more than the parent who has lost their child? Im sorry, but I cannot make it make sense.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A week after a federal court found that waiting two years to file a property claim is too long, a state court reached a different conclusion: Failing to timely file supporting documents on a claim does not necessarily harm the insurer.

In Winston and Kathleen Dias vs. Universal Property and Casualty Insurance Co., Floridas 4th District Court of Appeal examined the subtleties of state insurance law, case law and policy requirements.

Writing for the majority of the court, Judge Martha Warner said that a Broward County trial court had erred when it sided with Universal. The trial judge had essentially upheld the insurer in its denial of the claim. Universal had denied the claim when the homeowners failed to provide key information  until almost five months later.

That an insurer is required to pay or deny a claim in accordance with the statutory terms does not necessarily show that an insurer is prejudiced when the insured does not cooperate, the appeals court wrote.

The opinion explained that the Dias home suffered water damage in March 2016. The couple hired a public adjuster, who filed a claim about a month later. Universal asked for a sworn proof-of-loss statement. Universals own adjuster then inspected the damage about two weeks later, in May.

On May 24, two months after the damage occurred, Universal again asked for a proof-of-loss statement and other documents. A few weeks later, the carrier asked again. Having received no information, Universal denied the claim in July. The Diases filed suit in October 2017.

Universal argued that it had little choice: A Florida law, adopted in 2020, requires insurers to accept or deny a claim within 90 days, and that failure by the homeowners to provide needed documents had hurt the insurers ability to weigh the claim. The appeals court also noted that previous court decisions have found that prejudice to the insurer is presumed when policyholders breach policy requirements, but that the insureds can rebut that and show that the carrier had not been prejudiced.

The Diases attorneys, George Vaka and Nancy Lauten of Tampa, argued that the couple had provided the necessary documents, albeit late, and that Universals own adjuster had testified that he had fully inspected the property and had everything he needed to prepare a restoration estimate. On the 90-day statutory deadline, the appeals court said that the law does not mandate action on a claim if the failure to pay is caused by factors beyond the insurers control.

That an insurer is required to pay or deny a claim in accordance with the statutory terms does not necessarily show that an insurer is prejudiced when the insured does not cooperate, Judge Warner wrote. The failure of the insured to comply with policy provisions would be a matter not within the insurers control.

Besides, the court said, statutes allow for a claim to be reopened.

Because a disputed issue of fact remains as to whether insurer was prejudiced by the untimely submission of the sworn proof of loss and documentation, the trial court erred in granting summary judgment, the opinion concluded. We thus reverse and remand for further proceedings.

A week earlier, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida found, in LMP Holdings vs. Scottsdale Insurance, that homeowners who waited 27 months to file a claim had prejudiced the insurer. The policy in that case required prompt notice after damage was discovered, and after two years, the carrier had scant ability to rebut the claim, the federal court said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 7)  Life in Metro Manila is slowly but surely easing back to normal.

This is after different establishments were allowed to raise capacity use and welcome back more people under Alert Level 2.

During the first weekend under eased restrictions, many parents grabbed the chance to finally bring their children to public areas.

"Sobrang saya kasi after two years na rin kami hindi nakalabas. Parang nakatikim ng kalayaan, said one parent.

[Translation: We are so happy. We have not been outdoors as a family for two years. Its like getting a taste of freedom.]

On Sunday, many families also went to church but some still preferred to hear mass outside the premises of the church in order to avoid transmission of COVID-19.

Establishments where families usually converge assured that they are taking precautionary measures to make sure that everyone is following safety protocols.

Business establishments hoped that Alert Level 2 will be implemented throughout this holiday season to give them chance to work on bouncing back their profits.

We are very optimistic that this coming Christmas, business will be better for all our micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that are badly affected by the pandemic, said Arlene Magtibay, senior vice president and general manager of Robinsons Malls.

Families are not the only ones seen to be reunited in public under Alert Level 2.

Night life in Metro Manila as seen in famous hangout spots is slowly easing back to its old form.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque has earlier noted that videoke bars are now allowed to operate but people still need to be wearing face masks as they reach for those high notes.

Under Alert Level 2, customers allowed in many establishments such as restaurants and bars have been raised to 50% of capacity.

Those who wish to dine in may do so provided that they have completed their vaccination, supervisors said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 8)  The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Monday said it still wants to implement the "no vaccine, no subsidy" scheme for indigents  a proposal made due to the clamor of local government units for help in ramping up their COVID-19 inoculation drive.

"Let me just emphasize, it's not just the DILG that is proposing this," Interior Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya told CNN Philippines' The Source.

Lawmakers earlier criticized the proposal, with some saying it shows callous disregard of the poor and that incentives, not penalties, should be offered under government's immunization program.

Citing a recent meeting with mayors from different localities, including those from far-flung provinces, Malaya said local chief executives were the ones who pitched the idea of imposing disincentives to beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) who refuse their COVID-19 shots, since they have been bogging down the vaccination efforts in their respective areas.

Malaya noted that LGUs are willing to cooperate after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered DILG to sanction localities that fail to meet their inoculation targets, but the mayors themselves asked for the government's help so that they could ramp up their rollout.

"The President told the DILG to sanction the mayors who will be slow or underperforming based on the targets the NVOC (National Vaccine Operations Center) has given to them," Malaya said.

"Sagot naman nila sa amin, 'sir ok kaming magcomply pero tulungan niyo naman kami, lets have a scheme where it will be a disincentive, mawithhold ang kanilang subsidy kung hindi sila magpapabakuna,'" he added.

[Translation: They told us, 'sir, we are willing to comply, but help us, let's have a scheme where it will be a disincentive, we could withhold their subsidy if they will not get vaccinated.]

Malaya said only 12% of about 4 million 4Ps beneficiaries have received their COVID-19 shots to date.

In a separate interview with CNN Philippines, Malaya clarified DILG is only pushing to withhold the 750 health and nutrition monthly grant, a component of the 4Ps subsidy, which will eventually be released when the beneficiary gets his COVID-19 shot.

"Ang pinopropose lang namin is to withhold the 750 per month health and nutrition grant. Isang component lang," he said. "Kasi health ito eh, so naisip namin yung ang kailangang iwithhold. Pag nagpabakuna na siya pwede nang irelease yung kanyang 750 per month. We are not proposing to withhold the entire amount."

[Translation: We are only proposing to withhold the 750 monthly health and nutrition grant, just one component. Because this is health-related, so we thought that that should be withheld. If he decides to get his shot, we can release the 750 per month. We ar not proposing to withhold the entire amount.]

Malaya said the agency will leave it up to the Office of the President, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development to assess the validity of its proposal.

Meanwhile, Commission on Human Rights spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said a humane instead of a peace and order approach must be employed taking into account religious beliefs and medical conditions as valid exemptions for non-vaccination. She also called on the government to further raise vaccine confidence to dispel rather than fuel public fear.

READ: Senators warn DILG: No vaccination, no 4Ps subsidy illegal

CNN Philippines Correspondent Gerg Cahiles contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 8)  The Senate has approved on third and final reading a proposed measure seeking to provide security to members of the judiciary and their families by creating a security force supervised by the Supreme Court.

A total of 21 senators voted in favor of the bill, while Senator Ronald dela Rosa abstained.

Under Senate Bill No. 1947, or the Judiciary Marshals Act, the Office of the Judiciary Marshals shall conduct threat assessments, investigations, and forensic analyses of crimes and threats committed against judiciary members and even court properties.

The judiciary marshals would also be mandated to investigate alleged corruption committed by justices, judges, and other court officials, as directed by the Supreme Court.

The proposed office would be headed by a Chief Marshal, who shall be appointed by the Supreme Court and will be assisted by three deputy marshals assigned in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

If enacted into law, a Judicial Marshal Academy will be established to recruit and train judicial marshals.

Meanwhile, Dela Rosa explained that he abstained from voting after his amendment to remove the investigative powers of the body was not adopted in the final Senate version.

"My proposed amendment was aimed to preserve the separation of powers between the Executive and the Judicial branch of the government as enshrined in our Constitution. However, I do not object to the creation of the Office of the Judiciary Marshals that would ensure safety and security of the members of our Judiciary," he said in a text message.

According to the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, more than 60 lawyers in the country have been killed during the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 8)  The country on Monday received a fresh batch of around 2.8 million Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine doses.

President Rodrigo Duterte personally graced the welcome ceremony for the 2,805,000 vials which arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 7:30 p.m.

In a speech, Duterte thanked Russia for the delivery which is part of the 10 million doses stated in its procurement contract with the government.

"Let us work together to put an end to this disease and its harmful effects to our people and economy for nearly two years now," Duterte said, as he again urged the public to get their anti-coronavirus shots.

"Rest assured that this administration is committed to securing safe and effective vaccines for all Filipinos," he added.

The delivery is one of the biggest Sputnik V shipments the country has received, according to vaccine czar Carlito Galvez. He added this brought to 7.19 million the cumulative number of doses sent by the Russian government.

Galvez said the additional supply will help the government achieve its goal of vaccinating a total of 54 million Filipinos with at least one dose this November, and completely inoculating them before the year ends.

Based on latest data, 34.71 million Filipinos have received at least one shot, with 29.47 million now fully immunized.

The government is aiming to administer a million shots daily by Nov. 10, and further increasing this to 1.5 million after Nov. 15. The country is averaging only 697,025 doses per day as of Nov. 7.
Once upon a time in technology, many years ago, Microsoft previewed server software to great fanfare at a meeting of IT pros. The company demonstrated how easy it was to use the software, which would automatically install the server, email server, and SharePoint server  all in less than 30 minutes.

There was one problem: every time Microsoft went to demonstrate the server software, it would fail with an unclear error message.

Back then, I would sometimes post and answer questions in a Microsoft newsgroup. Just before Thanksgiving, I started seeing consultants trying to install the software see the same failure. One person in the forum thread figured out the issue: a specific SharePoint dll file used during the installation had a Nov. 23 expiration date. If you installed the server software before that date, you had no issues. If you tried to do it after, the installation would fail. The workaround? Go into the BIOS of the server, set the date back to before Nov. 23, install the software, then set the clock back to the correct time.

If you know anything about Active Directory domain controllers, you know that changing dates and times isnt usually wise. Fortunately, the servers suffered no ill effects and  other than egg on their faces for a less-than-ideal product release in Australia  Small Business Server 2003 went on to further acclaim.

Why am I relaying this story now? Because it shows that release bugs in new tech are nothing new. Microsoft uses a process of code signing files to validate and verify that files are legitimate. If the certificate isnt valid or has expired, the operating system or specific files may not work. And thats why reports starting popping up last week about a certificate that unexpectedly expired, triggering issues with applications in Windows 11. (The company pushed out a patch to correct the issue Friday; more information about that below.)

Affected PCs running either Windows 11 Home or Pro had issues with the following applications:

Touch Keyboard, Voice Typing, and Emoji Panel

Input Method Editor user interface (IME UI)

Getting started and Tips

Snipping Tool

Users running Windows 11 S mode (a specific Home version that allows you to install software only from the Microsoft Store), may also have seen issues with the Accounts page and landing page in the Settings app and then Start menu.

As Matt Graeber pointed out on Twitter: The MinCryptVerifyCertificateWithPolicy2 function in ci.dll returns STATUS_IMAGE_CERT_EXPIRED when a file is preview build signed _and_ the cert is expired.

Bottom line, Microsoft used beta, or in this case Insider edition code, in the final version of Windows 11  and the certificate on the code expired Oct. 31. Not only that, but the code was signed by the Microsoft Development Certificate Authority. Graeber went on: Where I feel more comfortable speculating now is that failing to load expired preview build code is intentional in order to make the OS inoperable to users attempting to use preview versions of the OS indefinitely.

Code signing is important. Its one of the reasons Microsoft can break up security patches into pieces and use technology such as delivery optimization techniques that allow them to be delivered either directly from Microsoft or from shared computers in your peer-to-peer network. The pieces are then recombined  and the code is validated to ensure it has not been tampered with. You can obtain your patches from anywhere and the platform will always confirm that the patch you install is valid Microsoft code and has not been tampered with.

Normally, when Microsoft releases a final product, it removes the developer certificates and replaces them with the final signing process.

While there was a preview patch for Windows 11 that dealt with most of the issues, Microsoft helpfully released an out-of-band patch on Friday to fix the problem. KB5008295 should "completely resolve a set of issues affecting the Snipping Tool, Touch Keyboard, some built-in apps and S Mode on Windows 11," the company said on Twitter.

More detailed info is available here.

At Askwoody.com we use the MS-DEFCON process for patching recommendations. Using a scale of one to five ,we let people know when its safe to install updates. (A 1 means no updates should be installed; a 5 means all is clear.) I was recently asked when we would start including Windows 11 in the MS-DEFCON system. While I track updates to Windows 11 because its now considered a released product, I still consider it to be in the early testing phase; I dont recommend that it be installed on production systems.

While Windows 11 will recover from this code-signing problem, it still points out why Microsoft's new OS should be considered only for testing. Clearly, Windows 11 needs a bit more time for bugs to be worked out.

The good news in this era of Windows updates is that Microsoft didn't have to manufacture new installation CDs to deal with this problem. It was a fairly quick and easy fix. But I still find it noteworthy that even with new code development processes and procedures over the past two decades, bugs like this still crop up.
When John F. Kennedy ran for Congress in Massachusetts in 1946, he didn't have any political experience. On the other hand, his opponent, Joe Russo (no relation to the Marvel director of the same name) was a city councilman.

JFK did have his rich family on his side, but Russo tried to make his connections and wealth out as points against him. "Congress seat for sale," he wrote in an anti-Kennedy ad. "No experience necessary. Applicant must live in New York or Florida. Only millionaires need apply." This wasn't really fairJohn had lived in New York and Florida, but he was born and went to college in Massachusetts, and the only reason he'd been away recently was he'd served in World War II.

The Kennedy campaign figured that many voters might support Russo, especially Italian voters. In fact, even if they'd never heard of either candidate, Italian voters might look at the ballot and pick the guy with the Italian name. If another Italian candidate happened to run, though, the two might split the Italian vote and give John a better chance.

They thought about drafting such a candidate. But then they went one step beyond that: They didn't find just any Italian but another man actually named Joe Russo. This second Joe Russo was a janitor, with no desire to win, but the reps they sent (who janitor Joe assumed were from the mob) paid him to run. The plan was that the two Joes would now not just split the Italian vote but split the segment of the electorate who supported Joe Russo specifically.

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Sure enough, JFK won the election, setting him on the course for the presidency. He got 22,183 votes. Meanwhile, the two Joe Russos got ... fewer than 7,000 votes combined. The trick pulled about 800 votes from the councilman to the janitor, but it had been totally unnecessary.

For more dirty political tricks, check out:

Boris Yeltsin Wins the Election With a Brazilian Soap Opera

1852: Mr. Faints-A-Lot Versus Mr. Unwilling-To-Murder-A-Former-President

The Candidate Who Almost Won An Election By Murdering His Opponent

Top image: Kennedy Library
My father is still an angry atheist, so its safe to assume I didnt grow up in a loving Christian home. Just the opposite. When I fully gave my life to Jesus Christ at age 13, it was seen as an act of rebellion. This was in a home where my father regularly told me, David, there are no rules. Dont obey anyone. Dont even obey me. In the hardest way possible, I learned there was a rule: You cant be a Christian.

Then again, my atheistic father didnt clarify what kind of Christian I couldnt be. Apostolic? Baptist? Catholic? Dutch Reformed? Ethiopian Orthodox? Free Church? Well, you get the idea. Over the past two millennia, the Church has branched out around the world into a vast mosaic of denominations. Many are new within the past two or three centuries. Many others trace their roots all the way back to Peter (Roman Catholic), Philip (Ethiopia), Thomas (India, etc.), and other biblical men and women of God.

So, what kind of Christian am I? God laughed and Im non-denominational. That doesnt mean I dont value denominations. Just the opposite! I thank God frequently for the gifts every denomination has given to the rest of the Church. I also thank God for the joys of meeting and befriending brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. Their lives, homes, and churches look much different from mine. Still, the joy is tangible.

Like the apostle Paulwho looked forward to bringing a spiritual gift to the Jewish and Christian men and women in Rome (Romans 1:11)I too long to impart spiritual gifts to others. One of my great joys is sharing such gifts with devout Catholic friends.

Assurance of Heaven before Dying

My dear friend was dying after a prolonged, hard-fought battle with cancer. Yet the rock-solid assurance of salvation and heaven were missing. Weak as she was, she invited me to visit. I always remind myself to be unshockable, but her once-glamorous appearance was cruelly wasted away. I caught my breath and waited for her to speak.

She spoke of her deep love for her family and sorrow that she would miss her childrens weddings, her grandchildren, and all the normal joys of the middle years of life. She also spoke of her great disappointment that she would not win out over her terrible cancer. Finally, she spoke of her devout faith since childhood, yet her deep desire to know for sure that she was ready for eternity.

In turn, I told her that I was happy to talk about heaven.

First, I reminded her that she always has believed that Jesus Christ is eternally true God, that two thousand years ago Jesus came to earth (true man forever after), and that Jesus lived a perfect life, taught for scores of hours, performed hundreds of miracles, and fed thousands of people. Yes, of course!

Then I used 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 to remind her that she wholeheartedly believed the essential of first importance Gospel message: Jesus Christ died for us and for all our sins, Jesus was buried, and He rose again the third day. Again, of course!

Based on her confession of faith, and her lifetime of faith, I went on to assure her that the Lord would surely welcome her with open arms in heaven. Then we had a wonderful time of prayer together.

She understood that her good works for God flowed from her faith, hope, and love for the Savior. In other words, her good works didnt save her. They simply showed the reality of that devout faith.

A Devout Catholic Christian

Late this summer I had the opportunity to spend a week making a new friend  a winsome gentleman and devout Catholic from the Philippines. Part of my family is adopted from the Philippines, so our family has a great love for its people. No surprise, he and I became good friends quickly.

On our second to last day together, he reminded me that he and his wife pray and read the Bible together every day. He proudly said she is a devout Christian. Then he added, My cousin asked me a question I dont understand. He asked, Are you saved? What does that question even mean?

I smiled. Im so glad that youre a devout Catholic and that your wife is a devout Christian. You may not realize it, but youre both.

How is that?

How do you know youre a devout Catholic?

I do good works for God all the time. You know that!

Yes, and I so enjoy the good works youve given to me these past few days. What a joy. But you also have a deep faith. And that deep faith is what makes you a Catholic Christian.

He was intently listening, so I continued.

First, you deeply believe in Jesus Christ, who is true God eternally and true man since He came to earth two thousand years ago. As Gods unique Son, Jesus lived a perfect life, taught everything God the Father told Him to say, performed hundreds of miracles, and fed thousands of people.

Yes, exactly. Ive always believed all of that about Jesus.

As well, youve also believed what the Holy Bible calls the Good News of Jesus Christ. That Good News of first importance is that Jesus died for us and for all of our sins, Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb, and the Lord Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. By embracing that Good News, we affirm we are Christians. We are saved. We are born-again. And we have the assurance of heaven when we die.

Youre right. So, Ive been a Catholic Christian all this time. He couldnt wait to tell his wife, his inquiring cousin, and others.

When we saw each other the next day, he thanked me again for showing him how he was a Catholic Christian. How great to share this with my family. How great, indeed!

Common Questions and the Answers

Q: Surely it cant be this easy?

A: Conversion to Jesus Christ and Christianity requires belief in His true divinity (forever), in His true humanity (coming to earth), and in what He did to save us (death on the cross and resurrection). Theres so much more depth to the Christian faith, but that depth isnt required for salvation.

Q: What about faith versus works?

A: Our faith in Jesus Christ and His Good News makes us Christians. Our good works thereafter demonstrate the reality of our faith. The two always go hand in hand.

With my non-devout (skeptical, agnostic, or atheistic) friends, however, I sometimes invite them to do good works with a handful of Christians. I do that as a tangible means of showing them the value and worth of the Christian faith. A number have come to faith in Jesus Christ after participating in such work projects, short-term mission trips, and the like.

Thats not necessary for devout Catholics, of course. They already believe in Jesus Christ and His Good News. Once they embrace the reality that theyre Catholic Christians (like two of the three most recent popes), theyre often eager to share the Good News with others (again, just as three of the four most recent popes have embraced this new evangelization).

Q: So, theres no difference between Catholic and Christian?

A: No, Im not saying that! Many differences exist between devout and nominal Catholics and many differences between devout and nominal Christians. Many Catholics and Christians have deep faith in Jesus Christ and His Gospel in common, but many do not. Lets not focus on the latter. Instead, lets lead devout Catholics to Christ whenever the Spirit gives us the opportunity. Its great joy for all!

Photo Credit: Sparrowstock

David Sanfords book and Bible projects have been published by Zondervan, Tyndale, Thomas Nelson, Doubleday, Barbour, and Amazon. His newest book is Life Map Devotional for Men published concurrently with his wife Renees new book, Life Map Devotional for Women.
Editor's note: This article, posted earlier today, had been updated to include the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

On Friday, Congress passed one of President Biden's signature pieces of legislation, the $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This landmark bill promises not only massive upgrades to the nation's aging infrastructure but also boosts government cybersecurity spending by $1.9 billion.

Among its provisions is a new $1 billion grant program to help state, local, tribal and territorial governments protect themselves from malicious actors and modernize systems to protect sensitive data, information, and public critical infrastructure. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which runs the Department of Homeland Security's (DHSs) existing grant programs, will provide the funds over four years starting in fiscal year 2022, with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) serving as a subject matter expert.

The bill also incorporates the Cyber Response and Recovery Act of 2021, which authorizes $100 million over five years to help the government quickly respond to cybersecurity intrusions. Another notable provision is $21 million in funding for the newly created office of the National Cyber Director (NCD) to hire qualified personnel to support its essential cybersecurity mission. The bill further requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and CISA to identify public water systems that, if degraded or rendered inoperable due to a cyber-attack, would lead to significant impacts on the health and safety of the public.

As the infrastructure bill awaits the president's signature, another major piece of legislation championed by Biden, the 1,700-page social spending-oriented Build Back Better bill, promises to increase cybersecurity spending even more. That bill contains at least $500 million in cybersecurity funding for the CISA, including $100 million for securing federal civilian systems not deemed "national security systems."

The Build Back Better bill also includes $50 million for cloud security, $50 million for industrial control systems security, and $20 million to support migration to the dot-gov domain by state, local and tribal governments. However, forecasts for the bill's passage are cloudy, given stiff resistance from two senators who threaten to derail it because they think it goes too far in expanding social safety nets.

Only one other cybersecurity bill has become law

Aside from these significant pieces of legislation, Congress has been busy on various cybersecurity bills since our last Congressional update. Altogether, since the current 117th Congress began in January, 321 bills that deal in whole or part with cybersecurity have been introduced.

Of these bills, only one cybersecurity bill, the K-12 Cybersecurity Act of 2021, has become law. This bill, sponsored by Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) and signed by President Biden on October 8, requires CISA to "study the cybersecurity risks facing elementary and secondary schools and develop recommendations that include cybersecurity guidelines designed to assist schools in facing those risks."

Other cybersecurity bills to watch

Since late July, lawmakers have introduced roughly seventy new bills that reference cybersecurity. The following summarizes the more prominent of these pieces of legislation worth watching closely:

H.R. 5186, CISA Leadership Act. Sponsored by Representative Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), the bill aims to prevent the kind of turmoil that afflicted CISA after Donald Trump fired its first chief, Chris Krebs, for reaffirming the security of the presidential election. The proposed Act establishes a five-year term for the CISA director position and reaffirms that the position is presidentially nominated and Senate approved.

S. 2875, Cyber Incident Reporting Act of 2021. Sponsored by Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), the bill establishes timelines for cyber incident reporting, including giving certain organizations 24 hours to report if they paid the sum demanded in a ransomware attack. It also requires owners and operators of critical infrastructure to report cybersecurity incidents to the CISA within 72 hours.

H.R. 3599, Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program Act of 2021. This bill was sponsored in the House by Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) and passed by the House on September 30. It is now awaiting action in the Senate. The bill establishes a rotational cyber workforce program under which certain federal employees may be detailed among rotational cyber workforce positions at other agencies.

S. 2902, Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2021. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) sponsored the legislation, which aims to improve federal cybersecurity given the spate of multiple cyberattacks earlier this year. In addition, the bill clarifies CISA's role in responding to cybersecurity incidents and requires federal agencies to report significant attacks to both CISA and Congress, ensuring that CISA is the lead organization in responding to these incidents.

H.R.3919, Secure Equipment Act. Sponsored by Representative Steve Scalise (R-LA), the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on October 20 and passed it to the Senate without amendment by unanimous consent. The bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to establish rules stating that it will no longer review or approve any authorization application for equipment on the list of covered communications equipment or services. This list names equipment or services that the FCC determines pose an unacceptable risk to national security or the security and safety of US persons.

H.R.4067, Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council Act. Sponsored by Representative Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), the bill would require the FCC to permanently establish a council to help make recommendations on increasing the security and reliability of telecommunications networks. The House passed the bill on October 20.

H.R. 4611, DHS Software Supply Chain Risk Management Act of 2021. Sponsored by Representative Richard Torres (D-NY), the bill was passed in the House on October 20 and received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The bill requires the Management Directorate of the DHS to issue guidance regarding new and existing contracts relating to the procurement of information and communications technology or services. Among other things, the proposed legislation requires federal contractors to submit to DHS a bill of materials and a certification that each item in the bill of materials is free from particular security vulnerabilities or defects affecting the security of the end product or service. The bill further requires notification of any identified vulnerability or defect and a plan to mitigate, repair, or resolve any identified vulnerability or defect.

H.R. 5491, Securing Systemically Important Critical Infrastructure Act. Sponsored by Representative John Katko (R-NY), the proposed legislation helps establish a process for designating systemically important critical infrastructure (SICI). The bill further directs CISA to prioritize meaningful benefits to SICI owners and operators of enhanced risk management coordination between them and the federal government without imposing additional burdens.

S. 3099, Federal Secure Cloud Improvement and Jobs Act of 2021. Sponsored by Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), the bill codifies the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) to help agencies more quickly adopt cloud services. It also requires the General Services Administration to begin automating FedRAMP security assessments and reviews within a year and continuously monitor cloud computing products and services.

H.R. 3462, SBA Cyber Awareness Act. Sponsored by Representative Jason Crow (D-CO), the bill requires the Small Business Administration (SBA) to issue a report on its cybersecurity capabilities and notify Congress in the event of a cybersecurity breach potentially compromising sensitive information. The House unanimously passed it on November 3.

H.R. 4515, Small Business Development Center Cyber Training Act of 2021. Sponsored by Representative Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), the bill requires the SBA to establish a program to certify at least 5% or 10% of the total number of small business development center employees to provide cybersecurity planning assistance to small businesses. The House passed the bill on November 2.
It didnt take long for the White Houses ransomware initiative to be fruitful, as evidenced by the successful international law enforcement efforts targeting members of the Sodinokibi/REvil criminal enterprise. The Department of Justice (DoJ) unsealed two grand jury indictments on November 8, 2021, on individuals associated with the group  Yaroslave Vasinskyi and Yevgeniy Polyanin both with Sodinokibi/REvil ransomware.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland, accompanied by Deputy US Attorney General Lisa Monaco, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Deputy Secretary of the US Treasury Wally Adeyemo, shared the news of the arrest of Vasinskyi by Polish authorities at the request of the United States. A DoJ press release highlighted the efforts of the Ransomware and Digital Extortion Task Force as being key. In addition, teams from within the private sector played a substantive role, includinf those from Microsoft, McAfee and BitDefender.

Additionally, Polyanin, a Russian national still at large, saw $6,123,652.21 disappear from his FTX Trading Limited account on September 10, 2021, pursuant to a seize property warrant issued by Judge Rebecca Rutherford of the US District Court, North District of Texas.

Vasinsky was lured to Poland from the Ukraine and arrested in Poland on October 8, 2021. He remains in custody and is now facing extradition by the US in accordance with the extradition treaty between the two countries. On November 4, 2021, two individuals (not yet identified) were arrested in Romania for their role in the REvil enterprise.

The arrest of Yaroslav Vasinskyi [October 5 in Poland], the charges against Yevgeniy Polyanin and seizure of $6.1 million of his assets, and the arrests of two other Sodinokibi/REvil actors in Romania are the culmination of close collaboration with our international, US government and especially our private sector partners, said FBI Director Christopher Wray. The FBI has worked creatively and relentlessly to counter the criminal hackers behind Sodinokibi/REvil. Ransomware groups like them pose a serious, unacceptable threat to our safety and our economic well-being. We will continue to broadly target their actors and facilitators, their infrastructure, and their money, wherever in the world those might be.

When asked what pretext was used to lure Vasinskiy to Poland, Wray wryly noted how individuals travel for many reasons and that we were glad Vasinskiy chose to travel from the Ukraine to Poland. While Garland, in response to the assistance being provided by Russia, declined to comment on ongoing law enforcement efforts, yet still managed to signal to Russia expectations with noting how the expectation of the United States is that any country, which a criminal is present, will assist the United States with their arrest and bringing the individual to justice to answer to their alleged crimes.

Kaseya praised for engaging FBI early

Of particular import to CISOs, was Wrays laudatory comments on the handling of the REvil ransomware attack by victim, Kaseya when they were attacked on July 2. He applauded Kaseya for having engaged with law enforcement early which allowed the Kaseya and its customers to benefit from an all-government response to put out the fire. He also noted how these efforts resulted in the FBI being able to create a decryption key to unlock Kesayas customers data. This served to answer the question asked in late-September 2021 as to why the FBI held back REvil ransomware keys and with which international partners the FBI was engaged in the coordinated law enforcement action.

Treasury Department issues advisories on virtual currency exchanges supporting criminal activity

Adeyemo noted Treasurys role in the whole-of-government effort against ransomware operators and virtual currency exchanges which support the cyber criminals, as including disruption to digital ecosystems. He also advised that Treasury was issuing a FinCEN Updates Ransomware Advisory, which designates the virtual currency exchange Chatex as being a part of the criminal support effort of the ransomware criminals. In addition to Chatex, Izibits OU, Chatextech SIA and Hightrade Finance ltd, were also designated for providing material support to Chatexs criminal activity. The advisory notes how Latvia has suspended the operations of Chatextech. Estonia has revoked the license of Izibits OU.

Rewards offered for arrest of DarkSide members

Meanwhile, the State Department has made available a $10 million reward for information leading to the identification or locations of any individual holding a key leadership position within the DarkSide ransomware organization and an additional $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction in any country of an individual participating in DarkSide ransomware. It is worth noting that the Departments Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program has paid out over $135 million in rewards.

In closing, Garland called upon Congress to create a cyber reporting standard for industry to assist law enforcement in their efforts to thwart cybercrime. He, as did Monaco and Wray emphasized the role to be played by the private sector in the fight against cybercrime. It was repeatedly emphasized that early engagement with government by CISOs results in making available the resources of the all-of-government approach.
After a pandemic-induced collapse in prices, the cost to heat a home in Connecticut with heating oil or propane has soared back and is likely to be even higher than the pre-coronavirus levels as colder months arrive.

Heating oil in Connecticut cost an average of about $3 per gallon in the last week of October 2019. In the same week this year, it was up to $3.41. In October 2019, propane was about $2.60. This year, the average is up to $3.65, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Residential heating oil consumers can expect a 40 percent rise compared to last year and a 15 percent increase over last five years average, according to a Friday news release from Gov. Ned Lamonts office.

Connecticut and its residents, like everyone else around the United States and the world, are unfortunately seeing the impact of rising energy prices, Lamont said in the news release.

The release also pointed to several programs designed to reduce utility and heating costs for Connecticut residents including a Nov. 1 to May 1 ban on heating source shutoffs for some households and heating bill assistance through the Connecticut Department of Social Services, among other measures.

When demand dropped early in the pandemic, so did production. Now, oil processors are trying to catch up, but a decision by OPEC, the multinational oil producer alliance, not to significantly increase output may mean longer delays in supplies returning to normal.

Initially, when the COVID-19 pandemic started and the number of miles motorists drove fell sharply, the cost of a barrel of crude oil plummeted. Along with it came the prices of gasoline, heating oil and propane.

I think what were seeing here is really the fact that there are these imbalances in supply and demand for oil, as its been kind of whipsawed by the pandemic and now the recovery, said Steven Lanza, a professor at the University of Connecticuts Department of Economics.

At their lowest during the pandemic, average heating oil prices were at $2.02 in November 2020. Propane prices lows were $2.46 in March 2020, according to the federal data.

Its a very volatile market thats very difficult to predict, said Rosie Stanko, vice president of the Citizens Oil Co-Op. It could drop down again, even like in January.  The market seems to just have a mind of its own at this point.

Consumers will likely see a higher price per gallon this winter than they did in 2019-20, before the pandemic, said David Cohen, executive vice president at Standard Oil of Connecticut, a distributor. The company provides both heating oil and propane.

In the past, colder temperatures meant higher prices. In recent years, the weather seems to have less of an effect unless theres a major storm, Cohen said.

Thats partly because gasoline makes up the largest portion of crude oil use, so travel tends to influence demand more than cold weather, although an extraordinarily cold or warm winter could still have an effect, said Chris Herb, president of the Connecticut Energy Marketers Association.

And while supply chain and shipping bottlenecks arent affecting oil suppliers in the same way as suppliers of many other products, the industry isnt immune to those problems, he said. For example, its been difficult for some companies to stock boilers, furnaces and other supplies. The steel tanks used for propane storage have been tough to come by as well, Cohen added.

And the shortage of truck drivers means in some instances its been slower to move the product across state lines. And theres an additional cost for paying company drivers overtime while companies are understaffed, Herb said.

Our companies dont rely on third-party haulers for the most part, Herb said. So from a heating oil standpoint, they employ their own drivers.  So were shielded a little bit more.

Herb is hopeful that as global production ramps up and the more expensive barrels of oil are sold, prices will decrease.

UConns Lanza thinks it will take time for supply to normalize  perhaps up to a year  but the situation isn't permanent, he said. The price picture, aleady difficult to forecast, is further complicated in a world that has pushed to seek alternative, lower-emission energy options, he added.

President Joe Biden asked OPEC, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, to ramp up oil production, but the group on Thursday decided to continue careful monthly increases, the Associated Press reported.

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said the group was preserving market stability with more gradual production increases, the AP reported.

Our view is that the global recovery should not be imperiled by a mismatch between supply and demand, a White House national security statement said Thursday, according to the AP.

The news comes as Biden is in the midst of a global climate summit where he and other world leaders are attempting to agree on ways to reduce carbon emissions. Since taking office, his administration has cut down on U.S. oil production projects.

I expect to see us returning to that [normal production] once this all settles out, but how long it will take the market to go through the gyrations it needs to to get back to there Im not sure, Lanza said of the market.

As Connecticut consumers prepare for the colder winter months, Herb said the best thing they can do to keep their costs down during a time of elevated prices is to get equipment checked annually to ensure its running at peak performance.

The technology has come a long way in the last 30 years, Cohen said. New boilers are more efficient, have computerized controls.

Joining a co-op can also help customers save money on heating oil and propane, Stanko said. The oil co-op helps its nearly 4,000 members get discounts on the heating products.

Additionally, Stanko said it can be helpful to have a home energy audit done. During the audit, an evaluator will tell where your home is losing the most heat and ways to improve it; theyll usually provide up to a certain dollar amount of fixes, she said.

About 20 percent of Connecticuts heating oil customers signed contracts earlier in the year to lock them into a lower price point, Herb said.

Higher prices are bad for consumers, he added. We dont like to spend more on our energy. The only good thing about our higher prices is it makes the producers go and get more product. That drives prices down.

ginny.monk@hearstmediact.com
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP)  The Latest on the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow.

GLASGOW, Scotland  The European Unions climate chief said Monday that U.N. talks in Glasgow must focus on ensuring the headline goal of the Paris Agreement can be met.

One of the issues that negotiators from almost 200 countries have been haggling over at the U.N. climate talks is whether to explicitly mention the Paris accords target in the final agreement of the 26th Conference of the Parties, or COP26, as the conference is known.

Frans Timmermans, the European Commissions vice president, said that at the end of the COP, we need to be in a position to say were still on track to be well below 2 degrees (Celsius; 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). We still have a shot at the 1.5 degrees (2.7 F goal).

All our efforts this week should be directed at that, he said.

Timmermans said a recent U.N. science report on the progress of global warming was so alarming that I think theres nobody that can still be in denial of the crisis were already in. He also stressed the importance of reaching an agreement on transparently reporting emissions, something large emitters such as China in particular have resisted.

We need to be sure that were comparing apples to apples and not apples to oranges, said Timmermans.

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GLASGOW, Scotland ___ Bangladesh's environment minister said the final outcome of the climate talks at Glasgow had to address the gap between the climate targets of countries and the degree to which emissions had to be scaled back for the world to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).

Minister Shahab Uddin added that there needs to be a deadline for countries to come up with their long-term strategies to achieve their net zero emissions targets. He says longstanding demands -- like increased financing for poor countries and for rich countries to pay for loss and damages due to climate shocks -- needed to be addressed.

He said the science was clear. Failing to limit emissions in this decade would increase the risk of dangerous and irreversible impacts on natural systems and people. He said the global community still lacked the feeling of urgency and true commitment to implement climate action.

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GLASGOW, Scotland___ World leaders made inspirational pledges at the start of climate talks in Glasgow, but inside the negotiating rooms, thorny political issues continue to reign, said Milagros De Camps, Deputy Minister of Environment of the Dominican Republic.

She said inside the talks, some nations' tactics still looked to delay and deny that there was any urgency. This was in contrast with world leaders, who used doomsday rhetoric to underline the importance of the conference.

She said that there was still resistance to acknowledge that small island nations -- whose very existence is at risk from climate change despite contributing a fraction of the worlds greenhouse emissions -- are a special case. She said rich nations needed to live up to the grand pledges and translate that into concrete national targets to combat climate change.

The needle hasnt moved, and incrementalism wont suffice, she said.

She added that rich nations had to stop subsidizing fossil fuels while fulfilling their old promise of giving poor countries $100 billion every year by 2020.

The proof of the pudding will be in the eating, she said.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  Former U.S. President Barack Obama says he believes that President Biden's climate package will be historic and he welcomed the efforts of all U.S. politicians, Democrats and Republicans, in working toward slowing down global warming.

Obama spoke Monday on the sidelines of the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow.

I believe President Bidens Build Back Better bill will be historic. But I know Joe Biden wanted to do even more," Obama said. Both of us have been constrained by the fact that one of our two major parties have decided to not only sit on the sidelines, but express hostility towards climate science and make climate change a partisan issue.

"Thats got to stop. Saving the planet isnt a partisan issue. I welcome any faction within the Republican Party that takes climate change seriously," Obama added.

He said climate change will affect all Americans and everyone on the planet, no matter how they voted.

It doesnt matter if youre a Republican or a Democrat if your Florida house is flooded, or your crops in the Dakotas are failing, or your California house is burning. Nature, physics, climate science  they dont care about party affiliation, Obama said. "We need everybody  even if we disagree on other things. 

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands  The Dutch government is joining a group of nations, including the United States and Canada, that has pledged to stop funding overseas fossil fuel projects.

It was not immediately clear how much Dutch funding will be affected. Last week, national broadcaster NOS reported that the government was guarantor in 2020 for loans financing fossil fuel projects overseas of more than 4.5 billion euros.

The decision was announced Monday as the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow entered its second week with key issues still unresolved.

State Secretary for Finance Hans Vijlbrief called the move an important acceleration and a major step in the right direction to counter climate change. Prime Minister Mark Rutte told reporters in The Hague that his caretaker administration had decided over the weekend to halt the financing.

Outlining the move in a letter to the Dutch parliament, the government said it will prioritize the transition to a green energy supply with its foreign instruments and will work on new policy in 2022 to end international government support for the fossil energy sector.

The Dutch branch of Greenpeace welcomed what it called an unavoidable step.

Last month, the Netherlands biggest pension fund announced it will stop investing in fossil fuel companies.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  Ministers from all over the world are arriving in Glasgow to begin the arduous task of finding consensus, said Alok Sharma, who is chairing the two-week U.N. climate talks in the Scottish city.

He said the priority is for there to be a sense of urgency, while ensuring the talks are transparent and inclusive.

Weve no time to lose, he said.

Sharma said countries had made commitments thatll help the planet, but they had to be delivered and accounted for.

Patricia Espinosa, head of the U.N. climate office, said the world was coming into these talks with the clear picture that were not there. But at the same time, scientists say that it's still possible to achieve the worlds climate goals, like limiting future warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). They say that will mitigate the effects of global warming, such as increasing doughts, extreme weather, wildfires and rising seas.

We need to accelerate the process going forward, she said.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  After a week of negotiations, numerous of the stickiest issues in climate talks remain unresolved and teams of cabinet ministers from different countries are being sent to move things along.

Briefing the United Nations Conference of Parties, or COP26, on the first weeks progress, COP President Alok Sharma had to correct himself, noting that some issues had been settled, rather than many.

Numerous developing nations were pessimistic. They called progress disappointing, saying announcements were high in quantity but worried that they were low in quantity.

No deals have been made yet on the three main goals of the U.N.  pledges to cut emissions in half by 2030 to keep the Paris climate deals 1.5 degree Celsius temperature rise goal alive; the need for $100 billion annually in financial help from rich countries to poor ones; and the idea that half of that money goes to adapting to global warmings worst effects. Several other issues, including trading carbon and transparency, also werent solved yet.

And on the issue of more frequent updates of countries' emission-cutting goals  something poorer nations seek  negotiators listed nine different time options for future negotiators to choose from.

Sharma named teams of two ministers  one from a rich country, one from a poor  for each issue to oversee negotiations on each topic.

GLASGOW, Scotland  Rich nations are not being truthful in their commitments to climate change, delegates from developing nations said Monday.

Not fixing the financial pledge problem  the need for $100 billion annually in financial help from rich countries to poor ones to cope with climate change  shows rich nations pledges are an empty commitment, and without fixing that the climate talks in Glasgow cannot be successful, representatives from several countries, including Guinea, said.

There is a history of broken promises and unfulfilled commitments by developed countries, Diego Pacheco Balanza of Bolivia told the conference.

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Follow all AP stories on climate change at https://apnews.com/hub/climate.
Live Nation, the company behind the Astroworld Festival in Houston that ended with eight people dead in what authorities have described as a surge in the crowd, was cited once for worker safety issues at its theater in Wallingford.

The Houston Chronicle, a Hearst publication, reported Sunday that Live Nation was cited in 10 OSHA investigations from 2016 to 2019.

Live Nation was the promoter Astroworld Festival, a two-day event outside Houstons NRG Park with a sellout crowd of 50,000. The Chronicle reported that eight people were killed and others were injured in a surge in the crowd during Travis Scotts performance.

In 2016, Live Nation Worldwide, a subsidiary, was initially fined $27,000 following an inspection by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, records show.

OSHA, which opened the case in December 2016, listed three violations, two of which the agency deemed to be serious. Details of the exact nature of the violations were limited. The serious violations involved ladders and scaffolding, according to OSHA records. The other violation was related to general requirements.

The OSHA records said the inspection was brought on by a complaint.

The records do not list the name of the facility, but provide a Wallingford address of 95 S. Turnpike Road, the same as the Toyota Oakdale Theatre. Town records list Live Nation Worldwide as the current owner of the property.

By the time the case was closed in September 2017, the fine was reduced to $14,000. The records do not say if anyone was injured.

Live Nation did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.

Following the tragedy, Live Nation released a statement: Heartbroken for those lost and impacted at Astroworld last night. We will continue working to provide as much information and assistance as possible to the local authorities as they investigate the situation, according to the Chronicle.
BRIDGEPORT  A reputed Bridgeport gang member was sentenced last week to more than six years in prison for illegal gun possession, federal prosecutors said.

Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford sentenced 24-year-old Chaz Spazz Dear, of Bridgeport, to 78 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, during a court appearance on Friday.

Dear pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon on March 31, the U.S. Attorneys office said. Federal law prohibits any individual previously convicted of a felony offense from having a gun or ammunition.

In late 2019, law enforcement officers learned that Dear, who was on state parole at the time, was allegedly selling marijuana and investigators set up a controlled purchase, prosecutors said.

Dear was arrested on Jan. 30, 2020, after a court-authorized search of his residence led investigators to a gun with an extended magazine, loaded with 23 bullets, prosecutors said. Authorities said investigators also seized small amounts of heroin and crack cocaine. He has been detained since his arrest.

In the weeks leading up to Dears arrest, prosecutors said, he and other members of the Greene Homes Boys discussed via text previous and planned shootings of rival gang members.

During the roughly six months Dear was on state parole before his arrest, prosecutors said, he was dealing narcotics and firearms. The gun found in his residence had the potential to aid ... other felony offenses, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said Dear has been a member of the Greene Homes Boyz, a gang based out of the Charles F. Greene housing complex. His criminal history includes state felony convictions for narcotics, weapon and larceny offenses.
BRIDGEPORT  Though its uncertain whether and in what form President Joe Bidens Build Back Better agenda could pass Congress, city school officials told U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy one thing is for sure.

Even if a law funding universal pre-kindergarten were signed tomorrow, Bridgeport public schools wouldnt be able to fill all the slots required.

And even if they did, itd only be a matter of time before many of those hired move onto better paying jobs nearby.

We are competing against school districts three minutes away that pay $10,000 or more a year for teachers, Superintendent Michael Testani told Murphy in the library at Roosevelt Elementary School on Park Avenue.

Time and again during the senators visit to the school on Monday, staff and administrators detailed ways structural inequalities are preventing students in the citys schools from achieving their potential.

In addition to a pay gap, teachers and staff in Bridgeport are also tempted away by smaller class sizes and the help from more paraprofessionals and aides in school districts in the nearby suburbs and in lower Fairfield County.

At Roosevelt, which currently has 487 students, Principal Jackie Simmons said class sizes for pre-K through first grade stand at 24 kids.

When many did not have access to preschool, it makes teaching virtually impossible, Simmons said.

Would you right now want to go and be with 24 5-year-olds? she said. Would you want to go in and teach them by yourself? Thats unbelievable to me that we think that thats an acceptable model.

Its a safety issue, Simmons said. Forget learning. Youre talking about compromising the safety of 24 children and an adult.

In the schools second through eighth grade classrooms, Simmons said, the average class size number balloons to 29.

It might as well be 50, she said.

Asked by Murphy what the biggest challenge so far this year is, Erin Brawley, who teaches pre-kindergarten at Roosevelt, said it was behavior issues due to kids having less social time during the COVID-19 pandemic.

They were 2 years old when that all started, Brawley said. So they have not had any socialization. For most of them, this is the beginning.

Testani said behavior problems also seem to be an issue for high school students who didnt have a traditional transition between different schools due to the pandemic.

We knew it would be challenging, Testani said of behavioral issues. We didnt expect it to go this long into the year.

This year is very challenging in that way, but were focused on social-emotional development, interactions, learning how to play together, Brawley said. So were getting there.

After touring the school and talking with educators, Murphy said hes still optimistic about the chances of passing a bill that provides every student access to preschool education.

But at the same time, he said, If this pay gap continues between suburbs and cities, no matter how much money you throw at pre-K youre not going to have enough instructors here in Bridgeport.

We arent going to be able to achieve universal pre-K if we dont close this pay gap, the senator said, noting that preschool programs should also include funding for paraprofessionals, especially for students facing greater needs than suburban counterparts.

Building universal pre-K in Bridgeport is different than building a universal pre-K in New Canaan and the federal program is going to have to recognize that, Murphy said. This reinforces my belief that the bill is going to have to ask states to make reforms in order to qualify for the money. I dont know that we should be funding states that arent committed to pay fairness.
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP)  A day after questioned elections, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's government on Monday set about painting as a historic democratic victory what many of the world's democracies condemned as a sham.

Nicaragua's Supreme Electoral Council said that with nearly all the ballots counted, Ortega had won more than 75% of the vote. The outcome was never in doubt after his government jailed seven of the leading potential opposition candidates, clearing the field for Ortega to sweep to a fourth consecutive five-year term.

With all government institutions firmly within Ortega's grasp and the opposition exiled, jailed or in hiding, the 75-year-old leader eroded what hope remained the country could soon return to a democratic path. Instead, he appeared poised to test the international community's resolve and continue thumbing his nose at their targeted sanctions and statements of disapproval.

Ortega and Vice President and first lady Rosario Murillo celebrated the election results in Managua's Revolution Plaza later Monday, with Ortega unleashing a torrent of abuse on the European Union, which said in a statement earlier that the elections lacked legitimacy.

The European Union has a parliament whose majority are fascists, Nazis," Ortega said. The fascist little brothers of Hitler that are governing there, now want to form a a fascist international in our Americas.

Ortega also spewed abuse at the United States, which also condemned the elections after Ortega imprisoned all his main potential rivals.

Those who are in prison are the sons of the female dog of Yankee imperialism, Ortega said. They should be taken to the United States, because they stopped being Nicaraguans a long time ago, they have no fatherland.

Sunday's vote also determined 90 of the 92 seats in the congress and representation in the Central American Parliament.

Murillo went so far as to call the elections the first sovereign elections in Nicaragua's history and reported congratulations streaming in from Russia, Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia.

The council put voter turnout at 65%, a figure not observed in lightly attended voting centers Sunday. Open Ballot Boxes, an opposition effort to observe the elections, said that its more than 1,450 monitors around the country estimated an average turnout of about 18%.

Murillo cheered the reported turnout, saying more than 2 million votes we receive with infinite gratitude and commitment.

But she and Ortega will be ruling a shrinking and more skeptical support base among a general population with rising demands to participate in Nicaragua's politics.

Vanderbilt University's Latin American Public Opinion Project polled 2,997 Nicaraguans between June and August as part of their Americas Barometer survey. The phone survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 1.79 percentage points. The full report on the survey is scheduled to be released later this month.

In our survey in the summer of 2021, we were seeing signs of grave doubts in the integrity of elections in the country on the part of people in Nicaragua, said project director Elizabeth Zechmeister. We asked whether or not they believe that votes are counted fairly in the country and what we found is that only 26% of people in Nicaragua believe that their votes are always counted correctly. Interestingly enough, its about the same percentage of people who expressed support for the incumbent administration.

The Ortega administration has continued to close avenues for democratic participation with police banning public protests, electoral authorities banning some opposition political parties and potential candidates being arrested.

We ask people whether or not they think one can bring about change in politics through elections, through street protests, through either or through neither, Zechmeister said. And weve asked that question in the past. So were able to make comparisons across time, and we see in 2021 a significant decrease in the percentage of people who think that its possible to bring about political change in the country through either elections or through street protests.

Maria Acevedo waited at a bus stop in the capital Monday. She said the outcome of the election was clear in advance. "They had it all set up, she said. For me this is a fraud.

Inside a Managua hair salon, Leticia Roa, said respecting the results would keep the peace.

The people elected him (Ortega) and you have to respect it, she said. So what is there to do? Respect.

What remains to be seen is whether the international community will continue to unite to push Ortega to change course.

An early chance could come later this week when the Organization of American States holds its annual general assembly in Guatemala. When the regional body voted last month to condemn repression and demand the release of political prisoners, seven members abstained, including Guatemala, Mexico and Honduras, which neighbors Nicaragua.

This is the moment of truth for the countries that make up the international community that will have to leave behind ambiguity, said Tiziano Breda, Central America analyst with International Crisis Group. They will have to take a forceful position on one side or the other to recognize or not recognize this electoral process.

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Associated Press writer Christopher Sherman in Mexico City contributed to this report.
A strong rationale for credit unions to merge is as a means of achieving growth. However, mergers are certainly not the only way to grow. Credit unions also can achieve growth organically by adding new products and services, reaching out to new members via online advertising and social media, expanding their existing community field of membership, and/or by building mutually beneficial partnerships.

The decision about when to grow by merger, and when to grow by other means, is something that many boards and executive teams are grappling with as they position their credit union for the future.

Pursuing a Multifaceted Strategy

A good example of a multifaceted growth strategy comes from $3.3 billion Connexus Credit Union, Wausau, Wisconsin, as described in the three-part white paper from DDJ Myers, More for Members: Credit Union Leaders Plan Post-Pandemic Merger & Acquisition Strategies.

Over the last 12 years, Connexus has completed eight mergers, ranging from a very small Wausau city credit union with two employees to the addition of $350 million Minnesota-based Endura Financial Federal Credit Union in 2014.

The pursuit of mergers is only one of three primary growth strategies at Connexus, behind a strong indirect lending program and organic growth, the latter of which is challenging in a saturated market. Building on what it has learned from those past mergers, the Connexus executive team in early 2021 developed and presented to the board high-level guidelines for future merger candidates.

Were in the mode to be looking, but were at a point now that weve done enough mergers to recognize the substantial investment involved, says Board Chair Ron Dins. Whether its a $100 million credit union or a $400 million credit union, the amount of work is similar, so we want to be looking in the $300-million-and-up range for forward-thinking credit unions with strong member focus, a similar employee-centric culture, and a balance sheet that we can improve with our areas of strength.

$2 billion USAlliance Federal Credit Union, Rye, New York, has had a successful track record of growing via merger. However, since exceeding the $1 billion asset mark, President/CEO Kris VanBeek reports that the credit union has become more discerning about the threshold for proceeding with a credit union merger.

As a $700 million credit union, moving forward with the merger of a $40 million credit union made sense, VanBeek says. At $2 billion, it makes less sense. If were originating $50 million or more in new loans every month, is a $20 million merger really worth it?

In some cases, the answer might turn out to be yesfor instance, if an opportunity came along to merge with a small credit union that provides growth potential via an expanded field of membership. If such potential doesnt exist, however, VanBeek sees investing in new products and services as a better path forward for achieving growth.

Weighing the Cost

Mergers, of course, come with a cost that needs to be weighed alongside the potential for growth. Asset size of the merger partner is an important consideration, but there are other factors to be considered as well.

Barry Shaner, President and CEO of $1.1 billion Directions Credit Union, Toledo, Ohio, observes that the requirements for merging a $50 million credit union are not significantly different than the requirements for an organization four or five times that size. Both require regulatory approvals, systems and accounts conversion, member communication, rebranding considerations, and more.

All that disruption comes at a cost, Shaner says. There are lots of reasons to do a mergersometimes just because there are members who need helpbut we do have to analyze the financial costs and benefits in terms of the new business were going to attain.

Part of that calculation should encompass whether its possible to achieve the same results with less investment of resources, he adds. At our current size, a $50 million merger represents 5 percent annual growth. Could we achieve 5 percent growth in another way, perhaps with a big marketing push?

While the size of the merger partner is certainly an important consideration, Brandon Riechers, CEO of $3.5 billion Royal Credit Union, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, points out that it is certainly not the only consideration. Other reasons, such as cultural fit, are also important in determining whether the merger will be effective in helping the credit union sustain growth in the future.

Theres a lot of truth to the fact that it costs the same to go through a $100 million merger as a $500 million or $1 billion merger, Riechers concedes, but if you go through a larger merger and find that its not as good a cultural fit, the growing pains in years 1, 2, and 3 are much greater and can impair continued organic growth during the transition.

Partnering Instead of Merging

An alternative to undertaking a full-blown merger with another credit union is to partner with that organization instead. If done well, partnerships can achieve growth for both parties as well as greater efficiencies and economies of scale.

Val Mindak, President and CEO of $290 million Park City Credit Union, Merrill, Wisconsin, reports that partnerships are an especially good strategy if neither institution is ready to merge. Park City has formed beneficial partnerships on several occasions, teaming up with other credit unions in such pursuits as real estate loans, commercial lending, and ALM strategies.

Were building relationships with these credit unions, and if they should decide to do a merger in the future, we know were going to be a natural partner, Mindak reports.

Click the link to download the three-part white paper, More for Members: Credit Union Leaders Plan Post-Pandemic Merger & Acquisition Strategies.
No country has been more dismissive of the UK's decision to leave the EU than France. That is, if the government of Emmanuel Macron speaks for the French nation as a whole.

But of course it doesn't  any more than Boris Johnson's political postures are embraced by the British as a whole.

Curiously, a poll last year showed that the British Prime Minister is more popular in France than President Macron.

According to a poll from last year, Emmanuel Macron (pictured) is less popular in France than Boris Johnson is

One reason might be that the idea of bursting free from the constraints of EU membership is more appealing to the French than their political establishment ever likes to admit.

To be fair to Macron, when interviewed by Andrew Marr in 2018 and asked if the French would vote to leave the EU if offered the chance in a referendum, he replied: 'Yes, probably.'

Damaging

That makes it all the clearer why, in a letter to the President of the European Commission demanding that Brussels condemn and penalise the UK for withholding fishing licences in British waters from a number of small French boats, the French PM Jean Castex told Ursula von der Leyen: 'It is indispensable to demonstrate that it is more damaging to leave the EU than to stay in it.'

Full translation: if you don't do as we ask, even more French voters will think Britain did the right thing by quitting the EU and (among other things) regaining control of its waters.

Alas for Macron and Castex, the other EU countries did not care for the French approach, and so Brussels refused even to issue a statement criticising the British Government's interpretation of the Brexit trade rules as they applied to the fishing dispute.

Marine Le Pen, who may be Macrons most dangerous challenger in the next Presidential elections, described the EU as a prison

This is especially damaging to Macron because he may well face his biggest challenge in the country's next presidential elections from one of two possible candidates who have praised Brexit: Marine Le Pen (who lost to Emmanuel Macron in the last presidential face-off) and Eric Zemmour, a television pundit.

Zemmour has not yet declared he will run in 2022, but even so, he seems to be more popular than Le Pen  perhaps because his rhetoric, particularly on the question of immigration, is even more hardline than hers has ever been.

While neither of these two advocates 'Frexit', Le Pen still describes the EU as 'a prison' and Zemmour last week declared: 'I don't like the mindset of wanting to constantly make the English pay so as to show the other EU states that they should not leave the EU. That is pathetic.'

Michel Barnier recently said he would call for a 'referendum on the question of immigration' if elected president

It is precisely because Macron is worried that these opponents might have more appeal to France's sense of injured national pride that he seems to feel obliged to turn a minor dispute over fishing licences into some sort of Napoleonic mission against les rosbifs.

You would expect nationalist candidates such as Le Pen and Zemmour to take the line they do about the constraints of EU membership.

But what really shows how disenchanted the French are with such inevitable infringements of national sovereignty is the astonishing intervention of Michel Barnier (who in the summer had declared his desire to be a candidate in the presidential elections).

Recently, Barnier  the very man who led the EU's Brexit negotiations, and who for the past decade has been attached to the European Commission in one senior role after another  declared that if elected president, he would call for a 'referendum on the question of immigration'.

Ursula von der Leyen (pictured) was told that it is 'indispensable to demonstrate that it is more damaging to leave the EU than to stay in it' by the French PM Jean Castex

He went on to say that he would ensure that France regained 'its legal sovereignty, in order to no longer be subject to the judgments' of the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Amazing: those were the two main elements of the Brexiteers' campaign to get the UK out of the EU.

Barnier in effect acknowledged this in an interview with The Times last week, when he remarked: 'We must take account of the lessons of Brexit and the sentiment of the people which expressed itself in the UK on many subjects, and which we find here, too.'

He's right about that. It's something I became aware of at the time of the Brexit campaign, in which my father, Nigel Lawson, was an active member even though he was then resident in France.

Regret

He observed that while he was, as a result, being shunned by some of his British neighbours (there were quite a few fiercely pro-Remain expats in the vicinity), French locals were almost all in sympathy with his views  and would tell him so, volubly.

That is the background to the French PM's embarrassingly leaked letter to the EU Commission President, in effect asking her to make sure that in the fishing dispute, the British will be made to regret their secession.

I am not arguing that France will follow the UK's example and vote for Frexit, not least because they will never be given the opportunity.

But it is fascinating to see how there is perhaps a sense of jealousy on the other side of the Channel that Britain is no longer subject to the EU's legal order  and how much that will play a part in their own electoral decisions.

Prince Philip was a 'climate-change sceptic'

Even Her Majesty the Queen was co-opted by the Johnson administration into pleading with the delegates at the Cop26 gathering in Glasgow to do the 'right thing' (though not specifying exactly what that would involve).

The Monarch cited her late husband as a long-standing campaigner against 'the world pollution situation'.

It is true that Prince Philip was deeply concerned with mankind's threats to the natural world and wildlife: but it is equally true that he had no time whatever for those who thought that man-made CO2 emissions were the problem here.

Prince Philip abandoned his work for the World Wildlife Foundation because he opposed its decision to campaign on the issue of manmade climate change

He was, in fact, what is now termed a 'climate-change sceptic'. So much so that he abandoned his work for the World Wildlife Fund, specifically  as he wrote to the late Christopher Booker, author of The Real Global Warming Disaster  because 'it switched from its original focus on saving endangered species to relentless campaigning against global warming'.

And in 2010, the Duke of Edinburgh tried to invite Professor Ian Plimer  whose book The Climate Change Delusion he greatly admired  to give the Prince Philip Lecture at the Royal Society of Arts.

I say 'tried', because the RSA's chief executive then wrote a letter to Professor Plimer saying that 'with great regret' it was withdrawing the invitation because 'members of the Royal Family need to be scrupulous in avoiding any appearance of advocating or supporting a particular political stance'.

Professor Ian Plimer, pictured, whose book The Climate Change Delusion was greatly admired by the Duke of Edinburgh

The letter added that 'the Duke is personally disappointed'. I'll bet he was bloody furious to have been nobbled by the politicians (and, indeed, Buckingham Palace officials).

It is interesting that Prince Charles has never been similarly checked in his interminable speechifying about the need for the world to abandon industrialisation, especially in farming, and return to a state of nature which would actually lead to mass starvation. That, apparently, is not a 'political stance'.

Or as the author of a letter to The Times last week wrote: 'India and China can appeal to the first and second UN sustainable development goals, namely the elimination of world poverty and hunger, to justify their continued use of coal.

Climate action is the 13th sustainable development goal and should not be placed above the first two on basic humanitarian grounds.'

The writer's identity?

Michael J. Kelly, Cambridge University's Emeritus Prince Philip professor of technology. His master's voice.
The few that bothered to show sat almost shell-shocked, licking and pawing their wounds like a routed battalion.

No laughs. No smiles. No cheery 'What-ho's to colleagues swanning into the chamber.

No, not since Theresa May almost let Jeremy Corbyn's Commie cabal squeeze in through the Downing Street catflap back in 2017 have Conservative MPs looked quite so humiliated.

It's clear the Owen Paterson hoo-haa has well and truly knocked the wind out of Tory bellies. Some looked angry. Others simply embarrassed.

For the first time in Boris Johnson's premiership, the faintest whiff of mutiny lingered.

And that's because they were being forced to sit through a three-hour debate on parliamentary standards following last week's disastrous decision by the Government to vote against Paterson's suspension.

Sparse: MPs are few and far between on the Government side of the Commons yesterday while Labour turn out in force

Three long hours of nannyish lecturing and finger-wagging from the rammed Opposition benches revelling in the Government's discomfiture.

Small wonder only a handful of Tories attended.

The Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle granted the debate following a request by the Liberal Democrats' chief whip Wendy Chamberlain.

Sensing the spluttering fulmination already swirling around the chamber, Sir Lindsay appealed for calm. 'Let's do this right,' he implored. He may as well have been speaking Mongolian.

No sooner was Miss Chamberlain on her feet than she was comparing Parliament to the Duma.

Seasoned grandstander Tan Dhesi (Lab, Slough) fancied a bit of that action  chipping in to describe the PM as a 'tinpot dictator'.

Sir Lindsay snarled in frustration. Not that there was much he could do.

Of Boris himself, there was no sign. The Speaker explained he had a long-standing commitment visiting a hospital the North East. Labour MPs jeered.

Some even made passable impressions of chickens.

'Run, Boris! Run!' cried one.

Out of the firing line: Boris visits Hexham Hospital in Northumberland on Monday

Responding instead for the Government, was minister for the Cabinet Office Steve Barclay.

Ordinarily, the task should have fallen to Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg but after last week's shenanigans he had clearly been benched.

And, judging by the fretful look on Mogg's face, he hadn't taken the demotion well.

Barclay opened by expressing regret. Last week's vote, he conceded, had been a 'mistake'. He whittled through his speech in double quick time. Clearly couldn't wait to be done.

Sir Keir Starmer flew to his feet. How delighted he looked to be out of isolation having tested positive for Covid at the end of last month.

His colleagues possibly less so. Labour's opinion polls always seem to flourish when their leader's locked away. Sir Keir laid it on thick.

He accused the Prime Minister of 'dragging us all into the gutter' and 'leading his party through the sewer'. He accused him of damaging democracy.

This from the man who tried to overturn Brexit, lest we forget. All afternoon, Opposition MPs snarled and gnashed their teeth.

But most worrying for Downing Street were the attacks which emanated from the Government's own benches.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson meets with medical staff during a visit to Hexham General Hospital in Hexham

They had remained largely mute until the final half-hour when several young 'uns stepped forward to swing the boot.

Mark Fletcher (Con, Bolsover), who sits on the Standards Committee, was furious.

He insisted Paterson 'would have been found to have broken the rules under any process you could create'.

Aaron Bell (Con, Newcastle-under-Lyme) said the decision to whip last week's vote was a 'colossal misjudgment'.

But the punchiest speech came from little Mark Harper (Con, Forest of Dean)  a former chief whip, no less  whose attacks on the Government grow fiercer by the day.

He described politics as a team game. If the team captain expects loyalty, the decisions they take should be sound.

He demanded the PM come to the House and apologise in person.

Down on the front bench, Harper's successor as chief whip Mark Spencer wore a heavy hangdog expression.

A meeting with the boss back in No10 beckoned. There's trouble brewing in the ranks.
Alexis Bittar, designer and CEO of eponymous jewelry label

Trailblazing jewelry designer Alexis Bittar has always been one step ahead of the rest.

The Brooklyn-bred's pioneering spirit began at the age of 8 selling flowers, clothing, and his own jewelry creations on the streets of NYC.

Long before sustainability was trending, Alexis repurposed assorted vintage findings to create incredible modern-day works of art.

In 2012, he sold 50% of his namesake jewelry brand to private equity company TSG Consumer Partners.

He recently bought it back and is relaunching the premium label in the costume jewelry category like only he could - unapologetically!

In 2012, Alexis bittar sold 50% of his namesake jewelry label to private equity company TSG Consumer Partners. He recently bought it back and is relaunching the brand like only he could -unapologetically

'The opportunity came up when Brooks Brothers was going bankrupt,' he told the Daily Mail. 'It seemed like the perfect time to not only buy my company back but reclaim my name.'

Adding: 'Bring the love and attention back to the brand. It is an odd thing to sell your name. I definitely did not want what happened to Halston to happen to me.'

The tone for the relaunch was set with a fearless ad campaign.

'The latest ads were a really good example of where we are doing in our marketing,' said the designer whose preferred working materials include lucite and semi-precious stones.

'We knew that the campaign would ruffle some feathers but I didnt give a sh*t.'

'Because Ericka had a double mastectomy and is a strong activist in body positivity, we could not only show her strength as a person, we used the opportunity to really start a conversation'

'With Ericka Hart we were able to use the no nipple rule, which basically stops advertisers from showing a womans breasts.

'Because Ericka had a double mastectomy and is a strong activist in body positivity, we could not only show her strength as a person, we used the opportunity to really start a conversation around the triumphant nature of a woman recovering from cancer and still feeling and looking strong, beautiful and as powerful as ever.'

Long before it became popular (or accepted), Alexis rejected the use of traditional models to sell his product.

Instead, he opted for "real" women in all shapes, sizes, colors and ages to take a stand against the industry's inherent ideal of perfection.

His thought provoking and honest ads have always featured independent thinkers, nonconformists, and brave souls with aspiring stories to tell.

'With Kiara, we were able to show her strength with disability. 'Visibility is critical and having a mother who was disabled for most of my life, I understand how much our society has to go in this area,' shared the entrepreneur

'With Kiara, we were able to show her strength with disability,' said the award-winning jeweler.

Kiara Marshall is a model and social justice activist who lost her leg in a car accident at 10 years old.

'Visibility is critical and having a mother who was disabled for most of my life, I understand how much our society has to go in this area.'

With the casting of Sylke Golding the brand was able to discuss one of Mr. Bittar's favorite topics - ageism.

'Addressing the hypocrisy and damaging aspect marketing in the fashion industry has had on women, by showing the majority of imagery using only young models.

'The industry is basically driving home the message that if you are over 40, you are not beautiful, which is total bullsh*t.'

With the casting of Sylke Golding, the brand was able to discuss one of Mr. Bittar's favorite topics - ageism

Women of all ages have always been a powerful force to reckoned with to Alexis.

In 2010, he casted then 76-year-old actress Joan Collins (aka Alexis Carrington from Dynasty) to be the face of the brand.

A year later, he enlisted veteran model Lauren Hutton to front his spring 2011 campaign.

In 2015, then 93-year-old fashion eccentric Iris Apfel modeled alongside teen blogger-turned-actress Tavi Gevinson.

In 2010, 76-year-old actress Joan Collins (aka Alexis Carrington from Dynasty) was featured in an Alexis Bittar ad campaign; while in 2015, 93-year-old fashion eccentric Iris Apfel modeled alongside teen blogger-turned-actress Tavi Gevinson

From the brand's core values to its unique product, it's hard not to become an Alexis Bittar superfan.

High profile superfans include former First Lady Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Solange Knowles, to name a few.

While in the White House, Michelle was spotted all over the globe over the course of a month in a variety of baubles from the jeweler.

While in the White House, Former First Lady Michelle Obama was spotted all over the globe over the course of a month in a variety of baubles from the jeweler

Alexis Bittar's preferred working materials include lucite and semi-precious stones

Alexis' absence from the brand was evident, but the second time around is bigger and better than ever with five new stores in areas of Manhattan, Brooklyn and California.

'Stepping back from the industry for 5 years gave me the ability to really think about what was working and not working,' he said.

'This time around I wanted to really focus on our real core customer, not only in marketing but in product as well.

'There is so much attention on bringing a younger customer into a business like Gen Z, Millennial, etc.. I feel like we know our core customer is between 35-65. Our goal should be making her feel amazing.'

The second time around is bigger and better for Alexis with five new stores in Manhattan

'Stepping back from the industry for 5 years gave me the ability to really think about what was working and not working,' he said

'This time around I wanted to really focus on our real core customer, not only in marketing but in product as well. 'There is so much attention on bringing a younger and younger customer into a business like Gen Z, Millennial, etc.'

'There is so much attention on bringing a younger and younger customer into a business like Gen Z, Millennial, etc. 'I feel like we know our core customer is between 35-65. Our goal should be making her feel amazing'

Making his client feel seen extends to all areas of the business, including social media.

Social networking has largely evolved in the last five years from a platform for virtual community to a vital business tool.

'I think what I would like to do is be more honest and connected to our social media following than a typical luxury brand,' said Alexis.

'We dont need or want to emulate a luxury brand model.

'I'm more interested in using social media to highlight people's values, have candid talk, maybe be a bit goofy and not always take ourselves so seriously.

'I think there is a lot of value in being real today. I think people are looking for true connection and not a perfected image.'

Up next: handbags! 'The Handbag collection fuses the sculptural metal work with beautifully crafted leather handbags.'

Store locations: COLUMBUS (209 Columbus Ave, New York) MADISON (1001 Madison Ave New York), PRINCE (65 Prince St New York), GREENWICH (125 Greenwich Ave New York), COURT 162 Court Street Brooklyn), FILLMORE (2105 Fillmore Street San Francisco, CA).
He says 'we all knew he was doing some act' after the film was initially broadcast

In doc, he questions Savile over rumours he was sexually interested in children

Louis Theroux has claimed is infamous documentary with Jimmy Savile years before the entertainer was exposed as a serial child abuser was 'very far from soft journalism'.

The documentary maker spent three months with Savile for the BAFTA-winning 'When Louis met Jimmy...' in 2000 and remained on good terms with him afterwards.

After Savile's death in 2011, it emerged the broadcaster had sexually abused hundreds of women and children and Theroux said that while opinion is divided, he believes that the film was revealing because, 'he [Savile] would more or less invite people to believe he had secrets'.

The documentary maker, 51, told The Sunday Times Magazine that he was 'struck' by the content of his documentary after watching it back with the knowledge of the paedophile's crimes.

Louis Theroux has revealed his infamous documentary with Jimmy Savile years before the entertainer was exposed as a serial child abuser was 'very far from soft journalism'

Referencing an expert in his book in which he says that 'depending on your point of view, I either made a revealing programme about or failed to make a revealing programme' about Savile.

'It's neither one or the other, is it?', he told the publication. 'There's plenty of ammo you could deploy in either direction. I've watched it since the revelations came out and I'm struck by how much is there.

'It's very far from soft journalism. We all knew he was doing some act. He would more or less invite people to believe he had secrets.'

After Savile died in 2011, 450 alleged victims made complaints to the Met Police about him in just 10 weeks.

A subsequent inquiry revealed his horrific reign of abuse dated back to 1959 when he raped a 13-year-old girl, before attacks followed 'in the corridors, canteens, staircases and dressing rooms of every BBC premises'.

Other vile crimes exposed included the rape of both a virgin teenager in a hotel and a 15-year-old work experience girl he met in the BBC canteen over a cup of tea.

The documentary maker spent three months with Savile for the BAFTA-winning 'When Louis met Jimmy...' in 2000 and remained on good terms with him afterwards

More than 20 of Savile's female victims were aged 15 or younger, the youngest being eight, while young boys - including an eight-year-old - were also preyed on by the depraved monster.

Theroux also did a follow up piece on Savile in which he spoke to several victims, describing the programme as 'a way to figure out how it was I missed what I missed'.

In his 2000 documentary, Theroux questions Savile over rumours that he was sexually interested in children.

During a chilling exchange Savile says: 'We live in a very funny world. And it's easier for me, as a single man, to say 'I don't like children', because that puts a lot of salacious tabloid people off the hunt.

Theroux asks: 'Is that basically so the tabloids don't pursue this whole is he or isn't he a paedophile line?'

In his 2000 documentary, Theroux questions Savile over rumours that he was sexually interested in children

Savile replies: 'Oh, aye.

'How do they know whether I am not? How does anybody know whether I am? Nobody knows whether I am or not. I know I'm not That's my policy and it's worked a dream.'

It has since been revealed that Theroux tried to report sexual abuse carried out by Savile after making the film, but it was not followed up.

The filmmaker claims he reported the presenter in 2001, after a woman came forward and told him she'd been one of his girlfriends, along with others, when she was 15, but a BBC producer did not talk to police.

The filmmaker has since spoken of his guilt about not doing more to expose Savile.

In a revealing piece on the BBC website, he said that, like it was suggested by Savile's victims, he had been 'hoodwinked' by the paedophile.

He wrote: 'At the time [of the 2000 documentary], I'd done my best to be tough with him. I knew he was weird and, with all his mannerisms, rather irritating - I had no interest in making a soft piece about Jimmy the Charity Fundraiser.

'The dark rumours - of sexual deviance, of being unemotional, of having a morbid interest in corpses - were one of the reasons I'd taken him on as a subject.

'I wanted to get the goods on Savile. The trouble was, I had no clear sense of what those goods were.'
An osteopath has shared a simple-three-step trick for getting rid of neck humps and tension.

In the now-viral video, Canadian osteopath, Brandon Talbot, demonstrates the exercise where you interlock your fingers behind your head, tuck in your elbows and slide them up a wall towards the ceiling stretching out your spine.

Mr Talbot recommends doing the exercise a few times a day to get the desired results and said anyone who struggles to do the exercise against a wall can do it kneeling down over a bench.

Scroll down for video

Canadian osteopath Brendon Talbot (pictured) had racked up more than 15 million views on Tiktok with helpful tips and tricks

The exercise involves interlocking you fingers behind your head, tucking in your elbows and sliding them up a wall towards the ceiling

The video has racked up 15.4million views and 1.3million likes since being posted on TikTok three days ago and attracted hundreds of grateful comments.

'Thank you so much for this. I've been trying to figure to how to get rid of mine for so long,' one women said.

'I have such a complex about this. I have long hair and even when its super hot I never put my hair up. Thank you..I'll be trying this,' another commented.

Mr Talbot reassured some skeptical commenters who said the technique hasn't worked for them.

'Just because it didn't crack, doesn't mean it didn't work. This is a movement we should be dong daily to keep out spine healthy and moving,' he said.

Mr Talbot has become hugely popular on TikTok thanks to his informative videos that have racked up a combined 3.5 millions likes.

Earlier this year, he went viral with his video explaining how to relieve back and hip pain in seconds.

Mr Talbot (pictured) says you can instantly reduce tightness by sitting on the floor with your legs stretched straight in front of you, then opening and closing them while keeping them raised a few centimetres off the ground

The osteopath says you can instantly reduce tightness by sitting on the floor with your legs stretched straight in front of you, then opening and closing them while keeping them raised a few centimetres off the ground.

He also recommends lying on the floor with your legs pressed up against a wall, then bending them in before gently opening them as far as you can.

According to Mr Talbot, the stretches not only reduce pain, but also improve balance and strength across a wide range of activities including running, walking, squatting, and weight-lifting.

The expert warned that pelvic pain and stiffness can be aggravated by long hours sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

As always, it's best to consult your doctor or medical professional if you have any lingering pain or tension in your neck and shoulders.
A retro-inspired rooftop bar has opened above one of Sydney's trendiest breweries.

Perched atop the warehouse taproom of Philter Brewing, Marrickville Springs is a pastel-coloured oasis complete with a white breezeblock cocktail bar, custom neon lighting and a 10-metre retractable roof that makes the space usable all year round.

Inspired by the American desert resort of Palm Springs, the venue is one of the first rooftops in the inner-west, a region more used to grungy dive bars and live music joints.

Philter co-founder Stefan Constantoulas describes his latest venture as an 'oasis in the middle of the city' where drinkers can enjoy a menu that includes the brewery's award-winning XPA, classic cocktails and a polarising craft beer slushie.

A retro-inspired rooftop bar has opened above one of Sydney's trendiest breweries (pictured)

Perched atop the warehouse taproom of Philter Brewing, Marrickville Springs is a pastel-coloured oasis inspired by the iconic desert resort of Palm Springs

'If you think of Palm Springs as an oasis in the middle of the desert, Marrickville Springs is like an oasis in the middle of the city,' Mr Constantoulas told Broadsheet.

The walls are splashed with pastel tiles and a mural by local artist Mielo, while potted plants and white timber seating make up the bulk of the decor.

Guests can also load up on vintage Aussie snacks, with a menu of retro classics such as prawn cocktail and '90s-style cheese plates.

The rooftop, which can fit up to 60 people, was due to open in early spring but Sydney's second Covid wave which plunged the city into a gruelling 15-week lockdown put plans on pause.

The walls are splashed with pastel tiles and a mural by local artist Mielo, while potted plants and white timber seating make up the bulk of the decor

Drinkers can enjoy a menu that includes the brewery's award-winning XPA, classic cocktails and a polarising craft beer slushie

The rooftop boasts a white breezeblock cocktail bar and custom neon lighting (pictured)

Doors only flung open on Friday, October 22, but locals are already raving about their newest haunt on Instagram.

'Oh my lordy that is amazing, love it,' one person wrote, while a second commented under a photo of the bar: 'Looks sick, need to go.'

A third added: 'This is soooo exciting. Looks like paradise!'

The adults-only venue is open weekends from 12 midday to 11pm on Friday and Saturday, and 11am to 6pm on Sunday.
Popular online mega-sale Click Frenzy is set to offer Australians jaw-dropping promotions and deals for only 53 hours.

Customers can browse over 4,000 deals from more than 500 premium Australian and global brands - including The Iconic, Adidas, Dyson, Bose, Ray Ban and Koala.

Top deals include 30 per cent off Dyson products, up to 50 per cent off Michael Hill jewellery, 70 per cent off FILA and up to $50 off GHD styling tools.

The highly-anticipated annual shopping event will kick off Tuesday November 9 from 7pm AEDT, with a members only pre-sale from Monday November 8.

Customers can browse over 4,000 deals from more than 500 premium Australian and global brands, including The Iconic, Adidas, Dyson, Bose and Koala

The online sale will span a wide range of categories from fashion, sports, tech, home and living, pets and kids toys.

The Iconic will be offering 30 per cent off beauty, clothing, home and sport products, while Adidas will have up to 50 per cent off outlet items.

Other great deals include 55 per cent off Koala Living, 20 per cent off full priced Ray Ban items and up to 70 per cent off selected FILA items.

The Iconic will be offering 30 per cent off beauty, clothing, home and sport products, while Adidas will have up to 50 per cent off outlet items

Shoppers can save up to $200 on selected Dyson technology products, including the Dyson v7 motorhead vacuum for just $399 and Dyson supersonic hairdryer.

Those eager and eligible to travel can save 20 per cent off trips in Australia and New Zealand with Intrepid Travel, and can also save up to 30 per cent off 2022/23 season Antarctic voyages.

L'oreal Paris is offering 40 per cent off cosmetics and customers will received a free gift with purchase.

Shoppers can save up to $200 on selected Dyson technology products, including the Dyson v7 motorhead vacuum for just $399 and Dyson supersonic hairdryer. Customers can also get up to $50 off GHD styling tools

Prices of Bose speaker and headphone products will be slashed by up to 50 per cent

Early access to the event will begin from 6:30pm Tuesday, and members will be able to access the full lineup of thousands of deals 30 minutes before the rest of the country.

Part of the 'Frenzy Bucks' deal, the first 1,000 Click Frenzy members who spend $200+ on Click Frenzy deals will score themselves a $50 e-Mastercard.

Click Frenzy has partnered with prominent retail industry leaders and brands, including humm, ShopBack, and Telstra.

The National Breast Cancer Foundation is also their chosen charity partner.

CEO of hummgroup, Rebecca James said: 'We're delighted to help people make the most of this year's fantastic Click Frenzy event. humm can be used at every single merchant that's participating for purchases between $1 and $30,000.

'So if you're looking for something bigger during the 53 hour sale  from fridges, couches, holidays, clothes to shoes and BBQs - you can humm all your Click Frenzy deals in easy instalments, always interest free.'

Country Manager of ShopBack, Angus Muffet sayid: 'ShopBack is excited to be Click Frenzy's exclusive cashback partner for their flagship event.

'Customers have earned more than $5M in cashback during Click Frenzy events, so we're thrilled to be giving customers huge savings on top of already jaw-dropping deals.'
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Princess Charlene of Monaco enjoyed a 'reunion filled with joy and emotion' after finally arriving back in the principality following 10 months living alone in South Africa away from her husband Prince Albert and their two children.

Charlene, 43, arrived back in Monaco earlier this morning after flying by private jet from the South African city of Durban to Nice, France, and wore a face mask as she reunited with her family. It's unclear why she was the only one wearing a face covering, but it could be related to her recent health issues.

Posting a snap of the reunion on Instagram, Charlene wrote: 'Happy day today. Thankyou all for keeping me strong.'

The mother-of-two, who underwent several surgeries while in South Africa and was taken to hospital after collapsing in September, still looked frail today on her return to Monaco.

Among a series of snaps shared to Instagram, the mother-of-two can be seen posing for a family photograph as she places her hand around her husband Prince Albert's neck, while wrapping an arm around their six-year-old twins Jacques and Gabriella.

In a second photograph, Charlene, who was presumably on the school run with her husband, waves to the cameras as Prince Albert holds onto the hands of their twins.

However, there seemed to be a new addition to the family in the form of a light brown Vizsla, who she could be seen taking for a walk this morning. It comes after the ex-Olympian revealed in October that her beloved pooch Angel had tragically died after being run over.

Meanwhile, a third snap shows her exiting a car as she places a protective hand on her son, Jacques.

The royal wrapped up warm in a long, beige jumper-dress and short-sleeved black coat, and completed her ensemble with a pair of knee-high boots and an across-the-shoulder bag.

But while the couple appeared to put on a united front today, Charlene's stay in South Africa sparked rumours of a rift between the royal couple, which they both vehemently denied.

Princess Charlene of Monaco, 43, enjoyed a 'reunion filled with joy and emotion' after finally arriving back in the principality following 10 months living alone in South Africa away from her husband Prince Albert and their two children. Pictured, placing a hand around her husband Prince Albert's neck, while holding their six-year-old twins Jacques and Gabriella in front of her

There seemed to be a new addition to the family in the form of a light brown Vizsla, who Charlene could be seen taking for a walk this morning (pictured)

Princess Charlene of Monaco opted for a beige jumper dress and knee high boots as she put on a united display with her family following 10 months living alone in South Africa. Pictured, with son, Jacques

Posting a snap of the reunion on Instagram, Charlene wrote: 'Happy day today. Thankyou all for keeping me strong.'

Speaking in a video shared on Twitter by her foundation as she left the country, Charlene made no reference to her husband Prince Albert, saying: 'It has been, obviously, a very challenging time to be here but at the same time it has been wonderful being back in South Africa.

'I'd like to thank the doctors in South Africa who have done a fantastic job of helping me and I'm so looking forward to getting back to my children.

'Thankyou South Africa, and thankyou everyone and god bless you.'

She was pictured stepping off the plane and onto the tarmac at Nice airport at around 8:45am, where she was greeted by royal staff and a dog which she took for a short walk before being whisked away to Monaco via a royal helicopter.

She has been in her native South Africa for much of this year after contracting a 'serious sinus infection' which made her unable to travel and forced her to miss key events including her 10-year wedding anniversary and her children's first day of school.

But Albert, 63, insisted in October that his wife would return home 'way before [Monaco's National Day] on November 19', adding 'she's in good form and much better spirits'.

A royal spokeswoman said: 'The princess is in a good mood and is looking forward to returning home, while Charlene's father, Mike Wittstock, was overjoyed that his daughter is returning to Monaco.

'Thank God she is back home,' he said.

Princess Charlene of Monaco is finally back in the principality after spending 10 months living alone in South Africa (pictured: Charlene exiting the private jet that flew her from Durban, South Africa, to Nice, France, this morning)

The royal could be seen holding the leash of a dog while walking across the tarmac after landing in Europe following months of speculation about her marriage

The Princess arrived back on European soil after spending much of the year away from Prince Albert and their two children, six-year-old twins Jacques and Gabriella

Charlene is pictured exiting the jet on the tarmac of Nice airport and taking a dog for a short walk, before being whisked away to Monaco via a royal helicopter

There seemed to be a new addition to the family in the form of a light brown Vizsla, who Priness Charlene could be seen holding on a lead

On October 8, Zimbabwean-born Charlene underwent a final operation to deal with an ear, nose and throat infection she contracted in May - with a palace source telling AFP that the procedure 'went very well'.

Albert told the publication at the time that all the family miss her and 'obviously she misses the children', noting that Charlene was simply awaiting the final sign-off from her medical team before she could make the flight back to Monaco.

Charlene's doctor gave the green light for her long-awaited journey home following the completion of her final medical examination last Monday.

It comes after the ex Olympian underwent a 'four-hour operation under general anaesthesia' in August - although it was not made clear whether this was linked to the sinus infection.

Charlene, whose love of animals is well documented, was pictured walking a dog at Nice airport immediately after having landed around 8:45am local time this morning

The dog was seen leaping around in excitement, though it is unclear whether the dog belongs to the royal family

Charlene's return to the principality comes just weeks after she posted a photo in which many of her fans thought she looked particularly frail.

The post attracted an outpouring of well-wishes from social media users, with one writing: 'Get well soon, you look so frail, take care, hope you get back to Monaco to your lovely family.'

But in her latest interview with press in South Africa, the Princess made no reference to her health and simply said she 'can't wait to get home to her children'.

Charlene, who wed Prince Albert II of Monaco in 2011, has been living in her home country of South Africa for much of this year, and the extended stay has stoked speculation that the royal couple may be headed for divorce.

In a video shared by her foundation earlier today, Princess Charlene made no reference to her husband Prince Albert and instead said she was looking forward to reuniting with her children

In the clip, the mother-of-two said it had been 'a very challenging time' but also revealed it had been 'wonderful being back in South Africa

Charlene's return to the principality comes just weeks after she posted a photo in which many of her fans thought she looked particularly frail (pictured)

Charlene (L), who wed Prince Albert II of Monaco (R) in 2011, has been living in her home country of South Africa for much of this year, and the extended stay has stoked speculation that the royal couple may be headed for divorce

In an interview which took place in early October which was shared on Charlene's Instagram page, the royal said she 'misses her children, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, terribly', adding: 'Any mother out there who has been separated from her children for months would feel the same way I feel.'

In the clip, she said: 'I came to South Africa to oversee some foundation projects. I was unwell at the time, unknowingly, with an infection. It was addressed immediately. Unfortunately, it grounded me for some months in South Africa.

'I had my one procedure - it was very successful. I'm well, I'm feeling much stronger. I have one more procedure. Then I cannot wait to get home to my children, who I miss terribly.

Elsewhere in the interview she touched on community in South Africa, saying she would like to impart 'unity and strength.'

She said: 'Obviously I would never like to touch on anything politically. But what can be done, is people need to set their differences aside and think of the generations to come and less of themselves.

How Charlene and Albert made solo outings in South Africa and Monaco during nine months apart January 27 - Charlene is pictured with Albert for the Sainte Devote Ceremony in Monaco. March 18 - Charlene is pictured at the memorial for the late Zulu monarch, King Goodwill Zwelithini at the KwaKhethomthandayo Royal Palace in Nongoma, South Africa April 2 - Charlene posts an Instagram picture of herself, Albert and their twins Jacques and Gabriella for Easter. It is unknown where the image was taken. May 8 - Albert, Jacques and Gabriella attend a Grand Prix event in Monaco without Charlene May 10 - Albert attends Monaco Gala Awards in Monaco without Charlene May 18 - Charlene shares her first picture from her conservation trip in South Africa June 1 - Prince Albert II, Jacques and Gabriella attend event at Oceanic Museum in Monaco June 3 - New photos emerge of Charlene on her conservation trip June 5- Charlene puts on a united front as she shares a photo with her family to mark her niece's fifth birthday with her brother's family and Albert and the twins in South Africa June 7 - Albert and the twins attend the World Rugby Sevens without Charlene June 17 - Prince Albert attends Red Cross Summer concert in Monte Carlo with his sister Princess Caroline of Hanover June 18 - Prince Albert appears alone Monte Carlo TV Festival June 24 - Charlene's foundation releases a statement saying the royal is unable to travel and is undergoing procedures for an ear, nose and throat infection July 2 - Charlene and Albert mark their 10th anniversary separately. 'This year will be the first time that I'm not with my husband on our anniversary in July, which is difficult, and it saddens me,' Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene said in a statement. July 3 - Albert appears with glamorous niece Charlotte Casiraghi at the 15th international Monte-Carlo Jumping event, which is part of the Longines Global Champions Tour of Monaco, July 27 - Prince Albert attends Olympics alone in Tokyo August 13 - Charlene undergoes a four-hour operation. The reason is not announced August 25 - Charlene shares photos of Prince Albert, Gabriella and Jacques visiting her in South Africa August 31 - Speculation mounts in the media about couple's relationship

September 1 - Charlene is admitted under an alias to the Netcare Alberlito Hospital after suddenly 'collapsing' September 2 - She is discharged, with a statement from the Palais Princier reading: 'Her Highness is closely monitored by Her medical team who said that Her condition was not worrying' September 23 - Prince Albert attends the 2021 Monte Carlo Gala for Planetary Health September 29 - Prince Albert is joined on the red carpet by actress Sharon Stone for a first look at the eagerly anticipated James Bond release September 30 - Charlene releases a stylish video promoting her anti-poaching campaign from her South African bolthole October 3 - Princess Charlene shares a photograph of herself smiling in front of a bible in her first snap since being discharged from hospital following her health scare October 5 - Prince Albert attends Sportel Awards Ceremony in Monte Carlo with nephew Louis Ducruet October 6 - Albert tells RMC radio Charlene is 'ready to come home' October 8 - Princess undergoes surgery in South Africa November 8 - Charlene arrives back in Monaco Advertisement

'Too much emphasis is put on ourselves and less on the future generations to come. What do they have to look back on? Who is their guide? That needs to be installed.'

Speaking about the anti-poaching work she has been undertaking while in South Africa this year, she said: 'I am determined to come back and continue the work I set out to do as I have done in many countries over Africa and in South Africa.

'Conservation, preservation, restoration and education. That is what my foundation stands for. We save lives.'

The release of the interview came days after a palace source said her final operation to deal with an ear, nose and throat infection she contracted in May 'went very well'.

The operation in South Africa was performed under general anaesthetic, and 'is the last she had to undergo following her ENT infection. She will be under observation for 48 hours,' the source told French news agency AFP.

It comes amid reports that Albert 'applied for sovereign immunity' in his court battle to fight claims he fathered a third love child before marrying Charlene.

The 63-year-old prince, who already supports two illegitimate children, is alleged to have had a relationship with a Brazilian woman which resulted in a daughter in 2005.

The claim, which his lawyers dismissed as a 'hoax', is particularly painful as he was dating Charlene at the time, having met the former Olympic swimmer in 2000.

It was reported last year that the case would go to court in Milan in February, however according to Town&Country, the prince's lawyers pleaded sovereign immunity and the case has been delayed.

Lawyer Erich Grimaldi, who is acting on behalf of the woman, said he hopes the judge will reject Albert's plea and he is waiting for the case to come back to court, which he believes will happen 'imminently'.

The 34-year-old claimant  who cannot be named for legal reasons  says she had a passionate affair with Albert, leading to the birth of their daughter  whose name is also classified  on July 4, 2005.

Albert received a handwritten letter from the child, who is now 16, in September last year reading: 'I don't understand why I grew up without a father, and now that I have found you, you don't want to see me.'

Last December, legal papers were also filed, as lawyers for the claimant called on Albert to undergo a DNA test  just as he did before finally being identified as the father of two illegitimate children born in the 1990s and early 2000s.

'This was before Charlene and Albert were an item, but the latest case covers a time when she was already in love with him,' a source who works closely with the Monaco Royal household revealed at the time.

'Charlene has had a terrible year, with one family crisis after another including Albert going down with coronavirus, and now she's gearing herself up for this hell.'

The princess, whose maiden name was Charlene Wittstock, was an Olympic swimmer for South Africa when she first met Albert at a Monaco aquatic competition in 2000.

They began dating soon afterwards, before Charlene married into the House of Grimaldi at a star-studded wedding in July 2011.

Their twins  daughter Gabriella and son Jacques  were born three years later and are seen as the family's official heirs.

By this time, Charlene had come to terms with Albert's hard fought legal battles with women who eventually won financial settlements over children they had with Albert  even though he originally denied their claims.

In May 2005, just before he was enthroned as Prince of Monaco, Albert confirmed he was the biological father of Alexandre, whose mother was Nicole Coste, a former Air France flight attendant from Togo.

A DNA test in May 2006 also confirmed Albert was the father of Jazmine Grace, the result of an affair with Tamara Rotolo, an American estate agent he met while she was on holiday in the South of France.

Jazmine was born in the 1990s and Alexandre in 2003. The Brazilian woman says she travelled around the world with the Prince in the 2000s.

Lawyer Grimaldi said he had filed papers with specific details of his client's love affair with Albert, including trips to Brazil, the USA, France and Russia.

While in Moscow, the lovers are even said to have had a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, who gave the Brazilian 'a warm hug', according to court papers.

Albert's lawyer, Thierry Lacoste, has described the allegations as a 'a hoax', saying: 'There are no intimate photos, no tangible facts surrounding a possible relationship.'

Neither Albert's daughter Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, now 28, nor his son, Alexandre Grimaldi-Coste, 17, can claim the throne of Monaco, according to negotiated financial agreements.

The line of succession instead favours Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, six, and who frequently appear in their parents' social media posts.

The former Olympian underwent a 'four-hour operation under general anaesthesia' in August - although it was not made clear whether this was linked to the sinus infection.

In recent months, lifestyle magazines across Europe have speculated feverishly that the royal couple could be headed for divorce. French magazine Madame Figaro stated the images 'failed to convince the Monegasques' amid reports Charlene is looking for a house in Johannesburg.

The magazine asked: 'How long can she remain away from her children, her duties?' How long will the fight against rhinoceros poaching remain the Princess of Monaco's top priority?

'How long will Albert II of Monaco go on bearing this affront, which is becoming ridiculous?'

Historian Philippe Delorme said that 'lots of people got the impression it was an arranged marriage' between Charlene and Albert, adding: 'Albert chose a wife who resembled his mother, and Charlene clearly felt very ill at ease in this Grace Kelly role they wanted her to play'.

Meanwhile Prince Albert also hit back at rumours of marital woes insisting Charlene 'didn't leave in a huff' and remains in South Africa only because of 'medical complications' following a 'severe ear, nose and throat infection'.

The royal told People that the speculation over the state of his relationship with the Olympic swimmer has 'affected' them both, but that he didn't address it early because he 'was concentrating on taking care of the kids'.

Charlene and Albert reunited for the first time in months this summer after the monarch and their children - six year old twins Jacques and Gabriella - flew to South Africa, but photographs of the pair embracing were branded 'awkward' by a body language expert.

The mounting speculation about the couple's marriage comes after Charlene shared professional photographs of her reunion with Prince Albert online, saying she was 'thrilled' to have her family back.

She shared a series of photos cuddled up with her kids in South Africa with the caption: 'I am so thrilled to have my family back with me (Gabriella decided to give herself a haircut!!!) Sorry my Bella I tried my best to fix it,' referring to her daughter's choppy fringe.

However a body language expert told FEMAIL Charlene showed 'no emotional bond' towards her husband Prince Albert in the images.

Judi James said that rather than being the loved-up reunion photo one would expect of a couple surrounded by split rumours, the royals' poses suggested 'no signs of connection between awkward-looking Albert and Charlene'.
A mother says she's happily married to her gay husband - and they keep their relationship on track with weekly sex feedback sessions.

Brynn Embley, 35, from Ypsilanti, Michigan, describes herself as straight while her husband Matthew Nielson, 33, identifies as gay or pansexual, and says he is 'more attracted to men than women.'

The couple have been dating since 2017 and share two daughters: Amandine, two and Guinevere, one.

The pair are members of the of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - a faith which doesn't condone same sex relationships - and Matthew admits the idea of being single and celibate forever was a strong motivating factor for dating women.

He dated men and women before he committed to Brynn - but had never had sex with anyone, including her, before they tied the knot.

The unconventional pair keep their relationship on track with therapy and weekly sex discussions calendared in for every Thursday, where they offer each other feedback and tips.

Brynn Embled, 35 and Matthew Nielson, 33, from Ypsilanti, Michigan, have been together since 2017 and have two daughters, in spite of the fact Matthew is more attracted to men rather than women. Pictured with their daughter Amandine, two

Brynn said: 'We enjoyed kissing, and hoped everything else would at least be okay.

'I think that many more people are gay, bi, pan, or other, than have made that known openly.

'A lot of my previous relationships revolved around that chemical attraction, not having that be the driving force was refreshing.

'I think that liking and matching with a person is so much more central to a long-term relationship.

The couple, pictured, belong to the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which does not condone gay marriage

'And it turns out that the sex thing works great, so it all worked out!'

Matthew added: 'I had never had sex before, with a man or a woman.

'I didn't even really know myself how strong my orientation to one gender or another might be.

'While I was more attracted to men, in general, there had been a few women to whom I was really attracted.

'I had a strong motivation to try really hard to make it work with a woman so that I didn't have to be lonely and celibate for the rest of my life.

'Obviously, not a great place for me or most of the women that I was dating.

'I've heard gay men say that they can't even imagine trying to be sexual with a woman, and I have never felt that way.

Matthew, pictured, said he identifies partly as pansexual, meaning he is attracted to people regardless of their gender, however, he admitted he is more attracted to men than women, pictured with Brynn

'It is still not the strongest part of our relationship, it is easy for me to wonder about what I might be missing if I were in a relationship with a man.

'But that being said, we do enjoy having sex and being together in that way, which is a relief!'

Brynn met Matthew for the first time at church in early 2016 and just a few dates in, he revealed he was gay.

Matthew had known he was attracted to men since he was a teenager, but the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not encourage homosexual relationships.

He dated women throughout his twenties while being honest about his orientation which received mixed responses, so he was nervous about what Brynn would think.

However, to his surprise, she shrugged it off.

The couple split up once early in their relationship because Matthew, pictured, had strong feelings for another man. However, he got back together with Brynn, also pictured, and they got married

The happy couple have two daughters, pictured, and have sex feedback sessions once a week to discuss their sexual needs

The mother-of-two said: 'He looked straight at me and said "Brynn, I'm gay".

'I remember it because he seemed so serious - or like he was looking for some sort of reaction from me.

'It just wasn't a huge deal, he was with me, his choice - what else mattered?

'I already knew that we didn't have a strong chemical attraction like I had experienced with other boyfriends, but it didn't really matter to me.

'I know he thinks I'm attractive, and I know he's drawn to me, and his sexual orientation didn't negate those things.

'I was really happy that I had a relationship where the selling point was liking and respecting each other as people.'

They dated for a few months before he ended their relationship, partly because Matthew had strong feelings about a man.

He said: 'I don't think that I actually had a lot of emotional bandwidth at that time because I was still trying to deal with my strong feelings about another guy.

'It didn't feel fair to either of us to keep up the relationship if I wasn't sure about that basic attraction.'

Mormonism explained - from why missionaries go door-to-door to its polygamous beliefs Mormonism is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement of Restorationist Christianity, founded by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s.

Mormons dedicate large amounts of time and resources to serving in their church, and many young Mormons choose to work full-time as converts, going door-to-door.

Alcoholic beverages, tobacco, coffee, tea, and other addictive substances are forbidden.

Sex before marriage and homosexual relationships are also forbidden.

Tattoos and body piercings, except for one pair of earrings on women, are discouraged.

In the 19th century, a minority of Mormons openly practiced plural marriage, a form of religious polygamy.

The center of Mormon cultural influence is in Utah, and North America has more Mormons than any other continent. Advertisement

They remained friends, but even Brynn's then boyfriend said they had chemistry, and they started dating again in September 2017.

Matthew, a postdoctoral researcher in psychology, said: 'It was definitely a leap of faith, because I still wasn't certain what sex with Brynn, or any woman, would look like.

'But we trusted that the other elements of our relationship were there and if that part was more difficult, we could work on it together.'

Brynn said: 'There was this mutual feeling of complete and utter happiness - like he was my person.'

Matthew added: 'I still was uncertain about the strength of our sexual connection.

'I tried to be as open as I could that I wasn't sure whether I would even enjoy sex with her or with any woman.

Matthew admitted he is still uncertain about the strength of the sexual connection he has with Brynn (pictured with their daughters)

'But I think we both felt reassured that we enjoyed cuddling, holding hands, and kissing.'

They went to Manti, Utah to finally tie the knot on December 27 2017, and were finally able to be intimate with each other.

Brynn said: 'For a while I would get stressed out if we weren't having sex a certain number of times each week, because I thought it meant that Matthew wasn't enjoying it enough.

'That's not the case, and I try to remember that if we both feel satisfied sexually that's all that matters.'

Pansexuality: the sexual orientation that doesn't care about gender Pansexuality defines a sexual orientation that doesn't care about gender. People who are pansexual say they feel a sexual, romantic or emotional attraction towards people that is not based on the gender they identify as. Pansexuality is considered a sexual orientation in its own right, like straight or gay. Some people also draw a parallel with bisexuality, however, bisexuality recognizes the existence of two genders, whereas pansexuality doesn not. Advertisement

They even have weekly sex discussions calendared in for every Thursday.

Brynn said: 'We share whether we need more, if there's anything the other can do to help make that a better part of our marriage, and so forth.'

While Brynn is a straight woman, Matthew's sexuality isn't linear and he has identified as gay, pansexual and bisexual.

He said: 'Pansexual is probably the most accurate - but it doesn't feel all the way right because I am still mostly attracted to men.'

The unusual couple are now four years into their relationship, are happy and monogamous, and have two daughters - Guinevere, one, and two-year-old Amandine.

Brynn said: 'Our religion teaches that marriage is only between a man and a woman, but we also want our children to be happy and secure in who they are and what or who they choose and are drawn to.

'Our goal is to support them whatever that looks like.

'There are also people who assume things about our relationship that are just plain wrong,

'I really try not to focus on the negative or let negative comments get me down - but they do, and one way I combat that is by sharing.

'We are so happy in this quirky, unique, sublime relationship.'
OBSERVER: 'Remarkably truthful no-holds-barred psychodrama'

Rating:

'A bold and somewhat mysterious portrait of a woman searching for her own identity, conjuring 'a fable from a true tragedy' that, for all its dramatic invention, feels remarkably truthful.

'Playing out over three excruciating days at Sandringham  from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day  and carried shoulder high by a note-perfect Kristen Stewart, Spencer (the very title of which seems to present a challenge to the House of Windsor) dances between ethereal ghost story, arch social satire and no-holds-barred psychodrama, while remaining at heart a paean to motherhood.'

TELEGRAPH: 'Meghan Markle might be first in the box-office queue'

Rating:

'Extraordinary performance [from Stewart]. She captures to perfection the kind of surface details most biopics would pride themselves on as ends in themselves, from Diana's halting speech to her coquettish downward glances and head tilts.

'The Royals, insular, moth-grey and hidebound, are cast in a grimly unflattering light: on Spencer's opening day, you sense Meghan Markle might be first in the box-office queue. But this is an apocryphal, one-woman psychodrama, and the Royals themselves, up to and including Stella Gonet's Queen Elizabeth II, are largely reduced to background artists

'Unlike The Crown, it seems there is little risk of viewers confusing all of the above with stringent documentary realism. But every moment in Spencer rings psychologically and folklorically true

GUARDIAN: 'Conspicuously exaggerates Diana's first-world problems'

Rating:

'This film conspicuously exaggerates Diana's first-world problems with black-comic stylings, fictional flourishes and some beautiful images. The nightmarish absurdity of what Diana had to endure and her consequent unhappiness create something that looks as if it has been co-directed by former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie and Dario Argento.

'The film ultimately implies that her problems are down to the ghastly Windsors: away from them, driving around in her car with the boys, listening to Mike and the Mechanics on the tape-deck and having an unpretentious KFC, she could relax and be herself, a Spencer....

'Another type of film, without all the Halloween gothic naivety, might have challenged this view'.

THE TIMES: 'The clunkiest lines of dialogue that the screenwriter Steven Knight has yet concocted'

Rating:

'It doesn't help that Stewart's Diana, whether perpetually late for supper or flouncing around Sandringham in a neurasthenic stupor, is lumbered with some of the clunkiest lines of dialogue that the screenwriter Steven Knight has yet concocted

'The film consistently embraces the idea that this clash between Diana and the royals eventually found fullest and most final expression in her violent death, six years later.

EVENING STANDARD: Stewart shows 'the absurdity of Diana's hellish situation' the film doesn't white wash anyone

Rating:

'All credit to LA-born Stewart, whose subtle and uncannily precise take on the English icon is guaranteed to earn her an Oscar nomination. Her accent doesn't wobble, nor do millennial mannerisms creep into the mix. Above all, the 31-year-old actress is funny, delivering earthy gags, or sometimes just widening her eyes, in a way that makes you see the absurdity of Diana's hellish situation.

'The gun-toting Queen (Stella Gonet), who, aptly, resembles the terrifying matriarch played by Catherine Keener in horror classic Get Out, has a brutally honest kind of charm, while Charles (Jack Farthing) often appears reasonable.

'The film acknowledges that Diana can be a flaky and coy diva. Such 'warts' are what make this portrait valuable. It doesn't whitewash anyone

NEW YORK TIMES: A horror movie about a fragile woman held captive in a spooky mansion

Spencer' is a Christmas movie, in which a big, dysfunctional family gathers at the holiday to feast, exchange gifts and engage in peculiar traditions meant to provide 'a bit of fun.'

'Spencer' is a horror movie about a fragile woman held captive in a spooky mansion, tormented by sadistic monsters and their treacherous minions.

'Spencer' is a psychological thriller about a powerful, unaccountable authoritarian cabal conspiring to crush the spirit of an independent-minded rebel.

'Spencer' is a love story, a melodrama of maternal devotion, an early-'90s fashion parade and a very British baking show. (The scones and pastries are organic.)

EVENT MAGAZINE: Spencer is not perfect

Rating:

'Despite the Princesss beautifully recreated and iconic wardrobe, Spencer is still not perfect. It eventually becomes repetitive in structure, with the Princess having at least one too many heart-to-hearts with sympathetic Palace servants.

'But do look out for some touching scenes with her beloved boys, an unexpected declaration of love and a terrific supporting turn from Sean Harris as the Royal head chef.

RADIO TIMES: Stewart's take on the Princess of Wales is akin to that of a feral cat

Rating:

'Stewart's take on the Princess of Wales is akin to that of a feral cat, lashing out when pushed into a corner. The tension palpable between herself and the rest of the family, Diana finds herself growingly desperate to escape the stifling environment.

'Comparing her situation to that of Anne Boleyn's, she begins to imagine herself as the Tudor queen, and tries to escape to the grounds to her old, childhood home. While the audience watches Diana's more erratic behaviour with concern, her behaviour is dismissed by those close to the royals as her 'cracking up'

HELLO!: Like nothing you've ever seen before

'Spencer is like nothing you've seen before... Spencer is an unusual, even eerie, look at a free spirit who feels trapped in a world of rules

'Yes she has Diana's mannerisms spot-on - the wide eyes, the tilted head - but there's more too. Here is a thirty-year-old princess so full of both youthful spirit and unparalleled responsibilities that she doesn't know which way to turn. '

EMPIRE: Stewart takes an icon and makes her human

Rating:

'Stewart's performance is remarkable. Whether it is an off-hand line ('Leave me now. I want to masturbate') to bigger moments where she challenges the royal tradition of pheasant-hunting by marching in front of the rifles, the actor, who has her own ambivalent relationship with fame and scrutiny, is incandescent on the outside while hinting at worlds of turmoil underneath.

'In her best performance since Personal Shopper, she takes an icon and deftly makes her human.

GOOD MORNING AMERICA: Kristen Stewart gives the performance of her life

'Kristen Stewart gives the performance of her life as Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales. Oscar should smile on Stewart, who makes 'Spencer' a spellbinder from first scene to last.

'Living in the Windsor pumpkin shell has driven Diana to mental collapse, worsened by her self abuse through cutting and bulimia. Diana would willingly disappear were it not for her young and adoring sons, William (Jack Nielen) and Harry (Freddie Spry).

JEZEBEL: Think your in-laws are bad? Imagine being Diana

'With this background in mind, it's little wonder that Spencer is among the coldest Christmas movies of all time (at least since Eyes Wide Shut). A yule log would freeze over in this company.

'If you thought spending time with your in-laws sucked, just think about what it would be like with the added burden of royal formality

SALON: A gorgeous yet superficial biopic of Princess Di

Diana is repeatedly told to 'be beautiful.' 'Spencer' is certainly beautiful to look at, but it also feels skin-deep.

FAR OUT: A royal fable that defies expectations

'Kristen Stewart, after a shaky start, does a fantastic job. She expertly embodies Lady Diana as she tries her best to adjust to the realisation that she is little more than 'currency' in the eyes of the people, and that her role from now on is to smile, wear elegant dresses, and pretend that she feels nothing at all....

'Unfortunately, Spencer suffers from a serious case of bathos. While Stewart's performance is on the whole fairly subtle, she has a habit of fluctuating between subtle embodiment and outright parody with little warning.

'Subsequently, what was intended to be poignant ends up being just a little toe-curling. Time and time again Spencer builds itself up only to hit another miniaturised anti-climax.'

LOS ANGLES TIMES: A portrait of a woman under siege

'Don't call 'Spencer' a biopic; in these moments, it's closer to a war movie... It's a portrait of a woman under siege. Increasingly depressed and isolated'
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A new commemorative range of chinaware to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee has gone on sale.

The set, produced by the Royal Collection Trust, includes crockery made by hand using English fine bone china and methods and techniques that are 250 years old.

The collection was made in Stoke-on-Trent to mark next year's Platinum Jubilee - which celebrates the royal's 70 years on the throne.

The design and colour scheme of the range take inspiration from Her Majesty's Robe of Estate, worn on her Coronation Day on June 2 1953.

Set against a purple background, it features golden ears of olive and wheat and leaves, symbolising peace and plenty.

The central feature is a coat of arms with the national emblems of the UK, consisting of roses, shamrocks, thistles and daffodils.

It is framed by a circular border of oak leaves, an emblem of strength, stability and longevity. Prices range from 150 for a plate, 65 for a teacup and saucer to 2.95 for a mini tube of Scottish shortbread biscuits.

Products can be purchased online from the Royal Collection Trust website and will be sold in Royal Collection Trust shops at The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, and on Buckingham Palace Road, and at Royal Collection Trust shops at Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

A new commemorative range of chinaware to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee has gone on sale, including a 95 bauble (pictured). This fine porcelain bauble is decorated by hand in Staffordshire. Using traditional techniques unchanged for generations, each piece is finished in 22 carat gold

The set, produced by the Royal Collection Trust, includes crockery made by hand using English fine bone china and methods and techniques that are 250 years old. Pictured is the 150 plate

The collection was made in Stoke-on-Trent to mark next year's Platinum Jubilee - which celebrates the royal's 70 years on the throne. Pictured is the 2.95 biscuit tin

The painted chinaware before being fired in a kiln. The design and colour scheme of the range take inspiration from Her Majesty's Robe of Estate, worn on her Coronation Day on June 2, 1953

To celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, this 25 decoration is on sale and available from Royal Trust

The rounded decoration (pictured front and back) is on sale for 19.95 and is a great Christmas gift for any royal watchers

Handmade in the United Kingdom, these souvenir spoons all feature iconic motifs recognizable from the Coronation of Her Majesty The Queen, including the crown, the throne, the orb and the sceptre. They cost 35 for a set of four

The central feature is a coat of arms with the national emblems of the UK, consisting of roses, shamrocks, thistles and daffodils. Pictured the 9.95 tea towel

Pictured is the tankard. At the centre of the tankard is the royal coat of arms, which has been specially painted for the occasion and includes the national emblems of the United Kingdom. It cost 40

The design features on the 5.95 chocolate bar wrapper is inspired by the purple Robe of Estate worn by The Queen at her Coronation. The border of decoration is based on the gold embroidery on the robe, which incorporates olive branches and wheat ears, symbolising peace and prosperity

Not quite afternoon tea! The coffee mug is on sale for 25. The design is inspired by the purple Robe of Estate worn by The Queen at her Coronation. The border decoration is based on the gold embroidery on the robe, which incorporates olive branches and wheat ears, symbolising peace and prosperity

It is framed by a circular border of oak leaves, an emblem of strength, stability and longevity. Prices range from 150 for a plate, 65 for a teacup and saucer to 2.95 for a mini tube of Scottish shortbread biscuits.

On the lid of this 45 pillbox is the royal coat of arms, which has been specially painted for the occasion and includes the national emblems of the United Kingdom

Made in England, using fine bone English china, this traditional teacup and saucer is crafted entirely by hand and is delicately finished with 22 carat gold. It cost 65
Prince Harry discussed 'climate anxiety' with psychiatrists and physicians in a 'realizing a compassionate planet' forum on Friday.

The Duke of Sussex, 37, who is currently living in his $14 million mansion in California having stepped back from royal duty last year, took part in the virtual discussion in conjunction with Archewell partner Stanford University.

A tweet shared by the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University account read: 'Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, welcomed Realising a Compassionate Planet delegates to a conversation related to climate health and mental health, facilitated by Dr. James Doty.'

In a second tweet, it posted: 'Physicians, psychiatrists, and compassion scholars explored the nuances and meanings of climate anxiety, including Dr. Chitra Venkateswaran, founder of the Mehac Foundation, and Sally Weintrobe, British Psychoanalytical Society fellow.'

The appearance came days after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pledged Archewell will go net zero by 2030, hours after the Queen didn't mention her grandson the Duke in her intensely personal COP26 speech.

Prince Harry, 37, discussed 'climate anxiety' with psychiatrists and physicians as part in a 'realizing a compassionate planet' forum this weekend

Meanwhile a slideshow graphic shared by the university from the lecture featured phrases including: 'Look at others as ourselves' and 'I believe it can be done, focus on the earth.'

Those who spoke at the event included psychoanalyst Sally Weintrobe and author of Awakening Compassion at Work Monica Worline.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle visited the prestigious Stanford University in Palo Alto, California in February 2020, weeks after announcing they planned to step back from royal duty.

At the time, it was reported they attended 'brainstorming sessions' with several 'professors and academics' from the university, who have been helping them to work on the concept and creation of their new charitable organization.

The Duke of Sussex, 37, who is currently living in his $14 million mansion in California having stepped back from royal duty last year, took part in the virtual discussion in conjunction with Archewell partner Stanford University

Meanwhile a slideshow graphic shared by the university from the lecture featured phrases including: 'Look at others as ourselves' and 'I believe it can be done, focus on the earth.'

The Duke was joined by 'physicians, psychiatrists and compassion scholars during the virtual meeting

Then in December, they announced the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University would be one of the organisations supported through their Archewell foundation.

Announcing the partnership last year, they said they were investigating techniques for 'developing compassion and promoting altruism within individuals and society'.

Last week, the Queen failed to mention Prince Harry in one of her most personal speeches ever at the opening of the global summit to discuss action on climate change.

Her Majesty addressed world leaders with a powerful plea where she praised Prince Philip and gushed over Prince Charles and Prince William for carrying on her late husband's work to protect 'our fragile planet'.

Hours later, the Duke and Duchess shared a mission statement on their Archewell foundation website.

The couple will work with an 'independent consultant to track all Archewell-related activities' from inception to 'understand our collective footprint'.

His appearance at the forum came days after the Queen didn't mention her grandson the Duke in her intensely personal COP26 speech

Posting on Archewell, Harry and Meghan commented that they have 'actively made choices to offset and balance their carbon footprint' but that 'nearly every activity in daily life results in the release of carbon into the atmosphere'.

They added that they will be looking at 'what they eat' and 'how often they eat it' as well as their commute and use of heating and electricity in order to cut down their footprint.

His latest appearance comes as royal experts demanded Prince Harry tears up his 112million Netflix deal and makes a stand over The Crown's portrayal of Princess Diana.

Royal biographer Angela Levin criticised the Duke of Sussex for not 'finding his voice' over the streaming giant's controversial portrayal of his mother.

It comes after Princess Diana's friend Jemima Khan withdrew her support for The Crown over its 'disrespectful' script after she broke up with the show's creator.

Levin, author of Harry: A Biography of a Prince, told The Sun: 'Harry has remained absolutely silent about Netflix.

'He should tear the deal up and make a stand for his mother. What's more important? Money or defending his mum? It's astonishing he can't find his voice on this.'

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle signed a deal with the streaming service last year for their new production company to make documentaries, feature films, scripted shows and children's programming.

It comes as another royal expert said today that the makers of Netflix's The Crown have stuck up 'two fingers' at the Royal Family by casting the stepdaughter of IRA supporter Roy Greenslade in the role of Countess Mountbatten.

Penny Junor said Natascha McElhone, 51, was not responsible for the 'sins of her stepfather'. But she said another actress should have been considered because of the role's sensitive nature.
Chef Marcus Wareing has revealed how to make perfect bangers and mash ahead of MasterChef: The Professionals' return tonight.

The popular show kicks off a new series on BBC One tonight at 7:30pm, with Marcus returning to judge alongside Gregg Wallace and Monica Galetti.

The Michelin-starred chef picked the new series' first skill test and demonstrated what he was expecting from this year's contestants.

He showed how to make scrumptious bangers and mash, adding his own flair with a flambed stout gravy.

He explained that while the meal was a classic, it demanded many technical skills in order to complete in just 20 minutes.

The chef, who returns to judge alongside Gregg Wallace and Monica Galetti, said the meal, pictured, was a classic, but also demanded a lot of skills

'The first skill test is bangers and mash with an beer and onion gravy. Great British classic,' Marcus told Gregg and Monica.

The chef started with the gravy, pouring the stout in a deep pan.

'First job I'm gonna start the beer and onion gravy. And I'm gonna use a stout for my sauce. Nice, bitter stout,' he said.

He then chopped white and red onions while the stout was reducing.

Marcus Wareing, pictured, demonstrated how to make perfect bangers and mash on tonight's new series of MasterChef: The Professionals

Gregg Wallace, pictured, observed with great interest as Marcus demonstrated how to make the pub classic

Marcus began by chopping red and white onions to make the gravy, saying he liked his onion gravy to have lots of onions, pictured

The caramelised the onions in a pan with herbs and seasoning, while he prepared the rest of the meal, pictured

'I'm looking for our chefs to cut them nice and neatly,' he said while dicing the onions.

Gregg asked the chef why he had picked bangers and mash for the show's first skill set of the series.

'It's not only a home-cooked dish, it's a pub dish, it's a restaurant dish,' he said.

'There are lovely, little key skills in here Monica and I will be looking for,' he said while pouring the chopped onions into the pan.

'That's quite a lot of onions, but when it's an onion gravy, I want onions in my sauce,' Marcus said with a smile.

Monica also had great expectations ahead of the show's first skill test.

The chef used a bitter stout to make the gravy, which he left to reduce in a pan. He added honey later on to counteract the bitterness

The professional chef showed a trick to cook the sausages perfectly, he puts a sheet of paper underneath them so they can cook evenly

Monica, pictured, said she wanted people to take their time to make the best bangers and mash they'd ever done

'I would hope they'll walk in there and don't think, you know, "Oh bangers and mash, done in 10 minutes",' she said.

'Use the time carefully to cook them beautifully, to make a wonderful sauce to go with it, and the best mashed potato they've ever made,' she added.

With the first part of the gravy done, it was time to get to the piece de resistance.

'So next, I'm going to get my sausages on. Sausages for me are all about just great colour. All the way over,' Marcus said.

'I don't want one side coloured more than the other, I don't see one side burnt. Small little points of detail,' he added.

In order to avoid getting a claggy mash, Marcus said to push the mash through a sieve and not to scrap it, pictured

The chef revealed he had a trick up his sleeve to make sure the bangers don't burn.

'I'm just gonna sit them in a nice butter paper, and they'll just nicely just gently tick over in there,' he said, sliding a thin paper under the sausages.

He also kicked the gravy up a notch by flaming the onions.

'Onions are caramelising, and now I'm gonna flame them with some brandy,' he said.

'Flambed bangers and mash!' Gregg said. 'You know you're on pro MasterChef when that happens.'

The chef then flamed the onions with brandy to kick the meal up a notch, pictured, before moving on to the mash

Marcus Wareing's bangers and mash Ingredients: - Three sausages - Milk - Potato - Butter -Red and white onions - Stout - Honey - Balsamic Vinegar - Brandy Recipe: - Salt and Pepper 1. Reduce the stout into a sauce pan. Once reduced, add honey to make it less bitter. 2. Chop the onions thinly and neatly 3. Caramelise the onions in a pan. Add some balsamic vinegar. 3. Pour brandy on the onion because carefully flaming them. 4. Cook the three sausages evenly in a pan, turning them to make sure no side is more cooked than another. 5. Push the baked potato through a sieve to make a puree, then add the milk and butter to make it richer. 6. Serve up! Advertisement

Marcus poured the brandy on top of the gravy before setting it alight and tossing the pan.

'I'm gonna put a little splash of balsamic vinegar. A little bit of stock,' he said, pouring one after the other into the mix.

'So the stout is nicely reducing so I'm now going to counteract the bitterness of it by just incorporating a little bit of honey,' he said.

'If our chefs don't sweeten the reduced stout or the reduced ale, it's gonna be very bitter, yeah?' Gregg asked.

'So just add the stout into there. Just a bit at a time, keep reducing that down,' he said while delicately mixing the gravy.

'Lots and lots of care and love going into that gravy,' Gregg joked.

For the last portion of the meal, Marcus turned his attention to the mash.

'I've got some milk in here just warming through. I've given them a baked potato,' he said.

He said the potato needed to be pushed through a sieve rather than to scrap it through, to avoid the mash going 'claggy.'

'It sounds simple but we've had bad mash before especially under pressure,' Monica said.

'It's got to be smooth, it's got to be seasoned,' she said, 'You want to get some of that butter through it,' she said.

'We've all had this, you must had this dish when you were a kid, right,' Gregg asked Marcus.

'My dad was a potato merchant as you know, so I think we probably had potatoes pretty much every day of our lives,' Marcus said.

The chef showed how to complete the meal by pouring the potato puree into a pan, adding the milk and the better.

'And we're ready to plate,' he said.

He began by pouring the gravy on the plate, stacked the three bangers on top of each other, and served a generous dollop of mash next to it.

MasterChef: The Professionals returns on BBC One tonight at 7:30pm

The chef began by serving the gravy then stacking the sausages on the plate with a spoon, pictured
Sarah Palin's daughter Willow has revealed that she is pregnant with her third child  a baby boy  nearly two years after she and her husband Ricky Bailey welcomed twin girls.

With her eighth grandchild arriving sometime this spring, the former GOP vice presidential candidate has plenty to celebrate with her family over the holiday season.

Willow, 27, announced the joyous news on Instagram, where she shared a short video of herself showing off her growing baby bump in a form-fitting hunter green dress on Sunday.

Scroll down for video

Joyous news: Willow Palin and her husband Ricky Bailey are expecting their third child, a baby boy, this spring. The welcomed their twin daughters Banks and Blaise in November 2019

Surprise! Willow, 27, announced the happy news on Instagram, where she shared a short video of herself showing off her growing baby bump on Sunday

'Been keeping this guy a little bit of a secret  one more week and well be half way with our BOY!' she captioned the playful clip.

Willow, the third of Sarah's five children with Todd Palin, tied the knot with Ricky on September 29, 2018. A little over a year later, they welcomed their twin daughters Banks and Blaise in 2019.

The couple's baby news comes ahead of the girls' second birthday on November 17.

Sarah, 57, reposted Willow's video on her Instagram Stories, writing: 'Blessings on your children, and their children, and their children...'

Willow also got plenty of love from her sisters Bristol and Piper who celebrated the news on their respective Instagram Stories.

Growing family: The baby boy will be Sarah Palin and her ex-husband Todd Palin eighth grandchild. The former couple is pictured with Willow and Ricky's twins last November

'Blessings': The former GOP vice presidential candidate reposted Willow's video on her Instagram Stories in celebration

So excited: Willow also got plenty of love from her sisters Bristol and Piper who shared the exciting news on their respective Instagram accounts

'Can't wait for my sis' baby BOY,' Bristol, 31, wrote.

'FINALLY,' Piper, 20, added. 'Cannot wait for a teeny tiny nephew. Congrats sis and @rickyb901.'

Earlier this year, Willow opened up about how much motherhood means while sharing a family photo in honor of Mother's Day.

'Being a mommy to these girls is my favorite thing,' she wrote on Instagram.

The new baby boy will be Sarah and Todd's eighth grandchild.

Plenty to celebrate: Banks and Blaise will turn two on November 17, a little over a week after the announcement

Middle child: Willow is the third of Sarah and Todd's five children. Piper, Track, Trig, Todd, Willow, Sarah, and Bristol (left to right) are pictured on Thanksgiving in 2018

Single mom: Bristol shares a son Tripp, 12, with former fiance Levi Johnston, and she has daughters Sailor Grace, five, and Atlee Bay, four, with her ex-husband Dakota Meyer

Willow's older sister Bristol has three children: daughters Sailor Grace, five, and Atlee Bay, four, with her ex-husband Dakota Meyer and a son Tripp, 12, with her former fiance Levi Johnston.

In 2008, Bristol caused a scandal during her mother's vice-presidential campaign when she became pregnant out of wedlock at the age of 18.

The former Teen Mom OG star gave birth to Tripp in December 2008, eight months after her mother Sarah welcomed her fifth child Trig, who was born with Down's syndrome.

Meanwhile, Willow's older brother Track, now 32, was 22 years old when he welcomed his daughter Kyla Grace with his wife Britta Hanson in 2011.

Famous: Bristol, second from left, caused scandal during her mother's vice presidential campaign in 2008 when she became pregnant with Tripp out of wedlock at the age of 18

Sarah's grandchildren: Willow's older brother Track, 32, has a daughter Kyla Grace with his now ex-wife Britta Hanson. He and his daughter are pictured in 2014

Second child: Track also has a four-year-old son Charlie Mitchell with his ex-girlfriend Jordan Loewe (left), who has spoken publicly about his alleged domestic violence

The two filed for divorce in 2012 and Britta received custody of their daughter.

Track also has a four-year-old son Charlie Mitchell with his ex-girlfriend Jordan Loewe. In January 2016, he was arrested after he allegedly attacked Jordon and threatened to shoot himself.

A few months later, she learned she was pregnant with Charlie.

Then, in 2018, Track was arrested and jailed on domestic abuse charges the day before Willow and Ricky's wedding in Talkeetna, Alaska.

Authorities said he 'assaulted' a female 'acquaintance' at his home and tried to stop her from calling the police by taking away her phone.

Track is often absent from the Palin family's social media photos, and it's unclear if they have a relationship with his children.
A five-year-old in Italy suffered a life-threatening allergic reaction after eating trendy honey.

The unidentified boy, who had bad hayfever, went into anaphylactic shock and was rushed to hospital in Piacenza, near Milan, after eating artisanal honey.

He suffered breathing difficulties and broke out in hives half-an-hour after eating a meal containing the artisanal honey and salmon.

Tests revealed he wasn't allergic to salmon or shop-bought honey, but instead was having a reaction to higher pollen levels in the fancier alternative.

Artisanal honey  which can cost upwards of 100 per jar  is usually produced in smaller batches than commercial alternatives and is not processed, pasteurised or filtered to the same extent.

Advocates rave about its antioxidants, as well as anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties properties.

It contains much higher levels of pollen  a fine powder from plants which sticks to bees  than mass-produced honey, which filters out most of the pollen and is often diluted.

Anaphylaxis is the result of the immune system, the body's natural defence system, overreacting to a trigger such as food or medication.

Symptoms  such as breathing difficulties and a fast heartbeat  develop suddenly and get worse rapidly.

The boy's case was revealed in a medical journal by doctors at Guglielmo da Saliceto Hospital in Piacenza, who warned about the potential dangers of artisanal product.

One in four Britons  16million people  and 24million Americans have hay fever  an allergy to pollen  but most cases are very mild.

Artisan honey is not as thoroughly pasteurised and filtered as mass-produced honey, so contains much higher levels of pollen. This means people who are sensitive to pollen - who have hayfever - can develop allergic symptoms to the product

The medics said the patient is the first reported case of honey-induced anaphylaxis in a child aged under six.

And paediatricians should be aware of 'the potential risk of severe allergic reactions' after children eat honey or bee pollen products, especially if they have hay fever.

Dr Joanna Lukawska, an allergy specialist at University College Hospital London, told MailOnline she has seen patients have similar allergic reactions, especially when consuming bee pollen as a supplement.

It can be bought from most health food stores to be combined with food and drinks for added vitamins and minerals.

WHAT CAUSES HAY FEVER? Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen, typically when it comes into contact with your mouth, nose, eyes and throat. Pollen is a fine powder from plants. People with hay fever react to pollen as if it is harmful. Their cells release chemicals inside their nose, causing it to become swollen and produce too much mucus. This response can also be triggered by mould spores, house dust mites and some animals. Main symptoms include sneezing, coughing, a runny or blocked nose and itchy, red or watery eyes. Hay fever cannot be cured or prevented, but people can take antihistamines to help with the symptoms. Advertisement

Dr Lukawska said: 'Most people will have no problem tolerating bee pollen.

'However, patients with hay fever may develop allergic symptoms such as throat swelling, itchy mouth or even anaphylaxis.'

And artisanal honey can also trigger the reaction because small-batch products are 'not as strictly regulated as commercial products'.

So they are likely to contain higher amounts of pollen, as well as other potentially allergenic products, such as walnuts, pistachio nuts and goji berries, Dr Lukawska said.

She added: 'This of course is no problem for most people, except for those who happen to be allergic to the product contained in the honey.'

Some patients who are particularly sensitive to pollen can also have allergic reactions just from eating certain fruit that contains pollen, such as apples and cherries.

Dr Lukawska said many of these patients can eat a small slice of apple and only experience mouth tingling, but can have a severe reaction if they drink a whole glass of fresh apple juice, as it coats their throat and can cause problems breathing.

However, they are able to drink shop-bought pasteurised apple juice because this eliminates pollen in the product.

Professor Stephen Till, an allergy expert at clinic Allergy London, told MailOnline he has not encountered a patient who has reacted to artisan honey, but has seen several who have experienced anaphylaxis to bee pollen grains.

He said: 'The patients were all pollen allergic and given that this allergy is so common, in my view there needs to be more caution about using such products.'

Writing in the Journal of Medical Case Reports, medics revealed they conducted a skin-prick allergy test to determine what caused their five-year-old patient's allergic reaction.

This involves putting a drop of liquid containing potential allergy triggers  salmon and honey in this case  and gently pricking the skin underneath the drop.

If a patient is allergic to the substance, they will develop a red and itchy bump within 15 minutes.

But in this case, the child did not have a reaction to salmon or supermarket honey. When medics tested the specific type of honey he consumed, he developed a reaction on his skin.

Further skin-prick tests revealed he was allergic to pollen present in the artisan honey.

Doctors had a follow-up appointment with the child a year later and said he had avoided honey and had not suffered another allergic reaction.
Tens of thousands more X-rays are being sent abroad every year by NHS staff due to a shortage of radiologists, data suggests.

Around 14 per cent of all medical scans are currently outsourced overseas, to places as far afield as Australian and New Zealand.

This is nearly triple the proportion shipped abroad six years ago, when 5 per cent of all patient scans were dealt with this way.

NHS sites conduct roughly 2million X-rays a year, 800,000 ultrasounds and 300,000 MRI scans.

Dr William Ramsden, vice-president for clinical radiology at the Royal College of Radiology (RCR), told the Financial Times private-sector involvement was vital to meeting the NHS's immediate demands.

But he warned 'more and more outsourcing to external suppliers is not the cure for insufficient radiologists on the ground'.

The RCR estimates there are 1,939 full-time consultant clinical radiologist posts unfilled across the UK, equivalent to about one-in-three of the workforce.

On average the UK has about a third fewer radiologists per head of population compared to its European neighbours. EU nations have about 12.8 radiologists per 100,000 people, while the UK has, across the four nations, has 8.6 per 100,000. Shortages are particularly bad in Wales

There are also variances in the number of radiologists within the regions of the UK. London and parts of Scotland perform better than Wales and East Midlands. No UK region manages to reach the European average however

If the current staffing problems are not addressed the college estimates radiologist vacancies will grow to 3,600, equivalent to nearly half of all positions.

LEK Consulting, an advisor to so called 'teleradiology' providers, told the FT the 14 per cent figure rose as high as 80 per cent for out-of-hours services, including for emergency scans when people attend A&E.

Scans are not just critical for emergency care however, with them used to help spot and treat health conditions such as cancer, strokes, and heart disease.

248m tech boost for NHS to help tackle record waiting list The NHS will get nearly 250 million in the next year to help tackle the record waiting list backlog. The money will be used to to increase the efficiency of sharing tests, images and results, between NHS hospitals, labs and GP surgeries. Under the new system, X-ray experts will be able to review high-resolution images remotely 24 hours a day without needing to be in an imaging laboratory. The funding will also enable GPs to choose the most suitable type of scan for their patient based on their symptoms and medical history, saving them having to make requests to radiologists. The investment comes after a record rise in NHS treatment waiting lists. A total of 5.7 million people were waiting to start routine hospital treatment at the end of August, according to figures from NHS England. This includes almost 10,000 patients who have been in the queue for two years. Advertisement

Data shows the UK has a below average number of radiologists per head of population, compared to European neighbors.

On average, EU nations have nearly 12.8 radiologists for every 100,000 people, in comparison the UK has 8.6.

Staff shortages have a direct impact on patient's chances of survival according to charity Cancer Research UK (CRUK).

CRUK said, prior to the pandemic, around 115,000 cancer patients in England per year are diagnosed too late to give them the best chance of survival.

The charity said Britain entered the Covid pandemic 'at or near the bottom' of a league table of comparable countries in relation to one-year and five-year survival rates for multiple cancers.

According to the RCR, 91 per cent of NHS trusts and health boards in the UK outsourced scans to an independent sector company in 2020 to the cost of 128million.

This is a 58 per cent increase compared to the money spent on outsourcing in 2018.

However, Eilert Hinrichs, partner at LEK Consulting, said teleradiology could help address the shortfalls in care with technology meaning patients and radiologists no longer needed to be in the same location.

'It provides speed and quality and could address the capacity shortage,' he said.

Today the Government announced the NHS will 248million over the next year to improve technology in order to improve its record waiting list.

Digital diagnostics services across the NHS will be reformed to increase the efficiency of sharing tests, images and results between hospitals, labs and GP surgeries, according to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

The NHS has historically lagged behind in terms of tech, with the health service famed for still using fax machines and staff bemoaning the time wasted trying to log-in to dated computer systems.

More and more scans of UK patients are being sent overseas to places as far away as Australia and New Zealand due a shortage of experts in Britain

The number of patients waiting for routine hospital treatment hit 5.6million in July, the highest figure since records began in 2007. And health chiefs have warned the backlog is going to get much worse before it gets better, with projections that it could soar up to 13million by the end of the year if no action is taken

More than 5,000 people waited more than 12 hours in A&E before being seen by a doctor in September, a record high

The Government said its new investment will lead to quicker detection of illnesses and reduce waiting times for treatment.

As part of the new computer system, X-ray experts will be able to review high-resolution images remotely 24 hours a day without needing to be in an imaging laboratory.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the funding will help 'drive up efficiency' in the NHS.

'Today's multimillion-pound investment will play a big role in levelling up diagnostics services across the country so patients can get faster results and healthcare professionals can get their job done more easily, reducing unnecessary administrative burden and making every taxpayers' pound count,' he said.
An unvaccinated Washington man is apologizing to the medical staff who treated him during his month-long hospital stay due to Covid complications.

Richard Soliz, 54, of Seattle, Washington, spent a month battling the virus from late August into September.

He is now remorseful about not getting the vaccine, and subjecting himself to hospital treatment because to his decision.

Soliz also said he feels badly about the effort and stress doctors went through having to treat him, while also noting that they saved his life.

Richard Soliz, 54, spent a month hospitalized at Harborview Medical Center. He is unvaccinated, and apologized to staff for 'fueling' the nation's Covid crisis

'In hindsight, I felt bad,' Soliz told the The Washington Post about his battle with Covid.

'And I knew in my heart, in my mind and my consciousness, that it all could've been avoided.'

He said he decided to not get vaccinated for Covid after he saw information in social media posts that contradicted what he was seeing about the jabs in the news, he told the newspaper.

Misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines on social media has become a major issue for health officials.

A survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) finds that 78 percent of Americans - even those who have received the vaccine - believe at least one falsehood about it.

Soliz said he started feeling sick in August, but believed it was the flu until he developed a severe headache.

'I can't even explain to you the intensity of that headache...I've never experienced a headache like that before ever in my life,' he said.

Soon after, he checked into Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with severe Covid symptoms, and said he realized after treatment he had 'unnecessarily' fueled the nation's Covid-crisis.

'I didn't do it deliberately - that was the bad part; that was the part that really disturbed me quite a bit,' Soliz told The Post.

'I did not know the proper thing to do.'

He was placed on a ventilator and a heart monitor during his time in the hospital, reported CNN.

'I was literally on my deathbed and hanging from a string, and [doctors] tended to me as perfect strangers,' Soliz told CNN.

'[When] you're in a position that I was in, it resonates differently, and I just had to say something.'

He said he was embarrassed to tell hospital staff he was not vaccinated.

Dr James Town, director of the ICU at Harborview, told CNN around 99 percent of patients that were admitted to the hospital in late-August were unvaccinated.

Doctors at the hospital are used to seeing unvaccinated Covid patients who were misinformed before their illness, and were happy to see Soliz recover and continue on with his life, a blessing many other unvaccinated people do not receive.

'We do put so much of our own heart into the care and worry,' Kimmy Siebens, a nurse at Harborview, told Soliz during a visit he made after recovery.

'We never really get to see people get that much better. And so it's amazing. It makes it feel like it's definitely all worth it, you know?'

Now, Soliz is advocating for others not to make the same mistake he did by not getting the jab when it is made available to them.

'I am certain that there is truth to this virus, and not being vaccinated leaves you vulnerable to the extent of possibly really taking a person's life,' he told CNN.

'I personally know that, because I was not vaccinated. I did not act, I wasn't certain, and I nearly lost my life.'

As of Monday morning, more than 80 percent of American adults have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 70 percent are fully vaccinated.

Convincing the remaining group may be tough, though, with 16 percent of American adults reporting that they will 'definitely not' get the jab according to the KFF vaccine monitor.
Pfizer-BioNTech are planning to ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to authorize their COVID-19 vaccine for all Americans aged 18 and older.

Three unnamed White House officials told The Washington Post that the submission could come as early as this week

Currently, booster of Pfizer's vaccine are only authorized for those aged 65 and older or at high risk due to their jobs or underlying conditions more than six months after the first graphs.

But the extension would complete the Biden administration's goal for all adults announced over the summer.

A Pfizer spokesman Kit Longley declined to confirm the firm's plans to the Post.

Third doses are currently only authorized for those aged 65 and older and at high risk due to their jobs or underlying conditions. Pictured: Safeway pharmacist Shahrzad Khoobyari (left) administers a Pfizer COVID-19 booster into the arm of Norman Solomon (right) in San Rafael, California, October 2021

Third doses are currently only authorized for those aged 65 and older and at high risk due to their jobs or underlying conditions. Pictured: A healthcare worker administers a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine at a senior living facility in Worcester, Pennsylvania, August 2021

In August, boosters were approved for immunocompromised Americans who had received either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine after data showed they were less likely to develop high antibody levels after two doses.

Shortly after, the White House announced booster shots would become available for all Americans starting on September 20 due to data suggesting waning efficacy of the initial shots.

At the time, Pfizer said its early data suggested people who received booster doses between six and 12 months after their final dose had high levels of protection.

The company filed for emergency use authorization for booster doses in late August and submitted data to the FDA, which was made public last week.

The documents suggest that protection from two doses of the Pfizer vaccine declines from 96.2 percent at seven days after dose 2 to 90.1 percent two months later to 83.7 percent up to six months later.

Pfizer said data suggested efficacy of two doses declines from 96.2% to 83.7% after six months but that a third dose boosts antibody levels (above)

As of Monday, more than 24 million people have received booster shots in the U.S. with a seven-day rolling average of more than 800,000

What's more, they cited data from Israel showing people fully vaccinated in January 2021 had a 2.26-fold increased risk for breakthrough infections compared to those fully vaccinated in April 2021.

Another Israeli study discussed in the documents showed that effectiveness against infection was 39 percent and against symptomatic disease was 40 percent from June 20, 2021 to July 17, 2021, when the Delta variant was the dominant strain.

Comparatively, between January and April, these rates were at 95 percent or higher.

The team also released data from a clinical trial involving 23 participants who participated in Pfizer's early-stage trials last year.

Each had received two doses of the vaccine and were given a booster dose at least six months later.

Of the participants, 11 were in the younger adults group of those aged 18 to 55 and 12 were aged 65 to 85.

After the third dose, neutralizing antibodies against the original strain of the virus rose five-fold in the 18-to-55 age group and seven-fold in the 65-to-85 group.

But many scientists, including senior officials at the FDA, disagreed and argue that the vaccines are still highly effective at preventing severe illness and death.

FDA officials also expressed concern over a lack of data on the potential side effects of a third dose, especially for younger adults who may be at risk for heart inflammation.

Since then, only the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine booster has been authorized for all peopled aged 18 and older.

The FDA also authorized Modena's booster, but only for the same groups who were authorized to be given the Pfizer booster.
A majority of American adults either believe, or are unsure, about a common piece of misinformation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, a new survey finds.

The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) Vaccine Monitor found 78 percent of American adults had heard of and either believed or were unsure about one of eight false claims about the pandemic.

Claims included the government is exaggerating Covid deaths, the vaccines cause infertility or that the anti-parasite drug ivermectin is effective at treating Covid.

Nearly a third of Americans either believe or are unsure about four or more of the false claims.

Nearly 80% of Americans believe or are unsure about at least one falsehood about Covid, with the most common being that the government is exaggerating overall death totals

People who believe or are unsure about falsehoods about Covid are most likely to be unvaccinated, Republican, young and non-college educated, the survey finds

The most commonly believed piece of misinformation is that the government is overreporting Covid deaths, with 38 percent believing it, and 22 percent unsure if it is false.

Some also believe the government is covering up deaths from the Covid vaccines, with 18 percent believing it to be true and 17 percent reporting that they were unsure.

Another common piece of misinformation is that pregnant women should not get the COVID-19 vaccines, which 17 percent believe and 22 percent were unsure about.

Pregnant women were not always recommended to get the vaccines like the rest of the population was, though.

Initially, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended women to speak to a doctor before getting their shots, and did not issue a blanket recommendation.

That recommendation came over summer, but pregnant women are still well behind the rest of the nation's pace.

According to the CDC, 35 percent percent of pregnant women are fully vaccinated, half of the pace set by the general population of adults - at 70 percent fully vaccinated.

Fighting against misinformation to convince Americans to get vaccinated or to follow Covid protocols has proved to be a challenge for public health officials throughout the pandemic. Pictured: A man in New York City, New York, gets vaccinated for COVID-19 on May 12, 2021

Other falsehoods about the vaccines that people believe include that you can get COVID-19 from the vaccine, that the vaccines contain microchips or that the jabs can change a person's DNA.

In total, the KFF team found that 78 percent of adults believe at least one of these falsehoods, and 32 percent believed four or more.

An overwhelming number of unvaccinated people have fallen for Covid misinformation, with 95 percent reporting they either believed or were unsure of at least one falsehood.

Many vaccinated people, 78 percent, also were found to believe a falsehood about the jab.

Republicans, 94 percent believing at least one falsehood about the pandemic, were more likely than Democrats, 62 percent, and independents, 79 percent, to have fallen for misinformation.

Those who fall for misinformation are also younger and less educated, on average.

The monitor also asked respondents what news sources they received their information from.

Those who frequented right-leaning news sources like Newsmax, One America News and Fox News were more likely to believe vaccine falsehoods than those who use liberal-leaning sources of news like CNN, MSNBC and NPR.

Those who believe or are unsure about falsehoods about COVID-19 are more likely to get their news from sources like Newsmax, One America News or Fox News, the survey finds

Fighting to break American adults of these falsehoods has proved to be a challenge for health officials in getting people to follow Covid protocols and get vaccinated.

While the U.S. has reopened now for the most part, early on there was largescale backlash to pandemic related lockdowns and school closures.

Now, with the vaccines available, many American are still hesitant to receive them despite widespread efforts to get people jabbed.

The KFF Vaccine for October found that 16 percent of Americans will 'definitely not' get the jab, the most since the shot became available in December.

As of Monday afternoon, the CDC reports that 80 percent of American adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 70 percent are fully vaccinated.
Novavax plans to submit data on its COVID-19 vaccine to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by the end of the year in a bid to receive emergency use authorization.

The company believes its two-shot regimen is 90 percent effective at preventing infection from Covid, based on clinical trial data.

It is a 'protein based' vaccine that introduces a person's immune system to inactive virus cells - similar to the flu shot and many other common vaccines - in order to mount a response.

While a majority of Americans have already received a Covid vaccine, the jab's authorization would add to the available options for boosters in America.

Novavax plans to submit data for its Covid vaccine to the FDA by the end of the year, as the company's highly anticipated 'protein based' jab may be available soon

'We'll have a file in the U.S. hopefully before the end of the year,' Stanley Erck, CEO of the Gaithersburg, Maryland-based company told CNN.

The Novavax vaccine has been highly anticipated due to its high efficacy, and more standard approach of vaccination.

Some that are fearful of the mRNA technology in the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines may be willing to take.

'In the US, the primary market I think in 2022 is going to be to supply a vaccine, our normal two-dose regimen, to a lot of people who have been hesitant to get other vaccines,' Erck said.

He told CNN that his company is prepared to ship 100 million doses of the vaccine upon authorization.

The shot has received authorization in Indonesia, and the company has applied for regulatory approval in Australia, Canada, the European Union, New Zealand and the UK, among others.

The rollout of the Novavax vaccine was supposed to come earlier in 2021, though the shot has faced repeated delays.

Clinical trial data released in June showed that it was highly effective against the virus, leading to the U.S. and Britain both ordering millions of doses of the jabs.

Also, none of the trial's participants suffered a severe case of Covid, a rarity for a trial as large as 30,000 people.

The trial's success spurred some to declare it as the best Covid vaccine to be made, though it has yet to even roll out in the U.S., or around the world.

It can also be stored in temperatures as high as 45F, making it much easier to transport the jab - especially in developing nations.

The shot was also deemed effective against many of the variants circulating early in the summer, though the Delta variant was not yet dominant in the U.S. at the time.

The orders were pending approval, though, with the assumption that the company would soon apply.

Applications did not arrive, and not until the fall and winter months did Novavax actually prepare its applications for submission.

The company faced production issues in recent months, causing the delays.

If the jab does receive approval, it will be the fourth to do so in the U.S., and the third two-shot jab.

In the meanwhile, the company has also been working on a new flu shot that can be a part of the Covid vaccine regimen.
Plans to install 190,000 on-street public chargers in Britian by 2030 have been announced by British charging infrastructure company Connected Kerb.

Demand for electric vehicles is expected to soar with a ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars by the end of the decade.

The London-based business has around 1,000 public chargers in service, with contracts signed for 10,000 more and it is looking for around 1.9billion in investment.

Chief Executive Chris Pateman-Jones says it should have deals for an additional 30,000 chargers by the end of the first quarter of 2022.

Massive boost for EV charging infrastructure: British firm Connected Kerb has today announced plans to install 190,000 public charging devices for electric cars by 2030

The plans have been described as 'one of the most ambitious rollouts of public EV charging ever seen in the UK' and will provide a suitable infrastructure to 'support the tens of millions of drivers without off-street parking'.

Connected Kerb uses long-term contracts spanning 15 to 25 years, financed by large infrastructure banks and groups like infrastructure investor Equitix.

For public chargers for residential use, the company also uses tax-payer funded subsidies.

The Government's Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) will meet 75 per cent of the cost of charger installations through the On-Street Residential Charging Scheme (ORCS).

Latest stats (up to July 2021) show that the ORCS has funded the installation of 1,459 public charging devices since the scheme was established in 2017, with a further 3,200 charge points to be installed in the near future.

Connected Kerb will fund the remaining 25 per cent, allowing for a 'zero-cost installation opportunity' for councils.

The announcement comes after an investigation by DevicePilot found that half of councils it contacted had failed to invest any finds whatsoever in their localised electric vehicle public charging infrastructures in the last 12 months.

Pateman-Jones said: 'Knowing you can arrive at virtually any location, at any time, in any vehicle and cheaply charge your battery without inconvenience or faff is the reality we have to deliver to create an EV society.

'Our rollout of public chargers  one of the most ambitious the UK has ever seen  encapsulates that future, helping individuals and businesses to confidently make the switch to electric, reducing their carbon footprint and cutting air pollution.

'Targets are important  for an industry so critical to the decarbonisation of transport, we need goals to work towards and objectives to which we are all accountable. However, they need to be met with action.'

Connected Kerb will install public on-street chargers across West Sussex over the coming years

Thousands more chargers are also announced today as part of tenders with councils including Coventry (300 chargers), Cambridge (360) and Plymouth (100), and recently, Milton Keynes (250), Warrington (30), Medway (30), and Glasgow City Council, East Lothian Council, Shropshire County Council and Hackney Council, as part of the Agile Streets trial (100)

The British company today confirmed it will install public on-street chargers across West Sussex over the coming years.

Deals to implement a further 30,000 elsewhere in the UK are expected to be signed next year and the aim to have agreements in place for 190,000 new devices fitted in the next eight years.

Among these are Kent County Council, which today also announces it has also chosen Connected Kerb to deploy at least 600 chargers by 2023.

Installations will begin before the end of 2021, with many of the chargers installed in parish towns and rural areas across Kent, providing much needed infrastructure to communities often overlooked in the EV transition.

The Connected Kerb app also allows EV drivers to locate available devices and keep tabs on the charging status for their vehicle while it's plugged in

Each device has a QR code so new users can quickly and easily access to the network and pay for charging sessions using contactless payments

The app allows users to monitor the charging status of their vehicle - as well as the cost

Thousands more chargers are also announced today as part of tenders with councils including Coventry (300 chargers), Cambridge (360) and Plymouth (100), and recently, Milton Keynes (250), Warrington (30), Medway (30), and Glasgow City Council, East Lothian Council, Shropshire County Council and Hackney Council, as part of the Agile Streets trial (100).

Connected Kerb devices primarily have all their tech hidden beneath the street to reduce road clutter and provide devices that are less of an eye soar than big industrial boxes.

Individual charge points above the ground can then be connected, meaning more can be added to a localised network if and when needed in relation to demand.

Drivers will be able to arrive at a charge point, plug in and access consistent tariffs across the network and sites using a contactless payment system via smartphone app.

The app also allows EV drivers to locate available devices and keep tabs on the charging status for their vehicle while it's plugged in.

It currently offers charge rates between 7kW and 22kW, depending on which of three types of above ground charge units its offers.

The plans have been described as 'one of the most ambitious rollouts of public EV charging ever seen in the UK' and will provide a suitable infrastructure to 'support the tens of millions of drivers without off-street parking'

Government estimates that Britain will need around 400,000 EV charging points by the end of the decade - though Connected Kerb believes far more will be required

Commenting on Connected Kerb's announcement on Monday, Transport Minister Trudy Harrison said: 'Providing reliable and affordable on-street charging is vital as we work to decarbonise transport and level up across the country.

'It's great to see Connected Kerb and local authorities working together as the Government commits 2.5billion towards electric vehicle grants and the development of EV infrastructure in our towns and cities.'

Britain has pledged to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol cars from 2030 - though concerns have repeatedly been raised about the lack of charging infrastructure.

Chris Pateman-Jones says it should have deals for an additional 30,000 chargers by the end of the first quarter of 2022

The Government estimates the country will need around 400,000 EV charging points by that point but Pateman-Jones said Connected Kerb believes demand will be much higher.

According to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, or ACEA, UK sales of fully-electric cars jumped 88 per cent in the first nine months of 2021 versus the same period of the previous year.

But while EV sales are soaring, a lag in installing charging infrastructure is causing a roadblock.

European and US cities planning to phase out combustion engines over the next 15 years first need to solve the issue for millions of residents who park their cars on the street.

'The real barrier to buying an EV is the total lack of convenience in the charging infrastructure and the total lack of reliability that exists in the charging infrastructure today,' Pateman-Jones added.

Earlier this year Shell said it would vastly expand its network of EV charging points in Britain and aims to install 50,000 on-street posts by 2025 via its on-street charging unit, Ubitricity.
Fund giant Abrdn has confirmed it is in discussions to buy DIY investing platform Interactive Investor following speculation at the weekend.

In a short statement, the FTSE 100 asset manager said it was in talks with Interactive Investor's largest shareholder - private equity firm JC Flowers - over a possible acquisition, but added there was 'no certainty' a deal would be reached.

The potential takeover, first reported by Sky News yesterday, would mark a sharp change of direction for Interactive Investor, which has been planning to float on the London Stock Exchange.

Takeover talks: Abrdn has confirmed it is in discussions to buy Interactive Investor

In August, II was said to be eyeing a market listing in 2022 that could have valued it at up to 2billion.

Such a move, which the company has not ruled out yet, could see it join major rivals Hargreaves Lansdown and AJ Bell, which listed in London in 2007 and 2018 respectively.

'An IPO remains an attractive and possible outcome, and discussions around the process are also under way,' a spokesperson for II said.

The DIY investing platform has been mulling a flotation for some years, with chief executive Richard Wilson telling This Is Money in 2019 of his ambition to follow the two rivals to become a listed company.

But these plans could be put to rest by a potential takeover by Abrdn, which would benefit from such a deal as it plans to sell more products directly to customers.

The fund manager, which manages 535billionn for clients, rebranded to the new vowel-less name in April in a bid to modernise the company, and shift away from mainly selling investment funds and towards wealth management for individuals and digital services for financial advisers.

Only last month, it snapped up Finimize, a subscription-based investment tips service popular with millennial traders, highlighting its renewed focus towards personal investing-oriented activities.

If it were to take on II, it could start selling its funds on the platform.

Under new chief executive Stephen Bird, who took over last year, Abrdn has been been trying to escape a poor run of performance which has dogged it since its 2017 merger of Standard Life and Aberdeen Asset Management.

On the other hand, investing platforms have benefited from a growing number of investors during the pandemic.

Hargreaves Lansdown, AJ Bell and II all saw record levels of new customers and asset flows in the past year as more people became stock market investors for the first time.

Hargreaves Lansdown, AJ Bell and Interactive Investor all saw record levels of new customers and asset flows in the past year

II has been y building its business to take on rivals and is now Britain's second largest investment site after Hargreaves, with more than 400,000 customers and about 57billion in assets under administration.

In March, it snapped up Equiniti's share dealing, ISA and SIPP accounts for 48.5million, having previously acquired The Share Centre, Alliance Trust and TD Direct.

II, which unlike its rivals offers a subscription service where customers pay 9.99 a month to manage Isas and trading accounts, reported a 19 per cent rise in revenue to 76million in the first half.

But Hargreaves, which counts some 1.5million customers, has seen business cool down a little since the summer.

It recently posted a 1 per cent fall in revenues to 142.2million for the three months to 30 September as share dealing volumes declined.

But it still had some 138billion of assets under management as at 30 September 2021, up 2 per cent since the end of June.

AJ Bell has continued to see a strong performance, with the total number of customers rising by 30 per cent to 382,754 in the year to the end of September and assets under management increasing by 29 per cent to 72.8billion.

Boring Money chief executive, Holly Mackay, said: 'Any acquisition could be important for a small army of savvy DIY investors when it comes to fee disruption and innovation.

'Over the last few years Interactive Investor has been steadily acquiring all the fixed-fee platforms in the UK market, making it the only major player with this model.

'Fixed-fee advocates have run out of choices for any other major established platform supporting well-diversified assets and investments and pensions. Any future changes to Interactives pricing model would be a blow.'

She added: 'I suspect well see a returned focus to DIY investing from the Big Boys  but after a decade of technological transformation and focus, they know they need content and customers as well as transactions and tech. It should be an interesting few years ahead.'
The average property price could still grow by up to 7 per cent in 2022, according to one forecast  as separate research revealed that Merseyside and Lancashire towns have seen the biggest collective price growth since the pandemic began.

High-end estate agent Strutt & Parker has predicted that prices will increase by 7 per cent next year in an 'best case' scenario, though it also made a 'downside' prediction of 2 per cent growth.

The value of a home hit record highs during the pandemic as buyers searched for more space and benefited from the stamp duty holiday, which enabled them to save up to 15,000 in taxes between July 2020 and June 2021.

Agent Strutt & Parker's most optimistic forecast suggests 7% house price growth in 2022

UK-wide house price growth reached 10.3 per cent in the year to September 2021, the report said, the highest annual figure since September 2014.

Housing transactions over the same period reached 442,930, the highest recorded since the third quarter of 2007.

The end of the stamp duty holiday and the prospect of an increase in mortgage rates have led many to predict that house price growth will slow down in the coming months, though this has not yet materialised.

In the five years to 2025, Strutts predicted that the typical home would increase in value by between 20 per cent and 35 per cent  a forecast that has remained unchanged since its last quarterly report.

Guy Robinson, head of residential at Strutt & Parker, said: 'The residential market has made a significant recovery in the last 12 months.

'This has been fuelled by high levels of demand across the market and attractive mortgage rates, while a rebound in the economy gave buyers and sellers confidence to trade up or down the housing ladder.

'Following significant house price growth year to date, rising at a rate that had not been seen for seven years, the outlook remains positive for 2022 and beyond.

'That said, it is still unclear the extent to which the shifts in behaviour and lifestyles witnessed will materialise into permanent shifts in market demand.'

Its optimistic forecast was partly the result of the strong housing market that has emerged in regional towns and countryside locations since the start of the pandemic.

Between January and September 2021, the report said that the number of sales in locations outside of London were up 37.5 per cent year-on-year  though in 2020 the housing market was closed for two months during the first national lockdown.

It said housing transaction volumes surged the most in Scotland, the South West and East of England, and predicted that well-connected country locations would continue to lead the market in 2022.

Kate Eales, head of regional agency at Strutt & Parker, added: 'Beyond London, we have seen every part of the UK outperform in terms of transactions in 2021, with coastal villages and the Cotswolds emerging as popular hotspots.

'The 500k to 700k price range continues to move fast and properties in this bracket are the most coveted.

'We expect this will continue and anticipate properties in attractive country villages with good connections and amenities to show the strongest growth in 2022.

'Going in to next year, less-traditional locations in the likes of Norfolk and Herefordshire could be the biggest winners as buyers become more confident being further from London.'

Strutts also predicted that properties in prime Central London would grow in value by even more than the average home in 2022.

It also said homes in areas such as Mayfair and Chelsea could grow by between 5 per cent and 10 per cent, despite these areas being badly hit by the pandemic as people moved out of cities and international buyers were not able to come to the UK.

It said homes in these areas had increased in value by 1.2 per cent in the last year, the first time growth had surpassed 1 per cent since 2014  though they remained 20 per cent down compared to that peak.

Liverpool and the Wirral were among the regions that saw the biggest collective price rises

North West is pandemic winner

Meanwhile, separate research by the estate agent Knight Frank has revealed the areas which saw the total value of homes increase the most during the pandemic.

The top three largest increases over the period were all in North West England: Rossendale in Lancashire saw the biggest rise at 24.2 per cent, while in Merseyside the Wirral and Liverpool both saw growth of 21.6 per cent.

The top of the list by total stock value is still headed up by Westminster, but the value dived nearly 20billion between March 2020 and July 2021.

Cornwall leapfrogged Richmond-Upon-Thames into eighth place, while Leeds replaced Ealing at number ten, as buyers abandoned the capital for locations further afield.

Capital exodus? Ealing dropped out of the highest-value housing stock rankings in 2021 in favour of Leeds, while Cornwall rose up at the expense of Richmond-Upon-Thames

Knight Frank said this was because the area had lots of flats and fewer international buyers were able to travel to the UK.

It was one of only three local authorities in England and Wales that saw the value of its housing stock fall over the period, together with Lambeth (-2.2 per cent) and Wandsworth (-1.1 per cent) in South London.

Knight Frank said that 'fewer' parts of the country would be experiencing double-digit house price growth this time next year.

James Cleland, head of Knight Frank's country business, said that those interested in selling their property might be wise to do so early in 2022.

He said: 'We are starting to see a notable increase in the number of owners contacting us with a view to listing their property next spring.

'For shrewd sellers, the best time to put their property on the market is likely to actually be January when there are a large number of buyers around.'
With Veteran's Day approaching, former US Army Sergeant Josephine Bogdanich has a lot to celebrate.

The retired servicewoman recently marked her 105th birthday, making her one of the oldest living female WWII veterans in the United States.

She was also the oldest aboard the first ever all-female 'Honor Flight' to Washington, D.C., last month paying tribute to women who served in the military.

'I let everyone in charge know I had to be up at midnight to catch a 2am flight,' Bogdanich, a resident of the Veteran's Home in Manteno, Illinois since 2017, told DailyMail.com.

'I was so afraid they'd forget to wake me and I'd miss the opportunity of a lifetime to travel with 93 other female vets to the Vietnam Women's War Memorial and the Military Women's Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.'

'The trip was one of the highlights of my life.'

At the age of 105, army Sergeant Josephine Bogdanich, of Chicago, is one of the oldest living female WWII veterans in the US

Sgt. Josephine Bogdanich and Korean War Air Force Veteran Amelia Cunningham waiting to board first all-women's HerStory Honor Flight to Washington on October 6

But even as a supercentenarian, Bogdanich can still recall that fateful date America went to war, and having to enlist in the army years later.

A Chicago native, the former soldier had landed a job at the Illinois Bell Telephone Company as a switchboard operator after graduating from high school.

She was working the evening of December 7, 1941, just moments before America would declare war against Japan and formally enter the war.

'I was seated at the switchboard answering calls from people with the appropriate, "number please?" when all of a sudden the switchboard lit up like a Christmas tree,' she recalled.

'From that moment on, the panicked response on the other end was: "Where is Pearl Harbor, how far is it from here?"

'We were soon to learn that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and we were at war. We were shocked and frightened.

'They told us we had to work well into the night, and when we pleaded with our supervisors to fill us in, they simply said, "Don't worry about it. Just answer the calls."'

Josephine was born in her grandmother's house next to the street car barns in Chicago on October 15, 1916 to Johanna and Frank Kimmey. She was one of five children  two boys and three girls.

Josephine was assigned to the mailroom at Fort Bliss in Texas where she delivered letters and packages to her fellow soldiers

Not long after the US declared war, her two brothers Frank and Joe enlisted in the army Pictured left to right: Joe, Mary, Frank and Josephine

Not long after the US declared war in 1941, her two brothers Frank and Joe enlisted in the army. One brother served overseas as a tail gunman and survived 11 separate missions.

By 1944, the war was still in full swing, and Josephine and her sister Mary answered the call to serve. The sisters signed on for duty with the US Army, and attended basic training in Iowa.

'I remember we were suddenly in the middle of a different world,' she said. 'We were living in a barracks alongside women from all over the country, from different backgrounds, all there because we wanted to help.

'It was cold in Iowa, and the only heat came from big cast iron, pot-belly stoves. We all took turns getting up at 5am and tending the fires.

'We'd add wood and coal to the stoves, stoke the fire and run back into bed, hoping at least a little warmth would come before we had to get up for work.'

Josephine served her two years in service stateside. About six months before she was due to leave duty, her platoon was told they needed five women to go to China.

She checked with her brother who was serving overseas and told her: 'Absolutely don't volunteer. Stay where you are.' So Josephine turned down the offer.

She remembers a mother and daughter who enlisted together volunteered to go instead.

During her two-year stint, Josephine was stationed in Michigan, Virginia and Witchita, Kansas where she attended teletype school.

'To be honest, I wasn't very good at it,' she laughed, 'The next thing I know I was assigned to the mailroom at Fort Bliss in Texas.'

Josephine right and sister Mary left. They enlisted together in 1944. Josephine was discharged in 1946

The supercentenarian, who lived through the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918, became ill with covid-19 last May but is still going strong a year and a half later

Still, she admitted she enjoyed the job.

'I had a chance to deliver letters and packages to the soldiers, who would be overjoyed to hear from their loved ones,' she said.

'There were times when they'd receive bad news or a letter from a sweetheart breaking up with them, and we had to provide comfort and understanding.

'Then there were a lot of men whose mailboxes always seemed to be empty so some of the ladies and I would write little anonymous notes to them, letting them know they were appreciated, and how much their service meant to us.

'And we'd tell them if things ever got too difficult, or they were feeling sad, to come to the mailroom to speak to us, that there would always be someone there to lend an ear. And many of the took us up on it.'

Some of the women found men they were interested in, and they'd go out on dates.

But for the most part, the women would gather on their own at night, and head for the PX where they'd treat themselves to candy, ice cream or a soda.

She recalled one story from her time in Texas that stayed with her over the decades.

'One day a soldier got a visit from his wife who lived on base with him. She came with their one-year-old baby in tow and said she was leaving him,' said Josephine.

Josephine has been living at a veteran's home in Manteno since 2017 where she says she likes to stays as active as possible, bowling in the hallways, playing Bingo or going fishing in the pond out front with the men

'He was beside himself, he had no idea what he was going to do. Well, the entire base came to his rescue.

'The women worked to sew clothes for the baby, including a miniature army uniform, and the female lieutenants pitched in to help mind the child until the man's orders came in, releasing him from duty.

'He then took the baby home to his parents, and I always wondered what became of him and the little one.'

Josephine, pictured at the VA home on October 13, says she has 'so much to be grateful for'

When Josephine was discharged from duty in 1946, she went back to work at the phone company for a few months, before landing an office job with the Illinois and Western Indiana Railroad. She said that upon her arrival home, she was greeted with mixed reactions.

'Some people were very grateful and thanked me for my service,' she said. 'While others treated me indifferently, believing the military was no place for a woman.'

Josephine went back to living with her parents, and it wasn't until 13 years later that she met the man she was to marry Andrew Bogdanich.

'I knew of Andrew from the neighborhood,' she said.

'One day I was walking my dog and he came by in his car, asking me if I'd like to go for Ice cream. And although I was in my late 30s, I told him I would have to ask my mother. She gave her blessing and the rest is history,' she laughed.

The couple married in 1959 and welcomed their only child, a son named Nicholas, in 1962. They remained together until Andrew's death in 2017.

Last May in the midst of the pandemic, Josephine became ill with covid. She was hospitalized and everyone feared she wouldn't make it. But once again, she proved how strong she was.

'I spent time in the hospital,' she shared.

'I figured if God wanted me to make it, I would, and if not, I prepared myself to go. But I guess it wasn't my time, because here I am a year and a half later, still hanging in there.'

Dubbed Operation HerStory, the group trip transported female veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit to the Vietnam Women's War Memorial in the National Mall as well and the Military Women's Memorial in Arlington

As a testament to her age, she reveals she has a vague memory of a time when she was three or four when, just like today, people wore masks on the streets because of the Spanish Flu Pandemic.

She can also remember the first time she rode in a car.

'I was about seven when I had to have dental work done,' she said. 'We didn't have a car, and my father didn't want me taking a street car home - keep in mind there was no Novocain in those days - so he borrowed a new Model A Auburn automobile from a relative.

'I remember riding home in style, felling like a princess as I waved to the neighbors.'

Josephine admits it's been a rough two years.

The Veterans Home where she lives quarantined it's residents, so they no longer got to meet in common areas and visit with each other. And for a year, she wasn't allowed to have visitors. Even her son Nick could only communicate by phone.

'I'm not going to say it wasn't lonely,' she recalled. 'I'm not much of a reader or TV watcher  although I do enjoy watching Wheel of Fortune.

'So to pass the time I'd sit in my room alone, looking out the window and think of better times. I remembered my family, and the time my siblings and I all surprised mom and dad and came home on leave together.

'And I remembered falling in love with my husband. I remember our wedding day, and the day my son was born. And I found that taking a walk down memory lane made me happy.'

Today Josephine stays as active as possible, and she's always up for an adventure.

'Whether it's a group trip to to Walmart, bowling in the hallways, playing Bingo or going fishing in the pond out front with the men, I'm down for it,' she said. 'I have so much to be grateful for.'
A mystery woman could be key to the Cleo Smith investigation after the little girl told investigators a female would come to her accused kidnapper's house to 'look after her'.

The new development came to light during delicate police interviews with the four-year-old, who allegedly spent 18 days locked up inside a house in Carnarvon, in Western Australia's northwest.

Local man Terence Darrell Kelly, 36, has been charged with kidnapping and remains in a Perth jail, as a team of elite detectives returned to the remote town on Monday in the hunt for more clues.

Sources close to the investigation told Daily Mail Australia Cleo has mentioned that a woman visited the Tonkin Crescent duplex during the time she was allegedly held captive, and helped care for her.

Cleo allegedly told investigators the woman helped to dress her and brush her hair.

(Several days after this story was published, Western Australian Police Force Deputy Commissioner Col Blanch ruled out that a mystery woman was under investigation.)

Local man Terence Darrell Kelly, 36 (pictured), has been charged over the kidnapping off Cleo Smith - but police are now probing the possibility of a 'mystery woman' also being involved

Forensic police have been scouring Terence Kelly's duplex in Carnarvon, Western Australia (pictured) for the past six days searching for evidence

Cleo Smith (pictured with her police rescuers) was allegedly found in a room in Kelly's home by detectives who used mobile data to track down her alleged abductor

Cleo was found in the early hours of last Wednesday morning after being missing since October 16, when she was allegedly abducted from her family's tent at the remote blowholes campsite about 75km away.

The preschooler was awake and 'playing with toys' when detectives broke down the door of the house, just after 1.30am.

Bodycam footage shows the brave little girl being carried out the Tonkin Crescent address with her hair clean and brushed and her pyjamas appearing freshly washed.

Police had initially stated no other suspects were being sought in relation to the matter, alleging that Kelly acted alone.

With the landmark case appearing to be wrapped up, a team of detectives who helped track down Cleo have since raced back to Carnarvon from Perth as they probe the possibility another person was involved.

The investigators are expected to remain in the small town for at least another week as forensic specialists continue to scour the alleged abductor's home for evidence another suspect may have been there.

Pictured: Detective Sergeant Cameron Blaine tells Cleo: 'We're gonna take you to see your mummy and daddy'. He has since revealed police were trying to 'ascertain whether there was anyone else involved

Detective senior sergeant Cameron Blaine, who was captured on police bodycam vision rescuing Cleo from her ordeal, has remained tight-lipped about the latest developments in the case but said police have 'more work to do.'

'Our focus this week is for us to ascertain whether there was anyone else involved. That's why we are still here,' he said after stepping off the plane.

'So, we just ask that if there was anyone that had any contact with Mr Kelly, whether you saw him, whether you met with him, whether you spoke to him on the phone during the relevant period to please make yourself known to police.'

Daily Mail Australia sought comment from the WA Police about the mystery woman.

A spokesperson said investigators would not comment specifically claims another person could be involved, but added 'inquiries are continuing'.

Cleo Smith's alleged kidnapper Terry Kelly, 36, is pictured with Bratz dolls on his social media

Bizarre details have emerged about the accused's strange obsession with toys as numerous social media account's linked to Kelly show a room full of children's dolls

Specialist child interview officers attached to the child abuse squad in Perth began the delicate task of sitting down with Cleo on Thursday.

The process of uncovering what happened could take several weeks.

For a sixth straight day forensic officers have combed through Kelly's house and gathering evidence for laboratory examination which could indicate the presence of another person.

Trailer-loads of evidence have been bagged up and removed from the alleged abductor's property during that time with the top-to-bottom search of the roped-off commission house likely to go on for several weeks as prosecutors build their case against Kelly.

Since his arrest, it's been revealed he had an obsession with collecting dolls and boasted about his love for girl's toys on various social media pages.

One photograph he posted shows Bratz and Disney princess dolls stacked from floor to ceiling.

Two trailer-loads of evidence were bagged up and removed from the alleged abductor's home on Sunday

The top to bottom search of the roped-off commission house is likely to go on for several weeks

The bagged up items will be sent away for forensic testing as prosecutors build their case against Kelly

It comes as audio emerged of an Aboriginal elder who raised Kelly calling him a gift from God and a 'beautiful little boy'.

Respected Gascoyne elder Penny Walker revealing how Kelly, now 36, was 'thrown away' by his drug-addict biological mother.

She handed him over to her 'Aunty Penny', who had all six of her own children taken into care because of an alcohol problem when she was younger.

'I looked down at him and this little boy - God was giving me something back into my life what the welfare took off me - my children,' said Ms Walker, who died in 2020.

'His mum didn't want him and she threw him away.'

Kelly lived alone at Ms Walker's dilapidated home after her death last year at the age of 77.

The tapes reveal he was brought up with Ms Walker's two other grandsons after her daughter died from multiple sclerosis.

Cleo Smith has since been reunited with mother Ellie Smith and stepfather Jake Gliddon (pictured)

'God was giving my children back to me in a different way. So I have this little boy beautiful little boy, Terry,' she said. 'Two year old, jet black curly hair.'

Kelly's early upbringing has been revealed in snippets of oral history archives in an interview she gave in May 2019 for the State Library of Western Australia.

She had her own troubled early life a as part of the Stolen Generation and spent her childhood in the Moore River Native Settlement and New Norcia Mission.

Ms Walker suffered sexual abuses and floggings, she said, and later slept in toilets as an adult while enduring domestic violence.

Authorities put her on a bus to Carnarvon, 1000km north of Perth, and she said in the tapes: 'I never looked back.'

After her own problems with drink and her six children being taken by the state, she turned her life around and became a respected member of the community.

Penny Walker talked about Terry Kelly (pictured) being a 'beautiful little boy' with 'jet black curly hair' in audio recordings for the oral history archive at Western Australia's State Library
The US is bracing for a flood of vaccinated international visitors after COVID-19 travel restrictions are lifted on Monday - but tourists should expect to be turned away if the were inoculated with a shot of the Russia or China versions.

Foreign travelers are being warned of long lines and crammed conditions as US airports expect a swell of tourists who haven't been allowed to visit since the pandemic lockdowns began in March 2020.

'It's going to be a bit sloppy at first,' Delta Air Lines Chief Executive Ed Bastian warned.

'I can assure you, there will be lines unfortunately,' Bastian said, adding that 'we'll get it sorted out.'

Incoming visitors must also have received a vaccine that was approved by the FDA or WHO - which excludes shots such as the Sputnik V from Russia or the CanSino from China.

Foreign travelers are being warned of long lines and crammed airport conditions when they are finally allowed to visit the US on Monday

In addition to vaccinations, visitors must also provide proper documentation to enter into the US

The list of approved US vaccines for travelers include Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca.

In terms of travel conditions, airlines such as United are expecting about 50 percent more total international inbound passengers on Monday as compared with the week before.

Delta also said it has seen a 450 percent increase in international point-of-sale bookings, compared to the six weeks prior to the announcement that the US was reopening.

'As we expect high demand when the US lifts its existing air and land travel restrictions Monday, we are taking critical steps to be prepared by providing additional resources,' White House spokesman Kevin Munoz said on Twitter.

The Biden administration has held multiple calls with U.S. airlines to prepare for the influx of additional travelers that will begin arriving at U.S. airports and has warned travelers crossing from Canada and Mexico by land or ferry to be prepared for longer waits starting Monday.

For passengers, the lifted restrictions will allow them to visit family members, friends, and loved ones who they have been apart from since the start of the pandemic.

Bhavna Patel is booked on a Monday flight from London to New York to see her first grandchild after watching him grow up on FaceTime for more than a year.

Another passenger, Anna Zwing, 28, is flying from Frankfurt to Chicago to see her boyfriend for the first time in over two years.

'My boyfriend and I are super excited and are counting down the hours til we're finally reunited again!' Zwing said in an email, according to CNN. 'He keeps telling me that he can barely sleep out of excitement.

'For me it's still so surreal that it's actually about to happen! So I'll believe it when I land in Chicago.'

The rules have barred most non-U.S. citizens who within the prior 14 days have been in 33 countries -- the 26 Schengen countries in Europe without border controls, China, India, South Africa, Iran, Brazil, Britain and Ireland.

Trade group U.S. Travel said the countries accounted for 53 per cent of all overseas visitors to the United States in 2019 and border communities were hit hard by the loss of tourists crossing from Mexico and Canada.

The list of approved US vaccines for travelers include Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca

The group estimates declines in international visitation 'resulted in nearly $300 billion in lost export income' since March 2020.

U.S. airlines are boosting flights to Europe and other destinations that were impacted by the restrictions.

Airlines are planning events on Monday with executives meeting some of the first flights.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and United Airlines President Brett Hart are holding an event at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport Monday to mark the reopening.

U.S. officials also are planning an Instagram live chat on Nov. 9 to help answer questions.

Many international flights are expected to operate close to full or full on Monday, with high passenger volume throughout the following weeks.

Airlines will check vaccination documentation for international travelers as they currently do for COVID-19 test results.

At land border crossings, U.S. Customs and Border Protection will ask if travelers have been vaccinated and spot check some documentation.

Children under 18 are exempt from the new vaccine requirements.

Non-tourist travelers from nearly 50 countries with nationwide vaccination rates of less than 10 per cent will also be eligible for exemption.

Also Monday, new contact tracing rules will take effect requiring airlines to collect information from international air passengers if needed 'to follow up with travelers who have been exposed to COVID-19 variants or other pathogens.'

An employee is seen receiving an injection of the Sputnik V vaccine at the River Park Hotel in Novosibirsk, Russia

The CanSino vaccine was one of the first created in summer 2020

In addition, hopeful foreign travelers who have received the unapproved Sputnik V and CanSino shots are now pushing to get US-approved vaccines to gain access into the country.

The Sputnik V vaccine has been used in about 70 countries worldwide.

Both vaccines became one of the first registered for their respective countries during summer 2020 only months after the global COVID outbreak.

The WHO has yet to approve the Sputnik V vaccine for an emergency list using despite mass worldwide distribution.

'There are exactly zero reasons for such decisions,' Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the foreign relations committee in the Russian Duma said, according to Associated Press.

'The effectiveness and safety of the Sputnik V vaccine has been proven not only by specialists, but also by its practical application.'

Russia was added in the high-risk travel category this week by the CDC as a surge of cases have been reported. The country also only has a 34 per cent vaccination rate.

China has yet to ease travel restrictions, despite 75 per cent of the population being vaccinated.

Other Asian Pacific countries, however, have began the process of opening their borders to foreign travelers.
The NHS will receive 248 million funding over the next year for technology to tackle the record waiting list backlog.

Digital diagnostics services across the NHS will be reformed to increase the efficiency of sharing tests, images and results between hospitals, labs and GP surgeries, according to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

The Government said this will lead to quicker detection of illnesses and reduce waiting times for treatment.

The NHS hospital treatment backlog in England has reached a new record, with the number of people waiting more than two years rising to nearly 10,000.

More than 1.5 billion diagnostics tests, which are used to confirm or rule out health conditions, are carried out each year in England

A total of 5.7 million people were waiting to start routine hospital treatment at the end of August, according to figures from NHS England.

Under the new computer system, X-ray experts will be able to review high-resolution images remotely 24 hours a day without needing to be in an imaging laboratory.

The funding will also enable GPs to choose the most suitable type of scan for their patient based on their symptoms and medical history, saving them having to make requests to radiologists.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said the funding will help 'drive up efficiency' in the NHS.

He said: 'Today's multimillion-pound investment will play a big role in levelling up diagnostics services across the country so patients can get faster results and healthcare professionals can get their job done more easily, reducing unnecessary administrative burden and making every taxpayers' pound count.

The funding will also enable GPs to choose the most suitable type of scan for their patient based on their symptoms and medical history, saving them having to make requests to radiologists

'Getting a faster diagnosis for a health condition is the first step to getting more people the treatment they need and earlier on, and our funding will help ensure our NHS has access to the latest digital technology to drive up efficiency.'

Professor Stephen Powis, NHS medical director, said the number of patients waiting for diagnostic tests has already fallen for the first time in a year.

He said: 'NHS staff are making efficient use of additional funding, and following the recent rollout of new diagnostic centres the number of patients waiting for a diagnostic test is falling for the first time in a year, meaning more people are getting the checks they need and, if required, are able to begin treatment sooner.'

More than 1.5 billion diagnostics tests, which are used to confirm or rule out health conditions, are carried out each year in England.

Recovering diagnostics services is the first step towards tackling the NHS backlog and reducing waiting times, the DHSC has said.

The funding follows recommendations from Professor Sir Mike Richards' independent review of NHS diagnostics.
One of Australia's leading universities has advertised a new plum role with a six figure salary, just a year after it axed hundreds of jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

University of Melbourne is on the hunt for a 'gender affirmation' senior advisor, sparking a public backlash online.

The role involves helping staff and students develop and implement their gender affirmation plan to ensure they have a safe and positive experience on campus.

University of Melbourne has caused an uproar online after advertising a new role for a 'gender affirmation' senior advisor earning a six figure salary (stock image)

'You will play a key role in liaising with university services and programs to ensure systems, processes and other elements are in place to support the implementation of an individual's gender affirmation plan, and will seek to influence change or improvements as needed,' the job description states.

The 12-month position also involves responding to reports made by transgender staff and students regarding discrimination, bullying, harassment and other 'threatening or concerning behaviours.'

Applicants must demonstrate experience in supporting transgender and gender diverse individuals.

The institution also describes itself as 'Australia's number one university, consistently ranked amongst the leading universities in the world.'

Online reaction to the advertised position has been divided, where some critics described it as 'insane' after the university axed 450 jobs last year.

'Ripping off the young adults with high tuitions so you can pay a secretary 110k to talk about gender,' one tweeted.

Another added: 'Companies need to stop hiring people from these woke institutions, and new proper academic institutions need to be built. Places that aren't captured by the woke, and the perpetually offended.'

Others jumped to the university's defence.

'Sounds like students are going to get support for their gender identities, awesome,' one person commented.

Another added: ' Why the moral panic and condescension? This is just a support officer for transgender students. I imagine that not many counsellors have a great deal of experience in dealing with such issues, so hence it's a specialisation.'

University of Melbourne (pictured) describes itself in the job description as Australia's number one university,

Online reaction (pictured) to the advertised position has been divided

Some described the position as 'the easiest job ever.

'I mean seriously, I'd love to just observe what they do minute-to-minute on the job, affirming people's gender identities,' one man commented.

University of Melbourne defended the new role when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.

'The university has a positive duty to prevent discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of gender identity,' a spokeswoman said.

'This role is a contact point for people seeking support in affirming their gender, helping them with this process and connecting them with relevant services, including psychological and medical where required, inside and outside the university.'

The university axed 450 positions in August 2020 as the institution grappled with a $1billion revenue shortfall as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

'Staff were asked to vote on a proposal to forgo a 2.2 per cent pay increase, payable from 1 May,' a university spokesperson said at the time.

'Staff rejected the proposal, which the University estimates would have saved around 200 jobs.'

Online critics described the newly created role as insane, madness and excessive

Vice-Chancellor Duncan Maskell added job losses were necessary to cut down on expenditure after the pandemic stopped thousands of international students from heading to Australia to study.

'The university is facing a loss of revenue of nearly $1 billion over the next three years. Our current rate of expenditure is not sustainable,' he said.

In its 2019 annual report, the university said it had $4.43 billion in reserves.
Social media is full of praise for a Marks & Spencer store in Romford which has won over customers with its TikTok account and now has 20.4k followers.

People are delighted by content from the staff, which features dancing videos, product-explainers and the team recreating trends from the app's viral sounds.

A clip of the store's rendition of Michael Jackson's Thriller dance for Halloween has 310.9k views alone and the account has more than 652.5k likes on all its videos.

A video of the team lip-synching the Backstreet Boys' I Want It That Way has over 189.6k views and 26.9k likes

The account's latest TikTok featured staff from other M&S stores dancing along to Jingle Bell Rock with the team

People on TikTok have praised the team's fun antics and are calling for them to receive a pay rise.

On a video of the team in hi-vis vests lip-synching the Backstreet Boys' I Want It That Way, which has over 189.6k views, one comment from Demi Jones said: 'If this was the TV advert I'd go to M&S'.

'Hope you get a big pay rise this year! You're essentially social media marketers,' another user Designed by Charlotte said.

Shauna Newth added: 'Why am I so invested in this M&S team.'

Another comment also said 'never been M&S in my life but now I need to go'.

Some of the latest TikToks on the account have promoted the store's Christmas advert and products

People on TikTok praised the team's videos and some said that they deserve a pay rise

The reaction to the team is just as positive on Twitter.

Sharing one of their TikToks on her account, @kb_rowne said 'the team at M&S Romford have me in a chokehold' and the post has since been liked more than eight thousand times.

'M&S Romford TikTok beats the John Lewis Christmas advert with ease,' user Matt Sibson commented.

Another comment from @_CalendarGirl said: 'I will go all the way to M&S Romford for my weekly shop just to see these guys. Give them a pay rise.'

Twitter is full of praise for the TikTok account as users commented that they are willing to do their weekly shopping there just for the team alone

Lee Spencer, the store manager at the Marks & Spencer in Liberty Shopping Centre, told the Romford Recorder the videos started out as a 'fun new way' to speak to shoppers.

He said: 'Our social media champion Sarah Hutcherson has been doing an amazing job getting colleagues from across the store involved in the fun.

'And we've even had customers telling us how much they enjoy the videos and how great it is to see our hardworking team enjoying themselves and showing off their moves.'
New intercity trains in NSW have been delayed by up to 18 months, adding to public transport woes caused by an entire light rail shutting down due to cracks in tram wheels.

The new fleet of trains, costing $2.88 billion, are being built in South Korea.

The first of the new trains had originally been scheduled to begin carrying passengers to and from Newcastle and the Central Coast in 2019, and the Blue Mountains mid last year.

But in NSW Budget estimates last week it was revealed production of the trains had been beset by productions problems and other delays related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Transport for NSW now expects delivery of the contract to be delayed by 18 months until mid-2024.

The new fleet of intercity trains being built in South Korea, costing $2.88 billion, are expected to be delayed until mid-2024

The first of the new trains had originally been scheduled to begin carrying passengers to and from Newcastle and the Central Coast in 2019, and the Blue Mountains mid last year

The estimates session heard 27 trains are in various stages of production in Korea and another six are in testing phase.

'It's clear that [the NSW government's] procurement policy is profoundly broken and the public is paying the price,' NSW Labor transport spokesperson Jo Haylen told The Sydney Morning Herald.

'When it comes to overseas-built trams, ferries or trains, the government simply cant deliver.'

Adding to the delays is an industrial dispute with the Rail Train and Bus Union, who believe the proposal for drivers of the new trains to check passenger boarding via CCTV, rather than a guard doing so visually, is unsafe.

The dispute with the union had prevented 13 of the new trains that had already been delivered from going into service on the Central Coast-Newcastle line.

Sydney's inner west light rail line will be taken offline for up to 18 months due to cracks in the wheels of trams, it was announced last week

Cracks were identified in the wheels of all 12 trams that operate from the city to Dulwich Hill on Sydney's inner west line

The news come on top of last Friday's revelation that Sydney's inner west light rail line will be taken offline for up to 18 months due to cracks in the wheels of trams.

The NSW Government made the announcement on Friday afternoon with a spokesman saying the year-and-a-half period is the 'worst case scenario'.

'The Inner West light rail will be decommissioned for up to 18 months while the issues identified are rectified,' NSW Minister for Transport and Roads Rob Stokes said.

Cracks were identified in all 12 trams that operate from the city to Dulwich Hill.

Mr Stokes said the cracking, found during routine maintenance by Transport for NSW, is likely caused by a design flaw.

The George Street light rail L2 and L3 lines from Randwick and Kingsford to Circular Quay will continue to run.

Replacement bus services will continue to be used to transport thousands of commuters on the L1 line between Central Station and Dulwich Hill.
A snarky tweet about an old photo of Christian Porter, commentator Peter van Onselen and prominent doctor Nick Coatsworth has sparked a flurry of legal letters and a public war of words.

The three ex-University of Western Australia buddies were pictured some 20 years ago with friends and two women, including Professor van Onselen's now-wife, Ainslie.

Former attorney general Mr Porter, 51, resigned from the government in September over his defamation lawsuit against the ABC after he identified himself as the man accused of an historic rape.

Ten's political editor Van Onselen, 45, came under fire at the time for supporting long-time friend Mr Porter - who introduced PvO to his wife - during the controversy.

When the vintage image was posted on Twitter two weeks ago, a snarky nine-word reply by University of New South Wales Professor Gemma Carey is understood to have sparked at least two legal threats.

A bitter row over an old pic of Peter van Onselen, Christian Porter and Dr Nick Coatsworth, seen here, has sparked a $200,000 legal fight backed by sex abuse survivor Grace Tame

When the vintage pic was posted on Twitter two weeks ago, a snarky nine-word reply by Professor Gemma Carey (pictured) sparked legal threats

She was sent concerns notices - which often precede defamation actions - on behalf of Mr Porter and Professor van Onselen.

Former Australian deputy chief medical officer Dr Coatsworth, 43, was not part of the legal action.

The notices all arrived in the same email from the same high-profile lawyer, Rebekah Giles, who has previously represented Mr Porter, as well as Brittany Higgins and Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.

Academic Prof Carey has now apologised online to Mr Porter and Professor van Onselen for her reply about the photograph.

'On 24th October 2021, I commented on a photograph of Peter van Onselen when he was at university with others & that comment was completely inappropriate & highly offensive and I should never have published it.

She was sent concerns notices - which often precede defamation actions - on behalf of Mr Porter (left), Professor van Onselen (right) and also Queensland MP Andrew Laming

Former Australian deputy chief medical officer Dr Nick Coatsworth, 43, (pictured) was not part of the legal action

'It has now been deleted and I unconditionally withdraw my comment and apologise to Mr van Onselen for the hurt caused to him and his wife by my conduct.'

Mr Porter received an almost identical reply.

She has also issued an apology to backbench Liberal MP Andrew Laming, 55, for earlier comments she made about him over a flight she once shared with him.

But despite the apologies and deleting the tweets, supporters fear defamation lawsuits will follow and have set up a fighting fund, with Australian of the Year Ms Tame making the first donation of $2,500.

Australian of the Year Grace Tame (pictured) made the first donation of $2500 to a fighting fund set up to defend against any possible defamation action, which has now surged past $200,000

It has since soared past the $200,000 mark within days of the GoFundMe's launch.

'The power imbalance between three of Australia's most powerful men and a disabled expectant motherwho's also a survivor of grooming and child sexual abuseis extreme,' posted Ms Tame, 26, in defence of Professor Carey.

'She had tweeted about all three men (including Laming), and published apologies to them following the legal threats.

She added: 'The abuse of defamation law doesn't just shut down debate.'

Professor Gemma Carey (pictured with husband Ben O'Mara ) says she is now taking a Twitter break in the wake of the controversy

The email sent to Professor Carey with the legal action notices from the same lawyer.

Professor van Onselen has since insisted he was not part of a co-ordinated strike on Professor Carey.

And he warned that, despite the swelling fighting fund, any attempt to defend legal action over the comments would be futile.

'I thought about setting up a go fund me page to upgrade my boatbut then I realised I've already got one with over $125k in it and counting!' he crowed on Twitter.

'Thanks to everyone donating

'It's the reality were this to become something it never needed to be. A fund to fight an action where the person has already apologised and admitted wrong doing.

The nine word tweet, which cannot be republished for legal reasons

'Not exactly starting from a strong place. BUT I would rather not have to go down that path, and wasn't when attacked.'

He added: 'I was not in any way shape or form associated with anyone else. I am the victim here, as is my wife, of defamatory comments now apologised for.

'We had zero to do with any coordination.

'I won't back down from a position of no wrongdoing, that much I can assure you. I am the victim here, of Gemma Carey and her disgraceful tweets.'

Child sex abuse survivor Grace Tame (pictured) has used the row to blast defamation laws for empowering offenders and instilling fear

Professor Carey now says she is taking a Twitter holiday but added in one of her final posts: 'This account is being trolled relentlessly. I am a child abuse survivor, advocate and memoirist.

'I am a woman Professor in my 30s.

'These are threatening things to men hiding behind false names and photos They can't shame me. I have wit, I have brains, and I am still standing.'
The heartbroken two older brothers of a 'beautiful' young woman who was tragically killed by a truck that mounted the footpath had always vowed to protect their younger sister.

Animal lover Mackenzie Blake, 21, was walking home from her job at McDonald's last Monday when she was allegedly struck by a disqualified driver on Great Western Highway, near Layton Avenue, Blaxland, in the Blue Mountains, just after 2.15pm.

Mackenzie died at the scene despite the best efforts of paramedics.

Truck driver Mustapha Ghamrawi, 54, was uninjured and was taken to hospital for mandatory testing, before being taken to Katoomba Police Station.

Mackenzie Blake, 21, (pictured) was tragically killed after allegedly being struck by a disqualified driver while walking home in the Blue Mountains last week

He was charged with dangerous driving occasioning death  drive manner dangerous, drive motor vehicle during disqualification period and negligent driving (occasioning death), and remains in custody.

Tributes have poured in for the beloved young woman who leaves behind her devastated mother Tracy Blake and older brothers Rowan and Jordan.

Ms Blake said Mackenzie had the 'biggest heart' of any young person she's ever known and 'was a truly beautiful daughter'.

'For me she was a true gift, my rock, my wise advisor, the light of my life and my very best friend,' Ms Blake told Daily Mail Australia.

'She was so proud of her brothers who joined the Australian Defence Force, one still serving.

'They were her protectors and are devastated because they couldnt protect her from what happened.'

Ms Blake said Mackenzie was oblivious to just how much she touched the lives of those around her.

She said the family want their youngest member to be remembered for the impact she made during her short life, instead of the way it ended.

'We dont think she realised the impact she had on people,' Ms Blake said.

'We want people to remember Mackenzie for how beautiful and kind she was and her love of animals, not what happened to her.'

Devastated friends have flocked online to share their treasured memories of the hospitality worker, who was 'caring' and always had a 'friendly smile'.

'Im so sorry macka packa. I still can remember hanging out with you and laughing and having such a great time,' friend Grace Camilleri wrote.

'You are missed very very dearly by everyone.'

A former colleague who worked with the young woman at the fast food chain said she was always warm and caring to those around her.

'From my first day, I remember her friendly smile and caring nature towards others,' she said, 'She was incredibly lovely'.

Family friend Beck Culver has set up a GoFundMe page to help Mackenzie's grieving family cover the costs of her funeral.

Since it was launched on Friday, it has so almost reached its $28,000 goal as the community rallies to support the Blake family.

Mackenzie has been remembered as a 'beautiful' person who was always caring towards others

Emergency services were called to the Great Western Highway, near the intersection of Layton Avenue, at Blaxland, (pictured) just after 2.15pm on November 1 to reports of a pedestrian crash

Ms Blake said they have been overwhelmed by the support they have received over the past week.

'We cant tell how wonderful our community has been,' Ms Blake said.

'In 2018 we moved to Victoria for 6 months and neither Mackenzie or I liked it, so we came back to the mountains.'

'When we got back she said Im a mountains girl and Im never leaving again".'

After being taken into custody, Ghamrawi, from Penrith, was refused bail and his case was heard at Penrith Local Court on November 2.

His lawyer Abbas Soukie, told the court his client would not be applying for bail, the Daily Telegraph reported.

The matter will return to court in early 2022. A report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner.
A giant emu statue that will cost taxpayers $7 million is planned to be built on the new M12 motorway in Sydney's west.

The $12 billion dual carriage highway is being built towards the city's new Badgerys Creek Airport.

One Nation MP Mark Latham has fired up over taxpayers' money being used for a project like this, and said the funding could be better used in Indigenous communities.

The proposed statue will be about 30-metres tall and is slated to represent an Aboriginal creation story.

The emu statue looks like a giant tumble weed, according to One Nation MP Mark Latham

Artist Tim Storrier told the Daily Telegraph the statue is a 'rather impressive and delicate work of art'.

However, Mr Latham told the Daily Telegraph the statue is an 'outrageous waste of money' and doubled down in an interview with Radio 2GB on Monday morning.

'There's a night-time version of it where it lights up, and if anything, it looks more like a platypus by night,' Mr Latham said.

'But I reckon if you're flying into the new Badgerys Creek Airport, you'd really be struggling to know what the hell it was.

'Then the day-time version ... is kind of cotton wool in the middle of tumble weed, which I'm not too sure qualifies as art.

'It certainly doesn't justify the expenditure of $7 million of taxpayers' funds, particularly when it's related to a transport project - the new M12.'

A rendering of the proposed giant emu statue on the new M12 to the Badgerys Creek Airport

The new dual carriage M12 is costing $12 billion and will provide a commute to the new Badgerys Creek Airport in Western Sydney

The emu is said to a be motif of the Darug Indigenous community, representing the sacred creation story of the Great Emu constellation, government documents said.

But Mr Latham said: 'We've got plenty of unsealed roads in New South Wales, why not use the money for that?

'Or, if you really want to do something for Indigenous people, do something about the hell-holes in country NSW: [There are] Indigenous communites ravaged by drug-alcohol abuse, welfare dependancy and domestic violence.

'If this is going to help a single Indigenous person, then I'm the Easter Bunny.'

The proposed statue is currently in public consultation with the Western Sydney Parklands Trust, Heritage NSW, community members and affected landowners having been approached by the government for comment.
Annastacia Palaszczuk will keep Queensland's borders closed until 90 per cent of the state is vaccinated despite modelling showing it is safe to reopen at 80 per cent.

The premier has refused to budge after Doherty Institute released modelling on Friday showing the state could lift its hard international border closure much sooner.

Some 67.14 per cent of residents have been fully vaccinated with the state expected to hit the 80 per cent milestone on December 15 - in time for Christmas celebrations.

The decision to reopen borders at the 90 per cent mark means that families will likely not be reunited with overseas loved ones until next year.

News of a prolonged separation may be upsetting for thousands of residents, but it did not appear to dampen Ms Palaszczuk's spirits as she celebrated Melbourne Cup Day with her partner Reza Adib on November 2.

Annastacia Palaszczuk will keep Queensland's borders closed until 90 per cent of the state is vaccinated despite modelling showing it is safe to reopen at 80 per cent

News of a prolonged separation may be upsetting for thousands of residents, but it did not appear to dampen Ms Palaszczuk's spirits as she celebrated Melbourne Cup Day with her partner Reza Adib on November 2

The premier gushed over her new lover as the pair posed for photographs at Eagle Farm Racecourse in Brisbane.

Health Minister Yvette D'Ath defended the decision to keep borders closed saying the new modelling did not take into account different circumstances in each state.

'It is very different in NSW and Victoria with such high cases and such high vaccination rates compared to where we are, that it is important to look at those individual states and their circumstances,' she said.

'We're very comfortable with the plan that we've got and we're sticking with that plan.'

Ms D'Ath acknowledged residents were frustrated by the delay and that she would 'look at' shorter hotel quarantine requirements when the state hit 80 per cent.

The state government has frequently based its decisions around the Covid-19 pandemic on modelling provided by Doherty Institute.

Throughout September and early October, Ms Palaszczuk put off revealing when the state borders would reopen to NSW and Victoria.

The premier claimed she was waiting for the latest modelling before she made the announcement.

The sluggish reopening to the state borders has been blamed on the slow uptake of vaccinations in Queensland.

Queensland has the third lowest number of fully-vaccinated residents with only 67.14 per cent double-jabbed.

The state trails far behind the ACT which has more than 95 per cent, NSW which is at 89.82 per cent and Victoria at 84.2 per cent.

Ms Palaszczuk previously defended the slow uptake saying the state did not have the same urgency as NSW or Victoria.

The premier gushed over her new lover as the pair posed for photographs at Eagle Farm Racecourse in Brisbane

'In NSW and Victoria there has been a sense of urgency to get vaccinated because they had widespread Delta outbreaks, they had people in hospitals, people in their homes who've been very ill with Covid and that has been an incentive to get their lives back to some sort of normality,' she said.

'I'm asking Queenslanders to get vaccinated to keep our sense of lifestyle.'

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud was critical of the pace of the vaccine rollout.

'The states that have done the least on vaccination are paying the price; we haven't got Covid here but it will come when we get a case, it'll sweep right across Queensland,' he said.

'The Premier has been asleep at the wheel, and her big idea to put jabs in arms was around Bunnings, and herself and her chief health officer destroyed the confidence of the vaccine some months ago when they demonised AstraZeneca  and in fact (they) themselves were (among) the last public officials to get the jab.'
Despite more than 80 per cent of those aged 16 and over being fully vaccinated in Australia, an extreme anti-Covid group has called for new measures to reduce infection numbers to zero.

It comes as Covid-19 infections in NSW and Victoria continue to fall, despite the lockdowns easing over the past two months.

A Health Before Profits Australia (HBPA) Gofundme campaign raised enough money to pay for a full page newspaper ad over the weekend, advocating for strict conditions to tackle the pandemic.

Among the measures the group is calling for are: the vaccination of children down to six months old; a vaccination target of 90% of the entire population; and federal financial support based on a living wage for those required to stay at home.

More than 80 per cent of those aged 16 and over already fully vaccinated in Australia, but a health advocacy group is calling for new measures to combat Covid-19

Activists from HBPA, Zero Covid Australia and Zero Covid Schools, doctors and concerned citizens collaborated to publish the advertisement in The Saturday Paper arguing for prioritising public health in the management of the Covid-19 pandemic in Australia.

Duncan Hart, from HBPA said, 'it has been one of the most distressing features of the pandemic, to see the Prime Minister, NSW and Victorian premiers encouraging people to accept preventable Covid deaths and who knows how many long-Covid cases while opening up without proper mitigation measures.'

Mr Hart said the group is aiming to both educate and pressure governments to do what is necessary to minimise the impact of the virus. 'The measures outlined in the advertisement are simple, effective and scientifically proven to help reduce transmission,' he said.

Dr David Berger, who helped write the ad, said: 'What is the main purpose of a government if it is not to protect its people?'

A woman jumps off the boardwalk at foreshore in 30 degree heat as Melbournians hit the beach in St Kilda while 10,000 racegoers descended on Flemington Racecourse for the 2021 Melbourne Cup, taking place in a post-lockdown Melbourne

A Health Before Profits Australia Gofundme campaign raised enough money to pay for a full page newspaper ad

Revelers at a Melbourne Cup lunch enjoying freedoms in a post-lockdown Melbourne

What is Health before Profits Australia calling for? Adoption of a vaccination target of 90% of the entire population (including children 0-12 years) with particular focus on at-risk groups. The prompt vaccination of younger children down to six months old as the vaccines are approved in this age group. Reopening in a controlled manner, assessing the impact of changes with transparent data, and adjusting if outbreaks are growing. Accessible federal financial support based on a living wage for those required to stay home. Consistent standards for frequent workplace testing for essential workers and workplaces. A program to refurbish workplaces, schools and businesses to ensure adequate ventilation. Ready community access to N95 respirators and the implementation of daily rapid-antigen testing in outbreak areas for everyone regardless of symptoms. Legislation along the lines of the Belgian model to monitor and limit CO2 levels in public places. Increased investment in test, trace, isolate, quarantine and expanded sewage surveillance. Increased investment in Australia's health system to manage outbreaks and any resulting illness and morbidity more effectively. In addition, special attention to support and fund those who suffer long term disability from Long Covid. Advertisement

Dr Berger said governments have put the Australian economy before the health of its people.

'We must eliminate Covid, as we have eliminated every other serious infectious disease,' he said.

Jayne Flanagan from Zero Covid Schools said children, teachers and their families have a right to maximum protection from Covid.

'The best protection for schools is a vaccines plus strategy that targets elimination,' she said.

HBPA says its campaign message is still urgent, despite Australia's success at getting people vaccinated.

'Without appropriate mitigation measures such as improving ventilation, masking, and paying people to stay home when they need to quarantine, Australia risks spiralling case numbers and needless death and suffering,' the statement said.

HBPA has toned down its demands in recent months as New South Wales and Victoria have eased out of long lockdowns.

On August 31 the campaign issued a statement saying, in part, that 'there are no plans, at all, about how to open schools safely ... The Morrison plan to reopen the economy is premised on sacrificing children...'

It pointed out that, in general, children with Covid are less likely to have severe symptoms than adults, but said severe forms and consequences do happen.

'Increasing cases of children with lingering fatigue and other chronic problems, not linked to the severity of initial symptoms, are reported. The literature shows schools are a sink of infectious diseases,' it said.

In July it started a change.org petition to oppose schools being allowed to reopen. The petition had an aim of getting to 5,000 signatures, but as of October 8 only 2,660 have signed.

HBPA had far more success, however, in raising money to pay for its newspaper ad. It had a goal of $10,000, but so far has raised around $17,000.

In welcoming the funds to pay for the advertisement, the HBPA thanked its supporters and said the country's vaccination level is 'phenomenal'.

'It is timely to remind the public that elimination of Covid-19 remains possible, particularly in the context of Australias phenomenal vaccine uptake,' it said.
Twin four-year-old girls died alone in a house fire at an alternate-lifestyle commune near Byron Bay while residents allegedly attended a communal bonfire.

The children, who were sleeping together in their bedroom, are believed to have died from smoke inhalation after a lit candle sitting on piano sparked a blaze.

The tragedy was discovered when the girls' father and his girlfriend checked on the children and found them unresponsive, with smoke billowing from the property, about 4am on Sunday.

Harrowing calls were made to triple-zero begging for help - but it was too late to save them.

The home was among 19 properties dotted around the isolated 40 ha commune in the Byron Bay hinterland in northern NSW.

Residents who choose to live off-grid at the Nunkeri Multi Occupancy commune consider each other family, and were enjoying a collective bonfire well into the early hours of Sunday morning when tragedy struck

A member of the public reacts while holding a bouquet of flowers outside the home where twin four-year-old girls died following a house fire

The girls were sleeping together in a bedroom within close proximity to a piano. Sitting on the piano, police believe, was a lit candle which caused the fire

'Hurry, the babies can't breathe,' the girlfriend told the operator on the end of the line. Paramedics arrived shortly after, but neither little girl could be revived.

The twins were visiting their father at the commune for the weekend. It's not yet clear how much time they spent in the isolated alternative living camp.

Aerial footage of the remote bush property shows several dwellings scattered among the trees.

There are no driveways, no fences to separate one home from the next. Cars park haphazardly wherever their drivers can find space.

The community relies on a water tank at the centre of the property and it's understood they pool resources wherever possible.

'They're like a family,' one local told Daily Mail Australia. 'They're all grieving so much right now.'

The 20-home commune has existed for 30 years and sits on 40ha of farmland just 30 minutes' drive from Byron Bay

Neighbours dropped off flowers to the grieving family

Four-year-old twin sisters have both died from smoke inhalation after their home caught fire overnight. The home is within a 'multiple occupancy' community down this street, 30km west of Byron Bay

The commune is just 35 minutes' drive from the hustle and bustle of Byron Bay central - but for locals, it feels a world away.

While Byron Bay has been gentrified and flooded with holidaymakers and celebrities, Goonengerry and similar tiny towns nearby still consider themselves 'locals only'.

Residents embrace alternate ways of living and, put simply, 'enjoy a simple life'.

Those living within the commune were all together the moment the twins' father realised smoke was billowing from the room.

They were still there, shocked and confused, as emergency services arrived and tried to save the girls. A woman was also treated for shock at the scene.

Another woman fought back tears on Sunday as she delivered a bouquet of flowers, leaving them in the letter box.

A hand written note was left on one of the bouquets reading: 'Mourning with you.'

Horrified neighbours arrived at the home later on Sunday to drop bouquets of flowers to the family

The girls' father is crushed by the twins' deaths and 'in a bad state'.

'He blames himself. He's really shaken up,' one neighbour said.

Some of the first responders were then forced to break the tragic news to the girls' mother, who was not at the home at the time.

'They're shocked, gutted, grieving. (They have) no words,' another friend said.

Byron Shire deputy mayor Sarah Ndiaye said locals, especially people living in these types of hinterland communities, were particularly tightknit.

The loss will be felt by the entire community, she said.

Police remain on the scene as they investigate the cause of the blaze

'The people at the scene obviously went in to check and saw what they saw and police were called,' Tweed-Byron Police District commander Superintendent Dave Roptell said.

'It's unbelievably devastating to see anyone die in these circumstances. But two four-year-old females, it's just a tragic set of circumstances.'

Detectives will work with fire investigators, who remain on the scene, to determine the exact cause of the blaze.

There was little damage to the home itself.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Police are investigating whether a candle was left burning inside the home overnight
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A right-wing group's protest against COVID-19 mask and vaccine mandates turned into a nasty feud with Antifa counter-demonstrators whose rallying cry was to 'tell the Capitol Rioters to Get Out of Boston.'

The high noon COVID protest at Boston Common on Sunday was organized by a group called Super Happy Fun America, which describes itself as 'a right of center civil rights organization focusing on defending the Constitution, opposing gender madness and defeating cultural Marxism.'

However, anti-fascist demonstrators that included 'Green Monster Antifa' - a play on the famous left field wall at Fenway Park - and 'Solidarity Against Hate - Boston,' announced on Twitter they would be showing up to the event in order to 'Tell the Capitol Rioters to Get Out of Boston.'

The resulting clash forced police officers dressed in riot gear to break up confrontations between the two warring protest groups.

The group Super Happy Fun America clashed with Boston antifa members at a demonstration Sunday

The group, which had previously held a 'Straight Pride' event that made headlines, was protesting vaccine and mask mandates

Protesters were against not only the mandates but against the use of masking and vaccines

One protester sported the infamous anti-Biden 'Let's Go Brandon' catchphrase

The promotional poster for the event quotes founding father Benjamin Franklin

'Green Monster Antifa' was one of the groups protesting against Super Happy Fun America

'Solidarity Against Hate - Boston' also counter-demonstrated

Fight just broke out between groups, police broke it up @NBC10Boston @NECN pic.twitter.com/zC4MBnbVLb  Monica Madeja NBC10 Boston (@MonicaNBCBoston) November 7, 2021

Photos showed at least one protester getting pepper-sprayed in the face, while others tussled and at least one person was seen receiving medical attention from police while lying on the ground.

Two people were arrested during the confrontations, cops said. The official police reports haven't been filed but a spokesperson for the Boston PD told DailyMail.com they would likely be charged with disorderly conduct.

Several protesters were holding flags that said 'Death To Fascism' as well as flags displaying the hammer and sickle.

Another video from a local news reporter shows Antifa members yelling 'Nazis Out!' to people inside of a U-Haul van trying to leave the event.

The Antifa members attempted to troll speakers and demonstrators by blaring loud music and playing instruments.

The right-wing group gained notoriety in 2019 for holding a 'Straight Pride' event that drew hundreds of counter-demonstrators that blasted the members as being homophobic extremists.

Sunday's 'Rise Against Tyranny' march was to speak out against federal vaccination and mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic.

One protester dressed as the Statue of Liberty

One protester used a sign with a common refrain of the anti-vaxx movement: 'My body, my choice'

Boston police were prepared and dressed in riot gear for the demonstrations

A fence comes down as protesters and counter-protesters clash at Boston Common

Antifa demonstrators come to attempt to counter-protest the anti-vaxx protesters

Marchers also demonstrated against the possibility of vaccine passports

Police arrested two people for disorderly conduct

One man receives attention from police while on the ground

Boston police said that the protests remained largely under control despite the clashes

NOW: Clashing rallies on Boston Common; one group here to protest mask/vaccine mandates with speeches, the other protesting the protesters with a brass band. @NBC10Boston @NECN pic.twitter.com/cuSavwE6WI  Monica Madeja NBC10 Boston (@MonicaNBCBoston) November 7, 2021
A woke California teacher is under fire after listing a question on a high school history test that asked students to identify 'A group of idiots' - with the answer choices being 'KKK,' 'all of Florida,' 'Fox News' or 'Texans.'

The unidentified teacher at Whitney High School in Rocklin quickly came under attack after a parent shared a screenshot of the test question to social media.

'We all have different beliefs,' Jessa Krissovich told Fox 40. 'This is the United States and we all come from different backgrounds and everybody should be okay with who they are.'

'These stories have gone in one ear and out the other. It sounded unbelievable.'

This screenshot of the test question was shared on social media by an upset parent

Parents at Whitney High School in Rocklin, California were concerned by a test question given to their students on Thursday

Whitney High School principal Justin Cutts released a statement on Saturday informing parents that the Whitney High School Administration Team and Rocklin Unified School District are 'conducting a thorough investigation.'

'While personnel matters will remain confidential, appropriate disciplinary steps will be taken,' wrote Cutts, whose school is located about 25 miles northeast of Sacramento.

Another parent, who asked to remain anonymous, told Fox 40 that one-sided political comments, mostly against the Republican Party, are a common occurrence with this social science teacher.

'The question on the test is really blatant obviously and that's out there,' the parent said. 'This has been the first time it has been looked at of him crossing the line.'

Joel Alquicira, a former student of the teacher who administered the test, told KCRA: 'I understand he's just trying to make a joke, but that kind of stuff shouldn't be on a test.'

'He was always like a funny kind of teacher,' added Alquicira. 'He would always make jokes.'

The controversial test question comes as schools and parents across the country continue to debate students' curriculum, specifically focusing on Critical Race Theory.

Youngkin took stage at an election-night rally in Chantilly, Virginia on Tuesday night. The Republican beat McAuliffe by 2.5 percentage points

Last week, Republican Glenn Youngkin beat Democrat Terry McAuliffe to win Virginia's gubernatorial race campaigning against Critical Race Theory.

The governor-elect made the highly-debated curriculum a major talking point of his campaign and credited his victory to a 'movement' of parents that started in Loudoun County.

'This campaign stopped being a campaign a while ago, and it became a movement,' Youngkin told Tucker Carlson Wednesday morning in his first network interview since he was declared winner, adding that 'education really did become a top issue in this election.'

'Parents across Virginia started to recognize that they really did need to have an important, decisive role in their children's education,' he continued. 'And when they heard Terry McAuliffe say he wants to put government between parents and their children, this ceased to be a campaign and it started to be a movement led by parents.'

A GOP memo on lessons from last week's elections and statements from Republican House leadership suggest that the debated curriculum will continue to be a major talking point for conservatives.

The memo sent to the Republican Study Committee from Chairman Jim Banks stated: 'Democrats are attacking our schools in new ways, and conservatives must adjust.'

He claimed that parents, 'viewed education as an extension of the culture war.'

'I think education is always a top priority, but I think the one thing you will find is the Republican Party will be the party of education,' said House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy when asked about the midterms.

McCarthy commented on a parents' bill of rights the GOP is set to propose. 'You have a right to know what's being taught in school. You have a right to participate.'
The NYPD has described a hoax bomb threat directed towards Columbia University on Sunday night as a 'swatting' prank as two other Ivy League schools were forced to evacuate over bomb threats earlier in the day.

Several buildings on the northern Manhattan campus were evacuated following a threat that was made.

Three buildings on campus  Lerner Hall, Butler Hall and Carman Hall  had to be evacuated.

Columbia University police issued a campus-wide emergency alert at about 2:30pm.

'The NYPD has determined that the threats at Columbia today were a swatting incident. Police conducted a search of the locations and deemed the area safe. The investigation into the origins of those messages remains ongoing,' the NYPD tweeted hours after the incident.

Law enforcement gather at Columbia University campus in response to a bomb threat in New York on Sunday

Bomb threats were made towards three Ivy League schools in the northeastern United States

Columbia, which has 31,000 students, was one of three elite Ivy League universities that was targeted during the day.

Andy Costello, a former NYPD deputy inspector of police, said swatting has two meanings.

One is when someone makes a fake threat to distract police before committing a crime somewhere else while the other sees hoax emergency calls made in order to summon dozens of police to a specific location.

'It has morphed into a term where people make fake bomb threats simultaneously at different locations, just to attract and move police resources to them,' Costello said to CBS2.

Aside from Columbia, Cornell in upstate New York together with Brown University on Rhode Island both evacuated parts of their campuses after receiving threats that bombs had been placed inside several buildings.

In a series of afternoon tweets, Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, told students, staff and visitors to immediately leave the law school, Goldwin Smith, Upson Hall and Kennedy Hall and to avoid central campus after local police received a call about bombs being put in four campus buildings.

After also receiving a bomb threat by phone, Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, evacuated several buildings near the university's college green

'Please do not call the Cornell Police unless you have an emergency,' the private school of 21,000 students said.

After also receiving a bomb threat by phone, Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, evacuated several buildings near the university's college green, a spokesperson for the school of 7,000 undergraduate students said.

Brown University officials sent a text alert to students that said police were investigating 'multiple buildings on campus involving a bomb threat.' Video captured by WPRI showed one of the main buildings sealed off.

The universities communicated with students over Twitter telling them to avoid the area

Columbia University, which has 31,000 students, also evacuated several buildings on its New York City campus after bomb threats

'The University advises that people stay away from buildings until further notice,' the student newspaper said in a tweet, relaying an alert sent out from the school.

Hours later, police at each campus said the threats were not credible.

'Law enforcement has concluded search of the Ithaca campus; no credible threats were found. It is safe to resume all normal activities,' Cornell University, a school of 21,000 students, said in a tweet.

It is unclear if the threats were connected.

Columbia students Cole Fitzgibbons and his roommate, Christian Gomes, received text alerts about the threats on Sunday.

'At that point, we just took our stuff and we just dipped,' Fitzgibbons said to CBS News.

'And it happened at Yale a couple days ago. I don't know if it's like targeting the Ivys,' Gomes said.

'It was shocking,' Nikolas Martin said. 'I became worried. I called all of my friends that were on campus still, and tried to make sure that everybody was safe and tried to figure out what was happening.'

In a statement, a university spokesperson said: 'The University proceeded with an immediate evacuation of the buildings identified in the threat. Following an investigation, the threats were deemed not credible by the NYPD and the campus buildings have been cleared for occupancy. We thank those individuals affected for their patience and cooperation in evacuating.'

On Friday, Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, also an Ivy League school, received bomb threats that were later found not to be credible.

Columbia University police issued a campus-wide emergency alert after at about 2:30pm

The threats came two days after a bomb threat at Yale University forced the evacuation of several buildings as well as nearby businesses in Connecticut

Yale's campus resumed normal activities Friday evening, roughly five hours after the first call was received
Extraordinary footage has emerged of a tradie embroiled in an early morning melee in the middle of the street as his house burned down.

Investigations into the blaze and violent brawl continue, six days after emergency crews were called to a home in Adelaide's south on November 2.

Firefighters were confronted with chaos as they arrived at the scene on Finian Road at Christie Downs just after 7am.

Footage taken by shocked neighbours captured the bizarre moment the homeowner, wearing a hi-vis yellow outfit, traded blows on the street with a man in a blue shirt.

One man (in fluoro jacket) brawled with another man in the street as firefighters tried to save his burning home

The onlooker, who was filmed jeering 'you're dumb' at the tradesman, was kicked multiple times as neighbours attempted to calm the situation and break up the fight.

He was eventually able to get up only to be repeatedly struck in the head with a ceramic breakfast bowl.

At another point in the brawl he was kicked in the face, losing several teeth.

'Interesting crowd here if SAPOL (police) can get here ASAP' a firefighter was heard on the emergency services radio.

'We have full Fight Night on Finian.'

The tradesman was uninjured in the brawl while the man in the blue shirt was treated by paramedics for a gash on his head before being taken to hospital.

Tensions escalated between the brawling men which involved the throwing of a ceramic bowl

It's understood the tradesman man was asleep inside the burning home before he fled outside after noticing the flames.

'The single occupant was not injured but there was extensive damage to the carport and house,' a police statement read.

It took firefighters 30 minutes to bring the blaze under control.

'It thought it was going to explode, there were definitely popping sounds going on, it was confronting,' neighbour Rebecca Hillman told reporters.

'Unfortunately the area we live in, this happens a fair bit.'

'Someone accused someone else of starting the fire. A bit of a fight happened. Someone got hit in the head with a bowl.

One of the men (on the ground) had to be treated for a bloodied gash on his head and was later taken to hospital

Fire forensic investigators spent the rest of the day at the home, scouring charred remains for clues as to what caused the blaze, which caused $60,000 worth of damage.

South Australia Police confirmed to Daily Mail Australia on Monday investigations are still continuing and that the fire is being treated as suspicious

No charges have been laid.

Anyone with more information about the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
A poll conducted last week revealed that of the 1,000 voters surveyed, 59% said they disapproved of the president

President Joe Biden's approval ratings were about as frigid as the temperature off the Atlantic Coast near his Delaware beach home as they dropped to a mere 38 percent, according to a poll conducted after Republicans surged at the ballot box last week.

The USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll found that 59 percent of the 1,000 voters surveyed say they disapprove of the president and 66 percent say the United States is headed in the wrong the direction.

Thirty-nine percent indicated they don't want Biden to run for re-election in 2024, while 50 percent said they hope he does.

The only lower approval rating they have ever recorded for a president at the same point in their term is for Donald Trump.

Kamala Harris' approval rating dropped even further to 27.8 percent, with just 51.2 percent disapproving of the job she has done so far as president, casting further doubts over her aspirations to run in 2024.

Analysts say the survey shows the multitude of problems Democrats could face ahead of the November 2022 midterm elections after their crushing loss in the Virginia gubernatorial race and struggles in votes across the country.

Meanwhile, as Americans are questioning his leadership, Biden and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, left Washington DC and traveled to their home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

President Joe Biden's approval ratings were about as frigid as the temperature off the Atlantic Coast near his Delaware beach home as they dropped to a mere 38 percent

As Americans are questioning his leadership, Biden and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, left Washington DC and traveled to their home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The couple was spotted walking along the beach and taking a selfie on Sunday

The couple was spotted walking along the beach and taking a selfie on Sunday after they had delayed plans to travel Friday evening so that the president could speak with House leaders about his infrastructure plan.

The Bidens left for their weekend trip on Saturday.

Their trip came just one day after the poll, which was conducted Wednesday through Friday, revealed declining support for the president and his party.

Of the surveyed Americans, 46 percent said if the midterms were held today they would vote for the Republican congressional candidate over the Democratic.

Thirty-eight percent indicated they would vote Democrat.

'I think this country is moving in a direction that is dangerous,' survey-taker Tony Emmi, 62, of Delaware, shared.

Emmi voted for Biden in 2020 because he believed Trump was 'deceitful' and 'malicious'. However, now he believes that the president hasn't held his party accountable to get things done.

Lynda Ensenat, 54, a Trump voter from Louisiana, said Biden has 'been wrong on absolutely everything he's touched.'

'There's a whole lot going wrong in this society right now, and all the Democrat liberals  that's what they're 100% for.'

The president's approval ratings have dropped to 38 percent, according to the USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll

The poll found that 59 percent of the 1,000 voters surveyed say they disapprove of the president and 66 percent say the United States is headed in the wrong the direction

Meanwhile, the poll indicated that Congress only has 12 percent approval rating. Seventy-five percent of surveyors said they disapprove of the current Congress.

Congressional Democrats were favored at 29 percent and Republicans at 35 percent.

Analysts predict Democrats could see a rebound in ratings since the House passed a $1.2trillion infrastructure bill late Friday.

The survey, which was gathered prior to the infrastructure bill's passage, showed that Americans backed the legislation by 2 to 1 (or 61 percent to 32 percent).

'We're not keeping our infrastructure updated  I don't mean currently updated, I mean since 1930, some of these things have been in place,' Kathleen Loyd, 70, of Missouri, argued.

Of those who back the bill, a third identified as Republicans.

However, the poll also revealed that Americans are 'closely divided' on Biden's $1.85trillion social spending plan.

Forty-seven percent of people support the bill and 44 percent oppose the plan.

Regardless of the opposition from legislators and American citizens alike, Biden is still urging the House to pass his $1.75trillion Build Back Better plan.

Meanwhile, Biden is still urging the House to pass his $1.75trillion Build Back Better plan which, according to the poll, only has a 47 percent approval rating

The push to pass the plan - which aims to expand funding for social issues such as healthcare, family care and climate change - significantly delayed the House's approval of the infrastructure bill.

The bill, which was passed Friday, offered Biden a jolt of good news after sobering election losses for the Democratic Party last week and a drop in his approval ratings.

He is expected to visit the Port of Baltimore on Wednesday to discuss how the recently legislation will help the American people by upgrading ports and strengthening supply chains.

The bipartisan infrastructure bill, which had passed the Senate in August, would fund a massive upgrade of America's roads, bridges, airports, seaports and rail systems, while also expanding broadband internet service.

The bill will create jobs by modernizing roads and bridges and transforming the transportation system.

Biden on Saturday called the bill a once-in-a-generation investment and said he would sign the bill soon in a formal ceremony that highlights all the bi-partisan legislators who worked on it.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Virginia's two senators said Sunday they are still reeling after their party's losses in Tuesday's election, claiming Democrats would have won in the state if the bipartisan infrastructure deal passed before Election Day.

'I think congressional Democrats blew the timing,' Virginia Senator Tim Kaine told CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday morning.

'We should have passed these bills in early October,' he added of the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the social spending and welfare package. 'If we had, it would have helped Terry McAuliffe probably win the governor's race.'

He also said the win would have been 'good for President Biden.'

Republican newcomer Glenn Youngkin (left) upset former Virginia Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe (right) in Tuesday's gubernatorial election in the state Biden won by 10 points in 2020

On Tuesday, former Democratic Virginia Governor Terry Mcauliffe lost his bid for his old seat against Republican newcomer Glenn Youngkin in a state Biden won by 10 points in 2020.

The party is now eager to show it can move forward on the president's agenda, and fend off Republicans in the 2022 midterm elections when control of the House and Senate will be on the line.

When Kaine's colleague, Virginia Senator Mark Warner, was asked if McAuliffe would have won if the infrastructure was passed before Election Day, he said: 'Absolutely.'

'The voters of Virginia and the voters of America gave us the presidency, the Senate and the House. They expected us to produce,' the Democratic senator said.

Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said Sunday 'congressional Democrats blew the timing' of voting for the infrastructure bill, claiming it hurt Democrats in his state's election last week

Fellow Virginia Democratic Senator Mark Warner said that Terry McAuliffe would have 'absolutely' won the gubernatorial race in his state on Tuesday if his party passed the infrastructure bill in the House before Election Day

'They have been hearing about this bipartisan infrastructure bill for months,' he explained to CNN's State of the Union on Sunday morning. 'And I'm very proud of the bill. I was one of the so-called gang of 10 that put it together. Is it perfect? No. But it is the first time in 50 years, 50 years, we have made this kind of investment.'

'What you're saying is that the Democrats, who control Congress, the Democrat in the White House, by not getting this done, they're responsible for Terry McAuliffe's defeat,' CNN anchor Dana Bash posed to Warner.

All three Republican candidates for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general in Virginia were successful in their bids on Tuesday  drastically shifting the momentum of a state that started leaning blue in recent elections.

Many legislators feel that if the infrastructure bill could have been passed before last week's election in Virginia, Democrats could have had bigger wins in the state.
A Canadian doctor pointed to 'climate change as the cause for a patient's asthma after finding that an unprecedented heat wave and poor air quality contributed to the person's deteriorating health.

Dr. Kyle Merritt, who works at a Nelson, British Columbia hospital, said the environmental hazards prompted him to make his first climate change clinical diagnosis after treating the patient who came in struggling to breathe.

'If we're not looking at the underlying cause, and we're just treating the symptoms, we're just gonna keep falling further and further behind,' the emergency room doctor told Glacier Media.

It's me trying to just... process what I'm seeing.

Dr. Kyle Merritt, who works at a Vancouver hospital, said the environmental hazards prompted him to make his first climate change diagnosis while treating an asthma sufferer

The temperature in Lytton, British Columbia, which is about 155 miles east of Vancouver, reached 121 during a five-day heat wave in June, according to the Canada's weather service

Officials warned the unprecedented heat would have 'multiple impacts on health'

The diagnosis came shortly after a historic heat wave in June killed nearly 500 Canadians during a five-day period as temperatures surged past 121F.

When the heat wave passed, it was replaced by another health threat as thick smoke from wildfires compromised air quality.

We're in the emergency department, we look after everybody, from the most privileged to the most vulnerable, from cradle to grave, we see everybody. And it's hard to see people, especially the most vulnerable people in our society, being affected. It's frustrating, he said.

Merritt also spoke about a patient in her 70s whose ailments were exacerbated during the heat wave.

She has diabetes. She has some heart failure.  She lives in a trailer, no air conditioning, he told the outlet. All of her health problems have all been worsened. And she's really struggling to stay hydrated.

The observations made by Merritt and other doctors throughout the western Canadian province promoted the colleagues to launch Doctors and Nurses for Planetary Health.

The healthcare professionals are using the group to advocate for better health by protecting the environment, they said on the website.

We are deeply concerned about the climate crisis and its impact on health, the groups website says. This summer, our patients experienced extreme weather events of heat dome, drought, and severe wildfires. Record-breaking temperatures soared above 40 degrees Celsius in June and air pollution from wildfires reached 43 times the amount of safe levels throughout July and August. 

The heatwave was followed by forest fires, such as one seen burning on the side of a mountain in Lytton, British Columbia, on July 1, 2021

A plum of smoke is seen rising from a wildfire in McKinley Lake, British Columbia on June 30

as physicians and nurses, we saw firsthand the physical and mental effects of climate change on our patients and communities.

British Columbia was disproportionately affected by Junes all time-high temperatures, which reached 121F in Lytton.

Of the 486 people killed during Canadas June heatwave, almost all lived on the west coast, British Columbias chief coroner Lisa Lapointe said.

The sweltering temperatures are being caused by a heat dome of static high-pressure hot air which traps the heat in one location

The effects of climate change on human health have been widely documented.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on its website that global warming will result in some existing health threats worsening while new health hazards emerge.

The forecast is even starker by the World Health Organizations (WHO) forecasts.

The World Health Organization said climate change will kill about 250,000 per year between 2030 and 2050 from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress

British Columbia residents are seen keeping cool in Maple Ridge on June 28, 2021

Climate change will kill about 250,000 per year between 2030 and 2050 from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress, it said on its website.

Last December, a coroner ruled that air pollution in London, England, contributed to the death of a nine-year-old girl who suffered a fatal asthma attack.

Ella Kissi-Debrah was believed to be the first person in UK history to have air pollution recorded on their death certificate.
A photographer whose family were subject to a racist tirade outside of a Sydney restaurant has posted a video of the incident to social media.

Sydney man Demas Rusli posted the footage to his TikTok account with the caption, 'This happened in Sydney last night while I was having dinner with my family.'

In the video the woman, who appears heavily affected by alcohol, asks Ms Rusli: 'Are you telling me you belong here?'

She then points to the ground and says, 'This is f***ing Australian land... Aboriginal land, Aboriginal land, f*** off!'

'She just started saying all this stuff - 'Asians don't belong here, get out of this country' Demas Rusli said of the woman's abuse, which occurred in Kensington, Sydney, on Melbourne Cup day

The woman, dressed in a green dress, starts jabbing the air in the direction of Mr Rusli.

'White people don't belong here, you belong here less than white people... you f***ing c***s,' she shouts, before walking off in the other direction.

Mr Rusli, a Sydney photographer who creates social media content for brands, said he was having dinner his family at an Indonesian restaurant in Kensington on Melbourne Cup day when the incident occurred.

'The restaurant was next to the Doncaster Hotel and our table was right next to the window,' Mr Rusli told Daily Mail Australia.

'There were 10 of us, a pretty big family dinner, and then this lady just started knocking on the window.

'She just started saying all this stuff - 'Asians don't belong here, get out of this country'.

'We were shocked at what was happening and then she left but she came back three times and kept knocking on the window.

Mr Rusli said the woman was 'definitely drunk'. He said he had never experienced such abuse since arriving in Australia from Indonesia in 1998.

'I went to primary school, high school and university here,' Mr Rusli said. 'I've not experienced anything to this extreme, or even close to it.'

'I went to primary school, high school and university here,' Mr Rusli (pictured) said, after arriving in Australia from Indonesia in 1989. 'I've not experienced anything to this extreme, or even close to it'

Mr Rusli said the incident marred a post-lockdown family dinner to farewell his parents back to Indonesia

He said the incident marred a family dinner to farewell his parents back to Indonesia.

'We were having dinner because we were out of lockdown and a lot of us hadn't seen each for a while.'

Posted to Sydney's Name and Shame Facebook page, the video drew comments condemning the woman's behaviour.

'She is a foul mouth racist and her name is bogan,' one person wrote.

'I think someone had a bit too much alcohol,' posted another.

'Lol, all the racist comments to call her out as racist,' another person noted.

Mr Rusli said he refrained from making a police report about the incident.
Two mothers spoke out about how the infected blood scandal has devastated their lives.

For decades Nicola Leahey and Michelle Tolley battled with chronic illness and crippling fatigue. Neither knew they had been infected with hepatitis C through blood transfusions.

They are among up to 30,000 people who contracted the same illness and/or HIV via contaminated blood and blood products in the NHS treatment disaster. They want to encourage other victims to come forward  fearing they may be too ashamed to speak out or have not been diagnosed.

Their call comes as the Infected Blood Inquiry this week begins to examine how thousands who required blood after childbirth, miscarriage or accidents were let down by NHS transfusion services.

Nicola Leahey, 69, from Lancashire, spent much of her career as an NHS patient care manager before she was forced into early retirement through illnes

Mrs Leahey is likely to have been infected via blood transfusions during the troubled birth of her third child in 1980 at Billinge Hospital in Wigan

Mrs Leahey, 69, from Lancashire, spent much of her career as an NHS patient care manager before she was forced into early retirement through illness. Im an NHS person, I dont have a suspicious mind. But I have to ask, did they ignore, or not recognise, what had happened to me? she said.

The grandmother of five is likely to have been infected via blood transfusions during the troubled birth of her third child in 1980 at Billinge Hospital in Wigan.

I picked up every infection going from flu to pneumonia and sarcoidosis, she said.

I came in with different illnesses. I kept going back to the doctors as I had a lot of sore throats and colds. They classed me as a hypochondriac. I was always dismissed.

I felt like I was failing as a mother and as a wife as I did not have the energy to do activities with my children or enjoy socialising.

The Infected Blood Inquiry this week begins to examine how thousands who required blood after childbirth, miscarriage or accidents were let down by NHS transfusion services [File photo]

Mrs Leahey is now free of hepatitis C but has been left with debilitating side-effects and conditions including osteoporosis. She said she faced questions from doctors that made her feel she was an alcoholic prostitute.

Mrs Tolley, 56, had also repeatedly visited her GP with severe fatigue and was also dismissed  even when she specifically asked to be tested for hepatitis C.

The mother from Norwich believes she was infected when she had a transfusion after the birth of her first child in 1987 at Barking Maternity Hospital in Essex, which was followed by another in 1991 after a caesarean for her twins. Twenty-eight years after she was infected, further tests finally revealed she had hepatitis C.

Mrs Tolley, who runs an online support group, Contaminated Whole Blood UK, said: After my diagnosis, I would see a coffin that had my name on it. I felt very let down by the system, and at times I felt I was on a downward spiral.

She added: I was given a death sentence without committing any crime.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says he's confident Australia will be able to make a successful recovery out of COVID-19, with new economic figures showing the nation avoided a slew of businesses shutting during the pandemic.

According to new tax office and Treasury data, there were 40 per cent fewer external administrations this year than in the same period in the years before COVID-19.

"(It's) another proof point that Australia's economic recovery is on track," Mr Frydenberg told the Nine Network on Monday.

Australia's unemployment rate is at a 12-year low of just 4.6 per cent (above)

"The jobs are coming back, unemployment is at 4.6 per cent, a 12-year low, we know that job ads are 30 per cent higher than at the start of the pandemic."

It comes as the government will look to road test their election measures in electorates across NSW and Victoria during the week.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will spend the day speaking to voters in the Hunter Valley on Monday.

Shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers said while it was pleasing to see the economy recover after COVID-19, some results were mixed.

"We want to see it recover strongly, we want to see the government take responsibility for things when they are difficult and not just when they are recovering," he said.

"It is pleasing it is starting to get some momentum."

The treasurer said the recent Treasury figures were better than expected.

However, he declined to say if next year's federal budget would be moved forward to April in order to have the election in May.

Josh Frydenberg says Australia is on track to make a full recovery (above)

The next federal election is due to be held by May 21.

Mr Frydenberg said the country's finances would receive a further boost in coming weeks with the return of skilled workers and international students.

"(Skilled workers will return) before the end of the year, and that's what we're working towards," Mr Frydenberg told Sky News.

"We're optimistic and confident about the economy's outlook."
Australia has been labelled 'a great disappointment to the rest of the world' for clinging to coal-fired power, potentially putting its trading partnerships in peril.

It declined to sign up to a commitment to cut methane emissions 30 per cent this decade or a separate agreement to phase out coal-fired power at the COP26 summit in Glasgow.

The chair of the UK Committee on Climate Change, Lord Deben, warned Australia's laggard pace on the issue put its trading partnerships at risk.

'(It is) a great disappointment to the rest of the world that so good a country with so much history should have been so much behind on these issues,' he told ABC radio on Monday.

Prince Charles greets Scott Morrison ahead of their bilateral meeting on November 2 (above)

'Already, the British-Australian trade deal is under huge pressure in this country because we don't see why we should import things from Australia unless Australia meets the same standards.

'What was so disappointing for us was the way it appeared that your prime minister really doesn't understand the urgency of what we have to do.'

Lord Deben thought Australia's target for net zero emissions by 2050 lacked substance.

'When Scott Morrison tried to explain what he was going to do between now and 2030, it was just a whole series of words,' he said.

'You cannot go forward without signing up to eliminating coal.'

Mr Morrison refused to lift Australia's 2030 emissions reduction target because the Nationals wouldn't support it.

Instead, the coalition is relying on updated projections of a 30 to 35 per cent cut this decade.

Boris Johnson speaks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on day three of COP26 on November 2, 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland

The prime minister also does not see any reason why new coal mines shouldn't be approved.

'Provided they meet all the environmental regulations? I don't see why not,' Mr Morrison told 2HD radio in Newcastle.

But he slapped down Resources Minister Keith Pitt's earlier call for a federal fund to subsidise fossil fuel projects.

'There's certainly no suggestion that they'd be any sort of taxpayers money to subsidise those things where there are commercially viable projects,' Mr Morrison said.

The Nationals extracted a series of concessions in exchange for the party's support for a net zero target, including returning the resources minister to cabinet.

'We've said very clearly we are not closing coal mines and we're not closing coal-fired power stations,' Mr Pitt said.

Other aspects of the Nationals' agreement for net zero, including a future fund for rural Australia, haven't been finalised.

'Patience is a virtue,' he said.

'These are agreements between the two leaders, they'll work their way through the normal processes.'
A shocking 80 per cent of women who are raped or sexually assaulted do not report it to the police, new figures suggest.

The alarming statistic has been widely blamed on a lack of faith in the judicial system amid a sharp decline in conviction rates.

Research commissioned by Channel 4s Dispatches found 36 per cent of women surveyed had experienced some form of sexual assault or rape, with almost one third (31 per cent) saying they have been a victim three or more times.

One victim told Dispatches she was sexually assaulted in a pub toilet on a night out. But her case did not make it to the CPS because it did not meet the evidential threshold for a charging decision. A file photo is used above

Despite the staggeringly high rate of sexual violence, 80 per cent did not report the most recent incident to the police, with just 31 per cent of women surveyed saying they were confident that the judicial system in England and Wales achieves justice for victims of sexual assault or rape.

Less than half of women (49 per cent) who reported already having been a victim of sexual assault said they would be likely to report an assault to the police if they were to experience another.

It comes in the aftermath of the rape and murder of Sarah Everard, 33, by serving Met Police officer Wayne Couzens.

Man jailed after he followed girl, 16, and raped her in street A man who raped a 16-year-old girl in the street after following her off a bus was jailed for nine years. Michael Murray assaulted the girl in Bristol last January in what the judge described as a cold and calculated attack which involved significant planning. The Channel 4 Dispatches programme shows police bodycam footage of Murrays arrest after the victim gave a detailed description of her attacker and he was identified from CCTV footage. He pleaded guilty to rape at Bristol Crown Court in April 2020. He also admitted a second charge of common assault on another woman, who he had struck in the face with a cigarette lighter after she had rebuffed his advances. Murray was given indefinite restraining orders in relation to both victims and will remain on the sex offenders register indefinitely. Advertisement

Conservative MP Caroline Nokes, chairman of the Commons women and equalities committee, branded the findings disastrous.

She told a debate on Channel 4 that will be aired after tonights programme: This Government does have a problem with women. Its incumbent on people like me to do the work and stand up to the Government and say, Were not doing enough.

We need cultural change from the outset, she added.

We need to look at schools, colleges and universities, and at young peoples understanding of consent. Women arent getting justice.

Asked whether the Conservative Government has cut too far in terms of police and CPS services, she said: I think what weve seen for women has been absolutely disastrous  of course I regret that.

Only 3 per cent of rapes reported in 2019/20 led to a suspect being charged  compared to 13 per cent in 2015/16.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has vowed to reverse the trend, admitting the Government is deeply ashamed by the state of rape justice.

One victim told Dispatches she was sexually assaulted in a pub toilet on a night out.

But her case did not make it to the CPS because it did not meet the evidential threshold for a charging decision.

The victim, identified only as Debbie, said: I have had quite a few panic attacks. They [the police] wanted my phone.

I knew that they were doing it to get more information, but I also felt like I was a little bit on trial, thinking, Are they looking at my life? and What are they looking potentially for? That felt very intrusive. Really, really intrusive.

I actually said, Do you know what, I wish I hadnt reported it, because it affects your life so much.

Temporary Chief Constable Sarah Crew, the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) lead for rape and adult sexual offences, said the justice system was not convicting enough offenders and that too few victims are getting justice. She added: We know we have work to do to gain back the trust of victims.

With the increased number of those reporting rape and sexual assault to the police, we understand that now, more than ever, is our time to work across the criminal justice system to get the best outcomes for victims.

Ex-chief prosecutor Nazir Afzal said: Were in a perfect storm. We have fewer police officers, fewer prosecutors, courts have been closed and we have a massive backlog. People arent getting anywhere near the service they deserve and theres no excuse for it.

The CPS goes for low-hanging fruit  stranger rapes, things that are easy to prosecute  so theyll pursue those.

More difficult cases  quite often cases involving relationships  are more challenging, so thats maybe one of the reasons why they dont want to prosecute those.

The research, carried out by BMG for Channel 4, surveyed 2,293 people, with 1,513 of those polled being female.

n Rape  Whos on Trial? Dispatches is on Channel 4 at 9pm tonight, followed by The Rape Debate: Whos on Trial? at 10.30pm.
A woman has died after falling from a cliff north of Sydney, while three of her fellow abseilers have had to be rescued from a rock ledge.

Police said the 63-year-old suffered serious injuries after falling at a spot on Wideview Road, Berowra Heights, early on Sunday afternoon.

Emergency services treated her at the scene but she was unable to be revived.

Police and Fire and Rescue officers also pulled two women and a man to safety from a ledge.

A crime scene has been established as detectives investigate the incident.

The NSW Police Force said officers were called following reports a woman was seriously injured after falling while abseiling.

'Emergency services treated her at the scene, however, she was unable to be revived,' they said in a statement.
Brazt dolls, pens, textas, and crayons have been taken as evidence from the house where Cleo Smith was held for 18 days.

Terence Darrell Kelly, 36, is accused of snatching the four-year-old girl from her family's tent on a trip to Blowholes campsite in remote Western Australia.

He allegedly drove her to his rundown home in Carnarvon, 75km south and just a seven-minute drive from Cleo's home, on October 16.

Cleo was rescued by police unharmed and found playing with toys alone in a room on November 3, minutes after Kelly was arrested.

Terence Darrell Kelly appears to have controlled several social media profiles on which he detailed his obsession with dolls toys, including this image which he captioned: 'Nothing beats chilling at home with my Bratz dolls'

Stepfather Jake Gliddon (pictured on Thursday), Cleo and Ellie spent their first night together sleeping in the same room as the four-year-old who they didn't want to let out of their sights

Forensics officers were seen taking dozens of evidence bags from the house on Tonkin Crescent as they build a kidnapping case against him.

Items included Bratz dolls and boxes of pens, textas, crayons, assorted craft supplies, and children's clothes.

Kelly was a Bratz doll enthusiast who showed off his collection on social media, with videos and photos showing dozens displayed on shelves in his home.

He created a web of at least 30 fake Facebook accounts, including ones pretending to be a teenage girl and a mother, that interacted with each other.

Kelly's Bratz DeLuca account - where he describes himself as an 'alpha male dad' - warned what he claimed were his children aged between 11 and 21 about the dangers of online predators.

The profile also featured images of Kelly posing with Bratz dolls.

'I love taking my dolls for a drive around, and doing their hair and taking selfies in public,' the account wrote.

Forensics officers were seen taking dozens of evidence bags from the house on Tonkin Crescent as they build a kidnapping case against him. This one contained a doll

Items included Bratz dolls and boxes of pens, textas, crayons, and assorted craft supplies

In a Facebook story uploaded two days after Cleo Smith disappeared, Bratz DeLuca uploaded an image of children playing on the beach with a sticker saying 'baby girls are the best' and 'feeling blessed'.

The account also features images showing a room with boxed toys carefully stacked from floor to ceiling and pictures of Kelly driving around town carrying dolls.

'I love my dolls', one post reads. 'I love taking my dolls for drive arounds and doing their hair and taking selfies in public,' says another.

Kelly is shown in one picture wearing a Bratz doll T-shirt.

Kelly appears to have a particular fascination with Bratz fashion dolls and one of the brand's four original figurines released 20 years ago was a blonde, almond-eyed teenager called Cloe.

Cleo Smith has a seven-month sister called Isla. In the elaborate make-believe Bratz universe Cloe the doll has a little sister named Isa.

He was spotted a week before Cleo was rescued with a car full of children's toys, a neighbour told Daily Mail Australia.

Henry Dodd said the brand new dolls were still in their packaging 'as if they had been collected from the post office'.

Bizarre details have emerged about the accused's strange obsession with toys as numerous social media accounts linked to Kelly show a room full of children's dolls (pictured)

One piece of footage showed what appears to be a room in Kelly's house filled with the dolls, many of which were still in their original packaging

'There were around ten or twelve dolls... and it looked like he had picked them up after they were delivered somewhere,' he said.

'You could see them in their boxes like he ordered them online. They were all piled in the back of his car.

Kelly was known to buy girls' toys including Disney Princess and Bratz dolls from the local Toyworld and police have asked the store's operators for CCTV footage.

Mr Dodd has also said in the days before Cleo was found he saw Kelly buying nappies from a nearby supermarket.

Other profiles allegedly linked to Kelly mention children and family members, but neighbours and friends have said they were unaware of him ever having kids of his own.

An account allegedly linked to Kelly followed one belonging to Cleo's s mother Ellie Smith, where she begged for help finding her missing daughter.

When police were asked about Kelly's alleged doll obsession and whether he might have used the toys to lure Cleo they declined to comment.

Terence Kelly is now on remand in Casuarina, which is widely regarded as the toughest prison in Western Australia

Cleo Smith was pictured in her mum Ellie's arms outside her Carnarvon home on Thursday, 24 hours after her incredible rescue

A tradie who worked on the house told investigators the loner Kelly had a room decorated for a little girl, and claimed he had a young daughter.

The man who was hired to paint the public housing duplex was interviewed by police and told them he had seen a room adorned with doll-lined shelves.

A door to one of the rooms in the house which can allegedly be locked from the outside is also of particular interest to detectives, The Australian reported.

WA's housing department has a policy to not install locks on internal doors for safety reasons.

Forensic investigators are expected to continue their work at the derelict house until at least Wednesday, having already removed a significant amount of evidence including carpets from multiple rooms.

Searching the house may take as long as two months.

A leading theory put forward by investigators is that the abduction was not pre-meditated but that Kelly had allegedly been at the Quobba Blowholes campground and stumbled across little Cleo.

Police allege Kelly snatched Cleo from the tent she was sharing with her mum Ellie Smith, stepdad Jake Gliddon and baby sister Isla.

Terence Kelly's duplex in Carnarvon, Western Australia, was swarming with forensic police on Saturday

Bags of evidence were removed, believed to contain contain some of Kelly's beloved Bratz dolls

Forensic teams are seen leaving the Carnarvon house on Saturday as they continue to scour the scene (pictured)

By the time her family woke up about 6am, Cleo was long gone. She was found 18 days later, alive and well, inside Kelly's public housing one-bedroom in Brockman, just seven minutes' drive from her own family home in Carnarvon.

Kelly lives just two minutes from the local police station, and if the alleged abductor drove the most direct route from the campsite to his home, he would have driven past the local police station.

Blowholes to Kelly's Tonkin Crescent home is an about 50-minute drive, and there was a window of about five-and-a-half hours unaccounted for on the day of Cleo's disappearance.

Her parents last laid eyes on her about 1.30am, when she asked her mum Ellie for a sip of water.

Detectives are still investigating exactly how Cleo was stolen from her tent with her family an arms' length away.

Remarkable bodycam footage captured the moment Cleo was rescued by detectives, with the brave little girl clinging to her savior as she is gently spoken to and told she would soon see her 'mummy'

Police officers bundle evidence wrapped in white plastic into a trailer after combing the property on Saturday

Forensic officers were seen in the backyard of Kelly's property on Saturday as they searched through piles of evidence

Kelly was known to police for petty crimes he was not on the sex offender list and was not immediately focused on as a suspect.

However, information given to police by telecommunications operators allegedly showed a phone registered to him pinged off the Point Quobba phone tower nearby the campground at 3am, just three hours before Cleo's parents woke up to find her missing from her tent.

The crucial piece of information led police to investigate Kelly further with detectives understood to have quickly uncovered more links between between him and the alleged abduction - though they have not revealed what these are.

Sources close to the investigation claim the mobile phone data was crucial in helping police to identify Kelly as a prime suspect.

'His phone was allegedly in the area as part of the data collection,' a source told The West Australian. 'That is part of the information that led the taskforce to him.'

Cleo Smith, four, was found alive and well, 18 days after she vanished from her family's tent at the remote Blowholes campsite in north-west Western Australia

There are at least three new mobile base stations located not far from the remote campsite where Cleo vanished from at Quobba Point, 73km north of Carnarvon, on October 16.

Telecommunication providers then gave police a list of phone numbers that had been used in the area during the times of interest.

Detective superintendent Rod Wilde said the data was then layered with other information before Kelly became a person of interest.

'So we put the phone data over number plate-recognition data, CCTV, witness accounts, forensics... And when you layer them on top of each other you solve crimes and that is merely what we have done here.'

Police tailed Kelly in an unmarked police car at 11.24pm on Tuesday - just hours before they raided his housing commission home at Carnarvon at 1am on Wednesday.

Detective senior sergeant Cameron Blaine said officers had been waiting for Kelly to 'go mobile and leave the premises'.

'It was clear in my head what had to occur so it was: 'OK, let's do that'.'

Dashcam footage from a passing taxi captured the moment Kelly was pulled over by the unmarked police vehicle as he drove down Robinson Street.

Police tailed Kelly in an unmarked car at 11.24pm on Tuesday - just hours before they raided his housing commission home at Carnarvon at 1am on Wednesday

A second unmarked police vehicle pulls up in front of the parked car to prevent any chance of escape.

A bystander recalled watching police then pin Kelly to the ground before arresting him.

'We saw one of the detectives on top of the guy pinning him down on the curb... you know really vigorously,' they said.

With their prime suspect now in handcuffs, detectives made the decision to search his housing commission home at 12.46am on Wednesday.

'I just saw a little girl sitting there and didn't think about anything else than picking her up,' detective senior constable Kurt Ford said.

A beaming Cleo is seen from her hospital bed after she was rescued by police on Wednesday

Kelly faced Carnarvon Magistrate's Court on Thursday afternoon, where he was formally refused bail until his next appearance in December.

Police warned Cleo's parents to wait until specialist child abuse detectives formally interview the four-year-old before talking about the traumatic events with her.

A heart-warming audio clip of the moment detectives first found Cleo alone in a room playing with toys was also heard for the first time on Thursday.

Sergeant Blaine can be heard asking the little girl 'what is your name?' three times before she finally falteringly replied: 'M-my name is Cleo.'

He said police have tried to share as much information they can with the parents but at this stage investigators are still piecing all the details together themselves.

CLEO DISAPPEARANCE TIMELINE By Olivia Day for Daily Mail Australia Friday, October 15 Cleo along with her mother Ellie Smith, her partner Jake Gliddon and her little sister Isla Mae arrive at the Blowholes campsite around 6:30pm. They had a 'quiet' night and arrived at sunset. Saturday, October 16 1:30am: Parents' last sighting of Cleo in the tent she shared with her parents and baby sister when the four-year-old asks for some water. 6.23am: Ellie calls 000 to report her eldest daughter missing as she continues to search the camp ground. 6.30am: The first two officers are dispatched from Carnarvon police station. They travel to Blowholes as a matter of priority, with sirens and lights. 6.41am: A second police car with another two officers is sent to Blowholes, also with lights and sirens. 7.10am: The first police car arrives. The second is only minutes behind. 7.26am: Police on the scene establish a protected forensic area which is taped off to the public, surrounding the family tent where Cleo was last seen. 7.33am: A drone operator is called upon to search from the skies. 7.44am: A third police car is dispatched to the Blowholes. 8am: Family and friends of Cleo's parents begin to arrive to help with the ground search. Another group of detectives briefly searches Cleo's home to make sure she's not there. They then head to Blowholes and begin stopping cars coming into and leaving the area. 8.09am: A helicopter from a local company arrived at the scene and started searching as police request an SES team attend the Blowholes search. 8.24am: Police air-wing and volunteer marine searchers are called in to assist with the search. 8.34am: Roadblocks are set up at the entrance of Blowholes as detectives gather the names, registration details and addresses of people coming and going. Police search cars. 9.25am: Nine SES personel arrive at the Blowholes to assist with the search. Investigators, bounty hunters and officers from the Australian Federal Police have spent two-and-a-half weeks searching for missing four-year-old Cleo (pictured) 9.30am: Detectives sit down with a distressed Ellie and remain by her side for the rest of the day while other search crews hunt for Cleo. 11am: Homicide detectives from the Major Crime Division are called and begin travelling from Perth to assist with the search. 1pm: More homicide detectives and search experts are flown in from Perth. 3pm: Officers and search experts arrive in Carnarvon to offer their expertise. Sunday, October 17 Ms Smith takes to social media to plead for help finding her missing daughter. A Facebook post uploaded at 1:45am on Sunday which said: 'It's been over 24 hours since I last seen the sparkle in my little girl's eyes. 'Please help me find her! 'If you hear or see anything at all please call the police!' Police suggest Cleo may have been abducted. Monday, October 18 Police release an image of the red and grey sleeping bag missing from Cleo's tent. Cleo's biological father is interviewed by police in Mandurah and is asked to provide a statement, which he does so willingly. WA Police with the help of SES members, volunteers and aircraft continue the land hunt for Cleo, with officers searching nearby shacks and vehicles in the area. Tuesday, October 19 Cleo's mother Ellie Smith and her partner Jake Gliddon front the media for the first time and describe the terrifying moment they realised the little girl was missing. Ms Smith says her four-year-old would never have left the tent by herself. Police release new images of Cleo and the pink and blue one-piece she was wearing the night she went missing to aid the investigation. Investigators urge anyone who was at the campsite or in the vicinity on October 15 to get in contact with police. Wednesday, October 20 Police reveal the zip of the family tent, which was found hanging wide open by her mother at 6am on Saturday morning, was too high for Cleo to reach. Officers say they 'haven't ruled out' reports from campers who heard the sound of screeching tyres in the early hours of Saturday morning. Deputy Police Commissioner Daryl Gaunt confirms officers are investigating the whereabouts of 20 registered sex offenders in the Carnarvon area. Thursday, October 21 The WA Government offers a $1million reward for information that leads to Cleo's location announced by WA Premier Mark McGowan. 'All Western Australians' thoughts are with Cleo's family during what is an unimaginably difficult time,' Mr McGowan said. 'We're all praying for a positive outcome.' The speed of the reward being issued - within days of her disappearance - was unprecedented. Pictured: Police are seen examining rubbish left near the Blowholes campsite in remote WA Monday, October 25 WA Police confirm Cleo was definitely at the camp site - on CCTV footage on a camera installed inside a beach shack just 20 metres from the family tent she disappeared from. Tuesday, October 26 Forensic officers and detectives spent much of the day at her home in Carnarvon, 900km north of Perth, on Tuesday and left with two bags of evidence. Although investigators had been to the home before, this was the first time they thoroughly searched inside with a forensics team. Acting WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the search of the family home was 'standard practice' and did not indicate they were suspects in Cleo's disappearance. Wednesday, October 27 WA Police forensics officers return to the Blowholes campground and are seen collecting soil samples from a number of campfires near shacks in the area. The federal government announce Australian Federal Police officers had been drafted in to support forensic and intelligence efforts. Friday, October 29 Police return to the Blowholes camp to analyse the area with drones. Detective Superintendent Rod Wilde returns to the Blowholes campsite to join the search for Cleo as the search hit the two-week mark. He confirms national and international agencies are engaged in the search for Cleo. Sunday, October 31 Detectives go door-knocking at a number of homes along the North West Coastal Highway in the North Plantations, 5km from Cleo's hometown on Sunday. Monday, November 1 Detectives sort through mounds of rubbish from roadside bins located hundreds of kilometres away from the campsite she vanished from. The material was transported to Perth, where forensic officers and recruits sorted through hundreds of bags in search of items that may have helped them find Cleo. Officers issue a plea for dash cam and CCTV footage from within a 1000km radius of where the four-year-old disappeared. Police renew an appeal for more businesses in Carnarvon to provide footage and go door to door in an industrial area on the outskirts of the town. Her elated mother, Ellie, (pictured, with Cleo, her partner and younger daughter) broke her silence the morning Cleo was found, sharing a series of love heart emojis on Instagram Wednesday, November 3 After two-and-a-half weeks of searching Cleo Smith is found alive and well in the early hours of November 3. WA Police Deputy Commissioner Col Blanch confirmed just before 7am AEST that little Cleo is alive and well and had been reunited with her relieved parents. 'One of the officers picked her up into his arms and asked her 'what's your name?' he said. 'She said: 'My name is Cleo'.' Ellie Smith posted to social media: 'Our family is whole again'. A Carnarvon man is currently in custody and being questioned by detectives. On October 19, Ellie Smith (pictured) and her partner Jake Gliddon fronted the media for the first time and begged the public to report any information 'big or small' Advertisement

'We share with them what information we can. They know what they need to know,' Senior Sergeant Blaine said.

'Obviously it's still a time where we're exploring all the facts. We're getting information from, still, a number of different sources. Some of that information is completely wrong.

'So we're careful about what information we share with people, we want to make sure we're 100 per cent sure of the facts.'
Jacinda Ardern's government is holding true to its reopening plans as New Zealand continues to notch unwelcome COVID-19 benchmarks.

Last week, New Zealand reported more than 1,000 cases of COVID-19; a seventh of its total infections through the entire pandemic.

There were also two deaths, both people with the virus who were isolating at home.

On Monday, health officials also reported the death of a recent arrival in a quarantine hotel, taking NZ's COVID-19 toll to 32.

Saturday's highwater mark of 206 cases brought a worrying record hospitalisation count of 74 on Sunday, and there is no indication either figure will drop soon.

The outbreak remains centred on Auckland, producing over 90 per cent of daily cases, which will enter a 13th week of lockdown this week.

New Zealand has hit 90% first dose vaccine (above, vaccination centre in Otara, Auckland)

New Zealand has mandated vaccines in all workers who have close contact with their customers, including those at restaurants, bars, gyms and hair salons (above)

This week, despite the roaring case numbers, Aucklanders are set for new freedoms.

Ardern's cabinet will meet on Monday to confirm its in-principle decision to allow retail and public facilities like libraries and museums to reopen from Wednesday, as well as increasing caps on gathering sizes.

Top Kiwi COVID-19 modeller Shaun Hendy, a physics professor at the University of Auckland, says the government should reconsider.

Lockdown in New Zealand has so far gone for 13 weeks with no sign of cases falling (above)

'Relaxations are outpacing the vaccination program's ability to bring these case numbers down so it may be a while until we see the peak in this outbreak,' he told Radio NZ.

'A lot depends on this relaxation ... and potentially people's compliance as well.'

Hendy said daily case counts of 1000 or more by Christmas were 'possible'.

'It is certainly consistent with some of the simulations we've done,' he said.

Ardern said the government's reopening plans were contingent on cases dropping.

'We already know based on all the projections we have that we will see cases rise in Auckland,' she said.

'It's not just about cases now that we have a highly vaccinated environment.'

Auckland's three health regions have all hit 90 per cent partially vaccinated - one of the benchmarks the government was keen to hit before Christmas.

The holiday season looms large for Kiwis - in particular the 1.7 million residents of NZ's biggest city, who are currently not allowed to leave Auckland without a travel exemption.

Ardern has assured Aucklanders they will be able to move around New Zealand for Christmas to be with loved ones - but the government is yet to confirm plans on how that will happen.

'We know people want to reunite before Christmas,' she told TVNZ.

'Aucklanders must be able to move around beyond the border ... the question then becomes are there some mitigations that we can reasonable put in place to reduce down the risk of (transmission).'

While Auckland remains engulfed in the Delta outbreak - which arrived from NSW back in August - many regions, including Wellington, Tauranga and the South Island, remain without ongoing community transmission.
A coroner has criticised GPs and hospital doctors who repeatedly missed symptoms of sepsis in a mother who died of a severe infection after an abortion.

Over ten days Sarah Dunn, 31, desperately sought help as her health deteriorated after a termination in March last year.

But a catalogue of blunders meant no GP or pharmacist spotted that she had a life-threatening infection.

When the mother-of-five was admitted to hospital, medics wrongly assumed she was suffering from Covid and there was a delay in getting her antibiotics, an inquest heard.

Miss Dunn, whose children are aged between 11 and two, died of organ failure brought on by sepsis in the early hours of the next day.

Over ten days Sarah Dunn (above), 31, desperately sought help as her health deteriorated after a termination in March last year

At the end of a five-day hearing, Louise Rae, coroner for Blackpool, found Miss Dunn died of natural causes contributed to by neglect.

The coroner said although there were 'gross failings' in her hospital care and 'basic failings' on the part of two GPs and a pharmacist, no organisation or individual was singularly guilty of neglect.

Instead their actions, cumulatively, meant Miss Dunn suffered neglect during her care.

Miss Rae said: 'I am staggered that numerous medical professionals in primary and secondary care did not consider the possibility of sepsis, particularly in view of the fact Sarah had recently undergone a medical termination.'

Miss Dunn's mother Marie said: 'Sarah knew she was very ill and kept asking for help. The doctors let her down in the worst possible way and now we all have to try to find a way of living without her when we are broken by her death.'

Miss Dunn first sought help from her doctor on April 1 after suffering bleeding following an abortion a week earlier, Blackpool Town Hall was told. Dr Sanjeev Mahara took blood tests but these were clear.

Yet eight days later on April 9 she called again to complain of nausea, sweating, and abdominal pain.

When the mother-of-five was admitted to hospital, medics wrongly assumed she was suffering from Covid and there was a delay in getting her antibiotics, an inquest heard

These are symptoms of sepsis  blood poisoning triggered by an infection. She spoke to pharmacist Anthony Lynn, who scheduled a call with Dr Maharaj the next day.

In the early hours of the next day Miss Dunn, whose pain had worsened, dialled 111 and spoke to Dr Nishan Karunasekara.

He told the coroner he knew Miss Dunn was seeing her GP and doctors were reticent about sending patients to hospital when Covid was at its height. Miss Dunn collapsed at home at 8am and called an ambulance.

But on arrival at Blackpool Victoria Hospital she was treated for Covid. It wasn't until 5.30pm that she was given antibiotics. She died the following morning.

Dr Maharaj's barrister, Richard Smith, said no one knew if Miss Dunn had an infection when he saw her on April 1.

Julia Hamilton, a solicitor at Fieldfisher Manchester, supported the family at inquest and continues to investigate a negligence case against Sarah's GP. Julia said: 'This tragedy should never have happened in the 21st Century.'

Liz Hackett, of the hospital trust, said staff had acted in good faith.
Retail giant Wesfarmers will buy pharmacy chains Priceline and Soul Pattinson for more than $616 million.

Wesfarmers said on Wednesday it had agreed to acquire 100 per cent of the chains' parent company Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Limited at $1.55 a share.

At its current share volume, that would cost Wesfarmers just over $616 million, given it already owns 19.3 per cent of the company.

The takeover will bolster Wesfarmers' business empire, which already includes major brands Bunnings, Kmart, and Officeworks.

Wesfarmers managing director Rob Scott said the acquisition was an 'attractive' opportunity to enter the health, wellbeing, and beauty sector.

Retail juggernaut Wesfarmers, which owns Kmart, Bunnings, and Officeworks, has announced plans to acquire Pharmaceutical Industries Limited

'Wesfarmers continues to see opportunities to invest in and strengthen the competitive position of API and its community pharmacy partners by expanding ranges, improving supply chain capabilities and enhancing the online experience for customers,' he said.

API, which also owns Clear Skincare, Pharmacist Advice, and catalogue program Pharmacy BestBuys, operates more than 488 Priceline stores and 975 independent pharmacies across Australia.

Wesfarmers already owned a 19.3 per cent stake in the company after buying 95.1 million shares on October 7.

Mr Scott said Wesfarmers supports API's business model and there were no plans to rebrand any of the chains.

'In addition to our discussions with API management, we have engaged with industry stakeholders during due diligence,' he said.

'As we have previously stated, Wesfarmers supports the community pharmacy model, including the pharmacy ownership and location rules.

Pharmaceutical Industries is the parent company of Priceline and Soul Pattinson

API operates 975 independent Soul Pattinson Chemist, Pharmacist Advice and Club Premium pharmacy members across Australia

'Wesfarmers recognises the importance of strong relationships with our trading partners and we look forward to working closely with API's pharmacy partners, suppliers and other industry stakeholders.'

The API board has unanimously recommended that API shareholders vote in favour of the scheme, which still needs to be approved by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

The two companies have entered into a scheme implementation deed to facilitate the takeover. It is not subject to due diligence or financing.

If approved, the acquisition is expected to be take place in early 2022.

Wesfarmers first made an offer to take over API in July, after the company reported a 30 per cent profit plunge in the six months to February 28.
People visiting hospital for reasons that had nothing to do with the coronavirus often led to them contracting the disease - with more than 2,000 of them dying.

Data released by Kaiser Health News, a non-profit organization, details how there were more than 10,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 that began in hospitals in 2020.

The organization believes the true number of cases is in fact far higher.

Around 21 percent of the cases that started in hospitals between the months of April and September last year led to the deaths of more than 2,000 people.

During the first wave of the pandemic, patients who went into hospital to be treated for conditions unrelated to Covid were infected and died

At hospitals with high rates of covid spread, staff members were often alarmed by the lack of safety practices

Some say part of the blame lies with poor hospital infection control protocols and staff spreading the virus to one another, and then to patients.

Although staff were also separated depending on who they were treating and were instructed to social distance at all times from other staff members, often they would congregate in areas to use computers, access records and take breaks.

Some older hospitals were at a greater risk of outbreaks because of narrow corridors, small rooms and poor ventilation.

Other studies suggest moving patients between beds on wards to create space was another vector for infection.

Scientists in charge of stemming hospital outbreaks say hospital-acquired cases of Covid-19 'were a major problem' in the early days of the pandemic but say hospitals are 'absolutely safe' now.

Cindy Johnson holds a painting of her husband, Steven, a retired pharmacist who had survived colon cancer and took meticulous measures to avoid contracting covid-19. Steven died of covid in December 2020, and Cindy believes he contracted the virus at Blake Medical Center in Bradenton, Florida, where he was admitted for an infection in his hip

Steven Johnson, 66, was expecting to get an infection cut out of his hip at Blake Medical Center in Bradenton, Florida, in November 2020. His wife, Cindy Johnson, says he had tested negative for covid-19 two days before he was admitted. After 13 days in the hospital, he tested positive and died soon afterwards

One Florida woman, Cindy Johnson, thinks that her husband Steven became infected with coronavirus by a staff member at the Blake Medical Center in Bradenton, Florida in November 2020.

The retired pharmacist had gone into hospital to receive treatment for a flesh infection but ended up contracting Covid.

Steven had tested negative for Covid two days before he was admitted. After 13 days in the hospital, he tested positive. He died soon afterwards.

Cindy took a Covid test but was negative.

She believes the large number of hospital staff members flowing into and out of his room, where Steven was often unmasked, led to him getting the infection.

Cindy said it is 'appalling' hospital employees are not required to be vaccinated.

Thousands of patients died of coronavirus which they caught in hospitals, as the disease spread among staff who moved between rooms (file photo)

'I'm furious. How can they say on their website ... that the safety precautions 'we've put into place make our facilities among the safest possible places to receive healthcare at this time'?' she said.

Blake Medical Center spokesperson Lisa Kirkland said the hospital is 'strongly encouraging vaccination' stressing it follows Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and federal and state guidelines to protect patients.

President Biden has called for all hospital employees to be vaccinated, but it is likely to face resistance. Many states, including Florida, that have banned vaccine mandates.

Cindy Johnson holds a pillow made from a shirt her husband, Steven, used to wear

Cindy Johnson believes her husband, Steven, caught covid-19 from staff at Blake Medical Center in Bradenton, Florida, in November 2020. After his death, she asked a doctor who saw patients at the hospital to take down an 'OPEN & SAFE' sign outside. It was removed days later

Another casualty was 71-year-old Linda Moore who tested positive at least 15 days into a hospital stay for spinal surgery at Havasu Regional Medical Center in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

The hospital implemented 'rigorous health and safety protocols to protect all of our patients' during the pandemic.

But Moore contracted the virus and was airlifted to another hospital where her condition declined further before dying hours later.

'I asked her mom and her dad and her family and prayed to God, 'Please just come show her the way,' said daughter Trisha Tavolazzi. 'I relive it every day.'

When Tavolazzi asked the hospital about where her mother picked up the virus, nobody called her back.

Linda Moore, right, pictured with her daughter died of covid-19 in July 2020. Her daughter Trisha Tavolazzi says Moore tested positive after at least 15 days at Havasu Regional Medical Center in Lake Havasu City, Arizona

Virus spread among patients and staffers appears to go hand in hand.

At Beaumont Hospital, Taylor, in Michigan, 139 employee covid infections were logged between April 6 and October 20 last year.

Nearly 7% of patients with covid tested positive after they were admitted to the hospital for something else.

A hospital spokesperson said tests were not available to screen all patients last year, resulting in some people being diagnosed late.

Currently all incoming patients are now tested.

So far, more than 46 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been recorded resulting in 750,000 deaths according to data compiled by John Hopkins University.

The figured are higher than any other country on the planet.

When it comes to vaccinations, more than 193,000 people have been jabbed so far which is about 59 percent of the adult population.
Queensland is on alert about potential COVID-19 exposure at opposite ends of the state as authorities begin rolling out booster shots.

The state recorded no new locally-acquired cases on Sunday with an outbreak in the southern town of Goondiwindi, linked to an outbreak in Moree in northern NSW, at four active cases.

However, later in the day Darling Downs Health moved to restrict to Toowoomba hospital due potential exposure linked to the Goondiwindi outbreak.

'Our public health unit is investigating a possible exposure of COVID-19 at the Toowoomba hospital linked to the recent Goondiwindi outbreak,' DDH said in a statement on Facebook on Sunday.

'In order to do this, we are restricting some visitors to the hospital at this time.'

Booster shots are being rolled out in Queensland to tackle possible virus outbreaks in Cairns and in the state's south, at Goondiwindi (stock image)

Queensland is on alert as authorities investigate possible virus outbreak at Toowoomba Hospital (pictured) which could be linked to Goondiwindi cases

Meanwhile, authorities in the state's far north are tracking down people who were at five venues in Cairns and Mission Beach when a COVID-19 patient, who is now in the Northern Territory, visited two weeks ago.

Authorities are also tracking down passengers who arrived in Cairns on the same flight as the woman from Adelaide on October 25.

The 21-year-old is the index case of the NT's three-case cluster, which triggered a three-day lockdown in Katherine and restrictions for Greater Darwin.

Booster shots are being rolled out in an attempt to control possible outbreaks in the state's north in Cairns and in Goondiwindi (above)

Queensland has avoided lockdowns since a three-day lockdown in Cairns in early August, with authorities citing rising vaccination rates as one reason why.

Deputy Police Commissioner and state vaccine coordinator Shane Chelepy said booster shots are being rolled out to the general population.

'They'll start rolling out today,' he told ABC Radio on Monday.

'So what we're after is someone who has had their full two doses of vaccines more than six months ago, you're ready to have your booster now.

'You can either book that through our normal booking system, or you can just walk into one of our hubs now, with you GP you'll need to book.'

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says Queensland is likely to have hit 80 per cent of its 16-plus population with at least their first vaccine dose by Tuesday.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured) says Queensland is likely to have hit 80 per cent of its 16-plus population with at least their first vaccine dose by Tuesday

She previously said face masks could be scrapped for vaccinated people once 80 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated, but Mr Chelepy wouldn't confirm that.

However, he said the most important change will be easing quarantine requirements for fully-vaccinated domestic travellers.

Meanwhile, businesses are concerned they still don't have clear guidelines about how restrictions will change once the state hits 80 per cent.

Many are particularly concerned about dealing with unvaccinated customers.

Liberal National Party small business spokesman Brent Mickelberg said businesses needed clear rules and certainty in the lead-up to Christmas.

'They have got nothing from the state government, just more uncertainty,' he said in a statement.

'Small business owners and their staff deserve better than the slow and inadequate support they have been provided by the state government so far.'
Victoria has been smashed by floods and South Australia by heavy winds with the wild weather set to continue for another week and move into NSW and Queensland.

Flash flooding hit Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs with streets between Clayton and Dandenong completely submerged on Saturday.

The SES received more than 300 calls for help including motorists who had become trapped in their vehicles.

Gusts of up to 100km/h battered Renmark, a regional town 250km northeast of Adelaide, uprooting trees and tearing down a McDonald's sign.

Shocked residents filmed the wreckage left behind showing the iconic big 'M' had been lifted off the pole and blown down to the below carpark.

The wild weather comes as meteorologists warn of a wet week ahead for most of the country with heavy rain, thunderstorms, hail and even snow forecast to hit the east coast until the end of the week.

Flash flooding hit Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs with streets between Clayton and Dandenong completely submerged on Saturday

Gusts of up to 100km/h battered Renmark, a regional town 250km northeast of Adelaide, uprooting trees and tearing down a McDonald's sign

Mulgrave BP operator Ayush Tyagi described the heavy rain as 'crazy' as it battered Melbourne and flooded the petrol station on the weekend.

'At first it felt a bit unreal,' he said. 'Especially when you work at a service station you have that fear of a potential leak of fuel, so, yeah we were scared.'

A leak in Chadstone Shopping Centre led to massive puddles forming in the shopping complex.

The Riverland region in South Australia bore the worst of the heavy winds with 120 calls made to emergency services.

A massive tree toppled onto the classroom at Renmark High School while blackouts impacted 3,000 homes in the region.

Jonathon How from the Bureau of Meteorology said New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria will experience 'plenty of thunderstorms' due to intensify mid-week.

He said eastern NSW and inland southeast Queensland would receive most of the wild weather with flood warnings issued for all three states.

'Severe storms are likely in the Balonne shire and Goondiwindi region, more broadly possible over southern inland Queensland. Main risks with severe storms tomorrow will be heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding and damaging wind gusts,' the Bureau of Meteorology Queensland said in a tweet.

In NSW, intense storms are due to roll across the Tablelands region and hit Coffs Harbour with showers to continue in Sydney, travelling from the west to the east.

The meteorologist said storms would fire up on Monday with 20 to 30mm due to hit all of Queensland including Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

He said 20 to 30mm of rain would fall across Brisbane and would extend to the north-east corner of Victoria and NSW.

The wild weather is expected to ramp up on Wednesday with intense storms to hit Queensland state-wide and a cold front in Victoria.

On Thursday, a burst of tropical rain will travel along the eastern sea board from Queensland down to Victoria with the potential of flash flooding in all three states.

Mulgrave BP operator Ayush Tyagi described the heavy rain as 'crazy' as it battered Melbourne and flooded the petrol station on the weekend

Australians in three states are set to be drenched by torrential rain predicted to last a week amid warnings of supercell thunderstorms and heavy flooding (pictured, rain in Melbourne)

In NSW, intense storms are due to roll across the Tablelands region and hit Coffs Harbour with showers to continue in Sydney, travelling from the west to the east

The cause of the wet weather is a trough and rain band travelling from the west to the east of the country following showers in the outback

Mr How said Sydneysiders can expect temperatures in the low 20s with showers to continue but less storm activity at the weekend.

Queensland is predicted to be dry by Sunday however Victorians have been warned to rug up for a cold and showery few days.

The cause of the wet weather is a trough and rain band travelling from the west to the east of the country following showers in the outback.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe thunderstorm warning for damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rains across NSW on Sunday.

'Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding in the warning area over the next several hours,' it read.

Meteorologists have warned of a wet week ahead for most of the country with heavy rain, thunderstorms, hail and even snow forecast to hit the east coast for days (pictured)

People in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria should prepare for 'plenty of thunderstorms' due to intensify mid-week according to meteorologists (pictured, rain in Sydney)

'Locations which may be affected include Grafton, Wollongong, Nowra, Goulburn, Tamworth and more.'

The Bureau recommends residents to unplug computers and appliances, move vehicles under cover and secure loose items in their house, yard and balconies.

It's a similar story in Queensland, with severe thunderstorms to continue over the southern interior and borders areas of the state.

People in the Darling Downs and Granite Belt and parts of Central Highlands and Coalfields, Wide Bay and Burnett and Maranoa and Warrego Forecast Districts have been warned to prepare for damaging winds, hail and heavy rainfall.
The Bank of England is telling lenders to ring-fence vast sums in case cladding victims default on mortgages, the Daily Mail can reveal.

Officials are worried lenders could go bust as hundreds of thousands of flats are still unsaleable and leaseholders brace for a flood of bankruptcies.

It has prompted the Banks Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to review exposure to unsafe flats and ask lenders to make provisions in case of defaults, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The Bank of England is telling lenders to ring-fence vast sums in case cladding victims default on mortgages

Lloyds has set aside 105million for the problem and warned it is already seeing evidence of higher arrears

It is the Banks first major intervention over the issue. Lloyds has set aside 105million for the problem and warned it is already seeing evidence of higher arrears.

Nationwide is the first lender to say the Governments 5billion fund to replace unsafe cladding is below the amount required to end the scandal and expects property values to be severely affected for several years.

The PRA is said to be concerned at the scale of the issue and is disappointed at a lack of government data.

The Government has tripled its cladding fund to 5billion since the Mail launched its campaign to end the scandal in January.

But hundreds of thousands of families living in smaller blocks face bills of up to 600 a year, while all affected leaseholders still face average costs of 25,600 each to fix non-cladding related defects.

Robert Jenrick, who was sacked as housing secretary last month, said he had fought a battle with the Treasury to secure more money for leaseholders but it was unwilling to spend more to resolve the issue.

It is feared unaffordable bills will cause borrowers to default on their mortgages, eroding capital lenders have set aside to absorb losses.

Nationwide is the first lender to say the Governments 5billion fund to replace unsafe cladding is below the amount required to end the scandal

It has prompted the Banks Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to review exposure to unsafe flats and ask lenders to make provisions in case of defaults, according to a source familiar with the matter

Affected properties are currently unsaleable, or can only be sold to cash buyers at huge discounts.

Leaseholders are resorting to auctions, with many accepting bids at a third of market value, according to charity Leasehold Knowledge Partnership (LKP).

Banks are struggling to work out how many fire-trap flats are on their books due to insufficient data.

Nationwide said in its annual report that it has assumed its exposure is in line with UK market estimates.

Lloyds also noted weaker sales values in affected flats and has doubled its provisions within six months.
Seething Eurocrats last night accused Britain of acting like toddlers after No 10 drew up plans to withhold 15billion in funding to the bloc.

Amid increasingly hostile relations with Brussels, a leaked memo yesterday revealed the Government is working on proposals to cut ties with three EU research programmes.

Ministers believe EU officials are stalling the UKs participation in the blocs flagship science projects so they can be used as leverage over Northern Ireland.

Maros Sefcovic, the European Commissions Brexit enforcer, will hold talks with Brexit minister Lord Frost on Friday after a week of discussions. Last week he threatened a possible trade war if the UK triggered Article 16

Technical talks about the Northern Ireland protocol, which effectively leaves the province at the mercy of EU red tape, restart later today.

But last night EU officials were engaged in a war of words with Downing Street over the threat to pull out of the blocs 77billion scientific, satellite and nuclear programmes.

An EU diplomat dismissed the idea that such a threat would hold any sway over the protocol talks.

It seems the UK is always testing our limits, much in the same way that toddlers do, a source said.

The memo suggests ministers plan to walk away from EU research programmes Horizon Europe, Copernicus and Euratom, if no solution to Northern Ireland is found.

Technical talks about the Northern Ireland protocol, which effectively leaves the province at the mercy of EU red tape, restart later today. A road through the border is seen above

British taxpayers are set to pay 2.1billion a year to stay in the seven-year programme as agreed under the Brexit deal.

Funds are then used for research projects at British universities.

According to the memo, reported by The Sunday Telegraph, government departments have been told to prepare alternatives to each programme.

Maros Sefcovic, the European Commissions Brexit enforcer, will hold talks with Brexit minister Lord Frost on Friday after a week of discussions.

Last week he threatened a possible trade war if the UK triggered Article 16, a clause in the Northern Ireland protocol that allows one side to suspend the pact.

The European Commission declined to comment.
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So what ARE the new US travel rules? Travelers from any country are permitted entry to the US if they are; 1) Fully vaccinated 2) Have a negative COVID-19 test taken within 3 days of arriving in the US Which vaccines are recognized? Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Covaxin, Covishield, BIBP/Sinopharm, Sinovac Who is exempt from having to be vaccinated? Children Under-18 children o not need to be vaccinated but those over the age of two must have a negative test taken within 3 days of arrival Kids under the age of two do not need to be vaccinated or have a negative test Exempted countries A limited number of travelers from countries where vaccination is less than 10 percent can enter but they have to get vaccinated if they're still in America within 60 days The countries include; Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria, Armenia, Myanmar, Iraq, Nicaragua, Senegal, Uganda, Libya, Ethiopia, Zambia, Congo, Kenya, Yemen, Haiti, Chad and Madagascar Medical exemptions Diplomats People in COVID-19 vaccine trials Those with National Interest Exemptions * Religious exemptions are NOT accepted * Advertisement

Emotional British travellers were finally reunited with their families on American soil today after nearly two years apart as the US eased its Covid travel ban.

Rival airlines British Airways and Virgin Atlantic operated synchronised departures at 8.30am from London Heathrow to New York JFK to celebrate the end of the travel ban imposed by Donald Trump in March last year as Covid spread across the planet.

The Empire State Building was lit up in red, white and blue to welcome back the first UK visitors to the US, who are expected to be greeted by New York Governor Kathy Hochul from 11am local time.

Under travel rules announced by President Joe Biden in September, fully vaccinated visitors from countries including the UK, Ireland, China, India and South Africa are now allowed to enter America.

They must also provide proof of either a negative test taken no more than three days before travel, or that they have recovered from Covid in the previous three months.

More than 3,600 flights are scheduled to operate between Britain and the US this month, according to travel data firm Cirium. Yet passengers now face paying three times more for a flight than before the rules were altered.

The easing has seen thousands of people reunite with loved ones in the US for the first time in more than 600 days.

Bhavna Patel from South London, who is flying to New York today to meet her first grandchild, said she was so excited she couldn't sleep and added: 'I think we might just start crying.'

Christian Marcelia, 26, said he was 'excited and a bit nervous' to be flying to New York to visit his girlfriend there for the first time.

However, it wasn't plain sailing for some - as one man travelling with his 99-year-old father-in-law was stopped from boarding because they had the wrong Covid passes.

James Bass, 73, a retired British IT professional, father-of-one and grandfather-of-two who lives in Tennessee, said: 'When we came we were told we had the wrong documents. The US don't accept the vaccine card, you need to have the digital Covid pass. We didn't have one and I've been told it will take 72 hours to get one. Hopefully they can speed it up.

'My father-in-law is coming over with me, he has just sold his house and will now have to stay in a hotel. He is coming over to stay with my wife and I for six weeks.

A family arrives early at JFK Airport to await a member they haven't seen in over two years as the first flights come to the US

Irish presenter, model and actress Laura Whitmore was among those jetting off to the US today following the easing of rules

Alison Henry (C) embraces her son Liam as they meet after arriving on a flight from the UK, at JFK airport in New York

Emotional British travellers were finally reunited with their families on American soil today after nearly two years apart

Family members hug each other as they are reunited after landing in the British Airways flight at JFK International Airport

Pictured: A passenger gives a high five to the pilot and the crew members as he exits baggage claim after landing in the British Airways flight at JFK International Airport in New York, U.S. as the border opened again earlier today (November 8)

Pictured: Allison patiently waits for her in-laws from Somerset in England to come off the London Heathrow flight

The first flights for fully vaccinated UK travellers to the US taking off at London Heathrow this morning

Research by The Times found British Airways' flight prices surged after the announcement of the reopening, with a one-way flight from Heathrow to New York JFK on November 6 on sale for 268, compared with 1,142 for today. Virgin Atlantic's fares went up from 436 on November 6 to 1,108 for today.

Looking ahead to next Monday, November 15, the cheapest one-way flight from Heathrow to JFK via Skyscanner with British Airways is a whopping 1,666, while for Virgin Atlantic it is 321. For the following Monday, November 22, the cheapest with British Airways is 413 and with Virgin Atlantic it is 313.

When compared to pre-pandemic costs, data by travel comparison website Hopper showed that flight prices between New York to London for summer 2019 came in at about 440 for a return.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said it was a 'significant moment' as transatlantic travel has 'long been at the heart of UK aviation'. He added that the 'vitally important' UK-US flights routes boost the economy, create British jobs and help develop plans to reduce carbon emissions from flying.

Industry leaders expect the easing of restrictions to provide a significant boost for the travel sector which has been hammered by the virus crisis, but have warned of massive queues at airports all throughout November due to an 'onslaught of travel all at once'.

The Erebara family embrace after arriving on a flight from the UK, following the easing of pandemic travel restrictions

Long lines formed at border crossings as the United States reopened to foreign visitors vaccinated against Covid-19, ending 20 months of restrictions. Pictured: a couple embrace at JFK international airport in New York after the easing of restrictions

There were dozens of families holding signs and waiting for their loved ones to arrive in the US for the first time in two years

Pictured: A man waves to the crowd as he exits baggage claim after landing in the BA flight at JFK International Airport

Families hug each other as they are reunited after landing in the British Airways flight at JFK International Airport in New York

Home sweet home: Flights can finally land in America from previously banned countries in Europe and the UK on Monday

Speaking to MailOnline today, Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency, praised the relaxation as 'the pivotal moment when travel out of the UK is far closer to normality'.

But with 49 per cent fewer flights scheduled this November than there were in the same month in 2019, he urged governments to continue 'winding back restrictions and make it easier for consumers to travel without a myriad of online forms and tests'.

More than 3,600 flights are scheduled to operate between Britain and the US this month, according to travel data firm Cirium. However, the data analysts said the figure was up 21 per cent on October but still 49 per cent down on November 2019.

He said: 'The transatlantic air corridor was one of the top three busiest routes in the world and today marks a giant leap back towards levels of travel pre-pandemic. But statistics from data analysts Cirium show that, despite the US borders re-opening, there are still 49 per cent fewer flights scheduled this November than there were in the same month in 2019.

'Global travel is back to some 60 per cent of what it was pre-Covid so there is still a long way to go before the sector is firing on all cylinders.'

But passengers are facing high flight costs after todays changes. Two weeks before the rules altered, it was revealed that flights to the US were three times as expensive for today compared to November 6, just two days prior.

Virgin Atlantic flight VS3 (front) and British Airways flight BA001 (back) perform a synchronised departure on parallel runways at London Heathrow Airport

Virgin Atlantic cabin crew staff at London Heathrow Airport's T3 ahead of the departure of Virgin Atlantic flight VS3, which will perform a synchronised departure on parallel runways alongside British Airways flight BA001, heading for New York JFK to celebrate the reopening of the transatlantic travel corridor

Performers engage with travellers as they queue to check into Virgin Atlantic and Delta Air Lines flights at Heathrow

Left and right, passengers at London Heathrow Airport's T3 as the US opens its borders

UK travellers to the US celebrate with drinks this morning after the US opened its borders to fully vaccinated visitors

Performers engage with travellers as they queue to check into Virgin Atlantic and Delta Air Lines flights at Heathrow

Performers entertain passengers at London Heathrow Airport's T3 as the US reopens its borders

Passengers queue at London Heathrow Airport's T3 as the US reopens its borders to UK visitors

Passengers queue at London Heathrow Airport's T3 as the US reopens its borders to UK visitors

Virgin Atlantic staff assist passengers at London Heathrow Airport's T3

A billboard showing information for flights departing Heathrow as the US border is opened to fully vaccinated UK travellers

Sean Doyle, British Airways Chairman and CEO (centre) and Shai Weiss, Virgin Atlantic Chief Executive (right) at London Heathrow Airport as the two airlines prepare for a synchronised departure on parallel runways, heading for New York JFK to celebrate the reopening of the transatlantic travel corridor

Under rules first announced by President Joe Biden (left) in September, fully vaccinated visitors from countries including the UK, Ireland, China, India and South Africa will be allowed to enter America. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps (right) said it was a 'significant moment' as transatlantic travel has 'long been at the heart of UK aviation'

The flights to the US leaving the UK today There are a total of 66 flights leaving UK airports today for the US. Some 63 are from Heathrow (plus 2 from Gatwick and 1 from Manchester). The highest number of flights are 20 to New York - including 17 to JFK and 3 to Newark. The next highest are Chicago (7), Los Angeles (6) and San Francisco (4). FROM HEATHROW New York JFK - 14

Chicago - 7

Los Angeles - 6

San Francisco - 4

Newark - 3

Atlanta - 3

Boston - 3

Dallas - 3

Miami - 3

Washington - 3

Greenville - 2

Houston - 2

Philadelphia - 2

Seattle - 2

Charlotte - 1

Denver - 1

Detroit - 1

Las Vegas - 1

Orlando - 1

San Diego - 1 TOTAL - 63 FROM GATWICK New York JFK - 2 FROM MANCHESTER New York JFK - 1 Advertisement

Data analysts Cirium said that there were 928,559 seats available on 3,688 flights between the UK and US this month - compared with 771,587 seats on 3,041 flights last month, but 1,954,700 seats on 7,159 flights in November 2019.

The company added that British Airways was operating 1,697 flights this month, Virgin Atlantic 634, American Airlines 632, United Airlines 400, and Delta Air Lines 205  and there were 730 flights scheduled between London Heathrow and New York JFK.

This makes Heathrow to JFK the busiest flight route this month, more than double the next busiest, which is Heathrow to Los Angeles with 318 flights.

Cirium also said there are also 238 services between Heathrow and Chicago, 230 between Heathrow and Washington Dulles, another 230 between Heathrow and Miami, and 228 between Heathrow and Boston.

As for Europe as whole, there are 1,824,283 one-way seats to the US this month on 6,605 flights, compared with the 3,136,199 seats on 11,287 flights in November 2019 - a 41 per cent drop in the number of flights.

Heathrow has the most scheduled departures to America, with 1,753 flights due to take off this month, followed by Paris Charles de Gaulle with 755 flights, Frankfurt 745, Amsterdam 563 and Istanbul 372.

Around 3.8million Britons visited the US every year prior to the pandemic, according to the Foreign Office.

British Airways chief executive Sean Doyle said the reopening of the US borders was a 'moment to celebrate' after 'more than 600 days of separation'.

Christian Marcelia, 26, said he was 'excited and a bit nervous' to be flying to New York to visit his girlfriend there for the first time.

Speaking at Heathrow, he said: 'My girlfriend lives over there, so we've been sort of long distance for two years. I'm going there to meet her family for the first time.'

They have been a couple for nearly two years, he said, spending most of that time on different continents due to pandemic-induced travel restrictions.

Mr Marcelia said they had seen each other four times over that period, with his girlfriend visiting him in the UK for six weeks at a time, and had done 'a lot of FaceTime'.

'It's exciting to actually spend a bit more time there and see her,' he said, adding that his girlfriend would like him to move to the US with her in future.

'I've only been there once before,' he added.

Richard Clark was looking forward to seeing his American colleagues in San Francisco. The Briton, who works in software for an American company, said it was the first time in two-and-a-half years that he was heading to the US office.

'It'll be great to see the boss as well,' he said before boarding his flight at Heathrow airport. 'With travel opening up today, it's a crucial week for us.

'Having worked at home for so long and being at home for so long for somebody that travels quite a lot historically, a bit apprehensive, I guess, with all the hoops you have to jump through to travel, but otherwise it's going to be a good change of scenery.'

Asked if business travel would return to pre-pandemic levels for his company, Mr Clark said: 'It's hit and miss really, as and when it's required, but hopefully it will come back a bit more.'

Peter Courts, 45, a strategy consultant and father-of-two from Lincolnshire, said: 'I am flying to Salt Lake City for a one-week business trip, the first in two years. I used to travel for work a lot, perhaps too much, but I am looking forward to meeting new people from different organisations again, catching up with old friends and doing some on the ground work.

'My mum lives in Australia and she has not met my two-year-old. When I get to the US and see families reuniting, it will be difficult and bring a tinge of sadness as I still can't do that.'

A BA passenger plane sitting on the runway at London Heathrow as the US lifts its borders to UK travellers

Passengers queue at London Heathrow Airport's T3 as the US reopens its borders to UK visitors

Passengers queue at London Heathrow Airport's T3 as the US reopens its borders to UK visitors

Performers entertain passengers at London Heathrow Airport's T3

Virgin Atlantic cabin crew staff at London Heathrow Airport's T3 ahead of the departure of Virgin Atlantic flight VS3

Virgin Atlantic staff assist passengers at London Heathrow Airport's T3

Miles-long traffic delay greets drivers trying to get into the US from Mexico hours before Covid travel restrictions are relaxed for the FIRST TIME in 20 months Cars were lined up for miles to get into the US from Mexico on Sunday night ahead of the Biden administration lifting travel restrictions on foreign visitors today. Travel across land borders from Canada and Mexico has been largely restricted to workers whose jobs are deemed essential after Donald Trump imposed the ban in March 2020 as Covid-19 spread around the world. At the San Ysidro crossing port at Tijuana, Mexico, street vendors were taking food to drivers stuck in the line-ups overnight as thousands of Mexicans, many of them separated from their families for months, are set to pour across the frontier today. The astonishing backup of cars and trucks comes amid the worst migrant crisis at the southern border since 1986 with more than 1.7 million illegal entrants into the US between October last year and September 2021. Illegal crossings began skyrocketing in the months after President Joe Biden was inaugurated, with his administration accused of encouraging a humanitarian catastrophe after breaking from Trump's tough border policy. At Niagara Falls, there was a trail of cars and RVs stretching across the Rainbow Bridge as Canadians head over from Ontario to New York state for some long-awaited American tourism. Advertisement

Janice and Peter Grimes, aged 61 and 65, a retired couple from Lincoln, said: ''We are going to San Fransisco for two weeks to see our son, daughter and two grandchildren.

'We are very excited. Pete hasn't seen the two-and-a-half-year-old grandson and I only saw him when he was born. Normally we would go over there once or twice a year. Our reunion is going to be very emotional, we can't wait.'

He went on: 'Transatlantic connectivity is vital for the UK's economic recovery, which is why we've been calling for the safe reopening of the UK-US travel corridor for such a long time. We must now look forward with optimism, get trade and tourism back on track and allow friends and families to connect once again.'

His counterpart at Virgin Atlantic, Shai Weiss, hailed the resumption of flights to the US as a 'day of celebration'.

Speaking at Heathrow, he said: 'It's been 600 days that the US border has been shut down for UK nationals.

'To see passengers coming in early in the morning, grandparents going to see grandchildren they've never met, families reuniting, people going to care for elderly people and businesses reconnecting is really a day of celebration for all of us in the industry and, of course, for Virgin Atlantic.'

He called the transatlantic route 'one of the most important in the world', adding: 'For us at Virgin Atlantic, we say it wouldn't be Virgin without the Atlantic.'

Mr Weiss also called the synchronised departure from Heathrow to New York a 'remarkable achievement'. He said it showed that 'when there is a bigger problem than the competition for the two airlines, we can unite to benefit the public, consumers and businesses.'

Hotel prices in New York are also returning to normal levels after a summer where discounts abounded, with Tim Hentschel, HotelPlanner's co-founder and CEO, telling The Guardian: 'The pent-up demand from overseas to visit the US will remain strong for at least several years.'

And Hilton recorded a 63 per cent surge in bookings for its US hotels among Europeans in the five weeks following President Biden's announcement.

Simon Vincent, EVP & President of, Europe, Middle East & Africa for Hilton, said: 'Since news broke of the planned reopening of US borders, we've seen a surge of interest from European and UK guests planning to visit our US hotels.

'Hilton search data reveals the extent of that demand, with a 63 per cent increase in digital reservations in the five weeks following the news of plans to ease restrictions. We've seen similar trends across Europe, with inbound demand from US guests growing as travel rules have lifted.

'The reopening of the US border signals the next important phase of recovery for the industry, and we look forward to welcoming a new dawn of international travel.'

Speaking at Heathrow Airport, the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Robert Courts, called the resumption of flights to the US 'momentous'.

He said: 'This is a massive moment for the aviation sector as we look to build back better from the terrible blow of coronavirus pandemic. It's about people fundamentally, it's about getting families back together. That's particularly important with Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up.

'That's on top of the massive economic benefit that there is from having the United States and Great Britain - these great friends and allies, countries that have so much in common - back in regular contact with each other again.'

A passenger talks with an employee as she checks-in on the American Airlines flight 101 between London and New York

Chief Executive Officer at Virgin Atlantic, Shai Weiss, celebrates the easing of travel to the US at Heathrow Airport today

Transatlantic travel finally reopens today as the US ban on British travellers is lifted after more than 600 days. Pictured: People wait for a flight in New York City on January 25 this year

Mr Courts added that the Government wants to see 'guilt-free flying'.

'There's a real desire out there for the public to be able to travel in a way that is green. That is very much what we're delivering,' the official went on.

'We have aircraft around today that are much more efficient and much less polluting than those that were around decades ago and in doing things like investing 180million of sustainable aviation fuels, what we're doing is delivering the next generation of flying that means the world is interconnected, that people can see each other, that there can be investment and businesses can grow and to do so in a way that also protects the environment.

'What we want to see is guilt-free flying.'

The White House's assistant press secretary, Kevin Munoz, confirmed on October 15 that double vaccinated foreign nationals would be able to visit the US from November 8.

The new rules will apply to all individuals that have received vaccines approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and vaccines Listed for Emergency Use by the World Health Organisation.

Washington has not yet commented on Europe's recent Covid case increase.

The WHO has expressed 'grave concern' over the rising pace of infections in Europe, warning the current trajectory could mean 'another half a million Covid-19 deaths' by February.

US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said Sunday on ABC he's 'cautiously optimistic about where we are,' while adding: 'We can't take our foot off the accelerator until we're at the finish line.'

'New York here I come!' Laura Whitmore joins a legion of delighted tourists in jetting Stateside as America's travel ban is FINALLY lifted

By CIARA FARMER for MAILONLINE

Laura Whitmore joined the legion of Brits headed to the states as travel restrictions for jetting to America lifted on Monday.

The Love Island host, 36, took to social media to share a duo of snaps showing her making her way stateside following the lightened restrictions.

Sharing a make-up free selfie on the plane as well as a snap with two Virgin Atlantic air hostesses clad in American paraphernalia, Laura accompanied the shots with a caption reading: 'US is open! It's been a while.'

Woo! Laura Whitmore joined the legion of Brits headed to the states as travel restrictions for jetting to America lifted on Monday

'Wearing my friend Nicola Roberts' beautiful new merch for the flight, adored with her gorgeous lyrics celebrating 10 years of Cinderella's eyes. love this album! New York here I come. So excited to be back x

America has finally reopened its borders to fully vaccinated UK travellers, as thousands jet off to reunite with family and friends for the first time in two years.

Rival airlines British Airways and Virgin Atlantic operated synchronised departures at 8.30am from London Heathrow to New York JFK to celebrate the end of the travel ban imposed by Donald Trump in March last year as Covid spread across the planet.

The Empire State Building will be lit up in red, white and blue to welcome back the first UK visitors who will be greeted by New York Governor Kathy Hochul from 11am local time.

Yay! The Love Island host, 36, took to social media to share a duo of snaps showing her making her way stateside following the lightened restrictions

Under travel rules announced by President Joe Biden in September, fully vaccinated visitors from countries including the UK, Ireland, China, India and South Africa will be allowed to enter America.

They must also provide proof of either a negative test taken no more than three days before travel, or that they have recovered from Covid in the previous three months.

The easing will see thousands of people reunite with loved ones in the US for the first time in more than 600 days.

The ultimate insider's guide to the (still buzzing) Big Apple: New Yorker ASHLEY PEARSON reveals her city's coolest bars, celebrity haunts and the best hotels

By ASHLEY PEARSON for MAILONLINE

New York  it's back baby! Britons have long had a love affair with New York. The soaring skyscrapers, the ever-evolving restaurant scene, unrelenting noise, and the 24/7 buzz - it is a city in constant motion. And it can make London look pastoral by comparison.

So, when the city that never sleeps closed its borders to Brits as a pandemic precaution, you could hear the collective groans from Manhattan-philes in the UK. Now that the doors are open, here's what you need to know.

It's not exactly the same. Like everywhere else, this city was touched by the crisis, and the scars are still there. Everyone wears a mask inside, everywhere. Vaccination double jab cards are required for entrance to every restaurant and many shops.

New York is coming back to life after the pandemic - and it's a reawakening that is very much worth celebrating

It feels like New Yorkers are on high alert. Perhaps because they still have vivid memories of lockdown.

Trapped in their (relatively) tiny apartments, with hospitals overloaded and Central Park a makeshift morgue, this famously lively place became a ghost town.

And although many shops and restaurants have failed to reopen (I counted 36 shuttered storefront windows on a cab ride of as many blocks), the irrepressible spirit of New York remains widely in evidence. Forged in the fire of 9/11, the resilience and sheer survival instincts here are on full display.

Block after block, newly reopened restaurants have set up jaunty looking marquis on the sidewalks (to comply with outdoor dining regulations), and locals are still out fast-walking, talking on their phones 24 hours a day. The buzz is back.

New York is coming back to life, slowly and cautiously yes, but coming back nonetheless. And it's a reawakening that is very much worth celebrating.

Where to eat: For a great steak

The Grill on 52nd St, pictured, is set in a swanky mid-century Philip Johnson-designed dining room

Pictured is the entrance to The Grill in Midtown, where the menu is classic New York City chophouse

Pictured is The Grill's strip steak, which Ashley says 'is a standout'

Midtown for shopping is a must-do but if all of that retail therapy builds up an appetite it can be tricky to find a great place for an early dinner.

Try The Grill on 52nd St set in a swanky mid-century Philip Johnson-designed dining room.

The menu is classic New York City chophouse  the New York Strip Steak is a standout, as is the lobster.

The adjoining space, The Pool, is also a great spot for a cocktail.

Where to eat: Best for families

Burgerology, a Long Island staple, recently opened its first NYC location at the Crowne Plaza HY36 in Midtown.

Famous for craft burgers with unique flavours and over-the-top milkshakes, it's perfect for families.

Opt for the Mac Attack burger with bacon, American cheese and Mac n' Cheese on a Pretzel Bun, the Rockefeller with Kobe beef, or the Ice Cream Doughwich.

Shakes are topped with everything from bananas to s'mores to rainbow cookies.

Where to eat: For a fun night out with friends

Rosa Mexicana, pictured above, has been a New York classic since it opened in 1984

Pictured on the left is one of Rosa Mexicana's frozen margaritas - Ashley recommends ordering the pomegranate variety. The restaurant offers an elevated take on south-of-the-border cuisine, such as its tableside-prepared guacamole

A New York classic since it opened in 1984, Rosa Mexicana was designed to show diners that authentic Mexican cuisine does not always mean tacos and chilli-cheese burritos.

Their tableside prepared guacamole is what they're famous for, along with frozen margaritas and an elevated take on south-of-the-border cuisine.

Full of stylish people out having fun, it's a great evening. Order the Carne Asada Con Roja  the Chihuahua cheese gives it its creamy texture and the marinated meat simply melts in the mouth. And don't leave without trying the margaritas: spicy mango, and blood orange are great, but if you don't order the pomegranate, you are seriously missing something special.

According to Ashley, Rosa Mexicana was designed to show diners that authentic Mexican cuisine does not always mean tacos and chilli-cheese burritos

The atmosphere at Il Cantinori is pure New York  and the service outstanding. Picture courtesy of Creative Commons

Where to eat: Best for celeb-spotting

Il Cantinori  an iconic Greenwich Village Italian beloved by locals (and by locals we mean Richard Gere, (you can usually catch him on a Tuesday), Al Pacino and Julia Roberts.

The atmosphere is pure New York  eclectic, buzzing, exciting  and the service outstanding.

Jerry Seinfeld celebrates his birthday here and Gwyneth Paltrow knows all the waiters (Willy is her favourite) by name.

The food is delicious, authentic Tuscan, and the vibe is what keeps them coming back.

The restaurant features in a famous Sex and the City Episode. Carrie goes there to celebrate her 35th birthday and is stood up by her friends who mistakenly go to 'El Cantinoro' - which is a block away. (Yes, it really exists too.)

Coolest bar

Campbell Bar, pictured, can be found upstairs in New York's iconic Grand Central Station. This image is by  / CC BY-SA 4.0 - courtesy of Commons Wikimedia

Grand Central Station has one of the most famous railway station concourses in the world

Don't miss out on cocktails at the Campbell Bar  set upstairs in New York's iconic Grand Central Station (15 Vanderbilt Avenue, just off 43rd Street). This place epitomises cool, old New York.

There are soaring, 25ft hand-painted ceilings, bold brass finishes and custom wood and leather furnishings.

And the cocktail list is fantastic, along with the glassware. They're worth the trip alone.

Don't miss: Visit 'Edge'

Hudson Yards' Edge, pictured, calls itself the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere

Edge - located in Manhattan's west side - is a 1,100-foot-high observation deck boasting a 360-degree view of NYC

Hudson Yards' Edge, which calls itself the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere, is a 1,100-foot-high observation deck boasting a 360-degree view of NYC.

Set on the west side of Manhattan it gives you a great skyline view  and you don't need to get cold seeing it  they have a full indoor viewing deck.

Time your visit around sunset and you can see beautiful views across the Hudson, including twilight reflections off the Freedom Tower and Empire State Building, as the city lights begin to flicker.

Ashley recommends visiting Edge at sunset to see beautiful views across the Hudson and the flickering lights of the city

For something festive try the bar's (of course there's a bar) 'Cocoa in the Clouds' hot chocolate layered with fresh, made-to-order whipped cream and topped with a Rice Krispie treat, coated in crushed peppermint.

Pro tip: you can add the liquor of your choice to keep things moving nicely along.

A kids' paradise: Dylan's

Ashley likens Dylan's to a 'magical cross between Candy Land, Disney Land and Willy Wonka's Factory'

Hudson Yards' Dylan's, pictured, sells charming candy-themed lifestyle products - while there, try the toasted marshmallow shake

Also in Hudson Yards is this magical cross between Candy Land, Disney Land and Willy Wonka's Factory.

Dylan's is an NYC landmark and a must-do for children and sweet-toothed adults. It is home to over 7,000 confections, including a huge variety of candies and candy-related gifts from around the world.

It's basically an edible museum of candy and every single treat has been carefully chosen and curated like art.

There are several throughout the city but the Hudson Yards' Dylan's includes really charming candy-themed lifestyle products and an incredible dessert parlour and ice cream shop. Kids will be in heaven.

The toasted marshmallow shake was worth the trip alone and the ice cream is very likely the best you will find in New York City.

Now part of NYC folklore, the store has popped up in shows set in NYC such as Gossip Girl, Girls and Keeping Up with the Kardashians, so you can keep your cool cred with the teens, too.

Where to stay: voco The Franklin New York

Rates at Voco The Franklin New York run as low as 139 ($190) per night, proving affordable doesn't have to mean less in NYC

Fifty-room Voco The Franklin New York, originally built in 1930, now feels like a classic with contemporary touches

Affordable doesn't have to mean less in NYC. And this hotel is a great example.

A stylish, chic and smart boutique hotel, rates at Voco The Franklin New York run as low as 139 ($190) per night - which for NYC is fantastic.

Following an extensive renovation, the 50-room hotel, originally built in 1930, now feels like a classic with contemporary touches.

Our room was a trendy dark blue with modern art and crisp (and luxurious-feeling) white linens on the super-comfortable bed.

'Everything here feels new, modern and very clean,' says Ashley, who checked into a trendy dark blue room during her stay

What's more, it's conveniently located on Manhattan's Upper East Side - there's a Starbucks steps away, a Whole Foods around the corner and a top Reformer Pilates studio right across the street.

It's also close to attractions such as Museum Mile and Central Park.

It offers free morning coffee to all guests, and an on-site restaurant will be opening soon.

Where to stay: Peninsula Hotel - a modern classic

'As you step into the imposing lobby of The Peninsula, you can tell that you've arrived at someplace truly special,' says Ashley

The hotel's location is ideal - it sits right in the heart of New York on snazzy Fifth Avenue

Pictured is the pool at The Peninsula's spa. Ashley describes the hotel as 'an oasis of soundproofed silence'

If you're going to treat yourself for a stay, there's nowhere better than The Peninsula hotel. As you step into the imposing lobby, you can tell that you've arrived someplace truly special.

The vibe in-room feels completely modern (outlets and nifty tech abound) but ultra-elegant, stylish and refined at the same time.

Amidst the plush linens, marble bath and private dining, there is smart lighting, surround sound and even a nail polish dryer on the bedside table.

The location is ideal - an oasis of soundproofed silence right in the heart of New York on snazzy Fifth Avenue.

You'll find smart lighting and surround sound in the Peninsula rooms. Pictured is the master bedroom in the hotel's Fifth Avenue suite

Ashley says the hotel has introduced new 'Peninsula Time', which means you can check in and check out at any time you want

Pictured is a table set for a private dinner event on the Peninsula sun terrace

Particularly worth noting is the hotel's new 'Peninsula Time', which means you can check-in and check-out at any time you want.

No more waiting around to check in  you can arrive as early as 6:00am on the day and check out as late as 10:00pm at no extra charge.

Their new, eco-friendly, bespoke scented guest room amenities and guaranteed connecting rooms for families are also a really nice touch.

Where to stay: Spoil yourself

The Ritz-Carlton New York, pictured, is set within a historical building on the edge of Central Park

Ashley says the hotel, which has been recently renovated, 'epitomises townhouse tranquillity'

Pictured is one of the rooms overlooking Central Park. Ashley advises paying the hotel's La Prairie Spa a visit during your stay

The Ritz-Carlton New York's Central Park views are sensational - as this image underscores

Drop in at The Ritz-Carlton New York. This beautiful hotel is set within a historical building on the edge of Central Park and has been recently renovated, epitomising townhouse tranquillity.

Don't miss out on its newly reopened La Prairie Spa. Set downstairs it feels like you've entered a sanctuary and the skilled therapists here can literally transport you out of this world.

Their varied range of treatments are all designed to be both therapeutic and results-oriented. Facials blend technology with decadent ingredients, and massages release tight muscles and stagnant energy.
A Massachusetts soldier and his wife and toddler were killed in a fiery car crash with a tow truck near a South Korea military base.

Army Spc. Luis Taveras, 27, his wife Lisbeth, 30, and their 16-month-old son Luis, were killed when their vehicle collided with a tow truck at around 11 pm last Monday in Pyeongtaek, near Camp Humphreys, the largest overseas U.S. military base.

Taveras, who served four years in the Army, was a quartermaster and chemical equipment repairer with the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, Stars and Stripes reported.

Army Spc. Luis Taveras, 27, his wife Lisbeth, 30, and their 16-month-old Luis, (pictured together) were killed when their vehicle collided with a tow truck in Pyeongtaek

Taveras, who served four years in the Army, was a quartermaster and chemical equipment repairer with the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command

According to investigators, the familys car collided with a tow truck at a curve on a one-lane road and exploded into a fireball. The family was pronounced dead at the scene.

'No words can accurately express the pain their friends and family are having to confront,' Brig. Gen. Steven Allen, the unit's commander told Stars and Stripes in a statement on Wednesday. 'We will, as an Army team, move forward in a manner that provides support and assistance to those grieving.'

The 27-year-old Korean driver of the tow truck was transported to a nearby hospital to treat his non-life-threatening injuries following the collision.

The Korean National Police Agency is currently investigating the crash and analyzing footage from a witness car, as well as DNA evidence, Stars and Stripes reported.

The familys car collided with a tow truck at a curve in a one-lane road. Following the crash a fire broke out and the family was pronounced dead at the scene

The U.S. Army is also conducting a line-of-duty investigation into the crash.

Taveras arrived in South Korea in June and was one of roughly 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in the country, the majority of them at Camp Humphreys.

The base also serves as home for the 2nd Infantry Division and U.S. Forces Korea, Stars and Stripes reported.
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Crown Princess Mary of Denmark led the Danish royals as they greeted huntsmen taking part in an annual event at their 18th century lodge.

The mother-of-four, 49, was joined by her 10-year-old twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent on the balcony of Hermitage Castle, in a woodland north of Copenhagen, for the Hubertus Hunt.

The Danish royals were there to greet tens of thousands of people who had turned out to watch the iconic 13 kilometre cross-country horse race which marks the end of the hunting season in Denmark.

The trio were pictured waving at spectators as they rode past in a horse-drawn carriage ahead of the race before taking to the balcony to watch the race.

Princess Mary was seen embracing Prince Vincent on the balcony as Princess Josephine smiled and waved to the crowds.

The Hubertus Hunt is an annual cross-country horse race held on the first Sunday of November in Deer Park in Klampenborg, north of Copenhagen.

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark (pictured with her twin children Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent) led the Danish royals as they greeted huntsmen taking part in an annual event at their 18th century lodge

The Hubertus Hunt is an annual cross-country horse race held on the first Sunday of November in Deer Park in Klampenborg, north of Copenhagen

Denmark's Crown Princess Mary, right, poses for a photo with the winner of the Hubertus Hunt, Frederikke Blixencrone-Moeller and her horse Danglo's Top Elan in front of the Hermitage Castle

The Danish royals were there to greet tens of thousands of people who had turned out to watch the iconic 13 kilometre cross-country horse race which marks the end of the hunting season in Denmark

Princess Mary, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine were pictured waving at spectators as they rode past in a horse-drawn carriage ahead of the race

Crown Princess Mary is seen smiling with her twins Vincent and Josephine as they sit in a horse-drawn carriage

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and the twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent of Denmark (centre) are seen on the balcony of the Hermitage Castle as the public is gathered during Hubertus Hunt

Dating back to the 1900s, the event marks the end of the Danish hunting season, with 160 hunters on horseback riding over hedges and water features across the park.

It was once a real hunt but now the traditional fox and stag have been replaced by a set course for the riders in red jackets and their horses - with two leading riders wearing a fox tail on their shoulders.

Princess Mary became patron of the Hubertus Hunt's Honorary Prize following the death of her father-in-law Prince Henrik in 2018.

The royal was all smiles as she awarded the prize, the Hubertus Chain, to the winner Frederikke Blixencrone-Moeller in front of the Hermitage Castle on Sunday.

The mother - who shares Prince Christian, Princess Isabella and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine with husband Crown Prince Frederik - wore a tailored black coat coupled with a grey hat.

The riders jump in the Magasindammen pond during during Hubertus Hunt 2021 in Dyrehaven near Klampenborg

Princess Mary became patron of the Hubertus Hunt's Honorary Prize following the death of her father-in-law Prince Henrik in 2018. Pictured: Princess Mary with the winning horse (left); and with her son Prince Vincent (right)

Crown Princess Mary and her children clap as they concentrate on watching the horse race on the balcony of their castle

Danish Crown Princess Mary and the twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent in front of the Hermitage Castle

Dating back to the 1900s, the event marks the end of the Danish hunting season, with 160 hunters on horseback riding over hedges and water features across the park

The riders at the end of the 1st stage during Hubertus Hunt 2021 in Dyrehaven near Klampenborg, Denmark

In order for the riders to qualify for the Hubertus Hunt, the riders must have completed eight of this year's hunts in order to make sure they are able to jump the high obstacles.

May Britt Kattrup, the winner of the Hubertus Hunt in 1992, told Danish Radio: 'The horses are often turned on in the surroundings with many horses and the large audience, therefore it is important to be able to control his horse, but it is the rider's own responsibility to be qualified for the task.'

The Danish royal family have sparked controversy in the past over their traditional annual hunts.

In 2019, they were pictured in front of a lawn-full of slain deer on the eve of their annual hunt.

Prince Frederik of Denmark hosted the 'King's Hunt', leading an entourage of prominent guests and other members of the royal family through the Gludsted Plantation in central Jutland.

After the hunt, the prince, his wife Princess Mary, Queen Margrethe, and their guests, stood outside the Fredensborg Palace for a traditional hunting parade.

Princess Josephine is seen waving to the crowd as her brother and mother watch on from the balcony of Hermitage Castle

In order for the riders to qualify for the Hubertus Hunt, the riders must have completed eight of this year's hunts in order to make sure they are able to jump the high obstacles

Princess Mary was seen embracing Prince Vincent on the balcony as Princess Josephine smiled and waved to the crowds

Crown Princess Mary became patron of the Hubertus Hunt's Honorary Prize following the death of her father-in-law Prince Henrik in 2018. Seen embracing her daughter Princess Josephine (left) and waving to the crowds (left)

The Danish royal family were all smiles during the annual event, with Princess Josephine enthusiastically waving to the crowds (right)

Among the images from the event is the prince walking through rows of slaughtered deer and the Queen shaking hands with the huntsmen.

According to a Danish law, the royal family are given the sole right to hunt in around one third of the country's forests.

During the ceremony, it is traditional for the yield from the hunt to be read aloud, followed by a toast to the hunters.

Official royal hunts in the Danish state forests take place every year during the hunting season, which run from the start of October to mid January.

Princess Mary will become Queen of Denmark when Frederik ascends to the throne, following the death or abdication of his mother.
A glamorous party to celebration the victory of Verry Elleegant in the Melbourne Cup has led to three people testing positive to Covid.

The party, which was held at Society restaurant in Collins Street, Melbourne, had a Who's Who of racing attend, including jockeys, race horse owners and industry figures. All were fully vaccinated and the party complied with Victoria's Covid regulations that were in place last Tuesday night.

Brae Sokolski, a part owner of Cup winner Verry Elleegant, told Nine Newspapers he'd tested negative but called on all attendees to get tested.

Meanwhile, Melbourne Cup runner-up Incentivise will head to the spelling paddock as a sound but tired racehorse after veterinarians cleared the boom stayer of serious injury.

Results of a second set of leg scans have given Incentivise a clean bill of health after he showed signs of lameness following his brave Melbourne Cup bid.

Incentivise experienced swelling and inflammation in his fetlock after finishing second to Verry Elleegant at Flemington on Tuesday.

Jockey James McDonald reacts after riding Verry Elleegant to victory in the Melbourne Cup last Tuesday (above)

But fears one of the stars of the spring carnival had suffered a tendon injury were allayed 48 hours after the race.

Incentivise won his first three spring appearances for new trainer Peter Moody, capturing the Caulfield Cup before starting a short-priced Melbourne Cup favourite.

He was no match for Verry Elleegant but came out of the race with his reputation intact after holding off UK stayer Spanish Mission to take second place.

Moody will now set his sights on an early 2022 program for Incentivise where any return clash with Verry Elleegant is certain to be a highlight of the autumn.

Verry Elleegant owner Brae Sokolski hugs assistant trainer Johanne Taylor after the win (above)

'We look forward to having him back in the stables some time during the autumn when he is ready to kick up again, he will let us know, there are no plans in place,' Moody said in a social media update.

'He's still a bit battle-weary. He did himself extremely proud and we are extremely proud of him.

'He got beat by an absolute champion there on Tuesday. We are hoping he's the new boy on the block for a few years to come.

'As soon as the weather clears, he will head off for a well-earned rest.

'Get him out in the paddock, get a bit of green grass in his belly and hopefully a bit of Victorian sunshine on his back.'
A mother and healthcare worker says the 'horrible' Queensland border restrictions means she has to 'exchange' her children over the wall so she's able to go to work.

Jess Abble, a young mum from NSW, has to pass her children across the border to their grandparents but is unable herself to enter the state because of her job.

'Because of my job, I can't cross the border, so I've got to exchange them, unfortunately,' Ms Abble told Today.

Mother Jess Abble has revealed the 'horrible' Queensland border restrictions means she has to 'exchange' her children over the wall so she's able to go to work as a nurse

'It's horrible, when literally I could just step over and be with my kids in Queensland,' she said

Residents living either side of the NSW-QLD border are demanding clarity from the government with the restrictions set to remain in place until December 17.

Ms Abble is unable to enter Queensland because she works at a high-risk clinic, meaning she's forced to hand her children over for days at a time because of the difficulties of the border.

'It's horrible, when literally I could just step over and be with my kids in Queensland,' she said.

Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said the government are yet to release a roadmap of what life will look out post December 17 because they are taking a 'meticulous approach to the issue'.

Locals along the NSW-QLD border are demanding clarity from the government with the restrictions set to remain in place until December 17

He admitted it was a 'challenge' to figuring out the logistics of dropping the bollard wall that has sat in place for nearly two years, with families demanding answers as they hope to be reunited for Christmas.

'Getting the balance right, getting people across our border as quickly as possible while keeping the communities safe, it's a challenge,' James McTavish said.

The NSW Cross-Border Commissioner told Today they were still waiting to hear from Ms Palaszczuk's government about the plans for ending the restrictions.

'We have been asking for advice on the rules from not only December 18, but also from next week when it's expected that Queensland will reach that 70 per cent double dose target,' he said.

'We are very keen to ensure we get some understanding of what those checkpoints will look like, what their operation will be, what people in NSW will need to do to make sure that they can satisfy the requirements to cross.'
Liz Truss's department is still paying Stonewall to belong to its diversity scheme  months after she urged ministries to pull out.

The Foreign Office confirmed it remains a member of the LGBT+ charitys diversity champions programme, which costs thousands of pounds a year.

Hundreds of companies and public bodies have joined the scheme to receive advice on how to create an inclusive environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender staff.

But critics say it advises members to rewrite their policies to reflect the charitys agenda on trans rights.

Earlier this year Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, then International Trade Secretary, told officials she believed government departments should withdraw from the scheme as it did not provide value for money

Earlier this year Miss Truss, then International Trade Secretary, told officials she believed government departments should withdraw from the scheme as it did not provide value for money.

But she has still not implemented the change at the Foreign Office  two months after becoming Foreign Secretary.

Stonewalls chief executive Nancy Kelley claimed in May that gender critical beliefs  that a persons biological sex cannot be changed  were akin to anti-Semitism.

Despite this, she was invited to an event at the Foreign Office only last month.

The Stonewall scheme counts more than 200 government departments and public bodies among its 900 members  earning the charity millions of pounds a year.

It emerged over the weekend that 14 Whitehall bodies still have contracts with the organisation and have paid it at least 300,000 in the past five years. Figures released in parliamentary answers showed the Ministry of Defence was the biggest spender on 80,312.

But a growing number of public bodies are pulling out, including the House of Commons, Ofcom and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Last week the Department of Health and Social Care also said it was withdrawing.

Members can be included on a list of employers known as the Workplace Equality Index.

It has emerged that those who bring their policies in line with Stonewalls position, including replacing words such as mother with gender-neutral alternatives, are ranked higher.

Stonewall chief executive Nancy Kelley claimed in May that gender critical beliefs  that a persons biological sex cannot be changed  were akin to anti-Semitism

A spokesman for the Foreign Office yesterday confirmed it was still a part of Stonewalls programme, but said the department keeps our membership of all external schemes under review.

He added: As co-chairman of the Equal Rights Coalition, the UK is working with Stonewall and two other civil society co-chairs to deliver on our collective ambition to ensure that all LGBT+ people can live their lives free from the discrimination and violence that persists today.

Kate Harris, co-founder of the LGB Alliance, which opposes Stonewalls stance on trans rights, said that those taking part in the scheme are taking a calculated risk.

She added: Instead of helping employers avoid legal action, the Diversity Champions Scheme and Workplace Equality Index do the opposite.

Any employer who continues to follow Stonewalls version of the law, rather than the Equality Act itself, may be liable to court action by employees.
The Prime Minister is facing increased scrutiny over the refurbishment of his flat which is set to become the focus of the latest probe by the Commons sleaze watchdog.

The Standards Committee has been urged to investigate how the refurbishment of Boris Johnson's flat was funded after it was revealed Tory donor Lord Brownlow paid an invoice to cover some of the costs.

This meant he effectively gave Mr Johnson a loan, before the PM eventually settled the bill himself - only after the Daily Mail published a string of exposes.

It comes as Boris Johnson is expected to face calls for a public inquiry into allegations of Tory sleaze as MPs consider how to clean up Westminster following the Owen Paterson row.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the Prime Minister should apologise to the nation and 'clean out the filthy Augean stable he has created'.

The Commons will spend three hours hearing an emergency debate on the situation, despite ministers seeking to dismiss the row as a 'storm in a teacup'.

Boris Johnson is facing increased scrutiny over the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat which is set to be the next focus of an investigation by the Commons anti-sleaze watchdog

A senior minister had suggested Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Kathryn Stone may have to resign after MPs voted to ignore findings in regards to disgraced Owen Paterson

The Liberal Democrats, who secured the debate, have called for a statutory public inquiry into sleaze and corruption allegations.

The refurbishments to the Prime Minister's flat sparked sustained scrutiny of his finances earlier this year, with the works vastly exceeding the 30,000 annual limit afforded to the Prime Minister.

The refit was said to be 'inspired' by upmarket interior designer Lulu Lytle and is believed to have cost a six-figure sum.

Now, critics have urged Kathryn Stone, the head of the Standards Committee to investigate the matter.

Stone appeared to be on shaky ground in her role last week after MPs, lead by Boris Johnson, voted to overrule her finding that former minister Owen Paterson had carried out 'egregious' lobbying for private companies which paid him more than 500,000.

One senior minister had suggested Stone may be forced to resign but within hours, Boris Johnson had performed a U-turn and shelved plans to reform the current standards investigation process.

Johnson commissioned interior designer Lulu Lytle (pictured) whose gold wallpaper can cost as much as 840 a roll. Tory donor Lord Brownlow initially paid an invoice to over some of the costs before he settled the bill himself and how the revamp was funded is set to be scrutinised

Boris Johnson, pictured here with his wife Carrie during the G7 summit, Cornwall in June, is facing a new sleaze probe, this time in relation to the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat

The Prime Minister has since been forced to deny claims that his botched effort to overhaul the standards process had been a 'pre-emptive' strike on Kathryn Stone before she looks at his flat refurbishment.

Labour had asked the standards commissioner Ms Stone to examine whether the Prime Minister breached Commons rules by failing to declare a temporary loan that paid for the revamp.

It is understood that the commissioner will make a decision on whether to launch an inquiry into the funding of the refurbishment as soon as a separate probe being conducted by the Electoral Commission has been completed.

The Commission has handed over its initial findings to Tory party chiefs who now have an opportunity to respond.

George Eustice last night urged the Commons sleaze chief not to probe the lavish revamp of the Downing Street flat.

The Environment Secretary said the matter had already been investigated by Lord Geidt, the Prime Minister's adviser on standards, who found Mr Johnson had acted 'unwisely' without breaking the ministerial code. He told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: 'It was very much put to bed.'

Tory poll lead plunges FIVE POINTS in the wake of Owen Paterson shambles A poll laid bare the damage inflicted by the Prime Minister's bungled effort to save ally Owen Paterson from punishment for lobbying. Research by YouGov carried out in the wake of the dramatic Commons vote to suspend the standards system showed the Tory poll lead plunging by five points. The party is now just one point ahead of Labour, after dropping from 39 per cent to 36 per cent in a week, while Keir Starmer has seen a boost to 35 per cent, according to the survey in The Times. Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi tried to cool the growing backlash among MPs, admitting that the government 'made a mistake' in retrospectively tying Mr Paterson's case to wider reforms. Meanwhile, a blame game broke out over who was responsible for the meltdown - which culminated on Wednesday night when Mr Paterson resigned from the Commons after the PM cut him loose. His exit was made official on Thursday morning when he was appointed Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead - the traditional way for MPs to quit the House. Advertisement

It is understood that Miss Stone will make a decision after the Electoral Commission has completed a separate probe.

An inquiry by Miss Stone would be the third probe into the matter if she goes ahead. Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner requested in June that she investigate.

Dominic Cummings, Mr Johnson's former chief aide, last week claimed in a tweet that the Government's bid to change the standards process to spare Mr Paterson from being punished was actually 'a pre-emptive strike by [the] PM on [the] EC (Electoral Commission) and [Miss] Stone'.

But No 10 denied the planned overhaul had been designed to protect Mr Johnson's own interests.

Mr Johnson has repeatedly clashed with Parliament's sleaze watchdogs. In July, he was criticised for failing to explain promptly how a 15,000 holiday in Mustique was paid for.

He was also found by Miss Stone to have breached the code of conduct over the 2020 New Year break but escaped with a slap on the wrist as the committee on standards overruled her.

The committee said it was nevertheless 'regrettable' that a full explanation was not given before.

The probe began in February last year after the Mail revealed there were questions over who paid for the PM's ten-day stay on the luxury Caribbean island. He had claimed the 15,000 cost of his accommodation was a gift from Carphone Warehouse founder David Ross.

But the multimillionaire businessman said he did not own the villa and had not paid for it use.

Following an investigation, Miss Stone found Mr Johnson breached the MPs' code by having not 'fulfilled conscientiously' requirements for registering the stay.

After the committee received the commissioner's report, its chairman Labour MP Chris Bryant wrote to Mr Johnson and Mr Ross demanding more information.

Mr Johnson (left) first ordered Tory MPs to ram through plans to tear up Parliament's anti-sleaze rules to save Mr Paterson (right), before abandoning the idea in the face of a public outcry.

Their replies revealed an 'ad hoc arrangement' under which the Mustique Company paid the owners of the villa Mr Johnson stayed in and Mr Ross reimbursed them.

So the committee concluded Mr Ross was the funder of Mr Johnson's accommodation, meaning the PM's first declaration was accurate.

But it said: 'This matter could have been concluded many months ago if more strenuous efforts had been made to dispel the uncertainty.'

Boris Johnson is expected to face calls for a public inquiry into allegations of Tory sleaze as MPs consider how to clean up Westminster following the Owen Paterson row.

The Commons will spend three hours hearing an emergency debate on the situation, despite ministers seeking to dismiss the row as a 'storm in a teacup'.

The Liberal Democrats, who secured the debate, have called for a statutory public inquiry into sleaze and corruption allegations.

Pictured: Research by YouGov carried out in the wake of the dramatic Commons vote to suspend the standards system showed the Conservative poll lead plunging by five points

The inquiry, which would have the power to summon witnesses and take evidence under oath, would examine not only the Paterson row but also the awarding of coronavirus contracts, whether Mr Johnson's holidays in villas provided by friends were properly declared, and how the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat was funded.

A debate was granted last week by Speaker Lindsay Hoyle following Tory attempts to block an immediate 30-day suspension for Mr Paterson over an 'egregious' breach of lobbying rules.

Conservative MPs were ordered instead to back the creation of a Tory-led committee to look again at Mr Paterson's case and the whole standards system.

But after a backlash the Government performed a U-turn and Mr Paterson subsequently quit as an MP, leaving what he called the 'cruel world of politics'.

Reports at the weekend suggested the Speaker may put forward his own proposals for reform of the standards process in an effort to take some of the increasingly bitter politics out of the row.

Ahead of the emergency debate, Sir Keir said the Prime Minister must publicly confirm that former Cabinet minister Mr Paterson will not be nominated for a peerage.

Downing Street sources have indicated there is no intention for Mr Paterson to be given a seat in the Upper Chamber.

Sir Keir will lead the debate for Labour, but Mr Johnson is expected to hand Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg the job of representing the Government.

'Boris Johnson needs to attend this debate, answer for his mistakes, apologise to the country and take action to undo the damage he has done,' Sir Keir said.

'The country is yet to hear a word of contrition over his attempts to create one rule for him and his friends and another for everyone else. He must now come to the House and say sorry.'

The Liberal Democrats pushed for a change to Commons rules to prevent any MPs being investigated by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards from voting on or proposing amendments to motions related to disciplinary issues.

Lib Dem chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said it was 'the equivalent of defendants in a court case also taking part in the jury'.

She added: 'Time and again Government ministers have refused to properly investigate allegations of sleaze, failed to declare relevant meetings and donations and tried to rig the system to cover their own backs.

'We need an independent public inquiry, with the powers and resources to get to the bottom of this Conservative sleaze scandal.'

Tory MPs, who have been contacted by furious constituents about the situation, remain angry at the handling of the Paterson case and relations have not been helped by Environment Secretary George Eustice's claim that it was a 'Westminster storm in a teacup'.
Companies that dump millions of tons of sewage into Britains rivers, lakes and seas face calls for a tax on their profits to pay for the clean-up.

The proposals could help pay to stop water companies allowing sewage to overflow into rivers on days of heavy rain and provide a 340million fund each year for improvements.

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey made the call before todays Parliament vote on the Environment Bill, which seeks to write environmental principles into law.

Companies that dump millions of tons of sewage into Britains rivers, lakes and seas face calls for a tax on their profits to pay for the clean-up

The Government is proposing taxpayers foot the bill for sewage system improvements.

The proposed Sewage Tax would be a 16 per cent levy on the pre-tax profits of water companies, which last year added up to 2.2billion.

For example, Southern Water, which makes the most profit of Englands water companies, would have paid 70million in 2020.

Thames Water, which made 434million in pre-tax profits in 2020, would also pay 70million after pumping raw sewage into the River Wey near Guildford for an estimated 1,789 hours last year.

Mr Davey said: Pumping raw sewage into our treasured rivers and lakes leaves a bad taste in the mouth, particularly when these companies are raking in millions of pounds in profits. The whole thing stinks.

Water companies need to clean up after their mess. Why should taxpayers be left to foot the bill for water companies who have shown utter disregard for our local environments?

Yesterday Environment Secretary George Eustice said the Government was introducing changes to the Environment Bill that would mirror calls by the Duke of Wellington for water companies to have a legal duty to progressively reduce the amount of sewage they dump each year.

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey made the call before todays Parliament vote on the Environment Bill, which seeks to write environmental principles into law

But critics have argued it does not require water companies to take action quickly, thereby allowing dumping to continue for many years to come.

Mr Eustice told Times Radio: It does everything the Duke of Wellingtons amendment did, and so he recognised that this is a challenge that you wouldnt solve overnight because the cost of removing all of these storm overflows could be up to 600 billion.

But thats not to say we shouldnt significantly reduce their use, and since the 1960s most houses surface water drainage has been on a different drainage system to the foul water sewage system, but often theyve ended up being pumped back into the sewer further down the line.

But Jolyon Maugham, director of the Good Law Project, labelled the amendment a political ruse.

He said: If I was a water company and every year I reduced the amount of sewage I dumped by 1/10,000th I would be making a progressive reduction but I could carry on dumping s*** for 10,000 years.

The Bill as a whole seeks to write environmental principles into UK law for the first time, following Brexit.

It is currently in the parliamentary stage known as ping-pong, where a piece of legislation moves between the Commons and Lords until agreement can be reached.
Do YOU know more about Abu Rayana al-Britani's UK background? Email tips@dailymail.com

Do YOU know more about Abu Rayana al-Britani's background? Email tips@dailymail.com Advertisement

A British-born Islamic State commander who boasted of involvement in killing an anti-Muslim figure in the UK has been shot dead while leading an assault in Yemen, the jihadi group has claimed.

Abu Rayana al-Britani, who was said to have recruited and trained other UK terrorists, was reportedly shot while leading an assault on the village of al-Hamidah.

Intelligence experts are now attempting to establish whether the details in Abu Rayana's tribute link him to a killing carried out on British soil, The Sun reports.

He reportedly travelled to Yemen for 'terror training'.

According to the group's newsletter al-Naba, Abu Rayana was in his 30s and was born into a 'conservative family' in the UK where he was known as Yunus. He was involved in gangs in his younger years and 'was thrown in prison many times'.

The group said he became radicalised in the UK after 'the invasion of Iraq', and travelled to Yemen for terror training and to learn Arabic.

After returning to the UK he worked to radicalise 'Christians' and convert several to Islam, including one 'disciple' who 'became hostile to the Christians' and 'killed one of the main guys harming Muslims' in Britain, the jihadi group claimed.

Abu Rayana al-Britani, a British-born Islamic State commander who boasted of killing an anti-Muslim figure in the UK, has been killed while leading an assault in Yemen, the jihadi group has claimed

Anti-terror officers are understood to be working to identify if this crime took place, and who the victim may have been if it did.

Al-Britaini returned to Yemen in around 2011 'for jihad', ISIS claimed, saying he 'had good positions' and brought other foreign fighters to take part in a civil war in the country.

The group said he was staying in the country and fought in a war there in 2015, changing allegiance to Islamic State from al-Qaida and being appointed an emir - or commander - leading men into battles.

It was in one such fight in the village of Al-Humaydah where he was killed. 'The battles and clashes intensified and he threw an RPG shell ... then they heard the crack of a shot and [al-Britani] fell', the propaganda sheet said.

The terror group did not provide any further details about his identity.

Yemen's civil war was sparked after the Huthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, prompting Saudi-led forces to intervene to prop up the government the following year.

Intelligence experts are now attempting to establish whether the details in al-Britani's tribute link with a killing carried out on British soil

Tens of thousands of people have died and millions displaced in what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Yesterday, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said that it had killed 138 Huthi rebels over the previous 24 hours in raids near the government stronghold of Marib.

The coalition, which has militarily backed the internationally-recognised Yemeni government since 2015, has reported strikes on a near-daily basis with high tolls each time.

The Huthis rarely comment on the strikes but have continued their advance towards Marib, the last remaining government stronghold in the north.

Britain, along with the US and France, has given the coalition logistical and intelligence support.

In March, Boris Johnson did not rule out deploying troops in Yemen as part of a future UN mission - but said conditions in the country would have to be 'very different'.
By Olivia Day for Daily Mail Australia

Friday, October 15

Cleo along with her mother Ellie Smith, her partner Jake Gliddon and her little sister Isla Mae arrive at the Blowholes campsite around 6:30pm.

They had a 'quiet' night and arrived at sunset.

Saturday, October 16

1:30am: Parents' last sighting of Cleo in the tent she shared with her parents and baby sister when the four-year-old asks for some water.

6.23am: Ellie calls 000 to report her eldest daughter missing as she continues to search the camp ground.

6.30am: The first two officers are dispatched from Carnarvon police station. They travel to Blowholes as a matter of priority, with sirens and lights.

6.41am: A second police car with another two officers is sent to Blowholes, also with lights and sirens.

7.10am: The first police car arrives. The second is only minutes behind.

7.26am: Police on the scene establish a protected forensic area which is taped off to the public, surrounding the family tent where Cleo was last seen.

7.33am: A drone operator is called upon to search from the skies.

7.44am: A third police car is dispatched to the Blowholes.

8am: Family and friends of Cleo's parents begin to arrive to help with the ground search.

Another group of detectives briefly searches Cleo's home to make sure she's not there.

They then head to Blowholes and begin stopping cars coming into and leaving the area.

8.09am: A helicopter from a local company arrived at the scene and started searching as police request an SES team attend the Blowholes search.

8.24am: Police air-wing and volunteer marine searchers are called in to assist with the search.

8.34am: Roadblocks are set up at the entrance of Blowholes as detectives gather the names, registration details and addresses of people coming and going. Police search cars.

9.25am: Nine SES personel arrive at the Blowholes to assist with the search.

Investigators, bounty hunters and officers from the Australian Federal Police have spent two-and-a-half weeks searching for missing four-year-old Cleo (pictured)

9.30am: Detectives sit down with a distressed Ellie and remain by her side for the rest of the day while other search crews hunt for Cleo.

11am: Homicide detectives from the Major Crime Division are called and begin travelling from Perth to assist with the search.

1pm: More homicide detectives and search experts are flown in from Perth.

3pm: Officers and search experts arrive in Carnarvon to offer their expertise.

Sunday, October 17

Ms Smith takes to social media to plead for help finding her missing daughter.

A Facebook post uploaded at 1:45am on Sunday which said: 'It's been over 24 hours since I last seen the sparkle in my little girl's eyes.

'Please help me find her!

'If you hear or see anything at all please call the police!'

Police suggest Cleo may have been abducted.

Monday, October 18

Police release an image of the red and grey sleeping bag missing from Cleo's tent.

Cleo's biological father is interviewed by police in Mandurah and is asked to provide a statement, which he does so willingly.

WA Police with the help of SES members, volunteers and aircraft continue the land hunt for Cleo, with officers searching nearby shacks and vehicles in the area.

Tuesday, October 19

Cleo's mother Ellie Smith and her partner Jake Gliddon front the media for the first time and describe the terrifying moment they realised the little girl was missing.

Ms Smith says her four-year-old would never have left the tent by herself.

Police release new images of Cleo and the pink and blue one-piece she was wearing the night she went missing to aid the investigation.

Investigators urge anyone who was at the campsite or in the vicinity on October 15 to get in contact with police.

Wednesday, October 20

Police reveal the zip of the family tent, which was found hanging wide open by her mother at 6am on Saturday morning, was too high for Cleo to reach.

Officers say they 'haven't ruled out' reports from campers who heard the sound of screeching tyres in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Deputy Police Commissioner Daryl Gaunt confirms officers are investigating the whereabouts of 20 registered sex offenders in the Carnarvon area.

Thursday, October 21

The WA Government offers a $1million reward for information that leads to Cleo's location announced by WA Premier Mark McGowan.

'All Western Australians' thoughts are with Cleo's family during what is an unimaginably difficult time,' Mr McGowan said.

'We're all praying for a positive outcome.'

The speed of the reward being issued - within days of her disappearance - was unprecedented.

Pictured: Police are seen examining rubbish left near the Blowholes campsite in remote WA

Monday, October 25

WA Police confirm Cleo was definitely at the camp site - on CCTV footage on a camera installed inside a beach shack just 20 metres from the family tent she disappeared from.

Tuesday, October 26

Forensic officers and detectives spent much of the day at her home in Carnarvon, 900km north of Perth, on Tuesday and left with two bags of evidence.

Although investigators had been to the home before, this was the first time they thoroughly searched inside with a forensics team.

Acting WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the search of the family home was 'standard practice' and did not indicate they were suspects in Cleo's disappearance.

Wednesday, October 27

WA Police forensics officers return to the Blowholes campground and are seen collecting soil samples from a number of campfires near shacks in the area.

The federal government announce Australian Federal Police officers had been drafted in to support forensic and intelligence efforts.

Friday, October 29

Police return to the Blowholes camp to analyse the area with drones.

Detective Superintendent Rod Wilde returns to the Blowholes campsite to join the search for Cleo as the search hit the two-week mark.

He confirms national and international agencies are engaged in the search for Cleo.

Sunday, October 31

Detectives go door-knocking at a number of homes along the North West Coastal Highway in the North Plantations, 5km from Cleo's hometown on Sunday.

Monday, November 1

Detectives sort through mounds of rubbish from roadside bins located hundreds of kilometres away from the campsite she vanished from.

The material was transported to Perth, where forensic officers and recruits sorted through hundreds of bags in search of items that may have helped them find Cleo.

Officers issue a plea for dash cam and CCTV footage from within a 1000km radius of where the four-year-old disappeared.

Police renew an appeal for more businesses in Carnarvon to provide footage and go door to door in an industrial area on the outskirts of the town.

Her elated mother, Ellie, (pictured, with Cleo, her partner and younger daughter) broke her silence the morning Cleo was found, sharing a series of love heart emojis on Instagram

Wednesday, November 3

After two-and-a-half weeks of searching Cleo Smith is found alive and well in the early hours of November 3.

WA Police Deputy Commissioner Col Blanch confirmed just before 7am AEST that little Cleo is alive and well and had been reunited with her relieved parents.

'One of the officers picked her up into his arms and asked her 'what's your name?' he said. 'She said: 'My name is Cleo'.'

Ellie Smith posted to social media: 'Our family is whole again'.

A Carnarvon man is taken in custody and questioned by detectives.

On October 19, Ellie Smith (pictured) and her partner Jake Gliddon fronted the media for the first time and begged the public to report any information 'big or small'

Thursday, November 4

Terry Darrell Kelly, 36, was charged with multiple offences including forcibly taking a child under 16 and appeared in Carnarvon Magistrate's Court barefoot and wearing a black T-shirt.

Monday, November 8

Specialist police return to Carnarvon to 'ascertain whether there was anyone else involved'
A dozen Canberra schools have been impacted by COVID-19 exposures with some groups of students told to stay home, as the ACT records 13 new infections.

Students from select year groups at five schools in Canberra's south have been advised not to attend school following exposures at campuses.

Education Minister Yvette Berry said while she did not know the exact number of cases that had been identified, all close contacts have been contacted by health authorities.

'There is still contact tracing occurring, but there is only one school that's had infections contracted in the actual school,' Ms Berry told ABC Radio on Monday.

Education Minister Yvette Berry said while she did not know the exact number of cases that had been identified, all close contacts have been contacted by health authorities

There were 13 new cases in the ACT reported on Monday, as the territory's vaccination rate has reached 95.1 per cent.

One patient is in hospital with COVID-19 in Canberra. They are being treated in intensive care and are on a ventilator.

Health authorities have said there are 136 active cases in the community, with there being 1742 cases in Canberra since the outbreak began in August.

ACT cabinet will meet later on Monday, where ministers will discuss whether to bring the easing of restrictions forward.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr had previously flagged the easing, originally set for November 26, could be brought forward to the middle of November.

Those rule changes would see home-visitor limits scrapped, density limits increased and face masks only used in high-risk indoor settings.
Australian astrophysicists testing Einstein's theory of general relativity have discovered a flood of gravitational waves pouring across the universe.

It is the largest number of gravitational waves ever detected, the Australian National University says.

The waves are caused by massive cosmic events, billions of light years away, which hurl the huge ripples through space and time.

They include pairs of black holes and neutron stars smashing against each other and black holes fusing together.

'These discoveries represent a tenfold increase in the number of gravitational waves detected,' physicist Susan Scott said on Monday.

The ANU scientists are part of an international team developing sophisticated new technology to hunt down elusive gravitational waves.

Their work will help humanity take a major leap forward in its quest to solve some of the most complex mysteries of the vast expanse of the universe, including the workings of space-time.

The team detected 35 events between November 2019 and March 2020.

'That's massive,' Prof Scott said.

Australian astrophysicists testing Einstein's theory of general relativity have discovered a flood of gravitational waves pouring across the universe. Pictured: An illustration of a star collapsing in on itself to form a black hole

'In contrast, we made three detections in our first observing run, which lasted four months in 2015-16'.

It brings the total number of detections to 90 after three observing runs between 2015 and 2020.

'This really is a new era for gravitational wave detections,' Prof Scott said.

'The growing population of discoveries is revealing so much information about the life and death of stars throughout the universe.'

Improvements in how gravitational waves are detected at observatories in the US and Europe have made it possible for the team to make the discoveries.

'This new technology is allowing us to observe more gravitational waves than ever before,' Prof Scott said.

'We are also probing the two black hole mass gap regions and providing more tests of Einstein's theory of general relativity.'

General relativity is Albert Einstein's understanding of how gravity affects the fabric of space-time.

The famous physicist published his findings in 1915, expanding the theory of special relativity that he had produced 10 years earlier.

Special relativity argued that space and time are inextricably connected, but that theory did not acknowledge the existence of gravity.

Einstein spent the decade between the two publications determining that particularly massive objects warp the fabric of space-time, a distortion that manifests as gravity, according to NASA.

The international team's study was published on Monday in arXiv.
A primary school teacher who lost all four limbs to sepsis has returned to the classroom having been fitted with bionic arms.

When Kath Tregenna, 47, developed a fever a couple of years ago she called the NHS 111 number for help.

Her call handler then noticed she had described symptoms of sepsis and sent an ambulance.

After arriving at hospital Mrs Tregenna suffered between seven and 11 cardiac arrests.

In a bid to prevent the spread of the sepsis, doctors later amputated both of her legs below the knee and both arms below the elbow.

Class act: Kath Tregenna at the International School of London

The mother of two had been teaching primary school pupils at the International School of London, in the west of the capital, when she developed the infection in late 2019.

Mrs Tregenna, from London, resolved to return to the classroom despite her ordeal  she was prescribed prosthetic arm hooks but later fundraised enough money for Hero Arms from UK tech company, Open Bionics.

'As I was going through my recovery, I really knew in my heart that I wanted to get back into the classroom and get back to teaching,' she said.

'I always had this dream of being able to go back to teaching and I just knew I couldn't do that with these heavy hooks.'

The Hero Arms were created using 3D printing and scanners. They use myoelectric sensors which detect muscle movements in the limb and turn them into hand movements.

Mrs Tregenna has been fitted with two bionic arms and also has two prosthetic legs. Now back in the classroom part-time, she has been amazed at the response from the children.

Story time: Mrs Tregenna sorts out books for her pupils

She said: 'It's all thanks to arms I am able to teach again. From writing on the school board to carrying books, children are obsessed with the Hero Arms and always ask me to show how they work.

'From the moment I arrive at school, I'm using the arms to do all sorts of tasks.'

The Daily Mail launched the End the Sepsis Scandal campaign with the UK Sepsis Trust in 2016 to raise awareness of symptoms among patients and staff.

Discussing her initial sepsis diagnosis, the teacher said she caught what she thought was common sickness but didn't realise her symptoms were potentially fatal.

Mrs Tregenna said: 'I owe my life to the 111 operator who noticed some of the symptoms of sepsis and called an ambulance.'

Listen up! Writing on a board with a bionic arm

She added: 'Going out wearing the arms actually makes me feel very, very confident. They just enable me to carry out a range of classroom activities.'

Samantha Payne, co-founder of Open Bionics, said: 'Kath is incredible. Our entire team is in awe of Kath's determination to get back to doing what she loves most  teaching.

'Seeing her using both of her Hero Arms for everyday things really puts into perspective how important bionic technology can be when it comes to giving people recovering from life-changing surgeries a level of independence to achieve their goals.'
Migrants may have plotted on Facebook to force their plane into an emergency landing so they could illegally enter Spain.

Their flight from Morocco was diverted to Mallorca after one passenger allegedly feigned illness, claiming to have slipped into a diabetic coma.

Once the Air Arabia Maroc aircraft was on the tarmac, he and a friend were taken to hospital.

But amid the confusion 22 people managed to escape.

Spain's national news agency EFE reported yesterday that officials were probing whether the emergency landing had been organised on Facebook.

The outlet said it had gained access to a group called Brooklyn created by young Moroccans that contained posts describing plans similar to Friday's incident.

Aina Calvo (centre), Spanish central government delegate in Balearic Islands, talks to media in Palma de Mallorca, Majorca island, Spain after 12 fugitive passengers were arrested

Spanish security forces and search some other travelers who ran away from an Air Arabia's plane, on route from Casablanca, Morocco, to Istanbul

Planes are seen at Palma de Mallorca airport as a search of the runways is underway for a group of passengers who fled from an international flight after a medical emergency landing between Morocco and Turkey in Palma, Balearics

One, published in July, reportedly said: 'All Brooklyn guys should book a ticket on a plane to Turkey and fly over Spain.' The post also contained references to someone feigning illness.

Footage of Friday night's drama showed the passengers pushing past staff at a plane exit door.

Police have arrested 12 people and charged them with 'facilitating illegal immigration', including nine of those who escaped, another who fought with an official on the plane, as well as the 'sick' passenger and his companion.

Dozens of men were pictured sprinting from the Air Arabic Maroc Airbus on the runway at Majorca's Palma airport on Friday night

The National Police and the Civil Guard, Spain's two national police forces, are involved in the hunt for the runaways (pictured) and are believed to be getting assistance from local town-hall employed police forces across the island

An investigation is open, with the remaining escapees still at large. All are Moroccan nationals except for one who is described as Palestinian.

The flight, which originated in Casablanca, was scheduled to head for Istanbul, Turkey.

'Such events have never taken place before at any airport in Spain,' said Aina Calvo, the Spanish government's representative in the Balearic Islands.

'All options are still on the table.'

None of the passengers have claimed asylum, she added.

Details of Friday's daring ruse, which shuttered one of the country's busiest airports for more than four hours, emerged late on Saturday.

The man accused of feigning a diabetic coma told medics he was fine when he got to the island's Son Llatzer hospital (pictured: members of the civil guard on the runway where the escape took place)

The incident sparked air traffic chaos, with officials forced to divert some 60 national and international flights.

The National Police and the Civil Guard, Spain's two national police forces, are involved in the manhunt.

Jorge Campos, a local MP for hard right-wing party Vox, hit at the Spanish government, accusing Madrid of being soft on illegal immigration.

'We're defenceless,' he said. 'It's a disgrace.'

Footage of Friday night's drama showed the passengers appearing to push past medical and airline staff at a plane exit door after a brief struggle

Majorca is increasingly a key destination for people smugglers who help illegal migrants reach the island by boat from north Africa,

Moroccan asylum-seekers also try to enter Europe by making the dangerous 10-mile sea crossing from their homeland to Gibraltar using speed boats, jet skis and even rubber dinghies.

In December 2017, police arrested a Moroccan pensioner after discovering him trying to smuggle a 12-year-old African boy into the Spanish enclave of Melilla inside the dashboard of his car.
A five-year-old girl is lucky to be alive after falling five metres from a second storey window, prompting paramedics to issue a desperate plea.

Emergency services were called to a home in Amiens Avenue, Milperra in Sydney's south-west before before midday on Monday following reports a child had fallen through the flyscreen onto the concrete ground below.

Three ambulance crews were dispatched to the scene, along with a specialist medical team including a critical care doctor and paramedics.

The girl was taken to hospital to hospital in a stable condition after falling through second storey window

The five-year-old fell five metres from a second storey window (pictured) of this Milperra home

The injured girl was conscious, alert and breathing when paramedics arrived on scene.

The girl was treated for chest, abdominal and wrist injuries at the scene before she was transported to The Children's Hospital at Westmead in a serious but stable condition.

NSW Police also attended the scene.

NSW Ambulance Inspector Craig Watkins said the little girl was very lucky to be alive and not to have suffered more serious injuries.

'It appears the patient has fallen through the flyscreen of a window from the second floor of the building around five metres onto the ground,' Inspector Watkins said.

'It's obviously a worrying time for the family and they did a great job comforting the patient until we arrived on scene.'

'The young girl is extremely fortunate not to have sustained more serious injuries.'

NSW Ambulance Inspector Craig Watkins (pictured) issued a desperate plea to parents

Police (pictured) and paramedics were called to the home just after midday on Monday

The incident prompted paramedics to issue a warning to parents after they were called to a similar job 12 kilometres away in Ashcroft two day earlier.

'This kind of incident is becoming all too common and we urge all parents to just take that extra step to make sure your windows are closed and secure and don't leave your children playing unsupervised in upstairs areas if there's a chance they can fall through the flyscreen,' Inspector Watkins said.

'This is the second job I've been to in two days where a similar thing has happened.'
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Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said all NHS staff should be forced to get two doses of the Covid vaccine before winter hits

NHS workers should be forced to get two doses of the Covid vaccine before winter, disgraced former Health Secretary Matt Hancock said today.

Mr Hancock  who quit in June after breaching his own social distancing rules by kissing a married colleague  said the move would act as another 'tool to save lives' during what is projected to be a harsh winter for the health service.

He also scorned NHS staff who are still not vaccinated and don't have a valid medical reason, warning that it was their 'moral duty' and that they had 'ignored all the scientific and clinical advice'.

Ministers have for weeks been considering whether to make Covid jabs compulsory within the health service after pushing through the requirement for care home workers in the summer.

But last week the Health Secretary Sajid Javid appeared to push back the plans until April after being warned by NHS bosses that introducing the policy now could leave hospitals understaffed at a crucial period.

There are also concerns about whether the move is even necessary, given that more than nine in 10 NHS staff are already vaccinated.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Hancock, who was Health Secretary for three years, warned ministers against delaying compulsory vaccinations for the sector into the new year.

He said: 'Having looked at all the evidence, I am now convinced we must require vaccination for everyone who works not just in social care but the NHS  and get it in place as fast as possible... So as we prepare to a face a difficult winter, let's use all the tools we have to save lives.

'Imagine the cancer patient, already battling another deadly disease, being cared for by a nurse. Who can put their hand on their heart and say they'd be happy to tell that patient their nurse could have the vaccine, but has chosen against all scientific and clinical advice to ignore it.' Mr Hancock said doctors and nurses had a 'moral duty' to get the Covid vaccine to protect their patients.

A SAGE adviser said today it was a 'general standard of hygiene' for anyone in a frontline role in contact with vulnerable patients to be double-vaccinated against Covid. But they stopped short of calling for jabs to be made compulsory, saying this should only be done as a 'last resort'.

All care home workers will be required to have had two doses of the Covid vaccine from Thursday or lose their jobs, under a policy brought in while Mr Hancock was Health Secretary.

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)

The above map shows the 20 hospital trusts with the lowest proportion of staff fully jabbed in England. The data is up to September 30, the latest available

Health chiefs warned yesterday that hospitals are already at 'peak winter' levels of bed occupancy.

Mr Hancock said: 'To me the logic is crystal clear. Medicine is founded on science  and the science of the Covid vaccines is comprehensively proven. Mandating the use of the best science isn't controversial  it's common sense.

'There are some people who say this isn't the way we do things in Britain. But we already mandate vaccination against Hepatitis B for doctors. The British historic precedents for compulsory vaccination go back to the 1950s.'

Covid vaccination is 'general standard of hygiene' for doctors and nurses, says SAGE adviser A SAGE adviser has said doctors and nurses should get two doses of the Covid vaccine as a 'general standard of hygiene'. Professor Peter Openshaw, who is a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) that feeds into SAGE, today called for all NHS staff to get the vaccine. But he stopped short of saying jabs should be compulsory, saying the measure must instead only be used as a 'last resort'. He told Times radio: 'I've always been against making vaccines mandatory. 'But I think the answer is to try to get as much information as you can  to really try to talk to people onm their own terms about why they might be uncertain about whether they should be vaccinated and only absolutely as a last resort should you make it a condition of employment. 'But I do think that people should not be working in frontline jobs in contact with vulnerable patients unless they've been vaccinated. 'And I'm sorry to say about that  but it's like washing your hands  it's a general standard of hygiene. 'You don't do things in the workplace that endanger those that you're caring for and being vaccinated makes other people safe, it makes you safe.' NHS England figures suggest nine in ten doctors and nurses are already full-vaccinated against Covid. Advertisement

To show the success of the policy he pointed to France, where since it became a requirement the proportion of healthcare workers double-jabbed has surged from two-thirds to 99 per cent.

In Britain, health sources say making Covid vaccines compulsory for care home workers only had a 'slight' effect on uptake.

Figures showed some 60,000 staff in homes were yet to get double-jabbed at the end of October, although some of these may have been exempt for medical reasons, compared to around 90,000 before it was a legal requirement.

SAGE adviser Professor Peter Openshaw today said doctors and nurses should get the Covid vaccine as a 'general standard of hygiene'.

The New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) member told Times Radio: 'I do think that people should not be working in frontline jobs in contact with vulnerable patients unless they've been vaccinated.

'And I'm sorry to say about that  but it's like washing your hands  it's a general standard of hygiene.

'You don't do things in the workplace that endanger those that you're caring for and being vaccinated makes other people safe, it makes you safe.'

Professor Openshaw stopped short of calling for vaccines to be made compulsory for healthcare workers, however.

He said: 'I've always been against making vaccines mandatory.

'But I think the answer is to try to get as much information as you can  to really try to talk to people on their own terms about why they might be uncertain about whether they should be vaccinated and only absolutely as a last resort should you make it a condition of employment.'

There are some 1.45million people working for the NHS, while the health service also has about 100,000 vacancies.

Ministers are yet to announce whether health workers will be required to get two doses of the Covid vaccine, although it appeared last week that health chiefs had managed to get the deadline pushed back to April.

Sources said that Mr Javid was 'genuinely split' on the issue following a consultation, which was concluded in late October.

Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, warned yesterday that if the 'no jab, no job' policy is brought in 'we risk a significant loss of a significant number of staff.'

He added that many hospitals were already at occupancy levels that would not be expected until late winter, suggesting the health service is under significant strain.

He said: 'Look at bed occupancy, which is a very good measure of how busy a hospital is  we're seeing bed occupancy levels, it's sort of 94, 95, 96 per cent.' He added: 'At this point, before we're into peak winter. We've not seen that before. That's unprecedented.'

The above map shows the five areas where more than one in five care home employees are still yet to get two doses of the Covid vaccine

The above graph shows the proportion of staff working in care homes for the over-65s who have received their first and second doses of the vaccine. It reveals that there was no sharp surge in uptake when the jabs were made compulsory

NHS care worker, 36, posts emotional video after losing her job because she refused to get vaccinated An NHS worker who was fired because she refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19 has posted an emotional video after her final shift as up to 60,000 care home staff also face the sack from Thursday. Louise Akester, 36, had her contract with NHS care home Alderson House, Hull, terminated because of the Government's requirement for all care workers to get double jabbed from November 11. All care workers in adult care homes who do not have medical exemptions must have two doses of a Coronavirus vaccine. But in the wider NHS, staff must have their second jab by April next year. Louise has worked in the care sector for 14 years, but refused to be vaccinated regardless of the new government rule, and sobbed as she was forced to leave her job. Speaking within minutes of finishing her last shift, Ms Akester sobs as she says in the video: That's the hardest thing I've ever had to do, saying goodbye to everybody, all the people that I've cared for, for so long, the people I've worked with. 'It's been so emotional, this is so unfair. I just can't believe what the bloody government is doing to us, I just don't get it, I don't understand.' She previously said she was refusing to get the vaccine until 'we know more about the potential long-term side effects'. Advertisement

It comes as hundreds of care homes face closure this week, with all their staff set to be required to be double-jabbed from Thursday.

As many as 500 providers may have to shut their doors due to having unsafe staffing levels as unvaccinated workers quit or lose their jobs, it is feared.

This would leave thousands of vulnerable residents needing a new care home place, with the sector already under huge strain.

The Government estimates 40,000 staff will be lost from care homes after this Thursdays deadline for them to be double-jabbed.

Mike Padgham, chairman of the Independent Care Group, who has worked in the sector for 30 years, said: The deadline for care staff to be double-vaccinated could see up to 500 homes across England having to close their doors because they dont have enough staff to operate safely.

If that happens, it begs the question of where thousands of residents would go, as they cant go to hospitals and they cant go to their own homes without care.

Professor Martin Green, head of Care England, which represents care homes, claimed yesterday that ministers like to test out controversial policies on social care and treat the service like the child they are irritated with, while the NHS is the favoured child.

A survey of care workers by the union Unison found 97 per cent already say their homes have staff shortages, and around one in three say staffing levels are dangerously low and getting worse.

One of the 746 staff surveyed said: The dying arent dying with dignity as theres not enough staff to sit with them in their final hours. Another said: Staff morale is very low.

Everyone is tired and fed up. Care is awful  no time for nail care, proper washing, or having a chat with the residents.

Mr Padgham, whose Independent Care Group represents providers in York and North Yorkshire, said: The Government has delayed the deadline for mandatory vaccination in the NHS because the winter is going to be tough, but it will be tough for us too.

He explained: The services are interconnected, and if there arent care homes open, people cant be discharged from hospital, so the system clogs up and everything gets worse.
California's first law school will change its name to get rid of the connection to the man who established the San Francisco institution nearly 150 years ago - a former Congressman and Supreme Court justice who was found to play a significant role in the mass murder of indigenous people.

UC Hastings College of the Law is part of the California university system and is named for Serranus Clinton Hastings, who came to California during the Gold Rush.

A report commissioned by the university president found that Hastings paid for and promoted expeditions in the state that caused the death and displacement of hundreds of Yuki Indians, whose land he later stole for himself.

Hastings, who served in Congress from 1845 to 1847 and was the first chief justice of the California Supreme Court, donated $100,000 in gold coins to create the law school in 1878.

Among the school's most famous alums are Vice President Kamala Harris, who graduated in 1989, and Congresswoman Jackie Speier.

UC Hastings in San Francisco, which will likely change its name

An image of Serranus Clinton Hastings, a former Congressman who came to California during the gold rush and is implicated in the mass killing of indigenous tribes

Vice President Kamala Harris is Hastings' most famous alum

'The effects of Serranus Hastings' crimes against humanity echo in the conditions prevailing today for the descendants of his victims,' the report said.

University President David Faigman, who commissioned the review, said that after reading it and coming at it from a place of ambivalence, he now believes this is the right thing to do.

'I absolutely agree with a lot of people's views, that Serranus Hastings, the acts that he committed were absolutely horrific and ought not to be honored,' Faigman said.

Some alums have claimed that the school moved too slowly to remove Hastings' name. However, Faigman said the college was merely prioritizing other initiatives.

The school has worked since 2017 to make peace with the Round Valley Indian Tribes, which include the Yuki.

In 2020, Hastings started an Indigenous Law Center, meant to produce a curriculum that could better serve indigenous legal matters.

Joe Cotchett, a trial lawyer who donated $5 million to Hastings

Cotchett threatened to remove himself from the law center that bears his name if the school didn't make the change

Rep. Jackie Speier of California is a Hastings alum

There is also a space for the Yuki Tribe in the lobby of the building and the school got a $25,000 grant to record and share the narratives of Yuki elders.

University of California institutions have been taking stock of some of the names of their buildings in recent years, with UC Berkeley especially leading the charge.

One building already removed the name of anthropologist Alfred Louis Kroeber after finding he committed 'immoral and unethical' work on the remains of Native Americans.

Prominent donor Joe Crotchett, a trial lawyer who paid $5million for the school's academic village, said alumni have been unimpressed with the slow move to remove Hastings's name.

'We cannot have a public institution with the prominence that it has named after someone that committed genocide on Native California Indians,' he said.

Crotchett said he would pull his own name from a law center named after him if they did not make the change.

The state of California will need to pass a law to be able to remove Hastings' name given the school's status as a state institution.

Crotchett is happy the school is listening.

'It's only going to increase my support for the school, and I think that's the same with a lot of alumni that recognize the goodness that's been done,' he said.
Federal MP Michael Sukkar has apologised to a female colleague after leaked texts revealed he mocked her when she publicly expressed her struggle to balance work and motherhood.

The explosive texts were revealed during Sunday night's 60 Minutes program investigating Mr Sukkar's alleged use of taxpayer-funded staffers in electorate offices to do work for his faction of the Liberal Party.

Mr Sukkar, the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Housing, sent the texts in reaction to a Facebook post by Liberal Senator Jane Hume in May 2018 in which she highlighted the difficulties of juggling her work as a politician and being a single mother to three children.

'The problem is, while I am a willing volunteer to this life on the front line, my kids are conscripts. They will always be passengers on my roller coaster,' she wrote in the long post.

'There is no such thing as superwoman. We cant do it all. Somethings got to give.'

Mr Sukkar, the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Housing, sent the texts in reaction to a Facebook post by Liberal Senator Jane Hume (pictured) in May 2018 in which she highlighted the difficulties of juggling her work as a politician and being a single mother to three children

On Monday Mr Sukkar was forced to apologise to Senator Hume as a result of the texts being uncovered, saying 'they were unfair and incorrect comments that I should not have made'=

Mr Sukkar commented on the post in a group text with some Victorian factional allies.

'I read through this very long... indulgent and quite frankly bizarre post (on her Senator page) and was waiting for her retirement from politics but sadly it wasnt there!' Mr Sukkar wrote in a text.

He also facetiously commented in relation to Senator Hume's post: 'The best and brightest the Victorian Division can produce.'

Another said they looked forward to Senator Hume spending more time with her family.

Mr Sukkar had commented on Senator Hume's post in a group text with some Victorian factional allies

On Monday Mr Sukkar was forced to apologise to Senator Hume as a result of the texts being uncovered.

'They were unfair and incorrect comments that I should not have made, and I regret doing so. I apologise to Senator Hume.

'I have worked closely with Senator Hume in the last three years since both becoming Ministers in the Treasury portfolio where she has done an outstanding job.'

Senator Hume was promoted to cabinet as Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy in December last year, having served as the assistant minister since May 2019.

She thanked her three children in her maiden speech in August 2016.

'Thank you for keeping me down to earth, for making life fun and funny, and for reminding me always that I am, first and foremost, a mother who is a senator, not a senator who is a mother.'

The 60 Minutes report followed up earlier claims from August 2020 that Mr Sukkar had been involved in branch-stacking by endorsing the appointment of electorate workers to the office of Federal Liberal MP Kevin Andrews who instead worked on factional party matters.

Mr Sukkar denied the allegations.

Last night's program asserted Mr Sukkar had knowledge of the use of taxpayer-funded electorate officers for factional purposes, a claim Mr Sukkar also denies.
A nurse who works at a private medical centre in Perth has been arrested and charged after pretending to give patients the coronavirus vaccine.

The 51-year-old registered nurse has been charged with a fraud offence, West Australian Police announced on Monday.

She allegedly stuck a Covid vaccine into a teenager's arm on Sunday but failed to inject it, before recording another nurse's name on the documents.

A nurse who works at a private medical centre in Perth has been arrested and charged after pretending to give patients the coronavirus vaccine (stock image)

The nurse allegedly gained permission from the private clinic to conduct the vaccination because the teenager was the son of a friend.

A second medical practitioner had to witness the vaccination under protocol, with that doctor then reporting her to authorities.

Western Australia Police arrested the woman at her home in Byford before charging her with the offence 'Gains Benefit by Fraud'.

They will allege the woman stuck the needle in the teenager's arm but failed to push down on the plunger and then disposed its contents.

'It will be alleged the nurse inserted the needle into the teenager's arm, but failed to administer the vaccine,' a police spokeswoman said.

'It will be further alleged the syringe, with vaccine liquid still inside, was disposed of and a false entry was made on the medical records system indicating the teenager had received the dose of the vaccine.'

The woman was refused bail and is due to appear in Perth Magistrates Court on Monday.
The Biden Administration is considering shutting down a Michigan oil pipeline in another push to get the U.S, away from fossil fuels, despite warnings from Republican lawmakers who believe the move would result in fuel price shocks throughout the Midwest.

The administration is exploring the possibility of terminating the Line 5 pipeline - which links Superior, Wisconsin, with Sarnia, Ontario - and gathering data to determine if shutting down the line will cause a surge in fuel pricing, according to published reports.

In a letter dated Thursday, 13 Congress members - led by Ohio Rep. Bob Latta - urged the president to keep the oil line in operation, saying: 'Line 5 is essential to the lifeblood of the Midwest.'

'Should this pipeline be shut down, tens of thousands of jobs would be lost across Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and the region; billions of dollars in economic activity would be in jeopardy; and the environment would be at greater risk due to additional trucks operating on roadways and railroads carrying hazardous materials,' the legislators wrote.

'Furthermore, as we enter the winter months and temperatures drop across the Midwest, the termination of Line 5 will undoubtedly further exacerbate shortages and price increases in home heating fuels like natural gas and propane at a time when Americans are already facing rapidly rising energy prices, steep home heating costs, global supply shortages, and skyrocketing gas prices.'

Line 5 is part of a network that moves crude oil and other petroleum products from western Canada to Escanaba, Michigan and transports approximately 540,000 barrels each day.

Biden told the COP26 conference in Glasgow this weekend that the U.S. will become world leaders in the climate change fight. He is fighting to close pipelines, setting up a conflict between Indigenous groups and environmentalists who want to block them and Republicans trying to stop a further spike in energy prices.

He sparked backlash by closing down the Keystone XL Pipeline, costing thousands of American jobs, and has been accused of folding to Russia by allowing Europe's Nord Stream 2 pipeline to remain open.

Gas prices have hit a seven-year high in the U.S., inflation is becoming one of the top concerns of American voters and OPEC has bucked Biden's pleas to increase oil production.

President Joe Biden's Administration is considering shutting down a Michigan oil pipeline despite warnings from Republican lawmakers who believe the move would result in fuel price shocks throughout the midwest

Line 5 is part of a network that moves crude oil and other petroleum products from western Canada to Escanaba, Michigan and transports approximately 540,000 barrels each day

The pipeline is said to deliver vital products used to heat homes and businesses, fuel vehicles and power other North American industries.

Those in favor of its operation allege shutting it down further exacerbate fuel shortages and price increases as citizens enter the winter months.

However, Energy Secretary and former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm argues that fuel prices are going to skyrocket this winter anyway.

'Yeah, this is going to happen,' Granholm told CNN on Sunday. 'It will be more expensive this year than last year.'

'We are in a slightly beneficial position, well certainly relative to Europe, because their choke hold of natural gas is very significant. But we have the same problem in fuels that the supply chains have, which is that the oil and gas companies are not flipping the switch as quickly as the demand requires.'

According to the lawmakers, the administration's move to terminate Line 5's operation is part of a move to 'appease environmental groups'.

Their claims are echoed by Jason Hayes, director of environmental policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, who alleges that Biden's energy policies and work on Line 5 is 'just one more example of being divorced from reality.'

'They're planning to power an industrial nation like the United States on solar panels and wind turbines,' Hayes told Fox News.

'I hope it doesn't end like this, but where I see it going is unfortunately the same thing that happened in February in Texas: People freezing in their homes.

He continued: 'Most of the time when it's extremely cold or there's a real bad polar vortex situation, typically it's pretty cloudy and there's not a lot of wind.'

Thirteen Congress members wrote a letter to Biden Thursday urging him to keep the Line 5 pipeline (pictured) in operation, saying: 'Line 5 is essential to the lifeblood of the midwest.'

Ohio Rep. Bob Latta (left), who is among those leading the effort to keep the pipeline, argues terminating its operation will exacerbate fuel shortages and price increases. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm (right) argues that fuel prices are going to skyrocket this winter anyway

A group of lawmakers issued a letter to Biden on Thursday, arguing in favor of Line 5

The energy expert also noted that production of solar panels and wind turbines still requires 'oil, natural gas, nuclear and even coal'.

Additionally, proponents of the pipeline allege that the negative impacts of its termination exceed access to fuel and energy prices.

They claim its termination would 'trigger an international spinoff' with Canada.

'The 1977 Transit Pipelines Treaty between the United States and Canada has ensured the uninterrupted transportation of energy products across the border for decades,' Latta and his co-authors wrote.

'Given the strained relations between our two countries brought on by the termination of the Keystone XL pipeline and the prolonged shutdown of cross-border travel due to COVID-19, now is not the time to worsen this critical diplomatic partnership.'

Biden's Administration canceled the Keystone XL pipeline - which ran from Alberta, Canada to Steele City, Nebraska and would have carried 830,000 barrels of oil each day - in January. The controversial move prompted uproar, especially when the administration waived sanctions against a pipeline for Russia to ship energy to Germany.

The legislators believe terminating Line 5 and breaking another treaty with Canada would ultimately be detrimental to the countries' relationships.

House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy tweeted over the weekend: 'President Biden wants to destroy Americas energy sector while giving Russia a new pipeline and begging OPEC to produce more oil. Its totally backwards. This is what it looks like to put America Last.'

Meanwhile, all twelve of Michigan's federally recognized tribes also called on the president last week, urging him to move forward with the state's efforts to shutdown the pipeline.

'The Governor, the Attorney General, and our Tribal Nations need your Administration's help,' the tribes wrote Friday in a letter obtained by the Detroit Metro Times. ' During your campaign, you promised that you would heed our concerns and act to protect our fundamental interests.'

Meanwhile, all twelve of Michigan's federally recognized tribes also called on the president last week, urging him to move forward with the state's efforts to shutdown Line 5 (pictured)

Whitney Gravelle, president of Bay Mills Indian Community, argues that the tribes were promised the right to fish, hunt and gather in the Great Lakes Anishnaabe area in 1836 when they ceded the lands.

The tribes also argues that their treaty supersedes the Canada agreement.

'We possess rights and interests in the integrity of the Great Lakes that date back to time immemorial, and that are protected by solemn treaties with the United States long predating the agreement Canada rests on,' the letter states.

'We view Line 5 as an existential threat to our treaty-protected rights, resources, and fundamental way of life as Anishinaabe people of the Great Lakes.'

Sources say the Biden Administration has yet to make a decision regarding the operation of Line 5.
A New York City woman whose parked car was rammed by another vehicle was shot in the leg during a gunfight between rival tow truck companies fighting to get her business.

Susy Delgado, 48, says she is thankful to be alive after getting shot through her thigh on Saturday night in Queens after two truck companies showed up looking to hook up her badly damaged car that was smashed into by a speeding Range Rover.

Delgado told the New York Daily News she called the police for help but the tow companies showed up first, probably by listening to police scanners.

Delgado says once the tow truck workers arrived they got into a heated argument over who would get to tow her car when one of them pulled out a gun and fired at his competitor

Delgado said she called the police for help but the tow companies showed up first, probably by listening to police scanners

Delgado says once the tow truck workers arrived they got into a heated argument over who would get to tow her car when one of them pulled out a gun and fired at his competitor, striking the 48-year-old instead.

'I'm lucky that bullet didn't take my life,' Delgado told the Daily News. 'I don't know what this world is coming to.'

Delgado said the men started to argue and then things escalated quickly.

'They were arguing over it and then one of the guys wanted to get into a fight  and one of the guys took out the gun and starting shooting,' Delgado said. 'I heard the bullets and when I turned around that's when it hit me.'

Susy Delgado, 48, was shot through her thigh on Saturday night in Queens after two truck companies showed up looking to hook up her badly damaged car

She said she was trying to get away from the conflict when a stray bullet struck her right thigh.

'I felt the pain in my leg,' she said. 'I fell down. My husband was right next to me. He was trying to calm me down. ... I was praying I would be able to see my kids again.'

After shots were fired both tow trucks left the scene and Delgado's brother-in-law called 911 for help.

'I was screaming 'I need help!' ' Delgado told the Daily News. 'I was bleeding like crazy. The bullet went through  came through one side and went out through the back.'

She was taken to a local hospital where she was treated and returned home the next day in crutches.

She says it is the first time she's witnessed gun violence in her neighborhood.

'I've been living around this neighborhood for seven years,' she said. 'Never in my life has anything happened with guns around here.'

Delgado expressed her distain for guns, saying 'Why are people carrying guns? 'Whoever invented guns, that's the worst invention ever.'

Delgado was forced to call 911 after a Range Rover driven by a young man who was part of a group of cars speeding on the block rammed into her car.

After colliding with her parked car the young man hopped into another car and took off, abandoning his vehicle, the Daily News reported.

Delgado says she is still left shaken by the shooting, and that before Saturday she had never encountered a gun.

'I heard the sounds in the movies but not in person,' she said. 'I want my life to be back to normal. I want to see my son graduate. ... I just want my family to be at peace. I just want peace in this world. This world is not at peace.'
A paedophile primary school teacher who worked at three different Victorian schools used school photos to make sex videos, a court has heard.

James William Treasure, 42, filmed himself having intercourse with sex dolls, wearing masks made from school photos of his current and former students.

Treasure had already been jailed in Queensland after police caught him filming children on a Noosa beach in 2018.

When Queensland detectives searched his accommodation, they found 3900 child abuse images stored on his laptop, as well as shoes fitted with secret recording devices.

They also uncovered videos of him having intercourse with a childlike sex doll in a school uniform, and films of sex acts on which he had digitally imposed his own face and that of one of his students.

While Treasure was still in Queensland, Victorian police raided his Melbourne home, uncovering dozens of CDs, DVDs and hard drives of child abuse material, almost 100 videos he had filmed of children, and three covert watch cameras.

Treasure had also collected 30,000 videos and images of activities from the schools where he taught, the court heard, and he kept a diary of his interactions with students.

Treasure was granted parole in Queensland in January 2021 and now faces a jail term for his child sex crimes in Victoria.

James William Treasure, 42, filmed himself having intercourse with sex dolls, wearing masks made from school photos of his current and former students (stock)

In the Victorian County Court on Monday, he pleaded guilty to charges of producing and possessing child abuse material, and two counts of an indecent act with a child under 16.

The court heard Treasure would prey on his students by inviting them into his classroom at lunchtime, giving one of his victims chocolates before kneeling down and tickling her, and then touching her vagina outside her shorts.

After she yelled out a swearword, Treasure reprimanded her, saying she had gone too far, and other children would have overheard.

Another former student described him tickling one of them in 'weird or wrong places' on five or six occasions.

A victim impact statement read to the court described one of his victims as a 'bright happy and confident' student, who in the years after Treasure preyed on her, began to have mental health problems and use drugs and alcohol.

Judge Frances Hogan described Treasure's offending as disturbing and an enormous breach of trust, with some victims still unaware he had filmed them over the years.

'The most grave aspect is the utilisation of his position as a primary school teacher, who parents are entitled to expect will protect their children,' she said.

Defence lawyer Philip Dunn QC said his client obviously has a paedophilic disorder, but is taking the first steps on a long path to rehabilitation.

He said Treasure was mortified by his conduct and was open to using a chemical sex drive inhibitor to stop his offending.

But prosecutor Francesca Holmes argued Treasure's insight into some of his offending was nonexistent, especially when it came to abusing his students.

She said he does not acknowledge sexual deviance was driving his offending.

'He has a history of sating his sex drive by exploiting children, and he is only just coming to terms with that,' she said.

The court has ordered a pre-sentence forensic psychiatric assessment.

Treasure will be placed on a sex offenders register for life and will return to court for further plea on January 31.
The alleged 'mastermind' of the assassination of former Rebels bikie boss Nick Martin is reportedly about to be charged over the murder.

Martin, 51, was shot dead at Kwinana Motorplex in Perth on December 12, 2020 in a gruesome and public execution.

The man believed to have orchestrated the killing is set to be charged conspiracy to murder before a West Australian court on Monday, according to Seven News.

He is reportedly codenamed 'The Baker' and was the man who sought out the former soldier who fired the fatal shot.

Nick Martin (pictured) was shot in the back at the Perth Motorplex on December 12 in front of horrified families who were trying to watch the nitro cars high-octane drag racing

The chaos at the racetrack on December 12 in Perth after Martin was executed is pictured

Detectives believe the sharpshooter was hired by an underworld figure who is codenamed 'The Baker'

Charges are reportedly imminent for The Baker, the man accused of organising the killing of the 51-year-old former bikie leader.

They believe the man wanted Martin killed before he organised the hit. They are yet to release details of his identity over fears of gang retaliation.

A former mercenary sharpshooter admitted to gunning down Rebels bikie boss Nick Martin at a crowded drag racing event from 300m away.

The 35-year-old man, whose name is suppressed, pleaded guilty in Perth Magistrates Court on Wednesday to the assassination on December 12.

The former bikie boss, 51, was watching drag races at Kwinana Motorplex with his family when he was shot through the torso and bled to death.

Martin (pictured) died in the arms of his wife Amanda as she tried to give him CPR. His last words were: 'babe, I've been shot'

Rebels bikie Nick Martin was ridden in to Pinnaroo Cemetery in a coffin covered in pictures of $100 bills (pictured) at his extravagant bikie funeral on December 23

One of the possible shooter locations previously identified at the Perth Motorplex. A long shot would indicate a sniper, experts say

The assassin also pleaded guilty to injuring Ricky Chapman, the boyfriend of Martin's stepdaughter, who was wounded by bullet fragments.

The ex-soldier was part of soldier of fortune outfit Shadows of Hope, which calls itself 'the world's most dangerous and fearless charity'.

The ex-trooper is yet to enter a plea on other charges including possessing a silencer, inadequately storing firearms, and drug possession.

The 35-year-old appeared via video link in his prison greens and in handcuffs and only spoke to confirm his name and to plead guilty.

Martin was assassinated in front of hundreds of onlookers including his wife Amanda and stepdaughter.

After being hit, Martin told his wife 'babe, I've been shot', as she tried to give him CPR while he died in her arms.

Police spent months on the investigation with 100 officers on the job, while the WA Government offered a $1 million reward to anyone who had information on the shooter.

A $1 million reward was offered for information leading to the arrest of the shooter who killed Nick Martin, 51, (pictured with wife Amanda)

His death also sparked a crackdown on bikies by police who conducted raids and ended up charging more than 100 people.

Martin's funeral was held on December 23 with 200 police officers keeping a watchful eye on the proceedings.

A police sniper also watched on from a helicopter as the patched gang members headed south to say their final farewells.

Martin's coffin was covered in pictures of $100 bills and Bob Dylan's All Along the Watchtower played as bikies took turns to walk up and touch it as it was brought in under a marquee for the service.

The ex soldier worked for Shadows of Hope, which works in war zones around the world both in combat and delivering aid and medicine for both sides.

Last year, the organisation shared a post online paying tribute to the soldier for his service in Iraq, describing him as their 'resident thrill-seeker and heartbreaker'.

'When the way to save lives is illegal or cast in the shadow of bureaucracy, it takes unorthodox attributes and attitudes to get the job done,' the group wrote.
An unvaccinated dad, 38, who was deemed the worst Covid-19 case in NSW has tragically lost his nine-week battle with the illness - despite being 'fit and healthy' with no underlying health conditions.

Mohamed Khaldoun Obeid, from Padstow in Sydney's south-west, caught coronavirus at the same time as his parents, brother, his wife Rayan and their six-year-old sons and five-year-old daughter in mid-September.

The used car dealer had crippling anxiety about the Covid vaccine to the point where he would hyperventilate, but decided to sign up after his parents tested positive.

By that point, it was too late.

He was admitted to hospital along with his parents after he suddenly collapsed during his second week with the virus.

While everyone else in his family recovered, Mohamed's heartbroken widow told Daily Mail Australia her husband's lungs filled with blood and pus over the next six weeks.

Mohamed Khaldoun Obeid was 38 when he died from Covid-19 on Saturday. He is pictured with his wife Rayan

Mohamed's family said he put his children first and did everything to ensure they had the best quality of life. Mohamed is pictured with his twins Ali and Ahmead, six

'Two weeks ago, doctors at Royal North Shore Hospital showed me scans of his lungs and they were full of infection, and wanted to put him in a coma to help his body rest,' Rayan said.

'He called me on FaceTime at 2am, and he couldn't talk properly because of the ventilator, but he told me he didn't want to go to sleep.'

Rayan spoke to the doctors extensively, along with family members who all decided it would be better for him to recover while in an induced coma.

She said experts didn't tell her that there was a chance his condition would worsen to the point where doctors wouldn't be able to wake him up - but that's exactly what happened.

The family (pictured) together live in Padstow in Sydney's south-west. They all had Covid at the same time

Ali and Ahmead, 6, are pictured with their father Mohamed before going on holidays

A week later, his oxygen levels were still extremely low but he showed small sings of improvement.

Doctors told Rayan they wanted to flip him onto his stomach for a few hours to see if his condition would continue to improve, but the plan didn't work and Mohamed's damaged lungs filled with blood.

'The walls of his lungs were almost burned, and when they flipped him something popped,' she recalled.

'They used a tube to try and take out as much blood as they could, but he was still bleeding.'

Two days later, on Thursday, the family were told his kidneys were failing.

Rayan didn't get to say goodbye to her husband because he was in an induced coma for two weeks before he died

The family knew Mohamed (pictured with his children) had a slim chance of survival when his kidneys shut down

Mohamed's older brother Khouloud Obeid said they knew at that point that he had a very slim chance of survival.

'The doctors diagnosed him as the worst patient with Covid in NSW - they hadn't seen anyone that bad before,' the 43-year-old said.

'Apparently they did a lot of video conferences to try and figure out what to do with him.'

On November 6, the family waiting by his bedside until his heart monitor flat-lined.

Having been in a coma for two weeks, the loving dad never got to say goodbye to his parents, brothers, wife, twin boys Ahmead and Ali, six, or his daughter Mairam, five.

Mohamed (pictured with Rayan) will be remembered as a caring person who donated a lot of money to people in need

Pictured, left to right: Mohamed's older brother Kay, sister Rayana, mother Ghazwa and father Ken, Mohamed and brother Ronny

Khouloud said the hospital told his family the 38-year-old died from emphysema - an incurable condition that usually impacts heavy smokers where the air sacs in the lungs are heavily damaged.

The family were shocked because Mohamed trained regularly at the gym, was very careful with what he ate, and never touched a drink or a cigarette.

'He shouldn't have died,' Khouloud said. 'How can they tell us he had emphysema?'

'He started to get better, and out of nowhere he was drowning in his own blood.'

Khouloud said his brother cared about others and helped build two wells in a village in Africa to ensure they had fresh drinking water.

Mohamed (pictured with his children) frequently donated to families in Pakistan and Lebanon to ensure they had fresh water

Rayna was devastated when her husband passed away. The family waited until his heart monitor flat-lined

He also frequently donated money to orphans in Pakistan, along with a $500 monthly allowance for a poor family in Lebanon.

'He was so loved,' Khouloud said.

'His children were his world - everything he did was for his kids.'

Mohamed was one of seven Covid-related deaths announced in NSW on Monday morning.

The other six deaths included two women who died at an Albury aged care facility, where they acquired their infections, and a Sydney man in his 80s who died at Prince of Wales Hospital, where he also caught the virus.

A spokesman from Royal North Shore Hospital told Daily Mail Australia the facility has 'nothing further to add beyond what was in the 11am update'.

NSW recorded 187 new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 detected from 52,939 tests in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday.
A Melbourne man who stalked and threatened to kill his victims using Facebook messages and graffiti has been sentenced to a year's imprisonment - but could be free within weeks.

Paul Ryan, 29, from Albion in Melbourne's west, threatened nine separate victims from two families he barely knew, between October and December 2020.

He wrote violent threats on train stations and bus shelters at Roxburgh Park, Coolaroo, Lalor and Reservoir, and made abusive posters which he put up at a local shopping centre.

He also sent hundreds of Facebook messages under the name Reece Patton, threatening to cut his victims up with knives and chainsaws, and rape them with implements.

He allegedly messaged one victim when she was seven months' pregnant, saying: 'I am going to cut up your arms and your legs and slit your throat'.

Paul Ryan (not pictured) used a fake profile (not pictured) to stalk and threaten nine random people

Another victim, who was 14 at the time, received 400 sexually abusive and violent messages from Ryan, and photos he had taken of her at a train station.

Ryan deleted the messages straight after sending them, but his victims, who had already taken screenshots, took the evidence to police.

When police arrested him in December last year, they discovered a note in Ryan's backpack that was similar to the posters he'd made, along with a phone that was already signed in to his fake Facebook account.

He entered an early guilty plea on charges of stalking and criminal damage, and on Monday appeared in the Victorian County Court via videolink.

Ryan graffitied threats at multiple train stations and bus shelters targeted at his victims

Judge Gavan Meredith described the messages as vile and extreme and noted Ryan was sentenced on similar charges in 2016, but said his low intellect reduced his moral culpability.

Ryan has been sentenced to 12 months' jail, followed by a community corrections order.

But he has already served 340 days in jail waiting for sentencing, and could be free within weeks.

Judge Meredith reminded Ryan that while he may soon be eligible for release, a breach of his corrections order could see him re-sentenced to further jail time.
A Texas woman has been charged with murder after she fatally shot her neighbor for allegedly stealing her 'bouncy house.'

Nora Lee Lopez, 30, turned herself in to the Austin Police Department on Friday after police issued a warrant for her arrest for the murder of her 52-year-old neighbor James Traylor.

APD and Austin-Travis County EMS were called to the scene last Monday at 8:10 am after multiple shots were fired.

Authorities found a black man, later identified as Traylor, with multiple gunshot wounds at the scene and rushed him to Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas where he succumbed to his wounds, according to the police department.

Nora Lee Lopez has been charged with first degree murder for fatally shooting her neighbor

A witness told police the two got into a fight over the alleged theft of a 'bouncy house'

The Travis County Medical Examiner's office ruled James Traylor's death a homicide

The Travis County Medical Examiner's office conducted an autopsy and confirmed Traylor's cause of death as a homicide from multiple gunshots.

A witness told police that Lopez and Traylor got into a fight over the alleged theft of a 'bouncy house,' before she shot him multiple times and fled the scene.

An arrest warrant for first-degree murder was issued for Lopez until she eventually turned herself in.

'They sounded like, 'bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang,' Like that,' Henry, a neighbor, told KXAN.

Henry said he stayed in his house nearby and heard six shots.

'It's a rough neighborhood,' Henry said.

James 'Ducky' Traylor, 52, was shot dead by his neighbor in Austin, Texas on Monday morning

Neighbor, Henry, said he was not surprised the shooting occurred in the 'rough' neighborhood

Another neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, was also not surprised that a shooting occurred in the 'rough' neighborhood. He said there were children around when Lopez fired the shots.

'I don't want them around gunshots, none of that,' the neighbor said.

'I don't want to see the world like this, I don't want to see people keep dying,' he added. 'They're doing things with guns that they can't change. It's going to live with them for the rest of their life.'

Traylor's death was Austin's 77th homicide of 2021. Homicides in the city jumped 64 percent from the first six months on 2019 to the same time period in 2020, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The rise of crime follows a national trend as homicides increased 30 percent around the country, the largest single-year increase the FBI has recorded since it began tracking crimes back in the 1960s.
A burglar took advantage of a deadly fire that raged through a Bronx building and stole $15,000 worth of goods from an apartment.

On Friday, a fire burned through the Mitchel Houses in the Bronx, which ended up killing 6-year-old Aiden Hayward and hospitalizing his 32-year-old father in critical condition, ABC7news.com reported.

A crook took advantage of residents of the NYCHA building's misfortunes and stole around $15,000 in items from Alberto Revilla's 20th-floor apartment while he was on his way to spend the night in a hotel.

On Friday a fire burned through the Mitchel Houses in the Bronx, which ended up killing 6-year-old Aiden Hayward and hospitalizing his 32-year-old father

A crook took advantage of residents of the NYCHA building's misfortunes and stole around $15,000 in items from Alberto Revilla's 20th floor apartment

Revilla told the New York Post he witnessed the robbery unfold through his cellphone as security cameras he set up in his apartment showed the heartless crime unfold.

'I was around the corner on my way to the hotel when I saw it on my phone,' Revilla said.

'I showed it to the officers, I showed them the live feed. I said, ''Let's go, let's go now.'' They hesitated. They said it was impossible because there were officers on the floor but there wasn't.'

By the time officers did reach his apartment the thief was long gone.

Investigators are still determining the cause of the fire, but residents have blamed the blaze on a broken trash compactor that looked to have been ripped out of the wall

The door to Revilla's apartment was left open after firefighters busted the lock during the fire, allowing for the thousands of dollars of his belongings

The door to Revilla's apartment was left open after firefighters busted the lock during the fire, allowing for the thousands of dollars of his belongings, including wedding rings and electronics, to be taken, the Post reported.

'This is disgraceful,' he added. 'How is that possible? We don't know what to do.'

Revilla also tragically lost his two in a half year-old mixed Maltese named Loki in the blaze.

'I lost my dog, I lost my valuables, I lost my apartment  everything that makes up my family,' Revilla said.

The young boy who lost his life lived one floor below Revilla and died at a local hospital after suffering from smoke inhalation.

Revilla was not the only person targeted, police say other 911 calls came in after residents cleared the building.

'After the fire, someone went in and burglarized the place,' a police source told the Post. 'Nothing like having your house burned out and then your stuff stolen.'

Investigators are still determining the cause of the fire, but residents have blamed the blaze on a broken trash compactor that looked to have been ripped out of the wall, the Post reported.

Residents of the building are disgusted that someone could take advantage of such a horrible situation for their own gain.

'People just died now, and you're robbing people,' 61-year-old Coleen McCourt told the post. 'You've got no morals. You don't give a crap about nobody.'
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Love-sick couples who have been separated for months on end were reunited on Monday at airports across America as COVID travel restrictions for international travelers finally lifted after 20 months.

The first flights were BA Flight 001 carrying 331 passengers and Virgin Atlantic Flight VS3 carrying another 350 arrived at JFK in New York City shortly after 11am at Terminals 4 and 7 from London's Heathrow.

An Air France flight from Paris arrived at JFK at around 10.30am and others from Mumbai and Delhi flew in to Newark, reuniting couples who have not seen each other for nearly two years. As they landed, hundreds more were checking in at KLM and Lufthansa desks at airports in Munich and Amsterdam.

At Newark Airport in New Jersey, Dutch entrepreneur Mark Ogertsehnig, 45, lifted his fiancee, 40-year-old mother-of-two Natalia Abrahao off the ground as they embraced. He proposed during a trip to the US on March 12, 2020 - the day the borders closed - then their romance was thrown into chaos; he couldn't get in from Europe, and Brazilian-born Natalia couldn't leave the country while her green-card application was in process.

After they reunited today, Mark told DailyMail.com: 'I am the happiest man in America!'

Lai Wi, 31, drove from Charlottesville, Virginia, to collect his wife Hui Ling after she arrived on a plane from Shanghai. They had not seen each other for two years until today because her work permit was being processed.

Others flew in from Germany and India, meeting grandchildren for the first time and reuniting with their expat kids.

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Dutch entrepreneur Mark Ogertsehnig lifts up his fiancee Natalia Abrahao at Newark Airport on Monday morning after flying in from Amsterdam on the first tourist flight. The couple got engaged last March but have not been able to be together full-time. Natalia is originally Brazilian and her green-card application had been submitted when the ban hit, meaning she couldn't leave the country to visit Mark in Europe or her parents in Brazil, and the ban kept him out.

Paul Campbell (L) who has not seen his fiancee Patricia Bittag (R) of Hamburg, Germany for over 23 months, embraces HER on her arrival outside the US Customs and Border Protection gate at Boston's Logan International Airport, in Boston

Lai Wi, 31, and his wife, Hui Ling, have been married for the last three years. However, theyve gone two years without seeing one another due to travel restrictions imposed by the pandemic. Huiling travelled from Shanghai and Wi drove from Charlottesville, Virginia, to collect her. As he waited for her at Terminal 1 at JFK, he told DailyMail.com: 'Im holding my tears back while waiting for my wife. I drove all the way from Charlottesville to pick her up.

MaKensi Kastl kisses her boyfriend, Thierry Coudassot, after he arrived from France at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J., Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. The couple has not seen one another in person for over a year due to pandemic travel restrictions

Waiting for her man: Kastl held a sign in French that translated to: 'Once upon a time, a handsome, tall and strong knight named Thierry came to the United States on a horse named LH79 to claim his princess. The two hadn't seen each other for 22 months and now, she was waiting impatiently for him'

Jolly Dave, right, makes a phone call after arriving from India and being reunited with her boyfriend, Nirmit Shelat, at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J., Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. The couple has not been able to see one another for nine months due to pandemic travel restrictions

'THE HAPPIEST MAN IN AMERICA!' DUTCH BUSINESSMAN, 45, WHO PROPOSED ON THE DAY THE BORDERS CLOSED FINALLY RETURNS TO SEE HIS FIANCEE AND NEW STEPKIDS Among those who were the first arrivals at Newark Airport in New Jersey on Monday morning was 45-year-old Dutch entrepreneur Mark Ogertsehnig, who proposed to 40-year-old fiancee Natalia Abrahao on March 12 2020 the day the borders closed, and hasn't been able to be with her properly ever since. The pair were photographed embracing at the airport on Monday after he touched down at Newark from Amsterdam on a packed flight full of parents, boyfriends, girlfriends, fiancees and friends, eager to return to their loved ones in the US. Speaking to DailyMail.com afterwards, Mark revealed how he and Natalia first met 10 years ago as colleagues then reunited after the breakdown of their previous relationships. They reconciled three years ago but by then, she'd moved from Brazil to New Jersey with her two daughters and was applying for a green card. He was still in the Netherlands. Dutch entrepreneur Mark Ogertsehnig lifts up his fiancee Natalia Abrahao at Newark Airport on Monday morning after flying in from Amsterdam on the first tourist flight. The couple got engaged last March but have not been able to be together full-time. Natalia is originally Brazilian and her green-card application had been submitted when the ban hit, meaning she couldn't leave the country to visit Mark in Europe or her parents in Brazil 'We were back in touch and thought why don't we go for a drink, but she was living in New York. We met and it sparked again,' Mark said during an interview on Monday. The pair committed to a long distance relationship that involved Mark flying over as much as he could. During a trip to Miami in March 2020, he proposed and she accepted. The day he popped the question was March 12 - the same day President Trump closed the borders and the world went into a meltdown. Mark was stuck in New Jersey for five months initially, scared to fly to the Netherlands because of COVID but separated from his parents and business. 'We flew back to New Jersey, Mark was stuck here because all of the flights to the Netherlands weren't going out. He was stuck here with me for five months. He couldn't go back, then he finally flew back to the Netherlands. 'We hoped it wouldn't last, but we got separated for 8 months,' Natalia, 40, said. Mark and Natalia on the night they were engaged, March 12, 2020, the day the borders closed. The pair were in Miami. Natalia had submitted a green card application for her and her two daughters when the borders closed, which meant she couldn't leave the country to visit Mark in Europe or anywhere else The pair were then separated until August this year, when he flew over for her 40th birthday, quarantining in Mexico for two weeks along the way - a luxury he says not everyone who has been separated has been able to enjoy. Natalia couldn't leave the US to visit him because her green card application was pending. It only came through last month - when Biden announced the restrictions were being lifted after 20 long months. Now, we have freedom 'Today, I am one of the happiest men in America, to be with my beautiful fiancee again and our children,' Mark said. The couple will now spend a week together in New Jersey before she leaves for a business trip. She will then fly to the Netherlands for Thanksgiving, and he will return to the US for Christmas. 'That's the beauty of this, now we have the freedom,' she said. 'Her kids are going to see my parents for the first time in real life after two years, it's crazy,' Mark added. He is excited for his parents in the Netherlands to meet his parents, their new step-grandparents. Natalia had not been able to return to Brazil to see her family or go to Europe to see Mark because her green card was pending until last month. Advertisement

Until now, the only people who have been able to enter the US from those countries are American citizens, green-card holders or those who obtained national interest exemptions.

Starting Monday, international travelers can visit the US again so long as they prove they are fully vaccinated and have a negative COVID-19 test.

The only exemptions to the vaccination requirement is for kids under 18, who also need a negative COVID test if they are aged over two, diplomats, US military personnel, people with medical exemptions and a small number from countries where the vaccine rate is less than 10 percent. Religious exemptions are not permitted.

Lai Wi, 31, and his wife, Huiling, have been married for the last three years. However, theyve gone two years without seeing one another due to travel restrictions imposed by the pandemic. Huiling travelled from Shanghai and Wi drove from Charlottesville, Virginia, to collect her.

As he waited for her at Terminal 1 at JFK, he told DailyMail.com: 'Im holding my tears back while waiting for my wife. I drove all the way from Charlottesville to pick her up.

We got married and then I moved here for my job and she couldnt come with me so we have not seen each other for the last two years.

The vast majority of those arriving today are expected to be British or European travelers, visiting family in the US for the first time.

British Airways has 26 flights to the US today alone, including six to JFK from Heathrow, bringing 8,600 passengers who were previously banned.

Virgin has 10 flights to the US from the UK today, carrying 4,500 people, and Delta is operating three from the UK to land at Detroit, Atlanta and JFK.

Among those waiting for the flights to come in at Terminal 7 was Louise Erebara, 52, who emigrated to the US from Manchester 34 years ago.

She and her kids have not seen her sister Jill Chambers, or her brother-in-law Mark, for nearly two years.

Jill and Mark traveled from Darwen, near Manchester, to London on Sunday. They spent the night at a hotel before boarding their plane at 8am at Heathrow.

Her 13-year-old daughter Demaine told DailyMail.com at the airport how excited she was to be reunited with her aunt and uncle.

Reunited at last: Relatives hug at JFK Terminal 7 on Monday morning after the first flight of unrestricted travelers arrived from London Heathrow, 20 months after the restrictions were put in place

Joy: Families reunite on Monday morning at JFK after 20 months of COVID restrictions. Those who arrived had to prove they were fully vaccinated and have a negative COVID-19 test

British Airways flight BA 001 and Virgin Atlantic flight VS take off in tandem from Heathrow on Monday as the first US bound flights from the UK carrying tourists since March 2020. The planes carry 331 passengers each and are expected to land at JFK shortly before 11am

Louise Erebara, 52, waits for her sister and brother-in-law from Darwen, near Manchester. She has lived in the US for 34 years but has been separated from her British family throughout the pandemic. Her sister Jill and brother-in-law Mark will stay with her for three-and-a-half weeks. She has not yet flown to the UK to visit them because her young son has not been vaccinated yet. 'You FaceTime, but it's not the same,' she told DailyMail.com on Monday

A man carrying a British passport arrives to applause at JFK on Monday morning on one of the first tourist flights from the UK

Five-year-old Bowie Erebara waits for his aunt and uncle to arrive at JFK on Monday from Heathrow. They have been separated for nearly two years by the travel ban that was finally lifted

Demaine Erebara and her younger brother wait for their aunt and uncle to arrive from London on Monday morning after two years apart

Jill Chambers (R) of Manchester, England is reunited with her sister Louise as passengers arrive from the first British Airways flight to arrive since the U.S. lifted pandemic travel restrictions on November 08, 2021 in New York City

Bhavna Patel reunites with her son, Kushal, daughter-in-law Anisha (left) and meets for the first time her grandson, Kai. Kai, Kushal and Anisha live in America whereas Bhavna lives in the UK with her daughter Bindiya (right) . They flew over on the first BA flight on Monday and told DailyMail.com at the arrivals hall how happy they were to be together again. 'Weve been trying to get my mother here from London after a year of FaceTime, sending pictures of Kai. This is a breath of fresh air for all us, especially that we all normally see each other 2-3 times per year. My mother had yet to meet my son, Kai, until today and it feels so good to her again too. Shes going to be here for the next 10 days along with my sister,' Kushal said

Kushal Patel and wife Anisha and son Kai and sister Bindiya and mother Bhavna. Kushal lives in the US and hasn't been home for a year and half

'You FaceTime but its not the same,' she said, eagerly clutching a Union Jack flag in her hand and a sign in the other for her younger brother to hold up.

'Its all so overwhelming and emotional... it feels as if we've won the lottery,' Louise said.

They have not gone to visit the couple in the UK because Louise's five-year-old son Bowie remains unvaccinated, and they do not wish to travel internationally until he has received the shot.

Kushal Patel was waiting patiently for his elderly mother Bhavna and sister Bindiya to arrive on the BA flight.

The family were last together in 2018, before his son Kai was born.

He told DailyMail.com: 'Weve been trying to get my mother here from London after a year of FaceTime, sending pictures of Kai.

This is a breath of fresh air for all us, especially that we all normally see each other 2-3 times per year

My mother had yet to meet my son, Kai, until today and it feels so good to her again too. Shes going to be here for the next 10 days along with my sister.'

The travel ban lifting does not just reunite families and friends again - it will start to fill a $300billion hole that was left in the economy when international travel came to a grinding halt.

'After nearly two years of restrictions, Monday begins in earnest the return of international travel, when long-separated families and friends can safely reunite, travelers can explore this amazing country, and the U.S. is able to reconnect with the global community.

Til Wagenaar greets her son, Joost Wagenaar, after she flew from the Netherlands at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J., Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. Til has not been to see her son in two years, and this trip will be the first time she can meet her 1-year-old grandchild

GERMANY: Timothy Liston, US Consul General in Munich smiles with a Lufthansa Crew in traditional Bavarian costume next to her Airbus A 350-900 prior to a Lufthansa flight bound non-stop for Miami at Munich Airport

Jill and Stephen Brownbill react as they meet their newly born grandson Rocco while arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport

'It is a monumental day for travelers, for the communities and businesses that rely on international visitation, and for the U.S. economy overall,' said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow.

The countries that were banned account for just 17 percent of the world but a huge 53 percent of US tourism in 2019.

It will take until 2024 for travel income to return to what it was. Over 1million jobs were lost as a result of the travel ban, including those at airports and among airlines.

In 2019, 371,912 international travelers were processed by Customs and Border Patrol agents on an average day.

That number fell to 169,842 in 2020.

It's unclear how many CBP agents and TSA agents will now be brought back to work as a result of the ban being lifted.

A spokesman told DailyMail.com that there are 25,000 spread across the whole country's ports and airports.

They wouldn't say how many were at each port or airport, or how the numbers had changed over the last two years.

Passengers arrive at JFK from Heathrow on board Virgin Flight VS3. It is the first tourist flight from the UK to arrive in 20 months

Allison patiently waits for her in-laws to come off the London Heathrow flight Her in-laws are from Somerset, England and had not been allowed to visit in 20 months

A family from Wales arrives at JFK on Monday morning after taking Virgin Atlantic Flight VS3 from Heathrow on Monday morning

British Airways put balloons in the terminal and New York City street signs to welcome tourists back after 20 long months

THE NEW TRAVEL RULES - WHO CAN COME TO AMERICA AND WHAT MUST THEY PROVE Travelers from any country are permitted entry to the US if they are; 1) Fully vaccinated 2) Have a negative COVID-19 test taken within 3 days of arriving in the US Which vaccines are recognized? Johnson & Johnson Pfizer Moderna AstraZeneca Covaxin Covishield BIBP/Sinopharm Sinovac Who is exempt from having to be vaccinated? Children Under-18 children o not need to be vaccinated but those over the age of two must have a negative test taken within 3 days of arrival Kids under the age of two do not need to be vaccinated or have a negative test Exempted countries A limited number of travelers from countries where vaccination is less than 10 percent can enter but they have to get vaccinated if they're still in America within 60 days The countries include; Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria, Armenia, Myanmar, Iraq, Nicaragua, Senegal, Uganda, Libya, Ethiopia, Zambia, Congo, Kenya, Yemen, Haiti, Chad and Madagascar Medical exemptions Diplomats People in COVID-19 vaccine trials Those with National Interest Exemptions * Religious exemptions are NOT accepted * Advertisement

The land border from Mexico, which remained closed while air travel was allowed, is now reopen, and there are snaking lines of trucks and cars at it already.

Canadian travelers can now drive across the border too for the first time but they must return home with a negative COVID-19 test.

Travel across land borders from Canada and Mexico has been largely restricted to workers whose jobs are deemed essential after Donald Trump imposed the ban in March 2020 as Covid-19 spread around the world.

At the San Ysidro crossing port at Tijuana, Mexico, street vendors were taking food to drivers stuck in the line-ups overnight as thousands of Mexicans, many of them separated from their families for months, are set to pour across the frontier today.

The astonishing backup of cars and trucks comes amid the worst migrant crisis at the southern border since 1986 with more than 1.7 million illegal entrants into the US between October last year and September 2021.

Illegal crossings began skyrocketing in the months after President Joe Biden was inaugurated, with his administration accused of encouraging a humanitarian catastrophe after breaking from Trump's tough border policy.

At Niagara Falls, there was a trail of cars and RVs stretching across the Rainbow Bridge as Canadians head over from Ontario to New York state for some long-awaited American tourism.

The long lines to get into the US from Mexico come amid a continuing crisis at the border, as the number of migrants arrested at the southern border in the 2021 fiscal year is the highest since 1986, new Customs and Border Protection data shows.

The data, which is still unpublished but was obtained by The Washington Post, shows that border authorities detained more than 1.7 million migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border between October 2020 through September 2021.

The data is expected to be released publicly late this week.

Illegal crossings began skyrocketing in the months after President Joe Biden was inaugurated  and while the administration initially tried to blame Trump's policies for the increase, migrants have repeatedly said they made the trek to the U.S. with the belief the new administration would allow them to stay.

'They weren't wrong,' North Carolina Representative Dan Bishop tweeted of migrants' assumptions about being able to stay in the U.S. illegally under Biden's leadership.

Another pull, migrants said, was the labor shortages in the U.S. exhibiting to them a need for workers.

In another dismissal of the growing crisis, Biden described the rise in spring 2021 as consistent with seasonal norms. That, however, did not remain true as the highest-levels of illegal crossings came during the hottest months of the year, July and August.

More than 200,000 migrants were taken into CBP custody each month.

Biden's team has continued to dismiss the crisis at the southern border, refusing to call it just that  a crisis  even as humanitarian issues emerged with overflowing holding and processing centers that reportedly served undercooked or spoiled food to unaccompanied minor migrants, as well as limited outdoor time and shower use.

TEXAS: Oralia Perez sees her mother Lorena Hernandez and sister Guadalupe Perez for the first time since March 2020, after the U.S. reopens its border for people from Mexico

Cars wait in line at the San Ysidro Port of Entry as the Mexico-US border reopens in Tijuana, Mexico November 8, 2021

MEXICO: Isabel Gonzalez, 63, (third from left) a Tijuana resident and one of the firsts non essential travelers to cross to the United States, queue at San Ysidro crossing port on the Mexico-United States border in Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, on November 7, 2021

MIDNIGHT AT MEXICO BORDER: Monica Lozano (c) hugs her sister and niece after the U.S. reopens its border in El Paso, Texas

CANADA: People stand by a border-crossing point, as the U.S. reopens air and land borders to fully vaccinated travellers for the first time since restrictions were imposed, in Niagara Falls, New York, U.S. November 8, 2021

CANADA: Cars line up at a checkpoint after crossing the Peace Bridge from Canada to the United States on Monday, Nov. 8, 2021, in Buffalo, N.Y.

The US is bracing for a flood of vaccinated international visitors from all countries after COVID-19 travel restrictions are lifted on Monday - but tourists should expect to be turned away if the were inoculated with a shot of the Russia or China versions.

Foreign travelers are being warned of long lines and crammed conditions as US airports expect a swell of tourists who haven't been allowed to visit since the pandemic lockdowns began in March 2020.

'It's going to be a bit sloppy at first,' Delta Air Lines Chief Executive Ed Bastian warned.

'I can assure you, there will be lines unfortunately,' Bastian said, adding that 'we'll get it sorted out.'

Incoming visitors must also have received a vaccine that was approved by the FDA or WHO - which excludes shots such as the Sputnik V from Russia or the CanSino from China.

In terms of travel conditions, airlines such as United are expecting about 50 percent more total international inbound passengers on Monday as compared with the week before.

MEXICO: Long lines at the United States-Mexico border as travel for vaccinated, non-essential workers returns

CANADA: A line of Canadian travelers in their cars or motor homes, stretches across the Rainbow Bridge between Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls New York, on Sunday night

MEXICO: Cars lining-up to cross the border at San Ysidro crossing port on the Mexico-United States border in Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, on Sunday night

MEXICO: The Biden administration warned of long lines and told travelers to have their paperwork ready at the border

MEXICO: Travel across land borders from Canada and Mexico has been largely restricted to workers whose jobs are deemed essential for the past 20 months due to the pandemic

MEXICO: Customs and Border Protection also urged people traveling for non-essential reasons to avoid crossing at peak times

MEXICO: Cars lining-up to cross the border at San Ysidro crossing port on the Mexico-United States border in Tijuana

Delta also said it has seen a 450 percent increase in international point-of-sale bookings, compared to the six weeks prior to the announcement that the US was reopening.

'As we expect high demand when the US lifts its existing air and land travel restrictions Monday, we are taking critical steps to be prepared by providing additional resources,' White House spokesman Kevin Munoz said on Twitter.

For passengers, the lifted restrictions will allow them to visit family members, friends, and loved ones who they have been apart from since the start of the pandemic.

Bhavna Patel is booked on a Monday flight from London to New York to see her first grandchild after watching him grow up on FaceTime for more than a year.

Another passenger, Anna Zwing, 28, is flying from Frankfurt to Chicago to see her boyfriend for the first time in over two years.

'My boyfriend and I are super excited and are counting down the hours til we're finally reunited again!' Zwing said in an email, according to CNN. 'He keeps telling me that he can barely sleep out of excitement.

CANADA: A pedestrian walks past a line of Canadian travelers in their passenger cars or motor homes on the Rainbow Bridge between Niagara Falls, Ontario and Niagara Falls, New York in the early hours of Monday

CANADA: Canadian cars stretch across the Rainbow Bridge between Niagara Falls, Ontario and Niagara Falls, New York

CANADA: Cars wait to cross the US border on Sunday night ahead of Biden's announcement on Monday

Janet Simoni, of London, Ontario, embraces her husband her husband Lincoln at his home after the U.S. reopened its land borders to fully vaccinated travellers for the first time since coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions were imposed, in Keego Harbor, Michigan

CANADA: Canadian travelers wait in line to cross the border into the United States across the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, Ontario

'For me it's still so surreal that it's actually about to happen! So I'll believe it when I land in Chicago.'

The rules have barred most non-U.S. citizens who within the prior 14 days have been in 33 countries -- the 26 Schengen countries in Europe without border controls, China, India, South Africa, Iran, Brazil, Britain and Ireland.

Trade group U.S. Travel said the countries accounted for 53 per cent of all overseas visitors to the United States in 2019 and border communities were hit hard by the loss of tourists crossing from Mexico and Canada.

The group estimates declines in international visitation 'resulted in nearly $300 billion in lost export income' since March 2020.

U.S. airlines are boosting flights to Europe and other destinations that were impacted by the restrictions.

Airlines are planning events on Monday with executives meeting some of the first flights.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and United Airlines President Brett Hart are holding an event at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport Monday to mark the reopening.

U.S. officials also are planning an Instagram live chat on Nov. 9 to help answer questions.

In fiscal year 2021, more than 1.7 million migrants were taken into U.S. custody, new numbers being released later this week reveal. Here a group of migrants are process by immigration officials after crossing illegally from Mexico into Roma, Texas on September 30

The total encounters in FY 2021 are the highest since 1986 and far surpass any migration numbers in the surge during Donald Trump's presidency

Haitian migrants wait on Tuesday to board a boat that will take them to Colombia as they trek from South America to the U.S.  in a sign the migration crisis will not cease any time soon

Foreign travelers are being warned of long lines and crammed airport conditions when they are finally allowed to visit the US on Monday

In addition to vaccinations, visitors must also provide proper documentation to enter into the US

Many international flights are expected to operate close to full or full on Monday, with high passenger volume throughout the following weeks.

Airlines will check vaccination documentation for international travelers as they currently do for COVID-19 test results.

At land border crossings, U.S. Customs and Border Protection will ask if travelers have been vaccinated and spot check some documentation.

Children under 18 are exempt from the new vaccine requirements.

Non-tourist travelers from nearly 50 countries with nationwide vaccination rates of less than 10 per cent will also be eligible for exemption.

Also Monday, new contact tracing rules will take effect requiring airlines to collect information from international air passengers if needed 'to follow up with travelers who have been exposed to COVID-19 variants or other pathogens.'

In addition, hopeful foreign travelers who have received the unapproved Sputnik V and CanSino shots are now pushing to get US-approved vaccines to gain access into the country.

The Sputnik V vaccine has been used in about 70 countries worldwide.

Both vaccines became one of the first registered for their respective countries during summer 2020 only months after the global COVID outbreak.

The WHO has yet to approve the Sputnik V vaccine for an emergency list using despite mass worldwide distribution.

A US Homeland Security Border Patrol agent on horseback patrols the area near where the US-Mexico border fence meets the Pacific Ocean in Imperial Beach, California on Sunday

Pedestrians and cars queue to cross the border at San Ysidro crossing port on the Mexico-United States border in Tijuana

A street vendor stands between cars queueing to cross the border at San Ysidro crossing port on the Mexico-United States border in Tijuana

US Homeland Security Border Patrol agents on horseback patrol the area near where the US-Mexico border fence meets the Pacific Ocean in Imperial Beach, California

'There are exactly zero reasons for such decisions,' Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the foreign relations committee in the Russian Duma said, according to Associated Press.

'The effectiveness and safety of the Sputnik V vaccine has been proven not only by specialists, but also by its practical application.'

Russia was added in the high-risk travel category this week by the CDC as a surge of cases have been reported. The country also only has a 34 per cent vaccination rate.

China has yet to ease travel restrictions, despite 75 per cent of the population being vaccinated.

Other Asian Pacific countries, however, have began the process of opening their borders to foreign travelers.
The hero police officer who led the team that stormed the home of Cleo Smith's alleged abductor has visited her mother ahead of a week of crucial interviews.

A smiling Detective Sergeant Cameron Blaine was pictured receiving a friendly send-off from Cleo's mother Ellie Smith from her Carnarvon home on Monday.

The top cop is currently preparing for a painstaking week of interviews with the brave four-year-old to learn more details of her 18-day ordeal.

He led the team that broke down the door of a duplex occupied by local man Terrence Darrell Kelly, 36, and allegedly found the little girl playing with toys.

Detective Senior Sergeant Cameron Blaine was seen visiting the home of Cleo Smith's mother Ellie (pictured) ahead of a week of crucial interviews with the little girl

Sergeant Blaine was welcomed by a flurry of photographers and reporters as he stepped off a police jet that flew in to the small town from Perth (pictured)

Det Sgnt Blaine was welcomed by a flurry of photographers and reporters as he stepped off a police jet that flew from Perth to the small town.

It comes just days after the top cop paid Cleo and her family a visit last Friday, just 48 hours after he led the team that liberated the little girl from her captivity.

He was dressed in a casual polo T-shirt and pants as he made a low-key visit to the property - his casual look a striking contrast to the suit and tie he wore on the night he helped rescue the four-year-old.

Police broke down the door and found the little girl alive as Detective Sergeant Cameron Blaine asked her three times to tell him her name.

He earlier opened up about the incredible moment she was rescued to reporters, which he has described as the 'best moment' of his career.

It comes just days after the hero detective paid Cleo and her family a visit last Friday, just 48 hours after he led the team that liberated the little girl from her captivity

He earlier opened up about the incredible moment she was rescued to reporters, which he has described as the 'best moment' of his career

'I just wanted to be absolutely sure that, it certainly looks like Cleo, I wanted to be sure it was her,' he said.

'I said, "what is your name?" She didn't answer, I asked three times and then she looked at me and said, "my name is Cleo." And that was it.

'Then we turned around and walked out of the house. Not long after that, we got into the car and the officer I was with called Cleo's parents and said ''we've got someone here that wants to speak to you''.

'It was a wonderful feeling to make that call. They were ecstatic.'

The top cop will spend a week in Carnarvon as officers from the Western Australian Police Force's child abuse squad conduct interviews with the four-year-old.

The detective was also seen visiting the dilapidated Tonkin Crescent home of Cleo's alleged abductor as officers organised bags of evidence outside the property.

Sergeant Blaine (pictured) will spend a week in Carnarvon as specialist police prepare to hold short 'conversational' sessions with Cleo to learn more details of her 18-day ordeal

The top cop was pictured receiving a friendly send-off from Cleo's mother Ellie Smith at her Carnarvon home on Monday (pictured)

He also visited the dilapidated Tonkin Crescent home of Cleo's alleged abductor as officers organised bags of evidence outside the property

Mr Kelly has since been charged with with kidnapping Cleo from a camping ground 75km north of Carnarvon on September 16 and remains in a Perth jail.

Specialist police have already begun delicately interviewing the brave four-year-old about the time she spent in the home in short 'conversational' sessions.

Daily Mail Australia understands detectives have restricted their chats with the four-year-old girl to no more than 20 minutes at a time to limit any further trauma.

A source familiar with the investigation said officers would be asking Cleo carefully worded, non-threatening questions such as what she liked and didn't like about her alleged abductor.

The interviewing style would be conversational, with breaks after 15 to 20 minutes. If there was any sign of tiredness or frustration from the child the interview would stop.

Police tasked with interviewing children of Cleo's age in criminal investigations often employed props such as colouring pencils during the process.

Cleo Smith and her mother Ellie Smith are pictured on Thursday just a day after her dramatic rescue from a run-down Carnarvon home

As he stepped on the plane, a charter Cessna 441, Terrence Darrell Kelly - who has been charged with the kidnapping of Cleo Smith - appeared to wink at photographers (pictured)

Senior Sergeant Blaine said last week that discussing the details of events could jeopardise the prosecution's case by diluting the accuracy of Cleo's information.

It's not always the case that people understand that, but we want to see a successful prosecution at the end of the day for the people who are responsible,' he said.

'We've given them advice around that, and that must be incredibly hard for them, so we appreciate their assistance and cooperation with that.'

Cleo was awake and 'playing with toys' when detectives broke down the door of Kelly's house, just after 1.30am on November 3.

Bodycam footage showed the brave little girl being carried out of the property with her hair clean and brushed and her pyjamas appearing freshly washed.

Uncovering what happened during the 18 days Cleo was away from her parents could take several weeks, according to sources.

Meanwhile, forensic officers spent all day Sunday combing through Kelly's house and gathering evidence for laboratory examination.

Meanwhile, forensic officers spent all day Sunday combing through Kelly's house and gathering evidence for laboratory examination

Two trailer-loads of evidence were bagged up and removed from the alleged abductor's home

Detectives broke down a locked door inside this home on Tonkin Crescent in Brockman, WA, where they found Cleo in a well lit room playing with toys

Two trailer-loads of evidence were bagged up and removed from the alleged abductor's home as forensic teams spent their fifth day combing through the property.

The top to bottom search of the roped-off housing commission property is likely to go on for several weeks as prosecutors build their case against Kelly.

Since his arrest, it's been revealed Kelly had an obsession with collecting dolls and boasted about his love for girls' toys on various social media pages.

Several photographs he posted showed Bratz and Disney princess dolls stacked in a room from floor to ceiling.

A tradie who worked on Kelly's house has told investigators the loner had a room decorated for a little girl, and had claimed he had a young daughter.

The man who was hired to paint the rented duplex was interviewed by police in the days following Kelly's arrest and said he had seen a room with doll-lined shelves.
Federal prosecutors have appealed the granting of bail to an author of a how-to book on waging terrorism who allegedly breached a post-sentence control order.

Belal Saadallah Khazaal finished a 12-year term in August 2020 for creating a 110-page terrorism advice book that included content on shooting down planes and assassinating former US president George W Bush and others.

The Sydney man, 51, was returned to custody on April 30, having been accused of thrice breaching his supervision order.

Belal Saadallah Khazaal (pictured) finished a 12-year term in prison in August 2020 and was released before being returned to custody on April 30 this year for allegedly breaching his supervision orders thrice

Noting the 'very substantial' wait Khazaal faced until trial and questions over the strength of the crown case for one offence, Justice Hament Dhanji granted Khazaal bail on Monday.

The NSW Supreme Court judge set a $400,000 surety and conditions that the accused man only leave his Greenacre home when with his wife and for specific reasons such as reporting to police.

But upon the decision, the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions told the court it will appeal the release decision.

An appeal is due to be heard in the coming weeks.

The man also known as Bilal Khazal is accused of trying to communicate with Ali al-Talebi, through his sister on March 30.

Al-Talebi, 31, is serving a minimum nine-year term for attempting to send thousands of dollars to Islamic State in 2014 and has spent time with Khazaal in Goulburn's supermax prison.

Two further breaches allegedly occurred when Khazaal drove his wife to the sister's home on April 10 and an envelope of about $4650 was transferred in the driveway.

Former US President George W. Bush (pictured) was one of the subjects of the 'do it yourself terrorism' book

Khazaal's wife says it was her decision to physically hand over her money to assist the sister, the court was told.

Painting a different picture, prosecutors presented transcripts of the trio's alleged conversation, in which Khazaal told the sister the money had 'nothing to do with you'.

'This is an agreement between me and him,' Khazaal is alleged to have said.

'That's proof of his intention to contravene the order, irrespective of whose money it was,' Lester Fernandez, for the CDPP, said.

The control order required Khazaal to tell federal police if he was involved in a money transfer exceeding $500.

Justice Dhanji said the crown case was reasonably strong and handwriting on the envelope suggested 'at least a very remarkable similarity' to Khazaal's.

The case was weaker for the March 30 allegation, he said, pointing to the defence argument that Khazaal had merely commented on the fact he'd congratulated the sister for wearing a hijab before al-Talebi had done so.

A stay of a bail decision under appeal is meant to expire after 72 hours, under commonwealth law.

However, on application by the CDPP, Justice Dhanji agreed to delay officially granting bail, allowing the appeal court more flexibility to hear the appeal.
Frightened New York City students are taking guns, tasers and pepper spray to school, prompting a surge in weapons seizures in the nation's largest education system as crime continues to plague the Big Apple.

Police have seized 787 weapons at city schools since July 1, an increase of 28 percent from the same time period in 2019 and 2018.

The students who were caught bringing weapons to school cited concerns over safety during their commutes as the city saw a surge in violent crime amid the pandemic.

'What we see happening with our young people is indicative of what's happening in the city as a whole,' Mark Rampersant, Education Department security director, told the Daily News.

'They don't feel safe as they transition through multiple communities traveling to school.'

According to data from the New York Police Department, 124 city residents under the age of 18 were shot - 21 fatally - in the first 10 months of the year. The previous year, 98 minors were shot, seven fatally, during the same time period.

'What the pandemic did is just turn up the temperature significantly; the result was just a pretty significant increase in violence,' Elise White, a researcher at the Center for Court Innovation, said after interviewing hundreds of youths about carrying guns.

A student at Adlai Stevenson High School in the Bronx was busted with a loaded .32-caliber weapon and a bag of marijuana on Oct. 20, 2021

In one case, authorities were alerted to a 14-year-old middle school student carrying a pink pistol in a backpack.

A student at Adlai Stevenson High School in the Bronx was caught brining a .32-caliber gun to school, along with a bag of marijuana.

According to experts, the weapons surge is likely the result of the internet making guns easily accessible.

'The internet has changed things,' David Caba, the program director at Bronx Rises Against Gun Violence, argued. 'You can purchase all these items online easily.'

The district has also seen a rise in the number of tasers and 'other weapons' brought to schools this year.

There have been 84 reports of tasers in schools, an increase from 12 a year in 2019 and 2018.

There were also 224 'other weapons' - which could include tasers, pepper spray, brass knuckles and more - brought to school in 2021, compares to 52 in 2019 and 86 in 2018.

Police (pictured in 2020) have seized 787 weapons at city schools since July 1, an increase of 28 percent from the same time period in 2019 and 2018

School safety agents discovered a gun at FDR High School in Brooklyn

A Brooklyn principal, who spoke to the news outlet on the basis of anonymity, said they had to reiterated to a pair of female students that pepper spray keychains were not permitted on school grounds.

'I was conflicted because I know this is a safety strategy. ... [They've] never used it in school, I don't think [they] would,' the principal said. 'But another student might pick it up and use it. We had to have that conversation.'

Officials also shared that several of the guns confiscated in schools this year were discovered due to reports made by concerned students.

'A lot of times, the kids will tell the security guards stuff. In most schools, I've seen the relationships the security guards have with the students,' a Bronx school social worker shared.

Other weapons were found by metal detectors.

However, despite the fact that the schools have systems in place to identify weapons, some parents are still concerned for their children's safety.

'Unacceptable. The school needs to have a better security system,' Sevika Singh Dhaliwal, whose freshman daughter attends Martin Van Buren High School in Queens, said.

According to David Caba (pictured), the program director at Bronx Rises Against Gun Violence, the weapons surge is likely the result of the internet making guns easily accessible

The students who were caught bringing weapons to school cited concerns over safety during their commutes. Experts allege students 'don't feel safe as they transition through multiple communities traveling to school' (Pictured: A .22-caliber pistol found in a student's backpack at Mott Haven Educational Campus in the Bronx)

Police recently flooded Dhaliwal's daughter's campus after a 17-year-old brought a gun to school in his bag.

Meanwhile, the New York Department of Education claims that their 'highest priority is keeping kids and communities safe.'

Department spokesperson Nathaniel Styer told the Daily News that through their partnership with NYPD, 'incidents in schools are down 16% this year.'

'Weapons have absolutely no place in our schools, and we work closely with our outstanding school safety agents and the NYPD every day to keep our schools safe by stopping dangerous items from entering our schools and ensuring the entire community is safe,' Styer explained.

The spike in weapons at schools comes as New York City grapples with an increase in visible, violent crime, including horrific subway and street attacks that have left residents terrified.

Crime in NYC is up 1.3 percent year-to-date compared to last year. Crime in October rose 11.2 percent compared to October 2020 as the mayor talks about a return to 'pre-pandemic levels'

According to the NYPD's latest monthly numbers, overall crime was up 11.2 percent last month compared with October 2020. Robbery was up by 15.8 percent and felony assault rose by 13.8 percent.

There was also a drop in murders last month to 37, compared with 41 in October 2020, a minor reduction of 9.8 percent.

However, both counts are higher than the number of citywide murders in October 2019 (29) and October 2018 (18).

Last week, Mayor Bill de Blasio, who will be replaced by the newly elected Eric Adams in January, said shootings are down in Queens and Staten Island compared to last year, and emphasized the decline in shootings in Brooklyn, which are down 20 percent from last year.

There have been 445 shootings in Brooklyn so far this year, down from 557 at this point in the year in 2020 but up significantly from 248 in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shootings, however, continue to climb in other parts of the city.
The world's most wanted woman, British 'White Widow' Samantha Lewthwaite, is feared to be fighting with jihadists in Yemen

The world's most wanted woman, British 'White Widow' Samantha Lewthwaite, is feared to be fighting with jihadists in Yemen.

The 37-year-old terrorist, who was married to one of the 7/7 suicide bombers and is accused of causing the deaths of 400 people, is believed to have travelled 200 miles from Africa to the Middle East in 2018.

She fled the UK for South Africa in 2009, later crossing into Tanzania in 2011 and then Kenya. Investigators later tracked her to Somalia, where she sheltered with al-Shabaab militants, before travelling around 200 miles across the Gulf of Aden to war-torn Yemen three years ago.

Though no intelligence on British mother Lewthwaite's exact location has been received for months, security sources now believe that she is caught up in the deadly chaos of Yemen's long-running civil war between government forces and Islamists.

One source told The Sun: 'Lewthwaite's last known location is Yemen.

'But trying to get intelligence there is as tough as in Syria when the IS regime was at its height. There's virtually no Western presence in Yemen because it's so dangerous. And in the absence of evidence to the contrary, it's assumed she's alive and being supported by extremists.'

Lewthwaite, originally of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, was the wife of 7/7 bomber Germaine Lindsay and is thought to be behind scores of suicide attacks across Africa and the Middle East.

The 37-year-old terrorist fled the UK for South Africa in 2009, later crossing into Tanzania in 2011 and then Kenya. Investigators later tracked her to Somalia, where she sheltered with al-Shabaab militants, before travelling around 200 miles across the Gulf of Aden to war-torn Yemen three years ago

Samantha Lewthwaite pictured with her husband, 7/7 bomber Germaine Lindsay

Interpol issued a Red Notice warrant for her arrest after she was linked to the 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Kenya, which left five Britons and 66 other people dead and injured around 200 others.

Security services believe her other atrocities include the slaughter of 148 people by gunmen at a university in 2015.

In Yemen, she is understood to have recruited female suicide bombers with bribes of 3,000. She is also thought to have sent male suicide bombers as young as 15, high on heroin, to their deaths.

London University graduate Lewthwaite reportedly altered her appearance through plastic surgery and piled on weight in a bid to remain unrecognised.

She has pledged to raise all of her four children, who have three different fathers, as jihadists.

As a teenager she was seduced by the teachings of extremist cleric Trevor Forrest, or Sheikh Abdullah el-Faisal, through whom she met Lindsay, who killed himself and 26 others in 2005.
Scott Morrison has blasted Mark McGowan's hardline border policy saying it's 'doing more harm than good'.

The Western Australian premier is refusing to open the state's borders to New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT an the rest of the world until 90 per cent of the population are vaccinated against Covid-19 - a milestone unlikely to happen until February next year.

The prime minister is furious the rouge Labor leader is not adhering to the National Plan which calls for states to do away with border closures once the jab rate hits 80 per cent.

'The modelling done by the Doherty Institute makes it very clear, and that was what was agreed in the National Plan, not just once but twice, and that is once you reach 80 per cent vaccination rates, then you're able to move forward,' Mr Morrison said on Monday.

'The advice we have from the Secretary of Treasury from Dr Kennedy is once you go over 80 per cent and you keep things locked down, you are doing more harm than good to your economy.

'You are actually putting a price on Australians, when you continue to put heavy restrictions on your economy, once you get 80 per cent vaccination rates.'

Scott Morrison (pictured) has blasted Mark McGowan's hardline border policy saying it's 'doing more harm than good'

The Western Australian premier is refusing to open the state's borders to New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT an the rest of the world until 90 per cent of the population are vaccinated against Covid-19 - a milestone unlikely to happen until February next year

Poll IS MARK MCGOWAN DOING THE RIGHT THING? Yes - he's keeping WA safe No - it's unsustainable IS MARK MCGOWAN DOING THE RIGHT THING? Yes - he's keeping WA safe 143 votes

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It comes as Flight Centre CEO Graham Turner revealed the company was looking to launch a legal challenge against the border closure.

They believe the WA premier's draconian stance may be in breach of section 92 of the Australian constitution.

Mr McGowan finally unveiled the state's roadmap out of the Covid-19 pandemic on Friday - becoming the last state in the country to do so.

Under the uber-cautious plan, interstate and international travellers will remain banned from entry until late January or early February.

All arrivals will have to be fully-vaccinated. They will have to receive a negative Covid test result 72 hours before boarding a plane to WA.

Then within 48 hours of entering, visitors will have to receive a second negative test result.

Foreign visitors won't have to quarantine if fully unvaccinated. Unvaccinated arrivals will still have to undergo two weeks of quarantine.

A transition date will be locked in once WA finally hits the 80 per cent double dose target, expected sometime in December.

'Once we set that date, it will be locked in,' Mr McGowan said.

'But if we don't, on that date, reach the 90 per cent double-dose vaccination, that means there will be further public health social measures put in place.

'That would mean restrictions on venues, on workplaces, restrictions when it comes to masks, all those sorts of things that we're desperately trying to avoid.'

At the moment 66 per cent of the population over 12 are fully vaccinated, according to government figures.

Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan (pictured on Friday) refuses to reopen the state's borders until 90 per cent of the state's population is fully vaccinated.

At the moment 66 per cent of the population over 12 are fully vaccinated, according to government figures

Mr McGowan hailed his own Safe Transition Plan as a 'world first' and unique.

'What's unique about our plan is that it's intended for border controls to ease at a point where there is no community transmission in Western Australia, combined with very, very high levels of vaccination,' he said.

'This puts us in the best possible position to transition with minimal impact on our health, our economy, and our way of life.'

He acknowledged there will be public backlash and disappointment over the plan that will leave thousands of families torn apart for a second consecutive Christmas.

'I acknowledge some people will be frustrated. They may not be able to be reunited with family from NSW or Victoria over Christmas,' Mr McGowan said.

'I know what that feels like. I won't be able to see my parents and my brother until the transition in late January or early February.'

'But as difficult as it is, it is for the right reasons. It's about following the health advice and keeping Western Australia safe.'

All interstate and international visitors must return a negative Covid test before departure and get tested again when they enter Western Australia

A host of public health and social measures will also be tightened and may be extended to capacity and density limits on businesses and venues and and rapid testing at workplaces, based on the last health advice.

Face masks will be mandatory in high risk indoor settings such as hospitals, aged care and on public transport.

Patrons who want to attend a nightclub, casino or large event will only be granted entry if they're doubled jabbed.

Entry to remote Indigenous communities will remain restricted and contact registers will still be used.

Travellers from NSW and Victoria remain banned from entering WA (pictured Perth Airport)

A host of public health and social measures will be tightened when WA's borders reopen. Pictured are cafe diners in Bunbury

Mr McGowan said the government would soon release health department modelling that showed there would be a significant reduction in cases, hospitalisations and deaths as a result of reopening at 90 per cent vaccination.

'The difference in easing border controls at 90 per cent rather than 80 per cent is 200 West Australian lives are saved,' he said.

'The differences are stark. They cannot be ignored, nor can the benefits.'

'Put simply, if we eased our borders earlier at 80 per cent, modelling suggests widespread community transmission would result in far more infections, hospitalisations and deaths.'

The government has not ruled out restricting intrastate travel between regions should vaccination rates to lag behind metropolitan regions.

Less than half of the population in the remote Pilbara region in the state's north have had one jab.

Intrastate travel between regions could be restricted if vaccination rates to lag behind in regional areas. Pictured is Perth's Cottesloe Beach

Western Australia is gearing up for a bumper weekend of vaccinations (hub pictured)

'Cutting off the Pilbara or any region, for that matter, is not something I want to do,' Mr McGowan said.

'But if that's what is required to protect the local community and local industries, then we will take that step based on the health advice at the time.

'The sooner you get vaccinated, the sooner the safe transition plan can kick in.'

The premier rejected criticism WA was acting against the national reopening plan, saying NSW and Victoria had 'ignored every agreement'.

'They've opened up internationally when the agreement was that that wouldn't happen,' he said.

'We don't have community spread, we don't have scores of people dying ... I'm not going to adhere to some set of rules that's going to result in 200 people dying.'
A woman who was furious over her 71-year-old mother's criticism of her drinking problem has been found guilty of her murder and sentenced to 23 years jail.

Natalie Maher, 48, had pleaded not guilty to murdering Veronica Corstorphine, whose body was discovered in her bed on October 29, 2019 more than 25 days after her murder.

But after retiring on Friday the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict on Monday in the Launceston Supreme Court.

Veronica Corstorphine (pictured), 71, was smothered in her Tasmanian residence with a jury finding her own daughter was responsible

Justice Robert Pearce sentenced Maher to 23 years in prison, backdated to November 7, 2019 - the date of her arrest.

She'll be eligible for parole after she's served 13 years.

'The deceased was a small and very slightly built person. You were younger and stronger,' Justice Pearce told her on Monday.

'I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that, by holding a cushion over her face for long enough for her to die, you intended to cause her death.'

He said the state forensic pathologist, Dr Donald Ritchie, explained in his evidence it would have taken between one and 10 minutes for death to result from smothering.

After killing her mother on the evening of October 3, 2019, Maher used her credit card to purchase air tickets and early on October 5 flew from Launceston to Perth.

Meantime, Justice Pearce said Maher had transferred all the funds in her mother's bank account, about $12,000, to her own account.

She then used the credit card again to advance $1000 cash to herself and left Tasmania with Ms Corstorphine's jewellery, computer tablet and mobile phone.

Natalie Maher, 48, was sentenced to 23 years in Tasmania's Supreme Court (pictured)

The judge said Maher's parents had separated when she was young and her relationship with your mother even then was difficult.

Maher had not lived with her mother since she was 16 but came from WA to live with her in Launceston two months before her death.

'You accepted her offer of help concerning your financial and personal circumstances, including issues with use of alcohol,' Justice Pearce said.

Her daughter also cleaned out Ms Corstorphine's (pictured) finances

'However, after you arrived, the long standing tensions in your relationship quickly re-emerged.

'I am satisfied that an escalation in your long held personal antagonism towards your mother was the primary motivation for the murder.'

Maher was angered by Ms Corstorphine's persistent complaints about her drinking and how she should change her life.

It came to a head a day or two before the murder, when Maher found messages on her mother's phone, sent to others complaining about Maher's behaviour.

After an argument at dinner on October 2, Justice Pearce said it was likely that further conflict occurred during the evening of October 3 which caused Maher to commit the crime 'through loss of self-control or passion, perhaps inflamed by consumption of alcohol'.

'The possibility of financial gain may have played a part, but I find that you took the opportunity following the murder to take the money,' he said.
A top defence strategy expert has said China is expanding its influence in southeast Asia and Australia needs to be more proactive in the security of the region.

Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Peter Jennings said Australia had a lot of consular catching up to do and should invest more in its diplomats and aid programs.

'We need to get over the Australian view that everything can be done on the smell of an oily rag,' he said.

A top defence strategist has warned Chinese President Xi Jinping is expanding his influence in southeast Asia (pictured in 2017)

'The more aggressive China gets (in the region), particularly around military basing, the more we have to do to push back and present an alternative.

'We have been way too relaxed about our position in southeast Asia, probably thinking that it is stronger than it really is, and we have been caught flat-footed with the volume of Chinese money.'

The US defence department's annual Chinese military power report last week flagged that China's armed forces have likely considered establishing military bases in Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia.

The Indo-Pacific has become a cooking pot of security concerns, especially around the expansion of Chinese influence and power across the region.

Foreign minister Marise Payne is on a tour of southeast Asia (pictured right) while Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured left) recently announced the AUKUS security deal with the UK and America

Foreign Minister Marise Payne, who landed in Malaysia on Friday, said Australia's relationships in the region were paramount to countering the 'unprecedented rate' of military build up.

Senator Payne co-chaired the annual foreign minister's meeting in Malaysia and met with the country's leaders to discuss health security, climate change challenges and access to vaccinations.

The foreign minister's trip includes visits to Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia to meet with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi in Jakarta to discuss security in the Indo-Pacific region.

The meeting in Indonesia comes after concerns were raised over how the government handled the announcement of its new trilateral security partnership with the US and UK.

Key allies, including Indonesia, were kept in the dark about the AUKUS alliance and Australia's plans to acquire nuclear-powered submarines until the last minute.

But the leaking of the alliance to the press the night before its official announcement in September sent ripples through diplomatic wires as some foreign officials found out about the major security shake-up online.

The Australian government announced a deal to acquire nuclear powered submarines from Britain and the United States (pictured: a British nuclear powered submarine)

Indonesia and Malaysia then raised concerns Australia could breach its nuclear non-proliferation obligations, an assertion which has been rejected by Australian officials.

China is trying to use the AUKUS announcement to rally southeast Asian nations against Australian and US interference, saying the acquisition of nuclear submarines would 'create risks of nuclear proliferation and undermine regional peace and stability'.

China's foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a briefing last week Australia's plan to acquire nuclear-powered submarines and its cooperation with the US as part of AUKUS had 'cold war undertones'.

The military power report revealed China continued to advance and expand its nuclear capabilities and could have up to 700 nuclear warheads by 2027 and 1000 by 2030.
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China has built mock-ups of US ships on what appears to be a military firing range, adding to fears that the country is gearing up for a confrontation with America.

Satellite images captured by Colorado-based satellite imagery company Maxar Technologies on Sunday show China has built targets shaped like a US Ford-class aircraft carrier and Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.

The mock-ups are located in Ruoqiang, in China's northwestern desert region of Xinjiang, on what US analysts believe is a military firing range - suggesting they will be used for target practice.

It comes amid a massive military build-up by Beijing that has seen it develop new nukes, battleships, jet fighters, tanks and missiles while massively expanding its armed forces as it takes an increasingly bullish stance on the world stage.

Beijing and Washington are currently at loggerheads over Taiwan - an island China has vowed to 'reunify' despite Biden saying he is willing to defend it - with tensions further growing in the South China Sea.

China has built mock-ups of US aircraft carriers (pictured) in the country's northwestern desert, possibly in preparation for future naval strikes

China has built a copy of a US naval aircraft carrier (pictured, the USS Gerald R. Ford), constructed in 2017 and then-America's first new aircraft carrier design for 40 years

Satellite images captured by Colorado-based satellite imagery company Maxar Technologies dated Sunday show China has built a mock-up of a US destroyed in Ruoqiang, Xinjiang

China has copied the US's guided-missile destroyer (pictured, the USS Arleigh Burke) amid an ongoing tensions between Beijing and Washington

That has led to fears that the world's two largest economic powerhouses are headed towards a direct confrontation.

The independent US Naval Institute said on its website that the mock-ups of US ships were part of a new target range developed by the People's Liberation Army.

Targets include at least one stationary aircraft carrier, two stationary destroyers, and one aircraft carrier attached to a rail and designed for moving target practice.

It was not clear from the images how many details had been included, although USNI said it had identified features on the destroyer including funnels and weapons systems which reveal it is designed to mimic the Arleigh Burke-class.

China's massive military upgrade has emphasised countering the US and other countries' naval forces.

That has included the development of land, sea and air-launched missiles to deny access and possibly sink opposing vessels, expressed most emphatically by the land-based DF-21D ballistic missile known as the 'carrier killer.'

Recent months have also seen a substantial increase in Chinese military flights just southwest of Taiwan, the self-governing island republic claimed by Beijing as its own territory and which it threatens to annex by force.

Washington provides Taiwan with much of its weaponry and US law requires that it ensures the island can defend itself and to treat threats to it as matters of 'grave concern.'

Beijing also tested a never-before-seen weapon this summer, which analysts believe could be a hypersonic nuclear missile.

The unknown craft was blasted in to space twice in July in August, circling the globe in low Earth orbit before being brought back down.

Observers believe it could be an updated and more-lethal version of an old Soviet nuclear weapon calls FOBS which is designed to evade missile defences.

China has acknowledged one of the tests, but insists the craft is deigned for civilian use and the 'peaceful' exploration of space.

Beijing has constructed a mobile target in Ruoqiang, Xinjiang, satellite images dated Sunday show

China has constructed at least one destroyer target amid ongoing tensions between Beijing and Washington over the South China Sea, Taiwan and military supremacy in the Indo-Pacific

The independent US Naval Institute said on its website that the mock-ups of US ships (pictured, a rail terminus and target storage) were part of a new target range developed by the People's Liberation Army

The images released by Maxar come amid growing concerns over the possibility of military conflict between China and the US, who are at odds over a litany of political and economic issues

The images released by Maxar come amid growing concerns over the possibility of military conflict between the world's two biggest economies, who are at odds over a litany of political and economic issues.

Most recently, the Pentagon this month issued a report saying China is expanding its nuclear force much faster than US officials predicted just a year ago.

That appears designed to enable Beijing to match or surpass US global power by midcentury, the nearly 200-page report said.

It added China 'continued its efforts to advance its overall development' in spite of challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

And said Beijing was able to steady its economic growth, strengthen its armed forces, and take a 'more assertive role in global affairs'.

Responding to the report, James Inhofe, a Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member, said the US was in 'the most endangered position our country has ever been in terms of what is demonstrating, clearly, what they have the capability of doing.'

Meanwhile Representative Mike Rogers, a ranking member of the House Armed Services committee, warned the US military needs to modernise to counter China.

He said the report included details that have 'been self-evident for some time - that China poses a real and imminent threat'.

'Kicking the can down the road for our own military modernisation is no longer an option,' he said.

General Mark Milley, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said: 'We're witnessing one of the largest shifts in global geo-strategic power the world has witnessed,

'They [China] are clearly challenging us regionally and their aspiration is to challenge the United States globally.'



US defence officials have said they are increasingly wary of China's intentions, largely with regard to the status of Taiwan.

'The PLA's evolving capabilities and concepts continue to strengthen [China's] ability to 'fight and win wars' against a 'strong enemy' - a likely euphemism for the United States,' the report said.

China's navy and coast guard are also boosting their numbers of vessels at a record pace, concentrating them in the South China Sea, the strategic waterway that China claims virtually in its entirety.

While the US Navy remains predominant, its resources are divided between the Indo-Pacific, the Persian Gulf, the Mediterranean and other regions where American interests lie.

China has been considered the US's top defence threat since 2018 and last month's test of a hypersonic weapon capable of partially orbiting Earth before reentering the atmosphere and gliding on a manoeuvrable path to its target has added to top US military leaders' concerns.

China is thought to have carried out two tests of a hypersonic orbital nuke - the first on July 27 and the second on August 13 this year. Observers believe the 'weapon' is an updated version of a Soviet concept called a 'Fractional Orbital Bombardment System', or FOBS

China launched the dummy weapon into space on board a Long March 2C rocket (pictured) during a test in mid-August which it did not disclose at the time and was only revealed at the weekend by security analysts assigned to work out its purpose

Beijing insisted it was testing a reusable space vehicle, not a missile, but the weapon system's design is meant to evade US missile defences.

General Milley 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 fed fears the United States had fallen behind technologically

He branded the test a telling sign of the 'broader picture' of China's military capabilities.

It comes after the discovery in July of two huge new missile silo bases under construction in remote desert regions of China.

Experts believe the first, near the city of Yumen, will eventually house 120 silos while the second, near the town of Hami, will house 110. A dozen more are under construction near Jilantai, with older sites also being upgraded.

Each silo can house a nuclear missile, with each missile capable of carrying up to 12 nuclear warheads if China upgrades all of them to carry its latest DF-41 rocket.

That means China's nuclear arsenal could theoretically expand to 875 warheads.

Pictured: China launches the Shenzhou-13 spacecraft on October 16, carried on the Long March-2F carrier rocket, to Chinese Tiangong space station

The construction of hundreds of silos also marks a major shift in the make-up of China's nuclear threat, which currently relies heavily on mobile road-based launchpads and nuclear-capable bombers. China also has four nuclear-armed submarines.

Beijing has used the new hardware to take a more aggressive stance in the Pacific: Imposing its rule on Hong Kong, menacing Taiwan, and laying claim to a number of uninhabited islands in the South China Sea which it has constructed military bases on top of.

It has also been pressing its claim to a number of other islands whose ownership is disputed, creating tensions with other regional powers such the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and others.

Similar disputes are underway in the East China Sea, around islands claimed by Japan.

General Milley said: 'Today [China] has capabilities in space and cyber, land, sea, air, undersea, and they are clearly challenging us regionally,

'So we have a case here of a country that is becoming extraordinarily powerful, that wants to revise the international order to their advantage.

'That's going to be a real challenge over the coming years. In the next 10, 20 years. That's going to be really significant for the United States.'
A terrorist inquiry was opened today after a knifeman shouting 'religious slogans' was shot and wounded after attacking three police officers in the French seaside resort of Cannes.

The attack happened shortly after 6am this morning when the man threatened staff outside the main Police Commissariat in the town 'in the name of the Prophet'.

The attacker was described by officers as an Algerian national aged 37, with no police record. Police said he was an immigrant to France who arrived from Algeria via Italy and 'wanted to kill a cop'.

It comes a week after another knifeman shouting 'Allahu Akbar' and 'France belongs to Islamic State' was shot at Saint-Lazare station in Paris.

A terrorist inquiry was opened today after an Algerian knifeman, 37, shouting 'religious slogans' pulled open the door of a police car and started stabbing officers

Forensic officers combed the scene of the stabbing near the police station in the French seaside resort town of Cannes for evidence after announcing they would open a terror probe

Officers stand guard at a security perimeter around the police station in Cannes after an attempted stabbing around 6am this morning

He was shot twice in the chest by security officers and rushed to hospital in serious condition. He was not previously known to security services.

Laurent Martin de Fremont, a local police union official, said of today's attack: The attacker got police to open their car window by saying he wanted information.

He then launched a ferocious attack, aiming for an officers chest. He was saved thanks to his bullet proof vest.

The officers clothes and vest were in a catastrophic state afterwards. This shows how determined the attacker was.

The bulletproof vest was torn apart down to the metal plate. In other words, were dealing with someone who wanted to kill a cop.

The attacker was from the Algerian port of Skikda, and entered France through Italy.

He obtained a residence permit in Italy and he came to France to commit his crime, said David Lisnard, the Mayor Cannes.

Laurent Martin de Fremont, a local police union official, said: The attacker got police to open their car window by saying he wanted information'

The attack took place around 6am this morning outside the main Police Commissariat in the French seaside resort of Cannes

A file photograph of the main Police Commissariat in the French seaside resort of Cannes

An investigating source added the assailant 'pulled open a car door and started stabbing. The driver of the car tried to pull away, while another on the back seat of the car opened fire, and the man was severely wounded.

'He had been shouting religious slogans referring to the Prophet throughout the attack. The knifeman is now in a critical condition in a hospital in Cannes.'

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted: 'A policeman from the Cannes was stabbed and wounded.

'The assailant was neutralised by his colleagues. I am going there immediately this morning and I give all my support to the National Police and to the town of Cannes.'

He later confirmed the stabbed officer was not injured because he was wearing a bulletproof vest.

Lisnard said: 'One of the officers responded with his gun.

'There are no deaths and the circumstances of the attack are being clarified.'

Both officials confirmed that specialist anti-terrorism magistrates were now leading the enquiry.

The attack in Cannes comes as worries over violent crime and terrorism feature among voters' main concerns, in the run-up to the 2022 French Presidential election.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted that a policeman was stabbed and wounded

David Lisnard, the mayor of Cannes, said one of the officers 'responded with his gun'

The shooting follows a series of bomb, gun and knife attacks carried out by Islamic State and Al Qaeda operatives in France, dating back to early 2015.

The deadliest single terrorist attack ever in the country came in November 2015 when 130 people were killed in Paris.

Suicide bombers pledging allegiance to ISIS targeted the Stade de France, cafes, restaurants and the Bataclan music venue, where 90 died.

Earlier in the year, two Paris-born gunmen linked to Al Qaeda broke into the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine, leaving 17 people dead inside and three outside.

In July 2016, 86 people were killed and more than 400 injured when a 19 tonne truck was deliberately driven into crowds on the seafront promenade at Nice, which is just 20 miles from Cannes.

The terrorist turned out to be a Tunisian immigrant who was shot dead by police.

During the same month, two Isis terrorists murdered an 86-year-old Catholic priest during a church service in Normandy.

And in October last year, three people were stabbed to death by a Tunisian immigrant in the Notre Dame basilica in Nice.

There have also been frequent knife attacks on the forces of law and order, leading to the deaths of serving police.

2015: Soldiers evacuate victims after the terror attack in Paris in November which saw suicide bombers target the Stade de France, cafes, restaurants and the Bataclan




Flustered Boris Johnson today claimed there is 'nothing more to say' about the Owen Paterson case and refused to apologise as he was monstered for ducking a Commons showdown.

The PM insisted he is unable to get back from a 'long-planned' visit to the North East in time for the Commons debate on his abortive bid to save his ally from lobbying punishment. No10 blamed the fact he is travelling by train - even though the

Mr Johnson repeatedly refused to apologise despite Tory fury at the bungled tactic, which ended with an humiliating No10 U-turn and Mr Paterson quitting.

'I don't think there is much more to be said about that particular case,' he told reporters in a scratchy interview during which he constantly tried to change the subject to Covid.

The blustering came as an Ipsos MORI poll for the Standard gave the latest indication that the party has taken a huge hit, even though ministers have dismissed the row as a 'storm in a teacup'.

Although much of the fieldwork was carried out before the dramatic vote last Wednesday, the Tories were down four points since September on 35 per cent.

Crucially that was below Labour, with Keir Starmer's party on 36 per cent support. It is the first time in a year that Labour has been ahead with the pollster.

Labour MP Catherin McKinnell was among those deriding Mr Johnson's inability to make the 300-mile trip from Hexham in time.

'As someone who travels regularly up & down the country from the North East to represent my constituents in Parliament (without ever using a private jet) that sounds like a very lame excuse to me - more like a PM avoiding scrutiny of the sleaze his Party & Government are mired in,' she tweeted.

The debate dodge has echoes of Mr Johnson's decision when Foreign Secretary to make a whistlestop visit to Afghanistan on the day of the crunch vote on expanding Heathrow Airport - something he might otherwise have needed to resign to oppose.

The premier has been left fighting on multiple fronts after he was accused of targeting standards commissioner Kathryn Stone following a series of clashes.

He could still face a Commons investigation into the funding of his 'Wallpapergate' renovation of the No11 residence.

And Mr Johnson has also refused to declare his recent 'freebie' holiday to Spain on the parliamentary register - instead unusually using the ministerial interests list, which meant he did not have to disclose the value of the gift.

Speaker Lindsay Hoyle is expected to lay down a marker about his determination to protect the integrity of parliament when he kicked off the debate later.

'Last week did not show our democracy in the best light. I hope today's debate will give Members the chance to express their views and help us move forward. I also hope MPs will consider their language to get the right message across,' he said in a statement.

Boris Johnson insisted he is unable to get back from a 'long-planned' visit to the North East in time for the Commons debate on his abortive bid to save his ally from lobbying punishment

Boris Johnson's (left) abortive bid to save ally Owen Paterson (right) from lobbying punishment will come under fresh fire in the Commons this afternoon

Sir Lindsay Hoyle is expected to lay down a marker about his determination to protect the integrity of parliament later

An Ipsos MORI poll for the Evening Standard today showed that the Tories have lost their lead and slipped behind Labour

It is the first time in around a year that the pollster has shown a lead for Labour

Settling old scores? PM's years of clashes with sleaze watchdog Kathryn Stone The debacle over the Owen Paterson report was far from the first time Boris Johnson has clashed with Commons standards commissioner Kathryn Stone. And their relationship is unlikely to get easier, as he could face another probe by the watchdog into the 'Wallpapergate' controversy over refurbishment of his grace-and-favour flat - as well as his refusal to declare his recent 'freebie' Marbella holiday on the parliamentary register . Ms Stone has previously castigated the Prime Minister over a lavish 15,000 Caribbean holiday funded by Tory donors. But he was saved from punishment - which could have included being the first serving premier to be suspended from the Commons, by MPs who overturned her ruling. She has also pulled him up over an 'over-casual attitude' to declaring his own personal financial interests to Parliament, including a six-figure stake in an English country mansion. Mr Johnson was dramatically cleared in the summer of breaking Commons rules over a 'freebie' trip to the millionaire's playground of Mustique with Carrie - despite Ms Stone condemning his behaviour and the 'unusual' arrangements. The cross-party Standards Committee found the PM had made an 'accurate and complete' declaration about the holiday in December 2019, saying it was a donation from Carphone Warehouse founder David Ross even though the couple did not stay in his villa. The committee - chaired by Labour MP Chris Bryant - overruled Ms Stone after she concluded that Mr Johnson did breach the Code of Conduct for MPs during a 15-month wrangle after initially failing to provide a full explanation, slamming him for 'not showing the accountability required of those in public life'. The report also suggested that the premier himself did not know exactly how the jaunt was being funded until after he arrived on Mustique and realised he was not staying in Mr Ross's own property. Ms Stone has revealed she will consider whether to launch an investigation into Mr Johnson's conduct when Tory donors initially part-funded the lavish overhaul of his residence above No11 Downing Street. A decision will be made once the ongoing Electoral Commission probe is complete. Mr Johnson is also facing a backlash over refusing to declare his recent holiday to Lord Goldsmith's luxury villa near Marbella on the Commons register. The decision to use the ministerial register, which means he does not have to disclose the value of the gift, could be a further flashpoint with Ms Stone. One Commons source told MailOnline that as the villa is owned by the Goldsmith family it cannot be treated solely as a gift from Lord Goldsmith - which could torpedo No10's arguments against putting it on the MP register. Advertisement

In the three-hour Commons debate this afternoon, MPs will call on Mr Johnson categorically to rule out a peerage for Mr Paterson and to launch an investigation into 600million of Covid contracts awarded to one of the firms he worked for.

But speaking to broadcasters on a visit to a hospital in Hexham, the PM confirmed he will not be there in person.

'What we've got to make sure is that we take all this very, very seriously and that we get it right,' he said.

'There's a debate today, unfortunately I can't be there because I had a long-standing engagement up here.'

The PM said opposition parties wanted to focus on 'a particular case, a particular MP who suffered a serious personal tragedy, and who's now resigned'.

He said: 'I don't think there's much more to be said about that particular case, I really don't, but what we do need to do is look also at the process, and that is what we were trying to do last week.'

He said he hoped there would be 'cross-party agreement on a way forward, including an appeals process'.

'I have the utmost respect for the Speaker and his general desire to produce a cross-party outcome, cross-party reform of the system, which is what we were trying to achieve last week,' he said.

No10 said the premier is travelling by train. Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Steve Barclay will reprepsent the government instead.

Reminded that Mr Johnson had flown back from the COP26 summit last week apparently in order to attend a social dinner, the spokesman said: 'I gave you the reason for that flight before.'

He added: 'We think the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, whose department is the lead on this area, is the right person to lead (the debate).'

Environment Secretary George Eustice inflamed Tory fury yesterday by claiming on Sky News that the row over Mr Paterson was a 'storm in a teacup'.

The minister's comments were branded 'unhelpful' and 'complete nonsense' in a sign of the anger on the Conservative Party benches.

Tory former minister Tobias Ellwood also underlined how serious the row was, telling the BBC: 'We should not deny that this was a dark week for British democracy.'

Ahead of today's debate, Keir Starmer called on Mr Johnson to 'answer, apologise and act' over the scandal. And to confirm that Mr Paterson won't be given a peerage.

He will push Mr Johnson to 'commit to a full, transparent investigation into the more than 600million of taxpayer money handed without competition or tender to Randox', one of the firms Mr Paterson worked for.

A Downing Street source last night said a peerage was 'not on the cards' for Mr Paterson, after Mr Eustice earlier insisted it was 'highly unlikely'.

And a close friend of Mr Paterson said a peerage had not been 'mentioned, offered or sought'. They insisted that he did not plan to apply for a Commons pass, even though he is eligible for one as a former MP.

Sent out to bat for the government this morning, Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said she thought Mr Johnson would merely watch the Commons debate on TV on while he worked in his office.

She also appeared to signal a truce in the campaign against Ms Stone, insisting she will remain in the key post.

Ms Trevelyan said she did not know for certain whether the PM would be there, but told Sky News: 'My opinion would be that no, he shouldn't be there, he will no doubt  as we all do  have the House of Commons on in his office as he's dealing with many, many other issues that only a Prime Minister that can deal with.

'He will get a briefing of the key issues raised by colleagues from across the House later on, I believe that the Leader and other ministers will be well placed to take the despatch box this afternoon.'

Ms Trevelyan said she had 'no doubt' Ms Stone will stay in her job - despite fellow Cabinet minister Kwasi Kwarteng suggesting last week she would have to quit.

She said Ms Stone was 'independently appointed', adding: 'She will continue to do her job and I'm (in) no doubt she will.'

She said: 'The Speaker of the House, I think, will be making a statement about considering how to mend the way the committee works, that Kathryn runs.

'I think that's the conversation that we need to have, because colleagues have for some time felt that the way the committee works doesn't have all the relevant protections and safeguards that it should have.

'We will continue to do that and I hope that Kathryn's situation will be eased, and that those aggressive voices will be removed from her environment.'

She added: 'I think Kathryn needs to be allowed to get on with her job.'

Ms Trevelyan suggested the issue of second jobs for MPs should be 'looked at again'.

She said: 'I think the question of whether MPs having jobs that involve lobbying, I think, perhaps should be looked at again.

'Across the board, I don't think we should have a removal of the ability to maintain or have a second job because it brings a richness to our role as Members of Parliament as well as the work we do day to day with our constituents.'

Ms Trevelyan said: 'Speaking as a woman who has also had terrible death threats, it is incredibly hard and we have to be very resilient these days, particularly as women in public life, and it is very hard and it is always unacceptable.

She added: 'I hope that, obviously, Kathryn has the support that she needs through this but this is something that comes at many women, we've heard Angela Rayner has been under attack  whether or not how she speaks her mind is her own choice, but it is always unacceptable for there to be death threats.

'Following the tragic, ghastly death of my colleague David Amess just a few weeks ago, we continue to know that we have to be incredibly resilient as politicians and people in public life.

'This is not how we want our country to be and we need to all work forward to make sure that the commentary is considered and carefully done, and that we can all do our jobs across the piste in an environment of safety.'

Meanwhile, the Commons standards committee has revealed it could conclude its own inquiry into the conduct rules and MPs' second jobs before Christmas - potentially recommending a ban on consultancy work.

Chairman Chris Bryant, a Labour MP, today claimed there had been an attempt to 'intimidate' Ms Stone and the government should have kept its 'grubby mitts' off the process.

Mr Paterson stepped down as an MP last week after ministers were forced to abandon efforts to save him.

Mr Johnson dropped a bid to prevent Mr Paterson being suspended from Parliament for lobbying on behalf of two firms which paid him more than 500,000.

He resigned hours later, saying he wanted to leave behind the 'cruel world of politics'.

It has emerged Mr Paterson, a former Cabinet minister, will be able to retain access to the Commons as he is entitled to apply for a so-called 'category X' pass for former parliamentarians.

Some 283 ex-MPs possess the cards which give them continued entry, including to Parliament's restaurants and bars, without being required to register their financial interests as sitting MPs and peers must. But they are barred from lobbying under Commons rules.

Current passholders include Sir Michael Fallon, the former defence secretary who is deputy chairman of an oil firm, Michael Dugher, a former Labour MP who is chief executive of the gambling industry body the Betting and Gaming Council, and Sir Nick Clegg, the former deputy prime minister who works at Facebook.
An 'anti-vaxxer' nurse who allegedly faked giving a 15-year-old a Covid jab has fronted court on Monday after being charged a fraud offense.

Christina Hartmann Benz, 51, is accused of sticking the needle in the teen's arm but not injecting the life-saving vaccine.

She was allegedly caught out when a doctor at the Victoria Park respiratory clinic in Perth became suspicious and asked to sit in on a jab.

Christina Hartmann Benz, 51 (pictured), is accused of sticking the needle in the teen's arm but not injecting the life-saving vaccine

The 'anti-vaxxer' nurse (pictured) allegedly faked giving a 15-year-old a Covid jab and has been charged with a fraud offense

The Perth Magistrates Court heard that up to 25 people allegedly requested Ms Hartmann Benz personally administer their dose behind closed doors after she started working at the clinic on November 2.

A doctor who thought something was wrong insisted on being in the room to oversee the registered nurse administering a jab.

The court was told she tried to obscure the doctor's view and threw the needle in the medical bin with the vaccine dose still inside, WA Today reported.

The doctor also accused her of falsifying medical documents surrounding the injections and fired her on the spot before calling police.

About 20 minutes later, after being contacted by Ms Hartmann Benz, the teen's father came back complaining his son was suffering side effects from the jab, the prosecutor said.

Ms Hartmann Benz spent the night in custody after police stormed her home at Byford home on Sunday and placed her in cuffs.

Ms Hartmann Benz (pictured) was allegedly caught out when a doctor at the Victoria Park respiratory clinic in Perth became suspicious and asked to sit in on jab

The doctor also accused her of falsifying medical documents surrounding the injections and fired her on the spot before calling police

'The amount of people coming to that clinic specifically looking for her shows premeditation at the higher end of the scale,' prosecutors said.

She was charged with gaining benefit by fraud and prosecutors strongly opposed bail fearing she would contact witnesses in an attempt to influence the case, the court heard.

There is also the possibility Ms Hartmann Benz could face further charges in relation to falsifying documents, according to prosecutors.

Defence barrister Roman Kan argued that given his client's clean record and combined with the strange nature of the case, Ms Hartmann Benz should be granted bail.

Ms Hartmann Benz has a large Sea Shepard tattoo on he let arm (pictured)

Ms Hartmann Benz (pictured) was charged with gaining benefit by fraud and prosecutors strongly opposed bail fearing she would contact witnesses in an attempt to influence the case, the court heard

Magistrate Jennifer Hawkins granted bail on strict conditions that Ms Hartmann Benz must not practice as a registered nurse or administer any Covid vaccinations.

She is also banned from contacting any patients or employees where she administered vaccines and is restricted from using social media.

The nurse also administered Covid jabs at Core Medical in Rockingham where her chiropractor husband, Gordon Benz, and her parents were both patients.

Ms Hartmann Benz has been linked to the anti-vaxxer platform Australian Vaccination Network, which spouts misinformation about safe and effective inoculations online.

She is due back in court next month.
A Russian FSB undercover agent who 'fell to his death' in Berlin may have been executed because his spymasters suspected he was cooperating with the West, it has been claimed.

Diplomat Kirill Zhalo, 35, was found lifeless on the pavement outside the Russian embassy in central Berlin at 7.20am on October 19 by German guards assigned to protect it.

Zhalo appeared to have fallen to his death from the upper floor of the building, German newspaper Der Spiegel said, as it broke news of the death on Friday.

But the diplomat's father Lt-General Alexei Zhalo is reportedly a senior FSB counter-intelligence service officer who has been linked to secret operations against opposition figures and journalists in Russia.

Now exiled Russian journalist Roman Dobrokhotov, exiled editor of The Insider, which made key revelations about the envoy's death, has claimed he was likely murdered.

Diplomat Kirill Zhalo, 3 (L), was found lifeless outside the Russian embassy in central Berlin at 7.20am on October 19 by German guards assigned to protect it. Zhalo was the son of Lt-General Alexei Zhalo (R), a senior FSB officer. Now, an exiled Russian journalist has claimed that Zhalo was likely murdered.

Kirill Zhalo (R) had diplomatic status and his death was therefore not investigated by German authorities. He is widely suspected to have been a Russian FSB agent undercover in Berlin

Zhalo was found dead outside the Russian embassy in Berlin (pictured) on October 19 but news of his death was not reported until two weeks later

Dobrokhotov voiced suspicions that Zhalo Jr had been involved in or knew about the alleged murder of Chechen commander Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, who was was shot twice in the head in Berlin's Kleiner Tiergarten park in August 2019.

Zhalo Jr had started his posting in Berlin two months before the alleged assassination, Dobrokhotov told Rain TV, and had 'arrived at the hottest moment in the preparation for the murder in June (2019)', while his father was also suspected of a link to the German assassination.

Zhalo Jr was 'an FSB officer himself, and the fact that he had a father involved in extrajudicial executions this makes his possible involvement in the Khangoshvili murder quite likely'.

Dobrokhotov surmised that as part of the investigation into the death of Khangoshvili - who was a wanted man in Moscow - it was plausible that he had been approached by German 'law enforcement agencies'.

Suspicion by the Russian special services that he was ready to cooperate 'was enough motive to try to kill him', claimed Dobrokhotov.

Alternative versions of an accidental fall from an embassy building, or suicide by the FSB operative, 'look like a complete absurdity' and are 'impossible to believe', he said.

No official cause for Zhalo's death has been given because the embassy refused an autopsy and German prosecutors have no powers to investigate because of Zhalo's diplomatic status.

Zhalo's body was repatriated to Russia the day after he was found on the pavement.

The Russian embassy has acknowledged Zhalo's death since the news became public, describing it as a 'tragic accident' and saying it will not comment further for 'ethical reasons.'

'All the procedures related to repatriating the diplomat's body back to the homeland were promptly settled with responsible German law-enforcement and medical authorities in accordance with current practices,' the embassy said in a statement.

It added that 'speculations which have appeared in a number of Western media' over the diplomat's death are 'absolutely incorrect'.

Guards found Zhalo's body outside the Russian embassy building (file image) at 7.20am and called medics, who were unable to revive him

Germany's foreign ministry also confirmed the death on Friday, but said it cannot give more information due to 'privacy reasons'.

Zhalo was identified by investigative websites Bellingcat and The Insider, which said he was the son of prominent FSB officer Lieutenant General Alexei Zhalo.

Zhalo Sr is head of the FSB's Office for the Protection of the Constitutional System, the sites said, which has been implicated in numerous assassination plots including the failed poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

The office was also linked to the failed poisoning of writer Dmitry Bykov in Russia 2019, and two failed poisonings of politician and writer Vladimir Kara-Murza in 2015 and 2017, also in Russia.

Zhalo Jr had served as Third Secretary to Russia's permanent representation to the United Nations in Vienna, and was based there from at least 2013 until 2019.

He then moved to Berlin in June 2019, two months before Khangoshvili was killed.

Zhalo Jr was officially working in Berlin as a diplomat, but German security services suspect he was actually an undercover spy.

Public records show the two Zhalos were previously registered at the same address in Moscow, and before that in Rostov-on-Don where the family hails from.

Google's data shows that Zhalo Jr was removed from the diplomatic list of the German Foreign Ministry between November 1 and 4, two weeks after he died.

There is no evidence that Zhalo Jr was involved in the planning or execution of Khangoshvili's murder.

No official cause of death has been given because the embassy, in central Berlin, refused an autopsy and German prosecutors have no authority to investigate

Another man, Vadim Krasikov, is currently in jail in Berlin accused of state-mandated murder over the shooting of Khangoshvili.

Evidence suggests Krasikov was in contact with FSB operatives in the run-up to Khangoshvili's death and may have received weapons training from them.

Among the FSB operatives that Krasikov is alleged to have met are agents with links to Zhalo Sr, though there is no evidence the two men met directly.

It is not the first time someone has fallen to their death from the Berlin embassy.

In 2003, a porter was found dead having apparently fallen from the window of his apartment building within the grounds.

It is also just the latest in a spate of deaths of Russians who have mysteriously fallen from buildings after criticising the government or local officials.

At least four doctors have mysteriously plunged from hospital windows during the Covid pandemic, some of them after criticising authorities for failing to provide enough support for patients.

The latest to die was dentist Darya Khorovskaya, 35, who fell to her death from the ninth floor of a Covid ward in St Petersburg last month.

It came four days after her mother - Professor Lina Khorovskaya, an expert in diagnostics - had died from Covid.

Father Oleg Khorovsky, 58, the head of a leading private dental hospital, had also died of the virus in September.
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Thugs last night hijacked a bus by forcing the driver and his passengers off before setting it ablaze in the latest violence to rip through Northern Ireland.

Four masked men boarded the double decker in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, at about 7.45pm and ordered the driver and passengers off.

The vehicle was then set alight on a loyalist estate on the outskirts of the capital Belfast. The charred remnants were still smouldering later on Sunday night as police in armoured vehicles monitored the scene.

Last Monday a bus was hijacked and burned in a loyalist area of Newtownards, Co Down, in an apparent protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol. It is not clear who was behind the latest attack.

Four masked men boarded the double decker in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, at about 7.45pm and ordered the driver and passengers off

The vehicle was then set alight on a loyalist estate on the outskirts of the capital Belfast. The charred remnants were still smouldering later on Sunday night as police in armoured vehicles monitored the scene

Disorder also broke out at a community interface in west Belfast twice last week as violence continues to rip across the country.

The fighting involving youths from the nationalist Springfield Road and loyalist Shankill Road saw police being attacked with missiles and fireworks on Wednesday and Friday night. Wednesday's disorder followed a protest against the protocol.

Condemning Sunday's hijacking, Stormont Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said the driver and passengers were safe after a 'terrifying experience'.

She said: 'It is disgraceful and disgusting that our public transport workers have been targeted for attack again, this time by masked men who ordered the driver and passengers off a bus this evening and then set fire to it.

'This is the fourth attack this year. Translink buses are public assets. Without them people can't get to and from work, or school, or hospital appointments.

'Our bus drivers are working class people who deserve to be safe in their jobs. People using public transport also deserve to feel safe and be able to go about their business without fear.

'The criminals behind these reckless and cowardly attacks have done nothing more than harm their local community, depriving them of a critical public service.

'It is another extreme act of self harm consistently rejected by the people of Northern Ireland.'

Disorder also broke out at a community interface in west Belfast twice last week as violence continues to rip across the country. Pictured: The bus in Newtownabbey

Condemning Sunday's hijacking, Stormont Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said the driver and passengers were safe after a 'terrifying experience'

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson branded the attack 'senseless'. He tweeted: 'Such criminal behaviour could lead to death or serious injury.

'This only harms local people and local communities. It serves no cause whatsoever. The ringleaders should step back. Change is brought about by politics not by burning buses.'

UUP leader Doug Beattie tweeted: 'This is utterly pathetic and it needs to stop. Those responsible do not represent the overwhelming majority who just want a peaceful society.'

Sinn Fein North Belfast MLA Gerry Kelly said: 'The hijacking and burning of a bus and threats to a driver in Rathcoole is dangerous, reckless and despicable.'

He said: 'There is absolutely no place in our society for this criminality and violence. We need to see clear condemnation from unionist leaders tonight of this violence and further attempts to stir up tensions.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson branded the attack 'senseless'. He tweeted: 'Such criminal behaviour could lead to death or serious injury'

UUP leader Doug Beattie tweeted: 'This is utterly pathetic and it needs to stop. Those responsible do not represent the overwhelming majority who just want a peaceful society'

A PSNI spokesman said: 'Police received a report of a hijacking incident in the Church Road area of Newtownabbey at around 7.45pm on Sunday evening'

'Words and actions are very important, and I would urge unionist leaders to end the provocative language and dishonesty around the protocol.

'People want calm and responsible leadership to reduce tensions and ensure there is no further escalation of violence on our streets.'

A PSNI spokesman said: 'Police received a report of a hijacking incident in the Church Road area of Newtownabbey at around 7.45pm on Sunday evening.

'It was reported that four men got onto the bus and ordered passengers off before the bus was then set alight.

'Church Road is currently closed and diversions are in place and police would ask members of the public to avoid the area.'
Italy has jailed 70 mobsters involved with the 'Ndrangheta organised crime group for up to 20 years in the largest mafia trial in more than three decades.

The convictions on Saturday represented an early blow to the powerful and feared syndicate in the first, crucial test of the trial that began in January.

Judge Claudio Paris read out verdicts and sentences against 91 defendants in the massive courtroom in the Calabrian city of Lamezia Terme, with 70 being sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and the remaining 21 acquitted.

Pictured: A view of the special courtroom playing host to the 'maxi trial' of the Ndrangheta organised crime syndicate, seen in January. On Saturday, Italy convicted 70 mobsters involved with the 'Ndrangheta in the largest mafia trial in more than three decades

The 'Ndrangheta syndicate is a sprawling criminal network believed to consist of around 150 families, with this trial targeting just one of those: The Mancuso family.

While 355 people have yet to be judged in proceedings that are expected to last two years or longer, those judged on Saturday had opted for a speedy trial.

That procedure, which took place behind closed doors, allowed them to have a third of their sentence shaved off if they were convicted.

Since January, a specially adapted courtroom has hosted the 'maxi trial' of hundreds of suspects affiliated with the 'Ndrangheta, the country's richest and most powerful mafia group.

Famed anti-mafia prosecutor Nicola Gratteri - whose efforts to defeat the 'Ndrangheta have caused him to live under police escort for more than 30 years - said the sentencing had gone 'very well'.

'Out of 91 defendants, there were 70 presumed innocent who were convicted,' Gratteri told Italian news agency AdnKronos, adding that those acquitted had been minor players.

Some of the group's most dangerous members received the maximum 20-year sentence requested by prosecutors.

Pictured: Famed anti-mafia prosecutor Nicola Gratteri seen in January arriving at the special court room. His efforts to defeat the 'Ndrangheta have caused him to live under police escort for more than 30 years. He said the sentencing on Saturday had gone 'very well'

They included Domenico Macri of the group's military wing; Pasquale Gallone, the right-hand man of alleged mob boss Luigi Mancuso, whose trial is still pending; and Gregorio Niglia, whose role included procuring weapons and extortion.

About a third of the group received sentences of a decade or more, while 21 individuals were acquitted, seven at the request of prosecutors, Gratteri said.

The 'Ndrangheta, which is entrenched in Italy's poorest region of Calabria in the toe of the peninsula's boot, has surpassed Sicily's Cosa Nostra in power and wealth. The group controls the bulk of cocaine flowing into Europe.

The biggest fish in the prosecution's case have opted for the more lengthy trial, namely Mancuso 'The Uncle', 67, considered the leader of the 'Ndrangheta families who dominated the Vibo Valentia province of Calabria, and ex-senator and lawyer Giancarlo Pittelli, 68, accused of being Mancuso's white-collar fixer.

Eight defendants in the fast-track trial faced a maximum of 20 years: of them, six received the full sentence.

They included Gallone, 62, who helped orchestrate his boss Mancuso's three years on the run beginning in 2014. Mancuso had only recently been released from prison after serving 19 years.

Pictured left: Alleged mob boss Luigi Mancuso of the The Mancuso crima family, and right: Ex-senator and lawyer Giancarlo Pittelli, who was allegedly Mancuso's white-collar fixer during his time as a senator

The 'Ndrangheta has approximately 150 families jockeying for position within the organisation. They are supported by at least 6,000 members and affiliates in Calabria, swelling to thousands worldwide, experts estimate.

Its reach is now international, with illegal gains reinvested in the legitimate economy.

And the 'Ndrangheta's ability to infiltrate nearly all segments of public administration back home in Calabria has allowed it to reap lucrative contracts and cement its power.

Charges in the case include association with mafia, attempted murder, money laundering, usury, drug-dealing, extortion and illegal weapons possession.

The maxi-trial is being held in a sprawling courtroom to accomodate the hundreds of lawyers involved and features over 900 prosecution witnesses and 58 state witnesses.

Eclipsing the current trial in size was Italy's legendary maxi-trial of 1986-1987 that dealt a major blow to Sicily's Cosa Nostra, with 338 people convicted.

Antimafia prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino were later assassinated by the mob.
This is the moment a determined bald eagle pulled a large fish from a lake but had to swim to get its hefty catch to dry land.

Footage captured on Lake Chippewa in Wisconsin shows the bird of prey, which typically has a wing span of 5-7 feet, paddling towards the shore while clutching a huge carp in its talons.

The bald eagle releases the fish onto the beach before tucking in.

The clip starts with the bird of prey swimming through the water using its powerful wings as its white head bobs up and down rhythmically. The amazed filmer shouts: 'Oh my god!'

The bald eagle pulls a large carp from Lake Chippewa in Wisconsin before eating its prey

The bird of prey swims towards the shore using its powerful wings while clutching a 20lb carp in its talons

Just moments later, the large carp is spotted in the eagle's enormous talons as the bird continues to drag its meal through the water.

As the eagle draws closer to the shore, the filmer says: 'Look at that big fish! See it?That is insane! It's still alive. Is it flapping? Oh my god!'

The filmer said: 'We were sitting in the living room with a view of the lake and noticed an eagle swimming towards our beach.

'At first, I thought it was hurt but then it swam to shore with a 20lb carp in its talons.

'It sat on the shore and ate the fish for a couple of hours and then came back in the morning and finished eating the carp. It was truly an amazing sight to see!'

Bald eagles, which typically weighs from 6-13lbs, can end up swimming after snatching a fish from a river or lake, because their feathers get waterlogged.

Eagle researcher Jim Watson from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said: 'Throughout the years I've seen them swim a lot of times and usually it's because they fly out and attempt to catch a fish in the water and maybe get waterlogged.'

The large bird draws closer to the shore and pulls the carp from the water using its talons

Following the clip, viewers shared their awe at seeing the bird of prey swimming through the water, with one calling the scenes 'amazing'.

One viewer wrote: 'He used his wings like arms to do a front stroke while dragging a fish through the water. Amazing.'

While another commented: 'Didn't even know eagles could swim.'

Another person added: 'And now I've officially seen that eagles can swim elegant and gracefully with their wings.'

The bald eagle sits by the shore with the fish before eating its freshly caught meal

Viewers shared their awe at seeing the bird of prey swimming through the water

The scene comes just weeks after a bald eagle managed to pluck a duck from the surface Dale Hollow Reservoir in Tennessee.

The bird had been flying about 30ft above the water when it swooped down and caught the duck.

After a few seconds, the powerful eagle flapped its wings and flew off with the doomed duck held in its talons.

The bald eagle stalks a flock of ducks on Dale Hollow Reservoir in Tennessee before swooping down and scooping up the duck

The bald eagle is found across regions in North America including Canada and Alaska,

It travels at around 30 mph in regular flight and can fly more than 30 miles in a day.

It can also soar more than 10,000ft high and can spot fish fish up to a mile away.

The creature forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle - the largest bird of prey in the UK, which was recently reintroduced after becoming extinct in the country 240 years ago.

Species pairs are anatomically and chemically similar, if not identical.

Despite its name, bald eagles are not actually bald and usually have white feathers on their head.

Their name comes from the old English word - piebald - which means 'white-headed' rather than hairless.

Despite being America's national symbol, bald eagles were facing extinction in the mid-twentieth-century.

However conservation efforts in the past 25 years have led to significant increases in the population and in 2007, the bald eagle was officially removed from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife.
Australia's most controversial parents have been asked to confiscate all electronic devices from their children to see if they can last an entire day without screens - leaving many in floods of tears.

Hit new show Parental Guidance, hosted by mother-of-two Allison Langdon and parenting expert Dr Justin Coulson, asks six couples with conflicting parenting styles to compete in challenges with their children.

On Monday's episode parents were asked to take children's phones, laptops and iPads for 24 hours, producing some confronting results.

In another shocking revelation, one couple - who admitted they were 'strict' - revealed they put soap on their children's toothbrushes as a punishment for bad behaviour.

While some kids rose to the no screens challenge and reverted to card games or outdoor activities with pets, other children were left in floods of tears.

While some kids had never been allowed screens, others such as seven-year-old Julian (pictured) struggled with the technology ban

Poll Could your kids go a day without screens? Yes No Could your kids go a day without screens? Yes 85 votes

No 61 votes Now share your opinion





Jess, 17, refused to hand over her phone despite her mother telling her she was responding to the ban like 'an addict', and later retreated to her bedroom in tears.

'I feel like a failure,' Deb admitted to the cameras, adding she thought she had set a boundary with her children and screen time.

The clip triggered an emotional response from other parents who reassured the mother-of-six most teens struggled with the notion of being uncontactable.

The single mum - who has made the decision to homeschool her six kids - explained as their mother she was the 'best person to guide them through life'.

'I don't have a teaching degree, I have a mum degree,' Deb said.

Australia's most controversial parents have challenged their children with a day without access to any electronic devices, producing some very confronting results (pictured, Deb with her 17-year-old daughter)

On Monday's episode of Parental Guidance parents were asked to confiscate screens for 24 hours (pictured, six-year-old Ellsie is comforted by her 'helicopter' mum Rachel)

Jess, 17, (right) refused to hand over her phone despite her mother's protestations she was responding like 'an addict' and retreated to her bedroom in tears

Rob, the 'discipline' parent and a high school teacher, told the group that while some children who had been previously homeschooled thrived in high school, others struggled to adapt to different teaching styles.

'It is not every case that the parent is the best teacher,' he said.

Helicopter parents Rachel and Sam were also left comforting their two daughters who burst into loud screams when they were forced to give up the TV remote.

'That's unfair. We like watching TV,' six-year-old Ellsie is heard complaining.

'I think it's going to be tough for the girls because you're saying no. So naturally a child doesn't like to be told no, you can't have something,' Rachel said.

The ban on screens also came as a shock to seven-year-old Julian, the son of 'free range' parents Penny and Daniel, who also burst into a teary tantrum.

'As free-range parents this challenge is going to be a real tricky one,' Daniel said, while admitting he has never enforced rules around devices.

'It's ok to be upset,' he continued. 'We're free-range, you can show whatever emotion you like, we're not going to control that.'

As the family attempts a game of Monopoly, Julian tells his parents he is having 'the worst day ever' and refuses to be consoled by his patient mother.

Kids were asked to cross busy roads and were confronted with a 'stranger' (left) who asked the youngsters for directions to the shops and then offered them a lift

In another challenge, parents were asked to send their children to the local shops to buy a litre of milk to test their independence without any supervision (pictured)

The boys also refused a lift from a stranger - but one later remarked they should have accepted

In another challenge in the episode, parents were asked to send their children to the local shop to buy a litre of milk to test their independence without any supervision.

Kids were asked to cross busy roads and were confronted with a 'stranger' who asked the youngsters for directions to the shops and then offered them a lift.

The children of Penny and Daniel - the 'free-range' parents - refused the lift from the paid actor and instead told the woman they were going to a different set of shops.

Similarly, the two daughter's of Rachel and Sam also declined a lift from a stranger.

The 'helicopter parents' admitted the experiment had been harder for them than their girls, who hadn't been allowed to do errands alone before.

The competing children were finally tempted with ice-cream trucks deployed on their route home to test if they would spend the change on a sweet treat.

Rob and Sue's two boys bought an ice-cream and initially lied to their parents that they had dropped the change on the walk home.

Rob and Sue's two boys (pictured) bought an ice-cream with the change from the milk and initially lied to their parents that they had dropped the money on the way home

It was later revealed the 'discipline' parents Rob and Sue (pictured) have punished their two sons for swearing or 'using their words wrong' with a soap-laden toothbrush

The couple were quick to chastise their children by demanding they each handover $3 from their savings to make up for the change.

It was later revealed the 'discipline' parents have punished the boys for swearing or 'using their words wrong' with a soap-laden toothbrush.

The couple said the 'consequence' had only been dished out twice in nine years with the other parents left divided on the disciplinary action.

Parenting expert Dr Justin Coulson told the parents that punishments and consequences were the same thing and only producing 'shame' in kids.

He encouraged couples to try and connect with their children when they do something wrong instead of smacking them or using a soapy toothbrush.

It comes after last week's episode saw brave parents put their children in a frightening test to see whether they would wander off with a total stranger.

Children were sent to a playground with a distracted nanny, as a charismatic hired actor attempted to lure the youngsters away with the promise of puppies.

The outcome of the shocking experiment left Langdon in tears as parents gradually realised just how easily their children could be snatched away, while one of the traumatised mothers walked off set after being left feeling 'sick'.

Parents Andrew and Miriam, who raise their children Luke aged 12, Grace aged 10, and Tim aged five with strict rules and boundaries - including smacking - were horrified by the result.

The shocking experiment left Alison Langdon (pictured) in tears as parents gradually realised just how easily their children could be snatched away

It took just seconds for the children to wander off with a strange man who charmed them with a dog and the promise of seeing some puppies.

Andrew broke down in tears after seeing the footage.

'I know it's an actor but it makes me so angry to think anyone would ever do that to a child,' he said.

Langdon also found the clip extremely difficult to watch.

'We knew this was going to be a confronting challenge but that's why we are here to talk about it,' she told the group.

'Every family watching around the country at home is going to rethink the conversation they are having with their children around stranger danger because we are all questioning what our kids would to in a situation like that.'

The eye-opening series is exploring all aspects of parenting from letting kids learn to read at their own pace to whether it's ever acceptable to smack children.
The custody picture of David Fuller, 67, who has admitted the murders of Wendy Knell, 25, and Caroline Pierce, 20, in two separate attacks in Tunbridge Wells in 1987 as well as abusing the bodies of 100 women and children

Police investigating the wicked actions of mortuary monster David Fuller have formally identified at least 81 of his victims, the Health Secretary today announced, as he also confirmed plans for an independent inquiry into the necrophiliac's sickening crimes.

Sajid Javid told MPs in the Commons today how specially trained family liaison officers had been in touch with the families of Fuller's victims, who he said were abused in the 'most horrific of ways'.

It is believed electrician sexually attacked at least 100 dead bodies in the mortuaries of Kent and Sussex and Tunbridge Wells hospitals.

Speaking in the Commons today, Mr Javid said: 'Officers have tragically found evidence of 100 victims. Of these victims, 81 have been formally identified and specially trained family liaison officers have been supporting their families.

'Every family of a known victims has been contacted. I know how distressing the details of these offences will been for many people.

'The local NHS trust has put arrangements in place to support staff who have been affected and, regardless of whether someone has been directly impacted by these offences or not, they can access the resources that are available on the My Support Space website.

'This is a profoundly upsetting case that has involved distressing offences within the health service.

'The victims are not just those family members and friends who have been abused in this most horrific of ways, they are also those that are left behind.'

Mr Javid also announced an inquiry, which he said will look into the circumstances surrounding Fuller's crimes to help the government understand how they took place without being detected.

The inquiry will also identify any areas where early action by the trust involved had been necessary.

Sickening: Azra Kemal, 24, was one of Fuller's victims. The warped hospital electrician sneaked into the mortuary at Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Kent three times to sexually abuse her body. It is not known if her family support or will join any legal action

Fuller, 67, admitted killing Wendy Knell, 25, (left) and Caroline Pierce, 20, (right) in 1987 in what became known as the 'Bedsit Murders'  one of Britain's longest unsolved murder cases

'I know that no apology can undo the pain and suffering caused by these offences, but with such serious issues of dignity and security we have a duty to look at what happened in detail, and make sure it never happens again,' he told the Commons.

Mr Javid said it will be split into two parts - the first being an interim report expected 'early in the new year'.

He added: 'The second (will be) a final report looking at the broader national picture and the wider lessons for the NHS and for other settings.'

The top NHS executive tasked with leading the inquiry into David Fuller's crimes: Who is Sir Jonathan Michael? Sir Jonathan Michael is the top NHS executive tasked with leading the inquiry into the crimes of mortuary monster David Fuller. Having trained as a doctor at St Thomas' hospital in 1970, Sir Johnathan spent the next ten years training as a physician specialising in kidney disease. At the time, St Thomas and Guy's Hospital were two separate. But in 1993 the two hospitals merged to form Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. From 2000 to 2007, Sir Jonathan was the chief executive of the trust, having been medical director and chief executive of University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust. He was knighted in 2005 in the New Year Honours for his services to the NHS. In 2007, he left the NHS to become the head of British Telecom's Health division. But three years later, in 2010, he moved back to the NHS as chief executive of Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust - one of the biggest and most prestigious acute trusts in England. After a four year stint, he became the chief medical officer of the 6PM group, an IT software firm - now Idox. He returned to hospitals in 2016, having been appointed to provide independent oversight of plans for a single hospital service in Manchester. Advertisement

The terms of reference for the inquiry, which will be chaired by experienced NHS executive Sir Jonathan Michael, will be published 'in due course'.

Sir Jonathan is an experienced NHS chief executive, a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and a former chief executive of three NHS hospital trusts.

He has already been leading the trust's investigation, announced last week. The new report will be independent and Sir Jonathan will report directly to the Health Secretary.

It comes as the families of Fullers victims are set to launch legal action to sue the NHS for failing to prevent the electrician having free rein to abuse bodies in hospital morgues.

The group could be in line for tens of millions of pounds in compensation following Fuller's convictions for spending at least 12 years sexually attacking corpses in the two hospitals.

On three occasions the warped hospital electrician sexually abused Azra Kemal, 24, who died after plunging from a bridge. It is not known if her family will join any litigation.

More than 400 horrified relatives have already called police so far demanding to know if a double murderer defiled their loved ones' bodies in hospital mortuaries.

His sick crimes emerged after he admitted the 1987 sexual assaults and murders of Wendy Knell, 25, and Caroline Pierce, 20, at Maidstone Crown Court last week.

Personal injury and clinical negligence specialists Dean Wilson LLP, in Brighton, have been approached by some of the families of the 67-year-old's victims as a group action against the NHS looks increasingly likely.

Spokesman Ben Davey said it was 'astonishing' no one realised what Fuller was doing in the mortuaries, adding: 'I understand that David Fuller would regularly access the mortuary of the hospital where he worked outside of his usual working hours in order to carry out these heinous acts.

'It is astonishing that at no point did it raise red flags within the hospital that an electrician was accessing the mortuary at such odd times unsupervised.

'Families will rightly feel that they will be due compensation and my firm is supporting some of them in taking legal action.

'In addition, there needs to be a public enquiry as to what level of access staff have in hospitals, with full recommendations about what restrictions should be in place to ensure that only those that need access are provided with it'.

Fuller's disgusting abuse of the dead - including children and pensioners - has appalled Britain.

He will be sentenced at a later date, and will likely die behind bars, but the case will also have major legal ramifications for the NHS.

A legal source told The Sun: 'This has the potential to cost the NHS tens of millions. The relatives of these people were abused in the most horrific way possible by an NHS employee on NHS property.

'It is harrowing. It's early days and these things do not happen overnight but lawyers are already involved. The NHS will be prepared for this and will surely admit liability. There have been many other cases in which they have.'

Fuller pictured out on a bicycle ride. He sexually abused more than 100 bodies while working as a hospital electrician

It came as a former mistress of warped morgue killer Fuller told of her two-year affair with the perverted double murderer and how he was 'the perfect gentleman'.

Fuller, 67, had already killed two women when he began a relationship with the unsuspecting nurse behind the back of his second wife in 1990.

The hospital electrician admitted the 1987 sexual assaults and murders of Wendy Knell, 25, and Caroline Pierce, 20, at Maidstone Crown Court last week.

Both women lived alone in ground-floor flats just a mile apart in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

Fuller also sexually abused at least 100 corpses in the hospital, while police found hard drives, floppy discs and CDs with 14 million images of sex offences - including filming himself committing the heinous acts.

His oldest victim was 100 and his youngest aged just nine.

The former mistress, who has not been named, told The Sunday Mirror that he seemed a 'perfectly ordinary person' who wooed her with cocktails and tickets to a pop concert.

They were together for two years from 1990, three years after Fuller's gruesome offences, before he dumped her for another nurse.

She said: 'To think I'm associated with someone who did something so terrible is awful. I'm very lucky he didn't kill me.'

The nurse added that she lived in a studio flat just around the corner from the two victims and met Fuller at a hospital social club.

The pair attended a Beverley Craven concert together, but she believed him to be ice cool and described how he would 'never get angry'.

She said: 'I was 27 when I began seeing him and I was with him for just over two years.

'I was a district nurse and some of us used to go up to the canteen in Kent and Sussex Hospital [in Tunbridge Wells].

'I was at a loose end and trying to make new friends, so I started going to the social club. I remember thinking he was quite odd for a man because he drank Archers and lemonade.

Fuller acted surprised when officers arrived at his home to arrest him on suspicion of murder. He replied 'oh blimey' when he was informed of why officers were in attendance but would later admit it

'He wasn't a beer man. He was quite a quiet man, but he was quite friendly. He just seemed like a perfectly ordinary person.'

Despite her impression of Fuller being 'a quiet man', he was in fact a despicable man who, in addition to his horrendous crimes, had affairs with at least two colleagues during three marriages.

The woman continued: 'I was quite aware of the Bedsit Murders and I was very nervous about them. The murders were in my mind and a lot of young women's minds.

'Little did I know I was actually dating the person responsible. In the back of my mind I do still think, 'Why was I spared?'

'I was in the right criteria in that I lived in the roads near where the girls worked, I had a bedsit and I was in my 20s.'

Kent Police has set up a helpline for distraught relatives who believe their loved ones could have been violated.

Local Conservative MP Greg Clark, for Tunbridge Wells, has also said a public inquiry into how Fuller carried out hundreds of sex attacks is required, adding that the investigation launched by the local NHS trust was 'not sufficient'.

Fuller's ex-lover only became aware of his offending when he admitted the murders and sex offences in court earlier this week.

She said: 'He was a perfect gentleman with me. I didn't see a bad side to him at all.

Police say they will never know how many women and girls David Fuller (pictured) violated  but admit it could be hundreds more

Pictured: David Fuller's NHS security badge

'There was nothing to lead me to believe he's the person we've now found him out to be now.

'He never showed any perversion in bed. He was totally ordinary and normal. There was nothing at all. I still can't believe that he could be capable and part of me still doesn't want to believe it, but equally I want him to pay for what he's done.

'I didn't know anything about the mortuary offences until it came out in court. I was really shocked.

A mother's grief and revulsion after her daughter's body was defiled by David Fuller A woman whose daughter's body was defiled by David Fuller pleaded yesterday: 'This must never happen again.' The warped hospital electrician sneaked into the mortuary at Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Kent three times to sexually abuse Azra Kemal, 24, who died after plunging from a bridge. Horrifically, the first two attacks happened just hours before and after her grief-stricken mother, Nevres Kemal, had visited her daughter and stroked her hair to say farewell. She said: 'I had spent two hours in the mortuary sleeping with her. And that gave me some sort of comfort. Little did I know that my daughter had been violated prior to that day and the evening of that day. So, while I'm stroking my daughter's hair, sleeping on her hair, a man had... crawled all over her skin. And there's me kissing and cuddling and saying my last goodbyes.' Miss Kemal, who worked as a researcher for Sky News, was one of Fuller's most recent victims. He carried out his sickening assaults in July last year. Her mother  a London social worker  told Sky News: 'Men and women up and down the country will be appalled by what they are reading. 'And I remind them that if this was your loved one you would roar with rage  and I am silently roaring. We need to respect the dead and this must never happen again.' Advertisement

'The police said to me, 'be prepared for a nasty shock', but I wasn't expecting anything as horrific as this.

'I just thought it was going to be that there were other women like me, or multiple women that he was dating all at the same time. It's been a traumatic time.'

She said their first date together was a trip to Folkestone Air Show, while Fuller would also regularly visit her at her flat.

The majority of the time, though, the pair spent time together at the hospital social club.

The nurse said Fuller was 'always pleasant and friendly' and she was aware he was unhappy with his wife, but the relationship ended 'because he didn't want what I wanted'.

Kent Police has formally identified 81 victims in the mortuary, but an investigation is still ongoing and anyone with information is urged to get in contact with the force.

Fuller was still working for the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust when revolutionary DNA profiling techniques led detectives investigating the historic murders to his home in Heathfield, East Sussex, on December 3 last year.

Police found a hidden cache of printed photos along with thousands of digital images and videos that exposed one of Britain's biggest healthcare scandals.

Fuller had spent at least 12 years abusing corpses in the mortuaries of Kent and Sussex and Tunbridge Wells hospitals.

The hoarder kept detailed handwritten diaries of his abuse, along with thousands of videos and images of himself having sex with the corpses organised into folders.

Libby Clark, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: 'No British court has ever seen abuse on this scale against the dead before and I have no doubt he would still be offending to this day had it not been for this painstaking investigation and prosecution.'

In his role as electrician, he had a swipe card that allowed him unsupervised access to all parts of the hospital. Mortuary staff usually finished for the day at 4pm, while Fuller's shift was from 11am to 7pm, police have said.

He would carry his bag of tools with him and ensured his abuse could not be picked up by CCTV, which covered only part of the mortuary.

It meant there was evidence of him moving around the mortuary, but no footage of him interactive with the bodies.

Instead, all the evidence came from his own filming.

When he was arrested, Fuller seemed surprised to see officers at his home.

Sajid Javid (pictured) told MPs in the Commons today how specially trained family liaison officers had been in touch with the families of Fuller's victims, who he said were abused in the 'most horrific of ways'

He was caught on an officer's body worn camera saying: 'Oh blimey.'

Fuller had previously admitted responsibility for the deaths with 'diminished responsibility' at Maidstone Crown Court, but initially denied murder.

Ms Knell's bloodstained body was found in her flat on June 23, 1987, after Fuller  a convicted burglar  had climbed in through the window, before beating and strangling her to death.

Ms Pierce was abducted from outside her home on November 24 the same year.

Her body, naked apart from a pair of tights, was found in a water-filled dyke near Romney Marsh three weeks later.
Police are appealing for information after a man was raped by a male sex attacker in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The 22-year-old was attacked at around 3.30am on Sunday in Bolton town centre, according to Greater Manchester Police.

The victim was approached by another man on Nelson Square, according to officers.

They then walked the short distance to Back Mawdsley Street where the attack took place.

The 22-year-old was attacked at around 3.30am on Sunday in Back Mawdsley Street, Bolton (pictured)

No arrests have been made and police are now appealing for any witnesses to come forward.

A GMP spokesman said: 'At around 3.30am this morning (Sunday 7 November 2021), police were called to reports of a rape on Back Mawdsely Street, Bolton.

'Enquiries have established that the victim - a 22 year old man - was approached by a man near Nelson Square who walked with him to Back Mawdsley Street where he proceeded to rape the victim.

'No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing.'

Detective Sergeant Dominic Beaver, of GMP's Bolton division, added: 'This is a shocking and horrific incident and the victim is currently receiving support from specialist officers.

'We are following all lines of enquiry to identify the individual responsible and ensure he is brought to justice. We have increased patrols in the area whilst our enquiries are ongoing.

'If anyone was in the area at the time and saw anything suspicious or has any information about this rape, please do not hesitate to contact police as soon as possible.'
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Britain's third wave of Covid has already peaked and hospitalisations and deaths should also soon fall, scientists insisted today.

In the latest sign the country may be past the worst of the pandemic, cases in the UK dropped by a fifth to 30,305 yesterday  down from 38,009 the week prior.

One of the Government's pandemic advisers claimed No10 was a 'long way away' from having to consider a winter lockdown based on the current promising data, despite Boris Johnson facing calls to act tougher and resort to his Plan B strategy of face masks and WFH guidance.

However, experts have warned the success of the ongoing Covid vaccine booster programme was vital to how the country fares in the coming months.

Professor Jim Naismith, director of the Rosalind Franklin Institute at the University of Oxford, said Covid could one day 'fade into the background' similar to colds and the flu in the future from the booster drive, which experts have hinted will become an annual programme.

Booster vaccines could be given out EVERY winter, SAGE adviser reveals Booster Covid vaccines may be needed every winter to keep the lid on the virus, a SAGE adviser said today  as the current drive descends into chaos. Dr Mike Tildesley, who is an infectious diseases modeller for No10's top scientists, warned that Covid, like flu, would likely keep circulating for years to come. He said this would mean people's immunity must be topped up regularly to slash the risk of an infection boiling over into serious disease and death. Former vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi also suggested today that the Government was considering rolling out boosters annually. But the current booster roll out has already fallen into disarray with millions left struggling to get appointments. Some four in ten eligible Britons are still yet to receive their third doses, with ministers blaming the low uptake on people failing to come forward. But in reality eligible patients are struggling to book appointments, being told they must wait until December, and asked to drive tens of miles to get the jab. Ministers have tried to speed the roll out today by opening up appointments a month early, although patients will still have to wait until six months after their second dose to get the jab. There was a queue of five minutes to book for the top up today. Some 300,000 boosters are being rolled out every day on average, although there are calls for the pace to be quickened to 500,000. Advertisement

In other Covid developments today:

A NHS care worker posted an emotional video after she lost her job for refusing to get the Covid vaccine;

Up to 10million vulnerable Britons will not get their Covid booster by Christmas due to the slow rollout in the UK;

Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock says NHS staff should be forced to have the jab this winter not April;

Brits who bought hot tubs and pizza ovens in lockdown regret their pandemic purchases, new research shows .

Professor Naismith told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'In terms of cases we certainly appear now to be going down quite quickly and that's certainly what we would hope.

'The number of hospital admissions is still high, over a 1,000 a day, and the number of deaths is tragically still quite high with just over a 1,000 a week.'

But he added: 'Of course, as cases fall we would expect the other two things to fall in time.'

Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling group advising ministers on the virus  an influential sub-committee of SAGE, also struck a positive tone.

While stating the UK was 'not out of the woods yet' when it came to Covid, he added the country was a long way from facing the prospect of another winter lockdown.

He told Sky News: 'I think we're a long way away from thinking in those terms.

'I think that clearly there is a situation that if the NHS is under severe pressure, if the number of deaths sadly starts to increase, then of course, obviously, there may be discussions around whether more restrictions need to come in.'

Leading experts have attributed Britain's falling Covid cases to a rise in immunity trigged by a combination of the booster vaccine campaign, and the back-to-school wave of infection which triggered the latest wave.

Dr Tildesley added the prospect of a winter lockdown is dependent of how effective the rollout of the Covid vaccine booster programme is, and urged all eligible persons to get their jabs.

'I would hope that, with a very successful vaccination campaign, the idea of a winter lockdown is a long way away,' he said.

'But it is certainly true that if we don't get good immunity across the population, there may need to be perhaps further measures taken. So it's really important that we encourage people to come forward when eligible to take those booster jabs.'

Professor Naismith also highlighted the importance of Covid booster jabs, adding he was eagerly awaiting getting his own. 'I'm certainly looking forward to taking mine the first day I can,' he said.

Professor Jim Naismith (left), director of the Rosalind Franklin Institute at the University of Oxford says with Covid cases now falling, tragic deaths and hospitalisations should also decrease. Meanwhile Dr Mike Tildesley (right) a scientist who advises Government on the virus said the UK was 'a long way off' from implementing a winter lockdown to control Covid this festive season

NHS staff should be forced to have the jab BEFORE winter, says former Health Secretary Matt Hancock NHS workers should be forced to get two doses of the Covid vaccine before winter, disgraced former Health Secretary Matt Hancock said today. Mr Hancock  who quit in June after breaching his own social distancing rules by kissing a married colleague  said the move would act as another 'tool to save lives' during what is projected to be a harsh winter for the health service. He also scorned NHS staff who are still not vaccinated and don't have a valid medical reason, warning that it was their 'moral duty' and that they had 'ignored all the scientific and clinical advice'. Ministers have for weeks been considering whether to make Covid jabs compulsory within the health service after pushing through the requirement for care home workers in the summer. But last week the Health Secretary Sajid Javid appeared to push back the plans until April after being warned by NHS bosses that introducing the policy now could leave hospitals understaffed at a crucial period. There are also concerns about whether the move is even necessary, given that more than nine in 10 NHS staff are already vaccinated. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Hancock, who was Health Secretary for three years, warned ministers against delaying compulsory vaccinations for the sector into the new year. He said: 'Having looked at all the evidence, I am now convinced we must require vaccination for everyone who works not just in social care but the NHS  and get it in place as fast as possible... So as we prepare to a face a difficult winter, let's use all the tools we have to save lives. 'Imagine the cancer patient, already battling another deadly disease, being cared for by a nurse. Who can put their hand on their heart and say they'd be happy to tell that patient their nurse could have the vaccine, but has chosen against all scientific and clinical advice to ignore it.' Mr Hancock said doctors and nurses had a 'moral duty' to get the Covid vaccine to protect their patients. Advertisement

'The boosters restore immunity to well above 95 per cent effectiveness for serious disease so as soon as you can get that booster take it.'

Britain's booster campaign has been chaotic and slow compared to the initial rollout of the Covid vaccines.

The Government is currently on track to fail in its target of offering boosters to the 32million most vulnerable, including all over-50s, by Christmas Day.

At the current rate, of about 300,000 doses a day, nearly 10million at-risk Britons will still be unprotected over the festive period.

While ministers have blamed the slow rollout on eligible Britons not coming forward when called, there have been numerous reports of people desperate to get their booster being turned away or getting lost in the booking system.

There has also been discussion about Britons needing a Covid booster every winter, similar to a flu vaccine, in order to keep immunity levels high.

On Sunday Department of Health bosses reported a drop in Covid numbers, recording 30,305 Covid cases on Sunday compared to 38,009 the week prior.

The number of people dying with the virus also fell by 16 per cent, with 62 laboratory-confirmed deaths reported yesterday compared to 74 on October 31.

Hospitalisations also fell to 1,055 on Tuesday, the latest date data is available for. They were down 3.2 per cent on the previous week.

However, some scientists however have struck a gloomier tone with Professor Peter Openshaw telling Times Radio the NHS was in a 'serious situation' with Covid 'not over'.

'There's an awful lot of Covid still around' he said.

'At the moment we're seeing admission rates running at something like 1,000 people per day and there's currently over 1,000 people on mechanical ventilators in our hospitals.

'And I just don't think people realise the serious situation that there is out there in the NHS hospitals, with so many people on ventilators and over 9,000 people actually in the hospital currently with Covid.

'Covid isn't done. It's not over.'

And on Saturday Labour wrote to Health Secretary Sajid Javid warning he has allowed the 'wall of defence to crumble', with the slow uptake of the booster campaign, risking another national lockdown.

They are calling for urgent action to speed up booster and children's jabs, such as recalling volunteers and retired healthcare workers and using more community pharmacies.

Experts say ministers can 'turbocharge' the rollout by using the same infrastructure that saw Britain lead the world in the initial rollout, when up to 844,000 jabs were delivered each day.

MPs are being bombarded with requests for help from constituents.

Labour shadow health minister Dr Rosena Allin-Khan said: 'One lady in her 70s who has underlying health conditions went to her pharmacy and called 119 just to be told she wasn't eligible for a booster.

'She has now finally got one booked for December but had to rely on her daughter to book the appointment for her because she doesn't use the internet. The system simply isn't working.'
A Yemeni model who was arrested by Iran-backed Houthi rebels for 'violating Islamic dress codes' while on her way to a shoot has been jailed for five years.

Entesar Al-Hammadi, 20, was arrested in February at a checkpoint in the capital Sanaa over images which showed her without a headscarf in defiance of Yemeni societal norms.

On Sunday the model and actress was sentenced by a Sanaa court to five years in prison for violating public morality over the pictures.

Amnesty International and Hammadi's lawyer Khaled Mohammed Al-Kamal have claimed she was unfairly treated in detention being interrogated while blindfolded, physically and verbally abused and subjected to racist insults.

She was also allegedly forced to 'confess' to several offences, including drug possession and prostitution, and threatened by prosecutors with a so-called 'virginity test'.

Her arrest and prosecution has been seen as a part of a series of crackdowns on objectors and liberals in areas of the country controlled by Houthi rebels.

Entesar Al-Hammadi, 20, (pictured) has been snatched off the street by Iran-backed Houthi rebels who are planning to prosecute her in a kangaroo court for being a bad influence

A judicial source previously told Reuters Hammadi had been charged with carrying out an indecent act and going against Islamic principles.

Amnesty has branded her detention arbitrary and spurious and denounced her alleged brutal treatment while in custody.

Hammadi's lawyer has made similar claims, alleging, among others things, that she was forced to sign a document while blindfolded and threatened with a so-called 'virginity test'.

Houthi-run news outlet Saba on Sunday said Hammadi was also sentenced for using drugs, and said three other women were sentenced alongside her for crimes including debauchery, prostitution, violating public morality and drug taking.

She was arrested by rebels with two colleagues while on their way to film a drama TV series in February.

A Houthi 'prosecutor' will question the young model on Sunday, according to her lawyer, Khaled Mohammed Al-Kamal, who said that she was arrested unlawfully. Entesar Al-Hammadi is pictured above

Hammadi's detention came amid reports of a crackdown on Yemeni women in Houthi-controlled areas.

Yemeni Minister of Information Moammar Al-Eryani wrote on Twitter at the time: 'They must stop the extortion of women and release all disappeared women from their secret prisons unconditionally.'

Entesar had told a Yemeni TV channel that she dreamed of travelling abroad to escape Yemen's conservative society last year.

Entesar, whose mother is Ethiopian, said at the time: 'It would be great if I was given an opportunity outside Yemen.'

According to a report in Arab News, as a child, Al-Hammadi dreamed of being a model, wore her mother's clothes around the house and imitated famous models she watched on TV.

Crackdowns against Yemeni women have reportedly become commonplace in Houthi-controlled areas

Her parents told her that her aspiration to become a model was a 'pie in the sky', Al-Hammadi said in a TV interview last year.

She gained popularity after her friend, who was a professional photographer, published photos of her on social media wearing traditional Yemeni outfits.

The 20-year-old has appeared in two local TV drama series and had planned to attend college next year.

At the time of her arrest, she was the sole breadwinner for her family of four, including her blind father and disabled brother.

The Houthi movement, which holds most of northern Yemen, ousted Yemen's internationally recognised government from power in Sanaa in late 2014 amid an ongoing civil war.

The main players are the Iran-backed Houthis, the Saudi-backed Hadi-led government, and terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIS. Human Rights Watch puts the civilian death toll at over 18,400.
A man who became the face of Sydney's Covid outbreak after a confronting picture showing him in intensive care signalled the Delta strain was ravaging the community has opened up about his battle.

After a mammoth 103 days in hospital John Robinson has returned home but still suffers from coughing fits where he struggles to breath, has scarring on his lungs and has lost his sense of taste and smell.

The photos of Mr Robinson in hospital in July were a wake-up call to Australia - which had not at that point experienced the seriousness of the virus first-hand - and helped kickstart the vaccine rollout in NSW.

He has now revealed that a fellow tradesmen from the city's eastern suburbs, where the monster outbreak began, had 'snuck out' to work with him while unknowingly infected with the virus - a decision which nearly claimed his colleague's life.

John Robinson, 54, (pictured) lies in the ICU as he battled with the Delta strain of Covid in July 2021 in a picture which shocked many Sydneysiders

The 54-year-old said he was shocked at how the virus had floored him within a matter of days as he was previously fit and healthy, doing physically demanding road construction work.

But he has no recollection of his ICU fight for survival, telling A Current Affair he was 'too far gone to even know'.

Doctors have since told him the good state of his heart and lungs was likely what saved his life.

He said he now he finds it hard to to look at the pictures of himself struggling to get air as they remind him just how close he was to not leaving the ward.

'There's just a lot of death around you and you don't want to be there. It didn't feel good. Didn't feel safe in there,' Mr Robinson said.

'I don't want my grandkids to look at me like that, in that way that's why I can't look at it now,' he added.

Despite leaving hospital, Mr Robinson says he can only work for a short time before he has to stop and he has lost his sense of smell and taste

Mr Robinson spent 103 days in hospital and had to learn how to walk again after six weeks in a coma (pictured)

He was exposed to the virus after a colleague on his road gang turned up at work while sick.

'A fella from the eastern suburbs, he come out from where he wasn't meant to. And I asked him, I said, "what are you doing here?" And he said, "I snuck out". He said, "don't tell no-one".'

Mr Robinson on the day he returned home

He first felt ill on July 6 but thought he just had a light flu which he would easily shake off.

'The Monday night I worked, and I got really crook Monday night. And I rang them up on Tuesday and said, "I won't be in because I don't want to give what I've got to any of the other workers".'

Two days later on July 8 he and his wife Pam were moved to a medi-hotel to quarantine away from the rest of their family.

But by July 11 he was so sick he was rushed to St Vincent's Hospital where his recollection stops.

On July 14 he was put on a ventilator.

'He rang and said, "I'm getting ventilated soon", so he actually rang and said goodbye. So that was the hard bit,' his tearful wife revealed.

He spent the next six weeks in an induced coma on a ventilator and when he was woken up he literally 'couldn't move', his muscles wasted from a lack of movement and oxygen.

His wife Pam (pictured together) said she is just grateful to have her husband back

His lengthy rehabilitation is still going and food 'all taste the same'.

'The doctors don't seem to think it's going to be before six months to 18 months (to get back full movement). And my lungs are never going to get back to 100 per cent,' he said.

'When I think about how he was, I'm just happy to have him back,' his wife added.
A pharmacist who helped criminals sell more than 1million illegal drugs on the black market has been kicked out of the profession.

Balkeet Singh Khaira used his connections as a chemist to order large quantities of prescription pills and flog them to drug dealers.

The 38-year-old ordered 29,000 packs of Diazepam, Nitrazepam, Tramadol, Zolpidem and Zopiclone while working for his mother's business.

Khaira, from Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, confessed to five charges of supplying controlled drugs at Birmingham Crown Court in February this year and was sentenced to 12 months in jail.

Now, a fitness to practise committee of the General Pharmaceutical Council has ruled he will be struck off as a pharmacist.

Balkeet Singh Khaira, 38, used his connections as a chemist to order large quantities of prescription pills and flog them to drug dealers

The committee heard evidence that Khaira even pretended to be his mother in emails to the medicines and healthcare products regulatory agency (MHRA) to try and put investigators off the scent.

But he finally admitted his crimes when he was interviewed by police, telling them he was 'under duress' from another employee who was working with criminal gangs to sell the drugs.

The offences took place between February 2016 and August 2017 at the Khaira Pharmacy in West Bromwich.

The committee also heard evidence from the court case, in which Judge Heidi Kubik said in her sentencing remarks: 'These are serious offences.

'You allowed five different types of addictive Class C drugs to be diverted onto the black market in significant quantities, some 29,000 packs deemed so diverted with a potential street value of 1,052,000.

'The pharmacy was run by your mother for many years and your actions caused her to be arrested when she had done nothing wrong, and her business and reputation have suffered as a result of your actions.

Khaira conducted his criminal business while working at his mother's pharmacy and he even impersonated her in emails to investigators in an effort to put them off the scent

'When the investigations started in June of 2017 you responded, pretending to be your mother in email correspondence, trying to make the investigation go away and providing false figures and information to try and stop that investigation in its tracks.'

The committee heard Mr Khaira's personal benefit from supplying the drugs was 'almost 60,000'.

He told police he was 'under duress' from an employee at the pharmacy to order excessive amounts of Class C drugs and this employee was working on behalf of a criminal gang.

In his plea before the Crown Court, Mr Khaira said he met a man at his gym in 2013 and they became friends. The man then began working for Khaira Pharmacy in 2016.

The committee heard the employee later asked Mr Khaira for a box of sleeping tablets as he could not sleep. Mr Khaira said he refused at first, but later gave in and gave him one box of sleeping tablets.

What is Zopiclone? Zopiclone tablets are prescription-only and are taken to treat insomnia. It is usually never prescribed for more than four weeks. This is because you can become dependent on the drug. It is also because your body builds up a resistance to its effects. The most common side effects - which hit more than one in 100 - are a bitter or metallic taste in the mouth, dry mouth and feeling sleepy or tired. Rare side effects include amnesia, hallucinations, falling over, delusions and depression. Advertisement

Mr Khaira went on to say he was then approached by three men who made physical threats of violence to him and his immediate family. As a result of this, he allowed the pharmacy to supply the drugs due to 'ongoing threats and pressure'.

David Bleiman, chair of the fitness to practise committee, said: 'These medications are controlled in order to protect the public and, once illegally supplied to another person, there is a significant risk that these potentially addictive drugs may have been used by people without input from a clinician and without a genuine clinical need for the medication.

'[Mr Khaira's] illegal behaviour was so serious as to bring the profession in to disrepute. This was not a minor conviction for a matter unrelated to the profession. This conviction involved the blatant abuse of the privileged position of a pharmacist to divert a large quantity of controlled drugs, thereby placing the public at risk.

'[Mr Khaira's] convictions are so serious as to amount to a major breach of trust. When [he] came under duress to supply drugs illegally, [his profession] required him to report that concern, rather than to comply with the duress and subsequently gain personal financial advantage.'

The committee struck Mr Khaira's name from the register.
April 3 2016: The mother-of-one is detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard at Imam Khomeini airport after a holiday visit to Iran where she showed her daughter Gabriella to her parents.

July 12 2016: Richard Ratcliffe, her husband, delivers letters to Downing Street for outgoing prime minister David Cameron and his replacement Theresa May on his wife's 100th day in custody. He says it is 'astonishing' no British minister has publicly criticised Tehran for arresting Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

August 9 2016: New prime minister Mrs May 'raised concerns' about Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe during a phone call with president of Iran, Hassan Rouhani.

September 9 2016: Mr Ratcliffe says his wife has been jailed for five years following a conviction on unspecified 'national security-related' offences - a sentence he describes as 'a punishment without a crime'.

November 13 2016: Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe begins a hunger strike, which she ends after five days amid her family's fears for her health.

January 2 2017: Mr Ratcliffe says Mrs May and her ministers could have 'publicly stood up for Nazanin more' and should have called for her release. Mr Ratcliffe said: 'She raised those concerns in September. What happened after September? Nothing much, really.'

April 24 2017: The family of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe say she has lost the final stage of her appeal against the sentence.

November 6 2017: It is feared Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe may face a further period of imprisonment because of remarks made by then-foreign secretary Boris Johnson. Mr Johnson told a parliamentary committee the previous week that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was working in Tehran training journalists at the time of her arrest in 2016. Four days later, she was summoned before an unscheduled court hearing, where the foreign secretary's comments were cited as proof that she was engaged in 'propaganda against the regime'.

November 7 2017: It is announced that Mr Johnson told his Iranian counterpart in a phone call that his comments to a Commons committee provide 'no justifiable basis' for further legal action against Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe. A Foreign Office spokesman says Mr Johnson now accepts that he 'could have been clearer' when he told the Foreign Affairs Committee that the British woman had been training journalists in Iran at the time of her arrest.

November 12 2017: Mr Ratcliffe says his wife has seen a medical specialist after finding lumps on her breasts and is 'on the verge of a nervous breakdown'.

November 15 2017: Mr Ratcliffe describes an hour-long meeting with Mr Johnson as 'positive and constructive'.

December 12 2017: Mr Johnson said he and his Iranian counterpart spoke 'frankly' regarding the case of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, during talks in Tehran.

Later in December 2017: Mr Ratcliffe said he believes there is 'still a chance' his wife may be released in time for a dream Christmas together.

December 28 2017: Mr Ratcliffe says he is in limbo waiting for news of his wife's release but has not given up hope, and describes the situation as 'a lot more positive' than last year.

April 14 2018: Iranian ambassador to the UK, Hamid Baeidinejad, says the Iranian government is doing its best to secure Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release, saying the judicial process was 'complicated' but insisted 'we are trying our best'.

May 21 2018: Mr Ratcliffe says his wife has been told to expect another conviction after appearing in court over a new 'invented' charge.

August 3 2018: New foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt pledges to do everything possible to secure Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release, after talks with Mr Ratcliffe.

August 21 2018: Mr Hunt says he is considering a request by Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband to grant her diplomatic protection.

August 23 2018: Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is given temporary release from prison for three days and her husband says it feels like 'home is one step closer'. She returns to prison three days later.

September 26 2018: Mrs May and Mr Hunt ramp up pressure on Iran to release the charity worker during talks in New York. The PM tells Iranian president Hassan Rouhani she has 'serious concerns' about the jailing of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

December 26, 2018: Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe turns 40 in jail. Three days later, she marks her 1,000th day of incarceration.

January 14 2019: She begins a hunger strike in protest over her treatment in jail. The action ends after three days.

January 24 2019: Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif raises hope of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's return to the UK by suggesting she could be freed in exchange for an Iranian woman held in Australia on a US extradition request. The minister subsequently backs away from his comments.

June 15 2019: Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe begins another hunger strike, this time lasting 15 days. She is joined, in a show of solidarity, by her husband, who strikes outside the Iranian Embassy in London.

June 24 2019: Mr Johnson, who came under fire as foreign secretary for his comments about Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's case in 2017, becomes Prime Minister. Dominic Raab replaces Mr Hunt as Foreign Secretary.

September 23 2019: Mr Ratcliffe says Mr Johnson can make amends for his failings in his incarcerated wife's case by telling Iran's president 'enough is enough' and securing her release.

October 10 2019: The couple's daughter, Gabriella, returns to the UK after more than three years living in the Middle East. The child, who is now five years old, had been living with her grandparents in Tehran since her mother was arrested. Her father says: 'It has been a long journey to have her home, with bumps right until the end.'

December 18 2019: Mr Ratcliffe is joined by Gabriella singing Christmas carols outside Downing Street, and he called on the Prime Minister to 'please take responsibility for Nazanin's case and do what you can to get her and others home'.

January 3 2020: A US air strike kills Iran's top military chief, General Quassem Soleimani. Mr Ratcliffe says he is worried about his wife, and tells ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'I sit here partly worried for what that means for Nazanin, partly worried what that means for my in-laws, sat in their ordinary living room in Tehran where they're all really worried.'

January 10 2020: Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe spends one night in a clinic after suffering 'palpitations and panic attacks' due to the tensions in Tehran, sparked by the death of Gen Soleimani, Mr Ratcliffe says.

January 23 2020: Richard Ratcliffe and their five-year-old daughter Gabriella meet the Prime Minister in Downing Street, but Mr Ratcliffe says there was 'no breakthrough'.

He tells reporters: 'I don't think I have come away thinking Nazanin is coming out tomorrow or even next week, and I will think carefully about what I tell her on the phone on Saturday about where the hope is to come.'

February 23 2020: Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg tells the House: 'It is a particular concern that the coronavirus has been rumoured - but I emphasise rumoured and not confirmed - to be in the prison in Evin where Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is.'

February 29 2020: Mr Ratcliffe says he believes his wife has contracted coronavirus in prison as he expresses concern at the jail's 'refusal to test her'.

March 3 2020: The couple's Labour MP, Tulip Siddiq, says she believes Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe may be temporarily released from jail due to the Covid-19 outbreak in Iran.

She tweets: 'News from Iranian Ambassador that my constituent Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe may be released on furlough today or tomorrow from prison in Iran.

'If this is true, Nazanin would welcome leaving Evin jail, but we've been here before.'

March 17 2020: Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is temporarily freed from jail. She says she is 'happy to be out, even with the ankle tag' and can only go within 300 metres of her parents' home.

March 28 2020: Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's temporary prison release is extended to April 18 and Mr Ratcliffe says his wife's file has been put forward to the Iranian prosecutor general to be considered for clemency.

April 21 2020: After a delay, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's prison release is extended again for around one month. Mr Ratcliffe, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, reveals that the family are able to talk via video calls for about four to five hours a day.

May 20 2020: Mr Ratcliffe says his wife's release has been extended indefinitely until there is a decision on her clemency. He describes the news as 'a real step forwards... I don't think it's guaranteed one way and I don't think she thinks it's guaranteed one way, but let's enjoy the moment.'

May 26 2020: Mr Ratcliffe says the family are on the 'cusp of potentially good news' and thinks the family could find out about a decision on her clemency the following day.

August 24 2020: Lawyers for Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe ask Defence Secretary Ben Wallace for a meeting and call on the British Government to stand up to Iran over its 'abusive treatment'.

September 8 2020: Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe appears before a branch of Iran's Revolutionary Court in Tehran, where she faces a new charge.

March 7 2021: Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's sentence is due to come to an end.
A two-timing millionaire financier has won 120,000 compensation from his ex-partner after she banned him from their 1.6million weekend mansion with the woman she caught him in bed with.

Dr Chris Rowland bought nine-bedroom Tadmarton House near Banbury in Oxfordshire in 2009 and planned to use it as a weekend country retreat with eco-business executive Sharon Blades.

But in November that year, their relationship began to unravel after Ms Blades discovered the former City analyst in bed with another woman.

When she caught him with the love rival a second time at his London penthouse in 2011, Ms Blades issued a 'veto' banning Dr Rowlands from visiting Tadmarton House with the second girlfriend, a court heard.

The ban on weekending at Tadmarton House lasted six years from 2009 to 2015, when Dr Rowland then split with the other woman.

Last year, Dr Rowland and Ms Blades fought a court case over ownership of the Grade II-listed country mansion, with a judge ruling that they were equal owners and it must be split between them.

A judge awarded Dr Rowland 59,958 to compensate him for lost time after being banned from the property. However, appealed that sum, asking for the figure to be increased to 216,199.

He has now been awarded 120,000 at the High Court after Judge Milwyn Jarman found that the veto had meant Dr Rowland lost the use of a 'grand weekend and holiday home' for those years.

Dr Chris Rowland (left) and business executive Sharon Blades (right) battled in court over the ownership of their 1.6million mansion after he cheated on her with another woman

The court heard Dr Rowland and Ms Blades had been charmed by 24-acre Tadmarton House, which they planned to use as a holiday or weekend bolthole, and where Ms Blades said they even spoke of retiring.

The 'Italianate villa' - built in 1830 - is set on a hilltop and has captivating views over the surrounding countryside. Dr Rowland once thought of cultivating elephant grasses in the surrounding fields as a sideline.

But their 'dream' hit the rocks when she discovered he was seeing another woman in 2009.

Judge William Hansen, ruling on the ownership dispute in March, said Dr Rowland had carried on seeing both women after Ms Blades discovered his dalliance in late 2009, commenting: 'He then continued to see both for more than a year but in the early part of 2011, Ms Blades dropped in unexpectedly at his flat and found him in bed with his new partner.

Their relationship began to unravel after Ms Blades, pictured, discovered Dr Rowland in bed with another woman

'There was an altercation that resulted in Ms Blades accepting a police caution for assaulting the new partner and Dr Rowland accepting a restraining order preventing contact with either woman for weeks.'

In court Dr Rowland, 65, admitted carrying on seeing both women for several months and acknowledged he was 'not proud of that fact'.

'But I was emotionally attached to both women and each of them wanted me to choose between them, and I had real trouble making that choice,' he told the court.

In March, Judge Hansen ruled against Dr Rowland, who had insisted that he exclusively owned Tadmarton House since he paid the full price out of his own pocket.

The judge said he and Ms Blades had taken on the property as joint tenants, although acknowledging: 'In one sense the outcome is a harsh one for Dr Rowland who contributed the whole of the purchase price in acquiring a country house to be used as a weekend and holiday retreat by a couple who each had their own properties and who never saw fit to pool their resources'.

He judged that the property was owned in equal shares by the couple and ordered that it be sold with the profits split down the middle.

But he went on to award Dr Rowland just over 59,000 for his lost access to Tadmarton House between 2009 and 2015 when Ms Blades barred him from visiting with his new partner.

Dr Rowland said that in 2009 Ms Blades 'vetoed' him and his new woman from visiting the country mansion and had even written to him stating: 'I'd rather you sell it and have nothing than have the risk of her going up there'.

'It was 'our' place and if nothing else I'd like to keep that memory even if I don't physically have it or am able to be there anymore'.

Last month, Dr Rowland appealed the 59,958 award, asking Judge Milwyn Jarman QC to hike his compensation to what he claimed was the fairer figure of 216,199.

His barrister, Paul Dipre, argued that Dr Rowland was 'effectively thrown out for the weekends', and that Judge Hansen had wrongly assessed the loss he suffered.

Dr Rowland bought sprawling nine-bedroom Tadmarton House (pictured) near Banbury in Oxfordshire in March 2009 and planned to use it as a weekend country retreat with his then partner, Ms Blades

But Ms Blades' lawyers said her ex's compensation should have been calculated on the basis of his 'loss of enjoyment' of the weekend bolthole - rather than on its holiday rental value.

Judge Jarman, allowing Dr Rowland's appeal, accepted that the loss of enjoyment factor was the primary issue, but decided the 59,000 pay-out was insufficient.

He said Ms Blades had barred the financier from visiting his own home with his new partner, although Ms Blades would have been happy for him to come down on his own.

Explaining the situation, he said: 'Later in 2009, Dr Rowland formed a relationship with another person. After Ms Blades discovered this she told Dr Rowland that she did not want him to take his new partner to Tadmarton House.

'Dr Rowland agreed not to do so, and kept to his word. Ms Blades spent most weekends there during this period. In October 2015, Dr Rowland's new relationship broke down and there was nothing thereafter to stop Dr Rowland also spending time there.

'The (judge) found however that he chose not to do so. Accordingly, after buying such a grand property, Dr Rowland had the use of it for only a few months.'

The loss he suffered was being cut off from his own weekend and holiday home and should not be totted up in terms of loss of rent, said Judge Jarman.

'In my judgment, Dr Rowland's loss is the loss of a grand weekend and holiday home than rather than a holiday let,' he commented.

'Many people stay somewhere else during the week for work purposes and return home for the weekend, and this is similar to what the parties intended when buying Tadmarton House.'

He awarded Dr Rowland 120,000 compensation and rejected Ms Blades' 'cross-appeal' which urged that her ex should only have been compensated to the tune of 36,000.
Dr Mike Tildesley said boosters could be rolled out every year

Vulnerable Britons might need to get a booster Covid vaccine every winter, Government scientists and ministers claimed today.

Dr Mike Tildesley, a modeller on one of SAGE's subcommittees, said the virus would continue to circulate for decades to come like the flu.

Dr Tildesley told Sky News: 'Its possible that every year were having to go out and get our Covid jabs in the same way a lot of people are currently getting their flu jabs.'

Education Secretary and former vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi also made it clear that the Government intends to roll out booster doses annually.

'Ultimately our plan, we will, I hope be the first major economy to transition from pandemic to endemic and have an annual vaccination programme,' he told The Sun.

Other experts have said that a never-ending cycle of boosters might not be needed because Covid will one day 'fade into the background'.

It is hoped that there will be so much natural protection down the line that the virus causes a much more mild cold-like illness even to those most at risk.

Immunity from the current crop of Covid jabs has been shown to wane at about six months. Vaccine-manufacturers have turned their attentions to making new, variant-resistant jabs that do not see their effectiveness drop quite as sharp as the current crop.

But the current roll out has already fallen into disarray with millions left struggling to get appointments. Four in ten eligible Britons are still yet to receive their third doses, with ministers blaming the low uptake on people failing to come forward.

But elderly patients say they are unable to book appointments over the phone and don't know how to work the online system.

Ministers have tried to speed up the roll out today by allowing people to book their jab a month before they become eligible.

The above graph shows the pace of the current booster drive with the number of doses given out daily (yellow bars) and the total number administered (green line). There are calls for the pace to be quickened to avoid millions of vulnerable adults being left unprotected

Ministers today opened appointments up early to allow people to book their third dose before they became eligible. There was a five-minute queue this morning

Some 300,000 boosters are being rolled out every day on average, although there are calls for the pace to be quickened to 500,000.

Dr Tildesley, who sits on the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI_M)  an influential sub-committee of SAGE, told Sky News people may need top up shots every year.

Shambles: Patients slam the rollout of third doses Brian Bull (left), 83, and Jennifer Hodgkinson (right), 79, still have not received their boosters because of confusing instructions on the NHS website Brian Bull and his partner Jennifer still have not received their boosters because of confusing instructions on the NHS website. Mr Bull, 83, has been due for his jab for nearly a month but has been turned away by a clinic near his home in Appleby, Cumbria, every time he goes to it. He added: The NHS website said there was a walk-in centre at Penrith. We drove the 14 miles only for the receptionist to say she knew nothing about it. They were directed to a rugby club but they werent holding sessions that day. He added: We see so many advertisements from the NHS telling us to get our boosters, but its very hard to actually do it. And the rollout has been a shambles, said a retired police officer forced to go in person to his West Yorkshire GP to book his booster. Keith Woodland, 74, who has an irregular heartbeat, was unable to book after he got an NHS text telling him to get a third jab. After calling 119 I tried again but the system was down. I was told the surgery might have the wrong details about me. He said: Its a shambles. All these senior politicians who say people arent booking jabs  when we cant do it anyway. Advertisement

Asked whether the booster programme was going at the right pace, he said it was 'going in the right direction, but there clearly is work to do for the people over 50, for vulnerable adults'.

He added: 'Immunity will be starting to wane from the second jab so it is really important that that acceleration continues and hopefully we get as many people protected as possible as we move into the colder months.'

Quizzed about whether the UK could face a lockdown this winter he said it was a 'long way away'

But he added that other measures might be needed if there is not 'good immunity across the population'.

He said: 'I would hope that, with a very successful vaccination campaign, the idea of a winter lockdown is a long way away.

'But it is certainly true that if we dont get good immunity across the population, there may need to be perhaps further measures taken.

'So its really important that we encourage people to come forward when eligible to take those booster jabs.'

Professor Peter Openshaw, a SAGE adviser on the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG), said the need for boosters had become 'very clear'.

He told Times Radio: 'We dont know how long a vaccine is going to last until weve had sufficient time to watch the immunity drifting downwards and I think thats something which has become very clear recently is that these vaccines dont appear to be forever  they do provide a lot of protection, but they have to be boosted.'

But Professor James Naismith of the Rosalind Franklin Institute and a biologist at Oxford University suggested boosters would not be necessary in years to come because Covid will become so mild.

Echoing what many other experts have predicted, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I suspect it [Covid] will fade back into the background as a serious disease.'

More than 30million over-50s, vulnerable adults, and health and social care workers are eligible for a third dose of the Covid vaccine.

They can only come forward for one six months after they had their second.

Until today, they had to wait on a call or letter from the NHS confirming that they were now eligible.

However, the Department of Health confirmed today that people can now book their third dose a month in advance.

People can also book by calling 119 or visit one of the hundreds of walk-in sites across the country without an appointment

Some 10million booster shots have already been dished out, but official figures show that by this time six months ago 16million had already got their second jab.

At the current rate of 300,000 boosters being rolled out every day, nearly 10million at-risk Britons will still be left unprotected over the festive period.

There are currently no plans to expand the roll out to younger age groups, or to repeat it next year.

Last night the Labour party wrote to Health Secretary Sajid Javid to warn him he has allowed the 'wall of defence to crumble', risking another national lockdown.

They are calling for urgent action to speed up booster and children's jabs, such as recalling volunteers and retired healthcare workers and using more community pharmacies.

Over-50s said yesterday they were spending hours on the phone to GPs trying to get appointments, with one women only getting through on her 92nd try.

Red tape is also hampering the roll out, with another 94-year-old woman turned away from a jab centre in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, because she arrived a day early.

Patients are being encouraged to use the NHS walk-in finder for their nearest centre, supposed to be within ten miles.

But some have been told they must travel tens of miles to get their vaccine as many GP surgeries and pharmacies do not offer top-up jabs.

Pensioners on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent were advised by the NHS to go to Southend in Essex, a 128-mile round-trip, for their third dose as local centres do not have supply.

MPs are being bombarded with requests for help from constituents.

Writing to Mr Javid, Labour shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: Nobody wants to see any more Boris Johnson lockdowns so getting a grip of the stumbling vaccination programme is urgent for ministers.

'The booster campaign has been slow getting off the ground, the third doses for immunocompromised branded chaotic, and there are still pockets of the country with worrying below-average rates of second dose.

'Tory complacency has allowed the wall of defence to crumble.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: We are working at speed to get people boosted and our vaccination programme is making great progress.
Tesla shares tanked 12 percent Tuesday as investors braced for chief executive Elon Musk to sell about $25billion in holdings in the electric-car maker.

It was the second day shares plunged after Musk asked his Twitter followers whether he should sell 10 percent of $250billion stock to pay President Joe Biden's proposed 'billionaire's tax.'

The stock, which closed at 1,023.50 on Tuesday, is down about 16 percent since last Friday.

Musk, the world's richest person, tweeted on Saturday that he would offload 10 percent of his stock to to pay the proposed 'Billionaires Tax' if his more than 62.3 million Twitter followers voted in favor the idea.

Musk owns 20.7 percent of the total Tesla outstanding shares - 193.3million shares - valued at just over $250million.

Tesla's stock tanked by 12 percent Tuesday as the market reacted to Elon Musk's plans to sell 10 percent of his stock to pay President Joe Biden's 'billionaire tax'

'Much is made lately of unrealized gains being a means of tax avoidance, so I propose selling 10% of my Tesla stock. Do you support this?' the South African-born mogul tweeted to his 62.7 million followers.

'Note, I do not take a cash salary or bonus from anywhere. I only have stock, thus the only way for me to pay taxes personally is to sell stock,' he added.

Musk said he will 'abide by the results of this poll, whichever way it goes.'

The Twitter poll garnered more than 3.5 million votes, with 57.9 percent of the people voting 'Yes.'

Since then, the billionaire has only said he was 'prepared to accept either outcome,'

Senator Ron Wyden took exception with Musk's ploy

'Whether or not the world's wealthiest man pays any taxes at all shouldn't depend on the results of a Twitter poll. It's time for the Billionaires Income Tax,' the Oregon Democrat tweeted.

Now, market regulators are waiting to see if Musk will follow through on his proposal.

Tesla founder Elon Musk took to Twitter to ask whether he should sell 10 percent of his stock in the electric-vehicle company amid pressure in Washington to increase taxes on billionaires like him

Nearly 58 percent of those who responded to the Tweet said he should sell his stock

The market reacted Monday when Tesla shares plummeted during pre-market trading

Market participants expected speculators would try to front-run his selling. Musk's stake in Tesla was about 170.5 million shares as of June 30, and a 10 percent sale would amount to about $21 billion based on Friday's closing price, according to a Reuters calculations.

Including stock options, he owns 23 percent stake in the world's most valuable car company.

In the past three months, company insiders at Tesla sold $259.62 million worth of shares, excluding dispositions of indirectly held shares, according to Refinitiv data.

'The last thing you do when offloading a massive exposure is to reveal your hand,' said Chris Weston, head of research at broker Pepperstone in Melbourne.

'The buyers tend to step away when you have an overhang like this, but this is no ordinary story and is Musk's way of getting back at the proposal to tax the elite with gains on unrealized profits.'

'The dip isn't going to last too long, because Tesla has had such a phenomenal record of bouncing back from these sort of selloffs,' added David Madden, markets analyst at Equiti Capital in London

Tesla breached a trillion dollars in market capitalization last month after rental firm Hertz signed an estimated $4.2billion deal to buy 100,000 of its cars

Musk decided to launch the poll in response to Biden's plan to tax unsold shares held by America's wealthiest people. Normally, stocks are only taxed when sold, with owners then forced to pay a percentage of any profits they've made.

But Senate Democrats have been pushing for billionaires to pay taxes when the price of the stocks they hold goes up, even if they don't sell any shares.

Under Biden's plan, billionaires could be taxed on 'unrealized gains' when the price of their shares goes up - even if they do not sell any of their stock.

Musk has an option to buy 22.86 million Tesla shares at $6.24 each - a fraction of Tesla's closing share price on Friday of $1,222. The option expires next August.

These 'unrealized gains' would put Musk on the hook for millions of dollars in taxes.

Courts now have to determine whether unrealized gains are legally considered income in order to tax them under the 16th Amendment.

The new tax could hit about 700 billionaires, but critics of the plan note that the value of assets do not always go up.

Billionaires would also pay taxes for other liquid assets such as bonds and cash - all of which can increase vastly over the years.

It comes as Tesla breached a trillion dollars in market capitalization last month after rental firm Hertz signed an estimated $4.2billion deal to buy 100,000 of its cars.

The deal will see Hertz roll out the $42,000 Model 3's across its locations in the US and Europe by the end of 2022, and is the largest single order for electric cars ever placed.

As a result, Tesla is now just the fifth American company to be worth more than $1 trillion, joining a select club that includes Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Alphabet.

Musk has said he would 'abide by the results of this poll, whichever way it goes'

In October, the worlds richest man predicted that the Democrats plan to tax the wealthy will eventually expand to include new levies on middle class Americans. Eventually, they run out of other peoples money and then they come for you, Musk tweeted

TAX DATA FOR ELON MUSK 2014-2018 Year Total taxes paid Total income reported 2014 $30.4 million $165 million 2015 $68K $3.15 million 2016 $42 million $1.34 billion 2017 $65K $6.22 million 2018 $8.41K $3.85 million

Musk, who is known for his sometimes flippant tweets, said he would 'abide by the results of this poll.'

He also owns SpaceX, which analysts say could make him even more money than Tesla, and result in Musk becoming the world's first trillionaire.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that Musk and his rival at Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos, have in recent years paid nothing in federal income tax.

Musk's wealth grew an estimated $13.9 billion between 2014 and 2018.

He reported $1.52billion in total income and paid $455 million in taxes. It equates to a 3.27 percent true tax rate.

In 2018, Musk paid no federal income tax. The records show he paid $68,000 in 2015 and $65,000 in 2017.

He has previously taken to Twitter to slam the tax plan.

After Democrats announced their plans for a new billionaires tax to help pay for Bidens social services and climate change plan in October, Musk predicted that the Democrats plan to tax the wealthy will eventually expand to include new levies on middle-class Americans.

'Eventually, they run out of other peoples money and then they come for you, Musk tweeted.

Musk has tried to sell off much of his properties over the past two years, after he tweeted in May 2020 that he was 'selling almost all physical possessions,' and 'will own no house.'

He has since been living in a home he rents worth $50,000 in Boca Chica, Texas near his Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Starbase rocket manufacturing plant, and sold a total of seven properties worth a total of $114 million.

He told podcast host Joe Rogan at the time he was doing it as a way to defuse criticism of his wealth.

'I think possessions kinda weigh you down. And theyre kind of an attack vector. People say, "Hey, billionaire, you got all this stuff."

'Well, now I dont have the stuff  now what are you gonna do?"

But Musk's flippant tweeting has also led him into financial uncertainty.

In 2018, he was fined $20 million by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for tweeting that he was considering taking Tesla private at $420 a share and had secured funding.

The SEC asked him at the time to step down as chairman.

He changed his name on Twitter Monday morning to 'Lord Edge,' an apparent reference to the slang-term 'edgelord,' which refers to someone who frequently espouses views that are considered controversial or purposefully offensive, according to Newsweek.

By afternoon, though, his name on the social media site was back to 'Elon Musk.'

Investors say they will now keep an eye on any response from the regulators on Musk's Twitter poll, especially because the regulator had ordered Tesla to vet any material public communications Musk made regarding the EV maker, following his 2018 tweet.
Detectives who helped track down Cleo Smith after the little girl was allegedly kidnapped from a remote camping site have returned to the small town where she was found, as they probe the possibility another person was involved.

Terence Darrell Kelly, 36, was charged with the four-year-old disappearance from the remote Blowholes campsite on November 4, after she had been missing 18 days.

A team of detectives landed in Carnarvon in the northwest of the state from Perth on Monday and are expected to remain in town for at least another week as forensic specialists continue to scour the alleged abductor's home for evidence someone else could have been there.

Detective senior sergeant Cameron Blaine, who was captured on police bodycam vision rescuing Cleo from her nightmarish ordeal, has remained tight-lipped about the latest development's in the case but said police have 'more work to do.'

'Our focus this week is for us to ascertain whether there was anyone else involved. That's why we are still here,' he told reporters after stepping off the plane.

'So, we just ask that if there was anyone that had any contact with Mr Kelly, whether you saw him, whether you met with him, whether you spoke to him on the phone during the relevant period to please make yourself known to police.'

The moment Cleo Smith was rescued from a home in Carnarvon was captured on police bodycam footage

Detective senior sergeant Cameron Blaine (pictured), who was captured on police bodycam vision rescuing Cleo from her nightmarish ordeal, has remained tight-lipped about the latest development's in the case but said police have 'more work to do'

Terence Kelly's duplex in Carnarvon, Western Australia, has been swarming with forensic police for sixth days

Police on Monday spent their sixth day at the home where Cleo was allegedly found, combing through evidence for one of the biggest investigations in WA history.

A mobile phone was reportedly in one of the bags of evidence seized from the home along with a Bratz doll, crayons, pens and markers.

It comes as the Aboriginal elder who raised the alleged abductor of little Cleo called him a gift from God and 'a beautiful little boy.'

New audio has been uncovered of respected Gascoyne elder Penny Walker revealing how Kelly, now 36, was 'thrown away' by his drug-addict biological mother.

She handed him over to her 'Aunty Penny' who had all six of her own children taken into care because of an alcohol problem when she was younger.

Kelly was just two years old when his mother abandoned him to Ms Walker in 1987 who then raised him as her own.

The Aboriginal elder who raised Terry Kelly (pictured), the alleged abductor of little Cleo Smith, called him a gift from God and 'a beautiful little boy'

Police raided the home last week to find little Cleo, 4, (pictured) alone in a room playing with toys, 18 days after she disappeared from her parents' tent at a campsite 75km away

Cleo Smith has since been reunited with mother Ellie Smith and stepfather Jake Gliddon (pictured)

'I looked down at him and this little boy - God was giving me something back into my life what the welfare took off me - my children,' said Ms Walker, who died in 2020.

'His mum didn't want him and she threw him away.'

Kelly lived alone at Ms Walker's dilapidated Tomkin Crescent duplex home in Carnarvon, Western Australia, after her death last year at the age of 77.

Since his arrest, it's been revealed Kelly had an obsession with collecting dolls and boasted about his love for girls' toys on various social media pages.

Several photographs he posted showed Bratz and Disney princess dolls stacked in a room from floor to ceiling.

The tapes reveal he was brought up with Ms Walker's two other grandsons after her daughter died from multiple sclerosis.

'God was giving my children back to me in a different way. So I have this little boy beautiful little boy, Terry,' she said. 'Two year old, jet black curly hair.'

New audio has been uncovered of respected Gascoyne elder Penny Walker revealing how Terry Kelly, now 36, (pictured) was 'thrown away' by his drug-addict biological mother

His mother handed Terry Kelly (pictured) over to her 'Aunty Penny' who had all six of her own children taken into care because of an alcohol problem when she was younger

Kelly's early upbringing has been revealed in snippets of oral history archives in an interview she gave in May 2019 for the State Library of Western Australia.

She revealed she had her own troubled early life as part of the Stolen Generation and spent her childhood in the Moore River Native Settlement and New Norcia Mission.

Ms Walker suffered sexual abuses and floggings, she said, and later slept in toilets as an adult while enduring domestic violence.

Authorities put her on a bus to Carnarvon, 1000km north of Perth, and she said in the tapes: 'I never looked back.'

Kelly lived alone at Ms Walker's Tomkin Crescent home (pictured) in Carnarvon, Western Australia, after her death last year at the age of 77

Several photographs Kelly posted on social media showed Bratz and Disney princess dolls stacked in a room from floor to ceiling (pictured)

After her own problems with drink and her six children being taken by the state, she turned her life around and became a respected member of the community.

Neighbours remembered her as a pet lover who collected stone unicorns.

Photographer Nic Duncan who interviewed her for the State Library project in 2019 described her as 'having dealt with the bitterness and grudges and is unbelievably positive and upbeatand cheeky.

'Her warmth and humour, honesty and openness have carried her through, he told The West Australian.

Terry Kelly (pictured) was just two years old when his mother abandoned him to Ms Walker in 1987 who then raised him as her own

Penny walker talked about Terry Kelly (pictured) being a 'beautiful little boy' with 'jet black curly hair' in audio recordings for the oral history archive at Western Australia's State Library

Forensic officers spent all day Sunday combing through Kelly's house and gathering evidence for laboratory examination.

Two trailer-loads of evidence were bagged up and removed from the alleged abductor's home as forensic teams spent their fifth day combing through the property.

The top to bottom search of the roped-off housing commission property is likely to go on for several weeks as prosecutors build their case against Kelly.

He will return to court at a later date.

Cleo Smith is now back in the arms of her mother Ellie after her terrifying ordeal
Police have launched a hate crime probe after A4-sized posters saying 'it's okay to be white' were plastered around Basingstoke.

The posters were placed on display outside a college, on lampposts, along major roads and on school routes in the Hampshire town on Thursday.

Hampshire Constabulary has confirmed it is treating the incidents as a hate incident after shocked local residents alerted the force last week.

The posters were also reported to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and the Highways Agency, which confirmed it would remove them as soon as possible.

Residents initially began ripping the posters down themselves, but more emerged in the following days.

According to the council's own data, 88.2 per cent of the population of Basingstoke was White British in the 2011 census - higher than the average of 80.5 per cent in England and Wales.

Four per cent were 'Asian or Asian British', 1.7 per cent 'Mixed or Multiple' and 1.1 per cent 'Black African, Caribbean or Black British'.

Hampshire Constabulary has confirmed it is treating the incidents as a hate crime, with residents saying they are shocked as more have appeared around the town

Posters carrying the phrase were displayed outside a college, on lampposts on major roads, and on school routes

Many residents have taken to writing over the slogan as more posters have appeared

One of the posters put up around the town of Basingstoke, Hampshire, which has since been adapted

The percentage of ethnic minority groups in the borough almost doubled from 2001 to 2011, a report added.

Residents have now taken to writing over the slogan with a marker pen to make it read 'its okay to be trans + dyslexic' and 'its okay to be gay'.

Basingstoke resident Priya Brown told the BBC that she believed the posters were erected by 'neo-Nazi and white supremacy group'.

The origin of the 'it's okay to be white' slogan The 'It's okay to be white' campaign was reportedly created on popular internet forum 4chan as an alt-right slogan in the United States, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The saying was adopted by neo-Nazi groups and politically-organized racists, including former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke. The aim of the slogan was to create a 'left-wing media backlash' in response to a 'harmless message'. Posters originally began being place around American universities including the University of Washington and University of California, as well as the University of Regina in Canada. However, similar posters appeared in Bristol city centre in January last year - the first time they had appeared in England. Advertisement

She said: 'These posters were on school routes and a lot of people including kids have seen them.

'My friend, who was walking the dog at around 7.30am, alerted me about it. Later I saw it on the way to school with my children.

'This wasnt nice and it was on every single lamppost on Cliddesden Road.

'Later I had a governors meeting as well at [Basingstoke College of Technology] and thats how I found out that they were outside the college as well.

'There were a couple of residents who were quite upset about it. They removed some of these posters. My friends husband also took down as many posters as possible.'

The 'It's okay to be white' campaign was reportedly created on popular internet forum 4chan as an alt-right slogan in the United States back in 2017, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

The saying was adopted by neo-Nazi groups and politically-organized racists, including former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke.

The aim of the slogan was to create a 'left-wing media backlash' in response to a 'harmless message'.

Posters originally began being placed around American universities including the University of Washington and University of California, as well as the University of Regina in Canada.

However, similar posters appeared in Bristol city centre in January last year - the first time they had appeared in England.

They did, though, appear in Scotland just a few months earlier.

Police Scotland received reports of the slogan appearing in Dundee in September 2019, followed by Peth in December.

A spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary said: 'We were made aware of a number of posters that were placed on lampposts on Cliddesden Road, New Road and near Basingstoke College of Technology.

'Some of the posters have since been removed and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Councils street cleaning team has been tasked to remove them fully.

'This has been recorded as a hate incident and were are now liaising with our local community groups.'

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council has been contacted for comment.
A man has welcomed his first child after having 170 rounds of chemotherapy to fight a cancerous brain tumour.

Jonathon Jones, 32, of Solihull, West Midlands, was diagnosed with the tumour at age 17 after doctors said it was 'the size of an orange' - but now 14 years later he has welcomed his first child, JJ, with his partner Danielle Taylor.

Mr Jones has had 170 rounds of chemotherapy to keep the brain tumour at bay and was able to father his child without needing IVF.

He feared he'd never be able to have children because the chemo drugs he was taking can lead to infertility and subsequently he froze his sperm when he was a teen.

Jonathon Jones, 32, of Solihull, West Midlands, (Pictured Left) has welcomed his first child, JJ, (Pictured Right) after having 170 rounds of chemotherapy to fight a cancerous brain tumour

Mr Jones (Above) has had 170 rounds of chemotherapy to keep the brain tumour at bay and was able to father his child without needing IVF

Mr Jones (Pictured Right) was diagnosed with the tumour at age 17 after doctors said it was 'the size of an orange' - but now 14 years later he has welcomed his first child, JJ, (Middle) with his partner Danielle Taylor (Pictured)

Mr Jones said: 'I'd always wanted to be a dad, but I didn't think I would ever have a child as I have had over 170 rounds of chemo.

'JJ is an absolute miracle and was conceived naturally, although we were looking into IVF.

'I really think my story will inspire other people to remain strong and hopeful.'

In the six years before his diagnosis his behaviour had been extremely challenging, getting him expelled from schools and in trouble with the police.

His mother took Mr Jones to several counsellors and private hospitals in search of answers.

He was prescribed ADHD medication, but when that failed the family took drastic action and asked for him to be sectioned at The Priory, which again provided no answers as there was nothing psychologically wrong with him.

By age 17, Mr Jones went on a trip to Hong Kong with a friend and his family where he started to suffer 'terrible headaches'.

He explained: 'It was a turning point. I suffered terrible headaches whilst I was there.

'I put it down to jet lag and drinking alcohol. Ironically drinking was the best thing I could have done for my symptoms as it dehydrated me which in turn reduced the swelling in my brain.'

Mr Jones said: 'JJ (Pictured) is an absolute miracle and was conceived naturally, although we were looking into IVF'

When he returned, he went on a trip to Newquay to celebrate finishing school but things went 'from bad to worse' and he was so poorly had to be driven home.

'That was the last time I was able to get out of bed,' He added.

'My mum and step dad took me to hospital and demanded they check the pressure behind my eyes. Apparently this was normal.

'Mum and my stepdad then took me to the doctors on many occasions and I was told either that I had a hangover or a viral infection. My family were frantic.'

Mr Jones's mother took him back to the doctors at the end of July 2007 and demanded a brain scan.

The consultant looked into his eyes, said nothing and ran out of the room to order an urgent MRI scan.

Within the hour he was diagnosed with a brain tumour the size of an orange.

Surgeons cancelled other patients to get Mr Jones into surgery at University Hospital Coventry.

Unknown to him his mum was told there was a 30% he would die on the operating table and that if the tumour had been left another two weeks the tumour would have killed him.

Seven hours of surgery later, 98% of the huge growth had been removed.

By 2019, Mr Jones met personal trainer Danielle (Pictured) in a bar in Birmingham in 2019. The pair want to try for another baby next year

It was tested and revealed to be a cancerous Oligodendroglioma and he was given radiotherapy.

Doctors told him he would need chemo for the rest of his life to keep the tumour at bay and he has been on chemo drugs ever since - with 2021 his 14th year of treatment.

He is now on four-weekly cycles, to be extended to six-weekly as he gets older.

Worried about his fertility, Mr Jones also had his sperm frozen when he was diagnosed in case he wanted to become a dad at a later date.

By 2019, Mr Jones met personal trainer Danielle in a bar in Birmingham in 2019.

He admitted: 'It was instant. I'd given up on meeting people. She was different.'

The couple suffered an unplanned pregnancy after five months and were gutted to miscarry, so planned to do IVF after consulting with their GP.

But amazingly they conceived naturally again after six months.

The result is their son JJ, born on May 8 this year.

Cancer treatment can slow or stop sperm production altogether and some men become permanently infertile.

Danielle has two kids from a previous relationship - Brody, five, and Sophia, seven - and they now want another baby next year.

Mr Jones has taken part in charity runs and also set up his own clothing business called No Brainer, with part of the proceeds going to the Brain Tumour Charity.

The businessman said he thinks GPs should take brain tumour symptoms more seriously.

And he said he wouldn't have made it through without the support of his family and friends.

He added: 'To be able to raise awareness and give hope means the world to me.

'With JJ and Danielle, my life aside from the chemo is perfect. JJ is such a blessing.'
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Poland has vowed to 'defend Europe' from a 'migrant invasion' unleashed by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko whose forces have coerced more than 1,000 refugees to smash through the border.

Desperate migrants gathered at the Belarusian frontier with Poland on Monday, attempting to hack down a barbed-wire fence only to meet a phalanx of Polish guards who forced them back with pepper spray.

Middle Eastern and African migrants have been flown into Belarus by Lukashenko who is using them as human cannon fodder in his battle with the EU, the US and Britain, after they imposed sanctions following a violent political crackdown, which included forcing a Ryanair flight from the sky in May.

Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said: 'The Polish government is determined and we will defend the security of our country and the entire EU, respecting our international obligations and bearing in mind, above all, the interests of the state and the safety of Polish soldiers, Border Guard officers and citizens.'

Warsaw called today's action 'an invasion' and declared it was sending 12,000 troops to reinforce 10,000 already stationed along the frontier.

Polish soldiers were seen pepper-spraying the migrants from behind a barbed-wire barrier as the desperate people tried to hack it down with branches and spades.

At other sections of the line, small children were held up by desperate parents who pleaded with the Polish forces to let them through, while others chanted: 'Germany,' renowned for its hospitality towards refugees.

Poland said on Monday it had repelled an attempt by hundreds of migrants to illegally cross the border with Belarus, but that thousands more were on the way and future attempts to breach its frontier could be 'armed in nature'.

Defense Ministry video taken later Monday showed the migrants settling in for the night by the border, having put up scores of tents and cooking meals.

A NATO official called the use of migrants 'a hybrid tactic', meaning a combined military-political operation, and said: 'NATO stands ready to further assist our allies, and maintain safety and security in the region'.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Monday called on member states to impose new sanctions against Belarus and said the use 'of migrants for political purposes is unacceptable'. She added that the EU would also look at how to sanction 'third-country airlines' that bring migrants to Belarus.

The U.S. State Department also called for Belarus to stop 'orchestrating' an influx of migrants at the Polish border, blaming strongman Lukashenko for the 'coercion of vulnerable people.'

A migrant was seen hacking at the barbed wire barrier with a spade while a Polish guard sprayed him with pepper spray

A surge of 'illegal immigrants' preparing to cross the border from dictatorship Belarus into NATO-EU state Poland has sparked fears of a major crisis in the region (pictured: immigrants making their way along the highway to Poland)

A helicopter flies low overhead as thousands of migrants mass on the Polish border with Belarus on Monday

Small children are held up by desperate migrants along with frontier faced down by Polish forces

Small children clamber onto trees as men and women sit around a camp fire in the forest next to a barbed wire barrier

One of the migrants takes a pair of pliers to the barbed wire fence at the Polish border with Belarus on Monday

These extraordinary scenes are the most serious yet in a dispute that has seen the West accuse Belarusian autocrat Alexander Lukashenko of 'weaponising' immigration and engaging in a 'hybrid war'

Polish forces are seen standing guard at the border to block the passage of migrants from Belarus

A crowd of desperate migrants, including women and small children, stand on the other side of a barbed wire barricade guarded by Polish forced near Grodno, Belarus on Monday

A man holds a child as hundreds of migrants mass at the Polish border after they were allegedly coerced towards the frontier by Belarusian forces

Videos today show an enormous procession of migrants near the Bruzgi-Kuznitsa frontier checkpoint, on a highway that links Belarus to Poland. Migrants have been gathered in the forests close to the checkpoint for weeks (countries in blue are part of the EU - Lithuania and Latvia have also reported a major influx of migrants in recent months from Belarus)

A military policeman checks car on the road check point during migrant crisis on Belarusian - Polish border near Sokolka, Poland on Monday

EU Chief calls for new sanctions on Belarus European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on the bloc's 27 nations to approve extended sanctions on the Belarusian authorities 'responsible for this hybrid attack.' The use 'of migrants for political purposes is unacceptable', she said in a statement, adding that the EU would also look at how to sanction 'third-country airlines' that bring migrants to Belarus. She said two top EU officials - EU Commission vice president Margaritis Schinas and EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell - will travel to the main countries of origin for the migrants to 'ensure that they act to prevent their own nationals from falling into the trap set by the Belarusian authorities.' 'We will not hesitate to adopt sanctions if necessary against companies and countries that play into the hands of smugglers,' EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell warned in mid-October. 'The migrants are provided with visas, plane tickets and an aircraft is ready to transport them to Minsk from where they are taken to the borders of Lithuania, Latvia and Poland,' he said. Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas will visit 'the main countries of origin and transit in the coming days to ensure that they act to prevent their own nationals from falling into the trap set by the Belarusian authorities,' the statement said. The EU said it hoped that Poland would finally accept help from Frontex, the bloc's border agency, a step Poland's ruling nationalists have so far refused to do. Frontex would not comment on the border situation. Stanislav Zaryn, Minister-Coordinator of the Polish Intelligence Service, accused Belarusian President Lukashenko of acting to destabilize Poland and other EU countries to pressure the bloc into dropping its sanctions on Minsk. Those sanctions were put into place after Belarus cracked down brutally on democracy protests. Advertisement

Poland's ambassador to the UN Krzysztof Szczerski said: 'Due to the situation on the eastern border of Poland, I am in contact with the ambassadors of the USA, Great Britain, France, Ireland and Estonia to the United Nations in New York - members of the Security Council.'

The pledge comes as deputy head of Poland's Interior Ministry said: 'At the moment, a regular battle is taking place near Kuznice.

'The Border Guard, the Police and the Polish Army are defending our border against the attack of migrants inspired and prepared by Lukashenko.'

Poland said it had withstood the first attempts on Monday by the migrants to force their way across the border, but that thousands more were on their way.

'We expect that in the coming hours attacks on our border will be renewed by groups of several hundred people,' Pawel Soloch, the head of Poland's National Security Bureau, told reporters.

Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller said that there were currently 3,000-4,000 migrants near the border, and more than 10,000 others across Belarus ready to try and cross into Poland.

'We expect that there may be an escalation of this type of action on the Polish border in the near future, which will be of an armed nature,' he added.

Poland said it had withstood the first attempts on Monday by the migrants to force their way across the border.

The Polish Border Guard announced that as of 0600 GMT on Tuesday the crossing at Kuznica, near the site where migrants tried to force their way through, would be closed.

'We have three border crossings with Belarus,' Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Wasik told private broadcaster Polsat News. 'The closure of one of them can... be treated as a kind of economic sanction.'

Poland's Secret Service minister Stanislaw Zaryn said: 'Migrants, and subsequent transports arrive in Belarus from Arab countries. - Polish borders are attacked in an organized manner, we will strengthen forces,' he said.

The former President of the European Community has now called upon NATO to help with the mounting crisis on Poland's border with Belarus.

Donald Tusk said Poland should consider triggering Article 4 of the Nato treaty, under which all member states are obliged to meet to examine issues of mutual concern including threats to territorial integrity, political independence or security.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Tusk who is the leader of Poland's main opposition party Platforma Obywatelska said he was 'very concerned about what is happening today and what will probably happen in the hours to come on our eastern border.'

He added: 'Our relations with our eastern neighbour are about to deteriorate even further.

'What is most important is perhaps to consider whether we should trigger Nato's Article 4 if our border is under direct threat from physical pressure with Belarusian involvement, and I mean Belarusian state services.'

Charities say the migrants face gruelling conditions while trying to cross the border from Belarus, enduring freezing weather and a lack of food, water and medical attention.

Poland said seven migrants had been found dead on its side of the border, with reports of more deaths in Belarus.

Humanitarian groups accuse Poland's ruling nationalists of violating the international right to asylum by pushing migrants back into Belarus instead of accepting their applications for protection. Poland says its actions are legal.

There are more than a thousand people in the group of refugees near the border with Poland, including many women and children, reported RIA Novosti after speaking with Belarusian border guards.

The border guards said that migrants 'do not pose a threat yet,' but their statements came amid reports that Lukashenko was sending heavily armed riot police towards the border.

'At the moment, a large group of refugees with belongings are moving along the road to the border with Poland,' said the Belarusian border committee in a statement.

The US on Monday called on Belarus to stop 'orchestrating' an influx of migrants at the Polish border.

'We call on the (Lukashenko) regime to immediately halt its campaign of orchestrating and coercing irregular migrant flows across its borders into Europe,' State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

The European Union has also accused Lukashenko of facilitating the wave of migrants and refugees, mainly from the Middle East, in retaliation for sanctions imposed by Brussels.

'The United States strongly condemns the Lukashenka regime's political exploitation and coercion of vulnerable people and the regime's callous and inhumane facilitation of irregular migration flows across its borders,' Price said.

NATO has also slammed as 'unacceptable' Belarus's use of migrants to put pressure on the EU, saying it was worried about 'escalation' on the border with Poland.

Meanwhile, Poland's Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk said on Polish public radio this weekend: 'Belarus wants to cause a major incident, preferably with shots fired and casualties.

A young family with backpacks and camping gear at the border with Poland on Monday

Children peer out of their tent at the border on Monday

Women sit around a camp fire in the Belarusian wilderness hoping to cross over into Poland

A man lies on his back with a smartphone as Polish forces stand guard at the barbed wire fence

A father holds his child as desperate people wait around at the border hoping to make it into Europe

Migrants hack down trees in the primeval forest where they are camped out hoping to cross into Poland

'According to media reports, they are preparing a major provocation near Kuznitsa Bialostocka (a Polish town right next to the Bruzgi-Kuznitsa border checkpoint), that there will be an attempt at a mass border crossing.'

Stanislav Zaryn, Minister-Coordinator of the Polish Intelligence Service, was equally as direct, tweeting: 'the largest attempt at a military invasion of Poland has begun.'

'A large group of migrants has gathered in Belarus, near the border with Poland. They will try to enter Poland en masse'.

'New information shows that the group is under the strict control of armed Belarusians. They are the ones who decide the direction the group takes,' Zaryn said.

He stressed that the 'large groups of migrants... are fully controlled by the Belarusian security services and army.'

Zaryn accused President Lukashenko of acting to destabilize Poland and other EU countries to pressure the bloc into dropping its sanctions on Minsk. Those sanctions were put into place after Belarus cracked down brutally on democracy protests.

Poland's Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Maciej Wasik said its frontier guards, police and army were on duty.

'The Polish services are ready for any scenario,' he said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday called on the bloc's 27 nations to approve extended sanctions on the Belarusian authorities 'responsible for this hybrid attack.'

The use 'of migrants for political purposes is unacceptable', she said in a statement, adding that the EU would also look at how to sanction 'third-country airlines' that bring migrants to Belarus.

She said two top EU officials - EU Commission vice president Margaritis Schinas and EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell - will travel to the main countries of origin for the migrants to 'ensure that they act to prevent their own nationals from falling into the trap set by the Belarusian authorities.'

'We will not hesitate to adopt sanctions if necessary against companies and countries that play into the hands of smugglers,' EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell warned in mid-October.

'The migrants are provided with visas, plane tickets and an aircraft is ready to transport them to Minsk from where they are taken to the borders of Lithuania, Latvia and Poland,' he said.

Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas will visit 'the main countries of origin and transit in the coming days to ensure that they act to prevent their own nationals from falling into the trap set by the Belarusian authorities,' the statement said.

The EU said it hoped that Poland would finally accept help from Frontex, the bloc's border agency, a step Poland's ruling nationalists have so far refused to do. Frontex would not comment on the border situation.

In Brussels, a spokesman for the European Commission, Adalbert Jahnz called the siege 'a continuation of the desperate attempt by the Lukashenko regime to use people as pawns to destabilize the European Union.'

Bix Aliu, the U.S. charge d'affaires in Warsaw, tweeted that Lukashenko's regime was risking the migrants' lives and 'using them to escalate the border crisis and provoke Poland.'

'Hostile actions by Belarus are exacerbating the situation on the border with the EU and NATO dangerously and must end immediately,' he said.

An elderly woman moves between the camp fires of the many dozens of families who are camped in the forest

Young men hold up their arms and cheers as they spot a photographer inside their camp at the Polish border

The migrants stand in winter jackets and waterproofs with their camping gear hoping to make it through the border

A man holds a white duvet atop a branch as a makeshift flag of surrender

A man with a small child tied to his back at the border with Poland today after traveling through Belarus

A child with her family at the border today

A man holds up his arms and cheers with the hope of crossing into liberal Europe

But Russian authorities have declared their support of Lukashenko and Belarus' role in the crisis.

Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said: 'We have no doubt that the Belarusian migration service is taking all necessary steps to keep everything legal.

'Of course, we do not doubt that [they are] taking into account [our] considerations and possible concerns in regard to the fact that migrants may end up in our territory as well.'

'Measures are being taken, but the situation is, of course, tricky.'

Russia is one of Belarus' only allies, as the EU-bloc, the UK and the US all oppose his presidency following an alleged rigged election last year.

Charities say the migrants face gruelling conditions while trying to cross the border from Belarus, enduring freezing weather and a lack of food, water and medical attention

Polish authorities say at least seven dead migrants have been found on Poland's side of the border, with unverified reports of more deaths in Belarus

Armed men believed to be under the command of Lukashenko have been seen coercing the migrants and pushing them towards Poland to orchestrate an 'invasion' according to a Polish intelligence official

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is accused of flying people in from the Middle East and Africa to use them as human cannon fodder in his battle with the EU, the United States and Britain, who imposed sanctions on Belarus after Lukashenko unleashed a violent crackdown on mass protests against his disputed election win last year

Humanitarian groups have accused Poland's ruling nationalists of violating the international right to asylum by pushing migrants back into Belarus instead of accepting their applications for protection. The Poles meanwhile say they are not responsible for the migrants, many of whom have likely been flown in from the Middle East by Belarus to be forced into the EU

Around a thousand migrants are gathering at the Bruzgi-Kuznitsa border between Belarus and Poland, with reports of Belarusian strongmen trying to force them into the EU

Videos and images have emerged of migrants gaining access to Poland through a gap in a barbed wire fence that runs along the Poland - Belarus border

Belarusian authorities have since attempted to lay the responsibility for the refugees, who have been gathered for weeks in cold temperatures along the Belarusian-Polish border, at Poland's feet.

'The refugees were prompted to such a step of despair by the indifference and inhuman attitude of the Polish authorities,' they said.

'The Belarusian side is taking the necessary measures to ensure the smooth functioning of international communication channels, as well as the safety of people moving along the highway.'

Humanitarian groups have also accused Poland's ruling nationalists of violating the international right to asylum by pushing migrants back into Belarus instead of accepting their applications for protection.

The Poles meanwhile say Belarusian authorities are entirely responsible for exploiting vulnerable people from Iraq, Syria and other countries and pushing them towards the EU, with regular flights to Minsk from these nations.

Latvia and Lithuania have also faced an influx of immigrants in recent months.

Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Facebook that 'the Polish border is not just a line on a map. The border is sacred - Polish blood has been spilled for it!'

Anton Bychkovsky, spokesman for Belarus' State Border Guard Committee, said that the migrants at the border are seeking to 'exercise their right to apply for refugee status in the EU.' Bychkovsky insisted they 'are not a security threat.'

Poland says they can apply for refugee status at Poland's diplomatic missions, including in Belarus.

But the massive group was viewed as a threat by Poland and other European countries, including Germany - the main destination for many. Steffen Seibert, German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, told reporters Monday that 'the Belarusian regime is acting as a human trafficker.'

'It instrumentalizes refugees and migrants in a way that's politically and from a humanitarian point of view condemnable. And Europe will make a united stand against this continuous hybrid attack,' Seibert said.

Videos today show an enormous procession of migrants near the Bruzgi-Kuznitsa frontier checkpoint, on a highway that links Belarus to Poland

Migrants carrying tents, sleeping bags and warm clothing have been spotted trying to cross a barbed wire fence that has been erected along the Polish-Belarusian border

Warsaw and the EU say the build-up of migrants on the border is part of an organised action by the Belarusian government aimed at destabilizing the bloc in retaliation for Western sanctions.

Jerzy Marek Nowkowski, President of the Euro-Atlantic Association, said: 'It is Lukashenko's dream that shots would be fired at the border, and that perhaps one of the Polish or Belarusian border guards would be killed in the shootout.

'This is clearly the aim of Lukashenko's entire operation, because, after all, he is not concerned with immigrants but with maintaining and expanding his power, his position, his games within the Belarusian power elite and in his relations with Russia.

'In order to prevent an escalation, we must above all keep our nerves in check and not allow ourselves to be provoked.'

Polish ministers held an emergency meeting on the border crisis, with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki writing on Facebook that Poland's border is 'sacred' and 'not just a line on the map.'

Poland's deputy foreign minister, Pawel Jablonski held talks with Iraqi charge d'affaires Hussein al-Safi on ways of ending the migration crisis and thanked Iraq for having Belarus close its consulates in Baghdad and Irbil that were giving out tourist visas to migrants.

Meanwhile, in Poland's EU neighbor Lithuania, officials were preparing for the possibility of a similar incursion, with the Interior Ministry proposing to declare an emergency situation.

'We are getting ready for all possible scenarios,' said Rustamas Liubajevas, the head of Lithuania's border guards.

Since the summer, Poland and Lithuania have seen thousands of migrants from the Mideast and Africa trying to cross into the EU. Poland has sought to block the attempts or send those they catch back into Belarus.

Belarusian political analyst Valery Karbalevich told the AP that the Moscow-backed Lukashenko regime seemed to be trying to use the migrants 'to scare' the EU.

'The largest attack of migrants on EU borders is taking place three days after Belarus and Russia signed a new agreement on military cooperation. The Kremlin is at least aware of the details of what's happening,' Karbalevich said.

Poland's Border Guard have also reported incidents of hostile behavior and threats by Belarusian forces directed across the border at Polish forces.

On Friday there was a report that 'a Belarusian soldier attempted to fire a flare gun at Polish soldiers. Luckily, the gun didn't go off,' according to the Warsaw defence ministry.

In another incident, the ministry reported that 'five armed Belarusians attempted to destroy a fence, shouting that they would be shooting at Polish soldiers.

'After additional forces of the Border Service and the Army were called for, the Belarusians retreated'.

There have been calls for walls on the Belarus borders with EU and NATO states Poland, Lithuania and Latvia amid the escalating tensions and the mounting number of migrants trying to enter the EU from Lukashenko's nation.

A grotesque game of human ping-pong: IAN BIRRELL reveals how Belarus has flown in thousands of migrants from the Middle East and Africa  then sent them into Poland en route to a new life in the West... But the Poles don't want them

By IAN BIRRELL IN BIALOWIEZA FOREST, POLAND FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY

We met deep inside Europe's last remaining primeval forest, where bison and wolves roam beneath ancient towering oaks. 'I am an IT professional and I had a good life,' Hussan told me. 'But now I am standing in the woods with bare feet and dirty hands.'

Hussan, 41, lived happily in the Syrian city of Homs before it was shattered by bombs, bullets and feuding militia, forcing him to flee to Turkey.

Tears flowed down his face when I asked about his family, then he spoke in English of his dream to find sanctuary in Britain. Instead, he finds himself in Bialowieza Forest, a fearful refugee hiding from Polish security forces seeking to send him back over the nearby border to Belarus.

For this is the latest front line in Europe's migration crisis. Hussan is just one of many bedraggled pawns in a cruel global power game being played by Belarus's sinister dictator Alexander Lukashenko, who has 'weaponised' migration by luring people from the Middle East and Africa to his country, then despatching them to next-door EU nations.

This policy is designed to stoke divisions and destabilise the EU in retaliation for sanctions imposed after the autocrat sparked world outcry by forcing a Ryanair passenger jet carrying an opposition activist to divert to the Belarusian capital Minsk, where he was seized and then paraded on television.

Pictured: Hussan, 41, from Syria and his pregnant wife Sarah, who spent 28 days in the Bialowieza forest

Politicians across Europe accuse Lukashenko of launching a 'hybrid war' backed by Moscow. 'Refugees and asylum-seekers are being brought to the border with the aim of intimidating Brussels and Poland,' said Marcin Swiecicki, an MP and former mayor of Warsaw. 'The situation is a tragedy.'

True. But Lukashenko's cynical tactics seem to be working, with EU countries spending millions of euros on border walls, bickering about how best to respond and the far-Right seeking to exploit the human misery for its own ends.

Taxi drivers in the Polish city of Bialystok, close to the border, told me of seeing even cars with UK licence plates arriving to pick up arrivals from Belarus. 'We see so many migrants and traffickers,' said one, called Pawel. 'You can see English, French and German plates on cars coming to collect people.'

In Germany, where police say up to 1,000 people are arriving every day, armed vigilante patrols of Right-wing extremists have been found operating at the frontier.

A record 200 crossings into Lithuania were attempted on one day recently. Others have begun trying to reach Europe via Ukraine.

Two months ago I reported in The Mail on Sunday about the surge into Lithuania, but focus has shifted to Poland. Officials logged 16,800 efforts at illegal entry last month  four times more each day than for the whole of last year. Hussan was in a group of 20 people from Iraq, Egypt and Syria whom I found sitting around small fires, craving food and dry clothes while drinking water from a small stream.

Pictured: Ali Abd Alwareth, 24, from Lebanon sits in the woods outside the Emergency State zone at the Polish-Belarusian border and waits for arrival of Border Guard patrol, October 22, 2021

He said he had been pushed back and forth over the frontier four times in a fortnight in a grotesque game of human ping-pong being played by Polish and Belarus guards. Others said they were bounced over the border 20 times. There are reports of beatings, injured migrants ejected from Polish hospitals and families trapped in a militarised no-man's land on the Belarus side. At least ten people have died and many more lives are at risk as winter temperatures plummet.

'I'm so tired and it's so cold that I am shaking,' said Hussan. 'We are scared at night because of the wild animals so we hide our heads under our clothes.'

He spent all his 1,000 savings to get here. 'Life is a disaster. We've gone from our home in Syria to being trapped between two borders because no one wants us in their country. But we are human too.'

Hussan left his wife and four children in Turkey. But his group included an Iraqi man with his nine-year-old son.

Elsewhere in the forest, I met a woman called Sarah who is five months pregnant. The 26-year-old claimed to have spent 28 days in the forest with her husband Hassan, after flying to Belarus. Officials then took them to the country's border with Lithuania. They were caught after crossing the frontier, then taken across to the Polish border on the other side of the country. They had been pushed back nine times, she said, despite asking each time for asylum.

This sudden influx of migrants is stirring tensions in Poland, a divided country currently run by an ultra-conservative government at loggerheads with Brussels on gay rights, pollution and the supremacy of EU law. There is even talk that the country might follow Britain and leave the union.

'We put the security of our fatherland above everything,' said Poland's defence minister, Mariusz Blaszczak.

The defence ministry said that on Wednesday, Belarusian soldiers threatened to open fire on Polish forces who found a group of 250 migrants and refugees at the border. Nato says it is concerned about the 'escalating' situation.

Poland is one of ten countries that asked Brussels to pay for 'barriers' to block migrants  a request denied by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, who says Brussels should not fund 'barbed wire and walls'. In defiance, Poland is spending 300 million on a wall along the 260-mile border with Belarus. Critics say it will be a costly failure, taking years to construct in forests and swamps. Lithuania has also started building an 11ft-high steel fence topped with razor wire on its frontier.

The Polish government has declared a state of emergency, sent 10,000 troops to assist frontier guards and banned outsiders from coming within 3km (1.9 miles) of the border.

An Iraqi migrant child (pictured centre) stands as he and others are surrounded by border guards and police officers after they crossed the Belarusian-Polish border during the ongoing migrant crisis, in Hajnowka

In a war of words against Lukashenko, whose international pariah status has pushed him into the embrace of Vladimir Putin, ministers claim Belarus is giving migrants 'strange pills' and the heroin substitute methadone to help them survive the border crossings.

After arriving in the border area, I received a text message saying: 'The Polish border is sealed. BLR [Belarus] authorities told you lies. Go back to Minsk! Don't take any pills from Belarusian soldiers.' My car was stopped several times at checkpoints in the region.

Piotr Mazuruk, a border police commander, said: 'These migrants are like stones. The Belarusians throw them over the border to us. And we throw them back again.' A plea from Catholic church leaders to let medical volunteers enter the emergency area was rejected by ministers last week. Activists and opposition figures argue that such decisions, and forcing people back over the border, flout international treaties  and so plays into Lukashenko's hands.

Karolina Czerwinska, project co-ordinator for the Polish Migration Forum, told me about a refugee who was treated for a broken leg in a Polish hospital and then applied for asylum. But she said that 24 hours later, the Polish authorities had sent him back to Belarus.

I accompanied volunteers from Grupa Granica who take food, drink and clothing to groups who send details of their location in the forests to family and friends as they play cat-and-mouse with the border forces hunting them down. One volunteer told me that many people crossing from Belarus thought they could happily stroll across borders through Poland to Germany, thus arriving utterly unprepared to be stuck in a freezing forest.

Pictured: Polish soldiers build a fence on the border between Poland and Belarus near the village of Nomiki

She had found a Syrian family with elderly grandparents and children as young as three. 'It was so sad. They had no idea they were in a forest hundreds of miles from the German border. They thought it would be so easy.'

Poland claims it is respecting international obligations to migrants as it tries to stem the flow of people. Under EU rules, people should apply for asylum in the first safe country they enter. But many of the migrants, hoping to head further west, do not want asylum in Poland. A former minister in the Polish government said: 'The pushback is not 100 per cent legal but it has become common practice on many European borders such as Greece and Italy.'

He said Poland was being targeted by Belarus in revenge for its strong support of the democratic anti-Lukashenko movement in Belarus, but was powerless to stop the regime without wider diplomatic support.

Although Belarus has promised to suspend flights from Iraq that are used by migrants, the winter schedule for Minsk airport shows 55 flights a week from the Middle East, including the launch of daily flights from Damascus, the Syrian capital. Some refugees have told of being taken directly to Belarus's borders after arriving in Minsk. But one local journalist describes the city centre as being 'Little Baghdad' as there are so many migrants, while a human-rights worker told me the capital's hotels are packed with Middle Eastern visitors. Most want to go to Germany, where Angela Merkel agreed in 2015 to allow one million refugees and migrants to come and stay. Although the numbers making the journey are far smaller than six years ago, the Berlin government rapidly moved thousands of police to the Polish border to intensify checks. The police union, however, is warning of another 'collapse' if tougher action is not taken.

Horst Seehofer, the interior minister, backs Poland's plan to build a border wall, but other politicians have condemned the responses that could results in people freezing to death in forests.

'This is a disgrace for Europe,' said Gerhart Baum, a former interior minister. 'We have a moral obligation towards these people that we are not abiding by.'

Gaith, 20, is a Syrian who has just applied for asylum in Germany. He told me he paid $7,000 (5,200) in Lebanon for a fake passport but it was rumbled when he tried to enter Turkey. So his smuggler flew him to Minsk to ensure that he could enter Europe.

'I was stuck in the forest for 11 days  it was like a game of ping-pong. The Polish police send you back to Belarus, then the Belarus police send you back to Poland. It happened to me about 20 times. The Poles were friendly, giving us food and water, but the Belarusians beat people and let their dogs bite you. I was scared since the forest was cold and dark. There were so many people from all over the world  from Syria, Iraq, Sudan, Lebanon.'

Pictured: In this aerial view trucks and cars cross a bridge over the Oder River between Germany (L) and Poland as a railway bridge stands farther behind on November 05, 2021 near Swiecko, Poland (stock image)

Eventually, Belarusian officials took them to a spot on the border where there were no Polish frontier police, and five of his 16-strong group made it through, They were met by taxis hired by his people-traffickers and taken to Berlin.

The explosive nature of this crisis became clear two weeks ago when it emerged that more than 50 far-Right German vigilantes armed with batons, machetes, pepper sprays and a bayonet were stopped by police on anti-migrant patrols.

They had responded to a call from Third Way, a small extremist group which broke away from the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party. That group told me it was sending 'sympathisers' on border patrols to find illegal entrants.

Sascha Rossmueller, chairman of the party in Bavaria, said their unarmed patrols kept within laws that allow people to 'physically hold' anyone suspected of a crime.

'The crucial aspect is not that we will prevent mass migration but it allows us to attract attention,' he admitted.

There have also been protests outside centres for asylum-seekers near the border.

'This is evil genius but we all play Lukashenko's game,' says Greta von der Decken, legal adviser for a refugee group working in Eisenhuttenstadt, a town by the Polish border. 'I am sad because Lukashenko is winning.'
Spurned Sussex University lecturer Professor Kathleen Stock has said she was protecting women by warning against policies that allow men to 'self-identify as female'.

The analytic philosophy expert said in her first television interview since she retired 'there is more at stake than feeling offended'.

She said she was sorry people got upset over her views but added these were 'important issues we've just got to talk about'.

Prof Stock also revealed she receives letters from trans people slamming the attacks on her and denouncing the views of hardcore activists.

She said the writers blast campaigning groups purporting to act in their name and rail against the idea of self ID.

It comes after ministers were warned the free speech Bill needs a 'Stock amendment' to protect academics from vicious students.

The vice-chancellor of Buckingham University called for it to be tweaked to stop a repeat of the trauma Professor Kathleen Stock went through.

Professor Stock was pressured into resigning from her role at Sussex University last month amid a flurry of death threats from students.

A hate mob plastered the campus with posters accusing her of 'transphobia' - which she denies - because of her views on sex and gender identity.

The universities minister has since warned institutions not to threaten academics' free speech and unveiled the new legislation designed to protect them.

In her own words: What does Kathleen Stock believe about gender and trans issues? Kathleen Stock explained her views on trans issues in written evidence to Parliament in November 2020 here: Womanhood and manhood reflect biological sex, not gender or gender identity;

The claim 'transwomen are women' is a fiction, not literally true

Sexual orientation (being gay, being lesbian) is determined by same-sex attraction, not attraction to gender identity

Spaces where women undress and sleep should remain genuinely single-sex, in order to protect them;

Children with gender identity disorders should not be given puberty blockers as minors. Advertisement

Asked on ITV's Lorraine if she knew people would not like her views, Prof Stock said: 'Yes and I'm sorry about that I am.

'But I just think there's more at stake than people feeling offended because there are some really important issues about women and children and gay people we've just got to talk about.'

She also revealed trans people write to her slamming the situation she was put in and the views of hardcore activists.

She said: 'I think I should be clear, trans people write to me and say they don't agree with the situation either.

'They think it's gone too far, they don't agree with the campaigning groups that speak in their name.

'They don't want self ID, they don't think it's right - as you can expect trans people are a diverse set of people and they argue with each other. So we should be able to do that too.'

Prof Stock had been branded a 'transphobe' by some outraged students who called for her to be fired in wake of her comments on gender.

Vile posters put up in the tunnel from Falmer station to the university's campus claimed she 'makes trans students unsafe' without further explanation.

Banners saying 'Stock Out' had also been held alongside burning flares and some attacked her online under the Twitter hashtag #ShameOnSussexUni.

Protesters let off flares during a trans campaign against the then Sussex University Professor Stock

Open University criminology professor who said 'male-bodied' trans women should NOT be in female prisons suffers public harassment A Professor of Criminology at the Open University has described how she was compared to a 'racist uncle at a Christmas dinner table' for her gender critical beliefs. Professor Jo Phoenix has crowdfunded more than 80,000 to fight her current employers for not protecting her from a bullying campaign after she expressed views about the silencing of academic debate on transgender issues. She claims the Open University, who she began working for in 2016, 'shattered' her dreams and made her feel 'like a pariah'. Professor Phoenix said she has been publicly vilified and suffered public harassment for launching the Open University gender critical research network. She also said her view that male-bodied prisoners should not be allowed in female prisons resulted in her being compared to a transphobic and racist. By bringing the Open University to an employment tribunal, she hopes to protect female academics from 'the vicious bullying perpetrated by those who disagree with our beliefs on sex and gender'. The Government's policy to house transgender women in female prisons was ruled lawful by the High Court in July earlier this year amid claims from an inmate it raised the risk of sex attacks. In 2018, Karen White - who was born a man but was placed in women's prison HMP New Hall after telling authorities of his identification as a woman - sexually assaulted two female inmates. Advertisement

Buckingham University's Professor James Tooley claimed the free speech Bill as it is would not prevent another 'concerted campaign' of intimidation like she experience.



He said it would be 'unable to stop' the harassment Professor Stock was subjected to by students.

He told the Telegraph: 'She wasn't told that she can't publish articles, she was still a professor.

'But there was a concerted, orchestrated and vile campaign from students and staff which in the end made her scared to leave her house and do her job and she had to leave.'

He believes his 'Stock amendment' would allow academics to sue or complain to a university if it does not protect them from harassment.

Professor Tooley revealed over the weekend there are two Conservative peers who will back his amendment in the House of Lords.

The Bill refers to 'academic freedom' for staff as 'their freedom within the law and within their field of expertise  (a) to question and test received wisdom, and (b) to put forward new ideas and controversial or unpopular opinions, without placing themselves at risk of being adversely affected in any of the ways described in subsection'.

The changes would see institutions given a legal duty to promote free speech on campus, which will be a condition to register with the Office for Students.

Universities that do not abide by this could be open to investigation, be fined or sanctioned by the watchdog.

Vice Chancellor of Sussex University Adam Tickell strongly defended Prof Stock's 'untrammelled' right to 'say what she thinks'.

Meanwhile more than 200 academics from other universities signed a letter calling out the abuse from 'trans activist bullies'.

Prof Stock announced on Twitter last month she would leave her position, adding she hoped 'other institutions can learn from this'.

But today she revealed she has been invited to join a new 'free speech' university in the US.

She wrote: 'Delighted to be invited to be a Founding Faculty Fellow of the University of Austin, a new initiative announced today by @bariweiss alongside several other stellar individuals.'

She continued: 'I accepted with alacrity. It's an exciting looking project, focused on free inquiry.

'PS I should add to avoid confusion - this doesn't mean I'm moving to Austin. And it's not a full-time role. Just getting involved in various ways from a UK base.'

It wasn't just the students spreading lies and hounding me... It was many of my academic colleagues too: KATHLEEN STOCK reveals what it's really like to be vilified for your beliefs after being driven out of Sussex University by trans hate mob

One Wednesday about a month ago, I made my way to work as usual. I am  or at least I was  a professor at Sussex University, and that day I was teaching classes in feminist philosophy.

In the past, I'd been told my views on sex and gender identity were an embarrassment to Sussex.

Yet there was no sign of 'embarrassment' in the growing numbers of bright and curious students entering my classroom.

Kathleen Stock, recently resigned from her Professorship at Sussex University after controversy over her views on gender and trans issues

I got off the train and joined the crowd walking through a tunnel to the university entrance  to find the walls were plastered with posters, each one screaming my name in bold capitals.

'KATHLEEN STOCK MAKES STUDENTS UNSAFE, SUSSEX STILL PAYS HER.'

'WE'RE NOT PAYING 9,250 A YEAR FOR TRANSPHOBIA, FIRE KATHLEEN STOCK.'

Struggling to breathe, I ran back to the station where, seeing the state I was in, a railway worker offered me a bottle of water. Later that day, I saw an Instagram account titled 'Kathleen Stock is a transphobe'. It showed balaclava-wearing figures brandishing flares and banners saying 'Stock Out'.

The website called me a 'spiteful bootlicker' and urged its viewers to 'get angry'. Until I was fired, said the anonymous authors, 'you'll be seeing us around'.

This is certainly not the Sussex University I joined as a junior lecturer in 2003. Back then, it was a struggle to get students to commit themselves to any firm moral opinions.

'It's all relative,' they would insist.

There's a lot more certainty now, which can be disconcerting in such young and inexperienced people.

My views would never have been thought controversial in the past. I simply believe we should be free to debate the trans lobby's growing demands that we recognise a person's 'gender identity' rather than their biological sex.

Discrimination against trans people is utterly abhorrent. They need protection from abuse.

But we must also look at the effects of these demands and consider, in particular, any costs to women and girls.

Why should people born as men  who've never had a sex change operation  be given access to female changing rooms, for example? Or refuges from domestic violence or women's prisons?

What about the health of children who say they wish to change gender but who, in doing so, might put themselves in line for irreversible medical treatment?

I am a lesbian with teenage children, so these topics are a matter of great personal interest. But I also care about truth and freedom of speech.

I believe we should discuss these issues and, three years ago, I started to say so. To my astonishment, I found that others, including some Sussex colleagues and students, disagreed.

There were protests at my talks. I had official complaints and disciplinary investigations. Student deputations to my bosses demanded that I stop teaching feminism.

I was 'no-platformed'  disinvited from speaking in public  after protests. And I was denounced in open letters by fellow academics, including when I was awarded an OBE in January last year.

That particular letter accused me of 'transphobic fearmongering', of helping to 'restrict trans people's access to life-saving medical treatment' and of serving 'to encourage the harassment of gender-nonconforming people'.

None of that is remotely true.

Concerned for my safety, the campus security manager advised me about the emergency phone system and arranged to have a spyhole put in my office door.

When my book Material Girls appeared in March, the campaign against me escalated further.

Even so, I could not have imagined the vicious rage of the past few weeks.

The offensive posters were taken down only to reappear the next day.

I spotted stickers on the walls and doors in my building talking about 'the transphobic s*** that comes out of Kathleen Stock's mouth'.

Demonstrations followed. The police warned me to step up my security at home.

A hundred masked figures disrupted a University Open Day.

The ringleaders made angry speeches, set off flares, wrote graffiti and held up placards urging me to quit.

A few days later, frightened, demoralised, and exhausted, that is exactly what I did.

It would be tempting to lay the blame on the students and, obviously, the ringleaders bear a lot of responsibility. But things are more complicated than that.

It emerged that few of those involved had any idea what my views really were.

They didn't know, for instance, that I have repeatedly and sincerely stated my support for special legal protections for trans people.

What I was actually saying seemed to make no difference to people in the grip of what have been described as 'luxury beliefs'.

Such frivolously held opinions can give the student protesters  often from privileged backgrounds  extra social status with their tribe.

In the past, Kathleen had been told her views on sex and gender identity were an embarrassment to Sussex

Never mind the costs to others who are less well-off.

One angry social media post showed a university workman removing a poster attacking me and asked this telling question: 'Who do you serve, transphobes or students?'

Since when were workmen paid to serve students?

My persecutors neither knew nor cared that an increasing number of trans people agree with me that lobby groups such as Stonewall have gone too far.

When questioned by onlookers, some protesters could only say that I was 'very transphobic' and that they had read this 'on social media'.

But they had also heard it in lectures.

At Sussex, as I have long known to my cost, there exists a group of academic colleagues  none of them to my knowledge trans themselves  who are hell-bent on disseminating false claims that I am 'transphobic', which is to say a hater of trans people.

Over the past three years, this slur on my character has been repeated by colleagues in classes, in department meetings and  of course  on social media.

When, in 2019, some students set up a public Facebook group to discuss ways to have me fired, academic colleagues posted on the page 'in solidarity'.

One individual spent three years churning out tweets with the same monotonous message: 'The views of Kathleen Stock make her a danger to every trans student at Sussex.' This simply isn't true, as the supportive emails I've had from trans students attest to.

As I write this, a former colleague, whose office was four doors from mine, is tweeting that there will never 'be a full accounting of all the ways people within the institution aided and abetted her'.

'Her', of course, is me.

With supposedly responsible adults acting this badly in public, who can blame impressionable young people for following suit?

The effect of all this has been debilitating. At times I have struggled to get out of bed and carry on.

The fact I have managed to continue writing and talking throughout has been presented as proof that there is no real problem.

But no one should be forced to go through such an ordeal simply in order to say what they think out loud.

The debacle has sent a terrible message to lecturers and students at Sussex University who think as I do: remain silent or the same thing will happen to you.

Questions of sex and gender are central to many academic areas, so this is a catastrophe for the university.

Its public statements on my departure have strongly upheld the value of academic freedom, and that's a decent start, but Sussex must now work hard to rectify the damage to its reputation and restore the confidence of staff and students.

The university must also reject the influence of Stonewall, which takes an intransigent line about gender identity, condemning debate let alone dissent.

Everyone, they insist, must be free to determine their own gender on the basis of nothing more than their own feelings on the matter.

PAINTED AS THE VILLAIN: Protests and graffiti by trans activists forced Sussex University professor Kathleen Stock, left, to resign

Along with a number of institutions and most other universities, Sussex actually pays Stonewall to be a 'diversity champion'. Sussex has even stated its ambition to join the Stonewall Top 100 Employer Index by 2025.

This effectively means that, between now and then, the university will take instruction from a lobby group with extreme, un-evidenced and divisive views.

Freedom of Information requests made to Sussex illustrate the extent of this cosy relationship.

They show that Stonewall's stance has been embedded in the institution. The university management has already adapted internal policies to ensure that references to biological sex are all but invisible. This is chilling to any staff or students who dissent.

It means I am said to be a 'transphobe' when I say that males who claim to be female on the basis of no more than their hidden inner feelings should be kept out of women's prisons.

Or when I say that children should be given talking therapy not drugs should they announce they are 'trapped in the wrong body'.

There are many academics out there with views like mine, frightened to express them. They need help. Whether through bullying or self-censorship, they are losing their freedom to speak and write.

'Yes' to argument and evidence. 'No' to witch-hunts and intimidation under the false guise of offering a 'safe and inclusive environment'.

I can see it's tempting to present campus life as a comforting cocoon  particularly when universities must compete for students. But the price of this can be ostracism for those who don't fit.

Members of the awkward squad are existential threats to the social herd. And herds, it turns out, can be easily led. They can sometimes turn into mobs.

Many bad ideas once seemed attractive until they were debunked by contrarians, eccentrics, heretics, naysayers, difficult women  and even down-the-line traditionalists. They are all an important part of the intellectual community, and of life itself. They must not be silenced.

Don't let the mob come for the rest of us, too.
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Hundreds of rescuers were today locked in an exhausting battle to save a seriously injured caver who has spent three days in a 900ft-deep cave system beneath the Brecon Beacons after plunging from a 50ft ledge.

Nearly 250 emergency responders - including the team who saved 12 young Thai footballers in 2018 - are painstakingly transporting the injured man on a stretcher through narrow caverns interspersed with gushing streams and waterfalls.

The caver - who is understood to be from Hampshire and was staying in a 9-a-night cottage near the entrance to the Ogof Ffynon Ddu caves - fell on Saturday after a boulder came loose in a section of the network known as Cwm Dwr, Welsh for Water Valley.

He was left unconscious for 'some time' and suffered suspected spinal injuries, a compound fracture to his leg breaking both his fibula and tibia, broken breast bone and collar bone - as well as suffering a broken jaw, mouth injuries and lacerations to his neck.

Today rescuers - who are working 12-hour shifts to carry out the 'arduous' task, said he was 'in a bad way' and was 'lucky to still be with us'. His injuries are not life-threatening.

Another caver who was with the injured man on Saturday notified police who called in specialist rescuers that same day, but they were not able to free him. The cave system is 37 miles in length - making it Britain's third longest.

The caver - who is understood to be from Hampshire and was staying in a 9-a-night cottage near the entrance to the Ogof Ffynon Ddu caves (where rescue workers are seen gathering)

The caver was left unconcious for 'some time' and suffered suspected spinal injuries, a compound fracture to his leg breaking both his fibula and tibia, broken breast bone and collar bone. Pictured are rescue workers by the cave entrance today

A file photo of a drop naer the section in the cave system where the caver fell and was seriously injured

One rescuer said the man fell when a boulder came loose underground the man fell 'a considerable distance' from a ledge.

He said: 'He was also unconscious for some period of time and that is also very worrying because of how far he fell.

'I understand he came down with the boulder and that made things worse.

'Doctors have been sent down with bags of pain relief. He is on some pretty strong stuff and being treated with a nasal cannula.'

Julian Carter, warden at the south and mid Wales rescue team, said the cave held a lure for adventures as it was the deepest and the third longest in the UK.

He said the cave was split over many levels with active streams, technical sections, and steep climbs and has three separate entrances.

He said the site where the injured man was dry but dark and they had focused on keeping him warm and a floating stretcher was used as teams moved the man along an active stream way.

He said: 'It has been a challenging rescue because of where this person was we couldn't take them out of the nearest entrance.

'The care has been excellent. We're very good at keeping people warm and avoiding hypothermia.'

Fellow warden Paul Taylor said: 'He has been talking with people with our fellow cavers who are his rescuers and that's as much as we know.

'If it will be today I don't know but as far as I understand it's going well. It will happen when it happens.'

The caverfell in the part of the caves known as Cwm Dwr - Welsh for water valley - not far from the entrance where he went in. But he could not be taken back out that way because of his injuries.

Instead rescue team had to inch him through another route past caving landmarks called Marble Showers and Great Oxbow to reach the surface at a mountain spot called Top Entrance.

Seven other specialist teams have travelled from across the UK to join the rescue effort with equipment vans from across Britain.

A statement the cave rescue HQ said: ' On Saturday a male caver was undertaking a trip in the Ogof FD cave system and fell, resulting in injuries that meant he could not exit under his own steam.

'A fellow caver notified the police and the South and Mid Wales Cave Resuce team initiate a response.

'This incident is on-going and involves teams from across the UK.

'This incident has continued during the night. We are moving the casualty toward the top entrance of the cave which is located up on the mountain.'

The teams are working in 12-hour shifts in cold and damp conditions - and expect the rescue mission to go 'slowely but carefully.'

The caver has been given medical treatment underground and other cavers have been with him while the rescue plan was put into place.

One caver said: 'It is going to be a slow process but we are confident we can get him out for medical treatment.

'We work on the basis that it will take ten times longer to get him out than it took him to get there. So if it took him three hours to reach the spot where he was injured then it could take us 30 hours to bring him back.

'It is all about safety and doing it properly.'

A regular caver said: 'It's a well known cave system, very popular with cavers and it is in the middle of a nature reserve.

'It's a really popular cave system, usually recommended for more experienced cavers rather than novices.

Rescue teams are pictured today gathering outside the entrance to the Ogof Ffynnon Ddu cave system in an isolated part of the Brecon Beacons

The length of the caves and presence of features like underground rivers is likely to make the rescue particularly difficult (pictured are rescuers near the cave entrance today)

The Ogof Ffynnon Ddu system was discovered by the South Wales Caving Club in 1946, according to Natural Resources Wales. Pictured here is are the South & Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team in the caves on a training exercise

Picture shows the entrance and exit hole of the cave which rescuers are using during the attempt to save a man who fell while caving

Rescuers near Penwyllt, Powys in the Brecon Beacons, where weather conditions are cloudy with limited visibility this afternoon

An ambulance at the scene in the Brecon Beacons this morning standing ready to treat any casualties

A map showing the enormous case system, which features several underground streams and waterfalls. It is unclear where the caver is currently located

Paul Francis, one of the oldest cave rescuers taking part, and who is responsible for the discovery of parts of the cave, called the incident 'an unfortunate, chance accident'.

'This incident is a one-off,' he said. 'Although this is a world-class cave system. It's Himalayan by cave standards, it's a fairly safe area. You're more likely to be knocked down by a bus than this happening to you.'

The caves were discovered by the South Wales Caving Club in 1946, according to Natural Resources Wales, with underground streams and waterfalls.

They can only be accessed by cavers with a permit from the caving club.

The guide to the cave system is described as 'classic in the UK, with passages that provide everything from huge chambers, beautiful formations, to yawning chasms and thundering river passages.

'The routes though the cave are too numerous to mention.'

It adds: 'Be aware that the mainstream and some other parts of the cave are prone to flooding, and in any event a journey down the mainstream is long and cold and wet, so go prepared.'

Involved are Gloucester Cave Rescue Group, Midlands Cave Rescue Organisation, Derbyshire Cave Rescue Organisation, Mendip Cave Rescue, South East Cave Rescue Organisation, Cave Rescue Organisation, and Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association.

Rescuers in the Ogof Ffynnon Ddu cave system during a training exercise. Today, rescuers are trying to bring out the man who injured his back in fall while exploring the caves under the Brecon Beacons in Wales on Saturday

The South and Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team were called to use their specialist knowledge to help in the 2018 rescue from the flooded Tham Luang Nang Non cave when the Wild Boars junior football team became trapped.

The team members were underground for 18 days before being freed and the first voice they heard was Welsh caver John Volanthen.

The rescue team - a registered charity - was set up 1946 to support cavers exploring caves in the Swansea and Neath areas but expanded to cover emergencies across Wales.

They were also involved in the tragic search for missing schoolgirl April Jones.
This is the nail-biting moment a daredevil biker cycled over the narrow arch of a bridge in France, risking plummeting into the river below.

Professional mountain biker Aurelien Fontenoy filmed his death-defying stunt on the Sablon Bridge in his home town of Grenoble, in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region.

Footage shows the bike's handlebars rocking from side to side as the cyclist pedals up the narrow strip of concrete arching over the bridge, high above the Isere river.

Fontenoy, who did not use any safety equipment for the stunt, makes it safely to the highest point and pushes through his fear to freewheel down the other side.

The Sablon Bridge, which connects Grenoble to La Tronche, is situated in the French region of Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region

Professional mountain biker Aurelien Fontenoy decided to cycle up and over the Sablon Bridge in his home town of Grenoble

Speaking after the stunt, which was shared on Fontenoy's Instagram on October 16, the three times world champion said: 'It's funny. I kept thinking there is a graveyard on the left after the bridge which I would be visiting if I made one wrong move.'

As he planned the ride, the cyclist filmed himself walking over the bridge and described how some pedestrians had called him 'crazy'.

He said: 'It's going to be crazy, I was up there and already two or three older people were looking at me saying ''you're crazy''. You can imagine what it will be with the bike!

'When you're on top, it's really scary, there's a moment when you have to push on the chain as you pedal and you don't want it to break, I hope mine will hold on.'

The daredevil cyclist rides along the pavement before pedalling up the steep incline

The mountain biker makes his way across the narrow strip of concrete on top of the bridge -with a bird's eye view of the cycle lanes marked on the road below

Shocked viewers shared their thoughts on the death-defying stunt, with one describing how their adrenaline levels had been raised after watching the clip

'A risky trick is what I like. It's a one chance, no fails possible kind of trick. You have to know your body and bike.'

The dangerous stunt was shared on Fontenoy's Instagram where it attracted more than 5 million views.

One viewer wrote: 'Such things are what I usually see in my dreams before I fall and wake up.'

While another person added: 'Risky.'

Elsewhere another Instagram user joked: 'Bike lane was clearly marked.'

Earlier this year, French stuntman Antoni Villoni was also seen speeding across the Sablon Bridge, which connects Grenoble to La Tronche, in a vertigo-inducing stunt.

The adrenaline junkie took a run up to the bridge before pedalling fast to make it up the steep incline.

Fortunately he too made it safely over the top of the bridge and was able to free-wheel down the other side.
Conservative commentators have ridiculed former Bush campaign adviser turned Democrat Matthew Dowd for suggesting Jesus would be labelled as woke if he were alive today.

The outburst by the 60-year-old Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor of Texas came after Democrat strategist James Carville blamed 'stupid wokeness' for his party's shock election defeat in Virginia, where Joe Biden won by 10 points just last year.

Dowd wrote on Twitter Sunday: 'As I sat in church today I was thinking that if Jesus were here today he would be accused of being woke.

'How about we just say it is human decency to treat all with respect and dignity and that it is constitutional to say all men and women are equal.'

Former Bush campaign adviser Matthew Dowd (pictured) was announced as the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor of Texas in September

Dowd wrote to his Twitter followers Sunday: 'If Jesus were here today he would be accused of being woke'

Republican Arkansas Senator Jason Rapert (pictured) hit out at Dowd's claims. He said: 'Jesus wasn't woke... stop redefining the Bible'

The Senator quoted a passage from the Bible that said God hates people who lie and stir up conflict

Republican Arkansas Senator Jason Rapert, 49, referenced Proverbs 6:16 to 19 as he chastised Dowd.

He wrote on Twitter: 'I have news for you @matthewjdowd - Jesus wasn't woke and he isn't pro-choice either.

'Stop redefining Jesus and the Bible. Proverbs 6:16-19.'

Dowd's comments came after Democrat strategist James Carville (pictured) blamed 'stupid wokeness' for his party's shock election defeat in Virginia where Joe Biden won by 10 points just last year

Conservative journalist Curt Mills said Dowd's comment showed him to be 'maybe the most shameless figure in politics'

The passage he referred to says: 'There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.'

Sen Rapert added he hoped Dowd's rival, the current lieutenant governor of Texas Dan Patrick, would be re-elected to the role.

Meanwhile, conservative journalist Curt Mills said Dowd's comment showed him to be 'maybe the most shameless figure in politics'.

'It's almost impressive,' he added.

Dowd was previously chastised for suggesting Bernie Sanders was sexist for running against Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential election

It's not the first time Dowd has been in hot water over a tweet.

Just last year he suggested Bernie Sanders was sexist for running against Hilary Clinton in 2016.

He wrote of Sanders on Twitter: 'You know one clear way to demonstrate that you beleive a woman can and should be running President?

'Don't try to defeat a woman running for President.'

A spokesman for Matthew Dowd told MailOnline: 'Politics aside, common sense, common decency, and serving the common good are perfectly compatible with the Gospels.

'Central in our campaign is treating everyone with respect and dignity.'
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace today blasted the British Army's attitude to women today, saying it needs to become more welcoming to female soldiers.

Mr Wallace took aim at the UK's land's forces, saying the army was 'woefully behind' when it came to picking 'future leaders' who are not men.

The Defence Secretary will meet senior generals later to address concerns around the treatment of women in and by the British military.

The meeting follows a report into the treatment of female soldiers which found that almost two thirds had experienced bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination while serving in the Army.

UK forces are also under pressure after the murder of a Kenyan sex worker in 2012, which was reportedly committed by a British soldier and covered up.

'We have got to make sure the Army is picking the right leaders, the future leaders. We have got to make sure we are doing more than enough to make sure we have women welcome in the army and enjoy a future career in the army,' Mr Wallace told Sky News.

'We are woefully behind the rest - not only of parts of the armed forces - but the rest of the public sector. We have to do more on that front.'

Mr Wallace took aim at the UK's land's forces, saying the army was 'woefully behind' when it came to picking 'future leaders' who are not men.

A report into the bullying and sexual harassment of female soldiers found that almost two thirds had experienced bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination while serving in the Army.

The report by Tory MP and former soldier Sarah Atherton was put together from interviews with more than 4,000 servicewomen and female veterans.

It also included accounts of rape or sex for advancement. Nearly 40 per cent of 993 women asked reported that their experience of the complaints system was 'extremely poor'.

Six out of 10 women said they had not reported bullying, harassment or discrimination due to a lack of faith in the system.

There are more than 20,000 women currently serving in the armed forces.

In a statement, the Army said it was working with the Defence Secretary to 'drive out unacceptable behaviour at all levels'.

'The Secretary of State is determined to work with the Army's leadership to drive out unacceptable behaviour at all levels, particularly with respect to the treatment of women,' an Army spokesperson said.

'The Army's core value of respect for others must underpin everything it delivers on behalf of the nation, whether in the United Kingdom or operating around the world.'

Kenyan police have reopened their investigation into the murder of a young mother who was last seen with a British soldier from a nearby military base.

Mother-of-one Agnes Wanjiru, 21, was found in a septic tank behind the Lions Court Hotel in Nanyuki, close to the British Army Training Unit Kenya camp, two months after she disappeared in March 2012.

Ms Wanjiru, a prostitute, had reportedly been partying with soldiers from the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment on the night she went missing.

The Sunday Times last month reported that a British soldier - named only as Soldier X - confessed to killing Ms Wanjiru and showed comrades where he dumped her body, and the crime was reported but dismissed by military officials.

Ms Wanjiru, a prostitute, had reportedly been partying with soldiers from the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment on the night she went missing.

The Sunday Times last month reported that a British soldier - named only as Soldier X - confessed to killing Ms Wanjiru and showed comrades where he dumped her body, and the crime was reported but dismissed by military officials.

Armed Forces minister James Heappey arrived in Nanyuki last week, where he promised Britain would 'leave no stone unturned' in the hunt for the young mother's murderer.

His comments follow newspaper claims that a soldier confessed to a colleague that he had killed Miss Wanjiru, who left behind a five-month-old daughter.

The RMP is now looking into whether troops from the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment and Royal Army Medical Corps had a role in the murder.
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An abandoned home at the heart of a Cornish mining town is going up for auction with a random assortment of possessions left inside, including a baby grand piano in the kitchen.

Named after the historic mine in Redruth, the remains of which provide a backdrop to the property, Pednandrea Bungalow sits on a large plot of land with views stretching across the town.

Thought to have been built in the 60s, the four-bedroomed house is surrounded by various outbuildings, including a large workshop where old fashioned tools have been left exactly as they were on the last day of business, many years ago.

Following the death of the long term owner in August 2019, Pednandrea Bungalow is on the market after the current occupier decided they didn't have the time to renovate the property

The home has piles of abandoned items outside and a sloping roof which is one of the victims of subsidence

However, house-hunters might get a sinking feeling when viewing the property, because, sadly, the home has fallen victim to subsidence thanks to the mining works it was built upon.

Agents said the house was most likely suited to an investor who can demolish, bolster and rebuild, and this is a house where time really has stood still even though the ground beneath it hasn't.

In the 18th century Redruth was one of the largest and richest mining areas in Britain and the town's population grew markedly.

The area was surrounded by copper ore deposits, which was needed to make brass, an essential metal during the Industrial Revolution.

However, by the end of the 19th century, the Cornish mining industry was in decline with Britain importing most of its copper ore.

Now, towering behind Pednandrea Bungalow is what remains of the stack from Pednandrea Mine in Redruth.

The kitchen comes with its very own baby grand piano, between a fridge and a cooker

The shell of a workshop remains looking like a building site and has stayed untouched and unused

The home has fallen victim to subsidence thanks to the mining works it was built upon. Even the parrot has resigned itself to its fate

The bungalow, which is up for auction at a guide price of 140,000, comes with an assortment of leftover belongings, some of which are on the the quirky side

Any potential buyer will most likely need to demolish and rebuild the home. A stuffed bird inside the property has seen better days through its glass eyes

The home comes with an array of tools and has its own shelves full of DIY and house equipment in the old workshop

Pednandrea Bungalow in Redruth is up for auction with a guide price of 140,000.

Following the death of the long term owner in August 2019, the property has come to market as the current occupant doesn't have the time to renovate the home.

Listed with EweMove, the description reads: 'This plot offers a lot of scope for development due to the size and location, subject to the necessary permission being obtained.

'There are many outbuildings on the site as well offering a lot of storage space and a garage with an inspection pit.'

The the dusty workshop, untouched since its last day of business, is full of discarded tools that are destined for the skip

A keyring found in the workshop is one of many unwanted items in the bungalow which is going up for auction

The attic, where time has stood still, unlike the slowly sinking ground way beneath it

An old piano sits in the shabby chic kitchen with a chair piled high with waste and old books underneath it

Rebecca Stoneman, Local Property Expert for EweMove in Redruth, said: 'The property has come to market from a vendor who isn't here enough to deal with it - to deal with the problems.

'There are historic mining works underneath the property that need to be rectified, which sadly means the bungalow will probably have to go.'

Seeing the home that it once was, Rebecca continues: 'It's just such a lovely big plot. It's right in the centre of Redruth, the views are lovely, and it would be wonderful if it could just stay as a home.

'The whole stamp of the place is big for Redruth, and so it would be lovely if it could stay this way, but obviously I don't think it can, which is really sad.'
Insulate Britain today compared people who do not act on climate change to those who were 'passive and indifferent to the rise of Nazi Germany' before the Holocaust.

The eco zealots have blocked roads on 19 days since September 13, causing misery for drivers stuck in queues around London, Manchester, Birmingham and Dover.

And they said today that anyone who is 'silent now 'on environment causes 'will be known as bystanders' like those in Germany who did not stand up to the Nazis.

This morning, an Insulate Britain spokesman said in a tweet: 'Those who know and are silent now will be known as bystanders, just as those amongst the general population in Germany who were passive and indifferent to the rise of Nazi Germany and the escalating persecution that culminated in the Holocaust. #savelives.'

However, amid a backlash, the group deleted this tweet less than two hours later and said instead: 'Those who know and are silent now will be remembered as painfully and cruelly as those who ignored the horrors of Nazi Germany.'

Insulate Britain today compared people who do not act on climate change to those who were 'passive and indifferent to the rise of Nazi Germany' before the Holocaust

It comes after Justin Welby apologised last week after claiming that world leaders who fail to act on climate change could be worse than those who ignored the Nazis.

A Campaign Against Antisemitism spokesman told MailOnline today: 'Comparisons to Nazi Germany risk trivialising the suffering and murder of the six million men, women and children who died at the hands of that regime.

'Archbishop Welby did the right thing by issuing an unreserved apology.

'It is startling that Insulate Britain should double down on the comparison and baselessly reference the Holocaust, which was a deliberate and systematic genocide, entirely different from the perceived climate apathy which the fringe group is protesting.

'Insulate Britain will find that making such comparisons will not strengthen its cause.'

And Olivia Marks-Woldman, chief executive of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, told MailOnline: 'We are always disturbed when people invoke Holocaust imagery to gain support for their causes.

'We recognise that in some instances this is a well-meaning attempt to show a belief that a contemporary situation is on a par with the most appalling episode in our collective consciousness.

The group deleted the original tweet and said instead: 'Those who know and are silent now will be remembered as painfully and cruelly as those who ignored the horrors of Nazi Germany'

'Unfortunately, it has become all-too common for some in our contemporary culture to trivialise the suffering of those who actually experienced the Holocaust by making inappropriate and insensitive comparisons. The murder of six million Jews simply for who they were is not a matter for glib analogies.'

Social media users criticised the original tweet, including one who said: 'To compare the climate emergency with the Holocaust is shameful and wrong on every level.'

Another Twitter user added: 'Yeah I'm on your side but this one is a bit too far. The only thing that compares to the Holocaust is the Holocaust.'

And a third tweeted: 'Using the Holocaust analogy here is not going to do the cause any good, neither is repeatedly blocking roads over and over and over.'

The Holocaust saw six million Jewish people murdered in ghettos, mass-shootings, in concentration camps and extermination camps during the Second World War.

At least 161 people have been involved in the roadblock protests with the Extinction Rebellion offshoot in the past two months and there have been at least 860 arrests.

And up to 32 of the group's activists face up to two years in prison for breaching a High Court injunction by blocking traffic on motorways.

Insulate Britain is demanding that every house in Britain be insulated by 2030, and last week the anger from observers turned to mockery when the group inadvertently blocked a truckload of insulation material by sitting down in Parliament Square.

Yesterday, one of its spokesmen, Tracey Mallaghan, told Sky News of more planned protests, saying: 'What the public needs to understand is: we will keep fighting.

'We work on a week-by-week basis. Not one of us thought we'd get away with more than two or three weeks of this. We all, genuinely, were prepared to go to prison.'

Just over a week ago, Greta Thunberg voiced support for the tactics of Insulate Britain, saying sometimes you have to 'p*** people off' to protect the environment.

But their statement on the Holocaust today comes after Justin Welby was forced to apologise on Monday last week after claiming that world leaders who fail to act on climate change could be worse than those who ignored the Nazis.

In a controversial interview, the Archbishop of Canterbury suggested that politicians who shirked the task of limiting global warming would 'allow genocide on an infinitely greater scale' than that committed by Hitler's regime.

The Archbishop later issued an 'unequivocal apology' to Jewish people, admitting that it was 'not right' to make comparisons with the Nazis.

The shocking comments came during an interview with the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg in which he said that world leaders at the Cop26 summit would be 'cursed if they don't get this right'.

Asked about his use of the term 'cursed', the Archbishop said he had 'consciously' used the word, adding: '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.

'This will kill people all around the world for generations, and we will have no means of averting it.'

Eco activists from Insulate Britain attempt to block traffic at Parliament Square last Thursday

Asked whether he was saying that failing to act on climate change would be worse than ignoring Hitler and allowing genocide to happen, Archbishop Welby went further, saying: '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. This will be genocide indirectly by negligence, recklessness, that will come back to us or to our children and grandchildren.'

His comments sparked a fierce backlash, with Stephen Pollard, editor of The Jewish Chronicle newspaper, saying they were 'sickening'. 'I simply cannot comprehend how Welby can remain as a priest, let alone Archbishop,' he added.

Yet, in a rare public retraction, the Archbishop later issued an 'unequivocal apology', saying he had been trying to 'emphasise the gravity of the situation facing us at Cop26'.

Archbishop Justin Welby was forced to apologise last week after claiming that world leaders who fail to act on climate change could be worse than those who ignored the Nazis

Posting on Twitter, he added: '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.'

Asked if the comments were appropriate, a spokesman for the Prime Minister said: 'It is up to individuals how they choose to frame the problem.

'I think world leaders, those attending here, understand how serious the situation is.'
Vandals have daubed graffiti across the constituency office of a North Wales Tory MP after he voted to stop Owen Paterson from being suspended.

The words 'corrupt scum' have been spray-painted in red across the windows outside the building on Princes Drive, Colwyn Bay, where Clwyd West MP David Jones is based.

It comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson whipped his MPs to support an amendment not to suspend North Shropshire Tory, Owen Paterson, after he was found guilty of paid lobbying by a standards watchdog.

Mr Jones, from Rhos on Sea, who has represented Clwyd West since 2005, voted in favour of putting aside Paterson's suspension and reviewing the standards system.

The plans provoked an immediate outcry and were immediately plunged into chaos when Labour, the SNP and Liberal Democrats vowed to boycott a proposed committee the Tories wanted to set-up.

Downing Street performed a humiliating U-turn on Thursday, less than 24 hours later and Mr Paterson, who lost his wife to suicide, resigned.

The graffiti on his office in Colwyn Bay saw 'corrupt scum' painted in red over the weekend

MP David Jones' constituency office was targeted by vandals who struck in the past two days

MP Mr Jones voted to put aside Owen Paterson's suspension and review standard system

Ever since the Government has been facing accusations of acting corruptly.

The graffiti attack on Mr Jones' offices also damaged a grief counselling charity, Cruse Bereavement, which is next door.

Mr Jones declined to comment.

Boris Johnson's (left) abortive bid to save ally Owen Paterson (right) from lobbying punishment will come under fresh fire in the Commons this afternoon

Sir Lindsay Hoyle is expected to lay down a marker about his determination to protect the integrity of parliament later

Settling old scores? PM's years of clashes with sleaze watchdog Kathryn Stone The debacle over the Owen Paterson report was far from the first time Boris Johnson has clashed with Commons standards commissioner Kathryn Stone. And their relationship is unlikely to get easier, as he could face another probe by the watchdog into the 'Wallpapergate' controversy over refurbishment of his grace-and-favour flat - as well as his refusal to declare his recent 'freebie' Marbella holiday on the parliamentary register . Ms Stone has previously castigated the Prime Minister over a lavish 15,000 Caribbean holiday funded by Tory donors. But he was saved from punishment - which could have included being the first serving premier to be suspended from the Commons, by MPs who overturned her ruling. She has also pulled him up over an 'over-casual attitude' to declaring his own personal financial interests to Parliament, including a six-figure stake in an English country mansion. Mr Johnson was dramatically cleared in the summer of breaking Commons rules over a 'freebie' trip to the millionaire's playground of Mustique with Carrie - despite Ms Stone condemning his behaviour and the 'unusual' arrangements. The cross-party Standards Committee found the PM had made an 'accurate and complete' declaration about the holiday in December 2019, saying it was a donation from Carphone Warehouse founder David Ross even though the couple did not stay in his villa. The committee - chaired by Labour MP Chris Bryant - overruled Ms Stone after she concluded that Mr Johnson did breach the Code of Conduct for MPs during a 15-month wrangle after initially failing to provide a full explanation, slamming him for 'not showing the accountability required of those in public life'. The report also suggested that the premier himself did not know exactly how the jaunt was being funded until after he arrived on Mustique and realised he was not staying in Mr Ross's own property. Ms Stone has revealed she will consider whether to launch an investigation into Mr Johnson's conduct when Tory donors initially part-funded the lavish overhaul of his residence above No11 Downing Street. A decision will be made once the ongoing Electoral Commission probe is complete. Mr Johnson is also facing a backlash over refusing to declare his recent holiday to Lord Goldsmith's luxury villa near Marbella on the Commons register. The decision to use the ministerial register, which means he does not have to disclose the value of the gift, could be a further flashpoint with Ms Stone. One Commons source told MailOnline that as the villa is owned by the Goldsmith family it cannot be treated solely as a gift from Lord Goldsmith - which could torpedo No10's arguments against putting it on the MP register. Advertisement

The Westminster sleaze row continues to grow and ministers have been accused of 'not getting it' after trying to dismiss the scandal as a 'storm in a teacup'.

In an emergency three-hour Commons debate today, MPs will ramp up pressure on Boris Johnson to rule out a peerage for Mr Paterson and to launch an investigation into 600million of Covid contracts awarded to one of the firms he worked for.

It is thought Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle could announce a review of standards later today.

Mr Paterson stepped down as an MP last week after ministers were forced to abandon efforts to save him.

In a humiliating U-turn, Mr Johnson dropped a bid to prevent Mr Paterson being suspended from Parliament for lobbying on behalf of two firms which paid him more than 500,000.

He resigned hours later, saying he wanted to leave behind the 'cruel world of politics'.

But it has emerged Mr Paterson, a former Cabinet minister, will be able to retain access to the Commons as he is entitled to apply for a so-called 'category X' pass for former parliamentarians.

Some 283 ex-MPs possess the cards which give them continued entry, including to Parliament's restaurants and bars, without being required to register their financial interests as sitting MPs and peers must. But they are barred from lobbying under Commons rules.

Current passholders include Sir Michael Fallon, the former defence secretary who is deputy chairman of an oil firm.

Michael Dugher, a former Labour MP who is chief executive of the gambling industry body the Betting and Gaming Council, and Sir Nick Clegg, the former deputy prime minister who works at Facebook, also have them.

It comes as Mr Johnson faced fresh anger from Tory MPs last night after Environment Secretary George Eustice claimed on Sky News that the row over Mr Paterson was a 'storm in a teacup'.

The minister's comments were branded 'unhelpful' and 'complete nonsense' in a sign of the anger on the Conservative Party benches.

Tory former minister Tobias Ellwood also underlined how serious the row was, telling the BBC: 'We should not deny that this was a dark week for British democracy.'

And Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said: 'Even after this past week Boris Johnson and his ministers still don't get it.

'They are so out of touch they still don't think they've done anything wrong and they still think the rules don't apply to them.'

Ahead of today's Commons debate, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer last night called on Mr Johnson to 'answer, apologise and act' over the scandal. And to confirm that Mr Paterson won't be given a peerage.

And he will call for Mr Johnson to 'commit to a full, transparent investigation into the more than 600million of taxpayer money handed without competition or tender to Randox', one of the firms Mr Paterson worked for.

A Downing Street source last night said a peerage was 'not on the cards' for Mr Paterson, after Mr Eustice earlier insisted it was 'highly unlikely'.

And a close friend of Mr Paterson said last night a peerage had not been 'mentioned, offered or sought'.

They insisted that he did not plan to apply for a Commons pass.
The mother of a student who was raped and murdered on a night out two years ago has shared her fears after her younger daughter was 'spiked with a needle'.

Lisa Squire, 51, lost her eldest daughter Libby in 2019 when she was murdered by Polish butcher Pawel Relowicz, 26.

Mrs Squire was recently alarmed after receiving an 'incoherent' phonecall from her younger daughter Beth, 19, in the early hours of the morning.

'She was different, she didn't know where she was,' said Mrs Squire, of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, the BBC reports.

The next day, Beth's arm was found to have a large bruise and puncture mark.

Libby Squire, pictured, was a student at the University of Hull when she was raped and murdered by Polish butcher Pawel Relowicz during a night out in 2019

The UK is currently experiencing a spate in drink spiking cases using a needle, leading to university 'girls night in' sit-ins across the country with calls for authorities to take action.

Libby Squires, 21, was a philosophy student in Hull and was last seen sitting on a park bench after becoming separated from her friends and refused entry in a nightclub in the early hours of February 1, 2019.

She was targeted by Relowicz, who had a history of spying on female students and was on the prowl looking for a vulnerable victim.

Her body was later discovered in the Hull estuary seven weeks after she went missing. In February, Relowicz was jailed for life with a minimum term of 27 years.

Since Libby's death, Mrs Squire has lobbied politicans for tougher measures on low-level sex offenders to prevent more serious crimes from being committed.

Libby was 'idolised' by her younger sister Beth, who has sadly grown up in the shadow of what happened to her, Mrs Squires said.

While enjoying a recent night out with university friends, Beth began to feel unwell and phoned her mother at around 3am.

Libby's parents, Lisa and Russell Squire, outside Sheffield Crown Court for Relowicz's sentencing in February. Mrs Squire has spoke out amid a spate of recent reports of drink spiking as police figures confirmed almost 200 cases in September and October alone.

'Sexual deviant' Pawel Relowicz, 26, was jailed for life in February to serve a minimum of 27 years for the rape and murder of Libby Squires

'She had lost the person she was with, she was almost incoherent, and I was really worried about her,' Mrs Squire said.

'It took me three or four times to get through to her to get an Uber so she could be taken home.'

Beth later said she had very little recollection about what happened, according to Mrs Squire, a neo-natal nurse

'She sent me a photo later that day and she had a large bruise on her arm with what looks like a puncture mark in the centre.

'I took that photo to work and showed some of my medical friends and they agreed, so I think there's every chance she was spiked that night.

'Beth is probably more armed to deal with the outside world than most kids of her age, because she's had to live through her sister being raped and murdered.

'I feel I have to give her the mummy lecture before she goes out partying, and that's not right, they should be free to do whatever they want.'
Veteran BBC reporter John Simpson today broke down in tears on air as he described the looming humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan.

The 77-year-old foreign correspondent spoke with a quavering voice as he described the plight of an Afghan mother-of-seven facing famine.

It comes as a new report warned that 23 million people in Afghanistan face starvation within months.

The report was published by the The World Food Programme (WFP), whose Executive Director David Beasley today called for immediate actions by world leaders in the Mr Simpson's broadcast.

Reporting from Afghanistan, the veteran journalist, who has reported from 120 countries and 30 war zones, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I'm sitting here looking out at the Bamiyan Statues, the famous Bamiyan Statues, expect of course they are not there because the Taliban blew them away 20 years ago.

'And right in a kind of cave just beside them I came across a woman whose name is Fatima and she's a widow.

'She's got seven kids, five girls and two boys and they are grindingly poor already.

Veteran BBC reporter John Simpson (pictured) today broke down in tears on air as he described the looming humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan

The 77-year-old foreign correspondent spoke with a quavering voice as he described the plight of an Afghan mother-of-seven facing famine. It comes as new report warned that 23 million people in Afghanistan face starvation within months. Pictured: Library image of Afghan people walking side a fenced corridor towards the Pakistan border in August

From dodging bullets in Beijing to running from Robert Mugabe's men: The dangerous war zones and conflicts John Simpson has covered in more than 50 years at the BBC John Simpson has reported from some of the most war-torn countries and covered some of the most brutal conflicts across a more than 50-year career with the BBC. Even early on the Cambridge graduate was in the thick of it, being punched in the stomach by then Prime Minister Harold Wilson. But that would be, perhaps, one of the least troubling of incidents in his career. Years later, in 1989, he reported on the Tienanmen Square massacre in Beijing, where he and his team had to avoid bullets. The Chinese government expelled foreign journalists, strictly controlled coverage of the events in the domestic press and strengthened the police and internal security forces in the aftermath of the incident, in which as many as 10,000 people are believed to have been killed. John Simpson has reported from some of the most war-torn countries and covered some of the most brutal conflicts across a 50-year career with the BBC Later that year he was in Bucharest to see the fall of the communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. In the early 1990s he was sent out to cover the first Gulf War, followed by the brutal Kosovo war in 1999, in which thousands died. Simpson famously sneaked into and out of Afghanistan in 2001 under the guise of a burqa, becoming one of the first journalists to enter the country that year. He also used a baseball cap to evade detection of Robert Mugabe's men in Zimbabwe. The reporter managed to evade detection in order to cover a challenge to the President's leadership, despite a ban on BBC reporters entering the country at the time. Simpson not always managed to avoid danger. While covering the Iraq war he was hit in a friendly fire incident involving a U.S warplane (pictured) But Simpson not always managed to avoid danger. While covering the Iraq war he was hit in a friendly fire incident involving a U.S warplane. A member of Simpson's crew was killed and he himself was left deaf in one ear. During the 2011 Libyan civil war he came under fire on several occasions while travelling with rebels. Advertisement

'She used to make money by weeding for a local farmer. He can't pay her now because he's not able to grow the crop that he was growing.

'She's got no money, she's having to beg for fuel to make a fire and beg for flour, which used to be delivered by the old government before the Taliban came in.

With his voice cracking, he said: 'And look round at those kids, it was quite... quite difficult.

'I've seen a lot of bad things in my time, but this hasn't yet happened, and yet you know this is just round the corner. And they know it.'

The emotional broadcast, from a reporter who has covered some of the world's most violent conflicts, came as the UN's food agency, the WFP, today warned that 23 million people in Afghanistan face starvation within months.

The group say an expected poor harvest later this year will compound economic problems brought about by the Taliban's ascension to power.

The warning was part of the WFP's report which shows the number of people on the edge of famine in 43 countries had risen to 45 million.

The jump from 42 million people earlier in the year was largely down to a food security assessment that found another three million people facing famine in Afghanistan, the World Food Programme (WFP) said.

'Tens of millions of people are staring into an abyss. We've got conflict, climate change and Covid-19 driving up the numbers of the acutely hungry,' WFP Executive Director David Beasley said.

'And the latest data show there are now more than 45 million people marching towards the brink of starvation,' he said after a trip to Afghanistan, where WFP is upping support for almost 23 million people.

'Fuel costs are up, food prices are soaring, fertiliser is more expensive, and all of this feeds into new crises like the one unfolding now in Afghanistan, as well as long-standing emergencies like Yemen and Syria,' he added.

Mr Beasley said on Sunday that the situation in Afghanistan 'is as bad as you possibly can imagine'.

He told Mr Simpson: 'We're now looking at the worst humanitarian crisis on Earth.

'Ninety-five percent of the people don't have enough food, and now we're looking at 23million people marching towards starvation.

'The next six months are going to be catastrophic. It is going to be hell on Earth.'

Asked what message he would give the West about the crisis facing Afghanistan, Mr Beasley added: 'To the world leaders, to the billionaires: imagine if this was your little girl, or your little boy, or your grandchild about to starve to death.

'You would do everything you possibly could. And when there's $400 trillion of wealth on the earth today  shame on us if we let any child die from hunger. I don't care where that child is, shame on us.'

WFP said the cost of averting famine globally now stands at seven billion dollars, up from 6.6 billion dollars earlier in the year.

But the group warned that traditional funding streams were overstretched.

Families facing acute food insecurity are being 'forced to make devastating choices', marrying off children early, pulling them out of school or feeding them locusts, wild leaves, or cactus.

'Meanwhile media reports from Afghanistan point to families reportedly being forced to sell their children in a desperate attempt to survive,' it said.

Multiple droughts in Afghanistan were combining with an economic meltdown to push families to the edge, while some 12.4 million people in Syria do not know where their next meal will come from - more than any time during the decade-long conflict, it said.

'Tens of millions of people are staring into an abyss. We've got conflict, climate change and Covid-19 driving up the numbers of the acutely hungry,' WFP Executive Director David Beasley said

Afghanistan announces four-day polio vaccination campaign as Taliban tries to win over international community and rescue economy Afghanistan has announced the start of a four-day nationwide polio vaccination campaign today aimed at inoculating children under five years old. For the past three years, the Taliban barred UN-organized vaccination teams from doing door-to-door campaigns in parts of the country under their control. The group apparently was suspicious the team members could be spies for the previous government or the West. Some 3.3 million children over the past three years have not been vaccinated. Dr Qalandar Ebad, the Taliban's acting public health minister, said: 'Without any doubt polio is a disease that without treatment will either kill our children or cause them with permanent disability, so in this case the only way is to implement the vaccination.' Since 2010, the country has been carrying out regular inoculation campaigns in which workers go door-to-door, giving the vaccine to children. Most of the workers are women, since they can get better access to mothers and children. The four-day campaign will start on Monday and take place countrywide, Dr Ebad said. Advertisement

Increases in acute hunger are also being seen in Ethiopia, Haiti, Somalia, Angola, Kenya, and Burundi, the Rome-based agency said.

It comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations children's agency kicked off a polio vaccination campaign in Afghanistan on Monday, the first nationwide campaign to fight the disease in three years.

The campaign, which is aimed at reaching over 3 million children, had received Taliban backing, which would allow teams to reach children in previously inaccessible parts of the country, the WHO said.

'The urgency with which the Taliban leadership wants the polio campaign to proceed demonstrates a joint commitment to maintain the health system and restart essential immunizations to avert further outbreaks of preventable diseases,' said Ahmed Al Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, in a statement.

However, Momim said that more training was needed for teams in remote areas, so the programme would initially start in places such as Kabul.

Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan are the last countries in the world with endemic polio, an incurable and highly infectious disease transmitted through sewage that can cause crippling paralysis in young children.

Polio has been virtually eliminated globally through a decades-long inoculation drive.

But insecurity, inaccessible terrain, mass displacement and suspicion of outside interference have hampered mass vaccination in Afghanistan and some areas of Pakistan.

Several polio workers have been killed by gunmen in eastern Afghanistan this year, though it was not clear who was behind the attacks.

According to WHO figures compiled before the collapse of the Western-backed government in August, there was one reported case of the one wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in Afghanistan in 2021, compared with 56 in 2020.

Until the disease is eliminated completely, it remains a threat to human health in all countries, especially those with vulnerable health systems because of the risk of importing the disease, according to health experts.
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A 15-year-old schoolboy drug dealer has been unmasked by a judge after he murdered his 12-year-old friend before trying to decapitate him in brutal attack - as it is revealed he was also previously excluded for threatening a pupil with a blade.

Killer child Marcel Grzeszcz can now be named after a ruling from a High Court judge at Lincoln Crown Court, where he was sentenced to a minimum of 16 years in jail today.

Grzeszcz stabbed classmate Roberts Buncis more than 70 times on December 12 last year, after luring him to woodland in Fishtoft, near Boston, Lincolnshire, after believing he was a 'snitch'.

The murderer had come armed to the spot with a large knife and latex gloves to try and conceal his involvement.

Roberts, who was killed just two days before his 13th birthday, was found with injuries to his right side, shoulders, arms and three severe stab wounds to his head with the tip of the blade lodged in his skull.

The Latvian-born victim lived with his single-parent father, who urged calm in the aftermath of his death.

Young murderer Grzeszcz, a pupil at Haven High Academy, was still only just 14 when he was arrested by police at his family home.

Before he was detained he had sent messages to other friends on Facebook Messenger admitting 'things went wrong'. He also wrote: 'This wasn't supposed to go down like this'. And 'Bro I have done something bad.'

Police searching the killer's home found a knife under a plant pot that had Roberts' blood on it. A partially burnt Nike top was also found with latex gloves in the pocket.

Grzeszcz was the school drug dealer at Haven High Academy and was constantly in trouble. It was never explicitly detailed in court, but it is understood he viewed his victim as 'a liability' because his friend knew so much about his illegal activities.

It has also been revealed that Grzeszcz was expelled from his previous primary school after threatening a girl with a knife.

Sentencing Mr Justice Jeremy Baker told him: 'Marcel Grzeszcz, in the early hours of December 12, 2020, you lured Roberts Buncis to a wooded area of Boston where you carried out a savage and brutal attack upon him with a knife which you had brought to the scene, in the course of which you made a determined effort to remove his head, before leaving his body for others to find later that same morning.

'Although it is less easy to discern the precise motive for your actions that night, if indeed they extended beyond the excitement which the infliction of violence had caused you to experience in the past, it would appear that you viewed the deceased as something of a liability.

Killer child Marcel Grzeszcz can now be named after a ruling from a High Court judge today which lifted reporting restrictions

Roberts Buncis, 12, who was found dead on common land at Fishtoft, near the town of Boston, Lincolnshire on December 12

Flowers left at the scene where police had searched through undergrowth in Fistoft, Boston, Lincolnshire, after the murder

'There was a significant degree of planning and premeditation, including luring the deceased to the scene and taking the knife with you when you met up with him.

'When the two of you met up in the wooded area, I'm satisfied while the deceased was unarmed and unaware of what was to take place, you came armed with a large knife and with latex gloves intending at that time, at the very least, to cause him serious bodily harm.

'I should make clear that, although when you commenced the attack upon the deceased you may not have intended to kill him, as opposed to intending him to suffer really serious bodily injury, I am sure that as the attack progressed, given the number and nature of the injuries which you inflicted upon the deceased, there came a time when you did intend to kill him and proceeded to do so.'

The judge lifted a reporting restriction barring the naming of Grzeszcz following an application by the media.

A mother who used to take Roberts to primary school with her own children told The Sun that this incident was not Grzeszcz's first.

She said: 'When he was at primary school he took one into class to threaten other kids.

'He threatened a girl with it and was excluded.'

The trial previously heard that Grzeszcz was forced to leave St Nicholas Primary after bringing a knife on to the premises, and was sent to a pupil referral unit.

The defendant then moved to Haven High Academy, where he stayed for around three years, but was excluded for selling drugs both in and out of school.

Grzeszcz was then sent to a pupil referral unit where he started the day before Roberts was found dead.

In a short victim impact statement read to the court on behalf of Roberts's father, Edgars Buncis, he said: 'How do I put into words how I feel?

Marcel Grzeszcz has been convicted of murdering 12-year-old Roberts (pictured with his father) after luring him to woodland and attempting to decapitate him

Pictured: Fishtoft, Lincolnshire where the body of Roberts Buncis was found in December after the 'incomprehensible' attack

Roberts' father urged community to remember his son 'with a smile' At the time of the murder Roberts' brave single-parent father Edgars paid tribute to his son: In a short victim impact statement read to the court today he said: 'How do I put into words how I feel? 'This is all wrong. No father should ever have to bury their son. 'Nothing is a reason for this. I have lost my destination and my purpose. 'My life is in a cemetery. I feel empty and nothing will change this.' Advertisement

'This is all wrong. No father should ever have to bury their son.

'Nothing is a reason for this. I have lost my destination and my purpose.

'My life is in a cemetery. I feel empty and nothing will change this.'

Grzeszcz's trial at Lincoln Crown Court earlier this year heard that the defendant 'intended at the very least to inflict serious violence' on his young victim because 'he was a snitch'.

The teenager claimed Robert had taken the knife to the scene and he 'lost control' when the youngster attempted to stab him.

But jurors dismissed Grzeszcz's account after under two hours of deliberations, and instead concluded he was 'motivated by anger and tried to punish the deceased rather than losing self-control'.

The youth admitted manslaughter mid way through his trial but denied murder.

The teenager's trial was told he stabbed Roberts 'in excess of 70 times', with a wound to the neck that was 'consistent with a decapitation attempt.'

Roberts was lured to the area by the defendant before he was subjected to a 'savage prolonged attack' with a knife and left to die on the village green before his body was found at around 10am the next day.

Acting on behalf of the Grzeszcz, defence QC Brendan Kelly admitted the violence was 'extraordinary' but submitted it indicated a 'loss of control' from the defendant.

A JustGiving page had been set up last year to support tragic Roberts' single father Edgars (pictured) in the wake of his death

Police searched undergrowth in Fistoft, Boston, Lincolnshire after the boy, 12, was found dead in December late last year

Killer is underage, but can now be named thanks to judge - due to serious nature of murder case Children accused anonymity in court proceedings, except if that protection is lifted by a judge. Giving his ruling on the decision to lift the no-naming order today, Mr Justice Jeremy Baker said: 'I have no doubt that the circumstances of the offence are not only of proper interest to the public at large and within the local area, but also as forming part of the necessary public debate on knife crime in general, including the investigation of its causes and prevention. 'In this respect, not only do I accept that, without the press's ability to identify the accused, the reporting of this offence would be less likely to be read by members of the public, but there is a significant risk that appropriate investigative reporting of its causes, responsibilities and preventative measures would be likely to be less effective, due to the risk of 'jigsaw' identification. 'Indeed, it seems to me that the submission on behalf of the accused, that the causes of the accused's offending is multi-factorial, enhances rather than detracts from the need for appropriate investigative reporting in this case. 'Furthermore, I also accept that the naming of those guilty of such serious crimes has a significant part in promoting effective deterrence.' Advertisement

Addressing the jury during the trial, the prosecution told the jury the murder was 'brutal', 'sustained' and 'gratuitous'.

Outside court today Detective Chief Inspector Richard Myszczyszyn, of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said: 'This is an utterly tragic case. I would like to pay tribute to the people who loved Roberts, and had to deal with losing him in such brutal and horrific circumstances.

'Their support for our investigation has been unwavering, and their bravery has been an inspiration.

'Nothing could bring Roberts back, but our commitment was to try to find some semblance of justice for a grieving family and community.

'The act was utterly senseless and the consequences, devastating. It will be remembered by Officers and Staff as one of the worst and saddest cases we have ever dealt with. The level of violence, and that it involved children, makes it almost incomprehensible.

'The diligence and dedication displayed by the team who responded and investigated was a credit to our Force and hopefully of some reassurance to the community as they continue to come to terms with this distressing and disturbing incident.

'Roberts' future was stolen and that is an injustice that cannot be undone. We hope today's sentence might at least offer some closure to those affected.

'It's a stark and chilling lesson on the potential devastation of knife crime. If you, as a parent or a child, have any concerns about knives, please talk to us.

'We can all play a part in building a future free of such desperately sad and unnecessary loss of life. We will educate and engage on knife crime and we will continue to relentlessly pursue justice for victims; as we do so, we will remember Roberts.'

The mother of teen murderer Marcel Grzeszcz refused to comment on her son being jailed today for stabbing his 12-year-old friend 70 times.

Elzbieta Grzeszcz opened the door of her 150,000 two bedroom semi-detached home in Boston, Lincolnshire but when asked if she had anything to say about her 15-year-old son replied, 'no, sorry'.

The house is on a smart close in the east of the historic market town and close to woodland where schoolboy drug-dealer Grzeszcz knifed Roberts Bunzis in a frenzied attack in December 2020.

A neigbour tonight told MailOnline: 'This is a nice, quiet street.

'Up until the murder last year, nothing had ever really happened around here. You don't see the police here often at all.'

'In fact I can't remember seeing the police around here before or after that day. It was such a horrific thing to happen and such a shock.'

Another local resident said he did not know Grzeszcz or his mother but said he understood they came to Boston from Poland.

At the time of the murder Roberts' brave single-parent father Edgars said people should remember his so with a smile.

In a statement issued through Lincolnshire Police he said: 'I am comforted by the community support that has been shown and I understand that friends want to show their support by getting together on Saturday.

'I will not be attending, I will remember Roberts in private and celebrate his life at his funeral.

'Please remember Roberts with flowers and a smile. Be safe and please do not do anything stupid. I want you to continue with your lives and do the things that Roberts can no longer do.

'I do not want any other family to go through what I have, please do not make me more sad.

'Do not judge before we know the truth, let the police do their investigation.

'I do not judge the family of the boy involved, I am not God, for this we have court.'
Oscar Pistorius is understood to be eligible for release on parole after serving half his sentence for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The Paralympic gold medallist may now meet her parents in South Africa's 'restorative justice' parole process before he is considered for release.

He was convicted for manslaughter for the killing of Steenkamp on Valentine's Day in 2013 after he fired four times through the door of his bedroom toilet.

He claimed he had mistaken Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model and law graduate who was famous in her own right in South Africa, for an intruder but was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to five years in prison.

The sentence was increased in 2015 to 13 years and five months after he was found guilty of murder on appeal. But Pistorius may now be released on parole after serving six years in a low-security jail in Pretoria.

Oscar Pistorius is understood to be eligible for release on parole after serving half his sentence for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp

South Africa's department of correctional services said in a statement they were setting up a meeting between Steenkamp's parents and Pistorius as part of the 'restorative justice' process.

The statement said offenders 'must acknowledge and take responsibility for their actions' and that both parties must have the opportunity 'to reconcile or an apology'.

Correctional services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said the department were 'not yet there' on possible parole for Pistorius.

'They [inmates] have to appear before a parole board. A determination is then made about whether they are ready to be sent back into the community or continue to stay in prison serving the remainder of their sentence.'

Pistorius was convicted for manslaughter for the killing of model Reeva Steenkamp (pictured) on Valentine's Day in 2013 after he fired four times through the door of his bedroom toilet

South Africa's department of correctional services said in a statement they were setting up a meeting between Steenkamp's parents (pictured) and Pistorius as part of the 'restorative justice' process

A lawyer for Steenkamp's parents, June and Barry, told national broadcaster SABC they 'would like to participate in the victim-offender dialogue'.

'June has always said that she has forgiven Oscar, however that doesn't mean that he mustn't pay for what he has done

'Barry battles with that a bit, but that is something he will have to voice at the appropriate time,' lawyer Tania Koen said.

She added Pistorius is not entitled to parole, only to be considered for release on parole.

June told local media in 2018 that she had forgiven Oscar for murdering her daughter but believed that he should still be punished.

Reeva's parents English born June from Blackburn, Lancashire, and her South African born retired horse trainer husband Barry were always convinced she was murdered.

The couple told a TV channel that they believe Reeva had packed her bags and told Pistorius she was leaving him on the evening of her death and that he killed her.

Pistorius was the first double amputee to race in the Olympics competing in the 2012 London games becoming a role model for the disabled worldwide.
The giant 3D cat has been delighting shoppers with its antics on a billboard in Tokyo has now been joined by a robot vacuum cleaner.

Footage shows the giant calico cat, which appears on a curved 4K LED screen just outside Shinjuku station, being surprised by a Roomba vacuum cleaner which appears behind it and glides across the virtual floor.

The cat, which first appeared in Japan's busy capital in July, taps on the machine with its paw as it supposedly cleans up the fur shed by the animal.

The giant calico cat, which appears on a LED screen near Shinjuku station in Tokyo, stands on a ledge and looks at shoppers

Just seconds later the giant 3D cat is joined by a Roomba vacuum cleaner which appears behind it

The startled creature continues to watch the robot vacuum as it moves across the animated glass floor.

The advertisement, which is being displayed on a 1,664 sq ft screen owned by Cross Shinjuku Vision, comes just months after the giant feline first amazed shoppers by taking a nap on the billboard.

In July this year, the animated cat was filmed looking perfectly content with its paws tucked neatly under its chin as it lay peacefully on the ledge.

It then scrambled into a crouch and looked down in apparent fright after one of its paws slipped off the ledge.

The stunning graphic, which repeated the movement several times an hour, saw the cat stand awake at 7am before finally falling asleep at 1am.

One local hotel employee told the Business Insider: 'With the pandemic, we don't have any way to chill out.

'We're dog people, but the cat is so adorable, it's soothing.'

The playful feline watches the robotic vacuum as it glides across the virtual floor

The cat taps on the machine with its paw as the vacuum hoovers the fur shed by the animal

The latest advert, which has seen the furry creature joined by a Roomba vacuum, will now run until December 31 on the billboard, which is just outside the world's busiest train station.

In May last year a 3D billboard showing giant waves appeared in South Korea.

The realistic simulation called 'WAVE' was screened on the SMTown COEX building in Seoul's Gangnam District.

It showed the waves rising up the back of the 'tank' before crashing down to the front of the building, giving the appearance of the water being contained by glass.

The billboard was initially developed by Samsung and was made up off around 31,000 LEDs and covered a total area of 17,437 sq ft.
The 'inconsolable' father of four-year-old twins who died in a house fire at a commune in Byron Bay 'blames himself' for the horrific tragedy, a neighbour has revealed.

Little Ophelia and Tarrow suffered smoke inhalation after a candle was left burning on top of a piano inside their father's 'off-grid' Goonengerry commune on Sunday morning, police believe.

The girls had been visiting their father James Wright - a political activist who was reportedly outside at a bonfire when the toxic fumes leaked into their room - as part of shared parenting arrangements over the weekend.

Ophelia and Tarrow (pictured with their mother Akira Garton) died from smoke inhalation after a fire at their father's Byron Bay commune house

Residents who choose to live off-grid at the Nunkeri Multi Occupancy commune (pictured) consider each other family, and were enjoying a collective bonfire well into the early hours of Sunday morning when tragedy struck

Fire investigators suspect the blaze among 19 properties dotted around the isolated 40 hectare commune in the Byron Bay hinterland in northern NSW was started by a candle placed on top of a piano.

It caused smouldering which leaked toxic fumes next to where the little girls were sleeping, investigators believe.

The tragedy was discovered when Mr Wright and his girlfriend checked on the children and found them unresponsive, with smoke billowing from the property, about 4am.

Harrowing calls were made to triple-zero begging for help.

'Hurry, the babies can't breathe,' a woman believed to be the father's girlfriend told the operator on the end of the line.

Police and paramedics tried desperately to save the young girls when they arrived at the grisly scene but it was too late.

Mr Wright (pictured in 2019) ran as the Ballina candidate for the Keep Sydney Open independent state political party

A member of the public weeps while holding a bouquet of flowers outside the home where the twin four-year-old girls died following a house fire

The girls were sleeping together in a bedroom within close proximity to a piano. Sitting on the piano, police believe, was a lit candle which caused the fire

'They were found to be unresponsive,' Chief inspector Mick Dempsey told Seven News.

'CPR was performed by police and ambulance personnel but unfortunately the two children could not be revived and they have since passed away.

'It's unbelievably devastating to see anyone die in these circumstances, but two four-year-old females, it's just a tragic set of circumstances.'

Mr Wright ran as the Ballina candidate for the Keep Sydney Open independent state political party in 2019.

'I'm told Jimmy's in a bad way, when he was canvassing as a candidate for Keep Sydney Open in the Lower House, the girls were always with him,' Tyson Kho, CEO for Keep Sydney Open, told The Daily Telegraph.

'He was the most loving father, he's really cut up over this.'

A woman from the commune said: 'He was on the floor on his knees, he was crying "no, no", he was inconsolable.

'Our hearts are broken for him. Jimmy loved his girls, he took them everywhere with him.'

'He's in a bad state. He blames himself. He's really shaken up,'

The 20-home commune has existed for 30 years and sits on 40ha of farmland just 30 minutes drive from Byron Bay

Police are investigating whether a candle was left burning inside the home overnight (pictured, investigators at the scene)

The mother of the twin girls is now begging police for answers after their dad reportedly left them inside to attend the bonfire.

A lawyer acting for the girls' mother, Akira Garton, has asked detectives investigating the tragedy to look into why the girls had been left unattended in the house.

Daily Mail Australia does not suggest any wrongdoing on the part of the girls' father.

Aerial footage of the remote bush commune shows several dwellings scattered among the trees.

There are no driveways and no fences to separate one home from the next. Cars park haphazardly wherever their drivers can find space.

The community relies on a water tank at the centre of the property and it's understood they pool resources wherever possible.

'They're like a family,' one local told Daily Mail Australia. 'They're all grieving so much right now.'

Neighbours dropped off flowers to the grieving family as the tightknit community mourns

The home is within a 'multiple occupancy' community down this street, 30km west of Byron Bay (pictured, police at the scene)

The commune is just 35 minutes' drive from the hustle and bustle of Byron Bay central - but for locals, it feels a world away.

While Byron Bay has been gentrified and flooded with holidaymakers and celebrities, Goonengerry and similar tiny towns nearby still consider themselves 'locals only'.

Residents embrace alternate ways of living and, put simply, 'enjoy a simple life'.

Those living within the commune were all together the moment the twins' father realised smoke was billowing from the room.

They were still there, shocked and confused, as emergency services arrived and tried to save the girls. A woman was also treated for shock at the scene.

Horrified neighbours arrived at the home later on Sunday to drop bouquets of flowers to the family

Police remain on the scene as they investigate the cause of the blaze on Sunday which left the twin girls dead

Another woman fought back tears on Sunday as she delivered a bouquet of flowers, leaving them in the letter box.

A hand written note was left on one of the bouquets reading: 'Mourning with you.'

Byron Shire deputy mayor Sarah Ndiaye said locals, especially people living in these types of hinterland communities, were particularly tightknit.

'The loss will be felt by the entire community,' she said.

Detectives will work with fire investigators, who remain on the scene, to determine the exact cause of the blaze.

There was little damage to the home itself, but it's believed the toxic fumes from the smoke caused the twin's death.
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This is the dramatic moment armed police swooped on a suspect just 500 yards from where Barack Obama was giving a speech at COP26.

Several vehicles blocked off the man before more than half a dozen officers threw him to the ground face down before handcuffing him where he lay.

Police Scotland said he was arrested for an 'alleged breach of the peace' in relation to a COP26 event last month.

Today Mr Obama - who flew in last night on a Bombardier 6000 private jet from Washington DC - addressed conference delegates at the SEC complex in Glasgow to warn that 'time is running out' in the battle against climate change.

A witness to the drama this morning on St Vincent Street at around 11.15am told MailOnline: 'There was the sound of cars screeching and lots of shouting of ''armed police''.

Several vehicles blocked off the man before more than half a dozen officers threw him to the ground face down before handcuffing them where they lay

'Two men were dragged from a blue car and forced to the ground and surrounded by police. Some were disguised to hide their faces.'

The dramatic arrests happened on the corner of St Vincent St and Breadalbane St, 300 yards from Cop26, at 11.17am with the former President due to arrive at the summit at 11.30am.

Mr Obama was joined by John Kerry, the US climate envoy, as he made his way to give a speech at 11.30am. Eyewitnesses told how police ordered them to get back from the scene as they carried out the operation.

Eileen Gordon, 29, a shop worker, said: 'It happened that quick. It was rapid. There was no messing about. Cars came from everywhere.

'Several cars surrounded the Volkswagen and it looked like one of the guys tried to make a run for it but they got a grip on him and pinned him to the ground.

'The driver was pulled out of the car and he had assault rifles aimed at him.'

A witness to the drama this morning on St Vincent Street at around 11.15am told MailOnline: 'There was the sound of cars screeching and lots of shouting of ''armed police'''

A construction worker told how his colleagues were also ordered to keep clear.

Barack Obama slams Putin and Xi Jinping for a 'dangerous absence of urgency' in COP26 speech as he warns world leaders 'are still falling short' in tackling climate crisis Barack Obama today used his box office COP26 speech to tear into Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin for failing to turn up to the Glasgow conference on climate change. The former US president said he had a 'hard time' staying away from Scotland - but criticised Beijing and Moscow for not joining other global leaders. Obama spoke out this afternoon to a session on Pacific Island nations, including ones whose existence is threatened by rising oceans under climate change. He said: 'It was particularly discouraging to see the leaders of two of the world's largest emitters, China and Russia, decline to even attend the proceedings, and their national plans reflect what appears to be a dangerous lack of urgency'. He added: 'All of us have a part to play. All of us have work to do. All of us have sacrifices to make' on climate, he said 'But those of us who live in wealthy nations, those of us who helped to precipitate the problem ... we have an added burden'. Advertisement

He said: 'The noise was deafening. They were shouting and that probably disoriented the two men they arrested. The amount of undercover police and weapons suggests this couldn't wait. We don't know what is coming but fair play to the police. They did well.

'They searched the vehicle, opened to boot and there was a large orange bag they were interested in. The car was left across the road before a truck came to impound it.

'The police did their job. They're here to make sure Cop26 goes ahead without incident.'

Another onlooker said: 'This has been a busy road, especially this past week. The police presence is high.

'It was too much excitement for a wet Monday morning but thank goodness the police were super efficient and nobody was hurt.

'There are workmen in the area and they were trying to get a look but the police told them to get back. They were all shouting which must be a tactic to confuse them.

'They took a lot of interest in what was in the car and seemed to carry out a thorough search. You don't get the armed police out unless it is something serious.

'They opened the boot and seemed quite shocked by what they found.'

Scaffolder James Grant, 24, said: 'One of the scaffolders saw the black unmarked cars come in at speed. They must have followed them to the junction and then there was another change of gear as they sprung into action.

'Fortunately they didn't need to use their weapons but seeing half a dozen people with assault rifles shouting at you was quite frightening.

'The police have been on high alert for weeks. This looked very serious because they were armed and the men they arrested didn't seem frightened, more determined than anything.'

A Police Scotland spokesman said: 'A 43-year-old man was arrested on Argyle Street, Glasgow, on Saturday, 6 November, and charged with an alleged breach of the peace in relation to a COP26 event earlier this month.

'He appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Sunday, 7 November, and was released on bail.

'The man was further arrested today (Monday, 8 November) on Breadallbane Street, Glasgow, in connection with alleged firearms offences following a search warrant being carried out at an address on Argyle Street and enquiries are ongoing.'

The former US President was delivering a keynote address at 2pm and he is expected to call for governments to step up and deliver real change to tackle the climate crisis.

Speaking today as COP26 enters its second week, he said not enough has been done to combat climate change and called for united action.

Mr Obama also told COP26 delegates he had a 'hard time' staying away from Cop26 in Glasgow.

Today Mr Obama addressed conference delegates at the SEC complex in Glasgow about the fate of island nations, using a Hawaiian provert to warn of the threat of climate change

'Even though I'm not required to attend summits like this this any more, old habits die hard,' he said.

'And when the issue at hand is the health of our planet, and the world our children and our grandchildren will inherit, then you will have a hard time keeping me away. That's why I'm here today.'

He continued: 'When it comes to climate, time really is running out.

'You heard the same message from world leaders last week. Now that they've left, here's what we can report: meaningful progress has been made since Paris.

'The agreements made here in Glasgow, thanks to so many of you - including my friend John Kerry, who is tireless with his team - thanks to your efforts here in Glasgow we see the prospect of further progress.

'What is also true is that collectively and individually, we are still falling short.

'We have not done nearly enough to address this crisis, we are going to have to do more, and whether that happens or not to a large degree is going to depend on you - not just you in this room, but anybody who's watching or reading a transcript of what I'm saying here today.'

Earlier today, he spoke at an event with leaders of island states threatened by rising oceans.

The former president - who was born in Hawaii - told the event he is 'an island kid', describing islands as the 'canary in the coal mine' for action on the climate.

He told attendees 'our islands are threatened more than ever' and praised Joe Biden for highlighting their plight.

He said rich nations 'have an added burden to make sure we are working with and helping and assisting those who are less responsible and less able but more vulnerable to this oncoming crisis'.

Concluding his remarks, he invoked a Hawaiian proverb: 'Unite to move forward'.

Explaining its meaning, he said: 'It's a reminder that if you all want to paddle a canoe you better all be rowing in the same direction and at the same time, every oar has to move in unison, that's the only way that you move forward.'

Boris Johnson and Joe Biden have both given addresses on climate change at COP26.

They attended a dinner at the nearby Glasgow Art Galleries, which is walking distance from where the arrests took place.

Increased security around the event is now likely, despite protests in the city having been peaceful in recent days.

Police had praised the behaviour of 100,000 protestors who marched to Glasgow Green on Saturday.

Mr Obama touched down at Glasgow Airport in a Bombardier 6000 private jet from Washington last night.

Wearing a black face mask, he was whisked away in a convoy of eight armoured vehicles with armed guards.

The former US President touched down at Glasgow International Airport before being driven away in a black SUV.

The 60-year old had earlier tweeted about his visit, confirming he would be joining in the global effort to tackle the climate change emergency.

Revealing he would be doing all he could to contribute, he tweeted: 'Five years ago, the Paris Agreement went into effect.

'Paris provided an important framework in the fight against climate change, but it wasn't enough.

'That's why I'll be speaking in Glasgow on Monday about the road ahead and what young people in particular can do to help.'

Police Scotland said: A 43-year-old man was arrested on Argyle Street, Glasgow, on Saturday, 6 November, and charged with an alleged breach of the peace in relation to a COP26 event earlier this month.

He appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Sunday, 7 November, and was released on bail.

The man was further arrested today on Breadallbane Street, Glasgow, in connection with alleged firearms offences following a search warrant being carried out at an address on Argyle Street and enquiries are ongoing.
A shark attack victim who momentarily died as he was rushed to hospital has said the marine animals shouldn't be culled as 'you can't blame a shark for being a shark', just days after a British father-of-two was taken down in front of his helpless family.

Cameron Wrathall was left with a shattered hip after he was set upon by an aggressive bull shark while swimming in Perth's Swan River in January.

Despite this, the Bicton father-of-two, who has been left with a paralysed left leg, has revealed he will not support the return of shark culls in Western Australia.

Cameron Wrathall (pictured) was left with a shattered hip after he was set upon by an aggressive bull shark while swimming in Perth's Swan River in January

Despite this, the Bicton father-of-two (pictured, middle) - who has been left with a paralysed left leg - has revealed he will not support the return of shark culls in Western Australia

Poll SHOULD SHARKS BE CULLED? Yes - they're dangerous No - it's their ocean SHOULD SHARKS BE CULLED? Yes - they're dangerous 72 votes

No - it's their ocean 230 votes Now share your opinion





'I don't believe in culling because you can't blame a shark for being a shark. It is in their nature to act the way they do,' he told the West Australian.

The father said while he understood people's 'fear-based' reactions to sharks, there were risks involved in everyday scenarios such as driving a car or crossing a road, and open water swimming was no different.

He urged authorities to look at other methods to keep swimmers safe such as tagging sharks, improving netted areas and increasing surveillance of the animals.

It comes just days after Paul Millachip, 57, was fatally attacked by a shark while swimming at Port Beach in North Fremantle at around 10am on Saturday.

Despite a large search effort over two days at Port Beach, all that has been found of the British father-of-two is a pair of swimming googles.

Paul Millachip, 57, was fatally attacked by a shark while swimming at Port Beach in North Fremantle at around 10am on Saturday (pictured with his wife)

The Perth father-of-two was attacked while swimming in Perth's Swan River (pictured) and momentarily died as he was rushed to hospital

The search for Mr Millachip was called off on Sunday evening.

Sharks were last systematically culled in Western Australian waters in 2014 with more than 170 of the marine animals killed in the 'catch and kill' program.

The controversial initiative was quickly dropped by then-Premier Colin Barnett who had advocated for the program to continue for another three years.

The latest incident follows warnings that shark attacks are increasing.

From 2010 to 2020 there were 220 shark attacks in Australia, and in 2021 there have been 18 attacks with two of them confirmed as deadly.

Speaking on Sunday afternoon, Mr Millachip's wife said her husband of 32 years died doing what he loved, which was out enjoying the surf and keeping fit.

The search for Mr Millachip was called off on Sunday evening with Fisheries and Water Police continuing surveillance at the popular beach on Monday (pictured, patrols on Saturday)

Mr Wrathall (pictured) has urged authorities to look at other methods to keep swimmers safe such as tagging sharks, improving netted areas and increasing surveillance of the animals.

'Rest in peace Paul,' she said.

She thanked authorities for 'being extremely thorough' and the support of friends as their families are both in the UK

The devastated mum also said she was grateful to a group of teenage boys who had called triple zero and made sure others got out of the water.

'It must have been an absolutely terrifying experience for them, so my heart goes out to them,' she said, her voice wavering. 'I thank them for what they did.

'Amazing. They could potentially have saved other lives.'

Mr Millachip was a regular at the popular beach, and his wife and two adult children were there at the time of the attack (pictured, search and rescue vessels at Port Beach on Saturday)

Mr Millachip was a regular at the popular beach, and his wife and two adult children were there at the time of the attack.

'A family is now grieving, a man has lost his life. It's a terribly sad situation,' WA Premier Mark McGowan said earlier on Sunday.

Port Beach reopened on Monday just two days after the tragic shark attack, with members of the local Polar Bear swim club gallantly returning to the water.

Fisheries will continue to monitor the stretch of ocean with Water Police also doing loops a few hundred metres from the shore.
A gay British soldier who sexually assaulted a teenage male colleague in Cyprus has been thrown out of the Army.

Corporal Aaron Woolston, 26, dragged a 19-year-old Private into a toilet cubicle and said 'let's do it' - before calling him 'boring' when he rejected his drunken advances, a court martial heard.

The disgraced soldier previously told the younger man 'I know you're gay' and then attacked him despite the Private saying he was not homosexual and making it plain he wasn't interested.

Cpl Woolston, of the 1st Battalion, Princess of Wales Royal Regiment, was dismissed from the Army after admitting three charges of sexual assault by touching.

William Peters, prosecuting, said both men were serving in Cyprus and had known each other about seven months when the sexual assaults happened on camp on the Mediterranean island.

Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire heard of a previous incident where people were drinking on a balcony of an accommodation block.

Corporal Aaron Woolston was dismissed from the Army after admitting three charges of sexual assault by touching. Pictured, Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire

'The two men were sitting next to each other. Cpl Woolston was drunk and started to stroke [the victim's] thigh, saying things like ''I know you're gay'',' Mr Peters said.

'[The victim] told him he wasn't gay and repeatedly told him to stop.'

While this incident was not included in the charges of sexual assault, Mr Peters said it was significant because the victim had 'made it plain to Cpl Woolston on that occasion he wasn't interested in any way to his advances'.

About a month later, the court heard the victim was smoking outside an Army accommodation block on Cyprus with a fellow soldier when Cpl Woolston came out and asked him for a chat.

Mr Peters said: '[The victim] had just had a shower and was wearing only a dressing gown. He followed him and where he was led by Cpl Woolston was into the ablutions.

'Before he could process what was happening, Cpl Woolston pulled him by the dressing gown into a toilet cubicle and locked the door.

'Cpl Woolston repeatedly tried to undo the tie around the dressing gown as [the victim] kept pushing his hands away and pleading with him to get off.'

The court heard Cpl Woolston was saying 'come on, come on, let's do it' but after about 30 seconds the Private managed to escape, at which point Cpl Woolston called him 'boring'.

Later that night, the Private walked into the bathroom area and Cpl Woolston again grabbed his dressing gown and tried to drag him into a toilet cubicle, but the soldier managed to get away before he could.

He then went to report the incidents to a senior officer and while waiting outside their office Cpl Woolston walked past and 'grabbed' his bottom.

The court heard Cpl Woolston apologised to the Private a couple of days later, and told military police he 'couldn't remember anything because he was extremely drunk and blacked out'.

Mr Peters read a statement out from the victim which described him suffering from nightmares of him not being able to stop Cpl Woolston since the incidents and needing sleeping tablets to help him sleep. He said he could not trust anyone anymore and was left feeling 'a bit s**t' after the sexual assaults.

Tom Wilkins, defending, said the sexual assaults were a 'personal tragedy' to Cpl Woolston because 'joining the Army was the fulfilment of a boyhood ambition'.

He added: 'It's obviously a difficult environment to come to terms with being gay... He feels ashamed about what he has done.'

Judge Advocate Jane England dismissed Cpl Woolston from the military and ordered him to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and a sexual offending behavioural programme.

She said: 'This must have been a very frightening experience for [the Private].

'Your platoon commander has written a glowing reference of you that speaks very highly of your personal and professional qualities... this is in stark contrast to your behaviour on this night.

'You have let yourself down... no one, whether they are male or female, should be subjected to such persistent and degrading behaviour at the hands of their colleagues.'
Daniel Andrews did not heed warnings about Labor's red shirts scandal ahead of the 2014 election in which nearly $400,000 of taxpayer funds were misused, an inquiry has heard.

Former Victorian MP Adem Somyurek appeared in the witness box for the first time since the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission inquiry into Labor Party branch-stacking began.

He quit Labor last year before he could be expelled following a Nine Network investigation, which caught him handing over cash and using parliamentary staff allegedly to create fake branch members.

A corruption inquiry has heard Dan Andrews (pictured with wife) ignored warnings about a potential scandal involving campaign staff in 2014

Mr Somyurek named the premier several times during Monday's evidence, claiming he went to Mr Andrews with his concerns about the red shirts scandal before the 2014 election.

He said Mr Andrews responded: 'Words to the effect of 'do you want to win the election or not?''

In 2018 Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass' investigation into red shirts found Labor had misused $388,000 of taxpayer money to pay political campaign staff ahead of the 2014 election.

Mr Somyurek described red shirts as 'a gold standard rort' and criticised the ombudsman for not coming down harder, saying she could have used 'stronger language' to get the message across.

'That created an atmosphere of ... anyone could do anything, even employing electoral officers to work on campaign activity,' he said.

Earlier on Monday, Mr Somyurek said he was aware of branch stacking when he joined the Labor Party in the 1990s.

Adem Somyurek (pictured) gave evidence at the IBAC inquiry on Monday which is looking at branch stacking in the Labor Party

He said Mr Andrews was a key organiser for Labor's Socialist Left faction during federal MP Anthony Byrne's preselection in the late-1990s.

'You had Anthony Byrne as chief recruiter from the right, and I think Daniel Andrews was organising on the left,' he said.

Mr Somyurek claimed 'the left invented ethnic branch stacking.'

'It was the left and right going at it hammer and tongs when I joined the party,' he said.

Mr Somyurek admitted some of his electorate staff were 'factional operatives' and he expected they would do factional work for him, which included recruiting and managing Labor Party members.

Electorate office workers are paid by taxpayers to manage their officers for constituents.

'I don't have a problem with my employees, my staff, being factional. I tried to limit that,' he said

'I might have instructed them to do some things that were factional.'

Dan Andrews has recently sent a huge team to a major trade show in China after signing up to Beijing's international 'belt and road' infrastructure plan

He said Mr Byrne had asked him to contribute to funds to pay for other people's party memberships, and said he was 'probably a stack-ee' himself.

He said he had paid 'about $2000 a year' for party memberships himself and was aware of a kitty kept inside Mr Byrne's office, but 'knew nothing about what happened to the money'.

Mr Somyurek was shown text messages he sent asking electorate staffers about ballot harvesting, filling out ballots on behalf of members, ahead of the Labor Party's 2018 national conference.

He said staff were only expected to do this work when there was no 'genuine' work to do.

His evidence will continue before IBAC Commissioner Robert Redlich on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

When contacted by AAP, a government spokesperson said it would be inappropriate to comment while the inquiry was ongoing.
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Families can reinvent themselves as ancient Scottish royalty in a pink castle from the much-loved children's programme Balamory, available to rent for 1,875 per night.

Fenton Tower in East Lothian, close to North Berwick and about 20 miles from Edinburgh, is known to most today as the home of Archie the inventor from the hit BBC show.

However, the 20-acre site of the seven-bedroom castle has a history stretching as far back as the 11th Century, and became a favourite of King James VI after it gave him refuge from rebels.

In 1650, the tower was sacked by Oliver Cromwell's armies and stood as a ruin for nearly 350 years before its 2million restoration by Ian Simpson and John Macaskill.

Now a listed ancient monument, groups of 13 can stay at Fenton Tower for 1,875 per night. A listing on website Host Unusual states: 'Reinvent yourself as ancient Scottish royalty, in a historic castle tower that looks over the majestic countryside of East Lothian.

'You'll find you're in the ideal position to survey your new kingdom, with 360-degree panoramic views of rolling countryside, complete with a host of country activities to enjoy.

'Opened in 2002 following its stunning restoration, Fenton Tower provides true luxury, five-star accommodation for up to 13 guests. Arriving in style has never been easier, with the castle's very own private helicopter pad ready and waiting!'

Families can reinvent themselves as ancient Scottish royalty in a pink castle from the much-loved children's programme Balamory, available to rent for 1,875 per night

Fenton Tower in East Lothian, close to North Berwick and about 20 miles from Edinburgh, is known to most today as the home of Archie the inventor from the hit BBC show Balamory

One of the many bedrooms in Fenton Tower, used in the BBC children's programme Balamory

The castle's rustic and stunning living room. Guests can rent the tower for 1,875 per night

Now a listed ancient monument, groups of 13 can stay at Fenton Tower for 1,875 per night

The 20-acre site of the seven-bedroom castle has a history stretching as far back as the 11th Century

Fenton Tower contains more than 7,000 sq ft of living space. The lower ground floor, once the castle vaults, has been turned into an enormous dining room with a curved ceiling and large wooden table surrounded by tartan-covered chairs.

Upstairs, the great hall is used as a living room. Two winding stone staircases in the turrets are used to reach the five main bedrooms, which have ensuite bathrooms and carry names from the tower's history, including Carmichael, Ruthven and Erskine.

According to the tower's website, there has been a fortified tower on this site since the 11th Century, and was originally chosen because it afforded views in every direction - so that the occupants would have early warning of any attack.

To the north of Fenton Tower there is a medieval burial site and the remains of the foundations of one of the earliest Christian chapels in Scotland.

The current tower was built by Patrick Whytelaw in around 1550. But in 1587, ownership of the tower was forfeited to Sir John Carmichael, the Scottish Ambassador to Denmark who was also responsible for policing the borders between Scotland and England.

Fenton Tower contains more than 7,000 sq ft of living space. Pictured, one of the castle's many stunning bedrooms

A bathroom with a modern shower and a rustic standing bathtub at Fenton Tower, around 20 miles from Edinburgh

A listing on website Host Unusual states: 'Reinvent yourself as ancient Scottish royalty, in a historic castle tower that looks over the majestic countryside of East Lothian'

In 1631, the tower passed to Sir John Maxwell of Innerwick. However his enjoyment of the castle was shortlived after Cromwell's invasion of Scotland in 1650

In 1591, James VI took refuge with the Carmichaels at Fenton Tower as he fled a rebel army in Fife. Upon Sir John's death, the king granted Fenton Tower to Sir Thomas Erskine, who became Lord Dirleton, Viscount Fenton and later Earl of Kellie.

In 1631, the tower passed to Sir John Maxwell of Innerwick. However his enjoyment of the castle was shortlived after Cromwell's invasion of Scotland in 1650.

The surrounding land passed to Sir John Nisbet in 1663, and then on to the Simpson family in the mid-19th Century. Their descendants decided to start the tower's restoration in 1998, and has since reopened its doors again to the people of Scotland.

Speaking to The New York Times, Mr Macaskill said: 'It was wonderful for me to work on this, as these towers are such an interest of mine.

'But there was quite a lot to decipher before we could get started. We had to work out what had been there and then adapt it to suit modern needs. But I was very pleased they wanted to put it back as it was and not just stick a glass box onto the side of the ruins.'
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MPs mocked Boris Johnson last night by comparing him to Monty Python's cowardly knight 'Brave Sir Robin' - who infamously fled rather than faces foes in battle - after the Prime Minister ducked away from a sleaze debate in the Commons.

The PM was lambasted by Opposition politicians as the Commons held an emergency debate in the wake of the Owen Paterson scandal - which Mr Johnson avoided by saying he could not get back from a visit to Northumberland in time.

MPs also branded the Prime Minister a 'tin-pot dictator' and accused him of behaving like Vladimir Putin over his reaction to sleaze - as the Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle warned that Parliament's standards commissioner must not be publicly undermined.

The Prime Minister had earlier attempted to bat away criticism for failing to attend the debate, refusing to apologise and claiming there is 'not much more to say' about the Paterson case.

Many Tory MPs followed his example with only around 50 - just one in seven of the total - present in the Commons for the debate.

But of one of those who did take part, former chief whip Mark Harper, slammed the PM for not taking part.

Mr Harper, who voted against the Government to oppose easing sanctions on Mr Paterson last week, said that as 'team captain' Mr Johnson should have been present tonight to apologise for last week's vote, adding: 'That's the right thing to do in terms of demonstrating leadership.'

Anger turned to derision during the debate, with SNP politician Peter Wishart comparing Mr Johnson to 'Brave Sir Robin', the cowardly knight in the comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

He said: 'It should be [Boris Johnson] in this debate. It was him who brought that grubby motion to the debate last Wednesday. It was him who defended it to the highest hilt... He should be standing here defending the Government's actions and telling us what he's going to do.

'Now he always likes to remind me of battles of past, can I say to him today he's like the Brave Sir Robin from Monty Python from the Holy Grail bravely running away from doing his duty at the dispatch box,' he added, as the Commons erupted in laughter, with even Jacob Rees-Mogg smiling at the jibe.

Speaker Mr Hoyle opened the session by warning that Mr Johnson's abortive bid to save ally Owen Paterson from lobbying punishment had been highly damaging to parliament's reputation.

Sir Lindsay warned that everyone must stop 'political sniping' and work across parties to clear up this 'mess'. And in an apparent jibe at ministers, he defended watchdog Kathryn Stone - who has been subjected to death threats after the row. 'Please do not criticise the commissioner for standards who is doing the job that we have appointed her to do.'

Despite the entreaties from the Speaker, one Labour MP immediately swiped that Mr Johnson had acted like a 'tin-pot dictator'. And Lib Dem Wendy Chamberlain said events had been more reminiscent of the 'Duma in Moscow' than Westminster.

The blustering came as an Ipsos MORI poll for the Standard gave the latest indication that the party has taken a huge hit, even though ministers have dismissed the row as a 'storm in a teacup'.

Although much of the fieldwork was carried out before the dramatic vote last Wednesday, the Tories were down four points since September on 35 per cent.

Crucially that was below Labour, with Keir Starmer's party on 36 per cent support. It is the first time in a year that Labour has been ahead with the pollster.

Sir Keir seized on Mr Johnson's absence, accusing him of 'corruption', of 'damaging democracy' and lacking 'the decency either to defend or apologise for his actions'.

'His concern as always is self-preservation, not the national interest,' he said.

Speaker Lindsay Hoyle opened the session by warning that Mr Johnson's abortive bid to save ally Owen Paterson from lobbying punishment had been highly damaging to parliament's reputation

Mr Johnson chatted to patients at Hexham Hospital during his visit yesterday

Many Tory MPs followed his example with around 50 - just one in seven of the total - present in the Commons for the debate.

Lib Dem Wendy Chamberlain (right) said events had been more reminiscent of the 'Duma in Moscow' than Westminster. Left, Owen Paterson (file picture)

Boris Johnson insisted he is unable to get back from a 'long-planned' visit to the North East in time for the Commons debate on his abortive bid to save his ally from lobbying punishment

An Ipsos MORI poll for the Evening Standard showed that the Tories have lost their lead and slipped behind Labour

It is the first time in around a year that the pollster has shown a lead for Labour

Tory Geoffrey Cox's 1m legal earnings are condemned by Labour MPs traded blows about their second jobs - with Tory Geoffrey Cox under fire for his extraordinary 1million a year legal earnings. Politicians are pointing fingers at each other over their paid sidelines in the wake of the bitter row over Boris Johnson's abortive bid to save ally Owen Paterson from punishment for lobbying. The PM said this morning that he expected outside income for MPs to be 'looked at' - with the standards committee set to make recommendations before Christmas. Labour is pushing for paid directorships and consultancy roles to be banned - although Keir Starmer says nurses and other professions should be allowed to continue. But the Tories have pointed out that a number of Opposition MPs also have some outside earnings alongside their salaries of around 82,000 a year. Mr Cox, an eminent QC, has long been one of the biggest earners in the Commons. In the latest register of interest, the Torridge and West Devon MP revealed that from this month he is receiving 400,000 a year plus VAT for 41 hours' work a month as Consultant Global Counsel to Withers LLP. Advertisement

Cabinet minister Steve Barclay, representing the government in lieu of Mr Johnson, voiced 'regret' for the 'mistake' that was made in overturning the standards committee report last week.

The PM insisted he was unable to get back from a 'long-planned' visit to the North East in time for the Commons debate. No10 blamed the fact he is travelling by train - even though it did not start until around after 4pm.

However, witnesses spotted the PM on a train that arrived at London King's Cross station less than half an hour into the Commons debate, which started at 4.07pm, reports The Mirror.

'I don't think there is much more to be said about that particular case,' he told reporters in a scratchy interview during which he constantly tried to change the subject to Covid.

The debate dodge has echoes of Mr Johnson's decision when Foreign Secretary to make a whistlestop visit to Afghanistan on the day of the crunch vote on expanding Heathrow Airport - something he might otherwise have needed to resign to oppose.

Mr Johnson also came under fire from his own side for continuing to seek reform of the standards system separate from Mr Paterson's case. Former minister Peter Bottomley, the longest-serving MP in the Commons, said: 'The current system can work if we make it work.'

Ms Chamberlain, who secured the emergency debate, said: 'This is almost the kind of behaviour we would expect to see in the Duma in Moscow, National People's Congress in Beijing, not in the House of Commons.

'Previous prime ministers and previous governments have all had their failings, but it's a long time since we have seen these issues and the absolute lack of resolve to do anything about it.

'They say a fish rots from the head down, and I'm disappointed to see that the Prime Minister has chosen not to turn up to today to answer questions, given that the leader of the opposition is in his place.

'You can't help but feel that he thinks the rules don't apply to him.'

Intervening, Labour's Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Slough) branded the Prime Minister a 'tin-pot dictator who himself is now mired in sleaze'.

His words prompted the a rebuke from the Speaker, who said: 'Please moderate language, moderate thoughts, let's do this right.'

In a starkly different tone to that adopted by Mr Johnson, Mr Barclay said he and his colleagues on the Government frontbench 'regret' the 'mistake' they made last week.

He told MPs: 'I'd like, first and foremost, to express my regret and that of my ministerial colleagues over the mistake made last week.

'We recognise there are concerns across the House over the standards system and also the process by which possible breaches of the code of conduct are investigated.

'Yet whilst sincerely held concerns clearly warrant further attention, the manner in which the Government approached last week's debate conflated them with the response to an individual case.

'This House shares a collective interest in ensuring that the code of conduct reflects and fosters the highest standards of public life.'

The premier has been left fighting on multiple fronts after he was accused of targeting standards commissioner Kathryn Stone following a series of clashes.

He could still face a Commons investigation into the funding of his 'Wallpapergate' renovation of the No11 residence.

Minister defends 'rich mix' in the House of Lords amid sleaze outcry Cabinet ministers defended the way seats in the House of Lords are dished out amid a sleaze row involving wealthy Tory donors. International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan praised the 'rich mix' of backgrounds in the upper chamber after claims were made about access for senior party figures. A Sunday Times report yesterday showed 15 of the last 16 Conservative Party treasurers have been offered a seat in the Lords, having each donated more than 3 million to the party. The Tories have denied any link between the donations and the nominations to sit in the Lords, in the latest twist in ongoing allegations of sleaze in Parliament. On Monday, Ms Trevelyan said the chamber had a 'rich mix which brings a real depth of voices to our political parties across the piste. Advertisement

And Mr Johnson has also refused to declare his recent 'freebie' holiday to Spain on the parliamentary register - instead unusually using the ministerial interests list, which meant he did not have to disclose the value of the gift.

In the three-hour Commons debate this afternoon, MPs are calling on Mr Johnson categorically to rule out a peerage for Mr Paterson and to launch an investigation into 600million of Covid contracts awarded to one of the firms he worked for.

But speaking to broadcasters on a visit to a hospital in Hexham earlier, the PM confirmed he will not be there in person.

'What we've got to make sure is that we take all this very, very seriously and that we get it right,' he said.

'There's a debate today, unfortunately I can't be there because I had a long-standing engagement up here.'

The PM said opposition parties wanted to focus on 'a particular case, a particular MP who suffered a serious personal tragedy, and who's now resigned'.

He said: 'I don't think there's much more to be said about that particular case, I really don't, but what we do need to do is look also at the process, and that is what we were trying to do last week.'

He said he hoped there would be 'cross-party agreement on a way forward, including an appeals process'.

'I have the utmost respect for the Speaker and his general desire to produce a cross-party outcome, cross-party reform of the system, which is what we were trying to achieve last week,' he said.

Asked if MPs should be banned from taking second jobs, Mr Johnson said: 'All those kind of things are issues that the Speaker's panel  whatever he is going to set up  will have a look at.'

Vandals graffiti 'corrupt scum' in red paint across Tory Paterson supporter's office Vandals have daubed graffiti across the constituency office of a North Wales Tory MP after he voted to stop Owen Paterson from being suspended. The words 'corrupt scum' have been spray-painted in red across the windows outside the building on Princes Drive, Colwyn Bay, where Clwyd West MP David Jones is based. It comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson whipped his MPs to support an amendment not to suspend North Shropshire Tory, Owen Paterson, after he was found guilty of paid lobbying by a standards watchdog. Mr Jones, from Rhos on Sea, who has represented Clwyd West since 2005, voted in favour of putting aside Paterson's suspension and reviewing the standards system. The graffiti attack on Mr Jones' offices also damaged a grief counselling charity, Cruse Bereavement, which is next door. Mr Jones declined to comment. Advertisement

He added: 'If there is anything positive to come out of the whole thing, it is that, as far as I can make out, the Speaker is determined to try to move us all forward with a system whereby we have a cross-party approach, which is what we were trying achieve last week.'

Pressed on whether Mr Paterson could be in line for a peerage, he said: 'There has been absolutely no discussion of that.'

No10 said the premier is travelling by train. Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Steve Barclay will represent the government instead.

Reminded that Mr Johnson had flown back from the COP26 summit last week apparently in order to attend a social dinner, the spokesman said: 'I gave you the reason for that flight before.'

He added: 'We think the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, whose department is the lead on this area, is the right person to lead (the debate).'

Labour MP Catherin McKinnell was among those deriding Mr Johnson's inability to make the 300-mile trip from Hexham in time.

'As someone who travels regularly up & down the country from the North East to represent my constituents in Parliament (without ever using a private jet) that sounds like a very lame excuse to me - more like a PM avoiding scrutiny of the sleaze his Party & Government are mired in,' she tweeted.

Environment Secretary George Eustice inflamed Tory fury yesterday by claiming on Sky News that the row over Mr Paterson was a 'storm in a teacup'.

The minister's comments were branded 'unhelpful' and 'complete nonsense' in a sign of the anger on the Conservative Party benches.

Tory former minister Tobias Ellwood also underlined how serious the row was, telling the BBC: 'We should not deny that this was a dark week for British democracy.'

MPs could be banned from taking second jobs MPs could be banned from taking up positions as consultants outside their parliamentary duties after it emerged this week that Tory MP Owen Paterson had lobbied the government on behalf of two companies he worked for. Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle is expected to put forward a proposal to review the House of Commons' standards procedures which may prevent MPs for offering consulting services to earn extra cash amid the parliamentary debate over the Paterson scandal. An investigation led by the standards commissioner Kathryn Stone said Paterson had broken Commons rules by lobbying for two firms that paid him 500,000, and he resigned from his position on Thursday after a botched plan concocted by the Prime Minister to block his suspension from Parliament buckled under a torrent of criticism. Despite his resignation, Paterson has vehemently denied any wrong-doing, saying he was acting in the public interest and protesting that the procedural route to the findings against him were against due process by not affording sufficient means of appeal. Dozens of MPs are being paid tens of thousands of pounds a year to act as consultants and advisers for a range of companies, with some receiving many times their yearly parliamentary salary of 81,932 according to the Register of Members' Financial Interests. There are no rules against MPs being paid for advising external businesses provided they record it in their register of interests, but they must not lobby the Government on behalf of those businesses. Advertisement

Sir Keir will push Mr Johnson to 'commit to a full, transparent investigation into the more than 600million of taxpayer money handed without competition or tender to Randox', one of the firms Mr Paterson worked for.

A Downing Street source last night said a peerage was 'not on the cards' for Mr Paterson, after Mr Eustice earlier insisted it was 'highly unlikely'.

And a close friend of Mr Paterson said a peerage had not been 'mentioned, offered or sought'. They insisted that he did not plan to apply for a Commons pass, even though he is eligible for one as a former MP.

Sent out to bat for the government this morning, Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said she thought Mr Johnson would merely watch the Commons debate on TV on while he worked in his office.

She also appeared to signal a truce in the campaign against Ms Stone, insisting she will remain in the key post.

Ms Trevelyan said she did not know for certain whether the PM would be there, but told Sky News: 'My opinion would be that no, he shouldn't be there, he will no doubt  as we all do  have the House of Commons on in his office as he's dealing with many, many other issues that only a Prime Minister that can deal with.

'He will get a briefing of the key issues raised by colleagues from across the House later on, I believe that the Leader and other ministers will be well placed to take the despatch box this afternoon.'

Ms Trevelyan said she had 'no doubt' Ms Stone will stay in her job - despite fellow Cabinet minister Kwasi Kwarteng suggesting last week she would have to quit.

She said Ms Stone was 'independently appointed', adding: 'She will continue to do her job and I'm (in) no doubt she will.'

Ms Trevelyan suggested the issue of second jobs for MPs should be 'looked at again'.

She said: 'I think the question of whether MPs having jobs that involve lobbying, I think, perhaps should be looked at again.

'Across the board, I don't think we should have a removal of the ability to maintain or have a second job because it brings a richness to our role as Members of Parliament as well as the work we do day to day with our constituents.'

Ms Trevelyan said: 'Speaking as a woman who has also had terrible death threats, it is incredibly hard and we have to be very resilient these days, particularly as women in public life, and it is very hard and it is always unacceptable.

Labour MP Catherin McKinnell was among those deriding Mr Johnson's inability to make the 300-mile trip from Hexham in time

She added: 'I hope that, obviously, Kathryn has the support that she needs through this but this is something that comes at many women, we've heard Angela Rayner has been under attack  whether or not how she speaks her mind is her own choice, but it is always unacceptable for there to be death threats.

'Following the tragic, ghastly death of my colleague David Amess just a few weeks ago, we continue to know that we have to be incredibly resilient as politicians and people in public life.

'This is not how we want our country to be and we need to all work forward to make sure that the commentary is considered and carefully done, and that we can all do our jobs across the piste in an environment of safety.'

Meanwhile, the Commons standards committee has revealed it could conclude its own inquiry into the conduct rules and MPs' second jobs before Christmas - potentially recommending a ban on consultancy work.

Chairman Chris Bryant, a Labour MP, claimed there had been an attempt to 'intimidate' Ms Stone and the government should have kept its 'grubby mitts' off the process.

Mr Paterson stepped down as an MP last week after ministers were forced to abandon efforts to save him.

Mr Johnson dropped a bid to prevent Mr Paterson being suspended from Parliament for lobbying on behalf of two firms which paid him more than 500,000.

He resigned hours later, saying he wanted to leave behind the 'cruel world of politics'.

It has emerged Mr Paterson, a former Cabinet minister, will be able to retain access to the Commons as he is entitled to apply for a so-called 'category X' pass for former parliamentarians.

Some 283 ex-MPs possess the cards which give them continued entry, including to Parliament's restaurants and bars, without being required to register their financial interests as sitting MPs and peers must. But they are barred from lobbying under Commons rules.

Current passholders include Sir Michael Fallon, the former defence secretary who is deputy chairman of an oil firm, Michael Dugher, a former Labour MP who is chief executive of the gambling industry body the Betting and Gaming Council, and Sir Nick Clegg, the former deputy prime minister who works at Facebook.

The scale of the damage was underlined yesterday with an Opinium poll for the Observer putting the Tories on 37 per cent, down three points on last week
A suspected serial killer who has been linked to at least six murders - including that of a 16-year-old girl - in Kansas and Missouri has been arrested on a federal weapons charge.

Perez Reed, a 25-year-old man with a crescent moon tattoo between his eyes, was taken into custody by FBI agents on Friday, after being found to be in possession of the gun that was allegedly used in all the attacks.

So far, Reed has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault and three counts of armed criminal action.

Suspected serial killer Perez Reed, 25, has been arrested in connection with a half-dozen homicides that took place in recent months in Missouri and Kansas

The youngest victim, Marney Haynes, 16 (left), a missing runaway, was found shot dead in St Louis on September 13. The oldest victim, Pamela Abercrombie (right), 49, was found shot dead in the street in St Louis on September 16

Police say Haynes was found dead in the street in the 9900 block of Glen Owen Drive in St Louis (pictured)

This map shows the locations of the six killings that have been linked to Reed

Reed, who turns 26 on Wednesday, is being investigated in connection with a half-dozen murders that took place between mid-September and early November in and around St Louis and Kansas City, Kansas.

Many of the victims were female sex workers, or transgender people. They ranged in age from 16 to 49 years old.

Authorities said Reed shot an unnamed man multiple times in the chest on September 12 in St Louis County. The victim survived but was left with a permanent disability, reported KMOV4.

On September 26, Reed allegedly used the same gun to kill 40-year-old Lester Robison in the 1700 block of Barbados Lane in St Louis

The next day, Reed allegedly shot and killed 16-year-old Marnay Haynes 'in a distinctive manner' in the 9900 block of Glen Owen Drive in St Louis.

TIMLEINE OF SERIAL KILLINGS: September 13: Marnay Haynes, 16, 9900 block of Glen Owen Drive, St Louis, Missouri September 16: Pamela Abercrombie, 49, intersection of West Florissant Avenue and East Prairie Avenue in St Louis September 19: Casey Ross, 24, intersection of North 15th Street and Mullanphy Street, St Louis September 26: Lester Robison, 40, 1700 block of Barbados Lane, Ferguson, Missouri November 1: Damon Irvin, 35, Wyandotte Towers, Kansas City, Kansas November 2: Rau'Daja Fairrow, 25, Wyandotte Towers, Kansas City, Kansas Advertisement

The teen, who had been reported missing as a runaway, was found laying in the street and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Fox 2 Now.

On September 16, Pamela Abercrombie, 49, was found shot dead in the street in St Louis.

Three days later, 24-year-old Casey Ross was discovered dead from gunshot wounds in a vacant lot at the intersection of North 15th Street and Mullanphy Street in St Louis, according to KMOV4.

Less than two weeks later, Reed allegedly used the same gun and same 'distinctive manner' as in the Haynes murder to kill 40-year-old Lester Robison in the 1700 block of Barbados Lane.

Police did not elaborate on the exact manner of the killings.

Early last week, neighbors Damon Irvin, 35, and Rau'Daja Fairrow, 25, were found shot dead in their separate units at the Wyndotte Apartments complex in Kansas City.

Police searched phone networks to look for a cellphone number that was used at the crime scenes, and were said to have found Reed's, which they then tracked to an Amtrak ticket he had purchased, reported The Daily Beast.

An FBI task force followed the suspected serial killer when he exited the train and transferred to a bus in Independence, Missouri, and picked him up on Friday.

Shell casings recovered from the shooting scenes all matched the same .40 caliber Smith & Wesson gun that was found to be in Reed's possession, according to officials.

On November 1 and 2, police found the bodies of two neighbors in their respective units at the Wyndotte Apartments complex in Kansas City

Rau'Daja Fairrow, 25, was found shot dead inside her apartment in Kansas City with the same gun that was used in all the other killings

At the time of his arrest, officials said Reed also was wearing shoes that linked him to the crime scenes.

Investigators said they do not believe any of the victims knew one another, or Reed, prior to the shootings. No motive has been announced as of Monday.

Reed is currently being held in federal custody. If he is transferred to St Louis County, he will be ordered held on $2million cash bail.
Donald Trump is lashing out against ABC News' chief Washington reporter on Monday after an excerpt from the journalist's new book detailed allegations of a stunning stand-off between the former president and the very political party that got him to the White House.

'ABC Non News and 3rd rate reporter Jonathan Karl have been writing fake news about me from the beginning of my political career,' Trump said.

'Just look at what has now been revealed about the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax. It was a made up and totally fabricated scam and the lamestream media knew it. It just never ends!'

The confrontation reportedly took place on January 20, his last day in office, according to an excerpt from the new book Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show by Jonathan Karl.

A furious Trump told the Republican National Committee chair that he was 'done' with the GOP and would start a new party- adding that Republicans would 'lose forever' without him.

'This is what Republicans deserve for not sticking up for me,' he reportedly said.

Trump told Karl the idea he wanted to start a new party was 'bulls**t,' the author wrote.

'You mean I was going to form another party or something?...Oh, that is bulls**t, it never happened,' the ex-president reportedly said.

The excerpt, published by ABC, details the allegedly 'unpleasant conversation' between Trump and RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel when she called to 'wish him farewell.'

Trump reportedly had a 'very unpleasant conversation' with RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel when he boarded Air Force One for his last flight as president

What ensued was a tense four-day window in which the RNC played 'hardball' with the leader of its own party - threatening to withhold legal defense funds and a list of donor names that's estimated to be worth $100 million.

Per the account, Trump was aboard Air Force One for his last flight out of the national capital and 'was in no mood for small talk or nostalgic goodbyes,' Karl writes.

Book author Jonathan Karl wrote that Trump told him reports he wanted to start a third party are 'bulls**t'

He told McDaniel over the phone, 'I'm done. I'm starting my own party.'

'You cannot do that,' she reportedly replied. 'If you do, we will lose forever.'

Trump acknowledged her point. Karl described the ex-president's attitude as 'if he had lost, he wanted everybody around him to lose as well.'

'Exactly,' Trump told McDaniel. 'You lose forever without me. I don't care...This is what Republicans deserve for not sticking up for me.'

A witness to the conversation reportedly described Trump as viewing the Republican Party's downfall as 'punishment' for those who he didn't think fought hard enough to overturn his 2020 election loss and even more so for those who voted to impeach him.

He viewed their perceived lack of action as a betrayal, the witness claimed in the book.

McDaniel - whose uncle, Utah Senator Mitt Romney, was one of the Republicans who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment - allegedly warned Trump that he risked destroying his legacy if he broke off to start a new party.

'This isn't what the people who depended on you deserve, the people who believed in you,' she reportedly said.

'You'll ruin your legacy. You'll be done.'

His son, Donald Trump Jr., meanwhile, was also reportedly fighting with Republican officials.

The alleged conversation was detailed in ABC News journalist Jonathan Karl's book

'The younger Trump had been relentlessly denigrating the RNC for being insufficiently loyal to Trump. In fact, at the January 6 rally before the Capitol Riot, the younger Trump all but declared that the old Republican Party didn't exist anymore,' Karl wrote.

He also claimed Trump was so 'adamant' about leaving the party that a seemingly alarmed McDaniel enlisted RNC officials for a four-day stand-off with the ex-president.

'The RNC played hardball,' the book states, while Trump was 'morose in defeat and eager for revenge.'

An RNC official told the author that 'there were a lot of things they still depended on the RNC for,' and that they made clear to Trump's team that 'if this were to move forward, all of it would go away.'

One of the perks on the chopping block was Trump's mounting legal fees over his flurry of 2020 election lawsuits.

'McDaniel and her leadership team made it clear that if Trump left, the party would immediately stop paying legal bills incurred during post-election challenges,' Karl wrote.

Both Trump and McDaniel denied the report. Trump said it was 'bulls**t' and McDaniel said she and the ex-president have a 'great relationship' (pictured at the RNC winter meeting in 2018)

What was 'more significant,' according to Karl, was a valuable list of 40 million email addresses belonging to Trump supporters that his campaign would rent to other GOP candidates at a high price.

'The list generated so much money that party officials estimated that it was worth about $100 million,' Karl wrote.

It was when 'the RNC threatened to render Trump's most valuable political asset worthless,' that after five days he reportedly backed off.

Both McDaniel and the former president denied the allegations in Karl's book.

McDaniel said of the allegations, 'This is false, I have never threatened President Trump with anything.'

She added that they share a 'great relationship' and continue to work together to get more Republicans elected.

Monday's report is not the first time allegations that Trump wanted to break off from Republicans have surfaced.

On his last full day in office the Wall Street Journal published a report that claimed Trump had been having conversations with aides and advisers about starting a new political party.

One of the names floated for the new group was the 'Patriot Party,' people in the ex-president's orbit told the outlet at the time.
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NHS England's chief executive was today accused of 'abusing' Covid statistics after exaggerating the number of infected patients in hospital with the virus.

During a round of interviews this morning, Amanda Pritchard suggested there were '14 times' more coronavirus patients in hospital now compared to 'this time last year'.

The claim was picked up and circulated by a number of mainstream, left-leaning news outlets including Sky News, ITV and The i.

Ms Pritchard made the comments as she urged people to come forward for their booster vaccines and warned the health service was under 'very real pressure'.

Yet latest data from the Government's dashboard shows there were 800 average daily coronavirus admissions and 7,000 inpatients in England on Friday.

This time in November 2020, for comparison, the country was recording about 1,300 Covid hospitalisations each day and there were more than 11,000 patients in hospital with the disease.

NHS England was later forced to clarify that Ms Pritchard was referring to statistics from the start of September, when Covid hospital rates were in fact higher than the same time last year.

Professor Francois Balloux, director of the University College London Genetics Institute, described Ms Pritchard's claim as 'nonsense' and criticised news organisations for not challenging it.

Other researchers warned that the NHS chief executive had 'abused' the figures while political commentators said it was either the result of 'incompetence or mendacity'.

During a round of interviews this morning, Amanda Pritchard suggested that there were '14 times' more coronavirus patients in hospital now compared to 'this time last year'. Yet latest data from the Government's dashboard shows there were 800 average daily Covid admissions on November 3, compared to almost 1,300 at the same point last year

There were 7,000 inpatients in England on Friday compared to more than 11,000 patients in hospital with the disease on November 5 2020

Ms Pritchard (left) made the comments as she urged people to come forward for their booster vaccines (progress, shown right) and warned that the health service was under 'very real pressure'

Paul Mainwood, an Oxford University-educated physicist who challenged Ms Pritchard's claim, tweeted to his 8,000 followers: 'For those who have no idea what I'm on about. The Chief Executive of NHS England abusing statistics...'

Speaking to Sky News about the current NHS pressure, Ms Pritchard said: 'We have had 14 times the number of people in hospital with Covid than we saw this time last year.

'We also had a record number of A&E attendance and a record number of 999 calls. As we look into winter, I think we're very clear this is going to be a difficult winter.

'And the things we encourage people to do is anything they can do to protect themselves, so that's the Covid vaccine, it's the flu vaccination in particular.'

NHS England claimed that the figures quoted by Ms Pritchard were in reference to August, and weren't meant to reflect the current situation.

NHS staff should be forced to have the jab BEFORE winter says former Health Secretary Matt Hancock NHS workers should be forced to get two doses of the Covid vaccine before winter, disgraced former Health Secretary Matt Hancock said today. Mr Hancock  who quit in June after breaching his own social distancing rules by kissing a married colleague  said the move would act as another 'tool to save lives' during what is projected to be a harsh winter for the health service. He also scorned NHS staff who are still not vaccinated and don't have a valid medical reason, warning that it was their 'moral duty' and that they had 'ignored all the scientific and clinical advice'. Ministers have for weeks been considering whether to make Covid jabs compulsory within the health service after pushing through the requirement for care home workers in the summer. But last week the Health Secretary Sajid Javid appeared to push back the plans until April after being warned by NHS bosses that introducing the policy now could leave hospitals understaffed at a crucial period. There are also concerns about whether the move is even necessary, given that more than nine in 10 NHS staff are already vaccinated. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Hancock, who was Health Secretary for three years, warned ministers against delaying compulsory vaccinations for the sector into the new year. He said: 'Having looked at all the evidence, I am now convinced we must require vaccination for everyone who works not just in social care but the NHS  and get it in place as fast as possible... So as we prepare to a face a difficult winter, let's use all the tools we have to save lives. 'Imagine the cancer patient, already battling another deadly disease, being cared for by a nurse. Who can put their hand on their heart and say they'd be happy to tell that patient their nurse could have the vaccine, but has chosen against all scientific and clinical advice to ignore it.' Mr Hancock said doctors and nurses had a 'moral duty' to get the Covid vaccine to protect their patients. Advertisement

But the Government's own Covid dashboard is based on hospital data provided by NHS England and goes up to November 5, slightly behind real time due to a recording lag.

Christopher Snowdon, from the rightwing think-tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, said in a blog post: 'The idea that NHS England does not have access to figures that are updated every day on the dashboard is preposterous.'

Assessing the true pressure of Covid on the NHS has been made difficult because medics argue that other pandemic factors  like social distancing and isolation rules  have a knock-on effect on their ability to treat non-Covid patients.

They are also under additional pressures due to the huge backlog that has amassed during the pandemic.

But Boris Johnson has resisted calls from senior NHS officials to activate the country's winter 'Plan B', which would see the return of compulsory masks and working from home, as well as vaccine passports.

Defending the decision to hold off during a visit to a hospital in Northumberland today, Mr Johnson said he is often presented with 'different scientific advice and different scientists say different things'.

The Prime Minister added: 'We study the data every day, we have reviews with NHS chiefs every day.

'The key thing you want to do is to reduce those pressures, which are building, on the A&Es, on beds, by encouraging people, particularly the over-50s, to come forward and get your booster jab.'

Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, angered NHS bosses last month when he claimed that the current pressure on the health service was not 'unsustainable'.

Neither the Government nor health chiefs have put a threshold on the number of admissions or inpatients that the NHS could handle this winter.

But Ms Pritchard herself admitted last month to MPs that the health service has never been overwhelmed during the pandemic, even in the depths of winter last year at the peak of the second wave.

The Government's scientific advisory panel SAGE also released uncharacteristically optimistic modelling which suggested cases will drop naturally in winter due to growing immunity.

Across the UK, daily Covid cases are already in steep decline despite schools returning from half-term at the start of the month.

In all but one day, infections have seen a week-on-week fall every day since October 23 and there are 35,000 on average now compared to around 45,000 in mid-October.

Professor Jim Naismith, director of the Rosalind Franklin Institute at the University of Oxford, joined a chorus of independent scientists in claiming that Britain's third wave has already peaked.

He said he expects hospitalisations and deaths  both of which are lagging indicators  to follow in the coming weeks.

Professor Naismith told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'In terms of cases we certainly appear now to be going down quite quickly and that's certainly what we would hope.

'The number of hospital admissions is still high, over a 1,000 a day, and the number of deaths is tragically still quite high with just over a 1,000 a week.'

But he added: 'Of course, as cases fall we would expect the other two things to fall in time.'

Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling group advising ministers on the virus  an influential sub-committee of SAGE, also struck a positive tone.

While stating the UK was 'not out of the woods yet' when it came to Covid, he added the country was a long way from facing the prospect of another winter lockdown.

He told Sky News: 'I think we're a long way away from thinking in those terms.

'I think that clearly there is a situation that if the NHS is under severe pressure, if the number of deaths sadly starts to increase, then of course, obviously, there may be discussions around whether more restrictions need to come in.'

Leading experts have attributed Britain's falling Covid cases to a rise in immunity trigged by a combination of the booster vaccine campaign, and the back-to-school wave of infection which triggered the latest wave.

Dr Tildesley added the prospect of a winter lockdown is dependent of how effective the rollout of the Covid vaccine booster programme is, and urged all eligible persons to get their jabs.

'I would hope that, with a very successful vaccination campaign, the idea of a winter lockdown is a long way away,' he said.

'But it is certainly true that if we don't get good immunity across the population, there may need to be perhaps further measures taken. So it's really important that we encourage people to come forward when eligible to take those booster jabs.'

Professor Naismith also highlighted the importance of Covid booster jabs, adding he was eagerly awaiting getting his own. 'I'm certainly looking forward to taking mine the first day I can,' he said.
Gaige Grosskreutz was shot by Kyle Rittenhouse on August 25, 2020 and his right bicep was almost entirely blown away. Grosskreutz, the state's star witness, took the stand Monday morning

Jurors at the trial were shown graphic video of the devastating injury sustained by Gaige Grosskreutz when he was shot by Kyle Rittenhouse August 25, 2020.

The images were screened to a hushed court and clearly showed Grosskreutz grimacing and screaming in agony while he cradled his right arm - his right bicep almost entirely blown away having been shot at close range by Rittenhouse.

Grosskreutz took the stand Monday morning.

In often emotional testimony the clearly harrowed Grosskreutz told the jury how he pulled his own gun because he thought Rittenhouse was an 'active shooter' having witnessed him shoot at two men in front of him  killing one  and on learning that he had already shot another man.

But in the moments before he was shot, he said he raised his arms in surrender only for Rittenhouse to 're-wrack' his AR-15 and fire on him.

Grosskreutz is the sole survivor of the three men shot by Rittenhouse that night.

During a fierce cross examination, defense attorney Corey Chirafisi claimed Grosskreutz lied to police officers in his statement by omitting the fact that he had a Glock in his hand when he was shot by Rittenhouse.

This was one of several allegations made by defense Chirafisi as he attempted to undermine the star witness's credibility.

The court was shown images of the shooting that clearly showed Grosskreutz grimacing and screaming in agony while he cradled his right arm

Images of Grosskreutz's injuries on the night of the riot were shown to the jury on Monday

The court heard that Grosskreutz is an experience and qualified paramedic and saw images of him in action that night administering aid

Chirafisi revealed to the court that Grosskreutz has filed a civil suit against Kenosha City for $10million as well as a federal lawsuit and that he fails to mention that he himself was carrying a firearm in either document.

'You stand a better chance of getting $10million bucks if Mr. Rittenhouse is convicted don't you?' Chirafisi hectored.

Reading from Grosskreutz's original police statement made on August 26, Chirafisi said, 'You said, 'I told multiple officers that I dropped my firearm.' You didn't drop your firearm. You were chasing Mr Rittenhouse with your gun [drawn] right?'

Throughout direct examination Grosskreutz had been portrayed as a non-partisan participant, there only to administer medical aid.

Under cross-examination Chirafisi drew an admission that he has affiliations with a group called The People's Revolution and played footage during which Grosskreutz can be heard telling Rittenhouse and his fellow 'militia' medics, 'You can go home. F***ing stooge.'

Grosskreutz claimed that he did not 'purposefully' omit the information that he was armed and blamed it on the fact that he had just come out of surgery, had been sedated, was on pain medication and had just undergone 'the most traumatic experience' of his life 'physically and emotionally.'

Chirafisi was not satisfied, 'You understand it's the only information you appear ot have forgotten  that puts you with a gun directly in front of him.'

Where the state had sought to portray Grosskreutz as a co-operative witness Chirafisi presented a very different image to the court.

Grosskreutz is the sole survivor of the three men shot by Rittenhouse that night

Defense attorney Corey Chirafisi said Grosskreutz lied to police officers in his statement by omitting the fact that he had a Glock in his hand when he was shot

Under cross examination Grosskreutz admitted that he did not give permission for officers to look through his cell phone, failed to mention that he had been carrying a gun when questioned the day after the shooting and refused to answer homicide detectives' questions on the advice of his lawyer when re-interviewed in September 24.

In a striking moment, Chirafisi showed pictures of the moment that he was shot and elicited Grosskreutz's agreement when he said, 'You would agree that when you were three to five feet from him [Rittenhouse], with your hands in the air, he didn't fire did he?

'It wasn't until you were advancing on him with your gun pointed at him that he fired?'

Grosskreutz responded, 'Correct.'

Chirafisi concluded his cross-examination when court resumed following lunch challenging Grosskreutz with the contents of a since deleted tweet posted by his then roommate Jacob Marshall.

Asked if he had any regrets about the night of August 25 Grosskreutz said he did not.

Chirafisi said, 'Did you tell Mr. Marshall that your only regret was not killing the kid and that you hesitated on pulling the gun before emptying the entire mag into him?'

Grosskreutz said he did not.

Marshall, who had been present in court earlier in the day, has been subpoenaed and will be called as a witness for the defense in their case in chief.

Under a brief re-direct Binger asked Grosskreutz what he meant when he appeared on video to refer to Rittenhouse as a 'boogaloo boi' and a 'stooge.'

He said he was referring not to Rittenhouse in particular but to the group of, 'predominantly white males with AR-15s and generally speaking some kind of paramilitary attire  camo clothes, body armor, chest rigs, helmets.'

He said, 'It was also my interpretation that the defendant lacked the necessary experience perhaps the necessary knowledge to fulfill his self-proclaimed role as a medic.

Kyle Rittenhouse talks with his attorney Natalie Wisco during a break in his trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse

Questioned by Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger, Grosskreutz recalled, 'I thought I was going to die,' and told how he watched Rittenhouse re-wrack his weapon and take aim at him as he approached him

Questioned by Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger, Grosskreutz recalled, 'I thought I was going to die,' and told how he watched Rittenhouse re-wrack his weapon and take aim at him as he approached him.

He said, 'I put my hands up and then the defendant essentially re-wrackedin my mind it meant that the defendant had pulled the trigger while my hands were in the air, but the gun didn't fire so he was re-wracking.'

Moments earlier Grosskreutz who had been livestreaming events had jogged alongside Rittenhouse, drawn to the commotion and gunshots.

Jurors at the Kenosha shooter's trial heard jolting audio of the first four shots fired by Kyle Rittenhouse on the night of August 25, 2020

'What did you do?' he asked the younger man. Grosskreutz told the court that he misheard Rittenhouse's response thinking he said, 'I'm working with the police. I didn't do anything.'

In fact, Rittenhouse had said, 'I'm going to the police.'

Grosskreutz said, 'I found it odd and noteworthyI thought the defendant was an active shooter.'

Asked why he didn't shoot first when faced with Rittenhouse taking aim, Grosskreutz said, 'I was trying to preserve my own life but doing so while taking the life of another is not something that I'm capable of comfortable of doing.

'It goes against my lifelong ethical code that I've lived by in regard to medicine.

'That's not the kind of person that I am. That's not why I was there. It's not somebody I would want to become.'

Earlier Grosskreutz had told the court that he was at the protests that night to administer medical aid  the same reason that Rittenhouse has given for his presence at the protests that night.

Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger was at pains to cast him in a very different light from Rittenhouse.

Binger cast Grosskreutz as the real deal as opposed to Rittenhouse, a wannabe fantasist who falsely claimed to be an EMT and absurdly wore the same pair of latex gloves at all times counter to all hygiene protocols.

The court heard that Grosskreutz is an experience and qualified paramedic and saw images of him in action that night administering aid.

They saw footage of him treating a young girl who had been struck by a rubber bullet and showing protesters how to correctly irrigate eyes irritated by tear gas.

Grosskreutz told the court that he had attended approximately 75 protests in the days since George Floyd's death with the sole intention of providing medical assistance to anyone in need.

Using a microphone as a prop for his Glock handgun, Grosskreutz shows the jury how he was holding the gun in his right hand when he was shot by Kyle Rittenhouse

Kenosha Police Detective Ben Antaramian prepares to show an assault-style rifle belonging to Rittenhouse

The jury heard that he had equipped himself that night with a medical kit that included a tourniquet, 'quick clot' gauze, chest wound seals and saline spray as well as wearing a hat with the word 'Paramedic' written across the front.

He also armed himself.

Asked about his decision to bring a gun Grosskreutz said, 'I believe in the Second Amendment, I'm for people's right to carry and bear arms and that night was no different from any other day. It's keys, phone, wallet, gun.'

He admitted that his license to carry a concealed weapon had expired and he had not renewed it but that he had holstered his loaded Gen 4 Glock 27 in the small of his back.

Grosskreutz told the court that he required a week of intensive medical care He was medevacked out of Kenosha's local hospital to hospital in Milwaukee that night where he underwent several surgeries to clean the wound and attempt to repair the damage.

He told the court that aside from the obvious loss of tissue and difficulty lifting things he had lost sensation on his inner arm from his right elbow down to his thumb.

He also told the court that he had a tattoo that remained almost in tact. He said, 'It an image of a pretty prominent symbol in the healthcare field  the snake wrapped around the staff and there's a banner on the top that says, 'Do No Harm.'

'There was a banner on the bottom that said, 'Do Know Harm.'

Officer Jason Krueger appeared rueful as he admitted that he had encountered McGinniss at Kenosha hospital. McGinniss had gone there with Joseph Rosenbaum

One of the Kenosha police officers towards whom Rittenhouse had walked in the aftermath of the shootings only realized that he had let the shooter slip through his fingers when he was shown footage recorded by Daily Caller Chief Video Director Richie McGinniss.

Officer Jason Krueger appeared rueful as he admitted that he had encountered McGinniss at Kenosha hospital. McGinniss had gone there with Joseph Rosenbaum.

Krueger and his partner Pep Moretti had accompanied Gaige Grosskreutz to the same medical facility.

According to Krueger McGinniss told him he had captured the shooter on video and 'began putting these things together' as he watched.

He said, 'I did recognize the individual from the video and believed he looked familiar.'

Krueger told the court that he had not believed that Rittenhouse was surrendering when he encountered him earlier that evening despite the fact that he was walking towards their squad car holding his hands aloft.

Krueger testified Monday afternoon. His partner Moretti took the stand last week when he defended the officers' failure to apprehend Rittenhouse stating that he had not fallen to his knees or put his hands on his head or done a host of things associated with surrendering to law enforcement.

Today Krueger recalled, 'As I watched him approach I was giving him verbal commands to keep away from my squad, to stay back. I had also grabbed my pepper spray and was going to use it if [he] continued to approach.'

Krueger said he could not recall what additional equipment he had retrieved from the trunk of the squad car but that he may have got a plate carrying bullet proof vest  capable of withstanding a round from the AR-15 style rifle that Rittenhouse was carrying.

Asked if he thought Rittenhouse was surrendering he said, 'No. Throughout the past few days we'd come across a lot of individuals who were armed and they put their hands up. It doesn't meant that they're surrendering  the hands just indicate there's no threat present.'

Krueger explained that it was Rittenhouse's failure to respond to commands to keep back saw him discharge an OC cannister on him when he was within five feet of the passenger side of the vehicle.

He said that at that point both he and Moretti, he said, believed that there was still an active shooter at large despite the fact that Rittenhouse approached armed with an AR-15, hands up and, 'saying something about a shooting.'

Self-styled 'citizen journalist' Chris Don Harris took the stand Monday and told of the chaos of the night and recalled his own encounter with Rittenhouse

As Monday afternoon wore on the court heard from self-styled 'citizen journalist' Chris Don Harris who told of the chaos of the night and recalled his own encounter with Rittenhouse.

In video played for the jury he could be heard speaking with Rittenhouse telling him 'They've got their own medics.'

Asked by Binger what he meant by that, Harris explained that he had attended many Black Lives Matters marches and frequently seen volunteer medics administer aid.

He told Rittenhouse, 'They don't look at you that way,' meaning he said that he was uncertain whether the crowd might be hostile to the teen.

Cross examined by Chirafisi, Harris acknowledged that he told Rittenhouse, 'I know you're just here to make peace.'

He said, 'He was offering to help.'

Later Kenosha Detective Ben Antaranian gave testimony and the court once again saw the gun used by Rittenhouse to shoot Rosenbaum, Huber and Grosskreutz as the detective rehearsed the details of his involvement on the night and in the investigation that followed.

Jason Lackowski was the first witness to take the stand Friday on the fourth day of Rittenhouse's trial

Daily Caller Chief Video Director Richie McGinniss (pictured) took the witness stand Thursday morning as a prosecution witness. He claimed Rittenhouse victim Joseph Rosenbaum 'lunged towards the muzzle' of Rittenhouse's gun in the moment the teen levelled it towards him and shot

The final witness of the day, under cross examination Antaranian admitted that the charges against Rittenhouse had been drafted before the investigation into the events of the night was complete though stated that this was not unusual.

He also admitted that the prosecutions star witness Gaige Grosskreutz had refused to address inconsistencies between his original statements and what was clearly visible on video footage or grant permission to police to search his phone.

Officers had a signed search warrant but failed to execute it citing Marcys Law - a Wisconsin statute that gives victims additional rights in criminal cases.

Asked if he had ever failed to execute a signed search warrant for that reason in the rest of his career Antaranian admitted that he had not.

Chirafisi asked the detective if he could hear the phrase, Get him! Get him! Get him! repeated three times as a portion of video, moments before the shooting of Rosenbaum was played to the court.

He said he could not be sure of the exact words but, I can definitively hear the same phrase repeated.

Asked, Did it appear to you that Mr Grosskreutz was chasing the defendant? Antaranian would concede only, He was definitely running being him. In the same path.

Today comes after days of testimony last week that saw several prosecution witnesses take the stand.

Jason Lackowski was the first witness of the fourth day of the trial and is an army veteran who traveled to Kenosha to 'protect property.'

Questioned by Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger, Lackowski, who was armed with an AR-15, a knife and CS canisters that night, said that Rittenhouse's first victim Joseph Rosenbaum asked him to shoot him several times.

Lackowski said, 'He said 'Shoot me,' and used more explicit language than that.

'He had been acting very belligerently. He had asked people very bluntly to shoot him. He did what I would call, ''false-stepping'' to incite someone.'

On Binger's request, Lackowski rose to demonstrate 'false-stepping' to the jurors. He lurched forward from a standing start, in a jarring movement and with his chest puffed out, then simply stepped back.

Despite this, Lackowski said he did not consider Rosenbaum a credible threat to him or anyone else. Instead, he turned his back on him and walked away.

Lackowski was the second prosecution witness whose testimony about Rosenbaum's aggressive behavior and the chaos of the night seems only to add weight to the defense's case that Rittenhouse was acting in self-defense when he shot first him, Huber and Grosskreutz.

Rittenhouse fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum (left), 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, 2020. Moments later, as Rittenhouse was running down a street, he shot and killed Anthony Huber (right), 26, a protester from Silver Lake, Wisconsin

On Thursday the court heard from key witness, Daily Caller Chief Video Director Richie McGinniss, who described how Rosenbaum had 'lunged' for Rittenhouse's gun having pursued him into a row of parked cars and what appeared to be 'something of a dead end.'

McGinniss painted a compelling picture of the sporadic violence of the night as well as Rosenbaum's erratic and 'menacing' behavior. And he refused to cede to Binger's assertion that the dead man was already falling forward when Rittenhouse shot.

Under increasingly testy direct examination that at times seemed more like a cross-examination of a hostile witness, McGinniss insisted that Rosenbaum was gaining ground on Rittenhouse when he 'lunged forward' and attempted to grab the teen's weapon.

He said that Rosenbaum may have been unable to stop himself from falling face down because of the shot, but would not agree that he had witnessed Rosenbaum fall before the first shot was fired
Cabinet minister today defended the way seats in the House of Lords are dished out amid a sleaze row involving wealthy Tory donors.

International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan praised the 'rich mix' of backgrounds in the upper chamber after claims were made about access for senior party figures.

A Sunday Times report yesterday showed 15 of the last 16 Conservative Party treasurers have been offered a seat in the Lords, having each donated more than 3 million to the party.

The Tories have denied any link between the donations and the nominations to sit in the Lords, in the latest twist in ongoing allegations of sleaze in Parliament.

On Monday, Ms Trevelyan said the chamber had a 'rich mix which brings a real depth of voices to our political parties across the piste.

International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan praised the 'rich mix' of backgrounds in the upper chamber after claims were made about access for senior party figures.

A Sunday Times report yesterday showed 15 of the last 16 Conservative Party treasurers have been offered a seat in the Lords, having each donated more than 3 million to the party.

She told Sky News: 'We have an incredible system in the UK where we don't ask the state to fund our political parties and if we didn't have the private donations that come through from donors large and small - in my constituency, people donate 25 a year and donors who can provide more, do more - if we didn't do that the taxpayer would be funding political activity.

'I think our UK system is uniquely well-placed to ensure that we get this broad stretch ... the unions fund a great deal of the Labour Party's activity, again that's from many, many small voices, and then some large ones too.

Ms Trevelyan insisted there was a formal process in place, but was challenged on ITV's Good Morning Britain over the Prime Minister's ability to overrule the Lords appointments commission, as he did with Lord Cruddas.

The Prime Minister sparked a croynism row last December when he over-ruled objections to make Peter Cruddas, dubbed the 'City of London's richest man', a peer.

At the time he was estimated to be worth 860million and had previously given more than 3.5million to the party.

Figures released by the Electoral Commission earlier this year showed that the banker and businessman poured an additional six-figure sum into central party coffers in February, days after taking his seat in the upper chamber.

But Ms Trevelyan told GMB: 'So the Prime Minister always has the final say, the Prime Minister of the day always has the final say, as have other prime ministers in the past.'

Ms Trevelyan told Sky News: 'I don't think that someone who happens to have been an extremely good businessman and has made a great deal of money through business activity - usually also an enormous amount of philanthropy as well, those are the sorts of people who are across our country, amazing people of all political colours - that they should be barred from going to the House of Lords because they have made a lot of money, employed many, many thousands of people, run incredible businesses at their own risk, that that somehow is a bar. That's not the case.

'Those who choose to put themselves forward in political environments, as well as their business and philanthropic ones, will go through the process just like anyone else, and we want a rich mix in the House of Lords of voices with experience of all the sectors of our country.'
A black finance worker has sued City giant AIG after her boss dismissed her complaint she was the victim of 'unconscious bias', saying it did not exist in her team.

Investment apprentice Julie Nyeko told senior manager Brenda Monaghan she was worried she was being unfairly treated due to her race. She insisted colleagues needed training to identify prejudices they might not be aware of.

Ms Monaghan, a managing director at the international finance firm, was monitoring the trainee due to perceived issues with her attendance record and work ethic.

The senior executive dismissed her claim when it was raised at a meeting to discuss the 23-year-old's work, an employment tribunal heard.

Ms Monaghan 'shut down' Miss Nyeko and 'effectively told her race discrimination doesn't exist' on her team, saying it had 'a number of women' and 'one Indian'.

Miss Nyeko was later sacked for gross misconduct over her absences, failing to do work required and claiming for pay on days she had not worked.

Investment apprentice Julie Nyeko told senior manager Brenda Monaghan (pictured) she was worried she was being unfairly treated due to her race

Now the junior investment worker has successfully sued AIG after bringing a victimisation case to an employment tribunal over the unconscious bias claim.

The term is defined as a social stereotype about certain groups of people that individuals form without being aware of it.

Miss Nyeko joined AIG Asset Management Europe in London on its Global Analysts Programme in July 2018 after leaving university.

She is now in line to receive compensation following the hearing today in central London.

The tribunal was told Ms Monaghan and fellow executive Frances Torsney became concerned over Miss Nyeko's absences.

In a meeting about her performance in January 2020, Miss Nyeko told Ms Monaghan - MD of AIG Europe's global real estate division - that she was the sole carer for her young disabled brother.

She complained she believed she may be the victim of unconscious bias.

A tribunal report said: 'She told Ms Monaghan she was concerned there was 'unconscious bias' against her... as she was not being included or being tasked with completing interesting work.

'She also said that she felt the Global Real Estate team needed unconscious bias training and that she hoped to set up an internal Employee Resources Group with the goal of supporting black employees and offering unconscious bias training.

'Ms Monaghan told the tribunal she asked Miss Nyeko for examples of who had been unconsciously biased against her and asked her whether she thought Ms Monaghan, herself, had been unconsciously biased.'

After, Ms Monaghan drafted an email to Miss Nyeko saying: 'The team is well diversified with a number of women - arguably more than most real estate teams.

'I have not experienced/seen any bias on the team which has many cultural backgrounds including one Indian (Naveen).'

Ms Monaghan, a managing director at the international finance firm (pictured, its London office), was monitoring the trainee due to perceived issues with her work ethic

The tribunal also heard Ms Monaghan, in response to Miss Nyeko revealing she cares for her younger brother, was 'dismissive' and told her 'get up earlier'.

Later that month Miss Nyeko flew to Uganda for a family emergency but lost her visa which meant she could not arrive back in the UK before her annual leave finished.

But the tribunal heard Ms Monaghan and Ms Torsney lacked 'sympathy' and even accused her of lying about being in Uganda.

Miss Nyeko was subjected to a disciplinary investigation then sacked for gross misconduct for claiming for pay on days she did not work.

The tribunal concluded Miss Nyeko was victimised when she complained of unconscious bias as Ms Monaghan and Ms Torsney had a 'continuing negative attitude' towards her.

In its ruling it said: 'Ms Monaghan effectively told a junior black employee that race discrimination did not exist on the team.

'The tribunal decided that dismissing a junior employee's concerns in this way, without any undertaking to reflect or discuss the matter again, both 'put down' and 'shut down' Miss Nyeko.

'Ms Monaghan challenged Miss Nyeko, asking her for examples of unconscious bias and asking her directly whether she believed that Ms Monaghan had exhibited it.

'This would have been very challenging to Miss Nyeko, a junior employee, who, the tribunal finds, was attempting to raise the issue in a non-confrontational way.

'Ms Monaghan contradicted her by saying the team was diverse. She did not undertake to look into the matter of unconscious bias, or to discuss it again.

'The tribunal took into account the fact Miss Nyeko was a graduate trainee and Ms Monaghan was a senior manager, with considerable authority over her.

'She was a graduate trainee/apprentice and was hoping to be kept on as an employee after her training was complete. She had raised serious concerns, only for those to be dismissed by a manager who was in a position of control over her and her future career.'

The tribunal also said Ms Monaghan and Ms Torsney were 'antagonistic and aggressive' towards her when meeting with her about caring for brother.

But it ruled AIG Europe did not wrongfully dismiss Miss Nyeko, as claiming for pay on days she did not work was 'sufficiently serious' to warrant dismissal.

Miss Nyeko will be awarded compensation for victimisation at a later date.

She will also receive compensation relating to a successful claim for unlawful deduction of wages on five days.
China's leader Xi Jinping is eyeing an historic third term in office, laying the groundwork to solidify his power as top officials of the all-powerful Communist Party meet this week in Beijing.

The official Xinhua News Agency said president and party general secretary Xi issued a draft resolution on the party's 'major achievements and historical experience' at the Central Committee's plenary session that opened today.

The document will review China's rise to power on the world stage and solidify Jinping as one of the nation's most influential leaders.

China removed term limits on the presidency in 2018, meaning that Xi could well remain at the apex of power in the country for the rest of his life.

He is expected to be reappointed party leader at next year's full party congress, an event held every five years.

Despite being a decade into his leadership, Xi faces no apparent rivals within the party and has consolidated power by overseeing a stable economy, an assertive foreign policy, and forging ahead with a major upgrade of China's military.

Beijing has initiated a rapid development of new nukes, battleships, jet fighters, tanks and missiles in recent years to take an increasingly bullish stance on the world stage.

Xi heads into this week's meeting of China's top officials just one day after satellite images revealed what appeared to be mock-ups of US naval destroyers on Chinese military firing ranges.

China's leader Xi Jinping (centre) is eyeing an historic third term in office, laying the groundwork to solidify his power as top officials of the all-powerful Communist Party meet this week in Beijing (Xi pictured September 30, 2021 on the eve of China's national day)

Beijing has constructed several targets in Ruoqiang, Xinjiang, which appear to be modelled on US battleships. It comes as China and the US remain at loggerheads over Chinese aggression towards neighbouring self-governed Taiwan (US satellite image dated Sunday, November 7)

China has initiated a rapid development of new nukes, battleships, jet fighters, tanks and missiles in the past few years, and has tested a number of cutting-edge missiles in recent weeks. (US satellite image of a mock-up US battleship, rail terminus and storage facility on Chinese firing range, dated Sunday, November 7)

This week's meeting of the roughly 200 members of the Central Committee is due to last through Thursday, with a communique summarising key points and a closing statement to be issued following the final session.

Xi's draft resolution represents the Communist party's third major statement on its 100-year history and will elevate Xi to the same status as former rulers 'Chairman' Mao Zedong and his successor Deng Xiaoping.

The document will essentially summarise the birth of China's Communist party and the country's economic climb and emergence as a world power, according to Yang Yang, a professor at the School of Political Science and Public Administration under the China University of Political Science and Law.

'It will emphasise a new era for the governance of the Communist Party under Xi's leadership and that will lay a foundation for Xi to match Mao and Deng and lay a foundation for Xi to continue to govern for the next term,' the professor said.

'Chairman' Mao was the head of the Communist party in China from 1935 until his death in 1976 and helped to build China into a world superpower, but was responsible for the deaths of tens of millions who were starved, imprisoned and executed under his autocratic regime.

Deng Xiaoping was Mao's successor and is seen as one of China's most influential leaders. He brought in a wave of of economic reforms and is also known for ordering the army to fire on student protesters in the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989.

The party has only issued two previous evaluations of its history: in 1945, as it was prepared to seize power from the Nationalist party, and in 1981 as Deng led an assessment of Mao's tumultuous 1966-76 Cultural Revolution.

Xi's draft resolution represents the Communist party's third major statement on its 100-year history and will elevate Xi to the same status as former rulers 'Chairman' Mao Zedong (L) and his successor Deng Xiaoping (R). The document will essentially summarise China's emergence from foreign domination, its economic climb and emergence as a world power

Free speech and opposition politics have been severely curtailed in the semi-autonomous southern city of Hong Kong under Xi Jinping's rule (pictured: Chinese police officers violently detain a man during a protest in Hong Kong in December 2019)

Religious groups and human rights activists in China have been harshly repressed, with more than a million members of Muslim minority groups, particularly Uighurs, shipped off to the nation's 're-education centres' which are widely believed to be internment and concentration camps in recent years (pictured: Uighurs decorate a grave in Xinjiang, China, 2019)

Despite China's rapid economic growth, consolidation of military power and increasing presence on the world stage under Xi, concerns around the nation's human rights record and aggression in neighbouring territories have grown in equal measure.

Religious groups and human rights activists in China have been harshly repressed, and recent months have seen more than a million members of Muslim minority groups, particularly Uighurs, shipped off to the nation's 're-education centres' which are widely believed to be internment and concentration camps.

Free speech and opposition politics have also been severely curtailed in the semi-autonomous southern city of Hong Kong, while military threats against self-governing Taiwan have rapidly increased in recent weeks.

China says such measures are necessary to safeguard stability and national sovereignty, but the moves have been widely condemned by world leaders.

Beijing and Washington are currently at loggerheads over the issue of Taiwan in particular - an island China has vowed to 'reunify' despite Biden saying he is willing to defend it - with tensions further growing in the South China Sea.

In the meantime, China has built mock-ups of US ships on what appears to be a military firing range, adding to fears that the country is gearing up for a confrontation with America.

Satellite images captured by Colorado-based satellite imagery company Maxar Technologies on Sunday show China has built targets shaped like a US Ford-class aircraft carrier and Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.

The mock-ups are located in Ruoqiang, in China's northwestern desert region of Xinjiang, on what US analysts believe is a military firing range - suggesting they will be used for target practice.

Satellite images captured by Colorado-based satellite imagery company Maxar Technologies dated Sunday show China has built a mock-up of a US destroyer in Ruoqiang, Xinjiang

China has built a copy of a US naval aircraft carrier (pictured, the USS Gerald R. Ford) which is intended for use as target practice as tensions between the two countries mount

A Pentagon report issued last month said China is expanding its nuclear force much faster than US officials predicted just a year ago.

It added China 'continued its efforts to advance its overall development' in spite of challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic, and said Beijing was able to steady its economic growth, strengthen its armed forces, and take a 'more assertive role in global affairs'.

Responding to the report, James Inhofe, a Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member, said the US was in 'the most endangered position our country has ever been in terms of what is demonstrating, clearly, what they have the capability of doing.'

Meanwhile Representative Mike Rogers, a ranking member of the House Armed Services committee, warned the US military needs to modernise to counter China.

He said the report included details that have 'been self-evident for some time - that China poses a real and imminent threat'.

'Kicking the can down the road for our own military modernisation is no longer an option,' he said.
Alec Baldwin has called for film and TV production companies to hire police officers to 'monitor weapons safety' on set.

On Instagram, Baldwin shared a short statement originally posted on his arts foundation's Twitter account, which has since been made private, and said: 'Every film/TV set that uses guns, fake or otherwise, should have a police officer on set, hired by the production, to specifically monitor weapons safety.'

The Hollywood actor, 63, accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins when a gun he was holding went off during filming for the Western film Rust in New Mexico last month.

A police investigation is now under way into the shooting, which also left Rust director Joel Souza injured.

Following the shooting, Santa Fe county sheriff said there had been 'some complacency' in how weapons were handled.

But last week, Baldwin, who also served as a producer for the film, shared a post from a crew member of Rust dismissing concerns about safety on the set of the film.

Actor Alec Baldwin, 63, accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins when a gun he was holding went off during filming for the Western film Rust in New Mexico last month

Authorities have been scouring the set of the film as they investigate how a live round came to be in the firearm

On Monday, Baldwin, who also served as a producer for the film, called for film and TV production companies to hire police officers to 'monitor weapons safety' on set

Authorities in Santa Fe are probing how a suspected live round came to be in the firearm, which had been declared safe by an assistant director, according to court documents.

The gun was supplied by the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and checked by the assistant director David Halls, who told Baldwin it was a 'cold gun,' meaning it had blanks, when he pointed it at Hutchins, 42, and fired while rehearsing a scene.

The set has been shut down since that fatal day on October 21, as authorities probe the scene of the incident.

Baldwin himself has said it is unlikely the low-budget movie will ever be completed.

In the weeks since the shooting, several former crew members have spoken out about the unsafe environment on the set.

Lane Luper, who served as the film's A-camera first assistant, said he quit one day before the fatal shooting because employees were being overworked, COVID-safety was not being enforced properly and gun safety was poor.

'I think with Rust, it was the perfect storm of the armorer, the assistant director, the culture that was on set, the rushing. It was everything,' he told Good Morning America about the events that led up to the fatal shooting.

'It wasnt just one individual. Everything had to fall into place for this one-in-a-trillion thing to happen.'

He then disputed the producers' claim that safety was a top priority on set, saying, 'I only personally remember two safety meetings that involved the entire crew.

Luper ultimately accused the film's production of breaking the cardinal rule of having guns on set, which he said was, 'There shall never be live rounds anywhere on a studio lot, or stage or set.'

He also choked up when describing the late Halyna Hutchins, saying 'She genuinely was something special.'

In his letter of resignation, Luper said there had been two accidental weapon discharges on set and one accidental sound-effects explosion that went off around the crew.

'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,"' Luper wrote in the letter.

He added that the crew grew exhausted of long commutes from the set to their lodging, which for some more than two hours away.

'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.

The gun Baldwin used to shoot Hutchins supplied by the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed (pictured)

The set of the film has been shut down since the fatal shooting

Luper also told Sky News he decided to speak out because he wanted to make clear that, in his opinion, Hutchins's death was caused by cutting costs and cutting corners.

'Halyna's death was so preventable by simply following industry safety rules that had been in place for literally decades,' he said, adding: 'I have never felt more unsafe on set or off set.

'I've never felt I was more in danger of dying on the set or on the drive home, I was so exhausted.'

He said the production team put potential profit above the safety and welfare of the crew, noting: 'The crew themselves worked very hard, but I don't think they were necessarily respected by the producers.

'This set was unsafe simply because they didn't have the wherewithal to follow safety rules that we have in this industry.'

Luper added that there 'were no rehearsals, there were no safety meetings to explain what the next shot was, which is also a requirement every time you use firearms.'

In a statement to Sky News, a spokesperson for the producers hit back at his claims, saying: 'Mr. Luper's allegations around budget and safety are patently false, which is not surprising considering his job was to be a camera operator, and he had absolutely nothing to do with it or knowledge of safety protocols or budgets.

'As we continue to cooperate with all investigations, we are limited in what we can say,' the spokesperson continued. 'However, safety is always the number one priority

Baldwin has pushed back at critics who claimed the working conditions on the set were unsafe

Last week, Baldwin fired back at the claims that the working conditions on the set were unsafe, though, sharing a social media post from one crew member slamming her coworkers for painting a 'blatantly false' picture of the set as 'chaotic and unsafe'.

Baldwin shared a screenshot of the post written by costume designer Terese Magpale Davis to his Instagram account with the caption: 'Read this.'

'I am so sick of this narrative,' Davis wrote in her post. 'I worked on this movie. The story being spun of us being overworked and surrounded by unsafe, chaotic conditions is bull***t.'

Davis' post refuted many of the complaints of crew members - including that they routinely worked more than 12-hour days.

'We never worked more than a 12.5 hour shoot day. That was once,' Davis wrote.

'Most days were under 12. The day Halyna died we had come off of a 12 hour turnaround after an 11 hour shoot day. We had (including camera) gotten off by 6:30pm.

Davis continued, sharing that the fatal shooting that occurred on set will haunt her for a long time. She notes that she is angry at Dave Hall, the assistant director who handed Baldwin the gun, but would not accuse him of not caring about safety.

'I am heartbroken and furious,' she wrote. 'I will never get the sound of that gunshot or my director's screams out of my head as a result.'

'My friend is dead. Am I angry at him? Yes. But I won't jump on the bandwagon and pretend that he was uncaring about our safety the whole way through.'

Baldwin had remained silent about the incident on Rust prior to sharing the post.
In the latest spat between the former president and the Senate minority leader, Donald Trump now claims that he did not pen the glowing foreword of Mitch McConnell's memoir that was attributed to him.

In the Kentucky Republican's 2016 book 'The Long Game,' Trump described McConnell as an 'ace in the hole' and said he 'couldn't have asked for a better partner in Washington.

But Trump, having fallen out with the Senate leader who pushed through much of his agenda, now says that McConnell wrote the foreword and stuck Trump's name on it, with his permission.

Donald Trump now claims that he did not pen the glowing foreword of Mitch McConnell's memoir that was attributed to him

Trump told the Washington Post that he told McConnell at the time, 'Why don't you write it for me and I'll put it in, Mitch? Because that's the way life works.'

McConnell, asked by the Post, if Trump's claim was true, did not dispute it.

'I really don't have anything to add related to him,' McConnell said.

McConnell was pivotal in Trump's record on confirming judges to the bench, which he touts frequently.

In one term, Trump was able to confirm 226 judges, including three Supreme Court justices.

McConnell also pushed through Trump's 2017 tax cuts on a party line vote.

'It is a legacy of which I am immensely proud and one for which Mitch McConnell deserves great credit. Confirming judges has been a key part of making the past two and a half years one of the most productive and conservative periods in our nation's history.'

Just on Sunday, the former president lashed out at McConnell and Republicans over infrastructure and the debt ceiling. The bipartisan infrastructure bill passed the House on Friday.

'How about all of those Republican Senators that voted thinking that helping the Democrats is such a wonderful thing to do, so politically correct. They just dont get it! Now theyll go for the big killgetting their second $1.9 Trillion Bill (really $5 Trillion) approved, again with RINO support,' he said in a statement.

Trump, having fallen out with the Senate leader who pushed through much of his agenda, now says that McConnell wrote the foreword in McConnell's book and stuck Trump's name on it, with his permission

'All Republicans who voted for Democrat longevity should be ashamed of themselves, in particular Mitch McConnell, for granting a two month stay which allowed the Democrats time to work things out at our Countrys, and the Republican Partys, expense!'

McConnell supported the bipartisan infrastructure bill and allowed Democrats to move forward with temporarily suspending the debt ceiling.

Trump and McConnell, two of the most powerful men in the GOP are at loggerheads at a time when the Republican Party has a crucial opportunity to retake power in Congress.

Trump has repeatedly lashed out at the Senate leader over his acceptance of the 2020 election results and McConnell, for the most part, has done what he can to keep Trump out of the conversation.

After the Jan. 6 insurrection, McConnell said at the time that Trump was 'practically and morally responsible' for provoking the events that unfolded that day, but backed away from voting to impeach the president after he left office.

Asked if he would have voted to convict Trump if he'd still been in office at the time of the trial, McConnell declined to respond.

Trump has insisted Senate Republicans move to replace McConnell, but so far none have heeded his requests. Trump said that was due to the senator's connections to powerful fundraising groups.

'McConnell is only a leader because he raises a lot of money,' Trump said. 'You know, with the senators, that's how it is, frankly. That's his primary power.'

Still, McConnell has pledged he would 'obviously' back Trump in 2024 if he were the GOP pick, regardless of his supposed misdeeds.

After Glen Youngkin's momentous when in Virginia last week, reporters asked McConnell Monday morning if the 2022 playbook to win back the House and Senate would be to keep Trump at arm's length.

'I think the elections going forward are about the present and not the past,' McConnell replied. 'So I think the wind is going to be at our back in both the House and Senate.'

In the weeks following the election, McConnell had said that Trump was '100 percent within his rights' to contest the results, but by Dec. 15, McConnell took to the floor to congratulate Biden. Trump exploded with anger on a call with McConnell, cursing at him and accusing him of disloyalty. McConnell straightly told the president 'You lost the election,' and hung up, according to 'Peril' by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa. McConnell told the Post that description of the phone call 'pretty well covers it.'
Donald Trump is teasing election watchers once again by telling the world on Monday that he'll 'probably' announce whether he'll run for president again after the upcoming midterm election cycle.

The bombastic Republican leader dropped his latest hint in an interview with Fox, just under a week after Democrats underperformed in off-year elections across the country.

Trump said he's 'certainly thinking about' mounting a 2024 White House bid, but it appears he's waiting to see if Democrats' poor performance will continue in 2022.

'I think a lot of people will be very happy, frankly, with the decision, and probably will announce that after the midterms,' he said.

Last Tuesday Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin defeated former Democratic Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe to lead the Old Dominion state. In New Jersey, incumbent Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy just barely crawled to victory against his GOP challenger, in a race he was easily expected to win.

At the time Trump, like other Republican leaders, celebrated the party's victories.

But on Monday he attempted to muddy the waters about his future aspirations, claiming his frequent hinting that he'll run in 2024 'doesn't mean [he] will.'

'Its probably appropriate, but a lot of people are waiting for that decision to be made,' Trump said.

Trump continues to tease a potential 2024 White House bid, with his latest interview on Monday indicating he may have a decision as early as late 2022

A recent Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll released last week shows the former president is still the runaway favorite for Republican voters in 2024.

According to that survey, first obtained by The Hill, 47 percent of registered GOP and Independent voters want him to run again.

The next-closest candidate, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, only managed to score 10 percent of support.

'We have a lot, they're very well named,' Trump said of the prospective field.

Along with them a flurry of national Republican figures have at least tested the waters for a 2024 run. Among them are former Vice President Mike Pence, ex-UN ambassador Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Trump acknowledged the potentially wide array of opponents Monday, but said all those candidates were waiting on him to make the first move.

'A lot of great people who are thinking about running are waiting for that decision, because theyre not going to run if I run,' he said.

He added, 'And thats nice, primarily because it shows a great degree of loyalty and respect.'

Trump celebrated along with other national Republican figures when GOP candidate Glenn Youngkin beat out former Democratic Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe in a stunning upset to be the state's next leader

Youngkin celebrated with supporters last week after beating McAuliffe. Democrats had underperformed in a number of races across the country, prompting some left-wing election watchers to worry about what it means for the 2022 midterms - after which Trump will 'probably' make his decision on whether to run for the White House again

Trump declined to name a potential running mate, claiming it's 'very early to be talking about it.'

But it appears Pence, who reportedly fell out with Trump when he refused to try and upend the 2020 election results for him, is probably out of the running.

Asked about DeSantis being a possibility, Trump said: 'Hes a good man, but we have a lot of great people. Hes been good.'

On Haley, his response was also tepid, though he praised her work as his United Nations ambassador.

'She said shed never run if I ran, which I think is a good sign of respect,' Trump said.

'I was very good to her, I thought she did a very good job at what she did with the United Nations. She did an excellent job.'

Though he added, 'every once in a while goes off the rails, and she comes back, which is nice.'

After Trump and DeSantis, 9 percent of voters who responded to the Harvard/Harris poll said Pence would be their choice. Nearly one-fifth said they were unsure.

However in a race without Trump, Pence fares far better. In that scenario the GOP VP comes out on top with 23 percent of voter support, narrowly eking a lead ahead of DeSantis' 21 percent.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz comes in third in that poll with 12 percent of support.
Former President Barack Obama blasted leaders playing politics with climate change during a speech on Monday as he condemned his successor Donald Trump for pulling out of the Paris agreement.

Obama, speaking at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, called out Russia and China for their lack of action at the same time as he criticized Republican politicians at home.

He issued a call to arms while expressing his anger at the way partisan politics had got in the way of tackling climate change.

He said he and President Joe Biden had been 'constrained in large part by the fact that one of our two major parties has decided not only to sit on the sidelines but express active hostility toward climate science and make climate change a partisan issue.

'For those listening back home in the U.S., let me say this: It doesn't matter if you're a Republican or a Democrat if your Florida house is flooded by rising seas, or your crops fail in the Dakotas or your California house is burning down.'

Obama's foray into politics and appearance at a global summit was unusual for a former president.

His speech followed Biden's appearance last week, when he explicitly apologized for Trump's exit from the Paris accords.

Obama avoided naming his successor but made his feelings clear.

'Some of our progress stalled when my successor decided to unilaterally pull out of the Paris Agreement in his first year in office,' he said.

'I wasn't real happy about that.'

Former President Barack Obama blasted people playing politics to avoid acting on climate change, calling out Russia and China in the same breath as Republican politicians back home

Obama avoided naming former President Trump, but said progress on climate change stalled when his 'successor successor decided to unilaterally pull out of the Paris Agreement'

Obama arrives for his COP26 speech on Monday. World leaders left last week, after announcing plans to tackle methane emissions and deforestation

US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry takes selfies with audience members ahead of Obama's speech at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow

And he linked Trump's position to a lack of global progress.

'I recognize that we're living in a moment when international cooperation has atrophied - in part because of the pandemic, in part because of the rise of nationalism and tribal impulses around the world, in part because of a lack of leadership on America's part for four years on a host of multilateral issues,' he said.

Tens of thousands of activists, leaders and politicians have gathered in Glasgow for two weeks of climate talks.

Organizers hope they can secure agreements that will help meet a target of limiting global temperature rises to less than 1.5C.

As he exhorted young people to lead the fight, Obama pointed the finger at nations he said had not done enough.

'I have to confess it was particularly discouraging to see the leaders of two of the world's largest emitters China and Russia declined to even attend the proceedings,' he said. in his 44-minute speech

'Their national plans so far reflect what appears to be a dangerous lack of urgency or willingness to maintain the status quo on the part of those governments and that's a shame.'

But he also had words for protesters, saying they should try listening a little more to those reluctant to take action.

He said it was not enough to inconvenience the public by blocking traffic - a reference to the divisive tactics of groups including Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain.

'Protests are necessary to raise awareness, hashtag campaigns can spread awareness,' he said.

'But to build the broad-based coalitions necessary for bold action, we have to persuade people who either currently don't agree with us, or are indifferent to the issue.'

Obama took the stage to a rock star welcome of whoops and cheers.

Obama also critiicized Russia and China and their 'dangerous lack of urgency or willingness to maintain the status quo on the part of those governments and that's a shame'

Several vehicles blocked off the two suspects before more than half a dozen officers threw the men to the ground face down before handcuffing them where they lay

Earlier, it emerged that police swooped on two men just 500 yards from where he was giving a speech at COP26.

Several vehicles blocked off the two suspects before more than half a dozen officers threw the men to the ground face down before handcuffing them where they lay.

A witness to the drama this morning on St Vincent Street at around 11.15am told MailOnline: 'There was the sound of cars screeching and lots of shouting of 'armed police'

'Two men were dragged from a blue car and forced to the ground and surrounded by police. Some were disguised to hide their faces. One of the arrested men was bald and wearing a checked shirt.'

The dramatic arrests happened on the corner of St Vincent St and Breadalbane St, 300 yards from Cop26, at 11.17am with the former president due to arrive at the summit at 11.30am.

Obama was joined by John Kerry, the US climate envoy, as he made his way to give a speech at 11.30am. Eyewitnesses told how police ordered them to get back from the scene as they carried out the operation.

Eileen Gordon, 29, a shop worker, said: 'It happened that quick. It was rapid. There was no messing about. Cars came from everywhere.

'Several cars surrounded the Volkswagen and it looked like one of the guys tried to make a run for it but they got a grip on him and pinned him to the ground.

'The driver was pulled out of the car and he had assault rifles aimed at him.'

A construction worker told how his colleagues were also ordered to keep clear.

He said: 'The noise was deafening. They were shouting and that probably disoriented the two men they arrested. The amount of undercover police and weapons suggests this couldn't wait. We don't know what is coming but fair play to the police. They did well.

'They searched the vehicle, opened to boot and there was a large orange bag they were interested in. The car was left across the road before a truck came to impound it.

'The police did their job. They're here to make sure Cop26 goes ahead without incident.'

Another onlooker said: 'This has been a busy road, especially this past week. The police presence is high.

A witness to the drama this morning on St Vincent Street at around 11.15am told MailOnline: 'There was the sound of cars screeching and lots of shouting of ''armed police'''

'It was too much excitement for a wet Monday morning but thank goodness the police were super efficient and nobody was hurt.

'There are workmen in the area and they were trying to get a look but the police told them to get back. They were all shouting which must be a tactic to confuse them.

'They took a lot of interest in what was in the car and seemed to carry out a thorough search. You don't get the armed police out unless it is something serious.

'They opened the boot and seemed quite shocked by what they found.'

Scaffolder James Grant, 24, said: 'One of the scaffolders saw the black unmarked cars come in at speed. They must have followed them to the junction and then there was another change of gear as they sprung into action.

'Fortunately they didn't need to use their weapons but seeing half a dozen people with assault rifles shouting at you was quite frightening.

'The police have been on high alert for weeks. This looked very serious because they were armed and the men they arrested didn't seem frightened, more determined than anything.

'I'd hate for a terror attack to happen in this city. Glaswegians just want Cop26 to be a success without incident.'

The former US president called for real change to tackle the climate crisis.

He told delegates how he had a 'hard time' staying away from Cop26 in Glasgow.

'Even though I'm not required to attend summits like this this any more, old habits die hard,' he said.

'And when the issue at hand is the health of our planet, and the world our children and our grandchildren will inherit, then you will have a hard time keeping me away. That's why I'm here today.'

He continued: 'When it comes to climate, time really is running out.

'You heard the same message from world leaders last week. Now that they've left, here's what we can report: meaningful progress has been made since Paris.

'The agreements made here in Glasgow, thanks to so many of you - including my friend John Kerry, who is tireless with his team - thanks to your efforts here in Glasgow we see the prospect of further progress.

'What is also true is that collectively and individually, we are still falling short.

'We have not done nearly enough to address this crisis, we are going to have to do more, and whether that happens or not to a large degree is going to depend on you - not just you in this room, but anybody who's watching or reading a transcript of what I'm saying here today.'

Earlier today, he spoke at an event with leaders of island states threatened by rising oceans.

The former president - who was born in Hawaii - told the event he is 'an island kid', describing islands as the 'canary in the coal mine' for action on the climate.

He told attendees 'our islands are threatened more than ever' and praised Joe Biden for highlighting their plight.

He said rich nations 'have an added burden to make sure we are working with and helping and assisting those who are less responsible and less able but more vulnerable to this oncoming crisis'.

Concluding his remarks, he invoked a Hawaiian proverb: 'Unite to move forward'.

Explaining its meaning, he said: 'It's a reminder that if you all want to paddle a canoe you better all be rowing in the same direction and at the same time, every oar has to move in unison, that's the only way that you move forward.'

Boris Johnson and Joe Biden have both given addresses on climate change at COP26.

They attended a dinner at the nearby Glasgow Art Galleries, which is walking distance from where the arrests took place.

Increased security around the event is now likely, despite protests in the city having been peaceful in recent days.

Police had praised the behaviour of 100,000 protestors who marched to Glasgow Green on Saturday.

Obama touched down at Glasgow Airport in a Bombardier 6000 private jet from Washington on Sunday night.

Wearing a black face mask, he was whisked away in a convoy of eight armoured vehicles with armed guards

The 60-year old had earlier tweeted about his visit, confirming he would be joining in the global effort to tackle the climate change emergency.

Revealing he would be doing all he could to contribute, he tweeted: 'Five years ago, the Paris Agreement went into effect.

'Paris provided an important framework in the fight against climate change, but it wasn't enough.

'That's why I'll be speaking in Glasgow on Monday about the road ahead and what young people in particular can do to help.'

MailOnline has contacted Police Scotland for comment.
Germany's coronavirus infection rate has risen to its highest level since the start of the pandemic, public health figures showed on Monday, and doctors warned they will need to postpone scheduled operations in coming weeks to cope.

The seven-day incidence rate - the number of people per 100,000 to be infected over the last week - rose to 201.1, higher than a previous record of 197.6 in December last year, the figures from the Robert Koch Institute showed on Monday.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose 15,513 from Sunday and the number of deaths increased by 33 to a total of 96,558.

Germany's coronavirus infection rate has risen to its highest level since the start of the pandemic, public health figures showed on Monday

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 4,782,546 from 4,767,033 a day earlier (pictured, a medical worker administers a test in Frankfurt)

Doctors have warned they will need to postpone scheduled operations in coming weeks to cope with the surge in cases

Bavaria state premier Markus Soeder called for more decisive action in view of the new peak in the incidence rate.

More needs to be done 'than a little compulsory testing in old people's homes', he told Deutschlandfunk radio.

He called for tests to be offered free of charge again, vaccination centres to be reactivated and for states and the federal government to coordinate their strategies.

Germany has abolished free testing to incentivise people to get shots but the government has struggled to find ways to pep up its much-slowed vaccination campaign.

At least 67 per cent of the population of 83 million is fully vaccinated, according to official figures, which authorities say isn't enough.

Unlike some other European countries, it has balked at making vaccinations mandatory for any professional group.

As at many times during the pandemic, Germany has a patchwork of regional rules.

Germany has abolished free testing to incentivise people to get shots but the government has struggled to find ways to pep up its vaccination campaign (pictured, a testing centre in Berlin)

At least 67 per cent of the population of 83 million is fully vaccinated, according to official figures, which authorities say isn't enough (pictured, people wait for the jab in Berlin)

Most places restrict access to many indoor facilities and events to people who have been vaccinated, have recovered or been tested - with the latter now being excluded in some areas. Those rules are often enforced laxly.

Rules on whether schoolchildren must wear masks in class vary from state to state.

And officials now advocate booster vaccinations for everyone who got their initial shots six months ago or more.

Christian Karagiannidis, scientific director at the DIVI association for intensive and emergency medicine, said an expected rise in coronavirus cases in coming weeks meant some scheduled operations would have to be postponed.

'We will only be able to cope with the burden of all emergencies if savings are made somewhere else, though definitely not with surgical cancer treatments,' he told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper.

Germany has already had to relocate some patients from regions with overburdened hospitals.

The three German parties working to agree on a coalition government by early December will present proposals to combat a fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country on Monday, daily newspaper Die Welt said. The plan includes the reintroduction of free tests.

Germany's figures mirror a trend that is building across much of Europe with the UK, Netherlands, Belgium and Poland among dozens of countries seeing infection rates rise as colder weather arrives.

While restrictions vary across nations, none have so-far tightened their measures in response to the rising cases - with the exception of Latvia and Russia, both of which have low vaccination rates.

Latvia became the first European country to enter a winter lockdown in late October as Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins announced a month-long shutdown of the country in response to rocketing cases.

Russia - where just 32 per cent of the population has been double-jabbed - is also suffering a brutal wave of Covid infections and deaths that has seen regions begin to reimpose restrictions, though the government denies it is reentering lockdown.

The Netherlands, Belgium, Lithuania, Croatia and Estonia have also seen surges in Covid cases.

Latvia has become the only European country to reimpose lockdown so-far amid soaring infections which the country's prime minister has put down to the low vaccination rate, with just 57 per cent double jabbed (pictured, medics set up a temporary ward inside a Latvian hospital)

Germany currently has some of the most-restrictive Covid measures in Europe, with widespread use of Covid passports and has made medical-grade masks mandatory in indoor public spaces - though is still seeing cases rise

It comes as World Health Organisation Europe chief Hans Kluge warned the continent was 'back at the epicentre of the pandemic' amid a soaring number of infections.

With 78 million cases in the WHO's European region - which spans 53 countries and territories and includes several nations in Central Asia - the cumulative toll now exceeds that of South East Asia, the Eastern Mediterranean region, the Western Pacific, and Africa combined, the organisation said.

Kluge said: 'The current pace of transmission across the 53 countries of the European Region is of grave concern,' adding that one reliable projection would mean 'another half a million COVID-19 deaths' by February if the current trajectory continued.

Kluge blamed the caseload on Europe's 'insufficient vaccination coverage'.

While Britain was able to get on top of their world-beating vaccine rollout and administer 20 million jabs within a few weeks of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines being approved, EU leaders lagged behind in implementing a vaccine plan.

Countries such as France and Germany went back-and-forth about whether to rollout the AstraZeneca jab, which sowed doubts among the public and led to a low uptake of the vaccines.

In countries such as the UK where cases have risen to 41,299, their effective vaccine-roll out has meant deaths are much lower than during the peak of the pandemic.

'This reflects the life-saving efforts of vaccines and the Herculean task of health authorities, health workforce and communities to develop, administer and accept vaccines,' he said.
A family who bought what was supposed to be a Siberian Husky was shocked to find out it was really a fox.

A conman breeder in Lima, Peru, passed off the animal as a Siberian Husky and it has since terrorised their quiet neighbourhood.

The deception took place when a young boy's mother told him he could buy a puppy in Sol Naciente, Comas, in the Peruvian capital of Lima.

An animal breeder sold the boy an Andean fox cub, which the boy named 'Run Run', for around 52 Peruvian soles (9.50).

The boy began to raise the fluffy cub as a pet until it started to grow and became increasingly aggressive to family members, with his father soon realising it was a fox they were bringing up and not a Siberian Husky.

This fox was supposed to be a Siberian Husky bought by a young boy in Lima, Peru, who was desperate for a puppy

He also said he noticed the smell of the animal's faeces and urine was stronger than most dogs' excrement.

During a severe storm in the area on the night of May 24 the fox escaped from their home and has since been left to roam the neighbourhood where it is often spotted on rooftops.

The family's neighbours have been unable to catch the fox, who is now eight months old, since it escaped.

A conman tricked the young boy into buying a fox instead. His mother Maribel Sotero, said the fox had caused havoc for their neighbours' pets. She said: 'Sometimes, it eats four or five guinea pigs and I have to pay for them'

The youngster had hoped the pet would grow up to look like a typical Siberian Husky. He paid the equivalent of 9.50 for the 'dog' (File image)

The predator has been feasting on the local community's chickens, ducks and guinea pigs to survive, at a cost to the boy's parents.

The boy's mother, Maribel Sotero, said: 'Sometimes, it eats four or five guinea pigs and I have to pay for them.

'We had thought he was a purebred puppy.'

One of Mrs Sotelo's neighbours who keeps guinea pigs in an outside wooden cage said the fox keeps gnawing through the metal mesh to pick off her little pets, adding that she often only finds their heads and skins.

Neighbours have said they are being terrorised by the fox, which is now eight months old

Neighbours also complain about the strong smell of faeces left by the fox near their homes where children and elderly people live.

One resident told local media: 'I have already spoken with the owner and she seems desperate.

'We need help, it needs to be captured and taken to the wild.'

The boy's parents have called on the local authorities to intervene and take the fox to its natural habitat.

During a severe storm on the night of May 24 the fox escaped from the family's home and has since been left to roam the neighbourhood where it is often spotted on rooftops (pictured)

Authorities have found it difficult to capture the fox due to crowds of people scaring it away but were planning to take it to Huachipa Zoo to live out its life.

Walter Silva, a vet and wildlife specialist at National Forest and Wildlife Service (SERFOR) said many wild animals are brought by 'traffickers' from Amazonian areas such as Loreto, Ucayali and Madre de Dios, to be illegally traded in Lima.

He said: 'Trafficking in wildlife brings these consequences.

'Many specimens are captured from hatchlings.

'For this they kill the parents and these juveniles are illegally traded in informal markets.

'In this case a fox bought as a domestic dog.'

The vet said SERFOR has carried out 128 interventions this year to confiscate wild animals in Lima. The illegal trade in animals is a crime in Peru and carries penalties of between three and five years in prison, Silva said.
Volunteers searching for a geologist who disappeared in Arizona in June found human remains over the weekend, but the missing man's father says the recovered bones are not his son.

The Buckeye Police Department has confirmed that the skeletal remains found on Saturday by a group of searchers looking for Daniel Robinson were human.

DNA tests will be used to try to determine the identity of the deceased.

Police said evidence found near the skeletal remains suggested the remains may not belong to Robinson, but a spokesperson for the agency on Monday declined to says what that evidence was, citing the ongoing investigation.

Robinson's father, David Robinson, shared a video from the search site to a Twitter account called 'Please Help Find Daniel' and wrote in a post: 'Saturday, November 6, my weekly searches for my son Geologist Daniel Robinson has again uncovered human remains out in the desert of Buckeye, AZ, hopefully bringing some closure to another grieving family. The human remains is not Daniel. I will continue my searches for my son.'

Skeletal remains were found on Saturday as part of a search for missing geologist Daniel Robinson, 24, who vanished in June

Daniel's father, David Robinson (left) and Jeff McGrath (right), an investigator hired by the Robinson family, said that volunteers had unearthed femur and leg bones

Robinson's mangled Jeep was found in a ravine by a rancher in July

Saturday, November 6, my weekly searches for my son Geologist Daniel Robinson has again uncovered human remains out in the desert of Buckeye, AZ, hopefully bringing some closure to another grieving family. The human remains is not Daniel. I will continue my searches for my son. pic.twitter.com/sDlFFOEe48  Please Help Find Daniel (@PleaseHelpFind4) November 7, 2021

In the 51-second video, Jeff McGrath, an investigator hired by the Robinson family, said that volunteers had unearthed femur and leg bones.

'We don't know whose it is,' McGrath said of the grim discoveries.

The 24-year-old geologist was last seen leaving a work site at Sun Valley Parkway and Cactus Road in Buckeye, 35 miles west of Phoenix, on June 23, shortly after sending a final text to a woman he had met delivering alcohol and was said to be in love with, according to a report.

His father reported him missing when Daniel failed to return home that evening.

A rancher found Robinson's mangled 2017 Jeep Renegade in a ravine 3 miles away on July 19. His keys, cellphone, boots and clothes were also recovered, but there was no sign of the man.

An independent crash report found that the Jeep accelerated immediately before the crash.

David Robinson has been conducting regular searches for his missing son over the past four months

A large group of volunteers scoured an area in Buckeye, Arizona, on Saturday, leading to the discovery of the remain believed to be human

Police have confirmed that the skeletal remains were found on Saturday by a group of searchers

McGrath previously told DailyMail.com that the Jeep's airbag control module showed that the vehicle was driven 11 miles after the airbags deployed and the ignition was turned 46 times.

He also said the damage to the vehicle appeared to show that it had been hit above the windshield with something blunt.

DailyMail.com reported last month that prior to his disappearance, Robinson told friends he was in love with a woman, but his feelings were not reciprocated.

Eighteen hours before his last sighting at the remote work site, Robinson sent the woman, known only as Katelyn, a text message that read: 'the world can get better, but I'll have to take all the time I can or we can, whatever, to name it.

'I'll either see you again or never see you again.'

Robinson - who was born without his right hand - met Katelyn on his side job delivering groceries for Instacart.

When he turned up with a booze order at her home in the Phoenix suburb of Laveen on June 12, Katelyn and a friend who was with her, invited him in.

'Katelyn said she believed Daniel was very nice and she and her female friend asked Daniel if he wanted to hang out with them,' the police report said.

'Katelyn said she and her female friend "were drunk" and that looking back on it, she shouldn't have invited a stranger into her home.'

She added that she thought he was 'harmless as he only had one arm and was short in height.'

Robinson was said to be in love with a woman who rebuffed him, and he was reportedly acting in a strange manner before his disappearance

Katelyn - whose last name is redacted in reports - and Daniel exchanged numbers, but she insists, nothing else happened.

Within a week, he arrived at her house unannounced, and with only a brief exchange of messages between them, Robinson texted Katelyn: 'I couldn't stop thinking about you.'

Robinson - who was born without his right hand - met Katelyn on his side job delivering groceries for Instacart.

When he turned up with a booze order at her home in the Phoenix suburb of Laveen on June 12, Katelyn and a friend who was with her, invited him in.

'Katelyn said she believed Daniel was very nice and she and her female friend asked Daniel if he wanted to hang out with them,' the police report said.

'Katelyn said she and her female friend "were drunk" and that looking back on it, she shouldn't have invited a stranger into her home.'

She added that she thought he was 'harmless as he only had one arm and was short in height.'

Police used robotic equipment to search old mineshafts in the area

Robinson's Jeep was found with its airbags deployed and with Daniel's wallet, clothes, phone and credit card inside

Katelyn - whose last name is redacted in reports - and Daniel exchanged numbers, but she insists, nothing else happened.

Within a week, he arrived at her house unannounced, and with only a brief exchange of messages between them, Robinson texted Katelyn: 'I couldn't stop thinking about you.'

Daniel Robinson was last seen on June 23 when he turned up for work, his second job of the day, at 9:30 am at a remote desert site, that builders are hoping to develop.

It was an abnormally cool and rainy day for the area. He met up with pump technician Ken Elliott who he had never met before and they were to work on a deep well.

Elliott told police that Robinson 'was saying things that did not make sense,' such as asking if he wanted to go with him to Phoenix to rest.

Elliott told him he had work to do, but just 15 minutes after he arrived, Robinson abruptly left without a word.

Elliott later followed his tire tracks in the rain-soaked dirt road and found that instead of going left at a T-junction to return to Phoenix, Robinson turned right into the unrelenting Sonoran Desert.

Helicopter and drone searches failed to find his slate blue Jeep Renegade. Rancher Brandon Shelton eventually discovered it on July 19, nearly a month after Robinson's disappearance.

It was on its side at the bottom of a 20-foot ravine. The vehicle's airbags were deployed.
Too many double-jabbed Britons are being hospitalised with Covid, Boris Johnson warned today as he urged people to come forward for booster doses.

He said protection offered by the first two jabs  which wanes considerably after six months  is leading to 'too many elderly people getting into hospital'.

But the Prime Minister argued the 10million boosters that have been dished out so far are 'very effective' and give people 95 per cent more protection than two doses alone.

Mr Johnson urged everyone eligible  over-50s, health and social care workers and over-16s with underlying health conditions  to come forward for the jab six months after their second dose.

It comes as a prominent Government adviser today hinted that booster jabs may be needed every winter. And No10's former vaccine tsar Nadhim Zahawi also rolled the pitch for vaccines to become an annual Covid-fighting tactic.

But other experts have said a never-ending cycle of boosters might not be needed because the virus will one day 'fade into the background'.

The UK's sluggish roll out has already fallen into disarray with millions of vulnerable Britons left struggling to get appointments. Ministers have blamed the low uptake on people failing to come forward.

But elderly patients say they are unable to book appointments over the phone and don't know how to work the online system.

Ministers have tried to speed up the roll out today by allowing people to book their jab a month before they become eligible.

Boris Johnson (pictured today at Hexham General Hospital with Marion Dickson, an executive director for Northumbria Healthcare) said the protection offered by the first two jabs  which wanes after six months  is leading to 'too many elderly people getting into hospital'

The above graph shows the pace of the current booster drive with the number of doses given out daily (yellow bars) and the total number administered (green line). There are calls for the pace to be quickened to avoid millions of vulnerable adults being left unprotected

The Office for National Statistics graph shows hospital admission rates for each age group in England as a percentage compared to the numbers hospitalised on January 17 (grey dotted line). Admissions were highest among older age groups on October 31, but comparatively lower than the mid-January peak. Among those aged 45 to 54-year-olds, admissions were almost four times lower than their mid-January peak, while they were nearly six times lower among those aged 85 and over. Despite admissions being 35 per cent higher than January among five to 14-year-olds, they were the lowest across all age groups

'Shambles': Patients slam the rollout of third doses Brian Bull (left), 83, and Jennifer Hodgkinson (right), 79, still have not received their boosters because of confusing instructions on the NHS website Brian Bull and his partner Jennifer still have not received their boosters because of confusing instructions on the NHS website. Mr Bull, 83, has been due for his jab for nearly a month but has been turned away by a clinic near his home in Appleby, Cumbria, every time he goes to it. He added: 'The NHS website said there was a walk-in centre at Penrith. We drove the 14 miles only for the receptionist to say she knew nothing about it.' They were directed to a rugby club but 'they weren't holding sessions that day'. He added: 'We see so many advertisements from the NHS telling us to get our boosters, but it's very hard to actually do it.' And the rollout has been a 'shambles', said a retired police officer forced to go in person to his West Yorkshire GP to book his booster. Keith Woodland, 74, who has an irregular heartbeat, was unable to book after he got an NHS text telling him to get a third jab. 'After calling 119 I tried again but the system was down. I was told the surgery might have the wrong details about me.' He said: 'It's a shambles. All these senior politicians who say people aren't booking jabs  when we can't do it anyway.' Advertisement

Speaking today during a visit to a Hexham General Hospital in Northumberland, Mr Johnson said: 'I'm here to look at what we're doing to encourage people to get their booster jabs and that is the single most important thing that the Government can do at the present time.

'Unfortunately, what you've got at the moment is a situation in which the waning of the original two jabs is starting to see too many elderly people getting into hospital.

'Sadly, the jabs do wane. We've done 10million booster jabs already and it's a very effective thing.

'It's a wonderful thing, people get 95 per cent more protection, so I'm encouraging everybody today to go online if you've gone over five months, you can go online and book.'

From today, eligible Britons can book their booster jabs from five months after their second dose, so they can have an appointment at the six-month point.

Experts have said this is the 'sweet spot' for increasing immunity against the virus, as this is when protection from the jabs wanes.

But vaccine manufacturers have turned their attentions to making new, variant-resistant jabs that do not see their effectiveness drop quite as sharp as the current crop.

Asked whether he would heed calls from some public health officials on the need for action, Mr Johnson said he is often presented with 'different scientific advice and different scientists say different things', adding 'we study the data every day, we have reviews with NHS chiefs every day'.

He added: 'The key thing you want to do is to reduce those pressures, which are building, on the A&Es, on beds, by encouraging people, particularly the over-50s, to come forward and get your booster jab.'

Some medics, scientists and Labour last month called for the Government to move to Plan B  implementing mandatory face masks, work from home guidance and vaccine passports  to bring infections, hospitalisations and deaths down.

But ministers have resisted calls and with cases trending downwards over the two weeks, some modellers and experts have said cases have peaked for the year.

But there are calls for the booster rollout  a key part of Plan A, along with the vaccination of 12 to 15-year-olds  to be sped up.

Some 300,000 boosters are being rolled out every day on average, although there are calls for 500,000 top-up doses per day, so people are protected in time ahead of the festive period.

Meanwhile, Dr Mike Tildesley, who sits on the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M)  an influential sub-committee of SAGE, told Sky News today people may need extra shots every year.

Dr Mike Tildesley said boosters could be rolled out every year

Asked whether the booster programme was going at the right pace, he said it was 'going in the right direction, but there clearly is work to do for the people over 50, for vulnerable adults'.

He added: 'Immunity will be starting to wane from the second jab so it is really important that that acceleration continues and hopefully we get as many people protected as possible as we move into the colder months.'

Quizzed about whether the UK could face a lockdown this winter he said it was a 'long way away'

But he added that other measures might be needed if there is not 'good immunity across the population'.

He said: 'I would hope that, with a very successful vaccination campaign, the idea of a winter lockdown is a long way away.

Ministers today opened appointments up early to allow people to book their third dose before they became eligible. There was a five-minute queue this morning

Britain's Covid crisis has PEAKED with cases falling 'quickly' and idea of No10 having to impose another winter lockdown is a 'long way away', top scientists claim Britain's third wave of Covid has already peaked and hospitalisations and deaths should also soon fall, scientists insisted today. In the latest sign the country may be past the worst of the pandemic, cases in the UK dropped by a fifth to 30,305 yesterday  down from 38,009 the week prior. One of the Government's pandemic advisers claimed No10 was a 'long way away' from having to consider a winter lockdown based on the current promising data, despite Boris Johnson facing calls to act tougher and resort to his Plan B strategy of face masks and WFH guidance. However, experts have warned the success of the ongoing Covid vaccine booster programme was vital to how the country fares in the coming months. Professor Jim Naismith, director of the Rosalind Franklin Institute at the University of Oxford, said Covid could one day 'fade into the background' similar to colds and the flu in the future from the booster drive, which experts have hinted will become an annual programme. Professor Naismith told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'In terms of cases we certainly appear now to be going down quite quickly and that's certainly what we would hope. 'The number of hospital admissions is still high, over a 1,000 a day, and the number of deaths is tragically still quite high with just over a 1,000 a week.' But he added: 'Of course, as cases fall we would expect the other two things to fall in time.' Advertisement

'But it is certainly true that if we don't get good immunity across the population, there may need to be perhaps further measures taken.

'So it's really important that we encourage people to come forward when eligible to take those booster jabs.'

And Professor Peter Openshaw, a SAGE adviser on the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG), said the need for boosters had become 'very clear'.

He told Times Radio: 'We don't know how long a vaccine is going to last until we've had sufficient time to watch the immunity drifting downwards and I think that's something which has become very clear recently is that these vaccines don't appear to be forever  they do provide a lot of protection, but they have to be boosted.'

But Professor James Naismith of the Rosalind Franklin Institute and a biologist at Oxford University suggested boosters would not be necessary in years to come because Covid will become so mild.

Echoing what many other experts have predicted, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I suspect it [Covid] will fade back into the background as a serious disease.'

More than 30million over-50s, vulnerable adults, and health and social care workers are eligible for a third dose of the Covid vaccine.

They can only come forward for one six months after they had their second.

Until today, they had to wait on a call or letter from the NHS confirming that they were now eligible.

However, the Department of Health confirmed today that people can now book their third dose a month in advance.

People can also book by calling 119 or visit one of the hundreds of walk-in sites across the country without an appointment

Some 10million booster shots have already been dished out, but official figures show that by this time six months ago 16million had already got their second jab.

At the current rate of 300,000 boosters being rolled out every day, nearly 10million at-risk Britons will still be left unprotected over the festive period.

There are currently no plans to expand the roll out to younger age groups, or to repeat it next year.

Last night the Labour party wrote to Health Secretary Sajid Javid to warn him he has allowed the 'wall of defence to crumble', risking another national lockdown.

They are calling for urgent action to speed up booster and children's jabs, such as recalling volunteers and retired healthcare workers and using more community pharmacies.

Over-50s said yesterday they were spending hours on the phone to GPs trying to get appointments, with one women only getting through on her 92nd try.

Red tape is also hampering the roll out, with another 94-year-old woman turned away from a jab centre in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, because she arrived a day early.

Patients are being encouraged to use the NHS walk-in finder for their nearest centre, supposed to be within ten miles.

But some have been told they must travel tens of miles to get their vaccine as many GP surgeries and pharmacies do not offer top-up jabs.

Pensioners on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent were advised by the NHS to go to Southend in Essex, a 128-mile round-trip, for their third dose as local centres do not have supply.

MPs are being bombarded with requests for help from constituents.

Writing to Mr Javid, Labour shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: 'Nobody wants to see any more Boris Johnson lockdowns so getting a grip of the stumbling vaccination programme is urgent for ministers.

'The booster campaign has been slow getting off the ground, the third doses for immunocompromised branded 'chaotic', and there are still pockets of the country with worrying below-average rates of second dose.

'Tory complacency has allowed the wall of defence to crumble.'

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: 'We are working at speed to get people boosted and our vaccination programme is making great progress.'
Fake flashing blue lights are being sold on Amazon for just 10 amid fears they are being used by criminals to impersonate police officers.

The items, of which there are various types, have raised further fears over the safety of women on the streets following the murder of Sarah Everard in March.

Met firearms officer Wayne Couzens used Covid powers to conduct a fake arrest of the Ms Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, as she walked home from a friend's house.

Handing down a whole-life sentence at the Old Bailey, Lord Justice Fulford said Couzens, 48, who had pleaded guilty to kidnap, rape and murder, 'used his position as a police officer' to kidnap Ms Everard in Clapham.

His imprisonment led to calls for more to be done to protect women on the streets and for police officers to prove their identities.

However, the cheapest bogus light is the F Fityle Emergency Strobe LED Beacon Light, Warning Flashing Emergency Vehicle Lights for Cars and Trucks - currently available for just 9.99.

An Amazon listing for the cheapest fake flashing blue light available for just 9.99. The light fixes to the top of a vehicle

Other varieties of the flashing lights can be fitted to the grill of the vehicle similar to an unmarked police vehicle

The blue lights can be extremely bright and convincing, with two women sharing their stories of being pulled over by bogus officers in the last week

An advert for fake flashing blue lights that can be fitted to the grill of a car. The lights have stoked further fears regarding the safety of women

They fix to the roof of a car similar to a traditional marked police vehicle.

More robust versions are available, too, including the Blue 12V Emergency Beacon Flashing Lights which are said to be specifically for police cars and come fitted with a 'strong magnet'.

These lights are available for 19.99, with the seller claiming they are 'weather proof' and will not detach in the wind or rain.

The Teguangmei 4x6 LED Car Emergency Strobe Flashing Beacon Lights have a wireless remote to activate them and are 29.99, while the most expensive is the Sidaqi Blue 16LED Grille Strobe Warning Lights Dash at 32.

Milly Funari Sherman, 31, was stopped by a car with fake police lights while driving home near St Albans, Hertfordshire, on Wednesday.

Three men got out of the vehicle as Milly dialled 999.

The call handler advised her to stay in the car, but to slowly lower the window as they approached.

She decided to bolt, though, when she realised the danger she was in as a lone women.

Ms Funari-Sherman said: 'I knew I hadnt done anything wrong, but when you see blue lights you automatically assume something is wrong, so I pulled over anyway.

'I was worried as a solo female and fairly scared they were going to chase me.'

It comes as former Met officer Wayne Couzens used his position to kidnap, then rape and murder an unsuspecting Sarah Everard

One advert boasts of the flashing light's #high power brightness'. There are fears the lights are being used by criminals to impersonate police officers

She added that the 999 call handler agreed that driving off was a good idea. The vehicle did not pursue her.

Another woman also shared an experience of her mother being stopped by similar lights on Thursday evening.

The unnamed woman said she her mother was told to step out her car by fraudsters dressed in tracksuits who claimed her vehicle was uninsured.

She said: ''He was dressed in a tracksuit saying hes undercover. They had a blue and red flashing light, which is the reason I pulled over.

'But when I saw him my gut instinct was this isnt right.

'I made sure doors were locked and do not wind your window down to them, just about half an inch so I could hear him.

'He was persistent for around 5-10 minutes, eventually driving off when I reached for my phone. Trust your gut, the police said I did a fantastic job.'

Amazon has been approached for comment.
A police sergeant who made made lewd comments to female colleagues and subjected them to 'inappropriate sexual behaviour' has been found guilty of gross misconduct.

Detective Sergeant Glenn Atkinson, a retired detective at Wiltshire Police, has been found guilty of six counts of gross misconduct against a former colleague in a disciplinary hearing.

The hearing, which took place on November 4, was chaired by an independent Legally Qualified Chair and found he subjected young female colleagues to 'inappropriate sexual behaviour and comments whilst on duty'.

Mr Atkinson declined to attend the hearing and had retired from Wiltshire police force before his case ended, using rights afforded to him under police regulations.

A police sergeant who 'subjected junior female colleagues to inappropriate sexual behaviour' is found guilty of gross misconduct in disciplinary hearing (Stock image)

Pictured: The Wiltshire Police headquarters in Devizes. Detective Sergeant Glenn Atkinson, a retired detective at Wiltshire Police, has been found guilty of six counts of gross misconduct against a former colleague

Had he still been in the force when the verdict came in, however, he would have been instantly dismissed and would have also lost his pension rights.

He has been banned from working in the police ever again.

Deputy Chief Constable Paul Mills said: 'As both a police officer and supervisor, Det Sgt Atkinson betrayed the trust invested in him and subjected junior female colleagues to inappropriate sexual behaviour and comments while on duty.

'I want to thank the women, who were subjected to the wholly unacceptable actions of this former officer, for their professionalism and moral courage in reporting these matters so the appropriate action could be taken.

'His actions will significantly and understandably impact the confidence and trust of the public in policing.

'Furthermore, his actions undermine the commitment and professionalism of those within our organisation who strive to deliver the very best service to the public each and every day.

'Wiltshire Police and the public expect the very highest level of professionalism from everyone who serves within the policing.

'The allegations against him were heard by an independent hearing who concluded on six counts that the behaviour alleged against him amounted to proven gross misconduct.

'Under police regulations, Detective Sergeant Atkinson exercised his right to retire prior to the hearing. However if he had been serving, he would have been dismissed without notice.

Police Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said he was working with the force's Chief Constable to eradicate 'any trace of canteen culture' within Wiltshire police - a reference to any discriminatory attitudes existing within the force. Pictured: Wiltshire Police headquarters

Mr Atkinson declined to attend the hearing and quit Wiltshire police force, using rights afforded to him by police regulations, before his case ended

'He will now go on to the national barred list, which will stop him working in policing again.'

Police Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson added: 'There is no place within Wiltshire Police for those who do not uphold the high standards we rightly hold our police force to.

'Wiltshire's public deserve to have trust in their policing service and every incident of this nature erodes trust and confidence.

'Former Detective Sergeant Glenn Atkinson abused his position of trust, inflicting his completely unacceptable, and inexcusable, behaviour on his female colleagues.

'There is simply no excuse which can 'explain away' this abhorrent behaviour.

'I commend those reporting this for their bravery and courage.

Pictured: The police headquarters that the man has been barred from working at ever again

Police Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said he was working with the force's Chief Constable to eradicate 'any trace of canteen culture' within Wiltshire police - a reference to any discriminatory attitudes existing within the force. He said he would 'ensure those in leadership roles have the suitable training to challenge those who both partake, and enable, it.

'Those who carry out this behaviour are the problem but those who allow it to go unchallenged are also a huge part, he added.

'Each officer, member of staff or volunteer has a responsibility to educate themselves, spot these behaviours, challenge them and report it. The time for change is now.'
The heartbroken family of a California child tragically killed by a stray bullet when he was caught in crossfire while sleeping in his car seat as his mother drove is demanding those responsible for the senseless death surrender to police.

Twenty-three-month-old Jasper Wu's life was cut short after he was wounded in the head when two vehicles exchanged gunfire on Oakland's Interstate 880 around 2pm on Saturday.

Jasper, from Fremont, was asleep in his car seat inside his mom's white Lexus sedan while she drove back home to Oakland from San Francisco.

The little boy's father, who could not travel before due to COVID-19 restrictions but is now on his way to the Bay Area from China, will see his son in person for the first time at the funeral.

According to KPIX 5, one of the suspects was driving a dark color Chrysler 300.

Twenty-three months old Jasper Wu died of a gunshot wound in the head after he was caught in gunfire as his mother drove on a freeway

California Highway Patrol received calls reporting the shooting shortly after 2pm on Saturday and responded to the scene

Fremont Police said the department was concerned about the spike in violent crimes in the area

California Highway Patrol received calls reporting the shooting shortly after 2pm on Saturday and responded to the scene. Jasper was taken to Oakland Children's Hospital and died later from the gunshot wound in his head.

Outside the hospital, Jasper's grandfather was captured by cameras holding a plastic bag with small shoes inside as the rest of the family mourned the death of the boy. Relatives have asked for the suspects to turn themselves in.

'Evidence collected on the northbound side of the freeway may indicate the victims were not targeted and the child passenger was struck by a stray bullet,' Oakland police said in a statement.

The Fremont Police Department said on Twitter: 'We are saddened by the tragic event that occurred last night in @Oakland resulting in the death of one of our youngest community members. On behalf of @FreemontPD, we send our sincerest condolences to the family.'

Lucy Tovar, a neighbor of the Wu's family, was shocked and saddened by the news that Jasper had been killed.

'It's just so devastating, so sad,' said Tovar. 'I just can't believe it. I see the family in front of the house with kids and their mom.'

Jasper Wu's life was cut short - just weeks away from his second birthday - when he was struck by a stray bullet

Jasper was asleep in his car seat inside his mom's white Lexus sedan while she drove back home to Oakland from San Francisco on Interstate 880 on Saturday

Outside of Oakland Children's Hospital, where Jasper died, his grandfather was captured by cameras holding a plastic bag with small shoes inside

'It's just so devastating, so sad,' said Lucy Tovar, a neighbor of the Wus. 'I just can't believe it. I see the family in front of the house with kids and their mom.'

The department added that they, along with Oakland police, were concerned about the recent spike in shootings in the area.

The tragic incident was also met with outrage and pleads for change by the community in Bay Area's most dangerous city.

Oakland City Councilmember Noel Gallo condemned the violent act that claimed the life of the little boy.

'The reality is, this is insanity. I see it every day, gang activity has risen, especially when it comes to little ones, someone's family member, it's unacceptable,' Gallo told ABC news.

Oakland, a city already reporting staggering crime rates before the pandemic, has experienced an unprecedented spike in gun violence since 2019.

Gunfire locator technology has reported more than 400 shooting incidents in the city in the year to date. The shootings this summer have nearly doubled up from the ones reported the same period of time in 2020.

California Highway Patrol said the department did not believe Jasper's family was targeted

'The reality is, this is insanity. I see it every day, gang activity has risen, especially when it comes to little ones, someone's family member, it's unacceptable,' Oakland City Councilmember Noel Gallo said

Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce president Carl Chan, who met Jasper's mother and is helping the family get assistance after the fatal shooting, told NBC that changes need to be made now to address the public health crisis of shootings in the area.

'It's horrible to imagine this family having a nice day and then the bullet hit the baby. It's unimaginable,' Chan said.

Chan added that the boy's father is on his way to the Bay Area from China to assist the funeral.

In September, Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong held a media briefing to address the sobering violent crimes in the city.

'Shootings are a real indication of the increase in violence in our community,' Armstrong said. 'To see shootings up 50percent is really concerning.'

CHP is asking the public to call the tip line at 707.917.4491 if they have information that could help in identifying suspects.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrived back in Washington Monday after a weekend at their beach house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, to face more dire poll numbers a week on from the Democrats' disastrous results in elections across the country.

The President and First Lady touched down on the South Lawn in Marine One as CNN released a new poll showing just 15 percent of voters strongly approve of his job since entering office, with a 58 percent of Americans believing he is not focusing on the most important problems facing the nation.

Just 48 percent of voters approve of his performance, 52 percent disapprove and the majority says he hasn't been attentive to the right issues such as the economy and inflation and is instead focusing on COVID - which only 20 percent consider to be the nation's top issue.

The 'strong approval' rating never dipped below 20 percent during the Trump and Obama administrations, according to the CNN poll conducted by SSRS.

The latest shocking survey was released hours after a USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll showed Biden's approval dropped to 39 percent, with only Trump scoring lower at the same point of his presidency.

Fifty-nine percent of the 1,000 voters surveyed say they disapprove of the president and 66 percent say the United States is headed in the wrong the direction.

The Bidens flew back to DC after delaying the start until Saturday as Biden helped try to line up votes for his $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill to pass through the House.

He mostly avoided shouted questions upon his return to the White House Monday morning  but indicated he hadn't yet called Republican Glenn Youngkin, the winner of the Virginia governor's race.

Biden said he had tried to call Youngkin, suggesting the two men have not yet been in touch. The White House announced last week that Biden had called several winners of elections after Tuesday  as well as defeated Democrat former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe. However, Biden's deputy spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the president congratulated Youngkin on his victory.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrived back in Washington Monday after a weekend at their beach house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, to face more dire poll numbers a week on from the Democrats' disastrous results in elections across the country

Biden is hoping to get a political bump out of congressional passage of the infrastructure bill, which will fund projects for broadband, clean water, roads, bridges and other programs. There were also revisions to employment statistics Friday that showed payrolls rose by more than 531,000 people in October.

He has yet to sign the infrastructure bill, as the White House looks to organize a pep rally when lawmakers are back from a week-long recess.

But he was in for more bad polling news: his approval rating dropped to a mere 38 percent, according to a poll conducted after Republicans surged at the ballot box last week.

In the USA TODAY/ Suffolk poll, 39 percent indicated they don't want Biden to run for re-election in 2024, while 50 percent said they hope he does.

The only lower approval rating they have ever recorded for a president at the same point in their term is for Donald Trump.

Kamala Harris' approval rating dropped even further to 27.8 percent, with just 51.2 percent disapproving of the job she has done so far as president, casting further doubts over her aspirations to run in 2024.

Analysts say the survey shows the multitude of problems Democrats could face ahead of the November 2022 midterm elections after their crushing loss in the Virginia gubernatorial race and struggles in votes across the country.

Meanwhile, as Americans are questioning his leadership, Biden and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, left Washington DC and traveled to their home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Biden said he had tried to call Youngkin, suggesting the two men have not yet been in touch. The White House announced last week that Biden had called several winners of elections after Tuesday  as well as defeated Democrat former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe. However, Biden's deputy spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the president congratulated Youngkin

President Joe Biden's approval ratings were about as frigid as the temperature off the Atlantic Coast near his Delaware beach home as they dropped to a mere 38 percent

As Americans are questioning his leadership, Biden and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, left Washington DC and traveled to their home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The couple was spotted walking along the beach and taking a selfie on Sunday

The couple was spotted walking along the beach and taking a selfie on Sunday after they had delayed plans to travel Friday evening so that the president could speak with House leaders about his infrastructure plan.

The Bidens left for their weekend trip on Saturday.

Their trip came just one day after the poll, which was conducted Wednesday through Friday, revealed declining support for the president and his party.

Of the surveyed Americans, 46 percent said if the midterms were held today they would vote for the Republican congressional candidate over the Democratic.

Thirty-eight percent indicated they would vote Democrat.

'I think this country is moving in a direction that is dangerous,' survey-taker Tony Emmi, 62, of Delaware, shared.

Emmi voted for Biden in 2020 because he believed Trump was 'deceitful' and 'malicious'. However, now he believes that the president hasn't held his party accountable to get things done.

Lynda Ensenat, 54, a Trump voter from Louisiana, said Biden has 'been wrong on absolutely everything he's touched.'

'There's a whole lot going wrong in this society right now, and all the Democrat liberals  that's what they're 100% for.'

The president's approval ratings have dropped to 38 percent, according to the USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll

The poll found that 59 percent of the 1,000 voters surveyed say they disapprove of the president and 66 percent say the United States is headed in the wrong the direction

Meanwhile, the poll indicated that Congress only has 12 percent approval rating. Seventy-five percent of surveyors said they disapprove of the current Congress.

Congressional Democrats were favored at 29 percent and Republicans at 35 percent.

Analysts predict Democrats could see a rebound in ratings since the House passed a $1.2trillion infrastructure bill late Friday.

The survey, which was gathered prior to the infrastructure bill's passage, showed that Americans backed the legislation by 2 to 1 (or 61 percent to 32 percent).

'We're not keeping our infrastructure updated  I don't mean currently updated, I mean since 1930, some of these things have been in place,' Kathleen Loyd, 70, of Missouri, argued.

Of those who back the bill, a third identified as Republicans.

However, the poll also revealed that Americans are 'closely divided' on Biden's $1.85trillion social spending plan.

Forty-seven percent of people support the bill and 44 percent oppose the plan.

Regardless of the opposition from legislators and American citizens alike, Biden is still urging the House to pass his $1.75trillion Build Back Better plan.

Meanwhile, Biden is still urging the House to pass his $1.75trillion Build Back Better plan which, according to the poll, only has a 47 percent approval rating

The push to pass the plan - which aims to expand funding for social issues such as healthcare, family care and climate change - significantly delayed the House's approval of the infrastructure bill.

The bill, which was passed Friday, offered Biden a jolt of good news after sobering election losses for the Democratic Party last week and a drop in his approval ratings.

He is expected to visit the Port of Baltimore on Wednesday to discuss how the recently legislation will help the American people by upgrading ports and strengthening supply chains.

The bipartisan infrastructure bill, which had passed the Senate in August, would fund a massive upgrade of America's roads, bridges, airports, seaports and rail systems, while also expanding broadband internet service.

The bill will create jobs by modernizing roads and bridges and transforming the transportation system.

Biden on Saturday called the bill a once-in-a-generation investment and said he would sign the bill soon in a formal ceremony that highlights all the bi-partisan legislators who worked on it.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Virginia's two senators said Sunday they are still reeling after their party's losses in Tuesday's election, claiming Democrats would have won in the state if the bipartisan infrastructure deal passed before Election Day.

'I think congressional Democrats blew the timing,' Virginia Senator Tim Kaine told CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday morning.

'We should have passed these bills in early October,' he added of the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the social spending and welfare package. 'If we had, it would have helped Terry McAuliffe probably win the governor's race.'

He also said the win would have been 'good for President Biden.'

Republican newcomer Glenn Youngkin (left) upset former Virginia Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe (right) in Tuesday's gubernatorial election in the state Biden won by 10 points in 2020

On Tuesday, former Democratic Virginia Governor Terry Mcauliffe lost his bid for his old seat against Republican newcomer Glenn Youngkin in a state Biden won by 10 points in 2020.

The party is now eager to show it can move forward on the president's agenda, and fend off Republicans in the 2022 midterm elections when control of the House and Senate will be on the line.

When Kaine's colleague, Virginia Senator Mark Warner, was asked if McAuliffe would have won if the infrastructure was passed before Election Day, he said: 'Absolutely.'

'The voters of Virginia and the voters of America gave us the presidency, the Senate and the House. They expected us to produce,' the Democratic senator said.

Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said Sunday 'congressional Democrats blew the timing' of voting for the infrastructure bill, claiming it hurt Democrats in his state's election last week

Fellow Virginia Democratic Senator Mark Warner said that Terry McAuliffe would have 'absolutely' won the gubernatorial race in his state on Tuesday if his party passed the infrastructure bill in the House before Election Day

'They have been hearing about this bipartisan infrastructure bill for months,' he explained to CNN's State of the Union on Sunday morning. 'And I'm very proud of the bill. I was one of the so-called gang of 10 that put it together. Is it perfect? No. But it is the first time in 50 years, 50 years, we have made this kind of investment.'

'What you're saying is that the Democrats, who control Congress, the Democrat in the White House, by not getting this done, they're responsible for Terry McAuliffe's defeat,' CNN anchor Dana Bash posed to Warner.

All three Republican candidates for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general in Virginia were successful in their bids on Tuesday  drastically shifting the momentum of a state that started leaning blue in recent elections.

Many legislators feel that if the infrastructure bill could have been passed before last week's election in Virginia, Democrats could have had bigger wins in the state.
A public school pupil stabbed through the heart by his former friend was a 'peacemaker', his sister told the inquest into his death today.

Yousef Makki, 17, a pupil at Manchester Grammar School, was stabbed by Joshua Molnar, aged 17 at the time, during a fight in upmarket Hale Barns, Cheshire, on the early evening of March 2, 2019.

Molnar, from a wealthy Cheshire family, was acquitted of murder and manslaughter by a jury following a four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court in July 2019. He claimed self-defence after Yousef pulled a knife on him.

Molnar admitted possession of a knife and perverting the course of justice by initially lying to police about what had happened, and was given 16 months in custody.

Yousef's family claim some matters presented to the jury at the trial were done on a 'false premise' and the full truth has not been aired.

The inquest into Yousef's death was delayed when it later emerged after the trial that Molnar was facing further criminal charges over handling an iPhone stolen in a violent robbery in Wilmslow weeks before Yousef's death, although Molnar was not involved in the mugging.

Cheshire Police referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over the Wilmslow investigation.

Jade Akoum, Yousef's sister, was asked by the family's lawyer, Pete Weatherby QC, whether her brother was ever interested in knives, had a 'hot temper' or got into fights.

Former public schoolboy Joshua Molnar, 19, (left) knifed Yousef Makki, 17, (right) in the heart during a fight in upmarket Hale Barns, Cheshire, in March 2019

Jade Akoum, sister of murdered schoolboy Yousef Makki, arrives at Stockport Coroner's Court for his inquest holding a picture of him, alongside husband Mazen Akoum

Mrs Akoum told the inquest at Stockport Coroner's Court: 'He was a peacemaker. He was everything you would want in a brother or son.

'Every day we miss him. It is a huge void we will never get back.'

Debbie Makki, 55, the mother of Yousef and Mrs Akoum, gave a statement about her son before her death in May last year.

It read: 'I don't think people realise how something like this affects your whole life.'

The inquiry heard that Yousef was from humble beginnings, from a single-parent Anglo-Lebanese family, but had a brilliant mind. His mother 'scrimped and saved' to buy his 1,000 school uniform after he won a scholarship to the 12,000-a-year Manchester Grammar School.

Former public schoolboy Joshua Molnar, 19, (left) knifed Yousef Makki, 17, (right) in the heart during a fight in upmarket Hale Barns, Cheshire, in March 2019

On the night Yousef was stabbed, he and Molnar and another boy, Adam Chowdhary, had been together before a row developed. Molnar said Yousef pulled out a knife and he pulled out his and the two came together, with Yousef being fatally stabbed, suffering a 12-centimetre deep wound.

As Yousef lay dying, the panicking defendants hid the knives in bushes and down a drain, dialled 999 and desperately tried to staunch the blood pouring out of Yousef's chest wound. Chowdhary was acquitted of perverting the course of justice and told police he did not see what had happened.

He was given a four-month detention order after admitting possession of a flick knife.

Dr Charles Wilson, the Home Office pathologist who carried out the post mortem, said the knife had gone between Yousef's ribs, through cartilage and right through his heart, causing catastrophic injuries.

Dr Wilson told the hearing a 'moderate' degree of force would be needed to cause such a wound. He added: 'It would be impossible to inflict an injury like this without firmly holding on to the knife.'

He said there could be a component of force of a person moving towards the hand holding the weapon, but, generally, people did not move towards pointed objects - if they had seen them.

The inquest continues on Tuesday morning.
An alleged Capitol rioter on the FBI's Most Wanted List has fled to the ex-Soviet republic of Belarus - known as Europe's last dictatorship - where he is being portrayed on state-run media as a 'simple American' fleeing 'political persecution.'

Evan Neumann, 48, was charged in July on six separate criminal charges, including violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, as well as for assaulting, resisting and obstructing law enforcement at the Capitol insurrection on January 6.

Shortly after the charges were filed, Neumann sold his house in California's Bay Area for $1.3 million and fled. He is listed by the FBI as a 'defendant at large'.

He has now emerged in Belarus, where Alexander Lukashenko - infamous for imprisoning his political rivals and for coming under fire during violent crackdowns following his highly disputed election victory in August 2020 - has been in power for 26 years.

In a sit-down interview titled 'Goodbye, America' released on Sunday, he told Belarus 1 that he is facing six criminal charges back in the United States.

Neumann said: 'I do not believe that I have committed any crime. One of the charges was very offensive.

'It is alleged that I hit a police officer. There is no reason for this.

'This is terrible... This is political persecution. And this is a level with which I cannot do anything.'

Evan Neumann, 48, appeared on Belarus 1 on Sunday for a sit-down interview for a segment entitled Goodbye, America

He spoke to a reporter about how he fled the United States as he faced six charges for his alleged involvement in the January 6 riots

In the interview, he tells a reporter for the state-run television network what he went through, as Belarus 1 tries to paint him as an average American fleeing political persecution.

'Judging by his story, [Neumann] is the same type of simple American whose shops were burned by Black Lives Matter activists,' a Belarus TV channel presenter said as he introduced Neumann.

He added that Neumann had been 'politically active,' but did not have access to state secrets.

'However, something makes him flee from the country of fabulous freedoms and opportunities, as we used to believe,' the reporter stated, saying that Neumann 'sought justice and asked uncomfortable questions' following the 2020 presidential election 'but lost almost everything and is being persecuted by the U.S. government.'

To get to Belarus, Neumann flew to Italy, then got on a train to Switzerland, and drove to Ukraine via Germany and Poland. Once in Ukraine, he rented an apartment for six months but claims he was being followed by the Ukrainian secret service. He then says he crossed illegally into Belarus by wading through swamps, and dodged wild hogs and snakes. He was held by Belarusian border authorities on August 15.

On Sunday, Neumann denied in an interview with Belarus 1 that he did anything wrong, as the state-run media tried to paint him as an average American

The FBI obtained body-worn camera footage showing Neumann pushing a metal barricade into Metropolitan police officers at the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol

He was seen wearing a red Make America Great Again hat, a black jacket, a dark-colored backpack as well as a yellow and orange scarf he obtained when he allegedly participated in the Ukrainian Revolution

According to an indictment against Neumann, he refused orders to move away from the metal barricades, telling the officers: 'No, you can't tell me what to do, you piece of s***'

According to an indictment against Neumann, the FBI received body-worn camera footage from the Metropolitan Police Department that showed him assaulting an officer at the Capitol riot on January 6.

The riot began when a group of Stop The Steal protesters marched on the Capitol in an effort to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The rioters apparently organized to meet at the Save America rally, protesting the results of the 2020 presidential election as former President Donald Trump claimed there was election fraud, and began descending on Congress shortly after 1pm.

At around 1.37pm, the indictment against Neumann states, he was seen wearing a red 'Make America Great Again' hat, an orange and yellow scarf, a dark-colored Dakine backpack with a red logo, a black coat and blue jeans, with a gas mask and a red mouthpiece around his neck.

He was standing by the barricades Metropolitan Police put up around the Capitol when he started to berate the police at the scene, speaking directly to them as he said they are 'defending the people who are going to kill your f****** children.

'They are going to kill your f****** children, they are gonna rape them, they are gonna imprison them, and you're defending the people that are going to do this to your children,' he said, according to the indictment.

His claims seemed to echo those from the widespread QAnon conspiracy theory movement, which holds that Trump is waging a secret war against a global cabal of elite Satan worshipping pedophiles in government, business and the media.

Its followers believe Trump will expose the pedophiles, order its members be arrested and sentenced to death.

At the riot, the indictment alleges, Neumann refused orders to move away from the metal barricades, telling the officers: 'No, you can't tell me what to do, you piece of s***.'

He later allegedly berated one of the officers, only identified as 'J.M,' saying that officers 'kneel to Antifa because they're little b******'. He then also allegedly threatened J.M. and said that the officers will be 'overrun' by the crowd, telling him: 'I'm willing to die, are you?'

As the crowd around him became more aggressive in their push to enter the Capitol, it is alleged Neumann tried to shove the barricade into J.M. and push it into the line of officers.

Eventually, he allegedly punched J.M., and the crowd succeeded in breaking down the barrier.

J.M. then tried to wrestle the metal barricade out of Neumann's hands, the indictment states, but Neumann used it as a battering ram, lifted it off the ground and used it to strike the officer.

Neumann also allegedly tried to push the metal barricade into the line of officers

At one point, he allegedly used it as a battering ram and struck an officer with the barricade

The FBI later found Neumann leaving his house in Mill Valley, California on February 16 - after he was identified as the suspect in the footage - and heading to the international terminal at San Francisco International Airport.

There, agents wrote in the indictment, Neumann had admitted to flying to Washington D.C. on January 5 and departing on January 7.

He also reportedly admitted that he interacted with law enforcement on his trip, but did not provide any details.

It is unclear why he was able to travel to the airport as he was under investigation, and whether the FBI had seized his passport. DailyMail.com has reached out to the FBI for more information.

By April, though, ABC 7 reports, he had sold his home in Mill Valley for $1.3 million, and when reporters tried to contact him after the charges were filed, the real estate agent who sold his home said he went to Ukraine.

Neumann had previously attended the Ukrainian Revolution in 2004 and 2005, the FBI found, and a review of public records conducted by DailyMail.com shows that he has a pilot's license and a private airplane.

He also reportedly has two children and a brother, Mark Neumann, who told ABC 7 back in July that he had no knowledge of his brother's whereabouts.

After reportedly admitting to the FBI in February that he flew down to Washington D.C. on January 5 and returned on January 7, he sold his house in Mill Valley, California (pictured)

After six criminal charges were filed against him in July, Neumann's brother, Mark Neumann, said he had no knowledge of his brother's whereabouts

Evan Neumann is pictured with his family back in 2018. He has two children





Neumann said he fled to Belarus after originally flying to Italy in March, before getting on a plane to Switzerland and then driving through Germany and Poland to get to Ukraine

The Capitol siege: A timeline of events 6 a.m. - Thousands prepare for pro-Trump rally 11 a.m. - The Save America rally begins 12:15 p.m. - President Trump addresses the crowd 1 p.m. - Lawmakers gather for a joint session to certify election results 1:10 p.m. - Rioters begin confronting Capitol police 2:11 p.m. - Rioters breach the Capitol Advertisement

He claimed that he was invited into the Capitol after someone broke through the window, and added that he is now on the FBI's Most Wanted Criminals List.

He said he knew he would be identified as one of the rioters soon after the FBI asked for help in identifying him.

'I have many friends working for the government,' he explained. 'I knew that they would immediately identify me and therefore [I] left the first thing.

'I started hiding, traveling across America from one point to another.

'I hired a lawyer, and the lawyer said that I could go to Europe on a business trip.'

According to public records, Neumann owns a handbag company and has been involved in the hospitality industry, developing software to make the reservation process easier.

'The lawyer said it was good because it would buy me time, and then it will become clear what is happening with my affairs,' he told Belarus 1.

'After all, no court proceedings were carried out, so in order to understand what was happening, I left.'

He then described how he originally flew to Italy in March, before getting on a train to Switzerland and then driving to Ukraine via Germany and Poland.

Once in Ukraine, Neumann said, he rented an apartment in the city of Zhytomyr for four months, but, he said, within two weeks, he realized he was being followed by the Ukrainian secret service, the SBU.

It was at that point, he said, that he decided to illegally cross into Belarus.

But to do so, he said, he had to wade through swamps, and dealt with wild hogs as he also tried to avoid snakes, before he finally crossed the border into Belarus and sought asylum.

Belarusian border authorities reportedly detained Neumann on the border with Ukraine on August 15.

Belarusian migration authorities declined to comment to the Moscow Times, which first reported on Neumann's interview, citing confidentiality of personal data.

They did note, however, that at least three United States citizens have applied for asylum in Belarus so far in 2021.

The country is facing increasing unemployment, with an average of family of four spending about 4,123.54 Belarusian rubles - the equivalent to $1,685.28 - for goods each month, not including rent, according to Numbeo.

A single person's estimated expenses are 1,146.05BYN, or $468.39, and it is estimated to be 65.6 percent cheaper than New York.

The average Belarusian household makes about 1450 BYN each month, which amounts to 17,400 BYN each year.

Belarus does not have an extradition treaty with the United States, and relations between the two countries have been frayed since American officials accused Belarus's August 2020 presidential election of being rigged. Its president, Alexander Lukashenko, who has been referred to as Europe's last dictator, has ruled the country for nearly 27 years.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is accused of flying people in from the Middle East and Africa to use them as human cannon fodder in his battle with the EU, the United States and Britain, who imposed sanctions on Belarus after Lukashenko unleashed a violent crackdown on mass protests against his disputed election win last year

A migrant was seen hacking at the barbed wire barrier with a spade while a Polish guard sprayed him with pepper spray on Monday as migrants tried to get into the country

A helicopter flies low overhead as thousands of migrants amass on the Polish border with Belarus on Monday after Lukashenko brought thousands of migrants from the Middle East and Europe into the country to overwhelm the international system

He has claimed he won the August 2020 election, but many of his opponents had been arrested in the lead up to the election, according to the BBC, and American officials have also found evidence that he actually lost to challenger Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.

But widespread protests against the election were violently shut down, and an opposition journalist, Roman Protasevich, was arrested after the Ryanair plane he was traveling on was forced to land in Minsk in June. He reportedly told a fellow passenger at the time: 'A death penalty awaits me here.'

Belarusian state TV, though, said Protasevich faced up to 15 years in prison, primarily for 'organizing large-scale mass unrest' and 'inciting hatred towards government and police.'

Lukashenko has rejected international condemnation that the plane diversion was an act of 'air piracy' or 'hijacking,' staged to arrest a political opponent.

He insisted there was a genuine bomb threat on board the plane, and acted 'legally' to 'save lives.'

Meanwhile, the U.S., Britain and the European Union have imposed sanctions on the country for his violent crackdown on mass protests to his disputed win, and now Lukashenko has flown in Middle Eastern and African migrants to his country to overwhelm the international system.

On Monday, desperate migrants gathered at the Belarusian frontier with Poland, attempting to hack down a barbed-wire fence only to meet a phalanx of Polish guards who forced them back with pepper spray.

Warsaw called the action 'an invasion' and declared it was sending 12,000 troops to reinforce 10,000 already stationed along the frontier.

A NATO official called the use of migrants 'a hybrid tactic', meaning a combined military-political operation, and said: 'NATO stands ready to further assist our allies, and maintain safety and security in the region'.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Monday called on member states to impose new sanctions against Belarus and said the use 'of migrants for political purposes is unacceptable'.

She added that the EU would also look at how to sanction 'third-country airlines' that bring migrants to Belarus.

But Russian authorities have declared their support of Lukashenko and Belarus' role in the crisis.

Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said: 'We have no doubt that the Belarusian migration service is taking all necessary steps to keep everything legal.

'Of course, we do not doubt that [they are] taking into account [our] considerations and possible concerns in regard to the fact that migrants may end up in our territory as well.'

'Measures are being taken, but the situation is, of course, tricky.'
Jurors in a Georgia courtroom were shown graphic, closeup police photos of the gunshot wounds that killed Ahmaud Arbery (pictured) and heard chilling testimony revealing the 25-year-old black jogger appeared tired from the chase before he was shot dead

The first officer to find Ahmaud Arbery bleeding in the road testified in Georgia court Monday that he did not offer medical aid to the black jogger because it would not have been safe.

'Without having any other police units to have my back, there was no way I could switch to do anything medical and still watch after my own safety,' former Glynn County police patrol officer Ricky Minshew told the courtroom during the second day of the trial.

According to his testimony, the officer heard 25-year-old Arbery make a noise he described as a 'death rattle' and radioed for 911 operators to send emergency medical responders, but said he did not have the training or equipment to treat such serious injuries.

The jury was also shown graphic police photos of Arbery's body lying in the street under a bloodstained covering and closeup photos of the gunshot wounds that killed him. The images depicted wounds to his wrist, as well as grievous injuries to his chest and underneath one of his arms.

Minshaw, recalling the moment he found Arbery, also said that William 'Roddie' Bryan, 52  who is on trial for Arbery's murder along with Gregory McMichael, 65 and his son Travis McMichael, 35  told him the 25-year-old appeared tired from the chase before he was shot dead.

'When I rounded the corner out there, it was almost like the black guy was tired of running,' Bryan told Minshew at the time of the shooting, according to a police transcript the former officer read in court.

Former Glynn County police patrol officer Ricky Minshew (pictured in court Monday) also took the stand, testifying that he did not try to render medical aid to Arbery because it would not have been safe. He was the first officer to see the 25-year-old bleeding in the road

Minshew arrived at the scene in the Satilla Shores subdivision about a minute after the gunshots sounded. Arbery was lying facedown in the street with a pool of blood spreading around him

Minshew arrived at the scene in the Satilla Shores subdivision about a minute after the gunshots sounded.

Arbery was lying facedown in the street with a pool of blood spreading around him.

Glynn County police Sgt. Sheila Ramos  who was also one of the first investigators to arrive at the scene of the shooting  walked the jury through dozens of crime scene photos she took about an hour after the shooting.

She presented graphic police photos that included close-ups of a gaping gunshot wound in the center of Arbery's chest, another just below his left armpit, and one on his wrist.

Her photographs also showed Travis McMichael's pump-action 12-gauge shotgun lying on grass near the body, as well as shotgun shells and bloodstains on the asphalt.

Ramos told the jury Arbery had nothing him on him besides the clothes he was wearing and that his pockets were empty.

Travis McMichael's shotgun, contained in a long box, was also brought into the courtroom and admitted into evidence.

Police photographs presented in court Monday showed bloodstains on the asphalt

They also revealed Travis McMichael's pump-action 12-gauge shotgun lying on grass near Arbery's body

Minshew also took the stand Monday, painting a picture of what happened in the moments following the shooting.

According to the former officer's testimony, Bryan told him that he did not recognize Arbery when he ran by Bryan's driveway, nor the McMichaels as they drove by in pursuit in their pickup truck.

'He said he hollered at the truck: 'Y'all got him?'' before jumping in his own truck to join the chase, Minshew told the jury, referring to a transcript of his conversation with Bryan recorded on his body-worn camera.

'Should I have been chasing him? I don't know,' Bryan told Minshew a few minutes after the shooting, a few steps away from Arbery's body in the road, according to the transcript. Bryan noted he never put on his seatbelt, and could have been 'thrown threw the damn windshield trying to chase this joker.'

He noticed Arbery stop to catch his breath. Bryan also told the police officer that Arbery tried to open his truck door at one point.

'Did he ever ask the black guy if he was OK?' Larissa Ollivierre, one of the prosecutors from the Cobb County District Attorney's office, asked Minshew.

'No, ma'am, he did not say he did,' Minshew said.

The prosecutor sought to undermine the defense argument that the white men were trying to detain Arbery under a citizen's arrest law, which requires a person to have reasonable suspicion that a felony has just been committed.

Bryan told the policeman he never heard a word from Arbery, but he heard one of the McMichaels call out to Arbery: 'What'd you steal? What'd you do?'

'Did he ever say that he told Ahmaud he was under arrest for anything?' Ollivierre asked Minshew.

'No, ma'am,' Minshew said.

Glynn County police Sgt. Sheila Ramos (pictured in court Monday)  who was also one of the first investigators to arrive at the scene of the shooting  walked the jury through dozens of crime scene photos she took about an hour after the shooting

Ramos is describing the scene on Holmes Rd. when she arrived to investigate Arbery's shooting death. Travis McMichael's truck is shown at the scene

Arbery's body is shown lying on the concrete on February 23, 2020

Arbery was chased and shot Feb. 23, 2020, after he was spotted running in neighborhood just outside the port city of Brunswick.

Father and son Greg and Travis McMichael armed themselves and used a pickup truck to pursue Arbery after they spotted him running in their neighborhood. A neighbor, William 'Roddie' Bryan, joined the chase and took cellphone video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery in the street at close range.

No arrests were made for more than two months, until the video of the killing leaked online and sparked a national outcry, deepening a national reckoning over racial injustice. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case from local police. Both McMichaels and Bryan were soon charged with murder and other crimes.

Defense attorneys said the men were justified to chase and attempt to detain Arbery because he had been recorded by security cameras inside a nearby home under construction and they suspected he was a burglar. They say Travis McMichael fired in self-defense when Arbery attacked him with fists and tried to grab his gun.

Arbery's mother told reporters outside the courthouse she was confused why more was not done to help her grievously wounded son.

Arbery (pictured) was chased and shot Feb. 23, 2020, after he was spotted running in a Georgia neighborhood just outside the port city of Brunswick

Father and son Greg (left) and Travis McMichael (right) armed themselves and used a pickup truck to pursue Arbery after they spotted him running in their neighborhood. The defense claims Travis fired in self-defense when Arbery attacked him with fists and tried to grab his gun

A neighbor, William 'Roddie' Bryan (pictured), joined the chase and took cellphone video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery in the street at close range

Prosecutors allege jury in Arbery trial is 'disproportionately white' Prosecutors claim the jury seated for Ahmaud Arbery's murder trial is disproportionately white. Of the 12 members, one juror is black while the other 11 are white. Prosecutors complained at the end of jury selection Friday that several black potential jurors were excluded because of their race. Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley said he found that 'intentional discrimination' by defense attorneys appeared to have shaped jury selection, but said Georgia law limited his authority to intervene. He also alleged that the defense had race-neutral arguments for dismissing those potential jurors. "They have been able to explain to the court why besides race those individuals were struck from the panel," Walmsley said. Summons were sent to 1,000 potential jurors and attorneys questioned these individuals for more than two weeks before selecting the current panel. Advertisement

'[Minshew] had a guy lying in the road who was covered in blood,' Wanda Cooper-Jones said. 'I can't understand why he didn't render aid.'

Cooper-Jones stayed in the courtroom as the graphic photos were shown and could be heard exhaling quietly as Ramos identified closeup images of a gaping shotgun wound in her son's chest. Arbery's father, Marcus Arbery Sr., got up and walked out before the jury was shown the images.

The second officer to respond to the shooting, William Duggan, testified Friday and jurors watched portions of his body camera video in which Duggan rolled Arbery over and pressed a hand to his wounded chest.

'I had pressure on, but there was nothing I could do,' Duggan told other first responders on the video, saying Arbery died after about two minutes.

Ramos said Arbery had nothing in his pockets - no keys, cellphone, wallet or ID. Police identified his body using his fingerprints, she said.

She also photographed a home near the shooting scene where one of the shotgun blasts sent a projectile through a front window and into an inside wall. No one at the home was injured.

The prosecution has also claimed that the jury seated Friday for the trial is disproportionately white.

Prosecutors complained at the end of jury selection last week that several black potential jurors were excluded because of their race, leaving only one black juror on the panel of 12.

Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley said he found that 'intentional discrimination' by defense attorneys appeared to have shaped jury selection, but said Georgia law limited his authority to intervene.
Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is officially kicking off his re-election bid to lead the Sunshine State again on Monday after his term ends in January 2023.

He announced his candidacy on Facebook on Monday, despite speculation he will run for President in 2024, and rolled out four pieces of legislation to block President Biden's sweeping vaccine mandates.

'Florida's future is on the line, and we have too much to lose to stop now. I've fought like hell to keep Florida free and I can tell you this: I've only begun to fight!' he wrote in the post.

'Election Day is exactly 1 year away and freedom is on the ballot. Lets do this'

He rolled out four new bills that would ban any kind of COVID-19 mandates that would shut businesses and schools and put Florida jobs in the private or public sector at risk.

'When I became governor, I pledged to foster economic opportunity, support K-12 education, usher in a new era for Floridas Everglades and water resources, ensure the integrity of our elections and stand for public safety and the rule of law,' DeSantis said in a statement announcing his candidacy to Fox News. The governor said he 'delivered on all fronts.'

'Floridas economy is strong, weve boosted teacher pay, made historic investments in Everglades restoration and water quality, signed strong election integrity legislation, provided unparalleled support for law enforcement and appointed strong constitutionalists to our state courts,' he said.

DeSantis, who has also been floated as a potential 2024 White House candidate alongside Donald Trump, is facing a crowded field of Democratic hopefuls looking to unseat him in the state.

It's unclear how his gubernatorial campaign will stack up with a presidential one. So far DeSantis has dismissed rumors that he's eyeing the presidency.

A spokesperson for DeSantis' office pointed out to DailyMail.com that 'any rumors that he is seeking another office have not come from him' and referenced the governor's past comments calling those rumors 'nonsense.'

However his reelection bid allows him to amass donations and keep his name in the campaigning spotlight during the run-up to the Republican primaries in 2023 and 2024.

DeSantis announced his reelection bid and the new bills against the vaccines with President Biden dropping further in the polls, with a USA TODAY/Suffolk survey on Sunday putting his approval at just 39 percent while CNN had just 15 per cent of voters strongly approving of his performance.

DeSantis unveiled on Monday a series of measures aimed at rendering Biden's vaccine mandate for private businesses nearly ineffective

The same day, he announced his campaign to be re-elected Florida governor and warned voters that 'freedom is on the ballot'

'Weve also taken on Big Tech censorship, banned sanctuary cities, ensured that municipalities cannot defund law enforcement and stood up to the Biden regime,' DeSantis added in his statement.

The message finished: 'And I've only just begun to fight.'

Much of his fighting so far has been with the Democrats in Washington, DC, as one of 27 Republican governors fighting back against Biden's sweeping vaccine order.

In early September Biden imposed a vaccine mandate on federal employees and health care workers whose facilities receive Medicare or Medicaid dollars.

Perhaps the most controversial is Biden's directive to his Labor Department's Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) to draw up a rule requiring all private companies with 100 or more employees to either have them all fully vaccinated by January 4 - or force them to submit to weekly COVID-19 testing.

Along with suing the administration over the vaccine requirements for federal contractors, DeSantis unveiled a series of bills aimed at outlawing the private company mandates during a press conference on Monday.

'This will be probably the strongest protections for both private and public sector employees anywhere in the country,' DeSantis promised.

He's one of dozens of GOP officials around the country trying to battle Joe Biden over his requirement that all private companies with 100 or more employees either instill vaccine mandates or require employees to submit to weekly COVID-19 testing

They would carve out a wide array of exceptions for who needs to be vaccinated, including exemptions for pregnant women, religious exclusions, past COVID-19 sufferers and for those who can obtain doctor's notes objecting to the jab.

If passed the legislation would also allow workers to side-step vaccine mandates by promising to wear personal protective equipment provided by their workplace.

The measures would also allow for the creation of Florida's own OSHA, and take away the state Surgeon General's ability to call for broad vaccine mandates.

DeSantis called for a special session of Florida's state legislature to start on November 15 to take up his bills.

'We've got to stop bossing people around. We've got to stop the coercion. We've got to stop browbeating people,' he said at his press conference.

His pieces of legislation even go beyond the OSHA mandate, banning local governments and school systems from putting their own vaccine requirements in place.

Employers that run afoul of Florida's anti-mandate rules could be slapped with a fine as high as $50,000.

The US vaccination rate has been steadily rising after a sharp fall over the summer

The Florida Republican was a staunch ally of Donald Trump's when he was in the White House. While the ex-president is still Republican voters' runaway favorite for 2024, multiple polls that don't factor him in show DeSantis with a majority of support.

So far only one Republican is looking to mount a primary challenge - John Joseph Mercadante, who DeSantis already beat in a 2018 primary race to eventually ascend to governor.

But it appears that he could face opposition in the form of fellow Trump ally and convicted felon Roger Stone.

Late last week Stone threatened to run for the Florida governorship just to take votes away from DeSantis, unless the governor pledges 'to the people of Florida that he will fill out all four years of a second term.'

'What I don't want to see is for him to be reelected and then immediately abandon Florida to run off and run for president, particularly if he's running against Donald Trump,' Stone told CBS Miami.
Travis Scott wants us to know he's 'just devastated' about the horrific deaths of eight of his fans at a concert on Friday.

In a tormented Instagram post the following night, the rap superstar repeatedly stroked his hair in apparent anguish as he said: 'I could never imagine anything like this happening.'

Scott, 30, spoke out after catastrophe unfurled during his performance at the Astroworld festival in his hometown of Houston, Texas.

In appalling scenes, hundreds of fans were injured in frantic crowd surges that erupted when Scott appeared on stage at 9pm and which led to panic, desperation and ultimately, the deaths of eight people aged between 14 and 27.

Videos posted on social media show concert goers screaming for help and begging Scott's production crew members to 'STOP THE SHOW!'

Fans later spoke of their terror.

'It was like hell,' Nick Johnson, 17, told the New York Times. 'Everybody was just in the back, trying to rush to the front.'

'People were literally grabbing and pinching at my body trying to get up from the ground,' said another fan, Chris Leigh, 23. 'I was fighting for my life; there was no way out.'

Throughout all this, Scott continued performing.

One fan video shows him appearing to look directly at an unconscious fan being carried out over people's heads.

Travis Scott wants us to know he's 'just devastated' about the horrific deaths of eight of his fans at a concert on Friday. In a tormented Instagram post the following night, the rap superstar repeatedly stroked his hair in apparent anguish as he said: 'I could never imagine anything like this happening. Throughout all this, Scott continued performing

In a social media clip, Scott shouts at the crowd, 'I want to see some rages. Who want to rage?' but then just moments later he sees an ambulance enter the arena and says, 'There's an ambulance in the crowd, whoa, whoa, whoa' before continuing to sing a few seconds later

The show only ends 40 minutes after city officials say a 'mass casualty event' had begun. By then, it was too late to save any lives

Forgive me if I find Mr Scott's shocked disbelief to be a load of disingenuous self-protective claptrap. If there was one nailed-down guarantee, it was that something terrible like this might one day happen at one of his concerts. This is a man who thrives on chaos and mayhem during live performances

In another clip, Scott shouts at the crowd, 'I want to see some rages. Who want to rage?' but then just moments later he sees an ambulance enter the arena and says, 'There's an ambulance in the crowd, whoa, whoa, whoa' before continuing to sing a few seconds later.

The show only ends 40 minutes after city officials say a 'mass casualty event' had begun.

By then, it was too late to save any lives.

And forgive me if I find Mr Scott's shocked disbelief to be a load of disingenuous self-protective claptrap.

If there was one nailed-down guarantee, it was that something terrible like this might one day happen at one of his concerts.

This is a man who thrives on chaos and mayhem during live performances.

'Travis Scott's whole aesthetic is about rebellion,' HipHopDX editor-in-chief Trent Clark told the Associated Press. 'The shows have a lot of raging. With the death of punk rock, hip-hop has indeed adopted and patterned the new generation of mosh pits. It's not uncommon to see a lot of crowding and raging or complete wild behavior at a Travis Scott show.'

It's also not uncommon for this wild crowd behavior to have been actively encouraged by Scott himself.

Indeed, in his 2018 hit 'Stargazing', he rapped: 'It ain't a mosh pit if ain't no injuries, I got 'em stage divin' out the nosebleeds.'

Such an attitude has led to him getting two misdemeanor convictions for the way he has illegally incited his fans to ignore safety protocols.

In 2015, Scott pleaded guilty to a charge of reckless conduct after urging fans to jump over safety barricades at the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago.

'All my real ragers jump the barricade right now!' Scott yelled. 'Let's go. Come over. I want chaos.'

He got what he wanted as hundreds of fans stormed over the barricades and headed towards the stage. A disaster was only averted by the swift response of safety officials.

The Office of Emergency Management said at the time: 'The performer played one song and then began telling fans to come over the barricades. Due to the security's quick response, the situation was remedied immediately, and no fans were injured.'

Scott was sentenced to a one year of court supervision.

A video has resurfaced showing rapper Travis Scott encouraging a crowd to 'f**k up' a fan who attempted to take his trainers while he crowd surfed in Switzerland. Pictured: A grab from the video taken at the OpenAir Festival in St. Gallen, Switzerland in 2015

In 2017, Scott once again encouraged his fans to rush the stage and bypass security at a concert at the Walmart Music Pavilion in Arkansas. Several people were injured in that stampede, including a security guard and police officer, and Scott pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and paid a $7,465.31 fine.

Scott has twice been convicted for encouraging fans to jump security barriers and rush the stage at previous concerts. Pictured: A mug shot of Scott from Rogers police department after a 2017 incident in Arkansas

But in 2017, he once again encouraged his fans to rush the stage and bypass security at a concert at the Walmart Music Pavilion in Arkansas.

Several people were injured in that stampede, including a security guard and police officer, and Scott pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and paid a $7,465.31 fine.

The same year, a young man was left paralyzed after Scott told a fan hanging off a balcony to jump at Terminal 5 in New York City.

'I see you, but are you gonna do it?' Scott shouted at him, after stopping the show and ordering the house lights to be turned on so everyone could watch. 'They gonna catch you. Don't be scared. Don't be scared!'

Kyle Green, 27, was left partially paralyzed at a Travis Scott show after Scott encouraged another fan to jump off a balcony. He says Friday's deaths could have been avoided 'had Travis learned his lesson'

The fan did indeed jump, safely, into the crowd but in the hysterical reaction that ensued - in video of the incident, one fan can be heard pleading 'I don't wanna die in here'  another man Kyle Green was forced over the edge of the balcony, which he called 'severely crowded.'

He broke several bones and vertebrae and can only walk with a 'significant, significant disability.'

Green's lawyer, Howard Hershenhorn, said his client was 'heartbroken' by what happened in Houston on Friday, and added: 'He's even more incensed by the fact that it could have been avoided had Travis learned his lesson in the past and changed his attitude about inciting people to behave in such a reckless manner.'

Washington Post music reviewer Julian Kimble, who attended Scott's 2018 Astroworld show said he'd witnessed the star call for his fans to openly defy safety protocols.

'I've seen him tell people like 'Don't listen to security. Forget security. This is for y'all. This is for the fans.' With regards to last night, that's an example of how things can go wrong. There's a lot of negligence across the board. I don't think there's one bad guy or culprit. It's a sweeping structural failure with what happened.'

That's true, and we will have to wait for a full investigation to discover exactly what went wrong in terms of the emergency response.

But we don't need an investigation to know that Travis Scott is to blame for creating an environment at his concerts where his fans don't think safety protocols matter or need to be heeded.

Nor could he or anyone else have been remotely surprised by the crowd reaction on the night.

There had been trouble, dangerous crowd surges and injuries at his previous Astroworld performances, and Scott was specifically and personally warned about potential crowd issues this time by Houston police chief Troy Finner who visited him in his trailer earlier in the day.

The 2-day festival's organisers had also prepared a 56-page contingency plan that was leaked to the New York Times and said: 'Based on the site's layout and numerous past experiences, the potential for multiple alcohol/drug related incidents, possible evacuation needs, and the ever-present threat of a mass casualty situation are identified as key concerns.'

So, none of the crowd reaction was a surprise, just the lethal scale of it.

Scott insisted in his Instagram video: 'My fans mean the world to me, and I always want to leave them with a positive experience.'

But even as he was saying that, video emerged from a previous show in which he is seen abusively encouraging a young fan to be beaten up for trying to steal his shoe.

Danish Baig, 27 (left), was killed at Travis Scott's Astroworld after saving a relative during the stampede on Friday, his brother said. Franco Patino, 21 (right), also died, the University of Dayton said

University of Dayton student Franco Patino (left), 21, was attending the event with his best friend, 20-year-old Jacob Jurinek. Both were killed in the crush

Brianna Rodriguez, 16, (left) was a dancer and junior in high school. Rodolfo 'Rudy' Pena, 23,(right) was an aspiring model and dreamed of one day being a US Border Patrol agent. He died of cardiac arrest

John Hilgert, 14, was the youngest victim of the horrific crush which killed eight people at Friday night's Astroworld Festival in Houston. Axel Acosta, 21, had traveled from Washington to attend the festival - his first concert. Cops shared a photo of his body after they were unable to identify him

It's an ugly scene that reveals an ugly side to Scott's character.

If only he'd shown the same ferocious approach to his fans' safety that he did to his shoes.

As Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena said yesterday: 'The one person who can really call for and get a tactical pause when something goes wrong is that performer,' he said. 'They have that bully pulpit and they have a responsibility. If somebody would have said, 'Hey, shut this thing down and turn on the lights until this thing gets corrected'  and that coming from the person with the mic  I think could have been very helpful.'

But Scott never did that. He was too busy having and encouraging a rage.

In fact, when two members of his crew came on stage as the mayhem erupted, presumably to tell him what was happening, he waved them away and urged the crowd to make the 'ground shake.'

The concert, which continued for another half an hour, ended with Scott waving to the crowd and saying: 'I love y'all. Make it home safe. Good night!'

But eight fans never made it home.

Though his girlfriend Kylie Jenner was seen being sneaked away afterwards by a large group of security guards - to ensure SHE got out safely.

Scott was too busy having and encouraging a rage. In fact, when two members of his crew came on stage as the mayhem erupted, presumably to tell him what was happening, he waved them away and urged the crowd to make the 'ground shake.' The concert, which continued for another half an hour, ended with Scott waving to the crowd and saying: 'I love y'all. Make it home safe. Good night!' But eight fans never made it home

Kylie Jenner (center in black mask) was seen being sneaked away afterwards by a large group of security guards - to ensure SHE got out safely

In a video of the concert that was posted online but has now been taken down, Scott can be heard saying, 'If everybody good, put a middle finger up to the sky.'

The video shows many fans then extending their middle finger to the sky.

It also shows the ambulance in the middle of them all, dealing with dying people.

For years, Travis Scott has extended his middle finger to crowd safety and security.

On Friday night, that shamefully reckless attitude to the welfare of his own fans led to a deadly disaster.

He can pretend he's shocked and can't believe it happened.

But these are the weasly words of a man now facing civil and possibly criminal court action, desperate not to be blamed for crowd activity that his incendiary rhetoric for many years has encouraged.

Travis Scott has the blood of his dead fans on his extended middle finger.
Sen. Ted Cruz said that if Democrats 'fundamentally destroy the country,' that Texas should secede from the US and form its own nation.

'If the Democrats end the filibuster, if they fundamentally destroy the country, if they pack the Supreme Court, if they make DC a state, if they federalize elections if they massively expand voter fraud there may come a point where it's hopeless,' Cruz said at an event last month.

'We're not there yet, and if there comes a point where it's hopeless, then I think we take NASA, we take the military, we take the oil,' the Texas Republican said to raucous applause.

Also asked if he would take Joe Rogan, who moved to the Lonestar State in 2020, Cruz jokingly responded: 'Joe Rogan, he might be president of Texas!'

Cruz made the remarks at an event at Texas A&M hosted by Young America's Foundation on Oct. 14.

Podcaster and MMA commentator Rogan took heat from liberals when he took anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin, which many classified as 'horse dewormer' to treat a Covid-19 infection. He was not vaccinated because he said he missed his vaccine appointment earlier this year due to a scheduling conflict.

'We're not there yet, and if there comes a point where it's hopeless, then I think we take NASA, we take the military, we take the oil,' Ted Cruz said of Texas secession

Cruz spoke at Texas A&M at an event hosted by Young America's Foundation

Rogan in 2020 moved to Austin, Texas to 'have a little bit more freedom.'

A student from the crowd asked Cruz how he felt about the Texas secessionist movement, sometimes known as 'Texit,' Cruz said he 'understood the sentiment' but was not ready for it yet.

'I'm not ready to give up on America. I love this country,' he said.

Cruz said that Texas has a 'responsibility' to the US because 'right now it's an amazing force keeping America from going off the cliff, keeping America grounded in the values that built this country.'

Also asked if he would take Joe Rogan, who moved to the Lonestar State in 2020, Cruz responded: 'Joe Rogan, he might be president of Texas!'

Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley last week accused the Pentagon of preparing U.S. armed forces for culture wars rather than real wars after their humiliating 'defeat' against British Royal Marines in a training exercise.

US forces had to ask for a 'reset' halfway through the five-day mock battle in the Mojave Desert as they took heavy simulated losses.

Hawley said competitors such as China would be baffled by the U.S. approach.

'They're probably wondering why it is that people like General Milley and Secretary Austin spend so much time recommending books on white rage, on critical race theory and are not more focused on warfighting,' he told the 'Ingraham Angle' on Fox News.

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sparked fury earlier this year when he said he wanted to understand 'white rage' and why thousands of people attacked the U.S. Capitol Building in January.

During the same House hearing, the country's first Black secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin, also defended the military's efforts to address racism and extremism.

Hawley said Pentagon leadership should let warfighters do what they are best at.

'I mean, here's my view, Lord, we've got the best soldiers, airmen, Marines in the entire world,' he said.

'Our soldiers are amazing warfighters. Let them fight,' he said.

'Train them to fight. Let them do what they do best and stop using the military as a giant social experiment, which is what the left seems to want.'

The idea of secession has gained traction in some conservative circles as political divides deepen after Democrats took control of Congress and the presidency. A poll published in September found that over half of Trump voters want red states to secede from the union, and 41% of Biden voters want blue states to split off.

According to the from the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, 52% of Trump voters at least somewhat agree with the statement: 'The situation is such that I would favor [Blue/Red] states seceding from the union to form their own separate country.' Twenty-five percent of Trump voters strongly agree.

In June, another survey found that a whopping two-thirds of Republicans in the South favored secession, while nearly half of Democrats in the Pacific region and 40% in the Northeast felt the same.

Support for secession is also considerable among independents in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions, where 43 percent say they would favor breaking away and forming their own country.

Gone are the days of friendships between the parties, according to the poll.

Over 75% of voters on both sides agreed with the statement: 'I believe that Americans who strongly support the [OPP_PARTY] have become a clear and present danger to the American way of life.' Seventy-five percent of Biden voters at least somewhat agreed with the statement, as did 78% of Trump voters.

Meanwhile, 56% of Biden voters at least somewhat agreed with the statement 'There's no real difference between Republicans and Fascists' and 76% of Trump voters agreed with the statement 'There's no real difference between Democrats and Socialists.'
The Justice Department has charged two foreign nationals for leading separate REvil ransomware attacks that shut down the United States' biggest meat processing plant as well as a Miami-based software company Kaseya.

Attorney General Merrick Garland and other top officials announced charges against Ukrainian Yaroslav Vasinskyi and Russian Yevgeniy Polyanin, alleging them to be part of the REvil ransomware gang.

Officials said Vasinskyi was recently arrested in Poland and that the U.S. government had recovered $6.1 million in ill-gotten funds from Polyanin after the attack on JBS, America's largest meat supplier, in late May.

'The Justice Department is sparing no resource to identify and bring to justice anyone, anywhere who targets the United States with a ransomware attack,' Garland said.

The Treasury Department also announced sanctions against the pair as well in what it said was a virtual currency exchange, Chatex, the department said was used by ransomware gangs.

Justice department officials said 'good old fashioned detective work' led them to a chief suspect in a REvil ransomware attack on Miami-based software firm Kaseya that crippled hundreds of companies worldwide.

FBI director Christopher Wray said swift action between Kaseya and governmental agencies in the US and abroad helped them 'take bad actors out of operation'

Investigators 'followed the money' to make an arrest in the case, said deputy attorney general Lisa O. Monaco

Vasinskyi was arrested October 8 after crossing the Poland border and US officials are now working to have him extradited to face charges of causing intentional damage to protected computers, conspiring to commit intentional damage to protected computers, and conspiring to commit money laundering.

Investigators 'followed the money' straight to Vasinskyi after Kaseya reported the attack to the FBI, deputy attorney general Lisa O. Monaco said Monday.

'I want to make clear that we are here today because in their darkest hour, Kaseya made the right choice and they decided to work with the FBI,' Monaco told reporters.

'Almost immediately after they were hit, Kaseya provided the FBI information they needed to act - and to act fast. In doing so we were ultimately able to identify and help many victims of this attack and also to follow the trail to Vasinskyi.'

Although cyberattacks are notoriously hard to trace, the REvil break was made possible through collaboration among federal agencies, international partners, and private sector companies, said FBI director Christopher Wray.

He said the FBI's swift engagement with Kaseya allowed it to take down a ransomware strain that's 'wreaked havoc across the globe.'

'Here, we were able to paint a decryption key that allowed us to generate a usable capability to unlock Kaseya's customers data,' Wray told reporters.

The Justice Department also seized $6.1 million tied to the ransom proceeds of another REvil attack led by Russian national alleged to have conducted about 3,000 ransomware attacks

'We immediately strategized with our interagency partners and reached a carefully-considered decision about how to help the most companies possible, both by providing the key and by maximizing our government's impact on our adversaries who were continuing to mount new attacks.

'Ultimately, we were able to both unlock encrypted data and take bad actors out of operation.'

Vasinskyi was arrested October 8 after crossing the Poland border and US officials are now working to have him extradited

Kaseya said that approximately 50 of its customers had been breached - but another 800 to 1,500 of their customers' customers have also been knocked offline

Wray wouldn't say what prompted Vasinskyi to cross the border.

'There are lots of reasons why people travel,' he said. 'I can't get into the specific reasons why Mr. Kosinski travel but boy are we glad to did.'

The REvil hacker gang, a notorious group thought to be based in Russia or Eastern Europe, demanded a ransom of $70 million to release the decryption key that would unlock all the affected systems.

The group bragged that it had infected one million companies through the supply-chain attack, but cyber security experts consider this to be a gross exaggeration.

Kaseya said in July that approximately 50 of its customers had been breached.

Those customers primarily provide IT services to other companies, and about 800 to 1,500 local and small businesses were compromised, Kaseya said.

REvil, 'one of the most prolific strains of ransomware,' has been used on about 175,000 computers worldwide with at least $200million taken in ransom, Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters.

He said 's arrest demonstrates how quickly the government will act to identify, locate, and arrest alleged cybercriminals.

'Ransomware attacks are fueled by criminal profits,' he said. 'That is why we are not just pursuing the individuals responsible for those attacks, we are also committed to capturing their illicit profits and returning them whenever we can to the victims from whom they were extorted.'

The Justice Department seized $6.1 million tied to the ransom proceeds of another REvil attack led by Russian national alleged to have conducted 3,000 ransomware attacks, he said.
Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger called Tucker Carlson a 'manipulative son of a b***h' and talked about how he hunkered down in his office with his gun during the January 6 Capitol attack, in a new interview with Rolling Stone.

Kinzinger, who will retire from the House at the end of his term, went after Carlson over the Fox News Channel host's rant about Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg taking parental leave, during a supply chain crisis, after he and his husband Chasten adopted newborn premature twins.

'And Tucker Carlson took nothing but a cheap shot at him because it was a temporary hit of Pixy Stix or a shot of heroin, it makes people feel great, they stay on. The rage works. And he created rage,' the Illinois Republican observed. 'Talking about Pete Buttigieg learning how to breastfeed - like, c'mon man.'

Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger sat down for an interview with S.E. Cupp for Rolling Stone, telling her he thought Tucker Carlson was a 'manipulative son of a b***h' for his attack on Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

Carlson mocked Buttigieg, who is gay, for taking paternity leave to be at home with his husband Chasten and adopted newborn premature twins Penelope and Joseph

Kinzinger suggested Carlson knew better.

'I think Tucker's really smart,' the Illinois Republican said.

'You're a manipulative son of a b***h who abuses your viewers for your own personal profit,' he then added.

Kinzinger got onto Carlson because Rolling Stone interviewer, pundit S.E. Cupp, asked him if he supported paid family leave - which progressive House Democrats are trying to include in President Joe Biden's Build Back Better bill, after the White House chopped it out when the president debuted a framework for the package late last month.

Kinzinger, who recently voted for Biden's $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan, said he supported it.

'I'm supportive of it. I never understood the importance of paternity leave until I saw a lot of my friends start having kids. The devil's in the details. How do we get to an actual agreement?' he said. 'Or is this just going to be a political weapon?'

'We need to rethink how we do things in this country, in terms of encouraging families, encouraging togetherness. People feel so disconnected,' he noted.

He also vouched for Buttigieg saying, 'I highly doubt that the secretary was totally disconnected from work.'

Chasten Buttigieg and Pete Buttigieg hold their newborn twins Penelope Rose and Joseph August

'Although he probably could have been and should have been,' Kinzinger added. 'But he has deputies, I'm sure he was in touch.'

Kinzinger has also stood out on Capitol Hill as only one of two Republicans to serve on the January 6th select committee, which is probing the insurrection.

Talking about his experience with Cupp, the congressman said he 'knew' there was going to be violence that day.

'I didn't necessarily know they were going to sack the Capitol, but I knew there was going to be violence,' Kinzinger said.

He recalled that he even told that to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on January 4.

'And he was very dismissive of it, of course,' Kinzinger said.

The congressman had his staff stay home and he watched former President Donald Trump's speech.

'And it was crazy, like usual,' said Kinzinger, a prominent Trump critic. 'I remember seeing [Donald Trump] Jr. say, "This is now Trump's arty." and I'm like, well that's creepy. And then Trump says, "I'm going to go with you to the Capitol." I'm like, "Man, this is bad,"' he recalled.

The congressman said he went down for the opening of the certification of Biden's win and then left.

'And then spent basically the next six hours in my office, hunkered down, with my gun out, prepared to defend against my own party,' he told Cupp.

He told her that he was genuinely scared during the riot.

'Yeah. I'd say maybe it's around 2:30 p.m., and there was a moment where I was like, "Man, there's a real sense of evil." I can't explain it any further than that. And I'm not one of these guys that feels evil a lot. But I just felt a real darkness, like a thick, bad feeling,' Kinzinger said.

By then, pro-Trump rioters had breached the Capitol Building, meaning they also had access to the Congressional offices.

'And I had been targeted on Twitter that day and prior, like "Hangman's noose. We're coming for you,"' Kinzinger recalled. 'And people know where my office is. So I barricaded myself in here, thinking, "If this is as bad as it seems, they may end up at my office, breaking this crap down, and I may have to do what I can."'

Kinzinger told Cupp he 'thought about it' when asked if he believed he might have to use his gun that day.

'If you're already at a point where you're beating down police officers, and you're willing to sack the U.S. Capitol, which hadn't been done in hundreds of years, if you come face-to-face with Chief RINO in his office, who doesn't believe that Donald Trump won reelection, yeah, they're going to try to fight and kill me, and I'm not going to let that happen,' Kinzinger said.

Pete Buttigieg defends his paternity leave as 'time to do joyful work' and says the best way to fix supply chain issues is to 'end the pandemic' at briefing celebrating the $1.2T infrastructure plan becoming 'law of the land'

Transportation Pete Buttigieg defended his own paternity leave Monday as he pitched the new $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill headed to President Biden's desk and said the White House would 'continue to fight' for family leave legislation.

His defense of family leave came even as a group of Democratic moderates pledged to back a White House framework agreement 'in its current form other than technical changes'  meaning without family leave provisions that are a priority for progressive lawmakers.

'The president put forward a framework that he's confident can pass the House and the Senate,' Buttigieg told reporters at the White House Monday.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg speaks to the news media during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., November 8, 2021. He defended his own paternity leave, and said the White House would fight to extend it

'I think it's also no secret how I feel about family leave and how the president does, which is why ... he campaigned on it and we will continue to fight for it.

Then he defended providing time for leave for the birth of a child or to care for a family member  after he took time after he and husband Chasten adopted twins.

'It's talked about as time off. It's time to work. Good work. Joyful work. Meaningful work,' he said.

Then, Buttigieg said, speaking as a new parent, about all that would come from a negotiated framework in other areas  he mentioned pre-K, affordable child care, and the extended child tax credit.

Buttigieg also cheered House passage of legislation he said would now become 'law of the land.' He said he was 'thankful to everyone who's played a role.'

But the White House did not say Biden would not sign legislation that is such a priority immediately.

Biden himself said Monday that there was plenty of work to be done to secure enactment of his $1.75 trillion Build Back Better agreement.

'Its going to be a tough fight. It aint over yet, as they say, as the old expression goes,' Biden told reporters.
One of the four accusers in the Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking trial could potentially be excluded from the case after federal prosecutors failed to address whether the woman could actually be considered a 'victim,' a judge ruled.

Judge Alison Nathan noted in court last Monday that the age of consent in the UK is 16 and that 'Minor Victim-3' could not recall if she was 17 or 18 when she was allegedly groomed for pedophile Jeffrey Epstein by the British socialite.

The inconsistencies could mean that the accuser's claims may not be used for the three counts of conspiracy-related charges against Maxwell.

The prosecution was asked to 'provide its position' as to whether the accuser 'could be considered a "victim" of the crimes charged in the indictment for any legal purpose...'

But they were presented with a potential legal setback over the weekend when Nathan said she was not satisfied with their letter opposing Maxwell's motion to exclude evidence.

In a court order filed in New York on Saturday, Nathan wrote that the prosecution's submitted letter did 'not address this issue.'

Ghislaine Maxwell appeared at a pretrial hearing in federal court last Monday (pictured) where Judge Alison Nathan asked the prosecution to 'provide its position' as to whether the Minor Victim 3 'could be considered a "victim" of the crimes charged in the indictment....'

In a court order filed in New York on Saturday, Nathan ruled the prosecution's letter in response 'does not address this issue'

The ruling comes just days after jury selection for the trial kicked off, with opening statements due to take place on November 29.

Such a development so close to the start of the trial could also be a significant boost to Maxwell.

The British socialite, 59, denies recruiting and trafficking underage girls for Epstein to abuse between 1994 and 1997.

Judge Alison Nathan gave prosecutors a second chance to file a letter responsive to the question

There are four accusers mentioned in the indictment, identified only as Minor Victims 1-4.

Minor Victim 3 is understood to be British. Her identity has not been publicly revealed.

'At the November 1, 2021 conference, the Court asked the Government to provide its position as to whether Alleged 'Victim-3' could be considered a 'victim' of the crimes charged in the indictment for any legal purpose,' Judge Nathan wrote in Saturday's filing.

'The Government's supplemental letter does not address this issue,' she added.

Nathan acknowledged that the court's request 'may have been unclear' before giving prosecutors a second chance to file a supplemental letter responsive to the question 'on or before' 12pm Sunday.

Maxwell is charged with three counts of conspiracy-related charges including, enticing minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, and conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

As the judge saw it, the victim's evidence could be used to establish whether Maxwell was aware of the 'sexual nature of the massages,' performed on Epstein.

The judge acknowledged that the court's request 'may have been unclear' before giving prosecutors another chance to file a supplemental letter responsive 'on or before' 12pm Sunday

Maxwell, 59, who is accused of procuring underage girls for pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, has pleaded not guilty to all charges

It could also be used to discuss Maxwell's 'M.O.', however, the judge now appears to be reconsidering if the woman can be used in any capacity.

The remaining counts are: transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, sex trafficking conspiracy, and sex trafficking of a minor.

Two counts of perjury will be tried separately.

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'

According to the indictment, Maxwell 'groomed and befriended' Minor Victim 3 in London between approximately 1994 and 1995 when she knew that the girl was under the age of 18.

The indictment states that Maxwell discussed Minor Victim 3's 'life and family' with her and introduced her to Epstein.

The indictment states: 'During those interactions, Maxwell encouraged Minor Victim 3 to massage Epstein, knowing that Epstein would engage in sex acts with Minor Victim 3 during those massages.

'Minor Victim 3 provided Epstein with the requested massages and during those massages, Epstein sexually abused Minor Victim 3.'

Maxwell had previously filed a motion asking for Minor Victim 3's evidence to be excluded because she had 'not alleged any illegal conduct whatsoever.'

Her filing stated that the woman was 'not a minor' in the UK and that she 'cannot establish' whether Maxwell or Epstein sought to ask her to travel while she was underage.

A graying and shackled Ghislaine Maxwell appeared at a pretrial hearing at federal court in New York Monday November 1, ahead of jury selection later this month

The Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn where Ghislaine Maxwell, the alleged accomplice of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, is awaiting trial

Maxwell's lawyers said that prosecutors only included the woman's claims in the indictment because they 'did not know that she was above the age of consent in the UK'.

The defense has also listed a number of experts that they plan to call to the witness stand, including Elizabeth Loftus, who testified at the Weinstein trial about sex crime victims creating fake memories.

She could also call Park Dient, a forensic psychologist who has previously evaluated the Unabomber, Jeffrey Dahmer and John Hinckley, who shot Ronald Reagan, according to court filings.

Bennett Gershman, one of the top authorities on prosecutorial misconduct, may be called upon too.
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Sweden has suffered fewer Covid deaths than most of Europe and is still recording lower infection rates, according to figures that suggest its lockdown gamble has paid off.

The Scandinavian nation became an international outlier last year when it defied scientific advice and refused to follow the rest of the world in shutting down society to curb the virus' spread.

Not only has Sweden's economy bounced back faster than any other country in the EU, latest data shows that it has also fared better than most in terms of lives lost during the pandemic.

Sweden has suffered almost 1,500 confirmed Covid deaths per million people, according to Oxford University-based research platform Our World in Data, which is lower than the European average (1,800).

The UK  which has endured three national lockdowns and several regional fire-breakers  has recorded 2,100 per million, for comparison, while Belgium and Italy both have rates above 2,000.

When looking at excess mortality during the pandemic, Sweden ranks just 21st out of 31 European countries with 5 per cent more deaths since March last year than would be expected. Britain, Italy and Spain, on the other hand, have each suffered around 10 per cent more deaths than average during Covid.

Statisticians say excess mortality is the most accurate way to measure the toll of the pandemic on health because it accounts for testing disparities between countries and includes knock-on fatalities.

Sweden also has a lower infection rate currently than most EU nations, with just 100 per million people testing positive daily compared to 800 in Austria, nearly 700 in Belgium and Ireland, and 500 in the UK.

Although Sweden chose not to lock down completely early in the pandemic, it did introduce stricter legally-binding curbs last winter as cases and deaths rose.

Sweden has suffered almost 1,500 confirmed Covid deaths per million people, according to Oxford University-based research platform Our World in Data , which is lower than the European average (1,800). The UK  which has endured three national lockdowns and several regional fire-breakers  has recorded 2,100 per million, for comparison, while Belgium and Italy both have rates above 2,000

When looking at excess mortality during the pandemic, Sweden ranks just 21st out of 31 European countries with 5 per cent more deaths since March last year than would be expected. Britain, Italy and Spain, on the other hand, have each suffered around 10 per cent more deaths than average during Covid. Statisticians say excess mortality is the most accurate way to measure the toll of the pandemic on health because it accounts for testing disparities between countries and includes knock-on fatalities

Sweden also has a lower infection rate currently than most EU nations, with just 100 per million people testing positive daily compared to 800 in Austria, nearly 700 in Belgium and Ireland and 500 in the UK

Although Sweden chose not to lock down completely early in the pandemic, it did introduce stricter legally-binding curbs last winter as cases and deaths rose. A couple hug and laugh as they have lunch in a restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden

These included a ban on groups of eight or more people, limits on numbers in gyms and shops and an 8pm curfew on pubs and restaurants.

While Sweden appears to fared done better than continental Europe during the pandemic, it has performed significantly worse when compared to its closest neighbours.

NHS boss Amanda Pritchard is accused of 'abusing' Covid statistics NHS England's chief executive was today accused of 'abusing' Covid statistics after exaggerating the number of infected patients in hospital with the virus. During a round of interviews this morning, Amanda Pritchard suggested there were '14 times' more coronavirus patients in hospital now compared to 'this time last year'. The claim was picked up and circulated by a number of mainstream, left-leaning news outlets including Sky News, ITV and The i. Ms Pritchard made the comments as she urged people to come forward for their booster vaccines and warned the health service was under 'very real pressure'. Yet latest data from the Government's dashboard shows there were 800 average daily coronavirus admissions and 7,000 inpatients in England on Friday. This time in November 2020, for comparison, the country was recording about 1,300 Covid hospitalisations each day and there were more than 11,000 patients in hospital with the disease. NHS England was later forced to clarify that Ms Pritchard was referring to statistics from the start of September, when Covid hospital rates were in fact higher than the same time last year. Professor Francois Balloux, director of the University College London Genetics Institute, described Ms Pritchard's claim as 'nonsense' and criticised news organisations for not challenging it. Other researchers warned that the NHS chief executive had 'abused' the figures while political commentators said it was either the result of 'incompetence or mendacity'. Advertisement

Norway and Finland, for example, have suffered about 200 Covid deaths per million people since the virus was first seeded on the continent  seven times lower than Sweden's toll.

In Denmark the rate is around 400. All three nations have had tougher restrictions during much of the pandemic, which are likely to have played a role.

When looking at excess mortality, Norway and Denmark have recorded fewer deaths than normal during Covid and Finland has seen little over 1 per cent more fatalities than average.

Cambridge University epidemiologist Raghib Ali told MailOnline: 'Whether you think Sweden's strategy was a success story comes down to which countries you compare it to.

'If you think it should have a similar rate [of Covid deaths] to its neighbours Finland, Norway and Denmark or other countries like Germany and the Netherlands?

'Whichever side you come down on decides whether it did better or worse.'

Dr Ali said that one takeaway from Sweden's voluntary lockdown system was that it shows the power of people's small behavioural changes.

'Although Sweden didn't have a Government-enforced lockdown, it did have a type of voluntary lockdown that was well-adhered to.

'What we've learned from Sweden - and the UK - is that people's voluntary behaviour can get countries over a peak without mandated restrictions, even though they alone cannot prevent big outbreaks.'

It comes as daily Covid infections in the UK continued to plummet today, bolstering hopes that the third wave may have already peaked.

The Department of Health posted another 32,322 positive tests across the country in the last 24 hours, down 19.4 per cent last Monday. Cases have dropped week-on-week on all but one day since October 24.

Meanwhile, 57 people died within 28 days of testing positive, which marked a rise on the 40 last week. Deaths lag a few weeks behind cases due to the time it takes for someone to become seriously unwell after catching Covid.

But experts say they expect fatalities and hospital rates to soon follow cases. New hospital admission data is expected later in the week.

Meanwhile, NHS England's chief executive was today accused of 'abusing' Covid statistics after exaggerating the number of infected patients in hospital with the virus.

During a round of interviews this morning, Amanda Pritchard suggested there were '14 times' more coronavirus patients in hospital now compared to 'this time last year'.

The claim was picked up and circulated by a number of mainstream, left-leaning news outlets including Sky News, ITV and The i.

Ms Pritchard made the comments as she urged people to come forward for their booster vaccines and warned the health service was under 'very real pressure'.

Yet latest data from the Government's dashboard shows there were 800 average daily coronavirus admissions and 7,000 inpatients in England on Friday.

This time in November 2020, for comparison, the country was recording about 1,300 Covid hospitalisations each day and there were more than 11,000 patients in hospital with the disease.

NHS England was later forced to clarify that Ms Pritchard was referring to statistics from the start of September, when Covid hospital rates were in fact higher than the same time last year.

Professor Francois Balloux, director of the University College London Genetics Institute, described Ms Pritchard's claim as 'nonsense' and criticised news organisations for not challenging it.

Other researchers warned that the NHS chief executive had 'abused' the figures while political commentators said it was either the result of 'incompetence or mendacity'.
A Massachusetts phlebotomist working on the side as a dominatrix enjoyed a sushi dinner and sent several text messages to her ex-boyfriend's cellphone, allegedly to establish an alibi for herself, after prosecutors say she stabbed him to death inside a BDSM-themed treehouse as a 'surprise' for her new boyfriend.

These revelations were made on the first day of Julia Enright's trial stemming from the 2018 murder of 20-year-old Brandon Chiklis.

In their opening statement, prosecutors argued that Enright, 24, killed Chklis as part of a planned attack after luring him to a treehouse featuring restrains where they used to have sex as teens.

Enright's attorney claimed in his opening remarks that she stabbed Chiklis a dozen times in self-defense after the man attempted to rape her.

Julia Enright, 24, a phlebotomist and dominatrix (left), is on trial in Massachusetts for the 2018 murder of her former classmate and boyfriend Brandon Chiklis, 20 (right)

Defense attorney Louis Badwey said in his opening statement on Monday that Enright stabbed Chiklis a dozen time sin self-defense after he tried to rape her

Enright was arrested in late July 2018, two weeks after Chiklis's body was found by a jogger in Rindge, New Hampshire, not far from the Massachusetts border. He had been missing for more than two weeks.

Autopsy showed that Chiklis had been stabbed a dozen times. He was then wrapped in a comforter, stuffed into two garbage bags and dumped on the side of the highway.

First Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Travers told jurors on Monday Enright killed Chiklis, who was her former schoolmate and boyfriend, as a 'surprise' for her new boyfriend, John Lind, who then allegedly helped her dispose of the victim's body, reported Telegram & Gazette.

The prosecutor quoted Enright as texting Lind on the eve of the June 23, 2018, killing: 'do you think we could add bubbles to a blood bath?'

Moments later, Enright allegedly contacted Chiklis and invited him to come over to the treehouse the next day.

Enright stabbed Chiklis inside a treehouse fitted with restraints in this wooded area in Ashburnham after inviting him over for sex

Enright allegedly was obsessed with cutting and 'blood play,' and killed Chiklis as a 'surprise' for her new boyfriend

After killing Chiklis, Enright allegedly enlisted her new boyfriend's help to dispose of his body and concoct an alibi for her

Prosecutors said Enright, who worked as a phlebotomist and also had a side-job as a dominatrix, was obsessed with sexual cutting and 'blood play,' and created art using animal bones.

Eight days before Chicklis was last seen alive, Enright allegedly made a failed attempt to bribe staff at a Planned Parenthood facility to let her keep her aborted fetus so she could 'play with' its bones.

A subsequent search of Enright's home yielded vials of blood, several animal carcasses in various states of decomposition, a bucket of organs, a collection of used condoms and numerous knives, officials stated.

On the first day of Enright's murder trial, her defense attorney, Louis Badwey, told jurors that his client had invited Chiklis to the treehouse to have sex with him, but then changed her mind when her new boyfriend texted her.

Chicklis allegedly ignores Enright's pleas to stop and digitally penetrated her.

According to the lawyer, Enright then closed her eyes and repeatedly stabbed Chiklis with a knife she always carried with her.

The woman then fled the treehouse, not knowing whether Chiklis was dead or alive, according to Badwey.

She later enlisted Lind's help to cover up the killing.

Lind has not been charged in connection with Chiklis' murder. He was expected to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination if called to testify during the trial.

Prosecutors argued that after killing Chiklis, Enright washed her clothes and tucked into a sushi dinner with Lind, during which the pair concocted an alibi for her, reported MassLive.

Enright sent several text messages to Chiklis' phone, which she had in her possession, hours after his death.

The first text, sent at 8pm on June 23, read: 'why didnt you show up to meet me?'

Enright sent several text messages to Chiklis' phone, asking him why he did not come to meet her, and whether he was OK. The victim's phone was allegedly in her possession

Chiklis' body wrapped in a comforter and trash bags was found two weeks after his killing near the New Hampshire-Massachusetts border

Prosecutors claimed that Enright continued texting the victim days later, asking if he was OK.

'The messages were intended, looking forward in time, to account for her whereabouts if attention began to focus on her,' Travers said.

According to the prosecutor, Enright stabbed Chiklis to death as a 'surprise gift' for Lind.

Just days later, she allegedly wrote in her journal that her boyfriend may not have liked her 'surprise.'

The murder trial is expected to last at least two weeks.


Spurned Sussex University lecturer Professor Kathleen Stock revealed she has been invited to join a new 'free speech' university in the US, described as a place for 'witches who refuse to burn'.

The analytic philosophy expert confirmed she had accepted the invitation to be a Founding Faculty Fellow at the University of Austin.

It came after her first television interview since she retired after being accused of transphobia in which she said she was protecting women by warning against policies that allow men to 'self-identify as female'.

Confirming she had been invited to join the new 'free speech' university, she wrote: 'Delighted to be invited to be a Founding Faculty Fellow of the University of Austin, a new initiative announced today by @bariweiss alongside several other stellar individuals.'

She continued: 'I accepted with alacrity. It's an exciting looking project, focused on free inquiry.

'PS I should add to avoid confusion - this doesn't mean I'm moving to Austin. And it's not a full-time role. Just getting involved in various ways from a UK base.'

Announcing the new initiative, former reporter Bari Weiss said Austin University 'will welcome witches who refuse to burn'.

Professor Stock was pressured into resigning from her role at Sussex University last month amid a flurry of death threats from students.

A hate mob plastered the campus with posters accusing her of 'transphobia' - which she denies - because of her views on sex and gender identity.

Earlier today, she said 'there is more at stake than feeling offended'.

She said she was sorry people got upset over her views but added these were 'important issues we've just got to talk about'.

In her own words: What does Kathleen Stock believe about gender and trans issues? Kathleen Stock explained her views on trans issues in written evidence to Parliament in November 2020 here: Womanhood and manhood reflect biological sex, not gender or gender identity;

The claim 'transwomen are women' is a fiction, not literally true

Sexual orientation (being gay, being lesbian) is determined by same-sex attraction, not attraction to gender identity

Spaces where women undress and sleep should remain genuinely single-sex, in order to protect them;

Children with gender identity disorders should not be given puberty blockers as minors. Advertisement

Prof Stock also revealed she receives letters from trans people slamming the attacks on her and denouncing the views of hardcore activists.

She said the writers blast campaigning groups purporting to act in their name and rail against the idea of self ID.

It comes after ministers were warned the free speech Bill needs a 'Stock amendment' to protect academics from vicious students.

The vice-chancellor of Buckingham University called for it to be tweaked to stop a repeat of the trauma Professor Kathleen Stock went through.

After posters were put up accusing Prof Stock of 'transphobia', the universities minister warned institutions not to threaten academics' free speech and unveiled the new legislation designed to protect them.

Asked on ITV's Lorraine if she knew people would not like her views, Prof Stock said: 'Yes and I'm sorry about that I am.

'But I just think there's more at stake than people feeling offended because there are some really important issues about women and children and gay people we've just got to talk about.'

She also revealed trans people write to her slamming the situation she was put in and the views of hardcore activists.

She said: 'I think I should be clear, trans people write to me and say they don't agree with the situation either.

'They think it's gone too far, they don't agree with the campaigning groups that speak in their name.

'They don't want self ID, they don't think it's right - as you can expect trans people are a diverse set of people and they argue with each other. So we should be able to do that too.'

Protesters let off flares during a trans campaign against the then Sussex University Professor Stock

Open University criminology professor who said 'male-bodied' trans women should NOT be in female prisons suffers public harassment A Professor of Criminology at the Open University has described how she was compared to a 'racist uncle at a Christmas dinner table' for her gender critical beliefs. Professor Jo Phoenix has crowdfunded more than 80,000 to fight her current employers for not protecting her from a bullying campaign after she expressed views about the silencing of academic debate on transgender issues. She claims the Open University, who she began working for in 2016, 'shattered' her dreams and made her feel 'like a pariah'. Professor Phoenix said she has been publicly vilified and suffered public harassment for launching the Open University gender critical research network. She also said her view that male-bodied prisoners should not be allowed in female prisons resulted in her being compared to a transphobic and racist. By bringing the Open University to an employment tribunal, she hopes to protect female academics from 'the vicious bullying perpetrated by those who disagree with our beliefs on sex and gender'. The Government's policy to house transgender women in female prisons was ruled lawful by the High Court in July earlier this year amid claims from an inmate it raised the risk of sex attacks. In 2018, Karen White - who was born a man but was placed in women's prison HMP New Hall after telling authorities of his identification as a woman - sexually assaulted two female inmates. Advertisement

Prof Stock had been branded a 'transphobe' by some outraged students who called for her to be fired in wake of her comments on gender.

Vile posters put up in the tunnel from Falmer station to the university's campus claimed she 'makes trans students unsafe' without further explanation.

Banners saying 'Stock Out' had also been held alongside burning flares and some attacked her online under the Twitter hashtag #ShameOnSussexUni.

Buckingham University's Professor James Tooley claimed the free speech Bill as it is would not prevent another 'concerted campaign' of intimidation like she experience.



He said it would be 'unable to stop' the harassment Professor Stock was subjected to by students.

He told the Telegraph: 'She wasn't told that she can't publish articles, she was still a professor.

'But there was a concerted, orchestrated and vile campaign from students and staff which in the end made her scared to leave her house and do her job and she had to leave.'

He believes his 'Stock amendment' would allow academics to sue or complain to a university if it does not protect them from harassment.

Professor Tooley revealed over the weekend there are two Conservative peers who will back his amendment in the House of Lords.

The Bill refers to 'academic freedom' for staff as 'their freedom within the law and within their field of expertise  (a) to question and test received wisdom, and (b) to put forward new ideas and controversial or unpopular opinions, without placing themselves at risk of being adversely affected in any of the ways described in subsection'.

The changes would see institutions given a legal duty to promote free speech on campus, which will be a condition to register with the Office for Students.

Universities that do not abide by this could be open to investigation, be fined or sanctioned by the watchdog.

Vice Chancellor of Sussex University Adam Tickell strongly defended Prof Stock's 'untrammelled' right to 'say what she thinks'.

Meanwhile more than 200 academics from other universities signed a letter calling out the abuse from 'trans activist bullies'.

Prof Stock announced on Twitter last month she would leave her position, adding she hoped 'other institutions can learn from this'.

It wasn't just the students spreading lies and hounding me... It was many of my academic colleagues too: KATHLEEN STOCK reveals what it's really like to be vilified for your beliefs after being driven out of Sussex University by trans hate mob

One Wednesday about a month ago, I made my way to work as usual. I am  or at least I was  a professor at Sussex University, and that day I was teaching classes in feminist philosophy.

In the past, I'd been told my views on sex and gender identity were an embarrassment to Sussex.

Yet there was no sign of 'embarrassment' in the growing numbers of bright and curious students entering my classroom.

Kathleen Stock, recently resigned from her Professorship at Sussex University after controversy over her views on gender and trans issues

I got off the train and joined the crowd walking through a tunnel to the university entrance  to find the walls were plastered with posters, each one screaming my name in bold capitals.

'KATHLEEN STOCK MAKES STUDENTS UNSAFE, SUSSEX STILL PAYS HER.'

'WE'RE NOT PAYING 9,250 A YEAR FOR TRANSPHOBIA, FIRE KATHLEEN STOCK.'

Struggling to breathe, I ran back to the station where, seeing the state I was in, a railway worker offered me a bottle of water. Later that day, I saw an Instagram account titled 'Kathleen Stock is a transphobe'. It showed balaclava-wearing figures brandishing flares and banners saying 'Stock Out'.

The website called me a 'spiteful bootlicker' and urged its viewers to 'get angry'. Until I was fired, said the anonymous authors, 'you'll be seeing us around'.

This is certainly not the Sussex University I joined as a junior lecturer in 2003. Back then, it was a struggle to get students to commit themselves to any firm moral opinions.

'It's all relative,' they would insist.

There's a lot more certainty now, which can be disconcerting in such young and inexperienced people.

My views would never have been thought controversial in the past. I simply believe we should be free to debate the trans lobby's growing demands that we recognise a person's 'gender identity' rather than their biological sex.

Discrimination against trans people is utterly abhorrent. They need protection from abuse.

But we must also look at the effects of these demands and consider, in particular, any costs to women and girls.

Why should people born as men  who've never had a sex change operation  be given access to female changing rooms, for example? Or refuges from domestic violence or women's prisons?

What about the health of children who say they wish to change gender but who, in doing so, might put themselves in line for irreversible medical treatment?

I am a lesbian with teenage children, so these topics are a matter of great personal interest. But I also care about truth and freedom of speech.

I believe we should discuss these issues and, three years ago, I started to say so. To my astonishment, I found that others, including some Sussex colleagues and students, disagreed.

There were protests at my talks. I had official complaints and disciplinary investigations. Student deputations to my bosses demanded that I stop teaching feminism.

I was 'no-platformed'  disinvited from speaking in public  after protests. And I was denounced in open letters by fellow academics, including when I was awarded an OBE in January last year.

That particular letter accused me of 'transphobic fearmongering', of helping to 'restrict trans people's access to life-saving medical treatment' and of serving 'to encourage the harassment of gender-nonconforming people'.

None of that is remotely true.

Concerned for my safety, the campus security manager advised me about the emergency phone system and arranged to have a spyhole put in my office door.

When my book Material Girls appeared in March, the campaign against me escalated further.

Even so, I could not have imagined the vicious rage of the past few weeks.

The offensive posters were taken down only to reappear the next day.

I spotted stickers on the walls and doors in my building talking about 'the transphobic s*** that comes out of Kathleen Stock's mouth'.

Demonstrations followed. The police warned me to step up my security at home.

A hundred masked figures disrupted a University Open Day.

The ringleaders made angry speeches, set off flares, wrote graffiti and held up placards urging me to quit.

A few days later, frightened, demoralised, and exhausted, that is exactly what I did.

It would be tempting to lay the blame on the students and, obviously, the ringleaders bear a lot of responsibility. But things are more complicated than that.

It emerged that few of those involved had any idea what my views really were.

They didn't know, for instance, that I have repeatedly and sincerely stated my support for special legal protections for trans people.

What I was actually saying seemed to make no difference to people in the grip of what have been described as 'luxury beliefs'.

Such frivolously held opinions can give the student protesters  often from privileged backgrounds  extra social status with their tribe.

In the past, Kathleen had been told her views on sex and gender identity were an embarrassment to Sussex

Never mind the costs to others who are less well-off.

One angry social media post showed a university workman removing a poster attacking me and asked this telling question: 'Who do you serve, transphobes or students?'

Since when were workmen paid to serve students?

My persecutors neither knew nor cared that an increasing number of trans people agree with me that lobby groups such as Stonewall have gone too far.

When questioned by onlookers, some protesters could only say that I was 'very transphobic' and that they had read this 'on social media'.

But they had also heard it in lectures.

At Sussex, as I have long known to my cost, there exists a group of academic colleagues  none of them to my knowledge trans themselves  who are hell-bent on disseminating false claims that I am 'transphobic', which is to say a hater of trans people.

Over the past three years, this slur on my character has been repeated by colleagues in classes, in department meetings and  of course  on social media.

When, in 2019, some students set up a public Facebook group to discuss ways to have me fired, academic colleagues posted on the page 'in solidarity'.

One individual spent three years churning out tweets with the same monotonous message: 'The views of Kathleen Stock make her a danger to every trans student at Sussex.' This simply isn't true, as the supportive emails I've had from trans students attest to.

As I write this, a former colleague, whose office was four doors from mine, is tweeting that there will never 'be a full accounting of all the ways people within the institution aided and abetted her'.

'Her', of course, is me.

With supposedly responsible adults acting this badly in public, who can blame impressionable young people for following suit?

The effect of all this has been debilitating. At times I have struggled to get out of bed and carry on.

The fact I have managed to continue writing and talking throughout has been presented as proof that there is no real problem.

But no one should be forced to go through such an ordeal simply in order to say what they think out loud.

The debacle has sent a terrible message to lecturers and students at Sussex University who think as I do: remain silent or the same thing will happen to you.

Questions of sex and gender are central to many academic areas, so this is a catastrophe for the university.

Its public statements on my departure have strongly upheld the value of academic freedom, and that's a decent start, but Sussex must now work hard to rectify the damage to its reputation and restore the confidence of staff and students.

The university must also reject the influence of Stonewall, which takes an intransigent line about gender identity, condemning debate let alone dissent.

Everyone, they insist, must be free to determine their own gender on the basis of nothing more than their own feelings on the matter.

PAINTED AS THE VILLAIN: Protests and graffiti by trans activists forced Sussex University professor Kathleen Stock, left, to resign

Along with a number of institutions and most other universities, Sussex actually pays Stonewall to be a 'diversity champion'. Sussex has even stated its ambition to join the Stonewall Top 100 Employer Index by 2025.

This effectively means that, between now and then, the university will take instruction from a lobby group with extreme, un-evidenced and divisive views.

Freedom of Information requests made to Sussex illustrate the extent of this cosy relationship.

They show that Stonewall's stance has been embedded in the institution. The university management has already adapted internal policies to ensure that references to biological sex are all but invisible. This is chilling to any staff or students who dissent.

It means I am said to be a 'transphobe' when I say that males who claim to be female on the basis of no more than their hidden inner feelings should be kept out of women's prisons.

Or when I say that children should be given talking therapy not drugs should they announce they are 'trapped in the wrong body'.

There are many academics out there with views like mine, frightened to express them. They need help. Whether through bullying or self-censorship, they are losing their freedom to speak and write.

'Yes' to argument and evidence. 'No' to witch-hunts and intimidation under the false guise of offering a 'safe and inclusive environment'.

I can see it's tempting to present campus life as a comforting cocoon  particularly when universities must compete for students. But the price of this can be ostracism for those who don't fit.

Members of the awkward squad are existential threats to the social herd. And herds, it turns out, can be easily led. They can sometimes turn into mobs.

Many bad ideas once seemed attractive until they were debunked by contrarians, eccentrics, heretics, naysayers, difficult women  and even down-the-line traditionalists. They are all an important part of the intellectual community, and of life itself. They must not be silenced.

Don't let the mob come for the rest of us, too.
A married father suspected of raping several women near Sacramento freeway interchanges several years ago has been arrested after investigators used DNA technology and genealogy websites to unmask him.

JD Wallace Simien, 40, was taken into custody Thursday and booked into the county jail without bond on charges of felony kidnapping, rape, oral copulation and robbery.

Sacramento County prosecutors and sheriffs officials said in a joint statement that investigators had linked an unspecified number of violent sexual assaults between 2013 and 2104 to the 'Cloverleaf Rapist,' because the crimes happened near freeway entrances and exits that resemble a cloverleaf pattern.

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JD Wallace Simien, 40, has been charged with felony kidnapping, rape, oral copulation and robbery in connection with 'Cloverfield Rapist' attacks. He is pictured above with his wife

Police sketches show the 'Cloverfield Rapist,' who attacked three women in 2013 and 2014

The investigation went cold until detectives used the same DNA genealogy techniques to identify and capture Joseph DeAngelo, dubbed the Golden State Killer, and Roy Waller, the so-called 'NorCal Rapist' who was convicted last year of raping nine women in their homes.

'DNA technology is a great tool in our criminal justice system,' District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said in the statement. 'DNA can not only be used to exonerate the innocent, but it is a powerful investigative tool for violent crimes that have grown cold because traditional investigative methods are unable to solve the case.'

Chief Deputy District Attorney Rod Norgaard declined to release further details of the case, including the number of victims and the dates of the crimes, citing the ongoing investigation.

According to reporting by ABC10, the 'Cloverleaf Rapist' was responsible for attacking three woman, one of whom was allegedly kidnapped and then raped at knifepoint inside a car.

Police officers are seen outside Simien's home on Spartan Way in Sacramento, where he lived with his wife and three children until his arrest last week

Neighbors described Simien as a 'nice' family man who would often wave at them

Simien's neighbors said the suspected serial rapist, described in jail records as 6 foot 1 and weighing 280lbs, is married and has children. They said he seemed like a 'nice guy' who would often wave at them.

CBS Sacramento showed video of Simien's relatives leaving the family's home on Spartan Way and asking reporters to leave them alone.

Photos shared on Simien's Facebook page suggest that he has three children.

Family members and friends have been posting comments showing support for Simien's wife's and proclaiming his innocence.

'Prayers lifted. My nephew is innocent,' a woman claiming to be Simien's aunt wrote. 'Gentle man! Loves his family! Not in him to do anything like this. May justice prevail!'

Simien, pictured with two of his children, was arrested after police used the same DNA genealogy methods that led to the capture of the Golden State Killer

A complaint was expected to be filed Monday, when Simien is scheduled to make his first court appearance and be arraigned.

DeAngelo, a former police officer who committed 13 murders and dozens of rapes, evaded capture for decades before the district attorneys crime lab used DNA from crime scenes to compare to DNA provided to a genealogical website. He was convicted and sentenced last year to life in prison without parole.

Waller was sentenced last year to 897 years in prison  the maximum allowed by law  for raping nine women during a 15-year crime spree that started in 1991.
Durham's two-and-a-half year probe has so far produced two indictments and is still ongoing

Donald Trump heaped praise on Special Counsel John Durham on Monday, commending the prosecutor for the two indictments his years-long investigation into the 2016 Russia probe finally produced late this year and claiming it'll 'only get deeper' from here.

The former president, 75, predicted that Durham's investigation, which he was first assigned to in April 2019, will show that 'it all leads back to the Democrats, Hillary [Clinton] and the dirty lawyers.'

'It really has come out,' Trump said to Fox after Durham produced his second of two indictments late last week. 'In all fairness, while it has taken a long time, hats off to John Durham.'

'Hats off, because, its coming out, and it is coming out at a level - Durham has come out with things that are absolutely amazing.'

Trump said he already 'knew what happened' but claimed now he had the facts to support his theory that the investigation into whether his 2016 campaign had any help from Russia to sway the US election was just a hit job.

'We all sort of knew that happened, and now we have facts, and I think theyre only going to get deeper and deeper  and it all leads back to the Democrats, Hillary and the dirty lawyers,' Trump said.

The latest arrest was a key source who provided information to British ex-spy Christopher Steele for his 'dirty dossier' of allegations against Trump.

Igor Y. Danchenko, a Russian-born analyst living in the United States, was arrested on Thursday in Virginia by federal agents assigned to John H. Durham's special counsel inquiry into the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation, according to the Justice Department.

Danchenko, 43, was the primary researcher for Steele's dossier alleging that Trump's 2016 presidential campaign conspired with Russia in a covert operation to beat Hillary Clinton, and that Russia had salacious videos that could be used to blackmail Trump.

Michael Sussman, a cybersecurity lawyer who worked for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, was charged in September and pleaded not guilty to lying to the FBI.

In September, former Clinton campaign-linked lawyer Michael Sussman (left) pled not guilty to charges stemming from Durham's probe. More recently, Durham's findings led to the arrest of Russian-born analyst Igor Danchenko (right) late last week

Sussman was indicted for allegedly telling the FBI in September 2016 that he was not doing work 'for any client' when he requested a meeting with the FBI's general counsel to warn them of concerns from cybersecurity researchers of potentially suspicious contact between Russia and the Trump team.

At the meeting the attorney allegedly gave the FBI data and analytics from cybersecurity researchers who thought the numbers might be evidence of hush-hush communications between Trump Organization's computer servers and Alfa Bank - a Kremlin-linked Russian financial institution. The FBI looked into the matter but found no connections.

And the probe is still ongoing, Durham told Fox.

Trump said of Durham's findings on Monday, 'What they did was so illegal, at a level that youve rarely seen before.'

'Now, in all fairness, it looks to me like this is just the early building blocks.'

He said Durham's two indictments after two-and-a-half years prove that 'those are big things that are happening, and what it really shows is what a hoax it was.'

Former Attorney General Bill Barr had tapped Durham, then a US attorney in Connecticut, to look into the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane probe from when it began in July 2016 until Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to take it over in May 2017.

Trump continues to tease a potential 2024 White House bid, with his latest interview on Monday indicating he may have a decision as early as late 2022

Also on Monday, Trump teased election watchers once again by telling the world that he'll 'probably' announce whether he'll run for president again after the upcoming midterm election cycle.

The bombastic Republican leader dropped his latest hint in an interview with Fox, just under a week after Democrats underperformed in off-year elections across the country.

Trump said he's 'certainly thinking about' mounting a 2024 White House bid, but it appears he's waiting to see if Democrats' poor performance will continue in 2022.

'I think a lot of people will be very happy, frankly, with the decision, and probably will announce that after the midterms,' he said.

Last Tuesday Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin defeated former Democratic Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe to lead the Old Dominion state. In New Jersey, incumbent Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy just barely crawled to victory against his GOP challenger, in a race he was easily expected to win.

At the time Trump, like other Republican leaders, celebrated the party's victories.

But on Monday he attempted to muddy the waters about his future aspirations, claiming his frequent hinting that he'll run in 2024 'doesn't mean [he] will.'

'Its probably appropriate, but a lot of people are waiting for that decision to be made,' Trump said.

A recent Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll released last week shows the former president is still the runaway favorite for Republican voters in 2024.

According to that survey, first obtained by The Hill, 47 percent of registered GOP and Independent voters want him to run again.

The next-closest candidate, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, only managed to score 10 percent of support.

'We have a lot, they're very well named,' Trump said of the prospective field.

Along with them a flurry of national Republican figures have at least tested the waters for a 2024 run. Among them are former Vice President Mike Pence, ex-UN ambassador Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Trump celebrated along with other national Republican figures when GOP candidate Glenn Youngkin beat out former Democratic Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe in a stunning upset to be the state's next leader

Youngkin celebrated with supporters last week after beating McAuliffe. Democrats had underperformed in a number of races across the country, prompting some left-wing election watchers to worry about what it means for the 2022 midterms - after which Trump will 'probably' make his decision on whether to run for the White House again

Trump acknowledged the potentially wide array of opponents Monday, but said all those candidates were waiting on him to make the first move.

'A lot of great people who are thinking about running are waiting for that decision, because theyre not going to run if I run,' he said.

He added, 'And thats nice, primarily because it shows a great degree of loyalty and respect.'

Trump declined to name a potential running mate, claiming it's 'very early to be talking about it.'

But it appears Pence, who reportedly fell out with Trump when he refused to try and upend the 2020 election results for him, is probably out of the running.

Asked about DeSantis being a possibility, Trump said: 'Hes a good man, but we have a lot of great people. Hes been good.'

On Haley, his response was also tepid, though he praised her work as his United Nations ambassador.

'She said shed never run if I ran, which I think is a good sign of respect,' Trump said.

'I was very good to her, I thought she did a very good job at what she did with the United Nations. She did an excellent job.'

Though he added, 'every once in a while goes off the rails, and she comes back, which is nice.'

After Trump and DeSantis, 9 percent of voters who responded to the Harvard/Harris poll said Pence would be their choice. Nearly one-fifth said they were unsure.

However in a race without Trump, Pence fares far better. In that scenario the GOP VP comes out on top with 23 percent of voter support, narrowly eking a lead ahead of DeSantis' 21 percent.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz comes in third in that poll with 12 percent of support.
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Daily Covid infections in the UK continued to plummet today, bolstering hopes that the third wave may have already peaked.

The Department of Health posted another 32,322 positive tests across the country in the last 24 hours, down 19.4 per cent last Monday. Cases have dropped week-on-week on all but one day since October 24.

Meanwhile, 57 people died within 28 days of testing positive, which marked a rise on the 40 last week. Deaths lag a few weeks behind cases due to the time it takes for someone to become seriously unwell after catching Covid.

But experts expect fatalities and hospital rates to soon follow cases. New hospital admission data is expected later in the week.

It comes after NHS England boss Amanda Pritchard came under fire for suggesting 14 times as many Covid-infected Britons were in hospital compared to last year, when the figure is actually lower.

The claim was picked up and circulated by a number of mainstream, left-leaning news outlets including Sky News, ITV and The i.

Ms Pritchard made the comments as she urged people to come forward for their booster vaccines and warned the health service was under 'very real pressure'.

Yet latest data from the Government's dashboard shows there were 800 average daily coronavirus admissions and 7,000 inpatients in England on Friday.

This time in November 2020, for comparison, the country was recording about 1,300 Covid hospitalisations each day and there were more than 11,000 patients in hospital with the disease.

Boris Johnson warns 'too many' fully-vaccinated elderly Britons are ending up in hospital with Covid Too many double-jabbed Britons are being hospitalised with Covid, Boris Johnson warned today as he urged people to come forward for booster doses. He said the protection offered by the first two jabs  which wanes after six months  is leading to 'too many elderly people getting into hospital'. But the Prime Minister said the 10million boosters that have been dished out so far are 'very effective' and give people 95 per cent more protection than two doses alone. Mr Johnson urged everyone eligible  including over-50s, health and social care workers and over-16s with underlying health conditions  to come forward for the jab six months after their second dose. Speaking today during a visit to a Hexham General Hospital in Northumberland, Mr Johnson said: 'I'm here to look at what we're doing to encourage people to get their booster jabs and that is the single most important thing that the Government can do at the present time. 'Unfortunately, what you've got at the moment is a situation in which the waning of the original two jabs is starting to see too many elderly people getting into hospital. 'Sadly, the jabs do wane. We've done 10million booster jabs already and it's a very effective thing. 'It's a wonderful thing, people get 95 per cent more protection, so I'm encouraging everybody today to go online if you've gone over five months, you can go online and book.' From today, eligible Britons can book their booster jabs from five months after their second dose, so they can have an appointment at the six-month point. Advertisement

Department of Health data showed 24,979 cases were recorded in England and 2,012 were registered in Scotland, while 4,303 people tested positive in Wales and 1,028 were confirmed in Northern Ireland.

The most recent rise in infections was recorded on October 23, when 52,009 positive cases were reported.

Some 9.3million 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.

Meanwhile, a further 57 people died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus, compared to 40 last Monday.

Hospitalisation data, published last week, shows 1,054 infected people sought NHS care on November 2, a drop of 3.2 per cent on one week earlier.

Some 25,840 first doses and 14,610 second doses were administered across the UK, meaning 50.2million over-12s (87.4 per cent) have had at least one injection and 45.8million (79.7 per cent) fully immunised.

And 209,885 people came forward for their booster jab, bringing the total to 10.3million 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 this winter.

It comes after Ms Pritchard suggested today there were '14 times' more coronavirus patients in hospital now compared to 'this time last year'.

NHS England was later forced to clarify that Ms Pritchard was referring to statistics from the start of September, when Covid hospital rates were in fact higher than the same time last year.

Professor Francois Balloux, director of the University College London Genetics Institute, described Ms Pritchard's claim as 'nonsense' and criticised news organisations for not challenging it.

Other researchers warned that the NHS chief executive had 'abused' the figures while political commentators said it was either the result of 'incompetence or mendacity'.

Paul Mainwood, an Oxford University-educated physicist who challenged Ms Pritchard's claim, tweeted to his 8,000 followers: 'For those who have no idea what I'm on about. The Chief Executive of NHS England abusing statistics...'

Speaking to Sky News about the current NHS pressure, Ms Pritchard said: 'We have had 14 times the number of people in hospital with Covid than we saw this time last year.

'We also had a record number of A&E attendance and a record number of 999 calls. As we look into winter, I think we're very clear this is going to be a difficult winter.

'And the things we encourage people to do is anything they can do to protect themselves, so that's the Covid vaccine, it's the flu vaccination in particular.'

NHS England claimed that the figures quoted by Ms Pritchard were in reference to August, and weren't meant to reflect the current situation.

During a round of interviews this morning, Amanda Pritchard suggested that there were '14 times' more coronavirus patients in hospital now compared to 'this time last year'. Yet latest data from the Government's dashboard shows there were 800 average daily Covid admissions on November 3, compared to almost 1,300 at the same point last year

There were 7,000 inpatients in England on Friday compared to more than 11,000 patients in hospital with the disease on November 5 2020

NHS staff should be forced to have the jab BEFORE winter says former Health Secretary Matt Hancock NHS workers should be forced to get two doses of the Covid vaccine before winter, disgraced former Health Secretary Matt Hancock said today. Mr Hancock  who quit in June after breaching his own social distancing rules by kissing a married colleague  said the move would act as another 'tool to save lives' during what is projected to be a harsh winter for the health service. He also scorned NHS staff who are still not vaccinated and don't have a valid medical reason, warning that it was their 'moral duty' and that they had 'ignored all the scientific and clinical advice'. Ministers have for weeks been considering whether to make Covid jabs compulsory within the health service after pushing through the requirement for care home workers in the summer. But last week the Health Secretary Sajid Javid appeared to push back the plans until April after being warned by NHS bosses that introducing the policy now could leave hospitals understaffed at a crucial period. There are also concerns about whether the move is even necessary, given that more than nine in 10 NHS staff are already vaccinated. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Hancock, who was Health Secretary for three years, warned ministers against delaying compulsory vaccinations for the sector into the new year. He said: 'Having looked at all the evidence, I am now convinced we must require vaccination for everyone who works not just in social care but the NHS  and get it in place as fast as possible... So as we prepare to a face a difficult winter, let's use all the tools we have to save lives. 'Imagine the cancer patient, already battling another deadly disease, being cared for by a nurse. Who can put their hand on their heart and say they'd be happy to tell that patient their nurse could have the vaccine, but has chosen against all scientific and clinical advice to ignore it.' Mr Hancock said doctors and nurses had a 'moral duty' to get the Covid vaccine to protect their patients. Advertisement

But the Government's own Covid dashboard is based on hospital data provided by NHS England and goes up to November 5, slightly behind real time due to a recording lag.

Christopher Snowdon, from the rightwing think-tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, said in a blog post: 'The idea that NHS England does not have access to figures that are updated every day on the dashboard is preposterous.'

Assessing the true pressure of Covid on the NHS has been made difficult because medics argue that other pandemic factors  like social distancing and isolation rules  have a knock-on effect on their ability to treat non-Covid patients.

They are also under additional pressures due to the huge backlog that has amassed during the pandemic.

But Boris Johnson has resisted calls from senior NHS officials to activate the country's winter 'Plan B', which would see the return of compulsory masks and working from home, as well as vaccine passports.

Defending the decision to hold off during a visit to a hospital in Northumberland today, Mr Johnson said he is often presented with 'different scientific advice and different scientists say different things'.

The Prime Minister added: 'We study the data every day, we have reviews with NHS chiefs every day.

'The key thing you want to do is to reduce those pressures, which are building, on the A&Es, on beds, by encouraging people, particularly the over-50s, to come forward and get your booster jab.'

Discussing the reason for his visit, Mr Johnson said: 'I'm here to look at what we're doing to encourage people to get their booster jabs and that is the single most important thing that the Government can do at the present time.

'Unfortunately, what you've got at the moment is a situation in which the waning of the original two jabs is starting to see too many elderly people getting into hospital.

'Sadly, the jabs do wane. We've done 10million booster jabs already and it's a very effective thing.

'It's a wonderful thing, people get 95 per cent more protection, so I'm encouraging everybody today to go online if you've gone over five months, you can go online and book.'

From today, eligible Britons can book their booster jabs from five months after their second dose, so they can have an appointment at the six-month point.

Experts have said this is the 'sweet spot' for increasing immunity against the virus, as this is when protection from the jabs wanes.

Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, angered NHS bosses last month when he claimed that the current pressure on the health service was not 'unsustainable'.

Neither the Government nor health chiefs have put a threshold on the number of admissions or inpatients that the NHS could handle this winter.

But Ms Pritchard herself admitted last month to MPs that the health service has never been overwhelmed during the pandemic, even in the depths of winter last year at the peak of the second wave.

The Government's scientific advisory panel SAGE also released uncharacteristically optimistic modelling which suggested cases will drop naturally in winter due to growing immunity.

Across the UK, daily Covid cases are already in steep decline despite schools returning from half-term at the start of the month.

In all but one day, infections have seen a week-on-week fall every day since October 23 and there are 35,000 on average now compared to around 45,000 in mid-October.

Professor Jim Naismith, director of the Rosalind Franklin Institute at the University of Oxford, joined a chorus of independent scientists in claiming that Britain's third wave has already peaked.

He said he expects hospitalisations and deaths  both of which are lagging indicators  to follow in the coming weeks.

Professor Naismith told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'In terms of cases we certainly appear now to be going down quite quickly and that's certainly what we would hope.

Ms Pritchard (left) made the comments as she urged people to come forward for their booster vaccines (progress, shown right) and warned that the health service was under 'very real pressure'

'The number of hospital admissions is still high, over a 1,000 a day, and the number of deaths is tragically still quite high with just over a 1,000 a week.'

But he added: 'Of course, as cases fall we would expect the other two things to fall in time.'

Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling group advising ministers on the virus  an influential sub-committee of SAGE, also struck a positive tone.

While stating the UK was 'not out of the woods yet' when it came to Covid, he added the country was a long way from facing the prospect of another winter lockdown.

He told Sky News: 'I think we're a long way away from thinking in those terms.

'I think that clearly there is a situation that if the NHS is under severe pressure, if the number of deaths sadly starts to increase, then of course, obviously, there may be discussions around whether more restrictions need to come in.'

Leading experts have attributed Britain's falling Covid cases to a rise in immunity trigged by a combination of the booster vaccine campaign, and the back-to-school wave of infection which triggered the latest wave.

Dr Tildesley added the prospect of a winter lockdown is dependent of how effective the rollout of the Covid vaccine booster programme is, and urged all eligible persons to get their jabs.

'I would hope that, with a very successful vaccination campaign, the idea of a winter lockdown is a long way away,' he said.

'But it is certainly true that if we don't get good immunity across the population, there may need to be perhaps further measures taken. So it's really important that we encourage people to come forward when eligible to take those booster jabs.'

Professor Naismith also highlighted the importance of Covid booster jabs, adding he was eagerly awaiting getting his own. 'I'm certainly looking forward to taking mine the first day I can,' he said.
The boss at the heart of the Post Office IT scandal made a 'palpably false' statement when she told a minister there was nothing to suggest there had been miscarriages of justice.

Over 15 years, hundreds of postmasters were wrongly convicted, bankrupted or driven out of their jobs after being accused of stealing from their tills.

Following a decade-long fight for justice, a judge ruled that computer glitches were to blame for the 'missing' money, and dozens of victims overturned their convictions for theft and fraud.

The scandal is expected to cost the taxpayer in excess of 250 million in legal fees and compensation.

Yesterday, a law professor told the first open hearing of a public inquiry into the scandal of fresh evidence suggesting Paula Vennells, who was chief executive between 2012 and 2019, made false statements to MPs and a minister after evidence of miscarriages of justice came to light.

The 62-year-old mother-of-two, who is also an ordained priest, has been accused of covering up the scandal and spending more than 30 million of taxpayers' money fighting her former staff in court to conceal the truth.

Yesterday, a law professor told the first open hearing of a public inquiry into the scandal of fresh evidence suggesting Paula Vennells, (pictured) who was chief executive between 2012 and 2019, made false statements to MPs and a minister after evidence of miscarriages of justice came to light

The inquiry was told that she wrote to a government minister in June 2015 to say that 'we have found nothing to suggest that, in criminal cases, any conviction is unsafe'.

Richard Moorhead, a professor of law and professional ethics at the University of Exeter, told the inquiry: 'That statement was palpably false, whether Mrs Vennells knew it or not.'

The letter to Tory MP George Freeman, then a parliamentary under-secretary at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, was sent two years after the Post Office was handed a report revealing one of its IT experts may have misled 'many' criminal trials by failing to tell them about computer bugs.

Mrs Vennells made similar comments to a select committee in February 2015, telling them there was 'no evidence' that any postmaster had suffered a miscarriage of justice.

The inquiry was told that she wrote to MP George Freeman (pictured) in June 2015 to say that 'we have found nothing to suggest that, in criminal cases, any conviction is unsafe'

Her involvement in the scandal has sparked calls for her to be stripped of her CBE, which was awarded for services to charity and the Post Office. Mrs Vennells walked away in 2019 with 4.9 million in pay and bonuses, and into jobs in the NHS and the Cabinet Office, from which she has now resigned. The Daily Mail has led the way in exposing the scandal as part of the Save Our Post Offices campaign.

Yesterday, the hearing in London was told that postmasters had suffered 'enormous psychological toll' and the 'shame and humiliation of arrest and prosecution'. The Post Office said it had 'implemented fundamental reforms to ensure that such events of the past could never happen again' and was 'participating fully in the inquiry'. But it faced criticism for failing to release private correspondence between managers and their legal advisers, which it claims is protected by legal privilege.

Mrs Vennells declined to comment last night.
Law enforcement officers have seized $6 million and charged two suspected hackers in connection with a wave of ransomware attacks, including one that brought down businesses on the Fourth of July weekend, U.S. officials revealed on Monday.

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced charges against Ukrainian Yaroslav Vasinskyi, 22, and Russian Yevgeniy Polyanin, 28.

They are accused of being part of the REvil ransomware gang.

President Joe Biden welcomed the moves and said work continued to hold accountable anyone who threatened U.S. security.

'When I met with President Putin in June, I made clear that the United States would take action to hold cybercriminals accountable,' he said.

'Thats what we have done today.

'We are bringing the full strength of the federal government to disrupt malicious cyber activity and actors, bolster resilience at home, address the abuse of virtual currency to launder ransom payments, and leverage international cooperation to disrupt the ransomware ecosystem and address safe harbors for ransomware criminals.'

AG Merrick Garland said: 'The Justice Department is sparing no resource to identify and bring to justice anyone, anywhere who targets the United States with a ransomware attack'

On Monday Attorney General Merrick Garland announced charges against Ukrainian Yaroslav Vasinskyi, 22, and Russian Yevgeniy Polyanin, 28

President Biden welcomed the moves and said work would continue to hold accountable anyone who threatened the security of the U.S.

At a press conference earlier, Garland said: 'The Justice Department is sparing no resource to identify and bring to justice anyone, anywhere who targets the United States with a ransomware attack.'

The Treasury Department also announced sanctions against the pair and a virtual currency exchange, Chatex, which it said was used by criminal gangs.

REvil - also known as Sodinokibi - has been linked in recent months to ransomware targeting the world's largest meat processor, JBS SA, as well as a Fourth of July weekend attack that snarled businesses around the world through a breach of a Florida-based software company called Kaseya.

According to court documents, Vasinskyi was allegedly responsible for the attack on Kaseya, encrypting data on computers of organizations around the world.

The defendants left notes on the computers in the form of text files, which included web addresses. Victims were given a ransom demand a virtual currency address.

If a victim paid the ransom amount, the defendants provided the decryption key, and the victims then were able to access their files.

If a victim did not, the defendants typically posted the victims stolen data or claimed they sold the stolen data to third parties, and victims were unable to access their files.

'Ransomware can cripple a business in a matter of minutes,' said Acting U.S. Attorney Chad E. Meacham for the Northern District of Texas.

'These two defendants deployed some of the internets most virulent code, authored by REvil, to hijack victim computers.'

Officials also announced they seized $6.1 million in funds traceable to alleged ransom payments received by Polyanin, who is charged with launching attacks in Texas on or about Aug. 16, 2019.

Meanwhile, European law enforcement authorities announced Monday that they had arrested two other suspected ransomware operators with links to REvil in Romania.

The Justice Department has tried multiple ways to address a ransomware wave that it regards as a national security and economic threat.

Arrests of foreign hackers are significant for the Justice Department since many of them operate in the refuge of countries that do not extradite their own citizens to the U.S. for prosecution.

The scale of the scourge became apparent over the Fourth of July holiday weekend when hackers hit the IT systems of up to a million companies on virtually every continent and demanded $70million in cryptocurrency to fix it.

Swedish grocery stores, schools in New Zealand, and two major Dutch IT firms were among the victims of hacking group REvil which launched its attack on Friday after breaching the systems of US-based software firm Kaseya.

At the time Kaseya said just a few dozen of its customers were directly affected, but knock-on effects brought down firms in at least 17 countries including US and the UK - with one expert saying the attack is 'unprecedented' in its scale and sophistication.

A month earlier, the same group attacked the worlds largest meatpacking company JBS, disrupting production in North America and Australia.

On Monday, FBI Director Christopher Wray, said: 'The FBI has worked creatively and relentlessly to counter the criminal hackers behind Sodinokibi/REvil.

'Ransomware groups like them pose a serious, unacceptable threat to our safety and our economic well-being.

'We will continue to broadly target their actors and facilitators, their infrastructure, and their money, wherever in the world those might be.'
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Democrats' so-called 'woke problem' was 'made up' to try and push the left away from fighting for racial injustice and election reform, which she claims could help them win.

'One dangerous aspect of thinking there's a 'woke problem' is that Dem chances for re-election or majorities in House, Senate, & WH rely on the racial justice issue of voting rights,' the New York representative tweeted Sunday evening.

She added: 'Dems distancing from racial justice makes protection of voting rights less likely, ensuring losses.'

Republicans and establishment Democrats claimed that the party's embracing a more progressive agenda and going 'woke' contributed to the wave of defeats in last Tuesday's election.

But AOC, to which the lawmaker is more often referred, says that the term 'woke' is a way for the GOP to launch attacks and deflect from civil rights advancements  such as the teaching of Critical Race Theory in schools that became a central issue to the Virginia gubernatorial election.

'Woke' is a term pundits are now using as a derogatory euphemism for civil rights & justice,' Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

'Making up a 'woke' problem results in putting civil & voting rights on the backburner,' she continued. 'In a year state legislatures are planning out GOP majorities & voter suppression, that's dangerous.'

'People think Fox News is just about indoctrinating right-wingers, but it's also about conditioning Dems on what to run away from,' the three-part Twitter thread read.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Republicans and centrist Democrats are creating a fake 'woke problem' to explain away election losses and distract from racial justice problems

The progressive lawmakers said 'woke' is used by pundits as a derogatory term

'Framing racial justice as 'controversial' is key to delaying the protection of voting rights (& others) until it's too late,' she posted, insisting: 'We shouldn't indulge it.'

On Tuesday, Republican newcomer Glenn Youngkin beat former Democratic Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe in the gubernatorial race in a state President Joe Biden won by 10 points in 2020.

The GOP contenders for lieutenant governor and attorney general were also successful.

In New Jersey's gubernatorial race, which was considered a shoe-in for Democrat incumbent Phil Murphy, came down to razor-thin margins during parts of the week with him besting Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli by just 2.6 per cent.

In the 2020 presidential election, Biden won New Jersey by more than 15 points.

Ocasio-Cortez tweets Sunday came after she hit back last week at Clinton strategist James Carville for suggesting 'stupid wokeness' caused the wave of crushing Democrat defeats last Tuesday.

'There are limits to trying to mobilize a campaign with a 100% moderate strategy without mobilizing the base. (I) said nothing abt 'wokeness' which is a term almost exclusively used by older people these days btw,' The Squad Member wrote on Twitter on Friday.

'The average audience for people seriously using the word 'woke' in a 2021 political discussion are James Carville and Fox News pundits. So that should tell you all you need to know,' she added.

On Wednesday, veteran Democrat Carville tore into 'stupid wokeness' as the root of Terry McAuliffe's defeat in the Virginia governor's race and said some members need to go to 'woke detox'.

AOC, however, blamed moderate Democrats for the stinging losses in the Virginia governor race and the tight gubernatorial election in New Jersey.

She said the centrist did not handle Republicans' 'race baiting' and acted like middle schoolers with their fighting over President Joe Biden's Build Back Better agenda.

'Historically moderate Democrats have believed the best way to respond to race baiting by the right is to say little/nothing,' Ocasio-Cortez wrote in an Instagram stories Q&A. 'We see how that demoralizes the base you're supposed to protect and turn out while also ceeding white swing voters to the right w/ inadequate responses or silence.'

Carville, who helped steer Bill Clinton to victory in 1992 aimed squarely at cultural clashes over race, education, and police funding as the heart of the matter, after Republican Glenn Youngkin took down McAuliffe by winning over suburban areas that had gone for Joe Biden just a year ago.

'What went wrong is just stupid wokeness. Don't just look at Virginia and New Jersey. Look at Long Island, look at Buffalo, look at Minneapolis, even look at Seattle, Washington,' Carville said as he ticked off election results in an appearance on PBS News Hour.

'I mean, this 'defund the police' lunacy, this take Abraham Lincoln's name off of schools. I mean that  people see that,' he said.

He said Terry McAuliffe got 'caught up in something national' and blamed it for his loss (McAuliffe also has deep Clinton ties).

Ocasio-Cortez hit back at Clinton strategist James Carville for suggesting 'stupid wokeness' caused the wave of crushing Democrat defeats on Tuesday night

Voters in Minneapolis voted down an effort to replace the police department in the city where George Floyd was killed.

Carville blasted activists and progressives for hijacking the agenda and driving down turnout. Youngkin set a record for votes cast for a statewide candidate in the Commonwealth by driving up support from his own supporters.

'It's just really  has a suppressive effect all across the country on Democrats. Some of these people need to go to a 'woke' detox center or something,' the Louisiana native riffed, while wearing a Louisiana State University sweatshirt and a Tulane hat.

'They're expressing a language that people just don't use, and there's backlash and a frustration at that,' he continued.

'We got to change this and not be about changing dictionaries and change laws,' he said  as Democrats in Washington struggled to agree on President Joe Biden's agenda.

Carville spoke on the PBS News Hour and called out the far-left 'defund the police lunacy'

Analysts are still combing over the election results in Virginia, where Youngkin had a wide lead among parents with school-age children, according to exit polls. Virginia parents expressed frustration with school closures. Youngkin also stressed 'critical race theory' that he said was being pushed by Virginia schools, and ran a campaign ad by a Fairfax County, Virginia mother who said her 'heart sunk' at 'explicit' reading material in her son's school class.

Carville was also referencing a push in San Francisco to rename schools and potential take off the names of Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. The city backed down after a public outcry.

In Buffalo, mayor Mayor Byron W. Brown appears to have prevailed through a write-in campaign against a democratic socialist, India Walton, who beat him in the primary.

Carville, who boosted Clinton with his 'It's the economy, stupid' mantra, weighed in even as 'squad' member Rep. Ilhan Omar retweeted a message saying progressives would get blamed for McAuliffe's loss, suggesting he didn't run left enough.

There were echoes of Carville's critique in comments by Sen. Joe Manchin Thursday, although Manchin spoke to economic issues.

Manchin claimed the US is a 'center-right' country and that President Biden should give up on trying to get the kind of 'major legislation' done that passed under Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson.

'You wanna know what's wrong with the place? I go to work in a hostile work environment every day,' Manchin said

'We can't go too far left,' the West Virginia Democrat told CNN from Capitol Hill on Thursday. 'This is not a center-left or a left country. We are a center  if anything, a little center-right country, that's being shown  and we ought to be able to recognize that.'

'You wanna know what's wrong with the place? I go to work in a hostile work environment every day,' he inveighed, after becoming a center of attention as one of two Democrats in the Senate holding up Biden's economic agenda and demanding changes.

'If you're a Democrat and a Republican is up for election, you're supposed to be against that person,' even if their opponent is 'Donald Duck,' he complained.

'I just saw it to confirm that we have a divided country  I hope it's a wake-up call for all of us,' the West Virginia Democrat told Fox News' Special Report's Bret Baier about the election results on Wednesday.
A lawyer for the woman dubbed 'SoHo Karen' for falsely accusing a black teen of stealing her phone in the lobby of a Manhattan hotel says she has been 'grossly overcharged'.

Miya Ponsetto, 23, appeared in the Manhattan Supreme Court for a status hearing on Monday on the charges she faces - including unlawful imprisonment as a hate crime, aggravated harassment and endangering the welfare of a child, which could see her facing up to 10 years in prison.

Ponsetto's lawyer told the judge that he is trying to 'resolve' the hate crime charge in the case within the next few months.

She went viral last year after attacking 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr. in the lobby of upscale boutique hotel Arlo Soho on December 26, 2020 and falsely accusing him of stealing her iPhone. Harrold Jr. is the son of jazz musician Keyon Harrold.

She later discovered that she forgot her phone in an Uber, and the driver returned it to her.

During a status hearing in court on Monday, criminal defense attorney Paul D'Emilia told DailyMail.com following the hearing that he believed his client was 'grossly overcharged'.

'She was charged with crimes that were greatly enhanced, if I could say that,' he said. 'We don't feel those charges are appropriate, but hopefully there's something that we can reach that will be satisfactory to everybody.'

Miya Ponsetto, who was charged after falsely accusing a black teen of stealing her cell phone inside a boutique hotel last December, appeared at Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday

She was joined by lawyer Paul D'Emilia, who later said his client was 'grossly overcharged'

Ponsetto's actions inside the boutique hotel were filmed by Grammy-winning African American jazz artist Keyon Harrold as she approached his son, Keyon Jr.

In the recording, Ponsetto is seen pushing and grabbing at the father and son, allegedly even scratching Keyon Sr's hands as she attempted to snatch his cell phone, wrongly believing it to be hers.

She remained unapologetic during ensuing media interviews, telling Gayle King that she only regretted making the boy 'feel inferior.'

Ponsetto, who lives in Los Angeles, was initially charged with assault and was permitted to fly back to California on bail, where she remains.

She was arraigned via video conference in June with three new counts: unlawful imprisonment as a hate crime, aggravated harassment and endangering the welfare of a child.

Ponsetto was initially charged with assault following the hotel scuffle, but was in June arraigned on three new counts: unlawful imprisonment as a hate crime, aggravated harassment and endangering the welfare of a child

Ponsetto's actions inside the boutique hotel were filmed by Grammy-winning African American jazz artist Keyon Harrold (right) as she approached his son, Keyon Jr. (left)

D'Emilia said the situation has left his client feeling shaken.

'Obviously she gets a lot of unwanted attention. she gets a lot of inappropriate calls and letters and things like that,' he said.

'She's just trying to get our life together. She's working and just trying to get by and make the best of the situation. It's a little frightening for her.'

Ponsetto remained unapologetic during ensuing media interviews, telling Gayle King that she only regretted making the boy 'feel inferior'

Ponsetto did offer a roundabout apology to the boy during an interview earlier this year with CBS, saying: 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart. He is honestly - he's 14? That's what they're claiming? Yeah. I'm 22. I've lived probably just the same amount of life as him. Like, honestly. I'm just as a kid at heart as he is,' she said.

'I feel sorry that I made the family go through, like, all of that stress. But at the same time, it wasn't just them going through that.

'I don't feel like this one mistake does define me,' Ponsetto said. 'I consider myself to be super sweet. I'm a 22-year-old girl... how is one girl accusing a guy about a phone a crime?'

Ponsetto was flown from her California home in January and charged for the alleged attack

Ponsetto remains shaken by the situation, which is 'a little frightening for her,' her lawyer said

Ponsetto claimed she'd been stopping everyone in the hotel lobby.

'I was approaching the people that had been exiting the hotel - because in my mind, anybody exiting might be the one trying to steal my phone,' she said.

Moments after the hotel scuffle, an Uber driver reportedly returned the missing phone to Ponsetto.

Harrold and Keyon Jr.'s mother, Kat Rodriguez, staged a rally in Manhattan shortly after the incident alongside their attorney Ben Crump and Reverend Al Sharpton.

She is reportedly hoping to have the charges 'resolved' within the next few months

'When I saw this story, I thought about how I was one of those kids whose father never took him anywhere for Christmas, never had brunch with my father,' Sharpton said.

'And for this Black man to take his Black son, put him in a hotel during a pandemic, and spend Christmas with him, raising him, and to be assaulted because of the color of their skin, I wanted to stand with this man and this woman who provided for their son, and they're being criminalized for it. The arrogance and audacity of this woman.'
Adam Wyden lives in Florida and runs a hedge fund worth $350 million

Oregon Democratic Senator Ron Wyden's son, a Florida-based hedge fund millionaire, put his liberal dad and his 'cronies' in Congress on blast Sunday night after the lawmaker used an exchange with Elon Musk to again promote his proposed billionaire's tax.

Adam Wyden, 37, was responding to a comment his father left on the Tesla CEO's Saturday night Twitter poll asking, 'Much is made lately of unrealized gains being a means of tax avoidance, so I propose selling 10% of my Tesla stock. Do you support this?'

The elder Wyden ripped Musk's cavalier attitude in leaving a decision about thousands of tax dollars to social media.

'Whether or not the worlds wealthiest man pays any taxes at all shouldnt depend on the results of a Twitter poll. Its time for the Billionaires Income Tax,' the Senator wrote.

His son jumped in with a forceful response on Sunday evening.

'Why does he hate us / the American dream so much?!?!?!?!' Adam Wyden wrote.

'Reality is: most legislators have never built anything so I guess its easier to mindlessly and haphazardly try and tear stuff down.'

He then flaunted his own financial success, writing: 'Thankfully, I think I can compound faster than my dad and his cronies can confiscate it'

Musk threw his own childish insult at Senator Wyden as well.

'Why does ur pp look like u just came?' the billionaire bizarrely quipped.

Wyden had introduced his proposal for a Billionaire's Tax on unrealized gains in late October as a way to pay for President Joe Biden's Build Back Better agenda. It was quickly derailed by bipartisan concerns and questions over the plan's constitutionality.

It was since scrapped in favor of a surtax on wealthy Americans making more than $10 million.

He sounded off at his father when the Oregon senator got into a Twitter spat with Tesla CEO Elon Musk

His dad, Democrat Senator Ron Wyden (pictured with wife Nancy Bass Wyden) is one of the architects of the billionaire's tax

The billionaire's tax was a proposal that would tax the ultra wealthy on the year-to-year value certain assets gain, while currently they only have to pay penalties at the time of sale.

Millionaires and billionaires generally borrow money against these assets to build more wealth while keeping their taxable finances low.

The proposed tax would have hit the gains of those with more than $1 billion in assets or incomes of more than $100 million a year. The rate would align with the capital gains rate, now 23.8 percent.

That means Adam Wyden, whose share in his $350 million hedge fund is valued at $100 million, would be one of the ultra-wealthy Americans forced to pay up.

His firm, ADW Capital Partners, relies on investing in 'micro- and small-cap stocks mostly ignored by analysts and large hedge funds,' according to a Forbes business profile on him written earlier this year.

It's also the biggest financial backer of Texas-based RCI Hospitality, which runs as many as 40 gentlemen's clubs as well as famous New York City strip club Rick's Cabaret.

Just this year Adam Wyden and his wife closed a deal on a Miami Beach mansion worth nearly $14 million

The six-bedroom 7,000 square-foot home sits on Miami Beach's exclusive Allison Island

The younger Wyden, though reportedly not registered with a major political party, appears to have acted on a more conservative fiscal position when he moved his company and his family from tax-heavy New York to business-friendly Florida last year.

He also didn't shy away from expressing his anger at the Biden administration back in April, over a proposal to raise the capital-gains tax to nearly 40 percent for taxpayers earning $1 million per year or more.

Billionaire's Tax: Quick Facts Affects people making more than $100M annually or own more than $1 billion in assets for 3 or more years

When selling tangible assets like real estate or a business, they would pay a 'deferral recapture amount' in interest on top of their usual tax

It's estimated the tax will raise $250 billion over 10 years

Architects of the billionaires tax say it will affect roughly 700 people

Marked to market: Billionaires would pay taxes on tradable assets like stocks if they increase in value year-over, rather than just when they are sold Advertisement

The investing wiz called Biden's tax plan 'anti-American.'

'Im very disappointed with American governance right now. Do you think any of these guys actually know what theyre doing?' Adam Wyden said of the government his dad is part of the majority for.

But he had also conceded to Forbes at the time that 'I dont think I have any sway over my father' and the liberal tax policies the Oregon senator favors.

Instead, the young multi-millionaire appears focused on building his wealth as quickly as he can - and showing it, as a flashy new real estate purchase indicates.

Adam Wyden, whose name on Twitter references an Orthodox Jewish phrase expressing compassion and the will to better society, put his name on the deed to a $14 million waterfront mansion in July.

The home is located on Miami Beach's exclusive Allison Island and boasts sic bedrooms across 7,000 square feet, according to property news site The Real Deal.

But his Democrat dad isn't exactly living modestly, either.

Ron Wyden and his second wife, Nancy Bass Wyden, reportedly split their time between Portland and Washington, DC. They also frequented New York City, where they put a $7.5 million townhouse in Manhattan's wealthy Gramercy Park section up for sale in 2016.

Bass Wyden, Adam Wyden's step-mother, is the owner of Strand bookstore, a famous NYC fixture that was founded by her grandfather in 1927.

She got into hot water last year when the lawmaker's wife made a public plea for donations to help mitigate the store's plummeting revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic, while also having received a generous federal pandemic loan.

For the most part, Adam Wyden's Twitter page is free of political commentary, instead choosing to post investment tips and updates on his financial ventures.
A trio of pesky crows are causing chaos and being a nuisance along one of Gold Coast's most popular strips.

The birds have made themselves at home in Cavill Avenue at Surfers Paradise, where they have taken to frequently divebombing and swooping at passers-by in rare displays of aggression which have baffled experts.

Not only do the highly intelligent creatures hold grudges against specific people but they also proving to be almost impossible to catch.

A murder of terrorising crows (one pictured) have made themselves at home in Surfers Paradise during breeding season

'They don't seem to hit anybody, they are just scaring the crap out of people,' Griffith University behavioural ecologist Darryl Jones told Nine News.

'It's not to be expected, it's still really unusual, but some crows have taken to doing it. Nobody really understands why.'

Passers-by who are frequently swooped by the crows are advised to take a different route during breeding season between July and December.

Other tips include making eye contact with the crows, wearing sunglasses and avoiding areas where they're nesting, which they defend during breeding season.

The intelligent birds hold grudges towards specific passers-by who frequent Cavill Avenue

'They will remember individual people, they will swoop them and probably give their lives hell,' Mr Jones said.

'So if you're getting swooped by a crow, go a different direction until the crows have finished their breeding season.'

Gold Coast Council says it investigates all reports of swooping birds but says some are difficult to capture and relocate.

'Crows are so insanely smart that they're virtually impossible to catch,' Mr Jones said.

The Queensland department of environment says it's often better to remove what is attracting crows in the first place than capturing and relocating them elsewhere.

'If theyre not a problem, leave them alone,' the website states.
Queensland will scrap indoor mask rules when the state hits the 80 per cent single-dose vaccination mark on Tuesday, the state's premier has announced.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said masks would no longer be needed in venues such as schools, cafes, pubs, hairdressers and workplaces when that Covid vaccination coverage level is reached.

The Queensland premier has flagged the state will reach that milestone by Tuesday.

Residents in NSW and Victoria though must still wear a face covering in public indoor settings - with the latter yet to set a date for removing the rule.

In NSW, masks are compulsory in all public indoor settings until December 15 or the state hits the 95 per cent double-dose milestone - whichever comes first.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will scrap indoor mask rules this week when the state hits the 80 per cent single-dose vaccination mark

The announcement comes after the Sunshine State recorded no new Covid cases on Monday amid concerns about potential exposure at opposite ends of the state.

Health Minister Yvette D'Ath says no cases emerged after 5879 tests in the past 24 hours to 6.30am on Monday.

'We've had zero new cases today, which is fantastic news, so well done,' she said.

Deputy Chief Health Officer Peter Aitken said it was relieving no new infections had emerged in the far north after a case who triggered a lockdown in the Northern Territory was also infectious in Cairns and Mission Beach two weeks ago.

However, concerns remain about potential exposure at Toowoomba Hospital linked to an outbreak in Goondiwindi in southern Queensland.

Darling Downs Health restricted visitors on Sunday afternoon and Ms D'Ath said limits will remain in place indefinitely.

Queensland Health has also listed two new low risk exposure sites at Brisbane Airport domestic terminal, both on Friday.

As the state approaches the milestone of 80 per cent of eligible Queenslanders having a first vaccine dose, businesses and the opposition have been calling for clarity on rules in premises and venues.

The government's roadmap is for quarantine to be scrapped for fully-vaccinated domestic travellers who test negative once the state reaches 80 per cent.

Queensland recorded no new Covid cases on Monday amid concerns about potential exposure at opposite ends of the state. Pedestrians are pictured wearing masks in the Brisbane CBD on September 28

Businesses want to know how restrictions such as face masks, density limits and social distancing rules will change.

The health minister said she couldn't provide more clarity because the virus was so unpredictable, adding that no jurisdiction has been able to do that.

'There's been a lot of consultation with business, a lot of consultation with the retail sector, the hospitality tourism sector,' Ms D'Ath said.

'We'll continue to work with them to provide as much clarity as we can, but what we know about this virus is you can only provide so much clarity.'

However, Dr Aitken confirmed authorities were planning specific business and venue rules relating to vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

Pedestrians are pictured out and about enjoying a drink in Sydney for their first Friday night of freedom on October 15. Residents in NSW must still wear a face covering in public indoor settings until December 15 or the state hits the 95 per cent double-dose milestone - whichever comes first

Ms D'Ath said that Doherty Institute modelling and the experiences of other states on the need for lockdowns and quarantine, including for international travellers, will be considered by the government.

Queensland is waiting until 90 per cent of residents are fully vaccinated before quarantine is scrapped for international arrivals, while NSW and Victoria have already done so.

Lockdowns are also less likely in regions where vaccination rates have passed 80 per cent.

'When we have really high vaccination rates like Goondiwindi we know that we don't necessarily have to go into a lockdown,' Ms D'Ath said.

Overall, 67.4 per cent of eligible Queenslanders are fully vaccinated, and 79.6 per cent have had one dose on Monday.
The White House on Monday batted away questions about controversial plans to pay compensation to families separated at the border - just days after President Biden said he was in favor of payments to people who suffered under the Trump administration's zero tolerance policy.

Last week Biden said reports he was planning to pay as much as $450,000 to separated families were 'garbage' before apparently backtracking.

The result has been an administration under pressure from both left and right to explain its plans.

But White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre offered no further clarity when asked about the issue during the daily briefing on Monday.

'I will direct you to the Department of Justice for any specifics on that,' she said.

'You've asked us this question.

'We have answered it and I will refer you to the Department of Justice on any specifics.'

White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre referred questions about compensation for separated families to the Department of Justice. It comes after a series of reversals about whether the administration was planning to pay compensation to families separated at the border under Trump and how much the payments would be

Biden initially dismissed the reports as 'garbage' but later delivered a passionate defense, saying 'the outrageous behavior of the last administration' meant it was right to compensate parents who had their children taken away from them at the border

Her reticence is a new departure for a White House that has been keen to respond to the reports.

Details surfaced first in the Wall Street Journal last week. It reported that the Biden administration was in talks to offer immigrant families separated at the border up to $450,000 a person in compensation.

Biden was asked about it last week and dismissed the claim as 'garbage.'

'But it's not true,' he said without getting into further details.

That attracted the anger of the American Civil Liberties Union, which said the president either had not been briefed properly or was abandoning a promise to undo Trump's strictest immigration laws.

'President Biden may not have been fully briefed about the actions of his very own Justice Department as it carefully deliberated and considered the crimes committed against thousands of families separated from their children as an intentional governmental policy,' ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero told Fox News.

But Jean-Pierre took a different line when she was asked about it in the briefing room a day later.

'If it saves taxpayer dollars and puts the disastrous history of the previous administration's use of "zero tolerance" and family separation behind us, the president is perfectly comfortable with the Department of Justice settling with the individuals and families who are currently in litigation with the US government,' she said.

A U.S. Border Patrol agent gives instructions to immigrant families as they prepare to board transport to a processing center after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in La Joya, Texas

Biden tried to clear things up on Saturday after speaking about the passage of the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill.

He said he had been referring only to the figure of $450,000 rather than the idea of compensating families that were split up when Fox News's David Spunt asked him about his 'garbage comments.

'No I didn't say that,' he said. 'Let's get it straight, you said everybody coming across the border gets $450,000.'

Instead, he offered a passionate defense of the principle.

'If in fact, because of the outrageous behavior of the last administration, you were coming across the border, whether it was legal or illegal, and you lost your child,' he said raising his voice, 'you lost your child - it's gone - you deserve some kind of compensation, no matter what the circumstance.

'What that will be, I have no idea. I have no idea.'

The idea brought a quick backlash from critics.

Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is a possible 2024 presidential candidate, described the proposal as a 'slap in the face' to hardworking Americans.

'I mean, you think about it, Americans are getting more in their gas bills,' he said.

'They're getting more in their grocery bills.

'You've had all kinds of really bad policies throughout our country that have limited freedom.



'And you're going to turn around for that and you're going to do $475,000 for an individual that came illegally to this country?'
France has decided to back down in the fishing row with the UK because it wants closer ties on defence, it emerged yesterday.

Officials in Paris said President Emmanuel Macron wants a truce in the cross-Channel war of words over access to British fishing waters.

They added that European governments need the UKs military might if they are to wean themselves off their dependence on the US.

In the clash over fishing, France had repeatedly threatened punishment sanctions such as stopping British trawlers docking in ports or slapping extra customs checks on goods.

Last week one of Mr Macrons most trusted aides, Europe minister Clement Beaune, insisted that all options are still on the table.

Officials said President Emmanuel Macron (pictured giving a speech at a culture event on Monday) wants a truce in the cross-Channel war of words over access to British fishing waters

His comments came after France scrapped a deadline to win more post-Brexit fishing licences.

Senior sources inside Mr Macrons Republic On The Move party said the greater prize of security co-operation with Britain convinced the French leader to avoid souring ties further

An insider told the Daily Mail: We cannot rely on Italy, Spain and Germany. The president knows that, whichever way you cut it, there can be no European defence without the British.

There are strategic challenges to face that are much more important than arguing over a few small fishing trawlers.

It comes after the French impounded Scottish-registered scallop dredger Cornelis Gert Jan after accusing the crew of fishing off Normandy without a proper licence. It was later released.

British officials had dismissed Mr Macrons previous hardline stance as theatre ahead of next Aprils presidential election in France.

Any increase in defence ties with Britain is likely to happen after the vote. Mr Macron, pictured, has made strengthening European defence a major policy priority, warning that without an increase in spending Europe risks becoming irrelevant globally.

Senior sources said the prize of security co-operation with Britain convinced Mr Macron to avoid souring ties further. Pictured: A British trawler that was impounded in France during row

The debacle in Afghanistan that followed the hasty US pullout left allies such as Britain and France incapable of facing the Taliban alone.

In a speech last month, Brexit minister Lord Frost suggested Britain and other EU countries could do more together on foreign policy and defence if rows could be solved.

Ties between No 10 and France have also been strained by disputes over the Northern Ireland Protocol and a submarine deal with Australia and the US that saw a 26billion contract with Paris ripped up.

France briefly recalled its ambassadors to Washington and Canberra over unacceptable behaviour. Frances envoy to the UK, Catherine Colonna, remained in London, but a planned defence summit was postponed.

The Governments latest review of post-Brexit defence policy said Downing Street wanted to enhance its partnership with France, provided that trade ties were managed in a constructive way.

The last defence pact between Britain and France dates to 2010 when the countries agreed to create the Combined Joint Expeditionary Force military group and to co-operate on missile and nuclear technology.

Last year, Boris Johnson (pictured today) promised a four-year 16.5bn splurge on defence to upgrade British capabilities and experts say Britain is seen as Europe's major military power

Frances latest strategic review raised the possibility of boosting ties with the UK on issues such as defence procurement.

The UK is the biggest military spender in Europe, with an annual budget of 43billion, while France is second on 38.9billion, according to data from the World Bank.

Last year, Boris Johnson promised a four-year 16.5billion splurge on defence to upgrade British capabilities.

Nato strategist Julian Lindley-French said: Britain is Europes major military power. There is nowhere else for France to turn to.

Asked about closer security co-operation with Paris once solutions can be found to the fishing and Ulster rows, a Government source said: There are many areas of mutual interest which we can build upon if we can get the relationship on to a better footing.
Barack Obama has been trolled for claiming he was on the 'Emerald Isles' during his COP26 speech in Scotland.

The former US President became the latest American to get confused about his whereabouts during the Climate Change conference.

His gaffe came a week after CNN journalist Wolf Blitzer wrongly announced that he was reporting from where 20,000 delegates had gathered in Edinburgh.

Posting a picture of himself with Edinburgh Castle in the background, Blitzer tweeted: Im 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. Its the 26th time they have gathered to discuss and take action on this critical issue.

Obama, who seems to have confused Scotland with Ireland, was addressing the United Nations summit in Glasgow to talk about his concerns on rising global temperatures.

Barack Obama has been trolled for claiming he was on the 'Emerald Isles' during his COP26 speech in Scotland

His gaffe came a week after CNN journalist Wolf Blitzer wrongly announced that he was reporting from where 20,000 delegates had gathered in Edinburgh

He also used his speech to reference English playwright William Shakespeare which was also to the shock of many Scots who tuned in. They regard Robert Burns as their Bard.

During his near 45-minute speech, the 60-year-old quoted from Othello.

Obama said: Since we're here in the Emerald Isles, let me quote the bard. What wound did ever heal but by degrees?

Our planet has been wounded by our actions - those wounds won't be healed today, or tomorrow, or the next, but they can be healed by degrees.

If we start with that spirit and each of us can fight through the occasional frustration and dread, if we pledge to do our part and then follow through on those commitments, I believe we can secure a better future. We have to.

And what a profound and noble task to set for ourselves.

Im ready for the long haul if you are, so let's get to work.

Obama also used his speech to reference English playwright William Shakespeare which was also to the shock of many Scots who tuned in. They regard Robert Burns as their Bard

Twitter users were quick to jump on the Emerald Isles slip up from the former president.

Jamie Green wrote: Did Obama just refer to Scotland as the Emerald Isles then quote Shakespeare???

@SCDave86 tweeted: I like Obama. But Emerald Isles? Really?

Shirley Weeks said: Barack Obama is in the Emerald Isles. We're all in Scotland.

Tracy Rouleau wrote on Twitter: Just wondering if I am the only person who thinks that Obama, in Scotland, calling it the Emerald Isles is gonna p*** a lot of people off

Moira O'Brien tweeted saying: The Emerald Isle is the country of Ireland. You are in Scotland and "these isles" are definitely not emerald. Enjoyed your speech though.

Channel 4 news presenter Matt Frei said: @BarackObama just said he was on the emerald isles.

Alan Gillies tweeted: Sadly, climate change deniers will now attempt to distract from the message of #Cop26 by pointing out that

@BarackObama finished his speech in #Glasgow, Scotland by stating he was "in the 'Emerald Isles' here", just before CNN's @jimscuitto called him "former President O'Biden.
Victoria is nearing 100,000 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began.

The state reached 98,130 total cases as of Monday.

Based on current trends, it is expected to reach 100,000 by the end of this week.

Victoria recorded a further 1126 new locally acquired cases and five deaths of people aged in their 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s on Monday, bringing the state's toll across the pandemic to 1182.

It was the fifth day in a row that the state recorded numbers over 1000.

While active cases hover over 16,000, the number of Victorians in hospital battling the virus continues to fall.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews speaks to the media during a press conference in Melbourne

There are 556 COVID-19 patients in hospital, with 91 in intensive care including 54 on ventilators.

It has dropped the state's seven-day hospitalisation average by 20 to 628.

Some 84.1 per cent of Victorians over 12 are fully vaccinated, with data analysts predicting the state could hit its 90 per cent target as early as November 23.

The Victorian government on Monday announced rapid tests will be trialled by up to 20 outbreak-stricken schools, before being rolled out to all schools across the state from November 15.

The approved at-home tests, part of a stockpile of 200,000 secured by the state government, will be offered to unvaccinated students deemed primary close contacts of a positive case at school.

It will allow students to return to face-to-face learning after seven days in isolation, rather than the current requirement of 14.

But they will still need to provide a negative PCR test on day six and return a negative rapid test before school from days eight to 14 after exposure.
A Tory MP has earned hundreds of thousands of pounds from a second job that saw him vote in Parliament remotely from the Caribbean.

Geoffrey Cox, a QC and former attorney general, is advising the government of the British Virgin Islands, a tax haven accused of corruption.

He took advantage of lockdown rules to cast votes in the Commons by proxy as he worked 4,000 miles away on the lucrative contract earlier this year, a source disclosed.

Geoffrey Cox pictured with his wife Jeanie. He has been paid almost 900,000 by an international law firm over the past year and received more than 130,000 for other legal work

Sir Geoffrey yesterday revealed he has earned more than 1million from outside legal work over the past year on top of his 82,000 salary as a backbencher.

A Whitehall insider said: While he should have been in the UK working for his constituents hes been over in the British Virgin Islands doing his second job working as a barrister and advising those accused of trousering cash for their mates.

The revelation is likely to prompt fresh calls for reform of the regulations surrounding MPs second jobs.

It came as Boris Johnson was accused of running scared after he snubbed a fiery Commons debate yesterday following the row over the Governments botched attempt to block the suspension of disgraced Tory MP Owen Paterson.

According to a source Sir Geoffrey, who is known for being the highest-earning MP, spent up to a month in the British Virgin Islands working for Withers, an international law firm

In other developments yesterday:

Labour took a narrow opinion poll lead over the Conservatives for the first time in 12 months;

A Tory MP said he was close to sending in a letter of no confidence in Mr Johnsons leadership  the first step towards a possible contest to replace him;

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said the attempt by the Tories to tear up sleaze rules had showcased parliament at its worst;

Another disgraced Tory MP, Daniel Kawczynski, is facing a Commons ban over a clash with the sleaze watchdog;

The SNP wrote to the Metropolitan Police calling for an investigation into cash for honours claims, following revelations that a string of Tory donors have been appointed to the Lords;

Parliament faced mounting pressure to scrap the system of offering passes to former MPs, which could allow Mr Paterson to have continued privileged access to Westminster institutions ;

The PM said he had not discussed a future peerage with Mr Paterson but refused to rule out the idea.

Sir Geoffrey, who is known for being the highest-earning MP, spent up to a month in the British Virgin Islands working for Withers, an international law firm, while voting by proxy in the Commons, a source said.

Sir Geoffrey is advising the government of the British Virgin Islands, a tax haven accused of corruption

He has been paid almost 900,000 by Withers over the past year and received more than 130,000 for other legal work.

He is thought to have been in the BVI in April and May this year. He was recorded as arriving on April 26, while the Commons was debating global anti-corruption sanctions.

A press release on the BVI government website for that day stated that Sir Geoffrey was currently in quarantine but intends to hold a series of meetings with government ministers in the next few weeks.

He was listed among MPs eligible for a proxy vote that day.

The register of financial interests shows he received 156,916.08 from Withers for work undertaken between April 29 and May 31, 2021, totalling 140 hours.

Sir Geoffrey, who was sacked as attorney general last year, has been representing the government of the BVI, a British Overseas Territory, in an inquiry into the governance of the islands.

It was launched in January by the Foreign Office to establish whether there was evidence of corruption, abuse of office or other serious dishonesty that has taken place in public office in recent years.

The inquiry has heard allegations of unaudited spending and contracts being handed out to politically-connected people.

The hearings have exposed tensions between the BVIs local government and its governor, who is appointed by the UK.

A senior Whitehall source accused Sir Geoffrey of pocketing hundreds of thousands of pounds to help stop the exposure of corruption in a Caribbean paradise.

Appledore in Geoffrey Coxs Devon constituency. The Tory MP yesterday revealed he has earned more than 1million from outside legal work over the past year on top of his 82,000 salary as a backbencher

At the time, coronavirus restrictions meant MPs could participate in Commons debates via Zoom and vote by a proxy  meaning they did not have to come to Westminster.

Sir Geoffrey was hired by Withers in September last year as its consultant global counsel to advise on private and overseas government clients, according to the firms website.

A post announcing his appointment noted that he remained MP for Torridge and West Devon and a privy counsellor, and would still practise as a barrister at Thomas More Chambers in London.

The British Government is funding the core cost of the commission of inquiry in the BVI, but will not pay the fees associated with legal counsels appointed by individuals or organisations.

Labour MP Karl Turner said yesterday: How does Geoffrey Cox find time to do his job as a constituency MP?

It comes amid growing calls for MPs to be banned from having second jobs which involve consultancy work. Sir Geoffrey was providing legal work, but many of his colleagues take on paid positions as consultants.

Sir Geoffrey did not respond to a request for comment last night.
Another disgraced Tory MP is facing a Commons ban over a clash with the sleaze watchdog.

Daniel Kawczynski  a parliamentary neighbour and political ally of scandal-hit Owen Paterson  was ordered to say sorry after Standards Commissioner Kathryn Stone found him guilty of bullying.

He had ranted at parliamentary staffers when he could not join a virtual meeting, then made baseless complaints about them when drunk.

But he admitted on the same day as his apology that he did not mean it and was only going through the motions to avoid being suspended from the House.

As a result of his insincere speech in the Commons chamber in June, Mr Kawczynski is under investigation again by Miss Stone for the second time in five months.

Daniel Kawczynski (pictured)  a parliamentary neighbour and political ally of scandal-hit Owen Paterson  was ordered to say sorry after Standards Commissioner Kathryn Stone found him guilty of bullying

This time he is accused of actions causing significant damage to the reputation of the House and faces a more severe punishment if he is found to have breached the MPs Code of Conduct. Miss Stones ruling on Mr Kawczynski is expected shortly.

It is the latest in a series of controversies involving the MP, whose Shrewsbury and Atcham seat borders the North Shropshire constituency of Mr Paterson.

Mr Kawczynski was among the Tory MPs who voted last week to spare his fellow Brexiteer a Commons ban for lobbying.

In 2017 as allegations of harassment of women swept Parliament, he was reported to have once pressured a young female parliamentary researcher to go on a date with a wealthy contact of his.

As a result of his insincere speech in the Commons chamber in June, Mr Kawczynski is under investigation again by Standards Commissioner Kathryn Stone for the second time in five months

Deputy Speaker and fellow Tory, Dame Eleanor Laing, who employed the female aide, angrily confronted Mr Kawczynski over his inappropriate behaviour.

Then in June this year he was shamed by a standards report over his behaviour at the start of the pandemic.

After he was unable to join in a committee meeting by video link in April 2020, Mr Kawczynski made repeated complaints to the support staff who were trying to help him.

He kept phoning one of the committee staff, telling him this is a scandal, an outrage, you are useless and branding him part of the snowflake generation.

Later he rang one of the committee workers managers whilst under the influence of alcohol in an inappropriate attempt to make a meritless complaint about them.

He was found to have acted in a threatening and intimidating manner.

The Standards Commissioner concluded that Mr Kawczynskis behaviour amounted to bullying and was made worse by his abuse of power and lack of contrition.

He was told to make an apology by the Independent Expert Panel, which decides on sanctions in bullying cases.

But he appealed, claiming he faced serious difficulties in his constituency, partly as a result of a flooding crisis, but also because of his 6ft 9in height, which makes him the tallest MP.

His height made him very conspicuous and he had come under repeated attack by members of the public, he claimed.

Mr Kawczynski (second from right) is a parliamentary neighbour and political ally of scandal-hit Owen Paterson (far right)

Mr Kawczynskis appeal was rejected and he was ordered to make a public apology on the floor of the House, in which he said: I did not swear nor raise my voice but my behaviour led to two complaints.

I have reflected on my behaviour, I accept it constituted bullying and as such was entirely inexcusable.

But on the same day he told BBC Radio Shropshire: I must apologise because if I dont apologise then I risk the option of being sanctioned further  namely being suspended from the House of Commons or expelled from the House of Commons.

At the same time he told a national newspaper that making the apology was something I am going to have to do and he would use the script he had been provided  although he denied it meant he was doing it with his fingers crossed behind his back.

Mr Kawczynski first gained notoriety in 2013 when he told a one-legged drug addict outside Westminster tube station to stop begging and get a job.

The MP, who was an adviser to David Cameron on Eastern Europe, also faced criticism over his support for Saudi Arabia, leading several delegations to the country and defending its role in the war in Yemen.

Last year he was condemned for appearing at a conference with Right-wing populists Viktor Orban of Hungary and Matteo Salvini of Italy.

Mr Kawczynski declined to comment.
A Regimental Sergeant Major has been suspended over claims of drunken approaches to colleagues wives that caused a punch-up at a formal military dinner.

Warrant Officer Mike Ransley, RSM of the elite Infantry Battle School, has been relieved of responsibilities while the claims are investigated.

The news came as Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, reprimanded top brass yesterday following a series of scandals including claims of sexual harassment of female military personnel, one of whom took her own life.

Warrant Officer Mike Ransley (pictured), RSM of the elite Infantry Battle School, has been relieved of responsibilities while the claims are investigated

The news came as Ben Wallace (pictured), the Defence Secretary, reprimanded top brass yesterday following a series of scandals including claims of sexual harassment of female military personnel, one of whom took her own life

Minister orders generals to end culture of sexism Defence Secretary Ben Wallace yesterday ordered Army chiefs to stamp out sexism with a major overhaul of regimental culture. He summoned generals for an unprecedented dressing-down after scandals including claims that soldiers killed a prostitute in Kenya and allegations that a female officer cadet who killed herself had been sexually harassed. Only last week a teenage trooper from the Royal Artillery was jailed for seven years for raping one female colleague and sex assaults on two others. Mr Wallace, an ex-Army officer, is said to be exasperated by the failure to improve discipline and he has ordered an immediate cultural review. In July a report revealed that two-thirds of women in the Armed Forces had experienced bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination. Advertisement

The latest allegations of misconduct surround a social function at the battle school at Brecon in Powys, mid-Wales.

The Warrant Officers and Sergeants Mess dinner was attended by instructors who teach battlefield skills to thousands of soldiers every year.

They were dressed formally, accompanied by their wives, and a considerable amount of alcohol was consumed, according to sources.

Senior officers are investigating claims that towards the end of the evening WO1 Ransley approached a group of wives and spoke and acted inappropriately.

Some reports suggested he was unnecessarily tactile towards the women, who objected to his advances.

A fight then ensued, with punches exchanged as other Warrant Officers reacted furiously to his alleged actions.

The RSM, who is said to have been very drunk, was then escorted from the Mess by colleagues. Last night official MOD sources denied claims he had touched up the wives.

WO1 Ransley, of the Princess of Waless Royal Regiment, was appointed Regimental Sergeant Major of the Infantry Battle School in June.

A temporary RSM has been appointed pending the outcome of the investigation into his conduct.

His removal from post was confirmed in a letter to staff by the schools commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Damian Flanagan.

He wrote: I spoke with the Warrant Officers yesterday evening but I owe you all an update for the sake of clarity.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace yesterday ordered Army chiefs to stamp out sexism with a major overhaul of regimental culture. Pictured: Chief of the General Staff, General Mark Carleton-Smith at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst

Most will be aware by now, Im sure, but last Friday I suspended the RSM from his post pending an investigation into allegations of social misconduct during the social function in the Mess last month.

Obviously it is a sensitive issue and I ask you to be thoughtful and considerate in how you go about discussing this. Rumour and speculation are unhelpful and will do more harm than good  we all have a role in moderating the excesses when we hear of it.

It is of course a reminder of the behaviours, values and standards that we are expected to maintain.

But this should not restrain our ambitions and aspirations to return to social normality social functions are an important part of the military fabric and must (and will) continue.

Last night the Ministry of Defence said: We are aware of an incident involving a soldier at the Infantry Battle School on October 16.

The matter is currently the subject of an ongoing investigation and it would be inappropriate to comment further.
Police are searching for a hit-run driver after a horrific crash in Melbourne claimed the life of one man and critically injured another.

The tragic incident at Carrum Downs in Melbourne's south-east occurred around 7.15am when the driver of a red Holden struck a group of workers on Hall Road, near the intersection of Lats Avenue.

One person was killed and a second person was airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the vehicle fled the scene on foot.

The tragic incident at Carrum Downs in Melbourne's south-east occurred around 7.15am when the driver of a red Holden struck a group of workers on Hall Road, near the intersection of Lats Avenue

Victoria Police released a statement saying a search for the offender had been launched. He is believed to be Caucasian in appearance and aged in his 30s

Victoria Police released a statement saying a search for the offender had been launched.

He is believed to be Caucasian in appearance and aged in his 30s.

The driver was last seen getting into a black Hyundai SUV and the vehicle was last seen travelling east of Ballarto Road about 7.45am.

One witness said they saw a man in a black hoodie running from the scene after the collision.

One witness said they saw a man in a black hoodie running from the scene after the collision

Another witness, Rick, told 3AW in Melbourne that two people working on the median strip were struck.

'They were either council workers or arborists and they'd put their cones out and the car had gone though them and into the back of the truck,' he told Neil Mitchell.

'Someone  was helping one of the arborists across to the nature strip and he looked in a pretty bad way, but the other poor fella  he was deceased.

'It was pretty hectic, everyone was pretty much in shock seeing that first thing in the morning.'

It's since been reported a 35-year-old Altus Traffic Management worker was killed while placing a traffic cone on the road.

Rick said cars in the area were travelling about 60km/h at the time as they approached a roundabout.

One witness, Rick, told 3AW in Melbourne that two people working on the median strip were struck. 'They'd put their cones out and the car had gone though them and into the back of the truck,' he told host Neil Mitchell

'You're also driving straight into an easterly sun and the sun is straight in your eyes,' he told Mitchell.

'I said to my wife when I got home, and I was pretty shaken up, this poor guy, he probably kissed his wife and kids goodbye as he left home and suddenly, you're not home.'

Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives are investigating at the scene of the incident.

Hall Road is currently closed between Cadles Road and Rowellyn Avenue as a result of the incident.

Police appealed to anyone who witnessed the collision or who has dashcam footage to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Travelers from any country are permitted entry to the US if they are;

1) Fully vaccinated

2) Have a negative COVID-19 test taken within 3 days of arriving in the US

Which vaccines are recognized?

Johnson & Johnson

Pfizer

Moderna

AstraZeneca

Covaxin

Covishield

BIBP/Sinopharm

Sinovac

Who is exempt from having to be vaccinated?

Children

Under-18 children o not need to be vaccinated but those over the age of two must have a negative test taken within 3 days of arrival

Kids under the age of two do not need to be vaccinated or have a negative test

Exempted countries

A limited number of travelers from countries where vaccination is less than 10 percent can enter but they have to get vaccinated if they're still in America within 60 days

The countries include; Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria, Armenia, Myanmar, Iraq, Nicaragua, Senegal, Uganda, Libya, Ethiopia, Zambia, Congo, Kenya, Yemen, Haiti, Chad and Madagascar

Medical exemptions

Diplomats

People in COVID-19 vaccine trials

Those with National Interest Exemptions

* Religious exemptions are NOT accepted *
The United States is set to roll out Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 5 to 11 this week and the shots could be administered as soon as Wednesday.

A panel of outside experts is due to meet on Tuesday to vote on how broadly the shot should be recommended in the age group by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The vaccine was authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the age group on Friday.

But with many parts of the world still awaiting doses for more vulnerable people, the World Health Organisation has urged countries and companies that control the global supply of the vaccines to prioritize supply to COVAX.

The following is a list of some countries that have approved or are considering vaccinating children:

EU COUNTRIES

EU's medicines regulator said on October 18 it had started evaluating the use of Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine in 5 to 11-year-old children.

Denmark said in June it would offer COVID-19 shots to children aged 12-15 to boost its overall immunity against the virus.

France has started vaccinating those from 12 years upwards, provided they have parental consent.

Germany in August agreed to make vaccination available to all children aged 12-17.

Austria has started vaccinating children aged 12-15.

Estonia could start vaccinating teenagers by the autumn, public broadcaster ERR reported, citing the head of the government's COVID-19 council.

Hungary started vaccinating 16 to 18-year-olds in mid-May, according to Xinhua news agency.

Italy on May 31 approved extending the use of Pfizer's vaccine to 12-15 year olds. On July 28, it also endorsed the use of Moderna's vaccine for 12-17 aged children.

Lithuania's prime minister said the country could start vaccinating children from age 12 in June, news site Delfi reported.

Spain begun vaccinating children between 12 and 17 years old around two weeks before the academic year in September, the health minister said.

Swedish PM says children aged 12-15 will be offered COVID vaccine later this autumn.

Greece in July said children aged 12-15 could be vaccinated against COVID-19 with Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna shots.

Finland's capital Helsinki in June said it will begin giving COVID-19 vaccines to children aged 12 to 15 who are at risk of contracting a severe coronavirus infection.

On July 27, Ireland lowered the age for COVID-19 vaccination to 12 years.

Poland started offering COVID-19 vaccines to children of ages 12-15.

EUROPE (NON-EU)

On Oct. 19, UK said it will open up COVID vaccine booking service to those aged 12-15.

Switzerland approved on June 4 vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds with Pfizer's shot, while Moderna's shot was approved in August for the age group.

In September, Norway started to offer one dose of Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to children aged 12 to 15

MIDDLE EAST

In August, Israel began offering a COVID-19 booster to children as young as 12 in August

The United Arab Emirates said in August rolled out China's Sinopharm vaccine to children aged 3-17. On Nov.1, UAE approved Pfizer-BioNtech shot for children aged 5-11 for emergency use.

Bahrain approved Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 3-11 from Oct. 27, while on Nov. 2, the Gulf state approved the Pfizer vaccine for emergency use for children aged between 5 and 11 years.

ASIA-PACIFIC

Indonesia on Nov. 1 authorised China's Sinovac vaccine for children aged 6 and above.

Malaysia on Oct. 29 said it would procure the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for children aged 5 to 11, following a U.S. expert panel's recommendation

Vietnam will begin inoculating children aged 16 and 17 with parental consent from next month using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

An advisory committee to the Indian regulator recommended emergency use of Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 shot in the 2 to 18 age-group. The regulator's nod is awaited.

New Zealand's medicines regulator in June provisionally approved use of Pfizer's vaccine for 12-15 year olds.

Australia said on Sept. 12 it will expand its COVID-19 vaccination drive to include around one million children aged 12-15.

China on June 5 approved emergency use of Sinovac's vaccine for those between three and 17.

Hong Kong said on June 3 it would open its vaccine scheme to children over the age of 12.

Singapore opened up its vaccination programme to adolescents aged 12-18 from June 1.

Japan on May 28 approved the use of Pfizer's vaccine for those aged 12 and above.

The Philippines on May 26 decided to allow the Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine for emergency use in children aged 12-15.

Jordan in July begun vaccinating children aged 12 years and older against COVID-19.

AMERICAS

The COVID-19 vaccine by Pfizer-BioNTech will be the only one used in Mexico for at-risk children aged 12-17.

Brazil on June 11 approved use of Pfizer's vaccine for children over 12.

On Sept. 6, Chile approved the COVID-19 vaccine produced by China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd for use in children over 6 years of age.

U.S. FDA has authorized the Pfizer vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky must make her recommendations before it can be rolled out.

Canada in early May approved use of Pfizer's vaccine for use in children aged 12-15 but the decision for children between 5 an 11 years is not likely to come before mid- to end-November.

Cuba's vaccination campaign includes children as young as two.

On Sept. 13, El Salvador cleared the use of COVID-19 vaccine in 6 to 11-year-old children. (https://bit.ly/30RiKe7)

Argentina is vaccinating children as young as three with Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine. (https://bit.ly/3miSiCD)

Ecuador's vaccination includes kids as young as six with the China's Sinovac vaccine

Columbia is offering Pfizer, AstraZenenca, Moderna, Sinopharm and J&J's COVID-19 vaccines for children 12 years and above

Costa Rica is vaccinating 12 years and above

AFRICA

South Africa will start vaccinating children between the ages of 12 and 17 next week using the Pfizer vaccine

Reporting by Reuters
Wang Yaping has become the first Chinese woman to conduct a spacewalk as part of a six-month mission to the countrys space station.

Wang, 41, and fellow astronaut Zhai Zhigang, 55, left Tianhe, the main module of China's Tiangong Space Station, on Sunday evening.

Their spacewalk took a total of six hours 25 minutes, during which time the duo installed equipment and carried out tests alongside the station's robotic service arm, according to the China Manned Space (CMS) agency.

The third member of the crew, Ye Guangfu, 41, assisted from inside the station during Sunday's spacewalk, the agency said.

Prior to Sunday, all four Chinese astronauts to conduct a spacewalk were men.

Chinese astronaut Wang Yaping conducts an activities outside the space station's Tianhe core module, at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Sunday

China launched Tianhe  the main section of what will be a permanent space station called Tiangong Space Station  back in April.

Tiangong  meaning 'heavenly palace'  will rival the ageing International Space Station (ISS), which is operated by the space agencies of the US, Canada, Russia, Japan and Europe.

Yaping, Zhigang and Guangfu are now conducting crucial work to set up equipment and test technology to get Tiangong closer to completion.

Wang joined the nation's military in 1997, where she served as a pilot for the Wuhan Air Force.

In 2013, she became only the second Chinese woman in space, when she formed the crew aboard Shenzhou 10, the tenth flight of China's Shenzhou space program.

In this image released by the Xinhua News Agency, a photo taken on a screen shows Chinese astronauts Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping conducting extravehicular activities outside the space station's Tianhe core module, from the Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Sunday, November 7, 2021

Wang Yaping has become the first Chinese woman to conduct a spacewalk as part of a six-month mission to the country's space station. Wang and fellow astronaut Zhai Zhigang left the station's Tianhe core module on Sunday evening Beijing time, spending more than six hours installing equipment and carrying out tests alongside the station's robotic service arm

WHO IS WANG YAPING? Wang Yaping (born January 1980) is a Chinese astronaut and military pilot. She was one of three people to travel to the Tianhe, a module of the Tiangong Space Station, in October 2021. In 2013, she became the second Chinese woman in space, following Liu Yang in 2012. Yaping became the first Chinese woman to perform a spacewalk - lasting 6 hours 25 minutes - on November 7, 2021. Advertisement

Zhai, meanwhile, conducted Chinas first spacewalk, outside Shenzhou 7, back in September 2008.

Along with Guangfu, the three Chinese astronauts travelled to Tianhe as part of the Shenzhou 13 mission on October 15 this year.

They blasted off on a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge of the Gobi Desert.

It's the first time the crew has exited the station since their arrival in the early hours of October 16.

'This marks the first extravehicular activity of the Shenzhou 13 crew, and it is also the first in Chinas space history involving the participation of a woman astronaut,' the CMS said in a statement early on Monday.

'The whole process was smooth and successful.'

Shenzhou 13 is the second of four crewed missions intended to complete construction of the Tiangong Space Station by the end of 2022.

However, the Shenzhou 13 mission is scheduled to be the longest stretch of time in space yet for Chinese astronauts  180 days.

Chinese astronaut Wang Yaping, the first Chinese woman to conduct a spacewalk, salutes as attends a briefing the day before his launch, at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi desert, in northwest China on October 14, 2021

3D rendering of the Chinese Space Station, or Tiangong Space Station, as it'll look when fully constructed. Tianhe will form the main living quarters for three crew members. Shenzhou is an existing spacecraft that would dock at the station with crew. Tianzhou is an existing cargo transport spacecraft

Chinese Space Station modules - Tianhe: Core module. Launched on April 29, 2021 - Wentian: Experiment module I. Launch planned for 2022 - Mengtian: Experiment module II. Launch planned for 2022 - Xuntian: Space telescope module. Planned launch in 2024 to co-orbit with Chinese Space Station Advertisement

The Tianhe module of the station  which was the first module to be launched, in April this year  forms the main living quarters for crew members in Tiangong, which will have a life span of at least 10 years.

Tianhe will be connected next year to two more 'experiment module' sections, named Mengtian and Wentian.

Once completed, Tiangong Space Station will weigh some 66 tons, far smaller than the ISS, which launched its first module in 1998 and weighs around 450 tons.

ISS, currently in orbit, took 10 years and more than 30 missions to assemble from the launch of the first module back in 1998.

The ISS is backed by five participating space agencies  NASA (US), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada)  but China was originally barred from participating by the US.

Yaping, Zhigang and Guangfu weren't the first humans aboard Tianhe, however. The three are the second crew on the permanent station.

The first crewed flight to Tianhe, Shenzhou 12, carried a crew of three  Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming, and Tang Hongbo  on June 17 this year.

Chinese astronaut Zhai Zhigang stepping outside China's Tiangong space station in orbit around Earth on November 7, 2021

The following month, Boming and Hongbo performed the country's first 'tandem spacewalk'.

However, the Shenzhou 12 crew were in space for 92 days  less than the 180 days anticipated for the Shenzhou 13 crew.

Shenzhou is the name of China's spacecraft that supports its crewed spaceflight program. Its mission launches started with Shenzhou 1 in November 1999 and is set to continue with Shenzhou 14 in May next year.

In the last few years, China has ramped up its space programme with visits to the moon  which returned the first moon samples to Earth in more than 45 years  and the launch of an uncrewed probe to Mars, as well as construction of Tiangong.
Heinz has made a version of its famous ketchup from tomatoes grown in Mars-like soil, in an effort to understand how humans might one day live on the Red Planet.

Unlike soil on Earth, Martian regolith, as it is known, is much harsher for crops, as it is devoid of any significant amount of organic matter, and Mars itself gets far less sunlight, so the team had to find new techniques to improve growth rates.

One day humans on Mars will have to grow their own food in Martian soil, as seen in the movie The Martian, starring Matt Damon, where he grows potatoes, and for this project they had to create a Mars-like greenhouse and simulated Martian soil.

They created tomatoes that Heinz turned into Ketchup, and say the techniques could be used to grow crops on Earth as conditions get harsher due to climate change.

Former NASA astronaut, and self proclaimed ketchup superfan, Mike Massimino, told MailOnline that in space 'it is all about the sauce,' adding that having a 'familiar taste when you're so far away from home is important for wellbeing and morale.'

Asked whether he would go to Mars, now that he knows they could grow tomatoes for sauce, he said : 'It is unlikely anyone would ask me.'

However, he does believe humans will visit Mars in the next 10-15 years, adding: 'I think we will make it this time thanks to private sector operators like [Elon] Musk.'

Heinz used the tomatoes produced during the experiment to create a new 'Marz Edition' of its famous ketchup, said to be indistinguishable from the normal version.

Heinz has made a version of its famous ketchup from tomatoes grown in Mars-like soil, in an effort to understand how humans might live on the Red Planet

Taking inspiration from art, a team from Heinz, and the Florida Institute of Technologys Aldrin Space Institute decided to find a way to grow ketchup-quality tomatoes in a simulated version of Martian regolith

In the movie The Martian, Matt Damon's character was able to grow potatoes in Martian soil inside a greenhouse. The Heinz team created similar conditions on Earth

A NOVEL PROJECT TO PRODUCE KETCHUP FROM 'MARS TOMATOES' Differences between Earth and Martian soil: The term regolith describes the material at the surface of Mars because it is not soil as we think of it. Martian regolith is devoid of significant organic matter. While it contains the macro and micronutrients plants require for growth these are not always in forms that are available to plants. On Earth there are fungi and microbes which help condition soil and interact with plants to make this process easier. How the Martian environment was simulated on Earth: The team created the 'RedHouse' - a Martian greenhouse, but on earth. They recreated the light, temperature, and soil (regolith) conditions for the most accurate Martian environment available to future colonists and is the standard for simulation experiments. Whats different about this project? There have been relatively few efforts to grow plants in Martian regolith simulants (MRS) to the point where they can yield fruit. That is one of the things that makes this project novel. Advertisement

To further add to its space credentials, Heinz sent a bottle of the Marz Edition ketchup into the air - going up 22 miles to the point where the curve of the Earth was visible and temperatures drop to -94F, before returning it to Earth.

The Tomato Masters at Heinz kicked off the mission to see if future colonists to Mars could one day produce ketchup on the Red Planet with Martian soil.

It started by picking the perfect seeds, and implementing world-leading techniques for crops to flourish, which Heinz describes as 'an increasingly important role considering the soil degradation our planet is currently facing.'

The research saw them team up with a group of leading scientists at the Florida Institute of Technologys Aldrin Space Institute to grow Heinz tomatoes of a high enough quality to become bottles of the iconic Heinz Tomato Ketchup.

A bespoke greenhouse, dubbed the 'Redhouse' was built on the grounds of the Aldrin Space Institute.

It mimics the conditions humans would find when growing produce on Mars.

Researchers had to generate heat from artificial LED lighting, and were growing the seeds in 7,716lb of the analog Martian regolith.

The project not only succeeded in growing tomatoes, but also produced those that have the all-important qualities that make Heinz Tomato Ketchup, which, following its trip to high in the atmosphere, is at Heinz HQ, the company said.

The Martian ketchup was unveiled this week, when a limited-edition bottle embarked on a spaceflight beyond the Earth's atmosphere, reaching 37,000 metres into the sky and -70C temperatures before returning to Earth.

The experimental sauce has undergone rigorous quality testing to get the all-important green light to become bottles of Heinz Tomato Ketchup.

'There are many important factors our tomato masters consider when it comes to the right properties when growing Heinz tomatoes in new and less than ideal soil environments,' said chief growth officer for Kraft Heinz, Cristina Kenz.

'We'll take the learnings into continuing our commitments towards growing sustainable crops.'

'We're so excited that our team of experts have been able grow tomatoes in unknown conditions from another planet and share our creation with the world.

'From analysing the soil from Martian conditions two years ago to harvesting now, its been a journey that's proved wherever we end up, Heinz Tomato Ketchup will still be enjoyed for generations to come,' Ms Kenz added.

The team at the Aldrin Space Institute, led by Dr Andrew Palmer, submitted the first of three papers for scientific publication that charts the mission, which started testing the seeds in the unearthly conditions of Martian regolith.

Eventually researchers succeeded in growing tomatoes that have the qualities Heinz required for ketchup, and say the work put in to grow under Mars-like conditions, could be used to improve growth rates of food crops in harsher Earth environments

To further add to its space credentials, Heinz sent a bottle of the Marz Edition ketchup into the air - going up 22 miles to the point where the curve of the Earth was visible and temperatures drop to -94F, before returning to the Earth

Palmer said: 'Before now, most efforts around discovering ways to grow in Martian simulated conditions are short term plant growth studies. What this project has done is look at long-term harvesting of food.

'Achieving a crop that is of a quality to become Heinz Tomato Ketchup was the dream result and we achieved it.

'And working with the Tomato Masters at Heinz has allowed us to see what the possibilities are for long term food production beyond Earth. There is much we can learn by working with the biggest food companies worldwide.'

Former NASA Astronaut, Mike Massimino is a superfan of Heinz Ketchup, taking it with him when he visited the International Space Station.

Former NASA Astronaut, Mike Massimino is a superfan of Heinz Ketchup, taking it with him when he visited the International Space Station

They had to generate heat from artificial LED lighting, and were growing the seeds in 7,716lb of the analog Martian regolith

HOW TO GROW TOMATOES 'ON MARS' The Tomato Masters at Heinz kicked off the mission to see if future colonists to Mars could one day produce ketchup on the Red Planet with Martian soil. It started by picking the perfect seeds, that were hardy enough for the extreme conditions, while retaining the essential ingredients for ketchup. They then implemented world-leading techniques for crops to flourish. Heinz describe these techniques as playing 'an increasingly important role considering the soil degradation our planet is currently facing.' The research saw them team up with a group of leading scientists at the Florida Institute of Technologys Aldrin Space Institute. They used a bespoke greenhouse, dubbed the Redhouse on the grounds of the Aldrin Space Institute. It mimics the conditions humans would find when growing produce on Mars - indoors, with oxygen, but using Martian soil and artificial light. They had to generate heat from artificial LED lighting, and were growing the seeds in 7,716lb of the analog Martian regolith. It took 2,000 hours over a nine month period - covering two years from initial idea to bottle of Marz Ketchup. Advertisement

He told MailOnline: 'I like ketchup on Earth, I've had some today already. In fact I was one of only two astronauts who gained weight in space. I like to eat and food is every important when you are away from home, deployed somewhere.

'It is about the comfort, sharing a meal, adds mental wellbeing, improved morale and is really important,' he said.

Massimino said he would pour ketchup over almost everything he ate on the ISS, as it gave it flavour and made him feel closer to home.

The professor of mechanical engineering, is also a veteran of two space flights, four spacewalks, and the first astronaut to ever tweet from space.

He said: 'In space we have a saying, "its not about the food it's about the sauce"  we could choose what food we wanted to eat up there but lots of the dishes came dehydrated and a little bit bland, so a good dollop of sauce always made your meals delicious, which started my love for Heinz Tomato Ketchup.'

Aboard the ISS and in facilities across the world, countless experiments take place that are designed to advance our understanding and possibilities of exploring our universe, that in turn create solutions for challenges on Earth.

'From satellites and GPS that allow us to connect across continents, to water filtration and purification systems designed for the ISS that are now used to provide aid and disaster relief to communities, the endeavours of space exploration have had many untold benefits to Earth,' Massimino explained.

Asked whether he would go to Mars, now that he knows they could grow tomatoes for sauce, Massimino told MailOnline: 'It is unlikely anyone would ask me.

'My astronaut class thought we'd go to Mars,' he said, which would have been in the mid-1990s, when NASA was telling new recruits it could be in 10-15 years.

'As time goes on the answer to the question [when will we go to Mars] never changes,' he said, adding that he believes this time 'it will actually happen.'

Massimino (pictured) told MailOnline: 'I like ketchup on Earth, Ive had some today already. In fact I was one of only two astronauts who gained weight in space. I like to eat and food is every important when you are away from home, deployed somewhere

Heinz used the tomatoes produced during the experiment to create a new 'Marz Edition' of its famous ketchup, said to be indistinguishable from the normal version

The Heinz ketchup 'Marz Edition' is pictured

'What is different about what is happening now compared to when I became and astronaut 25 years ago is we have the participation of private sector companies.

'I think we will make it this time thanks to private sector operators like [Elon] Musk.'

British space scientist and science communicator, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, also discussed the goal of producing ketchup from 'Martian' tomatoes.

She said: 'I find it so exciting that a longstanding, well-established company like Heinz is, as always, future gazing, and has "Marz in its eyes". Looking out beyond our planet to feed the world.

'This project is critical in tackling both our short-term and long-term goals in feeding people for generations to come.

'If we can grow crops on the Martian regolith then the prognosis for growing crops here on Earth, in some of the more inhospitable areas of our planet, is greatly improved.

'And as we reach further and further out into space it is heartening to know that mass crop production is possible on Mars and likely beyond.'

NASA hopes to send the first humans to land on Mars by the mid-2030s, with China holding similar ambitions.

Billionaire entrepreneur and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says he hopes to have a colony on Mars by 2050.
While sharks are deadly marine predators, they also seem to attract fish looking for a 'spa day' by rubbing against their rough skin.

Drone footage recorded by marine biologists at the University of Miami captured frequent incidents of the surprising ritual.

Researchers pored over underwater video, photos, drone footage, and even witness reports to find 47 different instances of fish rubbing up against a shark's body at more than a dozen locations around the world.

The length of these regimens varied from eight seconds to more than five minutes, and included dozens of incidents of leerfish, also known as garrick, rubbing up against a great white shark, the ultimate oceanic apex predator, in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa.

The number of fish chafing against a particular shark varied, too, from one lone swimmer to over 100 at once.

'Although instances of fish chafing against sharks have previously been observed, this study finds this cross-species behavior to be more pervasive than previously understood,' according to a statement from the school.

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Dozens of leerish rub up against a deadly Great White Shark in South Africa, using its sandpaper skin to exfoliate. Researchers at the University of Miami have determined the undersea spa day is fairly widespread around the world

Published in the journal Ecology, the study was undertaken by the University of Miami's Shark Research and Conservation Program at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.

'Shark skin is covered in small tooth-like scales called dermal denticles, which provide a rough sandpaper surface for the chafing fish,' co-author Neil Hammerschlag, director of the school's shark program, said in the statement.

'We suspect that chafing against shark skin might play a vital role in the removal of parasites or other skin irritants, thus improving fish health and fitness.'

The sharks seem fairly unbothered by the routine in the video footage, making no attempt to snack on their 'clientele.'

Researchers recorded a dozen fin fish chafing against eight different species of shark, with encounters lasting from a few seconds to up to five minutes. Pictured: Silky sharks chafing on the head of a whale shark

Researchers recorded a dozen fin fish chafing against eight different species of shark, including great whites.

'While chafing has been well documented between fish and inanimate objects, such as sand or rocky substrate, this shark-chaffing phenomenon appears to be the only scenario in nature where prey actively seek out and rubs up against a predator,' said co-author Lacey Williams, a graduate researcher at the Rosenstiel School, said in the statement.

'We suspect that chafing against shark skin might play a vital role in the removal of parasites or other skin irritants, thus improving fish health and fitness,' said study co-author Neil Hammerschlag. Pictured: A great whites shark surrounded by fish in South Africa's Plettenberg Bay

Aerial footage of fish coming to a shark for their spa treatment. The number of fish chafing against a particular shark can vary from one lone swimmer to over 100 at once

Even other sharks get in on the action, with eight-foot silky sharks exfoliating against massive whale sharks, which can reach more than 60 feet in length.

Adventurous humans have been known to get pedicures by letting tiny garra rufa fish nibble at hard skin on the soles of their feet, but this underwater spa treatment appears to be mutual.

Researchers at Wales' Bangor University observed thresher sharks in the Philippines swimming around schools of wrasse fish that happily devoured dead skin and parasites off their skin.

The sharks deliberately lingered in areas of undersea mountains, known as seamounts, and even made return trips, in behavior first observed in 2011.

Marine biologist Simon Oliver, who led the study, said that there was no doubt the sharks were going there for a good scrub.

They 'systematically' circle for around 45 minutes at speeds lower than two miles per hour, he said, or half of what they usually move at.

The wrasses then begin 'foraging' on the shark's body, paying the most attention to their parasite-rich fins and pelvis.

The sharks 'pose, lowering their tails to make themselves more attractive to the cleaners,' Oliver told BBC News at the time.

Without the routine skin treatment, the sharks could get infections and other complications, he added.

'Our findings underscore the importance of protecting areas like seamounts which play an important part in [the sharks'] life strategy to maintain health and hygiene,' he said.

Commonly found in temperate waters in Asia, North America and the North Pacific, thresher sharks don't pose a threat to humans.

But they're no meek marine animal, either: Growing up to 20 feet long, they mainly feed on schools of bluefish, tuna and mackerel, which they follow into shallow waters and stun with their long tails.
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Four diaper-wearing astronauts undocked from the International Space Station on Monday and have embarked on their journey home following a 200-day stay in space.

NASA's Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, along with the European Space Agency's Thomas Pesquet and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's astronaut Akihiko Hoshide separated from the ISS at 2:05pm ET, as scheduled, and are now on track for at 10:33pm ET splashdown off the Florida coast.

Their return was initially set for Sunday afternoon, but high winds pushed the return for the Crew-2 team back one day.

The SpaceX capsule, named Endeavour, is without a bathroom, due to a faulty toilet design, and all four crew members are wearing diapers on the trip back to Earth.

However, the rescheduled mission cuts the trip from the station to Earth by 12 hours - it is only eight hours long, compared to 20 hours - due to the path from the ship to Earth, so the team will not have to sport the protective undergarments as long as previously expected.

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Four diaper-wearing astronauts undocked from the International Space Station on Monday and have embarked on their journey home following a 200-day stay in space. The capsule (pictured) is without a bathroom, due to a faulty toilet design, and all four crew members are wearing diapers on the return-trip

'Bittersweet feeling to leave ... a magical place in the sky that grants superpowers like floating and seeing [Earth] at a glance,' Pesquet tweeted Monday morning.

'It gives me hope that humans can achieve anything, with good intentions, when we want to.'

The hatches of Endeavour closed, with the astronauts inside, at 12:13pm ET on Monday and less than two hours later, the crew conducted a series of short burns to push away from the ISS.

If all goes smoothly, Endeavour was scheduled to parachute into the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast.

NASA's Shane Kimbrough (2nd left) and Megan McArthur (2nd right), along with the European Space Agency's (ESA) Thomas Pesquet (right) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide (left) are all wearing diapers for their return trip

These astronauts are the third crew launched into orbit under NASA's fledgling public-private partnership with SpaceX, the rocket company formed in 2002 by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.

The returning team was designated 'Crew 2' because it marks the second operational space station team that NASA has launched aboard a SpaceX capsule since resuming human spaceflights from American soil last year.

Previously, there was a nine-year hiatus at the end of the U.S. space shuttle program in 2011.

Before leaving the space around the ISS, the four took a spin around the space station to take pictures.

NASA's shuttles used to do it all the time before their retirement a decade ago to allow for a deeper look at the ISS's aging structure and determine if maintenance is needed.

However, this was the first time SpaceX attempted a flyaround like this.

Less than 48 hours after Crew-2 leaves the ISS, the Crew-3 mission will launch from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on November 10.

Frictional heat generated as the capsule plunges through the atmosphere typically sends temperatures surrounding the outside of the vehicle soaring to 3,500 degree Fahrenheit.

Having Crew-2 come back to Earth before Crew-3 launches is referred to as an 'indirect' handover, according to NASA.

'It's been great to be part of your team,' NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, who remained aboard the station, told the Crew-2 astronauts as they departed. 'Get home safely.'

'We learned a lot from you and know you're going to treat Crew-3 really well and let us know if we can do anything for you,' Kimbrough radioed back. 'Take care and fly safe.'

The American space agency prefers a direct handover, where Crew-3 arrives before Crew-2 leaves, allowing for an overlap on the station.

A direct handover was planned on October 31, but poor weather and a minor medical issue with a Crew-3 astronaut caused a delay.

The initial launch was set for Sunday afternoon, but high winds pushed the return back a day. Pictured is a shot taken by the astronauts on the SpaceX return capsule after they left the International Space Station

Astronaut Megan McArthur shared a post in her twitter account ahead of the crew's return to Earth. They have spent 200 days on the International Space Station since launching to the ship in April

Pictured is a shot inside the SpaceX return capsule

The toilet issue started in September when the commode aboard the Inspiration4 mission, the first all-civilian mission in space, leaked and spilled urine underneath the floor of the capsule.

Engineers, however, did not notice the trouble until the crew - Jared Isaacman, Sian Proctor, Haley Arceneaux and Christopher Sembroski  returned from their three-day journey around the Earth.

The issue stemmed from a tube that had become unplugged, which was also found aboard the Endeavour capsule, which flew SpaceX's Crew-2 mission to the ISS back in late April.

The crew investigated the return capsule docked to the ISS by looking under the panels with video cameras to provide the NASA and SpaceX teams with data to see if their toilet was anything like that of the Inspiration4 mission.

Pools of urine were spotted during the investigation.

Steve Stich, NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager, told reporters at an October 29 press conference after the investigation: 'Our intent is to not use the system at all for the return leg home because of what we've seen with the fluids we are talking about.'

The rescheduled mission cuts the trip from the station to Earth by 12 hours - it is only eight hours long, compared to 20 hours - due to the path from the ship to Earth, so the team will not have to sport the protective undergarments as long as previously expected

The string of delays also pushed the Crew-3 mission until Wednesday, which will see NASDA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron, along with ESA's Matthias Maurer fly aboard the Dragon spacecraft to begin a six-month stay in orbit on the ISS

Pictured is a map showing the location of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida

However, diapers, or undergarments are commonly used by astronauts to relieve themselves in spacesuits for launches, landings and spacewalks.

The Crew-2 return capsule is scheduled to do a fly-around maneuver after undocking.

This entails them circling the space station in the Dragon capsule while taking photos of the ISS, which has been done since the deployment of the ship.

The string of delays also pushed the Crew-3 mission until Wednesday, which will see NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron, along with the ESA's Matthias Maurer, fly aboard the Dragon spacecraft to start a six-month stay on the ISS.
Ants are able to switch from a worker to a 'queen-like status' thanks to a slight tweak in a single protein in their brain, a new study reveals.

Biologists in Philadelphia isolated nerve cells from brains of the Indian jumping ant (Harpegnathos saltator), which get their name from their ability to leap a few inches.

The experts found that the protein, called Kr-h1, orchestrates ants' transition from a standard worker, tasked with finding food, and a queen-like 'gamergate'.

Gamergates are described as 'queen-like', even though they're not queens. They're actually workers that can reproduce in the absence of a queen in a colony.



Harpegnathos saltator (sometimes called the Indian jumping ant) is found in India. A worker is pictured here in an aggressive display (open mandibles) aimed at the photographer. Gamergates can reproduce, while workers can't

WHAT ARE GAMERGATES? A gamergate is a worker ant that is able to reproduce sexually. Gamergates are described as 'queen-like', even though they're not queens. In the Indian jumping ant, workers have the potential to become reproductive gamergates, but this transition is inhibited by the presence of the queen. When the queen dies, a period of intense fighting ensues, after which a few individuals earn reproductive rights. These individuals, called gamergates, exhibit dramatic changes in social behaviour inside the colony. However, these changes can be reversed and a newly-formed gamergate can be converted back to a worker. Advertisement

The study was conducted by biologists at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and published in the journal Cell.

'Animal brains are plastic; that is, they can change their structure and function in response to the environment,' said study author Professor Roberto Bonasio.

'This process, which also takes place in human brains  think about the changes in behaviour during adolescence  is crucial to survival, but the molecular mechanisms that control it are not fully understood.'

In an ant colony, workers maintain the colony by finding food and fighting invaders, whereas the queen's main task is to lay eggs.

In H. saltator, workers have the potential to become reproductive gamergates, but this transition is inhibited by the presence of the queen.

When the queen dies, a period of intense fighting ensues, after which a few individuals earn reproductive rights and become gamergates.

These gamergates exhibit dramatic changes in social behaviour inside the colony.

However, these changes can be reversed and a newly-formed gamergate can be converted back to a worker.

'Queens are born queens,' Professor Bonasio told MailOnline. 'When they eclose [emerge as an adult from the pupa or as a larva from the egg] they have wings.

Harpegnathos saltator is pictured here with its prey in Wynaad, India. Any Harpegnathos female, adult worker can be converted into a 'queen-like' gamergate in the absence of the queen

'Gamergates are born workers (no wings) and they become queen-like after a change in their social circumstances.'

ANTS USE THEIR MEMORY TO AVOID PITFALLS THE SECOND TIME AROUND Ants are can learn to avoid danger after just one risky experience, according to a 2020 study. The insects can link visual cues with negative experiences and memorise potentially dangerous routes, the team of authors from the University of Toulouse found. In experiments, two ant species were tested - Melophorus bagoti from Australia and Cataglyphis fortis from the Sahara. During a second attempt to reach their nest, the insects were found to change their behaviour to avoid falling into a pit. As they approached the trap, some of the ants first stopped to scan their environment, before making a detour around the pit and safely reaching the nest. Read more: Ants use their memory to help them avoid past pitfalls Advertisement

It's already known that Harpegnathos adults can switch from a worker to a gamergate, but how they do this has been more of a mystery.

To learn more, the team developed a method for isolating neurons  nerve cells  from the ants and keeping them in plastic dishes in the lab.

Isolating neurons in this way allowed the team to explore how they responded to two hormones, called juvenile hormone (JH3) and ecdysone (20E).

Both these hormones are present at different levels in the bodies of both workers and gamergates.

The researchers found JH3 and 20E produced distinct patterns of gene activation in the brains of workers and gamergates.

More JH3 and less 20E makes ants act like workers, while less JH3 and more 20E makes ants act like gamergates.

But the biggest surprise was that both hormones influenced the nerve cells by activating Kr-h1.

The protein suppresses worker behaviour in gamergates and gamergate behaviour in workers.



In this way, the Kr-h1 protein is a bit like a light switch, and the hormones are the forces turning it on or off.

'This protein regulates different genes in workers and gamergates and prevents the ants from performing "socially inappropriate" behaviours,' said study author Shelley Berger, also at the University of Pennsylvania.

'That is to say, Kr-h1 is required to maintain the boundaries between social castes and to ensure that workers continue to work while gamergates continue to act like queens.'

If Kr-h1 were to be removed from ant neurons of ants, gamergates would start acting like workers, and worker ants would start acting like gamergates.

'We had not anticipated that the same protein could silence different genes in the brains of different castes and, as a consequence, suppress worker behaviour in gamergates and gamergate behaviour in workers,' Professor Bonasio said.

Graphical abstract from the paper illustrates the process. Left is a worker ant (which finds food and fights invaders); right is a 'queen-like' gamergate (which reproduces). More JH3 and less 20E makes ants act like workers, while less JH3 and more 20E makes ants act like gamergates

'We thought that these jobs would be assigned to two or more different factors, each of them only present in one or the other brain.

'The key message is that, at least in ants, multiple behavioural patterns are simultaneously specified in the genome and that gene regulation can have a great impact on which behaviour that organism carries out.

'In other words, the parts of both Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde are already written into the genome; everyone can play either role, depending on which gene switches are turned on or off.'

Professor Bonasio thinks other similar proteins might have comparable functions in more complex brains, such as human brains.

'Discovering these proteins might allow us to one day restore plasticity to brains that have lost it  for example, aging brains,' he said.

In future studies, the researchers plan to explore the role of Kr-h1 in other organisms, as well as how the environment impacts gene regulation and, in turn, brain plasticity and behaviour.
A record number of new gravitational waves have been detected by astronomers, including a pair of massive black holes 145 times as heavy as the sun.

The ripples in space time were captured by a global network of detectors, and then catalogued by an international team of scientists, led by British institutions.

These waves are the aftershocks of huge astronomical events, and the 35 catalogued in this release, bring the total spotted so far up to 90 events.

Two Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors in in Louisiana and Washington state in the US, and the Advanced Virgo detector in Italy, allowed for the discovery of these unusual phenomena.

Of the 35 events detected, 32 of those were most likely to be black hole mergers.

That is where two black holes spiralling around each other finally join together, an event which emits a very powerful burst of gravitational waves.

/A record number of new gravitational waves have been detected by astronomers, including a pair of massive black holes 145 times as heavy as the sun

These waves are the aftershocks of huge astronomical events, and the 35 catalogued in this release, bring the total spotted so far up to 90 events

WHAT WAS DETECTED? Most of the new signals originate from the whirling spiral of two merging black holes. These are cosmic quakes that shake the fabric of spacetime, generating a powerful burst of gravitational waves. Two other events were instead identified as mergers between a neutron star and a black hole, a source observed for the first time in this last LIGO-Virgo run. A further event, detected in February, 2020, could come from either a pair of black holes or from a mixed pair of a black hole with a neutron star. The mass of the lighter object falls within a range - the so-called mass gap - in which, prior to gravitational-wave observations, neither neutron stars nor black holes were expected to form. This remains a puzzle for scientists. These new detections were published today by the Virgo, LIGO and KAGRA scientific collaborations, in the third catalog of gravitational-wave transient sources (GWTC-3). As soon as a signal is recognised as a potential astrophysical event by the detector data-analysis system, and double checked by researchers. Some preliminary information about the localisation in the sky of the gravitational-wave source is made public, almost in real time. These low-latency alerts allow for the search by telescopes and observatories on Earth or in space, for signals of different types emitted by the same source as that which emitted the gravitational waves. During the last observation period, the LIGO and Virgo collaborations issued 39 real-time alerts to the scientific community for potential gravitational-wave events. 18 of these candidates have been confirmed and 17 more events have been added by further offline analysis. Advertisement

Several of the black holes formed from these mergers exceed 100 times the mass of the sun, known as intermediate-mass black holes.

This type of black hole has long been theorised by astrophysicists, and has now been proven to exist thanks to gravitational wave observations.

Two of the events were likely neutron stars and black holes merging, an incredibly rare event seen for the first time in the most recent LIGO and Virgo observations.

Of these rare neutron star and black hole mergers, one event seems to show a massive black hole, 33 times the mass of the sun, with a very low-mass neutron star about 1.7 times hte mass of the sun.

This one of the lowest-mass neutron stars ever detected, either using gravitational waves or electromagnetic observations.

The masses of black holes and neutron stars are key clues to how massive stars live their lives and die in supernova explosions.

Christopher Berry, a Lecturer at the University of Glasgow, said: 'Only now are we starting to appreciate the wonderful diversity of black holes and neutron stars.

'Our latest results prove that they come in many sizes and combinationswe have solved some long-standing mysteries, but uncovered some new puzzles too.

'Using these observations, we are closer to unlocking the mysteries of how stars, the building blocks of our Universe, evolve.'

The final gravitational wave event came from either a black hole and a neutron star or a black hole and a black hole, the team aren't clear on the origin.

The mass of the lighter object crosses the expected divide between the two, a region where previously no black holes or neutron stars were expected to be formed, and so remains a mystery.

Since the first gravitational wave detection in 2015, the frequency of detections has risen quickly, according to researchers, going from nothing to monthly events.

'We are now observing many events every month, and even multiple events on the same day,' according to the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).

To achieve this progress, the instruments have been getting more sensitive thanks to a programme of constant upgrades and maintenance.

In the third observing run, the gravitational wave detectors reached their best ever performance, as the lasers were tuned to even higher power.

Katherine Dooley, Reader at Cardiff University, said detecting so many gravitational waves in the most recent run required significant improvements.

This included 'implementation of the quantum technology of squeezed light and the use of higher laser power.

'Several other improvements also helped, like the reduction of stray light with many new baffles and improved optical coatings on the mirrors that reflect the laser beams.'

It isn't just the technology improving though, astronomers have got better at analysing the results, to get more accurate information.

The ripples in space time were captured by a global network of detectors, and then catalogued by an international team of scientists, led by British institutions

Two Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors in in Louisiana and Washington state in the US, and the Advanced Virgo detector in Italy, allowed for the discovery of these unusual phenomena

Of the 35 events detected, 32 of those were most likely to be black hole mergers

The growing catalogue of observations will enable astrophysicists to study the properties of black holes and neutron stars with unprecedented precision.

Gareth Cabourn Davies, a Research Fellow at the University of Portsmouth, said: 'As we learn more about the compact binary coalescences, our searches are becoming more and more sensitive to signals.

'Where before we were searching in the dark for a needle in the haystack, the improvements in detector sensitivity and our search algorithms mean that now we've turned on the lights and have a metal detector.

The growing catalogue of observations will enable astrophysicists to study the properties of black holes and neutron stars with unprecedented precision

In the third observing run, the gravitational wave detectors reached their best ever performance, as the lasers were tuned to even higher power

'So it's really exciting to see all the different, more unusual systems we can find.'

The LIGO and Virgo observatories are currently undergoing improvement works before the upcoming fourth observing run, expected to begin next summer.

The KAGRA observatory in Japan will also join the next full observing run.

Located deep under a mountain, KAGRA completed a successful first observing run in 2020, but has yet to join LIGO and Virgo in making joint observations.

With more detectors, potential events can be located more accurately. As more detections are confidently added to the gravitational wave catalogue, researchers are learning more and more about these astronomical phenomena.

Before the next observing run, scientists will be busy further analysing the existing information, learning more about neutron stars and black holes, and searching for new types of signals hidden in the data.
Scientists are still unsure exactly how planets form, but interstellar objects may have played a role in constructing, a new study suggests.

Researchers at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland believe that interstellar objects like 'Oumuamua or Comet 2I/Borisov may be considerably more prevalent in the universe.

Over a period of 10 million years, there could be as many as 600 billion objects, roughly three feet in size, that could be captured.

Larger objects, those that are 30 feet, 300 feet and roughly 3,300 feet (10 meters, 100 meters and 1 kilometer, respectively) could also be captured, but those numbers drop to 200 million, 60,000 and 20, respectively.

Scientists think interstellar objects like 'Oumuamua (pictured) may have play a role in constructing planets

Over a period of 10 million years, there could be as many as 600 billion objects, roughly three feet in size, that could be captured

Larger objects, those that are 30 feet, 300 feet and roughly 3,300 feet (10 meters, 100 meters and 1 kilometer, respectively) could also be captured, but those numbers drop to 200 million, 60,000 and 20, respectively

'We were surprised that these numbers were pretty high,' said the study's co-author, Amaya Moro-Martin, in an interview with New Scientist.

'But it is very uncertain, because we don't really know how much material is out there.'

WHAT IS 2I/BORISOV? 2I/Borisov is a comet that came from outside the solar system. It is believed to have a core that is around 0.94.1 miles in diameter. The comet was spotted by amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov from Crimea's MARGOT observatory on August 30, 2019. It made its closest pass to the Sun on December 8, 2019  but will not get close to any of the planets in the solar system. 2I/Borisov will leave the solar system in the direction of the constellation of Telescopium. According to Polish researchers, it likely originated from the binary red dwarf star system Kruger 60. The comet is only the second interstellar visit to have been spotted. Advertisement

'Oumuamua was discovered in October 2017, but it was not until 2019 when another interstellar object was discovered, the comet 2I/Borisov.

Scientists are still not sure what 'Oumuamua is, though many theories have been posited about its origins.

Unlike 'Oumuamua, 2I/Borisov is a comet, like any other in the solar system.

Their detection, two years apart, suggests that there are many other interstellar objects in the Milky Way galaxy.

'When dust particles become larger, their collisions are more energetic,' Moro-Martin added.

'When they collide, they start bouncing [off one another] rather than aggregating.'

In August, a separate study suggested that there over 100 trillion interstellar objects at the edge of the solar system in the Oort cloud.

The Oort cloud is a theoretical concept of icy objects at the farthest reaches of the solar system, according to NASA.

If there are indeed a significant number of these interstellar objects, it's likely they could play some sort of role in planets (and potentially solar systems) construction, the researchers wrote in the study.

'These trapped interstellar objects might be large enough to rapidly grow into larger planetesimals via the direct accretion of the sub-cm sized dust grains in the protoplanetary disk before they drift in due to gas drag, helping overcome the meter-size barrier, acting as 'seeds' for planet formation.

'They should be considered in future star and planet formation models and in the potential spread of biological material across the Galaxy.'

Scientists presently believe that most planets are formed around a new star after a disc of gas and dust condense and are then put into a larger molecular cloud.

Scientists presently believe that most planets are formed around a new star after a disc of gas and dust condense and are then put into a larger molecular cloud

Scientists believe there may be 100 trillion interstellar objects like Comet 2I/ Borisov in the solar system in the Oort cloud. The Oort cloud is a theoretical concept of icy objects at the farthest parts of the solar system

Some of these objects could form by the accumulation of dust and gas and form 'planetesimals,' or pebble-like objects.

At this point, it's unclear how these pebble-like objects or 'planetesimals' turn from dust in a disc and ultimately turn into planets, though some researchers do have theories.

Some of these objects could form by the accumulation of dust and gas and form 'planetesimals,' or pebble-like objects

The materials start to condense, almost akin to raindrops forming a water like they do on Earth, acting like a 'condensation nuclei,' University of Canterbury professor Michele Bannister told the news outlet.

'Its a feedback loop. At some point, you get one disc that had exactly the right conditions to make bigger things.

'You kick those into the interstellar population, and they get picked up in the next generation of planetary systems.'

The study has been published on the pre-print aRxiv server and can be read here.
More than 1,200 Mesolithic worked stone tools dating back to around 6,00010,000 years ago have been found alongside the River Dee in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

The flints  which include blades, scrapers and waste material  were collected by volunteers with archaeology group Mesolithic Deeside from 1317 March this year.

The tools, the experts explained, would have been used by some of the earliest communities in the area to kill, butcher and prepare animals for food and materials.

One group member, a student from nearby University of Aberdeen, also found part of a Neolithic-age, egg-shaped mace head during the 'fieldwalking' exercise.

Building on these finds, the group will be conducting a 'test pitting'  digging a series of small trenches  at the Milton of Crathes from November 1114.

Alongside hunting for more flints, the archaeologists will also be investigating features seen in aerial survey maps that may represent the remains of a settlement.

The group will also be joined by geologists who will probe the ground of the river terrace to look for evidence of former flooding and past environmental conditions.

More than 1,200 Mesolithic worked stone tools dating back to around 6,00010,000 years ago (some of which are pictured) have been found alongside the River Dee in Aberdeenshire

The flints  which include blades, scrapers and waste material  were collected by volunteers with archaeology group Mesolithic Deeside from 1317 March this year. Pictured: an example of so-called 'flint scatter' that the volunteers have found along the course of the River Dee

The tools, the experts explained, would have been used by some of the earliest communities in the area to kill, butcher and prepare animals for food and materials. One group member, a student from nearby University of Aberdeen, also found part of a Neolithic-age, egg-shaped mace head during the 'fieldwalking' exercise

Every flint found by the group is meticulously bagged and tagged with a GPS provenance, analysed by a specialist and the information collated into a database, making the Dee one of Scotland's most extensively studied rivers for flint deposits. Pictured: a map showing the finds from the group's fieldwalks back in March 2021. The different icons reflect the flint types

Mesolithic Deeside chair and archaeologist Alison Cameron told the MailOnline that the long and varied nature of the River Dee would have provided the inhabitants of the region 6,00010,000 with everything that they needed to live. Pictured: a flint from the River Dee

Mesolithic Deeside chair and archaeologist Alison Cameron told the MailOnline that the long and varied nature of the River Dee would have provided the inhabitants of the region 6,00010,000 with everything that they needed to live.

This, she explained, is why so much so-called 'flint scatter' can be found today in the fields along the river banks, showing where people made and used stone tools.

Every flint found by the group is meticulously bagged and tagged with a GPS provenance, sent off for analysis by a specialist and the information collated into a database, making the Dee one of Scotland's most extensively studied rivers for flint deposits.

Coinciding with the dig this week, Mesolithic expert Caroline Wickham-Jones and her fellow group members have compiled a dossier on their discoveries to date, which will be published in Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports.

The group  which was launched in 2017 and has some 50 members  is funded in part by the Aberdeenshire Council and the King George V Wind Turbine Trust.

Interested members of the public are welcome to volunteer in this week's excavations at the Milton of Crathes  such as by helping the dig itself and sorting the finds  or to simply visit to see what the group has uncovered.

'If visiting the site may be very muddy so wear sensible shoes or wellies!', said Alison Cameron.

'The work of Mesolithic Deeside has made a real contribution to our understanding of the prehistoric communities who lived along the Dee,' said archaeologist Caroline Wickham-Jones, formerly of the University of Aberdeen.

'Fieldwalking is fun but was obviously impacted by lockdown and they have worked hard to keep group members enthused.'

Aberdeenshire regional archaeologist Bruce Mann agreed, adding: 'The volunteers of Mesolithic Deeside have contributed so much to our understanding of early prehistory in this part of the world through their fieldwalking.'

Coinciding with the dig this week, Mesolithic expert Caroline Wickham-Jones and her fellow group members have compiled a dossier on their discoveries to date, which will be published in Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports. Pictured: a flint found by the group in March

The group  which was launched in 2017 and has some 50 members  is funded in part by the Aberdeenshire Council and the King George V Wind Turbine Trust. Pictured: a Mesolithic Deeside volunteer admires a flint found during a fieldwalking exercise

'I started fieldwalking with Mesolithic Deeside in 2018 and am now totally hooked,' said Mesolithic Deeside volunteer Roslyn Hay. 'The thrill of finding something that has been hidden in the soil, knowing that you are the first person to hold it since it was dropped thousands of years ago. You feel a connection with that person way back in prehistory. Pictured: two of the flints that the group found in fieldwalks back in March

'I started fieldwalking with Mesolithic Deeside in 2018 and am now totally hooked,' said Mesolithic Deeside volunteer Roslyn Hay.

'I've learned so much and made so many new friends, with the added benefit of plenty of exercise and fresh air. We walk, we talk (a lot), and find wonderful things.

'The thrill of finding something that has been hidden in the soil, knowing that you are the first person to hold it since it was dropped thousands of years ago. You feel a connection with that person way back in prehistory.

'My most memorable find was a large blade. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it! It was confirmed as most probably from the Late Upper Palaeolithic.

'Finds from this period, which predates the Mesolithic, are rare in Scotland, so this was a very exciting find for the group.'

'When I started finding flints over 20 years ago, I could never have imagined contributing to such a massive project,' said Mesolithic Deeside co-secretary and founding member Sheila Duthie. The group's efforts, she added, are 'without doubt broadening our understanding of prehistoric human activity on Deeside  its a blast!' Pictured: some of the group's finds

'When I started finding flints over 20 years ago, I could never have imagined contributing to such a massive project,' said Mesolithic Deeside co-secretary and founding member Sheila Duthie.

The group's efforts, she added, are 'without doubt broadening our understanding of prehistoric human activity on Deeside  its a blast!'

'My ideal pastime is footerin in flat fields with fine folk finding flints, fair or foul!' she exuberantly concluded.

More information on the upcoming test pitting can be found on the Mesolithic Deeside Facebook page.

'The work of Mesolithic Deeside has made a real contribution to our understanding of the prehistoric communities who lived along the Dee,' said archaeologist Caroline Wickham-Jones, formerly of the University of Aberdeen. Pictured: a Mesolithic Deeside volunteer with one of the group's flint finds back in March

Building on these finds, the group will be conducting a 'test pitting'  digging a series of small trenches  at the Milton of Crathes from November 1114. Alongside hunting for more flints, the archaeologists will also be investigating features seen in aerial survey maps that may represent the remains of a settlement

Interested members of the public are welcome to volunteer in this week's (November 1114) excavations at the Milton of Crathes such as by helping the dig itself and sorting the finds  or to simply visit to see what the group has uncovered. 'If visiting the site may be very muddy so wear sensible shoes or wellies!', said Alison Cameron. Pictured: the dig site
Some frogs brood their eggs by sitting on them or keeping eggs in their vocal sac, but a new species involves the male carrying the tadpoles around in its 'pocket.'

Researchers from University of Newcastle and the South Australian Museum recently identified a new type of 'hip-pocket' or pouched frog in Wollumbin National Park in northern New South Wales.

This is only the second type of hip-pocket ever to be discovered and is unlike the other frogs that call the Australian region home, the hip-pockets they lay eggs on the rainforest floor and not in water.

The father sits on the eggs for about six days until the tadpoles hatch and climb into small pouches located on the adult frog's legs - and the young stays there until they develop their own legs.

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The father sits on the eggs for about six days until the tadpoles hatch and climb into small pouches located on the adult frog's legs - and the young stays there until they develop their own legs

Minister for Environment Matt Kean said in a statement: 'This incredible discovery shows just how much we don't know about the world around us, with this tiny 16 [millimeter] frog found on just one isolated mountain in the Wollumbin National Park.

'The small population size makes this frog more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, which is why the NSW [New South Wales] Government moved quickly to protect its habitat within days of being formally described.'

The new species has been named Assa wollumbin sp.nov. in consultation with Aboriginal Elders of the Wollumbin Consultative Group.

It is also a close relative to Assa darlingtoni, or pouched frog.

The first member of the species was discovered species was described in 1993, but has been known to the indigenous population for thousands of years.

This is just the second of the species ever to be discovered and is unlike the other frogs that call the Australian region home - the hip-pockets they lay eggs on the rainforest floor and not in water

University of Newcastle's Dr Michael Mahony said in a statement: 'The hip-pocket frog is not only unique for its amazing breeding biology among Australian frogs, but it is also unique among frogs of the world, since there are only four of the 4000 species worldwide that have male parental care where the male carries its developing tadpoles.'

The newly described pouched frog is one of nine threatened species of frog the researchers are studying in the aftermath of Australia's 2019-2020 bushfire disaster, and is expected to meet the state's criteria for a critically endangered listing.

Wildlife officials estimate that 46 million acres were burned during the bushfires.

'The small population size makes this frog more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, which is why the NSW government moved quickly to protect its habitat within days of being formally described,' Kean said.

'A conservation action plan will be developed to ensure the survival of this fascinating frog species, which has been living undiscovered high in the cool forest.'
Twitter is back online after being down for thousands of users worldwide who had issues with the website, app and logging in.

Problems began around 12:50pm ET on Monday and were impacting some users in the U.S., the U.K., New Zealand and other countries - but the crash appeared to be fixed around 1:30pm ET.

Many users said tweets are not refreshing or they are being kicked out of their accounts and forced to log back in.

It is not clear what caused the crash or the exact number of users impacted.

Twitter is down for thousands of users worldwide who report issues with the website, app and logging into accounts

DownDetector, a website that monitors online outages, showed a spike in issue reports just after 12:30pm ET.

By 12:52pm ET, more than 3,000 users in the U.S. had reported problems with the social media network and around the same time, some 1,800 users in the UK also reported issues to DownDetector.

It is not uncommon for social media platforms to crash, but the last time Twitter was down was October 4, over a month ago.

Other social media platforms, specifically those owned by Meta - Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, have experienced outages every few weeks lately.

Problems began around 12:50pm ET on Monday and are impacting some users in the US, the UK, New Zealand and other countries

Many users say tweets are not refreshing or they are being kicked out of their accounts and forced to log back in

Users are able to send some tweets amid the outage

The latest was just on November 3.

Twitter's Monday outage, however, seemed to be as choppy as Twitter's service was only impacted in some regions.

The social media network announced Friday that it is rolling out a new search button on some accounts that allows users to more easily scan through a specific person's past tweets.

One user is frustrated that without Twitter they have nowhere to complain about the outage

The social media network announced Friday that it is rolling out a new search button on some accounts that allows users to more easily scan through a specific person's past tweets

The button, located in the top right corner next to the 3-dot (or hamburger) menu, had started appearing for a small number of users in October.

It is now rolling out more widely on the iOS Twitter app, XDA Developers reported.

The button is the latest in a long series of new features Twitter has added to its platform in the past few months, many of which are related to privacy.

In October it fully launched a new feature on its web version that lets users remove a follower without blocking them.

The option prevents a chosen user from seeing any of a person's future posts or know they've been removed.
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New York  its back baby! Britons have long had a love affair with New York. The soaring skyscrapers, the ever-evolving restaurant scene, unrelenting noise, and the 24/7 buzz - it is a city in constant motion. And it can make London look pastoral by comparison.

So, when the city that never sleeps closed its borders to Brits as a pandemic precaution, you could hear the collective groans from Manhattan-philes in the UK. Now that the doors are open, heres what you need to know.

Its not exactly the same. Like everywhere else, this city was touched by the crisis, and the scars are still there. Everyone wears a mask inside, everywhere. Vaccination double jab cards are required for entrance to every restaurant and many shops.

New York is coming back to life after the pandemic - and its a reawakening that is very much worth celebrating

It feels like New Yorkers are on high alert. Perhaps because they still have vivid memories of lockdown.

Trapped in their (relatively) tiny apartments, with hospitals overloaded and Central Park a makeshift morgue, this famously lively place became a ghost town.

And although many shops and restaurants have failed to reopen (I counted 36 shuttered storefront windows on a cab ride of as many blocks), the irrepressible spirit of New York remains widely in evidence. Forged in the fire of 9/11, the resilience and sheer survival instincts here are on full display.

Block after block, newly reopened restaurants have set up jaunty looking marquis on the sidewalks (to comply with outdoor dining regulations), and locals are still out fast-walking, talking on their phones 24 hours a day. The buzz is back.

New York is coming back to life, slowly and cautiously yes, but coming back nonetheless. And its a reawakening that is very much worth celebrating.

Where to eat: For a great steak

The Grill on 52nd St, pictured, is set in a swanky mid-century Philip Johnson-designed dining room

Pictured is the entrance to The Grill in Midtown, where the menu is classic New York City chophouse

Pictured is The Grill's strip steak, which Ashley says 'is a standout'

Midtown for shopping is a must-do but if all of that retail therapy builds up an appetite it can be tricky to find a great place for an early dinner.

Try The Grill on 52nd St set in a swanky mid-century Philip Johnson-designed dining room.

The menu is classic New York City chophouse  the New York Strip Steak is a standout, as is the lobster.

The adjoining space, The Pool, is also a great spot for a cocktail.

Where to eat: Best for families

Burgerology, a Long Island staple, recently opened its first NYC location at the Crowne Plaza HY36 in Midtown.

Famous for craft burgers with unique flavours and over-the-top milkshakes, its perfect for families.

Opt for the Mac Attack burger with bacon, American cheese and Mac n Cheese on a Pretzel Bun, the Rockefeller with Kobe beef, or the Ice Cream Doughwich.

Shakes are topped with everything from bananas to s'mores to rainbow cookies.

Where to eat: For a fun night out with friends

Rosa Mexicano, pictured above, has been a New York classic since it opened in 1984

Pictured on the left is one of Rosa Mexicano's frozen margaritas - Ashley recommends ordering the pomegranate variety. The restaurant offers an elevated take on south-of-the-border cuisine, such as its tableside-prepared guacamole

A New York classic since it opened in 1984, Rosa Mexicano was designed to show diners that authentic Mexican cuisine does not always mean tacos and chilli-cheese burritos.

Their tableside prepared guacamole is what theyre famous for, along with frozen margaritas and an elevated take on south-of-the-border cuisine.

Full of stylish people out having fun, its a great evening. Order the Carne Asada Con Roja  the Chihuahua cheese gives it its creamy texture and the marinated meat simply melts in the mouth. And dont leave without trying the margaritas: spicy mango, and blood orange are great, but if you dont order the pomegranate, you are seriously missing something special.

According to Ashley, Rosa Mexicano was designed to show diners that authentic Mexican cuisine does not always mean tacos and chilli-cheese burritos

The atmosphere at Il Cantinori is pure New York  and the service outstanding. Picture courtesy of Creative Commons

Where to eat: Best for celeb-spotting

Il Cantinori  an iconic Greenwich Village Italian beloved by locals (and by locals we mean Richard Gere, (you can usually catch him on a Tuesday), Al Pacino and Julia Roberts.

The atmosphere is pure New York  eclectic, buzzing, exciting  and the service outstanding.

Jerry Seinfeld celebrates his birthday here and Gwyneth Paltrow knows all the waiters (Willy is her favourite) by name.

The food is delicious, authentic Tuscan, and the vibe is what keeps them coming back.

The restaurant features in a famous Sex and the City Episode. Carrie goes there to celebrate her 35th birthday and is stood up by her friends who mistakenly go to El Cantinoro - which is a block away. (Yes, it really exists too.)

Coolest bar

Campbell Bar, pictured, can be found upstairs in New Yorks iconic Grand Central Station. This image is by  / CC BY-SA 4.0 - courtesy of Commons Wikimedia

Grand Central Station has one of the most famous railway station concourses in the world

Dont miss out on cocktails at the Campbell Bar  set upstairs in New Yorks iconic Grand Central Station (15 Vanderbilt Avenue, just off 43rd Street). This place epitomises cool, old New York.

There are soaring, 25ft hand-painted ceilings, bold brass finishes and custom wood and leather furnishings.

And the cocktail list is fantastic, along with the glassware. They're worth the trip alone.

Dont miss: Visit 'Edge'

Hudson Yards Edge, pictured, calls itself the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere

Edge - located in Manhattan's west side - is a 1,100-foot-high observation deck boasting a 360-degree view of NYC

Hudson Yards Edge, which calls itself the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere, is a 1,100-foot-high observation deck boasting a 360-degree view of NYC.

Set on the west side of Manhattan it gives you a great skyline view  and you dont need to get cold seeing it  they have a full indoor viewing deck.

Time your visit around sunset and you can see beautiful views across the Hudson, including twilight reflections off the Freedom Tower and Empire State Building, as the city lights begin to flicker.

Ashley recommends visiting Edge at sunset to see beautiful views across the Hudson and the flickering lights of the city

For something festive try the bars (of course theres a bar) Cocoa in the Clouds hot chocolate layered with fresh, made-to-order whipped cream and topped with a Rice Krispie treat, coated in crushed peppermint.

Pro tip: you can add the liquor of your choice to keep things moving nicely along.

A kids paradise: Dylans Candy Bar

Ashley likens Dylans Candy Bar to a 'magical cross between Candy Land, Disney Land and Willy Wonkas Factory'

Hudson Yards' Dylans Candy Bar, pictured, sells charming candy-themed lifestyle products - while there, try the toasted marshmallow shake

Also in Hudson Yards is this magical cross between Candy Land, Disney Land and Willy Wonkas Factory.

Dylans Candy Bar is an NYC landmark and a must-do for children and sweet-toothed adults. It is home to over 7,000 confections, including a huge variety of candies and candy-related gifts from around the world.

Its basically an edible museum of candy and every single treat has been carefully chosen and curated like art.

There are several throughout the city but the Hudson Yards' Dylans Candy Bar includes really charming candy-themed lifestyle products and an incredible dessert parlour and ice cream shop. Kids will be in heaven.

The toasted marshmallow shake was worth the trip alone and the ice cream is very likely the best you will find in New York City.

Now part of NYC folklore, the store has popped up in shows set in NYC such as Gossip Girl, Girls and Keeping Up with the Kardashians, so you can keep your cool cred with the teens, too.

Where to stay: voco The Franklin New York

Rates at Voco The Franklin New York run as low as 139 ($190) per night, proving affordable doesnt have to mean less in NYC

Fifty-room Voco The Franklin New York, originally built in 1930, now feels like a classic with contemporary touches

Affordable doesnt have to mean less in NYC. And this hotel is a great example.

A stylish, chic and smart boutique hotel, rates at Voco The Franklin New York run as low as 139 ($190) per night - which for NYC is fantastic.

Following an extensive renovation, the 50-room hotel, originally built in 1930, now feels like a classic with contemporary touches.

Our room was a trendy dark blue with modern art and crisp (and luxurious-feeling) white linens on the super-comfortable bed.

'Everything here feels new, modern and very clean,' says Ashley, who checked into a trendy dark blue room during her stay

What's more, it's conveniently located on Manhattan's Upper East Side - theres a Starbucks steps away, a Whole Foods around the corner and a top Reformer Pilates studio right across the street.

Its also close to attractions such as Museum Mile and Central Park.

It offers free morning coffee to all guests, and an on-site restaurant will be opening soon.

Where to stay: Peninsula Hotel - a modern classic

'As you step into the imposing lobby of The Peninsula, you can tell that youve arrived at someplace truly special,' says Ashley

The hotel's location is ideal - it sits right in the heart of New York on snazzy Fifth Avenue

Pictured is the pool at The Peninsula's spa. Ashley describes the hotel as 'an oasis of soundproofed silence'

If youre going to treat yourself for a stay, theres nowhere better than The Peninsula hotel. As you step into the imposing lobby, you can tell that youve arrived someplace truly special.

The vibe in-room feels completely modern (outlets and nifty tech abound) but ultra-elegant, stylish and refined at the same time.

Amidst the plush linens, marble bath and private dining, there is smart lighting, surround sound and even a nail polish dryer on the bedside table.

The location is ideal - an oasis of soundproofed silence right in the heart of New York on snazzy Fifth Avenue.

You'll find smart lighting and surround sound in the Peninsula rooms. Pictured is the master bedroom in the hotel's Fifth Avenue suite

Ashley says the hotel has introduced new 'Peninsula Time', which means you can check in and check out at any time you want

Pictured is a table set for a private dinner event on the Peninsula sun terrace

Particularly worth noting is the hotels new 'Peninsula Time', which means you can check-in and check-out at any time you want.

No more waiting around to check in  you can arrive as early as 6:00am on the day and check out as late as 10:00pm at no extra charge.

Their new, eco-friendly, bespoke scented guest room amenities and guaranteed connecting rooms for families are also a really nice touch.

Where to stay: Spoil yourself

The Ritz-Carlton New York, pictured, is set within a historical building on the edge of Central Park

Ashley says the hotel, which has been recently renovated, 'epitomises townhouse tranquillity'

Pictured is one of the rooms overlooking Central Park. Ashley advises paying the hotel's La Prairie Spa a visit during your stay

The Ritz-Carlton New York's Central Park views are sensational - as this image underscores

Drop in at The Ritz-Carlton New York. This beautiful hotel is set within a historical building on the edge of Central Park and has been recently renovated, epitomising townhouse tranquillity.

Dont miss out on its newly reopened La Prairie Spa. Set downstairs it feels like youve entered a sanctuary and the skilled therapists here can literally transport you out of this world.

Their varied range of treatments are all designed to be both therapeutic and results-oriented. Facials blend technology with decadent ingredients, and massages release tight muscles and stagnant energy.
Stars including Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Ferne McCann offered up their star power to plug Children In Need's latest range of T-shirts.

Popstar Sophie, 42, beamed while posing in the charity's fabulous new T-shirts, while doting mother Ferne, 31, enlisted the help of her four-year-old daughter Sunday for the shoot.

Other famous faces taking part included Professor Green and Laura Whitmore, both of whom worked their best angles in the unisex line, which is available at George and sees 48% of each purchase go to the famous charity.

New T-shirts: Stars including Sophie Ellis-Bextor, 42, and Ferne McCann, 31, offered up their star power to plug Children In Need's latest range of T-shirts

Sweet: Ferne enlisted the help of her four-year-old daughter Sunday for the star-studded photoshoot

Sophie slipped into both a black and bright yellow tee decorated with charity mascot Pudsey's face, while Ferne looked typically glam in the white T-shirt.

The former TOWIE star posed on the doorstep of her gorgeous Essex pad.

Rapper Professor Green proudly posed in the yellow top - stamped with the inspiring words 'together we can' - with Love Island host Laura also opting for the sunny shade.

Children In Need has supported numerous charities helping disadvantaged children around the UK.

Star-studded: Other famous faces taking part included Professor Green, who also took part in a video for the charity and opened up about his mental health

Best angles: Love Island host Laura Whitmore worked her best angles while wearing the unisex line

Its fundraising campaign aims to inspire the nation to show their support for children and young people facing disadvantage across the UK in the lead up to the annual telethon, which airs on BBC One Friday 19 November.

Last month, 37-year-old Professor Green - real name Stephen Manderson - appeared in a Children In Need video in which he spoke candidly about his mental health struggles in the hopes of reinforcing the message that together, we can show that there are better days ahead.

He candidly said: 'When I was a kid, the phrase ''mental health'' wasn't something that you heard anywhere.

Looking good: Sophie slipped into both a black and bright yellow tee decorated with charity mascot Pudsey's face

Glam: Ferne looked typically glam in the white T-shirt teamed with stylish ripped denim jeans

Home sweet home: The former TOWIE star posed on the doorstep of her gorgeous Essex pad for the shoot

'There was no help really, and I didn't know how to ask for it because I didn't really understand what I was feeling myself.'

The doting father also offered some words of advice to others facing challenges relating to poverty and mental health.

'You are resilient and you are strong. Open up and tell someone how you're feeling. Do not suffer in silence. Never suffer in silence.'
Tori Spelling put on a very busty display as headed to celebrity hotspot Catch for dinner in West Hollywood on Saturday evening.

The 48-year-old performer was accompanied by a friend during the outing, and she also flashed a wide smile while taking a stroll prior to entering the facility.

The Beverly Hills, 90210 star's night on the town comes just days after she was seen moving boxes into a private residence, which led to much public speculation about the state of her marriage with Dean McDermott.

Blowing off steam: Tori Spelling was spotted arriving for dinner at the noted celebrity hangout Catch in West Hollywood on Saturday evening

Spelling wore a lovely black jacket that draped over much of her form and exposed a slight portion of her sculpted legs.

The Scary Movie 2 actress also rocked a thigh-high pair of leather boots that matched her outerwear.

The performer accessorized with an ornate gold necklace and kept a small leather purse slung over her right shoulder.

Her voluminous platinum blonde hair fell onto her chest and contrasted perfectly with the dominant shade of her outfit.

Dressed to impress: Spelling wore a lovely black jacket that draped over much of her form and exposed a slight portion of her sculpted legs

Shining bright: The performer accessorized with an ornate gold necklace and kept a small leather purse slung over her right shoulder

Spelling and McDermott, 54, initially met in 2005 while working on the television film Mind Over Murder.

The actress later admitted to becoming physically intimate with her now-husband on the first night that they became acquainted.

At the time, the A Carol Christmas actress was married to Charlie Shanian, and her partner had previously tied the knot with his first wife, Mary Jo Eustace, with whom he shares a son.

The couple both divorced their respective spouses in 2006 and went on to hold a marriage ceremony the following year.

Moving fast: The actress admitted to becoming physically intimate with her now-husband on the first night that they became acquainted; they are seen in 2019

Spelling and McDermott later started a family and have welcomed sons Liam, Finn and Beau, as well as daughters Stella and Hattie in the years since their wedding.

The pair faced a precarious period in 2013 after the actor was accused of being unfaithful to his wife.

According to Us Weekly, the performer cheated on his wife with a woman whom he had met the day of the affair and told the individual that he 'had a sexless marriage.'

The two later reconciled and the aftermath of the incident was covered in the docuseries True Tori.

Large family: Spelling and McDermott later started a family and have welcomed sons Liam, Finn and Beau, as well as daughters Stella and Hattie in the years since their wedding

Spelling and McDermott later found themselves as the subjects of public interest in 2018, when it was revealed that they had contacted the police three times in just over a week.

However, it was later revealed that the incidents had been resolved, and the two went on to work out their differences.

The actress appeared on Jeff Lewis' SiriusXM show earlier this year and told the media personality that she and her husband had not been sleeping in the same bed.

In hot water: Spelling and McDermott later found themselves as the subjects of public interest in 2018, when it was revealed that they had contacted the police three times in just over a week

An insider later spoke to Us Weekly and told the media outlet that the performer and her husband had hit an especially rocky patch in their relationship.

'Tori and Dean have been having major issues for over a year now. The fact that she's talking about sleeping in separate beds is very telling, she wouldn't do that unless things were really not great between them,' they said.

They went on to note that the actress' decision to discuss her relationship openly may have been a hint at a forthcoming divorce.

'Tori knows her kids see what she says online, so for her to say something publicly means the end could be very near,' they said.

Weathering the storm: An insider later spoke to Us Weekly and told the media outlet that the performer and her husband had hit an especially rocky patch in their relationship; they are pictured in 2019

Spelling was notably seen moving several boxes into a private residence in Los Angeles earlier this month.

According to Page Six, the actress was not wearing her wedding ring at the time.

The media outlet also reported that the performer was seen outside of an attorney's office last month while holding a notepad that featured the words 'custody,' 'support' and 'assets.'
Ireland Baldwin responded to the mass casualty incident that occurred at Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival in Houston on Friday.

In three posts that the 26-year-old model shared to her Instagram Story on Saturday, Baldwin said that the tragedy was 'not Travis Scott's fault' but added, 'he incites the rage.'

The Grudge Match star later deleted the posts, explaining, 'people on the internet are so scary and so misinformed.'

Speaking out: Ireland Baldwin responded to the mass casualty incident that occurred at Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival in Houston on Friday. Seen in 2019

Eight people, including a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old, died after a deadly crowd surge at the festival, which also left many others injured.

In Baldwin's first post, she wrote: 'Y'all are really killing me these days. You believe everything that you see on Twitter and TikTok and completely bandwagon on spreading misinformation.'

Baldwin then drew a comparison between the online reaction to the tragedy and the social media users who commented on her father Alec Baldwin's accidental fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his film Rust.

Tragedy: Eight people, including a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old, died after a deadly crowd surge at the festival, which also left many others injured. Scott pictured at Astroworld on Friday

Weighing in: In three posts that the 26-year-old model shared to her Instagram Story on Saturday, Baldwin said that the tragedy was 'not Travis Scott's fault' but added, 'he incites the rage'

'First, you were armory/stunt coordination pros when it came to the horrific tragedy involving my dad...and now Travis Scott is demonic because he ALLOWED people to die at his show?'

She continued, 'I'll start by saying I am heartbroken for the families who lost a loved one. Everyone should feel safe when they are going to enjoy live music.

'But it's not Travis Scott's fault. Any musician would validate that you can't see or hear anyone up there. Especially when wearing in-ear monitors.

'C'mon people...do a little research before you go spewing cancel culture bullsh*t. People lost their children at this who and you've got say is that Travis Scott's music is demonic and be (sic) belongs in prison? Jesus.'

Deleted: The Grudge Match star later deleted the posts, explaining, 'people on the internet are so scary and so misinformed'

Baldwin then wrote in her second post: 'I have a pretty solid idea...maybe we should stick to what we actually know, stop making assumptions, stop spreading misinformation, and educate ourselves on things we know nothing about.'

The DJ followed up with a third post in which she said she was not defending Scott and described her experiences while attending two of his concerts.

'Ok...I'm done reading sh*t on the internet I think forever. I am in no way defending Travis Scott because honestly I don't know him or care personally and the only aspect of this i care about is that people died because this brand new festival neglected to have the proper safety protocols in place.'

Past experiences: Baldwin shared what she experienced while attending two of Scott's concerts

'I've been to two of his shows. I watched people get carried out on stretchers with head injuries and from ODs. I've experienced this at maybe 10 other shows I've been to in my life where other punk band or rap artists played.

'He incites the rage. No doubt about that. But I refuse to fall into this twisted cancel culture bullsh*t when it's coming from people who have no idea how anything works.

'I ask a bunch of questions before forming any kind of opinion. Also people on the internet saying it's the kid's who died fault and they knew what they were getting into...Um no. There should have been so many protocols in place to keep kids safe.'

Raising money: On Sunday, Baldwin shared a post on her Story with a link to a Go Fund Me page, writing, 'Here's a link to donate to funeral costs and families of the Astroworld tragedy'

On Sunday, Baldwin shared a post on her Story with a link to a Go Fund Me page, writing, 'Here's a link to donate to funeral costs and families of the Astroworld tragedy.'

She later explained her decision to delete her initial posts. Baldwin wrote, 'Deleted my posts for one reason - people on the internet are scary and so misinformed.

'All that matters are the families of those who died in the Astroworld tragedy. My heart breaks for them. The point I was trying to make was stop rage-blaming.

Baldwin concluded, 'Make informed opinions and posts. So many people are at fault. Not just one person.'

Explanation: She later explained her decision to delete her initial posts

Meanwhile rappers Roddy Ricch and Don Toliver, who both performed at Astroworld on Friday, also paid tribute to the victims on their Instagram Stories.

Ricch wrote, 'please have families of those who we lost yesterday reach out to @shawnholiday.'

'i'll be donating my net compensation to the families of this incident. #Pray4Houston.'

Toliver shared a post, writing 'Praying for all those we lost and their loved ones. Houston 4ever,' adding three prayer hands emojis.

Tribute: Rapper Roddy Ricch, who also performed at Astroworld on Friday, paid tribute to the victims

Donation: Ricch revealed that he will be donating his net compensation from the event to the victims. Ricch seen at Astroworld on Friday
Her dad Gordon is reportedly worth a whopping 157 million.

And Tilly Ramsay is set to follow in the TV chef's footsteps, with Strictly Come Dancing insiders claiming the influencer, 20, could bag her own million in only a matter of years with brand endorsement deals.

Despite finding herself in Sunday night's dance off against Adam Peaty, who bid farewell to the competition to the BBC show, she's certainly found herself a legion of fans.

'She has had loads of offers': Tilly Ramsay, 20, is set to bag a million from brand endorsement deals following her Strictly Come Dancing stint (pictured in 2021)

A source told The Sun: 'Tilly's popularity has soared since she started on Strictly and, if she is clever, she could bank a million over the next couple of years.

'She has had loads of offers for endorsements and brand partnerships because companies can see how much appeal she has  especially because of the graceful way she has dealt with being shamed over her body.

'Tilly's TikTok account has also grown since she joined Strictly, along with her profiles on Instagram and Twitter, and she has now got 9.6million followers on TikTok alone.'

They also highlighted that she is currently 'juggling university', where she is studying Psychology, alongside the show so will be 'weighing up her options carefully.

Near miss: Despite finding herself in Sunday night's dance off against Adam Peaty, who bid farewell to the competition, she's certainly found herself a legion of fans (pictured with her on-screen partner Nikita Kuzmin in November 2021)

A representative for Tilly has been contacted by MailOnline for comment.

The CBBC presenter recently hit out at LBC's Steve Allen, 67, for calling her a 'chubby little thing' during his radio show last month.

In the post, Tilly revealed she was 'learning to accept' herself but had still been left 'hurt' by the shocking remarks.

Alongside the statement she shared a soundbite from Steve's show, in which he read out a comment from a listener alerting him to the fact Tilly was taking part in Celebrity MasterChef Australia.

Cruel: It comes after she hit out at LBC's Steve Allen, 67, for calling her a 'chubby little thing' during his radio show last month

Steve - who is on air between 4am and 7am - then remarked: 'Is she? Well, she can't blimming well dance!

'I'm bored of her already. She's a chubby little thing isn't she. Have you noticed? Probably her dad's cooking I should imagine.'

In response to the remarks, Tilly penned: 'I try not to read and listen to comments and negativity however recently being called out on a national radio station by a 67-year-old man is a step too far.

'Steve please feel free voice your opinions however I draw the line at commenting on my appearance. It's such a shame that someone is trying to make such a positive experience negative.'

Shock: The CBBC presenter had taken to Instagram to respond to LBC radio presenter Steve fat-shaming her on his radio show

Tilly continued: 'This isn't the first and definitely wont' be the last comment made about my appearance and I accept that and I'm learning to accept myself.

'But please remember that words can hurt. And at the end of the day I am only 19 and I'm so grateful for all the amazing opportunities I have been able to take part in.

'And I understand that being in the public eye obviously comes with it's own repercussions and I've been aware of this from a young age.

'However, I won't tolerate people that think it's okay to publicly comment and scrutinise anyone's weight and appearance. Love Tilly xx'

She captioned the post '#bekind'.
Simon Baker's activewear designer girlfriend Laura May Gibbs joined hundreds of anti-vaxxers at a rally to protest Australia's Covid-19 vaccine mandates on Sunday.

The Byron Bay local, who began dating The Mentalist star Baker earlier this year, attend the 'Reclaim The Line' protest at the NSW-Queensland border, documenting her experience on Instagram.

The protest was part of a series of rallies across the country against mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for certain industries and occupations.

Protestors, many of whom were wearing white, carried signs calling for the end of border restrictions and Covid vaccine mandates, with very few wearing masks.

Protest: Simon Baker's activewear designer girlfriend Laura May Gibbs (pictured) joined hundreds of anti-vaxxers at a rally to protest Australia's Covid-19 vaccine mandates on Sunday

'For those that couldn't attend a gathering in your area I will share some of the speeches from people in our community standing up for everyone's freedom,' Gibbs wrote next to a video of a heaving crowd of protesters.

She also shared footage of former Qantas pilot Graham Hood speaking to the crowd about his decision to resign because of the vaccine mandate, which last week also saw about 4,000 Queensland Health workers being suspended.

Gibbs made sure to post a photo of herself looking glamorous as she stood in the crowd, clad in a white crop top, matching jeans and striped jumper from her own fashion label.

Pulling a dramatic pose for the camera, Gibbs wrote: 'I'm already receiving messages from sharing these stories from people that have lost jobs, hang in there, you're not alone.'

In the crowd: The Byron Bay local, who began dating The Mentalist star Baker earlier this year, attend the 'Reclaim The Line' protest at the NSW-Queensland border, documenting her experience on Instagram

Up close: She also shared footage of former Qantas pilot Graham Hood speaking to the crowd about his decision to resign because of the vaccine mandate, which last week also saw about 4,000 Queensland Health workers being suspended

Time to party: Later, she shared a video of herself dancing in the crowd to John Lennon's song Power To the People

'So many people are fighting back against the division the government is trying to enforce in our country. None of this is law yet, just rules and mandates. Appreciate those speaking today to remind us all of our rights in this country,' she added.

Later, she shared a video of herself dancing in the crowd to John Lennon's song Power To the People.

Gibbs wasn't the only celebrity spotted at the rally - fellow anti-vaxxer and former Home And Away star Isabel Lucas was also front and centre.

Controversial: Gibbs wasn't the only celebrity spotted at the rally - fellow anti-vaxxer and former Home And Away star Isabel Lucas (pictured) was also front and centre

The actress told the Gold Coast Bulletin that the crowd was peaceful and that the police respected them.

Gibbs' attendance at the rally came just weeks after her brand Nagnata, announced on Instagram it that would not re-open its Byron Bay store until unvaccinated customers were legally allowed to shop there.

Posting to its official page in October, Nagnata uploaded a photo of three models from different ethnicities, alongside a declaration that the brand would 'reopen when ALL are welcome without fear of judgement'.

The lengthy caption spoke about the importance of 'inclusivity' and 'discrimination' when it comes to the Covid vaccine.

No entry: Gibbs' attendance at the rally came just weeks after her brand Nagnata, announced on Instagram it that would not re-open its Byron Bay store until unvaccinated customers were legally allowed to shop there

Backlash: Nagnata, a sustainable 'athleisure brand co-founded by Laura and her sister Hannah in 2017, announced on Instagram that the brand would not re-open its Byron Bay store until unvaccinated customers were legally allowed to shop there

Hmm: Nagnata uploaded this photo of three models from different ethnicities, alongside a declaration that the brand would 'reopen when ALL are welcome without fear of judgement'

Vaccinations are vital to reducing the spread of preventable diseases, and any suggestion otherwise flies in the face of science and the advice of medical experts around the globe.

The coronavirus vaccine is a safe and vital measure being taken to protect the community from the spread of the virus.

So far, 89.8 per cent of eligible people are fully vaccinated in NSW, with 93.9 per cent having had at least one dose.

Her man: Gibbs is currently dating The Mentalist actor Simon Baker (pictured)

Romance: The couple met in Byron, where her design studio is based near his farm in Nashua

Sunday's protest came as it was revealed that Australians will need Covid vaccine booster shots at least once a year 'for the foreseeable future' to keep the deadly disease at bay.

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia warned that with more deadly variants emerging, keeping people safe could require getting booster jabs every six to 12 months.

PGA president Trent Twomey said booster shots would help protect people from Covid for years to come until the virus becomes manageable.

'The question is what booster and what interval we need to get that booster, whether it's every six, nine or 12 months. Those decisions need to be based on evidence and facts and at the moment that is an evolving space,' he said.

'In time we will treat Covid like many other viruses that have been around for decades, and a Covid-19 shot will just be another element of the Australian vaccination program.'
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The fourth episode of HBO's smash-hit Succession aired Sunday, introducing a new character into the fold portrayed by Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody.

Last week's episode forwarded the ongoing tumult swirling around the Waystar Royco media conglomerate.

At the end of the episode, the company's New York headquarters were raided by FBI agents in the wake of Kendall Roy's (Jeremy Strong) revelation his father Logan Roy (Brian Cox) had knowledge of massive cover-ups of murders, sexual assaults and other crimes within the company's cruise division.

The latest: The fourth episode of HBO's smash hit Succession aired Sunday, introducing a new character into the fold portrayed by Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody, an investor who meets with Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) about the future of Waystar

Sunday's episode opens with Kendall joined by Greg (Nicholas Braun) watching the raid on the company. Logan texts Greg to meet with him right away, but is encouraged by Kendall to attend as long as he remains loyal to him.

'I'm a sturdy birdy,' Greg reassures Kendall.

Kendall calls into a group call with Waystar brass on the line.

'It's like the Sgt. Pepper of broken corporate America,' Kendall said.

Sunday's episode opens with Kendall joined by Greg (Nicholas Braun) watching the raid on the company. Logan texts Greg to meet with him right away, but is encouraged by Kendall to attend as long as he remains loyal to him

Greg's loyalty is unclear amid the ongoing family scandal

Brody's character Josh Aaronson has been described by the show as 'a billionaire activist investor who becomes pivotal in the battle for the ownership of Waystar'

Execs Karl Muller (David Rasche) and Frank Vernon (Peter Friedman) inform Kendall that Aaronson, who owns a stake of the company, wants to meet with the Roys to solidify his stance.

Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Logan are seen strategizing over how to get leverage over the situation.

Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron) are seen strategizing over issues, when Roman informs Gerri he was able to locate a homeless man who Kendall manipulated into tattooing his initials on his forehead during his bachelor party in New Orleans.

Execs Karl Muller (David Rasche) and Frank Vernon (Peter Friedman) inform Kendall that Aaronson, who owns a stake of the company, wants to meet with the Roys to solidify his stance

Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Logan are seen strategizing over how to get leverage over the situation.

Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron) are seen strategizing over issues, when Roman informs Gerri he was able to locate a homeless man who Kendall manipulated into tattooing his initials on his forehead

Gerri tells Roman that they need boundaries in their working relationship

Roman seems to be dismayed when Gerri tells him she has a date that day amid their unusual relationship. Gerri tells Roman that they need boundaries in their working relationship.

Greg meets with Logan, who grills him on his relationship with Kendall and tries to recruit him to use his legal team.

Logan tells Greg he has a little leverage and wants to know what he wants to switch sides.

Greg meets with Logan, who grills him on his relationship with Kendall and tries to recruit him to use his legal team

Logan tells Greg he has a little leverage and wants to know what he wants to switch sides

In charge: Logan Roy is seen with security specialist Colin (Scott Nicholson) in this frame from the show

Kendall and Frank (with Logan observing) have a discussion on the phone about Aaronson about meeting with him on Aaronson's island to chat things over, and have a face-to-face meeting with Logan beforehand.

Kendall and Logan are seen departing to meet Aaronson on aircrafts out of New York amid heightened family tensions.

Shiv and husband Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) have a tense conversation about turning the heat up on the president, as Tom is stressed about a potential prison sentence amid the scandal.

Frank and Kendall have a discussion on the phone about Aaronson about meeting with him on Aaronson's island to chat things over, and have a face-to-face meeting with Logan beforehand

Shiv and husband Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) have a tense conversation about turning the heat up on the president with their news network

Tom is stressed about a potential prison sentence amid the scandal

A tentative Tom says he will follow Shiv's orders to have the network's anchors bash the president after some initial resistance.

Shiv meets with Connor, who maps out a strategy about rehashing his presidential campaign.

Shiv offers him a cooking network instead but Connor pushes back, reminding her of the damning information he has about Logan's history of nastiness, neglect and racism.

'What was it they used to say around here? No Blacks, no Jews, no women above the fourth floor?' Connor tells Shiv.

Connor reminds Shiv that he wants to reboot his presidential campaign

Shiv offers Connor a cooking network instead but he pushes back, reminding her of the damning information he has about Logan's history of nastiness and racism

The eldest of the Roy siblings is looking for leverage with the family's fortune shaken up

Kendall and Aaronson meet at his island home where Aaronson tries to suss out where his best business interests lie.

Kendall tells Aaronson that he likes him and invites him to his upcoming 40th birthday party. Logan arrives and he and Kendall embrace uneasily, for show.

Roman and Hugo Baker (Fisher Stevens) meet with the homeless man who Kendall had his initials tattooed on his head. After they have been removed, Roman offers the man $1 million for pictures of the tattoo.

Aaronson walks with Kendall and Logan and talk about his concerns about Waystar Royco.

Aaronson asks Kendall to backtrack on his previous condemnations of the company culture, but Kendall aggressively asserts himself and stands his ground.

The father and son are seen departing for Aaronson's home in separate helicopters

Roman and Hugo Baker (Fisher Stevens) meet with the homeless man who Kendall had his initials tattooed on his head

After they have been removed, Roman offers the man $1 million for pictures of the tattoo.

Tom meets with Greg in his office, and tells Greg he can probably ask for whatever he wants for his loyalty. Greg says he wants to become a player in the amusement park division. Tom begins punching at Greg amid his worried state.

Shiv consults with Frank and Karl about the ongoing business affairs with Stewy Hosseini (Arian Moayed) and Sandy Furness (Larry Pine).

Aaronson asks Kendall what he has on Logan, to which a hesitant Kendall says Logan is 'implicated' in the scandal.

Tom meets with Greg in his office, and tells Greg he can probably ask for whatever he wants for his loyalty

Tom begins abusing Greg with verbal and physical taunts amid the impromptu meeting

Peter Friedman plays the role of beleaguered executive Frank Vernon on the HBO series

Logan looks to tighten his grip on his massive media organization amid problems with his son Kendall and authorities in the show's third season

Tom tells Shiv he was unable to convince the anchors to bash the president, and explained his fear of going to prison to Shiv.

'I'm f***ing terrified Shiv,' he tells his spouse, who has no response, and blows him off when Logan calls her.

Logan tells Shiv he's displeased with her performance after her consultation with Karl.

Logan tells Shiv he's displeased with her performance after her consultation with Karl

Tom tells Shiv he was unable to convince the anchors to bash the president, and explained his fear of going to prison to her

Aaronson, Logan and Kendall sit outdoors for a meal, where Aaronson lays out his hesitance in continuing with the fractured Roy family, asking if it will be a 'functional situation' moving forward. Both say yes but fail to persuade Aaronson.

Logan tells Aaronson that 'it'll be OK' and says he thinks Kendall is a 'good kid' who might be the best to run the company in the long haul.

Logan and Kendall sit in a seaside silence amid tension when Aaronson takes a phone call away from the table.

Aaronson asks if they want carts to bring them back to the home through a nature trail, but Logan declines.

Logan looks to solidify his side with the billionaire investor

Kendall and his father have a hug to show unity during the meeting with Aaronson

Kendall and Logan meet with Aaronson at his island home, where Aaronson tries to suss out where his best business interests lie

Aaronson asks if they want carts to bring them back to the home through a nature trail, but Logan declines

Logan tells Kendall that Greg has moved to his side, to which Kendall tells him to 'retire now,' but Logan says he would prefer prison to handing Kendall control.

The pair are walking down a long trail when Logan begins breathing deep, but refuses to use a cart to get back to the premises.

As the pair continue down the path, Kendall begins antagonizing Logan about how he's losing control of the company and his life.

Aaronson is seen discussing business with Kendall Roy in a pivotal scene in the episode

Aaronson walks with Kendall and Logan and talk about his concerns about Waystar Royco, asking Kendall to backtrack on his previous condemnations of the company culture, but Kendall aggressively asserts himself and stands his ground

Kendall and Logan forego the use of carts and walk back to Aaronson's home

Logan's breathing continues to intensify as Kendall holds him up while they're moving forward on the trail.

Shiv walks into a network meeting that abruptly concludes with her presence and grills anchor Mark Ravenhead (Zack Robidas) on her coverage of the president, but Ravenhead pushes back until Shiv tells him there is no option.

Roman asks Gerri about a date she had, then shows her the image of the homeless man Kendall had his initials tattooed on but Gerri tells him to keep them under wraps.

As the pair continue down the path, Kendall begins antagonizing Logan about how he's losing control of the company and his life

Logan appears to fall ill as the trio walk back from the business lunch

Logan's breathing continues to intensify as Kendall holds him up while they're moving forward on the trail

Shiv grills anchor Mark Ravenhead (Zack Robidas) on her coverage of the president, but Ravenhead pushes back until Shiv tells him there is no option

Logan, recovering from heat exhaustion on the walk, takes an angry call from the president about Ravenhead's criticism and implies that his coverage will be better if the federal investigation is halted.

Roman tells Kendall that Aaronson has pulled back his support for the Roys in the wake of the incident on the trail.

Kendall sees this for himself when he sees Aaronson is seen warmly embracing Stewy on a helipad to close out the episode.

Logan takes an angry call from the president about Ravenhead's criticism and implies that his coverage will be better if the federal investigation is halted

Roman tells Kendall that Aaronson has pulled back his support for the Roys in the wake of the incident on the trail

Kendall sees this for himself when he sees Aaronson is seen warmly embracing Stewy on a helipad to close out the episode

Brody's character Josh Aaronson has been described by the show as 'a billionaire activist investor who becomes pivotal in the battle for the ownership of Waystar' amid the family feud between Kendall and Logan.

Brody is one of a number of notable names who have joined the cast for the show's third season.

Also coming aboard include Alexander Skarsgard, who plays a tech CEO named Lukas Matsson, and Hope Davis as Sandi Furness, who is the daughter of Sandy Furness, the media mogul who is at odds with Logan and a major shareholder in the company.

Waystar exec Gerri Kellman (J. Smith-Cameron) has been under massive pressure in the wake of the family scandal

The Emmy-winning show has continued to be a hit with critics and fans, dominating the pop culture press with its ensemble cast and scintillating storylines.

Kieran Culkin, who portrays Roman Roy on the series, hosted Saturday Night Live this week, nearly 30 years after appearing on the NBC comedy series with his brother, Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin.

Succession continues with the fifth episode in the nine-episode season, titled Retired Janitors of Idaho, on Sunday, November 14 at 9 PM ET on HBO.
Haaz Sleiman is opening up about Disney's refusal to edit out LGBTQ+ content in Eternals.

The actor, 45, speaking to Variety Friday, said he was emotional when Disney refused to edit content in the film, which has subsequently been banned in countries including Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The film was supposed to debut in those countries November 11.

'They stood their ground and said, "Nope, we are not going to compromise the integrity of our film,"' he said. 'It made these Arab countries looks so ignorant and pathetic.'

The latest: Haaz Sleiman, 45, is opening up about Disney's refusal to edit out LGBTQ+ content in Eternals. He was snapped in LA last month at the film's premiere

Sleiman continued: 'I have no respect for those governments. They have displayed to the world that they are not only a disgrace to humanity, but to God.

'Hopefully this will inspire the Saudi people, the Kuwaiti people and the people in Qatar to fight back.'

Sleiman, who is openly gay, portrays the role of Phastos's (Brian Tyree Henry) husband Ben in the motion picture. Phastos marks the first gay superhero in the MCU in the film directed by Chloe Zhao.

The actor, who was raised in Lebanon in a Muslim family, opened up about an exchange in the movie in which his character speaks Arabic.

The actor, who was raised in Lebanon in a Muslim family, publicly came out as gay in 2017

Sleiman, who publicly came out in 2017, said the impact of LGBTQ+ representation in the film has 'lifesaving' value to it

Sleiman portrays the role of Phastos's (Brian Tyree Henry) husband Ben in the motion picture

'That moment shows the love between me and Phastos and its a statement on its own that you hear someone speak like that,' Sleiman said. 'I never thought I would see that, let alone that I got to do it.'

The actor said he was certain that even in the banned areas, viewers would watch the movie.

'Theyre going to find a way to watch it, even if its illegal,' Sleiman said. 'And then they can give their two middle fingers to their governments. Because even when its banned, theres a way.'

Sleiman, who publicly came out in 2017, opened up to the publication last month about the 'lifesaving' impact of LGBTQ+ representation in the film.

'I wish I had that when I was a kid, to see this,' he said. 'My God. I wish!

'Can you imagine how many lives this is going to be saving - kids, young queer folk, who are being bullied, committing suicide and not seeing themselves being represented? And now they get to see this - its above and beyond.'
Julia Roberts and George Clooney are set to begin shooting romantic comedy Ticket to Paradise in the Whitsundays.

And mariners have been warned waterways near the island will be closed for three days while the Hollywood movie is being filmed.

An exclusion zone has been established between Cid Island and Whitsunday Island from Tuesday, November 9, until Friday, November 12.

New project: Waterways in the Whitsundays will be closed for three days as George Clooney (pictured) and Julia Roberts film romantic comedy Ticket to Paradise

Unauthorised vessels will be prohibited from anchoring, berthing, mooring or operating within the exclusion zone.

The shoot is scheduled for two months from mid-November, with additional locations in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

The project received a $6.4million grant from the federal government's Location Incentive Program.

Closed: An exclusion zone has been established between Cid Island and Whitsunday Island from Tuesday, November 9, until Friday, November 12

George and Julia play a divorced couple who travel to Bali in a desperate bid to stop their daughter, played by Kaitlyn Dever, from getting married.

The movie will be filmed entirely in Queensland, with the picturesque Whitsundays doubling for Bali.

George and Julie completed their mandatory 14-day quarantine in Sydney last week.

Location: The shoot is scheduled for two months from mid-November, with additional locations in Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Pictured: Julia Roberts in London in December 2019

The actress spent two weeks at a $56.9million mansion in Vaucluse, one of Sydney's most exclusive suburbs.

They both left Sydney separately on private flights the same day.

Lucas Bravo also recently completed his 14-day quarantine before jetting off to film the movie in the Sunshine State.
She's one of the Australian influencer community's most prominent anti-vaxxers.

But Chloe Szep's off-the-wall beliefs run deeper than just Covid denial, with the 23-year-old subscribing to a number of conspiracy theories online, including one that states the 1969 moon landing was faked.

The '#spaceisfake' hashtag followed by Chloe is also home to hundreds of memes advocating flat earther theories.

Space cadet: Chloe Szep's (pictured) off-the-wall beliefs run deeper than just Covid denial, with the 23-year-old revealed to subscribe to a number of conspiracy theories online, including one that states the 1969 moon landing was faked

Flat-earthers believe the earth is flat rather than spherical, contrary to over two millennia of scientific consensus.

Among Chloe's other followed topics are the conspiracy theory-based hashtags #indoctrination, #dnaupgrades, #truthseekers and #simulationtheory.

The revelation comes after Chloe's partner Mitchell Orval reportedly caused a scene at the buffet area of a Gold Coast resort.

Wake up sheeple! Moon landing conspiracy theories posit that the moon landings were hoaxes fabricated by NASA. Pictured: The Apollo 12 mission in 1969

Interesting: Among Chloe's other followed topics are the conspiracy theory-based hashtags #indoctrination, #dnaupgrades, #truthseekers and #simulationtheory

The uproar occurred after staff asked him to wear a face mask and shoes.

According to Outspoken The Podcast hosts Amy and Sophie Taeuber, the 25-year-old was on holiday with Chloe and the couple's son, Artie.

'During breakfast service at the hotel, Mitch allegedly caused a stir when he entered the buffet with no mask and no shoes,' said Sophie.

Drama: Chloe's partner Mitchell Orval (pictured) reportedly caused a scene at the buffet area of a Gold Coast resort recently after staff asked him to wear a face mask and shoes

The podcast host pointed out that under current Covid restrictions, diners must wear a face mask when they take food from a buffet area.

'According to our source who's staying at the hotel, Mitch was asked by staff members to put a mask on,' Sophie continued.

'He allegedly replied saying he can't wear one because of a medical exemption. Staff then also requested that he put some shoes on, so he was provided with some hotel slippers.'

Background: According to Outspoken The Podcast hosts Amy and Sophie Taeuber, the 25-year-old was on holiday with his influencer girlfriend and fellow anti-vaxxer, Chloe Szep, 23, and the couple's son, Artie

After the pair had a brief laugh over the ridiculousness of the situation, Amy chimed in to highlight how the Covid rules in Queensland differ slightly.

She explained that residents in the Sunshine State don't have to wear a mask if they have a medical condition and don't have to provide a medical certificate to prove their exemption.

The sisters then took a look back at Mitchell and Chloe's history of ignoring Covid rules and emphasising their 'pro-choice' stance on social media.

Inside source: Podcast hosts Sophie and Amy said that, according to a source at the hotel, Mitch 'caused a stir' about wearing a mask and said he had a 'medical exemption'. Staff then 'requested that he put some shoes on, so he was provided with some hotel slippers'

They referred to one infamous incident where the couple did not wear a mask at the height of the pandemic during a shopping trip.

Mitch and Chloe had uploaded a YouTube video documenting their visit to a shopping centre without wearing mandatory face masks several months ago.

Fans blasted the couple for their behaviour, labelling it 'reckless' and 'entitled'.

Chloe later apologised for her actions in a post, but stressed the importance of 'personal choice'.
Canadian-born Australian radio executive Brad McNally died in Perth on Saturday after a long battle with cancer.

McNally spent 45 years in radio, including roles as program director at 96FM Perth, Gold FM Melbourne, Sea FM and Hot Tomato on the Gold Coast.

His wife, Margaret, confirmed to Radio Today he'd died after living with a brain tumour for five and a half years.

Rest in peace: Canadian-born Australian radio executive Brad McNally (pictured) died in Perth on Saturday after a long battle with cancer

'Brad passed away peacefully last night, Saturday, November 6, 2021, in St John of God Hospital, Subiaco,' Margaret said.

'He courageously endured life with a brain tumour for five and half years since his diagnosis in 2016.'

Australian radio presenter Craig Huggins paid tribute to McNally on social media.

'Passed away peacefully': His wife, Margaret, confirmed to Radio Today he'd died after living with a brain tumour for five and a half years

'I was blessed to work with Brad at 3XY when l first started radio, and again as my PD [program director] at Gold104.3 in the mid '90s. A wonderful, giving man who I've always loved chatting with,' he said.

'I will always remember his whispering, haunting Canadian accent on his show The Hour Before Midnight. Most know Brad as Ninja; way back then we called him Gunner.'

GOLD 104.3 drive host Gavin Miller's said: 'I absolutely adored Brad McNally.

'I met him when I was 20. He was my boss to start with, and later on he became one of my favourite friends. I'll always smile when I think of how he would start every phone call: "Hey, man, checking in!"

'Brad passed away peacefully last night, Saturday 6 November 2021, in St John of God Hospital, Subiaco,' she told Radio Today

'He was a quirky guy who knew how to live a big life, which he did. He used to say stuff to me like, "You've only got one kick at the can, so make the most of it." He also introduced me to a tonne of great music, made me laugh a lot, and he always cheered me on no matter what.'

Before settling in Australia, Brad was a program director for stations for Scandinavian Broadcasting Systems.

He also worked in Canada, the UK and Ireland.
Squid Game stars Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo and Lee Byung-hun attended the 10th Annual LACMA Art+Film Gala on Saturday night.

The cast of the mega-hit South Korean Netflix series walked the red carpet along with director Hwang Dong-huk.

The gala honored artists Amy Sherald and Kehinde Wiley, as well as Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg.

On the red carpet: Squid Game stars Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo and Lee Byung-hun along with director Hwang Dong-hyuk attended the 10th Annual LACMA Art+Film Gala on Saturday night

Squid Game is Netflix's top-viewed series of all time and has already been green-lit for a second season.

Jung-jae, who played the lead role of Seong Gi-hun in the survival drama, donned a sharp white and black tuxedo for the glamorous event.

Hae-soo, who starred as Gi-hun's childhood friend Jo Sang-woo, wore a black suit jacket and slacks with a white dress shirt.

Dapper: Jung-jae, who played the lead role of Seong Gi-hun in the survival drama, donned a sharp white and black tuxedo for the glamorous event

Stylish: Dong-hyuk sported a bold orange, yellow and black patterned turtleneck under a black coat with black trousers

Sharp: Byung-hun, who played the mysterious Squid Game antagonist The Front Man, looked dapper in a black tuxedo with a large black bow-tie

Dong-hyuk sported a bold orange, yellow and black patterned turtleneck under a black coat with black trousers.

Byung-hun, who played the mysterious Squid Game antagonist The Front Man, looked dapper in a black tuxedo with a large black bow tie.

A-List South Korean actor Lee Min-ho was also in attendance. The Boys Over Flowers star donned a black velvet tuxedo jacket over a white dress shirt with a black bow tie and black slacks.

Star-studded crowd: A-List South Korean actor Lee Min-ho was also in attendance

The LACMA Art+Film Gala returned as an in-person occasion after being canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the safety precautions that went along with it.

Some of the nights attendees included Miley Cyrus, Eva Longoria, Elle Fanning and of course, honoree Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw.

Gucci continued its partnership with the beloved Los Angeles art museum by returning as this years sponsor. It comes amid the luxury brands 100th Anniversary.

Audi also lent support to the annual event.

Mega-hit: Squid Game is Netflix's top-viewed series of all time and has already been green-lit for a second season

According to a statement released by LACMA, all of the proceeds garnered from the gala 'go toward underwriting LACMAs initiative to make film more central to the museums curatorial programming, while also funding LACMAs broader mission.

This mission includes exhibitions, acquisitions, and educational programming, in addition to screenings that explore the intersection of art and film.

Since its inception, the Art+Film Gala has honored the likes of directors Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, and Clint Eastwood, as well as the likes of artists Betye Saar, Catherine Opie, and John Baldessari.
Kourtney Kardashian paid a visit to fiance Travis Barker at his music studio in Los Angeles on Sunday and brought along her son Reign.

The Poosh founder, 42, turned up to the Blink-182 drummer's musical hideaway with her youngest child, six, where they spent a couple hours there in the afternoon.

Continuing to show off their love of skeletons, the newly engaged couple were seen rocking matching sweatpants as they headed inside.

With the band: Kourtney Kardashian paid a visit to fiance Travis Barker at his music studio in Los Angeles on Sunday and brought along her son Reign

Travis was seen greeting his lady love and Reign outside while wearing his skeletal sweats a band T-shirt and a pair of black hotel slippers.

Kourtney matched his likeness on the pants front but opted for the full look as she donned a full skeletal set and a pair of sneakers.

She had previously taken to Instagram to show off her new set with a mirror selfie as part of a now deleted photo dump.

The reality star sucked on a red lollipop and slipped her sunglasses on while linking up with Travis, with Reign following closely behind in a tie-dye set with Yeezy slides.

Til death do us part! Continuing to show off their love of skeletons, the newly engaged couple were seen rocking matching sweatpants as they headed inside

Home away from home: She was seen sucking on a red lollipop with a pair of sunglasses tucked on the top of her head, while Reign followed behind her in a tie-dye set with Yeezy slides

The two appeared to have a bit of a catch up before he led his fiance, and soon-to-be stepson into the studio.

This weekend Barker joined the whole Kardashian clan  minus Kendall and Kylie Jenner  as they celebrated mom Kris Jenner's birthday on Friday evening.

He had paid tribute to his soon-to-be mother-in-law on social media and even gifted her a stunning bouquet of red roses.

Though the drummer had been a longtime family friend who was always welcomed at family gatherings, slipping a ring onto Kourtney's finger solidified his spot in their most intimate circle.

Travis' ex Shanna Moakler gave a seemingly two-faced seal of approval on their engagement this week following some cryptic posts, as she told Page Six: 'I think they're very deserving of one another...I hope they get good ratings.'

Full look: She had previously taken to Instagram to show off her new set with a mirror selfie as part of a now deleted photo dump

Their sighting comes amid woes in the Kardashian-Jenner family, after her half-sister Kylie's boyfriend Travis Scott's concert was thwarted by tragedy last week.

Scott's catastrophic Astroworld set on Friday November 5, saw a rampage that left eight dead and many injured. Cops said 367 police officers and 241 security officers were working the event prior to the crush.

Harrowing accounts from concert-goers had described the show as 'hell,' with one eyewitness saying it was a 'floor of bodies.' Others had even described the show as having 'demonic energy' as a whole.

The event left eight dead and 11 victims were in cardiac arrest and needed CPR, with the youngest deceased concert-goer being just 14-years-old.

Photo dump: Travis' ex Shanna Moakler had given the pair a seemingly two-faced seal of approval on their engagement as she told Page Six 'I think they're very deserving of one another...I hope they get good ratings'

As of November 7 two lawsuits have been filed against the rapper.

A man by the name of Manuel Souza who attended the Houston music festival, filed a lawsuit on Saturday in Harris County District Court, suing Scott himself, as well as organizer ScoreMore and concert giant Live Nation.

A second attendee by the name of Kristian Paredes filed a civil lawsuit against both he and Drake, blaming the rappers for negligently inciting 'a riot and violence,' and seeking $1 million in damages.
Jen Shah suddenly disappeared moments before a police team showed up looking for her on Sunday's episode of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City on Bravo.

The 47-year-old reality star arrived with her hair in cornrows and wore black fur stole, as she loaded her bags on a black limousine van for a girls trip with the other housewives to Vail, Colorado.

Moments after getting a phone call, Jen told the other women that she needed to get off the van and couldn't go on the trip.

Emergency exit: Jen Shah suddenly disappeared moments before a police team showed up looking for her on Sunday's episode of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City on Bravo

'Hi baby,' Jen said, when she answered the phone. 'No not yet, we are at Beauty Lab and Laser in the parking lot. I need to go to the house?'

Jen looked upset as she caught a glimpse of one of the cameras coming near her. She turned and immediately asked Whitney Rose, 34, to turn off her microphone pack and left the van to finish the call.

Heather Gay, 47, walked up to Jen right after she got off the phone and commented that she looked stressed.

'I have some bad news,' Jen told her. ' I just got a phone call and Sharrieff Sr. is in the hospital. He has internal bleeding so I need to go.'

Internal bleeding: 'I have some bad news,' Jen told her. ' I just got a phone call and Sharrieff Sr. is in the hospital. He has internal bleeding so I need to go'

Sharrieff , Jen's husband, was shown earlier in the episode watching her as she was packing for her trip. Jen told Heather that she didn't know if he was going to need surgery. Heather asked her if she needed them to stay, but Jen said no. She said if he was okay that she would catch a flight to Vail later.

'How can he be okay?' asked Heather.

'I don't even know what's going on,' Jen replied.

Omg the first two minutes of the #RHOSLC premiere Im shaking you guys!!! pic.twitter.com/dtiivyGUwq  Real Housewives Gifs (@housewifegifs) September 7, 2021

Good question: 'How can he be okay?' asked Heather Gay

Big hug: Heather assured Jen that everything was going to be okay with Sharrieff Sr

Heather then asked if she was going to tell the other women that were waiting in the van that she wasn't going. Jen walked into the van and told Whitney Rose, Jennie Nguyen and Lisa Barlow her news. Jen got her stuff, loaded it back into a truck her assistant was driving and left.

After Jen pulled away, the women discussed cancelling the trip.

Jennie, 45, told them she was fine with going because there was nothing they could do either way. Heather said hopefully Jen was going to meet them there.

Travel plans: Jennie, 45, told them she was fine with going on the trip because there was nothing they could do either way

Meredith Marks, who organized the trip, was not in the van because she was in Aspen and said she would meet the women in Vail. Mary Cosby also was not there because she told them earlier she planned to fly private instead of taking the van.

Then 12 minutes after Jen left a team of armed law enforcement officers surrounded the van wearing vests that read police and HSI, Homeland Security Investigations. A producer said there were police outside and they had handcuffs out.

'We're looking for Jen Shah,' said one of the police officers as he approached the van. A producer told him that she just left.

Multiple officers: 'We're looking for Jen Shah,' said one of the police officers as he approached the van

The door opened to the van and the women realized they were surrounded by police. The police demanded to know what vehicle Jen left in and a producer said that she left in a truck. Whitney thought at first that this was all some kind of prank.

'Wait what the f*** is going on,' said Lisa, 46.

'No, I'm freaking out,' said Heather.

Freaking out: 'No, I'm freaking out,' said Heather

The police asked if Jen was with her husband and Jennie then realized the police were asking about Jen.

'Holy s*** what the f**** is going on?' asked Lisa. Heather got out of the van and asked 'what is going on.'

The police were speaking to a producer and said 'we have to talk to her to make sure she is okay.'

Armed officers: The police were speaking to a producer and said 'we have to talk to her to make sure she is okay'

'This is not good,' Lisa said.

A producer told the police that Jen told them she had to leave because her husband was in the hospital.

'Is this a prank?,' asked Whitney from inside the van. 'Is Jen playing a prank on us?'

Prank suspicion: 'Is this a prank?,' asked Whitney from inside the van. 'Is Jen playing a prank on us?'

Heather asked what the initials HSI on their vest stood for and they said 'Homeland Security Investigations.' Another officer said 'we need to speak to her, that's all.'

Heather told the officers that Jen left and told them she was headed straight to the hospital because her husband had internal bleeding. Lisa said that something's weird. Whitney revealed that after Jen got that call that she asked her to turn off her mike.

'You guys I'm going to puke,' Lisa said.

'They're looking for Jen,' said Whitney.

Multiple agencies: Heather asked what the initials HSI on their vest stood for and they said 'Homeland Security Investigations'

Heather got into the car and asked if she should call Jen and tell her that they just came here.

'I don't think you should,' Lisa said.

'You guys what if she is on the run?', asked Heather.

Fishy story: The story about Sharrieff suffering from internal bleeding was doubted

Jen was arrested later that same day. She was charged along with her assistant Stuart Smith, 43, on March 30th with running an alleged telemarketing conspiracy fraud scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York.

They were both charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing through which they victimized 10 or more persons over the age of 55, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, prosecutors said. Both have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The show started with Mary inviting the woman to an Italian cooking night at the Park City Culinary Art Institute and asking them to come dressed in Italian streetwear. Before the event, Mary told Heather she was not going to invite Jennie because of their fight.

Cooking night: The show started with Mary inviting the woman to an Italian cooking night at the Park City Culinary Art Institute

Jennie went over to Meredith Marks, 49, house for a pedicure. Meredith told Jennie that she had a house in Vail and wanted to invite all the other women. Jennie told Meredith that she hadn't talked to Mary since their snow tubing day. She told Jennie that she would have time to spend with Mary at Vail and hopefully could work things out.

Heather and her 17-year-old daughter Ashley had lunch with her niece Caroline, for her 25th birthday, and her husband. The group had alcohol at lunch and Heather said that most of them had had alcohol outside of their homes.

'We should really toast to burning in hell,' said Heather.

Birthday lunch: Heather and her 17-year-old daughter Ashley had lunch with her niece Caroline, for her 25th birthday, and her husband

They toasted to 'outer darkness' and Heather said in a confessional that was the lowest degree of heaven in the Mormon faith.

Caroline shared with Heather that the first time she drank was two months ago. She said that the first thing she tried was vodka. Heather said when she got the text that she was having a faith crisis that she almost threw her phone against the room. Caroline said it was only four or five months ago that she started to have doubts about her faith. She said her husband wondered why the church didn't help them with Covid or why they were so late to accept blacks in the priesthood or on gay rights.

'If it's really the true Church we should be leading,' Caroline said.

Left church: 'If it's really the true Church we should be leading,' Caroline said

Caroline said she was in the church because she thought she had to be but that when she left she felt liberated and could be her true self.

They toasted at lunch to being second-class citizens.

Jen went ski shoeing with her assistant Stuart. She spoke about how she sacrificed herself to further her business, but that now she was focused on spending more time with her kids. She told him that she appreciated that he was there for her in the good and bad times.

Lowest degree: Heather explained what Outer Darkness meant

'He is very loyal,' Jen said in a confessional.

Over at the Park City Culinary Institute, Mary arrived early to set up for the Italian lunch with the other women. Meredith arrived and said in a confessional that she hadn't seen Mary since she had that uncomfortable conversation with her former pastor Cameron Williams.

Mary said Whitney never picked up to get her invited so she texted her and told her to come in Mafia street fashion. Whitney got in a car with Heather to go to lunch and Heather told her she got a completely different invitation.

'So she is setting me up,' said Whitney. 'You were all going to look amazing designer glam and I was going to show up in a f***ing costume.'

Set up: 'So she is setting me up,' said Whitney. 'You were all going to look amazing designer glam and I was going to show up in a f***ing costume'

In a confessional, Whitney said Mary wanted her to arrive dressed as a 'slutty Mafia girl.' She said Mary even sent her images of what she wanted to wear.

When she arrived, Mary said it was just a joke. She added 'next time pick the phone up.'

Mary gave them all aprons in Louis Vuitton bags but said in a confessional that they were not from Louis Vuitton. Mary told the woman she did not invite Jennie.

Fresh aprons: Mary gave them all aprons in Louis Vuitton bags but said in a confessional that they were not from Louis Vuitton

Jennie spent the day home with her kids making yogurt. She said she knew that Mary was hosting a cooking class and didn't invite her so she decided to host her own.

'Mary looks great on the outside,' said Jennie in a confessional. 'All these fancy clothes - Chanel, Louis Vuitton - you can dress so elegantly on the outside but Mary pretty s****y on the inside.

At the Italian class, the woman learned how to make pasta. Lisa said in a confessional that she could think of a million things that she would rather be doing than cooking. She said things like 'clipping my toenails, picking up dog poop, or scrubbing the toilet.'

Family time: Jennie spent the day home with her kids making yogurt

Before they eat, Heather blessed their lunch. Mary was still mad at Whitney for not calling her back after receiving her invitation. Jen asked Lisa about her event last week.

'I'm never invited. I've gotten used to it Lisa,' Mary said.

Jen said that she wasn't invited either. Lisa told them there would be lots more events but that his event was about her kids. Jen told her that her feelings were hurt.

Feeling hurt: Jen said that she wasn't invited either

Heather said she thought it was weird and hilarious that Lisa kept saying that her sons made the invite list. 'What did Jen do to Jack and Henry to keep her off the invite list?,' said Heather in a confessional.

'I'm not talking about this anymore, I am done,' Lisa said.

They started talking about their trip to Vail. Mary learned that Jennie was coming. She said later in a confessional that she didn't like Jennie because she gossips. Mary then got mad at Whitney. Whitney said she was talking about her like she was a child.

The hostess: Mary treated the women to the cooking session

'You are too insecure, grow the f*** up,' Mary told her. Mary told her to stop yelling at her.

'You can go, little girl,' Mary said. 'Your car's out front you can leave.'

Whitney got up and started screaming. She said she didn't know why this night took this turn.

Getting heated: Whitney got up and started screaming at Mary

'Mary Cosby, I have had your back more than any other in this room, ' said Whitney. 'Mary, I love you.'

'Well act like it,' Mary said.

Meredith pulled Whitney aside to talk and told Whitney that she had this weird conversation with Cameron and he said some cryptic things to her.

Weird conversation: Meredith pulled Whitney aside to talk and told Whitney that she had this weird conversation with Cameron and he said some cryptic things to her

Whitney said one of Mary's cousin's once pulled her aside and told her to never make Mary mad. She said her cousin believes that Mary holds the power of God.

'Her congregation believes her to be God,' said Whitney.

In a confessional, Whitney read some of the mean texts that Mary had sent her in the past. The text said that Mary said she didn't need face lifts and plastic surgery like Whitney.

Mean messages: In a confessional, Whitney read some of the mean texts that Mary had sent her in the past.

Meredith brought Whitney back to the table. Whitney asked her if she cared about her like a friend, but Mary told her 'I don't think we are friends like that.'

Whitney said in a confessional that she was crushed by that comment.

'Moving forward, I will no longer be her little soldier,' Whitney vowed.

No more: 'Moving forward, I will no longer be her little soldier,' Whitney vowed

'Gloves are off,' Whitney told Mary.

The episode ended with a 'To Be Continued' message.

The Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City will return next Sunday on Bravo.
Kyly Clarke has been thrust back into the spotlight after her ex-husband Michael rekindled his romance with activewear mogul Pip Edwards.

And the former WAG, 40, looked every inch the doting mother on Sunday as she went on a movie date with her daughter Kelsey Lee, five, in Sydney.

The pair went to see a film at Event Cinemas at Bondi Junction.

Cute: Kyly Clarke, 40, looked every inch the doting mother on Sunday as she went on a movie date with her daughter Kelsey Lee, five, in Sydney

Kyly appeared to be in a good mood as she showed her digital vaccination certificate to an usher before entering the venue.

The House Rules judge flaunted her toned figure in a denim skirt and matching jacket.

She paired the ensemble with a white T-shirt and designer backpack.

Jabbed: Kyly appeared to be in a good mood as she showed her digital vaccination certificate to an usher before entering the venue

Kelsey Lee looked cute as a button in a white dress and boots.

The young fashionista completed her outfit with a novelty headband.

It comes amid news Michael, 40, has rekindled his romance with Pip, who is the founder of sportswear label P.E Nation.

At the movies: The pair went to see a film at Event Cinemas at Bondi Junction

The couple started dating after the Clarkes ended their marriage in 2019, but split up in February this year.

However, they rekindled their romance a few months ago.

The pair, who live a few minutes from each other in Sydney's eastern suburbs, are said to now be 'very happy'.

Back on: It comes amid news Kyly's ex-husband Michael Clarke (left) has rekindled his romance with Pip Edwards (right), who is the founder of sportswear label P.E Nation

While the duo had unfollowed each other on Instagram in light of their break-up, they have since reconnected on the social media platform.

They sparked reunion rumours in September after being spotted together on numerous occasions. Pip has since been posting selfies at Michael's house.

Michael and Kyly separated in September 2019, but only revealed their split in a surprise announcement on February 12, 2020.
Scott Cam threw his support behind The Block's judging panel over the weekend after critics claimed they should be fired for dishing out unfairly harsh criticism.

And it seems Scott, 58, has also found himself in the firing line, as some fans of the show are now saying he should be replaced as well.

The Nine star, who has hosted The Block for over a decade, defended judges Shaynna Blaze, Neale Whitaker and Darren Palmer in an interview with News.com.au on Saturday, insisting that their harsh criticisms were necessary for contestants' success.

'Sack the lot, even Scott as well': Viewers have called for Scott Cam, 58, to be sacked from The Block, after he defended the judges' harsh criticisms and called out contestants for having fragile egos

Some Facebook users weren't satisfied with this response, however, with one writing: 'Sack the lot, even Scott as well.'

'Sack the whole bloody show!' another agreed.

Other users had more specific complains about the show's long-time host, with one writing: 'Get rid of Scott (the rudest man ever) and all the judges and that bl**dy Shelley who I can't stand, and the show might be alright.'

Defence: The Nine star, who has hosted The Block for over a decade, had defended judges Shaynna Blaze (left), Neale Whitaker and Darren Palmer in an interview with News.com.au on Saturday, insisting that their harsh criticisms were necessary for contestants' success

One critic simply claimed that The Block has overstayed its welcome on Australian television, writing: 'Just end the show now. It was great the first few seasons but now it's just overkill.'

Scott has previously spoken about his desire to retire, telling TV Week magazine in 2019 that he'd been thinking more seriously about his next career move.

'I might be in trouble - another three years and I will be 60. That's staying in one show for a long time,' the former construction worker said.

'Scott should be replaced': Some Facebook users weren't satisfied with this response, howeve

'I was thinking about it the other day, 'What is going to happen next?''

However, it seems Scott still has a few more years left up his sleeve, as The Block has been renewed for another three years after smashing this year's ratings war.

It comes after Scott was forced to defend the show's judges, after some of the stars made the bold claims upon receiving harsh criticism for their rooms.

'That's staying in one show for a long time': Scott has previously spoken about his desire to retire, telling TV Week magazine in 2019 that he's been thinking more seriously about his next career move

'The judges gave very constructive criticism,' Scott told News Corp on Saturday, adding: 'The judges want them to make money, I want them to make money.'

'The biggest thing that I would hate to see is somebody working that hard and not making a quid.'

Scott went on to explain that a lot of egos get hurt during the judging process, before defending the judges' role.

Staying: 'The judges want them to make money, I want them to make money,' Scott said. 'The biggest thing that I would hate to see is somebody working that hard and not making a quid.' Pictured: Neale Whittaker, Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer

'When the judges do go hard, they bruise some egos of the contestants, and they get upset and cranky at the judges and want them replaced, but at the end of the day the judges are right,' he said.

The judges had a number of blow-ups with contestants this season - including with Josh and Luke Packham and Mitch and Mark.

In September, Mitch and Mark were left seething after criticism of their kitchen and pantry.

Not holding back! The judges had a number of blow-ups with contestants this season - including with Josh and Luke Packham and Mitch and Mark (pictured)

After the design trio branded the layout 'really dumb' and 'insane' during the reveal with the pair opting for just a fridge and pantry 'drawers' for storage.

Mitch stormed off the set and told them to 'go f**k yourselves' in an explosive piece to camera.

Judges Neale, Shaynna and Darren thought it was a glaring oversight to have gone without a designated pantry, and instead relied on a fridge and drawers for storage.

Not impressed! Darren (right) agreed, describing the layout as 'dumb' for the kitchen, while Shaynna (centre) added 'it's insane'

'I'm supposed to listen to them? Yeah go f**k yourselves. I'm not interested in the feedback,' Mitch quipped.

Mitch added in a piece to camera that their comments are 'pretty stupid'.

'I have no respect for the judges, so I shouldn't let somebody hurt me who I had no respect for in the first place,' he said.

Luke and Josh Packham were also left fuming a number of times this year, including for their messy house.
Isla Fisher is known for her fiery red tresses.

And on Saturday, the Australian actress posed with her two lookalike stunt doubles as she celebrated National Redhead Day.

The 45-year-old shared a photo to Instagram of herself smiling alongside her stunt double 'sisters' in honour of the day.

Lookalike 'sisters': Isla Fisher posed with her lookalike stunt doubles to celebrate National Redhead Day on Saturday

The three women wore blue jeans and green jumpers as they posed on set.

'Happy National Redhead Day from me and my two sisters,' Isla captioned the post.

Isla returned to Sydney last month after spending some time in Perth with her husband Sacha Baron Cohen.

On set: The actress shared a photo to Instagram of herself smiling alongside her stunt double 'sisters' in honour of the day. Pictured on April 26, 2021, in Sydney

She was recently spotted using crutches while attending a doctor's appointment after injuring herself.

Isla told Stellar magazine in March she feels 'safe' in her home country after moving back to Australia with her family.

'I just feel so safe, I suppose the word is cosy, when I'm in Australia. It's where I grew up,' said the Oman-born actress.

Back home: Isla returned to Sydney earlier this month after spending some time in Perth with her husband Sacha Baron Cohen. Pictured together in Beverly Hills on January 5, 2020

'I'm the happiest when I'm home. I miss it when I'm not here. I don't feel any pressure when I'm in Australia. I don't have to say or do or be anything. I mean, I don't even have to wear shoes.'

Isla and Sacha first met at a party in Sydney in 2002, and married in Paris in 2010 after she converted to the Jewish faith.

They moved from Los Angeles to Australia at the end of last year.
Saweetie, 28, is feeling broody.

On Saturday the 'icy' music artist tweeted to her 1.9 million followers that she wants 'some babies.'

And Nick Cannon, 41, took the opportunity to swoop in and volunteer to father her future offspring.

Shocker: On Saturday Saweetie tweeted to her 1.9 million followers that she wants 'some babies'

Without providing any context or explicitly stating she's ready to embark on motherhood, the Santa Clara, California native wrote: 'I want some babies.'

The arbitrary post was liked 29,000 times, and garnered over 1,000 comments.

It was retweeted more than 5,000 times and amongst that number was Nick Cannon, who quote tweeted the rapper with a string of emojis.

He didn't use any words, instead choosing to employee a curious face emoji, a ninja emoji, a laughing emoji, and a guy raising his hand.

Yearning for children: The 'icy' music artist, 28, is feeling broody

Willing candidate: Nick Cannon, 41, took the opportunity to swoop in and volunteer to father her future offspring

Saweetie has yet to reply to the talk show host, who already has seven children between four women.

The former Wild 'N Out host has two sets of twins: Moroccan and Monroe, 10, with Mariah Carey plus Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir, 4 months, with Abby De La Rosa.

He also has son Zen, born June 23, with Alyssa Scott.

And last December, the actor welcomed daughter Powerful Queen with Brittany Bell. Bell and Cannon also share four-year-old son Golden.

But the media mogul appeared ready to add to his roster for the likes of Saweetie.

Pending reply: Saweetie has yet to reply to the talk show host, who already has seven children between four women

Meanwhile, the pop star - who used to date rapper Quavo - seems to be willing to wait for kids, as she's focused on her budding career.

After her tweet about babies one of the chart topper's fans asked: 'can we get pbm first?'

The supporter was referencing her stalled debut album Pretty B---- Music, which was originally due to come out in June.

The music sensation quote tweeted the question and answered, 'yes.'

Music first: Meanwhile, the pop star - who used to date rapper Quavo - seems to be willing to wait for kids, as she's focused on her budding career
Ronnie and Georgia Caceres were left devastated during The Block finale on Sunday night after they placed last at auction.

And according to this season's winning team, Mitch Edwards, 59, and Mark McKie, 60, Ronnie and Georgia were also blindsided by their loss as they genuinely believed they would win.

'[Ronnie and Georgia] were confident they were going to win and it didn't turn out that way,' Mitch told The Kyle And Jackie Show on Monday.

Shock: The Block's Mitch Edwards, 59, and Mark McKie, 60, have claimed that Ronnie, 45, and Georgia Caceres, 37, genuinely believed they would win at auction and were left blindsided when they placed last. L-R: Ronnie Caceres, Georgia Caceres, Mitch Edwards, Mark McKie

'We've been there before,' the property flipper admitted, explaining: 'We came last, last time we were on The Block two years ago, so we know how that feels.'

While the outcome was disappointing, Mitch reminded fans that Ronnie, 45, and Georgia, 37, didn't walk away empty handed.

'But you know, they won a truckload of money anyway. We all got crazy rewards, and ours is just the biggest reward,' he said.

Blindsided: 'They were confident they were going to win and it didn't turn out that way,' Mitch told The Kyle And Jackie O Show

Congratulations! Mitch and Mark were crowned the winners of The Block Fans v Faves for 2021 on Sunday night - taking home $744,444 in prize money

Mitch and Mark were crowned the winners of The Block Fans v Faves for 2021 on Sunday night.

The Sydney couple made the largest sum over reserve of all five Block houses at Bronte Court at auction, selling their home for $4,044,444 with a profit of $644,444.

Mitch and Mark also took home an additional $100,000, taking their total prize money to $744,444, with the stylish pair understandably in complete shock.

Coming in second: Twins Josh and Luke Packham, 27, had a new reserve of $3.4million on auction day, down from $3.5million, and sold their property for $3,930,000 with a $530,000.00 profit

Coming in second at auction was Josh and Luke Packham, selling their property for $3,930,000 with a $530,000.00 profit.

The former Love Island stars created a modern four-bedroom, three-bathroom property with one of the biggest drawcards being the master bedroom and outdoor bathtub.

Tanya and Vito Guccione placed third, while Kirsty Lee Akers and Jesse Anderson finished fourth, selling their property for $4,401,523.67 with a $301,523.67 profit.

Placing last was Ronnie and Georgia, selling their property for $3,696,000.00 with a $296,000.00 profit.

Coming in fourth: Kirsty Lee Akers and Jesse Anderson, sold their property for $4,401,523.67 with a $301,523.67 profit
AFL star Bailey Smith has thrown his support behind a controversial protest against 'patriarchal and bullying culture' at a Catholic school.

The Western Bulldogs player, 20, who attended Xavier, which is Melbourne's top Catholic boys' school, reposted photographer and ex-pupil James Robinson's image of a burning blazer at St. Kevin's in Melbourne.

Allegations about the St. Kevin's 'toxic' culture arose after Smith's on-field rival and former student Jordan De Goey was arrested in New York over assault allegations.

Speaking up: Bailey Smith (pictured in September) has thrown his support behind a controversial protest against 'patriarchal and bullying culture' at a Catholic school

Robinson told the Herald Sun that Smith's support of his protest was 'really wonderful'.

'He seems like he is someone who is definitely on the right page when it comes to things around masculinity, so it was really wonderful to see him share it.'

Robinson, a former pupil of St Kevin's College in Toorak, took to social media last week with a catalogue of accusations against the all-boys Catholic high school, claiming the halls are rife with toxic masculinity, homophobia, and bullying.

A good cause: The AFL bad boy, 20, reposted photographer and ex-pupil James Robinson's image of a burning blazer at St. Kevin's in Melbourne. Pictured: Robinson

Detailing the years spent at his alma mater, Mr Robinson said he was left suicidal at 15 after being unwillingly 'outed' by peers as homosexual and witnessed fellow students engaging in vile acts towards women.

In the wake of the charges laid against De Goey, Mr Robinson - who also now calls the Big Apple home - this week decided to stage a 'protest' on the college's grounds by taking a lighter to his old uniform.

'I broke into the school yesterday to protest. Something snapped in me this time,' he wrote on Instagram, sharing photos of his flame-licked blazer.

Robinson, a former pupil of St Kevin's College in Toorak, has set his blazer alight (pictured) on the school's grounds in protest after Jordan De Goey was arrested in New York

'The patriarchal culture I saw inside the school gates burst out and made its way to New York, my new home for the last five years. Allegedly assaulting someone in a city, where many in my queer community, like me, are rape and sexual assault survivors.'

Mr Robinson, who graduated in 2013, said it was 'unsurprising' De Goey was arrested in the US for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman on a dancefloor given the culture at their former school.

'St Kevin's is a bubble where privileged young men can rehearse oppression without consequence, before graduating with flying colours into public,' Mr Robinson said.

'A place where 'locker room talk' exists openly in hallways and classrooms,' he said.

'I saw a system designed to let young boys think they can do anything, assault anyone, and get away with it.'

Mr Robinson said he witnessed his male peers committing a range of derogatory acts towards teenage girls and female teachers.

'I saw revenge porn against girls from 'sister school' ... the objectifying of female teachers and the transphobic bullying of a teacher who transitioned,' he said.

'I saw friends make a pact of silence to protect two students who pulled a knife on a taxi driver.'

Mr Robinson dedicated the stunt to current students who may be experiencing similar feelings and said the protest 'takes my healing full circle'.

Mr Robinson said he was left suicidal at 15-year-old after he was 'outed' by peers as homosexual

Former students of all-boys school across Australia praised Mr Robinson for his 'powerful' message, with many reporting enduring similar experiences.

'Well said James. such a beautiful post, definitely can't remember many good times from that place sadly but this protest is a beautiful one,' one man said.

'Thank you for speaking up. Sending you so much love,' another wrote.

'This is incredibly powerful. Well done James. [I had] a similar experience from a different same sex, all boys school,' a third wrote.

St Kevin's principal Deborah Barker has written to parents telling them she has been in contact with Mr Robinson and admires his courage for speaking out.

'On Wednesday night I became aware of social media posts by a former student,' she wrote.

'I immediately took steps to reach out to James because I genuinely want to listen to, and fully understand, his heartfelt concerns and his personal journey.

Old boy: Smith attended Xavier, which is Melbourne's top Catholic boys' school.

'Most importantly I want James to know that we care for him and acknowledge his courage for speaking out.

'James and I have already been in communication and we plan to meet shortly.

'I would also like to acknowledge and thank the many current and former students who posted strong messages of support to James.

'Your support is vital and I am sure this means a lot to James at this critical time,' she said.

Ms Barker said there is much 'goodness' in the college but 'we still have much to do'.

'It has become clear in my first year, of the importance of listening deeply as we strive to deliver a safe and inclusive environment for all of our students in partnership with their families,' she said.

Issues with sexism and misogyny at the $19,000-a-year school first surfaced in October 2019 after footage of students singing an offensive chant on a tram began circulating online.

Former principal Stephen Russell resigned in 2020 after a string of scandals, with Ms Barker - the school's first female principal' stepping in to lead the school at the beginning of this year.

Collingwood player Jordan De Goey prepares for a night out in New York. He was later arrested and charged after allegedly groping a woman at a nightclub

In July this year, an independent review into culture at the school found sexism and misogyny are 'still clearly an issue'.

Meanwhile, De Goey's career is hanging in the balance after he and his tattoo artist mate Luke Dyso allegedly touched a woman in a trendy New York City nightclub then bashed her male friend on a Halloween-themed night out on Saturday.

The Collingwood forward has strenuously denies all allegations and plans to defend the charges.

The 25-year-old, who was in America for a six-week training session, will likely have to remain in the US until December 8 to appear in court.

Collingwood Magpies will reserve the right to terminate De Goey's playing contract should he be convicted.
Dakota Johnson's mom Melanie Griffith proved to be her daughter's biggest fan at Netflix's luncheon and screening for The Lost Daughter.

As the mother daughter duo attended the event at San Vicente Bungalows on Saturday, they mingled with Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jamie Lee Curtis.

For the occasion, the 32-year-old Fifty Shades star wore a beige suit, low-cut black blouse and a pair of $850 dark brown Gucci loafers.

Special event: Dakota Johnson's mom Melanie Griffith proved to be her daughter's biggest fan while attending luncheon and screening for The Lost Daughter

Johnson, who stars in the upcoming psychological drama on Netflix, styled her look with a gold and ruby necklace, nude lipstick and black nail polish.

Griffith, known for her Oscar nominated-performance in the 1988 box-office hit Working Girl, rocked a black leather jacket and matching turtleneck.

While posing for pictures with her eldest daughter, 32, the 64-year-old Night Moves actress beamed with pride.

Star-studded occasion: As the mother daughter duo attended the event at San Vicente Bungalows on Saturday, they mingled with Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jamie Lee Curtis

Fashionable: For the occasion, the 32-year-old Fifty Shades star wore a beige suit, low-cut black blouse and a pair of $850 dark brown Gucci loafers

Chic: Johnson, who stars in the upcoming Netfliz drama, styled her look with a gold and ruby necklace, nude lipstick and black nail polish

At one point, the mom-of-three planted a sweet kiss of Johnson's cheek ahead of the luncheon with Gyllenhaal, Lee Curtis, Kuoth Wiel and Naja Crawford.

While dining, they sat at a table adorned with fall arrangements and small pumpkins.

At the screening, The Lost Daughter costars Johnson and Gyllenhaal spoke to Claudia Puig on stage in front of a live audience.

Proud mom: While posing for pictures with her eldest daughter, 32, the 64-year-old Night Moves actress beamed with pride

Looking good! Griffith, known for her Oscar nominated-performance in the 1988 box-office hit Working Girl, rocked a black leather jacket and matching turtleneck

Famous: At one point, the mom-of-three planted a sweet kiss of Johnson's cheek ahead of the luncheon with Gyllenhaal, Lee Curtis, Kuoth Wiel and Naja Crawford

Promoting their film: Johnson and Gyllenhaal pictured with journalist Claudia Puig

Gyllenhaal, 43, looked beautiful in a plunging black top and lilac purple suit, which emphasized her lean figure.

In September, the anticipated movie had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, where Maggie won the Golden Osella Award for Best Screenplay.

The film also received a four-minute standing ovation from the audience at the Venice Film Festival.

It tells the story of Olivia, as Leda, a college professor, who while on a summer holiday, finds herself becoming obsessed with another woman (Dakota) and her young daughter, prompting memories of her own early motherhood to come back and unravel her.

All dressed up: Gyllenhaal, 43, looked beautiful in a plunging black top and lilac purple suit, which emphasized her lean figure

Timeless: Lee Curtis wore a chic all-black ensemble at the San Vicente Bungalows in West Hollywood, California

Effortlessly chic: Gyllenhaal wore a glam makeup look, which included a bold red lipstick

Kuoth Wiel and Naja Crawford pictured together at the event

The Lost Daughter also stars Peter Sarsgaard, Paul Mescal, Ed Harris and Oliver Jackson-Cohen.

The film will be released on Netflix on New Year's Eve after a two-week limited release in US movie theaters.

Development on The Lost Daughter began in 2018 when it was announced that Gyllenhaal had acquired the rights to the project.

Behind the camera: The Lost Daughter marks Gyllenhaal's directorial debut

Catching up: Lee Curtis and Gyllenhaal sat closely together at the women-only luncheon

Chatting away: While dining, they sat at a table adorned with fall arrangements and small pumpkins

Deep conversations: Johnson pictured across the table from Lee Curtis

The feature was based on Elena Ferrante's 2006 novel of the same name, which was originally published under the title La figlia oscura.

In addition to directing the feature, the Hank actress penned its screenplay and served as one of its producers.

Principal photography on the project began in the latter part of September, with Greece serving as a primary filming location.

Speaking about the film: At the screening, The Lost Daughter costars Johnson and Gyllenhaal spoke to Claudia Puig on stage in front of a live audience

Famous cast: The Lost Daughter also stars Peter Sarsgaard, Paul Mescal, Ed Harris and Oliver Jackson-Cohen

The feature was based on Elena Ferrante's 2006 novel of the same name, which was originally published under the title La figlia oscura

nThe Lost Daughter received overwhelmingly positive reviews upon its release, and it currently has a rating of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The feature is currently set to make its wide debut on the Netflix streaming service on December 31st.

Speaking of what called her to the film, Gyllenhaal told Deadline: 'When I finished reading Elena Ferrante's The Lost Daughter, I felt that something secret and true had been said out loud.'

'I was both disturbed and comforted by that. I immediately thought how much more intense the experience would be in a movie theatre, with other people around,' she added.
Their Sex And The City characters appear to have broken up given her character Carrie's loose-lipped behaviour on-set last month.

But on Sunday night Sarah Jessica Parker, 56, and her on-screen husband Chris Noth, 66, were once again smooching in New York City as they filmed a scene for the upcoming series reboot And Just Like That.

The two actors also laughed and held hands while in character as Carrie Bradshaw and Mr Big, just weeks after Carrie was seen in a clinch with newbie Jon Tenney.

Spotted: On Sunday night Sarah Jessica Parker, 56, and Chris Noth, 66, were seen smooching in New York City as they filmed a scene for the upcoming series reboot And Just Like That

Fans were shocked to learn that Carrie and Mr Big may have split after she was spotted kissing Jon's character during Sex And The City reboot filming.

Last week, Sarah continued to cause a stir, as she was spotted in a clinch with Jon while shooting And Just Like That... in New York.

Little is currently known about 59-year-old Jon's character - other than that it appears he has come between Carrie and her husband Big.

Yet fans will undoubtedly be relieved - and confused - to see Big and Carrie looking back on track, although a timeline of events is unknown.

Up close: Last month, Carrie was seen locking lips with newbie John Tenney's character

In character: The two actors also laughed and held hands while in character as Carrie Bradshaw and Big

How romantic: They were later seen filming a scene while riding a carriage

The feels: Sarah had a big laugh on the romantic outing

Sweet: They cuddled up for a sweet snap

For the loved-up scenes between the long-time couple, Sarah's long blonde hair was styled in fluffy wand curls and parted in the center. Dressed as her columnist character Carrie, she donned a blue and white floral dress that billowed.

On top of the gown she wore a thin, shrunken, lacy, off-white jacket-like top.

But it wasn't enough to keep her warm on the chilly east coast night, and she was seen wearing a puffy black parka as well.

Fabulous! Parker's long blonde hair was styled in fluffy wand curls and parted in the center

Despite the cold Sarah walked the slick, wet pavement in a pair of open-toe heels.

As Big, Chris shot the scenes in a sharp navy blue suit. He wore it with a white button down shirt underneath, which was paired with a navy tie.

Chris looked sophisticated in Big's signature professional look. His greying tight crop of hair was parted on the side and slicked back.

Engrossed: The longtime castmates were laser focused as they channeled their characters in front of a crow of onlookers

The longtime castmates were laser focused as they channeled their characters in front of a crow of onlookers.

They cosied up on the Madison Square Park set, as SJP threw her arms over Noth in one instance.

In other moments they were hand in hand as they stood in front of a park fountain, or took a spin on a carriage ride.

Dainty: Dressed as her columnist character Carrie, she donned a blue and white floral dress that billowed

The Divorce star recently responded to critics of her and her fellow cast members' aging looks.

She appeared on the cover of the December 2021 issue of Vogue and gave an accompanying interview in which she addressed negative social media remarks about the characters' older appearances.

'There's so much misogynist chatter in response to us that would never. Happen. About. A. Man,' Sarah said, emphasizing each word with a clap.

Affectionate: They were hand in hand as they stood in front of a park fountain,

In July, the star was photographed rocking her natural silver-streaked blonde locks while enjoying lunch with her friend Andy Cohen, 53, during a break from shooting scenes for the revival series.

'"Gray hair, gray hair, gray hair. Does she have gray hair?''' Sarah continued, 'I'm sitting with Andy Cohen, and he has a full head of gray hair, and he's exquisite. Why is it okay for him?'

'I don't know what to tell you people! Especially on social media. Everyone has something to say. "She has too many wrinkles, she doesn't have enough wrinkles.'''

She went on to say, 'It almost feels as if people don't want us to be perfectly okay with where we are, as if they almost enjoy us being pained by who we are today, whether we choose to age naturally and not look perfect, or whether you do something if that makes you feel better.'

Close: They cosied up on the Madison Square Park set, as SJP threw her arms over Noth in one instance

Multiple takes: The pair filmed a scene on a carriage ride

'I know what I look like. I have no choice. What am I going to do about it? Stop aging? Disappear?'

And Just Like That... represents a new chapter of Sex and the City, following Carrie, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon, 55), and Charlotte (Kristin Davis, 56), as they continue their friendship from their 30s to, 'the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s.'

Nixon explained: 'I like that we're not trying to youthify the show. We're not including, like, a 21-year-old niece.'

And new staff writer Samantha Irby told the magazine, 'I think it's revolutionary to do a show about middle-aged women, with their aging lady bodies.'

The show will be available on HBO Max in December.
They're The Block fan favourites who have together since they were just 16 years old.

And on Monday, high school sweethearts Kirsty Lee Akers, 34, and Jesse Anderson, 33, opened up about their touching love story - and revealed how they've only ever been with each other their entire lives.

Kirsty - who married Jesse in a quaint ceremony in 2014 - candidly joked to Daily Mail Australia she's had 'one doodle my whole life', before sweetly explaining how the duo's romance has stood the test of time.

Love story: On Monday, The Block's high school sweethearts Kirsty Lee Akers, 34, and Jesse Anderson, 33, opened up about their touching love story after bagging $301,000 in prize money in Sunday's explosive finale

'It is cliche, but we really are best friends,' the country music star said. 'We often joke that if we were to separate or get divorced, we'd probably have to meet up on the weekends just to hang out with each other.

'We don't have the sort of relationship where we'd tell our best friends things we wouldn't tell each other. In harder times like [The Block], we just come together.

'We've done that with every situation with life. No matter how bad things get, we still have each other.'

The pair then said they had considered renewing their vows in future following their win on The Block, after having a 'really cr***y wedding' seven years prior - at a time when both of them were living in a shed behind Jesse's mother's home.

Wedding day: Kirsty and Jesse married in 2014, but it wasn't the ceremony they always dreamed of. 'We had to do everything ourselves,' Kirsty said, with Jesse adding: 'Kirsty's got a massive family, so we had about 110 people and only spent $5000'

'We don't have the sort of relationship where we'd tell our best friends things we wouldn't tell each other. In times like that, we just come together,' Kirsty said

'It was really stressful our wedding, as we had to do everything ourselves,' Kirsty said, with Jesse adding: 'Kirsty's got a massive family, so we had about 110 people and only spent $5000.'

'We had it in a really beautiful hall, but we had to do everything ourselves. We had to set up all the tables ourselves, do all the clean-up,' Kirsty explained.

'Also, at the time we were living in Jesse's mum's shed. We came home from our wedding, it was pouring down rain. We came back, and our bed was saturated with water as the roof had leaked. It was just horrendous.'

'One day we will renew our vows,' Jesse added, before Kirsty said: 'We never even had a honeymoon really, we took one day off work at the time. It was just terrible.'

Mitch Edwards and Mark McKie were crowned the winners of The Block Fans v Faves on Sunday night.

Congratulations! Mitch Edwards (left) and Mark McKie (right) were crowned the winners of The Block Fans v Faves on Sunday night - taking home $744,444 in prize money

The Sydney couple made the largest sum over reserve of all five Block houses at Bronte Court at auction, selling their home for $4,044,444 with a profit of $644,444.

Mitch, 59, and Mark, 60, also took home an additional $100,000, taking their total prize money to $744,444, with the stylish pair understandably in complete shock.

Coming in second at auction was Josh and Luke Packham, selling their property for $3,930,000 with a $530,000.00 profit.

Nice work: Tanya and Vito Guccione, sold their property for $3,800,000.01 with a $400,000.01 profit at auction

The former Love Island stars created a modern four-bedroom, three-bathroom property with one of the biggest drawcards being the master bedroom and outdoor bathtub.

Tanya and Vito Guccione placed third with a profit of $400,000.01 after selling their home for $3,800,000.01.

Kirsty and Jesse finished fourth, selling their property for $4,401,523.67 with a $301,523.67 profit.

Placing last was Ronnie and Georgia Caceres, selling their property for $3,696,000.00 with a $296,000.00 profit.

Fifth: Returning faves Ronnie and Georgia Caceres, who starred in season 13, placed fifth, selling their property for $3,696,000.00 with a $296,000.00 profit
Her 'virgin ex-husband' Matthew Bennett recently revealed he has well and truly moved on and is now engaged to his new partner.

And Married At First Sight star Lauren Huntriss didn't appear to have a care in the world on Monday when she stepped back into the spotlight.

The 32-year-old stripped down to a skimpy bikini as she posed on Boomerang Beach, on the north coast of New South Wales.

Not a care in the world! Married At First Sight star Lauren Huntriss flaunted her figure in a skimpy bikini on Monday after her 'virgin ex-husband Matthew Bennett announced his engagement

Lauren posed up a storm in the G-string bottoms and matching top.

The TV star shot the camera a sultry gaze after going for a dip in the ocean.

Lauren's former MAFS star husband Matthew Bennett proposed to his British girlfriend Annabel Jameson last Sunday.

Happily ever after: Lauren's former MAFS star husband Matthew proposed to his British girlfriend Annabel Jameson last 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.

MAFS fans will remember Matthew as the adult virgin from season six, which aired in Australia in 2019 and the UK in early 2021.

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'

Exes: Married At First Sight fans will remember Matthew as the adult virgin from season six in 2019. He was paired with Lauren, losing his virginity to her on their honeymoon

He was paired with makeup artist Lauren, 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.
Alicia Keys took center stage in New York on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Manhattan for a show in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz, who's releasing their first electric vehicle line.

The Grammy-winner, 40, donned a silver ensemble of a top with baggy pants and black boots.

The Empire State of Mind artist had her hair pulled back and braided with silver star and moon accessories, with hoop earrings.

The latest: Alicia Keys, 40, took center stage in New York on Saturday for a show in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz and their first electric vehicle line at Mercedes-Benz Manhattan

Keys, who's mother to sons Egypt, 11, and Genesis, six, with husband Swizz Beatz, 43, performed on a small stage flanked by a few musicians for the corporate function.

Also on hand for the concert was Jason Biggs, 43, and wife Jenny Mollen, 42, who matched in dark ensembles.

Mollen wore a black coat over a black top with black leather pants and boots, with her blonde locks down and parted.

Biggs donned a black jacket over a blue hoodie with black pants and sneakers.

The Grammy-winner donned a silver ensemble of a top with baggy pants and black boots

The A-list vocalist sang and played the piano while she was flanked by a band at the function

The luxury auto brand earlier this year announced that it had expanded its collaboration with Keys, including promotion of the EQS all-electric sedan

Fans had their phones out recording the A-lister's performance in the Big Apple

Keys beamed as she played a keyboard at the intimate venue

Martha Stewart, 80, was on hand looking stylish in a brown leather coat over a grey top with black boots. The lifestyle expert was seen posing in one of the automobiles on the showroom floor.

The luxury auto brand earlier this year announced that it had expanded its collaboration with Keys, including promotion of the EQS all-electric sedan, ET Canada reported.

'I am proud to continue collaborating with the Mercedes-Benz global family,' Keys said in a statement this past April. 'Mercedes is a company that continues to be on the edge of innovation and are constantly looking for meaningful ways to connect technology and humanity.'

The company noted that Keys was also involved in their Shes Mercedes initiative, which is aimed 'to empower women by giving them a place to network, exchange thoughts and ideas as well as to inspire and support each other.'

Keys said earlier this year, 'Mercedes is a company that continues to be on the edge of innovation and are constantly looking for meaningful ways to connect technology and humanity'

Keys is also involved in the auto company's Shes Mercedes initiative

Also on hand for the concert was Jason Biggs, 43, and wife Jenny Mollen, 42, who matched in dark ensembles

Martha Stewart, 80, was on hand looking stylish in a brown leather coat over a grey top with black pants and boots
Thomas Markle Jr apologised to estranged half-sister Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on Monday night's episode of Big Brother VIP Australia.

Back in 2018, Thomas, 55, penned an open letter to Prince Harry where he warned him against marrying Meghan and described her as 'jaded, shallow and conceited'.

On Monday's show, Thomas penned another open letter where he revealed the harsh words 'came from a very dark and hurt part' of his heart, and insisted he's 'not a mean person at all'.

Remorseful: Big Brother VIP star Thomas Markle Jr apologised to estranged half-sister Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in ANOTHER open letter on Monday's episode of Big Brother VIP Australia, after famously calling her 'jaded and conceited' prior to Royal wedding

Big Brother gave fellow contestant Luke Toki the task of convincing Thomas to write another letter to the Royals, expressing his remorse, which Thomas agreed to.

Before putting pen to paper, Thomas was asked by Big Brother about what it was like growing up with Meghan.

'It was fun... a lot of love growing up. Her first nickname as a child was Flower,' he said.

'In her bedroom she had these really, really decorative coloured flowers over her crib. And when she would wake up, that would be the first thing that she would see.'

Apology: Thomas, 55, revealed the harsh words 'came from a very dark and hurt part' of his heart, and insisted he's 'not a mean person at all'

When asked by Big Brother whether he knew Meghan had recently turned 40, Thomas revealed how birthdays would always feel like 'Christmas Day' to her.

'The glow on her face, the excitement and the happiness was like Christmas. It was just like Christmas Day for her,' he said.

Thomas went on to add in conversation with Luke: 'She is my sister and she's my blood, and I mean I love the hell out of her.'

After writing his second open letter to the Royals, Thomas read out the words to Big Brother.

Reflective mood: 'I am not a mean person at all, and I have more love inside me to give than anything,' he read out to Big Brother. Prince Harry and Meghan are pictured in September

'Dear Meghan and Harry, the first thing I want to say to both of you is that I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart for the awful mean letter that I wrote to you prior to your wedding.

'And I want both of you to know it did not come from the real person that I am, but came from a very dark and hurt part of my heart I am not a mean person at all, and I have more love inside me to give than anything.'

Thomas went on to say that the letter was written out of 'hurt' when Meghan, 40, described him as 'distant family'.

'The letter was definitely written out of me feeling like really hurt and confused when I was informed of your response that I was distant family and that you did not know those people,' he said.

Their childhood: When asked by Big Brother whether he knew Meghan had recently turned 40, he revealed how birthdays would always feel like 'Christmas Day' to her. Pictured: Thomas and Meghan

'I was very hurt and confused because of the amazing bond and relationship we shared growing up together and all I could do was put up a defence wall to protect my heart.

'I know that it was very immature and wrong and I truly regret it. When your relationship with Harry became known to the world, my life then became public.

'I along with everyone in our family became public figures overnight. No more privacy. And let me tell you it was very, very stressful to have to deal with [that] all alone and no help at all.

Wanting to turn back the clock: In his open letter, Thomas said he now realises 'it was very immature and wrong' and 'truly regrets it'

'A real nightmare and constant pressure. I wish I could turn back the clock and do it all over, knowing what I know now.'

He continued: 'I would have never tried to communicate any of my feelings in the media. I feel like a complete a** for what I have done, and I am truly sorry for that.

'Meg, if I could really turn the clock back, I would truly tell you that I am so, so proud of you and truly I am so happy for you and Harry. And I love you.

'You are my little sister, my family and you always will be. Now you have found the love of your life and started a family of your own.. couldn't be more proud of you.

'The last several years of my life, I have grown and learned a lot more of myself and I must say that what I did to you with that letter is quite possibly the biggest mistake of my life.

Harsh words: His comments were in reference to his open letter in 2018 prior to their May nuptials, where he warned Prince Harry it's 'not too late' to cancel the wedding to his sister. Thomas insisted Meghan is a 'jaded, shallow, conceited woman'

'I truly hope you and Harry find it in your hearts somehow to accept my sincere apology because this is the real Tom Markle Jr. I truly love you guys and I want you to know that about me.

He concluded: 'I wish you Megan, Harry, Archie and Lily the happiest, most loving life possible. Sincerely, your big brother, Tom.'

His comments were in reference to his open letter in 2018 prior to their May nuptials, where he warned Prince Harry it's 'not too late' to cancel the wedding to his sister.

Thomas slammed the American actress, insisting she's a 'jaded, shallow, conceited woman that will make a joke of you and the Royal family heritage'.

'As more time passes to your Royal wedding, it became very clear that this is the biggest mistake in Royal wedding history,' he wrote.

'Meghan Markle is obviously not the right woman for you. I'm confused why you don't see the real Meghan that the whole world now sees.

'Meghan's attempt to act the part of a princess like a below C average Hollywood actress is getting old.'

Thomas went on to claim that their father, Thomas Markle, went into debt in order to support Meghan's acting dream and is still struggling financially.

'What kind of person starts out by using her own father until he's bankrupt, then forgets about him in Mexico leaving him broke, over mostly all her debts,' the letter continued.

'And when it's time to pay him back she forgets her own father like she never knew him.

Not mincing his words: 'Meghan Markle is obviously not the right woman for you. I'm confused why you don't see the real Meghan that the whole world now sees,' he went on to say

'It's very apparent that her tiny bit of Hollywood fame has gone to her head.

'Not to mention, to top it all off, she doesn't invite her own family and instead invites complete strangers to the wedding. Who does that? You and the royal family should put an end to this fake fairytale wedding before it's too late.'

Thomas finished with: 'Meghan is still my sister. She is family. So whatever happens is up to her, whether she wants to forget knowing me or the rest of her family, family comes first.

'Also, you would think that a Royal wedding would bring a torn family closer together, but I guess we're all distant family to Meg.'

Big Brother VIP Australia continues Tuesday at 7.30pm on Channel Seven
Kyle Richards received plenty of support from her Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills castmates.

The 52-year-old reality star was joined by her Bravo co-stars for the grand opening event for her luxury loungewear boutique Kyle X Shahida in Palm Desert, California on Friday night.

The RHOBH stars - which included Erika Jayne, Garcelle Beauvais, Crystal Minkoff, Dorit Kemsley, Sutton Stracke and Lisa Rinna - smiled bright as they walked the red carpet looking their best.

Her night: Kyle Richards was joined by her Bravo co-stars for the grand opening event for her luxury loungewear boutique Kyle X Shahida in Palm Desert, California on Friday night

Support system: (pictured from left to right) Erika Jayne, Garcelle Beauvais, Sanela Diana Jenkins, Crystal Minkoff, Kyle Richards, Dorit Kemsley, Sutton Stracke and Lisa Rinna

They were also joined by philanthropist Sanela Diana Jenkins who is rumored to be joining the cast.

Kyle looked absolutely stunning in a printed long duster robe from her line.

Garcelle Beauvais, 54, sparkled in a navy blue sequined gown with a plunging neckline.

Night out: Kyle looked absolutely stunning in a printed long duster robe from her line

Showing off her work: Kyle looked proud as she presented her hard work to guests at the small opening, which was filmed

Kyle looked proud as she presented her hard work to guests at the small opening, which was filmed.

The reality TV personality had he dark hair pulled back into a luscious ponytail that boasted a loose, wavy pattern.

With her hair off her face her large gold hoop earrings were on display, as well as her meticulously made up face.

The mom-of-four's green eyes were accentuated by mascara-swiped lashes and a warm-hued eyeshadow.

The reality TV personality had he dark hair pulled back into a luscious ponytail that boasted a loose, wavy pattern

Modeling her fashions: She looked slim and trim in floor-length, silky, patterned piece from her brand. It had a black trim going down the collar and tied at her waist

The fashionable figure adorned her neck with three pieces of jewelry, including a gold choker that had her name in old English font.

She looked slim and trim in the floor-length, silky, patterned piece from her brand. It had a black trim going down the collar and tied at her waist.

It was paired with leather skinny pants and she added strappy open-toe black heels.

Classy look: Garcelle looked chic in a long and glittering number that put her modest cleavage front and center

Ensemble: Beauvais' look was combined with silver metallic open-toe heels. The former Jamie Foxx Show alum elevated it with a pair of jeweled hoop earrings

For her part, Garcelle looked chic in a long and glittering number that put her modest cleavage front and center.

The look was combined with silver metallic open-toe heels. The former Jamie Foxx Show alum elevated the getup with a pair of jeweled hoop earrings.

She carried a small black clutch. Her hair was styled in a side part and pulled into a low, loose, side bun with loose face-framing pieces falling at the front.

At the event she looked through the selections with Kyle as she supported her Bravo TV costar.

Supportive: At the event she looked through the selections with Kyle as she supported her Bravo TV costar

On Friday night the entrepreneur took to Instagram to give her 3.5 million followers a peek at her evening's festivities.

As she held the camera out in front of her she panned the scenery and explained what she was up to on a short Instagram live video.

'Something so exciting that I wanted to do for so, so, so, so long is finally happening tonight,' she said in the clip.

'Guess what, guys, I'm opening a store!' she exclaimed in the outtake.

Kyle's big sister Kim Richards joined in the over 2,000 comments to write, 'YAY!' and congratulate her sibling.

On the prowl: Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave donned a leopard patterned top tucked into clinging black leather pencil skirt

Dynamic duo: Kyle and Teddi posed for a cute snap together

Hanging out: Lisa Rinna and Sutton Stracke were seen chatting in the store
On Monday's episode of Big Brother VIP, Married At First Sight star Jessika Power broke down as she recalled her troubled childhood.

Asked to discuss a photo of herself as a child, in which she is pictured with her former drug addict mother, Melinda Mackenzie, and brother, Rhyce Power, the 29-year-old instantly broke down in tears.

'This photo is very hard to talk about and I knew I would cry the second I got up here, I'm sorry,' she told her housemates as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Moved: On Tuesday's episode of Big Brother VIP, Married At First Sight star Jessika Power (pictured) broke down as she recalled her troubled childhood

Her voice breaking, Jessica went on: 'This is my mother years before her addiction. This photo hurts me because it shows my mother in such a beautiful light and what we lost through addiction.'

'I knew I would struggle with this, sorry,' said Jess, who had to pause as the tears became overwhelming.

Composing herself, the reality star added: 'This is me and my brother and my mum, and this is when my mum was so good... we would always go camping, just all the fun things.

Hard: Asked to discuss a photo of herself as a child, in which she is pictured with her former drug addict mother, Melinda Mackenzie, and brother, Rhyce Power, the 29-year-old instantly broke down. 'This photo is very hard to talk about and I knew I would cry the second I got up here, I'm sorry,' she said

A tearful Jessica added: 'This is my mother years before her addiction. This photo hurts me because it shows my mother in such a beautiful light and what we lost through addiction'

'And I think it was about eight years later, when we really lost her to addiction. She's come good in [recent] years and stuff but it's so hard to see what addiction does do to people'.

Jessika says that the experience 'made her a better person' and more empathetic to the struggles of others, even when they are unkind to her.

'It's shaped me because I had to grow up a lot faster than other kids. I had to be a mum and look after a mum,' she said.

Difficult: 'I think it was about eight years later, when we really lost her to addiction. She's come good in [recent] years, but its so hard to see what addiction does do to people,' she said

Strong: Jessika says that the experience 'made her a better person' and more empathetic to the struggles of others, even when they are unkind to her. 'It's shaped me because I had to grow up a lot faster than other kids. I had to be a mum and look after a mum,' she said

The TV star added that she has plenty of family support despite not being close to her mother.

'Since 2000 my mother and I haven't had a connection. But I have an amazing family. My mother is one of eight [children] so I have all my uncles and my aunties and my nan, I have everybody that I need,' she said.

Jessica recently told The Daily Telegraph that she 'saw a lot of things that a child should never see'.

Past: Jessica recently said she 'saw a lot of things that a child should never see'. 'I saw my mother being abused by the various men that came and went. There were times where there were dirty needles left around the house,' she said. Her mother Melinda Mackenzie is pictured

'It was really rough growing up... I was in situations a child should never be put in,' she told the paper.

'I saw my mother being abused by the various men that came and went. There were times where there were dirty needles left around the house. I stayed down a year because my mum never really got me to school.'

Jessika says that while she does not think her mother is a 'bad person' the pair no longer talk.

Childhood: 'It was really rough growing up... I was in situations a child should never be put in,' she added

The reality star was raised by her aunt, and in 2018 lashed out at her mum when she spoke to Woman's Day.

In her interview with the magazine, Melinda said she felt ashamed watching her daughter cheat on 'husband' Mick Gould on season six of MAFS.

She further claimed that Jessika's behaviour was 'out of line' when she pursued a secret relationship with Daniel Webb during the social experiment.

Drama: The reality star was raised by her aunt, and in 2018 lashed out at her mum when she spoke to Woman's Day. In her interview with the magazine, Melinda said she felt ashamed watching her daughter cheat on 'husband' Mick Gould (left) on season six of MAFS

'She has absolutely no place in my life. She hasn't been a part of my life for four years,' Jessika told Daily Mail Australia in response.

She added: 'My aunt brought me up. I have so much love in my life from my auntie, my two dads [her biological father and stepfather] and siblings. I don't need her.'

Jessika's aunt Rebecca also denied Melinda's claims, telling Daily Mail Australia that she is 'gobsmacked' any publication would buy an article from her sister.
Her Instagram feed is brimming with positivity.

And former EastEnders star Melissa Suffield kickstarted her Monday morning by sharing an encouraging post on her profile as she stripped down to her underwear.

The 28-year-old actress - who took on the role of Lucy Beale in the BBC soap - looked radiant in a candid shot, where she sported red Lemonade Dolls lingerie and a matching shade of lipstick.

'Feeling my oats!': Former EastEnders star Melissa Suffield stripped down to her underwear in an encouraging Instagram post on Monday

In an accompanying caption, the former Albert Square resident urged her followers to do something this week that would make them feel 'bolder.'

In full, she wrote: 'Feeling my oatssss. What can you do this week to make you feel that bit bolder? Is it clothes, or something you feel? Spending time in a place you love, or pushing yourself out of your comfort zone?

'Take the chance to give yourself that little boost, whatever that looks like for you- be it a new challenge or an old favourite. Whatever gets you feeling puuuuumped.'

Positivity: The 28-year-old actress - who took on the role of Lucy Beale in the BBC soap - urged her followers to do something this week that would make them feel 'bolder'

She continued by detailing what the week had in store for her family.

'Weve got swimming lessons, sensory hub hangouts, hopefully a second nursery visit, and then Robert and I are celebrating his birthday a month early with dinner and a show and a weekend of *stuff* ahead. So nothing but fun and play and joy and adventures here'.

Melissa concluded the uplifting message with: 'Ad Ps, give it up for comfortable underwear that still makes you feel like a fierce queen'.

Candid appearance: Melissa used her Instagram story on Monday morning to let her 27.2k followers know about an upcoming question and answer session on the topic of weaning

The mother-of-one is married to cruise director Robert Brendan and they welcomed a boy last March, called River.

Melissa used her Instagram story on Monday morning to let her 27.2k followers know about an upcoming question and answer session on the topic of weaning.

20-month-old River made a beaming appearance, to which his mum captioned: 'Absolute joker'.

As well as parenting, Melissa also writes her own blog and is the proud owner of a 'cool clothes for cool families' shop called River and Six.
Jared Leto and Lil Nas X showed off their passion for fashion as they attended the LACMA's 10th annual Art+Film Gala in Los Angeles over the weekend.

The A-list pair both sported eye-catching Gucci suits with a pale pink feathered detail along the sleeves.

Jared, 49, sported a white blazer with matching trousers for the event along with a cream sheer top.

Event: Jared Leto (pictured) and Lil Nas X showed off their passion for fashion as they attended the LACMA's 10th annual Art+Film Gala in Los Angeles over the weekend.

The actor also donned a pair of grey boots which he paired with a silver necklace.

Lil Nas X turned heads in a bright yellow blazer with a silver patterned detail which he paired with matching trousers.

The rapper, 22, also wore a white shirt along with a silver necklace and a matching earrings.

Inside the event, Jared posed for a snap with Benedict Cumberbatch who looked suave in a white blazer which he paired with a matching shirt and black trousers.

Dapper: Lil Nas X turned heads in a bright yellow blazer with a silver patterned detail which he paired with matching trousers

Suave: Jared sported a white blazer with matching trousers for the event along with a cream sheer top

Other celebrity guests at the LACMA event included Miley Cyrus, Hailey Bieber, Jared Leto, Dakota Johnson and Elle Fanning.

The LACMA Art+Film Gala returned as an in-person occasion on Saturday after being canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the safety precautions that went along with it.

Gucci continued its partnership with the beloved Los Angeles art museum by returning as this years sponsor.

It comes amid the luxury brands 100th Anniversary, with Audi also lending support to the annual event.

Pals: Jared posed for a snap with Benedict Cumberbatch who looked suave in a white blazer which he paired with a matching shirt and black trousers

Style: The actor also donned a pair of grey boots which he paired with a silver necklace (pictured with Eva Chow)

Star-studded: Jared also posed for a snap with Italian actor Alessandro Borghi

Chatting away: The pair seemed in good spirits as they enjoyed a catch up

Gathering: The LACMA Art+Film Gala returned as an in-person occasion on Saturday after being canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic (pictured with Florence Welch, left, and Sinead Burke, right)

According to LACMA, all of the proceeds garnered from the gala 'go toward underwriting LACMAs initiative to make film more central to the museum's curatorial programming, while also funding LACMAs broader mission.'

This mission includes 'exhibitions, acquisitions, and educational programming, in addition to screenings that explore the intersection of art and film.'

Since its inception, the Art+Film Gala has honored the likes of directors Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, and Clint Eastwood, as well as the likes of artists Betye Saar, Catherine Opie, and John Baldessari.
Alice Evans has directed a sarcasm-drenched apology to her estranged husband Ioan Gruffud's new girlfriend after sharing a picture of the former couple together.

The actress, 53, told her followers she was 'sorry for hurting' Ioan's partner Bianca Wallace, 29, by posting the cosy snap of them together in happier times on her Instagram page last week.

The 'apology' comes after Alice shared an old snap of her and Ioan on Thursday evening and changed her social media bios to pointed slurs on 'homewreckers'.

Sorry, not sorry? Alice Evans has directed an apology drenched in sarcasm to her estranged husband Ioan Gruffud's new girlfriend after sharing a picture of the former couple together

Alice told fans: 'It must have hurt her a lot, the idea that he may have been still sleeping with his wife, or even taking photos with her.'

The mother of two has previously accused Ioan and Bianca of conducting a three year affair while they were married. Which has been denied by a friend of the couple.

Alice said she 'wants to apologise' to people who felt she was being unkind to her 'husband's mistress' Bianca, by posting the picture with her '20 year love'.

She quipped: 'I'm sorry Bianca. He is yours of course. I've taken him out. Now you won't have to worry. Love Alice.'

Alongside the caption, Alice shared the same snap of herself and Ioan after photoshopping her ex-partner out of the shot.

Caption: The actress, 53, said sorry for 'hurting' Bianca Wallace (pictured), 29, by posting the cosy snap of them together in happier times on her Instagram page last week

Oops! The 'apology' comes after Alice shared an old snap of her and Ioan on Thursday evening and changed her social media bios to pointed slurs on 'homewreckers'

Ioan was spotted for the first time since going public with his new girlfriend Bianca as he filmed in the South of France last Wednesday.

Since Bianca and Ioan went 'Instagram official', Alice has repeatedly made her feelings known to her thousands of social media followers.

While Ioan was on-set, Alice changed her Twitter bio to: 'I do not sleep with married men. I do not wreck homes I do not ruin little kids' lives. I did used to smoke though;)', while her Instagram read: 'Not a home-wrecker'.

On October 27, Ioan and Bianca announced their romance by sharing a snap on their respective social media accounts moments before Alice made explosive allegations about the duo having a three year long affair.

Then: Ioan and Bianca went 'Instagram official' by sharing a cosy snap on their respective social media accounts

In her ongoing tirade against the new couple, Alice has frequently reminded her critics not to call them 'exes' as she is still married to Ioan, with whom she shares two daughters - who she has accused Ioan of 'forgetting'.

Alice shared a throwback alongside a caption reading: 'Oops! This came up when I was going through old photos. No offence to the 'New Girfriend'.

Following the image of her and her husband in happier times, Alice also shared a slew of stunning selfies in quick succession of one another.

Her Instagram details are now listed as: 'Not a home-wrecker', alongside a link to her IMDB page.

Many shots: Following the image of her and her husband in happier times, Alice also shared a slew of stunning selfies in quick succession of one another

Earlier in the week, Alice, who is mother to Ella, 12, and Elsie, eight, with the star, gave a shocking insight into their parenting arrangements.

In her latest blistering tirade, Alice hit back at Twitter users who accused her of making the split 'all about money' and also suggesting it was 'her choice' to quit her career and become a stay at home - something she staunchly denied.

Alice explained that she 'altruistically' allowed Ioan to continue working, while staying at home with the girls, despite battling chronic pain and tiredness in fibromyalgia - making it hard for her to even get out of bed at times.

Hitting back: She hit out at her husband and his new girlfriend in the bold statements

She wrote: 'I did NOT make that choice. Two actors cannot both work because it's impossible to work in the same city. Just like two war-reporters or two overseas volunteers. I accepted to step down cos he earned more...

'It was hard. Really hard. I felt I was doing my bit for the family... every time I came to near breaking I told myself I would get back out there once they were older and that at least my husband was getting the opportunity to do the stuff he wanted...

'Rather than the stuff which shoots here, which is very limited. everything I did was altruistic... It was so freaking hard during the early years...

'I have fibromyalgia so sometimes it was hard to move or get out of bed. But I brought the girls on planes to wherever he was and TRIED to do the occasional guest spot. I felt a bit sad when I saw my friends doing amazing'.

Hitting back: Earlier in the week, Alice, who is mother to Ella, 12, and Elsie, eight, with the star, gave a shocking insight into their parenting arrangements

Ioan filed for divorce from Alice in March, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason behind their split.

The document, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on March 1, revealed the former couple separated on New Year's Day - a month before they went public with their relationship status.

At the time, they had shared a joint statement that read: 'As you can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for our family and we remain committed to our children. Thank you for respecting our privacy.'

It was also reported the divorce papers state the exes are in a 'collaborative process and intend to resolve all issues including spousal support by written agreement'.

All over: Alice confirmed she and Ioan were splitting after 20 years in a shock statement she shared on Twitter in January 2021 (pictured together in 2018)

Alice, meanwhile, had addressed the pair's split in a shock statement shared to Twitter in January in which she claimed Ioan had 'mentally tortured' her.

The mum-of-two also accused her estranged husband of 'winding the s**t up me' as she posted a vitriolic video about their 'collaborative divorce' talks.

Alice and Ioan met on the set of 102 Dalmatians in 2000, when Alice was in a relationship with Pablo Picasso's grandson Olivier.

She and Ioan became engaged six years later after she gave him an ultimatum about their relationship, and they tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Mexico in September 2007.

Ioan hasn't publicly addressed the couple's divorce.
He became a father for the first time last month.

And Emmerdale actor Danny Miller has reflected on the moment his two-week old son was born, admitting he was 'in bits.'

The Northerner, 30, and his fiancee Steph Jones, also 30, welcomed Albert on October 25 at 9.16am - after lengthy 20-hour labour.

'I was in bits': Emmerdale's Danny Miller reflected on the birth of his son Albert and revealed the sweet meaning behind his name (pictured with fiancee Steph Jones)

Speaking to OK!, Danny, who plays Aaron Dingle in the Yorkshire Dales soap, said: 'I was in bits. I was very emotional. Its made me much more in love with Steph, too. I was absolutely in awe of her and were absolutely in awe of him.'

The name Albert has a poignant meaning, one which the couple explained during their first interview since becoming parents.

Danny explained that he loved the name when he was growing up, and unbeknown to him, it was the name of his fiancee's late grandfather.

Arrival: The Northerner, 30, and Steph, also 30, welcomed Albert after a lengthy 20-hour labour

Danny - who made his television debut on BBC drama series Grange Hill - added that through school, he only knew of him as 'Steph's grandad'.

Midwife Steph chimed: 'Danny said to me, "Ive got a name that I really love but Im not sure what youll think about it," and then when he said Albert I said it must be a sign as that was my grandads name.'

The topic of tying the knot also featured in their candid chat, with the couple revealing they're still planning their nuptials for next year.

Sweet: The actor explained that he loved the name Albert when he was growing up, and unbeknown to him, it was the name of his fiancee's late grandfather

The British Soap Award winner, who is rumoured to be taking part in this year's I'm A Celebrity, said how he's always wanted to marry Steph, but it will be more of a family event since the arrival of Albert.

Danny and Steph were elated back in February when they discovered they were expecting after coming close to tuning to IVF treatment after a year of trying to conceive.

In a previous interview with OK! about the prospect of being a dad, Danny said: 'I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, I think it's good nerves, though. But sometimes I do get a bit like, "Oh God, what if I do this wrong?"'

Baby joy: Danny and Steph were elated back in February when they discovered they were expecting after coming close to tuning to IVF treatment after a year of trying to conceive

Danny, French football star David Ginola and Frankie Bridge have reportedly all signed up for I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

The stars will all be heading to Gwrych Castle in north Wales for series 21 which starts on November 21, after The Sun obtained pictures of the group beginning their mandatory quarantine.

Also included in the line up are Strictly's Arlene Phillips, EastEnders' Adam Woodyatt, Corrie's Simon Gregson, GMB's Richard Madeley and Olympic diver Matty Lee.
Coronation Street star Victoria Ekanoye has revealed she has been diagnosed with breast cancer just months after welcoming her first child.

The soap actress, 39, spoke to OK! Magazine about the heartbreaking news, as she revealed she discovered a lump in her breast while feeding Theo, 11 months, who she shares with husband Jonny Lomas, before doctors investigated.

She said: 'I was diagnosed on October 13 with DCIS, which is Ductal carcinoma in situ. It basically means that cells have turned cancerous within the milk ducts.'

Earlier this year, Victoria, who played Angie Appleton in the soap, revealed she feared her 'miracle' baby boy would die during her traumatic three-day labour due to complications involving her sickle cell anaemia.

Pained: Coronation Street star Victoria Ekanoye has revealed she has been diagnosed with breast cancer just months after welcoming her first child (pictured on-set)

Victoria told the publication: 'Back in July I was feeding Theo and I noticed there was a small lump protruding at the top of my left breast.

'My mum had breast cancer at 41, and her sister at 39 - so many people in my family, in fact. So I don't really leave any time before I check these things...

'I was diagnosed on the thirteenth of October with DCIS, which is Ductal carcinoma in situ. It basically means that cells have turned cancerous within the milk ducts...

'We're being really optimistic, and positive, and really lucky that we've caught it as early as we have. I don't know if lucky is the right word, but that's how I feel.'

Shock: The soap actress, 39, spoke to OK! Magazine about the heartbreaking new, as she revealed she discovered a lump in her breast while feeding Theo, 11 months, who she shares with husband Jonny Lomas, before doctors investigated

Expecting: She is pictured while pregnant with her son last year

Breastcancer.org defines DCIS as: 'Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is non-invasive breast cancer. Ductal means that the cancer starts inside the milk ducts, carcinoma refers to any cancer that begins in the skin or other tissues (including breast tissue) that cover or line the internal organs, and in situ means "in its original place."

'DCIS is called "non-invasive" because it hasnt spread beyond the milk duct into any normal surrounding breast tissue. DCIS isnt life-threatening, but having DCIS can increase the risk of developing an invasive breast cancer later on.'

In March, Victoria revealed she feared her 'miracle' baby boy would die during her traumatic three-day labour.

The actress gave birth to her first child, a boy named Theodore Christopher on January 16, with complications due to her sickle cell anaemia.

Terrified: In March, Victoria revealed she feared her 'miracle' baby boy would die during her traumatic three-day labour

Victoria told how she and Jonny worried that their baby 'wouldn't make it', adding how the thought of losing her son willed her to push through the painful labour which left her struggling to walk or speak.

Victoria was induced on January 13th at 39 weeks, however, it wasn't until three days later that she gave birth.

She then told how due to her sickle cell anaemia, she was advised to have pain relief during the labour, however, she suffered a severe reaction to the drugs, resulting in her throwing up and struggling to function.

She explained: 'With sickle cell its not advised to have a birth without painkillers as it can trigger a sickle cell crisis [episodes of pain], so I was induced and put on pain medication. But I had a really bad reaction.

Blooming: Victoria was induced on January 13th at 39 weeks, however, it wasn't until three days later that she gave birth
Addison Rae sent temperatures soaring when she hit the red carpet for the 10th annual LACMA Art+ Film Gala event presented by fashion house Gucci on Saturday.

The TikTok star, 21, giggled sexily as she posed for pictures at the star studded event after slipping into a plunging black gown.

Addison, who previously founded her own makeup brand Item Beauty, stunned as she went braless in a black floor length gown that boasted a gorgeous sweetheart neckline that plunged to her waist.

Gorgeous: Addison Rae sent temperatures soaring when she hit the red carpet for the 10th annual LACMA Art+ Film Gala event presented by fashion house Gucci on Saturday

Addison's gown revealed a hint of her toned abs and glimpse of her decolletage as she posed on the blue carpet.

The influencer rocked the classic look with a pair of large double looped gold band earrings and opted to keep it simple by keeping her neckline bare.

Addison wore her long blonde tresses pulled back in a neat low ponytail and went full glam with the makeup.

Giggles: The TikTok star giggled as she posed for pictures at the star studded event after slipping into a plunging black gown

Honouring an Icon: The star attended the event presented by fashion house Gucci which honoured film director Steven Spielberg

Beautiful: Addison wore her long blonde tresses pulled back in a neat low ponytail and went full glam with the makeup

The Tik Tok star was joined on the red carpet by stars including Miley Cyrus, Lil Nas X, Jared Leto, Dakota Johnson, Ridley Scott, Salma Hayek, Eva Longoria, Phoebe Bridges.

The cast of 'Squid Game,' were also in attendance, alongside Paris Hilton, Ava DuVernay, Tracee Ellis Ross, Guillermo del Toro, Jeff Bezos, Bob Iger, Billie Eilish, James Corden.

Now in its 10th annual edition, this year's Gala honoured award winning film director Steven Spielberg.

Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, portrait artists for President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama were also celebrated at the event.

The gala coincides with the opening of two exhibits: 'The Obama Portraits Tour' and 'Black American Portraits.'

Sex bomb: Addison's gown revealed a hint of her toned abs and glimpse of her decolletage as she posed on the blue carpet

Addison's hot look comes as she was spotted packing on the PDA with new beau musician Omer Fedi, 21.

Addison and Omer began dating in May, after being introduced by way of BFF Kourtney Kardashian and the Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker.

The Israeli-born musician (both a drummer and producer) boasts an impressive list of credentials which includes 24kGoldn and Iann Dior's single Mood, and a producing credit on The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber's chart topping song, Stay.

The aspiring actress hit the headlines recently when it was revealed that she recently had her account suspended.

Blocked: The aspiring actress hit the headlines recently when it was revealed that she recently had her account suspended

The influencer tweeted 85 million followers that she had been blocked from the account, after it sparked her rise to fame.

She wrote on Twitter 'Well time to get a job,', accompanied by a screengrab of a notification that her account had been banned due to 'multiple violations of our Community Guidelines.'

According to reports from Rolling Stone, this is not the first time that she has been suspended from the platform, as in August 2020, it was temporarily erased after it was hacked.
Amanda Holden dressed for business on Monday, heading to work in a chic, tailored look.

The star, 50, looked gorgeous in shades of cream and white as she left the Global Radio studios in central London following her Heart FM breakfast show.

Amanda highlighted her svelte figure in a fitted white dress layered under a long, cream jacket.

Ready for work: Amanda Holden dressed for business on Monday, heading to work at Heart FM in a chic, tailored look. The star, 50, looked gorgeous in shades of cream and white

The rib-knit dress featured a daring split, flashing a glimpse of the star's long legs, which she emphasised with heels.

An elegant clutch bag and designer shades were the finishing touches to the look.

Amanda hilariously dubbed Simon Cowell the 'world's strongest man' in a Sunday Instagram post during the filming of Britain's Got Talent.

The music mogul, 62, winced in pain while attempting to drag along his son Eric and and the judge's daughter Hollie, both seven, who rode via a carriage.

Looking good: Amanda highlighted her svelte figure in a fitted white dress layered under a long, cream jacket

Putting on an animated display while gesturing a whip in his father's direction, Eric certainly appeared to be having a whale of a time as Amanda took a snap.

The actress wrote in her caption: 'Worlds [sic] strongest man. #britainsgottalent @bgt,' followed by a heart-face and laughing emoji.

Last week Simon stepped down from the judging panel of upcoming ITV musical game show Walk The Line, with Gary as his replacement.

The businessman will now be replaced by Gary Barlow, someone he's confident 'will do a fantastic job.'

The anticipated six-part series is set to air later this year and will present an opportunity for musical variety acts to win a life-changing sum of money.

Funny: Amanda Holden hilariously dubbed Simon Cowell the 'world's strongest man' in a Sunday Instagram post during BGT filming as he attempted to pull son Eric, 7, in a carriage
Laura Whitmore joined the legion of Brits headed to the states as travel restrictions for jetting to America lifted on Monday.

The Love Island host, 36, who is a self-confessed Yankophile after spending a year living in America when she was 21, took to social media to share a duo of snaps showing her making her way stateside following the lightened restrictions.

Sharing a make-up free selfie on the plane as well as a snap with two Virgin Atlantic air hostesses clad in American paraphernalia, Laura accompanied the shots with a caption reading: 'US is open! Its been a while.'

Woo! Laura Whitmore joined the legion of Brits headed to the states as travel restrictions for jetting to America lifted on Monday

'Wearing my friend Nicola Roberts' beautiful new merch for the flight, adored with her gorgeous lyrics celebrating 10 years of Cinderellas eyes. love this album! New York here I come. So excited to be back x

America has finally reopened its borders to fully vaccinated UK travellers, as thousands jet off to reunite with family and friends for the first time in two years.

Rival airlines British Airways and Virgin Atlantic operated synchronised departures at 8.30am from London Heathrow to New York JFK to celebrate the end of the travel ban imposed by Donald Trump in March last year as Covid spread across the planet.

The Empire State Building will be lit up in red, white and blue to welcome back the first UK visitors who will be greeted by New York Governor Kathy Hochul from 11am local time.

Yay! The Love Island host, 36, took to social media to share a duo of snaps showing her making her way stateside following the lightened restrictions

'So excited to be back': Sharing a make-up free selfie on the plane as well as a snap with two Virgin Atlantic air hostesses clad in American paraphernalia, Laura accompanied the shots with a caption reading: 'US is open! Its been a while'

So what ARE the new US travel rules? Starting Monday, travellers can visit the US again from anywhere so long as they prove they are fully vaccinated and have a negative Covid test. Vaccinated people who have had a negative test within the previous 72 hours can enter without quarantining. The US is recommending that travellers take another test three to five days after arriving, unless they have proof of recovery from Covid in the past 90 days. Coronavirus vaccine certificates including the NHS Covid Pass are accepted in America. Children under 18 do not need to be vaccinated to enter but unvaccinated children over two must have a negative Covid test. A small number of unvaccinated travellers from countries where vaccination rates are less than 10 percent can also enter. The only other unvaccinated travellers who will be allowed in are those with exemptions, but it's unclear what kind of exemption the US will accept. Advertisement

Under travel rules announced by President Joe Biden in September, fully vaccinated visitors from countries including the UK, Ireland, China, India and South Africa will be allowed to enter America.

They must also provide proof of either a negative test taken no more than three days before travel, or that they have recovered from Covid in the previous three months.

The easing will see thousands of people reunite with loved ones in the US for the first time in more than 600 days.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said it was a 'significant moment' as transatlantic travel has 'long been at the heart of UK aviation'.

He added that the 'vitally important' UK-US flights routes boost the economy, create British jobs and help develop plans to reduce carbon emissions from flying.

In 2018, Laura spoke of her experience of living in America as a student, as she revealed: 'When I was 21, I studied in the US for five months...

'In my final year of journalism at Dublin City University, we had the option to go abroad and everyone went to different places, but for me, it was always going to be Boston...

'I loved the idea of this student city  home to dozens of universities, including Harvard  known for its big Irish contingent. It was a great opportunity.'

Industry leaders expect the easing of restrictions to provide a significant boost for the travel sector which has been hammered by the virus crisis, but have warned of massive queues at airports all throughout November due to an 'onslaught of travel all at once'.

Speaking to MailOnline today, Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency, praised the relaxation as 'the pivotal moment when travel out of the UK is far closer to normality'.
He rose to fame on social media as a self-tanning addict.

But on Monday, Kurt Coleman, 24, had fans doing a double take when he embraced a more natural look.

Uploading a shirtless selfie to his Instagram account, he wrote: 'I love my body. at every stage of life'.

Kurt Coleman doesn't look like this anymore! On Monday, Kurt, 24, had fans do a double take as he shared a series of selfies to his Instagram account

Kurt looked almost unrecognisable showing off his natural complexion as he posed for a mirror selfie.

Kurt recently returned to social media after he was hospitalised with pancreatitis.

Back in July, Kurt revealed that alcohol consumption was behind his diagnosis, and urged fans: 'Please think about my experience when you plan to have a wild drinking night out.

That's different! Kurt looked almost unrecognisable showing off his natural complexion as he posed for a mirror selfie

Previously speaking about his battle with self-love, Kurt told his followers that he was 'fat-shamed' by his management in the early years of his fame.

The social media star explained that he purchased Optifast meal replacement shakes to help him drop the excess weight, and shared pictures showing the dramatic before and after of his rapid 'two week' weight loss journey.

Kurt first rose to fame in 2016 on social media as a teenager thanks to his very confident social media posts.

'I didn't think twice about': The social media star previously said that he purchased Optifast meal replacement shakes to help him drop the excess weight, and shared pictures showing the dramatic before (right) and after (left) of his rapid 'two week' weight loss journey

He was also known for his over the top use of self-tanning product, lip fillers and Botox.

He made the move from his native Gold Coast to Melbourne in 2017, where he has dabbled in DJing at nightclubs.

He has since said goodbye to a dark complexion, and embraced a more natural look.
Salt Bae set tongues wagging with his extravagantly priced menu when he opened his London restaurant in September.

But it didn't stop Love Island stars Jess and Eve Gale, 22, from splashing the cash as they enjoyed dinner at the chef's Knightsbridge eatery with TOWIE's Demi Sims, 25, on Sunday night.

The reality stars posed for a series of glamorous Instagram snaps as they indulged in delicious cocktails and 640 steaks at the celebrity hotspot.

Out on the town: Love Island's Jess and Eve Gale, 22, splashed the cash at Salt Bae's restaurant Nusr-Et in London on Sunday night as they enjoyed a night out with TOWIE's Demi Sims, 25

Eve and Demi could be seen sitting alongside each other as they raised their glasses in a clip posted to Instagram Stories.

In clips shared to their pages, Salt Bae, real name Nusret Gokce, 38, could be seen serving them their meal as he sliced the meat and seasoned it in his signature theatrical style.

Demi could be seen eating a slice of her steak from the end of a knife after the chef performed his handiwork.

Performer: In clips shared to their pages, Salt Bae, real name Nusret Gokce, 38, could be seen serving them their meal as he sliced the meat and seasoned it in his signature theatrical style

The trio's outing comes after it emerged suave internet sensation Salt Bae was planning to jet off to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia to open his 28th restaurant, just six weeks after welcoming diners to his London venue.

He wrote on Instagram last week: 'Sunday is my last day in London. I will go to Riyadh to open my 28th restaurant.

'Sunday is my last day in Lovely London. I want to see you beautiful people before I go.'

Extravagant treat: The reality stars looked glamorous as they posed for Instagram snaps while enjoying cocktails and 640 steaks at the celebrity hotspot

Meanwhile, Demi's new love interest Alexa Brooke uploaded a very steamy video with the television personality during a night out at the Gotham Hotel in Manchester on Thursday.

The pair packed on the PDA, with the reality star licking the OnlyFans star's breast in the saucy clip where she jokingly asked Alexa to 'marry' her on the boozy night out.

The couple could be seen dancing in the video before Demi licked Alexa's cleavage and smiled at the camera. Alexa captioned the video: 'My Baby.'

On the move: The trio's outing comes after it emerged suave internet sensation Salt Bae was planning to jet off to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia to open his 28th restaurant

This comes as just last month, Demi was seen sharing a kiss with Geordie Shore's Bethan and Too Hot To Handle's, Christina Carmela, 30 within a week of another.

Bethan and Demi were quick to squash rumours of a romance at the time, with the pair taking to Instagram to explain to their followers they were not together and simply had 'a really flirty relationship'.

Demi spoke about her 'flirtatious relationship' with Bethan in June and explained despite their attraction, the pair are just friends.

Close: It comes as Demi's new love interest Alexa Brooke uploaded a very steamy video with the TOWIE star during a night out at the Gotham Hotel in Manchester on Thursday

She said of the Geordie: 'Don't get me wrong me and Bethan have spoken in the past and when we are with each other we are all over each other.

'Like we just have a really flirty relationship and that's what it was the other night.

'It was just really flirty and stuff.'
They've shared the look of love for nearly a year.

And Michael B. Jordan shared a sweet selfie with his girlfriend, Lori Harvey, to Instagram on Sunday afternoon.

The 34-year-old actor was feeling the love as he soaked up the sun in a black-and-white snap before she shared a host of selfies to her own platform.

Love is in the air: Michael B. Jordan shared a sweet selfie with his girlfriend, Lori Harvey, to Instagram on Sunday afternoon

The gorgeous couple cuddled up in the sunlight if only for a moment as she wrapped her arms around him and planted a kiss on his cheek.

He simply wrote across the image: 'I miss her.'

Lori took to her own Instagram account and shared the story before posting a slew of stunning snaps wearing a striped ensemble.

Jordan was on hand to support the budding entrepreneur as she launched her own skincare brand, SKN by LH, in West Hollywood last month.

Gorgeous: Lori took to her own Instagram account and shared the story before posting a slew of stunning snaps wearing a striped ensemble

Power couple: The Creed actor, 34, could not help but to publicly gush about how he was 'blown away' by girlfriend Lori Harvey as he gave an adoring speech at the launch of her skincare line SKN by LH in West Hollywood last month

Has his heart: 'There's no place I'd rather be,' he maintained which caused the audience to swoon before he pulled a beaming Lori in for a kiss

'I'm extremely, extremely proud of you. From the time I met you, having a vision, having a goal, sticking to your guns not being distracted by opinions, views and perspectives ... you had something you saw in your mind and you did it,' he told Harvey at the star-studded launch.

'And everybody's here to support you. The people that love you and the people that care about you, the people that really matter ... they're proud of you, I'm proud of you and your parents are extremely proud of you.

'There's no place I'd rather be,' he maintained which caused the audience to swoon and cheers to break out.

In January, Lori enjoyed a holiday with her famous father Steve Harvey, mom Marjorie, and new boyfriend, Michael B. Jordan, where they stayed on Steve's yacht during their vacation to St. Barts.

Blessed: In January, Lori enjoyed a holiday with her famous father Steve Harvey, mom Marjorie, and new boyfriend, Michael B. Jordan, where they stayed on Steve's yacht during their vacation to St. Barts

Speaking to People, the 64-year-old Family Feud host said: 'I don't speak publicly about this type of stuff, but I'm happy for my daughter right now'

During the trip, she shared a racy snap with Michael while on the yacht, with him holding placing his hand beneath her left breast.

And just one month later, the Black Panther star publicly declared his love for Lori with a heartfelt post on Instagram.

Steve and Marjorie married in June 2007 and soon after he legally adopted her children Lori, Morgan and Jason.

Lori and Michael went Instagram official on Jan. 10 on each of their Instagrams with loved up snaps after being spotted around town together as early as November the year before.

Speaking to People, the 64-year-old Family Feud host said: 'I don't speak publicly about this type of stuff, but I'm happy for my daughter right now.

'I really am. It's the first time I've been happy for her [in a relationship]. And it's the first time she's been happy.'

He added: 'He's just a good guy. If he wasn't, get him out of here, 'cause I have ways. But I can't say nothing bad, man. He's just got a great family, man. He's a spiritual guy.'
Rebecca Romijn shared a very rare photo to Instagram this weekend.

The blonde X-Men actress was seen posing with her twin daughters Dolly Rebecca Rose and Charlie Tamara Tulip, age 12, as well as her husband Jerry O'Connell, 47.

The family of four was celebrating the former fashion model's 49th birthday when at the Rolling Stones concert at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada.

Just the four of us: Rebecca Romijn shared a very rare photo to Instagram this weekend. The blonde X-Men actress was seen posing with her twin daughters Dolly Rebecca Rose and Charlie Tamara Tulip, age 12, as well as her husband Jerry O'Connell

'Rock n Roll bday with @therollingstones Thanks for the bday love everybody!' the pinup said in her Instagram caption.

The cover girl wore a Rolling Stones T-shirt with a purple mouth, adding black leather slacks. Her hair was partially pinned back as she smiled from ear to ear.

Jerry had on a more traditional black Rolling Stones top with red lips.

Their daughters were dressed in T shirts as well as the entire family beamed for the photo.

Party on: 'Rock n Roll bday with @therollingstones Thanks for the bday love everybody!' the pinup said in her Instagram caption

Talk show hostess Kelly Ripa was one of the first to hit the like button on the post.

The twins were also seen all together in August.

'Slight dress code violation but 1st day of 7th grade went without a hitch,' the actress captioned the shot of the 12-year-old kids.

Both of the girls wore shorts and face masks as they smiled at the start the new school year.

Romijn and O'Connell have been wed since 2007 and welcomed the twins December 28, 2009.

Good mommy: The Dennis Pepper actress put her arms around her mini me daughters

Happy pair: Romijn and O'Connell posed during entrances at an NYC event in 2019

O'Connell told People last year that he made the most of the pandemic shutdown in spending time with the girls, as he figured he would 'never get this time with them ever again.

'This is it. Very soon, when this is all over and everything's back to normal and kids are back in school all the time, I have a feeling parents are gonna be like, "Oh, it was kind of nice having my kids at home,"' he said. 'I almost feel like, just because the age that they are, I'm getting a free extra year with them.'

He opened up about raising the pre-teens: 'Normally, this is the age - I know, because I'm sort of experiencing it - where they want me to drop them off at school two blocks away so their friends don't see me.

Back at it: In August the twins were seen as they were off to start school

'They want to be dropped off at the mall and hang out there for four hours, but they don't want their friends to see me when I pick them up.'

O'Connell said that it's 'interesting being the father of girls,' as he 'never had sisters so it is a little different.'

Romijn was previously wed to actor John Stamos from 1998 to 2005.

Stamos, 58, who is father to son Billy, three, with wife Caitlin McHugh, 35, last month appeared on the podcast Life is Short with Justin Long, with O'Connell's pal Long telling Stamos, 'I just love teasing him about how handsome you are.'

Stamos said that he and McHugh have moved to an area near where Romijn and O'Connell live.

'Well, we sort of moved near them, but I haven't seen or talk to [Rebecca],' he said. 'But [Jerry] is funny about. I've seen some stuff - he said his kids watched Full House and said I was their dad or something. But he's a funny guy - that's a guy who works hard.'

He added: 'I'm happy for them. That's it. Just letting go, and - "God bless you guys, good for you. I'm here, you're there." But it took me a long time to get to any of that.'

In a podcast after-show featuring O'Connell, the Stand By Me actor said that Stamos 'seems like a great guy.'

'He recently moved really close to my family and I. So my kids have a joke when we're driving - my kids are always like, "There he is, there he is" - my kids are dying to meet him. My kids are infatuated with him because of the Full House thing ... they're in love him, everyone is.'
Embattled Katie Price is set to welcome yet another dog into her family following a series of unfortunate experiences with pets.

The Sun report that the star, 43, who has just concluded a court ordered rehab stint, is set to invite another guard dog named Okra into her home to join fellow protection dog Blade and chihuahua Buddy.

The latest addition to the family comes a year after her pet dog Rolo was suffocated in her home, while her Alsatian Sparkle was mowed down in February last year, in shocking echoes of the death of her dog Queenie, who was killed in 2018.

News of another addition to her home has come under fire by both fans and animal rights charities amid concerns over Katie's history with pets.

Shock: Embattled Katie Price is set to welcome yet another dog into her family following a series of unfortunate experiences with pets (Katie pictured with her late puppy Rolo)

Katie was seen on Instagram on Sunday night sharing a number of videos of Blade and Buddy playing, alongside her fiance Carl Woods' dog Sid.

She later posted a picture of Blade and penned a caption reading: 'Can't wait for my next protection dog' over a post shared by Protection Dogs WorldWide.

PETA director, Elisa Allen, told The Sun: 'Given her track record with animals, several of whom have died in her 'care', it would be irresponsible and reckless for Katie to be allowed to acquire another one.

'Any breeder willing to sell to her is clearly putting profit over the animals' welfare.'

MailOnline has contacted PETA and Katie for comment.

Sweet: She shared videos of her pooches playing together - including Blade and Buddy and Carl's dog Sid

Having a laugh: Sid got involved with the other pooches

Her new addition comes as Katie awaits sentencing for the shock drink drive crash she caused in September, which saw her overturn her car following a drink and drug binge and landed her in The Priory until last week.

In November last year, Katie's fiance Carl's furiously defended his decision to buy Katie a puppy, after he sparked backlash by giving the former glamour model and Katie's daughter Princess a French Bulldog, Precious.

The purchase came just four months after their puppy Rolo, who was also the same breed, suffocated in an electric chair. In an expletive laden rant, Carl told 'd**kheads' to stop bringing up Rolo, describing the pup's death as a 'tragic accident'.

In July last year, Katie was criticised by animal rights activists after Rolo tragically 'suffocated'. The French bulldog died after getting stuck in an electric armchair while the reality star was packing some bags in another room, reported The Mirror.

Rolo was given to Princess as a birthday present and is the third dog of the family's to die in tragic circumstances.

Her love: In November last year, Katie's fiance Carl's furiously defended his decision to buy Katie a puppy, after he sparked backlash by giving the former glamour model and Katie's daughter Princess a French Bulldog, Precious (pictured)

Following his death Elisa Allen, director of animal rights group PETA, told the publication: 'Katie must not be allowed to acquire any more animals.

'At least three dogs and one horse have died on her watch in the last few years alone... her attitude is costing wonderful animals their lives.'

Katie later revealed her shock after she was illegally advised to give her late puppy Rolo cannabis oil before he 'suffocated to death in an armchair'.

The late French bulldog, which was bought as a present for her daughter Princess' 13th birthday, fell asleep under an electric chair after having the non-psychoactive cannabis derivative and later 'suffocated' after the family's nanny sat on the chair.

Tough: Rolo's death came just months after her Alsatian Sparkle's tragic death when she ran onto a busy road outside her previous home. She was killed on the A24 after escaping from Katie's house, which she has since moved out of and is on the market

Katie told the Mirror that she was unaware that it is illegal to give dogs the substance without a veterinary prescription, in accordance with the The Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013.

Rolo's death came just months after her Alsatian Sparkle's tragic death when she ran onto a busy road outside her previous home. She was killed on the A24 after escaping from Katie's house, which she has since moved out of and is on the market.

One of Katie's horses was tragically killed on the same road in 2017 after escaping from a field.

The star, 41, suffered further tragedy in 2018 when her Alsatian Queenie was struck and killed by a delivery driver.

The star took to Instagram to pay tribute to her one-year-old German Shepherd, who was gifted to her by then-husband Kieran Hayler back in 2016.

Her pups: Katie and Carl are pictured with their dogs Precious and Sid

She penned: 'I'm absolutely Devastated heartbroken my faithful loving family dogs life Queenie has been shortened as she was killed by a heartless delivery driver who ran into our dog seeing her struggle and drove off without telling us and left her to die very disappointed a human being can be this heartless! (sic)'

It was initially reported the driver was from pizza giant Domino's, yet bosses at the company refuted claims their driver was to blame.

A Domino's spokesman said in a statement to OK! Online: 'We were very sorry to hear this news and have given Ms Price our heartfelt sympathies.

Her boy: Katie is pictured with her current protection dog

'Our investigation revealed our driver inadvertently called Ms Price's property via the security gate intercom, whilst trying to make a delivery to a neighbour.

Upon realising the error, GPS tracking reveals she went straight to the correct address. Our driver remained on public roads and had no access to Ms. Price's land.

'Our driver holds a clean, valid EU driving license and maintains she did not hit an animal. She has voluntarily contacted the police but has been told no criminal charges are pending. We want to understand what happened and have asked Ms Price to share the CCTV to help our investigation.'

'Unfortunately, despite repeatedly requesting, we're still unable to get a crime reference number or sight of the CCTV Katie mentioned, to help our investigation.'
Hilary Duff became a mom of three seven months ago.

And on Monday, the 34-year-old actress took to her Instagram Story to show off her parental pride with a new 'Mother' tattoo.

The Lizzie Maguire star also revealed that she got her baby daughter Mae's ears pierced.

New ink: On Monday, Hilary Duff took to her Instagram Story to show off her parental pride with a new 'Mother' tattoo

Hilary shared a black and white closeup of the new ink in which the word 'Mother' was seen on the side of her neck in black script and tagged tattoo artist Victoria Do of the New York-based Bang Bang Tattoo in her post.

According to the tattoo parlor's website, owner Keith 'Bang Bang' McCurdy has tattooed 'Rihanna in the tropics, Lebron James in his basement, Cara Delevingne on a roof, Katy Perry in Stockholm's Abba Museum, and Justin Bieber on a plane at 30,000 feet.'

Hilary is a big fan of body art and the new ink marks the 20th tattoo for the Younger star.

Parental pride: became a mom of three seven months ago. Seen in 2020

In 2019, she got tattoo of a sun. In 2015, Hilary appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres who and revealed that she and her sister got matching tattoos that read 'Thick As Thieves.'

She got ink of a wishbone to symbolize good luck on her right wrist in 2011. In 2012, she had celebrity tattoo artist Dr. Woo tattoo a bird tattoo on her right arm next to her 'Stand by Me' tattoo. Duff told Ellen that was her favorite tattoo.

The star and her best friend Alanna Masterson both had two cent coined tattooed on their left arms in 2013 and an image of a ghost with the wording 'ride or die' in 2014.

She also has a tattoo of her son Luca's name along with a heart.

Showing his love: In September 2020, Duff's husband Matthew Koma shared a cheeky Instagram post in which he revealed that he had his wife's name tattooed on his backside

In September 2020, Duff's husband Matthew Koma shared a cheeky Instagram post in which he revealed that he had his wife's name tattooed on his backside.

On Monday, Hilary also posted a photo featuring her daughter Mae's pierced ears as the adorable infant lay on a cushion.

She wrote, 'Yes! I pierced her ears today. Can't wait for the internet to go call me a child abuser...again. lesss go,' adding a crossed fingers emoji.

Piercing: Hilary also posted a photo featuring her daughter Mae's pierced ears as the adorable infant lay on a cushion

Hilary and her husband Matthew share daughters Banks, three, and Mae together. She also has nine-year-old son Luca with her ex-husband Mike Comrie.

In her Instagram story, The What Dreams Are Made Of songstress also shared a black and white photo of her spouse, writing, 'Missing papa. Who's coming to LA?'

Koma is currently on tour with his band Winnetka Bowling League, which will stop in Los Angeles on November 11.

Duff later posted videos from his performance in Portland. She wrote, '@winnetkabowlingleagure was absolutely EVERYTHING tonight in Portland, so glad I finally get to see them live' along with the word 'Husband.'

Rocking out: Koma is currently on tour with his band Winnetka Bowling League, which will stop in Los Angeles on November 11

On Sunday, Hilary shared a new post on her Instagram page in which she was seen spending quality time with Mae.

The Texas native was in bliss as she bottle fed her daughter in an Instagram snap she posted Sunday.

'My second daughterlittle Mae James,' she captioned the snap. 'feeling mushy and peaceful  happy Sunday !'

The Disney vet was recently spotted shopping at a farmer's market with all three of her children.

Just days earlier she had posted a heart-melting Instagram album of little Mae sitting amid a few pumpkins out in an autumnal display.

Aww! Hilary was one happy mama as she enjoyed some quality girl time with Mae

Cute as a button: Just days earlier she had posted a heart-melting Instagram album of little Mae sitting amid a few pumpkins out in an autumnal display

'A new record in lateness posting this.#3rdbabyproblems MJ stop growing!!! Weve been loving this little lady for 7 months already!' she wrote in the caption.

Earlier last month Hilary could be spotted on her social media enjoying some family time with her mother Susan and her eldest daughter.

Susan, Hilary and Banks were taking in the delights of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and even spent time in one of the aircraft.

Shortly after Banks was born Hilary hit the headlines by revealing she had blended the placenta into a smoothie and drunk it.

Having a ball: Hilary is pictured with all three of her children as well as her current husband Matthew whom she married in 2019

She went public with Mae's birth in March by posting a snap of Banks in the bath captioned: 'Im a big sister ....... marinating on how I feel about that!'

Her upcoming work includes a gender-flipped sequel series to How I Met Your Mother called How I Met Your Father.

Earlier this year Hilary's show Younger - whose leading lady was Broadway actress Sutton Foster - aired its series finale on TV Land.

Creator Darren Star of Sex And The City fame then shared that plans for a potential spin-off about Hilary's character are unlikely to come to fruition.

During an interview with TV Line the subject of the possible spin-off came up and he said: 'I think thats pretty much off the table.'

Meanwhile there had been plans for a Lizzie McGuire reboot and shooting had even begun prior to the COVID-19 pandemic but that project has also died.

Showrunner Terri Minsky was fired last January and then in December Hilary announced that the show had been canceled entirely.

The month after Terri was fired Hilary hinted at some of the creative issues behind the scenes by writing on Instagram: 'I'd be doing a disservice to everyone by limiting the realities of a 30 year old's journey to live under the ceiling of a PG rating.'

Watch Younger, exclusively on Stan in Australia.
Jerry Seinfeld's daughter Sascha is celebrating her milestone 21st birthday.

The daughter of the iconic actor marked the momentous occasion with friends and family over the weekend in a roaring 20s themed bash where girlfriends dressed as flapper girls.

Though Sascha may be all grown up, even her parents joined the fun as they celebrated their daughter's special day.

Happy birthday! Jerry Seinfeld's daughter Sascha is celebrating her milestone 21st birthday

Sascha's mother, Jessica Seinfeld, paid tribute to her daughter in a post containing photos from the epic bash on her Instagram account.

Images showed Sascha, clad in a sparkling spaghetti strap dress and glittering headband, sitting at the bar with a fruity drink in hand.

The birthday girl couldn't have looked any happier as she posed with her friends, whom were all decked out in head-to-toe flapper gear.

And it wasn't Sascha's friends who were present, but her whole family, with Jerry, Jessica, and their two other children, sons Shepherd, 16, and Julian, 18, joining in the fun.

Proud parents! Though Sascha may be all grown up, even her parents joined the fun as they celebrated their daughter's special day at a stylish restaurant

Strike a pose! Seinfeld celebrated her special day in a roaring 20s themed bash

Family fun! The birthday girl was joined by her parents and brothers Shepherd, 16, and Julian, 18 for the occasion

Despite being one of the biggest celebrities on the planet, Jerry appeared to have a more reserved presence as he sat back watching the festivities unfold with his wife.

Though they weren't the center of attention, the couple still couldn't contain their delight.

'We are parents of a 21-year-old!' Jessica gushed as she shared a silly photo of them at the party.

'Our (angel emoji) Sascha Seinfeld turns 21 today. We had the best weekend celebrating this phenomenal human being, along with her friends, who love her almost as much as we do,' Jessica captioned the post on Instagram.

Like mother, like daughter: The cookbook author doted on her daughter as they shared a moment during the party

Brotherly love! Sascha's brothers were present for all the fun

'She works hard, she plays hard, and in between, makes life better for everyone in her orbit. I love you, Little Magic Girl. I am so proud to be your mom.'

The compliments continued on her Instagram Stories, where she called her the 'greatest', 'best sister' and 'best friend.'

Sascha currently attends Duke University after graduating from Chapin, a private upscale all-girls high school in Manhattan's Upper East Side.

Party time! Seinfeld shared a silly photo of her and her husband sitting in the back of the bash

Spreading the love! Jessica could not stop gushing about her daughter's many attributes on social media

She previously interned for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and, more recently, worked as an Assistant/Stage Manager for Duke Performances in 2020.

Additionally, she has earned credits in 2007s Bee Movie and PBS News Hour (2020).

Jerry and Jessica got engaged in November 1999 and were married on Christmas Day in 1999.

Jessica has released four cookbooks starting with Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food in October 2007.

Her fifth cookbook, Vegan, At Times, will be released November 23, 2021.

Jerry along with Larry David, 71, co-created the TV sitcom Seinfeld that aired on NBC from 1989 to 1998.

Girlfriends! The birthday girl was surrounded by her fellow flappers on her birthday

Aww: The Duke student hung out with her younger brother Shepherd
Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner have been slammed online for taking their daughter Stormi to the rapper's Astroworld festival after the chaotic and explicit concert turned deadly.

Social media footage showed the reality TV star and billionaire beauty mogul holding her daughter while in the VIP section, alongside her sister Kendall Jenner.

The toddler was wearing noise-cancelling headphones and was waving and smiling in the audience and Kylie had earlier shared a snap of Stormi's own trailer at the venue.

Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner have been slammed online for taking their daughter Stormi to the rapper's Astroworld festival. The toddler is pictured right with her mother in a VIP section of the concert on Saturday

Reaction: Social media users criticized the couple for taking the child along to the event

But the couple have been branded 'irresponsible' for taking their daughter to the event in the first place, given the history of chaos at Scott's shows.

One user @redtapeIdiot wrote: 'Seeing that Travis Scott actually brought his daughter to the concert when he knows that the crowd gets hectic sometimes and he encourages people to rage is insane. Stormi probably ended up seeing people pass out or die or get injured bc of her dad. #astroworld'

Another, @zabbpinkless, added: 'so no one is talking about the fact that Stormi attended astroworld fest, an event where most know what happened. It is so irresponsible of Travis and Kylie to bring a minor to these types of events. she's just a baby i mean. what's the need to be involving her?'

A user with the handle @htxmarieee wrote: 'travis scott and kylie jenner taking stormi to astroworld still doesnt sit right with me.'

Backlash: The rapper has been heavily criticized for his reckless behavior at the festival

The toddler's name was also trending on Twitter Saturday as the blame was being placed on her 30-year-old father for the eight lives lost.

'The fact that #KylieJenner and #stormi were there gives off gladiator vibes,' Twitter user @1776PatriotBtch wrote.

'The elites are up here, protected and safe, while people die below Literally f*** both of you, especially you #kylie for bringing your TODDLER to an explicit environment #AstroWorld.'

In the crowd: A TikTok user captured footage of Kylie with her child in the audience

Trending: Stormi's name was trending on Twitter on Saturday

Twitter user @debb63 wrote: 'Imagine if it was his daughter who died. No forgiveness there #KylieJenner #TravisScott #Stormi. My kids go every year to music festies. But you expect them to come home. So sad.'

Many were surprised to discover that Stormi not only attended Scott's Astroworld Festival inside the VIP booth at NRG Park in Houston, but she had her very own trailer backstage.

'There was probably more security taking care of Kylie & Stormi than there was at the entire Astroworld festival,' Twitter user @alondrakimberly wrote.

Center of his universe: Many were surprised to discover that Stormi not only attended Scott's Astroworld Festival inside the VIP booth at NRG Park in Houston, but she had her very own trailer backstage

Twitter user @alondrakimberly wrote: 'There was probably more security taking care of Kylie & Stormi than there was at the entire Astroworld festival'

'My deepest condolences': The Escape Plan rapper and Kylie have both insisted they 'were not aware' of the severity of the crowd crush that left eight dead, 17 hospitalized, and over 300 injured

Disastrous: The 'mass casualty' event occurred when fans rushed towards the stage shortly after Travis began performing his 9:06-10:34pm headlining set

The Escape Plan rapper and Kylie have both insisted they 'were not aware' of the severity of the crowd crush that left eight dead, 25 hospitalized, and over 300 injured.

John Hilgert, Brianna Rodriguez, Rudy Pena, Franco Patino, Danish Baig, Madison Dubiski, and Axel Acosta were all killed.

The 'mass casualty' event occurred when fans rushed towards the stage shortly after Travis began performing his 9:06-10:34pm headlining set.

How did he not know? Fans uploaded many troubling videos from the scene, including one of Scott singing while watching a seemingly lifeless body get hoisted out of the crush

They tried! There was disturbing footage of the crowd chanting 'stop the show' over and over again but the concert raged on with only brief pauses

Fans uploaded many troubling videos from the scene, including one of Scott singing while watching a seemingly lifeless body get hoisted out of the crush.

There was disturbing footage of the crowd chanting 'stop the show' over and over again but the concert raged on with only brief pauses.

The Cactus Jack owner has since been hit with two lawsuits, cancelled his headlining gig at Day N Vegas for this Saturday, and vows to refund all Astroworld Festival attendees.

Fallout: The Cactus Jack owner has since been hit with two lawsuits, cancelled his headlining gig at Day N Vegas for this Saturday, and vows to refund all Astroworld Festival attendees

'I'm honestly just devastated': Travis shed no tears and was, in fact, arrested for disorderly conduct in 2015 for encouraging fans to jump the barricades at Lollapalooza, and in 2017 for inciting a riot at an Arkansas show

'I'm honestly just devastated,' Travis - who boasts 82.1M social media followers - said Saturday night via Instastory.

'We're actually working right now to identify the families so we can help assist them through this tough time. Any time I could make out, you know, anything that's going on, you know, I just stopped my show and, you know, helped them get the help they need.'

Scott shed no tears and was, in fact, arrested for disorderly conduct in 2015 for encouraging fans to jump the barricades at Lollapalooza, and in 2017 for inciting a riot at an Arkansas show.
Soap opera actor Ingo Rademacher's run on General Hospital is coming to an end after he was called out for sharing a tweet that misgendered the U.S. assistant secretary for health, Dr. Rachel Levine, referring to her as a 'dude.'

Rademacher's last episode on the show, which he's been on since 1996, will air on November 22nd, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Transgender co-star Cassandra James first slammed the German expat, 50, on social media, where she was supported by several of her castmates who were appalled at Ingo's 'disgusting' and 'unacceptable' comment.

But rumors Ingo was already on his way out had been making the rounds before that, citing his apparent opposition to vaccine mandates.

Controversy: Soap opera actor Ingo Rademacher's run on General Hospital is done after he was called out for a transphobic retweet. Before news of his dismissal he apologized directly to transgender co-star Cassandra James

General Hospital headliner Nancy Lee Grahn announced Rademacher's departure before it became official, tweeting: 'The fellow actor, #IngoRademacher, is mercifully no longer a part of the #gh cast.

'Transphobia & misgendering are disgusting & should be unacceptable in any industry, including soaps/acting. I stand with my costar, @cassandrajames_, & the trans community.'

The tweet in question, which he re-shared on Instagram, originated from podcaster Allie Beth Stuckey. It showed a side by side of Rachel Levine - the nations highest ranking openly transgender official and the first transgender four-star officer - with Virginia's Republican lieutenant governor Winsome Sears - who is a Black conservative.

'Hello and welcome to ClownTown, where the dude on the left is an empowering woman, and the woman on the right is a white supremacist,' Stuckey penned over a side-by-side image of the women.

In a video response to the controversy, Rademacher denied being transphobic - owing to the fact, he said, that he finds Cassandra 'beautiful' and 'absolutely gorgeous'.

He also admitted that had he authored the initial post, he wouldn't have used the word 'dude' to refer to Rachel Levine.

Standing up: Transgender co-star Cassandra James first slammed the German expat, 50, on social media, where she was supported by several of her castmates who were appalled at Ingo's 'disgusting' and 'unacceptable' comment

Inappropriate: The 50-year-old German expat, who has starred on General Hospital since 1996, came under fire after he reposted a tweet misgendering the U.S. assistant secretary for health, Dr. Rachel Levine, which referred to her as a 'dude'

'I'm gonna address this real quick before it gets completely out of control, of course it already has,' the actor said in a selfie video. 'The left always likes to run with, 'Ingo Rademacher's transphobic,' instead of pointing out the fact that it was a comparison.'

Seemingly in defense of the sentiment of his initial post Ingo said in the video: 'While it's not okay to call a Black woman a white supremacist, I don't think it's okay either to call a transgender an empowered woman. Because where does that leave women? Women have fought so hard to get on a level playing field with men. They weren't allowed to anything back in the day. They were nothing. I don't agree with that.'

Ingo continued: 'I do apologize for not crossing out dude and putting transgender ... me, personally, I wouldn't have written it that way.'

The actor went on to add the he 'wouldn't refer to a transgender person as a dude, if they want to be called a she, that's totally fine.'

Then, directly to his General Hospital colleague, he said: 'Cassandra, I apologize to you sincerely. I think you're an absolute talent and you're very beautiful as well. I don't think a transphobic man would say that. I think you're absolutely gorgeous, I really do.'

Cassandra James, who has starred on General Hospital since 2018 as Dr. Terry Randolph, responded to Ingo's re-post on Sunday without calling him out directly.

'I am aware of a transphobic post shared by a fellow General Hospital actor. Shame on you. You have some serious unlearning and education to do. I feel deeply disappointed that such a public display of ignorance could come from our GH family,' she wrote in a thread on Twitter.

Speaking out: Cassandra James, who has starred on General Hospital since 2018 as Dr. Terry Randolph, responded to Ingo's re-post on Sunday without calling him out directly

Taking a stand: Several of her co-stars reposted Cassandra's message with messages of their own in support

Adding: 'Misgendering trans folks is violence and if you come for one of us, you come for all of us. The cis world doesn't get to decide which of us is valuable. I am so proud of the fans for always holding us to a high standard, for calling out transphobia and violence.'

Several of her co-stars reposted Cassandra's message with messages of their own in support.

General Hospital headliner Nancy Lee Grahn shared: 'The fellow actor, #IngoRademacher, is mercifully no longer a part of the #gh cast.

'Transphobia & misgendering are disgusting & should be unacceptable in any industry, including soaps/acting. I stand with my costar, @cassandrajames_, & the trans community'

Maura West added: 'I wholeheartedly support and stand by @cassandrajames_ and the entire LGBTQ community. I did yesterday. I will tomorrow. I will forever. #TransRightsAreHumanRights'

Grahn's post added fuel to rumors that Ingo walked off the show after more than two decades over his refusal to adhere to vaccine mandates - which he regularly rails against on social media.

The actor said he would address his employment status on General Hospital soon.
The cast of Australian comedy show Have You Been Paying Attention have never shied away from poking fun at the Royal Family.

And Meghan Markle was the butt of the joke yet again on Monday's episode - this time over rising tensions between the Sussexes and Queen Elizabeth II.

Comedian Fifi Box took a swipe at Meghan after quizmaster Tom Gleisner played a clip from the Queen's welcome speech at the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference.

She can't catch a break! The cast of Have You Been Paying Attention mocked Meghan Markle yet again on Monday. (L-R: Aaron Chen, Ed Kavalee, Fifi Box, Emma Holland and Sam Pang)

'I could not be more proud of them,' the Queen said in the short clip.

'"Proud of them." Proud of who?' Tom asked the panel.

Fifi was first to push her buzzer, responding: 'Meghan Markle's trolls.'

'I could not be more proud of them': Quizmaster Tom Gleisner played a clip from the Queen's welcome speech at the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference

The audience burst into laughter, as Tom jokingly replied: 'She's unleashed them!'

Ed Kavalee finally gave the correct answer, explaining: 'Well, this was spicy, because she thanked Prince Charles and then Prince William for their efforts in conservation, but didn't thank Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.'

Have You Been Paying Attention is the most popular panel show Down Under, and is considered Australia's answer to Britain's Mock the Week.

Ouch! '"Proud of them." Proud of who?' Tom asked the panel. Fifi was first to push her buzzer, responding: 'Meghan Markle's trolls'

Correct: Ed gave the correct answer, explaining: 'She thanked Prince Charles and then Prince William for their efforts in conservation, but didn't thank Prince Harry and Meghan Markle'

Striving for change: The Sussexes (pictured in NYC) are longtime environmental advocates, with Harry recently saying climate change is one of 'the most pressing issues we are facing'

The Sussexes are longtime environmental advocates, with Harry saying in May that climate change is one of 'the most pressing issues we are facing'.

He most recently spoke about climate change in September when he hosted Global Citizens Live in New York City.

However, despite the couple's advocacy, the Queen made no mention of them in her welcome speech at the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

Slipped her mind? Despite the couple's advocacy, the Queen made no mention of Harry and Meghan in her welcome speech at the United Nations Climate Change Conference

In her address, the 95-year-old praised her late husband Prince Philip, who died in April this year, before heaping praise on her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William for championing the climate issue.

'It is a source of great pride to me that the leading role my husband paid in encouraging people to protect our fragile planet lives on through the work of our eldest son Charles and his eldest son William,' the Queen said.

'I could not be more proud of them.'
Georgia Love hasn't exactly had the best run of luck lately.

And things went from bad to worse for the former Bachelorette this week when her attempt at a show-stopping dance routine with husband Lee Elliott resulted in a few nasty bruises.

The couple tried to recreate the famous scene from Dirty Dancing when Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) lifts Frances 'Baby' Houseman (Jennifer Grey) up into the air.

That's gotta hurt! Watch the painful moment Bachelorette star Georgia Love is dropped on her face by husband Lee Elliott as they try to recreate their Dirty Dancing-inspired wedding dance

They had successfully pulled off the move on their wedding day in March, and earlier when they first met on The Bachelorette in 2016.

But they weren't so lucky on Monday when they tried to show off their party trick at a pub in Melbourne.

Friends filmed the painful moment Georgia toppled over and landed flat on her face.

Promising start: A video shows her running into Lee's arms before he lifts her up into the air

Balancing act: Lee holds his wife in mid-air for a few seconds before they both lose balance

Oh, dear! She then falls forward head first into a sofa

A video shared to Instagram shows her running into Lee's arms before he lifts her up into the air - but seconds later she falls forward head first into a sofa.

Georgia captioned the clip, 'Disclaimer: I am okay, just a bruised leg and also ego.'

Mechanical plumber Lee added: 'This still gives me PTSD!'

Previous attempt: They had successfully pulled off the move on their wedding day in March

Remember this? They famously performed the Dirty Dancing lift on The Bachelorette in 2016

It comes after journalist Georgia found herself at the centre of a series of newsroom controversies at 7News Melbourne.

An email she sent to her colleagues reminding them of the importance of correct grammar was leaked to the press last month, presumably to make her look petty.

She had earlier been pulled from on-air duties and relegated to the production desk after posting a 'racist' video on social media.

Awkward: It comes after Georgia found herself at the centre of a series of newsroom controversies at 7News. An email she sent to her colleagues reminding them of the importance of correct grammar was leaked to the press last month, presumably to make her look petty

Georgia had shared footage on Instagram of a cat behind the window of a Chinese restaurant, and wrote: 'Shop attendant or lunch?!'

She later apologised for causing offence.

Following a workplace investigation, Seven alerted staff via email that Georgia had been 'counselled' and reassigned to an off-camera role 'effective immediately'.

Divisive: She had earlier been pulled from on-air duties and relegated to the production desk after posting a 'racist' video on social media
Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli has revealed his guilty weekend pleasure.

The radio host, 42, told co-host Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald on Monday he's so obsessed with Bunnings that he once visited the hardware chain 'four times' in a single weekend.

The situation became so extreme his wife Lisa Wipfli 'banned' him from shopping at Bunnings.

Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli, 42 (left, with wife Lisa) told co-host Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald on Monday he's so enamoured of Bunnings that he once visited the hardware chain 'four times' in a single weekend

'I can't be the only one that spends their weekends nicking off somewhere,' Wippa said on air during his Nova breakfast show Fitzy and Wippa.

'Then I realised on the weekend, and it only came up because Lisa said, "I'm going to ban you from Bunnings" and I said "You can't do that! That's my time, that's my space and that's going to Bunnings!"'

'Last weekend I went to Bunnings four times,' he admitted.

However he revealed wasn't happy about Lisa's edict, telling her 'How dare you strip me of my rights to wander through those beautiful green doors.'

Locked out: The situation became so extreme his wife Lisa Wipfli 'banned' him from shopping at Bunnings. Pictured: stock image

The lighthearted banter came after an altogether more serious incident in the Wipfli household last month.

Lisa Wipfli revealed the shocking injuries sustained by son Ted during an October playground accident.

The 39-year-old posted a photo of the couple's eldest son Ted to Instagram while admitting the five-year-old had 'fractured his nose'.

'The CT scan showed no damage to his brain which is a huge relief,' wrote Lisa.

Poor boy: Lisa last month revealed the shocking injuries sustained by son Ted (pictured) during a playground accident

Lisa added that the accident had occurred while Ted had been playing on the monkey bars.

'Such a brave boy,' wrote Lisa in the post, which accompanied a photo of Ted with a visible black eye and grazes on his nose and mouth.

She also revealed that she had been inundated with 'caring messages' since the accident.

Their firstborn: The 39-year-old wife of radio host Wippa posted a photo of the couple's eldest son Ted to Instagram. Lisa and Ted pictured

The Wipflis moved into a $6.5million Rose Bay mansion shortly before the birth of their third child, daughter Francesca Vera Alice, in March last year.

Apart from Theodore, the couple also share son Jack, four.

They previously sold their Queens Park cottage for a reported $2.4million before moving into their Rose Bay home.

Family: The Wipflis moved into a $6.5million Rose Bay mansion shortly before the birth of their third child, daughter Francesca Vera Alice, in March last year. L-R: Francesca, Wippa, Jack, Lisa and Ted

Despite living a life of luxury at their mansion, Lisa credits being a 'bogan at heart' for her and her husband's down-to-earth personalities.

'We both come from very real families,' she told Daily Mail Australia earlier this year.

'I'm a Brissie girl. I'm a bogan at heart. I don't get caught up in any of those smoke and mirrors and all that silliness and Mike is the same, to be honest with you.'
G-Eazy will avoid any time behind bars after striking a plea deal over a September bar fight.

The rapper, real name Gerald Earl Gillum, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct while appearing in an NYC courtroom on Monday, according to TMZ.

Gillum, 32, was originally charged with misdemeanor assault.

Off the hook: G-Eazy will avoid any time behind bars after striking a plea deal over a September bar fight. He's seen September 12th in LA above

For his crimes, he has been assigned to a diversion program for which he must complete three Manhattan Justice Opportunities sessions .

The sessions, according to TMZ, are 'an alternative to incarceration' which involve meetings with social workers and case managers to help people in need of resources or intervention.

G-Eazy was arrested after he allegedly got into a fist fight with two other men over a VIP section inside the exclusive Boom Boom Room at the Standard, Highline hotel in New York City in September.

According to the New York Daily News he went to the club on Friday at 12:40 am with PageSix adding the incident took place at around 2 am.

He entered a VIP section of the Boom Boom Room but it was not his; it had been set aside for a private party involving the Lacoste clothing company, the police told NYDN.

Guilty: The rapper, real name Gerald Earl Gillum, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct while appearing in an NYC courtroom on Monday. He's seen during an October hearing above

The performer was asked to move out of the Lacoste VIP room but G-Eazy allegedly did not want to go, and an argument took place.

The site added that a full-on bar brawl broke out to the shock of others.

G-Eazy and his entourage allegedly 'attacked the partygoer, punching and kicking him to the ground,' the site said.

The fight spilled out onto the NYC sidewalk where there was more violence.

G-Eazy then reportedly 'punched a 32-year-old man in the face,' the site shared after speaking with the police.

The site also said neither G nor the other man went to the hospital for their injuries.

Diversion: For his crimes, he has been assigned to a diversion program which will require him to attend three meetings with social services as an alternative to punishment

The men who fought with the ex of Halsey told police that they had been 'attacked' by G-Eazy.

However, PageSix said one of the men did go to the hospital and they named him: socialite Daniel Chetrit, who hangs out with Kendall Jenner.

It was also claimed that Daniel suffered from injuries to his head that required stitches.

Page Six's source added more color to the story: 'They are two super-interconnected groups. Theyre all friends, and something set someone off, and G-Eazys crew ended up bottling one of Zack Bias friends [Daniel],' an insider told the site.

'Zack had nothing to do with it. He was just there. One of G-Eazys friends smashed a bottle over Daniels head,' a source close to Bia claimed.

Police subsequently took G-Eazy into custody 'without incident,' the NYDN added.
Karwar: Strengthening their demand for Scheduled Tribe status, Karnataka's Halakki Okkal community leaders are planning to meet Social Welfare Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary.

Community leaders have already approached several officials and elected representatives to fulfill their longstanding demands. "We met the Deputy Commissioner last month and sent a letter to the Registrar General of India through him. Two days ago we met Member of Parliament Ananth Kumar Hegde and submitted our memorandum," said Hanumant Gauda, president of Uttara Kannada Zilla Halakki Okkal Community.

Halakki Okkal community is one of the backward tribes of Karnataka. For decades, the community has been struggling for ST status and they have strengthened their demand in recent days. Leaders complained that while the government has recently honoured two members of the community with Padma Shri, their demand to be included in the Scheduled Tribe list still remains unfulfilled.

The Halakki community, with about 1.50 lakh population, is spread across in four Taluks of Uttara Kannada. Most of them are agricultural labourers.

"Our people are mostly agriculture labourers and many of them do not own land. After basic education, most youths venture for work. If we are included in Schedule Tribe it will be of great help to the community," Gauda said.

At present, the community is under Category-1.

"There are many big communities in the category and we hardly get anything under the reservation. The state government conducted a study of the community 15 years ago and the state cabinet approved the proposal in 2010. The proposal has been sent to the Union government. The Registrar General of India's office asked for additional information. It is over four years since the study was conducted and there is no progress on the matter," he added.

As the proposal is now before the State government, we will meet Social Welfare Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary. We are hopeful that the government will support our cause and place it before the Centre, he added.
HYDERABAD: Within days after a humiliating defeat in Huzurabad bypoll, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) government on Monday renewed its attack against Etala Rajendar, who emerged victorious in the bypolls, and his family-run poultry business in Medak district.

The district revenue officials served notice on the newly elected BJP MLAs wife Jamuna and son Nithin Reddy informing the two of the proposed survey to be taken up in the controversial survey number 97 of Hakimpet village in Medak district. Earlier, a high-level official team including half a dozen IAS officials conducted a survey for two days and declared that Eatalas family was in possession of assigned lands.

The Telangana High Court, however, found fault with the manner in which the government hurried the survey and drew conclusions. The court wondered how the officials could trespass into someones land in the name of survey without issuing any notice and complete survey of 120 acres in a single day. It also observed that the government could not initiate any process without putting the other party on notice.

While directing the officials concerned not to take any coercive steps, the High Court directed the government to follow the principles of natural justice and initiate any action following the due procedure.

The district officials maintained that a proper notice was served on both Jamuna and her son who owned the hatcheries informing them of the proposed survey on November 8.
Oil prices rose on Monday after Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil producer Aramco raised the official selling price for its crude, suggesting demand remains strong at a time of tighter supplies.

Brent crude was up by 90 cents or 1.1 per cent at $83.64 a barrel, after dropping nearly 2 per cent last week. US oil gained 87 cents or 1.1 per cent to $82.14, having declined almost 3 per cent through Friday.

Also read: Oil rises after OPEC+ rejects call for more supply

Aramco late on Friday raised its December official selling price to Asia for its Arab light crude to $2.70 a barrel versus Oman/Dubai crude, up $1.40 from this month.

The move by Aramco suggests "demand remains strong" as the OPEC producer and other major oil exporters keep the reins on supply, ANZ Research said in a note.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies such as Russia, together known as OPEC+, agreed last week to stick to their plan to raise oil output by 400,000 barrels per day from December.

US President Joe Biden had called on OPEC+ to produce more barrels to dampen rising prices and on Saturday said his administration has "other tools" to deal with the higher price of oil.

Elsewhere, China's oil imports slumped in October to the lowest in three years, as state-owned refiners withheld purchases due to higher prices, while independent refiners were restrained by limited quotas for bringing in crude.

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The World Health Organisations (WHO) assertion that available data is too insufficient to assess the safety or efficacy of Covaxin in pregnant women poses some questions to health authorities as well as doctors here in Bengaluru.

The WHO made the observation on November 3 while issuing an emergency use listing to Covaxin.

80 per cent, or 5,700, out of the 7,600 pregnant women who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 in BBMP limits have received Covaxin, the India-made vaccine. Covishield was given to just 1,800 of them.

Dr Shobha Sudershan, Maternal Health Officer, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), said there was no reason to panic because no AEFIs (Adverse Events Following Immunisation) had been reported yet in pregnant women who received Covaxin.

While Vani Vilas Hospital has so far vaccinated 697 pregnant women, 80 per cent of whom were jabbed with Covaxin, HSIS Gosha Hospital used only Covishield to vaccinate 1,060 pregnant mothers.

Most women at Vani Vilas have been given Covaxin so that we can complete their vaccination in 28 days. With Covishield, they have to wait for 84 days through their pregnancy or have one dose when theyre pregnant and the other after theyve delivered, Dr Shobha added.

Also Read | Covaxin approval for pregnant women, children to come 'much faster', says WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan

Explaining the process, she said patients are registered with details showing if they had high-risk pregnancy. A gynaecologist will examine and give approval for vaccination if no complications are found.

The Bangalore Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology is yet undecided over recommending only Covishield to pregnant women. Its president Dr Padmini Prasad said they should discuss the issue with the parent body, the Federation of Obstetric and Gynecological Societies of India (FOGSI).

From vaccinating thousands of pregnant women, we havent encountered any serious problems (with Covaxin). It may need bigger studies, Dr Padmini said.

Recommending Covaxin or Covishield to pregnant women needs to be discussed considering the supplies, she added. The FOGSI must recommend the vaccine and set out clear guidelines since there should be a unanimous agreement, she said.

The WHO revelations came only now and collective opinions of gynaecologists must be taken, Dr Padmini said. We must also discuss if a booster shot with Covishield for those pregnant women who received two doses of Covaxin is required.

BBMP Special Commissioner (Health) Dr K V Thrilok Chandra said both vaccine brands were available at all 33 government facilities where pregnant women are vaccinated.

Were waiting for the government of India to clarify about change in guidelines on vaccinating pregnant women with Covaxin after the WHOs revelation (that there is no conclusive proof of vaccine safety), Chandra said. Weve to check for adverse outcomes in pregnancy or in delivery when vaccinated with Covaxin. Women can choose which brand they want.

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Oscar winner Chloe Zhao's Eternals soared to the top of the US weekend box-office, making a $71-million debut, and added another $90.7 million internationally, bringing its global haul to an impressive $161.7 million, reports Variety.

The film is playing in several major markets, including South Korea, the United Kingdom, France, Mexico and Australia. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar have banned the movie because of its portrayal of gay love.

Analysts, however, point out that the superhero film's first weekend collections in the United States fell just shy of more bullish projections, which had the movie debuting at $75 million to $80 million.

"That's a sign, perhaps, that the iffy reviews muted Eternals results or a signal that the underlying intellectual property, the story of a group of god-like extraterrestrials, didn't have the resonance of other comic book adaptations," comments 'Variety', pointing out that Marvel has in the past "successfully introduced lesser-known heroes, such as the Guardians of the Galaxy, to movie fans and spawned successful franchises with them".

Eternals, as reported here earlier, has the ignominious distinction of being the only Marvel movie to draw a 'rotten' rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with only 47 per cent of the reviews marked as positive.

The movie, which has been hailed for its inclusivity, scored the fourth-best opening weekend for any movie during the pandemic era, sliding in behind Marvel's own Black Widow ($80.3 million) and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ($75.3 million) as well as Venom: Let There Be Carnage ($90 million), which was made by Sony but based on a Marvel comic creation.
Actor Kangana Ranaut's production venture "Tiku Weds Sheru", starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, has started filming.

The movie, also featuring actor Avneet Kaur, will be directed by Ranaut's "Revolver Rani" helmer Sai Kabir.

The "Queen" actor took to Instagram and shared the first look of the film.

Ranaut said she was thrilled to start the film's production the day she will also receive her Padma Shri honour. The actor will be conferred with the fourth-highest civilian honour of India by President Ram Nath Kovind at a ceremony in Delhi on Monday

"Receiving Padma Shri honour on the same day as beginning my journey as a producer is extremely special to me. Sharing with you all the first look of my first production venture under Manikarnika Films Pvt. Ltd 'Tiku Weds Sheru'.

"Heres a piece of my heart. Hope you all like.. Filming begins. See you soon in theatres first," the 34-year-old wrote.

The actor also tagged streaming platform Amazon Prime Video in her post. She will next be seen in the action film "Dhaakad" and "Tejas".

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The Pakistan government has lifted the ban on the extremist group Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) as a quid pro quo to the outfit calling off the recent anti-government protests that claimed the lives of over 20 people, half of them police personnel.

The TLP was declared as a proscribed organisation in April this year after violent protests by the group to force the government to expel the French ambassador over the issue of blasphemous cartoons published in France.

The government, which recently struck a secret agreement with the TLP, on Sunday issued a formal notification to remove the hardline Islamist party from the list of proscribed organisations after the TLP committed to behave and follow the law in future.

In exercise of the powers conferred under sub-section (I) of Section 11U of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 (as amended), the federal government is pleased to remove the name of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan from the First Schedule of the said Act as proscribed organisation for the purpose of the said Act, reads the notification, which has been seen by the PTI.

The TLP launched protests on October 18 from Lahore and announced to march to Islamabad to force the government to expel the French ambassador and release the chief of the outfit Saad Rizvi.

At least 21 people, including 10 policemen, lost their lives during fierce confrontation between the TLP workers and law enforcement authorities in recent days.

After the bloody clashes, the group had reached Wazirabad town on the Grand Trunk Road when a secret agreement was reached with the government on October 31.

Though the agreement was not revealed, sources said that it included a commitment by the government to lift the ban on the TLP which was imposed in April this year after similar violent demonstrations.

The notification stated that the TLP had been placed in the First Schedule as a proscribed organisation by the federal government on April 15 this year on the recommendation of Home Department of Punjab.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had on Saturday approved the revocation of the ban on TLP.

It is expected that the government may also release Rizvi to satisfy the TLP and convince it to send back its hundreds of workers who are still sitting at Wazirabad and waiting for their leadership to decide if they should go home or re-launch the protest.

However, it is not clear if the government has given any commitment regarding expulsion of the French ambassador which was the key demand by the TLP.

The government had already released more than 2,000 activists of the TLP before the lifting of the ban and the group would now be free to take part in all sorts of political activities.

However, it has set a bad precedent and future governments would be vulnerable to extremist groups and their bullying.

The TLP was established in 2015 and has held at least six protests over the years, mostly against the alleged desecration of the Prophet.

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China's military has built mockups in the shape of a US Navy aircraft carrier and other US warships, possibly as training targets, in the desert of Xinjiang, satellite images by Maxar showed on Sunday.

These mockups reflect China's efforts to build up anti-carrier capabilities, specifically against the US Navy, as tensions remain high with Washington over Taiwan and the South China Sea.

The satellite images showed a full-scale outline of a US carrier and at least two Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers had been built at what appears to be a new target range complex in the Taklamakan Desert.

Read more: First Chinese woman walks in space, scripts history

The images also showed a 6-meter-wide rail system with a ship-sized target mounted on it, which experts say could be used to simulate a moving vessel.

The complex has been used for ballistic missile testing, the US Naval Institute reported, quoting geospatial intelligence company All Source Analysis.

China's anti-ship missile programs are overseen by the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF). China's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to the Pentagon's latest annual report on China's military, the PLARF conducted its first confirmed live-fire launch into the South China Sea in July 2020, firing six DF-21 anti-ship ballistic missiles into the waters north of the Spratly Islands, where China has territorial disputes with Taiwan and four Southeast Asian countries.

The tests at sea may have shown China "they are still far from creating an accurate ASBM," said Collin Koh, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. "I don't think the desert targets are going to be the final stage. It's meant for further refinement."

An anti-ship ballistic missile test in the desert would not reflect the realistic conditions of a marine environment, which could affect sensors and targeting, but would allow China to carry out the tests more securely, Koh said.

"The best way to test it and keep it out of the prying eyes of the US military and intelligence assets is to do it inland," he said.

Neighbouring countries, concerned about the missiles hitting other ships around the target, might also object to China's testing at sea, he added.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in July this year that the United States will defend the Philippines if it comes under attack in the South China Sea and warned China to cease its "provocative behaviour".

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The Pakistan government has started talks with the domestic Taliban movement, the country's information minister said Monday, possibly paving the way for members of an organisation long branded an international terror group to surrender and be given amnesty.

In a televised statement, Fawad Chaudhry said Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) -- which has close links to the movement that retook power in neighbouring Afghanistan in August -- had promised a "complete ceasefire" that would hold as long as talks progressed.

Thousands of TTP fighters are believed to be in Afghanistan, mostly in the rugged eastern highlands neighbouring Pakistan, where they sought shelter after a military crackdown nearly a decade ago.

Read more: Pakistan lifts ban on extremist group TLP

The Pakistan Taliban was responsible for plunging the country into its most violent period after it formed in 2007 in anger at Islamabad's support for the United States and its war against terror.

Made up mostly of ethnic Pashtuns, like the Afghan Taliban, it carried out hundreds of suicide and bomb attacks and kidnappings across the country for years before being crushed by a massive military operation.

Its 2012 shooting of Nobel peace prize winner Malala Yousafzai -- then a student in a border region under the control of the militants -- shocked the world. But it wasn't until the massacre of nearly 150 children at a Peshawar school two years later that authorities moved forcibly.

Chaudhry said negotiations with TTP -- which remains banned -- will take place "under the constitution and law of Pakistan".

"State sovereignty, national integrity, peace, social and economic stability in the respective areas will be a priority in these talks," he said.

"The affected people in these areas cannot be ignored in these talks."

The government at the weekend lifted a ban on another radical group, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), which for years staged a series of disruptive protests mainly linked to the flash-point issue of blasphemy in Muslim-majority Pakistan.

Officials said late Sunday the move was in the "national interest", coming after seven police officers were killed in clashes during a rally that began last month.

Chaudhry said Monday that Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers had played "a facilitating role" in encouraging talks with the Pakistan movement.

Analysts say Pakistan's support for Afghanistan's Taliban helped encourage the growth of the domestic chapter until it got out of control and sought power in its own right.

Thousands of Pakistan Taliban fled to Afghanistan during the military crackdown and fought alongside fighters there to overthrow the US-backed government.
The Taliban appointed 44 of its members to key roles including provincial governors and police chiefs on Sunday, a key step in shoring up its governance as the country grapples with growing security and economic problems.

It is first large-scale round of appointments announced since the cabinet was formed in September.

The Taliban released the list of its members' new roles, including Qari Baryal to serve as governor of Kabul and Wali Jan Hamza as the city's police chief.

Also Read | Suicide bombers remain central to Taliban strategy

The previous commander in charge of Kabul's security, Mawlawi Hamdullah Mukhlis, was killed this month in an attack on Afghanistan's largest military hospital in downtown Kabul.

The Taliban took over the country on Aug. 15 but have faced an uphill battle in their promise to restore order and security after decades of war. Islamic State have carried out a spate of attacks around the country, while the economy has been plunged into crisis.

There have been international calls for the group to negotiate with other political players to form an inclusive government including minorities and women, although substantive progress on that has so far not materialised.

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The glowing image of Chinas top leader, Xi Jinping, greets visitors to museum exhibitions celebrating the countrys decades of growth. Communist Party biographers have worshipfully chronicled his rise, though he has given no hint of retiring. The partys newest official history devotes over a quarter of its 531 pages to his nine years in power.

No Chinese leader in recent times has been more fixated than Xi on history and his place in it, and as he approaches a crucial juncture in his rule, that preoccupation with the past is now central to his political agenda. A high-level meeting opening in Beijing on Monday will issue a resolution officially reassessing the partys 100-year history that is likely to cement his status as an epoch-making leader alongside Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping.

While ostensibly about historical issues, the Central Committees resolution  practically holy writ for officials  will shape Chinas politics and society for decades to come.

The touchstone document on the partys past, only the third of its kind, is sure to become the focus of an intense indoctrination campaign. It will dictate how authorities teach Chinas modern history in textbooks, films, television shows and classrooms. It will embolden censors and police officers applying sharpened laws against any who mock, or even question, the communist cause and its martyrs. Even in China, where the partys power is all but absolute, it will remind officials and citizens that Xi is defining their times and demanding their loyalty.

Also Read | China vows no mercy for Taiwan independence 'diehards'

This is about creating a new timescape for China around the Communist Party and Xi in which he is riding the wave of the past towards the future, said Geremie R. Barme, a historian of China based in New Zealand. It is not really a resolution about past history, but a resolution about future leadership.

By exalting Xi, the decision will fortify his authority before a party congress late next year, at which he is very likely to win another five-year term as leader. The orchestrated acclaim around the history document, which could be published days after the Central Committee meeting ends Thursday, will help deter any questioning of Xis record.

Xi, 68, is Chinas most powerful leader in decades, and he has won widespread public support for attacking corruption, reducing poverty and projecting Chinese strength to the world. Still, party insiders seeking to blunt Xis dominance before the congress could take aim at the early mishandling of the COVID pandemic or damaging tensions with the United States.

Especially after the resolution, such criticisms may amount to heresy. In the buildup to this weeks meeting, articles in Peoples Daily, the partys main newspaper, have praised Xi as the core leader defeating the pandemic and other crises. Commentaries have exalted him as the unyielding leader needed for such perilous times, when Chinas ascent could be threatened by domestic economic risks or hostility from the United States and other Western powers.

Xi Jinping is undoubtedly the core figure mastering the tide of history, read an article from Xinhua, the official news agency, about the forthcoming resolution.

The resolution is likely to offer a sweeping account of modern China that will help to justify Xis policies by giving them the gravitas of historical destiny.

Mao led the country to stand up against oppression, Deng brought prosperity, and now Xi is propelling the nation into a new era of national strength, says the stage-by-stage description of modern Chinas rise that is laid out in party documents and is likely to be enshrined in the resolution.

In the coming years, Xis priorities are focused on reducing wealth inequalities through a program of common prosperity, lessening Chinas reliance on imported technology and continuing to modernise its military to prepare for potential conflict.

Xis conception of history offers an ideological framework which justifies greater and greater levels of party intervention in politics, the economy and foreign policy, said Kevin Rudd, a former Australian prime minister who speaks Chinese and has had long meetings with Xi.

For Xi, defending the Chinese Communist Partys revolutionary heritage also appears to be a personal quest. He has repeatedly voiced fears that as China becomes increasingly distant from its revolutionary roots, officials and citizens are at growing risk of losing faith in the party.

To destroy a country, you must first eradicate its history, Xi has said, quoting a Confucian scholar from the 19th century.

Xis father, Xi Zhongxun, served as a senior official under Mao and Deng, and the family suffered years of persecution after Mao turned against the elder Xi. Instead of becoming disillusioned with the revolution like quite a few contemporaries, the younger Xi remained loyal to the party and has argued that defending its red heritage is essential for its survival.

He has this visceral notion that as the son of a revolutionary, Xi Zhongxun, that he cannot allow the revolution simply to drift away, said Rudd, now president of the Asia Society.

Xi Jinping has also often cited the Soviet Union as a warning for China, arguing that it collapsed in part because its leaders failed to eradicate historical nihilism  critical accounts of purges, political persecution and missteps that corroded faith in the communist cause.

The new resolution will reflect that defensive pride in the party. While the titles of the two previous history resolutions said they were about problems or issues, Xis will be about the partys major achievements and historical experiences, according to a preparatory meeting last month.

The resolution will present the partys 100-year history as a story of heroic sacrifice and success, a drumroll of preliminary articles in party media indicates. Traumatic times like famine and purges will fall further into a soft-focus background  acknowledged but not elaborated.

Xi sees history as a tool to use against the biggest threats to Chinese Communist Party rule, said Joseph Torigian, an assistant professor at American University who has studied Xi and his father. Hes also someone who sees that competing narratives of history are dangerous.

Plenty of Chinese people embrace the partys proud version of its past and credit it with improving their lives. In 2019, there were 1.4 billion visits to revolutionary red tour museums and memorials, and Xi makes a point of going to such places during his travels. A village where Xi labored for seven years has become a site for organised political pilgrimages.

Instruction in revolutionary traditions must start with toddlers, Xi said in 2016, according to a recently released compendium of his comments on the theme. Infuse red genes into the bloodstream and immerse our hearts in them.

In creating a history resolution, Xi is emulating his two most powerful and officially revered predecessors. Mao oversaw a resolution in 1945 that stamped his authority on the party. Deng oversaw one in 1981 that acknowledged the destruction of Maos later decades while defending his revered status as the founder of the Peoples Republic. And both resolutions put a cap on political strife and uncertainty.

They were creating a common framework, a common vision, of past and future among the party elite, said Daniel Leese, a historian at the University of Freiburg in Germany who studies modern China. If you dont unify the thinking of people in the circles of power about the past, its very difficult to be on the same page about the future.

Throughout this year, Chinese officials have already been undergoing an indoctrination program in Xis views about history. And the main texts in the campaign appear to be a preview of the forthcoming decision, especially the new 531-page brief history of the party.

That history celebrates at length Xis successes in reducing corruption, cutting poverty and advancing Chinas technological capabilities. His response to the COVID pandemic, which began in China in late 2019, showed acute insight and resolute decision-making, it says.

The new resolution is likely to praise both Mao and Deng while indicating that only Xi has the answers for Chinas new era of rising power, said Susanne Weigelin-Schwiedrzik, a retired professor at the University of Vienna who studies the partys use of history.

He is like a sponge that can take all the positive things from the past  what he thinks is positive about Mao and Deng  and he can bring them all together, she said of the partys depiction of Xi. In that telling, she said, he is Chinas own end of history. He has reached a level that cannot be surpassed.

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With the reproduction rate of the novel coronavirus rising in some states in the wake of Deepavali, public attention is once again riveted on getting a vaccine booster shot. The demand is not uncommon. Several countries have already approved a booster dose and preliminary studies show that a third shot is effective in reducing the effects of Covid-19. India, however, could take longer to approve such a dose. Here's the lowdown on booster shots:

What is a booster shot?

The aim of a booster shot is to restore the protection levels of earlier vaccination doses in the body to ensure overall effectiveness against the novel coronavirus.

How many countries are offering booster shots?

Thirty-six countries have approved booster doses. The US is dispensing an average of 3.2 lakh booster doses a day. While the World Health Organization (WHO) has criticised the deployment of booster doses because worldwide vaccine coverage has remained low in poor countries, some countries say they are necessary to combat a renewed surge in Covid-19 infections. Among them is Singapore (where 88 per cent of the population has received two doses) and the UK (79 per cent). The latter has been suffering a surge of infections since mid-September.

What about India?

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has not yet approved a booster shot although there are anecdotal reports of medical staff and private citizens secretly getting a third shot. In Karnataka, health officials say there is no evidence of booster shots being taken secretly. Dr Arundhathi Chandrashekar, Director of the National Health Mission, who also oversees the states vaccination programme, says the Technical Advisory Committee has not yet recommended a booster shot for interested members of the public. "Our focus is on completing the second dose  only then can we consider introducing a booster," she told DH.

What is Indias vaccination status at the moment?

As per official data, India achieved 53 per cent first dose coverage as of Sunday evening, and 24.5 per cent second dose coverage as of Saturday. Projections indicate that India will cross 80 per cent second dose coverage only in 2022.

How effective have vaccinations been in preventing hospitalisations?

That depends on age and risk factors from comorbidities. In Bengaluru Urban, for example, between 15 October and 1 November, out of 12 people hospitalised for Covid-19 in the ICU, six were fully vaccinated and four were not vaccinated. Among six people admitted into an ICU-Ventilator, four were not vaccinated. Officials also note that most hospitalisations of vaccinated individuals happen 100 days after the second dose. "The bottom line is that even fully vaccinated people should follow all Covid-19 protocols, says Dr K V Thrilok Chandra, Special Commissioner (Health), BBMP.

Have there been deaths among people with two doses in India?

According to the ICMR, the death rate of fully vaccinated people is 0.05 per cent.

What is the duration of protection from two doses of the vaccine?

Epidemiologist and public health expert, Dr Chandrakant Lahariya, says that going by current evidence, we can say that a person is very likely to be protected for one year minimum.

At the same time, the fact that this vaccination is happening at a time of infection could mean that immunity could last longer than a year, he notes. The counterpoint is that a "majority of respiratory viruses already known to humankind require a booster shot," he adds.

Is there any other data about the decline of vaccine efficacy?

In the US, out of a survey of breakthrough infections from the Delta variant among 6.2 lakh military veterans, the Pfizer vaccine's efficacy was found to decline from 91 per cent to 52 per cent over six months, while the Moderna vaccine's declined from 92 per cent to 64 per cent. This prompted Israel to decide that a third vaccine dose would be needed for people who have received two vaccine doses at least five months ago.

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Assam government on Monday launched an eviction drive inside Lumding reserve forest in Hojai district during which nearly 1,500 people vacated the land fearing action by the administration.

The drive, which would continue on Tuesday was launched on a day members of All Assam Minority Students' Union (AAMSU) staged a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi in which it alleged that the Muslims were being targetted in Assam in the name of eviction drive.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told reporters in Guwahati on Monday that 1,500 people were evicted, most of whom had vacated the land on their own. "This was a successful eviction drive after the one carried out in Dholpur. The eviction to clear our forests and government land will continue in peaceful manner," Sarma said.

Lumding is in central Assam's Hojai district situated about 200-km from Guwahati.

Read more: Tripura violence: Journalists among 102 booked under UAPA for 'distorted and objectionable' posts

Sarma was referring to the eviction drive at Gorukhuti area in Dhalpur in Darrang district on September 23 during which two Muslims, including a 12-year-old child, who had reportedly encroached on government land died in police firing. The BJP-led government had carried out the eviction to clear the 77,000 bigha government land for a agriculture project meant for "indigenous" people. The eviction and the police firing triggered an outrage not only across the country but globally with many alleging that the BJP-led government targetted the Muslims only.

Officials at Hojai said over 550 huts and illegal structures were dismantled during the eviction drive on Monday. Lumding reserve forest covers over 22,403 hectares, of which 1,410 hectares have been illegally encroached upon by settlers.

Officials said many had gone back to their homes in neighbouring districts while some were taking shelter in near the reserve forest saying they were landless.

The eviction at Lumding forest reserve was carried out after Gauhati High Court on Seprember 24 asked what action was taken to clear the reserve forest from encroachers. The court order came while disposing a PIL filed by former BJP MLA from Hojai, Shiladitya Dev.

The state government had filed an affidavit saying that about 1.10 hectares of land under the Lumding Reserve Forest had been encroached upon by unauthorised persons.

Sarma said the encroachers were settled by some local traders who were illegally cultivating ginger and turmeric inside the reserve forest.

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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday warned of stern action against those caught flouting the liquor prohibition law, taking cognisance of the recent hooch-related deaths in the state.

The chief minister maintained that law enforcement agencies have been asked to ensure proper implementation of the ban across the state, where spurious liquor has claimed close to 40 lives in different districts since Diwali. Asserting that alcohol has been banned in the interest of society, Kumar appealed to people to cooperate with the government in its mission "as liquor is a dirty thing".

Also read: 24 dead in two Bihar districts after consuming suspected spurious liquor

He has called for a high-level meeting on November 16 to deliberate on the prohibition law. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of his weekly programme 'Janata Ke Darbaar Mein Mukhyamantri', Kumar recalled that the state had its first brush with prohibition in the 1970s when his mentor, Karpoori Thakur, was at the helm in Bihar and Morarji Desai was the prime minister.

"After a change in the regime, ban on liquor was done away with. We re-imposed the same in keeping with the demand of the state's womenfolk. It has benefited the people of Bihar in many ways," he asserted.

The CM further said that the role of the enforcement agencies in implementing the ban will be reviewed from time to time and any lax will be strictly dealt with. He also maintained that anyone found violating the law by supplying liquor to the dry state or consuming it, be it government officials or common people, will have to face stringent action.

"If necessary, the state government will re-initiate campaigns to spread awareness about the ill-effects of drinking, said the CM, adding that the WHO has enumerated a number of diseases that result from drinking, "which I keep highlighting".

The Nitish Kumar government had on April 5, 2016 banned the manufacture, trade, storage, transportation, sale and consumption of liquor in the state. Amid mounting criticisms by opposition camps over his government's alleged failure to enforce the ban, Kumar is also facing the heat from its ally, the BJP, which sought a review of the prohibition law.

Responding to a question on his demand for a caste-based census in the country, the CM stated, "We (all party) will soon discuss the issue. An all-party meeting will be called to take a decision on the matter."

The Centre had in September told the Supreme Court in an affidavit that caste census of Backward Classes is administratively difficult and cumbersome" and excluding such information from the purview of the exercise is a "conscious policy decision". Kumar, during the day, met over 160 complainants at the public interaction programme, a CMO official said.

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BJP-led government in Tripura has registered cases against 102 persons including journalists under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for publishing or posting "distorted and objectionable" news items/statements regarding the communal tension on October 26 and also sought details of social media accounts for action.

The state police have written to the US-based Twitter office seeking details of accounts of at least 68 persons who had written or shared such posts stating that this has the potential to flare up communal tension in the state.

"In publishing these news items/posts, the persons/organisations have been found using photographs/videos of some other incidents, fabricated statements/commentary for promoting enmity between religious groups/communities in presence of a criminal conspiracy. The posts have the potential to flare up communal tension in Tripura state between people of different religious communities, which may result into communal riots," said the notice e-mailed to the Twitter office in California in the US on November 3.

The notice was served under Section 19 of Crpc, it said.

Also read: Rahul Gandhi flays use of UAPA in Tripura

The notice said cases has been registered at West Agartala police station against the accused under sections of IPC and Section 13 of UAPA. The UAPA section is imposed for abetting or inciting a community for unlawful activity and may invite imprisonment up to seven years and a fine.

Interestingly, police have arrested only three persons so far, who were allegedly directly involved in the communal tension on October 26 at Chamtilla in the North Tripura district. A mosque was partially damaged and two shops belonging to the minority community were burnt down during a protest march organised by Viswa Hindu Parishad (VHP). The protest was against the attacks on Hindus in neighbouring Bangladesh during the Durga Puja and thereafter.

Editors' Guild of India miffed:

Expressing shock for booking 102 persons under the UAPA, Editors Guild of India termed it a disturbing trend. "This is an extremely disturbing trend where such a harsh law, where in the processes of investigation and bail applications are extremely rigorous and overbearing, is being used for merely reporting on and protesting against communal violence," the Guild said in a statement on Sunday.

The Guild said this was an attempt by the state government to deflect attention away from its own failure to control majoritarian violence, as well as to take action against the perpetrators. "Government can not use stringent laws like UAPA to suppress reporting on such incidents," it said.

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Congress on Monday sought to put the Narendra Modi government on the backfoot over the lifting of a ban of procurement from Leonardo SpA, previously known as Finmeccanica, involved in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam, asking whether the ruling BJP has given a "quiet burial" to the "fake bogey of corruption".

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "earlier, Agusta was corrupt. Now, it is clean after being washed in BJP laundry. #RIPlogic."

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also asked the government to unravel the "secret deal between Modi government and Finmeccanica" and whether it was okay to deal with a company that "Modi ji and his government called corrupt-bribe giver-bogus".

"Does it mean that the fake bogey of corruption is being given a quiet burial? Nation awaits answers!" Surjewala said.

While the Modi government took Finmeccanica, which changed its name to Leonardo SpA, off the black list earlier, recently the ban on procurement was also withdrawn. The BJP had earlier targeted the UPA government over the deal after corruption allegations surfaced.

Referring to the latest decision, Surjewala said, "the Prime Minister called the company 'corrupt'. The Home Minister called the company 'bogus'. Ex Defence Minister (Manohar Parrikar) accused it of 'bribes and corruption' in Parliament. Then, Modi Government withdrew the blacklisting of Agusta/Finmeccanica on July 22, 2014. Now, the procurement ban is lifted."

Also read: Dassault paid 7.5 million to middleman for Rafale deal: Report

He also said "friends of the media" spent thousands of hours of air time showing leaked documents by the Modi government and building a "false narrative" against the Congress-led UPA in the run-up to 2014 Lok Sabha elections. "Will they now dare to question the Modi Government on the 'secret deal' with Augusta," he said.

Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh alleged that Modi and his government were "unequivocally guilty of shielding, protecting, and promoting AgustaWestland and its parent company Finmeccanica. Their nefarious design is simple - Operation Cover-up to Save Modi."



Vallabh said the truth was that the Modi Govt "mysteriously withdrew" the company's blacklisting and then sanctioned investment by it through the Foreign Investment Promotion Board. (FIPB)

"The truth is that Modi and his govt included AgustaWestland as part of 'Make In India' scheme and even permitted it to bid for the purchase of 100 helicopters for the Indian Navy. The truth is also that Modi and his government lost all the cases against AgustaWestland in International courts and did not even file appeals," he alleged.



"The Modi government is hiding this conspiratorial nexus by unleashing a smear campaign laced with pure falsehood. This is a pot calling the kettle black," he said.



He said the previous UPA government took "decisive actions" when the corruption allegations surfaced, which included ordering an enquiry, lodging an FIR, handing over the case to CBI, cancel the contract, encashing bank guarantees, filing of a case in Italy, confiscation of three choppers, recovery of Rs 2,068 crore and blacklisting of the company.

Instead, Vallabh alleged, the Modi government took an opinion from its Attorney General to undo the banning of AgustaWestland and its parent company Finmeccanica and later withdrew the blacklisting.

"As per the Italian Ambassador to India, Modi and his Italian counterpart discussed the Finmeccanica issue during his recent visit to Rome for G-20 meet. In this meeting, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval were also present. Now, as a result, the procurement ban on the company is lifted," he claimed.

He asked what will happen to the investigation initiated by the Congress government against the company. "What will happen to pending arbitration against the company? Is this going to be a loss to the exchequer?" he said.

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India on Monday asked Pakistan to instruct its forces to refrain from unprovoked firing on fishermen along the maritime boundary between the two neighbouring nations.

New Delhi also asked Islamabad to conduct an inquiry into the unprovoked firing by the personnel of Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) on a fishing boat last Saturday, resulting in the death of a fisherman, who hailed from Maharashtra in India. A senior diplomat of the High Commission of Pakistan in New Delhi was on Monday summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs, where senior diplomats conveyed to him strong protest on behalf of the Government of India over the incident, sources said.

Sridhar Ramesh Chamre, 32, was killed when the personnel of the PMSA opened fire on a fishing boat, Jalpari, which had set sail from Okha in Gujarat and was near the maritime boundary between India and Pakistan. Chamre was a resident of Thane in Maharashtra. Another fisherman on the boat was also seriously injured in firing by the PMSA personnel.

The Government of India condemned this deplorable action by Pakistani agency of firing at an Indian fishing boat and causing loss of life which is in contravention to all established international practices and bilateral understandings, a source said, after the senior MEA officials had a meeting with the diplomat of the neighbouring country at South Block in New Delhi.

New Delhi reiterated to Islamabad that the Pakistan Government should consider the issue of fishermen as a humanitarian and livelihood matter.

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India on Monday tacitly hit out at China alleging that its lack of commitment to international laws had led to increased militarisation of the Indo-Pacific region.

A lack of commitment to settled international law has led to an increased militarization of the region. Militarisation always adds to complexities, Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla said.

Read more: Chinese astronauts complete space walk outside future space station

The Indian Ocean Region, it is quite obvious, will face an increasingly complicated, rapidly evolving, and more demanding security situation, with an ever increasing battery of threats and uncertainties.

The Foreign Secretary was speaking at the Goa Maritime Conclave being hosted by the Indian Navy.

He made the comment amid China's growing belligerence, not only along its Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India in eastern Ladakh, but also elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific region, like in South China Sea, East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. China also drew flak from the international community for refusing to adhere to the unanimous decision of the Arbitral Tribunal constituted under the 1982 United Nations Convention on Law of Sea (UNCLOS), rejecting the country's expansive claims on South China Sea.

China has also been criticized by its maritime neighbours for militarizing the South China Sea, East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.

Shringla recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision of SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region) which laid emphasis on ensuring a free, open and inclusive order in the Indo-Pacific, based upon respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations, peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue and adherence to international rules and laws.

The Foreign Secretary said that Indias concept of the Indo-Pacific was inclusive in nature and supported an approach that respected the right to freedom of navigation and overflight for all in the international seas.

The Goa Maritime Conclave this year had Maritime Security and Emerging Non-Traditional Threats: A Case for Proactive Role for IOR (India Ocean region) Navies as its theme. The Chief of Indian Navy, Admiral Karambir Singh, hosted his counterparts from 12 Indian Ocean littoral nations  Bangladesh, Comoros, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand  at the conclave.

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Union Territory Lakshadweep is likely to achieve complete Covid vaccination of its eligible population soon.

Lakshadweep may become the first among states and Union Territories to achieve complete vaccination coverage of its eligible population. A source said that the UT has vaccinated 99.2 per cent of the eligible population with both doses.

Also Read | Over 15.77 crore balance, unutilised vaccine doses still available with states: Centre

As per the Health Ministry's statewide Covid vaccination data, a total of 1,01,759 doses of vaccines have been administered in the UT so far. It includes 55,144 shots as the first dose and 46,615 as the second dose.

Meanwhile, India's mass vaccination drive has crossed the 108 cr landmark achieving 108,18,66,715 vaccinations on Saturday.

The cumulative number of the first dose administered in India so far stands at 739322908, while the total number of the second dose stands at 342543807, as per the health ministry report.

Also Read | India reports 10,853 new Covid-19 cases, 526 deaths

The ministry earlier said that 78.7 per cent of India's adult population has received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine. Among all the states and Union Territories, nine of them have administered the first dose to all the 18 plus population.

Union Health Minister Mandaviya in a meeting with the states' health ministers earlier urged them to make local level plans with all the stakeholders to vaccinate those whose jabs are overdue.

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Like its iron brother Pakistan, China too has finally turned down India's invitation for a regional security dialogue on Afghanistan, which will be held in New Delhi on Wednesday.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will host his counterparts from Iran and Russia as well as Central Asian nations like, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, in New Delhi to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, where the Taliban of late returned to power taking advantage of the withdrawal of the United States and its allies.

Nikolai P. Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, will attend the dialogue in New Delhi. Iran will be represented by the secretary of its Supreme National Security Council, Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, a source said. The senior security officials of the Central Asian nations will also attend the meet.

Also read: India to hold talks with Russia, Iran, others on Afghanistan again

New Delhi had extended invitation to Doval's counterparts in China and Pakistan too.

Pakistans National Security Advisor, Moeed Yusuf, however, said in Islamabad on November 2 last that he would not visit New Delhi as India had been a spoiler in Afghanistan.

A source in New Delhi on Monday said that India was no longer expecting a positive response from China too.

The Taliban's return to power in Kabul after two decades gave its mentor Pakistan a strategic depth in Afghanistan. China has been trying to piggyback on Pakistan, not only to take advantage of the strategic edge, but also to ensure that the Taliban in power in Afghanistan does not provide any support to the extremist East Turkestan Islamic Movement in the restive Xinjiang Autonomous Region of the communist country.

New Delhi's relations with Beijing hit a new low over the 19-month-long military stand-off between the Indian Army and the Chinese People's Liberation Army along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

The high level Dialogue will review the security situation in the region arising from recent developments in Afghanistan. It will deliberate upon measures to address the relevant security challenges and support the people of Afghanistan in promoting peace, security and stability, the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi said. India has traditionally enjoyed close and friendly ties with the people of Afghanistan and has called for a unified international response to address the security and humanitarian challenges facing Afghanistan. The forthcoming meeting is a step in that direction.

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As India marks the fifth anniversary of demonetisation, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday took a dig at the Modi government over "the most foolish" and "poorly-implemented policy" devised by an Indian government since the days of Mohammad bin Tughlaq.

"On the fifth anniversary of the most foolish, whimsical, ill-conceived & poorly-implemented policy ever devised by an Indian government since the days of Mohammad bin Tughlaq, let us bow our head to its victims. #DemonetisationDisaster," Tharoor tweeted.

The demonetisation of high-denomination currency notes was announced by the government on November 8, 2016.

On the fifth anniversary of the most foolish, whimsical, ill-conceived & poorly-implemented policy ever devised by an Indian government since the days of Mohammad bin Tughlaq, let us bow our head to its victims. #DemonetisationDisaster https://t.co/LufGFZ6g1n  Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) November 8, 2021

The Left parties on Sunday hit out at the government over the state of the economy and blamed the Centre's demonetisation policy for it.

Questioning the move, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury alleged that it "decimated the informal sector". "Economy into a tailspin, the poorest hurt. Informal sector decimated. No black money recovered, but rich got richer. Cash in the economy is the highest ever now! This govt must bear responsibility for pushing India downhill, just for one mans whim," he said in a tweet.

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee may expand her Cabinet on Tuesday and she is likely to keep the finance portfolio for herself and make Chandrima Bhattacharya the minister of-state in that department, a top source in the government said on Monday.

Former Finance Minister Dr Amit Mitra, who had expressed his inability to continue as a minister owing to his fragile health conditions, might be made an advisor.

Veteran Trinamool Congress leader and Agriculture Minister Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay might be given charge of the panchayat department following the sudden death of Subrata Mukherjee last week, the source said.

There is a high probability that Udayan Guha, who recently won the bypoll in north Bengal's Dinhata constituency by a record margin of 1.64 lakh, would be made a minister.

Also read: Work together rather than talk down, TMC tells Congress

BJP leader Nisith Pramanik, who became Union minister later, had won the assembly election by a wafer-thin margin of just 57 votes defeating Guha from the Dinhata seat earlier this year. He, however, resigned as an MLA to keep his membership in the Lok Sabha after the TMC secured a landslide victory, necessitating the bypoll.

"Udayan Guha may be made the North Bengal Development Minister, a portfolio which was being overseen by the CM herself following the defeat of Goutam Deb who was defeated in the Assembly elections," the source said.

Braja Kishore Goswami, a first-time MLA who won from the Santipur seat in the October 30 bye-election, is also likely to be made a minister.

According to the official, Transport and Housing Minister Firhad Hakim and Forest Minister Jyoti Priya Mallick might be given additional charges of two other departments.

Either of the two ministers might be getting charge of the consumer affairs, or self-help group and self-employment department which was held by Sadhan Pande, who is undergoing treatment at a Mumbai hospital.

The CM is currently holding charges of the consumer affairs, self-help group and self-employment departments while Pande remained a Cabinet minister without a portfolio.

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The Left parties on Sunday hit out at the government over the state of the economy and blamed the Centre's demonetisation policy for it.

The demonetisation of high-denomination currency notes was announced by the government on November 8, 2016.

Questioning the move, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury alleged that it "decimated the informal sector".

Also read: Post demonetisation, notes in circulation on rise; so are digital payments

"Economy into a tailspin, the poorest hurt. Informal sector decimated. No black money recovered, but rich got richer. Cash in the economy is the highest ever now! This govt must bear responsibility for pushing India downhill, just for one mans whim," he said in a tweet.

CPI MP Binoy Viswam too criticised the government over demonetisation.

"Currency in circulation: 2016 Nov. 17.97 lakh cr. 20 21 Oct. 28.30 lakh cr. 57% increase in 5 years! Black money in the country:300 lakh cr. Demonetisation was a total disaster. PM Modi should tender appologies to the nation. Modinomics was 'much ado about nothing'!", he said in a tweet.

Currency in circulation:

2016 Nov. 17.97 lakh cr.

20 21 Oct. 28.30 lakh cr.

57% increase in 5 years!

Black money in the country:300 lakh cr.

Demonetisation was a total disaster.

PM Modi should tender appologies to the nation. Modinomics was 'much ado about nothing'!  Binoy Viswam (@BinoyViswam1) November 7, 2021

Yechury also demanded the withdrawal of excise duties on petroleum products.

"Looting the people! Imposing intolerable miseries on people already suffering under the double whammy attacks of Covid & economic recession. Withdraw central excise duties on petroleum products," said Yechury in another tweet.

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Barely 10 days after he was sworn in as a member of the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Parishad, Nishad Party President, Sanjay Nishad has said that if the BJP did not fulfil its promises, it could have an adverse impact on the alliance.

"Unless the BJP clarifies its position on the reservation, the Nishad community will not vote for the party. It is the responsibility of the BJP to fulfil the promises it had made to the community," he said.

Also Read | Jitin Prasada, Sanjay Nishad among four new members take oath in UP Legislative Council

He also announced that the Nishad Party would stage a demonstration in all districts of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday in protest against the delay on the reservation issue.

The party has been demanding granting of the Scheduled Caste (SC) status to Nishads and fixing of reservation quota in the state government jobs.

The BJP in Uttar Pradesh has already lost one ally, the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP), that has now joined hands with the Samajwadi Party.

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A civilian was shot at and critically injured by unidentified militants in old city Srinagar on Monday evening.

Reports said pistol-borne militants shot at and critically injured a 45-year-old man in the Bohri kadal area of old city.

The injured, identified as Mohammad Ibrahim Khan, working as a salesman, was immediately rushed to a hospital, where his condition is stated to be critical.



The latest attack came barely 24 hours after militants killed a policeman in a similar attack in congested Batamaloo area in Srinagar on Sunday evening.

Last month, 11 civilians, including members of minority community and migrant workers, were killed in a spate of attacks by militants across Kashmir.

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BJP MP Parvesh Verma on Monday performed rituals and launched preparations for Chhath Puja at the Yamuna Ghat near the ITO in New Delhi despite a ban by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority to perform it on the river's banks.

The West Delhi parliamentarian, accompanied by BJP workers and members of the 'purvanchali' community, attended a 'puja' and began preparations for the festival that started on Monday.

Also read: Delhi government declares public holiday on November 10 for Chhath Puja

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), in its order on October 29, allowed Chhath celebrations at "designated sites" barring the banks of the Yamuna.

It has directed administrative and police officials to ensure strict compliance with all its Covid-related orders.

Verma had on Sunday asserted to defy the ban on Chhath at Yamuna's banks and challenged Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to stop him.

The DDMA order also said that any violations of its guidelines are liable to prosecution according to legal provisions, including those of the Indian Penal Code and the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

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Delhi Environment Minister and AAP leader Gopal Rai on Monday blamed the BJP-led Haryana government for the formation of toxic foam in the Yamuna river and said leaders of the saffron party here should seek answers from the neighbouring state.

Pictures and videos of devotees standing in waist-deep toxic froth in the Yamuna at Kalindi Kunj here went viral on Monday, with opposition BJP in Delhi blaming the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for the "poisonous" water and air in the city.

Rai also said that Delhi Lieutenant (LG) Governor Anil Baijal had decided not to allow Chhath Puja on the banks of the river.

BJP leaders have been protesting against the city government over the ban by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Chhath celebrations on the river's banks.

I think the people of the BJP are frustrated The LG took the DDMA decision (to not allow Chhath Puja on the Yamuna banks) and Haryana releases water in the river.The LG belongs to the BJP government (*at the Centre*) and *the party is (also) in power in Haryana*," Rai said.

Also read: BJP MP defies guidelines, performs Chhath Puja rituals at Yamuna Ghat

"I am unable to understand why BJP leaders are unable to talk to their own LG and government, the minister told reporters here.

According to the decision taken by the DDMA, the city government has been making arrangements to conduct Chhath Puja at 1,000 designated places, Rai said.

The BJP has nothing to do with Chhath celebrations and it never made arrangements for the festival earlier too, he claimed.

(BJP MP) Manoj Tiwari should ask the BJP government in Haryana (about the frothing). Delhi doesn't release water in Yamuna, Haryana does, Rai said.

Earlier, Tiwari had alleged that the AAP government did not allow Chhath Puja on the Yamuna banks because it wanted to cover up the frothing in the river due to high pollution load.

(Delhi Chief Minister) Arvind Kejriwal has been saying since 2013 that his government will make the Yamuna fit for bathing in five years. Today, Delhi's air and water both are poisonous. They did not allow Chhath celebrations on the Yamuna so that no one can see how poisonous the river has become, he alleged.

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The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has asked farmers to feed stubble to stray cattle instead of burning it in the fields which adds to air pollution in a big way.

The state agriculture department has, in fact, proposed funding carriage of stubble to shelter homes meant for stray cattle.

Additional chief secretary (agriculture) Devesh Chaturvedi in a letter sent to district authorities, has said that funds would be availed from the state finance commission.

As per an estimate, Uttar Pradesh is the highest producer of agricultural residues followed by Maharashtra and Punjab.

The state government's move comes close on heels of the Punjab government's proposal last month to plough paddy crop residue into animal fodder, especially cattle.

Also read: Stubble burning share in Delhi's pollution rises to season's highest of 36%

According to a report prepared by the ministry of agriculture and farmer welfare in 2019, stubble burning is rampant in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Stubble burning is done to clear fields for rabi crop (wheat and potato) sown during October and November when the time window between harvesting paddy crop and sowing for next crop is very short -- about 2-3 weeks. The report, however, categorically states that the use of paddy straw as fodder is 'limited' due to 'high silica content'.

The agriculture department has also pressed for a state-wide campaign, provisioning exchange of stubble with manure like cow dung.

At the same time, the state government has proposed roping in workers under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) for digging up pits in which bio-compost could be prepared.

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Strong surface winds lowered pollution levels in the national capital marginally on Monday and its 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) at 4 pm was in the 'very poor' category at 390, according to agencies.

Delhi recorded 'severe' air quality for three days on the trot till Sunday due to accumulation of emissions from fireworks on Diwali and crop residue burning amid unfavourable meteorological conditions -- low temperature, wind speed and mixing height.

Though 5,450 farm fires, the highest this season, were recorded in neighboring states on Sunday, their share in Delhi's air pollution reduced from 48 per cent a day ago, the highest in three years, to 30 per cent on Monday due to a drop in transport-level wind speed, according to air quality forecast agency SAFAR.

The India Meteorological Department said the wind speed varied from eight kmph to 14 kmph.

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'.

SAFAR predicted a marginal improvement in the air quality but said it will remain in the 'very poor' category.

Last year, the share of crop residue burning in Delhi's pollution had peaked at 42 per cent on November 5. In 2019, crop residue burning accounted for 44 per cent of Delhi's PM2.5 pollution on November 1.

Environment Minister Gopal Rai had on Sunday written to the Centre, demanding that an emergency meeting of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan be called to discuss the issue of crop residue burning.
Security forces on Monday arrested a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist from Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

A team of police and Army apprehended the active terrorist from Wahadan village of Ashmuqam area in Anantnag during a search operation, the officials said.

They said the arrested terrorist was identified as Hafiz Abdullah Malik, who was affiliated with The Resistance Front (TRF), which is believed to be a shadow outfit of LeT.

A pistol and seven rounds were recovered from Malik's possession at the time of his arrest while on his disclosure, the security forces recovered one AK rifle, two magazines and 40 rounds from Katsu forests.

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Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday targeted his party's government in the state, asking where is the chargesheet in the 2015 Kotkapura police firing incident.

Addressing the media here, Sidhu said the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed that the probe into the Kotkapura incident should be completed preferably within six months.

"Today six months and one day have passed. Where is the chargesheet (in the matter)," Sidhu asked.

He also asked why a special leave petition has not been filed against the blanket bail given to former director-general of police Sumedh Singh Saini, one of the accused in the firing incident.

Also read: Navjot Singh Sidhu hits back at Punjab AG, accuses him of subverting justice

The high court in April had quashed the probe by a Punjab Police special investigation team (SIT) into the 2015 Kotkapura firing at a gathering of Sikh demonstrators, who were protesting incidents of desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib in Faridkot in that year.

The court had quashed the probe by the SIT headed by the then IPS officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh. He later took premature retirement.

Following the high court order, a new SIT was formed on May 7.

The new SIT was led by Additional Director General of Police L K Yadav to probe the Kotkapura firing incident.

The state had witnessed incidents related to desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib and subsequent police firing on people protesting over the issue in Faridkot in 2015.

One incident of police firing had taken place at Kotkapura and the second was at Behbal Kalan in Faridkot.

Sidhu has been opposing the appointment of the state's advocate general, A P S Deol, and officiating director general of police IPS Sahota.

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The Supreme Court on Monday proposed to appoint a former judge from Punjab and Haryana High Court to monitor the ongoing investigation into the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case related to mowing down of four farmers and subsequent lynching of four other persons on October 3.

A bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli also expressed gross dissatisfaction on pace of investigation and mixing of witnesses in three different FIRs in the matter after going through status report filed by the Uttar Pradesh government.

#SupremeCourt proposes to appoint a former judge from Punjab and Haryana High Court to monitor the ongoing investigation into #LakhimpurKheri violence case. SC expresses gross dissatisfaction of mixing of witnesses in different FIRs in the matter.@DeccanHerald  AshishTripathi (@Ashtripathi13) November 8, 2021

The court suggested the names of two retired High Court judges - Justices Rakesk Kumar Jain and Ranjeet Singh - outside the state of Uttar Pradesh to "infuse independence and impartiality" to the investigation.

The court also pulled up the state police, asking why mobile phones of all accused in the incident have not been seized, except that of prime accused Ashish Mishra so far. "Did other accused not use cell phones?" the bench asked, saying the pace of probe was not up to expectation.

The court also said there was nothing in the status report.

"We had granted 10 days. Where are the lab reports," the bench asked.

Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, sought time to take instructions on the court's suggestion on appointment of a judge.

The bench put the matter arising out of a letter by advocate Shiv Kumar Tripathi and another lawyer for independent probe into the incident for consideration on Friday.

As many as eight people, including four farmers, were killed on October 3, when a car allegedly ferrying the Union Minister Ajay Mishra's son ran over a group of protesters, gathered to oppose a programme attended by Uttar Pradesh's Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya in Lakhimpur Kheri. The minister's son, Ashish Mishra was arrested in the case subsequently after the top court took up the letter petition.

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A high-decibel Winter Session of Parliament will be held from November 29 to December 23 during which the Opposition is hoping to corner the Narendra Modi government on a variety of issues, including price rise, as well as demanding the outer of a junior minister in connection with the killing of farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri.

The Cabinet Committee on Parliament Affairs headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has made the recommendation for holding the session spanning 19 working days. The announcement of the dates will be made after a nod from President Ram Nath Kovind.

The session will be crucial as it comes a few months ahead of the Assembly elections to five states -- Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.

In 2020, the Winter Session of Parliament was not held due to Covid-19 pandemic. The Monsoon Session was held in September last year and the government then convened the Parliament in January this year for Budget Session, skipping the Winter Session.

Sources said both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will sit simultaneously during the upcoming Winter Session like it was during the Monsoon Session held in July this year.

The Opposition is gearing up to corner the government on price rise, terrorist attacks on civilians in Kashmir, Lakhimpur Kheri incident and farmers' protest among others.

Both the Houses are also expected to witness a vociferous demand for the ouster of Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra over the Lakhimpur Kheri killings in which four farmers, a journalist and three of his supporters were killed. Farmers have alleged that his son, who was later arrested, was driving the vehicle which mowed down the protesting farmers.

It is also be keenly watched how Opposition parties like Trinamool Congress will coordinate with the main opposition party Congress, as both parties have developed differences of late.

The Opposition is also upbeat over a Supreme Court directive ordering a probe by an expert panel in the Pegasus snooping case on which the former had been demanding a discussion in Parliament.

The Modi government can expect a repeat of this year's Monsoon Session, which was marked by protests by the Opposition on Pegasus, price rise and farmers' protest.

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The Supreme Court on Monday expressed 'serious concern' over several States withdrawing general consent for the CBI to operate within their territories, saying it is not a desirable position.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M M Sundresh referred the matter to Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, after noting the CBI's assertion as many as eight States, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram, have withdrawn the general consent previously granted to the agency under Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act.

The CBI also said it has sent over 150 requests to the governments of Maharashtra, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Kerala and Mizoram during the period 2018 to June, 2021 for grant of specific consent for investigation of cases.

Read more: Continuance of courts virtually will be a problem, says SC

The requests were made for investigating trap cases, disproportionate assets cases, cases relating to allegation of cheating, forgery, misappropriation and loss of foreign exchange and also bank fraud cases.

However, permissions were granted in less than 18% cases, related mainly in cases of trap of corrupt central public servants, it added.

The issue of general consent to the CBI arose on its against an order of Jammu and Kashmir High Court in a case against two lawyers Mohammad Altaf Mohand and Sheikh Mubarak in a case relating to threatening of witnesses and fabricating false evidence.

Several non-BJP ruled States withdrew the general consent to CBI, claiming the central government was misusing the agency to settle scores against opposition leaders.

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With nearly two months to go for 2021 to come to a close, this metropolis has already achieved its annual average rainfall of 140 cm, thanks to consistent showers since the beginning of the year and the incessant rains since November 6 that have brought the city to a standstill.

The city has also achieved the monthly average for November during the North-east Monsoon (NEM) in the first eight days of the month. While the average rainfall for November is 37.4 cm, the rainfall received from November 1 to 8 is 41.5 cm, data available with the IMD said.

The city received 21 cm of rainfall in just 24 hours from November 6 to November 7 though there was no specific warning about heavy to very heavy rains. The non-functioning of two radars was cited as the reason for the MeT department not predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall in the city.

Read | Google offers real-time updates on Tamil Nadu floods

Dryline thunderstorms and weak systems in the Bay of Bengal are some of the reasons why the city continues to receive heavy rainfall since October-end without any break.

The weak systems favour us and that is why we have been getting heavy rains since October 29 without any break. The non-stop rains are because of the favourable weather conditions. We will continue to get good rains for the next couple of days, Pradeep John, an independent weather blogger, said.

John also added that the low pressure which is likely to be formed between November 10 and 12 will bring heavy to very heavy rainfall even if it does not strengthen itself to become a high-wind cyclone.

According to the data available, the IMD observatory in Nungambakkam in Chennai reached its annual average of 140 cm on Monday, while the observatory in Meenambakkam has recorded 133 cm against the annual average of 138 cm.

Also Read | IMD warns of extremely heavy rain in parts of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh on November 10, 11

K Srikanth, another weather blogger, told DH that 2021 has been a good year in terms of rainfall for the city. Except for a month or two, 2021 has been a very good year for Chennai regarding rains. Consistent rains throughout the year have helped the city in more ways than one. Though we have another four weeks to fully realise the NEM, the city has already crossed the annual average rainfall, he said.

The city did not experience any drought or water shortage in 2021 partly due to lessons learnt in 2019 when the water crisis hit Chennai and the continued rains since January. The reservoirs that supply drinking water to Chennai are brimming even as excess water is being released.

When asked about the 21 cm rainfall in just 24 hours, the highest since 2015, Srikanth said occasionally the city gets thunderstorms due to dryline thunderstorms. When the winds from the land that is dry and winds from the sea that are moist converge, it triggers intense thunderstorm. That is the reason the city experienced continuous thunderstorms, he added.

The weather bloggers said the citys water storage mechanism may have also reached the saturation level due to rainfall throughout the year.

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Setting a major milestone in the path towards digital transformation of Kerala economy, the Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology Act, 2021 has come into effect.

Governor Arif Mohammad Khan has signed the Bill which was unanimously passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly last month, a varsity statement said here. The Act intended to establish and incorporate a non-affiliating research and teaching university in Kerala to facilitate and promote studies, research, incubation and knowledge extension work in Digital Technologies and its application domains.

The transformation of Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management-Kerala (IIITM-K) to the Digital University Kerala has been accomplished with the introduction of the Act, it said. The Governor's address in January 22, 2018, has first announced the government's plan to upgrade IIITM-K as a prominent centre for research and education in the field of latest technologies.

Also Read: India's first Digital University comes up in Kerala

This was also announced in the budget speech in February 2018. Following this, Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology ordinance was published in January, 2020. To address the growing demand of skilled candidates for the fourth industrial revolution, the state government had officially inaugurated DUK at the Technocity campus in February this year.

With a strong innovation cluster, latest facilities and renowned faculty, the Digital University Kerala has started admissions to its master programmes in cutting edge technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Cyber Security, Internet of Things etc, it said. The DUK has AICTE-approved MTech courses and MSc course and PhD programmes approved by UGC.

The courses are conducted under its five schools - School of Computer Science and Engineering, Electronic Systems and Automation, Informatics, Digital Sciences and Digital Humanities and Liberal Arts. It has a range of innovation centres and centres of excellence such as Maker Village, Kerala Blockchain Academy, Centre of Excellence in Intelligent IoT sensors, thingQbator etc.

The courses of DUK are designed to give students the opportunity to understand and identify real world problems and find solutions through innovations, the statement added. The DUK campus at Technocity is equipped with state-of-the art labs and residential facilities for students.

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Several parts of Chennai were underwater for the second consecutive day on Monday with incessant rains continuing to pound the southern metropolis, making it difficult to drain the water out, even as the MeT department forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall till November 11.

Four persons lost their lives in rain-related incidents across the state on Monday, while 70 houses have been damaged, the government said.

Though the intensity of the rainfall has come down since Sunday  the city recorded only 7.8 cm of rainfall in the last 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Monday compared to 21 cm of rainfall received in the previous 24 hours  many localities, especially in north Chennai, remained inundated with people remaining indoors or moving to safety.

Also Read | Heavy rain, thunderstorms to continue in Tamil Nadu for next 2 days

Visuals of knee-deep water in many localities in Vyasarpadi, Perambur, Kolathur, the home constituency of Chief Minister M K Stalin, in north Chennai and Kodambakkam, West Mambalam, and Valasaravakkam in south Chennai dotted social media.

Underpasses and major roads were still waterlogged for the second consecutive day with officials maintaining that the incessant rains are hampering the relief work. A few apartment complexes in upscale Anna Nagar were also flooded prompting the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to deploy water draining equipment to pump out the floodwater.

Revenue Minister Ramachandran said waterlogging was reported from 290 localities in Chennai and the flood water has been completely drained out in 50 of them. The efforts to drain the floodwater from the remaining 231 localities are in the full swing. Of the 16 underpasses that reported flooding, 14 have been cleared of water. 75 trees that fell have been cleared, he told a press conference here.

For latest updates on Tamil Nadu Rains, click here

The citys woes seems to be far from over with the MeT department predicting heavy to very heavy rains in Chennai, and other parts of the state, including the fertile Cauvery Delta region, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Anticipating flooding in several low-lying areas and flood-prone zones, the GCC began deploying boats sourced through the Fisheries Department to evacuate people in the event of them getting stranded.

The civic body has set up community kitchens in all 15 zones to prepare three-square meals for distribution among those affected by floods. The GCC also conducted medical camps in all 200 wards even as the Covid-19 vaccination camp was in the full swing.

We need to be very careful from November 9 to November 11 as there is an alert for very heavy rainfall. We are taking all precautionary steps across the state, Ramachandran said. The government also divided the state into 12 ranges and appointed one senior IPS officer for each zone to monitor the relief work.

Also Read | PM Modi assures Tamil Nadu CM of Centre's support after heavy rains in state

As rains continue to lash Chennai and its suburbs, the reservoirs that supply drinking water to the metropolis are brimming, forcing the authorities to release excess water. A total of 10,139 cusecs of water were being released from six reservoirs  Poondi, Chembarambakkam, Sholavaram, Puzhal, Veeranam, and Thervai Kandigai  as of Monday evening.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea, even as the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) dispatched two teams to Madurai and one each to Tiruvallur and Chengalpattu districts. Two teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been sent to Thanjavur and Cuddalore.

Stalin, for the second day, visited the rain-affected areas in Chennai, while Opposition Leader Edappadi K Palaniswami also took to the streets charging the DMK government of under-preparedness to tackle the North-east Monsoon.

In its forecast, the MeT department said Tamil Nadu, especially the northern districts, will continue to receive heavy to very heavy rains under the influence of a low pressure which is likely to form in the southeast Bay of Bengal on Tuesday.

It is likely to become more marked and move westnorthwestwards towards north Tamil Nadu coast during the subsequent 48 hours, the MeT said, adding that thunderstorm with heavy to very heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places over Chennai, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam districts and Puducherry, it said.

Heavy rain is also likely to occur at isolated places over Pudukkottai, Ramanathapuram, Madurai, Theni, Dindigul, Tiruppur, Karur, Tiruchirappalli, Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Kallakurichi and Salem districts, the MeT department added.



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While the CPM in Kerala is going ahead with stern actions even against senior leaders for factionalism during the Assembly elections despite the thumping victory for the party in the election, the Congress that suffered the back to back defeat in elections is still struggling to plug the open feud among the leaders.

The CPM state committee's decision on Saturday to publicly censure senior leader G Sudhakaran has indeed sent a strong message of the party leadership against rebel activities in the party. Sudhakaran, who was a former minister in the first Pinarayi Vijayan government and known for his plain-speaking, invited the action for being non-cooperative during candidate section and the election campaign in his home town Alappuzha district in South Kerala.

Over the last few months, CPM had taken actions against many prominent local leaders of the party for working against the interests of the party during the elections. Party sources said that the present development close on the heels of the party state conference was sending a strong message of dominance of the present leadership under the control of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Also Read | Rival Congress factions in Kerala in no mood to lie low

Action against a senior leader like Sudhakaran also shows the supremacy of the Kannur lobby of the party. The return of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan to the state secretary post could be another major move of the Kannur lobby. Balakrishnan, who is a close confident of Vijayan, had to keep off from the state secretary post citing medical reasons after his son Bineesh Kodiyeri was held by central agencies in connection with his links with a Bengaluru-based drug trafficking racket.

Meanwhile, open war of words among the top leaders was still continuing in the Congress in Kerala. Former Kerala PCC presidents Mullappally Ramachandran and V M Sudheeran and incumbent PCC president K Sudhakaran were still engaged in accusing each other openly. The major factions in the party were also demanding that Sudhakaran should face the upcoming organisational elections and the ongoing reorganisation of the party should be stopped.

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Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister S. Durai Murugan on Tuesday said that the M K Stalin-led government is not up for confrontation with Kerala on the latter's decision to freeze an order for sanctioning the felling of trees at the Mullaperiyar dam site.

Murugan had led a team of five Ministers and a few legislators to the Mullaperiyar site and requested the Kerala government to permit the felling of trees in the area.

After the visit, the Kerala government ordered the removal of 15 trees which was signed by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Bennychen Thomas.

Stalin had thanked the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government for the approval.

Also read: Kerala freezes decision to fell trees at Mullaperiyar dam site

However, this did not go down well with the opposition parties in Kerala forcing the Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran to release a statement citing that the request was sanctioned by the PCCF without consulting him, the state's Water Resources Minister, or even Vijayan.

Even as Murugan assured Kerala of the Mullaperiyar dam's safety, Saseendran, while talking to IANS, said: "How is it possible for an official to take such an important decision without the consent and knowledge of the concerned Ministers and the Chief Minister? It is hard to believe that the PCCF and Chief Wildlife Warden of Kerala could pass such an order permitting Tamil Nadu to remove 15 trees without the knowledge and consent of the concerned Kerala ministers."

Doubting the sanctity of such an administration, he added: "What kind of an administration is that? The order did not only sanction the removal of 15 trees but has specifically marked and even named the trees to be removed. This cannot happen without the consent and knowledge of the concerned ministers."

Reacting to this, Murugan said that the sudden volte-face of the Kerala ministers was due to the pressure exerted by the opposition.

Opposition parties in Kerala are already up in arms against the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government with the state Congress President K Sudhakaran demanding the resignation of Saseendran.

He also demanded a judicial inquiry into the whole issue.

The BJP state president, K Surendran, also lashed out at Saseendran and demanded his resignation at the earliest.

In another jolt to the ruling LDF, the second-largest coalition partner in the front, the CPI-M has also come out against the order.

Vazhoor Soman, the MLA from Peerumedu constituency, said: "The state government has to be more cautious before passing such an order and action be taken against those behind such a letter."

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By Ruth Pollard,

Did Indias political leaders learn anything from the deadly second wave of Covid-19? Hospitals in the capital, New Delhi, are once again overwhelmed with patients and the health authorities dont have beds for them. The disease has changed  dengue, not coronavirus  but the dysfunction remains the same.

For the country that wants to be the pharmacy to the world, its own health system is notoriously bad. With some of the lowest government spending of any nation, public hospitals are overcrowded and inaccessible. The multitude of private facilities are out of reach for most citizens. Indias courts were forced to intervene earlier this year to address the dangerous inequities in hospital oxygen supplies, while state and federal authorities fought among themselves over procurement and citizens died in the back of autorickshaws gasping for breath.

Also read: Health Ministry sends central teams to nine states, UTs to help them manage dengue outbreak

The pandemic pushed many into serious debt to access health care, with families forced to sell assets, jewellery and even livestock to pay hospital bills. Even before Covid, Indias out-of-pocket medical expenses were among the worlds highest, accounting for about 60% of total health expenditure. Public health spending is less than 2% of gross domestic product, compared to 5.4% in China and a global average of nearly 10%, according to World Bank data. Researchers at Azim Premji University found the virus pushed an additional 230 million people  more than the entire population of Brazil  below the poverty line, with worrying increases in malnutrition and hunger.

The first warning signs that it would be a bad dengue season came in late August, when a hospital in Firozabad in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh reported a surge in deaths from a mystery fever. But it was no mystery; it was mostly dengue and scrub typhus. The independent news outlet, News Laundry, reported chaotic scenes at one government-run facility in September, with patients sharing beds, lab reports delayed and a severe shortage of doctors. An open drain and ponds of stagnant water provided an ideal breeding ground for the mosquitos that transmit dengue, while monkeys, pigs, cows and dogs scrounged garbage dumps near the hospital for food.

As the number of dengue cases crossed 1,500 in Delhi last week, with serious outbreaks and spiking death rates across the country, the federal health minister Mansukh Mandaviya intervened. The ministry deployed teams of experts to nine states and territories and suggested Covid beds should be repurposed for dengue patients. Mandaviya also inadvertently highlighted one of the main shortfalls of Indias pandemic response  the significant undercounting of cases and deaths. Since testing is the most important step to identifying dengue, these deaths will not be reported as such and the disease will continue to be under-reported, he said.

Also read: Covid-19 AY.4.2 variant frequency too low to be of concern: INSACOG

Epidemiologists say Indias actual Covid death toll could range between 1.3 million to 5 million, with even the most conservative estimate putting its tally at more than double the U.S., the highest recorded in the world so far. Thats three to 10 times the official count  a claim denied by Prime Minister Narendra Modis government, which has consistently used the low reported mortality rate of 459,000 to defend its pandemic response.

But unless India learns from its missteps, it is doomed to repeat them when the third wave eventually arrives. As a priority, it must increase investment in public health, strengthen surveillance systems and significantly ramp up vaccinations. Its 1 billion-shot milestone last month was an important one, but when you consider that just 24% of Indias 1.4 billion population is fully vaccinated, while 54% have had one shot, it is clear theres still a very long way to go. And that leaves us all vulnerable.

Experts from the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies say the government needs to do much more. Public health authorities should procure and stockpile excess essential medical supplies in anticipation of future Covid spikes and learn to manage health emergencies much faster. It is not a good sign that Modis administration has taken months to recognize the seriousness of the dengue outbreak rather than acting when the early signs were so grim.

India must also strengthen its health security borders to avoid another mass movement of migrant workers, who left cities in their millions during the pandemic when their employment and housing disappeared, fanning out to villages across the country and taking the virus with them. It should also take seriously the urgent need to increase the number of health care workers to meet World Health Organization guidelines, and make sure they're properly paid and equipped.

The consequences of moving slowly on these reforms are too great to ignore. India has already slipped on the Global Hunger Index to 101st out of 116 nations, below countries like Myanmar and Pakistan, while unemployment, particularly in the vast hinterland, is surging. Even as the economy is showing signs of a recovery with the consumption-driven festive season, it will take a lot to ease the pain felt by the most vulnerable, who are in urgent need of food, jobs and housing. Heres hoping this dengue outbreak rings alarm bells for the government.
A new debate on the use and misuse of public spaces has started after some Hindu groups, aided by the local administration and patronised by political powers, succeeded in forcing out Muslims from many spots in Haryana's Gurgaon, where they had been offering their Juma namaz, or Friday prayers, for a long time.

The issue has been framed thus: are Muslims justified in using public spaces for their religious practices? Is it reasonable on their part to demand it as a right to be allowed to use a space not owned by them and is a public space? Why do not they go to mosques to perform their religious rituals? Before we look into this argument, we need to ask if Muslims are free to build mosques according to their need? For example, in Gurgaon, they have been asking the government to allocate land and grant permission to build mosques, but their requests are lying pending with the government.

Inherent in this suggestion is the idea that the religious activities of a particular group, Hindu or Muslim, should not interfere with the site and sight of those who do not belong to that specific group. It assumes that religious activities are exclusive to that group. What is purifying for one pollutes the other, or so is the understanding. What soothes me will offend you is the assumption behind it.

Also read: Everyone should hold religious events inside places of worship: Anil Vij on namaz row

This framing also assumes that public space belongs to all, but none can lay a claim over it. Or, as we saw in Gurgaon, Muslims were barred from using the spot at sector 12A for their prayers, but Hindus at that very spot and that exact time performed a puja there.

Hence, the argument used to make the space unavailable to Muslims that public spaces should not be used for religious purposes was abandoned when Hindus came into the picture. Or, are we arguing that since Hindus do it occasionally, they can be allowed, but Muslims cannot enjoy the same right as they congregate every Friday? Public spaces are generally thought to be community spaces. In a country like India, they are maintained by State bodies with the money raised from the taxes all of us pay. People from all religions. If that earns me a right, I, a taxpayer, have a right over the common space. It is common to all.

In Gurgaon, for the past three years, Muslims have been pushed out of those common or public spaces where they used to gather on Fridays for their customary collective namaz. Their number in Gurgaon is approximately five lakh, and nearly a lakh of them, men, to be exact, are out in the day for their work on different locations. There are only 13 mosques in Gurgaon. Muslims have an obligation to offer this collective, congregational prayer on Fridays, and it is mostly a half an hour affair.

They prefer the mosque, but if not available closer to their workplace, they look for a space where this obligatory congregational prayer can be offered. For namaz, you do not need a structure. You clean yourself and the spot where you have to perform namaz, which becomes fit for your prayer. So, on Fridays, we see gatherings of Muslims, which disperse after some time.

Why should it be a problem for others? Why should they say that Muslims do not have a right to use public space even for an hour if they do not disrupt the everyday life of others? In a country that gives all its people the right to observe their religion their way, is it not the State's duty to ensure that Muslims are not inconvenienced in performing their religious duty?

Also read: Time to reframe the 'Hindu vs Muslim' problem

Hindus find it difficult to appreciate this. There is a reason behind it. In Hinduism, a collective prayer before God is not obligatory. There is no fixed day or time. However, Muslims do it on Fridays. Christians gather in the Church for their Sunday mass. But Hindus are not obliged to congregate for any religious practice. It is natural for them to think that it is not essential to perform your prayers collectively. Therefore, we hear objections from them and suggestions that Muslims do not need to demonstrate it publicly, and why don't they do it in the confines of their homes or mosques. But have we seen a collective Muslim prayer on any other weekday? Other than the Friday afternoon prayers, Muslims are not seen offering namaz together.

Secondly, they would prefer a mosque for who wants to do it in the open, braving the bitter cold or the scorching sun? That is not their choice. Hindus need to understand and help Muslims not fail their sacred duty. Apart from this, they need to understand that the argument being made by the violent groups disrupting namaz that they want to make public spaces accessible is bogus. Their idea is to criminalise everything that has a Muslim touch. They want to push Muslims out of public sight.

Moreover, we need to think about another use of public space which is really dangerous. All mornings in thousands of fields, parks, schools, college grounds, an activity takes place across India in which hatred against Muslims and Christians is sowed slowly. It is called the shakha. These spaces are maintained and created using public money, which includes taxes paid by Muslims. To allow a facility run by my money to spread hatred against me is something I should not allow. If there is one activity for which public spaces must be barred, it is this. Not the Friday namaz.

(The writer teaches at Delhi University)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.
SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood has said people in the North are being failed by the DUP and British government over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Mr Eastwood said both parties were intent on fostering division and ramping up the rhetoric, despite attempts by the EU to reach consensus.

The Foyle MLA said: Words have an impact. The DUP and British government are continuing to use the Protocol for their own political ends and the consequences of that are playing out in scenes like we saw in west Belfast last week and Rathcoole last night.

The Tories care little about whats happening in the North, as long as they get to live out their Brexit fantasies they are happy for this place to be treated as collateral damage.

"The DUP is more concerned with its rapidly declining popularity than the out workings of the Protocol.

The majority of people here support the Protocol and the mitigations put forward by the EU to resolve the small number of outstanding issues.

"The British government's posturing and threats over the Protocol goes against the wishes of people and businesses here and the DUP are acting as cheerleaders for this act of self-harm.

The public are fed up of unionist parties machinations surrounding the Protocol. They have real concerns around the cost of living crisis that is rapidly unfolding this winter, the coronavirus pandemic is still affecting families across the North and Jeffrey Donaldsons response is to threaten our institutions.

"People want political leaders to tackle the issues that matter to them, not to be abandoned over manufactured issues around sovereignty in a desperate attempt to cover for their own political failings.
Foyle MP, Colum Eastwood, has said people in the North are being failed by the DUP and British government over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Mr Eastwood said both parties were intent on fostering division and ramping up the rhetoric, despite attempts by the European Union (EU) to reach consensus.

DUP leader, Jeffrey Donaldson earlier today demanded that Brexit Minister, Lord Frost, trigger Article 16 of the Protocol that would allow the United Kingdom to act unilaterally from the deal that Lord Frost himself agreed with the EU back in December 2019.

Mr Donaldson has warned that unless the Protocol was removed, he would withdraw the DUP from Stormont and collapse the Executive.

However, SDLP leader Eastwood, accused both the DUP and the UK government of ramping up the rhetoric and stirring up communities into violent action as seen in both the Shankill and Rathcoole areas last week.

He said: Words have an impact. The DUP and British government are continuing to use the Protocol for their own political ends and the consequences of that are playing out in scenes like we saw in west Belfast last week and Rathcoole last night.

The Tories care little about whats happening in the North, as long as they get to live out their Brexit fantasies they are happy for this place to be treated as collateral damage.

The DUP is more concerned with its rapidly declining popularity than the out-workings of the Protocol.

The majority of people here support the Protocol and the mitigations put forward by the EU to resolve the small number of outstanding issues.

The British government's posturing and threats over the Protocol goes against the wishes of people and businesses here and the DUP are acting as cheerleaders for this act of self-harm.

The public are fed up of unionist parties machinations surrounding the Protocol. They have real concerns around the cost of living crisis that is rapidly unfolding this winter, the coronavirus pandemic is still affecting families across the North and Jeffrey Donaldsons response is to threaten our institutions.

People want political leaders to tackle the issues that matter to them, not to be abandoned over manufactured issues around sovereignty in a desperate attempt to cover for their own political failings.
By Tony Pialis, Clint Walker (Alphawave IP)

Abstract

This paper covers:

Brief introduction to high-speed, interface basics, as well as the industry motivations driving demand for 200 Gigabits per second (Gbps) connectivity.

Review of the challenges faced with scaling rates to 200 Gbps and the different modulation schemes needed to accomplish the feat.

Various approaches used for implementing receivers at 200 Gbps, as well as error correction and coding approaches for improving the associated bit error rates.

Review of some real life 200 Gbps channels and simulation results.

Conclusions, findings, and predictions for 200 Gbps serial links.

Introduction to High-Speed Interface Basics

Figure 1 shows the basic blocks of any connectivity interface.

Figure 1: Plot of a Communication System

In electronic systems, connectivity functionality is ubiquitous and used wherever a chip must be connected to another chip. Connection length can range from distances spanning thousands of miles, which are traditionally addressed by high-speed optical networks, to short chip-to-chip links used to connect chips to each other. As every chip functions internally using electrical signaling, the electrical connectivity interface is an essential functional block of semiconductor design.

All computer chips use digital data. They come in byte and words. One byte consists of up to 8-bits of data, while a word consists of 1 to 16 bytes. A Serializer/Deserializer (SerDes) is used in integrated circuits as an interface to other chips by converting parallel streams of data, which are used within integrated circuits, to serial streams, which are used in longer-distance transmission outside and between chips, and vice versa. In general, serial transmission is more efficient and less complex over longer distances due to timing, synchronization, and footprint advantages, whereas parallel transmission is critical inside chips to achieve throughput and performance. Due to this key difference, every integrated circuit that needs fast and reliable external connectivity requires a SerDes.

A SerDes consists of both a transmitter and a receiver. A transmitter takes parallel data words, serializes them and pre-conditions them for the channel. Pre-conditioning converts the digital words into a real-world analog waveform from which the transmitter drives the signal over the channel. The channel can be a copper cable, optical cable, electronic board, and so on.

Eventually, a receiver accepts the real-world data from the channel. It then conditions it, equalizes it, and resamples it to compensate for the noise and interference introduced by the channel. Ultimately, the receiver converts the real-world signal back to digital 1s and 0s, data bytes, and data words.

The Industry Needs 200G Connectivity!

Figure 2: Industry Trends Driving the Adoption of 224Gbps Standards

Over the last decade, the proliferation of new technologies, applications, cloud-based services, and internet-connected devices has led to increasing levels of data traffic and congestion, driving the need for greater bandwidth. The global datasphere, or data that is created, captured, copied and consumed is set to grow from 40 zettabytes in 2019 to 175 zettabytes in 2025, representing a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 28 per cent. A significant portion of this data has to be transmitted using wired network infrastructure. The following factors drive this rapid creation and consumption of data, including:

Proliferation of cloud services and hyperscale data centres. Enterprises are increasingly adopting cloud services to reduce IT costs and scale computing, networking and storage requirements on-demand. Consumers are increasingly relying on cloud services to satisfy bandwidth-intensive needs such as high definition and 4K on-demand video viewing, audio streaming and photo sharing. The global cloud services market is expected to grow from USD $552 billion in 2020 to USD $1 trillion in 2025.1

Enterprises are increasingly adopting cloud services to reduce IT costs and scale computing, networking and storage requirements on-demand. Consumers are increasingly relying on cloud services to satisfy bandwidth-intensive needs such as high definition and 4K on-demand video viewing, audio streaming and photo sharing. The global cloud services market is expected to grow from USD $552 billion in 2020 to USD $1 trillion in 2025.1 Development of advanced wireless technologies, such as 5G. Consumption of data and video-intensive content and applications on mobile devices is driving significant growth in mobile data and video traffic and has led to adoption of advanced wireless communication technologies, such as 5G. By 2023, average mobile speeds of 5G-enabled devices are expected to be 575 megabits per second, or 13 times higher than the average mobile connection today.1 To support cellular speeds of such magnitude, wired connectivity interfaces must match this performance, particularly as wireless signals aggregate in the access layer before being routed to core wired networks.

Consumption of data and video-intensive content and applications on mobile devices is driving significant growth in mobile data and video traffic and has led to adoption of advanced wireless communication technologies, such as 5G. By 2023, average mobile speeds of 5G-enabled devices are expected to be 575 megabits per second, or 13 times higher than the average mobile connection today.1 To support cellular speeds of such magnitude, wired connectivity interfaces must match this performance, particularly as wireless signals aggregate in the access layer before being routed to core wired networks. Proliferation of Internet of Things devices. Significant consumer, enterprise and governmental adoption of internet-connected devices embedded with electronics, software and sensors is anticipated to strain network capacity further and increase demand for bandwidth, while creating significant amounts of data to process. Approximately 29 billion devices and objects are expected to be connected to the internet by 2023, compared to 18 billion in 2018.1

Significant consumer, enterprise and governmental adoption of internet-connected devices embedded with electronics, software and sensors is anticipated to strain network capacity further and increase demand for bandwidth, while creating significant amounts of data to process. Approximately 29 billion devices and objects are expected to be connected to the internet by 2023, compared to 18 billion in 2018.1 Growth of artificial intelligence. Proliferation of hyperscale data centres, improvements in hardware and semiconductor technology and maturation of software frameworks has fuelled significant growth in artificial intelligence applications. Compute devices such as microprocessors (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and specialised application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) can now be configured to train and apply complex machine learning models and make accurate predictions that were not possible a decade ago. As these models become more multi-layered and complex, they need to be processed on many interconnected computing cores, which puts significant pressure on wired connectivity and interface technologies.

Consequently, to enable all this increase in bandwidth, Ethernet rates are scaling quickly from 100 Gbps links to all the way up to 800 Gbps links. The current leading generation of Ethernet is 400 Gbps Ethernet. However, the next generation of 800 Gbps Ethernet is estimated to have 25 million units shipped in 2025, far exceeding the deployment of 400 Gbps Ethernet. Initially, 800 Gbps links will be comprised of eight lanes of data operating at 100 Gbps. But the vast majority of 800 Gbps deployments will use four lanes running at 200 Gbps. The market is expecting that by 2024 there will be more than 100 design starts integrating 200 Gbps SerDes IPs1.

Challenge of Scaling Symbol Rates to 224 Gbps

Figure 3: Tradeoffs of Scaling PAM4 to 224 Gbps

The plot in Figure 3 shows the current 100 Gbps IEEE 802.3ck Chip-to-Module specification for optical interfaces. The standard assumes a 30-millimeter package, which has approximately 6.5 dB of loss at 28 GHz. Thus, in a total 16 dB loss budget, approximately one third of the loss is allocated to both transmit and receive packages, which results in approximately 12 dB of loss allocated to board level losses.

At 28 GHz, 12 dB of board level losses results in approximately five inches of reach for Meg6 materials, and approximately 10 inches of reach for newer Meg7 materials. Practically, this means you can drive almost a foot of board in between your large switching SOC and optical module.

By scaling the symbol rate to 200 Gbps using PAM4 modulation, the same 30-millimeter package at the 112GBd symbol rate would now consume approximately 12 dB of loss. That leaves about a third of the loss budget for the board. Assuming the same equalization levels would be applied to the 224G Chip-to-Module, would result in less than 1-inch of Meg6 material being available between the switch and the optical module. The newer, more costly Meg7 material achieves a full 1.2 inches of distance between the two devices. Obviously, this is a dramatic reduction from the foot long separation that is tolerable at 112 Gbpsdown to only one inch at 224 Gbps. Building systems using optics would clearly be unwieldy with these types of routing restrictions.

This is a challenge that must be overcome for the industry to successfully scale designs up to 224 Gbps.

High-Capacity Modulation Schemes

Figure 4: Comparison of Various Modulation Schemes

Given the projected material advancements in package, board substrates and high-speed cables, system designers must also develop schemes for increasing the data throughput of existing channels to enable the continued scaling of data rates.

Reviewing the different types of modulation schemes available, such as PAM and NRZ signaling, NRZ is just one class of PAM signaling (also known as PAM2). If you drive one volt peak-to-peak, regardless of the modulation scheme, the separation between the two constellation points can be electrically classified (logically) as plus three to minus three. So the separation between these two constellation points is 6.

When you look at PAM4, assuming the same maximum swing applies to all signaling schemes, the electrical levels are now - 3 - 1 +1 +3. That is, the separation between any two constellation points is now only two units, which is a reduction of three compared to NRZ.

This reduction in constellation point spacing is why system designers typically state there is 9 dB of degradation in the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) when implementing PAM4 versus NRZ. It is because for the same maximum launch, the separation between constellation points is reduced by 9 dB, which in turn may make the design 9 dB more sensitive to noise and losses between these two schemes.

When considering higher order modulations, such as PAM8, a 33% increase in bandwidth is required to transmit at 224 Gbps because now systems transmit three bits for every symbol. Therefore, bandwidths relative to current PAM4 systems would only need to increase 33%, whereas PAM4 for systems at 224 Gbps would need to double their required channel bandwidthwhich does not look imminent anytime soon.

Similarly, to use NRZ, a three-fold increase is necessary relative to the currently available 112 Gbps systems, which is clearly not feasible.

However, for PAM8, spacing between adjacent constellation points is reduced from two units down to about 0.86, relative to NRZ. This is approximately a 7 dB SNR degradation relative to current PAM4 systems. So PAM8 is a modest 33% increase in channel capacity, but with about a 7 dB further SNR degradation from systems built currently.

In addition to PAM, there is also Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM), where a signal is split up into two orthogonal vectors: in-phase and quadrature. For QAM systems, part of the signal is encoded using the in-phase portion of the signal, while the other part is encoded using the quadrature phase. These signal parts can then be modulated with the carrier and both orthogonal signals can either be carried by the carrier or via time-domain multiplexing to avoid needing a carrier altogether.

The benefit of QAM modulation is that by transmitting the signal onto orthogonal vectors, the SNR degradation is much less when compared to PAM since we can space out the constellation points much further in two dimensions, whereas PAM only spaces them out on a single dimension. However, one of the drawbacks of QAM is that to implement the modulation with either carrier or time division multiplexing, system designers must double the bandwidth relative to PAM. This bandwidth increase is not feasible and makes QAM less desired approach.

Thus, there is no easy modulation choice. Higher orders of PAM require less channel bandwidth, but SNR continues to degrade. In turn, reach is reduced because of SNR limitations, unless system designers can implement new equalization approaches to recover the lost performance.

Advanced DSP Detectors

Traditional FFE/DFE architectures make slicing decisions based on a single data symbol. Maximum Likelihood Sequence Detectors (MLSDs) use Viterbi Detection to make slicing decisions based on a sequence of data symbols. This means MLSDs:

Minimize errors across a sequence of symbols.

Use inter-symbol interference to make better decisions.

Improve SNR by about 1 to 3 dB

Figure 5: MLSD Decision Trellis Example

Use of more advanced DSP approaches such as MLSD helps to improve the SNR. Although transitioning to PAM8 degrades SNR by 7 dB, system designer can offset some of the SNR loss by recovering the signal using more robust approaches like MLSD. These detectors are like a DFE in that you do not amplify a recovered signal which includes the noise.

The concept of MLSD is that an ideal vector is passed through a FIR filter based on both a known channel response and the minimum mean square error between this reconstructed signal. When the signal is passed through a decision trellis, it shows what the ideal signal would have looked like at the output of the FIR filter that is matched to the channel. Finally, the projected signal response from the output of the decision trellis, is compared to the actual signal recovered, to determine the original data transmitted.

The real power of a MLSD is that it does not decide based on a single bit of data. Decisions are made at the outputs of a decision trellis, using a matched channel filter, based on multiple symbols of data to help drive towards a more reliable choice.

Slicing based on a sequence of symbols can improve SNR anywhere between 1 to 3 dB. Therefore, if transitioning to PAM8 reduces SNR by 7dB, a MLSD detector can be employed to add back in up to 3dB of SNR gain. This now leaves only a 4 dB gap remaining to recover through some alternate means.

2m Cabling Silicon Results

As shown in Figure 6, using MLSD delivers a 1.5 order of magnitude improvement in BER.

Figure 6: Measured 112 Gbps 2m Cable Response

The plot in Figure 6 is an example of how powerful MLSD detectors can be when used in a real-world system. In this plot there is a significant number of reflections that fall within the first 80 symbols of the main pulse. These are typically correctable using FFEs and DFEs. However, there is still a significant amount of energy beyond a hundred symbols. Normally these reflections can not be equalized and are viewed by the receiver as noise and ultimately degrade performance.

However, by using MLSD receivers the impacts of this noise can be minimized since noise is averaged across multiple symbols before a decision is made. In the example above, almost two orders of magnitude BER improvement is achieved using MLSD detectors.

High Performance Error Correction

Concatenated codes can extend performance with only a nominal increase in latency and power. Hence, Forward Error Correction (FEC) is a scheme that has been broadly used in RF read channels, VDSL, and cable modems as a means of making systems more robust while running with a lower SNR.

Figure 7: The SNR Benefits of FEC

Figure 7 shows a plot of estimated BER versus SNR (EBNO) of a raw PAM signal. The red curve is a plot of symbol error rate versus SNR for PAM4, and the blue curve is the same plot but for NRZ. For the PAM4 signal, at a 1E-15 BER, approximately 19 dB of SNR is required compared to only 15 dB SNR for a NRZ signal. This is the clear advantage offered by NRZ, which allows it to tolerate a lower SNR while still having an equivalent BER.

Referring to Figure 7, assume that the raw SNR for a PAM4 signal is 12 dB with a corresponding BER on the order of about 1E-4. If a Reed-Solomon KR4 FEC is used, that raw BER is lowered to 1E-15. Thus, for the same SNR, FEC produces almost a 12x improvement in error rate.

Some of the drawbacks of FEC, is that it inserts extra information into symbols, reducing the information throughput (this can eat up anywhere between 10 to 20% of data throughput). Second-generation FEC can provide up to 10 dB of code gain, while still higher coding gains are achievable based on soft decision-making and iterative decoding FECs, such as block turbo codes.

224 Gbps Modulation Simulation Results

Figure 8 analyzes and compares the performance of PAM4 and PAM6 signaling across two sets of channels. Both sets of channels use representative 30 mm package S-parameter models on both sides of the link, as well as an internally derived transmission line model for the channel. The diagram compares the loss at Nyquist for both PAM4 and PAM6 signaling:

PAM6 has a lower Nyquist rate, so it only exhibits 31 to 34 dB of loss at Nyquist (41.1 GHz) compared to PAM4, which exhibits 44 to 47 dB of loss at 53.12 GHz.

This difference in baud rate introduces an additional 12 dB of loss (that is, four times more attenuation) at Nyquist for PAM4 over PAM6 modulation.

Figure 8: 224 Gbps Example Channel

Obviously, the more sophisticated the FEC, the more hardware and latency is involved. But if systems can tolerate it, this does provide yet another important tool for systems designers to use to balance the trade-offs between rates, SNR, and losses.

Matlab Simulation Results

Table 1 shows the benefits of a lower modulation rate across longer channels at 224 Gbps. Whereas PAM4 systems are not functional due to the extremely large insertion losses (that is, CDR not able to lock), PAM6 systems are able to operate with a BER that is recoverable using standard ethernet KP4 and KR4 FEC schemes.

As can be seen by Table 1, for highly lossy channels, PAM6 is able to recover the signals with error rates that are easily correctable with existing FECs, while PAM4 suffers too much inter-symbol interference, such that the original signal cannot be recovered.

Conclusions, Findings and Predictions

In summary:

224 Gbps long-reach electrical transmission is achievable.

PAM4 is preferrable but will not support longer channels.

PAM6 is a good alternative for physically longer channels.

Details between PAM4 and PAM6 still need to be reviewed based on real-world channels and applications.

Modulation schemes may vary across form factors.

The ideal path forward for the industry is to continue to use PAM4 signaling for both C2M as well as CR and KR applications. However, while this approach may work well for C2M channels, given the example shown previously, it may not be possible for long-reach channels.

As an alternative, PAM6 or PAM8 modulation may be a viable option to reduce signal loss at higher rates/for longer reaches. With PAM6, the degradation of SNR with the higher modulation is more than offset by an improvement in ISI, at the lower Nyquist rate. This suggests that 224 Gbps could result in a bifurcation of modulation rateswith shorter-reach applications like C2M staying with PAM4, and longer-reach applications potentially moving to higher order modulations like PAM6 or PAM8.

Author(s) Biography

Tony Pialis:

Tony Pialis co-founded Alphawave IP in 2017 and has since served as its President and Chief Executive Officer. Tony has extensive experience as an entrepreneur in the semiconductor industry, having co-founded three semiconductor IP companies, including Snowbush Microelectronics Inc, which was sold in 2007 to Gennum/Semtech and is currently part of Rambus. He also founded V Semiconductor Inc. where he served as President and CEO, and which was acquired by Intel Corporation in 2012. Tony served as Vice President of Analog and Mixed-Signal IP at Intel Corporation between 2012 and 2017. During his tenure at Intel, Tony and his team won the prestigious Intel Achievement Award for successfully delivering next generation Ethernet and PCI-Express SerDes solutions on Intels 22nm and 14nm process technologies.

Tony holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto.

Clint Walker:

Clint Walker is Vice President of Marketing at Alphawave IP. Clint has over 24 years of semiconductor experience. Before moving to Alphawave IP Clint was a Principle Engineer and Senior Director at Intel where he worked for 22 years focused on High Speed I/O system and circuit architecture. Clint has participated and contributed to JEDEC DDR, PCI-SIG, and IEEE 802.3 standards development and is former chair of USB3.0 Electrical Work Group.






Sonam Kapoor and husband Anand Ahuja share gorgeous snaps from their Diwali celebrations in London

Actor Sonam Kapoor and her husband Anand Ahuja never leave a chance to express their love for each other publically. The former on Sunday shared a delightful picture with her husband from the Diwali celebrations at their London home. Taking to her Instagram handle, Sonam shared three pictures featuring her with Anand from the Diwali celebrations at the couple's London home.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sonam K Ahuja (@sonamkapoor)

The duo could be seen twinning in an ivory coloured ensemble. Addressing her husband as her 'whole universe', Sonam captioned the post as, "My whole universe and everything that matters the most. I love you @anandahuja #everydayphenomenal #diwali." Soon after the pictures were shared on the photo-sharing platform, they accumulated thousands of hearts and comments from the fans and fellow celebrity followers.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by anand s ahuja (@anandahuja)

Anand also replied to her 'jaan' by saying, "sooo cute my Jaan! ... I told you though in that first pic my one eye is closed. My one eye blinks faster than the other I think." Whereas, Sonam's younger sister Rhea took offence with Sonam calling only Anand her 'whole universe'. "Whole universe? I take offence," she wrote in the comments section adding quirky emoticons.

Sonam tied the knot with the Bhaane label owner on May 8, 2018, in an Anand Karaj ceremony, later followed by a star-studded reception. They celebrated their third wedding anniversary earlier this year. Meanwhile, on the work front, Sonam will be seen in Blind. She was last seen in the 2019 release The Zoya Factor. She also had a cameo role in Anil Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap's AK vs AK, which had released on Netflix last year.
In the light of above scenario, Android users are advised to turn off the Motion Sensors in Android Site settings menu.

Google Chrome users are being alerted to eradicate their browser immediately amid the illegitimate obtain and misuse of the personal data of its users.According to Mysk's report , the private data and info on devices (particularly Motion Sensors data) are in danger of being transmitted without the user's concern and authorization.This is the exploitation of the user's rights, as the personal data is being manipulated and shared without the owner's approval.Forbes on November 6, posted a blog post implying the motive behind eliminating Chrome from cellphone devices. It indicates that the Tech giant is deceiving its users and handing over their data for its own sake of interest without taking proper consent.Zak Doffman contributes in cyber security and surveillance to Forbes illustrated the purpose to eliminate the Chroma extensively from your Android devices.He reflected that the massive social media platform Facebook was lately found tailing the activities and actions performed by the iPhone users by striking the accelerometer on the phone. The company is an avaricious tech firm that acquires users' info and data for its interests regardless of the user's privacy and security assurance, which was also proved by the company's whistleblower exposed Facebook documents.Moreover, sensitive data can be employed to rectify the attitudes, associating with the tremendous quantity of the info it gathers.However, Facebook is not the most triumphant data collector as Google leads this realm. Additionally, the company has also been struck by Apples recent secrecy regulations, whereas, Googles digital ad incomes proceed to ascend. The fact is that more than Facebook, tech giant Google is the much gigantic hazard to your data security because Facebook is amassing it for its own sake of interests but, Chrome is deliberately acquiring it for selling it to others allowing it to everyone despite the case of extremely private and sensitive into related to one's online activity and action.He further asserted that Google in reaction to the security research contends that they purposely restrict the determination of motion detectors in Chrome, and they have had constraints that allow the users to obstruct websites to reach a devices motion sensors for two years. Furthermore, they consider the user's safety and intimacy incredibly, and they are constantly toiling on modern means to enhance the protection and security of Chrome.Read next: Facebook Reportedly Collects Your Data Even If Your Account is Deactivated
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HANOVER, N.H. (AP)  A 9-foot-tall video game joystick made of wood, rubber and steel has made it into the Guinness World Records 2022 as the largest.

Dartmouth College professor Mary Flanagan created the giant controller  nearly 14 times the size of an original classic Atari controller  in 2006 to celebrate her childhood experience of maniacally playing Atari 2600 video games.





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BROOKLINE, Mass. (AP)  Aaron Feuerstein, who owned a textile mill in Massachusetts and famously continued to pay his workers even after a devastating fire, has died. He was 95.

Feuerstein, the former owner of Malden Mills in Lawrence, died Thursday night of complications from a fall days before at his home in Brookline, his son Daniel Feuerstein told The Boston Globe for a story Friday.





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BELLEVUE  A retail/commercial building at 13500 Bel-Red Road in Bellevue sold for $31 million, according to King County records.

The seller was Par 5 Design Center LLC, which acquired the property in 2007 for over $10.2 million.





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EBRD invests 75 million in PPCs 1.35 billion capital increase

PPC to accelerate investments in renewable energy in Greece and south-eastern Europe

Power utility to focus on digitalisation and modernisation

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is supporting the transformation of the Public Power Corporation (PPC), Greeces largest power producer and electricity supplier, with an investment of 75 million in the companys 1.35 billion share-capital increase.

The EBRDs proceeds will be used exclusively for renewable energy assets and will explicitly exclude any fossil fuel assets.

The new capital will enable PPC to accelerate its investments in renewable energy, both in Greece and in south-eastern Europe, and to become a financially and environmentally sustainable, modern and digital utility. As a result of the transaction, PPC also aims to benefit from a more diversified investor base that has a greater focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.

ESG disclosure is an area of collaboration between PPC and the EBRD that has resulted in the development of an information disclosure plan in accordance with the guidelines of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).

PPC has a total capex target of 6 billion for 2022-24, of which 3.2 billion is expected to be invested in renewable energy and 1.0 billion in electricity distribution. The firms rapid programme for phasing out lignite will be complemented by a massive increase in renewable energy capacity, which is expected to grow from 3.4 GW in 2021 to 8.4 GW in 2026.

As the largest electricity generator and supplier in Greece, PPC plays a critical role in supporting the countrys energy supply and its transition to a lower-carbon economy. The company is central to Greeces efforts to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 56 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030. It is also the owner of the countrys electricity distribution network and sole provider of electricity to Greek islands that are not connected to the national grid.

The company has been listed on the Athens Stock Exchange since 2001 and its main shareholder is the Greek state, through the participation of the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund and the Hellenic Corporation of Assets and Participations. As a result of the capital increase, the states shareholding will fall from 51 per cent to a minority position of around 34 per cent.

Jurgen Rigterink, EBRD First Vice President, said: We are delighted to become a shareholder in PPC and endorse both a transformation strategy that seeks to mobilise more private capital in PPC and an impressive plan to scale up renewable investments in Greece and in south-eastern Europe.

Georgios Stassis, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors at PPC, commented: We are very glad to expand our cooperation with the EBRD through its participation in the share capital of PPC, showcasing once more time the confidence in our transformation plan to become a financially and environmentally sustainable digital utility.

Yiannis Tsakiris, Deputy Minister for Development and Investments for Greece, said: I am very happy that the EBRD is supporting PPC by participating in the share-capital increase, a hugely successful turnaround story, on the companys path towards a greener and more sustainable business model. The EBRD has once more proved its commitment to the Greek economy and private sector.

In March and July 2021 the EBRD participated, with a total amount of 75.5 million, in PPCs sustainability-linked bond issues. PPC used the proceeds to refinance existing debt. These were the first sustainability-linked bonds in the EBRD regions with performance targets for the reduction of CO 2 emissions.

The EBRD started to invest in Greece on a temporary basis in 2015 to support the countrys economic recovery. To date, the Bank has invested more than 5 billion in over 80 projects in Greeces corporate, financial, energy and infrastructure sectors.
Turkce Okuyun

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has appointed Mehmet Uvez to lead its office in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

Mr Uvez will manage the Banks partnership with the government of Turkey, as well as its interactions with Ankara-based international financial institutions, diplomatic missions and civil-society organisations. He will oversee the Banks extensive policy work in various sectors and manage the operations of the Ankara office. He takes over from Baris Dincer, who is leaving the EBRD.

Mr Uvez, a Turkish national, joined the EBRD in 2015. Most recently, he has been a Principal Inclusion Specialist with the Ankara-based Gender and Economic Inclusion team. He has more than 20 years of experience working in the public sector, international organisations and financial institutions. He holds an MBA from the William E. Simon School of Business and an undergraduate degree in business from the Faculty of Political Sciences, Ankara University.

Mr Uvez will take up his new position in January 2022, following his introduction to the Turkish authorities during a visit by EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso to Turkey on 7-9 November 2021.
The Slovak Republic has taken a major step in strengthening its energy supply, with the construction of a new overhead transmission line and the upgrade and extension of three existing substations thanks to the Bohunice International Decommissioning Support Fund (BIDSF).

The projects, successfully delivered on schedule and within budget, will minimise the impact of the closure of units 1 and 2 of the Bohunice nuclear power plant and improve the efficiency of energy supply and use in the Slovak Republic.

Managed by electricity transmission system operator Slovenska Elektrizacna Prenosova Sustava (SEPS), the projects include a 40 million 440 kilovolt overhead transmission line with a length of 90 kilometres, and a 15 million upgrade and extension of three substations in Bystricany, Horna Zdana and Krizovany in the western and central Slovak Republic.

The EBRD manages the decommissioning support fund that financed the work. This was completed on budget and, despite the challenges presented by Covid-19, five months ahead of schedule. More videos

The BIDSF was established in 2001 to support the Slovak Republic with the decommissioning of units 1 and 2 of the Bohunice nuclear power plant. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) manages the fund and has received donor contributions from the European Commission, as well as Austria, Denmark, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Visiting the completed projects, Steven White, EBRD Head of BIDSF in the Nuclear Safety Department, said: These projects provide the Slovak Republic with a modern, upgraded transmission system that ensures that consumers have a reliable, safe and stable supply of electricity now and in the future.

Jean-Philippe Guisset, Head of the Nuclear Decommissioning Sector at the European Commission, added: The implementation was swift and overcame the technical and managerial challenges that inevitably confront such large projects. The result is a safer, better interconnected electricity grid with the European Union, a necessary condition for the clean energy transition.

SEPS Project Manager Monika Bozikova noted: The projects not only helped to mitigate the negative effects of the decommissioning of units 1 and 2, but also increased the reliability of the electricity supply in the region. They also contributed to an increase in transmission capacity and the strengthening of the entire power transmission grid of the Slovak Republic. We would like to express our thanks to the European Union and the other donors for their contribution to the financing of this project.

The EBRD is the only international financial institution with the capacity and know-how to manage nuclear decommissioning funds. The Bank currently manages seven donor funds supporting nuclear safety and security in the regions where it operates. A key task is the decommissioning of Soviet-era nuclear facilities and equipment.
FOR Pa OFarrell, closing his family-owned butcher shop at 19, Main Street, Midleton, after 70 years in business, was the saddest day of his life.

It was a sad day for many in the town too.

I couldnt walk down the main street without somebody asking me if the shop was going to open again, says Pa, 62.

People said it was a shame it was closing. When I closed for the last time, it was the saddest day for me. I grew up there and I had many happy times there.

My dad, Sean, and my mother, Johanna, built up the business between them and they reared nine of us over the shop.

However, now the butchers has reopened under new ownership - and Pa couldnt be happier.

He was thrilled to meet two experienced butchers who were eager to trade on the main street in Midleton.

I met Mark Kennedy and Paul ONeill, who are both master butchers, through contacts in the business, says Pa. It was a happy coincidence.

They were interested in going into business together and in re-opening the shop.

Mark and Paul are both very experienced butchers, having worked for O Crualaois butchers.

They have more than 40 years experience between them in the trade and I couldnt ask for a more suitable combination to take over OFarrells butchers.

There is an added bonus.

They are keeping the name, which is great! says Pa.

They are keeping some of the old traditions too.

Mark and Paul are modernising the shop, putting their own stamp on it, but keeping the core traditional values of a family business, says Pa, who has been advising the two men on their foray into business in Midleton.

Im so glad that I can have an input into the re-opening of the shop. It means so much to me. Every time I passed it, I got a sense of nostalgia.

Mark, from Waterfall, and Paul from Leamlara, are practically family.

They are married to two sisters! says Pa.

I am so happy to be able to give them a hand to re-open the shop. The town misses it.

Pa reminises about his time at the shop.

I loved meeting the people, and having a chat with all the regulars about matches, local, news; the weather.

Ive been running the shop since 1978 and I would have served three generations.

Leaving the business, I thought of all the history of our family and of the good times we had growing up.

Closing up was very emotional for me, there were a lot of childhood memories attached to the shop.

Pa was well-known as a friendly butcher in Midleton.

When the customers came in the door for their meat, I know exactly what they wanted!

"We had old and new customers and we all got to know each other over the years. We made friends with each other.

My brother Edward supplied the meat for the shop and we were known for our good quality meat and value for money.

OFarrells butchers in Main Street, Midleton, on the day it reopened last week, and below, Eileen Kenneally, sister of Pa, who has fond memories of the butchers.

However, Pa, though loathe to be leaving the family business, eventually felt the time had come to do other things.

I began winding down from mid-April, he says. Working all hours, I missed out a lot of leisure time and family time. I had to give social occasions a miss. I never had time to go to matches or go for a cycle. I felt it was time to take a step back.

Pa and Carmel have two sons, Padraig and Sean, and a daughter, Aoife.

None of my own family were interested in taking over the business, says Pa. it had come to the stage where they are off doing their own thing. The shop is an around-the-clock commitment, especially with the business that was there.

OFarrells butchers was a staple on the main street. The shop was always buzzing and it was a hive of activity, says Pa. It was a great meeting place!

Last week, it reopened its doors.

The new owners, Mark and Paul, will continue the legacy that Sean OFarrell began when he left his native Kerry in the 1930s to set up shop in Midleton.

I know my dad would be delighted with new blood re-opening the shop and that the OFarrell name will continue to be over the door, says Pa.

He will continue his connection with the shop he loved so well since he was a child.

I am confident that Mark and Paul will do a great job, says Pa. I am delighted to be involved in getting them up and arranging the revamp and the modernisation of the shop.

Is Carmel delighted Pa is semi-retired?

Yes she is, says Pa laughing. At times!

Paul is looking forward to the new and exciting challenge with his business partner, Mark.

OFarrells is a great shop and Midleton is a great busy vibrant town, says Paul.

Mark and I have a passion for the business and we wanted to go into business together for so long.

Everyone has been very supportive. And leaving O Crualaois, we have their full blessing and encouragement. It was a natural progression for us.

Paul and Mark are best friends.

We are in the meat business since we were 16, says Paul. We both did our work experience with O Crualaois.

Now they will work together in their new business venture.

No.19 Main street built up a huge name in the meat trade in Midleton, it has a great family story.

We are keeping the name 100% and re-organising the lay-out of the shop. Itll be great to have Pas help at the start, says Paul.

Pa is more than willing and able to give his help to his friends.

I wish them both the best of luck, he says.

******

Eileen Kenneally was one of nine OFarrells who helped out at her fathers butchers shop on Main Street, Midleton.

Pas sister, Eileen Kenneally, was one of nine OFarrells who helped out at her fathers butchers shop on Main Street, Midleton.

It must have been at the end of the 60s when we lived over the butchers shop; all nine of us eventually, says Eileen, of Garryvoe .

Christmas was our harvest when all hands were on deck. Every turkey that arrived from various farms was killed and plucked.

The abattoir was outside the town. Wed have hundreds of birds in the out-house and on Christmas Eve our parlour at home would be filled with fowl until the customer picked them up.

A fresh bird for the Christmas dinner table was of the utmost importance.

Having a fresh turkey from the butcher was a big thing for the lady of the house back then, making sure her family had a good Christmas dinner, says Eileen.

Money was scarce, there were many mouths to feed and many women on a strict budget would start paying for their turkey and ham in September.

They would want the very best turkey and the freshest one. We hung them outside the shop on a rail and the customers could view them and choose their bird.

My dad would give the women a present of suet dripping to cook the bird. The fat was chopped up, melted, strained, then cooled. We cut it in blocks and wrapped it up. There was quite a bit of work in it.

How were turkeys plucked?

We learned how to pluck the turkey by dampening our fingers with water, which made the job easier. You started at the back of the bird in case youd tear the front of the breast where the skin was thin.

I remember our fingers and toes were cold, the house was cold, the town was cold! The fowl never went off, not even when wed post the birds to England.

The fruits of the labourers work was evident on the floor.

I remember wed be knee deep in feathers!

Some turkey pluckers needed motivation.

One lady in particular enjoyed a glass or two of porter while she was working, says Eileen. Often this was just to keep awake.

I was sent to the snug in the pub next door, Niall McCarthys, to get the porter for her, recalls Eileen. The porter came in brown bottles and was filtered to her through the night so shed keep working. If we gave it to her too early shed fall asleep!

After a night shift, the dawn chorus could often be heard from some employees who indulged during the night and the alcohol was now telling on them.

Back then, the plucking of turkeys and ducks was done by candle-light, or the light of a lantern. I remember once the candle fell over and the place nearly went up in smoke, says Eileen.

There was straw in the upper part of the premises. As luck would have it, we had jars of water for wetting our hands for plucking so we had that to put out the fire.

If a tear appeared on the turkey, a local seamstress would mend it. The only part of the bird not used was the claw. Duck feathers were singed over the gas cooker  a delicate operation.

A shilling was often going a-begging for odd jobs.

A young lad looking for pocket money would sweep the feathers from the floor. There was a job for everybody.

I remember in between all the work and all the chaos, my mother still got to iron my brothers soutanes for serving three masses on Christmas morning. Wed love to see them ironed hanging up on the hangers, knowing Christmas morning was drawing near.

Time was of the essence too.

It was such a busy time for our parents, says Eileen. They had to meet the deadline for posting the turkeys to England to family members.

Lots of local families had sons and daughters who had emigrated to the UK and they wanted to make sure they got a bird for Christmas.

The turkeys were wrapped in white meat paper, then boxed and the knot of twine was sealed with the red wax ready to post.

Eileen had another job.

Id go the post office with my mother and Id stand in the queue while she went back to work; there was so much to do. The post office was really busy with everyone posting for Christmas.

The queue was out the door. I used to watch the queue dwindling in front of me, hoping my mother would get back before I reached the front of it.

Children were seen, not heard.

There was no time for teenage moods or sulking in a corner! says Eileen, laughing. It was all about putting bread and butter on the table.

Shoes were polished for mass, dinners were made. We were still all fed with a huge shepherds pie. Santa still came. But January was a lean time.

People were wise.

Women had a Christmas club going, where theyd pay two shillings and sixpence a week for poultry and meat, and the same for toys.

They were great women, who had big families and small houses, but who still coped and looked after everything.

They taught Eileen a thing or two. Even today I am grateful for what I have and I dont like waste.

No room was wasted in the OFarrell household.

I remember the cousins would come to earn a bob or two for pocket money.

There could be three to a bed and you could often have a leg or arm in your mouth! Funny, we all slept sound!

And they all surely enjoyed their Christmas dinner.

I still like turkey, even today! says Eileen.
A 41-year-old British national with an address in Ireland has appeared before a special sitting of Cork District Court charged with an alleged threat to police in the UK last month that he would kill a female Labour MP.

Daniel Weavers with an address in Castletreasure, Douglas on the southside of Cork city appeared before the court on a single count contrary to section 13 (1) (a) and section 13 (2) of the Post Office Act, 1951, as amended by Section 4 of the Communications Regulations Amendment Act 2007.

Mr Weavers was charged with sending a message by phone that was menacing from his home address in Douglas in Cork on October 18 last.

Det Eoghain O'Callaghan gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution.

He told Judge Marian O'Leary that Weavers made no reply when the charge was put to him after caution Gardai made no objection to bail but a number of stringent conditions were sought.

Weavers has to surrender his passport, abstain from all intoxicants and make no unwarranted communication to Police Authorities in Britain.

Mr Weavers has been ordered to sign on twice weekly at Togher Gardai Station on Mondays and Fridays.

He has to inform gardai of any change of address and must be contactable 24/7 on his mobile.

He also has been instructed not to apply for new travel documents.

Inspector Ray Dunne applied for an eight week adjournment in the case for DPP instructions.

A statement of means will be prepared in the interim after Weavers, who is an engineer by profession, applied for legal aid through his solicitor Eddie Burke.

Judge O'Leary granted bail in the case with the bond of 300 to be paid.

Mr Weavers will be back before the courts on January 12 of 2022 for DPP Directions in the case. He did not speak during the short hearing.

Mr Weavers was arrested yesterday by Special Detective Branch officers, with the support of the Armed Support Unit. It is understood the arrest followed from gardai receiving information from police in the UK.

Weavers was taken to the Bridewell Garda Station in Cork city where he was detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.
A CORK psychotherapist described how some families are turning to counsellors as a last resort in the hope of helping loved ones refusing to be vaccinated.

Pat Dermody, who works as a psychotherapist and counsellor supervisor said he and others in the field have been contacted by families affected by rifts as a result of vaccine hesitancy. He said that while most couples share the same beliefs, opposition from a single family member can have a profound impact.

He added that parents have called him desperately hoping for a solution.

The Cork man has already worked with a number of clients who have expressed vaccine hesitancy as a result of severe anxiety.

Nonetheless, he stressed that is not the job of a counsellor to sway existing beliefs.

"You are getting parents contacting counsellors saying that their kid-who is 18 or in their early twenties-doesn't believe in Covid and is refusing to be vaccinated," he said. "They're asking if you can try to change their mind but what they don't understand is you are running up against a belief.

"I have had experiences with clients where there is vaccine hesitancy. In these cases, clients are looking at the fear and anxiety around the hesitancy as opposed to any kind of belief. These are people who want to get the vaccine but are terrified because of all the misinformation on social media they have to deal with. This is absolutely within the ballpark of what a counsellor does but if they don't want to get the vaccine then you find yourself asking them 'did you come or were you sent?'

"There is nothing you can do about a person's beliefs from the point of view of counselling.

"If their minds are going to be changed then they'll either take on board the information they are presented with or they won't."

Misinformation

He spoke of how misinformation is contributing to anxiety around vaccines.

"There is personal choice and then there is social responsibility," he said. "Uninformed people can set themselves up as experts by using terms like 'I've done my own research.' Anyone who has spent time in college knows that research is not something you google. There are a lot of worried people out there. However, there is also the other client who doesn't want it at all but a family member wants them to have their mind changed. You don't do that as a counsellor."

He said that family members will often have explored different avenues before contacting a counsellor.

"When you are in a position like this you are reaching out to anyone for any kind of support. They are frightened for themselves or another family member who is vulnerable.

"In a way, they are trying to get you to do the job that they weren't able to do themselves but if a child doesn't listen to a parent there is nothing to say that they are going to listen to a counsellor. In many cases, it's not the person who is vaccine-hesitant who has the real issue, but the family member who doesn't like it."

Mr Dermody said that, overall, attitudes to vaccines have been positive.

"There are only around 300,000 in this country who haven't been vaccinated so we are among the best in the world when it comes to social responsibility. Very few families are being ripped apart by this and that's something that needs to be highlighted."
The European arm of WhatsApp has secured permission from a High Court judge to challenge a decision of the Data Protection Commission (DPC) to fine it 225 million.

The fine was handed out by the DPC last August after it held that the messaging service had failed to comply with its obligations under the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on data protection in several respects.

WhatsApp Ireland Ltd, which is owned by Facebook, commenced its legal challenge against the decision in September.



The High Court adjourned the matter and said that the application to have the DPC's decision judicially reviewed should be made in the presence of lawyers for the respondents in the action, namely the commission, Ireland and the Attorney General.

At the High Court on Monday, Declan McGrath SC for WhatsApp Ireland said his client's application for permission or leave to bring the action was not being opposed.

Counsel also said the respondents were not objecting to his client's application to amend some technical aspects of its judicial review proceedings.

The matter came before Mr Justice Anthony Barr, who agreed to grant WhatsApp permission to bring its challenge. The judge adjourned the matter to a date next month.

Judical review

In its judicial review proceedings against the DPC, Ireland and the Attorney General, WhatsApp seeks an order quashing the DPC decision of August 20th, 2020 to fine the company.

It also seeks declarations from the court, including those certain provisions of the 2018 Data Protection Act are invalid and unconstitutional, and are incompatible with the State's obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Previously, the High Court heard the DPC, which was established under the 2018 Data Protection Act, commenced by its own volition an inquiry into WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, in 2018

The investigation looked at issues including the service's processing of the data of users and non-users of WhatsApp's services, and the sharing of personal data between WhatsApp and Facebook companies.

Last August the DPC made certain findings against WhatsApp. As well as imposing the fine, the DPC ordered WhatsApp to bring its data processing operation into compliance with GDPR requirements.

However, WhatsApp Ireland Ltd, which is the messaging service's provider in the European region, claims the DPC's decision is unconstitutional and incompatible with the ECHR.

WhatsApp claims the DPC's decision, which it made under sections of the 2018 Act, is flawed and should be set aside in its entirety.

The 2018 Act allows the DPC to engage in a form of administration of justice that is not permissible and is contrary to the Irish constitution, it argues. WhatsApp claims, the fine constitutes the imposition of a criminal sanction.

The size of the fine constitutes an interference with WhatsApp's Constitutional property rights, it also claims. WhatsApp further alleges that its rights to fair procedures have been breached.

Separately to the judicial review proceedings, WhatsApp has also lodged a statutory appeal before the Irish courts against the DPC's decision.


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A proposed law barring high-tech companies from favoring their own products over those of their competitors would harm consumers, competition and innovation, according to a report released Monday by a science and technology think tank.

The bipartisan legislation filed by Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, prohibits "self-preferencing" for a handful of high-tech companies.

Self-preferencing can take a number of forms, including promoting products made by a platform, such as Amazon Basics, over competing products.

"Mimicking the European Commission's Digital Markets Act prohibiting self-preferencing, Senate and the House bills would degrade consumers' experience and undermine competition, since self-preferencing often benefits consumers and constitutes an integral part, rather than an abnormality, of the process of competition," maintained the report written by Aurelien Portuese, director of The Schumpeter Project on Competition Policy at the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation in Washington, D.C.

It noted that while antitrust literature acknowledges the proconsumer, procompetitive effects of self-preferencing, and despite the overwhelmingly positive effects of self-preferencing on strengthening competition, antitrust populists aim to weaponize self-preferencing to target only a few companies, while allowing self-preferencing for the rest of the economy.

"Self-preferencing is common because most of the time it's beneficial to consumers. It provides lower prices and higher quality," Portuese told TechNewsWorld.

"Self-preferencing is pro-competition because you're providing the customer with more choice," added Bilal Sayyed, senior competition counsel at TechFreedom, a technology advocacy group, Washington, D.C.

Curtailed Choice

While consumers benefit from the lower prices self-preferencing can offer them, it can hurt competition, observed Charles King, the principal analyst with Pund-IT, a technology advisory firm in Hayward, Calif.

"Most of the companies targeted by the American Innovation and Choice Online Act are massive conglomerates that are using self-branded generics to pad their own profit margins," he told TechNewsWorld.

"They have the scale and resources to substantially undercut competitors or to use that threat to sell 'sponsored' ads that place other companies' products ahead of their own," he said.

King maintained that rather than expand choice, self-preferencing can restrict it.

"It's mainly a matter of curtailed choice," he said.

"One of the most powerful aspects of online retail is seamless comparative shopping -- lining up similar products side by side to more easily choose which item best suits your needs," he explained.

"But in the case of common or generic products, it usually comes down to the lowest price," he continued. "Are Amazon Basics products really better than Company XYZ? That's hard to say but in the world of online product ranking, Amazon Basic cables will be at or near the top of the dozens of the options you see."

Blanket Ban

Portuese acknowledged that there's a fear that large companies will leverage market power to move into new lines of business, eliminate competition with low prices, then raise prices after monopolizing the market.

In reality, though, that hasn't been the case, he asserted. "In practice, we see lower prices followed by even lower prices. We haven't seen monopolistic prices being charged yet," he said.

"Even if Amazon began charging monopolistic prices, that would be good for competition because consumers would stop shopping at Amazon and go to other platforms -- Alibaba, Google Shopping, Etsy," he argued.

The report was also critical of provisions in the proposed law that would impose a blanket ban on self-preferencing. It maintained that a blanket ban on self-preferencing for a few companies would harm consumers, deter innovation, and distort the competitive process.

It advocated that regulators adopt a clear taxonomy to distinguish between the pro-competitive effects of self-preferencing as a legitimate self-promotion tool and the anticompetitive effects of self-preferencing as an unjustified exclusionary tool.

Rule of Reason

Sayyed explained that some activities are considered bad per se under antitrust, for example, price-fixing.

Other activities are subject to the rule of reason, he added. Rule of reason analysis, in its best form, analyzes the effects of a conduct. What are the benefits? What are the harms? Then it weighs the benefits against the harms.

"The feeling of the folks on the Hill is that self-preferencing is bad per se, and since the courts haven't found it bad per se, they're going to tell them it's bad per se," he told TechNewsWorld.

Portuese predicted that a blanket prohibition would lead to a more siloed, crystalized market where an online platform would not be able to enter into a new line of business, even if such entry would benefit consumers.

"That's problematic if we care about consumer welfare," he said. "The main beneficiaries of that kind of prohibition would be the entrenched incumbents in those lines of business. That makes it detrimental to not only consumers but to innovation."

"Why innovation?" he asked. "Because we create barriers to entry that protect existing players from competition so they will innovate less. There's less incentive to innovate because their market position is secure."

"Innovation is often misunderstood," he added. "Organizational innovation is still innovation. You can offer a cheaper price by having innovative logistics. There might not be innovation on the end product. There might be innovation on the process. That's something that's completely overlooked."

War on Disrupters

While a blanket ban might cost consumers a few dollars a year in higher prices, the cost to businesses without such a ban could be much higher, King noted.

"In terms of scale over thousands or millions of transactions, the harm to competing businesses is massive," he estimated.

He agreed, however, that regulators should take a subtle approach to governing self-preferencing.

"There are few examples where companies' behavior is absolutely black and white so regulators would do well to create and enforce policies that account for nuanced situations," he said.

"At the same time," he continued, "for decades the notion that businesses, especially very large companies, are capable of policing themselves has reduced regulation enforcement with often deleterious effects."

"If companies, like Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google can't restrain themselves from anticompetitive behavior," he observed, "regulators should rightfully step in."

The battle to use antitrust laws against technology companies is one between change and the status quo, maintained Sayyed.

"Google and Facebook have disrupted the advertising business. Amazon has disrupted the retail business. Apple disrupted the music distribution business," he said.

"That makes them targets, targets of anyone who has been disrupted from their perch," he continued. "It's old technology angry at new technology and asking Congress to help hinder the new technology."

John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.




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High ranking business executives say ransomware is a major concern to them but their organizations are unprepared to do anything about it.

Those were the findings of a poll released Monday by global consulting and advisory services firm Deloitte.

Nearly two-thirds (64.8 percent) of the 50 C-level and other executives polled by Deloitte revealed that ransomware will be a major concern to their organizations over the next 12 months, but only a third of the corporate leaders have simulated an attack to prepare for such an incident.

"Over the past 12 to 18 months, executives across industries and sectors have witnessed -- and increasingly experienced first-hand -- the jaw-dropping frequency, sophistication, cost and both economic and operational impacts of ransomware attacks," Deloitte Managing Director Curt Aubley said in a statement.

"As some ransomware can evade antivirus tools and attackers find more ways to pressure victims to pay ransoms, these attacks often have national and global repercussions," he continued. "There's no time to waste when it comes to honing and testing incident response programs for ransomware and other cyber events."

Security by Obscurity

Most organizations believe in security through obscurity, observed Saryu Nayyar, CEO of Gurucul, a threat intelligence company in El Segundo, Calif.

"They simply don't think they will be noticed by hackers if they keep their heads down," she told TechNewsWorld.

That head-in-the-sand attitude is especially prevalent among smaller and less mature organizations, noted Allie Mellen, a security and risk analyst at Forrester Research.

"Ransomware is an equal opportunity attack," she told TechNewsWorld. "It targets large and small businesses equally."

"There are a number of ransomware groups that just target whatever they can get," she continued. "They're very opportunistic."

"We've seen groups that specifically shy away from big game hunting because of the potential geopolitical impact it can have," she said. "They're attacking smaller organizations or individual consumers."

"Those attacks aren't as high profile now because of the publicity the ransomware attacks on larger organizations are getting," she added.

IT Silo

Chenxi Wang, founder and general partner of Rain Capital, a venture capital firm in San Francisco, maintained most C-level executives are putting ransomware in an IT silo and underestimate its threat to an entire business.

"Many do not yet consider ransomware threats a cross-function business issue for them to be actively involved in," she told TechNewsWorld.

Translating cyber risk into business risk is a general problem, noted Brandon Hoffman, chief security officer for Intel 471, a cybercrime intelligence provider in Dallas.

"In the past, the sky lining of cyber events has been viewed as gambits to obtain budget for a business unit without a clearly defined ROI," he told TechNewsWorld.

"The current exposure and coverage related to ransomware doesn't appear to have significantly moved the needle," he said.

"It may also be that executive teams feel that their cyber insurance is the gap coverage to areas they can't really operationally fix, but this viewpoint is equally dangerous," Hoffman added.

Short-Sighted Policy

Chris Clements, vice president of solutions architecture for Cerberus Sentinel, a cybersecurity consulting and penetration testing company in Scottsdale, Ariz. agreed that a defense strategy that leans on cyber insurance is a short-sighted one.

"Cyber insurance may pay out to help offset the costs of paying a ransom, but that's never guaranteed," he told TechNewsWorld.

"Very often a ransomware attack means that business stops completely; rendering the victim unable to deliver service to their customers," he said. "I don't think enough executives take that into account when planning their cybersecurity strategy."

"Your business could come to an abrupt stop and may not restart for days or even weeks afterward leaving employees idle, customers without products or services, and significant revenue losses," he explained.

"The same way that car insurance isn't a substitute for seatbelts or airbags," he continued, "cybersecurity insurance isn't a replacement for implementing critical security controls."

"Recognizing the seriousness of the ransomware threat is easy," added Cherise Esparza, CPO, CTO and co-founder of SecurityGate, a cybersecurity software company in Houston.

"What isn't easy is connecting the threat back to the business risk and impact, then trying to determine if the threat is likely enough to warrant resources to protect against it," she told TechNewsWorld.

Better Access to Brass

Communication may also play a role in the gap between awareness and preparedness.

"One of the main disconnects among today's security leaders is communication upstream with the C-level," observed Chuck Everette, director of cybersecurity advocacy at Deep Instinct, a deep learning cybersecurity company in New York City.

"The typical tenure for today's security leaders and CISOs is only around 12 months," he told TechNewsWorld. "Due to the short amount of time they are in the role, communication upstream is not always streamlined or efficient because they have not built the relationships or trust at the C-level or board level."

However, he added that security leaders have greater access to the top brass in their companies than ever before.

"There has been a shift of where security leaders report to within organizations," he explained.

"In the past, they reported to CFOs or CIOs, but now they are starting to report directly to the CEO, which is where they should be," he said.

"Security leaders today must have that influence and visibility with the CEOs to properly advise them of the threats to their company and how to mitigate them," he continued. "This type of information cannot be filtered or diluted."

Personal Accountability Needed?

One way to close the awareness-preparedness gap is to give C-level executives a taste of life during a crisis.

"I've seen enterprises rapidly elevate their protection efficacy after training has included war gaming using executive-level cyber-ranges," observed Gunter Ollmann, CISO of Devo Technology, a logging and security analytics company in Cambridge, Mass.

"Having the executive team spend a day actively responding to a ransomware incident that includes mock press interviews, releasing update emails to customers and partners, and crisis management, seems to focus minds and reinforces that a cyber incident affects all parts of the business," he told TechNewsWorld.

However, more than better communication and empathy may be needed to close the awareness-preparedness gap.

"Organizations will not adjust executive management culture and priorities until they're held personally accountable for data breaches and disruptions in operations caused by ransom-based malware," said Simon Aldama, principal security advisor at Netenrich, a San Jose, Calif.-based IT and digital security operations company.

"Change is driven when an executive's personal well-being and finances are directly affected," he told TechNewsWorld.

John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.






UK export of red meat to US reaches US$25.9 million following lifting of beef ban

The United Kingdom has exported 19 million (US$25.9 million) worth of red meat to the United States in the first year since a ban on beef was lifted.

Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) data shows 1,211 tonnes (2.7 million pounds) of beef was exported to the US between January and August this year. Four sites in the UK are listed to ship beef to the country.

During the same period, more than 4,600 tonnes (10.1 million pounds) of pig meat was sent to the US, which is up nearly 10% compared to 2020.

The US banned beef from Europe after the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) outbreak in 1996. BSE is also called mad cow disease. The country started to reopen its market for beef from the EU, starting with the Republic of Ireland, in 2015. Market access for UK beef was granted in March 2020.

Susana Morris, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board's (AHDB) senior export manager for the Americas, said the figures were encouraging.

"America is proving to be an attractive market for our beef as the country is experiencing high domestic consumption, rising demand from international customers and stronger demand from retail and foodservice as well as lower stocks in cold storage. There is also strong demand for meat in the United States due in part to extra household savings  all of which presents an opportunity for us to take a larger slice of the market and grow our shipments even further," she said.

"Pork prices in the United States are also high compared to a year ago due to tight supplies and a lack of market-ready pigs, tighter production schedules and strong demand has led to lower stocks in cold storage. This combined with the suspension of the 25% tariff earlier this year has given our exporters a fantastic boost and we look forward to seeing these figures increase."

Exports of pork and beef to Canada have also grown this year. Pork shipments are up 54% to 1,183 tonnes (2.5 million pounds) and beef shipments reached 1,341 tonnes (2.95 million pounds).

In September this year, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the United States would also lift the ban on British imports of lamb but no shipments have yet started.

A case of classical BSE, detected on a farm in Somerset, England, was reported to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) in mid-September. This led to the Philippines temporarily banning beef exports from the UK and China halting imports of cattle under 30 months of age.

The animal was not sent for slaughter and did not enter the food chain with UK officials saying there was no threat to food safety or human health.

- Food Safety News




Aviagen Kft congratulates latest Ross 400 and 140 Club members in Romania

Aviagen Kft customers Avicola Buzua, Avicola Tartaseti Poultry and Oprea Avicom are sterling examples to poultry growers throughout Romania. They have demonstrated the breeder and broiler performance possible when excellent stockmanship combines with dedication and teamwork to maximize the genetic potential of Ross birds. In October, Paul Anton, Sales & Technical Manager, from Aviagen Kft traveled to the offices of these customers to present them with awards and certificates for their Ross 140 and Ross 400 Club achievements.

All three companies are repeat Ross 140 Club winners  an impressive accomplishment in itself. This year marks the fifth award in a row for Avicola Tartaseti and Oprea Avicom, and the third for Avicola Buzua. Avicola Tartaseti's Farm 10 entered this year's Ross 140 Club with a top breeder score of 159.84 chicks per hen housed (chicks/HH), and Avicola Buzua reached 154.5 chicks/HH on its Calarasi Farm. Oprea Avicom's Sincai Farm achieved 158.5 chicks/HH, while at the same time attaining a European Production Efficiency Factor (EPEF) broiler performance of 414.42 and earning entrance to the Ross 400 Club.

"We are thrilled to celebrate the accomplishments of Avicola Buzua, Avicola Tartaseti and Oprea Avicom, who are shining examples to our entire region of the year-on-year improvements possible with hard work, skill and a passion for their birds," explained Paul.

Gabriela Nicolae, General Manager of Avicola Tartasesti Poultry, added, "We are very proud to be part of the Ross 140 Club and to exceed the benchmark each year. Thank you to our deserving team members for their efforts, and many thanks to the Aviagen customer support team for the help they have provided throughout the years."
Prof. Dr. Aimee van Wynsberghe is Humboldt Professor and Director of the Sustainable AI Lab at the University of Bonn.

AI can be an important tool for sustainable development - for example, by helping to reduce the energy consumption of large factories or predicting natural disasters. However, the applications also have a downside: For example, developing AI models produces CO2 emissions.

Many research publications focus on artificial intelligence (AI) in relation to sustainable development goals. However, there is little research on the often hidden environmental costs of AI. As of now, researchers from the Sustainable AI Lab at the University of Bonn are addressing this  at the UN Climate Conference in Glasgow, they want to draw attention to the issue with a piece of art. It is intended to remind people how nature works  and that AI can get in the way of this. Prof. Dr. Aimee van Wynsberghe, director of the Sustainable AI Lab, will speak at the conference on November 10th at 11:00 am.

The UN Climate Conference in Glasgow is an opportunity for researchers at the University of Bonn to raise awareness of the environmental issues associated with AI  both in terms of the impact of using AI on climate change, and who will bear the costs. To draw attention to this, the team is collaborating with Dutch artist Roosmarijn Pallandt.

The artwork Lights sounds air

Every evening, when the delegations have departed, the entire site of the UN Climate Conference will be immersed in a sound composition made up of the vibrations of plants and trees  they extract CO 2 from the atmosphere and turn light into oxygen. The art installation is made possible by recording the sounds of plants and trees at work with the help of special microphones.

The artwork brings us closer to nature and makes us think about how much AI is limiting nature's ability to heal itself. Artists' creativity helps us identify new areas of research and think outside our usual patterns, von Wynsberghe said.

Officially launching Nov. 25th, 2021, the Sustainable AI Lab aims to be a place where researchers from different disciplines collaborate and conduct research on the environmental, social and economic costs of designing, developing and using AI in society. The questions to be explored span multiple disciplines and levels of analysis; research will explore, for example:

Justify the value of sustainability of AI,

draw out the strength of the concept of sustainability,

measure environmental costs of AI,

understand the impact of AI on generations, and

create guidelines for policy, to develop environmentally friendly, appropriate and sustainable use of AI.

Together, the team is working to strengthen Germany as a recognized center for research in AI ethics.
The authoritative UK business weekly The Economist warns that Algeria's decision to cut its natural gas supply to Morocco could "hurt Spain too". Under the title 'Things are heating up in Western Sahara', the publication highlights the desert dispute between these two countries that have maintained their rivalry in a decades-long conflict centred on the Polisario Front, which it refers to as "a nationalist movement seeking independence".

As an example, The Economist notes that, in the last year, Morocco has registered with the UN more than a thousand "incidents" of its units being fired on. The Polisario says it has staged more attacks than that along the "worlds longest frontlinea 2,700km (1,700-mile) wall of sand, or berm, built by the Moroccan army and sown with mines" but also claims that Morocco is responsible for about two dozen deaths, including both soldiers and civilians.

Looking at the economic terrain of the war, the main route of entry of Algerian gas into Europe is via a Spanish state that is "in the midst of an energy crisis" with prices rising. And the weekly reiterates that the Pedro Sanchez government "has been forced to try to adopt a series of measures to minimize the impact on consumers." The closure of the pipeline through which Algeria sends most of the gas it exports to Spain could end up turning the Spanish government into a "collateral victim."

Why does it not affect other European countries?

The decision to cut this supply route has been taken by Algiers and affects only the MaghrebEurope Gas (MEG) Pipeline that reaches Spain through Moroccan territory. To stop the flow-on of the closure to Europe, Algeria reiterates its commitment to the alternatives: firstly, sending gas to Spain via the second pipeline connection it has across the western Mediterranean, the Medgaz Pipeline, as well as in the form of liquefied gas by ship. Nevertheless, it is stressed that the crisis has raised fears that Spain could see its gas reserves compromised or reduced, or that it will have to pay more for its needs in a European environment of rising energy costs and supply doubts, which come on top of domestic tensions due to the already significant increase in the electricity price in Spain, which, in turn, could rise even more with this crisis.

Since this January, the Medgaz pipeline, between Beni Saf, in Algeria, and Almeria, in Spain, has had an expanded transmission capacity. The expansion project was based on the installation of a fourth turbocharger. The Medgaz company, owned by Algeria and the Spanish multitnational Naturgy, operates the submarine pipeline.

The article in The Economist is the latest foreign news outlet to look with concern at the portents for a serious Spanish crisis. Last week, The New York Times stressed that Spain is facing a significant reduction in its natural gas supply. The US newspaper highlights in a report by Raphael Minder how quickly "the geopolitics of energy" can change following Algeria's decision to suspend the supply of gas through the MEG pipeline crossing Morocco.

For its part, France Info points out that Algeria is turning off the tap in Morocco and "Spain is paying the price". The French broadcaster compares Algeria with Russia in the strategy of using this natural resource as a method of pressure: "Since 1996, Morocco has been a transit country for Algerian gas, exporting to Spain and Portugal and supplying 10 billion cubic metres annually. At a time when gas prices have skyrocketed, Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune has ordered a stop to the renewal of the pipeline contract with Morocco in protest at what Algiers considers hostile practices by its neighbours, and with the Western Sahara controversy underlying the situation".

As well, the UK agency Reuters reports that the Spanish minister of energy transition, Teresa Ribera, says that "Spain has 43 days of gas reserves after the closure of the pipeline," thus putting some actual numbers on the countdown faced by Sanchez to find an alternative.

The seeds of the crisis go back a long way. This weekend, as the Morrocan embassy to Madrid has noted in a tweet, marked the 46th anniversary of "the glorious Green March that culminated in the recovery of the Moroccan Sahara that heads the permanent pact uniting the crown and the people in the unity of the nation".

The so-called Green March marked an unarmed Moroccan invasion of parts of the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara, which was in turn the subject of a confused pact with Spain as the European country withdrew its colonial presence in the last days of the dictator Franco's rule. Since 1963, Western Sahara has been regarded by the United Nations as a non-self-governing territory with a right to decolonization.
Assault linked to firework incident in Ramsey

Police are investigating a number of suspected linked incidents in Ramsey Town Centre.

They occurred from 11pm onwards last Friday.

Officers received a number of calls from members of the public in quick succession, initially outlining an incident on West Quay; during which a group of persons were reportedly lighting fireworks close by to the swing bridge, before ultimately coming into conflict with a number of other persons in the area at the time. A matter of minutes later, a male and female were reportedly assaulted by a group of males on Queens Promenade.

It would appear that these incidents are linked, and that the persons instigating the conflict in both locations stated are one and the same.

Officers are particularly interested in speaking with a group of male cyclists, who were believed to be in the area at the time of both incidents. This group of cyclists is described as being comprised of around 20 males, aged between 30 and 50 years of age. The group is believed to have travelled from Ramsey to Laxey immediately following the events.
Political Delegations for the Department for Enterprise announced

Minister for Enterprise Dr Alex Allinson MHK has formally appointed his new Political Members for the Department for Enterprise. Ann Corlett MHK and Tim Johnston MHK join the Department alongside existing members Rob Callister MHK and Peter Greenhill MLC.

The delegations are as follows:

Rob Callister MHK Visit Isle of Man and Motorsports Ann Corlett MHK Digital Isle of Man and cross-cutting initiatives, including Locate Isle of Man Peter Greenhill MLC Finance Isle of Man and Manx National Heritage Trustee Tim Johnston MHK Business Isle of Man and Enterprise Support

The Minister will retain responsibility for Work Permits, the Isle of Man Aircraft and Ship Registries, Central Registry, the Isle of Man Post Office and Properties.

The Minister commented: We are now at a significant point in the further development of our economy  with recovery from COVID ongoing and the creation of a new economic strategy underway to establish a framework for the Isle of Mans long term vision. Ive selected a team of members that have a wealth of experience in business and government to drive forward new policies, products and promotion for our Island.

I am extremely pleased that Rob has agreed to continue with his role as member for Visit Isle of Man. He has been an integral part of the Visit Agency since inception and has helped to support the industry throughout a very difficult period. His experience and commitment will be essential as we work to rebuild our visitor economy.

I am appreciative too that Peter has agreed to widen his remit as member for Finance Isle of Man into supporting Manx National Heritage and delighted that we have two new members joining the Department. Ann will be helping shape our response to the Islands skills shortages  the single biggest challenge facing our businesses, and will also become a member on the Digital Isle of Man Agency who are progressing with a number of exciting new initiatives. Tim will bring his extensive experience across a number of sectors and businesses to the benefit of our diverse Business Agency as well as oversee the extensive support schemes we provide under Enterprise Support.
The Department of Justice has unsealed charges against a Ukrainian national over a ransomware attack against IT company Kaseya in July. Authorities in Poland arrested Yaroslav Vasinskyi last month and proceedings are underway to extradite him to the US.

He has been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud and related activity in connection with computers, several counts of damage to protected computers and conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted on all charges, Vasinskyi faces a maximum sentence of 115 years in prison.

According to the indictment , Vasinskyi used a Kaseya product to distribute ransomware . As many as 1,500 businesses and organizations around the world were affected. REvil , the ransomware group Vasinskyi is linked to, originally demanded $70 million in exchange for unlocking victims' systems. Three weeks after the attack took place, Kaseya deployed a decryption key , which allowed its customers to regain access to their computers.

The DOJ also revealed it has seized $6.1 million in alleged ransom payments obtained by Russian national Yevgeniy Polyanin, another alleged member of REvil. Polyanin, who remains at large, has been accused of carrying out Sodinokibi/REvil ransomware attacks against several targets, including businesses and government departments in Texas, in August 2019. Polyanin faces similar charges to Vasinskyi. If convicted, Polyanin is looking at a maximum prison sentence of 145 years.
It's about to be a BIG WEEK for Disney fans.

In what very well may become an annual tradition, The Walt Disney Company has announced that Friday, November 12, will be a day dedicated to all their Disney+ subscribers and fans for supporting them in their new venture these past two years. There are tons of promotions going on on that day, and throughout the week to get people excited, and between the announcements, the deals, and the perks, it seems like they truly wanted to make sure this special celebration has something for everyone.

Firstly, for those who are not yet Disney+ subscribers, now through Sunday you can get a promotional deal of one month of the service for just $1.99, whether or not you've been a subscriber before.

For those who happen to be at or near a Disney Park this week, Disney is allowing all Disney+ subscribers with valid admission on Friday extra time in the park - guests at Disney World and Disneyland can enter up to 30 minutes early, and in Disneyland Paris and Hollywood Studios Parks, there will be special opportunities for character moments, and complimentary PhotoPass downloads.

For those interested in getting some VERY early Christmas shopping done, Disney is also doing tons of deals on their merchandise online, offering free shipping to the US and Europe, and they're also rolling out limited-time customizable products from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars properties. They're also offering 99 cent deals on select eBooks. Plus, many of the companies they partner with, like Funko, WizKid, and Target.

Of course, the most exciting part of this Disney-brand Magic holiday is the new releases: Disney+ announced this morning that they'll be adding several fan favorite movies and shows to the platform on Friday, including the beloved 2007 live-action fairy tale Enchanted - which is due for a sequel in the near future.

Most exciting, though, are the anticipated announcements coming Friday: Starting at 6 AM PT (9 AM EST), fans can keep their eyes on Disney's social media accounts for first looks and new trailers and clips from various new content headed to Disney+.

Additionally, those who are already subscribed on November 12 will be treated to exclusive new specials: Pixar will premiere theirs at 8 AM PT (11 AM EST) and Marvel's will arrive 45 minutes later, at 8:45 AM. There will also be exclusive sneak peeks available only to subscribers.

So fans, if there was ever a week to don those Mickey Ears you thought you'd never wear outside the parks, it's this week - Happy Birthday, Disney+!
From undrunk beer to unfinished forestry equipment, businesses deliberate just-in-time or just-in-case inventories

Companies are wrestling with how big their inventories should be, since the pandemic highlighted the dangers of having both too much and too little stored away.

When the pandemic first struck, and demand for many goods dived, some companies were left holding large, costly inventories. But closed borders, strained supply chains and rebounding demand meant bigger stock buffers can prove positive.

Now, the question of whether to maintain costly extra stockpiles or risk getting caught out again by disruption has emerged among the host of dilemmas businesses face, from whether to reshore production to how to best transport goods.

Companies on the S&P 500, excluding sectors that have few physical stockpiles like finance, increased their inventories by an average of 15% in the second quarter versus the comparable period in 2019, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. Those inventories were 53% higher than the 10-year pre-Covid quarterly average.

Businesses from Nissan Motor Co. to PepsiCo Inc. say the decadeslong trend of hyper-efficient supply chains, often referred to as just in time manufacturing, could be ending. In a speech in October, President Biden said the world needed to take a longer-term view, as he announced measures to help alleviate port congestion.

However, many companies say they will likely return inventories to pre-Covid levels when trading conditions normalize. Holding large inventories ties up capital, requires extra space and people to manage it and needs to be insured. It is also a problem for companies selling products with a sell-by date.

Since the start of the pandemic, Austrian construction giant Strabag SE has squirreled away so much extra building material, like steel and lumber, that rivals sometimes accused it of buying up everything, said Thomas Birtel, its chief executive. But that move isnt a lasting change in strategy.

Our margins are so, so narrow that as soon as the situation and the ability to deliver has normalized, we will come back to a normal rhythm, said Mr. Birtel.

Kevin Keegan, an inventory-planning expert at consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, said his clients tell him they will draw down inventories once supply chains recover. Cost is still the driver for companies, he said.

Others worry that stockpiling products could leave them sitting on goods that expire.

Incyte Corp.s inventory of finished products was 156% higher in the second quarter than in the same period of 2019, partly because the drugmaker was seeking protection against supply-chain disruption. Finance chief Christiana Stamoulis said she expected inventories to return to pre-pandemic levels next year, once supply chain strains ease.

We had an approach [pre-pandemic] that worked well, she said. You dont want inventory that would expire.

Inventories can be problematic going into a demand shock like a pandemic. Companies like car makers and luxury-goods brands were left sitting on stockpiles they couldnt use when demand collapsed last year. Drinks companies including Guinness maker Diageo PLC and Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev SA shared the cost of undrunk beer with their distributors to spare bars and restaurants from picking up the tab during lockdowns.

In the first four months of 2020, as the virus took hold, shares of S&P 500 companies that had higher inventory levels fell much further than those with slimmer stockpiles, according to a study by New Zealands Auckland University of Technology.

The costs of carrying inventory during the period of depressed consumer demand and sales outweigh the benefits of inventory holdings as a buffer against supply-chain disruptions during this pandemic, the research paper concluded.

Still, some companies say their inventories will remain higher or be spread across locations. For years, German forestry-equipment seller BaSt-Ing GmbH used to order parts around a week before needing them, but the pandemic left the company struggling to secure what it needed. The firm has increased inventory of some parts to levels that will cover it for the next six months, up from the usual one- to two-month coverage.

We always used to order just-in-time, now we had to shift to just-in-case, said managing director Josef Strobl, adding that he would wait to see how supply-issues shake out before deciding whether to resume his previous strategy.

Gilead Sciences Inc. said it was significantly increasing its inventory of auxiliary products and tools, like syringes, glass vials and filters, which were suddenly in shortage during the pandemic.

If you dont have them, you cant make the product, said Ken Kent, who manages manufacturing operations at the U.S.-based pharmaceutical company. Previously items like syringes were kind of ubiquitous, he added.

Accountants love [just in time], but the end, buyers dont like it. I call it just-not-in-time, Mr. Kent said.

Other companies say they will likely go back to normalized inventory levels, but will change how they manage them. For instance, some multinationalsincluding Incyteplan to decentralize stocks to place them closer to customers, giving them localized stockpiles to dip into during supply-chain strain.

Swiss drug giant Novartis AG is working to ensure each country it sells to has a second supply point for key products.

One thing we learned last year was to have strategic inventory in more places...decreasing the dependency on single locations, said Amit Nastik, head of operations for Novartis manufacturing and supply organization.

Alistair MacDonald & Georgi Kantchev

 : www.wsj.com
Laboral

El Congreso examina la ley de interinos tras acordar concursos y no oposicion para plazas de mas de 5 anos
Boutique creative consultancy, RF Thunder, owned by the Ruder Finn Group, is expanding their operations outside of China. This year the consultancy is opening up three new offices in India, located in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, and has plans to launch a Singapore office in 2022.

RF Thunder provides a wide range of integrated communications services, including digital strategy, market analysis, content creation and reputation management across the lifestyle, corporate, healthcare and technology sectors, the company said.

Alongside the expansion, Ruder Finn has appointed Gao Ming to Managing Director of RF Thunder China, where he will be responsible for RF Thunders overall operations and business development in China. Gao Ming will also continue his current role as Senior Vice President, Managing Director of Luxury Practice Greater China. A trusted advisor based in Shanghai, Gao Ming has been driving Ruder Finns luxury practice for the past 20 years, advising clients such as Richemont, LVMH, Hermes and LOreal.

RF Thunder is a dynamic agency full of talented people. Over the past ten years, RF Thunder has gradually grown into a powerful communications consultancy with unstoppable future prospects, says Gao Ming. I am delighted to lead RF Thunder offices across China, together with the influential Ruder Finn Group regional network, the team has the support to develop one-of-a-kind communications strategies. I look forward to creating more impactful projects and valuable services for our clients, and to discovering more possibilities for the sustainable development of the agency and our employees.

Led by Suvir Paul, Executive Vice President, RF Thunders India operations will integrate traditional public relations with digital marketing and technological development across earned, owned, shared and paid platforms. Paul will be supported by Proteek Dey, Head of Digital, responsible for creating a unique RF Thunder digital hub.

As we grow and deepen our integrated communications capabilities, we are thrilled to expand RF Thunder, with the opening of three offices in India, focusing on digital conversations and engagements for our clients, says Elan Shou, Ruder Finn Asia CEO. In Greater China, Gao Ming is a highly experienced communications expert and recognized as one of the most influential opinion leaders. With his impressive track record in advising our clients, I am confident that his expertise will bring RF Thunder to the next level.

Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
The average price of a new vehicle has spiked about 25% since the start of the pandemic, from about $35,000 to a whopping $44,000, according to auto data firm J.D. Power. Shortages of key materials, such as semiconductors, have not only limited the number of vehicles being produced, but also incentivized automakers to build only the most expensive, highest-trim versions of their vehicles.

The result: automakers and dealers are making enormous amounts of gross profits per vehicle sold in their showrooms in a "take or leave it" scenario. In October, dealers made on average $5,129 per unit in gross profit, including contributions from finance and insurance (F&I) sales, smashing the prior record and up an amazing 75% from the same time last year.
Legal liabilities will reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars for the producers, promoters, performers and subcontractors  including security firms  of the Astroworld Festival following the deaths of eight people and injuries of at least two dozen others, legal experts predicted Saturday.

Lawsuits against the music festivals promoter, Live Nation, private security officials and operators of NRG Park, where the festival was held, will likely be hit with lawsuits as early as Sunday or Monday, according to prominent lawyers who specialize in personal injury, wrongful death and premises liability.

Lawyers said rapper Travis Scott, who was performing on stage as the crowd-surging tragedy was taking place in front of him, will almost certainly face lawsuits.

Litigation will be filed by the end of the Monday or sooner because lawyers representing the victims need to move quickly to secure the evidence at the scene and to make sure evidence is not destroyed or tampered with, said Houston attorney Randy Sorrels, who is past president of the State Bar of Texas.

The insurance companies for the defendants are either already on the scene or are on their way, Sorrels said. There will be multiple investigations. OSHA (Occupational Health and Safety Administration) could investigate if any workers at the festival injured.

Efforts to contact officials at Live Nation or lawyers who have represented Live Nation in previous litigation, were unsuccessful.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Astroworld promoters oversaw other events where concertgoers burst through a barricade, trampled fellow fans

In a statement on Instagram, Scott wrote that his prayers are for the victims and he will cooperate fully with a Houston police investigation.

There are multiple parties responsible for the environment at the festival and under Texas law, those parties have a duty to keep it safe, said Houston lawyer Derek Potts. Clearly, they failed, as this was a huge catastrophe. Every party involved also certainly has insurance coverage.

Houston attorney C.J. Baker said he believes that Harris County and the Harris County Attorneys Office will conduct a thorough and extensive investigation about what happened and who is responsible.

A major part of the investigation and litigation to come will focus on video coverage posted online by those who attended the festival.

The thing that has shocked me the most is that there are social media posts of gates and entrances and barriers being torn down hours and hours before the main tragedy that killed the people took place, Baker said. The question is, Could Live Nation, the largest concert provider and promoter in the U.S. have foreseen this kind of thing happening? If the answer is yes, then the damages the company is facing will be hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars.

A key issue in the future litigation in the Astroworld Festival tragedy will focus on the cause of death and injuries, according to Houston trial lawyer Rusty Hardin.

If the evidence shows that people were not trampled to death but instead died or injured because of pressure against them leaving them unable to breathe, then I think the producers will face even greater liability, Hardin said.. These were (thousands of) people pushing to be as close to the stage and storming in to be as close to Travis Scott as they could be and people were being squeezed.

Was the crowds reaction and the potential danger foreseeable?  Hardin said. The problem is, can you manage or control that number of people when you know they are going to storm the stage when Travis Scott is performing?

On HoustonChronicle.com: How the tragedy at Astroworld unfolded

Hardin said focusing on the security guards for responsibility is misplaced.

But Hardin and other legal experts say Scott could be facing significant liability.

If the performer could tell there was a problem or if the performer agitated or incited the crowd, then the performer will have legal liability, Baker said. There is going to be a lot of video to review and we are going to know who said what and who did what.

Live Nation, based in California, was also the promoter and producer of the 2017 event at MGMs Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas in which a Nevada man opened fire and killed 58 people and injured hundreds more. The victims and their families sued MGM and Live Nation. Those lawsuits were settled for an undisclosed amount.

We dont know all the facts yet, but the producer, Live Nation, obviously has the most exposure, said Richard Mithoff, a prominent Houston lawyer. These guys do concerts like this regularly and they have the expertise to know about safety and security and whether there are enough escape routes.

For a longer version of this article, please visit TexasLawbook.net.
San Antonio is home to some of Texas' most iconic businesses like HEB and Whataburger and is also the headquarters for nationally known corporations like USAA and Rackspace Technology.

Those businesses are just a few of the 146,000 employers in the area, according to Greater: SATX, formerly known as the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation.

On ExpressNews.com: 8 city of San Antonio jobs you've probably never heard of

Within city limits, Texas grocer HEB is the Alamo Citys largest employer. Other major employers within city limits include the 4,000-person workforce at Cullen/Frost Bankers and Bill Miller Bar-B-Q with its 3,500 employees.

The barbecue chain and Frost, however, are not among the top 10 businesses with the most employees in the San Antonio area.

According to Greater: SATX, government and military, education and food services make up most of the top 10 list below.

Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland

Kin Man Hui/Staff photographer

Founded: 1945

Number of employees: 33,300

What they do: Lackland is part of Joint Base San Antonio, the Department of Defense's largest joint base, which is an amalgamation of Lackland, Joint Base-Fort Sam Houston and Joint Base-Randolph.

Lackland was initially a part of Kelly AFB, which at its closing was the oldest continuously operating flying U.S. Air Force base and the single largest employer in San Antonio. Lackland is home to the 37th Training Wing, which oversees the five technical training schools on the base. Lackland is perhaps best known for its role in being the sole site for the U.S. Air Force enlisted Basic Military Training for active duty for the Air Force, reserve and National Guard.

HEB

Billy Calzada /Staff photographer

Founded: 1905

Number of employees: 20,000

What they do: H-E-B has more than 360 supermarkets, superstores and gourmet markets throughout Texas. In addition to groceries, the company owns a variety of local restaurants, including True Texas BBQ and South Flo Pizza. H-E-Bs stores can be found across the Lone Star State.

USAA

Kin Man Hui /Staff photographer

Founded: 1922

Number of employees: 19,000

What they do: USAA provides insurance, banking and other financial services geared toward the nations military community. The company offers assistance with things like renters insurance, annuities, checking and savings accounts, home mortgages and personal loans. In addition to their suite of financial products and services, the business offers a variety of assistance programs intended to help veterans and military spouses transition to civilian life.

City of San Antonio

Billy Calzada /Staff photographer

Founded: 1718

Number of employees: More than 13,000

What they do: The city of San Antonio is the seventh largest city in the United States. The city employs police officers, firemen, lifeguards, urban planners and chauffeurs. Erik Walsh is the city manager and he oversees San Antonios employees. He also manages an annual $2.9 billion operating and capital budget.

Joint Base-Randolph

JERRY LARA /San Antonio Express-News

Founded: 1930

Number of employees: 12,000

What they do: Randolph is the Air Forces premier base for pilot instructor training and combat systems officer training. Both the Air Education and Training Command and the 12th Flying Training Wing call the base home.

San Antonio Independent School District

Carlos Javier Sanchez | Contribu/pixelreflexmedia.com

Founded: 1899

Number of employees: 11,000

What they do: As the citys founding school district, SAISD serves about 47,000 students across more than 90 schools.

Baptist Healthcare System

Daniel Carde/Special Contributor

Founded: 1903

Number of employees: 7,500

What they do: Baptist Health System includes acute care hospitals, urgent care clinics, imaging centers and free-standing emergency departments.

Rackspace Technology

Marvin Pfeiffer

Founded: 1998

Number of employees: 6,500

What they do: Rackspace Technology manages businesses apps, data, security and multiple clouds so they can adopt new technologies and maximize their IT investments. Rackspace Technology serves clients from a wide range of industries, including healthcare, financial services and hospitality.

Whataburger

William Luther / Staff photographer

Founded: 1950

Number of employees: 6,000

What they do: The Texas-grown burger chain operates more than 820 stores, with over 670 in Texas alone. In 2019, Chicago-based DBT Capital Partners acquired a majority stake in the company from founder Harmon Dobsons family. The company has kept its headquarters in San Antonio.

Timothy.Fanning@express-news.net
No one should be surprised the Trump administration hatched a plan to put private insurance companies in charge of Medicare. Whats shocking is how President Joe Biden is moving forward with it.

The 50-year-old, government-operated health program for the elderly will slowly and irrevocably end up managed by for-profit insurers under the Global and Professional Direct Contracting Model. The Center for Medicare Services says the program will increase access to innovative, affordable care while maintaining all original Medicare benefits.

Wall Street expects it will generate billions in new dividends for health care companies. Critics warn seniors will find it harder to obtain care, and taxpayers will end up paying more than ever.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Democrats no better at controlling health costs, Big Pharma wins again

This is not the first effort to hand over Medicare patients to private companies in the name of cost-saving. Recently, I explained how Medicare Advantage programs were failing to save taxpayer money and leaving many enrollees disappointed. But while seniors can opt out of Medicare Advantage, Direct Contracting will involuntarily put them in the same boat or a potentially leakier one.

Anyone whos dealt with Medicare has experienced its mind-numbing complexity. Personal experiences vary based on plan choice and health conditions. But the fundamental question is why politicians think private insurance companies using Direct Contracting will deliver a better experience while making a profit when so far, theyve never succeeded at doing better than government-run Medicare.

Lobbying and campaign donations are the answers. Private companies promise to solve the fundamental problem of Medicare paying doctors and hospitals a fee for each service they perform rather than paying providers to keep people healthy.

Primary care doctors are paid very little to prevent chronic problems, such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease, the biggest financial burdens on the system. But the surgeons and specialists who treat these problems when they become life-threatening make fortunes.

A few years ago, I praised the Accountable Care Organization/Medicare Advantage model because it encouraged providers to form teams of primary care providers and specialists. Instead of paying fee-for-service, Medicare paid an annual rate for each patient. If the team saved money by keeping the patient healthy, it kept some of the windfalls.

Medicare Advantage, though, drove up costs to taxpayers instead of reducing them. Depending on the program, patients also ended up paying more in deductibles and co-payments than they would have under traditional Medicare.

Despite this track record, the Biden administration paid private companies to take over 30 million traditional Medicare patients in 38 states on Jan. 1 this year. Millions more will be transferred to Direct Contracting in 2022.

Most Direct Contracting companies are investor-backed, for-profit corporations, according to government data. Most have experience with Medicaid Advantage, and Medicare officials expect them to impose similar cost-cutting steps. But can they cut enough to cover their profits and save taxpayers money?

The business opportunity looks vast. Medicare spending is expected to rise from $800 billion in 2019 to $1.6 trillion in 2028 as Baby Boomers live longer. Wall Street considers Direct Contracting firms eight times more valuable per patient than Medicare Advantage firms, even though they are supposed to save money.

Medicare is also offering sweetheart deals that reduce these companies financial risk. In just 18 months, investor-backed funds seeking big profits have put $50 billion of new investment into health care firms involved in Direct Contracting, according to Health Affairs, a non-partisan research journal.

This business model is distorting health care delivery, creating excessive costs for taxpayers and Medicare beneficiaries, draining the Medicare Trust Fund, obstructing the badly needed value transformation of American health care, and diverting the money needed to fund other social services and goods, the Health Affairs researchers concluded.

Corporations, non-profits and practitioners have proven very successful at gaming our for-profit health care system. A recent example is UnitedHealths $100 million lawsuit against emergency physician staffing firm TeamHealth for allegedly exaggerating their patients conditions to generate larger bills.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Social Security and Medicare are in financial trouble, but immigrants will save them

Bidens decision to move forward with Direct Contracting reflects for-profit health companies and investors power over both political parties. Hes rejected a single-payer system like those found in Europe, and he parrots the demonstrably-untrue premise that private enterprise can do a better job than well-managed government employees.

Direct Contracting is also likely to kill any chance for progressive Democrats to make Medicare an option for any American who wants to enroll. If the government puts private companies in charge of all Medicare patients, it will eliminate any opportunity to overhaul our health care system truly.

Next year, millions more Americans will find themselves in privatized Medicare, and most will never know what happened.

Chris Tomlinson writes commentary about business, economics and politics.

twitter.com/cltomlinson

chris.tomlinson@chron.com
Not long after Dr. Steven Davis hired Patricia Ann Doucet to work in his dermatology practice in 2004, he learned she had a criminal past. But he decided to overlook it and give her a second chance.

It was a decision hed come to regret.

Doucet, 74, bilked more than a combined $345,000 from Davis Dermatology & Laser Center San Antonio and StemBioSys Inc., a biomedical firm he cofounded, from 2012 through early 2020.

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On Monday, Senior U.S. District Judge David A. Ezra sentenced Doucet to 46 months in federal prison after she pleaded guilty to 10 counts of wire fraud. She also must serve three years of supervised release and make restitution.

Before the judge imposed the sentence, Davis recounted how the affects of Doucets crimes have been profound and so multifaceted. He cited legal bills hes amassed in fighting to recover from two banks some of the money that she embezzled.

Its unfortunate that the cleverness that Ms. Doucet possesses was used to create such an incredible web of entanglements for me and so many others, Davis said. Of course, Ill never forgive myself for the mistake of a lifetime by giving her that second chance.

Doucet worked for Davis for 16 years  hired in 2004 as a secretary before her promotion to office manager that same year. She had been arrested 12 times since 1982 when she was 35. Nine of the arrests were for theft or the like, prosecutor Matthew Kinskey said in court.

I feel so badly about this, Doucet said to the judge. If I could change it, I would. But I cant. The only thing I can say is, Im sorry.

Doucet added she kept thinking that shed put back the money she stole, but it never worked out that way.

On ExpressNews.com: Former office manager of San Antonio dermatology practice indicted on bank fraud, other charges

Doucet now suffers from Stage IV colorectal cancer that has spread to other organs, a condition discovered after her arrest. She has been in custody since her arrest in April. She is scheduled for surgery soon and then will begin chemotherapy.

Because you are sick, you dont get a pass, the judge told her. You cant commit crimes, serious crimes, financial crimes or otherwise, and receive no punishment for those crimes on the basis that you are sick. Thats just not the way the law works, and its not the way I can sentence her.

Ezra said he would recommend to the Bureau of Prisons that she serve her time at the federal medical center in Springfield, Mo.

A federal grand jury had indicted Doucet in April on 14 charges. She also had been charged with bank fraud, credit card fraud and two counts of identity theft, but those charges were dismissed as part of her plea agreement.

Prosecutors say Doucet used the money she stole to pay rent, buy airplane tickets and make purchases at Target and Amazon.

In late 2019, just about a couple of months before Doucets scheme was uncovered and she was fired, Davis said she started experiencing chest pains in the office.

Davis pleaded with her to go see a doctor. He finally got her to go and it was discovered that she was having a heart attack. A cardiologist put a stent in her coronary artery that saved her life.

Davis visited her in the hospital.

She was so happy. There were tears in her eyes, Davis remembered, adding she thanked him so much for saving her life.

Doucet returned to work just six days later and then proceeded to steal $2,800 in checks and cash before she was caught.

The anecdote speaks to Doucets ability to steal without remorse, he said.

In her plea agreement, she admitted to misusing a bank account that Davis has set up for a nonprofit event. He assumed the account was closed after the event concluded.

Doucet began to siphon checks and cash payments that were paid to the practice by depositing them in the still-open account, her plea agreement said.

Davis was unaware that Doucet endorsed checks by signing his name or by altering a stamp for deposits in the practices bank account. She manually crossed out the account number for the business account and wrote in the symposiums account number.

Over the nearly eight years the scheme went on, Doucet deposited 291 checks totaling $294,963 and eight cash deposits totaling $2,496 into the symposium account, the plea agreement said.

Around the same time Doucet began making the illicit deposits, she opened a credit card at Chase Bank in the name of StemBioSys  a manufacturer and developer of advanced stem cell technologies  without Davis consent.

StemBioySys had given Doucet a large cash bonus and stock options for her work in helping with the companys launch, Davis recalled. She rewarded them for that by racking up more than $150,000 in charges on the StemBioSys credit card. Davis was the guarantor on the card.

Obviously, the betrayal runs deep, he said.

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In 2014, Doucet opened two more credit cards  one in Davis name and one in the names of both her and the doctor. She used the cards for personal purchases, including meals and travel.

Doucet also siphoned cash payments made to Davis practice, the plea agreement stated. From early 2018 to almost right up to her firing in early 2020, Doucet misappropriated about about $47,500.

In a civil lawsuit against Frost Bank, Davis wants the bank to pay the practice for all of Doucets unauthorized transfers.

In an answer to the suit, Frost said it reserves the right to show that Davis damages were caused by his or others negligence and failure to exercise ordinary care.

A judge denied Frosts motion to compel arbitration, but a state appeals court reversed that ruling after determining the bank proved it had a valid arbitration agreement.

In an action against Chase Bank and Doucet, Davis said the bank is holding him responsible for paying $50,000. He wants the court to declare that hes not on the hook.

But hes also sued for breach of contract and negligence. Chase owed him a duty to verify the authenticity and accuracy of Doucets credit application before issuing her a credit card, Davis said. The case is pending.

pdanner@express-news.net
Dr. Barbara Taylor has dedicated her life to battling infectious disease.

Even though her academic career has mainly focused on HIV research, prevention and treatment, especially in underserved populations, she had the background needed when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

When COVID started, all of us continued to do what we do, but anyone in the field of infectious diseases felt called, Taylor said. We all stepped forward, and I quickly became a COVID doctor.

Taylor is an associate professor of infectious diseases at UT Health San Antonios Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, as well as assistant dean for the joint M.D./master of public health degree offered by the school in partnership with the UT Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health in San Antonio.

Taylor, born in Florida, moved to Texas at age 11. She attended Princeton University and graduated with honors in 1995 with two bachelors degrees, in molecular biology and in politics and international affairs.

She received a Fulbright scholarship to go to the Mexican state of Michoacan, where she spent a year studying indoor air pollution in a small indigenous village.

It was really my first experience doing community-based research in a profoundly marginalized community, Taylor said. I had never seen anything like that.

Her time in Mexico confirmed her decision to pursue a career in medicine  one focused on the health consequences of poverty and the social justice component of infectious disease.

She received her M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 2001 and did her residency at New York-Presbyterian Hospital on Columbia Universitys campus. She was hired by Columbia University to do research and clinical care in the division of infectious diseases and worked as an instructor in clinical medicine from 2008-09 and in the HIV clinic at Washington Heights. She also obtained a Master of Science in epidemiology from Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia in 2009.

But starting in 2006, Taylor was spending roughly 30 percent of her time in the Dominican Republic to study HIV in underserved Latinx communities. By 2009, Taylor knew she had to leave New York and move somewhere she could more easily continue her research. She and her spouse began looking for places along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Thats when Dr. Thomas Patterson offered her a job at UT Health San Antonio.

Patterson, professor of medicine and chief of infectious disease at UT Health, said Taylor already had established herself as an outstanding clinician focused on HIV care.

Since then, (she) has really done spectacular work as a clinician, as an educator, as a mentor and a researcher in infectious diseases, Patterson said.

On ExpressNews.com: A 'champion' for dementia patients: San Antonio researcher has dedicated her life to treating Alzheimer's

Before the pandemic, Taylor taught medical students, worked in the hospital and took care of patients living with HIV and other chronic infectious diseases in an outpatient setting. She also researched HIV and other infectious diseases in marginalized populations.

In 2017, Taylor co-founded and, until recently, served as co-chair of the End Stigma End HIV Alliance, a community-based collaboration of San Antonio HIV and AIDS organizations. ESEHA works closely with the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District.

Dr. Junda Woo, medical director of Metro Health, has known Taylor since 2016, when they worked closely together on the steering committee of ESEHA.

(She) understands that we experts are here to amplify the voices and concerns of people living with HIV  not to take center stage, she said. Her enthusiasm, grace and overwhelming efficiency have been key to (ESEHAs) successes.

Woo said Taylor also collaborated with Metro Health on a program known as BEST  Breathe Easy South Texas  that offers tuberculosis screenings to at-risk individuals in 20 counties.

But everything changed when the pandemic hit.

In April 2020, medical students nationwide were barred from working in hospitals. Taylorredeployed dozens of them to serve the community.

Taylors Metro Health contacts had told her the provider hotline was swamped with 300 to 400 COVID-related calls a day. She organized interested students to staff Metro Healths hotline calls regarding testing and patient care.

They also staffed the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital hotline. Later in the pandemic, they worked at vaccine distribution sites.

She also launched a new COVID-19 infectious disease virtual outpatient clinic, a telehealth program through which medical students offered virtual outpatient follow-up for patients who had been discharged.

Students would call the patients, inquire how they were doing, (whether) they had the supplies and the medicines they needed  and if patients werent doing well, then they would escalate the call to residents and fellows who could escalate it to attendants like Dr. Taylor, Patterson said.

Overall, Taylors team helped more than 12,000 patients, Patterson said, and was an important educational tool for medical students. It also helped establish best practices in COVID-19 care.

This group of students later received a new name to encompass all their many activities: the COVID-19 Medical Student Response Team, or Long-CO.

In April 2020, Mayor Ron Nirenberg and County Judge Nelson Wolff convened a health transition team of 18 individuals specializing in infectious disease and public health, community representatives and experts in health equity. Taylor was one of them.

One thing we recommended was that there be a continued way for community and institutions to collaborate with the city and the county on COVID response, Taylor said. It was out of that recommendation that the COVID-19 Community Response Coalition, now known as the COVID-19 Community Response and Equity Coalition, was born.

Taylor currently serves as the coalitions co-chair alongside Metro Health Director Claude Jacobs. Woo also is a member.

Dr. Joshua Hanson, Taylors colleague and the associate dean for student affairs at the Long School of Medicine, said he is amazed by Taylors ability to tackle a problem in a collaborative and engaging way.

Ive always been able to rely on (her) both in terms of hard skills and technical know-how  but also the soft skills of being able to collaborate across institutions, across the city, Hanson said.

As Taylor pivoted toward working with the COVID-19 pandemic, she put her whole heart into it, he said.

She makes it look effortless, but she puts a lot of effort in, Hanson said.

Taylor also has been heavily involved in COVID-19 research as principal investigator of the Novavax vaccine clinical trial in San Antonio, part of the National Institutes of Healths COVID-19 Prevention Network.

Clearly, she is a dynamo and a leading scientist in our communitys COVID response, Woo said. We are endlessly fortunate to have her in San Antonio.

On ExpressNews.com: Read about other San Antonio Lights

The pandemic has been an emotional roller coaster for Taylor. While shes proud to be part of a team providing compassionate care to people in the worst of circumstances, its been hard to watch San Antonios communities of color ravaged by COVID-19.

The structural racism in our society leads to disproportionately impacted communities of color, she said. In a marginalized community, not only am I more likely to get exposed to COVID, but I cant get a test. I live in a multigenerational household and spread it to others. I cant get a steroid to treat me.

But shes hopeful that in the future, lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic will help the medical community serve other marginalized communities disproportionately affected by infectious disease.

Shes really made the community her focus, (and) she embraces the community and the people in it, Patterson said. She really wants to make it a better place to live.

He added that when speaking with her students over the years, many say Taylor  and her focus on viewing global health through a social justice lens  had a meaningful influence on their early career decisions to go into academic medicine and pursue clinical care for patients in underserved communities.

Taylor said the two biggest challenges shes faced during the pandemic are uncertainty  and how to handle it.

We have been dealing with what  was a brand-new virus, Taylor said. There was so much that we did not know at the beginning; and when you dont know about something that could be deadly, that creates massive amounts of stress. And the stress is everywhere.

She said medical and public health experts should be transparent about what they do  and do not  know. But communicating that has been difficult during the pandemic.

It is so hard to  do our jobs as communicators of information in the context of incredibly well-funded disinformation, Taylor said. It is a deep honor to be useful in this way  and its also an incredibly steep learning curve in how to do that well.

Although COVID-19 cases remain high in San Antonio, the death rate is significantly lower, Taylor said.

What were seeing is the impact of vaccines, and it is amazing, she said. Weve done the groundwork in our communities, particularly in people over the age of 65, to get people vaccinated. And that is something that we should all be really proud of.

Taylor called it a scientific miracle that multiple vaccines were developed for a new pathogen in a single year.

It gives me so much faith in science and research and the fact that we can do this  and how many millions of lives are saved, she said.
The day San Antonio Food Bank CEO Eric Cooper found his missing father in an alley, he found his purpose in life.

It was the spring of 1993. Cooper, 22 years old at the time, had left his hometown of Argyle to study business at the University of Utah, where he was an up-and-coming young entrepreneur who had started several businesses. He was preparing to get married when his father abruptly got a job in Portland, Ore., moved out of state and left his mother and younger siblings behind.

Cooper watched his mother, with no history in the workforce, struggle to put food on the table.

Every time I would help them, I would begrudge my dad leaving them in that bad situation, which then caused me to say, I need to find him and tell him what kind of damage he caused, he said.

Cooper set off for Portland and discovered that his father no longer worked for the company where he had originally gotten a job  and that his apartment lease had expired a year and a half earlier.

Cooper attempted to file a missing persons report but was told he should hire a private investigator instead.

Lacking the funds to do so, he started searching himself, papering the city with flyers.

A woman recognized him and told me, I think he works for that transmission shop, Cooper said.

But when he arrived, the shop was closed.

Jerry Lara /Staff photographer

Seeing the closed sign in the window of this transmission shop after being in the state for a few days and looking and looking, it hit me: What was I thinking? Why did I think that he would even be close? he said.

But then he felt prompted to pray.

I prayed, Hey, please, if Im even on the right track, will you just kind of guide me and help me? Cooper said. For all of us in our lifes journey, were all going to see a closed sign metaphorically. And it rocks your confidence in who you are.

Just then, one of the homeless men sitting in an alleyway next to the shop got up and started walking  and Cooper realized it was his missing father.

He looked up and he just came running, Cooper recalled, and he said, Son, I knew you would come.

Cooper took his father to a restaurant hed passed.

Jerry Lara /Staff photographer

The maitre d looked at my dad and then looked back at me, and said, Would you like a table for one? I was standing there  in the lobby with my dad, who wasnt even going to be acknowledged as a human being.

On ExpressNews.com: Read about other San Antonio Lights

How to help Those interested in volunteering their time or donating monetary or canned goods can find more information at safoodbank.org. See More Collapse

It was a watershed moment for Cooper, who would later discover his father struggled with serious mental illness and had been sleeping in an abandoned trailer behind the transmission repair shop, working odd jobs.

Cooper attempted to convince his father to move in with him, but he wouldnt agree. Though it would take years, Cooper eventually managed to help him obtain mental health services and a more stable life.

No one wants to ask for help, no one wants to take it, Cooper said. Its such a place of vulnerability and the stigma that is just admitting failure.

After that experience, Cooper said, he pivoted from the business world to nonprofit management  specifically managing food banks.

I could no longer see someone in need as a stranger, but saw them as a brother or sister, he said. Well, for me, I saw them as my dad, and wanted to do something about it.

He began volunteering and then accepted a job at the Utah Food Bank, where he worked from 1993-99, graduating with a degree in business from the University of Utah in 1998.

Cooper then moved back to Texas to work at the North Texas Food Bank from 1999 to 2000. In 2001, he became the youngest-ever executive director of the San Antonio Food Bank.

The food bank serves 29 counties in Southwest Texas, although its most populous coverage zone is Bexar County. At the time Cooper arrived, financially it was in a mess, he said. It had gone through four CEOs in two years.

Cooper has a uniquely genius business mind for a nonprofit leader, said Michael Guerra, chief development officer for the San Antonio Food Bank. Guerra is Coopers longest-tenured executive team member and has worked with Cooper on philanthropy and capital building projects for more than a decade.

Hes also warm, smart, curious with an uncanny ability to connect with those he encounters, Guerra added.

Frank Burney, a partner at Martin and Drought law firm in San Antonio, knows Cooper well through business partnerships. Hes worked alongside him as aboard member of Workforce Solutions Alamo. He said Cooper has turned the San Antonio Food Bank into one of the highest-performing such agencies in the country.

Guerra said one of Coopers strengths is that hes never satisfied with the status quo and is constantly implementing new strategies to meet the needs of those facing food insecurity in San Antonio.

Jerry Lara /Staff photographer

He wants to solve hunger, to minimize poverty, to move individuals forward to self-sufficiency and independence, Guerra said. No accolades  matter except moving the needle for our neighbors facing hunger.

On ExpressNews.com: Stephen Lucke champions urban agriculture to weed out food insecurity

We try to take a very holistic approach and frame our work in three areas that we call food for today, food for tomorrow and food for a lifetime, Cooper said.

He explained that food for today involves helping people get groceries or meals immediately through food pantries.

Our food for tomorrow work is about helping families apply for public benefits and programs, things that can bring some household stabilization, Cooper went on. He compared the challenges of applying for the supplemental nutrition assistance program to the challenges of filing taxes  and said the food bank served as the TurboTax of applying for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits.

The San Antonio Food Bank also provides monthly food boxes for seniors and after-school meals for children.

Both are often the forgotten faces of food insecurity, Cooper said. Roughly one-third of the people the food bank serves are children and one-third are seniors.

San Antonio is a city of working poor, Cooper said, many of whom cant make a living wage and lack benefit packages from their employers.

San Antonio has one of the highest poverty rates in the country, and were one of the most segregated economically when it comes to the percentage of haves and have-nots, Cooper added. Our wages are low, our educational attainment is low, but our work ethic is high. So it creates a lot of working poor families.

According to the 2019 U.S. census, San Antonio is tied with Miami for the poorest major metropolitan area in the United States, with 13.5 percent of its population living below the poverty line.

The people we serve are working  they just dont make enough, Cooper said.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the citys economic divide grew. It pushed all those families over the edge.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the San Antonio Food Bank served about 60,000 people across the 29 counties it serves. When the pandemic hit and lockdowns began, that number doubled  almost overnight, Cooper said.

We always did these parking lot curbside distributions, and they just exploded because that was (the safest) way  (you) could stay in your car and drive through, so that was probably the biggest pivot, he said. The need for home-delivered meals and food boxes also skyrocketed.

But, he said, I think the biggest challenge for me as a leader  was (the) safety of my team and their families.

The nonprofit has nearly 300 employees, and they were deemed essential workers.

(We knew) one of us could contract the virus, but we have to do what we do, Cooper said. There was just this overwhelming call and cry for help, and there was some receding of support from a corporate volunteerism standpoint and our food supply, restaurants, hotel and caterer donors.

At the top of the pandemic, the situation looked dire. Where the food bank had once been fully stocked, the walls of its 210,000-square-foot warehouse were visible amid empty shelves.

We were shipping two truckloads an hour and receiving half a truckload, Cooper said. The food bank was about to be overdrawn.

But then a miracle happened, he said.

In a time when people could be worried about their future and so much uncertainty, they just started to give, and donations just poured in, said Cooper. The volunteers started to show up.

It gave me energy (and) fed my spirit, Cooper said. Seeing our city majorly step up  it gives me hope that we could actually go a little further and solve some of these root causes, systemic issues of poverty.

He helps our community in so many ways, providing leadership and building partnerships to improve our city, Burney said. His efforts and leadership transformed (the) food bank into an agency ready to tackle any challenge  and when COVID devastated our community, Eric led the cure.

He praised Cooper for using his own personal journey finding his father to jump-start his mission for life.

Eric is symbolic of our citys response to COVID and the challenges that COVID caused, Burney said. His entire life was focused on being the right person at the right time to lead our community.
Bobby Johnsons mother and grandmother brought him to Andys Barber Shop for his first haircut at 1 year old  the year was 1954.

Seventy years later, Johnson calls Andy Banda, the only barber hes ever known, Tio.

Hes family to me, Johnson, 67, said.

One recent drizzly day, Johnson drove Banda, 96, to the shop in the Alamo Hardwoods building at 904 W. Laurel in the old Five Points neighborhood, north of downtown. Banda inched his walker across the wet sidewalk, and Johnson helped him inside.

After 70 years of business, the nonagenarian is turning off his clippers and closing his business because of illness.

Following the pair, photojournalist Jerry Lara and I looked up to see model airplanes hanging from the ceiling. They formed a constellation of warbirds from the past.

On ExpressNews.com: Twins closing barbershop after decades of cutting hair

Two barber chairs were bolted to a green and white checkered tile floor, but it was the box of magazines that swept me back in time to my childhood. My great-grandfather  Theodore H. Martin, a World War II Army veteran  often took me for haircuts in Columbus, Georgia. As he and fellow veterans, church deacons and brickyard-working men solved the ills of the world, Id flip through periodicals like Argosy, Ebony, and Popular Mechanics fanned out on a table like a gamblers hand of cards.

Jerry Lara /Staff photographer

When retired San Antonio Express-News reporter John MacCormack asked if I was interested in a story about the barber and customers long relationship  he had me at barber.

About the author A 22-year veteran of the Air Force, Vincent T. Davis embarked on a second career as a journalist and found his calling. Observing and listening across San Antonio, he finds intriguing tales to tell about everyday people. He shares his stories with Express-News subscribers every Monday morning. See More Collapse

Entering Bandas shop is like walking back in time. Photos of buildings and businesses long gone dot the green-striped walls. A can of Barbasol shaving cream, a bottle of Lucky Tiger aftershave and a tin of white talc lined the counters. A sign that read, Proud to be a Mason, shared wall space with certificates, a caricature of Banda and newspaper clippings. A sepia-toned photo of a younger Banda, in suit and tie, was wedged in the corner of his framed Texas Barber License.

Being in the shop reminded me of the cast of regulars found at barbershops in all ZIP codes: contrary cusses, diplomats, skeptics and the watcher who never says a word. His customers have included workaday men, former Police Chief Fred Palmer and former Mayor Sam Bell Steves.

Banda flipped a switch, and the barbershop pole outside lit up with red, white and blue stripes swirling top to bottom. He told tales of loyal customers who frequented his shop and was thankful to the building owners for providing him with 70 years of shelter.

On ExpressNews.com: Teen sisters start bakery business, give proceeds to San Antonio Food Bank

He was born Andres H. Banda on Nov. 30, 1924, to Tony and Luz Banda in Victoria. Growing up, his father had one hairstyle for him  a soldiers cut  shaved to the scalp.

Jerry Lara /Staff photographer

Banda decided he wanted to cut hair professionally after seeing his barber, Juan Guerra, dressed in a clean, white long-sleeved shirt, garters on the arms and a tie.

Thats what impressed me to become a barber, Banda said.

Another incentive was not working in the sun and sweltering heat, like his father, a carpenter.

During World War II, Banda served three and a half years in the Army Air Corps, stationed in Hawaii and Japan. After the war, he returned home to Victoria, where the segregation he left was still in place. He moved to San Antonio and, in June 1946, attended the former Lewis Barber College that was near San Fernando Cathedral. After six months of training, he apprenticed with a master barber for three years.

With $750 in savings, Banda opened the barbershop in November 1951. Harry Truman was president, Winston Churchill was the United Kingdoms prime minister.

His first customer was a bus driver  one of the steady stream of customers from the San Antonio Transit Company across the street.

Banda said in the early 1970s, he set a personal record  cutting 52 customers hair from 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on a Christmas Eve.

These days, the barber sees many old cronies not in person but in photos printed in the newspapers obituary section. Speaking of the departed, he reminisced about Hortense, his late wife of 53 years.

She was beautiful, Banda said, She gave me two daughters and a son.

For the past 33 years, Johnson has been known as KSYM DJ Bobby J, with a vinyl jazz show on Saturday mornings at San Antonio 90.1 FM. On air, from the San Antonio College campus, he plays tunes from the golden age of jazz, with a heaping of behind-the-scene stories.

Blocks from the broadcast booth, he sat still for Banda, just as he learned the first time he sat on a childrens board propped in the barbers chair.

Banda draped a blue pin-striped cape around Johnson, covering him from his neck to his knees. As the barber cut away stray hairs with his buzzing clippers and combed waves into place, Johnson recalled how styles evolved from flat tops to long hair over the years and prices rose from the original fee of 35 cents to $15 and more.

Related: Customers mourn death of old-school barber

OK, Bobby, Banda said as he finished the job. He put away his tools near combs and razors submerged in a jar of blue, liquid-sanitizing Barbicide. In the shops heyday, it was the source of a strong, antiseptic smell thats now faded.

Thank you, Andy, Johnson replied and handed $20 to Banda. The barber held his palms up as if to say, were good. Johnson nodded and tucked the bill away. The faithful patron, who regularly checks on the veteran hair cutters welfare, grabbed a red broom and swept hair clippings on the floor into a dustpan.

Before Banda locked the door, Johnson slipped $5 into his shirt pocket. That day Johnson, one of the true regulars at the Five Points shop, received what hed hoped for years ago  Banda the Barbers last haircut.

vtdavis@express-news.net
A crucial art installation for the annual Luminaria Arts Festival was stolen just days before it was supposed to be unveiled, according to one of the piece's artists.

Timofey Trofimenkov, the owner of Studio One Eleven and one of the three artists to create the installation, said someone broke into his studio Sunday night and took the keys to his black Nissan Frontier that had a U-Haul trailer hooked up to the back of it and drove off. Trofimenkov said the trailer contained the materials for the massive serpent-shaped installation.

We are pretty shocked, really, Trofimenkov told the Express-News. The festival is in four days and we were really excited about it. We worked on the piece for many months.

On ExpressNews.com: Things to do in San Antonio this week: Luminaria, Indian arts fest, Tommy Emmanuel

Dubbed Breath of the Serpent, the 50-foot-long immersible art work consists of a reptiles mouth and body and is supposed to be an essential focal point at this weekend's festival, which runs Saturday and Sunday at Hemisfair.

The piece was disassembled and stored inside the U-Haul trailer at Trofimenkovs home and studio on 111 Lone Star Blvd. Trofimenkov said he was asleep when the theft occurred.

Jennifer Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the San Antonio Police Department, said a police report was filed but not immediately available for release.

On ExpressNews.com: Luminaria Contemporary Arts Festival names 45 artists, groups for next month's event

The Luminaria Arts Festival, the annual arts blowout, is returning this weekend after it was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic. It will spotlight works from more than 50 artists, most of them based in San Antonio.

The Breath of the Serpent walkthrough experience was designed by Jorge Luis Gamboa, Peyson Jones and Trofimenkov. The piece was slated to be installed along the large walkway in front of the Mexican Cultural Institute at the north end of the Hemisfair, said Annele Spector, a Luminaria representative.

It was definitely a big thing we were looking forward to having at the festival, Spector said.

On ExpressNews.com: Gov. Abbott calls for standards to rid school libraries of 'pornographic' books, images

The installation is complete with LED lights and depicts the evolution of consciousness through a pan cultural representation of the serpent depicted in Russia, Asia and Mesoamerica, Trofinmenkov said.

Trofinmenkov said that the return of the stolen artwork is more important to him than getting the trailer or his truck back.

All I want is to find the piece, he said. Everything else can be replaced, but we would really like to have that piece back. For most people, its just a bunch of sheets and metal. But to us its so much more.

Anyone with any information is asked to call the San Antonio Police Department at 210-207-7273.

Timothy.Fanning@express-news.net
Courtesy of the Kerr County Sheriff's Office

Courtesy of the Kerr County Sheriff's Office

Courtesy of the Kerr County Sheriff's Office

Courtesy of the Kerr County Sheriff's Office

Courtesy of the Kerr County Sheriff's Office

Courtesy of the Kerr County Sheriff's Office

Courtesy of the Kerr County Sheriff's Office

Courtesy of the Kerr County Sheriff's Office

Eight San Antonio men were arrested Friday in a prostitution sting, accused of attempting to solicit women and children into sex, the Kerr County Sheriffs Office said.

On Friday, the sheriffs office  in conjunction with multiple state and local law enforcement agencies  completed a multiday operation to catch people soliciting prostitutes and committing sex crimes against children.

More than 265 suspects across the region were seeking prostitutes, including arrangements with children, the department wrote in a Facebook post.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio men among five arrested during undercover child solicitation sting

Kerr County Sheriffs investigators arrested 20 people who communicated with officers attempting to meet women and minors for sexual conduct.

Men from Bryan, La Vernia, Stockdale, Spring Branch, Fredricksburg, New Braunfels and Kerrville were arrested in the sting on charges including solicitation of prostitution and online solicitation of a minor.

From San Antonio, investigators arrested the following men on the charges indicated:

Joel Morin Jr., 41 solicitation of prostitution

Octavio Rico Viramontes, 38  solicitation of prostitution and possession of a controlled substance

Nicholas Silva, 41  solicitation of prostitution and online solicitation of a minor

Sam Junior Son, 41- Solicitation of prostitution and online solicitation of a minor

Emmett Logan Brown, 41  solicitation of prostitution

Bao V Tran, 31  solicitation of prostitution

Christopher Daniel Walker, 41  solicitation of prostitution

Paz Joaquin Martinez, 44  solicitation of prostitution and manufacturing and delivery of a controlled substance

Kerrville Police, the Bexar County Sheriffs Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety assisted in the sting.

On ExpressNews.com: SWAT raid yields evidence of possible drug, human trafficking in Southwest Side home

As evidenced through interviews and contraband seized in this operation, prostitution is part of a larger picture of criminal activity, including the drug trade and child victimization, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said. Human smuggling, sex trafficking and prostitution are crimes that support each other, and were working hard on all fronts to stop them.

Additional charges may be added as the investigation continues, officials said.

taylor.pettaway@express-news.net
A 27-year-old San Antonio man was fatally shot Sunday night outside a West Side residence.

Police were called to the 300 block of Jesse Avenue after neighbors reported hearing gunshots outside. Once they arrived, they found Daniel Flores lying in the roadway with multiple gunshot wounds.

On ExpressNews.com: Teen arrested in Whole Foods carjacking attempt now charged in separate armed robbery incident

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

While officers did not find witnesses to the shooting, someone reported seeing a male hiding in a shed near the scene. The suspect fled before police got there, and he wasnt located.

The case is active, and no arrests have been made.

taylor.pettaway@express-news.net
Marine Sgt. Robert Briggs was riding down a dirt road at noontime several kilometers outside the big U.S. air base in Da Nang on a hot summer day in Vietnam in 1966 when his jeep hit a mine.

The explosion badly injured the driver. Briggs, 22, applied a tourniquet to the mans knee to stop the bleeding, then jumped into the drivers seat and sped back to the aid station at their small base camp.

Bloodied by shrapnel to his face and upper body but numb to the pain, Briggs had no idea that he, too, had been injured.

I didnt know I was hit. I didnt know until we got back and I was standing outside the medical bunker, said Briggs, who recalled a fellow Marine rubbing one hand down the left side of his face. I dont even remember who it was, it was one of the men in the company. He just looked at me and said, Doesnt it hurt?

It did not. Not yet. He got his wounds patched up and went back to the field.

Kin Man Hui /Staff photographer

On Monday, now 77 and fighting a protracted battle with stage 4 colorectal cancer, Briggs finally received the Purple Heart the Marine Corps should have awarded him 55 years ago.

It was a moment Briggs had anticipated for days  Im going to feel great that anything like this could happen to me, he had said Friday from his home in Universal City.

His older brother, John Briggs, 79, of San Antonio, who served in Vietnam in the Army, was there to see U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro present the medal at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8541.

It was a real honor for me to make the presentation, and I was honored that they would ask me, Castro, D-San Antonio, said after the ceremony. And I just kept thinking the whole time I was coming out here, Im sorry it took 55 years for him to receive this recognition that he earned.

Briggs daughter, Tamatha Briggs, started the process in April or May after realizing he had qualified for the medal, and she doggedly pursued it, calling the Veterans Affairs Department and the Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 1836 in San Antonio.

The oversight by his commanders, or subsequent inaction on the paperwork, was hardly rare in that era. Briggs also qualified for the Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and Marine Corps Medal but never got any of them.

Hes always been my rock, always there for me when I needed somebody to talk to, a shoulder to lean on, and all-around amazing father, grandfather, great-grandfather, Tamatha Briggs said.

On ExpressNews.com: At 100, a San Antonio-area D-Day veteran can finally talk about the war

Robert James Briggs grew up in San Antonio and wanted to be a Marine from the time he was a kid. He joined while he was still 17 in 1962 after graduating from Lee High School, figuring to make it a career.

Vietnam, he said, changed my mind on that.

He served during a period of rapid U.S. escalation in the conflict, from 1965 to 1966, as a field radio operator with C Company, 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division.

Usually, he patrolled with the infantry alongside their tanks. Their job was to protect the air base. The North Vietnamese and Viet Cong occasionally engaged in firefights with the Marines or welcomed them back to their camp with mortar fire at night.

Briggs didnt sleep much.

It could go from nothing happening to total chaos, he said.

When it was time to fight, he focused  and lived by a few simple rules.

Dont think about it, just concentrate on what youre doing. You cant hide, you know that, Briggs said. Dont stand up and run. Youre thinking constantly about that. Dont think about yourself, dont dwell on yourself, thats when youre going to get hurt.

Theyre going to kill you, kill them first  thats exactly what we did, if we could. Dont dwell on that, dont go over and look at them, he said. Dont go stare at their faces or any of that kind of crap  dont do that. You dont want to bring them back with you and dream about it.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio veteran says his unit went 'back to the Stone Age' to survive Korean War rout

Tamatha Briggs, 49, of Converse, a medically retired Air Force and Army enlistee, said her father told her about some of the things he endured in Vietnam but not all of it.

He didnt talk about the bad stuff, but she could tell he held things back, she said.

Robert Briggs conceded that hes wrestled with post-traumatic stress and has gone to the VA for help, but he prefers to focus on the positive  Vietnam could have gotten him in 66, but he came home, worked 35 years for City Public Service, got married and had two daughters.

He now has five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Nora, his wife, died of breast cancer in 2012, but Briggs still has his brother, a source of optimism. John Briggs was in Saigon, and Robert was in Chu Lai and Da Nang, and they never crossed paths in the war zone.

Theyre both alive, the family is good and people around them are upbeat with great attitudes. All of that rubs off, Robert Briggs said.

Hes an amazing person. Hes great with people, hes always outgoing and positive, said Tamatha Briggs, who added that while he is fighting cancer he doesnt appear to be ill.

That was the case Monday as Briggs, dressed in a charcoal gray suit, white shirt and striped tie, stood ramrod straight while posing for photos with Castro and the dozens of well-wishers who gathered at the VFW post.

He savored the moment.

How many people like me can dream that something like this could happen to them? You know youre going to meet a (congressman), taking his time and everything to come out here to do this, with the news media. Im going to get a flag. It just stuns me, Briggs said. I hope God gives me another 20 years so I can think about this.

sigc@express-news.net
San Antonio is preparing to spend more than $1 billion through both a five-year bond cycle and a federal relief budget.

The plans will affect everything from the sidewalks in your neighborhood and the greenway trails you bike on to utility assistance programs and COVID-19 response.

Before officials finalize any spending plans, they want to hear from you. Here are the upcoming meetings where the public can give feedback in two areas: the 2022 bond program and the federal COVID-19 recovery funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.

ALSO READ: CPS Energy in the middle: Bondholders want rate hike ASAP; CPS customers not so much

Some meeting dates have already passed, but many still remain through the end of the year.

Community bond committee meetings

The city is preparing to spend $1.2 billion in its upcoming 2022 bond program, which San Antonio plans every five years to fund infrastructure and development. There are five proposed funding categories: streets, bridges and sidewalks; drainage and flood control; parks, recreation and open spaces; facilities; and housing.

Citizens can give feedback on project proposals through five bond committees, made up of 32 members: three appointed per council member and two appointed by the mayor, who co-chair the committee.

City Council members have been split so far on how much San Antonio should spend in the bond to fund trail expansions. Some see the greenways as a commitment to fund now, while other council members want to see more investment in streets and drainage this bond cycle.

The most recent proposed funding breakdown included:

$480 million for streets, sidewalks and bridges

$274.3 million for parks, recreation and open spaces, including $110 million for the greenway trails

$161.5 million for drainage and flood control

$150 million for housing, the first time the bond will fund affordable housing directly

$134 million for facilities, including both municipal and public safety buildings

You can let City Council know your preferences at the upcoming public committee meetings. Recommendations will come back to City Council in January for review.

All meetings will take place at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, 900 E. Market St. Parking is free and interpretation will be available in Spanish and American Sign Language.

The city will also livestream bond committee meetings at www.youtube.com/cosagov.

You can also visit www.sanantonio.gov/2022bond for more information about the 2022 bond program and current funding proposals.

On ExpressNews.com: $1.2 billion bond raises question: Should San Antonio spend more on greenways or infrastructure?

Streets, bridges and sidewalks:

Monday, Nov. 8 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 29 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 13 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Drainage and flood management:

Wednesday, Nov. 10 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 1 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 15 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Parks, recreation and open spaces:

Tuesday, Nov. 9 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 16 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 7 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 14 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Facilities:

Thursday, Nov. 18 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 9 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 16 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Housing:

Wednesday, Nov. 17 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 8 from 6 to 8 p.m.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio's affordable housing budget balloons beyond bond funding. Here's what it includes

Federal COVID-19 relief funds

San Antonio has nearly $230 million remaining in federal COVID-19 recovery funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden in March.

So far, the city proposed spending its relief money on community needs  like utility assistance and the arts  and what officials see as impactful investments in areas like mental health, homelessness and economic development.

The only specifics proposed to date are a suggested $50 million toward the COVID-19 response and $30 million for utility assistance.

Next, the city wants to hear from residents about the federal money before it finalizes any spending plans.

The City has presented a spending framework for the use of these one-time federal funds to continue responding to the pandemic, address immediate community needs and make impactful investments, City Manager Erik Walsh said in a statement. Id like to invite all of our residents to join us at one of eight community-wide town hall meetings to share their feedback. We are looking forward to seeing you and engaging with you on this important matter.

You can watch a livestream of the citys ARPA meetings at www.sanantonio.gov/tvsa or on the Citys Facebook page. You can also watch on television channels AT&T 99, Grande 20, Spectrum 21 and digital antenna 16.1.

You can listen to the meetings live by dialing 210-207-5555 and selecting option one for English or option two for Spanish.

Like the bond committee meetings, the ARPA meetings will be available in Spanish and American Sign Language as well as English.

Learn more about town hall meetings for ARPA online at www.saspeakup.com.

On ExpressNews.com: What should San Antonio spend its federal COVID-19 relief funding on? City has some ideas, but wants you to weigh in

Meetings:

Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. at Alicia Trevino Lopez Senior Center, 8353 Culebra Rd.

Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. at Northeast Senior Center, 4135 Thousand Oaks Dr.

Saturday, Nov. 13 at 10:30 a.m. at Bob Ross Senior Center, 2219 Babcock Rd.

Monday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at Ella Austin Auditorium, 1023 N Pine St.

Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. at St. Paul Community Center, 1201 Donaldson Ave.

Saturday, Nov. 20 at 10 a.m. at Mission Branch Library, 3134 Roosevelt Ave.

megan.stringer@express-news.net
An off-duty San Antonio Police Department officer, Philip Ortiz Jr., was arrested Sunday morning on the South Side, accused of assaulting a person he is dating, police said.

During the altercation, which occurred around 1:35 a.m., the officers weapon was discharged but no one was injured, police said.
WASHINGTON  By this point in the Trump administration, former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas had been settled into her new Brussels-based post as NATO ambassador for several months. But Julianne Smith, nominated to succeed her by President Joe Biden in June, is still waiting in the wings for Senate confirmation.

The same goes for ambassador nominees for France, India and a number of other nations.

Why the holdup? U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has single-handedly delayed dozens of key Biden administration nominees, mostly concentrated in the State Department, in retaliation for a Biden decision to drop U.S. opposition to a Russian pipeline to Germany.

Cruzs actions are raising alarms from Democrats and White House officials about national security concerns.

The presidents weakness and incompetence is whats creating a national security issue, Cruz said. When he gives a multibillion-dollar pipeline to Vladimir Putin, strengthening Russia and weakening Europe and our allies, it creates a national security issue.

At issue for Cruz is the Russian pipeline called Nord Stream 2, which runs from Russia to Germany by way of an underground route under the Baltic Sea. Several times in the Trump administration  in 2017, 2019 and 2020  Congress passed sanctions intended to block the pipeline.

In mid-July, Biden agreed to drop opposition to the pipeline, which was nearly complete, as a means to improve the relationship between the U.S. and Germany.

The Nord Stream 2 will compete with pipelines in Ukraine, a country that continues to surface in deeply partisan disputes in the U.S. Members of both parties expressed anger at Biden for the move, but it gave Republicans  whom Democrats accused during the Trump era of going easy on Russia  a way to reset that foreign policy conversation.

Cruz by himself cannot completely block a nomination. However, he can dramatically slow the process. Traditionally, uncontroversial nominees are confirmed via unanimous consent by the Senate. But Cruzs objection forces the Senate into time-consuming procedural votes for each of the nominees.

The Senate has so far confirmed only four of Bidens U.S. ambassador nominees to foreign governments, according to information gathered by Senate Democratic leadership and shared with the Washington Post.

Cruz did signal that he would lift his hold on Nicholas Burns, whom Biden nominated as ambassador to China, per Bloomberg.

The Partnership for Public Service, which tracks nominations, reports that there are slightly more Biden confirmations at this point than in the Trump era. But the groups founder and president, Max Stier, said confirmations in proportion to the full slate of nominations are moving much more slowly than four years ago.

Even so, Cruz is creating consternation inside the Treasury Department, at the White House and in international circles.

It is essential that the Senate confirm these highly qualified nominees who are ready to get to work helping families and small businesses recover from the pandemic, and who are critical to the departments national security objectives of disrupting illicit finance and combating terrorism, Treasury Department spokesperson John Rizzo said in an email.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration is concerned about the obstruction of our nominees, blaming Republicans. But she declined to single out Cruz when asked about the delays during a briefing with reporters.

There have been unprecedented delays, obstruction, holds on qualified individuals from Republicans in the Senate, she said. So, I would say the blame is clear. It is frustrating.

Stylistically, its a return to Cruzs all-out opposition in the Obama era that frequently resulted in unpredictability in passing legislation and even a 2013 government shutdown.

In that instance, Cruz followed through on threats to push for a government shutdown if then-President Barack Obama insisted on funding his 2010 health care law. A government shutdown lasted 16 days. Republicans took a brief hit in polling, but Cruz emerged as a national figure with the GOP base ahead of his 2016 presidential campaign.

This risks being hyperbolic, but its like negotiating with a terrorist, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., told the Washington Post, referring to Cruzs holds on nominees. He is not the secretary of state. The people of this country did not elect him or his party to represent us abroad. And what hes asking for is to control American foreign policy.

Stier said senators have long used holds as leverage for policy demands but suggested it is a less-than-ideal approach to governance.

Its damaging, he added. Is Sen. Cruz unique? I dont know if I can answer that question. There are other examples of other senators in this current setting whove held up nominees that are related to the department in which theyre going to work and sometimes not.

But the political strategy comes with risks.

Stier pointed with alarm to the 9/11 Commission Report that stated that the government might have been able to fend off the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks had more confirmed individuals been in place. Stier said that on that date, former President George W. Bush had 57 percent of nominees in place. On Sept. 11 this year, Biden had 26 percent of his nominees in place.

This is real, he said. This is bad.

Presidents prior to Donald Trump had much easier paths to confirmation for their diplomats. But according to the Partnership for Public Service, the Senate slowed the pace of confirmations when Trump took office. Republicans controlled the Senate then, but Democrats easily had the 40 votes needed to block a confirmation vote.

With Democrats trying to move nominations this time around, Republicans are exacting political payback in slowing the Biden nominations.

When asked how he would handle being on the other side of a senators hold on nominations, should he ever become president, Cruz defended his actions.

It depends on what the basis for the hold was, Cruz said. In this instance, my holds are in place to pressure the administration to follow the law.

The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
Re: City weighs $30M for residents bills, Front Page, Oct. 27:

Dont apply federal funds to delinquent CPS Energy and SAWS accounts for those that are behind. Let CPS and SAWS continue payment plans. Take the federal funds and apply it to the projected CPS and SAWS balances that will take 25 years for customers to pay off.

In this way, we all benefit, and it projects good will to those customers who have been paying on time. Many of us have struggled through this COVID-19 crisis but pay our bills on time.

If you keep bailing delinquent payers out, there is no accountability.

L.B. Martin

Misinformation won

The article Texas GOP takes lesson from Virginia race (Front Page, Nov. 4) speaks to future Republican talking points.

Did voters forget President Joe Bidens child tax credit or his $1,400 stimulus checks going directly to their bank accounts? Or did they believe the campaign promise by Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin that critical race theory will not be taught (it has never been taught)?

The culture war misinformation beat out the practical facts, and the voters fell for it.

Barbara Moschner

Who decides?

I quit saying it cant get any worse because it always does.

Now we have a self-appointed group that wants to censor books in public school libraries. On second thought, that might be better. When a child is told they cant do something, that becomes the first thing they want to do. Theyll find it no matter where it is.

But seriously, who determines what books are censored? The statue of David by Michelangelo in the Accademia Gallery in Florence, Italy, would no doubt be considered pornographic by Gov. Greg Abbott, state Rep. Matt Krause, Attorney General Ken Paxton and other Republicans.

Who determines what is and what is not morally acceptable?

The Rev. Bert Clayton
Texas has surpassed 17 million registered voters for the first time, continuing a pace that is reshaping the states electorate so rapidly that even the politicians cannot keep up.

Despite a series of new election regulations from the Republican-led Legislature and more purges of inactive voters from the rolls, the state has added nearly 2 million voters in the last four years and more than 3.5 million since eight years ago, when Gov. Greg Abbott won his first term.

The result is at least 1 of every 5 voters in Texas never cast a ballot in the Lone Star State prior to 2014  a remarkable wild card in a state that had stable politics and a slow stream of new voters for a generation before that.

You have a largely new electorate that is unfamiliar with the trends and the personalities in the area, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a University of Houston political science professor. That rapid turnover leads to a lot of uncertainty for candidates.

Texas was just short of 17 million people eligible to vote in the constitutional amendment elections Nov. 2. Harris and Dallas counties combined to add nearly 12,000 more voters as Election Day approached, putting the state over the threshold.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

Its all setting up for a 2022 election cycle that is more competitive, more expensive and more uncertain than statewide candidates are used to seeing in Texas.

New Texas voters Counties with the biggest gains in voter registration since 2014. Harris: 502,929 Bexar: 276,554 Tarrant: 255,477 Travis: 229,882 Dallas: 221,640 Collin: 201,879 Denton: 187,075 Fort Bend: 153,592 Williamson: 138,033 Montgomery: 118,618 Source: Texas Division of Elections See More Collapse

The surge in voter registrations has been primarily in Texas largest cities and their suburbs, led by Harris County, where Abbott and every statewide Republican easily won eight years ago.

Since then, Harris County added half a million voters who have turned it deep blue.

Though Republicans Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz have Houston roots, all three lost the county badly in 2018 en route to the closest re-elections of their careers. And Democrats are convinced the countys lopsided results will push Abbott and Patrick closer to defeat in 2022. Cruz is not up for re-election until 2024.

What were seeing is an increase in ethnic group activities, said Michael Adams, a Texas Southern University political science professor. Big money is pouring in, and there are a lot of boots on the ground registering people.

That hasnt always been the case.

Registration battleground

Just five years ago, national groups were pulling out of Texas because the state had created so many barriers to registering new voters.

We decided that there was no way that we could do voter registration work here without the risk of prosecution, Michael Slater, president of Project Vote, told the Nation magazine in 2016 about why his group pulled out of Texas.

Texas is unique in how it runs voter registration, barring non-Texas residents from volunteering to help people through the process. Even Texans cant help fellow Texans register without first jumping through a series of hurdles or facing potential criminal charges.

Anyone in Texas who wants to help voters register must be trained and deputized by county election officials. But going through the one-hour course in Harris County allows volunteer registrars to sign up voters only in that county. To register voters in a neighboring county, they have to request to be deputized there as well and take that training course, too.

To be able to sign up any voter in the state, a volunteer registrar would need to be deputized in all 254 Texas counties  and those temporary certifications last only two years.

IN-DEPTH: Redistricting sets up major political battle for the heart of San Antonio

Consequently, voter registrations in Texas grew at a glacial pace before 2014. From 2000 to 2014, the state added just 1 million registered voters  about the number of voters Texas now adds every two years.

Those boots on the ground that Adams, the Texas Southern University professor, mentioned began to arrive in 2014, when a group of campaign strategists from President Barack Obamas re-election campaign launched an effort they called Battleground Texas to build an army of volunteer registrars.

What were going to do is bring the fight to Texas and make it a battleground state so that anybody who wants to be our commander in chief, they have to fight for Texas, the groups co-founder, Jeremy Bird, said in a national interview with talk show host Stephen Colbert in 2013.

While pundits scoffed  especially after Abbott beat Democrat Wendy Davis by 20 percentage points in the 2014 gubernatorial election  Battleground Texas says it has identified and helped train 9,000 voter registrars across Texas to find eligible voters and sign them up.

Trump factor remains

Terry Bermea was one of the groups early soldiers. She said the mission from the start was to target diverse communities and people under age 35, who dont vote nearly as regularly as older generations.

They registered voters at nightclubs, bars and coffee shops. Bermea said she remembers helping sign up voters at snow cone stands in the Rio Grande Valley.

On the ground, you felt the energy, said Bermea, who is now the executive director of Battleground Texas.

Battleground Texas says it has helped register 215,000 new voters since it set up shop in Texas. Other groups have joined the effort, many focusing on communities of color, such as Voto Latino, MOVE Texas and Jolt.

Democrat Beto ORourke, who is considering running for governor, has his own group to register voters, Powered by People. ORourke has gone through the training to be a deputy voter registrar in 17 counties.

Another part of the work is keeping new voters engaged, Bermea said.

Were not in the business of just registering voters, she said. Were in the business of creating a voter.

All those new voters have made Texas politics more competitive as well as more difficult to predict. In 2018, ORourke lost to Cruz in the U.S. Senate race by just 2.6 percentage points. Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller all won 51 percent of the vote or less in their re-elections. Four years earlier, each of them had won at least 58 percent of the vote.

Most of the states top elected officials are up for re-election again next year, but the surge in voter registrations doesnt necessarily mean the Republicans lose this time.

In 2020, President Donald Trump was the first Republican to win Zapata County in 100 years.

There is a Trump factor, Adams said.

He said the former president has energized noncollege-educated voters who are also part of the registration surge.

The Texas GOP has also tried to pace the Democrats with its own programs to boost registrations.

Deadline for pair

New Texas voters have also remade the politics of suburban counties that for decades had been easy Republican victories, particularly along Interstate 35.

Hays, Comal and Williamson counties  all near Austin  all have seen their voter registrations grow 35 percent or more since 2014, the most of any counties in Texas.

ORourke became the first Democrat to carry both Williamson and Hays since Ann Richards was governor in the 1990s. And Joe Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry both since Jimmy Carter in 1976.

The question heading into 2022 is whether Democrats will close the gap even more than they did in 2018 and 2020 statewide, or whether Republicans have done enough to counter Democrats with their own registration efforts.

To target new voters and turn them out is a pricey proposition, said Rottinghaus, the University of Houston professor. The sticker price on a changing electorate is increasing.

For candidates, even longtime incumbents, the price of introducing themselves to all those new voters is also rising, Rottinghaus said.

Saturday marks a key landmark in the 2022 elections. That is the start of qualifying, in which all Democratic and Republican candidates must pay a filing fee or submit signature petitions to appear on the ballot in the March 1 primary elections.

Candidates have until Dec. 13 to file, meaning potential candidates such as ORourke and actor Matthew McConaughey must decide by then if they are running.

Already, Abbott knows hes going to be facing a Republican primary as he seeks his third term in the governors mansion. Former Texas GOP Chairman Allen West and former state Sen. Don Huffines are two of the governors most prominent Republican foes.

Neither of Texas two U.S. Senate seats is on the ballot in 2022, but every member of the U.S. House and the Texas House and about half the members of the Texas Senate are up for re-election. In addition, the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, state comptroller, agriculture commissioner and land commissioner are on the ballot in statewide races.

jeremy.wallace@chron.com

twitter.com/jeremyswallace
PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  An 83-year-old from Alabama started walking when he retired more than a quarter-century ago  and never stopped.

M.J. Sunny Eberhart strode into the record books Sunday as the oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail.

Eberhart, known by the trail name Nimblewill Nomad, acknowledged that despite having tens of thousands of miles under his belt, the trail was tough going at his age, leading to quite a few spills on slippery rocks.

Ive a got a couple of skid marks on me, but Im OK, he said in a recent interview. Youve got to have an incredible resolve to do this.

He hiked the trail out of order, in sections, to take advantage of optimal weather, and had already completed northern sections including Maines Mount Katahdin. He completed his final section in western Massachusetts, in the town of Dalton, in the same year in which a 5-year-old became among the youngest to complete the feat.

Joining Eberhart for the finish was the former record holder, Dale Greybeard Sanders, who lives outside Memphis, Tennessee. He completed the hike at age 82 in 2017. Hes not sad to see the record fall.

My dear friend Nimblewill is taking my record away from me, and Im happy for him. Records are made to be broken, Sanders said.

Sanders confirmed the completion of the feat as Eberhart was toasted with Champagne at a friends house.

Jordan Bowman, of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, confirmed that Eberhart is the oldest to finish the trail, surpassing Sanders.

Eberhart began his wanderlust in earnest after retiring as an optometrist in Florida in 1993.

The man with flowing locks and an impressive beard actually hiked farther than most who traverse the 2,193-mile (3,530-kilometer) trail that runs between Georgia's Springer Mountain and Maines Katahdin. He started his hike in February at his home in Flagg Mountain, Alabama, adding hundreds of extra miles to the route.

The journey represented a modest distance, relatively speaking, for a guy who trekked 4,400 miles (7,080 kilometers) from the Florida Keys to northern Quebec, an adventure he chronicled in a book, Ten Million Steps. He later hiked from Newfoundland to Florida, an even greater distance. He also walked from Chicago to California on Route 66.

He said he was feeling his age on this hike. His reflexes arent what they once were, so he tried to limit himself to eight hours of hiking a day.

But he still got banged up.

On a recent day in New Hampshire, he took a tumble and bloodied his elbow. A hiking companion asked if he wanted to take a break.

Eberhart retorted, Do you think if I complain about it it will go away? before picking himself and pressing onward, said Odie Norman, of Huntsville, Alabama, who hiked 100 miles with Nimblewill.

Eberharts age puts him at the opposite extreme from a pair of young hikers who completed the trail during the pandemic.

A 4-year-old, Juniper Netteburg, finished her journey with her missionary parents last year, and a 5-year-old, Harvey Sutton, from Lynchburg, Virginia, completed the trail with his parents in August.

Eberhart actually met Sutton, known as Little Man, on the trail. The youngster impressed the dickens out of me, Eberhart said.

Eberhart hasnt lost his desire to keep moving or to seek the sense of calm that he finds on the trail in the company of the tight-knit and diverse hiking community.

His first major hike coincided with a search for peace after lugging emotional and mental baggage that involved a divorce and losing the respect of his children, he said. He eventually found his peace, and forgiveness.

You can seek peace. That doesnt mean that youre going to find it. I persevered to the point that the good Lord looked down on me and said youre forgiven, you can be at peace, he said recently during a break near the Maine-New Hampshire border.

Its a profound blessing. Its as simple as that, he said.

With the hike over, Eberhart will return to his home at Flagg Mountain, the southernmost mountain topping 1,000 feet in the Appalachians, where he serves as caretaker of a fire tower and cabins built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Norman, who publishes The Hiker Yearbook," said Eberhart probably won't hang up his boots anytime soon.

He said, You know theyre calling this my final hike. Then he laughed," Norman said. "I dont think its going to be his last hike. I just dont think he knows whats he's going to hike next.

___

Associated Press photojournalist Robert F. Bukaty contributed to this report.
BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP)  Jurors were shown graphic, closeup police photos Monday of the gunshot wounds that killed Ahmaud Arbery, while the first officer to find the 25-year-old Black man bleeding in the road testified he did not try to render medical aid because it would not have been safe.

Three white men are on trial for murder and other crimes in the slaying of Arbery, who was chased and shot Feb. 23, 2020, after he was spotted running in a neighborhood just outside the port city of Brunswick.

Glynn County police Sgt. Sheila Ramos walked the jury through dozens of crime scene photos she took about an hour after the shooting. Several jurors could be seen squirming as Ramos showed Arberys body lying in the street under a bloodstained covering. Other images showed closeup views of the gunshot wounds to his wrist as well as grievous injuries to his chest and underneath one of his arms.

Ricky Minshew, then a Glynn County police patrol officer, testified he arrived at the scene in the Satilla Shores subdivision about a minute after the gunshots sounded. Arbery was lying facedown in the street with blood pooling around him.

Minshew testified he heard Arbery make a noise he described as a death rattle. The officer radioed for 911 operators to send emergency medical responders, but said he did not have the training or equipment to treat such serious injuries.

Without having any other police units to have my back, there was no way I could switch to do anything medical and still watch after my own safety, Minshew said.

Father and son Greg and Travis McMichael armed themselves and used a pickup truck to pursue Arbery after they spotted him running in their neighborhood. A neighbor, William Roddie Bryan, joined the chase and took cellphone video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery in the street at close range.

No arrests were made for more than two months until the video of the killing leaked online, sparking an outcry amid a national reckoning over racial injustice. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case from local police. Both McMichaels and Bryan were soon charged with murder and other crimes.

Defense attorneys said the men were justified to chase and attempt to detain Arbery because he had been recorded by security cameras inside a nearby home under construction and they suspected he was a burglar. They say Travis McMichael fired in self-defense when Arbery attacked him with fists and tried to grab his gun.

Arbery's mother told reporters outside the courthouse she was confused why more was not done to help her badly wounded son.

He had a guy lying in the road who was covered in blood," Wanda Cooper-Jones said. I cant understand why he didnt render aid.

When police arrive at a scene of gunfire, their first priority is to look for and mitigate any threats "and then they can come back and deal with the injured, said Keith Taylor, a former police sergeant in New York City whos now a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

A gunshot wound of the nature that was inflicted on this victim, that would probably be beyond the scope of ability for this officer to address, Taylor said, noting police generally have limited medical training.

Cooper-Jones stayed in the courtroom as the graphic photos were shown and could be heard exhaling quietly as Ramos identified closeup images of a gaping shotgun wound in her sons chest. Arberys father, Marcus Arbery Sr., got up and walked out before the jury was shown the images.

The second officer to respond to the shooting, William Duggan, testified Friday and jurors watched portions of his body camera video in which Duggan rolled Arbery over and pressed a hand to his wounded chest.

I had pressure on, but there was nothing I could do, Duggan told other first responders on the video, saying Arbery died after about two minutes.

Ramos said Arbery had nothing in his pockets  no keys, cellphone, wallet or ID. Police identified his body using his fingerprints, she said.

She also photographed a home near the shooting scene where one of the shotgun blasts sent a projectile through a front window and into an inside wall. No one was injured.

The jury seated Friday for the trial is disproportionately white. Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley allowed the jury to be sworn over the objections of prosecutors, who said several Black potential jurors were excluded because of their race, leaving only one Black juror on the panel of 12.
SINGAPORE (AP)  Singapore's High Court on Monday suspended the scheduled execution of a Malaysian man believed to be mentally disabled until an appeal is heard, amid pleas from the international community and rights groups.

Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam, 33, was due to be executed by hanging on Wednesday for trying to smuggle less than 43 grams (1.5 ounces) of heroin into the country.

The court granted a stay of the execution after Nagaenthran's defense lawyer, M. Ravi, argued that capital punishment for a mentally disabled person was a violation of Singapores Constitution.

Ravi's application was dismissed, but the stay on the execution was granted pending the hearing of the appeal to the Court of Appeal, Singapore's top court, the lawyer said on Facebook.

The appeal is scheduled to be heard in court on Tuesday. If this fails, the stay will be lifted and Nagaenthran could be executed as scheduled.

Narcotics officers found a small bundle of heroin strapped to Nagaenthran's left thigh at a checkpoint more than a decade ago. He was sentenced to death in November 2010 under the countrys strict drug laws. A previous appeal to reduce the penalty to life in prison failed and a final push for presidential clemency was rejected last year.

Death penalty opponents say Nagaenthrans IQ was disclosed during a trial at the High Court as 69, a level that is internationally recognized as an intellectual disability.

But the court ruled that Nagaenthran knew what he was doing and upheld the death sentence.

Nagaenthran's family lives in Ipoh in northern Malaysia. Activist Kirsten Han, who helped his mother, two younger siblings and cousin arrange travel to Singapore, told The Associated Press that they have been allowed daily prison visits since arriving last week.

The main thing that Ive heard from Nagens younger brother is that Nagen has been disoriented, he doesnt quite make eye contact, and goes between periods of lucidity and confusion, Han said.

His brother even doubts that he fully grasps that his execution date is so close, she added.

Nagaenthrans older sister, Sarmila Dharmalingam, who didnt make the trip, said she briefed Nagaenthran about the court outcome during a phone conversation Monday and that the family held out hope for a positive result. He thanked her but didnt say much more, she said.

Dobby Chew of the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network expressed disappointment that the High Court had dismissed the merits of Ravi's argument.

Chew said he hopes Singapore will give adequate time for the appeal. ADPAN and other human rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called the execution of an intellectually disabled man inhumane and a violation of international law.

Legal experts, activists and human rights groups in Malaysia have called for Nagaenthrans execution to be halted. Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob also reportedly asked for leniency purely on humanitarian grounds in a letter addressed to Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, dated Nov. 3.

On Sunday, the European Union delegation to Singapore, along with the diplomatic missions of Norway and Switzerland, called for the execution to be halted.

Today, more than two thirds of the countries of the world have become abolitionist in law or practice, which confirms a global trend in favor of the abolition of the death penalty, they said in a statement.

A petition calling for a presidential pardon for Nagaenthran has drawn close to 65,000 signatures. Family members and friends of 13 current and former death row prisoners also wrote a joint letter to Singapore's president on Monday calling for the death penalty to be abolished.

British business magnate Richard Branson also called for Nagaenthran's life to be spared.

Its almost always the most vulnerable people, people struggling to make ends meet, immigrants in need of money, that are roped into criminal schemes, unable to defend themselves when caught and facing the court, Branson said in a statement Monday.

Its impossible not to see the extent to which inequality, poverty and the death penalty are linked, he added.

Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs said Nagaenthran has been accorded full due process under the law.

The High Court had assessed the evidence of the psychiatrists, including the evidence of a psychiatrist called by the defense, on behalf of Nagaenthran, who agreed in court, that Nagaenthran was not intellectually disabled, the ministry said in response to media queries on Friday.

Nagaenthran considered the risks, balanced it against the reward he had hoped he would get, and decided to take the risk, it added.

The last execution in Singapore was in 2019.

___

This story corrects that the reported date of the letter from Malaysia's prime minister was Nov. 3, not Dec. 3.

___

Associated Press writer Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, contributed to this report.
A co-formulant found in commercial fungicides in the UK significantly affects the health of bumblebees, a new study has found.

Exposure to alcohol ethoxylates  a type of co-formulant used in fungicides  can cause mortality in bumblebees, according to the research.

This represents a large gap in pesticide regulation, researchers at Royal Holloway, University of London say, as the study "demonstrates co-formulants can drive the entire toxicity of a product".

Regulation of pesticides usually focuses on the main ingredients in the pesticide product and their impact on bee health.

Ed Straw, PhD researcher and lead author on the paper said: The results of our research demonstrates gaps in the pesticide regulatory systems in the UK and EU that are putting vital bee populations at risk.

Whilst 30% of bees exposed to the fungicide product died, the other 70% were far from healthy; they had damaged guts, were eating about half as much food and were losing weight.

"Pesticide regulation typically only looks at whether or not a bee dies, but we found that even bees who survive can be under severe stress.

The researchers tested a small oral dose of the fungicide product, and equivalent doses of each individual co-formulant in the fungicide, which enabled them to measure the toxicity of the chemicals.

By doing this, they were also able to identify the ingredient in the fungicide that was responsible.

Beyond finding that the co-formulant was dangerous to bees, they also identified problems with how pesticides are regulated in the UK and EU.

Professor Mark Brown of Royal Holloway added: While the results of lab experiments like this are often questioned, other research done under field-realistic conditions within the PoshBee project show similar results.

"This combination of results, enabled by this European-wide project, really supports the idea that co-formulants in pesticides need to be considered more seriously as threats to bee health.

The work was funded by PoshBee, an EU-wide collaboration of scientists working to understand the impacts of pesticides on bee health.
Farmers and landowners across the UK are being invited to mark next year's Queen's Platinum Jubilee by lighting beacons.

More than 1,500 beacons will be lit across the country at 9.15pm on 2 July 2022 to mark the 70th anniversary of the Queens coronation.

Organisers, who are aiming to make the 2022 event the biggest and most dramatic one yet, are appealing to farmers and landowners to register for the event.

They were lit to celebrate Queen Victorias Diamond Jubilee in 1897, and then again to celebrate Queen Elizabeths Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees, and in 2016 to celebrate her 90th birthday.

Farming groups and organisations are encouraging farmers to light beacons as part of the celebration.

NFU President Minette Batters said: The NFU is delighted to be supporting the Queens Platinum Jubilee beacons and we will be encouraging our members throughout England and Wales to light beacons as part of the celebration.

"From the uplands to the lowlands, our farmers will be lighting beacons on the most iconic parts of the countryside in tribute."

The Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW) President Glyn Roberts said the aim is to light seventy beacons in each county of Wales, with each one representing a year in the life of the Queen's 70 years reign.

"Whether public or private, members will have the opportunity to support this special tribute to Her Majesty The Queen," Mr Roberts said.

As it is most likely this will be the last chain of Beacons lit in the Queens reign, we hope that the farming community will join with the many organisations who have already agreed to take part in this special tribute to Her Majesty."

Events can be private or open to the public, but both type of event should be registered, so they can be recorded in a later publication to mark the occasion.

Three types of beacon will be lit: a free-standing gas beacon, a brazier or a bonfire. At 1pm on the day, town criers across the country will announce the lighting of the fires.
Students undertaking research relating to the livestock sector can now apply for a new bursary award worth 1,500 to help with their studies.

The Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock (CIEL) is offering the student bursary award to assist livestock research and development in the UK.

Available for this academic year, the opportunity is designed to support undergraduates to deliver their final year dissertation research.

CIEL, which calls itself the UKs livestock innovation centre, aims to help introduce innovative technologies and processes into livestock production.

Students undertaking livestock-focused research aligned to industry challenges at one of CIEL's 12 academic partners can apply for the chance to secure a bursary of 1,500.

A further 500 prize will be awarded for the best dissertation as judged by CIEL, the centre explains.

CIEL CEO Lyndsay Chapman welcomed the new bursary to help support the next generation entering the agri-food sector.

The food and farming sector is a progressive industry, underpinned by the work of scientists across our universities, colleges and research partnerships, she said.

To be able to continue to advance British agriculture, we need to ensure theres support and opportunity at the grassroots of livestock-focused research.

"Whether it be through industry support, like the CIEL student bursary award, or commitment from the government to support R&D as highlighted in the BEIS Innovation Strategy.

Its an exciting time to be working in agrifood and I look forward to seeing the projects put forward by the upcoming graduate talent."
The sheep sector has welcomed changes to scrapie monitoring requirements that will enable the continued movement of breeding sheep to Northern Ireland.

An agreement has been reached to allow breeders involved in the trade of breeding sheep between GB and NI to register for the new scrapie requirements.

This can be done through membership of a new Scrapie Qualifying Scheme (SQS), now available through SRUC's Premium Sheep and Goat Health Scheme.

The agreement with the EU Commission allows a short window, up until 31 December 2021, within which farmers can apply to join this scheme.

It takes three years to complete the scheme and to have full scrapie monitored status, but it has been agreed that farmers can trade from day one of entry.

Once an application is made, stock will be deemed to comply with these requirements. Existing MV accreditation remains as it was previously.

The National Sheep Association (NSA) welcomed the changes, adding that it was 'crucial' for breeders to register for this qualifying scheme.

"Farmers should also be aware that once in the scheme they will only be able to source incoming stock from other SQS or SMS flocks, so the option to join needs consideration," the body's chief executive, Phil Stocker said.

"At this stage this only applies for farm-to-farm movements and there is more work to be done in relation to establishing any Export Assembly Centres that might bring us back to any level of normality of competitive auctioning in this trade.

Work remains ongoing to try to make trade smoother, in particular around the guidelines for export assembly centres and the conditions for stock coming from NI and having the ability to return if necessary, avoiding a 6-month residency period.

Further details on SQS, the application process and scheme rules are available to download from SRUC's website.
Rural firms are set to lose out on hundreds of millions under revised funding plans unveiled in the recent Budget, the Country Land and Business Association has warned.

The CLA, which represents 28,000 rural businesses and farmers, has criticised the government for removing support aimed at levelling up the rural economy.

The group found that spending plans under the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will lead to a shortfall of 315 million for rural businesses over a seven-year period.

The figure represents the discrepancy in funding assigned to tackling regional economic disparities through the EUs Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), versus what will be received under the UKSPF to bolster rural productivity.

But the government's new plans signal a marked shift from previous EU investment models, where rural areas benefitted from a ringfenced fund every year.

Closer inspection of the 2021/2022 Budget shows that there will be no dedicated funding in the UKSPF for rural businesses, as the ESIF rural fund had already been allocated for 2020/2021.

This means rural businesses will be unable to access the grant for the next three years, the CLA warned.

The funding has traditionally helped to fund 40% of the capital expenditure required to diversify farms into high-growth, high-productivity sectors such as tourism, food processing and digital creativity.

With rural areas 18% less productive than the national average and earnings 10% lower, the CLA warned this cut would damage the levelling-up agenda.

The spending cut comes at an already financially testing time for farmers and landowners amid reductions in Basic Payments (BPS).

CLA President Mark Bridgeman explained that rural economy was already 18% less productive than the national average.

"Plans under the UKSPF make a mockery of the governments promise to level up," Mr Bridgeman said, "This cut is a major backward step.

When we speak of levelling up, we have a tendency to think of it purely in terms of the north/south divide, but too often there is a lack of opportunity in the countryside that drives people away.

"We want to create businesses, create jobs and prosperity  but we need government support to do it."
Nearly 1 million is being invested in agricultural teaching facilities at Scotlands Rural College's (SRUC) organic-certified farm, based at its Aberdeen campus.

The new facilities will help promote skills and knowledge to support the agricultural industry across the region, the college said.

More than 900,000 will be used to create a new engineering workshop and demonstration areas for farm machinery.

A new livestock shed and animal handling equipment will also be put in place at SRUCs organic-certified Tulloch Farm, part of the Craibstone campus.

In addition, the site will see a new car park, new storage areas for farming and demonstration equipment as well as improved road access.

The work will be completed in phases, with the project set to be finished by the end of 2022.

Professor Wayne Powell, principal of SRUC said: Helping to prepare agricultural students with the skills and knowledge to move with the times and take advantage of new opportunities has been an important part of what we do at SRUC.

"This is not just an investment in buildings, but an investment in the food producers of tomorrow who will be at the vanguard of addressing climate change and biodiversity loss.

NFU Scotland's vice president Andrew Connon welcomed the investment, saying Craibstone had been a 'hugely important' agricultural education facility.

The North East of Scotland is the power house of Scottish agriculture and the farming community is desperate to see improvements and further development of agricultural education facilities," he said.

The investment in Tulloch Farm is the latest in a series of investments being made at SRUCs Craibstone campus over the next year.

Other announced projects include a veterinary clinical skills hub, new equine facilities, and improvements to the student experience across the campus.
Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda is being expanded to serve its growing population of endangered gorillas

Once projected to be extinct by the millennium, the story of Rwandas gorillas is one to cheer conservationists hearts and thrill wildlife lovers. Volcanoes National Park is being expanded for the second time in three years to accommodate and cocoon the countrys growing mountain gorilla population, and that is really good news.

There are currently about a thousand mountain gorillas on Earth, found in the highlands bordering Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda. In fact, over 50 per cent are found on the Virunga Mountains in northwestern Rwanda (where Volcanoes National Park is located), and also in Ugandas Virunga National Park and the Congos Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The rest are found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda.







Although mountain gorillas (a subspecies of the eastern gorilla) are still classified as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the last decade has certainly shown a rise in numbers of the great ape population in the Virunga range. A 20 per cent growth was seen from 2010 to 2016 - 480 to 604 gorillas - which prompted the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) to approve a $200 million expansion of Volcanoes National Park in 2018, to accommodate the resident mountain gorillas, to increase visitor numbers and to provide opportunities to local communities. Now, the Rwandan government and RDB have decided to extend the park by an additional 40 square miles.

Of this additional square mileage, 25 square miles will be designated a buffer zone between the park and the communities who live around it, in which agriculture and agroforestry will be permitted. About 15 square miles will be allocated to ensure that the different gorilla groups in the park are discouraged from leaving it, and to prevent conflicts over resources and territory among them.





More gorillas will probably mean more gorilla safaris; gorilla trekking is one of the major draws of Rwandan tourism, and tourism is a major contributor to the countrys economy. Each permit costs $1,500 (Rs 1,11,00 approximately), but offers visitors an experience of a lifetime to marvel at the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.



Images: Shutterstock

Also see: Kenya is now open to Indian wildlife lovers!
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TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - Japan will on Monday see preliminary September results for its leading and coincident indexes, highlighting a light day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. In August, the leading index had a score of 101.3, while the coincident was at 91.3. Taiwan will release October figures for imports, exports and trade balance. Imports are expected to jump 30.7 percent on year, down from 40.4 percent in September. Exports are called higher by an annual 24.4 percent, easing from 29.2 percent in the previous month. The trade surplus is pegged at $6.63 billion, up from $6.45 billion a month earlier. 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.
Delivering full-time and real-time access to high-quality care, the IntelliCentrics and EUCARE partnership virtually eliminates traditional barriers of access to high-quality healthcare, transforming how patients access care and how health systems deliver care.

IntelliCentrics (6819.HK), the innovator of the SECURE Ethos, SECURE Passport, Link GO!, BioBytes and BioBytes Visitor, and EUCARE, a 24/7 online medical consultation service of emergency doctors, specialists, and pharmacists based in Taiwan, announced a partnership delivering an integrated end-to-end medical services solution. The EUCARE's services and medical staff network aims to remove physical barriers of access to high-quality medical services, which is also in response to the international telemedicine policy of Taiwan's Ministry of Health, or MOH. The partnership between IntelliCentrics and EUCARE will expand IntelliCentrics' technology platform, which ensures delivery of care can be trusted, with medical staff on EUCARE's network providing broad 24/7 medical consultation, removing geographic barriers of access to healthcare.

"For the first time, the IntelliCentrics' and EUCARE's partnership provides families of students, business professionals, vacationers, with the peace of mind they remain connected to and can access Taiwan's high-quality medical resources while traveling abroad," said Mike Sheehan, CEO of IntelliCentrics.

The national health system of Taiwan is widely considered to be a world-class healthcare system.

"EUCARE's broad range of medical consultations range from emergency, specialist, psychological, and pharmaceutical providing those abroad with comprehensive care of the same high quality when they are home while integrating the data into a single health record. We expect this great advancement will be shared with the world in the near future," said Alex Chuang, Chairman of EUCARE.

The partnership will begin with serving overseas Taiwanese in Mainland China, North America, and the UK to expand the coverage to ultimately make access to Taiwan's high-quality medical resources available to citizens worldwide.

About IntelliCentrics

With a mission to use trust to make high-quality healthcare as accessible as a good cup of coffee, IntelliCentrics created the SECURE Ethos. Built on three core principles transparency, neutrality, and independence, the SECURE Ethos is relied on by more than 11,000 locations of care worldwide to ensure mutual trust between patients, doctors, vendor representatives and healthcare companies. To learn more about the world's largest trusted healthcare technology platform, visit www.intellicentrics.com. To receive further information about BioBytes, visit www.biobytes.net. IntelliCentrics is publicly traded on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited under the stock code 6819.

About EUCARE

EUCARE Co., Ltd. provides remote medical consultation platforms that are professional, innovative, and optimal, with a goal to "become your friend who safeguards your health." Through cooperation and efforts as well as remote medical treatment, we aim to introduce quality apps and advanced medical technologies and information in Taiwan to the whole world.

EUCARE, incorporated in 2018, specializes in the development and planning of remote medical treatment apps. It launched the app, EUCARE, in 2019. Thanks to its innovation and planning, EUCARE has added multiple services to the app, including emergency treatment services around the clock, group consultation, specialist consultation, psychological consultation, and drug consultation.

As we improve business diversity and accumulate experience in cooperating with hospitals and other medical institutions, we endeavour to improve all functions and optimise and integrate platforms to develop a platform most suitable for remote medical treatment in order to more effectively provide services to personnel related to the medical system and patients and achieve the goal of "becoming your friend who safeguards your health."

Forward-Looking Statements

The information communicated herein contains certain statements that are or may be forward-looking. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors. Such risks and factors might lead to a significant gap between the Company's actual performance, financial profile, or business results and any future performance, financial profile, or business results involved in such safe harbour statements. Reliance on such safe harbour statements in excess is not suggested. All information provided in this newsletter is as of the date of release unless otherwise specified. The Company is not obliged to update such information unless required by applicable laws.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211107005078/en/

Contacts:

Media Contact

Jennifer Xia

media@intellicentrics.com
TOKYO, Nov 8, 2021 - (JCN Newswire) - Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501) and cbs Corporate Business Solutions (NYSE: cbs) announced that they have signed a business partner agreement on September 24, 2021, to support SAP S/4HANA transition for Japanese companies.In Japan, SAP ERP is widely adopted as a core system mainly by the manufacturing industry and is introduced in Japan and global locations. With the rapid changes in the business environment, there has been a need to link the core system with cloud services to respond to operational changes and speed up management decisions by effectively utilising data.Hitachi has been providing an end-to-end SAP solutions for Japanese companies and cbs is an international consulting firm for digital transformation and enterprise-wide solutions. Hitachi and cbs will jointly support the renewal of core systems using SAP S/4HANA, the core of the next-generation digital platform.The two companies, in collaboration, will provide the following three services.1. Formulation of concept for the visualisation of management informationAfter formulating the ideal state in a workshop based on "NEXPERIENCE"(1) which is Hitachi's customer collaborative creation methodology and one of Lumada(2) services, Hitachi will formulate a systemisation concept focused on renewing the management infrastructure and creating a roadmap for optimising the system architecture and data collection and utilisation processes.Suppose you want to analyse the impact of SAP S/4HANA on the existing system from the functional point of view and the data point of view. In that case, cbs will examine by using cbs SAP S/4HANA Readiness Analysis and provide the base information for future data migration.2. SAP S/4HANA migration - preparation phase supportHitachi will support staged cloud migration and process transformation as a necessary preparation phase for smooth SAP S/4HANA implementation. cbs can provide the master data management and data linkage review required to combine the core system and cloud services.It is essential to know about data management for the preliminary data cleansing of SAP environments that have been in use for a long time. Hitachi works with the cbs consultancy team who have strong knowledge of S/4HANA transformation and preparation service for data managenent.3. SAP S/4HANA migration - Implementation phaseHitachi is committed to providing the most appropriate methods (new implementation, mix-and-match, shell conversion, and system conversion) to achieve digitisation goals. Hitachi supports the introduction of SAP S/4HANA.With cbs Selective Data Migration proprietary tool, cbs ET Enterprise Transformer - for SAP S/4HANA, cbs can effectively support scenarios such as mix-and-match, shell conversion, and consolidation of multiple SAP environments.cbs Selective Data Transition service can migrate the necessary data selectively with the information needed for management utilisation. It would result in maximum added value with minimal involvement of company resources and end-to-end cost efficiency. cbs also offer master data conversion, migration data refinement, and gradual migration based on SAP data structure to ensure a reliable migration with minimal downtime.(1) Lumada: General name of solution service technology using Hitachi's advanced digital technology to generate value from customer data and accelerate digital innovation(2) NEXPERIENCEAbout Hitachi, Ltd.Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is contributed to a sustainable society with a higher quality of life by driving innovation through data and technology as the Social Innovation Business. Hitachi is focused on strengthening its contribution to the Environment, the Resilience of business and social infrastructure as well as comprehensive programs to enhance Security & Safety. Hitachi resolves the issues faced by customers and society across six domains: IT, Energy, Mobility, Industry, Smart Life and Automotive Systems through its proprietary Lumada solutions. The company's consolidated revenues for fiscal year 2020 (ended March 31, 2021) totaled 8,729.1 billion yen ($78.6 billion), with 871 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 350,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at https://www.hitachi.com.In the IT field, we have been expanding our business as an SAP partner since 1994, and have been using SAP extensively within the Hitachi Group as a user since 1999. Hitachi proposes the best solution from the perspective of both long-time SAP users and vendors.For details, please visit the official website (Japanese):https://www.hitachi.co.jp/products/it/industry/solution/sap/index.htmlAbout cbs Corporate Business Solutionscbs Corporate Business Solutions, founded in 1995, is an international consulting firm for digital transformation and enterprise-wide solutions. The consultants design, optimise and manage digital business processes for mid-sized industrial corporations, hidden champions and large enterprises - end-to-end and worldwide. Realising enterprise transformation for global industrial customers, cbs combines sector-specific consulting expertise with software-driven transformation solutions based on our comprehensive methodology M-cbs - for fast value on the journey to the digital enterprise.cbs has more than 700 employees based at its headquarters in Heidelberg. Situated in our offices in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Tokyo (Japan), cbs team members take care of our Asia Pacific clients. For details, please visit the official website: https://www.cbs-consulting.com/apac/Source: Hitachi, Ltd.Copyright 2021 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
MELBOURNE (dpa-AFX) - BHP said that it agreed to divest its 80 percent interest in BHP Mitsui Coal, an operated metallurgical coal joint venture in Queensland. Stanmore SMC Holdings Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Stanmore Resources Limited, has agreed to acquire 100 per cent of the shares in Dampier Coal (Queensland) Pty Ltd from BHP Minerals Pty Ltd, for cash consideration of up to US$1.35 billion. The purchase price comprises US$1.1 billion cash on completion, US$100 million in cash six months after completion and the potential for up to US$150 million in a price-linked earnout payable in the 2024 calendar year. Stanmore Resources would assume economic and operating control of BHP Mitsui Coal on completion of the sale, including its share of all current and future liabilities of BHP Mitsui Coal subject to certain limited exceptions. Completion is expected to occur in the middle of the 2022 calendar year. BHP will provide certain transitional services to Stanmore Resources for a short period of time after completion. Golden Energy and Resources Limited, a Singapore Exchange listed company and Stanmore Resources' major shareholder, guarantees Stanmore Resources' obligations to pay the purchase price and any break fee obligations to BHP up to US$600 million. BHP noted that the review process for New South Wales Energy Coal is progressing, in line with the two-year timeframe announced in August 2020. BHP remains open to all options and continues consultation with relevant stakeholders. 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.


OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI.TO, RCI) said Sunday that it will not seek an appeal of last week's British Columbia Supreme Court ruling that upheld reconstituted board of Edward Rogers, who is son of the company's founder.



The Court on Friday affirmed Edward Rogers's authority to make changes to the board without holding a shareholder meeting.



Edward had used his authority as head of the family trust to replace several board members with his own hand-picked directors after he was ousted as chairman.



But, Edward Rogers was appointed as chairman of Rogers Communications at a meeting on 24th October, according to a statement by a group that had said it represented the 'reconstituted board' of the company.



Edward Rogers then said he planned to initiate proceedings in the British Columbia Supreme Court to confirm and implement the Shareholder Resolution.



However, Rogers Communications then said that the meeting was not valid, the board's membership hasn't changed at all and John MacDonald remains the chairman.



Rogers Communications's board voted out Edward Rogers on 21st October, after he tried to replace Chief Executive Officer Joe Natale with another executive. The company had appointed John MacDonald as chairman. MacDonald had been a member of the Rogers Board of Directors since 2012 and held the role of Lead Director and Chair of the Corporate Governance Committee.



Edward Rogers' mother and sisters, who are fellow board directors of the company, had said they support Joe Natale as CEO and support his management team. They remain as duly elected members of the Rogers Communications Board and represent the majority of the Board members of the company. No other group of individuals has any authority to purport to act as the Board of Directors of Rogers Communications Inc.



Last Friday, Edward Rogers said the company requires an effective board that shares a strategic vision for the business, is open, deliberate, consistent in its decision making, independent of management, and that always acts in the best interests of the corporation.



Edward noted that Joe Natale remains CEO and a director of Rogers Communications and has the Board's support.



Edward said his family has disagreements like every other family and he would resolve those differences privately.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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DALLAS, TX & BELL, CA, Nov 8, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - Bizos Cavallo Enterprises, LLC of Dallas, TX, together with California-based Hakim Unique Groups' Wingar Industrial Inc (DBA Denba USA), and DENBA JAPAN Co Ltd signed an exclusive strategic development agreement for United States distribution of the patented DENBA water molecule technology.DENBA preservation technology utilizes static waves to create electric fields in freezers to preserve perishable foods by lengthening moisture crystallization. Thus, while extending the freshness of frozen products longer than typical heat-removal freeze technology, this significantly lowers food waste via slowing oxidation in frozen food in residential and commercial food preservation applications, as well as across supply chain logistics such as prefabricated storage units typically used in cold storage units at ports, in shipping, trucking, and other food storage reefers."We are excited to partner with both Hakim Unique Groups' Wingar Industrial Inc. and DENBA Japan Co Ltd to bring this impactful technology to the US marketplace," said Elvin Thibodeaux, Managing Partner of Bizos Cavallo Enterprises. "The prevention of the morphology of ice crystals and limitation of food oxidation with minimal impact to cold storage capacity will be extremely beneficial in food import, export and utilization across the United States supply chain. We look forward to working to lowering the roughly 30% food waste impact lost from in farm-to-fork transference across our country's various commodity classes, as well as in that of daily usage in residential refrigeration within our homes.""Through years of research and development and improvement, DENBA's product line has formed a complete set of equipment chains that can meet the cold chain needs of storage, including long-, medium- and short-distance transportation. This, as well as in-home food preservation provides us confidence that the US marketplace will embrace DENBA's product offerings. We look forward to working with Bizos Cavallo to deliver this technology at a time where maximizing food resources is critical to the needs of many," said Henry Huang, Chief Executive Officer of Hakim Unique Group."Since 2004, DENBA JAPAN has been committed to the research and development of water-based technology to enhance the human quality of life. We are confident that our new distribution alliance with Wingar Industrial Inc. and Bizos Cavallo Enterprises will result in a positive impact to cycle of food and its useful life via our patented food preservation technology throughout the United States," said Kanetaka Goto, Chief Executive Officer, DENBA JAPAN Co Ltd.DENBA utilizes its unique patented technology which resonates and activates water molecules to maintain longer than normal food preservation. Under the DENBA environment, perishable food may be stored in a negative temperature range, which leads to a reduction of the bacteria growth for perishable food items. Denba products can be retrofitted to the existing refrigerated equipment and can be used in a wide range of food distribution applications, including not only refrigerators, but also prefabricated storage units, trucks, and reefer containers.About Bizos Cavallo EnterprisesBizos Cavallo Enterprises, LLC is a strategic consulting and operations firm focused on emerging bioscience innovation for public health, strategic alliances, and global investment resources, based in Dallas, TX, with offices in New Orleans and Winston-Salem, NC. In addition, Bizos Cavallo owns the subsidiary, BP&D International, LLC, a global leader in the procurement and the export of premium cultural commodities, including bulk grains, animal proteins, and their respective derivatives. Founded in 2017, Bizos Cavallo's network includes partners and a host of strategic alliances in the United States, Greece, Romania, China, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Dubai, France, Brazil, the West Indies and a Trade Operations Desk with Clarion Global-UK in the United Kingdom. For more about Bizos Cavallo Enterprises, visit www.bizoscavallo.com.About Hakim Unique GroupHakim Unique Group (HUG), founded in 2000 with headquarters in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, is an investment conglomerate with more than 175 subsidiaries including Hakim Unique Internet Co Ltd (now Straits Innovation, 300300.SH), a publicly listed Shenzhen A-Share company. HUG and its subsidiaries hold investments in information technology, film and TV media, healthcare, insurance, innovative finance and asset management. With total group valuation of more than RMB210 billion, or US$32 billion, the Group is ranked amongst China's top 500 private enterprises according to Zheshang Magazine and among the country's top 100 most profitable private enterprises. Visit www.hakim.com.cn, or Wingar Industrial (DBA Denba USA) at www.denbausa.com.About DENBA JAPAN Co LtdEstablished in 2004 and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, with a presence in Osaka and Zhenjiang, China, DENBA is at the forefront of electric field preservation technology with products and interests across healthcare, agriculture, aquaculture and cold chain logistics via technology. DENBA together with equipment manufacturers develops solutions to provide protection for the food cold chain. Current partner clients include the world's largest container manufacturer CIMC (DENBA equipped with professional temperature-controlled containers), China Railway Group (DENBA equipped with containers and long-distance cold chain vehicles), Changhong Group, Aucma Group (commercial and household refrigerators), Hoshizaki Co., Ltd. (the largest kitchen refrigeration equipment manufacturer in Japan), Isuzu Motors (refrigerated trucks and containers) and ITOCHU Corporation (trade distribution, cold chain logistics). Visit DENBA JAPAN at www.denba-global.com/en/Media Contacts:Bizos Cavallo Enterprises, LLCE: media@bizoscavallo.comT: +1 252 390 4300; Ext 1002U: https://www.bizoscavallo.comDenba USAE: Jason@DenbaUSA.comU: https://denbausa.comSource: Bizos Cavallo Enterprises, LLCSource: DENBA+Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Petrofac (POFCF.PK, POFCY.PK, PFC.L), on Monday announced that it has been awarded with a new contract worth around MYR399 million or about US$96 million by PETRONAS Carigali Sdn. Bhd., a subsidiary of PETRONAS, the Malaysian National Oil Company. The Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Commissioning or EPCC scope of work will encompass the delivery of the new Bintulu Additional Gas Sales Facilities 2 or BAGSF-2 plant located onshore at Tanjung Kidurong, Bintulu, in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. The greenfield development includes process and utilities unit, effluent treatment unit, metering skid, fire water tank, pumps, flare system and main substation building. In addition to the 390 MMSCFD capacity new facility, the project will also involve brownfield modifications and tie-in within the existing PETRONAS Plant, also located in Bintulu. Petrofac Chief Operating Officer Nick Shorten said: 'We have been working closely with PETRONAS since 2004, using our broad services capability and expertise to support the development of Malaysia's energy infrastructure. The contract will be delivered by Petrofac Group's local subsidiary, Petrofac Engineering Services (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, with engineering support from Petrofac-RNZ and local supply chain and subcontractors, further underpinning our commitment to local delivery.' Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - German stocks held steady on Monday as encouraging U.S. jobs as well as Chinese exports data offered fresh evidence that the global economy is well on the recovery track. A trio of the top policymakers will give speeches, including Fed Vice Chair Clarida, Fed Chair Powell, and Fed Governor Bowman later today. In economic releases, EU's Sentix investor confidence data will be released later in the session. The benchmark DAX was little changed at 16,048 after closing 0.2 percent higher on Friday. Cloud and ICT provider QSC AG was down 0.6 percent despite the company raising its fiscal 2021 EBITDA forecast. Henkel slumped 5.4 percent. The chemicals company expects FY21 earnings to be at the lower end of the guidance range. Covestro AG, a manufacture of high-tech polymer materials, climbed 1.8 percent after its third-quarter net income more than doubled to 472 million euros from last year's 179 million euros. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Eurozone Sentix investor confidence data is due at 4:30 am ET Monday. The investor confidence index is forecast to decline to 15.5 in November from 16.9 in the previous month. Ahead of the data, the euro traded mixed against its major rivals. While it held steady against the pound and the yen, it rose against the greenback and the franc. The euro was worth 131.26 against the yen, 1.1568 against the greenback, 0.8574 against the pound and 1.0575 against the franc as of 4:25 am ET. 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.
TAIPEI, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Golden Comic Awards were held recently at the Taipei New Horizon Building. Conducted virtually for the first time ever, this comics extravaganza did not disappoint. Entrants competed for a total purse of NT$2.45 million spread out among seven awards. The Grand Prize, with a purse of NT$500,000, went to Xiaodao for Crouching Lion in a Bookstore. The Special Contribution Award went to Ren Zheng-Hua for a lifetime of creating entertaining comics.

Ren came to prominence in comics in the 1980s with her comics for girls, among which Sea of Devil, Ren Rou Bao Zi, Drawn to Life, and Drawn to Life 2 are her best-known works. Through humor and incisive wit, Ren's thought-provoking comics address many of life's issues. Her works address a wide variety of issues and showcase both her creative abilities and her keen eye into the window of the human soul. She has described Taiwan's society in many ways, and her stories run true to life while also being imaginative.

The Ministry of Culture pointed out that Crouching Lion in a Bookstore is interesting for discussing book rental shops, which have largely disappeared from society. The work is both entertaining and very human. Showing off the talent of the rising generation of comics as it does, the work was universally liked by the judges. The youthful author Xiaodao shows maturity and a great deal of potential and through this piece has cast needed light on the contrast between humans and artificial intelligence.

Five works won Comic of the Year this year. Among them were Scrunchy by TaaRo, Hell Parade by Buke, Dutchman in Formosa vol.2 by Kinono and A Trip to the Asylum by Pam Pam Liu. These comics covered such realms as fantasy, history, and psychology, and highlighted the freedom and diversity found in Taiwan's culture.

The last winner of Comic of the Year-Fantastic Tales of Splendid Blossoms - and Son of Formosa, by Yu Pei-Yun and Zhou Jian-Xin, which took home the Best New Talent Award, were noteworthy for being cross-disciplinary works that introduced new angles. They also showed off the limitless potential of Taiwan's comic artists.

The Ministry pledged to continue working through its guidance fund to support the creation of original comics and platforms. It will also work through the Creative Content Agency in support of the Taiwan Comics Base, invest in and finance the expanded use of IP based on Taiwan's original creations, fund cross-disciplinary applications, and improve the environment for the further development of Taiwan's comic industry.

The GCA Award Ceremony will be broadcast on Taiwan Television Enterprise on Friday, November 12, at 10 p.m. and will also be available for viewing on the GCA YouTube channel. The organizers hope that comics fans will all join in to witness the moving stories and moments of glory captured at the ceremony. Due to COVID-19, this year's exhibit will be held online through November 30. It features nominees' works, recommended comics, nearly 100 Taiwanese works that have won international awards, cross-disciplinary creations, winners of the "Taiwan Original IP Cross-media Application Award" at hackathons, and a glimpse of the working environments of the winners of the 11th Comic of the Year Awards. Organizers hope that comics fans will enjoy seeing how comics are woven into their daily lives.

GCA Official Website: https://gca.moc.gov.tw

GCA Online Exhibition: https://gca.onlineexpo.tw/gca/2021/

GCA YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqxid4Y5DPtFADvtWrqkaQw

GCA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoldenComic

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1681215/The_12th_Golden_Comic_Awards_Ceremony_photo_credit_TTV.jpg
From spring 2022, Visa's technology will allow Mercedes-Benz customers in Europe to pay for goods and services by using their fingerprint in the car.

Daimler aims to make the car a payment device to initiate two-factor authentication.

As a result of a new global technology partnership between Daimler Mobility and Visa, Daimler will offer "native" in-car payments. This means that entering passwords or relying on mobile devices for payment authentication may soon be a thing of the past as the vehicle itself becomes a biometrically enabled payments device, thanks to Visa's Delegated Authentication technology.

From spring 2022 onwards, Mercedes-Benz customers in the UK and Germany will be able to make payments using a fingerprint sensor in the car, with other European markets to follow. Purchases can then be made directly through the car's head unit, or MBUX. The solution is anticipated to be available in other markets globally at a later stage.

In-car commerce has become an integral aspect of the luxury customer experience. For example, Daimler Mobility's global payment platform called Mercedes pay enables customers to buy goods and services directly in their car, including Mercedes me services, as well as for other use cases such as fuelling and parking.

Antony Cahill, Deputy CEO and Head of European Markets, at Visa in Europe:

"We are excited to bring to life a native solution for in-car payments for the first time, together with our partner Daimler Mobility. It is significant that both the successful pilot testing and initial launch activities are taking place in Europe, a world-leading hub for payments and automotive innovation. This is a powerful example of how the world's leader in digital payments and the inventor of the automobile are able to combine their technologies to create the next generation of smart solutions for the automobility sector, providing the driver and passengers with a completely new in-car connected commerce experience."

Franz Reiner, Chief Executive Officer, Daimler Mobility:

"Mercedes pay is our competence centre for in-car payment, through which we offer our customers worldwide digital services seamlessly integrated within the Mercedes-Benz ecosystem. In partnership with Visa, Daimler aims to offer native in-car payments that meet the requirements of two-factor authentication in a secure and user-friendly way. There is nothing more convenient than authorising a payment with your fingerprint. A luxury customer experience of course includes the aspect of safety, and we fulfil that through native in-car payment. We offer our customers security not only when driving, but also when paying."

The technology behind native in-car digital commerce

Mercedes pay is a component of Daimler's mobility and digitalization strategy, and a business segment of Daimler Mobility. Daimler will be the first ever automotive company in the world to incorporate the Visa Cloud Token Framework into its vehicles. Visa's Cloud Token Framework is a cloud-based security technology that allows more flexibility across multiple devices as Visa Cloud Tokens protect and remove sensitive payment information by converting data and storing it securely. They also enable multiple device pairing in and beyond the car, which are then directly integrated with the consumer's bank credentials. This significantly improves the overall payment experience as consumers no longer need to enter long card numbers to complete a purchase or switch between devices to authenticate payments. The solution will be used to initiate a two-factor authentication1

Promising future for in-car digital commerce

In the next two years alone, the number of connected cars is estimated to increase to more than 352 million worldwide2 and the total volume of in-car payments is set to reach approximately $86 billion by 20253

Mobility trends like electric vehicles, car sharing, autonomous driving and connected cars are increasing the demand for innovative payment methods within the vehicle itself. Today, when you buy car-related services, many require the motorist to use a separate device to log onto an app or website. Daimler and Visa's ambition is to enable users to have a hassle-free payments experience through the car, while also expanding the choice and quality of experiences available to them.

Daimler Mobility at a Glance

In addition to Mercedes-Benz AG and Daimler Truck AG, Daimler Mobility AG is one of the three business divisions of Daimler AG. It has about 11,650 employees and specializes in financial and mobility solutions. Its products range from leasing, financing, and insurance products to innovative fleet management systems and app-based mobility services. As a financial services provider, the business division supports the sales of the Daimler Group's automotive brands worldwide. In Germany, Mercedes-Benz Bank AG, part of the Daimler Mobility division, is one of the country's leading automotive banks. It provides around one million customers with financial leeway as well as call-money and fixed-interest-rate accounts in the direct banking business. The product range is supplemented by flexible mobility services such as Mercedes-Benz Rent and EQ subscriptions, which enable an uncomplicated and flexible entry into electro mobility. Through its subsidiary Athlon, Daimler Mobility is represented in the commercial fleet management segment as well as in vehicle leasing in Europe. The company manages more than 400,000 vehicles in total. As a strategic investor, Daimler Mobility also participates in the business potential of digital mobility solutions through its holdings. The focus is on its involvement in FREE NOW, SHARE NOW and CHARGE NOW. These pillars combine ride-hailing, carsharing, multimodal mobility and the charging of electric vehicles. Daimler Mobility's portfolio also contains holdings in the limousine ride-hailing service StarRides in China and the chauffeur service provider Blacklane. In 2020, Daimler Mobility financed or leased around 50 percent of the vehicles sold by Daimler worldwide. This corresponds to a contract volume of 150.6 billion. In 2020, the business division generated revenue of 27.7 billion and achieved EBIT of 1.4 billion. Daimler Mobility operates in 39 countries.

www.daimler-mobility.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/daimler-mobility

About Visa Inc.

Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world's leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company's relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of digital commerce on any device for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analogue 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.

1 Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) compliance requires two-factor authentication consisting of the following: something the consumer knows (e.g. a password), possess (e.g. a connected device) or is (e.g. biometrics). Daimler Mobility makes use of Visa's Delegated Authentication Service, making it possible to apply SCA on behalf of the issuer.

2 Capgemini Invent: Connected Vehicle Trend Radar 2, 2020.

3 Juniper Research: The Race for In-Vehicle Payments, 2020.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005472/en/

Contacts:

Daimler Mobility press contacts:

Martin Schou, +49 176 30998638, martin.schou@daimler.com

Michael Kuhn, +49 160 8614768, michael.m.kuhn@daimler.com

Visa press contacts:

Ian Burge, +44 7767 794956, burgei@visa.com

Molly Woodward (Grayling), VisaStrategy@grayling.com
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 8, 2021 / Element79 Gold Corp. (CSE:ELEM)(OTC PINK:ELMGF)(FSE:7YS) ("Element79 Gold", the "Company") is pleased to welcome Mr. Andy Cole as an Advisor to the Board of Directors.

Mr. Cole's prominent roles within the mining industry include executive director and management positions at some of the most renowned mining corporations in the world, such as:

Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE Listed), the second largest mining company in the world, where he accumulated 20 years of experience at its largest core asset, 1 the Goldstrike Mine (now part of Nevada Gold Mines LLC's Carlin Mine, a joint venture with Newmont Corporation 2 ), in several operational capacities before being promoted to General Manager of the Goldstrike complex, and going on to serve as Executive Director, U.S.A. of Barrick Gold Corporation. 3



(NYSE Listed), the second largest mining company in the world, where he accumulated 20 years of experience at its largest core asset, the Goldstrike Mine (now part of Nevada Gold Mines LLC's Carlin Mine, a joint venture with Newmont Corporation ), in several operational capacities before being promoted to General Manager of the Goldstrike complex, and going on to serve as Executive Director, U.S.A. of Barrick Gold Corporation. Donlin Gold LLC , a 50/50 joint venture between Barrick and NOVAGOLD Resources Inc. (NYSE Listed), where he acted as General Manager of the Donlin Gold Project in Alaska 3 , which has Proven & Probable Reserves of 33.9 million ounces of gold and is estimated to produce over one million ounces of gold per year on average once operational. 4



, a 50/50 joint venture between Barrick and NOVAGOLD Resources Inc. (NYSE Listed), where he acted as General Manager of the Donlin Gold Project in Alaska , which has Proven & Probable Reserves of 33.9 million ounces of gold and is estimated to produce over one million ounces of gold per year on average once operational. i-80 Gold Corp. (TSX Listed), where he is retained as Senior Metallurgical and Processing Advisor to the Operating Team, working to advance its portfolio of projects and assess opportunities to grow its future production profile.1

"With my experience in Nevada at nearly every operational level of Barrick Gold, particularly at their flagship asset, the Goldstrike complex, I believe my contributions will have a meaningful impact for Element79 Gold and its shareholders," commented Mr. Cole. "I look forward to working closely with the Board of Directors to help drive the development of Maverick Springs and the Battle Mountain Portfolio."

Mr. Cole completed his Master of Business Administration degree at the University of Nevada, Reno, and his Bachelor of Engineering degree in Materials Engineering at the University of Arizona. He brings with him over 34 years of experience in mine development, process operations, and production from working on and managing major North American gold mines and projects.5

"Yet another show of support by yet another mining veteran further confirms that we are on the right path with Element79 Gold," remarked James Tworek, President and CEO of the Company. "We are confident in the value that Mr. Cole's wealth of experience can add to the Company; in particular, his decades of experience at every level of the very same distinguished mining territories that will be key to Element79 Gold's growing portfolio."

About Element79 Gold

Element79 Gold is a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of mining properties for gold and associated metals within the mining-friendly jurisdictions of Nevada, British Columbia, and Ontario. In Nevada, the Company is closing on its acquisition of the flagship Maverick Springs Project, which consists of 247 unpatented mining claims on the border of Elko County and White Pine County, Nevada, and the Battle Mountain Portfolio, which consists of 2,203 unpatented mining claims in Elko County, Eureka County, Humbolt County, Lander County, and Nye County, Nevada. In British Columbia, the Company has executed a Letter of Intent to acquire a private company which holds the option to 100% interest of the Snowbird High-Grade Gold Project, which consists of 10 mineral claims located in Central British Columbia, approximately 20km west of Fort St. James. In Ontario, the Company has an option to acquire 100% interest in the Dale Property which consists of 90 unpatented mining claims located approximately 100 km southwest of Timmins, Ontario, Canada in the Timmins Mining Division, Dale Township. For more information about the Company, please visit www.element79.gold or www.element79gold.com

Contact Information

For corporate matters, please contact:

James C. Tworek, Chief Executive Officer

E-mail: jt@element79gold.com



For investor relations inquiries, please contact:

Investor Relations Department

Phone: +1 (604) 200-3608

E-mail: investors@element79gold.com

Technical Disclaimer

This news release and related maps contain information about adjacent properties and properties with similar characteristics on which the Company has no right to explore or mine. Readers are cautioned that mineral deposits on adjacent properties or properties that share similar characteristics are not indicative of mineral deposits on the Company's properties. Readers are also cautioned that this news release contains historical technical information which is based on prior data prepared by previous property owners. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to confirm such information; significant data compilation, re-drilling, re-sampling and data verification may be required to do so.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This press contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" under applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). These statements relate to future events or the Company's future performance, business prospects or opportunities that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management made in light of management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the Company's business strategy; future planning processes; exploration activities; the timing and result of exploration activities; capital projects and exploration activities and the possible results thereof; acquisition opportunities; and the impact of acquisitions, if any, on the Company. Assumptions may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Consequently, forward-looking statements cannot be guaranteed. As such, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, assumptions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "forecast", "potential", "target", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe" and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements".

Actual results may vary from forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to materially differ from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: the duration and effects of the coronavirus and COVID-19; risks related to the integration of acquisitions; actual results of exploration activities; conclusions of economic evaluations; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; commodity prices; variations in ore reserves, grade or recovery rates; actual performance of plant, equipment or processes relative to specifications and expectations; accidents; labour relations; relations with local communities; changes in national or local governments; changes in applicable legislation or application thereof; delays in obtaining approvals or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities; exchange rate fluctuations; requirements for additional capital; government regulation; environmental risks; reclamation expenses; outcomes of pending litigation; limitations on insurance coverage as well as those factors discussed in the Company's other public disclosure documents, available on www.sedar.com . Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included herein should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date hereof. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws.

Sources

Element79 Gold makes no warranty as to the completeness, accuracy, verifiability, or suitableness of any of the information contained on the following third-party links and expressly undertakes no obligation to update the following links.

1. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/i-80-continues-building-its-operating-team-with-the-addition-of-andy-cole-as-senior-metallurgical-and-processing-advisor-301267309.html

2. https://www.barrick.com/English/news/news-details/2019/Barrick-and-Newmont-Forge-Nevada-Joint-Venture-Agreement/default.aspx

3. https://www.barrick.com/English/news/news-details/2016/Barrick-and-NOVAGOLD-Announce-the-Appointment-of-Andy-Cole-as-General-Manager-of-the-Donlin-Gold-Project-in-Alaska/default.aspx

4. https://donlingold.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Donlin_PD_Book_en.pdf

5. Resume provided to the Company by Mr. Cole

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Element79 Gold Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/671595/Element79-Gold-Welcomes-Another-Barrick-Gold-Alumnus-Ex-Goldstrike-General-Manager-as-Advisor-to-the-Board
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global inhaled nitric oxide delivery systems market size is estimated to reach USD 434.2 million by 2028 registering a CAGR of 6.9%, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. A rise in the cases of respiratory failure among neonates, increased pollution levels leading to lung diseases in adults, need for quick treatment response, and reduced complications are the factors driving the adoption of inhaled nitric oxide therapy. The presence of several small-scale manufacturers and research initiatives undertaken by major players to prove treatment efficacy against the SARS-CoV-2 virus further enhances market growth.

Key Insights & Findings:

The pediatric type segment accounted for the largest revenue share in 2020 due to the rising usage of INO therapy on account of its efficacy and reduced complications

The Hypoxic Respiratory Failure (HRF) application segment held the largest revenue share in 2020

Hospitals was the largest revenue-generating segment in 2020 owing to the presence of funds and well-established infrastructure in this end-user setting

Asia Pacific was the largest regional market in 2020 due to the growing pediatric population, rise in the cases of respiratory diseases, and presence of local manufacturers of disposables

Some of the prominent companies are Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Getinge, Vero Biotech, LINDE, Beyond Air, SLE, Nu-MED, Bellerophon Therapeutics, Air Liquide Healthcare, and Circassia Pharmaceuticals

Read 139 page market research report, "Inhaled Nitric Oxide Delivery Systems Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Type (Pediatric, Adult), By Application (HRF, AHRF), By Product (Disposables, Systems), By End User, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028", by Grand View Research

Safe and effective treatment regimen, a rapid offset of action, reduced toxicity, high concentration of drug at the target organ, avoidance of systemic adverse reaction, and reduced dose of medication are some of the advantages of INO over other medications. This leads to the improved adoption of INO, potentially driving the market growth. Market leaders like Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals are providing fundings to conduct clinical trials of INO therapy to treat complications in COVID-19 patients. Such initiatives are said to boost the market growth during the forecasted period.

Grand View Research has segmented the global inhaled nitric oxide delivery systems market on the basis of type, product, application, end user, and region:

INO Delivery Systems Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Pediatrics



Adult

INO Delivery Systems Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Hypoxic Respiratory Failure (HRF)



Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure (AHRF)



Others

INO Delivery Systems Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Disposables



System

INO Delivery Systems End-user Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Hospitals



Ambulatory Centers



Clinics

INO Delivery Systems Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

North America



U.S.





Canada



Europe



U.K.





Germany





France





Italy





Spain





Norway





Sweden





Russia



Asia Pacific



Japan





China





India





Thailand





South Korea





Australia



Latin America



Brazil





Mexico





Argentina



Middle East & Africa

&

South Africa





Saudi Arabia





UAE





Turkey

List of Key Players of Inhaled Nitric Oxide Delivery Systems Market

Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals

Getinge

Vero Biotech

LINDE

Beyond Air

SLE

NU MED

Bellerophon Therapeutics

Air Liquide Healthcare

Circassia Pharmaceuticals

Check out more studies related to respiratory devices, conducted by Grand View Research:

Therapeutic Respiratory Devices Market - The global therapeutic respiratory devices market size was valued at USD 8.2 billion in 2016 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.10% during the forecast period. Growing geriatric population base, rising prevalence of respiratory diseases, and rapid technological advancements are the factors driving the market growth.

- The global therapeutic respiratory devices market size was valued at in 2016 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.10% during the forecast period. Growing geriatric population base, rising prevalence of respiratory diseases, and rapid technological advancements are the factors driving the market growth. Anesthesia & Respiratory Devices Market - The global anesthesia and respiratory devices market size was valued at USD 29.8 billion in 2018 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.6% over the forecast period. Demand for anesthesia and respiratory devices is increasing due to the increasing incidence of respiratory diseases, such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).

- The global anesthesia and respiratory devices market size was valued at in 2018 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.6% over the forecast period. Demand for anesthesia and respiratory devices is increasing due to the increasing incidence of respiratory diseases, such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Airway Management Devices Market - The global airway management devices market size was valued at USD 1.1 billion in 2016 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.6% during the forecast period. The increasing prevalence of respiratory diseases is predicted to be one of the high impact rendering drivers of this market.

Browse through Grand View Research's coverage of theGlobal Medical Devices Industry

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About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 8, 2021 / (TSXV:AUC)(OTCQB:AUCCF)(Frankfurt:9FY), (the "Company" or "Goldplay"), is pleased to announce that it has initiated drilling on the historical Aparis Copper Mine ("Aparis") in Portugal. The Aparis mine is part of the projects held by a private Portuguese company, Indice Crucial Lda ("Indice Crucial") on which Goldplay can earn up to 100% interest (see Company's news release dated June 23, 2021 for more details).

HIGHLIGHTS

Past producing underground copper mine (last produced in 1975 with copper price $0.55/lb. Project previously held by the government, with no work done since .

(last produced in 1975 with copper price $0.55/lb. Project previously held by the government, with no work done since . Mine located less than 160Km (over paved roads) from the Copper smelter in Huelva, Spain, owned by Atlantic Copper SLU.

in Huelva, Spain, owned by Atlantic Copper SLU. Extensive vein system extending over 5 km along strike , open for exploration. Historic mine developed to a maximum depth of only 210m over 900m along strike.

, open for exploration. Historic mine developed to a maximum depth of only 210m over 900m along strike. Over 5000m of existing underground development

Over 3700 rock/channel samples taken underground assaying 2-18% Cu taken over 1-4.6m widths on 900m strike length.

taken underground assaying Cu taken over 1-4.6m widths on 900m strike length. Mine has access to power and local workforce .

. The plant buildings and flotation mill remain on site .

. 17 drill holes underground plus an unknown amount of surface drilling (from 1951 to 1969).

EM ground survey (TURAM) run in the early sixties picks out the vein system over more than 5 Km and identifies potential parallel zones.

Potential Silver credits (> 20 g/t Ag).

This initial drilling campaign for approximatively 1,000m and additional exploration work is focused on expanding and better defining the mineralization for a wider copper zone (> 1% Cu) within the Aparis shear zone that currently averages more than 10m in true thickness.

The Aparis deposit is a broad metalliferous (Cu-Ag) shear zone hosted in a Devonian turbidite sequence (Terena Formation). The mineralized system is interpreted to be genetically associated with a late-Devonian hypabyssal bimodal magmatic suite and breccia systems that also contain high-grade gold values in other target areas that are presently being assessed.

Catalin Kilofliski, Goldplay Mining President & CEO stated: "We are very pleased to begin drilling this very promising historical copper mine in Portugal. The project holds real potential to become an attractive mid-tier copper mine. I would also like to acknowledge the support received from the government and local community to date. From the moment that we have presented our work plans on the project, the local municipality in the town of Barrancos located just 14 Km from the Aparis mine has provided Goldplay with a fully furnished modern business office at no cost, as part of their efforts to support and encourage local economic activity. Portugal has a very well defined process in place to support mining activities that allowed us to begin drilling within approximately 3 months of planning. This proves that the Portugal government is serious about encouraging the development of mining projects within country, to feed a growing need of metal production within the European Union."

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Jose Mario Castelo Branco, Golplay's Exploration Manager, a Qualified Person within the context of Canadian Securities Administrators' National Instrument 43-101; Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. The readers should not rely on any historical estimates. The Company and the QP has not done sufficient work to verify any historical estimates. Additional work including drilling will be required to verify and upgrade historical estimates.

About Goldplay Mining

Goldplay Mining is a Canadian public company listed on TSXV and in US on OTCQB. Goldplay holds large district scale gold, and copper-gold projects located in BC's Golden Triangle and southwestern BC with potential for world class mineral discoveries. The Company also holds several brownfield gold, and copper-gold projects located in Portugal with near term mining potential.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Catalin Kilofliski"

Catalin Kilofliski

President, CEO & Director

For further information please contact:

Goldplay Mining Inc.

Mr. Catalin Kilofliski, President & CEO

Suite 650 - 1021 West Hastings Street

Vancouver, BC V6E 0C3

T: (604) 655-1420

E: catalin@goldplaymining.ca

www.goldplaymining.ca

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to the exploration potential of the Properties. Generally forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as "anticipate", "will", "expect", "may", "continue", "could", "estimate", "forecast", "plan", "potential" and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties relating to, among other things, the lack of recent exploration work on the Properties, results of future exploration and development activities, uninsured risks, regulatory changes, defects in title, availability of materials and equipment, timeliness of government approvals, changes in commodity prices and unanticipated environmental impacts on operations. Although the Company believes current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered are appropriate and that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct or enduring. Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this release. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any forward-looking statements that are contained or incorporated in this press release. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

SOURCE: Goldplay Mining Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/671585/Goldplay-Begins-Drilling-on-past-Producing-Copper-Mine-in-Portugal
SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / November 8, 2021 / WithHealth, Inc. (the "Company"), a precision concierge telehealth company for employers and their employees, is thrilled to announce that CEO Cindy Salas Murphy is a finalist for the San Diego Business Journal's Business Woman of the Year!

Each year, the San Diego Business Journal recognizes dynamic women business leaders who have contributed significantly to San Diego's workplaces and communities. Look for an ad featuring Cindy and thanking all employees, as well as the WithHealth Medical Group, in the Finalist edition on November 8th, as well as the Winner & Finalists edition on December 6th!

WithHealth Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Cindy Salas Murphy, stated, "I founded WithHealth, Inc. in 2017 to fill a void of affordable, proactive, accessible, and convenient health care. We deliver on the promise of precision care by dramatically changing the healthcare experience to improve employee health and employer outcomes, and by making DNA actionable. I want to thank every single WithHealth employee and the WithHealth Medical Group for making this vision a reality, and San Diego Business Journal for this honor."

AboutWithHealth,Inc.

WithHealth, Inc. was founded in 2017 to deliver on the promise of precision care by dramatically changing the healthcare experience to improve employee health and employer outcomes. WithHealth , a telehealth company, makes health care affordable, proactive, accessible and preventative by utilizing genomics, digital twin technology, augmented intelligence, and care coordination to provide a 360-degree individualized health profile.

For more information about WithHealth, Inc., please visit https://www.withhealth.com.

Corporate:

info@withhealth.com

p833-99-HEALTH

Chief Marketing Officer

Cindy Judd

cindy.judd@withhealth.com

p847-404-9962

Investors:

ClearThink

nyc@clearthink.capital

p917-658-7878

WithHealth's Complete Care Program utilizes genomics, digital twin technology, augmented intelligence, care coordination, and telehealth to make health care personalized, affordable, proactive, and accessible. WithHealth's services also include a workplace safety offering to manage the ongoing monitoring, prevention, and COVID-19 testing of employees to ensure a safe and healthy working environment. The company is committed to using innovative technology to increase healthcare access and lower costs for individuals and employers.

SOURCE: WithHealth Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/671580/WithHealth-CEO-Cindy-Salas-Murphy-Named-a-Finalist-for-the-San-Diego-Business-Journals-Business-Woman-of-the-Year
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 8, 2021 / Lucky Minerals Inc. (TSXV:LKY)(OTC PINK:LKMNF)(FRA:LKY) ("Lucky" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company will be participating in Renmark Financial Communications Inc.'s live Virtual Non-Deal Roadshow Series to discuss recently announced exploration developments and its latest investor presentation on Tuesday, November 9th, 2021 at 12:00 PM EDT, Thursday, November 18th, 2021 at 10:00 AM EDT and Tuesday, November 30th, 2021 at 1:00 PM PDT. Lucky Minerals welcomes stakeholders, investors, and other individual followers to register and attend this live event.

The presentation will feature Lucky Mineral's, President and CEO, Francois Perron. Topics to be covered will include the latest investor presentation followed by a live Q&A. Investors interested in participating in this event will need to register using the links below. As a reminder, registration for the live event may be limited but access to the replay after the event will be on The Company's Investor website.

PLEASE REGISTER HERE:

Tuesday, November 9, 2021, Montreal:

https://www.renmarkfinancial.com/events/renmark-virtual-non-deal-roadshow-tsx-v-lky-2021-11-09-120000 Thursday, November 18, 2021, New York:

https://www.renmarkfinancial.com/events/renmark-virtual-non-deal-roadshow-tsx-v-lky-2021-11-18-100000 Tuesday, November 30, 2021, Vancouver:

https://www.renmarkfinancial.com/events/renmark-virtual-non-deal-roadshow-tsx-v-lky-2021-11-30-130000

PLEASE NOTE: To ensure smooth connectivity, please access this link using the latest version of Google Chrome.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Francois Perron"

Chief Executive Officer

About Lucky

Lucky is an exploration and development company targeting large-scale mineral systems in proven districts with the potential to host world class deposits. Lucky owns a 100% interest in the Fortuna Property. The Company's Fortuna Project is comprised of twelve contiguous, 550 km2 (55,000 Hectares, or 136,000 Acres) exploration concessions. Fortuna is located in a highly prospective, yet underexplored, gold belt in southern Ecuador.

Further information on Lucky can be found on the Company's website at www.luckyminerals.com and at www.sedar.com, or by contacting Francois Perron, President and CEO, by email at investors@luckyminerals.com or by telephone at (866) 924 6484.

Or by contacting:

Renmark Financial Communications Inc.

Daniel Gordon: dgordon@renmarkfinancial.com

Tel: (416) 644-2020 or (212) 812-7680

www.renmarkfinancial.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Adjacent Properties and Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the future operations of the Company and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the future plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: uncertainties related to exploration and development; the ability to raise sufficient capital to fund exploration and development; changes in economic conditions or financial markets; increases in input costs; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological or operational difficulties or inability to obtain permits encountered in connection with exploration activities; and labor relations matters. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect the Company's forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations also include risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators.

The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will not update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements unless required by Canadian securities law.

SOURCE: Lucky Minerals Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/671559/Lucky-Minerals-to-Participate-in-Renmarks-Virtual-Non-deal-Roadshow-Series-Tuesday-Nov-9-Thursday-Nov-18-and-Tuesday-Nov-30-2021
Increase in demand for conventional fuels from the developing economies drives the growth of the global coiled tubing market

PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Coiled Tubing Market by Operation (Pumping, Circulation, Logging, and Others), Location (Onshore and Offshore), Application (Well Intervention, Drilling." According to the report, the global coiled tubing industry was estimated at $3.0 billion in 2020, and is anticipated to hit $4.7 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 4.5% from 2021 to 2030.

Drivers, restraints, and opportunities-

Increase in demand for conventional fuels from the developing economies drives the growth of the global coiled tubing market. On the other hand, implementation of stringent government regulations toward environmental pollution from oil & gas products impedes the growth to some extent. However, rapid transition from coal power station to gas power station and rise in use of gas in vehicles are anticipated to provide lucrative growth opportunities for the key players in the industry.

Download Sample PDF (240 Pages PDF with Insights): https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/813

COVID-19 Scenario-

The outbreak of the pandemic resulted in temporary ban on import & export and manufacturing & processing activities across various industries that curtailed the demand for oil and gas products, which impacted the global coiled tubing market negatively.

Nevertheless, as the situation is getting better across the world, the market is expected to get back on track soon.

The pumping segment to dominate by 2030-

Based on operation, the pumping segment accounted for more than one-third of the total coiled tubing market share in 2020, and is anticipated to rule the roost by 2030. The same segment would also cite the fastest CAGR of 5.4% throughout the forecast period, due to rise in demand for coiled tubing from variety of fluid pumping operations such as oil well cementing, pressure testing, solvent pumping, acidizing treatments and others.

Get detailed COVID-19 impact analysis on The Coiled Tubing Market: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/813?reqfor=covid

The onshore segment to maintain the dominant share-

Based on location, the onshore segment held around three-fifths of the global coiled tubing market revenue in 2020, and is expected to lead the trail by 2030. This is owing to rise in demand for oil & gas and related products across the world. The offshore segment, however, would manifest the fastest CAGR of 4.9% from 2020 to 2030. This is due to increase in deep water excavation activities, infrastructure development, and scientific studies of the earth's subsurface since it leads to increase in oil exploration activities from oil reserves in seas.

North America garnered the major share in 2020-

Based on region, North America held the major share in 2020, generating around one-third of the global coiled tubing market, due to the presence of key players and huge consumer base in the region. At the same time, the market across Europe would grow at the fastest CAGR of 6.0% by 2030. This is attributed to the rising demand for oil products from the transportation, building & construction, and manufacturing industries across the region.

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Key players in the industry-

Calfrac Well Services Ltd.

Baker Hughes Company

Step Energy Services

Key Energy Services, LLC

Weatherford International PLC.

Altus Intervention

Oceaneering International, Inc.

Halliburton

Schlumberger Limited

Trican

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LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / November 8, 2021 / Recently, SEUS International Group, the leading forex dealer, has announced the launch of its new trading platform. Leading CFD broker SEUS International Group Limited was founded in the U.K. SEUS Group was established to facilitate rapid growth and business expansion in different markets, relying on online trading platforms to provide investors with a comprehensive range of secure financial services, including stock, forex, gold and silver, financial futures and global futures contracts brokerage and trading.

With the accelerated pace of economic globalization, the investment market is growing, and the global financial investment transactions are becoming more and more diversified. Among them, foreign exchange trading with high investment profit efficiency, investment flexibility and other advantages, attracting more and more investors to participate in it, foreign exchange trading market trading scale also gradually become huge, become the world's largest financial market. To invest in foreign exchange, it is vital to choose a good, safe and reliable forex trading service platform. A comprehensive assessment of brokers throughout the forex trading industry makes SEUS a company worth trusting.

By collaborating with the world's top banks and liquidity providers, SEUS Group can provide investors with greater transparency, security and a superior trading industry environment, allowing SEUS International Group Limited clients to enjoy better quotes and lower low transaction costs.

Spreads are a key cost when trading forex, so low spread platforms are more beneficial to investors. As a platform that can offer ultra-low spreads in the industry, SEUS' MT5 trading software is one of the more representative ones, with no duplicate quotes and extremely fast execution, which is very popular among investors.

Investors who have experience in Forex trading understand how important high quality and efficient trading is in the Forex market. SEUS offers its clients a high leverage margin ratio service from 1:100 to 1:300 times. At the same time, SEUS uses a dealerless STP direct sales model, where all clients' orders can be traded directly on the international markets, providing a level trading environment for clients. In addition, SEUS Group provides investors with 24-hour customer service to meet global trading needs.

As SEUS Group gets stronger, SEUS knows that the security of a platform is crucial to be able to speculate well in Forex.

Strength guarantee. Sufficient funds of SEUS Group ensure the future development and innovation of SEUS to a certain extent. As a global international trader, SEUS is implemented in accordance with the highest standards in management, finance and disclosure. Therefore, such a strong strength is difficult to match other foreign exchange dealers. This is the most important reason why many investors choose SEUS as their first choice.

Choosing a good forex broker will be of great benefit to your later forex investments.

SEUS trading platform has been recognized by many organizations and markets for its high coverage and high efficiency services. In the future, SEUS International Group Limited will provide investors with more secure, fast and professional services with a professional spirit.

Media Queries:

SEUS Media Office

Address: SUITE 217 162 WARWICK WAY LONDON ENGLAND SW1V 4JE

Contact Person: Ms. Lee

Tele: +44 68426303140

Email: service@seus-fx.com

Website: https://seus-fx.com

SOURCE: SEUS International Group Limited

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/671630/SEUS-International-Group-Limited-Announces-the-Launch-of-Its-New-Trading-Platform
TAIPEI, TAIWAN / ACCESSWIRE / November 8, 2021 / The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way people, especially during the summer vacation, as many parents had to care for children while working at home. The CDF Foundation recently to launched online courses for working from home (WFH) parents and their kids featuring the popular Zentangle drawings.

The rise of working from home (WFH) prompted by the pandemic did not only affect the way people work, but also redefined the day-to-day operations. Organizing similar courses for WFH parents and kids helped improve their daily lives. The courses also turned the spotlight on artists cultivated by CDF Foundation, letting them shine while fostering sustainable development.

Angelo Koo, Chairman of CDIB Capital Group who also leads the Foundation, deeply believes that "education is the most valuable investment" and that only education and knowledge can help children with insufficient resources to escape poverty. Since taking over as the chairman in 2006, he has used the foundation as a platform to promote various scholarships and charity programs.

A child tries her hand when participating in an online course launched by the CDF Foundation. (Courtesy of CDF Foundation)

Shan-Yan Kang, a recipient of the CDF Foundation's scholarship for skilled vocational high school students, served as teacher for the course, demonstrating all different strokes and patterns to the attending parents and their kids on the other side of the screen. Even those with zero artistic background were able to master the basics and create their own tangles. As a university student, Kang was filled with a sense of achievement, as it was her first experience attempting to teach from home and share her skills with people all over Taiwan.

Shan-Yan Kang was only recently admitted to the Department of Fine Arts, National Kaohsiung Normal University. Already a recipient of countless accolades, Kang displayed talent and passion for the visual arts from a young age.

In order to polish her teaching skills, the Foundation put her in charge of a series of creative courses for WFH parents and their kids. Not only did this enable kids to learn new drawing skills while having fun, but it helped adults relieve stress from the pandemic. The CDF Foundation said that even though it is challenging to hold physical courses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it will continue providing various learning opportunities for scholarship recipients through online platforms.

The Foundation has also successively organized woodworking and dance online courses, among others, during the pandemic this year. The Foundation plans to continue organizing similar online courses even after the pandemic in order to maximize its corporate social responsibility efforts while fulfilling its goal of talent cultivation. For more charity events, please visit: https://www.cdfholding.com/en/

CONTACTS:

Raymond Wu, Mobile: +886-929-028107

SOURCE: CDF Foundation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/671683/Charity-Foundation-Led-by-Angelo-Koo-Helps-WFH-Parents-with-Online-Art-Courses
Vaduz, Liechtenstein--(Newsfile Corp. - November 8, 2021) - XSWAP, the decentralized cryptocurrency exchange built on top of ABEYCHAIN opened to the public on November 6, 2021, with trading, liquidity mining and staking immediately available to users.

To view the full announcement, including downloadable images, bios, and more, click here.

Key Takeaways:

XSWAP is a completely open source, fully decentralized exchange built on top of ABEYCHAIN, one of the world's fastest growing blockchain projects.

Within the first 24 hours of availability XSWAP had attracted over US$11 million in total value locked (TVL) and over US$20 million in total value locked (TVL) after 48 hours.

More than one million XT, the official governance token of the exchange, were mined within the first 48 hours of opening to general availability.

Click image above to view full announcement.

About ABEY



The ABEY ecosystem features ABEYCHAIN, a leading public chain implementing a secure PoW+DPoS hybrid consensus; the ABEY Storage Network and the ABEY Storage Token (AST); and among the multitude of on-chain apps built on ABEYCHAIN are XSWAP.com, home of the latest DEX protocol; the ABEY NFT platform, and the upcoming play-to-earn blockchain game Puppy Planet. For more information, please visit https://abey.com.

About the ABEY Foundation



The ABEY Foundation, a registered non-profit organization in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, contributes governance, research, and guidance while maintaining the integrity of ABEYCHAIN technology for today and for the future. For more information, please visit https://abey.org.

Contacts:

Tom Murphy

tmurphy@adxnet.com

Source: ADX Labs, Inc.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/102444
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - November 8, 2021) - Sayward Capital Corp. (TSXV: SAWC.P) ("Sayward") is pleased to announce that it has received conditional acceptance from the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") for the closing of its proposed qualifying transaction (the "Qualifying Transaction") with Field Safe Solutions Inc. ("Field Safe").

Further to its news releases dated July 28, 2021, September 21, 2021 and November 2, 2021, Sayward will acquire all of the issued and outstanding securities of Field Safe by way of a three-cornered amalgamation whereby Field Safe will amalgamate with 2372845 Alberta Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sayward. In connection with the Qualifying Transaction, Sayward will change its name to "Field Safe Solutions Ltd." (the "Resulting Issuer") or such other name as the board of directors, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate or as may be required or permitted by applicable regulatory authorities. It is anticipated that the common shares of the Resulting Issuer will trade under the ticker "FSS".

The completion of the Qualifying Transaction is subject to a number of conditions including, but not limited to, receipt of all required regulatory approvals, including final TSXV acceptance and satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. Assuming all conditions for closing are satisfied, closing of the Qualifying Transaction is expected to occur on or before December 17, 2021, or such other date as Sayward and Field Safe may determine.

For further information regarding the Qualifying Transaction, please refer to Sayward's news releases dated July 28, 2021, September 21, 2021 and November 2, 2021, all of which are available under Sayward's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

About Sayward

Sayward is incorporated under the Business Corporations Act (Alberta) (the "ABCA") and is a capital pool company within the meaning of the policies of the TSXV. Sayward has not commenced operations and has no assets other than cash. Sayward's principal business is the identification and evaluation of assets or businesses with a view to completing a "Qualifying Transaction" under Policy 2.4 - Capital Pool Companies of the TSXV.

About Field Safe

Field Safe is a privately-held corporation existing under the ABCA, incorporated on March 20, 2014. Field Safe is a Canadian software as a service company located in Calgary, Alberta that provides an easy-to-use worker safety platform that connects workers, improves safety, optimizes operations and lowers costs. Field Safe has been experiencing rapid growth which is illustrated through a 2,225% revenue increase from 2017 to 2020. Field Safe is a leader in the digital safety space and has 10 Fortune 1000 Companies that currently use their digital safety platform, including one of Canada's largest LNG projects.

Further Information

All information contained in this news release with respect to Sayward and Field Safe was supplied by the respective party, 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.

Completion of the Qualifying Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, TSXV final acceptance and if applicable pursuant to TSXV requirements, majority of the minority shareholder approval. The Qualifying Transaction cannot close until the required Field Safe shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the Qualifying Transaction or the Field Safe Private Placement will be completed as proposed or at all.

Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular of Field Safe or filing statement of Sayward to be prepared in connection with the Qualifying Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Qualifying Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of Sayward should be considered highly speculative.

The TSXV has not in any way passed upon the merits of the proposed Qualifying Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.

The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirement. 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 jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

For further information, please contact:

Luke Caplette, Director

Sayward Capital Corp.

Email: lukecaplette@hotmail.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Forward Looking Information

Certain statements and information herein, including all statements that are not historical facts, contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements or information include but are not limited to statements or information with respect to: the Resulting Issuer's name and ticker symbol; and the closing of the Qualifying Transaction. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements or information can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "expect", "may" or "will" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information.

With respect to forward-looking statements and information contained herein, Sayward and Field Safe have made numerous assumptions including among other things, assumptions about general business and economic conditions of Field Safe and the market in which it operates. The foregoing list of assumptions is not exhaustive.

Although management of Sayward and Field Safe believe that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements or information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that forward-looking statements or information herein will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking statements and information by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. These factors include, but are not limited to: risks relating to the Field Safe Private Placement; risks relating to the receipt of all requisite approvals for the Qualifying Transaction, including the approval of Field Safe shareholders and the TSXV; changes in interest and currency exchange rates; risks relating to unanticipated operational difficulties (including failure of technology or processes to operate in accordance with specifications or expectations, cost escalation, unavailability of materials and equipment, government action or delays in the receipt of government approvals, industrial disturbances or other job action, and unanticipated events related to health, safety and environmental matters); changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets; changes in laws; risks related to the direct and indirect impact of the COVID-19 pandemic including, but not limited to, its impact on general economic conditions; the ability to obtain financing as required; and other risk factors as detailed from time to time in Sayward's amended and restated final prospectus dated June 29, 2021 and other documents available under Sayward's profile at www.SEDAR.com. Sayward and Field Safe do not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Not for distribution to U.S. news wire services or for dissemination in the United States.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/102443
Lancashire Holdings Limited

(the "Company")

Notification and public disclosure of transactions by persons discharging managerial responsibilities and persons closely associated with them

The Company has been notified by Michael Dawson, Non-Executive Director, that on 5 November 2021, a total of 5,000 common shares of US$0.50 each in the Company were purchased at a price of 5.04 per share for his beneficial interest in his pension fund.

Following this transaction, Michael Dawson has an interest in the Company of 20,000 common shares, representing 0.0082%.

The notification made in accordance with the requirements of UK MAR, provides further detail:

1 Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities/person closely associated a) Name Michael Dawson 2 Reason for the notification a) Position/status Non-Executive Director b) Initial notification/Amendment Initial notification 3 Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor a) Name Lancashire Holdings Limited b) LEI 5493002UNUYXLHOWF752 4(i) Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted a) Description of the financial instrument, type of instrument

Identification code Common Shares of US$0.50 each



ISIN: BMG5361W1047 b) Nature of the transaction Purchase of common shares c) Price(s) and volume(s) Price(s) Volume(s) 5.04 5,000 d) Aggregated information



- Aggregated volume

- Price



5,000

25,200 e) Date of the transaction 2021-11-05 f) Place of the transaction (XLON) London Stock Exchange - Regulated Market

Name of authorised official of issuer for making notification
IamFire Plc - Notice of AGM

IAMFIRE PLC

(the "Company")

NOTICE OF AGM

8 November 2021

The Company is pleased to announce that notices convening the Company's Annual General Meeting (AGM) for the years 2020 and 2021, to be held at 3rd Floor, 80 Cheapside, London, United Kingdom, EC2V 6EE, on Friday 30th November 2021 at 11.00 a.m. and 11.30 a.m. respectively, have been posted to shareholders.

Shareholders will note that two notices of AGM have been posted and this to lay both the financial report and accounts for the year ends 2020 and 2021, before shareholders.

The notices of the AGM will shortly be available at: https://iamfireplc.com/

The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the content of this announcement.

ENQUIRIES:

Company:

info@iamfireplc.com

Peterhouse Capital Limited

Corporate Advisor :

Guy Miller: + 44 (0) 20 7469 0930 (Direct)

Corporate Broker:

Lucy Williams: +44 (0) 20 7469 0930

Duncan Vasey: +44 (0) 20 7220 9797 (Direct)
Press release (MAR)

Malmo, Sweden, November 8, 2021

Acarix US expansion to be a major contributor to the company's new financial and operational goals

Acarix, the leader in AI-based rapid diagnostics of CAD, presents its US expansion and growth plan which directly leads to significant impact for the business plan 2022-2024. The new financial and operational targets are presented to provide the market with guidance on the company's outlook. The overall targets are to reach sales of SEK 200 million during the financial year2024, generated mainly from the commercialization of CADScor in the US market through an installed base of at least 3,000 systems, generating a group gross margin exceeding 80 percent



The Acarix CADScor system received De Novo clearance in the end of 2020 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In 2021, the company's board and management were strengthened to support the US market product introduction and expansion plans. In September 2021, the company announced the establishment of the new subsidiary Acarix USA Inc. and the recruitment of Helen Ljungdahl Round as its US President.

At the end of October 2021, the company announced a major accomplishment in its US commercialization strategy in obtaining a CPT III reimbursement code from the American Medical Association (AMA) with effect from mid 2022.

Market penetration of the large US market is to be executed via a direct sales force, supplemented by strategic sales efforts by local sales partners covering certain market segments and geographies. One of these sales partnerships gives Acarix immediate access to highly specialized and experienced sales managers within cardiology.

Acarix began its limited market commercialization in Germany and Scandinavia in 2017. Since then, the company has installed over 100 CADScor units and delivered over 10,000 disposable patches. More than 8,000 patients have been investigated with CADScor in clinical practice and clinical evidence shows a 97% confidence level for CAD rule-out.

As part of the new business plan, the Company provides the following financial and operational goals.

To have 3,000 CADScor systems in clinical use in primary and specialist care by the end of 2024

The company's goal is to have a turnover of at least SEK 200 million during the financial year 2024 and generate a gross margin in excess of 80%

The majority of the Company's revenue over the next three years is expected to be generated in the US market via value-based care providers seeking innovative solutions for more cost-efficient clinical pathways, as well as fee-for-service providers that are reimbursed via CPT-codes.





"Acarix is in a very exciting phase and now ready to enter the US market. Nearly 20 million Americans seek healthcare for chest pain related symptoms. Of these, around 90 percent have no cardiac related disease and we're on a mission to help rule those patients out and make a significant cost reduction impact on the US healthcare system. We're now disclosing our targets and the team is strongly committed to meet the set goals." comments Per Persson, CEO of Acarix AB

"The new Board of Acarix has worked closely with management to define the new 2024 strategic plan with strong focus on execution and rapid US-market expansion. The 2024 plan is well-balanced and the recent FDA-clearance, the new CPT reimbursement code and US sales strategy are prerequisites now in place and enablers to create future shareholder values," comments Philip Siberg, Chairman of the Board of Acarix AB.

For further information, please contact:

Per Persson, CEO, E-mail: per.persson@acarix.com, Phone: +46 73 600 59 90

Philip Siberg, Chairman, E-mail philip.siberg@acarix.com, Phone +46 70 790 67 34

This information is information that Acarix AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation 596/2014. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out above, at the time stated by Acarix news distributor GlobeNewswire at the publication of this press release.

About Acarix:



Acarix is a Swedish medical device company that innovates solutions for rapid AI-based rule out of Coronary Artery Disease) is Certified Adviser of Acarix. For more information, please visit www.acarix.com .

Attachment
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.
TEN finance's revolutionary new index process, YIELDEX, aims to change the landscape of yield farming.

Singapore, Singapore--(Newsfile Corp. - November 8, 2021) - YIELDEX, which TEN finance launched on October 10th, aims to alleviate issues associated with yield farming and liquidity pools, such as impermanent loss. The goal of TEN Finance is to simplify the DeFi landscape to increase user adoption and make decentralized finance more mainstream.

YIELDEX enables investors to easily place their assets in multiple liquidity pools to reduce the risk of impermanent loss and diversify with a single click. In DeFi, yield farming is an incentive-based model in which investors deposit assets in a liquidity pool to earn rewards. YIELDEX is designed for the BSC (Binance Smart Chain) ecosystem, one of the world's largest DeFi ecosystems.

Indexing and organizing different tokens are quickly becoming a trend in DeFi, and YIELDEX is the first index to focus on simple access to liquidity pools, indicating TEN Finance's level of innovation.

YIELDEX would also increase the diversification of yield farming portfolios by eliminating the time-consuming and labor-intensive process of manually investing in and out of pools. During the launch of YIELDEX, Mr. Ten, the face of TEN Finance, was quoted saying, "I think YIELDEX allows for the simplicity of the yield farming process. This is based on my experience with yield farming on Sushiswap and Uniswap over a year ago, which I despised!" Aside from earning a yield, investors would also receive $TENFI tokens, TEN Finance's native token.

Users can invest in multiple LPs with YIELDEX. Each YIELDEX has a subset of constituents such as stablecoins and altcoins. It automates the entire yield farming process, eliminating the need for users to buy individual assets on different AMMs.

By strengthening the TEN Finance ecosystem and driving value and stability, the YIELDEX mechanism provides additional benefits to TENFI holders by creating natural demand for its native token TENFI. In addition, YIELDEX charges a 1% deposit fee, which can be paid in BUSD or BNB, and there are no withdrawal fees.

The development of YIELDEX is a critical component of TEN Finance's primary goal of simplifying decentralized finance and lowering entry barriers. YIELDEX is a game-changer for the BSC ecosystem and the entire DeFi industry.

If you want to learn more about TEN finance or YIELDEX, please contact them through the following channels:

Contact details:

TEN Finance

contact@ten.finance

Website: https://app.ten.finance

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tenfinance

Telegram: https://t.me/tenfinance

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/102456
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE /?November 8, 2021 /?Novamind?Inc. (CSE:NM)(OTCQB:NVMDF)(FSE:HN2) ("Novamind" or the "Company"),?a leading mental health company specialized in psychedelic medicine, announces that the Ontario Securities Commission (the "OSC") issued a full revocation of the Company's failure-to-file cease trade order (the "CTO") which was originally issued on November 3, 2021.

The CTO was issued due to the Company's failure to file an audited annual financial statement, management's discussion and analysis and related certificate for the financial year ended June 30, 2021 (the "Financials"). The Company has now filed all necessary documentation. The Financials can be found on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

The common shares of the Company have now been reinstated for trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange.

About Novamind

Novamind is a leading mental health company enabling safe access to psychedelic medicine through a network of clinics and clinical research sites. Novamind provides ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and other novel treatments through its network of Cedar Psychiatry clinics and operates Cedar Clinical Research, a contract research organization specialized in clinical trials and evidence-based research for psychedelic medicine. Both Cedar Psychiatry and Cedar Clinical Research are wholly owned subsidiaries of Novamind. For more information on how Novamind is enhancing mental wellness and guiding people through their entire healing journey, visit novamind.ca.

Contact Information

Novamind

Yaron Conforti, CEO and Director

Telephone: +1 (647) 953 9512

Samantha DeLenardo, VP, Communications

Email: media@novamind.ca

Bill Mitoulas, Investor Relations

Email: bill@novamind.ca

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations including the risks detailed from time to time in the Company's public disclosure. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by applicable laws.

SOURCE: Novamind?Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/671713/Novamind-Announces-Revocation-of-Cease-Trade-Order-and-Reinstatement-of-Trading
CONFERENCE CALL NOVEMBER 9, 2021, AT 10:30 AM (EST)

___________________________________________________________________

(All figures reported in USD)

Revenue from metals payable of $60.7 million in Q3 2021 decreased by 17% from $73.2 million in Q3 2020, largely due to the lower grades at the Yauricocha and Bolivar mines combined with operational challenges at the Cusi mine

Adjusted EBITDA (1) of $17.4 million for Q3 2021 decreased by 53% compared to $37.2 million in Q3 2020 due to the decrease in revenues realized

Revised EBITDA Guidance for 2021 ($105M-$110M) primarily due to temporary operating restrictions at Bolivar Mine resulting from residual effect of COVID-19. Yauricocha and Cusi Mines are operating at near nameplate capacity levels.

Operating cash flows before movements in working capital of $16.5 million in Q3 2021 decreased from $37.9 million in Q3 2020

$58.3 million of cash and cash equivalents as at September 30, 2021

$38.1 million of working capital as at September 30, 2021

A shareholder conference call to be held Tuesday, November 9, 2021, at 10:30 AM (EST)

(1) This is a non-IFRS performance measure, see Non-IFRS Performance Measures section of the MD&A.

Sierra Metals Inc. (TSX: SMT) (BVL: SMT) (NYSE AMERICAN: SMTS) ("Sierra Metals" or "the Company") today reported revenue of $60.7 million and adjusted EBITDA of $17.4 million on the throughput of 750,208 tonnes and metal production of 21.9 million copper equivalent pounds, for the quarter ended September 30, 2021.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005999/en/

Image 1: Exploration Drilling at Bolivar from Surface

Consolidated production of copper equivalent pounds decreased 38% to 21.9 million pounds. The Company earned revenues of $60.7 million, Adjusted EBITDA of $17.4 million, and operating cash flows before movements in working capital of $16.5 million. Lower revenues, despite higher base metal prices compared to Q3 2020, are primarily attributable to the decrease in throughput and head grades at our Mexican operations primarily at the Bolivar Mine.

Luis Marchese, CEO of Sierra Metals, commented, "The third quarter was exceptionally difficult for the Company as we encountered sequencing issues at our Mexican operations. The Bolivar Mine has had limitations on mine development, infill drilling, equipment availability over the last year which have heavily impacted throughput, head grades and recoveries. While we believe these issues to be temporary in nature, we are currently conducting a comprehensive review of all operational processes at the Bolivar Mine, from Geology to Mine to Mill. We aim to incorporate the findings into the Bolivar Mine operations to allow for a return to a normal, steady, and profitable state of operations at the Mine. The early findings of this review will be incorporated into the 2022 Bolivar Mine budget, currently being prepared, to provide an updated projection of the Bolivar Mine's capabilities and operations potential going forward. The Cusi Mine has also experienced operational limitations caused by high temperatures at the available mineable areas, which have been overcome by the installation of a new raise bore and upgraded pumping system. Stronger metal prices have supported revenue. After reviewing the nature of this limitations moving forward, and issued revised production guidance, we felt it was prudent to lower EBITDA and Capex guidance and increase cost guidance for Bolivar to better reflect the expected outcome for 2021."

He continued, "Looking ahead at the remainder of 2021 and into 2022, we see normal operations at Yauricocha and Cusi. Bolivar still has a backlog of development and infill drilling that will affect its production. This issue is being addressed with additional internal and external resources. Also, we have reinitiated work on a backlog of accumulated sustaining infrastructure projects as well as on exploration from our brownfield drilling programs which are expected to improve the quality and tonnage of our mineral resources."

He concluded, "The Company despite the challenges faced this year still has a strong balance sheet. We are focused on improving operations and we continue to push for production growth while optimizing operations at all three mines, with cost reductions being a priority. These efforts are expected to benefit all stakeholders in the Company."

Quarterly revenues at Yauricocha were in line with the third quarter of 2020, as the increase in average realized sale prices and lower treatment and refining costs were offset by lower payable metals, except zinc and silver, as compared to Q3 2020. Operating at an average daily throughput rate of 3,705 tpd, the Yauricocha Mine processed 324,196 tonnes during Q3 2021, representing a 2% increase compared to Q3 2020, despite continuing to face various operational challenges related to COVID-19. The negative variances in the head grades from the polymetallic zones are due to regulatory limitations. The negative variances in the copper sulfide head grades were mainly due to the delay in the contribution of the Esperanza zone due to ground conditions, which have since been corrected. Metal production in the third quarter of 2021 was 25%, 23%, 14% and 13% lower for lead, zinc, copper, and silver, respectively, while gold production was 9% higher compared to the third quarter of 2020

Revenue from the Bolivar mine declined 52% as compared to Q3 2020 as the increase in copper price was not enough to offset the decrease in production attributable to lower throughput and grades. The Bolivar Mine processed 364,941 tonnes in Q3 2021, or a decrease of 11% from the 410,468 tonnes processed in Q3 2020, due to the low availability of equipment, including mining scoops during the quarter. The average daily ore throughput realized during the quarter was approximately 4,171 tpd. Head grades were impacted by a COVID-induced lag on development and infill drilling, which resulted in changes of the mining sequence, as well as dilution issues, which are being corrected.

Revenue from the Cusi mine were 5% lower due to a decline in average realized prices for gold and silver, and higher treatment and refining costs for the quarter as compared to Q3 2020. The Cusi mine processed 61,071 tonnes during Q3 2021, which is a 13% decrease as compared to Q3 2020. Silver equivalent production for Q3 2021 was 306 thousand ounces or a 7% decline from Q3 2020, resulting from lower throughput and 5% lower silver head grades partially offset by 3% higher recoveries as compared to Q3 2020. The decline in silver grades resulted from the inability to operate in some of the targeted higher-grade zones due to issues related to excessive underground water and heat. A newly driven raise bore and upgraded pumping system were installed during the quarter allowing access to these areas.

The following table displays selected unaudited financial information for the three months and nine months ("9M 2021") ended September 30, 2021:

Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended (In thousands of dollars, except per share and cash cost amounts, consolidated figures unless noted otherwise) September 30, 2021 September 30, 2020 September 30, 2021 September 30, 2020 Operating Ore Processed Tonnes Milled 750,208 798,458 2,312,163 2,050,641 Silver Ounces Produced (000's) 807 1,023 2,722 2,543 Copper Pounds Produced (000's) 8,256 12,153 25,686 33,636 Lead Pounds Produced (000's) 7,841 9,855 24,805 25,340 Zinc Pounds Produced (000's) 19,112 24,869 64,368 60,256 Gold Ounces Produced 2,261 3,989 7,709 10,408 Copper Equivalent Pounds Produced (000's)1 21,870 35,170 71,966 89,100 Zinc Equivalent Pounds Produced (000's)1 68,489 96,867 228,824 242,563 Silver Equivalent Ounces Produced (000's)1 3,842 4,193 11,622 12,119 Cash Cost per Tonne Processed 44.63 36.02 46.25 39.44 Cost of sales per AgEqOz 11.22 8.35 10.84 8.29 Cash Cost per AgEqOz2 9.41 7.68 10.22 7.84 AISC per AgEqOz2 19.08 15.67 19.42 14.51 Cost of sales per CuEqLb2 1.97 1.00 1.75 1.13 Cash Cost per CuEqLb2 1.65 0.92 1.65 1.07 AISC per CuEqLb2 3.35 1.87 3.14 1.97 Cost of sales per ZnEqLb2 0.63 0.36 0.55 0.41 Cash Cost per ZnEqLb2 0.53 0.33 0.52 0.39 AISC per ZnEqLb2 1.07 0.68 0.99 0.73 Cash Cost per ZnEqLb (Yauricocha)2 0.44 0.30 0.45 0.36 AISC per ZnEqLb (Yauricocha)2 0.91 0.70 0.84 0.73 Cash Cost per CuEqLb (Yauricocha)2 1.37 0.82 1.42 0.97 AISC per CuEqLb (Yauricocha)2 2.83 1.93 2.69 2.00 Cash Cost per CuEqLb (Bolivar)2 3 2.02 1.01 1.76 1.06 AISC per CuEqLb (Bolivar)2 3 4.34 1.72 3.63 1.72 Cash Cost per AgEqOz (Cusi)2 17.06 11.56 19.15 17.20 AISC per AgEqOz (Cusi)2 28.93 16.47 31.65 23.54 Financial Revenues 60,701 73,211 209,774 170,670 Adjusted EBITDA2 17,444 37,186 85,889 65,855 Operating cash flows before movements in working capital 16,512 37,852 77,986 66,746 Adjusted net income (loss) attributable to shareholders2 (3,063 18,377 14,001 20,931 Net income (loss) attributable to shareholders (4,815 17,531 7,353 15,816 Cash and cash equivalents 58,288 63,846 58,288 63,846 Working capital 38,096 62,931 38,096 62,931

(1) Silver equivalent ounces and copper and zinc equivalent pounds for Q3 2021 were calculated using the following realized prices: $24.20/oz Ag, $4.25/lb Cu, $1.36/lb Zn, $1.07/lb Pb, $1,790/oz Au. Silver equivalent ounces and copper and zinc equivalent pounds for Q3 2020 were calculated using the following realized prices: $24.89/oz Ag, $2.97/lb Cu, $1.08/lb Zn, $0.85/lb Pb, $1,916/oz Au. Silver equivalent ounces and copper and zinc equivalent pounds for 9M 2021 were calculated using the following realized prices: $25.81/oz Ag, $4.17/lb Cu, $1.31/lb Zn, $0.99/lb Pb, $1,796/oz Au. Silver equivalent ounces and copper and zinc equivalent pounds for 9M 2020 were calculated using the following realized prices: $19.35/oz Ag, $2.63/lb Cu, $0.97/lb Zn, $0.80/lb Pb, $1,742/oz Au. (2) This is a non-IFRS performance measure, see Non-IFRS Performance Measures section of the MD&A. (3) Cash costs and AISC for the three month ended September 30, 2021 exclude prior period inventory adjustments of $3.8 million, which are not considered as costs for Q3 2021. These adjustments have no impact on the cash costs and AISC for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2021

Q3 2021 Financial Highlights

Revenue from metals payable of $60.7 million in Q3 2021 decreased by 17% from $73.2 million in Q3 2020. Revenues in Q3 2021 from the Yauricocha Mine in Peru were $44.4 million, in line with $44.6 million in Q3 2020, as the increase in average realized sale prices and lower treatment and refining costs were offset by lower payable metals, except zinc and silver, as compared to Q3 2020. Revenue from the Bolivar mine was $11.3 million or a decline of 52% as compared to Q3 2020 as the increase in copper price was not enough to offset the decrease in production attributable to lower throughput and grades. Revenue from the Cusi mine were 5% lower due to a decline in average realized prices for gold and silver, and higher treatment and refining costs for the quarter as compared to Q3 2020.

Yauricocha's cost of sales per copper equivalent payable pound was $1.44 (Q3 2020 $0.92), cash cost per copper equivalent payable pound was $1.37 (Q3 2020 $0.82), and AISC per copper equivalent payable pound of $2.83 (Q3 2020 $1.93). Cash costs per pound were driven higher by the combined impact of 16% higher operating costs per tonne and 30% lower copper equivalent payable pounds during Q3 2021 as compared to Q3 2020. The increase in the AISC per copper equivalent payable pound for Q3 2021 compared to Q3 2020 was mainly due to the lower copper equivalent payable pounds as the increase in operating costs and sustaining capital was partially offset by the decrease in treatment and refining costs.

Bolivar's cost of sales per copper equivalent payable pound was $2.90 (Q3 2020 $1.02), cash cost per copper equivalent payable pound was $2.02 (Q3 2020 $1.01), and AISC per copper equivalent payable pound was $4.34 (Q3 2020 $1.72) for Q3 2021. The increase in the AISC per copper equivalent payable pound was due to higher operating costs per tonne, sustaining capital, general and administrative costs and treatment and refining costs as compared to Q3 2020. Additionally, copper equivalent payable pounds declined 52% during Q3 2021 as compared to the same quarter of 2020.

Cusi's cost of sales per silver equivalent payable ounce was $22.49 (Q3 2020 $13.53), cash cost per silver equivalent payable ounce was $17.06 (Q3 2020 $11.56), and AISC per silver equivalent payable ounce was $28.93 (Q3 2020 $16.47) for Q3 2021. AISC per silver equivalent payable ounce increased despite 19% higher silver equivalent ounces payable due to higher operating cost per tonne combined with the increase in treatment and refining costs during Q3 2021 as compared to Q3 2020. Sustaining capital increased as compared to Q3 2020 due to timing of development activities.

Adjusted EBITDA(1) of $17.4 million for Q3 2021 decreased by 53% compared to $37.2 million in Q3 2020. Adjusted EBITDA declined in Q3 2021 due to the decrease in revenues realized and increase in operating costs at all three mines.

Cash flow generated from operations before movements in working capital of $16.5 million for Q3 2021 decreased compared to $37.9 million in Q3 2020. The decrease in operating cash flow is mainly the result of lower revenues generated.

Net loss attributable to Shareholders of the Company for Q3 2021 was $(4.8) million (Q3 2020: net income of $17.5 million) or $(0.03) per share (basic and diluted) (Q3 2020: $0.11).

Cash and cash equivalents of $58.3 million and working capital of $38.1 million as at September 30, 2021 compared to $71.5 million and $70.1 million, respectively, at the end of 2020. Cash and cash equivalents decreased during 9M 2021 as the cash used in investing activities of $53.9 million and cash used in financing activities ($15.0 million used for repayment of the credit facility and interest, and $6.4 million of dividends to minority shareholders) exceeded the cash generated from operating activities of $62.2 million. The decrease in working capital resulted from lower cash and cash equivalents combined with the increase in current liabilities.

(1) This is a non-IFRS performance measure, see Non-IFRS Performance Measures section of the MD&A.

Project Development

Mine development at Bolivar during Q3 2021 totaled 2,550 meters, which included 1,162 meters of development to prepare stopes for mine production. Of the remainder, 588 meters were related to the integration tunnel connecting Bolivar West and the Piedras Verdes plant, and 800 meters to development of ramps. During Q3 2021, at the Cusi property, mine development totaled 1,541 meters, which was targeted towards achieving the planned throughput of 1,100 tpd.

Exploration Update

Peru:

During Q3 2021, surface exploration using diamond drills continued in the Kilkasca, El Estacion and Yauricocha Medio zones. A total of 2,341 meters were drilled during the quarter. Further, 3,306 meters of underground exploration was completed with the aim of replacing and increasing the mineral resources exploited during the year.

Mexico:

Bolivar

At Bolivar during Q3 2021, 9,768 meters were drilled, including 3,151 meters of brownfield exploration and 6,617 meters of infill drilling, with the objective of converting inferred and indicated resources to reserves. Major exploration targets include Bolivar West and Mina de Fierro zones.

Cusi

During Q3 2021, a total of 7,262 meters of infill drilling was completed in Cusi to support the definition of San Antonio, San Nicolas, Gallo, Bajo Promontorio and the high-grade NE-SW veins.

Revised Guidance

The production and financial results of the Company in the first 9 months of 2021 were impacted by COVID-19 and operational challenges. While the Company has tried to manage the COVID related challenges and achieve normal production levels, our sites have faced other operational challenges particularly during Q3 2021. At Yauricocha, regulatory restrictions have limited production to come from lower grade, higher tonnage areas to reach production targets. Bolivar is impacted by delays in mine development, infill drilling and high personnel turnover. Further, excessive underground water and heat conditions at Cusi impacted its ability to mine some of the targeted high-grade zones, hence reduced throughput and head grade.

While the Management believes that these issues are temporary in nature and will not affect the Company's results in the medium to longer term time frame, these require an adjustment to the 2021 EBITDA and cost guidance primarily related to the Bolivar Mine. Appropriate actions are being taken to return to full operational efficiency at Bolivar, while continuing to manage the outstanding risks related to COVID-19 at all Mines.

The Company had previously lowered its production guidance for 2021 copper equivalent production to fall between 110 115 million pounds. However, EBITDA guidance is now being lowered primarily due to operational issues at our Mexican operations and is now expected to range between $105 $110M this year (previously $130M $140M). The lower range is largely because of lower EBITDA projected at Bolivar which is now expected to range between $22M $26M for that Mine (previously $44M $48M). Capex guidance for 2021 is also being lowered and is now expected to range between $75M $80M (previously $100M). The lower Capex guidance is primarily due to the deferral of the magnetite iron ore project at the Bolivar Mine until 2022 as detailed engineering on the project is completed and the bulk freight market normalizes. Cost guidance at Bolivar is also being revised to include higher than previously guided costs for the 2021 year as seen in the table below:

Cash costs range AISC(1) range Mine per CuEqLb per CuEqLb Revised 2021 guidance Bolivar Copper Eq Lbs ('000) $1.67 $1.75 $3.30 3.47 Previous guidance Bolivar Copper Eq Lbs ('000) $1.32 $1.40 $2.60 2.74 (1) AISC includes treatment and refining charges, selling costs, G&A costs and sustaining capital expenditure

Conference Call Webcast

Sierra Metals' senior management will host a conference call on Tuesday, November 9, 2021, at 10:30 AM (EST) to discuss the Company's financial and operating results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021.

Due to the expected number or participants on the call, and in the interest of timing, callers are asked to limit their questions to two each. Additional questions will be answered through Investor Relations after the completion of the call.

Via Webcast:

A live audio webcast of the meeting will be available on the Company's website:

https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/3408832/5D1D447434FB0425E6DE1CDA1E5662AF

The webcast, along with presentation slides, will be archived for 180 days on www.sierrametals.com.

Via phone:

For those who prefer to listen by phone, dial-in instructions are below. To ensure your participation, please call approximately five minutes prior to the scheduled start time of the call.

Canada dial-in number (Toll Free): 1 833 950 0062

Canada dial-in number (Local): 1 226 828 7575

United States: 1 844 200 6205

United States (Local): 1 646 904 5544

All other locations: +1 929 526 1599

Access code: 049437

Press *1 to ask a question, *2 to withdraw your question, or *0 for operator assistance.

Quality Control

The contents of this press release have been reviewed by Americo Zuzunaga, FAusIMM CP (Mining Engineer) and Vice President of Corporate Planning, who is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Sierra Metals

Sierra Metals Inc. is a diversified Canadian mining company with Green Metal exposure including increasing copper production and base metal production with precious metals byproduct credits, focused on the production and development of its Yauricocha Mine in Peru, and Bolivar and Cusi Mines in Mexico. The Company is focused on increasing production volume and growing mineral resources. Sierra Metals has recently had several new key discoveries and still has many more exciting brownfield exploration opportunities at all three Mines in Peru and Mexico that are within close proximity to the existing mines. Additionally, the Company also has large land packages at all three mines with several prospective regional targets providing longer-term exploration upside and mineral resource growth potential.

The Company's Common Shares trade on the Bolsa de Valores de Lima and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "SMT" and on the NYSE American Exchange under the symbol "SMTS."

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Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian and U.S. securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking information"). Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the date of the 2020 Shareholders' Meeting and the anticipated filing of the Compensation Disclosure. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects," "anticipates," "plans," "projects," "estimates," "assumes," "intends," "strategy," "goals," "objectives," "potential" or variations thereof, or stating that certain actions, events or results "may," "could," "would," "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information.

Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking information, including, without limitation, the risks described under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual information form dated March 18, 2021 for its fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 and other risks identified in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, which filings are available at www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov, respectively.

The risk factors referred to above are not an exhaustive list of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking information. Forward-looking information includes statements about the future and is inherently uncertain, and the Company's actual achievements or other future events or conditions may differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking information due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors. The Company's statements containing forward-looking information are based on the beliefs, expectations and opinions of management on the date the statements are made, and the Company does not assume any obligation to update such forward-looking information if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change, other than as required by applicable law. For the reasons set forth above, one should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005999/en/

Contacts:

For further information regarding Sierra Metals, please visit www.sierrametals.com.

Mike McAllister

VP, Investor Relations

Sierra Metals Inc.

+1 (416) 366-7777

info@sierrametals.com

Ed Guimaraes

CFO

Sierra Metals Inc.

+1 (416) 366-7777

Luis Marchese

CEO

Sierra Metals Inc.

+1 (416) 366-7777
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 8, 2021) - Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc.(CSE: VEGI) (OTCQB: VGGIF) (FSE: 77I) ("Boosh" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that on Monday, November 8th it closed a private placement in the amount of $1,250,000. One strategic investor subscriber for 1,250,000 units at a price of $1.00 per unit, each unit consisting of one common share and one warrant exercisable at $1.35 per share until November 8, 2024.

Aggregate finder's fees of $125,000 payable through the issuance of 125,000 units on the same terms as the placement units and the issuance of 125,000 broker's warrants exercisable to acquire units at a price of $1.00 per unit until November 8, 2024 were issued.

All securities issued in the private placement are subject to a four month hold period expiring on March 9, 2022.

The proceeds from the private placement will be used for general working capital, ongoing product development and future plant-based acquisition opportunities.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

James Pakulis

Chief Executive Officer

Telephone: (833) 882-6674

www.Booshfood.com

About Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc.:

Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary, Boosh Food (www.booshfood.com), offers high quality, non-GMO, gluten free, 100% plant-based nutritional comfort foods for the whole family. We currently offer six frozen meals and three refrigerated meals which are sold throughout Canada. Boosh, good for you and good for planet earth.

The information in this news release includes certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward looking statements. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, the Company's proposed use of the proceeds of its initial public offering. Any number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements as well as future results. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in forward looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward looking statements or otherwise.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/102528
Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - November 8, 2021) - C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. (TSXV: CMI) (OTCQB: CYSNF), a leading global provider of commercial grade mobile auto-deploying satellite antenna systems, announced today that, pursuant to the requirements of the TSX Venture Exchange, it has granted options to purchase 300,000 common shares of C-COM to a director and officer of C-COM. The stock options were granted pursuant to the terms of C-COM's stock option plan and are exercisable at $2.51 per share.

These grants form part of the overall annual remuneration package. Stock option grants are subject to necessary regulatory approvals.

About C-COM Satellite Systems Inc.

C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. is a pioneer and world leader in the design, development, and manufacture of transportable and mobile satellite-based antenna systems. The Company has developed proprietary, auto-acquisition controller technology for rapid antenna pointing to a satellite with just the press of a button, enabling Broadband Internet via Satellite across a wide range of market applications worldwide, including regions unserved or underserved by terrestrial access technologies.

C-COM has sold more than 8,500 antenna systems, in over 100 countries, through a dedicated dealer network that provides service to a wide range of vertical markets such as Oil & Gas Exploration, Military Communications, Disaster Management, SNG, Emergency Communications, Cellular Backhaul, Telemedicine, Mobile Education, Government Services, Mobile Banking, and others. The Company's iNetVu brand is synonymous with high quality, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.

C-COM is in late-stage development of a potentially revolutionary Ka-band, electronically steerable, modular, conformal, flat panel phased array antenna. In cooperation with the University of Waterloo, C-COM is engaged in the design of this unique antenna with the intent of providing low-cost, high-throughput mobility applications over satellite for land, airborne and maritime verticals. For additional information please visit www.c-comsat.com.

iNetVu is a registered trademark of C-COM Satellite Systems Inc.

The Company is publicly traded on the Canadian Venture Exchange (TSXV: CMI) and on the US OTC Exchange (OTCQB: CYSNF).

# # #

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

INVESTOR RELATIONS

C-COM Satellite Systems Inc.

Tel: (613) 745-4110 ext. 4950

Fax: (613) 745-7144

lklein@c-comsat.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/102533
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - November 8, 2021) - Aardvark Capital Corp. (TSXV: ACCA.P) (the "Company") and 2766604 Ontario Ltd. ("GoldCo", and together with the Company, the "Parties") are pleased to announce the proposed terms of the brokered private placement of approximately $12 million in subscription receipts by GoldCo (the "Subscription Receipts"), to be completed in connection with the proposed reverse takeover of the Company by GoldCo, which transaction (the "Qualifying Transaction") is intended to constitute the Company's "Qualifying Transaction" (within the meaning of Policy 2.4 - Capital Pool Companies of the TSX Venture Exchange Corporate Finance Manual). Following the completion of the Qualifying Transaction, the Company, as the issuer resulting therefrom (the "Resulting Issuer"), is expected to carry on the current business of GoldCo. Upon completion of the Qualifying Transaction, it is anticipated that the Resulting Issuer will change its name to "Paycore Minerals Inc." For further details relating to the Qualifying Transaction, please refer to the Company's news releases dated July 16, 2021 and October 12, 2021.

GoldCo has entered into an engagement agreement with Haywood Securities Inc. ("Haywood"), as co-lead agent and sole bookrunner, and Canaccord Genuity Corp. ("Canaccord" and together with Haywood, the "Co-Lead Agents"), as co-lead agent, on behalf of a syndicate of agents (together with the Co-Lead Agents, the "Agents"), in connection with the brokered private placement of Subscription Receipts at a price of $2.10 per Subscription Receipt (the "Issue Price") for minimum aggregate gross proceeds of $12,001,500 and maximum aggregate gross proceeds of $13,000,000 (the "Concurrent Financing"). Closing of the Concurrent Financing is expected to occur on or about November 24, 2021.

The Subscription Receipts will be created and issued pursuant to the terms of a subscription receipt agreement (the "Subscription Receipt Agreement") between GoldCo, Haywood, on behalf of the Agents, and a subscription receipt agent (the "Subscription Receipt Agent") mutually acceptable to GoldCo and Haywood. Each Subscription Receipt will be deemed to be automatically converted, without payment of additional consideration or further action by the holder thereof, into one common share in the capital of GoldCo (each, a "GoldCo Share"), subject to adjustment in certain events, immediately before the closing of the Qualifying Transaction upon the satisfaction and/or waiver of the Escrow Release Conditions (as defined in the Subscription Receipt Agreement) at or before the date that is 120 days from the closing date of the Concurrent Financing (the "Escrow Release Deadline"). Upon completion of the Qualifying Transaction, each GoldCo Share shall be immediately exchanged for one common share of the Resulting Issuer (each, a "Resulting Issuer Share") for no additional consideration and without any further action by the holders thereof.

In consideration for their services in connection with the Concurrent Offering, GoldCo has agreed to pay the Agents a cash fee (the "Agent's Fee") equal to 6.0% of the gross proceeds from the sale of the Subscription Receipts. 50% of the Agent's Fee will be paid on the closing date of the Concurrent Financing and the remaining 50% of the Agent's Fee will be deposited in escrow. As additional consideration for the services of the Agents, the Agents will be granted compensation options of GoldCo (the "Compensation Options") equal to 6.0% of the number of Subscription Receipts sold in the Concurrent Financing. Each Compensation Option shall, upon completion of the Qualifying Transaction, be automatically exchanged for one compensation option of the Resulting Issuer (the "Resulting Compensation Options"). Each Resulting Compensation Option shall be exercisable to acquire one Resulting Issuer Share at a price of $2.10 per Resulting Issuer Share for a period of 24 months following the date of closing of the Qualifying Transaction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Agent's Fee and the number of Compensation Options will be reduced to (i) 2.0% on proceeds of up to an aggregate amount of $2,500,000 from purchasers directly arranged by GoldCo through a president's list, and (ii) nil for purchases by directors, officers and employees of GoldCo and certain strategic advisors to GoldCo and their affiliates.

Upon closing of the Concurrent Financing, the gross proceeds of the Concurrent Financing, less 50% of the Agent's Fee and the Agents' estimated expenses, will be deposited in escrow with the Subscription Receipt Agent pending satisfaction and/or waiver of the Escrow Release Conditions in accordance with the provisions of the Subscription Receipt Agreement. Unless the requisite approval is obtained pursuant to and in accordance with the terms of the Subscription Receipt Agreement, if the Escrow Release Conditions are not satisfied and/or waived on or before the Escrow Release Deadline, each of the then issued and outstanding Subscription Receipts will be cancelled and the Subscription Receipt Agent will return to each holder of Subscription Receipts an amount equal to the aggregate Issue Price of the Subscription Receipts held by such holder plus an amount equal to the holder's pro rata share of any interest or other income earned on the escrowed funds (less applicable withholding tax, if any). To the extent that the escrowed funds are insufficient to refund such amounts to each holder of the Subscription Receipts, GoldCo shall be liable for and will contribute such amounts as are necessary to satisfy the shortfall.

The proceeds of the Concurrent Financing are expected to be used to fund (i) the exploration and other expenses relating to the FAD Property (as defined below), (ii) the expenses of the Qualifying Transaction and the Concurrent Financing, and (iii) the working capital requirements of the Resulting Issuer.

GoldCo's FAD Property is located in the heart of the Ruby Hill Mining District and on the Eureka-Battle Mountain Trend in Nevada. The project has not been drilled in more than 50 years. Assay results from the first two holes drilled in the current program are step-out intercepts to the northeast of the underground main-zone which was developed in the 1950's. Both intersected high-grade polymetalic mineralization, confirming the potential of the FAD Property that has not been subject to any modern exploration.

Highlights of FAD assay results from drilling:

Hole GH21-01 intercepted 3.5m of 10.4 grams per tonne (g/t) gold (Au), 153.8 g/t silver (Ag), 1.8% lead (Pb) and 8.4% zinc (Zn)

Hole GH21-02 intercepted 36.6 m of 5.1 g/t Au, 185.5 g/t Ag, 4.5% Pb and 6.0% Zn (13 g/t AuEq) Including: 7.6m of 9.7 g/t Au, 242.0 g/t Ag, 7.1% Pb and 9.6% Zn (21.6 g/t AuEq) Assays still pending from surface to ~700m



Table 1 - Highlights of Drill Results from the FAD Shaft target

Hole ID From

(m) To

(m) Core

Length

(m) Estimated

True

width % Au

Grade

g/t Ag

Grade

g/t Pb

% Zn

% AuEq* GH21-01 737.0 740.5 3.5 90 - 100 10.4 153.8 1.8% 8.4% 18.1 GH21-02 711.7 748.3 36.6 90 - 100 5.1 185.5 4.5% 6.0% 13.0 including 725.4 733.0 7.6 90 - 100 9.7 242.0 7.1% 9.6% 21.6

*USD values used to calculate AuEq; Au $1500.00/oz, Ag $20.00/oz, Pb $2204.60/mt, Zn $2,755.75/mt. Formula used: AuEq = Gold g/t + Silver g/t x 0.0133 + Zinc % x 0.571 + Lead % x .457. The following metal recovery rates were used based on historical work completed by a prior owner of the property: Zinc 85%, lead 76%, silver 75%, gold 89%. Values may not add precisely due to rounding. Actual true widths are not known.

Matthew Rhoades, Senior Exploration Geologist commented: "These are the first holes drilled on the FAD Property in over 50 years. We are encouraged by the massive sulphides and high-grade polymetallic zones that we have intersected at depth. Particularly, the second hole, which is over 150 metres from the main mineralized zone, from which underground development and drilling occurred between 1956 and 1958."

Additional Information

Further updates in respect of the Concurrent Financing as well as the Qualifying Transaction will be provided in subsequent press releases. Also, additional information concerning the Qualifying Transaction, the Company, GoldCo, and the Resulting Issuer will be provided in the filing statement (the "Filing Statement") to be filed by the Company and GoldCo in connection with the Qualifying Transaction, which will be available in due course under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

QA-QC Procedures

All samples are submitted to Paragon Geochemical Assay Laboratories (PAL) of Sparks, NV, which is an ISO 9001 and 17025 certified and accredited laboratory, independent of the Company. Samples are run through standard prep methods and analyzed using FA-Pb30-ICP (Au; 30g fire assay) and 48MA-MS (48 element Suite; 0.5g 4-acid digestion/ICP-MS) methods. PAL also undertakes its own internal coarse and pulp duplicate analysis to ensure proper sample preparation and equipment calibration. Golden Hill's QA/QC program includes regular insertion of CRM standards, duplicates, and blanks into the sample stream with a stringent review of all results completed by the GoldCo's QP, Matthew Rhoades.

Technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Matthew Rhoades, CPG., who is GoldCo's qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and responsible for technical matters of this release.

About GoldCo

GoldCo is a private company incorporated under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) which has the option to acquire a 100% interest in the "FAD Property" (the "FAD Property") located on the Eureka-Battle Mountain trend in Nevada, USA. The FAD Property is host to the high-grade polymetalic FAD Deposit that was partially delineated with surface and underground drilling in the 1940s and 1950s. There has been no modern-day exploration or drilling completed on the FAD Property since the 1950s.

Nevada accounts for nearly 80% of annual gold production in the United States and was ranked as a tier one jurisdiction by the Fraser Institute. The FAD Property is located less than 3 miles from Eureka, Nevada and has established infrastructure, including a shaft, roads and old buildings.

About Aardvark Capital Corp.

The Company is a capital pool company (within the meaning of the Policy) incorporated under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) on January 29, 2021. It is a reporting issuer in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with its registered and head office located in Toronto, Ontario. The Company has no commercial operations and no assets other than cash.

Cautionary Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "will", "estimates", "believes", "intends" "expects" and similar expressions which are intended to identify forward-looking statements. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements concerning the Qualifying Transaction and the Concurrent Financing. Forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and the actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, assumptions and expectations, many of which are beyond the control of the Parties, including expectations and assumptions concerning (i) the Company, GoldCo, the Resulting Issuer, the Qualifying Transaction, the Agents and the Concurrent Financing, (ii) the ability of the Parties to negotiate and enter into the Subscription Receipt Agreement on satisfactory terms as proposed, (iii) the timely receipt of all required shareholder, court and regulatory approvals (as applicable), including the approval of the TSXV, (iv) the satisfaction of other closing conditions to the completion of the Qualifying Transaction, (v) the ability to close the Concurrent Financing on the proposed terms or at all, and (vi) the satisfaction and/or waiver of the Escrow Release Conditions in accordance with the terms of the Subscription Receipt Agreement. Readers are cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Parties. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, as such information, although considered reasonable by the respective management of the Parties at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release, and are expressly qualified by the foregoing cautionary statement. Except as expressly required by securities law, neither Party undertakes any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Completion of the Qualifying Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, TSXV acceptance and if applicable pursuant to the requirements of the TSXV, majority of the minority shareholder approval. Where applicable, the Qualifying Transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the Qualifying Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all.

Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the Qualifying Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Qualifying Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of a capital pool company should be considered highly speculative.

The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed Qualifying Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.

This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities described herein in the United States or in any other jurisdiction, nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act, or any state securities laws, and accordingly, may not be offered or sold in the United States except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom.

Further Information

All information contained in this news release with respect to the Company and GoldCo was supplied by the respective Party for inclusion herein, and each Party and its directors and officers have relied on the other Party for any information concerning the other Party. For certainty, all information in this release with respect to the FAD Property and the Concurrent Financing was supplied by GoldCo for inclusion herein, and the Company and its directors and officers have relied on GoldCo for any information related thereto.

For further information please contact:

Aardvark Capital Corp.

Zachary Goldenberg

C.E.O, and Director

Telephone: 647-987-5083

Email: zach@libertyvp.co

2766604 Ontario Ltd.

Christina McCarthy

President, CEO, Director

Telephone: 416-712-6151

Email: Christina.mccarthy10@gmail.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.



Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for release, publication, distribution or dissemination, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, in or into the United States.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/102535
Highlights:



Assembly of the Project's Demonstration Plant (DP) at a facility in China is proceeding as planned, with cold commissioning of the plant modules set to begin this month.

The construction permit was issued for upgrading and adapting buildings at the Chvaletice Manganese Project site that will house the DP. Site preparations for receiving and installing the DP modules are underway.

Delivery of the DP modules to the Chvaletice site is expected early in the New Year, with hot commissioning and start-up targeted for the second quarter of 2022.

The Project's pilot plant was restarted during October to produce small samples of high-purity manganese products for prospective customers. Sample deliveries are expected in the first quarter of 2022.

Work on the Project's definitive feasibility study is ongoing, with all verification and testing work complete and good progress being made on engineering studies. To date, the study is tracking on schedule and on budget, with approximately 60% of physical progress complete as at the end of September, 2021.

Euro Manganese has engaged consulting firms Minviro Ltd. and RCS Global Group to conduct a joint Life Cycle Assessment of the Chvaletice Manganese Project as part of the Company's commitment to environmental excellence.

In September, Euro Manganese received its ISO 27001 certification for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS), recognized globally as proof that the Company's ISMS is in line with the information security best practices. At the request of prospective customers, the Company also plans to obtain a TISAX certification, which is based on the ISO 27001 standards, in order to become a trusted service provider to the European automotive industry.



VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Euro Manganese Inc. (TSX-V and ASX: EMN; OTCQX: EUMNF; Frankfurt: E06) (the "Company" or "EMN") is pleased to provide an update on its Chvaletice Manganese Project (the "Project").

Demonstration Plant on track for Q2 2022 start-up

Work on the Company's Demonstration Plant (DP) is proceeding well at the Chvaletice project site in the Czech Republic, as well as in China, where the components of the plant are being assembled.

The DP project reached a significant milestone on September 24, 2021, with the issuance of the construction permit to upgrade two existing industrial buildings at the site that will house the DP modules. The building upgrades include electrical, plumbing, structural and ventilation work. The permit process included public input, and local communities were supportive of its issuance.

Recruitment and hiring for key DP roles has been initiated, starting with technical and administration roles, with plant workers to be hired closer to the start-up date.

Meanwhile, the components of the DP are being assembled at an industrial facility in China. Cold commissioning is beginning this month. The six main DP modules, which range from 2 to 5 metres high and 9 to 49 meters long, are being assembled on 2.2-metre steel frames in sections designed to fit into twelve 40-foot shipping containers. These are expected to be shipped to the Chvaletice site in the Czech Republic early in 2022. Hot commissioning and start-up are targeted for the second quarter of 2022. A collection of photos and a video of the latest DP assembly workhas been posted on the Company's website.

The DP is designed to produce large-scale samples of high-purity manganese products for use in the supply chain qualification process of the Company's products. Approximately 55% of the first year's production has been allocated to five prospective customers who have signed non-binding memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with EMN.

Pilot plant restarted

The Project's original pilot plant, which initially operated in 2018, has been restarted to produce product samples for certain new prospective customers The pilot plant restart program is targeted to produce about 50 kg of high-purity electrolytic manganese metal (HPEMM) and 150 kg of high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate (HPMSM) for delivery in the first quarter of 2022. The samples will allow prospective customers to continue or initiate the supply chain qualification work required prior to approval of battery raw materials for use in electric vehicles, in advance of receiving larger samples when DP production comes on stream.

Definitive Feasibility Study making good progress

The Project's definitive feasibility study continues to progress well with approximately 60% of planned work now complete. The detailed assessment of local infrastructure constraints is now underway in order to determine best solutions for grid/in-coming power connections, as well as land acquisition/access. All bench scale confirmation test work has been finalized and engineering studies are progressing well, with next steps including the solicitation of bids for major equipment packages, reagent pricing, product transportation logistics, capital and operating costs, along with the completion of high-purity manganese product pricing forecasts.

Assessments are underway to optimise use of reagents utilized in the manganese extraction and purification processes, with an objective of procuring all reagents from European sources. The feasibility study is also looking at ways to capture and re-use carbon dioxide and hydrogen that will be produced during the manganese purification process. There is potential for captured carbon dioxide to be used in other parts of the process, which would reduce the Project's carbon footprint. Hydrogen, which is normally vented safely into the atmosphere in most industrial processes, could potentially be captured and used to produce heat and reduce energy costs.

All aspects of the Project are being examined through an environmental lens, including the potential sale of gypsum and magnesium carbonate, by-products of manganese production, for use in other industrial applications, contributing to the development of a more sustainable, circular economy. The feasibility study is also evaluating the potential economic and environmental benefits of securing renewable and green sources of energy for the Project.

Final ESIA and Life Cycle Assessment

Work on the Final Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (FESIA) is underway and targeted to be completed and submitted to permitting authorities in early 2022. Recently completed work on the FESIA has included water well pump tests and expanded acoustic modelling studies. In addition, a socio-economic impact study was conducted by the Czech Republic's Charles University as part of the FESIA.

Euro Manganese has engaged respected Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) specialist firm Minviro Ltd. and leading battery raw materials audit and advisory firm, RCS Global Group, to conduct a joint LCA of the Chvaletice Manganese Project in the context of the FESIA and product commercialization activities. This is a key component of the Company's commitment to achieving environmental excellence.

Market outlook continues to strengthen

During the past year, numerous EV, battery and cathode manufacturers have announced plans to use manganese-rich battery chemistries and, according to data from Bloomberg, NEF, CPM Group and other market research firms, demand for high purity manganese and other essential battery metals such as lithium, nickel and cobalt is rising rapidly.

At the same time, the projected gap between supply and demand for battery grade manganese continues to grow. Based on recent estimates from Cairn Energy Research Advisors and CPM Group, global production of high purity manganese sulphate monohydrate - the manganese product used by most lithium-ion battery cathode makers - will need to increase 24-fold compared to 2020 levels in order to meet anticipated 2030 demand.

EMN receives ISO 27001 certification

On September 16, 2021, the Company received its ISO 27001 certification for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS). ISO 27001 is the international standard for information security that sets out the specifications for an ISMS and an ISO 27001 certificate is recognized globally as proof that a Company's ISMS is in line with the information security best practice.

At the request of prospective customers, the Company also plans to obtain a TISAX certification in order to become a service provider to the European automotive industry. TISAX, or Trusted Information Security Assessment Exchange, is a standard assessment and exchange mechanism for the European automotive industry and is based on ISO 27001 standards.

EMN's CEO, Marco Romero, commented:

"Activities on our Chvaletice Manganese Project are ramping up. In the meantime, industry trends remain positive. The electric vehicle and battery industries continue their rapid growth, and demand for battery-grade manganese products is rising along with them. We continue to work hard to prepare our project for its commercial development, resolute in our belief in its importance for Europe. To enable its successful execution, we continue to add talented individuals to our team.

"Our Chvaletice project is poised to help accelerate the EU's green transition as Europe moves to a more circular, less carbon-intensive and sustainable economy. And, because Chvaletice is designed to recycle historic mine tailings to produce an essential battery raw material in the Czech Republic, we stand to make an unprecedented contribution to the continent's rapidly emerging EV and battery supply chain."

CEO search update

As reported on June 16, 2021, EMN initiated a recruitment process to find a new CEO well-suited to leading the Company into its next phase of corporate development, as it transitions from a development company to a potential producer of high-purity manganese products. The board has been conducting an international search for several months, assisted by global executive search firm Korn Ferry. EMN board Chair John Webster commented: "It has been a very robust process and we are encouraged by the number and quality of the people who were attracted by the opportunity. We expect to announce the appointment of our new CEO soon."

About Euro Manganese Inc.

Euro Manganese Inc. is a battery materials company whose principal focus is advancing the development of the Chvaletice Manganese Project, in which it holds a 100% interest. The proposed Project entails re-processing a significant manganese deposit hosted in mine tailings from a decommissioned mine, strategically located in the Czech Republic. The Company's goal is to become a leading, competitive and environmentally superior primary producer of ultra-high-purity Manganese Products in the heart of Europe, serving the lithium-ion battery industry, as well as other high-technology applications.

The technical information in this news release concerning the Chvaletice Manganese Project was prepared under the supervision of Ms. Andrea Zaradic, P. Eng., a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). Ms. Zaradic has reviewed and approved the information in this news release for which she is responsible and has consented to the inclusion of the matters in this news release based on the information in the form and context in which it appears.

Authorized for release by the CEO of Euro Manganese Inc.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) or the ASX accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contact: Euro Manganese Inc. Marco A. Romero Fausto Taddei President & CEO Vice President, Corporate Development +604-681-1010 ext. 101 & Corporate Secretary +604-681-1010 ext. 105

Media inquiries:

Ron Shewchuk

Director of Communications

(604) 781-2199

E-mail: info@mn25.ca

Website:www.mn25.ca

Company Address:

#709 -700 West Pender St., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6C 1G8



Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, its projects, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Such statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "estimate", "scheduled", "forecast", "predict" and other similar terminology, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Such forward-looking information or statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the regulatory/permitting progress at the Project; land access for the Project; the completion and timing of the definitive feasibility study; the timing, installation of the delivery and operation of the Demonstration Plant; the Company's ability to negotiate offtake agreements with potential customers; the evaluation and development of any new business opportunities; and the Company's ability to finance the full-scale, commercial development of the Project. Further, it should be noted that no production decision has been made with respect to the Project and that such a decision will only be made based on completion of a positive feasibility study, permitting and financing having been secured.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. Forward-looking statements and information involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indicators of whether or not such results will be achieved. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements or information, including, but not limited to, the factors discussed under "Risks Notice" and elsewhere in the Company's MD&A, as well as the inability to obtain regulatory approvals in a timely manner; the potential for unknown or unexpected events to cause contractual conditions to not be satisfied; unexpected changes in laws, rules or regulations, or their enforcement by applicable authorities; the failure of parties to contracts with the Company to perform as agreed; social or labour unrest; changes in commodity prices; and the failure of exploration programs or studies to deliver anticipated results or results that would justify and support continued exploration, studies, development or operations.

Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this news release. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of the factors set forth in the "Risks Notice" section and elsewhere in the Company's MD&A for the year ended September 30, 2020 and its Annual Information Form.
Aktiia, a Neuchatel, Switzerland-based developer of a wearable blood-pressure monitoring system, raised $17.5M in Series A funding.

The round was led by UK-based Draper Esprit and included Redalpine, 415 Capital, Verve Ventures and US-Based Translink Capital.

The company intends to use the funds to expand its commercial presence in Europe and within the healthcare sector, and to obtain FDA clearance, ensuring further US expansion for the technology.

Co-founded by Mattia Bertschi and Josep Sola and led by Mike Kisch, CEO, Aktiia provides a continuous Optical Blood Pressure Monitoring System which collects user blood pressure data while worn on wrists. This data provides patients and doctors insights for the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension, the leading global cause of premature adult deaths.

After receiving the CE mark, the company is currently experiencing accelerated sales growth across Europe, including the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Italy.

FinSMEs

08/11/2021
QuestDB, a San Francisco CA and London UK-based open source database for time series, raised $12M in Series A funding.

The round was led by 68 Capital, with participation from Uncorrelated Ventures, Sumedh Pathak, Citus Data co-founder, James Hawkins, PostHog CEO, Paul Copplestone, Supabase CEO, Dan Pinto, FingerprintJS CEO, Tom Preston-Werner, Sebastien Pahl, Alexis Ohanian, Mirko Novakovic, Andrey Alekseev, Tobi Knaup, Michael Li, and Grace Francisco. In conjunction with the funding, Florian Leibert, co-founder of Mesosphere, joined QuestDBs board of directors.



The company intends to use the funds to grow their team, increase product development and accelerate adoption.



QuestDB is an open source high-performance time series database built to offer breakthrough performance for real-time analytics using SQL.

Developers use QuestDB for time series insights and real-time applications in FinTech, DevOps monitoring, asset tracking, Big Data, machine learning engines, digital factories, geospatial analysis, autonomous vehicles, and a growing list of use cases that depend on high-performance ingestion and queries over massive data sets in real-time. It allows developers to use SQL as a query language to answer questions about how their data looks without the barrier of entry that comes with proprietary query languages. Analyzing historical aspects of data allows users to understand changes over time, identify patterns, and make better decisions on future trends.

FinSMEs

08/11/2021
General manager of Lenovos mobile phone business department in China earlier today confirmed the new moto edge X flagship smartphone soon. He also said that it will be infinitely powerful and full of expectations.

Earlier this year Lenovo introduced the Legion Phone Duel 2 with Snapdragon 888, but we didnt see a motorola flagship with 888 this year, but the moto edge X is expected to be powered by Snapdragon 898, which should be introduced at the Snapdragon Tech Summit in the next few weeks.

Even though motorola / Lenovo doesnt reveal the launch date of the moto edge X, leaker Digital Chat Station says that the phone will be launched at the end of the year, so we can expect it in late December. Motorola already confirmed that it will use the latest Snapdragon 888 Plus SoC in its devices soon, but there is no sign of it.

However, Xiaomi is said to be the first smartphone maker to use the chip in its flagship Xiaomi 12 series that is expected to debut sometime in early December. Samsung Galaxy S22 series is also expected to use Snapdragon 898 SoC in some markets, including India, but it is said to launch only in February. We can also expect it in Lenovo, HUAWEI, vivo and OPPO phones launching next year.

Source 1, 2
The roots of Dr. Rachel Issakas research lie in a tale of two clinics.

The first was at Northwestern Universitys McGaw Medical Center, a few blocks from Chicagos glittering Magnificent Mile commercial district. The second was at a federally qualified health center on the citys South Side, several miles and another world away.

Issaka worked at both clinics early in her medical career. She soon noticed a striking difference between the two. Her mostly white, middle- to upper-class patients at Northwestern faithfully followed whatever the doctor ordered. That included getting screened for colorectal cancer, the second-deadliest cancer in the U.S.

But it was different on the South Side. Her mostly African-American and Latino patients there, when encouraged to schedule screening for colorectal cancer, often declined.

Why?

Issaka has never stopped asking why disparities exist and how to achieve health equity in colorectal cancer screening. The questions arent academic. Screening can prevent colorectal cancer by detecting and simultaneously removing precancerous polyps, small lesions that over time can grow and become cancerous.


One to two days a week Dr. Brian Till heads out from his lab at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center into the clinic to see patients with lymphoma and other blood cancers.

Some have slow-growing but tenacious disease, and he cares for them as they go in and out of remission through a series of treatments and clinical trials over many years. Others have forms of the disease that grow quickly but that he can nevertheless usually cure in months with grueling  but effective  therapies.

Few of them know that he was once in their place.

As a college freshman in Washington, D.C., Till developed night sweats, enlarged lymph nodes, and other concerning symptoms. They were initially dismissed by his doctor when he returned home to Arizona, but the staff at the student health center were concerned enough to follow up.

Soon, Till learned he had Hodgkin lymphoma. He took a year off from school to undergo rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. Then, he went back and finished his degree.

I was cured of my lymphoma, and that whole experience just sort of blew my mind, Till said. I thought, wow, you can actually cure cancer with medicine injected in your arm. And I wanted to get in on that.

The vague sense hed had up until that point of wanting to become a doctor then came into sharper focus. During his subsequent medical training, he felt a pull to oncology. That draw came in part out of his own experiences, but also because of the special, intimate relationships he saw between cancer doctors and their patients as they travelled together through some of the darkest days of the patients life  and, especially, when there was the hope of a cure at the end of that journey.
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.
Key role for UofG in major new gravitational wave detection catalogue

University of Glasgow astrophysicists have played key roles in the development of the largest-ever catalogue of gravitational waves.

The catalogue, released today, is based on the detection of dozens of ripples in spacetime captured by a global network of detectors.

The aftershocks of huge astronomical events were picked up by a world-wide team of scientists, with leadership from the UK.

The team has detected a further 35 gravitational wave signals, detailed in todays paper, bringing the total number of observed events since detection began to 90.

The catalogue updates the list of all gravitational-wave events observed to date with events observed between November 2019 and March 2020, using international detectors:

The two Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors in Louisiana and Washington state in the US.

Advanced Virgo detector in Italy.

Scientists from 12 different universities across the UK are involved in the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, with many taking leading roles from detector calibration to data analysis. The UKs contribution to the collaborations is funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).

Researchers from the University of Glasgows Institute for Gravitational Research and School of Physics & Astronomy have been involved in the search for gravitational waves for more than half a century.

They have been partners in the LIGO and Virgo collaborations since their inception, and played a leading role in the data analysis that underpinned the discoveries contained in the new catalogue.

Since the first gravitational wave detection in 2015, the frequency of detections has risen at a thundering rate. In a matter of years, gravitational wave scientists have gone from observing these vibrations in the fabric of the universe for the first time, to now observing many events every month, and even multiple events on the same day.

As the rate of gravitational wave detections increases, scientists have also improved their analytical techniques to ensure the high accuracy of results. The growing catalogue of observations will enable astrophysicists to study the properties of black holes and neutron stars with unprecedented precision.

Daniel Williams, research associate at the School of Physics & Astronomy, said: Over the five years that we've been making detections with the LIGO and Virgo detectors we've seen a steady increase in the number of events that we've detected.

In our third observing run, things really took off, going from detecting a few events per month to having several days where we made multiple detections! That proved to be a challenge for our analysis teams, who must prepare and then monitor the data analysis of each signal, which take weeks or even months to complete.

At Glasgow we led the development, testing, and operation of software that is capable of automating almost the entire analysis of each gravitational wave event. We used this to reduce the total team to a handful of experts who were able to deal with unusual and unexpected results from the analysis, and coordinated the effort from Glasgow.

It's very exciting to have gone from our first detection to having almost 100 in just five years; detecting such large numbers allows us to learn more about the population of black holes and neutron stars in the universe, which in turn gives us new insights into its distant history, and how the modern universe came to be.

Of the 35 events reported in the latest set of results, 32 of those were most likely to be black hole mergers  two black holes spiralling around each other and finally joining together, an event which emits a burst of gravitational waves.

Several of the black holes formed from these mergers exceed 100 times the mass of our Sun, and are classed as intermediate-mass black holes. This type of black hole has long been theorised by astrophysicists, and has now been proven to exist thanks to gravitational wave observations.

Two of the 35 events spotted were likely to be neutron stars and black holes merging  a much rarer event, and one that was only discovered in the most recent observing run of LIGO and Virgo.

Of these rare neutron star and black hole mergers, one event seems to show a massive black hole (about 33 times the mass of our Sun) with a very low-mass neutron star (about 1.17 times the mass of our Sun). This one of the lowest-mass neutron stars ever detected, either using gravitational waves or electromagnetic observations.

The masses of black holes and neutron stars are key clues to how massive stars live their lives and die in supernova explosions.

Christopher Berry, a lecturer at the School of Physics and Astronomy, explains: Only now are we starting to appreciate the wonderful diversity of black holes and neutron stars. Our latest results prove that they come in many sizes and combinationswe have solved some long-standing mysteries, but uncovered some new puzzles too. Using these observations, we are closer to unlocking the mysteries of how stars, the building blocks of our Universe, evolve.

The final gravitational wave event of the observing run came from either a black hole and a neutron star or a black hole and a black hole. The mass of the lighter object crosses the expected divide between the two, a region where previously no black holes or neutron stars were expected to be formed, and remains a mystery.

Using the catalogue of detections, scientists are able to calculate the population of merging black holes and neutron stars across the Universe, key to understanding how these systems form, and also map the expansion rate of the Universe, key to understanding the evolution of the cosmos.

To achieve the monumental progress in gravitational wave detection, the pioneering instruments have been getting more sensitive thanks to a programme of constant upgrades and maintenance. In the third observing run, the gravitational wave detectors reached their best ever performance, as the lasers were tuned to even higher power.

Professor Sheila Rowan, director of the Institute for Gravitational Research, said: Since the historic first detection of gravitational waves in 2015, we have made remarkable advances in establishing the field of gravitational wave astronomy.

Im proud that Glasgow researchers have played a vital role in both the detector upgrades and the development of the data analysis which made these discoveries possible. We expect that the next phase of observing runs will bring us even more detections as our hardware and software continues to improve, and Im looking forward to seeing what theyll have to teach us about the universe.

The LIGO and Virgo observatories are currently undergoing improvement works before the upcoming fourth observing run, expected to begin next summer.

The KAGRA observatory in Japan will also join the next full observing run. Located deep under a mountain, KAGRA completed a successful first observing run in 2020, but has yet to join LIGO and Virgo in making joint observations.

With more detectors, potential events can be located more accurately. As more detections are confidently added to the gravitational wave catalogue, researchers are learning more and more about these astronomical phenomena.

Before the next observing run, scientists will be busy further analysing the existing information, learning more about neutron stars and black holes, and searching for new types of signals hidden in the data.
Omaha, United States, Nov. 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

The goal of the new course is to teach students a bulletproof strategy for getting ranked in major search engines. It leverages its patented Omni Maps Protocol that includes a 203-step process to reliably and consistently place companies in local map rankings.

More details can be found at https://www.seo-masters.academy

The newly launched program includes guided step-by-step walkthroughs with live Zoom training, Facebook groups, and weekly Q&A calls. The intensive SEO class shows exactly how to rank websites into the first page of Google within only a few months.

One of its strategies is improving a local business visibility in Google Maps. Omaha SEO explains that many companies do not rank on this app because Google uses the searchers location to give them nearby results. This means that in order for a searcher to find a local business, they need to be in close proximity to the business location or standing directly at the store.

This severely limits brand visibility. Nevertheless, with Omni Maps Protocol, business owners can get their companies listed in Google Maps across a wider metropolis. The result is strengthened visibility, which leads to heavier online traffic and a higher chance of customer conversions. Further details can be found at https://www.wboc.com/story/43409345/omaha-ne-google-maps-seo-lead-generation-services-for-local-businesses-launched

The proven maps strategy works by making a business a local place authority. In becoming so, a company expands its reach in Google Maps, as its brand becomes visible not only in its specific community but in the entire city as well.

With the new SEO Masters Academy, clients are shown how to improve their SEO strategies so that they become their citys local place authority. The company highlights recent studies that show that more than 90% of consumers do not go past the first page of Google and that more than half of this population use Google Maps as their starting point.

The new course is offered at $399 per student.

A spokesperson for Omaha SEO said, We invested more than 25 years to ensure it worked for every type of online business owner.

Interested parties can find more information by visiting https://omaha-seo.com

Website: https://omaha-seo.com/


November 8, 2021

Amsterdam, the Netherlands  Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG; AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Cardiologs, a France-based medical technology company focused on transforming cardiac diagnostics using artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud technology. Cardiologs will further strengthen Philips cardiac monitoring and diagnostics offering with innovative software technology, electrocardiogram (ECG) analysis and reporting services. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to be completed in the coming months. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

The acquisition of Cardiologs is a strong fit with Philips existing portfolio of cardiac care solutions. This includes real-time patient monitoring, therapeutic devices, telehealth and informatics for the hospital, as well as ambulatory cardiac diagnostics and monitoring solutions, that were added through the recent acquisition of BioTelemetry, Inc.

Cardiologs will complement this offering with a vendor-neutral heart disorder screener and ECG analysis applications, based on machine learning algorithms. Developed in partnership with leading physicians, Cardiologs technology accelerates diagnostic reporting, decreases the occurrence of reporting errors and streamlines clinician workflow and patient care, empowering clinicians to deliver expert cardiac care faster and more efficiently. CE-marked and FDA cleared for detection of cardiac arrhythmias, Cardiologs technology is built on a growing database of more than 20 million ECG recordings and supported by a number of clinical publications.

Offering superb clinical insights, as well as automated clinical reporting, Cardiologs medical-grade AI technology and data scientists will be a strong addition to our growing portfolio of cardiac solutions for hospital and ambulatory settings, said Roy Jakobs, Chief Business Leader Connected Care at Royal Philips. Philips global footprint can accelerate the availability of Cardiologs technology to patients all over the world and further deliver on the quadruple aim of an improved patient care experience, better health outcomes, improved staff experience, and lower cost of care.

We are delighted to become part of Philips and continue innovating together to provide solutions that empower clinicians all around the world, said Yann Fleureau, Co-Founder and CEO of Cardiologs. We look forward to the opportunity to expand the business as part of Philips, maintaining vendor neutrality and continuing to work with third party vendors to drive further adoption of digital health solutions globally.

Cardiologs was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Paris, France. Its approximately 70 employees, largely comprising software engineers and data scientists with expertise in AI and deep learning algorithms, will join Philips and will expand the companys continued AI-focused innovation activities together with the companys R&D lab in Paris. Philips has a strong presence in France, consisting of research and development activities, as well as sales, marketing and distribution at multiple sites.

For further information, please contact:

Steve Klink

Philips Global Press Office

Tel.: +31 6 10888824

E-mail: steve.klink@philips.com

Derya Guzel

Philips Investor Relations

Tel.: +31 20 59 77055

E-mail: derya.guzel@philips.com

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and well-being, and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum  from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2020 sales of EUR 17.3 billion and employs approximately 78,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.

Forward-looking statements

This release contains certain forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of Philips and certain of the plans and objectives of Philips with respect to these items. Examples of forward-looking statements include statements made about the strategy, estimates of sales growth, future EBITA, future developments in Philips organic business and the completion of acquisitions and divestments. By their nature, these statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances and there are many factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements.





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LONDON, England, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Swiss Life Sciences Group Plc (SLSG) has identified a need in the fast-growing cannabis and CBD industry to establish a financing and credit facility for companies and brands, especially those in the medical and pharmaceutical segment.

The dynamic group, which specialises in production, cultivation, genetics and manufacturing in the CBD pharmaceutical and nutraceuticals space, has chosen Luxembourg as a domicile of choice for the setup of a securitisation vehicle as a highly specialised platform for the CBD industry, to raise funds from the institutional, HNWI and family-office investor space.

The platform allows the issuance of notes to professional investors in the EU and UK financial markets and a wrapper facility [specifically for the French market].

A securitisation vehicle allows companies to raise finance against their assets and businesses in a regulated environment and to create flexible securities, which can then be acquired by investors interested in gaining securitised exposure to in the CBD space.

Jean-Pierre Engele, COO at Savim SA, the group's origination and production business and former head of Special Situations and Event Driven Investing at Dresdner Kleinworts Bank, explains: "Due to the nature of the cannabis and CBD industry and general misconceptions regarding its legality, even opening a bank account for a genuine legal CBD business can be a challenge, as can credit card processing for cross-border sales, so of course, raising money from the traditional banks is almost impossible. A securitisation vehicle provides added value and is the perfect solution for companies operating in the legal and fast growing medical and wellness sectors, to raise additional finance against their assets, and Luxembourg provides the perfect transparent and advanced regulatory environment."

Swiss Life Sciences Group has teamed up with professional service providers to provide a simple and ready-to-market platform for companies within the industry to access and raise funds for their own projects and businesses. In addition, a team of professional advisors is on hand to help advise on fundraising strategy.

Swiss Life Sciences Group CEO Jose Mugia: "It's a clear diversification for a company in the production and manufacturing sector and shows the dynamic and forward-thinking approach we are taking. We hear every day from good companies and partners we work with how hard it is to access funding, so it was a natural expansion of our business for us and part of our own future pre-IPO-expansion financing plan."

For further information, please contact:

Vittoria Fantacci - Director of Communications

vittoria@swisslifesciencesgroup.com

https://www.swisslifesciencesgroup.com

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Dublin, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Heart Attack Diagnostics Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global heart attack diagnostic market is expected to register a CAGR of 7.9% in the forecast period (2021 - 2026).



The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased the risk for people suffering from heart diseases, especially those prone to heart attacks, and is more likely to die if not diagnosed on time. Moreover, some of the early symptoms of COVID-19 are aligned with heart attacks, like chest pain, nausea, fatigue, and trouble breathing. In July 2020, a report published by researchers from the University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry discovered a new blood test for predicting heart attack in patients suffering from COVID-19. It proved a relationship between the high risk of COVID-19 in people having cardiovascular diseases. Thus, this ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is going to play a major role in the heart attack diagnostics market.



According to a World Health Organization report, cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of deaths worldwide, and four out of five deaths occur due to cardiovascular diseases, like heart attack and strokes. Furthermore, over 13 million deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries every year, and of these, 85% were due to heart attack and stroke. A report from the American Heart Association says that by 2035, around 45% of Americans may be suffering from some sort of heart disease (mainly heart attack), which may be a major driving force for the heart attack diagnostic market.

The major factors contributing to this high number of cardiovascular diseases are hypertension, high blood cholesterol, and smoking. The proven methods for detecting heart attacks are electrocardiograms, blood tests, angiograms, and computerized cardiac tomography. Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration approved a new and high sensitivity test for a protein, Troponin, for the detection of heart attacks, in which Roche and Abbott are the major players.



Although many factors are likely to drive this market to a new height, a few restraining factors, like cost and lack of awareness, may create hindrances in its path. As the market is spread across the world and low-income countries are involved, these diagnostic kits need to be within budget, and people should be aware of them. For instance, the Roche Trop T Sensitivity test kit is available for about USD 52 (2020) in India, which is out of reach for many low-income families and is not easily available.



Key Market Trends



Rapid Blood Tests like Troponin Test is Expected to Occupy a Significant Share in the Market over the Forecast Period



Over the forecast period, the ECG domain may see some high growth rates in the low- and middle-income countries, while developed countries will observe major growth in the rapid blood test and enzyme-based diagnostics techniques, like Troponin T diagnostic kit and Creatine Kinase MB Isoenzyme (CK-MB) diagnostic technique. These are highly sensitive and rapid tests that give results in an hour or two while current ones provide results in six or seven hours, giving doctors few extra hours, which can be enough to save a patient's life.



Moreover, the developing countries may not be limited to ECG-based tests only, thus, creating a huge market for rapid blood tests due to their huge population. For example, India and China witness millions of deaths every year due to cardiovascular diseases. Electrocardiogram (ECG) is a more complex system that can only be performed if the patient is physically available. At the same time, there are no such limitations for blood and enzyme-based diagnostic techniques. In a country like India where basic healthcare facility is out of reach from most of the population, this kind of blood tests can be performed anywhere in the mobile hospitals. It is observed that the troponin market reached an evaluation of USD 1 billion in 2017, and by 2025, it may become a market of more than USD 2 billion.



North America is Expected to Dominate the Heart Attack Diagnostics Market during the Forecast Period



As per the report by CDC, at every 40 seconds, an American may have a heart attack, and it is one of the expensive conditions treated in US hospitals. According to the American Heart Association, by 2035, around 45% of the United States population are likely to suffer from heart disease, due to factors, like high obesity, high smoking, and unhealthy lifestyle, which lead to heart attack and related issues. Thus, North America is expected to dominate the overall heart attack diagnostics market over the forecast period (2021 - 2026). Other reasons that may be a factor in this will be quality healthcare infrastructure and high scope for innovation.



While in Canada, deaths due to heart attack and cardiovascular diseases are as low as 189 out of 100,000 (2019), out of which the heart attack deaths are very less. Whereas, in the other part of North America, i.e., Mexico, the death rate due to heart attack and cardiovascular diseases are quite high. Furthermore, around 24% of deaths in Mexico are due to cardiovascular diseases, mainly because of the huge consumption of tobacco and alcohol, and poor health infrastructure, among others.

Key Topics Covered:



1 INTRODUCTION



2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY



3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



4 MARKET DYNAMICS

4.1 Market Overview

4.2 Market Drivers

4.2.1 Technological Advancements

4.2.2 Major Rise in Cardiovascular Diseases

4.2.3 Increasing the Quality of Life

4.3 Market Restraints

4.3.1 Expensive Diagnostics Products

4.3.2 Lack of Skilled Workforce in the Hospitals and Other Areas

4.4 Industry Attractiveness - Porter's Five Force Analysis

5 MARKET SEGMENTATION

5.1 By Test

5.1.1 Electrocardiogram

5.1.2 Blood Tests

5.1.3 Angiogram

5.1.4 Computarized Cardiac Tomography

5.1.5 Other Tests

5.2 By End User

5.2.1 Hospitals

5.2.2 Ambulatory Surgical Centers

5.2.3 Diagnostics Centers

5.2.4 Other End Users

5.3 By Geography

5.3.1 North America

5.3.1.1 United States

5.3.1.2 Canada

5.3.1.3 Mexico

5.3.2 Europe

5.3.2.1 Germany

5.3.2.2 United Kingdom

5.3.2.3 France

5.3.2.4 Italy

5.3.2.5 Spain

5.3.2.6 Rest of Europe

5.3.3 Asia-Pacific

5.3.3.1 China

5.3.3.2 Japan

5.3.3.3 India

5.3.3.4 Australia

5.3.3.5 South Korea

5.3.3.6 Rest of Asia-Pacific

5.3.4 Middle-East and Africa

5.3.4.1 GCC

5.3.4.2 South Africa

5.3.4.3 Rest of Middle-East and Africa

5.3.5 South America

5.3.5.1 Brazil

5.3.5.2 Argentina

5.3.5.3 Rest of South America



6 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

6.1 Company Profiles

6.1.1 GE Healthcare

6.1.2 Hitachi Corporation

6.1.3 Koninklijke Philips NV

6.1.4 Midmark Corporation

6.1.5 F Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd

6.1.6 Schiller AG

6.1.7 Siemens Healthineers

6.1.8 Toshiba Corporation

6.1.9 Welch Allyn Inc.

6.1.10 Astrazenca PLC



7 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES AND FUTURE TRENDS



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/lvmeab
THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. NEWS AGENCIES

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Asante Gold Corporation (CSE:ASE/ FRANKFURT:1A9/U.S.OTC:ASGOF) (Asante or the "Company) is pleased to announce that all activities planned to bring its Bibiani Mine into production in Q3 2022 are on track.

Asante is preparing a plan to deliver a mine that can produce approximately 190,000 ounces of gold at Bibiani in its first 12 months of operation and circa 240,000 ounces every year thereafter for a minimum of 6 years. Tenders have been invited for the selection of a Mining Contractor. We anticipate mobilization of the Mining Contractor to proceed in Q1 2022.

The Process Plant refurbishment is slightly ahead of schedule and on budget. Harlequin International has been contracted to complete the refurbishment EPCM and has mobilized as scheduled. The full EPCM Team, plus requisite complement of tradespeople, is on site, to provide training, safety and project delivery systems and resources needed to ensure achievement of a safe and productive work environment.

All work activities are proceeding as planned. Principal equipment motors and drives have been taken off site, to be serviced as needed. Electrical components, instrumentation and control systems have been tested and are being upgraded as needed to provide improved performance, above the original design. Gravity recovery equipment is being upgraded to 2020 level of competence and automation. This includes the purchase of a new high efficiency 6G Knelson concentrator and Gekko ILR (intensive leach reactor).

Sub-contractors have been engaged, to proceed with sand blasting, metal and pipework repair, painting, installation of liners and belts, and to ensure safe and efficient operation. Equipment that is on site but that was not fully installed by the former owners is in the process of being made ready for operation. As of the last week of October, there are more than 200 workers on site. To date the project remains on budget.

In July 2018, Resolute Mining Limited, based on some 50,500 metres of drilling, released an updated feasibility study for Bibiani (see ASX Announcement dated 13 July 2018) reporting JORC compliant Mineral Resources at Bibiani of 21.7 million tonnes at 3.6 grams of gold per tonne for 2.5Moz of gold.

Optiro Pty Ltd. of Perth, Western Australia, has delivered to the Company a current NI 43-101 compliant Technical Report on the Bibiani Gold Project, Ghana1 (filed on SEDAR). The mineral resources outlined in this report represent material previously planned to be mined via underground methods. Asante plans to mine this resource inside an optimized pit shell defined at a gold price of US$1,950.

The Bibiani Main Pit mineral resource has been prepared by Competent Persons (Optiro, 2017) using accepted industry practices and have been classified and reported in accordance with the JORC Code (JORC, 2012). There are no material differences between the definitions of Measured, Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources under the CIM Definition Standards and the equivalent definitions in the JORC Code. The Satellite pit resource is an update completed in 2018 by Resolute Mining Limited. The Satellite pit resource is also reported above a cut-off grade of 0.65 g/t gold inside a pit shell defined at a gold price of US$1,950. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

Current Mineral Resources for Bibiani are presented below:

Bibiani Resource Tabulation - October 2021 above 0.65 g/t gold cut-off and within US$1,950 pit shell Area Classification Tonnes Au g/t Ounces Bibiani main pit

Indicated 19,600,000 2.76 1,740,000 Sub-total M + I 19,600,000 2.76 1,740,000 Inferred 8,380,000 2.79 751,000 Satellite pits

Measured 783,000 1.77 44,600 Indicated 396,000 1.89 24,100 Sub-total M + I 1,180,000 1.81 68,700 Inferred 33,700 2.13 2,310

Note: Totals may not sum due to rounding. Reported above a cut-off of 0.65 g/t gold.

Asante is currently preparing a new NI 43-101 mine development technical report based on an open pit mining model for delivery in Q2 2022.

"Douglas R. MacQuarrie"

President and CEO

Qualified Person Statement

1Scientific and technical information contained in this news release that relates to Mineral Resources for the Bibiani Gold Mine, is based on information contained in the Technical Report on the Bibiani Gold Project, Ghana, dated November 7, 2021 and prepared by Optiro Pty Ltd. of Perth, Western Australia (filed on SEDAR) and from information compiled from public disclosure by ASX and LSE listed Resolute Mining Limited, including an updated feasibility study for Bibiani (see ASX Announcement dated 13 July 2018). The information has been reviewed and approved by Dan Bansah the Chairman and MD of Minecon Resources & Services Ltd. of Accra, Ghana, a "qualified person" under NI 43-101. Mr. Bansah has over 30 years-experience in the gold mining industry in Africa including 16 years with Ashanti Goldfields when it operated the Bibiani mine. He has an MSc. in Mineral Exploration with Distinction from Leicester University, UK, is a Member and a Chartered Professional of AusIMM, a Fellow of the West African Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (WAIMM) and a Member of the Ghana Institute of Geoscientists.

About Asante Gold Corporation

Asante is a pure gold exploration and development company with a high-quality portfolio of projects in Ghana, Africas largest and safest gold producer. We are focused on developing high margin projects including the Bibiani (5Moz past production) and Kubi Gold mines located on the prolific Bibiani and Ashanti Gold Belts. Refurbishment of the Bibiani Mine processing plant has commenced with completion scheduled for Q3 2022. Asante has an experienced and skilled team of mine finders, builders and operators, with more than 24Moz of gold resources and reserves discovered and developed in Ghana. Asante is listed on the Canadian Securities and Frankfurt Stock Exchanges and has announced plans to co-list its shares in Ghana. We are also exploring our Keyhole, Fahiakoba and Betenase projects for new discoveries, all adjoining or along strike of major gold mines near the centre of Ghanas Golden Triangle. Additional information is available on our web site at: www.asantegold.com.

For further information please contact:

Douglas MacQuarrie, President & CEO, tel: +1 604-558-1134; E-mail: douglas@asantegold.com

Malik Easah, Executive Director, E-mail: malik@asantegold.com

Alec Rowlands, Capital Markets Consultant, E-mail: alec@asantegold.com

Valentina Gvozdeva, Business Development, E-mail: valentina@asantegold.com

Kirsti Mattson, Media Relations, E-mail: kirsti.mattson@gmail.com

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the mineral reserves, resources, exploration and development program at Bibiani and Kubi, including results of drilling, and future exploration plans. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, the Company's inability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its planned activities, and the Company's inability to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies. The reader is referred to the Company's public disclosure record which is available on SEDAR ( www.sedar.com ). Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Except as required by securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, including any of the securities in the United States of America. No securities of the Company have been or will, in the foreseeable future, be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the 1933 Act) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration requirements is available.

LEI Number: 529900F9PV1G9S5YD446. Neither IIROC nor any stock exchange or other securities regulatory authority accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
SANTA ANA, Calif., Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pathfinder Resilience, the creator of Navigating Adversity, the nationally acclaimed Whole Life Wellness online training program for Public Safety Professionals and First Responders, is pleased to announce that the program will be free for a limited time to qualified professionals who work in the state of California. This course is certified by CA POST (The California Governor's Commission on Police Officer Standards and Training) to the National Emergency Number Association, certification number 1464-49701-21.

Open enrollment is available from now until December 15 for any police officer, deputy sheriff, dispatcher and professional staff who work for a CA POST law enforcement agency. Free online classes will begin throughout November and December. Successful completion of the Navigating Adversity course will provide 16 hours of continuing education credit.

For more information or to enroll at no charge, please call 1 (866) 346-4353, or email Joe Courtemanche at joe@pathfinderresilience.com.

Navigating Adversity is a unique virtual training program that has been enthusiastically endorsed by leading First Responder and Public Safety Organizations and leaders across the United States. Thousands of First Responders have received training and have improved their health and well-being by learning to assess their own needs and gain the understanding and tools to create and sustain a healthy and fulfilling life.

Navigating Adversity is different from any other Wellness Program available to the First Responder community and offers a number of unique features that have contributed to its rapid acceptance as the most innovative and effective wellness resource available today. Navigating Adversity is 100% virtual and is delivered in two-hour weekly lessons for eight weeks. Each trainee is assigned to a Certified Peer Mentor from the First Responder profession who provides regular guidance, encouragement and feedback. Individual training results are 100% confidential and not shared with anyone other than the individual student.

Every participant is provided the self-care tools most effective at building wellness capital in each of the eight dimensions of personal resilience: Psychological, Physical, Social, Cognitive, Emotional, Professional, Financial, and Spiritual. On average, first responders who complete Navigating Adversity experience a 13% decline in adverse symptoms and a 14% improvement in wellness capital.

Interested public safety professionals can enroll and get more information by calling 1 (866) 346-4353 or email joe@pathfinderresilience.com.

Press for more information please contact Dr. Renee Thornton at (812) 345-6284.

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Pacific Mining Corp (CSE: USGD / OTCQB: USGDF) (American Pacific or the Company) is pleased to provide an update on rock chip, soil samples and drilling at its Madison Copper-Gold Project (the Madison Project) located in Montana, USA, which is currently under a joint venture earn in agreement with Kennecott Exploration Company (Kennecott), part of the Rio Tinto Group, whereby Rio Tinto may earn up to 70% of the project by spending US $30 million.



Madison Copper-Gold Project, Montana

Kennecott geologists collected 61 rock chip samples from a surface trench (MADT0002) designed to cut altered and mineralized exposures on the Madison Project. Trench MADT0002 was excavated across the Jefferson Dolomite-Rader Creek Granodiorite contact approximately 684 metres west of the main Madison Cu-Au skarn. Seven samples define a mineralized zone measuring 20 metres wide. A historical prospect pit prevented sampling the skarn for the interval between 97.7 metres and 104.0 metres.

Figure 1: Google Earth image of MADT0002 location with patented claims

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/55d7ee2b-1e24-4969-8601-6f83914d9a2d

Eric Saderholm, President of American Pacific stated: This area lacks historic drilling, however, the highly anomalous geochemistry along this intrusive contact is very encouraging and clearly indicates the potential for expanding skarn mineralization to the west. Skarn bodies very frequently do not have a surface expression, so we rely on advanced geophysical and geochemical tools to pinpoint our exploration efforts in these areas. The 2021 programs which included a detailed magnetic survey and the compilation of the soils and rock data will guide future exploration efforts at Madison.

MADT0002 From(m) To (m) INTRVL (m) Au_g/t Cu % Lithology 92 97.7 5.7 0.196 0.0248 Dolomite 97.7 104 6.3 Prospect Prospect Skarn 104 112 8 0.933 0.453 Granodiorite Total 20

Table 1: Trench MADT0002 notable channel sample intervals

In addition to the trench samples, Kennecotts geologists also recently collected 347 soil samples from the southern half of the Madison Project. These, combined with 1,330 additional samples previously collected by Broadway Gold, complete a property wide soil sampling program totaling 1,677 samples across a 13 square kilometre area.

Statistical analysis reveals, 98 samples (5.8%) reported Au values greater than 0.11 g/t to a high value of 3.81 g/t Au and 71 samples (4.2%) reported Cu values greater than 0.005% to a high value of 0.370% Cu.

The gold and copper values show strong skarn mineralization to the north, defining the Radar Creek intrusive in contact with carbonates of the Mississippian Madison formation and Devonian Jefferson dolomite. A significant break in both gold and copper values can be seen as a diagonal line across the soil maps, indicating the Silver Star Fault Zone, which is a major regional fault along the same structural trend as the Butte Mine located 48 kilometres to the northwest. A zone of anomalous gold has been identified at the southern extent of the Silver Star Fault, which creates additional drilling targets.

Figure 2: Madison property wide Cu-in-soil plot

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7eee3357-4809-46f2-a018-cf13266136e9

Update on Ongoing Drill Program

An up to 4000 metre drill program is now complete at the Madison Project with Kennecott. Assays are pending from the 2021 drilling at Madison and are expected to be released together later in Q4 of this year.

Sample Security

Measures were taken to ensure sample security. Samples were submitted to the ALS Global lab by company personnel following guidelines and procedures of Rio Tinto Exploration (Kennecott). Only authorized personnel have attended the samples.

Analysis Suite for QA/QC

ALS Global ran ALS Supertrace multielement four acid digest ICP-MS multicollector (ME-MS61L); Au by fire assay (Au-ICP21); RTX pXRF Cr, Nb, Si, Ta, Ti, Y, Zr (p-XRF-30 RT/p-XRF-30NDL); and VNIR/SWIR spectra (TRSPEC-20/INTERP-11).

Audits or Reviews

The results of any audits or reviews of sampling techniques and data were reviewed by Kennecott personnel. Internal review of the soil sampling results by the Companys management is routinely used through the course of the project.

Standards

QA/QC in this batch of 61 samples included two certified reference materials, two coarse blanks, and five field duplicate samples. The standard OREAS 254 was obtained from Ore Research. All QC samples were inserted into the assay stream by KEX personnel prior to shipment to ALS. ALS inserted additional in-lab QC as certified reference materials, prep duplicates and lab repeats.

Qualified Persons

Technical aspects of this press release have been reviewed and approved by Eric Saderholm, P.Geo. and Philip Mulholland P.Geo, the designated Qualified Persons (QP) under National Instrument 43-101.

About American Pacific Mining Corp.

American Pacific Mining Corp. is a precious metals explorer focused on opportunities in the Western United States. The Company's flagship asset is the high-grade, past-producing Madison Copper-Gold project in Montana, under option to joint venture with Kennecott Exploration Company, a division of the Rio Tinto Group, which the Company acquired in 2020. Also in the American Pacific's asset portfolio are the Gooseberry Gold-Silver project, the Tuscarora Gold project, and the Red Hill project, three high-potential, precious metals projects located in key mining districts of Nevada, USA. The Company's mission is to grow by the drill bit and by acquisition.

More information about American Pacific and the Madison Project can be found at www.americanpacific.ca.

On Behalf of the Board of American Pacific Mining Corp.

Warwick Smith

CEO & Director

Corporate Office: Suite 910  510 Burrard Street Vancouver, BC, V6C 3A8 Canada

Contact Kristina Pillon, President, High Tide Consulting Corp., 604.908.1695 / Kristina@americanpacific.ca

The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Fort Myers, Fla., Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Oncology Network, LLC (AON), a high-growth national network of independent community oncologists, is pleased to announce the opening of Desert Hematology Oncology in Surprise, Ariz. The community-based practice joined AON effective Nov. 8, 2021 and is now the third practice in Arizona to partner with AON.

Desert Hematology Oncology (DHO) specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and blood disorders. DHO will offer a variety of services to enhance cancer care by providing an in-house specialty pharmacy and pathology and financial counselors to assist with insurance questions. The clinic is located at 14780 W Mountain View Blvd., Suite 211, Surprise, Ariz.

Opening Desert Hematology Oncology as our third AON practice in Arizona is helping our mission of ensuring all patients have local access to the best cancer care. High quality, yet affordable care is now a reality for patients living in Surprise, Casa Grande, Phoenix and Gilbert, said AON President & Chief Development Officer Brad Prechtl, MBA.

Medical Oncologist Dr. David Kahn and Nurse Practitioner Anna Birks will be providing care at DHO. The new clinic will provide infusion therapy, centralized laboratory and pathology and home delivery of oral cancer medications.

AON Chief Executive Officer Todd Schonherz added, We are excited to have Dr. Kahn join AON, he is an experienced medical oncologist with deep roots in Arizona. He is passionate about research and making sure his patients have access to the latest technologies and treatments available.

Dr. Kahn emphasized he has a strong history of providing top-quality cancer treatments based on medical evidence and research. I am focused on the whole person and I value my partnership with each patient and their families.

AON was founded by well-respected leaders in community oncology with decades of experience helping oncology practices to thrive by providing proven solutions and ensuring that everyone has access to exceptional cancer care.

###

About Desert Hematology Oncology: (DesertHematologyOncology.com)

Desert Hematology Oncology is a community-based medical oncology and hematology practice providing treatment for patients diagnosed with all types of cancer and blood disorders. Offering compassionate and personalized care to patients in Surprise, Ariz., as well as the surrounding Phoenix area. Our Board-certified providers are committed to providing quality, evidence-based oncology and hematology care.

About American Oncology Network, LLC: (AONcology.com)

American Oncology Network, LLC (AON) is an alliance of physicians and seasoned healthcare leaders partnering to ensure the long-term success of community oncology. Launched in 2018, the rapidly expanding AON network currently represents 104 physicians and 78 nurse practitioners and physician assistants practicing across 16 states. The executive management team of AON encompasses more than three decades of oncology practice management experience, enabling physicians to focus on what matters most  providing the highest quality care for patients.

The organization provides unique and comprehensive protocols for managing administrative procedures and enhancing ancillary services for its affiliates. AON is able to aggregate volume and attain economies of scale, as it guides its member physicians and practices through the transition to value-based reimbursement models that improve the patient experience and help to reduce the per capita cost of cancer care.

AON also provides a unique model of physician-led, community-based oncology management. With services such as a centralized specialty pharmacy, diagnostics, pathology, fully integrated electronic medical records, a care management team and a variety of financial assistance programs, an alliance with AON ensures that patients experiences will be at the very pinnacle of cancer care today.

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Dublin, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Optical Coatings Market by Technology, (Vacuum Deposition, E-Beam Evaporation, Sputtering Process, and Ion Assisted Deposition (IAD)), Type, End-Use Industry, and Region (APAC, North America, Europe, and Rest of World) - Forecasts to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The optical coatings market size is projected to grow from USD 12.6 billion in 2021 to USD 19.0 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 8.5%.

The optical coatings market is witnessing high growth owing to growing demand for optical coatings in industrial applications from emerging economies of APAC and Europe are the major drivers for the growth of the optical coatings market.



Optical coatings are a process of blending a thin layer of films on optical components, such as lens and mirrors, to intensify the reflection and transmission characteristics of the optical system. They normally contain layers of various metallic and dielectric materials such as titanium dioxide, silicon dioxide, and aluminum piled together according to the end-use application.



Optical coatings are thin layers of special materials deposited on various optical components and devices that are used as alternatives to traditional coatings, which are used to enhance the reflection and transmission properties of the component's surface. The growth of the electronics & semiconductor, military & defense, transportation, and other end-use industries is propelling the demand for optical coatings significantly. All these factors are expected to drive the market for optical coatings market.



Vacuum deposition is the largest technology segment of the optical coatings market



The optical coatings market is segmented on the basis of technology into vacuum deposition, E-beam evaporation, sputtering process, and ion-assisted deposition (IAD). Vacuum Deposition holds the major market share of the overall optical coatings market owing to its ability to cure at room temperatures, improved reliability, and increased thermal and mechanical strength of electronic devices.



AR Coatings is the largest type segment of the optical coatings market



The optical coatings market is segmented on the basis of type into AR coatings, high reflective coatings, transparent conductive coatings, filter coatings, beamsplitter coatings, EC coatings, and others. AR coatings type segment holds major market share of the overall optical coatings market owing to its ability to provide high-quality coatings with high transmission power and low reflection power on components such as lenses, mirrors, and display screens used in various industrial and consumer applications. These factors are fueling the growth of AR coatings in the global optical coatings market.



Electronics & semiconductor is the largest end-use industry segment of the optical coatings market



The optical coatings market is segmented on the basis of end-use industry into electronics & semiconductor, military & defense, transportation, telecom/optical communication, infrastructure, solar power, medical, and others. Electronics & semiconductor end-use industry segment holds major market share of the overall optical coatings market owing to the increasing demand for highly resistant and high dielectric strength coating layers in photovoltaic (PV) cells, electronics assemblies, ICs, and other optoelectronic devices. These factors are fueling the growth of the optical coatings market in the electronics & semiconductor industry.



North America is the largest market for optical coatings market



North America is the largest market for optical coatings during the forecast period. This growth can be attributed to the growing demand from the electronics & semiconductor industry and the increasing contribution of government and major players for commercializing optical coatings in the region.



Moreover, stringent environmental and government regulations, such as Architectural and Industrial Maintenance (AIM) Coatings for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) content limits and the United States Munitions List (USML) that regulate optical technology along with coating exports under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) fuel the market growth for optical coatings in the region.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Introduction



2 Research Methodology

3 Executive Summary



4 Premium Insights

4.1 Attractive Opportunities in the Optical Coatings Market

4.2 Optical Coatings Market, by Region

4.3 Optical Coatings Market, by Technology

4.4 Optical Coatings Market, by Type

4.5 Optical Coatings Market, by End-Use Industry

4.6 Optical Coatings Market: Emerging Vs. Mature Markets

4.7 Optical Coatings Market in North America, 2020

4.8 Optical Coatings Market, Regional Snapshot

5 Market Overview

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Market Dynamics

5.2.1 Drivers

5.2.1.1 Rise in Demand for Optical Coatings from Electronics & Semiconductor Industry

5.2.1.2 Growing Solar Power Industry to Drive the Market

5.2.1.3 Technological Advancement in Optical Equipment and Fabrication Process

5.2.2 Restraints

5.2.2.1 Volatility in Raw Material Prices

5.2.2.2 High R&D and Equipment Cost

5.2.3 Opportunities

5.2.3.1 Increasing Adoption of Advanced Automotive Electronics

5.2.4 Challenges

5.2.4.1 Stringent Government Regulations

5.2.4.2 Maintaining the Environmental Durability of Optical Coatings

5.3 YC-YCC Drivers

5.4 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5.4.1 Threat of New Entrants

5.4.2 Threat of Substitutes

5.4.3 Bargaining Power of Suppliers

5.4.4 Bargaining Power of Buyers

5.4.5 Intensity of Competitive Rivalry

5.5 Supply Chain Analysis

5.5.1 Prominent Companies

5.5.2 Small & Medium-Sized Enterprises

5.6 Market Mapping/Ecosystem Map

5.7 Tariff and Regulatory Analysis

5.8 Pricing Analysis

5.9 Trade Analysis

5.9.1 Hs Code - Import

5.9.2 Hs Code Used For- Export

5.10 Case Study

5.11 Patent Analysis

5.12 COVID-19 Impact on the Optical Coatings Market

5.13 Optical Coatings Market: Realistic, Pessimistic, Optimistic, and Non-COVID-19 Scenarios

6 Industry Trends

6.1 Solar Power Industry

6.2 Military & Defense

6.3 Electronics & Semiconductor

7 Optical Coatings Market, by Technology

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Vacuum Deposition Technology

7.3 E-Beam Evaporation Technology

7.4 Sputtering Process

7.5 Ion-Assisted Deposition (IAD) Technology

8 Optical Coatings Market, by Type

8.1 Introduction

8.2 AR Coatings

8.3 High Reflective Coatings

8.4 Transparent Conductive Coatings

8.5 Filter Coatings

8.6 Beamsplitter Coatings

8.7 EC Coatings

8.8 Others

9 Optical Coatings Market, by End-Use Industry

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Electronics & Semiconductor

9.3 Military & Defense

9.4 Transportation

9.5 Telecommunication/Optical Communication

9.6 Infrastructure

9.7 Solar Power

9.8 Medical

9.9 Others

10 Optical Coatings Market, by Region

11 Competitive Landscape

11.1 Overview

11.2 Market Share Analysis of Top 5 Players

11.3 Market Evaluation Framework

11.4 Revenue Analysis of Top 5 Market Players

11.5 Company Evaluation Quadrant

11.5.1 Visionary Leaders

11.5.2 Dynamic Differentiators

11.5.3 Emerging Companies

11.5.4 Innovators

11.6 Competitive Scenario

12 Company Profiles

12.1 Key Players

12.1.1 Dupont

12.1.2 PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.

12.1.3 Nippon Sheet Glass Co. Ltd.

12.1.4 Zeiss International

12.1.5 Newport Corporation

12.1.6 Inrad Optics, Inc.

12.1.7 Artemis Optical Limited

12.1.8 Abrisa Technologies

12.1.9 Reynard Corporation

12.1.10 II-VI Aerospace & Defense

12.2 Other Players

12.2.1 Cascade Optical Corporation

12.2.2 Beneq

12.2.3 Materion Corporation

12.2.4 Deposition Sciences, Inc. (DSI)

12.2.5 Lambda Research Optics Inc.

12.2.6 MLD Technologies, LLC

12.2.7 Evaporated Coatings, Inc.

12.2.8 Andover Corporation

12.2.9 Visimax Technologies Inc.

12.2.10 Ophir Optronics Solutions Ltd

12.2.11 Janos Technology LLC

12.2.12 Denton Vacuum

12.2.13 Nano Quarz Wafer

12.2.14 Alluxa

12.2.15 Berliner Glas Group

13 Adjacent Markets: Vacuum Evaporators Market

14 Adjacent Markets: Vapor Deposition Market

15 Adjacent Markets: Conformal Coatings Market

16 Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/37g7g3
Boston, Massachusetts, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HYCU, Inc., a pioneering enterprise software company specializing in multi-cloud data backup and recovery as a service, announced today that CRN  , a brand of The Channel Company, has named HYCU for the 2021 CRN Tech Innovator Awards. This annual award program showcases innovative vendors in the IT channel across 47 different technology categories, in key areas ranging from cloud to storage to networking to security. To determine the winners, a panel of CRN editors reviewed hundreds of vendor products using multiple criteria, including key capabilities, uniqueness, technological ingenuity and ability to address customer and partner needs.

CRNs annual Tech Innovator Awards acknowledge technology vendors that display their ongoing commitment to empowering and enabling end users, while also promoting continuous business growth for solution providers, with cutting-edge, purpose-built products and services, said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. Id like to personally congratulate each and every one of this years CRN Tech Innovator Award winners. We are proud to recognize these best-in-class vendors that are driving transformation and innovation in the IT space.

The continued recognition for our multi-cloud data protection solutions is affirmation that our partners and customers believe, like us, there is a better way to address backup and recovery for next-generation workloads running in public cloud and on-premises, said Subbiah Sundaram, VP Products, HYCU. This latest honor from CRN is proof, for emerging solutions like HYCU Protege for Kubernetes, that a solution that delivers application consistent data protection for workloads running in containers and granular recovery across all platforms is a must have. Thank you to The Channel Company editors, our channel and resell partners for the ongoing recognition and support. This would not be possible without their support and the tireless work of everyone at HYCU.

HYCU Protege for Kubernetes is able to address backup and recovery needs in a Kubernetes environment quickly and efficiently. The solution can dynamically detect the creation of containerized applications, apply the right backup policy to each one, identify the dependencies that may exist between various containers, and scale up or down the backup infrastructure to potentially handle millions of different backup-related activities. HYCU Protege for Kubernetes is built on a cloud-native architecture and automatically and dynamically scales up and down to meet changing Kubernetes backup workloads. HYCU also offers recovery validation services to support recovering application(s) hosted in Kubernetes in other regions of the clouds. The single platform offers a unified user experience to manage data protection across virtual machines, cloud object storage and containers. Users may assign policies to containerized applications that they already use to protect virtual machines and applications running on them. Delivered as a service, it provides a single solution to protect both containerized and virtual applications.

The Tech Innovator Awards will be featured in the December issue of CRN and can be viewed online at crn.com/techinnovators.

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About HYCU

HYCU is the fastest-growing leader in the multi-cloud backup and recovery as a service industry. By bringing true SaaS-based data backup to both on-premises and cloud-native environments, the company provides unparalleled data protection, migration and disaster recovery to more than 2,700 companies worldwide. HYCUs award-winning, purpose-built solutions eliminate the complexity, risk and high cost of legacy-based solutions, providing data protection simplicity in a hyper-connected, multi-cloud world. Customers experience frictionless, cost-effective data backup and recovery, no matter where their data resides. Based in Boston, Mass., the company employs 200 people across the globe. Learn more at www.hycu.com.

About The Channel Company

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers, and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelco.com. Follow The Channel Company: Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook

 2021 The Channel Company, LLC. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Boyden, a premier leadership and talent advisory firm with more than 75 offices in over 45 countries, welcomes new partner Farah Esmail as Boyden East Africa continues to provide exceptional leadership solutions and client service to social impact enterprises, family firms and hyper-growth, private equity-backed businesses.



Boyden East Africa is culturally astute and demonstrates a deeply held commitment to the regions social and economic progress, commented Trina D. Gordon , President & CEO of Boyden. We are delighted that Farah Esmail is joining the team as Boyden thrives on its work with trailblazing organisations in the region. She has magnetic energy in collaborative success, an impressive track record aligned with client needs and valuable experience in corporate governance.

Boyden East Africa provides leadership solutions to multinationals, family businesses, social impact organisations and start-ups building innovative new models leveraging digital payment capabilities distinctive to the region. The team is uniquely connected to the Kenyan diaspora through its deep roots in East Africa and international engagement across Boydens global footprint.

Clients recognise the gold standard of Boyden East Africa. The team have a significant record of delivering results, for example for CDC Group, the UKs development finance institution, enabling it to acquire a global expert in investment, deal execution and portfolio management. I am delighted to see Boyden welcome Farah Esmail to its team. Farah Samananis keen sense for identifying excellent talent has supported CDC in shaping our dynamic East Africa team. Farah Esmails insight will enhance Boydens ability to match skilled and passionate leaders with businesses that play a key role in driving growth and impact throughout the region, said Tenbite Ermias, Managing Director, Africa, CDC Group.

Boydens CEO track record includes a search for Copia Global, a leading retail goods and services m-commerce platform, built to serve 750 million middle- to low-income African consumers, even those who are remote, unbanked and unconnected. Through a network of 25,000 Copia Agents (local shops where orders can be made and delivered), Copia is able to serve over 1 million customers in Kenya and Uganda today and meet them where they are, online via a smartphone app or offline in person, whichever interface they prefer. Boyden understood our leadership needs both as a start-up and as an organisation with a compelling future in m-commerce, commented Tracey Turner , Founder & Chairman, Copia Global. Farah Samanani enabled us to attract and acquire a global CEO with exceptional customer, retail and logistics experience. Tim Steel is focused on the low- to middle income customer and providing them with their everyday shopping needs. He has built a brand synonymous with quality and best in class customer service. He has also championed a life changing ecosystem between agents, customers and transport suppliers. We are delighted to have expanded into Uganda during the pandemic and look forward to further, customer-led growth.

Farah Samanani , Managing Partner of Boyden East Africa said, Boyden East Africa is in a sweet spot, with our skills and capabilities perfectly matched to the needs of clients in a fascinating business environment. Farah Esmail is an exceptional addition to our team, with strong consulting, corporate and board experience. Her personal drive and ethos have enabled her to achieve impressive social impact goals, including an innovative educational model in Kenya. Boyden East Africa will continue to support clients transforming peoples lives, as well as global investors seeking talent experts who understand these dynamic, complex markets.

Farah Esmail will leverage her extensive experience with multinationals, most recently as Head of Kenya at Sirdar Group, as well as her affiliation with the Ibuka1 Program, a premier incubation and acceleration program run by the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE). Affiliation involved helping organisations in the Program to structure their businesses, enhance visibility and gain exposure to local and international investors.

During the very challenging business environment brought about by COVID-19, Boyden East Africa has continued to deliver the right leadership for clients, sourcing exceptional talent globally and recruiting them to the region. In the last two years, Boyden has placed exceptional professionals from Spain, Germany, USA and the Middle East, helping them relocate their families and take C-Suite leadership positions in highly innovative companies, focused on implementing uniquely African solutions using global best practice.

About Boyden

Boyden is a premier leadership and talent advisory firm with more than 75 offices in over 45 countries. Our global reach enables us to serve client needs anywhere they conduct business. We connect great companies with great leaders through executive search, interim management and leadership consulting solutions. Boyden is ranked amongst the top companies on Forbes Americas Best Executive Recruiting Firms for 2021. For further information, visit www.boyden.com .

______________________

1 Ibuka is Swahili for emerge.





Contacts:

Chris Swee, Boyden

Global Head of Marketing

T: +1 914 747 0172

E: cswee@boyden.com Farah Samanani, Boyden

Managing Partner, East Africa

T: +254 791 242 192

E: fsamanani@boyden.com





Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/67d9a8f5-ecb6-44e8-8147-b6eb8b7a2718

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4e7f1f88-30e2-438e-bab1-318ba10bad17
CALGARY, Alberta, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Imperial Helium Corp. (TSXV: IHC) (IHC or the Company), a growth-oriented company focused on advancing commercialization of our Steveville, Alberta helium discovery, today announces changes to our management team and Board of Directors, designed to continue positioning IHC for long-term growth and success. In addition, the Company confirms the engagement of an investor relations consulting firm and a corporate secretary to support ongoing capital markets communications and market engagement strategies.



Management Appointment

IHC is pleased to announce that Mr. Barry Lappin has assumed the role of Chief Financial Officer, taking over the position from Mr. David Robinson, who had been serving as contract CFO until the Company filled the role with a permanent appointee.

Mr. Lappin brings over 20 years of experience in the Canadian and international oil and gas industry with both small private and large public companies including TechnipFMC and Aker Solutions. He spent 18 years with Deloitte in the audit, tax and consulting practices both in Canada and the UK. Through his career, Mr. Lappin has been an active volunteer within the oil and gas industry, including serving on the Board of the Canadian Heavy Oil Association for 8 years and serving as its President during 2010/11. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Lappin had been providing consulting services to Imperial Helium to assist in financing, which has afforded him insight and familiarization with IHCs business strategy and projects. Mr. Lappin holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta and has been a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta since 1984.

Board of Director Changes

IHC is also pleased to confirm that the Company has appointed Mr. Campbell Becher to the Board of Directors. Over the course of his celebrated 20+ years in the investment banking industry, Mr. Becher has specialized in advising publicly listed junior resource companies from the exploration stage to full production, a milestone IHC anticipates achieving in the coming 12 to 14 months. He currently serves on the board of Royal Helium Ltd., a Saskatchewan based helium explorer, and as such, brings a wealth of experience in the resource sector coupled with his extensive network of investors. We are pleased to see and secure increasing interest from experienced market participants as IHC continues to develop our assets and enhance engagement with the capital markets.

Concurrent with this appointment, Ms. Monica Rovers has stepped down from her position on the Board.

The additions of Campbell and Barry further enhance the depth of expertise within IHC as we approach commercialization of our high-quality helium assets, and we look forward to working with 5Q to expand market awareness of our unique story," said David Johnson, Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Company. "With the transition, we wish to thank Ms. Monica Rovers for her service on the Board, and Mr. David Robinson, who both remain strategic allies to IHC.

Engagement of Investor Relations Firm and Corporate Secretary

IHC also confirms today that we have engaged 5 Quarters Investor Relations, Inc. (5Q) to provide investor relations and capital markets advisory services to the Company. 5Q will work with IHCs leadership team to advance our broad communications goals, facilitate engagement with the capital markets and support continued growth. Arrangement fees are estimated based on a targeted number of hours to be incurred each month, with the first quarter estimated at $15,000 per month; the second quarter at $10,000 and subsequent months at $7,500. The arrangement has no fixed term with IHC and 5Q is able to terminate at any time with 30 days notice. 5Q acts at arms length to IHC and does not have any interest, directly or indirectly, in the Company or its securities, or any right or intent to acquire such an interest. This investor relations agreement is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The Company has also appointed Mr. Ashif Merani as Corporate Secretary. Mr. Merani is a senior lawyer and has provided counsel to clients across a diverse range of sectors, specializing in M&A, securities, corporate finance and commercial matters.

In concert with all personnel changes, the Company has granted 900,000 incentive stock options (Options) to directors and officers. The Options have an exercise price of $0.20 per share, are valid for a five-year period from the date of grant and are subject to approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

About the Steveville Helium Property

IHCs Steveville property is situated over a large basement dome feature with four-way closure. The property is approximately 200Km east of Calgary and 40Km northeast of Brooks where highways 544/876 cross the structure, providing easy access for drilling and development. The property includes 24,635 hectares (95 square miles) of land leased from Heritage Royalty Resource Corporation, with rights for natural gas (including helium) below the base of the Big Valley and Nisku formations.

In the winter of 1940, the first deep well to be drilled in the area was 13-22-020-12W4, which, owing to a mechanical failure on surface, resulted in the Steveville blow-out. After the well was brought under control, production testing came in at six million cubic feet a day (6MMCf/d) of non-burnable gas. Four subsequent wells that were drilled exploring for hydrocarbons, 08-22-020-12W4 (1947); 14-11-020-11W4 (1953); 16-11-020-12W4 (1974); and 01-24-020-11W4 (2002) confirmed the structure. Imperial Helium has acquired seismic to provide an improved understanding of the basement structure. Drilling of IHC-Steveville-1 and IHC-Steveville-2 have further defined the structure and validated the superior reservoir quality first encountered by the Steveville blow-out well. IHC-Steveville-2 has been identified as a future producing well capable of sustained rates of 5-8MMcf/d for more than three years.

About Imperial Helium Corp.

Imperial Helium Corp. (IHC) is focused on the exploration and development of helium assets in North America, initially through the anticipated commercialization of its Steveville, Alberta helium discovery. With increasing helium supply shortfalls around the world, the Company is committed to becoming a supplier of helium to help meet the needs of the many critical industries which rely on this irreplaceable resource, including healthcare, electronics and semiconductors as well as aerospace and leak detection. Driven by Canadian geoscience and engineering expertise and supported by strategic alliances with key players in the helium and capital markets ecosystem, IHC intends to leverage its proprietary well database to support longer-term growth. IHC is based in Calgary, Alberta, and listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol IHC. To learn more about the Company and expand on the subject of helium, please visit www.imperialhelium.ca.

About 5 Quarters Investor Relations, Inc.

5Q is an independent, Calgary-based consulting and advisory firm specializing in investor relations and financial communications strategies. We have disrupted the traditional investor relations and communications advisory model for a diverse array of both public and private companies. Formed in 2013, the 5Q team embodies our core values of trust, quality and integrity. We bring hands-on and multi-disciplinary business experience combined with tailored strategies to help build shareholder value. Learn more at https://5qir.com/.

For further information, please contact:

David Johnson Barry Lappin Chief Executive Officer Chief Financial Officer (403) 978-9878 (587) 585-5447 djohnson@imperialhelium.ca blappin@imperialhelium.ca

Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements

Certain information included in this press release constitutes forward-looking information under applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information typically contains statements with words such as anticipate, believe, expect, plan, intend, estimate, propose, project, will or similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. Forward-looking information in this press release may include, but is not limited to, statements concerning: drilling activities; discovery activities including re-discovering and capturing the Steveville blow-out; and the business plan of the Company, generally, including helium development and extraction. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by Imperial. Although Imperial believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because Imperial can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to, risks associated with the helium industry in general (e.g., operational risks in development, exploration and production; the uncertainty of reserve estimates; the uncertainty of estimates and projections relating to production, costs and expenses, and health, safety and environmental risks), constraint in the availability of services, commodity price and exchange rate fluctuations, the current COVID-19 pandemic, changes in legislation impacting the helium industry, adverse weather or break-up conditions and uncertainties resulting from potential delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures.

The forward-looking information contained in this press release is made as of the date hereof and Imperial undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable securities laws. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS PRESS RELEASE. THIS PRESS RELEASE, REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE CANADIAN LAWS IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES, AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO SELL ANY OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN IN THE UNITED STATES, THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN, AND WILL NOT BE, REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1993, AS AMENDED, OR ANY SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES OR U.S. PERSONS UNLESS REGISTERED OR EXEMPT THEREFROM.
Beverly Hills, California, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Drips is paving the way for the world's most well-known brands to use automatedyet humanizedconversations to convert customers. A.C. Evans talks with us about how conversational messaging is changing the way brands communicate with those they serve.

Listen to the complete interview of A.C. Evans with Adam Torres only on Mission Matters Business Podcast.

What mission matters to you?

Evans says his mission is to help large enterprises solve big problems quickly through Drips conversational messaging solutions, focusing mainly on pivotal moments. His entrepreneurial journey began at an early age when he enrolled in a vocational school and took a digital design course. Although he says he wasnt a top student leading up to that point, he soon hit his stride, earned an array of awards and scholarships, and launched his first online business at the age of 18.

What problems are companies facing in brand engagement?

Today, large brands are facing problems with brand engagement because consumers have everything at their fingertips, Evans notes. While most enterprises are trying to connect with consumers through email or direct mail, those messages can easily get lost in all the noise around them. Companies that use radio and TV spots often get overlooked because audiences are far more interested in the content before and after the ads and may even skip past them, given the opportunity.

Likewise, brands that use call centers to reach customers are often ignored since most people refuse to answer calls from an unknown number, and moreover, all of the above methods are time-consuming for marketers. In the end, these modes of reaching consumers are resulting in tremendous declines in ROI, Evans says.

How does Drips help with brand engagement?

Drips helps brands connect with consumers by communicating in an automated humanized way, answering questions, and establishing two-way conversations that dont eat away at marketers most finite resource: time. Drips holds outbound, asynchronous conversations, at scale, at the most pivotal moments in the consumer journey. This aids engagement in a number of ways, from converting new customers to re-igniting older revenue channels that may otherwise have disappeared over time.

How did Drips start?

Evans says he saw a gap between brands and consumers and decided to fill it. When a colleague called him in to help after a push messaging follow-up system crashed, Evans brought in an API software company whose programming patched up the problem. From that experience, the concept for Drips was born in an effort to create a system that could deal with push messaging in a reliable, synchronized manner. The colleague who called Evans in to help was effectively Drips first client.

Before bringing Evans in to help, the brand was barely converting any leads through its messaging process, but once it switched over, the conversion rate shot up to 15 percent, mostly because Evans was using personalized quotes to cultivate relationships with potential prospects. Because of the bulk of inbound messages coming back, the system kept crashing, but clearing the hard drive to provide enough space made it possible to keep things running.

Drips gradually revised and refined its methods, designing personalized elements into every text and call. As a result, even the act of scheduling or rescheduling a call can take place automatically in a way that feels like a one-on-one human conversation. To date, Drips has helped its clients exchange more than 500 million conversations.

What kinds of companies/industries get benefit from working with Drips?

Drips handles all kinds of service-based businesses, from healthcare, home security, and insurance companies to the automotive, travel and hospitality industries and more. It also works with a broad array of companies to help them remind consumers about bills and payment issues. For companies trying to reach new prospects while keeping customer acquisition costs low, it offers effective solutions for exactly that. In general, Evans says, it provides a must-have tool for brands that want their customers to take some form of action.

What forms of compliance does a company like Drips have to consider?

Tons of regulations must be followed at both the state and federal levels, Evans notes. Before starting any business, he advises, its critical to understand and comply with state and federal laws to avoid even the appearance of harassment or impropriety, whether communicating with customers via push messaging or any other method.

The road ahead for Drips

Evans says Drips has been bootstrapped for a long time and continues to develop its team to become and remain a market leader. It recently partnered with the Blue Venture Fund and Accel-KKR, a top B2B SaaS investor, and Evans says his primary goal for Drips is simply to be the best in every category it encompasses.

To learn more about Drips, visit www.drips.com.

Media Communications

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For more details, visit Kisspr.com. KISS PR Digital PR & Marketing powers the Mission Matters Business podcast with brand storytelling. T: 972.437.8942

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Dallas, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) hosted a special event at its Perot Family Campus in Plano on Saturday, November 6, 2021, to recognize HungerMitaos sponsorship of a food distribution truck through a commitment of $150,000 over two years. HungerMitao, which means wipe out hunger, is an Indian American community-led initiative that supports local food banks. Over the four years since its launch, this volunteer-driven movement has enabled close to 12 million meals for NTFB and over 40 million meals nationally for the Feeding America network of Food Banks.

In addition, members of DFWs Indian American community volunteered at the Perot Family Campus distribution center, sorting and packing food in preparation for transport to NTFBs feeding network agencies, from 9  11 a.m., before the recognition event.

We are so grateful for the support of community initiatives like HungerMitao that recognize the growing issue of hunger and look for ways to contribute to organizations addressing this complex problem, said Trisha Cunningham, President and CEO for the North Texas Food Bank. The HungerMitao movement has provided an unprecedented level of support in providing millions of meals across North Texas.

This support is a result of the galvanization and activation of the Indian American community in North Texas around the cause of food insecurity. The community actively supports the work of NTFB through advocacy, volunteering, and donating food and critical funds. The $150,000 sponsorship will provide an additional 450,000 nutritious meals to families, seniors, and children across the 13 counties serviced by the NTFB.

We are excited and looking forward to the unveiling of the HungerMitao truck co-branded with North Texas Food Bank. This traveling billboard will highlight how the Indian American community continues to help NTFB improve peoples access to nutritious food, said Raj G. Asava, HungerMitao Co-Founder. This will serve as a tactical display and will further inspire the Indian American community to support the North Texas Food Bank. There is tremendous food insecurity in North Texas, but we can all pitch in, unify, and amplify our impact, added Anna Asava, Co-Founder HungerMitao.

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About the North Texas Food Bank

The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is a top-ranked non-profit hunger-relief organization that sources, packages and distributes food through a network of more than 200 Partner Agencies across 13 North Texas counties. The organization also provides food to children, seniors and families through various direct-delivery programs, including mobile pantries.

In its last fiscal year, the NTFB provided access to more than 125 million nutritious meals, a 28 percent increase over the prior year. In response to the ongoing elevated hunger crisis, the organization has launched a $500 million campaign, Nourish North Texas, to provide more Food for Today and Hope for Tomorrow by addressing the root causes of food insecurity.

The North Texas Food Bank is designated a 4-Star Exceptional organization by Charity Navigator based on its governance, integrity and financial stability. NTFB is a member of Feeding America, the nations largest hunger-relief organization. www.ntfb.org

About HungerMitao

HungerMitao is a volunteer-driven grassroots movement focused on raising awareness about hunger in the USA, improving community engagement, as well as channeling resources and contributions of the Indian American community to fight hunger through the Feeding America network of food banks. Over the four years since its launch on September 29, 2017, the movement has enabled 40 million meals through Feeding America and Food Banks in North Texas, Tarrant Area, Houston, New York City, Atlanta, Seattle, and Michigan.

Visit https://www.hungermitao.org/ to learn more.

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Brewster, New York, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Forza Forni, the global leader and supplier of authentic Italian brick ovens, artisanal dough management equipment, oven tools, and appliances for commercial foodservice/residential use, announced today that it has completed a major rebranding. The name change and restructuring is aimed to enhance the companys product offerings and signal their expansion into the wider commercial foodservice equipment market, as well as the consumer kitchen market.

Forza Forni grew in the last ten years from a small importer of Italian brick ovens, into one of the largest manufacturers and suppliers of high-temperature baking equipment in the North American commercial foodservice market. The company now operates from a 20,000 square foot facility in the greater New York City metropolitan area, with a planned 11,000 square foot warehouse expansion in Q4 to better serve clients.

The company rebranding centers upon the launch of the Fiero Group identity. Fiero Group houses three sub-brands; Fiero Forni, Fiero Dough, and Fiero Casa.

Fiero Forni is dedicated to high performance commercial baking ovens for Italian/Mediterranean style cooking. It houses the existing Forza Forni commercial brick oven lines and services the commercial foodservice equipment market.

Fiero Dough also services the commercial foodservice equipment market, but is wholly focused on artisanal dough mixing and management equipment. Its aim is to provide solutions for commercial foodservice operations that want to produce high quality dough for pizza and breads, while reducing labor costs and improving consistency.

Fiero Casa is the new residential/home consumer wing of the company, with a varied product line including Italian brick ovens for the home, cookware, appliances, tools, and more.

The company opened the first Fiero Casa store for consumer retail shopping at their NY based location and plans to open several of these retail/experience stores in the future around the country. Nationwide this brand can be sourced through their online store.

We are beyond excited to share the products, experiences, and developments that Fiero stands for, said Peter de Jong, CEO/Founder. We could not have reached this point without the confidence and support of our loyal clients over the last 10 years. Launching Fiero has been a long-term goal for the company, and we are so pleased we can finally share it with the world.

The Forza Forni brand was a strong statement in the marketplace about a commitment to authenticity in Italian baking principles. However, the considerable growth the company had experienced in the previous years no longer aligns with the brand name.

We loved being Forza Forni, but we are even more excited and proud about Fiero. The well-recognized gorgon face of the Forza Forni brand lives on in the Fiero logo, and we have made a few other nods to Forza Forni in our new identity, which we hope our clients and fans will appreciate, said Alex Gent, VP of Sales.

Visit https://fierogroup.com to explore the new website, brand, and office.

About Fiero Group

The premier supplier and manufacturer of Italian/Mediterranean style baking equipment for the commercial foodservice equipment and home consumer markets. Find Fiero equipment in many of the worlds most famous restaurants and other prestigious foodservice facilities.

Attachments
New York, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Offshore AUV and ROV Industry" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05900655/?utm_source=GNW

Offshore AUVs are utilized extensively for mapping seafloor by surveying the platforms or to distinguish the chemical, biological, or physical properties of the water. Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) have become more important in the offshore sector of the oil and gas industry for subsea construction and drilling support to allow deep-water exploration and development projects throughout the world. From decommissioning projects to exploration drilling, ROVs are widely used in the offshore sector. End-users are increasingly adopting AUV and ROV as a result of the high utilization of fossil fuels. The ever-increasing need for hydrocarbons has prompted corporations to concentrate their efforts on offshore drilling to boost green energy. In recent years, the importance of AUVs in researching seafloors before the installation of subsea infrastructure has driven demand for AUVs. Incorporating technologies like sensor-based steering and intelligent control systems are also expected to contribute to market growth.



Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Offshore AUV and ROV estimated at US$3.3 Billion in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$7.2 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 14.3% over the analysis period. ROV, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to grow at a 13.6% CAGR to reach US$6 Billion by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the AUV segment is readjusted to a revised 16.4% CAGR for the next 7-year period. This segment currently accounts for a 25% share of the global Offshore AUV and ROV market. The rising use of ROVs in a variety of industries, including search & rescue, marine biology, military, oil and gas, submerged infrastructure, and aquaculture, as well as advancements in ROV technology, is anticipated to drive growth in the segment. The need for big AUVs for military and defense applications, as well as oil and gas exploration, is driving the expansion of the AUV market segment.



The U.S. Market is Estimated at $597.6 Million in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach $522.3 Million by 2026



The Offshore AUV and ROV market in the U.S. is estimated at US$597.6 Million in the year 2021. The country currently accounts for a 16.7% share in the global market. China, the world`s second largest economy, is forecast to reach an estimated market size of US$522.3 Million in the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 13.7% through the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 10.8% and 11.5% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 11.3% CAGR while Rest of European market (as defined in the study) will reach US$605.1 Million by the end of the analysis period. The rising usage of ROV & AUV in the oil and gas industries has been instrumental in the growth of the offshore ROV and AUV market in the Middle East, the largest regional market. Another factor boosting the market in the area is the growing global demand for oil and gas-based goods. Presence of several oil-producing countries in the Middle East and Latin America is a key factor for large markets of offshore ROV and AUV in these regions. North America is another key market, due to growing number of oil & gas projects, particularly in the United States and Mexico.

Select Competitors (Total 48 Featured)



AtlasElektronikGmbh

Deep Ocean Engineering, Inc.

Deep Ocean Group

DOF Subsea AS

Fugro NV

General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc.

Helix Energy Solutions Group

Houston Mechatronics Inc.

Kongsberg Maritime AS

Oceaneering International, Inc.

SAAB AB

Saipem SpA

Subsea 7 S.A.

Teledyne Technologies Incorporated







Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05900655/?utm_source=GNW



I. METHODOLOGY



II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



1. MARKET OVERVIEW

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic and Looming Global Recession: 2020

Marked as a Year of Disruption & Transformation

EXHIBIT 1: World Economic Growth Projections (Real GDP, Annual

% Change) for 2020 through 2022

Amidst the COVID-19 Outbreak, Oil & Gas Sector Confronts

Challenging Times

Defense Cuts amid COVID-19 Crisis Slows Down the Demand for

Offshore AUVs and ROVs in 2020

EXHIBIT 2: Japan Defense Budgets: A Pre & Post COVID-19

Comparison (In US$ Billion)

EXHIBIT 3: UK Defense Budget: A Pre & Post COVID-19 Comparison

(In US$ Billion)

An Introduction to Offshore AUV & ROV

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV)

Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV)

Global Market Prospects & Outlook

Analysis by Product

EXHIBIT 4: World Offshore AUV & ROV Market by Product (2021 &

2027): Percentage Breakdown of Sales for Autonomous Underwater

Vehicles (AUV) and Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV)

Analysis by Application

EXHIBIT 5: World Offshore AUV & ROV Market by Application (2021 &

2027): Percentage Breakdown of Sales for Oil & Gas, Defense,

Scientific Research, Commercial, and Other Applications

Regional Analysis

EXHIBIT 6: World Offshore AUV & ROV Market by Region:

Percentage Breakdown of Sales for Developed and Developing

Regions (2021 & 2027)

EXHIBIT 7: World Offshore AUV & ROV Market - Geographic Regions

Ranked by CAGR (Value) for 2020-2027: Latin America, Middle

East, Asia-Pacific, China, Africa, USA, Europe, Canada, and

Japan

Competitive Scenario

Recent Market Activity



2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS



3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS

Established Role in Defense Applications Sustains Market Momentum

EXHIBIT 8: Healthy Defense Spending to Amplify the Need for

Offshore AUV and ROV: Projected Defense Budget (In US$

Billion) for the Years 2019, 2021 and 2023

EXHIBIT 9: Military Expenditure as a % of GDP in Select Countries

Fast Evolving Role of Unmanned Vessels in Military Applications

to Drive Market Expansion

Critical Importance of UAVs & ROVs in Oil & Gas Sector Augurs Well

EXHIBIT 10: Global Oil Production: Percentage Breakdown of

Production by Onshore, Offshore, and Offshore Deep Water

Activity for 2010 & 2019

EXHIBIT 11: World Average Rig Count by Region (2016-2020)

EXHIBIT 12: Technology Use in Oil and Gas Industry: % of

Companies Using Technology in Operations

Sluggish Tide in Oil & Gas Sector Niggles Market Momentum

EXHIBIT 13: Global Oil & Gas E&P Industry Spending (in US$

Billion) for 2015-2021

EXHIBIT 14: Global Daily Crude Oil Demand in Million Barrels

for the Years 2015 through 2020

Scientific Research: High Growth Vertical

UAVs & ROVs Seek Role in Commercial Diving Applications

Rise of Environmental Monitoring as Mainstream Concept Enthuses

Market

Hydrography Survey Made Easier with UAVs and ROVs

Rising Emphasis on Marine Biotechnology Bodes Well

Technology Advancements & Innovations Widen the Addressable Market

Engineered Plastics Enhance Performance of ROVs & UAVs



4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE

Table 1: World Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe,

Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa Markets -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years

2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 2: World Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe,

Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa Markets -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years

2012 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 3: World 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for

USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America,

Middle East and Africa Markets for Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



Table 4: World Current & Future Analysis for ROV by Geographic

Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin

America, Middle East and Africa Markets - Independent Analysis

of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2020 through 2027 and

% CAGR



Table 5: World Historic Review for ROV by Geographic Region -

USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America,

Middle East and Africa Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 6: World 15-Year Perspective for ROV by Geographic Region -

Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for USA, Canada, Japan,

China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and

Africa for Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



Table 7: World Current & Future Analysis for AUV by Geographic

Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin

America, Middle East and Africa Markets - Independent Analysis

of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2020 through 2027 and

% CAGR



Table 8: World Historic Review for AUV by Geographic Region -

USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America,

Middle East and Africa Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 9: World 15-Year Perspective for AUV by Geographic Region -

Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for USA, Canada, Japan,

China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and

Africa for Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



Table 10: World Current & Future Analysis for Oil & Gas by

Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe,

Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa Markets -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years

2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 11: World Historic Review for Oil & Gas by Geographic

Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin

America, Middle East and Africa Markets - Independent Analysis

of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through 2019 and

% CAGR



Table 12: World 15-Year Perspective for Oil & Gas by Geographic

Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for USA, Canada,

Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East

and Africa for Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



Table 13: World Current & Future Analysis for Defense by

Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe,

Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa Markets -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years

2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 14: World Historic Review for Defense by Geographic

Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin

America, Middle East and Africa Markets - Independent Analysis

of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through 2019 and

% CAGR



Table 15: World 15-Year Perspective for Defense by Geographic

Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for USA, Canada,

Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East

and Africa for Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



Table 16: World Current & Future Analysis for Scientific

Research by Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China,

Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa

Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand

for Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 17: World Historic Review for Scientific Research by

Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe,

Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa Markets -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years

2012 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 18: World 15-Year Perspective for Scientific Research by

Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for

USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America,

Middle East and Africa for Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



Table 19: World Current & Future Analysis for Commercial by

Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe,

Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa Markets -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years

2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 20: World Historic Review for Commercial by Geographic

Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin

America, Middle East and Africa Markets - Independent Analysis

of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through 2019 and

% CAGR



Table 21: World 15-Year Perspective for Commercial by

Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for

USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America,

Middle East and Africa for Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



Table 22: World Current & Future Analysis for Other

Applications by Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China,

Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa

Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand

for Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 23: World Historic Review for Other Applications by

Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe,

Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa Markets -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years

2012 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 24: World 15-Year Perspective for Other Applications by

Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for

USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America,

Middle East and Africa for Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



III. MARKET ANALYSIS



UNITED STATES

Table 25: USA Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Segment - ROV and AUV - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 and %

CAGR



Table 26: USA Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Segment - ROV and AUV Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 27: USA 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Segment - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for ROV and AUV

for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



Table 28: USA Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027

and % CAGR



Table 29: USA Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through

2019 and % CAGR



Table 30: USA 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Application - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Oil &

Gas, Defense, Scientific Research, Commercial and Other

Applications for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



CANADA

Table 31: Canada Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Segment - ROV and AUV - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 and %

CAGR



Table 32: Canada Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Segment - ROV and AUV Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 33: Canada 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV

by Segment - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for ROV and

AUV for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



Table 34: Canada Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027

and % CAGR



Table 35: Canada Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through

2019 and % CAGR



Table 36: Canada 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV

by Application - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Oil &

Gas, Defense, Scientific Research, Commercial and Other

Applications for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



JAPAN

Table 37: Japan Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Segment - ROV and AUV - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 and %

CAGR



Table 38: Japan Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Segment - ROV and AUV Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 39: Japan 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Segment - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for ROV and AUV

for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



Table 40: Japan Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027

and % CAGR



Table 41: Japan Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through

2019 and % CAGR



Table 42: Japan 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Application - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Oil &

Gas, Defense, Scientific Research, Commercial and Other

Applications for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



CHINA

Table 43: China Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Segment - ROV and AUV - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 and %

CAGR



Table 44: China Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Segment - ROV and AUV Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 45: China 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Segment - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for ROV and AUV

for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



Table 46: China Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027

and % CAGR



Table 47: China Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through

2019 and % CAGR



Table 48: China 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Application - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Oil &

Gas, Defense, Scientific Research, Commercial and Other

Applications for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



EUROPE

Table 49: Europe Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Geographic Region - France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain,

Russia and Rest of Europe Markets - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2020 through 2027 and %

CAGR



Table 50: Europe Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Geographic Region - France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Russia

and Rest of Europe Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 51: Europe 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV

by Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for

France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Russia and Rest of Europe

Markets for Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



Table 52: Europe Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Segment - ROV and AUV - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 and %

CAGR



Table 53: Europe Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Segment - ROV and AUV Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 54: Europe 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV

by Segment - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for ROV and

AUV for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



Table 55: Europe Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027

and % CAGR



Table 56: Europe Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through

2019 and % CAGR



Table 57: Europe 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV

by Application - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Oil &

Gas, Defense, Scientific Research, Commercial and Other

Applications for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



FRANCE

Table 58: France Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Segment - ROV and AUV - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 and %

CAGR



Table 59: France Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Segment - ROV and AUV Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 60: France 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV

by Segment - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for ROV and

AUV for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



Table 61: France Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027

and % CAGR



Table 62: France Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through

2019 and % CAGR



Table 63: France 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV

by Application - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Oil &

Gas, Defense, Scientific Research, Commercial and Other

Applications for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



GERMANY

Table 64: Germany Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV

and ROV by Segment - ROV and AUV - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027

and % CAGR



Table 65: Germany Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Segment - ROV and AUV Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 66: Germany 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV

by Segment - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for ROV and

AUV for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



Table 67: Germany Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV

and ROV by Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific

Research, Commercial and Other Applications - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020

through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 68: Germany Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through

2019 and % CAGR



Table 69: Germany 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV

by Application - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Oil &

Gas, Defense, Scientific Research, Commercial and Other

Applications for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



ITALY

Table 70: Italy Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Segment - ROV and AUV - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 and %

CAGR



Table 71: Italy Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Segment - ROV and AUV Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 72: Italy 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Segment - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for ROV and AUV

for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



Table 73: Italy Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027

and % CAGR



Table 74: Italy Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through

2019 and % CAGR



Table 75: Italy 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Application - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Oil &

Gas, Defense, Scientific Research, Commercial and Other

Applications for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



UNITED KINGDOM

Table 76: UK Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV and ROV

by Segment - ROV and AUV - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales

in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 77: UK Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Segment - ROV and AUV Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 78: UK 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Segment - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for ROV and AUV

for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



Table 79: UK Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV and ROV

by Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027

and % CAGR



Table 80: UK Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through

2019 and % CAGR



Table 81: UK 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Application - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Oil &

Gas, Defense, Scientific Research, Commercial and Other

Applications for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



SPAIN

Table 82: Spain Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Segment - ROV and AUV - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 and %

CAGR



Table 83: Spain Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Segment - ROV and AUV Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 84: Spain 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Segment - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for ROV and AUV

for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



Table 85: Spain Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027

and % CAGR



Table 86: Spain Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through

2019 and % CAGR



Table 87: Spain 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Application - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Oil &

Gas, Defense, Scientific Research, Commercial and Other

Applications for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



RUSSIA

Table 88: Russia Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Segment - ROV and AUV - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027 and %

CAGR



Table 89: Russia Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Segment - ROV and AUV Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 90: Russia 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV

by Segment - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for ROV and

AUV for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



Table 91: Russia Current & Future Analysis for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027

and % CAGR



Table 92: Russia Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV by

Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through

2019 and % CAGR



Table 93: Russia 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and ROV

by Application - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Oil &

Gas, Defense, Scientific Research, Commercial and Other

Applications for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



REST OF EUROPE

Table 94: Rest of Europe Current & Future Analysis for Offshore

AUV and ROV by Segment - ROV and AUV - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027

and % CAGR



Table 95: Rest of Europe Historic Review for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Segment - ROV and AUV Markets - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through 2019 and %

CAGR



Table 96: Rest of Europe 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV

and ROV by Segment - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for

ROV and AUV for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



Table 97: Rest of Europe Current & Future Analysis for Offshore

AUV and ROV by Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific

Research, Commercial and Other Applications - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020

through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 98: Rest of Europe Historic Review for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through

2019 and % CAGR



Table 99: Rest of Europe 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV

and ROV by Application - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales

for Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research, Commercial and

Other Applications for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



ASIA-PACIFIC

Table 100: Asia-Pacific Current & Future Analysis for Offshore

AUV and ROV by Segment - ROV and AUV - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027

and % CAGR



Table 101: Asia-Pacific Historic Review for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Segment - ROV and AUV Markets - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through 2019 and %

CAGR



Table 102: Asia-Pacific 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV

and ROV by Segment - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for

ROV and AUV for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



Table 103: Asia-Pacific Current & Future Analysis for Offshore

AUV and ROV by Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific

Research, Commercial and Other Applications - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020

through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 104: Asia-Pacific Historic Review for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through

2019 and % CAGR



Table 105: Asia-Pacific 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV

and ROV by Application - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales

for Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research, Commercial and

Other Applications for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



LATIN AMERICA

Table 106: Latin America Current & Future Analysis for Offshore

AUV and ROV by Segment - ROV and AUV - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027

and % CAGR



Table 107: Latin America Historic Review for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Segment - ROV and AUV Markets - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through 2019 and %

CAGR



Table 108: Latin America 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV

and ROV by Segment - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for

ROV and AUV for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



Table 109: Latin America Current & Future Analysis for Offshore

AUV and ROV by Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific

Research, Commercial and Other Applications - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020

through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 110: Latin America Historic Review for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Application - Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research,

Commercial and Other Applications Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through

2019 and % CAGR



Table 111: Latin America 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV

and ROV by Application - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales

for Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research, Commercial and

Other Applications for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



MIDDLE EAST

Table 112: Middle East Current & Future Analysis for Offshore

AUV and ROV by Segment - ROV and AUV - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for the Years 2020 through 2027

and % CAGR



Table 113: Middle East Historic Review for Offshore AUV and ROV

by Segment - ROV and AUV Markets - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Thousand for Years 2012 through 2019 and %

CAGR



Table 114: Middle East 15-Year Perspective for Offshore AUV and

ROV by Segment - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for ROV

and AUV for the Years 2012, 2021 & 2027



Table 115: Middle East Current & Future Analysis for Offshore



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CALGARY, Alberta, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global tech giant, Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced today a significant investment in Albertas tech and innovation ecosystem. They plan to invest up to $4.3 billion by 2037 on a new cloud computing operation in Calgary, Alberta, creating more than 950 jobs.



There are so many reasons to be optimistic about Albertas tech sector. Alberta is on track for a record year in venture capital and tech investment, creating thousands of jobs and diversifying our economy. This transformative investment from Amazon Web Services clearly demonstrates Alberta is a top destination for tech investment and talent.

- Honourable Doug Schweitzer, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Innovation

AWS has been helping Canadian organizations build in the cloud since 2006. Today, we have tens of thousands of customers in Canada. This newly announced Region in Calgary will help even more developers, startups, and enterprises, as well as government, education, and nonprofit organizations, to run their applications and serve end users from data centers located in Canada. This new Region is a significant investment for Calgary, and the country, and were proud to help energize the economy.

- Eric Gales, General Manager, AWS Canada

Economic development is a team sport and it was the collective effort of Team Alberta that lead to todays announcement. The collaboration of the Government of Alberta, Calgary Economic Development, Invest Alberta and many other partners helped land a high-impact, high-value investment from one of the worlds most innovative companies and the creation of new jobs for Albertans.

- Rick Christiaanse, CEO, Invest Alberta

Invest Alberta also looks forward to working with AWS on workforce retraining and upskilling to grow the talent pool in Alberta to support the cloud computing industry.

A subsidiary of Amazon, Amazon Web Services data centres span 25 geographic regions around the world. The company is the worlds most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud offering.

About Invest Alberta:

Invest Alberta is dedicated to investment attraction, with a mandate to engage the world and provide high-end tailored support to companies, investors, and major new projects. With offices in key markets around the world, Invest Alberta works to break down barriers so investors and businesses can start up, scale up, and succeed without limits.

For more information, visit: https://investalberta.ca/

Media Contact:

communications@investalberta.ca
The Urban Air Mobility Division of Hyundai Motor Group announced the expansion of its Airspace Management Consortium with the introduction of Skyroads (formerly D3 Technologies), Altitude Angel and OneSky to the industry working group.

The Group launched the Consortium in June to serve as a resource for the advanced air mobility (AAM) industry and policymakers in the United States and internationally as they begin to shape common operating and design standards that support industry development.

Hyundai Motor Group convenes the Consortium quarterly to facilitate sharing of key learnings and best practices. The new members plan to contribute strategic insight on the Groups concept of operations (ConOps) for AAM airspace management and ground mobility integration. Looking ahead, the Group will work with Consortium members to simulate the operation of UAS Traffic Management (UTM) and AAM network and ultimately flight test the Groups ConOps.

Hyundai Motor Group sourced the three newest Consortium members independently because of their unique approaches, geographic presence and expertise.

Skyroads (formerly D3 Technologies), a Germany-based aviation embedded systems developer, provides a continuously evolving software/hardware solution for airspace management and air traffic control, as well as flight management, aimed at AAM including human transport; it is based on the principles of system-wide information management and positive deterministic control.

Altitude Angel, the UK-based unified traffic management provider, brings experience in both hardware and software solutions, including its Project Arrow corridor, which features towers, equipped with a ground-to-aircraft system and cameras, for digital line of sight on a test corridor near Reading, United Kingdom.

OneSky, a US-based UTM provider, develops airspace assessment, operations, simulation and air traffic management solutions for the aviation industry. The global company will test various advanced air mobility solutions as part of its Consortium participation, including its previously created UTM ConOps in Singapore, as well as its urban air mobility routing and scheduling research it has conducted with NASA.
SREENAGAR, Bangladesh (AP)  Bangladesh's ruling party is set to win a series of local elections to choose representatives at the village level amid a boycott by the countrys largest opposition party, after widespread allegations of misconduct in the last national vote.

The ruling Awami League party of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is all but certain to win Thursday's election for 848 rural councils. A total of 4,571 local councils, known as union parishads and responsible for community development and public welfare services at the village level, are being contested in phases.

In the first phase of elections for 204 councils in June, 148 candidates from the ruling party won and the rest went to independents.

Analysts say it's an opportunity for the ruling party to consolidate its position ahead of the next general elections slated for 2023. It follows the trend in the last two general elections in 2014 and 2018, which Hasina's party won in a landslide despite allegations of vote rigging and manipulation.

The way political and institutional structure has been designed and rendered into, I think it's difficult to imagine that the truly free and fair election will take place in Bangladesh in the next round, said Iftekharuzzaman, who heads the Bangladesh chapter of the Berlin-based Transparency International.

He blamed the Election Commission for incompetence and top officials' allegiance to the ruling party.

We have decided to stay away from this local government election," said Rumeen Farhana, a lawmaker from the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, an archrival of Hasina. "My party has made their position very clear that without a non-party, neutral government we will not contest the next general elections.

Since 2014 the election process has been destroyed, from grassroots to the national level and its going from bad to worse. There is no choice left for the voters to choose their candidates, she said.

Obaidul Qauder, the Awami Leagues general secretary, said that people from Zias party are taking part in the election as independent candidates.

If you have the courage, take part in the polls visibly with your party symbol, he told reporters.

The opposition often says a skewed political atmosphere is preventing them from participating fairly in national elections.

Farhana says their activists across the country are facing politically motivated charges, a common tactic in Bangladesh to keep the opposition busy with legal protection. Authorities routinely deny such allegations, saying the court cases come from specific charges.

Since 1991, when Bangladesh returned to a democratic system, Hasina and Zia had alternately ruled the country before Hasina came to power with an overwhelming win in the 2008 election that was accepted as free and fair.

But that has changed. Election monitoring groups say more than half of the constituencies in the 300-seat Parliament were elected uncontested from the ruling party in 2014, while ballot stuffing was a common practice in 2018 amid allegations of intimidation.

Iftekharuzzaman said the politics in Bangladesh under the two major parties has become a zero-sum game, and they have used the Election Commission and public administration for their partisan benefits.

The key problem lies with the institution of the Election Commission, which has been rendered dysfunctional ... as well as allegations of corruption against them, he said.

The Election Commission has denied the allegations and said they are performing their constitutional duties properly.

Iftekharuzzaman said democracy is the main victim as the country's leaders can no longer claim full legitimacy from elections.

They do not have the genuine mandate of the people and they do not have the confidence needed to really claim themselves as public representatives, he said.

Many voters feel they are left with little choice.

I want an election that is inclusive of all parties, which used to happen in Bangladesh, and which is now lost," said Mohammed Mojibor, a businessman. This election is one-sided. I dont know about others, but personally I feel that this is unacceptable.
WINCHENDON, Mass. (AP)  A veterans organization in Massachusetts sold an original 1945 Norman Rockwell painting for $3.6 million at auction over the weekend in order to raise funds after years of dwindling revenue made worse by the pandemic.

American Legion Post 193, located in Winchendon, acquired the painting through a donation in 1959 from a local priest's art collection. Coral May Grout, a former Post president, said that after weighing whether to sell for nearly two decades, it was time, The Telegram & Gazette reported.
Motorola is rumored to bring a Snapdragon 898-powered flagship by the end of 2021, and now we get to know how the phones name.

According to the General Manager of the Mobile Business at Lenovo China, the new device will be known as Moto Edge X, and it will be infinitely powerful and people are right to be full of expectations.

The Moto Edge X is coming as a natural successor to the Moto Edge S, the current flagship of Motorola. It is unusual to call a Snapdragon 870-powered phone that, but we havent seen a true flagship from the Lenovo-owned brand since H1 2020 when the Motorola Edge+ was introduced with Snapdragon 865.

We know nothing about the Edge X specs beyond the chipset, but hopefully we'll hear more as the launch approaches.

Source (in Chinese) | Via
OnePlus has its latest limtied edition smartphone dubbed Nord 2 PAC-MAN Edition. It will have the same internals as the regular Nord 2 5G, down to the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, but its back will be glowing in the dark, and it will have a theme filled to the brim with Pac-Man references.

The smartphone's design is yet to be unveiled, but you can already compete to win the phone, a pair of Buds Z or early access vouchers from the OnePlus store. All it takes is to visit the company website (or head to the Source link at the bottom of this article), play the classic Pac-Man game and with a high enough score youre already in the raffle.

The phone will be sold in the EU, United Kingdom, and India. It is priced at 529, 499, and INR37,999, respectively. The non-customized Nord 2 smartphone with the same storage option is currently 499, 469, and INR34,999.

Source
According to a new report by Jon Prosser, Samsung is looking to host two Unpacked events early next year. The first one will take place on January 4 and will be centered around the long-rumored Galaxy S21 FE. The second event is apparently taking place a month later on February 8 and will bring us the Galaxy S22 series.

While Samsung is investigating my S22 Ultra leak



EXCLUSIVE 

Unpacked event for S21 FE

January 4, 2022

No pre-order period

Available January 11, 2022



Unpacked event for S22 lineup

February 8, 2022 @ 10:00am ET

Pre-orders begin same day (2/8)

Available February 18, 2022



 pic.twitter.com/S9n9rAf1cs  Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) November 6, 2021

Based on the report, Galaxy S21 FE will be available from January 11. The S22 Unpacked event will start at 10 AM ET time and Samsung will open up pre-orders as soon as the keynote concludes. General availability will start on February 18. As usual with these rumors take them with a grain of salt as we'll have to wait for official confirmation from Samsung before we know when the new phones are launching for sure.




Haiti - History : 230th anniversary of the death of Boukman





Sunday November 7, 2021 brings back the 230th anniversary of the death of Dutty Boukman (born around 1767 in West Africa), at the origin of the general uprising of slaves at the end of the voodoo ceremony in Bois Caiman, a remote place of the Lenormand plantation in Mezy, on the night of August 14, 1791.



The slave uprising began on the night of August 22 in five habitations where the slaves killed their masters and their families and set the buildings on fire.



For nearly 10 days, the northern plain will be the scene of clashes where nearly a thousand whites were killed, 161 sweets and 1,200 coffee plants burned.



It is while advancing on Cap-Francais (now Cap-Haiiten) that Boukman, facing the French army, will perish in combat as a hero at the head of his troops.



Passing off as invulnerable, the French cut off Hougan Boukman's head to expose him to the eyes of the slaves in Cape Town.



However, this French victory did not put an end to the slave revolt. Other chiefs succeed Boukman including his lieutenants Jean-Francois Biassou and Toussaint who will lead the Haitian revolution.



As part of this commemoration, Evans Paul, former Prime Minister under Marelly then in the transitional government of Jocelerme Privert took the opportunity to deliver a message of reflection that we invite you to share.



Message from Evans Paul (KP) :



"[...] This November 7, 2021, marks the 4th month since the heinous assassination, in his private residence, on July 7, 2021, of President Jovenel Moise, victim of the brutality of the power struggles which devastated the country and impoverished the population.



Sad fate of two leaders in our history, in two different contexts, 230 years apart, executed for the same causes, those of living together, respect and dignity for each other.



These shocking events should offer us the opportunity to transcend division, this endemic Haitian societal evil which generates instability, misery, corruption, violence, insecurity and dishonor, the main sources of our downfall, to that finally, we understand the need to engage jointly in the real fight for the freedom to be and to live.



The conquest of the right to live, as a leitmotif, is an imperative for each and every one of us, Haitians, and calls out the responsibility which is ours, to prioritize the restoration of the State in our country.



The reconquest of the Haitian national pride which results from it, incites us today to the first of the patriotic duties, aimed at guaranteeing the right to life, to prevent other Dutty Boukman and Jovenel Moise from perishing in such revolting conditions."



HL/ HaitiLibre


















On the current situation in north and east Syria, and in response to allegations of a dialogue between the Autonomous Administration and the Damascus Government, the spokesman for the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, Lukman Ahmi, denied this, but renewed their openness to dialogue.

Ahmi said during a press conference held today, Monday, in the city of Qamishlo: "There is no dialogue between us and the Damascus Government currently, and the rumors being circulated regarding the handover of any of the Autonomous Administration's areas of north and east Syria to the regime forces are far from the truth, It is part of the special war directed against the components of our people in north and east Syria."

The spokesman for the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, Lukman Ahmi, stressed that "the Autonomous Administration is open to dialogue with all parties to resolve the Syrian crisis peacefully and democratically, in a way that guarantees the rights of the components of our people in north and east Syria, and preserves the Syrian Democratic Forces."

T/S

ANHA
33-year-old sentenced for burglaries, firearms possession

A 33-year-old Henderson County man was given a sentence of eight to 19 years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of breaking and entering, two counts of larceny after breaking and entering, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and meeting the statutory requirements of being a habitual offender, District Attorney R. Andrew Murray announced.

Chief Resident Superior Court Judge Peter Knight sentenced Duane Harold Burgess during a Henderson County Superior Court term Oct. 27-29 to handle probation violations and guilty pleas.

According to court records and the sentencing hearing, the Henderson County sheriffs investigators developed leads on several Henderson County break-ins through interviews, storage unit surveillance videos and pawn shop video and receipts. As a result of their investigation, they obtained warrants to search the premises where Burgess was staying. The search turned up numerous stolen items along with firearms. A convicted felon, Burgess was ineligible to carry a firearm.

Numerous other felony cases were handled during the administrative session ranging in severity from misdemeanor child abuse, obtaining property by false pretense to felony rafficking in methamphetamine.

In other cases:

Kevin Logan, 47, of East Flat Rock, pleaded guilty to trafficking in methamphetamine, possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and being a habitual offender. Logan received a sentence of eight years seven months to eleven years four months in prison.

Nola A. Robinson, 42, of Flat Rock, pleaded guilty to negligent child abuse inflicting serious injury. Robinson received a sentence of 13 months to two years, one month suspended sentence, with 24 months of supervised probation.

Ethan Cooper, 27, whose last known address was Hendersonville, pleaded guilty to failing to report his new address as a previously adjudicated sex offender. Cooper received a sentence of 15 months to two years three months in prison.

Murray thanked law officers for their professional investigations, hard work, selfless sacrifices and unwavering commitment to protecting the lives of Henderson County residents.
SIX men from Henley completed a 130km cycle ride in Italy.

The cyclists wore sponsored jerseys from another bike ride to Paris in 2017 when 30 riders raised more than 40,000 for Trinity Primary School and the Chiltern Centre for disabled children.

The men, who are fathers of Trinity pupils, said they had missed the camaraderie of the 24-hour ride to France and wanted to recreate it, so decided to take part in the Nove Colli ride in Cesena.

Ben Walsh, Johnny Knight, Andy Marrison, Adam Holden, Brian Walmsley and Paul Coleman were unable to fundraise this time as they didnt know if the ride would go ahead due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Walsh, 46, of St Marks Road, Henley, said: We wanted to do something that was more than just a cycle round Henley but it wasnt confirmed to be going ahead until three weeks beforehand.

Some of us hadnt done any training as we thought we werent going to go so once we found out we had to quickly jump on our bikes.

Some people go out all the time but most of us enjoy it for the camaraderie.

Im not the kind to get on my bike but Im keen to support and raise money for the school.

I think in particular with the school having gone through covid, theres a lot of things it will need support with, such as new tech stuff.

Now Tom Potter, a governor of the school in Vicarage Road and the organiser of the 2017 cycle ride, is planning to arrange a 24-hour ride to Bruges next year.

Mr Walsh said: When we told him we had just completed the Nove Colli wearing the same jerseys he said that it was brilliant. Well do a lot more practice in advance this time and get ourselves in shape but its not a small undertaking.

Mr Potter said: We were planning to do the ride to Bruges in 2020 but it didnt happen due to covid and for the same reason it didnt happen this year. We are now aiming for early summer next year.

We have got huge interest from local people, not just from parents and from parents at Trinity, and so we are going to open it up to allow fundraising for all state schools in Henley. We have got 40 riders signed up so far and we have some sponsors but we need more.

As a governor, I am conscious of the financial condition of state schools and the importance of fundraising for charities such as the Chiltern Centre to keep doing the good work they do.
Pipeline

8 November 2021

Pan Pacific Hotels Group is taking the iconic biophilia of its PARKROYAL COLLECTION hotels beyond the shores of Singapore with the launch of PARKROYAL COLLECTION Kuala Lumpur in June 2022. This will be followed by the opening of Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Kuala Lumpur in October 2022, yet another first with the Group's signature Pan Pacific flag in Malaysia.

Located in the heart of Bukit Bintang, both properties will open in a mixed-use complex owned by the Singapore-listed UOL Group Limited, Pan Pacific Hotels Group's parent company and one of Asia's most established hotel and property companies with a portfolio of investment and development properties.

Following the successful launch of Pan Pacific Hotels Group's PARKROYAL COLLECTION brand in January 2020, the 535-room PARKROYAL COLLECTION Kuala Lumpur will inject a new breath of eco-chic living in the beating heart of Bukit Bintang.

With a lush green facade of 78 sky planters on its frontage and roof terraces showcasing 13,000 square feet of plants and trees, its refreshing design welcomes guests into a world of biophilia, connecting them to the space and with each other. In tandem with the PARKROYAL COLLECTION brand's design for sustainability, the hotel will also feature sustainable operations such as motion sensors across public areas and rooms, a food waste digester, no single-use plastics, and an urban farm. Like its sister properties in Singapore, it will also have a holistic wellness floor comprising a St Gregory Spa, a modern gymnasium and fitness studio, as well as a pool.

Come October 2022, the complex will welcome 210 well-appointed luxury suites with Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Kuala Lumpur, offering long-staying guests the conveniences of the city coupled with the sincere and gracious service of Pan Pacific.
Appointment

8 November 2021

Kempinski Hotels has appointed Andras Biro as the new general manager at the award-winning five-star luxury hotel The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore , and, from now on, he will be overseeing the growth of the landmark property in the Lion City. Located in the heart of the Civic and Business District, the hotel, with Andras Biro on board, will further strengthen the presence of Kempinski in the country's dynamically evolving hospitality landscape.

Andras Biro, born and raised in Hungary, joins the luxury hotel in Singapore from his latest position in Russia, where he was General Manager of Kempinski Grand Hotel Gelendzhik, a multi-complex five-star luxury hotel and holiday resort on the Black Sea. From 2016 to 2018, he worked as hotel manager at the 686-room Grand Kempinski Hotel Shanghai, China, with a previous stint as Acting General Manager and Executive Assistant Manager at Kempinski Hotel Chongqing. Earlier stations of his career included positions as Executive Assistant Manager at Dusit International and Front Office Manager at Constance Hotels & Resorts, both in the Maldives, as well as positions at Radisson Blu in Hungary and the United Arab Emirates.

The 43-year-old is a graduate of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and holds a Master of Business Administration in International Hospitality Management from IMI International Management Institute Switzerland. He is fluent in English, German and Russian besides his Hungarian mother tongue.
Appointment

8 November 2021

During its 2021 Global Meeting, Horwath HTL announced that John Fareed, MSc CHME ISHC, has been elected Global Chair. Fareed will succeed Robert Hecker, who will continue as a member of the Horwath HTL Global Committee and Managing Partner of the Pacific Asia offices.

Fareed will continue to lead North America while focusing on growing the presence of the world's only hospitality-focused, independent advisory brand. Currently, Horwath HTL's 250 senior advisors represent over 80 specialties in 40 countries worldwide, all focused one hundred percent on hotel, tourism, and leisure consulting.

Horwath HTL has carried out more than 30,000 assignments for private and public clients. Their asset management, strategic consulting, and transactional advisory services have helped hotel investors, owners, and operators continually increase the value of their portfolios.

Horwath HTL's consulting services include planning and development, transactional support, asset management, strategic advisory, appraisal and valuation, health and wellness, tourism development, and expert witness and litigation support.
Appointment

8 November 2021

Chef Huy started his career in the hospitality industry as a pastry chef about 10 years ago. With his ability and relentless efforts, in 2014 he held the position of Executive Pastry Chef at Centara Ressort in Da Nang.

Not only stopping at his expertise as a bakery, Chef Huy continues to develop and learn other culinary skills, which has helped him gradually rise to higher positions such as Chef De Cuisine in the coming years.

In July 2019, chef Huy joined Intercontinental Nha Trang as Chef De Cuisine. With the achievements achieved in 2 years with Intercontinental Nha Trang, on November 3, 2021, Mr. Philip Beriman - Intercontinental Nha Trang General Manager handed over the promotion decision to Chef Huy to the position of Executive Chef.

With this new role, Chef Huy will be in charge of the entire culinary department of the hotel, along with the task of developing unique products, developing staff and maintaining the quality of F&B products at Intercontinental Nha Trang.
Press Release

8 November 2021

Phoenix, Arizona -- Best Western Hotels & Resorts (BWHR) announced that its award-winning loyalty program, Best Western Rewards (BWR), has been recognized with three 2021 Loyalty360 awards across the categories of Creative Campaign, Employee Engagement & Impact, and the prestigious Loyalty360 360 Degree Platinum award. These accolades further solidify BWRs position as a top loyalty program choice for travelers.

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It is an honor to be recognized by Loyalty360 for our commitment to delivering rich promotions to our loyalty members through BWR, said Dorothy Dowling, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for BWHR. These accolades confirm that our valuable promotions and perks are enhancing the travel experience for our loyalty members  as travel continues to rebound, we remain committed to taking care of our guests around the world.

BWR recently rebranded its tagline to Because We Care About Rewarding You to underscore how its perks are driven by BWHRs foundational commitment of caring for guests. In 2020, BWHR was the first in the industry to extend loyalty status to its BWR members at the onslaught of the pandemic; and in 2021, the company cut its Elite Status eligibility qualifications in half to make it easier for travelers to earn loyalty status. Also inspired by the brands caring spirit, BWHR launched an industry-leading cleaning program, We Care CleanSM, which delivers an enhanced commitment to keeping guests safe and healthy when staying at Best Western branded hotels across North America.

Todays BWHR is a vibrant hospitality company with 18 distinct brand offerings across every market segment from economy to luxury. In recent years, the company has revitalized its properties across North America as owners invested a staggering $2 billion in property improvements and renovations. BWHRs commitment to innovation and improvement has enabled the company to achieve record RevPAR Index, unrivaled industry recognition and unprecedented guest satisfaction.

For more information on BWR or to sign up, please visit bestwesternrewards.com.
Press Release

8 November 2021

PARIS -- As the first international luxury hotel brand to originate from France, Sofitel Hotels & Resorts is a renowned global ambassador of modern French Art de Vivre and style. Revealing an edgier and more playful expression of the brands Live The French Way ethos, Sofitel is launching FRENCH IT!, a global digital campaign of six stylish short films that spotlight the brands passion for arts and culture by bringing the whimsy of the French language to life.

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The FRENCH IT! films capture an intriguing new mood with their refreshing take on French idioms that are little known outside of France, inviting all to Live The French Way through the richness of the French language. As a powerful, influential and respectful voice on modern French Art de Vivre, Sofitel shares the playful attitude in which the French express themselves, with a selection of quirky sayings creatively captured through a highly conceptual and contemporary lens.

French Art de Vivre is a worldwide reference for fine dining, spectacular wine, world-class design and wellbeing - all of which lies at the very heart of the Sofitel brand and has contributed to its worldwide success since its debut in 1964. Today, Sofitel plays a very important role in Accor's portfolio and is one of the most well-known brands in luxury hospitality with a continued focus on global development, especially in Greater China and Southeast Asia, with recent openings including Sofitel Ambassador Seoul in South Korea, Sofitel Hangzhou Yingguan in China and Sofitel Adelaide in Australia. The FRENCH IT! campaign was developed to help Sofitel reaffirm its place in luxury with a more edgy and playful attitude, alongside other leading French brands in fashion, jewelry and lifestyle living, said Alexander Schellenberger, Chief Luxury & Premium Brands Officer, Accor. Conceived by the in-house Accor Creative Studio  Studio 66  the campaign engages French expressions that are not globally known to tap into discovery, self-enlightenment and luxury consumer trends.

Connecting and appealing universally through humor, the campaign focuses on the idea that the French language contains funny, colloquial expressions. Through these expressions, Sofitel connects to its hotel experience in an unexpected, tongue-in-cheek manner in a series of digital episodes.

The Films And Associated French Idioms

FILM 1 - POSER UN LAPIN = TO STAND SOMEBODY UP

FILM 2 - TOMBER DANS LES POMMES = TO FAINT

FILM 3 - NE PAS ETRE DE LA TARTE = TO BE QUITE SOMETHING

FILM 4 - ETRE CANON = TO BE STUNNING

FILM 5 - AVOIR UN COUP DE FOUDRE = TO FALL IN LOVE

FILM 6 - MONTER SUR SES GRANDS CHEVAUX = TO FLY INTO A TEMPER

Viewed through the lens of the brands chic and passionate personality, Sofitels new digital campaign features a diverse cast of confident and powerful women, each embodying what it is to Live The French Way. They include Dancer Helena Olmedo Duynslaeger, Musician Lomijoh, and Korean Art Director Moon Kyu Lee.

Each film makes use of dynamic camera angles and edgy composition, pushing the subjects to the forefront in a bold, confident and playful manner. Reflecting hotel offerings from wellness and gastronomy to social and room experiences, this strong visual language is used to drive interest and create engagement in a light-hearted disposition. The soundtrack to FRENCH IT! titled "A La Francaise by Annie Plummer, Yan Gorodetzki and Bruce Keen and edited by Benzene Editions. was composed and recorded exclusively for Sofitel.

We went back to the roots of the brand, offering French Art de Vivre to everyone. We deliberately selected a non-French cast, because living the French way is about embracing certain values regardless of nationality: an unapologetic personal style, sensuality, audacity, free spiritedness and a dash of unconventionality. This strong female cast is a reaction to the traditionally masculine representation of luxury and business travel, said Jean- Guilhem Lamberti, Chief Creative Officer, Accor and director of the Sofitel FRENCH IT! episodes.

Sofitel is an undisputed worldwide leader in the luxury hotel sector with a rallying cry of Live the French Way, born with the vision to bring its culture of Art de Vivre into an often unimaginative and undifferentiated segment of the industry. Modern luxury travelers are invited to eat, sleep, enjoy, travel, stay, celebrate and Live the French Way at Sofitel through the brand passions of design, gastronomy, arts & culture, and well-being. Upon arrival, guests are greeted in French by Sofitel staff wearing made-to-measure designs created by Paris-based fashion designer Lea Peckre. In the lobby, senses are awakened by the wafting scent of Essence de Sofitel, a gorgeous fragrance created by renowned perfumer Lucien Ferrero, and in rooms indulgent French bath amenities and the iconic Sofitel MyBed await, providing the ultimate rejuvenation. Signature Sofitel Sounds by French music artist Mosey sets a sultry and insouciant atmosphere. In the late afternoon, guests indulge in Le Gouter or LAperitif in the hotel bars, followed by Gastronomie Francaise in the dining venues.

Sofitel is a global ambassador of French savoir-faire and Art de Vivre, said Joao Rocco, Senior Vice President, Global Sofitel Brand Leader. Our Frenchness is the attribute most frequently praised by our guests and most often mentioned within their feedback, so we know that our culture is important to them. Our unique sense of joie de vivre is felt at our hotels in more than 40 countries across five continents, and its a defining element that has become the signature of the brand.

Alongside the digital campaign, Sofitel will continue to offer enticing experiences in the spirit of modern French luxury, including Le Gouter afternoon teas, fashion and arts partnerships, La Nuit by Sofitel social events, and Sofitel Art de Noel celebrations.

Sofitels FRENCH IT! global campaign will launch in the UK and France on 8 November 2021 across key social platforms including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, and in China on 30 November 2021
Press Release

8 November 2021

Seeking to redefine affordable hospitality in Saudi through home-grown brands, Dur Hospitality unveiled "Nur by Makarem, its new 3-star hotels brand during its participation at the World Travel Market London as part of the Saudi Tourism Authority's pavilion.

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"Nur by Makarem" will convert, operate and manage 3-star hotels in Makkah and Madinah, providing hotel owners the opportunity of having their facilities re-branded to correspond with the "Nur" standard, fully transforming the facility and services in record time.

"Nur" draws on Makarem's long-standing experience and world-class services, adding value to the 3-star hotel segment. Nurs viable business model will also contribute to the sustainability of the 3-star hotels sector while ensuring its adherence to international standards.

CEO of Dur, Mr. Sultan Al-Otaibi said, "Dur Hospitality is introducing new elements in the operation and services of 3-star properties. We will bring a unique home-grown product into the Saudi hospitality market by managing and operating 3-star hotels, drawing on Dur's success in the 5-4-star hotels and residential complexes sectors. In line with Dur's strategy to upgrade hospitality throughout the Kingdom, Nur adds to the quality and variety of hospitality options in the holy cities, serving the goals of Saudi Vision 2030. Inspired by Makarem Hotels' values and aligned with its mission, Nur seeks to enrich the experience of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims and further streamline their spiritual journey."

President of Hotels Operations, Mr. Hassan Ahdab, stated "Nur by Makarem will draw on the latest approaches in the industry to manage the 3-star hotels seamlessly for an upgraded experience with a goal to brand the biggest number of rooms in the holy cities with the Nur logo in a short period and without incurring financial burdens for the owners. Nur Hotels will standardize all 3-star hotel rooms specifications to deliver a unique and consistent experience across all Nur-branded facilities. Nur will be the first hospitality brand to provide affordable accommodation for spiritual tourism, following Makarem's approach inspired by the spiritual heritage of the holy sites.

By launching "Nur by Makarem", Dur affirms its commitment to position Saudi as a leading regional tourism and hospitality destination. Nur is another milestone added to the company's achievements, alongside the recent completion of the full renovation of Makarem Ajyad Hotel.
Press Release

8 November 2021

Bain and Omnam acquire Hotel Britannia Excelsior on Lake Como

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American private equity firm Bain Capital and London-based real estate investor Omnam Group have acquired the 285-room Hotel Britannia Excelsior on Lake Como from Ross Stacey Whieldon and his wife Doriana Luchina for an undisclosed price. The 19th century hotel is to be redeveloped into a five-star luxury resort. The repositioned hotel will comprise over 2,000 sqm of food and beverage facilities with Lake-view bars and restaurants, the largest floating pool on the Lake at 1,400 sqm, a unique 2,300 sqm Lido and 4,000 sqm buildable area that will be converted into a spa, conference centre and parking areas. Bain now own 35 hotels in Italy and 115 hotels across Europe, while trophy-hotel focused Omnams Italian investments have included the W Rome, Four Seasons Puglia and Baccarat Florence.

Landsec acquires Premier Inn through 75% stake in Media City

London-based REIT Landsec has acquired a 75% stake in the digital tech hub Media City outside Manchester, from financial service provider Legal & General and developer Peel L&P, for 426 million. The acquisition includes the 112-room Premier Inn within the Tomorrow building complex, fully buying out Legal & General, with Peel L&P retaining a 25% stake. The projects first phase was completed nearly 10 years ago, with the second phase of the development already partially completed. The realization of the remaining project aims to deliver an additional 1.6 million square feet of mixed-use real estate.

LLB Immo acquires Meininger Hotel Vienna Downtown Franz from CA Immo

Vienna-based real estate investment firm LLB Immo KAG has acquired the 131-room Meininger Hotel Vienna Downtown Franz from Austrian investment firm CA Immo for an undisclosed price. CA Immo developed the property, which opened in 2011, and now intends to further sharpen its focus on Grade-A office properties. The Meininger property is located in Viennas 2nd district, close to the city centre between the extensive parks of the Augarten and the Danube Canal.

Aker re-acquires Quality Hotel Expo in Fornebu, Norway from DNB

Oslo-based engineering company Aker Solutions has re-acquired the 301-room Quality Hotel Expo in Fornebu, 10 kms from the centre of Oslo, from DNB Scandanavian Property Fund. Aker sold the hotel back in 2014 after developing the property two years before. The conference hotel includes 12 conference rooms, with a capacity of over 1,000 delegates.

Sogenial acquires Chalet Alpen Valley in Combloux

French fund manager Sogenial Immobilier has acquired the 32-room Chalet Alpen Valley in Combloux, France for an undisclosed price. The acquisition was made on behalf of its SLP Premium Hotel Investments fund, which invests in luxury hotels. The property features a cinema, a spa, a restaurant and bar, as well as breathtaking views of Mont-Blanc.
Press Release

8 November 2021

PM Hotel Group today announces its merger with Paramount Management Associates. The combined company will manage a portfolio of 70 branded and independent properties across 22 states.

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The union pairs the strengths of each organization, producing enhanced synergies, support, and expertise. The companys expanded footprint and resources will position it to deliver greater returns to owners while curating exceptional guest experiences.

This merger presented us with the opportunity to do something truly transformational. Relationships, with our owners, associates, and partners, have always been our focus. Now with the people and scale of our combined portfolio we are positioned to leverage our size for greater success, said Joseph Bojanowski, President and CEO of PM Hotel Group. He added that, Paramounts senior executives bring exceptional operational and acquisition expertise that further enhances our team and positions us for continued strategic growth.

Ethan Kramer, co-founder and president of Paramount, joins as Chief Investment + Development Officer.

He will lead the investment team, sourcing and analyzing acquisition opportunities, working with owners seeking additional opportunities and overseeing the expansion of third-party management contracts.

We are excited to finalize this merger and are confident that joining our two companies, both of which have been steadfastly committed to culture and people, will create both increased value for our owners and additional career opportunities for our team members, said Ethan Kramer.

The newly merged company will operate as PM Hotel Group with headquarters in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Art Adler, President of Adler Hotel Advisors, consulted on the deal.
Press Release

8 November 2021

The challenges faced by the wine industry globally are echoed in the Swiss wine industry too. Setting aside the challenges brought by the global pandemic, we took a look through the lenses of sustainability, innovation and global warming to analyse the current developments taking place in the Swiss wine regions.

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Growing demand for eco-friendly wine producers

Swiss winegrowers are constantly looking to innovate, deal with sustainability issues, and adapt to climate change. The need to be more sustainable or innovate arises from natural factors but also market forces such as a rising demand for sustainable wines (Swiss Wine, 2021). There is also an attraction to local heritage resulting in a preference for local grape varieties.

The underlying themes introduced in this pre-report were mostly confirmed via a field trip through two means: expert opinions obtained through interviews with winegrowers & winery directors, and personal perceptions of the wines tasted.

Sustainability in the wine industry

Resistant grape varieties are becoming more important. For example, at Agroscope Changins, they are focussing on creating fungal resistant varieties such as Divico and Divona. These grapes need less fungicides, therefore, it is better for the environment as it does not go into the ground and harm the biodiversity. Also, Piwi wines are being tested and researched as a result of the increasing trend of resistant grapes. It is important to say that when Agroscope tested the difference between organic and biodynamic wines, no difference was found. Nevertheless, more research must be done.

Different wineries have different approaches to sustainability procedures. For example, Domaine de la Colombe have a biodynamic approach, they also produce their own fertilizer. Jean Rene Germanier has been accredited the Bio Suisse Certificate for eight wines  this certificate focuses on using 100% chemical products that are made from natural products. Borger Weinbau works with organic spray products and a part of their vineyard is given at disposition for research and testing about sustainability in the vineyard. This winery works in a biodynamic way; however, they do not want the Demeter certificate on the labels because the owner wants to make his own decisions and not stick to the many Demeter regulations.

What is important to note is that due to the heavy rainfall this year, many wine producers are using non-organic products: organic sprays work only with up to 20 mm. of rainfall. We have seen that different vineyards have been affected by downy mildew, and an organic or biodynamic approach would not be enough to stop this disease.

All wineries said that they have seen an increase in sales since they adapted sustainable procedures such as becoming organic, biodynamic or natural. Sustainable wines are sold at a higher price since the production costs increase. However, this has not stopped the clientele from purchasing these wines as it is an increasing trend. There were other wineries that were not interested in converting from conventional to organic, biodynamic or natural. For example, Donatsch Winery does not produce natural wines as it is not part of their philosophy. Nevertheless, the winery tries to work on a more sustainable way in the vineyard. This demonstrates that most wineries try to be more and more sustainable even though not fully organic.

Also, some wine cellars and shops such as the Chateau de Villa and the Baur au Lac Vins are not too interested in selling sustainable wines because they do not need to: they are selling enough conventional wines. However, they both have a small section of organic, natural and biodynamic wines, and they agreed that the market for sustainable wines is increasing so that they will have to adapt and expand their offer.

Innovation in Viticulture

Switzerland is one of the most advanced countries in terms of innovation (World Intellectual Property Organization, The Global Innovation Index 2020). The institutional support and government subsidies make the work of organizations such as Agroscope or World Chasselas Conservatory center possible, making the Swiss wine industry arguably one of the most advanced in terms of introducing scientific discoveries and innovation as a strategy of adaptation to the climate change.

However, according to Masset et al. (2021), the tight-flow organization of the Swiss wine sector makes it very dependent on economic and climatic hazards, combined with the complex organizational structure, the diversity of regulation and promotion bodies for each canton that create a lack of strong centralized support on the national level and high production costs. All these factors might represent an obstacle to innovation.

Nevertheless, the current achievements and on-going projects on innovation within the Swiss wine industry leave room for optimism. Agroscopes work taken alone is already impressive by the short time it takes to implement scientific discoveries into the real-world conditions. As an example, the fungal disease resistant varieties that have been created are already actively used for wine estates all across the country, e.g. Gamaret and a newer Divico and Divona. With a view to preserve the natural levels of acidity in the wines, Agroscopes research also focuses on exploring the innovative solutions in oenology, such as trials on using different types of bacteria and combining the two fermentations.

Other adaptation strategies to climate change seen during the business field trip include experimenting with resistant PiWi-varieties (PIWI International, 2021) explored by Shloss Reichenau, Michael Broger, domaine la Colombe among others, planting more heat-loving varieties, e.g., "Syrah planted on the northern limit of its ripeness in Valais", according to Gilles Besse, the winemaker of Germanier, or growing higher in altitude. The latter is explored by various estates including Domaine Louis Bovard, Donatsch, Germanier, Pircher. However, in most cases it is not so far permitted by the local appellation regulations.

How is Global warming effecting the wine making process?

In the pre-report, various themes related to global warming such as achieving balance in ripeness, i.e. between phenolic and sugar ripeness (Jones et al., 2005) and styles of wine being changed (Drappier et al., 2017). Specific to Swiss wine, it was hypothesised that rising temperatures may help winegrowers (Swiss Wine Promotion, n.d.) ripen international varieties (The Local, 2015) and potentially gain access to a wider market.

Weinbau Pircher and Domaine Louis Bovard attested for the better ripeness of their grapes in recent years while Michel Broger, Weingut Donatsch, and Pircher called global warming beneficial for the quality of their grapes. Donatsch contributed the idea that it might be too warm in the future for Pinot Noir, and Pircher said some of their varieties had to be replaced by warmer varieties (Muller-Thurgau by Grauburgunder and Grauburgunder by Riesling). With regards to changes in wine style, Bovard said withholding malolactic conversion helps retain acidity in riper grapes. They are also able to plant Syrah in Lavaux.

Climate change is also bringing about vine diseases and frosts to which winegrowers must adapt. One way is to experiment with different grape varieties like the Agroscope Changins. Another is organic fertilisers, which, according to Domaine de la Colombe, helped give their Chasselas wines higher acidity. Frosts were not a problem in Lavaux (possibly due to the moderating effect of the lake) but Grisons, where end-of-April frosts are normal, experienced earlier frosts which were damaging.

The winemaking industry against climate change

Overall, as seen during the field trip, the representatives of the Swiss wine industry seem very open and keen on experimenting with innovative viticulture and winemaking solutions. Together with a substantial, however, not unified government support, this creates the necessary motivating attitude for new creative climate change adaptation and prevention strategies to be explored, developed and implemented.

This report might be useful to see how Swiss wineries are adapting to their own needs as well as their clients. However, its limitations are in the fact that there is a lack of information available about the Swiss wine market. It will be interesting to carry out further research into the efficacy of biodynamics, the market demand for sustainable wines, and how specifically new grape varieties or clones will help winemakers produce good wine consistently.
Memorial Hermann and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas are locked in a quickly escalating contract dispute that could throw more than 100,000 patients at the health system out of network if its not resolved over the next few months, requiring them to find another provider or pay more out of pocket.

The dispute between the biggest insurer in the state and the largest health system in Southeast Texas is the latest between insurers, under pressure from employers to hold down prices, and providers, squeezed by rising costs and seeking higher reimbursement rates. Memorial Hermann last week sent a notice of termination for the contract that expires March 1. Blue Cross Blue Shield responded by sending a formal termination of its physician agreements with the health system, a move that would allow the 2,000 plus physicians in the network to bypass Memorial Hermann and contract directly with Blue Cross Blue Shield.

While the negotiations are still in the early stages, the dueling termination letters show that difficult negotiations lie ahead. Ge Bai, a professor of health policy and accounting at Johns Hopkins University, said these disputes are not just about money, but also the balance of power between provider and insurer.

Its like theyre playing chicken here, Bai said.

The dispute became public Monday when Blue Cross Blue Shield issued a statement disclosing Memorial Hermanns notice of termination and its move to terminate the physicians agreement. Memorial Hermann expressed surprise at the insurers statement, saying that the notice of termination was standard at the start of contract talks.

Our routine negotiation process with (Blue Cross Blue Shield) has consistently included a formal notice of termination in order for both parties to align around the same deadline, a Memorial Hermann spokesperson said in a statement. At this time, (the insurer) responded to our typical process by issuing a formal termination of our physician agreements, which is atypical for negotiations weve managed together for more than 15 years.

On HoustonChronicle.com: 70,000 Cigna members to lose in-network access at CHI St. Lukes at the end of October

Blue Cross Blue Shield officials expressed their own surprise at Memorial Hermanns notice of termination. They said the insurer was determined to hold down costs for its members as it negotiated prices with the health system.

Ultimately, price increases do translate into premium increases, said Shara McClure, senior vice president of Texas health care delivery for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas.

Analysts say these disputes are becoming more common as each side seeks leverage. The larger and more prestigious a hospital is, the more negotiating power it has, Bai said. A hospital system that has extensive facilities and serves large populations is desirable for an insurer to include in its network.

At the same time, insurers, by deciding which providers are in and out of network, can steer patients to competitors. Patients pay much higher out-of-pocket costs when they use out-of-network providers.

As a result, the two sides typically reach agreement, said Bai, adding that she expected Memorial Hermann and Blue Cross Blue Shield to settle their differences before the contract expires.

The chance that theyll break away is low, Bai said. Its all about the threat.

On HoustonChronicle.com: New insurers enter Texas ACA market

But sometimes the threat becomes reality. Cigna and CHI St. Lukes Health and Baylor College of Medicine failed to reach agreement before their contract expired in October, and some 70,000 St. Lukes patients lost network coverage.

About 100,000 UnitedHealthcare plan members lost in-network access to eight Houston Methodist hospitals and dozens of outpatient facilities when the insurer and hospital system failed to resolve their differences before a contract expired in December 2019. They finally reached an agreement five months later.

Blue Cross Blue Shield also has had contracts expire before new agreements could be reached. Last December, St. Lukes ended its contract, but not for long. By Jan. 8 the hospital and insurer signed a new agreement.

becca.carballo@chron.com

twitter.com/becca_carballo
Bluestone Lane, an Australian-inspired coffee roaster and neighborhood cafe based in New York, is coming to Texas.

The company, which as been working with advisory firm Alvarez & Marsal Property Solutions in New York in its expansion since 2017, has selected a 4,400-square-foot building at 115 W. 19th St. in the Heights neighborhood for its first location. The building, now owned by Wolf Capital Partners, was previously home to Becks Prime.

"Houston is a market with huge growth potential as it offers a great mix of local residents and urban professionals, Nick Stone, founder and CEO of Bluestone Lane, said in an announcement. Our first venture into Texas, this location will provide our signature premium coffee along with our entire cafe menu of deliciously healthy all-day fare."

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Daniel Bodner, senior director at Alvarez & Marsal Property Solutions, along with Chris Reyes and Tyler Trevino of Shop Cos. represented the tenant. Bluestone Lane will occupy the entire building, which has two stories and a large outdoor seating area.

Wolf Capital Partners, a Houston-based company that has renovated several buildings in the Heights, acquired the building in September.

"When they became aware of this property, they were just really excited about it and moved really quick," said Zach Wolf, owner of Wolf Capital Partners.

Wolf said the freestanding building's location on 19th Street at Yale and dedicated parking was appealing. Nearby, Goode Co. has leased the former Down House location.

"We really liked the architecture of the building," Wolf said. "We think it has a traditional Heights look to it."

Bluestone Lane operates 51 coffee shops and cafes across the U.S., primarily concentrated in and around major cities including New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Boston and San Francisco. The new Houston location plans an early 2022 opening.
The Nova Collection lunar time capsule will be launched to the moon in January 2022, taking with it a piece of artwork from local artist Nancy Hines.

Hines will have her oil painting All These Years, sent to the moon in a lunar time capsule with 22 other pieces of art after it being selected by Samuel Peralta. Peralta, who also had a piece of his writing sent to the moon in the past, selected Hines artwork All These Years for his Lunar Codex project after seeing it on display in the International Art Renewal Center Salon Exhibition in New York during the summer.

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The paintings chosen for the Lunar Codex Nova Collection were selected for their diverse subject matter and will include the first works of the Lunar Codex project created by women artists.

Hines, an adjunct art instructor with Lone Star College-CyFair since 2015 and an art teacher for Bridgeland High School, said she received news of the selection from the ARC.

The way I found out was through the Art Renewal Center, Hines said. They said these paintings had been chosen and it was wonderful. We had already given them permission for our paintings to be shown.

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I absolutely never even contemplated my work going into space. I am incredibly honored to be among the first women to have art in space.

All These Years portrays Clyde Frost, Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee since 2010, and his wife Elsie Frost holding hands in their rodeo camp in Oklahoma. The Frosts are the parents of the late Lane Frost, 1987 PRCA World Champion Bull Rider and subject of the movie 8 Seconds, based on his life and death as a bull rider.

Hines began visiting the couple annually years ago to take photos and study the camp for western art projects and artwork based on hands.

I knew that bull riders were superstitious about the way they tied their hands on as theyre going in and they all do different things, she said. I was already familiar with their story before I went to that camp. I stayed in their home during the camp. I got to know them better. I did that for a couple of years and I wanted to, eventually someday, do a painting of their hands because I had started doing more and more hands.

The painting, which was finished in summer 2020, was meant to be put on auction as a partial painting for the Houston Rodeo before the event was canceled due to COVID-19 coming to Houston in March 2020. Hines finished the painting before it was selected by ARC to be displayed in New York and Barcelona.

Hines said she has been an artist since birth, first focusing on drawing and more recently honing in on oil painting. After participating in a workshop gifted to her, Hines paid for and completed an art program at the Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy from 2006 to 2015, flying between Italy to Texas periodically to finish the program piece by piece.

Ive always liked realism and thats the nature of that school, to just teach realism, she said. I cashed in my entire retirement and sold just about everything ... and went to school in Italy. The first year that I went it improved my work exponentially. Then the next time I went over it was 10 times better than before that.

With her art being a part of the Nova Collection, Hines said she hopes it can contribute to the overall message of the capsule: hope during a time of worldwide hardship and strife, the message Peralta expressed to her.

That is very much what that painting is, Hines said. Its all these years of love, all of these years of missing their son and all these years theyve been together loving each other and working through life. I think thats beautiful.

chevall.pryce@chron.com
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)  Sixteen businesses associated with gubernatorial candidate Republican Jim Pillen received about $7.8 million in federal loans during the pandemic and later returned over $5 million of that.

The loans were part of the Paycheck Protection Program that was created to help businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. The Omaha World-Herald reports that 114,684 loans worth a total of $5.39 billion were granted to Nebraska businesses.

Documents filed with the federal Small Business Administration show that Pillen Family Farms got the loans to support 1,057 jobs.

Sarah Pillen, who is co-CEO of the Columbus-based company, said the loans helped the business keep employees at a time when the spread of the virus disrupted the meatpacking industry by forcing a number of processing plants to close.

Sarah Pillen said the businesses were contending with lost revenue from not being able to sell livestock and ongoing costs of caring for the animals.

Sarah Pillen said the businesses returned $5.08 million that they received and the loans were forgiven under the terms of the program.

Gov. Pete Ricketts said businesses throughout the state were encouraged to apply for the loans.

Just like everyone else, the Pillens were entitled to apply for this help, Ricketts said. I applaud them for going above and beyond and repaying a large portion of their PPP, even when most of these loans are forgiven.

The World-Herald didnt find any loans linked to businesses associated with any of the other announced candidates for governor or Ricketts.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  New Hampshire is getting more than $25 million in federal funding in support of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, the state's congressional delegation said.

The announcement followed a letter by senators to the Biden administration, including Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan.
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP)  A protester and volunteer medic wounded on the streets of Kenosha by Kyle Rittenhouse testified Monday that he was pointing his own gun at the rifle-toting Rittenhouse  unintentionally, he said  when the young man shot him.

Gaige Grosskreutz, the third and final man gunned down by Rittenhouse during a night of turbulent racial-justice protests in the summer of 2020, took the stand at Rittenhouse's murder trial and recounted how he drew his own pistol after the bloodshed started.

I thought the defendant was an active shooter, the 27-year-old Grosskreutz said. Asked what was going through his mind as he got closer to the 17-year-old Rittenhouse, he said, That I was going to die.

Rittenhouse shot Grosskreutz in the arm, tearing away much of his bicep  or vaporized it, as the witness put it.

Rittenhouse, now 18, is on trial on charges of killing two men and wounding Grosskreutz. The one-time police youth cadet from Antioch, Illinois, had gone to Kenosha with an AR-style semi-automatic rifle and a medical kit in what he said was an effort to safeguard property from the violent demonstrations that broke out over the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by a white Kenosha police officer.

Prosecutors have portrayed Rittenhouse as the instigator of the bloodshed. His lawyers have argued that he acted in self-defense. He could get life in prison if convicted of the most serious charges against him.

Under questioning from the prosecution, Grosskreutz said he had his hands raised as he closed in on Rittenhouse and didnt intend to shoot the young man. Prosecutor Thomas Binger asked Grosskreutz why he didnt shoot first.

Thats not the kind of person that I am. Thats not why I was out there, he said. Its not who I am. And definitely not somebody I would want to become.

But during cross-examination, Rittenhouse defense attorney Corey Chirafisi asked: It wasnt until you pointed your gun at him, advanced on him  that he fired, right?

Correct, Grosskreutz replied. The defense also presented a photo showing Grosskreutz pointing the gun at Rittenhouse, who was on the ground with his rifle pointed up at Grosskreutz.

Grosskreutz, under follow-up questioning from the prosecutor, said he did not intend to point his weapon at Rittenhouse.

Wisconsins self-defense law allows someone to use deadly force only if necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm. The jury must decide whether Rittenhouse believed he was in such peril and whether that belief was reasonable under the circumstances.

Grosskreutz said he had gone to the protest in Kenosha to serve as a medic, wearing a hat that said paramedic and carrying medical supplies, in addition to a loaded pistol. He said his permit to carry a concealed weapon had expired and he did not have a valid one that night.

I believe in the Second Amendment. Im for peoples right to carry and bear arms, he said, explaining why he was armed. And that night was no different than any other day. Its keys, phone, wallet, gun.

He said he went into action after seeing Rittenhouse kill a man just feet away  the second person Rittenhouse fatally shot that night.

While Grosskreutz said he never verbally threatened Rittenhouse, Chirafisi, the defense attorney, said that people dont have to use words to threaten others. They can do so by their actions, like running after them down the street with a loaded firearm, Chirafisi said.

On cross-examination, Chirafisi sought to portray Grosskreutz as dishonest in his description of the moments right before he was shot, with Chirafisi asserting that Grosskreutz was chasing Rittenhouse with his gun out. Grosskreutz denied he was chasing Rittenhouse.

Chirafisi also said Grosskreutz lied when he initially told multiple police officers that he dropped his weapon.

In addition, Chirafisi pointed to Grosskreutzs lawsuit against the city of Kenosha, in which he alleges police enabled the violence by allowing an armed militia to have the run of the streets during the demonstration.

If Mr. Rittenhouse is convicted, your chance of getting 10 million bucks is better, right? Chirafisi said.

Chirafisi also asked Grosskreutz if he told his former roommate that his only regret was not killing the kid and hesitating to pull the gun before emptying the entire mag into him. Grosskreutz denied saying that.

At the defense table, Rittenhouse took detailed notes when the witness spoke about the moment he was shot.

Grosskreutz, who was trained as a paramedic, testified that he volunteered as a medic at protests in Milwaukee in the days after George Floyd died under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020. Grosskreutz said he attended around 75 protests before the night he was shot, offering help to anyone needing medical attention.

He said he provided medical assistance to about 10 other people that night in Kenosha.

While Rittenhouse is white, as were those he shot, the case has stirred racially fraught debate over vigilantism, the right to bear arms, and the unrest that erupted around the U.S. that summer over police violence against Black people.

Last week, witnesses at the trial testified that the first man shot and killed, Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, was hyperaggressive and acting belligerently that night and threatened to kill Rittenhouse at one point.

One witness said Rosenbaum was gunned down after he chased Rittenhouse and lunged for the young man's rifle.

Rosenbaums killing set in motion the bloodshed that followed moments later: Rittenhouse killed Anthony Huber, a 26-year-old protester seen on bystander video hitting Rittenhouse with a skateboard. Rittenhouse then wounded Grosskreutz.

Grosskreutz has a tattoo on the arm where he was shot. It is the common medical image of a snake wrapped around a staff, and at the top it has a banner that says, Do no harm and at the bottom, a banner reading Do know harm.

When the prosecutor played graphic video of Grosskreutzs badly wounded arm, a few jurors seemed to grimace and look away.

Grosskreutz testified that he has difficulty lifting heavy objects with his right arm and has a loss of feeling extending from his bicep to his thumb.

___

Bauer reported from Madison, Wisconsin; Forliti from Minneapolis.

___

Find APs full coverage on the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse at: https://apnews.com/hub/kyle-rittenhouse
Travis Scott has canceled his performance at this weekend's Day N Vegas Festival following the tragedy that took place at the Astroworld Festival on Friday, resulting in at least eight deaths. The Houston rapper was to perform Saturday at the Vegas event.

According to Variety, Scott is "too distraught to play." A change.org petition is also calling for Scott to be dropped from the Coachella 2022 lineup in April. He is issuing refunds for all Astroworld attendees.

ASTROWORLD TRAGEDY: Astroworld had a plan for mass casualty events. It's unclear whether promoters followed it

The online petitions have close to 5,000 signatures as of Monday morning and counting.

"His deliberate recklessness and disregard for safety by encouraging rowdy crowds to rage and rush the security lines is an endangerment to all attendees, and he should be held accountable for his actions," one petition reads. "...we are desperately asking him to be removed from all said future lineups and for there to be extra safety measures taken to ensure the safety of all festival/concert attendees."

FESTIVAL CHAOS: Kylie Jenner says she and Travis Scott 'weren't aware of any fatalities' until after Astroworld

Videos from the concert dominated social media over the weekend, showing horrific scenes of concert-goers being resuscitated and lifeless bodies being crowd-surfed to security officials while Scott performs in the background. For thirty-seven minutes after a "mass casualty" event was reported at the concert, Scott continued performing, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Scott said in a statement over the weekend he is devastated by what happened, and promised to support officials in their investigation.
As the world continues to grapple with the tragedy that took place at the Astroworld Festival on Friday, resulting in eight deaths and dozens injured, Travis Scott's past conduct showing a history of appearing to incite mayhem has become a hot topic of discussion.

A resurfaced 2015 video has gone viral on Twitter and Reddit showing Scott stopping a performance, allegedly because he saw a fan try to steal his shoe while surfing in the crowd.

In the clip, Scott is shown jumping in the crowd shortly after returning to the stage pointing at a fan. The music stops and he says "come here b----," on the microphone, and appears to attempt to attack the man.

The footage, which was reportedly taken at the Openair Festival in Switzerland according to the Daily Star, shows Scott at one point spitting at the man and throwing something at him.

"You tried to take my shoe. You want to be a thief?" he said in the video. He then instructed the crowd to beat him up before asking security to remove the man from the venue.

Now some people on social media are comparing the Houston rapper's response then to his handling of the Astroworld Festival tragedy.

"The fact that Travis Scott once stopped his concert because someone stole his shoe.. but refused to stop this concert while people were dying is one of the most disgusting things Ive literally ever heard," wrote Twitter user @katelynclairee.

SHOW CONTINUES: For 37 minutes after officials declared a 'mass casualty' at Astroworld, Travis Scott played on

Another Twitter critic called for people to "cancel" both Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner, who is currently pregnant with the pair's second child and shares a 3-year daughter, Stormi Webster, with the rapper.

User @faith26_abby wrote: "Man STOP. #CancelTravis #CancelKylieJenner Wake up people open your eyes to the type of character you are idling (sic). God bless the souls lost."

"Travis Scott deserves a lifetime ban on concerts," wrote another user who identifies as @paur_lineunder on Twitter. "Stopping your show to tell your fans to beat up minor because he took your shoe is worth it but not lives. VILE," they wrote ending their tweet with a nauseated face emoji.

Scott, born Jacques Bermon Webster II, said in a statement over the weekend he is "absolutely devastated" by what happened, and promised to support officials in their investigation. He followed his statement Sunday with an emotional Instagram video saying he could "never imagine anything like this happening."

Jenner also posted in her Instagram Stories Saturday that she and Scott were not aware of any fatalities until after the show. "Travis and I are broken and devastated," she said. "My thoughts and prayers are with all who lost their lives, were injured or affected in anyway by yesterday's events. And also for Travis who I know cares deeply for his fans and the Houston community."

But some weren't convinced.

"Such fake empathy." wrote user @Purrdonme on Twitter. "He knew what was happening. He didn't care. He stopped a concert over a shoe once, but doesn't care about fans getting trampled to death!!"

FILLING IN THE GAPS: Are you in these photos? We want to hear your Astroworld stories.

Scott also recently announced he would "provide full refunds for all attendees who bought tickets to Astroworld."

The rapper often refers to his fans as "ragers" and has a notorious track record of encouraging wild behavior at his concerts.

Scott was convicted twice for encouraging fans to rush his stage. He pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor charge for reckless conduct in August 2015, after his fans jumped a security barricade at the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago, and to another charge in February 2018, for disorderly conduct after he encouraged his fans to rush the stage and bypass security at a May 2017 concert at the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion in the city of Rogers, according to Daily Mail. Scott paid a 7,465.31 fine, according to KFSM.

When Astroworld Festival announced that tickets were all sold out in May, Travis Scott responded in a now-deleted tweet: "Naw and we still sneaking the wild ones in!!!!"

A screenshot of that tweet is cited in one of at least 34 lawsuits from attendees who are suing or either plan to sue Scott, Drake, the event promoter and other parties involved claiming that the tragedy was "years in the making."

INCOMING LAWSUITS: Astroworld tragedy lawsuits coming, 'hundreds of millions in damages' predicted

Unfortunately, deaths and injuries at live concerts are not a new phenomenon. There's a long history of American concerts and performances that have ended in tragedy.

Scott breaks down his coined term "raging" in a YouTube video of a 2015 interview with magazine GQ titled "How to Rage with Travis Scott." defining it as "having fun and expressing good feelings."

"You find anything you're going to use to consume to get you lit, anything that you're going to use that's going to get you ready to go whether it's your drugs, whether it's your water, whether it's your orange juice or your alcohol. Do whatever you want to do, man. Get it in and just have fun."

He ended the clip saying: "at the end of the night you should be throwing up."

Submit your Astroworld videos here The Houston Chronicle is seeking video submissions from the deadly Astroworld festival that took place at NRG Park Friday in Houston. These videos could help impact our journalism and keep officials accountable as we continue to unearth what went wrong. Disclaimer: Please only submit videos if they are owned or taken by you. Sharing videos through this form grants the Houston Chronicle rights to use these videos on all digital platforms. Please submit videos here.

Shareen Memon, 25, who describes herself as diehard Travis Scott fan and has seen him perform six times including the last two Astroworld events, says similar behavior is expected at the rapper's concerts.

"Every concert Ive been to, people have passed out," she said Saturday. "This is the first one Ive seen death, but passing out at a Travis Scott concert is not a foreign topic so he shouldve been more prepared."

One critic is confused how Scott is able to continue to perform given his history.

"I dont get why Travis Scott is allowed to even perform if theres been many incidents at previous concerts," wrote Twitter user @AngelinaMLopez. "He literally had a minor beat up because he stole his shoe, gross its like he enjoys playing god. All these videos are gut wrenching. I feel for the families."

Scott elaborated and shared his inspiration for "raging" in the YouTube video saying that he's always wanted to be a wrestler since he was six years old and grew up idolizing two-time Hall of Famer Sean "X-Pac" Waltman.

"So performances I wanted to always make it seem like it was the WWF," he said.
Astroworld had a plan for all sorts of emergencies. It designated who could stop a performance and how. It included a script for how to announce an evacuation. It detailed how to handle a mass casualty event.

Whether promoters followed it Friday evening, when eight concertgoers died and scores were injured during Travis Scotts headlining performance, is unclear.

The Houston Chronicle obtained the 56-page event operations plan, which the festival promoter developed to ensure the safety of 50,000 guests at the sold-out event at NRG Park.

Astroworld, as an organization, will be prepared to evaluate and respond appropriately to emergency situations, so as to prevent or minimize injury or illness to guests, event personnel and the general public, the document states.

Attendees described an entirely different scene: an overwhelmed venue where security personnel were unable to prevent fans from being crushed. Where medics were too few. And where production staff were unwilling to halt the show despite pleas from fans that others had collapsed.

Attendee Maximiano Alvarado said he witnessed a medic treat two victims by herself. He heard her say she could not detect a pulse on either.

Finally paramedics come, and they started doing CPR, Alvarado said. I didnt even pay attention to Travis more than half of the time because there were so many things, cops and stuff, going on around me.

All of the nine concert promoters and security personnel named in the document as responsible for managing the show declined to comment on what went wrong or did not respond. They include Seyth Boardman, author of the plan and the festivals safety director, and Brad Wavra, a vice president at promoter Live Nation.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said a review of the plan  and whether it was properly followed  should be part of an objective, third-party investigation of the tragedy.

What I know so far is that Live Nation and Astroworld put together plans for this event, Hidalgo said Saturday. A security plan, a site plan. That they were at the table with the city of Houston and Harris County. And so perhaps the plans were inadequate. Perhaps the plans were good, but they werent followed. Perhaps it was something else entirely.

The plan for the Astroworld Festival said that the executive producer and the festival director had the ultimate authority to stop the show. In a dire emergency, the document said an incident command post would be established and the incident commander could order the power to be diverted from the show if lives were in immediate danger.

That step was never taken.

Stopping a human crush once it has started is difficult, said a security guard who has worked NRG events in the past. Video from attendees in the minutes before Scott took the stage at 9 p.m. shows fans jumping barriers by the front of the stage to escape overcrowding, which could have been a critical, missed warning sign for security staff, he said.

You have to pay attention to that stuff, when people are getting pushed against the fences, said the guard, who asked to remain anonymous because he still works in the security field. If you cant put a stop to it then, its a lot harder to control.

Houston police officials said they asked concert promoters to halt Scotts concert after the crowd rushed the stage and fans began collapsing around 9:30 p.m. Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena said a mass casualty event was declared at 9:38 p.m.

Suddenly we had several people down on the ground, experiencing some type of cardiac arrest or some type of medical episode, said Larry Satterwhite, executive assistant chief at the Houston Police Department. And so we immediately started doing CPR and moving people right then. Thats when I went and met with the promoters and Live Nation, and they agreed to end early in the interest of public safety.

Its unclear whom Satterwhite spoke with or how long that conversation lasted. Police Chief Troy Finner later said there were concerns about shutting down the show too abruptly and risking a riot.

But concert attendees said Scott didnt end the show early  he continued playing his full set of songs for 37 minutes after the mass casualty event was declared by the fire department. The show finally ended at 10:15 p.m., they said. Finner and Mayor Sylvester Turner said it ended five minutes earlier at 10:10 p.m.

The police department said it would not grant any interviews on Sunday. Pena said that even though the plan didnt call for it, the fire department positioned extra EMS units nearby and they swiftly responded.

We went ahead and pre-planned in anticipation for a contingency, Pena said. Thats the reason why we had units deployed around the perimeter and were able to respond so quickly.

Still, even that measure was inadequate. The fire department dispatched an additional 28 units to the scene after declaring the mass casualty event, according to radio traffic.

The emergency plan stated that if someone is seriously injured, concert personnel can request a partial evacuation of the area. The plan also offered scripts on what to say to concert attendees in the event of an evacuation.

Its unknown if any requests for partial evacuations were sent to the events supervisors. Live Nation did not use the PA system or video boards to broadcast any safety messages Friday evening, attendees said.

The report recommended dealing with civil disturbances or riots by maintaining control from the outset of the show.

The key in properly dealing with this type of scenario is proper management of the crowd from the minute the doors open, the report stated. Crowd management techniques will be employed to identify potentially dangerous crowd behavior in its early stages in an effort to prevent a civil disturbance/riot.

But crowd-control efforts fell short earlier in the day, when a VIP entrance was breached by hundreds of fans at 2 p.m. The plan made no mention of a similar breach in 2019, nor how security measures had been improved in response to it.

The plan also details how to handle a fatality, including how to report it up the chain of command.

Notify Event Control of a suspected deceased victim utilizing the code Smurf, the plan stated. Never use the term dead or deceased over the radio.

Alejandro Serrano contributed reporting.
County Judge Lina Hidalgo climbed into what appeared to be any old shuttle. Painted blue, white and green, with the Harris County Pollution Control logo, she thought from the outside it almost looked cute.

The vehicle was the result of nearly $500,000 spent and several years of planning. Perhaps surprisingly, its the countys first mobile air-monitoring vehicle  the latest addition of resources to the fast-growing pollution control department.

Hidalgo listened over the thrum of the motor as Shawn Williams, monitoring and surveillance coordinator, explained each of the hulking machines inside. He could use them to check for various chemicals without needing to stop.

The equipment cant test for everything  the science isnt quite there yet  but it was a vast improvement over the countys previously minimal resources.

Were trying and were going to keep trying until we get there, Pollution Control Services Director Latrice Babin told Hidalgo, as she too squished into the van for the tour last week.

The county didnt have this sort of capability when the Intercontinental Terminals Co. fire burned for days in 2019. A nearby state air monitor went offline during the crisis for some seven hours, frustrating local officials.

When responding to more recent incidents, the county has taken some equipment and tested air out the car window. But things are changing: The state recently announced it was putting a regional air monitoring vehicle here. (The city of Houston already had one.)

And now Harris County staff can check with their shuttle in near-real time whats in the air. Babin also plans to use it to understand what normal levels of pollution are in neighborhoods, and to investigate industrial facilities.

I love it, Hidalgo said to Williams, who wore a pollution control cap and fleece. I just want to make sure if ITC happens again, we can do all our own monitoring, quick.

Hidalgo and Babin returned outside on that cold, overcast afternoon for a press conference. Hidalgo wanted to name the van R2D2, she acknowledged to those gathered. Instead, theyve settled on RAAM, for rapid ambient air monitoring.

The top county official had decided it wasnt just cute on the outside; inside, it was a beast.

emily.foxhall@chron.com
Cynthia Maldonado was on a mission.

The Pasadena ISD bus driver ran into a Hobby Lobby for some supplies on a short break between routes on Nov. 1. She needed a few pieces of vinyl for her cutting tool, but ended up finding pieces of a strangers history.

As Maldonado crossed the parking lot to return to her pick-up truck, something on the ground caught her eye.

I go over to look and it was a Purple Heart, she said.

Maldonado walked another two or three steps and spotted another medal laying upside down: a doubled-star medallion attached to a green and white striped ribbon. Neither included a name.

I looked around the parking lot, but nobody was around, and I hadnt seen the medals when I went into the store, she said.

Maldonado had a school bus route to run and didnt have time to go back inside, so she immediately sent her two daughters a picture of the medals to post on Facebook to see if anyone could provide any clues or possibly claim them. After work, she called Hobby Lobby to see if anyone had been looking for them.

At this point, she said, she was already determined to reunite them with their owner.

More Information To learn more about Purple Hearts Reunited, go to https://purpleheartsreunited.org/ See More Collapse

I knew these were very important to somebody and I wanted to make sure they were safe, Maldonado said.

Maldonado and her family had a whirlwind of questions and possible theories after the medals went unclaimed for two days.

I kept asking myself how a Purple Heart medal could end up in a parking lot and how someone didnt realize they were missing; or I imagined somebody going back and forth in their head tracing their first stop, next stop and last stop, Maldonado said.

She wondered if the medals had fallen out of a purse or bag as they left the store and were walking to their vehicle. Her daughter concluded that someone must have been shopping at the store for a shadow box or frame to showcase the medals as a gift or keepsake. One responder on Facebook thought the medals might have belonged to someone they knew, but upon further research, determined they did not.

Thank God they were honest, said Christina Maldonado.

The family considered reaching out to local veterans organizations, like the American Legion or VFW posts, but according to a spokesperson for a post in Pasadena, these groups dont have the resources to research or identify medal recipients. By Wednesday, Maldonado and her three daughters had become protective of the medals.

I would be devastated if I lost a medal that belonged to my dad or husband, and so I was cautious about who to call for help, said Cynthia Maldonado. I didnt want them to end up with someone who was dishonest.

On Thursday, the family was contacted by an employee from Hobby Lobby with a possible lead. Someone had dropped off a display board filled with military items on the same day Maldonado had found the two medals. The board was scheduled to be encased in a frame or a shadow box, just as Maldonados daughter had theorized.

The family was ecstatic. They were finally going to be able to attach a name and maybe a face to the medals.

When they arrived at Hobby Lobby early Thursday evening, they were told the man the store employee had spoken with on the phone earlier now wasnt sure  or couldnt remember  if the Purple Heart and the Vietnam era service medal belonged to him.

The mans wife, overheard in the distance over the phone, reminded him that they did.

Purple Hearts were given to service men and women who were wounded or died in combat. When given to those killed in combat, the military engraved the recipients name and presented them to the family. For those who were wounded, the names were most often not included.

In 2021, Purple Hearts Reunited, a group that returns lost, stolen, or misplaced military items of valor to veterans and/or their families, reunited 109 medals with families nationwide.

Matching lost medals that have no name identification to the owner or family is like searching for a needle in a haystack, according Erin Faith Allen, director of operations for Purple Hearts Reunited.

The challenges, she said, to locate rightful owners increase when veterans keep their experiences during war time to a select few or, often, to themselves.

The No. 1 thing I hear in my work and experience in military research is, My dad never talked about the war, Allen says. Our society is very respectful of our veterans and their right to keep their stories to themselves. We dont want to re-traumatize veterans, nor do we want to assume that we have the right to even hear it. Veterans feel like they need to keep their experiences to themselves for a myriad of reasons, which we empathize with.

The challenges become even greater as veterans age.

It makes me think of the importance of veterans sharing their stories with their families and friends, so that if they do forget, the story doesnt die, Allen said. When a veteran is wounded in combat, that does not stop in that moment, or the moment the wound heals up, the moment never goes away.

But even without any name identification, Allen added, medals of valor like the Purple Heart tell a story.

When our veterans are able to tell why they got the Purple Heart and the story surrounding it, who was involved and how they feltwhen theyre able to do that, then the story can live on and not become something thats lost in a parking lot, she said.

The display board the man had left at Hobby Lobby on Nov. 1 was like a map or timeline of a vets service. Fraying at the edges, the board was crowded with tokens of military achievement and service: bars, stripes, and several patches, including one bearing the insignia of the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club, an ironic nickname for the United States Seventh Fleet during the Vietnam War. At the top of the board in the center was a vintage photograph of a young soldier in a U.S. Navy uniform. Near the bottom of the board were five medals of various origin.

Observing the board at the store, Maldonado decided the Purple Heart and the Vietnam era medal she found were possibly  most likely  the two missing pieces that completed this veterans timeline.

The family has not yet been contacted by the man who dropped off the board, or received any updates on the board itself, but believe the medals are where they belong.

Whether or not we ever learn the story behind this Purple Heart, the story still exists, and the right people found them, Allen said.

Through her own research, Christina Maldonado learned the different merits of a Purple Heart, and discovered that the tiny stars pinned to the ribbon can sometimes indicate the number of times a solider was wounded in combat. The Purple Heart her mother found had four.

I know theres a reason someone gets a Purple Heart, and that it means something, she said. If that was my grandfathers or my dads, I would want them back. Were just happy that we might have found the person they belong to.

For Cynthia Maldonado, whose stepfather saw combat during World War 2, it was a personal obligation. She doesnt know if they will ever meet the owner of the medals, and even if they dont, shes OK with that.

Thats as close to a Purple Heart that Ive ever gotten or will ever get, Maldonado said. It was honor just to hold it in my hand.

yorozco@hcnonline.com
Four astronauts are headed home.

A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule undocked with the International Space Station Monday at 1:05 p.m. CST. It's scheduled to splashdown off the coast of Florida no earlier than Monday at 9:33 p.m.

This will end NASA's SpaceX Crew-2 mission with NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Aki Hoshide and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet.

INTERVIEW FROM SPACE: Astronaut talks about seeing storms from space

Typically, these astronauts stay in space until their replacements arrive at the International Space Station. But multiple weather delays and a minor medical issue has pushed back the Crew-3 launch. The Crew-3 astronauts are now slated to launch no earlier than 8:03 p.m. Wednesday on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, who flew to the space station on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft and is spending one year in space, will greet the Crew-3 astronauts and help them adjust to life in microgravity.

After undocking with the space station, the Crew-2 capsule will fly around the space station to photograph its exterior. Then it will aim for a splashdown at one of seven targeted landing zones in the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida.

The spacecraft will return to Earth with about 530 pounds of hardware and scientific investigations. It will also have a challenge for the astronauts -- there won't be a working toilet.

The problem was first noted during SpaceX's privately funded Inspiration4 mission in September, when a tube came unglued and spilled urine beneath the floorboards. SpaceX fixed the toilet on the Crew-3 capsule awaiting liftoff, but it deemed the one in orbit unusable.

Engineers determined that the capsule had not been structurally compromised by the urine and was safe for the ride back. The astronauts will have to rely on what NASA describes as absorbent undergarments.

During a news conference, McArthur described the situation as suboptimal" but manageable.

Spaceflight is full of lots of little challenges, she said. This is just one more that well encounter and take care of in our mission. So were not too worried about it."

The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Asking for a friend: If a big-city mayor pushed an affordable housing deal that would help out an former business partner over the strenuous objections of city staff and outside experts, who credibly argued the deal stinks, that would be big, right? Big enough to deserve answers about what was behind the push, no?

No. Not according to Houston City Council, which voted 10-5 late last month to delay by 30 days the city attorneys plan to hire outside lawyers to investigate allegations that Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner tried to steer funds away from the best affordable housing bid available and potentially help out an old colleague.

Turner has denied wrongdoing, and evidence has not yet surfaced that that he has broken any laws or ethics rules.

But the deal he favored is very hard to defend from the looks of it, and so the last thing the City Council should do is run interference with an outside investigation aimed at explaining why Turner pushed so hard in the face of determined and reasonable objections from city housing director Tom McCasland and others.

To recap: McCaslands team recommended that the city spend roughly $16 million in housing credits to advance four projects that would have provided 362 affordable housing units, mostly for families, in different parts of the city. Turner, however, preferred the city spend roughly the same amount to back a single project that would have built 88 units for seniors in Clear Lake, to be called Huntington at Bay Area. That project was backed, in part, by Barry Barnes, the projects co-developer and Turners old law partner.

McCasland tried to change Turners mind, and when he couldnt, he denounced the project as a waste of Harvey flood relief funds in a Sept. 21 City Council meeting. He called the citys competitive bidding process a charade , and accused Turner of steering steering the deal against repeated objections.

Turner soon scrapped the deal, saying the furor had become a distraction, but did not apologize or acknowledge a mistake. He asked Houston to take his word for it that his previous business relationship with Barnes played no role in his support for the project.

Now thats hes no longer supporting the project, theres no longer anything to worry about, he said.

As far as the city is concerned, this will be the end of this matter, Turner said two weeks ago.

It shouldnt be. The city shouldnt have to take its mayors word for it. He should welcome an investigation  and rather than delaying it, the City Council should support it, too.

Council member Tiffany Thomas told us last week she believes the mayor did nothing wrong. But she still favors, as we do, an independent investigation.

Why are we always playing defense? The truth minds no inquiry, Thomas said Thursday. We have to restore trust.

That should be easy, by simply hiring an outside firm to get the needed answers. And it doesnt require requesting, as Council member Greg Travis proposed, the Texas Rangers investigate.

The city should hire an outside firm to get answers even though Harris County District Attorney Kim Oggs office also is investigating. Her focus is on whether a crime has been committed, whereas what voters really need to know is how this decision was made, why, and what changes if any should be made to the procurement system in general and decisions about housing funds in particular.

The decision was flawed for many reasons, most of all because it would have meant vastly fewer affordable housing units produced by the available funds. Understanding the system that allowed the Mayor to make that decision, against such headwinds, can help make future decisions turn out better.

The outside firm will likely cost $275,000  and thats money well spent in a city where trust can be hard to come by.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is directing Texas education agencies to develop statewide standards to prevent children from being exposed to pornography or other inappropriate content in public schools, the latest salvo in an ongoing political battle over books.

As you are aware, a growing number of parents of Texas students are rightfully outraged about highly inappropriate books and other content in public school libraries, Abbott wrote in his letter to education officials Monday. The most disturbing cases include material that is clearly pornographic, which has absolutely no place in the Texas public education system.

The letter was sent to the Texas Education Agency, which oversees pre-K to high school education for more than 5.5 million students; the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, which offers library support; and the State Board of Education, which sets policies and standards for Texas public schools.

The letter is part of a recent effort by Texas Republicans to ban books in Texas classrooms and school libraries that some parents have flagged as inappropriate.

Democratic lawmakers and the state teachers union, some of them noting that the books in question are almost exclusively related to race and LGBT issues, have characterized it as politically motivated censorship. They say it harms minority and LGBT students who deserve to see themselves reflected in literature.

While some Republicans have referenced recent bills passed by the Legislature governing what can be taught in Texas classrooms about race and history as the reason for their scrutiny, Abbott has focused his criticism on sexual content.

ELECTION 2021: Conservative Houston area school board candidates win by campaigning against critical race theory

In his letter, Abbott pointed to Keller Independent School District, which recently removed the book Gender Queer: a Memoir by Maia Kobabe from one of its high school libraries after receiving complaints from parents about the books sexually explicit drawings, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The graphic novel is a memoir about the authors experience being nonbinary and asexual.

The governor also cited Leander Independent School District, which in March removed six books from high school student book club lists over concerns about inappropriate content, including the book In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado, a memoir about an abusive lesbian relationship that includes a sex scene involving two women.

The district, in a statement, described that book and others inclusion on book club lists as a result of a breakdown in our process.

Leaders of the three state agencies said Monday that they would comply with Abbotts request.

The Texas Education Agency takes seriously Gov. Abbotts call for action on this matter of great importance to families of Texas public school students, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said in a statement. We appreciate the Governors leadership on this.

State Board of Education Chair Keven Ellis echoed his sentiments.

As Gov. Abbott accurately stated, a growing number of parents are rightfully disturbed, and yes, outraged by highly inappropriate books and other resources showing up in public school libraries, Ellis said in a statement. Our public school families throughout Texas should have the reassurance that their children are not at risk of being confronted with pornographic and obscene material when they are in school.

Abbotts letter follows a similar one he sent last week to the Texas Association of School Boards, asking the group to work with its members to address the issue.

However, in a statement, the group said it lacks the regulatory authority to set such a standard. Further, it is not school boards that typically make decisions about library materials, it said, but rather professional district staff.

Of course, school board trustees care deeply about parent concerns and community input, TASB spokeswoman Theresa Gage said. Thats why local school boards have policies and processes in place for parents to express their concerns about any matter affecting their local school community  including the challenge of library materials.

Abbott slammed the group for abdicating any and all responsibility in the matter and negligence in addressing the new crop of state agencies Monday. He reiterated that under Texas law, it is illegal to provide pornography to anyone under 18.

The new standards set by TEA and the other agencies, Abbott said, should ensure transparency about books being taught in classrooms and offered in school libraries as well as about how they are vetted. The standards must also require that parents be informed on how to file a grievance when they identify inappropriate material.

Abbotts letter comes after a member of the Texas House launched a related inquiry.

State Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth, who is running for Texas attorney general, has asked over a dozen large Texas school districts for information on whether they offer certain books on topics ranging from human sexuality to systemic racism. Krauses list of 800 titles includes Pulitzer Prize winners and other acclaimed books, such as The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron and Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. The districts were given a deadline of Friday to respond.

Krause has said the purpose of the inquiry is to verify that schools are in compliance with new laws passed by the Legislature that govern what can be taught on race and sexuality, including one that sought to combat the teaching of critical race theory, an academic concept that argues that racism is embedded into U.S. laws and institutions.

The law has already caused confusion among some districts, with Carroll ISD last month making headlines for advising teachers to include books showing the opposing perspective when teaching about the Holocaust.

taylor.goldenstein@chron.com
Former Vice President Mike Pence is headed to Texas A&M University on Thursday.

Pence is on the second stop of a nationwide college speaking tour organized by the Young Americas Foundation to assure conservative voices are heard on campuses.

Just last week at the University of Iowa, Pence was pushed by some audience members about why he didnt do more to stop the certifying of the presidential election results in 2020. Pence again defended his role.

I understand the disappointment in the election, he said. You might remember I was on the ballot. But you've got to be willing to do your duty.

Pence presided over the U.S. Senate on January 6 when it accepted the 2020 Electoral College vote. While they met, supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol to try to halt the count.

Pence has drawn the ire of Trump, who in July was still criticizing his former vice president publicly for not rejecting the Electoral College results. Pence has said he did not have the power to do what Trump and many of his supporters wanted him to do.

Tickets for the Pence speech at 6 p.m. Thursday at Rudder Auditorium on the Texas A&M campus are free, but attendees are required to RSVP ahead of time at www.tamuyaf.org.

jeremy.wallace@chron.com
The claim: The Biden-Harris caravan is the population of Minneapolis and will enter our country with no vetting, no criminal background checks, no COVID testing and no vaccine requirements.  U.S. Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois.

PolitiFact has debunked numerous claims from others that were part of Millers statement, including that the Biden administration would allow anyone to cross the border or skip COVID testing and other public safety measures. This fact check on Millers claim focuses on the size of the group traveling through the Mexican state of Chiapas.

PolitiFact rating: Pants on Fire! Minneapolis is home to nearly 430,000 people, according to the U.S. census, while the highest estimate for the group leaving the Mexico-Guatemala border town of Tapachula was less than 1 percent of that total.

Discussion

The migrants featured in a video Miller shared set out Oct. 23 from Tapachula, where tens of thousands of Central Americans and Haitians have been waiting for Mexican authorities to process their asylum claims and permit them to move freely around the country.

Reports from news outlets covering the trek have included estimates ranging from 2,000 to 4,000 migrants, including as many as 1,000 children. None of the experts consulted by PolitiFact had seen any estimates on par with Millers comparison.

This is an exaggeration designed to scare people into believing that we are experiencing an invasion at the southern border in an attempt to advance anti-immigrant and anti-asylum policies, said Nicole Hallett, director of the Immigrants Rights Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School.

BLOWBACK: Texas Democrats denounce Gov. Abbotts border arrests, call on Justice Department to investigate

The congresswomans alarming tweet comes amid an unprecedented surge of migrants crossing the border.

Arrests of undocumented migrants along the border reached a record high of nearly 1.7 million from October 2020 through September 2021, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data first reported by the Washington Post. Neither Millers tweet nor the video she shared make any reference to total border apprehensions, however.

It would be fair to say that the number of people encountered at the border was equal to several times Minneapolis population, said Steven Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that advocates for low immigration levels. But no one caravan could be that size.

About PolitiFact PolitiFact is a fact-checking project to help you sort out fact from fiction in politics. Truth-O-Meter ratings are determined by a panel of three editors. The burden of proof is on the speaker, and PolitiFact rates statements based on the information known at the time the statement is made. See More Collapse

As attempts by migrants to cross the border rise, President Joe Biden has faced increased criticism from Republicans for overturning some of former President Donald Trumps immigration policies, as well as from migrant advocates for his administrations continuation of an emergency health provision invoked under Trump to quickly expel migrants during the pandemic.

Though still significantly smaller than caravans in 2018 and 2019, the group that moved out from Tapachula on Oct. 23 is the biggest to trek through southern Mexico since the pandemic started early last year, according to the Associated Press. In January, a caravan left Honduras, but authorities in Guatemala broke it up.

Other groups who have walked out of Tapachula this year have numbered in the hundreds, the AP reported. All were dissolved by Mexican authorities, sometimes with excessive force. Those groups were composed mostly of Haitian migrants.

The new caravan is primarily made up of Central Americans who have dealt with cold weather and illness  including five children and one adult who contracted dengue fever, according to the Mexican government and reporting from Mexico News Daily.
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Hudson, NY (12534)

Today

Generally cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 51F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Showers this evening becoming a steady light rain overnight. Low 44F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
The Clarksburg School Committee is weighing a vaccination mandate for staff.

Clarksburg School Weighing Vaccine Policy for Staff

CLARKSBURG, Mass.  The Clarksburg School Committee on Thursday gave the administration the green light to look into instituting a vaccination policy for staff at the school.

Superintendent John Franzoni told the committee he has had preliminary conversations with the district's counsel about creating a policy that would require weekly testing for any staff members not vaccinated for COVID-19.

"You can transmit it whether you're vaccinated or not, but it's certainly more prevalent when you're not," Franzoni said.

"In each of our districts (of the Northern Berkshire School Union), we have a very small number of unvaccinated individuals  one to three that I'm aware of. In each school, we've had issues with COVID that have involved someone who is not vaccinated. My first job each day is to keep everyone in the school safe. That's changed the last 18 months ... but this is a big part."

Franzoni said the district would need to purchase the rapid testing materials to test any staff members who fall under a new policy. He offered to find out some numbers on the potential cost and bring it back to the School Committee at its December meeting.

He also said he would talk to the school's union representative to see whether it had thoughts about a potential policy.

The School Committee indicated that  pending information on the fiscal impact  it sounded like a good idea.

"I come from a job where I'm mandated [to be vaccinated]," Cynthia Brule said.

"We haven't made that decision, but we test our employees frequently," Eric Denette added. "It does seem sensible to do weekly testing for people who aren't vaccinated, but it's hard to make that decision without budget numbers."

Principal Tara Barnes said she would gather updated information on the vaccination status of staff members through voluntary disclosure to get a better idea how many people might fall under a prospective policy.

Barnes brought the School Committee a mixed bag of information about COVID-19 issues at the K-8 school.

The bad news is that the small school had had seven positive cases since Monday among students and one among staff. It appears that many of those cases were acquired outside of school, Barnes told the committee.

On the other hand, a "test and stay" program instituted by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education this year has allowed 17 students who are close contacts of people who have tested positive to stay in school and test daily rather than stay home.

"You still have to quarantine when you're outside of school," Barnes explained. "But we allow you to be in school during testing and quarantining because we have all the protocols here."

In addition to requiring face coverings, the school also has social distancing practices in place and has enhanced ventilation measures to help reduce the risk of spread in school.

Barnes emphasized that "test and stay" only applies to asymptomatic pupils. Any children who show symptoms of COVID-19 still are encouraged to stay home and get tested by their doctor.

"We wouldn't want someone sending their student to school for a test because they had a fever last night," Barnes said.

The best news on the COVID-19 front is that the FDA has approved vaccinations for children aged 5 to 11, and Barnes said she already is seeing evidence of interest among families.

"I was in the pediatrician's office today, and they said they did 150 shots last night and had plans to do another 150 today," she said.

Clarksburg Elementary is planning a COVID-19 vaccine clinic for pupils on Friday, Nov. 19, from 3 to 5:30 p.m., Barnes said. Franzoni said he understands a second clinic is in the works for mid-December.

"One thing we'll add to the commissioner's letter [going out to families this week], is that if you are fully vaccinated and symptom free and you have a close contact [with an infected person], you don't have to quarantine anymore," Barnes said.

Sending such messages to families will be even easier going forward as the Northern Berkshire School Union rolls out a new app, Franzoni told the committee.

The union applied Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER, funding to develop the app with Apptegy, an Arkansas-based school marketing and website compliance firm.

Franzoni said the app will help the district get out information about meetings, events and snow days. As part the contract with Apptegy, the school also is getting an improved website, he said. Families interested in the app  which won't go live until this week  can download it now by searching NBSU in their app store, he said.

In other business, Franzoni reminded the committee of a joint meeting of NBSU school committees on Monday at Abbott Memorial School in Florida. At the meeting the officials will be discussing, among other things, o vertures from the Hawlemont School District about joining the NBSU . Franzoni said he has informed Hawlemont officials that a merger likely would be considered by NBSU only after a feasibility study.

"We need to slow this down and look into all options and what the ramifications would be if we added another district," Franzoni said. "It would involve hiring more staff. It would mean taking on another district that would instantly be the second biggest district in the school union."

Currently, NBSU includes four school districts that serve the towns of Clarksburg, Florida, Monroe, Rowe and Savoy.
A mural featuring Ruby Bridges will be installed on Jubilee Hill in Pittsfield.

Ruby Bridges Inspiration for 'Walk With Her' Mural in West Side



Artist Pops Peterson stands in front of the wall in Pittsfield where the mural will be installed. Via Facebook. PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Big things are happening in the West Side.

"Walk With Her," a mural featuring Ruby Bridges Hall, the civil rights activist who became a symbol of school integration at the age of 6, will soon be placed on a concrete wall below Division Street on a well-traveled pass-through called College Way.

"It's going to be a landmark with a lot of meaning and definitions for the community, specifically, the West Side," said Tony Jackson, president of Westside Legends, a group that seeks to unite and promote the neighborhood.

The piece of art is about 28 feet high and be viewable from afar. It was made possible by Westside Legends, Mill Town Capital, Greylock Federal Credit Union, and Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.

Bridges became the first Black student to integrate into an all-white public school in New Orleans in 1960.

This mural features her as a young girl walking away from a sign that reads "Jubilee Hill" in reference to the hill where the mural will be located.

The image was created by artist and public speaker Pops Peterson . In 2015, Peterson released his well-received series "Reinventing Rockwell," which put a modern spin on Rockwell's paintings that embraced diversity.

The mural is inspired by Peterson's reimagining of Rockwell's 1964 painting, "The Problem We All Live With," which features Bridges being escorted to school by federal marshals while food is being thrown at her.

Rockwell's painting was loaned to the Obama White House to mark the 50th anniversary of that event. Bridges Hall is a trustee emeritus of the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge.

Peterson's version, "The Problem Persists," features a background of broken buildings and was inspired by the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown Jr. by a police officer.

Rather than being painted directly on the wall, the mural will be blown up to the proper size and printed on vinyl for its installation. The city began prepping the wall in late October and the mural is expected to be up on Wednesday.

Planning began in May when Jackson was in conversation with local organizations about housing issues. He mentioned that artwork would brighten the area and immediately received support for his idea.

The mural's theme was voted on through a Facebook page after Jackson, NAACP member Kamaar Taliaferro, and architect Tessa Kelly brainstormed a few ideas.

After Bridges was chosen as the subject, the group thought it would be great for Peterson to design the image because of his previous work. A few months later the piece of art was in their hands.

"I didn't even think he would take our call, sure enough, he took our call, and three or four months later, we've got our Ruby Bridges going up with a Jubilee Hill," Jackson said.

The group was hoping to have the mural installed in late October but had to wait for proper conditions for the vinyl image.

They plan on having an official unveiling once the project is complete.

Jackson said there are other murals planned to decorate the West Side area. One is dedicated to the "Queens of the Westside," a group of elderly women who were prominent in the community.

Another mural titled "Gone But Never Forgotten" is staged to honor Robert Chadwell, a West Side resident who was one of the victims of a triple homicide in 2011.

"The person in that picture is going to represent a great loss for the community," Jackson said.

Westside Legends plans to combine the two concepts for one large dedication.
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WCMA To Host Two Curatorial Close Look Program

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  The Williams College Museum of Art will host two more programs in its Curatorial Close Looks virtual series in November.

The programs are free and open to the public with Zoom registration.

On Thursday, Nov. 11, at noon ET, Kameelah Janan Rasheed, whose site-specific installation "Worshipping at the Altar of Certainty" is on view through the academic year, will join exhibition co-curators Mallory Cohen MA '20, Nidhi Gandhi MA '20, and Elyse Mack MA '20 for a conversation.

Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions throughout the program.

Rasheed, who was born in East Palo Alto, Calif., lives and works in Brooklyn, N.Y. She has a MA in Secondary Social Studies Education from Stanford University (2008), a BA in Public Policy from Pomona College (2006), and was an Amy Biehl U.S. Fulbright ScholarSouth Africa at the University of Witwatersrand (20067). Rasheed's work grapples with the poetics, politics, and pleasures of the unfinished. Engaging primarily with text, Rasheed works on the page, on computer screens, on walls, and in public spaces.

Then, on Monday, Nov. 15, also at noon ET, learn about some of the ways Japanese visual culture has been reproduced and transformed across media and through timefrom woodblock printing to 19th century photography to contemporary cosplaywith Christopher Bolton, Williams College Professor of Comparative and Japanese Literature; Eron Rauch, artist and critic; and Maggie Wu, MA '19, PhD candidate at the University of California, San Diego, all of whom are co-curators of the current exhibition "Repro Japan: Technologies of Popular Visual Culture." The curators will look at some of the works on view while discussing their collaborative process and taking audience questions.
After its liquidation by the Supreme Court in August 2021, the Belarusian Association of Journalists' (BAJ) website is now blocked for users in Belarus. The Belarusian authorities also labeled the TV channel Belsat and its social media accounts as "extremist formation". The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ) condemn the continued crackdown on their affiliate and critical media outlets in Belarus.

As BAJ reported on 4 November, the Ministry of Information of Belarus decided to block the access of Belarusian users to the BAJ website: "BAJ considers the liquidation of the organisation and the blocking of the site to be absolutely illegal measures. The BAJ website, Baj.by, has been the main source of information and analysis about the Belarusian media sector, the facts of persecution of journalists and the media. BAJ has been monitoring the violation of the rights of our colleagues in Belarus for many years."

BAJ will continue to maintain the website and said that a mirror website for users from Belarus will be created in the coming days. Meanwhile, users in Belarus can stay informed via their social media channels: Telegram, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Moreover, viewers and readers of TV channel Belsat were labelled by the Belarusian Interior Ministry as an "extremist group" and the channel as an "extremist formation" on November 3. "Now, subscribing to a channel or joining us on social networks can be regarded as participation in an "extremist formation." Such people can now face penalties of up to 7 years in prison under the Criminal Code," said Agnieszka Romaszewska-Guzy, director of Belsat TV channel.

In addition, Belsat journalist Irina Slavnikova and her husband Alexander Loiko remain in custody. They have been imprisoned for two weeks for the publication of extremist materials via the Belsat channel.

IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: "We stand by our affiliate BAJ, a well respected independent voice for journalists. We remind the Belarusian government of the right to freedom of association and the need for bona fide organisations such as BAJ to be able to operate freely in the country. We urge authorities to allow BAJ's web site to be accessed by users in Belarus, in the name of freedom of expression. The International community must take the necessary measures to prevent this complete block on free media."



EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutierrez responded: "These new attacks on critical media outlets and journalists organisations are yet another example of how desperate the Belarusian regime is to repress freedom of speech. Not only are media workers being horrendously suppressed, but also citizens are facing imprisonment - simply for staying informed!"



At least 29 journalists and media workers are currently being held in detention centres and penal colonies, according to BAJ's monitoring. Between January and September 2021, more than 100 media outlets and political news platforms were taken down by the Ministry of Information.
Together with the Provincial Government of La Union and mental health advocate Joy Ortega, PLDT and Smart reinforce their commitment to creating safe spaces online for the youth to discuss mental health through the monthly conversations series entitled, Kamusta Ka, eLyU?. With two episodes aired, the series has garnered over 10,000 views and counting.

Kamusta Ka, eLyU? is a monthly conversations series on mental health awareness, which was co-developed by PLDT and Smart, through Better Today, and Joy Ortega. For its second episode on Resilience, it features environmentalist and conservationist Toby Tamayo and #MentalHealthPH Co-founder and Executive Director Roy Dahildahil.

We want to assure the youth of La Union that there is a safe space that is especially made for them. This is exactly what Kamusta Ka, eLyU? is all about. Its a platform that drives important conversations on mental health awareness. We are grateful to PLDT and Smart for being our co-champions when it comes to mental health, Ortega said.

PLDT and Smart believe creating safe spaces  offline and online, is critical when it comes to promoting a more empathic culture, leading to an inclusive and understanding community. Through Better Today, we empower the youth to become our advocates of being better for themselves, their families, and the larger community, said Cathy Yap-Yang, who is the PLDT and Smart First Vice President and Group Head for Corporate Communications.

For its second episode, the topic was Resilience. The resource speakers were Toby Tamayo, who is a consultant for the Provincial Government of La Union, an environmentalist, conservationist, and advocate; and Roy Dahildahil, who is the Co-founder and Executive Director of #MentalHealthPH, which is one of the largest mental health organizations in the country.

According to Tamayo, there is strength and resilience thats instilled among the Filipino people. This is most especially true as the people of La Union recently faced the devastating impact of Typhoon Maring. We were all taken by surprise. But knowing La Union, our quickness to respond to such adversities has greatly shown our preparation and resiliency, Tamayo said.

Tamayo also shared the importance of living the best day of your life by treating each day as moments to be better. He also imparted practical relaxation tips such as breathing exercises to help people cope with feelings of anxiety.

Meanwhile, Dahildahil shared #MentalHealthPHs self-care kit called, A seed called courage (mentalhealthph.org/self-care-kit), which they launched last October. We all have courage within us, but we must find ways to cultivate it. We all have the power to make it happen, Dahildahil said.

Like everything else in life, the hardest part is to actually start something. But our courage reminds us that its okay to take life at our own pace because showing up in itself is already a huge step to cultivate courage, Dahildahil added.

According to Dahildahil, the self-care kit serves as a tool that empowers people to take on their journey towards becoming mentally healthy and resilient. It is an important reminder that despite the darkest times, there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Catch the replay of the Kamusta Ka, eLyU? episode in the official Facebook Page of Joy Ortega: bit.ly/3BDBhYh.

PLDT and Smart seek to uplift and improve the overall physical and mental wellness of Filipinos through initiatives that ensure food security, improve nutrition, and create awareness online.

These initiatives emphasize the commitment of PLDT and Smart to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG #3: Good Health and Well-Being.
Mynt, the Philippines #1 digital financial solutions provider and the company behind the popular GCash payment services app, has raised over $300 million in funding, valuing Mynt at over $2 billion. This solidifies its status as the Philippines only unicorn, and as one of the leading fintech companies in Southeast Asia. The investment round was led by global investment giant Warburg Pincus, New York-based global private equity and venture capital firm Insight Partners, and Bow Wave Capital, one of Mynts existing investors. The round also includes participation from Itai Tsiddon and Amplo Ventures as well as capital from Globe and Ayala.

Since the onset of community quarantines as response to COVID19, Mynt has been at the forefront of digital transformation of Filipinos as the go-to payment and financial services solution to over 48 million users, nearly half of the national population. With the continued relevance of the app among its users, Mynt is on track to reach Php3 trillion of gross transaction value, 3x times more than last years record number. The company has also recorded peak daily app log-ins and daily active transactions of 19 million and 12 million, respectively. With the entry of Mynts new international investors, the company is joining an eminent league of world-class companies that are redefining the global technology and innovation landscape.

This is further proof that our growth and achievements have not gone unnoticed. We have been able to continuously expand by introducing game-changing innovations while improving our profitability profile. said Martha Sazon, President and CEO of Mynt. We are excited about our new partnership with Warburg, Insight, Itai Tsiddon and Amplo, as they each bring strategic value to our team in the pursuit of our vision towards finance for all.

As Mynt continues to scale, the company witnessed an unprecedented increase in its number of merchants and social sellers, now at 3 million. Additionally, it has achieved scale while improving its unit economics, delivering positive EBITDA and net income in mid-2021. With the addition of highly experienced global investors in Warburg Pincus and Insight Partners, Mynt is well-positioned to further expand its digital financial services offerings and support the Philippines financial inclusion agenda.

We welcome Warburg Pincus, Insight Partners, and the other investors into Mynt. Their investment in Mynt and GCash further validates the strides the Company has made in providing access to innovative financial services to more Filipinos and highlighting the Philippines to the global investor audience. Together with the continued support of Mynts existing shareholders, we are confident of furthering Mynts market leadership and creating positive and transformative disruption in the Philippine financial services sector, said Ernest Cu, Chairman of the Board of Mynt and President and CEO of Globe.

Saurabh Agarwal, Managing Director of Warburg Pincus, said, The investment into Mynt marks our continued commitment and strong belief in the long-term prospects of the Philippines as one of the fastest growing digital economies in the region. Mynt has a dominant market position in the Philippines and is well-positioned with its best-in-class management team, innovative technology, and superior product offerings. We are excited about the partnership with the company and look forward to leveraging our deep expertise in the fintech sector to support their long-term growth.

We believe that GCash has created the most compelling product to reach the massively underserved market in the Philippines, said Deven Parekh, Managing Director at Insight Partners. Our investment in Mynt fits within our global thesis of increasing financial inclusion using digital tools. We look forward to partnering with Mynt as they continue to grow on their scale up journey.

Mynt offers a full array of financial services, spanning credit, savings, insurance, loans, and investments. Assets Under Management (AUM) for its GSave product has grown to over Php9 billion, from Php5 billion in 2020, while its GInvest product has already captured 70 percent of the domestic market of total UITF accounts. GInsure, GCashs microinsurance offering launched in 2020, accounts for 1/3 of all new insurance policies issued in the Philippines.

Through its wholly-owned subsidiary Fuse and other banking partners, Mynt also offers credit to its users, on the back of its proprietary trust and scoring platform. GCredit disburses over P1 billion worth of loans each month, with Php15 billion worth having been disbursed as of June 2021, and boasts the best repayment rates locally with the lowest past-due and non-performing loans. Mynt also piloted GLoan, a cash loan product that allows qualified users to borrow as much as Php25,000, with repayment spread over 12 months. The Company is looking to launch Buy Now, Pay Later products within the year.

GCash was also the first financial app to launch a trailblazing sustainability initiative in the country via its GForest feature, a gamified environmental stewardship program where users can convert their green points acquired from using GCash into a virtual tree, which in turn would be planted as an actual tree in critical locations within the Philippines. To date, there are over 8.7 million users of the GForest feature within the app.
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The Ethiopian government proclaimed a six-month state of emergency on November 2 after forces from Tigray's northern region claimed to have been capturing territories and considering marching on the capital Addis Ababa, which is some 380 kilometres (235 miles) south of their advanced positions.



The announcement of the emergency came two days after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had asked civilians to take up arms to defend themselves against the Tigray People's Liberation Front (T.P.L.F.), a political party of rebels turned rulers who had governed Ethiopia for nearly three decades.

Residents in Addis Ababa were also advised by authorities to register their firearms and prepare to protect their neighbourhoods.

What led to the current situation?

Ethiopia has multiple regional federations. Precisely, it is made up of 10 regions and two cities that have a substantial amount of autonomy, including regional police and militia. But the regional governments are largely divided along entrenched ethnic lines.

AFP

Now minority Tigray, governed by the T.P.L.F., once had an iron grip over Ethiopia that too for decades with a period of stability and economic growth but at the cost of basic civil and political rights. Eventually, the party's authoritarian rule provoked a popular uprising that ultimately forced Abiy's predecessor, Hailemariam Desalegn, to resign.



Then came Abiy Ahmed, appointed by the ruling class in 2018 to quell tensions and bring change without upending the old political order. But almost as soon as he became prime minister, Abiy announced the rearrangement of the ruling coalition and broke apart the powerful alliance that the T.P.L.F. established.

He brought in the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Front (EPRDF), which merged four parties - into a single, new Prosperity Party, excluding the T.P.L.F. in the process. This move was seen as a power grab and a ploy to weaken the federation by the Tigray region.

Abiy's push for a new pan-Ethiopian political party sparked fears in some regions that the country's federal system, which grants significant autonomy to ethnically defined states like Tigray, was under threat. Tigray's leaders retreated to their mountainous heartland in the north, where they maintained control over their own regional government.

Tensions between Abiy and leaders from the T.P.L.F. were continually swirling underneath, and it boiled over in September 2020, when the Tigrayans defied Abiy by going ahead with regional parliamentary elections that he had delayed citing the reason of the coronavirus pandemic. The prime minister refused to recognise the results and cut the funding to the T.P.L.F. leadership.

Further, on November 4, 2020, Abiy accused the T.P.L.F. of attacking a federal army base outside Tigray's regional capital Mekelle and attempting to steal its weapons, which resulted in renewed hostilities between the regional and the federal government.

AFP

Mr. Abiy boosted his forces by sending militia fighters from Amhara, a region south of Tigray, into western Tigray, where they were accused of attacking civilians. Then, from the north, troops from Eritrea, Ethiopia's erstwhile foe, surged into Tigray to fight alongside Mr. Abiy's forces.



Mekelle, Tigray's regional capital, and other towns were rapidly taken over by federal soldiers and their allies. The T.P.L.F. and its armed followers, on the other hand, withdrew to rural and hilly areas, drawing Mr. Abiy into a military strife.

In June, the Ethiopian military suffered a huge setback when it was forced to evacuate from Tigray and thousands of its soldiers were taken hostage. It was reported that the Tigrayans allied with other rebel groups, such as the Oromo Liberation Army, and several Ethiopian Army units either disintegrated or retreated.

Finally, earlier this month, Ethiopia has once again announced a state of emergency amidst rebels pushing towards Addis Ababa.

Who are the T.P.L.F. and the Tigrayans?

The T.P.L.F. began as a tiny militia of Tigrayans against Ethiopia's Marxist military rule in the mid-1970s.

The Oromo and Amhara ethnic groups account for more than 60 percent of the population, with Tigrayans accounting for 6 to 7 percent. Despite this, the T.P.L.F. grew to be the country's most powerful rebel group, eventually leading an alliance that overthrew the government in 1991. With the T.P.L.F. at its helm, the rebel alliance became Ethiopia's ruling coalition.

AFP

Meles Zenawi, the leader of T.P.L.F., governed Ethiopia from 1991 to 2012. It was during his tenure that the country emerged as a stable government in a volatile region and experienced tremendous economic growth. In 2006, it dispatched troops into Somalia with American support to combat Islamist militants.



However, at home, the Tigrayan-led government actively suppressed political opponents and limited freedom of expression.

How has this strife affected Abiy's image globally?

At 45, Mr. Abiy is among the youngest leaders in Africa, and in the first years of his rule he excited great hopes for transformational change in Ethiopia. His government welcomed opposition figures home from exile, and released others from prison, including some who had been sentenced to death.

He swept through the region, brokering peace by apologising for the government's past abuses. He appeared to be drawing from his painful past. Further, he introduced a wave of political reforms and announced a shocking peace deal with neighbour and fierce rival Eritrea.

Finally, his international profile soared after he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019.

But Abiys reputation soon took a turn for the worse in just a year as he is seen as presiding over a protracted civil war that by many accounts bears the hallmarks of genocide.

AFP

The investigations by the UN and rights groups pointed out that Eritrean troops which had entered Tigray to fight alongside federal forces turned out to be a violent conflict marked by abuses, including rapes.



When conflict broke out with Tigray, experts believed that the Eritrean peace deal had simply served to unite Ethiopia and Eritrea against their mutual adversary, the Tigrayans.

Even the Nobel Peace Prize committee delivered a rare but unspoken condemnation of one of its recipients. As the domestic criticism gained momentum, Aiby has been doing exactly what other leaders in the past have done to suppress the opposing voices like shutting down the internet, arresting journalists, and detaining tens of thousands of protesters and critics. As per the local reports, hundreds of individuals have been killed by security personnel so far.

The aftermath

A year of conflict has left thousands dead, forced more than one million people from their homes and pushed parts of the country into famine, all of this amidst the already ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Moreover, there have also been local reports, many confirmed by a U.N.-led investigation, of massacres, widespread sexual violence and other human-rights violations.

AP

According to the UN refugee agency, the conflict has resulted in more than 25,300 refugees fleeing the Tigray region into Sudan, as fighting spilled beyond Ethiopia's borders and threatened to inflame the Horn of Africa region.



It goes without saying that most of the refugees arriving in Sudan are children and women who walked long distances on rugged terrain to reach safety. They arrive exhausted, hungry and thirsty, having had to cross a river by boat or in some cases by swimming, the reports further added. The river, known as the Tekeze in Ethiopia and the Setit in Sudan, divides the eastern Sudanese areas of Lugdi and Hamdayet.

For more on news and current affairs from around the world please visit Indiatimes News.
A primary school teacher who had lost all her limbs to sepsis finally returned to teaching after being fitted with bionic limbs.

The 47-year-old teacher, Kath Tregenna had come down with a fever two years ago, and it was so bad that she had to be admitted to the hospital. She then suffered between seven and eleven cardiac arrests and her family was informed that they should see her for the last time.

SWNS

She said: "I owe my life to the 111 operators who noticed some of the symptoms of sepsis and called an ambulance."

In order to stop the sepsis from spreading, doctors performed a quadruple amputation on both her legs below the knee and her two arms below the elbow. After the surgeries, spent a month in intensive care. Kath taught primary schoolchildren at the International School of London before falling sick.



She added: "As I was going through my recovery, I really knew in my heart that I wanted to get back into the classroom and get back to teaching."

SWNS

She was then prescribed prosthetic arm hooks that were extremely uncomfortable and heavy.

"I always had this dream of being able to go back to teaching and I just knew I couldnt do that with these heavy hooks," she said.

To help her out, the school began a fundraiser and raised enough money to cover the costs of a Hero Arm from the UK tech company Open Bionics. Now, Kath is much more independent.



SWNS

She is also pleasantly surprised at how well the children are taking it all in. She said: "Its all thanks to arms I am able to teach again. From writing on the school board to carrying books, children are obsessed with the Hero Arms and always ask me to show how they work. From the moment I arrive at school, Im using the arms to do all sorts of tasks."



For more interesting stories from around the world, visit Indiatimes.com


Paytms Rs 18,300-crore IPO opened for subscription on Monday at a price band of Rs 2,080-2,150 per share. In the primary market, Paytm shares were seen trading at a premium of Rs 60 per share over the IPO price.

Paytm shares were ruling at Rs 2,210 per share, nearly 3 per cent premium, in the grey market, according to the people who deal in unlisted shares of the companies.

This is Indias largest public issue to date. But how did PayTm reach such heights? There is no doubt that the company's founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma has everything to do with it.

Google

But the road to success for this humble man wasn't easy. He had to go through a lot of hardships as he wasn't born with a golden spoon.

Early Life

Though he passed his higher secondary when he was just 14 years old, a child prodigy of sorts, making it through college was the first tough challenge he faced when he left the cosy comfort of his small hometown outside Aligarh and ventured into the real world. After joining Delhi College Of Engineering, he realized that he needs to learn English to get a grasp of everything since he had completed his studies in a Hindi-medium school.



With the help of books, second-hand magazines and his friends, he mastered the language in a way that few can. However, it didn't work very well leading him to stop attending college.



Times Now

Following His Passion

Leaving college didn't dishearten him. Vijay along with his friends created a CMS (content management company) and they named it XS Communications. Their CMS was used by many major publications like The Indian Express. While trying to get funds for his company he borrowed Rs. 8 lakhs from the bank with an interest of 24 per cent. Due to this, he was trapped in the vicious circle of unplayable debt. This forced him to take odd jobs to pay off his debts.



The Rise Of Paytm

Vijay Shekhar observed the growing phenomenal use of smartphones. He wanted to contribute to society so that people could use smartphones to do transactions online. On 8th July 2010, an online website was launched called Paytm.com under its parent company One97 Communications.

News 18

Within a couple of days, it popularized among people due to its paying facility of electricity bill, water bill, and gas bill facility. Paytm made peoples life easy. Within 2 years, its users increased to two lakh fifty thousand. By 2017, Paytm became Indias first payment app with 100 million downloads of the application.

He even quotes Jim Morrison in his interviews adding how much he's inspired by the musician.



:-))

This one ends on Jim Morrison. https://t.co/qxS3DzZxGS via @business  Vijay Shekhar Sharma (@vijayshekhar) July 13, 2017

After demonetization took place in 2016, PayTm usage and demand sky-rocketed. During demonetization, Paytm worked and completed 600 days work in only 60 days. Its users increased to 200 million by November 2017. Paytm is one of the most valuable startups in India having a valuation of $16 billion (as of 2020).



Today, Vijay Shekhar Sharma's net worth is around $2.3 billion. He was the youngest billionaire back in 2018. If this isn't a success story worth following, we don't know what is.
A propane gas explosion caused about $200,000 in damage to western Maryland home, but a woman who was home at the time wasnt hurt, fire investigators said.

The explosion occurred in the basement furnace room of the two-story Smithsburg home with in-law suite in the basement, the Maryland State Fire Marshals Office said in a news release. A woman who was inside the home when the explosion happened wasnt injured, officials said.

Master Deputy State Fire Marshal Ed Ernst said the blast blew out some doors in the basement, The Herald-Mail reported.

The furnace was fed by a line from an underground propane tank in the backyard, he said.

Residents could not immediately return to the home and the cause of the explosion was under investigation, Ernst said. Investigators could not rule out a failure in the service line or the furnace itself, according to the release.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Maryland
Acrisure Re Appoints Wicks From Ed Broking, Arnott From Securis

Acrisure Re, the reinsurance division of global insurance broker and fintech platform Acrisure, announced the appointments of Ian Wicks, as executive vice president, and Simon Arnott, as senior vice president, effective immediately.

Wicks is based in London and will report to partner, Nigel Dane. His new role at Acrisure Re will focus on the casualty side of the business with a broader strategic role in the reinsurance division.

Arnott is based in Bermuda and will report to Clark Hontz, president of Acrisure Re Bermuda. In his new role, Arnott will be responsible for sourcing new business and expanding Acrisure Res property cat and retro offerings. He will also support the wider team in growing current accounts and developing long-lasting relationships across the market.

Combined, Wicks and Arnott have more than 75 years experience in the re/insurance market.

Wicks joins Acrisure Re from Ed Broking where he was chairman of the non-marine reinsurance division. He has also previously held roles at various London market reinsurance broking companies including Harman, Wicks & Swayne, Willis Re, and JLT Re.

Arnott joins from Securis ILS Management, where for three years he was head of business development for the non-life division. Prior to this, he spent 16 years at Tokio Millennium Re in Bermuda where he most recently held the positions of executive vice president and head of catastrophe lines.
The state of Michigan said Nov. 4 it agreed pay $300,000 to settle wrongful discharge claims by the only employee who was fired as a result of lead-contaminated water in Flint.

The deal with Liane Shekter Smith, who was head of the states drinking water division, came weeks after an arbitrator said she was wrongly fired in 2016 by officials who were likely looking for a public scapegoat in one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history.

The state last week faced a deadline to appeal the order through the civil service system as well as an award of $191,880 in back pay and other compensation. Gov. Gretchen Whitmers administration instead paid 56% more to Shekter Smith to close the case.

The department has decided to agree to the settlement amount of $300,000, which resolves the dispute and allows both the agency and Ms. Shekter Smith to move forward, said Hugh McDiarmid Jr., spokesman for the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.

Asked why the state is paying more, McDiarmid said there was no guarantee that the arbitrators figure would hold during an appeal. Shekter Smith had been seeking more than $900,000 in lost compensation.

A condition of the settlement is that she will not seek her job back. And her involuntary resignation will be changed to a voluntary one, he told The Associated Press, declining further comment.

In 2014-15, Flints water was drawn from the Flint River, a money-saving decision that was made by state-appointed managers who were running the ailing city. The highly corrosive water wasnt properly treated before it flowed to roughly 100,000 residents, eroding protective coatings inside the aging pipes. As a result, lead was released from those pipes.

By fall 2015, a local doctor and other experts rang the alarm about rising lead levels, especially in children, and then-Gov. Rick Snyders administration finally acknowledged a crisis in Flint.

The Department of Environmental Quality was sharply criticized for not requiring corrosion control additives when Flint switched water sources. Specialists inside the agency insisted that results from 12 months of water sampling were necessary first, despite early troublesome lead readings and protests from angry residents who held up containers of foul water.

Some critics said the disaster in majority-Black Flint was an example of environmental racism.

There was a failure of leadership, Keith Creagh, who fired Shekter Smith, testified during the arbitration hearing last spring.

He dismissed her in 2016 shortly after taking control of the department at Snyders request.

I found no record of Ms. Shekter-Smith, as they would say, throwing the flag. Saying that this is significant. The people of Flint have lead in their water. We need additional help, Creagh said, according to a transcript.

But the arbitrator, Sheldon Stark, found a plausible conclusion that political considerations were at play in the firing, especially when others with a direct role in Flint were not terminated.

Shekter Smiths attorney, Brian Morley, said she was grateful for the arbitrators report.

Somebody said she was doing her job, Morley told the AP. There was no smoking gun.  Liane has always said, `I wish this wouldnt have happened in Flint. Shes a compassionate lady.

Shekter Smith told the arbitrator that she relied on her field staff to make critical decisions about Flints water system.

Its a community water system that was obviously having some issues, she said, referring to 2014, the first year of using the Flint River. Im keeping an eye on being kept informed, keeping my management informed, but there were a lot of other things going on in the office at the time.

After her firing, Shekter Smith was charged with misconduct in office and neglect of duty. She was also put on notice that an involuntary manslaughter case would be pursued because bacteria in the water were linked to a fatal outbreak of Legionnaires disease.

But charges were dropped in 2019 in exchange for a no-contest plea to an obscure misdemeanor. The case was erased after a year, under a deal with special prosecutor Todd Flood.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Michigan
Midwest Insurance Agency Alliance hires Denise Zabka as agency development field specialist

Midwest Insurance Agency Alliance (MIAA) Denise Zabka has recently joined the organization as agency development field specialist.

In this role, Zabka will be directly responsible for agency development and consulting services of MIAA member agencies in Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesotawith a focus on agency growth and development opportunities.

Zabka comes to the organization with more than 30 years of experience in the insurance industry, and a deep understanding of the Midwest markets. Prior to MIAA, she held leadership roles in two leading captive insurance companies, including agency manager and district manager.

Zabka will work closely with MIAA Regional Vice Presidents Clayton Gravatt and Brian Boeshans. Together, they will be a resource for Midwest agencies facing start-up challenges, growing personal and commercial lines, technology adoption and usage, as well as new business and retention strategies.

Founded in 2001, Midwest Insurance Agency Alliance, Inc. (MIAA) is comprised of more than 200 independent agency members spanning across the states of Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota.

JM Wilson Promotes Aranda to executive transportation underwriter

JM Wilson has promoted Phyllis Aranda to executive transportation underwriter in their Arlington Heights, Illinois office. Aranda is responsible for underwriting a wide variety of new and renewal transportation risks as well as strengthening relationships with independent insurance agents and company underwriters in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

With an increased level of product knowledge, Aranda is a leader and resource to other underwriters in her department.

Aranda has been with JM Wilson since 2008 and has held various positions in JM Wilsons transportation department. Most recently she held the position of senior transportation underwriter. Prior to joining JM Wilson, she served in various rater and underwriter roles at American Country Insurance for 19 years.

Founded in 1920, JM Wilson is a managing general agency and surplus lines broker providing independent insurance agents access to specialty markets. JM Wilson can provide coverage for standard and hard-to-place commercial Transportation, property & casualty, brokerage, marine, personal lines, and surety.
Pancoast to Head Ironshores E&S Primary Casualty

Adam Pancoast has been named to lead the excess and surplus Primary Casualty business of Ironshore, a Liberty Mutual company. As national manager, E&S Casualty, Pancoast, who is based in Atlanta, is responsible for all aspects of strategy, appetite, product innovation and distribution.

Pancoast, who most recently served as regional vice president, senior underwriting manager, has more than 13 years of experience with Liberty Mutual and Ironshore. He will report to Toby Smith, Liberty Mutual Global Risk Solutions president, North America Specialty Environmental and U.S. Casualty,

In addition to Pancoast, Smiths E&S team includes Diana Cossetti, who leads national E&S Excess, Energy and Rail operations, and Steve Chiascione, principal risk engineer.

Coggins Becomes President of the American Academy of Actuaries

Maryellen Coggins of Boston, Mass., has begun a one-year term as president of the 19,500-member American Academy of Actuaries, succeeding 202021 Academy President Thomas Campbell.

Coggins, who is a managing director, risk and capital management services, at PwC in Boston, previously served as a member of the Actuarial Standards Board for six years and as the Academys vice president, risk management and financial reporting.

During the Academys presidential transition ceremony, Coggins called for a renewed commitment to service amid the many changes affecting U.S. society and the U.S. actuarial profession. Change and renewal can be allies in our work, Coggins said, adding that when other actuariesincluding younger actuariesand those we serve through the Academy see new energy and ideas brought to the table, they will more clearly see the value of our work and the meaning of the Academys mission.

McLean Joins Lockton Product Recall Practice

Lockton announced that Natasha McLean will lead its National Product Recall and Accidental Contamination Risk Consulting Practice. In this role, McLean will provide overall leadership, strategy and development of product offerings and work with both Locktons local experts and its London product recall team.

McLean joins Lockton from Willis where she was a member of the National Product Recall Team. She brings experiences from both the underwriting and national broker areas to this role.

Topics Excess Surplus Lockton
SolarWinds Corp. investors have sued the software companys directors, alleging they knew about and failed to monitor cybersecurity risks to the company ahead of a breach that created a vulnerability in thousands of its customers systems.

The lawsuit filed in Delaware on Thursday appears to be the first based on records shareholders demanded from the company after Reuters reported last December that malicious code inserted into one of the companys software updates left U.S. government agencies and companies exposed.

The lawsuit names a mix of current and former directors as defendants.

A SolarWinds spokesperson said the company does not comment on pending litigation, but noted it is focused on deepening customer relationships and openly discussing our Secure by Design initiatives as we look to set the standard for secure software development.

Led by a Missouri pension fund, the investors allege that the board failed to implement procedures to monitor cybersecurity risks, such as requiring the companys management to report on those risks regularly.

They are seeking damages on behalf of the company and to reform the companys policies on cybersecurity oversight.

The lawsuit is the latest fallout over the breach of SolarWinds software, which gave hackers access to the data of thousands of companies and government offices that used its products and which U.S. officials have attributed to Russia.

SolarWinds has said it is cooperating with investigations into the breach by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Justice and others. The company has moved to dismiss another shareholder lawsuit seeking damages for a decline in its share price.

(Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York; additional reporting by Sierra Jackson Editing by Noeleen Walder and Matthew Lewis)

Topics Lawsuits Cyber
Boeing Co. current and former company directors have reached a $237.5 million proposed settlement with shareholders to settle a lawsuit over the boards safety oversight of the 737 MAX aircraft, documents released on Friday show.

Following two fatal 737 MAX crashes in the space of five months in 2018-19 that killed 346 people, Boeings best selling plane was grounded for 20 months and returned to service after the company made significant software and training improvements.

The proposed agreement, which is being filed in Delaware Chancery Court late on Friday and was confirmed by Boeing, will require the election of an additional board director with aviation/aerospace, engineering, or product safety oversight expertise within one year.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and the Fire and Police Pension Association of Colorado, the lead plaintiffs, said the settlement if approved will be the largest monetary recovery in a lawsuit filed in the Delaware Courts over allegations that directors failed to protect against the risk of harm. The financial penalty is to be paid by insurers to Boeing, the documents show, minus up to $29.7 million in legal fees and expenses to the shareholder attorneys.

Boeings board failed in their fiduciary responsibility to monitor safety and protect the company, its shareholders and its customers from unsafe business practices and admitted illegal conduct, DiNapoli said. It is our hope, moving forward, that the reforms agreed to in this settlement will help safeguard Boeing and the flying public against future tragedy and begin to restore the companys reputation.

The agreement calls for Boeings board to always be required to have at least three directors with safety-related experience, according to the proposal, which must be approved by a judge to become final.

Under the settlement, Boeing would amend its bylaws to require the separation of the CEO and Board chair positions, create for at least five years an ombudsperson program to provide Boeing employees conducting airplane certification work for the Federal Aviation Administration with a way to raise work-related concerns.

The settlement would also require Boeing to provide annual public reports on safety related enhancements implemented by the planemaker since the MAX air disasters.

The financial penalty is to be paid by insurers to Boeing, the documents show, minus up to $29.7 million in legal fees and expenses to the shareholder attorneys.

Boeings current and former directors do not admit wrongdoing and assert they were acting in the best interests of Boeing and its stockholders, according to the settlement.

The Delaware court in September ruled Boeing stockholders could pursue some claims against the board, saying the first 737 MAX crash was a red flag about a safety system known as MCAS that the board should have heeded but instead ignored.

The crashes have cost Boeing some $20 billion. Boeing agreed to a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice in January including $2.5 billion in fines and compensation stemming from the 737 MAX crashes.

Boeing confirmed the settlement and said Boeing has taken significant actions to reinforce and strengthen our commitment to aviation safety since the crashes.

The settlement, it added builds on those actions with additional oversight and governance reforms that will further advance safety and quality in the work that we do.

Boeings board includes the recent additions of Retired Lieutenant General Stayce Harris, who has over 10,000 hours experience as a pilot of Boeing aircraft; and David Joyce, who led GE Aviation from 2009 to 2020.

(Reporting by David Shepardson and Eric M. Johnson; editing by Grant McCool)

Topics Lawsuits Aviation Aerospace
Insurance technology firms EagleView and Verisk have patched up their differences and are vowing to move ahead enabling joint innovation.

The companies accord comes two years after aerial imaging firm EagleView Technologies won a $125 million patent infringement verdict against insurance analytics firm Verisk (and its subsidiary Xactware Solutions).

It also comes seven years after Verisk moved to acquire EagleView.

The settlement ends all litigation between the two, vacating the jury award, as well as Verisks appeal, and lifting an injunction keeping Verisk from selling some its products.

In addition, the agreement affirms that the patents held by EagleView, which were included in the suit, are valid, subsisting and enforceable. In addition, EagleView agreed that Verisk complied with the U.S. District courts injunction.

Any financial or other terms of the accord were not disclosed.

The stipulation signed by both companies was filed Nov. 5 in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey. The firms expect the court to approve it.;

The parties said the settlement will serve the public interest of judicial efficiency by eliminating the need for any further appeal, litigation, motion practice, and imposition upon the time and resources of the courts.

Were looking forward to working together to create innovative solutions, drive efficiency and assist our joint customers, said Chris Jurasek, CEO of EagleView.

Mark Anquillare, Verisk chief operating officer and group president, said the agreement allows Verisk and EagleView to accelerate the development of richer, more-efficient digital experiences for insurers, service providers and policyholders.

In 2019, a New Jersey jury ordered Verisk to pay $125 million to EagleView for lost profits linked to Verisk infringing on various EagleView patents. The jury found Verisk and its Xactware Solutions unit willfully infringed EagleViews proprietary intellectual property and upheld EagleViews technological innovations. A federal appeals court heard Verisks appeal of that verdict in October, but has not yet issued a decision.

Verisk has also been under an order restricting its sale of certain products.

The history between the two firms includes a Verisk bid in 2014 to acquire EagleView for $650 million. Verisk scrapped that plan after antitrust regulators said the deal would give the company too large a share in the market for aerial images used by insurers.

Topics Lawsuits
The Justice Department is stepping up actions to combat ransomware and cybercrime through arrests and other actions, its No. 2 official told The Associated Press, as the Biden administration escalates its response to what it regards as an urgent economic and national security threat.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said that in the days and weeks to come, youre going to see more arrests, more seizures of ransom payments to hackers and additional law enforcement operations.

If you come for us, were going to come for you, Monaco said in an interview with the AP this week. She declined to offer specifics about who in particular might face prosecution.

The actions are intended to build off steps taken in recent months, including the recent extradition to the U.S. of a suspected Russian cybercriminal and the seizure in June of $2.3 million in cryptocurrency paid to hackers. They come as the U.S. continues to endure what Monaco called a steady drumbeat of attacks despite President Joe Bidens admonitions last summer to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin after a spate of lucrative attacks linked to Russia-based hacking gangs.

We have not seen a material change in the landscape. Only time will tell as to what Russia may do on this front, Monaco said.

But Monaco added: We are not going to stop. Were going to continue to press forward to hold accountable those who seek to go after our industries, to hold our data hostage and threaten national security, economic security and personal security.

Another official, National Cyber Director Chris Inglis, painted a rosier picture, telling lawmakers Wednesday that the U.S. had seen a discernible decrease in attacks emanating from Russia but that it was too soon to say why.

Monaco is a longtime fixture in Washington law enforcement, having served as chief of staff at the FBI to then-Director Robert Mueller and as head of the Justice Departments national security division. She was a White House official in 2014 when the Justice Department brought a first-of-its-kind indictment against Chinese government hackers.

Monacos current position, with oversight of the FBI and other Justice Department components, has made her a key player in U.S. government efforts against ransomware. That fight has defied easy solutions given the sheer volume of high-dollar attacks and the ease with which hackers have penetrated private companies and government agencies alike. How much lasting impact the latest government response will have is also unclear.

Though not a new phenomenon, ransomware attacks _ in which hackers lock up and encrypt data and demand often-exorbitant sums to release it to victims _ have exploded in the last year with breaches affecting vital infrastructure and global corporations.

Colonial Pipeline, which supplies roughly half the fuel consumed on the East Coast, paid more than $4 million after a May attack that led it to halt operations, though the Justice Department clawed the majority of it back after identifying the virtual currency wallet of the culprits, known as DarkSide. The public should expect to see more such seizures, Monaco said.

JBS, the worlds largest meat processor, said in June that it had paid $11 million following a hack by a Russian group known as REvil, which weeks later carried out a massive ransomware attack that snarled businesses around the world.

The splashy attacks elevated ransomware as an urgent national security priority while the administration scrambled to stem the onslaught.

Inside the Justice Department, officials in April formed a ransomware task force of prosecutors and agents, and theyve directed U.S. attorney offices to report ransomware cases to Washington just as they would terrorism attacks.

It has also tried prosecutions, extraditing from South Korea last month an accused Russian hacker, Vladimir Dunaev, who prosecutors say participated in a cyber gang whose malicious software  known as Trickbot  infected millions of computers.

Youre going to see more actions like you saw last week in the days and weeks to come, Monaco said.

Still, holding foreign hackers accountable in the U.S. is notoriously difficult, and ransomware gangs are abundant. Even if recent attacks havent generated the same publicity as the ones last spring, Monaco said theres been no discernible change in behavior by opportunistic hackers still targeting a range of industries with attacks that threaten to paralyze crucial business operations _ or force multimillion-dollar payouts.

Monaco said shes sympathetic to the hard decisions companies must make, in part because shes had experience confronting criminals monetary demands.

As homeland security and counterterrorism adviser in the Obama administration, she helped craft new policy on Americans held hostage overseas. The policy reiterated that ransom payments for hostages were discouraged and illegal, but also made clear that prosecutors didnt plan to criminally charge families who made such payments.

What it reflects, and frankly what the whole endeavor reflected, was a sense on Lisas part that this was an area where you needed an extraordinary balance between policy and humanity, said Joshua Geltzer, the Biden administrators deputy homeland security adviser who worked with Monaco in the Obama White House.

The U.S. government has publicly discouraged ransomware payments but Monaco _ who during the Obama administration faced criticism from hostage families about the governments response to their plight _ says the administration is trying to listen to and work with victimized companies.

Officials have shown no interest in prosecuting companies that pay ransom to hackers, though Monaco did announce last month that the department was prepared to sue federal contractors who fail to disclose that theyve been hacked or who fail to meet cybersecurity standards.

We have experienced where companies do not pay the attention they need to on this front, Monaco said.

Ransomware attacks have flourished even as the federal government grapples with more old-fashioned, albeit sophisticated, cyber espionage. The Justice Department was among the agencies hit hard by the SolarWinds breach, in which Russian government hackers exploited a supply chain vulnerability to gain access to the networks of federal departments and private companies.

The Justice Department has said more than two dozen U.S. attorneys offices had at least one employee whose email account was compromised during the hacking campaign.

It was a reminder, she said, that no one is immune from a sophisticated breach.

We need to practice what we preach and be doing the same type of vigilance on our cybersecurity that we are asking companies to do, she said.

Photo: Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco speaks to The Associated Press during an interview at the Department of Justice in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Monaco told the AP that the public should expect to see more arrests and law enforcement action as the Justice Department deals with the threat of ransomware. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Cyber Fraud
Lawmakers in Alabama and Tennessee have taken steps to block or limit some COVID-19 safety measures, including mask and vaccine mandates for workers and students.

In Alabama, the Legislature last week approved a measure to prevent companies from firing workers who claim a religious or medical exemption. Republicans said they were responding to an outcry from unvaccinated constituents afraid of losing their jobs because of the Biden administrations vaccination mandate on federal contractors.

Democrats argued the bill would put both federal contractors and public health in jeopardy for the sake of scoring political points.

The Republican-sponsored bill states that employers must exempt employees from a federal COVID-19 vaccination requirement if the worker returns a new standardized state form to claim a religious or medical exemption. Alabama lawmakers gave final approval to the bill late Thursday night after votes that broke mostly along party lines. It now goes to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey.

Republican Sen. Chris Elliott, the sponsor of the bill, said lawmakers wanted to stand in the gap and provide some protection for employees while federal courts hear lawsuits brought by Republican states challenging the mandate on federal contractors.

There are people in the state of Alabama that are hurting right now, that are trying to decide about taking a vaccine that they are frightened of They are in danger of losing their jobs due to federal mandates that are really unnecessary, Elliott said.

Jones said they are trying to find a way to protect employees without hurting federal contractors who face the mandate. But House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, argued the bill would do just that by interfering with a companys ability to comply with the federal mandate.

The proposal is a carve-out from existing law which allows companies to fire workers at will. The bill specifies that it wouldnt alter the ability of an employer to terminate an employee for reasons other than the employees COVID-19 vaccination status.

The new process and job protections would automatically end on May 1, 2023, unless extended by lawmakers.

Meanwhile, the Tennessee governor has yet to say if he will sign similar bills passed by the state General Assembly, which seek to limit businesses ability to comply with the federal vaccine mandate. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is requiring larger businesses, with 100 or more workers, to have workers vaccinated by Jan. 4 or face mask requirements and weekly testing. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans placed a temporary hold on the rule Saturday.

The Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation in late October that aims to restrict businesses from requiring the vaccinations and limits schools abilities to mandate face coverings. In a nod to businesses, including Ford Motor Co., that objected to strict legislation, companies would be allowed to require masks. But they would be barred from compelling workers to show proof of vaccination, according to the Associated Press and other news reports.

The law would not apply to health care workers or to companies that have contracts with the federal government. Schools would be allowed to require masks but only in certain circumstances, such as outbreaks of the disease.

One section of the law makes it more difficult to sue a person or business for loss, damage, injury or death arising from COVID-19.

Some legal scholars have said the ultimate effect of the Tennessee and Alabama laws is undecided. Courts have, in most cases, found that federal law, such as the OSHA vaccination mandate, preempts state laws. But if the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals court strikes down the OSHA rule, that mandate may be halted while further appeals are pursued.

Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, late last week extended his three-month-old COVID-19 emergency orders, one that allows parents to opt out of any student mask mandate and another that relaxes some rules in order to facilitate COVID health care.

I am placing a two-week extension on the current state of emergency as we continue analyzing impacts of recent legislation and how it affects certain provisions, Lee posted on Twitter.

Lees opt-out order on mask mandates has been blocked by three federal courts, at least in three parts of the state.

Several other Republican-held legislatures have called for special sessions to pass similar mandate-banning laws.

And in Florida, an administrative law judge rejected six school boards challenge to a state rule that aimed to block mask mandates for students.

ALJ Brian Newman upheld Gov. Ron DeSantis emergency rule, which banned school districts from requiring that children wear face coverings at school, according to local news reports. Newman said that the governors order had struck the right balance and that opting out of mask wearing is the sole discretion of parents.

The school boards had sought to require the masks, despite DeSantis order, which was promulgated through the Florida Department of Health. But the education officials failed to prove that the emergency rule opt-out provisions facilitate the spread of COVID-19 in schools, the judge said.

The school boards legal argument was similar to that of the states and companies in the 5th Circuit appeal. The schools said in a hearing that the health department had not followed normal rulemaking procedures when it issued the Sept. 22 emergency rule.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Legislation
Florida authorities have arrested a Miami insurance agent and his accomplice for allegedly filing $22,000 in false insurance claims on a diamond ring that was never stolen.

David Abraham Jauregui was charged with insurance fraud and organized fraud last week after investigators uncovered a scheme to obtain renters insurance on the ring, the Florida Department of Financial Services said in a news release.

It is extremely disappointing when the mastermind of this scheme is a Florida-licensed insurance agent who took advantage of his position to defraud others, Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis said.

The scheme began, Patronis office explained, when Jauregui recruited Ronald Quintanilla to purchase renters insurance through the Assurant Group. Jauregui had recently been passed over for promotion by Assurant, the DFS said.

In 2018, Quintanilla filed a claim on a diamond ring that he said had been stolen. He submitted photos of the ring, along with two appraisal reports on the jewelry. Later that year, Jauregui filed another claim for a diamond ring.

The Assurant Group discovered that the photos of the rings listed in both claims were similar, along with the appraisal documents. It turned out that the photos were of Jaureguis wifes ring, DFS said.

Detectives were able to verify the jewelry appraisal documents were fake, and that no such appraisals took place, the DFS news release said. Through additional investigative steps, it was also learned the diamond ring belonged to Jaureguis wife and that Jauregui allegedly developed the scheme to defraud the Assurant Group out of more than $22,000 for not promoting him.

Jauregui was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. If convicted, he faces up to 40 years in prison, DFS said. Once formal charges are filed, the DFS Insurance Agent & Agency Services will suspend Jaureguis insurance license, Patronis said. Quintanilla also has been arrested.

Topics Agencies Abuse Molestation
San Francisco, Calif.-based Coalition named Dovid Tkatch head of insurance infrastructure and actuarial science, a newly created position.

Tkatch will manage pricing, reserving, capital requirements, regulatory compliance, state filings, and interaction with reinsurers.

Tkatch has global and domestic insurance and reinsurance experience managing underwriting, pricing and regulatory compliance. Tkatch was previously chief actuary and executive vice president at Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies. He also served as deputy head of commercial pricing at AIG, and was chief pricing actuary for Zurich Latin America.

Coalition provides cyber insurance and security, and is backed by global insurers Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, Arch Insurance, and Lloyds of London.

AP Keenan named Scott Carpenter an account executive and employee benefits producer. Carpenter has more than 20 years of experience in the employee benefits industry.

Most recently, Carpenter spent eight years with Sutter Health.

Carpenter will serve AP Keenans Northern California clientele.

AP Keenan is a California insurance brokerage and consulting firm for public schools, public agencies, and health care organizations. The firm is part of the AssuredPartners group of independent brokers.

Topics California
Three Black women who work for the Pierce County Sheriffs Department have filed a lawsuit against the county alleging a long-standing pattern of discrimination, harassment and retaliation against minority employees.

The News Tribune reports Lt. Charla James-Hutchison and Sgts. Dione Alexander and Sabrina Braswell-Bouyer are the highest-ranking African American women in the departments 168-year history.

Their attorneys filed the suit on their behalf Monday, claiming that the women  who all work in Pierce County Jail  have suffered emotional distress, economic losses and damage to their reputations due to the decades of discrimination.

No specific damages are specified in the lawsuit. James-Hutchison, Alexander and Braswell-Bouyer are among 12 Black women who work for the Sheriffs Department, according to county statistics.

There are 47 Black sworn employees in the department out of about 614.

The women have been subjected to racial slurs, told they were only hired or promoted to fill a quota, called thugs because of their hairstyles, had colleagues make comments about how the COVID-19 vaccines should be tested on Black people before white people, the suit says.

Adam Faber, spokesman for the Prosecutors Office, which represents the Sheriffs Department in legal matters, said he cannot comment on pending litigation.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Washington
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Read our full Opinion Policies here. Updated on 10/7/2020
Over 7,000 cases of Covid-19 were reported over the weekend as the hospitality sector comes under increased scrutiny for not complying with public health rules.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said action may be needed if businesses do not check vaccine certs, enforce mask-wearing or adhere to distancing rules.

"We should be looking at more urgent sanctions for those businesses not doing the right thing," Mr Donnelly told RTE Radio's This Week programme.

Mr Donnelly also stated that antigen tests could be deployed in schools before Christmas.

As daily case figures remain well above 3,000, Mr Donnelly echoed comments made by the Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan asking people to pull back from discretionary contacts over the coming weeks to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus.

Minister of Health Stephen Donnelly: Action may be needed if businesses do not check vaccine certs, enforce mask-wearing or adhere to distancing rules. Picture: Conor McKeown

The Taoiseach will hold an emergency meeting with the representatives from the hospitality sector on Tuesday as an Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) report revealed the percentage of people not having Covid certificates checked in pubs has shot up from 21% in early October to 37%.

The president of the Irish Medical Organisation warned people not to use the vaccine "as a permission-slip to return to the old ways".

Dr Ina Kelly said people have done incredibly well over the past 18 months but the weeks leading up to Christmas will be critical for the wider health service.

While calling on people to maintain a sense of personal responsibility, Dr Kelly also added her voice to the criticism of the hospitality industry.

"Those sectors of the hospitality industry who kept telling us that they could be trusted to police protocols need to step up to the mark and demonstrate that they are as good as their word," Dr Kelly said.

She warned of a perfect storm hitting the health service as there were 478 Covid patients in hospital on Sunday, of which 75 were in ICU.

"Our GP surgeries, hospitals and ICU units are all under extraordinary pressure," said Dr Kelly.

We are being hit by a perfect storm of high Covid numbers, the annual winter flu season and shockingly high numbers on waiting lists."

The strain on hospitals was clear to see at Cork University Hospital (CUH) as the public was asked to avoid A&E "if their needs are not urgent".

In a statement on Sunday the hospital said that the heightened activity in its Emergency Department meant that some patients may experience a delay at present, a situation it said is regrettable adding that steps were being taken to address the issue.

In the week ending November 5, there were 2,155 patients on trolleys and wards around the country.

Four Munster hospitals were among the top 10 most overcrowded hospitals, according to the latest data from the Irish Patient's Association (IPA).

Limerick was ranked the worst in the country with 290 people on trollies and wards during the week.

CUH came in fourth with 165 and University Hospital Kerry in eighth with 103 patients followed closely by Mercy University Hospital, Cork with 83.

The IPA said that there must be continued focus on providing non-Covid care as some 450 beds in hospitals are being taken up by Covid-19 patients.

"Covid-19 must not be the whipping boy for all that ails our healthcare system," the group said.
The Government is preparing for a worsening in Anglo-Irish relations, warning that the UK is set to trigger Article 16 of the post-Brexit trade deal.

Such a move would heighten fears of a trade war between the EU and UK and have major impacts on imports and exports to and from Ireland as Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney warned that the EU could set aside the entire trade deal in retaliation.

Multiple government sources said that Mr Coveney's comments reflect the Government's position, with one saying that there is now widespread belief the UK will trigger Article 16 after the Cop26 climate conference.

The UK government has set the EU a December deadline to find a solution on the Northern Ireland Protocol, which was agreed as a way to maintain a free-flowing land border on the island of Ireland after Brexit.

The arrangement effectively keeps Northern Ireland inside the EUs single market for goods, resulting in some checks for products crossing the Irish Sea from Britain.

The British government has argued that the EU interpretation of the deal has led to it being justified in triggering Article 16 and suspending parts of the agreement.

Sources said that the Government fears that the EU's "patience has frayed" with the ongoing negotiations and is hoping that "commonsense" prevails.

Mr Coveney warned that the entire deal could be set aside by the EU if the UK unilaterally triggers Article 16, but said that this did not mean a hard border on the island.

I believe that if the British government essentially refuses to implement the protocol, even with the extraordinary flexibilities that are now on offer, and instead looks to set it aside then I think the EU will respond in a very serious way to that, he told RTE Radio One.

It means that the Trade and Co-operation Agreement that was agreed between the British government and the EU was contingent on the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement, which includes the protocol.

One is contingent on the other. So if one is being set aside, there is a danger that the other will also be set aside by the EU.

Mr Coveney said that he hopes there will be no trade war between the two sides. The minister added that the EU was in solutions mode and could go a little further in terms of trying to streamline checks required on goods.

Mr Coveney criticised the UK's negotiators throughout the process, saying that the EU was questioning whether Boris Johnson's government was operating in good faith.

The negotiating tactic of the British government, of the prime minister and of lord [David] Frost, has been very consistent. It has been to offer nothing and to continue to ask for more, he said.

In the short term that is a successful negotiating tactic because throughout this year, each month that passes, the EU has tried to provide new solutions, new answers, new compromises, more flexibility and so on.

But, at some point, the EU says enough, we are not negotiating with a partner here that is acting in good faith.

Meanwhile the Sinn Fein leader said that the UK was "playing a very dangerous game".

Ms McDonald told BBC NI's Sunday Politics show that the UK triggering the article would show "colossal bad faith".

It would demonstrate just again colossal bad faith and demonstrate again that Ireland, the north of Ireland in particular, is collateral damage in the Tory Brexit as they play games and play a game of chicken with the European institutions.

I would also say that if the British government imagine that they hold all of the cards they are wrong and theyre playing a very, very dangerous game, up to and including perhaps jeopardising the entire withdrawal agreement.

She said that the decision on the next steps in the long-running disagreement over the protocol was now up to the UK government.

The reality now is the ball is at the foot of Boris Johnson and his government, and they need to act in good faith."
Cork county councillors have welcomed a High Court ruling vindicating their decision to back plans for the creation of a 100m Kildare Village-type retail centre in East Cork.

The project looks to be back on track after the local authority won a judicial review overturning an order from the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPW) not to proceed with it.

In November 2019 Rioja Estates, a British-based company, announced plans to develop the outlet in Carrigtwohill, which it said would create 850 jobs and attract around 220,000 shoppers annually.

The council then moved to rezone the land to accommodate the plan, but was told by the OPR it couldn't.

Standing orders were suspended at a county council meeting to discuss the ruling by Mr Justice Humphreys, who has decided the local authority was well within its rights to do what it did.

Fine Gael councillor Michael Hegarty, who got the suspension of standing orders, said it was the right result".

It proves we as a local authority did everything correctly. Those of us in this county know what is best for the region. We had regard for the planning guidelines. The OPR did a very heavy-handed job in trying to bulldoze this situation, Mr Hegarty said.

Significant

Fianna Fail's Seamus McGrath said: It's clearly a very significant decision which I welcome. It vindicated our action (of seeking a judicial review). The judge's decision has shown us to be right. I hope it is a decision which will have widespread consequences across the country.

He added that the powers of the OPR need to be reviewed.

Fellow FF councillor Joe Carroll said it had been one of the greatest days ever for the council.

If we didn't win this thing we might as well pack our bags and go home. I'm over the moon as a result of this decision, he said while Patrick Gerard Murphy described it as a fantastic day for local democracy and said it meant people in Dublin can't dictate to us what we do".

We took on this case as a matter of principle. All we were doing as councillors was ensuring the economic development of our county, Fianna Fail councillor Frank O'Flynn said.

Carrigtwohill-based Fine Gael councillor Anthony Barry said the ruling shows the interference by the OPR was unjustified.

Greens oppose

However, Green Party councillors Alan O'Connor and Liam Quaide reiterated they're not in favour of the retail outlet as it would create far more vehicle journeys, thus increasing carbon footprint.

Fine Gael's Gerard Murphy then warned that the judgement could be subject to an appeal.

Fine Gael councillor Susan McCarthy pointed out the Kildare Village centre has doubled in size since the OPR made the order. She said that increase in floor space is actually bigger than the project proposed for Carrigtwohill.

Council chief executive Tim Lucey commended the council's director of planning, Michael Lynch, and his team and the council's legal advisors for the work they'd put in.

He said there are still some other issues outstanding in relation to the judgement, but suspects they will now fall in the council's favour.

While costs have yet to be determined, Mr Lucey suspects the council will be awarded its costs for mounting the judicial review.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin has called on Northern politicians to count to 10 before they withdraw their support for the Good Friday Agreement.

Mr Martin made the comments in Cork on Monday after reports that the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) indicated it was about to walk away from supporting the historic peace deal signed in 1998.

I would say to the PUP and others to reconsider that decision, they have been a party that were supportive of the Good Friday Agreement and I would not agree with the comments that have been attributed to the party this morning in respect of the agreement itself or in terms of the issue of consent, he said.

There is an absolute necessity of everyone to count to 10 before triggering anything or taking any decisions and to work for the betterment of the younger generations, he said.

The Taoiseach said there has been a transformation of relationship, north-south, within Northern Ireland over time and the killing of Lyra McKee shows the futility of violence.

Just last evening I would have seen the documentary on Lyra McKee. And I would say to anybody involved in Northern Ireland politics right now to take time out to have a look at that documentary.

"What is highlighted really was a brilliant talent whose life was cruelly cut down for no good reason. She was the voice of a new generation - she called it the ceasefire babies, he said.

In terms of the potential of the British Government triggering Article 16, Mr Martin said nothing should be taken as inevitable in respect of the current talks on the Protocol that are underway between the European Union and the United Kingdom government.

There should be a relationship that is built on sustained trust and they should be constructive and they should lead to the mutual benefit of citizens of the UK and citizens of the European Union and also the relationship between Ireland and Great Britain is a fundamental one, he said.

Triggering Article 16 would represent a very serious issue in the context of both of those relationships so I would say to and would hope that the talks that are still ongoing between the United Kingdom and the European Union will bear fruit, he added.

Mr Martin said people should be aware of self-fulfilling prophecies, saying negotiations are still underway, there is still engagement between the UK and the European Union.

I think it would be reckless and irresponsible to trigger Article 16 but I do think and I believe that all parties need to take on board, the fundamental importance of the relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom and the relationship between the Irish government and the British government, he said.

Nothing should be done in my view unilaterally that would endanger that, he said.

He said EU Commissioner Marios Sekofvics recent visit to Northern Ireland will lead to a positive conclusion to these talks, adding that people must take the bigger picture in mind as we negotiate our way through this.

He was asked if it was time for the EU to move away from a policy of appeasement?

I wouldnt describe it as a politics of appeasement. I would describe it as a very sensitive, constructive engagement as being solution-focused  the European Union has been solution-focused  the European Union has also been conscious of the overall framework of peace and the importance of the Good Friday Agreement and thats the spirit in which they have entered into the engagement with the European Union and hence the changes that they have brought forward and thats why I think that should be met, that generosity of spirit should be reciprocated by the UK government, he said.
On Christmas Day 2016, the Odumosu family went over to their relations the Caffreys in Grove Road, Harolds Cross in Dublin. The families had shared the festive season and so much else for decades. Siobhan and Grace Odumosu were there, adults now and Siobhan had a daughter. Their other sister Fiona was over in Chicago, where Grace was also living, but Grace had made it home for the holiday. Their mother and Patrick Caffreys wife were sisters in the tight-knit, extended family.

At the Caffreys house Grace couldnt help noticing even the most casual, innocuous interaction between her niece and Caffrey. I just kept seeing her and thinking that it could happen to her, that he could be doing it to her. I didnt want her to experience life as I had so I made a disclosure to my sister-in-law.

What she revealed to her brothers wife was that her childhood had been blighted by sexual abuse perpetrated on her by Caffrey. At last months sentencing hearing, Grace said that the abuse had happened for a long time and that it developed over the years. She would say that she was groomed and she never got to have her first kiss, that it was taken away from her. When she was a child, Christmas was her favourite time of year. Christmas was now destroyed for her.

On Stephens Day 2016, the Odumosu siblings gathered at Siobhans house. Their brother, who was now aware of Graces disclosure, was crying. Siobhan didnt know what was going on. I thought somebody was dead, she says. Then my brother told me that Grace had been abused by Pat Caffrey. It was like a switch. Oh, I said, he did that to me too. Things began to fall apart then for me. For about a month I didnt know where I was.

Siobhan Odumosu had repressed the memories of being sexually abused by Parick Caffrey.

At last months hearing, Siobhan, in her victim impact statement, said she had repressed the memories of being sexually abused. After Grace made her disclosure and it was brought out in the open, Siobhan began having flashbacks, her mind was instantly overcome and her world turned upside down. She was crying for days and could not process the enormity of what she had been through. She said she had huge guilt about her younger sister, Grace.

On that Stephens Day the Odumosu siblings mother arrived at Siobhans house and was told what was happening. She was in shock. Soon afterwards she rang her third daughter, Fiona, in Chicago. I was at home with my husband and two kids when my mom called, Fiona says. It was a day or two after Christmas. She asked me to go somewhere private and asked me directly: Was Patrick Caffrey ever inappropriate with you? The minute she asked the question I had a wave of dread and relief flow at the same time. I said, yes, yes he was not knowing then that she was going to fill me in on what happened to both my sisters. Once I found out that Siobhan and Grace had also been abused I was devastated and spent most of the next few days in a state of shock, crying and in bed.

It was awful being so far away and I was lucky to have some close friends I could confide in as well as my husband who was very supportive and helped me get back on my feet to face the years to follow.

In her victim impact statement at Caffreys trial last month, Fiona said she had been caused unbearable pain. She told the court Caffrey was such as textbook groomer he had convinced her she was the only he had done this with and she was the disgusting one. She had left Ireland to pursue educational opportunities, she said, but deep down she knew it was a way to get away from this predator. Although he was no longer physically in her life, the damage was done.

As the family reeled in shock in Siobhans house at the revelations on Stephens Day, Siobhan felt there was somebody else who needed to be informed about what was going on. Something inside me said we need to ring Linda, our cousin who was living in Galway. Lindas mother is a sister of the Odumosus mother and of Caffreys wife.

I rang and told her what had happened and she was stunned and then she went, oh no, I thought it was just me. She had tried to get help when she was younger when it happened to her, but she didnt get the support at the time. She was met with a barrier, just that classic Irish thing of brush it under the carpet, lets not talk about it, lets just pretend it didnt happen.

In her victim impact statement, Linda said when the abuse happened she did not know what to do. She was frightened, disgusted, confused. Being targeted by him had created a chain of events of negativity in her life, she said. Silence is the friend of the people who do this and I no longer want my voice silenced, she said.

Soon after the disclosures spilling out in the last days of 2016, all four made statements to the gardai. The abuse happened over a twelve-year period between 1991 and 2003, nearly always when the girls, as they were, visited or stayed over at the Caffreys home. There were times like the occasion when one of them had been abused while sleeping in the same room as Caffreys daughter, their cousin. Another time he sexually assaulted one of them when she was babysitting for him. At the trial, the judge said that while the crimes did not feature the most egregious aspects of abuse as defined in law at the time, such as touching the vaginal area or violence, it was persistent, nasty and insidious. Apart from the emerging trauma of what had occurred and been kept secret, there was the issue of how Caffreys immediate family was going to react.

We had all been very, very close, Grace says. We called our aunt (Caffreys wife) and asked her to come to my brothers house. We told her what had happened, expecting her to be upset but thinking she would stick with us. Unfortunately that was not what happened. She cried a lot but her first question was are you going to the guards. There was no question about that as far as Grace was concerned. The extent of what had gone on, the impact it had and was having, and the sundering of close family ties, all meant that any hope of closure could only be arrived at if Caffrey was made to answer for his crimes.

It was all like a tonne of bricks had hit us, Grace says. I said to the others, were not going to let this bury us. Were going to the guards.

Patrick Caffrey pleaded guilty to a total of 22 counts of sexual assault committed against his four nieces on dates between December 1, 1991, and December 18, 2003. Picture: Collins Courts

'The wait was mental torture'

A constant theme among groups who represent victims of sexual violence or assault is the difficulty in bringing a criminal case to a successful conclusion. Victims are understandably often reluctant to pay what can be a heavy toll to achieve justice in the courts. And when victims do come forward, the system is such that their experience can often add rather than relieve the trauma to which they have been subjected.

The experience of the victims in this case was not positive. They met individuals along the way who were professional and compassionate, but there was also much in the system that left them angry and confused. After all four made statements, a detective was assigned to liaise with them. The importance of this role cant be understated. Victims have embarked on a strange, sometimes frightening journey. There will be all sorts of questions to be answered. Attempts to carry on life with some normality is difficult. To know that there is an experienced garda keeping an eye out, and offering a guiding, hand makes a major difference.

I was able to go back to Chicago, Grace says.

I didnt have to go through what Siobhan did because it was all out now and everybody knew. I didnt have to worry about seeing him or seeing the rest of his family who chose not to believe us. Our family home is a ten-minute drive from Caffreys.

The journey began well. We had a lovely detective at the start, Siobhan says. She was female and that made a big difference because it was great to have a woman there with whom you could talk through things. Then all that ended. She went on maternity leave and when she came back her role was changed. I asked if her replacement could be a woman. This whole thing takes over your life and you start to second guess everything. Its not easy to confide in a man. Despite her request, they were assigned a male garda.

Notwithstanding his gender, Siobhan  who was the principal representative of the women as she was the one living in Dublin  found this officer to be professional. He worked really hard, dotted all the is, crossed the ts. He was really good but then he got long Covid and we were transferred to another man. This one didnt even show up in court. He rang and said a colleague would be representing him. We didnt even know what this colleague looked like, had never even spoken to him before we went to court. I was angry at that. I couldnt believe it was like we werent even considered.

The case took nearly four-and-a-half years to come to court. While a small element of the delay could be attributed to the pandemic, that length of a wait is not unusual. It does, however, come with a cost for victims.

The wait was mental torture, Siobhan says. We couldnt move on. I was going to therapy, finding our own way through the waiting part. We werent even supposed to talk to each other about it and were sisters. We were just left waiting with this massive thing hanging over us.

Siobhan was put in touch with the child sexual abuse charity, One In Four. She talks in glowing terms about her experience with the agency and the person assigned to her case, whom, she says, fulfilled every possible role in support and guidance, way beyond the official brief of her job.

In December 2020, Grace moved back home from Chicago. By then the trial date was fast approaching, scheduled for the following April. Naturally, the women wanted to know what to expect and what was expected of them. They would be entering a room with not just the perpetrator, but his family from whom they were now estranged. They would be giving evidence in public, subject to the glare of cross examination, about traumatic events.

They asked to meet the lawyers representing the state to find out what they were to do. A meeting was arranged for April 22, four days before the trial was to start.

We went in to meet in the Criminal Courts of Justice building which is a daunting place anyway, Grace says. And when we met the solicitor and barrister we were told you know, weve decided not to go ahead with it (on the scheduled date). We had been all set. Fiona over in Chicago had made arrangements to travel and organise her kids, and so had Linda in Galway.

The trial was rescheduled for June. This time, there was no word of delay so all four victims and their families showed up in court. Nothing happened on the first day. There were applications and delays. Come back tomorrow. The following day, nothing happened again. Later in the day, the sisters were told that the judge was annoyed at the failure to begin the trial and insisted that a jury would be sworn in the following morning and the trial would get underway.

There werent enough judges, some problem with barristers, it was all delay, delay, delay, Grace says. Then, after the judge was apparently annoyed at the failure to start, later that evening we got a call from the guard.

Caffrey, after four-and-a-half years denying everything, was going to plead guilty.

I cried, Siobhan says. In a way I was relieved but also angry we didnt get to stand up and tell our story and have a jury believe us.

Grace Odumosu says of her court experiences: "There werent enough judges and some problem with barristers: it was all delay, delay, delay."

The four victims were provided with a template for their respective statements but little else. Grace says that the template was one a one-size-fits-all document, which could have been used as easily by somebody whose bicycle had been stolen. Over in Chicago, Fiona found herself particularly removed from everything. Through the whole journey since 2016, she had been taken aback at the lack of guidance or assistance any of them had received.

I was shocked to learn that there was really nobody assigned from the gardai to be any kind of advocate to walk us through it all, she said.

Every interaction felt as though we were a hassle and just a case number, not real people dealing with raw trauma and emotion.

Fiona wrote a statement and sent it off to the gardai. She organised to fly home for the sentencing hearing, but was to arrive early in order to physically sign her statement in the garda station. She landed on 4 October last and travelled directly from the airport to Rathmines garda station.

Due to a queue I was left standing out in the cold (outside the station) for at least twenty-five or thirty minutes. Then I was brought into the room where I gave my initial statement in 2017 and left there alone which was traumatising. When the garda reappeared he couldnt figure out how to print my statement to sign. He tried for about fifteen minutes and then I was told that somebody would drop it off that night. Clearly he knew I was coming to sign the statement but had made no arrangement to be ready or to tell me how to avoid standing in a long queue after a seven hour flight.

On the day of the sentencing hearing, there was more grief that could have been avoided. The scheduling didnt suit one of the barristers and would have to be postponed. An agreement was reached to hear the victim impact statements on the day in order to facilitate Fiona, but she didnt feel she was being accommodated.

That was the final insult, she says. This now meant the judge heard our statements first and I knew I was not able to be there for sentencing as my return flight was booked for the following Sunday. That meant I will never know the feeing of hearing the sentencing first hand. I was offered no future video link from the gardai, nor did they ever reach out to me on this. I am still dealing with the hardship of feeling disconnected from such an important day in my journey with this five year process.

The hearing of the victim impact statements separate from other elements of the sentencing is worth noting. Ordinarily, the statements follow evidence from a garda about the facts of the case. This puts the statements into context. The details of the abuse are related and then the victim relates how that abuse impacted on them. The events are heard in sequence in open court. Arguably, hearing the statements first  and on a separate day  takes from the purpose of their role in the system.

On November 1, Caffrey was sentenced to four years in prison, with twelve months suspended. Judge Pauline Codd pointed out that the maximum sentence at the time the offences were committed for this type of abuse was five years imprisonment. The sisters all have major issues with the sex offenders register, particularly the inability of victims, or the general public, to access it in order to inform themselves if an offender is living in their area.
Burma Around 150 Junta Troops Killed By Myanmar Resistance Over Weekend

The Loikaw PDF in Pekon Township, Shan State, in November. / Loikaw PDF

Around 150 junta soldiers were reportedly killed over the weekend during firefights with civilian resistance forces across Myanmar.

The Peoples Defense Forces (PDFs) have escalated operations, including urban attacks, against the regime forces in Yangon, Mandalay, Sagaing, Magwe and Tanintharyi regions and Chin, Shan, Kayah and Mon states.

The Kawlin Revolution, the media wing of the Kawlin PDF, said 50 junta soldiers and a civilian fighter were killed during fighting in the west of the Sagaing Region township on Sunday afternoon.

After sustaining heavy losses, the junta used two helicopters to attack the PDF, according to the Kawlin Revolution.

A video shows helicopters attacking the PDF.

In late October, around 85 junta soldiers were reportedly killed by the Kawlin PDF over two days.

On Sunday around 25 junta soldiers were killed during firefights with the PDF in Kyunhla Township, which is adjacent to Kawlin, in Sagaing Region.

On Sunday morning, around 10 junta soldiers were reportedly killed in a Kyunhla PDF ambush between Inhla and Ayechantha villages.

Another 15 troops were reportedly killed when retreating PDF members ambushed regime forces following them near Ayechantha village in the township, according to the Kyunhla PDF.

A civilian resistance fighter with a homemade rifle received minor injuries, it said. Kyunhla PDF claimed that regime forces torched houses in Ayechantha after the firefight.

Thousands of residents have fled their homes after four military deployments raided villages in the west of Kyunhla.

Pale PDF claimed to have killed at least 18 junta soldiers and injured many others in ambushes on regime troops in Pale Township, Sagaing Region, on Sunday.

On Sunday, the PDF ambushed three detachments of infantry, including vehicles, in the township using landmines, said Pale PDF.

Several resistance groups in Myaung Township, Sagaing Region, on Sunday ambushed regime troops in a vehicle and five motorbikes traveling from Myaung police station, according to Myaung Special PDF. The military casualties are unknown.

After the ambush, regime troops opened fire at random, Myaung PDF said.

Another 26 junta soldiers were allegedly killed by the Chin Defense Force in Mindat during fighting on the Mindat-Matupi highway in Mindat Township, Chin State, during the weekend.

On Sunday, the CDF in Mindat ambushed two military convoys on the highway. At least 18 junta soldiers were killed and a civilian fighter was injured in his thigh, the CDF said.

On Saturday, eight junta soldiers were killed and many injured when the Mindat CDF, hiding amid roadside drains and trees, ambushed a military convoy on the highway.

On Wednesday and Thursday, around 35 junta soldiers were reportedly killed in a Mindat CDF ambush on the highway.

Yaw Defense Force claimed to have ambushed a military convoy of 30 vehicles carrying around 100 troops on the Gangaw-Kale highway in Gangaw Township, Magwe Region, on Sunday.

At least 10 soldiers were killed and more than 15 injured, according to the group.

Meanwhile, 10 junta soldiers were allegedly killed when the Kyaukhtu PDF ambushed seven military vehicles on the Kyaukhtu-Tilin highway in Khaukhtu, Gangaw District, Magwe Region, on Sunday afternoon.

Many soldiers were also injured and a vehicle was damaged. Kyaukhtu PDF urged people only to use highways in the township in an emergency due to potential attacks.

Attacks on the junta were reported in Kyaukse Township, Mandalay Region, and Thaton Township in Mon State on Sunday and Saturday. The military casualties are unknown.

On Saturday, three regime troops were killed and five others injured during a firefight with the combined Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) and Karenni Army, the armed wing of the Karenni National Progressive Party, in Demoso Township in Kayah State.

A combined group of Pekon PDF and the KNDF attacked a military battalion in Pekon Township, Shan State, on Saturday. In the shootout, three junta troops were killed and many others wounded, the KNDF said.

Houses were damaged when the battalion used artillery to attack residential areas of Pekon, according to the group.

Two junta soldiers were killed and at least five injured during fighting with PDFs in Thayetchaung Township, Tanintharyi Region, on Sunday.

Urban attacks

On Sunday, PDFs in Yangon reported four attacks on regime forces, including two military camps and a township general administration office, in Mingaladon Township.

On Sunday afternoon, a soldier and vendor were killed and three other troops injured when an armed group attacked the junta-run administration office in Thingangyun ward.

A video went viral online showing the gate of the office being attacked by a gunman from a moving vehicle.

A resident told The Irrawaddy that four soldiers on sentry at the gate and a female vendor near them were gunned down.

Two other attacks that targeted a military battalion and an air-force base were reported in the township on Sunday. However, military casualties are unknown.

Another shootout between regime forces and the gunmen was reported at South Dagon Township, Yangon Region, on Sunday.

The shootout came after a man regarded by his neighbors as a thug, who was released from prison by the junta and was accused of being an informant, was attacked by gunmen, according to a resident.

However, it is unknown if he survived.

With the exception of Rakhine State, the regime is facing increasingly fierce attacks and ambushes from PDFs and some ethnic armed forces across the country.

Meanwhile, the regime forces have continued to commit atrocities, including bombarding residential areas, looting and burning houses, arbitrary of killing civilians and using civilians as human shields, especially in Magwe and Sagaing regions and Chin, Shan and Kayah states.



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Burma Myanmar Regime to Charge Detained Activist With High Treason, Terrorism

Ko Jimmy, aka U Kyaw Min Yu

Myanmars military regime has announced five charges against a detained veteran student activistincluding high treason and violating the counter-terrorism lawfor allegedly masterminding a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the junta in the countrys biggest city, Yangon.

U Kyaw Min Yu, a member of the 88 Generation Students Group and popularly known as Ko Jimmy, was arrested late last month when regime soldiers raided his hideout in northern Yangon. He was seriously injured during the arrest.

Regime mouthpiece Myawady TV did not announce the arrest until Sunday night, about two weeks after it happened, showing Ko Jimmy with his hands tied behind his back and kneeling before a haul of seized firearms and ammunitions.

It said he will be charged with high treason; violating the Counter-Terrorism Law; violating the Unlawful Association Act; violating the Arms Act and Explosive Substances Act; and incitement. If found guilty, the veteran student leader faces at least 30 years imprisonment. He could face the death penalty, as Myanmars terrorism law allows the death sentence in some cases.

In its announcement, the junta said Ko Jimmy was the political and security adviser of the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) and the shadow National Unity Government (NUG). The CRPH was formed by elected lawmakers from Myanmars formerly ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) in the wake of the February military coup, and the NUG is its offshoot. The regime has branded both as terrorist organizations.

The junta said Ko Jimmy was the leader of Operation Moonlight, under which eight huge missions were to be carried out in Yangon in the wake of the NUGs nationwide call on Sept. 7 to revolt against the regime. Since the NUGs war declaration, Myanmar has seen growing armed resistance against the regime across the country, causing serious casualties to the junta. Yangon has been no exception with deadly hit-and-run attacks on regime soldiers.

The Sunday statement said Operation Moonlight had completed three missions as of last month in Twantay, Insein and Hlegu townships.

The remaining Mission 4, Mission 5, Mission 6, Mission 7 and Mission 8 were planned to be conducted in Yinkin, Mingaladon, Dala, Thakayta, Dagon Myothit (South) and Hlinethaya townships, it said.

In collaboration with other resistance groups in the city, the regime said, those involved in the operation had launched separate attacks in Yangon since May, targeting schools, killing administrators and regime collaborators, and attacking state-owned buildings and private banks.



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Specials How Military Electoral Interference Led to Coup in Myanmar

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

On November 8 last year Myanmar held a general election in which more than 27 million people voted.

The National League for Democracy (NLD) won an overwhelming majority but the military seized power during the Feb. 1 coup, the day the newly elected Parliament was set to convene.

The military let out several barks before it finally bit.

There is nothing I wont dare do

August 14, 2020

Around two months before the November election, military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing met 34 political parties in Naypyitaw at the request of the militarys proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).

At the meeting, National Progressive Party chairman and former military officer Nay Zin Latt asked how Min Aung Hlaing would intervene if the 2020 election turned out not to be free and fair.

The National Democratic Force chairman, U Khin Maung Swe, who is now on the regimes State Administration Council (SAC) governing body, called for the replacement of the Union Election Commission (UEC) and its chairman U Hla Thein.

The New National Democracy Party chairman, U Thein Nyunt, who is also on the SAC, called for a National Defense and Security Council meeting to discuss Rakhine State where Myanmars military and the Arakan Army were fighting.

In response, Min Aung Hlaing said: There is nothing I wont dare do. I am just concerned that it could have a negative impact on the country, the people and the future of the Tatmadaw [military].

He promised to ensure a level-playing field for political parties and that the election would be free and fair.

Military criteria to pick candidate

August 15, 2020

The military-run newspaper Myawady Daily started publishing criteria on which readers should choose candidates.

The criteria were being published each day until the UEC complained. The mouthpiece newspaper said suitable candidates must uphold the three main national causes: the militarys political ideology of non-disintegration of the union, non-disintegration of national solidarity and perpetuation of sovereignty, over which the Tatmadaw believes it has responsibility. It also said candidates must not be influenced by external agencies and foreigners.

Pre-vote attack

November 2, 2020

Six days before the election, Min Aung Hlaings office issued a statement about voting, overstepping its authority by asserting that the UEC was mishandling preparations.

It cast doubt on the ability of the UEC, formed by the government, to hold a free and fair election.

Weakness and deficiencies which were never seen in previous elections are appearing now. They can have adverse impacts on the election, the statement said, warning that the government must take responsibility for any mistakes committed by the commission, saying the government was legally responsible for the commissions actions.

Controversial interview

November 3, 2020

Four days before the election, Min Aung Hlaing told the Popular News Journal that the military was carefully watching the electoral process and had to warn the UEC because it had made too many mistakes. He claimed he had a responsibility to point out what was happening in the country.

The same day State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi posted on the Chair NLD Facebook page that people should not get incited and entrapped.

The most important thing was that the election was held successfully and the wishes of the people were reflected and that people understood there were attempts to disrupt the election, she posted.

The following day, the Presidents Office spokesman U Zaw Htay said the military statements were based on groundless allegations by some political parties and individuals. It was unhelpful to efforts to hold a free and fair election while instigating concerns and instability.

Military threatens president

November 5, 2020

The military rejected the Presidents Offices comments in a lengthy response saying the government was ignoring its responsibility for the actions of the UEC.

It said government officials took oaths under the Constitution to carry out duties.

It should be noted that the Constitution [provides for] the impeachment of the president and vice presidents if they are disqualified or deemed not to be performing their responsibilities, it added.

The military also attempted to justify its political role by saying its involvement was constitutional. The military-drafted 2008 Constitution labels the armed forces as its guardian.

I must accept election result

November 8, 2021

I must accept an election result that reflects the peoples will, Min Aung Hlaing told reporters on election day, after casting his ballots in Zeyathiri, Naypyitaw, where USDP chairman U Than Htay was standing.

It is irrefutable and must be accepted. He added that he voted for the party that could work with the military, uphold the three main national causes and respect ethnic identity and religion.

UEC announces NLD victory

November 17, 2020

The UEC announced that the NLD won 920 seats or 82 percent out of the 1,117 contested constituencies in the November election while the military-backed USDP only won 71 seats.

Military announces electoral review

November 30, 2020



The military announced its plans to scrutinize and review the electoral process in 218 townships where military personnel and their families voted to determine whether the election was legal.

The UEC, however, rejected the militarys call as unlawful to instruct its sub-commissions to provide copies of election documents for the militarys election review.

Unfair and dishonest

January 8, 2021

Min Aung Hlaing made fraud claims about the general election, alleging vote-rigging and supporting the USDPs claims of mass electoral fraud.

In conducting an assessment after the election, unfair and dishonest practices were found, he told the Command and General Staff College in Kalaw via video conferencing.

Call for special session

January 11, 2021

The military appointees in parliament and USDP MPs attempted to take their claims to Parliament.

A total of 203 lawmakers, including 160 unelected military appointees, 36 USDP members, four Arakan National Party members, two independents and one National United Democratic Party member, submitted a proposal calling speaker T Khun Myat to convene a special session on electoral fraud claims before the new parliament sits on Feb. 1.

The speaker rejected the proposal on Jan. 12, saying the attempts were irrelevant. He said election disputes are not resolved in Parliament as the Constitution grants the UEC the final decision.

He added that alleged malpractices will be resolved by the UEC and the process was still taking place.

Military targets UEC

January 20, 2021

More than a month after the election results were released, the military continued to make fraud claims, asking the government to take responsibility for the UECs alleged faults.

Military threatens action

Jan. 26, 2021

Military spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun warned it may take action, five days before the newly elected Parliament convened, and declined to rule out a coup if its demands were not met.

Min Aung Hlaing threatens Constitution

Jan. 27, 2021

Min Aung Hlaing met staff and trainees at the National Defence College via video conferencing. He said the Constitution is the mother law and it must be scrapped if it is not followed. This raised concerns over a possible coup as a constitution is automatically scrapped by a coup.

The following day, the UEC invited electoral complaints but said no individual or institution can bend the law to alter the election results. Interference violates the Constitution, electoral and parliamentary laws and is against the wishes of the voters, it said

Coup detat

February 1, 2021

The military seized power in a coup, claiming electoral fraud. It detained Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Win Myint and other government and NLD leaders and abolished the UEC.

It later said it would reconstitute the UEC and hold a new election.

A former major general, Thein Soe, who oversaw the 2010 general election and drew criticisms over early voting at the time, was appointed to chair the new election commission.

U Thein Soe later told various political parties his new commission found evidence the NLD cheated to ensure its landslide victory.

The party must be abolished. And we must consider taking action against those who rigged the vote as traitors to the country, he said.

Junta annuls results

July 26, 2021

The military-appointed UEC officially revoked the election results, claiming the poll was not free and fair and not in compliance with the Constitution and the law.



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Leading Edge Data Centre has built its first data centre in Tamworth, benefiting local businesses by reducing their communications costs by more than 50% and increasing their bandwidth more than 10x.

Powered by Schneider Electric, Tier III data centre provides local data centre capacity reducing network latency, increasing internet speed, and continuous power and security. The new data centre will lower the regions dependency on Sydneys data centres, bringing direct benefits to a wide range of communities and businesses in Tamworth and allowing national enterprise to now reach a regional market that has traditionally been ignored.

Tamworth represents true regional Australia in every sense, and were delighted to support the community with enhanced digital resilience and connectivity in the phase of regional recovery, Leading Edges Data Centre CEO Chris Thorpe says.

Tamworth is unfortunately subject to a range of harsh natural conditions, including extreme weather and hilly terrain. Therefore, businesses and organisations are often challenged by unstable power supply and insecure data storage, and those are among many of the pain points were addressing with the new data centre, Thorpe notes.

Thorpe claims that Leading Edge is the first company in the country to help create a greater choice and access to a fast, reliable, and cost -effective network through regional data centre initiatives.

The successful completion in Tamworth, despite COVID-19, manifests our strong commitment and execution capability, Thorpe says.

Tamworth region mayor Col Murray welcomes the data centre, saying it represents an expansion of IT infrastructure which will support the local community as well as provide a new opportunity for economic growth for local business.

The facility will provide local companies with a greater choice of data management options, he explains. The region will reap the rewards of this advanced digital infrastructure. Its good to see a future-focused business like this now have a presence in our region.

JT Fossey IT manager Angus Collins stresses the benefits of having a local data centre.

With a local data centre, I can build and create the configuration I need for our businesss needs and architecture, access the speed, stability and security that we require, all while eliminating the cost of downtime, maintenance, and corporate overhead, Collins explains.

According to Leading Edge Data Centre, JT Fossey now enjoys a network that provides a single 200Mbps connection to each of their three sites, with shared 300Mbps for internet service. The result is broadband speeds 20x times fasterwith a reduced cost of 70% from what JT Fossey was paying before.

For our company, edge computing is important, specifically in the speed and security sectors. Having a fast and private fibre interlink between our three sites enables me to be able to manage computers, users, and services on a much larger scale, and allows for a lot more room for expansion, and the security to transfer and store sensitive, and highly critical data off site, in a secure facility with the ability to know exactly where my data is being stored, concludes Collins.
The ACT government will trial Frontline Data Systems AI technology as part of its annual road resurfacing program in Canberra.

Minister for Transport and City Services Chris Steel said in a statement over the summer, government will repair 925,000 square kilometre of roads and waterproof them against future potholes, costing $19.5 million.

Major roads planned for renewal include the Monaro Highway, Tuggeranong Parkway, Long Gully Road, Ginninderra Drive, College Street, Mirrabei Drive, Mawson Drive, and Cooyong Street in the city, Steel said. These are some of our citys important road links connecting people between and within our regions, so these resurfacing works will deliver better driving conditions for tens of thousands of Canberrans.

The resurfacing program will also see the ACT government using Frontline Data Systems new defect detection technology to implement the resurfacing faster and more efficient.

According to the ACT government, cameras will be attached to vehicles and will scan and automatically photograph road surfaces with the artificial intelligence software identifying and classifying areas in need repair.

We are piloting this AI technology [Frontline Data Systems] to test if the data can improve both the efficiency and accuracy of the ACTs road maintenance program going forward, said Steel.

Our system will detect, classify, assess and geo-locate potholes, cracks and other hazardous defects by analysing footage captured from cars equipped with optical devices driving at normal speeds across some of Canberras roads, Frontline Data Systems director of operations Jonathon Staples says.

Frontline Data Systems says it won a tender worth $19,000.

The ACT government is also currently undertaking a tender process for the next contractor/s to collect data on the condition of roads in Canberra which will also help determine preventative measures and future road resurfacing priorities.
Arcserve Cloud Services, designed specifically to take advantage of Google Cloud capabilities and providing one-click orchestrated recovery, is now available from Google Cloud Platform.

Arcserve and Google have been working together for months, and Arcserve Cloud Services is available in GCPs Sydney region, providing customers with the distributed, secure infrastructure needed to meet disaster recovery requirements while keeping data in-country.

Other advantages of the service are said to include enterprise-grade protection with the ability to spin up an entire infrastructure with one click thanks to pre-staged orchestration for virtualising machines in the cloud, simple customisation via a self-service portal, andconsumption-driven billing integrated with Google Cloud Marketplace.

"Our partners and customers are going to be extremely excited with this addition to Arcserve's ongoing hybrid data centre strategy, said Arcserve chief marketing officer Shridar Subramanian.

It not only provides greater scale, elasticity, compliance, and data security options, it also changes the economics of data recovery, making cloud-based DRaaS significantly more attractive than in-house implementations."
Anchor , part of Hostpia Australia , today announced its Agile Cloud Engineering (ACE) offering. This is the first-of-its-kind in Australia, advancing the MSP model and changing how cloud services are consumed.

Anchor launched ACE on the back of recording a 47% year-on-year growth from cloud revenues, following a decision by the company 12 months ago to focus on engineering services and value creation. ACE will be available through four plans - Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.

The offering gives customers on-demand engineering capabilities and provides collaborative co-value creation with customers. The service will be offered in collaboration with AWS.

In addition, the services will be billed through Engineering Credits (ECs) which are tokens that customers use to spend on outcomes (scheduled engagements with clearly defined outcomes), consulting services including projects and change requests, and always-on support.

Anchor estimates the use of ECs will result in a reduction of management fees from the typical MSP model of 40 to 50% on average, down to only nine to 15% with ACE.

Anchor also says ECs will incentivise constant investment in technology, therefore accelerating speed to market and improving customer experience while also improving return on investment.

Anchor sees this as creating a new market segment, and making it Australias first Engineering Services Provider (ESP), intending to move 100% of its managed services customers to ACE over the next 12 months.

Josh Chiswell (pictured above), director of architecture and professional Services, Anchor, said, Were aiming to minimise what companies spend on management fees when buying from managed service providers. What we hear from customers is that they need help in creating business value through technology, and that comes through engineering services and justifiable investment.

We created Agile Cloud Engineering - which is the first true on-demand engineering service in Australia - to advance the existing MSP model, challenge our competitors, and provide more value to customers as well as more price transparency. Its all about delivering engineering outcomes with upfront pricing in the form of credits, which has not been seen in Australia yet, he said.

Anchor says its new model will disrupt traditional MSP pricing which scales with infrastructure spend and is a specific fee per hour or day, or even arbitrary pricing for services. Instead, the ACE model is based on customer outcomes, scaling down support costs, and providing a menu of services customers may purchase from.

Chiswell said, our strategic decision in 2020 to focus our efforts and investments on services that create value for customers rather than just cloud management was calculated, but it has paid off. This is definitely what customers want and need, thats what they are continually telling us, the market, and why we built this unique new offering.

Adam Beavis, head of ISV and DNB, APAC and Japan, AWS, said, "the future of cloud lies in the delivery of next-gen services that will help our customers customer innovate on AWS. Engineering services are central to this and we believe Anchors new ACE offering is innovative and will see a high demand in Australia. We are looking forward to working with partners like Anchor and supporting the creation and expansion of its new engineering services.

Darryn McCoskery (pictured below), general manager, Hostopia Australia and Anchor, said a year ago we made the bold decision to invest in engineering capabilities to transform into an engineering company. Investing more in our partnership with AWS was key, and today that transformation has come to life. This is a very exciting road ahead.

Were expecting a lot of growth to come out of our new positioning and our disruptive ACE offering, as well as an expansion into new markets and verticals. We want 2022 to be the year we become the leading provider of engineering services in Australia, and lead the way for a whole new Engineering Services Provider market to emerge, McCosker said.
GUEST OPINION by Garett Paton, Director, Data Protection Solutions, Dell Technologies, Australia and New Zealand: In Australia, cybercrime is an increasing threat, with the 2020-2021 ACSC Annual Cyber Threat Report estimating an attack every 8 minutes. 1 Targeting everything from critical national infrastructure to sensitive personal data, the economic and social impact of cyber-attacks at this pace can be astronomical.

With remote work arrangements set to stay, we are more vulnerable than ever. McKinsey points to a near-sevenfold increase in spear-phishing attacks since the pandemic began2 with criminals taking advantage of delayed updates to email and web filters to target remote workers.

The cost of these types of attacks and increased vulnerability highlight the need for governments to rapidly accelerate cyber resiliency planning  the ability to prevent, respond to and recover from cybercrime  to ensure a strong foundation as we build towards global economic recovery.

The enormous toll of cyber-attacks

Ransomware and other sophisticated cyber-attacks are becoming more prevalent and damaging and chillingly, cybercriminals are increasingly set their sights on essential organisations and critical infrastructure. Just this year weve seen attacks on news networks, hospital operators and state education departments

The financial ramifications of cybercrime are enormous and will cost the world $10.5 trillion annually by 20253, exponentially more than the damage from all the natural disasters over the same period. But the damage caused by cyber-attacks stretch far beyond financial costs, with the theft or destruction of personal data and intellectual property, as well as reputational harm.

Over 100 governments have already developed national cybersecurity strategies to protect their citizens, businesses, and critical infrastructure against these risks.4 Australia is currently seeking to pass The Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Bill, which will legislate protection for critical infrastructure from cyber security threats.5, and the federal government recently unveiled its Ransomware Action Plan. As global locations look ahead to a tech-driven economic recovery, governments that focus their investments and efforts in the right places will be in a better position to prevent cyberattacks and mitigate their damage through a robust digital infrastructure.

Beyond protection: cyber resilience drives economic growth

Cyber security is much more than an insurance policy against attacks. Cyber resilience, if implemented effectively, can help turbocharge long-term economic prosperity and innovation.

Cybersecurity markets across the world are already showing strong growth, and driving the creation of quality jobs for now and the future, underlining their importance at the heart of new economic eco systems:

The Australian cyber security sector was valued at approximately $5.6 billion in 2020 and is set to increase to $7.6 billion by 2024 1

: The APAC cybersecurity market was valued at $30.45 billion in 2019 and is expected to register a CAGR of 18.3% until 2025 2 (Source Mordor Intelligence )

Digital transformation, crucial to accelerating economic recovery, requires a resilient cyber foundation to ensure security and trust. IDC predicts that 65 per cent of global GDP will be

digitalised by 2022, driving over $6.8 trillion of direct digital transformation investments from 2020 to 2023. 8 New technologies  AI, Big Data, cloud, and edge computing  are revolutionising the economy but security concerns risk slowing their adoption. According to Oxford Economics, these concerns mean companies may hesitate to start digital projects, thus

stifling their innovation potential.

Public investment to unleash cyber resiliences potential

Recovery plans already adopted by governments recognise the magnitude of the challenge ahead. The Australian Government in the 2021/2022 Budget announced a $1.67 billion Cyber Security Strategy to improve cyber resiliency across the nation4.

Additionally, the Australian Governments Defence Science and Technology Group is partnering with tertiary institutions such as the University of Adelaide, to research into incorporating emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, into cyber security applications5.

More than funding, securing business and public service infrastructure for the long term requires a different approach. Governments must shift focus from simple cybersecurity towards the adoption of risk-based cyber resilience strategies. As Jim Shook, Director of Compliance Practice (Dell Technologies) underlined at our recent flagship event, Dell Tech World 20216, cyber resilience is a high level, holistic strategy that incorporates cybersecurity standards and guidelines and best practices across the organisation. This approach allows for the construction of a safe, free, and fair digital space  one that protects public administrations, critical infrastructure, academic institutions, and citizens.

In addition to funding, governments are now well positioned to guide the private sector towards implementing a risk-based approach to security. For example, encouraging Cloud adoption blended with traditional data centres can help improve response to cyber-attacks by providing real-time visibility across networks, thus increasing business continuity.

We are undoubtedly at a crucial juncture in recovery planning, with the opportunity to lay robust digital foundations and empower a new wave of tech-driven infrastructure to thrive and survive for the years ahead. The pace and scale of cyberattacks even in the last twelve months is a warning that a digitally transformed economy and society can only be sustainable with cyber resiliency at its very foundation.

In the time it took to read this article, an estimated 30 cyber-attacks have taken place  each with the potential to damage national infrastructures, organisations, erode citizens trust and undermine the prospect of digital transformation. Reducing the economic and societal impact of cyber-attacks while driving growth and innovation, cyber resiliency is imperative to a sound and future-proof economic recovery.
NBN Co are taking the initiative during the ACCC's National Scams Awareness Week, November 8 to 12, to run a series of special free webinars, in partnership with ASCCA and other national organisations, to help Australians get 'ScamFit' as NBN and other company impersonation scams go on the rise - and losses by everyday Aussies grow, too.

NBN impersonation scams. Or scams involving people claiming to be from Border Force, Microsoft, Telstra, a courier, foreign governments and more are on the rise. They want to "help you" to speed up your Internet, question you about "illegal items" detected in a parcel addressed to you, they want to fix a virus on your computer or get you to pay fees and fines.

They're all scams - and just like romance and dating scams, items on sale at too cheap prices on Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace or elsewhere, with the seller unable to leave a military base or in some other way stuck and unable to meet you but wanting you to transfer money electronically, people wanting to log onto your computer and take control with remote access software, threats that you need to pay a fine immediately or have bank or other accounts closed, or clicking on the links in unexpected "missed voicemail" or "courier delivery issues" text messages - cyber criminals have never been more active, or successful in stealing money, passwords or other information.

So it's great to see the ACCC and nbn taking action to get the message out so that everyone - not just older Australians - becomes more cyber street smart, so they are ScamFit as nbn puts it, and 'CyberFit' as one of the top Internet security, anti-ransomware and backup software vendors, Acronis, puts it.

ASCCA, the Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association, which is one of the organisations partnering with nbn on its excellent ScamFit program, is also hosting its 23rd Annual Technology Conference for Seniors, being officially opened by much-loved entertainer Kamahl

Nbn-related scams alone have cost Australians over $1.4 million this year, but the losses are far greater on the whole. In 2020, Australians made more than 216,000 reports to Scamwatch with reported losses of $178 million, but in 2021, to the end of September, it's worse! There were over 226,000 reports, with losses of over $222 million.

Given there would be unreported losses, the true figure is obviously even higher, which is why the theme of the ACCC's Scamwatch this year is "Let's talk scams", with their T.A.L.K acronym explained in greater detail here.

In short though, it stands for Talking to people about scams, Asking if others have ever been scammed or how to avoid being scammed. Listening to people talk about their scam stories and experiences, and the Keep talking about scams and scam experiences, because the more we talk about them, the less likely we will be caught in one.

nbn has a great blog post called "Are you ready to get ScamFit", by Darren Kane, Chief Security Officer at nbn. In addition to great information, there are three must-watch videos he and nbn have created.

These are 1) Are you ScamFit?, 2) What to do if you've been scammed and 3) Sharing information and protecting yourself. I could embed the video here, but it's definitely worth checking the blog post out for yourself.

There are tips to spot a scam, how you're not alone, and how you can join a free ScamFit workshop webinar.

There are esveral events on tomorrow, Tuesday 9 November, and more throughout the week, both for ScamFit awareness and nbn topics, with an event worth attending being the 2pm event titled "Scams Awareness Week Webinar: "ScamFit 'Workout' with nbn and the Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association" which will feature ASCCA founder and President Emeritus, Nan Bosler - register for that event at EventBrite here.

You can also learn how to "Protect yourself from scams" from nbn here.

Here's some news coverage, with plenty more detail on what nbn's ScamFit program is all about, and with the involvement of ASCCA's founder and President Emeritus, Nan Bosler, with ASCCA being The Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association.

Channel 7 ran a national news story in its Sunday 6pm bulletin about ScamFit here and Gizmodo wrote about how "NBN Wants to Teach Your Nan How to Avoid Scammers" although they meant your Nan as in your grandmother, rather than Nan Bosler!)

So, what else is nbn telling us about scams and the need to become ScamFit?

Losses to nbn impersonation scams are primarily due to remote access scams, one of the largest growing scam types in Australia. In a remote access scam, a scammer will call and request access to a victims devices in order to transfer money, often without their knowledge.

Recent reports of nbn-related remote access scams show many scammers are using a hacking scenario to take advantage of their victims. In this scenario, a scammer will contact their victim claiming that their computer has been accessed by hackers and ask for remote access to the computer in order to stop the hackers.

People over the age of 65 are often the most vulnerable to remote access scams and in 2021, the highest number of reports and losses from nbn-impersonation scams came from this age group.

nbn has kicked off its ScamFit Program with a joint online Workout session hosted in partnership with the Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association, the national peak body for seniors and technology. The Workout is open to all Australians and free registration is available at nbns Community events page.

To meet the 10,000 commitment, nbn will continue the ScamFit program beyond Scams Awareness Week with online and face to face community sessions and via a social media education campaign targeting older Australians.

Darren Kane, Chief Security Officer at nbn, said:

Scams impact Australians of all ages, but older Australians can often be scammers primary targets. These scammers are smart  they know what to say to sound convincing over the phone, and they can create a sense of urgency or confusion to put their victim off-kilter.

When cornered by a scammer, many older Australians may not know how to shut down the conversation or avoid being tricked into making a mistake. As the nations digital backbone, nbn is proud to be helping Australians get ScamFit by giving them the skills to fight back.

Technology makes our lives much easier in so many ways, but its also important

to understand what to be mindful of, and these sessions cover all the basics to help the community stay safe.

The team at nbn is committed to empowering the community with knowledge, education, and information to help protect our loved ones from these insidious scams.

Nan Bosler AM, founder and President Emeritus of the Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association, welcomed the commitment and encouraged older Australians to get involved in the events.

Nan said: People often underestimate older Australians, especially when it comes to technology. But given the right skills and training theres no reason older Australians cant arm ourselves against scammers  and maybe even help teach younger Aussies a thing or two about getting ScamFit.

In addition to the ScamFit Workouts for older Australians, nbn will also be running a series of online information events for businesses and other members of the community in support of Scams Awareness Week. To find a ScamFit Workshop or local event, visit nbns Community events page.

nbns top ScamFit tips:
SiteMinders shares were offered at $5.06, giving a total offer of $627 million and a market capitalisation of $1.36 billion.

SiteMinder opened at $6.75 and closed at $6.885 for a market capitalisation of $1.85 billion. Almost 10 million of the 124 million shares had changed hands.

The IPO was led by BlackRock and supported by existing investors AustralianSuper, Ellerston Capital, Fidelity International, Pendal Group and Washington H. Soul Pattinson.

New investors included funds managed by Caledonia, GIC, UniSuper, and Wellington Management, as well as other institutional and retail investors. Long-term SiteMinder shareholder Bailador Technology Investments is still a substantial shareholder, according to the company.

Although SiteMinder was founded and is headquartered in Australia, nearly 60% of its revenue comes from outside of the Asia Pacific region.

Today serves as yet another reminder that the worlds innovators and market leaders can emerge from Australia, said CEO and managing director Sankar Narayan.

We are grateful to our people, customers, partners and investors for supporting us on our 15-year journey so far. In particular, I am thrilled with the extremely high quality of shareholders who have joined us for our journey ahead. These include many of the biggest and most knowledgeable global and Australian giants in the investment world, to add to the very strong endorsement from our high quality existing investors.

He added In many ways, were just getting started. We are very excited to have taken this step, which represents the next stage of the SiteMinder business and our ongoing evolution.

The global hotel industry has experienced evolution like never before in recent times. The need for technology like SiteMinders hotel commerce platform is of substantial relevance as hotels have had to digitally transform with haste, while adjusting to their customers changing needs and behaviours.
Investors in SolarWinds have sued the directors of the company, claiming they were aware of the risks that the firm's software posed but failed to act to prevent devastating attacks that came to light last year.

The suit was filed on 4 November in the Delaware Chancery Court, by the Construction Industry Labourers Pension Fund, the Central Labourers' Pension Fund, and two individual investors.

The attacks came to light in December 2020 when American cyber security firm FireEye announced that it had identified a global campaign to compromise public and private sector bodies through corruption of software supply chains.

FireEye is now known as Mandiant, taking on the name of a company that it acquired some years ago after selling its network, email and cloud security products, as well as the FireEye name, in June this year.

SolarWinds' Orion network management software was named as the culprit by FireEye.

The suit says: "As of 31 December 2019, the company had over 320,000 customers in 190 countries, including 499 of the Fortune 500, major US technology companies such as Intel and Microsoft, all of the top 10 US telecommunications companies, all of the top five US accounting firms, and hundreds of hospitals and universities."

Named as defendants are both former and present directors, with the plaintiffs seeking both damages and changes to the way the company protects its software from such occurrences.

The suit cites numerous instances where private and public bodies warned about the danger of such attacks, including warnings that were specifically aimed at companies like SolarWinds.

The plaintiffs have sought a declaration that the defendants breached their fiduciary duty to SolarWinds and their costs in taking the action.

Update, 10 November: A SolarWinds spokesperson said in an unsolicited comment sent to iTWire: ""We do not comment on pending litigation, but this action is similar to a purported derivative lawsuit filed earlier this year.

"More importantly, we continue to focus on deepening our relationships with customers and openly discussing our Secure by Design initiatives as we look to set the standard for secure software development."

Thanks to Computing for a link to the text of the lawsuit.
The Silicon Valley headquartered H2O.ai operates the cloud-based machine learning platform, H2O AI Cloud and Commonwealth Bank CEO, Matt Comyn, said: the partnership will further differentiate and extend our artificial intelligence capability to better anticipate customer needs, and reimagine products and digital experiences to meet those needs.

This partnership will accelerate our ability to deliver a broader customer proposition through more personalised experiences, which delivers greater value for our customers.

As part of the partnership agreement, Commonwealth Bank says it will provide H2O.ais state-of-the-art AI Cloud to its entire organisation, including data scientists, data engineers and business users.

The bank will gain a dedicated H2O.ai team of experts, including industry-renowned Kaggle Grandmasters, machine learning engineers and product specialists, to work full time on developing new AI solutions within the bank, the bank said in a statement on Monday.

Dr Andrew McMullan, CBAs Chief Data & Analytics Officer said: We are building an AI-powered organisation for the benefit of our customers. Through this partnership, we will be able to better help customers find personalised and relevant offers to save money while they shop across platforms like Little Birdie, Karta, CommBank Rewards, and Klarna, while at the same time driving sales for merchants. We intend to be one of the highest quality, lowest cost sources of leads to our business customers.

H2O.ai will also help us to better predict bills and forecast cash flows for both retail and business customers so they can plan ahead. Customers want to be in control, and through the combination of our award winning app, powered by artificial intelligence, we can deliver products and services in the moment to manage unexpected expenses or irregular incomes.

We are not just helping customers make better decisions about their finances, but also about how they can reduce and offset their energy usage and carbon emissions.

We will be using our AI models to orchestrate a range of services available across the CBA ecosystem for customers, including through our own products like the Green Loan to help homeowners finance solar or a battery, or through recently announced partnerships such as Amber Energy and CoGo.

Commonwealth Bank announced that it is now H2O.ais exclusive financial services partner in Australia and New Zealand, and provides it with access to top international talent to assist in working on the banks highest value customer needs.

H2O.ai Founder and CEO Sri Ambati (pictured) said: CommBank and H2O.ai are led by our core belief that we can make the world better while serving our communities and customers with excellence.

This strategic partnership between the leading global AI Cloud movement and Australias largest bank will unleash the juggernaut of co-innovation in AI for Payments and further democratise AI with trust and freedom. Our vision is not only to make CBA an AI superpower but make Australia an AI nation as we move to life after Covid. This will be fun.

Deepening our existing relationship with H2O.ai enables us to work more closely with some of the worlds best data scientists and will help to attract top talent wanting to work with the best tools on the biggest data sets on the most interesting problems., Matt Comyn said.

We see broad application for AI and machine learning technology right across our business  in operational processes, protecting customers from fraud, lending decisions, and risk management. It builds on the foundational data and analytics capabilities that Commonwealth Bank has developed over the past decade.

We aspire to be the trusted partner at the centre of our customers financial lives. To do this in an increasingly digital world, artificial intelligence is playing an even more important role in delivering personalised and relevant experiences. When these experiences drive demonstrably better outcomes for customers, this builds trust, confidence, and ultimately engagement  and the more our customers engage with us, the better we are able to anticipate their needs.
India's second biggest retail outlet, Future Retail, has been asked to submit details of a deal with Amazon to the Enforcement Directorate, an Indian law enforcement agency.

The news agency Reuters said on Tuesday Future had sold its retail assets to India's Reliance Industries for US$3.4 billion (A$4.57 billion) last year.

This deal has now been frozen after Amazon claimed Future had broken contracts with the US retail giant by the Reliance sale.

This is the second case in India where Amazon has been involved in recent days; last month the US company was accused of copying Indian products and manipulating search results to favour its own products over private Indian brands. Amazon has denied the claims.

Tuesday's report cited two sources with "direct knowledge of the matter" as saying the demand by the ED was part of a probe to find out whether any foreign investment laws were violated by Amazon.

The US retail giant invested US$200 million in Future Coupons, the Indian retail company's gift voucher sub-unit.

Three agreements were signed by Future and Amazon in 2019, which a Singapore arbitration committee has said should be read together, and not separately as Future contends.

The Indian retail firm's argument is that were the agreements to be read together, it would be in violation of Indian laws preventing investment in the retail sector without approval from New Delhi.

The ED also sought various legal filings and supporting documents submitted by both Amazon and Future to Indian courts and the Singapore panel.
True to form, Congolese military justice conducted this trial in record time. The trial opened on October 25 at the site of the alleged events in the village of Mayi Munene, some 30 kilometres from the provincial capital Tshikapa, and ended on Saturday, October 30.

The case concerns actions of a militia that set fire to several villages in the region, particularly those of Mayi Munene and Lusuku, in 2017. Summary executions by decapitation, looting and burning houses: these are the abuses for which Tshimputu Mandefu and Annie Ntumba were prosecuted. According to the prosecution, Tshimputu Mandefu was a village chief and militia leader, while his wife Annie Ntumba was guardian of the militias fetishes. They were charged with war crimes of murder and participation in an insurrectionary movement.

Mandefu was found guilty on all charges and was sentenced to death. Ntumba was found guilty only of participation in an insurrectional movement. The court found a number of mitigating circumstances in her case, and she was sentenced to only four years in prison. Of the 60 or so victims who filed civil suits, only 18 were recognized as such by the court. Chief Tshimputu was ordered to pay them a collective sum of 80,000 US dollars.

Before the trial, victims felt forgotten

The victims welcomed this judgment with real enthusiasm, there was applause in the villages, said Isaac Tambwe, President of the Bar of Tshikapa, who coordinated the team of civil party lawyers. This judgment is a first in Kasai. There are other cases being prepared. We have identified about ten priority cases. We have opted for hearings at the scene of the events, so criminals understand that impunity can no longer be tolerated. Tambwe doubts that the convict Tshimputu has the means to pay the amount ordered by the judges, but nevertheless expressed satisfaction. Before the trial, the victims felt they had been forgotten. Now justice has been done.

Defence lawyer Francois Ngalamulume only half believes this. He says he is satisfied for Annie Ntumba, because she was released after the judgment, having already spent the four years of her sentence in pre-trial detention. However, it should be noted that there was no evidence of fetishism at the trial. We did not see these fetishes. What colour are they? What size are they? Its all in peoples imagination, he said in a telephone interview. As for his client Tshimputu, the court went too far, the sentence is too severe, he says. No witness testified that he saw Tshimputu commit these crimes. Moreover, our client was never a village chief. He asked the court go to the scene, to the village, to confirm or deny this, but the judges refused. The lawyer is therefore appealing.

Kamuina Nsapu, a nebulous group of militias

While at least one trial for serious crimes committed during the so-called Kamuina Nsapu conflict has been held in the neighbouring province of Kasai Central, this is the first to be held in Kasai province. The Kamuina Nsapu movement was not a single homogeneous group but a nebulous collection of militias in the different territories and provinces of Kasai, all of which claimed to be Kamuina Nsapu but were not necessarily organizationally and hierarchically linked.

The origin of this insurgency dates back to August 22, 2016, when Jean-Pierre Mpandi, the Kamuina Nsapu or leader of the Bajila Kasanga clan in Kasai Central province, was shot and killed during an operation by the national security forces. To avenge their leader, militiamen now known as Kamuina Nsapu burned down administrative buildings, attacked and killed soldiers, police and other central government officials. The violence spread, as many young people from other ethnic groups and other neighbouring regions joined the rebellion. Tshimputu and his wife thus belonged to a militia created locally in the context of this insurrection.

The conflict quickly took on an inter-ethnic connotation. In their reprisals, the defence and security forces relied on another militia, the Bana Mura, composed of members of the Tchokwe, Pende and Tetela ethnic groups. Clashes between Kamuina Nsapu militiamen and security forces and Bana Mura militias left more than 3,000 people dead and 1.4 million displaced between 2016 and 2017, according to the United Nations.

What about army responsibility?

But what about the prosecution of crimes committed by the Congolese military during the conflict in Kasai? The files are being prepared. Justice is doing its job and no criminal, whatever his rank, will be spared, says Tambwe optimistically.

There are other investigations underway, both in Kasai province and Central Kasai province, for crimes committed in the Kamuina Nsapu conflict. These investigations target militiamen and elements of the Congolese security forces, says Daniele Perissi of the Swiss NGO TRIAL International, which has already been involved in trials in eastern DRC and has just begun work in the Kasai. We hope that these investigations will be successful and that other trials will be held in the coming months and years.

Marie-Therese Keita-Bocoum, member of a UN team of international experts on the situation in Kasai, recommended at a press conference in Geneva on October 6 that a transitional justice mechanism be set up. She said this should necessarily include criminal justice but also other non-judicial mechanisms that will make it possible to repair the harm done to the victims and will also allow for collective reparation. For the moment, the work rests mainly on the shoulders of the military justice system, as is already the case in the east of the country, in the Kivu regions.
President Joe Biden is advancing a large-scale plan that requires millions of private sector employees to be vaccinated by early next year. But first, he must make sure that his own federal government workers are injected.

According to the Presidents executive order, approximately 4 million federal workers will be vaccinated by November 22. Some employees, such as those in the White House, are almost vaccinated. But according to agency and union leaders, other federal agencies have lower rates, especially those related to law enforcement and intelligence. Some resisting workers are digging, filing lawsuits and protesting what they call the White Houses unfair over-expansion.

The upcoming deadline is the first test of Bidens efforts to promote peoples vaccinations. According to the guidelines issued last week, in addition to the federal worker regulations, another task will take effect in January, with a target of approximately 84 million private sector workers.

On Saturday, a federal appeals court in Louisiana temporarily suspended vaccine requirements for companies with 100 or more workers. The government expressed confidence that the request will withstand legal challenges, partly because its safety rules take precedence over state laws.

If the President and the government consider these requirements inappropriate and unnecessary, they will not implement them, surgeon Vivic Mersey said on ABCs This Week program on Sunday. And of course the government is prepared to defend them.

If the authorization is successful, they may have the worst reduction in new coronavirus cases since the vaccine was first available, especially last week when it was reported that children aged 5-11 could be vaccinated, making another 64 million people eligible for it. vaccine. But two weeks before the deadline for federal workers, some union leaders representing employees say it is increasingly challenging to persuade people who have not been vaccinated to change their minds.

I got the vaccine in February. It was my choice. I think it will stop the virus from spreading, said Corey Trammel, a correctional officer at the Louisiana Department of Prisons and chairman of the local labor union. But it didnt. Now I have some people resign because they are tired of the governments excessive intervention in this area, and they dont want to be shot. People just dont trust the government, they just dont trust the vaccine.

Vaccines have a good record of safety, and clinical trials and independent reviews have shown that they are very effective in preventing serious illness and death caused by COVID-19. More than 222 million Americans have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and more than 193 million people have been fully vaccinated. More than half of the worlds population has also been vaccinated.

Since the vaccine was first approved, scientists have struggled with the anxiety of this vaccine. An AP-NORC poll conducted earlier this year found that despite guarantees that the vaccine is safe and effective, and there are few serious side effects, one-third of American adults are still skeptical. Approximately 70% of American adults have been fully vaccinated, and 80% have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

The federal governments vaccination rate is uneven.

Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development said they are working to get employees vaccinated, but there are no figures yet.

Rep. Chris Stewart, a member of the House Intelligence Committee and Republican of Utah, said that as of the end of October, at least 20% of employees in some intelligence agencies had not been vaccinated.

Larry Cosme, president of the Federation of Law Enforcement Officers, said that the association has about 31,000 members from 65 federal law enforcement agencies, and he estimates that 60% of them have been vaccinated.

The Department of Homeland Security is a large government agency with more than 240,000 employees. As of the end of last month, approximately 64% of vaccinations had been completed. According to the union representing border patrol agents, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has received at least 6,000 requests for medical or religious exemptions.

Federal agencies are warning employees about upcoming tasks, providing time for vaccinations and encouraging employees to comply. But if they do not meet the November 22 deadline, they will not be fired. They will receive a consultation and have five days to start the vaccination process. Then they may be suspended for 14 days and may eventually be terminated, but this process will take several months.

Republicans think this authorization is too much. The Republicans of the House Oversight Committee wrote in late October that the presidents authoritarian and extreme authorization violated American freedom, unprecedented in history, and may eventually be deemed illegal.

In the letter, Kentucky Rep. James Comer and Georgia Rep. Jody Heath stated that if thousands of workers refused and were fired, they were worried that the government would have a large number of job vacancies. People in the already understaffed prison bureau also felt this concern.

A federal union of correctional officers in Florida filed a lawsuit on the task last week, claiming it violated civil rights. Some prison staff said that they felt very painful about the vaccine and did not want to lose their livelihoods or sacrifice their personal beliefs. Officials approaching retirement age are considering leaving instead of being vaccinated.

A prison staff member in West Virginia texted a colleague that the staff member did not want to be a guinea pig and wrote: If its not new, the situation will be different. But it is. And it is. And it is. I dont want to be your experiment.

The worker described how painful the decision was. He said, I cried many times and vomited a lot, and my eyes and stomach hurt. The worker wanted to know whether it was wrong to resolutely oppose the vaccine.

The chairman of the union, Brandon Judd, said that Border Patrol employees have been instructed to confirm their vaccination status by Tuesday. Judd said that as of Thursday, 49% of Border Patrol agents responded that they had been fully vaccinated, and about 7% reported not being vaccinated.

It is not clear how many people will continue to refuse if they are not granted an exemption and face unemployment as a result.

When it comes to losing a livelihood or getting vaccinated, I think the vast majority of people will eventually get vaccinated, Judd said. We will lose people. How many people are there? I really cant predict.
Press release

Press release. As blockchain technology and encryption technology have become the forces of the next industrial revolution in recent years, Africa has been working together to ensure participation in the dialogue. As a multi-purpose African bank with more than 200,000 customers worldwide, DafriBank launched the Digital Bank of Africa (DBA) project, aiming to make it the largest cryptocurrency in Africa. Taking a step forward, DBA is listed on trading platforms such as LBank Exchange, further expanding its global influence and influence.

Introducing DafriBank

DafriBank is a multifunctional African bank dedicated to exploring a simpler and better way to save, pay, and manage customer funds and business anytime, anywhere. Traditional banks find it difficult to meet the needs of modern digital-centric companies, which limits their growth. DafriBank solves this problem by providing excellent digital banking services that are fast, secure, and cost-effective. Its goal is to democratize financial services, free people from the vortex of the traditional banking system, and encourage people and companies to join and thrive in the global economic environment.

More than 200,000 customers worldwide use DafriBank for reasons including no hidden fees, advanced security features, easy bill payment and no delays. DafriBank supports personal accounts and corporate accounts. Personal savings accounts are accounts that help customers save for financial security and peace of mind. Business accounts help customers manage their daily banking business and unique business needs, such as investment and worry-free 3road Party transactions, target savings and fast-track international transactions.

In addition to providing existing services in an excellent manner, DafriBank also provides a way to integrate new technologies such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, blockchain and digital currency, making it not only the latest, but also for eternal-changing future needs and Require.

Aiming at the number one cryptocurrency in Africa

Statistics from Google Trends have shown that African countries such as Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Ghana have consistently ranked among the top 20 countries in the world in cryptocurrency related searches, showing the huge potential of cryptocurrencies in Africa. However, although the popularity of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology solutions in Africa is commendable, there are still many shortcomings. In order to promote the wider adoption of the emerging technology of blockchain and cryptocurrency, more innovative use cases need to be proposed to disrupt more industries.

The solution proposed by DafriBank is DBA, which is a cryptocurrency setting. Because of its more and more use cases tailored to Africans, it has become the elite status of Africas largest cryptocurrency. DBA is specifically used as an alternative currency used in the DafriBank ecosystem to help its users use modern tools such as blockchain and cryptocurrency to simplify banking processes. The token was later used as the banks governance token. In addition to having a say in the banks future decisions, customers can also mortgage the DBA and earn interest.

In addition, the token is supported by DafriGroups subsidiaries, which span multiple industries, including banking and finance, hotels, real estate, etc. These companies are based on fully developed models, and even without cryptocurrencies, they are profit magnets in themselves. DBA tokens will be listed on the LBank exchange at 21:00 (UTC+8) on November 5, 2021. Investors interested in DBA investment can easily buy and sell DBA tokens on the LBank exchange.

Develop with firm conviction

DafriBank firmly believes in and is committed to providing an empowered, empowered and accessible digital society, leaving no one behind. In this rapidly changing world, it is striving to absorb the culture of connectivity, digital skills, and related products that help close the digital divide. DafriBank also firmly believes that connectivity and digital services have the power to enhance the capabilities of the economy. DafriBank believes that lighting a candle is better than cursing the darkness and it strengthens this belief by providing truly smart, digital and borderless banking solutions.

Contact information:

LBK Blockchain Co., Ltd.

LBank Exchange

[email protected]

This is a press release. Readers should conduct their own due diligence before taking any action related to the advertised company or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or claimed to be caused by the use or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in the press release.

Image Source: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wikimedia Commons
On Saturday, the Federal Court of Appeals temporarily suspended the Biden administrations vaccine requirements for companies with 100 or more workers.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit approved the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administrations requirements for these workers to be vaccinated or mask requirements and weekly testing requirements before January 4.

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry stated that this action prevented President Joe Biden from continuing his illegal ultra vires.

Republican Landry said in a statement: The president will not impose medical procedures on the American people without the checks and balances provided by the Constitution.

U.S. Department of Labors top legal counsel and labor attorney Simmananda stated that the department has full confidence in its legal authority to issue emergency interim standards for vaccination and testing.

She said that OSHA has the right to act quickly in emergency situations where the agency finds that workers are in serious danger and need to develop new standards to protect them.

Anthony Coley, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice, said in a statement: As we work to get rid of this epidemic, the OSHA Emergency Interim Standards are a key tool to ensure workplace safety in the United States. The Department of Justice will This rule was vigorously defended in court.

This type of circuit ruling usually applies to the states within a regionin this case, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texasbut Landry said the language used by the judge gives the ruling nationwide .

This is a great victory for the American people. The federal government has never tried to choose between American citizens and their doctors in such a powerful way. For me, this is the core of the whole problem, he Say.

At least 27 states have filed lawsuits in several circuit courts to challenge the rule, some of which have become more conservative due to President Donald Trumps judicial appointment.

The Biden administration has always encouraged widespread vaccination as the fastest way to end this pandemic that claimed more than 750,000 lives in the United States.

The government said it is confident that the requirements, including a fine of nearly $14,000 per violation, will withstand legal challenges, partly because its safety rules take precedence over state laws.

The Fifth Circuit in New Orleans said it was delaying federal vaccine requests due to potential serious statutory and constitutional issues raised by the plaintiff. The government must respond quickly to the motion for a permanent injunction on Monday, and then respond to the petitioners on Tuesday.

Lawrence Gostin, a professor at the Georgetown University Law Center and director of the World Health Organizations Center for Global Health Law, said that the Federal Court of Appeals suspension or postponement of safety rules during a health crisis is disturbing. He said that no one has the right to enter. No masks, no vaccines, and no tests workplaces.

Unelected judges with no scientific experience should not guess after the fact among OSHA health and safety professionals, he said.
With new data and corporate financial data showing that the U.S. economy and companies are still rebounding from the abyss of the coronavirus crisis, the Wall Street stock market is further entering uncharted territory.

According to data from Goldman Sachs, the S&P 500 index has generated a return including 27% of dividends so far this year, as the blue chip index hit a record high in more than 60 trading days.

Last week alone, the US stock market rose by 2%, which is its best performance since June. After Pfizer announced on Friday that its antiviral drug had successfully reduced the rate of hospitalization caused by Covid-19 by 90%, companies such as airlines, cruise operators and casinos that were hit during the pandemic rose.

Evidence that the US economy is getting rid of the downturn caused by the pandemic has further boosted sentiment. The latest monthly employment report shows that after months of weak growth, employment growth in almost all industries is picking up. Over 500,000 jobs were created in October and the unemployment rate fell to 4.6%, a move that exceeded economists expectations.

Read more about the U.S. market here.
When the state senators from South Carolina held two hearings on COVID-19 treatment in September, they heard about the benefits of ivermectin-many lawmakers agreed and shared them The experience of loved ones.

Although federal regulators have recently warned against using the drug to treat COVID, the demand for access to the drug is loud and firm.

Ivermectin is a generic drug that has been used for decades to treat river blindness, scabies and even head lice. Veterinarians also use it in different formulations and dosages to treat animal parasites (such as worms).

At a hearing in South Carolina, Presley Stutz III reminded the panel that his father, a famous Republican leader in the state, died of COVID a month ago. He believes that Ivermectin can help him. But the doctors at the hospital will not discuss it.

In order to save my fathers life, I did my best to not allow myself to be thrown into jail, he told the panel of experts because the legislators expressed condolences.

What happened here? He asked, the enthusiasm in his voice getting higher and higher. My dad is dead!

The plea for public officials has been established. Now politicians are beginning to take action, mainly to satisfy their conservative voters.

After the pandemic began, scientists started clinical trials to see if ivermectin could help treat COVID. Some are still in progress. However, mainstream medical providers refused to treat it as a COVID treatment on the grounds that the quality of the research so far was poor, and the two notorious preprint studies that had been disseminated before peer review, and later due to inaccuracy and inaccuracy. Remove defective data from the Internet.

On August 26, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised clinicians not to use ivermectin on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence that ivermectin was beneficial, and pointed out that unauthorized use can cause accidental poisoning. The CDC reiterated that vaccination is still the best way to avoid serious illness and death caused by the coronavirus.

But many Americans still believe that ivermectin may be beneficial, and some politicians seem to be listening to them.

South Carolina Republican Senator Tom Corbin said: If we have effective drugs here  or seem to work  I think we havent tried them. Its absolutely terrible. He questioned coming to the State Capitol to oppose Iver Doctors who are working hard to incorporate the element into mainstream use.

Doctors questioned the implicit insults that they did not follow best practices: Any hint that any of us will prevent our patients from receiving effective treatment at all costs is a real insult to our profession, the colleges Professor Anne Andrews said. The Medical University of South Carolina has been caring for COVID patients throughout the pandemic.

Some politicians in states such as South Carolina did not seem to heed the medical consensus, but got clues from marginal doctors. At a hearing in September, the state senator answered Dr. Pierre Korys call.

Last year, Kory established a non-profit organization called the Front Line COVID-19 Intensive Care Alliance, which promotes Ivermectin. He said that he did not make money by prescribing drugs, although the organization is indeed collecting donations and has not yet submitted the required financial documents to the IRS.

Corey admits that his medical advice has left him in an island.

In December last year, he testified for the first time before a U.S. Senate committee on ivermectin. That video went viral on the Internet. Although it was taken down by YouTube, his testimony in the Senate prompted patients across the country to request ivermectin when they fell ill.

By late August, the number of outpatient prescriptions had increased by 24 times. The number of calls to the poison control hotline has tripled, mainly because people have taken ivermectin preparations for livestock.

Corey said his views on ivermectin have actually lost two jobs. In his current hospital in Wisconsin, he is in charge of the intensive care unit for two weeks every month, and the management called him to a meeting in September, where he was told that he could no longer prescribe ivermectin. He said that he has been giving it to every COVID patient.

After pharma-geddon was released, yes, they closed it, he told South Carolina lawmakers. I will tell you that many hospitals across the country have closed a few months ago.

Defining the battle of ivermectin as a battle against anonymous federal agencies and large pharmaceutical companies has attracted Americans who are already skeptical of the science behind the pandemic and the approved COVID vaccine.

Corey said that successful cases of COVID treatment in other parts of the world have been suppressed, and vaccines have been promoted instead.

In an interview with NPR, Corey said he regrets the flash point he helped ignite.

I feel very sad for the patients, and I feel very sad for the doctors, he told NPR. The two of them-the patient and the doctor-are trapped.

Patients still demand treatment, but their health system tells doctors who sympathize with their wishes not to try.

Now, conservatives elected to public office will feel the political rewards if they step in to help patients get drugs. State legislatures, including those in Tennessee and Alaska, are discussing various ways to increase access to ivermectin-proposals such as protecting doctors from prescribing, or forcing pharmacists to fill out problematic prescriptions.

The Montana News Service reported that the states Republican Attorney General sent a state police officer to a hospital in Helena, where a patient with a political background died of new coronary pneumonia. Her family wants ivermectin.

St. Peters Hospital stated in a statement that the doctors and nurses were harassed and threatened by three public officials.

The statement added: These officials have no medical training or experience, but they insist that our providers provide treatment for COVID-19 that is not authorized, clinically approved, or does not meet the guidelines set by the FDA and CDC.

On October 14, the Republican Attorney General of Nebraska resolved the dispute and issued a nearly 50-page legal opinion, arguing that those considering the use of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine for COVID off the label The doctors used are acting within the scope of their state medical standards. License, as long as the doctor obtains the patients proper informed consent.

Some patients filed lawsuits to obtain ivermectin, but the results were mixed. A patient in Illinois was rejected. But other hospitals, including one in Ohio, were forced to use the drug with the opposition of doctors.

Even if they have gained strong political support, some ivermectin fans say they are now avoiding the healthcare system-because they have lost faith in it.

Lesa Berry of Richmond, Virginia, had a friend who died of COVID-19 earlier this year. Although Berry and the patients daughter asked, the doctor refused to use ivermectin.

She said they know more now.

My first attempt was to get her out of the hospital, Berry said. Because now when you go to the hospital, they only give you the contents of the CDC agreement.

Berry and her husband bought their own ivermectin and kept it at home.

This story comes from a partnership that includes NPR, Nashville Public Radio, and KHN.
The Biden administration has shelved its private employer vaccine mission, hoping to integrate multiple challenges to its workplace rules into a federal court, and demand a decision early next week.

The US Department of Justice stated in court documents on Monday that it should randomly select a Federal Circuit court to hear the case on November 16.

After the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced its rules last week, at least 27 states and some companies and associations have submitted more than a dozen legal challenges to at least six federal appeals courts. All states have a Republican governor or attorney general.

Last weekend, a judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans suspended the rule, saying it caused serious statutory and constitutional issues. White House spokesperson Karin Jean-Pierre expressed confidence on Monday that the COVID-19 vaccine authorization can withstand any legal challenges.

This is the authority we think the Ministry of Labor has, Jean-Pierre told reporters at a press conference. We are very confident about this.

The authorization will apply to private companies with more than 100 workers. Employees who have not been vaccinated before January 4 will be required to wear masks and undergo weekly coronavirus tests. OSHA rules provide exemptions for workers who cite religious objections, workers who do not personally interact with colleagues or clients, and workers who only work outdoors.

The Republican state attorney general and others filed a lawsuit on the grounds that the federal government does not have the authority to make the regulation, partly because COVID-19 is not specific to workplace hazards.

Jean-Pierre said that this authorization is to protect peoples safety, and Congress authorized the Department of Labor to act in accordance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Vaccine authorization, including authorization for certain federal employees and the military, is a key component of the bill.The Biden administrations strategy to contain the pandemic that has killed 750,000 people in the United States

It said that widespread vaccination is the fastest way to get rid of the pandemic.

Jean-Pierre said that people should not wait to be vaccinated.

The government announced the workplace rules plan in September and announced the plan on November 4. Many Republican governors and state attorneys general have indicated in advance that they will immediately challenge them, as they did in multiple federal lawsuits filed on Friday.

States filed lawsuits in the countrys most conservative court of appeals, and the appointment of former President Donald Trump supports the majority appointed by the Republican Party. It is unclear whether the emergency stay order issued by the Fifth Circuit on Saturday applies to the whole country or only to the states that filed the caseLouisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah.

The Fifth Circuits order reads that the authorization is hereby set aside until further action is taken by this court, but did not specify whether it only applies to five states. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said it applies to the whole country, but the state that filed a lawsuit in another court asked for clarification on Monday.

According to a state document from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in St. Louis, Although the Fifth Circuits order may be interpreted as having a national impact, it did not make a clear statement on this point. In order to avoid any confusion and ensure that their rights are fully protected, the petitioners respectfully request this court to issue similar orders here.

The states, businesses and organizations that challenged the rules in the 8th Circuit also called for a quick review of their challenges to the workplace rules on Monday.

Thousands of employers and millions of working families will immediately feel its impact. The court should act quickly to prevent these illegal and unconstitutional injuries, these organizations said in court documents.
In the tortuous negotiations on Brexit, the Boris Johnson administration believes it has learned an important fact: to adopt a tough strategy for EU work. It is convinced that it obtained concessions by threatening a no-deal exit at the end of 2019, and again last year by preparing to overturn a partial exit agreement signed a few months ago. As the post-Brexit reform negotiations with the Northern Ireland trade agreement appeared to be deadlocked, Downing Street stated that it was ready to activate a clause that would suspend key parts of the agreement. A strong negotiation strategy is one thing. Implementing the threat would be a serious mistake.

Like any guarantee clause, Article 16 protocol If the applicable agreement causes serious economic, social or environmental difficulties or reduces trade, both parties can use it. Corrective measures can be taken unilaterally, but they must be completely limited to the measures required to correct the situation. Last week, two buses were set on fire by masked men. The Chief Minister of Northern Ireland was forced to resign in the summer. Trade was restricted. Downing Street believed that the threshold had been reached to raise the alarm.

But this article should apply to unforeseen problems. The UKs argument may be justified, that the EU applied the agreement in an excessively legalistic manner and only slowly offered compromises until last month. However, most of the British opposition to how the agreement works is completely predictable. It comes directly from the tough Brexit policy insisted by the Johnson administration. Unless the entire UK stays in the customs union with the EU, Northern Ireland must stay in the EUs single commodity market to prevent the establishment of a destabilizing hard trade border with the Republic.

Downing Street in a July paper Five ideal changes to the agreement-including the removal of the European Court of Justices right to settle disputes-are equivalent to rewriting key elements. If the United Kingdom were not using Article 16 in a narrow, limited way, but trying to enforce these changes, it would go far beyond the purpose of the Article. This is tantamount to one party using a guarantee clause to terminate the transaction and force a renegotiation.

British Communications after Brexit Learn about the latest developments after Brexit through original insights provided weekly by our public policy editor Peter Foster and senior writers from the Financial Times. Register here.

For these reasons, the UK will almost certainly lose the subsequent EU legal action. But it will take time.At the same time, the British government hopes that it can establish facts on the ground and allow it to prove its Preferred method -In essence, the Irish Sea has no borders, but involves market surveillance-it is feasible. This will bring two unacceptable risks.

First of all, since maintaining the integrity of its single market is the creed of the European Union, it is not unthinkable-as the Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said Already warned The EU may respond Put aside Post-Brexit trade and cooperation agreement with the United Kingdom. This will take 12 months to take effect. But this will create a new potential no agreement cliff edge-just as supply bottlenecks, labor shortages and rising energy costs are creating a cost of living crisis. The damage to the economy and the political destiny of the government can be severe.

Second, it would undermine Britains credibility as a reliable partner in the global search for trade agreements. There is a negotiated solution to the friction in Northern Ireland, similar to the EU-Swiss veterinary and dispute settlement agreement. Downing Street has played chicken on the Brexit issue twice, and thinks Brussels has turned. It should not assume that it will happen a third time. In a frontal collision with a heavier vehicle, there is no doubt who will get worse.
Photo Tour: The Centre of Excellence for Spinal and Orthopedic Surgery at Melbourne Regional Medical Centre





In June 2021, the Steward Health Care Melbourne Regional Medical Center (MRMC) opened its doors to a 42,000 square foot expansion project, creating a spine and orthopedic surgery center of excellence in Melbourne, Florida. This project enables MRMC to work in a flexible environment to improve its capabilities as the needs of the community evolve. The new facility also supports surgeons and doctors in learning new surgical techniques and techniques.

The single-storey building is connected to the hospital through internal corridors and outdoor covered walkways, which are adjacent to terraces that provide rest for patients, staff and family members. The exterior wall shields the Florida afternoon sun, while a dedicated entrance welcomes visiting surgeons and students.

The centers four operating rooms are larger than the hospitals current operating rooms and can accommodate additional equipment. They also have a seamless floor and modular wall system to eliminate hard-to-reach corners and gaps for easy cleaning. The modular ceiling system organizes overhead equipment and reduces the risk of airborne pathogens.

Looking to the future, as demand increases, the housing space of the facility will allow the addition of four additional operating rooms.

The 19 preparation and recovery cabins are arranged in a runway configuration around the centralized nurse station, which improves the visibility of nursing team members. Visiting doctors and students can use the simulation laboratory to learn new surgical techniques and classrooms equipped with large monitors can observe the operation in real time.

Gresham Smith (Miami, Florida) Provided architecture, interior design, experience design and wayfinding services for the project.

Project details:

Facility name: Melbourne Regional Medical Center Spinal and Orthopaedic Surgery Center of Excellence

Location: Melbourne, Florida

Completion date: June 2021

Owner: Steward Health Care

Total floor area: 42,000 square feet

Total construction cost: $15 million

Cost per square foot: 346 USD

Architect: Gresham Smith

Interior designer: Gresham Smith

General Contractor: Rush Construction

Engineers: TLC Engineering for Architecture Inc. (MEP), VHB Inc. (civil and landscape architecture), Walter P Moore (structure)

Builder: Not applicable





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Earlier this year, the World Health Organization announced a A global campaign against age discrimination  Discrimination against the elderly is widespread and harmful, but it is often not recognized.

The WHO concluded in a report: We must change the narrative about age and aging and take strategies to combat age-discriminatory attitudes and behaviors. Main report Accompanied by election campaigns.

Several strategies endorsed by the WHO  educating people about age discrimination, promoting intergenerational contacts, and changing policies and laws to promote age fairness  are being tried in the United States. But experts suggest that given the alarming death toll of the coronavirus pandemic, including more than 500,000 elderly Americans, there needs to be a greater sense of urgency.

The COVID hit us in the head at a rate of 24, [showing that] Jess Maurer, executive director of the Maine Commission on Aging, said in a statement that you cant do the same thing over and over again and expect different results for older people. October webinar on age discrimination in healthcare Sponsored by KHN and John A. Hartford Foundation. You have to address the root cause-the root cause here is age discrimination.

Some experts believe that because of what the country has experienced, there is a unique opportunity to deal with this concern. Below are some examples of what is being done, especially in a healthcare environment.

Distinguish old age from disease. In October, a group of experts from the United States, Canada, India, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom called for the exclusion of old age as one of the causes and symptoms of the disease. The 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases, A global resource for standardizing global health data.

Experts wrote that aging is a normal process, and equating old age with disease may be harmful. LancetThey warned that doing so may lead to inadequate clinical evaluation and care, and increase social marginalization and discrimination against older people.

Identify age-discriminatory beliefs and language. Groundbreaking research A study published in 2015 by the FrameWorks Institute, an organization that studies social issues, showed that many people associate aging with deterioration, dependence, and decline-a stereotype that will almost certainly contribute to policies that harm older people during a pandemic. In contrast, experts have learned that the abilities of the elderly vary greatly, and a considerable number of people are healthy, independent and able to contribute to society.

Using this research and subsequent research, Reinvent the aging initiative, In order to promote cultural change, training organizations across the country have been working to change the way people think about and talk about aging. It does not express the fatalism of aging (a silver tsunami sweeping society), but emphasizes originality because if we are determined to do this, we can solve any problem, project director and vice president Patricia Said Patricia DAntonio. Policy and professional affairs of the American Academy of Gerontology. In addition, the initiative promotes justice as a value, such as We should treat the elderly equally.

Since its inception, the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and the Associated Press have adopted unbiased language on the issue of aging, and communities in Colorado, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and Texas have signed contracts to become Partner.

Address the issue of age discrimination at the grassroots level. In Colorado, a strategic awareness campaign Change Narratives has hosted more than 300 seminars in the past three years to promote the language, beliefs, and practices of age discrimination to the public. Now it has launched a campaign to call attention to age discrimination in healthcare, including a 15-minute video that will premiere in November.

Our goal is to let people understand the link between age discrimination and poor health outcomes, and to mobilize older people and [health] Professionals advocate for better healthcare, said Jenny Vanderbilt, director of the change narrative.

Faced with the terrible effects of the pandemic, the Maine Commission on Aging was launched earlier this year The power of aging The project is sponsoring a series of community dialogues around age discrimination and requires organizations to adopt Anti-age discrimination oath. 

The goal is to educate people about their own age biasesmainly unconscious assumptions about agingand help them understand how age biases affect everything around them, Maurer said.For those interested in assessing their own age bias, a test comes from The Harvard University Project Implied Often recommended. (Log in and select Age IAT on the next page.)

Changing the education of health professionals. Two years ago, Harvard Medical School began to integrate the education of geriatrics and palliative care in its curriculum, realizing that it was not doing enough to train future doctors to care for the elderly. According to the latest data from the Association of American Medical Colleges, despite the rapid growth of the elderly population, by 2020, only 55% of American medical schools will require geriatric education.

Assistant Medical Professor Dr. Andrea Schwartz directs Harvards work, which teaches students everything from places where older people receive care (nursing homes, assisted living, family-based programs, community-based environments) to how to manage common problems. Old age syndromes, such as falls and delirium. In addition, students learn how to talk to elderly patients about what is most important to them and what they want most from their care.

Schwartz also chaired an academic project committee in geriatrics, which recently issued an update Minimum ability in geriatrics Any medical graduate should have it.

Change professional requirements. Dr. Sharon Inouye, a professor of medicine at Harvard, has proposed other ways to promote better care of the elderly. She said that when doctors seek professional board certification or doctors, nurses or pharmacists renew their licenses, they should be required to demonstrate training or ability in basic knowledge of geriatrics. And more clinical trials should include a series of representative elderly people in order to establish a better evidence base for their care.

During the pandemic, geriatrician Inouye was particularly shocked when doctors and nurses failed to realize that elderly people with COVID-19 had atypical symptoms in hospital emergency rooms, such as loss of appetite and delirium. She said this atypical manifestation is common among older people, but these older people are not tested or treated for COVID, but are sent back to nursing homes or community settings, where they help spread the infection.

Introduce professional knowledge of geriatrics. If there is a silver lining to the pandemic, it is that medical professionals and health system leaders have witnessed the ensuing problems and realized that older people need special consideration.

Dr. Rosanne Leipzig, professor of geriatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, said: Everything we as geriatricians have been trying to tell our colleagues has suddenly become the focus.

Now, more Mount Sinai surgeons are asking geriatricians to help them manage elderly surgical patients, and orthopedic experts are discussing the establishment of a similar project. I think the value of geriatrics has risen because institutions see how we care for complex elderly people and how this care can improve outcomes, Leipzig said.

Establish a health system that cares for the elderly. I believe we are at a turning point, said Terry Fulmer, chairman of the John A. Hartford Foundation, which works with the American Hospital Association, the American Catholic Health Association, and the Institute for the Improvement of Healthcare. (The John A. Hartford Foundation is a funder of KHN.)

More than 2,500 health systems, hospitals, medical clinics, and other healthcare providers have joined this movement, which has identified four priorities for caring for the elderly (4Ms): taking care of their mobility, medication, and spirituality Status (cognitive and mental health) and what is most important to them is the basis of people-centered care.

Even in the face of great uncertainty in the past few years, creating a standardized framework to improve elderly care will help healthcare providers and systems know how to proceed. We believe [the pandemic] It will slow us down, but in most cases, we find that the opposite is true-people can stick to 4M and have a sense of control and accomplishment in such a chaotic period, Fulmer said.

Kaiser Health News is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

This story first appeared in Caesars Health News.
The tension between the UK and the EU is Rise again The implementation of Northern Irelands trade arrangements after Brexit and negotiations on possible reforms seem to be deadlocked.

Simon Covini, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ireland warn Last weekend, if the UK fulfilled its promise, the entire EU-UK trade and cooperation agreement may be terminated. threat Trigger Article 16 and fundamentally rewrite pAgreement on Northern IrelandThe agreement is part of the EU-UK withdrawal agreement and was agreed to avoid the restoration of the North-South trade border on the island of Ireland.

At the same time, tensions in Northern Ireland are increasing, mainly because the Protestant Unity Party rejected the agreement there.Two buses have been on fire In the past week, there has been a clear protest against the agreement.

Why did Article 16 become so controversial? How does it affect the relationship between the EU and the UK more broadly?

What is Article 16?

This is a safeguard clause in the Northern Ireland Protocol. If either party believes that the arrangement causes serious economic, social or environmental difficulties or trade diversion, either party can trigger the clause.

The United Kingdom stated that the threshold has been reached due to the trade frictions caused by the agreement, and the agreement requires all goods entering Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom to comply with EU rules.

Although Boris Johnson agreed to this arrangement in October 2019, the British government now says that the damage it caused far exceeds expectations at the time and needs to be fundamentally rewritten.

British ministers also argued that trade union groups have lost confidence in the protocol and that its continued implementation may undermine the already fragile political stability of the region.

What parts of the agreement does the UK want to change and why?

Have Five main areas Britain wants to change, this is in Official order document Published in July last year.

In order to reduce the friction of the agreement on the border of the Irish Sea, the United Kingdom requires the use of the honest box method to inspect goods entering from the United Kingdom. This means that only goods shipped south to the Republic of Ireland will face inspection. London also requested the cancellation of any paperwork related to shipments from Northern Ireland to the United Kingdom.

In addition, London requires that the European Court of Justice no longer has the power to enforce the main content of the protocol, and hopes to replace it with a treaty-based arbitration mechanism. The European Union rejected this request, arguing that because Northern Ireland follows the EUs cargo rules and regulations, only the European Court of Justice can rule on its application.

The European Union has proposed to reduce customs and health checks on the borders of the Irish Sea, but the United Kingdom says this proposal is far from enough.

Why does Article 16 become a problem for the EU?

If the United Kingdom fails to maintain an effective border in the Irish Sea, and Ireland does not have a north-south trade borderboth sides believe it is necessary to maintain the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to the islandthen this will create a single backdoor entry into the European Union market.

Brussels believes that if there is no comprehensive legal control over animal and plant products, Irelands position in the EU single market will be compromised, because its products are no longer trustworthy and may need to be inspected when entering the EU. Therefore, the United Kingdom will threaten Irelands economic rights as a member of the European Union. This may be considered intolerable by the other 26 EU member states.

As far as Britain is concerned, this concern is exaggerated. It believes that market surveillance by both parties can resolve concerns about any non-compliant products flowing into Ireland through Northern Ireland, and that the actual risks of British products to the EU single market are negligible.

How will Article 16 affect trade?

Once the UK informs the European Commission that it intends to trigger Article 16, including what measures it intends to take to resolve serious economic, social or environmental difficulties, the two sides will immediately hold consultations to discuss the UKs proposal.

These measures cannot take effect within one month, unless under special circumstances, the UK believes that immediate action is required. Crucially, Article 16 states that any action taken must be limited to absolutely necessary to correct the situation.

Therefore, Brussels response will depend on the widespread use of Article 16 in the United Kingdom. If London finds that there are specific problems with the agreement-such as the ability to trade chilled meat or plant products with Northern Ireland-the EU may take limited measures to address the impact in these areas.

However, if the United Kingdom uses Article 16 to suspend key parts of the agreement-such as Articles 5 and 7, which form the basis for keeping Northern Ireland in the EU Single Commodity Market-then Brussels has already hinted that it may take more steps. Stern action.

For example, it may argue that because the EU-UK trade agreement always presupposes that London first resolve the Northern Ireland border issue, any decision by the UK to cancel the agreement would undermine the entire basis of the EU trade and cooperation agreement. .

According to the TCA, either party must give a notice of termination 12 months in advance before it can resume trading in accordance with the terms of the World Trade Organization. This will effectively create another no agreement on the edge of the cliff, during which Brussels wants Britain to return to the negotiating table.

Or, Brussels could take smaller steps to impose targeted tariffs on sensitive products such as cars, whiskey or fish in the UK.

Will there be longer-term consequences?

If the two sides fail to agree on reforms to make the protocol work, economic and political relations may be severely broken.

The deterioration of relations may also extend to foreign affairs and cooperation in a range of fields, from data streams to pan-EU scientific research projects.

The trade war will also cause unemployment in the EU, especially in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, which still have great economic ties with the UK.The EU has 5 billion euros reserved To compensate governments and companies that have suffered economic blows due to Brexit.

As seen in the four years following the 2016 Brexit referendum, trading under WTO terms may also hinder investment and undermine UK business confidence.
Zimbabwe has been following the growing demand for cryptocurrency from its people, which it believes is a possible growth path. The country is also willing to supervise the entire industry.

The government of Zimbabwe is considering using Bitcoin (Bitcoin) As a legitimate payment option to meet this growing demand and utilize the technology, according to Local news.

According to sources, the President and the retired Brigadier General Charles Wakevet, Permanent Secretary and Chief of the Office of the E-Government Technology Department of the Cabinet, confirmed that discussions with companies are already in progress.

According to Wekwete, the disadvantages of a decentralized ecosystem include unregistered cross-border transfers, externalization of funds, money laundering, and subsequent illegal or illegal acts of ill-gotten wealth.

He also said that the authorities are trying to formulate regulations to protect consumers and help the countrys financial future. Therefore, before making any major policy changes, the government has solicited opinions from different departments.

According to the official, Zimbabwe has not yet issued any major statements, adding that the country is still in the consultation phase.

The Zimbabwean government has accepted the digital economy framework as a part of the national development strategy1, calling it a means to connect the government and enterprises in their efforts to solve the concept of digital economy development.

More countries are Adopting El Salvadors policy to enable Bitcoin Use and supervision. Despite the flood of criticism from the public and the world, the Salvadoran government still firmly supports Bitcoin legislation.On Twitter, El Salvadors President Nayib Bukele praised the success of the plan, stating that Bitcoin gains will Used to build 20 schools and a hospital domestic.

Africa is an excellent testing ground for cryptocurrencies, and many companies are now producing goods and services suitable for different countries on the African continentthat is, filling the gap in cross-border payments between African countries and other countries.

According to Cointelegraph, between July 2020 and June 2021, Africas cryptocurrency market grows by more than 1,200%, According to Chainalysis. Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria and Tanzania have high penetration rates.
2017 Gamble Family Vineyards Heart Block Sauvignon Blanc. Photo courtesy of the winery

While humans have been making wine for more than 8,000 years, and some of Europes oldest vineyards are more than a thousand years old, Vitis vinifera grapes have been cultivated in the United States for only about 200 years. This means that while Frances Grand Cru vineyards are well-known and well-established, many of the United States top vineyards only recently have been discovered and established. As specific sites produce high quality, unique wines year after year, some US vineyards are emerging as our own domestic Grand Crus.

As Thanksgiving approaches, this quintessentially American holiday is a wonderful time to celebrate our home-grown wine culture. Consider trying wines sourced from these famed US vineyards this holiday season:

2017 Gamble Family Vineyards Heart Block Sauvignon Blanc: from Gamble Vineyard, CA ($95)

In Yountville, California, Gamble Family Vineyards eponymous Gamble Vineyard is planted to the Sauvignon Musque clone (a third generation of the original bud wood brought from the Loire in the 1950s) and the Preston clone (descended from the Graves region of Bordeaux). The farming regime emphasizes regenerative agriculture methods. Grapes from this vineyard are used by esteemed producers such as Sinegal, Hourglass, Riverain and Covert, as well as for Gambles own Heart Block Sauvignon Blanc.

Quilceda Creek Champoux Vineyard. Photo courtesy of the winery

2018 Quilceda Creek Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: from Champoux Vineyard, WA ($200)

Planted in 1972, the Champoux Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA is one of Washington States oldest vineyards and has contributed to five 100-point scores from Wine Advocate and two 100-point scores from Decanter for Quilceda Creeks Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon bottling. Majority owners of the site, the Golitzin family of Quilceda Creek controls the vineyard operations for the teams portion of the vineyards, creating seamless Cabernet Sauvignons year in and year out.

Somerston Estate Block 60. Photos courtesy of the winery

2016 Somerston Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Block 60: from Somerston Estate, CA ($175)

Winegrower Craig Becker, who has overseen all farming and development at Somerston Estate since its inception, is solely focused on delivering quality. Each year, fruit from one standout block that speaks to the character of the land is bottled into Somerstons block-designate label. The Somerston Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Block 60 is a beautiful representation of the best the estate has to offer. Since the estates founding in 2006, several of the 1,682-acre estates 140 vineyard blocks have also been a long-term fruit source for top winemakers such as Andy Erickson, Heidi Barrett, and Kirk Venge.

FEL Savoy Vineyard Pinot Noir (above) & FEL Savoy Vineyard. Photos courtesy of the winery

2019 FEL Savoy Vineyard Pinot Noir: from Savoy Vineyard, CA ($75)

The Savoy Vineyard - first developed and cultivated in 1991 by Richard Savoy who owned the seminal San Francisco bookstore Green Apple Books - is hands-down one of the most revered chardonnay and pinot noir vineyard sites in the Anderson Valley. Recognizing this crown jewel, vintner Cliff Lede purchased the vineyard in 2011 as the cornerstone of FEL, a brand he named for his mother, Florence Elsie Lede. This southwest facing, gently sloping 44-acre vineyard is planted to a diverse array of Dijon and heritage Pinot Noir and Chardonnay clones, and is divided into 34 sub-blocks, each of which are carefully managed by FEL Winemaker Ryan Hodgins to maximize quality. The FEL Savoy Vineyard Pinot Noir is a perfect bottle to share with loved ones for the holiday season. Additional top vintners who source from this incredible site include Littorai, Radio Coteau, Peay, and more.

The Hilt Estate Pinot Noir & Estate Chardonnay (above) & The Hilt Radian Vineyard. Photos courtesy of the winery

2019 The Hilt Estate Chardonnay: from The Hilt Estate, CA ($50)

Located in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, The Hilt Estate is composed of 3600 acres of land and two renowned vineyard sites, Radian and Bentrock. Each vineyard site consists of 100 acres of vines planted to pinot noir and chardonnay. The growing conditions in the Sta. Rita Hills area are harsh: strong winds, sandy diatomaceous soils, high altitudes, and a variety of micro-climates. But winemaker Matt Dees recognizes that while extreme, these conditions are also perfect for low yields of concentrated, complex grapes. As a result, the wines that are being produced from The Hilt Estate are better than they ever have been and are catching the attention of critics, buyers, collectors, and enthusiasts globally. The Hilts 2019 Estate Chardonnay is tense and full of vibrancy and kinetic energy. In addition to The Hilt, producers who source from Radian and Bentrock include Babcock, Dragonette, Ken Brown, Liquid Farm, and more.
"Jirisan" episode 6 focuses on Jun Ji Hyun's past, including her first love and why she has decided to become a park ranger.

Apart from it, Ju Ji Hoon is slowly uncovering her secrets, such as her heartbreaking experience.

As the tvN drama garners an increasing viewership rating every episode, as well as being the top drama across all cable channels, little by little, the Saturday and Sunday night series is uncovering the mystery that occurred in Mount Jirisan.

'Jirisan Episode 6 Highlights: Seo Yi Kang Being the Grinch of Jirisan

The sixth episode began on the holiday of 2008. The park rangers are excited about their agendas together with their loved ones.

Unfortunately, Kang Hyun Jo (Ju Ji Hoon) was forced to take the shift on Christmas eve after Jung Goo Young (Oh Jung See) asked him to take his place--this is because Lee Yang Sun (Joo Min Kyung) finally agreed to go out on a date with him.

As for the veteran park ranger, Yi Kang hates Christmas, so instead of spending it with her grandma, she usually takes a shift on this day.

Interestingly, while at the station, Hyun Jo got a call from ranger team leader Park Il Hae (Jo Han Chul) about a turnover that he forgot to mention.

A certain Cheol Kyeong (Son Seok Koo) will be coming to pick up his belongings.

Upon hearing the name, Seo Yi Kang was stunned to know that she might be a familiar face at Jirisan.

It was only Jung Goo Young who told the rookie part ranger that the visitor was her first love.

How Seo Yi Kang Met her First Love

"Jirisan" episode 6 also featured Seo Yi Kang's teenage years.

The drama showed that she spent time at a youth facility that caters to teens who seem lost and troubled.

Interestingly, she was captivated by Cheol Kyeong's charm and his warmth to other people; unfortunately, they didn't get a chance to get close to each other.

However, they were able to meet outside the youth center. They both worked in the same restaurant in Seoul to make ends meet.

Unfortunately, he gets caught up in a bad situation after the owner accused Cheol Kyeong of stealing a motorcycle.

Yi Kang defended him, but they ended up being fired by the restaurant owner.

One of Cheol Kyeong's parting words for her is that he promised not to live in humiliation again.

Seo Yi Kang Reunited with Cheol Kyeong

"Jirisan" episode 6 gave a background on Seo Yi Kang's past.

Apart from meeting her first love, Seo Yi Kang could not hide her disappointment at the news that she is one step closer to reuniting with him again.

As mentioned, he is set to go to Mount Jirisan to claim his belongings; however, the park rangers receive a call from the police warning about a suspicious man, who is a drug squad detective and is currently wanted for bribery.

Kang Hyun Jo was surprised to learn that the wanted person is Cheol Kyeong. Due to this, he feels that he needs to go to the mountain to find Seo Yi Kang.

Meanwhile, while on her rounds at the snowy mountain, Yi Kang finds an injured female identified as a drug detective and is on a mission to find Cheol Kyeong.

Yi Kang then led her to their station to stay for the night and continue to search for her wanted colleague the next day.

Unfortunately, at the Bidam Station, Yi Kang finds the unconscious Jung Goo Young lying around on the floor bloodied; however, she also faced the same situation after the female detective hit her on the head, causing her to lose consciousness.

While hearing their conversation, she learned that they are hunting Cheol Kyeong because he holds the evidence to their case and wanted it wiped out.

Luckily, Hyun Jo and the police came to rescue Yi Kang and Jung Goo Young and arrested the two-drug detectives accused of bribery.

Here, Cheol Kyeong and Seo Yi Kang had a heart-to-heart talk about their past. She learned that he also harbors the same feelings back then, but it's now too late.

The park ranger was heartbroken to know that he was now married.

"I have something to confess to you. You were right. I stole that money a long time ago. I wanted to buy a motorcycle and go to the beach with you. After a few months, I went to the boss and returned the money. I'm sorry, I lied. I'll call you next time I really go hiking. My wife also likes mountains," he said.

Kang Hyun Jo's Vision

After an eventful day, Seo Yi Kang and Kang Hyun Jo went out for a drink.

Here, he learned about why she decided to become a park ranger.

While he brought the drunk Yi Kang to her place, he saw her old photos at the mountain and recalled how she slowly learned about the mountain by heart.

However, upon seeing her photos, he had a vision of a mountain being engulfed in a fire.

"Jirisan" episode 7 might uncover how her parents died on the mountain.

IN CASE YOU MISSED: 'Jirisan' and Ahn Hyo Seop Top Most Buzzworthy Drama and Actor Rankings for Fourth Week of October

KDramastars owns this article.

Written by Geca Wills
By Alanne Orjoux, CNN

(CNN) -- Two high school students, a mechanical engineering technology student from Illinois and a man who was trying to save his fiancee are among the eight people who died at the Astroworld Festival in Houston on Friday night, authorities said.

Here's what we know about some of the victims.

John Hilgert, 14

Hilgert was a freshman at Memorial High School in Houston, Spring Branch Independent School District spokesperson Terry Abbott told CNN.

Memorial High School Principal Lisa Weir sent a letter Saturday to parents at the school, informing them of the death.

"We are deeply saddened to inform you that a male ninth grade student died ... in an incident at the Astroworld Festival. Our hearts go out to the student's family and to his friends and our staff at Memorial. This is a terrible loss, and the entire MHS family is grieving today," Weir's letter reads.

Brianna Rodriguez, 16

Rodriguez was a junior at Heights High School in Houston, according to a verified GoFundMe account established by her family.

"Dancing was her passion and now she's dancing her way to heaven's pearly gates," the fundraising post says.

Franco Patino, 21

Patino, a senior at the University of Dayton, was studying mechanical engineering technology and human movement biomechanics, according to a statement from the university.

He was a member of Alpha Psi Lambda, a Hispanic-interest fraternity, the statement said, and was originally from Naperville, Illinois.

"He was loved by so many because of the loyal, loving, selfless, protective, funny, and caring person he was," his family said in a statement. "Even though he was a hardworking individual, he would always try to make time for his family and the people he cared about. We will miss the big heart Franco had and his passion for helping others."

Danish Baig, 27

Baig, from Euless, Texas, died trying to save his fiancee, who was getting stomped on and hit in the crowd surge at the concert, his brother Basil Baig told CNN on Sunday.

His family said he was an amazing individual who loved with all his heart.

"People would admire him for who he was," Basil Baig told CNN.

His funeral was held Sunday in Colleyville, his brother said.

Basil Baig said his brother's fiancee survived but is bruised all over her body and is traumatized.

Jacob Jurinek, 20

Illinois college student Jacob Jurinek was among the eight people who died on Friday, according to a statement released by his university.

Jurinek was a junior studying journalism at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, the school says.

In the release, SIU Chancellor Austin Lane said Jurinek "was a creative, intelligent young man, with a promising career in journalism and advertising."

Rodolfo Pena, 23

Pena lived in Laredo, Texas, and studied at Laredo College, according to his Facebook page.

His older brother Guadalupe Pena set up a verified GoFundMe account for funeral expenses.

"I am starting a go fund me for my youngest brother (Rodolfo Angel Pena)'s passing please donate out of heart anything is great," the online fundraising post reads.

Pena was 23, according to CNN affiliate KTRK, which spoke with his sister.

Unknown victim, early 20s

The identity of one of the victims who previously had been unknown by authorities has been determined, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told CNN on Sunday.

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences released a statement Sunday asking for assistance in identifying a man in his early 20s with "short black or dark brown wavy hair" and "a slight mustache with a noticeable goatee."

The man was just over 6 feet tall, weighed about 500 pounds, and was wearing size-11 Nike sneakers, the statement said.

"That person has been identified, and contact has been made with his family," Turner said.
SALEM, Ore.  The Oregon Department of Transportation says it expects to receive more than $1 billion as a result of the roughly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill passed in the US House of Representatives on Friday.

This past weekend Congress completed work on the largest infrastructure finance bill in history. Once signed by the president, the $1.2 trillion bill will allow ODOT to address a number of major challenges in our state," said Bob Van Brocklin, chair of the Oregon Transportation Commission.

ODOT expects that the funds will go toward projects around the state to benefit drivers, transit riders, cyclists and pedestrians, help maintain roads and bridges, and address climate change.

That said, the agency is still looking at the bill to find out exactly how much the state will receive and where it can be directed  some ODOT projects are ready for construction, and others are in the final stages of planning so that the agency can move quickly.

Van Brocklin estimated that the state should receive about $1.2 billion over the next five years.

These resources will help us address congestion, which is increasing in our urban areas as the states population continues to grow; freight mobility, earthquake recovery preparedness, passenger rail, and other elements of the comprehensive mobility system we seek to create," Van Brocklin continued. "All of this work will focus on improving our economy, our environment, and the quality of life of all Oregonians. Working together, we can attain this vision."

Congressman Peter DeFazio, who chairs the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, said that the need in Oregon for this funding is clear. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave Oregon a C- grade on its last infrastructure report card.

"In particular, this bipartisan infrastructure bill will make badly-needed improvements to our rail systems, bridges and highways, transit, water, and broadband infrastructure, as well as our ports and airports  investments I have championed for years, both in the minority and majority, and under Republican and Democratic administrations," Rep. DeFazio said. Furthermore, this bill will help ensure our infrastructure can face our most pressing challenges, including an important down payment on addressing the climate crisis head on by reducing carbon pollution from the transportation sector, as well as upgrading our port infrastructure to help alleviate the current supply chain crisis."

Above and including the funding for ODOT, DeFazio listed some of the investments that Oregon will receive through the bill's passage:
This is the headstone for the grave in a Korean cemetery of Kelowna soldier William Leslie Strachan, who was 21 when he was killed in action during the Korean War. Strachan was the last man from Kelowna to die in war.
PIB Group is set to acquire Kilkenny-based Campion Insurance, one of the countrys largest insurance brokers, pending customary regulatory approvals.

PIB is an independent specialist insurance intermediary which is experiencing rapid acquisitive and organic growth, offering a range of specialist teams, products, and services to clients throughout the UK, Channel Islands, Ireland, Germany, Poland, Denmark, and Spain.

The investment reflects PIBs continued international expansion strategy having identified Ireland as a key territory for investment.

This is the third retail business that PIB has brought into its stable in Ireland this year following on from Creane & Creane, and most recently Oliver Murphy (pending regulatory approval), with several more acquisitions under consideration.

Established in 1984 by Jim Campion as a local family business, Campion Insurance is now a market-leading insurance broker with history of success and growth in the Irish market.

Over the years, it has established a strong brand and reputation as a trusted advisor with specialist sector knowledge across three lines of business for Commercial Insurance, Personal Insurance and Life & Pensions.

Jim Campion, CEO for Campion Insurance, said, Im delighted that Campion Insurance will soon become part of the PIB Group which is a positive and exciting development in our history.

It is testament to the hard work of our dedicated people and loyal customers who are behind our success to date, that we are in the position to play a key role in driving PIBs expansion in the Irish market. We are excited about what lies ahead, and very attracted by the opportunity to continue our acquisition activity through the strength and scale offered by PIB.

Campions company model, which has a strong focus on both organic and acquisitive growth, through several successful joint ventures and acquisitions, was highly attractive to PIB.

James Harmer, Head of European M&A for PIB Group, commented: Were thrilled that PIB has such a unique opportunity to invest in Campion Insurance which has a highly experienced team within the M&A space.

The dynamic business is geared up to scale for further growth and we look forward to working together with our joint ambition of consolidating the Irish broker market while driving financial returns.

Following completion of the transaction, the Campion name and brand will continue and all 180 employees will also remain under the ongoing leadership of Jim Campion and his management team.

Looking ahead, PIB will continue to expand throughout Ireland alongside other European destinations as part of its broader strategy of building a leading pan-European commercial insurance brokerage.
Community Radio Kilkenny City (CRKC) scooped two gold awards at the recent National Community Radio Awards, hosted by Community Radio Ireland (CRAOL).

The broadcasting team of Gavin Allman, Ann Nolan, Mick Cummins and Liam Kelly ORourke took gold for the About Kilkenny series, while Paul Brophy also collected gold for the programme Communities in Action.

The Community Radio Ireland Achievement Awards are an annual national event recognising the talents of broadcasters and producers involved in community radio stations around the country. Awards are bestowed for a wide variety of categories including documentaries, music and drama.

There was high praise for both programmes from the judges. In their citation, the National Commmunity Radio Awards panel said of About Kilkenny 'What a pleasure to listen to!'

The scale and ambition of the (About Kilkenny) series, the quality of the final product and the particular talent and extraordinary dedication of Gavin Allman, the volunteer presenter of the series, who has overcome a range of challenges, to bring this series to fruition are inspiring.

Coordinating a series such as this has clearly been a massive team effort, as evidenced in the written entry, and has involved groups right across the community, all motivated by a real love of place.

In their citation, the judges said of Communities in Action: Well, presented, well researched and well representative of people and issues within the Kilkenny community. This programme deals with a range of topics and does so at a local level in a style that is informed, but informal and easy to listen to."

Speaking after the awards, CRKC Station Manager Declan Gibbons said, I am delighted for CRKC and

our broadcasting teams to receive not one, but two gold awards this year at what is regarded as the

Oscars for national community radio. COVID-19 has been a challenge to everyone and proved to be a

big challenge for community radio stations, limiting our ability to be at the heart of the community as we

would normally be, and affecting our broadcasting team who are all volunteers.

Despite this, our team continued to inform, entertain and educate our listeners and it is particularly

gratifying to get such national recognition. I thank the whole team and offer my congratulations to

everyone behind these two gold awards. The pandemic has reinforced the importance of community and

community is at the heart of what CRKC does.

From its base at Hebron Industrial Estate, CRKC broadcasts throughout Kilkenny city on 88.7FM. Visit

https://crkc.ie/
The publication of the Climate Action Plan (CAP) 2021 by Government last week was broadly welcomed by the stakeholders working to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and the resulting environmental damage that they cause.

3 Counties Energy Agency (3cea) are positively enthused by the continued effort and commitment to solving the most pressing problem facing civilisation with a particular focus on de-carbonising the Irish energy system. 3cea also welcome the continuing focus on enabling communities, seeing this as important to the future management of our energy provision and use. But they also urge some caution.

CAP 2019 included an annexe with 183 specified actions, each with a timeline and specification of who was responsible for implementing the change. CAP 2021 lists 475 required actions. Paddy Phelan, CEO of 3cea, notes an important change.

The 2019 document had a plan that could be followed. People knew what they had to do and a lot has been done. While last weeks plan lists a large number of desirable actions it does not specify a timeline or make clear who is responsible for carrying out the work. There are big calls to be made without a clear pathway to follow. Achievement of these goals will need a lot of political support, he says.

He also notes that for Home Retrofit the plan has kept the same target numbers and points out that to date this is not happening. In 2021 only a small percentage of planned domestic retrofits were achieved leaving a substantial overhang. This cannot be blamed on Covid. There is a resource shortage and the cost of materials has increased.

Paddy Phelan welcome the commitment in the Local Authority sector to retrofitting street lighting. He cites major achievements in the South East.

Kilkenny County Council retrofitted 60 percent of street lighting in the city in 2016 using an energy performance green procurement pilot. 3cea are delighted to see this extended to see 100 per cent in the next 2 or 3 years to that all public area lighting in Carlow, Kilkenny and Waterford committed to having public lamps retrofitted.

The Danone plant in Wexford is another shining example. It has become the first zero-carbon milk powder manufacturer plant in the world.

The key point here is that the changes are at the community level," says Mr Phelan.

"Local industry can convert using biomass supplied by local farmers. Local farmers are generating income from their woodlands and not the business as usual multinational oil producers. Policymakers need to learn from this type of best practice example. Bioenergy (biomass, biogas, biofuels) can all be supplied by the local agriculture sector. This makes agriculture a strong potential solution provider to the decarbonisation of our energy system.

Local solutions feature strongly in 3cea thinking pointing out that a town like Callan could become net energy positive from locally sourced energy sources by 2030. Callan Energy Community was one of the successful applicants to the Community Specific Renewable Energy Support Scheme auction of 2020.

This is one of our targets. We believe it is achievable," said Mr Phelan.

"But Government needs to provide money for the negative business cases in the plan, and not primarily on the stand-alone business cases if we are to make this happen. For example, we need to invest in biomethane. This is a rural solution that requires investment but could be used successfully alongside the beef, pig and poultry sectors. Ireland needs to start to invest in the 40 per cent of projects of this type, technologies that need additional support and that do not have a stand-alone economic business case."
The high and continuing number of Covid cases continues to put pressure on exhausted staff, Dr Ina Kelly told RTE's Morning Ireland earlier today.

She stressed that for every bed that is taken up with Covid, a bed is denied to people with other illnesses and those on waiting lists.

There are now nearly a million people on waiting lists, she noted.

She also urged people not to become vaccine complacent.

Dr Kelly pointed out that while the vaccines have been very effective at reducing serious illness, they are not 100% effective and are not as good as preventing transmission as was hoped.

Continuing to follow public health advice is very important, she said, and added that no one should enter an environment which they feel is unsafe.

She also urged everyone to be patient with the healthcare service and staff who are tired and exhausted.

On Sunday the Department of Health was notified of 3,428 new cases of Covid-19.

Of these, 478 patients with the virus in hospital - an increase of 34 from Saturday. The number in ICU had risen by one to 75.

Last week the INMO warned about the increasing number of patients on trollies. General Secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha said: This week we have seen a new pandemic record of 2305 patients on trolleys. Unless urgent action is taken we are going to see record-breaking numbers in our hospitals every week.

It is now the first week of November and we have still yet to see a comprehensive winter plan from the Minister for Health and the HSE. This delay in publishing a fully funded solution to the overcrowding crisis that exists in our hospitals is unacceptable.

Our staff in our hospitals are exhausted, they are dealing with rising trolley numbers coupled with rising COVID-related hospitalisations.

We need funding to implement the Safe-Staffing Framework, which determines the safe levels of nurse-to-patient ratio. Just like we have a pupil-teacher ratio that advises on the optimum number of children in a classroom to one teacher.

"We are hearing examples in our hospitals of one nurse to fifteen patients in a ward. This is not a safe environment for the nurse or patients," Ms Ni Sheaghdha said.

The Government and HSE need to urgently outline how they plan to curb the levels of overcrowding in our hospitals to ensure the safety of healthcare workers and patients, she added.

Today's figures show that 449 admitted patients are waiting for beds this morning, according to todays INMO Trolley Watch. 344 patients are waiting in the emergency department, while 105 are in wards elsewhere in the hospital.
US borders are open to international visitors, starting from today, November 8, 2021.

The United States imposed a travel ban on non-US citizens entering the country in March 2020 by former President Donald Trump, which has stayed in place for more than 19 months.

The borders are beginning to open up to vaccinated travellers from more than 30 countries.

To enter the United States, there are requirements before you can travel.

Every person must be fully vaccinated before entering the country.

Individuals are required to present a negative Covid-19 viral test result no more than 3 days before the departure date.

A negative Covid-19 test will be required for both adults and children aged 2+.

People who have recently had Covid-19 must present documentation of having recovered from Covid-19 in the last 90 days.

Vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) are accepted for entry into the United States.

These vaccines are; Johnson & Johnson, Sinopharm, Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines.

Aerlingus welcomes the return of non-essential travel.

The airline has introduced updates to their booking system to ensure customers will have the necessary documentation required for entry to the States.

CEO of Aer Lingus, Lynne Embleton said today is a 'very important moment for Aer Lingus, the travel and tourism sector and the whole Irish economy'.

"Aer Lingus will reconnect friends and family, businesses and colleagues on both sides of the Atlantic. After 20 long months, we are re-establishing Dublin Airport as the most efficient connecting hub between the US and Europe." she added.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today reported that four Closure Orders and one Improvement Order were served on food businesses during the month of October for breaches of food safety legislation pursuant to the FSAI Act, 1998 and the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 by environmental health officers in the Health Service Executive (HSE).

Two Closure Orders were served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 on:

Yasmin Bakery and Catering (Activities closed: The preparation of meat, fish and rice dishes through internet sites or social media sites it operates or employs advertising), 19 Wilkins View, Greenhills, Walkinstown, Dublin 12.

Damas Food Stall, trading at the corner of Robert Street and Cornmarket Row, Limerick.

Two Closure Orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on:

Mr Price (Closed area: store room and canteen) (retailer), Aston Village, Termonfeckin Road, Drogheda, Louth.

Chai Cafe, 60 Dorset Street Upper, Dublin 1.

One Improvement Order was served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on:

Navan Soup Kitchen, Brews Hill, Navan, Co Meath.

Some of the reasons for the Enforcement Orders in October include:

Active rodent (rats) infestation with droppings present and gnaw marks on a wall; heavy accumulations of dirt on food preparation surfaces and equipment to such an extent that food was likely to be contaminated; no temperature monitoring records; no hot water provided; inadequate separation of raw and cooked foods; rodent droppings found in the staff canteen; failure to ensure the competent authority had up-to-date information on the range of activities taking place at the establishment; failure to make food available for sale or supply without indicating written particulars of any allergen in the food; no evidence that food handlers were supervised and instructed and/or trained in food hygiene matters.

Commenting, Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive of FSAI said:

All food businesses have a legal obligation to ensure that they adhere to a high standard of food safety and hygiene at all times.

"It is also imperative that a proper pest control system is in place and that this is checked very regularly in order to avoid infestations of rodents and insects. It is also essential that food businesses have a strong food safety and hygiene culture in their business, which can be achieved through ongoing training of all members of their team and a strong commitment to food safety from the management team.

"Consumers have a right to safe food and food businesses have a legal requirement to ensure that the food they are processing, serving or selling is safe to eat.
The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) is urging people to get vaccinated to help healthcare professionals deal with a feared Christmas surge.

President of the group, Dr Ina Kelly, warns that the continuing high rate of infection threatens the progress Ireland has made against the virus over the past year.

According to the doctor, waiting lists are already "appalling" and said, "We cant afford to lose hospital staff and hospital beds to Covid 19."

She said, "The next couple of weeks will be critical not just for the outlook on Covid but for the wider health service. Our GP surgeries, hospitals and ICU units are all under extraordinary pressure. We are being hit by a perfect storm of high Covid numbers, the annual winter flu season and shockingly high numbers on waiting lists.

"For those who have yet to be vaccinated, please get the vaccine as a matter of urgency. For those who have been vaccinated, dont treat the vaccine as a permission-slip to return to the old ways. Continue to exercise caution. Wear masks. Wash hands and keep your distance."

The doctor is also urging hospitality venues to be more vigilant about checking the vaccination status of customers.

According to her, there is "a significant proportion" of people not adhering to protocols, despite many who are.

She said, "They are putting our hard-earned gains at risk. Everyone is fed up with the pandemic, but we have been through so much, endured so much now is not the time to lose our focus. And please be patient with healthcare workers in hospitals, in GP surgeries and in the community, we are working hard to do our best and we need your patience."
Three men have been convicted and one acquitted of falsely imprisoning, beating and mutilating Quinn Industrial Holdings director Kevin Lunney.

Delivering the verdicts of the three-judge, non-jury court Mr Justice Tony Hunt on Monday said that the accused man known as YZ inflicted most of the injuries on Mr Lunney while his co-accused, Alan O'Brien and Darren Redmond, were involved in the kidnap and assault. The judge said that even if the court accepts that the fourth accused man, Luke O'Reilly, provided a bottle of bleach that was used by Lunney's attackers to destroy forensic evidence, it is reasonably possible that he did so without knowledge of what was happening to Mr Lunney.

He said that the offences were organised by Cyril McGuinness, a known criminal who is now deceased, and that McGuinness kept Mr O'Reilly separate from the men involved in the actual attack on Mr Lunney. He said Mr O'Reilly may have successfully transferred the bleach to YZ, adding that it is difficult to envisage the bleach arriving from any other source. But he said it is reasonably possible that he did so "without acquiring specific knowledge of what was going on."

He said the evidence "offers some support" to the argument made by Michael Lynn SC on behalf of Mr O'Reilly, that Mr O'Reilly did not know the specific reason why he was delivering bleach on behalf of Mr McGuinness.

Mr Justice Hunt added that the court's verdict of not guilty in relation to Mr O'Reilly is "not an endorsement of Mr O'Reilly's conduct".

Mr O'Reilly and members of his family, who supported him throughout the trial, cried when the verdict was read out and hugged one another as they left court.

Mr Justice Hunt also said it is "almost certain" that others not before the court were involved in the abduction, working as spotters or drivers for the principal offenders. He said not every detail of the crime can be known.

The court found that Alan OBrien (40), of Shelmalier Road, East Wall, Dublin 3, Darren Redmond (27), from Caledon Road, East Wall, Dublin 3 and the man known as YZ are guilty of falsely imprisoning and intentionally causing serious harm to Mr Lunney at Drumbrade, Ballinagh, Co Cavan on September 17, 2019.

Mr O'Reilly, of Mullahoran Lower, Kilcogy, Co Cavan was found not guilty of the same charges.

There will be a sentencing hearing on October 22 in relation to the three convicted men.

In his testimony earlier this year Mr Lunney told prosecution counsel Sean Guerin SC that he was bundled into the boot of an Audi near his home and driven to a container where he was threatened and told to resign as a director of Quinn Industrial Holdings and to put a stop to litigation with which he was involved north and south of the border. His attackers stripped him to his boxer shorts, doused him in bleach, broke his leg with two blows of a wooden bat, beat him on the ground, cut his face and scored the letters QIH into his chest with a Stanley knife. They left him bloodied, beaten and shivering on a country road at Drumcoghill in Co Cavan where he was discovered by a man driving a tractor.

Mr Justice Hunt described Mr Lunney as a "most impressive witness" and said the court fully accepts the account given by him. His recollection of what happened to him, the judge said, had enabled gardai to identify the yard where he was beaten and ultimately the identity of his assailants. The judge said Lunney's account of how long he was trapped in the boot of the Audi and the length of time he was held at the yard in Drumbrade showed, "an uncanny ability to accurately estimate the passage of time even though his attackers removed his watch early on." His description of the yard where he was "beaten and mutilated" was borne out by the investigation, Justice Hunt added.

He said the court is also satisfied that what happened to Mr Lunney amounted to false imprisonment and assault causing serious harm. The medical evidence is "self-explanatory" he said, "and clearly reaches the threshold for serious harm." Mr Justice Hunt further indicated that the court is satisfied that Mr Lunney was assaulted in the blue horse box that gardai identified in a yard in Drumbrade, Co Cavan that was owned by Mr O'Reilly. Forensic investigators identified Mr Lunney's blood inside the horse box.

Mr Justice Hunt first detailed the evidence against YZ, saying that the court was convinced by many strands of evidence including CCTV footage showing YZ traveling from Dublin to Cavan in a Renault Kangoo van on the day of the abduction and the previous day, in what the court said was a "preparatory journey". He said the court had no doubt YZ was driving the van, which was in relevant places in Cavan at significant times during the preparation and carrying out of the abduction and assault. There was also, he said, the discovery by gardai of an e-flow motorway toll tag in YZ's home that belonged to the previous owner of the Audi A4 that the court accepted was the car used in the abduction.

He said there was sufficient evidence to show that YZ was "heavily involved before, during and after" the offences, adding that there was no doubt that he drove the Kangoo on both days. He was also, the judge said, the driver of the Audi that was used to remove Mr Lunney from his home and was responsible for "inflicting most of Mr Lunney's injuries."

The use of call data records as evidence, which was objected to by defence lawyers during the trial, did not affect the court's finding, Justice Hunt said. The CCTV evidence, he said, showing the movements of the Kangoo, was enough to establish YZ's involvement in the offences beyond a reasonable doubt. The phone records, he said, showed a pattern of contact with McGuinness and confirmed what the CCTV already showed. He said the phone records provide a "useful check" on the other available evidence and provide "certainty" to a verdict already established beyond a reasonable doubt.

When forensic scientist Dr Edward Connolly examined the Kangoo on October 31, 2019, he found Kevin Lunney's DNA in suspected blood staining on the inside, sliding door and Redmond's DNA on bars between the front and back seats. Mr Justice Hunt dismissed a suggestion that Mr Lunney's DNA was placed in the van some time in October 2019, saying that there was no need to plant Mr Lunney's DNA because the involvement of the Kangoo in the offences was already established by CCTV. He said the failure of forensic gardai on October 29 to find the area of blood staining that Dr Connolly identified two days later was the result of oversight and not the result of an "implausible, complicated, unnecessary plan to plant evidence."

He said any such finding would require that a person had access to a sample of Mr Lunney's blood, which the judge said is "far-fetched to say the least".

In relation to O'Brien, the judge said that his involvement in the preparatory journey was clear from CCTV which captured him with YZ in Dublin and Cavan. He said it is clear that O'Brien met YZ and Redmond on the morning of the offences and went into a car park near YZ's home from which the Renault Kangoo emerged a short time later, driven by YZ. He said it was not reasonably possible that O'Brien left the car park by some other means. It was suggested by O'Brien's counsel that he could have jumped over a 9 foot wall on one side of the car park or he could have left in a different car. Mr Justice Hunt pointed out that O'Brien did not mention either possibility to gardai when they asked him to account for his movements, having invoked statutory provisions that allow a court to draw inferences from anything that an accused person fails to say but later relies on in court. Mr Hunt said the court is satisfied that the man seen traveling in the Kangoo with YZ on the day of the offences was O'Brien and that he went to Cavan and took part in the abduction and assault.

In relation to Darren Redmond, the judge said he was satisfied that Mr Redmond's DNA was in the back of the Kangoo because he was in the Kangoo on the day of the offence. He said there was no evidence or suggestion of any other occasion when Redmond might have been in the van to deposit his DNA. He said that the evidence strongly supports the interpretation of CCTV footage on the day of the offence which, he said, showed Redmond going to the Kangoo with O'Brien and YZ.

The court was also satisfied that a phone belonging to Redmond travelled to Cavan in tandem with the Kangoo and was present at the yard in Drumbrade while Mr Lunney was being held against his will.
The Made in Ireland exhibition opened at the Design & Crafts Council Irelands National Design & Craft Gallery in Kilkenny on Friday and will run until next January.

The exhibition has gathered together the largest visual and sensory feast of fresh ideas and craftsmanship that has been seen in Design and offers an insight into current activity in skilled making on a national scale. It is not only reflective of the skills of our community of makers, but it also celebrates work by different generations of the same family, and by collaborative groups and partnerships  it demonstrates the importance of passing on skills, of cross-pollination and innovation. It is a true and enriching representation of the fabric of the Irish craft and design sector, incorporating the work of over 100 makers from all regions of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The exhibition, was borne out of a proposal made by the project team to the Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) biennial call for exhibitions. Their aim was to bring together a snapshot of what is happening in skilled making in Ireland, to create an exhibition that is big and eclectic but also surprising, joyful, and inspirational. The open callout attracted over 420 applicants to the juried process.

CEO of Design & Crafts Council Ireland, Rosemary Steen said: The past twenty months of closures have been a difficult time for our makers, and opportunities to show craft have been reduced, which makes Made in Ireland all the more timely. During this time the public have engaged more with the sustainability and authenticity of craft. Guilds, Associations, Networks and Societies (GANS) are at the heart of Design & Crafts Council Ireland and we look forward to continuing to support the development of technical and business skills, creating opportunities and promoting craft in Ireland through the work of our dedicated team.

Project team of Made in Ireland, Mary Gallagher, Hilary Morley and Stephen OConnell said: It is our hope that Made in Ireland will engage with diverse audiences and build understanding of craft, design and material culture. In a desert of digital and mass manufacture, we find this oasis of making  a tangible link to the materials and traditions of this island, to its colour, its landscape and its people.

Exhibitors include makers of international renown as well as young, emerging artists and those who have practised quietly in areas of the country such as Clare Island, West Cork and the North Antrim Coast. Some are members of Design & Crafts Council Irelands Portfolio Critical Selection, while others are highly skilled makers who practise away from the spotlight and national competition.

A full list of exhibitors can be viewed on https://www.ndcg.ie/exhibitions/made-in-ireland
MANKATO, Minn. - A 70-year-old motorcyclist was killed over the weekend in a crash on Highway 14.

The Minnesota State Patrol said Mark Halverson, of Mankato, died when his motorcycle collided with a vehicle in Blue Earth County off a Highway 14 exit ramp.

The driver of the other vehicle, 33-year-old Bryan Fillbrandt, was not injured.
RED WING, Minn.  Killing his father is sending a southeastern Minnesota man to prison.

Cole Sidney DeGroot, 22 of rural Cannon Falls, was sentenced Monday to 15 years behind bars. DeGroot pleaded guilty in October to second-degree murder for the death of Terry DeGroot.

Authorities say Terry DeGroot, 55, was shot to death on August 27, 2020, after an argument with his son. Investigators say the two were working together and after the argument, Cole DeGroot left the job site and biked to his fathers house to get a firearm, then returned to the job site and fired the gun.

Court documents state the bullet hit a skid loader and then penetrated Terry DeGroots body, causing his death.

Cole DeGroot has also been ordered to pay $7,534.66 in restitution.
OSAGE, Iowa  A Cedar Rapids duo has been sentenced for a Mitchell County break-in.

Tomi Ann Clarke, 48, and Michael Todd Dolezal, 48, both pleaded guilty to third-degree burglary for the incident on February 17 in Carpenter. They were accused of breaking into a building and investigators say their truck was found in St. Ansgar with gloves and masks, multiple crowbars with paint transfer, drug paraphernalia, a 9-inch bowie knife, and numerous burglary tools inside.

Clarke received two years of supervised probation and a deferred judgment, meaning this conviction will be removed from her record if she successfully completes her sentence. Dolezal got three to five years of supervised probation. The two have also been ordered to pay restitution.
CHARLES CITY, Iowa - A Charles City man is facing a felony child endangerment charge for allegedly throwing a chair at a child.

Charles Berger, 58, was arrested on a warrant Friday in connection to an alleged incident Nov. 1.

Authorities said he threw a chair at the victim, a 13-year-old child, and it resulted in bodily injury (bruising/scar).
CHARLES CITY, Iowa  A plea deal is struck over a break-in in Floyd County.

Parelle Doran Hayslett, 26 of Charles City, entered an Alford plea to second-degree burglary and has been sentenced to five years of supervised probation.

Hayslett was accused of going to an apartment in the 500 block of Hulin Street in Charles City on April 25 and kicking in the front door, breaking the deadbolt and the frame. Investigators say he then tried to force open the bedroom door while making statements about killing someone if he got inside.

An Alford plea means Hayslett is not admitting guilt but concedes he could be convicted at trial.
OSSIAN, Iowa  Law enforcement is investigating an explosion Sunday evening in northeast Iowa.

The Winneshiek County Sheriffs Office says an unidentified male set off an explosive device on Jessie Street in Ossian around 6:42 pm Sunday.

The Sheriffs Office says it is aggressively pursuing all leads and anyone with information pertaining to this incident should contact the Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office at (563) 382-4268.
MASON CITY, Iowa  A not guilty plea is entered to a rash of crimes at the North Iowa Fairgrounds.

Justin Lee Holt, 45 of Mason City, is charged with three counts of third-degree burglary, attempted third-degree burglary, second-degree theft, second-degree criminal mischief, and third-degree criminal mischief.

Holt is accused of stealing a dump truck, damaging an ATM, damaging the Mason City Motor Speedway, breaking off doorknobs, breaking windows, disconnecting phone lines, and stealing an automated defibrillator. These crimes all occurred on October 7.

Holts trial is scheduled to start on December 7.
RICEVILLW, Iowa  A man is taken to the hospital for evaluation after a hotel room is trashed.

The Howard County Sheriffs Office says it got a 911 call just before 10 pm Friday from the 10th Hole Hotel in Riceville. The caller was whispering and said there were two men with chainsaws at the hotel and to send help. A deputy went to the hotel and said a male and female appeared at a second floor window with the male screaming help while the female yelled hes hallucinating.

The deputy entered the hotel and went to the second floor room. The deputy knocked on the door and a female came into the hall while a male slammed the door behind her and started barricading the door with things from inside the hotel room.

The Sheriffs Office says another deputy arrived and they eventually talked the male into removing a mattress from the door. He was taken into custody. The deputies say the room was destroyed, with glass everywhere, items inside the room were busted, the outdoor window was broken, the toilet was smashed, and water was seeping through the floor to the room below.

Deputies transported Brian Steger of Guttenberg to the hospital after determining he was having a medical episode. After Steger was cleared by doctors, he was booked into the Howard County Jail on second-degree criminal mischief, a misdemeanor. The Sheriffs Office says based on the total damages at the hotel, that charge could be changed to a felony.

The Mitchell County Sheriffs Office, Cresco Police Department, and Riceville Ambulance assisted with this incident.
MASON CITY, Iowa  MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center is encouraging women who are pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or breastfeeding to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The CDC and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend mothers receive the COVID-19 vaccine, says Dr. Garth Summers with MercyOne Obstetrics & Gynecology. Numerous studies of vaccinated moms show COVID-19 antibodies passed in the umbilical cord blood of babies and the mothers breastmilk.

Health officials say pregnant women are at a higher risk to get ill with COVID-19 compared with non-pregnant women and that none of the COVID-19 vaccines contain the live virus and cannot make anyone sick with COVID-19, including pregnant people and their babies.
NORTHWOOD, Iowa  Two Minnesota men are sentenced for a beating at a North Iowa party.

Xavier Prestin Judge, 21 of Eagan, MN, and Abdulla Abdulhalim Shigidy, 21 of Apple Valley, MN, were arrested for attacking a man in the 2000 block of 340th Street near Plymouth on September 13, 2020. The victim said he was punched by Judge and body slammed on cement by Shigidy, suffering a fractured skull and a slight brain bleed

Court documents state the victim had to return to the hospital several days after the attack because the right side of his face became paralyzed.

Judge pleaded no contest to assault causing bodily injury. He was sentenced to one year of supervised probation and must pay a $430 civil penalty. Shigidy entered an Alford plea to assault causing serious injury. He received three years of supervised probation.

Both men received a deferred judgment, meaning this conviction will be removed from their record if they successfully complete their sentences.
NORTHWOOD, Iowa  A teen accused of burglarizing a Worth County gas station is pleading not guilty.

Samuel James Crotty, 19 of Northwood, is charged with first-degree criminal mischief, two counts of third-degree burglary, second-degree theft, and third-degree attempted burglary.

Investigators say Crotty broke into a gas station in the 700 block of 8th Street N on August 16 and then again two days later. Court documents state the two burglaries left the gas station door broken, an ATM damaged, laptops and gas pump controls damaged, and items such as lighters, earbuds, sunglasses, and vaping devices missing.

Crotty is now scheduled to stand trial beginning January 19.
SMITHS MILL, Minn.  A Rochester man is arrested after a nearly 100 mile per hour chase in Blue Earth County.

Deputies were called to a home near the intersection of Highway 14 and 626th Avenue around 2 pm Monday. A resident reported seeing a white Chevrolet Tahoe pull onto his property and drive behind a shed. A deputy arrived and says the Tahoe sped away from harvested cornfields.

The Blue Earth County Sheriffs Office says a check of the Tahoes license plate found it was reported stolen in Jordan. Law enforcement says a pursuit nearing 100 mph started east on Highway 14, exited near Janesville, and then north on Waseca County Road 18/West Elysian Lake Road.

The Sheriffs Office says the Tahoe became stuck driving through fields again in the area of West Elysian Lake Road and 425th Avenue in Waseca County. The driver, Donovan Tomas Egilsson, 24 of Rochester, was taken into custody.

Authorities say the Tahoe started on fire and the flames spread in the field. Multiple law enforcement agencies and several fire departments worked together to contain the flames. No one was injured in this incident.

Egilsson is facing multiple charges including fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle and possession of stolen property.
MASON CITY, Iowa  Two truck thefts result in probation for a Mason City man.

Aaron Paul Ryerson, 50, entered an Alford plea to two counts of first-degree theft and was sentenced Monday to five years of supervised probation and ordered to complete the Cerro Gordo County Drug Court program.

Authorities say Ryerson stole a pickup truck from Kwik Star East in Clear Lake on January 20 and then was arrested in Mason City on June 4 driving a propane truck that had been stolen in Winnebago County.

Under an Alford plea, Ryerson does not admit guilt but accepts he could be convicted at trial and will abide by his sentencing.
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.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Plenty of sunshine. High 52F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 23F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Shelby County, Mo., farmer Brad Blaise says his work with the Navy Seabees instilled in him the importance of not giving up, which he says helped in building his farming operation.
ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com)  A St. Louis man who is a suspected serial killer has been arrested for crimes that span Missouri.

Perez Reed, who turns 26 on Nov. 10, is accused of shooting six people, four fatally, with the same .40 caliber gun. He was arrested Friday while he was traveling from Kansas City to St. Louis. He got off the train in Independence, Mo. and took a bus before he was arrested in Kansas City. When he was arrested, Reed reportedly had the .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol on him that matched the shell casings found at unsolved shootings in St. Louis City and County in September 2021.

The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office charged Reed with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault and three counts of armed criminal action. In The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Reed has been charged with one count of interstate transportation of a firearm with intent to commit a felony. St. Louis City police told News 4 warrants against Reed in their jurisdiction were being applied on Monday morning. Tuesday, city authorities charged him with two counts of first-degree murder, three counts of armed criminal action and one count of assault.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner released the following statement Monday afternoon regarding the investigation:

"The Circuit Attorneys Office has been working closely with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department from the beginning on this investigation. This is a complex multi-jurisdictional case. The cases in the City of St. Louis are currently under investigation to ensure the most important goal - that justice is brought to the many victims and their families; and the person responsible is held accountable for these heinous crimes."

Download our KMOV News App for the latest updates

6 killed, 2 injured in shootings

Reeds alleged crime spree began on Sept. 12 at a bus stop on Chambers Road in St. Louis County. Police said Reed shot a man who was waiting for a bus multiple times in the chest. The man was left with serious injuries and a permanent disability.

The following day, Reed is accused of shooting Marnay Haynes, 16, at least two times in a "distinctive manner," killing her in the 9900 block of Glen Owen Drive.

Three days later, police said Reed shot a 28-year-old woman in the face behind a building in the 4500 block of Adelaide. Officers found the woman at a BP gas station on West Florissant looking for help. She survived the shooting but was unable to speak to detectives. However, documents show a blood trail led investigators to where the shooting took place.

Within two hours, detectives in north St. Louis linked the suspected serial killer to another woman's death -- 49-year-old Pamela Abercrombie. She was found wounded lying on the sidewalk in the 3800 block of West Florissant. She died at the hospital.

After Abercrombie's death, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department sent a public safety alert warning that some sex workers were being targeted by an unknown gunman.

On Sept. 19, Reed is accused of murdering 24-year-old Carey Ross, who was found shot in a vacant lot near the intersection of 15th and Mullanphy just after 12 p.m.

Then, on Sept. 26, detectives identified a familiar distinctive manner while investigating the shooting death of Lester Robinson in the 1700 block of Barbados Lane in St. Louis County. The shooting had similarities to the Haynes' murder.

Two city homicides, killing in Jennings are connected, police say The killing of a teen in Jennings, Mo. and two homicides in St. Louis City are related, police tell News 4.

Reed then allegedly made his way to Kansas City, where he is accused of killing Damon Irvin, 35, on Oct 28 and Rau'Daja Fairrow, 25, a day later. Both lived in apartments at the Wyandotte Towers and were shot to death, investigators said.

Evidence linking Reed to murders

In court documents, the FBI detailed the evidence used to link Reed to the Missouri crimes.

In the Kansas shooting deaths, investigators obtained surveillance video from the apartment building. A still photograph from the video showed a man with a crescent tattoo on his forehead, which matched a booking photo of Reed that showed a crescent tattoo on his forehead.

Surveillance video from Oct. 28 reportedly showed Reed and Irvin entering the apartment building together. The duo then went into Irvins apartment around 11:15 p.m. that night. Just after 6 a.m. the following morning, Reed left Irvins apartment alone, according to police.

A security guard at the Kansas apartment complex told investigators a man who entered the apartment building with Fairrow on Oct. 29 presented a Missouri drivers license for Perez Reed. Phone records that matched Reeds listed number showed the suspect called Fairrow 652 times between Oct. 5 and Oct. 29. After Oct. 29, Reeds phone no longer called Fairrows phone. Investigators said they could not find any witnesses who reported seeing Fairrow alive after Oct. 29.

Upon Reeds arrest, a gun that matched was consistent with the one used in the September 2021 shooting sin St. Louis was seized from him. The FBI said Reed still had a crescent tattoo visible on his forehead when he was taken into custody.

When he was interviewed by investigators, Reed reportedly admitted to giving his drivers license to the security guard at the Kansas City apartment complex. He also admitted to knowing Fairrow. But, he denied hurting anybody.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said 48-year-old Mark Spence was last seen at a healthcare facility in Lebanon, Missouri Saturday night. Investigators said he could possibly be on his way to the St. Louis area.
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By Yang Moo-jin





The key focus of President Moon Jae-in on his trip to Europe to participate in the G20 summit was peace on the Korean Peninsula. As the first official duty on his itinerary, President Moon met with Pope Francis and asked him to visit North Korea. It was also unusual for Unification Minister Lee In-young to accompany the President on an overseas trip. It is noteworthy that Lee met with the heads of major international organizations such as the WFP and WHO and asked for cooperation in providing humanitarian assistance to North Korea, especially in the health and medical sector. This seems to suggest that the Moon administration will work on specific measures for promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula by starting with humanitarian cooperation in the health, quarantine and livelihood sectors to gain the international community's interest and consensus.



Among the many demands for humanitarian cooperation, the health and medical sector has become the most closely related to our lives in our "new normal" world which has been caused by COVID-19. Through health and medical cooperation on the Korean Peninsula, we need to create a practical fence that can protect the lives and safety of future generations as well as the people in South and North Korea.



This new world requires a new way of cooperation that is different from that of the past. Sustainable cooperation itself should be the goal of coexistence. North Korea is no longer a target for unilateral aid. We should come up with measures to ensure that the two Koreas live together safely as equal partners. The content of cooperation should also be reciprocal in order to make sure that the demands of both sides can be met. This is why there are voices calling for comprehensive, systematic and close cooperation from the medium- to long-term perspective in the diverse health and medical sectors.



In this situation, the announcement that the Health and Medical Cooperation Platform on the Korean Peninsula will be launched Nov.10 with the Ministry of Unification at the center is quite welcome. For the moment, I want to assess positively the move to set the stage for gathering those who take an interest in and have a passion for health and medical cooperation with North Korea, including governments, civic groups at home and abroad, international agencies and academic circles. With the aim of sustainable cooperation with North Korea, I hope that we will be able to accumulate a lot of wisdom and determination from the Health and Medical Cooperation Platform on the Korean Peninsula. Although North Korea now also has its own reasons and situations, I believe there is certainly a need for stable and sustainable cooperation when it comes to the health and medical sector. The cooperation platform should be the stage for communication and cooperation with North Korea in the end with the participation of North Korea.



Lastly, gaining a consensus on the health and medical cooperation within our society is an essential condition for sustainability. It is important to recognize that cooperation is a process to maintain our own lives and safety, not just one to help North Korea unilaterally. During the G20 Summit in Rome, President Moon said that it is hard for us to return to normal life during COVID-19 just by increasing the vaccination rate in any one country, if we do not simultaneously increase the vaccination rate in all countries. We will be able to overcome the COVID-19 crisis when the situation not only in South Korea but also in North Korea becomes better.



Despite expectations in several areas after restoring communication lines between South and North Korea, the frozen inter-Korean relationship has not warmed. However, the history of humanitarian cooperation has continued since 1995 amid ups and downs in inter-Korean relations and military tension. The two Koreas have the experiences of helping and sharing with each other during difficult times. Not only the Moon Jae-in administration, but also previous governments have advocated the principle that humanitarian cooperation should be consistently pursued regardless of the political and security conditions. Although the situation on the Korean Peninsula is complicated because of the nuclear and the "end-of-war" declaration issues, the pursuit of joint cooperation on the urgent matter of COVID-19 should not be delayed. I hope that the two Koreas will steadily pursue health and medical cooperation that saves lives by starting with COVID-19 cooperation, regardless of the circumstances. I hope that the cooperation for life will become a warm breeze for the frozen Korean Peninsula.





Yang Moo-jin (yangmj@kyungnam.ac.kr) is a professor at the University of North Korean Studies and vice chairman of the Korean Association of North Korean Studies. He is also a standing committee member of the National Unification Advisory Council and a policy consultant at the Ministry of Unification.


The minor child has been located and is with law enforcement in Elko Co Nevada. An arrest warrant has been served on the party believed to have kidnapped the minor child. Read more
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 8, 2021--

Starship Technologies, in conjunction with Milton Keynes Council, has announced the initial findings of an internal study to review the early impact of zero-emission robots in the city over the last three and a half years.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005491/en/

Environmental Impact of Starships Delivery Robots in Milton Keynes Revealed for the First Time During COP26 (Photo: Starship Technologies)

Since launching the emission-free autonomous delivery service in Milton Keynes in April 2018, Starship has calculated that 280,000 car journeys have been avoided, equating to over 500,000 miles. This in turn has seen 137 tons of CO2 and 22kg of NOx saved, with a reduction of 23kg of PM10 and 12kg of PM2.5 in the volume of micro-particles in the air. The latter in particular is known to have a significant impact on human health, including premature mortality and cardiovascular diseases.

Starships delivery robots, which are powered by zero carbon electricity, are part of a significant ecosystem in Milton Keynes geared towards the Councils commitment to become carbon neutral by 2030 and carbon negative by 2050 in order to tackle climate change.

Despite the city coming top of a table of over 146 urban locations across the UK in a recent study examining air pollution levels carried out by Birmingham Institute for Forest Research and Lancaster University's Environment Centre, Milton Keynes Council is taking nothing for granted. Just last year, the Council announced its Sustainability Strategy and Biodiversity Action Plan, focusing on how Milton Keynes will become a world-leading sustainable city.

The Council is also looking at how transport and mobility can reduce carbon emissions, and is one of the leading places in the UK in moving forward with zero carbon transport. Deployments include e-scooters, electric buses, e-car share and e-cargo cycles. Linking all of this to smart city energy management systems, Milton Keynes is poised to achieve its ambitions of carbon neutrality and help address the climate emergency facing society.

Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Sustainability, Jennifer Willson-Marklew, said: We are delighted that Starships service is helping residents and businesses receive deliveries in an efficient and sustainable way. The operations are a great success and the results are testament to how thinking differently about our carbon challenges can deliver better outcomes all round. Whether it's Starship, more electric vehicle charging or electric buses, Milton Keynes will continue establishing itself as a modern, forward-thinking city thats ready to take on the climate challenge head-on.

Volker Beckers, Special Advisor to the Starship Technologies board and former Group CEO of RWE Npower plc, added: An average delivery for a Starship robot consumes as little energy as boiling the kettle to make just one cup of tea. These initial findings therefore demonstrate the significantly positive impact that electrically powered robots can have in helping to reduce harmful emissions and how energy could be used more effectively. Starship remains as committed as ever to working closely with Milton Keynes Council and helping to tackle some of the huge challenges in discussion surrounding COP26. We are further encouraged that additional research has revealed that close to 70% of Starships customers forgo driving to a store or receiving a delivery from a fuel powered vehicle in favour of robot delivery.

-ENDS-

About Starship Technologies

Starship Technologies is revolutionizing deliveries with autonomous robots. The robots are designed to deliver food, groceries and packages locally in minutes. The delivery robots have traveled millions of miles and completed more than two million autonomous deliveries around the world. They drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take control at any time. Starship was founded by Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis (Skype Chief Architect and Co-founder) and Alastair Westgarth is the CEO.

Website: https://www.starship.xyz/follow / starshipdeliveries.com

Facebook: @Starshiptech

Twitter: @Starshiprobots

Instagram: @Starshiprobots

View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005491/en/

CONTACT: James Meredith

starship@libertycomms.com

KEYWORD: UNITED KINGDOM EUROPE

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: ENVIRONMENT TRANSPORT LOGISTICS/SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVE ENERGY ENERGY OTHER TRANSPORT

SOURCE: Starship Technologies

Copyright Business Wire 2021.

PUB: 11/08/2021 06:00 AM/DISC: 11/08/2021 06:02 AM

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005491/en
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 8, 2021--

In partnership with national nonprofit, Operation Homefront, Pillsbury welcomed its inaugural military family into a recently constructed transitional home for veterans, ensuring the family can spend Thanksgiving in their new home. This is the first of three transitional homes for veterans that Pillsbury has pledged in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area and is the second home the brand has donated through Operation Homefront since 2020. Each home will enable Operation Homefront to provide rent-free housing to multiple military families over the next 15-20 years as they transition back to civilian life.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005232/en/

Military Veteran, Max Best, with family outside new Dallas-Fort Worth transitional home donated by Pillsbury and Operation Homefront. (Photo: Business Wire)

Dallas-native and Navy Veteran, Max Best, his wife and his two young children are the first occupants of the transitional home in the Newberry Point community of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro. Best, a Petty Officer Second Class in the U.S. Navy, served in the military for six years, including a 2019 deployment to South Asia. Best and his family decided it was time to end his service with the military when his wife became pregnant with their son and the 14-to-16-hour days required from his master-at-arms duties were no longer feasible for the family. While living in the transitional home, the Best familys goal is to improve their credit, save money and work to become homeowners themselves.

Pillsbury believes what matters most is made at home and every family deserves a space to share moments together. To put that belief into action, we are continuing our support of Operation Homefront in local communities, said Tiffany Seelen, Senior Manager, Brand Experience, Pillsbury. We are so thrilled to have welcomed home the Best Family ahead of Veterans Day and cant wait to continue our efforts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Operation Homefronts Transitional Housing Programs have provided more than 600 military families with rent-free homes, which offer pivotal support to military families as they return to civilian life, become financially stable and prepare for their future, so they can save for homes of their own. Operation Homefront also offers financial counseling, equipping military families, like the Best Family, with the tools they need for success.

We are thrilled to have the Best family become the newest members in our highly-regarded Transitional Homes for Veterans program, said Brig. Gen. (ret.) John I. Pray Jr., President and CEO of Operation Homefront. Our amazing partners at Pillsbury share our unwavering commitment to building strong, stable and secure military families and this beautiful new home they sponsored in the Dallas-Ft Worth area will not only help the Best family have the opportunity to thrive in this wonderful community but will also help many other deserving military families over the coming years as well."

For more information about Pillsbury, visit Pillsbury.com.

About General Mills

General Mills makes food the world loves. The company is guided by its Accelerate strategy to drive shareholder value by boldly building its brands, relentlessly innovating, unleashing its scale and being a force for good. Its portfolio of beloved brands includes household names such as Cheerios, Nature Valley, Blue Buffalo, Haagen-Dazs, Old El Paso, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Annies, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, General Mills generated fiscal 2021 net sales of U.S. $18.1 billion. In addition, the companys share of non-consolidated joint venture net sales totaled U.S. $1.1 billion.

About Operation Homefront

Founded in 2002, Operation Homefront is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can thrive  not simply struggle to get by  in the communities they have worked so hard to protect. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity oversight groups, 90 percent of Operation Homefront expenditures go directly to programs that support tens of thousands of military families each year. Operation Homefront provides critical financial assistance, transitional and permanent housing, and family support services to prevent short-term needs from turning into chronic, long-term struggles. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the support from thousands of volunteers, Operation Homefront proudly serves Americas military families. For more information, visit OperationHomefront.org.

View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005232/en/

Binoli Dua,binoli.dua@genmills.com

KEYWORD: MINNESOTA TEXAS UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: OTHER DEFENSE RESIDENTIAL BUILDING & REAL ESTATE RETAIL CONSTRUCTION & PROPERTY OTHER CONSUMER WOMEN PHILANTHROPY DEFENSE OTHER RETAIL MEN SUPERMARKET FOUNDATION FAMILY OTHER PHILANTHROPY FOOD/BEVERAGE CONSUMER

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PUB: 11/08/2021 08:00 AM/DISC: 11/08/2021 08:02 AM

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Weather Alert

...Gusty Winds Expected Through Afternoon Across the Region... A strong cold front is entering northern Iowa late this morning. Winds just behind the boundary are increasing from the northwest with sustained winds of 25 to 30 mph and wind gusts to 40 mph. As the front sweeps southeast today, winds will increase across the area and continue through the mid to late afternoon hours. If traveling through the region today, high profile vehicles may have difficulty at times. Loose objects will be blown around as well. The wind is expected to diminish toward sunset and will drop to 10 to 20 mph between 6 pm and 8 pm CST this evening.
Have you seen the proposed redistricting maps for New Hampshire? What do you think of the plans?
CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo.  An Olathe, Kansas man is accused of evading arrest and attacking a police officer, resulting in a hospitalization.

According to authorities, at around midnight, a deputy was conducting patrols in the area of Horseshoe Bend Parkway and Country Club Drive on Saturday, Oct. 30. The deputy reportedly saw a vehicle traveling west on Horseshoe Bend Parkway driving in the center turn lane at a high rate of speed, and attempted to initiate a traffic stop on the vehicle. According to the report, the vehicle fled.

The deputy pursued the vehicle to Camden on the Lake where the driver allegedly attempted to flee into the hotel. The deputy gave chase and was able to subdue the suspect at the entrance of the hotel. While the deputy was attempting to subdue the suspect, authorities say that the suspect struck the deputy multiple times in the forehead with a sharp object resulting in multiple lacerations to the deputys forehead and near the deputys eye. The deputy was transported to Lake Regional hospital where he received treatment for his injuries.

A probable cause statement was prepared for this incident and submitted to Camden County Prosecutor Caleb Cunningham. As a result of this, a warrant was issued and signed by Judge Heather Miller.

Daniel Hague, of Olathe, Kan. is charged with a class A felony of Assault in the 1st degree of a special victim and felony resisting arrest. More charges are expected to be filed at a later date. Hague is being held in the Camden County Adult Detention Facility without bond. If convicted, Hague could be sentenced to a maximum of 30 years or life in prison.

The deputy, a 6 year veteran with the Camden County Sheriffs Office, is expected to make a full recovery and returned to duty the following night.
Kenosha police are investigating an early morning shooting which left one person dead and three injured in the 600 block of 57th Street Sunday.
No cause has yet been released for the weekend blaze in Genoa City at the former retirement home located in the area known locally as German Camp.

The call came in around 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, for a fire in the vacant property at 1201 County Highway H.

Fire crews from throughout the region responded to the fire to provide assistance.

Chief Fred Schalow of the Bloomfield, Genoa City Fire and Rescue said the cause of the fire is under investigation by the Walworth County Investigation Taskforce, which investigates bigger fires.

A resident and worker in the subdivision, who declined to be named, said the former retirement home was vacant, although there had been some recent construction work going on to renovate the building.

The nearly century-old building is located in the area known now as Woodlands Recreation Society but still known as German Camp by many because of the areas German heritage.

The residential community was established in the 1930s by a group of German immigrants from the Chicago area wanting to establish a recreation farm and an old peoples home, according to the Woodlands Recreation Society website.

The then 235 acre property was purchased on Oct. 11, 1930 from Howard Wattles, according to the information compiled by Bob Neumann, a 70year member of the Society.

In 1935 the cornerstone of the retirement home was laid and the building was dedicated in 1936  a date engraved in the building. It later became a charitable organization and was renamed the Genoa City Retirement Home

The idea was to provide a Home for the aged members, according to Neumann. A place where these members could enjoy the country atmosphere and the company of others who shared common backgrounds and interests. At the time, there were no retirement villages as we know today.

From there, cottages were built, as well as a restaurant, bar, a hotel, dance hall, a playground, even a bowling alley. During the winter and on weekends, the basement of the dining hall known as the Rathskeller was open for meals along with a bar, according to the website. In 1958 the camps pool was added.

The pool and clubhouse still stand to this day for residents to enjoy. But what will come of the former retirement home will remain to be seen.

As of Monday, Nov. 8, caution tape blocked the driveway into the retirement home.
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP)  A protester and volunteer medic wounded on the streets of Kenosha by Kyle Rittenhouse testified Monday that he was pointing his own gun at the rifle-toting Rittenhouse  unintentionally, he said  when the young man shot him.

Gaige Grosskreutz, the third and final man gunned down by Rittenhouse during a night of turbulent racial-justice protests in the summer of 2020, took the stand at Rittenhouse's murder trial and recounted how he drew his own pistol after the bloodshed started.

I thought the defendant was an active shooter, the 27-year-old Grosskreutz said. Asked what was going through his mind as he got closer to the 17-year-old Rittenhouse, he said, That I was going to die.

Rittenhouse shot Grosskreutz in the arm, tearing away much of his bicep  or vaporized it, as the witness put it.

Rittenhouse, now 18, is on trial on charges of killing two men and wounding Grosskreutz. The one-time police youth cadet from Antioch, Illinois, had gone to Kenosha with an AR-style semi-automatic rifle and a medical kit in what he said was an effort to safeguard property from the violent demonstrations that broke out over the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by a white Kenosha police officer.

Prosecutors have portrayed Rittenhouse as the instigator of the bloodshed. His lawyers have argued that he acted in self-defense. He could get life in prison if convicted of the most serious charges against him.

Under questioning from the prosecution, Grosskreutz said he had his hands raised as he closed in on Rittenhouse and didnt intend to shoot the young man. Prosecutor Thomas Binger asked Grosskreutz why he didnt shoot first.

Thats not the kind of person that I am. Thats not why I was out there, he said. Its not who I am. And definitely not somebody I would want to become.

But during cross-examination, Rittenhouse defense attorney Corey Chirafisi asked: It wasnt until you pointed your gun at him, advanced on him  that he fired, right?

Correct, Grosskreutz replied. The defense also presented a photo showing Grosskreutz pointing the gun at Rittenhouse, who was on the ground with his rifle pointed up at Grosskreutz.

Grosskreutz, under follow-up questioning from the prosecutor, said he did not intend to point his weapon at Rittenhouse.

Wisconsins self-defense law allows someone to use deadly force only if necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm. The jury must decide whether Rittenhouse believed he was in such peril and whether that belief was reasonable under the circumstances.

Grosskreutz said he had gone to the protest in Kenosha to serve as a medic, wearing a hat that said paramedic and carrying medical supplies, in addition to a loaded pistol. He said his permit to carry a concealed weapon had expired and he did not have a valid one that night.

I believe in the Second Amendment. Im for peoples right to carry and bear arms, he said, explaining why he was armed. And that night was no different than any other day. Its keys, phone, wallet, gun.

He said he went into action after seeing Rittenhouse kill a man just feet away  the second person Rittenhouse fatally shot that night.

While Grosskreutz said he never verbally threatened Rittenhouse, Chirafisi, the defense attorney, said that people dont have to use words to threaten others. They can do so by their actions, like running after them down the street with a loaded firearm, Chirafisi said.

On cross-examination, Chirafisi sought to portray Grosskreutz as dishonest in his description of the moments right before he was shot, with Chirafisi asserting that Grosskreutz was chasing Rittenhouse with his gun out. Grosskreutz denied he was chasing Rittenhouse.

Chirafisi also said Grosskreutz lied when he initially told multiple police officers that he dropped his weapon.

In addition, Chirafisi pointed to Grosskreutzs lawsuit against the city of Kenosha, in which he alleges police enabled the violence by allowing an armed militia to have the run of the streets during the demonstration.

If Mr. Rittenhouse is convicted, your chance of getting 10 million bucks is better, right? Chirafisi said.

Chirafisi also asked Grosskreutz if he told his former roommate that his only regret was not killing the kid and hesitating to pull the gun before emptying the entire mag into him. Grosskreutz denied saying that.

At the defense table, Rittenhouse took detailed notes when the witness spoke about the moment he was shot.

Grosskreutz, who was trained as a paramedic, testified that he volunteered as a medic at protests in Milwaukee in the days after George Floyd died under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020. Grosskreutz said he attended around 75 protests before the night he was shot, offering help to anyone needing medical attention.

He said he provided medical assistance to about 10 other people that night in Kenosha.

While Rittenhouse is white, as were those he shot, the case has stirred racially fraught debate over vigilantism, the right to bear arms, and the unrest that erupted around the U.S. that summer over police violence against Black people.

Last week, witnesses at the trial testified that the first man shot and killed, Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, was hyperaggressive and acting belligerently that night and threatened to kill Rittenhouse at one point.

One witness said Rosenbaum was gunned down after he chased Rittenhouse and lunged for the young man's rifle.

Rosenbaums killing set in motion the bloodshed that followed moments later: Rittenhouse killed Anthony Huber, a 26-year-old protester seen on bystander video hitting Rittenhouse with a skateboard. Rittenhouse then wounded Grosskreutz.

Grosskreutz has a tattoo on the arm where he was shot. It is the common medical image of a snake wrapped around a staff, and at the top it has a banner that says, Do no harm and at the bottom, a banner reading Do know harm.

When the prosecutor played graphic video of Grosskreutzs badly wounded arm, a few jurors seemed to grimace and look away.

Grosskreutz testified that he has difficulty lifting heavy objects with his right arm and has a loss of feeling extending from his bicep to his thumb.



Bauer reported from Madison, Wisconsin; Forliti from Minneapolis.



Find APs full coverage on the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse at: https://apnews.com/hub/kyle-rittenhouse

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The video above is live only when court is in session and the judge allows video/audio to be broadcast.

Lee Enterprises will be carrying a live blog of events in the homicide trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, which began with jury selection Nov. 1 and opening statements the following day.

Rittenhouse, 18, shot two people and wounded a third during a night of unrest in Kenosha on Aug. 25, 2020. His attorneys contend he acted in self-defense, while prosecutors have portrayed him as an instigator.

Lee Enterprises/Kenosha News reporter Deneen Smith is reporting from inside the Kenosha County Courthouse, with reporting on this page augmented by remote staff.

More coverage:

4:45 p.m.: Court done for the day; Antaramian dismissed.

3:45 p.m.: Defense begins asking questions of Antaramian.

Antaramian confirms that during rioting several people were "severely injured." Chirafisi mentions one man who was hit with a cement-filled water bottle and a police officer hit in head with a brick.

Antaramian confirms that Rittenhouse was placed under arrest at about 6 a.m. the morning after the shootings.

Defense asks if Rittenhouse was charged before all information from the shootings had been compiled by police, which Antaramian confirms is true.

Antaramian says he has had search warrants signed by judges that weren't executed, but it's rare.

Antaramian confirms that all the questions investigators had for Grosskreutz were not answered, including regarding Grosskreutz originally saying he had lost his gun when video shows he was still holding it upon being shot.

Grosskreutz never gave police permission to go through his phone, Antaramian says.

Antaramian says he was never able to get a search warrant for Anthony Huber's skateboard because police never learned its location. The location of the skateboard that Huber is shown in video swinging at Rittenhouse is still unknown to authorities.

Antaramian says investigators were unable to locate the pistol Joshua Ziminski, of Caledonia, allegedly fired into the air moments before Rittenhouse shot Joseph Rosenbaum.

Antaramian agrees with question posed by Chirafisi that the "only people" Rittenhouse shot at ran at him.

Prosecution asks if information learned later in investigation would've changed Kenosha officers' decision to charge Rittenhouse. Antaramian says he doesn't think so but can't remember for sure; it's been awhile since Antaramian read the criminal complaint. Prosecution notes that the decision to request charges against Rittenhouse was drafted after video showed Grosskreutz was carrying a gun when he was shot.

Rosenbaum's water bottle comes up again, with defense asking Antaramian if someone carrying an empty water bottle would lead to the officer expecting that person to commit a crime; Antaramian says he would not get that impression. Previously it's been alleged that Rosenbaum's water bottle could've been used to make some sort of weapon, although there isn't evidence of such.

Antaramian testifies on questioning from defense that Rosenbaum had "stippling" on his body, which is what happens when a firearm is fired very close to a person, leaving behind marks (oftentimes burns) on the person who was shot.

Prosecution plays video with audio that includes Rosenbaum in gas station parking lot. Audio is heard of someone saying something to the effect of "Don't point that mother(expletive) gun at me!" moments before Rosenbaum is heard saying "Shoot me (N-word)! Shoot me (N-word)!" at armed individuals. A video taken moments later includes someone yelling "Do not burn my city! I support Black Lives Matter! Burn the police station!"

Pool Report: With Kenosha detective Ben Antaramian on the stand, another detective put on purple latex gloves to pull the AR-style semiautomatic rifle Rittenhouse carried the night of the shooting out of a long white box lying on the floor behind the prosecution table. He held the black firearm aloft for jurors sitting a few feet away, with lead prosecutor Thomas Binger also drawing the jury's attention to a strap on the butt of the weapon.

3:20 p.m.: Court about to return to session. Kenosha Police Detective Ben Antaramian called to the stand.

Antaramian says the KPD was "absolutely" equipped to respond to other 911 calls in Kenosha that were unrelated to the riots during the riots thanks to the response of the National Guard and others. He further says police were able to respond to threats to life, but not to minor things like smashed car windows.

Defense hammers home, via Antaramian's recollection, that no one else was seriously injured or killed the night of Aug. 25 other than those shot by Rittenhouse.

Antaramian and Detective Howard confirmed within hours of the shootings that Rittenhouse was the shooter and that he was 17.

2:57 p.m.: Break

2:48 p.m.: Prosecution ends questioning. Defense begins asking questions, after a laughable moment as Harris tried to step down but is reminded that defense now has a chance to ask questions. "First time," Harris laughs to himself.

When prosecution gets chance to ask questions again, Harris notes that Rittenhouse was with the armed men described as a "militia" but that Rittenhouse was not dressed like the rest of the them. He had a T-shirt on, while others had protective vests and sometimes helmets.

Harris' video show one of the armed individuals yelling at protesters "Want to (expletive) and find out!?" a seeming threat to protesters, which prosecution is using to show antagonism from those Rittenhouse was with. Defense objects. Judge sides with defense, saying "The group isn't on trial. Mr. Rittenhouse is."

2:25 p.m.: Kristan Harris called to the stand. He's the livestreamer who leads Rundown Live and says he's a talk show host.

He is based out of the Milwaukee area. His livestreaming includes some of the most well-circulated clips of rioting in Kenosha last year.

Harris testifies about a conversation he had with Rittenhouse, in which Harris said he tried to tell Rittenhouse that protesters did not see him as a "friendly" as the teenager attested to be.

2:08 p.m.: Kenosha Police Officer Jason Kreuger called to the stand. He is Pep Moretti's partner; the two were in a squad car Rittenhouse walked up to in the hectic moments after the shootings. The two are shown in video/audio telling Rittenhouse to stop walking toward them, and Rittenhouse not following those orders. "We were giving him verbal commands to stay back."

He testifies he didn't hear anything the crowd said about Rittenhouse. "There was a lot of noise ... I didn't hear any specific words being shouted toward me," Kreuger said.

Kreuger says his squad car would not be good defense against rifle rounds, nor would be his vest.

Kreuger says he believed Rittenhouse to be a "threat ... I did not want somebody walking up to my squad car in that scene."

Kreuger says he tried to pepper-spray Rittenhouse as he walked up; he's not sure if the pepper-spray was effective, but that Rittenhouse did leave.

Kreuger says he spoke with prior witness, Richie McGinniss, at the hospital. McGinniss is the Daily Caller reporter who filmed the shooting of Joseph Rosenbaum and then rendered aid to Rosenbaum.

At 2:25 p.m., Kreuger is dismissed.

1:54 p.m.: Heather Williams takes the stand. She works for a state crime laboratory in Milwaukee, a firearms examiner.

She is the first witness to wear a mask as she walked up to the stand, but took it off as she began speaking.

She testifies to the authenticity of the bullets fired by Rittenhouse's AR-15; defense presents no questions. She is dismissed.

1:52 p.m.: Grosskreutz's testimony concludes.

1:48 p.m.: Defense asking questions again.

"You never said a word to him other than approach him with your gun out from three feet away?" Chirafisi says. Grosskreutz replies in the affirmative.

1:28 p.m.: Prosecutors asking questions again.

Video played with voice identified as Grosskreutz's heard saying "We have our own medics, go home," toward armed groups.

Grosskreutz says on the stand that he never made any verbal threats toward Rittenhouse.

Grosskreutz says, upon questioning from defense, that "if" his intent was to shoot Rittenhouse he would not have gotten as close as he did, while Grosskreutz still asserts he did not intend to shoot Rittenhouse.

1:24 p.m.: Court is back in session. Grosskreutz remains on the stand.

Grosskreutz confirms he does not have any "regrets" about that evening. Chirafisi follows up by asking about statements made by Jacob Marshall, Grosskreutz's former roommate.

"Did you tell Mr. Marshall that your only regret" was not "emptying your entire mag" into Rittenhouse, as Marshall allegedly wrote Grosskreutz did in a Facebook comment? Grosskreutz said he never said that.

12:14 p.m.: Break for lunch and also for a legal discussion to be had while jury is out of the courtroom.

With jury out of the room, defense argues they should be allowed to ask Grosskreutz about a Facebook comment made by Grosskreutz's former roommate. Prosecution says the Facebook comment shouldn't be admitted because it is hearsay.

Prosecution indicates it is OK with the line of questioning, but that the jury shouldn't be allowed to see the Facebook comment in question. Defense appears OK with that.

Lunch break begins for all at 12:18 p.m.

11:25 a.m.: Attorney Corey Chirafisi of the defense begins cross-examination.

Chirafisi brings up statement Grosskreutz made to police on Aug. 26, saying at some point during Aug. 25 his Glock fell off his waist. Grosskreutz said he didn't remember making that statement, but confirms it via written statement.

Chirafisi says "That's a lie, no?" regarding the statement the gun fell. Grosskreutz says what he wrote was not a lie. "I told multiple officers that I dropped my firearm," the statement reads, according to Chirafisi.

"You were chasing Mr. Rittenhouse with your gun, right?" Chirafisi asks. Grosskreutz says "I wasn't chasing the defendant."

Chirafisi brings up lawsuit filed by Grosskreutz, seeking $10 million from Kenosha.

Regarding Grosskreutz carrying a firearm, Chirafisi notes "You left that out," which Grosskreutz doesn't deny.

Chirafisi hammers home that Grosskreutz was armed "for protection" even though he didn't have a valid license for concealed carry. Grosskreutz implies he didn't realize his license had lapsed until after Aug. 25.

Chirafisi notes that Grosskreutz is running in same direction as Rittenhouse after Rosenbaum is shot, but Grosskreutz says he was not trying to "chase down" Rittenhouse  an implication Chirafisi is trying to make.

Grosskreutz says he witnessed Jump Kick Man "go over" Rittenhouse but didn't witness any kicks connecting with Rittenhouse's faces.

Grosskreutz originally told police that he told Huber to "stop hitting that guy (Rittenhouse) with the skateboard" but now Grosskreutz says "with the benefit of hindsight" that that statement was "not correct," upon questioning from Chirafisi.

"You omitted the fact (to police) that you ran up on him and had a Glock pistol in your hand?" Chirafisi asks, which Grosskreutz confirms, but notes that he just got out of surgery and "was on pain meds," and the "traumatic experience I had just gone through." Grosskreutz says that the omission was not "purposeful."

Chirafisi then brings up that Grosskreutz had a "thoughtful process" to not share his occupation (out of concerns for safety) and make other statements accurately, but then he somehow didn't mention having a gun.

Grosskreutz said he was advised by his lawyer to not answer questions from police about the shooting itself.

Very grainy video still is shown with Grosskreutz's Glock shown maybe three feet from Rittenhouse with the gun appearing to be pointed at Rittenhouse while Rittenhouse points the AR-15 back at Grosskreutz. Grosskreutz describes the still as "the moment my bicep was vaporized."

"It is vaporized as you are pointing a gun at (Rittenhouse)," Chirafisi responds.

11:17 a.m.: After Aug. 25, Grosskreutz says he feared for his safety due to things people said online and to him in person. Defense objects. Prosecution says it goes to "state of mind" regarding Grosskreutz, who's trustworthiness was brought into question by a police witness regarding how he worked with law enforcement. Judge sides with prosecution, allowing Grosskreutz to continue testifying about "concerns for (his) safety."

"It had been made aware to me that people online were making threats," Grosskreutz says. He says people went outside his place of residence and the homes of his mom, grandma and "an aunt I barely talked to."

Police asked Grosskreutz, via an attorney, to turn over his cell phone for evidence, Grosskreutz testifies. Grosskreutz says that he never refused to turn over evidence to law enforcement.

Grosskreutz says he still has "physical issues" with his arm. "Besides the obvious loss of tissue, muscle doesn't grow back ... Heavier things are harder to life," he said. He can still move his forearm but can't feel most of it, from his right elbow "through his thumb."

On Grosskreutz's arm, he says he has a tattoo that says "Do no harm," a mantra of the medical field.

11:05 a.m.: Back from break.

Grosskreutz speaks about getting into law enforcement vehicle after police responded to his shooting and then being taken to hospital. He said a second tourniquet was put on in police vehicle since he was still bleeding after the first one wasn't applied perfectly by a livestreamer.

Grosskreutz said he was moved from one hospital to another one by ambulance. Then he was taken by Flight for Life to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa. There, he was "brought into the trauma room" and prepped for surgery.

He said he was in hospital for about a week followed by "several months of physical therapy."

10:42 a.m.: Break.

10:00 a.m. (Grosskreutz breaking down his recollection of the shooting of Huber and being shot): After the shootings and talking to Rittenhouse as the teenager ran toward police, "I thought he was an active shooter," Grosskreutz says.

Before the moments around when Anthony Huber shot, Grosskreutz said he had not pulled out his handgun. It was when the group started running after Rittenhouse and there were gunshots that Grosskreutz said he first pulled out his handgun.

Prosecutor asks: "When you pulled your gun out were you intending to use it?" Grosskreutz replies, after a pause. "If I had to."

When asked what was going through his mind, Grosskreutz says "That I was going to die."

An objection is sustained after Grosskreutz says Rittenhouse "murdered" Anthony Huber. Judge explains to jurors that the conclusion of "murder" is up jury. One juror nodded her head in agreement when the judge instructed the jury to disregard Grosskreutz's characterization of the fatal shooting of another protester in terms of murder.

Upon reviewing video of shootings, prosecutor shows Grosskreutz put his hands up as Rittenhouse pointed AR-15 at Grosskreutz, and then Grosskreutz said he witnessed Rittenhouse "reracking" to make it ready to fire.

"So after you raised your hands ... you saw the defendant rerack the weapon?" prosecutor says. Grosskreutz replies says "reracking the weapon means in my mind the defendant pulled the trigger when my hands were in the air." Grosskreutz said he didn't believe Rittenhouse "accepted my surrender."

Grosskreutz says "At that moment, I feel like I had to prevent myself from being killed." He says that's why "I closed the distance between him and I. From there, I don't know." Grosskreutz begins stuttering, saying he "never had the opportunity" to disarm Rittenhouse. "I was never trying to kill the defendant."

When asked why he didn't shoot Rittenhouse when he believed the teenager was an active shooter, Grosskreutz replies "Thats not the kind of person I am. Thats not why I was out there. Thats not why I was out there for 75 days previous (acting as medic at protests). That's not why I had up until that point spent my time, my money, my education" in caring for people in medical career. Of being someone who killed another, that is "definitely not something I would want to become."

While saying Grosskreutz was clearly trying not to cry on the stand. Before that, he had remained composed while watching video of his own shooting and very graphic photos of his injury.

Of the injuries, "I lost a large majority of my right bicep."

Bloody photos of Grosskreutz's injuries are shown in court. Binger warns jury the images are "Graphic."

When a prosecutor played graphic video of Grosskreutz's badly injured arm, with much of his bicep torn away by the gunshot, a few jurors seemed to grimace and look away from large monitors outside the jury box.

At the defense table, Rittenhouse took notes when Grosskreutz spoke about the moment he was shot and thought he was about to die. Rittenhouse otherwise displayed little outward emotion as he glanced up at the footage on a table-top monitor.

9:35 a.m.: Prosecutor Binger asks Grosskreutz if he ever, while working as an EMT, had to respond to someone who was shot. He said he had. When asked to describe the experiences.

Grosskreutz took a long time to respond. "There's a lot of blood," he notes, adding how "traumatic" gunshots are to the human body and often the threat to first responders. "It can be very hectic. It definitely doesn't get easier the more you do it."

He's turning to the jury and addressing them directly when he answers questions  something you usually only see with expert witnesses or cops.

Grosskreutz said he attended many protests after George Floyd was killed. Upon responding to first call for a "Medic!" at a protest, Grosskreutz said he and another medically trained friend said they would start volunteering since there were no organized medical response for protesters.

Binger notes, after an objection from the defense over how many questions he's asking about Grosskreutz being an emergency responder, that he is aiming "to draw a contrast between him and the defendant (Rittenhouse)."

Grosskreutz says that he knew Kenosha well, having brought patients to the hospital there before, and that he knew there was a "propensity for violence" during rioting  factors for why he said he came to Kenosha on Aug. 25. He said "that day was like any other day" for having gone armed in Kenosha on Aug. 25. He said he had a Glock pistol that day but his permit had expired at the time of the riots.

Grosskreutz says of the 10 or so patients he treated that night before being shot, the most dire was a young woman hit by a rubber bullet on the inside of the arm.

A Kenosha News photo of Grosskreutz treating someone injured during protests is shown and submitted into evidence.

Grosskreutz said before he was shot he saw Rittenhouse "offering medical assistance" to someone who appeared to have an injured leg. According to Grosskreutz's testimony, he said he saw someone carried onto a Car Source lot, Rittenhouse offer aid, someone else yell something to the effect of "don't let them treat you" and then that person being carried off the lot without Rittenhouse being able to offer any aid.

Later upon cross-examination, Grosskreutz says he did not render aid either.

Grosskreutz was livestreaming a bit during the night. In one video, Ryan Balch  one of the armed men who was with Rittenhouse  is shown at a boarded-up Car Source as a woman yells at them "Protect your property, not the streets!" and another woman yells obscenities at the armed people. Grosskreutz said he doesn't remember hearing any of the armed men be threatened by Rosenbaum, who Grosskreutz said he didn't know, or others.

Grosskreutz confirms he never met Rittenhouse prior to Aug. 25. Seeing him early on in the night, Grosskreutz said he later realized it was odd that Rittenhouse was wearing latex gloves the whole time  by "proper hygiene protocol" medics should put on new gloves before seeing each patient.

Pool report: As Gaige Grosskreutz walked into court in the morning and sat on a spectator bench, Rittenhouse glanced over his shoulder to look at him several times. Rittenhouse appeared attentive once Grosskreutz took the stand, keeping his eyes on Grosskreutz as he testified.

When asked a question by the lead prosecutors, Grosskreutz turns to his left and looks straight at jurors feet away as he answers.

At the start of the day, the judge asked jurors how many jurors were fans of the Green Bay Packers and how many were Chicago Bears fans. About five of the 18 indicated they supported the Bears, with the judge saying that was "about right" for a city so close to the Wisconsin-Illinois border.

9:26 a.m.: Grosskreutz shares his background in EMT training and working on private ambulance "for a number of years."

9:21 a.m.: Trial is underway once again. First witness to be Gaige Grosskreutz.

Attorneys and judge share a laugh after judge nearly forgot to call in the jury, who were not sequestered over weekend.

9 a.m.: A man who suffered a severe arm injury when he was shot by Kyle Rittenhouse during a night of protests against racial injustice is expected to testify this week as prosecutors near the end of their case in Rittenhouse's murder trial.

Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, who had a gun in his hand as he stepped toward Rittenhouse, was shot in the arm moments after Rittenhouse fatally shot two others in the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Testimony during the first week of Rittenhouse's trial showed bystanders came to Grosskreutz's aid and placed a tourniquet on his arm before loading him into a vehicle that rushed him to a hospital.

Rittenhouse, 18, is charged with shooting Grosskreutz and fatally shooting Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber on Aug. 25, 2020. The one-time police youth cadet from Antioch, Illinois, was 17 when he went to Kenosha with an AR-style rifle and a medical kit in what he said was an effort to safeguard property from the demonstrations that broke out over the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by a white Kenosha police officer.

Rittenhouse is white, as are the three men he shot, but the case has raised polarizing questions about racial justice, policing, firearms and white privilege.

In the first week of Rittenhouse's trial, prosecutors played numerous videos that showed the events of that night from different angles. Jurors heard testimony from people who were with Rittenhouse, as well as from police officers and loved ones of the men who died.

Jason Lackowski, a former Marine who was on the streets of Kenosha carrying his own rifle, testified Friday about Rosenbaum, the first man Rittenhouse shot. Lackowski said Rosenbaum was acting belligerently but did not appear to pose a serious threat.

Lackowski said he considered Rosenbaum a babbling idiot, and turned his back and ignored him. He acknowledged that he didnt see everything that went on between Rittenhouse and Rosenbaum, including their final clash.

Other witnesses testified last week that a hyperaggressive Rosenbaum angrily threatened to kill Rittenhouse that night and that Rosenbaum was gunned down after he chased Rittenhouse and lunged for the his rifle.

Prosecutors have portrayed Rittenhouse as the instigator of the bloodshed as well as an inexperienced teen who misrepresented his age and medical training to others that night. Rittenhouse's lawyer has argued that he acted in self-defense, suggesting among other things that Rittenhouse feared his weapon would be taken and used against him.

The prosecution suffered a potential blow when Rosenbaums fiancee, Kariann Swart, disclosed that he was on medication for bipolar disorder and depression but hadn't filled his prescriptions because the local pharmacy was boarded up due to the unrest  information Rittenhouses lawyers could use in their bid to portray Rosenbaum as the aggressor.

On the day he was killed, Rosenbaum, 36, had been released from a Milwaukee hospital. The jury was told that much, but not why he had been admitted  after a suicide attempt.

Rosenbaums killing has emerged as one of the most crucial moments that night because it set in motion the bloodshed that followed moments later.

Rittenhouse shot and killed Huber, a 26-year-old protester seen on bystander video hitting Rittenhouse with a skateboard. Rittenhouse then wounded Grosskreutz,

Rittenhouse could get life in prison if convicted. The case has stirred furious debate over self-defense, vigilantism, the right to bear arms and the racial unrest that erupted around the U.S. after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and similar cases.

Two jurors were also dismissed last week. One man was dismissed for potential bias after he told a joke about the Blake shooting to a court security officer, and a woman who is pregnant was dismissed after she said she was experiencing some discomfort. Eighteen jurors remain, and 12 will ultimately be picked to deliberate.  Associated Press
The process of contact tracing  helping to locate and identify people who may have been in contact with someone infected with COVID-19  has opened yet another chance for shady entrepreneurs.
Producer Ekta Kapoor has been honoured with the prestigious Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for excellence in the field of performing arts, on Monday at Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi. Ekta was felicitated for her contribution in the field of television, films and digital content. She was accompanied by her father and veteran star Jeetendra for the prestigious ceremony. India's Got Talent: Kirron Kher Returns as a Judge on Shilpa Shetty, Badshah's Sony TV Reality Show.

The producer was conferred with the award by President Ram Nath Kovind. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were among the attendees. Kangana Ranaut Opens Up on Winning Padma Shri Award 2020, Says 'The Honour Will Shut Down Those Who Keep Speaking Against Me' (Watch Video).

Expressing her emotions on this big achievement, Ekta said, "It is an absolute honour to receive the fourth highest civilian award for my humble contribution in the field of performing arts. It is a surreal moment and a matter of great pride. I want to dedicate this badge of honour to my two pillars of strength - my mom and dad. They believed in me with their whole heart and it is because of them, I am who I am!"

Further, she expressed her gratitude for all the love and support, especially from the audience. "I am really overwhelmed with all the love and accolades that are coming my way. I want to thank my family, friends, my team at Balaji Telefilms and most importantly - the audience, for believing in me and supporting me. I hope to always push the envelope, challenge norms, give talents a platform that they truly deserve, instil pride and give back to the country that has fuelled my ambition and dreams," Ekta added.

For the special occasion, Ekta chose an off-white suit, looking elegant at the ceremony. Meanwhile, Ekta is all set to come up with plenty of projects including 'Freddy' starring Kartik Aaryan. She has also collaborated with Kareena Kapoor Khan on the actor's debut production.

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New Delhi [India], November 8 (ANI): With the commencement of the four-day Chhath festival with 'Nahay Khay' on Monday, the ghats of the national capital are being cleaned as the last-minute preparations for the festival are underway.

Amid the toxic foam, people also took a dip in the Yamuna river near Kalindi Kunj in Delhi on the first day of Chhath Puja.

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While speaking to ANI, Randheer Kumar, President of Chhath Puja Samiti of Vikas Nagar area said that though the number of COVID-19 cases is lesser than the previous year, they are ensuring that the people follow all the necessary precautions.

"Chhath Puja is a festival of faith. People come together to celebrate this 'mahaparv' with joy. We will follow all the COVID-19 protocols here at the ghat. I urge people to maintain distance and avoid gatherings. We are celebrating this festival for decades and this year, our volunteers at the ghat are ensuring that the people follow all the necessary precautions in wake of the pandemic. We will provide masks and sanitisers to the people too," said Kumar.

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Earlier on November 5, the Delhi government declared November 10 as a public holiday this year on the account of Chhath Puja.

Chhath Puja is dedicated to the Sun God and is mainly observed by the people from Bihar, Jharkhand and bordering areas in Uttar Pradesh.

As per the Hindu tradition, devotees worship the Sun God and his wife Usha to express gratitude and seek their blessings. Devotees gather and take a holy dip in rivers, ponds, and other water bodies during the four-day festivities.

This year, the festival will begin from November 8 with the 'Nahai Khai' ritual and will conclude on November 11 with devotees performing 'Usha Arghya' (prayers to the rising sun). The main celebration is on November 10 when devotees will offer 'argha' to Sun God. (ANI)

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Faridabad, Nov 8 (PTI) Police have raided the house of a relative of a drug smuggler here and seized over Rs 1 crore in cash, an official said on Monday.

The raid was conducted by the crime branch on Sunday, they said.

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According to the official, a tip-off was received on Sunday evening that a huge consignment of smack was arriving at the house of Amit, a relative of smuggler Vijendra alias Lala, in sector 23.

A special team raided the house and during the search found a bag filled with currency notes of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 denomination totaling Rs 1,13,50,000, he said.

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As drugs were not found, no further action was taken, the official said, adding the recovered cash and the case has been handed over to the Income Tax Department.

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Pulwama (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], November 8 (ANI): A Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist was apprehended in a joint operation of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Indian Army from Pulwama on Monday.

The search operation was conducted in Mirgund, Pulwama.

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The terrorist has been identified as Sarwir Ahmed Mir (21), a resident of Bathen, Pulwama. Two hand grenades were recovered from his possession.

According to Police, Mir went missing from his home recently and joined LeT. (ANI)

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Patna (Bihar) [India], November 8 (ANI): After spurious liquor claimed 32 lives in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that the government has convened a high-level meeting over the liquor ban on November 16.

Addressing reporters on Monday, the chief minister said, "We have called a high-level meeting over the situation of liquor ban on November 16. During the meeting, we will analyse where we are lacking in implementing the complete prohibition law in the state and we will take further decision accordingly."

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Referring to the recent tragedy where 32 people died suspected due to consuming hooch, the CM said: "This happens because people are involved in the illegal business of selling of liquor. We will sit on November 16 and list out the reason for such deaths. The government requests opposition leaders, other officials and individuals to inform us about the production of such spurious liquor in the state. The government would initiate action against such people."

Talking about anti-COVID-19 shots, Nitish Kumar said, "We are vaccinating almost 15 lakh doses every day. Until now, we have jabbed 5 crore people with first dose." (ANI)

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Latur, Nov 8 (PTI) An assistant police sub-inspector from Latur in Maharashtra died of a heart attack when he tried to chase a burglar during patrolling in the early hours of Monday, an official said.

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The deceased, Ahmed Khan Pathan, 56, had left only 18 months of service left before retirement.

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The incident occurred around 4 AM in the Laxmi Colony area when Pathan, who was attached to the Latur Local Crime Branch, was patrolling on foot with his colleague, the official said.

They spotted a man who was trying to burgle a house and tried to chase him, he said.

"However, as the suspected burglar fled, Pathan decided to go after him in the police vehicle. As he was walking towards the vehicle he suffered a heart attack," the official said.

Pathan is survived by his wife, three sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren.

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New Delhi [India], November 8 (ANI): In a shocking incident, a man allegedly threw acid on a woman for not accepting his offers in the Bawana area of the national capital.

The victim is admitted to a hospital and her condition is very serious. Police registered a case against the accused.

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According to Delhi Police, the accused Montu approached the victim for marriage but she refused. The victim, who is already married then moved to Pooth Khurd area of the city with her husband. Montu also started living in their neighbourhood.

On the day of the crime, last Wednesday, the accused Montu called the victim to his house, tied her hands and threw acid on her and ran away.

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Police searched for the accused with technical assistance and arrested him from Bihar. On interrogation, the accused said he did so after the woman refused to marry him. He also revealed to police that he had planned to shoot the victim's husband and for this purpose, hid a country-made pistol in the bushes.

Delhi Police then took Montu for the recovery of the gun. According to Police, the accused kept tricking the police and after that suddenly took out the pistol from someplace and opened fire on the police party. In their defence and retaliation, the police fired at his right leg. Following this, he was arrested and admitted to the hospital. A separate case has been registered in this regard.

Further investigation is underway. (ANI)

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New Delhi, Nov 8 (PTI) The Congress on Monday accused the BJP of creating a "fake bogey of corruption" in the Agusta Westland VVIP choppers deal and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government of "shielding, protecting and promoting" Agusta Westland and its parent company Finmeccanica.

The Congress demanded answers from the government over reports of the lifting of a ban on procurement from Finmeccanica company which had been dubbed as corrupt by ruling BJP leaders over the Agusta choppers deal.

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The opposition party asked whether the corruption bogey raised by the BJP over the buying of VVIP helicopters during the UPA-II rule was being given a quiet burial.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said Agusta which was dubbed as a corrupt company by top BJP leaders has now become clean after being washed in the BJP laundry.

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"Earlier Agusta was corrupt, now it is clean after it got washed in the BJP laundry," said Gandhi in a tweet in Hindi, using the hashtag "#RIPlogic".

India had scrapped the contract with Finmeccanica's British subsidiary AgustaWestland in 2014 for supplying 12 AW-101 VVIP choppers to the Indian Air Force over alleged breach of contractual obligations and charges of kickbacks paid by the firm for securing the deal.

The BJP had at that time attacked the Congress, asking if its leaders had received the alleged Rs 450 crore bribe money for the deal signed during the UPA-II government.

Seeking to turn the tables, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala on Monday asked, "What is the 'secret deal' entered into between Modi Government and Agusta/Finmeccanica?"

Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh in a press conference claimed that it has now been proved that it was the "thief who was raising a hue and cry".

"Is it now ok to deal with a company that Modi ji and his government called 'corrupt- bribe giver-bogus'?"

"Does it mean that fake bogey of corruption is being given a quiet burial? The nation awaits answers," Surjewala said in a series of tweets.

"The PM called the company 'corrupt'. HM called the company 'bogus'. Ex Defence Minister accused it of 'bribes and corruption' in Parliament. Then, Modi Government withdrew blacklisting of Agusta/Finmeccanica on 22nd July 2014. Now, lifted procurement ban," he alleged in another tweet while citing the media report.

Vallabh alleged that Prime Minister Modi and his government "are unequivocally guilty of shielding, protecting, and promoting Agusta Westland and its parent company Finmeccanica" and dubbed it as "Operation Cover-up to Save Modi".

"What will happen to the investigation initiated by the Congress government against Agusta/ Finmeccanica?

"What will happen to pending Arbitration against Agusta/ Finmeccanica? Is this going to have a loss to the exchequer? As Congress-UPA recovered a total of Rs 2,954 crore (2,068 crore+ 886.50 crore) from Agusta Westland against a payment of Rs 1,620 Crore," Vallabh said.

Surjewala also alleged that the "friends of the media" spent thousands of hours of air time showing leaked documents by the Modi Government and building a "false narrative" against the UPA-Congress in the run up to 2014 parliamentary elections.

"Will they now dare to question the Modi Government on the 'secret deal' with Augusta," he asked.

In 2016, the Italian group Finmeccanica changed its name to Leonardo.

Vallabh alleged that PM Modi and his government included 'blacklisted' Agusta Westland as part of 'Make In India' and even permitted it to bid for the purchase of 100 Helicopters for the Indian Navy

He also alleged that PM Modi and his government lost all the cases against Agusta Westland in international courts and did not file appeals.

"The Modi Government is hiding this conspiratorial nexus by unleashing a smear campaign laced with pure falsehood. This is pot calling the kettle black," he alleged.

Vallabh also asked whether it means that the "fake bogey of corruption" created just before the 2019 elections is being given a quiet burial "like what had happened in 2G spectrum Allocation a couple of days back, with Vinod Rai's unconditional apology to Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam".

Former Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai had recently tendered an unconditional apology to Nirupam for "wrongly mentioning" him as one of the MPs who had pressured him not to name former prime minister Manmohan Singh in the CAG report on 2G spectrum allocation.

Nirupam had filed a defamation case against Rai after the former CAG in his book in 2014 made the allegation against him and repeated it in interviews to the media.

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New Delhi, November 8: Shares of Indusind Bank on Monday tumbled over 12 per cent after the lender said it disbursed 84,000 loans without customer consent in May owing to a "technical glitch". The stock tanked 12.33 per cent to Rs 1,042.10 on the BSE. At the NSE, it tumbled 12.40 per cent to Rs 1,041.60. Terming whistleblower allegations on loan evergreening as "grossly inaccurate and baseless", Indusind Bank on Saturday admitted to have disbursed 84,000 loans without customer consent in May owing to a "technical glitch".

Lending without the consent was reported by the field staff in two days, and the glitch was also rectified expeditiously, the private sector lender said in a clarification On Friday, there was a media report about anonymous whistleblowers writing to the bank management and the RBI about BFIL, the microlending-focused subsidiary of the bank, allegedly resorting to evergreening of loans, wherein existing borrowers unable to pay dues were given new loans to present the books as clean. Railway Ministry Withdraws Decision on Sharing IRCTC Convenience Fee; Shares Recover Losses.

"The bank strongly denies the allegations of evergreening'. All the loans originated and managed by BFIL, including during the COVID period which saw the first and second waves ravaging the countryside, are fully compliant with the regulatory guidelines," an official statement said "Due to a technical glitch in May 2021, nearly 84,000 loans were disbursed without the customer consent getting recorded at the time of loan disbursement," it added.

"Operational issues" due to the pandemic's second wave like lockdowns, containment zones, and restrictions at the village/panchayat level had necessitated disbursement of some loans in cash, it said At the end of September, 26,073 of these 84,000 clients were active with the loan outstanding at Rs 34 crore, which is 0.12 per cent of the September-end portfolio, the bank said, adding that it carries necessary provisions against the loans. It also said that the Standard Operating Procedure has since been revised to make biometric authorization compulsory, and that in October 2021, nearly 100 per cent of the loan disbursements were in the bank accounts of the customers, as in pre-COVID time.
Kathmandu, Nov 7 (PTI) A passenger bus skidded off the road in Western Nepal on Sunday, killing at least 12 people and wounding nearly 20, a senior police official said.

The accident took place when the driver lost control of the speeding vehicle. The bus enroute to Tulsipur from Salyan district, 650 kilometres West of Kathmandu, met with the accident at Kharkhola in Kapurkot Rural Municipality-5.

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According to the police, the deceased passengers include two men and 10 women.

A senior police officer said at least 20 people were injured in the accident.

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He said seven of the injured have been taken to nearby Nepalgunj Municipality for treatment while others are undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Srinagar and Khalanga.

According to the preliminary investigation conducted by the police, the accident took place due to high speed.

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Kampala, Nov 8 (AP) The Uganda Red Cross says it is responding to a heavy influx of people fleeing fighting in a remote area of eastern Congo.

The group said Monday it deployed a team to assess needs among people fleeing the fighting overnight between unknown armed groups. Spokeswoman Irene Nakasiita said hundreds are camping at the border post of Bunagana, seeking shelter in Uganda.

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Ugandan authorities didn't immediately comment.

The East African country is home to 1.3 million refugees who fled violence in neighbouring countries such as South Sudan.

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Eastern Congo is prone to outbreaks of ethnic conflict as well as fighting between rival armed groups, including rebels opposed to the government in the capital, Kinshasa.

In recent years an armed group with roots in Uganda has been blamed for a series of attacks on civilians in the region.

In a security alert Sunday, the U.S. Embassy in Congo noted reports of a potential attack in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.

There is increased security presence throughout the city, the advisory said, adding that U.S. government personnel in the area were advised to shelter in place. (AP) VM

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Singapore, Nov 8 (PTI) Singapore's COVID-19 patients who remain unvaccinated by choice will have to pay for their hospitalisation bills from December 8, the government said on Monday, as it got tough on people who are still holding off from getting their jabs.

The government currently foots the complete COVID-19 medical bills of all Singaporeans, permanent residents (PRs) and long-term pass holders, other than for those who have tested positive soon after returning from overseas travel.

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On Monday, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung described the decision not to pay for unvaccinated people infected by COVID-19 an "important signal" to those who are still holding off on getting their jabs.

Speaking at a press conference held by the multi-ministry task force tackling COVID-19, which he co-chairs, Ong said hospitals would much prefer not having to bill these patients, as he urged all those eligible to get vaccinated.

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"Currently, unvaccinated persons make up a sizeable majority of those who require intensive inpatient care, and disproportionately contribute to the strain on our healthcare resources," the Ministry of Health said.

The new billing measure applies only to those who choose not to be vaccinated despite being medically eligible, and who are hospitalised and are on COVID-19 treatment facilities on or after December 8, The Straits Times reported, citing the minister.

"Billing will still be based on our current subsidy framework, subject to MediSave use and MediShield Life claims, so it will still be highly supported and highly subsidised, Ong said.

MediSave and MediShield are linked to compulsory savings under the Central Provident Fund covering all employees.

Those who are ineligible for vaccination, such as children under 12 years of age, and those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons will continue to have their bills fully covered by the government, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, individuals who are partially vaccinated will not be charged for COVID-19 bills until December 31, to allow them time to administer their second jabs.

After this deadline, they will also have to foot their own medical bills if they contract the virus.

The authorities recognise that there are a few individuals who are medically ineligible for all COVID-19 vaccines under the National Vaccination Programme, according to The Straits Times report.

These individuals will be exempted from the vaccination-differentiated safe management measures from December 1.

On Sunday, Singapore reported 2,553 cases and 17 deaths. The affluent city state has reported 218,333 positive cases.

Separately, an expert committee will make a recommendation on whether to extend the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to children aged five to 11 in the second half of November, Ong said.

The Minister's comments came after the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently authorised the use of the Pfizer vaccine for children in that age group.

Ong noted that the US FDA made its decision after Pfizer conducted a clinical trial and recommended that children in this age group receive one-third of the full adult dosage. They will still get two separate doses.

"The study in the US concluded that vaccination for this group is safe and effective based on this reduced dosage of the adult formulation of the vaccine," he said.

Singapore's expert committee on COVID-19 vaccination has studied the data and assessed that overall, it is beneficial for children aged five to 11 to get vaccinated, especially given the ongoing community transmission, he said.

The Ministry of Health will also conduct a study with a few hundred children in this age group to understand the suitability of a smaller dosage of the vaccine for children here, the minister added.

The Health Ministry will also work out how to administer the vaccines smoothly before scaling up the drive, besides continuing to monitor the vaccines suitable for children aged four and below.

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Jerusalem, Nov 9 (AP) Security researchers have disclosed that spyware from the notorious Israeli hacker-for-hire company NSO Group was detected on the cellphones of six Palestinian human rights activists, half affiliated with groups that Israel's defence minister controversially claimed were involved in terrorism.

The revelation made on Monday marks the first known instance of Palestinian activists being targeted by the military-grade Pegasus spyware.

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A successful Pegasus infection surreptitiously gives intruders access to everything a person stores and does on their phone, including real-time communications.

It's not clear who placed the NSO spyware on the activists' phones, said the researcher who first detected it, Mohammed al-Maskati of the nonprofit Frontline Defenders. The hacking began in July 2020, according to researchers.

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Shortly after the first two intrusions were identified in mid-October, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz declared six Palestinian civil society groups to be terrorist organisations.

Israel has provided little evidence publicly to support the terrorism designation, which the Palestinian groups say aims to dry up their funding and muzzle opposition to Israeli military rule. Three of the hacked Palestinians work for the civil society groups. The others do not, and wish to remain anonymous, Frontline Defenders says.

The forensic findings were independently confirmed by security researchers from Amnesty International and the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab in a joint technical report.

Asked about the allegations its software was used against the Palestinian activists, NSO Group said in a statement that it does not identify its customers for contractual and national security reasons, is not privy to whom they hack and sells only to government agencies for use against "serious crime and terror."

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an Israeli defence official said in a brief statement that the designation of the six organisations was based on solid evidence and that any claim it is related to the use of NSO software is unfounded.

It's not known precisely when or how the phones were violated, the security researchers said. But four of the six hacked iPhones exclusively used SIM cards issued by Israeli telecom companies with Israeli +972 area code numbers, said the Citizen Lab and Amnesty researchers. That led them to question claims by NSO Group that exported versions of Pegasus cannot be used to hack Israeli phone numbers. NSO Group has also said it doesn't target US numbers.

Among those hacked was Ubai Aboudi, a 37-year-old economist and US citizen. He runs the seven-person Bisan Center for Research and Development in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, one of the six groups Gantz slapped with terrorist designations on October 22.

The other two hacked Palestinians who agreed to be named are researcher Ghassan Halaika of the Al-Haq rights group and attorney Salah Hammouri of Addameer, also a human rights organisation. The other three designated groups are Defence for Children International-Palestine, the Union of Palestinian Women's Committees and the Union of Agricultural Work Committees.

Aboudi said he lost "any sense of safety" through the "dehumanising" hack of a phone that is at his side day and night and holds photos of his three children. He said his wife, the first three nights after learning of the hack, "didn't sleep from the idea of having such deep intrusions into our privacy."

The researchers' examination of Aboudi's phone determined it was infected by Pegasus in February.

Aboudi served a 12-month sentence last year after being convicted of charges of involvement in the PFLP but denies ever belonging to the group.

The executive director of Frontline Defenders, Andrew Anderson, said the NSO Group cannot be trusted to ensure its spyware is not used illegally by its customers and says Israel should face international reproach if it does not bring the company to heel.

Al-Maskati, the researcher who discovered the hacks, said he was first alerted on October 16 by Halaika, whose phone was determined to have been hacked in July 2020. Al-Haq engages in sensitive communications with the International Criminal Court, among others, involving alleged human rights abuses.

"As human rights defenders living under occupation, we expect it was the (Israeli) occupation," Halaika said when asked who he believed was behind the hack.

The phone of the third named hacking victim, Hammouri, was apparently compromised in April, the researchers said. A dual French national living in Jerusalem, Hammouri previously served a seven-year sentence for security offenses, and Israel considers him a PFLP operative, allegations he denies.

After Halaika alerted him, Al-Maskati said he scanned 75 phones of Palestinian activists, finding the six infections. He could not determine how the phones were hacked, he said, though the timeline of evidence encountered indicated the use of a so-called "iMessage zero-click" exploit NSO Group used on iPhones. The exploit is highly effective, requiring no user intervention, as phishing attempts typically do.

A snowballing of new revelations about the hacking of public figures  including Hungarian investigative journalists, the fiancee of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and an ex-wife of the ruler of Dubai  has occurred since a consortium of international news organisations reported in July on a list of possible NSO Group surveillance targets.

NSO Group denied ever maintaining such a list. (AP)

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Mumbai, November 8: Search engine giant, Google, is celebrating the 104th birth anniversary of Indian cell biologist Dr. Kamal Ranadive with an artistic doodle. Today's Doodle is illustrated by India-based guest artist Ibrahim Rayintakath. Dr. Ranadive is known for her groundbreaking cancer research and devotion to creating a more equitable society through science and education. The Doodle features an image of Dr. Ranadive doing her research work. Sarla Thukral 107th Birth Anniversary Google Doodle: Search Giant Honours The First Woman Pilot Of India With High-Flying Doodle.

Kamal Samarath, also known as Kamal Ranadive, was born on November 8, 1917, in Pune. She was an Indian biomedical researcher who is known for her research in cancer about the links between cancers and viruses. Dr. Ranadive was also a founder member of the Indian Women Scientists' Association (IWSA). Her father wanted her to study Medicine, but she started her college education at the Fergusson college with Botany and Zoology as her main subjects. Google Doodle Honours Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, Indias First Woman Satyagrahi and Famous Poet, on Her 117th Birth Anniversary.

In 1949, she received a doctorate in cytology, the study of cells, while working as a researcher in the Indian Cancer Research Centre (ICRC). After a fellowship at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, she returned to Mumbai (then Bombay) and the ICRC. She established the country's first tissue culture laboratory at the ICRC. As the director of the ICRC and a pioneer in animal modelling of cancer development, Ranadive was among the first researchers in India to propose a link between breast cancer and heredity and to identify the links among cancers and certain viruses.

Dr. Ranadive also studied Mycobacterium leprae, the bacterium that causes leprosy, and aided in developing a vaccine. She, along with her 11 colleagues, founded IWSA in 1973. Google, in a statement, wrote, "Ranadive fervently encouraged students and Indian scholars abroad to return to India and put their knowledge to work for their communities. After retiring in 1989, Dr. Ranadive worked in rural communities in Maharashtra, training women as healthcare workers and providing health and nutrition education."

Dr. Ranadive was awarded the Padma Bhusan, the third-highest civilian award, for Medicine, in 1982. She was also awarded the first Silver Jubilee Research Award 1964 of the Medical Council of India. She breathed her last on April 11, 2001, at the age of 84 years.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 08, 2021 09:33 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
"Leaders in Delhi had sent condolence message for five-seven people who died in a fire in the hospital in Maharashtra," Malik said in a programme in Jaipur. The Governor said that the movement is also making an impact on the country's armed forces as farmers' sons are employed there.
Seven years ago, it took just one book for an as-yet-unknown Italian novelist to become one of the most prominent personalities of the early 21st century. What made the phenomenon even more unheard of was that it involved an author who had written an epic with undeniable literary ambitions, not a book for young readers, like the Harry Potter series. It was a saga with numerous allusions to Italian history, anchored by geography to a small corner of Naples, and these facts seemed to condemn in advance its success as an export.

But the triumph of My Brilliant Friend is also stupefying because its author does no promotion at all. Elena Ferrante is a woman without a face, whose identity is known only to her Italian publisher, E/O. Her name is a pseudonym, its sound a discreet homage to the great Italian novelist Elsa Morante, author of Arturos Island  whose work, Ferrante says here, she has always appreciated. No one has ever succeeded in revealing Ferrantes true identity, although certain names have circulated in the press: Domenico Starnone, a Neapolitan screenwriter and novelist, and winner of the Strega Prize in 2001; or Anita Raja, a Roman translator. Nearly two years ago, Italian journalist Claudio Gatti published a scoop, identifying Raja as Ferrante, after having scoured her tax returns and deciding that her assets exceeded that of the average income of a person in her profession. Against all odds, the supposed revelation of the identity of Ferrante provoked a worldwide scandal.

For her readers, Ferrante must be allowed to remain anonymous, should she wish to be. An international outcry rose up, from enraged readers who sought to protect the writer they love, and whose anonymity they wish to preserve. Nothing of the like had ever been seen before.

The series that begins with My Brilliant Friend has sold more than 5.5 million copies in 42 countries, with more than 2 million copies sold in the U.S. Published in America by Europa Editions, the books are the successful result of an editorial policy that favors demanding work and patience over instant gratification. For literary professionals, it is a sign that in a time of faint-heartedness, there is still another path to follow: Rather than publishing feel-good books for silly entitled people, you can reach a wide audience betting on real literature.

Spaccanapoli in the historic center of Naples. Thomas Curwen / Los Angeles Times

Where does the great enthusiasm for the tumultuous portrait of Lila and Elena (also called Lenu), the products of an underprivileged neighborhood of Naples, whose friendship begins in the late 1950s, come from? Aside from the thirst for long narratives, which we also see in the incredible boom in TV series, readers of the world seem to want to read about genuine feelings. Who among us has not dreamed of living the complex and spellbinding relationship of these brilliant friends? Lila gives up her studies to work in the family shoe factory, while Elena decides to receive a classical education and ends up leaving Naples to seek her professional fortune elsewhere. The proliferation of plot points and the multitude of characters, at a time when the hallmark is simplicity, is a further enticement. The fact remains that the book is first and foremost a war machine: It seduces slowly and possesses a hitherto unseen power of attraction and that irresistible je ne sais quoi that makes an overnight success.

And Ferrante? Behind her mask, the novelist distills her public statements with the stinginess of a pharmacist. The interviews she has given may be counted on one hand, and they have been exclusively conducted via email, with her Italian publisher as intermediary. Her desire for anonymity is non-negotiable. For her, once a book has been finished, it must stand on its own. Breaking her near-constant silence here, she explains how she conceived My Brilliant Friend in secrecy. She confides the profound joy she gets from writing and speaks of the pleasure she feels in responding to the curiosity of her readers through the volumes she writes. Far from having shut herself in an ivory tower, she discusses #metoo and launches a stirring appeal for the enduring gains of feminism. She compares the experiences of the great Hollywood actresses to those of the poor women of Naples, in a particularly stirring defense. Finally, she gives some unprecedented clues that may help us understand not who she is, but something that all in all is the same: why she writes.

Do you recall when you first had the idea for My Brilliant Friend?

I cant give you a precise answer. It may have had its origin in the death of a friend of mine, or in a crowded wedding celebration, or perhaps in the need to return to themes and images of an earlier book, The Lost Daughter. One never knows where a story comes from; its the product of a variety of suggestions that, together with others that you are not aware of and never will be, excite your mind.

Did you know from the beginning that the complete work would require four volumes?

No. In its first rough draft, the story of Lila and Lenu fit very easily into a single, substantial volume. Only when I began to work on that first text did I understand that there would be two, three, four volumes.

Was the whole story planned in advance before the actual writing started?

No, I never plan my stories. A detailed outline is enough for me to lose interest in the whole thing. Even a brief oral summary makes the desire to write what I have in mind vanish. I am one of those who begin to write knowing only a few essential features of the story they intend to tell. The rest they discover line by line.

The first two books in Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan series Europa Editions

The first book of the series was published [in Italy] in 2011, the last in 2014  a short period of time for such an ambitious endeavor. Had you written most of the series before the publication of the first volume? Can you tell us about the timing of the writing/publication of the novel?

I started in 2009 and spent a year, more or less, completing the entire story, with its various turning points. Then I began to revise, and I discovered with great pleasure that from the first page, the text was expanding; it grew and grew, becoming more detailed. At the end of 2010, given the mass of pages that had accumulated merely for telling the story of the childhood and adolescence of Lila and Lenu, the publisher and I decided to publish it in several volumes.

I imagine that when the first novel of the series was published, you were able to write in tranquility. Then came the novels extraordinary success, which could have jeopardized your writing. How were you able to keep your work from being disrupted by that overwhelming success?

It was a completely new experience for me. As a child, I liked telling stories and finding effective words for the small audience of kids of my age who gathered around me. It was electrifying to sense their encouragement, to feel that my listeners wanted me to continue, to pick up the story again the next day, the next week. It was a thrilling endeavor and an exciting responsibility. I think I felt something similar between 2011 and 2014. Once I was cut off from the media clamor  which was possible thanks to the absence that I chose starting in 1990  that childhood pleasure returned: of giving form to a story while an increasingly vast and attentive audience wants you to tell more and more. While readers were reading the first volume, I was refining and finishing the second; while readers were reading the second, I was refining and completing the third; and so on.

Looking back, how would you describe the writing process? Was it effortless and smooth from the start? Or, on the contrary, did you have moments of doubt? Did you go through many drafts, with a lot of cutting and editing?

In the past, Ive had a lot of problems with writing. Ive always written, ever since adolescence, but it was a struggle, and I was generally dissatisfied with the result. The consequence is that Ive rarely been convinced that I should publish. In the case of this very long story, things went differently. The first draft rolled along without running into any obstacles: The pure pleasure of telling a story dominated. Also, the work that ensued in the following years was surprisingly easy, a kind of permanent party. The honing of the four volumes, their polishing for publication, was essentially faithful to the first rough drafts and at the same time expanded and complicated the material. No crisis, in other words, no doubts, very few cuts, few rewritings, a cascade of new inserts. In my mind, there remains the impression of a tidal wave, and when its gone, youre happy that youre still alive.

In a letter to Mario Martone, you said that any distraction could make writing seem unnecessary, pointing out the fragility of it all. However, no writer seems stronger than you are, and more capable of building a colossal work of fiction. Would you agree that this combination of fragility and strength is essential to your writing?

My greatest fear is of suddenly feeling that to devote so much of my life to writing is meaningless. Its a sensation that Ive felt very often, and Im afraid that I will again. I need a lot of determination, a stubborn, passionate adherence to the page, not to feel the urgency of other things to do, a more active way of spending my life. So yes, Im fragile. Its all too easy for me to notice the other things and feel guilty. And so its pride that I need, more than strength. While Im writing, I have to believe that its up to me to tell this or that story, and that it would be wrong to avoid it or not to complete it to the best of my abilities.

Where does the vital energy of your writing come from?

I dont know if my writing has the energy you say it does. Of course, if that energy exists, its because either it finds no other outlets or, consciously or not, Ive refused to give it other outlets. Of course, when I write, I draw on parts of myself, of my memory, that are agitated, fragmented, that make me uncomfortable. A story, in my view, is worth writing only if its core comes from there.

"The metaphor of birth applied to literary works has never seemed convincing to me. The metaphor of weaving seems more effective."  Elena Ferrante Sarah Wilkins / For The Times

In your description, Naples is rough, violent and unpleasant, and even more so in the second half of the fourth volume, where Lila and Lenu have to confront violence on every side. Have you witnessed acts of extreme violence in Naples yourself? How have Neapolitans been able to cope with violence over the years, and have they developed a particular understanding of the violence innate in human beings, and do you perhaps share that?

One has to be very fortunate not to be touched even slightly by violence and its various manifestations in Naples. But perhaps thats true of New York, London, Paris. Naples isnt worse than other cities in Italy or in the world. Ive spent a lot of time coming to an understanding of it. In the past, I used to think that only in Naples did the lawful continuously lose its boundaries and become confused with the unlawful, that only in Naples did good feelings suddenly, violently, without any break, become bad feelings. Today it seems to me that the whole world is Naples and that Naples has the merit of having always presented itself without a mask. Since it is a city by nature of astonishing beauty, the ugly  criminality, violence, corruption, connivance, the aggressive fear in which we live defenseless, the deterioration of democracy  stands out more clearly.

Lila and Lenu suffer a lot throughout the books. Why did you choose to subject them to so many tragic experiences of all kinds?

It doesnt seem to me that their sufferings are very different from those which women endure every day in every part of the world, especially if theyre born poor. Lila and Lenu fall in love, marry, are betrayed, betray, search for a role in the world, face discrimination, give birth, raise children, are sometimes happy, sometimes unhappy, experience loss and death. I do use the novelistic, but relatively sparingly. The emotional bond we establish with characters is generally what makes their story seem like an endless series of misfortunes. In life, as in novels, we are aware of the pain of others, we feel their suffering, only when we learn to love them.

In the fourth volume, why did you choose to make Nino so cruel and superficial?

I wanted to describe the effects of superficiality when its combined with a good education and moderate intelligence. Nino is a smart but superficial man, a type of man Im very familiar with.

Why did the narrative require the traumatic and nightmarish disappearance of Tina, in the fourth volume, near the end of the story?

Here I will decline to give you my reasons  I prefer that readers find their own way. I can only emphasize that that event was always, even before I began to write, one of the few definite and inevitable stops on the narrative journey that I had in mind.

In life, as in novels, we are aware of the pain of others. We feel their suffering only when we learn to love them. Elena Ferrante

Lila is enthusiastic about new electronic tools, like PC computers. She seems to be driven by an instinctual brilliance, and yet, surprisingly, she understands these logical machines. Is she more unpredictable than Lenu, or is it the other way around?

Lila, in my intentions, is never enthusiastic. She applies her intelligence to whatever, for one reason or another, comes into the field of action that she herself is given, starting from the moment she is forced to leave school. Its because her father is a shoemaker that she designs shoes. Its because Enzo is taking correspondence courses from IBM that she becomes involved with electronics. Unlike Lenu, who uses education to force the boundaries of the neighborhood and escape, eagerly aspiring to write, Lila acts brilliantly on what turns up, without using up her own capacities in any of the things she happens to get involved in. If one wanted to put it schematically, the only long-range project that really excites Lila is the life of her friend.

In the book, women struggle. Men often take advantage of them. How do you feel about the #MeToo protests throughout the world?

I believe that they have put a spotlight on what women have always known and have always been more or less silent about. Patriarchal domination, even  despite appearances  in the West, is still very entrenched, and each of us, in the most diverse places, in the most varied forms, suffers the humiliation of being a silent victim or a fearful accomplice or a reluctant rebel or even a diligent accuser of victims rather than of the rapists. Paradoxically, I dont feel that there are great differences between the women of the Neapolitan neighborhood whose story I told and Hollywood actresses or the educated, refined women who work at the highest levels of our socioeconomic system. And raising ones voice, saying, Me too, seems a good thing, but only if we maintain a sense of proportion: Just causes in particular are damaged by excesses. Even though the power of [offenders] large and small at the center of the world or on its peripheries lies in not being ashamed of the various forms of rape they subject us to and, by means of a repulsive stratagem, in making us think that it is we who should be ashamed.

Actress Michelle Williams, right, with activist Tarana Burke, showing support for #MeToo at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards. Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Would you predict  and would you call for  a new feminism to emerge from #MeToo?

A certain disdain for the feminism of mothers and grandmothers has spread among the younger generations in recent years. There is a conviction that the few rights we have are a fact of nature and not the product of an extremely hard cultural and political battle. I hope that things change and that girls will realize that we have millenniums of subservience behind us, that the struggle should continue and that if we lower our guard, it wont take much to eliminate what, at least on paper, four generations of women have with great difficulty gained.

Would you agree that your novel belongs to a tradition of popular narratives (such as those of Alexandre Dumas), with a lot of action and characters, rather than to a modernist, more minimalist approach to storytelling?

No. I can decide to reuse some of the powerful devices of popular literature, but I do so, like it or not, in an era completely different from the one in which that literature performed its task. I mean that with some regret, I can in no way be Dumas. To draw on the great tradition of the popular novel doesnt mean creating, for better or for worse, that type of narrative but rather using it, distorting it, violating its rules, disappointing its expectations, all in the service of a story of our time. Rummaging in the great historical warehouse of the novel and the anti-novel is today, in my opinion, a duty for anyone who is by profession a narrator. Diderot could write The Nun but also Jacques the Fatalist. We can erase the boundary between literary experiences that are different from one another and use them both, at the same time, to give a shape to this historical moment. A lot of action, many characters or the minimalism you allude to, taken separately, dont carry us far today. Lets try to get out of useless cages.

You once said that you discovered Flaubert when you were quite young, in Naples. When did you first fall in love with a book, or with a character, and also with literature?

Yes, I really loved Madame Bovary. As I girl, when I read, I dragged the stories and the characters into the world I lived in, and Emma, I dont know why, seemed close to many of the women in my family. But long before Madame Bovary, I loved Little Women, I loved Jo. That book is at the origin of my love for writing.

Have you been influenced by women writers (possibly French, like Colette, Duras, etc.)?

As a girl, I read all kinds of things, in no particular order, and I didnt pay attention to the names of the authors  whether they were male or female didnt interest me. I was enthralled by [the characters] Moll Flanders, by the Marquise de Merteuil, by Elizabeth Bennet, by Jane Eyre, by Anna Karenina, and I didnt care about the sex of the writer. Later, in the late 70s, I began to be interested in writing by women. If I stick with French writers, I read almost all of Marguerite Duras. But the book of hers that Ive spent the most time with, studied most closely, is The Ravishing of Lol V. Stein; its her most complex book, but the one you can learn the most from.

How do you feel about female writing? Do you believe that the category exists  that there is female writing and male writing? For example, Elsa Morante versus Hemingway? As for your own style, would you say its a combination of both male and female?

Certainly, female writing exists, but mainly because even writing is powerfully conditioned by the historical-cultural construction that is gender. That said, gender has an increasingly wide mesh, its rules have been relaxed, and it is more and more difficult to reconstruct what has influenced and formed us as writers. For example, I learned from the books I loved and studied, by male and female authors, and I could easily name them, but Ive also been deeply affected by sentences whose provenance I no longer remember, whether it was male or female. The literary apprentice, in short, passes through channels that are hard to identify. So I would avoid saying that I was formed by this or that author. Above all, I would avoid saying that I was formed essentially by womens writing, even though I very much loved and still love House of Liars, by Elsa Morante. We are in a period of great change, and the presentation of gender is at risk of being not only unconvincing but not really valid.

Living is a permanent disruption for writing, but without it, writing is a frivolous squiggle on water.

When you read a book, what do you appreciate most?

Unexpected events, meaningful contradictions, sudden swerves in the language, in the psychology of the characters.

In the book, motherhood is an enemy of writing (Lenu is so busy bringing up her daughters that she cant get the concentration she needs). In your own experience, how is it best to write? Alone? Seeing no one? Living a secluded life? Or, on the contrary, going out a lot, drawing inspiration from meeting people, possibly being in love?

When one is in love, one writes very well. And, in general, if someone does not have experience of life, what does he or she write about? Spending ones time focused only on writing is the ambition of an adolescent, of a sad adolescent. Living is a permanent disruption for writing, but without it, writing is a frivolous squiggle on water. That said, life, when it has the force of a tidal wave, can devour the time for writing. Motherhood, in my experience, is certainly capable of sweeping away the need to write. Conceiving a child, bringing it into the world, raising it is a marvelous and painful experience that over a fairly long span of time  especially if you dont have the money to buy the time and energy of other women  takes away space and meaning from all the rest. Naturally, if the need to write is strong, you sooner or later find an arrangement that leaves you some room. But that holds for all the fundamental experiences of life. They hit us, they overwhelm us, and then, if we dont end up dead in a corner, we write.

The final two books in Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan series Europa Editions

Was it hard to wake up one day thinking, The story of Lila and Lenu is over. Im finished with it. Like giving birth and suddenly feeling empty in some way?

The metaphor of birth applied to literary works has never seemed convincing to me. The metaphor of weaving seems more effective. Writing is one of the prostheses we have invented to empower our body. Writing is a skill, its a forcing of our natural limits, it requires long training to assimilate techniques, use them with increasing expertise and invent new ones, if we find we need them. Weaving says all this well. We work for months, for years, weaving a text, the best that we are capable of at the moment. And when its finished, its there, forever itself, while we change and will change, ready to try out other weaves.

Have you possibly considered writing a sequel, or side stories (the way J.K. Rowling did with Harry Potter)? The ending does allow it, doesnt it?

No, the story of Lila and Lenu is over. But I know other stories and hope Ill be able to write them. As for publishing them, I dont know.

Your novel values friendship more than anything else, even more than love, which is unpredictable and can vanish. Do you value friendship in that way, in your own life?

Yes, friendship has to do with love but is less at risk of being spoiled. Its not constantly threatened by sexual practices, by the danger that exists in the mixture of feeling and the use of bodies to give and be given pleasure. Sexual friendship is more widespread today than in the past, a game of bodies and elective affinities that tries to keep at bay both the power of love and the rite of pure sex. But with what results I dont know.

I have been asking many writers about where they write. The most recent was Tom Wolfe, describing his desk and the colors of his office walls  blue. Could you describe the place where you write (or, if not, can you tell us about some objects that you care about and which are around when you write)?

I write anywhere. I dont have a room of my own. I know that Id like a bare space, with white, empty walls. But its more an aestheticizing fantasy than a real necessity. When I write, if its really going well, I soon forget where I am.

This interview originally appeared in the French newsmagazine LObs in January 2018. Jacob is a LObs staff writer covering books and is the author of a nonfiction book "La guerre litteraire" (Heloise d'Ormesson publishing).

Elena Ferrante is a pseudonym; the bestselling author prefers not to be known. Sarah Wilkins / For The Times
A Russian scientist working in Antarctica is facing attempted murder charges after allegedly stabbing a colleague for telling him the endings of books he wanted to read.

Sergey Savitsky, an engineer, is accused of stabbing welder Oleg Beloguzov in the chest, the Sun reports. Beloguzov was evacuated to Chile for medical treatment, and his life is reportedly not in danger.

The stabbing took place at Bellingshausen Station, a Russian research station in the South Shetland Islands in Antarctica. Savitsky, the alleged attacker, was taken to St. Petersburg and arrested.

The alleged attack was said to be the result of an argument between the two over Beloguzovs habit of spoiling the endings of books that hed read from the remote outposts library.

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Although he faces criminal charges in the Russian city, Savitsky will probably have access to plenty of books that Beloguzov hasnt already read.

The Russian news agency Interfax reported that Savitsky surrendered on his own and without resistance to the station manager.

Alexander Klepikov, the deputy director of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, said of Savitsky and Beloguzov, They are both professional scientists who have been working in our expeditions, spending yearlong seasons at the station. It is down to investigators to figure out what sparked the conflict, but both men are members of our team.

Some reports suggest that alcohol was involved.
President Joe Biden has reportedly let out a "long, loud fart" while talking to the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker Bowles, at the COP26 climate change summit.

Parker Bowles has reportedly not stopped talking about Biden's breaking wind, New York Post reported. The source said it was long and loud and impossible to ignore and that the Duchess has not stopped talking about the incident.

This was not the first time that the 78-year-old president was reported that he broke wind. Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, posted a video clip of Biden with a "suspicious" noise while live-streaming an exchange with Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wold in May 2020, Daily Mail reported.

However, a separate video was found to have been falsified by including a fake flatulence sound. It circulated on social media and briefly trended on Twitter under #Fartgate.

Joe Biden met Parker Bowles during a reception at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery on Monday. Prince Charles, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Boris Johnson also attended the reception. Parker Bowles has been married to Prince Charles since 2005.

READ NEXT: Queen Elizabeth Overheard on Livestream Saying She's 'Irritated' by World Leaders' Inaction on Climate Change

President Joe Biden at COP26 Climate Change Summit

A video of the president shows him to be seemingly sleeping during the COP26 climate change summit. Joe Biden was initially seen listening to a speaker. However, a few seconds later, the president closed his eyes and continued it that way as the speech continued.

The video also showed the U.S. aide approaching Biden, who then opened his eyes and continued listening to the speech, NDTV reported. Biden applauded after the speech concluded.

South African disability rights activist Eddie Ndopu delivered a pre-recorded message to which the president was listening when he closed his eyes.

During the speech, Joe Biden had shut his eyes for around 20 seconds, which was a matter noticed by the netizens. The president has also been warned eight times by event organizers for going past the three-minute speech period.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden has apologized for Trump's actions in taking the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord. He vowed that Americans would devote more resources to fighting climate change.

The president also called on world leaders to reduce their methane gas emissions by 30 percent before the end of the decade.

COP26 Criticisms

Climate campaigners and environmental activists have something to say against this year's COP26 climate change summit. They said it was the "most exclusionary" they have ever known, CNBC News reported.

In a statement, a COP spokesperson said the U.K. is committed to hosting an inclusive climate change summit event. Some of the criticisms against the event include logistical difficulties, lack of attendees from the Global South, and exclusion of people with disabilities.

Climate activist Greta Thunberg noted that the recent climate change summit was a failure. Thunberg noted that the summit has turned into a PR event with leaders promising huge commitments and targets for climate change.

Thunberg spoke on stage shortly after a strike organized by "Fridays For Future." The strike had marched 1.6 miles from Kelvingrove Park to George Park in Glasgow.

READ MORE: U.S. Oil and Gas Industry Seen to Worsen Climate Change With 30 Percent More Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2025

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Biden Lets Loose a 'LONG FART' Beside The Duchess Of Cornwall at G26 | Joe Biden Farted - From World News






Arizona's U.S. Attorney's office announced the unsealing of two indictments charging high-ranking members of the Sinaloa Cartel, including the brother of its boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman-Loera, with international drug trafficking.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's office of Arizona released on Friday, a federal grand jury in Tucson returned superseding indictments in November 2019 and February 2020 against four Sinaloa cartel members.

The Sinaloa cartel members named in the indictment were Aureliano Guzman-Loera, brother of El Chapo, along with brothers Ruperto, Jose, and Heriberto Salgueiro-Nevarez, CNN reported.

The indictments alleged several violations of U.S. law related to the "international distribution of controlled substances, including fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana, occurring over several years."

The U.S. Attorney's office noted that the Salgueiro-Nevarez brothers allegedly operate a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel known as the Salgueiro-Nevarez Organization (SNO).

KGUN9 reported that an investigation leading to the arrest or conviction of the Sinaloa cartel members is underway by Homeland Security Investigations. The prosecution will be conducted by the U.S. Attorney's office of Arizona.

READ NEXT: Sinaloa Cartel Official' El Inge' Arrested in Fentanyl Laboratory Producing Millions of 'Blue' Pills in Mexico

U.S. Offers $5M Rewards for Info on Sinaloa Cartel High-Ranking Members

After being charged, the U.S. State Department has announced rewards of up to $5 million for information that will help authorities capture and convict four Sinaloa Cartel high-ranking members, including El Chapo's brother, Aljazeera reported.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement that the highly dangerous opioid fentanyl is responsible "for more than 63 percent of the 96,779 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. between March 2020 and 2021.

With the rising number of overdoses, fighting fentanyl smuggling has become the main priority for U.S. agencies.

The State Department noted that the four indicted Mexican drug traffickers operate in the northern Mexico states of Sinaloa and Chihuahua, ABC News reported.

El Chapo was leading Sinaloa Cartel until his most recent capture and imprisonment in 2016. Some reported that he still controls the criminal activity of the group despite being imprisoned.

Sinaloa Cartel and Its Boss 'El Chapo'

The Sinaloa Cartel is considered one of Mexico's most influential drug cartels, with much of the northwest areas as its territory.

The group was founded in the late 1980s and headed by the notorious drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. According to BBC, "El Chapo" or "Short" was once ranked as one of the world's richest men.

Under El Chapo's leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel earned its reputation through violence and outfought several rival groups.

Officials said the Sinaloa Cartel became the biggest supplier of illegal drugs to the U.S. during El Chapo's reign. Its revenue from drug sales ranged from $3 billion to $39 billion annually.

In 1993, El Chapo was arrested and sentenced to more than 20 years in prison. However, various reports said he continued to be the key figure in the Sinaloa Cartel, even gaining full control of the group in 1995.

El Chapo escaped from prison in 2001 and was apprehended again in 2014 in Sinaloa, Mexico. He again escaped from prison through a tunnel the following year.

In January 2016, Mexican officials announced that El Chapo had been captured again. He was extradited to the U.S. the next year.

El Chapo was sentenced to spend the rest of his days in the ADX Florence "supermax" prison after being sentenced to life imprisonment in 2019.

READ MORE: Clashing Mexican Drug Cartels Leave 2 Police and 7 Others Dead in Mexico

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: How Sinaloa Became One of Mexico's Biggest Narco State - From WorthTheHype






Brian Laundrie's parents allegedly informed the police about the location of their son's remains in exchange for immunity, a source close to Gabby Petito's fiance said.

The source, who claimed to be Laundrie's long-time friend, told The Sun that they believe the elder Laundries "made a deal with the district attorney for immunity."

The anonymous tipster said they believe that Laundrie's parents "struck some sort of secret deal of immunity" either with the Florida district attorney or the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Laundrie's friend noted that the agreement would likely require the elder Laundries to "provide the necessary evidence to close the case" and help authorities locate their son in exchange for "immunity" for possible charges like harboring or assisting.

"Obviously, they [Laundrie's parents] want to save themselves and every little bit they have left," the source said.

READ NEXT: Brian Laundrie 'Ex-Girlfriend' Admits Relationship With Gabby Petito's Fiance a Hoax as She Made It All Up

Brian Laundrie Family Attorney Disputed 'Deal' Claims

The attorney for the family of Brian Laundrie, Steven Bertolino, disputed the claims about the "deal" struck by the elder Laundries.

Bertolino earlier told NBC that there were no deals made between Laundrie's parents and the FBI, Independent reported. Bertolino said there were "charges" discussed, but there was no threat, "no coercion, and no deal was cut."

He further noted that he had "no reason to believe" that Laundrie's parents would be charged with any crimes. Bertolino has also disputed claims that the elder Laundries could have planted their son's remains and personal items, calling it "ludicrous."

"Do you really think that the Laundries has skeletal remains of their son, you know, in a plastic bag, and brought them to present to the [Carlton Reserve]," Bertolino told NewsNation Prime.

He added: "Do you realize how ludicrous that is... How aggravating, how maddening it is to even hear those things?"

The North Port police had also said they were "100 percent confident" that elder Laundries never brought anything with them into the park when Laundrie's remains and some of his items were discovered.

It can be recalled that after a month-long manhunt for their son, Christopher and Roberta Laundries directed the North Port police and FBI agents to a swampy area of the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park where Laundrie's remains, backpack, and notebook were found.

The FBI said the skeletal remains found on October 20 were confirmed to be Laundrie after a review of dental records.

Brian Laundrie's Death

Brian Laundrie has been the subject of a manhunt as investigators searched for clues in Gabby Petito's disappearance and death. The chase for Laundrie came to an end after the FBI announced that the skeletal remains discovered in the Florida park belonged to him.

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 - Mystery Gun Found in Florida Park Where Dog the Bounty Hunter Searched for Gabby Petito's Fiance

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Family Found Note on Brian Laundrie's Car - From FOX 13 Tampa Bay
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has expressed his support for a Florida girl who was suspended from school for 36 days for not following the school's mask mandate.

DeSantis called the move "unacceptable" and called out school board members who "cavort around" without any masks while requiring students to wear them, Fox News reported.

Fiona Lashells, a second-grade student in Florida, has spoken out against the school's mask requirement. Before she was suspended for 36 days, her school disciplined her 16 times for refusing to wear a mask.

Fiona said she does not like wearing a mask because "you touch it, and you have germs on your hand, and then you put it on your face and breathe in all the germs."

In a statement, the Palm Beach County school district said the indoor mask mandate was imposed before the school year due to the rapidly rising COVID cases.

DeSantis argued that all 67 counties have huge declines in COVID cases among school-age kids, adding that most of those counties did not have forced masking.

The Republican governor noted that masking had not been proven to be effective, adding that "as we see with Fiona," it has caused harm to some of the students.

READ NEXT: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Signs Declaration of Columbus Day as Left Commemorates Indigenous Peoples' Day

Florida Girl Suspended Over Mask Mandate

Fiona Lashells, a student in Palm Beach County, has first refused to wear a face mask in school on August 31. She was also forced to eat a silent lunch alone in an office hallway, The Blaze reported.

Lashells' mother, Bailey Lashells, told the Tampa Free Press that her daughter is a strong-minded and fearless young girl who is ready to "conquer the world at seven."

She noted that her daughter is a typical seven-year-old who enjoys arts and crafts, drawing, and making jewelry.

Bailey said she learned that her daughter might have to repeat second grade after being suspended 36 times for not complying with the mask mandate.

"She (Fiona) was recently told after completing every assignment her teacher will provide that she is not only failing second grade but that there is no way she could catch up, per her teacher," Bailey noted.

According to Fiona, one can breathe in all the germs accumulated in the mask if they wear it for a long time, citing instances where people put it down at lunch and put it back on their face, WKBN 27 News report.

The second-grade said she's doing it for other kids and not just for herself.

Florida Schools Mask Mandate

In July, Ron DeSantis had signed a law that banned schools from requiring students to wear masks. Several counties, including Palm Beach, have since defied the governor's mask ban.

The state has imposed fines against Broward and Alachua counties' school districts equivalent to the annual salaries of the school board members who voted for mask mandates.

Meanwhile, two of Florida's largest school districts have relaxed their mask requirements this week. Orange County schools have allowed students to stop wearing face masks if their parents provide a note, allowing them to do so.

High school students in Broward County can choose to wear a mask starting on Monday. However, wearing face masks will still be mandatory for middle and elementary school students.

The state of Florida has fought against schools mandating their students to wear face masks. In the Fox News report, DeSantis noted that they'd had a lot of litigation since then. He added that, fortunately, they're winning all of those cases.

The Republican governor has continued to argue that the decision to mask children should be left to parents and not school boards. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children over the age of two should wear masks indoors.

READ MORE: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Announces State Will Officially File Lawsuit Against Pres. Joe Biden's COVID Vaccine Mandate

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Girl Suspended 38 Times for Not Wearing a Mask, May Flunk out of 2nd Grade | Morning in America - From NewsNation Now






The troopers from the Department of Public Safety of the state of Arizona intercepted a total of $1.7 million in fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, and other contrabands in a traffic stop northwest of Tucson on Thursday, officials stated.

According to Fox10 Phoenix, officials in the Arizona Department of Public Safety stated that people needed to talk to their loved ones to avoid using such drugs. Officials emphasized the dangers that were brought by the illegal drugs, especially after ingesting the blue pills, fentanyl, because one pill was proven deadly.

READ MORE: Texas Nightclub King Convicted for Allowing Drug Dealers to Peddle Cocaine in Clubs' Bathrooms

Arizona Troopers Intercepted Illegal Drugs in Multiple Incidents

Based on the report, the investigation started when a trooper pulled over a Ford pickup truck on Interstate 10 close to Marana on November 4 and discovered not less than 34 pounds of fentanyl pills inside of the vehicle.

The suspect was identified as a 30-year-old man from California named Mario Quinonez Osuna. The California man was arrested for transporting narcotic drugs for sale.

Moreover, the arrest led to a search warrant on another truck. However, officials did not disclose how they discovered the connection of the first truck to the second vehicle.

The report of Azfamily mentioned that the Arizona troopers recovered in the second truck an additional 37 pounds of blue fentanyl pills, along with 8 pounds of methamphetamine, 7 pounds of heroin, and close to 5 pounds of an unidentified substance.

Authorities said that their estimation showed that the street value of the drugs totaled more than $1.7 million.

The suspect was later on identified as 27-year-old Kevin Valdez from New River. He was also arrested for drug transportation charges.

Arizona Department of Public Safety Director Heston Silbert shared that they have discovered a new drug, and for him, it was more insidious because it was more subtle. Silbert said that a pill did not have the stigma that needed a needle or a glass pipe had. He added that anyone could put a pull into somebody's mouth, which made it a lot easier.

On the other hand, earlier this week, Chandler police also arrested three individuals in connection to a drug investigation in the city of Mesa. More than 25,000 fentanyl pills were found alongside heroin, meth, and fentanyl powder.

Also, authorities uncovered last week a total of 10,000 suspected fentanyl pills, cocaine, and meth in west Phoenix.

More Illegal Drugs Seizure

The Chandler Police stated that they have served a search warrant at an apartment close to Gilbert Road and Southern Avenue in Mesa on October 14. Officials clarified the situation and stated that they were able to do a search warrant in another city because it was considered part of an ongoing investigation in Chandler.

The three suspects were identified as 35-year-old Helando Urias-Bojorquez, 24-year-old Elexender N. Villa, and 26-year-old Jose L. Acosta. They were arrested as a result of the drug bust, but the investigation is still ongoing.

READ NEXT: Florida Parents Face Charges After Toddler Dies From Fentanyl Overdose

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: Cartels Are Making Millions on Fentanyl-Laced Medicine | Crimewave -VICE


A man who stole money from people with disabilities does not want to be jailed in the Midland's Prison Portlaoise because of death threats.

Brendan Sherlock (28) 2, Hartley Cross, Lavender Lodge, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim appeared before Tullamore District Courtby video link from Cloverhill Prison where he is on remand for another offence,.

In his evidence Garda Sergeant James O'Sullivan said that on September 8 last the accused approached a man in Tullamore town park.

He asked him for money. The man, who has an intellectual disability, handed him 100. On September 9, 2021 at Durrow Lane, Tullamore, Mr Sherlock approached the same man and this time he handed him 25.

On August 3, at 3pm on Patrick Street, Tullamore, he stole 10 from a female with an intellectual disability, taking the money from her purse. Mr Sherlock was identified and the money found on him.

On August 22 the defendant stole a sandwich and drink worth 5 from Leavy's Centra, Henry Street, Tullamore. The property was not recovered. On August 7, 2021 he stole a jumper worth 10 from Lidl, Main Street.

The court also heard that Mr Sherlock has 119 previous convictions.

Solicitor Donal Farrelly said Mr Sherlock was homeless at the time of the offences.

He asked Judge Catherine Staines not to sentence him to the Midlands Prison as there were death threats against him at the prison.

He asked the judge to postpone sentencing for two weeks as he is due to appear at Longford court on another charge and he believes he will be sentenced to Castlerea Prison.

Mr Farrelly said Brendan Sherlock had been a heroin addict for a number of years and was now on a methadone programme.

He is from Trim and he hopes to go back to where he came from.

Judge Staines described the offence as most serious especially since it involved someone with an intellectual disability.

She put sentencing back for three weeks and directed that 400 be paid to the victim from the court poor box.

She adjourned the case to November 17 for sentencing.
A man who was caught with 25 large boxes of stolen stock from his former employer when gardai arrived at his County Laois home to execute a European arrest warrant has avoided a jail term.

Robert Wojtanowicz (41) told gardai that he thought that he had permission to take the stock because it was damaged and not fit for sale.

A statement, which was later provided to gardai from the company, K and S Industrial Supplies, categorically stated that this was not the case and the items were in perfect condition for sale.

Wojtanowicz of Grange Hall, Mountmellick pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to have the items, valued at 19,847, being reckless as to whether they were stolen, at his home on August 22, 2017.

Garda Shane Barry said the European arrest warrant in existence for Wojtanowicz related to a number of road traffic offences. These four road traffic offences date back to 2012 and are for minor offences. Wojtanowicz has no other previous convictions.

Garda Barry told Elva Duffy BL, prosecuting that a colleague arrived at the mans home to execute the warrant and noticed a large number of boxes in the property. Wojtanowicz was not home at the time and he called back later that day.

He executed the warrant and searched the property when it was discovered the boxes contained a large amount of industrial workwear.

Garda Barry said Wojtanowiczs former employer was contacted and confirmed that it was their property and Wojtanowicz had no permission to take it. The items were ultimately returned to the company.

Wojtanowicz worked with the company from January 2016 until April 2016 and again from September 2016 until June 2017.

Garda Barry agreed with Kieran Kelly BL, defending that Wojtanowicz still claims it was his understanding that he could take the stock because it was damaged and deemed unfit for the market.

Mr Kelly said his client has two sons from two separate relationships who are 21 and 14 years old. He has been working for himself in the building industry, pays his taxes and pays maintenance for his children.

Counsel handed in a number of testimonials from Wojtanowiczs current employers and neighbours who described him as diligent, reliable and helpful.

Judge Pauline Codd sentenced Wojtanowicz to two years in prison but suspended it on strict conditions.

She commended the gardai for their work in noticing the stock in the first instance and said she didnt accept that Wojtanowicz believed he had the property legitimately.

I consider this to be a very mean offence, Judge Codd said before she acknowledged that Wojtanowicz had significant mitigation in terms of his co-operation and lack of serious previous convictions.

There has to be a deterrence for offences of this nature. It was down to the good work of the gardai that the stock was returned, Judge Codd said, before she suspended a two-year term in full.
A Laois Offaly TD wants the Minister for Health to visit Portlaoise hospital and make a firm commitment on the future of services to be delivered there.

Independent TD for Laois-Offaly Carol Nolan has received a letter from the HSE which says there will be no change to services currently provided at the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise.

Dep Nolan said she had sought an explicit guarantee that there are no plans in place to downgrade any of the services currently in operation at Portlaoise, including a downgrading of the Emergency Department.

The reply came from the the General Manager of Portlaoise hospital Michael Knowles.

"There is no change to service provision at the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise," said the brief reply.

Dep Nolan hopes the Minister for Health can go further.

I am aware that the Secretary of the Portlaoise Hospital Action Committee John Hanniffy recently spoke about the need for Minister Donnelly to visit and publicly re-state the governments commitment to the future of Portlaoise and that is something I would support even after the statement issued to me today by the HSE.

"However, I do want to welcome the confirmation provided by the HSE as it is extremely important that people have certainty around the future of our Hospital.

"Now more than ever it is vital that the provision of acute-care hospital services, a 24-hour Emergency Department and inpatient and outpatient services remain in place, especially as we are clearly heading into what is going to be by all accounts a time of significant pressure on local health care systems, concluded Deputy Nolan.
Nearly nine in ten prisoners locked up in jails in Portlaoise and other parts of Ireland have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, latest figures have revealed.

Some 89% of the current 3,830 inmates in 12 prisons in the state have been inoculated for the killer virus, according to the Irish Prison Service.

The uptake rate is broadly in line with the general community - which is running at around 92% of people over 18 -- but is seen to be higher than levels among the prisoner population in other countries such as the UK and US.

The vaccines were administered between April and August by the National Ambulance Service, supported by Irish Prison Service medical teams.

In line with the general community, the vaccination programme began with the most vulnerable cohort so prisoners aged over 70 received their jabs in April.

An Irish Prison Service spokesperson said: "A vaccination programme for the remaining prisoner cohort was rolled out on a prison by prison basis which began on 9th June 2021 and concluded 20th August 2021.

"As of the 02nd November, 89% of the prisoner population is fully vaccinated."

Vaccinations are continuing across prisons to accommodate recently sentenced prisoners if they are unvaccinated.

Meanwhile, a total of nearly 200 or around 5% of all prisoners contracted COVID-19 since March 2020.

The Irish Prison Service spokesperson added: "The total number of prisoners that have tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic is 196."

The 196 number is made up of 94 case due to prison-based transmission and 102 infections traced back to community transmission.
A Minister of State with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has echoed Minister for Defence Simon Coveney's concerns over the UK potentially triggering Article 16.

Yesterday, the former Tanaiste and Deputy-Leader of Fine Gael (FG) told RTE's This Week programme that evidence suggests the British government is preparing to trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

He also warned that doing so could lead to a trade dispute between the European Union and the UK.

Deputy Minister and fellow FG member Martin Heydon TD also recently weighed in on the matter while being interviewed on RTE's This Week in Politics programme.

He explained: "The fact of the matter is, when a nation agrees to enter into an international agreement, governments are expected to hold up to them."

"Effectively, you have the British govt undermining a protocol which was (originally) a suggestion from London, not Brussels."

Deputy Heydon continued: "It was an alternative (to), also, (the proposal) that they didn't want."

He further explained that he felt that the British govt "need to be really, really clear" that triggering Article 16 will damage EU-UK relations, in addition to Ireland-UK relations.

"(It) would put Northern Ireland and its citizens into a dreadful position," the Newbridge politician added.

After sharing the clip on his official Twitter account, Deputy Heydon's clip was quote-tweeted by fellow FG member, Dublin-Rathdown TD Neale Richmond, who said: "Nobody wins from Article 16 being triggered, least of all the people of Northern Ireland."

Nobody wins from #Article16 being triggered, least of all the people of Northern Ireland. https://t.co/AlSh7cdHzt  Neale Richmond (@nealerichmond) November 7, 2021

UK Labour Party leader Keir Starmer has also expressed concerns over Article 16, saying that triggering it would not the solve problems relating to the part of the divorce agreement that governs trade with Northern Ireland.
Lotto players all over the country still have the chance of becoming Irelands largest ever Lotto jackpot winner as the astonishing 19,060,800 remains up for grabs next Wednesday, with over 3 million in prize money won on Saturday.

Over 195,000 players won prizes across the Lotto and Lotto Plus draws on Saturday night which included three big winners from Cork, Meath and Wicklow who shared almost 3 million in prize money.

No additional funds were added to the jackpot as it remains capped, the funds that would usually go to the jackpot were instead distributed to the next prize tier at which there was a winner and in last nights draw, this was the Match 5+Bonus category.

An online player in Cork matched 5 numbers and the bonus and will now go on to claim an incredible 990,753. The Rebel county winner purchased their Normal Play ticket on the day of the draw at www.lottery.ie.

The winning numbers in last nights (Saturday 6th November) Lotto draw were: 05, 06, 09, 15, 19, 25 and the bonus was 18.

Meanwhile, two players in Meath and Wicklow became the biggest winners of the night after scooping the top prize of 1 million each in the Lotto Plus 1 draw.

The Meath store where the winning Quick Pick ticket was purchased will be revealed today (Monday) while the National Lottery has confirmed that the Wicklow player won their top prize amount after purchasing their Quick Pick ticket online on the day of the draw.

The winning numbers for Saturdays Lotto Plus 1 draw were: 03, 14, 16, 28, 35, 43 and the bonus was 07.

The National Lottery has confirmed that a notification to the users online account and a separate email has now been sent to the Cork and Wicklow winners.

The Meath Lotto Plus 1 winner is advised to sign the back of their ticket to keep it safe. Each of the three biggest winners from last nights draw should contact the prize claims team on 1800 666 222 or email claims@lottery.ie and arrangements will be made for them to claim their prizes.

Saturday nights Lotto draw also marked the fifth Lotto Plus Raffle event of the year which saw the National Lottery add an additional 1 million to the Lotto Plus Raffle prize fund. Winners of the Lotto Plus Raffle typically win 500 in every draw but in last nights draw, winners received an incredible boost to their winnings. As there were 169 Raffle winners on Saturday night, this meant that the boosted prize fund divided out to a prize of 6,417 for each Raffle winner.

The winning Lotto Plus Raffle number was: 9543

The winning Lotto Plus Raffle ticket holders are advised to sign the back of their tickets and check www.lottery.ie for details of their nearest An Post Prize Claim Centre where prizes up to 14,999 can be claimed. Alternatively, they can contact the National Lottery claims team on 1800 666 222 or email claims@lottery.ie. Online players will receive details of the process for claiming their prizes.
Luke O'Reilly has been found not guilty of the false imprisonment and assault of Quinn Industrial Holdings director Kevin Lunney.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt convicted all three of Mr O'Reilly's co-accused but said a reasonable doubt arises as to whether Mr O'Reilly knew what was to happen to Mr Lunney.

O'Reilly (68) of Mullahoran Lower, Kilcogy, Co Cavan had pleaded not guilty to falsely imprisoning and intentionally causing serious harm to Mr Lunney at Drumbrade, Ballinagh, Co Cavan on September 17, 2019.

A 40-year-old man who cannot be named, known as YZ, Alan O'Brien (40) of Shelmalier Road, East Wall, Dublin 3, and Darren Redmond (27) of Caledon Road, East Wall, Dublin 3 were each found guilty of the charges of false imprisonment and causing serious harm.

Mr OReilly (68), with an address at Mullahoran Lower, Kilcogy, Co Cavan was acquitted by the three-judge, non-jury court.

Mr Lunney told the trial that he was bundled into the boot of a car near his home and driven to a container where he was threatened and told to resign as a director of Quinn Industrial Holdings. His attackers stripped him to his boxer shorts, doused him in bleach, broke his leg with two blows of a wooden bat, beat him on the ground, cut his face and scored the letters QIH into his chest with a Stanley knife. They left him bloodied, beaten and shivering on a country road at Drumcoghill in Co Cavan where he was discovered by a man driving a tractor.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt presided over the trial and is delivering the court's judgement today with Judge David McHugh and Judge Gerard Griffin.
A judge has begun delivering the judgement of the Special Criminal Court in the trials of four men accused of falsely imprisoning and assaulting businessman Kevin Lunney.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt is going through the evidence that the court heard during the 40-day trial and has not yet indicated any verdict in relation to any of the accused. He will continue after lunch this afternoon.

Early in his judgement, Mr Justice Hunt described Mr Lunney as a "most impressive witness" and said the court fully accepts the account given by him on day four of the trial. He had, the judge said, "an uncanny ability to accurately estimate the passage of time even though his attackers removed his watch early on." His description of the yard where he was "beaten and mutilated" was borne out by the investigation, Justice Hunt said.

He said the court is also satisfied that what happened to Mr Lunney amounted to false imprisonment and assault causing serious harm. The medical evidence is "self-explanatory" he said, "and clearly reaches the threshold for serious harm." Mr Justice Hunt further indicated that the court is satisfied that Mr Lunney was assaulted in a blue horse box that gardai found in a yard in Drumbrade that is owned by the accused man Luke O'Reilly.

Mr Lunney has told the court that he was bundled into the boot of a car near his home and driven to a container where he was threatened and told to resign as a director of Quinn Industrial Holdings. His kidnappers cut him with a Stanley knife, stripped him to his boxer shorts, doused him in bleach, broke his leg with two blows of a wooden bat, beat him on the ground, cut his face and scored the letters QIH into his chest. They left him bloodied, beaten and shivering on a country road at Drumcoghill in Co Cavan where he was discovered by a man driving a tractor.

A 40-year-old man named as YZ, Alan OBrien (40), of Shelmalier Road, East Wall, Dublin 3, Darren Redmond (27), from Caledon Road, East Wall, Dublin 3 and Luke OReilly (68), with an address at Mullahoran Lower, Kilcogy, Co Cavan have all pleaded not guilty to false imprisonment and intentionally causing serious harm to Mr Lunney at Drumbrade, Ballinagh, Co Cavan on September 17, 2019.

More to follow on this story
Age Friendly Alliance/Leitrim County Council is just one of 18 projects to receive over 700,000 in funding under the CLAR Programme.

49,747 has been granted locally towards Digital Support for Older People with the aim of providing a drop in digital support facility, where expertise will be available to train and support older people in the setup and use of digital technology.

The funding is part of a new Innovation Measure designed to support communities in delivering projects that assist with issues such as rural isolation, population decline and social disadvantage.

The CLAR Programme is a key part of Our Rural Future  the Governments five year strategy designed to revitalise Rural Ireland.

Announcing the funding today, Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys said: I am delighted to announce funding for these projects, as part of the CLAR programmes new Innovation Measure.

This is a measure that is designed to support innovative and bold ideas that will make a difference in communities across rural Ireland.

The range of projects being awarded funding today shows the depth of talent, innovation and creativity that exists in rural Ireland. Harnessing this resource is a key element of the Governments vision for rural Ireland as set out in Our Rural Future.

Im really looking forward to visiting these projects to see first-hand the impact that they will have in rural towns and villages.

As part of the competitive application process, a wide range of innovative proposals were received from community organisations and local authorities across the CLAR areas.
The Corn Mill Threate One Act Festival returns this weekend and is one of first major event in the Corn Mill Theatre since lockdown.

The festival returns bigger than ever with 12 groups from all over Ireland taking part.



Theatre goers will get to experience the new 70,000 lighting and sound upgrade that was carried out during 2020 thanks to 75% Leader funding.

This is the 17th One Act Drama Festival held in Carrigallen.



The performances begin at 7pm on Friday and two shows on Saturday at 2pm and 7pm and a closing show on 2pm on Sunday.

The festival opens on Friday at 7pm with the Blue Transit Theatre Company (Open) and The Christmas Tree by Norm Foster, Mostrim Players (Confined) play Silent Talk by Eddie Brady and Martello Productions (Confined) showcase Something Unspoken by Tennessee Williams.

Saturday November 13 2pm show sees Kilrush Drama Group (Open) perform Red Carnations by Glenn A Hughes, PIC Players (Confined) take on A Kind of Alaska  by Harold Pinter and Carlow Little Theatre (Confined) play Mother's Day by Sarah Fahy.

On Saturday evening at 7pm, Kilmuckridge Drama Group (Confined) take on A Family Affair by Derek OGorman, Butt Drama Circle (Open) bring to life In Other Words by Matthew Seager and Corofin Dramatic Society (Open) perform A Thousand Deaths by John Clancy.

The final showing on Sunday, November 14 at 2pm has The Moat Club Naas (Open) playing The Way Of All Fish by Elaine May, Theatre 3 Newtownabbey (Open) will perform The dock Brief  by John Mortimer and Bailieborough Drama Group (Confined) will play Sacred Hearts Right Hand Man by Liz OHanlon.

The acts will be adjudicated and judge Tom Brady will give his results on Sunday afternoon.



Admission is 10 each night for 30 for weekend ticket. Bookings on 087 2570363 or www.cornmilltheatre.com
THE Chief Executive of Limerick Chamber has expressed her disappointment at the decision of Equinor to withdraw from its joint venture with ESB to develop a floating offshore wind farm on the Shannon Estuary.

Responding to the development, which was confirmed late last week Dee Ryan says it is a wake-up call for policy makers as it signals how far away from energy independence and net-zero emissions we are.

"Equinor, in withdrawing from this joint venture, has sent a clear message to the global industry about Irelands preparedness for capitalising on its floating offshore wind opportunity and becoming global renewable energy hub," she said.

The global race to harness offshore renewable energy has begun and Ireland, not least here on the West coast, should be leading because of our unrivalled natural assets. We should be in early-stage planning for a green energy revolution off the west coast of Ireland that would open the flood gates for unprecedented investment in related projects but instead we are back at the starting line, added Ms Ryan.

The Chamber boss says the reason, cited by Equinor, is an indictment of Ireland's lack of readiness to seize an opportunity that, in the fullness of time, can transform our climate change challenge into an unprecedented climate change opportunity.

The investor has walked away because it was not willing to wait the time expected for a workable framework to be put in place. In doing so its withdrawal also reflects a worrying message from the wider offshore renewable investment community that Ireland is not ready for business despite having this world-class opportunity.

Ms Ryan added: The establishment of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority is a welcome initiative but its taking far too long. While that is happening there are measures that can be taken to protect this opportunity, at minimum we should be facilitating interested parties to conduct surveys and site investigation of potential sites ahead of the initiation of the regulatory framework. These surveys could run in parallel with the timeframe required to establish MARA and, therefore, enable investors to hit the ground running once the framework is in place.

In conclusion, the Chamber CEO called for the matter to be dealt with urgently. "This decision by Euqinor also reaffirms the need for the establishment a Shannon Estuary taskforce to give a voice to and act as a movement for change so that we can realise this incredible opportunity. Bureaucracy cannot deny this opportunity.
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A SPECIAL meeting divulging details of the progress being made on the so-far 16m Opera Site in Limerick city centre has taken place.

Elected representatives were updated on proposals to formally dispose of the full site to Limerick Twenty Thirty before it goes before the next council meeting on November 22 for consideration and approval.

The 3.7-acre Opera Square project described by one councillor as being the greatest project in Limerick city for centuries once completed, is expected to provide for 3,000 jobs in the city.

Vincent Murray, the council's Director of Economic Development, explained ownership of the entire Opera Site will be transferred to Limerick Twenty Thirty, as it is a legal entity that can look after leasing agreements and contracts for maintenance of water, waste and responsibility of other shared spaces.

Limerick Twenty Thirty is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Limerick City and County Council.

Mr Murray added that three buildings in the Opera Site development will be leased directly back to the local authority - the new library at Barrow House, the Office of Public Works (OPW) and the Granary, each on a 999-year lease.

Demolition and enabling works for the overall project are to commence in March 2022, with 16 out of the 18 historic buildings to be retained, and the Georgian ones to be fully refurbished.

The overall 550,000 square foot site, upon completion, will contain an Opera Square with a six-storey office, retail and restaurant, an Apart hotel with 57 rooms, seven retail units and 13 apartments.

It will also contain Quinns bar and a restaurant, a new city library, a five-storey office building, a further 14-storey office space. There will be a full refurbishment of the Granary building and a basement with 155 car spaces and 495 bike spaces.

A main plaza by the Granary Courtyard and Bank Place will also be developed, as outlined in existing plans.

Plans have also been put in place for EV charge spaces and there will be no fossil fuels in use in the entire site when complete as sustainability is to the fore, said Limerick Twenty Thirty CEO David Conway.

In a question-and-answer session at the end of the presentation, Labour representative Cllr Conor Sheehan questioned the lack of residential units (16) that have been included in the overall site plan.

Several city representatives also alluded to the prevention of antisocial issues once the entire site is complete and asked for a security firm to be retained in addition to patrolling gardai.

Social issues are important, Cllr Sharon Benson stated. There has been no shortage of funding for commercial development, but we need to double down on tackling antisocial issues in the city.

David Conway responded that the aim of the project was both retail and commercially focused and that the new Opera Site Square will be a very busy space that will drive accommodation around the city.
In 332 B.C. Persian rule in Egypt came to an end with the arrival of Alexander the Great (pictured here). After his death a dynasty of Greek kings would take control of Egypt and would rule for the next three centuries.

Alexander the Great was king of Macedonia from 336 B.C. to 323 B.C. and conquered a huge empire that stretched from the Balkans to modern-day Pakistan.

During his reign, Alexander the Great had a massive impact in his time and sent ripples into the future. "In a reign of 13 years Alexander shot across the Greek and Middle Eastern firmament like a meteor, transforming whatever he  often brutally  touched and ensuring the ancient world and so eventually our world could never be the same again," Paul Cartledge, A.G. Leventis professor of Greek culture at Cambridge University, wrote in All About History magazine.

Alexander's triumphs also made him a legendary figure and an inspiration for future generations. "Until the internet age, Alexander the Great was probably the most famous human being who ever lived," Cartledge wrote. "His astounding career of conquest inspired not just Caesar and Augustus but also Mark Antony, Napoleon, Hitler and other would-be world conquerors from the West."

Related: Has the tomb of Alexander the Great's mom been found?

Yet, despite his military accomplishments, ancient records say that he failed to win the respect of some of his subjects, wrote Pierre Briant, emeritus professor of history at College de France, in " Alexander the Great and His Empire " (Princeton University Press, 2010) and, furthermore, he had some of the people closest to him murdered.

"The personality of Alexander the Great was a paradox," Susan Abernethy of The Freelance History Writer told Live Science. "He had great charisma and force of personality but his character was full of contradictions, especially in his later years (his early 30s). However, he had the ability to motivate his army to do what seemed to be impossible."

Where was Alexander the Great from?

Alexander was born around July 20, 356 B.C., in Pella in modern-day northern Greece, which was the administrative capital of ancient Macedonia. He was the son of King Philip II and Olympias (one of Philip's seven or eight wives) and was brought up with the belief that he was of divine birth. "From his earliest days, Olympias had encouraged him to believe that he was a descendent of heroes and gods. Nothing he had accomplished would have discouraged this belief," wrote Guy MacLean Rogers, a professor of classics at Wellesley College, Massachusetts, in his book " Alexander " (Random House, 2004).

Alexander's father was often away, conquering neighboring territories and putting down revolts. Nevertheless, King Philip II of Macedon was one of Alexander's most influential role models, Abernethy said. "Philip ensured Alexander was given a noteworthy and significant education. He arranged for Alexander to be tutored by Aristotle himself  His education infused him with a love of knowledge, logic, philosophy, music and culture. The teachings of Aristotle [would later aid] him in the treatment of his new subjects in the empires he invaded and conquered, allowing him to admire and maintain these disparate cultures."

Alexander watched his father campaign nearly every year and win victory after victory. Philip remodeled the Macedonian army from citizen-warriors into a professional organization, wrote Ian Worthington, professor of history and archaeology at Macquarie University, in " Philip II of Macedonia " (Yale University Press, 2010). Philip suffered serious wounds in battle, such as the loss of an eye, a broken shoulder and a damaged leg, according to Worthington.

Philip decided to leave his 16-year-old son in charge of Macedonia while he was away on campaign, Cartledge wrote in his book " Alexander the Great " (Overlook Press, 2004). Alexander took advantage of the opportunity by defeating a Thracian people called the Maedi and founding "Alexandroupolis," a city he named after himself.

"Alexander felt the need to challenge his father's authority and superiority and wished to out-do his father," Abernethy said.

Ancient records, such as Plutarch's " Lives ," indicate that Alexander and Philip became estranged later in Alexander's teenage years. "Alexander may have resented his father's many marriages and the children born from them, seeing them as a threat to his own position," said Abernethy. At one point his mother Olympia was exiled to Epirus in western Greece.

A wood engraving of the assassination of Philip II of Macedonia, father of Alexander the Great, from 1880. (Image credit: ZU_09)

Philip was assassinated in 336 B.C. while celebrating the wedding of his daughter Cleopatra (not the famous Egyptian pharaoh). The person who stabbed him was said to have been one of Philip's former male lovers, named Pausanias. While the ancient Greek historian Cleitarchus pointed to jealousy and betrayal as the motive, as outlined by Diodorus Siculus in "Library of History," other ancient sources like Justin in "Epitome of the Philippic History Of Pompeius Trogus" suspected that Pausanias may have been part of a larger plot to kill the king  one that may have included Alexander and his mother.

At the time of his death, Philip was contemplating invading the Persian Empire, also known as the Achaemenid Empire, which at its peak stretched from the Balkan peninsula to modern-day Pakistan and had repeatedly attempted to conquer the Greek world. Philips dream was passed onto Alexander, partly via his mother Olympias, according to Abernethy. "She fostered in him a burning dynastic ambition and told him it was his destiny to invade Persia."

Upon his father's death, Alexander moved quickly to consolidate power. He gained the support of the Macedonian army and intimidated the Greek city states that Philip had conquered into accepting his rule. After campaigns in the Balkans and Thrace, Alexander moved against Thebes, a city in Greece that had risen up in rebellion. He conquered it in 335 B.C. and had the city destroyed.

With Greece and the Balkans pacified, he was ready to launch a campaign against the Persian Empire.

Conquering the Persian Empire

While Alexander may have had his own reasons for expanding eastward, "his official reason for wanting to conquer the Achaemenid Persian Empire was to lead the allied Greeks in a war of liberation: to free forever from Persian control the Greek cities along the Anatolian coast and on the island of Cyprus, and in so doing also to exact revenge for the Persians' invasion of Greece under Great King Xerxes in 480-479 BCE," Cartledge wrote.

But ironically, Alexander often fought Greek mercenaries while campaigning against Darius III, the king of Persia. Even more ironically, Sparta , a city that had famously lost its king and 300 warriors in the Battle of Thermopylae during a Persian invasion attempt, also opposed Alexander, going so far as to seek Persian help in the Spartans efforts to overthrow him, according to Siculus.

Nevertheless, Alexander was hugely successful against Persia. The first major battle he won against the Perisans was in 334 B.C. at the Battle of Granicus, fought in modern-day western Turkey, not far from the ancient city of Troy . The ancient Greek historian Arrian wrote that Alexander defeated a force of 20,000 Persian horsemen and an equal number of foot soldiers. He then advanced down the coast of west Turkey, taking cities and depriving the Persian navy of bases.

The second key battle he won  and perhaps the most important  was the Battle of Issus, fought in 333 B.C. near the ancient town of Issus in southern Turkey, close to modern-day Syria. In that battle, the Persians were led by Darius III himself. Arrian estimated that Darius had a force of 600,000 troops (probably wildly exaggerated) and initially positioned himself on a great plain where he could mass his force effectively against Alexander, who hesitated to give battle.

Darius is said to have thought this as a sign of timidity. "One courtier after another incited Darius, declaring that he would trample down the Macedonian army with his cavalry," Arrian wrote. So, Darius gave up his position and chased Alexander. At first this went well, and Dariuss soldiers got in the rear of Alexander's force. However, Dariuss army had been led to a narrow spot where the Persians could not use their superior numbers effectively, and at that point Alexander moved his force against the Persians. Alexanders experienced army proved too strong for the Persian force, and eventually Darius fled, along with his army.

In his haste, Darius left much of his family behind, including his mother, wife, infant son and two daughters. Alexander ordered that they be "honored, and addressed as royalty," Arrian wrote. After the battle, Darius offered Alexander a ransom for his family and alliance, through marriage.

Arrian wrote that Alexander rebuked Darius in writing, saying "in the future whenever you send word to me, address yourself to me as King of Asia and not as an equal, and let me know, as the master of all that belonged to you, if you have need of anything."

A marble bust of Alexander the Great found at Pergamon in modern-day Turkey, now residing in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Pharaoh of Egypt

Alexander then moved south along the eastern Mediterranean, continuing a strategy designed to deprive the Persians of their naval bases. Many cities surrendered, but some, such as Tyre , which was on an island in modern-day Lebanon, put up a fight and forced Alexander to lay siege.

In 332 B.C., after Gaza was taken by siege, Alexander entered Egypt, a country that had experienced on-and-off periods of Persian rule for two centuries. On its northern coast, he founded Alexandria , the most successful city he ever built. Arrian wrote that "a sudden passion for the project seized him, and he himself marked out where the agora was to be built and decided how many temples were to be erected and to which gods they were to be dedicated".

Alexander claimed the title of pharaoh, and according to Cartledge, looked to attach himself to the line of Egyptian rulers through a traditional ceremony. "Almost certainly he had himself crowned pharaoh in the old Egyptian capital of Memphis, thereby not only ingratiating himself with the Egyptian masses but also enfolding the old and still powerful Egyptian priesthood in the embrace of his new Egyptian monarchy," Cartledge wrote.

Battle of Gaugamela

With the eastern Mediterranean and Egypt under his control, , Alexander successfully deprived the Persians of naval bases and was free to move inland to conquer the eastern half of the Persian Empire.

At the Battle of Gaugamela, fought in 331 B.C. in northern Iraq near present-day Erbil, Alexander faced as many as 1 million troops, according to Arrian (modern scholars estimates vary but put the total closer to 100,000 against roughly 50,000 soldiers for Alexander). Darius brought soldiers from all over his empire, and even beyond. Scythian horsemen from the Persian Empires northern borders faced Alexander, as did "Indian" troops (as the ancient writers called them) who were probably from modern-day Pakistan.

The battle soon became a war of nerves. "For a brief period the fighting was hand to hand, but when Alexander and his horseman pressed the enemy hard, shoving the Persians and striking their faces with spears, and the Macedonian phalanx, tightly arrayed and bristling with pikes, was already upon them, Darius, who had long been in a state of dread, now saw terrors all around him; he wheeled about  the first to do so  and fled," Arrian wrote. From that point on the Persian army started to collapse and the Persian king fled, with Alexander in hot pursuit.

Darius was later betrayed by one of his satraps, or regional governors, named Bessus (who then claimed kingship over what was left of Persia), and was killed by his own troops in 330 B.C..

The Battle of Gaugamela in 331 B.C., painted by 17th century artist Jacques Courtois (Image credit: Heritage Images / Contributor)

Alexander wanted a peaceful transition of power in Persia following Dariuss defeat. He needed to have the appearance of legitimacy to appease the people, so Alexander provided a noble burial for Darius.

"[Providing noble burials] was a common practice by Alexander and his generals when they took over the rule of different areas of the empire," Abernethy said.

Alexander was influenced by the teachings of his tutor, Aristotle, whose philosophy of Greek ethos did not require forcing Greek culture on the colonized. "Alexander would take away the political autonomy of those he conquered but not their culture or way of life. In this way, he would gain their loyalty by honoring their culture, even after the conquest was complete, creating security and stability. Alexander himself even adopted Persian dress and certain Persian customs," Abernethy said.

Wishing to incorporate the most easterly portions of the Persian Empire into his own, Alexander campaigned in central Asia from 330 and 327 B.C.. It was a rocky, frost-bitten conflict, which raised tensions within his own army, and led to Alexander killing two of his closest friends.

Why did Alexander kill his friends?

Alexander killing Parmenio, his former second in command, and Cleitus, the Macedonian kings close friend who is said to have saved his life at the Battle of Granicus, may be seen as a sign of how Alexanders men were becoming tired of campaigning, and how Alexander was becoming increasingly paranoid.

At some point during Alexander's campaign in central Asia, Parmenio's son, Philotas, allegedly failed to report a plot against Alexander's life. The king, incensed, decided to kill not only Philotas and the other men deemed conspirators, but also Parmenio, even though he apparently had nothing to do with the alleged plot.

According to the first-century A.D. writer Quintus Curtius (as found in " Alexander The Great: Selections from Arrian, Diodorus, Plutarch, and Quintus Curtius ," Hackett Publishing, 1800), Alexander tasked a man named Polydamas, a friend of Parmenio, to perform the deed, holding his brothers hostage until he murdered Parmenio. Arriving in Parmenio's tent in the city where he was stationed, Polydamas handed him two letters: one from Alexander and one from Parmenios son.

When Parmenio was reading the letter from his son, a general named Cleander, who aided Polydamas with his mission, "opened him (Parmenio) up with a sword thrust to his side, then struck him a second blow in the throat" killing him, Quintus Curtius wrote.

A second casualty of Alexander's fury was his friend Cleitus, who was angry at Alexander for adopting Persian dress and customs. After an episode where the two were drinking, Cleitus scolded the king, telling him, in essence, that he should follow Macedonian ways, not Persian customs.

Cleitus lifted up his right hand and said, "this is the hand, Alexander, that saved you then (at the Battle of Granicus)," according to Arrian. Alexander, infuriated, killed him with a spear or pike.

Alexander took his act of murder terribly. "Again and again, he called himself his friend's murderer and went without food and drink for three days and completely neglected his person." Arrian wrote.

This 1875 map shows Alexander the Great's empire. (Image credit: Steven Wright/Shutterstock)

Alexander's final battles

Alexander's days in central Asia were not all unhappy. After his troops had captured a fortress at a place called Sogdian Rock in modern-day Uzbekistan in 327 B.C. he met Roxana, the daughter of a local ruler. The two married, and they had an unborn son at the time of Alexanders death.

Despite his mens fatigue, and the fact that he was far from home, Alexander pressed on into a land that the Greeks called "India" (what is now present-day Pakistan). Plutarch explained in " The Life of Alexander the Great " that he made an alliance with a local ruler named Taxiles, who agreed to allow Alexander to use his city, Taxila, as a base of operations. He also agreed to give Alexander all the supplies he needed  which was very useful given Alexander's long supply lines.

In exchange, Alexander agreed to fight Porus, a local ruler who set out against Alexander with an army that reportedly included 200 elephants . The two armies met at the Hydaspes River in 326 B.C. Alexander bided his time; he scouted the area, built up a fleet of ships and lulled Porus into a false sense of security.

When Porus mobilized his forces he found himself in a predicament; his cavalry was not as experienced as Alexander's. As such, he put his 200 elephants  animals the Macedonians had never faced in large numbers  up front.

Alexander responded by using his cavalry to attack the wings of Porus's forces, quickly putting Porus's cavalry to flight. The result was that Porus's cavalry, foot soldiers and elephants eventually became jumbled together. Making matters worse for Porus, Alexander's soldiers attacked the elephants with javelins, and the wounded elephants went on a rampage, stomping on both Alexander and Porus's troops.

With his army falling apart, Porus stayed until the end and was captured. Arrian wrote that Porus was brought to the Macedonian king and said, "treat me like a king, Alexander." Alexander, impressed with his bravery and words, made him an ally.

The journey home

In 324 B.C., Alexander's close friend, general and bodyguard Haphaestion died suddenly from fever. Haphaestion's death caused a drastic change in Alexander's personality, Abernethy said. "Alexander had always been a heavy drinker and the substance abuse began to take its toll. He lost his self-control and his compassion for his men. He became reckless, self-indulgent and inconsistent, causing a loss of loyalty by his men and officers. He had always had a violent temper and been rash, impulsive and stubborn. The drinking made these traits worse."

Under such conditions, many of his men insisted that Alexander turn back home, according to Abernethy. Sailing south down the Indus River, he fought a group called the Malli and was severely wounded after he led an attack against their city wall. After reaching the Indian Ocean he split his force in three. One element, with the heavy equipment, would take a relatively safe route to Persia, the second, under his command, would traverse Gedrosia, a largely uninhabited deserted area that no large force had ever crossed before. A third force, embarked on ships, would support Alexander's force and sail alongside them.

The Gedrosia crossing was a miserable failure, and upto three-quarters of Alexander's troops died along the way. His fleet was unable to keep up with the main force due to bad winds. "The burning heat and the lack of water destroyed a great part of the army and particularly the pack animals," Arrian wrote.

Why Alexander chose to lead part of his force through Gedrosia is a mystery. It could simply be because no one had ever attempted to bring such a large force through it before and Alexander wanted to be the first.

Return to Persia and death

Alexander returned to Persia, this time as the ruler of a kingdom that stretched from the Balkans to Egypt to modern-day Pakistan. In 324 B.C., he arrived in Susa in present-day Iran, where a number of his innermost advisers got married.

Alexander got married to two other women, in addition to Roxana, whom he had married in central Asia. One was Barsine, daughter of Darius III, and the other was a Persian woman Arrian identified as Parysatis. Roxana likely did not take kindly to her two new co-wives and, after Alexander's death, she may have had them both killed, Plutarch wrote.

In 323 B.C., Alexander was in Babylon in modern-day Iraq, and his next major military target was apparently to be Arabia on the southern end of his empire. In June 323 B.C., while he was readying troops, he caught a fever that would not go away. He soon had trouble speaking and eventually died, with some suggesting he was poisoned . However, his death may have been announced prematurely, according Katherine Hall , a senior lecturer in the Department of General Practice and Rural Health at the University of Otago in New Zealand.

A depiction of the final moments of the life of Alexander the Great. The exact cause and nature of his death remains a mystery (Image credit: Universal History Archive / Contributor)

Shortly before his death, Alexander was supposedly asked who his empire should go to. His answer was said to be "to the strongest man," although he had an unborn son. However, there was nobody strong enough to hold his empire together. "Alexander's untimely death, without any provision having been made for a smooth succession (if such were indeed possible), opened the floodgates for two generations of warfare among his marshals, generals and lieutenants for their slice of his hypertrophied empire," Cartledge wrote.

Alexander's legacy

"Perhaps the most significant legacy of Alexander was the range and extent of the proliferation of Greek culture," Abernethy said. "The reign of Alexander the Great signaled the beginning of a new era in history known as the Hellenistic Age. Greek culture had a powerful influence on the areas Alexander conquered."

Many of the cities that Alexander founded were named Alexandria, including the Egyptian city that is now home to more than 4.5 million people. The many Alexandrias were located on trade routes, which increased the flow of commodities between the East and the West.

Alexander's legacy remains alive today, according to Cartledge, and is reimagined and reinterpreted by each generation; "There have been many Alexanders, as many as there have been observers, enemies, admirers, worshippers or serious students of the man, and hero, and god."

Additional reporting by Jessie Szalay, Live Science contributor, and Jonathan Gordon, Editor of All About History.
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The Tokyo Filmex festival wrapped up on Sunday with a prize ceremony and the surprise screening of Revolution of Our Times, a documentary about the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.

Filmex and the Tokyo International Film Festival have been largely cooperative events in the past two years. TIFF will come to a close with its own prize ceremony on Monday evening.

The Filmex first prize was awarded jointly to Anatomy of Time, directed by Thailands Jakrawal Nilthamrong, and to What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?, directed by Georgias Aleksandre Koberidze. Each wins a cash prize of JPY500,000 ($4,400).

The competition jury described Anatomy as a suddenly cruel and violent sequence of characters past and present in which different layers of time are intertwined in a fascinating and challenging way. Of Sky the jury said it was a beautiful portrait of the city of Kutaisi [in which] the camera gives an equal look to people, animals, trees, gutters and everything else that exists. Sky also won the student jury prize.

A separate audience award went to Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, directed by Hamaguchi Ryusuke. The film has been a major hit on the international festival circuit since its Silver Bear win at the Berlin festival in March. It had been the opening film of Filmex and will have its commercial release later this year in Japan.

Revolution of our Times had its world premiere in July in Cannes, where the festival deliberately delayed announcing its programming in order to minimize the chance of political blowback from the Chinese government. The Filmex organizers used the same approach and only announced the Revolution screening on Saturday, one day before the event. Unconfirmed local sources report that Filmex quickly sold some 700 tickets for the screening.

Revolution was filmed by Kiwi Chow during more than a year of civil unrest in Hong Kong that followed the city governments attempt to pass a law that would allow extradition to mainland China. The government action sparked massive peaceful protests, followed by several months of civil disobedience and on-street violence. This in turn was met by unprecedented military-style tactics on the part of Hong Kong police, an aggressive prosecution policy by the government and the imposition by Beijing of a National Security Law.

Chow has since sold all his right and all materials connected with the film in order to minimize his risk of prosecution. A new film censorship law introduced in Hong Kong last week makes it unlikely that Revolution will be allowed to screen in the city where it was made.

Seven titles from Filmex will be made available online until Nov 23, 2021.

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What is expected to be a flood of lawsuits over deaths and injuries associated with the Astroworld Festival has begun in earnest, with at least two actions filed in Houston, Texas courts over the weekend.

News of the first filings came not long after the Houston Chronicle published an article in which prominent local attorneys predicted an influx of lawsuits asking for hundreds and hundreds of millions in damages from the eight deaths and hundreds of injuries reported from Fridays concert at NRG Park.

Houston resident Manuel Souza filed suit Saturday in the District Court of Houston against festival founder and headliner Travis Scott, promoter Live Nation, individuals affiliated with NRG Park and Scoremore Holdings, and several other defendants. The suit describes Souza as injured, without going into the nature or extent of the injuries.

On Sunday in the same district court, another plaintiff, Austin resident Kristian Paredes, filed suit against some of the same defendants, including Scott and Live Nation  and notably added the superstar Drake, who was a featured guest through the climactic stretch of Scotts performance. Paredes is described in the suit as having suffered severe bodily injuries in the crowd melee, some of them characterized as permanent.

One of Souzas attorneys, Ryan S. MacLeod, a partner at Kherkher Garcia LLP, said in a statement to Variety, As proud residents of Houston, we are sickened by the devastating tragedy that took place on Friday night. Travis Scott has a history of inciting violence and creating dangerous conditions for concertgoers. In fact, he tweeted that he would let the wild ones in after the show sold out. He and those who promoted and supported this concert must take responsibility for their heinous actions. We intend to hold them fully accountable by showing that this behavior will not be tolerated in our great city.

MacLeod added, We will be investigating this tragedy over the next few days and hope to shed light on what happened and provide answers to victims and the families of those victims. No one should ever attend a concert in fear. This must stop.

These lawsuits quickly proved true a statement made earlier by Randy Sorrels, past president of the State Bar of Texas, who had told the Houston Chronicle, Litigation will be filed by the end of the Monday or sooner, because lawyers representing the victims need to move quickly to secure the evidence at the scene and to make sure evidence is not destroyed or tampered with.

Indeed, Souzas lawsuit does ask for a restraining order requiring the preservation of all evidence related to the events.

Representatives for Scott and Live Nation did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuits.

Said Thomas J. Henry, who is representing Paredes, Live musical performances are meant to inspire catharsis, not tragedy. Many of these concert-goers were looking forward to this event for months, and they deserved a safe environment in which to have fun and enjoy the evening. Instead, their night was one of fear, injury, and death.  There is every indication that the performers, organizers, and venue were not only aware of the hectic crowd but also that injuries and potential deaths may have occurred. Still, they decided to put profits over their attendees and allowed the deadly show to go on. Henrys representative said the personal injury attorney is talking with others who say they were injured at the show as well.

The Chronicle story quoted Houston attorney C.J. Baker as saying that the Chronicle that Harris County and the Harris County Attorneys Office will conduct thorough investigations as to who is culpable for the injuries and deaths. He predicted that if Live Nation can be proven to have foreseen this kind of thing happening then the damages the company is facing will be hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars. Baker also predicted a likelihood of lawsuits against Scott: If the performer could tell there was a problem or if the performer agitated or incited the crowd, then the performer will have legal liability. There is going to be a lot of video to review, and we are going to know who said what and who did what.

Souzas suit, filed by Steve Kherkher of Houston firm Kherker Gracia LLP, says that he suffered serious bodily injuries when the uncontrolled crowd at the concert knocked him to the ground and trampled him, saying that the injuries were the inevitable and predictable result of defendants conscious disregard of the extreme risks of harm to concertgoers that had been escalating since hours earlier. After providing snapshots of fans rushing through security barricades in the afternoon, and photos of ambulances in the audience during Scotts headlining set, the filing says that so many people were hurt, and so few emergency personnel were provided by defendants, that patrons themselves had to conduct CPR on their fellow concertgoers. Yet defendants made the conscious decision to let the show go on, despite the extreme risk of harm to concertgoers that was escalating by the moment. Eventually, due to defendants active decision to let the show go on, the scene devolved into a complete melee, resulting in the needless, untimely death of at least eight people and injuries to scores of others.

The Souza lawsuit also includes a screenshot of a tweet on Scotts Twitter account in which, allegedly in response to a complaint about the festivals quick sellout, Scott is seen as writing: NAW AND WE STILL SNEAKING THE WILD ONES IN. !!!!!!  a comment that had nearly 100,000 likes at the time it was captured. This recklessly encouraged fans to breach the barriers and otherwise actively encouraged a culture of violence. The filing also includes screenshots taken from widely publicized videos taken Friday afternoon of fans rushing through broken-down security barricades to gain free entry into the grounds.

Peredes lawsuit contends that Drake is culpable along with Scott. As Drake came onstage along side of Travis Scott he helped incite the crowd even though he was knew of Travis Scotts prior conduct, wrote Curtis W. Fitzgerald II, filing the suit on behalf of the law office of Thomas J. Henry. The suit says Drake continued to perform alongside Scott while the crowd mayhem continued.

In a story published Saturday, the Chronicle broke down a timeline of the event. According to the newspapers reporting, police and firefighters declared a mass casualty event at 9:38 p.m., 32 minutes after Scotts set began, when the crowd surges reportedly started. The paper reported that promoters agreed to find a way to cut the concert short soon after the 9:38 casualty report, but that the show continued until Scott ran through his planned setlist and finished as scheduled at 10:15 p.m.

However, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner has defended letting the show play out, saying that an abrupt halt could have caused a riot. He also gave reporters a slightly different timeline, one that had the show ending at 10:10. Finner said the festival was not undermanned and that the number of officers on hand should have been sufficient to handle a crowd of 50,000 under normal circumstances.

The concert, which included Drake coming on stage for for the final songs of Scotts performance, was being webcast live to a worldwide audience by Apple Music. The second night of the festival, planned to unfold Saturday, was immediately canceled as the extent of the casualties of the first night became evident.

Scott has expressed sorrow over the devastation that occurred during his set, and although he paused the show upon seeing an ambulance to acknowledge possible issues in the crowd, has said he had no idea serious injuries or deaths were occurring. Im absolutely devastated by what took place last night, the star wrote on social media Saturday. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival.

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In 2022, Jodie Comer will say goodbye to the TV role that made her a household name  Villanelle in BBC Americas Killing Eve  and forge ahead with a promising film career and theater debut.

As she receives Variety and the Edinburgh TV Festivals 2021 Outstanding Achievement Award, the Liverpool-born actor says shes parking her insecurities about moving from TV to film, and looking ahead to a West End debut she never thought would happen.

While most British actors start out in theater before graduating to the screen sector, Comers done it in reverse  though it wasnt for lack of trying.

Ive done a lot of theater auditions throughout the years and a lot of the feedback was often very, very positive, but it was always, Shes not theater trained. She hasnt gone to drama school, Comer tells Variety. I used to get quite defeated by that, and then I got to a point where I was like, The right thing will come along with a director who believes in me, and who wants to do that extra work  whatever needs to be done.

Eventually, that director  Together helmer Justin Martin  materialized, along with Suzie Millers award-winning play Prima Facie, which Comer will headline next spring at the Harold Pinter Theatre  a role she wasnt entirely sure was hers, even after she was specifically given the script.

It was just kind of sent to me with no attachment, and no this is on offer or you can audition for this. I was like, Is this for me? Whats the situation? And they said, If you want to be a part of it, we would love to speak with you. And, you know, this is something very new to me.

In some ways, she has her deliciously cruel and comedic Russian assassin Villanelle to thank. The role earned her Emmy and BAFTA awards in 2019, and has allowed people to see her in many, many different lights.

Says Comer: Ive spent four years with [Villanelle] now, so I feel like I have a really good sense of who she is, and where shes at. The producers have always made it very clear that they want my input and my ideas  nothings off limits.

Comer is clear, however, that season 4 next year will definitely be the end of the road for Killing Eve.

We never, ever want for that [quality] to drop, or to carry on a story for the sake of carrying on, whether that be greed or whatever the reason. It feels like where we are right now, it feels natural that weve come to this point where, now, we can really focus on the ending.

Comer likely wont be a part of any spin-offs that may be in the works for the shows characters. Ive by no means been a part of any conversations, she says.

Most recently, the 28-year-old starred in Channel 4s searing COVID drama Help alongside fellow Liverpudlian Stephen Graham (The Irishman).

A 90-minute one-off, Help went inside a British care home during the pandemic, exposing the neglect and lack of resources that led to record fatalities. Comer played a nurse who joined the home just prior to the COVID outbreak, while Graham played a young patient with early-onset Alzheimers.

There was something about that experience that I never felt before, because the piece felt bigger than us, and there was no ego, she explains. It felt like we were there to serve something greater than us, and hopefully do it in a truthful, authentic and respectful way. It had to really be handled with care.

The drama, which was so specific to the U.K., was at the other end of a spectrum thats seen Comer appear alongside Ryan Reynolds in the hit comedy Free Guy, and in Ridley Scotts medieval drama The Last Duel, opposite Matt Damon, Adam Driver and Ben Affleck.

Its funny because Ive always had an insecurity of Oh, Im a TV actress, and Im never going to do film and film is so other. And then I got Free Guy and I realized that its very much the same  its just ginormous. But the way you approach your role is the same, and the people are the same.

On The Last Duel, Comer plays 14th century French noblewoman Marguerite de Carrouges, who is raped by her husbands friend and gambles with her life to expose the truth. The actors performance is the foundational pillar of the movie, and its not surprising to see her name increasingly uttered in early Oscars buzz.

The project marked a turning point for Comer, whose imposter syndrome as a relative newcomer in Hollywood slowly dissipated while making the movie, replaced by a recognition that she had, in fact, earned her place.

We should always be grateful, but I think Ive spent a lot of my time being like, Oh yeah, Im lucky to be here, like I won a competition kind of thing. And there was something about doing The Last Duel where I felt like Id stepped into myself and took ownership of where I was and what I had done to get there. And that was really nice.

Of the films difficult rape scenes between Comer and Adam Drivers Jacques Le Gris, the actor describes an incredibly respectful set. The night before filming, her and Driver went to the studio to work out the physicality and spoke a lot about what we needed to get from the scene.

The next morning, we came to set, which was very much set up to roll. And the wonderful thing about working with Ridley is he has four or five cameras rolling the entire time. We had both perspectives by lunch, which is unheard of usually for a scene of that size.

Comer will again team with Scott on Apple Studios Napoleon Bonaparte epic Kitbag, where she will play Josephine opposite Joaquin Phoenixs French emperor.

Its going to be another huge challenge, but what I love about period dramas is that kind of transformation, she says. Even now, doing some costume and hair tests for Kitbag, its just so exciting because it becomes so much easier to step out of yourself and into somebody else.

As she further evolves as an actor, Comer is beginning to think more about her work off-screen and the potential to step into a producing role in the future. I love the idea of being able to take control of that narrative and explore stories that I genuinely believe in and want to be a part of.

Those conversations are happening, she assures, though its going to take time. You also realize and appreciate the time that goes into these things; they dont happen overnight.

In the meantime, Comer says shed love to do a musical  Im not ruling anything out, she says, when asked whether the said musical would be more of a Rent or an Oklahoma  as well as an independent movie. Maybe with a science-fiction element, but something thats very present day, and rooted in humanity, she says.

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In the 2019 documentary "Travis Scott: Look Mom I Can Fly," an unidentified member of Travis Scott's entourage explains to security and other tour personnel just how chaotic crowds can get at the rapper's shows. Kids push up against the gate separating them from the stage, he says, and "the pressure becomes very great up against the barricade." He pauses. "You will see a lot of crowd surfers in general, but also you see a lot of kids who are just trying to get out to safety because they can't breathe - 'cause it's so compact. You won't know how bad it can be with our crowd until we turn on."

The scene, which is featured in the first few minutes of the Netflix documentary, offers a window into the mayhem that had been known to unfold at Scott's shows before one of the rapper's concerts turned deadly last week. At least eight people were killed following a crowd surge at the rapper's Astroworld Festival in his hometown of Houston Friday night. An estimated 50,000 people attended the show, and in its aftermath, crowd control experts have warned that such incidents can occur at large gatherings and that event organizers need to be prepared.

"Look Mom I Can Fly," directed by White Trash Tyler and produced by Scott, explores Scott's childhood and rise to fame following his 2014 breakout. The film also documents the moment Scott (born Jaques Webster) became a father to Stormi Webster, the 3-year-old he shares with Kylie Jenner. But the chaotic atmosphere at his concerts - often encouraged by the rapper, who has faced legal trouble over at least two of his shows - also emerges as a prevailing theme.

Another early scene depicts the tumultuous few minutes following Scott's 2017 performance in Rogers, Ark., where he was arrested on charges (unmentioned in the documentary) of disorderly conduct, inciting a riot and endangering the welfare of a child. An Associated Press report, citing police, said Scott had "encouraged people to bypass security and rush the stage, resulting in injuries to a security guard, a police officer and several others." Scott later pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, according to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette, which reported the rapper paid $6,825.31 in restitution to two people who were injured at the concert.

The documentary features reactions from concertgoers who praise Scott even as they recount being in danger. "I survived," a man with a cast on his foot says. "It's all good." Another attendee happily declares: "I thought I was gonna die in your . . . show." As Scott is driven away from the Benton County sheriff's office, he says he feels "bad" after hearing "about kids getting hurt." But, he adds, "I just hate getting arrested, man. That . . . is whack."

Scott was previously charged with disorderly conduct following a 2015 appearance at Chicago's Lollapalooza, where his set was cut short after he encouraged attendees to break a barricade and rush the stage. "Look Mom I Can Fly" features a montage of moments in which Scott actively encourages concertgoers to flout security protocols. "Hey, yo security. You don't tell a fan to not turn up at a motherf---ing tour," he says during one tour stop. "Get away from him."

Another scene finds Scott ordering security to bring back an attendee who was being thrown out, though the concertgoer's offense is not featured on film. "Security, stop being party poopers," Scott said. "These people just want to have fun."

"No . . . Travis Scott fan ever gets kicked out," he says before crowd-surfing next to a man who raps along to "Antidote." As the song hits a climax, Scott encourages the man to jump further into the crowd.

Scott has been heavily criticized as videos posted to social media show him continuing his show on Friday as panicked concertgoers tried to divert his attention to the injured. It's unclear if Scott, who paused the show several times so medical personnel could help concertgoers, understood how dire the situation was from onstage, where he was wearing in-ear monitors. Jenner, who shared footage of the concert in her Instagram stories, was criticized for including video of an ambulance struggling to make its way through the crowd. Jenner said in an Instagram story early Sunday that she and Scott "weren't aware of any fatalities until the news came out after the show."

"Look Mom I Can Fly" features scenes from the 2018 Lollapalooza show - which coincided with the release of his acclaimed album "Astroworld" - where Scott stops the concert, pleading with the crowd to "open up" so security can get help for two men who appear to be unconscious. People in the massive crowd lift and pass one man toward the opening. Scott, perched on a tall riser, points to another man in need of help: "There's one more right here."

As medical personnel carry someone off on a stretcher, Scott tells the crowd to give him a "thumbs up if we good." "If we good, let me get a 'hell yeah,'" he says as the music begins to play again. Mere seconds pass before the lights dim and pyrotechnics resume.

As the film documents Scott's inaugural Astroworld Festival - designed to pay homage to the defunct amusement park the rapper frequented as a child - viewers witness crowd-control issues similar to those described by attendees of Friday's show. One scene depicts staffers at Houston's NRG Park interlocking arms as Scott fans attempt to break the gate blocking their entrance to the venue, which also served as the location for this year's festival. One woman appears to pray for her safety.

Experts have said such incidents necessitated a robust crowd control plan at Friday's show, where attendees reported crowds breaking down barricades. "What's unique in this situation is that there was prior notice," a Houston trial lawyer specializing in catastrophic personal injury cases told The Post over the weekend. "This wasn't a split-second situation like a sudden stage collapse."

Officials have launched a criminal investigation into the deaths and disorder at this year's Astroworld Festival. Meanwhile, Scott and festival organizers face mounting lawsuits from concertgoers. On Monday, Scott said in a statement that he will cover all funeral costs for the eight victims who died and will "provide further aid for individuals affected by the November 5th tragedy."

According to the statement, the rapper is also partnering with digital therapy platform BetterHealth and other mental health organizations including NAMI (National Alliance of Mental Illness) to help attendees obtain mental health services.
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Vera Dreams of the Sea, Kaltrina Krasniqis semi-autobiographical drama about a sign-language interpreter who battles for her rights in an inheritance dispute, was awarded the Tokyo Grand Prix at the closing ceremony of the 34nd Tokyo International Film Festival on Monday. The prize is worth $30,000.

Set in Krasniqis native Kosovo and based on the real-life experiences of her mother, the film previously screened in Venices Orrizonti section.

A female-led story also claimed the second place Special Jury Prize. La Civil, by Romanian director Teodora Ana Mihai, is a drama about a woman who goes hunting for a daughter kidnapped by a Mexican cartel.

In the Asian Future section for films by up-and-coming Asian directors, the best film award went to World, Northern Hemisphere, Iranian director Hossein Tehranis drama about a 14-yar-old boy who supports his family following his fathers death.

The closing ceremony also saw the award of two new prizes, given in conjunction with Amazon Prime Video.

Festival screenings were all held this year as in-person events. Held this year from Oct. 30 to Nov. 8, TIFF recorded 29,414 admissions to 126 films, sharply down from last year when the 138 films screened garnered 40,553 admissions.

Tokyo International Film Festival: 2021 Prize Winners

Grand Prix

Vera Dreams of the Sea

Special Jury Prize

La Civil

Best Actress

Julia Chavez in The Other Tom

Best Actor

Amir Aghaee, Fatih Al, Baris Yildiz, Onur Buldu in The Four Walls

Best Artistic Contribution

Crane Lantern

Audience Award

Just Remembering

Asian Future, Best Film Award

World Northern Hemisphere

Amazon Prime Video Take One Award

Kim Yunsoo for Sunday and Calm Sea

Amazon Prime Video Take One Award Special Jury Prize

Sangoumi Midori for Under The Bridge.

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MEXICO CITY (AP)  A commando of drug gang gunmen on Thursday stormed ashore at a beach on Mexico's resort-studded Caribbean coast in front of luxury hotels and executed two drug dealers from a rival gang.

The dramatic shooting attack sent tourists scrambling for cover at the resort of Puerto Morelos, just south of Cancun.

The two suspected drug dealers killed Thursday had apparently arrived at the beach in front of the Azul Beach Resort and the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun earlier in the day, claiming it was now their territory.

About 15 people arrived on the beach to assassinate two men who had showed up saying they were the new dealers in the area, the head prosecutor of Quintana Roo state, Oscar Montes de Oca, told the Radio Formula station.

Montes de Ocas office said earlier in a statement that there was a clash between rival groups of drug dealers on a beach near the hotels. Several cartels are fighting for the areas lucrative retail drug trade, including the Jalisco cartel and the a gang allied with the Gulf cartel.

Montes de Oca said one of the men targeted in the attack fled into one of the hotels before dying. The other was killed on the beach. He also said one person suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the attack, but authorities could not determine whether that person was a hotel employee or a guest because they were still undergoing medical treatment.

Gov. Carlos Joaquin said the commando wore ski masks and arrived by boat at the beach. Montes de Oca said they fled in a boat after the attack.

Joaquin called the attack a serious blow to the development and security of the state ... putting the image of the state at grave risk.

The shootings were the latest chapter in drug gang violence that has sullied the reputation of Mexicos Caribbean coast as a once-tranquil oasis.

Guests at the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun posted videos and photos of tourists hiding or nervously milling in the lobby and hallways of hotels during the incident.

Guests at the nearby Azul Beach Resort also posted videos of people taking shelter or gathering in the lobby. An employee who answered the phone at the hotel said the shooting occurred on the beach near the facility.

Mike Sington, a guest at the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun, wrote in his Twitter account that Guests are telling me they were playing volleyball on the beach, gunman approached firing gun. Everyone ran from beach and swimming pools. Staff hustled us into hidden rooms behind the kitchens."

Sington tweeted Ive never been so scared, literally shaking," before adding Im fine now, barricaded in my hotel room for the night, just trying to decompress.

Rival cartels often kill another gang's street-level dealers in Mexico to eliminate competition and ensure their drugs are sold first. It is not the first time that tourists have been caught in the crossfire of such battles.

The Puerto Morelos shooting comes two weeks after a California travel blogger and a German tourist were killed in a similar shootout in the beach town of Tulum.

A San Jose, California woman born in India, Anjali Ryot, and German citizen Jennifer Henzold were apparently hit by crossfire from the Oct. 20 drug dealers' shootout in Tulum, south of Puerto Morelos.

Three other foreign tourists were wounded in the shooting at a street-side eatery that has some outdoor tables, right off Tulums main strip. They included two German men and a Dutch woman.

The German Foreign Office issued a travel advisory about the violence, advising its citizens if you are currently in the Tulum or Playa del Carmen area, do not leave your secured hotel facilities.

The Tulum gunfight also apparently broke out between two groups that operate street-level drug sales in the area, according to prosecutors.

Montes de Oca said eight suspects in the Tulum attack had been detained in possession of firearms.

There have been signs that the situation in Quintana Roo state, where all the resorts are located, was out of control months ago. In June, two men were shot to death on the beach in Tulum and a third was wounded.

And in nearby Playa del Carmen, police stage a massive raid in October on the beach towns restaurant-lined Quinta Avenida, detaining 26 suspects  most apparently for drug sales  after a city policewoman was shot to death and locked in the trunk of a car last week. Prosecutors said Friday they have arrested a suspect in that killing.

Crime has gone up a little with extortion, with drug sales to foreigners and Mexicans, the prosecutors office said about the raid.

The administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has pinned its hopes on the so-called Maya Riviera, where it has announced plans to build an international airport and a stop for the Maya train, which will run in a loop around the Yucatan peninsula.
The streets alongside the TAMIU campus became a sea of purple Saturday as hundreds of people went out in the morning for the 2021 Walk to End Alzheimer's.

Although activities were limited amid the pandemic, the event helped acquire numerous donations to help greatly surpass the financial goal of the organizers.

This is the sixth walk, but it is the first one that we did this late in the year as we did it in November instead of September, and my goodness, Laredo is basically the best place to be in the United States at this time in fall. It was a gorgeous day outside, nice and cool, but the sun was shining and it was just a gorgeous day for people to gather, said Joe Arciniega, part of the National Board of Directors for the Alzheimers Association and a member of the board of directors for the Alzheimer's Association of San Antonio and South Texas.

This is also our first walk post-COVID, so we have all across the board been one of the last walks in the state of Texas as I think there is only one more left. But across the board, we were all concerned of attendance because of COVID, and we were prepared for that. But although I dont know what the final count was, at this point there were a ton of people. It was a sea of people dressed in purple and holding their Alzheimer's flowers up in the air.

Along with the numerous purple shirts, there were also the colors blue and yellow as participants of the walk took with them a purple flower in remembrance of a loved one that the disease has taken away, such as Arciniega with his father. A blue flower represented someone with Alzheimer's and a yellow flower represented someone who cares with someone for the disease.

The high amount of attendance for the event was not the only goal met. The financial goal of $91,000 proposed for the walk was also surpassed. They eclipsed that goal resoundingly raising a reported 150% of the original mark. As of the latest tally, a total of $136,973 in donations had been collected for the cause and to benefit Laredoans.

I understand we are the best overall goal in the state of Texas at this point, so we are excited about that, Arciniega said. We didnt really know what to expect, as it is the first one post-COVID, but I would say that there is a growing level of awareness about Alzheimer's in Laredo. ... There are growing sufferers in the City of Laredo with Alzheimers, and what the walk does is that it is the best place to highlight people who have Alzheimers, or in many instances, help the people who have a loved one with Alzheimers have somewhere to meet others.

The walk also marked the first year in which there were two co-chairs for the event that helped in the organization and planning efforts for the walk. The co-chairs were Melissa Cigarroa and Gabriel Castillo.

I think it was extremely successful as we completely were just stunned at the support that we got from the community and from all of our sponsors, Cigarroa said. Organizing the event was difficult at the beginning, but then as time went by, it got easier. We did have a huge turnout, but I do believe that we would have had an even higher turnout if, of course, we did not have to deal with the pandemic.

For Cigarroa, the struggle against Alzheimer's disease is not just one that she supports but one she has struggled with personally as she lost her mother to it. She says she lost her mother within just seven years once she was diagnosed, even though she always seemed completely healthy.

Cigarroa says the money being raised through events like these on Saturday is not just to research for a cure of the disease but also for additional resources of support for families going through this. When her mother was sick in the mid-2000s, no such type of help existed.

Nowadays, all you have to do is pick up the phone and call up the 1-800 number, and you have immediate support on how to take care of your loved ones that are afflicted with this disease, Cigarroa said. It was very difficult to care for someone with Alzheimers because as time goes on, they dont recognize you, so that is extremely difficult. In fact, it was extremely difficult for me to get involved, as it took me a while. It is still hard so many years later as I lost my mother to this horrendous disease. As I drove to TAMIU today, I was in tears just thinking about the whole thing and it is still hard to talk about it.

Cigarroa says she ultimately takes part in these events because she does want there to be resources for the people of Laredo against the disease and also for there to be a cure as more research will eventually lead to one.

The fact the event was held in November instead of December was a good thing, according to the co-chair, as this helped several local schools in the area form part of the event such as the Lamar Bruni Middle School group and others.

We are hoping that they will continue to be our co-chairs for the next couple of walks as they did a fabulous job and both were wonderful as everything from the pre-walk ceremonies, Arciniega said.

The event did not just consist of a walk but also featured many booths and tables with information regarding resources to how people with Alzheimers can be taken care of. There were also nursing homes, medical organizations and many other people also present to help share stories and talk about how the disease affects people both directly and indirectly.

Another activity at the event was the memory wall, in which people would put the names of their loved ones they are honoring and remembering with markers and also the names of people currently battling the disease.

People who attended the walk said they were extremely excited about being a part of it even though they might not be affected at the moment.

You just have to show support for these good causes. Alzheimer's is something that is growing and will one day affect us if a cure is not found, and it is not something that can be survived like COVID as it destroys your brain, Marisol Saucedo said.

Amid the pandemic, however, some more of the fun activities like dancing together and playing games in groups were not allowed for this particular walk due to the COVID-19 virus.

We couldnt do all of the same activities from previous walks as we wanted to be respectful with social distance but the people came out and it was a beautiful day for the walk, Arciniega said.

According to Arciniega, the money collected from the walk will all go back to Laredoans as it will help establish centers of excellence within the city due to legislation passed in 2018 that lists Alzheimer's disease as a global concern. These centers are established in local universities, Gateway Health Center and other entities that could apply for the funding to become centers of excellence against the disease.

These events will help many of these people finally feel comfortable in sharing their stories and experiences, Arciniega said.

Any additional information on how to deal with a family member struggling with Alzheimer's can be found by calling the toll free number 1-800-272-3900.

jorge.vela@lmtonline.com
The Webb County Heritage Foundation had its ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new exhibition Botas and Guaraches in downtown Laredo on Thursday.

The pop-up historical exhibit is located at the corner of Flores Avenue and Grand Street and is viewable 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This exhibit displays Laredos election riot of 1886, where two rival parties disputed for control of the city.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Heritage Foundation developed innovative ways to reach out to its audiences who could no longer visit the Foundations Museum, Webb County Heritage Foundation Executive Director Margarita Araiza said. One of these solutions was the creation of a popup exhibition that can be viewed from the street by pedestrians and vehicular traffic.

A fragment from the exhibit details, One of the most violent yet least known feuds of the American West was Laredos Election Riot of 1886. The riot, with over 100 combatants, left at least 16 and perhaps as many as 30 citizens dead. Aligned along political family lines, two rival parties emerged in the 1880s, the Botas led by Raymond Martin and C.M. MacDonnell, and the Guaraches led by Dario Gonzalez. Both parties vied for control of the city council. Political speeches, parades, excessive consumption of alcohol and the shooting of firearms at anvils characterized the election campaigns of 1884 and 1886.

The pop-up exhibit, sponsored by grants from Humanities Texas, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Foundation, was designed to facilitate a safe, educational and entertaining historical exhibit for the public from the safety of outdoors, Araiza said. We give special thanks to UETA, owner of the property at the corner of Flores Avenue and Grant Street, and Lawrence Friedman Real Estate Brokerage & Investments, who made it possible to present this fascinating chapter of Laredos history at this prominent location.

The pop-up exhibit also intends to encourage Laredoans and out-of-town visitors to come experience Laredos oldest historic neighborhoods around the beautiful San Agustin Plaza, as the reopening of the border for non-essential travelers will bring an influx of visitors to the downtown area. The Heritage Foundation invites everyone to walk or drive around and observe the oldest architecture in this community.

cecilia.trevino@lmtonline.com
Luke O'Reilly has been found not guilty of the false imprisonment and assault of Quinn Industrial Holdings director Kevin Lunney.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt convicted all three of Mr O'Reilly's co-accused but said a reasonable doubt arises as to whether Mr O'Reilly knew what was to happen to Mr Lunney.

O'Reilly (68) of Mullahoran Lower, Kilcogy, Co Cavan had pleaded not guilty to falsely imprisoning and intentionally causing serious harm to Mr Lunney at Drumbrade, Ballinagh, Co Cavan on September 17, 2019.

A 40-year-old man who cannot be named, known as YZ, Alan O'Brien (40) of Shelmalier Road, East Wall, Dublin 3, and Darren Redmond (27) of Caledon Road, East Wall, Dublin 3 were each found guilty (GUILTY) of the charges of false imprisonment and causing serious harm.

Mr OReilly (68), with an address at Mullahoran Lower, Kilcogy, Co Cavan was acquitted by the three-judge, non-jury court.

Mr Lunney told the trial that he was bundled into the boot of a car near his home and driven to a container where he was threatened and told to resign as a director of Quinn Industrial Holdings. His attackers stripped him to his boxer shorts, doused him in bleach, broke his leg with two blows of a wooden bat, beat him on the ground, cut his face and scored the letters QIH into his chest with a Stanley knife. They left him bloodied, beaten and shivering on a country road at Drumcoghill in Co Cavan where he was discovered by a man driving a tractor.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt presided over the trial and is delivering the court's judgement today with Judge David McHugh and Judge Gerard Griffin.
Longford Tidy Towns Volunteers are eagerly awaiting this years results of the National Tidy Towns Competition which is due out shortly.

Buildings in town of a varied nature, some derelict, have been repaired, painted and decorated with assistance from Tidy Towns and the County Council over the summer months.

Volunteers and Tus workers have been busy with litter picking all summer, while other volunteers formed groups on Saturday mornings to tackle weed control and general cleaning. Flower tubs and hanging baskets have cheered us up all over the summer months with their colourful displays and a new raised bed of rose bushes has even been created in the Tesco car park this year

Some beautiful window boxes were on display throughout the town and some estates have done trojan work. We hope the judges were impressed as we aspire to silver this year. But we have to remember that judging takes place under 8 different catagories, not just absence of litter and the presence of nice flower displays, so gaining extra marks can be difficult and co operation is needed from everyone.

We were very pleased with this years Longford Town performance in the recent I.B.A.L ( Irish Business Against Litter ) inspection, as we remind people not to leave unwanted items or boxes or bags at Bottle Banks. A volunteer has to come the next day to remove them and dispose of them. Keeping Longford Town clean and pleasing to the eye is something we all have to be aware of, and we can all be involved in.

See our shop window (OConnors) on Ballymahon Street for information and notices.

If you like to help, contact John at 086 8346559 or Ann at 086 8962546
A man who stole money from a person with an intellectual disability appeared by video link from Cloverhill prison where he is on remand for another offence.

In his evidence to last week's sitting of Tullamore district court, Sgt James O'Sullivan said that on September 8 last, Brendan Sherlock (28) 2, Hartley Cross, Lavender Lodge, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim, approached a man in Tullamore town park.

He asked him for money. The man who has an intellectual disability handed him 100. On September 9 2021 at Durrow Lane, Tullamore, Mr Sherlock approached the same man and this time he handed him 25.

On August 3, at 3pm on Patrick Street, Tullamore, he stole 10 from a female with an intellectual disability, taking the money from her purse. Mr Sherlock was identified and the money found on him.

On August 22 the defendant stole a sandwich and drink worth 5 from Leavy's Centra, Henry Street, Tullamore. The property was not recovered. On August 7, 2021 he stole a jumper worth 10 from Lidl, Main Street.

Brendan Sherlock, had 119 previous convictions and is currently on remand at Cloverhill Prison.

Solicitor Donal Farrelly said Mr Sherlock was homeless at the time of the offences.

He asked Judge Staines not to sentence him to the Midlands Prison as there were death threats against him at the prison.

He asked the judge to postpone sentencing for two weeks as he is due to appear at Longford court on another charge and he believes he will be sentenced to Castlerea Prison.

Mr Farrelly said Brendan Sherlock had been a heroin addict for a number of years and was now on a methadone programme.

He is from Trim and he hopes to go back to where he came from.

Judge Staines described the offence as most serious especially since it involved someone with an intellectual disability.

She put sentencing back for three weeks and directed that 400 be paid to the victim from the court poor box.

She adjourned the case to November 17 for sentencing.
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is encouraging teachers and children to take climate action with their new illustrated story book.

This lively and educational book is aimed at children from junior infants to second class. The book follows Alina, an energy savvy schoolgirl, as she teaches Guzzler, the friendly monster, all about saving energy and taking climate action, as they prepare to throw a party.

Commenting on the launch, Ruth Buggie, Programme Manager, at SEAI said:

With all of the discussion around COP26 and climate actions required over the coming decades, it is timely that the SEAI are releasing an illustrated storybook which helps distil this critical message for our younger audiences.

"This book is a fun and informative resource to learn about saving energy. The book gives children lots of actions that they can take in their everyday lives and introduces important concepts such as what is energy and renewable energy, in a simple and understandable way.

"We hope that readers will enjoy Alina and Guzzlers adventures and feel empowered to take their own actions.

To celebrate the launch of the book SEAI is hosting a virtual reading and an illustration workshop. You can access these free workshops here:

Listen to a reading of 'Guzzler's Party'.

Learn to draw with SEAI and Alan Nolan.

The workshops will also be shown as part of national Science Week, supported by Science Foundation Ireland.

Teachers can order a printed edition of the book by emailing schools@seai.ie or borrow a school set from participating local libraries.

A PDF version of the book can be downloaded for free on www.seai.ie/guzzlers-party- book/. For more information visit seai.ie.
Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, has criticised the COP26 climate conference saying there has not been enough progress made.

"There hasn't been enough progress to date either here or at the 25 preceding COPs. The non-governmental bodies were right to call that out at the marches at the weekend. So weve got to be impatient for more progress," he said.

He arrived at the conference in Glasgow this morning following a negative PCR test.

An initial test the Minister had taken on Friday returned a positive result, leading him to cancel his travel plans but a second test returned a negative result, allowing him to travel.

Speaking at the conference, the Green Party Leader said he was glad to be able to attend and hoped "momentum" could be built throughout the week towards a deal, adding that getting support for developing countries is an important part of the work he hoped to do this week.

This week will see, environment, energy and climate ministers focusing on reaching a conclusive agreement on measures to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5C degrees from pre-industrial levels.

Political negotiations will also seek to include financial support for poorer countries to cope with climate change.

Countries have been asked to close off as many issues as possible so that an agreement can be reached by the close of the summit on Friday but observers think that timetable is likely to slip, as 197 parties try to get consensus on several tricky areas around finance and emissions cuts.
Dogs Trust Ireland has launched a campaign to end puppy farming in Ireland.

The charity is asking the public to 'be the voice for the voiceless mums and pups in Ireland' by signing a petition to eradicate puppy farming in Ireland.

Dogs Trust has cared for 130 victims of illegal puppy farming this year.

Some of these dogs suffered matted coats, overgrown nails, dental disease, ear infections, and skin infections.

The charity's veterinary and behaviour teams said the dogs were 'terrified' of human contact.

Vets can estimate a dogs age based on the condition of their teeth, but many of the dogs had severe dental disease and it was not possible.

Executive Director of Dogs Trust Ireland, Becky Bristow said the condition of the dogs was 'appalling' and the dogs 'sheer terror and avoidance of humans is something that will stay with the team forever'.

"When the dogs were discovered and when they arrived into our care, the silence was deafening, they were literally too afraid to bark or indeed make any sound at all. Even the sound of our footsteps approaching, had them running to hide and huddle together for comfort. It was absolutely heartbreaking to witness." she added.

Dogs Trust said new legislation against puppy farming can include a register of all breeder license holders which could be accessible online through a local authority portal and updated on an ongoing basis.

Head of Communications, Ciara Byrne said the massive demand saw dogs advertised online at huge prices, meaning huge profits for breeders.

"We are pleading with people who buy puppies to please source them responsibly, as failure to get them from a reputable source is supporting this abhorrent trade. Its also creating lives of misery for the parents, especially the mums who churn out litter after litter from dark, squalid little pens." added Ms. Byrne.

A six-year-old Cavalier crossbreed named Blue gave birth to a litter of five puppies shortly after leaving the puppy farm.

A very difficult decision was made to allow another dog to rear her puppies, to prevent Blue from passing on her extreme fearfulness to the litter.

The charity is urging the public to sign its petition to end puppy farming here
Nearly nine in ten prisoners in the country's jails have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, latest figures have revealed.

Some 89% of the current 3,830 inmates in 12 prisons in the state have been inoculated for the killer virus, according to the Irish Prison Service.

The uptake rate is broadly in line with the general community - which is running at around 92% of people over 18 -- but is seen to be higher than levels among the prisoner population in other countries such as the UK and US.

The vaccines were administered between April and August by the National Ambulance Service, supported by Irish Prison Service medical teams.

In line with the general community, the vaccination programme began with the most vulnerable cohort so prisoners aged over 70 received their jabs in April.

An Irish Prison Service spokesperson said: "A vaccination programme for the remaining prisoner cohort was rolled out on a prison by prison basis which began on 9th June 2021 and concluded 20th August 2021.

"As of the 02nd November, 89% of the prisoner population is fully vaccinated."

Vaccinations are continuing across prisons to accommodate recently sentenced prisoners if they are unvaccinated.

Meanwhile, a total of nearly 200 or around 5% of all prisoners contracted COVID-19 since March 2020.

The Irish Prison Service spokesperson said: "The total number of prisoners that have tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic is 196."

The 196 number is made up of 94 case due to prison-based transmission and 102 infections traced back to community transmission.
Diaries belonging to Irish revolutionary figure Michael Collins have been presented to An Taoiseach Micheal Martin and the Minister for Culture and Arts Catherine Martin, by members of the Collins family today.

The five pocket diaries are of significant historical importance as they provide additional, historical information on a pivotal time in Michael Collin's life, and contain details of meetings, events, appointments, and other arrangements that took place from 1918-1922.

It is understood that much of it is confidential information and has never been seen before

The diaries will be on long-term loan to the National Archives and will undergo preservation treatment, archive processing, and digitization to make the diaries accessible to the general public.

The National Archives will work with Cork County Council to provide the public with local access to digital copies of the diaries at Michael Collins House in Clonakilty.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Michael Collins House (@michaelcollinshouse)

Michael Collins was a significant figure during the War of Independence and played a large role in the fight for Irish Independence.

Michael Collins was the Director of Intelligence during the War of Independence. He orchestrated a Guerilla Warfare campaign from 1919-1921 and led a 12 man unit to counter British Intelligence forces.

Michael Collins helped to negotiate the Anglo-Irish treaty in December 1921.

He led the pro-treaty Free State Army during the Civil War, and he was shot at an ambush in Beal na mBlath on August 22, 1922.

Taoiseach Michael Martin extended his thanks to the Collins family for ensuring the long-term preservation of these diaries to the National Archives.

He said: "Michael Collins tells the story of one of the most turbulent periods in our history in these diaries through his political and personal life from 1918 to 1922. These diaries will reveal much new information that will be read in the national collection in the National Archives.

"This will allow the public, scholars, and researchers to learn much more about the events before and after the establishment of the State."

Minister Catherine Martin TD paid tribute to the Collins family for their generosity.

"These valuable diaries give us a special insight into a turbulent period in Irish history. They are important parts of the State's heritage in the context of the Decade of Remembrance, and commemorating a pivotal figure in the history of this country." she added.

Minster Martin said her role as Minister is to commemorate our history and ensure that we remember the period in an appropriate, sensible and sensitive way.

The Collins family said: "Our grandfather Johnny Collins (Michael Collins' older brother) gave these 5 work diaries to his son, our father, Liam Collins. We are delighted to make these important records available to the people of Ireland on behalf of our father through the National Archives. We as a family hope that these diaries will be displayed in Clonakilty. This would be very important for our father."
Images have been released today that show and endless amount of discarded clothes piling up across the Atacama desert in Chile.

The picture of the world's driest desert littered with the unwanted clothes depicts the direct result of mass consumerism in the fashion industry.

Chile is the richest country in South America, but just like any other country, fast fashion has become part of every day life.

The social impact fast fashion has, such as child labour in factories and human rights violations, is widely known and fast becoming unacceptable in the industry with big brands re-marketing their products to reflect they are doing their bit for the issue, but the effect on the environment is far less publicised, even though it is one of the world's top polluters.



According to a 2019 UN report, global clothing production doubled between 2000 and 2014, and the industry is "responsible for 20% of total water waste on a global level".

A huge heap of unworn clothing is piling up in Chile's Atacama desert.



An estimated 39,000 tons of clothes that can't be sold in the US or Europe end up in Chile every yearhttps://t.co/8BhopIYGhc  Prison_Health (@Prison_Health) November 8, 2021

A single pair of jeans requires 7,500 litres of water to make while researchers also state that clothing and footwear manufacturing accounts for eight to ten per cent of global carbon emissions and that an amount of textiles equivalent to a garbage truck is buried or burned every second.

The clothes, either synthetic or treated with chemicals, that aren't burnt, can take 200 years to biodegrade, polluting the environment by releasing toxins into the air and underground water channels.



Clothes that are made in China and Bangladesh make their way to Europe and the US, those that are not sold are brought to Chile's Iquique port to be sold to other Latin-American countries. However, not all are sold and approximately 39,000 tons end up dumped in the desert every year.










Community, Charity & Cause

By Chris Boyle Published: November 08 2021

Veterans, their families, friends and the public are welcome to attend the Gala Honor Flight Reunion on Saturday, December 4, 2021

American Airpower Museum will host an Honor Flight Long Island Reunion on December 4th, to celebrate Nine World War II era Veterans who took an early-morning flight to Washington, D.C. on October 3rd. The Veterans visited their WWII Memorial, along with Arlington National Cemetery for the Changing of the Guard, plus a special Wreath Laying Ceremony. They returned to Islip MacArthur Airport late that evening for a rousing welcome by the Long Island Bagpipe Band and their family members!

Veterans, their families, friends and the public are welcome to attend our Gala Honor Flight Reunion on Saturday, December 4, 2021, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at the American Airpower Museum, Hangar 3, Republic Airport, 1230 New Highway, Farmingdale, New York 11735, (631) 293-6398 info@americanairpowermuseum.org . Please join with us to honor these Greatest Generation Heroes during our Ceremony of Honors, as they receive their Tribute Journals full of photos taken during this historic day in the U.S. capital. Admission is free for Veterans and families participating in the program.

Adult admission$15, Seniors & Veterans $10, Children 5-12 $8. No tickets or preregistration is needed.

Our gallant Band of Brothers (and one Sister!) are: Dominick Critelli, 100, Army, Floral Park; Vincent DePalo, 98, Army Air Corps, Bethpage; Constantine Efthimiades, 96, Army, Whitestone; Robert Harms, 95, Navy, Carle Place; Louis Peretz, 100, Army Air Corps, Commack; Eleanor Rizutto, 100, Army, Franklin Square; Stephen Samsel, 94, Navy, Fairfield, CT; Vincent Tolve, 98, Army Air Corps, Mastic Beach; Eugene Zanger, 93, Army, Massapequa.

Our patriotic Reunion features keynote speeches by Honor Flight President Bill Jones and American Airpower Museum President and Founder Jeff Clyman. Public officials are expected to attend and present Citations to the Veterans. The Fort Salonga Community Band will play a patrioticmedley, also known as the Armed Forces Salute, featuring five official melodies of the United States Armed Forces: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. Free refreshments provided by Honor Flight.
(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies, issued on Monday and not separately reported by Alliance News:







Argentex Group PLC - London-based foreign exchange advisory and execution services provider - Pretax profit in six months to September 30 grows 24% to GBP4.2 million from GBP3.4 million year before. First half revenue rises 33% to GBP15.7 million from GBP11.8 million. Gross foreign exchange turnover up 67% year on year to GBP8.3 billion from GBP5.0 billion. Declares interim dividend of 0.75 pence versus zero year before. Chief Executive Harry Adams says: "We're delighted to be reporting a record set of first half results with strong revenue and profit growth driven by a continued surge in client trading activity and increasing demand for our services. As confidence returns in the aftermath of the pandemic, we're delivering across all of our key performance metrics, enabled by our robust model and tireless approach to risk management. Our investment in high-quality people and evolving technology is integral to our market-leading service as evidenced by our growing client base in all trading environments. We remain confident in our future and long-term strategy to deliver on our ambitious growth plans, and we are well placed to capitalise on the significant opportunities that lie ahead."







CyanConnode Holdings PLC - Cambridge, England-based wireless communication technology provider - Pretax loss in six months to September 30 narrows to GBP1.3 million from GBP1.7 million year before. Revenue surges to GBP4.1 million from GBP1.5 million. Cash received from customers jumps to GBP3.8 million from GBP1.6 million. Executive Chair John Cronin says: "I am pleased with the continued successful deployment of projects, which has resulted in a significant increase of revenue for the first half of the financial year ending March 31, 2022." Adds: "As with many companies, there have been challenges which impacted our business during the period. The year started with further Covid-19 lockdowns and ongoing component shortages, which resulted in higher costs and longer lead times. Nevertheless, we have been able to continue manufacturing and shipping our products to meet customer requirements on time."







DX Group PLC - Slough, England-based parcel freight, secure courier and logistics - Improves to pretax profit in 53 weeks to July 3 of GBP10.6 million versus GBP1.3 million loss in 52 weeks to June 27, 2020. Revenue grows 16% to GBP382.1 million from GBP329.3 million. Chief Executive Lloyd Dunn says: "Results are significantly ahead of our original expectations, and we have achieved a key milestone of full year statutory pre-tax profits, in line with our turnaround plans set in 2018. DX Freight fuelled this excellent performance while DX Express was significantly impacted by coronavirus restrictions, which affected our Legal and High-street activities in particular, although the division's Parcels operations grew significantly." Remains "confident" despite driver shortages and global supply chain disruptions.







Cake Box Holdings PLC - Wembley, London-based fresh cream and egg-free cake retailer - Pretax profit in six months to September 30 more than doubles to GBP3.7 million from GBP1.7 million year before. Revenue in first half doubles to GBP16.5 million from GBP8.6 million. Notes in four months to end of September, after store reopening, increased 50% year on year to GBP11.2 million. Ends first half with 174 franchise stores, up from 139 at same point year before. Declares interim dividend of 2.50 pence, up from 1.85p year before. Chief Executive Sukh Chamdal says: "I'm delighted to report another strong performance over the last six months, demonstrating the continued appeal of Cake Box's unique offering. Our fantastic franchisees, supported by their dedicated team members, have helped us deliver record first half store openings, revenues, profits and dividends, while making further significant strategic progress that gives us momentum into the second half." Says current trading remains strong with franchisee like for like sales at 14% in October and online sales up 47%.







Angling Direct PLC - Norwich, Norfolk-based fishing tackle and equipment retailer - Currently managing a cyber security incident after detecting unauthorised activity on its network late on Friday. "This unauthorised activity shut down the company's websites and these remain inactive," company says. Adds: "Some of the company's social media accounts have also been compromised. The board has appointed external cyber security specialists whose investigations are underway to establish what happened. Work continues round the clock to bring the websites back online while our 39 retail stores across the UK have remained open and continue to trade." Notifies relevant regulators and law enforcement agencies, including the Information Commissioner's Office in the UK. Does not expect "detrimental impact" on underlying trading.







Inland Homes PLC - Beaconsfield, England-based housebuilder - Sells final phase of its Carters Quay development in Poole to Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Council. The last phase of the development will provide 161 new homes and 8,000 square feet of commercial space, company notes. Receives a deposit, together with an advanced payment of GBP8.3 million. The contract is for a total consideration of GBP43.5 million over the next 36 months or so, with monthly stage payments being made to company as the project progresses. Inland Partnerships will construct the new homes on BCP's behalf and transfer the land and buildings and recognise the income from this phase when the project is complete, which should be by end of 2024.







Yu Group PLC - supplier of gas, electricity and water to the UK business market - Says it has been selected by UK's Ofgem as supplier of last resort for collapsed energy business Ampoweruk. Company says: "Ampower supplied 8,158 predominantly electricity business sites, increasing the group's meter portfolio by 38%. Group revenues are forecasted to immediately increase by over GBP7.5 million per month. Earnings will be enhanced immediately." Confident in its ability to retain a significant proportion of the Ampower business customer book, leading to "substantial increase" in forward contracted revenue.







Ascent Resources PLC - onshore Caribbean, Hispanic American and European focused energy and natural resources company - Signs binding damages-based agreement with specialist arbitration and litigation legal firm Enyo Law LLP to pursue proceedings against Slovenia. "The firm - which will also be advancing the disbursements which are expected to be incurred in the pursuit of the claim - will only be paid out of the proceeds of the arbitration in the event of a successful damages award or execution of a binding settlement agreement," company says. Executive Chair James Parsons adds: "This agreement represents an important milestone for Ascent and its shareholders as it seeks to pursue its claim against Slovenia. Ascent has secured for itself a non-equity dilutive and, subject to completion, a fully funded non-recourse position through this damages-based arrangement which gives its shareholders no financial risk and potentially highly material reward."







Kodal Minerals PLC- southern Mali and Ivory Coast-focused miner - Says it has been granted a mining licence for its flagship Bougouni lithium project in Mali. The project is now fully permitted for development with the previous approval of the Environmental & Social Impact Assessment in November 2019 it adds. Chief Executive Bernard Aylward says: "The granting of the mining licence for Bougouni has come at a great time for Kodal with the increasing global focus on battery metals and the recognition of potential supply deficits highlighting the value of our fully permitted Bougouni lithium project."







Galileo Resources PLC - miner with projects in Botswana, Zambia and South Africa - Completes 5,000 metres from results for its Kalahari Copper Belt project in Botswana. Says drilling at two of the licenses that Galileo did not sell to Sandfire Resources Ltd did not intersect copper mineralisation. One of the holes returned disseminated pyrite which might represent a system lateral to a copper occurrence. Drilling on the Sandfire agreement licences intersected visible copper mineralisation at 242.7 metres in core hole BDDD004 on PL366/2018 in the form of vein-hosted chalcopyrite.







Zenith Energy Ltd - Calgary, Canada-based oil & gas company - Says Torrente Cigno concession in Italy sees new record in terms of profitability. Produces total of about 920 megawatt hours. "Electricity prices during the month of October 2021 averaged approximately EUR214 per MWh, resulting in net revenues of approximately EUR181,500 per month. The current net production costs remain fixed at approximately EUR35,000 per month," company says. Chief Financial Officer Luca Benedetto adds: "We continue to be extremely pleased with the increasing revenue generation and associated profitability of our Italian operations, which have now acquired material significance."







By Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - PYX Resources Ltd on Monday said it will list on London's Main Market next week, though retain a primary listing in Sydney.

PYX, a zircon producer, said it will have a GBP358.4 million market value on admission. Conditional dealings in London are to begin on November 15.

"The company's strategy is to become a major and sustainable global producer of premium zircon by acquiring and developing undervalued, world-class mineral assets with significant resources, long mine life and the highest zircon assemblage globally," PYX said.

It is currently listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. It will keep a primary listing there and have a secondary listing in London.

PYX currently operates the Mandiri project in Indonesia.

The company noted demand for zircon has surged, thanks to its application in 3D printing, batteries and semiconductors.

By Eric Cunha; ericcunha@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Jefferson, GA (30549)

Today

Cloudy. High near 60F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Showers this evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. Low 49F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
Four personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed and three others were injured on Monday after one of their colleagues opened fire at them at a camp of the paramilitary force in Chhattisgarhs Sukma district.

The incident occurred at around 3:30 am in the camp of CRPF's 50th battalion in Lingampalli village of the district, located around 400 km away from capital Raipur, news agency PTI reported quoting Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P.
The Kerala Assembly on Monday witnessed noisy scenes over the controversial order granting permission to Tamil Nadu for felling 15 trees downstream of the Baby Dam at Mullaperiyar reservoir.

The opposition United demanded a judicial probe into the issue, and later staged a walkout.

Raising the matter during the zero hour, Congress legislator and former Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan sought a notice for an adjournment motion and wanted the House to discuss it after halting other proceedings.

The Kerala government on Sunday froze the order by the Forest Department, granting permission to Tamil Nadu for felling 15 trees downstream of Baby Dam at Mullaperiyar reservoir and decided to take action against the officials who had issued it, a day after the TN Chief Minister M K Stalin thanked his counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan for the decision.
MANISTEE  Some samples of Manistees city drinking water showed several homes had nearly double the actionable level of lead in their tap water.

This is according to a public advisory news release from Manistees city manager on Monday afternoon.

The news release noted that the city conducts periodic testing for lead and copper of tap water in homes.

In a sampling of 20 homes in the city, it found three that exceeded the 15 parts per billion action level that was established by the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act.

The city managers office said the samples had been taken in late September.

William Gambill, Manistee city manager, said those results were then sent to a laboratory.

And then the lab sent us a letter to our water department on Sept. 28. We were aware of three higher test results and then the water department talked with home owners about how they went about the tests, Gambill said.

Then last week, he said the State of Michigan contacted the city.

The Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) evaluates compliance with the action level based on the 90th percentile of lead and copper results collected in each round of sampling, reads part of the news release. The lead 90th percentile for the city of Manistees water supply was 28 ppb, which exceeds the action level of 15 ppb.

The 90th percentile means that if there is one out of 10 tests that exceeds action levels it triggers actions such as public notice, more frequent testing than usual and other steps.

This week, the city was given several days to notify water users of the action level exceedance, Gambill said.



According to the news release, the action level threshold triggers additional actions including, but not limited to, increased investigative sampling of water quality and educational outreach to customers in accordance with the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act.

The goal for lead in drinking water is 0 ppb; there is no safe level of lead in the blood,reads the release in part.

However, the news release states that the citys exceedance is not a violation of the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act.

This public advisory is the first step to raise awareness and ultimately improve water quality for our customers, Gambill said in the news release. "It is important that customers are informed about the potential sources of lead in their drinking water so that appropriate actions can be taken to eliminate it.

City of Manistee water customers who would like their service line inspected should contact the City of Manistee Department of Public Works at 231-723-7132. The DPW can provide a list of certified laboratories for anyone who would like to have their water tested for lead.

The city is also planning to create a webpage with more information on the topic and local resources.

Manistees neighboring Benzie County also saw a recent example of elevated lead levels in drinking water when a routine test of tap water in the Village of Beulah showed high enough lead levels in one sample to trigger additional testing and an educational outreach program on the dangers of lead in drinking water.

A notice was recently posted on the village website, as well as the home page of the Benzie Leelanau District Health Department advising Beulah residents of the findings.

We recently collected samples from seven homes, the notice reads. The Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy evaluates compliance with the Action Level based on the 90th percentile of lead and copper results collected in each round of sampling. The lead 90th percentile for the citys water supply is 30 parts per billion (ppb), which exceeds the Action Level of 15 ppb.

State Rep. Jack O'Malley, of Lake Ann, stated in a news release Monday afternoon that Everyone should have access to clean drinking water in Michigan."

"A plan for the current budget year previously approved by the Legislature and signed by the governor puts millions of dollars toward infrastructure and drinking water emergency response, OMalley said in the release. Benton Harbor is clearly not alone. There have been many similar situations across the state and in northern Michigan. I remain committed to gathering the facts and developing solutions, so we can improve our infrastructure and ensure residents and their families are safe.

Sen. Curt VanderWall, of Ludington, also expressed concern in a news release Monday afternoon.

Lead in water is a serious public health concern; there is no acceptable level of lead in drinking water. I strongly encourage those who are connected to the city of Manistees water supply to exercise caution, get their water tested and consider installing lead-reducing water filters," he said in the release.

WAYS TO REDUCE EXPOSURE

The City of Manistee shared some ways residents can reduce exposure to lead since it can cause serious health problems if too much enters the body from drinking water and other sources.

 Run water to flush out lead-containing water.

 If the home does not have a lead service line, run the water for 30 seconds to two minutes, or until it becomes cold or reaches a steady temperature.

 If the home does have a lead service line, run the water for at least five minutes to flush water from the home or buildings plumbing and the lead service line.

 Consider using a filter to reduce lead in drinking water. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends that any household with a child or pregnant woman use cold water and a certified lead filter to remove lead from their drinking water, especially when preparing baby formula.

 Look for filters that are tested and certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 for lead reduction.

 For filters to work properly, follow the manufacturers instructions.

 If the household has a child or pregnant woman and are not able to afford the cost of a lead filter, contact the local health department.

 Do not use hot water for drinking, preparing food, or cooking or preparing baby formula.

 Do not boil water as boiling will not reduce the amount of lead in water. Clean the faucet aerator to remove trapped debris.

 Check whether your home has a lead service line.

The city plans to send out a comprehensive public education document about lead in drinking water. Also, for the next calendar year, the city will be collecting 40 samples (increasing from 20), every six months and reviewing the results to determine if corrective actions are necessary to reduce corrosion in household plumbing.

The release stated that the city is working collaboratively with District Health Department #10 and the State of Michigan to make free water filters available for qualifying households. To qualify, one must be:

 Connected to the City of Manistee water supply.

 Have a pregnant woman and/or child(ren) under the age of 18 living or spending considerable time in the home.

 Be on WIC, Medicaid, or be willing to say that you cannot afford the cost of a water filter.

Filter distribution will begin on Friday at the City of Manistee Department of Public Works, located at 280 Washington St. On and after that date, qualified individuals can pick up filters between 8 a.m.and 3 p.m. from Monday through Friday.



Anyone operating a food establishment such as a store, restaurant, bar or food manufacturing establishment is encouraged to visit michigan.gov/mdardleadinfo for specific information for food firms.

The city of Manistee has regularly tested for lead and copper since 1994.

In 2019, the city began actively searching for lead service lines in the system through the drinking water pilot program. When lead services are found, they are immediately replaced. The city has recently been awarded a Drinking Water Asset Management grant from EGLE which will also help identify areas in need of upgrades. This grant will fund water system inventory (GIS), GPS asset survey for future work, distribution system material inventory and investigation, condition assessment and rate sufficiency analysis.

Lead can enter drinking water though a variety of avenues such as when in contact with pipes, solder, home/building interior plumbing, fittings and fixtures that contain lead.

Homes with lead service lines have an increased risk of having high lead levels in drinking water, the release states. The more time water has been sitting in your homes pipes, the more lead it may contain. Therefore, if your water has not been used for several hours, run the water before using it for drinking or cooking. This flushes lead-containing water from the pipes. Additional flushing may be required for homes that have been vacant or have a longer service line.

More information can be found online at michigan.gov/MILeadSafe or michigan.gov/EGLELeadPublicAdvisory. Additional information regarding lead can be found at the City of Manistees website manisteemi.gov.


GLASGOW, Scotland (AP)  In the fight to curb climate change, several major coal-using nations announced steps Thursday to wean themselves  at times slowly  off of the heavily polluting fossil fuel.

The pledges to phase out coal come on top of other promises made at the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, that the head of an international energy organization said trimmed several tenths of a degree from projections of future warming. But outside experts called that optimistic.

Optimism also abounded in relation to the promises on coal, which has the dirtiest carbon footprint of the major fuels and is a significant source of planet-warming emissions.

"Today, I think we can say that the end of coal is in sight," said Alok Sharma, who is chairing the conference of nearly 200 nations, known as COP26.

Critics say that vision is still obscured by a lot of smoke because several major economies still have yet to set a date for ending their dependence on the fuel, including the United States, China, India and Japan  which was targeted outside the summit venue Thursday by protesters clad as animated characters.

What nations have promised varies. Some have pledged to quit coal completely at a future date, while others say they'll stop building new plants, and even more, including China, are talking about just stopping the financing of new coal plants abroad.

The British government said pledges of new or earlier deadlines for ending coal use came from more than 20 countries including Ukraine, Vietnam, South Korea, Indonesia and Chile.

Some came with notable caveats, such as Indonesia's request for additional aid before committing to bring its deadline forward to the 2040s.

Meanwhile, Poland, the second-biggest user of coal in Europe after Germany, appeared to backtrack on any ambitious new commitments within hours of the announcement.

Energy security and the assurances of jobs is a priority for us," Anna Moskwa, Poland's minister for climate and environment, said in a tweet, citing the government's existing plan which provides for a departure from hard coal by 2049." Earlier in the day, it had seemed that Poland might bring that deadline forward by at least a decade.

Campaigners reacted angrily to the apparent U-turn.

Moskwa has underscored that her government cannot be trusted to sign a postcard, let alone a responsible climate pledge, said Kathrin Gutmann, campaign director of the group Europe Beyond Coal.

Separately, more than two dozen countries, cities and companies joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance, whose members commit to ending coal use by 2030, for developed countries, and no later than 2050 for developing ones. Banks that are members pledge not to provide loans for the worst types of coal-fired power plants.

Meanwhile, the United States, Canada, Denmark and several other nations signed a different pledge to prioritize funding clean energy over fossil fuel projects abroad.

While not completely ruling out financial support for coal-fired power plants, the countries said they would refrain from any new direct public support" for coal except in limited circumstances.

That move was seen as a significant step by environmental campaigners, who said that it could push international lenders to stop providing loans for new fossil fuel projects.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss officials thinking, said that while the U.S. hadnt opted to join the coal phase-out pledges, its commitment to a clean energy future was clear. The Biden administration wants to reach 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035.

Underlining the urgent need for action on coal, a new analysis by scientists at Global Carbon Project found emissions from the fuel increased dramatically in 2021, not just from pandemic-struck 2020 levels, but even when compared to pre-pandemic 2019 levels. The world spewed 14.7 billion metric tons (16.2 billion tons) of carbon dioxide from coal burning, 5.7% more than last year, said the group, which tracks annual carbon pollution.

That was mostly spurred by a dramatic increase in China, which hit a new peak of coal emissions this year of 7.6 billion metric tons (8.4 billion tons) of carbon dioxide, more than half the globe's coal emissions, the report said.

Still, experts said the announcement and others made so far at the summit showed the growing momentum to ditch coal.

Todays commitments will help to shift whole continents on their journey to phase out coal," said Dave Jones of the energy think tank Ember.

Ukraine, the third-biggest coal consumer in Europe, is bringing forward its coal deadline, from 2050 to 2035.

Coal production in Ukraine has already dropped significantly over the past few years: From 40.9 million metric tons in 2016 to 28.8 million in 2020 (45 million tons to 32 million), according to the Energy Ministry.

The figures do not include production in the coal fields of separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine, which accounted for about half of Ukraines mines prior to the 2014 uprising.

The progress on coal being shown at COP26 demonstrates that the conditions are ripe for a global coal exit, said Leo Roberts, a senior researcher at the environmental think tank E3G.

We now need to see the incoming massive scale-up in clean energy finance made available quickly to ensure all countries can confidently move from coal to clean, he added.

But some environmental activists said the commitments didn't go far enough.

Emissions from oil and gas already far outstrip coal and are booming, while coal is already entering a terminal decline, said Murray Worthy of the campaign group Global Witness. "This is a small step forwards when what was needed was a giant leap.

The agreements on coal are not part of the formal negotiations at the U.N. talks in Glasgow. But British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose country is hosting the conference, had said he wanted to see deals on coal, cars, trees and cash.

Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, said Thursday that a new analysis by the Paris-based body shows that fully achieving all the emissions-reduction pledges made on previous days  including for the potent greenhouse gas methane  could allow the world to limit warning to 1.8 degrees Celsius (3.2 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.

The goal that countries set at a previous conference in Paris is to limit temperature increases to 1.5C (2.7F). A United Nations analysis showed that before Glasgow the world was heading to a 2.7C (4.9F) increase while other analyses showed warming in the mid- to upper-2-degree range also.

Niklas Hohne, of the New Climate Institute and Climate Action Tracker, called Birol's figure optimistic and noted it was based on countries achieving pledges to only emit what can be absorbed  so called net-zero plans  when they haven't yet implemented any actions that would get them there.

___

Associated Press writers Sylvia Hui in London and Ellen Knickmeyer in Glasgow, Scotland, contributed.

___

Follow AP's coverage of the climate conference at http://apnews.com/hub/climate.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  South Carolina voters should have an idea by the end of this week what both their state Senate and House districts will look like when they go to the polls next year.

The House committee handling redistricting plans to meet Wednesday and will likely release its map for its redrawn 124 districts based on population growth and changes in the 2020 U.S. Census.
Angie Lancaster runs her hands through the endless clay selection at Ben Franklin's Crafts. Finally picking out the clay she wants, she rushes back home, eager to start a new project. As she is molding the clay, she visualizes a bright green incense holder with red mushrooms to accent the green.
Low and medium-income families across the United States are being offered a financial boost through various forms of stimulus checks to contend with the economic turmoil brought upon by COVID-19 and, in various states, the prolonged measures imposed on the back of it.

Federal stimulus checks have been distributed at various points of the crisis, and states are also individually providing various economic offerings which provide welcome relief to families up and down the nation.

Below, we have outlined states where stimulus checks are either being prepared or debated, or where money is already being given out to residents. We'll also explain how to qualify for these fourth stimulus checks.

With November having arrived, this means some changes are coming in, so we'll outline the stimulus checks situation for November 2021.

Stimulus Checks status

Various states are already in the process of sending out checks to ease some of the financial pain brought upon by COVID-19 and the subsequent lasting measures. In addition, every new month can bring fresh updates, so here comes a look at the stimulus check situation in every state for November 2021.

Below, we take a detailed look at the various states and what they are currently proposing in terms of stimulus check support to citizens.

Alabama Stimulus Checks

It looks as though Alabama residents will not receive further COVID-19 relief checks, at least not directly.Alabama's high unemployment rate has led the state government to opt against new stimulus check payments. The latest news out of the state with regard to the COVID-19 relief funds is that Gov. Kay Ivey has signed into law numerous bills that would pave the way for the state to start the construction of new prisons using federal aid money

Want to know more? Find out the latest news about the Alabama Stimulus

Alaska Stimulus Checks

Alaska residents might be in line to receive financial aid through the Federal State Extended Benefit program, which could bring another 13 to 20 weeks of checks. This, though, is only possible for certain residents and it depends on how much of this pot of money has already been claimed. Furthermore, Alaskans are waiting for updates regarding what will happen with the annual oil wealth checks.

Arizona Stimulus Checks

There is little sign of Arizona offering a new form of financial aid amid COVID-19, with Governor Doug Ducey set to use federal money to encourage people to find employment rather than paying people not to work. The state's Back to Work Program is offering a one-off 1,000 dollar payment for unemployed persons who accept part-time work and 2,000 dollars to anyone unemployed person who takes on a full-time post.

Arkansas Stimulus Checks

Talk of a fourth stimulus check in Arkansas will have to wait, as the state government is currently involved in a legal battle with its own residents over the end of the federal unemployment benefits that were worth 300 dollars per week. Until that battle is resolved, a fourth check is unlikely.

Want to know more? Find out the latest news about the Arkansas Stimulus

California Stimulus Checks - Golden State Stimulus II

As things stand, California is the only state that have sent a stimulus check from their own money in the form of the Golden State Stimulus, as the state has a budget surplus due to their tax system. Residents earning 30,000-75,000 dollars a year are entitled to 500 or 600 dollars, as well as 500 dollars to be paid to households with dependent children.

Beginning on September 17, these Golden State Stimulus payments have begun to be sent out to eligible citizens across California, however if you are expecting to receive the check via mail, these will be sent from October 5. An important thing to remember with California is that by midnight on Friday, October 15, you must have filed your 2020 tax return in order to gain access to the Golden State Stimulus payments.

Want to know more? Find out the latest news about the California Stimulus

Colorado Stimulus Checks

People who received at least one unemployment payment between March 15, 2020, and October 24, 2020, will receive 375 dollars. However, those on higher incomes who qualified for more than 500 per week in employment benefits will not be eligible.

Connecticut Stimulus Checks

Connecticut's "Back to Work" plan involved the provision of a 1,000 dollar check to eligible applicants who get back into the workforce after eight weeks off of unemployment, as announced by Governor Ned Lamont in September 2021.

Delaware Stimulus Checks

Delawareans who do not typically file federal income tax returns are being urged to keep an eye out in their mailboxes for a letter from the IRS notifying them that they may qualify for a federal Economic Impact Payment (EIP).

"According to the IRS, letters are going to 32,875 Delawareans who don't have to file a return. Though the federal government has already sent payments to almost 500,000 people in Delaware, I want to make sure everyone gets a payment who is entitled to," State Treasurer Colleen Davis said.

Florida Stimulus Checks

Most teachers and administrators were allocated a 1,000 dollar payment, though things are still in development. Curiously, if you are a police officer who is now unable to work in another state due to the COVID-19 vaccine mandates, Florida's governor will offer these unvaccinated officers 5,000 dollars to move to his state.

Georgia Stimulus Checks

Georgia's plan is generous, and full-time teachers and administrators will pocket 1,000 dollars, while part-time teachers will take 500 dollars. Pre-K educators will also likely have payments to claim.

Hawaii Stimulus Checks

In Hawaii, lawmakers sought to offer 2,200 dollars to teachers, yet it was vetoed by Governor David Ige, as he said that lawmakers didn't have the authority to instruct the Department of Education on how to utilise federal money.

Idaho Stimulus Checks

According to Boise State Public Radio, some Idaho residents are expected to receive a one-time tax rebate in the coming months. This financial rebate will be sent to full-time residents who sent in their income tax returns in 2019 and 2020, and will receive either a minimum of 50, in addition to a further 50 for each dependent, or nine percent of the state income tax that they paid in 2019, depending on which is the greater sum.

Illinois Stimulus Checks

Illinoisans have been entitled for stimulus checks from the government like any other state but with such payments ceasing from the federal level, it appears as that there are no plans for for an all-encompassing stimulus check to be issued, which means that citizens in cities like Chicago will miss out.

People from Illinois, however, can still apply for a Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit should they be eligible.

Indiana Stimulus Checks

Indiana governor Eric Holcomb ended unemployment benefits early, doing so on June 19. That was well ahead of the September 6 end date that was written in the American Rescue Plan. Jobseekers in Indiana took action against the state and a legal battle broke out. After much toing and froing, the end result is that Indiana will keep paying federal unemployment benefits to those eligible.

Iowa Stimulus Checks

While there is not a clear stimulus check on the way, current and prospective college students are able to make an application for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) ahead of the 2021-22 school year. This could save families as much as 30,000 dollars.

Kansas Stimulus Checks

According to Internal Revenue Service records, the state of Kansas either refused, paid back or failed to cash over 17 million dollars in stimulus checks (12,921 checks). There is currently no new information on whether Kansas will be offering further stimulus checks.

Kentucky Stimulus Checks

Local reports suggest that new stimulus payments could be distributed in Kentucky due to a drastic rise in jobless claims, although nothing concrete has yet been announced.

Want to know more? Find out the latest news about the Kentucky Stimulus

Louisiana Stimulus Checks

Unemployment has shot up in Louisiana, in large part due to the recent Hurricane Ida, and calls for additional assistance in this regard is mounting, yet no official word has been given in terms of amounts or payment dates.

Maine Stimulus Checks

Maine does not appear to be planning another round of stimulus payments before the year's end.

Maryland Stimulus Checks

All state and local taxes on unemployment benefits have been repealed, and stimulus payments of 500 dollars for families and 300 dollars for individuals who filed for the Earned Income Tax Credit were also passed in the legislation.

Some 700m dollars have been set aside for farmworkers and meat packers and around 20 million of that will go to grocery store workers, with the funds provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.

Massachussetts Stimulus Checks

It seems that Massachussetts does not have another stimulus payment coming, with much of the coronavirus relief money in recent months having gone towards areas such as housing.

Michigan Stimulus Checks

In a bid to boost the locals' economic situation in Michigan, the state has started to send 500 dollar hazard pay bonuses to their teachers.

Minnesota Stimulus Checks

Some 116,000 Minnesotans are being called to register for their COVID-19 stimulus check for up to 1,200 dollars.

Mississippi Stimulus Checks

Mississippi was one of the first states where the unemployment benefits stimulus payments ended early and there are currently no plans for more stimulus checks to be paid out, which is a contrast to many states across the USA. This is one of the states where a fresh round of payments looks unlikely. Yet, there are increasing calls for more money to be distrubted to citizens in Mississippi.

Want to know more? Find out the latest news about the Mississippi Stimulus

Missouri Stimulus Checks

Missouri families in the low-income category who are unemployed as a result of COVID-19 are now entitled to a temporary Child Care Subsidy benefit for up to 60 days while they look for work. This benefit is available through May 31, 2021.

Montana Stimulus Checks

Funding from Montana's share of the March federal coronavirus relief bill will go towards a variety of local infrastructure projects, including 86 water and sewer projects around the state.

Nebraska Stimulus Checks

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) has allocated 1,099,058 dollars to the state of Nebraska, although there has been no update in the last month on whether any new financial assistance will be given to residents in need.

Nevada Stimulus Checks

The Child Tax Credit sees between 3,000 and 3,600 dollars per child handed to almost all working families in Nevada. Half of the credit is going out in monthly payments, which has started going out since July and will continue until December 2021, while the remaining half will be given through 2021 tax refunds. The state of Nevada is doing very well in terms of its response from the COVID-19 pandemic, with the gaming industry in the state bringing in around a billion dollars a month, although they recognise that once stimulus checks are a thing of the past this may decrease.

New Hampshire Stimulus Checks

An American family of three with no income in New Hampshire receives a grant worth 1,086 dollars per month.

New Jersey Stimulus Checks

A fourth stimulus check is not expected in New Jersey, but residents could be entitled for 500 dollar tax rebates.

New Mexico Stimulus Checks

The state of New Mexico has set aside five million dollars for its citizens to cope with the economic pain caused by COVID-19. This will be a one-time payment which will prioritise households with the lowest incomes before a limited number of applicants are accepted based on funding availability.

New York Stimulus Checks

In New York, there is a 2.1 billion dollar fund for undocumented workers who were unable to claim financial aid via the federal stimulus. In order to qualify, you will need to be a resident of the state and have made less than 26,208 dollars in 2020.

Furthermore, the New York City Artist Corps will be supporting local artists in the form of a one-off payment set to be distributed in the month of October.

North Carolina Stimulus Checks

There is currently no information out of North Carolina regarding stimulus payments and other forms of financial aid.

North Dakota Stimulus Checks

In August 2021, the US Department of Education gave the green light to North Dakota to use its American Rescue Plan funds to support K-12 schools and students, with 101m dollars allocated to the state in this area.

Ohio Stimulus Checks

In September, the state of Ohio announced that 46m dollars would be allocated to support students in need, with grants of 250 dollars to 3,000 dollars handed out depending on each individual's need.

Oklahoma Stimulus Checks

The Oklahoma State Department of Education will allocate 13 million dollars of its COVID-19 relief money to pay student teachers.

Oregon Stimulus Checks

There have been no new updates since August on COVID-19 related relief funds for Oregon residents.

Pennsylvania Stimulus Checks

Pennsylvania is not among the states to have given extra stimulus payments or relief money to its residents.

Rhode Island Stimulus Checks

Workers in Rhode Island are hoping that Congress can deliver legislation that would provide a fourth stimulus check of 1,400 to Social Security recipients, yet despite online campaigns, it has not yet been seen.

South Carolina Stimulus Checks

South Carolina is among the slowest states in terms of COVID recovery, yet no additional relief has been announced.

South Dakota Stimulus Checks

South Dakota was the only state that chose not to receive the federally funded 300 dollar weekly unemployment benefit, in the form of the Lost Wages Assistance, which was issued for up to six weeks starting in August.

Tennessee Stimulus Checks

Checks of 1,000 dollars will be sent to teachers, labelled as hazard pay bonuses, and part-time teachers will get 500 dollars.

Texas Stimulus Checks

Nothing state-wide has been confirmed, but Fort Worth and Arlington will increase the pay of district employees by four percent. Denton and Mansfile will increase pay by two percent, while Denton employees will also be given a bonus of 500 dollars.

In Irving, a 2,000 dollar payment will be given to staff who return to classrooms in September.

Utah Stimulus Checks

In July, it was announced that Utah households received the most valuable stimulus checks in the third round of payments, with the average check worth 2,784 dollars.

Vermont Stimulus Checks

Vermont is trying to incentivise people to move to its state by offering to reimburse up to 7,500 dollars in moving expenses when relocating for a job in a selection of industries. And in February 2022, this will also apply to remote workers.

Virginia Stimulus Checks

In West Virginia, around 7,700 stimulus checks remain unclaimed and residents could receive additional payments if the state is holding onto any of that money from either stimulus checks or child tax credit money, according the US Sun. Meanwhile, the town of Boyce in Virginia is planning to provide a stimulus check for its residents by using the ARPA funds.

Washington Stimulus Checks

Despite calls for a fourth round of checks in Washington, the state has cooled talks of such a possibility.

West Virginia Stimulus Checks

In West Virginia, there are more than 7,700 unclaimed stimulus checks, Child Tax Credit and others.

The question, of course, is whether any of those stimulus checks can be recovered.

"If you haven't you need to file one, or you can go to IRS.GOV, 'Where's my Stimulus Check?', and look on there and enter your information and that may be able to help you, but filing a tax return will help and if you don't have any taxable income you can still file a tax return electronically, and that's the best way to get one soon," said John Empson, a Certified Public Accountant.

Want to know more? Find out the latest news about the West Virginia Stimulus

Wisconsin Stimulus Checks

In Wisconsin, the expanded federal child tax credit will supplement families of more than 1.15 million children which will receive the money, and it is estimated that some 46,000 families will rise above the federal poverty line as a result.

Wyoming Stimulus Checks

Wyoming discontinued its additional relief in the summer of 2021.
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
Meadville, PA (16335)

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Rain. Temps nearly steady in the upper 30s. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

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Bollywood celebrities, thanks to the kind of life they lead - always in the public eye, are by this time well-trained on how to proceed and conduct themselves with utmost grace and dignity.

Whether it is another celebrity taking a dig at them or a journalist making them uncomfortable with his probing questions, Bollywood actors and actresses have managed to grow a thick skin and control their temper, over time of course.

 Twitter

But considering theyre only humans, there have been times when even the most civilised and poised celebrities have lost their calm on fans who tried to invade their space and overstepped their boundaries.



Heres a look at a few celebrities who lost their temper with their fans:

1) Salman Khan

At a recent promotional event for the actors upcoming film - Antim, Salman was peacefully posing for pictures when a fan kept trying to get a picture clicked with him.

Obliging the request, Salman Khan agreed to pose with him for the paparazzi that were already clicking their pictures, however, the fan insisted on a selfie and kept trying to shove himself in Salmans private space.

It is then when the actor was irked and was heard saying, Naachna band kar (stop dancing around), which is when the fan finally stopped.

2) Priyanka Chopra

 Twitter

Global sensation Priyanka Chopra who enjoys one of the biggest fan following both online and offline, has too, had her own run-ins with fans who have overstepped their boundaries with her.



Once while she was promoting her film Jai Gangaajal the actress revealed how she quite literally slapped a fan after he held her from both her arms, insisting on getting pictures clicked, right after she stepped out from her RV.

PeeCee shared just how scared and startled she got with someone physically touching her without her permission, and so she ended up slapping him.

3) John Abraham

 Twitter

The Dhoom star who is famous amongst his female fan base, got a shocking reaction from a woman while he was out inaugurating a jewellery showroom in Mangalore.



As the star was greeted with tons of women going crazy after just seeing him in person, one female fan, in particular, was so overwhelmed, that she bit his hand just to make sure that he was in fact real and standing in front of her.

Taken aback by being bitten, John instantly reacted with a slap on the fans face.

4) Ranveer Singh

 Twitter

An otherwise jolly and kind-hearted actor, Ranveer Singh is known for being courteous and compliant when it comes to taking pictures with fans and greeting them nicely.



However, one of these times as fans started to mob the Padmavat actor, Ranveer Singh was seen pushing fans away who were barging in to click selfies, without requesting permission or giving him enough space.

5) Jaya Bachchan

 Twitter

The famous and veteran actress who has appeared in movies like Sholay and Kal Ho Naa Ho, Jaya Bachchan often finds herself losing her calm as fans keep clicking unauthorised pictures of her in public.



She is often seen reprimanding fans and paparazzi for waltzing in and clicking pictures without seeking her approval.

6) Shah Rukh Khan

 Twitter

The king of Bollywood, who is also known for having the biggest heart, is very good with fans except for a few times when he felt attacked and ended up pushing back a fan or two.



While the actor was shooting in Amsterdam for a movie, he was approached by a fan who reportedly got too close to SRK for his own safety and was ultimately pushed away by the actor himself, who got really pissed at the fans audacity.

Basically, being a fan does not give one a right to get all up in the personal space of a star. Everyone deserves privacy and respect, including celebrities.
When you are a celebrity where you are pretty much under the spotlight all the time, no matter how hard you try, privacy is a luxury you cannot always afford.



Actor Akshay Kumar, who is currently riding high on the success of his latest film Sooryavanshi, has been at the centre of quite a few scandalous controversies himself in the past.

Heres a look at some of the major controversies that dragged his name into the public eye:

1. The Runway Fiasco

In March 2009, Akshay was on the runway for a denim brand and as a publicity stunt for the new range of denims, he casually walked up to his wife in the front row who then unzipped his pants for him.

This caused a big hue and cry and the couple was booked for obscenity.

2. Citizenship Controversy

We all know how the actor has always been trolled for being a Canadian before an Indian but back in 2019, when he didnt apparently cast a vote during the Lok Sabha elections, people criticised him for being a Canadian passport holder and making movies on topics aligned to national importance.

I really dont understand the unwarranted interest and negativity about my citizenship. I have never hidden or denied that I hold a Candian passport, he tweeted back then.

3. Good Newwz Controversy

Last year, when Akshays movie Good Newwz was released, a dialogue from the movie caused a major uproar on social media.

In the trailer, a man says, "Mere Bache Ka Naam Hola Ram Hai Kyunki Wo Holi Pe Paida Hua Tha," to which Kumar replied as, "Acha Hua Aapka Bacha Lohri Pe Paida Nahi Hua."

This didnt go very well with the audience and he was deemed 'irresponsible' and accused of supporting sacrilegious sentiments.

Now akshay kumar directly abusing our Lord ram for cheap humour.



Shame @akshaykumar pic.twitter.com/TXXfgRAZzn  Amit Kumar (@AMIT_GUJJU) December 21, 2019

4. Rustom Controversy

When Akshay Kumar announced the auctioning of his naval officer uniform from Rustom to support the cause of animal welfare, people on social media called him out for tagging movie costumes as a designated uniform.

The actor later explained his intention behind this and argued it was for a good cause.

Hi all  I'm thrilled to announce that you can bid to win the actual naval officer uniform I wore in Rustom! Auction's proceeds will support the cause of animal rescue and welfare. Place your bid at https://t.co/6Qr0LRnTFm! pic.twitter.com/FF23tlogs1  Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) April 26, 2018

5. Mallika Dua Controversy

The actor was called out by Malika Dua for 'inappropriate behaviour' on a comedy show after he said aap bell bajao, main aapko bajata huun.

The actor was also called out on social media by her father, journalist Vinod Dua.

In addition to this, the actors latest movie Sooryavanshi was banned in Hoshiarpur after farmers protested its viewing owing to the fact that hes been quiet and unsupportive during the ongoing farmers protest.
Weve seen him essay the role of a small-town boy, a sperm donor, a man suffering from erectile dysfunction and even a proud homosexual.

One would think that theyve seen all 50 shades of Ayushmann Khurrana in his last bunch of movies, but nope.

The actor knows how to surprise you and has yet again, not disappointed, as he comes with the trailer of his upcoming movie - Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui.

Starring ace actor Ayushmann Khurrana alongside Befikre actress Vaani Kapoor, this movie is as typical as an Ayushmann Khurrana movie can be. And by that we mean - promising, fun, entertaining and with an unconventional plot twist.

We are looking at Ayushmann playing the role of a rather convincing cross-functional athlete by the name of Manu who is based out of Chandigarh (Ayushmanns very own city).

From talking about squats at the dinner table to thinking more about his body than his future, Manu comes across as this typical weight-lifter, obsessed with fitness, who lives a rather linear and black and white life.

That is until he meets Maanvi Brar aka Vaani Kapoor and inevitably falls in love with her.

From exciting dialogues to the near-perfect imitation of a couple from Chandigarh, the two actors brew some gripping chemistry on screen.

And just when, as a viewer, youd think you know exactly where the plot is headed, youd be left as stunned as Ayushmanns character in the movie.

Turns out, Maanvi isnt who Manu thought he was. Well, not exactly...considering Maanvi Brar is a transgender and Manu, well, is simply in denial. Or so we assume from what we saw!

The three-minute trailer takes us on a rollercoaster ride in the lives of Manu and Maanvi who struggle to find their way through this romantic drama, giving us way more than just Vaani Kapoors toned body or Ayushmann Khurranas shredded shoulders to look at. Although, that is pretty hard to miss!

 Twitter

The movie is said to have been shot during the time of the pandemic and with all precautions once the lockdown was lifted.



It is supposed to hit the theatres in December and it would be safe to say, were all already waiting with bated breath for this off-beat love story.
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Cloudy. Some light rain will fall throughout the day. Thunder possible. High near 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

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There has been a rise in sightings of all-black American flags in Florida and across the country. While not only sinister in appearance, the meaning is even more so: no quarter. Their sharp spike began with a tweet about a police officer in Illinois who hung this flag outside his house and
Attorney General

November 8, 2021

Media contact: Lynsey Mukomel 517-599-2746

Public inquiries: 517-335-7622

LANSING - A former priest in Oakland County has pleaded guilty to sex abuse, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced today.

Gary Berthiaume, 79, was sent to trial in July by Judge James Brady in Oakland County's 47th District Court on two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct (CSC), 15-year felonies. That development involved the original case against him, which was charged last year.

In June, Berthiaume was charged with additional felonies in two new cases. Both cases were sent to trial by the end of September.

All three cases stem from allegations of abuse in the 1970s involving three different victims who were between 13- and 15-years-old at the time. Berthiaume was a priest at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wyandotte and later Our Lady of Sorrows in Farmington during that timeframe.

Monday before Judge Daniel O'Brien, Berthiaume pleaded guilty to the following: two counts of second-degree CSC, 15-year felonies. He pleaded no contest to a third charge: one count of gross indecency, a 5-year felony or $2,500 fine. The pleas reflect one count in each of the three cases. "This plea secures long-awaited justice for those who bravely came forward with their stories," Nessel said. "My clergy abuse investigation team continues to work tirelessly to reach similar outcomes in our additional cases."

Sentencing is set for Dec. 20.

UPDATE ON CLERGY ABUSE INVESTIGATION

Since the investigation began in October 2018, 11 people have been charged in the Department of Attorney General's Clergy Abuse Investigation.

In August, former Catholic school music teacher Joseph Comperchio was sentenced to 12 to 30 years in prison.

In July, former U.P. priest Gary Jacobs received his second prison sentence. Jacobs' sentence is between eight and 15 years in prison.

Former priests Patrick Casey and Brian Stanley pleaded guilty in their respective cases in 2019. Below is a brief summary of where the other pending cases stand: Vincent DeLorenzo , who was a priest at Holy Redeemer Church in Burton, Michigan was arrested in Marion County, Florida in May 2019 and charged with three felony counts of first-degree CSC and three felony counts of second-degree CSC. His next court date in Genesee County Circuit Court is set for Dec. 9.

, who was a priest at Holy Redeemer Church in Burton, Michigan was arrested in Marion County, Florida in May 2019 and charged with three felony counts of first-degree CSC and three felony counts of second-degree CSC. His next court date in Genesee County Circuit Court is set for Dec. 9. Jacob Vellian , a former priest at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Benton Harbor, was charged in May 2019 with two counts of rape. His extradition from India is in progress.

, a former priest at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Benton Harbor, was charged in May 2019 with two counts of rape. His extradition from India is in progress. Timothy Crowley , who was a priest at St. Thomas Rectory in Ann Arbor, was charged in May 2019 with four felony counts of first-degree CSC and four felony counts of second-degree CSC. The case was dismissed after a preliminary examination and remains pending in the Michigan Court of Appeals.

, who was a priest at St. Thomas Rectory in Ann Arbor, was charged in May 2019 with four felony counts of first-degree CSC and four felony counts of second-degree CSC. The case was dismissed after a preliminary examination and remains pending in the Michigan Court of Appeals. Joseph "Jack" Baker , a pastor at St. Mary Parish in Wayne and an associate pastor at Sacred Heart in Dearborn and at St. Hugo of the Hills Parish in Bloomfield Hills, was charged with one count of first-degree CSC. He is set for a review date Jan. 24, 2022, in Wayne County Circuit Court.

, a pastor at St. Mary Parish in Wayne and an associate pastor at Sacred Heart in Dearborn and at St. Hugo of the Hills Parish in Bloomfield Hills, was charged with one count of first-degree CSC. He is set for a review date Jan. 24, 2022, in Wayne County Circuit Court. Roy Joseph , a priest in Marquette, was charged in Marquette County with one count of first-degree CSC. His extradition from India is in progress.

, a priest in Marquette, was charged in Marquette County with one count of first-degree CSC. His extradition from India is in progress. Neil Kalina, who was a priest at St. Kiernan Catholic Church in Shelby Township, will face trial for one count of first-degree CSC and two counts of second-degree CSC. He's due in Macomb County Circuit Court on Jan. 18, 2022.

Thus far, more than four million documents pertaining to dioceses across Michigan have been reviewed as part of Nessel's ongoing clergy abuse investigation. More than half a million documents remain in the review stage, all of which were obtained as part of the investigation. To learn more, or to submit information they may assist the clergy abuse investigative team, visit the Attorney General's website. Tips can also be provided over the phone by calling 844-324-3374. This project was supported in part by Grant No. WE AX 0030 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.
EGLE joins others at water resource fair in Benton Harbor to provide information, drinking water test kits

EGLE joins others at water resource fair in Benton Harbor to provide information, drinking water test kits

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) was part of a collaborative effort at a water resource fair in Benton Harbor last week. The event is part of EGLE's ongoing work to assist the City of Benton Harbor reduce lead levels in the municipal water system.

Along with representatives from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the city of Benton Harbor, the Berrien County Health Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, six EGLE staffers provided information about resources and home drinking water test kits to those who attended.

EGLE and other state agencies have accelerated a massive support and assistance effort in Benton Harbor, where high lead levels in the aging drinking water system have triggered three consecutive years of exceedances. Samples from the most recent Benton Harbor six-month sampling period are being collected and will be made public once they have undergone official review.

Caption: People stop by EGLE's table at the Benton Harbor Water Resource Fair.

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Fraudulent "Glamping" Company Pleads No Contest in Antrim County

Fraudulent "Glamping" Company Pleads No Contest in Antrim County

Attorney General

Media contact: Lynsey Mukomel 517-599-2746

Public inquiries: 517-335-7622

November 8, 2021

LANSING - A company that advertised an upscale camping experience and then defrauded campers out of their money pleaded no contest in Antrim County Circuit Court, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced today. Bella Solviva Inc. pleaded no contest to the following before Judge Kevin A. Elsenheimer this morning: one felony count of larceny by conversion between $1,000 and $20,000; and

one misdemeanor count of larceny by conversion between $200 and $1,000.

The company owners, Bradley and Sandra Carlson, were sentenced last month to two years of probation. They were also ordered to pay restitution.

Beginning in 2015, the Carlsons advertised Bella Solviva as a "glamping", or upscale camping, resort that was being built in the Antrim County area. The website and confirmation emails indicated that customers would have the option to receive a refund if a reserved site was not built or not built in time for a reservation.

Despite accepting deposits from 2015 to 2017, never building the resort, and receiving repeated requests for refunds, more than 30 customers were never refunded.

As Bella Solviva is a corporation, it does not face the possibility of jail or prison time, but may be sentenced to pay fines, costs, and restitution.

"The victims in the case were lied to and taken advantage of, and my office will not stand for businesses that defraud their customers and steal their money," Nessel said. "Consumers must be able to trust their hard-earned money will be used as intended."

Sentencing for Bella Solviva is scheduled for Dec. 13.

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Michigan Education Savings Program Earns Top National Ranking

Michigan Education Savings Program Earns Top National Ranking

Nov. 8, 2021

The Michigan Education Savings Program (MESP) is one of the nation's premier college savings plans, according to a recent analysis of state-administered 529 plans by Morningstar Inc.

MESP was one of only three plans to receive a "Gold" rating. Morningstar rates plans based on four pillars: Process, People, Parent and Price.

"To be called one of the 'best and brightest' by Morningstar is a tremendous honor and an important endorsement from a respected third-party validator that MESP is a great investment for Michiganders," MESP Administrator Diane Brewer said. "Our No. 1 goal is to deliver to families the best plan to help their loved ones pursue their dreams through higher education. MESP account owners can rest assured that we're meeting that benchmark."

Across the four key pillars, Morningstar looked for the following in each of the 529 savings plans it evaluated: a well-researched asset-allocation approach; a robust process for selecting underlying investments; an appropriate set of options to meet investor needs; strong oversight from the state and investment manager; and low fees.

Gold-rated plans embody most or all of these attributes.

In its review, Morningstar identified MESP as "Summa Cum Laude," describing it as a "top notch plan" that "set the curve for their peers, offering exceptional investments while emulating savvy stewardship."

Managed by TIAA-CREF Tuition Financing Inc. on behalf of the Michigan Department of Treasury, MESP has earned silver and gold ratings from Morningstar each year since 2012.

MESP, sold directly to families that are saving for college, offers 18 investment options. The plan, which marked its 20th anniversary last November, has more than 290,000 accounts with total assets exceeding $7.6 billion.

MESP is one of three Michigan Section 529 plans, named after the section of the Internal Revenue Code that allowed for their creation. Each plan offers Michigan taxpayers a state income tax deduction on contributions and potential tax-free growth on earnings if account proceeds are used to pay for qualified higher education expenses.

MESP can be used at any eligible college, university or trade school in the nation and some abroad for a variety of qualified higher education expenses, including tuition, fees, certain room and board costs, books, supplies and equipment required for enrollment.

More information about MESP is available at MISaves.com or 877-861-6377.

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Press Contacts: Danelle Gittus or Ron Leix, Treasury Public Information Officers, at 517-335-2167
Governor Whitmer on Passage of Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation

Governor Whitmer on Passage of Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 6, 2021

Contact: Press@michigan.gov

Governor Whitmer on Passage of Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will make historic investments in Michigan's infrastructure

LANSING, Mich. - Governor Gretchen Whitmer released the following statement after passage of the historic bipartisan infrastructure plan, which will create millions of good-paying jobs, build up our roads and bridges, ensure small businesses can safely transport goods, expand the state's electric vehicle charging infrastructure, replace aging water infrastructure, including replacing lead service lines, and expand high-speed internet access across the nation.

"The bipartisan infrastructure plan is a win-win for Michigan because it will create countless good-paying, blue collar jobs, while helping us fix even more roads and bridges across the state," said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. "I am grateful to Michigan's congressional delegation for working to get this done. The infrastructure plan will put our tax dollars back to work in our state to make game-changing, historic investments toward upgrading our state's roads, bridges, water infrastructure, and so much more. This investment will make a huge difference in people's lives and build on the work that we're doing in Michigan to deliver on the kitchen-table issues. I'm ready to work with both parties in the legislature to get shovels in the ground and put Michiganders first."

The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will send billions of dollars to Michigan to help Governor Whitmer continue fixing the damn roads, bridges, and water infrastructure, replace lead service lines, expand the state's electric vehicle charging network, and so much more.

Michigan would receive $7.3 billion to fix roads and $563 million for bridge replacement or repairs.

Michigan would receive $1 billion to improve public transportation across the state.

Michigan would receive $1.3 billion to improve water infrastructure, including lead service line replacement, to ensure safe drinking water is available in all communities.

Michigan would receive $100 million to expand high-speed internet access to an additional 398,000 Michiganders.

Michigan would receive $110 million to boost the state's electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

FIX THE DAMN ROADS

In less than three years, Governor Whitmer has fixed more than 9,000 lane miles of roads across the state. The governor's Rebuilding Michigan plan will fix an additional hundreds of miles of roads and create or support 45,000 good-paying jobs. The budget she signed recently will repair or replace nearly 100 crumbling bridges in serious or critical condition and create 2,500 jobs.

WATER INFRASTRUCTURE & LEAD SERVICE LINE REPLACEMENTS

The governor's MI Clean Water plan would invest $700 million to build up drinking and wastewater infrastructure while supporting 10,000 good-paying jobs. The plan addresses high water rates, tackles toxic contaminants like PFAS, builds up sewer and septic systems that can't meet demand, and replaces lead service lines. In addition to MI Clean Water plan, Michigan has invested millions in drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater facilities across the state supporting thousands of local jobs.

Since January 2019, the State of Michigan has invested more in its water infrastructure than the previous five years-from 2014 to 2018-combined.

ELECTRIC VEHICLE INFRASTRUCTURE

Governor Whitmer has launched the Charge Up Michigan grant program to install fast charging stations for private and commercial electric vehicles along key travel routes throughout the state. Since the launch of the Charge Up Michigan program, the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy has allocated $4,000,182.97 for chargers at 76 locations with a total of 182 charging station outlets.

HIGH-SPEED INTERNET ACCESS

In June, Governor Whitmer issued Executive Directive 2021-02 to help bridge the digital divide by establishing the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (MIHI) to make high-speed internet more affordable and accessible. Governor Whitmer also signed into law the Broadband Expansion Act of Michigan, which codified the Connecting Michigan Communities (CMIC) grant program that, to date, has announced $12.7 million in grant awards that will help connect more than 12,200 homes and businesses.

The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will deliver record funding to help Governor Whitmer continue rebuilding our state's roads and bridges. Beyond that, the plan will upgrade aging water infrastructure to remove lead service lines, expand high-speed internet access, and build a national network of electric vehicle (EV) chargers to support Michigan's automotive sector.

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WHEATLAND TOWNSHIP  A Stanwood woman was killed, and her husband injured, in a motorcycle accident after attempting to avoid a deer in the road.

At around 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Mecosta County sheriffs deputies were dispatched to a one-vehicle motorcycle accident, according to a news release from the department.
SCOTTVILLE  West Shore Community College will be hosting a virtual event on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

The discussion is part of the College's "Humankind" series which is hosting a presentation called Whos Invited to the Party? A Discussion on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion," according to a news release.

The discussion will be led by District Health Department #10 Health Educator Quran Griffin and Northern Lakes Community Mental Health Social Work Case Manager Shawn Washington. The virtual event will be held via Zoom and can be accessed at the following link bit.ly/humankindfall2021. It will be recorded and posted on the colleges YouTube page afterward.

The presenters will define terms like diversity, equity and inclusion, and explain why they are important.

We want to spark a conversation, said Griffin in a news release. We want people to leave our presentation and speak to their friends, co-workers and family members about these ideas."

The Humankind series is WSCCs cultural arts and lecture series. The theme for the 2021-2022 academic year is movement.

For more information about the Humankind series, visit westshore.edu or email humankind@westshore.edu. For more information about this event, contact Renee Snodgrass at 231-843-5869 or rsnodgrass@westshore.edu.
Childcare providers throughout Michigan are now eligible to receive financial help from the state.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer launched the Childcare Stabilization Grant which will provide $350 million dollar in aid to more than 8,000 childcare providers.

"Childcare is the backbone of a strong economy and childcare professionals and programs go above and beyond every day to care for our kids, helping them learn and grow in a safe environment," Whitmer said in a statement. "Countless working parents rely on childcare, and without the tireless, often thankless work of providers and professionals, working families would not be able to get back to work and pursue their potential. With this investment, we can ensure kids and working families succeed as we continue ushering in a new era of prosperity for our communities."

The goal of the grant is to give every childcare professional $1,000 to help expand and improve childcare options for residents throughout the state, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Childcare programs and working families with young children have been faced with a major crisis during this pandemic on top of the already existing long-term childcare crisis," said Laurie Fletcher, a home-based childcare provider in Grand Rapids, in a statement. "Industry stabilization funding like this is a critical lifeline in starting to move the needle in the right direction."

Childcare providers can apply for support from the grant at Michigan.gov/childcare. Bonuses will be provided directly from employers.
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. (AP)  A Brightline commuter train hit a car carrying a woman and her grandchild Monday on the higher-speed line's first day back in operation since the coronavirus pandemic began.

The 71-year-old woman suffered some broken bones and the child did not appear to be seriously injured, Pompano Beach Fire and Rescue spokeswoman Sandra King told news outlets. They were both taken to a hospital.

Television stations showed images of the woman's crushed car at the intersection in Pompano Beach, which is north of Fort Lauderdale.

The woman had made a right turn was was trying to cross the train tracks when the crash happened, King said.

The train was heading south from West Palm Beach to the Fort Lauderdale station with Brightline officials, including President Patrick Goddard. He was scheduled to appear at an event in Fort Lauderdale marking the train's return.

The train travels at speeds of up to 79 mph (127 kph) through some of Floridas most densely populated cities.

The private company, which began operations in 2017 between West Palm Beach and Miami, suspended service in March 2020 shortly after the pandemic began.

During the shutdown, Brightline has continued laying track for its planned expansion from South Florida to Orlando and its theme parks. That route is set to open in late 2022 or early 2023.

Brightline then plans to open a line between Orlando and Tampa and one between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Revelations on Monday that six Palestinian activists had their phones infected with software developed by the Israeli hacker-for-hire company NSO Group came as Israel has ramped up pressure on civil society organizations it says are linked to terrorism.

Three of the six activists worked for Palestinian human rights groups that Israel designated as terrorist organizations last month. Israel says the groups are linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a leftist political faction with an armed wing that has killed Israelis.

The Palestinian rights groups say the terror designations are aimed at muzzling opposition to Israels 54-year occupation of territories the Palestinians want for a future state. They deny links to terror and have called for an international investigation into the hacking.

It's not known who placed the spyware on the phones. Israel says there's no connection between the terror designation of the six rights groups  which it says is based on solid evidence  and any alleged use of NSO spyware.

NSO Group says it provides tools to help security agencies fight crime and terrorism. It does not disclose its clients and says it is not privy to details about who they target. Its software has been implicated in the hacking of activists, journalists and other public figures across the globe.

Here is a timeline of recent events:

Oct. 16: The Al-Haq human rights group, one of the six organizations that would later be branded a terror organization, approaches nonprofit Frontline Defenders regarding phone hacking suspicions. A forensic investigation of a device reveals indications of the NSO Group's Pegasus spyware.

Oct. 17: Frontline Defenders meets with other Palestinian organizations to inform them about the hacking and asks to investigate additional devices.

Oct. 22: Israel outlaws the six groups, saying they are a front for the PFLP. The groups are: Al-Haq, which was founded in 1979, as well as the Addameer rights group, Defense for Children International-Palestine, the Bisan Center for Research and Development, the Union of Palestinian Womens Committees and the Union of Agricultural Work Committees.

Oct. 29: Frontline Defenders confirms six phones are infected with Pegasus software. The findings have been independently confirmed by Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto and by Amnesty International.

Nov. 3: The U.S. announces new restrictions on NSO Group that limit its access to American technology, saying the Israeli firm's tools have been used to conduct transnational repression. The company says it will advocate for a reversal.

Nov. 4: Local media disclose a 74-page Israeli dossier on the Palestinian rights groups that was prepared in May and apparently aimed at persuading European donors to stop funding them. The dossier contains little concrete evidence and seems to have failed to convince donors.

Nov. 8: Frontline Defenders announces its findings. Palestinian rights groups condemn the phone hacking as an attack on civil society and call for an international investigation.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  A Kansas City man who has been jailed for more than 40 years for a triple murder adamantly and repeatedly denied having anything to do with the crime during testimony Monday in an evidentiary hearing that could lead to his freedom.

I had absolutely nothing to do with these murders. By no means was I anywhere close to that crime scene," said Kevin Strickland, who said he has been working toward his freedom since he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 1979.

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker and other legal and political leaders say Strickland was wrongfully convicted. She said evidence used to convict him had been recanted or disproven since his trial.

This is a triple murder in which three young people were executed, Peters Baker said Monday. The tragedy was made much, much worse by Kevin Stricklands conviction.

The evidentiary hearing in Strickland's case comes after months of delays caused by legal procedures and canceled hearings prompted mostly by motions filed by the state attorney general's office. Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican running for the U.S. Senate, has said he believes Strickland is guilty of the murders.

Attorneys for Strickland and the Attorney Generals office indicated during opening statements that the statements from Cynthia Douglas, the only survivor of the shootings, identifying Strickland as the shooter would be central to determining Stricklands fate. Strickland's supporters said Douglas recanted her identification before she died.

Andrew Clarke, an assistant prosecutor in the Attorney Generals office, said evidence existed to show Strickland was guilty. He said recorded phone calls between Douglas and her husband while he was incarcerated would show she was not interested in helping Strickland prove his innocence.

Clarke also said one of Strickland's fingerprints was found on a car used the night of the killings. It was owned by Vincent Bell, who later pleaded guilty to the murders.

Strickland testified that he often drove the car for Bell, who did not have a driver's license and he was surprised more of the his fingerprints weren't found on the car. Strickland also acknowledged he gave Bell some shotgun shells two to three weeks before the killings after Bell said he wanted to test a shotgun he was given. But Strickland maintained he did not know they would be used in a triple murder.

Strickland said he drank beer and smoked marijuana before police came to his home to question him about the killings.

During cross-examination on Monday from assistant prosecutor Christine Krug, Strickland acknowledged it was the first time in 43 years that he had ever said he was under the influence at the time.

Strickland, 62, was convicted in the April 25, 1978, fatal shootings of Larry Ingram, 21; John Walker, 20; and Sherrie Black, 22, in Kansas City.

Strickland, a Black man, saw his first trial end in a hung jury when the only Black juror, a woman, held out for acquittal. After his second trial in 1979, he was convicted by an all-white jury of one count of capital murder and two counts of second-degree murder.

Strickland has always maintained that he was home watching television and had nothing to do with the killings, which happened when he was 18 years old.

Two other men convicted in the killings later insisted that Strickland wasn't at the crime scene, The Kansas City Star reported. And Douglas, the only eyewitness to the killings, recanted her testimony that Strickland was the shooter.

During afternoon testimony, Douglas' daughter, mother, sister and a former co-worker all testified that she had told them she identified the wrong shooter and wanted to help exonerate Strickland,

Senoria Strickland said her daughter told her police pressured her to identify Strickland and she was was upset and depressed that she had chosen the wrong guy.

During his testimony, Strickland denied suggestions that he offered Douglas $300 to keep her mouth shut, and said he had never visited the house where the murders occurred before they happened.

Strickland said he went to the scene at the request of a friend who was Vincent Bell's sister. He said he cooperated with officers at the scene and later at the police station because he knew the system worked and I would not be convicted of something I didnt do.

Strickland, who has spinal stenosis, watched the testimony from a wheelchair. Before the hearing began, he told reporters he was scared.

In June, the Missouri Supreme Court declined to hear Stricklands petition. Republican Gov. Mike Parson also refused to pardon Strickland, saying he wasn't convinced that Strickland was innocent.

Hearings were scheduled in August in DeKalb County, where Strickland is imprisoned. Those hearings were canceled after Peters Baker used a new state law to seek an evidentiary hearing i n Jackson County, where Strickland was convicted. The law allows local prosecutors to challenge convictions if they believe the defendant did not commit the crime.

A hearing scheduled for Sept. 2 was delayed after Schmitt's office sought more time for the court to hear several motions his office filed in the case.

Schmitt sought to have all 16th Circuit judges in Jackson County recused from presiding over the evidentiary hearing because the presiding judge in that circuit had said he agreed that Strickland was wrongfully convicted.

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled Sept. 30 that the Jackson County judges should be recused from the hearing to avoid any suggestions of impropriety or bias, delaying another hearing. Retired Senior Judge James Welsh was then appointed to preside over the case.

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This story has been corrected to show that Strickland watched the testimony from a wheelchair, but did not testify from a wheelchair.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  A new round of deadly attacks and forced conscription has begun against ethnic Tigrayans in an area of Ethiopia now controlled by Amhara regional authorities in collaboration with soldiers from neighboring Eritrea, people fleeing over the border to Sudan tell The Associated Press as the yearlong war intensifies.

Urgent diplomatic meetings with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Tigray leader Debretsion Gebremichael in an attempt to calm the fighting have found a small window of opportunity" as the rival sides agreed a political solution through dialogue was required, African Union envoy Olesegun Obasanjo said in briefings Monday. The State Department said U.S. envoy Jeffrey Feltman saw a window to act with Obasanjo and was meeting with him in Ethiopia's capital Monday night.

Tigray forces have been approaching Addis Ababa to press the prime minister to step aside, leading Ethiopias government to declare a state of emergency last week while the U.S. and other countries urged citizens to leave immediately. The war has killed thousands after political tensions with the Tigray forces who once dominated the national government turned deadly.

Those fleeing the western Tigray communities of Adebay and Humera in the past week described warnings from Amhara authorities against supporting the Tigray forces. The accounts confirm warnings by the U.S. and others that Eritrean soldiers remain in the Tigray region, and they indicate that pressure is growing on Tigrayans of mixed heritage who have tried to live quietly amid what the U.S. has alleged as ethnic cleansing in western Tigray.

As reports grew about the Tigray forces momentum, Amhara authorities at a public meeting in Adebay on Oct. 29 warned residents against supporting them, two men who fled to Sudan said.

There are people working for (the Tigray forces). You should give them to us or we will kill you all together, one who fled, 28-year-old Mawcha Asmelash, recalled authorities saying.

Five days later, he said, Amhara militia attacked. I saw four people being killed on the run, he said.

He and other men hid in the bush for two days, gathering information from local women and trying to judge whether it was safe to return. But the women estimated scores of men had been killed and residents had been forbidden to bury their bodies. The women urged them to flee.

Another man who fled Adebay, 36-year-old Berhane Gebremikael, confirmed the public meeting. He said he saw one man killed as he ran from Amhara militia and the Eritrean soldiers, who he said have a camp in the community.

They called it revenge, he said. He described a perilous situation for Tigrayan residents of Adebay who had remained during the war, with many changing their identity, paying bribes or using mixed heritage for a measure of protection. Berhane, whose mother is Eritrean, now fears he cant return.

Maybe the worst things will happen in the next days, he said. The international community should intervene.

A man who fled to Sudan from the city of Humera, near the Eritrean border, told the AP he had stayed there because of his part-Tigrayan heritage, but last week Amhara authorities started collecting people. Young men and boys are being forced to join the fighting.

Again, it started with a public warning, 28-year-old Alemu Abraha said. Then Amhara authorities, along with Eritrean soldiers, started visiting homes at night to take people away. His friends were taken, he said, and he believes the men are being sent to the Amhara region, where most fighting has occurred in recent months.

Amhara regional spokesman Gizachew Muluneh did not respond to AP questions. Amhara regional officials have asserted that western Tigray is historically their land, and during the war witnesses and humanitarian workers have described scores of thousands of Tigrayans forced from communities there.

Meanwhile, reports of mass detentions of Tigrayans continue under the state of emergency. An Ethiopian Orthodox Church official in Addis Ababa, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said dozens of priests, monks, deacons and others had been detained in the capital because of their ethnicity. Ethiopian authorities have said they are detaining people suspected of supporting the Tigray forces.

The government-created Ethiopian Human Rights Commission in a statement noted with concern that arrests appeared to be based on ethnicity and included the elderly and mothers with children.

As the war closes in, Ethiopias government insists that life in the capital remains normal. On Sunday, scores of thousands of people rallied in Addis Ababa in a show of support, some carrying signs criticizing the international community, including foreign media.

On Monday, AU envoy Obasanjo, a former Nigerian president, told the AU Peace and Security Council he saw a window of opportunity after meeting separately with Ethiopia's prime minister and the Tigray leader over the weekend. The rival sides agree the differences opposing them are political and require political solution through dialogue," he said.

The envoy added, however, that the window of opportunity we have is very little and that time is paramount for any intervention in the critical situation facing not only Ethiopia but the Horn of Africa at large. He repeated calls for dialogue without preconditions, an immediate cease-fire and immediate and unrestricted humanitarian access.

State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters that envoy Feltman met with the prime minister Friday and then went to neighboring Kenya to meet its president before returning to Ethiopia on Monday to urgently press the parties to de-escalate the conflict and negotiate. There was no indication that Feltman, like Obasanjo, went to the Tigray region. Price simply said that we have engaged with the (Tigray forces) as well.

The prime minister's spokeswoman has called the meeting with Feltman constructive," with no details.

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Matt Lee in Washington contributed.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Tennessee business leaders unhappy with recent efforts by the Republican-led Legislature to unravel COVID-19 prevention requirements hope to convince lawmakers to revisit some changes when they reconvene in January.

Two prominent business groups say they are especially troubled by a provision empowering citizens to sue businesses they believe slighted them with coronavirus vaccination requirements, which the bill largely bans for companies and government entities.

So far, Republican lawmakers who spearheaded the bill have given a cool reception to the call to revisit it by the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the states National Federation of Independent Business chapter.

The dispute, while largely couched in delicate language, offers a rare glimpse at a public rift between groups that tend to be closely aligned. Republican leaders are usually eager to highlight their close ties to business and tout Tennessee as a low-tax, low-regulation haven for companies.

Those alliances were tested during the three-day special session, which ended after an hourslong October standoff. Lawmakers met behind closed doors after manufacturers including Ford Motor Co.  for whom lawmakers had just approved an economic development package for a massive new Tennessee electric vehicle and battery production project  opposed the bills change that would let most businesses implement mask requirements only in rare, dire public health scenarios.

In the dark of the night, Republicans relented and carved private businesses out of stringent mask restrictions. Still, the bill was unsavory enough that the chamber and NFIB opposed its final form. Nine House Republicans voted no, two chose not to vote and others werent around for the overnight finale.

Republican Gov. Bill Lee hasnt said whether hell sign the measure, which lawmakers passed after calling themselves into session because he declined to do so. Leaders of the business groups said they have let the governor know their concerns but arent currently lobbying for a veto. Tennessee lawmakers can easily override vetoes, and Lee hasnt vetoed anything in office.

Both business groups have expressed concerns about requirements under President Joe Bidens administration for workers at larger employers to get a COVID vaccine by Jan. 4 or face rigorous COVID-19 testing, which a federal appeals court has paused for now amid legal challenges.

But the wide-spanning state bill would put Tennessee law in conflict with the federal policy, with businesses stuck in the middle facing the prospect of lawsuits.

Before the bill passed, NFIB Tennessee Director Jim Brown warned lawmakers their votes could affect their scorecards with the group. Brown told the AP that it was only one vote  albeit, a big one  and "a lot of good friends of ours in the Legislature felt they had to vote for this and theyre still going to score high. However, the group also plans to consider sponsors of separate bills opposed by business when discussing endorsements and campaign contributions, Brown said.

Jackson said it's in Tennesseans' best interest for lawmakers and business to get back on the same page.

I would equate it to two really good friends that have gotten along on so many issues had a disagreement, Jackson told the AP. Hurtful things have been said, but we know how each other feels on this issue and fundamentally agree on the future of Tennessee on economic prosperity and working together to achieve that.

Legislative leaders have defended their work. House Speaker Cameron Sexton disagrees with the direction NFIB and Tennessee Chamber is requesting, spokesperson Doug Kufner said. He also said there is much discussion about whether there's a need to extend COVID-19 liability protections for businesses past July 2022.

Senate Speaker Randy McNally's spokesperson, Adam Kleinheider, said McNally is open to hearing ideas to improve laws but is proud of the work done by lawmakers, adding that the two business groups had ample opportunity to weigh in at any point in the process and chose to engage only in the later stages. Republican Sen. Todd Gardenhire had similar criticism when he ridiculed the chamber of commerce as the chamber of horrors in a committee meeting.

Brown said his group is disappointed in the "outcome and the process," saying it wasn't transparent and it was rushed.

Jackson told the AP he didnt know what lawmakers would include, and two weeks out from session, could only tell member businesses some issues that were likely to come up because he didnt know the specifics.

Looking forward, Brown said civil fines would be preferable for businesses than facing private lawsuits.

Jackson said legislation next year could also seek to tighten up definitions of what constitutes an employer's adverse action that triggers cause to sue, among other possible changes.
SPEARFISH, S.D. (AP)  Each October, a high bugling call is heard overhead in western South Dakota. An eye turned upward may have to search before it spies what makes the sound  sometimes thousands of feet above.

Sandhill cranes migrate through the area, riding rising air from the ground below, circling higher before gliding south.

They are generally seen at high altitudes spinning in circles over the state. If youve ever watched them migrate, they are spinning in pinwheels, riding the thermals, said Rocco Murano, senior waterfowl biologist for the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks.

Traveling as far north and west as parts of Siberia, in Russia, the cranes fly south to Texas and even parts of Mexico for the winter arriving at those grounds in late November or December, he said.

The cranes are rarely seen on the ground in western South Dakota in the fall as they fly hundreds of miles a day. The birds seen in the state are from the mid-continent population of sandhill cranes, one of three distinct groups of the birds.

The Rocky Mountain population is farther west, while the Eastern population is generally east of the Mississippi river, although its range is expanding rapidly and some are found in far eastern South Dakota, Murano said.

In the spring, the large birds are found in the tens of thousands in eastern South Dakota, the Black Hills Pioneer reported.

We actually have document cranes breeding in South Dakota now, Murano said. In the eastern fringe of eastern counties Deuel, Grant, and Roberts counties, weve had confirmed breeding of sandhill cranes for the last four or five years. Those are the first breeding cranes, in the eastern part of the state anyway, probably since extirpation since the late 1800s, early 1900s.

South Dakota offers a two-month hunting season along a narrow corridor in eastern South Dakota in the fall. However, Murano said fewer than 500 are taken annually. South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota are among 16 states that allow hunting the birds.

Dubbed ribeye of the sky, Crane is one of the finest table fare for game there is, he said. Its awesome. Ive only had it a few times, but it is excellent. A very, very tasty meat.

Sandhill cranes can often be found in wet meadows.

They are not like a duck or goose, where it needs a deep wetland, he said. They need wet meadows, wet pastureland, sedge meadows. They are a wetland-dependent species, but they are not out there swimming. They are more like a wading bird.

In a nest built of plant material, often above the wetland, two colts, as the babies are called, hatch. Those new birds can walk shortly after hatching and will be cared for by the adults for the better part of a year.

They are a long-lived bird, Murano said. They live a long time but have a low reproductive rate.  Thats opposed to birds like a pheasant that has a lot of chicks but a short lifespan.

In the spring the birds begin their long migration back north. They stage along the way, found in the hundreds of thousands along the Platte River in Nebraska.

It is there, in late March, that the annual survey is conducted from the air. Murano said the population can range from as low as 600,000 to close to 1 million birds.

It is in the spring that the birds mate.

Its pretty neat to watch, Murano said of the birds in their courtship. Theyll dance. They jump in the air and kinda flutter down.

The tall birds are omnivores.

"Theyll eat about anything, Murano said. Theyll eat grain. But then they will eat mice, and salamanders, frogs, snakes, and things like that. Theyll eat underground tubers.

He said the Rocky Mountain population will even go into chili fields and eat chili peppers.

Birds cant taste capsaicin, he said. They can go in there and eat a pile of habaneros and they wouldnt know (the heat) is there.

At four feet tall and a wingspan of more than seven feet, the birds are of a ancient order of species classification.

They seem almost prehistoric. It is a really old bird order, Murano said.

The oldest known fossil of the birds were found in Florida and dated back 2.5 million years.
BROCKTON, Mass. (AP)  Authorities have arrested a suspect in connection with a fatal shooting in Brockton last week.

Asa St. Louis, 24, was arrested in Boston over the weekend and charged with the murder in the death Nov. 3 of Nelito Lopes, 28, the Plymouth district attorneys office announced in a statement Sunday.

The Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section and Boston police located St. Louis in Boston and took him into custody without incident about 7:30 a.m. Sunday.

He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Brockton District Court. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.

Lopes was shot at about 9 p.m. last Wednesday.

Brockton police, responding to a car crashing into a utility pole, located the victim inside the vehicle suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the head.

He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital before being flown by helicopter to a Boston hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities did not disclose a possible motive for the shooting.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  Due to the unprecedented way lawmakers are reconvening at the Statehouse next week, any laws they pass could end up in court and be declared null. Opponents say they could also target session costs and lawmaker living expenses.

The House and Senate plan to meet starting Monday to pass a law or laws to thwart President Joe Bidens sweeping vaccine requirements that affect some 100 million Americans.

The House chose to recess last May rather than officially adjourn like the Senate. An Idaho attorney general's opinion said its reading of the state constitution is that both chambers are in recess rather than officially adjourned, meaning the chambers can reconvene.

However, the opinion written last May also said that the "Legislatures decision to pursue this course of action causes risk which would result in a reviewing court concluding differently.

Jim Jones, a former chief justice of the Idaho Supreme Court as well as a former Republican state attorney general, said his reading of the state Constitution indicates both chambers are officially adjourned and can only return if called by the governor for a special session.

Republican Gov. Brad Little has said he doesn't need to call a special session because the House never adjourned.

Jones said that without a special session, the Legislature can't legally meet again until the regular session that starts in early January. That calls into question whether the thousands of dollars a day it will cost taxpayers to have lawmakers in Boise is legitimate.

Quite frankly, that's one of the avenues of a legal attack, Jones said. You don't actually go against the session itself, but you go against the payment of the session as if it were a regular session.

He helped form the Committee to Protect and Preserve the Idaho Constitution, which was part of a lawsuit that saw a court earlier this year throw out a Republican-passed law severely restricting the ballot initiative process for voters.

Potential laws coming out of the Legislature next week could also trigger a lawsuit. Jones said any law would have to be especially harmful to Idaho for his group to take legal action. An example, he said, would be for Idaho to criminalize acts by federal workers involving mask or vaccine mandates.

He noted that he doesn't see his group filing a lawsuit against less harsh laws because lawmakers could pass the law again when they meet for the regular session in January, making such a lawsuit moot.

Overall, though, he said the laws likely to be passed will be window dressing as lawmakers prepare for the Republican primary in May and the general election in November.

Republican House Speaker Scott Bedke and Republican Senate President Pro Tem Chuck Winder said late last month that potential legislation includes banning COVID-19 vaccine mandates by the federal government and private employers.

Both said lawmakers will look at legislation that would allow the state to initiate legal action over federal vaccine mandates on private employers. The legislation would include $2 million for a potential legal battle. Bedke has said he'd like to see the Legislature wrap up business in just a few days.

Idaho is already involved in two lawsuits against the Biden administration involving vaccine mandates for federal workers and another involving vaccine mandates for employers with more than 100 workers.

Bedke said he expects about a dozen pieces of legislation to be introduced, including some to prevent employers from requiring employees get vaccinated. Bedke and Winder have been cool to the idea of government getting between employees and employers, but some Republican lawmakers favor the approach.

Bedke has the ability to call the House back into session based on a resolution the House passed before going into recess. The Senate officially adjourned, and the mechanism for bringing senators back isn't exactly clear.

The attorney general's opinion from May said it was difficult to ascertain how either chamber could be legally forced back into session.

Winder said Monday that the Senate will reconvene based on the opinion from the attorney general's office that the chambers are only in recess. He said the Senate is looking to be done in a few days and deal only with vaccination legislation. The public, he said, will have a chance to testify on proposed legislation in hearings.

But it will be a shortened version because we only want to be there for a day or two, he said.

Democratic House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel said she would prefer waiting for the regular session where legislation can be vetted and the public would have time to weigh in.

I think it's never a good idea to come in trying to pass major legislation we haven't even seen yet in under 72 hours," she said. I suspect it's going to be done in great haste, and I'm concerned we're going to come out with laws that are unconstitutional and harmful to the public and our business community.
GREENWOOD, S.C. (AP)  A hundred multiple choice questions and two free response essays. All perfect.

Greenwood High School junior Ella Bassett learned a few weeks ago that she made a perfect score on the AP Psychology exam she took back in May.

She didnt just score a 5  the highest score  but received every point possible on the multiple choice questions and the essays.

Bassett said the course was the first AP class she had taken, although shes taking three more this year.

I was a sophomore but I really was curious about social sciences, I thought it would be really stimulating and challenging, Bassett said about choosing the class.

A lot of times, I think me and my classmates choose our courses based on what we think they can do for our GPA or our class rank but I really chose AP Psychology solely for me because it was something I wanted to learn more about.

She said she received an email about the perfect score a few weeks ago and said she was excited and honored when she received it.

I was just grateful to have such a great learning experience; so just incredibly grateful and happy, she said.

She is one of only six out of 262,700 students who took the test to receive a perfect score.

Her teacher Caroline Vaniska said it was incredible to learn of Bassetts achievement.

Such an honor to have taught Ella, she did a fantastic job throughout the course, Vaniska said.

From day one she came in, was super prepared, would come to class every day with her readings done, videos, all of that, so its such an honor to have taught her.

She added there were multiple obstacles in the spring 2021 semester, with school being pushed back and virtual for a week. Plus, most students taking AP Psychology took it beginning in August of the school year, not January.

Its honestly incredible, she should be very proud of herself, Vaniska said.

Bassett received a certificate from the district and will be recognized at the next Greenwood School District 50 board of trustees meeting via video.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  A new initiative at the University of Minnesota is tracking bird collisions with campus buildings in an effort to address ongoing concerns about bird safety.

The Stop the Thud initiative asks University community members to report when and where they see bird strikes on campus, as well as a description of the bird through an online form. In the future, researchers plan to analyze this data to uncover patterns about bird behavior and better mitigate bird strikes.

The location of the University in the Mississippi Flyway, an important route for many migratory birds during the fall and spring, can make campus buildings especially dangerous. Buildings with glassy facades such as modern skyscrapers, can confuse many birds according to Andrew Hallberg, a University graduate student in the conservation sciences program, who helped develop the Stop the Thud initiative in collaboration with the Universitys Office of Sustainability.

Birds are breeding in the north and then when theyre flying south, (the young birds) are making the migration for the first time, Hallberg said. They just dont know how to navigate urban landscapes as well as adults. A couple of years ago a report came out  that said that weve lost three billion birds since the 1970s in the United States, which is a staggering number.

Many year-round birds, like cardinals or crows, have adapted to the urban environment and are able to navigate it better. Most birds that collide with buildings are songbirds, like warblers or sparrows, that migrate south for the winter, The Minnesota Daily reported.

Hallberg said this initiative is imagined in two parts, with the first part already underway. Currently, Hallberg is focused on gathering data on bird collisions in order to develop mitigation measures in the future.

The first (phase) that were working on now is just figuring out where the birds are hitting buildings on campus and what surfaces are the most problematic for birds to navigate, Hallberg said. The second phase is figuring out what we can do and looking at what sort of mitigation options there are.

According to Sustainability Coordinator Carley Rice, the Office of Sustainability is helping to support the initiative by providing online resources and promoting the reporting form.

Were working on the commercial side of things and making sure that folks on campus  the students, staff and custodial staff make sure that theyre aware of this initiative and if they do see a bird on campus (they) know what to do, Rice said.

While the University has taken steps to mitigate the number of bird collisions on campus, like using fritted glass and reflective tape on buildings, bird collisions have not been tracked in this way before.

In addition to the Stop the Thud initiative, the Office of Sustainability is also promoting Light Outs, which asks people to turn off interior lights in University buildings at night to prevent bird collisions and save energy.

I know that theres been several groups before me that have done research on (bird collisions), but I think recently there has been more of a push from student groups to make spaces more safe for birds. Hallberg said.

While the fall migratory season is mostly over, the reporting form will continue to collect data year-round and the Office of Sustainability will ramp up outreach efforts at the start of the spring migration, Hallberg said.
Veterans Day will be different again this year in a nation still battling to escape the grip of a pandemic that has taken more than 750,000 American lives.

Traditional Veterans Day parades are back in vogue in many locations after a 2020 hiatus, when most events were held virtually. Still, lingering COVID-19 concerns have led some cities and communities to hold off on their parades for at least another year.

In New York City, veterans from all the services, backed by floats and marching bands, will parade on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue in the city's 102nd annual Veterans Day celebration Nov. 11.

Related: New York Veterans Day 2021 Parade Live Stream

Veterans Day parades also are planned for Erie, Pennsylvania, and Columbus, Ohio. But Indianapolis and other cities are maintaining the virtual events from last year or planning substitutes for a parade.

Read Next: 2021 Veterans Day Deals, Discounts and Freebies

In Texas, Houston and Dallas are planning Veterans Day parades on Nov. 11, but San Antonio canceled its event because of COVID-19 public health concerns. Similar concerns have nixed the parade in Long Beach, California.

The reluctance of other cities to resume Veterans Day parades to guard against the pandemic was noted by Mark Otto, president of the United War Veterans Council, which is sponsoring the nation's biggest Veterans Day parade in New York City.

"With the uncertainty over COVID, I think we're very happy just to be enjoying a traditional parade again," said Otto, a former Marine corporal and veteran of the invasion of Panama and Operation Desert Storm.

"We're still going to be cautious, going to be safe, but it's going to mean a lot to New Yorkers since it's [this year] also the 20th anniversary of 9/11."

The parade -- featuring 200 marching units, floats, veterans of all services and vintage vehicles -- will step off at 12:30 p.m. Nov. 11 and proceed up Fifth Avenue from 28th to 45th Streets.

This year, the Air Force will be the parade's featured service, and Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown Jr., the Air Force chief of staff, is expected to attend as a special guest.

Retired Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Kevin Carrick, who served more than 20 years with the New York Air National Guard's famed 106th Rescue Wing, based in Westhampton, Long Island, was chosen as grand marshal for this year's New York parade. The 106th has participated in numerous sea rescues and combat zone deployments over the years, and was the first military search-and-rescue unit at Ground Zero following the 9/11 attacks.

Some cities have already held their events. In Philadelphia, 250 motorcyclists led the way Nov. 7 for 30 veterans organizations in a parade that started at Juniper and Market Streets.

The theme for Atlanta's Nov. 6 parade was "The Last Hundred Yards," honoring the infantry of the Army and Marine Corps. Charleston, South Carolina, held a parade and flyover Nov. 6. St. Louis' Nov. 6 parade went from Union Station along Market Street to the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum.

In Denver, the Colorado Veterans Project held a "Stationary Parade" on Nov. 6 that allowed spectators to visit displays on the 16th Street Mall. "With the rise in the Delta variant and the closure of Civic Center Park, we decided to pivot to an open all-in-one event for the Parade & Festival to enable social distancing," the project said in a statement.

Otto said he had not detected any lack of enthusiasm or support for veterans as a result of the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war.

"I don't think Americans are going to feel any sense of negativity toward our troops as a result of what happened in Afghanistan," he said. "I think it's quite the opposite. When you're a service member, you don't get to pick the war you go to.

"They served with honor. They should have pride in their service and what they've done for our country. I only see support for our post 9/11 vets," Otto said.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.

Related: 2021 Veterans Day Free Meals and Restaurant Deals and Discounts
The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration.

Chairman Mao did not include the maxim "train like you fight" in his little red book, but the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) submarine force clearly understands it well enough. Its simulated cruise missile attack on the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) in 2015 revealed how much Chinese capabilities and ambitions had grown since 2006, when a Song-class diesel-electric submarine surfaced within torpedo range of the USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63). Long-range, antiship cruise missiles (ASCMs) launched from a growing fleet of diesel submarines represent the pacing tactical threat for naval surface forces. The carrier strike group needs more and better antisubmarine warfare (ASW) platforms to defend against these increasingly potent weapons and defeat their stealthy launch platforms from standoff ranges. Fortunately, a variety of existing and emerging technologies can help distribute more sensors and more weapons on more platforms and catalyze novel operational concepts.

The Threat

In 2005, China bought eight Kilo-class submarines equipped with the SS-N-27 "Sizzler" ASCM, which boasts a 120-nautical mile (nm) range with a sea-skimming cruise followed by a terminal supersonic sprint. At the time, these missiles represented the worst-case submarine threat to carrier strike groups or surface action groups.

The Chinese submarine force has since gained even more powerful weapons, while also growing in size and proficiency. The Department of Defense's annual report on Chinese military capabilities noted that China's "Song-class SS [13 hulls], Yuan-class SSP [17 hulls and counting], and Shang-class SSN [6 hulls] will field the PLAN's newest domestic submarine-launched YJ-18 and its variants, which constitute an improvement over the SS-N-27 ASCM. [] The YJ-18 is a long-range, torpedo-tube-launched ASCM with a supersonic terminal sprint." China already has more than 40 submarines capable of firing long-range and supersonic ASCMs, with new shipyards churning out more hulls at a worrying pace. Coupled with effective reconnaissance and over-the-horizon targeting, a few of these submarines could devastate a strike group almost anywhere in the theater with a massed, multiaxis attack.

Status Quo Falls Short

The emergence of Chinese submarine-launched antiship cruise missiles with third-party cuing means the submarine threat extends far beyond the reach of organic carrier-based helicopter ASW screens, which are fulfilling a mission to mitigate the threat of submarine-launched torpedoes. The MH-60R simply lacks the range, speed, and payload to conduct extensive searches at the ranges needed to protect the group from submarine-launched ASCMs.

The basic logic of distributed maritime operations applies to this increasingly difficult ASW problem: distribute more sensors and more weapons on more platforms, with better integration, to counter a greater threat. Though tactical ballistic missiles and nuclear submarines get more press, this potent threat must be countered if the Navy is to retain a credible conventional deterrent in the Indo-Pacific.

The F/A-18s infrared search-and-track system could be used to detect missile launches even beneath cloud cover. F/A-18s, F-35s, and even MQ-25s could also carry more advanced, mobile, sonobuoy-form payloads that could autonomously detect, track, and trail target submarines for hours. Credit: U.S. Navy. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shannon Renfroe)

Long-Range Detection and Speed of Attack

"Awfully Slow Warfare" describes how ASW often feels to those searching for a submarine over days or even weeks, but the relative time scale shrinks abruptly with an inbound missile. Defending against threat missiles such as the YJ-18, with an estimated range of 120290 nautical miles, requires sensors to detect them at launch and ASW weapons to quickly counterattack the emergent targets.

If targeted ships can only detect incoming ASCMs as they crest the radar horizon going Mach 3 and there is no datum (submarine location at lost contact), the threat submarine can continue firing salvo after salvo of these long-range weapons with near impunity. Fortunately, artificial intelligence (AI) can help integrate existing strategic and tactical sensors. Connecting these potentially stove-piped systems could give maritime forces near-instant alert of missile launches, including submarine-launched ASCMs, allowing these forces to both prepare their missile defenses and prosecute the hostile submarine with a vengeance.

Also from the U.S. Naval Institute:

The space-based infrared system (SBIRS) detected Iranian tactical ballistic missile launches and gave soldiers at the targeted base in Iraq time to seek cover.The system likewise could detect the launch plume of an ASCM missile booster. Airborne systems such as the F-35's AN/AAQ-37 Distributed Aperture System (DAS) and the F/A-18E/F Block III's infrared search-and-track system (IRST) pod could even detect launches beneath cloud cover. However, these sensors lack timely integration.

The Missile Defense Agency has long invested in AI to recognize ballistic missile launches and rapidly fuse data from several sensors, and similar techniques could integrate sensors against smaller ASCMs. After SBIRS or DAS/IRST-equipped aircraft detected a possible booster plume, this AI-fueled tactical decision aid could filter the location against known air and surface contacts, slew other sensors to search for the missiles and launch platform, assess the probability of a submarine launch, establish an ASW datum if relevant, and vector ASW aircraft -- all in a matter of seconds.

Long-Range Solutions for Long-Range Problems

Detecting a missile plume more than 200 miles away does little good for submarine prosecution if the only organic ASW asset is an MH-60R, because it would take more than an hour for it to arrive at the launch point -- where the submarine undoubtedly no longer would be. To credibly defend a carrier strike group against ASCMs, the Navy needs platforms that can get there quickly enough to threaten a submarine.

Just as the E/A-18G took over the EA-6B's mission with half the crew, a section of F/A-18Fs or F-35s configured for ASW could assume the role of the retired S-3 Viking and bring organic, fast, and long-range ASW back to the carrier air wing. An airborne ASW patrol could help pinpoint the target location with IRST, defeat inbound missiles with its own air-to-air missiles, and quickly reach the target area to both conduct an urgent attack and then deploy a range of sensors for follow-on prosecution. Rather than simply reinventing the S-3B on a new airframe, the Navy should use F/A-18s and F-35s to leverage smarter sensors, unmanned technology (including MQ-25s as wingmen), and novel weapons to track and attack distant submarines. However, because they lack the S-3's long loiter time, they would need a new toolkit of persistent, mobile sensors and over-the-horizon relays to enable a new operational concept.

New Payloads in Familiar Packages

Recognizing the renewed importance of ASW, industry has started fitting sonobuoy pods to a variety of unmanned platforms, including MQ-4C Tritons, MQ-8C Fire Scouts, and MQ-9 Reapers. F-35 Lightnings, F/A-18 Super Hornets, and MQ-25 Stingrays also should carry pods such as the L3 Harris Sonobuoy Dispenser System (SDS), but it is equally important that they carry sonobuoy-form payloads far more capable than the existing inventory. Existing sonobuoys do not move with the target, and environmental conditions rarely support a probable detection range of more than a few thousand yards. Consequently, legacy airborne ASW platforms must continually lay sonobuoys in front of evasive submarines to generate a deliberate attack solution. Mobile sonobuoy-form payloads, on the other hand, could autonomously detect, track, and trail target submarines for hours.

Stanford University researchers working for the Office of Naval Research recently conducted a lab demonstration using a sonobuoy-form unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to track a submerged submarine without getting wet. Dubbed the photoacoustic airborne sonar system (PASS), these low-flying drones use lasers to vaporize water near the surface to generate underwater sound, which propagates like any other sonar ping. The UAV also carries an array of capacitive micro-machined ultrasound transducers (CMUT), which are sensitive enough to detect sonar returns across the water-air barrier. Swarms of these airborne sonar sensors could cooperatively search the area and then track any detected submarines. Adding a magnetic anomaly detector to these UAVs could further corroborate a detected object as a submarine and not, for example, a whale.

Tactical environmental conditions with a strong thermal layer could trap these sounds in the surface or mixed layer sound channel and prevent them from ever reaching a deeper target. This acoustic reality applies to any surface-based sonar, however, not just PASS. Getting a mobile sensor beneath the layer would complement these PASS UAVs and give the target submarine nowhere to hide.

A multistatic system-of-systems could further improve search and localization of threat submarines. The P-8A Poseidon already employs this capability with specialized SSQ-125 sonobuoys and open-architecture sonar-processing suite. (U.S. Navy photo by Austin Ingram)

Like a much smaller, slower, and cheaper torpedo, unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) deployed from sonobuoy tubes could help see beneath this acoustic layer. The Mk-39 Expendable Mobile Anti-Submarine Training Target (EMATT) has served as an affordable target for decades. Mating parts of this proven system with a low-cost active sonar system, perhaps using a CMUT array, would give ASW crews a mobile and autonomous acoustic sensor. Changes in the sensor's sonar emissions, such as changes in the chirp profile or pulse repetition frequency, would alert other sensors and listening aircrew that the UUV had found something worth chasing.

Finally, an air-launched, medium-altitude UAV would allow fuel-limited jets to depart distant targets after deploying their weapons and sensors. These loitering drones would receive, bundle, and retransmit signals from the mix of airborne PASS UAVs and sonobuoys back to the carrier strike group, allowing ASW crews to continue tracking the target during gaps in manned aircraft coverage. Though such an air-launched UAV could launch from a sonobuoy tube, a larger UAV deployed from a bomb rack would allow longer loiter time. This overhead relay would also help tie distributed acoustic sensors into a novel multistatic sonar system.

Taking Multistatic Sensors to the Edge

Like most acoustic ASW systems today, both the PASS UAV and the EMATT-based UUV use bistatic sonar, with a collocated transmitter and receiver. While these tools would help the distant ASW fight, the Navy also should tie many other individual acoustic sensors, both new and old, into a multistatic sonar system-of-systems architecture to further improve search and localization. Unlike a bistatic sensor with a single transducer, any receiver in a multistatic system can process the echoes generated by any transmitter in the network, and by comparing return signals, the system can generate a target track. Serbian forces asserted that they employed multistatic radar to detect and shoot down an F-117 Nighthawk in 1999, and the P-8A Poseidon already employs the multistatic active coherent capability with specialized SSQ-125 sonobuoys and a powerful, open-architecture sonar processing suite.

Continuing advances in computing efficiency and power facilitate edge processing, that is, processing most data at the device, rather than at a central server such as the one on board the P-8A. This basic systems architecture underlies the Internet of Things and 5G, but it could also unlock the widespread use of inter-platform multistatic sonar.

A cycle for this edge-processed multistatic sonar would start with a network "standby" message, pre-announcing the location, depth, acoustic profile, and time of a pending chirp. Distributed acoustic sensors within the network would then listen -- first for the transmitted sound and then for any echoes. Each networked sensor, be it a passive sonobuoy, an active sonobuoy, unmanned surface vessel, or something else, would process these sonar returns locally and then broadcast its calculated target location along with the strength, direction, and Doppler shift of the return. This edge-processed multistatic sonar network would create a more complete acoustic picture, accelerating the localization and neutralization of threat submarines.

The edge-processing model also would enable sensors to listen passively for frequencies of interest and only transmit an alert message on hearing them. Although less useful than multistatic active sonar against a nearly silent diesel submarine drifting along on batteries, passive detection remains relevant for noisier nuclear submarines. The edge-processing model also would help preserve sensor battery life for both active and passive sonobuoys by reducing radio and sonar transmissions. Alternatively, shrinking the battery would allow each launching platform to carry more sonobuoys while still maintaining acceptable buoy life. However implemented, payloads and not the platform will dictate future ASW.

Attack! (Don't Track)

F/A-18s, F-35s, and MQ-25s need weapons to quickly engage threat submarines with an urgent attack and follow-up with deliberate attacks as needed. For the near term, the Navy should flight test the existing Mk-54 lightweight torpedo for these aircraft, ideally with the High-Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare Capability (HAAWC) guided wing kit. The same applies to the Compact Rapid Attack Weapon (CRAW), which weighs little more than an AIM-9X and could give these aircraft a capable ASW weapon for routine carriage.

These existing torpedoes have a major limitation: quantity. The Navy's stockpile of lightweight torpedoes is limited, as is shipboard magazine space for these highly volatile, chemically fueled weapons.

The Navy could create an affordable and nearly unlimited antisubmarine smart weapon by transforming the humble depth charge. Following the basic configuration of Quickstrike air-dropped mines, this novel depth charge would use any Mk-80 series bomb, a high-drag ballute tail unit, and an underwater proximity fuse installed in the rear fuse well. Capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducers, which also enable the PASS technology, would allow a low-cost, highly reliable sonar sensor. Water impact would shear off the tail unit, after which the fuse would deploy a drogue-stabilized omnidirectional sonar transducer as it fell through the water. The depth charge would detonate just past the closest point of approach with the target submarine to maximize damage. The aircraft carrier's magazine could store thousands of such fuses, ready to transform any Mk-80 series bomb into an instant ASW weapon.

Tag and Release

Finally, although the Navy needs more and better ASW weapons to attack threat submarines, it also needs better antisubmarine tools to manage conflict escalation short of armed conflict. During the Cold War, NATO ASW forces experimented with magnetic noise makers that were dropped in bulk on Soviet submarines, and used practice depth charges to warn off Soviet submarines during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Updating the magnetic noisemakers into low-cost and expendable command-activated acoustic beacons could help avoid such dangerous confusion during a future crisis, while also providing a tactical advantage if that crisis tipped into war. These could be deployed from repurposed Rockeye cluster munition dispensers, sonobuoy-shaped dispensers, or with more precision by UUVs such as the one proposed above.

No single emerging technology or novel tactic can solve the challenge of long-range, submarine-launched antiship cruise missiles. ASW platforms will have to not only detect launches but also get to them in time to prosecute them. The speed and range of fixed-wing, carrier-based aircraft equipped with sonobuoy launchers, mobile sensors, and advanced ASW weapons could help recover much of the S-3 Viking's capability. Weaving a variety of these emerging tools and techniques into new operational concepts can do that and more.

Since 1873, the U.S. Naval Institute has championed intellectual debate on key issues for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. For more go to usni.org.
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3:49 pm: McFarlands deal guarantees him $2.5MM, reports Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (Twitter link). The deal contains an additional $500K in incentives, per Heyman, meaning the veteran southpaw could max out at $3MM.

10:30 am: The Cardinals have announced that they have re-signed left-handed pitcher T.J. McFarland to a one-year contract, the financials of which are not yet known.

McFarlands stay in free agency this year is much shorter than last year, when he signed a minor league deal with the Nationals in mid-February. He never got into a game with the Nats, however, being released in June to sign a minor league deal with the Cards and selected to their big league club a few weeks later. McFarland proved to be very effective down the stretch for St. Louis, logging 38 2/3 innings with an ERA of 2.56. His strikeout rate of 14.6% was well below average, but hes always gotten his outs on the ground, as evidence by his 63.7% grounder rate, which is right around where hes been throughout his career.

The Cardinals were evidently quite pleased with his performance, as they have quickly pounced and brought him back, less than 24 hours into free agency. With McFarland, Andrew Miller, Kwang Hyun Kim, Jon Lester, Wade LeBlanc and J.A. Happ all becoming free agents this week, that left Genesis Cabrera and Brandon Waddell as the only left-handed pitchers on the clubs 40-man roster. But the team didnt hesitate to address a clear area of need and have brought McFarland back to shore up the southpaw side of their bullpen.

Over nine different seasons, the 32-year-old McFarland has thrown 439 2/3 innings with an ERA of 3.95, 13.7% strikeout rate, 7.5% walk rate and 62.9% groundball rate.
Nov 14: Soriano has cleared waivers and been returned to the Angels, per Jack Harris of the L.A. Times.

Nov 7: The Pirates announced that right-hander Jose Soriano has been designated for assignment. The move opens up a 40-man roster spot for infielder Diego Castillo, whose contract has been selected to the 40-man.

Soriano threw only 3 2/3 innings for Pittsburghs A-ball affiliate in Bradenton this season, as the 23-year-old had to undergo his second Tommy John surgery in as many seasons. Soriano first went under the knife in February 2020 when he was still a member of the Angels organization, but the Pirates rolled the dice and selected Soriano in last Decembers Rule 5 draft.

Sorianos latest surgery took place in mid-June, so considering the usual 13-15 month timeline for TJ recoveries and the fact that this is already Sorianos second operation in such a brief period, it certainly doesnt seem like hell see any action during the 2022 season. Its a brutal outcome for a youngster who showed such intriguing promise when pitching in the Angels farm system, as Soriano drew plenty of attention thanks to his big fastball and strikeout numbers. Soriano has mostly worked as a starting pitcher, but he was seen as a potential power reliever or even a closer candidate thanks to his one-two punch of a fastball and curve, even if walks continued to be an issue.

Not to be confused with the veteran reliever of the same name, the Pirates Diego Castillo is a 24-year-old infielder who joined the organization from the Yankees this past July as part of the Clay Holmes trade. Castillo hadnt hit much over his first four minor league seasons, but after the canceled 2020 minor league campaign, his bat took a big step forward in his return to action. Castillo hit .278/.355/.487 with 19 home runs in 440 total plate appearances in 2021, with those PA split over the Yankees Double-A team and the Pirates Double-A and Triple-A affiliates.

Between this development at the plate and his ability to play second base, third base, and shortstop, Castillo has put himself on the radar as a candidate to reach the majors next season. As noted by Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Castillo wouldve been eligible for minor league free agency if the Pirates hadnt put him on the 40-man roster.
Which financial sector regulator in India has the luxury of having 7,450 square feet office in high rent city Mumbai for just six officials?

Well, the answer is the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) that runs on policyholders' money, a senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told IANS.

One can play 'catch me if you can' there, the official added.

"It is IRDAI's 'kala pani' (the Cellular Jail or the colonial-era prison in Andaman during the British rule - where inconvenient officials to the powers that be are transferred out of Hyderabad," the official said.

Sources told IANS, IRDAI had taken on lease an office space of 7,450 square feet in Churchgate, Nariman Point, Mumbai in 2014, got it renovated at a cost of more than Rs1 crore, and opened its Mumbai regional office (MRO) in October 2015.

Since 2015, at any point of time, not more than 10 officers have been posted in the MROa luxurious 740 sq ft per official.

According to IRDAI officials, those working in the Mumbai office are from the inspection departmentofficials who inspect the books of regulated entities.

Strangely, the IRDAI in 2014 signed an MoU (memorandum of understanding) for taking about 25,000-30,000 sq ft office space on long lease in Mumbai.

To the questions raised under the Right to Information (RTI) Act on this, the IRDAI had replied that no progress had happened after the MoU while declining to share the copy of the agreement.

Sources told IANS that the purpose of having an office in Mumbai was to have its inspection department there as a large number of insurers and intermediaries are located in the western regionMumbai and Pune.

But strangely, the IRDAI did not shift the entire department to Mumbai but only a handful of officers were posted there - 'punishment posting for some officials', the IRDAI official alleged.

The official said several officials are flown from Hyderabad to Mumbai for onsite inspection and incur huge hotel, and travel bills.

"The IRDAI does not have any annual budget as it is flush with policyholders' money. Only those who are constricted for funds do chart out a budget," the IRDAI official added.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, inspections are done remotely. The same can be continued and save on costs, the official added.

Be that as it may, for a long time, insurance industry officials have been saying it is time to shift the IRDAI headquarters from Hyderabad to Delhi or to financial sector capital Mumbai where other major financial regulatorsthe Reserve Bank of India and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) are headquartered.

None of the insurers are located in Hyderabad, while a large number of insurers are headquartered in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Bengaluru, several industry officials told IANS.

Even the two industry lobby bodies - the General Insurance Council, and the Life Insurance Councilare based in Mumbai.

According to industry officials, IRDAI suffers the locational disadvantage in attracting multi-cultural financial sector talent that is available in abundance in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Chennai.

Owing to the political compulsions back in early 2000, the then Central government agreed to locate IRDAI in Hyderabad.

The government, sources say, can shift the operating office to Mumbai while keeping the registered office in Hyderabad as it had happened in the case of IDFC whose registered office is in Chennai while the corporate office is in Mumbai.

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.
We had mentioned in Fridays closing report that Nifty and Sensex may be range bound. On Monday, the indices opened higher and ended with major gain. On the National Stock Exchange (NSE), 1,101 stocks advanced, 910 declined and 90 remained unchanged with advance decline ratio of 1.21.

The trend of the major indices on Mondays trading are given in the table below:

In major news today, Cadila Healthcare will supply 1 crore doses ZyCov-D Vaccine to government at Rs 265 per dose and needle-free applicator at Rs 93/dose.

JBM Auto has been awarded order to supply 200 electric buses to Delhi Transport Corporation under FAME II EV policy.

Bank Of New York Mellon Corp has severed ties with Adanis Carmichael coal mine in Australia as it is not aligned with its ESG (environmental, social and governance) principles.

IndusInd Bank was trading lower due to whistle blower allegations regarding evergreening of loans in its MFI subsidiary Bharat Finance. Although the Bank has denied the allegations.

Major earnings declared today:

Britannias Q2FY22 revenue increased by 5.5% to Rs 3,607.4 crore and profit decreased by 22.9% to Rs 381.8 crore as compared to the same quarter last year. Margins declined by 430 basis points (bps) to 15.5%.

Balrampur Chini Mills Q2FY22 revenue was down by 5.9% to Rs 1,213.8 crore. Profit was up by 6.1% to Rs 83.1 crore compared to the same quarter last year.

Wockhardts Q2FY22 revenue increased by 20.7% to Rs 862 crore. Profit increased to Rs 33.5 crore as compared to Rs 3.3 crore in Q2FY21.

Karur Vysya Banks Q2FY22 net interest income (NII) increased by 13.1% to Rs 680.3 crore. Net profit was up by 44% to Rs 165.5 crore on a year-on-year (y-o-y) basis.

Shankara Building Productss Q2FY22 revenue increased by 24.1% to Rs 605.7 crore as compared to Rs 487.9 crore in same quarter of previous year. The profit stood at Rs 9 crore as compared to Rs 6.3 crore.

The top gainers and top losers of the major indices are given in the table below:

The closing values of the major Asian indices are given in the table below:
At the first meeting of the committee of creditors (CoC) which took place on 2nd November, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)-appointed administrator, Rajneesh Sharma, apprised the lenders about the status of the two crisis-ridden Srei companies corporate insolvency resolution process, as per regulatory filings.

Lenders of Srei Infrastructure Finance Ltd (SIFL) and Srei Equipment Finance Ltd (SEFL) have started voting on the four resolutions put forth by administrator to undertake a group insolvency resolution process for both companies. The voting started on 5th November and will end on 9th November.

Interestingly, the e-voting facility was set up only on 6th November although voting was supposed to have started on 5th November. On 8th November late evening, after this article was published, the voting timeline was subsequently extended to 10th November. Axis Trustee Services sent a fresh email to NCD investors with the updated voting timelines. Separately, Catalyst Trusteeship also shared the new voting timelines with NCD investors. On 10th November, just before midnight, Axis Trustee Services sent another email to investors that the voting has been extended yet again to 17th November.

In the CoC meeting on 2nd November , Mr Sharma informed lenders that BDO India was appointed to conduct transaction audits of both companies while AZB & Partners would be the legal counsel for the administrator.

Last month, AZB had represented the RBI as its legal counsel when Srei's promoter company, Adisri Commercial, filed a writ petition at the Bombay High Court (HC) seeking a stay on the regulator's move to supersede the boards of both bankrupt companies. The HC dismissed the petition.

The administrator is said to be considering a group insolvency (joint resolution) approach for both Srei companies. Only if more than 66% of lenders of each company vote for group insolvency, the administrator will need to make an application before the Kolkata bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to implement it.

EY has been appointed as the financial advisor of the administrator, while Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co is the legal counsel for the financial creditors.

In a regulatory filing last week, SIFL announced, "We wish to inform you that the 1st (first) meeting of the Committee of Creditors of the company was duly convened and conducted on Tuesday, 2nd November, 2021 at 11:00 AM in Kolkata. Separately, SEFL said in its regulatory filing that the first meeting of the committee of creditors of the company was convened on Tuesday at 2pm.

"At the aforesaid meeting, the administrator of the company apprised the Committee of Creditors about the status of CIRP since the initiation, composition of committee of creditors based on the claims received, various aspects relating to the CIRP, going concern operations of the company and the way forward in terms of the activities/milestones as stipulated under the code," both firms said in similarly worded respective regulatory filings.

The first resolution put up for voting seeks the approval for the CIRP (corporate insolvency resolution process) costs incurred/to be incurred by the administrator during the CIRP period for managing the operations of the company and carrying out the various activities as per IBC, 2016. The details are as per given above.

The monthly remuneration for the administrator is Rs4,50,000 along with car and accommodation facilities while an additional Rs1,75,000 per month will be paid to each of the three members of the advisory committee along with a monthly allowance of Rs25,000 each.

The resolution detail adds that Further keeping in mind the request made by the CoC members along with the administrator, the fees for process advisors have been reduced by approximately 18% from the initial quote.

The cost for appointment of independent valuers has been taken based on the two lowest quotes received. However, the evaluation for appointment of the valuers is still under process.

The second resolution seeks approval for following related-party transaction which are in the ordinary course of business as required per the provisions of Section 28(f) of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC 2016). The details are as given below.

The third resolution seeks approval for appointing J Kala & Associates Chartered Accountants, partnership firm, having Firm Registration No. 118769W allotted by The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) be hereby appointed as the Joint Statutory Auditors of the Company, in addition to the existing Statutory Auditors of the Company i.e. Haribhakti& Co. LLP., Chartered Accountants, to hold office w.e.f. October 29, 2021 till the conclusion of the 16th Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in the Calendar year 2022.

The fourth resolution seeks approval for reducing the notice period for calling the meeting of Committee of Creditor from 5 days to 2 days as per Regulation 19 of CIRP Regulations.

On 4th October, the RBI had superseded the boards of both Srei companies (SIFL and SEFL) and appointed Rajneesh Sharma as the administrator of the two crisis-ridden firms. RBI had followed this by appointing a three-member advisory committee to assist Sharma in the CIRP of the two bankrupt firms.

On 8th October, the banking regulator had filed applications for initiation of CIRP against SIFL and SEFL at the Kolkata bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).

Some lenders had earlier raised questions on the feasibility of the administrator taking control over the cash of subsidiaries since they are run by different boards and also because they may have different lenders. Lenders had even expressed fears that this could lead to litigation and further delay resolution. One of the suggestions by lenders was to appoint a director on the boards of the subsidiaries of Srei Infrastructure and Srei Equipment to monitor their operations.

For instance, Bharat Road Network, a subsidiary of Srei Equipment, has seven special purpose vehicles (SPVs) for strengthening expressways, of which two SPVs have been sold but lenders can access the revenues of the remaining ones. Srei also has a business interest in the energy and hospitality sector, so lenders may be able to access cash flows of these units as well.

Mr Sharma had also sought lenders' consent to propose a resolution in the first CoC on appointing Ernst & Young (EY) as financial advisor to the administrator. Two banks (lenders) are said to have earlier raised objections to this citing conflict of interest. It might be recalled that before being admitted for the corporate insolvency and resolution process, EY was advising Srei's promoters on debt restructuring and the proposed fund-raising exercise.

In one of the initial meetings, the RBI-appointed administrator had also discussed the possibility of restarting the lending business of both the Srei companies.

KPMG, which is conducting a forensic audit of both the Srei companies, is yet to submit its report to the lenders.

Meanwhile, large public sector banks (PSBs) have proactively made substantially higher provisions, ranging from 40%-100% towards their exposure to the Srei group . RBI norms require banks to make a general provision of 15% on their total outstanding exposure to a substandard asset. Unsecured substandard assets attract an additional provision of 10%.

This is due to the uncertainty over what a forensic audit of the account may reveal and the haircut lenders may have to take under the CIRP which is currently under way. Bankers want to avoid any ugly surprises which could be thrown up on the provisioning front in the coming quarters for the Srei group companies. Besides, the recovery from the resolution of Dewan Housing Finance Ltd (DHFL) and healthy profits during the second quarter have also given them enough room to manoeuvre these higher provisions.

The banks that have made higher upfront provisions towards their exposure to the Srei group include State Bank of India (SBI) 100%, Union Bank of India (UBI) 65%, Bank of India (BoI) and Central Bank of India 50% each, and Punjab National Bank (PNB) 40%). PNB has an exposure of Rs2,600 crore to the Srei group, UBI Rs2,558 crore, BoI Rs1,024 crore in direct exposure and Rs970 crore via pooled route, and Central Bank of India Rs1,149 crore. SBIs exposure is reportedly more than Rs2,000 crore.

In June 2021, SIFL disclosed that a report by the RBI has identified Rs8,576 crore of loans as related party transactions and directed SIFL to "re-evaluate the relationship with the said parties to assess whether they are related parties to the parent firm or SEFL and also whether these are on an arm's length basis."

SEFL, which provides financing for construction and mining equipment, IT infra equipment as well as healthcare and farm equipment had made expected credit loss provisions worth Rs4,685 crore for FY 2020-21. As per the RBIs directions, over and above this, the company made additional provisions worth Rs 4475 crore under the Income Recognition and Asset Classification Norms.

It has been a rough three years for the Srei group which at one point was almost close to coming out with an initial public offering (IPO). In January 2018, SEFL, the wholly-owned subsidiary of SIFL, had announced plans for diluting up to 25% of its equity capital through an IPO. Unfortunately, post the IL&FS crisis, the group was forced to shelve its plan to float an IPO due to lacklustre investor interest.

Despite opposition from lenders, the boards of both companies passed resolutions in July 2019 to implement the composite scheme of arrangement relating to slump sales with effect October 2019. Accordingly, RBI directed Srei to seek lenders' consent to implement this scheme. However, the slump sale was again rejected by lenders.

Subsequently, following the pandemic stress in the economy which led to an asset-liability mismatch, in December 2020, the Srei promoters proposed a scheme of arrangement seeking moratorium from all classes of lenders in order to implement a debt recast plan. Subsequently, Kolkata bench of NCLT also supported this and passed an order barring lenders from treating non-payment of dues by SIFL and SEFL as a default until all lenders agree to the new scheme of arrangement.

The NCLT order was set aside by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on 7th September, prompting lenders to classify both accounts as non-performing loans.

Just before being admitted to the NCLT, lenders had rejected the proposed slump sale of the leasing and lending business of SIFL to SEFL citing that the scheme was aimed at preventing the imminent collapse of SIFL, whose capital adequacy ratio had fallen below the regulatory requirement of 15%.
Weather Alert

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 5 PM MST MONDAY FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 112, 114, 115, AND 117... The National Weather Service in Great Falls has issued a Red Flag Warning for gusty winds and low relative humidity, which is in effect from 11 AM to 5 PM MST Monday. The Fire Weather Watch is no longer in effect. * AFFECTED AREA...Eastern Glacier/Toole/Central/Eastern Pondera/Liberty, Lewis and Clark National Forest Rocky Mountain District-Rocky Mountain Front, Chouteau and Fergus Counties and Central and Eastern Lewis and Clark National Forest Areas. * WINDS...Southwest 20 to 30 mph, with gusts near 50 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...Around 15 percent. * IMPACTS...Fire ignitions could spread rapidly in rangeland areas where receptive fuels are available. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior. Please advise the appropriate officials or fire crews in these areas of this Red Flag Warning. &&
The band Kikagaku Moyo is made up of a group of five friends who began their journey to international touring status by busking on the streets in Tokyo, Japan.
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November 08, 2021 A Look Back At Russiagate The Steele dossier about Trump and Russia has now been fully debunked as a collection of made up stories that it had obviously always been. That it took nearly five years to be officially acknowledged as such points to undue power of media who had pushed it. Today I went down into the Moon of Alabama archive to look up when and what I had first written about it. I am quite happy to have found that I had been on top of the issue. But first a recap from Thursday's story to bring everyone up to speed: The 2016 Clinton campaign paid the legal firm Perkins Coie to produce dirt about Donald Trump. A Perkins Coie lawyer hired Fusion GPS, a shady 'research' firm run by a former Wall Street Journal reporter. Fusion GPS hired the British private spy company Orbis to find (or makeup) the Trump dirt it needed. The 'former' British MI6 spy Christopher Steele of Orbis was tasked with developing a dossier about Trump. Steele hired Igor Danchenko, a Russian living in the United States, to come up with Trump-Russiagate stories. Danchenko's problem was that he had no sources. But he also worked for Chuck Dolan, a Clinton operative who was also working to hold a business conference in Moscow and knew some Kremlin related people.

...

Clinton operative Dolan fed Danchenko several stories which Danchenko then dramatized and sent to Steele. Steele revised those stories and put them into his 'dossier'. This was then peddled by Fusion GPS and Steele to the media and the FBI. Some of the tales Dolan fed to Danchenko were simply taken from media reports. In October 2016 The FBI used the Steele dossier to get a wiretap application to snoop on the Trump campaign. It continued to use the Steele dossier to renew its snooping application even when it already knew that the dossier was nothing but nonsense. The media had loved the dossier and used it as a weapon against Trump. See Aaron Mate writeup for the details on that. Russiagate has no rock bottom

The indictment of the Steele dossier's key source newly humiliates the Clinton campaign, FBI, and US media. The dossier was first published by Buzzfeed on January 10 2017, ten days before Trump's inauguration. It was not a single sensation but part of a much larger campaign. Even before it came out there was already a flurry of rumors and media screeds about alleged Russian involvement in the U.S. election. On January 6 2017 I had found that all those claims had on thing in common: There was zero evidence to support them and they had, all together, a 'higher' political purpose. New Intelligence Report Adds No Evidence Of "Russian Hacking" (Updated) When Hillary Clinton was defeated in the U.S. presidential election the relevant powers launched a campaign to delegitimize the President elect Donald Trump. The ultimate aim of the cabal is to kick him out of office and have a reliable replacement, like the Vice-President elect Pence, take over. Should that not be possible it is hoped that the delegitimization will make it impossible for Trump to change major policy trajectories especially in foreign policy. A main issue here is the reorientation of the U.S. military complex and its NATO proxies from the war of terror towards a direct confrontation with main powers like Russia and China.

...

The current emphasis of the campaign is on the release of emails and papers from the Clinton campaign through Wikileaks. It is alleged that some releases were gained through hacking, planned and executed by the Russian government. Trump had announced that he plans to seek good relations with Russia, the power that the cabal had earlier chosen as the new enemy de jour. But there is a problem. There is no real evidence that a "hack" ever happened. There is no evidence that Russia is involved. None at all. Then came the Steele dossier. A day after it was published I again pointed to the lack of evidence and called it a fake: The Deep State Versus Donald Trump - New Smears And The Ukrainian Connection The deep state campaign against Trump opened new grounds today with the publication of completely fake and thereby unverifiable anonymous assertions which include the smear that Trump had some fun in a Moscow hotel and that Russian secret services are using that to manipulate him.

...

The anonymous former British operator hears from an anonymous asserted compatriot that two anonymous sources, asserted to have access to inner Russian circles, claim to have heard somewhere that something is happening within the Kremlin. They assert that Trump was supported and directed by Putin himself since five years ago while even a year ago no one would have bet a penny on Trump gaining any political significant position or even the presidency. There is a lot more of such nonsense in these new Hitler diaries. It is bonkers from a to z. It was easy to see that the dossier was a bunch of nonsense. There was no evidence for any of its claims and one part of it had already been proven to be false. The dossier claimed that Trumps lawyer/advisor Michael Cohen had been in Prague to hire hackers. Cohen had never been to Prague. But the media had been given its orders and irresponsibly acted on them. As Craig Murray wrote at that time: Michael Cohen has now stated he has never been to Prague in his life. If that is true the extremely weak credibility of the entire forgery collapses in total. What is more, contrary to the claims of the Guardian and Washington Post that the material is unverifiable, the veracity of it could be tested extremely easily by the most basic journalism, ie asking Mr Cohen who has produced his passport. The editors of the Washington Post and the Guardian are guilty of pushing as blazing front page news the most blatant forgery to serve their own political ends, without carrying out the absolutely basic journalistic checks which would easily prove the forgery. Those editors must resign.

...

As forgeries go, this is really not in the least convincing. It was very obviously not written seriatim on the dates stated but forged as a collection and with hindsight. There were a few others, who like Craig and me, could see the reality and talked about it: Mark Ames @MarkAmesExiled - 15:31 UTC  13 Jan 2017 One more time kids: the piss-Trump "kompromat" is 100% American: ordered by Americans, targeting an American, planted in American press It was the media that played the most malicious role in the whole affair. Make no mistake - the editors knew that the dossier was fake. Steele and Fusion GPS had been peddling it to them for months. They had tried to verify it and failed. But they did not tell their readers about it. They instead hyped what the various deep-state actor whispered to them about it. It was like the fake 'Weapons of Mass Distructions in Iraq' stories in the run up to the Iraq war. Only worse. On January 12 2017 I wrote another post about the dossier nonsense which looked deeper into the political motives behind the fake: President Obama, major U.S. intelligence heads, neoconservatives, the British government, Ukrainian "nationalist (aka fascist) circles and the Clinton campaign conspire against Trump and try to derail his announced policy changes. Trump has argued for better relations with Russia and for a concentrated fight in Syria and Iraq against ISIS and other Takfiris and Islamists. This endangers Obama's legacies of starting a new cold war with Russia and of pampering al Qaeda and ISIS to overthrow the Syrian government.

...

The fight as it is waged now is an attempt to redirect Trump's foreign policies and to generally lesson his foreign policy power. Back then I was optimistic that the campaign would fail to achieve its aims. While I did get most of Russiagate right it have unfortunately been wrong with that judgment. Trump survived the permanent 'Russiagate' onslaught but his policies towards Russia were seriously hampered and he ended up with creating more hostile relations with Russia. Meanwhile the deep state actors who had pushed Russiagate all ended up in lucrative positions at CNN and elsewhere. The 'journalists' who ran the fake stories got promoted. Those who had been right were given no recognition. Posted by b on November 8, 2021 at 18:54 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page 
Michael Jantzi, founder of Sustainalytics, tentatively gives the COP26 summit (the acronym for the United Nations Climate Change Conference) a good grade. My assessment is positive but the jury is still out, is what he says.

Below are his views.

Worries

Im not convinced that U.S. actions, at the federal government level anyway, are going to match some of the net-zero promises and well-intentioned rhetoric.

Significant challenges with the former administration, like pulling out of the Paris Agreement, are behind us. Although weve seen a meaningful and important change in tone and proposed direction, the Biden administration seems to be struggling on a number of fronts--the infrastructure bill is being held hostage by a senator from a coal-producing state, and the Build Back Better plan may not get implemented.

President Biden was circumspect at COP.

Wins

The India commitment [to cut emissions to net-zero by 2070] was important. Developing nations need to be a part of the transition, but to this point, their participation has been underwhelming, in part because developing nations havent carried through on their commitments to help fund that transition. The fact that India has stepped up with a pledge is a good thing, even if its for 2070.

The Brazil commitment [to end illegal deforestation by 2030 and become carbon neutral by 2050] was encouraging.

The announcement that the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, and the European Union will provide $8.5 billion to help South Africa transition away from coal is also a good thing.

I like some of the initiatives that were not energy sector-specific. On methane, which sometimes get missed in the discussions, 90-plus countries support reducing overall methane emissions by 30% by 2030, although Russia and China were holdouts. On deforestation, there were 100 countries pledging to end deforestation by 2030.

Aspirational is good

Big banks, institutional investors, insurance companies, and regulators announced that the amount of capital controlled by institutions committed to net-zero initiatives now tops $130 trillion, up from $5 trillion in 2020, according to the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero.

As it stands, no government, company, or investor that is signing up has achieved net-zero. Some companies and investors have a decent understanding of what net-zero means and how they get there, others not, and then theres everything in between. These initiatives are important not so much because of what they tell us about the state of play today, but when CEOs make a public commitment to achieve net-zero, theyre committing to infuse all relevant products and services from a net-zero angle going forward. Large financial institutions are committed to use the force of their assets in a more meaningful and comprehensive way than they have been.

This is aspirational, no question. But from my perspective, these companies, these blue-chip players, went through a governance process to decide to make this commitment. When you make a public statement, you plant your flag in the ground. It allows individuals and organizations to evaluate you and judge you on a standard that youve committed to. It gives investors the opportunity to say, Hey, you made this commitment publicly because you said it was good for business, and it needed to inform your business decisions going forward. Were holding you accountable.

Finally, when we talk about net-zero, its not just about carbon or climate. Its a conversation about a transition of our economy, and many of the business models that underpin it. Make no mistake, I think were talking about a mind bogglingly large transition. For many companies, it will mean a fundamental reexamination of what they do and how they choose to position themselves. All companies will experience an impact to their business models. The quicker we figure out which companies will be winners, survivors, or casualties, the better.

As narrated to Leslie Norton, Morningstar's editorial director, sustainability.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP)  American Girl dolls and the strategy board game Risk were inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame on Thursday in recognition of their influence on the toy industry. Sand, which the group called perhaps the most universal and oldest toy in the world, was also inducted.

All three were honored during a ceremony at the hall after winning over a panel of experts who voted for them from a group of 12 finalists.

Also in the running this year were four other competitive games: Battleship, The Settlers of Catan, Mahjong and billiards, as well as Cabbage Patch Kids, Masters of the Universe, Fisher-Price Corn Popper, the toy fire engine and the pinata.

Anyone can nominate a toy but to be considered, they must have withstood tests of time and memory, changed play or toy design and fostered learning, creativity or discovery.

American Girl dolls, the 1986 creation of educator Pleasant Rowland, were recognized for their exploration of the country's social and cultural history. The 18-inch historical dolls and accompanying books each offer insights into an era. For example, Molly McIntire is waiting for her father to return home from World War II.

The Truly Me contemporary doll line, with its diversity of skin tones, hair and gender, followed in 1995, letting children choose a doll that looks like them.

Rowland, 80, called the American Girl doll's inclusion an incredible honor.

Im so proud of the American Girl familypast and presentwho have been faithful stewards of this brand for more than three decades, helping to capture the hearts of an entire generation of girls, she said in an emailed statement.

Rowlands formula for combining doll play with history lessons worked, in her words, like chocolate cake with vitamins,' curator Michelle Parnett-Dwyer said. In an era when some education experts claimed that school curriculums paid little attention to history, this toy may well have filled a void.

Risk, based on the French game Le Conquete du Monde, was first published in the United States in 1959 and continues to influence other board games, hall officials said. It challenges players to control armies and conquer the world on a game board that is a map of continents.

Risk became one of the most popular board games of all time, inspiring a new corps of passionate gamers, and influencing other games which began the wargaming hobby  and by extension the Euro-games like The Settlers of Catan that many enjoy today, curator Nicolas Ricketts said.

Sand was honored for its opportunities for tactical, physical, cooperative, creative, and independent free play, according to the hall of fame, which is housed inside The Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, New York.

Children recognize sand as a creative material suitable for pouring, scooping, sieving, raking, and measuring, it said. Wet sand is even better, ready for kids to construct, shape, and sculpt.

Although some playthings can only be found online or in certain stores, sand has a global reach that most toy manufacturers would envy," chief curator Chirstopher Bensch said. "Its been a vehicle for play since prehistory, and anyone who has spent the day at the beach can understand the allure of this toy.

The class of 2021 joins 74 previous honorees.
BRADFORD, Pa. - Dustin Snyder was tired of the low wages, the 60-hour workweeks and the impossible-to-please customers, and so in early September the assistant general manager at a McDonald's here drafted a petition that laid bare months of building anger and frustration.

"We are all leaving," his petition threatened, "and hope you find employees that want to work for $9.25 an hour." Nearly all of his two dozen employees had signed it. A few added their own flourishes.

"We need a RAISE," one scribbled next to her signature.

"Piss off," wrote another.

Dustin, 21, could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he fed the petition into the fax machine in the McDonald's office, punched in the number for his bosses 80 miles away in Buffalo and hit send. Another low-wage worker rebellion in a season full of them.

A once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, a debilitating recession and trillions in government aid had caused something to shift in the world's largest economy. Hourly wages for fast food workers rose nearly 14% last year, the fastest growth on record. All over America people were quitting jobs at record rates. Even in a place such as Bradford, with its shrinking population and 30% poverty rate, low-wage service workers sensed that they finally had a little power.

Soon after Dustin sent the petition, the phone was ringing, and the regional supervisor in Buffalo was demanding to know who was behind it. Dustin's first instinct was to panic and plead ignorance. An hour later he called and confessed.

"I was trying to get better pay for my people," Dustin said.

"There are better ways to go about this," the regional supervisor replied. She had been thinking about boosting pay at the Bradford McDonald's, she said, but she was not going to give into threats or give up control. Because of the petition, no one was getting a raise. If the workers did not like it, they could quit.

Days earlier Dustin had accepted a job at a lumber mill that paid $11.50-an-hour, or 60 cents more than he made as assistant general manager. But he did not really want to quit McDonald's. He liked his co-workers, who had become some of his closest friends, and he liked being a leader. He just wanted some affirmation and a little more money, both for himself and his team.

Dustin asked his employees to gather around him in the kitchen. Egg McMuffins sat half made on the counter. A clock on the cash register that tracked the restaurant's drive-through times and transmitted the data back to corporate ticked away the seconds since their last completed order.

"Why would you want to work for a company that doesn't value you?" Dustin asked. He turned to one of the restaurant's longest serving employees. "You've been here for five years," he said. "What have you got for it? Nothing."

The workers, clad in their uniforms, ball caps and nonslip shoes, stared at him, unsure what they were supposed to do next. Dustin explained that he was leaving and locking up the restaurant. If they followed, he promised he would help them all find better jobs. "How many of you want to go with me?" Dustin asked.

Initially, there was silence. Then seven of the nine raised their hands. Two who decided not to join took seats at a table in the empty restaurant. The rest tossed aside their headsets and abandoned their posts at the drive-through and registers. Instead of racing to serve customers, they began making food for themselves: a Quarter Pounder, a large fries, an iced caramel coffee with whipped cream and extra pumps of caramel.

Dustin's anxiety, which had been building since he sent the fax, began to ebb. His co-workers were ebullient. "It's a walkout," one yelled as they headed out into an economy where low-wage workers, long-accustomed to feeling scorned, ignored and invisible, were realizing they suddenly had some agency.

- - -

In the restaurant's windowless back office, Dustin was calling Stephanie Kelley, the Bradford McDonald's general manager, to tell her what was happening.

"What if no one goes with you?" she asked.

"Everyone already said they were," Dustin replied.

Stephanie, 36, had recently accepted a job at a bank in town and, like Dustin, was finishing out her final two weeks. She'd spent nearly a decade at the Bradford McDonald's, working her way up from the bottom to the restaurant's top job. To join the protest was to throw away a reputation for hard work she had fought to build. To stay home was to abandon her employees.

"It won't look good to get fired from McDonald's," she told Dustin on the phone.

"I've already made up my mind," Dustin replied.

The discontent driving the Bradford workers and so many others had been there for years, an ever-present aspect of an economy that could be especially cruel to anyone without an education. The pandemic - the fights with customers over masks and the fears of falling sick - added to the strain. But it was the labor shortages, which extended to just about every part of the country, that caused workers' long-suppressed anger to burst into the open.

Unlike the strikes of an earlier era, most of the walkouts included no picket lines. Rarely did the workers even make demands. "WE ALL QUIT SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE," read the message last June on a Burger King marquee in Lincoln, Neb., where, according to the workers, the air conditioner had been broken for weeks and the temperatures in the kitchen soared past 90 degrees.

Sometimes, workers left behind notes for bosses and customers that resembled parting primal screams: "We will not work for a company that DOES NOT care!!!" employees at a Del Taco in Circleville, Ohio, wrote.

"The staff at this location has walked out because we were being treated poorly, overworked and underpaid," read a message from the employees of a Biggby Coffee in Toledo. Often the dashed-off notes became hits on social media, passed along by equally fed-up workers. Sometimes they would show up in a short segment on the local television news, before fading away.

Definitive numbers on these small-scale walkouts do not exist. The Bureau of Labor Statistics only tracks major stoppages that involve more than 1,000 workers. But Mike Elk, a labor reporter and founder of paydayreport.com, has compiled a database of 1,600 walkouts since March 2020 that included as many as 100,000 workers.

Stephanie was now deciding whether she wanted to be one of them. Like her staff, she had come to feel "degraded" and "belittled" by her bosses and some of the customers. The franchise owner had set the Bradford McDonald's starting wage at $9.25 an hour, while new workers at his McDonald's less than 20 miles away in Olean, N.Y., where the minimum wage was higher, were earning $15 an hour. The low pay had made it almost impossible for Stephanie and Dustin to retain workers and keep the restaurant running.

Stephanie's call with Dustin lasted only about a minute. She decided she could not let Dustin and their day-shift crew "do it alone." She hung up and texted the night shift staff. "I want you all to know that everyone on the day shift just walked out and quit," she wrote. She said she was joining the walkout - "Effective 10:51 a.m. I no longer work at McDonald's" - and encouraged the rest of the staff to quit too.

"I believe that you all are worth more than anything they're giving you," she continued. "I am proud of all of you. Every single one of you. Whether you quit or not, I am proud of you."

Then she drove to the McDonald's where she saw cars backing up in the drive-through. Most of the workers were gathered in the parking lot, laughing and smiling. The worker who had been with the restaurant for five years was sobbing. She had been swept up in the initial excitement of the walkout but was now worried about finding a new job and paying her rent. She was terrified of losing her subsidized apartment.

"We will help you get a job that pays better," Dustin reassured her. He and Stephanie were going to drive everyone to the Burger King, two miles away, where Stephanie knew the general manager and the pay started at $10 an hour.

Before Dustin locked the doors, he realized there was one last thing he wanted to do for his McDonald's customers. He could not find a pen so he snatched a blue highlighter from the back office. "Due to lack of pay we all quit," he scribbled.

In the parking lot, a half-dozen employees were waiting on him for rides to Burger King. The line of cars full of hungry and angry customers now wrapped around the building.

"Hey! We just want a Quarter Pounder and fries," a man called out to Dustin from his car.

"Well we just want to be paid more and treated better," Dustin replied.

- - -

Dustin and his co-workers had come to feel that no one understood what their jobs and lives were really like. The biggest frustration was the pay, which had been $8.25 an hour until the franchise owner boosted it by $1 a few months into the pandemic.

"We understand these are tough times," Enrico Francani, the owner wrote in a letter to the staff, explaining the increase.

"How can you say you understand tough times when you're only playing people $9.25 an hour?" Dustin recalled thinking.

The restaurant continued to lose long-serving shift managers throughout 2021 to entry-level jobs at Walmart ($13.75 an hour) and Tim Hortons ($12 an hour). The departures hit the restaurant especially hard at the beginning of the month, when disability checks arrived and customers had money to burn on burgers and fries.

"Can anyone go into work right now? They're down 6 shifts and drowning," Stephanie wrote on the employee group chat on Sept. 1, four days before the walkout.

A few minutes passed with no response.

"Anyone??" she asked again.

The only thing that seemed to matter to the corporate office were the numbers: revenue, drive-through times and the weekly tally of complaints. Once, Dustin worked 30 hours straight to prepare the restaurant for a health inspection. It passed, but the criticism from the bosses about the restaurant's cleanliness and his inability to retain employees continued unabated. Heavy turnover led to more mistakes and longer wait times for customers, who took their frustration out on workers who already felt stigmatized by their fast-food jobs.

"The hate is towards the wrong people," said Caitlin Cox, a shift manager, newly pregnant with her second child. "It's ridiculous." She was certain that customers, who regularly belittled the staff for enforcing mask mandates or botching orders, would judge her harshly for having a baby while "flipping burgers." And she had come to dread the thought of working at McDonald's while she was visibly pregnant.

The owner, ferried by his driver, typically visited the Bradford location just once a year, employees said, and not even that often once the pandemic hit. Dustin believed that Francani was relying on his Pennsylvania restaurants - with their low salaries - to offset higher costs in New York where he had to pay his McDonald's workers $15 an hour.

Francani did not respond to a list of detailed questions regarding his Bradford location. In a statement he said that he had initiated a series of "listening sessions" with workers and was adding paid sick leave and raising starting wages in Bradford. "We're very grateful for the outstanding efforts of the McDonald's Bradford team," he wrote.

McDonald's USA issued a statement in which it said it was "disappointed" by the poor treatment that employees endured at the Bradford restaurant: "The allegations shared in this reporting are deeply troubling and have no place in a McDonald's-branded restaurant. Quite simply, they are unacceptable."

Dustin understood that Francani was entitled to pay his Bradford workers more than 60% less than his nearby New York employees. "It's a good idea, but you're hurting people," he said. "At what price is it enough? At what point is it just not worth it? What's the cost of another human being to you?"

- - -

These were some of the questions that people in Bradford were fighting about in the immediate aftermath of the walkout. Less than an hour had passed before someone snapped a picture of Dustin's sign on the drive-through speaker and posted it in a Facebook group called "B----ing Bout Bradford."

Most of those weighing in on the McDonald's walkout were service workers: certified nursing assistants, waitresses, security guards and store cashiers who were barely scraping by themselves. Theirs were the voices of a place whose best days seem behind it. On Bradford's mostly empty Main Street, Art Deco, Italianate and Neo-Classical buildings loom as a reminder of an earlier era when the city was home to wealthy oil barons and hungry entrepreneurs. The Zippo factory, opened in 1932, still ships its iconic windproof lighters all over the world. But the region has been bleeding manufacturing jobs and people for years.

"Do you have the next great idea?" asked signs from the Bradford Area Alliance offering a $20,000 prize to help seed a local start-up. Set amid abandoned storefronts, the question came off as a plea.

Some speaking out on "B----ing Bout Bradford" blasted the work stoppage as an act of entitlement - another sign of America's moral decay and waning work ethic. "You got what you deserve when your paycheck came in," wrote a 41-year-old father of two young boys. "Probably didn't deserve that because it sounds like you were just there putting in time with bad attitudes instead of working to make your situation better."

Other commenters on the post called fast food "a high school job," whose long hours and low pay were supposed to spur young workers to strive for more. Dustin and his crew, they said, should "go back to school," "quit making excuses," get a second job or move to a city with higher wages and more opportunity. Or they complained about the service at the McDonald's ("I've never one f---ing time got my order right! Not once!") and derided the penmanship on Dustin's hastily scribbled sign. ("Maybe they should be home practicing their handwriting skills.") The McDonald's workers' demands to be seen and heard had broken some unspoken rule; their anger seemed to threaten Bradford's social order.

Others countered that big companies, such as McDonald's, had a moral obligation to pay their employees enough to survive. "We have families and bills and can't even get through with the pay we get," wrote a cashier at the Bradford Dollar Tree. And they called for a higher minimum wage to match the $15 an hour that workers were making in New York.

Just like the critics, the walkout's defenders cast the protest as a symptom of a much larger societal disease, made worse by the labor shortage and the long pandemic.

"People in the service industry are done with the disrespect," wrote a local physician. "I don't think it's just about the money. . . . Whether it's about flipping burgers or saving lives they crave gratitude and validation. Society has become so intolerant. So disrespectful. So judgmental. So cruel. Let's change it."

Soon some of the McDonald's workers were weighing in to explain themselves and defend their colleagues. "You have NO RIGHT to talk down on those workers when they take a stand and have had enough," wrote John Lockwood, who had worked at the restaurant for 20 years and had quit earlier that morning. "If you don't know what's going on behind the scenes, keep your f---ing mouth shut."

- - -

Of the Bradford McDonald's workers who remained after the waves of spring and summer attrition, five had intellectual or physical disabilities that made it hard for them to find work at a better pay, Dustin said. Two were 17-year-old girls who had quit school and were homeless. In the immediate aftermath of the walkout, one of those teenage girls, Shakira Griffin, was waiting in the McDonald's parking lot for Dustin to give her a ride to Burger King, where she planned to fill out an application.

She phoned her boyfriend and her mother. Neither answered. A few hours later, she texted both to let them know about the walkout. "Steph and Dustin is helping us get jobs," she wrote.

Shakira had started at McDonald's in March after her mother lost custody of her and her father and his new girlfriend had kicked her out of their house. Before she dropped out of high school in the spring, her teachers had tried to look out for her as best they could. Her favorite, a special-education teacher, had slipped her $25 to buy some bras and on her birthday, gave her a dark, green American Eagle hoodie that hung loosely on her skinny frame.

"I could tell you that it wasn't cheap!" said Shakira of the sweatshirt that she wore everywhere.

Like so many of her colleagues, Shakira had grown accustomed to being told she was not good enough: by teachers, fellow students and even her parents. Now she was jubilant. "I was doing stuff with people besides arguing," she said of the walkout. "I was standing up for myself and what I deserve. I've never done that before."

By nightfall a crew of $15-an-hour McDonald's workers had arrived from New York and reopened the drive-through, though the rest of the restaurant remained closed. The Bradford workers were still buzzing with excitement.

"Let's all stand outside the mcdonalds and riot. Hahaha," one crew member wrote on their chat.

"I love all you guys. You are amazing," another added.

"We'll be friends forever," wrote Matthew Arndt, who was developmentally delayed and autistic. "Remember my door. My heart is open."

Six years earlier, Matt had taken a Greyhound bus to Bradford from Tacoma, Wash., to visit a woman he met while playing a video game called "Second Life." The woman turned out to be married. Now, Matt, 32, lived with her, her husband and another developmentally delayed woman in a rotting brown and yellow two-story rental, which had no working furnace, black mold and bedbugs. Matt was the only one in the house with a job, and they had all come to depend on his salary to survive.

He had not been back to see his father or siblings since arriving in Bradford. His job at McDonald's was his refuge. His co-workers had become his family. Sometimes he and the rest of the night shift crew would finish work around 2 a.m. and walk two miles to the Sheetz coffee shop, where they would talk and eat mozzarella sticks, boneless chicken bites and burritos until dawn.

Matt texted his colleagues that the regional supervisor had called him and was trying to entice him to stay, but that he was not going to betray his friends.

"She's desperate now," he wrote.

"Yeah," agreed Shakira, who also had received a call. "She really is desperate."

The workers continued texting for several more hours. They complained about the people in town who were deriding them for walking out.

"People think fast food workers are lazy," one former crew member wrote. "All they want is their muffins and nuggets."

"Yeah, we ain't people," another replied.

They traded gossip about which workers might be staying. Several noted hopefully that the drive-through line at Burger King seemed longer than usual and that maybe the shutdown had scared some McDonald's customers away.

Someone suggested they rename their McDonald's group chat. Matt came up with the idea that they immediately and unanimously decided to adopt: "The McRejects."

- - -

Dustin rose at 4 a.m. and headed out the door to his car, still clad in his camouflage pajama pants and a hoodie. A month had passed since the walkout. It was his day off, but he had promised two of his former McDonald's crew members, who he had helped land jobs with him at the lumber mill, that he would drive them to work every day. Neither had cars.

"Jesus it's cold out this morning," Dustin's first pickup of the morning said as he slid into the passenger seat. "I left my window open last night and just about froze my balls off."

"Yesterday was colder," Dustin replied as he steered through Bradford's empty streets. The "check engine" light on his dashboard glowed.

Most of the McRejects found new jobs for higher pay at Burger King, Dunkin' and the Save-A-Lot grocery store. Shakira landed a $10 an hour position stocking shelves at a Crosby's convenience store and was living with her boyfriend's family. Matt and his best friend from McDonald's, David Putnam, were making $12 an hour at Tim Hortons doughnut shop. The extra money meant David, who was raising his 2-year-old son on his own, no longer needed donated food from the "Blessing Box" near his house. He had recently even been able to treat his mother and stepfather to dinner at the Hunan Buffet across the parking lot from his new job.

Matt's finances were still tight. One of his housemates had recently been kicked off disability, and he was using his extra pay to help cover her portion of the rent.

After just three weeks at the lumber mill, Dustin got a $1 raise to $12.50-an-hour, part of a companywide pay hike. He hoped the money would help him finally afford his own place. For the moment, he was paying his mom, who was on disability, and his stepdad, who did not work, about $850 a month to live in his childhood bedroom. The money helped to cover their rent and the food stamps they lost due to Dustin's income.

By this point in his life, Dustin had hoped to have moved out of his childhood bedroom. Shortly after high school he left Bradford in search of a better life in Maine, where he had helped a family from his church start a new congregation. He had considered going to college to become a pastor. "I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, and it felt meaningful," he said. But he did not have the money for school and fell out with his church. Lately, he said he felt as if he was "just kind of floating."

On this day, floating meant grabbing a few hours of sleep, playing video games and then heading back to the mill around 4 p.m. to take his friends home. They tossed their helmets and lunch pails in his car's trunk. The smell of sawdust clung to their clothes and filled Dustin's car. One of his friends was complaining about the job, which required them to stand in one spot for 10 hours a day lifting and stacking wooden boards.

"Ugh, the repetition," he said. "It just repeats and repeats and repeats."

"You gotta look at it a different way," Dustin countered. "It stinks because it is the same thing every day. Yeah, it's boring. But it's a good paycheck, and they treat you with respect and like a human being."

Most of the workers in Dustin's section had been at the mill for only a couple of months, and Dustin attributed the heavy turnover to the tedious nature of the job. He tried to fight off the boredom, as best he could, by asking questions about the different kinds of wood they processed and how the different machines worked. He chatted up the fork lift driver who had been at the mill for almost three decades and was making $30 an hour. If he could just make it to three months, Dustin knew he would qualify for a $300 bonus, a 401(k) and health insurance - something he had been without for more than three years.

"It's super easy," he said of the lifting and stacking. "You barely move." The downside was the monotony, which was numbing in a way that McDonald's had never been.

Weeks passed and Dustin found it hard to stop thinking about his old job. He missed the friendships he'd built at the restaurant. He missed the challenge and satisfaction that came with helping his intellectually disabled workers master a task. He missed being a leader.

When Dustin ran into one of the McDonald's Sunday regulars, who gathered at a back table to gossip and complain about their shrinking pensions, he quizzed him about service at the restaurant. The man grumbled about the rising price of coffee and the "haughty" new staff at the restaurant.

"We didn't get paid enough," Dustin replied, "but we tried to treat you well."

Whenever Dustin passed the McDonald's, he would take note of the number of cars lined up at the drive-through. "I think they're losing customers," he would often say.

About six weeks after the walkout, Dustin noticed that the owner had changed the sign on the restaurant's marquee. "Hiring starting at $10," it now read.

The 75-cent raise was all that he and his staff had really wanted and all that they had been fighting for. But, to Dustin, it still felt like a "slap in the face." His former bosses seemed to be sending him a message that their fight was never really about pay. It was about status and power and proving to Dustin and the others that, despite their modest gains and whatever changes might be taking place in the U.S. economy, they were still replaceable.

Dustin did not regret the walkout. He had "refused to bow down to the big scary corporation," he said. He had rallied his friends and helped them find similar work at higher pay. Dustin's lumber mill job would do for now. Maybe the meaning he had been searching for would come later.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Hundreds if not thousands of migrants sought to storm the border from Belarus into Poland on Monday, cutting razor wire fences and using branches to try and climb over them. The siege escalated a crisis along the European Union's eastern border that has been simmering for months.

Poland's interior ministry said it had rebuffed the illegal invasion and claimed the situation was under control. The Defense Ministry posted a video showing an armed Polish officer using a chemical spray through a fence at men who were trying to cut the razor wire. Some migrants threw objects at police. Video footage from Belarusian media showed people using long wooden poles or branches to try to get past a border fence as police helicopters circled overhead.

Defense Ministry video taken later Monday showed the migrants settling in for the night by the border, having put up scores of tents and cooking meals.

A coordinated attempt to massively enter the territory of the Republic of Poland by migrants used by Belarus for the hybrid attacks against Poland has just begun, a spokesman for Poland's security forces, Stanislaw Zaryn, said in a statement.

Noting that it's also NATO's eastern border, Zaryn stressed that the large groups of migrants ... are fully controlled by the Belarusian security services and army. He accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of acting to destabilize Poland and other EU countries to pressure the bloc into dropping its sanctions on Minsk. Those sanctions were put into place after Belarus cracked down brutally on democracy protests.

Piotr Mueller, Poland's government spokesperson, said 3,000 to 4,000 migrants were next to the Polish border on the Belarusian side.

Polish border officials said the border crossing in Kuznica, in the northeast, will be closed early Tuesday.

There was no way to independently verify what was happening. Journalists have limited ability to operate in Belarus and a state of emergency in Poland is keeping reporters and human rights workers out of the border area.

The massing of people at the border appeared to rev up the crisis that has being going on for months in which the autocratic regime of Belarus has encouraged migrants from the Mideast and elsewhere to illegally enter the European Union, at first through Lithuania and Latvia and now primarily through Poland.

Anton Bychkovsky, spokesman for Belarus State Border Guard Committee, told The Associated Press that the migrants at the border are seeking to exercise their right to apply for refugee status in the EU. Bychkovsky insisted they are not a security threat.

But the massive group was viewed as a threat by Poland and other European countries, including Germany  the main destination for many. Steffen Seibert, German Chancellor Angela Merkels spokesman, told reporters Monday that the Belarusian regime is acting as a human trafficker.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on the bloc's 27 nations to approve extended sanctions on the Belarusian authorities responsible for this hybrid attack.

She said two top EU officials  EU Commission vice president Margaritis Schinas and EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell  will travel to the main countries of origin for the migrants to ensure that they act to prevent their own nationals from falling into the trap set by the Belarusian authorities.

The EU said it hoped that Poland would finally accept help from Frontex, the blocs border agency, a step that Polands ruling nationalists have so far refused to do. Frontex would not comment Monday on the border situation.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price expressed concern with disturbing images and reports emanating from the Belarus-Poland border and stressed that the U.S. strongly condemns the Lukashenko regimes political exploitation and coercion of vulnerable people and the regimes callous and inhumane facilitation of irregular migration flows across its borders.

He said the U.S. was calling on the regime to immediately halt its campaign of orchestrating and coercing irregular migrant flows across its borders into Europe" and warned that if the regime refuses to respect its international obligations and commitments ... we will continue to pressure Lukashenko and will not lessen our calls for accountability."

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Twitter that more than 12,000 soldiers have been deployed to the border and a volunteer Territorial Defense force was put on alert. He also posted video footage of what appeared to be a large group of migrants in Belarus, near Kuznica.

Polish ministers held an emergency meeting on the border crisis, with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki writing on Facebook that Poland's border is sacred and not just a line on the map."

Poland's deputy foreign minister, Pawel Jablonski held talks with Iraqi charge d'affaires Hussein al-Safi on ways of ending the migration crisis and thanked Iraq for having Belarus close its consulates in Baghdad and Irbil that were giving tourist visas to migrants.

Meanwhile, in Poland's EU neighbor Lithuania, officials were preparing for the possibility of a similar incursion, with the Interior Ministry proposing to declare an emergency situation.

We are getting ready for all possible scenarios, said Rustamas Liubajevas, the head of Lithuania's border guards.

Since the summer, Poland and Lithuania have seen thousands of migrants from the Mideast and Africa trying to cross into the EU. Poland has sought to block the attempts or send those they catch back into Belarus.

Belarusian political analyst Valery Karbalevich told the AP that the Moscow-backed Lukashenko regime seemed to be trying to use the migrants to scare the EU.

The largest attack of migrants on EU borders is taking place three days after Belarus and Russia signed a new agreement on military cooperation. The Kremlin is at least aware of the details of whats happening, Karbalevich said.

___

Daria Litvinova in Moscow, Yuras Karmanau in Kyiv, Ukraine, Jan M. Olsen in Copehagen, Denmark, Liudas Dapkus in Vilnius, Lithuania, and Lorne Cook and Samuel Petrequin in Brussels contributed.

___

Follow all AP stories on global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration.
State Rep. Tom Craddick announced Monday he is running for re-election in Texas House District 82.

Craddick has represented the district since 1969. While the makeup of the district has varied through the years, District 82 will consist of Midland, Martin and Dawson counties.

There are important issues still facing all Texans and I enjoy every minute I serve in the Texas House, Craddick offered in a statement. Representing the folks of West Texas is what I love. Over the years we have seen some real success for West Texas and there is no reason to not continue the fight. I would be proud to again represent District 82 in 2023.

Craddick is the dean of the Texas House and the longest serving legislator in Texas history. He noted that there were eight Republicans when he was elected to the House at the age of 25 in 1968. In 2003, when Republicans took over a majority in House, Craddick was elected House speaker. Republicans havent lost that majority and they havent lost a statewide race since 1994.

Craddick worked to secure funding for the following related to House District 82 in the last regular and special sessions:

an additional $40 million in funds for a new mental health hospital in the Permian Basin,

$18.7 million to complete the expansion of the Physician Assistant program in Midland,

almost $2 million for the establishment of a new Permian Basin Rural General Surgical Residency Program,

$280,000 for additional support of full-time employees in the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service for chronic disease prevention.

Craddick also noted his support for multiple bills to improve the lives and businesses of Texans during the 87th regular session this year. Those bills included protecting the right to worship during a public health closure, additional funds for classroom teachers, a balanced and conservative budget, the prenatal Heartbeat Act which prohibits an abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected and constitutional carry.

There is still unfinished business in Texas, and I look forward to being a voice for West Texas in the years to come, Craddick said.
The city of Conway is expected to receive a $1 million grant from the South Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority to fund a $9 million wastewater infrastructure project that will help during natural disasters and heavy rain events, the city announced Monday.

The funds will be used for the Crabtree Force Main project and the construction of the Park Hill Pump Station. The project, which is already underway, is expected to be complete by August 2024.

John Rogers, deputy city administrator and grant coordinator, said the city is thankful to the SCRIA for its continued investment in Conways infrastructure upgrades.

This grant provides continued critical funding to the city of Conway to upgrade our sewer system to handle the level of growth weve seen over the past few decades, Rogers said. This project is critical to any future economic development and is equally important for us to continue providing the level of service our residents and business owners expect.

The city announced earlier this year that it was awarded $6 million worth of initial funding for the project, which is projected to cost $9 million.

The next steps of the project are to procure qualified firms to complete the project, according to the city.

The two parts to the proposed project include upgrades to Crabtree Pump Station near Mill Pond Road in the Crabtree Swamp area and a new pump station off Church Street in the Park Hill area.

The Crabtree Pump Station was identified as the most critical water and sewer infrastructure project for the city, according to city officials. The pump station handles about one third of the citys population and the flow from the entire city of Loris, Town of Aynor and parts of North Myrtle Beach.

The current wastewater infrastructure is operating inadequately at levels above capacity, the city said in a release Monday. When disaster strikes, the effects are devastating on this already strained infrastructure.
Horry County police on Friday arrested a 17-year-old and charged him with murder in connection to the late-October shooting death of a man on Shore Drive in the Myrtle Beach area of Horry County.

Leo Watkins of Henderson, North Carolina, is charged with murder and criminal conspiracy.

As of Monday morning, he is being held at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center. Bail has not been set, jail records show.

The victim, 49-year-old Patrick Smith of Marshville, North Carolina, was shot the night of Oct. 29 or the early morning of Oct. 30, according to law enforcement.

Officers responded around 3 a.m. Oct. 30 to the 900 block of Shore Drive in the Myrtle Beach section of Horry County in reference to an intoxicated male and found the injured victim lying on the sidewalk, according to a police report.

EMS tried to move the victim and discovered that his right arm was broken, the report said.

The man was intoxicated but responsive, and told EMS personnel that he thought he was hit by a car, the report said. The coroner's office said the man died of a gunshot wound, but the report notes that officers were unsure of the man's injuries at the time.

He was taken to the hospital and died of his wounds.
Chronic absenteeism affected about 1 in 5 Illinois students during the past school year  with 21% statewide missing 10% or more of school days, according to a yearly report card on education in the state.

For most school districts, that would be 18 to 20 school days.

The Illinois State Board of Education cautions that the suspension of in-person instruction during the pandemic could have significantly impacted the numbers. Still, the data presented in the newest Illinois Report Card is one of the first district-level looks into some of the effects of COVID-19 on the public school system.

The data does not go into detail about how many of the absences were excused.

Jacksonville District 117 stayed steadily below the state chronic absenteeism rate, with 14% of its students being labeled as such during the past school year.

That rate was unchanged from what it was the prior year, according to the state, but was dramatically lower than 2018  when it was at 18% compared to the state average of 17%  and 2019, when it reached 24% while state averaged 18%.

The U.S. Department of Education determined in 2016 that chronic absenteeism is a serious concern, affecting more than 7 million students a year nationwide  about 1 of every 6 students. It also estimated 2% of students are absent 25% or more of schools days.

Beginning in the early years, students who are chronically absent are much less likely to read at grade level by third grade, making them four times more likely to be pushed out of high school compared with their peers, according to a report by Valerie L. Marsh for the American Federation of Teachers. In other words, low attendance in elementary school predicts low attendance throughout schooling.

Chronic absenteeism tends to affect students of color and lower-income students more significantly, according to demographic information provided by the state.

Some west-central Illinois school districts saw significant year-over-year increases that took them well-above the state 21% mark.

Beardstown school district in Cass County recorded a 31% chronic absenteeism rate among students last year, according to Illinois State Board of Education data. The year prior, the school district was at 12%, which was just slightly over the states 11% average.

Superintendent Michael Smith said he doesnt know what caused the large spike in rate change last year.

I dont know how things were coded on attendance last year due to Beardstown being in and out of school during COVID since I was there, Smith said. Smith started as superintendent for the district this school year.

Pleasant Hill schools in Pike County saw an 18 percentage points increase from two years ago to last year, going from 10% to 28%, according to the state. Likewise, Franklin school district jumped from 6% two years ago  well-below the state average  to 27% last year, according to Illinois Report Card information.

Chronic absenteeism rates for other school districts in west-central Illinois, according to the Illinois State Board of Education, were:

Morgan County

Meredosia-Chambersburg  21% (13% year prior); Triopia  9% (5% year prior); Waverly  19% (11% year prior).

Brown County

Brown County schools  11% (8% year prior).

Cass County

A-C Central  14% (9% year prior); Virginia  21% (10% year prior).

Greene County

Carrollton  27% (9% year prior); Greenfield  9% (7% year prior); North Greene  21% (13% year prior).

Pike County

Griggsville-Perry  17% (6% year prior); Pikeland  25% (7% year prior); Western  16% (10% year prior).

Scott County

Scott-Morgan  21% (9% year prior); Winchester  21% (9% year prior).
Forrest Keaton feels an affinity for a three-time presidential candidate.

As I looked out the door of my office, I could see where he would have been sitting in 1883, said Keaton, a longtime Jacksonville resident.

Keatons office during his legal career was at 232 W. State St. in Jacksonville, which happens to be the same building used by William Jennings Bryan during his brief period of practicing law in the city. Bryans inauspicious beginnings in Jacksonville helped to launch a political career that saw him running for president on the Democratic ticket in 1896, 1900 and 1908.

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Keatons interest was sparked by a paper he wrote for the Jacksonville Literary Union around 2002. Keaton had recently learned that the building where he practiced law was also where newly minted attorney Bryan had set up shop. Upon further research, Keaton discovered this his own office was just across the hallway from where Bryan was located.

Keaton bought a vintage copy of The Memoirs of William Jennings Bryan on EBay and learned more about how Bryan, an 1881 Illinois College graduate, had gone on to law school in Chicago before returning to Jacksonville in 1883 to start his law practice.

He described in his memoirs that he nailed up his modest sign that said W.J. Bryan, Lawyer, then he awaited what he hoped would be the rush of clients, Keaton said. He had been provided desk space by some lawyers who were friends of the family. Bryan would hear footsteps approach, but then prospective clients would turn into one of the other lawyers offices.

His practice at first was primarily to collect bad debts for the barkeepers in Jacksonville, one in particular who had been a friend of a family member, Keaton said. Bryan was a non-drinker, and in his memoirs he talks about having to come to grips with the fact that he didnt drink. But he thought that anybody who bought the drinks ought to have to pay for them.

Bryan left Jacksonville in October 1887 and became involved in Nebraska politics. He eventually parlayed that into three campaigns for president. Bryan was a gifted orator and his Cross of Gold speech that proposed the unrestricted use of both silver and gold as legal tender in the United States secured him the 1896 Democratic presidential nomination at the age of 36. Although he lost the 1896 election to William McKinley, Bryan became the youngest person in U.S. history to receive an electoral vote.

Bryan lost again to McKinley in 1900 and to William Howard Taft in 1908. He became famous thereafter on the speaking and Chautauqua circuit, and returned to Jacksonville for the citys centennial celebration in 1925.

I decided to write the literary union paper in first person, as if I were William Jennings Bryan coming back to Jacksonville in 1925, Keaton said. He became a public figure at a very early age and was a brilliant orator. He talks in his memoirs about working on his public speaking skills near what is now Diamond Grove Cemetery in Jacksonville.

Keaton acquired other original materials as his interest in Bryan grew. He bought an 1896 campaign lapel stud as well as some original sheet music titled William the Conqueror written by Jacksonville resident Florence Tunnison Duncan for Bryans third campaign in 1908.

Keaton was also fortunate enough to acquire an original postcard that Bryan sent from Moscow, Russia, to some Jacksonville friends.

After Bryan had lost the second election for president in 1900, he went on a European trip with his son, William Jennings Bryan Jr. In the course of that trip, he met with Leo Tolstoy in Russia, Keaton said. He sent a postcard with a short inscription to Millard Fillmore Dunlap, who was affiliated with the Ayers Bank and became treasurer of the Democratic National Convention. It was also addressed to Owen Pierce Thompson, who was a local judge, and Charles Barnes, who was an attorney and judge.

Keaton has donated donated all of the Bryan items to Jacksonville Area Museum, where he is a regular volunteer.

He was a fascinating man. He had deeply held convictions, some of which you might agree with and some of which you might not agree with. Keaton said. It would be interesting to talk to him now. Id like to have him take a look at what is going on in the United States political arena and say, is this what you would have wanted to happen?

Bryan also achieved lasting fame for his participation in the so-called Scopes Monkey Trial in Tennessee, a legal battle about teaching the theory of evolution in public schools. The trial inspired the book and movie Inherit the Wind.

I think that portion of his life is the most misinterpreted. He certainly had beliefs, but perhaps they were mischaracterized in the play and movie, Keaton said. Hes kind of portrayed as a bumbling religious fanatic and thats probably not the person that he truly was.

Like the Salem-born Bryan, Keaton, who hails from Valmeyer, also came to Jacksonville to practice law. He graduated from Bradley University in 1974, received his law degree from the University of Illinois law school and, to fulfill his college ROTC commitment, Keaton went on active duty with the Air Force. He was stationed in the United States and Spain before finishing active duty in 1982.

Keaton, his wife Helen and their then-15-day-old baby moved to Jacksonville that year, and Forrest joined what was then known as the Rammelkamp, Bradney, Hall, Dahman and Kuster law firm. Keaton worked for the firm for 39 years and became a partner.

Helen didnt grow up in Illinois and had only been in Illinois once or twice, so her first question was, do they have any trees there? Keaton said. I assured her that yes, there was the single town tree on the square and that every year on Arbor Day the citizens would gather around that tree and recite Joyce Kilmers poem and then they would all go home for another year having seen the tree. I had her believing it for a couple of days.

Meanwhile, Keaton remained with the Air Force Reserve and reported for the first day of a new assignment at the Pentagon on Sept. 10, 2001.

The good news is there wasnt enough room for us in the Judge Advocate Generals Office in the Pentagon, so we were down the road about a mile and a half in Rosslyn, Virginia, when the plane hit the Pentagon during the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, Keaton said.

The Keatons have been active in Jacksonville, and Forrests community service has included a 30-year involvement in Kiwanis and a stint on the Jacksonville Library Board.

I grew up in a small town and when I came back to Illinois from active duty in the spring of 1982 and interviewed at several locations, my criteria was, I was not going north of I-80, Keaton said. I wanted to be in a downstate city that would be enjoyable for the new family that I had. Jacksonville has been a good fit.
South Jacksonville trustees are scheduled to meet in special session at 7 p.m. today in Village Hall, 301 Dewey Drive.

The meeting is to discuss Jacksonville Affordable Housing with attorneys John Wolters, Jayne Lourash and Tammy Miller.
A three-judge federal court panel has set the week of Dec. 6 as the time it will hear three consolidated cases challenging new legislative district maps drawn by Democrats and signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker earlier this year.

During a status conference held by teleconference Friday, U.S. District Judge Robert M. Dow Jr., who presides over the panel, said that while not all of the logistics have been worked out, the hearing will most likely be held in-person in the ceremonial courtroom of the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago.

State lawmakers approved the new maps during a special session in August following the delayed release of detailed 2020 U.S Census data. Pritzker signed them into law Sept. 24.

The maps establish the boundaries for all 118 districts in the Illinois House and 59 districts in the state Senate. But three groups of plaintiffs are suing in federal court arguing that the redistricting plan violates both the U.S. Constitution and the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Each of the lawsuits claims that the new maps break up concentrated areas of minority voters who tend to vote as a bloc, thus depriving them of their right to elect candidates of their choice.

One lawsuit, filed by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, focuses exclusively on largely Latino areas of Chicago and its southwest suburbs.

Another, filed by the East St. Louis Branch of the NAACP and other civil rights groups, argues that the new maps in East St. Louis and the Metro East region unfairly breaks up the Black voting population in Democratic Rep. LaToya Greenwoods district in order to protect white Democratic incumbents in neighboring districts.

The other lawsuit, filed by Republican leaders of the General Assembly, Sen. Dan McConchie and Rep. Jim Durkin, along with their respective GOP caucuses, argues many of the same points as the other two cases.

All three lawsuits name the Illinois State Board of Elections, Senate President Don Harmon and House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch as defendants.

Dow indicated that the case is being put on an expedited schedule in order to accommodate the 2022 election cycle. Under the current schedule, candidates can begin circulating nominating petitions on Jan. 13 and those petitions must be submitted to the State Board of Elections the week of March 7-14. In order to do that, though, candidates need to know what district they will be running in.

During Fridays status conference, all of the plaintiffs agreed to submit their proposed remedies to the court by Wednesday, Nov. 10. That gives the defendants until Monday, Nov. 22, to file their response.

Sean Berkowitz, an attorney representing Harmon and Welch, said he does not intend to submit a new plan but instead will defend the maps passed by the General Assembly. An attorney for the State Board of Elections said she did not plan to submit any filings and would just passively monitor the proceedings.

Attorneys for each of the plaintiffs said they do not plan to redraw all 177 House and Senate districts but will focus only on the areas of the state they are contesting.

That would be the Metro East region for the NAACP, portions of Cook County for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and both the Metro East and Chicago areas for the Republican plaintiffs.

In addition to Dow, the other two judges hearing the case are U.S. District Judge Jon DeGuilio, chief judge of the Northern District of Indiana, and Judge Michael B. Brennan of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP)  Four astronauts returned to Earth on Monday, riding home with SpaceX to end a 200-day space station mission that began last spring.

Their capsule streaked through the late night sky like a dazzling meteor before parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida. Recovery boats quickly moved in with spotlights.

On behalf of SpaceX, welcome home to Planet Earth, SpaceX Mission Control radioed from Southern California. Within an hour, all four astronauts were out of the capsule, exchanging fist bumps with the team on the recovery ship.

Their homecoming  coming just eight hours after leaving the International Space Station  paved the way for SpaceX's launch of their four replacements as early as Wednesday night.

The newcomers were scheduled to launch first, but NASA switched the order because of bad weather and an astronaut's undisclosed medical condition. The welcoming duties will now fall to the lone American and two Russians left behind at the space station.

Before Monday afternoons undocking, German astronaut Matthias Maurer, whos waiting to launch at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, tweeted it was a shame the two crews wouldnt overlap at the space station but we trust youll leave everything nice and tidy. His will be SpaceX's fourth crew flight for NASA in just 1 1/2 years.

NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, Japan's Akihiko Hoshide and France's Thomas Pesquet should have been back Monday morning, but high wind in the recovery zone delayed their return.

One more night with this magical view. Who could complain? Ill miss our spaceship! Pesquet tweeted Sunday alongside a brief video showing the space station illuminated against the blackness of space and the twinkling city lights on the nighttime side of Earth.

From the space station, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei -- midway through a one-year flight -- bid farewell to each of his departing friends, telling McArthur "Ill miss hearing your laughter in adjacent modules.

Before leaving the neighborhood, the four took a spin around the space station, taking pictures. This was a first for SpaceX; NASA's shuttles used to do it all the time before their retirement a decade ago. The last Russian capsule fly-around was three years ago.

It wasn't the most comfortable ride back. The toilet in their capsule was broken, and so the astronauts needed to rely on diapers for the eight-hour trip home. They shrugged it off late last week as just one more challenge in their mission.

The first issue arose shortly after their April liftoff; Mission Control warned a piece of space junk was threatening to collide with their capsule. It turned out to be a false alarm. Then in July, thrusters on a newly arrived Russian lab inadvertently fired and sent the station into a spin. The four astronauts took shelter in their docked SpaceX capsule, ready to make a hasty departure if necessary.

Among the upbeat milestones: four spacewalks to enhance the station's solar power, a movie-making visit by a Russian film crew and the first-ever space harvest of chile peppers.

The next crew will also spend six months up there, welcoming back-to-back groups of tourists. A Japanese tycoon and his personal assistant will get a lift from the Russian Space Agency in December, followed by three businessmen arriving via SpaceX in February. SpaceX's first privately chartered flight, in September, bypassed the space station.

NASAs Kathy Lueders, head of space operations, said engineers would evaluate the lagging inflation of one of the four main parachutes, something seen in testing when the lines bunch together. Overall, though, the return looked spotless.

I cant tell you how excited I am to see all four of the crew members back on Earth, she added, and Im looking forward to launching another set of four this week.

___

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.
JERSEYVILLE  Jersey State Bank is taking part in an essay contest for Illinois high school seniors to raise awareness about locally owned banks and their contribution to the community.

Illinois community banks and the CBAI Foundation for Community Banking are offering $1,000 a year for up to four years of college education for the author of the best essay. Up to 11 additional first-place $1,000 awards and 12 second-place $500 awards will be available throughout the state.
The Illinois Housing Department Authority announced on Monday that it will reopen the Illinois Rental Payment Program on Monday, Dec. 6 instead of Nov. 8. While the date of the reopening has changed, IHDA has said money from this round of funding will still be distributed to approved Illinois residents before the end of the year as originally planned.

In the first round of the ILRPP launched in May, IHDA reviewed all completed applications, approved more than 57,000 and paid out nearly $540 million on behalf of renters experiencing pandemic-related hardships. Since 2020, the state of Illinois has provided over $776 million in emergency rental assistance to help keep more than 103,100 Illinois seniors, families and others safely housed.

Applications for rental assistance will be accepted beginning Monday, Dec. 6 through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 9 at an IDHA website.

"While this delays the date well begin accepting applications, IHDA is committed to meeting the original timeline of disbursing rental assistance money to tenants and landlords in December," IHDA Executive Director Kristin Faust said in a statement. "We recognize this postponement may cause concern for tenants facing eviction, but there is help for renters available now."

For renters in immediate need of assistance, the Illinois Department of Human Services is currently accepting applications for rental assistance. Households looking for such assistance should contact an IDHS Service Provider Agency to ask about rental assistance. A list of those agencies can be found here.

Further aiming to reduce evictions in Illinois, a Court-Based Rental Assistance Program administered by IDHS is available to assist tenants outside of Cook County with active cases in eviction court. Tenants may apply for up to 12 months of past-due rent and up to three months of future rent payments using their eviction court case number here.

The December 2021 reopening of ILRPP will provide more than $250 million to renters and landlords seeking to prevent evictions and keep families safe and secure while regaining financial footing. The additional funding is expected to assist more than 27,000 Illinois households.

ILRPP provides direct funding to support Illinois tenants unable to pay their rent due to a COVID-19-related loss of income. Approved applicants will receive one-time grants of up to $25,000 paid directly to their landlords on their behalf. If the landlord chooses not to participate in the program, tenants may receive payments directly. In this application round, assistance will cover up to 18 months of emergency rental payments, including up to 15 months of missed payments and up to three months of future rent payments. Rent owed from June 2020 through April 2022 may be paid for with ILRPP funds. Priority will be given to households earning less than 50% of Area Median Income and to households with one or more members who have been unemployed for at least 90 days.

To be eligible for the payments, households must live in Illinois and rent their home as their primary residence, have experience financial hardship directly or indirectly due to the pandemic, have income below 80% of AMI adjusted for household size and have an unpaid rent balance.

Proof of citizenship is not required and tenants residing in state- or federally-subsidized housing are eligible to apply.
KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP)  Sudans security forces dispersed demonstrators and rounded up more than 100 people Sunday in the capital of Khartoum, in the latest crackdown on pro-democracy protesters after last months military coup.

The Sudanese military seized power Oct. 25, dissolving the transitional government and arresting dozens of officials and politicians. The coup has drawn international criticism and massive protests in the streets of Khartoum and elsewhere in the country.

The takeover has upended the countrys fragile planned transition to democratic rule, more than two years after a popular uprising forced the removal of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir and his Islamist government.

Teachers and education workers protested the coup outside the Education Ministry in Khartoums district of Bahri, according to the Sudanese Professionals' Association, which led the uprising against al-Bashir.

Security forces used tear gas to disperse the protesters and arrested at least 113 people, mostly teachers, said lawyer Moez Hadra. There were sporadic protests elsewhere in Khartoum, he said.

Local authorities announced the resumption of school classes in the capital for the first time since the coup.

Sunday was the first of two days of nationwide strikes called by the SPA, which vowed to continue protesting until a full civilian government is established to lead the transition. Several shops and businesses in Khartoum were seen open, according to a video journalist with The Associated Press.

The fresh crackdown has also come as mediation efforts between the military and civilian leaders have stumbled, according to a military official with knowledge of the ongoing efforts.

Mediators, including the United Nations envoy in Sudan, were still working to soften the stand of each side, as both are still stick to their pre-conditions before engaging in meaningful, possibly direct talks, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

The deposed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who is still under house arrest in his residence in Khartoum, insists on releasing government officials and politicians detained in connection with the coup. He also wants guarantees that military would return to the pre-coup power-sharing arrangements, the official said.

The military, on the other hand, insists that the Oct. 25 events did not amount to a coup, and that it stepped in to correct the course of the transitional period, the official said.

Part of mediation efforts, an Arab League delegation, meanwhile, met Sunday with Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the military leader, and Hamdok, the pan-Arab organization said.

It said the delegation, headed by Deputy Secretary General Hossam Zaki, held talks with Hamdok on the challenges of the transition and ongoing efforts to support constructive dialogue" to re-establish a path to democracy.

The military has given mixed signals. It allowed four ministers to return to their homes under house arrest, according to Hadra, the lawyer. The four included Hamza Baloul, minister of information and culture, Hashim Hasabel-Rasoul, minister of communications, Ali Gedou, minister of trade and international cooperation, and Youssef Adam, minister of youth and sports. They were among more than 100 government officials and politicians detained following the coup.

The military also arrested three leaders from the Forces for Freedom and Change, a coalition that was born out of the 2019 protest movement, shortly after they met with U.N. officials in Khartoum. The meeting was part of U.N.-led mediation efforts.

___

Magdy reported from Cairo.
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, call ImpactLife Springfield 800-747-5401 or go to bloodcenter.org and use code 61209 to locate the drive. Masks and appointments required.

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.

Mindful Movement Class: 6:30 p.m., Jacksonville Public Library, 201 W. College Ave., Free | Learn the basics of mindful movement with Jeannie Hemphill. Masks required.



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.

Movie Night for Adults: 6:30 p.m., Jacksonville Public Library, 201 W. College Ave. Free | Screening of Promising Young Woman. Rated R. Masks required.



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.
Always assume the gun is loaded.

Those words were bored into my brain by my father and older brother when I was only 8 or 9 years old and learning how to handle firearms on the farm.

One time, we were leaving the field and my brother ordered me to unload my rifle. I popped out the clip and handed it to him.

He said, Are you sure the gun is unloaded?

I said it was.

Are you certain?

Yes, I said rather indignantly.

He took the rifle from me and jacked a round from the chamber. I looked down at my Keds, embarrassed.

I thought about that incident when I read about Alec Baldwin accidently killing someone on a movie set. Someone apparently handed him a firearm and told him it wasnt loaded with live ammunition.

He believed what he was told and inadvertently killed one person and wounded another.

I cant imagine the remorse someone must feel in such a situation. But there is a lesson from Illinois history that shows such a mistake need not stand in the way of future accomplishments.

In 1912, a 12-year-old was playing with a rifle during a party at his central Illinois home when he shot a 15-year-old girl in the head. That boy grew up to be governor, twice was his partys nominee for president, and served as ambassador to the United Nations.

He was Adlai Stevenson II, one of Illinois greatest sons.

Ruth Merwin was shot when a rifle Stevenson was handling unexpectedly discharged.

A 1952 biography, Adlai E. Stevenson of Illinois, said the future politicians sister was holding a party when a military academy student in attendance was urged to perform the military manual of arms. Adlai Stevenson fetched a rifle, which the student examined for safety before performing the drill. Unfortunately, the student wasnt thorough in his examination, and one shell remained in the rifle. A few minutes later, when Stevenson took the gun and attempted to mimic the older boys performance, the gun suddenly discharged.

The bullet entered Ruth Merwins forehead and she fell dead onto the carpet.

But in his 1976 biography, Adlai Stevenson of Illinois, John Bartlow Martin tells a different story. An anonymous eyewitness whom Martin interviewed claims that Adlai took the gun from the other boy, pointed it at one of the girls, Ruth Merwin, and pulled the trigger.

No one has ever contended that the shooting was intentional. The gun was supposed to be unloaded, after all.

Having covered many shootings during my newspaper career, I find the second story more believable. Guns rarely discharge on their own and 12-year-old boys are prone to horseplay with firearms  especially when girls are present.

Whats more interesting is how the accident may have influenced the rest of Stevensons life.

Unlike many politicians, Stevenson was self-depreciating and lacked the swagger common of those who have risen to high political office.

Perhaps the accident made him all too aware of his own human frailties.

Forty years after the accident, William Glascow of Time magazine was doing research for a cover story on the presidential candidate when he found a report of the event in The (Bloomington) Pantagraphs archives. He asked Stevenson about it and after a long silence, he said: You know, you are the first person who has ever asked me about that since it happened  and this is the first time I have ever spoken of it to anyone.

Not even his wife or children were aware of what had occurred at the party Dec. 30, 1912, in his Bloomington home.

But there were hints in his life that indicated that childhood tragedy influenced his career in public service.

In 1955, Stevenson wrote a letter to a woman he had not met, whose son had unintentionally killed another child. His advice was brief: Tell him that he must live for two.

Scott Reeder is a staff writer for Illinois Times and can be reached at sreeder@illinoistimes.com.
Watertown, SD (57201)

Today

Windy with a mix of clouds and sun. High 27F. Winds NW at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 19F. Winds light and variable.
Pakistan lifts ban on radical party behind anti-France rally View Photo

ISLAMABAD (AP)  Pakistan said Monday it has lifted a ban on a radical Islamist party behind a violent anti-France protest last month that triggered clashes with police, leaving six officers and four demonstrators dead.

The development follows an agreement reached last week between the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Tehreek-e-Labiak Pakistan that the party would halt its march to Islamabad. The march was called to demand the closure of the French Embassy in the Pakistani capital.

The interior ministry lifted the ban late Sunday. In response, the party on Monday afternoon ended its two-week protest along a highway in the city of Wazirabad, telling demonstrators that TLPs leader Saad Rizvi would soon be released from jail and urging them to return to the city of Lahore to await his release.

TLP was outlawed a year ago amid violent rallies over the publications of caricatures of Islams prophet in France. The party started demanding the expulsion of French envoy in October 2020, when French President Emmanuel Macron tried to defend caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad as freedom of expression.

Macrons comments came after a young Muslim beheaded a French school teacher who had shown caricatures of the prophet 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.

That enraged many Muslims who believe those depictions were blasphemous.

Pakistans move to lift the ban on TLP drew criticism on social media. The government said the ban was lifted in the larger national interest amid assurances the party would not indulge in violent activities in future.

The protest march on Islamabad, which started Oct. 22, also demanded the release of Rizvi, who was arrested a year ago, as well as thousands of Islamists who were detained in a crackdown to foil Islamists march from the city of Lahore to Islamabad.

Authorities say they last week freed more than 1,000 detained TLP supporters and that a process was underway to release Rizvi.

Rizvis party gained prominence in Pakistans 2018 elections, campaigning on the single issue of defending the countrys blasphemy law, which calls for the death penalty for anyone who insults Islam.

Pakistans military was to brief lawmakers later Monday on the current security situation in the country.

By MUNIR AHMED

Associated Press
California Governor Gavin Newsom seal View Photo

Sacramento, CA  Governor Gavin Newsoms Office is detailing how much money California can expect from the $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure bill.

The funding will help rebuild roads, expand internet infrastructure, advance water projects and expand electric vehicle charging stations. President Joe Biden is planning to sign it when Congress returns next week.

The following information was released by the Governors Office regarding Californias share of the funding:

-$25.3 billion for federal-aid highway apportioned programs and $4.2 billion for bridge replacement and repairs over five years

-$9.45 billion over five years to improve public transportation options across the state

-$384 million over five years to support the expansion of an EV charging network in the state and the opportunity to apply for the $2.5 billion in grant funding dedicated to EV charging

-A minimum of $100 million to help provide broadband coverage across the state

-$84 million over five years to protect against wildfires and $40 million to protect against cyberattacks

-$3.5 billion over five years to improve water infrastructure across the state and ensure clean, safe drinking water for California communities

-$1.5 billion for infrastructure development for airports over five years
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  A trial began Monday for a Kansas City, Missouri, police officer accused of involuntary manslaughter in a 2019 shooting.

Officer Eric J. DeValkenaere also is charged with armed criminal action in the death of Cameron Lamb, 26, who was parking a pickup truck in his backyard when he was shot on Dec. 3, 2019. The killing was often evoked in protests last year against racial injustice in Kansas City.

Prosecutors spent their opening statement outlining allegations that police staged a crime scene and even planted evidence to support their claims that Lamb was armed moments before DeValkenaere shot him, the Kansas City Star reported.

In her opening statement, defense attorney Molly Hastings said the prosecutions key witness had repeatedly given inconsistent statements and had initially told investigators that Lamb usually kept his gun with him.

Lambs killing was among several cases cited by a group of civil rights organizations in a petition urging U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate the Kansas City Police Department. The indictment in the case came days after Lambs death garnered renewed attention stemming from his familys meeting with then-President Donald Trump in 2020.

In the past year, prosecutors have brought criminal charges against five white Kansas City police officers for allegedly using excessive force against Black people. DeValkenaere is the only officer charged in an on-duty killing.

Officers investigating a crash reported a red pickup chasing a purple Ford Mustang. A police helicopter located the truck driven by Lamb and followed it to his driveway.

DeValkenaere and another detective, Troy Schwalm, arrived at the home to investigate the crash. Before he was shot, Lamb had his left hand on the trucks steering wheel and his cellphone in his right hand, prosecutors said.

DeValkenaere said he fired after Lamb pointed a gun at Schwalm. After the shooting, officers found Lamb inside the vehicle with his left arm and head hanging out of the drivers side window. On the ground near his left hand was a handgun.

Schwalm later told the grand jury that he did not see Lamb with a weapon, prosecutors have said.

Meanwhile, medical records show that Lamb is right-handed and did not have full use of his left hand as a result of an injury sustained four years earlier, prosecutors said. DeValkenaeres lawyers have previously said that Lamb pulled a gun with his left hand.

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker has said DeValkenaeres conduct during the shooting was reckless and violated the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures. Her office alleged the detectives, who were in plainclothes, did not ask for permission to walk onto the property and did not have a warrant.

Kansas Citys Fraternal Order of Police has denounced the charges and accused Baker of abusing her authority for political gain.

The case is a rare example of a white officer from the city being criminally accused of killing a Black man. In 1942, two officers were acquitted in a killing, The Kanas City Star reported.

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This story was first published on Nov. 8. It was updated on Nov. 19 to correct that DeValkenaere was not the first white officer in the city to be charged in the death of a Black person. Such a case happened in 1942.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Randal Quarles announced Monday that he will resign from the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors at the end of the year after completing a four-year term as its top bank regulator, opening up another vacancy on the Fed's influential board for President Joe Biden to fill.

Quarles has served as the Fed's first vice chair of supervision, which gave him wide-ranging authority over the banking system. In that role, he oversaw a broad loosening of some of the financial regulations that were put in place after the 2008-2009 global financial crisis and recession.

Quarles' deregulatory approach prompted criticism from some on the Fed and from many progressives. It has also sparked resistance from progressives to the potential re-nomination of Jerome Powell as Fed chair, who has voted in favor of Quarles' regulatory changes.

With Powells term as chair ending in February, an announcement is expected sometime this month on whether Biden will offer him a second four-year term. The president is considered likely to re-nominate Powell, although he could decide instead to elevate Lael Brainard, who is the lone Democrat on the Feds seven-member board, to the position of chair.

Besides Quarles' soon-to-be vacated position on the board, a second slot is vacant and a third will open up in January, when Vice Chair Richard Clarida's term will expire. Counting the seat held by the Fed chair, that gives Biden a total of four potential slots to fill.

The president may decide to re-nominate Powell while also promoting Brainard to replace Quarles as vice chair for supervision. That move could potentially mollify at least some of Powell's critics. Brainard cast some dissenting votes against Quarles' deregulatory efforts.

With several vacancies to fill, Biden has an opportunity to shift the Feds board toward a more Democratic-dominated one. That would undercut one key argument against Powell: That even if Biden elevated Brainard to the Feds top bank supervisory post, Powell could ignore or override efforts she might take to toughen financial rules. If Biden were to successfully appoint three new governors to the Feds board, Democratic appointees would outnumber Republican ones.

Late last month, in an appearance on CNN, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen defended Powell against any notion that he has weakened bank rules. Yellen asserted that financial regulations were markedly strengthened under Ben Bernanke's Fed leadership, during her own subsequent term as chair and under Powell as well.

Members of the Board of Governors have permanent votes at each Fed meeting on interest-rate policy, a powerful tool that affects hiring and the economy. The 12 regional Fed bank presidents also attend policymaking meetings, though only five of them are able to vote on the Fed's decisions. The New York Fed president holds a permanent vote, and the regional bank presidents hold four votes that rotate among them each year.

The Fed governors also vote on financial regulations, and they could take steps to regulate some cryptocurrencies, known as stablecoins. Some of the officials, including Brainard and Powell, have discussed incorporating climate change considerations into the Fed's bank oversight, a possibility that has met with opposition from congressional Republicans.

With four slots open, the Biden administration could nominate several candidates as a package. Potential nominees for the three vacancies on the Fed's board include Lisa Cook, an economist at Michigan State University who would be the first black woman to serve as a Fed governor, and Sarah Bloom Raskin, who previously served as a Fed governor and as a financial regulator in Maryland.

Another potential nominee is William Spriggs, chief economist at the AFL-CIO and an economics professor at Howard University.

Karine Jean-Pierre, a White House spokeswoman, declined to say how Quarles departure might influence Biden's selections for the board.

All I can say is this is incredibly important to the president, and hes taking this seriously, Jean-Pierre said at Mondays briefing.

At a Senate hearing in September, Sen. Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, which oversees Fed nominations, said, "Its time we had a Black woman on the Board of Governors.

___

Associated Press Writer Josh Boak contributed to this report.
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Details of the tragedy at the Astroworld Festival that left at least eight fans dead in Houston are still coming in, and they are absolutely horrifying. Fans were recording the concert and people doing CPR, concert attendee/registered nurse Madeline Eskins told Rolling Stone. Fans were yelling at the stage crew around us, saying stop the concert, people are dying. No one listened.I tried to jump up as much as I could to get air. I couldnt breathe. I just felt it. I knew it was coming.

Sadly, this is not the first time a live music event has turned tragic. Theres simply too much that can go wrong when tens of thousands of people pack into a confined space, especially if organizers fail to take proper safety precautions. Heres a look back at some of the worst disasters in music history.

The Altamont Speedway Free Festival, Dec. 6, 1969

The Rolling Stones planned to wrap up their 1969 United States tour with a free, Woodstock-style event at San Franciscos Golden Gate Park, with special guests the Grateful Dead, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. But when the city objected, they were forced to move the concert to the Altamont Speedway at the last minute. The Hells Angels were hired as security, creating an ugly scene that resulted in the death of 18-year-old Meredith Hunter. Two other fans were killed in a hit-and-run car accident, while another drowned in a canal while under the influence of LSD. (Read the definitive account of the day from Rolling Stones original coverage of the event.)

The Who at Cincinnatis Riverfront Coliseum, Dec. 3, 1979

Just three days shy of the 10-year anniversary of Altamont, more than 18,000 Who fans came to the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, Ohio, to see the group on their first tour since the death of drummer Keith Moon. There werent any reserved seats in the entire house, so fans showed up early to jockey for the best spots. But the venue was late opening all the doors, and fans began pushing when just a few of the doors opened long after the advertised time. The stampede caused the deaths of 11 fans, though the show went on as planned and the band wasnt informed until it was over. In the aftermath, reserved seating at arena shows became far more common. Cincinnati didnt even allow a general-admission floor event for decades, until a 2002 Bruce Springsteen concert. (Read Rolling Stones original cover story about the Who tragedy.)

Woodstock 1999

The three-day event in Rome, New York, was a horror show of sexual assaults, violence, drug overdoses, overflowing toilets, and heat strokes that culminated in a riot and fires on the final evening; one fan whod collapsed in a mosh pit during Metallicas performance died days later. The organizers were hit with a flood of lawsuits in the weeks and months after the event, and it was a surprise to nobody that a planned Woodstock 50 in 2019 failed to get off the ground. There was simply no recovering from the Woodstock 1999 fiasco. (Read Rob Sheffields original dispatch from Woodstock 99.)

The Roskilde Festival in Roskilde, Denmark, June 30, 2000

The exact cause of the crush that killed nine fans during Pearl Jams set at the 2000 Roskilde Festival has never been fully explained, but it seemed to result from wet grounds, a rush towards the stage, crowd surfers falling to the ground, and a general atmosphere of chaos. Pearl Jam suspended the show after 45 minutes when they learned what was happening. Going forward, the band refused to play any festivals that didnt place detailed security arrangements in their contracts.

After the tragedy, a devastated Eddie Vedder turned to Pete Townshend for guidance about how to carry on. I passed on what I knew the Who had done wrong after the Cincinnati disaster  in a nutshell, I think we left too soon, and I spoke too angrily to the press and without proper consideration of the fact that the people who deserved respect were the dead and their families, Townshend later wrote. If you have a faith, please pray for the victims and their families, and for everyone who was involved. It was a horrific experience for them. (Read Rolling Stones original report from Roskilde.)

Great White at the Station in West Warwick, Rhode Island, Feb. 20, 2003

Great White were just seconds into their opening song at the Station nightclub when their pyrotechnics ignited acoustic foam near at the stage. In less than a minute, the tiny club was consumed by flames. Fans rushed towards the back doors to escape, but 100 didnt make it out alive. Another 230 fans sustained injuries. Great Whites tour manager, Daniel Michael Biechele, plead guilty to 100 counts of manslaughter. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison, and was released on parole after serving less than two. It remains the fourth-deadliest nightclub disaster in American history. (Read Rolling Stones reporting on the Station fire.)

Mawazine musical festival in Rabat, Morocco, May 23, 2009

The 2009 Mawazine festival in Morocco featured performances by Kylie Minogue, Stevie Wonder, and Alicia Keys. It wrapped up with an event at Hay Nahda stadium headlined by Moroccan pop star Abdelaziz. At the end of his set, fans flooded towards the exits and a wire fence collapsed. A stampede broke out that left 11 fans dead and 40 injured. Despite this, the festival continued every year until the pandemic hit.

Love Parade in Duisburg, Germany, July 24, 2010

From 1989 to 2010, Love Parade was one of the biggest yearly events on the German music calendar. But the EDM festival ended after tens of thousands of fans crammed into a 260-yard tunnel that was the only way to access the grounds. Much like Who fans in 1979, they began pushing each other and chaos broke out, resulting in 21 people dying. The German government never held anyone legally accountable for the tragedy; last spring, a court investigation that had lasted nearly a full decade was called off without any convictions.

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A man allegedly pushed from a third-floor balcony and paralyzed at a Travis Scott concert four years ago was devastated to hear eight people were killed at the rappers Astroworld show in Houston on Friday, his lawyer told Rolling Stone.

Kyle Green, 27, was injured at Scotts April 30th, 2017 concert at Terminal 5 in Manhattan, the same show where Scott was caught on video encouraging a different fan to drop down from the second-floor balcony into the crowd below.

I see you, but are you gonna do it? the rapper exhorted the fan who already had climbed over the railing. They gonna catch you. Dont be scared. Dont be scared!

Unlike that fan, who appeared to dangle and drop willingly, Green says he was forced over the edge of the higher railing at what hes called a severely crowded and out-of-control event. According to a lawsuit filed six months later in October 2017, Green broke several bones including vertebrae in his fall and was subsequently hauled off the floor by show staff without a cervical collar, backboard and other safety precautions.

Security picked him up like a sack of potatoes and carried him toward the front. Travis offered him his ring. Then they finally carried him out. Unfortunately, he was paralyzed, Greens lawyer Howard Hershenhorn said in an interview Saturday. The case is currently pending.

Green was confined to a wheelchair when he first filed the lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court that names Scott, his manager, the concerts promoter Bowery Presents and a security company as defendants. Hershenhorn said his client can actually walk now, but with significant, significant disability. Hes partially paralyzed still.

When Green heard about the tragedy in Houston, he took it hard, the lawyer said. Hes devastated and heartbroken for the families of those who were killed and for those individuals who were severely injured. Hes even more incensed by the fact that it could have been avoided had Travis learned his lesson in the past and changed his attitude about inciting people to behave in such a reckless manner, Hershenhorn said.

Scott, 30, is famous for his high-energy shows with raucous, stage-diving crowds. He even raps about his love of aggressive, full-body moshing in the 2018 track Stargazing. And it aint a mosh pit if aint no injuries/ I got em stage divin out the nosebleeds, he sings.

For Hershenhorn, those lyrics show a careless disregard for peoples safety. His desire to rile up the crowd beyond hysterics, where people are pushing and shoving, has resulted in a massive catastrophe. Its time for him to do some significant self-reflection, the lawyer said.

Scotts camp has a history of rejecting that position. In an August 2018 filing, the rappers lawyers said Greens alleged injuries resulted from risks voluntarily undertaken by concertgoers and anything attributable to possible negligence involved parties Scott was not obligated to supervise or control.

In a Saturday statement posted on Twitter, Scott said he supported a police investigation into the deadly tragedy at NRG Park Friday night. Im absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival, he wrote. Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life. I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need.

Scott also was arrested in 2017 for allegedly inciting a riot at the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion. Police said he encouraged people to rush the stage.

He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct in 2018 and paid $6,825.31 restitution to two people who claimed they were injured at the show, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.

He (Scott) felt bad about anyone being injured and was always willing to pay the restitution, one of his lawyers, Jon Nelson, told the outlet.
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Roddy Ricch has pledged his earnings from this years edition of Travis Scotts Astroworld music festival to the families of those involved in the incident that left eight concertgoers dead on Friday evening.

Please have the families of those who we lost yesterday reach out, the rapper wrote in his Instagram stories on Saturday. Ill [be] donating my net compensation to the families of this incident. #Pray4Houston

Ricch requested that families of those involved in the tragedy contact Shawn Holiday, a member of his management team. Holiday served as the co-head of urban music at Columbia Records. He is also part of the Black Music Action Coalitions advisory board.

Ricch was one of several performers involved in Fridays line-up at Astroworld in Houston, Texas. Other acts included SZA, Yves Tumor, Toro Y Moi, Metro Boomin, Don Toliver, Lil Baby and Master P, all of which performed on the Thrills stage of the festival. Scotts set was the only act on the festivals second Chills stage.

On Sunday, Kanye West, or Ye as hes legally named, dedicated his weekly Sunday Service prayer service, which airs live on YouTube, Triller and Revolt, to the loved ones of Astroworld. The visual for the service  attendees dressed in black as beams of light illuminate a vast grey space and the Sunday Service gospel choir sings  evoked the feeling of a wake.

Tragedy struck the Astroworld festival on Friday night when a surge in the tightly packed crowd for Scotts set left at least eight concertgoers dead and over 300 others injured. A 14-year-old and a 16-year-old were among the casualties, with other victims ranging in age from 17 to 21.

Scott has promised to fully cooperate with authorities as a full investigation into the incident continues.

Anytime I could make out, you know, anything thats going on, I stop the show and help them get the help they need, Scott said in a video posted to his Twitter on Saturday night. I could just never imagine the severity of the situation. Weve been working closely with everyone to try to get to the bottom of this.
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The eight deaths and dozens of injuries at the Nov. 5 Astroworld Festival in Houstons NRG Park appear to have been preceded by a series of red flags, going back to the early days of festival founder Travis Scotts touring career. In 2017, Scott, always known for wild shows, went further than usual, encouraging a fan to jump from a second-floor balcony at Terminal 5  and during the same performance, another fan, Kyle Green, 27, was pushed off the third-floor balcony, ending up paralyzed. I see you, but are you gonna do it? Scott said to the fan on the second floor.

Even before that, Scott repeatedly urged concert crowds to overwhelm security and join him onstage. There are more of you than them, he told the crowd at 2015s Summer Jam concert in East Rutherford, N.J. That same summer, Chicago police arrested him after he urged fans to climb over barricades to go onstage at Lollapalooza.

At 2019s second Astroworld Festival, a mass of hundreds of fans overwhelmed metal barricades as they rushed into the event, sending three people to the hospital with minor leg injuries from trampling. At the time of the incident, Houston police reportedly wrote on Twitter that the festival didnt have enough staff, and that promoters did not plan sufficiently for the large crowds, before deleting the tweet.

Another warning sign came much closer to the tragedy, at 2 p.m. on Nov. 5, when fans stampeded by the dozens through a V.I.P. security entrance at Astroworld, knocking over metal detectors, as captured on video by a local news reporter. It suggests they werent prepared for the kind of crowd they were going to get, says a concert insurance expert, who asked for anonymity because of his connections to Astroworlds organizers.

NRG Park itself had just experienced what could have been a cue to beef up security: Outside the very same venue on the night of Oct. 24, less than two weeks before Astroworld, young fans of Playboi Carti also reportedly knocked over metal detectors and moved metal barriers outside the venue before the concert  which organizers canceled due to the chaos.

Many other big festivals take extensive measures to prevent gate-crashing: At Chicagos Lollapalooza, the insurance expert points out, organizers arrange each year for an elaborate system of barriers  what we like to call the Welcome to the Thunderdome barricade system, all around Grant Park. Fans who break through one set of gates find theyve only made it to another gate.

The expert also questions why Astroworld organizers werent monitoring social media to pre-empt what seemed to be organized gate-crashing. But Jim Digby, co-founder and president of the concert-industry nonprofit Event Safety Alliance, recommends caution before blaming organizers. That sounds to me like an out-of-control audience, he says, not an unprepared promoter.

Paul Wertheimer, a concert-safety expert whos been crusading for safer shows and festivals since 1979, when 11 concert-goers were crushed to death outside the doors of a Who show, says it was obvious to everybody that the crowds were going to be difficult, because everybody has been so cooped up. And young people want to get on with their lives and have fun and have some camaraderie. Everybody knew that. But the industry didnt prepare for it.

The gate-crashing also meant that the Astroworld crowd could have swelled significantly beyond the 50,000 tickets sold for the event. Overcrowding and crowd-crashing is the original sin of planners of live events, says Wertheimer. The first Astroworld in 2018 reportedly drew about 40,000 fans, while crowd estimates for 2019 were also 50,000. In general, festival organizers have been pressured financially, the insurance expert says, by increasing demands for huge guarantees from artists and their agents: They really gouge them.

So in order to make a profit, promoters have to either raise ticket prices, which can only go so high before discouraging attendees, or have to charge less and push the capacity envelope, the insurance expert says. (Digby argues that festivals are not getting more crowded, and that the experts scenario is a generalization probably not as well researched as it needs to be.)

Frankly, the expert adds, capacity should probably be determined by some sort of government entity. In Houston, at least, there is no official capacity limit for outdoor events, Fire Department Chief Samuel Pena told reporters on Saturday.

Its too early to assess how the tragedy at Astroworld will affect the concert industry going forward, but at the very least, the insurance expert predicts, it will make it much harder to get insurance for festivals  and in particular, fairly or not, rap festivals. Im so frightened of that notion, he says. I dont even want to speculate how difficult its going to be. Especially for a hip-hop festival. Im not not excited about what were gonna have to go through to get it done. Its gonna be tough.

And nothing like this has ever happened at Lolla, [Austin City Limits], Gov Ball  any of the big festivals that have those crowd sizes, youve never heard of anything like this happening. What made this so different? What happened here?

Wertheimer thinks he knows one possibility. This could be another classic case where the safety people signed off on something they knew or should have known could be extraordinarily, extremely unsafe, especially with Travis Scott, who had a history of chaotic, chaotic events.

For Wertheimer, theres only one way to change the way the concert industry does business: Start criminally charging these promoters and agencies that sign off on these reckless events, he says. Do that, and safety will change overnight. If nobodys criminally charged, families of the deceased will sue; those injured will sue. And four years from now, theyll settle with everybody. Well do the legal dance, and then in between and after, it will be business as usual.

Steve Adelman, vice president and lead counsel for the Event Safety Alliance, says its way too soon to cast blame. There is the instinct to rush to judgment before we know what actually happened, he says, while urging a look at audience members conduct as well. Another thing that we dont know is: What crowd behavior either contributed to the injuries and deaths, or was the product of other things that were either poorly determined in advance or poorly implemented last night?

Digby says the concert industry cant afford any more blows. Were an industry on the edge as it is right now. Covid has decimated our industry. And its decimated a good portion of our workforce This kind of a blow is painful in so many ways, not just the lives that were lost. But were sad for Travis Scott, and were sad for our industry that we now have to go through another moment where were raked over the coals, and more possible setbacks for our long-delayed future.

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A boy never forgets his first dog. Just ask actor and standup comedian Paul Rodriguez, one of the stars of Clifford the Big Red Dog, a new family-friendly film based on a childrens book series of the same name.

Rodriguezs first dog as a child was a black mutt named Bifas who stole his heart. Rodriguez loved Bifas so much that he prayed for him at church as much as he could after the pup was hit by a car and seriously injured.

I kept asking my dad to let me take him to the hospital, but he was like, Are you crazy? I dont even have enough money to take YOU to the hospital, Rodriguez, 66, told MySA.com during a recent interview.

Luckily, Rodriguezs prayers seemed to work, and Bifas lived a long and happy life  with a little help from his young owner, who made sure his pet was well taken care of.

I made him a little wheelchair, Rodriguez said. I took the wheels off this shopping cart and got a two-by-four and a pair of underwear and stuck his legs in there. Bifas would drag himself around the house and yard.

Clifford, the oversized canine in Rodriguezs new live-action/animated comedy would need a much larger pair of underwear to get the same results. In the film, Clifford finds himself on an adventure when he escapes from a shady genetics company that wants to use him to find a way to create bigger animals. Rodriguez plays Sanchez, the owner of a New York City bodega, who helps Clifford get out of trouble.

In real life, Rodriguez, who was stationed at Lackland AFB in 1972, also helps dogs out of predicaments. His current dog is named Luna. He rescued her from a shelter. Rodriguez loves Luna as much as any other dog hes ever owned, so much so that he even buys her actual dog food. Its something he jokes Latino families dont normally do for their pets.

[A dogs] job is to eat everything we dont eat  all the menudo parts we leave behind, he said. With all my brothers and sisters, my dog had anorexia growing up. I had the skinniest dog in the whole neighborhood. A dog [owned by a Latino family] better hope they dont have 12 kids because hes not going to get much.

Clifford, Rodriguez said, probably wouldnt have that problem. As big as he is, if Clifford was a real dog, hed end up eating his owner out of house and home.

Youd have to feed [Clifford] a cow a day, he said. Then, youd need a pooper scooper, three day laborers and a pickup truck to help you keep the park clean.

Rodriguez is excited for families to see Clifford together. He calls it a wholesome movie that has something for everybody. If there is a sequel, however, he jokes the studio might take the narrative in an entirely different direction.

Maybe the next one will be a drama, he said. Maybe Clifford and Blues Clues get into a fight. Probably for the last of the menudo parts.

Clifford the Big Red Dog opens at local theaters November 9.
SAN DIEGO (AP)  Parents held children born while they were stuck abroad. Long-separated couples kissed, and grandparents embraced grandchildren who had doubled in age.

The U.S. fully reopened to many vaccinated international travelers Monday, allowing families and friends to reunite for the first time since the coronavirus emerged and offering a boost to the travel industry decimated by the pandemic. The restrictions closed the U.S. to millions of people for 20 months.

Octavio Alvarez and his 14-year-old daughter zipped through a pedestrian crossing in San Diego in less than 15 minutes on their way to visit his mother-in-law in California.

Its a big feeling, said Alvarez, 43, who lives in Ensenada, Mexico, a two-hour drive from San Diego. Prior to the pandemic, his family would visit California twice a month. The emotional cost of the border restrictions were very high, he added.

American citizens and permanent residents were always allowed to enter the U.S., but the travel bans grounded tourists, thwarted business travelers and often keep families far apart. Travelers must have proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test.

I think a lot of people have been waiting for this day, said Eileen Bigelow, area port director for Vermont for Customs and Border Protection. They look at it as a light at the end of the tunnel for some return of normalcy.

There were lots of prolonged hugs at airports from coast to coast. At Newark International Airport in New Jersey, Nirmit Shelat repeatedly embraced his girlfriend, Jolly Dave, after she arrived from India, ending their nine-month separation. She was on the first flight out of the country to the United States.

I cant even explain in my words how happy I am," Dave said.

Gaye Camara, who lives in France, last saw her husband in New York in January 2020, not knowing it would be 21 months before they could hold each other again.

Im going to jump into his arms, kiss him, touch him, said Camara, 40, as she wheeled her luggage through Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, where the humming crowds resembled those before the pandemic, except for the face masks.

On the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada, where traveling back and forth was a way of life before the pandemic, the reopening brought relief. Malls, restaurants and shops in U.S. border towns were devastated by the lack of visitors from Mexico.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, flanked by U.S. and Mexican officials at a celebratory news conference at the San Ysidro crossing, said the economic losses were hefty and the cutting of family ties immeasurable.

Retail sales in San Ysidro fell about 75% from pre-COVID levels, forcing nearly 300 businesses to close.

Edith Aguirre of Tijuana took off work to go shopping in San Diego. Bubbling with laughter, she accepted a gift bag from a duty-free store at the San Diego border crossing. She was a regular at SeaWorld in San Diego and last came to the U.S. to celebrate her 50th birthday at Disneyland in February 2020.

It was very draining, she said of the interruption to her cross-border life.

Sales dropped in half at Davids Western Wear shop in Nogales, Arizona, which manufactures boots popular among Mexicans.

Owner David Moore hopes his specialty products lure back customers, but he said it won't happen overnight. Many Mexicans are still trying to get expired visas renewed amid a backlog. Those who do come may be disappointed to find shelves empty because of supply chain problems.

I really dont think Mexican shoppers are going to come across in hordes because they have now gotten used to buying a lot of products they need in Mexico," he said.

David Jerome, president and CEO of the El Paso Chamber of Commerce on Mexico's border in Texas, said: It wont come back as quickly as it was shut off.

Still, we feel like were getting our neighbors back and were glad to get people going back to work," Jerome said.

Along Canada's boundary, cross-border hockey rivalries were upended by the travel restrictions. Churches that had members on both sides of the border were suddenly cut off from each other.

But on Monday, border traffic quickly returned.

At Vermonts busiest international crossing with Canada, U.S. border agents said they began to notice the uptick in border crossing shortly after midnight. By mid-morning, traffic appeared steady.

Travelers at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo, New York, one of the northern border's busiest crossings, found a 2-hour wait at 2 a.m., officials said, though within a few hours traffic was flowing more freely. The bridge typically handles about 2 million passenger vehicles from Fort Erie, Ontario, yearly, many of them bound for the regions shopping malls, ski slopes and sporting events. Volume dropped by more than 90% during the pandemic.

River Robinsons American partner wasnt able to be in Canada for the birth of their baby boy 17 months ago. She was thrilled to hear about the U.S. reopening and planned to take the child to the U.S. for Thanksgiving.

Its crazy to think he has a whole other side of the family he hasnt even met yet, said Robinson, who lives in St. Thomas, Ontario.

Airlines are preparing for a surge in activity  especially from Europe  after the pandemic and resulting restrictions caused international travel to plunge.

The 28 European countries that were barred made up 37% of overseas visitors in 2019, according to the U.S. Travel Association. As the reopening takes effect, carriers are increasing flights between the United Kingdom and the U.S. by 21% this month over last month, according to data from travel and analytics firm Cirium.

In a sign of the huge importance of trans-Atlantic travel for airlines, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic celebrated the reopening by synchronizing the departures of their early morning flights to New York on parallel runways at Londons Heathrow Airport.

Maria Giribet, 74, who lives on the Mediterranean isle of Majorca was headed to San Francisco where she planned to suffocate" her twin grandchildren with hugs after missing half their lives. Gabriel and David are now 3.

The U.S. will accept travelers who have been fully vaccinated with any of the shots approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization, not just those in use in the U.S. Thats a relief for many in Canada, where the AstraZeneca vaccine is widely used.

But millions of people around the world who were vaccinated with Russias Sputnik V, Chinas CanSino or other shots not approved by the WHO will not be able to travel to the U.S.

Testing and quarantine requirements remained obstacles for others. A mobile testing truck was parked near the Peace Bridge in New York, promising results in 30 minutes for $225 and next-day results for $160.

Marcela Picone, 39, of the Buffalo suburb of Williamsville, has been waiting for the day her fiance and father of her 2- and 3-year-old children can visit from Stoney Creek, Ontario. But his 15-year-old son would have to miss school to quarantine upon their return if they traveled.

Hes a dad to two American kids," she said. "He should have had the right to come into this country the entire 19 months.

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Thompson reported from Buffalo, New York. Associated Press writers John Leicester in Paris, Travis Loller in Nashville, Tennessee, Wilson Ring in Highgate Springs, Vermont, Anita Snow in Phoenix, Rob Gillies in Toronto and Ted Shaffrey in Newark, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

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KENOSHA, Wis. (AP)  The first man shot by Kyle Rittenhouse on the streets of Kenosha was hyperaggressive that night, threatened to kill Rittenhouse and later lunged for his rifle just before the 17-year-old fired, witnesses testified Thursday.

The testimony at Rittenhouse's murder trial came from two witnesses who had been called to the stand by the prosecution but gave accounts often more favorable to the defense in the politically polarizing case.

Rittenhouse, now 18, is charged with shooting three men, two of them fatally, in the summer of 2020. The aspiring police officer had gone to Kenosha with an AR-style semi-automatic rifle and a medical kit in what he said was an effort to safeguard property from violent protests that broke out over the police shooting of a Black man.

Richie McGinniss, who was recording events on a cellphone that night for the conservative website The Daily Caller, testified that Joseph Rosenbaum, the first man shot that night, was killed after chasing down Rittenhouse and making a lunge for the gun.

I think it was very clear to me that he was reaching specifically for the weapon, McGinniss said.

Ryan Balch, a former Army infantryman who carried an AR-style rifle that night and walked around patrolling the streets with Rittenhouse, testified that Rosenbaum was hyperaggressive and acting out in a violent manner, including trying to set fires and throwing rocks.

Balch said he got between Rosenbaum and another man while Rosenbaum was trying to start a fire, and Rosenbaum got angry, shouting, If I catch any of you guys alone tonight Im going to f- kill you!

Balch said that Rittenhouse was within earshot and that he believed the threat was aimed at both of them.

Prosecutors have portrayed Rittenhouse as the instigator of the bloodshed, while his lawyer has argued that he acted in self-defense, suggesting among other things that Rittenhouse had reason to fear his weapon would be taken away and used against him.

The killing of Rosenbaum, 36, has emerged as one of the most crucial and disputed moments of the night. It is one of the few moments not clearly captured on video.

In an attempt to undo some of the damage done by his own witness, prosecutor Thomas Binger said McGinniss' testimony about what Rosenbaum was intending to do was complete guesswork.

Isn't it? he asked.

Well, McGinniss replied, he said, `F- you.' And then he reached for the weapon.

But McGinniss also appeared to boost the prosecutions case when he said he had a sense that something bad could happen that night because of all the guns in the area. The prosecutor also elicited testimony from McGinniss and Balch that affirmed Rosenbaum was not armed that night and did not actually hurt anyone.

In his testimony, McGinniss said that as Rosenbaum lunged, Rittenhouse kind of dodged around with his weapon and then leveled the gun and fired.

Binger repeatedly tried to get McGinniss to say Rosenbaum was not lunging but falling when he was shot, as McGinniss said in a media interview days after the shooting.

But McGinniss said: He was lunging, falling. I would use those as synonymous terms in this situation because basically, you know, he threw his momentum towards the weapon.

As prosecutors played footage of Rosenbaum lying fatally wounded in a car lot, McGinniss struggled to keep his composure on the stand, rapidly inhaling and exhaling, then averting his eyes from a video monitor. The prosecutor apologized for playing it, saying he had to do it.

Across the room, Rittenhouse appeared to look away from his desktop monitor and cast his eyes downward as the video showed Rosenbaum bleeding from the head, groaning loudly.

The defense also has said that a shot fired by someone in the crowd moments before Rittenhouse began shooting made the young man believe he was under attack.

Kenosha Detective Martin Howard testified that video shows that a protester, Joshua Ziminski, had fired the first shot into the air. Howard said he used a stopwatch and timed five or six videos to determine that 2.5 seconds later, Rittenhouse began firing at Rosenbaum.

A wealth of video has been played in court that captured the tumultuous demonstration and the series of shootings.

The shooting of Rosenbaum set in motion the bloodshed that followed moments later. Rittenhouse shot and killed Anthony Huber, 26, a protester from Silver Lake, Wisconsin, who was seen on bystander video hitting Rittenhouse with a skateboard.

Rittenhouse then wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, a protester from West Allis, Wisconsin, who had a gun in his hand as he stepped toward Rittenhouse.

Before testimony resumed Thursday, the judge dismissed a juror who had made a joke to a court security officer about the police shooting of Jacob Blake, the Black man whose wounding triggered the Kenosha protests. The juror, a retired man, declined to repeat the joke for the judge.

It is clear that the appearance of bias is present and it would seriously undermine the outcome of the case, Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder said.

Prosecutors also replayed widely seen video of the interview that The Daily Caller did with Rittenhouse before the shooting.

It began with Rittenhouse, a former police youth cadet, in front of a boarded-up building, where he said he and other men were there to protect this business, and part of my job is theres somebody hurt, Im running into harms way. He also said he was there to provide medical aid.

Rittenhouse could get life in prison if convicted in the politically and racially polarizing case that has stirred furious debate over self-defense, vigilantism, the right to bear arms and the racial unrest that erupted around the U.S. after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and other cases like it.

___

Forliti reported from Minneapolis; Webber reported from Fenton, Michigan. Associated Press writer Dave Kolpack contributed from Fargo, North Dakota.

___

Find APs full coverage on the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse at: https://apnews.com/hub/kyle-rittenhouse
PHOENIX (AP)  Skin tone impacts the everyday lives and the long-term success of Latinos in the United States, according to a Pew Research Center finding that comes as the issue of colorism has become more mainstream.

The nonpartisan research center surveyed 3,375 Latinos who live in the U.S., finding that 62% say having darker skin hurts their chances of getting ahead while 59% say having light skin helps them. The study was released Thursday.

It comes just months after colorism  discrimination based on skin tone, often from within someones own ethnic group  captured wide attention with the release of the movie In the Heights, which was criticized for its lack of dark-skinned Afro Latinos in leading roles.

Over the last couple of years, racism has been at the forefront of the nations attention, but colorism isnt deliberated as often.

Some social scientists believe this is in part because colorism highlights divisions within racial and ethnic groups. Others add that colorism is a centuries-old worldwide issue thats notable in Latin American countries colonized by Spain and where white skin has long been considered superior to dark skin and Indigenous features. Many Latinos in the U.S. may have those internal biases.

The Pew study found that 57% of Latinos say their skin tone affects their everyday life, and the majority of dark-skinned Hispanics have experienced discrimination because of it.

Nadia Y. Flores-Yeffal, associate professor of sociology at Texas Tech University, said the findings are backed up by years of research that shows darker-skinned people earn less money and face more bigotry.

The problem isnt just in the U.S. In Mexico, people with Indigenous features are looked down on, while white-skinned Mexicans are among the most powerful politicians, businesspeople and celebrities.

The way people with dark skin are portrayed in movies and in TV  if at all  also impacts how we perceive them, Flores-Yeffal said. In the Heights was hardly the exception  in most American media, darker Latinos are overrepresented in background roles or as gangsters, while lighter ones are more likely to have prominent roles, even as Latinos in general are underrepresented.

Flores-Yeffal says colorism has been going on for centuries. And it doesnt look like its going anywhere, she said.

Laura E. Gomez, a law professor and author of Inventing Latinos: A New Story of American Racism, lauded the Pew study, saying it was based on rigorous data.

For Gomez, even talking about colorism is a good step toward solving the issue. While some Latinos may not feel comfortable talking about internal divisions, they are synonymous with racism in general, she said.

You cant choose one or the other. In order to combat anti-Latino racism, we must talk about racism within the Latino community, Gomez said.

____

Galvan writes about issues impacting Latinos in the U.S. for the APs Race and Ethnicity team. Follow her on Twitter.
HOUSTON (AP)  The crowd at a Houston music festival suddenly surged toward the stage during a performance by rapper Travis Scott, squeezing fans so tightly together that they could not breathe or move their arms and killing eight people in the chaos.

The pandemonium unfolded Friday evening at Astroworld, a sold-out, two-day event in NRG Park with an estimated 50,000 people in attendance. As a timer clicked down to the start of the performance, the crowd pushed forward.

As soon as he jumped out on the stage, it was like an energy took over and everything went haywire," concertgoer Niaara Goods said. "All of a sudden, your ribs are being crushed. You have someones arm in your neck. Youre trying to breathe, but you cant.

Goods said she was so desperate to get out that she bit a man on the shoulder to get him to move.

AP

The dead ranged in age from 14 to 27, and 13 people were still hospitalized Saturday, Mayor Sylvester Turner said. He called the disaster a tragedy on many different levels and said it was too early to draw conclusions about what went wrong.

It may well be that this tragedy is the result of unpredictable events, of circumstances coming together that couldnt possibly have been avoided," said Judge Lina Hidalgo, Harris Countys top elected official. "But until we determine that, I will ask the tough questions.

Experts who have studied deaths caused by crowd surges say they are often a result of density  too many people packed into a small space. The crowd is often running either away from a perceived threat or toward something they want, such as a performer, before hitting a barrier.

G. Keith Still, a visiting professor of crowd science at the United Kingdom's University of Suffolk, has testified as an expert witness in court cases involving crowds. He said he usually does not look at eyewitness reports in the early stages of analyzing an incident because emotions can cloud the picture, and witnesses can see only whats immediately around them.

Amy Harris/Amy Harris/Invision/AP

Based on fire codes, the venue could have held 200,000 people, but city officials limited the attendance to 50,000, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena said.

It was the crowd control at the point of the stage that was the issue, especially as the crowd began to surge toward the stage, Pena said.

The deaths called to mind a 1979 concert by the Who where 11 people died as thousands of fans tried to get into Cincinnatis Riverfront Coliseum. Other past crowd catastrophes include the deaths of 97 people in an overcrowded Hillsborough Stadium in 1989 in Sheffield, England, and numerous disasters connected with the annual hajj in Saudi Arabia.

People in the Houston crowd reported lots of pushing and shoving during the performances leading up to Scotts set.

Then when Scott took the stage, the crowd seemed to rush to the front, trying to get closer to the stage, said Nick Johnson, a high school senior from the Houston suburb of Friendswood who was at the concert.

Everyone was passing out around you, and everyone was trying to help each other. But you just couldnt move. You couldnt do anything. You cant even pick your arms up, Johnson said. It just got worse and worse."

Johnson said fans started to crush each other, and people started screaming. He said it felt like 100 degrees in the crowd.

Scott seemed to be aware that something was going on in the crowd, but he might not have understood the severity of the situation, Johnson said.

On video posted to social media, Scott could be seen stopping the concert at one point and asking for aid for someone in the audience: Security, somebody help real quick.

In a tweet posted Saturday, Scott said he was absolutely devastated by what took place last night." He pledged to work "together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need.

Amy Harris, a freelance photographer for The Associated Press, described an aggressive crowd atmosphere throughout the day because of the way fans were behaving  pushing and rushing the stage barricades and prohibited VIP and admission areas.

It was definitely the most chaotic festival environment that Ive been in, Harris said. I felt uneasy all day.

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said his department noticed attendees going down at 9:30 p.m. and immediately notified concert organizers. The event was called off 40 minutes later after discussions that included the fire department and officials with NRG Park.

Finner defended the amount of time it took for the event to be canceled.

You cannot just close when youve got 50,000  over 50,000  individuals, OK? Finner said. We have to worry about rioting  riots  when you have a group thats that young.

At one point, Gerardo Abad-Garcia was pressed so tightly into the crowd that he could not move his arms off his chest. During the performance that came before Scotts, he started getting concerned for his safety.

I just couldnt breathe. I was being compressed, he said. A security guard helped him and others climb a fence and get out.

Michael Wyke/AP

He described the crowd during Scott's set as a wave that was going forward and backward." He said some people tried to help those who were passed out on the ground, while other concertgoers seemed to ignore them and continued watching the show.

Some audience members said barricades erected near the stage and to separate different sections of ticket holders prevented fans from escaping.

Billy Nasser described an area created by a stage barricade as a closet that people were thrown into and the door was shut. Joshua Robinson said the barricades created an area that was just way too small and compact for the number of people there.

Part of the investigation will include reviewing how the area around the stage was designed, the fire chief said.

Authorities did not disclose the causes of death, and the dead were not immediately identified.

The police chief said authorities were investigating reports of suspicious activity in the crowd, including a security officer who told police that he felt a prick in his neck during the chaos and lost consciousness while being examined by first responders. He was revived by the opioid antidote Narcan.

Scott, one of musics biggest young stars, founded the Astroworld Festival in 2018. The 30-year-old Houston native has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards. He has a 3-year-old daughter with Kylie Jenner, who announced in September that shes pregnant with their second child.

Drake joined Scott on-stage at the concert, which was livestreamed by Apple Music.

___

Associated Press writers Ryan Pearson in Los Angeles, Stan Choe in New York, David Sharp in Portland, Maine, and Desiree Seals in Atlanta contributed to this report.

___

This story has been corrected to show that Travis Scott is 30 years old, not 29.
BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP)  A dormant hydroelectric plant in Vermont is planning to reopen under new ownership after its closure in 2018.

According to town property records, the Vermont Tissue Paper hydroelectric plant was sold to North Bennington Hydroelectric for $100,000 on Oct. 27.
Courtesy of SAPD

If you're currently in the market for a new car, consider attending this upcoming San Antonio Police Department event. The force is hosting an asset seizure vehicle auction where locals can bid on cars seized by the police department. The auction will take place on Tuesday, November 9, and begin at 6 p.m., with time to view the available vehicles beforehand.

Among the 15 vehicles on the auction block is a 2014 Dodge Charger, a 2004 BMW 3 Series, and a 2010 Chevy Silverado.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - God's ways are often mysterious, and so Jan Trujillo doesn't spend much time wondering why she and other members of Second Baptist Church were called to minister to the men of Texas's death row.

"We could do something different. Yeah, of course we could," she said recently. "There are lots of different things we could do that would make people not question why we are volunteering our efforts. But I want to please God, and he asked me to do this."

That extends to the four other members of 2BC, as the church sometimes calls itself, who pile into Trujillo's Ford Explorer each month for the 14-hour round trip to the Allan B. Polunsky Unit prison in Livingston. It extends to Pastor Dana Moore, who makes a separate trek to chat and pray, if they request it, with four death row inmates.

Now their mission extends to the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices on Tuesday will consider the fate of one of the church's own - convicted murderer John Henry Ramirez, one of Moore's charges and a man Trujillo calls her godson.

Ramirez's case asks the court to consider exactly what kind of religious accommodations must be available to inmates at the moment the state puts them to death, a question that has vexed the court and divided the justices over the last several years.

Ramirez wants Moore by his side in the death chamber, to pray aloud and lay hands on him at the moment the inmate is executed by lethal injection. The state of Texas says its protocols protecting the "security, integrity and solemnity" of executions allow Moore to be present, but only if he stays quiet and does not touch Ramirez.

In an extraordinary move on the night of Sept. 8, the Supreme Court stopped Texas's plans as Ramirez waited in a holding room next to the death chamber.

The justices set his case for Tuesday's expedited hearing, and could use it to provide clarity about what the Constitution and federal law demands for religious accommodations at the time of death, as well as the country's history and traditions. George Washington, Ramirez's brief to the court notes, provided for deserters to be attended by clergy before their executions.

Lower courts have ruled against Ramirez, accepting his religious sincerity but questioning whether the timing of his request was simply a delaying tactic.

The state of Texas is blunter. Its brief accuses the 37-year-old of an "ongoing game of ecclesiastical whack-a-mole," casts doubt on his relationship with Moore and tells the court he is trying to provide a road map for other inmates to stall their executions.

Ramirez killed 45-year-old Pablo Castro in Corpus Christi in 2004, stabbing the convenience store clerk 29 times over pocket change and leaving the father of nine to die in a parking lot. He escaped to Mexico and evaded arrest for more than three years.

Ramirez admits to the murder, and agreed during a recent interview at the prison in Livingston that he would like to prolong his time on what he prefers to call "life row," spreading the word of God and working on an application for clemency.

But he also acknowledged it is more likely he will be executed.

His vision for that moment is this: "Pastor Dana would touch me while I was still alive and breathing. I'd want him to feel my heart and feel when I transition."

It would be important "not only for me, but for him," Ramirez said. "That's going to be a powerful testimony for him. I'm sure God will do something with that."

- - -

He would not be the first inmate Moore has seen executed.

The first was Joseph Garcia, who was part of the "Texas Seven" - inmates who escaped prison and killed an Irving police officer in a 2000 Christmas Eve robbery.

When Moore first met Garcia many years later, "he said, 'Dana, I'm one of the Texas Seven. They're going to kill me,' " Moore recently recalled. "And I thought, 'Yeah, you're right. There's not going to be a loophole for you.' "

Garcia was executed in 2018, with a prison chaplain in the death chamber and Moore watching with other witnesses.

"The word I've used is that it was tragic - everything about it," Moore said. "Of course, for Joey. It was tragic for the family of Aubrey Hawkins, that's the police officer who was killed. It was tragic for everyone there, even those doing the execution. I'm sure that's not what they want to do - I know that.

"It was tragic for the courts, the judge, the prosecutors, for the defense attorneys, the jurors - certainly it was traumatic for them."

Moore began seeing death row inmates at the behest of Trujillo. She and her sister, recently deceased, are the reason for Second Baptist's connection to death row. Trujillo, a retired schoolteacher, was teaching classes at the local jail and one of the women mentioned her son on death row: John Henry Ramirez.

Ramirez said he had told his lawyers to drop his appeals and let the execution go forward. "I got a letter from Jan," he recalled in the interview. "She said, 'Don't give up. God's not done with you.' "

She and her sister began visiting him. That was more than 10 years ago.

"They're not Bible-thumpers. They've never come here trying to 'save' me, get another notch on their belt," Ramirez said.

But he began "digging into the Word on my own," and the execution of an inmate with whom he was friendly "hit me hard," Ramirez said. "And I said, 'I'm going to give my life to God and see what I can do while I'm still here.' And that's what I did."

Ramirez considers himself a Messianic Jew but consented to becoming a member of Second Baptist. By the time Moore began visiting him in 2016, Ramirez was "already a member of my congregation."

Second Baptist is a conservative Southern Baptist church, Moore said, and the Supreme Court's decision to put Ramirez's execution on hold was big news in Corpus Christi. The pastor decided it was time to address the congregation about his role.

"Have you read about me in the news this week?" he said at the start of that Sunday's worship. "I know many of you have had questions from your friends: 'What's your pastor doing?' "

Moore tried to explain. "Really, it's a case about John being created in the image of God, as he is," Moore said. "There's nothing we do that destroys that image. Treating John with dignity doesn't take away from anyone else."

Moore promised: "This is not about guilt or innocence. This is not about a loophole. This is about John's firm belief that he wants me to do my pastoral duty over him in the death chamber. And folks, I had no idea it would get this much publicity, I really did not."

In an interview, Moore said he does not know if Ramirez's request will be repeated by the others with whom he meets on death row: one does not have an execution date, one is Catholic, and the other is not a Christian.

Moore resists suggestions that he is being used; the state says in its brief that Ramirez met with Moore only briefly Sept. 8, his execution date, and only because of the "court thing." Ramirez in the interview said that was only because he knew he would see Moore in the death chamber, and he was using his time that day for phone calls with his family.

When Moore was explaining the case to the congregation, he also told them about Pablo Castro: "He has a name and we pray for him. And specifically we pray for his family. It was a heinous crime."

One of those children is Aaron Castro, 31, and he has no patience for Ramirez.

"It is a pure manipulation of the system," said Castro, who works for ESPN in Austin.

The latest stay of execution for Ramirez - there has been one when he claimed ineffectiveness of counsel, and another because of coronavirus restrictions - "was a complete slap in the face," Castro said.

"This is a guy who killed my father in a horrible, brutal way," he said. "Did my father have an opportunity to have a priest with him as moved on to the next life?"

Castro said he once thought that if it would speed the execution, "fine, let him have what he wants. I did think that at one point. But then, no, why does he get to decide?"

Aaron Castro's siblings filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court: "Pablo Castro's children - and victims of violent crime across the Nation - deserve better," it says. "The suffering of Castro's family has been needlessly exacerbated by nearly decades of undue delays and manipulative, whipsaw litigation tactics."

Trujillo and those who travel with her each month to Livingston - Raymond Lay, Catana Painter, Michael Kerls and Jerry Lunceford - say they believe Ramirez to be sincere. But they also say conversion or even repentance is not their goal. Two of them have attended the executions of the inmates they've befriended.

"They've done a bunch of bad things," Painter said. "But they're still human beings. God still loves them because he made them."

"Amen," Trujillo said.

"There are prisoners there on death row - no families, no friends, they are lost," Lay said. "They want people to just talk to."

As for Ramirez, "I'll know he's going to heaven. He did what God asked him to do. Now, he didn't always do that in prison, I can guarantee. I've been with him 10 years and there were times ... ," Trujillo said, trailing off.

But Trujillo tends to see God's hand in everything, and she feels like the reprieve from the Supreme Court was God "giving John another few months to be able to witness to other guys on death row."

When he goes, Trujillo said, "I'll feel like I did everything God asked me to do for John Henry Ramirez. And his mother."

- - -

The Supreme Court took the case for reasons other than Ramirez's soul.

The justices have been back and forth on the rights of the condemned under the Constitution and a federal law called the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000. It says officials denying prisoners' religious-based requests must show a compelling interest and that they are employing the least restrictive means of doing so.

Exactly what that means has been a particular focus at the court since 2019. That is when the justices on a 5-to-4 vote allowed the execution in Alabama of Domineque Ray, a Muslim whose request for an imam to be with him was denied.

Alabama only employed Christian chaplains at that time. A dissenting Justice Elena Kagan said that was discrimination. "If an inmate practices a different religion - whether Islam, Judaism or any other - he may not die with a minister of his own faith by his side," she wrote, joined by the court's other liberals.

It touched off a wave of criticism across the ideological spectrum, and a few weeks later the court seemed to have second thoughts. It stayed the execution of a Buddhist inmate in Texas with a request similar to Ray's.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., said states could not accommodate some faiths and not others. But he suggested prison officials could avoid constitutional problems by banning all spiritual advisers from the death chamber.

But that appears not to have the full court's support. In February, the justices delayed the execution in Alabama of Willie B. Smith III, a Christian who was denied a request to have his pastor with him.

Kagan wrote again, this time joined by her two remaining liberal colleagues and new Justice Amy Coney Barrett: "The law guarantees Smith the right to practice his faith free from unnecessary interference, including at the moment the State puts him to death."

Alabama changed its policy. Smith was executed last month, with a pastor at his side, praying aloud and touching Smith on the leg. At a subsequent execution, an inmate was anointed with oil before lethal injection.

Still, Alabama joined a handful of other states filing a brief with the Supreme Court saying the "safety and security of state execution protocols should not be subject to federal court micromanagement."

On the other side, the Biden administration and interest groups across a wide ideological spectrum are supporting Ramirez. The Justice Department recommends the case be sent back to lower courts for additional fact-finding. But it notes that prisoners and spiritual advisers in recent federal executions chanted and prayed together.

Legal scholars and religious groups say history is on the side of Ramirez.

"Hanging, firing squad, electrocution, and the gas chamber all made touch at the exact moment of death infeasible," the brief from the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty said. "Yet even with respect to these methods of execution, clergy typically engaged in physical touch up to the last moment.

"For some reason, Texas wants to turn back the clock hundreds of years on the rights of clergy to minister to the condemned," said Eric Rassbach, senior counsel at Becket. "If King George III could do it back then, and Alabama can do it today, Texas ought to be able to figure it out.

The case is Ramirez v. Collier.
This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 308 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Read about why were doing this fundraiser, what weve accomplished in the last year,, and our current goal, strengthening our IT infrastructure.

They Carry Us With Them: The Great Tree Migration Emergence Magazine. Scroll down to skip the intro.

Maine Voters Rejection Of Transmission Line Shows Again How Land-Use Conflicts Are Halting Renewable Expansion Forbes. Or maybe the out-of-staters should tighten their belts like Mainers do (since Mainers wont get anything from the line but ruined viewsheds and polluted rivers and streams). The projects Spanish owners have filed suit to overturn the referendum.

Taylor Energy Oil Spill: Stanching the longest-running oil spill youve likely never heard of CBS. And suing the people doing the clean-up!

Visualizing the aquifers that straddle the U.S.-Mexico border High Country News

Heatpocrisy: The mining ban exposing Antarctica to Big Oils blind ambition Daily Maverick

COP26/Climate

#COVID19

China?

Myanmar
This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 312 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Read about why were doing this fundraiser,, what weve accomplished in the last year,, and our current goal, supporting the commentariat

By Michael Hudson, a research professor of Economics at University of Missouri, Kansas City, and a research associate at the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College. His latest book is and forgive them their debts: Lending, Foreclosure and Redemption from Bronze Age Finance to the Jubilee Year

A major reason why Naked Capitalism is my favorite website is the members discussion of the Links, Watercooler and the articles selected by Yves, Lambert and Jeri-Lynn. Most other sites that have comments are flooded with unhelpful personalized reactions, ad hominem attacks or personal free association. But Naked Capitalism discussants often add helpful observations, elaborations and references that make the site an intellectual salon. So please contribute!

Most of all is the good judgment among the NC commentariat realizing what a disaster both the Republicans andthe Democrats are. Lambert recently asked the obvious question: Why dont the Democrats simply get the Senate to remove Manchin and Sinema from their committee positions  or come right out and bring a motion saying that taking money from lobbyists to introduce policies that result in bribes (campaign contributions) is a corrupt conflict of interest. It wouldnt succeed, but would draw attention to how corrupt the campaign financing process really is in determining what candidates will be on the ballot and what issues they will support.

The problem, of course, is that all the Senators and most Congresspersons do the same selling of their votes. Who is going to propose a law reversing the Citizens United ruling by the Supreme Court by the recipients of this special-interest money writing a new law?

Biden promised to get the Blue Dog/New Democrat Thatcherite centrist House members (mercenary lobbyists for corporate America and the One Percent) on board. But what about the Senate? What in the negotiated agreement will prevent Manchin and Sinema from killing the bill there?

In any case, the new BBB bill has been distorted into something quite different than what was described until last week. The largest element grafted onto it is the $450 billion tax cut for wealthy homeowners, raising the SALT property tax deductibility in East Coast Democratic states from $10,000 to $72,500. This giveaway is promoted by the same centrists who are blocking approval of the BBB because it will add to the budget deficit.

It gets worse. Over the weekend we have learned how drastically the early promise of fiscal savings for Medicare drug purchases has been drastically watered down. Instead of letting Medicare negotiate directly with drug companies to bring prices in line with what other countries pay, the new negotiation was the one most substantially changed in the last week: It would apply to fewer drugs, require smaller discounts, and, most critically, shield new drugs from negotiations.  The original House proposal to regulate drug prices would have allowed the government to lower the price of up to 250 expensive drugs, no matter how new or how innovative they were.  The current bill would allow Medicare to negotiate over the prices of no more than 20 drugs each year, and only those that have been around for a while. That is a relatively small subset of the drug universe. The Food and Drug Administration approved 53 new drugs last year alone.[1]

The article notes that On average, Americans pay about 250 percent of drug prices in other developed countries, which tend to negotiate aggressively for lower drug prices, often by purchasing drugs for the entire nation centrally. So much for the Blue Dogs crocodile tears about the federal budget deficit! Complaining about adding to the deficit is a tell that they will continue to oppose pro-labor, pro-consumer policies. They never raise this concern when it comes to military appropriations or tax cuts for the One Percent.

In fact, after teasing the Progressive Caucus for a few months by letting them think that the BBB really was Bernies bill, they made an about-face and treated it as merely a starting point to be scaled back. That has given new meaning to the word transformative for Bidens Administration. It seeks to transform the economy to favor the Donor Class One Percent.

The six House Democrats who voted against the bill are Missouri Rep. Cori Bush, New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman, Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and perhaps the most outspoken member, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar. The New York Timespost mortem reported News reported after the Friday midnight capitulation described how Black Caucus leaders negotiated a trust them compromise. The progressives slowly caved. The no votes dwindled from 20 to 10 and finally 6. Ms. Pelosi could only lose 4 Democrats, but aides said she was confident that she could pressure at least 2 of the 6 to vote with her before the gavel came down.[2]

Did the Squad Give Away Their Bargaining Power?

By capitulating, the Progressive Caucus has lost its single effective bargaining point: its ability to do what Manchin and Sinema have been doing using the leverage of President Bidens desperation to get somelaw passed, to do somethingin the wake of Tuesdays losses in Virginia and elsewhere throughout the country.

I was glad to see some discussants of my Friday NC posting bring up Rome. It indeed provides a precedent to the strategy that led only six Squad members to retreat from the only strong negotiating point available to them: the ability to block the Blue Dog/New Democratic Coalition dilution after the original BBB bill was turned from social welfare support for child care, medical care, parental leave and government negotiation to bring down drug prices into a travesty of the original version. Was it all a trick?

All this has happened before. Rome has some relevant history of the appropriate tactics that the Squad couldhave followed when Pelosi and Biden begged them to accept all the pro-corporate, pro-Wall Street, pro-oligarchy changes to the original plan. By the 370s BC, Romes patricians had bone back on their word again and again. Even when they passed pro-debtor laws, the Senators and the courts that they controlled refused to enforce them. So I was glad to see references to Rome in Fridays discussion.

Romes patrician tactic was to block reforms, stalling while the debt crisis got worse and worse. In 376, G. Licinius Stolo and L. Sextius Laturanus were elected as plebeian tribunes and put three bills before the Assembly to provide debt relief by scaling down debts and deduct interest already paid from the principal that was still owed  with and the balance to be paid in three equal annual installments. Livys History of Rome( 6.36:12) describes how Sextius and Licinius addressed the patricians:

Is it your pleasure that the plebeians, crushed by debt, should surrender their persons to fetters and punishments sooner than that they should discharge their debts by repaying the principal? That, they should be led off in crowds from the Forum as the property of their creditors? That the houses of the nobility should be filled with prisoners, and wherever a patrician lives there should be a private dungeon?

The alternative to this program, they warned, was that there would be no limit to the seizure of land by the patricians or the murder of the plebs by the deadly usury until the plebs elected one of the consuls from their own ranks as a guardian of their liberties.[3]

Livy wrote that the Senate deemed only aristocrats fit to serve, and refused to allow either the reading of the bills or any other procedure which the plebs usually adopted when they came to vote. For many weeks the Assembly was regularly summoned without any business being done, and the bills were looked upon as dead. That drove Sextius to reply:

Very good. Since it is your pleasure that the veto shall possess so much power, we will use this same weapon for the protection of the plebs. Come then, patricians, give notice of an Assembly for the election of consular tribunes, I will take care that the word which our colleagues are now uttering in concert to your great delight, the word I FORBID, shall not give you much pleasure (Livy, 6.35).

Livy described this fight as lasting for an entire decade, but the fight probably lasted just one year. What is affirmed, is that Licinius and Sextius made an all-or-nothing demand for their three-part program. Military levies could not be enacted without the assent of plebeian tribunes, and even military tribunes were blocked from being elected.

Opponents of the plebeians accused Licinius and Sextius of seeking kingship for themselves  what today is called being left-wing or socialist. But they won the historic rewriting of Romes debt laws.

The class struggle went on, of course. The plebeians threatened yet a new secession in 366, and escalated the standoff by electing Sextius as the first plebeian consul. The patricians refused to confirm his appointment, and matters were approaching a secession of the plebs (Livy 6.42.11). But again, the hard line taken by the plebeians won.

That didnt happen in America on Friday night. Just as many Roman plebeians shied from confronting the incorrigible Senate, the Progressive Caucus gave in to President Biden so that he could save face from Tuesdays embarrassing loss in Virginia and other places that rejected DNC-backed candidates. The Democratic Party leadership thought it would win by identity politics to distract voters from the economic issues at hand and the common denominator of voters being wage earners. But the effect was to turn the hyphenated-American identities against each other, aggravating the white/black divide.

The elephant in the room is the DNC. Its Blue Dog leadership has pushed conservative candidates in every primary against the left, meaning pro-labor, pro-consumer, pro-environment candidates against those who support the policies that most voters want.

The Progressives could have said, Its obvious to us that the DNC has its knives out for us. Our price for support for voting for the bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill is that you assign us dominant position on the DNC. We will no longer be hoodwinked into supporting politicians who represent special corporate interests and the One Percent against the policies that we support.

Heres what the Progressive caucus should do from now on: When any National Defense bill comes up, they should emulate the conservative tactic and insist on reviewing the budget to see that it wont increase the national debt. I understand that something like $6 trillion (could this really be the number) is unaccounted for by the Pentagon. Insist on seeing it, and stretch the inquiry out until the bill is killed.

Unlike the Democrats, the Republicans are now the MMT party: They can cut taxes, raise military spending and do whatever they want without concern for the budget deficit, because they know that: We can simply print the money. We dont have to borrow. If you dont believe us, ask Stephanie Kelton.

I can think of no better site to follow developments than Naked Capitalism. So Im glad to urge everyone to join this weeks fundraising drive. Please go to the Tip Jar!

______

[1]Margot Sanger-Katz, Democrats Choosing Less Risky Path on Drug Prices, The New York Times, November 6, 2021.

[2]Jonathan Weisman and Carl Hulse, The Congressional Black Caucus Was Key to the Infrastructure Vote, The New York Times, November 6, 2021.

[3]Livy 6.37:3. He explained (6.37.4): There could be no fair or just administration as long as the executive power was in the hands of the other party, while they had only the right of protesting by their veto.
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By Steven Klees, an economist, Distinguished Scholar-Teacher and Professor of International Education Policy at the University of Maryland. Originally published at Evonomics.

Much has been written about the failure of neoclassical economic theory (NCT), so I wont belabor the point, but I do want to highlight what is too rarely said  that the central concept of NCT, economic (Pareto) efficiency is empty in theory and practice.

The great feat of neoclassical economics has been to convince people that there is a vantage point to view society, separable from concerns with equity and distribution. This vantage point, defined as economic efficiency, supposedly allows one to see if society as a whole is better off, such that decisions to produce a particular array of goods and services could be made in the interests of everybody, irrespective of how little one had, thus separating efficiency decisions from equity ones. However, if prices are not defined according to the exact dictates of what economists call perfect competition, then private profitability tells us nothing about the comparative social advantages and the consequent efficiency of producing, lets say, more yachts for rich people instead of more rice and beans for poor people. Similarly, to argue that the allocation of resources can be efficient even if half the world is starving to death is ridiculous, but that is exactly what neoclassical economics says.

I find this legerdemain of inventing a concept of efficiency separate from equity, based on a completely unreal, obviously untrue, abstraction, is absurd on the face of it. If the absurdity of this framework is not obvious, one only has to look at what NCT calls second best theory. The first best world is that of perfect competition; second best refers to a world with at least one imperfection, say, one monopoly in a world that was otherwise perfectly competitive. Second-best theory essentially asks: If we dont live in the first-best world of perfect competition but have, lets say, only one imperfection in an otherwise perfect world, what are the results? It turns out, reluctantly admitted by neoclassical economists  second best is their own theory, not a plot by critics  that with just one imperfection, there are ripples so that all market prices become distorted, and Adam Smiths famous invisible hand is no longer a good guide to the social interest, and the system is no longer efficient  nor is there even any sense of whether it is close to efficiency. In the real world of multiple imperfections  where none of the assumptions of perfect competition hold  even if the neoclassical concept of efficiency had some meaning in theory, in practice, it is an abysmal failure, a completely empty idea.

Economic Empiricism is a Dead End

Debates within and between economic theories are examined through empirical work. But how valid and worthwhile are the studies produced, which in the aggregate cost hundreds of millions of dollars and are so influential in policy circles? Much of the debate is about what are the effects of different programs and policies. To assess quantitatively the impact of an intervention, there are two ways to rule out confounding variables  statistical controls and experimental controls. Both are fundamentally problematic in theory and in practice. To trust in statistical controls via some form of regression analysis, you cannot just include ad hoc a few control variables but need three conditions: include all variables that affect the dependent variable, measure them correctly, and specify the proper functional form. These conditions never hold, and the result is that different studies come to different conclusions, rather arbitrarily as a result of the idiosyncrasies of the variables, measures, and models used. In education, for example, hundreds of input-output studies (with student test scores as the dependent variable) offer no consistent findings.

Experimental controls via RCTs have been touted as a better strategy for impact assessment, indeed as the gold standard of research methods. However, they have been strongly critiqued for their lack of generalizability because they do not account for context. The validity of their findings is also suspect as too often control groups are not comparable to treatment groups, and effect sizes are small. In practice, RCTs very often come to inconsistent and divergent conclusions. What this all comes down to again is that the evidence supporting the impact of policies and programs is cherry-picked, and what works is in the eye of the beholder.

Some Implications

The implications of my methodological critique go way beyond economics. Fundamentally, it is a social science problem. The social sciences have long been captured by physics envy. Some observer once pointed out that physics would fall apart if particles had intentions. We live on a planet with 7 billion human beings, all with different intentions living in very complex contexts. Our empirical ability to find regularities is very rudimentary. We do better in fields that have a base in the physical sciences, and we can generally believe things like wearing masks helps protect against virus transmission or that human activity is causing global warming. Of course, even these are contested by some. But agreed upon findings in the social sciences are much rarer  if indeed there are any significant ones. The promise of the policy sciences  that social science could give us clear facts about causal impact  is belied in theory and in practice, as I have argued above, here, and elsewhere. We need to recognize that and be much more modest in our claims and much more aggressive in ensuring that our policy choices are made with widespread debate and participation.

The implication of my critique of NCT is that if economic efficiency is meaningless, neoclassical economics is useless. No amount of tinkering will help. Without economic efficiency as its bulwark, capitalism loses its ideological justification other than one that says markets are practically a better allocation device than a command economy. But markets can be circumscribed and regulated in any ways we find reasonable. There need be no justification of externalities or public goods. Equity can be the reason, and there is no equity-efficiency tradeoff, which is all fiction since efficiency is meaningless. There is no reason to stubbornly hang on to NCT and its justification for capitalism in the way that even critical neoclassical economists like Krugman, Reich, Rodrik, and Stigltiz do.

Moreover, in practical, real-world terms, capitalism is the most inefficient system ever invented. Although it produces riches for some, it leaves billions of people at its margins, many fighting to survive, many surviving in precarious positions, environmental destruction built into it, and climate catastrophe almost upon us,

It is very unlikely that there will be a Copernican moment where another grand theory replaces NCT. NCT is an outlier in the social sciences  there is no one theory like it and especially not one that promises to tell you the right course for public policy (based on the efficiency idea). Heterodox, left, intersectional political economy perspectives do offer a variety of useful alternative views on economic policies and practices, but empirical studies will never resolve or even enlighten the existing debates between competing economic paradigms.

So What to Do?

To my mind, we dont need more economic theory and empirics. What we do need is more attention to the many alternative economic practices being written about and being practiced. Contrary to Margaret Thatchers TINA, There is No Alternative, Im a believer in David Bolliers TAPAS, There are Plenty of Alternatives! For 20 years, I have been teaching a course on alternative development. In the beginning, it was difficult to find works to read; now, there are so many people writing about this, I cant keep up. To conclude this essay, I will talk briefly about some of the writing, efforts, and practices I have found most compelling.

Let me start with the wonderful new book, edited by Gus Speth and Kathleen Courrier, The New Systems Reader: Alternatives to a Failed Economy. Its 28 essays explore a plethora of alternatives ranging from the Nordic experience to economic democracy to eco-socialism. Pluriverse: A Post-Development Dictionary, edited by Ashish Kothari and colleagues, discusses a dozen or so reformist solutions like a green economy and smart cities but spends the most time on literally dozens of transformative initiatives like the alter-globalization movement, alternative currencies, buen vivir, the commons, degrowth, ecofeminism, solidarity economies and ubuntu.

Most of the writing about alternatives to capitalism still see the need to rely on a market system. One interesting and different approach is embodied in the many decades of work by two political economists, Michael Albert and Robin Hahnel, on participatory economics or parecon. They and other point out that markets corrode human values and solidarity and propose a series of worker and consumer councils to make production decisions and allocations of goods and services. While this may be difficult in practice, it is important food for thought.

These are more than academic exercises, and all connect with concrete alternative practices happening on the ground. There are now many advocacy organizations promoting concrete alternatives. WEAll, the Well-Being Economy Alliance, seeks to transform the economic system into one that delivers social justice on a healthy planet by moving beyond an orientation to GDP and economic growth. The Next System Project (NSP) promotes visions, models, and pathways that point to a next system radically different in fundamental ways from the failed systems of the past and capable of delivering superior social, economic, and ecological outcomes. Especially interesting is the work of one of NSPs founders, Gar Alperovitz, who argues that, in the U.S., capitalism is already being transformed by democratized ownership through millions of employee owners and thousands of community development corporations and cooperatives. The Democracy Collaborative, of which the NSP is an offshoot, is collaboratively working to transform local communities and has been very successful in Cleveland, Ohio and Preston, England. They are also working on promoting next system studies at universities.

Taking a worldwide perspective, especially but not exclusively oriented towards rural and indigenous communities, the Global Tapestry of Alternatives, has developed a network of people and organizations changing how people live. During this pandemic era, they have offered about 15 fascinating webinars documenting and sharing alternative system practices including African ecofeminism, commoning, the Kurdish womens movement in Rojava, and eco-socialism in Jackson, Mississippi. Bernie and Jane Sanders and Yanis Varoufakis started another organization, Progressive International, to bring us all together: to unite, organize and mobilize progressive forces behind a shared vision of a world transformed.

Much of the work referenced above explicitly talks about the need to move beyond capitalism, to find a new modality of social organization. But even some that doesnt can be transformative. A movement started by French female scholars, called Democratizing Work, has gone global with an op ed published in dozens of newspapers around the world and signed by over 5000 researchers calling for democratizing firms, decommodifying work, and remediating the environment. Noted economists like Thomas Piketty and Dani Rodrik are supporting this. Rodrik has even made the interesting argument that creating good jobs creates massive externalities. Within neoclassical economics, this has devastating implications for a capitalist system which fundamentally relies on markets to create jobs. If Rodrik is correct, neoclassical economics would imply that governments have a significant responsibility to see to good job creation.

I think even within-system alternatives like universal basic income (UBI) and a 4-day work week can have transformative implications. UBI changes many things: reduces poverty and inequality; lessens workers willingness to do poorly paid work; allows for more part-time creative and craft work; allows people to return to school or do care work; and minimizes assistance bureaucracy. Norway has a form of UBI, and other countries are experimenting with it. A 4-day work week also changes many things: increases productivity; makes for a happier and more committed worker; improves work-life balance; and reduces our carbon footprint. Combining UBI and a 4-day work week may have significant synergies, allowing for a much better quality of life. Scotland is experimenting with both. I think the slogan, Share the Wealth, Share the Work, could be popular politics.

I was fortunate enough to attend the World Social Forum (WSF) twice and march with 100,000 activists from all over the world and meet some of them who were struggling to engage in alternative practices to change the world in areas like education, health, food, water, environment, or development generally. These activists go home from the Forum and interact and network with millions, building a global network. The energy and optimism there was contagious. I am also optimistic because I have been fortunate to work in dozens of countries, and everywhere I found people who believed what is the slogan of the WSF  Another World is Possible  and who were struggling for it. Economics does not have to be the dismal science. A focus on alternative economic practices opens up a world of possibilities. Let me close with a quote from Arundhati Roy: Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.
This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 306 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Read about why were doing this fundraiser, what weve accomplished in the last year,, and our current goal, strengthening our IT infrastructure.

Lambert here: Caveat emptor? Im shocked.

By Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News. Originally published at Kaiser Health News.

Trendy-looking websites promise convenience and freedom from networks, at far less than the cost of traditional health insurance.

Welcome to insurance thats finally fair, says one, in bold lettering. Take care of your health with one easy app, says another.

Its all part of shopping for health coverage in 2021.

While theyre still niche products, these nontraditional options say they aim to soothe consumer frustration with high premiums and deductibles by harnessing the growing availability of price information or patients newfound comfort with online health services.

One such offering, from insurer Sidecar Health, pays consumers its estimated cash price for each medical visit and lets them shop for the best deal. Another, from Antidote Health, isnt insurance, but offers access to online-only primary care for a small monthly fee.

Still, these plans come with a dose of buyer beware.

While the image the plans present is one of consumers taking control of their health care costs, the reality is likely the opposite, said Dania Palanker, assistant research professor at the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University.

Thats because they are not Affordable Care Act plans. They are not comprehensive medical insurance, and could leave patients responsible for hundreds or even thousands of dollars, either because benefits cover only part of a medical bill or because of other plan limitations.

Whats offered by California-based Sidecar Health and Antidote in New York may appeal to shoppers who are younger or more tech-savvy, the uninsured, or those who dont get subsidies to help them purchase Affordable Care Act plans.

Consumers say ACA plans are too expensive, or the out-of-pocket costs are too high, or doctors dont accept them, said Mike Smith, president of The Brokerage, a marketing organization in Texas that recruits insurance agents and also sells insurance.

But these plans lower premiums are possible, in part, because the plans cover less than ACA plans.

Standard benefits do not include maternity care, theres no annual limit on how much patients can pay out-of-pocket, and some decline to enroll people with health conditions, none of which is allowed in an ACA plan. Sidecar customers may find the amounts they receive to pay for care are less than they are charged, while Antidote doesnt cover lab work, X-rays, hospital care or expensive drugs.

Sidecars Access Plan, licensed for sale in 17 states, adds a layer of pricing information to whats known as fixed-indemnity plans. Such plans pay the policyholder a flat rate, usually a dollar amount, based on the type of care they receive, such as a doctor visit or a day in the hospital.

Unlike typical indemnity plans, Sidecar provides more information, including individual payment calculations for 170,000 services based on its estimates of the average cash price in the patients area for each service. That encompasses most services associated with regular doctor visits and lab work as well as the line-item charges included in surgeons fees and hospital care.

But the medical provider might not accept that amount as full payment.

Patients can learn upfront from Sidecar the amount it will pay toward a medical visit  if they know what they need  and then shop around. Patients pay any difference between the Sidecar allowance and the actual charge. Conversely, if the patient can get it for less than Sidecars rate, the enrollee pockets the difference.

CEO Patrick Quigley sees his company as part of a nascent effort to harness the growing availability of price information, one that may prompt reluctant Americans to comparison shop.

Were building a product around transparency and control, turning patients into purchasers, he said.

Some policy experts caution that the plan falls far short of comprehensive coverage.

Indemnity insurance can be useful in filling coverage gaps, but it isnt major medical health insurance, Palanker said.

Consumers must choose a coverage amount for the year, from as little as $5,000 to $2 million. If a person selects, say, $50,000 but faces a $100,000 hospital bill after a car accident or a bad case of covid-19, they are responsible for the difference.

Because theyre based partly on the total annual amount of coverage, premiums vary, but most are $200 to $300 a month, according to Sidecar.

Candidates must answer a series of health questions when applying, and those who weigh more than 300 pounds or have any of 13 specific health conditions are declined.

Quigley says the structure  no network, upfront price information  frees people to go to any doctor, hospital or clinic.

But it also means all services are out of network and theres no guarantee a provider or facility will accept the Sidecar benchmark price as payment in full.

If the providers you need to see do not fall in line with the median amount paid in your area, you are on the hook, said Joshua Brooker, a principal at PA Health Advocates, an independent brokerage that operates in 11 states. It does not sell Sidecar.

For complex treatments, like surgery, Sidecar directs members to request ahead of time a detailed estimate with all the expected charges, then send it to Sidecar for a calculation of what it would pay.

Consumers are not used to saying, I need every code you are going to bill, said Stacey Pogue, senior policy analyst with Every Texan, a policy and research group in Austin. For a really sophisticated consumer who understands indemnity insurance and cash prices and negotiating, this could be a good product, but I just dont think there are that many such consumers.

Theres also no way to shop around in an emergency.

In those cases, Sidecar says, it steps in after the fact and negotiates directly with the hospital, aiming for a reasonable charge, Quigley said.

Even proponents, including The Brokerages Smith, said Sidecar may not be the best choice for everyone. Clients who choose it must educate themselves on how it works, especially its limitations, he said.

Consumers buy Sidecars Access Plan online from the company or through participating brokers like Smith, not through federal or state marketplaces offering ACA insurance, because it isnt major medical coverage.

That may soon change, at least in Ohio.

Sidecar Health said it has state approval to sell an ACA plan there, starting in November for coverage next year.

Because this version must meet all the laws requirements  including accepting applicants with preexisting health conditions, posing no dollar limits on how much care it will cover and capping enrollees out-of-pocket costs  its premiums in some cases may be higher than the Access Plans.

Unlike ACA offerings from other carriers, it will have no set network of doctors and hospitals. Consumers will shop around, armed with plan price information.

Antidote, meanwhile, is sold in eight states. Monthly membership fees start at $35 for an individual or $59 for a family.

Co-founder Ben Enosh initially described Antidotes fees as premiums but later corrected himself to say the program has one monthly fee at a significantly lower price point than insurance, which requires a premium plus deductibles and copays.

And it describes itself as a digital healthcare company, not insurance, providing technical and administrative support to physicians. Thats why, he said, it is not licensed by insurance regulators in several states where it is sold.

The plan resembles direct primary care, for which patients pay a monthly fee to their local doctor, who then provides all their primary care. Unlike most of these programs, which include in-person office visits, Antidote is all online, the patient may not see the same doctor every time, and the physician may well be in another state.

Antidote has a network of 50 online doctors, some of whom are investors, Enosh said. Before an online visit, patients answer a health questionnaire, which takes about 10 minutes, he added. Analyzed by an algorithm, that data then helps physicians decide what might be going on. The technology has helped shorten online visit time to an average of six minutes, he said.

There are definite coverage limits.

Antidotes service provides primary care visits only, although Enosh said it informs enrollees of cash prices available at nearby labs. The plans terms of use online show doctor visits are limited to 12 a year for individuals and 20 for families, after which a fee of $15 per visit applies.

Hospitalization, imaging tests and surgery are not covered.

Additionally, its no extra fee drug coverage includes only 80 types of medications, which may well take care of run-of-the-mill concerns but not cancer or other major conditions. Patients would need to pay for those themselves.
My position with Nashville Post has evolved since 2000 when I began work with the now-defunct The City Paper. TCP became a Post sister pub in 2008 (when I began some Post work) and folded in 2013. I have worked mainly with the Post since late 2011.

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(Natural News) Maryland state Sen. Terri Hill, a Democrat, has been fined $15,000 and slapped with a reprimand by the Maryland Board of Physicians for participating in two separate virtual legislative meetings, one of which was a voting session, while working in an operating room with patients.

Hill is both a doctor and a politician, and in order to maintain her private career she apparently also tries to do her public servant work at the same time. This was only made possible thanks to the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19), which shifted all of Marylands legislative committee meetings to videoconferencing.

A board-certified plastic surgeon, Hill is being accused of leaving patients on the operating table while she meanders off to deal with legislative business. Earlier in the month, she signed a consent order that found her guilty of unprofessional conduct in the practice of medicine.

Hills multitasking endeavors first came to light back in March when the Baltimore Sun ran an expose on her. While working on a patient, Hill reportedly stepped away mid-surgery to participate in a Zoom call. (RELATED: Remember when the Wisconsin government told employees they had to wear a mask during Zoom calls?)

During the meeting, which lasted about an hour, Hills feed showed multiple gowned and masked figures moving about, with sets of operating room lights visible on the screen, the Sun reported at the time.

The feed in question was broadcast live on both YouTube and the General Assemblys website.

She was positioned under the surgical lights, focused downward, and would occasionally shift, reach for surgical instruments, or adjust the lights, the report explained about Hill, adding that she and her staff occasionally moved surgical equipment and blood-stained towels so that they were briefly visible on the video feed.

Juggling politics while trying to perform surgery might not be the best idea

In her own defense, Hill later told the media that she was not required to participate in either of the two digital sessions but chose to do so anyway. Hills district covers the areas of Baltimore and Howard counties.

Had there been any safety or privacy concerns, then I wouldnt have done it, Hill is quoted as saying, claiming that her participation in the calls did not put any patients at risk.

Im a little surprised that this is becoming a big deal because there are no privacy issues. There are no attention-to-duty issues and theres no dereliction-of-duty issues. So, the only issue is peoples perception of what could or could not or must or must not have been going on.

The Maryland Board of Physicians, however, disagrees. While Hill claims that both of the affected patients gave permission for her to participate in the calls, it was later discovered that both surgeries were considered to be major. There are also claims that the patients in question did not give permission to Hill to step away.

In its findings of fact published on its website, the board cited records that show Hill performed major abdominal surgery on one of the patients in February  and that the patients preoperative consent forms do not document consent or notice about Hill participating in a legislative committee during surgery, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

The patient did not recall being asked about participating in a legislative committee meeting by videoconference, according to the boards report.

Later on, Hill admitted that she may have just informed her patients that she might have to take a call during their surgeries, and did not actually get their permission.

There was a lot going on, getting the patient to the hospital, getting them to the OR, the boards report stated. Im sure she was nervous.

If you enjoyed this story, you will find more like it at Twisted.news.

Sources for this article include:

WesternJournal.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Do Americans Have a Future?

Yes, but not a good one.

(Article by Paul Craig Roberts republished from PaulCraigRoberts.org)

To begin with, it is very difficult for Americans to get any accurate information. Democracy cannot survive when the media is a lie factory serving secret agendas and politicians are servants of the special interests that provide their election funds. Not only is Congress ability to represent the people compromised by the influence of special interests, but also Congress has given up power to executive branch regulatory agencies and to the judiciary. When the representatives of the people cannot represent them, the people have no protection.

There is neither a rule of law nor a Constitution when a President (George W. Bush) can dispense with habeas corpus and hold American citizens indefinitely without due process of law and a President (Obama) can execute American citizens on suspicion alone without due process of law. Neither president was impeached, and no court or bar association made an issue of the illegal and unconstitutional exercise of power by two American presidents as if they were unaccountable dictators.

I warned at the time that worse was to come, and it has. Today even mayors think they are dictators, as do university and hospital administrators, and employers who spew Covid vaccination mandates in defiance of the Nuremberg Laws. Under the Nuremberg laws, vaccination is a medical procedure and requires informed consent. Moreover, under the US Constitution laws must originate in legislatures, not with pronouncements of mayors and private employers. We know that a countrys leadership has lost respect for the rule of law when employers and executive branch officials issue laws and judges accept this violation of legislative authority. What the Covid mandates demonstrate is that respect for the rule of law no longer exists in the United States outside of Florida and Texas.

The scene is also dismal on the economic front. The offshoring of so many manufacturing and other high value-added jobs have robbed Americans of stable employment, middle class incomes, and cities and states of tax base. The offshoring of jobs was mindless, an act of deindustrialization putting the US on a path to the Third World. When a country manufactures goods and services abroad for sale at home, the goods and services enter as imports and worsen the trade deficit. Now this unforgivable mistake is being amplified by a rush into robotics that will further devastate employment opportunities. Machines do not purchase goods and services and, thereby, decrease aggregate demand in the economy, which means falling, not rising, GDP.

The thoughtless Covid lockdowns have disrupted the supply chains, resulting in rising prices. Morons such as Californias governor have amplified the problem with environmental edicts that prevent half of the US truck fleet from entering California, with the result that the ports are piled up with ships waiting for a place to unload.

Militarily, the US is losing experienced officers and highly trained personnel who are too intelligent and aware to submit to the death jab. Many of those being coerced by an incompetent military command selected for leftwing ideological purposes will suffer injury and death, further decimating those in uniform. Meanwhile the same incompetent generals and Secretary of Defense issue increasingly provocative threats to Russia and China. The moronic Biden regime is actually considering sending US troops to Taiwan and accepting Ukraine and Georgia into NATO. The Chinese and Russians will not accept this. With our broken and demoralized military, Washingtons only option is nuclear.

Not only are the troops demoralized, but also police, firemen, doctors and nurses. The vaccination mandates are causing shortages of medical personnel. Nurses and doctors who have seen the effect of the vaccine on patients dont want the dangerous vaccine and are giving up their jobs rather than take the risk associated with the vaccine.

More generally, the entire white population is demoralized. Public school systems and universities are indoctrinating their children against themselves, their parents, the white race, and Western culture and achievements. The kids are told that white people are racists who oppress people of color. Moreover, the kids are taught that there are endless genders and that they can pick what gender they want to be irrespective of how nature has made them. The notion that gender is not biologically determined is now a mainstay of public school education. Among other horrors, this false doctrine has led to males having access to female restrooms where they commit rapes in public schools. Parents who complain at school board meetings are beaten up by police and arrested. The Biden regime attorney general declared complaining parents to be domestic terrorists.

It can not be made any clearer that white people, their rights, culture, history, and achievements are under full scale attack by their own government and own school systems. This sense of helplessness, together with declining job opportunities and incomes, rising prices, overrun borders, and inability to correct the situation through elections, makes it clear that white Americans have had their country taken away from them.

How do they get it back? The Democrats use open borders to transport the immigrant-invaders into red states in order to turn them into blue states. This is why Democrats and the Biden attorney general declare the requirement to have an ID to vote to be a violation of civil rights laws. The Democrats intend to use third world immigration to obtain one-party rule.

Faced with revolution from above, American white people could counter with violent revolution if they had leaders and the ability to organize, difficult due to the FBIs ability to infiltrate and frame as illustrated by the Trump insurrection and prosecutions.

Moreover, the process of overthrowing white America has been gradual, like slowly boiling the frog. The image of a white country is simply being erased. You can see it everywherein movies, in literature, in promotions, in advertisements. How often do you see a white male or a white family in an advertisement? Have you noticed that white women in advertisements have darker and darker tans? They too are gradually disappearing as they undergo their color transformation.

The assault on whiteness is organized, not accidental, and it has to have the approval of white elites. So how does a people survive when their own elite is against them?

It was a difficult decision to explain the stark situation. But people can rise to challenges instead of being demoralized by them. If people understand their situation, they can attempt to rescue themselves. Otherwise they are lost.

Whites can resist by boycotting the products of all employers who mandate vaccination, by avoiding goods and services produced by US firms offshore, by abandoning public schools, by refusing donations to universities, by never voting Democrat, by abandoning newspapers, TV, and NPR that indoctrinate them against themselves, by using only doctors in private practice, and by patronizing only locally owned businesses. The chain stores, national banking, and online shopping have done much to destroy the financial independence of the population. Republicans are far from perfect, but they are not anti-white.

If white Americans intend to survive, they must stop supporting their enemies.

Read more at: PaulCraigRoberts.org
(Natural News) A group of concerned parliamentarians in Europe is putting on blast the highly corrupt European Commission for allowing the pharmaceutical industry to run roughshod over democracy.

In order to supposedly protect the health of their constituents from the plandemic, European Union (E.U.) leaders in Brussels purchased millions of batches of Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines from various drug companies without any oversight by actual lawmakers.

In fact, the people Europeans elected to represent them were kept out of the deals entirely. Only the Commission, which is not elected, knew what was contained in the secret contracts that were signed with Big Pharma.

According to RT, entire pages of these documents  of the few that have actually been released, anyway  are heavily redacted. Someone does not want the general public knowing what was done under the cover of darkness, in other words.

Numerous European leaders, including Romanian MEP Cristian Terhes, are not okay with this and want answers. Joining several others who see things like he does, Terhes spoke at a recent press conference expressing serious concerns about the situation.

As of November 3, all members of Parliament must show a digital green pass in order to enter the building. This is a problem for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that lawmakers are being denied access about the jabs and the procedures used to bring them into Europe.

Terhes vows to restore freedom back to Europe

As far back as January, Terhes revealed, E.U. lawmakers were demanding full access to the contracts signed between these companies that produce the vaccines and the European Union.

Time and time again, these representatives of the people were given the runaround by Brussels, which to this day refuses to be transparent about how this all came to be.

Quoting from a Euractiv article, Terhes, who represents the Christian-Democratic National Peasants Party, explained that the contract signed between pharmaceutical giant CureVac and the European Commission last November was made available to MEPs [on Jan. 12, 2021] in a redacted format after the company agreed to open the contract up to scrutiny.

Without knowing what is in these contracts, there is no way to scrutinize whether each was done appropriately and with the best interests of the people in mind. (RELATED: Bill Gates and other eugenicist billionaires are making the big bucks thanks to these types of shady deals.)

Terhes added that Brussels is imposing a medical product on European citizens without them knowing whats in these contracts. Even a third-rate lawyer, RT added, would strike something like this down in a heartbeat.

Worse yet, even the E.U. members of Parliament were kept out of the loop. Only a select few at the very top had any involvement in scheming these contracts and forcing them into law.

As for which parts of the contracts were most redacted, an analysis conducted by Euractiv found that 4.22% of the liability section and 15.38% of the indemnification section was found to be redacted, while 0% of the section on the processing of personal data was redacted.

A whopping 61 percent of the contracts annexes, which contain the nitty-gritty details of the agreement, were also blacked out in the versions provided to lawmakers like Terhes. All in all, about 24 percent of the contract could not be seen because it was heavily censored.

E.U. citizens rights are severely violated by the Digital Certificate, tweeted Terhes, outraged over all of this. We will fight for your right to freedom, which has to be restored in the E.U.!

The latest news about Chinese Virus injection tyranny can be found at Fascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

RT.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) This past Tuesday I reported that Dr. Marco Metzler, former Fitch analyst and now of DMSA (Deutche Mrkt Screening Agentur GmbH) has announced that the past due interest payment on China Evergrande Groups offshore international bonds that all of the western media reported as supposedly paid by Evergrande could not be confirmed. Today, he is stating that a second interest payment ($47.5 Million) allegedly made by Evergrande according to the western media last night has not been paid, once again contradicting mainstream media reports.

(Article by Stan Szymanski republished from EncouragingAngels.org)

According the the GMBH News Release dated today (10/29/21)For the second time in a week, China Evergrande Group has apparently technically defaulted on interest payments to international investors. and in the opening paragraph goes on to sayShould the Evergrande insolvency not only drag down Chinas real estate sector, but the entire economy of the country, we will see even bankruptcies of major international banks  such as HSBC, fears DMSA senior analyst Dr. Marco Metzler.

 But there has been no official confirmation of any payment of that interest by the close of business at Hong Kong bankscontinued Metzler. Besides Encouraging Angels, the only other known doubts that concur with Metzler appear in a recent report in the Financial Times Metzler says in the press release. In that document, Dr. Metzler goes on to state that no one replied to their inquiries as to an actual confirmation of the payments to creditors by Evergrande.

Thus, the bankruptcy has apparently already technically occurred, analyzes Metzler.

Evergrande tried to raise capital through the sale of assets. The environment for asset sales is abysmal. The company tried to sell some of its assets to Hopson Development Holdings which fell through. According to reports, the deal would have been worth 20.04 billion Hong Kong dollars ($2.58 billion), according to filings.

This is, of course horrible news for a company who has over $300 billion of debt. How much good would $2.6 billion from the failed Hopson deal done for Evergrande anyway? $2.6 Billion is less than 1% of Evergrandes indebtedness. A drop in the bucket. Evergrande is indeed, bankrupt no matter what the mainstream brokers of financial information report.

I have had friends basically say to me If Evergrande defaults, so what? That doesnt affect us. In fact one friend sent me research from Janney dated 9/22/21 that stated: While the U.S. is not immune to disruptions in other parts of the world, we do not view the situation in China as a contagion risk that will derail the bull market.

What a difference 6 weeks can make. Dr. Metzlers take on Evergrande is paradoxically opposed to the Janney position on the company as detailed in the press release from DMSA: Metzler considers it quite possible that Evergrande could drag Chinas entire real estate sector down with it. This could have serious implications for major international banks such as HSBC. According to their figures for the third quarter of 2021, Hong Kongs largest bank alone has extended loans totaling 19.6 billion U.S. dollars to Chinese real estate groups. Assuming a recovery rate of five percent in the event of an industry-wide wave of bankruptcies triggered by Evergrande, HSBC alone would have to write off around USD 18 billion.

If one also considers the limited possibilities of international banks to access assets in China (see above), there is much more at stake for HSBC: the default of the entire portfolio of Chinese corporate loans. And that, after all, is worth around $196 billion. Such immense lending to Chinese companies, without a guaranteed possibility of accessing collateral in China itself in the event of bankruptcy, is irresponsible in my view, says financial expert Metzler. With a return of five percent, HSBC would have to write off around 186 billion dollars in this case. That would correspond to almost the entire equity capital of the bank. And would probably lead immediately to its bankruptcy. This would make HSBC a victim of the Chinese financial virus, which would then spread rapidly throughout the international financial markets. The Great Reset  the final meltdown of the current global financial system  has long since ceased to be a purely intellectual thought experiment, concludes Dr. Metzler.

Since the rest of the financial media is not telling the truth about the interest paying ability of Evergrande, and actually reporting that the company has made payments when they have in fact not, I am inclined to buy the narrative of Dr. Metzler who has correctly analyzed the situation and told the truth.

The Great Reset  the final meltdown of the current global financial system  has long since ceased to be a purely intellectual thought experiment, concludes Dr. Metzler. Indeed. Concluding the financial system is just what Evergrande is apparently in the gestational stages of.

Why should this matter to you? The ability of the American people to discern the truth of this situation and to act upon it in time to protect themselves and survive the coming financial reset is paramount. Obtaining sufficient amounts of food, water (& a way to purify), shelter, energy, security and if you have the resources -physical- precious metals will be the stuff that matters on the other side of the reestablishment of a new financial system. This is not financial advice-consult your financial advisor.

The most important thing is a right relationship with God almighty through His Son, Jesus Christ because without Him you are lost now and forever. You get to know God through His Word. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1-3 NIV) Get to know Him now before its too late.

If you appreciate this article perhaps you might consider a gift to Encouraging Angels for the intelligence we provided today.

Read more at: EncouragingAngels.org
(Natural News) As the Japanese government pushes forward with its plans to release water that was contaminated from the nuclear disaster at Fukushima into the ocean, farmers are concerned that consumer fears will once again have a negative impact on their business following a decade of slow recovery.

The water will be processed to remove radioactive contamination prior to release, although it is worth noting that tritium cannot be removed from the water. However, the radioactive isotope will be diluted to one seventh of the guidelines set out by the World Health Organization for drinking water before being released into the Pacific Ocean roughly a kilometer out from the plant.

The government plans to release more than a million tons of the contaminated water some time around spring of 2023. International authorities have been supportive of the plan, but concerns abound from local fishermen and farmers as well as South Korea and China.

In addition to concerns about the waters radioactivity, there are additional questions about the waters quality because of the amount of time it has spent standing in tanks. Some experts have said that the water needs further testing before it is released.

The Daichi plant is currently being decommissioned during cleanup operations carried out by Tokyo Electric Power Company holdings (TEPCO) in work that is expected to take decades. The site of the disaster is quickly approaching its storage limits for contaminated water. Right now, around 1000 tanks standing 40 feet tall are crowding the site; each holds enough radioactive water to fill 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Releasing the water will make more space available for the overall cleanup to continue.

TEPCO is expected to compensate for damages related to the release of the water; they have already paid out around $89 billion in damages related to the disaster.

Local farmers worried about release

The move comes at a time when the average price of Fukushima pears being sold in the city of Tokyo has overtaken the price of those that come from other prefectures for the first time since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that led to the nuclear disaster.

A year afterward, prices dropped to 20 percent below the average of the price of pears from the countrys other prefectures. Fukushima is Japans fourth biggest source of this popular fruit, producing 13,000 tons of them in 2020. Fukushimas Agricultural Technology Center has been screening produce for radioactive cesium, and it goes through multiple checks for radioactivity. In addition, farmers screen it prior to shipping it out.

Japanese consumers are known for being particular about the produce they buy, paying careful attention to its place of origin and degree of freshness.

A pear farmer and vice-leader of a local agricultural coop, Hiroaki Kusano, said: Were just about seeing our prices go back to normal after a big drop following the disaster, but now we will have to deal with the potential reputational damage all over again because of the release of the water.

Some pear farmers have said that they feel helpless in this situation. Although they intend to explain the measures being used to ensure the safety of the produce, many consumers are expected to choose to play it safe, and the industry will continue to suffer.

South Korea objects to release of water

Last month, new Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited the nuclear plant and announced that he would be sticking to his predecessors timeline, emphasizing that the wastewater disposal cannot be delayed. This prompted concerns from South Korea, with a senior foreign ministry official saying: Japans decision (to discharge the wastewater) was made without enough consultations with the neighboring nations.

We have expressed serious concerns and opposition to its plan, which could affect our peoples health and security as well as the ocean environment.

Sources for this article include:

Reuters.com

KoreaHerald.com
(Natural News) Neutral reporting, or what used to be known as journalism, should be completely done away with, according to Los Angeles Times opinion columnist Jackie Calmes  and for holding this opinion, Calmes is being celebrated by her fellow far-left media workers.

In an Oct. 15 op-ed, Calmes whined about the journalist pressure that she and other far-left writers face when reporting on the news of the day. In her view, having to report things fairly is, well, unfair, and the journalistic landscape needs to be completely reshaped to reflect what she describes as the new truth.

Ever since the Watergate scandal, Calmes contends, it has become clear that biased reporting is the only way forward  and biased, of course, in favor of Democrats only.

Now, when reporters or pundits use the words both sides in regard to some political problem, I stop reading or listening, Calmes admits, championing her partisanship like some kind of virtue.

As a congressional reporter amid Newt Gingrichs Republican revolution, Calmes learned back then that she does not prefer to see anything balanced in the media. What she wants instead is to have her views propped up as the only valid ones, and everyone elses ignored or denigrated.

One party  his  was demonstrably more responsible for the nasty divisiveness, government gridlock and norm-busting, yet journalistic pressure to produce seemingly balanced stories  pressure both ingrained and imposed by editors  prevented reporters from sufficiently reflecting the new truth, Calmes complains about honest, balanced reporting.

Democracy is literally at stake if journalists report unbiased news, Calmes insists

Calmes is in good company at the Times, which seems to only employ other far-left ideologues such as herself. Take Harry Litman, for example, a Bill Clinton appointee who back in the spring tweeted in celebration at the idea of Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine passports.

Vaccine passports are a good idea, Litman tweeted. Among other things, it will single out the still large contingent of people who refuse vaccines, who will be foreclosed from doing a lot of things their peers can do. That should help break the resistance down.

Had Litman offered a more balanced view of the situation, pointing out that vaccine passports are an unconstitutional violation of human sovereignty and the right to choose ones own health protocols, he probably would have gotten an earful from the likes of Calmes.

You see, people like Litman and Calmes can only tolerate their own viewpoints, even when those viewpoints infringe upon the rights of others. For Litman, that means forcing others to receive injections against their wishes. For Calmes, it means silencing the truth and only publishing one-sided news from a slanted perspective.

Anything neutral or fair to both sides is a threat to democracy, Calmes claims.

Democracy is literally at stake, she writes  literally being one of the most overused words in the leftist lexicon, by the way.

This is a Republican Party that is not serious about governing or addressing the nations actual problems, as opposed to faux ones like critical race theory, she goes on to criticize.

Based on Calmes caricature of the entire Republican Party, there is no way in her mind that the Democrat Party can work alongside Republicans to get anything done because to even attempt such would be an exercise in futility.

Democrats cant be expected to deal with these guys like theyre on the level, Calmes contends. Nor should journalists cover them as if they are.

Well that settles that, for Calmes anyway. For everyone else who still wants the full story, they are going to have to look elsewhere far outside the echo chamber of the Los Angeles Times.

The latest news about the leftist love affair with dishonesty and fake news reporting can be found at Propaganda.news.

Sources for this article include:

ThePostMillennial.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Across the Nation, cities, municipalities and even rural towns have routinely voted to keep livestock out of city limits, dictating what people can and cannot raise on their own property. This has led to the persecution of raw milk farmers and other small producers. Some cities have even targeted and fined people for converting their lawns into small self-sustainable farms. Even the act of collecting and using water for food production has been banned in some areas of the country. In Michigan, the nonessential governor tried to block peoples access to seeds in 2020.

In the latest election, the people of Maine did something revolutionary for food sovereignty. The people of Maine bypassed petty dictators at the city level and ratified their right to grow food straight into their state Constitution. Individuals can now raise animals and convert their lawns into small farms. Small food producers can even sell directly to customers on site.

This is a big win for human rights and property rights. This act of liberation deals a significant blow to the United Nations Agenda 21, which seeks control over local food supply and production.

Maine becomes first state to secure food sovereignty rights in state Constitution

The right to grow food and raise animals is really a matter of property rights, a principle that should already be protected under the U.S. Constitution. In the last election, voters in Maine received a statewide referendum asking whether they support an amendment to the Maine Constitution. This amendment, already approved by the Maine legislature, declares that all individuals have a natural, inherent and unalienable right to grow, raise, harvest, produce and consume the food of their own choosing for their own nourishment, sustenance, bodily health and well-being.

The referendum passed with overwhelming support, securing the individuals right to provide for themselves on their own property. Its always a good idea to secure and protect an individual right in the world we live in. Food is life, said Hickman. I dont understand why anyone would be afraid of saying so out loud in the constitution.

The Maine Farm Bureau was not on board with the Constitutional amendment. Dubbed the largest farming advocacy group in the state, the Maine Farm Bureau contradicts their own purpose and reason for existence. It seems the Bureau is more interested in holding individuals down, protecting large farmers, and advancing the corporatization of food. Large landowners and corporate retailers are disconnected from the local community, so they shove subsidized GMOs and factory farmed animals down peoples throats. Local food producers, on the other hand, are directly connected to the community and can respond to the needs in that community.

Food sovereignty more important than ever, as tyrannical mandates and shortages threaten the food supply

With the Biden regime threatening an individuals ability to provide for their family, the right to grow ones own food becomes even more important. As food prices begin to skyrocket and shortages become more commonplace, food sovereignty becomes a powerful defense against impending Holodomor. If the Biden regime thinks it can illegally practice medicine, violate medical ethics and threaten peoples careers and provision, then the regime is one step away from using food and energy as a weapon against people.

Holodomor refers to the Ukrainian famine of the 1930s, a famine that killed millions. This was no ordinary famine. This was a terror-famine engineered by the government to confiscate peoples food and beat back resistance to the Soviet government. The U.S. is one step away from a modern-day Holodomor, as careers are threatened and bodily requirements are coerced into existence. For these reasons, food sovereignty is now more important than ever. For more on nutrition, food sovereignty and self reliance, check out Food.News.

Sources include:

CitizenFreePress.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Global mass walkouts have begun today in protest against unconstitutional vaccine mandates. The peaceful protest continues for four days, through Nov. 11th, and participants are asked to remain peaceful, avoid bringing weapons of any kind to such protests, and to film everything in order to document attempted false flag operations by deep state saboteurs.

The world is pushing back hard against criminal governments that now seem to be engaged in acts of medical terrorism against their own citizens. With post-vaccine deaths now skyrocketing in Emergency Rooms across the USA and the world, its becoming increasingly clear to millions of people that the vaccines are depopulation weapons being deployed against humanity.

See this presentation by Dr. David Martin for more details on the medical treason being committed against humanity: (audio level is low in the original video)

As I explain in my Situation Update podcast, below, this protest week presents a heightened threat window for deep state operatives to carry out false flag operations in which they would deliberately target a drug company, a vaccine clinic or a hospital in order to try to paint anti-vaxxers as terrorists.

The lying mainstream media isnt in the news business; theyre in the theater business. And they need new theater to desperately change the narrative and try to halt the rising backlash against vaccine mandates.

Now 29 US states have joined in suing the Biden administration over the federal vaccine mandate, and on Friday, the Fifth Circuit Appeals Court issued a stay of the order, pending further legal action.

BREAKING: The Federal Court of Appeals just issued a temporary halt to Bidens vaccine mandate. Emergency hearings will take place soon. We will have our day in court to strike down Bidens unconstitutional abuse of authority. pic.twitter.com/8utmU05vw3  Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 6, 2021

The Biden administration promises to fight for the order, a dangerous overreach of power for OSHA, which is supposed to be focused on workplace safety, not global pandemics.

Vaccine mandates are government OWNERSHIP over your body slavery!

When someone else has control over your body and can determine what goes into it, you no longer own your own body. Vaccine mandates are a form of medical slavery, and they violate numerous amendments in the Bill of Rights, including the Fourteenth Amendment. Vaccine mandates are a violation of civil rights and human rights, and they place the government in the positioning of being able to order you to be injected with literally anything they want as long as they create a sufficient crisis and label the injection a vaccine. (Note that the CDC had to change the definition of vaccines in order roll out approval for mRNA interventions)

Those who are demanding forced vaccinations are simultaneously demanding mass slavery and total obedience to a death cult regime thats now clearly engaged in acts of democide  death by government.

Ultimately, this issue is likely to end up in front of the US Supreme Court, and if the justices there have any humanity at all, they must strike down vaccine mandates as blatantly unconstitutional.

If they dont, there will be calls for state-level nullification of OSHA and the entire federal government. It will be time for red states to denounce the criminal cartel in D.C.  conspiring with Big Pharma, Big Tech and Big Media to carry out genocide against humanity  and establish new nations that respect human rights.

In effect, this country may go to war over vaccine mandates unless the Supreme Court smacks them down first.

The Biden regime is trying to drive a wedge through America with the illegal vaccine mandate, and the momentum is now turning against him. Thats a positive sign, but it also means the radical Marxists running the Biden regime will become increasingly desperate in their attempts to assert control and authority over the masses. This is why false flag operations are now at the top of their list.

Brighteon.com/fca25b68-81fc-440f-bf36-d0bbcfc478b2
(Natural News) The push is on for jabbing children with deadly blood-clotting Covid shots they do not need. Pfizer and the Biden Regime are seeking total immunity from liability for Comirnaty, because as of now, the mRNA jab does NOT have the EUA (Emergency Use Authorization) liability waiver for all age groups. Once they get the approval, and US children start dying from heart attacks and blood clots suddenly, Pfizer cannot afford to pay those kinds of settlements out in mass. Thats why Pfizer seeks immunization to liability (through a special feature in federal law) so parents cant sue when their child is permanently maimed or killed by the shot that creates billions of sticky spike proteins and spreads them throughout the vascular system, straining the heart and polluting the cleansing organs.

Injecting children with mRNA is like playing Russian roulette with a loaded gun, and Pfizer is currently seeking immunity to liability

If the vaccine manufacturers were liable in a court of law in the United States for faulty products that maim and kill humans, they would all have gone bankrupt a long time ago. Lawsuits, fines and settlements would have surely amounted to more than the corrupt industry brings in as far as revenue, and that is why Congress granted all vaccine manufacturers complete immunity (pun intended) from all liability for their toxic jabs.

If a family or person can prove without a shadow of a doubt that a vaccine injured them or their child, they are kept silent with small settlements and gag orders to never tell the press. How is this legal, and how is it accomplished in the USA? Lets take an inside look at the most corrupt industry on the planet  the one responsible for the manufacture and sale of vaccines.

The vaccine industry is composed of companies that are engaged in fraud and misrepresentation in the development, manufacture, marketing and sales of dangerous medical products where there is no liability or accountability. Infectious disease vaccine sales exceed $35 billion a year, covering about 50 countries worldwide, but the dominant share of those revenues are primarily based in the US and Europe. That growth has more than tripled in 15 years, as more new toxic vaccines received approval, including HPV, Hepatitis A, shingles and the ultra-deadly rotavirus jabs.

Then came the clot shots for Covid. Now comes a very shady deal being cut to approve the gene-mutating jabs for children of all ages, with no repercussions for the manufacturers for injuries and deaths to children caused directly by those so-called vaccines.

Sneaky: Pfizer is reformulating childrens version of mRNA jab at 1/3rd dose for approval, but that may not be the final version kids really get

For their clinical trials on the 5-11 year olds, Pfizer did NOT use the formulation they approved in their meeting with the FDA. The reformulation is weaker (not as dangerous) and doesnt even require low-temperature storage. In other words, they flash a lower efficacy version to the FDA that shows less damage from side effects, with barely any efficacy, because they dont want to risk massive outcries from damage until they get full FDA approval. Then, its back to secret hearings to pay off and shut up the vaccine-injured masses, of which only a select amount can afford attorneys and have the courage to step forward.

Early treatment drugs that work well against Covid are being blocked (by the CDC, NIH and FDA) to make way for EUA of childrens clot shots for Covid, a mass genocide event that includes children of all ages. No Fluvoxamine or Ivermectin for you, because those really work, and they dont make the vaccine industry $35 billion a year. Follow the bouncing ball. Once they get all the US children injected with the population reduction genetic material, then the safe, alternative medicines that actually work against Covid will be approved, but only for specific cases they can publish a story about on the news. Its all a front.

For the best in truth news on your internet dial tune to Pandemic.news because it doesnt take a scientist or doctor to see that Covid vaccines, Remdesivir, masks, ventilators and bad CDC advice has all created a pandemic of its own.

Sources for this article include:

Pandemic.news

TruthWiki.org

NaturalNews.com

ZeroHedge.com

SteveKirsch.substack.com

NCBI.nlm.nih.gov
(Natural News) Respected medical journal the BMJ has reported on alleged data integrity issues with the clinical trials that were carried out for the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech.

The British Medical Journals report was based on information from a whistleblower that was backed up by others who worked on the trial. The journal wrote that  the company falsified data, unblinded patients, employed inadequately trained vaccinators, and was slow to follow up on adverse events reported in Pfizers pivotal phase III trial.

A former regional director for Ventavia Research Group, Brook Jackson, provided company documents, audio recordings, emails and photos supporting her claims to the British Medical Journal. Ventavia is a company that was contracted by the pharmaceutical firms to help with the decisive trial.

According to Jackson, staff at Ventavia were overwhelmed by the volume of problems they found. She said that she repeatedly voiced her concerns to superiors about issues such as patient safety, data integrity and poor lab management.

She also reported her concerns to the FDA. Later the same day, she was fired on the grounds that she was not a good fit. She said it was the first time she had been fired during her 20-year research career.

Among the information provided to the journal by Jackson was a recording of a late September meeting in which she met with two directors of Ventavia to discuss a possible FDA inspection. One executive said to Jackson: Were going to get some kind of letter of information at least, when the FDA gets here  I know it.

A senior executive can also be heard in the recording explaining that the company could not quantify the number and types of errors that were being identified. In my mind, its something new every day, the individual said. We know that its significant.

Another employee confirmed that the company was expecting to be subjected to a federal audit of its trial for the Pfizer vaccine, but one never materialized. From 2000 to 2005, the FDA only inspected 1 percent of clinical trial sites; in 2020, the agency only carried out 50 onsite visits overall.

Research organization was also unhappy with Ventavias handling of the trial

The BMJ saw an email that was sent to Ventavia by a research organization that also partnered with Pfizer for the trial, ICON. The email indicates ICON was unhappy with Ventavias failure to keep up with data entry queries. The organization reminded Ventavia that they expected all queries to be addressed within 24 hours; more than 100 had remained outstanding at that point for more than three days. Among them were cases in which test subjects reported severe reactions.

In Jacksons complaint to the FDA, she listed a dozen problems that she had personally witnessed. Some of the entries included mislabeled laboratory specimens, participants being placed in a hallway after injection and not being monitored by clinical staff, vaccines not being stored at proper temperatures, protocol deviations not being reported and a lack of timely follow-up of patients who experienced adverse events  along with staff who reported these problems being targeted by Ventavia.

Other researchers working on the trial support whistleblowers claims

Several other former employees of the company have supported Jacksons account, many of whom have since left the company or been fired. Jackson said that an executive who was at the September meeting has since offered her an apology and confirmed that everything she complained about was spot on.

The BMJ confirmed several aspects of Jacksons complaint with two former employees. One said that she had worked on more than four dozen clinical trials in her career and had never experienced a work environment like that of the Pfizer trial, which she termed as helter skelter.

She also said that some of the problems identified by Jackson continued after she left the company. For example, in some cases, a lack of employees meant that not all trial participants who reported COVID-19 symptoms were swapped for infection.

That employee said she was surprised by the things that were expected and allowed during the trial and added that she doesnt believe that it generated good clean data.

Its a crazy mess, she said.

Just one of the issues identified by these employees  such as unblinding patients, falsifying data, improper vaccine storage and failing to follow up on adverse effects  should have been enough to have the entire vaccine study tossed out. Instead, the FDA granted the vaccine full approval. Is it really surprising that so many people would rather lose their job than roll up their sleeve for this vaccine?

Sources for this article include:

SGTReport.com

BMJ.com
(Natural News) Are we about to witness one of the greatest self-inflicted economic wounds in history? Vaccine mandate deadlines are starting to arrive, and large numbers of very qualified people are losing their jobs as a result. Of course this comes at a very bad time, because we are already in the midst of the most epic worker shortage in U.S. history. Despite the biggest hiring push that I have ever seen in my entire lifetime, businesses all over America are still desperate for workers. The funny thing is that lots of available workers should theoretically be out there somewhere. The number of Americans that are currently working is still about five million less than the peak that was hit just before the pandemic arrived. So where did all of those missing workers go? That is a question that we desperately need an answer for, because millions of workers seem to have evaporated from the system. Now the vaccine mandates are going to make things far worse, because millions of Americans that are actually good at their jobs are going to be ruthlessly terminated, and finding replacements for them is going to be exceedingly difficult.

(Article republished from TheMostImportantNews.com)

For instance, you cant just pull guys off the street and have them fly planes. Very soon, large numbers of pilots will be sent packing on a permanent basis, and pilots for American Airlines gave us a taste of what is coming by engaging in a sick out over the weekend

American Airlines canceled another 634 flights on Sunday, more than 12% of its total operations for the day, the company said Sunday. The airline has now canceled more than 1,500 flights since Friday, as it deals with weather issues and staffing shortages that started last week.

Of course American Airlines is trying to blame the weather for these canceled flights, but everyone knows what is really going on.

And I greatly applaud the pilots for taking a stand.

If these airlines dont reverse their mandates, pretty soon we will have widespread air travel headaches on a permanent basis in this nation.

In New York City, Friday was the deadline for municipal workers to get vaccinated, and more than 26,000 of them have refused to comply

Twenty-six percent of municipal employees in New York City were still unvaccinated following a Friday deadline that mandated workers get the COVID-19 vaccine. A significant jump in vaccinations occurred among city employees due to the deadline, the city said, according to The Associated Press, but more than 26,000 workers have not uploaded proof of their vaccination status and face unpaid leave as a result.

Moving forward, all of the work that those 26,000 workers used to do simply will not get done.

Already, a total of 26 fire companies have had to be completely shut down

The FDNY shuttered 26 fire companies citywide on Saturday due to staff shortages caused by the COVID-19 vaccination mandate, according to furious elected officials, who ripped the move as unconscionable  and warned it could have catastrophic consequences.

So will this cost lives?

Of course it will.

In fact, a seven-year-old boy just died in an apartment fire

A seven-year-old boy died and his grandmother was seriously injured in an apartment fire in New York City as the FDNY deals with staff shortages in response to a vaccine mandate. Firefighters responded to a 1:30 a.m. call Saturday at a building in Washington Heights, where fire broke out in the building superintendents basement apartment. First responders quickly contained and extinguished the fire.

Meanwhile, trash is starting to pile up around the city at a very alarming rate

Trash bags can be spotted all over the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn, where some residents said that it has been days since their trash was last picked up. A few said they realized something was off earlier in the week, as one missed pickup happens, but they started to think there was a problem after the second missed time. On both residential streets and commercial areas, the trash bags on the sidewalk are piled several feet high in some instances. One resident who has lived in the area for about 40 years said she has never seen the area as dirty as has been the past few days.

So what is the city going to look and smell like in a few months once we get into the early portion of 2022?

The sad thing is that none of this had to happen.

The vaccine mandates are absurd, and they are going to cause enormous problems all over the country.

Countless supply chain workers are going to be pulled out of our supply chains in the coming months, and we are already facing painful shortages from coast to coast

Supermarket chains are revamping their operations to navigate persistent product shortages, expanding storage space and curbing discounts to make sure they dont run out. Companies are planning for shortages of popular brands of food and staples to continue for months and managers are trying to keep up as different products run short from week to week, industry executives said.

A lot of Americans are still expecting these shortages to go away eventually, but Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is now admitting that there will be supply chain problems as long as the pandemic continues

Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg says the supply chain crisis will continue at least until the COVID-19 pandemic ends amid fears of shortages ahead of the winter holidays. There are definitely going to continue to be issues, especially as long as the pandemic continues, Buttigieg told Fox News Sunday. If you have, for example, the third-largest container port in the world in China shutting down because of a COVID outbreak in late summer youll feel that in the fall here on the West coast.

Of course there is no end in sight for the pandemic. The virus is constantly mutating, and any immunity to it is very temporary.

So just like the common cold and the flu, COVID will be with us indefinitely.

If Biden administration officials want to reverse recent polling trends, they better find a way to address our supply chain issues, because right now their numbers are really dismal. Here is just one example

Americans have lost their confidence in President Joe Biden and their optimism for the country. That, according to Chuck Todd, is the top takeaway from a just-released NBC News poll out Sunday. Breaking down the numbers on Meet the Press, Todd pointed to data from the survey that he deemed shocking. Just 22 percent of adults say [the U.S. is] headed in the right direction, Todd reported. A shocking 71 percent say were on the wrong track.

The only surprise from that survey is that there are 22 percent of Americans that are still gullible enough to have a positive outlook.

The Democrats have cooked up a recipe for national suicide, and they are setting the stage for so many of the things that I warned about in my latest book.

If Joe Biden had any sense, he would rescind all nationwide vaccine mandates immediately.

But he isnt going to do that.

And major cities like New York and Los Angeles are not going to rescind their mandates either.

So things are not gonna get done on an absolutely massive scale in 2022, and we will all suffer deeply as a result.

Read more at: TheMostImportantNews.com
(Natural News) Federal and state health officials tell us emphatically that everyone must have COVID shots for the safety of everyone. However, no one has proved that necessity. If there were qualified people with no motive for financial gain or the stroking of egos taking that position, those health officials would have more credibility. Additionally, they would be declaring hundreds of private physicians wrong.

(Article by Don Boys republished from AllNewsPipeline.com)

I seem to remember something about first do no harm. Moreover, the common, safe, inexpensive treatment for COVID is saving lives, not causing harm. Political physicians muddy the water by saying people have died from an overdose of one of the therapeutic COVID treatments; however, people have also overdosed on water, aspirin, Tylenol, etc.

Furthermore, one of the conditions for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) is there must be no approved therapeutic available for the disease. Ahh, so there is the rub because hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and ivermectin are now available and saving COVID sufferers as they have been used for decades to cure other diseases. However, by using the available, inexpensive, already approved drug that works well for COVID-19 would make the EUA vaccines illegal (as well as being harmful).

Cant have that. Gotta sell vaccines and save reputations.

Many famous medical experts tell us that the COVID-19 vaccines are unnecessary since long-time common drugs are very effective for those infected with the Chinese Communist coronavirus. Wait a minute; does that mean millions of people have died unnecessarily? And millions more did not have to spend weeks and months hospitalized, suffering enormous pain and disability?

Well, hundreds of private physicians say yes while political physicians say no. It should be remembered the private physicians have treated hundreds of COVID patients successfully with common drugs, and government health officials have treated none.

Americas Frontline Doctors allege in their suit against the state of Alabama, The Vaccine manufacturers could not obtain the Emergency Use Authorization for a COVID-19 vaccine if there was an effective alternative treatment. So, they had to rig false studies to purport that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) was not an effective alternative treatment.

HCQ has been used millions of times in America since 1934 with no serious problems; however, it is now a generic drug, so there is little money for Big Pharma. But there is gold and glory in experimental COVID-19 vaccines.

In a revolting turn of events, the two most prestigious medical journalsLancet and The New England Journal of Medicinewere forced to retract fabricated articles, meaning they were fake, false, and even fraudulent. The two articles were written using the same Surgisphere information to prove how dangerous hydroxychloroquine isnot for malaria, lupus, or arthritis but for COVID! Wow, thats big news and shows how dishonest, desperate, or depraved some medical officials are.

The articles were not retracted for a few mistakes but for being totally wrong: a hit piece valued by the pharmaceutical companies. The Guardian exposed the hoax with a heading: Surgisphere: governments and WHO changed Covid-19 policy based on suspect data from tiny US company.

The Guardians lead paragraph was stunning: The World Health Organization and a number of national governments have changed their Covid-19 policies and treatments on the basis of flawed data from a little-known US healthcare analytics company, also calling into question the integrity of key studies published in some of the worlds most prestigious medical journals.

The devastating article revealed that the tiny Surgisphere company had a science fiction writer (not a scientist) and an adult model on staff. The study allegedly included data from more than a thousand hospitals as a basis for the non-study.

Both magazines played cute with their retraction making excuses for their complicity without revealing the fraud. The magazines wrote of not verifying some of the material. However, that was an obvious ploy. They published the original study because it was in the best interest of Big Pharma to denounce, denigrate, and destroy HCQ as a quick, easy, inexpensive treatment for COVID-19.

The political physicians charged failure in HCQ trials to derail, distort, and destroy any evidence to support the validity of inexpensive, effective home treatments. One study, designed to fail, gave lethal amounts of HCQ to study participants, reported the deaths and hid their clandestine deceit to rig the study. Sounds like premeditated murder to me.

Many physicians (some famous), have used this drug successfully with hundreds of COVID-19 patients without losing a single patient!

Read more at: AllNewsPipeline.com
(Natural News) Dr. Anthony Hinton, a consultant surgeon with 30 years of experience working for the United Kingdoms National Health Service (NHS), has warned that Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine-related myocarditis has a 20 percent fatality rate in children after two years, and a 50 percent fatality rate in five years.

In a tweet, Hinton explained that viral myocarditis is not mild, adding that [i]ts dead heart muscle. To even suggest that myocarditis is in any way mild is akin to saying that a person is a little bit pregnant, added Scottish television presenter and author Neil Oliver.

The American Heart Association medical journal Circulation explains that myocarditis results in a 56% mortality rate in 4.3 years. Giant cell myocarditis had an 80% mortality rate in five years.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is already estimating that there will be 106 additional myocarditis cases per one million double-injected children between the ages of 5-11. Remember that fake president Joe Biden is now planning to inject all 28 million-plus children in this age group with Fauci Flu shots.

So (if the Biden administration has its way) 106 excess myocarditis cases per 1 million x 28.38 million people would be 3,009 excess myocarditis cases post-vaccination if the Pfizer vaccine is approved, reported Americas Frontline Doctors (AFLDS).

It is important to clarify that the FDA made this calculation using data from the private Optum health claim database. The agency did not use its Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) to compile these results, which suggests that the numbers are far too low.

In reality, many more children than 3,009 will likely develop jab-induced myocarditis in the months and years that follow their getting injected. And all of these deaths will have been needless because they would not have occurred without the injections.

So its impossible for the public to verify their claims, AFLDS added.

Then, when it comes to estimating how many children with vaccine-induced myocarditis will be hospitalized and admitted to the ICU they use the Vaccine Safety Datalink. Why switch to a different database for those estimates?

The FDA functions as Big Pharmas rubber stamp department to approve deadly new drugs

The answer, of course, is that the FDA and other government bodies are trying to conceal the facts, which do not support the use of Chinese Virus injections in children (or any other age group, for that matter).

In order to create the illusion that shots provide benefits, the FDA is cherry-picking data from select sources that support its pro-jab bias. This is pleasing to Pfizer and the other pharmaceutical corporations that need any positive spin they can get to continue pushing their toxic wares.

Again, myocarditis is more of a long-term consequence of getting injected for the Fauci Flu. It may not emerge immediately, and likely takes months or years to become apparent in most victims.

As AFLDS warns, the Pfizer injection will always fail any honest risk-benefit assessment that uses correct data. This is why the FDA always avoids said data and instead chooses biased data that always paints the jabs in the best positive light.

The FDAs risk-benefit analysis of Pfizers mRNA vaccine in children ages 5 to 11 is shoddy, the group says.

It used tortured logic (that would be rejected by any proper academic journal) in order to reach a predetermined result that is not based in science. The FDA briefing document is a work of fiction and it must be withdrawn immediately. If the FDA continues with this grotesque charade, it will cause irreparable harms to children and the FDA leadership will one day be prosecuted for crimes against humanity.

Be sure to read the full report at the AFLDS website.

The latest news about the growing number of injuries and deaths caused by Fauci Flu shots can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

AmericasFrontlineDoctors.org

NaturalNews.com
While audiences pack movie theaters to see the latest offerings from Hollywood, many films never see the silver screen.

But some of these "lost movies" make it into the hands of film geeks who make it their mission to complete them.

Thats exactly what happened when the folks at Vinegar Syndrome unearthed the 1984 unfinished movie New York Ninja in their archive.

The Bridgeport-based film restoration and distribution company Vinegar Syndrome specializes in the preservation of 20th-century films in the cult and exploitation genres. Many of the films that the company has released on physical media had fallen to the side over the years, but found a home at Vinegar Syndrome.

Contributed Photo/Vinegar Syndrome

Titles distributed by the company range from the campy 1994 Denise Richards-led Tammy and the T-Rex to the body-horror gem Body Melt.

New York Ninja falls squarely into the typical range of Vinegar Syndrome offerings. The movie follows a news station technician (played by director John Liu) who takes on the moniker of the New York Ninja in his journey to avenge the death of his wife.

The movie was among a catalogue of films Vinegar Syndrome acquired from 21st Century Distribution Corporation, which went defunct in the 1980s, according to Vinegar Syndromes Kurtis Spieler, who served as the director of the New York Ninja release.

The unedited, original camera rolls for New York Ninja" were included in that acquisition, Spieler said, though Vinegar Syndrome's staff only realized they were there while were taking inventory of the catalogue .

After some discussion, Spieler talked the owners of Vinegar Syndrome into giving him a budget to finish the movie. For the following two years, Spieler was hard at work piecing together the lost film.

Early in production, Spieler said that he attempted to reach out to Liu regarding the project, but was told that Liu was living off the grid and no longer wanted to be involved with his film career.

This was kind of an original production for us, sort of," Spieler said. "Even though it was originally shot in 84, we did a lot of production work to finish it."

Spieler scanned the movie reels ahead of its home release, he said. He had no idea what Vinegar Syndrome was working with until they started the scanning process with the original reels, he said.

However, the biggest issue facing the production of New York Ninja was the fact that the original audio, including dialogue, was lost.

Spieler had to construct a script while seeking vocal talent in order to recreate dialogue from the original production as well as find era-specific music and sound effects that would match the final product.

Contributed Photo/Vinegar Syndrome

The recreation of the audio took place over most of the past year. Spieler also added special features like interviews, deleted scenes and a documentary on the making of the movie.

The film has since been completed and released as part of a special two-disc Blu-ray package, on Nov. 1. It's available both online and at the Archive in Bridgeport. According to Spieler, sales have been good so far.

People have been frankly surprised with what we have been able to do, Spieler said.

The release of New York Ninja marks the beginning of Vinegar Syndromes new label: Vinegar Syndrome Pictures. Vinegar Syndrome Pictures is a "sub-branding dedicated specifically to the production and distribution of carefully curated, often daring, first fun, genre-based feature films exclusively photographed on motion picture film."

Contributed Photo/Vinegar Syndrome

We are now acquiring films off the festival circuit  movies that were shot specifically on film, Spieler added.

One such title is the 2021 horror movie Censor, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and won Best European Fantastic Film from the Melies d'Or.

New York Ninja has also made it onto the film festival circuit after premiering at Beyond Fest in October.

Spieler said that a 35mm print of New York Ninja has also been made, with plans for a theatrical release in 2022.

"Hopefully we will be doing more films like this," he said. "Im sort of hoping that we can find other unfinished films that deserve to be finished.
Thanksgiving dinner doesn't have to be stressful. These local restaurants can handle it all for you, whether you want to relax in their dining room, or bring home a turkey and prepared sides.

Luna Azzurra in Fairfield offers a $200 full Thanksgiving dinner for 6 to 8 people, including a whole cooked turkey and sides like apple nut stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans almondine, cranberry sauce and gravy. Individual turkey dinners with "all the fixings" are $30 each. Orders must be in by Nov. 19. 203-292-8202.

The Pantry in Fairfield offers a full Thanksgiving menu, with options for raw and cooked turkeys, appetizers, sides, salads, dinner rolls, pies and other desserts. Order deadline is Nov. 14 at 5 p.m. 203-259-0400.

Match Burger Lobster in Westport offers a holiday menu with turkeys ranging from 14 to 22 pounds, reheatable sides like charred baby Brussels sprouts, Match scalloped potatoes, bourbon sweet potatoes with marshmallow drizzle and cranberry sauce. Dessert options include 12-layer chocolate cake and assorted pies.

Turkey orders will be accepted while supplies last. The order deadline for sides is Nov. 21. Order online at toasttab.com.

Centro Ristorante in Fairfield offers a Thanksgiving catering menu with appetizers and antipasti, sides, entrees of mac and cheese and sweet Italian sausage lasagna, pies and Gozzi's farm turkeys, ready to cook on Thanksgiving morning. Turkeys range from 10 to 28 pounds. Place orders by Nov. 19; 203-255-1210.

Hoodoo Brown BBQ in Ridgefield offers whole smoked turkeys between 18 and 20 pounds, for $150, and whole briskets for $125. Half-trays of sides like mac and cheese, potatoes, Brussels sprouts and cornbread are also available. Preorders are required; place online at hoodoobrownbbq.com.

Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media

Brick Walk Tavern in Fairfield offers a $200 to-go turkey dinner for 5 people, including roast turkey breast, choice of 3 sides and choice of a bottle of red or white wine. A la carte sides like mashed potatoes, loaded sausage stuffing, maple roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet yams, are $40 to $50. Order online at brickwalktavern.com/orders/thanksgiving-to-go/order by Nov. 17.

Roberto's Restaurant & Banquet Facilities in Monroe offers a to-go Thanksgiving menu with roasted and stuffed turkeys (12 to 24 pounds) with stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce. Sides and extras include potatoes, pasta, eggplant Parmesan, salads, stuffed breads and apple and pumpkin pies. Individual Thanksgiving dinners with turkey, sides and slices of pie are $34. All orders must be in by Nov. 21; 203-268-5723.

AMG Catering & Events in Wilton offers a full Thanksgiving catering menu with appetizer platters, herb-roasted turkey with pan gravy, stuffing, truffle mac and cheese, vegetable sides, salads, biscuits, cornbread, pies and mini-parfaits. Call 203-227-5535 to place orders by Nov. 15.

Seasonal Catering in Milford offers a menu of Thanksgiving appetizers, sides, salads, entrees of roast turkey and autumn spice pork loin, desserts and even batched cocktails. Order by Nov. 17 at 5 p.m. at seasonalcatering.net/greenmeals.

Winter Caplanson for Hearst Connecticut Media

Twist of Taste in Shelton offers Thanksgiving dinners for two or four people, with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce and gravy, and dinner rolls. Cost is $45 for two; $90 for four. A la carte turkey, sides and sauces are also available. Order by Nov. 22 at 203-954-7257.

Bear's Smokehouse, with locations in Hartford, New Haven and Windsor, offers whole smoked turkeys and turkey breast, ham, brisket, baby back ribs and Impossible meatloaf. The menu also features sides, salads, appetizers, breads and pies. A $175 meal for 6 to 8 people includes a whole smoked turkey, assorted sides and cornbread. Place orders online at bearsbbq.com.

The Spinning Wheel in Redding offers family meals to feed four to six people, including roast white-meat turkey, braised beef brisket and orange bourbon salmon. All meals come with smashed potatoes, veggies, house salad, dessert and biscuits. Call 203-664-4000 to order.

The Capital Grille, with locations in Hartford and Stamford, offers a $125 package of sides for home dining, including brioche stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, French green beans, cranberry pear chutney and seeded rolls. All sides serve four. Place orders online at thecapitalgrille.com.

Gruel Britannia in Fairfield offers a Thanksgiving menu with appetizers, soups, sides, salads and desserts. Entrees include roasted turkey breast, full turkeys set up for roasting with instructions and sweet soy and ginger-glazed salmon. Place orders by Nov. 21 at 203-292-6466.

The Wheel in Stamford, located at The Village, serves a special three-course menu Thanksgiving day, with entree choices of roasted organic turkey, Faroe Island salmon or braised short rib. Cost is $65 per adult; $25 per child under 12. Make reservations online via OpenTable.

Tavern at GrayBarns in Norwalk is open from noon to 7 p.m. on Thanksgiving, with a $125 three-course prix-fixe menu ($65 for children.) Entree options include heritage turkey breast with sourdough stuffing and sides, red wine braised short rib or roasted branzino filet. Reserve online at tavernatgraybarns.com.

The Cottage in Westport offers a four-course prix-fixe menu from 1 to 7 p.m., with entree choices of herb butter-roasted turkey, braised short rib, king salmon baked in cedar paper and wild mushroom porridge. Cost is $95 for adults, $45 for children under 12.

Call 203-557-3701 for reservations. A $50 deposit will be charged at the time of reservation and is fully refundable if cancelled outside of 48 hours. If cancelled within 48 hours, a gift card for the $50 will be issued.

Fire at the Ridge in Middlefield hosts Thanksgiving dinner from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a four-course plated meal. Entrees include roasted turkey, ribeye steak or eggplant lasagna. Cost is $34 for adults, $19.99 for children ages 4 to 12. Reserve online at fireattheridge.com.

The restaurant also offers a $129 dinner to go package to feed up to 6 guests, with a half-turkey, soup, salad, whipped potatoes, brown sugar yams, cranberry sauce, Brussels sprouts, shrimp and a choice of pie. Call 860-852-5444 to order by Nov. 22.

Shell & Bones in New Haven is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with specials like roasted butternut bisque, cider-brined turkey, spaghetti squash, rack of lamb, pumpkin cheesecake and butterscotch apple crisp.

Specials are priced at $12 to $40. The restaurant also offers a $180 carryout package meal to feed four guests. Order by Nov. 22 at 203-787-3466.

File photo /

Griswold Inn in Essex offers a three-course Thanksgiving prix-fixe menu with entree choices of butter-basted carved turkey, beef short ribs, seared salmon or pumpkin risotto ($38 to $54, depending on entree.) A Gris-To-Go dinner, with four servings, includes roasted turkey and choice of three sides.

Call 860-767-1776 to order before Nov. 22 at 2 p.m.

Water's Edge Resort & Spa in Westbrook offers a special Thanksgiving buffet from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Cost is $59 for adults, $25 for children ages 6 to 10, free for children 5 and under. Call 860-399-5901 ext.2021 for reservations.

Saybrook Point Resort & Marina in Old Saybrook offers a special Thanksgiving buffet from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost is $79.95 for adults, $39.95 for children over 4. Call 860-388-1111 for reservations.

Madison Beach Hotel hosts its Thanksgiving buffet in its ballroom from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reservations are required and available for parties of 2 to 12 guests. Pre-payment required: adults are $84, children ages 6 to 12 are $29 and children under 5 are free. Make reservations online at thewharfmadison.com. The Wharf also offers complete turkey dinners to go, for 4 to 12 people, at $65 per person.

Hilton Mystic offers a Thanksgiving buffet from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cost is $58 for adults, $29 for children ages 5 to 11, and free for kids under 5. Reserve at https://bit.ly/MysticThanks.

G-Zen in Branford offers a fully vegan "ThanksLiving" menu, available for dine-in and takeout on Nov. 24 and 26. The meal includes savory seitan "turkey," whipped potatoes, roasted vegetable and herbed gravy, roasted root vegetable medley, maple-glazed sweet potatoes, sauteed garlic greens, gluten-free cornbread herbed stuffing and cranberry rosemary chutney.

For a fully gluten-free meal, G-Zen offers a millet lentil loaf option to replace the seitan turkey. Cost is $29 per person. Call 203-208-0443 to order on Nov. 24 for same day pickup.

Courtesy of Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods also offers a vegan holiday menu, including a full vegan meal for two ($39.99) created by chef Chloe Coscarelli. The menu includes a cremini mushroom roast, mushroom gravy, miso creamed greens, coconut sweet potato casserole, jalapeno cornbread dressing and pumpkin curry soup. A la carte sides and desserts are also available. Order online at wholefoodsmarket.com/holiday.

RD86 in New London offers a full Thanksgiving menu, with a maple-brined smoked turkey dinner kit, a brown sugar and pineapple-glazed ham dinner kit and a variety of sides like stuffing, Brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry relish and a cherry cobbler for dessert. Order online by Nov. 17 at rd86space.com/thanksgiving-2021.

Grass & Bone in Mystic offers local Ekonk Hill Farm turkeys priced at $6.75 a pound, with turkey sizes ranging from 11 to 30 pounds. Order online at grassandbonect.com.

Que Whiskey Kitchen in Southington offers a full Thanksgiving carryout menu, with an 18-pound smoked turkey, beef-braised Brussels sprouts, herbed stuffing, cornbread loaf, mashed potatoes and smoked turkey gravy for $199. The meal feeds 10 to 12 and comes with reheating and serving instructions. Add a bottle of Litchfield single barrel bourbon for $59.

Five dollars from each package will be donated to Foodshare in Connecticut. Order online at qwhiskeykitchen.com by Nov. 22.
Gov. Ned Lamont filed papers Monday for a 2022 reelection campaign, but stopped short of declaring definitively whether he would seek a second term.

Lamont mentioned filing the paperwork during a stop in Ansonia that both highlighted major upgrades along Metro-Norths Waterbury branch and the new federal infrastructure bills potential affect on Connecticut. The federal act, which will send at least $2 billion in added money to the state over the next five years, gave Lamont and the states Congressional delegation a chance to talk about progress in 2022 now that 2021 elections are done.

I filed the paperwork today, which facilitates our getting into a political campaign. Ive got to make up my mind formally in the months to come. But I figured, lets be prepared. Lets file the paperwork. Lets get this thing going, Lamont said.

Lamont, a digital media entrpreneur and heir to an early 20th century Wall Street fortune, spent more than $14 million of his own money on his 2018 election and is expected to largely self-finance his 2022 run for reelection, rather than participate in the states public financing program. That program gives about $7 million to qualified, major party nominees for governor  and severly limits other spending.

Lamont has done nothing to discourage a drumbeat of speculation that he was setting up for a run. In May, for example, when a Democratic Party operative joined the partys state central staff, the governor didnt deny that the person was laying groundwork for his reelection. It means I have options, Lamont said.

The governor is expected to again run with Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, who said she also filed papers Monday.

In a related move Monday, Matthew Brokman, a top staff member for state House Democrats, was moving to state central as executive director as part of Lamonts political operation, the CT Mirror reported, citing sources.

Two Republicans are actively seeking the GOP nomination to face Lamont. Bob Stefanowski, the 2018 nominee, had yet to file papers as of Monday; former House Republican Leader Themis Klarides filed in May to prepare a run using her own money, in a type of filing that bars her from raising outside money and does not require her to form a campaign committee.

Lamonts filing, known as a 1A, was received at 4:42 p.m. by the State Elections Enforcement Commission, the online SEEC system showed. The filing by Edward M. Lamont names Eloisa Melendez of Norwalk as his treasurer and allows him to raise money through a campaign committee, known as Ned for CT.

Stefanowski and Klarides both live in Madison; either one would need significant funding from the Republican Governors Association to compete against Lamonts outlays.

Lamont defeated Stefanowski by a margin of 44,000 votes, 49.4 percent to 46.2 percent, with third-party candidate R. Nelson Oz Griebel pulling in 3.9 percent.

Lamont has spent well over half his time in office dealing with the global COVID-19 pandemic that led to hundreds of thousands of infections in Connecticut and abruptly upended the states economy. The first-term goveror saw his popularity among residents jump amid his handling of the pandemic  largely by a series of executive orders that are still in effect.

But Lamont had faltered before the pandemic, with a first year in office, 2019, that was marked by his failure to enact highway tolls as a way to shore up the states transportation budget. That led to approval ratings below 30 percent.

A Sacred Heart University poll from last month showed 50.5 percent approval among those surveyed, down about 5 percentage points from April. Support was high among Democrats, but was 44 percent for unaffiliated voters, 42 percent for unaffiliated voters and 30 percent for Republican voters.

Lamont confirmed that Bysiewicz also was filing paperwork and the pair will run together if they seek a second term in office.

It is a candidate committee, I believe his papers will say he's running for governor and mine will definitely say Im running for lieutenant governor, Bysiewicz said at the event Monday.

Staff Writers Eddy Martinez, Ken Dixon and Dan Haar contributed reporting.
A Russian analyst who provided information for a dossier of research used during the Trump-Russia investigation has been charged with lying to the FBI when questioned about his work
New Castle, PA (16103)

Today

Rain. High 43F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low near 30F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.


Lady Dannatt praises Norfolk chaplaincy charity Lady Dannatt praises Norfolk chaplaincy charity

Lady Dannatt, the Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, applauded the work of Community Chaplaincy Norfolk (CCN) when she spoke at its annual meeting.

About 50 people joined the meeting, which took place on November 4 at St Stephens Church in Norwich, where CCN is based.



Rev Matthew Hutton, who is Chair of Trustees, opened the meeting by reaffirming the purpose of the charity, which is simply to support men and women at they leave prison in Norfolk. CCN was, he observed, just about to celebrate its third birthday, having been founded on November 6, 2018. We are in good heart, he added.



Matthew paid special tribute to Rev Madeleine Light, vicar of St Stephens, who has provided a safe and confidential environment in which the charity can operate, and he welcomed the appointment during the year of Abby Erwin, the charitys first mentor co-ordinator.



Lady Dannatt took the opportunity of the event to share some wider observations about the changing criminal justice system in the UK. There has been, she noted, an increase in longer prison sentences, with 11,000 inmates now serving at least 10 years. In particular, more prisoners under 25 have been given sentences of at least 15 years. She reflected on how much society changes over such a long period, and therefore how hard it is for someone to re-enter who has become unfamiliar with societys skills and norms.



Lady Dannatt noted that many CCN clients, by contrast, were frequent flyers, receiving a series of short sentences for relatively minor offences; by gaining the necessary support and encouragement, such clients had a chance of breaking the reoffending pattern.



Mel Wheeler, who manages the charity, provided some facts and figures about the last year. CCN currently has 18 volunteer mentors who accompanied 58 clients in the last 12 months, aged between 21 and 61. The upper point of that age range is soon to rise as the charity takes on an 82-year-client, who is being released from prison into a care home.



New initiatives launched during the year have included a drop-in session on Wednesday afternoons at St Stephens and a pen pal scheme for prisoners with longer sentences to serve. Although Norwich-based, CCN has already supported clients in Great Yarmouth and Broadland and is currently looking for mentors in west Norfolk. A sign of the growing recognition of CCN has been a formal information sharing agreement with the Probation Service.



Dr Jane Steen, Bishop of Kings Lynn, closed the meeting with some reflections about life in community as a reflection of the community within the Trinity, and gave the parting prayer and blessing.



Community Chaplaincy Norfolk is currently recruiting volunteer mentors across Norfolk. If you are interested in finding out about the role, please contact Mel Wheeler on manager@norfolkchaplaincy.org.uk



Pictured above are, from top to bottom, Lady Dannatt, Rev Matthew Hutton, Mel Wheeler and Bishop Jane Steen.























Eldred Willey, 10/11/2021
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To see how Christmas has changed over the last century, Stacker explored how popular traditions, like food and decorations, emerged and evolved from 1920 to 2020. Click for more.
To see how Christmas has changed over the last century, Stacker explored how popular traditions, like food and decorations, emerged and evolved from 1920 to 2020. Click for more.

Bill Crane is a syndicated columnist based in Decatur. He has worked in politics for Democrats and Republicans, respects the process and will try and give you some things to think about. Your thoughts and responses to his opinions are also welcome, bill.csicrane@gmail.com.
Pikeville, KY (41501)

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A steady rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low near 40F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
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Debra Pressey is a reporter covering health care at The News-Gazette. Her email is dpressey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@DLPressey).
AP

Federal COVID shot opt-out not as clear as Democrats claim

Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly voted last month to amend the Health Care Right of Conscience Act specifically to address the COVID-19 vaccine
Columnist

Tom Kacich is a columnist and the author of Tom's Mailbag at The News-Gazette. His column appears Sundays. His email is tkacich@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@tkacich).
Written by Keynote Contributer, Dr. Alexander Sweetman. Sleep and mood are closely related through bi-directional associations. Indeed, a night of poor quality or interrupted sleep can lead to feelings of lethargy, fatigue, and poor mood the following day. On the other hand, a depressed mood can result in more time spent lying awake in bed trying to fall asleep, accompanied by feelings of frustration, worry, and further sleep disruption. By Keynote Contributor Dr. Alexander Sweetman Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health

Given these strong sleep-mood relationships, it is not surprising that insomnia and depression frequently co-occur. For example, up to 90% of people with depression experience sleeping problems, and up to 50% of people with insomnia report depressed moods. Indeed, insomnia is one of the core diagnostic symptoms of depression, and poor mood is commonly included among daytime functional impairment diagnostic criteria for chronic insomnia.

Co-occurring insomnia and depression result in significant morbidity for patients and difficult diagnostic and treatment decisions for clinicians. Bi-directional relationships between sleep and mental health can make it difficult to determine the most appropriate treatment approach when a patient presents with both conditions. Hence, it is important to consider the high comorbidity, consequences, and management approaches for co-occurring insomnia and depression.

Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, characterized by difficulties falling asleep, staying asleep, and/or early morning awakenings during the night and associated impairments in daytime feelings or function. Approximately 50% of adults report acute (short-term) insomnia symptoms, and 10-15% of adults fulfill diagnostic criteria for chronic insomnia disorder (lasting for at least three months). Chronic insomnia is associated with reduced mental health and quality of life and incurs substantial economic costs through healthcare use and reduced productivity.

Image Credit: TheVisualsYouNeed/Shutterstock.com

Historically, when insomnia has occurred in the presence of other physical and mental health problems, it has been conceptualized as a secondary symptom. This position assumes that there is little purpose in directly treating sleeping difficulties, as the comorbid condition would cause them to re-emerge soon after treatment. Furthermore, it is assumed that successful management of the primary condition (e.g., depression) would alleviate the insomnia complaint.

However, a large body of evidence over the past two decades challenges this outdated conceptualization of secondary insomnia. It is now known that insomnia is one of the most consistent risk factors for the onset of future depression, insomnia and depression share bi-directional relationships, untreated insomnia can contribute to relapse of depression after treatment, and that targeted treatment of insomnia disorder also improves mental health.

Consequently, it is important to increase the availability of insomnia diagnostic and treatment options for people with and without comorbid mental health problems and for clinicians to consider targeted assessment and treatment approaches for both insomnia and depression when they co-occur.

Insomnia is often an independent and chronic condition

Although short-term insomnia can initially result from other mental and physical health problems (e.g., depression, pain, etc.), insomnia symptoms can rapidly develop functional independence of these initial causes. Insomnia can become a self-perpetuating condition maintained by insomnia-specific underlying cognitive, behavioral, and physiological mechanisms. For example, it is common for people with acute insomnia symptoms to extend the time they spend in bed to acquire more sleep. However, this more commonly results in extended time spent awake in bed.

Image Credit: Qualit Design/Shutterstock.com

Suppose sleep has already become a source of anxiety or frustration. In that case, this results in an increased amount of time in bed feeling worried, frustrated, or annoyed at failed attempts to sleep and concerns about the potential effects of lost sleep on daytime functioning. Over repeated occasions, a conditioned relationship can quickly form whereby the bedroom routine or bedroom environment can become the trigger for this physiological and cognitive arousal response. Some behaviors such as canceling daytime activities or napping during the day can further exacerbate sleeping difficulties. In this scenario, the insomnia symptoms persist even after the initial precipitant is treated or abates (e.g., depression, pain).

Multiple nights of interrupted or broken sleep and time spent awake feeling frustrated or worried can cause impaired daytime feeling and functioning and gradually reduce quality of life. For this reason, insomnia co-occurring with other physical and mental health problems should be conceptualized as a functionally independent comorbid condition.

Insomnia treatments are effective in the presence of comorbid depression, anxiety, and stress

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for insomnia (CBTi) is the most effective and recommended first-line treatment for insomnia. Although sedative-hypnotic medicines (e.g., benzodiazepines) result in acute improvements in sleep, they are not recommended as a long-term approach to manage insomnia because of the potential for negative side-effects, dependence, and withdrawal symptoms. CBTi is a multi-component therapy that aims to identify and target the underlying causes of insomnia. While sedative-hypnotic medicines result in rapid relief from insomnia symptoms, CBTi results in gradual improvements sustained long after treatment is complete. CBTi commonly includes four to eight weekly/fortnightly sessions delivered by a trained therapist in-person, via telehealth, or in small group settings. CBTi programs have also been adapted to self-guided online or reading materials.

We recently used data from a large sample of patients with chronic insomnia managed in a specialist insomnia clinic at the Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health to investigate the effectiveness of CBTi in patients with different levels of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. Approximately 50% of the 455 patients reported at least mild depression symptoms before treatment. There were large and sustained reductions in insomnia following CBTi, and there was no difference in insomnia improvements between patients starting treatment with low, moderate, and severe depression symptoms (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Among patients with chronic insomnia, there was no difference in the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia between patients starting treatment with low, moderate, and severe depression symptoms. Figure adapted from Sweetman et al., (2020).

Treating insomnia improves depression symptoms

Meta-analyses have reported that CBTi programs (including self-guided online programs) improve insomnia, depression, and anxiety symptoms in patients with co-occurring insomnia and mental health problems. This suggests that treating insomnia symptoms may be a useful treatment option in patients presenting with comorbid insomnia and depression that may be used in addition to targeted treatments for mental health problems.

Improving access to behavioral insomnia treatment

It is important to increase access to evidence-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for insomnia (CBTi) worldwide. Although CBTi is recommended as the most effective and first-line treatment for insomnia, few health professionals have specific training and expertise in CBTi delivery. For five consecutive years, the RACGP Health of the Nation report has found that psychological issues, including sleep disturbance and depression, are the most common reasons people present to a general practitioner. Consequently, it is important to provide GPs with the information, assessment tools, treatment, and referral options to manage co-occurring depression and insomnia.

The Department of Health recently confirmed that general practitioners can refer patients with insomnia to a psychologist with a Mental Health Treatment Plan. There is a great opportunity to provide additional training to existing psychologists and postgraduate psychology students in delivering CBTi. Furthermore, interested GPs may also deliver a brief behavioral treatment for insomnia during four to five weekly/fortnight GP appointments. There are also evidence-based online insomnia treatment programs available in Australia, including a current trial of Sleepio (developed in the UK), a four-session insomnia program offered through This Way Up (Managing Insomnia), and an online mindfulness insomnia treatment program (A Mindful Way).

Where can readers find out more information?

The Sleep Health Foundation has published several fact sheets to guide conceptual models and management approaches for comorbid sleep and mental health problems and information about specific sleep disorders such as insomnia, circadian rhythm disorders, and obstructive sleep apnoea.

About Dr. Alexander Sweetman

Dr. Alexander Sweetman is a postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health and the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute: Sleep Health, Flinders University. He is involved in a National Centre for Sleep Health Services Research that aims to understand and improve the management of sleep disorders in Australian primary care.

References

Sweetman A, Van Ryswyk E, Vakulin A, et al. Co-occurring depression and insomnia in Australian primary care: a narrative review of recent scientific evidence. Medical Journal of Australia. 2021;215(5):230-236.

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed, DSM-V). 2013.

Reynolds A, Appleton S, Gill T, Adams R. Chronic insomnia disorder in Australia: A report to the Sleep Health Foundation. Sleep Health Foundation Special Report. 2019.

Baglioni C, Battagliese, G., Feige, B., Spiegelhalder, K., Nissen, C., Voderholzer, U., Lombardo, C. & Riemann, D. Insomnia as a predictor of depression: A meta-analytic evaluation of longitudinal epidemiological studies. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2011;135(1-3):10-19.

Natsky A, Vakulin A, Chai-Coetzer C, et al. Economic evaluation of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) for improving health outcomes in adult populations: a systematic review Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2020;54.

Lichstein KL. Secondary insomnia: A myth dismissed. Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2006;10(1):3-5.

Gebara MA, Siripong N, DiNapoli EA, et al. Effect of insomnia treatments on depression: A systematic review and metaanalysis. Depression anxiety. 2018;35(8):717-731.

Ye Y-y, Zhang Y-f, Chen J, et al. Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (ICBT-i) improves comorbid anxiety and depressiona meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. PLoS One. 2015;10(11):e0142258.

Spielman AJ, Caruso, L. S., & Glovinsky, P. B. A behavioral perspective on insomnia treatment. Psychiatry Clinics of North America. 1987;10(4):541-553.

Harvey AG. A cognitive model of insomnia. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 2002;40:869-893.

Spielman AJ, Saskin, P., & Thorpy, M. J. Treatment of chronic insomnia by restriction of time in bed. Sleep. 1987;10(1):45-56.

Bonnet MH, & Arand, D. L. Hyperarousal and Insomnia: State of the Science. Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2010;14(1):9-15.

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP). Prescribing drugs of dependence in general practice, Part B: Benzodiazepines. 2015.

Ree M, Junge M, Cunnington D. Australasian Sleep Association position statement regarding the use of psychological/behavioral treatments in the management of insomnia in adults. Sleep Medicine. 2017;36:S43-S47.

Qaseem A, Kansagara D, Forciea MA, Cooke M, Denberg TD. Management of chronic insomnia disorder in adults: a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians. Annals of internal medicine. 2016;165(2):125-133.

Sweetman A, Lovato N, Haycock J, Lack L. Improved access to effective non-drug treatment options for insomnia in Australian general practice. Medicine Today. 2020;21(11):14-21.

Sweetman A, Lovato N, Micic G, et al. Do symptoms of depression, anxiety or stress impair the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia? A chart-review of 455 patients with chronic insomnia. Sleep Medicine. 2020;75:401-410.

Haycock J, Grivell N, Redman A, et al. Primary care management of chronic insomnia: a qualitative analysis of the attitudes and experiences of Australian general practitioners. BMC Family Practice. 2021;22(158):1-11.

RACGP. Health of the Nation: Summary Report. Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP): Health Profession Health Australia. 2021.

Meaklim H, Rehm IC, Monfries M, Junge M, Meltzer LJ, Jackson ML. Wake up psychology! Postgraduate psychology students need more sleep and insomnia education. Australian Psychologist. 2021:1-14.

Sweetman A, Zwar N, Grivell N, Lovato N, Lack L. A step-by-step model for a brief behavioural treatment for insomnia in Australian General Practice. Australian Journal of General Practice. 2020;50(50):287-293.

Sweetman A, Knieriemen A, Hoon E, et al. Implementation of a digital cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia pathway in primary care. Contemporary Clinical Trials. 2021:106484.

Further Reading

Disclaimer: This article has not been subjected to peer review and is presented as the personal views of a qualified expert in the subject in accordance with the general terms and conditions of use of the News-Medical.Net website.
The transmission of coronaviruses, such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS), and SARS-CoV-2, occurs through exposure to aerosol particles formed when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Currently, the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 across the world has persisted in the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic for almost two years.

Study: Using portable air purifiers to reduce airborne transmission of infectious respiratory viruses - a computational fluid dynamics study. Image Credit: VectorManZone / Shutterstock.com

How far can aerosols travel?

It is imperative to understand every aspect of viral transmission, including how far and fast aerosols can travel in indoor settings. Such information would help develop effective mitigation strategies to control the further spread of the disease.

Typically, the larger the size of a droplet, the lesser distance it would travel. Generally, in indoor settings, large droplets travel a distance of fewer than two meters. In contrast, small-sized droplets, also known as fine aerosols, could remain airborne for a longer duration and travel a longer distance.

Fine aerosols play a vital role in the transmission of airborne viral infection. In the current pandemic, scientists have stated that airborne mode of transmission played a vital role in the worldwide transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

Among the preventive measures encouraged by governments, one has been the use of air disinfectants. Aerosol dispersion strongly follows convective air flows; therefore, a proper ventilation system with high air exchange rates and the introduction of flow-directing geometries could stop the further spread of the disease.

However, redesigning entire heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems could be extremely expensive. As a result, scientists and policymakers have encouraged the use of portable air purifiers.

Can air purifiers prevent the spread of airborne viral infection?

Air purifiers comprising high-efficiency particulate absorbing (HEPA) filters can filter more than 99% of particles that are larger than 200 nanometers (nm). This technology is cost-effective, portable, capable of filtering out many viral particles and is easy to operate as a result of its user-friendly control interfaces. Although many documents are available that support the fact that air purifiers can disinfect polluted air, scant evidence is available to show its effective usage.

Two of the essential questions regarding the use of air purifiers to experience the best results are include the best position to place an air purifier in a room and whether it necessary to use maximal flow rates in the purifiers for spaces with or without an HVAC system. The solution to these questions could enhance the function of air purifiers.

Previous studies have shown that higher flow rates can filter out more particles; however, a stronger outflow jet can hamper the airflow and may cause unwanted mixing of air. This system also creates more noise.

Keeping these aspects in mind, a new computational study published on the preprint server medRxiv* focuses on the performance of portable air purifiers based on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations.

CFD simulations and air purifiers

Many studies have applied CFD to assess aerosol-generating activities and ventilation in hospitals. The new study has used the geometry and setup of a consulting room as the starting point of simulations. This is because, in the present situation, the clearance time between consultations plays a determining role that affects the patient turnover rate.

In this study, the CFD modeling simulation showed a decrease in virus transmission after the implementation of portable air purifiers. The researchers not only characterized the effectiveness of the air purifiers but also provided a practical guide to experience maximum results.

Here, the researchers used a fixed number of aerosol (normalized mass) for the initial injection for all simulations. Various situations were considered, such as higher production of aerosol particles by the doctors, as they would be talking more, the position of the air conditioner, and ventilation, to name a few. As the breathing velocities of human models typically follow sinusoidal curves, the researchers observed distinct fluctuations in the local spherical region.

The simulation study showed large air purifiers placed on the floor could effectively reduce the relative aerosol numbers at a steady state in the entire room. More specifically, air purifiers could reduce the presence of aerosols on the floor by 77 %, 60% at 0.5 meters above the floor, and 68% at 1 meter above the floor. Smaller air purifiers were also found to be effective in reducing relative numbers of aerosol by 50% when placed on the doctors desk.

The application of two air purifiers, a large one in the slightly far-field empty space and a small one closer to the sitting area, further reduced the number of aerosols by 62%. Scientists found that the inlet of suction must be lifted above the floor to obtain a higher reduction of 40% in steady-state aerosol concentration.

These results show that portable air purifiers could be used as a mitigation strategy to prevent further transmission of respiratory viruses. Although the use of multiple air purifiers could be more effective, their relative positions play a vital role to obtain the best result.

Conclusions

In the current study, the researchers have used CFD modeling to study the efficiency of portable air purifiers in reducing the prevalence of fine aerosols. The current study showed that air purifiers can effectively reduce aerosols in hospital settings; however, their positions are important for obtaining the best result.

This study provides practical guidance that can be easily implemented to prevent the airborne transmission of respiratory infections in hospitals.

*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.
When state senators in South Carolina held two hearings in September about covid-19 treatments, they got an earful on the benefits of ivermectin  which many of the lawmakers echoed, sharing experiences of their own loved ones.

The demands for access to the drug were loud and insistent, despite federal regulators' recent warning against using the drug to treat covid.

Ivermectin is a generic drug that has been used for decades to treat river blindness, scabies and even head lice. Veterinarians also use it, in different formulations and dosages, to treat animals for parasites like worms.

At one of the South Carolina hearings, Pressley Stutts III reminded the panel that his father, a prominent GOP leader in the state, had died of covid a month earlier. He believed ivermectin could have helped him. But doctors at the hospital wouldnt discuss it.

I went every bit as far as I could without getting myself thrown in jail trying to save my fathers life, he told the panel, as lawmakers offered condolences.

What is going on here? he asked, with the passion in his voice growing. My dads dead!

The pleas to public officials have been building. And now politicians are beginning to act, largely to satisfy their conservative constituents.

After the pandemic began, scientists launched clinical trials to see if ivermectin could help as a treatment for covid. Some are still ongoing. But providers in mainstream medicine have rejected it as a covid treatment, citing the poor quality of the studies to date, and two notorious preprint studies that were circulated before they were peer-reviewed, and later taken off the internet because of inaccurate and flawed data.

On Aug. 26, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised clinicians not to use ivermectin, citing insufficient evidence of benefit and pointing out that unauthorized use had led to accidental poisonings. Vaccination, the CDC reiterated, is still the best way to avoid serious illness and death from the coronavirus.

But many Americans remain convinced ivermectin could be beneficial, and some politicians appear to be listening to them.

If we have medications out here that are working  or seem to be working  I think its absolutely horrible that were not trying them, said Republican state Sen. Tom Corbin in South Carolina. He questioned doctors who had come to the Statehouse to counter efforts to move ivermectin into mainstream use.

The doctors challenged the implied insult that they werent following best practices: Any implication that any of us would do anything to withhold effective treatments from our patients is really insulting to our profession, said Dr. Annie Andrews, a professor at the Medical University of South Carolina who has cared for covid patients throughout the pandemic.

Instead of listening to the medical consensus, some politicians in states like South Carolina seem to be taking cues from doctors on the fringe. During one September hearing, state senators patched in a call from Dr. Pierre Kory.

Last year, Kory started a nonprofit called the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance, which promotes ivermectin. He said hes not making money by prescribing the drug, though the nonprofit does solicit donations and has not yet filed required financial documents with the IRS.

Kory acknowledged his medical opinions have landed him on an island.

He first testified about ivermectin to a U.S. Senate committee in December. That video went viral. Although it was taken down by YouTube, his Senate testimony prompted patients across the country to ask for ivermectin when they fell ill.

By late August, outpatient prescriptions had jumped 24-fold. Calls to poison control hotlines had tripled, mostly related to people taking ivermectin formulations meant for livestock.

Kory said he has effectively lost two jobs over his views on ivermectin. At his current hospital in Wisconsin, where he runs the intensive care unit two weeks a month, managers called him to a meeting in September, where he was informed he could no longer prescribe ivermectin. Hed been giving it to every patient with covid, he said.

After the pharma-geddon that was unleashed, yeah, they shut it down, he told the South Carolina lawmakers. And I will tell you that many hospitals across the country had already shut it down months ago.

Framing the ivermectin fight as a battle against faceless federal agencies and big pharmaceutical corporations appealed to Americans already suspicious of the science behind the pandemic and the approved covid vaccines.

Kory suggests success stories with covid treatments in other parts of the world have been suppressed to instead promote the vaccines.

In an interview with NPR, Kory said he regrets the flashpoint he helped ignite.

I feel really bad for the patients, and I feel really bad for the doctors, he told NPR. Both of them  both the patients and doctors  are trapped.

Patients are still demanding the treatment, but doctors sympathetic to their wishes are being told by their health systems not to try it.

Now conservatives in elected office are sensing political payoff if they step in to help patients get the drug. State legislatures, including those in Tennessee and Alaska, are debating various ways to increase access to ivermectin  with proposals such as shielding doctors from repercussions for prescribing it, or forcing pharmacists to fill questionable prescriptions.

The Montana State News Bureau reported that the states Republican attorney general dispatched a state trooper to a hospital in Helena where a politically connected patient was dying of covid. Her family was asking for ivermectin.

In a statement, St. Peters Hospital said doctors and nurses were harassed and threatened by three public officials.

These officials have no medical training or experience, yet they were insisting our providers give treatments for covid-19 that are not authorized, clinically approved, or within the guidelines established by the FDA and the CDC, the statement added.

On Oct. 14, the Republican attorney general in Nebraska addressed the controversy, issuing a nearly 50-page legal opinion arguing that doctors who consider the off-label use of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine for covid are acting within the parameters of their state medical licenses, as long as the physician obtains appropriate informed consent from a patient.

Some patients have filed lawsuits to obtain ivermectin, with mixed success. A patient in Illinois was denied. But other hospitals, including one in Ohio, have been forced to administer the drug against the objections of their physicians.

Even as they gain powerful political supporters, some ivermectin fans say theyre now avoiding the health care system  because theyve lost faith in it.

Lesa Berry, of Richmond, Virginia, had a friend who died earlier this year of covid. The doctors refused to use ivermectin, despite requests from Berry and the patients daughter.

They know better now, she said.

My first attempt would have been to keep her out of the hospital, Berry said. Because right now when you go to the hospital, they only give you whats on the CDC protocol.

Berry and her husband have purchased their own supply of ivermectin, which they keep at home.

This story is from a partnership that includes NPR, Nashville Public Radio and KHN.
Children with kidney cancers continue to be diagnosed with larger and more advanced tumors in the UK and Ireland than in other Western European countries, according to research presented at the NCRI Festival.

As a result, a leading childhood cancer expert has called for all staff providing primary healthcare for children in the UK's National Health Service (NHS) to be trained in pediatric medicine so that diseases such as kidney cancer can be detected earlier.

Mrs Reem Al-Saadi, a senior translational research manager at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, UK, presented findings from the first study to look systematically at how children are diagnosed with kidney cancer in the UK.

Reporting on 603 out of 712 children registered with kidney cancer between 2012 and 2018 from 20 treatment centers in the UK and Ireland (about 90% of all children diagnosed with kidney cancer in these countries), she said that 86% had Wilms tumor (the most common type of kidney cancer in children) and 14% had non-Wilms kidney tumors. Computerised tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans that create detailed images of the inside of the body were reviewed centrally as part of the investigations to ensure consistency of diagnosis.

"We found that spread of the kidney cancer to the lungs was detected in 24% of children; this was definite in 18% and detected only by the CT scan in 6%, which means the nodules were so small that there is uncertainty about whether they are cancerous or not," she said.

"The majority of children were only diagnosed once they had started to show symptoms: 77% had symptoms specific to tumors at diagnosis, such as abdominal mass, abdominal pain or blood in urine; 16% had non-specific symptoms; 5% were diagnosed as a result of genetic screening and 2% as a result of a child health check. This means that only a few cancers are being picked up incidentally before symptoms start to show."

The average (median) size of tumors was 547ml in volume, with one quarter being larger than 901ml.

The tumor volumes we saw are not significantly different to those from an analysis of children diagnosed in 2002-2011 when tumor volumes were shown to be larger than those found at diagnosis in Germany. The median volume then was 572ml in the UK compared to 382ml in Germany." Mrs Reem Al-Saadi, senior translational research manager at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, UK

The findings come from the IMPORT study (Improving Populations Outcome of Renal Tumours of childhood), which has since been expanded to include international research groups and has become the UMBRELLA study. With the exception of work in Germany, it is the only initiative in the world to collect standardized data on the route to diagnosis for a child with kidney cancer.

Kathy Pritchard-Jones, Professor of Paediatric Oncology at Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, is chief investigator of the IMPORT and UMBRELLA studies. Speaking before the NCRI Festival, she said: "We only have very early comparative data for about 1,000 cases diagnosed from 2019 onwards, but this early analysis from the UMBRELLA study found that 75% of children in the UK and Ireland are diagnosed with tumor-related symptoms, which is higher than in most other European countries. This confirms similar findings from an international trial conducted between 2001 and 2011."

She continued: "We know that in European countries where children have smaller tumors at diagnosis, the primary care provision is done by trained pediatricians working in the community. They may be more likely to examine a child all over when they come in with vague symptoms and, therefore, are more likely to pick up that something isn't quite right in the abdomen.

"Efforts are required to achieve earlier diagnosis of kidney cancers in children in order to improve survival rates in the UK and Ireland. We believe that frontline primary healthcare for children should be provided by staff trained in children's medicine. The problem of late diagnosis for kidney cancer is part of a wider problem of late diagnosis of serious diseases in childhood in the UK that has been highlighted by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health."

The findings reported today include two years of follow-up of the children after 2018. During this time 78 (13%) relapsed and 44 (7%) died.

Prof Pritchard-Jones said: "Treatments haven't changed in the past decade, and we expect the UMBRELLA study to show overall survival rates to remain similar at just over 90%. The study will enable us to make international comparisons to see how the UK is performing in terms of early diagnosis and treatment for children with abdominal tumors, and it will help us to monitor improvements."

Childhood kidney cancer is a rare disease. Wilms tumor is diagnosed in about 87 children each year in the UK. Treatment is one of the success stories in childhood cancer in recent years, with more than 90% of children surviving. However, there are some sub-groups that have a poor outcome, suffering recurrences of their cancer and, in some cases, dying. Early diagnosis before cancer has started to spread, combined with improved treatments, could help improve outcomes in these children.

Prof Pritchard-Jones and colleagues are investigating ways to personalize treatment to each child based on biological signals that could be used to identify the intensity of treatment needed. They are also testing the use of artificial intelligence to assess the nodules seen in CT scans for their likelihood of being cancer that has spread (metastasized) from the primary tumor.

Richard Neal, member of the NCRI Screening, Prevention and Early Diagnosis (SPED) Group and Professor of Primary Care at the University of Exeter, UK, who was not involved with the research, said: "It's disappointing to see that there has been very little progress in the past 20 years in diagnosing this disease at an earlier stage, when the tumors are smaller and easier to treat successfully. This works also demonstrates the difficulty in picking up these tumors at an early stage. There may be additional challenges in diagnosis as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with fewer patients, including children, being seen face to face and having physical examinations. We urgently need work to explore what interventions might work to improve the situation."
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causal agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the global economy and has already claimed more than five million lives. Scientists have developed vaccines to counter the virus, and many such vaccines have received emergency use authorization from global regulatory bodies.

Study: SARS-CoV-2 vaccine protection and deaths among US veterans during 2021. Image Credit: Popel Arseniy/ Shutterstock

A new study has been published in Science that studies the vaccine effectiveness (VE-I) and death (VE-D) in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). VHA covers 2.7% of the population of the United States.

Background

Several vaccines have been deployed to vaccinate individuals across the globe. Since their rollout in the US in late 2020, mRNA vaccines (BNT162b2 (PfizerBioNTech) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna)) and the viral vector vaccine (JNJ-78436735 (Janssen)) have been highly effective in preventing severe COVID-19 disease. Besides, the incidence of asymptomatic infection has also been reduced.

However, the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant brought about a surge in cases in the US by July 2021. At this time, three reports from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) mentioned that protection against infection had declined in mid-summer. Since then, illness, hospitalizations, and breakthrough infections have continued to emerge in vaccine recipients. In this regard, Israel is the most prominent example, where high transmission levels of the Delta variant led to a resurgent outbreak in mid-June 2021. This outbreak happened despite an earlier successful nationwide campaign to vaccinate the population. This phenomenon motivates the discussion for booster vaccine doses.

The debate over boosters in the US has highlighted the limitations of its public health infrastructure. Moreover, the national data on breakthrough infections are inadequate. In May 2021, the CDC focused on detecting and investigating only hospitalized or fatal cases (due to COVID-19 or otherwise). A patchwork of local health departments collects some data on vaccinations, infections, and deaths, but these are not of sufficiently high quality. In the current study, researchers examined SARS-CoV-2 infection and deaths by vaccination status in 780,225 Veterans to address this data gap. The sample period for the study was February 1, 2021, to October 1, 2021 i.e., encompassing the emergence and spread of the Delta variant.

Main findings

The percentage of COVID-19 positivity was higher in unvaccinated Veterans (25.8%). It was also higher in other demographics, such as female (18.2%), Hispanic (18.0%), American Indian (18.2%), or Native Hawaiian (17.8%). 22.2% of the samples came from individuals less than 50 years of age, and 19.2% had a lower comorbidity score. Breakthrough infections were also observed, i.e., 26,114 positive PCR tests in 498,148 fully vaccinated Veterans. Younger veterans (<50 years) were more likely to have received the Janssen vaccine.

From February 1, 2021, to October 1, 2021, VE-I declined over time, even after adjusting for confounding factors like age, sex, and comorbidity. The phenomenon was common across all vaccine types, with the largest declines for Janssen, followed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. In March, VE-I was 6.4% for Janssen, 89.2% for Moderna, and 86.9% for Pfizer-BioNTech. These numbers had declined to 13.1%, 58.0% for Moderna, and 43.3% for Pfizer-BioNTech, by September. The risk of vaccinations accelerated in unvaccinated and fully vaccinated veterans beginning in July 2021 and continued through September 2021.

The risk of death was highest in unvaccinated Veterans, regardless of age and comorbidity. Breakthrough infections were not harmless, as shown by the higher risk of death in fully vaccinated Veterans than vaccinated Veterans who remained infection-free. The results were similar when scientists examined the period corresponding to the prevalence of the Delta variant. For ages <65 years, VE-D was 81.7% for any vaccine, 73.0% for Janssen, 81.5% for Moderna, and 84.3% for Pfizer-BioNTech. For ages 65 years, VE-D was 71.6% for any vaccine, 52.2% for Janssen, 75.5% for Moderna, and 70.1% for Pfizer-BioNTech.

Conclusion

Scientists warn of interpreting the results in the context of limitations. There may be differences in testing intervals and frequency by vaccination status that were not considered. It is also possible that asymptomatic infections may not have been tested and therefore not included in the analysis. Further, women's representation was low, and it was also unknown what proportion of infections were caused by the Delta variant.

In summary, scientists showed that although vaccination remains effective, protection seems to have been reduced post the emergence of the Delta variant. The findings support the conclusion that vaccines remain the most important tool to prevent infection and death, and other non-pharmaceutical measures should accompany them. Researchers also stated that it was important to implement public health interventions, such as strategic testing and vaccine passports, in the face of increased risk of infection due to the Delta and other emerging variants.
In this interview, we spoke to Jonathan Lifshitz, Ph.D. about his latest research into traumatic brain injuries and how they can affect an unborn child's development. Thought Leaders Dr. Jonathan Lifshitz Director Translational Neurotrauma Research Program In this interview, we spoke to Jonathan Lifshitz, Ph.D. about his latest research into traumatic brain injuries and how they can affect an unborn child's development.

Please could tell us what inspired your latest research into traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and unborn child development?

The awful reality is that domestic violence among intimate partners increases when one person is pregnant. Without question, the assaults harm the partner directly, as we have come to know from athletes and soldiers.

However, the same pathophysiological processes associated with brain injury  inflammation, stress, anxiety  may adversely affect the unborn child. During critical stages of development  brain development in our case  the effects can lead to neurological impairment.

When our community partners informed us of these real-world scenarios, it became imperative to ask whether the effects of brain injury in a pregnant mother could affect the unborn child. To deliver research evidence for a human condition, we conducted the research as described.

Numerous research shows that many factors can affect an unborn babys brain development. What are some of these factors and how do they affect brain development?

As a neuroscientist with specific expertise in traumatic brain injury, development is beyond my area of expertise. Generally, we are aware that alcohol, caffeine, drugs of abuse, poor nutrition, and many other factors can influence pregnancy and fetal development. In research, stress, and inflammation result in a host of early life and late-life consequences that can be categorized as social determinants of health.

Environmental exposure during development  here were talking about the exposure of the fetus and uterus to specific conditions  can disrupt the way in which the brain is connected, its responses to specific stimuli, and thereby the overall function for an individual. Given that so many processes work in concert, over a long period, for the brain to develop, it becomes challenging to associate how a single factor may be singularly responsible for the outcome.

Therefore, the current study is the first to address the question that a singular brain injury event has the potential to disrupt fetal development.

Image Credit: Magic mine/Shutterstock.com

How are pregnant women at risk for TBIs?

Pregnant women have all the same risks for TBI as any other civilian  motor vehicle collisions, recreation, activities of daily living. As a result of their changing bodies, pregnant women may have an increased risk for falls. However, for the present study, we particularly focus on the evidence surrounding intimate partner violence.

When domestic violence between intimate partners turns physical, the assaults are more often focused on the head, neck, and face. Therefore, the likelihood of a TBI is high. And then, when one partner is pregnant, the incidence and severity of abuse are increased. Thus, pregnant women have an increased risk for intimate partner violence assaults and the associated TBI.

Research states that 60-90% of women who suffer intimate partner violence (IPV) will also sustain a TBI. Why is this and why does the risk of IPV increase when one partner is pregnant?

Answering a why question is always the most challenging. The information and data within the question relate to the epidemiology and demographics of intimate partner violence. The data indicate that 60-90% of women who report DV/IPV also have neurological symptoms that are concordant with TBI. These individuals report unrelenting headaches, blurred vision, balance problems, trouble concentrating, emotional volatility, etc. And considering that these women report their head being hit or their head hitting an immovable object is concordant with TBI. The associated scrapes, bruises, and lacerations on the head, neck, and face substantiate the history of the injury.

Why do people inflict intimate partner violence on one another? This is a much larger societal issue that likely draws on centuries of human behavior, including the patriarchy, learned expectation, and respect for one another. To complicate an intimate partner relationship, pregnancy can change ones perspective, goals, and emotional state. Any of these factors, combined with daily social stresses, can elevate tempers and result in violence. Many others are more attuned with these issues than I am.

Can you describe how you carried out your latest research into TBIs in pregnant women and child brain development? What did you discover?

As indicated above, brain development is a long and complicated process. In determining how to generate the best research evidence to address whether a single, isolated TBI during pregnancy can influence brain development, we elected to use relevant animal models. In an animal model, many of the variables that would be out of our control can be controlled in the research environment. Therefore, our research induced a single TBI in an animal model and evaluated the behavior and brains of their offspring.

The synopsis of our findings is that male offspring were the primary driver of the effects of TBI during pregnancy. The male animal model exposed to TBI during development showed lower body weight at weaning, reduced anxiety, and a dampened immune response to stress or infection. Associated with these neurological findings, their brains were less well organized as demonstrated by more broad, local connections. The interpretation of these findings shows that brain development can be diverted by a single TBI and more studies on the behavior and development are justified.

What is meant by the term gravida TBI and what is the importance of raising awareness of it?

Gravida is the medical term for pregnancy or a pregnant woman. Gravida TBI indicates a traumatic brain injury suffered by a pregnant woman, for which health care providers must recognize the consequences for both mother and child.

Our studies elevate the conversation of health care providers to consider immediate and long-term effects of TBI on the child. When gravida TBI occurs, the possibility exists for the child to have increased risk for multiple health conditions, including, but not limited to, neurological symptoms.

Image Credit: nerudol/Shutterstock.com

During your research, you also looked into mental health issues and neurodevelopmental issues. Did you discover any trends here?

As indicated above, the outcome measures we investigated included cognition, anxiety, and depression using standard laboratory animal models.

Why is it critical that health providers document suspected TBIs from IPV on their medical records?

TBI includes health care issues well beyond the immediate recovery. At the time of injury, specific neurological deficits  headache, dizziness  can occur and resolve rapidly. Other neurological morbidities  cognition, emotion, sensitivity  can be immediate or delayed and persist for months, years, or a lifetime. The importance of health record documentation can aid in understanding the emergence of new symptoms or worsening of others.

Additionally, IPV can be a criminal or civil offense. Documentation by a health care provider, such as a forensic nurse, can be used as evidence for litigation against the abuser.

Do you believe that the COVID-19 pandemic may increase the likelihood of women suffering from TBIs as a result of IPV due to lockdown measures worldwide?

Unquestionably. Worldwide, articles in the public media and professional journals indicate an increase in domestic assaults. In locations where the number of incidents did not necessarily rise, the intensity and severity of the injuries rose. As indicated above, when DV occurs between intimate partners, and the assaults become physical, then they are likely targeted to the head, neck, and face.

For many, as reported by countless others, the lockdown measures could have isolated individuals in harms way with their abuser, without opportunity for intervention by others.

What more can be done to help pregnant women who may be suffering from IPV and at risk of sustaining a TBI?

Traumatic brain injury is treatable. Countless experts work tirelessly to provide assessments and treatment for the many varied neurological symptoms that a TBI patient may experience. The treatments often take time and can aid in lessening symptoms and improving quality of life. The best recommendation is to talk to patient advocates  social workers, colleagues, friends  and ask for help in seeking support.

What are the next steps for your research?

Our research will take two different approaches moving forward. The present study made us question whether the effects of gravida TBI were due to the brain-injured mother raising her offspring, an effect of gravida TBI on the placenta, or expanded effects of neurological and other system function. We have piqued the interest of other colleagues to explore a range of outcome measures with us.

Second, we will identify individuals in our electronic health records with TBI and/or DV during pregnancy. We aim to report on the demographics of the mothers, the birth-related outcomes, and the health status of the children. In this manner, we achieve translational research to bring an understanding of mechanism and impact on society.

Where can readers find more information?

We have strong partnerships with the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, which is leading the conversation about TBI as a result of DV, IPV, and strangulation: https://www.odvn.org/

Other resources are available through national centers for women and local domestic violence shelters.

About Jonathan Lifshitz, Ph.D.

Jonathan Lifshitz, Ph.D., leads the Neurotrauma & Social Impact research team as a joint venture between the Phoenix VA Health Care System, University of Arizona College of Medicine  Phoenix, and Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Childrens Hospital. The research focuses on restorative and regenerative treatments for traumatic brain injury as it develops into chronic neurodegenerative disease. We investigate domestic violence, child abuse, gender imbalance, marital norms, and Veteran mental health. The goal is to translate findings to improve the health of our communities through precision diagnostics, rehabilitation, and new knowledge.

He earned a Bachelors in Neuroscience from UCLA, a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania, and completed fellowships at UPenn and VCU. He leads local, state, and federal-funded projects, including ones on cognitive rehabilitation, cardiovascular risk factors, systemic effects of brain injury, and vital imaging. Currently, he is the scientific director for regional and national consortia to understand traumatic brain injury arising from domestic violence. He chairs the Arizona Governors Council on Spinal and Head Injury, co-hosts the University of Arizona College of Medicine  Phoenix podcast ReImagine Medicine, and is the Lead Scientist and Director of Research and Development for The CACTIS Foundation.
No one knows exactly how many lead pipes deliver water to homes, schools and businesses throughout America  or even where they all are. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates at least 6 million lead service lines exist. Environmental groups say it's probably many more.

What is known is that with every pot of boiling sweet potatoes, bottle of reconstituted baby formula or sip of tap water delivered through lead pipes, millions of Americans risk ingesting lead, a powerful neurotoxin long known to cause irreversible organ and cognitive damage in children and adults.

"As a starting point, we don't even fully know the extent of all this, even though because of situations like Flint and other places, we know it's real," said Joseph Kane, a fellow at the Brookings Institution who focuses on infrastructure.

Now, he and other experts say, the nation can finally start to make a dent in the problem. The bipartisan infrastructure bill that Congress approved Friday calls for allocating $15 billion for lead pipe remediation. An additional $9 billion to help with lead reduction in disadvantaged communities and $970 million for rural water and waste-water programs, including lead remediation, are still on the table as part of the pending reconciliation spending bill to fund President Joe Biden's social and climate agenda.

While some say the infrastructure bill is not enough  industry experts and environmental advocates estimate the actual cost of fully replacing lead pipes could be $60 billion  others believe the infrastructure package will bring significant change.

"Is this better than nothing? Absolutely, 100%," said Scott Berry, director of policy and government affairs at the US Water Alliance, a nonprofit focused on sustainable water policies. "This is going to be transformative for some communities."

The lead-poisoned water in Flint, Michigan, elevated the issue of lead pipes to national attention in 2015. But some places, such as Houston's Fifth Ward neighborhood that is saddled with other environmental hazards amid aging homes, are just beginning to track the plumbing contamination.

Lead service lines were banned nationwide in 1986, but fixing this largely underground problem has been taking longer than community and environmental advocates would like.

Earlier this month, before the infrastructure bill passed, the EPA ordered the city of Benton Harbor, Michigan, to take "immediate action" to improve its drinking water system after several years of inaction on high lead levels. Illinois recently established a 50-year timeline to replace all lead service lines, including in Chicago, which has the most of any U.S. city with an estimated 400,000 lines.

After the Flint water crisis, officials with Greater Cincinnati Water Works developed a plan to remove lead pipes; the city provided financial assistance to property owners for their share of the project. When fewer owners than expected signed up, city leaders agreed to cover the full cost, said Jeff Swertfeger, superintendent of water quality. Officials hoped to complete the project in 15 years  until the bill passed.

"That will allow us to do it more quickly," Swertfeger said, if his city gets some of the money.

The EPA said in 2012 that there is no safe level of lead exposure. However, rules governing allowable levels in drinking water have been largely unchanged since 1991, said Adrienne Katner, an associate professor of environmental and occupational health at Louisiana State University.

Katner said when blood lead levels fell following bans on lead in paint and gas, many Americans  including medical professionals  thought the problem of lead poisoning was largely solved. She said that mindset has continued to this day.

"But the lead story isn't over," Katner said. "Because we've created cities that are pretty much hazardous waste sites now because of the amount of lead we put in the environment."

Lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust continue to be primary sources of lead exposure, but the reality is that lead in water poisons children and adults at troubling rates. The EPA estimates that, for the general public, drinking water can account for 20% or more of lead exposure. Infants who drink reconstituted formula can receive up to 60% of their lead exposure from the water.

"Lead pipes are unpredictable," said Tom Neltner, chemicals policy director at the Environmental Defense Fund, a science-based environmental advocacy organization. "One day they can be low and later really high. It may be flow, water chemistry, temperature or something else. That is what makes them particularly hard to manage safely  and why replacing them is so important."

Lead accumulates in the body over time. It is known to cause organ damage and reduce impulse control, IQ and cognitive abilities in children. It can cause fertility issues. For those who are calcium-deficient while pregnant, it can leach from the bones and cross the placental barrier, exposing the fetus to lead. In adults, it can cause liver damage and cardiovascular disease.

While lead-contaminated water can affect all populations, low-income and minority communities are hit the hardest, Katner said. Many of those communities exist in older, more industrialized and more polluted areas in any given city, where residents are less likely to have the financial resources or political clout to get lead pipes removed.

"There are many communities of color, Black and brown communities specifically, that because of policies that have resulted in segregation and environmental racism, are cumulatively disadvantaged," said Grace Tee Lewis, a senior health scientist with the Environmental Defense Fund.

Houston's Fifth Ward, in the shadow of downtown Houston's gleaming office towers and expensive condos, is faced with numerous environmental and health challenges. Within its borders sit three Superfund sites, chemical plants, metal recyclers and cement plants. Two cancer clusters have been identified there.

The Rev. James Caldwell formed the nonprofit Coalition of Community Organizations to help residents there tackle health, environmental, economic and social issues. In 2019, the Houston Health Department gave Caldwell's group a map identifying homes and businesses with potential lead-based paint contamination. Because those homes were likely built before 1978, the year lead paint was banned nationally, and aging infrastructure was already an issue, it seemed possible that lead service lines were delivering water to the area, too.

"We don't know if we have people in our community bathing in lead water, drinking lead water, pouring the water in their plants, on their food  and they don't know," Caldwell said. "That's a problem."

The Coalition of Community Organizations created a working group of residents and experts to sample water, soil and dust for multiple particulates  including lead  from homes throughout the Fifth Ward. Leanne Fawkes, a doctoral candidate in Texas A&M University's School of Public Health who is working on the project, said so far about 30% of water samples collected from 200 homes show elevated lead levels.

"I would just like more Houstonians to be aware that this was happening in their backyard," she said.

The city's Public Works department has been conducting a separate public survey to help determine locations throughout the city to target for water testing, said city spokesperson Erin Jones.

The Environmental Defense Fund's Neltner said it's imperative to raise awareness nationwide that these pipes and plumbing fixtures pose dangerous health concerns. Removing them will not eliminate the risk of lead-contaminated drinking water, but what potentially remains will be more easily managed with proper mitigation, he said.

Now that the infrastructure bill is approved, he said, the priority must be on ensuring low-income communities, where residents have the fewest resources to participate in fixing the problem, have access to the funds.

"If you're drinking water through a lead straw, while that might be safe right this moment, the next moment it's not," Neltner said. "People need to be confident that their water is safe."
While everyone is at risk of infection from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), children are at less risk of severe infection than older adults. But children are not immune to the virus and may become infected because of household contact or high community transmission.

Led by Sarita Shah of Emory University, a new study shows low COVID-19 testing in children, suggesting the results are an underestimation of the true burden of disease.

While it has been thought children are less susceptible to COVID-19 than adults, our data on testing rates and test positivity indicate the true burden of COVID-19 among those aged 18 years and younger may have been underestimated prior to the Delta variant, concluded the research team.

The study A Retrospective Cohort Study of COVID-19 among Children in Fulton County, Georgia, March 2020 - June 2021 was recently published on the medRxiv* preprint server.

How they did it

The researchers collected data on confirmed COVID-19 cases in children ages 0 to 18 years along with adults 19 years and older using the State Electronic Notifiable Disease Surveillance System. COVID-19 cases in Fulton County were from March 30, 2020, to June 6, 2021. Other information collected for the study included a positive SARS-CoV-2 test sample, age, gender, race, ethnicity, hospitalization, ICU admission, death, symptoms, and potential exposure.

Using Georgias Online Analytical Statistical Information System, the research team collected the number of children and adults living in Fulton County. For the study, children were categorized into different age groups  0-4, 5-10, 11-13, and 14-18 years  to make inferences on age-based differences in COVID-19 infection.

What they found

A total of 10,437 pediatric COVID-19 cases were reported in Fulton County, Georgia. This translated to about 431.4 cases per 10,000 children.

About half of COVID-19 cases were children aged 14-18 (48.3%). The 5-10 age group had the second-highest number of cases (21.7%), followed by the 11-13 age group (16.9%), and the 0-4 year age group (13.1%).

Proportion of COVID-19 Cases Attributed to Children Aged 0-18 Years in Fulton County, Georgia by 14-day Periods, March 2020 - June 2021

There was no difference between boys and girls in all age groups. Additionally, non-Hispanic Blacks (35%) and non-Hispanic whites (33.5%) were the most common race/ethnicities among pediatric cases.

Children aged 0-4 were the age group most likely to require hospitalization during infection. However, less than 0.5% of COVID-19 cases required intubation.

One child in the 14 to 18 age group died.

Common features in pediatric COVID-19 cases

Less than half (43.2%) of children exhibited COVID-19 symptoms before the diagnosis. The most common symptoms across all ages were cough (17.2%) and fever (16.1%).

In older children, approximately 25.4% of the 14-18 age group reported headaches. However, only 3.8% of children aged 0-4 years experienced headaches.

Younger children were more likely to contract SARS-CoV-2 through household contact compared to older children.

All age groups showed a similar risk through community contact.

Rising number of COVID-19 cases in children

Throughout the study period, the number of pediatric cases rose to an unprecedented rate in the Fulton County population.

From early April 2020, children comprised 15.4% of all county cases. By September 2020, children made up 15.4% of all cases in the county. In April 2021, children made up 21.6% of cases.

Fortunately, recent data in the beginning of June demonstrated a decline in pediatric cases. By this time, they covered 11.8% of all cases.

COVID-19 cases were highest among adults and children aged 14-18 years.

When it came to COVID-19 testing rates, adults were more likely to get tested. Amongst children, the 14-18-year age group had the highest testing rates. For example, from December 7-20, 2020, children aged 14-18 years had 2.5 more tests than children aged 0-4 years.

Despite these marked differences in testing rates, test positivity was similar across pediatric age groups and percent positivity among pediatric cases was higher than adults at almost every time period observed after July, 2020, explained the researchers.

*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.
A ground-breaking new, mobile phone app, 'GrowthMonitor' places the accurate measurement of children's height in the hands of parents and carers. Preliminary data to be presented at the Society for Endocrinology annual conference in Edinburgh suggests that the app could reliably identify treatable growth disorders, much earlier, with significant improvements in child health.

Childhood growth is a strong indicator of health and well-being in children, but delays in the diagnosis of growth disorders are common in the UK. In contrast to many European health systems, monitoring child growth has not been a priority in the UK and serious, treatable conditions are often diagnosed late. Growth failure may be the first and only sign of many chronic childhood diseases or indicate a specific growth disorder such as growth hormone deficiency (1 in 4,000 children), Noonan and Turner syndrome (each 1 in 2,500 children) and SHOX deficiency (up to 20% of undiagnosed short stature).

A reliable and accurate method for parents and carers to monitor growth at home could be a cost-effective and convenient strategy to identify those children in need of medical referral, empowering parents, raising awareness and reducing pressure on primary care services.

An interdisciplinary group, led by Professor Helen Storr, at Queen Mary University London, has developed a user-friendly app called 'GrowthMonitor' to do just this. Research Nurse, Dr Thilipan Thaventhiran, led the pilot testing of the 'GrowthMonitor' app in 79 children, showing that height data measured by the app were highly accurate when compared to gold standard clinic stadiometer measurements. The app uses a simple traffic light system, based on predetermined threshold heights, to inform parents that growth is either normal (green), to continue monitoring (amber) or to seek medical advice (red).

The 'GrowthMonitor' app technology could transform our approach to childhood growth monitoring, by empowering carers to identify growth problems early, enabling much earlier diagnosis and treatment of growth disorders. It could also provide reassurance to parents whose children are growing normally thereby reducing unnecessary anxiety and referrals to paediatric services." Dr Thaventhiran

Following the positive pilot data obtained in a hospital setting, further testing is now underway assessing the app's usability in the home environment. This phase is critical in evaluating the app in the hands of parents and carers, away from the hospital.
Researchers have identified a series of symptoms associated with pancreatic cancer, including two previously unrecognized symptoms  feeling thirsty and having dark urine  in a study presented today (Monday) at the NCRI Festival.

The study has confirmed a further 21 signs of pancreatic cancer and shown that patients often have some symptoms of the disease up to a year before their cancers are diagnosed, and other alarming symptoms three months before diagnosis.

The researchers hope their findings could improve survival by helping GPs diagnose the disease earlier, especially when patients present with several seemingly non-specific symptoms.

Pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival among all common cancers, with five-year survival around 7% in the UK. Unfortunately, most people with pancreatic cancer are diagnosed at a late stage.

Researchers want to better understand the early signs of pancreatic cancer because if patients and GPs are more aware of symptoms, they could be diagnosed earlier when their chance of survival is better.

The research is presented by Dr Weiqi Liao, a data scientist at the University of Oxford, UK. He and his colleagues looked at data from 24,236 patients who were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in England between 2000 and 2017 using a large electronic database (QResearch). The researchers looked at patients' symptoms at different time points before they were diagnosed with cancer and compared them to other patients' symptoms who were not diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Yellowing of the skin (jaundice) and bleeding in the stomach or intestine were the two serious symptoms most associated with being diagnosed with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the most common type of pancreatic cancer, and in pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (PNEN), a rarer form of pancreatic cancer. In addition, researchers identified thirst and dark urine as previously unknown symptoms for PDAC.

When pancreatic cancer is diagnosed earlier, patients have a higher chance of survival. It is possible to diagnose patients when they visit their GP, but both patients and GPs need to be aware of the symptoms associated with pancreatic cancer." Dr Weiqi Liao, data scientist, University of Oxford, UK

The research, which is the largest study of its kind, found 23 symptoms linked with the diagnosis of PDAC (yellowing of the skin, bleeding in the stomach or intestine, problems swallowing, diarrhea, change in bowel habits, vomiting, indigestion, abdominal mass, abdominal pain, weight loss, constipation, fat in stool, abdominal swelling, nausea, flatulence, heartburn, fever, tiredness, appetite loss, itching, back pain, thirst, and dark urine). Nine symptoms were linked with PNEN (yellowing of the skin, blood in stool, diarrhea, change in bowel habits, vomiting, indigestion, abdominal mass, abdominal pain, and weight loss).

While most symptoms were not specific to pancreatic cancer and could be due to other benign conditions, the researchers found patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer had a higher chance of experiencing some of these non-specific symptoms one year before diagnosis.

Dr Liao said: "These new findings enable us to conduct further work on understanding symptoms that could suggest pancreatic cancer. This will help GPs to make decisions about who to refer for urgent tests, especially when patients have several seemingly non-specific symptoms."

Although this study is one of the largest of its kind, the oldest data did not include what stage the patients' cancer was when they were diagnosed, meaning the researchers were not able to explore which symptoms were associated with early-stage disease and which with late-stage disease. In addition, as PNEN is a rarer cancer, there is only a small amount of data available in the study period, meaning it is harder for researchers to detect other potential symptoms.

Dr Liao is also working with other researchers to compare these findings with symptom data from other groups of patients.

Dr Pippa Corrie is chair of the pancreatic workstream of the NCRI Upper Gastrointestinal Group and Consultant Medical Oncologist at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK, and was not involved with the research. She said: "Being aware of the early symptoms of pancreatic cancer is crucial if we are to diagnose patients earlier and improve pancreatic cancer survival. This research could help GPs and their patients know more about the signs of pancreatic cancer. It's vital that people speak to their GP if they notice these symptoms.

"Future research could help us develop tools for GPs to help them make referrals, especially when patients present with several non-specific symptoms."

Professor Julia Hippisley-Cox, who led the study and is based at the University of Oxford, said: "We thank the many hundreds of GPs using EMIS  an electronic patient record system widely used in the UK  who contribute anonymized data to the QResearch database, without whom this novel research in such a rare but important condition, would not have been possible."

These results could now be used to update QCancer, a risk prediction model that has been created from the QResearch database to help GPs identify high-risk patients for further tests to diagnose cancer.

Dr Chris Macdonald, Head of Research at Pancreatic Cancer UK, which funded the research, said: "This new analysis, and the QCancer tool itself, is filling a gaping hole in the way that pancreatic cancer is diagnosed. It could give GPs a much-needed way of identifying patients who are at risk of the disease so that they can be referred for diagnostic tests earlier and, ultimately, get treatment before it's too late.

"This research is an important component of our Early Diagnosis Research Alliance, which has brought together leading researchers across the UK to make earlier diagnosis a reality for the deadliest common cancer. Their efforts mean a new diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer is now on the horizon. However, we also need vital risk assessment tools like QCancer optimized and in the hands of GPs, if we're to ensure that anyone who might have this devastating disease has the very best chance of survival."
In September, when Texas' near-total abortion ban took effect, Planned Parenthood clinics in the Lone Star State started offering every patient who walked in information on Senate Bill 8, as well as emergency contraception, condoms and two pregnancy tests. The plan is to distribute 22,000 "empowerment kits" this year.

"We felt it was very important for patients to have as many tools on hand to help them meet this really onerous law," said Elizabeth Cardwell, lead clinician at Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, which has 24 clinics across the northern and central regions of the state and provides care to tens of thousands of people annually.

Most of their patients  who tend to be uninsured and have annual household incomes of less than $25,000  had not known about SB 8 the first several weeks after implementation, said Cardwell. But once they learned about it, patients seemed to rush to get on birth control, she said.

SB 8 allows private citizens, in Texas or elsewhere, to sue anyone who performs an abortion in the state or who "aided or abetted" someone getting an abortion once fetal cardiac activity is detected. This is generally around six weeks, before most people know they're pregnant. It's had a chilling effect in Texas, where access to abortion was already limited.

Medical staffs are doubling down on educating patients about birth control. They recognize the strategy isn't foolproof but are desperate to prevent unintended pregnancies, nearly half of which nationwide end in abortion.

"Its more important now than it ever has been," said Cardwell. "Ive been in abortion care 30-plus years, and my go-to line was 'Youve got plenty of time. You dont have to feel rushed. Talk with your partner. Talk with your family,'" she said. "Now we dont have that luxury."

Patients, too, seem to feel a sense of urgency. During September, according to data from Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, medical staff provided patients with some form of birth control  for example, pill packs, Depo-Provera shots or IUD implant insertions  in more than 3,750 visits, 5% more than in September 2020.

Dr. Jennifer Liedtke, a family physician in West Texas, said she and her nurse practitioners explain SB 8 to every patient who comes to their private practice and saw a 20% increase in requests for long-acting reversible contraceptive methods, known as LARCs, in September.

LARCs, a category that includes intrauterine devices and hormonal implants, have become increasingly appealing because they are 99% effective at preventing pregnancy and last several years. They are also simpler than the pill, which needs to be taken daily, or the vaginal ring, which needs to be changed monthly.

Still, LARCs are not everyone's preferred method. For example, inserting an IUD can be painful.

A doctor's office is one of the few opportunities for reliable birth control education. Texas law doesn't require schools to teach sex education, and if they do, educators must stress abstinence as the preferred birth control method. Some doctors opt to explain abortion access in the state when naming birth control options.

Liedtke is used to having to explain new laws passed by the Texas legislature. "It happens all the time," she said. But the controversy surrounding SB 8 confuses patients all the more as the law works its way through the court system with differing rulings, one of which briefly blocked the measure. The U.S. Supreme Court heard related arguments Nov. 1.

"People just dont understand," said Liedtke. It was tied up for 48 hours, so they are like, Its not a law anymore? Well, no, technically it is."

Not all providers are able to talk freely about abortion access. In 2019, the Trump administration barred providers that participate in the federally funded family planning program, Title X, from mentioning abortion care to patients, even if patients themselves raise questions. In early October, the Biden administration reversed that rule. The change will kick in this month. Planned Parenthood can discuss SB 8 in Texas because Texas affiliates do not receive Title X dollars.

Dr. Lindsey Vasquez of Legacy Community Health, the largest federally qualified health center in Texas and a recipient of Title X dollars, said she and other staff members have not discussed abortion or SB 8 because they also must juggle a variety of other priorities. Legacy's patients are underserved, she said. A majority live at or below the federal poverty level.

Nearly two years into the covid-19 pandemic, "were literally maximizing those visits," Vasquez said. Their jobs go beyond offering reproductive care. "Were making sure they have food resources, that they have their housing stable," she said. "We really are trying to make sure that all of their needs are met because we know for these types of populations  patients that we serve  this may be our only moment that we get to meet them."

Specialized family planning clinics that receive Title X dollars do have proactive conversations about contraceptive methods, according to Every Body Texas, the Title X grantee for the state.

Discussions of long-acting reversible contraception must be handled with sensitivity because these forms of birth control have a questionable history among certain populations, primarily lower-income patients. In the 1990s, lawmakers in several states, including Texas, introduced bills to offer cash assistance recipients financial incentives to get an implant or mandate insertion for people on government benefits, a move seen as reproductive coercion.

"Its important for a client to get on the contraceptive method of their choice," said Mimi Garcia, communications director for Every Body Texas. "Some people will just say, 'Lets get everyone on IUDs' or 'Lets get everybody on hormonal implants' because those are the most effective methods.  Thats not something thats going to work for [every] individual.  Either they dont agree with it philosophically or they dont like how it makes their body feel."

It's a nuanced subject for providers to broach, so some suggest starting the conversation by asking the patient about their future.

"The best question to ask is 'When do you want to have another baby?'" said Liedtke. And then if they say, 'Oh, gosh, Im not even sure I want to have more kids' or 'Five or six years from now,' then we start talking LARCs.  But if its like, 'Man, I really want to start trying in a year,' then I dont talk to them about putting one of those in."

The Biden administration expected more demand for birth control in Texas, so Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra announced in mid-September that Every Body Texas would receive additional Title X funding, as would local providers experiencing an influx of clients as a result of SB 8.

But providers said improved access to contraception will not blunt the law's effects. It will not protect patients who want to get pregnant but ultimately decide on abortion because they receive a diagnosis of a serious complication, their relationship status changes, or they lose financial or social support, said Dr. Elissa Serapio, an OB-GYN in the Rio Grande Valley and a fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health.

"Its the very best that we can do," said Cardwell, of Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas. "Theres no 100% effective method of birth control."
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(Newser)  A father of two was killed while swimming in Australia on Saturday morning when he was attacked by at least one, but possibly two, sharks at Port Beach, North Fremantle, off the coast of Western Australia. Paul Millachip, 57, who lived in Perth after having moved from London, is believed to have been attacked by a 14-foot-long great white shark, the Telegraph reports. Onlookers said he also appeared to have been attacked by a tiger shark, but authorities have not yet confirmed that.

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Millachip, a strong swimmer and Ironman triathlete who was a regular at the beach, was there with his two adult children as well as his wife, who was in the changing rooms when the attack took place. "He died what he enjoyed doing the most," his wife says, per CNN. Land, air, and sea patrols conducted a search for him, but it was called off Sunday after only a pair of goggles believed to have been his were retrieved. They are being tested. The beach was closed after the attack, but reopened Monday.

Authorities tell ABC.net four teenage boys in a dinghy near where Millachip was swimming are heroes for their reaction to witnessing the attack. "They have been really, really helpful. They have done a great job of alerting other people on the beach and other swimmers," one acting inspector says. Adds another, "I can say that the actions of the witnesses were heroic and very brave for getting everyone else in the water out of the water and notifying everyone of what was happening." (Read more shark attack stories.)
(Newser)  When 50-year-old Heidi Ferrer died after battling COVID for more than a year, husband Nick Guthe wanted to donate her body to science. However, the hospital overruled him because Ferrer had signed up to become an organ donor. That made little sense to him, Guthe tells the New York Times. Wouldn't it be unsafe to give somebody the organs of a COVID patient? The answer to that question turns out to be a complicated one, writes Roni Caryn Rabin for the newspaper. As it turns out, "there is no universally accepted set of recommendations regarding when organs can be safely recovered from virus-positive bodies and transplanted to patients in need," writes Rabin.

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Generally, organs from donors who test negative for the virus are given the green light, even if those patients once had the virus. But things get especially complicated in cases involving "long COVID," in which patients (as with Ferrer) continue to battle debilitating symptoms for months or longer after the initial diagnosis. Often these patients test negative for COVID, but it's still not clear if the virus might be lurking somewhere in their bodies, perhaps in the very organs that might be donated. Ongoing research is trying to figure all this out, and transplant organizations are taking different approaches in the meantime.

"This is sort of uncharted territory," says Dr. Jennifer D. Possick of the Yale School of Medicine, who specializes in treating patients with long COVID. Part of the difficult calculation is that a would-be organ recipient might be on the brink of deathis it then ethical to deprive them of a kidney from COVID patient? In Ferrer's case, her kidneys went to two patients with end-stage kidney disease, and no other organs were transplanted. "Heidi was a very giving person, but she would not have wanted this," says her husband. "We need to create guidelines for what is safe and what isnt." Read the full story. (Read more organ transplants stories.)
(Newser)  After the sudden death of Mary MacCarthy's brother, the California woman and her 10-year-old daughter booked a last-minute flight to Denver to be with family. Upon arrival, two police officers met them on the jetway to question them, CNN reports. MacCarthy, in an email to Southwest obtained by the network, says her daughter, who is Black, "was terribly frightened: she was already experiencing the trauma of her uncle's death, and she is scared of police due to constant headlines about how police treat Black people. ... She began to sob and was inconsolable." The officers, MacCarthy says, told her someone had reported them for suspicious behavior while boarding.

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She later found out, she says, that a flight attendant had reported her for suspected human trafficking of her daughter. The two were not seated together on one leg of their flight, and asked other passengers to move around so they could sit together. The flight attendant told officers that behavior, plus the fact that they boarded last, made her suspicious, the Denver Post reports. MacCarthy, who is white, accuses the airline of racial profiling due to her mixed-race family; the lawyer she hired says, "Had this been a white child, there would not have been a raised eyebrow." She says weeks have gone by with no apology from the airline. In the wake of the media picking up the story, Southwest says it is investigating the situation. (Read more Southwest Airlines stories.)
(Newser)  As his mother drove him home on an Oakland, Calif., highway on Saturday afternoon, toddler Jasper Wu was shot dead as he slept in his carseat. The 23-month-old is believed to have been caught in crossfire and hit by a stray bullet on I-880, Fox News reports. His aunt says the little boy tried opening his eyes after he was shot in the head. He was rushed to Oakland Children's Hospital, where he died. His family is now begging anyone involved to surrender, ABC 7 reports. The California Highway Patrol asks anyone with information to call the CHP Investigation Tip line at 707-917-4491. (Read more California stories.)
(Newser)  The 2022 midterms are exactly one year away, and President Biden's ratings have just taken another dip. A new USA Today/Suffolk University poll of 1,000 registered voters taken Wednesday through Friday shows that approval for Biden now stands at 38%, a drop from the low 40s he was seeing in other recent surveys, per the Hill. Vice President Harris, meanwhile, comes in with just a 28% approval rating. About half of the poll respondents said Biden has done a worse job than they'd expected he'd doincluding 16% of Biden voters.

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Driving the sinking numbers are independent voters, who helped put Biden over the top in the 2020 election: The poll shows 44% of them think the president isn't performing as well as they thought he would. The survey was taken before Biden's $1.2 trillion "hard" infrastructure bill passed in the House on Friday and headed toward the president's desk. A stronger-than-expected jobs report came out Friday morning, and advocates say the administration is now set for a rebound after a tough year dealing with the delta variant and criticism on the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, another poll out of Emerson College also shows the ground Biden needs to make up, per CBS Boston. According to that survey, conducted among 1,000 registered voters on Wednesday and Thursday, Biden's approval rating has seen a 20 percentage point drop among Black voters since February, with the Hispanic approval rating dipping down to 50% from 56%, and white voters dropping from 43% to 38%.

Also emerging from that survey: Voters say that if they were casting ballots today, they'd vote for former President Trump over President Biden 45% to 43%; 11% say they'd vote for someone else, with 1% undecided. "With over a tenth of voters voicing support for someone else in another Trump-Biden matchup, 2024 could perhaps witness a third-party candidate reaching the required 15% support to get on the debate stage," says Emerson polling chief Spencer Kimball. (Read more President Biden stories.)
(Newser)  A nurse in Western Australia has been charged with fraud, accused of pretending to administer a COVID vaccine at a private clinic. The Guardian notes it's the first recorded instance of someone allegedly faking such a vaccination. ABC Australia reports that 51-year-old Christina Hartmann Benz had apparently received a governmental OK to administer the vaccine to people she knew at a private medical center in the Perth suburb of Victoria Park, and it seems a bunch of family and friends took her up on it over the weekend.

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But, per the Sydney Herald, "suspicions were raised" when dozens of people started showing up at the clinic, asking for Benz by name, then disappearing behind closed doors with her to receive the vaccine, a police prosecutor told Perth Magistrates Court. He says that when a man and his 15-year-old son showed up and asked to see Benz, clinic owner Sean Stevens decided to stay with her as she administered the vaccine, and that Benz tried to obstruct his view while she was giving the shot to the 15-year-old.

It's alleged that she did actually jab the teen, but that she didn't depress the syringe to inject the liquid into his arm. Police say she threw out the syringe with the vaccine still in it, claiming a successful vaccination in clinic records, as well as marking down that someone else in the clinic had administered it. There's no word yet on motive, but police say Benz had made social media posts that noted her skepticism about the vaccine, in a state that's the furthest behind any other in vaccination rates: The national average for those who've gotten both doses is just over 80%, while in Perth it hovers around 66%.

Benz was arrested and charged with gains benefit by fraud. Benz is out on bail, but for now she's not allowed to administer COVID vaccines or work as a registered nurse in any capacity. She's also not allowed to have contact with co-workers or with those she treated at the clinicexcept for her husband and parents, who were reportedly among her patients. As for anyone else who may be thinking of pulling a similar stunt, WA Health Minister Roger Cook has some dissuading words. "We're on the lookout for any of this sort of behavior, and if it's going on it's just despicable and has to stop," he says, per ABC. (Read more coronavirus vaccine stories.)
(Newser)  On Aug. 19, Mirza Ali Ahmadi, his wife, and five children headed to the Kabul airport, hoping to flee the country as the Taliban wrested control of Afghanistan. Of the family of seven, however, just six ended up on an evacuation flight to Qatar, then to Germany and the US, after their 2-month-old infant went missing during the day's chaos. Ahmadi, who worked for the US Embassy as a security guard for a decade, tells Reuters his son, Sohail, still hasn't been located more than two months later, pleading with "every person he comes across" to help him find his son. The family's ordeal began when they showed up at the Hamid Karzai International Airport that August day, where they found hundreds of others trying to evacuate.

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Amid the crowd surge, Ahmadi and his wife feared their baby would get crushed. Just then, from the other side of the fence, a US soldier asked if they needed help, and so they handed the baby over the top, thinking they'd get to the entrance a few feet away within minutes. It took more than half an hour, though, and when they got inside, there was no trace of Sohail. First a military commanderwhose name Ahmadi didn't get because of the language barriersaid Sohail might have been taken to an area for children; the baby wasn't there. Then a civilian official told him there were no "resources" to handle babies at the airport, and that Sohail had likely been evacuated on his own.

"Unfortunately, no one can find the child," a US government official now tells Reuters. Spokespersons for both the Defense Department and Department of Homeland Security, which is managing resettlement efforts, deflected questions about the case to the State Department, which said in a statement to the Hill that "we are committed to ensuring the protection of unaccompanied children. ... The US government is aware of this case and we are working with our international partners and the international community to explore every avenue to locate the child."

The agency notes that an international Amber Alert has been issued for Sohail via the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Meanwhile, Ali and his family are waiting anxiously for news from Texas' Fort Bliss as they wait to be resettled. Ali's wife, Suraya, says she cries constantly and that her other four children, ages 3 through 17, remain upset about their missing sibling. "All I am doing is thinking about my child," she tells Reuters through a translator. "Everyone that is calling me ... [comforts] me and say, 'Don't worry, God is kind, your son will be found.'" (Read more Afghanistan stories.)
(Newser)  It may not be a big surprise to learn that Brazil, home of the Amazon rainforest, has more delegates at the ongoing climate summit in Scotland than any other country. Its total of 479 easily tops No. 2 Turkey's 376 at the COP26 talks in Glasgow, per the BBC. However, one entity has even more than Brazilnone other than the fossil fuel industry, according to an analysis by the environmental group Global Witness. By its count, the industry has 503 delegates present, most of the them who belong to groups that represent the interests of oil and gas companies such as Shell and BP. The assessment is based on this list of attendees.

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Not surprisingly, the advocacy group asserts that this makes little sense at a summit devoted to nations' attempts to reduce their carbon footprints, and it wants them banned from future talks. "The presence of hundreds of those being paid to push the toxic interests of polluting fossil fuel companies, will only increase the skepticism of climate activists who see these talks as more evidence of global leaders' dithering and delaying," says Murray Worthy of Global Witness, per CNN. The BBC has sought a response from the UN group that accredits delegates but hasn't received one yet. Former President Obama pressured Russia and China at the summit on Monday. (Read more UN climate summit stories.)
(Newser)  The name Oscar Pistorius is once again back in the headlines, this time because he is up for parole. And as the BBC reports, that process might result in him sitting down with the parents of the woman he killed, Reeva Steenkamp. The former South African Olympian fatally shot Steenkamp in 2013 and was eventually sentenced to 13 years for murder. An attorney for parents June and Barry Steenkamp tells SABC that they are willing to meet with Pistorius as part of what's known as a "victim-offender dialogue." It's not entirely clear, however, whether that would play out in Pistorius' favor.

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"June has always said that she has forgiven Oscar, however that doesn't mean that he mustn't pay for what he has done," says attorney Tania Koen. "Barry battles with that a bit, but that is something he will have to voice at the appropriate time." Pistorius, the first runner to compete in the Olympics with prosthetic "blades," has maintained that he fired four times through his bathroom door because he thought an intruder had entered his home. He initially got six years for the slaying before the sentence was increased. (A prison altercation may not help his case for good behavior.)
(Newser)  An analysis by David Leonhardt in the New York Times has the provocative headline "US COVID Deaths Get Even Redder." And the key stats he cites illustrate the point:

"In October, 25 out of every 100,000 residents of heavily Trump counties died from COVID, more than three times higher than the rate in heavily Biden counties (7.8 per 100,000). October was the fifth consecutive month that the percentage gap between the death rates in Trump counties and Biden counties widened."

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In fact, the gap in deaths between red and blue America grew at its fastest pace ever in October. Leonhardt dismisses the idea that age, weather, or other regional factors are at play, because this wide gap didn't surface last year. It only arose after vaccines became available, and he chalks that up to another key stat: "Almost 40 percent of Republican adults remain unvaccinated, compared with about 10 percent of Democratic adults." However, Leonhardt adds that the partisan gap may start shrinking again, in part because of new antiviral treatments that, in tandem with the vaccines, could turn COVID into a "manageable virus" all over. Also in play is that red America may have built up more "natural immunity" by now because opposition to vaccine and mask mandates generally caused more cases in those areas. Read the full analysis. (Read more COVID-19 stories.)
(Newser)  Aaron Rodgers has been speaking out about the controversy around the revelation he's not vaccinated against COVID, and now his fiancee is stepping into the fray. On Friday, Shailene Woodley shared a since-deleted Instagram story that included what Us Weekly calls a "cryptic" quote: "Calm seas may bring you peace, but storms are where you'll find your power." In a follow-up Instagram story, however, the 29-year-old actress snarked on the media reaction to her original post, per CNN.

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"Just read somewhere that the media is claiming I deleted an Insta story amid the 'chaos,'" Woodley wrote. '(An astrology post of all things) (not cryptic at all you dummies.)" She then added, "Do you even know how stories work brah? They self-delete after 24 hours. Literally lol'ing over here over your determination to make a story out of nothing. Grasping at straws my dears."

Woodley herself hasn't made clear if she's vaccinated, but the Mercury News notes she's been drawing a lot of flak since Rodgers' vaccination status was revealednotably, because she's been known to promote the natural-living lifestyle, including herbal remedies she whips up herself. "I make my own medicines; I don't get those from doctors," she told Flaunt magazine in 2013, adding that she also forages for wild sustenance. The following year, she told the Into the Gloss beauty site that she eats clay to "clean heavy metals" out of her body and likes to "give my vagina a little vitamin D" to deal with yeast infections and "other genital issues."

Still, some are blasting the jokes at Woodley's expense, calling them misogynistic and noting that Rodgers is a grown man of 37 who should be able to make his own medical decisions. Meanwhile, a Woodley fan account makes another point in defense of the actress, claiming she must be vaccinated, as she's currently working on the Showtime series Three Women, whose production reportedly has a mandatory vaccination policy. It's not clear if that's the case. (Read more Shailene Woodley stories.)
(Newser)  The post-mortems from last week's election continue to arrive, and they still point to big trouble for Democrats. Fresh evidence comes in a new poll showing President Biden's approval ratings tanking below 40%. The same survey, from USA Today and Suffolk University, found that respondents would vote for a Republican congressional candidate over a Democratic one by 46%-38% if the election were held today. What's going on? Some coverage:

Twin problems: A New York Times story focusing on Virginia reveals that Democrats got battered in rural areas where they thought they already had bottomed out during the Trump years. Virginia offered proof "it can get worse," writes Astead W. Herndon and Shane Goldmacher. Democrats also lost suburban voters who'd begun shifting their way of late. "The twin results raise a foreboding possibility for Democrats: that the party had simply leased the suburbs in the Trump era, while Republicans may have bought and now own even more of rural America," they write.

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Those suburbs: As an analysis by Ally Mutnick and Elena Schneider at Politico points out, the Democrats' current House majority, as well as Biden's win, "was built in large part on suburban, college-educated voters who spurned" Trump. But the Virginia results suggest that support is soft. Former Democratic Rep. Steve Israel puts it this way: "If Democrats can't reclaim those suburban voters, I don't see a path to keeping the majority, plain and simple."

As an analysis by Ally Mutnick and Elena Schneider at Politico points out, the Democrats' current House majority, as well as Biden's win, "was built in large part on suburban, college-educated voters who spurned" Trump. But the Virginia results suggest that support is soft. Former Democratic Rep. Steve Israel puts it this way: "If Democrats can't reclaim those suburban voters, I don't see a path to keeping the majority, plain and simple." Context: The party in power traditionally loses ground in the midterms, notes Laura Figueroa Hernandez at Newsday. But Democrats, who've struggled to translate Biden's agenda into actual legislation they can brag about, may be headed for a worse-than-usual fate. "The suburbs giveth and the suburbs taketh away," says Lawrence Levy of Hofstra University. "The suburbs are the definition of a swing voting region, and last year, the suburbs took it away from Trump and many Republicans, and this year, they took it away from the Democrats. What was remarkable this time was how fast they turned. Talk about electoral whiplash."

The party in power traditionally loses ground in the midterms, notes Laura Figueroa Hernandez at Newsday. But Democrats, who've struggled to translate Biden's agenda into actual legislation they can brag about, may be headed for a worse-than-usual fate. "The suburbs giveth and the suburbs taketh away," says Lawrence Levy of Hofstra University. "The suburbs are the definition of a swing voting region, and last year, the suburbs took it away from Trump and many Republicans, and this year, they took it away from the Democrats. What was remarkable this time was how fast they turned. Talk about electoral whiplash." More on that flip: Ed Morrissey at Hot Air also assesses the suburbs. "The losses in Virginia, but especially in New Jersey, show that the combination of economics and cultural sympathy can and will cause flips back to the GOP, especially in periods where Democrats have full control of Washington and seem to be doing nothing with it." From his conservative perspective, he adds: "Until Democrats cut themselves loose from radical Academia, they will continue to lose the suburbs, especially under the incompetent leadership of Joe Biden."

(Read more Democrats stories.)
(Newser)  Poland has increased security at its border with Belarus, on the European Union's eastern border, after a large group of migrants in Belarus appeared to be congregating by the frontier seeking to try to force their way into Poland, per the AP. Video footage from Belarusian media showed people using uprooted trees to try to get through a fence. Poland's interior ministry said it had rebuffed an attempt at illegal entry, saying the situation is under control. It posted a video showing migrants trying to get through a razor fence barrier and throwing objects at Polish forces lining the fence.

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There was no way to independently verify what was happening, as journalists have limited ability to operate in Belarus, while a state of emergency in Poland is keeping reporters, human rights workers, and others out of the area. The massing of people at the border appeared, however, to signal an escalation of a crisis that has being going on for months in which the autocratic regime of Belarus has encouraged migrants from the Middle East and elsewhere to illegally enter the European Union, at first through Lithuania and Latvia and now primarily through Poland.

Anton Bychkovsky, spokesman for Belarus' State Border Guard Committee, said the migrants at the border are seeking to "exercise their right to apply for refugee status in the EU." Bychkovsky insisted they "are not a security threat" and "are not behaving aggressively." Bychkovsky added that, according to the refugees, they gathered into such a large group in order to avoid "forcible ousting by the Polish side." But the massing of a large number of people was viewed as a threat by Poland and other European countries, including Germanythe main destination for many of the migrants.

Steffen Seibert, German Chancellor Angela Merkels spokesman, told reporters on Monday that "the Belarusian regime is acting as a human trafficker," adding that it "instrumentalizes refugees and migrants in a way that's politically and from a humanitarian point of view condemnable." In Brussels, a spokesman for the European Commission, Adalbert Jahnz, called it "a continuation of the desperate attempt by the (Belarusian President Alexander) Lukashenko regime to use people as pawns to destabilize the European Union and of course the values that we stand for."

(Read more Poland stories.)
(Newser)  Wang Yaping has become the first Chinese woman to conduct a spacewalk as part of a six-month mission to the country's space station, per the AP. Wang and fellow astronaut Zhai Zhigang left the station's main module on Sunday evening, spending more than six hours outside installing equipment and carrying out tests alongside the station's robotic service arm, according to the China Manned Space agency. Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya was the first woman to walk in space in 1984. Kathryn Sullivan became the first American woman to do so later the same year.

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During Monday's spacewalk, the third member of the Chinese crew, Ye Guangfu, assisted from inside the station. Wang, 41, and Zhai, 55, had both traveled to China's now-retired experimental space stations, and Zhai conducted China's first spacewalk 13 years ago. The three are the second crew on the permanent station, and the mission that began with their arrival Oct. 16 is scheduled to be the longest stretch of time in space yet for Chinese astronauts. The Tianhe module of the station will be connected next year to two more sections named Mengtian and Wentian. China's military-run space program plans to send multiple crews to the station over the next two years to make it fully functional.

(Read more China stories.)
(Newser) 

It sounds like a pretty good set-up: You work from home, your company has to pay for any increase in your electricity or internet bills incurred by your home office, and your boss can't text after-hours. That's now not just the situation in Portugal, but the law. The countrys parliament on Friday approved a series of labor laws focused on remote work, which the country's Socialist government said was done in response to the workplace changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, reports the AP. Maybe it's time for Lisbon to inch up from the 14th slot on this list of the best cities in the world for remote work.

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Under the new regulations, companies may only contact workers outside of office hours under exceptional circumstances. They have to cover increased utilities costs with the exception of water, so those extra bathroom breaks won't be free. Workers are tasked with meeting with their higher-ups a minimum of once every two months to prevent isolation. And parents have the right to work from home until their child is 8 "without having to arrange it in advance with their employers," as Euronews puts it.

One caveat: The rules don't apply if your company is made up of fewer than 10 employees. The AP notes that parliament passed the legislation as one of its final actions before it is dissolved prior to January's snap election; workers' rights are expected to factor heavily into the election. (Read more remote working stories.)
(Newser)  Gaige Grosskreutz says he went to the racial-justice protest in the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin, that fateful Aug. 25, 2020, night to serve as a volunteer medic. Once there, he ended up getting shot and seriously wounded in the arm by Kyle Rittenhouse. At Rittenhouse's murder trial Monday, Grosskreutz testified he was wearing a hat that night that said "paramedic" and was carrying medical supplies in addition to a loaded pistol. Grosskreutz was recording on his cellphone for a livestream when he heard gunshots a few blocks away. He heard people yelling for a medic, and began running toward the sound of the gunfire.

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The 27-year-old said he went into action after seeing Rittenhouse kill a man just feet awaythe second person Rittenhouse fatally shot that night, reports the AP. "I thought the defendant was an active shooter," Grosskreutz said, recounting how he pulled out the gun he had holstered. Asked what was going through his mind as he neared the 17-year-old, he said, "That I was going to die." Newsweek reports Grosskreutz said Rittenhouse pointed a rifle at him, so he put his hands up. Then he saw Rittenhouse re-rack his weapon. "Re-racking the weapon, in my mind, meant the defendant wasn't accepting my surrender," Grosskreutz said.

Rittenhouse fired, shooting Grosskreutz in the bicep; graphic video played in court showed much of his bicep torn away by the bullet. Prosecutor Thomas Binger asked Grosskreutz why he didn't shoot first. "Thats not the kind of person that I am. Thats not why I was out there," he said. On cross-examination, defense attorney Corey Chirafisi sought to portray Grosskreutz as dishonest in his description of the moments right before he was shot, with Chirafisi asserting that Grosskreutz was chasing Rittenhouse with his gun out. Grosskreutz denied that. (Read more of Grosskreutzs testimony.)
(Newser)  A woman posing as an UPS driver delivered a bullet to a Washington, DC woman before trying to take her own life Friday night, authorities say. The Metropolitan Police Department says charges are pending against 54-year-old Virginia resident Tommie Lynn Dunmire, who allegedly dressed as a UPS delivery driver and pretended to have a package to get the woman to open the door. Police say the woman was shot in the abdomen and hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries, NBC Washington reports. Dunmire apparently knew the victim and had clashed with her before, police say.

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Police say that when Dunmire's vehicle was spotted a few blocks away from the shooting, she shot herself with an "older-model revolver" after she was ordered to get out. "The suspect was transported to a local hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries," the police report states. "The suspects firearm was recovered." WTOP reports that she was listed in critical condition Saturday. A man who was in the vehicle with Dunmire was not charged, authorities say. UPS confirmed to NBC Washington that Dunmire is not a UPS employee. It's not clear whether the man who was with her works for the company. (Read more Washington, DC stories.)
(Newser)  Satellite images show China has built mock-ups of a US Navy aircraft carrier and destroyer in its northwestern desert, possibly for practice for a future naval clash as tensions rise between the nations. China has massively upgraded its military in recent years, and its capability and intentions are increasingly concerning to the United States as tensions rise over the South China Sea, Taiwan, and military supremacy in the Indo-Pacific, the AP reports. The images captured by Colorado-based satellite imagery company Maxar Technologies dated Sunday show the outlines of a US aircraft carrier and at least one destroyer sitting on a railway track.

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Maxar identified the location as Ruoqiang, a Taklamakan Desert county in the northwestern Xinjiang region. The independent US Naval Institute said on its website that the mock-ups of US ships were part of a new target range developed by the People's Liberation Army. It wasn't clear from the images how many details had been included in the apparent targets, although USNI said it had identified features on the destroyer including its funnels and weapons systems. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily briefing Monday that he had no information about the images, saying, "Im not aware of the situation you mentioned."

China's massive military upgrade has emphasized countering the US and other countries' naval forces. That includes the development of land, sea and air-launched missiles to repel and possibly sink opposing vessels, expressed most emphatically by the land-based DF-21D ballistic missile known as the "carrier killer." US defense officials have said they are increasingly wary of Chinas intentions, largely with regard to the status of Taiwan.

(Read more China stories.)
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Veterans honored at dinner sponsored by St. Paul's Lutheran Church

Joseph Humes / MARK GILGER/STAFF PHOTOs Participants at Sundays 14th annual Veterans Recognition Dinner at St. Pauls Lutheran Church in Gowen City included, from left, guest speaker Joseph Phillips, a retired chief warrant officer 4; Claire Bonshock, mistress of ceremonies; Ralph Victoriano and Harry Deitz, both World War II U.S. Army veterans. Dr. Victor Mihal, a World War II Navy veteran who was unable to attend the dinner, also was given special recognition during the program honoring 21 veterans from the local area. Joseph Humes / Veterans salute the American flag while taps are played Sunday during the 14th annual Veterans Recognition Dinner sponsored by St. Pauls Lutheran Church in Gowen City. Joseph Humes / MARK GILGER/STAFF PHOTOS Guest speaker Joseph Phillips addresses his fellow veterans and others during Sundays 14th annual Veterans Recognition Dinner at St. Pauls Lutheran Church in Gowen City. Joseph Humes / MARK GILGER/STAFF PHOTO Claire Bonshock, mistress of ceremonies at Sundays 14th annual Veterans Recognition Dinner at St. Pauls Lutheran Church in Gowen City, addresses the audience that included approximately 20 veterans from the local area who served in various wars.

GOWEN CITY  Twenty-one veterans from the local area were treated to a delicious dinner and presented special gifts Sunday during the 14th annual Veterans Recognition Dinner at St. Pauls Lutheran Church.

Joseph Phillips, of Coal Township, a retired chief warrant officer 4 in the U.S. Army, served as guest speaker during the program that also included patriotic musical selections, prayers, taps, a special poem honoring veterans and recognition of three World War II veterans.

Phillips, a 1989 graduate of Shamokin Area High School, thanked all veterans and their spouses for their sacrifices and dedication to their country, which he described as the greatest nation in the world.

He talked about the history of Veterans Day and said it was important to defend the freedoms we enjoy at all costs.

We must put freedom into action and lead from the front, Phillips said. We must protect our freedom for future generations.

Phillips said it was important to serve as volunteers in the community and live by proper morals.

Veterans Day is not just for veterans, he said. Its for all Americans. God bless the United States of America.

Phillips began his military career as a junior in high school when he completed basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, before joining the Army Reserves out of Bloomsburg.

He was deployed to Desert Storm four months after his wedding in 1990 and graduated from Flight School in 1993 at Fort Rucker, Alabama, before being stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

In 1997, he graduated from with a bachelors degree in professional aeronautics from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida.

He spent a year at Camp Stanley in Korea, in 1998, before being stationed at Fort Drum, New York, until 2001.

Phillips then served at Fort Indiantown Gap with the Eastern Army National Guard Aviation until his retirement in 2017.

He also worked for Life Flight in 2016 and currently serves as a contractor and UH60 Black Hawk instructor pilot at Fort Indiantown Gap.

He and his wife of 31 years, the former Lisa Faust, have a son, Joey.

Phillips is a member of Our Lady of Hope Church, the Military Officers Association and Army Association of America and serves as post adjutant for Coal Township VFW Post 317.

World War II veterans Ralph Victoriano, of Coal Township, Harry Deitz, of Overlook, and Dr. Victor Mihal, of East Cameron Township, were given special recognition. Victoriano and Deitz, who are both 93, served in the U.S. Army and were in attendance. The 99-year-old Mihal, who was unable to attend the dinner, served in the United States Navy.

Claire Bonshock, a very active member of St. Pauls Lutheran Church, once again served as mistress of ceremonies. She joined Phillips and her three nieces, Mackenna Boyer, Evelyn Boyer and Clara Boyer, in distributing an assortment of gifts to all veterans in attendance.

Mackenna Boyer recited a special poem honoring veterans.

Following a welcoming address by Bonshock, church secretary Stephanie Boyer gave the invocation.

After reciting the pledge of allegiance and singing the national athem, Vicky Schaffner, interim pastor of St. Pauls Lutheran Church, gave a blessing prior to the buffet-style meal prepared by church members.

St. Pauls pianist Walter Boyer provided patriotic musical selections.

Deitz presented a special spiritual reading and taps were played by Samantha Stancavage, a member of Shamokin Area High School Marching Band.

The program closed with benediction offered by Schaffner.

Veterans Day occurs on Nov. 11 every year in the United States in honor of the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918 that signaled the end of World War I, known as Armistice Day.

In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.

In 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed by Congress, which moved the celebration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. The law went into effect in 1971, but in 1975, President Gerald Ford returned Veterans Day to Nov. 11 due to the important historical significance of the date.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The royal reform project has yielded an inspirational democratic and human rights experience which has become a model to emulate intolerance, coexistence, transparency, openness, understanding, harmony and peace.

This was emphasised by Representatives Council Speaker Fawzia bint Abdullah Zainal as she received yesterday a delegation from Bahrain Friends Group at the European Parliament who are visiting Bahrain to get informed about its democratic experience and activate parliamentary diplomacy.

Speaker Zainal asserted the kingdoms advanced status in the fields of human rights, freedom, democracy, tolerance, promoting the culture of peace and co-existence, respecting pluralism and differences between peoples and societies.

Zainal attributed the advanced international ratings of Bahrain to the promotion of freedom and democracy in the prosperous era of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

She asserted the significance of activating parliamentary diplomacy and consolidating relations with brotherly and friendly countries in various fields.

The Speaker noted the need to benefit from the successful parliamentary experiences and highlight the kingdoms civilisational achievements, pointing out the kingdoms approach of transparency, clarity and openness.

The Bahrain Friends Group delegation underscored the importance of the visit to get informed about Bahrains experience.

They praised HM the Kings far-sighted vision that bears a global and humanitarian message.

They also pointed out the kingdoms rich experience in the parliamentary, democratic and human rights field, affirming the European Parliaments keenness to build solid relations with the legislature in the country.

Friendly relations

Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani received yesterday the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the Russian Federation, Tatyana Moskalkova, and her accompanying delegation.

Al Zayani commended friendly relations between Bahrain and Russia, reviewing means of enhancing bilateral cooperation in the field of human rights to achieve the desired goals.

He also highlighted the efforts and achievements of Bahrain in the field of human rights in light of the support given by HM the King.

The members of the delegation stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation and joint coordination between the two countries in the field of human rights in international forums, wishing the Kingdom continued progress and prosperity


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NEWTOWN - On an election night without contested races at the top of the ticket, voters handed control of three key boards to Republicans.

Newtown voters also passed an $8 million referendum to upgrade the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system at the 100-year-old Hawley Elementary School.

In addition to flipping the balance of power on the 12-member Legislative Council from a 7-to-5 Democratic advantage to a 9-to-3 Republican majority, Newtown voters gave Republicans a 4-to-2 advantage on the Board of Finance, which had an even 3-to-3 split between Republicans and Democrats before the election, and voters gave Republicans a 4-to-3 advantage on the Board of Education, which had a 4-to-3 Democratic advantage before the election.

If you ran as a Republican on election night, you won a seat, said Jeffrey Capeci, a Republican member of the Board of Selectmen, who ran successfully for a seat on the Legislative Council.

A Democratic Party leader conceded in July that without contested races for First Selectman and for the Board of Selectman, the possibility for lower voter turnout was a concern. That same leader said in the weeks leading up to the election that there was plenty of campaign energy being poured into efforts to mobilize voters.

There was no contested race for the towns top elected office in part because both parties agreed that two-term First Selectman Dan Rosenthal represented their interests. Rosenthal, who won his first two elections as a Democrat, announced that he was breaking with traditional politics and running on a minor party line called the Serve America Movement.

That left Democrats and Republicans to focus on races lower on the ticket, such as the Legislative Council, which is the law-making body of the town.

The shift in the power balance could affect what laws are passed.

For example, in 2020, the Legislative Council blocked by a 6-to-6 vote a three-part proposal to ban the open carry of guns in Newtown. The Democrat-controlled council then voted 7-to-5 on party lines to refer a simplified version of the open carry ban proposal to a subcommittee for review and a recommendation.

This week, the lame-duck Legislative Council voted to refer the matter to the new Republican-controlled council, which will be seated in December.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342
WATERBURY, Conn. (AP)  Waterburys convicted former mayor is seeking to have his prison sentence reduced.

Philip Giordano is serving a 37-year sentence after being convicted of sexually abusing 9- and 11-year-old girls. Giordano was cooperating with federal authorities in an organized crime investigation and wearing a wire in 2001 when FBI agents overheard the abuse as it was happening, the Waterbury Republican-American reported.

In a recent court filing, Giordanos attorney wrote that while in prison Giordano has taught classes to inmates and also has continued to help federal authorities including the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation, which investigates organized crime.

In a letter to U.S. District Judge Stefan Underhill, an attorney for the New Jersey commission confirmed that Giordano has provided valuable information in furtherance of our investigation, according to the newspaper.

The 58-year-old Giordano currently is incarcerated at Yazoo City Medium Federal Correctional Institution in Mississippi.

Giordano would live with his wife, Dawn, in Commack, on New York's Long Island, if released, his attorney, Sebastian DeSantis, told the Republican-American. His three sons also wrote letters in support of his release.

Giordano tried unsuccessfully in 2015 to have his sentence set aside, arguing his trial attorney failed to convey a plea deal to him. Last year, he sought to have his sentence reduced due to concerns over COVID-19.

A hearing on the most recent motion hasnt yet been scheduled.
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP)  France showcased its military muscle Monday with a tour of its new frigate Auvergne in the eastern Mediterranean, seeking to underscore what the ship's captain said was the importance that Paris attaches to ensuring security and stability in the region.

Captain Paul Merveilleux de Vignaux said the Auvergne with its 150-strong crew would be deployed in the eastern Mediterranean until January to gather intelligence in order to show how the respect of international law and especially freedom of navigation matters to France.

This deployment underlines how important France considers this part of the Mediterranean sea, as well as the countrys willingness to contribute to the stabilization of this strategic area, De Vignaux told reporters at the Cypriot port of Larnaca.

The Auvergne was commissioned three years ago. It has advanced sonar equipment and specializes in anti-submarine warfare.

De Vignaux said this is the 12th time that the Auvergne has visited Cyprus, which he called as key to supporting French naval operations in the region.

There cant be efficient and sustainable naval operations without support and Cyprus is the centerpiece of it, De Vignaux said.

The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle has also made repeated trips to Cyprus.

Relations between Cyprus and France have been growing tighter in recent years. Cyprus also permits French aircraft to use its military air base in the southeastern corner of the island nation and allows French ships to use its southern naval port, which is now undergoing an upgrade.

France is also keen to make its presence felt to send signals to Turkey not to interfere with offshore drilling by French energy company Total and its Italian partner Eni next year in waters off Cyprus southern coast.

Turkey doesnt recognize Cyprus as a nation and contests waters where the Cypriot government claims exclusive economic rights. Ankara says a large chunk of those waters either overlap its continental shelf or belong to the breakaway Turkish Cypriots.

Cyprus was split in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup by supporters of union with Greece. Only Turkey recognizes a 1983 Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence in the island's northern third where it maintains more than 35,000 troops.

In February 2018, Turkish warships prevented a drill ship leased by Eni from conducting exploratory drilling in waters southeast of Cyprus.

Political analyst Anna Koukkides-Procopiou says the French naval presence is a clear signal to Turkey.

(French President Emmanuel) Macron needs to project this power in the region, because this is part of his whole policy of establishing or re-establishing France as a great power, which is not only dominant in the region of the Middle East, but (in) Africa, Koukkides-Procopiou told The Associated Press.

Someone had to move in and fill that vacuum (in the eastern Mediterranean). Now France wants to make sure that its not Turkey, she said.
NEW HAVEN  Several Ivy League universities including Cornell and Columbia posted on social media Sunday that authorities are investigating bomb threats.

The threats come two days after a bomb threat was reported at multiple Yale University buildings.

The threat reported at Yale on Friday led to the evacuation of several buildings for hours, officials said. The city later sent an alert around 6:36 p.m. saying all buildings were safe, and downtown businesses and streets were back open. The threats remain under investigation.

On Sunday, a tweet from Cornell Universitys Ithaca campus said to avoid central campus and evacuate areas in or nearby the Law School, Goldwin Smith, Upson Hall and Kennedy Hall following threats that bombs had been placed there. The tweet also said not to call the Cornell police unless there is an emergency.

Additionally, a Columbia University tweet Sunday that its public safety issued a campus-wide emergency alert after receiving bomb threats at University buildings.

The New York Police Department is investigating, the university said on Twitter. The public is asked to avoid the area until further notice.

Additionally, the Brown Daily Herald, a student-run newspaper, reported that Brown University sent out an alert that university and Providence, R.I., police were investigating bomb threats on campus.

There is no other information available at this time
WHEN: Tuesday, November 9 from 10-11 a.m.

WHERE: Little Canada - 10 Dundas East, Toronto, Ontario

WHO: Jean-Louis Brenninkmeijer  Founder, Little Canada

Nick Booth, Chief Executive Officer, True Patriot Love Foundation

Canadian Armed Forces Veterans

WHY: True Patriot Love recognizes the importance of keeping the memory of our fallen soldiers alive. Memorialized on the Highway of Heroes, Canadian have a place to pay their respects. Little Canada is connecting this memorial to a new audience and is honouring the Highway of Heroes by unveiling their bridge dedicated to Captain Nichola Goddard, the first Canadian woman to perish in combat.

About True Patriot Love Foundation

Founded in 2009, True Patriot Love Foundation is Canada's leading organization supporting the military community. The foundation raises awareness around the challenges related to military service and funds programs across the country that support serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces, Veterans and their families, with a focus on well-being, enable rehabilitation and recovery from injury, assist the children and spouses of those who serve, and promote re-integration into communities following service. For more information, visit www.truepatriotlove.com.

About Little Canada

Little Canada is a celebration of Canada and all that makes this country so great, shrunk into a 2-hour experience, a place for residents and visitors alike to experience Canada and all that it has to offer, all under one roof. Little Canada takes you on a journey of discovery from the moment you enter, it is a place where you'll lose yourself in our country's captivating vistas, famous landmarks, iconic cityscapes, and telling the many diverse stories that connect people to Canada and the residents of this great country. Our mission is to evoke a sense of wonder and curiosity about Canada.

For more information please visit little-canada.ca. You can also find Little Canada on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tik Tok.

SOURCE True Patriot Love Foundation

For further information: Sarah Barker, Senior Director, Brand Strategy and Communications, [email protected]; Stephen Murdoch, VP, Public Relations, [email protected]

Related Links

http://truepatriotlove.com/


/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/

CSE  MICH

VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 8, 2021 /CNW/ - Mich Resources Ltd. (CSE  MICH) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that further to its news release dated July 30, 2021, the Company has entered into definitive agreements (the "Definitive Agreements") with each of Pembrook Copper Corp. ("Pembrook") and Minera Andina de Exploraciones SAA ("Minandex") for the acquisition of the advanced stage Pecoy exploration copper project (the "Pecoy Project") located in Peru (the "Transaction").

About the Pecoy Project

The Pecoy Project is an advanced exploration copper project located one hundred and fifty kilometres northwest of Arequipa, within the Cretaceous Copper Porphyry Belt of Peru, host to the Zafranal Cu porphyry (Teck Resources Limited and Mitsubishi Materials Corporation) located approximately 100 kilometers to the southeast of the project.

The Pecoy project is located within the Peruvian coastal desert region which grades into the Atacama desert further south in Chile. Topography within the project area ranges from 800m at the Rio Ocona, to slightly more than 4,000m at the highest ridges. Within the area of mineralization, the relief ranges from 1650m to 2200m. There is no infrastructure in the immediate project area, but water is available from the Rio Ocona delta some 8 km to the west, and power is available from the national grid 100 km from site. The site also has excellent road access to a number of nearby seaports for shipping of concentrates.

The combined Project area consists of approximately 13,300 hectares. Exploration on the Property dates back to 2009, and consists of 48,500m of diamond drilling in 121 drill holes completed by previous operators including Pembrook. The project database consists of 1,222 downhole surveys, and 23,210 assays. The average drill spacing is about 118m in the main mineralized zone on the Pembrook property, and 80m on the Minandex (Ocana) side. The project database also includes quality control data including blanks, standards and duplicates.

In 2018 Pembrook engaged Micon International to prepare a Canadian National Instrument 43-101 compliant Technical Report and mineral resource estimate, however as a non-reporting Issuer the report was never filed on SEDAR. The 2018 Technical Report considers 2 mining scenarios: the first being a pit constrained to the Pembrook owned concessions only, and the second assuming the adjacent Minandex (Arirahua, formerly named Ocana) ground is available for pit expansion excluding any resources on the adjacent land.

These assumptions led to two historical mineral resource estimates as shown in Table 1 below.

Table 1

Historical Inferred Mineral Resource Estimates as reported by Micon International (2018)

Scenario k Tonnes1 Cu (%) Mo(%) Au (ppm) Ag (ppm) Pembrook Only 473,000 0.33 0.012 0.03 1.18 Pembrook/Ocana 721,000 0.34 0.011 0.05 1.27



Notes: 1  above a cutoff of 0.25% Cu 2  based on the following metal prices  Cu ($3.25), Mo ($8.00), Au ($1,400), Ag ($20.00) 3  based on the following metal recoveries - Cu (88-90%), Mo (70-72%), Au (40-54%), Ag (52-80%) 4  the Qualified Person for this estimate is Christopher Keech, P.Geo. of CGK Consultants 5  Effective date of the resource estimate is May 1, 2018

The Micon estimate was prepared to CIM (May 2014) standards for the reporting of mineral resources and in accordance with CIM Best Practice Guidelines. The mineral resources were calculated in a 3-dimensional block model using commercial mine planning software. Resource classifications were assigned in accordance with CIM guidance.

The Company considers the Micon 2018 estimate to be a historical estimate since it was never filed on SEDAR. It should be noted that a qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as current mineral resources, and the Company is not treating the historical estimate as current mineral resources.

The Company intends to verify the historical estimate and has carried out a site visit to the Pecoy Project as part of its work to complete an updated Technical report with current mineral resources. Verification of the Micon 2018 resource is expected to be straightforward as the core and pulps are available at the Pecoy site, the drilling database is available along with original surveys and assay certificates.

The Pecoy Project to be acquired by the Company is comprised of all rights and title of the Pecoy Project currently held indirectly by Pembrook and Minandex. Additionally, Minandex is the owner of certain lands adjoining the Pecoy Project which will be optioned to the Company concurrently with the closing of the Transaction.

Transaction Details

The Transaction will constitute a reverse take-over of Mich when completed. The Company intends on seeking approval for the listing of the Company's shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") and concurrent voluntary delisting of the Company's shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE").

As consideration for Pembrook and Minandex's interests in the Pecoy Project, the Company will pay the amount of USD $2,000,000 and issue 121 million common shares of the Company to the shareholders of Pembrook and to Minandex. As finders fees, the Company will issue 6.4 million shares to UMS Projects LP, as well as and aggregate 2.6 million shares to Fiore Management & Advisory Corp. and Winchester Securities Corp.

Pursuant to the Definitive Agreements, completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to: (i) the approval of all regulatory bodies having jurisdiction in connection with the Transaction (including Exchange approval); (ii) completion of a subscription receipt financing for minimum aggregate proceeds of $15,000,000 (the "Financing"); and (iii) approval of the shareholders of Pembrook, and if required, the Company's shareholders. There can be no assurance that the Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. The Company intends on applying for an exemption from any Exchange sponsorship requirements.

It is anticipated (and without taking into account the Financing), that Minandex and the shareholders of Pembrook will hold approximately 70% of the approximately 173 million common shares of the Company (excluding dilutive securities) following closing of the Transaction (the "Resulting Issuer").

Upon completion of the Transaction, the Resulting Issuer will continue to carry on the business of exploration and development of the Pecoy Property under the Company's existing name or such other name as may be approved by the board of directors of the Resulting Issuer and the stock exchange.

Trading of the common shares of the Company has been halted, and will remain halted until closing of the Transaction which is currently targeted for December, 2021.

Further details of the Transaction and related transactions, including the proposed executive management and board of directors of the Resulting Issuer will be disclosed in future news releases.

The Qualified Person responsible for the technical content in this release is Dr David Stone, P.Eng., an independent consultant to the Company.

About the Company

The Company is a British Columbia public company with a registered office at 25th Floor, 700 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC, V7Y 1C3. The Company's common shares are listed on the Exchange under the trading symbol "MICH" and reporting in British Columbia and Ontario. The Company is principally engaged in the acquisition and exploration of mineral properties.

About Pembrook

Pembrook is a British Columbia private company with a head office located at 500-666 Burrard Street, Vancouver, British Columbia. Concurrently with or prior to the closing of the Transaction, Pembrook will divest itself of certain assets not related to the Pecoy Project.

About Minandex

Minandex is a Peruvian public company with a head office located at Calle Arnaldo Alvarado Degregori #39, Surco, Lima, 33, Peru.

On behalf of Mich Resources Ltd.

"Mark T. Brown"

Chief Executive Officer

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Information

Certain statements and information herein, including all statements that are not historical facts, contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements or information include but are not limited to statements or information with respect to: the proposed Transaction; the satisfaction of the conditions and closing of the Transaction (including Exchange and shareholder approvals); transfer of the Pecoy Project to the Resulting Issuer; and, general business and economic conditions. The foregoing list of assumptions is not exhaustive.

Although management of the Company believe that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements or information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that forward-looking statements or information herein will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking statements and information by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. These factors include, but are not limited to: the Transaction may not close on the terms set forth herein, or at all; risks relating to the availability of financing for the Resulting Issuer; risks relating to the receipt of all requisite approvals for the Transaction, including the approval of the Exchange; risks associated with the business of the Company; business and economic conditions in the mining industry generally; the supply and demand for labour and other project inputs; changes in interest and currency exchange rates; risks relating to unanticipated operational difficulties (including failure of equipment or processes to operate in accordance with specifications or expectations, cost escalation, unavailability of materials and equipment, government action or delays in the receipt of government approvals, industrial disturbances or other job action, and unanticipated events related to health, safety and environmental matters); political risk and social unrest; changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets; changes in laws (including regulations respecting mining concessions); risks related to the direct and indirect impact of COVID-19 including, but not limited to, its impact on general economic conditions, the ability to obtain financing as required, and causing potential delays in the supply of equipment and services; and other risk factors as detailed from time to time.

The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Reader Advisory

Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the filing statement to be prepared in connection with the Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of the Company and Resulting Issuer should be considered highly speculative.

Neither the CSE or the Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons (as defined under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

SOURCE Mich Resources Ltd.

For further information: Szascha Lim, CFO & Corporate Secretary, Tel: 604.609.6110
QUEBEC CITY, Nov. 8, 2021 /CNW/ - OpSens Inc. ("OpSens" or the "Company") (TSX:OPS) (OTCQX:OPSSF), a medical device company currently commercializing its proprietary sensing technology in the interventional cardiology market, announced that its SavvyWire, developed specifically for transcatheter aortic valve replacement ("TAVR"), was featured in four presentations by leading medical specialists during the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) 2021 Annual Meeting held from November 4-6, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. The SavvyWire is not yet approved for commercialization.

"We are extremely pleased to have been so prominently featured at this year's TCT Annual Meeting by an esteemed group of physicians as they presented their findings on the potential benefits of our technology for the TAVR market," commented Louis Laflamme, President and Chief Executive Officer of OpSens.

The Future of TAVR Hemodynamics

Presented by Dr. Philippe Genereux

On November 4, 2021, Dr. Philippe Genereux, interventional cardiologist, world-renown for his innovative research, and Director of the Structural Heart Program at Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey, led a panel of key opinion leaders to discuss the future of TAVR hemodynamics brought on by OpSens' SavvyWire. The discussion focused on current unmet needs in the field of structural heart interventions, especially related to the need for more efficient, safe and optimal way to assess procedural results during TAVR, and the unique solution provides by the OpSens SavvyWire. The symposium featured international physician experts including Dr. Thomas Modine from CHU Bordeaux, France, Dr. Hemal Gada from UPMC Pinnacle, Pennsylvania, USA, and Dr Reda Ibrahim, from Montreal Heart Institute, Canada.

The session can be viewed at https://opsens.com/investors/events-presentations/.

A Validation Study of the OpSens LV Pressure Guidewire

Presented by Dr. Philippe Genereux

On November 5, 2021, Dr. Philippe Genereux presented for the first-time data validating the robustness of the OpSens SavvyWire algorithm in assessing pressure gradient before and after TAVR procedure compared to different diagnostic modalities during two presentations at TCT.

Dr. Genereux, said "Hemodynamic assessment derived from the OpSens OptoWire III and its new TAVR algorithm demonstrated excellent correlation with measurement derived by 2 pigtails and transducers, both before and after TAVR. Integration of this unique technology within a dedicated TAVR wire with live hemodynamic assessment could bring meaningful value to TAVR operators. I am expecting that sensor-guided TAVR procedure using the OpSens SavvyWire will become the new standard of care in the near future".

The session can be viewed at https://opsens.com/investors/events-presentations/.

Evaluation of the OpSens OptoWire III and its Novel TAVR Algorithm to Measure Pressure Gradient before and After TAVR Compared with Hemodynamic Value Derived by Catheterization and Echocardiogram

Presented by Dr. Philippe Genereux

The session can be viewed at https://opsens.com/investors/events-presentations/.

A Pressure Wire for Valve Implantation and Continuous Hemodynamic Monitoring During TAVR Procedures: Initial Experience with the SavvyWire

Presented by Dr. Josep Rodes-Cabau

On November 5, 2021, Dr. Josep Rodes-Cabau, cardiologist and hemodynamic specialist at Quebec Heart and Lung Institute in Canada joined Dr. Genereux and other key opinion leader physicians to discuss innovation trends in TAVR technologies. Dr Rodes-Cabau reported on his experience with OpSens' SavvyWire, as one of the lead investigators conducting a human study with 20 patients currently taking place in Quebec and Montreal.

The session can be viewed at https://opsens.com/investors/events-presentations/.

About the SavvyWire

The SavvyWire, a new dedicated structural guidewire, with integrated pressure monitoring and pacing capability, aims at improving procedural efficiency, safety, and clinical outcomes during structural procedures such as TAVR. This device has been designed to support and optimize the minimalist TAVR approach which has been growing among structural heart physicians. With the SavvyWire, physicians can expect to diagnose and implant the percutaneous valve over the same device while getting continuous and accurate hemodynamic measurements.

OpSens' SavvyWire is not available for commercial use. OpSens is targeting the commercial launch of its SavvyWire in calendar year 2022.

TAVR Procedure Evolution

Aortic valve stenosis occurs when the heart's aortic valve narrows, which prevents the valve from opening fully, restricting blood flow from the heart into the main artery (aorta) and onward to the rest of the body.

Initially, the TAVR procedure was only indicated for inoperable patients and then for high-risk surgical patients. Clinical programs like PARTNER or COREVALVE, have since shown better or equivalent clinical outcomes in intermediate and low-risk patients. The TAVR procedure is now evolving quickly with a minimalist approach that allows the procedure to be faster and the patients to be discharged earlier, sometimes on the same day.

The TAVR procedure is on the rise, driven by an aging of the population and recent studies that demonstrate its benefits to patients of all conditions. The TAVR market is currently estimated at US$5 billion and is expected to reach US$8 billion by 2025.

About OpSens Inc. (www.OpSens.com or OpSensMedical.com)

OpSens focuses mainly on products for cardiology. OpSens offers an advanced optical-based pressure guidewire that aims at improving the clinical outcome of patients with coronary artery disease. Its flagship product, the OptoWire, is a second-generation fiber optic pressure guidewire designed to provide the lowest drift in the industry and excellent lesions access. The OptoWire has been used in the diagnosis and treatment of over 150,000 patients in more than 30 countries. It is approved for sale in the United States, European Union, Japan, and Canada.

OpSens is also involved in industrial activities in developing, manufacturing, and installing innovative fiber optic sensing solutions for critical applications.

Forward-looking statements contained in this press release involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance, and achievements of OpSens to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the said forward-looking statements.

Neither TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE OPSENS Inc.

For further information: Louis Laflamme, CPA, CA, President and Chief Executive Officer or Robin Villeneuve, CPA, CA, Chief Financial Officer at 418.781.0333

Related Links

https://opsens.com/


Earlier in October, Secretary of State Antony Blinken had said that the Americans wanted to re-open their consulate in Jerusalem to serve Palestinians. Less than a month later, Israel's political leadership was also clear: it has no plans to approve such a consulate.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Saturday said that there is no room in Jerusalem for an American consulate for Palestinians. Asked by CNN at a press conference Saturday evening about US intentions, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said his government had presented its opinion to the Americans clearly and openly. There is no room for another American consulate in Jerusalem. We always present our position quietly without drama and we expect it to be understood. Jerusalem is the capital of one state and thats the state of Israel, Bennett said, standing alongside Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman. Im sure our American friends and us will continue to collaborate on a long list of big things.



Earlier in October, Secretary of State Antony Blinken had said that the Americans wanted to re-open their consulate in Jerusalem to serve Palestinians. Well be moving forward with the process of opening a consulate as part of deepening of those ties with the Palestinians, Blinken said at the State Department. Less than a month later, Israels political leadership was also clear: it has no plans to approve such a consulate (the host country must approve any new foreign consulate), reported CNN.



Lapid, who sat next to Blinken as he made those comments in Washington last month, echoed Bennetts sentiments, adding that if the Americans want to open a consulate for Palestinians in Ramallah, they would be welcome to do so. As for the (US) consulate, as we both said it is not about politics and political stability. It is the State of Israel refusing in principle that a consulate is opened in Jerusalem, Lapid said. Former President Donald Trump folded the consulate in 2019, merging it into the new American embassy in Jerusalem after moving it from Tel Aviv when the United States recognized Jerusalem as Israels capital.
STAMFORD  Philip Morris International shipped more than 628 billion cigarettes around the world in 2020  but the Connecticut-bound company said it is committed to a future focused on smoke-free tobacco products.

On Monday, PMI officials visited their future headquarters in downtown Stamford to explain why they believe an office complex that once housed the local operations of international banking giant UBS is the right place to anchor that transition.

It is a message that found a receptive audience from Gov. Ned Lamont and other elected officials who gathered at 677 Washington Blvd., to welcome one of the worlds largest tobacco producers.

Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media

PMI is a company thats reinventing itself, Lamont said during the press conference. Im just so proud that theyll call Connecticut home.

The meeting Monday followed PMIs announcement last week that it had signed a 12-year lease for 71,484 square feet, covering the entire 11th and 12th floors, at 677 Washington. Now based at 120 Park Ave., in midtown Manhattan, the company plans to open the Stamford offices next summer and bring about 200 jobs to the state, including positions in sales and marketing, finance, legal affairs and communications.

For us to succeed, our employees need to be in a place that is personally and professionally enriching  and we believe Stamford is just that place, said Deepak Mishra, president of the Americas region for PMI.

Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media

PMI will become the 15th Fortune 500 company headquartered in Connecticut. As the No. 101 firm on this years Fortune list, PMI produced revenues of nearly $29 billion in 2020.

It employs more than 71,000 worldwide, with other sites including an operations center that will remain in Lausanne, Switzerland.

PMI is not receiving any state subsidies to relocate to Connecticut. But extensive discussions between Lamonts administration and PMI officials preceded the companys announcement in June that it would relocate to the state.

Its no surprise, I think, why theyre here, Lamont said. (There is) easy access to the rail station, (were) upgrading that, lots of affordable housing in and around the region. Its a walkable city going forward, (with) a lot of young people moving into this state.

After PMI made the announcement in June, many public health advocates lamented that state officials were welcoming the company. Tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year globally, according to the World Health Organization.

But PMI officials said the firm is moving away from cigarettes and pointed to the growth of the smoke-free heated tobacco products sold under its IQOS brand. Smoke-free products accounted for nearly 30 percent of PMIs net revenues in the third quarter of 2021, and the company said its aiming to become a majority smoke-free company in net revenues by the end of 2025.

In the third quarter, PMI further diversified with transactions that included a takeover of asthma-inhaler maker Vectura, a deal reportedly worth about $1.5 billion; an acquisition of nicotine gum maker Fertin Pharma for approximately $820 million; and the $51 million purchase of OtiTopic, which develops respiratory drugs.

At PMI, were making rapid progress toward our smoke-free future, Mishra said. A lot of that innovation will be driven right from here in terms of coming up with and then commercializing products that can change the lives of smokers.

While it sells brands such as Marlboro abroad, PMI does not sell or market tobacco products in the U.S. Philip Morris USA  a subsidiary of Altria Group, from which PMI was spun off in 2008  dominates the American cigarette market. Marlboro ranks as Philip Morris USAs top-selling brand.

After the press conference, Lamont and the other elected officials joined executives of PMI and George Comfort & Sons, which is part of 677 Washingtons ownership team, on a walk-through of its office space. Now empty, the 11th and 12th levels of 677 Washingtons tower offer sweeping vistas of Stamford and Long Island Sound.

I want to say a big thank you to Deepak (Mishra) and Philip Morris International for choosing Stamford, said Mayor-elect Caroline Simmons, a Democrat who was elected on Nov. 2. We welcome you here. I may be biased, but you chose the best city in the country to move to. Were thrilled to have you here.

Simmons will be sworn in as mayor on Dec. 1. Since 2015, she has represented Stamfords 144th District in the state House of Representatives. Also attending Mondays meeting were most of the other members of Stamfords delegation at the state Capitol: state Rep. Daniel Fox, state Rep. Corey Paris, state Sen. Ryan Fazio and state Sen. Patricia Billie Miller.

Revitalization of 677 Washington

Last week, George Comfort & Sons announced several other new leases at 677 Washington, a three-building complex that covers more than 12 acres and stands yards from Interstate 95 and the downtown Metro-North Railroad station. It includes the 13-story office tower, a seven-story pavilion and a three-story retail-and-ancillary building.

XL Global Services, a provider of property-and-casualty insurance services, signed an 11-year lease for 21,879 square feet on the 10th floor. It plans to move from its current Stamford location at 70 Seaview Ave., in the third quarter of 2022.

Investment firm General Atlantic, which decided to take a portion of the eighth floor earlier this year in a relocation from Greenwich, expanded its planned presence to a total of 21,879 square feet. Another financial-services firm, Sandbrook Capital, signed a 10-year lease for 4,995 square feet on the eighth floor and plans to take occupancy in the first quarter of 2022.

The 677 Washington complex is now 95 percent leased, according to George Comfort & Sons.

WWE, which is still headquartered at 1241 E. Main St., will be the largest tenant at 677 Washington. It has leased about 415,000 square feet for offices in the tower and a production center in the pavilion.

Tenants that have already completed their moves to 677 Washington include professional-services firm KPMG and architectural firm Perkins Eastman.

Those recruits have contributed to a striking recovery for 677 Washington. Four years ago, it languished as the citys largest vacant office property after UBS moved in 2016 its local offices to smaller space across the street at 600 Washington Blvd., amid major job losses. While based at 677 Washington, UBS had operated one of the worlds trading floors.

The propertys fortunes started to improve after Manhattan-based George Comfort & Sons joined Beverly Hills, Calif.-based AVG Partners on the propertys ownership team in early 2018.

George Comfort & Sons two other Connecticut properties are also in Stamford: the office complexes at High Ridge Park and Shipping Landing.

Stamford has been always a great place to operate in. We find tremendous help, both from the city and the governors office, said Peter Duncan, George Comfort & Sons CEO and president. Its been a terrific joint-venture, public-private partnership.

pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; twitter: @paulschott
3 1 of 3 Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 3 of 3





NEW HAVEN  Avelo Airlines began its service from Tweed New Haven Regional Airport to a third Florida destination Monday with a 2:30 p.m. departure to Tampa International Airport.

The addition of Tampa service follows Avelos inaugural New Haven flights to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale last week. Routes to Fort Myers will begin Thursday, with service to Palm Beach and Sarasota-Bradenton to follow on Dec. 16 and Jan. 13, respectively.
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP)  A Cambodian activist wept in frustration Monday after learning her autistic teenage son, imprisoned for comments critical of the government he made on social media, would not be released as anticipated in a case that has drawn global attention.

Prum Chantha told disappointed supporters who had gathered with her early in the day outside Prey Sar prison on the outskirts of Phnom Penh that authorities said her son's time served had been miscounted, and that he would instead be released Wednesday.

My son would have been feeling so excited when hearing he would be freed today and knowing that I was here with the others to welcome him, but now theyre keeping him in jail for two more days, she said.

Why would the court keep him in jail?

Her son, 16-year-old Kak Sovannchhay, was convicted last week of incitement to commit a felony and public insult for comments he had made in a Telegram chat group in June defending his father, a senior political opposition member who is himself in custody facing charges, and for sharing Facebook posts criticizing Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Kak Sovannchhay was sentenced to eight months in prison but he had been in custody since June. Under Cambodian sentencing guidelines including credit for time served, he was scheduled for release this week and the family had been told it would take place Monday.

In a statement after his conviction, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court said that his age had been a factor in reducing his jail time, and said that it had received no medical confirmation of his autism during the trial.

Observers said, however, that during the trial, the court refused two requests to evaluate the boys disability and support needs.

Many criticized the verdict, including U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia W. Patrick Murphy who said in a Twitter post that the case seemed to be politically motivated.

How does jailing the teenage son of an opposition figure demonstrate respect for human rights? Murphy wrote.

Prum Chantha is a member of the group Friday Wives, which holds protests to demand the release of their husbands who have been jailed for expressing their views critical of Hun Sens government. Her husband, Kak Komphear, has been in detention since May 2020.

She said Monday that she had no intention of backing down, despite her son's prosecution.

The authorities wanted to intimidate us and wanted us to stop opposing them, she said.

The posts the teen made came in response to others calling his father a traitor, she said.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has been in power for 36 years and has often been accused of heading an authoritarian regime and using the judicial system to help stifle opposition.

Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch, urged Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne to bring up the case and others with Cambodian officials before she concludes her two-day trip to the country later Monday.

Penalizing a boy with mental disabilities because of the activities of his father shows just how far the human rights situation in Cambodia has deteriorated, he said in a written statement.
The states new inspector general is drawing a cautious reception as he takes over the process of holding police officers accountable for using deadly force.

We will watch and see what happens, said Claudia Fox, public policy director for the Connecticut ACLU.

The spirit of the inspector generals office is to provide actual justice to communities who have been harmed by police violence, Fox said.

Newly hired Inspector General Robert Devlin, a former state prosecutor and state judge, last week was formally handed nine pending investigations into whether state or local police were justified when they caused the death of suspects.

The IG is also charged with investigating instances in which deadly force is deployed but the suspect did not die and investigations of deadly force by corrections officers.

The office can bring criminal charges and conduct prosecutions and has subpoena power to compel witnesses to cooperate.

Basically, when instances of police use of deadly force or physical force results in a death, the IG is supposed to make an inquiry, Devlin said when asked about his role. You have in-custody deaths and there is a requirement that you make an inquiry on that.

Devlin added cases in which an officer, for example, shoots at someone and misses, that will be investigated.

The chiefs states attorneys office traditionally investigated only the death of suspects at the hands of police. Since 2001, only one Connecticut officer was found to have improperly caused the death of a suspect.

For years, police reform advocates and others have complained that state prosecutors, who work closely with local and state police to convict suspects, have an inherent conflict when investigating those officers for wrongdoing.

State Rep. Steve Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport and co-chairman of the judiciary committee, said the IGs office is rooted in a realization that there should be a more independent review of police deadly force cases.

The inspector general is not taking the place of the local police commission or POST Council, Stafstrom said, referring to the Police Officers Standards and Training Council, which certifies officers and establishes rules for training and conduct.

Its taking the place of a prosecutor whose normal job is to work with police day in and day out, Stafstrom said. The idea is to create a level of independence that didnt exist before.

The IGs office grew from the outcry over the 2020 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. The state Legislature later that year passed a sweeping police accountability bill that created the Office of Inspector General.

Other reforms included more stringent police certification requirements, expansion of the reasons to decertify an officer, additional rules governing use of force and requiring officers to intervene and report criminal conduct by fellow officers.

Fox said the ACLU supports the idea of a more independent review of deadly force cases but remains skeptical of the current plan.

We just hope IG Devlin believes in that, Fox said. But we feel they appointed the person who meets the status quo.

Former judge

Devlin, who is 71, was hired in late September by the state Criminal Justice Commission, which also hires the chiefs states attorney. His salary is $167,000 annually.

The justice commission is appointed by the governor and members are confirmed by the state Legislature.

Devlin has worked as a public defender, federal prosecutor and served as a Connecticut judge for 28 years in both Superior and Appellate Courts, where he retired.

He was the presiding criminal judge in Bridgeport Superior Court for seven years.

The office will consist of nine staff members with a budget of $1.5 million a year and another $100,000 set aside for office space separate from the chief states attorneys office.

Devlin is technically a deputy chief states attorney, but officials stressed that the designation is a formality due to state job classification rules.

Maybe its a bit confusing, given the title I was assigned, Devlin said, while stressing that hes fully independent from the chief states attorney.

That whole thing is just an administrative requirement, Devlin explained. The IG has zero role in the operations of the prosecutors office.

Devlin said recent changes in state law will allow him to consider events leading up to an officers decision to use deadly force.

The rulings issued by the chiefs states attorney relied heavily on a strict interpretation of Connecticut law that says officers are justified in using deadly force if they believe they are in imminent danger and another officer would take the same action.

The latest statute lists a number of factors that are to be considered, Devlin said.

Was what the officer did objectively reasonable? Devlin said. Did the police engage in conduct that resulted in the use of force, or did the officer create jeopardy? That would be a factor as to whether its a reasonable justification.

Stafstrom stressed that Devlin does not work for the chief states attorney.

The IG is responsible back to the Criminal Justice Commission, Stafstrom said. They staff their own office. They dont report to the chiefs states attorney. They report to the commission.

Chief States Attorney Richard Colangelo noted that reassigning the pending police use-of-force investigations to the Office of the Inspector General is in keeping with the spirit of the recently passed legislation and will help assure the publics trust and confidence in the criminal justice system.

Remains to be seen

Police reform advocates last week were mostly taking a wait and see approach to Devlin and his new office.

How he approaches the position just remains to be seen, Fox said. The purpose of the role is to value the lives of everyone in Connecticut. The hope is IG Devlin understands thats what hes supposed to do.

Fox noted the chief states attorneys record in investigating deadly police shootings is abysmal and not good by any measure.

The IG is supposed to be an advocate for the families, Fox said. Thats the intent of the office. If we have one that is thinking otherwise its worrisome, and they are not understanding the spirit of the role.

Devlin said he will meet with families and other victims of police violence and consider what they have to say.

Thats a big part of the job, Devlin said. You have to listen to their concerns and what they have to say and explain the process. There may circumstances in which they disagree with the conclusion. But thats an important part of the job.

Fox said she hopes the IG properly considers events leading up to the use of deadly force.

There are mandates where they should not pursue a suspect or stand right in front of a car, Fox said. There are instances leading up to the officer putting himself in the line of danger when its not actually a dangerous situation.

Troy Raccuia, director of collective bargaining for the Council 4 AFSCME union, which represents a large coalition of police unions, took issue with Foxs interpretation of the IGs assignment.

The ACLU wants a prosecutorial official to be an advocate first and a truth finder second  or at all? Raccuia wrote in a recent statement.

Will justice and citizens not be served better by an inspector general who operates without passion or prejudice? Raccuia said. History shows that when we go looking for witches, we find them. The ACLU seems perilously close to arguing for a Witch-finder General.

Stafstrom, who was instrumental in writing the bill that created the IG office, said he supports Devlins appointment.

I think its a good choice, Stafstrom said. Hes a guy who has a lot of knowledge of the system and will ask the right questions and is respected for his independence and has some managerial background who can appropriately staff the office.

Still, Stafstrom cautioned that the IGs role is limited and not intended to be a statewide police commission dealing with a wide variety of issues.

The inspector general is appointed specifically for when a police officer has committed some act of violence, Stafstrom said. It was born from the accountability bill because people didnt have faith in the states attorney office.

Asked if citizens could request investigations, Stafstrom said thats not the intent.

Someone could bring a case to the IGs attention, but they are an independent prosecuting authority, Stafstrom said. They are investigating criminal conduct. They are not a super police commission.

bcummings@ctpost.com
AUSTIN, Minn. (AP)  It is before sunrise on an autumn morning and Banfield fourth grade teacher Jamie Braaten is headed up the hill.

He treads through the darkness while carrying his bow until he reaches his deer stand, where he will spend a good portion of the day reading and hunting. If he gets a shot at a deer, hes pleased. If not, he spent the day closer to nature.

And thats not a bad thing by any means.

You get to watch the morning unfold, Braaten said. You hear the first chirp when youre sitting in the stand and a few seconds later, the birds start calling back to each other and the sky starts getting more light. Then a squirrel starts to scamper and things start to move. That unfolding does not get old. The morning is really special.

Braaten has been hunting for about four decades, switching from shotgun to bow hunting about 10 years ago. Its a tradition that hes enjoyed since he was 11-years-old, and its one that hes also shared with his children, who have started to show renewed interest in hunting as young adults.

I do have to sell it to my kids. They arent necessarily super excited about hunting with their dad, Braaten said. My son went off to college and he became interested in it again. I told him, its time to come and hunt with your dad again.

With deer hunting opening this week, Minnesotans are also on the lookout for Chronic Wasting Disease, which is a prion disease that affects deer, elk, reindeer, sika deer and moose. It has been found in areas of North America, including Canada and the United States.

In Minnesota, a majority of CWD reports have been in the southeastern part of the state.

To track CWD this fall, the Minnesota DNR is requiring hunters to have any deer older than one year tested. There will be testing stations that will be available online and hunters can also cut the head off of their deer and bring it in for testing.

There are also carcass movement restrictions in two permit areas near Austin.

You cant take a whole carcass out of those areas without quartering the deer, Barb Keller, Big Game Program Leader for the MDNR said. If you have the test results back for CWD, you can take the whole carcass out.

Keller said that CWD rates have maintained a low rate of 1% in Minnesota deer, but the rate is much higher across the river in Wisconsin.

Its pretty similar in Minnesota to anywhere else in the country that has CWD, Keller said. There is a slow spread and you see the geographic footprint. Were optimistic that weve been able to keep that prevalence rate pretty low. In Wisconsin, they have some areas where over 50 percent of deer test positive.

Keller said hunters should label their deer when processing the meat, so they dont end up consuming the meat.

Braaten has been dealing with CWD awareness for the last three or four years and through archery hunting, hes been able to submit his samples voluntarily.

You only have to tag your deer if you want to know if your animal had CWD, Braaten said. Most of us dont care. Because it doesnt affect humans and the meat is safe. If you see a deer and it looks mangy, youre probably going to let it go anyway.

The DNR Web Site offers up to date information and test results. It also shows where the positively tested deer were located.
WEST HAVEN  Several high-ranking and salaried City Hall officials collected a total of more than $60,000 in compensatory payments from the citys allocation of federal pandemic relief CARES Act funding by the end of 2020, according to city documents.

Seven employees who worked as either department heads in City Hall or were otherwise salaried officials earned a total of at least $61,000 in overtime compensatory payments reportedly related to the citys response to the COVID-19 pandemic  which was reimbursed from the citys $1.2 million allocation of federal money from the Trump administration. Seven of the payments were dated Dec. 31, 2020; a payment to an eighth worker was paid in 2021.

The information on the payments was provided by the New Haven-based law of firm Lynch, Traub, Keefe & Errante, which is working on behalf of the city.

The Register first reported in September that some city employees and administrators had been paid overtime or compensatory money with COVID-19 relief funds, in some cases thousands of dollars, with officials saying it was for extra hours worked during the pandemic. Mayor Nancy Rossi has said the overtime expenditures were appropriate.

Former Democratic state Rep. Michael DiMassa, who had worked for the city until after his arrest in October on a federal wire fraud charge in connection with his alleged misuse of separate pandemic funds, was one of those who received the compensatory payments. DiMassas business partner, John Bernardo, a city employee who also was charged with wire fraud, also received a compensatory payment, documents show.

The amount paid to salaried city officials varied, according to the documents, and appears to have been based upon each persons hourly rate and hours worked. Rossi has said she did not receive a compensatory payment.

The documents show Public Works Commissioner Tom McCarthy was issued a $10,171.66 check on Dec. 31, 2020, the largest amount of the eight employees included in the public information response. His year-to-date total on that day was $20,880, the document shows.

Reached Monday, McCarthy said it would be foolhardy for him to comment given the ongoing investigations into the citys spending of the federal money.

In addition to the federal probes, last month following DiMassas arrest, the states Office of Policy and Management hired an auditing firm to look into the West Havens CARES Act expenditures. DiMassa, who had worked in City Hall as a legislative aide for the City Council, allegedly transferred $636,000 of the CARES Act money to a separate bank account that he was able to access. Later, Bernardo, a Community Development Administration housing specialist for the city, was arrested in connection to the same alleged scheme.

According to the payroll information obtained by the Register, DiMassa received $3,129.12 in overtime payments from the CARES Act money on Dec. 31, 2020, and Bernardo received $3,832.97. DiMassas year-to-date total that day was $4,901.54, the documents show. DiMassa did not respond to a request for comment Monday and an attempt to leave a message for Bernardo was unsuccessful. Bernardos year-to-date total that day was $9,215.17.

Over the summer, DiMassa told the Register he had received roughly $14,000 in overtime payments over the course of the pandemic. A stipulation on the CARES Act funding from the U.S. Treasury Department was that it must cover costs related to the pandemic between March 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2020. Congress passed a subsequent financial aid package related to the pandemic, which DiMassa said made up a portion of the overtime he had received.

City Corporation Counsel Lee Tiernan previously said that roughly 250 employees in total received overtime in the 2020-21 fiscal year, but 10 employees received payouts for the compensatory time. He declined Monday to name the other two workers who received payments. Rossi defended the payments as being part of the supervisors union contracts  they worked extra hours and were unable to take time off because of the amount of work required during the pandemic, so the extra time was paid out, she said.

The idea is you work 10 hours extra, you take it off the next week, Rossi has said. With COVID, that was impossible because they were working all the time. Weekends, too.

Rossi did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

Tiernan received $6,722.50 in overtime related to the pandemic on Dec. 31, 2020, according to the documents obtained by the Register. Tiernans year-to-date total that day was $11,970.36.

Health Director Maureen Lillis confirmed Monday that she received overtime payments related to the citys pandemic response.

I am a Local 1103 Union member. The City has the option of allowing Local 1103 members time off for comp time, but during the pandemic there was no time off. Once we receive payment for it, it's wiped off of the books, she said in an emailed response to a request for comment.

According to the documents obtained by the Register, Lillis received $8,418.23 in compensation related to the pandemic on Dec. 31, 2020. In March, the Register reported that Lillis had received double her base salary in 2020, largely because of overtime. The year-to-date total for Lillis was redacted.

A total of eight employees were named in the documents obtained by the Register; five did not respond to a request for comment Monday. On Dec. 31, 2020, Rossi Executive Assistant Lou Esposito received $6,278.03, Personnel Director Beth Sabo received $5,559.71 and Community Development Administration Manager Mark Bisaccia received $775.15. Year-to-date totals for Esposito and Sabo were $9,987.60 and $10,971.80, respectively.

Bisaccias check was not issued issued until Jan. 15, 2021; his year-to-date total that day was $1,085.18, the documents show. It is not clear why the check was issued in 2021.

The issue of overtime and compensatory payments was a central focus of Rossis Democratic primary challenger John Lewis. He criticized the mayor at that time for not releasing a full accounting of how the pandemic relief funding had been spent and for failing to respond to public information requests from the public about pandemic expenditures for several months.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com
NEW HAVEN  When an investment in a more efficient, less costly power source means more people can eat well and participate in their community, it is a win for everyone.

Thats whats happening at The Towers, where the purchase of a cogenerator is saving 40 percent in energy costs, and the money saved is subsidizing meals for almost 100 residents, according to administrators said.

Being able to join their fellow residents on The Towers meal plan in the dining hall also reduces the isolation many of those residents felt because they were eating dinner in their apartments delivered by Meals on Wheels or heating up food in their microwave, administrators said.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

We started discovering a couple of years ago  that many of our residents were becoming food insecure, so we were trying to figure out a way for more of our residents to be on our meal plan, said Gus Keach-Longo, president and CEO of The Towers on Tower Lane.

People were eating a lot of frozen meals because they didnt have the ability to stand at the stove, Keach-Longo said.

The pandemic only exacerbated the problem, especially for those on fixed incomes who were unable to get out to shop, he said.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

Were one of the lucky sites that actually has a centralized kitchen and cafe and dining room, which are also kosher to cater to The Towers largely Jewish population, he said.

The challenge was how to help those who could not afford the meal plan to join their friends at lunch and dinner.

The solution was the cogenerator, which converts natural gas into electricity and produces heat as a byproduct, reducing the need for the boilers to heat water for residents use and to heat the building.

The cogenerator actually creates about 40 percent of our utility needs here, Keach-Longo said.

And since the Towers Foundation bought the generator, the Towers Foundation then can use the savings to subsidize peoples meals, he said. The wonderful thing is people are now able to afford our meal plan.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

The project, which was supported by numerous donors, more than anything else is about making good nutrition equitable to everybody whos on a fixed income, said Jennifer Bayer, development director.

It make it very easy, accessible and affordable for people to have good nutrition here in our building, she said.

Its a lot of work to eat healthy, Keach-Longo said. The planning, the shopping, and at the same time it can be very isolating to eat all your meals in your apartment.  The socialization is the key part of this.

Many activities at The Towers are connected to mealtimes, such as Bible study before lunch on Friday or exercise class afterward, so more residents have been joining in, he said.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

Its much more respectful and much more natural for people to come down and sit with their friend and order a meal, Keach-Longo said.

I think its wonderful, said Ellen Duboff, a seven-year resident who is on the residents association board, leads games and publishes the monthly newsletter. Its really made a big difference since coming out of COVID. We were very isolated.

The cogenerator consists of an engine that runs on natural gas, much like a car engine runs on gasoline, said Jesse Wescott, director of operations. These motors are specially built to allow pipes to flow through them, which contain glycol that is heated and flows to a heat exchanger in the boiler room.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

That additional heat means the less efficient boilers, which also run on natural gas, dont need to start up except in really cold weather, Wescott said. The engine also powers the turbine, which generates electricity.

The cogenerator runs with a higher efficiency than a traditional boiler and is able to make both electricity and heat, where a boiler only makes heat, he said.

The machine, built by 2G Energy of Germany, also produces low emissions. The simplicity behind it is really neat, Wescott said.

There is an added benefit in that The Towers is eligible for renewable energy credits, which reduce the overall energy cost even more. Rob Klee, former commissioner of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said he explained how the credits work and helped them find a path instead of paying an outside consultant to do the compliance and reporting work.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

The savings from the credits total an additional 1,600 meals per year, Keach-Longo said. He did not want to reveal the total cost of the project, since The Towers Foundation is seeking a grant to complete it. He said it will have paid for itself in four years, but because The Towers bought the cogenerator rather than leasing it, they already are seeing savings.

edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP)  A Kansas man has been accused of allowing children in his care to be sexually assaulted by a former landlord in exchange for rent.

A Douglas County judge recently ruled that Cormick Ferrell, 42, of Lawrence should stand trial on two counts of aggravated human trafficking in connection with the alleged assaults that took place between April 2014 and August 2017. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the children were 6- and 7-years-old at the time the alleged assaults began.
NEW HAVEN  Two people were shot and a bicyclist was critically injured in a crash over the weekend, New Haven police said Monday.

Officers first responded to Yale New Haven Hospital for a report of a person shot soon after 8:30 p.m. Friday, Officer Scott Shumway said in an email.

Responding officers located a 30-year-old Bridgeport man who had been struck by gunfire and had been driven to the hospital by a friend. Detectives learned that the victim was shot on John Williamson Drive, between Downing Street and Front Street, said Shumway. The victim was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Around 11:52 p.m. Saturday, officers responded to a Shotspotter notification of gunfire on Lombard Street, between Rowe Street and Chatham Street, finding a 24-year-old East Haven woman who had been shot, Shumway said.

She was treated for non-life threatening injuries at Yale New Haven Hospital, he said.

On Sunday, around 5:41 p.m., police responded to College Street, between Grove Street and Wall Street, for the report of a motor vehicle crash involving a bicyclist being struck, Shumway said.

Responding officers located a 79-year-old New Haven man who had been struck while riding his bicycle. American Medical Response transported the victim to Yale New Haven Hospital where he is listed in critical condition, said Shumway. The New Haven Police Crash Team responded to the scene and learned that a black vehicle had struck the victim and fled the scene. The investigation is on-going.

Shumway asked that any witnesses who have not yet spoken with the department contact the New Haven Police Department Investigative Services Division at 203-946-6304.

He said callers may remain anonymous or submit tips anonymously by calling 866-888-TIPS(8477), or texting NHPD plus your message to 274637 (CRIMES).

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
Suffield Police / Contributed

SUFFIELD  A child was taken to the hospital after being pulled from a pool on South Grand Street on Sunday morning, according to police.

Chief Richard Brown said a 911 call came in around 11 a.m. from a residence on South Grant Street near Airways Gold in West Suffield, a neighborhood in Suffield. The caller reported a child possibly in a pool.
BAGHDAD (AP)  A top Iranian general visited Baghdad after the assassination attempt against Iraqs prime minister, and said Tehran and its allies had nothing to do with the drone attack that lightly injured the Iraqi leader, two Iraqi politicians said Monday.

News of the visit came as an Iraqi army general said the investigation into the drone attack against Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi is ongoing but that indications point to Iran-backed factions. The general said Monday the drones used in the attack took off from areas east of the capital where Iran-backed militias have influence.

The drone attack was also similar to ones carried out in the past by Iran-backed factions in Iraq. In September, for example, explosives-laden drones targeted the Irbil international airport in the country's north, where U.S.-led coalition troops are stationed, the army general told The Associated Press. He commented on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media.

Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, told the Washington-based Arabic-language Alhurra TV that the attack against al-Kadhimi was a criminal act carried out by Iranian-backed militias. McKenzie spoke in English with Arabic voiceover.

The two Shiite Muslim politicians requested anonymity because Esmail Ghaanis visit was not announced publicly. They quoted the Iranian general as saying that Tehran is not opposed to any politician named by the Shiite blocs in the newly elected parliament to become the next prime minister.

Ghaani is the commander of Iran's Quds Force, which is mainly responsible for military and clandestine operations outside the country.

Iran enjoys wide influence in Iraq through powerful militias it has been backing for years. Iran and Iraq both have majority Shiite populations.

The failed assassination attempt against al-Kadhimi at his residence has ratcheted up tensions following last months parliamentary elections, in which the Iran-backed militias were the biggest losers.

Al-Kadhimi suffered a light cut and appeared in a televised speech soon after the attack on his residence wearing a white shirt and what appeared to be a bandage around his left wrist. Seven of his security guards were wounded in the attack by at least two armed drones.

There was no claim of responsibility but suspicion immediately fell on Iran-backed militias. They had been blamed for previous attacks on the Green Zone, which also houses foreign embassies.

The militia leaders condemned the attack, but most sought to downplay it.

The two Iraqi politicians quoted Ghaani as saying: Iran has nothing to do with this attack.

One of the two officials said Ghaani met with al-Kadhimi on Sunday afternoon in Baghdad.

Lebanons Al-Manar TV, which is run by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, said Ghaani also met with Iraqi President Barham Salih and other political figures in the country.

It quoted Ghaani as saying during his visit that Iraq is in urgent need for calm. It added that Ghaani also said that any act that threatens Iraqs security should be avoided.

The drone attack was a dramatic escalation in the already tense situation following the Oct. 10 vote and the surprising results in which Iran-backed militias lost about two-thirds of their seats.

Despite a low turnout, the results confirmed a rising wave of discontent against the militias that had been praised years before as heroes for fighting Islamic State militants.

But the militias have lost popularity since 2018, when they made big election gains. Many Iraqis hold them responsible for suppressing the 2019 youth-led anti-government protests, and for undermining state authority.

Some analysts have said that Sunday's attack aimed to cut off the path that could lead to a second al-Kadhimi term by those who lost in the recent elections.

On Sunday, Irans Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh condemned the assassination attempt on al-Kadhimi and indirectly blamed the U.S.

Al-Kadhimi, 54, was Iraqs former intelligence chief before becoming prime minister in May last year. He is considered by the militias to be close to the U.S., and has tried to balance between Iraqs alliances with both the U.S. and Iran.
Contributed / Connecticut State Police

WEATHERSFIELD  A woman was charged this weekend with driving the wrong way on Route 2 and fleeing a crash, state police said.

Troop H in Hartford began receiving numerous calls Saturday about a vehicle traveling the wrong direction in the westbound lane of Route 2, according to state police.
Niagara Falls, NY (14301)

Today

Rain. High 48F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Rain ending early. Remaining cloudy. Low 31F. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
James Neiss/staff photographerJameese Russell, left and Ebony Robinson, both of Buffalo, look for some pre-black Friday deals at the Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls in 2019.
Joe Igbokwe, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has accused people of the Southeast of playing ethnic politics. Igbo...

Joe Igbokwe, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has accused people of the Southeast of playing ethnic politics.

Igbokwe said Igbo people would continue to remain onlookers in Nigerias political sphere.

He made the remark while reacting to the ongoing governorship election in Anambra State.

The APC chieftain urged the people of the Southeast to stop playing politics of isolation.

In a post on his Facebook page, the aide to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State said the southeast should be working towards connecting with the Federal Government politically.

He wrote: I had thought that Igbo will move beyond ethnic politics and work to connect to the center to meet other Nigerians, but ife ji Ndigbo jisi ha ike. We will continue to be onlookers.

Politics is a game of numbers, Igbo cannot continue to play politics of isolation in the 21st century and expect that miracle will happen. It is time to build bridges and not burn bridges.

The All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, is currently leading in the ongoing governorship election in Anambra State.

APGA is widely believed to be a regional party with a base in the Southeast.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has declared the Anambra governorship election inconclusive.





The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has declared the Anambra governorship election inconclusive.

This is because of the inability of the commission to deploy staff and materials to Ihiala local government area, as a result of security threat.

Returning officer in the election, Prof. Florence Obi said the election would now hold on November 9, to complement the 20 local government areas election result, already announced.

Obi said: we have collated results for 20 local government areas, and Ihiala is still outstanding as the commission was unable to deploy to the area.

I plead with you to support INEC, so we can bring this election to a conclusion, to the glory of God. The election for Ihiala will hold on November 9.

She said the constitution provides for a candidate to secure both the highest number of votes cast and 25 per cent of votes cast in at least two-third of the local government areas of the state to declare the winner.

Based on constitutional provision, supplementary election will be held in Ihiala. So we have to conclude the election in Ihiala to be able to conclude the process.





AS THINGS STAND

We have results from all local govts apart from Ihiala LGA which remains outstanding.

APC  42,942

APGA  103,946

PDP  51,322
The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) has accused Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), over alleged involvement in the ...

The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) has accused Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), over alleged involvement in the controversial $418 million request by consultants regarding the Paris Club refund.

The NGF said this in a statement issued by Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, the forums head of media and public affairs.

The controversial payment of $418 million to consultants had become a contending issue between the three tiers of government.

On Friday, a federal high court in Abuja stopped the federal government from deducting $418 million from the bank accounts of the 36 states of the federation.

Bello-Barkindo said the decision of the AGF to throw his weight behind the consultants who have been battling desperately to grab $418 million from the accounts of states and local governments raises questions of propriety and the spirit of justice.

The attention of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) has been drawn to a statement issued by the media aide to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Umar Gwandu, on Friday 5th November 2021 published in the Nation Newspaper of same date in support of deductions of humongous state resources amounting to $418 million from the Federation Account, the statement reads.

The payments are made in favour of private contractors and/or consultants for alleged work done to the Paris Club Refunds to the States and Local Governments. Since the Honorable Attorney General of the Federation (HAGF) has not contradicted his aide, it is therefore deemed that the statement was issued with his authorization and consent.

We need to state quickly that when we first read this press release, we had to double-check to be sure it was not authored by a lawyer representing either one or all the promissory notes recipients.

The HAGF is supposed to be the chief arbiter in all matters concerning Nigerians, especially the poor masses of this country. It is incumbent upon him to, not just ensure that justice is done, but that justice is seen to have been done.

The undue haste, with which the statement was issued even before the service on the AGF of the court processes and the order dated 5th November 2021 restraining the Federal Government, seems to suggest that there is a special relationship between the Office of the HAGF and the consultants over and above Nigerian citizens, whose interest the HAGF as the Chief Law Officer of the Federation is statutorily bound to always protect.

The statement also suggests that the restraining order issued last Friday not only unsettled preconceived plans and angered the unnamed government officers referred to by the media aide.

Bello-Barkindo described Malamis claim that he intervened to pay the contractors to avoid execution of the judgments against the federal government resources as false.

He further countered claims that the NGF and LGAs seek to transfer their liability to the federal government, saying that there is no liability to transfer in the first place and none exists.

According to him, neither has the NGF provided any undertaking or indemnity to the federal government to act on its behalf as represented by the AGF.

Bello-Barkindo further advised Malami to remain neutral and protect scarce public resources.

Let him advise the contractors to wait until all appeals and litigations in court are concluded. That is the true test of observing the rule of law. There is no other way, uncomfortable as that would appear, the statement adds.

State resources needed for critical development should not under any guise be frittered away as payments for contracts whose veracity and authenticity is still a subject of litigation and disputation.

These contractors are impecunious and cannot restitute the states/LGAs if the appeals or other litigation are determined against them.

We call on the general public to be alert and vigilant. The debt relief granted to Nigeria by the Paris Club in 2005 was meant to enable her to have a respite and use the resources saved for meaningful development.

It was not for distribution to private persons to fund their luxurious lives; neither can Nigeria justify her borrowing funds all over the world to fund capital projects and turn round to disburse state resources to individuals in a manner that offends all public sensibilities.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. High 49F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Cloudy. Some light rain is likely. Low around 35F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Hey Blake,

What can you tell me about the history of two distinctive churches on Robert E. Lee Boulevard: the Greek church near Bayou St. John and the Vietnamese church closer to Elysian Fields?

Dear reader,

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, established in New Orleans in 1864, was the first Greek Orthodox church in North and South America.

The Greek community in New Orleans dates back to the mid-1700s. According to the cathedrals website, the earliest organized Greek Orthodox worship services here were held in 1864 in the Bayou Road home of businessman Nicholas Benachi. He later sold the church some property on North Dorgenois Street in Treme. With donations from other worshippers, the first local Greek church was built there.

That original Holy Trinity church (which later added a school, parish house, library and cemetery) was replaced by a brick cathedral in 1950. In 1976, a much bigger cathedral was constructed at 1200 Robert E. Lee Blvd. Each Memorial Day weekend, the church and its Hellenic Cultural Center are the sites of the popular Greek Festival.

Our Lady of La Vang Catholic Church in the 2100 block of Robert E. Lee was dedicated in 1992. It is located on the former site of Our Savior Lutheran Church. The Catholic church was founded as one of five mission churches of Mary Queen of Vietnam Church in New Orleans East.

According to The Times-Picayune, the lakefront church is named after a reported 1798 apparition of the Blessed Mother to persecuted Catholics in the Vietnamese town of La Vang. The site became a major Catholic shrine in Vietnam and many Vietnamese communities outside the country continue to commemorate the event.

The church features a large outdoor shrine to Our Lady of La Vang. Each May, a festival includes a procession through the neighborhood and a ceremony featuring elaborate Vietnamese dancing.

Blakeview: Jon Batiste celebrates his 35th birthday An Oscar, a Grammy, a Golden Globe and a nightly gig on national TV  all before turning 35.
Hipolito Sanchez has won numerous barbecue competition awards in his hometown of Chicago and elsewhere. He turned a hobby into a business in 2014 when he created Slow Motion for Meat, a barbecue operation that does catering, festivals and events. During the pandemic, its done a lot of outdoor cooking for the Chicago hunger organization Fight2Feed. He also took a break early this year to recover from heart surgery. Sanchez is in New Orleans this week to participate in a collaborative Tiki BBQ Pop-up at Mister Mao with chef and co-owner Sophina Uong and John Haney of Alveron BBQ Company in Charleston, South Carolina. The dinner is Sunday, Nov. 14, and a portion of proceeds support Sanchezs recovery.

Gambit: How did get into barbecue?

Hipolito Sanchez: My family is from southwest Texas. At an early age, I was exposed to hunting and outside cooking. Our family would hunt for deer and wild boar. A lot of these practices were things we grew up on  harvesting the hunt and things like that  that type of cooking has always been in my family on my dads side. My mom was a professional cook for 35 years with the Marriott organization, so I was exposed to food at an early age, but never lost touch as far as my hunting and outside cooking.

We grew up on javelina style cooking  in the ground. We would do barbacoa and cow heads. We would dig a hole in the ground and fill it with rocks. Wed start a fire and burn it the entire day to get that base warm. Then we would use containers or barrels to put the meat in the ground and try to bury it with hot rocks. Its similar to Mexican style cochinita. Its similar to what Cajuns do with a Cajun microwave. You cook in the ground long term, overnight.

For my professional career, I leaned back into things that brought family and community together.

Gambit: What do you like to do with Slow Motion for Meat?

Sanchez: Its mostly barbecue, and its mostly whole hog. Theres always a big market for brisket. The thing we get requests for the least is chicken, because everyone thinks its a secondary protein. But as soon as we make chicken, theyre like, Oh man, we didnt order enough chicken. Were smoking it, were glazing it, were going to put it back on the fire. It celebrates both things. The smoking and the grilling.

Ive had a great opportunity to take barbecue how I know it and work with chefs in Chicago. I have cooked for Cochon 555, Cochon Heritage Fuego and done things that are more elevated. I did stuff for (Korean-Polish restaurant) Kimski, working with Won Kim, the chef there. I have been working with him since he opened his doors and picking up different styles, such as Korean cooking  I like things a little more spicy. I have friends in South Carolina that run tiki bars, and their menus are similar with Asian cuisine, and Vietnamese-French cooking. I put a little spin on it as far as elevated barbecue.

Friends did a pop-up last night. They wanted something smoked for their soups. I said smoked broth is great. I wish more people (would do) their barbecue from a whole animal perspective. If you want to be a backyard barbecue cook and cook a chicken, use all of it. Theres so much good stuff there. Boil down the rest of that chicken carcass and make a stock. Cook down those bones, cook down that stock. Shelve it, use it for ramen, but dont let this go to waste.

I try to be respectful any time I get to use a protein thats been raised humanely on a farm or so forth to have minimum waste. Even when I make a smoked poblano tomatillo salsa, people say, Do you deseed it? I say, I dont waste anything. Ill be lucky if theres something stuck to the stem of the pepper when I am done. That was the way I was taught to cook by my mom and grandmother. They didnt waste anything. Everything got used. (Cajun) boucherie traditions are the same.

Gambit: What are you doing at the Tiki BBQ Pop-up?

Sanchez: With the (Korean-style) pork belly were going to serve some kimchi, daikon pickle and things like that.

With the Polynesian brisket, were actually doing it two ways. Were going to be doing a portion of a brisket burnt end. Thatll be glazed with coconut and I have worked with a chef who grew some Carolina reapers (chilies), so were creating a mash jelly. It has some strong heat, but not excessive heat thatll be mixed into that glaze. Itll be presented with sweet pickled mustard seed and grilled pineapple. To celebrate the entire brisket, were creating a spring roll, but there is no roll. Its actually a slice of brisket were going to roll with jicama, jalapeno and coconut.

For information on the Tiki BBQ Pop-up, visit Mister Mao's website.
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New Orleans police have issued an arrest warrant for Ursus Ambrose, a 57-year-old suspect in an aggravated battery by cutting.

Ambrose and a 58-year-old man got into an argument Sunday morning in the 1900 block of Law Street, according to a police report. The fight turned physical, and Ambrose stabbed the victim twice in the back, police say. The victim went to the hospital. Ambrose fled.

According to Louisiana court records, Ambrose has a criminal record that includes possession of cocaine, distribution of crack cocaine, aggravated burglary, simple robbery, second-degree battery and resisting an officer.

No other information, including the victim's current condition, was immediately available.
A man whose DNA was found in the City Park stables where two horses were sexually molested last year pleaded guilty Monday to sexually abusing a horse in northern California.

Koshaun Dion Baker, 23, faces up to three and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to animal cruelty and sexual contact with an animal, though defendants who plead out before going to trial dont usually get the maximum punishment.

During a brief virtual hearing Monday, Judge Paul Haakenson of Marin County, California, ordered Baker to register as a sex offender and set his sentencing for Dec. 7.

The owner of the horse that Baker admitted to molesting at the Presidio Riding Club spoke out publicly for the first time shortly after Baker entered his guilty plea.

She said that she was shocked to learn that sexual contact with an animal was a misdemeanor in California that carries relatively little jail time. She hopes authorities in New Orleans will prosecute Baker to prevent him from harming horses again.

Horses  animals  are beings with feelings, and they should have much stronger protections (under) the law, said the owner, who asked to not be named.

Baker first drew attention from authorities in New Orleans after police found his DNA in the City Park stables where someone had engaged in sex acts with two horses last December. That sample matched one from Baker that was stored in an FBI database, though details of precisely why Bakers DNA was entered into that database have not been disclosed.

In any event, police announced in January that they had obtained a warrant to swab Bakers cheek and compare that sample to the DNA recovered from the stables.

New Orleans officers stopped short of saying Baker was wanted for a crime, but they asked the public to notify authorities if they saw him out and about.

+2 Man linked to New Orleans horse sex jailed in California after horse assaulted there A man whose DNA was found in the City Park stables after two horses were sexually molested last year has been arrested in California for alleg

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Baker had not been stopped on that warrant when officials at the Presidio Riding Club  part of Californias Golden Gate National Recreation Area  reported that someone had broken in, vandalized the facility and let about 10 stabled horses go.

Federal rangers jailed Baker on Sept. 21 after they found him while canvassing the area, according to a report in the Marin Independent Journal. They booked him with sexual contact with an animal, animal cruelty, burglary, vandalism, disorderly conduct, resisting police and being under the influence of drugs, jail records show.

Authorities in California have never detailed the alleged sexual contact or any evidence implicating Baker, who's previously been described in public records as a resident of Baton Rouge and San Francisco. But multiple members of the Presidio Riding Club, including the owner of the victimized mare, said they understood investigators recovered graphic video footage that showed Baker standing on a rider's mounting block while raping the horse.

The owner of the horse said the animal cruelty charge stemmed from Baker taking the mare out of the stables to ride around. At the time, the horse was lame and had been receiving treatment with ice wraps.

Wearing a white- and orange-striped inmate's jumpsuit on a video feed from the Marin County jail, Baker agreed to plead guilty to animal sex and cruelty Thursday. He mostly answered "yes, sir" or "no, sir" to questions from the judge.

Prosecutors moved to dismiss the rest of the charges, including burglary and vandalism, which are felonies.

If Baker is eventually brought to New Orleans and convicted of sexual abuse of an animal, he could face up to five years in prison because the crime is a felony in Louisiana. A second conviction on that charge doubles the maximum punishment to 10 years behind bars.

One of the victimized City Park horses belonged to Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman's office. His office's general counsel, Blake Arcuri, issued a statement after Baker's guilty plea which said, "The incident was disturbing to the sheriff and the deputies of the mounted division who work with and care for these horses to assist in keeping our city safe.

"We trust in the evaluation of the New Orleans Police Department and the District Attorney's Office as to what charges, if any, should be pursued."
A man shot another man in the French Quarter and then the injured man tried to run over the other with his vehicle, New Orleans police said early Monday.

Update: Driver runs over man in wheelchair, gets shot during French Quarter fight

The interaction happened at the corner of Conti and Burgundy streets (map). Police were notified about the shooting around 2 a.m. when a 39-year-old man arrived at a hospital seeking treatment. It wasn't immediately clear when it happened.

The two men were arguing, police said, when one pulled out a gun and shot the other in the thigh. The injured man then got in a vehicle, drove around the block and then tried to run over the other man, police said.

The injured man's condition was not immediately available.

No other details were available, including a description of the shooter.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional information from authorities.
Politics Reporter

Reese Gorman covers politics and the COVID-19 pandemic for The Norman Transcript. He started as an intern in May of 2020 and transitioned into his current position as a staff writer in August of 2020.
Shane Doyebi, 10, looks away as he prepares to receive his first dose of the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine at the Anadarko Indian Health Center.
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Your middle schooler has probably been experiencing a lot of changes with their body. If youve noticed that they are going through a growth spurt, now is the time to be on the lookout for scoliosis.

What is scoliosis?

Scoliosis is a condition where the spine curves in the shape of a C or an S more than 10 degrees during development. Symptoms may include back pain or stiffness, the appearance of one shoulder that is higher than the other, leaning to one side, rounded shoulders, or hamstring tightness. While the cause of scoliosis is ultimately unknown, it has been found to be more common in girls and those who have a family history of the condition. Minor curves can affect about 1 in 100 people, and more significant curves can affect about 1 in 1,000.

Scoliosis screenings

Students in the state of Pennsylvania are required to have an initial scoliosis screening at school during sixth or seventh grade. During the screening, students stand up straight with their feet together and arms at their sides. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the screener will consider the following questions:

Are the shoulders level?

Are the hips level?

Is one shoulder blade higher, or more prominent than the other?

Are there unequal distances between the arms and the body?

Does the spine appear to be curved?

Students will also bend at the waist to check for a rib hump on either side of the upper back, or a lumbar rotation at the lower back. If there are any positive results, the student is referred to a school nurse or their primary care provider.

Available treatments

A scoliosis diagnosis does not automatically mean that your child will need surgery. If minor curves are present, a brace can be worn to prevent them from getting worse.

Specific exercise routines are also used as treatment by UPMC physical therapists, which are certified in a specialty training called the Barcelona Scoliosis Physical Therapy Schools Concept by Rigo Technique. This therapy can not only improve posture and reduce back pain, but it can help stop spinal curve progression and reduce or eliminate the need for surgery.

If scoliosis affects a patients function to balance or there are noticeable cosmetic issues, surgery will likely be necessary. The most common surgical treatment involves spinal fusion with instrumentation, or metal implants and rods.




Washington, D.C. -- In a 228-226 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives passed President Joe Biden's key piece of legislation, the Build Back Better Act, after months of intense negotiations, which included complications from some members inside the current president's own party.

According to NPR, the $1 trillion infrastructure bill which passed late Friday evening went largely along party lines. The bill passed the U.S. Senate in August and had bipartisan support. 215 Democrats along with 13 Republicans supported the legislation which now heads to the White House for Biden's signature. Six Democrats did not vote with their party to pass the bill.

The bill itself was contested for a minor reason. Two U.S. Senate members, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Az.), both "moderate Democrats," took issue over the size and wide range of the package as a whole.

The package includes pre-K education for all children between the ages of three and four; investments into affordable housing programs; premium reductions under the Affordable Care Act, also known as "ObamaCare;" along with massive investments designed to address climate change, plus an additional year of the expanded child tax credit.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which is a nonpartisan government agency, has predicted the bill will add about $256 billion to projected deficits over the next 10 years.

The Biden administrations new initiative includes spending priorities for the following areas, according to NPR:

Transportation

Roads, bridges, major projects: $110 billion

Passenger and freight rail: $66 billion

Public transit: $39 billion

Airports: $25 billion

Port infrastructure: $17 billion

Transportation safety programs: $11 billion

Electric vehicles: $7.5 billion

Zero and low-emission buses and ferries: $7.5 billion

Revitalization of communities: $1 billion

Other infrastructure

Broadband: $65 billion

Power infrastructure: $73 billion

Clean drinking water: $55 billion

Resilience and Western water storage: $50 billion

Removal of pollution from water and soil: $21 billion
Sayre, Pa.  An Athens woman is facing a third-degree felony charge after being picked up for a third DUI.

Officers with the Athens Township Police Department said they picked up Anna Elizabeth Marshall, 63, of Athens after a caller reported her to authorities.

According to an affidavit, when officers arrived at the location, Marshalls vehicle was found parked crooked in a spot. Officer Jason Serfas said Marshall failed several field sobriety tests before being transported to the Athens Township Police Station. Officers said Marshall allegedly urinated on herself.

A toxicology report later showed Marshalls blood alcohol level to be 0.282%.

Along with the third-degree felony, Marshall was also charged with summary careless driving. She is scheduled to appear before Judge Larry Hurley on Dec. 10 for a preliminary hearing.

Docket sheet
It takes a whole fleet to clear 49,000 lane-miles of roadway when winter weather strikes in one state, but applications for snowplow drivers are down to about 50% compared to normal.

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) wasted no time in preparing to keep the roads clear during the approaching winter season -- the salt barns are stocked, the trucks are prepped and all the pre-checks are done. However, Ohio, along with at least five other states, is facing a critical setback: a shortage in snowplow drivers.

Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Oregon, Missouri, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Rhode Island, and Wyoming -- all of which typically have snow coating the streets during the winter months -- are still recruiting snowplow drivers this season. In addition, six of these states -- Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Oregon, Missouri, and Colorado -- are each looking to hire more than 100 people for the job.

In Colorado, where winter operations are "the bread and butter" of the state's Department of Transportation (CDOT), the department is seeing a shortage of about 18% to 19% of its snowplow operators, John Lorme, director of Maintenance and Operations for the CDOT, told AccuWeather National Reporter Emmy Victor. Normally the department sees a shortage of around 10% when taking into account promotions, job turnover, etc.

The CDOT currently has about 190 permanent positions available for entry-level maintenance with roughly 100 other temporary positions open, he added.

The ODOT also has more than 190 positions open. Traditionally, most of its seasonal employees come from rural areas of the state, ODOT Public Information Officer Matt Bruning told Victor. It is a bit more challenging to find seasonal employees in the cities due to people with commercial driver's licenses having more options, but this year proved to be a larger challenge overall.

"In some parts of the state, our applications are down about 50% from where they would expect to be," Bruning said. "The good thing is, we have drivers. We have people who will get the roads clear in Ohio. How many seasonal [workers] we get will determine how quickly we get those roads cleared."

The ODOT is responsible for all of the state and U.S. routes outside of municipalities, as well as all of the interstates across Ohio -- that adds up to about 49,000 lane-miles of roadway, Bruning said. The department has a goal to get the primary roads clear within two hours of the end of a snow event and the secondary routes within four hours. While the department hits that goal 95% of the time, Bruning said, this year might prove to be a bit more challenging.

"If we don't have the adequate number of drivers that we need to get the job done quickly, that certainly could lag," Bruning said. "We could certainly take longer to get those roads back up to speed. We don't want that to happen, but certainly, if we don't have the folks to make sure we have enough people to fill all of the routes that are out there, time is going to be the thing that's going to really be a difference."

Both entities are enlisting the help of job fairs and social media, and the CDOT has even shifted hiring practices. While the department typically tries to hire someone with a commercial driver's license and at least two years of construction experience or heavy equipment operation, this year CDOT will be able to train and certify commercial motor vehicle operators after hiring people who might not have any prior experience.

And a shortage of plow drivers is not the only factor that could create challenges for motorists this winter.

A shortage in winter tires could also impact winter travel this season with Goodyear, in particular, expecting to be 5 million tires short this year, according to a report by NBC Montana. Some have blamed the looming shortage on both a rubber and worker shortage, not to mention backlog.

Tire salespeople at Kelleher Tire, a tire store in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, are telling their customers to consider getting snow tires sooner rather than later this season since supply and demand may hurt last-minute customers, WBRE reported. The price of snow tires has hiked up by about 20% since the start of the year, meaning a $100 tire could cost $120.

"Do it now," said Scott Fabbri, a salesman at the Kelleher Tire. "Don't procrastinate, especially this season."

Reporting by Emmy Victor.
Williamsport, Pa. -- In a statement issued today, Police Chief Christopher Kriner of the Old Lycoming Township Police Department said, "Both DA Gardner and I agree that this situation is a travesty of colossal proportions and this investigation will not conclude until all evidence is gathered and analyzed, interviews are conducted and justice on behalf of the two deceased innocent girls is achieved."

Kriner is addressing the discovery of the remains of two children found buried on property along Livermore Rd. in Williamsport this past weekend.

Related reading: BREAKING: Second set of remains found on property north of Williamsport

"Due to the sensitive nature of this active investigation," Kriner said only some information in conjunction with information contained in additional warrants that will be disclosed later this morning will be released at this time.

Six-year-old Nicole Elizabeth Snyder died/was killed and subsequently buried in 2016 in the back yard of the residence at 653 Livermore Road, Williamsport.

Four-year-old Jasmine Jean Snyder died/was killed and subsequently buried in 2017 in the back yard of the residence at 653 Livermore Road, Williamsport.

The remains of the two deceased children are being flown to Erie Pennsylvania this morning for further analysis by a Forensic Anthropologist, Kriner said.

The case has been classified as a homicide. Investigation into the manner of death, motive,and the timeline of events continues to be explored by law enforcement.

The Old Lycoming Township Police Department is leading the investigation with assistance from Detectives of the Lycoming County District Attorneys Office, according to Kriner.

Other Local and Regional law enforcement agencies have thus far assisted with locating and exhuming the remains of the deceased children, including the FBI and State Police.

"The gratitude owed to these agencies as well as the Hepburn Twp. Fire Department, and Lycoming County Sheriffs Office for scene security this weekend cannot be overstated," said Kriner.

"I cannot offer further comment at this time as my Department and the Investigators must return to work to see that all perpetrators of these horrific crimes are held accountable," Kriner said.
Mill Hall -- Cathie E. (Fernburg) Rote, 60, of Mill Hall passed away on Friday, November 5, 2021, peacefully at home.

She was born in Lock Haven to the late Harry C. Fernburg and M. Evelyn (Whitesel) Fernburg on December 2, 1960.

Cathie graduated from Bald Eagle-Nittany High School in 1978, then attended Williamsport Area Community College for cosmetology. Cathie spent much of her time caring for others, something that brought her to life. As a beloved in-home personal caregiver, Cathie enjoyed showing her compassion and kindness to seniors. She worked for BrightStar Care in State College in the years leading up to her passing. Her love for crafting, thrifting, and collecting Old World Santas was something she loved dearly, as well as caring for her Great Dane, Frankie.

Cathie is survived by two sisters and their husbands: Nadine (James) Gorham, of Mill Hall, and Sherri (Michael) Kibbe, of Phoenix, Arizona; three children: Jessica (Douglas) Madenford of Howard, Matthew (Amanda) Rote of Flemington, and Carrie Bower (Ryan Reem) of Lock Haven. She was the loving grandmother of three grandchildren: Emily, Estella, and Oscar.

The family will receive visitors from 10-11 a.m. on Tuesday, November 9, 2021, at Yost-Gedon Funeral Home & Cremation Services LLC, 121 W. Main St. Lock Haven, followed by the services at 11 a.m.

Online thoughts and memories can be made at www.yost-gedonfuneralhome.com or the Yost-Gedon Facebook Page.

To plant a tree in memory of Cathie Rote as a living tribute, please visit Tribute Store.




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Rome likely to table teen curfew change until after first of the year

Doug WalkerAs Rome Assistant Police Chief Debbie Burnett (standing) answers questions about the teen curfew during the Rome City Commission's caucus Monday, Aug. 23, 2021.

Ahead of Mondays meeting, Rome City Commissioners have yet to make a decision about whether to approve a proposed change to the city-wide juvenile curfew.

Action on the pending amendment  along with officially recognizing the results of Tuesdays elections  is the main order of business on the agenda for the session that starts at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall, 601 Broad St.

However, the proposal to amend the curfew from starting at 11 p.m. to 10 p.m. has been tabled four times. Mayor Craig McDaniel said it is likely going to be tabled once again.

Some people believe switching to 10 p.m. is too strict, McDaniel said. A lot of kids have to work. Were trying to solve a downtown problem but its affecting people all over the city. I think itll be delayed again and after the first of the year, well sit down and talk about it.

Under the current ordinance, all minors under the age of 17 must be off the streets between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. unless accompanied by an adult. Failure to adhere to the ordinance results in the parents of that child receiving a fine.

A first reading of the ordinance amendment took place on Oct. 11 and specified that the curfew start time would change to 10 p.m. citywide. While commissioners debated about having an even earlier curfew downtown, any move to do so would require another first reading.

Commissioners start their premeeting caucus at 5 p.m. with presentations on the South Meadows project in South Rome and Redmond Regional Medical Centers change to AdventHealth Redmond. Both sessions are public.

The commission will have a special called meeting Friday, that will go into closed session to discuss litigation. While McDaniel did not comment on what specific litigation would be discussed, the city is currently the plaintiff in lawsuits concerning opioid distribution and water contamination.

In early 2018, Rome and Floyd County joined a class action lawsuit against a dozen or so top opioid manufacturers, seeking to recoup costs of dealing with a surge of local addictions.

In 2019, the city filed a lawsuit against 30 companies that own or operate carpet facilities in Dalton. The lawsuit contends the companies  including 3M, DuPont, Shaw Industries and others  knew the perfluorinated compounds used in their manufacturing were toxic. The chemicals, namely PFOA and PFOS, migrated downstream in the Oostanaula River, the main source of the citys water.
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My kids have always been interested in military history, so Ive looked for military museums to work into the itinerary when weve been on road trips. I thought Id share a few of those as we observe Veterans Day this week. Theyve run the gamut from small volunteer-run one-room exhibits to large-scale state-of-the-art spots.

One that was very interesting was the Rock Island Arsenal Museum. It is the Armys second oldest museum and housed on an activity military facility in Rock Island, Illinois. The museum opened in 1905 and holds a large collection of weapons and gives an overview of the history of the Rock Island Arsenal. Besides visiting the museum, the kids had fun checking out the PX and some of the military vehicles that were out on display at a park. The museum is currently closed for renovations and expected to re-open next summer.

The Illinois State Military Museum is a small museum in Springfield that I visited with my middle son. It focuses on preserving the heritage of the Illinois National Guard. Besides a number of historical items on display, there are also encampments that take place there so you have a chance to see living history as well on occasion.
EAST CHICAGO  The City Council overturned two mayoral vetoes at its most recent meeting.

The first was for an ordinance that fixes salaries for police and fire personnel for 2022.

Council President Robert Garcia, D-5th, said the ordinance provides 10% raises across the board for both police and fire, as well as three additional personal days for police.

The ordinance also establishes grade pay to reward both departments for college credit earned.

The second ordinance for which a veto was overturned involved the amending of the personnel policy manual/employee handbook for the city.

That ordinance provides six more sick days for city employees, for a total of 12.

It also changes how employees can use accumulated sick hours.

"Before you had to use your bank days three at a time," Garcia said.

He said employees will now be able to use banked hours in half-day increments.

Prior to the council voting to overturn the vetoes, City Corporation Counsel Carla Morgan read objections on behalf of Mayor Anthony Copeland.
"Judge Buckley fully cooperated with the Commission in this matter and acknowledges he violated the Code of Judicial Conduct," the admonition says.

Buckley declined comment on the matter when contacted by The Times Monday morning.

Buckley, a Republican, who defeated incumbent Democratic Porter Superior Court Judge David Chidester to take over the bench at the start of this year, had presided over the Lowell Town Court for four years beginning January 2016, the commission says.

He ordered two defendants on Jan. 21, 2020 held without bond, issued arrest warrants and then submitted his resignation days later on Jan. 30, according to the commission. Lowell court staff noticed Feb. 6, 2020 the two defendants remained in custody and they were brought into a Lake Superior Court by Feb. 12 and released with orders to appear back in court.

The Indiana Supreme Court received a report on Feb. 21, 2020 indicating the Lake County Jail submitted a request to judges to considering releasing the two defendants, who were being held without bond, the commission said.
However, the man failed to show up for his first court hearing after a judge granted him a conditional release in June 2020. A warrant for his arrest has been active since August 2020, records showed.

Attorneys in the case against Johnson took three depositions from the man before his disappearance, including two in 2018 and one in 2019, Gruenhagen said.

Lake County Deputy Prosecutor David Rooda said law enforcement agencies have been looking for the man but have not found him.

In the absence of the man's testimony, prosecutors planned to read parts of the man's depositions into the trial record, Rooda said.

According to court records, the man told police Johnson likely targeted him because Johnson's family believed he gave authorities information about Johnson's brother's whereabouts before the brother's arrest in Chicago.

Jurors during this week's trial were not expected to hear evidence regarding allegations surrounding the 2019 shooting.

Johnson was acquitted of kidnapping charges linked to that shooting after a trial in U.S. District Court in Hammond last spring.
HIGHLAND  In an effort to help Vietnam veterans find closure for their service in the unpopular war, Bob Carnegay is organizing a tribute dinner to thank them for their service.

It's from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday at Wicker Park Social Center, 8554 Indianapolis Blvd., in Highland.

Carnegay had hoped to hold the event sooner, but the pandemic prevented that. It was finally decided to hold it Sunday, but he ran into another problem when the guest speaker canceled and he had to find someone else. The new speaker will be John Meeks, from Kokomo, who was a dog handler in Vietnam in 1970 and 1971.

Meeks' dog was Artus, who is remembered with a statue at the Vietnam memorial in Lansing, where a marker commemorates the service of both the dog and his handler. Carnegay said Meeks will talk about the evolution of the use of scout dogs since World War II. He brings his latest dog, Brutus, as a part of the demonstration.

Carnegay said he expected about 300 for the first date the dinner was scheduled but now is looking for around 200. Each attendee will receive a free gift.
One of the horrors of World War II was that the gas chambers at the death camps werent destroyed as soon as they were discovered.

They came into Auschwitz and they sent out messages what was going on this first experimental gas chamber, Eisen said. They said this chamber must be bombed, but nobody came in and bombed anything.

There were hundreds of thousands, millions of Jews, being shipped by trains to the death camps in Poland, including Eisens family. I think they said, the powers that be at the time, that our main aim was to win the war.

All of my family were brutally murdered, my maternal side and my paternal side, he said.

Eisen told of his arrival at Auschwitz-Birkenau. My father and uncle and I were selected by an officer with white gloves, he said. All I remember is seeing my mother with her little baby in her arm, holding onto Eisens siblings with her other hand.

We knew were going to see them tomorrow morning, which was a deception on this platform, he said.

He never saw them again.

Our hair was shaved, and some other things that happened," he said. "They were trying to see if we had anything hidden in our rectums.
"This is what it looks like when members of Congress can work together in a bipartisan fashion to solve problems and improve the livelihoods of individuals in communities throughout our nation," Mrvan said.

"I look forward, after President Biden signs this measure into law, to seeing these investments come to fruition and watching our incredible unions, workforce, and small businesses get to work to further grow our economy."

Only two of Indiana's 11 members of Congress supported the legislation, Mrvan and U.S. Rep. Andre Carson, D-Indianapolis.

It was opposed by all nine Republicans representing the Hoosier State, including both U.S. Sen. Todd Young and U.S. Sen. Mike Braun.

U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Elkhart, whose 2nd District includes part of LaPorte County, said she voted "no" because she considers the infrastructure plan to be a "socialist tax and spend scheme" that's "about securing more control over Americans from cradle to grave."

Similarly, U.S. Rep. Jim Baird, R-Greencastle, whose 4th District contains Newton and Jasper counties, said he could not support the infrastructure legislation because he considers it "little more than a Trojan horse" for additional, future Democratic spending proposals.
The president, who was elected on a platform of improving relations with the West and escaping crippling economic sanctions, has been seen as vulnerable to a challenge from Irans hard-liners, for failing to deliver on his promises. Many sanctions remain in place even after the signing last year of a nuclear deal, primarily because of what the United States says is Irans support for terrorism and human rights violations.

Tehran denies those accusations, but no European or American bank will finance business with Iran as long as the sanctions remain in effect, unless the United States Treasury specifically certifies the deal, as it did for recent contracts with Airbus and Boeing.

Image Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is seen as part of Irans hard-line faction. Credit... Vahid Salemi/Associated Press

Mr. Ahmadinejads two presidential terms, from 2005 to 2013, were defined by confrontation with global powers, especially the United States. He is widely admired by the rural poor but is despised by the middle class majority. Corruption grew substantially during his tenure, and it continues to be a major problem today.

Experts say most of the profits from record-high oil prices during Mr. Ahmadinejads years were pumped around the state apparatus or were invested in ambitious housing projects that now stand empty in desert plains, without proper utilities or transportation infrastructure.
Ayatollah Khamenei and the rest of the establishment could simply choose to disqualify Mr. Ahmadinejad, as a vetting council they control is expected to do to hundreds of others who have registered as candidates. But responding to Mr. Ahmadinejads desire for a political rebirth might require a more finessed response, analysts said.

President Hassan Rouhani is favored to win re-election. But many Iranians have been disappointed over the lack of economic recovery after the nuclear deal Iran reached with the United States and other major powers in 2015. Irans hard-liners strongly dislike Mr. Rouhanis desire to reach out to the West and even to the United States. They accuse him of wanting to smooth the sharp edges of Irans ideology and being too willing to consider compromises on cultural issues.

The hard-liners have seized on popular discontent over the economy, and they tried to undermine and pressure Mr. Rouhani where they could. About a dozen pro-Rouhani activists who oversaw social media pages have been arrested in recent weeks. Mr. Rouhanis brother, Hossein Fereydoun, was summoned to court last week on allegations of corruption. Morality police officers, whom Mr. Rouhani had promised to remove from the streets during the 2013 presidential campaign, are back and arresting women deemed to be wearing their Islamic scarves improperly.

Mr. Ahmadinejad, meanwhile, has been quietly trying to rebrand himself. Ever since his falling-out with Ayatollah Khamenei, which was over the selection of the minister of intelligence, a position that requires the supreme leaders approval, Mr. Ahmadinejad has been presenting himself as an anti-establishment figure  someone who is not afraid to ignore the will of Ayatollah Khamenei.
JOHANNESBURG  The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a dayslong ambush of a port town in northern Mozambique last week that forced tens of thousands of people to flee the area and left dozens dead, including some foreigners.

The attack on the town, Palma, was an alarming escalation of the war in the gas-rich province of Cabo Delgado, where insurgents with loose ties to the Islamic State have killed at least 2,000 people in a campaign of violence over the past three years.

In recent months, the local insurgency has grown in strength and seized large swaths of territory, including the regions other main port town. Last weeks attack demonstrated a new level of boldness from the insurgents and was the closest the group has come to a multibillion-dollar gas project that is operated by international energy companies.

Few analysts believe that the Islamic State in the Middle East maintains a close relationship with the insurgency, which was born out of frustration over local grievances and shares few of the Islamic States ideological aims. But claiming responsibility for the deadly attack underscores the organizations ability to leverage loose ties with militant groups around the world to create the impression of a truly global struggle.
BAGHDAD  Iraqs leader has been under intense pressure to rein in the dozens of paramilitary groups that are nominally under the command of the Iraqi government but have proved seemingly impossible for him to control.

That was made abundantly clear this week, when Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi ordered a move against one militia leader and quickly paid a price.

After government forces arrested a paramilitary commander on Wednesday, Iraqi militias backed by Iran mounted a show of force in and around the heavily guarded Green Zone in Baghdad, in a confrontation that goes to the heart of who controls security in Iraq.

Curbing the Iranian-backed militias that emerged in 2014 to fight the Islamic State  and have now become an entrenched part of Iraqs security  was one of Mr. Kadhimis key promises when he took power last May. Bringing to justice those who kidnap and kill government protesters was another pledge.
LONDON  The Parliament of Denmark passed a law on Thursday that allows the nation to relocate asylum seekers outside of Europe to have their refugee claims assessed, despite criticism from rights groups and the United Nations.

The law is the latest in a series of hard-line immigration measures that have been introduced in the Nordic nation in recent years  particularly after the 2015 migration crisis in Europe  to discourage asylum seekers. Those moves have been widely criticized by rights groups, and some have warned that the new measure could threaten the internationally established rights of refugees to protection.

The law would allow Denmark to move people out of the country to asylum centers in an undetermined partner country for case reviews, and they could possibly remain there as refugees. Denmark has not yet reached an agreement with any country to accept its asylum seekers, but a potential deal could include successful asylum seekers receiving protections in the partner country.

The bill, an amendment to Denmarks Aliens Act, passed with wide support from lawmakers, tightens policies already seen as the most stringent in Europe. The law aims to allow in only the number of refugees Denmark has committed to resettle under a United Nations quota system and no more.
At the time of his death, Mr. Moise, 53, had been in the throes of a political crisis. Protesters accused him of overstaying his term, of controlling local gangs and of ruling by decree as the nations institutions were being hollowed out.

Mr. Moise was also locked in battle with some of the nations wealthy oligarchs, including the family that controlled the nations electrical grid. While many people described the president as an autocratic leader, Mrs. Moise said her fellow citizens should remember him as a man who stood up to the rich and powerful.

And now she wants to know if one of them had him killed.

Only the oligarchs and the system could kill him, she said.

Dressed in black, with her arm  now limp and perhaps useless forever, she said  wrapped in a sling and bandages, Mrs. Moise offered an interview in South Florida on the agreement that The New York Times not reveal her whereabouts. Flanked by her children, security guards, Haitian diplomats and other advisers, she barely spoke above a whisper.

She and her husband had been asleep when the sounds of gunfire jolted them to their feet, she recalled. Mrs. Moise said she ran to wake her two children, both in their early 20s, and urged them to hide in a bathroom, the only room without windows. They huddled there with their dog.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti  The commander in charge of guarding the Haitian presidents home quickly became a suspect in the assassination of President Jovenel Moise last month when his security team inexplicably melted away, enabling hit men to enter the residence with little resistance and kill the president in his own bedroom.

But current and former officials say that the commander, Dimitri Herard, was already a suspect in a separate case that the United States Drug Enforcement Administration has pursued for years: the disappearance of hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds of cocaine and heroin that were whisked away by corrupt officials only hours before law enforcement agents showed up to seize them.

Now, some international officials assisting with the investigation into the presidents assassination say they are examining whether those criminal networks help explain the killing. Haitian officials, including the countrys prime minister, have acknowledged that the official explanation presented in the days after the assassination  that Mr. Moise was gunned down in an elaborate plot to seize political office  does not entirely add up, and that the true motive behind the murder has not been uncovered.

Haiti is a major transit point for drugs heading to the United States, and American and United Nations officials say the trade flourishes through an array of politicians, businesspeople and members of law enforcement who abuse their power. Now, current and former officials say that Mr. Herard has long been a focal point of the investigation into one of the biggest drug trafficking cases the D.E.A. has ever pursued in Haiti.
Wherever youre at, they will take you up in a heartbeat, said Manuel, whose professional acting debut was playing Marvin Gaye on tour in Motown: The Musical. If youve got family, youve got everything that you need.

Griffin, 35, who grew up in Pittsburgh and moved to New York about six years ago to advance his music career, was shocked to learn that a new leading member in Aint Too Proud was a blood relative.

I knew nothing of him  absolutely nothing, Griffin said. I saw him onstage whenever they turn around and the musicians wave. Thats about it.

If it wasnt for a video of the curtain call on Feb. 28, they might never have realized it. Manuel and his family had missed an earlier reunion, and the one scheduled for 2020 was canceled because of the pandemic.

In February 2020, Manuels mother, Amiesha Williams, traveled to New York City to see his debut, and the day after, she posted a YouTube video of the curtain call on a family Facebook page used to plan reunions.

You know how proud moms are, Manuel said, they just brag.

The post garnered clapping emojis, encouraging remarks and then a comment from Griffins mother, Linda, pointing out that her son was in the center of the video playing the viola. She didnt realize who Matt Manuel was and why Williams had posted the video of him in the first place.

How do you know him? Linda Griffin wrote in the comments section.

Williams replied the next day: Im sorry I fell asleep so Im just seeing this. Matthew is my son.
Over the past year, critical race theory has gone from arcane legal concept to potent political rallying cry, as Republican legislatures have rushed to introduce bills banning it and other divisive concepts in public schools.

The furor over the subject has sown chaotic protests at local school board meetings, and is credited with contributing to last weeks election victory by the Republican Glenn Youngkin, who promised at nearly every campaign stop to ban critical race theory on his first day in office as Virginias governor.

To their proponents these bills represent a legitimate effort by parents to use the democratic process to shape education. But the measures have been widely assailed by Democrats (and a few conservatives) as a threat to liberal education and to the teaching of even some of the most basic facts about American history.

In a new report released Monday, the free expression group PEN America emphasizes what it says is another threat they pose: to the free speech guaranteed in the First Amendment.
Few sectors of New York Citys economy lean more heavily on foreign tourists for revenue than the arts, and, as international travel to the United States restarts Monday, the citys cultural institutions are more than eager for them to return.

Were waiting with arms open, said Victoria Bailey, the executive director of the Theater Development Fund, the nonprofit that operates the TKTS discount ticket booth, where about 70 percent of the tickets are bought by tourists and roughly half of those sales are to foreign travelers.

Indeed, billions of dollars and many thousands of jobs are at stake. Employment in New York Citys arts, entertainment and recreation sector plummeted by 66 percent from December 2019 to December 2020, according to a state report.

Tourists from outside the U.S. comprise about 15 percent of Broadways audience during a traditional season, said Charlotte St. Martin, the president of the Broadway League. Across the last five seasons at the Metropolitan Opera, international ticket sales have averaged about 20 percent of the total box office.
U.S. borders open to fully vaccinated foreigners

The U.S. reopened its borders for fully vaccinated travelers from dozens of countries on Monday, ending 18 months of restrictions on international travel.

Emotional scenes and reunions played out at airports across the country, like in Miami, where a woman from Brazil met her newborn grandchild at the airport. In San Diego, a traveler from Mexico arrived for medical treatment.

Fully vaccinated travelers will be allowed to enter the U.S. if they can show proof of vaccination and a negative virus test taken within three days of travel. Unvaccinated Americans and children are exempt, but must take a test within one day of travel.

Data: The loss in visitor spending amounted to nearly $300 billion, and more than one million American jobs were lost. The U.S. Travel Association does not expect international inbound travel to recover to 2019 levels until at least 2024.
Macys is offering referral bonuses of up to $500 for each friend or family member that employees recruit to join the company. Walmart is paying as much as $17 an hour to start and has begun offering free college tuition to its workers. And some Amazon warehouse jobs now command signing bonuses of up to $3,000.

Retailers, expecting the holiday shopping season to be bustling once again this year after being upended by the coronavirus in 2020, are scrambling to find enough workers to staff their stores and distribution centers in a tight labor market. It is not proving easy to entice applicants to an industry that has been battered, more than most, by the pandemics many challenges, from fights over mask wearing to high rates of infection among employees. Willing retail workers are likely to earn larger paychecks and work fewer hours, while consumers may be greeted by less inventory and understaffed stores.

Folks looking to work in retail have typically had very little choice  its largely been driven by geography and availability of hours, said Mark A. Cohen, the director of retail studies at Columbia Universitys business school. Now they can pick and choose whos got the highest, best benefits, bonuses and hourly rates. And as weve seen, the escalation has been striking.

Or as Jeff Gennette, the chief executive of Macys, which plans to hire 76,000 full- and part-time employees this season, put it in a recent interview: Everyones experiencing this  theres a war for talent at the front lines. My sense is we all have to raise our game.
Its assuming that countries like Australia and Saudi Arabia will get there by 2050, simply because theyve said they will, said Jennifer Morgan, executive director of Greenpeace International. When in reality they havent put in place the funding or policies to make this happen.

One issue being debated this week is whether countries should have to come back to the United Nations more frequently, perhaps annually, with stronger short-term plans to cut emissions. At the moment, governments arent expected to submit new pledges until 2025.

5 Takeaways From the COP26 Climate Summit Card 1 of 5 1. Time for action is running out. The major agreement struck by diplomats established a clear consensus that all nations need to do much more, immediately, to prevent a catastrophic rise in global temperatures. 2. How much each nation needs to cut remains unresolved. Rich countries are disproportionately responsible for global warming, but some leaders have insisted that its the poorer nations who need to accelerate their shift away from fossil fuels. 3. The call for disaster aid increased. One of the biggest fights at the summit revolved around whether  and how  the worlds wealthiest nations should compensate poorer nations for the damage caused by rising temperatures. 4. A surprising emissions-cutting agreement. Among the other notable deals to come out of the summit was a U.S.-China agreement to do more to cut emissions this decade, and China committed for the first time to develop a plan to reduce methane. 5. There was a clear gender and generation gap. Those with the power to make decisions about how much the world warms were mostly old and male. Those who were most fiercely protesting the pace of action were mostly young and female.









Thats a bit too late for many countries to strengthen their pledges for this decade, since theyll have built a lot of fossil-fuel infrastructure by then and will have locked in additional emissions, said Jennifer Tollmann, an analyst for E3G, a climate research group.

Sabra Ibrahim Noordeen is the climate envoy for the Maldives, an archipelago of low-lying islands in the Indian Ocean that has been inhabited for thousands of years but could be inundated within three generations because of rising seas. She said countries like hers were depending on the summit to get it right.

Please get us to 1.5, she said.

Even more contentious is the question of money, which has long been a big sticking point in global climate talks.

A decade ago, the worlds wealthiest nations pledged to mobilize $100 billion per year by 2020 to help poorer countries transition to cleaner energy and protect themselves against the growing dangers from heat waves, floods, droughts and wildfires as the planet heats up.

So far, those promises have not been met. By one estimate, wealthy countries are still falling short by tens of billions of dollars per year. And critics have said that even this money has been poorly targeted. A large fraction of aid to date has been handed out as loans, which developing countries often struggle to repay. And only a tiny sliver of financing has gone toward efforts to adapt to climate change.
To the extent President Biden has been able to restore Mr. Obamas climate agenda, it has been through diplomatic moves, like rejoining the Paris Agreement, or through legislation that, if it wins passage, will do so almost entirely on Democratic votes because Republicans have withheld support.

One of our two major parties has decided not only to sit on the sidelines, but express active hostility toward climate science and make climate change a partisan issue, Mr. Obama said.

Saving the planet isnt a partisan issue, he said, adding that politics dont matter if your Florida house is flooded by rising seas, or your crops fail in the Dakotas or your California house is burning down. Nature, science do not care about party affiliation.

His agenda was carefully curated. In addition to a plenary address, Mr. Obama spoke to leaders of several island countries already feeling the acute impacts of climate change, emphasizing the need for money to help vulnerable countries adapt to a hotter planet. He joined a closed-door meeting with a bloc of countries that call themselves the High Ambition Coalition and ended his day with a round table with young advocates, organized by the Obama Foundation along with Columbia Climate School.

At the round table event in the late afternoon, a large group of students waited at the entrance to see his arrival at the University of Strathclyde. An even larger group gathered near the gates when he left, nearly two hours later.

5 Takeaways From the COP26 Climate Summit Card 1 of 5 1. Time for action is running out. The major agreement struck by diplomats established a clear consensus that all nations need to do much more, immediately, to prevent a catastrophic rise in global temperatures. 2. How much each nation needs to cut remains unresolved. Rich countries are disproportionately responsible for global warming, but some leaders have insisted that its the poorer nations who need to accelerate their shift away from fossil fuels. 3. The call for disaster aid increased. One of the biggest fights at the summit revolved around whether  and how  the worlds wealthiest nations should compensate poorer nations for the damage caused by rising temperatures. 4. A surprising emissions-cutting agreement. Among the other notable deals to come out of the summit was a U.S.-China agreement to do more to cut emissions this decade, and China committed for the first time to develop a plan to reduce methane. 5. There was a clear gender and generation gap. Those with the power to make decisions about how much the world warms were mostly old and male. Those who were most fiercely protesting the pace of action were mostly young and female.









Luisa Neubauer, 25, a leader of the Fridays for the Future movement in Germany, who was part of the round table, said afterward that it was a positive sign that the United States, under Mr. Biden, was making new pledges, though she felt it hadnt been honest about its past failings. Young people, me included, we are very reluctant to be hopeful just because a new leader makes a promise or a former president goes around making promises, she said. Because we have been betrayed again and again.

During the summit, young people have filled the streets of Glasgow and around the world to demand more ambitious action on climate change from their leaders. Mr. Obama urged them to keep up the pressure and to stay angry.
Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together.

KABUL, Afghanistan  When the Taliban are in your bedroom and theres a photograph of you on the wall holding an American flag, a rifle and dressed like a recruiting commercial for the Marines, you have to keep it together.

Then theres the kitschy mug on your desk that you picked up from a shop just as Bagram Air Base closed in July. It reads, Been theredone that/Operation Enduring Freedom.

And the empty beer can in your trash that you drank the night before Kabul fell in August when you had a feeling this might be the last beer you drink in Afghanistan for awhile because the insurgents-turned-rulers dont take kindly to booze.

And that photo of you in uniform? Taken just before the largest operation against the Taliban of the American war in Afghanistan, when you were a Marine in Helmand Province more than a decade ago. That was when the insurgents were shadows in the opposite tree line, but now, in October, theyre feet away, standing next to your bed, separated by a decade and a lost war.
The Board of Correction, created in 1957, is one of the oldest jail oversight organizations in the country. It has helped push a number of reforms, including the creation of specialized mental health units, suicide prevention programs and the elimination of solitary confinement for young people in 2015.

The board was granted increased funding in Mayor Bill de Blasios first years in office, allowing it to hire more staff, and in turn, to more than double the number of studies it produced, evaluating the jails operations in detail with data about health care, injuries, grievances and investigations.

The boards insistence that the Correction Department implement certain conditions  for example providing those in its custody with time out of their cells and due process, and ensuring that those with serious disabilities not be placed in housing designed for detainees with histories of violence  made a quantifiable difference.

The board also revamped how the city keeps tabs on younger detainees. As a result, the amount of time that those detainees spent in one of the departments largest restrictive housing units declined nearly 30 percent from 2017 to 2018, and the use of desks outfitted with restraining devices in the unit declined more than 50 percent, according to testimony that the board provided to the City Council.

But the pandemic led to budget cuts, the emergency suspension of several minimum standards  including those requiring that detainees have access to lawyers and group religious services  and the cessation of some of the boards traditional roles, including its members daily visits to jails.

Mr. de Blasio largely reversed those budget cuts this spring and authorized funding for two positions that would focus on jail deaths. But those positions  a death investigator and an independent auditor on suicides  have yet to be filled. (More than a third of those who have died in jails this year have committed suicide.)
One word: jobs.

Full-time, well-paying jobs. And not just the 11,000 permanent jobs at the two new manufacturing sites, but also thousands upon thousands of construction and infrastructure jobs to build and maintain the huge campuses. Bob Rolfe, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, estimates that the West Tennessee site alone will create about 33,000 construction jobs, along with some 27,000 corollary jobs once the complex is fully operational.

Opinion Conversation The climate, and the world, are changing. What challenges will the future bring, and how should we respond to them? What should our leaders be doing?

Al Gore, the 45th vice president of the United States, finds reasons for optimism in the Biden presidency.

Al Gore, the 45th vice president of the United States, finds reasons for optimism in the Biden presidency. What are the worst climate risks in your country?

Select a country, and we'll break down the climate hazards it faces.

Select a country, and we'll break down the climate hazards it faces. Where are Americans suffering most?

Our maps, developed with experts, show where extreme heat is causing the most deaths in the U.S.

Our maps, developed with experts, show where extreme heat is causing the most deaths in the U.S. What does climate devastation look like?

In Sept. 2020, Michael Benson studied detailed satellite imagery. Here's the earth that he saw  and the one he wants to see.

Its nice that the plants are an investment in a green future, in other words, but thats not the reason leaders in Tennessee and Kentucky are doing cartwheels. In investing $11.4 billion in electric vehicles and bringing those jobs to Tennessee and Kentucky, the Ford Motor Co. has inadvertently invented a perfect laboratory experiment in how to turn the red states green.

When money is on the line, politicians have always been willing to jettison positions they have stated loudly, for the record, over the course of years. Ms. Blackburn was also thrilled in 2019 when Volkswagen announced it was making the Chattanooga plant its North American base for manufacturing electric vehicles, adding 1,000 jobs. She was thrilled again when the battery company Microvast announced earlier this year that it was setting up shop in Clarksville, bringing almost 300 jobs to Tennessee, and when General Motors announced it would build a battery plant in Spring Hill, bringing another 1,300 jobs. The G.M. announcement came on the heels of yet another announcement that it would be building its new electric S.U.V. in Spring Hill.

These electric car and battery plants are just the most visible manifestations of the green future that is coming, even in the reddest of red states. It doesnt matter in the least whether Republicans like it. As with the Ford Motor Co., they can participate in and profit from it, or they can get left behind. And they are finally showing signs that they dont wish to be left behind.

All deathbed conversions smack of hypocrisy, and this level of overt hypocrisy is almost unbelievable. Green technology is economically viable today only because Democrats seeded this field years ago. Obama-era funding for clean energy research and electric vehicles, for example, is a key reason for growth in those sectors during even the environmentally hostile Trump years. Red-state politicians have worked unceasingly to subvert policies that created the very economic harvest they are now reaping themselves. It is truly nothing less than enraging.

But rage, no matter how justified, should not obscure the real point here. The point is for human behavior to change in time to save this gorgeous, teeming, irreplaceable, suffering planet. Deathbed conversions happen because time has run out, and our time has run out.

If even dug-in science deniers such as Marsha Blackburn and Mitch McConnell can come around on climate issues when they are convinced that doing so would benefit their constituents in visible and measurable ways, then its conceivable that an environmentally sound future is possible even in regions now tightly tethered to fossil fuels. Its even conceivable that renewable energy could cease to be a political issue and become simply a common-sense strategy for a country that doesnt want to run the planet into the ground.
South Lake Tahoe | $974,900

A geodesic dome built in 1987, with four bedrooms and two bathrooms, on a 0.2-acre lot

The Lake Tahoe area has long been a destination for second-home buyers from elsewhere in the state, a trend that has picked up considerably in recent years. This house is in Montgomery Estates, a neighborhood that is particularly appealing, thanks to its proximity to the Heavenly Mountain ski resort, about four miles away (or a 10-minute drive), and High Meadow Trailhead, popular with hikers and mountain bikers, about half a mile away.

South Lake Tahoe, with its shopping and dining options, and El Dorado Beach are a 10-minute drive. Reno, Nev., is about an hour and 20 minutes away.

Size: 2,068 square feet

Price per square foot: $471

Indoors: The house is set back from the street, with stairs leading up to a wooden porch.

The front door opens directly into the kitchen, updated by the sellers with new stainless-steel appliances, gray subway tile and quartz counters. Just beyond the kitchen is an open living room, rounded thanks to the shape of the house. In one part of the space is a sitting area in front of windows looking out over the neighborhood. In another part of the space is a built-in bar; behind it, sliding-glass doors open to a deck. On the other side of the living space is a dining area with a navy-blue accent wall.
Four astronauts from the NASA Crew-2 mission safely landed at night off the coast of Pensacola, Fla. The crew members have spent about half a year at the International Space Station.

The first views of Crew Dragon, look at that tail. Thats the 3,500 degrees. Yes. Look for the hot thing, right? It is the hottest thing in the sky right now. This is an excellent view of the drogue parachutes. There it is. Drogue separation, main chute deploy. Well wait for confirmation of four healthy mains. [applause] Dragon, visual of four healthy mains. Descent rate nominal. [applause] In a  were slightly ahead of schedule. We were expecting Dragon lift to begin at L plus 38 minutes. It is L plus 30 minutes now, so these things continuing to go smoothly as part of Crew 2s return and recovery. Theres that translation. Oh this is wonderful footage. Live views inside Endeavour, wonderful, getting all four crew members thumbs up. First crew member being egressed from Crew Dragon Endeavor. Got to witness some applause there from some of the recovery personnel as well.

After some 200 days aboard the International Space Station, astronauts from NASA, France and Japan splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday night.

Nov. 8, 2021, 11:52 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2021, 11:52 p.m. ET Whos going to space next. Image From left, astronauts Matthias Maurer, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron and Raja Chari on Oct. 26. Credit... Joe Skipper/Reuters NASA almost launched a crew of astronauts to space on Halloween. That group, Crew-3, would have completed a formal handoff with the Crew-2 astronauts who returned to Earth on Monday night. But weather conditions and a minor health issue, according to NASA, prevented Crew-3 from leaving on time. On Wednesday night, Crew-3 could head to orbit. If their mission begins on time, they will lift off at 9:03 p.m. Eastern time, and arrive at the space station the next day. The four members of Crew-3 are: Raja Chari, the missions commander, is 44 and will be the fifth astronaut of Indian descent to go to space. Raised in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and educated in aeronautics and astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he was a test pilot and an Air Force colonel who flew combat missions in Iraq before joining NASAs astronaut corps in 2017. Matthias Maurer, Crew-3s mission specialist, is a German astronaut representing the European Space Agency. Mr. Maurer, 51, joined the European astronaut corps in 2015 after roles as a paramedic, a materials scientist and an engineer. Kayla Barron, 34 and a mission specialist, also joined NASAs astronaut corps in 2017. She graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a bachelors degree in systems engineering in 2010, and a year later received her masters degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Cambridge. She was among the first group of women to serve on a Navy submarine and was an officer aboard a ballistic missile submarine across three patrols. Tom Marshburn, 61, who will set off on his third trek to orbit since joining NASAs astronaut corps in 2004. Mr. Marshburn has flown on two space vehicles in the past, serving as a crew member aboard NASAs Space Shuttle Endeavour in 2009 and on Russias Soyuz spacecraft in 2013. He is the missions pilot. During their mission Crew-3 will play host to a number of space tourists. Russias space agency is scheduled to carry Yusaku Maezawa, a Japanese billionaire, to the space station. Mr. Maezawa and a producer who is accompanying him, Yozo Hirano, would be Russias second pair of amateur astronauts this year, after a film crew that made the trip in September. Then early in 2022, a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule will carry a trio of space tourists to the space station. The trip was booked by Axiom Space, a private company with ambitions of building its own private space station. The three astronauts paid $55 million each for their trips, and will be accompanied by Michael Lopez-Alegria, a NASA veteran who works for Axiom.

Nov. 8, 2021, 11:20 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2021, 11:20 p.m. ET When will SpaceXs big Starship fly to orbit? Image The Starship SN15 prototype sitting on the launch pad in Boca Chica, Texas, in April. Credit... Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald, via Associated Press The Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsules have been the heart of SpaceXs business for years. But the company is devoting more and more of its energies to Starship, a next-generation, fully reusable spacecraft. Starship is also central to the dream of Elon Musk, the companys founder, of one day ferrying humans to Mars. Mr. Musk has indicated Starship would be ready to make its first flight to orbit as soon as this month, pending completion of a protracted regulatory review of the companys Starship launch facilities in Boca Chica, Texas. Some neighbors of the site, which is in the vicinity of the city of Brownsville, have objected to the companys growing economic and environmental footprint, while others have welcomed SpaceX for presenting job prospects to the community. Prototypes of Starship have been test-launched with no passengers aboard several times in South Texas to roughly six-mile altitudes. All except its most recent test in May ended in explosions. But during the May flight, the vehicle succeeded in landing vertically on a concrete slab. SpaceX then pivoted to a new phase of Starship development, making major investments in launch infrastructure to support Starships leap to orbit. To do that, the company will for the first time use its Super Heavy booster, the reusable first half of the Starship system that lifts the second half into space before returning back to land. Once it separates from the booster, the Starship vehicle will attempt to reach orbit and make a single trip around Earth before re-entering the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean for a splashdown off the coast of Hawaii, according to regulatory documents SpaceX filed earlier this year. Humans will not be on board. But no matter how ready SpaceX is for its orbital mission, the Federal Aviation Administration must first complete an environmental assessment of the launch facilities before it will issue a license for the Starship flight. The companys Boca Chica campus was subjected to a similar review nearly a decade ago, but the sites significant upgrades prompted the F.A.A. to initiate a new review process last year to re-examine environmental impacts. Drawing on local wildlife agencies and public comments from local residents, the review is intended to assess the sites effects on its surroundings. The launch facilities sit in the middle of a nature preserve and just outside a small village of homes that Mr. Musk has sought to buy out. Though its unclear exactly when the review will be completed, it could continue through the end of 2021. SpaceX won a $3 billion NASA contract in April to use Starship for the agencys first two missions to the moon within the next five years, including one with American astronauts on board. That mission would mark the first crewed moon landing since 1972, the year of NASAs final Apollo mission. Blue Origin, the space company owned by Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder and former chief executive of Amazon, filed two legal challenges to NASAs SpaceX contract that delayed the agencys work on Starship by six months. A judge on Thursday ruled against Blue Origin and allowed NASA to proceed with the contract. The agency is expected to redraw the moon programs timeline in an update on Tuesday. Read more

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Nov. 8, 2021, 10:53 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2021, 10:53 p.m. ET What happens after the astronauts land. Image Astronaut Douglas Hurley was helped out of the Endeavour spacecraft aboard a recovery ship in August 2020. Credit... Bill Ingalls/NASA, via Reuters Now that the Crew Dragon has splashed down in the waters off Floridas coast, the astronauts will sit tight in the capsule while SpaceX and NASA recovery teams in fast boats race to their location. A member of those teams will latch a hook to the top of the spacecraft. A larger SpaceX ship named GO Searcher will be close behind. It will use a crane to hoist the capsule out of the water and onto its rear deck, fitting it snugly onto a raised pad  the Dragon nest  to keep Crew Dragon steady as the vessel bobs in the ocean. Safely out of the water, recovery teams will then open the hatch, giving the four astronauts their first breath of fresh air in roughly 200 days. Medical teams aboard the ship will help the astronauts out of the capsule one by one, using stretchers if necessary to keep them off their feet as they adjust to Earths gravity. Long-term trips in space can reduce muscle mass and throw off an astronauts sense of balance, requiring a physical recovery process upon returning to Earth. The Crew-2 astronauts will be flown in a helicopter back to land and board a NASA plane bound for the agencys Johnson Space Center, its astronaut headquarters in Houston, where theyll spend a few days undergoing medical checks. For missions as long as six months, NASA research indicates it can take about three days for astronauts to recover their balance and gait. Astronauts who make shorter visits to space dont seem to have as much trouble. In September, the four private passengers who spent three days in orbit on the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission sauntered freely out of the capsule with little difficulty. Read more

Nov. 8, 2021, 10:15 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2021, 10:15 p.m. ET SpaceXs water landings have been safe, but they are not easy. Image A SpaceX capsule landing in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida in September. Credit... SpaceX, via Associated Press Three crews of astronauts have splashed down off Floridas coasts in SpaceXs Crew Dragon capsule since the vehicle started its trips to space. The crew has been safe after each return. But that doesnt mean water landings are easy. Returning from the free-fall environment of orbit to the normal forces of gravity on Earth is often disorienting for astronauts. A water landing adds the possibility of seasickness. During a news conference in 2020, Doug Hurley, who flew NASAs first journey in the Crew Dragon capsule, said he had read some of the reports by the Skylab astronauts who completed water landings in the 1970s. There was some challenges post splashdown, he said. Folks didnt feel well, and you know, that is the way it is with a water landing, even if youre not deconditioned like were going to be. Mr. Hurley acknowledged that vomiting would not be unexpected. There are bags if you need them, and well have those handy, he said. Well probably have some towels handy as well. And you know, if that needs to happen, it certainly wouldnt be the first time that thats happened in a space vehicle. But not long after the splash down, he asked SpaceXs mission controllers to tell flight surgeons monitoring their health that, were doing pretty good so far. The crew will also be returning after dark on Monday. The last NASA astronaut crew also splashed down in May in the dark, and it was the first night water landing by astronauts since 1968. Steve Stich, manager for NASAs Commercial Crew program, said that consistently calm nighttime weather at the splash down site, ample moonlight and additional factors made landing in the dark advantageous. When we weighed all those options, it just looked like this was the best time to come home, he said on NASA TV earlier in the year. Another advantage of a nighttime landing could be that fewer private boats are likely to be around. That was a problem in August 2020 when the first crewed SpaceX capsule splashed down. More than a dozen boats  one of them flying a Trump campaign flag  converged on the singed capsule, and a few went in for a closer look. The episode raised concerns among NASA and SpaceX officials about security and safety procedures. If there had been an emergency, NASA officials said, the private boats might have impeded recovery efforts. They added that there could have been poisonous fumes from the capsule that posed a risk to the boaters. With that concern in mind in May, the Coast Guard set up an 11.5-mile safety zone around the splashdown site to chase away any interlopers. Read more

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Nov. 8, 2021, 9:29 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2021, 9:29 p.m. ET Re-entering Earths atmosphere poses risks to astronauts. Image Launching from the Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 15. Credit... John Raoux/Associated Press The most dangerous part of spaceflight is leaving Earth  the launch. The second most dangerous part is when a spacecraft has to decelerate and survive the fiery heat of re-entry while returning to Earth. The Crew Dragon capsule containing the Crew-2 astronauts is orbiting at more than 17,000 miles per hour. At 9:39 p.m. Eastern time, the capsules thrusters will begin firing for 10 minutes to drop it out of orbit. As it falls, the capsule actually speeds up until it enters the thicker part of the atmosphere. Then the drag of air resistance acts as a brake. The compression of air against the heat shield at the bottom of the capsule generates temperatures as high as 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit. If it comes in at too shallow an angle, it will bounce off the atmosphere back into space. If it re-enters too steeply, it could burn up. But capsules like Crew Dragon have for decades successfully navigated through re-entry. It is rocket science, but it is well-understood rocket science. For the most part, the spacecrafts computer handles everything. It tracks the spacecrafts position, fires short thruster bursts to keep the capsule oriented with the heat shield to absorb the heat and deploys the parachutes, while the crew members sit back for the ride. But what if something goes wrong? NASAs astronauts are trained how to handle contingencies. Jared Isaacman, the billionaire entrepreneur who financed and commanded the recent Inspiration4 mission that went to orbit, described some of the details from a 30-hour session his team did in a Crew Dragon simulator before his trip in September. Outside the simulator, the SpaceX mission controllers communicated with the astronauts as if they were in space. A separate team at SpaceX imagined emergencies that could come up and then unleashed them during the simulation. Neither the crew members in the simulator nor the controllers outside were given advance knowledge of what was happening. They had to diagnose the problem and figure out a fix on the fly. It was totally like an Apollo 13 moment by the time we were done with 30 hours, Mr. Isaacman said. The simulation included crashes of the spacecraft computer and failures in the communication system, so that there were periods where the astronauts could not talk to mission control. When one simulated re-entry burn started, Mr. Isaacman said it became apparent that the capsule was off target. It was way overshooting the target landing zone, he said. As it was programmed to do, the capsule gave the command to fire its thrusters to try to get back on the right track. But that meant the thrusters could have run out of propellant or failed from firing so long. The simulated mishaps were potentially cascading into a simulated fatal accident. Without the thrusters during the hottest part of re-entry, youll tumble and it might be unsurvivable, Mr. Isaacman said. Mission control was able to override the computer that was trying to push the capsule to its planned landing site, Mr. Isaacman said. That preserved propellant for passage through the atmosphere. At the end of the simulation, splashdown was far from where it was supposed to be. But we survived, Mr. Isaacman said. That scenario is not far-fetched. Something similar occurred in December 2019 during a test flight with no astronauts of Boeings Starliner capsule, the other spacecraft that is expected to take NASA crews to the International Space Station. By the time that Boeings controllers on the ground figured out what was going on and sent corrective commands, the spacecraft had expended too much propellant and a planned docking at the space station was called off. (That and a series of other problems have prevented the Starliner from carrying astronauts to orbit, but it may get another chance in 2022.) Boeing and NASA officials said that if astronauts had been aboard, they would have quickly realized what was wrong and shut down the thrusters, which could have allowed the mission to proceed to the space station. Read more

Nov. 8, 2021, 9:14 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2021, 9:14 p.m. ET Space tacos, a film crew and other highlights from orbit. Image From left, Mark Vande Hei, Shane Kimbrough, Akihiko Hoshide and Megan McArthur posed with chili peppers grown aboard the I.S.S. Credit... NASA, via Associated Press While Crew-2 and its fellow space station occupants encountered hazards in orbit, they kept busy with their typical duties of research and maintenance. One component of their work even included some play: a taco night spiced up with freshly harvested chiles. The peppers were leftovers from a study examining crop cultivation in space. The space stations usual menu isnt always the most luxurious  astronauts mainly stick to packaged and freeze-dried foods, whose size and weight make it ideal for packing long-term supplies as rocket cargo (although Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency brought some special French space comestibles to share with his crewmates). Megan McArthur, Crew-2s pilot, feasted on the best space tacos yet, she said, which included Hatch chiles, fajita beef, rehydrated tomatoes and artichokes. Mark Vande Hei, a NASA astronaut who launched to the station with a Russian crew in April, has been cultivating the peppers and plans to send a batch back to Earth for examination. Friday Feasting! After the harvest, we got to taste red and green chile. Then we filled out surveys (got to have the data! ). Finally, I made my best space tacos yet: fajita beef, rehydrated tomatoes & artichokes, and HATCH CHILE! https://t.co/pzvS5A6z5u pic.twitter.com/fJ8yLZuhZS  Megan McArthur (@Astro_Megan) October 29, 2021 Plans for future missions to destinations farther from Earth, like the moon and Mars, have spurred a need to grow crops in space with artificial light. And as longer missions in space take larger tolls on astronaut health  mentally and physically  tastier and healthier food is important. While astronauts have sprouted leafy greens in studies on the space station in the past, the Plant Habitat-04 experiment that yielded the chiles on Dr. McArthurs taco is one of NASAs most challenging station plant experiments to date, the agency said. The astronauts worked on hundreds of other scientific investigations during their six-month stay aboard the orbital laboratory. In one study, Mr. Pesquet experimented with ultrasonic tweezers, a concept that uses sound to move small objects. He tested a hand-held device that silently emits a beam of sound waves that exert a force strong enough to trap and move a small object. The capability could be crucial for applications where tiny things, like viruses, cant be touched or contaminated. In another experiment, Dr. McArthur worked on a study using bits of engineered muscle tissue to test drugs designed to curb the loss of muscle mass, a deficiency astronauts are especially prone to while in space and, for others on Earth, a slowly progressing syndrome called sarcopenia. Shane Kimbrough, another member of Crew-2, examined real-time protein crystal growth under a microscope as part of a study into new drugs that can treat diseases. Akihiko Hoshide, the Crew-2 astronaut from Japans space agency, worked on a study that examines how cells react to gravity. The Crew-2 astronauts witnessed the making of a feature length movie backed by Russias space agency, Roscosmos. A Russian actress and a director launched to the space station on Oct. 5 for a 12-day shoot aboard the station for their movie, The Challenge. The film is about a mission to rescue an ailing astronaut, who was played by Oleg Novitsky, an actual Russian astronaut on the station. Its unclear whether the Crew-2 astronauts helped out on the set, but Mr. Vande Hei, the NASA astronaut who cultivated the peppers but is not part of Crew-2, assisted with the camerawork, according to Russian media. Read more

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Nov. 8, 2021, 8:31 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2021, 8:31 p.m. ET Hazardous moments during a 199-day stay in space. Image The Soyuz MS-18, right, docking with the I.S.S.s Rassvet module moments before beginning its relocation maneuver to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module, center left, in September. Credit... NASA The first surprise along Crew-2s six-month mission occurred shortly after launching in April. Hours into the crews trip to the space station, SpaceX mission control alerted them that a piece of space debris was projected to whiz by the capsule. The astronauts were instructed to immediately get back in their flight suits and lower their helmet visors. Nothing ever came close to the capsule, and the crew safely reached the space station on April 24, kicking off an eventful 200-day stay. Days later, U.S. Space Command, which tracks objects in orbit, determined that the alert was the result of a reporting error and that there was never a collision threat because there was no object at risk of colliding with the capsule. Still, the incident renewed discussion about the growing threat of space debris and other clutter in low-Earth orbit. In July, Russia launched a new science module to be added on to the space stations Russian segment. Just after it docked, the module, named Nauka, erroneously fired a set of thrusters for roughly 15 minutes and spun the football field-size laboratory one-and-a-half revolutions before coming to a stop upside down. The incident sent mission control teams in Houston and Moscow scrambling to get the station back in its normal position. The Crew-2 astronauts rushed back into their Crew Dragon capsule, in case they needed to escape. In case something really bad did happen, we were ready to go and undock, if that was necessary, said Shane Kimbrough, the Crew-2 commander, during a news conference on Friday. Of course it wasnt, thank goodness. The space stations seven-person crew was never in any danger, NASA said at the time, and the laboratorys external instruments sustained no immediate damage from the stresses imparted by the thrusters force. Crew Dragon isnt just an astronaut taxi to and from the space station  its also designed to be a lifeboat that the crew could have used within minutes to zip away from the space station if needed, Steve Stich, NASAs commercial crew program manager, told reporters in July. It wasnt the only surprise for the crew aboard the station. Last month, another set of errant thrusters suddenly fired out of control from a different Russian spacecraft, tilting the space station about 57 degrees. Again, astronauts were directed to initiate emergency procedures as ground control teams in Houston and Moscow regained control of the station. Read more

Nov. 8, 2021, 8:02 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2021, 8:02 p.m. ET Crew Dragon is how NASAs astronauts get to orbit now. Image A Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon spacecraft mounted on as it rolled out to the launch pad in Florida for launch last month. Credit... Joel Kowsky/NASA, via EPA, via Shutterstock SpaceXs Crew Dragon is a gumdrop-shaped astronaut capsule that can seat up to seven people, but it has flown only as many as four people so far. It has more interior space than a minivan, but less than a studio apartment. The capsule launches to space atop SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket, detaches from the booster once in orbit and uses a set of tiny onboard thrusters to gradually nudge itself toward a meet-up with the International Space Station. The flights to orbit typically take about 24 hours, but Mondays trip home will last just over eight. SpaceX developed the astronaut taxi with roughly $3 billion from a NASA program called Commercial Crew. The goal of the program was that private companies would own the spacecraft they build, with NASA being just one customer among many buying seats for astronauts. The agencys previous mode of transportation to the space station was the space shuttle. But the shuttle program was retired in 2011, requiring NASA to buy expensive seats for its astronauts on Russias Soyuz rocket for nearly a decade as SpaceX and Boeing, the other company working under Commercial Crew, developed their capsules. SpaceXs first mission sending humans to space  a revival of NASAs ability to loft humans to space from American soil  was in May 2020, with two NASA astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, riding Crew Dragon to the space station for a roughly two-month stay. The company has since launched two successful crewed missions for NASA with a combination of American astronauts and crews from Japan and the European Space Agency. Boeing, the aerospace giant and plane maker, is far behind SpaceX. Development of its Starliner capsule has been marred by a range of technical issues, and it is at least a year away from flying its first crew of astronauts. Read more

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Nov. 8, 2021, 7:33 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2021, 7:33 p.m. ET The toilet on the Crew Dragon capsule was out of service. The crew had to use diapers. Image The Crew Dragon toilet, upper right. Credit... T. Pesquet/ESA/NASA Last week, the SpaceX Crew-2 capsule was all clear to make its trek back home, but one thing stood in the way: its toilet. While the vehicle had been cleared to return to Earth, the toilet remained offline for the duration of the trip. If the astronauts needed to go, they had to hold it, or use astronaut-grade diapers built into their flight suits as a contingency. Of course thats suboptimal, but we are prepared to manage that in the time that were onboard Dragon on the way home, K. Megan McArthur, the Crew-2 mission pilot, said during a news conference on Friday. The acorn-shaped capsule is somewhat larger than a minivan on Earth; it doesnt have a proper bathroom. Instead it has a toilet device with a tube and fans built into one of the spacecrafts compartments that create suction to ensure waste goes in the right direction in the weightlessness of space. In September, SpaceX detected a leaky toilet on another one of its capsules during the flight of Inspiration4, a three-day orbital journey of private astronauts that didnt dock at the space station, according to Bill Gerstenmaier, a company vice president who discussed the toilet problems during a news conference in October. A tube from the capsules toilet that funnels waste into an internal tank broke loose and leaked fluids into a fan, which sent urine throughout an area beneath the capsules interior floor, Mr. Gerstenmaier said. When SpaceX engineers discovered the flaw, they instructed astronauts on the space station to inspect their Crew-2 capsule. They found similar traces of urine beneath the interior floor, which worried officials that it could corrode some of the capsules aluminum parts and pose a safety risk for the return flight. SpaceX engineers conducted experiments on the ground to test whether urine, which is mixed with an ammonia-removing compound called oxone, could corrode the aluminum. The parts sat in a chamber that mimicked the humidity conditions aboard the space station for an extended period of time, Mr. Gerstenmaier said. From the experiment and inspections of the Inspiration4 capsule, SpaceX found that the urine-oxone mixture had little effect on the aluminum parts because of heavy coats of paint on Crew Dragon that are a great blocking agent to the liquid, Sarah Walker, SpaceXs mission management director for Crew Dragon, told reporters during a news conference. We learned that the liquid evaporates within just a couple days, Ms. Walker added, and that really limits the impact that we observed when we were doing all of our post-flight inspections. NASA officials approved the results of the experiments and deemed Crew-2 safe to return to Earth. SpaceX proposed a permanent fix to future Crew Dragon capsules that should ensure the urine tube would not come undone. But the toilet leak on the Crew-2 capsule remained, meaning that astronauts heeding the call of nature in orbit needed to use the undergarments in their flight suits, Steve Stich, NASAs Commercial Crew program manager, told reporters on Oct. 31. Our intent is to not use the system at all for the return leg home, because of what weve seen with the fluid, Mr. Stich said. Any time the crew is suited, they use an undergarment in that suit, and its a short mission coming home so its pretty typical to have an undergarment on and they can use that on the way home. Spaceflight is full of lots of little challenges, Dr. McArthur said. This is just one more that well encounter and take care of on our mission. Read more

Nov. 8, 2021, 7:01 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2021, 7:01 p.m. ET The International Space Station is going to be a little quieter than it has been in months. Image The Crew-2 capsule pushed off from the International Space Station on Monday. Credit... SpaceX, via Agence France-Presse  Getty Images When the Crew-2 astronauts depart on Monday, only a single crew of three astronauts remains on the space station  one American and two Russians. Its a small head count for the orbital lab, which has had as many as 13 astronauts aboard at once, but usually has seven crew aboard these days. Mark Vande Hei, a NASA astronaut, and two Russian astronauts, Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov, will hold down the fort for at least four days until four more astronauts from NASA and SpaceXs Crew-3 mission arrive on Thursday at 7:10 p.m. Eastern time. The last time the space station held just three astronauts  also an American and two Russians  was in April 2020 as NASA was weaning off its dependence on Russias Soyuz rocket for flights to the orbital lab. One month later, SpaceX launched its first group of NASA astronauts to space, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, marking the first crewed flight from American soil in nearly a decade. This time around, NASA tried avoiding the brief three-person crew scenario by launching the Crew-3 astronauts before Crew-2 departed, ensuring a clean handover on the space station between the two crews. But bad weather delayed Crew-3s launch, initially scheduled for Halloween. Then a minor medical issue with one of the Crew-3 astronauts triggered another delay. NASA ultimately decided to shift its attention to returning Crew-2 while the astronauts medical issue subsided. Agency officials said the medical issue was unrelated to Covid-19 but did not elaborate further or identify the astronaut affected, only saying on Saturday that they expect it to clear up before Crew-3s Wednesday launch. A three-person crew with just one American isnt ideal for space station operations. With no backup American astronaut, it jeopardizes a continuous U.S. presence on the space station, a NASA safety panel warned last year. It also makes it difficult to maintain the space station if the short-handed crew lasts for long periods of time. Spacewalks to swap out some batteries on the stations exterior were rescheduled during the 2020 lull until more astronauts arrived. Mr. Vande Hei and Mr. Dubrov have been on the station since April, when they launched on a Russian Soyuz rocket with a third Russian, who returned to Earth in a different spacecraft last month. In September, Mr. Vande Heis six-month mission on the space station was extended to 353 days with a departure date in March 2022, putting him on track to set a record for the longest spaceflight by an American astronaut (Scott Kelly, a retired NASA astronaut, spent 340 days in space during a mission that ended in 2016). It was definitely helpful to have Mark Vande Hei staying on the space station, Joel Montalbano, NASAs space station manager, told reporters on Saturday during a news conference about the updated Crew-2 schedule. He said NASAs efforts to secure an agreement with Russias space agency to trade astronaut seats between Crew Dragon and Soyuz spacecraft will eventually help avoid scenarios when the station is down to three occupants. Those talks have been stalled for years, but American and Russian officials last month indicated progress was being made toward a first joint flight on Crew Dragon sometime next year. While there will only be three people on the International Space Station after Crew-2 leaves, there will be three other people in orbit. Chinas Tiangong space station, which is under construction, is currently home to three astronauts, its second crew since it reached orbit earlier this year. Read more

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Nov. 8, 2021, 6:03 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2021, 6:03 p.m. ET Heres the plan for the journey home. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:08 - 0:00 transcript NASAs SpaceX Crew-2 Departs International Space Station Four astronauts from the mission undocked from the International Space Station in the Crew Dragon capsule and headed back to Earth after spending about half a year in space. Towards the screen a little bit is the Node 2 Hatch  Node 2 Zenith or space-facing hatch. Thats the third hatch that will be closed. And then about a kilometer away   The ISO valve is open. Awesome SpaceX copies, hatch closed and PVRV ISO valve is in the expected position. That was confirmed physical separation at 1:05 p.m. Central time as the station was flying 259 statute miles off the coast of Chile. But we are going to clear the onboard DragonEye 1 and DragonEye-like sensor cross check alerts from your board. They are no longer active. Yeah, so this is a live view from Dragon, and theres that shot inside the cabin. Pilot Megan McArthur on the right-hand side, Commander Shane Kimbrough on the left-hand side, and thats Thomas Pesquet, basically the designated professional photographer of this mission. The tiny light there in the center of the dark circle, that is the window in which Thomas is utilizing to take photos during the fly-around. Four astronauts from the mission undocked from the International Space Station in the Crew Dragon capsule and headed back to Earth after spending about half a year in space. Credit Credit... NASA, via Associated Press After Crew Dragon undocked from the space station on Monday, it began a roughly eight-hour trip back to Earth. The capsule, traveling at about 17,000 miles per hour, has been orbiting Earth as it uses a set of small onboard thrusters to dip itself lower toward the atmosphere. The action starts on Monday night, roughly an hour before splashdown, when Crew Dragon will begin to skim the edge of Earth and space and fire its onboard thrusters for about 10 minutes. Then it will make its decisive plunge into the atmosphere, the riskiest part of any mission besides launch. The process is fully autonomous; the astronauts stay in the seats for what past crews have described as a jarring, turbulent ride. During this stage of the trip, which is called atmospheric re-entry, Crew Dragons outer shell will hit temperatures of up to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit. The astronauts inside will stay cool with the help of an air conditioning system. A sheath of plasma will form around the speeding capsule and cut off communications with ground control for a few minutes before the spacecraft slows to descent speeds of about 350 miles per hour. Then, effectively slamming on the brakes, a set of two parachutes will deploy to slow the capsule further, jolting the crew inside. Small explosive devices will detach those parachutes just before another set of four bigger chutes unfurl, reducing the capsules speed to roughly 15 miles per hour. The capsule is expected to splashdown off the coast of Pensacola, Fla., in the Gulf of Mexico at around 10:33 p.m. The crews return had been delayed several times over bad weather, but for Monday night, the weather right now at Pensacola is looking fantastic, said Gary Jordan, a NASA spokesman, of the forecasts. Read more

Nov. 8, 2021, 6:03 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2021, 6:03 p.m. ET When will the astronauts return and how can I watch them? Four astronauts from NASAs Crew-2 mission left the International Space Station on Monday. They donned their spacesuits, buckled into a Crew Dragon capsule built by SpaceX and then undocked from the space station at 2:05 p.m. Eastern time on Monday. The return trip will last just over eight hours in total, with the water landing of the capsule, which is nicknamed Endeavour, expected at roughly 10:33 p.m. Eastern time on Monday. NASA has been streaming live coverage of the journey that will continue until shortly after the capsules splashdown. Shortly before undocking, NASA and SpaceX chose an area near Pensacola, Fla., for Crew Dragons splashdown zone. It is one of seven different locations in the waters around the Florida peninsula where the capsule can land, and NASA picks whichever area has the most favorable weather. Clear skies, calm seas and gentle winds are prime conditions for a space taxi splashdown. Since astronauts started flying in the SpaceX capsule in May 2020, two crews have landed in the Gulf of Mexico near the Florida Panhandle. A third returned in the Atlantic Ocean near Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Read more

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What is your day like? How much do you sleep, and whats your work schedule?

I wake up around eight, which is not too bad, get up around half-past eight. Then my cat tells me she wants to eat. I start slowly. Im talking about nowadays. It was completely different when I was younger, but Im not going to tell my whole life. First, I read the paper, I listen to the radio. Then I go up to the studio and have a look, go down again, start doing meals, etc. At some moment I get up to the studio and work. I found out during Covid that I was able to work four hours at a stretch, which is for me quite a lot. The evenings are for cooking and eating dinner. I happen to be sadly alone, as my husband died. Alone with the cat. I have dinner standing up, watching television in the kitchen.

How many hours of creative work do you think you do in a day?

Creative work? I think making bread is pretty creative. Thinking and reading is pretty creative. I do more creative work without being creative than probably when I create.

Whats the first piece of art you ever made?

When I was 4 years old and my mother and I were living down in Zurich after having fled from Holland, she started keeping whatever I was making as drawings. She thought I had some talent or something. Ive got one from that period, where she wrote on the back side four years old. Its completely abstract. It was pastel. At that moment I was in a sort of childrens home because she couldnt keep me on her own, apparently, where she was staying. I dont know why she put my age. The date, OK. But four years is a bit funny. That was my first really interesting work.

Whats the worst studio you ever had?

I had a friend who went to Australia, a colleague [and I took over his studio in Amsterdam] when I came back from Paris. It was huge, everything you could want, a real studio. And I got inside and thought: I cant work here. I never did one thing in it. I tried one painting and destroyed it and left the place. It was too much a real studio for me.
The lifting of the U.S. travel ban from dozens of countries ends more than 18 months of restrictions. The U.S. is prepared to defend its vaccine mandate for big businesses.

Tourists enter from Mexico as the U.S. border reopens to vaccinated visitors. Video Vaccinated visitors from Mexico lined up to enter the U.S. after the pandemic travel ban was lifted. For the past 18 months, only U.S. citizens and permanent residents have been able to cross the border. Credit Credit... Guillermo Arias/AFP  Getty Images SAN YSIDRO, Calif.  After months in which the lines at the crossing were hours long, travelers moved swiftly northward into California from Tijuana, Mexico, in the predawn hours on Monday, as tourists with proof of coronavirus vaccination joined the mix of students, essential workers and returning Americans entering the United States. At the San Ysidro Port of Entry, every available booth was staffed with Customs and Border Protection agents, who checked some people for proof of vaccination before waving most of them through. Only a few booths had been open during the previous 18 months, when a pandemic travel ban kept out most travelers other than American citizens and permanent residents or people with essential needs. Mexico Coronavirus Cases All time Last 90 days 5,000 10,000 15,000 cases Mar. 2020 Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. 2021 Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. 7day average 2,453 Source: Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. The daily average is calculated with data that was reported in the last seven days. Yadira Perdomo, who is Colombian, had received experimental medical treatment in Los Angeles but had not been able to see her doctor there for a follow-up. She crossed the border early on Monday in a wheelchair pushed by her sister Hannah Perdomo. Some noncitizens were able to receive medical exemptions to enter the United States during the travel ban, but the sisters wanted to cross together. They moved to Baja California two months ago to await the day when the border would open to fully vaccinated visitors. They got in line at the crossing at 3 a.m. Monday. I feel very happy to be able to move forward with my life, Yadira Perdomo said. In the days before the reopening, there was some confusion among Mexicans over which vaccines would be accepted and what proof would be required. Maria, who was on her way to see her granddaughter in Los Angeles and declined to give her last name, said she had received the Sinovac vaccine from China. Though the United States hasnt authorized its use, the World Health Organization has, so it is being accepted at the border. Im going right now because I dont need permission to, because I can, she said. Its been very sad to be apart. People hoping to visit the United States waited for hours last week to apply for vaccination certificates at Health Ministry offices in Tijuana. Mexican officials encouraged people to get the certificates and be included in a national database, even though the vaccination slips given out by doctors when shots are administered would be equally valid for crossing the border. Carlos Gutierrez, a dentist, didnt want to take any chances. He waited in line for a certificate, just in case it would make a difference. I have a lot of shopping to do  video games, clothes, things you cant get in Mexico, he said. Though all the car lanes at San Ysidro were in use on Monday, only one pedestrian entrance was open. Another, closed throughout the travel ban, is blocked by an encampment of asylum seekers, who still cannot cross freely. At a news conference, local officials and business leaders in San Ysidro, a section of the city of San Diego, said the reopening was badly needed on both sides of the border. Jason Wells, executive director of the San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce, said that local businesses had suffered $1.3 billion in lost sales because of border restrictions that he called discrimination against tourism. We are all truly essential, he said.

Vaccinated international travelers enter the U.S. as restrictions lift. Heathrow Alex Ingram for The New York Times Heathrow Alex Ingram for The New York Times Heathrow Alex Ingram for The New York Times Miami International Scott McIntyre for The New York Times Miami International Scott McIntyre for The New York Times Tijuana, Mexico Toya Sarno Jordan/Reuters Tijuana, Mexico Guillermo Arias/AFP  Getty Images Newark International Bryan Anselm for The New York Times The United States reopened its borders for vaccinated foreign travelers on Monday, ending more than 18 months of restrictions on international travel that separated families and cost the global travel industry hundreds of billions of dollars. Before dawn on Monday, thousands of passengers flocked into Heathrow Airport for the first flights to the United States out of London. They were welcomed by dozens of airline staff who beamed and waved American flags. The policy shift has come in time for the holiday season, when the beleaguered tourism industry is eagerly awaiting an influx of international visitors, especially in popular big-city destinations. Eager to make up for lost time, tourists traveling on Monday had packed itineraries, from Broadway shows in New York and family days at Disney World in Florida to bingo nights in Arizona. In New York alone, the absence of tourists in 2020 resulted in a loss of $60 billion in revenue and wiped out 89,000 jobs across retail, arts, culture, hotels and transportation, the state comptroller found. Though travelers from abroad account for just one-fifth of the citys visitors, they generate 50 percent of the citys tourism spending, according to NYC & Company, the citys tourism promotion agency. Towns along the borders with Mexico and Canada also suffered under the restrictions, which shut down land crossings to nonessential traffic and cost businesses millions of dollars. Under the new rules, fully vaccinated travelers are allowed to enter the United States if they can show proof of vaccination and a negative coronavirus test taken within three days before departure. Unvaccinated Americans and children under 18 are exempt from the requirement, but must take a coronavirus test within 24 hours of travel. While the new entry requirements ease travel for vaccinated travelers, they restrict people who were previously permitted to visit the United States, including unvaccinated travelers from Japan, Singapore, Mexico and other countries. Those who have received vaccines that have not been approved by the World Health Organization for emergency use, like the Russian Sputnik V, will also not be permitted to enter. The extended ban on travel from 33 countries resulted in losses of nearly $300 billion in visitor spending and more than one million American jobs, according to the U.S. Travel Association, an industry group. Many of the airplanes arriving in the United States on Monday were full of travelers reuniting with family and friends after a span of almost 600 days. American Airlines said bookings over the three days after the announcement were up 66 percent for flights between Britain and the United States, 40 percent for those from Europe and 74 percent for Brazil, compared with a similar period a week earlier. United Airlines said that it sold more tickets for trans-Atlantic flights in the days after the announcement than during a similar period in 2019, a first since the pandemic began. Delta Air Lines said many of its international flights on Monday were fully booked. Hotels across the United States, particularly those in cities, also felt the impact of the reopening. Hyatt, the hotel group, said that approximately 50 percent of its bookings by international travelers to the U.S. for the week of Nov. 8 came after the opening date was announced in mid-October. Correction : Nov. 8, 2021 A previous version of this item incorrectly described how Belinda Calva, Dayanna Patino Calva and Anabel Patino Calva are related. Dayanna Patino Calva and Anabel Patino Calva are sisters and Belinda Calva is their mother.

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Her touch, her kiss: A couple reunites as the U.S. reopens to many vaccinated travelers. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:17 - 0:00 transcript Families Reunite as the U.S. Reopens to Vaccinated Travelers Families who had been separated from loved ones for more than 18 months were finally able to see them again, after the U.S. lifted its travel ban for vaccinated foreigners. So, were really happy, really happy that U.S. Customs is opening, and really happy that we can be together and build our lives together. Because of travel restrictions, I could not see her. But finally, she made it here and well have a good time. This is your grandma. Just elated, you know, there is no words. I dont have any words. Thats the thing that Ive missed the most is them not being able to be together, just because I know how much it means to me to be able to hold him, and having them not be able to do that, its been really painful. So, Im so glad it happened. Im so glad its real. Its just, its amazing. Its yeah, it feels really, really, really good. Families who had been separated from loved ones for more than 18 months were finally able to see them again, after the U.S. lifted its travel ban for vaccinated foreigners. Credit Credit... Bryan Anselm for The New York Times As the United States reopened to fully vaccinated travelers from dozens of countries on Monday, it was a morning of joyous reunions, some hard-earned. Jolly Daves odyssey started last weekend, with a seven-hour bus ride from the Indian state of Gujarat to Mumbai. There she took a three-hour flight to New Delhi, then boarded a 16-hour flight to Newark. Ms. Dave, 30, was traveling to meet her boyfriend, Nirmit Shelat, 31, whom she had not seen since last winter, when she had returned to their home state of Gujarat, expecting to stay for a few months. But then India experienced a devastating coronavirus surge, and her travel was restricted. Mr. Nirmit, a project manager at Bank of America, had stayed in the United States. When the United States finally lifted its restrictions on travelers from India, Mr. Nirmit went online, booked an Air India flight for Ms. Dave and paid $1,700 for the one-way ticket from New Delhi to Newarks Liberty International Airport. On Sunday night, Mr. Nirmit drove 600 miles north to New Jersey from their home in Charlotte, N.C., checked into an Airbnb in Freehold, N.J., at 6:30 a.m. and then headed to Newarks Terminal B to greet Ms. Dave. Video My Lady Luck is back, he said as he waited. You can make daily calls, stay connected by FaceTime, but you want to experience her fingers, her touch, her kiss. She told me she wants to break the Apple wall. They saw each other from down a hallway, and embraced upon reuniting. She kept her mask on as they kissed. He grew emotional. She was carrying three roller suitcases and four bags. The Apple wall is broken, she said. At Miami International Airport, Natalia Vitorini, a 28-year-old student living in Miami, met her parents on Concourse D after they got off the mornings first flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil. She had her 3-week-old son in a stroller. Her mother, Debora Vitorini, 56, who works in the biomedical industry in Sao Paulo, bought her ticket within hours of the announcement of the reopening date. She and her husband, Sergio, arrived a little after 6 a.m. The last time they had seen each other was in March 2020. Natalia Vitorini got pregnant earlier this year, and gave birth to her son a few weeks ago. I was waiting for the border to open so my mom can come to see my baby, she said. When Natalia Abrahao, 40, saw her fiance, Mark Ogertschnig, 45, emerge into Terminal B at Newark off a flight from Amsterdam at about noon, she leapt into his arms. He spun her around as she kicked up her heels. Finally! she said. Finally! The couple had gotten engaged on March 13 last year at Giannis, a restaurant in the Versace mansion in Miami, just days before international travel shut down. Mr. Ogertschnig, who is from the Netherlands, had been living in the United States, and they lived together for the first five months of the pandemic, but his visa expired and he had to return home. Twice they had taken advantage of a loophole in the travel rules that let travelers from a banned country spend two weeks in a country that was not on the list, such as Canada or Mexico, and then enter the United States. In August, they reunited in Cancun for a week to celebrate her 40th birthday. I never loved Mexico so much! she said. When the United States announced its reopening plans, he promised to be on the first flight. He booked a flight for Nov. 1. He then moved it when he found out Nov. 8 was the official reopening. I was almost like, if youre not there the first day, Im done, she said, laughing, as she waited for him to emerge from screening. In the early afternoon, the arrivals area at Kennedy Airports Terminal 1 began to fill up with people waiting for loved ones, many with balloons in hand. By the time her mother arrived, Svenja Ostwalds two daughters had accidentally released the M and I balloons they were holding to spell out Omi, a German term of endearment for grandmother. The two massive silver letters glittered near the ceiling, giving the arrivals area a more festive feeling. Ms. Ostwald, 37, who lives in Manhattan, had picked up the girls early from day care in order to greet her mother, Christiane Ecklemann, who was flying in from Frankfurt at 2:04 p.m. She estimated that if it were not for the travel restrictions, the girls, who are 5 and 3, would have seen their grandmother at least six times. Im overwhelmed, said Ms. Ostwald after she and her daughters hugged Ms. Ecklemann, 70, shortly after 3 p.m. The distance had been difficult not only for Ms. Ostwald, who would have welcomed her mothers help with the girls, but also, she said, for Ms. Ecklemann, who lives alone. She was isolated, and not being able to share things was hard, she said. Soon after the Ostwalds reunited with Ms. Ecklemann, a small dog named Whiskey yipped beneath the escaped balloons in Terminal 1. Ye Jin, 36, had brought the dog with her to pick up her mother, Ni Fu Ying, 64, who was flying in from Berlin and who had not visited since the start of the pandemic. Seeing her mother at last made her grateful that the United States was accepting visitors from abroad again, she said, adding that the vaccine rules did not bother her. It makes me feel better about her flying, she said, gesturing to her mother. I just wish it could have happened much sooner. Correction : Nov. 8, 2021 An earlier version of this item referred incorrectly to Gujarat. It is a state in India, not a city.

The U.S. defends its vaccine rules for large companies. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:21 - 0:00 transcript White House to Defend Vaccination Rules for Large Companies Karine Jean-Pierre, the White Houses principal deputy press secretary, recommended businesses move forward with plans to implement the administrations Covid-19 vaccination or weekly testing requirements after a federal appeals court put a temporary block on them. Defending a policy is not a new thing from an administration, regardless, if its a Republican or a Democrat administration, this is something that happens all the time. The administration, the administration clearly has the authority to protect workers, and actions announced by the president are designed to save lives and stop the spread of Covid-19. And as D.O.J. said, they will be defending these lawsuits. But I also want to step back for a second because there is precedence here. The Department of Labor has a responsibility to keep workers safe, and the legal authority to do so. The secretary determines  the secretary of Department of Labor  determines workers at risk or what is called the grave danger. And if you look around, and if we really zero in this past year, more than 750,000 people have died of Covid. You have more  about, approximately 1,300 people a day who continue to die a day, as I said, from Covid. If thats not a grave danger, I dont know what else is. Reporter: Should they prepare their employees now to get vaccinated or should they wait months more? No, thats a great question. I appreciate the question. We think people should not wait. We say do not wait to take actions that will keep your workplace safe. It is important and critical to do, and waiting to get more people vaccinated will lead to more outbreaks and sickness. Karine Jean-Pierre, the White Houses principal deputy press secretary, recommended businesses move forward with plans to implement the administrations Covid-19 vaccination or weekly testing requirements after a federal appeals court put a temporary block on them. Credit Credit... Sarah Silbiger for The New York Times The Biden administration on Monday argued that the federal government had all the power it needed to require large employers to mandate vaccination of their workers against the Covid-19 virus  or to require those who refuse the shots to wear masks and submit to weekly testing. In a 28-page filing before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which temporarily blocked the mandate with a nationwide stay last week, the Justice Department argued that the rule was necessarily to protect workers from the pandemic and was well grounded in law. Keeping the mandate from coming into effect would likely cost dozens or even hundreds of lives per day, in addition to large numbers of hospitalizations, other serious health effects, and tremendous costs, the Justice Department said in its filing. That is a confluence of harms of the highest order. One coalition of businesses, religious groups, advocacy organizations and several states filed a petition on Friday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Louisiana, arguing that the administration overstepped its authority. On Saturday, a panel of the court temporarily blocked the new mandate, writing that the petitions give cause to believe there are grave statutory and constitutional issues with the mandate. Karine Jean-Pierre, the White Houses principal deputy press secretary, said at a news conference on Monday that the administration was recommending that businesses move forward with vaccination and testing plans, regardless of any possible delays in federal enforcement stemming from the courts action. Do not wait to take actions that will keep your workplace safe, Ms. Jean-Pierre said. The stay does not have any immediate impact, because the first major deadline for complying with the mandate does not arrive until Dec. 5, when companies with at least 100 employees would have to require unvaccinated employees to wear masks indoors. Asked why the broad requirements of the mandate were necessary now, Ms. Jean-Pierre cited the number of people who have been dying from the coronavirus recently  an average of 1,217 deaths a day as of Sunday, according to a New York Times database. That should not be the number that were looking at, Ms. Jean-Pierre said. We believe that in order to get this pandemic behind us, we need to get more people vaccinated.

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N.Y.C. public schools open vaccination sites for 5- to 11-year-olds. Image A nurse in Manhattan prepared doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for 5- to 11-year-old children. Credit... James Estrin/The New York Times Paul LaCorte, the parent of a 5- and a 7-year-old at P.S. 40 in Manhattan, arrived early, hoping to get his children vaccinated against the coronavirus at a clinic the city was hosting there. He stood in line with dozens of other frustrated and angry parents for more than four hours  more time than it took him to run the New York City Marathon on Sunday. He was still so stiff that he refused a plastic chair the school administrators offered him. P.S. 40, in the Gramercy neighborhood, was one of a dozen New York City schools swamped with demand Monday morning as the city rolled out its weeklong effort to bring a half-day vaccine clinic to each of its more than 1,000 schools that serve elementary aged students. City officials acknowledged that they were caught off-guard by the demand at those schools, which far exceeded the interest last spring at school-based vaccine clinics for teenagers. They pledged to return to any school where children were turned away for lack of supply. We laid in supply and staffing for the amount of demand we expected, Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a morning news briefing. If were seeing more demand, well, thats a good thing, but we got to catch up with it quickly. Officials said that most of the clinics, which took place at over 200 schools on Monday, went smoothly. Mr. de Blasio noted that the clinics with overwhelming demand were in Districts 1 and 2 in Manhattan and District 15 in Brooklyn: among the citys wealthiest districts, in areas that have high vaccination rates among adults. Four clinics also had delays in getting their supplies Monday morning, Mr. de Blasio said. The P.S. 40 clinic finally opened at 11:24 a.m. to a round of relieved cheers, instead of at 7 a.m. as scheduled. Most children had elected to wait in class, rather than stand outside with their parents. At P.S. 19 in the East Village, the city invited the media to watch as five students got vaccinated. Ranging from 5 to 10 years old, the children were mostly calm as the needles slid into their arms. One student, Mason Lawrence, 9, turned his head away and leaned into his father. But as soon as it was over, he flashed two thumbs up high in the air. I got the shot! cheered Indiana Chang, age 5. The needle only hurt a little, she added. That wasnt so bad. Mr. de Blasio was supposed to turn up at P.S. 19, so some of the children had written handmade cards for him. He didnt come in the end. A spokeswoman said there was a scheduling conflict and that the cards would be hand delivered to him. The schools chancellor and health commissioner were there. Other schools saw far less demand. At P.S. 21 in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, parents leaving the clinic reported smooth operations, with about eight children waiting inside about two hours into the afternoon clinic. There were no lines on the street. And at nearby P.S. 5, also in Bedford-Stuyvesant, all was quiet when Candace Floyd, 36, brought her son Jeremiah Augustine, 10, to get vaccinated on Monday afternoon. There were about four other children inside when they arrived, she said, but when they left only two remained. She and her son were in and out, she said. In the Brooklyn ZIP code where P.S. 21 and P.S. 5 are located, only 50 percent of residents are fully vaccinated, compared with 78 percent in the Manhattan neighborhood around P.S. 40. The schools also differ in economic need: More than 80 percent of children at P.S. 21 and P.S. 5 are considered in need, according to city statistics, compared with 12 percent at P.S. 40. Ms. Floyd said that Jeremiah and his classmates have already had to quarantine twice since the beginning of the school year because of exposure to the virus. Her son is likely the first in his class to get the vaccine, she said, but she thinks other parents will follow suit. Jeremiah was in good spirits as he requested some Gatorade from his mother. Its a relief, she said. Correction : Nov. 8, 2021 An earlier version of this article described incorrectly the amount of time Paul LaCorte waited in line to get his children vaccinated. He waited four hours, which was more time than it took him to run the New York City Marathon, not less.

Jill Biden and the surgeon general push for Covid shots in schools. Image The Covid-19 vaccines, like the polio vaccine in 1954, will be given to young children in schools. Credit... Getty Images Franklin Sherman Elementary School made medical history in 1954, when 114 of its students became the first healthy American children to be vaccinated against polio as part of a nationwide clinical trial. They called themselves polio pioneers. On Monday the school again earned a place in the spotlight, by running a coronavirus vaccine clinic for its students that the first lady, Jill Biden, visited with the surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy. Dozens of young children, accompanied by their parents, trooped through its brightly colored gymnasium to get their shots. The visit kicked off what White House officials said would be a national push, led by Dr. Biden, to persuade parents and guardians to vaccinate 5- to 11-year-olds now that the shots are available to them. The administration has already shipped 15 million pediatric doses across the country to doctors offices, childrens hospitals, community health centers, pharmacies and schools, with the goal of vaccinating all 28 million children in the age group. Public health experts view vaccinating young children as a critical step toward bringing the pandemic under control. The Food and Drug Administration Administration authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children 5 to 11 at the end of October, and last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed it. It is too soon to tell how the rollout is going. The C.D.C. will not release data on how many young children have been vaccinated until Wednesday, officials said. But at Franklin Sherman Elementary in the suburbs of Washington, demand was high. The school has 355 students and quickly filled all 260 appointments at Mondays clinic, run by the Fairfax County Health Department. Dr. Biden and Dr. Murthy, who said he was eager to get his 5-year-old vaccinated, handed out stickers to students who had just gotten their shots.

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The new U.S. travel rules bring confusion for some and threaten exclusion for others. Image Many travelers and flight crews arrived at airports like Newark Liberty International on Monday, where they faced new and sometimes confusing regulations. Credit... Bryan Anselm for The New York Times When the U.S. travel ban on many international visitors was lifted at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on Monday, the situation may have seemed straightforward. If youre departing before that, the new rules dont apply. If youre departing at the time or later, youre under the new construct, said Sharon Pinkerton, the senior vice president for legislative and regulatory policy for Airlines for America, an industry trade group. But it caused considerable confusion for some eager travelers who booked overnight flights, and frustration for some who are being tripped up by the new rules. Caroline Prado and Diego Paradella, a couple from Brazil, are in the first category. They had planned to celebrate their second wedding anniversary with a trip to Disney World in Orlando, Fla., but had to put it off it because of the pandemic. When the reopening was announced, they rescheduled their departure as soon as they could. They booked seats on an American Airlines flight leaving Sao Paulo for Miami at five minutes after midnight local time on Nov. 8. But when Ms. Prado, 29, called the airline to double check what documentation they needed, she learned, by chance, that they would not be allowed to board: Sao Paulo is two hours ahead of Miami, so the flight was technically leaving before the presidential proclamation on the travel ban took effect. The couple had already paid for a hotel, rental car and tickets to Disney World, so they decided to take a chance and go to the airport anyway. They boarded the flight without issue. Everything went perfectly well, Ms. Prado said. An American Airlines spokesman said that U.S. Customs and Border Protection gave the airline permission to allow two flights from Brazil to enter under the new framework, even though they departed before midnight. So Ms. Prado and Mr. Paradella, whose flight arrived in Miami around 7:40 a.m. on Monday, were among the first tourists from Brazil or 32 other previously banned countries to enter the United States in at least 18 months. The new rules loosened travel restrictions for people from the previously banned countries. But for people from some other countries, they mean that entering the United States will now be more difficult. At John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on Sunday night, the pickup area at Terminal 1 was filled with people who had arrived on the last flight from Moscow before the new rules took effect. Russia was not one of the 33 countries under the old ban, but the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine is not on the list of coronavirus vaccines that are now being accepted for entry to the United States. So the door to the United States shut for many Russians at one minute after midnight Eastern time on Monday. A woman traveling from Russia with two young children acknowledged that the vaccine rules had affected the timing of their trip, before declining to be interviewed. Another arriving traveler, Vyacheslav Alexov, waited for a car to collect him and his carefully plastic-wrapped luggage. He had cut short a trip to see relatives in Kazakhstan in order to make sure he was back in the United States before the new rules took effect on Monday. As a permanent U.S. resident, he is allowed to travel in and out of the country just as American citizens can, by showing a current negative coronavirus test. But Mr. Alexov, who said he was not vaccinated, was worried that he might be blocked anyway. Its political, he said of the new policy to require foreign travelers to show proof of vaccination, but not accept the Russian vaccine. Travelers from Colombia had not faced restrictions before Monday, but now they too must be fully vaccinated. Juan David Pelaez, 43, who owns an insurance company in Bogota, has been planning a family trip to the United States since February. Mr. Pelaez, his wife and son, his parents, and his brother and sister-in-law had been set to arrive on Monday. But Mr. Pelaez said that though he is vaccinated with Moderna, he has not yet received an official vaccine certificate from the government and worried about being able to provide proof. He switched his own ticket, as well as that of his wife, who is also vaccinated, and that of his young son, to arrive on Nov. 7, a day before the rest of the group. The changed rules affect a lot of people who would not have been affected in the past, said Mr. Pelaez, while waiting for his family in an arrivals hall at Miami International Airport on Monday. I would have missed out on the trip.

GLOBAL ROUNDUP Joy in Britain and Canada as vaccinated travelers enter the U.S. Image Credit... Alex Ingram for The New York Times Thousands of excited passengers flocked to Heathrow Airport on Monday for the first flights to the United States out of London since the Biden administration lifted a travel ban on many international visitors. As of Monday, foreign travelers can enter the United States if they show proof of full vaccination and a negative coronavirus test taken within three days of departure. Unvaccinated Americans and children under the age of 18 are exempt from the requirement, but they must take a test within one day of travel. New York, baby, here we come, shouted one passenger as he high-fived a Virgin Atlantic staff member who was dressed as Elvis Presley. God bless America, yelled another. It wasnt just Europe. In Canada, too, people who had been unable to cross the U.S. border for much of the pandemic were excited to finally make the trip. Thousands of snowbirds, mainly retirees, are already on their way to Florida, Arizona, California and other warm places for the winter. For the Canadians coming across the border now, they are so excited, they have called ahead to let us know, said Pat Tuckwell, president of the board of Country Roads RV Village, an upscale park in Yuma, Ariz. Everyone is saying, itll be so wonderful to see each other, talk to each other again, like when their grandkids tell them they cant wait to go back to school to see their friends. Heres a look at other virus-related developments around the world on Monday: Romania has reported the worlds highest per capita death rate from Covid-19 in recent weeks, a rate almost seven times as high as the United States and almost 17 times as high as Germanys. This is in large part because of a surge of disinformation that has left Romania with Europes second-lowest vaccination rate: Around 44 percent of adults have had at least one dose, compared with 81 percent in the European Union over all.

New Zealands largest city, Auckland, eased lockdown restrictions even though the country reported a record 206 cases on Saturday. Nonessential retail outlets and public facilities like libraries, museums and zoos can reopen with mask and distancing requirements. Up to 25 people will be allowed to gather outdoors, at funerals and at weddings. The city expects to reach a 90 percent vaccination rate for people aged 12 and up this month, which will trigger vaccination requirements for most businesses, according to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Shares of several drug makers in Asia fell sharply on Monday in response to Pfizers announcement that its antiviral drug was highly effective in treating Covid-19. CanSino Biologics, the Chinese maker of a Covid-19 vaccine, dropped by 17 percent during trading in Hong Kong. Shanghai Fosun saw its Hong Kong shares drop by 7 percent before rebounding somewhat to end 2 percent lower.

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Fully vaccinated and want to visit the U.S.? Here are some of the basics. Image On Monday, the United States will lift travel restrictions for international visitors who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus Credit... Andrew Seng for The New York Times On Monday, the United States lifted travel restrictions for international visitors from 33 countries who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, ending an 18-month ban that has separated families and loved ones worldwide and taken a toll on the tourism industry. The reopening comes just ahead of the holiday season, and airlines are anticipating some chaos. The complicated set of regulations may shift if new waves or variants of the virus emerge, but here is what we know right now about the long-awaited reopening. Who is eligible to travel to the United States? Under the new rules, fully vaccinated travelers will be allowed to enter the United States if they can show proof of vaccination and a negative coronavirus test taken within three calendar days of travel. Unvaccinated Americans and children under 18 are exempt from the requirement, but must take a coronavirus test within 24 hours of travel. What vaccines are accepted? The three available in the United States  Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson  are accepted, as well as any of those cleared for emergency use by the World Health Organization: AstraZeneca, Covaxin, Covishield, BIBP/Sinopharm and Sinovac. Who is considered fully vaccinated? Anyone who has received either the first dose of a single-dose vaccine or the second dose of a two-dose vaccine a full 14 days before the day they board a flight to the United States is considered fully vaccinated. It does not matter if you received these doses in a clinical trial, as long as you did not receive the placebo. People who received their second shot of the Novavax vaccine in a Phase 3 clinical trial are also fully vaccinated. Lastly, the C.D.C. considers anyone fully vaccinated two weeks after the second dose of an accepted mix-and-match vaccine, with the doses given at least 17 days apart. The agency notes it does not recommend mixing and matching during the first series of vaccination (for example, the first two shots of an mRNA vaccine), but acknowledges this strategy is more common internationally. What do I need to pack as proof of my vaccination? Both paper and digital records of vaccination will be accepted. If you do not have your original record, such as a vaccination card, a copy or photo will also work. Any proof of vaccination must include your full name and at least one more identifier, such as date of birth and the name of the agency or provider issuing the vaccine. It must also include the vaccine manufacturer and dates of vaccination. Are the rules different at land border crossings? As of Nov. 8, the U.S. land borders with Canada and Mexico reopened for fully vaccinated foreign nationals. While visitors will need to show proof of vaccination, there is no testing requirement for land-border crossings. Children under 18 are allowed entry if accompanied by a vaccinated adult. Will I have to show proof of vaccination to fly domestically? No. Only those entering the United States from abroad will have to show a vaccination certificate and proof of a negative coronavirus test taken within 72 hours of departure. Unvaccinated U.S. travelers are permitted to travel, but upon returning must present a coronavirus test taken within 24 hours of departure. Karine Jean-Pierre, the White Houses deputy press secretary, said on Monday the administration did not have any announcement to preview right now regarding any potential new vaccine or testing rules for domestic travelers. Masks continue to be required for domestic air travel. What about children? Unvaccinated children under 18 are permitted to enter the United States if they are over 2 years old, are traveling with a vaccinated adult and have taken a coronavirus test with negative results within three days of departure. If a child is traveling alone or with an unvaccinated adult, he or she will have to test within 24 hours of travel. Daniel E. Slotnik contributed reporting.

N.Y.s governor promises grants for employers and laid-off workers in the ailing tourism industry. Image Crowds were sparse in Times Square in October 2020 as the pandemic kept tourists away. Credit... Karsten Moran for The New York Times New Yorks governor, Kathy Hochul, proposed a $450 million package of state spending on Monday to help the states struggling tourism industry, including one-time grants to laid-off workers and their employers. Ms. Hochul said the state would make payments of $2,750 to as many as 36,000 workers in the tourism industry who lost their jobs because of the pandemic, promising thats going to happen very soon. She said the state also would offer grants of $5,000 to companies in the industry that rehire workers and employ them for six months. Those grant programs, which would add up to $200 million, would help revive tourism, which is the states third-largest industry and employs about 10 percent of its workers, Ms. Hochul said. There are so many jobs that are still not back yet, she said at a presentation at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. People have been holding on a long time since they lost their extended unemployment benefits back in September. The event was staged to highlight the depressed condition of the states tourism industry on the day the federal government allowed vaccinated foreign tourists from many countries to enter the country for the first time in 20 months. Aides to the governor said $250 million of the money would come from a combination of federal Covid-relief funds and existing state budget allocations. The rest would require legislative approval. Before the lockdown spurred by the pandemic in March 2020, tourists spent more than $73 billion annually in New York state, $47 billion of it in New York City. Visitors from outside the country made up just 20 percent of the citys tourists but they accounted for half of that spending, according to NYC & Company, the citys tourism promotion agency. Ms. Hochul also pledged to add $25 million to the budget for the states I Love NY tourism promotions, much of which will be spent on advertising in countries in Europe and other regions. The state will offer an additional $25 million in grants to lure conventions and other large gatherings to the state, she said. Beyond those immediate infusions, Ms. Hochul said that in January she would propose legislation to provide $200 million in relief for small businesses started just before or during the pandemic. Standing behind a sign that read Bring back tourism. Bring back jobs, Ms. Hochul said, We want to put incentives on the table so no one has an excuse not to get back to work. Correction : Nov. 8, 2021 An earlier caption on a photograph of Times Square that appeared with this article misstated when the photograph was taken. It was taken in October 2020, not last month.

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Costly tests may deter Canadians from making quick trips to the U.S. Image A coronavirus testing site near the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, N.Y. Credit... Lindsay Dedario/Reuters Throughout the pandemic, Canadians have been able to travel to the United States for nonessential reasons like visiting family and friends, but there was a catch: They had to fly. Thats because the United States would let Canadian citizens cross the land border only for a limited number of business-related reasons, like having a health care job on the American side. Now the land border has reopened for all fully vaccinated travelers, but Canadians still face a catch that may deter quick trips, and this time its one introduced by their own government. Canada, which reopened its border to travelers from the United States in August, requires that anyone entering the country present a negative coronavirus test taken within 72 hours, and it will not accept relatively low-cost rapid tests. Instead, the result must come from a more reliable polymerase chain reaction, or P.C.R., test, which can cost well over $100 and take one to two days. Canadians crossing for just a few hours can take the test in Canada before they leave. But some groups and politicians on both sides of the border have said recently that the cost and inconvenience associated with P.C.R. testing will be a powerful deterrent to travel. Air travelers have already raised concerns about the cost. Angus Reid, the chairman of a nonprofit polling group that bears his name, said his son, daughter-in-law and two children had paid $1,200 for tests to return from Palm Springs, Calif. Plus finding test centers in US is increasingly difficult, he wrote on Twitter over the weekend. This needs to change. Now! In Blaine, Wash., a small border city south of Vancouver, gas stations and shipping stores remained quiet Monday morning. Apart from a handful of Canadian license plates, the city showed little sign that the border had just reopened. Doug Hornsby, the owner of Border Mailbox and Parcel, said only one Canadian customer had picked up packages that morning. The man, from Alberta, had 17 packages waiting for him, the oldest of which had been there since March 2020. Because of the testing requirement, Mr. Hornsby said he didnt expect many more customers. Skye Hill, the owner of a Chevron in Blaine, said her store had just finished $1 million in renovations before the border closed. Since then, revenue has plummeted 90 percent. Ms. Hill described Mondays reopening as anticlimactic. Everyones so excited. You know, The borders finally opened after two years, she said. But really, our business depends on those day trips. We arent going to see those people, I dont think, until they lift that Covid test, she added. Closing the land border to most people had a drastic effect. In August 2019, slightly more than three million private vehicles entered the United States from Canada at land crossings. This August, there were only 449,004 such crossings. The testing policy may soon change. On Friday, Dr. Theresa Tam, Canadas chief public health officer, said the P.C.R. test requirement was being actively looked at.

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Europeans express relief as the American travel ban ends. Image The skies above a church in Goussainville, France, in August. The travel ban had separated friends and families and left a gaping hole in the U.S. tourism industry. Credit... Christophe Petit Tesson/EPA, via Shutterstock For months, Europeans and their leaders seethed about what they considered unfair treatment from the United States, which kept a Covid-related travel ban in place for much longer than Europe did. Even now, as the United States is opening up again to travelers, many remain wary. Some were planning to jump on planes as fast as possible  just in case the welcome mat is suddenly pulled away again. Laurence Tesson was one of them. The fear that something could still go wrong haunted her, she said, as she prepared to see her son in Los Angeles for the first time in three years. Only when I set a foot at the Los Angeles airport will I be relieved, Ms. Tesson, 54, said this weekend. Her flight was scheduled to depart at 10:15 a.m. on Monday, one of the first planes heading to the United States from Europe after the lifting of an 18-month ban on travelers without American passports. Now, travelers from 33 countries, among them Britain, Brazil, India, China and European Union states, can enter the United States with proof of vaccination and a negative Covid test no more than 72 hours old. The travel ban did not just separate couples and families. It also left a gaping hole in the U.S. tourism industry. And it frustrated European leaders, who struggled to understand why it was still in place. The lifting of the travel ban also signals the end of a diplomatic tussle between European leaders and the Biden administration, which has tried to ease strained relations with leaders on the continent.

A new challenge for organ transplants: donors who had long Covid. Image Nick Guthe, right, with his son, Bexon, in Marina del Rey, Calif. Mr. Guthes wife, Heidi Ferrer, endured months of long Covid before taking her own life. Mr. Guthe worried that her organs may not have been safe to donate. Credit... Alex Welsh for The New York Times Potential organ donors are now routinely screened for coronavirus infections before their organs are removed, and the organs are generally considered safe for transplantation if the test is negative, even if the donor has recovered from Covid. But there is no universally accepted set of recommendations regarding when organs can be safely recovered from virus-positive bodies and transplanted to patients in need. Complicating the question is that people with long Covid, whose debilitating symptoms may persist for months, mostly do not test positive for the infection. Some researchers fear that the virus may be present nonetheless, hiding in so-called reservoirs within the body  including some of the very organs given to transplant patients. The risk is that surgeons may give the patient Covid, along with the organ, said Dr. Zijian Chen, medical director of the Center for Post-Covid Care at the Mount Sinai Health System. Its a tough ethical question. If the patient assumes the risk, should we do it? Dr. David Klassen, chief medical officer at the United Network for Organ Sharing, which administers the nations organ procurement network, said decisions must be made on a case by case basis. Many people waiting for organs are deathly ill, he said. Their life span may be down to a few days. If they dont get a transplant, they will not survive. Yet physicians with the American Society of Transplantation said they would not procure any organs from any patient who had shown signs of illness and had a positive test for the infection. If somebody has active Covid and theyre testing positive, said Dr. Deepali Kumar, president-elect of the society, we would not procure organs from that donor  none at all.

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How frequent flier programs are evolving in a changed world. Image Credit... Ana Miminoshvili The pandemic made an oxymoron of the term frequent flier as the number of airline passengers plummeted in the early days of lockdowns. Leisure travel has recovered somewhat, but the more lucrative business travel market is still way off, with recovery not expected until 2023 and perhaps not even then. Its a challenging time to keep fliers loyal. Many are not traveling because of coronavirus concerns, and those who are can be enticed to try out other airlines because they are not flying enough to earn status. Others may be disenchanted with airline loyalty programs, which, in the years leading up to the pandemic, had made upgrades and free tickets more elusive. In the meantime, airlines are also facing pressure on the climate front. With loyalty programs encouraging flying, they feel out of step with the current moment.

Retailers scramble to attract workers before the holidays. Image A retail store in Manhattan posted an appeal for job applicants in a display window last week. Credit... Jeenah Moon for The New York Times Macys is offering its employees referral bonuses of up to $500 for each friend or relative who joins the company. Walmart is paying as much as $17 an hour to start, and has begun offering free college tuition to its workers. Some Amazon warehouse jobs now command signing bonuses of up to $3,000. Expecting the holiday shopping season to be bustling this year after being upended by the coronavirus in 2020, retailers are scrambling to find enough workers to staff their stores and distribution centers in a tight labor market. It is not proving easy to entice applicants for an industry that has been battered more than most by the pandemics many challenges, from fights over mask wearing to high rates of infection among employees. Willing retail workers are likely to earn larger paychecks and work fewer hours than they might have before the pandemic, and consumers may find less inventory on shelves and fewer sales associates in stores. Folks looking to work in retail have typically had very little choice  its largely been driven by geography and availability of hours, said Mark A. Cohen, the director of retail studies at Columbia Universitys business school. Now they can pick and choose whos got the highest, best benefits, bonuses and hourly rates. And as weve seen, the escalation has been striking.
Her mother, Debora Vitorini, 56, who works in the biomedical industry in Sao Paulo, bought her ticket within hours of the announcement of the reopening date. She and her husband, Sergio, arrived a little after 6 a.m.

The last time they had seen each other was in March 2020. Natalia Vitorini got pregnant earlier this year, and gave birth to her son a few weeks ago. I was waiting for the border to open so my mom can come to see my baby, she said.

When Natalia Abrahao, 40, saw her fiance, Mark Ogertschnig, 45, emerge into Terminal B at Newark off a flight from Amsterdam at about noon, she leapt into his arms. He spun her around as she kicked up her heels.

Finally! she said. Finally!

The couple had gotten engaged on March 13 last year at Giannis, a restaurant in the Versace mansion in Miami, just days before international travel shut down.

Mr. Ogertschnig, who is from the Netherlands, had been living in the United States, and they lived together for the first five months of the pandemic, but his visa expired and he had to return home. Twice they had taken advantage of a loophole in the travel rules that let travelers from a banned country spend two weeks in a country that was not on the list, such as Canada or Mexico, and then enter the United States.

In August, they reunited in Cancun for a week to celebrate her 40th birthday. I never loved Mexico so much! she said.

When the United States announced its reopening plans, he promised to be on the first flight. He booked a flight for Nov. 1. He then moved it when he found out Nov. 8 was the official reopening.
When I reached the top of the volcano and glanced back down, I could see the fog hovering over the thick carpet of ash that surrounds its base. A few golden rays of sunlight were beginning to streak across the eastern horizon, illuminating the temple, Pura Luhur Poten, that I had visited earlier in the morning.

The steep climb to the rim of the crater had taken me 30 minutes, much of it through powdery dunes called sea sand. The wind was relentless. Here at the top, staring down into the sulfuric abyss, I could witness up close what Id come to the mountainous Indonesian island of Java to see: the Hindu ritual of Yadnya Kasada, during which the Tenggerese people toss offerings  food, money, flowers, livestock  into the hazy crater of the volcano, Mt. Bromo.
What does the zero Covid policy look like on the ground?

Take the recent Shanghai Disneyland case, which is a great example of how quickly the country can respond. One person was said by the authorities to have come to Shanghai from southern China on a Friday, visited Shanghai Disneyland on a Saturday and then traveled on to Hangzhou, where the person tested positive on Sunday. By Sunday evening, local officials had closed off Shanghai Disneyland  kept the fireworks going to entertain the guests  and quickly tested 33,000 people before letting them leave. Those who visited Shanghai Disneyland over that weekend were required to stay home for the next two weeks and face follow-up tests.

But the real secret to Chinas Covid policy is the use of mandatory quarantine. The authorities dont just individually quarantine patients. They quarantine all the contacts of the patient, and all of the contacts of the contacts. So for a single case, the authorities may put 800 people into quarantine, including children separated from their families. And these people are tested extensively while in total isolation.

Why does China continue the policy even as other countries have given it up?

If they open up, they could face real problems. China has a higher vaccination rate than the U.S, but the vaccines theyve used have been partially abandoned by some counties as less effective than the newer mRNA vaccines. So if the virus does get going in China, it could be a big problem. The authorities have repeatedly said that they think the costs of this policy, both financially and in terms of the disruption to peoples lives, are less than the costs of opening up.

What do people think of the policy?

It is a policy that is deeply unpopular with an affluent elite in China, composed of Chinese nationals and foreign residents of China, who previously could afford international travel or international education. But for the large majority of the population that is not affected by the halt in international travel, not having to worry about Covid most of the time certainly has big advantages. And China has been successful again and again in stopping the virus, although this autumns outbreak is a real challenge. Many in China look at the hundreds of thousands of coronavirus deaths in the U.S. and are appalled. So they think their approach has been uniquely effective.

What are the downsides?

People-to-people contact between China and the rest of the world has been much reduced. Few Chinese can leave the country, not least because the government has halted the issuance or renewal of passports.
The gains were not uniform. Overall, more Black lives were saved than white lives when police officers were added, but in Southern cities with larger Black populations the homicide rate did not budge, according to an early draft of the paper. And more officers made arrests for low-level offenses like alcohol-related infractions, which are not typically seen as contributing to public safety. More police officers may also mean that cities incur the cost of more police violence, more legal settlements and more protests.

With more national focus on those drawbacks, not all voters are enthusiastic about beefing up police forces, even in cities with sharply increasing homicide numbers. Last week, residents of Austin, Texas, rejected by a wide margin a ballot measure that would have required the city to hire hundreds more officers.

Opponents pointed out that while Austin had a record high number of homicides, cities with far more police officers per capita, including Atlanta, Chicago and Milwaukee, had experienced greater increases in their homicide rates, and cities with fewer officers per capita, including Raleigh, N.C., and El Paso, had seen homicides decline.

If I read this margin of victory correctly, I think people understand that there is going to be crime, but are more willing to solve the question of why these things are happening as opposed to just responding to them when they do, said Chas Moore, executive director of the Austin Justice Coalition, which opposed the measure.

Because the causes of crime vary from place to place, it can be extraordinarily difficult to disentangle the benefits of hiring more officers in any one city. After a rise in gun violence in Chicago in 2016, for example, the city announced that it would hire almost 1,000 additional officers, a number officials said was justified by a top to bottom staffing analysis that watchdog groups have not been able to obtain. Shootings began to fall before those officers were recruited and trained.

As long as Chicago has a cold winter, crime is going to drop, said Tracy Siska, the executive director of the Chicago Justice Project, adding that gun violence in 2016 was abnormally high. So you cant say that crime went down because they hired all these new officers  no, no, no.

Chicagos crime numbers did fall in 2019, the year that the force reached its peak of 13,353 officers, according to data from the citys Office of Inspector General. But the next year, the coronavirus pandemic and an increase in gun purchases appeared to play a much larger role, making it hard once again to isolate the effects of the police force size. Overall, crime plummeted while the number of shootings surged.
For them, building back better is a must  both to address glaring needs in their neighborhoods and to combat what they describe as a too-familiar political phenomenon: campaign promises to prioritize the poor and disenfranchised that are later sacrificed in Washington in the name of getting things done.

The political conversation is always around the middle class, said Richard Townsell, who works with United Power and leads several community groups focused on housing. I dont think the left or the right really care about poor people or about working folks.

Democrats are seeking to rebuff that cynicism with a unified party message on the historic investments in the legislation, including on issues that uniquely affect Black and Latino communities.

The budget agreement, which is supported by Democratic groups like the Congressional Black Caucus, includes money for historically Black colleges and universities, community violence prevention efforts and aid to disadvantaged farmers.

Still, after years of disinvestment in areas like North Lawndale, the need vastly exceeds even the $3.5 trillion figure that was the starting point for this bill, said Nick Brunick, another affordable housing advocate in Chicago. The creation of new affordable housing, advocates say, leads homeowners to be more invested in their communities and helps eliminate vacant homes and lots where gangs often operate.

Yet housing investments including assistance to first-time home buyers and money for developing new units  crucial to efforts like those by United Power  were cut by half in Washington, to about $150 billion from more than $300 billion.

Another issue being closely watched by Chicago community groups, an initiative to replace lead service lines that can cause toxic drinking water, will receive $15 billion in the infrastructure bill and could get another $10 billion in the social-safety-net package, according to environmental groups that have negotiated with lawmakers. That is well short of the $60 billion sought by industry experts and the $45 billion Mr. Biden originally proposed.
WASHINGTON  The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol issued new subpoenas on Monday for a half-dozen allies of former President Donald J. Trump, including his former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn, as it moved its focus to an orchestrated effort to overturn the 2020 election.

The subpoenas reflect an effort to go beyond the events of the Capitol riot and delve deeper into what committee investigators believe gave rise to it: a concerted campaign by Mr. Trump and his network of advisers to promote false claims of voter fraud as a way to keep him in power. One of the people summoned on Monday was John Eastman, a lawyer who drafted a memo laying out how Mr. Trump could use the vice president and Congress to try to invalidate the election results.

In demanding records and testimony from the six Trump allies, the House panel is widening its scrutiny of the mob attack to encompass the former presidents attempt to enlist his own government, state legislators around the country and Congress in his push to overturn the election.

Mr. Flynn discussed seizing voting machines and invoking certain national security emergency powers after the election. Mr. Eastman wrote a memo to Mr. Trump suggesting that Vice President Mike Pence could reject electors from certain states during Congresss count of Electoral College votes to deny Joseph R. Biden Jr. a majority. And Bernard Kerik, the former New York police commissioner who was also subpoenaed, participated in a planning meeting at the Willard Hotel in Washington on Jan. 5 after backing baseless litigation and Stop the Steal efforts around the country to push the lie of a stolen election.
In recent years, ransomware groups have used a double-extortion scheme where they not only hold data hostage, but threaten to leak it online. Some groups have started offering the use of their ransomware code, portals, payment platforms and messaging infrastructure to others to conduct attacks, as in the Texas case using REvil, provided by a hacker group of the same name.

Last month, the Biden administration hosted a two-day conference with 30 other countries to create a coalition dedicated to disrupting the global ransomware ecosystem.

Cybersecurity experts say most ransomware developers are based in Russia, where they enjoy broad immunity because Russia does not arrest or extradite them. (Russia was notably not invited to the Biden administrations summit.) This has limited options for law enforcement in the United States, Europe and other countries.

But in the past few months, American officials have changed tack. Last week, the State Department announced a $10 million reward for anyone who could help provide information about the leaders of DarkSide, a ransomware group alternately known as BlackMatter, which was behind the hack of Colonial Pipeline last May.

Mr. Biden said on Monday that when he met with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin in June, he made clear that the U.S. would take action to hold cybercriminals accountable.

American officials have also started clawing back ransom payments from cybercriminals, as they did in the case of DarkSide last June and with Mr. Polyanin, as announced on Monday.

The message is: You might think we cant arrest you because youre living in Russia, but there are a lot of other ways we can get to you, said Allan Liska, an intelligence analyst at Recorded Future, a cybersecurity firm. This kind of sustained, cooperative law enforcement operation is making it far more expensive to conduct ransomware attacks and its starting to scare them.
WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court on Monday wrestled with the scope of the state secrets doctrine, debating whether it allows the government merely to withhold evidence that it says could harm national security or whether it entitles the government to insist that lawsuits against it based on government secrets be dismissed entirely.

The case arose from the surveillance of Muslims in Southern California in 2006 and 2007 by Craig Monteilh, an F.B.I. informant. The surveillance failed to produce any public evidence of wrongdoing. To the contrary, after Mr. Monteilh started talking about jihad and violence at a mosque in Irvine, Calif., a community leader contacted the F.B.I. to report him.

Three of the men Mr. Monteilh spied on sued the F.B.I. and the agents responsible for directing him, claiming, among other things, that their right to exercise their religion had been violated. The government moved to dismiss those claims, invoking the state secrets privilege.

Edwin S. Kneedler, a lawyer for the federal government, told the justices on Monday that dismissal of the case was warranted because the information concerning the reasons, the subjects, the sources and methods of this foreign intelligence investigation was so central to the case.
Sheriffs deputies arrested the driver, James Herbert Brick, 61, of Cherokee, N.C., and charged him with unlawful imprisonment. Mr. Brick, who the sheriffs office said had pornographic images of a child on his phone, also faces a child pornography charge.

The girl and Mr. Brick are acquaintances but are not related, said Gilbert Acciardo, public affairs officer for the Laurel County Sheriffs Office. The girl told investigators that she had traveled with Mr. Brick through North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio, where he had family. He left the family after they learned that the girl was a minor and that she had been reported missing by her family. She said she began trying to get motorists attention as they traveled south from Ohio.

It was not clear how many people saw the girls hand signal, Officer Acciardo said. When the deputies pulled the car over, the girl made the signal toward them, he said.

I dont think any of us realized what that was, he said. But we certainly do now.

Investigators believe Mr. Brick thought she was simply waving at other cars and didnt attempt to stop her, Officer Acciardo said. He praised the girl for using the gesture, which he said would be a useful tool for victims if it were universally known.

This is probably the best thing Ive seen come along in the 48 years Ive been a patrol officer, he said.
JOHANNESBURG  Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee Olympic sprinter who garnered global headlines after killing his girlfriend in 2013, may soon be paroled from prison, South African corrections officials said Monday.

Mr. Pistorius shot his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, through a locked bathroom door in February 2013. He claimed that her death was an accident, and that he had fired his gun in the belief that an intruder had entered his upscale home in a Pretoria suburb.

He was convicted of manslaughter  later upgraded to murder  and sentenced to 15 years. And on Monday, the Department of Correctional Services said Mr. Pistorius, 34, had served half his sentence, making him automatically eligible for parole under South African law.
RIO DE JANEIRO  Shortly after President Donald J. Trump was banned from Twitter early this year, Brazils like-minded leader made a plea to his millions of followers on the site.

Sign up for my official channel on Telegram, President Jair Bolsonaro requested.

Since then, Telegram, an encrypted messaging and social media platform run by an elusive Russian exile, has racked up tens of millions of new users in Brazil.

Its growing popularity in Brazil and elsewhere is being fueled by conservative politicians and commentators for whom it has become the most permissive disseminator of problematic content  including disinformation  in a social media ecosystem facing mounting pressure to combat fake news and polarization.

While WhatsApp remains by far the dominant messaging platform in Brazil, Telegram is making inroads fast. By August, it had been installed in 53 percent of all smartphones in Brazil, up from 15 percent two years earlier, according to a report.
Throughout the pandemic, Canadians have been able to travel to the United States for nonessential reasons like visiting family and friends, but there was a catch: They had to fly.

Thats because the United States would let Canadian citizens cross the land border only for a limited number of business-related reasons, like having a health care job on the American side. Now the land border has reopened for all fully vaccinated travelers, but Canadians still face a catch that may deter quick trips, and this time its one introduced by their own government.

Canada, which reopened its border to travelers from the United States in August, requires that anyone entering the country present a negative coronavirus test taken within 72 hours, and it will not accept relatively low-cost rapid tests. Instead, the result must come from a more reliable polymerase chain reaction, or P.C.R., test, which can cost well over $100 and take one to two days.

Canadians crossing for just a few hours can take the test in Canada before they leave. But some groups and politicians on both sides of the border have said recently that the cost and inconvenience associated with P.C.R. testing will be a powerful deterrent to travel.
PARIS  The Roman Catholic Church in France will sell some of its assets to compensate victims of sexual abuse, French bishops announced on Monday, one month after the release of a sweeping report on sexual abuse by the clergy that has fueled growing calls for reform.

We will ensure that no one is left behind, Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, the archbishop of Reims and the president of the Bishops Conference of France, told reporters after a meeting of bishops over the past week in Lourdes, a popular Catholic pilgrimage site in southwestern France.

The measure, one of several approved near unanimously on Monday by the bishops, was greeted by victims groups as a significant step in the French churchs reckoning of sexual abuse in its ranks, which accelerated after the release of the report last month.

But they cautioned that they would keep a watchful eye on the implementation of the measures announced Monday, which also included the creation of an independent reparations body to process victims claims. The bishops also said they planned to set up working groups, presided over by laypeople, that will draw up concrete proposals by 2023 on issues like the training of priests.
PARIS  A French police officer was attacked and stabbed as he sat in his patrol car early Monday morning in the city of Cannes, on the French Riviera, according to the French authorities.

While the officer was unharmed because he was wearing a protective bulletproof vest and the assailant was quickly taken into custody, the incident triggered alarms because of the brazen nature of the assault and because of a history of terrorist attacks against the police in France.

Gerald Darmanin, Frances interior minister, quickly left Paris for Cannes and was scheduled to meet with the officers involved in the incident, several of whom shot at the attacker to stop him.

The police officers bravely and professionally responded and saved the life of their colleague and neutralized the individual, Mr. Darmanin told reporters in Cannes.
Everyone is suddenly an expert and fake news is everywhere, 24 hours a day, lamented Silvia Nica, the head emergency doctor at Bucharest University Hospital. Short of beds, it erected a big treatment tent in the parking lot and turned the lobby into a Covid ward. I never thought this virus would stay so long. We are all exhausted.

As she spoke, a 66-year-old Covid patient, Nicu Paul, gasped for breath on a bed nearby. His wife, Maria, also suffering severe pulmonary problems from Covid, lay in the next bed. Mr. Paul said he had worked for 40 years as an ambulance driver and never gotten sick  God saved me, he said  so he decided against vaccination because there are so many rumors about the vaccine that I did not know what to believe.

Romania began vaccinating its citizens last December and put the program under the military, the countrys most respected institution, according to opinion polls. The second most trusted institution, however, is the Orthodox church, which has sent mixed signals on vaccines, with Patriarch Daniel in Bucharest telling people to make up their own minds and listen to doctors, while many local clerics and some influential bishops denounced vaccines as the Devils work.

Colonel Ghorghita said he had been shocked and mystified by the reach of anti-vaccination sentiment. They really believe that vaccines are not the proper way to stop Covid, he said, adding that this was despite the fact that more than 90 percent of deaths are unvaccinated people. Old people, the most vulnerable demographic, have been the hardest to convince, he said, with only 25 percent of people over 80 vaccinated.

In central Bucharest, huge signs display photographs of gravely ill patients in hospitals as part of a campaign to jolt people back to reality. They are suffocating. They beg. They regret, reads a caption.
Then British firms started being frozen out of European research projects and public procurement contracts. So Ms. Brock went shopping for countries in which to base her company, prioritizing rule of law, anti-corruption efforts, financial transparency and low taxes

I didnt really know where Estonia was but it shone out on all of those lists, said Ms. Brock, speaking on a video call from a shared work space in her adopted home, Tallinn, the Estonian capital.

She said she plans to hire up to 30 staff members in the next nine months. Eventually, around two-thirds of Vistalworks will be based in Estonia, and those workers will pay income and payroll taxes there, not in Britain. Corporate tax on the European company will be levied in Estonia too.

At the end of 2020 Ms. Brock and her business partner and husband, Stephen Budd, headed to Estonia before a Brexit-related deadline to request residency rights in the Baltic country. They took only hand luggage, expecting a speedy return to Scotland and then a period of reflection on where to live and how to proceed with their business. That plan was upended by coronavirus travel restrictions, forcing them into a choice.

We are learning Estonian and managing both the U.K. team and the growing E.U. team from here, she said.

Estonia is only one of a number of countries that offer such opportunities for so-called digital nomads who do not need to live in the country. But more than 4,000 British firms have seen the benefit, helping to swell Estonian tax revenues by 60 percent compared to 2020, according to comments by the countrys prime minister, Kaja Kallas, in an interview with the British business newspaper City AM. She estimated the tax gain at 51 million euros.
Northern Irelands health minister has sued Van Morrison, who has said the ministers handling of Covid-19 restrictions was very dangerous.

Paul Tweed, the lawyer for the health minister, Robin Swann, confirmed on Monday that a lawsuit had been filed.

Legal proceedings are now at an advanced stage, with an anticipated hearing date early in 2022, Mr. Tweed said in an email, adding that he could not comment any further at this stage. The Belfast Telegraph reported the lawsuit on Sunday.

Joe Rice, a lawyer for Mr. Morrison, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. He told The Associated Press that Mr. Morrison would contest the claim, arguing that the words used by him related to a matter of public interest and constituted fair comment.
The latest accusation came Monday, when international computer privacy experts said that Pegasus had been deployed against Palestinian rights activists, raising questions about whether the Israeli government itself was behind the hacking.

If the new claims are true, the case would be yet another instance of the software being used against rights advocates and the first known instance of it being used inside Israel and the occupied territories.

The Israeli prime ministers office and the Defense Ministry denied that Pegasus had been used to hack the Palestinians phones. An NSO spokeswoman said that the company would not say who used the software and that it did not have access to information about whom the program was used against.

But the fact that such reports have led to a breach in relations with the United States alarmed the Israeli government, the senior officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss issues of national security and diplomatic relations.

In imposing the sanctions, the U.S. Commerce Department said that NSO had acted contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States. If the United States is accusing NSO of acting against its interests, the officials said, then it is implicitly accusing Israel, which licenses the software, of doing the same.
Photo illustration by Braulio Amado Talk Yuval Noah Harari Believes This Simple Story Can Save the Planet

With the publication in the United States of his best-selling Sapiens in 2015, the Israeli historian and philosopher Yuval Noah Harari arrived at the top rank of public intellectuals, a position he consolidated with Homo Deus (2017) and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (2018). Hararis key theme is the idea that human society has largely been driven by our speciess capacity to believe in what he calls fictions: those things whose power is derived from their existence in our collective imaginations, whether they be gods or nations; our belief in them allows us to cooperate on a societal scale. The broad sweep of Hararis writing, which encompasses the prehistoric past and a dark far-off future, has turned him into a bit of a walking inkblot test. The general misunderstandings of me, says Harari, 45, co-author of the recently published Sapiens: A Graphic History, Volume 2 (the latest in a series of graphic-novel adaptations of his work), are that Im the prophet of doom and then theres this opposite view that I think everything is wonderful. Both, of course, might be true. Once the books are out, the ideas are out of your hands, he says.

Some of the big ideas about humanity that youve helped popularize  that fictions or social constructs have political power or that Homo sapiens might be moving toward technologically driven obsolescence  have been around in various forms since way before you wrote about them. So what do you think it is about how you convey them thats been so compelling? One hypothesis is that Im coming from the discipline of history, and many of the recent attempts to create this kind of big synthesis were from biology and evolution or from economics and social sciences. In recent decades the humanities kind of gave up, and it became almost taboo to try to create grand narratives. But the humanities perspective is essential. Many of the philosophical questions that have bothered humanity for thousands of years are now becoming practical. Previously philosophy was a kind of luxury: You can indulge in it or not. Now you really need to answer crucial philosophical questions about what humanity is or the nature of the good in order to decide what to do with, for example, new biotechnologies. So maybe Ive reached people because Ive come from the perspective of history and philosophy and not biology or economics. Also, my most central idea is simple. Its the primacy of fictions, that to understand the world you need to take stories seriously. The story in which you believe shapes the society that you create.

When youre working in a mode that involves making broad conclusions about humanity, is it hard to determine whether those conclusions are banal? Well, I discovered this: The more banal they are, the more impressed people are.

Thats the trick? All these things about the fictional stories, this was one of the most basic things I learned in my first year doing a bachelors degree in history. I thought this was the most banal thing that everybody knows. It turned out that for lots of people, it was a big discovery: that you had these social constructs and intersubjective reality. I thought it was the most banal thing in the world.

Yuval Noah Harari at a lecture on artificial intelligence in Beijing in 2017. Visual China Group, via Getty Images

Does it make you cynical if what youd thought was the most banal thing in the world ends up being wildly popular? No. It just means that there is miscommunication between large parts of the scientific community and large parts of the public. The things that have been known and accepted by science or by scholars for many years, theyre still big news for the public. Its just the way things are.

One area where the scientific community has communicated clearly is the scale of the climate crisis, and the story that they and so many other people are telling about it is incredibly urgent. Why then do you think were still lacking in the global political will to address the problem in a way thats equal to the coming catastrophes? Its important to have human enemies in order to have a catchy story. With climate change, you dont. Our minds didnt evolve for this kind of story. When we evolved as hunter-gatherers, it was never the case that we could somehow change the climate in ways which were bad for us, so its not the kind of story that we were interested in. We were interested in the story that some people in the tribe are conspiring to kill me. So we have a narrative problem with climate change. But the good news is that its not too late or too difficult to overcome. According to the best reports Ive read, if we now start investing 2 percent of global annual G.D.P. in developing eco-friendly technologies and eco-friendly infrastructure, that should be enough to prevent catastrophic climate change. The beautiful thing about 2 percent is that even though its a lot of money, its completely feasible. If it was 20 percent then I would tell you forget about it, its too late. But 2 percent? The job of the average politician is to shift 2 percent of the budget from here to there. We know how to do it. We need to stay away from the apocalyptic thinking that its too late and the world is ending and move toward a more practical thing: 2 percent of the budget. Thats it.

Is shifting 2 percent of global G.D.P. a sufficiently compelling story? The thing about 2 percent of G.D.P., its not very impressive, but thats the whole point. Its hopeful. Its not like we have to completely change the entire economy and go live in caves. We just need to shift 2 percent. Thats all. So I think its a powerful message. And there are other stories: If you look at movements like Greta Thunbergs and the whole youth movement, what the young people are telling the world is that you are sacrificing us on the altar of your greed and irresponsibility. Its no longer something hazy like CO2 in the atmosphere. Its a human drama of the old sacrificing the young. Thats powerful.

Harari being interviewed by Mark Zuckerberg in 2019. From Meta

I know you get asked a version of this question a lot, but what do you make of the fact that your work is so popular in Silicon Valley? As youve pointed out, these are people whose work has very dangerous implications. Your popularity in that circle cant be just a coincidence. There are many things to say. One reason I think that its popular in these circles is that even though I criticize some of their practices and present some of these practices as a major danger to humanity, I also point out that maybe this is the most important thing that now happens on the planet. So even if you criticize them but also emphasize the importance of what they do, it is still flattering to them to think that the future of humanity is to some extent in their hands. To be somewhat generous to these figures, I definitely dont think that they are evil. Some of what they did was good. I met my husband online on one of the first gay dating apps in Israel, and Im grateful for this because as a gay man in a small, provincial Israeli town, how do you meet guys? What I would say about Silicon Valley is that they dont understand the enormous impact that they are having. They set out hoping to change the world with a deep understanding of technology and not as deep an understanding of history and human society and psychology. But, finally, I know as a historian that texts can gain a life of their own. The people who wrote the New Testament, if they could see what the Inquisition and the crusaders did with the idea of turning the other cheek and the meek will inherit the earth, I think they would be rolling in their graves. But thats history. What can you do?

Is there an idea that youre still sort of germinating that you think is maybe too radical for your audience? Ill give two examples, a big one and a small one. When I wrote Homo Deus, my main interest was in what comes after humanism and after liberalism. I thought that liberalism and humanism were the best stories that humanity has ever managed to come up with. We now have to go beyond that because of the technological revolutions of the 21st century, which call into question the most basic ideas and assumptions of humanism and liberalism. But over the last five years, Ive retreated from that frontier because of the political developments in much of the world. Ive instead found myself starting to fight these rear-guard actions to convince people about humanism and liberalism when what I really want to do is to see what comes after.

What comes after? Im not sure. I havent managed to go much beyond what was in Homo Deus. I explored the way in which the information revolution disintegrates the human individual, which is the foundation of humanism and liberalism. As far as I could see, the new foundation becomes the flow of data information in the world to the degree that even the understanding of what is an organism, what is a human being  its no longer that a human being is this magical self, which is autonomous and has free will and makes decisions about the world. No, a human being like all other organisms is just an information-processing system that is in continuous flow. It has no fixed assets. What are the implications in political terms? In social terms? Im not sure. This is what I would be keen to explore.

What was the small example? The small frontier: Im reading this book about new theories about transgender and nonbinary people and so forth. The previous book Id read was about early Christianity. It struck me how similar these things are. So much of the debate about gender now, in a weird way its like these early Christians debating the nature of Christ and the trinity. Basically they were asking, was Christ a nonbinary person? Is Christ divine or human or both divine-human or neither divine and human? It resonates with many of the debates that we have now about the nature of humans and the person. Can we be both? Can we be only one? And if you dont think like me, then youre a heretic. I mean, the champions of the early Christians were the martyrs and the ascetic monks  you have this guy Simon standing on a pillar for years. They were exploring the limits of the human body with what was available to them. Now you have, with the gender issue, more questions of what can we do with the body; we can change it like this and like that. There are huge differences between these things but neurons in my brain started having this conversation about early Christianity and current gender debates.

Good thing history shows us that all debates within Christianity were settled amicably. The thing is, at the time these tiny Christian sects having these debates were insignificant! But afterward it turned out that these doctrinal debates and who won and who lost had an enormous impact on the development of human history. And this is a more serious thought: I think that the reason that there is so much political heat around debates about transgender people and nonbinary people and so forth is because people maybe subconsciously feel that debates of the future will be about what we can do with the human body and the human brain. How can we re-engineer them? How can we change them? The first practical place that we come across these questions is gender. You can say people are bigots and are always sensitive when you talk about sex or gender, but I think that subconsciously people realize this is the first debate about transhumanism. Its about what we can do with technology to change the human body and brain and mind. This is why we see these heated debates.

What might it say about you and the stories you find most appealing that debates about gender, which could easily be interpreted as being about one group of humans wanting to be treated as equal to any another in the here and now, are ones that you interpret as being fundamentally about anxiety over future transhumanism? Thats the point! Transhumanism is about what it is to be human. I mean, there are different types of transhumanism, but one interpretation is that transhumanism is fulfilling the true potential of the human. Which depends of course on what you understand a human to be. This is the question that we want to pursue, and its not a question with easy answers.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity from two conversations.

Opening illustration: Source photograph by Emily Berl for The New York Times

David Marchese is a staff writer for the magazine and the columnist for Talk. Recently he interviewed Alice Waters about being uncompromising and Neil deGrasse Tyson about how science might once again reign supreme.
Off to work: OSU students volunteer at Into the Streets
Jennifer Hawkins

Finn Partners has acquired Hawkins International PR, the upscale travel firm with 26 staffers in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Jennifer Hawkins, founder of the firm, will take on the managing partner, luxury travel, title at Finn Partners.

Peter Finn noted that Hawkins International PR represents many of the most celebrated hotel and resort brands in the industry and has a keen grasp on what drives high-end demographics.

The shops client roster includes Dorchester Collection, Gstaad Palace, Seabourn Cruise Line, The Dolder Grand, Wilderness Safaris and Tradewind Aviation.

The firm boasts of capabilities such as media intelligence, consumer/trade press relations, trendspotting, content development, storytelling, social media strategy, digital marketing and brand partnerships.

Finn Partners also is acquiring Hawkins International PRs affiliated Maverick Creative unit and its 10 staffers.

Maverick Creative works for Arlo Hotels, The Shelbourne, Asbury Ocean Club, RVshare and Rocco Forte Hotels.

Finn Partners, which chalked up $10.4M in 2020 travel fee income, says the addition of Hawkins and Maverick puts it over the $20M mark.

Stevens Group facilitated Finn Partners deal for Hawkins International PR.
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Marston Lyons is proud to present a new short humor book series, The Wee Treasury, with the release of its first book in the series, titled The Wee Treasury of Alternative Swear Options for New Parentsand for Those Who Want to Keep it Mild. This is a short but amusing guide to minced oaths that contains a lot of funny, spirited options!  Goodreads Reviewer This is a fun book  NetGalley 
Oskaloosa, IA (52577)

Today

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House Bill 5097, Ban "Critical Race Theory" curriculum in public schools: Passed 55 to 0 in the House

To prohibit public schools from teaching "critical race theory." Specifically, the bill prohibits instructing children that because of their race or gender individuals comprising a racial or ethnic group or gender all act in certain ways, hold certain opinions, are born racist or sexist, bear collective guilt for historical wrongs, or regard race or gender as a better predictor of outcome than character, work ethic, or skills.

Also, to ban teaching that the cultural norms or practices of a racial or ethnic group or gender are flawed and must be eliminated or changed to conform; that racism (or sexism) is inherent in individuals from a particular race or ethnic group (or gender); that a racial or ethnic group or gender is in need of deconstruction, elimination, or criticism; or that the actions of some individuals serve as an indictment against their race or gender.

Democrats abstained from voting on the bill.

97 Rep. Jason Wentworth, R - Clare Y

100 Rep. Scott VanSingel, R - Grant Y

102 Rep. Michele Hoitenga, R - Manton Y

House Bill 4920, Require legislator harassment disclosures: Passed 103 to 0 in the House

To establish that if the Senate or House of Representatives enters a legal settlement of a sexual assault or sexual harassment complaint against a legislator, the settlement amount and the lawmakers name must be made public. House Bill 5281 applies this to elected officials in the executive branch.

97 Rep. Jason Wentworth, R - Clare Y

100 Rep. Scott VanSingel, R - Grant Y

102 Rep. Michele Hoitenga, R - Manton Y

House Bill 4939, Exclude new car rebates from sales tax: Passed 83 to 20 in the House

To deduct manufacturer rebates from the purchase price of a new car, boat or RV for purposes of calculating sales tax. The bill would require foregone school aid revenue generated by the narrow tax break to be taken from other state taxes and fees.

97 Rep. Jason Wentworth, R - Clare Y

100 Rep. Scott VanSingel, R - Grant Y

102 Rep. Michele Hoitenga, R - Manton Y

House Bill 4778, Ban state use of deletable message apps that violate open records law: Passed 35 to 0 in the Senate

To prohibit state agencies from using any app, software, or other electronic device technology that allows messages to be deleted, and would thereby violate their duty to maintain a public record as required by the state Freedom of Information Act and other laws.

33 Sen. Rick Outman, R - Six Lakes Y

35 Sen. Curt VanderWall, R - Ludington Y

House Bill 4501, Refund employer fines levied under unconstitutional unlimited emergency law: Passed 19 to 16 in the Senate

To require state regulators to refund civil penalties they imposed on employers for violating emergency orders issued under a 1945 emergency powers law that has been ruled unconstitutional because it let a governor declare a state of emergency and govern unilaterally with no time limit.

33 Sen. Rick Outman, R - Six Lakes Y

35 Sen. Curt VanderWall, R - Ludington 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


A generation or so ago and that phrase would be fraught with complexity. But that is not the idea here. No, its more like whatever happened to the boy next door. And in this case, he grew up to be a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. Yes, sir.

Its one of the fascinating aspects of neighborhoods. You cant pick who lives next to you anymore than they chose you to be living next to them. And neighbors come and go, sometimes with baffling speed. But in our neighborhood, families seem to be in their homes for the long haul, meaning the raising of their children.

Weve been lucky in the neighborhood lottery (I hope our neighbors agree) and its been fascinating to watch those children grow up. Neighboring families provided babysitters when our children were young. We watched their children grow into teenagers, learn to drive and then spread their wings and move away. But this may be one the biggest wingspans of all.

Larry and Stephanie LeGree lived next to us for a number of years. Their five children provided a great deal of energy to the neighborhood. I also had several of them in class at the high school. And when Larry the younger earned an appointment to the Naval Academy, well, that was great stuff. Those appointments are not easy to come by, nor is the four years at the academy a typical college education. It comes with strings attached, you could say. Years of service after graduation are expected. Who could have known what those ensuing decades would bring?

The boy next door is now a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. He has been all over the world in the service of his country, currently stationed in Naples, Italy. You can easily access his bio online and read all about it. In his photo, I can still see the boy next door, though. Its unmistakable. Its the same Larry who laughingly mowed the lawn for his dad. Its the same Larry who must have consumed breakfast cereal by the boxlful because his mother bought it by the case. And its the same Larry who will be visiting his hometown this week to help preside over the dedication of the General Ben Hebard Fuller memorial at our Veterans and Hometown Heroes Memorial at Holland Park.

Ben Fuller, who also was appointed to the Naval Academy, served in the Navy and then the Marine Corps for his entire career. He achieved the rank of Major General and became the 15th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, serving in that role from 1930-1934. The avenue entering the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, is named after him.

So it seems fitting that the boy next door, Rear Admiral Lawrence LeGree, comes home to honor another hometown hero from a previous century. Itll be a proud day all around for the city of Big Rapids.

Cathy Johnson is a guest columnist for the Pioneer.
When Lee Smith of Midland began to wind down his career in the energy business, he ran into a snag.

It wasnt the kind of snag a retiree gets when fishing from a river bank or tying up a backyard hammock. Smith, a trained geologist and oil and gas trader who worked for many years at the Midland Cogeneration Venture (MCV), stumbled onto the history of the Midland Nuclear Plant.

A twin-reactor nuclear plant was under construction at the current location of MCV, not far from Whiting Overlook Park on the citys south side. Consumers Energy, which was called Consumers Power Co. at that time, announced plans for the plant in late 1967, and said it would take several years of construction and cost $267 million.

But 17 years and $4.1 billion later, the energy giant gave up on the nuclear plant, which was 85% complete. It was a story of mistakes, miscalculations and errors that gnawed at Smith.

In 2016 Smith, who was 75 years old at the time and working as a consultant, was attending an energy conference at Michigan State University. A lecturer mentioned that the Midland Nuclear Plant was built on top of a giant peat bog, and thats what in part led to its failure.

That remark would change Smiths life. He decided he needed to know more.

It always gnawed at me how they could have screwed this up, he told the Daily News in a recent interview.

Smith spent much of the next five years researching the failed nuclear plant and eventually writing a book about it. Now 80 years old, his 183-page book Nearly Nuclear: A Mismanaged Energy Transition by LeRoy Smith has been published by Michigan State University Press.

Smith wasnt planning on writing a book when he started his research. He was just curious, and looking for answers. He submitted a few articles to the Midland Daily News for publication and also included its history during his occasional lectures.

I would give a talk, and people would say to me later, You really ought to write a book about that.  and by that time, I had collected so much stuff.

He said he knew it wasnt going to be a big moneymaker.

No, I never thought Id make any money at all, Smith said. But once I got into it, I couldnt put it down.

In 2018, he began working toward compiling his information into a book, in a process that took him about three years. In 2020, he signed a contract with MSU Press to have his work published. It became available to purchase through Amazon and Barnes and Noble in September of this year.

Smith tells of the local support for the plant in its beginnings, as it was expected to provide energy for The Dow Chemical Co. as well as thousands of Michigan dwellings. The community hosted one of its largest public gatherings in history in a rally for nuclear energy on Oct. 12, 1971. Hollywood personality Art Linkletter was the featured guest.

But in 1979, the Three Mile Island nuclear accident  the worst in U.S. commercial history  rocked the atomic energy world, and people began questioning its long-term viability. That same year, a fictitious Academy Award-nominated movie about a nuclear plant accident, The China Syndrome, added fuel to the debate.

Environmentalists were already questioning the safety of the Midland project, which was built on poorly compacted soil in a flood plain. Two of its main structures were sinking, and cracks had developed in its containment buildings.

The plant was canceled in July 1984 when Consumers could no longer get financing to continue the project.

Smith said he was fascinated by the players involved in the scenario. There were the industrial giants  builder Bechtel Corp. (the largest construction company in the nation), Consumers Power and Dow. And there were local business leaders whose steering committee was led by the Rev. Wayne North of Midland First United Methodist Church.

There also were the environmentalists, led by Mary Sinclair of Midland, a housewife who Smith sees as one of the pioneer female activists of her kind in the world, and a 30-year-old liberal journalist Michael Moore of Flint, who later became a major filmmaker.

Its about Midland, the people of Midland and how they reacted to this plant being built, Smith said. Everybody believed they were doing the right thing for Midland.

Smith said he felt it was important to write the history of the plant.

There are some real business management lessons in it,  a case study of an unsuccessful effort.  Time and time again, (Consumers) made mistakes, he said. I knew it before, but I was impressed by how complicated things were, the mix of people and the outside events that affected it.

While Sinclair was reviled by some in the local community  spat on in public and her husbands law office shunned  she received national attention for the relentless pursuit of her cause. She was featured on a segment of the CBS news program 60 Minutes in 1985.

Mary Sinclair is a truly remarkable woman, Smith said. She was a pioneer environmentalist.  She is a wonderful example of what a woman could do in a world where women answered to their husbands names.

The shell of the nuclear plant eventually transformed into Midland Cogeneration Venture, a large, successful natural gas-fired power plant that began operating in 1991.

Had the plant not failed, I wouldnt have had a job here, Smith said.

He admits writing a non-fiction book is not the type of project for the faint of heart to take on in retirement. And he received plenty of assistance from his wife, H.J. Smith, a former Jefferson Middle School English teacher.

Its exciting to get it done. I worked on it a long time, he said. I would only recommend it to somebody who felt extremely interested in a topic and was willing to devote a large amount of time to it.  It consumes you.
Three Rivers Corporation is welcoming Dustin Neumeyer as its marketing and business development coordinator.

Neumeyer joins Three Rivers after eight years of ownership and management of Aberro Creative, a Midland-based creative marketing agency. There, he worked alongside clients from throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region including Northwood University, Michigan Sugar, Saginaw Spirit, CMU College of Medicine and many others. Prior to co-founding Aberro Creative, Neumeyer worked for Chicago-based companies Marketing Werks and Alli, Alliance of Action Sports.

Im thrilled to join the Three Rivers team, stated Neumeyer. Since becoming an active member of the local business community over eight years ago, Ive always admired the way Three Rivers does business. Three Rivers truly is 'More Than Construction' and Im excited to join a company that cares so much about the communities in the Great Lakes Bay Region and across Michigan.

At Three Rivers, Neumeyer will lead all marketing efforts and support the growing business development team.

Dustin brings a depth of experience that will help to position Three Rivers for continued growth, said Jon Lynch, president of Three Rivers Corporation. His involvement in the community and entrepreneurial spirit align with our core values and provide a solid foundation for the future.

We are excited to have Dustin join the team at Three Rivers, said Chris Moultrup, director of business development. With his technical abilities and expertise in marketing, Dustin is positioned well to maximize the impact of our visual communication and business development efforts.
With six children, three who are adopted, Katie Hurst knows what it is like to be in crisis and have other adoptive parents step forth and help.

Hurst, who has three children adopted from China, started Kaidis Light to provide support that fosters connection and growth to adoptive families. The name stems from the name given to her by her Chinese friends.

Hurst hopes the organization will aid adoptive families with financial and emotional issues through generosity and compassion. She cites a wrap-around system designed to meet the familys needs.

Connection and bonding take a lot of work, Hurst said. Our goal is to lower the additional stresses of life so that families can concentrate on the importance of connection.

The Midland native who recently moved to Freeland said the nonprofit group helps with things like bringing a meal, mowing ones grass or other things that a family in crisis may need help with. Hurst realized the need when her sons medical port became infected, meaning an extended stay in the hospital following a blood transfusion.

She and her husband, Craig, have three teenagers. A biological 16-year-old daughter, a biological 15-year-old son and a 13-year-old son they adopted when he was 5. They also have three 11-year-olds that include a biological son and two adopted girls that they brought into their family when they were 4. The girls arent related but were adopted in China at the same time.

Im enjoying their teens, she said. They are turning into amazing human beings.

Hurst said she loves watching the children grow and seeing glimpses of who they are becoming.

Hurst said adopting children was always on the table, including when she and her husband were dating. After they married, they shortly began the process, only to find that adopting in the United States was difficult. After waiting a over a year, the couple turned to international adoption. Part of choosing China was because Hurst loved it.

Also, they saw a picture of a boy in China via a blog and they wanted to adopt him. Later, while adopting that boy, they heard about a little girl. They said if she wasnt adopted in a year, they would attempt the adoption. A year later, while adopting that little girl, they saw another one, the same age, both were blind.

We said we would be done after five children, Hurst said.

But in the end, she returned from China with two little girls, bringing their number of children to six.

Yet, she made the last trip to China alone to get the girls. While at the hotel with two blind little ones, she was feeling stressed. Hurst said people often think it is all her running the show. They dont often realize what her husband brings to the table.

She said while at the hotel she called her husband saying she didnt think she could do it while feeling overwhelmed. She began to see the girls had more needs than she realized. Her husband, in a calm voice, told her they could do it together. Just bring the girls home, he said.

While she admits it hasnt been a fairy tale, the experience has been worthwhile.

If I had it to do over, I would, she said.

It was in her challenging experiences when she first set up a Facebook group for parents five years ago, where they could meet for coffee and just openly talk without judgement. Hurst said in the group, she heard many of the struggles and problems parents were facing. That led to her developing Kaidis Light.

Part of that stemmed from how the Midland area Chinese community treated her family.

The Midland Chinese community has loved on my family, said Hurst, who considers her family Chinese American. Its a beautiful thing.

Hurst said her family is well versed in using chop sticks and one can often see chicken feet on the menu. In addition, the family celebrates Chinese New Year.

She said when one adopts internationally, there is none of the same supports in place, such as stipends and healthcare, that are available when adopting in the United States. This sometimes opens the doors to such families searching for other supports.

So far Kaidis Light has achieved a warm reception. Hurst said it has been fun.

Its a very new idea and concept, she said.

She said many people in the Midland area have adopted Chinese children. Thus, she hopes it will serve the community well.

We started small and hope to grow, she said.

Hurst hopes to achieve a stable base of support for the group.

In addition to running her Facebook group, Kaidis Light, and caring for six children, Hurst is also fostering a pregnant Newfoundland that needed emergency care and is ready to deliver any day.

To learn more about Kaidis Light, visit kaidislight.org.
Christopher Kimmel/Getty Images/Aurora Open

As part of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's recently declared Winter Hazards Awareness Week, the Michigan State Police is supplying residents with emergency preparedness tips for safe winter travels.

"Michiganders should take every opportunity to prepare for winter weather before its here, bringing with it the potential for frozen pipes, propane shortages and power outages" Col. Joe Gasper, state director of Emergency Management and Homeland Security and director of the Michigan State Police, said in a press release. "Taking steps to prepare your home and vehicle in advance of the cold weather can help ensure your family stays safe all winter."
The Veterans of Foreign Wars Chemical City Post #3651 in Midland invites the citizens of Midland County to participate in a 30-minute Veterans Day ceremony at the Midland County Veterans Memorial on the grounds of the Courthouse at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 11.



This event recognizes all veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces who have served our country with dignity and honor. Veterans Day symbolizes the World War I Armistice, which came at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. As a result, Veterans Day is recognized on Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. each year.

The keynote speaker will be Iraq War veteran U.S. Army Colonel (Retired) Rhoda K. Daniel. She enlisted into the Regular Army in July 1985 as Private Rhoda K. Warren, as a 63C truck driver. After her enlistment, she joined the Michigan Army National Guard, went to Eastern Michigan University and became a commissioned officer through the Officer Candidacy School Program at the Michigan Military Academy. She has served a total of 34 years in the Regular Army, Army National Guard, and the U.S. Army Reserves, holding leadership assignments from Platoon to Brigade.
Dear Savvy Senior,

When my dad died, we thought he had a life insurance policy, but we have no idea how to track it down. Any suggestions?

Searching Son

Dear Searching,

Lost or forgotten life insurance policies are very common in the U.S. According to a study by Consumer Reports, 1 out of every 600 people is the beneficiary of an unclaimed life insurance policy with an average benefit of $2,000. It could be like finding out you have a secret savings account.

While unfortunately, there isnt a national database for tracking down these policies, there are a number of strategies and a few new resources that can help your search. Here are several to get you started.

Search his records: Check your dads financial records or areas where he kept his important papers for a policy, records of premium payments, or bills from an insurer. Also contact his employer or former employer benefits administrator, insurance agents, financial planner, accountant, attorney or other adviser and ask if they know about a life insurance policy. Also check safe-deposit boxes, monitor the mail for premium invoices or whole-life dividend notices, and review old income-tax returns, looking for interest income from, and interest expenses paid, to life insurance companies.

Get help: The National Association of Insurance Commissioners offers a policy locator service (see NAIC.org and click on Consumer then on Life Insurance Policy Locator) that lets you run a nationwide search for insurance policies or annuities in the names of people who have died. There are also six state insurance departments (Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, North Carolina and Oregon) that have free policy locator service programs that can help you search. To find direct access to these state resources visit the American Council of Life Insurers website at ACLI.com  click on Missing Policy Tips.

Contact the insurer: If you suspect that a particular insurer underwrote the policy, contact that carriers claim office and ask. The more information you have, like your dads date of birth and death, Social Security number and address, the easier it will be to track down. Contact information for some big insurers include: Prudential 800-778-2255; MetLife Metlife.com/policyfinder; AIG 800-888-2452; Nationwide 800-848-6331; John Hancock JohnHancock.com  click on Lost or unclaimed policy form at the bottom of the page under Quick Links.

Search unclaimed property: If your dad died more than a few years ago, benefits may have already been turned over to the unclaimed property office of the state where the policy was purchased. Go to MissingMoney.com, a website of the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, to search records from 39 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. Or, to find links to each states unclaimed-property division use Unclaimed.org.

If your dads name or a potential benefactors name produces a hit, youll need to prove your claim. Required documentation, which can vary by state, is detailed in claim forms, and a death certificate might be necessary.

Search fee-based services: There are several businesses that offer policy locator services for a fee. The MIB Group, for example, which is a data-sharing service for life and health insurance companies, offers a policy locator service at MIB.com for $75. But it only tracks applications for individual policies made since 1996.

You can also get assistance at Policy Inspector (PolicyInspector.com) for $99, and L-LIFE (LostLifeIns.com) for $108.50, who will do the searching for you.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book.
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
Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - UNICEF Gambia office has noted with concern the involvement of children in large political gatherings in The Gambia, including during the nomination of candidates for the December 4 presidential election
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has expressed concern over people being arrested and detained at various places because of the state of emergency approved by Parliament last week in the wake of the security situation in the country
The fact that you and everyone you know will receive spam and scam emails (and texts) for as long as they live should be added to the famous Ben Franklin quote,  in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. Death, taxes, and spam. Its constant, ever-present, and you likely have a few hundred of them sitting in your Spam folder as you read this. The very fact that we even need to have a spam folder tells us theres a problem. However, you are a savvy navigator of your inbox, and a seasoned connoisseur of Nigerian missives. The problem is, someone in your family is decidedly not. Maybe its your mother or father, an uncle, or even a step-relative. Heres some advice to lend them in order to keep them safe.

Always know (and verify) the sender

An email from someone you know suddenly arriving in your inbox with no warning is a red flag. Typically, when we get email from our family or friends, its about a topic we are actively discussing, so when there is no warning of an incoming email, tread lightly; it could be a scam. If there is a link inside this email, then its almost always a scam. Hackers and neer-do-wells can sometimes take over someones email account and just start spamming all of their contacts with nefarious links that seem safe, but will plant malware on your system, or worse. Luckily, this tactic is easy to counter since you can just verify if the person who you think sent the email did indeed mean to send it. A simple phone call or text will do, and if they exclaim, What email? then you know what to do.

Its also important to point out that when examining these emails, dont just look at the name of the sender, but the email address. For example I got a spam email from Facebook recently, which is obviously fake, but when I clicked the drop-down for the actual address and CCd people, I saw the details below. Even your grandma knows that is fishy. Not to mention the address Facebookmail750@gmail.comcome on spammers, try harder.

Josh Norem/IDG

As a general rule its safest to never click any links in emails, even if you think you know the source; mostly because you might not actually know the source (see above) and clicking links in email is how the vast majority of people fall victim to phishing operations (see the United States Presidential election of 2016 for how disastrous this can be). That said, if you are sure of the source, and you are confident it is not a spam or scam email, you can always check the actual link prior to clicking it, and the process is quite simple. Just hover your mouse over the link in the email, and a little window will pop-up in the lower corner of your browser (usually on the left side) showing you what the actual link. For example, when I hover over this masterfully written articles link on PCWorld.com, I can look in the lower left-hand corner to see where it will take me. You might need to enable this preview window in your browser, so if you dont see link previews click View in your browsers controls and look for something called Status Bar or similar.

Josh Norem/IDG

When hovering over what you think might be spam links, youll usually see some very strange URLs that are not typical, which usually means its spam, of course.

Josh Norem/IDG

Spelling mistakes are a huge red flag

Spelling mistakes, odd punctuation, and weird use of language are probably the easiest red flags to recognize. The majority of scam operations are run from countries far away, where English is not their native tongue, and hence you get stuff like this.

Josh Norem/IDG

Sure, nobody is perfect and email can be seen as a casual way to communicate at times, so even we have typos in our emails from time-to-time. But if youre reading an email thinking the person had a stroke while typing it, mark it as Spam.

Be wary of email from big companies

You will likely never receive an email from Facebook, Apple, or Google, unless you are paying for a service from them, so it could be an invoice for iCloud, or Google Storage, or similar. They will not just email you out of the blue, usually, to let you know theres an issue with your account. They will, however, send you an email when a foreign device logs into your account, but hopefully thats you on a new device, and not some nefarious person. You should have two-factor authentication enabled on all your accounts for online services anyway, so something like this should not be possible in the first place.

That said, there are exceptions that can be safe. For example, I recently got an email from Google asking me to add a second phone number to my two-factor authentication setup, and since Google is usually smart about these things, it thoughtfully included a non-clickable link at the bottom if I wanted to copy-and-paste it myself instead of clicking an active link. Thats because, as weve said previously, savvy users know to be wary of clickable links. Most big companies will also write in their emails to you that they will never ask for your password over email.

Josh Norem/IDG

One more thing to note: Typically, if you do get an email from a big company like Facebook, there will not be clickable links in the email. Itll be just to inform you of something. However, if you are curious enough to follow up, do it outside the email itself. Open Facebook, or your Google settings, or your iPhone, and investigate the issue there instead of through the email you received.

Texts are just as dangerous as email

Ill admit it, I have definitely been curious about a few texts I have received, which were worded like, Your Amazon package is delayed. Check its status here. Most of us have an Amazon package en route often enough for this type of message to be applicable, but more often than not, its a scam. Text messages are much more dangerous than emails because theres not really a way to see where the embedded link is taking you unless you preview it, but not everyone knows how to do that. Smartphones have gotten smarter by displaying a preview of what is linked in a box with an image, but of course the scammers have found ways around this, so theres usually not a preview box. The best thing to do, in almost every case, is simply ignore the text, and block the sender.

Josh Norem/IDG

In the link above, you know its a scam just based on the URL alone, but what if the message is more sophisticated? What if they use your name, or say something in the message that is actually applicable to your life?

Josh Norem/IDG

The same rules apply to texts as they do to emailsif you dont know the sender, do not open any links. Even if you know the sender, contact them to verify they are the ones who sent it. Either way, your life will not deteriorate in any noticeable fashion if you simply do not click the link provided.

Summary

To sum things up, the vast majority of phishing and malware attacks are only successful if the target clicks on a link provided. While there are no click malware attacks going around right now, they are expensive for a third party to purchase on the black market, so they usually target high-level government employees, journalists investigating corruption, and those types of people. For most regular people, you will only get scammed if you respond to a mysterious message, whether its via email or text. So be safe, and do not click on links you get that seem fishy, no matter how curios you might be about it.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ghana has organized a two-day capacity-building training programme for 30 MSMEs selected across the country to benefit from funding and training on how they can utilize digital technology to market their businesses.



The training was also to equip these MSMEs on how they can leverage on African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to reach a wider African audience.



Addressing participants, the Resident Representative of UNDP, Dr. Angela Lusigi, said there are vast untapped resources available for Ghanaian MSMEs to fund their growth and expansion within the AfCFTA.



Taking action to position MSMEs for growth is an important prerequisite for the success of the one African market and UNDP is committed to working with our partners to do so. We have invested in strengthening the ecosystem to support SME development in Ghana, building on the initiatives by government, private sector and financial institutions, said Dr. Lusigi.



In order to support women and youth-led MSMEs to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic as well as leverage opportunities in the AfCFTA, Dr. Lusigi indicated that the UNDP is currently carrying out market intelligence on investment opportunities, services and gaps-related to support MSMEs in Ghana.



The UNDP, since 2020, has provided over $500,000 in seed funding to Ghanaian MSMEs to enable them to fund their businesses during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic.



MSMEs are the backbone of the Ghanaian economy  representing about 85% of businesses and contributing about 70% of Ghanas gross domestic product (GDP).

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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Former Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayensuano constituency, Samuel Ayeh-Paye, has called on Ghanaians to prioritize government's STEM and TVET programmes in order to churn out student entrepreneurs.



STEM which stands for Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics together with Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) are programmes designed to prepare students for the job market right after school.



Recently, the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, speaking at a graduation ceremony at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), urged graduates to find innovative ways of becoming entrepreneurs.



He said it will help reduce the over-reliance on the government for jobs and the burden on the governments payroll.



That payroll is full because we are spending some 60% of our revenue on remunerating some 650,000 people. That is not sustainable.



 . . You have the skills set to be able to do what you have to do. Our responsibility as a government is to create the environment and the macro stability, currency stability and ensure that you have access to the relevant skills and financing, he said.



Samuel Ayeh-Paye shares similar views as he calls for major changes to be effected in the country's education system.



According to him, the focus should be on technical and vocational education so as to equip students with practical skills to be self-made and cut down the over-reliance on government for jobs.



Speaking to Nana Yaw Kesseh on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', Samuel Ayeh-Paye recounted how he has benefited from technical education citing he has been able to establish himself in agriculture and other business sectors.



He underscored the need for STEM/TVET saying ''it is important to prioritize STEM/TVET because this is way forward for Ghana . . . If you take 100 people through technical education, it is likely that 60 of them will set up their own businesses".



He hoped theoretical teaching will reduce to pave way for practical lessons.





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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SA new study has revealed that wound infections are the most common problems after surgery, particularly in developing countries, while promised innovations to tackle the issue do not seem to work.



Both the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the UKs National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) guidelines recommend that surgeons use alcoholic chlorhexidine skin preparation and triclosan-coated sutures to prevent surgical site infection (SSI).



However, the worlds largest wound infection trial could not demonstrate superiority of these interventions over lower cost alternatives.



Carried out in Benin, Ghana, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa, the FALCON trial was funded by the UKs NIHR.



In their findings, published in The Lancet, a British weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal, the researchers who participated in the study called for guidelines recommending these measures to be revised, either specifically to low and middle-income countries (LMIC) or at a general global level.



Common complication



Professor Stephen Tabiri of the University for Development Studies, who led the Ghanaian team, noted that: Surgical site infection is a common complication after surgical procedures in the world as well as Ghana.



When it occurs, it places huge financial burden on both families and health systems.



In this biggest trial, we demonstrated that there is no superiority of the recommended expensive interventions over cheaper options, he added.



The findings from the study are believed to be hugely important for a wide range of care providers in LMICs because of the cost implications for organisations with limited resources if they follow the existing WHO and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.



Patients who develop SSI experience pain, disability, poor healing with risk of wound breakdown, prolonged recovery times and psychological challenges.



Patients



Such patients in LMICs are believed to be disproportionately affected by higher rates of SSI compared to those in high-income countries, thereby increasing the risk of catastrophic expenditure, impoverishment and wider negative community impact.



The trial covered 5,788 patients from 54 hospitals in seven countries, with a broad and representative range, including adults and children undergoing contaminated/dirty surgery, emergency surgery and Caesarian section.







Source: Graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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At least 91 people have died after a massive explosion when a fuel tanker collided with a lorry in Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown.



Fuel spilled before igniting and the resulting inferno engulfed bystanders and vehicles at a busy junction.



Footage broadcast by local media outlets showed badly charred bodies in the streets surrounding the tanker.



President Julius Maada Bio said he was "deeply disturbed by the tragic fires and the horrendous loss of life".



In a tweet, he said his government would do "everything to support the affected families".



Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr described seeing "harrowing" photos and said there were "rumours that more than 100 people have lost their lives".



The state-run morgue is reported to have received more than 90 bodies and some 100 people are being treated in hospitals and health centres around Freetown.



The explosion is believed to have happened at a junction outside the busy Choithram Supermarket in the densely populated Wellington suburb in the east of the city at around 22:00 GMT on Friday.



One report said a bus full of people was completely burnt, while nearby shops and market stalls were caught up in the flames.



Brima Bureh Sesay, the head of the Sierre Leone's National Disaster Management Agency, told local media he had never seen anything like it.

Source: BBC









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The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has called on the family of the late Upper East Regional Imam, Alhaji Yusif Adam, to commiserates with them, following the passing of the Imam on Thursday.



The Vice President, also commiserated with the Muslim community in Bolga, and the Upper East Region in general for the loss of the Regional Imam.



Muslim community leaders in Bolga, including tribal chiefs, joined the family of the Imam to welcome Dr. Bawumia and his entourage.



The Vice President's delegation included the Interior Minister Ambrose Dery, Upper East Regional Minister Stephen Yakubu, MCE for Bolga Rex Asanga, among others.



As part of the visit, Dr. Bawumia's delegation joined the family and Imams to pray for the departed Imam.



The Deputy Regional Imam, Mallam Tahiru Bolga, on behalf of the family and Muslim community, expressed gratitude to the Vice President for his warm gesture to the family and the Upper East Muslim community during their time of mourning.



The funeral for the Imam has been slated for the 12th of December, 2021.

Source: Atiemo Emmanuel/Peacefmonline/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Ethiopia's military has called on former soldiers to re-join the army, as it battles to hold off a rebel advance.



The appeal comes as rebel forces - spearheaded by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) - make advances towards the capital, Addis Ababa.



The US embassy has told all US citizens to leave Ethiopia as soon as possible amid a "very fluid" security situation.



Hours earlier, nine anti-government groups forged an alliance to dismantle PM Abiy Ahmed's administration.



The government has said it will continue to fight what it calls an existential war. The conflict has entered its second year, with millions displaced and more than 400,000 on the brink of famine.



This week, government officials declared a state of emergency and called on residents to register their weapons, telling them to get ready to protect their neighbourhoods.



In a rare statement on the clashes, the UN Security Council called for an end to fighting and reiterated their support for the African Union's mediation efforts.



Ethiopia's international partners have also called for an end to the hostilities.



UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss urged both sides to agree on a ceasefire in a call with Ethiopia's deputy prime minister on Friday.



"I made clear there is no military solution and that negotiations are needed to avoid bloodshed and deliver lasting peace," she said.



On Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for a ceasefire, saying the conflict "must come to an end". The US special envoy, Jeffrey Feltman, is visiting Addis Ababa to press for a peaceful solution.

Source: BBC









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Some block manufacturers have turned the pavements along the Kanda Highway in Accra into a block-making hub, impeding the movement of pedestrians on the pavements.



Currently, heaps of sand and molded blocks can be found at various spots on the sides of the road.



The emerging block manufacturing centre has become a market for customers.



A resident of the area told the Daily Graphic that block manufacturing was a brisk business for people in the neighbourhood.



Some motorists and pedestrians, however, said they expected the Greater Accra Regional security task force to clear the block manufacturers from the pavements of the highway just as they had cleared traders from the pavements of the city.



At the maiden Greater Accra Presiding Members Conference recently, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr Henry Quartey, called for a concerted effort in dealing with indiscipline in the city.



The block factories along the Kanda Highway, perhaps, presents a test for the ministers call to instil discipline in the city.











Source: graphic.com.gh









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GROHE, a leading global brand for complete bathroom solutions and kitchen fittings, will on Thursday 11thNovember, inaugurate a state-of the-art training facility in Accra as part of its GROHE Installer Vocational Training and Education (GIVE) programme aimed at equipping young persons with the requisite skill set and knowledge for the sanitary industry.

The training facility set up in collaboration with the Accra Technical Training Centre, forms part of the sanitary giants efforts to address the issue of shortage of skilled installers in the industry.



As part of the GIVE program, GROHE supports plumbing schools in creating a state-of-the-art training framework by installing modern training facilities and providing learning material and experienced technical trainers.



Located in the heart of capital, the facility is expected to accommodate and equip Ghanaian youth with extensive knowledge in the rubrics of the sanitary industry through tailor-made programmes which give prominence to hands-on practice.



Speaking ahead of the inaugural ceremony, Christopher Penney, Leader, GIVE Program, LIXIL EMENA expressed excitement about the commissioning of the facility whiles attesting to the benefits of GIVE.



The shortage of many skilled installers which is increasingly becoming a source of worry for many industry players challenged us to come up with GIVE as an innovative strategy to remedy the situation. As part of GIVE, we collaborate with technical & vocational training institutions who offer programmes relevant to our industry to train young talents. In addition, the institutions are supported to set up fully functioning training environments where students can benefit from the brands vast expertise he added.



The Leader of GIVE Program highlighted the importance of the existence of well-equipped training facilities with the right programmes as very crucial to attracting and retaining many talents in the industry.



According to him the relevance of adequate technical and vocational training in the sanitary industry can never be downplayed as it prepared students to compete fiercely on the job market by virtue of their in-depth knowledge in the latest technologies and sanitary innovations.



In some parts of the world, GIVE has impacted many lives by helping many socially disadvantaged people become sanitary specialists through its training programmes which are uniquely designed with the needs of the job market and the latest industry trends in mind.



The GIVE program will unite all our professional training efforts and help young people from all backgrounds by improving the quality of life for themselves and their families. We offer students a training and education program which will prepare them to become skilled plumbers and guide them further in their careers, states Antoine Kaissar, Leader, GROHE NWA, and LIXIL. As the programs name implies, giving back to society is vital for us at GROHE.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/ghana









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Private Waste Management Company, Jekora Ventures Limited has refuted media reports that it is sleeping on the job, hence the recent pockets of refuse at some sections of the Adenta Flats in the Adentan Municipality of the Greater Accra region.



According to the company it has never slept on the job as reported but has been collecting refuse promptly despite challenges regarding lack of proper disposal sites.



Managing Director of Jekora Ventures limited, Immanuel Nartey-Tokoli who made the statement explained that challenges of waste management regarding the long distance between refuse collection point to dumping site vis-a-vis very low, non-cost recovery monthly fees paid by clients has made their work difficult.



He noted that the challenges of not having increment in waste collection fees since 2018 coupled with the long distances refuse have to be disposed off in the face of monumental increases in cost of operations and maintenamce of equipment have made it difficult for them to break even.



He said for some, if not most areas, beneficiaries of services still continue to pay a monthly service fee of GHc20.00 which is woefully inadequate and called on the government especially the local government ministry together with the MMDAs to adjust the Assembly-imposed fees on waste (refuse) collection.



The rates have to be cost recovery, commensurate with the expected quality of service delivery standards.



Ghc20.00 can not even buy 1gallon of fuel!.



Mr. Nartey-Tokoli said this when Jekora Ventures cleared overflows of refuse which were piled at some section of the Adenta SSNIT Flats last Friday, before the weekend.









Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The National Food Buffer Stock Company Limited (NAFCO) has set out to develop a five-year strategic plan.



Clear roadmap

The strategic document is expected to define a clearer role, roadmap, quantify intended strategies and operations and recommend possible funding options and sources.



Scaling up operational efficiency

The plan is expected to scale up operational efficiency in executing its mandate as well as enhance its businesses ostensibly to ensure an all-round growth.



Value propositions

The value propositions of the five strategic plans are food availability, price stabilisation, food security, financial security of local farmers and food nutrition.



Strategic goals

The strategic goals are to increase the financial resources available to NAFCO, increase cereal and grains stock reserves, reduce price volatility for cereal and grains and improve nutrition through the availability of cereals and diverse food in an equitable manner.



NAFCO to function well

It is expected that the five-year strategic plan will enable NAFCO to function well, and more importantly, perform its mandate in excellence.





Funding is critical to the 5-year strategic plan

Critical to the five-year strategic plan is funding, and this has become necessary following the inability of government, through the sector Ministry of Food and Agriculture, to either place it on state subvention or recapitalise it.



Capitalised funding of GH15m 11 years ago

The last time the company was offered major financial support was 11 years ago when it received its capitalised funding of GH15 million to facilitate its establishment.



Challenges of funding strategic food stocks

Currently, NAFCO is able to survive through its commercial operations but its ability to fulfil its other mandate of keeping and managing strategic food stocks for the country has been met with the challenge of lack of funds, which successive governments have failed to provide.



NAFCO holding ECOWAS strategic food reserve

Interestingly, NAFCO has, for the past six years, been holding strategic food reserve for the sub-regional bloc, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), under its Regional Food Security Reserve Programme.



3-day retreat at Akosombo

A three-day retreat for board members, senior management and selected stakeholders has been held at Akosombo in the Eastern Region to kick-start the formulation of the strategic plan.



The retreat, held between October 20 and 22, was engineered by Board Chairman Henry Nana Boakye and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NAFCO, Mr. Hanan Abdul-Wahab.



Participating institutions

The retreat was attended by other stakeholders such as the Parliamentary Select Committee on Employment, Social Welfare and State Enterprises; the Parliamentary Select Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs; Ministry of Public Enterprises; Ministry of Education; Ghana Education Service; SIGA, Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the management and board members of NAFCO.



Some personalities who represented the institutions are the Minister of Public Enterprise, Joseph Cudjoe; Deputy Minister of Education, Gifty Twum Ampofo; Director-General of State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), Mr. Stephen Asamoah Boateng, and Mr Asante Krobea, Technical Advisor to the Minister for Food and Agriculture; John Osei-Frimpong, MP for Abirem, Emmanuel Anhwere, and Dr Seidu Jasaw.



Asamoah Boateng opened the retreat

The Director-General of State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA), Mr. Asamoah-Boateng, who opened the three-day retreat, commended the board of initiating the strategic drive, and was optimistic that other SOEs would emulate NAFCO.



He reiterated government will no longer countenance expenditure on state enterprises that fail to be productive.



"The NAFCO story over the past five years is worth studying. Without state funding or support, they have been able to turn around an almost collapsed entity into a profit-making one and this shows that once some support is given, the sky could be the limit. It is a state agency to watch," he said.



Consolidating gains

The Chief Executive Officer of NAFCO, Mr. Hanan Abdul-Wahab, said though some successes had been attained over the years, there was the need for a well-thought-out plan to consolidate the gains.



Board helping to address strategic security mandate

Board Chairman Mr. Henry Nana Boakye said aside from driving the attainment of the strategic plan, the board is engaging government at the highest level to address militating challenges against NAFCO's strategic security mandate to the people of Ghana.



NAFCO was incorporated under the Companies Code of Ghana, 1963, Act 179 on March 11, 2010.



It is a limited liability company, wholly owned by the Government of Ghana with the mandate to guarantee an assured income to farmers by providing a minimum guaranteed price and ready market: to mop up excess produce from all farmers in order to reduce post-harvest losses resulting from spoilage due to poor storage, thereby protecting farm incomes.



NAFCO also purchases, sells, preserves and distributes foodstuffs produced in the country ostensibly to ensure stability in demand and supply.



NAFCO remains a delicated state establishment in promoting food security in Ghana.



It would be recalled that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and its attendant lockdown, NAFCO played a critical role in governments provision of cooked and dry foods to hundreds of thousands of vulnerable Ghanaians.



Also, NAFCO has significantly contributed to the successful implementation of governments flagship programme, Free SHS, specifically in the area of feeding of 1.2 million pupils daily.





Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A leading member of the New Patriotic Party, Dr Gideon Boako, has stated that digitalisation holds the key for rapid economic development.



According to him, embracing digital technologies meant providing strategic drivers to create open participatory and trustworthy public sector, to improve social inclusiveness and government accountability.



Speaking at a press conference at the NPP headquarters last Friday, Dr Boako, who is also the spokesperson for the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, said digitalisation would also bring together government and non-government actors to develop innovative approaches to national development and long-term sustainable growth.



Improving the economy



Touching on how Ghanas digitalisation agenda would improve the economy, Dr Boako explained that while the theoretical explanations for the digitalisation and economic growth nexus was clear and established, the consequential practicalities of that linkage appear unclear to some.



In trying to appreciate how the deployment of digital technologies can help reduce the cost of goods and services, we need to understand how price build ups of goods occur through exchange rate exposures.



It must be understood that one means by which the currencies of countries become exposed is rising debt levels, he said



According to Dr Boako, as Ghanas debt levels and debt service burdens increase, the nation needed more foreign currency to settle its debt service obligations when they fell due.



Solutions



He said the solution offered by the NPP government was to use digital solutions such as the national I.D card system, adding that, the beginning of that commitment was the aggressive manner in which the government executed the national I.D card registration.



In furtherance to that, he said, the government had integrated the National I.D and replaced it with the GRA Tax Identification number.



As indicated by the Vice President, this integration automatically raises the number of Ghanaians with Tax Identification Numbers from four per cent to 86 per cent, he said



Dr Boako said that initiative had broadened the tax base and made it possible for many Ghanaians to be identified as potential tax payers.



We have moved a step forward following the Vice President's challenge to GRA to make the processes of filing taxes easier and simple to be done using a mobile application device, he stated.



Digitalisation and job creation



Dr Boako said there was also the contention on how digitalisation could help create jobs or reduce the rate of unemployment.



I dare say that digitalisation is making it possible for many jobs to be created in both the private and public sectors, he added



He explained that the concept of digital technologies had come with what could be seen as the virtual means of trade, put differently as e-commerce.



He said the volumes of trade taking place via this technologically driven medium and the number of people employed in this space could be mind-blowing.





















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Former Head of Monitoring at the Forestry Commission, Charles Owusu says the Member of Parliament for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu should present himself to the Police.



Francis-Xavier Sosu has snubbed Police invite for interrogation after a protest at Madina escalated from peaceful to riotous.



The demonstrators burned tyres and blocked roads with the MP also speeding off his vehicle through a crowd and Police officers present during the protest.



The Police have requested the Speaker to release Hon. Francis-Xavier Sosu but it has been rejected as the Speaker cited Articles 117 and 118 which gives Parliamentarians immunity.



Making his submissions on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', Charles Owusu advised the MP to stop dodging the Police.



''As a leader, why are you running away? Someone leading his constituency, if the Police are searching for you, go and let them do what they want to do . . . He should be bold and go. Because where can he run to?'' he questioned.







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Following Vice President Bawumias declaration that the Ghanacard will be used as an e-passport by the end of the first quarter of 2022, there have been controversies and reports in the media over what he said.



Here is a transcript and video of what the Vice President said when he explained all about the e-passport to a student of Ashesi University.



STUDENT: In your speech, you were talking of the Ghanacard that is going to serve as an e-passport. Does that mean that the passport will be completely scrapped off? And for like visas, how is that going to synchronize with the card? Is it going to be on the passport or a digital form on the Ghanacard? Thank you.



DR. BAWUMIA: As I said before, we have become the 79th member of the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) PKD Community, and this will allow, by the end of the first quarter next year, airport to read the card and information on the card, all airports, pretty much anywhere in the world. It doesn't mean that you don't need your physical passport to travel. We will get to the stage where we can have agreements. Right now what is happening is that, we are linking every passport with the national ID number.



The Ghanacard number and the passport number will be linked so that your travel history is preserved . We have not yet reached there; currently in terms of visas, you have ICAO 1.0 in operation. When it comes to 2.0, you will get electronic visas and we are not there yet. Since we are not there yet, you are going to travel on your normal passports, but you can always present your e-passport for verification.



And if you are stucked anywhere in the world and you need to come to Ghana and you don't have your manual passport and you have your e-passport, you will be allowed to board the flight as long as it is coming to Ghana.



So when ICAO 2.O comes into operation, the visas can actually be issued electronically the Ghanacard, when it comes into operation. But we are not there yet, and we are making that progress one step at a time.







Source: Atiemo Emmanuel/Peacefmonline/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Parliamentary committee handling Ghana's anti LGBTQI+ Bill will commence sitting next week.

A total of 150 memoranda have been received on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021, otherwise referred to as anti LGBTQI+ Bill by the public.



The Deputy Chairman of Business Committee, Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin who made this known said the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament will, from next week, commence sitting to consider the various memoranda that have been received on the bill against lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) activities in Ghana.



He said the committee will consider 10 memoranda each week for the various interested parties who submitted the memoranda to be heard on the bill.

After hearing all the stakeholders, he said the members of the committee will prepare a report and submit same to Parliament for consideration and for us to make progress.



Mr Afenyo-Markin, who is also the Deputy Majority Leader, stated this in response to a request by the First Deputy Minority Whip, Mr Ibrahim Ahmed, who sought to know the roadmap to the passage or otherwise of the bill.



Response



Answering, Mr Afenyo-Markin said the sitting would ensure that all parties had a fair hearing before Parliament proceeded on the bill.



He said he had been informed about steps the committee had taken so far.



"Per my calculation, if they are doing 10 memoranda weekly, we do not know if any more memoranda will come, then it means we are looking at 15 weeks for the hearings to be done," he told the House.



Dominating proceedings



It is projected that the third meeting of the first session of the Eighth Parliament will be dominated by the bill.



So far, both parties on each side of Parliament have publicly thrown their weight behind the passage of the bill but agreed on the need for some amendments to be made in the bill to fine tune it ahead of its possible passage.



Majority stance



On Wednesday, October 13, 2021, the Majority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, gave an assurance that Parliament would not disappoint Ghanaians in the consideration and passage of the bill that seeks to criminalise LGBTQI+ activities in Ghana.



He said MPs were representatives of the people for which reason the citizenry should be rest assured that Parliament would not turn its back on them.



Speaking to the press in Parliament to state the stance of the Majority on the bill, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who is also the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, expressed doubt that any lawmaker would be against the principles of the bill.



While giving the assurance that Parliament would do the right thing with regard to the bill, the Majority Leader, however, said there was the need for a careful balance in assessing it.



Minoritys position



Just two days after the press conference by the Majority, the Minority caucus also held a similar conference on Friday, October 15, 2021 in Parliament, where the Minority Leader, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, stated that his side was resolutely opposed to the introduction, formalisation and legalisation of LGBTQI+ practices and rights in Ghana.



As representatives of the Ghanaian people, MPs have an obligation to protect the moral fibre of the Ghanaian society and promote the cohesion, unity and preserve Ghanas time-tested cultural practices and beliefs which have kept us together as one country, the Minority Leader, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, said when he addressed a press conference in Accra on Friday, October 15, 2021.













Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Director of Elections for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Elvis Afriyie Ankrah has asked the Minority lawmakers to reject any body guard to be given to them by the government.



In his view, the new guards have become a threat to the Members of Parliament (MPs).



This follows the interdiction of the body of Madina MP, Francis-Xavier Sosu. Inspector Agbavor was cited for alleged misconduct, forming the reason for his interdiction.



He is accused to have recklessly driven into a crowd after a protest on the Ayi Mensah-Danfa Road, endangering the lives of two senior officers and other civilians.



The Parliamentary Protection Unit was tasked to assign a new guard to the first-time MP.



Speaking in an interview with TV3, Mr Afriyie Ankrah said If I were the Minority MPs I would reject all those body guards because they have become a threat.



If a body guard is performing his lawful and dutiful functions and because of that the Police service will withdraw the person then it doesnt add up. Because he did his duty as somebody who is meant to protect his subject. But for protecting his subject you said you have interdicted him. So are all the other MPs safe? Who knows if they are not being even spied on.



Meanwhile Sosu is expected to make an appearance before court today Monday November 8 to answer questions relating to his alleged involvement in a violent protest in his constituency.



This comes after the Police had officially charged him for causing damage to public property.



The Director General, Public Affairs Directorate of the Police Service, ACP Kwasi Ofori, said on Wednesday November 3 that he had been duly served and was expected to appear in court.



The Police has obtained a criminal summons and has been duly served for him to appear in court on November 8as we enumerated the charges includes obstructing the highway, causing damage to public property, he said.



The National Democratic Congress MP had led some of his constituents to embark on a demonstration against deplorable roads in his constituency.



The demonstration started peacefully at Danfa around 6:00am but later saw demonstrators burning tyres and mounting roadblocks on the Ayi Mensah-Danfa Road.



Sosu has however denied saying That any allegation of the Police about my involvement in unlawful blockade of road and destruction of public property is false and an afterthought carefully manufactured by the police to shift attention of the people of Ghana from the key issues of bad roads raised by our protest and demonstration.



South Danyi Member of Parliament, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekopr however, revealed that as of Saturday November 6, Sosu on parliamentary duties outside of the country.



Mr Dafeamekopr has therefore, refuted claims by the Police that he had been served the criminal summons to appear in court.



Speaking on the Key Points show on TV3/3FM Saturday November 6 with host Dzifa Bampoh, Mr Dafeamekopr said Sosu has not been served, he is not even available at the moment.



I think that there will be an opportunity for Sosu to be served. But I heard something very interesting from ACP Kwesi Fori. He actually said to the whole country that they have issued a criminal summons and the Honorable Sosu has been duly served. That is a blatant falsehood.



The Honorable Sosu as we speak is on Parliamentary duties outside of this country. He is likely to return tomorrow or Monday.



When Dzifa drew his attention to the fact that Sosus personal assistant may have been served the summons he retorted saying You dont serve criminal summons on aides.







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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The Founder of the Ghana Models Awards Jerry Wonder Sampson, has asked all models to throw their weight behind the reigning Miss Ghana Monique Mawulawe Agbedekpui in this year's Miss World Pageant scheduled for Puerto Rico on 16th December, 2021.



He stated that Monique is an embodiment of excellence, discipline and hardwork and therefore, is a role model to many models in Ghana. He was speaking on the need for models to go beyond their boundaries and set new standards of excellence in an interview in Accra.



After winning the award for the Overall Female Runway Model last year, Monique Agbedekpui has sent a strong message of 'being focused' and disciplined in order to achieve success across the modelling community in Ghana.



"Monique is a very humble and intelligent lady. She is what I call the ideal woman; because she is smart and well educated, has an attractive appearance and is ready to adapt to unpredictable situations in order to achieve her goal, and this is the character of many successful people. This is also the main reason why are calling on all models and Ghanaians to support this young lady because, we believe Monique can inspire many Ghanaian female talents to not just becoming great, but becoming great the right way", he said.



The Founder of the Ghana Models Awards Jerry Wonder Sampson, also said that Monique Agbedekpui will put up a good show for Ghana at the Miss World Pageant.



"Personally, I think Monique will do well for Ghana when she gets to Miss World. She is well groomed and talented so I expect a lot from her. However, I hope our tourism bodies would take advantage of this opportunity and market Ghana through this young lady. She deserves to be supported because every Miss Ghana Winner is an automatic ambassador of the nation", he explained.





Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Ronan Sweeney Leads Pack in partpoker Irish Poker Masters KO Main Event Day 1A

November 08, 2021 Calum Grant

Ireland's Ronan Sweeney topped the list of the 39 survivors from Day 1A in the Irish Poker Masters KO 1M GTD Main Event on partypoker. The first starting flight saw a total of 259 entries which contributed 259,000 to the seven-figure prize pool.

Sweeney will be looking to go the distance to add to his $1,387,530 online earnings, which was boosted by a further $41,894 thanks to his fifth-place finish in WCOOP-01-H: $109 NLHE. The Irishman also boasts $130,032 in live tournament earnings with a career-high score coming in the 2017 partypoker LIVE Grand Prix Killarney Main Event. Sweeney secured the 38,393 ($45,777) payday after being thwarted by Thomas Gallagher in heads-up play.

Notables joining Sweeney in Day 2 include partypoker ambassador Patrick Leonard, Rui Ferreira and online crusher Jans Arends.

Daniel Dvoress and partypoker ambassadors Matthew Staples and Louise Butler were among the big names who failed to advance to the second day of Main Event action.

Day 1B kicks off on November 14, 7:05 p.m. GMT. The remaining players from that flight will join the 39 other players from Day 1A for Day 2 on November 22, 8:05 p.m. GMT. Only nine players will make the final day of action which will resume on November 23, 7:05 p.m. GMT where the event will play down to its conclusion.

Top 15 Irish Poker Masters KO 1M GTD Main Event Chip Counts

Name Country Bounty Chip Count Ronan Sweeney Ireland 1,125 2,062,173 Rui Ferreira Brazil 1,437 2,029,204 Sergei Denisov Russia 1,875 1,940,680 Boris Kuzmanovic Croatia 625 1,654,521 Gianni Paul Sabini United Kingdom 2,750 1,615,716 Jans Arends Austria 3,015 1,613,181 Aliaksei Boika Belarus 375 1,548,976 Mario Navarro Arrocha Spain 1,437 1,544,621 Bruno Bernardino Portugal 1,406 1,540,023 Thomas Hueber Austria 1,562 1,518,438 Luigi Knoppers Netherlands 500 1,389,344 Daniel Custodio Brazil 1,312 1,369,818 Jamie Walden United Kingdom 1,375 1,164,559 Tomi Brouk Finland  250 978,233 Patrick Leonard United Kingdom  750 938,741

Irish Poker Masters KO Schedule

Dates Event Buy-in November 4-8 Irish Poker Masters KO #01 Opener: 250K Gtd 320 November 4-15 Irish Poker Masters KO #02 IPM50: 200K Gtd 55 November 4-15 Irish Poker Masters KO #03 The Big 4 PLO8: 50K Gtd 44 November 7-22 Irish Poker Masters KO #04 Main Event: 1M Gtd 1,100 November 8-15 Irish Poker Masters KO #05 JP Masters: 300K Gtd 530 November 8 Irish Poker Masters KO #06 6-Max Hyper: 20K Gtd 109 November 10 Irish Poker Masters KO #07 7-Max PLO8: 10K Gtd 109 November 11 Irish Poker Masters KO #08 6-Max Big Bounty: 50K Gtd 215 November 14 Irish Poker Masters KO #09 PLO8 High Roller: 40K Gtd 530 November 15-22 Irish Poker Masters KO #10 IMP100: 250K Gtd 109 November 15-22 Irish Poker Masters KO #11 The Big 4 PLO: 50K Gtd 44 November 15 Irish Poker Masters KO #12 7-Max Turbo: 30K Gtd 215 November 17 Irish Poker Masters KO #13 7-Max PLO: 20K Gtd 215 November 18 Irish Poker Masters KO #14 High Roller: 100K Gtd 2,100 November 18 Irish Poker Masters KO #15 Mix-Max Big Bounty: 50K Gtd 215 November 16 Irish Poker Masters KO #16 PLO High Roller: 75K Gtd 1,050 November 22 Irish Poker Masters KO #17 Second Chance Turbo: 50K Gtd 530 November 22 Irish Poker Masters KO #18 Mini Second Chance Turbo: 200K Gtd 55

Irish Poker Masters KO Satellites and SPINS

The series features a varied selection of buy-ins, meaning those with modest bankrolls can still get involved. The entry fees begin at 44 and rise all the way up to 2,100.

partypoker players will also benefit thanks to the cut-price satellites that are currently running now and throughout the Irish Poker Masters KO festival. Satellites to the Main Event start at one cent, so anyone has the opportunity to cut their teeth with some of the best online poker players on the planet.

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The SPINS are 20 to enter, and players can win either 40 cash, 55-530 IMP KO tickets and a coveted 1,100 IPM KO Main Event Ticket.

Multiplier Frequency in 1M Games 1st Place Prize 2 642,767 40 cash 2.75 186,733 55 IMP KO Ticket 5.45 166,000 109 IPM KO Ticket 10.75 2,000 215 IPM KO Ticket 26.5 1,500 530 IPM KO Ticket 55 1,000 1,100 IPM KO Main Event Ticket

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On November 7, the Sudan militarys second in command, Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, said on Facebook that the army is committed to Sudans democratic transition. Dagalo is widely known by the name Hemedti and heads the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Dagalo echoed comments by his boss, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, who has maintained that the October 25 military takeover he led aims to maintain the security and prevent a civil war. Still, large numbers of Sudanese reportedly took to the streets nationwide to protest the coup.

We assure our full respect for our young men and womens right to the freedom of expression and democratic peaceful protest, and we work on protecting and securing the protests according to the law, Dagalo said.

That is false. According to multiple news reports, the army used tear gas to break up the protests while arresting scores of protesters. So far, 14 demonstrators were killed and about 300 were wounded, according to an estimate by the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors.

Last weekend, protesters erected barricades in the center of the capital Khartoum, demanding that the military restore the civilian government.

But the Sudanese security forces again responded violently, using tear gas and arresting more than 100 civilians. Internet and phone connections were also interrupted, limiting the protesters ability to communicate.

Most of those arrested were teachers and education workers who protested outside the education ministry in Khartoum.

On November 2, Clement Voule, the United Nations special rapporteur on the right to peaceful assembly and association, denounced the Sudanese armys crackdown.

As people have mobilised and staged peaceful assemblies across Sudan, demanding that the military reinstate the civilian government, I have received disturbing reports of unlawful killings and injuries, including as a result of the use of live ammunition to disperse protesters, and beating of protesters by military and security personnel, Voule said in a prepared statement.

Following the coup, mediation efforts have been led by the U.N. The military released four ministers who had been arrested.

Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, however, is still under house arrest in the capital. Hamdok has demanded guarantees that the military will reconstitute a pre-coup power-sharing arrangement that had been expected to return the country to civilian control this month.

Sudans pro-democracy movement emerged in December 2018, amid growing protests over the poor economy. Discontent spread with demands for the ouster of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir.

In April 2019, Sudans military removed al-Bashir and declared a state of emergency. The African Union then brokered a power-sharing deal between pro-democracy forces and the military, with a transition to civilian rule and elections in 2023.

Following the coup, the African Union Peace and Security Council suspended Sudans pending restoration of civilian authority. The United States blocked $700 million in financial aid, and U.S. President Joe Biden denounced the military coup.
On November 1, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin was asked to comment on the decreasing number of U.S. companies with regional hubs in Hong Kong and whether Hong Kongs sweeping National Security Law is causing reputational harm.

Census and Statistics Department data released on October 28 showed that 254 U.S. companies had regional headquarters in Hong Kong as of June  a 10% drop from 2020 and the lowest number since 2003, when 242 U.S. companies were there.

Wang said a January survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong showed that in January 2021, a much larger proportion of companies are optimistic about the business environment in Hong Kong compared to August 2020.

Since the implementation of the Law on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong SAR, U.S. and other foreign investors have enjoyed a safer, more stable and predictable business environment, he said.

Trouble is, Wang misrepresented the survey, and the claim of a better business climate is false.

In fact, multiple American Chamber of Commerce surveys, including the one cited by Wang, showed that U.S. businesses are cautious about the risks in Hong Kong. The surveys also make clear that the National Security Law has been the driving force behind such caution.

In the chambers 2021 Business Outlook Survey, conducted at the start of the year, 40% of its 181 respondents said they expected the business environment to remain unstable or worsen, while a third of the respondents said Hong Kong had become less competitive as an international business hub.

Although pessimism about the business environment decreased in January compared to the chamber's August 2020 survey, it still remained high.

In that 2020 poll, which followed the new security laws rollout, 75% reported feeling pessimistic about Hong Kongs business prospects in general. In the January 2021 poll, more than 61% of the respondents said they thought Hong Kongs business environment was unstable and had worsened in the preceding 12 months.

Many pointed out the protests, the National Security Law (NSL) and COVID disruptions as their main concerns, the survey summarized. Some say the way the NSL was implemented and the ambiguity of its provisions have caused significant uncertainties. Though protests have stopped, the NSL has destabilized HKs legal framework, according to some companies.

In a more recent chamber survey, conducted May 5-9 with 325 business members responding, 42% of the respondents said they were considering or planning to move away from Hong Kong, with the most widely shared concern being discomfort due to the National Security Law.

Beijing imposed the sweeping legislation in June 2020 and has since reduced the citys overall freedoms and quashed free speech and independent news media.

The national security law criminalizes secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, with punishment up to life imprisonment. Amnesty International said in July 2020 that the offenses were dangerously vague and broad, adding that virtually anything could be deemed a threat to national security under its provisions, and it can apply to anyone on the planet.

Aside from targeting pro-democracy activists, politicians and lawyers in Hong Kong, the law poses a direct threat to foreign firms, legal experts say.

First, the law has broad extraterritorial reach. Under Articles 37 and 38, permanent and nonpermanent residents of Hong Kong and companies can be prosecuted for documents, work or activities outside Hong Kong deemed to endanger Chinas national security.

This could include receiving information about meetings if they fall within a key industry, purchasing documents that later become classified as state secrets, or hosting a website or server outside Hong Kong that contains content that violates the HK NSL, wrote Dennis Kwok, former legislative councilor of Hong Kong, and Elizabeth Donkervoort, program director for East Asia at the American Bar Association, in July.

Similarly, given the breadth of industries subject to national security concerns by the PRC [Peoples Republic of China], disputed intellectual property claims over a piece of technology could amount to national security or state secrets, their report stated.

Thomas Kellogg, executive director of Georgetown Center for Asian Law, co-wrote in Foreign Policy in July that Article 43 of the law is a key concern for private companies. That provision gives national security authorities in Hong Kong sweeping powers to engage in search, seizure, freezing of assets, and online censorship of those accused of violating the law.

As investigations and prosecutions in the name of national security intensify, the Hong Kong government could ask companies to turn over information about customers, to censor their online speech, or to freeze their bank accounts.

Moreover, rules for prosecuting Article 43 expanded the national security authorities investigative powers and slashed due process and privacy protections for the accused.

Article 43 has been put to use.

In January, Hong Kong police cited Article 43 to force the citys major telecom provider, Hong Kong Broadband Network, to block access to HKChronicles, an anti-government website.

In May, Hong Kong police cited Article 43 to order an Israeli software company, Wix, which operated outside of Hong Kong, to disable a pro-democracy website linked to Nathan Law, a Hong Kong pro-democracy dissident and former legislator.

The company initially complied despite Laws objections. Law, who took refuge in the UK, was told that the company was acting on police orders and could be prosecuted. The company eventually restored the website and apologized after Law shared the companys response on Twitter.

Kellogg cautioned that the reputational cost would be significant for any company to assist Hong Kong governments crackdown on rights.

On July 16, the U.S. departments of State, Treasury, Commerce, and Homeland Security jointly warned U.S. businesses in Hong Kong of the potential reputational, regulatory, financial, and  legal risks associated with their Hong Kong operations.

The advisory warned U.S. businesses in Hong Kong that they are subject to the security law, under which foreign nationals, including one U.S. citizen, have been arrested.
On April 14, the Iranian state-owned news outlet Press TV published an article citing a Syrian Foreign Ministry statement that blamed the United States for the destruction in Syrias civil war.

Damascus says the U.S. is fully responsible for the adverse outcome of its criminal policies against Syria, calling on Washington to stop its intervention in the Arab countrys domestic affairs and compensate for the losses the nation has suffered as a result of the American military aggression and troop deployment, the article stated.

It directly quoted the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates as saying: Developments and facts have unquestionably proven the involvement of the U.S. and its proxies across the region and worldwide in an unprecedented terrorist war against the Syrian Arab Republic.

Those statements are misleading.

Much, if not most, of the destruction in Syria  in terms of casualties, displaced people, and damage to infrastructure and cities  was caused by the forces of President Bashar al-Assads regime.

The United Nations has called the Syrian civil war, now a decade old, the worlds largest humanitarian crisis. Estimates of the number of people killed in the conflict (military and civilian) range from 400,000 to 600,000.

Monitors from the Syrian Network for Human Rights, a U.K.-based independent monitoring group, said the regime had been responsible for 89 percent of an estimated 200,000 civilian deaths from 2011 to 2019. The same group estimated that nearly 150,000 civilians have been disappeared by the regime, their fates unknown.

By contrast, approximately 3,036 civilians, 1.4 percent of the total killed in the same 2011-2019 time period, were casualties of U.S.-led coalition forces, the Syrian rights network documented. These were mostly deaths in air strikes in support of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces offensive against the Islamic State in the eastern part of the country. (The rights group attributed Assad's ally Russia with 2.8 percent of the fatalities.)

The Assad regimes tactics are responsible for the high number of civilian deaths. Early on in the conflict, during 2011-2012, the Syrian Arab Army experienced a wave of defections. Rather than let his forces be ground down in house-to-house urban combat, Assad turned to his one advantage over the rebels  the Syrian Arab Air Force.

The regime used siege tactics against rebel-held cities, employing a combination of air strikes and artillery. The cities of Homs and Aleppo were subjected to protracted sieges and bombardment, and the destruction of their buildings and infrastructure is still evident today.

The regimes air force quickly became known for indiscriminate bombing, often using highly-destructive improvised barrel bombs  large metal cylinders packed with high explosives and usually scraps of metal that become deadly shrapnel.

The regimes air force has also used chemical weapons in more than 300 attacks documented by the Berlin-based Global Public Policy Institute. Recently, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) released a new report blaming the regime for another chemical attack in Saraqib in February 2018.

The destruction of Syrias major cities has created a staggering refugee crisis. Approximately 6 million people have been displaced inside Syria, while 5.6 million others have fled abroad, many risking dangerous sea passage to escape to Europe.

In 2019, human rights monitors accused the Syrian government of targeting farmland in northern Syria with incendiary munitions, in what they said was an attempt to starve the remaining rebel-controlled enclaves in and around the city of Idlib. Nearly four million people live in Idlib under an uneasy ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia and Turkey last year. However, in late March, Russia launched several strikes against targets near the critical Bab al-Hawa border crossing between rebel-held Syrian territory and Turkey.

All of these factors have taken a serious toll on Syrias economy, as well as the countrys ability to rebuild.

Although the Assad regime blames the United States for the war, that flies in the face of well-established historical facts. The conflict began in 2011, when Syrian security forces began using live ammunition against peaceful protesters. Assads military and militia forces waged war under slogans like Assad or we burn the country.
Data Analyst (Non-IT)

WYMAGANIA

We are looking for a self-driven and analytic candidate whos eager to work with master data maintenance and processes around it. This is an opportunity for you to grow while working with a variety of challenging tasks and contribute to the consolidation of common master data in Nordea.



In Nordea, were harnessing the power of technology to reinvent the future of banking. A tech revolution is underway  and you can make an impact. Though were a Nordic bank, were also one of the largest IT employers in Tricity and Warsaw. Working with international teams in an inspiring working environment, youll have lots of opportunities to expand your skills and advance your career.



About this opportunity

Welcome to Master Data Management unit (GDMO).

We build the bridge between business processes and data management. We focus on simplification and compliance by leverage a single trusted view of high-quality master data across all channels and in all business processes enabling digitalization and the future relationship bank of Nordea Group.

In Master Data Operations team we aim to ensure that data is managed to meet the desired quality, as well as support the group simplification and meet the needs in the regulatory and compliance. We are responsible for Data Quality Operational tasks and Data Custodian work with Customer and Counterparty data and Common Master Data.

As a Data Analyst, you will be a key team member to manage common master data. On a daily basis, you will be responsible for processing various requests related to master data by performing manual updates, data analysis and data quality improvement activities. Youll be driving a continuous improvement culture and play an active role within current projects and data streams which aims to establish a single trusted source for Master & Reference data and consolidating the relevant data there from multiple domains and sources.

What you will be doing:



Driving manual changes, updates and control of Master Data and Reference Data (such as Customer and Counterparty data, Product structure data, Organisational data, etc.)



Solve master data related incidents



Closely collaborate with Data Asset Owners within Data Governance Recipe as a Data Steward



Operational Business Support in Mercury Feature team/other data initiatives



Perform data quality/process analysis and improvements



Support during On-Call duty



Youll join a collaborative and dynamic team/unit. The role is based in Gdynia.



Who you are

Collaboration. Ownership. Passion. Courage. The four key values that guide us in being at our best and that we expect all our colleagues to be committed to.

To build a successful career with us, youll work well with others and always act with the customers needs in mind. You love learning and trying new things, and youre excited about bringing your ideas to the table. Youre honest and dependable, willing to speak up even when its difficult, and committed to empowering others. Youre passionate about doing a great job.

To make an impact in this role, you are also analytical, systematic and result oriented. You enjoy working in a global environment together with remote teams in different countries.

To succeed in this role, we believe you need:



Attention to details and ability to understand and follow complex guidelines



Can Do attitude. Comfortable in meetings and driving business related discussion.



Ability to interface and communicate effectively with all levels of employees, management, etc.



Ability to perform data quality analysis (SQL would be an asset  but is not required!)



Strong stakeholder engagement ability, demonstrating influencing and negotiating skills with excellent relationship building skills



Experience working cross-functionally with departments such as Finance, IT, Legal, HR, etc.



Ability to influence and shape work, progress, and processes



Proactive, independent, pragmatic and solution oriented



Eager to learn new things and continuously develop yourself



Experience with SAFe (would be an asset)



English on a professional level.



If this sounds like you, get in touch!

OFERUJEMY

Next steps



Submit your application no later than 26/11/2021.

At Nordea, we know that an inclusive workplace is a sustainable workplace. We deeply believe that our diverse backgrounds, experiences, characteristics and traits make us better at serving customers and communities. So please come as you are.



Please include permit for processing personal data in CV as following:



In accordance with art. 6 (1) a and b. Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation) hereinafter GDPR. I agree to have: my personal data, education and employment history proceeded for the purposes of current and future recruitment processes in Nordea Bank Abp.



The administrator of your personal data is: Nordea Bank Abp operating in Poland through its Branch, address: Aleja Edwarda Rydza Smiglego 20, 93-281 odz. Your personal data will be processed for the recruitment processes in Nordea Bank Abp. You have a right to access your personal data, right to rectify and right to delete. Disclosing the personal data in the scope specified by the provisions of Polish Labour Code from 26 June 1974 and executive acts are mandatory. Providing personal data is necessary to conduct the recruitment processes. The request for the deletion of your personal data means resignation from further participation in recruitment processes and causes the immediate removal of your application. Detailed information concerning processing of your personal data can be found at: https://www.nordea.com/en/doc/privacy-policy.2021.pdf



We reserve the right to reply only to selected applications.

DODATKOWE INFORMACJE

https://www.praca.pl/data-analyst-non-it_5892387.html
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A naked Colorado man was arrested at the Waffle House on Frontage Road prior to reportedly assaulting an officer at the Aiken County detention center.

Armando Binicio Andrea Correale, 39, is charged with one count of indecent exposure. An additional warrant application was submitted for assault on a law enforcement officer.

Around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aiken County officers responded to the Waffle House on Frontage Road in reference to an indecent exposure incident.

An employee asked the suspect to put clothing on after he walked into the restaurant shirtless. After the suspect left, a customer notified the employee that he was "naked in the parking lot," according to an incident report obtained from the Aiken County Sheriff's Office.

Officers approached the suspect's vehicle and noted "he was completely naked under the blanket," according to the report.

EMS responded to the scene and stated the suspect was "talking out of his head," said police.

Correale was transported to the Aiken County detention center where he then assaulted a deputy, according to a second incident report obtained from the sheriff's office.

An officer observed the suspect "attempt to pull the door open to the jail hallway and it was locked so he grabbed a black milk crate that was by the intake desk and struck [the deputy] on the side of the head with the crate," according to the report.

Jail staff took [the suspect] to the ground and placed him in a restraint chair in a holding cell "due to his violent behavior," said police.

"[The] officer is fine and back on duty," Capt. Nick Gallam, Jail Administrator, confirmed Monday.
The final delivery of bigger ship-to-shore cranes made its way to Wando Welch Terminal on Monday.

The two cranes from Shanghai manufacturer ZPMC will give the Port of Charleston's busiest container-handling site a total of 15 structures with 155 feet of lift height and the ability to serve three of the biggest container vessels visiting the U.S. East Coast at the same time.

Another wharf at the new Leatherman Terminal in North Charleston features five 169-foot-tall cranes, giving the port a spot for a fourth vessel carrying as many as 16,000 containers.

The newest cranes, which had a brief stay at Columbus Street Terminal on the peninsula before heading up the Wando River, will be assembled and commissioned behind the terminal's wharf for several months before they're put to work.

"Taller cranes with wider reach greatly increase our big-ship capabilities," said Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the State Ports Authority.

The new cranes, at $11.5 million apiece, are part of the SPA's effort to improve capacity and efficiency at Wando Welch, where the maritime agency has also purchased 65 rubber-tired gantry cranes, built a new refrigerated container yard and strengthened the wharf.

All told, the SPA and state and federal agencies are spending $3 billion on improvements at the port, including the new Leatherman Terminal in North Charleston and a program to deepen Charleston Harbor to 52 feet.

"That's a lot of investment for any port," Newsome said. "But we're an infrastructure business and that's what we have to do to be successful."

Getting back online

Chicago-based Century Aluminum is making "substantial progress" in bringing its Mount Holly smelter near Goose Creek back up to 75 percent capacity, CEO Jesse Gary told analysts last week during a third-quarter earnings call.

Once the $93 million project is completed in 2023, the plant will be able to produce 170,000 metric tons of aluminum per year.

"In order to reach this point, we will ultimately reline all of the pots on line one, which has been operating continuously, and also reline and reenergize half of line two, which has been shuttered since 2015," Gary said. "The majority of the reline activity will take place this year with the remaining relines occurring in 2022 and 2023 as cells fill."

Gary said the project has "experienced some delays over the course of 2021 due to COVID, supply chain and hiring issues, mainly from suppliers of materials necessary to complete the pot relining and difficulty in hiring the required amount of new employees to restart and run the additional pots."

He said the labor market and shipping schedules "remain tight, and we are reliant on supplies and hiring occurring on time to complete the project."

Century beat Wall Street estimates with earnings of $581.4 million in the third quarter. It reported a loss of $52.4 million, or 58 cents per share. Most of the $20 million in capital expenses the company notched during the quarter went toward the Mount Holly restart, Gary said.

Camp Hall sale

Columbia-based Magnus Development Partners has purchased 10 acres at the Camp Hall Commerce Park in Ridgeville where the developer plans to build a 157,500-square-foot speculative warehouse.

State-owned utility Santee Cooper sold the site to Magnus for $814,400, according to Berkeley County land records. Earlier this month, Magnus took out a construction loan totaling $10.2 million to build the warehouse.

Santee Cooper has been marketing the 3,950-acre business park since 2015, when it acquired the property as part of a deal to lure Volvo Cars to Berkeley County. The automaker's $1.1 billion manufacturing campus is adjacent to the Camp Hall site.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect a schedule change for the crane deliveries at Wando Welch Terminal.
South Carolina employers of more than 100 workers taking a wait-and-see approach to the Biden administration's COVID-19 vaccine mandate are now considering how they will respond to the order that's being challenged in court, weighing possible fines against the impact on an already tight labor force.

Boeing Co., one of the largest U.S. defense contractors and a major employer in the Charleston region, is requiring all U.S. employees, including its 5,700 workers in South Carolina, to show proof of vaccination or an approved exemption for medical or religious reasons by Dec. 8.

The planemaker issued its rule to comply with the White House's earlier order that requires vaccines for federal employees and contractors, though the mandate is now in legal limbo. On Nov. 6, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted an emergency stay of the requirement by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The U.S. Labor Department's top legal adviser, Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda, said the agency is "confident in its legal authority to issue the emergency temporary standard on vaccination and testing, that has the power "to act quickly in an emergency where the agency finds that workers are subjected to a grave danger and a new standard is necessary to protect them," she said.

At least 27 states filed lawsuits fighting the proposed rule, including South Carolina.

Ahead of the legal challenge, many of the Palmetto State's major employers were hesitant to discuss the requirement last week.

In a recent survey of about 440 businesses, the S.C. Chamber of Commerce found that about half of respondents already require COVID-19 vaccines for workers or were considering a mandate. The other half had no plan to mandate the shots.

German manufacturer Robert Bosch LLC, the multinational engineering and technology company, employs 5,000 workers at its four primary sites in South Carolina and one joint venture, accounting for roughly 20 percent of its North American workforce. It said in a statement that it "will review" the mandate for its U.S. businesses "once it has been published and determine appropriate actions."

Under the "emergency temporary standard," private companies with 100 or more employees must develop and enforce a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy or a plan that gives workers the option to get tested regularly and wear a mask at work.

Next month, the mandate will also require employers to provide workers paid time off to get vaccinated and paid sick leave if they suffer side effects.

OSHA said companies that fail to comply with the regulations could face penalties of nearly $14,000 per violation. The agency will enforce the rule it drafted at the White House's request.

With the details of the order and fines for noncompliance now released, Bosch and the state's other employers with payrolls exceeding 100 will have to consider plans to implement the mandate, said Bob Morgan, S.C. Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive officer.

Volvo Car U.S. employs nearly 1,500 workers at its plant in Ridgeville. Like Bosch, the car manufacturer said it was too early to speak about its plans.

"They have numbers to work with, and the implementation date has moved back, so they have more time to decide what to do," Morgan said of Volvo and other companies reviewing the order.

He added that many of the state's largest employers disapprove of the federal government's directive.

"They are not philosophically or politically opposed, but it is a question of pragmatics," Morgan said.

He said business executives are more interested in keeping the economy open.

"They are already struggling to get a workforce and fear digging a deeper hole," he said.

The primary concern for these larger employers is the loss of employees to smaller companies that are exempt from the vaccine mandate.

Morgan said employers also have "great concern that folks will leave the workforce rather than comply with the mandate."

That would make it increasingly difficult to fill open positions in the state's health care, retailing, tourism, education and manufacturing businesses.

S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce data showed more than 107,000 positions available in those sectors in September.

Morgan said the labor shortage is a major concern for the manufacturing sector, where "demand for products has never been better, and demand for the labor market has never been worse."

Working from home is not an option for these businesses, and the sector could feel a substantial impact from the mandate.

The employment situation could also worsen for nursing homes, hospitals and other facilities that receive money from Medicare and Medicaid.

The option for testing does not apply to those employees. Those workers will need to be vaccinated.

Employers can consider exemptions for medical or religious reasons.

Hospitals and private businesses have shown more success in imposing vaccine requirements.

The Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System is a federal agency "laser-focused" on vaccinating its workforce ahead of the Nov. 22 deadline for federal employees.

"Like other federal agencies, we are continuing to collect and validate vaccination information from employees as we approach the deadline," said H. Wayne Capps, chief of public affairs and stakeholder relations.

Roper St. Francis Healthcare, a nonprofit health care system and one of the Charleston area's largest private-sector employers, has its own vaccination mandate.

"Today, 93 percent of our workforce is vaccinated, and 4 percent have been granted either medical or religious exemptions," said Andy Lyons, corporate communications director.

He said the hospital system continues to work with its remaining unvaccinated employees who have not been granted an exemption. They'll need either to get inoculated or be approved for a religious or medical exemption by Nov. 15.

The Medical University of South Carolina also has COVID-19 mandates for their employees in place.

Smaller businesses, defined as having fewer than 100 employees, make up a significant portion of South Carolina's business community.

"The requirement is for businesses with over 100 employees, which rules out nearly all small businesses in the state," said Frank Knapp, S.C. Small Business Chamber of Commerce, president and chief executive officer.

That didn't prevent Diane Sumpter, president and chief executive officer of DESA, Inc., from requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for her 20 member staff. Three staff members left the professional services firm that has operated out of Columbia for 36 years as a result of the requirement.

Sumpter decided to require COVID-19 shots for her staff when people, particularly those in the African American community, started dying from the virus.

South Carolina is ranked 39th nationally with 57 percent of the population receiving one vaccine dose and 50 percent now fully vaccinated.

Gov. Henry McMaster said he would not get between employers and employees and impose a ban on vaccine immunization requirements as some of his fellow Republican governors have.

Following the release of the federal mandate's details, McMaster issued an executive order keeping his Cabinet agencies from enforcing it.

Under the new order, all state agencies will be required to report to the governor if the federal government asks whether their employees are vaccinated, McMaster said Nov. 4.

McMaster, who has taken the vaccine, said the state is exploring its options.

The legal stakes rose Nov. 5 when S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson joined his counterparts from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Utah, along with six unidentified businesses, in filing a petition challenging the vaccine requirement with the 5th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals.

In a written statement, he accused Biden of "flouting the rule of law to engage in federal overreach at its worst" and said the president "has little regard for the constitutional liberties of our citizens."

The Biden administration issued the COVID-19 vaccine mandate after attempts to incentivize businesses and the public failed to encourage more of the vaccine-hesitant to put shots in the arm.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevent shows as of Nov. 3 that 66.9 percent of the country's population who were able to get the vaccination have had one shot, and 58 percent of the eligible population are fully vaccinated.

It is unclear how long the temporary rule will remain in place.
East Side dive The Palace Hotel will not return to 35 Hanover St., but a new neighborhood bar will soon take its place. And the next iteration of The Palace isnt too far off, either.

Chris DiMattia, owner of Recovery Room Tavern and Bangkok Lounge, took over the space in 2021 after The Palace Hotel did not reopen following the shutdown in March 2020. Hes owned the building for the last four years and leased it out to Palace Hotel owners Taylor Grant and Shepard Shep Rose from Bravos Southern Charm.

DiMattia, who sold the most PBR cans in the country in 2020 at Recovery Room, will turn the space into an Irish-inspired pub serving Mexican fare called The Lucky Luchador Irish Cantina.

I lived on Nassau Street for 20 years, DiMattia said. I went in when it was Palace. Its great to have a neighborhood pub that you can walk to.

Under DiMattias leadership, the space has undergone significant renovations. There was a lot of deferred maintenance, DiMattia said Oct. 22, adding that the excitement is building among curious East Side neighbors.

Weve got a ton of people that have been poking their head in for the last six months while weve been doing renovations, DiMattia said.

The Lucky Luchador will sling all the affordable booze and beer a good dive should, with a focus on offering a larger selection of tequila and Irish whiskey. Mexican food like quesadillas, tacos, nachos and street corn will also be available.

With 35 Hanover St. getting a new look, Grant and Rose, who also have ownership stakes in East Side jazz club The Commodore, will move The Palace Hotel to a new, so far undisclosed location.

The Palace Hotel announced on social media Oct. 9 that it would reopen, but Grant did not respond to questions regarding the new location.

While were sad to say goodbye to our sweet little hole in the wall, ownership wrote on social media, we cant wait to introduce you to the Palace Hotel 2.0 at its new location!

Former Darling Oyster Bar assistant general manager Michael Denicola and Kris Cazarius will manage the day-to-day operations at The Lucky Luchador, set to open in mid-November with noon-2 a.m. daily operating hours.
MYRTLE BEACH  A Myrtle Beach trash can made its way across the Atlantic Ocean  over 3,500 miles  to the western coast of Ireland.

Keith McGreal from Mulranny, Ireland, emailed the city on Nov. 7 to notify officials the blue trash bin washed up in the western seaside town that's a two-hour drive from Galway.

"That's an amazing voyage for a trash barrel, although we'd prefer that it stayed put on our beach, rather than gallivanting all over the world via the Gulf Stream," city spokesperson Mark Kruea said in a response to McGreal after he emailed the city about his find.

City officials weren't clear on when the trash can went missing but assume it took off during a storm or from high winds.

Typically, city employees will remove trash cans from the beach before a hurricane.

"This one apparently had a mind of its own," Kruea said.

A city employee has jokingly offered to retrieve the trash can.

"Please recycle our wayward traveling can," Kreua wrote to McGreal. "And, come see us next time you're on this side of the pond."
The fate of a prominent towering feature on the Charleston landscape has been sealed, both figuratively and literally.

The pair of iconic smokestacks in the East Side neighborhood, a visible reminder of the citys industrial past, are being preserved.

Work is nearly complete on a short-term $527,000 project to prevent their collapse and provide temporary reinforcement. The inner lining has been removed and various weak spots secured.

For many who drive across the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge to Charleston, the old stacks serve as a greeting  and a reminder of a different era.

For established residents of the East Side, the chimneys are viewed with nostalgia, and they connote a past that included conflict and racism, but also pride and a strong sense of identity. The stacks are what urban designers like to call placemakers and what preservationists like to protect.

They are examples of how something that once was ugly, belching toxic smoke, can become something beautiful and rich with meaning.

But last year they were almost destroyed.

The fire-proof bricks inside the chimneys had loosened, and authorities feared that should those bricks collapse to the bottom of the stacks they could weaken, or even explode, the base of the 135-foot structures causing them to fall upon nearby homes and streets.

Theoretically, all it would take is a strong wind from a tropical storm or a modest seismic event to trigger that sequence of events.

Officials determined to take them down. The public outcry was loud enough to force them to reconsider.

So they revised their plans, preferring to remove about 75 feet of the stacks to eliminate the safety hazard while preserving a portion of the landmark. That solution didnt go over very well, either.

So they reassessed and decided to contract with the International Chimney Corp., a leader in building, demolishing, repairing and preserving tall cylindrical structures.

Big cranes were brought in to remove stainless steel lids from the tops of each stack and allow for the lowering of workers into the void.

The contractor installed new lightning rods to ensure than any bolt of super-charged electricity would bypass the workers and run into the ground below. Then they set to removing, brick by brick, the inner lining.

Large braces were installed to hold the doorways in place, and individual steel bands were wrapped around the chimneys to provide extra bracing.

By the end of this first phase of work in early December, the white fire-proof bricks will be gone and only the red exterior bricks will remain, said Jason Kronsberg, the citys director of parks.

Phase Two would entail an effort to add more bracing and to stabilize the stacks to meet the high standards demanded by a region prone to hurricanes and earthquakes, he said. But there are no plans now to schedule that next part of the project.

Fixing the problem

Winslow Hastie, executive director of the Historic Charleston Foundation, has been keeping a close eye on the project. He said hes glad its moving forward and relieved that the stacks will be preserved in their entirety.

But the current work doesnt ensure long-term stabilization, he said. The outer bricks need repointing, the stacks need more banding, a rusty ladder needs removal and the corrosion it caused needs repair.

Hastie said hes worried that a job half-done could remain half-done for too long unless city officials are proactive about budgeting Phase Two in the near-term.

I hoping this (current effort) doesnt just check boxes then leave a potential future problem, he said.

The threat posed by the deteriorating stacks was caused by the citys neglect, yet the city hoped the preservation community would step up and fix the problem, he added.

Here we are, one of the top preservation cities in the United States, and you have all these stringent regulations that we impose on the private sector, and as soon as the city has an issue with preservation, they want to wash their hands of it, Hastie said.

Fortunately in the end the city opted to address the issue, and found the money to pay for the project thanks to the funds generated by the Cooper River Bridge TIF district.

Tax increment financing is a tool municipalities use to increase through bond sales based on projected future tax income. Typically, areas ripe for renewal are designated TIF districts, and city accountants add up property taxes likely to be imposed on new buildings  apartment houses, offices, retail space  that are not yet constructed.

The city then sells municipal bonds, in effect advancing itself money that eventually will get paid back in the form of future taxes.

The tactic is inherently risky. What if those apartment buildings and retail spaces dont materialize? But the risk is easy to mitigate in booming Charleston by ensuring that revenue projections are conservative and new projects are greenlighted.

The Cooper River Bridge TIF district, established in December 2007, generated $12 million so far, and likely will produce much more before its TIF designation expires in 2032.

The city has allocated more than $3.3 million to community development/recreation and $474,000 to pedestrian safety. About $3 million is slated for affordable housing and $4.75 million, the biggest share, for drainage and storm water projects.

The district is oddly shaped, running along a small portion of East Bay Street up to Cooper and Lee streets, then west along the old Grace Bridge zone across Meeting Street and over to King Street where Interstate 26 spills onto the Crosstown, and up along Meeting Street to Cool Blow Street, with an extension to the east along Huger and Stuart streets.

Within the zone, several large apartment buildings are under construction, or recently have been completed.

The city will arrange another bond sale once new projects are approved and ready for construction, officials said.

Community needs

The city put up the smokestacks in 1935, with help from the Works Progress Administration. They were part of an incinerator that operated until August 1956. The property eventually became the East Side Rehabilitation Center, and then St. Julian Devine Community Center, named for the first Black man to serve on City Council since Reconstruction.

In the 1930s, the area was called Hampstead Village and it was predominantly White and working-class. The first Cooper River bridge had opened in 1929, casting a shadow on the neighborhood. Before the incinerator was built, garbage was simply dumped in open areas nearby.

After World War II, White residents began to move to West Ashley, and the East Side fell into a state of neglect. By 1960, it had become predominantly Black for the first time in its long history.

Joe Watson, owner of Marys Sweet Shop on America Street and a community activist, moved with his family in 1953 to a house just steps from the stacks. He passed by every day on his way to school, and the adventurous kids in the neighborhood would surreptitiously climb the external ladder.

He said he was relieved that the old chimneys will be preserved.

(The site) identifies the East Side, so Im happy theyre holding on to them, Watson said. It starts a conversation about the past, and how far weve come, and how far we can go in working (toward) solutions. Thats why its so important.

Now, he said, Charleston can plan new projects that serve established residents.

There are so many things that we can do when we look at the new tax increase thats coming from all the new apartment and office buildings in the area, he said. East Bay Street and Morrison Drive get housing, but we need to address what the community needs and how it can be sustainable.

With all the changes, especially in the Cooper River Bridge TIF district, tackling livability issues is more critical than ever, he said.
Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations.
South Carolina's procurement regulations, ethics laws and government personnel requirements can seem pretty Byzantine and even absurd to most of us in the private sector.

But those procurement requirements are designed to prevent state employees from using their public positions to benefit friends or enrich themselves at the expense of the taxpayers. That's why competitive bids are required for large projects and it's illegal to divide up large projects to evade that requirement.

The ethics law is likewise designed to protect taxpayers from officials who want to help themselves rather than the public.

Sometimes, it can be difficult to see the public purpose behind other requirements, such as documenting multiple warnings and escalating penalties before state employees can be demoted or fired  some of them have a bit of a union-like feel, designed more to protect incompetent or difficult employees than the public. But even if the reason for the rules isn't always apparent, the response  if you work in state or local government  isnt to ignore them.

You can complain to your supervisor and to your legislators that they ought to be changed, but until they are, its your job to obey them. If you dont do that, you need to be punished.

And if the upper management at a state agency ignores them, we need to take that as a major sign of trouble at the agency  particularly when that agency already has flashed warning signs about its unwillingness to obey the procurement requirements. And the ethics law.

Which brings us back, once again, to the Governors School for Agriculture at John de la Howe, where one of The Post and Couriers Uncovered partners reports that the school circumvented both its own human resources policies and the states in its dealings with a now-disgruntled employee who was one of the driving forces in reviving the moribund residential school for kids with behavioral problems.

Since that idea was hatched, our Uncovered series has revealed, the Legislature has appropriated  and the school has spent  a ton of money, often in ethically questionable ways that benefited the people spending the money and thus far has provided little of value for the public.

And now we learn about the personnel irregularities.

Greenwoods Index-Journal reports that Frank Dorn, who came up with the idea of the schools transformation, was moved from his position as director of agriculture to assistant director of facilities after Tim Keown took over as president of the school last year. Mr. Dorn considered that a demotion, but his pay wasnt reduced, so he has no recourse through the states employee grievance system. Last month, he sued the school.

Also last month, the newspaper got its hands on his personnel file, which contains an unsigned 90-day improvement plan sent to human resources 47 days after enactment and a printout of an email expressing concerns that was signed and dated months before it was sent. That certainly gives the impression that the documents were added to the file after the fact, in order to justify the reassignment.

The improvement plan includes complaints that Mr. Keown said he heard from Mr. Dorns subordinates, but it doesnt say who made them, how they were investigated or whether Mr. Dorn disputed them. The plan doesnt say how Mr. Dorn was supposed to correct the problems or what would happen if he didn't  both key components in personnel management. Neither man signed the document, as the schools employee handbook and the states HR guidance require.

Mr. Dorns lawsuit and Mr. Keowns complaints in his personnel file have plenty to indicate that Mr. Keown was in the wrong  and plenty to indicate that Mr. Dorn was the one in the wrong.

But this much is clear: Personnel matters werent handled according to the letter of the law. Just as the school hasnt followed the letter of the ethics law, or even its spirit in some cases. Just like the school hasnt handled procurement by the letter of the law  and in fact in some cases went out of its way to violate the law.

The human resources revelations are just the latest in the drip-drip of emerging evidence of what could at best be described as disorganization and incompetency at the school, and at worst be understood as a culture of arrogance and lawlessness. We've already seen numerous examples of school leaders manipulating the law to funnel hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to their contractors of choice.

So have the state Office of Inspector General and the Division of Procurement Services, which have documented those allegations and more. Members of the states Fiscal Accountability Authority have talked sternly to the school, but the authority hasnt limited school officials spending authority. And Gov. Henry McMaster hasnt used his authority to remove any of the board members who have overseen this whole mess.

The latest revelations underscore the need for more than investigations and tongue-lashings. They demand action to inject needed oversight into this school. Until the Legislature returns to work in January, the only ones who can do that are the Fiscal Accountability Authority or the governor.

Its way past time for them to act.
Across two spending packages being offered by the federal government, Guam could stand to receive anywhere from $1.5 billion to nearly $2 billion. Read more
Last month, I wrote about Mohammad Jafar Mahallati, the professor of peace at Oberlin College. Mahallati was the mullahs man at the United Nations in the 1980s during which time he called for a global jihad against Israel.

Mahalliti was the scourge of Irans religious minorities, the Bahai population in particular. An Amnesty International report accused him of crimes against humanity by covering up the massacre of at least 5,000 innocent Iranian prisoners in 1988.

At Oberlin, the professor of peace allegedly requires students in his Religion class to post anti-Israel blog entries that reflect the professors lectures and assigned readings. Students say they were also required to blog that the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign (BDS) is a pro-peace effort.

(Mahallatis course listing states he is teaching remotely. According to this article, he spends time in Shiraz, Iran. Its not clear whether he is teaching peace, love, and understanding from Iran.)

The allegations regarding Mahallatis anti-Israel teachings are the subject of a civil rights complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education. That agency is now controlled by Team Biden, so its not clear whether the complaint will be treated seriously.

As for Amnesty Internationals finding that Mahalliti committed crimes against humanity, Oberlin said earlier this year that it is aware of the allegations and is taking steps to address them. I suggested in my post that Oberlin might not be serious about its investigation.

On October 12, Oberlin released a statement declaring that it could find no evidence to corroborate the allegations against Professor Mahallati, including that he had specific knowledge of the murders taking place in Iran. Oberlin also stated that since coming to Oberlin in 2007 Professor Mahallati has developed a reputation for espousing religious tolerance and seeking peace and understanding between all people. According to Oberlin, his record at the college includes no instances of the anti-Semitic or anti-Israel behavior of which he has been accused.

The Oberlin Review begs to differ. A review of the record, summarized in a series of articles, led it to conclude that the evidence that Mahallati covered up crimes against humanity is irrefutable.

Mahallitis defense rests on the fact that, at the time of the executions, he was in New York serving as the regimes U.N. ambassador and did not know about the atrocities. The Oberlin Review responds:

This could very well be true. However, within a few months of the executions, there were several instances where Mahallati was confronted about the killings. Instead of publicly calling for a detailed investigation or speaking out against his own government, he insisted on an alternate narrative of events and denied that the executions took place. This is not the conduct of an innocent or ignorant official  rather, it points to deliberate actions taken to hide the atrocities committed by Iran from the world.

Mahallati continued to take this position as evidence of the executions poured in:

Even if Mahallati did not hear from his own government about the executions, he could not have remained ignorant for long. Between August and December 1988, Amnesty International sent 16 Urgent Action notices, calling for activists to protest the unjust executions of political dissidents. These activists relentlessly sent letters to the head of Irans Supreme Court, Irans Minister of Justice, and diplomatic representatives of Iran, demanding that Iran cease the executions. Furthermore, on Nov. 9, 1988, U.N. Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions S. Amos Wako wrote and published reports of Iranian prisoners being executed, detailing the transfer of their corpses. Similar reports were sent by Reynaldo Galindo Pohl, U.N. special representative on the human rights situation in Iran. Mahallati met with Pohl on Nov. 29, 1988.

Thus, as the Oberlin Reviews editors conclude, Mahallati was aware of his governments butchery within months. Yet:

In his Nov. 29 meeting with Pohl, he claimed that the victims were killed in battle, rather than executed. In his official capacity as ambassador, he never backtracked this claim, even though human rights agencies have proven it to be false.

The editors also point out that Oberlin refuses to release any details of its investigation, including who the investigating party was and what materials were looked at. It also refuses to speak with the activists and family members who decry Mahallatis employment at the College. Many activists assert that they have been blocked by President Carmen Twillie Ambar on Twitter after attempting to bring her attention to this issue by tagging her.

Furthermore, based on Oberlins only public statement about the investigation, it appears that the inquiry may have been confined to killings of members of the Peoples Mujahedin Party of Iran. The editors point out that this omits multiple other groups that were  and continue to be  persecuted in Iran, including the aforementioned Bahais against whom the professor of peace railed. As the editors say:

Mahallatis rhetoric about the Bahais laid the groundwork for Iran to commit genocide against the Bahai community. To this day, Bahais are systematically persecuted, tortured, and killed in Iran.

For more on Mahallatis actions in the 1980s, Oberlins investigation, and protests against the colleges whitewash, see this article in the Jerusalem Post.
The strangest news story of the last few days relates to multiple FBI raids on the homes of people associated with Project Veritas, including that of founder James OKeefe. Those who were searched say that the agents were looking for information related to the alleged theft of a diary belonging to Joe Bidens daughter Ashley, which the New York Times and other news sources have confirmed.

The diary dates to 2019, when Ashley was in a drug rehab facility. It left her possession under circumstances that are not clear. Someone offered it to Project Veritas, saying that Ashley had left it in a room at, if I understand correctly, the rehab facility. Ashley evidently maintains that it was stolen.

James OKeefe says that Project Veritas looked into the matter but was unable to confirm the authenticity of the document. He says that he offered it to Ashleys lawyers, but they wouldnt take it, so he turned it over to law enforcement. In any event, Project Veritas never did anything to make its contents public.

The diary itselfphotos of its pageswas published a year ago by an outfit called National File, but it drew little interest or attention. While Project Veritas was unable to confirm its authenticity, that question now has evidently been answered by the FBI.

I briefly scanned the diary. It contains Ashleys name, and on its face is consistent with various known facts about her. It contains no serious bombshells about Joe, but it does make him and his family look bad in much the same way as Hunter Bidens escapades (although without the financial corruption). I dont recommend reading it and certainly would not myself publish it for any perceived news value. It is personal and highly embarrassing, obviously not meant for anyone elses eyes.

But an FBI investigation? A year after the diary disappeared and was published? Since when is the alleged theft of a womans diary a federal crime? Let alone a federal crime that warrants investigation by the FBI?

Jonathan Turley reviews the facts of the case and asks:

Journalist organizations are routinely given material removed from businesses, agencies, or private owners without permission by confidential sources. If this is a federal crime subject to FBI raids, what happened to the new media policies of the Biden Administration after the Tucker Carlson controversy?

Good question! I suppose the answer would be, Thats different, because those other journalists are on our side. Turley adds:

There are a host of unanswered questions. Here are five to start with: 1. What was the context for the diarys loss? (Did Ashley Biden leave the diary in a room or was it stolen?) 2. What is the alleged federal crime (and what is the precedent for a major federal investigation over such an alleged theft)? 3. What precautions were taken by the Biden Administration in light of the claimed media status of the targeted individuals? 4. Why was there a delay in this action being taken if the alleged theft occurred a year ago? 5. Has this matter been under investigation for a year and did the White House request the intervention of the FBI?

There is a context to this story that goes well beyond the sadness of Joe Bidens deeply troubled family. The FBIs once-stellar reputation has been badly tarnished in recent years, and many millions of Americans now see the Bureau as a politicized agency that has become, in important ways, an arm of the Democratic Party. The Case of the Missing Diary may be trivial in itself, but the fact that the FBI is now executing search warrants on the homes of political opponents of the Biden administration, with no national interest at stake other than the reputation of the Biden family, lends support to that suspicion.
By Uduakobong Inam

The coronavirus pandemic caught the world totally unprepared! From Asia to America, from Europe to Africa, the crowned virus ravaged lives and livelihoods. Its impact on world economies has been widespread and very deep. To combat the pandemic, governments all over the world deployed a cocktail of responses ranging from: lockdowns to creation of Isolation centres; mobilization of healthcare personnel and facilities; palliatives for the vulnerable in the society; stimulus packages for businesses; issuance of covid-19 protocols for all forms of social gathering; and guided vaccinations.

Whereas the African countries largely copied the diverse and conventional measures deployed by the western countries to tackle the scourge, they recorded fewer fatalities than the later. However, the attempt to replicate the lockdown template in Africa proved rather costly as the continent lacked the institutional framework and finances to successfully execute such a strategy. Africa could not afford a lockdown given its peculiar social and economic circumstances. The application of this measure had dire consequences for Africa as it plunged the African economy into unending socioeconomic woes including poverty, job losses, insecurity, negative growth rates, unemployment and debt crises.

It is pertinent to note that the advent of covid-19 coincided with the period in which African political leaders choose to foster Africas economic integration through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). This would have laid a veritable foundation for a viable continental market that engenders long-term growth, develops commodity value chains and industries across borders. The potential for income and employment creation (and by extension poverty reduction) is equally largely acknowledged as one of the major benefits of AfCFTA. This initiative is laudable as it is poised to make Africa more competitive in global trade as trade is crucial to development. For a continent with weak growth statistics, AfCFTA is a welcome development and can be leveraged to deepen African countries integration into regional and global value chains. Although covid-19 interrupted the pace of the initiative, it still holds a lot of promise for the continent as it is a veritable tool for fastracking the process of economic recovery.

Covid-19 would not be the first health disaster the world has ever witnessed. The biggest pandemic in modern history was the Spanish Flu of 1918-1919, during which many service-based businesses suffered double digit losses. With the covid-19 crises, the impact was disastrous for Africa, the continent experienced an unprecedented economic loss: The recession in Africa reached 1.9% in 2020; cumulative production losses reached nearly 12 percentage points of GDP in 2020-2021; employment was down by 8.5% in 2020; and debt levels rose reaching 58% of GDP in 2020.

The socioeconomic risks of health shocks can be contained and managed with policies, plans and actions that reduce their likelihood and impact. Epidemic risk is complex and dynamic as its consequences are not distributed equally throughout the economy: some sections may benefit financially, while others will suffer disproportionately. To mitigate the adverse effects of health shocks on the economy, policy makers need to deploy the necessary tools in response.

What approaches should the African continent apply to stimulate the economy and create jobs, especially considering factors such as rising debts, etc?

Amid actions to contain new waves of the pandemic and speed up vaccine rollouts, economic recovery in African countries hinges greatly on deepening reforms that: support job creation; engender inclusive growth; encourage a rebound in private consumption and investment; and enhance competitiveness. It places a demand for the rollout of deliberate, strategic and ambitious efforts targeted at: reducing countries debt burdens to unlock resources for the provision of public goods; reducing widespread inequalities and imbalances; protecting the vulnerable in the society; and ensuring environmental sustainability. Its a clarion call for strategic reforms that increases investments in human capital development in areas such as education, health and infrastructure. Indeed, the desire for economic recovery in Africa brings to fore the need for sustainable technologies within the framework of a robust and dynamic digital economy that disrupts the nature of work in Africa but creates jobs for the teeming youth population.

The pre-pandemic economic models employed by Africa countries may not be sustainable in the post-covid era. The pandemic not only revealed the vulnerability of the continent to health shocks, it created an urgent and desperate need for increased support for Africa. Thus, to fastrack economic recovery, the continent will need to forge new partnerships and alliances with the private sector, development partners and the international community.

International support in terms of measures to mitigate the impacts of new waves of covid is not only desirable but necessary to complement all economic recovery efforts. New alliances and understandings to tackle the looming debt crises in Africa will not only reduce Africas liabilities but will also unlock resources for purposes of development. Furthermore, strategic partnerships with the private sector are necessary preliminary steps to the creation of jobs in the continent. Such efforts should include reforms to provide the enabling environment for businesses to thrive as well as an improvement of the ease of doing business in the continent. Indeed the creation of investor friendly environments is a sine qua non for economic recovery.

Similarly, Foreign direct Investment (FDI) is still as relevant in the growth equation of the post-covid era in Africa as in the pre-covid era. On the average, after an initial panic flight of capital from Africa in 2020 (about 5 billion dollars in the first half of the year), capital inflows have picked up again. FDIs provide a ready source of capital for investments. Thus, reforms to attract and sustain foreign investments are required for economic recovery in Africa. However, African countries must ensure that the issues of corruption, bad governance, weak institutions, lack of transparency, low ratings in ease of doing business, infrastructure deficit, insecurity and skills deficit are addressed to reduce the attendant risks they pose to FDIs.

The coronavirus pandemic revealed a huge gap in the education sector in Africa: distance learning is inaccessible to most African students. They lost many school days and months compared to students in developed economies who simply switched to online platforms to interact with their tutors to continue their learning process. The long term implications of this gap on all the generations whose learning and socialization processes were interrupted by the crises are far reaching and complex. Thus, economic recovery efforts in the continent should include reforms in the education sector that allows for the existence of online learning platforms alongside conventional learning modules. Indeed the existence of an online learning infrastructure should be an imperative for operators at all levels of the educational sector in Africa.

Small businesses play a crucial role in the growth trajectory of countries in the global economy given their employment generating potential. Unfortunately, just as in the case of the Spanish flu of 1918-1919, small businesses in Africa suffered huge losses during the covid-19 pandemic. Thus, economic recovery efforts should include a cocktail of strategies to rebuild small businesses and make them more sustainable and resilient. Such strategies should include: improved access to finance and capacity building.

Interestingly, women and youths form a significant percentage of operators of small businesses in Africa. Thus, attempts to build small businesses will directly affect the women and youths. Women and youths should be highly engaged in all recovery efforts as they have the drive and energy to translate plans into sustainable actions. Strategic involvement of women and youth in the development process will not only close the yawning gender gaps (that exists in all spheres of the African society), but will also reduce inequalities and its attendant hostilities to the barest minimum.

Trade is crucial for development. Covid-19 disrupted regional and global trade. Efforts should be made to re-gig the regional and global trade wheels to encourage domestic industries and create jobs. African countries can leverage on AfCFTA to log onto regional trade networks as well as global trade alliances. Indeed, African governments can go the extra mile to play an intermediary role by initiating and forging strategic linkages between domestic industries and high-end markets. Furthermore, the productive capacity of domestic industries should be developed to meet domestic demand and demand for exports. Africa tends to depend on imports. Post-covid era requires a paradigm shift that promotes domestic production of basic consumer goods. The short term and long term benefits of these efforts are multi-dimensional: value chain development, forward and backward integration, job creation, increased incomes, increased taxes and inclusive industrialization.

Whereas, the foregoing approaches to economic recovery in Africa are not exhaustive; however, the onus is on African governments to go for the low hanging fruits which the pandemic portends and leverage on them to make the most out of a bad situation. By implication, a careful analysis of the different sectors of the economy will reveal the sectors that have benefited immensely from the health shock. Thus, the appropriate strategic response to the disruptions of the novel corona virus pandemic in Africa is to go for the low hanging economic fruits that this period offers while ensuring the safety of lives, livelihoods and the environment.

Is covid-19 in some sense an opportunity for Africas economic rise? How can that potential be seized?

Every shock or pandemic presents pains and opportunities. Although the pandemic has disrupted the African economy, it has also revealed a host of economic and business opportunities which could be leveraged to restore sound and quality livelihoods. To survive and prosper, and exploit the global opportunities offered by the crises, Africa needs to plan. Africa needs a comprehensive package for creating sustainable prosperity in a world of continuous disruptions. The health shock brings to fore the need for sustainable growth and development of the continent. Indeed, Covid-19 offers a fresh opportunity for Africas economic rise! However, the luxury of such a rise can only be enjoyed within the ambience of a well-structured and comprehensive long term development plan.

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To plan effectively for Africas future, African countries need to adopt and domesticate the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) respectively. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development envisions a present and a future that is economically sustainable, socially inclusive and environmentally resilient. Similarly, African governments should align with and equally domesticate Africas development Plan. Agenda 2063 is Africas blueprint and master plan for transforming Africa into the global powerhouse of the future. However, to achieve structural transformation and sustainable development in the continent, Financing for development is a critical factor. African governments need to explore creative solutions for their financing needs. They need to begin to look inwards for a greater proportion of their financing needs. Specifically, domestic resource mobilization must be elevated as a development priority.

Domestic Resource mobilization has become not only an imperative but a critical factor in the quest for economic development. Countries collect taxes and fees to generate public revenues domestically and internationally. This enables the government to provide public goods and welfare services in critical areas such as healthcare, education, infrastructure services, security, public order and other services for their citizens and businesses. Improvements in Domestic Resource mobilization efforts entail a whole range of reforms within the fiscal space. It also entails increased revenue to finance development. African countries need to deploy a lot of reforms to set the continent on the trajectory to sustainable growth and development. Indeed, the post-covid era offers Africa the opportunity to plan for a prosperous future. The potential to rise can be seized by deploying a whole range of strategic reforms.

Uduakobong Inam, PhD, is a senior lecturer and the coordinator of the postgraduate programmes at the Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Uyo, Nigeria.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, was on Monday shielded from answering questions on the EndSARS protests by the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Justice, Ozurigbo Ugonna (APC, Imo), during the budget defence session.

Mr Malami had appeared before the committee to defend the budget of his ministry, and members of the committee used the opportunity to raise some questions.

However, the chairman shut down all the questions put to the minister.

Ademorin Kuye (APC, Lagos) had faulted the speech of Mr Malami, noting that it failed to address the 2020 EndSARS protests.

I istened to your opening remarks, as beautiful as this opening remarks is, I observed with great reservations that an event that took place, that shocked the very foundation of our democracy, the EndSARS protests was never mentioned at all in your opening remarks. I am of the view that this is an event that should take front row in justice, rule of law and democracy.

He also asked Mr Malami about the anti-torture law.

Mr Kuye also flagged the N2.5 billion proposed for the outsourcing of cases by the ministry, despite the number of lawyers in the ministry.

Furthermore, he flagged the N174 million spent on decongestion of prison in 2021.

I saw the N49.3 million appropriated for local training courses in the 2021 budget, N35.5 million has been released. And still, despite this training for our lawyers, we still see that a lot of the jobs are still outsourced to lawyers.

We spent N2.5 billion for legal services. In your speech, you mentioned some limitations against lawyers of the ministry, he said.

Chiyere Igwe (PDP, Rivers) also raised questions on recovered loot and the controversies surrounding the Paris Club refund.

While ruling, Mr Ugonna said the questions will be answered after the presentation of the 2022 estimate.

Colleagues, I think the questions are noted. I will now ask you (Malami) to proceed to the 2022 budget presentation. We will come to that, he said.

After the minister presented the 2022 estimates, the chairman still prevented him from answering the questions.

According to Mr Ugonna, the lawmakers failed to restrict the questions to the subject matter.

The lawmakers were denied the opportunity to scrutinise or ask further questions on the estimate presented by Mr Malami.

Honourable colleagues, you will agree with me that members have raised some issues, including questions that are not in what is before us today. In view of the above, it is imperative that we will engage the minister at another day to holistically discuss these issues.

The ruling of the chairman caused some members to raise a point of order.

They were, however, ignored by the chairman, who was adamant in ensuring Mr Malami did not answer questions.
By Priyal Singh and Gustavo de Carvalho

Over the past two decades, Russia has aimed to re-establish itself as a world power. A key way to achieve this has been through its permanent membership on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). In recent years, Russias posturing on several international conflicts has increasingly divided the UNSC, causing a degree of paralysis that has not occurred since the Cold War.

At the same time, questions have arisen about how A3 members  the annually elected grouping of African states  coordinate positions among themselves, and with respect to the interests of the five permanent UNSC members (the P5). In particular, are certain African members becoming more aligned to Russias positions on the council?

These questions have been promoted, for example, by South Africas vote against the United States (US)-sponsored draft resolution on Venezuela that Russia and China vetoed in February 2019.

To understand these dynamics, a recent study by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) examined voting patterns between the A3 and Russia. An assessment of all votes cast by UNSC members between 2014 and 2020 found that most resolutions were still approved unanimously, with close to 95 per cent of all votes cast in favour of any tabled resolution.

So the institutional paralysis that many council observers refer to, while still considerable, applies to a few debates in which council members disagree. These divisions were seen most sharply in discussions relating to Syria, Venezuela, Ukraine and the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

The SAIIAISS research found that Russia consistently stood out above other council members in its willingness to veto or abstain from tabled resolutions. It abstained from 45 votes and cast 20 vetoes between 2014 and 2020.

Russia especially opposed positions led by the other permanent member states  loudly disagreeing with stances put forward by France, the United Kingdom and the U.S. This dissent is usually based on its criticism of the Wests apparent attempts to monopolise the truth and over what constitutes human rights. Russia also enjoys a convenient (but passive) alliance with China, which shares similar grievances over Western-dominated approaches to global conflicts.

In contrast to Russia, the A3 seldom voted against any draft resolutions tabled between 2014 and 2020, preferring instead to abstain on contentious issues. An example is the controversial 2018 U.S.-sponsored draft resolution on Palestine.

As divisions have deepened among the P5, African countries on the UNSC have increasingly relied on collective positions among themselves and those aligned to the African Union (AU). This has given Africa greater agency in global multilateral processes that directly affect conflicts and crises on the continent.

A similar approach has been taken in recent years by all 10 non-permanent members (E10). These efforts paid off considerably on specific council discussions, such as allowing greater humanitarian access to Syria. But the coordination and coherence of E10 positions have again waned somewhat since 2018.

More consistent UNSC positions by the A3 have given African states greater leverage to engage with other council members. The risks of not doing so were revealed in December 2018 when A3 members disagreed on a common approach to the thorny issue of financing for AU-led peace support operations. The fallout can still be seen today. Recent attempts to revitalise negotiations have only managed to expose lingering divides between New York and Addis Ababa.

The SAIIAISS study found little evidence of a growing alignment or greater coordination between the A3 and Russia, based on their voting patterns from 2014-2020. The coincidence of in favour votes between the A3 and Russia declined year-on-year, falling to 72 per cent in 2020 compared to 91 per cent in 2014. The overlap in A3 votes in favour with the U.S., UK and France by contrast, ranged from 91 per cent to 93 per cent in 2020.

There are also extremely few cases in which the A3 collectively abstained or voted against draft resolutions in line with Russias position. Between 2014 and 2020, on only one occasion did an A3 member vote against a draft resolution that Russia vetoed (South Africas 2019 Venezuela vote).

These findings show that the relationship between Russia and the A3 on the UNSC is relatively uncoordinated, especially compared to A3 votes in relation to other permanent members. While the SAIIAISS study did not delve into the content and substance of resolution-specific negotiations, the alignment between Russia and the A3 during the 2014-20 period was very weak.

Arguments that certain A3 members are becoming more aligned to Russian interests on the UNSC do not hold for the African group as a collective. Russias loud dissenter role on the council may well continue, but to succeed, it needs more significant support from other members, including the A3. Based on the SAIIAISS research results, that seems unlikely.

Priyal Singh, Researcher and Gustavo de Carvalho, Manager and Senior Researcher, Peace Operations and Peacebuilding, Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Pretoria

(This article was first published by ISS Today, a Premium Times syndication partner. We have their permission to republish).
Armed bandits have reportedly killed six persons and abducted many others during an attack in Rijiya village in Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

A resident, Mustapha Ibrahim, told PREMIUM TIMES on phone that the bandits stormed the community late Sunday afternoon.

They started shooting sporadically when they entered the community. I think they normally shoot to confuse residents and make them run in confusion. They killed six people during the shooting. We counted six dead bodies, he said.

According to him, the bandits also went from house to house, collecting food items and other things they needed.

He added that during the house to house search, the bandits also took several other people with them.

We have not counted the number of those taken so far because others ran into the bush and most of them returned in the night. As of now (Monday morning), we have not started counting but they took many people, especially women and children, Mr Ibrahim said.

He named some of those killed as Rufai, Sani Lawal, Murtala.

Another source, who spoke to BBC Hausa, also confirmed the attack.

He said those who died would be buried on Monday while those injured are in hospital.

Bandits route

Mr Ibrahim added that the bandits who attacked the community came through the Tsafe axis.

Tsafe shares boundaries with Gusau, the state capital. Communities under Gusau, especially those sharing boundaries with Tsafe, have experienced severe attacks. Even areas inside Gusau that are closer to Tsafe local government, like Damba estate and Damba village, have been attacked on different occasions.

Zamfara police spokesperson, Mohammed Shehu, could not be reached for comments as his known phone number did not connect, perhaps because of the network disruption put in place by the government.
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday sentenced a former chairperson of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina, to eight years imprisonment for money laundering offences involving N2billion in pension fund.

The judge, Okon Abang, jailed Mr Maina after convicting him and his company, Common Input Property and Investment Ltd, on all the 12 counts filed against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

According to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the judge sentenced Mr Maina to various jail terms ranging from three to eight years, which are to run concurrently.

He jailed the convict three years for count 1, five years for count 2, eight years for count 3, eight years for count 4, two years for count 5, five years for count 6, and eight years in count seven.

He also sentenced him to three years in jail for count 8, five years for count 9, eight years for count 10, three years for count 11 and three years for count 12.

He ordered that the terms of imprisonment shall run concurrently beginning from October 25, 2019, the date he was arraigned.

It implies that Mr Maina will spend the longest sentence which is eight years in jail.

As for the Common Input Property and Investment Ltds punishment, the judge ordered that it should be wound up and its assets forfeited to the federal government.

He held that Mr Maina stole over N2 billion belonging to pensioners, most of whom have died without reaping the fruits of their labour.

In my view, it is pensioners funds the 1st defendant (Maina) stole, and some of the pensioners died out of frustration, Mr Abang said.

Analysis of evidence

In his analysis of the evidence led in the case, Mr Abang held that the prosecution established its case against Mr Maina.

According to the judge, the prosecution established that Mr Maina purchased property in Abuja with $1.4million cash without passing through a financial institution. The amount, the judge said, was far above the cash transaction threshold of N5million.

He also ruled that the prosecution proved that Mr Maina concealed his true identity as signatory to the accounts he opened in the United Bank of Africa (UBA) and Fidelity Bank by using the identity of his family members without their knowledge.

Mr Abang condemned the roles of the banks in the opening of the fraudulent accounts.

The sums of N300million, N500million and N1.5billion which, according to the judge, were stolen by Mr Maina from pensioners, were deposited in the accounts.

He said Mr Maina could not explain the source of the money, adding that the convict, as civil servant, could not have legitimately earned the sums of money from his salary and emoluments.

According to the judge, an EFCC witness, who testified during the trial, pointed out that Mr Maina, whose salary as a civil servant was N256, 000, could not have legitimately had such money running into billions in his accounts even if he saved all his salaries for 35 years.

He said the money formed part of unlawful activities to which the 1st defendant reasonably ought to have known.

Background

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Mr Maina before Mr Abang, on October 25, 2019, and firm, Common Input Property and Investment Ltd, on 12 counts of money laundering.

He had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Mr Maina had jumped bail twice in the course of the trial. He was recently arrested in Niamey, Niger Republic, where he had fled.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how a senator, Ali Ndume, was briefly jailed after he failed to provide Mr Maina, whom he had stood surety for. Mr Ndume spent five days at the Kuje correctional centre before he was granted bail.

In the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/256/2019, EFCC alleged that Mr Maina used fictitious names to open and operate various bank accounts, as well as recruited his relatives that were bankers to operate fake bank accounts through which illicit funds were channelled.

Mr Maina spent most of the trial period in jail as he took him a long period to meet the bail conditions. The bail was revoked after he fled from trial and was sent back to jail till the end of the trial after he was re-arrested in Niger.
The number of dead bodies recovered from the rubble of the 21-storey building, which collapsed last week in Ikoyi, Lagos, has reached 44.

According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), two bodies were found at the site on Sunday.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who visited the scene of the accident on Saturday, had put the death toll, as of that day, at 42.

However, Gbenga Omotoso, the Lagos States Commissioner for Information and Strategy, told PREMIUM TIMES on Monday that the casualty figures stood at 43. He said one body was recovered on Sunday.

It is unclear why the state and federal emergency rescue agencies arrived at different figures. Last week, the agencies also issued different casualty figures to journalists, prompting the governors chain of command speech at the site.

On Monday, NEMA said the federal government has directed the Army Corps of Engineers to assist in the ongoing operation.

Since the skyscraper crumbled last week, relatives of victims and sympathisers had continued to throng the area, hoping to see their loved ones alive.

The state government had also set up help desks to help families identify their loved ones trapped in the debris.

However, on Monday, few people were seen at the site. The help desks were no longer present but the rescue operation was still going on.

This newspaper also observed that the debris had been evacuated almost to the ground level.

On Friday, Mr Sanwo-Olu granted access to family members to identify bodies of their loved ones deposited in the Lagos Mainland Hospital morgue.
A Federal High Court judge, Okon Abang, on Monday, revealed the roles two Nigerian banks played in the N2 billion pension fraud perpetrated by a former chairperson of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina.

PREMIUM TIMES reported earlier that the judge sentenced Mr Maina to eight years imprisonment in his judgement at the end of two-year trial on Monday.

The judge said the United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Fidelity Bank Plc were used by Mr Maina as conduit to defraud pensioners.

Noting that the convicts fraudulent activities ruined many homes in the country, Mr Abang said the two banks ought to have been charged alongside Mr Maina for serving as conduits through which the stolen funds were channelled.

In the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/256/2019, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alleged that Mr Maina used fictitious names to open and operate various bank accounts. He also recruited his relatives that were bankers to operate fake bank accounts through which illicit funds were channelled.

UBA and Fidelity Bank Plc should have been arraigned with the convict for illegal transactions, Mr Abang held, adding that their licences ought to have been withdrawn.

The banks benefitted from the proceeds of illegal transactions. UBA and Fidelity Bank provided the channels with which the convict (Mr Maina) used in defrauding the federal government, Mr Abang also said.

He said the banks abdicated their responsibilities by failing to carry out due diligence to establish the true identities of persons in whose names Mr Maina opened and operated the fictitious bank accounts.

Nigeria in urgent need of national rebirth

The court noted the prevalence of monumental financial fraud in Nigerias public sector, calling for drastic measures to tackle the problem.

The facts of this case portray the moral decadence of the society we live in. I think we need a National rebirth of guaranteed regeneration, the judge said.

Mr Abang said while the convict lived in opulence at the expense of pensioners, his victims died in penury in Nigeria.

Having considered the monumental fraud of how the pension funds were stolen, over N2.1 billion by the 1st Defendant (Mr Maina), it is a clear case that the convict is inhumane, heartless and has no compassion for the pensioners.

Meanwhile, the convict, through the assistance of UBA and Fidelity Bank Plc, deprived the pensioners that gave their all to this country in their youthful age, their legitimate earnings.

Whereas the convict was feeding fat on their sweat faraway in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), buying choice properties, driving bulletproof cars, living in affluence beyond his legitimate earnings.

An abnormal situation requires drastic actions to send a message to those that believe in dishonesty to have a rethink; turn a new leaf.

Dishonesty is an endemic disease in this country, that requires urgent treatment if we are to make any headway in this country, the court declared.

Maina was hearless

In the judgement that lasted four hours on Monday, the judge said Mr Maina treated hapless pensioners with disdain and levity.

While underscoring the plight of the pensioners whom the official stole from, Mr Abang said, Some have suffered and died while waiting for their reward.

The facts of this case are sordid, immoral, and morbid, the judge noted, adding that, the facts portray the moral decadence in Nigeria.

He said Mr Maina could not have earned the sum of N2 billion when his salary as a civil servant was a little above N300, 000 per month.

The convicts salary as a civil servant was a little above N300, 000, and could not have amounted to N2 billion even if he was saving all his salaries for 35 years, the judge observed.

Reviewing the testimonies of witnesses in the suit, the court held that Mr Mainas only defence witness, Ngozika Ihuoma, testified on irrelevant issues that were not related to the charges against Mr Maina.

The judge noted that EFCCs nine witnesses proved the prosecutions case beyond reasonable doubt, leading to Mr Mainas conviction and sentencing on Monday.

Chequered history

This matter has a chequered history, Mr Abang said of the drama that characterised Mr Mainas trial.

Mr Maina had jumped bail twice in the course of the trial. He was recently arrested in Niamey, Niger Republic, where he had fled.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how a senator, Ali Ndume, was briefly jailed after he failed to provide Mr Maina, whom he had stood surety for. Mr Ndume spent five days at the Kuje correctional centre before he was granted bail.

Maina, firm to return about N2 billion within 90 days

In the verdict, the judge ordered Mr Maina to return N1 billion to the coffers of the federal government within 90 days from Monday.

Mr Mainas company, Common Input Property and Investment Ltd, the second convict, was ordered to refund the sum of N183 million as well as $223,000 to the federal government winnin 90 days from Monday.

Mr Mainas eight years sentence would take effect from October 25, 2019, the date he was arraigned.

The company would be wound up and all its assets forfeited to the federal government, the judge ruled.

Other property forfeited to the federal government by the convicts are a bulletproof Range Rover, and houses located at Jabi and Life Camp parts of Abuja

Plea for mercy

In his plea for leniency, Mr Mainas lawyer, Olusegun Jolawo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), urged the judge to give the convict a second chance.

Mr Jolawo premised his plea for clemency on the grounds that his client was battling with ill-health, despite being the breadwinner of his immediate and extended family.

Admitting that Mr Maina had made some bad decisions including jumping bail twice, the lawyer said his client was remorseful.

With all humility, we urge the court to impose the minimum possible punishment, Mr Jolawo pleaded.

Maina speaks

Before the sentence was handed down, Mr Maina was given the opportunity to articulate his plea for mercy.

My Lord, I want to apologise for anything that I may have done, the convict said.

Mr Maina ,who walked into the courtroom, aided by prison officials, said: I also want to inform My Lord that I have a tumour which needs to be operated on urgently.

Flanked on both sides by armed prison personnel who shielded him from the horde of cameras that were stationed outside the courtroom, Mr Maina was seen acknowledging cheers from his friends and associates as he walked into a waiting van after he was sentenced.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), on Sunday, hardened its stance against military rule in Mali and Guinea, imposing new sanctions and calling on both countries to honour timetables for a return to democracy.

The imposition of the sanctions is the blocs toughest response yet to a run of military takeovers.

The move was agreed at an ECOWAS extraordinary summit of the authority of Heads of State and Government held Sunday in Accra, Ghana.

ECOWAS said in a statement it resolved that in conformity with the decision taken on 16th September 2021, the Authority decides to impose sanctions with immediate effect against individuals and groups who have been identified, including the entire transition authorities and the other transition institutions.

The sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes on all members of the transitional authority as well as certain family members, the statement said, adding that ECOWAS would consider additional sanctions in December if no progress is made.

Malis interim government, which took power following the militarys overthrow of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020, had promised to oversee an 18-month transition back to democracy culminating in elections on February 27, 2022.

But, they made a U-turn informing ECOWAS of their inability to meet the transition deadline of February 2022.

The West African bloc first imposed sanctions, including border closures, immediately after last years coup but lifted them less than two months later after the coup leaders agreed to the 18-month transition.

In October, Mali expelled ECOWAS special envoy to Bamako, accusing him of actions incompatible with his status.

Experts said Malis transition is seen as a key test of West African leaders commitment to protecting democracy against a return to the frequent putsches.

Last month, Sudanese acting Prime Minister, Abdallah Hamdok, was seized by a group of senior military generals. In September, Guineas military staged a coup, ousting longtime president Alpha Conde.

Guineas interim president, Mamadi Doumbouya, who led the coup, has promised a transition back to democracy but has not said when he will organise elections.

ECOWAS said it has appointed Ghanaian diplomat Mohamed Ibn Chambas as a special envoy to engage with Guineas transitional leaders.

It also decided to uphold the suspension of the Republic of Guinea from all ECOWAS governing bodies as well as the travel ban and freeze on financial assets imposed on the members of the CNRD and their family members until constitutional order is restored in the country.

The ECOWAS summit, attended by leaders from 13 countries called on the African Union, the United Nations, and the bilateral and other multilateral partners to endorse and support the implementation of these sanctions.

At the summit, Nigerias vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, said that African countries have gone far beyond military coup as a means of changing political actors and that coups are unacceptable.

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He added that ECOWAS Heads of State and Government will continue to prevail on the military juntas in Guinea and Mali to return their countries to democratic rule.

Mr Osinbajo said Head of States must insist, that other international bodies: the UN, EU, and other regional groups must support the impositions of sanctions on individuals and groups that choose not to follow the democratic process of change of government and choose to go by way of coup detat.

Referring to the situations in Guinea and Mali, the Nigerian vice president said it appears from all indications that much progress has been made in Guinea, although we are still concerned that there ought to be much more clarity on transition.

But Mali is a much more difficult situation, there is much concern because very little progress has been made, the vice president said.
Yiaga Africa on Monday said the results announced thus far by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reflected the ballots cast during the 6 November Anambra governorship election.

Executive Director, Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, made this known at a press conference on the preliminary statement on the Anambra election.

Mr Itodo said that Yiaga Africa deployed 500 observers and 27 mobile observers to monitor the election adding that INEC had so far released results for 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs), remaining Ihiala LGA that was yet to hold.

He said that Yiaga Africa, through the Watching The Vote citizens movement, deployed the Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) methodology to verify the official governorship results as announced by INEC.

PVT is an advanced election observation methodology that employs well-established statistical principles and sophisticated information technologies in elections.

This provides timely and accurate information on the conduct of accreditation, voting and counting, and it independently verifies the official results as announced by the INEC.

Yiaga Africas PVT can provide independent verification off of the results announced thus far reflecting the ballots cast.

The release of these figures speaks only to the accuracy of the tabulation process for votes cast on Nov. 6 2021 and not the overall credibility of the Anambra gubernatorial election.

As noted, the election is not yet over. Yiaga Africa will continue observing the voting and counting processes as well as the results announcement for Ihiala by deploying its observers to the sampled polling units of the LGA on Tuesday.

According to Mr Itodo, of sampled polling units that opened Saturday, Yiaga Africa received reports from 96 per cent of its field observers.

He said that based on those reports, Yiaga Africas statistical analysis showed that for the votes cast, All Progressives Congress (APC) should receive between 16.6 per cent and 21.1 per cent of the vote.

He said that the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) should receive between 41.0 per cent and 47.6 per cent of the vote while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should receive between 19.2 per cent and 24.2 per cent of the votes.

He added that the Young Progressive Party (YPP) should receive between 6.7 per cent and 11.1 per cent of the vote while no other political party should receive more than two per cent of the vote.

Had the official results been changed at the ward, LGA or state collation centres, the official results would not have fallen within the Yiaga Africa WTV estimated ranges.

Because the official results fall within the estimated ranges, governorship contestants, parties, and voters should have confidence the official results for the 20 LGAs as announced by INEC reflect the ballots cast at polling units on Saturday, Nov. 6, he said.

Mr Itodo said that it was important to highlight the counting process at polling units was transparent and included representatives from the four political parties that received the most votes.

He said that at 86 per cent of polling units, an APC party agent signed the EC.8A results in form, while at 98 per cent of polling units an APGA party agent signed the EC.8A result form.

He added that at 96 per cent of polling units a PDP party agent signed the EC.8A result form, and at 79 per cent of polling units, a YPP party agent signed the EC.8A results form.

Turnout

He said that INECs turnout and rejected ballots for the 20 LGAreleasesd were also consistent with Yiaga Africa WTV PVT estimates.

Mr Itodo said that Yiaga Africa was able to estimate that turnout was between 10.2 per cent and 12.8 per cent (11.5%  1.3%) while INECs official result was 10.75 per cent.

He said that similarly, Yiaga Africa estimated rejected ballots are between 2.5 per cent and 3.7 per cent (3.1%  0.6%) while INECs official result was 3.3 per cent.

He urged INEC to work on its logistics to curb further hitches and technological failure at elections as well as distribute voters evenly at polling units.

This, he said, was to decongest the overcrowded ones while adding to other units with scanty voters to balance. He said this was because the newly created polling units had few voters while some units were overcrowded.

Observations

Ezenwa Nwagwu, Board Member, Yiaga Africa, said that the group noted some observations having monitored the election.

Mr Nwagwu said that despite the establishment of Super Registration Area Centers (RACs) close to the polling units to avert logistical hiccups, late deployment of election materials and personnel delayed the opening of polling units.

He said that based on verified reports from Yiaga Africa observers, 21 per cent of polling units failed to open by noon adding that this might disenfranchise voters.

He said that the delays were occasioned by poor logistics management and transportation challenges as per INECs announcement.

He said that in five per cent of polling units, the BVAS malfunctioned but was not fixed or replaced.

He added that INECs framework for adopting new electoral technologies, as the BVAS, though a valuable tool for electoral integrity, fell short of expectations.

Mr Nwagwu said that Yiaga Africa observers reported incidents of intimidation, harassment or violence towards women voters, polling officials, security, party agents or observers at some polling units observed.

He added that Yiaga Africa also noted that in 26 per cent of polling units observed, there were no female polling officials and female presiding officers were sighted in only 38 per cent of polling units.

He said Yiaga Africa implored INEC and security agencies to ensure safety for women voters and for INEC to ensure gender parity in its deployment of officials in electoral processes.

Director of Programmes, Yiaga Africa, Cynthia Mbamalu, said that to enhance the transparency of the supplementary election, INEC should publish the total number of Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) collected in Ihiala LGA and inform the public on the status of uncollected PVCs.

Ms Mbamalu also said that Yiaga Africa urged INEC to undertake an audit of the BVAS and ensure all the technical glitches with the device were resolved ahead of the supplementary elections to prevent delays and possible disenfranchisement of voters.

She added that INEC needed to sanction all its staff accused of complicity and conspiracy with political actors and security agents to falsify election.

(NAN)
The National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), has vaccinated 5,770,899 eligible persons with the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination while 3,146,885 have taken the second dose (fully vaccinated).

The Director, Planning Research and Statistics, NPHCDA, Abdullahi Garba, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja, at the Ministerial Press Briefing update on COVID-19 Response and Development in the Health Sector.

Mr Garuba added that these figures were achieved as at November 7, 2021, in the 36 states and the FCT.

He noted that there were over eight million doses of vaccines in the country at the moment, but the country was still expecting more doses.

He noted that to achieve herd immunity against the infection, Nigeria had set an ambitious goal of vaccinating 40 per cent of its over 200 million population before the end of 2021, and 70 per cent by the end of 2022.

To achieve this, the vaccine roll-out was scheduled to be in four phases, starting with health workers, frontline workers, COVID-19 rapid response team, amongst others.

The second phase has commenced and its capturing older adults, aged 50 years and above, and those aged between 18 and 49 years of age, he explained.

Elsie Ilori, Director of Disease Surveillance Department, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), while giving an update on the Nigerias COVID-19 situation, said that while progress had been made in response to the ongoing pandemic with the fact-paced development of diagnostic, therapeutic, and vaccines globally, variants of concern with increased transmissibility pose a threat.

Mrs Ilori said that the pandemic continues to play out differently across countries worldwide.

Notably, Africa had seen fewer severe cases and deaths but despite limitations of testing has experienced similar transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in its population.

According to her, Regardless of the differing patterns of disease and deaths seen, the risk of the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants capable of evading human immune responses is a global concern.

She added that Delta variant remains the dominant variant globally adding that, alongside existing safety measures, widespread vaccination was providing a means for the world to exit this pandemic.

While some countries are achieving set goals for population vaccination (South Korea), including using vaccine mandates, others are easing back on restrictions (Melbourne) and some are contemplating preserving existing restrictions for only the unvaccinated (Austria).

Many countries in the global north have introduced vaccine booster doses, and have approved the use of COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 5 to 11 years, she added.

The director noted as much as it seems like Nigerians have moved on from COVID-19, it was still in existence, and people are still becoming infected and sadly, dying.

She noted that despite the differences in the disease pattern across countries, Nigerians have the same patterns of risk for the elderly, those with other diseases e.g., hypertension and diabetes, the immunosuppressed, etc as seen elsewhere.

It remains essential to ensure hand and respiratory hygiene, physical distancing, facemask wearing and receiving the full dose of COVID-19 vaccine available.

We have continued to respond to the pandemic and navigate these terrains by planning strategies on how to continue to live with COVID-19. A return to normalcy will be ensured by high levels of testing to ensure complete surveillance including tracking of variants of interest and concern and high levels of vaccination, she explained.

She said that testing remains core to the response, with the rollout of rapid diagnostic testing continuing across the country.

Community health workers are being trained on active contact tracing in states and focus is being placed on contacting silent states which do not submit reports on cases, deaths and more.

With regards to infection, prevention, and control (IPC), health facilities are on the receiving end of training sessions on IPC, she explained.

According to her, The Emergency Operations Centre remains active, weekly coordinating the response in the Incident Coordination Centre with all pillars represented and partners contributing also travel restrictions.

On Oct. 25, revised travel restrictions were released and took effect. Key changes to the protocols include the removal of travelers from Brazil, Turkey, and South Africa from the list of restricted countries.

In addition, key highlights are that: negative COVID-19 PCR test results should not be conducted more than 72 hours before boarding flights for travel.

There is no longer self-isolation as a requirement for fully vaccinated inbound passengers, however, there must be a COVID-19 PCR test done on Day 2 of arrival.

Seven-day self-isolation is mandatory for unvaccinated and partially-vaccinated individuals in addition to COVID-19 PCR tests on days 2 and 7 after arrival.

Additionally, people arriving on official/business trips seven days must be fully vaccinated, test negative 72 hours before boarding and conduct a PCR test within day 2 of arrival, she explained.

She added that the ravel portal was undergoing revisions to improve it and it was hoped that the challenges of the past would become history on completion of the process.

Safety measures

Meanwhile, The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, called on Nigerians to take action to protect the vulnerable by practising the safety measures and ensuring they are vaccinated if they are eligible.

It is strongly recommended you get vaccinated against COVID-19 to stop the spread of the virus. When you get vaccinated, you protect yourself, your family, friends, and community against the disease, Ehanire urged.

The minister noted that all the brands of vaccines used in the country were safe and able to deliver protection against COVID-19 for any eligible person who was vaccinated.

(NAN)
A resident electoral commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Samuel Egwu, has expressed dissatisfaction over the 2021 Anambra governorship election which has been declared inconclusive.

Mr Egwu, on Sunday, described the election as the most difficult during a programme tagged; Sunday Politics, on Channels Television.

According to him, the low voter turnout in some polling units is one of the major problems experienced during the election, adding that it is not good for Nigerias democracy.

He said: I came into INEC in August 2017, since then, I have been part of many elections, so I can categorically say that this is the most difficult election that I have experienced, he said.

In this particular election, as we have seen since yesterday, we have had problems with extreme situation of low voters turnout.

Mr Egwu attributed the low voter turnout to the fear that has been created in people and the IPOB sit-at-home order that was dissolved before the commencement of the election.

He also added that the low turnout was obvious in the three local governments he supervised  Onitsha North, Onitsha South and Ogbaru local government area.

In the three local governments, the registered voters are between 14000 and 15000, the number of people accredited on election day was between 1200 and 1500.

There is a whole gauge of fear that has been created and the threats of violence, and IPOB has been able to enforce overtime the sit-at-home order, so the fear of the repercussions that IPOB would do to people became a threat to the election, he said.

Speaking further on logistics, the commissioner disclosed that some of the contracted suppliers of election materials withdrew a day to election.

In many instances, we did the logistics, to procure the number of vehicles we needed to carry the personnel and materials, many of the suppliers committed to that but when it was time for election they withdrew from their promises, some reduced the number of vehicles.

The election

Chukwuma Soludo, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has so far secured the majority of the votes cast in Saturdays Anambra governorship election.

The results were formally announced at the INEC state collation centre in Awka, Anambra State, on Sunday.

However, the electoral body has declared the election inconclusive as elections were not held in some parts of the state.
The #EndSARS panel in Abuja, on Monday, commended the efforts of the police legal team at ensuring the amicable resolution of a case of alleged unlawful confiscation of property.

The case was reported to the panel by Tunde Moses and another complainant alleging that their vehicles were illegally impounded by the operatives of the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and the Intelligence Response Team of the police.

Abdullahi Ahmadu of SARS in the Federal Capital Territory, the Inspector-General of Police, the Intelligence Response Team unit, and the IGP, were joined as the respondents to the petition.

The case was struck out by the panel on Monday after it was reported that it had been amicably resolved.

Aliyu Adamu, a lawyer to the panel helping to lead or cross-examine witnesses during proceedings, told the panel that the matter had been resolved and the vehicles returned to the petitioners.

He then applied that the matter be struck out. But he suggested that the petitioners be compensated for loss of income while their vehicles were confiscated.

The leader of the police legal team, James Idachaba, said the matter was amicably resolved through the efforts of his team. He said his team deserved a commendation from the panel.

We saw to the release of the confiscated vehicles. We convinced the police to resolve the matter amicably. The panel should note this as we deserve to be commended, Mr Idachaba said.

Garba Tetengi, acting on behalf of the substantive chairperson of the panel, Suleiman Galadima, a former Justice of the Supreme Court, who was absent due to ill health, said the panel had noted the development and commended the efforts of the team.

In his closing remarks on the case, Mr Tetengi said the panel would include in its report the suggestion that the complainants be compensated as suggested by Mr Adamu. The case was then struck out.

The Independent Investigative Panel was set up by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to probe cases of human rights violations perpetrated by the defunct SARS and other police units.

It was set up in the aftermath of the October 2020 #EndSARS anti-police brutality protest. The panel is being commonly referred to as #EndSARS panel being a product of the historic #EndSARS protest.

At least 28 states also set up similar panels, many of which have submitted their reports but their recommendations are still unimplemented.
Over one million Nigerians have been internally displaced in the past 12 months, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons has said.

The Federal Commissioner of the NCFRMI, Imaan Sulieman-Ibrahim, disclosed this while defending the budget of her agency before the House of Representatives Committee on Internally Displaced Persons on Monday.

Ms Suleiman-Ibrahim informed the committee that the total number of internally displaced persons in Nigeria is about three million.

She also said Nigeria is host to about 73,000 refugees from 23 countries while over 500,000 Nigerians awaiting repatriation from Chad, Niger, Cameroon, Mali, Libya and other countries.

As part of measures to cope with the increment in IDPs, she said the commission is working on building resettlement cities in Borno, Kano, Edo and Katsina.

She stated that Zamfara State was on the original plan but the commission resolved to build the city in Kano State because of difficulties in acquiring the right for the land.

The commissioner said the budget of the commission is not sufficient to take care of five per cent of its mandate.

Muhammadu Fattahu (APC, Katsina) queried the duplication of responsibilities by the National Emergency Management Agency, NCFRMI and North-east Development Commission. He said most of the line items in the budget of NCFRMI are also replicated in those agencies.

READ ALSO: FEC approves new policy on IDPs

He questioned the N25 million annual rent paid for the headquarters and urged the commission to approach President Muhammadu Buhari for one of the seized properties.

The commission was also queried for not completing most of the projects in its budget despite over 60 per cent of funds released.

In the 2021 budget, N13.38 billion was appropriated for capital projects, N705 million for personnel cost for 458 staff and N1.6 billion for zonal intervention projects.

For the 2022 estimate, N1.7 billion was appropriated for personnel and N4.5 billion for capital component.

After the interactive session, the lawmakers dissolved into executive session.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Monday in Abuja issued 24-hour ultimatum to illegal traders at Kubwa village Market to quit.

The order followed the recent fire outbreak that claimed six lives.

Acting Director Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), Kaka Ali, issued the ultimatum and urged owners of illegal shops and those encroaching on the major corridors and undesignated places around the market to vacate the premises.

Mr Ali disclosed that the FCT Administration had concluded plans to begin massive demolition of illegal structures causing obstructions in the market and the area.

The director explained that all structures that fell within the non-regulated areas for trading would be demolished by the FCT Department of Development Control.

We are here to sanitise the market and environs following the recent incident of fire outbreak caused by explosion of an illegal Kerosine tank depot in the area.

We are trying to enlighten them on the dangers of selling within or around the market or within residential areas, which are completely forbidden and there are specific areas for selling such products.

We have spoken with the market managers on the need to sanitise and put all things in order, Mr Ali said.

Earlier, the Director, FCT Department of Development Control, Garba Kwamkur, explained that the department received a marching order from the FCT Minister in view of the ugly incident that happened on November 5.

In and around the market are residential buildings, but people have resorted to breaking their windows and doors, turning those houses to commercial, thereby making everywhere to be rowdy.

We cant allow that to continue, thats why we are here to insist on what the FCT Master Plan says.

We have given them 24- hour ultimatum to revert to what they were originally meant for. We insist on the restoration of Kubwa Master Plan, because Kubwa, being a satellite town of Abuja, has a plan.

Also, Ikharo Attah, Chairman of the FCT Ministerial Taskforce on City Sanitation, disclosed that there were old abatement notices served by relevant agencies on most of the affected structures.

Mr Attah added that in 2020 the taskforce cleared obstructing structures in the area.

We cleared that particular place, but within the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, the people returned to the same spot where the disaster happened.

Now, with the support of the FCT Minister and Directors of AEPB and Development Control Department, as well as joint team of security personnel, we are going to purge and purify the entire neighbourhood of the NYSC area in Kubwa, in order to remove all illegalities.

We are ready to commerce removal action, we have told them that we have given you demolition notices as Development Control Department and AEPB issued them notices almost six years ago.

We have no option but to give them 24 hours within which to vacate the affected structures, Mr Attah said. (NAN)
The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), has advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to address hiccups associated with the use of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), towards credible elections in the country.

Jibrin Ibrahim, Senior Fellow CDD and election analyst, Election Analysis Centre (EAC) said this when he addressed a news conference on the Anambra Governorship Election in Abuja on Monday.

Mr Ibrahim said that since technology was key to the electoral process, INEC must strive hard to get it right.

INEC has to improve on technology and deployment skills, you cannot keep having these hitches each time you are deploying a news technology, he said.

Sam Amadi, CDD election analyst, said that the CDD deployed some observers to monitor the election and got findings on late arrival of election material and poll officials.

Mr Amadi said that poor welfare for security personnel, slow pace of transmission of results to the INEC Results Viewing portal (IREV) and fake news were some of the things observed.

The reported malfunction of the BVAS in most polling units has raised concerns about the reliability of the device; CDD believes that the intention behind the introduction of the BVAS is laudable.

Importantly, the successful deployment of the device in many polling units demonstrates its utility and reliability.

As was experienced with the card reader at its inception stage, we are confident that INEC will seek solutions to the identified challenges with the device.

However, INEC must take immediate measures to enhance the infrastructure behind the technology and ensure adequate training for Adhoc staff on the efficient use of the device, he said.

Mr Amadi said that the widely reported late arrival of INEC personnel and polling materials at polling units at over 65 per cent pointed to the need for the commission to review its logistics strategy, especially in conflict prone areas.

He said that CDD got information that some transporters refused to convey INEC staff and voting materials to the polling units even after receiving 50 per cent upfront payment, describing it as a reoccurring issue.

The CDD found out that the continuing trend of security agents welfare not being given priority is disappointing, as it undervalues the humanity and service of those that put them in a situation where they could easily be compromised.

The Anambra election saw the weaponisation of fake news and disinformation to mislead, confuse or frighten the electorate in order to undermine their faith and participation for the election, he said.

He said that the CDD believed that these demonstrated the need for info-vigilance with respect to elections.

But as we have seen, not only was the turnout in the 20 declared Local Government Areas (LGAs) disturbingly low (9.62 per cent), due to failure to hold election in Ihiala LGA.

The process has been declared inconclusive until Tuesday, Nov. 9, when we hope there will be a resolution.

How the supplementary election is handled will have significant implications not only for Anambra, but also for Nigerias democracy.

While we await the conclusion of the process, there is need to share lessons from the Anambra experience that we believe will help to safeguard our democracy, he said.

Clues, 2023

Mr Amadi said that CDD noted that the Anambra election has given a clue that the security challenge in the country could mar the 2023 elections, if not handled properly.

The CDD therefore, call on the Federal Government to take drastic measures to address security challenge in the country to ensure that the 2023 election is not undermined.

We further call on INEC, political parties and security agencies to ensure that the Nov. 9 supplementary election in Ihiala LGA is conducted with sincerity and within the electoral guidelines.

The CDD also call on the political class to recognise the connection between governance failure and voter apathy.
A tanker exploded near Berger Yard along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Sunday, injuring three persons, an official has said.

While the actual cause of the tanker explosion is yet to be ascertained as of the time of this report, the official said a vehicle was burnt.

The Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ogun State Command, Ahmed Umar, who confirmed the incident said the three injured persons have been taken to the Idera hospital in Sagamu town.

He also fire-fighters are on the ground managing the situation. He advised motorists to remain calm, disciplined and cooperate with traffic managers to avoid a secondary explosion.

FRSC Ogun Sector Command wishes to inform the motoring public on the traffic situation along Lagos-Ibadan expressway of a burning tanker laden with gas that resulted to fire incident around Danco, he said.

FRSC rescue team and fire service are fully on the ground managing the situation. Traffic has been diverted to avoid secondary crash. Motorists are advised to remain calm, disciplined, and cooperate with traffic managers, he said.
A Nigerian senator, Ali Ndume, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to urgently sign or issue an Unexplained Wealth Order to strengthen the fight against corruption.

Mr Ndume made the call on Saturday, in Ibadan while delivering the 2021 Distinguish Leadership Lecture Series, organised by the University of Ibadan.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the lecture, with the topic: The Unexplained Wealth and the Fight Against Corruption in Nigeria, was held at the Trenchard hall of the university.

The Senator, who is the Chairman, Senate Standing Committee on Army, also urged President Buhari to prevail on the National Assembly to pass the Proceeds of Crime Bill in time regardless of bickering on the management of the proceeds recovered.

He said there was need to look at the incidence of corruption, most especially, those occasioned by public officers who are in trust of public wealth.

Our crusade against this monster (corruption) should start from politicians, top public servants, civil servants down to local governments staff.

For the perpetrators, it is not difficult to identify the tendencies exhibited by these officers; acquiring landed property in and outside the country, having fat bank deposits, buying expensive cars, or marrying so many wives, he said.

Mr Ndume said the fight against corruption was a fight for the nation and must start from the top to the bottom.

It changes our good culture, it breeds injustice and impunity, every citizen has a role to play.

Speaking further on how to address the menace, Mr Ndume said the government must go a step further to protect the whistleblowers.

He said that the whistleblower policy must be revisited; stressing motivation for whistleblowers shouldnt just be the reward, but patriotism.

According to him, the whistleblowers must be active at all levels inclusive of local areas, adding that the blowers must not be scared but be protected by law at whatever cost.

He called on relevant anti-corruption agencies to take whistleblowers seriously, carry out investigation on whistleblowing reports however casual it may be.

The lawmaker, however, said that the whistleblower alleged to have lied should be taken to court.

He said that the Code of Conduct Bureau owed it a duty to request every public officer to make a declaration of asset periodically and should verify the claims periodically or when complaints are lodged.

The lawmaker also charged the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and other relevant agencies of government to embark on a vigorous sensitisation against corruption.

Mr Ndume announced the donation of N1 million as scholarship to assist some indigent students of the institution

Earlier in his welcome remarks, Kayode Adebowale, Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, said the institution was tackling corruption in an organic way.

According to him, nearly every undergraduate student in the University takes a course in Ethics, either as a compulsory general studies course or as a regular department-based course.

He said the institution believed that exposure to the courses would go a long way in imbibing in the students the anti-corruption disposition.

Three serving senators- Olubunmi Adetumnbi, representing Ekiti North; Fatai Buhari, representing Oyo North and Kola Balogun, representing Oyo South were among dignitaries at the lecture. (NAN)
Yale University will Thursday host a webinar to discuss declining democracy in West Africa.

The event is being co-hosted by the Council on African Studies of the American university, the World Fellows Program at the Jackson Institute of Global Affairs and the Yale African Students Association.

Themed addressing democracy decline in West Africa, the keynote speakers at the event will be the Vice President of Sierra Leone, Juldeh Jalloh, and the former president of ECOWAS, Mohammed Ibn Chambas.

Other panellists expected at the event include Idayat Hassan, the Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development and Jude Ilo, the head of the Nigerian office of the Open Society Initiative for West Africa.

The organisers said the webinar is designed to interrogate the role of the regional organization, ECOWAS, in addressing the decline of democracy in the region with the aim of identifying challenges to this role and offering recommendations on how best this important task can be carried out.

They said the recent trajectory in the region suggests that democracy is on the reverse gear in West Africa.

Primarily, the organisers said, the webinar hopes to bring forward perspectives from past and current leaders, and practitioners in the field who are dealing with these challenges on a daily basis to provide informed analysis of what the real issues are.

We are hoping to situate this conversation within the larger context of global democracy decline and the commonalities in challenges.

The event is being held amidst what appears a recent upsurge in coups in Africa.

Last month, Sudanese acting Prime Minister, Abdallah Hamdok, was seized by a group of senior military generals. That occurred barely a month after the government of Alpha Conde, President of Guinea, was overthrown by Colonel Mamady Doumbouya in September.

Also, the second coup in eight months supplanted an interim government in Mali in May, making it the third coup in ten years.

Depending on data from the democracy index of the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU), Yale University said democracy declined globally in 2019 but it declined in the African continent and more particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

The average score for the region fell from 4.36 in 2018 to 4.26 in 2019, the worst score in over 10 years, it said.

The index is based on five sets of criteria: electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, the functioning of government, political participation, and political culture.

In the EIU report, Senegal fell nine places and is now ranked 82nd in the world (9th in Africa), moving it down from the category of flawed democracies to that of hybrid democracies. Togo, Niger and Guinea are ranked as authoritarian while Mali, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Nigeria, Cote dIvoire, Burkina Faso are ranked as hybrid, halfway between authoritarian rule and democracy.

For a sub-region that was once the bastion of democratic progress, the current realities are worrying, it noted.

By their constituting documents and protocols, the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) affirm the commitment of the region to promote human rights, democracy, and good governance but the regional bodies (ECOWAS and AU) have been carrying out the job of promoting democracy with mixed results.
There was a mild drama on the premises of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, after Abdulrasheed Maina, the former chairperson of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), was convicted and sentenced to eight years imprisonment.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the judge, Okon Abang, ordered that the terms of imprisonment for all the 12 counts shall run concurrently from October 25, 2019, the date the convict was arraigned.

The judge, who ruled that Mr Maina must refund money running over a billion naira to the federal government coffers, among others, also ordered that the company used for the unlawful act be wound up.

However, as the officers of the Correctional Centre, Kuje, were taking Mr Maina out of the court premises amid tight security, EFCC operatives drove two vehicles into the premises, blocking the correctional centres Hilux van.

The development led to hot arguments between the two opposing personnel as they corked their rifles in defence.

However, the prison officers stood their ground, refusing to allow the EFCC operatives, some of whom came in police uniform, to whisk Mr Maina away.

A prison officer, who spoke to NAN anonymously shortly after the pandemonium, said the EFCC operatives had come in the name of rearresting Mr Maina for another charge.

They said they have a warrant to rearrest him after he was just convicted.

Our own stand is that the court just convicted him and if they need to rearrest him, they should come through the court.

The court will give the directive for us to obey, the officer said.

(NAN)
The immediate past Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, has returned to the classroom as a doctoral candidate in Islamic Law at the University of London, United Kingdom.

Mr Sanusi, who disclosed this to a PREMIUM TIMES editor on Monday, said he recently relocated to London for the academic programme.

Earlier in 2019, Mr Sanusi was awarded an honorary doctorate in finance at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London.

Mr Sanusi had in 1997 earned a second bachelors degree in Islamic studies and fiqh at the Africa International University in Khartoum, Sudan.

The former monarch, who in 1981 earned a degree in Economics, was also recently offered a visiting fellowship at Oxford University.

The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, whose thirst for knowledge is seemingly insatiable, is arguably one of the most educated Nigerians that ever became a monarch in the country.

He said he is currently combining his academic responsibility at Oxford University with his new role as a PhD student.

Academic visitor

About five months after his controversial dethronement in 2020, Mr Sanusi was granted a visiting fellowship at the African Studies Centre of the University of Oxford.

Mr Sanusis role, which commenced in October 2020, was for the 2020/2021 academic calendar year.

The Oxford Universitys African Studies Centre is regarded as one of the worlds leading centres of African Studies, and it is reckoned to have trained graduate students now holding important positions in different spheres of social, economic and political life in Africa and the rest of the world.

With strengths in the Social Sciences and the Humanities, the centre is said to enjoy a reputation for high quality, relevant research that plays a leading role in academic debates as well as public policy.

According to a report by ThisDay newspaper, the Centre had noted in its statement at the time that Mr Sanusi would use the period of his affiliation with the centre to write a book on his experiences as governor of Nigerias central bank.

The writing was suggested to be themed: Central Bank Response to Global Financial Crisis: A Case Study of the Central Bank of Nigeria 2009-2013.

About Sanusis education

Born on July 31, 1961, Mr Sanusi attended St. Annes Primary School, a Catholic boarding school in Kaduna for his primary education. That was after receiving early Islamic education in Kano.

He later attended Kings College, Lagos, between 1973 and 1977. He obtained his first degree in Economics at the Ahmadu Bello University in 1981. He returned to the university after his mandatory National Youth Service scheme for his Masters degree in Economics.

He also taught Economics at the university between 1983 and 1985 when he took up a career in banking which eventually culminated in his appointment as l CBN governor in 2009.
Nigerian stocks hit a new milestone on Monday as a tense investor scramble for the shares of the countrys biggest telecommunications companies  MTN Nigeria (MTNN) and Airtel Africa  catapulted the benchmark index by 2.93 per cent to 43,246.87 points equivalent to a market capitalisation, the peak level since February 2018.

That feat will bolster Nigerian Exchanges capacity to close the year with another positive return after yielding 50 per cent in 2020 even though the current foreign exchange scarcity has starved the market of foreign investors dollars.

The two wireless operators on Friday announced receipt of a tentative nod of banking sector watchdog the Central Bank of Nigeria to start a payment service bank.

Airtel and MTNN topped PREMIUM TIMES weekly stock recommendation published earlier on Monday and ranked first and fourth respectively of the best performing stocks of the day.

On the flip side, market breadth, which indicates investors attitude towards trade, was negative as 18 gainers emerged compared to 26 gainers

The all-share index enlarged by 1,232.27 basis points, while market capitalisation rose to N643 billion at the end of trade.

Year to date, the index is up by 7.39 per cent.

TOP FIVE GAINERS

Airtel led gainers, appreciating by 10 per cent to close at N858. Red Star Express added 9.94 per cent to end todays trade at N3.43. Cutix went up by 9.91 per cent to N6.21. MTNN rose to N192.50, notching up 9.62 per cent in the process. Unilever completed the top 5, climbing by 9.36 per cent to N14.60.

TOP FIVE LOSERS

Conoil led laggards, declining 9.80 per cent to close at N23. CWG fell to N1.02, losing 9.73 per cent. Custodian dipped to N7.65, recording 9.47 per cent depreciation. Honeywell Flour shed 9.07 per cent to close at N3.31. Africa Prudential closed at N4.72, going down by 6.05 per cent.

TOP FIVE TRADES

In all, 443.6 million shares estimated at N5 billion were traded in 5,233 deals.

Sterling was the most active stock with 81.2 million units of its shares worth N121.8 million traded in 67 deals. UACN transacted 67.2 million shares priced at N706.4 million in 57 trades. FBN Holdings traded 42.2 million shares estimated at N473.4 million in 305 transactions. Zenith traded 32.6 million shares valued at N797.3 million in 346 deals. Transcorp had 21 million shares valued at N21.6 million traded in 133 deals.
The Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Bauchi, Yusuf Abdullahi, says no fewer than six people lost their lives in a lone road crash in Bauchi on Sunday.

Mr Abdullahi, who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Bauchi, on Monday, said 15 others were seriously injured as a result of the mishap.

He explained that the accident, which involved a Toyota Hiace bus belonging to the Kano Line transport company, with registration number KN21-H41, happened at Kwanan Digiza village, along the Jamaare-Azare road, around 11:30 a.m.

There was a crash yesterday involving a Kano line commercial vehicle, and six people lost their lives to the crash. The six people that died were all females, he said.

The sector commander, who revealed that the cause of the crash was speed violation, said a total of 21 persons were involved in the crash, including four males, 14 females, one male child and two female children.

Among the 15 injured persons were four males, eight females, one male child and two female children, the commander added.

He further explained that both the injured and the corpses had been taken to the Jamaare General hospital for treatment and confirmation.

Mr Abdullahi urged motorists to be always conscious of road traffic rules and regulations and the weather condition at all times.

(NAN)
The Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has said it will not rest until it has clamped down on all illegal DPK (Kerosene) operators in the midstream and downstream sector of the oil industry.

The Zonal Operations Controller, NMDPRA, Abuja, Roselyn Wilkie, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday, while reacting to the fire incident from a kerosene explosion in Kubwa, Abuja.

NAN reports that the popular Kubwa Village market (Maitama Ultra Modern Market) on Friday, November 5, was gutted by fire as a result of a kerosene explosion, that claimed several lives and destroyed properties worth millions of Naira.

Ms Wilkie explained that the agencys Preliminary Accident Investigation Report on the Kerosene tank explosion had revealed that it was a result of an electronic spark from a nearby transformer.

She said that from the NMDPRAs investigation, conducted on November 7, the electronic spark was transmitted through a wire that traversed the DPK surface tank.

It was also discovered that the DPK surface tank owner was operating illegally, as there is no record from the NMDPRA.

The Agency will not rest on its oars to clamp down on all the illegal operators in the midstream and downstream, the zonal controller said.

Based on its investigation, nine persons died, while 12 other victims were recorded from the incident.

Recall that Dr Ramatu Aliyu, Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory, during her visit to the scene, had urged FCT residents to report illegal distributors of fuel, kerosene and gas, in undesignated areas, to the appropriate authorities. `

(NAN)
Supporters of Chukwuma Soludo, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), on Sunday, thronged his residence ahead of the election result announcement.

Mr Soludo has so far secured the majority of the votes cast in Saturdays Anambra governorship election.

The results of the election were formally announced at the INEC state collation centre in Awka, Anambra State, on Sunday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that political associates, youths and women in their hundreds thronged Mr Soludos residence at Isuofia, Aguata Local Government Area, on Sunday

Some of the residents, who spoke with NAN, said that they believed that he would emerge winner at the end of the process.

Chioma Ocha said she was happy because a governor would emerge from her community.

We are here to show solidarity to our brother and son while we wait for INEC to announce the final result.

But Im particularly happy that my town, Isuofia, will be producing the next governor of Anambra. That is a very big achievement, She said.

Also speaking, another resident, Chinedu Ogubuiro, said he came to jubilate with Mr Soludo ahead of INECs announcement.

I am one of Soludos kinsmen and I want to be on the ground to celebrate with him when INEC announces the results of the election, he said.

Me Soludo, who joined the crowd in singing, urged them to be patient as INEC would announce the results of the election.

Disparities

The APGA candidate won in 17 of the 21 local government areas of the state. One local government was won by the PDP candidate (Valentine Ozigbo) while the candidate of the YPP, Ifeanyi Ubah, also won in one local government.

Mr Soludo was, however, not declared the winner of the election yet due to the technicalities with the figures.

The APGA candidate won in 18 of the 21 local government areas of the state. One local government was won by the PDP candidate (Valentine Ozigbo) while the candidate of the YPP, Ifeanyi Ubah, also won in one local government.

(NAN)
A witness at last Julys Yoruba Nation rally in Lagos, Tunde Abass, on Monday, told a Magistrate Court in Ogba that the police fired live bullets at the protesters.

One of the bullets hit Jumoke Oyeleke, 25, and she died on the spot.

Mr Abass, a project manager, citizen reporter, and activist, said he was at the Gani Fawehinmi Park in Ojota and had made a video recording of the event.

In the video, where the state police commissioner was seen addressing the protesters; there was also a military presence, seen in a van with the inscription OP- MESA. Mr Abass said the soldiers were only on standby and never interrupted the protesters, even when the pandemonium broke out.

The agitators were at the other side of the road, after the pedestrian bridge. The police, who started chasing and shooting at the protesters, went to the market axis where Jumoke was hit by stray bullets, Mr Abass said.

The witness said the OP MESA, which included soldiers, were near the metallic bridge outward Maryland, where the event took place. He added that they did not engage the protesters in any way.

During the protest, the police began firing water cannons at the protesters and then switched to tear gas canisters.

And then switched to live bullets, according to Mr Abass.

When Ms Oyelekes lifeless body was discovered, Mr Abass said the police took her away in a white vehicle.

The police had denied responsibility for the ladys death, insisting that officers never filed live bullets during the protest.

An autopsy conducted on the deceased, however, stated that she died of missile injury to the chest.
The Lagos State House of Assembly has called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to compensate the families of those that died in the 21-storey building that collapsed in Ikoyi last week.

The House, in a motion, also called on the governor to direct the relevant agencies of government to ensure that all requirements for buildings as stipulated in extant laws of the State are strictly adhered to.

The Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, who presided over the sitting, said it was an unfortunate development given the loss of lives that occurred following the incident.

We should exercise patience before passing comments concerning the incident until the findings of the committees looking into it unravels the cause, he said adding that it was obvious that the agencies saddled with the responsibility of monitoring buildings and their construction have not done much.

He urged his colleagues to sympathise with the families of those that lost their lives.

The government should compensate their families. If the agencies had done the needful we would not have this sad occurrence, he said.

The mover of the motion, Nureni Akinsanya (Mushin 1), earlier expressed worry over the collapse of the building in the state.

In the motion he moved on the floor, Mr Akinsanya said: The House expressed worry over the wide speculation that the building was raised to 21 floors contrary to the 15 floors approved by the Lagos State Physical planning permit authority (LASPPPA) for the owner.

The motion added that the House was worried that over time, the state had recorded series of building collapses like the one that happened at in November 2006 and a three-storey building that collapsed in Ita Faaji in 2016, among others.

The House is disturbed about the constant collapse of buildings in the state and the manner in which agencies set up to inspect building work, give certification at various stages of construction and keep records for ease of reference, and realise that these frequent cases of building collapse can be attributed to unqualified or unskilled builders, use of sub-standard building materials, illegal conversion or alterations to existing structures and lack of maintenance to mention a few, the motion said.

The House then mandated its Committee on Physical Planning and Urban Development to invite the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development as well as other agencies saddled with the responsibilities of issuing approval, monitoring of construction and project development with a view to ascertaining the level of compliance with the extant laws and regulations relating to buildings in the state.

In his submission, Rotimi Olowo (Shomolu 1) implored others to support the motion noting that it was well couched.

Oluyinka Ogundimu (Agege 2) said the motion was all encompassing as the second part of it had given the committee the power to go into details all in the interest of the public.

Setonji David, chairman of the House Committee on Information, Publicity and Strategy, opined that many factors might be responsible for the incident.

The lawmakers, thereafter, observed a minute silence for the repose of the souls of those who lost their lives.
The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) says the Olusosun Landfill at Ojota will be closed for 48 hours from November 10, for maintenance.

The Managing Director, LAWMA, Ibrahim Odumbomi, said in a statement on Monday that the closure was to carry out palliative works on the dumpsite for seamless waste management operations.

Mr Odumbomi said the closure was necessary for adequate maintenance of landfills in the state towards efficient service delivery, with particular emphasis on Olusosun.

In a bid to ensure that waste management operations at Olusosun dumpsite are effectively delivered, we will shut down the landfill for a period of 48 hours, starting from Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021, for maintenance, he said.

The managing director said the authority had made provision for the use of alternative dumpsites, where waste collection trucks could dispose their refuse during the temporary closure of Olusosun.

He said PSP operators servicing Lagos Mainland had been diverted to Solous dumpsite, Igando, while those operating in the East District and Ikorodu, had been directed to dispose their wastes at Epe dumpsite.

READ ALSO:

Mr Odumbomi implored residents and road users in Igando and other affected areas to bear with the authority over the expected increase in vehicular traffic necessitated by the 48-hour closure of Olusosun.

According to him, the outcome of the maintenance exercise will help the agency sustain a cleaner and livable environment in all parts of the state.

He also appealed to residents to give priority attention to maintaining cleanliness in their neighbourhoods, urging them to patronise only assigned PSP operators.

Mr Odumbomi urged residents to call LAWMAs toll-free numbers 07080601020 and 617, for inquiries and complaints on all waste and PSP related issues in their respective areas.

(NAN)
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
- Forto opens Netherlands operations

- Marcel Beentjes, formerly European Commercial Leader at Uber Freight to lead commercial activity in the region

BERLIN, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Forto, a leading provider of digitized freight forwarding and supply chain solutions, today announced expansion into the Netherlands with a new office in Rotterdam. Leading the Netherlands commercial office is logistics industry expert Marcel Beentjes, as Director Netherlands.

The new office will serve as a regional operational presence for customer account management and sales, logistics management, and service teams supporting Forto customers based in the region. This team will be supported by Forto's international network of logistics, operational, and technical teams around the world. Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, Forto has a worldwide presence with offices across Germany and Asia (Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen, Singapore, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City). In 2021, the company expanded its European footprint with offices in Copenhagen (Hellerup) and Aarhus, Denmark and Madrid, Spain.

With more than 15 years working with logistics, transport, and technology industry companies, Beentjes joins Forto from Uber Freight, where he most recently served as Regional Manager Growth & Expansion for Uber Freight where he was responsible for the commercial team and the successful product launch of the Uber Freight "shipper platform." Prior to joining Uber, Beentjes spent more than 5 years at A.P Moeller Maersk, where he most recently was leading commercial teams for the Twill business and previously served as Director of Solution Sales for the Benelux Region. In these roles he built and led commercial teams and was responsible for growing the business in Europe. Beentjes also spent many years with Yusen Logistics, where he held positions in the areas of Route Development, Trade Lane, and Business Development.

"Marcel brings an amazing combination of logistics and technology expertise to Forto," commented Michael Wax, CEO and co-founder of Forto. "Not only does have a deep understanding of the dynamics of the supply chain, but he has worked with companies working to drive new directions in established markets."

Forto is leading a new generation of disruptive logistics companies, using its digital platform to simplify interactions, remove process friction, and increase supply chain visibility and transparency  in turn empowering customers with better insights to make smarter decisions. Leading brands across industries ranging from fashion, furniture, and electronics are working with Forto to manage the transport of their goods. The company has also set the goal to make global trade more sustainable. Already more than half of Forto customers leverage the company's carbon-offsetting offer, and Forto has implemented the "1+1 Approach"  a program in which Forto doubles the CO2 compensation of every customer to move towards climate-positive transports.

"Forto has an assembled and amazing team of logistics, technology, and operational experts who share a common vision to drive new efficiencies and transparency in the industry," commented Beentjes. "What they have achieved so far is truly impressive and I am excited to bring their offering to the Netherlands."

Central Connection Point for Global Supply Chains and Sustainability Focus

With operations in The Netherlands, Forto is strategically placed to better serve customers at a key point of international supply chains. The Netherlands is one of Europe's largest trade hubs and is strategically located within reach of 244 Million consumers within 1000 kilometers(1). It is home to five international sea ports, with the Port of Rotterdam the largest and the Port of Antwerp the second largest port in Europe. Among its four major airports, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport ranks among the third largest cargo airport in Europe, and sits at the top of the global list of airports with the most direct international connections.(2)

The Netherlands is also driving positive change to fight against climate change with the Dutch government committed to reduce the Netherlands Greenhouse gas emissions by 49% by 2030 (3). The country's major transport hubs also have sustainability initiatives in focus with the Port Authority of Rotterdam leading the transition to sustainability energy with a range of initiatives, from pilot programs to test wind and solar power options, to installation of LED-based lighting.(4) The Schipol Royal Airport Group "aims to operate zero-emissions and zero-waste airport by 2030 (5)."

About Forto

Forto was founded with the vision to deliver a highly transparent, frictionless, and sustainable digital supply chain. Forto platform technologies address the entire process stream, from offer, booking, document administration, tracking and tracing to pro-active exemption processing and analysis, supporting our customers with greater visibility, insight, and control. Leading manufacturers and e-commerce brands are among the 2.500 customers using Forto's digitally-focused offerings as part of their supply chain delivery. Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, the company currently has more than 700 employees with 15 locations across Europe and Asia including offices in Berlin, Hamburg, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. For more information, visit www.forto.com.

Alexandra Koehler

Senior PR Manager

Tel: +491737540475

E-mail: alexandra.holzwarth@forto.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1533091/Forto_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Forto GmbH
SEATTLE, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Coherent Market Insights, The global ethanol market is estimated to account for 131.6 Bn in terms of value, witnessing a CAGR of 4.9% by the end of 2027.

Ethanol is an organic compound that is made from fermented agricultural products like grain, leafy vegetables and animal waste. Unlike other renewable fuel sources, ethanol can be directly converted into liquid fuels, also known as "biodiesel fuels," to meet automotive fuel demands.

Ethanol is produced through fermentation of sugars and starch with the help of the necessary bacteria and yeast. There are two ways to create ethanol: directly by using the animals' waste, and indirectly by using wood and pulp from forests or wood chips. Direct expression of the alcohol is done by distilling the alcohol. On the other hand, indirect expression of the alcohol is done through the process of trans esterification wherein the end products of the fermentation are treated with chemicals for the purpose of clarification and separation. The result is a mixture of sugars and starch, and sometimes, other elements such as nitrogen and phosphorous are added. When this mixture is fermented, the yeast converts it into ethanol, and the mixtures are then transferred to a vat, where they undergo further treatment for a period of time, during which time the mixtures ferment even more, resulting in more ethanol.

Ask for Sample Copy @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/276

Market Drivers:

Increasing investment to secure access of ethanol is expected to propel growth of the global ethanol market over the forecast period. For instance, in September 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a US$ 7.5 million investment in the American Coalition for Ethanol-led Regional Conservation Partnership Program project to secure access to ethanol for farmers.

Moreover, increasing production of ethanol is also expected to propel growth of the global ethanol market over the forecast period. For instance, in September 2021, Triveni Engineering & Industries Ltd., an agriculture and engineering company in India, announced plans to invest more than US$ 47 million to double its ethanol production over the next nine months to 660,000 litters per day.

Market Opportunities:

Expansion of production capabilities is expected to offer lucrative growth opportunities for players in the global ethanol market. For instance, in October 2021, Clariant AG completed the construction of Sunliquid plant for the production of cellulosic ethanol from agricultural residues in Podari, Romania.

Moreover, commercialization of sustainable ethanol-to-jet projects is also expected to offer lucrative growth opportunities for players in the global ethanol market. For instance, in October 2021, Gevo Inc. a renewable chemicals and advanced biofuels company, partnered with Axens North America Inc., a provider of solutions for the conversion of oil and biomass to cleaner fuels, for R&D in the commercialization of sustainable ethanol-to-jet projects in the U.S.

Buy This Research Report Now @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/buy-now/276

Market Trends:

Asia Pacific is expected to witness significant growth in the global ethanol market, owing to approval for use of ethanol as an automotive fuel. For instance, in March 2021, The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, approved the use of E20  a blend of 20% ethanol and 80% gasoline  as an automotive fuel.

North America is also expected to witness significant growth in the global ethanol market, owing to increasing production of ethanol. For instance, in October 2021, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) data analysed by the Renewable Fuels Association reported that ethanol production expanded by 64,000 barrels per day (b/d), or 6.2%, to 1.096 million b/d, equivalent to 46.03 million gallons daily.

Competitive Landscape:

Major players operating the global ethanol market include Ace Ethanol LLC, Advanced Bio Energy LLC, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Cargill Inc., Flint Hills Resources, Grain Processing Corporation, MGP Ingredients, and Marquis Energy.

Major players operating the global ethanol market are focused on adopting partnership strategies to enhance their market share. For instance, in October 2021, Archer Daniels Midland Co. partnered with Gevo, Inc., a company focused on transforming renewable energy into low carbon, energy-dense liquid hydrocarbons, to support the production of sustainable aviation fuel and other low carbon-footprint hydrocarbon fuels using ethanol and isobutanol.

Market Segmentation:

By Process

Wet Milling

Dry Milling

By Source

Natural Source

Synthetic Source

By End-Use Industry

Automotive

Alcoholic Beverages

Pharmaceutical

Cosmetic

Global Ethanol Market, By Region:

North America

By Country:



U.S.





Canada

Europe

By Country:



U.K.





Germany





Italy





France





Spain





Russia





Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

By Country:



China





India





Japan





ASEAN





Australia





South Korea





Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America

By Country:



Brazil





Mexico





Argentina





Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa

By Country:



GCC Countries





Israel





South Africa





Rest of Middle East & Africa

Request for Customization @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-customization/276

About Us:

Coherent Market Insights is a global market intelligence and consulting organization focused on assisting our plethora of clients achieve transformational growth by helping them make critical business decisions. We are headquartered in India, having sales office at global financial capital in the U.S. and sales consultants in United Kingdom and Japan. Our client base includes players from across various business verticals in over 57 countries worldwide.

Contact Us:

Mr. Shah

Senior Client Partner  Business Development

Coherent Market Insights

Phone:

US: +1-206-701-6702

UK: +44-020-8133-4027

Japan: +81-050-5539-1737

India: +91-848-285-0837

Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.com

Website: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com

Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/902389/Coherent_Market_Insights_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Coherent Market Insights
SINGAPORE, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Voyager Labs, a world leader in advanced AI-based investigation solutions, has sealed a major deal with a Japanese government agency, empowering the organization to gain deep investigative insights about entities, individuals, groups, and topics.

The engagement provides the government agency with an AI (Artificial Intelligence) based investigation platform that easily analyzes massive amounts of intelligence unstructured information from any source including open and deep data, understand content and human interactions and uncover hidden or unknown connections and relationships.

"I am glad that we are collaborating in the fight against terror and crime. This is a strategic win for Voyager Labs and our partner Terilogy Worx Corporation in Japan. Using Voyager Lab's cutting-edge intelligence solutions, our clients gain unique capabilities to proactively identify and disrupt potential threats. We bring additional layers of deep investigative insights using a combination of AI, Machine Learning and OSINT to uncover hidden trails, infringed information, and bad actors," said Divya Khangarot, Managing Director APAC at Voyager Labs.

"Voyager Lab's advanced AI-based technology is a uniquely powerful asset in the fight for public security. In partnership with Voyager Labs, we are extremely honored to be able to support this government agency's work of accelerating criminal investigations and disinformation campaign analysis here in Japan," said Nobuo Miyamura, CEO of Terilogy Worx.

About Voyager Labs

Voyager Labs, a world leader in advanced AI-based investigation solutions, empowers organizations worldwide to gain deep investigative insights about entities, individuals, groups, and topics. Our proprietary AI technology enables investigators to easily analyze massive amounts of intelligence information as well as open, deep, and dark web data, and understand content, hidden or unknown connections, relationships, human interactions, and connections. For more information, please go to www.voyagerlabs.co

About Terilogy Worx Corporation

Terilogy Worx Corporation, established in Tokyo, Japan, in 2017 provides a wide range of services in the areas of cyber threat intelligence, darknet research, cyber risk assessment, anti-phishing, OSINT and training. Its clients are primarily government agencies, financial institutions, and important social infrastructure companies. For more information, please go to www.twx-threatintel.com

For more details, please contact:

Lital Carter Rosenne, Marketing Director, Voyager Labs

litalcr@voyagerlabs.co

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1307116/Voyager_Labs_Logo.jpg

Related Links

http://www.voyagerlabs.co



SOURCE Voyager Labs
"We deeply appreciate the Hawaiian cultural value of malama , which means to nurture and care for," said Diana Birkett Rakow, Alaska's vice president, public affairs and sustainability. "Care is at the core of who we are at Alaska, and that means care for our guests, employees, communities and the planet. We're honored to be part of the Hawaii community, and as Hawaii welcomes visitors back to the Islands, we're excited to work with travel2change to inspire our guests to be mindful travelers and to help keep Hawaii strong and beautiful for future generations."

Since 2011, travel2change has curated activities to connect mindful travelers with communities. They offer opportunities to join the stewards of special places across Hawaii and work side-by-side to care for native ecosystems, working fishponds and farms, and to engage each destination on a deeper level. While the experiences on travel2change.org are currently based in Hawaii, activities in other destinations served by Alaska will be offered starting in 2022.

"travel2change is all about an environmentally sustainable give-back model centered on fun and impactcultivating mutually-beneficial, reciprocal relationships between the local community and guests," said Mondy Jamshidi Kent of travel2change. "Alaska shares our vision to innovate for a more sustainable world. Support for more regenerative connections through community-centered values and honoring place-based initiatives is part of how we get there. We are thrilled that this partnership will both introduce travel2change experiences to Alaska's guests and provide a direct way for much-needed support to be received by many community groups throughout Hawaii. Together we look forward to boosting support for community-driven sustainable choices that produce a net-positive impact for each destination."

In September, Alaska supported a joint effort by travel2change, the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association and the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) to help Hawaii non-profit organizations build capacity to host volunteer experiences on travel2change.org. This effort to grow opportunities for visitors to participate positively in the community and give back to Hawaii during their stay has been a key focus of the HTA's Malama Hawaii initiative.

"As we seek a more regenerative model of tourism that balances economics with the wellbeing of our communities and natural resources, partnerships like this are critical to build community capacity to welcome the direct contributions of visitors," said John De Fries, Hawaii Tourism Authority President and CEO. "Mahalo to Alaska for stepping up to support this effort as we Malama Kuu Home  care for our beloved home."

To celebrate the launch, Alaska employees joined volunteers from travel2change to help restore agricultural lands at Kakoo Oiwi, a community-based non-profit on the island of Oahu and one of travel2change's partner organizations. The volunteer project was also a part of Alaska's annual community service mission known as the Week of LIFTa focused effort to give back through volunteering in several cities across Alaska's network.

About Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines and its regional partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States and to Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica. The airline emphasizes Next-Level Care for its guests, along with providing low fares, award-winning customer service and sustainability efforts. Alaska is a member of oneworld. With the global alliance and the airline's additional partners, guests can travel to more than 1,000 destinations on more than 20 airlines while earning and redeeming miles on flights to locations around the world. Learn more about Alaska at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).

About travel2change

travel2change connects travelers to local communities to create a positive impact, directing volunteers and economic support through travel2change's local network of cultural and aina (land)-based projects that help feed, nurture and restore the local environment and community. Founded in Hawaii in 2011, travel2change helped to pioneer an innovation in Hawaii's travel industry, creating a more responsible "organic" environmentally sustainable give-back model that is first designed to support local. A mutually beneficial reciprocal relationship that centers on fun and impact is made possible by supporting local efforts and local economies that give back at every level. Learn more at travel2change.org.

SOURCE Alaska Airlines

Related Links

http://www.alaskaair.com


NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A satirical news show and an interfaith coalition of high school students dedicated to fighting hate are among the winning projects from the groundbreaking American Jewish Committee (AJC) Disrupt Antisemitism initiative, the first incubator to fund innovative ideas by young American Jews to combat antisemitism.

A panel of AJC staff, journalists, and business leaders considered nearly 70 submissions and selected five. Each will receive $10,000 in seed money from AJC as well as access to AJC experts in advocacy, finance, and technology to help launch their projects locally, nationally, and online.

"Bold new ideas are critical to combat the growing threats to Jews in the U.S.," said Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman, Director of AJC's Alexander Young Leadership Department. "The creative thinking of Jewish innovators will help the rising generation of American Jews lead us in fighting hate."

The winners were announced a week after AJC's The State of Antisemitism in America 2021, the largest-ever surveys of American Jews and the U.S. public on antisemitism in America, was issued. Among its findings were that 90% of American Jews believe antisemitism is a problem, nearly one-quarter reported they experienced antisemitism in the last 12 months and 39% limited their activities or concealed their Jewishness out of safety concerns. In addition, 86% of American Jews, ages 18-35, think antisemitism is a problem, with 37% saying it's "a very serious problem," in the U.S. today, and 30% said it has increased a lot over the past five years.

The Disrupt Antisemitism winning projects are:

Olive Branch Pictures - Olive Branch Pictures is a graphic novel and animation studio that fosters mutual understanding between Israelis and Palestinians. Olive Branch is producing a film and graphic novel called Shira and Amal , about an Israeli girl and a Palestinian girl who learn to cope with the loss of loved ones by escaping into the world of music.

- Olive Branch Pictures is a graphic novel and animation studio that fosters mutual understanding between Israelis and Palestinians. is producing a film and graphic novel called , about an Israeli girl and a Palestinian girl who learn to cope with the loss of loved ones by escaping into the world of music. Uri L'Tzedek  The Orthodox social justice organization based in Scottsdale, Ariz. , is guided by Torah values and dedicated to combating suffering and oppression. Uri L'Tzedek will take on antisemitism in progressive spaces by conducting workshops with partner organizations on how antisemitism is manifested and can be fought.

The Orthodox social justice organization based in , is guided by Torah values and dedicated to combating suffering and oppression. Uri L'Tzedek will take on antisemitism in progressive spaces by conducting workshops with partner organizations on how antisemitism is manifested and can be fought. New Zionist Congress  The goal of New Zionist Congress is to combat the rising tide of anti-Zionism in youth-centered spaces. According to AJC's recently released State of Antisemitism in America survey, over 80% of both Jews and the U.S. public consider anti-Zionismas represented by the statement " Israel has no right to exist"antisemitic. The group's board members include journalist Bari Weiss , Israeli actress Noa Tishby , and columnist Blake Flayton , the group's CEO.

The goal of New Zionist Congress is to combat the rising tide of anti-Zionism in youth-centered spaces. According to AJC's recently released survey, over 80% of both Jews and the U.S. public consider anti-Zionismas represented by the statement " has no right to exist"antisemitic. The group's board members include journalist , Israeli actress , and columnist , the group's CEO. Jew or False  A digital content series designed to fight antisemitism, Jew or False is a satirical news show that aims to fight Jew-hatred, inspire Jewish pride, and correct misinformation on issues important to the Jewish community. The project is led by writer and director Jason A. Kessler .

A digital content series designed to fight antisemitism, is a satirical news show that aims to fight Jew-hatred, inspire Jewish pride, and correct misinformation on issues important to the Jewish community. The project is led by writer and director . Intercommunity Youth Initiative - Conceived by students from Yeshiva University Los Angeles High School, the initiative will bring Jewish and non-Jewish high school students together for a fellowship program designed to build trust, foster understanding, and fight antisemitism and racism.

Disrupt Antisemitism was launched as attacks on Jews, Jewish institutions, and practices have dramatically increased. AJC, the leading global Jewish advocacy organization, has been at the forefront of combating antisemitism since its founding 115 years ago. It works with governments to act and forge alliances with other religions and ethnic groups to form a united front against hate. AJC conceived and helped establish bipartisan taskforces in the House and Senate to combat antisemitism to address antisemitism and protect Jewish communities.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Related Links

http://www.ajc.org


With over 35 years of banking experience, Mr. Bice brings more than 23 years of success in commercial banking where he has developed sales and support teams within the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Mr. Bice's hallmark is creating remarkable experiences for businesses and families for whom his teams serve.

Immediately prior to joining BCT, Mr. Bice served as Regional President with John Marshall Bank. From 1998 to 2007, Mr. Bice served as Senior Vice President for James Monroe Bank. Prior years with Bank of Northern Virginia and Central Fidelity Bank were spent in both retail and commercial banking.

"Paul is well known in Northern Virginia as a consummate community banker and civic leader, with story upon story of businesses and families benefitting both financially and personally from their relationships with him," stated Alice P. Frazier, President and CEO of BCT. "Having Paul's leadership and commitment to great customer experiences, coupled with his proven sales success, will serve us well as we continue our strategy of expansion into Northern Virginia."

Mr. Bice added, "I am excited to work with a team of community bankers in a culture committed to being the community bank of choice. BCT lives up to their 150-year philosophy of neighbor helping neighbor and I'm proud to be part of that tradition."

Currently, Mr. Bice serves as Chairman of the Board for Loudoun Community Breakfast. He also recently served with the Leesburg Daybreak Rotary of Leesburg, Virginia. Previous community service includes: Chairman-Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce; Chairman of the Board of Trustees-Stonesprings Hospital Center; and Member of the Board of Trustees-Reston Hospital.

Mr. Bice makes his home in Loudoun County, Virginia with his wife. They have three adult children. The Bice's are active members of Reston Bible Church. Mr. Bice enjoys hiking in the beautiful hills of Virginia and Maryland. He also enjoys biking on local trails.

About BCT-The Community's Bank

Founded in 1871 and celebrating their 150th year of service, BCT - Bank of Charles Town, also known as The Community's Bank, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Potomac Bancshares, Inc. (OTC:PTBS). With approximately $701 million in assets as of September 30, 2021, the Company conducts operations through its main office, an additional eight branch offices, and two loan production offices. BCT's offices are located in Jefferson and Berkeley Counties (WV), Washington County (MD), and Loudoun and Stafford Counties (VA). The Bank provides various banking products and services including free access to over 55,000 ATMs through the Allpoint network plus online and mobile banking for individuals, businesses, and local governments. The Bank also offers commercial lines and term loans, residential and commercial construction, commercial real estate loans and agricultural loans. The Residential Lending division offers secondary market and portfolio mortgage loans, one-time close construction to perm loans, as well as home equity loans and lines of credit. For over 60 years, BCT Wealth Advisors has provided financial management, investment, trust, and estate services to its clients. In 2019 and 2020, the Bank was named a "Best Bank To Work For" by American Banker. In 2018, Forbes named BCT a "Best In State Bank" for Maryland.

The Company's shares are quoted on the OTC Pink Sheet marketplace under the symbol "PTBS." For more information about Potomac Bancshares, Inc., and the Bank, please visit our website at www.mybct.bank.

SOURCE BCT - The Community's Bank
GLASGOW, Scotland, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CGIAR urged global leaders today to ensure the 500 million smallholder farmers responsible for up to a third of global food production can adapt to climate change-induced loss and damage. Innovations are needed that can both reduce the contribution of global agriculture to climate change, and adapt to its increasingly evident consequences while also supporting livelihoods, nutrition and equality.

Many smallholders reside in agriculture-dependent regions such as sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia and face a rising tide of climate threats including increased drought, flooding and water scarcity. The climate crisis is exacerbating the degradation of food, land, and water systems, impacting productivity, viability and resilience.

The call comes as the United Kingdom pledged $55 million over two years to boost commitments to CGIAR research from a steadily growing global coalition to surpass $1 billion. The new pledges will contribute to an accelerating of research and innovation to confront rapidly intensifying climate challenges that could upend the global fight against hunger and poverty.

UK Environment Secretary George Eustice said: "To keep 1.5 degrees alive, we need action from every part of society, including an urgent transformation in the way we manage ecosystems and grow, produce and consume food on a global scale."

"This is not an either/ or scenario where it's adaptation or mitigation," said Claudia Sadoff, Managing Director, Research Delivery and Impact at CGIAR. "For agriculture to become a more sustainable and nature-positive sector, we have to provide tools that allow farmers to rebalance the relationship between agriculture and nature while building resilience to climate change."

One example of work that CGIAR will undertake as part of new commitments is an initiative to develop climate-smart crop seed varieties, such as drought-tolerant wheat or rice that is adapted to grow in water affected by saline intrusion from rising sea levels. CGIAR will lead the 'innovation sprint' on Fast Tracking Climate Solutions from Global Germplasm Banks as part of the new United States and United Arab Emirates Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate or AIM4C launched by President Biden at COP26.

The first week at COP26 delivered significant support for climate innovation for farmers across the developing world. Pledges to CGIAR came from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and countries including the United States, Canada, Sweden and Belgium, and now the UK.

The World Bank also reaffirmed a commitment made at the last Climate Action Summit to provide $60 million for CGIAR adaptation work in Africa. Together with on-going contributions, the Bank could potentially provide support in the order of $150 million over the next three years.

"The investments secured at COP26 will accelerate this work, but much more is needed in the long run to fight global hunger and poverty. We must cultivate a global and truly multilateral effort to bridge the remaining investment gap, prioritize adaptation strategies and programs, and support the innovations to confront this unprecedented threat to food systems that feed billions," said Sadoff.

Some examples of where CGIAR will direct its efforts via partnerships in new initiatives include:

About CGIAR

CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future. CGIAR science is dedicated to transforming food, land and water systems in a climate crisis. Its research is carried out by 13 CGIAR Centers/Alliances in close collaboration with hundreds of partners, including national and regional research institutes, civil society organizations, academia, development organizations and the private sector. www.cgiar.org

SOURCE CGIAR
MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- November 8, 2021  As the pandemic continues to have a chilling effect on young adults' employment outlook, Saint Paul-based nonprofit Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa (CCMI) is seeking 18-25-year-olds to fill 214 year-long AmeriCorps positions which begin January 2022. Participants earn an education award of up to $6,345 to be used for future tuition or existing student loans. The program also provides a monthly stipend, health insurance, and forbearance on student loans during the service period.

In addition to the financial benefit, the opportunity provides resume-building experience at a time when young people could use both. A United Nations Academic Impact report shares 23% of young adults ages 18-24 who were working pre-pandemic are now unemployed, and those who are working have reported reductions in hours and income.

"CCMI supports communities during times of crisis through national service. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a crisis of unprecedented proportions. We know these AmeriCorps positions will allow young people to put their energy toward a critical need  improving the environment while also gaining skills that employers will value," said Hollis Emery, Conservation Corps' program director.

AmeriCorps members serve directly with nonprofit organizations, like CCMI  a nonprofit organization that engages youth and young adults in meaningful service, leadership development, and environmental stewardship while providing educational programming, mentoring, and access to career and personal counseling.

Crew members perform outdoor conservation projects that help to mitigate and combat the impact of climate change, improve access to outdoor recreation, restore natural habitat, protect waterways, and respond to community needs and natural disasters throughout communities in Minnesota and Iowa, including the Twin Cities, Duluth, Grand Rapids, Rochester, Mankato, Brainerd, Bemidji, and Des Moines.

Learn more and apply now at www.conservationcorps.org/join

Please contact us if you would like to interview a current AmeriCorps member serving with Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa.

About Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa: A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa engages youth and young adults, ages 15-25, in meaningful service, leadership development, and environmental stewardship throughout the Midwest. www.conservationcorps.org

About AmeriCorps: AmeriCorps is the federal agency connecting individuals and organizations through service and volunteering to tackle the nation's most pressing challenges. Each year, more than 80,000 people serve at more than 20,000 schools, nonprofits, and faith-based groups, joining the more than 1 million Americans who've taken the pledge to 'get things done' since the program's inception in 1994. www.nationalservice.gov

SOURCE Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa

Related Links

http://www.conservationcorps.org/join


GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dtravel , a decentralized platform for the home-sharing economy facilitating short and long-term stays, today announced the launch of its home-sharing booking platform. Starting today, guests can book short and long-term accommodations on Dtravel, which provides guests and hosts with lower costs and more control than incumbent home-sharing platforms.

Introduced earlier this year by former executives from Airbnb and Expedia, and with support from the world's leading crypto-friendly online travel agency, Travala.com, Dtravel aims to repair the broken relationship between hosts and guests created by existing centralized home-sharing platforms. In order to deliver the world's first true sharing economy, Dtravel is governed by its community via the Dtravel Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO), which gives community members a say in how the platform is governed.

"Today marks an important point in the transition from Web 2.0  where platforms enabled the connectivity and demand and supply sides  to Web 3.0, in which blockchain technology enables participants to own part of the platform and make decisions that directly affect them," said Cynthia Huang, Growth, Marketing and Community Lead at Genesys Partners , the core team contributing to the initial development of the Dtravel platform.

"The availability of live bookings on the Dtravel platform represents a massive accomplishment for the Dtravel team and redefines the home-sharing economy, shifting more control back into the right hands: those of the hosts and guests. We can think of no better avenue to facilitate the transition to Web 3.0 than the travel industry."

The TRVL token powers the network and can be used for making payments, participating in governance, receiving travel rewards, benefits and more. Hosts and guests who have TRVL are voting members of the Dtravel DAO, whose Community Treasury and Host Protection Pool receive all revenue from bookings made on the platform. For more information on the utility of TRVL, click here . For more information on the token economics of TRVL, click here .

Backed by a $7M seed fundraising round, Dtravel today announced the first version of its platform is now open for bookings, payable with BTC, ETH, and USDT. Support for fiat and additional cryptocurrencies will be enabled in future releases as the platform evolves. Dtravel has secured over 200,000 listings and will be releasing listings in phases over the coming months as the platform expands to ensure a smooth and seamless travel experience for hosts and guests.

Dtravel provides hosts and guests with:

Reduced fees - hosts pay 0% fees and guests save on every booking

- hosts pay 0% fees and guests save on every booking A community voice - the Dtravel DAO enables hosts and guests to directly influence the direction, operations and governance of Dtravel

- the Dtravel DAO enables hosts and guests to directly influence the direction, operations and governance of Dtravel Expanded payment options - enables various cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, to be used for payments that lower the cost of transacting compared to traditional payment methods

- enables various cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, to be used for payments that lower the cost of transacting compared to traditional payment methods Aligned interests - because the community directly influences the Dtravel platform for the benefit of all, everyone works together to grow the platform and is rewarded for their contributions

- because the community directly influences the Dtravel platform for the benefit of all, everyone works together to grow the platform and is rewarded for their contributions Peace of mind - Dtravel's Protection Pool offers hosts up to $1,000,000 USD in property protection

- Dtravel's Protection Pool offers hosts up to in property protection Additional revenue streams - users can earn additional revenue by referring hosts and guests, as well as by participating in user support, community forums and troubleshooting

Book now or become a host at Dtravel.com .

About Dtravel

Dtravel replaces the broken home-sharing economy with a decentralized network that gives control and ownership back into the hands of hosts and guests. Dtravel is built on blockchain technology, owned and governed by its community through the Dtravel Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) and powered by the TRVL token. The Dtravel platform brings more transparency and significantly lower fees to the short and long-term home rental market.

Media Contact:

Darren Weiss

SHIFT Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE Dtravel
John Judge, Energy Harbor's chief executive officer, said, "Energy Harbor continues to develop and support local efforts to improve the economic vitality and enhance the safety and security of the communities we serve." Judge added, "Our United Way partners are on the front lines meeting the most basic of needs, and we intend to do all that we can to be good neighbors to those who live and work around us."

"Support from organizations like Energy Harbor are vital to achieving United Way of Summit & Medina's Bold Goals," said Jim Mullen, president and CEO of United Way of Summit & Medina. "Our community depends on United Way programs like 211 and Housing Services that directly improve the quality of life for those we serve. We're grateful for each employee at Energy Harbor, andby working togetherwe can continue to invest in the resiliency of our community."

"Our support of United Way is just one aspect of our commitment to our communities," said Jason Petrik, Energy Harbor's chief financial officer. Earlier this year Energy Harbor employees donated over $100,000 to local food banks as part of their Harvest for Hunger campaign. Petrik added, "We have also provided over $100,000 in grants and support to fourteen other deserving organizations serving our local communities, including sponsoring the Thanksgiving, Christmas and Holiday dinners for our next-door neighbors, the Haven of Rest Ministries."

Energy Harbor is a financially secure independent power producer and fully integrated retail energy provider focused on safe and best-in-class operations and financial performance. With its fleet of reliable generating resources, including substantial carbon-free generation, Energy Harbor is well positioned for long-term value creation and competitiveness in a low-carbon future and is focused on enabling a growing customer and stakeholder base to meet their environmental, social and sustainability goals.

For more information on Energy Harbor visit www.energyharbor.com

Forward Looking Statements and Further Information

This press release contains "forward-looking statements." All statements, other than statements of historical facts, that are included in this press release that address activities, events, or developments that Energy Harbor Corp. (the "Company") expects or anticipates to occur in the future (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases such as "intends," "plans," "will likely result," "are expected to," "could" and "will continue"), are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that in making any such forward-looking statement its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, any such forward-looking statement involves uncertainties and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the discussion of risk factors under "Risk Factors" available on the Investor Website (as described below) and the following important factors, among others, that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements: the actions and decisions of regulatory authorities; economic conditions and power pricing within the Company's territories and markets; the Company's ability to accomplish or realize anticipated benefits from strategic and financial goals; the uncertainties associated with the deactivation of remaining commodity-based generating units, including the impact on vendor commitments, and as it relates to the reliability of the transmission grid, the timing thereof; the risks and uncertainties associated with litigation, arbitration, mediation and like proceedings, including with respect to the timing and amounts of the capital expenditures that may arise in connection with any such proceedings; changes in customers' demand for power; and weather conditions affecting future sales, margins and operations.

Any forward-looking statement included in this press release speaks only as of the date hereof, and except as may be required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events or circumstances. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all of them; nor can the Company assess the impact of each such factor or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. As such, you should not unduly rely on such forward-looking statements.

Further information regarding the Company will be available at www.energyharbor.com under the heading www.energyharbor.com/ir (the "Investor Website"). The Company advises that holders of the Company's securities should review all available information before making any decisions whether to buy or sell any of the Company's securities. Any information in any materials posted on the Investor Website in the future will automatically update and, where applicable, modify or supersede the information contained in this press release and any other information previously posted on the Investor Website.

SOURCE Energy Harbor

Related Links

http://www.energyharbor.com


WESTPORT, Conn., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Gemspring Capital, a middle-market private equity firm, is pleased to announce that an affiliate has acquired a majority interest in AINS Inc. ("AINS"), a provider of case management software and IT services, primarily for government customers.

Headquartered in Gaithersburg, MD, AINS provides software that enables government agencies to streamline and automate workflows across a wide variety of use cases. The Company's solutions leverage its eCase low-code platform and span FOIA (Freedom of Information Act), Audits, Investigations, and other applications, all of which are purpose-built to address specific customer pain points and use cases. In addition to its software solutions, AINS provides IT services focused on application maintenance and development.

Founded in 1988 by CEO Mohinder ("Moe") Goswami, AINS's success has been driven by superior, adaptive technology that directly addresses the needs of its public sector customers and has been refined using the team's three decades of experience in the space. Moe commented, "We are excited to partner with Gemspring and believe that its expertise, network of advisors, and capital will help us reach the next stage of growth. We look forward to continuing to grow our product portfolio and customer base through expansion of our go-to-market, implementation, and support organizations."

Aron Grossman, Managing Director at Gemspring, added, "AINS's highly-regarded case management software products and related services have helped to significantly streamline complex workflows across a number of core government processes. The ROI that its solutions provide is increasingly important given the need for applications that are purpose-built and rapid to implement, combined with the necessity of making these processes more efficient. We are delighted to partner with the AINS team to build on their successes to date and accelerate the company's momentum."

About AINS

AINS is a global provider of adaptive case management platforms and solutions and IT services for government customers. AINS's software enables organizations to streamline workflows across diverse lines of business. The Company's software solutions span FOIA, Audits, Investigations, and other applications, all of which are purpose-built for specific use cases. Founded in 1988, AINS is headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland and has 143 employees in the DC Metro area. For more information, visit www.ains.com.

About Gemspring Capital

Gemspring Capital, a Westport, Connecticut-based private equity firm with over $1.5 billion of capital under management, provides flexible capital solutions to lower middle market companies. Gemspring partners with talented management teams and takes a partnership approach to helping drive revenue growth and value creation. Target companies have up to $500 million in revenue and are in the aerospace & defense, business services, consumer services, financial & insurance services, healthcare services, industrial services, software & tech-enabled services, or specialty manufacturing sectors. For more information, visit www.gemspring.com.

Contact:

Aron Grossman

[email protected]

SOURCE Gemspring Capital

Related Links

www.gemspring.com


SAN DIEGO, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Center Partners (HCP) of Southern California, the region's preeminent authority and health care policy advocate for community health and underserved patient populations, today announces that Anne Laughlin Carpita, a veteran communications and public relations specialist, has joined the organization as director of marketing and communication. In this role, Laughlin Carpita will oversee all internal and external communications for HCP. Her work will focus on building awareness and recognition for the critical work that HCP and its 17 member health centers do to advance health care quality, improve access to care, and support health equity in the region and beyond.

"Anne brings a wealth of experience to this critical leadership position and we're excited to welcome her to the health care industry," said Henry Tuttle, president and CEO, Health Center Partners. "As one of several recent additions to our leadership team, she will be responsible for a robust marketing and communications program which will support our growing network of health centers in Southern California."

Laughlin Carpita brings more than 18 years of experience to the team, with an extensive background in marketing, communications, and public affairs with some of the nation's largest employers. Prior to joining HCP, she was a member of Amazon's Operations PR team, where she helped launch the company's Hispanic PR program for the Americas. Fluent in Spanish, she's devoted much of her career to working with Hispanic communities. Her experience ranges from teaching Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Washington in Seattle to serving as a media spokesperson in English and Spanish. She holds a Master of Architecture degree and a Master of Arts degree in Hispanic Studies from the University of Washington.

"Transitioning to the health care industry is a very deliberate move in my career," said Laughlin Carpita. "The fact that health care is a noble profession has been underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic and I'm honored to be part of such a diverse team, dedicated to supporting our frontline health care professionals and those they serve. I look forward to driving our strategic PR initiatives and to putting my background to work for the community."

"We recognize the importance of hiring top-tier talent to support HCP's mission of world class quality, access and equity in health care," said Tuttle. "Now more than ever, we have a responsibility to tell our story and the stories of our members, partners, and communities. We're excited to continue sharing the impact our organization has made for our members and the more than 275,000 lives they serve, particularly during these unprecedented times."

For more information about HCP and its partner organizations, please visit https://hcpsocal.org/.

About Health Center Partners

A premier consortium of primary health care organizations, Health Center Partners (HCP) is the voice and advocate for its members who serve the health needs of communities throughout southern California. We serve as a catalyst for transforming and enhancing primary care by helping our members deliver quality health care to the safety net population in Southern California, through innovative programs, resources, and advocacy. A family of companies, HCP includes a 17-membership organization of Federally Qualified Health Centers, Indian Health Services Organizations, both urban and sovereign, and Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest, collectively serving 966,000+ patients each year, for 3.7 million patient visits each year, at 160 practice sites across San Diego, Riverside, Imperial counties, with the seventh largest provider group in the region. For more information, visit https://hcpsocal.org/, become a fan on Facebook, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

SOURCE Health Center Partners of Southern California
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global healthcare customer data platform market size is expected to reach USD 1.6 billion by 2028, based on a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 27.2% from 2021 to 2028. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, patient needs and customer behavior patterns have changed and this trend is likely to continue until the pandemic is completely contained. The companies or brands require a structured approach to deal with the changing industry trends.

Key Insights & Findings:

Based on components, the software segment held a majority of the market share in terms of revenue in 2020 and is also expected to witness the fastest CAGR over the forecast period from 2021 to 2028

Based on the deployment mode, the cloud-based deployment mode dominated the market in terms of revenue share in 2020 and is likely to grow at the fastest CAGR over the forecast period due to the quick access, higher flexibility, easier data back up, and lower handling costs

Based on organization size, the large enterprises segment held a majority of the market share in 2020 owing to the growing demand for data platforms by the larger organizations

Based on application, the predictive analytics segment dominated the market in terms of revenue share in 2020 as CDPs can turn big volumes of information into usable insights to guide business marketing decisions with predictive analytics

In 2020, North America held a majority of the market share in terms of revenue due to the higher adoption of technology and growing development of IT infrastructure. Asia Pacific is expected to witness the fastest CAGR over the forecast period pertaining to the rising adoption of advanced healthcare IT solutions

Since the number of vendors in the market is high, the vendors are likely to undertake mergers and acquisitions as strategic initiatives to stay viable in the market

Read 80 page market research report, "Healthcare Customer Data Platform Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Component (Software, Services), By Deployment Mode (On-premise, Cloud-based), By Organization Size, By Application, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028", by Grand View Research

The Customer Data Platform (CDP) systems have the potential to offer help in healthcare operations. Understanding patient preferences through predictive analytics is crucial for healthcare organizations. CDPs are now offering COVID-19 impact strategies to understand insights related to patient preferences.

CDPs can improve compliance with information privacy regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). These regulatory laws need companies to provide customers with the right to access their information. Meeting these regulatory requirements can be challenging for healthcare providers in case the patient data resides in different systems. CDPs create a unified view of each patient by capturing information from multiple channels, by linking data from those channels related to the same patient.

Traditional data management systems only collect summary information. However, CDPs have the ability to make completely linked customer information that is easily accessible to businesses. The correct use of CDP provides a foundation for marketing activities by connecting multiple information sources.

Grand View Research has segmented the global healthcare customer data platform market based on component, deployment mode, organization size, application, and region:

Healthcare Customer Data Platform Component Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Software



Services

Healthcare Customer Data Platform Deployment Mode Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

On-premise



Cloud-based

Healthcare Customer Data Platform Organization Size Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Large Enterprises



Small & Medium-sized Enterprises

Healthcare Customer Data Platform Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Personalized Recommendations



Predictive Analytics



Marketing Data Segmentation



Customer Retention and Engagement



Security Management



Others

Healthcare Customer Data Platform Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

North America



U.S.





Canada



Europe



U.K.





Germany





France





Italy





Spain



Asia Pacific



Japan





China





India





Australia





South Korea



Latin America



Brazil





Mexico





Argentina



Middle East & Africa

&

South Africa





Saudi Arabia

List of Key Players of Healthcare Customer Data Platform Market

Microsoft

Mercury Healthcare, Inc.

Tealium, Inc.

Innovaccer Inc.

Adobe

Treasure Data, Inc.

Skypoint Cloud Inc.

Solix Technologies, Inc.

Salesforece.com, Inc.

Reltio

Check out more studies related to healthcare and patient data, conducted by Grand View Research:

Electronic Health Records Market  The global electronic health records market size was valued at USD 26.8 billion in 2020 and it is expected to witness a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.7% from 2021 to 2028. Government initiatives to encourage healthcare IT usage is the key driver of this market.

 The global electronic health records market size was valued at in 2020 and it is expected to witness a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.7% from 2021 to 2028. Government initiatives to encourage healthcare IT usage is the key driver of this market. Personal Health Record Software Market  The global personal health record software market size was valued at USD 7.07 million in 2020 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.9% over the forecast period. Factors such as growing demand for centralizing & streamlining healthcare information, increasing demand for cloud-based software for dealing with individual data, and rising initiatives to promote patient-centric care will drive the market.

Browse through Grand View Research's coverage of the Global Healthcare IT Industry

Gain access to Grand View Compass, our BI enabled intuitive market research database of 10,000+ reports

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

Contact:

Sherry James

Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc.

Phone: 1-415-349-0058

Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com

Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter

SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc.
Ms. Tan underscored the importance of cultivating Hong Kong's FinTech capabilities in a keynote delivered at Hong Kong FinTech Week. Held from November 1-5, this year's event gathered world-renowned speakers, regulators, and industry players to "scale the FinTech future together."

"Building a seamless digital economy is the greatest opportunity in the region. But practically, we must address three key issues in order to capture and maximize that opportunity. This is not something that an individual entity or organization can solve  it requires a collective effort across the entire GBA. This is where Hong Kong, the region's international finance hub, can take the lead and harness technology to make FinTech platforms more interoperable," said Ms. Tan.

Building a shared digital economy across the GBA

With Hong Kong's financial expertise, Guangzhou's manufacturing prowess and Shenzhen's technological capabilities, the GBA is the perfect region to develop a world-leading digital economy. However, the region will need to address key challenges surrounding governance and regulation, Small and Medium-Size Enterprises (SMEs) support, and local talent if it wants to transform these opportunities into a reality, said Ms. Tan.

The GBA involves three different jurisdictions, each with its own government authorities, standards, and procedures. All these need to be considered when developing a connected financial platform, said Ms. Tan. At the same time, regulators and organizations need to be clear on how financial services can empower SMEs with the access and capabilities to operate seamlessly across regions, particularly given half of all trade in the GBA is conducted by small businesses. Lastly, Hong Kong needs to find and nurture the right talents to fuel innovation and development.

Technology as an enabler for the GBA's digital economy

According to Ms. Tan, technology is essential to resolving these issues and making platforms truly interoperable across the GBA. Notably, Hong Kong should seek to consolidate its various government data and services, similar to the one-stop sandbox platform proposed by regulatory authorities to enable GBA start-ups to develop cross-border fintech tools. At the same time, data should be available across regions to ensure that various jurisdictions and government entities adhere to the same standards  all while delivering a seamless experience to clients and companies.

OneConnect has already established such a platform to empower all enterprises, including SMEs, to participate in, and prosper from, the digital economy. Earlier this year, the company celebrated the first anniversary of Ping An OneConnect Bank ("PAOB"), the first virtual bank in Hong Kong to use alternative data models for risk assessment. PAOB uses trade data and other information to assess and predict risk in order to provide non-collateralized loans for SMEs. To date, PAOB has served HK local SMEs with total assets reaching HK$1 billion.

OneConnect has also established the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Port Logistics and Trade Facilitation Blockchain Platform to facilitate cross-border trade between merchants, and the Guangdong SME financing platform to improve lending efficiency for SMEs.

In addition to building the right platforms, OneConnect is nurturing the talents of tomorrow and bridging skillset gaps across the region. Its new internship program connects aspiring professionals with established financial services and technology experts to encourage knowledge transfer.

Furthermore, its parent company, Ping An Group has launched an incubator accelerator program for the GBA. The program plugs up-and-coming companies into an open Fintech platform that serves existing financial services, companies and corporations  in turn encouraging and growing entrepreneurs within the region.

"The GBA is a huge and exciting area with plenty of opportunities. But we can only take advantage of these opportunities with a collective effort that gives full play to Hong Kong's position as an international financial center. By using technology to bring financial institutions, FinTech companies and people together, we can promote greater cross-border collaboration and turn this vision into a reality," said Ms. Tan.

About OneConnect Financial Technology

OneConnect Financial Technology Co. Ltd. is a technology-as-a-service platform for financial institutions. It is a Chinese national high-tech enterprise and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2019 (NYSE: OCFT). The Company integrates extensive financial services industry expertise with market-leading technology to provide technology applications and technology-enabled business services to financial institutions. These solutions enable our customers' digital transformations, which help them improve efficiency, enhance service quality, reduce costs and risks.

OneConnect is an associate of Ping An Group. By leveraging Ping An Group's over 30 years of extensive experience in financial services, OneConnect has established long-term cooperation with financial institutions to accurately addresses their needs of digital transformation. The Company provides four integrated solutions across the full scope of the businesses - from digital retail banking, digital commercial banking, digital insurance to Gamma Platform (the financial technology infrastructure provider). Besides showing strength and deepening capacity as a financial institution, OneConnect also actively promotes the digital transformation of financial service ecology and provides trade, credit, supply chain, data security, risk management and other related scientific and technological services for the government, regulatory and enterprise users. The company has also successfully exported "Made in China" technology solutions to overseas financial institutions. As of June 30, 2021, it has served 100+ customers in 20 countries and regions mainly in Southeast Asia.

SOURCE OneConnect
SAN FRANCISCO and SUZHOU, China, Nov. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovent Biologics, Inc. ("Innovent") (HKEX: 01801), a world-class biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and commercializes high quality medicines for the treatment of cancer, metabolic, autoimmune and other major diseases, today announced that the preclinical result of IBI319 was published in Nature Communications. The publication entitled, "Cancer immune therapy with PD-1-dependent CD137 co-stimulation provides localized tumour killing without systemic toxicity" is co-authored by Dr. Wei Xu and Dr. Xuan Wang, Vice President and Senior Manager of Innovent.

The pre-clinical results show that IBI319 enhances the antitumor efficacy of PD-1 blockade without causing hepatotoxicity: In CT26 and MC38 tumor models, compared with PD-1 mAb or CD137 mAb, IBI319 generates synergistic antitumor efficacy by blocking PD-1 and activating CD137 simultaneously. It enhances tumor infiltration of T and NK cells in the absence of signs of hepatotoxicity.

in the absence of signs of hepatotoxicity. A non-human primate GLP toxicology study suggests that IBI319 is a well-tolerated molecule with a good safety profile; however, further evaluation in clinical studies is needed.

IBI319 is a next-generation bispecific antibody targeting both PD-1 and CD137. In addition to the synergistic effect of PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors and CD137 agonists, IBI319 has the following two features: first, the binding of PD-1 end of IBI319 is much stronger than that of the CD137 end, leading to an enrichment of antibody molecules in PD-1-highly expressing tumor-infiltrating T/NK cells, avoiding a systemic circulation of antibodies. Secondly, the trimerization of CD137 and downstream signal activation are completely dependent on the anchoring of its PD-1 arm, thus limiting systemic exposure and reducing toxic effects. IBI319 is a novel next-generation IO drug with proven mechanism and promising tumor suppression effects.

The corresponding author, Dr. Wei Xu, Vice President of Innovent, stated, "Our pre-clinical results suggest that IBI319 enhances the activity of PD-1 blockade without causing liver toxicity. As a new generation of bispecific IO drug, IBI319 has the potential of enhancing PD-1 response rate and efficacy in various types of tumors. IBI319 is currently in Phase I development in China and we look forward to evaluating the molecule in further development."

The leading PI of the IBI319 Phase I study (CIBI319A101), Professor Yilong Wu, Tenured Professor of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital and Director of Guangdong Lung Cancer Research Institute, stated, "While immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting PD-1/L1 have shown efficacy in treating a variety of tumor types, we still face challenges of primary and secondary drug resistance. The development of next-generation bispecific antibodies allows us to explore possible clinical gains of dual targeting PD-1/L1 and CD137, a key co-stimulatory immune checkpoint molecule, which plays a role in maintaining immune homeostasis and enhancing anti-tumor immune memory. We are pleased to see the preclinical research results of IBI319 and look forward to evaluating at the clinical study stage."

About CD1374-1BB, TNFRS9

CD137 is a member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor family. CD137 is expressed by activated T cells and plays an important role in maintaining the immune response, resisting apoptosis of immune cells, reducing clearance of antigen-specific immune cells, and enhancing immunological memory. CD137 is also expressed on activated NK cells, monocytes, dendritic cells, neutrophils, eosinophils and mast cells, etc. On activated NK cells, CD137 pathway can increase antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC).

CD137 has emerged as a next generation antibody drug target, yet previous decades of clinical development of CD137 agonists have been hampered by the balance of toxicity and limited efficacy. The issue of how to develop a CD137 agonistic antibody that strikes a balance between enhancing antitumor efficacy while ensuring safety needs to be addressed.

About IBI319

IBI319 was discovered through a collaboration between Innovent and Eli Lilly and Company and has been developed in China by Innovent. The IND for IBI319 has been approved by the NMPA in China, and clinical trials in China are being conducted.

About the Phase 1 Study of IBI319 (CIBI319A101)

The Phase 1a/1b study (CIBI319A101) conducted by Innovent in China will assess the efficacy and safety of IBI319 in patients with advanced malignant tumors. Phase 1a of the study will evaluate dosing escalation and Phase 1b will further explore the safety and preliminary efficacy of IBI319 in a variety of solid and hematological tumors (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04708210).

About Innovent

Inspired by the spirit of "Start with Integrity, Succeed through Action," Innovent's mission is to develop, manufacture and commercialize high-quality biopharmaceutical products that are affordable to ordinary people. Established in 2011, Innovent is committed to developing, manufacturing and commercializing high quality innovative medicines for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune, metabolic diseases, and other major therapeutic areas. On October 31, 2018, Innovent was listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited with the stock code: 01801.HK.

Since its inception, Innovent has developed a fully integrated multi-functional platform which includes R&D, CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls), clinical development and commercialization capabilities. By leveraging this platform, the company has built a robust pipeline of 26 valuable assets in major therapeutic areas, with 5 products - TYVYT (sintilimab injection), BYVASDA (bevacizumab biosimilar injection), SULINNO (adalimumab biosimilar injection) , HALPRYZA (rituximab biosimilar injection), and Pemazyre (pemigatinib oral inhibitor)  officially approved for marketing, 1 asset's NDA under NMPA review, sintilimab's Biologics License Application (BLA) acceptance in the U.S., 5 assets in Phase 3 or pivotal clinical trials, and an additional 15 molecules in clinical studies.

Innovent has built an international team of advanced talented professionals in high-end biopharmaceutical development and commercialization, including many overseas experts. The company has also entered into strategic collaborations with Eli Lilly and Company, Adimab, Incyte, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Hanmi and other international partners. Innovent strives to work with all relevant parties to help advance China's biopharmaceutical industry, improve drug availability to ordinary people and enhance the quality of the patients' lives. For more information, please visit: www.innoventbio.com. and www.linkedin.com/company/innovent-biologics/.

Note:

Sintilimab is not an approved product in the United States.

BYVASDA (bevacizumab biosimilar injection), HALPRYZA (rituximab biosimilar injection), and SULINNO (adalimumab biosimilar injection) are not approved products in the United States.

TYVYT (sintilimab injection, Innovent)

BYVASDA (bevacizumab biosimilar injection, Innovent)

HALPRYZA (rituximab biosimilar injection, Innovent)

SULINNO (adalimumab biosimilar injection, Innovent)

Pemazyre (pemigatinib oral inhibitor, Incyte Corporation). Pemazyre was discovered by Incyte Corporation and licensed to Innovent for development and commercialization in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

Disclaimer:

1. This indication hasn't been approved in China.

2. Innovent does not recommend any off-label usage.

3. For medical and healthcare professionals only.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain certain forward-looking statements that are, by their nature, subject to significant risks and uncertainties. The words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend" and similar expressions, as they relate to Innovent, are intended to identify certain of such forward-looking statements. Innovent does not intend to update these forward-looking statements regularly.

These forward-looking statements are based on the existing beliefs, assumptions, expectations, estimates, projections and understandings of the management of Innovent with respect to future events at the time these statements are made. These statements are not a guarantee of future developments and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond Innovent's control and are difficult to predict. Consequently, actual results may differ materially from information contained in the forward-looking statements as a result of future changes or developments in our business, Innovent's competitive environment and political, economic, legal and social conditions.

Innovent, the Directors and the employees of Innovent assume (a) no obligation to correct or update the forward-looking statements contained in this site; and (b) no liability in the event that any of the forward-looking statements does not materialize or turn out to be incorrect.

SOURCE Innovent Biologics
CHENGDU, China, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Meishan California Smart City (MCSC), the newest smart city in Southwest China, has team members attending the 4th China International Import Exhibition (CIIE) to bring California clean energy products and technologies and their smart city applications to China's enormous market. MCSC is a member of Bay Area Council, which has been bringing California companies, products, and services to China for years to explore sales opportunities there and has hosted the "California Pavilion" annually since CIIE began in 2018. BAC is the only organizer at CIIE presenting California brands exclusively, showcasing a wide range of products and services.

In the opening ceremony of the California Pavilion at the China International Import Expo on 7 November 2021, California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis gave a speech enthusiastically emphasizing the longstanding relations between China and California and the importance of trade between the two. The California Pavilion has been organized and hosted by Bay Area Council at every CIIE since the first in 2018 and welcomes thousands of visitors. Jeffrey Chang, Chair of Meishan California Smart City Investment Development Group Ltd, highlighted the expanding and ready market for advanced clean energy and sustainable technologies from California to be imported by buyers in China, streamlined by CIIE's enormous buyer network. Meishan California Smart City, an 800+ acre development in Tianfu New Area of Sichuan Province, offers a strategic venue for innovators in the clean energy and green technologies space to land and grow their brands.

With thousands of buyers in attendance at CIIE looking for international products to import, the opportunity is ideal to showcase California companies, products, and technologies. The emphasis of MCSC is on promoting California innovation that supports smart cities and sustainability initiatives. With the dire need for solutions to climate change, the call for cities to become models of intelligent design and execution has never been more pressing. Inspired by an agreement between Sichuan and California government leaders to collaborate on clean energy initiatives, the 800-acre Sichuan-based MCSC is projected to become exactly such a model.

"Inspired by California and Sichuan's global leadership in clean energy development, MCSC aims to bring advanced clean energy and sustainable technologies to China using CIIE's extraordinary importer network," said Jeffrey Chang, Chairman of Meishan California Smart Town Investment and Development Co., Ltd. "California-based Clean Energy Technologies Inc. (CETY), a publicly traded energy leader that has settled in MCSC, is a great example. CETY has gained worldwide recognition for creating low-cost, zero emissions heat-to-power and waste-to-energy solutions that provide clean energy from industrial waste heat or biomass. Buyers of CETY's systems will have the ability to generate low-cost clean energy with low emissions and low maintenance costs. With the mandated move away from fossil fuels, CETY technologies offer a win-win all the way around. We are confident that buyers focused on clean energy will be as excited about this company and its products as we are."

MCSC's membership in Bay Area Council (BAC) was inspired by the Council's longstanding support of sustainable, economically viable, livable cities. The work of BAC has reverberated widely, with businesses, government leaders and institutions looking to the Council for advisory services and assistance with international expansion.

Contact:

Susan Xiao

86-13207172800

[email protected]

SOURCE Meishan California Smart Town Investment and Development Co., Ltd.
NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Oak Hill Capital ("Oak Hill"), a New York-based middle-market private equity firm, announced that it has signed a Definitive Agreement to invest in and partner with U.S. Oral Surgery Management ("USOSM" or "the Company"). Headquartered in Irving, Texas, USOSM is a market leader in oral surgery management, partnering with over 140 oral surgeons across 18 states. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

USOSM is a practice management platform that is exclusively dedicated to the specialty of oral surgery. The Company is focused on pursuing partnerships with board-certified oral surgeons who share USOSM's cultural values, patient focus, and dedication to clinical excellence. The management team of USOSM, led by Chief Executive Officer Rick Hall, will continue to lead the Company and retain an ownership interest. USOSM's oral surgeon partners will also retain significant ownership of the platform.

"We are excited to partner with Oak Hill as we embark on our next phase of growth," said Rick Hall, CEO of USOSM. "The Oak Hill team demonstrated a keen understanding of the oral surgery market and quickly became our partner of choice for this transaction. Oak Hill shares our desire to continue to invest in the USOSM platform and to build on the Company's leading position as the specialty service organization of choice for the country's top oral surgeons."

"We have great respect for the platform that Rick and his team have worked to build, and we believe that USOSM is well-positioned for continued growth in the highly fragmented oral surgery market. The USOSM partnership is consistent with Oak Hill's theme-based investment approach, focused on backing exceptional teams in attractive markets with multiple levers to drive growth," said Brian Cherry, Managing Partner at Oak Hill.

Micah Meisel, a Partner at Oak Hill, added, "USOSM has established itself as a partner of choice for leading board-certified oral surgeons across the United States. We are excited to partner with the USOSM team and its exceptional community of oral surgeons to work together to further advance this differentiated platform."

USOSM is currently a portfolio company of RiverGlade Capital. Moelis & Company acted as financial advisor to USOSM. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is serving as legal counsel to Oak Hill, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP is serving as legal counsel to USOSM.

About U.S. Oral Surgery Management

Headquartered in Irving, Texas, USOSM is a shared services organization that collaborates with premier oral and maxillofacial surgeons to offer a partnership solution for continued and accelerated practice success. USOSM provides operational, marketing and administrative support services, reinvests resources, and applies best practices to improve clinical and financial performance and produce steadier, more profitable growth for all. For more information, please visit: www.usosm.com.

About Oak Hill Capital

Oak Hill Capital is a private equity firm managing funds with over $17 billion of initial capital commitments and co-investments since inception. Over the past 35 years, Oak Hill Capital and its predecessors have invested in over 100 private equity transactions across broad segments of the U.S. and global economies. Oak Hill Capital applies an industry-focused, theme-based approach to investing in the following sectors: Industrials, Services, Media & Communications, and Consumer. Oak Hill works actively in partnership with management to implement strategic and operational initiatives to create franchise value. For more information, please visit: www.oakhill.com.

About RiverGlade Capital

RiverGlade Capital is a private equity firm focused on control buyouts of growth-oriented, lower middle market healthcare companies. RiverGlade partners with founder-owned, high-quality, differentiated businesses that have demonstrated strong organic growth and where value can be accelerated through human capital investments, operational improvements, strategic planning, and dynamic organic and inorganic growth initiatives. For more information, please visit: www.rivergladecapital.com.

Media Contact:

Dawn Dover

Kekst CNC

917-349-5621

[email protected]

SOURCE Oak Hill Capital Partners

Related Links

http://www.oakhill.com


The speakers examined the political, economic and social conditions in Ukraine six years after the Euromaidan revolution. Conference attendees focused on recent tensions in the buffer zone separating the "rebel" autonomous provinces of Donbas and Luhansk in conjunction with the visit of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to Ukraine on October 19. During the visit the head of the Pentagon has confirmed Washington's support for Ukraine in the anti-Russian struggle to President Zelens'ky.

According to Alessandro Sansoni, who opened the event, "the Ukrainian crisis is a destabilizing factor for Europe, which, due to the sanctioning regime against Moscow, has already caused serious negative repercussions for the economy of the European Union states and Italy in particular", that had to renounce the construction of the South Stream gas pipeline, as well as a reduction of its import-export volumes with the Russian Federation. He added that, on the other hand, the energy issue remains crucial and "if Germany was able, despite the sanctions, to complete North Stream 2, it is also true that the request for entry into the corporate structure of the Ukrainian state company Naftogaz, supported from Washington, could cause a delay in the commissioning of the pipeline."

For Diego Fusaro the 2014 uprising is "the latest act of an Atlanticization process of the former Soviet space, implemented by Washington in the decades following the fall of the Berlin Wall" and the ouster of Kiev from the sphere of Moscow's influence, with the effect of compromising Euro-Russian relations. To him, it presents a classic example of what the German political scientist Carl Schmitt called "Raumfrende Macht", an intervention of an extra-regional power (in this case, the USA that actively supported the revolt of Euromaidan) in favor of one country, but with positive effects exclusively for the interests of the power outside the context.

The Ukrainian population, not only the Russian-speaking part of it, are currently suffering from serious repercussion, a quite severe economic and social crisis, and shattering of state structures due to a multi-year civil conflict. Failed attempts to improve the situation make many perceive Ukraine as a "failed state", incapable to ensure the well-being of its citizens. "The risk," - underlined Marrone - "is that of having an 'Afghanistan effect' in Ukraine as well if Washington loosens its support for Kiev, with a possible increase in hostility towards the population of the eastern provinces by Ukrainian nationalist groups in seeks a quick solution to the conflict." The European Union, and also Italy as its part, have the duty, as well as the interest, to take a strong negotiating initiative to avoid further escalations.

SOURCE PUPIA
NEW YORK, Nov. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of The Boston Beer Company, Inc. (NYSE: SAM) between April 22, 2021 and September 8, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important November 15, 2021 lead plaintiff deadline.

SO WHAT: If you purchased Boston Beer securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Boston Beer class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2159.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than November 15, 2021. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Boston Beer's hard seltzer sales were decelerating; (2) as a result, Boston Beer was reasonably likely to incur inventory write-offs; (3) Boston Beer was reasonably likely to incur shortfall fees payable to third party brewers; (4) a result of the foregoing, Boston Beer's financial results would be adversely impacted; and (5) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about Boston Beer's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the Boston Beer class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2159.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact Information:

Laurence Rosen, Esq.

Phillip Kim, Esq.

The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor

New York, NY 10016

Tel: (212) 686-1060

Toll Free: (866) 767-3653

Fax: (212) 202-3827

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

www.rosenlegal.com

SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

Related Links

www.rosenlegal.com


Highlights:

SiteMinder lists at a market capitalisation of AU$1.36 billion

SiteMinder trades on the ASX as "SDR"

SYDNEY, Nov. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SiteMinder (ASX:SDR), the world's leading open hotel commerce platform, will today commence trading on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) under the ticker code 'SDR' following an oversubscribed Initial Public Offering (IPO) of AU$627 million.

Under the IPO, 123,913,043 shares were offered at AU$5.06 per share, culminating in a total offer of AU$627 million and firming SiteMinder's market capitalisation at AU$1.36 billion based on the IPO offer price.

Equity funds managed by BlackRock led the IPO with increased support from existing investors AustralianSuper, Ellerston Capital, Fidelity International, Pendal Group and Washington H. Soul Pattinson. Several new global institutional investors also joined leading Australian institutions in cornerstoning the IPOincluding funds managed by Caledonia, GIC, UniSuper, Wellington Management, and a large global investment firm headquartered in Californiatogether with strong demand from other reputed institutional and retail investors.

Long-term SiteMinder shareholder Bailador Technology Investments will continue as a substantial shareholder.

The successful IPO represents a significant milestone for SiteMinder, placing it in an even stronger position to pursue further growth and further extend its leadership in the large, unpenetrated hotel market of more than one million accommodation providers with significant potential for improved online connectivity.

Financial performance

SiteMinder achieved a total annual revenue of AU$101.0 million in FY2021, and a total annual recurring revenue of AU$104.9 million in June 2021. The company's revenue remained resilient through the height of COVID-19, even as SiteMinder supported its tens of thousands of hotel customers to navigate the pandemic.

Today's IPO follows a pre-IPO funding round of over AU$100 million conducted in September, which consisted of primary and secondary capital from existing investors and the entry of Fidelity International to the shareholder group.

Although founded and headquartered in Australia, with product and engineering teams driving technical innovation in-house, nearly 60 percent of SiteMinder's revenue is generated outside of the Asia Pacific.

"Today serves as yet another reminder that the world's innovators and market leaders can emerge from Australia," says Sankar Narayan, CEO and Managing Director of SiteMinder. "We are grateful to our people, customers, partners and investors for supporting us on our 15-year journey so far. In particular, I am thrilled with the extremely high quality of shareholders who have joined us for our journey ahead. These include many of the biggest and most knowledgeable global and Australian giants in the investment world, to add to the very strong endorsement from our high quality existing investors."

Adds Sankar: "In many ways, we're just getting started. We are very excited to have taken this step, which represents the next stage of the SiteMinder business and our ongoing evolution.

"The global hotel industry has experienced evolution like never before in recent times. The need for technology like SiteMinder's hotel commerce platform is of substantial relevance as hotels have had to digitally transform with haste, while adjusting to their customers' changing needs and behaviours."

Background

SiteMinder was founded in Australia in 2006, and is the world's leading open hotel commerce platform, ranked among technology pioneers for opening up every hotel's access to online commerce. It's this central role that has earned SiteMinder the trust of more than 32,000 hotels, across 150 countries, to sell, market, manage and grow their business.

The global company, headquartered in Sydney with offices in Bangkok, Berlin, Dallas, Galway, London and Manila, generated more than 100 million reservations worth over US$35 billion in revenue for hotels in the last year prior to the start of the pandemic. It has almost 900 staff in 20 countries globally, with the platform and support available in eight languages.

SiteMinder's customers are hotels and other accommodation providers, including vacation rentals, lodges, motels, and enterprise properties. Approximately 75 percent of SiteMinder's subscription base is small and medium-sized businesses, generating approximately 71 percent of FY21 subscription revenue.

About SiteMinder

SiteMinder (ASX:SDR) is the world's leading open hotel commerce platform, ranked among technology pioneers for opening up every hotel's access to online commerce. It's this central role that has earned SiteMinder the trust of tens of thousands of hotels, across 150 countries, to sell, market, manage and grow their business. The global company, headquartered in Sydney with offices in Bangkok, Berlin, Dallas, Galway, London and Manila, generated more than 100 million reservations worth over US$35 billion in revenue for hotels in the last year prior to the start of the pandemic. For more information, visit siteminder.com.

SOURCE SiteMinder
HOUSTON, Nov. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Renowned Texas attorney Thomas J. Henry filed a sweeping lawsuit Sunday against rapper Travis Scott as well as Aubrey Drake Graham, Live Nation and NRG Stadium in connection with a tragic event at the Astroworld music festival that left eight people dead and dozens of others hospitalized.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of one of the victims who reached out to Thomas J. Henry Law following Friday night's catastrophic event. Thomas J. Henry is actively investigating the failings at Astroworld and is providing immediate consultations to all injured victims as well as to families who had loved ones hurt or killed at the concert.

Victim in Travis Scott Astroworld Tragedy Hires Texas Attorney Thomas J. Henry as LawFirm Fields Numerous Calls Tweet this

Reports indicate a crowd surged the stage of the Travis Scott concert when rapper Drake made an unannounced appearance on stage. The surge soon resulted in chaos as concert-goers were pushed into one another and the crowd pressed its way forward. Travis Scott and Drake continued to perform even as emergency vehicles arrived and responders attempted to rescue those in distress.

By the time Live Nation finally decided to end the performance, 23 people required hospitalization, 11 were in cardiac arrest, and more than 300 had to be treated at a "field hospital" on site. So far, eight people have died of their injuries.

"Live musical performances are meant to inspire catharsis, not tragedy," said Texas attorney Thomas J. Henry. "Many of these concert-goers were looking forward to this event for months, and they deserved a safe environment in which to have fun and enjoy the evening. Instead, their night was one of fear, injury, and death."

Thomas J. Henry believes a message needs to be sent to performers, venues, and event organizers that a lackadaisical approach to event preparation and attendees safety is no longer acceptable.

"There is no excuse for the events that unfolded at NRG stadium on Friday night," said Thomas J. Henry. "There is every indication that the performers, organizers, and venue were not only aware of the hectic crowd but also that injuries and potential deaths may have occurred. Still, they decided to put profits over their attendees and allowed the deadly show to go on."

About Thomas J. Henry Law

Thomas J. Henry Law, PLLC, is one of the nation's leading personal injury firms . Since 1993, the firm has fought to secure justice and compensation for individuals who have lost loved ones due to the negligence of others and to prevent similar instances of wrongful death from occurring again. Over that time, Thomas J. Henry and his firm have been the recipients of numerous awards and recognitions .

In 2021, Thomas J. Henry Law was named "Law Firm of the Year" by the American Institute of Legal Professionals.

In 2020, the firm was named one of the Best Places to Work by Glassdoor for the second consecutive year. It was the only law firm to secure the accolade. Firm founder Thomas J. Henry was named one of SA Scene Magazine's Best San Antonio Lawyers. Thomas J. Henry was also recognized in Texas Lawyer's (an ALM Company) Southwest Top Verdicts and Settlements of 2020 for securing the #1 Gross Negligence Verdict for the year.

In 2019, Thomas J. Henry Law was recognized as one of the nation's Premier Law Firms by Newsweek.com . That same year, Bloomberg Businessweek published a feature on Thomas J. Henry, highlighting his firm's "clear commitment to client satisfaction." Thomas J. Henry was also named the Best Attorney of San Antonio by the SA Current.

In 2018, Thomas J. Henry was named a Distinguished Lawyer by Lawyers of Distinction and was also recognized as one of the Best Personal Injury Attorneys in the nation by Newsweek.com. In 2017, Thomas J. Henry achieved one of the 10 largest verdicts recorded in Texas for the year (awarded to Thomas J. Henry by Texas Lawyer, an ALM company) as well as the #1 Texas Car Accident, Bus Accident, and Negligent Supervision Verdicts for the year (awarded to Thomas J. Henry by TopVerdict.com).

Other recent results include:

$1.25 Billion for Sexual Assault Resulting in Injury to a Minor

$50 Million for a Trucking Accident Resulting in Wrongful Death (Expenses: $1,126,381 | Attorney's Fees: $21,000,000 | Net to Client: $27,000,000 )

(Expenses: | Attorney's Fees: | Net to Client: ) $35 Million for a Trucking Accident Resulting in Wrongful Death (Expenses: $100,000.00 | Attorney's Fees: $12,750,000.00 | Net to Client: $22,150,000.00 )

Death (Expenses: | Attorney's Fees: | Net to Client: ) $30.2 Million for an Accident Involving a Recalled Vehicle Resulting in Spinal Cord and Back Injuries (Expenses: $39,576.15 | Attorney's Fees: $10,060,980.00 | Net to Client: $20,121,960.57 )

(Expenses: | Attorney's Fees: | Net to Client: ) $12.7 Million for a Medical Malpractice Resulting in Spinal Cord and Back Injuries (Expenses: $300.000.00 | Attorney's Fees: $2,000,000.00 | Net to Client: $10.4 Million - Purchase of Lifetime Annuity)

(Expenses: | Attorney's Fees: | Net to Client: - Purchase of Lifetime Annuity) $10.9 Million for Medical Malpractice Resulting in Spinal Cord and Back Injuries (Expenses: $300,000.00 | Attorney's Fees: $3,200,000.00 | Net to Client: $4,029,762.00 Purchase of Lifetime Annuity)

(Expenses: | Attorney's Fees: | Net to Client: Purchase of Lifetime Annuity) $10 Million for a Company Vehicle Accident Resulting in Spinal Cord and Back Injuries (Expenses: $125,000.00 | Attorney's Fees: $4,250,000.00 | Net to Client: $5,625,000.00 )

In 2016, Forbes Magazine named Thomas J. Henry a "Texas Leader in Law," noting his ability to secure large financial awards, a positive reputation among professional peers, and a dedication to philanthropy at the local, national, and global levels.

Thomas J. Henry is also a lifetime member of both the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum and of Rue Ratings' "Best Attorneys of America."

Outside of the courtroom, the firm is known for its many philanthropic endeavors and generous contributions to local and global communities.

The firm has an active philanthropy program that supports causes related to poverty, veterans, national disaster relief, education, animals, and the arts.

MEDIA CONTACT: Norah Lawlor, Lawlor Media Group, Inc.

www.lawlormediagroup.com

SOURCE Thomas J. Henry Law
RIDGEFIELD, Conn., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Boehringer Ingelheim today announced that the first patient has enrolled in a new clinical study to observe whether COVID-19 patients with respiratory failure are more susceptible to developing progressive Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD), or scarring of the lungs. Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital are leading the clinical trial.

"There is increasing evidence that respiratory failure observed in COVID-19 infected patients leads to a progressive form of Interstitial Lung Disease," said Rob Kaner1, M.D., principal investigator, associate professor of clinical Medicine and of Genetic Medicine and director of the Interstitial Lung Disease Program at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, and a pulmonologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. "This prospective study will define the incidence of progressive ILD in the COVID-19 patient population and investigate if there are specific biomarkers that may identify patients at risk for progression."

The study, NCT05074875, is a 48-week observational, prospective registry study that will enroll an estimated 300 patients who were hospitalized with hypoxemic (below normal oxygen levels) respiratory failure associated with COVID-19 at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and three other medical centers.

The primary endpoint of the study is the change in fibrotic and non-fibrotic interstitial opacities on chest HRCT at 48 weeks after hospitalization for COVID-19 or outpatient COVID-19 infections which require treatment with supplemental oxygen. Secondary endpoints include percentage of participants with changes from baseline and evidence of disease progression based on HRCT, relative change in Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) at weeks 12, 24, 48 and 72 among other measures.

"This study will help the medical community better understand the prognosis of COVID-19, namely whether a progressive form of ILD and associated biomarkers may occur following respiratory failure in COVID-19 patients," said Craig Conoscenti, M.D., Executive Director/Therapeutic Area Head, Respiratory IPF/ILD, Clinical Development and Medical Affairs, Boehringer Ingelheim.

"It is our hope that this study will take a major step forward in providing treating doctors with new information to better help hospitalized patients affected by respiratory failure due to COVID-19 infection."

BI commitment against COVID-19

Boehringer Ingelheim remains involved in various initiatives to fight COVID-19, leveraging the company's expertise in vascular and respiratory disease, combined with a focus on patient-centric innovation.

About Boehringer Ingelheim

Boehringer Ingelheim is working on breakthrough therapies that improve the lives of humans and animals. As a leading research-driven biopharmaceutical company, the company creates value through innovation in areas of high unmet medical need. Founded in 1885 and family-owned ever since, Boehringer Ingelheim takes a long-term perspective. Around 52,000 employees serve more than 130 markets in the three business areas, Human Pharma, Animal Health, and Biopharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing.

Learn more at www.boehringer-ingelheim.us

1. Dr. Kaner is a paid consultant to Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Contact:

Boehringer Ingelheim

Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Name: Michele Baer

Public Relations

Phone: 917-584-9293

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals

Related Links

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That's the ultimate goal of the bold new mental health "trajectories" project, announced Nov. 8, 2021, by leaders at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, one of the world's leading pediatric research, care and training centers. It's a massive task that will involve more than 25 leading scientists at nine different research divisions within Cincinnati Children's as well as collaborators at the University of Cincinnati, the University of Colorado and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

"We are seeking to show the likelihood of an individual developing serious mental illness over time. This is much like the lines of a pediatric growth chart that predict a person's height or weight. However, these mental health trajectories are far more complex," says Tracy Glauser, MD, Associate Director of the Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation and one of two principal investigators for the project.

The team plans to assemble large amounts of data from many sources that investigators already know play at least some role in influencing the mental health of a growing child. Such information includes personal medical records, genomic information, environmental exposures, economic disruption, housing conditions, traumas experienced by parents, family dysfunctions, substance abuse, experiencing bullying, surviving disasters, systemic racism and more.

"Before we can cure and prevent, we have to understand the real origins of mental illness, especially the roles of biological, thought, and environment factors. Together these components are very, very complex and can only be understood with the help of the world's most powerful computers." says John Pestian, PhD, MBA, an expert in building neuropsychiatric artificial intelligence algorithms and co-principal investigator for the project.

One such powerful supercomputer, dubbed Summit and currently the nation's fastest, is located at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a US Department of Energy national laboratory in Tennessee managed by UT-Battelle, LLC. In part to advance this work, Pestian holds dual appointments at Cincinnati Children's and ORNL.

"We are excited to leverage ORNL's world-class leadership computing capabilities to impact the future of pediatric mental health," says ORNL principal investigator Greeshma Agasthya. "Improving mental health outcomes is a major challenge, and we are dedicated to using our expertise to capitalize on the wealth of information available in health records, medical notes, and medical images, while ensuring the privacy of the data."

Anuj Kapadia, ORNL's Section Head for Advanced Computing for Health Sciences, adds: "This collaboration, which is actively guided by clinician and pediatric mental health experts at Cincinnati Children's, will be a step towards better mental health outcomes for our children."

Why Mental Health?

Overall, 17.4% of U.S. children aged 28 years have a diagnosed mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder. That adds up to five children in every classroom of 30 students.

Childhood anxiety and depression are becoming more frequent over time. Too often, the tragic outcome of untreated and undertreated conditions is suicidenow the second leading cause of death in young people ages 10 to 24 years old. These issues can devastate families, and the impacts can span generations.

"The medical community has understood for many years that mental illnesses have been severely overlooked in terms of research priority and availability of effective treatment options. And yet, so many of the families we serve are living with the burden of seeking hard-to-obtain help for their children in need," says Tina Cheng, MD, MPH, Chair of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati and Director of the Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation.

Now, as part of its five-year strategic plan, the medical center is investing $10 million to pursue a project that could make a significance difference.

"We have been committed to improving mental health care for a number of years, including our $99 million project to expand psychiatric care capabilities at our College Hill campus. Our research faculty also has made important discoveries in the use of natural language processing to predict the risks of suicide and school violence, has developed widely-used tools used for establishing accurate doses of psychiatric medications, and many other advances," Cheng says. "Unlike most other pediatric medical centers, we are uniquely positioned to take on the challenge of improving mental health outcomes."

Mental Health Disorders Among Children (ages 2-17)

Diagnosis Percentage USA Ohio Hamilton County Depression 3.20% 1.9 million 73,600 5,440 Anxiety 7.10% 4.4 million 163,300 12,070

Source: Cincinnati Children's

Suicide Among Youth (through age 19)

Ohio 917 6 SW Ohio counties 148

Source: Impact of Suicide and Current Responses in 6 Southwest Ohio Counties (2009-18)

Beyond the sheer emotional impact, these mental illnesses have significant economic impacts.

"We have found studies from other researchers that estimate the economic impact of anxiety at $42 billion a year, depression at $71 billion a year and suicidal Ideation at $93.5 billion a year," Pestian says.

What will the project entail?

The specific aims of this protocol are to develop the optimal approach to create near real-time trajectories that provide early identification of pediatric and adolescent patients who are at risk for developing depression, anxiety, and suicidality.

The team plans to integrate and analyze a complex set of biological, thought, and environmental data collected over time. By doing so, it may be possible to identify the onset of mental illness earlier in life, which in turn increases the odds of successful therapy and a better quality of life.

Data sources include neuro-physical biomarkers gathered from test results, notes made in medical and school records, video recordings, and other family status information. Those factors would be compared with population-level statistics about income levels, access to health care, pollution exposure, climate, and much more.

"We will be training a machine learning algorithm to learn from thousands of factors pulled from numerous datasets," Pestian says. "If one were to attempt to train this model on a standard desktop computer, it would take a decade. But the supercomputer can accelerate the computational time to less than a day." Once trained we can make the algorithms available in the clinical setting.

Over time, with more accurate data, the more accurate the trajectories will be.

Who will be involved?

The scientists working on the trajectories project span a wide range of disciplines. They include:

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Drew Barzman , MD, Craig Erickson , MD, Ernie Pedapati , MD, Michael Sorter, MD

, MD, , MD, , MD, Michael Sorter, MD Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology: Bob Ammerman , PhD, Sarah Beal , PhD, Scott Powers , PhD, Lori Stark , PhD, and program manager Cynthia Zion .

, PhD, , PhD, , PhD, , PhD, and program manager . Biomedical Informatics: Bruce Aronow , PhD, Stephanie Loos , MS, Alexis Mitelpunkt , PhD, Dan Santel , PhD, Mayur Sarangdhar, PhD, Andy Spooner , MD

, PhD, , MS, , PhD, , PhD, Mayur Sarangdhar, PhD, , MD Biostatistics and Epidemiology: Cole Brokamp , PhD, Jareen Meinzen-Derr , PhD, Rhonda Szczesniak , PhD

, PhD, , PhD, , PhD Clinical Pharmacology: Laura Ramsey , PhD, Sander Vinks , Pharm.D, PhD General Pediatrics: Andy Beck , MD

, PhD, , Pharm.D, PhD General Pediatrics: , MD Adolescent Medicine's Transgender Health Clinic: Lee Ann Conard , MD

, MD Asthma Research: Tesfaye Mersha , PhD

, PhD Mayerson Center for Safe and Healthy Children: Robert Shapiro , MD

, MD Neonatology: Kevin Dufendach , MD

, MD Oak Ridge National Laboratories: Greeshma Agasthya PhD, Blair Christian PhD, Anuj Kapadia PhD, Dan Jacobson , PhD, and Heidi Hanson , PhD

, PhD, and , PhD University of Cincinnati Psychiatry: Jeffrey Strawn , MD

Psychiatry: , MD University of Colorado Text Mining: Kevin Cohen , PhD

Where does the work stand now?

In addition to the funding commitment announced today, an agreement has been established with the Oak Ridge center, and work has begun to prepare the data for initial analysis through the supercomputer. Much more data, and many more "runs," will be needed before a proposed set of mental health trajectories will be complete.

"It will likely be several years before we see the results of this work applied in clinical practice," Glauser says. "However, we believe we will be ready to publish some of our initial findings within the next six months."

In the meantime, Cincinnati Children's has launched a campaign to raise funds to augment its initial investment. For more information or to make a gift, please contact Ashley Titus at 513-803-6593 or [email protected].

SOURCE Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
DUBLIN, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Tartaric Acid Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report finds that the global tartaric acid market reached a value of US$ 2.55 Billion in 2020. Looking forward, the publisher expects the global tartaric acid market to exhibit moderate growth during the next five years (2021-2026). Keeping in mind the uncertainties of COVID-19, we are continuously tracking and evaluating the direct as well as the indirect influence of the pandemic on different end-use sectors. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor.



Tartaric acid is a naturally occurring substance found in various fruits, such as grapes, apricots, apples, bananas, avocados and tamarinds. It has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which provide benefits to the immune system. Moreover, an adequate consumption of tartaric acid helps in improving digestion and intestinal functions. Although it is mainly manufactured from natural raw materials, it can also be produced synthetically from maleic anhydride.



The market for tartaric acid is driven primarily by its diverse uses, particularly in the food and beverage industry. In the food industry, it is used as an acidulant, anti-microbial agent and anti-caking agent. It also serves as an essential food additive, commonly combined with baking soda to function as a leavening agent in recipes to enhance their quality and stability. Apart from this, tartaric acid and its derivates are used in the pharmaceuticals industry as an excipient for drugs with poor solubility at higher pH levels. Some of the industrial applications of tartaric acid include the manufacturing of ceramics, textile printing, tanning, photography, etc.



The report has segmented the market on the basis of end-use, including food and beverage and non-food industries. The report also provides an evaluation of the market on a regional basis, covering Europe, North America, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. An analysis of the competitive landscape has also been provided which gives the details of the key players operative in the market.



This report provides a deep insight into the global tartaric acid industry covering all its essential aspects. This ranges from macro overview of the market to micro details of the industry performance, recent trends, key market drivers and challenges, SWOT analysis, Porter's five forces analysis, value chain analysis, etc. The report also provides a comprehensive analysis for setting up a tartaric acid manufacturing plant. The study analyses the processing and manufacturing requirements, project cost, project funding, project economics, expected returns on investment, profit margins, etc. This report is a must-read for entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, consultants, business strategists, and all those who have any kind of stake or are planning to foray into the tartaric acid industry in any manner.



Key Questions Answered in This Report:

How has the global tartaric acid market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?

What are the key regional markets in the global tartaric acid industry?

What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global tartaric acid industry?

What are the key end-use segments in the global tartaric acid industry?

What are the price trends of tartaric acid?

What are the various stages in the value chain of the global tartaric acid industry?

What are the key driving factors and challenges in the global tartaric acid industry?

What is the structure of the global tartaric acid industry and who are the key players?

What is the degree of competition in the global tartaric acid industry?

What are the profit margins in the global tartaric acid industry?

What are the key requirements for setting up a tartaric acid manufacturing plant?

How is tartaric acid manufactured?

What are the various unit operations involved in a tartaric acid manufacturing plant?

What is the total size of land required for setting up a tartaric acid manufacturing plant?

What are the machinery requirements for setting up a tartaric acid manufacturing plant?

What are the raw material requirements for setting up a tartaric acid manufacturing plant?

What are the packaging requirements for tartaric acid?

What are the transportation requirements for tartaric acid?

What are the utility requirements for setting up a tartaric acid manufacturing plant?

What are the manpower requirements for setting up a tartaric acid manufacturing plant?

What are the infrastructure costs for setting up a tartaric acid manufacturing plant?

What are the capital costs for setting up a tartaric acid manufacturing plant?

What are the operating costs for setting up a tartaric acid manufacturing plant?

What will be the income and expenditures for a tartaric acid manufacturing plant?

What is the time required to break-even?

Key Topics Covered:



1 Preface



2 Scope and Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Introduction

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Industry Trends



5 Global Tartaric Acid Industry

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.2.1 Volume Trends

5.2.2 Value Trends

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Price Analysis

5.4.1 Key Price Indicators

5.4.2 Price Structure

5.4.3 Price Trends

5.5 Market Breakup by Region

5.6 Market Breakup by End-Use

5.7 Market Forecast

5.8 SWOT Analysis

5.8.1 Overview

5.8.2 Strengths

5.8.3 Weaknesses

5.8.4 Opportunities

5.8.5 Threats

5.9 Value Chain Analysis

5.9.1 Overview

5.9.2 Research and Development

5.9.3 Raw Material Procurement

5.9.4 Manufacturing

5.9.5 Marketing

5.9.6 Distribution

5.9.7 End-Use

5.10 Porters Five Forces Analysis

5.10.1 Overview

5.10.2 Bargaining Power of Buyers

5.10.3 Bargaining Power of Suppliers

5.10.4 Degree of Rivalry

5.10.5 Threat of New Entrants

5.10.6 Threat of Substitutes

5.11 Key Market Drivers and Challenges

5.12 Imports and Exports



6 Market Breakup by End-Use

6.1 Food and Beverages

6.1.1 Market Trends

6.1.2 Market Forecast

6.2 Non-Food Applications

6.2.1 Market Trends

6.2.2 Market Forecast



7 Performance by Region

7.1 Europe

7.1.1 Market Trends

7.1.2 Market Forecast

7.2 North America

7.2.1 Market Trends

7.2.2 Market Forecast

7.3 Asia Pacific

7.3.1 Market Trends

7.3.2 Market Forecast

7.4 Middle East and Africa

7.4.1 Market Trends

7.4.2 Market Forecast

7.5 Latin America

7.5.1 Market Trends

7.5.2 Market Forecast



8 Competitive Landscape

8.1 Competitive Structure

8.2 Key Player Profiles



9 Tartaric Acid Manufacturing Process

9.1 Product Overview

9.2 Chemical Reactions Involved

9.3 Detailed Process Flow

9.4 Raw Material Requirements

9.5 Mass Balance and Feedstock Conversion Rate



10 Tartaric Acid: Feedstock Analysis

10.1 Maleic Anhydride

10.1.1 Market Performance

10.1.2 Price Trends

10.1.3 Market Breakup by Region

10.1.4 Market Breakup by End-Use

10.1.5 Major Players

10.2 Hydrogen Peroxide

10.2.1 Market Performance

10.2.2 Price Trends

10.2.3 Market Breakup by Region

10.2.4 Market Breakup by End-Use

10.2.5 Major Players



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/aflxo5

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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WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers today announced that longtime President and CEO Joseph M. McGuire will retire pending a national search for his replacement. McGuire will remain at the AHAM helm until at least May 2022.

Patricia Bassett, Vice President, Research and Development, Appliances and Cookware, Newell Brands, and current AHAM chair will lead the search committee tasked with finding AHAM's next CEO. "Joe has worked to create a responsible regulatory environment in which our products continue to make life better in homes while also protecting the planet," said Bassett.

McGuire was named AHAM president in December 1998. He guided the association through the relocation of its headquarters from Chicago to Washington, D.C. soon after, establishing a strong industry presence in the nation's capital. He subsequently oversaw the opening of the AHAM Canada office in Ottawa, ON in July 2012, planting the industry flag in the Canadian capital. In 2004, under McGuire, AHAM successfully merged the Vacuum Cleaner Manufacturers Association into its operations.

John Taylor, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications, LG Electronics USA Inc. and Immediate Past Chair of AHAM, said, "Joe has created a legacy of achievement across many dimensions, but most importantly in developing a staff known and respected for their member service and can-do attitude. As our industry has grown and as AHAM revenues expanded, the team has grown two-fold with talented professionals working in a high-performance, collaborative culture."

During McGuire's tenure, AHAM established an influential and pragmatic voice for home appliance manufacturers in the nation's capital and engaged in numerous legislative and regulatory agreements with environmental, consumer and other external stakeholder groups. AHAM's advocacy drove Congress to pass the Barton-Domenici Energy Policy Act of 2005, which established the first-ever manufacturer tax credit for the production of super-efficient appliances. McGuire in 2009 called on Congress to enact a financial rescue plan, leading to the creation of the 2009 State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program, a $300 million consumer appliance rebate program to help stimulate the economy.

AHAM also has built bridges internationally, joining with its European counterpart to found the International Roundtable of Home Appliance Manufacturer Associations, with member associations from Austria, Canada, China, Europe, Russia, Korea, South Africa and the U.S.

McGuire is known as a leader within the association community, serving as the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Chair from 2012-2013 and earning recognition from CEO Update as a Top Association CEO in 2011. He serves as a Director of the American National Standards Institute and served on the National Association of Manufacturers' Board of Directors and chaired its Council of Manufacturing Associations.

The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) is the trade association representing manufacturers of major, portable and floor care home appliances and suppliers to the industry. AHAM is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and maintains an office in Ottawa. AHAM is the single voice providing the home appliance industry and its customers leadership, advocacy and a forum for action  developing and implementing credible solutions for public policy, standards and business decisions. You can visit AHAM's web site at http://www.aham.org or follow us on Twitter @AHAM_Voice and @AHAM_Policy.

SOURCE Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM)

Related Links

http://www.aham.org


The contest follows the launch of AMLE and ASA's joint publication, Career Exploration in the Middle Grades: A Playbook for Educators . The first of its kind specifically for middle schools, the Playbook and its accompanying online resource center outline evidence-based best practices for successfully implementing career exploration with students aged 10-15. The Playbook provides a beginning framework for a variety of career exploration programs, complete with implementation guides and case studies from schools around the United States.

The Playbook Challenge offers an exciting opportunity for schools to leverage the Playbook to integrate experiential career exploration into existing courses or programs, significantly expand the number of students who have opportunities to participate in career exploration, and support middle to high school transitions while building family and community engagement. Any educator who works with middle grades students, including teachers, school leaders, and counselors, can submit a proposal. Those who submit the top three proposals will each be awarded $5,000 to bring their program to life during the 2022-2023 school year.

From STEM initiatives to community and family partnerships, educators are encouraged to bring creativity to their proposals. "We know that career exploration may  and should  look different in each school community, but it is possible in every school," said Stephanie Simpson, CEO of AMLE. "We want to empower students to discover their strengths and passions, and we know one of the most effective places to do this is at the middle school. That's why the Playbook Challenge is more than just a funding opportunity. It also comes with a roadmap to help educators design evidence-based, effective career exploration programs."

"We are proud to partner with AMLE to support middle school educators with the professional development funding they need to enable students to explore and experiment with different career paths earlier in their education journey," said ASA President and CEO Jean Eddy. "Having access to highly engaging career-connected learning experiences will help today's young people make informed decisions about postsecondary education and career pathways that will position them for long-term economic mobility."

Submissions will be accepted through January 31, 2022, and the winning proposals will be announced during the following month. Learn more and apply at www.amle.org/challenge.

About the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE)

The Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) is an international membership organization that helps middle grades educators reach every student, grow professionally, and create great schools. To learn more, visit www.amle.org.

About American Student Assistance (ASA)

American Student Assistance (ASA) is a national nonprofit committed to helping students know themselves, know their options, and make informed decisions to achieve their education and career goals. ASA believes students should have access to career-connected learning, starting in middle school, so they can develop a plan for their future. ASA fulfills its mission by providing digital-first resources directly to students and support for educators and intermediaries. To learn more about ASA, visit www.asa.org/about-us .

SOURCE American Student Assistance (ASA)
PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dispelix, the technology leader for extremely lightweight single-layer waveguides and see-through displays for Augmented Reality(AR), today announced it has closed a $33M Series-B round led by Atlantic Bridge alongside new investors CCB Trust and Flashpoint. All existing investors including Lifeline Ventures, VTT Ventures, Finnish Industry Investment and 3M Ventures participated in this round, bringing the total funding to date to $50 million.

"Our patented see-through display technology is the key enabler for augmented reality devices such as smart-glasses where weight, display quality and form factor are key attributes. These can be best realized by feather-weight single-layer optics which is our unique forte and we are now gearing to scale these capabilities for mass production for our customers forthcoming consumer offerings" said Antti Sunnari, co-founder and CEO of Dispelix. "This new investment will allow us to serve more OEM customers better and faster, as their trusted and dedicated waveguide partner."

"Dispelix' see-through displays are the lightest and thinnest on the market and maintain vivid colors, image quality and wide field-of-view" commented Juuso Olkkonen, CTO and co-founder of the company. "Our team of world-class scientists and engineers continue to push the boundaries of what's possible with our arsenal of unique software and hardware technologies - fundamentally changing the way nanophotonics based waveguides are designed and delivered.

"We invested in Dispelix as they have a unique mix of technologies that delivers a superior end-user experience for mixed reality smart-glasses and other AR devices - offering the lightest, lowest power and highest resolution displays" said Paul Murray, Partner with Atlantic Bridge. "Their ability to scale these benefits for their growing list of OEMs will be a key enabler in the adoption of next generation mixed reality platforms and to help deliver on the promise of the Metaverse"

The Dispelix offerings, with 43 granted or pending patent families currently being integrated into an increasing number of consumer products under development by the company's OEM customers  these products are expected to hit the market during 2023.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/dispelix-oy/r/ar-waveguide-leader-dispelix-announces--33m-investment,c3448771

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/18311/3448771/1492617.pdf Final Dispelix Funding 11 8 21 https://news.cision.com/dispelix-oy/i/dispelix-dpx-30-near-eye-ar-display,c2976885 Dispelix DPX 30 near-eye AR display

SOURCE Cision AB

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Assignar has raised over $30 million in total funding since it was founded in 2014. In response to investor demand, this round involved buying stock which gave some early backers the opportunity to cash in some of their equity.

"We're thrilled to have such strong interest from tech and construction-related giants like Tiger Global and SecondQuarter Ventures," said Sean McCreanor, CEO and co-founder of Assignar. "This validation serves as further proof that our platform is a critical need for infrastructure and other construction sectors as it requires more project visibility and access to operations data to drive better results. Partnering with these firms will enable us to continue scaling and achieve positive outcomes for our growing customer base."

Assignar offers an easy-to-use operations platform for self-perform general and subcontractors on public and private infrastructure projects in markets like the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Assignar supports hundreds of customers working on multibillion-dollar projects in infrastructure, road, rail, heavy civil, utilities, and other construction project types and disciplines.

The platform streamlines operations and project schedules as well as tracking crews, equipment and quantities, while improving quality and safety. Assignar measures and monitors productivity and progress with real-time data directly from contractors on the project.

"We're thrilled to co-lead Assignar's secondaries round and join some exceptional investors on the cap table," said Ian Beatty, Managing Partner of SecondQuarter Ventures . "We know an exciting journey lies ahead, and we're looking forward to many more transactions along the way to help staff, management, and early investors realize some of the value being created."

With Tiger Global, SecondQuarter and HighSage joining as investors alongside Fifth Wall, Tola Capital and Our Innovation Fund, Assignar has a depth and quality of investors that is unique and exceptional in the construction technology space.

The company has already doubled its headcount in 2021 and continues to invest heavily in R&D and product development to further develop its core platform. It plans to introduce an expansion in the first half of 2022 with powerful project optimization capabilities, creating project visibility from the owner through to specialty contractors, operations, schedulers and laborers, coupled with a recommendation engine that leverages data, AI, and machine learning to support planning and execution processes.

"Our clients expect faster communication, committed delivery schedules, nimble responsiveness, and for us to adapt to site conditions without impacting their projects or business outcomes," said Shel Waggener, President of American Asphalt . "Manual processes and tools don't meet those needs. Having a modern construction operations solution like Assignar that is fully digital and seamlessly integrates into our financial system has enabled better and more accurate information across the business. Assignar's capabilities are an absolute differentiator for its customers."

To learn more about Assignar or request a demo of the platform, visit www.assignar.com.

About Assignar

Founded in 2014 by Sean McCreanor and Marko Tomic, Assignar is a cloud-based construction operations platform that helps self-perform general and subcontractors improve productivity and operations, such as labor crews, equipment, materials & quantities, resource-loaded scheduling, field data, timesheets, and more. The company was born out of Sean's construction business while trying to solve problems of scale related to the office and the field. Assignar works with hundreds of customers, ranging from multinational, multi-billion-dollar companies to specialist contractors with as few as five crews. Assignar's customers operate in infrastructure, road, rail, civil, utilities, and other construction projects & disciplines. The company has offices in Denver, Colorado and Sydney, Australia and is backed by Tiger Global , SecondQuarter Ventures , Fifth Wall , Ironspring Ventures , Our Innovation Fund (OIF) and Tola Capital . For more information, visit www.assignar.com.

About Tiger Global

Tiger Global Management is a leading global technology investment firm with over $90 billion under management. The firm focuses on private and public companies in the software, internet, and financial technology sectors. Since 2001, Tiger Global has invested in hundreds of companies across more than 30 countries, including investments ranging from Series A to pre-IPO. The firm aims to partner with dynamic entrepreneurs operating market-leading companies in its core focus areas. Tiger Global's investments have included JD.com, Toast, Databricks, UiPath, Stripe, Bytedance, Snowflake, Facebook, Alibaba, Procore, Chime, Peloton, Attentive, LinkedIn, and Flipkart.

About SecondQuarter Ventures

SecondQuarter is the first venture secondaries fund in Australia. We provide liquidity to Australian venture-backed technology companies which are valued at over A$75 million and are rapidly growing. Our goal is to quickly and simply help the founders of Australia's best technology companies meet the liquidity requirements of early shareholders, staff and founders.

SOURCE Assignar Inc

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SEATTLE, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at the 17th Grand Challenges Annual Meeting, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced an initial commitment of $50 million to support science and innovation in low- and middle-income countries. The Grand Challenges Global Call to Action is a 10-year initiative that will prioritize grants to scientists from low- and middle-income countries and support a balanced representation of women principal investigators.

This long-term initiative is designed to ensure scientists and institutions in low- and middle-income countries play a central role in shaping the global R&D agenda and developing solutions that can better meet the needs of their communities. Initial focus areas will include data science, such as mathematical modeling to inform national malaria control programs; digital health services for pregnant women; and innovations to close gaps identified by current programs for eliminating neglected tropical diseases.

"We need the ideas and leadership of the people who are closest to the global health challenges we're working to address," said Mark Suzman, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "The Grand Challenges Global Call to Action represents our commitment to advance innovation and equity while strengthening local partners in a sustainable way."

At the annual meeting, which takes place November 8-11, the foundation will also launch the Global Immunology and Immune Sequencing for Epidemic Response (GIISER) program, which works to ensure scientists have the capacity to rapidly detect if new SARS-CoV-2 variants in their communities show signs of evading immune response. This will allow national and regional stakeholders to respond appropriately and develop products that meet the specific needs of their geographies. GIISER will operate as a decentralized network of autonomous and geographically distinct hubs that are able to connect local pathogen sequencing data and clinical epidemiology with local immunological understanding and tools. As part of this program, the foundation will provide $7 million over two years to investigative teams in eight countries (South Africa, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Brazil, and India) to expand their existing immunological capacity.

To further support scientists who are developing the innovations needed to end the pandemic and address urgent global health priorities, the foundation will announce the first cohort of the Calestous Juma Science Leadership Fellowship program on the second day of the meeting (November 9). Named after the late Calestous Juma, one of the world's foremost visionaries in African-led science, the fellowship was launched at last year's annual meeting to support the next generation of scientific leaders in Africa. The inaugural cohort includes 14 fellows from eight African countrieseight women and six menwho are leading projects that range from computational drug discovery to molecular epidemiology. Each fellow will receive up to $1 million over five years.

The Grand Challenges Annual Meeting is a global forum for researchers around the world to share their work, learn about cutting-edge advances in the field, and collaborate with other investigators and organizations. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to drive inequity across the globe, this year's meeting will focus on strengthening scientific collaborations to end the pandemic everywhere and promoting an inclusive recovery.

The 2021 fully virtual meeting is hosted by Global Grand Challenges partners and co-sponsored by Grand Challenges Canada, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Wellcome, the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Speakers at this year's meeting include:

Anthony Fauci , Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

, Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Jason S. McLellan , Professor and Robert A. Welch Chair in Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin

, Professor and Robert A. Welch Chair in Chemistry, Matshidiso Moeti, Regional Director for Africa , World Health Organization

, World Health Organization John Nkengasong, Director, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention

Melanie Saville , Director of Vaccine Research and Development, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations

The event will feature dozens of leaders from across the global health innovation landscape, as well as Gates Foundation leadership, including Bill Gates (Co-Chair & Trustee); Melinda French Gates (Co-Chair & Trustee); Mark Suzman (Chief Executive Officer); and Trevor Mundel (President, Global Health Division). The sessions will be posted shortly after the meeting at grandchallenges.org/annual-meeting.

About Grand Challenges

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recognizes that solving the most pressing challenges in global health and development requires more of the world's brightest minds working on them. The Grand Challenges family of initiatives seeks to engage innovators from around the world to solve these challenges. Grand Challenges initiatives are united by their focus on fostering innovation, directing research to where it will have the most impact, and serving those most in need. To learn more, please visit grandchallenges.org.

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all peopleespecially those with the fewest resourceshave access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman, under the direction of Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates.

Media contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
"Axel brings experience, ambition and a track record of innovation and performance that are a perfect fit for Qontigo," said Pawar. "The profound benefits of the union of indexing and quantitative analyticsthe premise for the creation of Qontigocontinue to generate growing enthusiasm among clients, and we look forward to Axel driving our growth of our indexing solutions to meet the investment and sustainability goals of investors and asset owners worldwide."

At Vanguard, Lomholt most recently served as Head of Product and Program Management for Asia, where he led a number of large-scale business initiatives across the region. Earlier at Vanguard, he served as Interim Chief Executive Officer, Asia. Prior to joining Vanguard's Asia business, Lomholt served in two global roles; namely, Head of Product for International and then Head of ETFs for Vanguard outside of the US.

He previously spent three years with Barclays Global Investors (BGI), followed by three with BlackRock, which acquired BGI in 2010, holding key leadership roles in the iShares business in EMEA and APAC. Before that, Lomholt served in portfolio management leadership roles with Gulf International Bank Ltd. and HSBC Global Asset Management.

Lomholt holds a BSc Finance from Bayes Business School, an MSc Finance from Reading University, and completed the Global Leadership Executive Program at Harvard Business School.

About Qontigo

Qontigo is a leading global provider of innovative index, analytics and risk solutions that optimize investment impact. As the shift toward sustainable investing accelerates, Qontigo enables its clientsfinancial-products issuers, asset owners and asset managersto deliver sophisticated and targeted solutions at scale to meet the increasingly demanding and unique sustainability goals of investors worldwide.

Qontigo's solutions are enhanced by both our collaborative, customer-centric culture, which allows us to create tailored solutions for our clients, and our open architecture and modern technology that efficiently integrate with our clients' processes.

Part of the Deutsche Borse Group, Qontigo was created in 2019 through the combination of Axioma, DAX and STOXX. Headquartered in Eschborn, Germany, Qontigo's global presence includes offices in New York, London, Zug and Hong Kong.

www.qontigo.com

SOURCE Qontigo
Babson College Celebrates Entrepreneurial Leaders Tweet this

The weeklong celebration will engage the Babson and broader global communities in an exploration of entrepreneurial leadership. It includes signature in-person eventsthe 22nd Rocket Pitch and the 9th annual Disruption Dinnercoupled with virtual conversations, including:

Local Solutions to Global Dilemmas with Stephen Ritz of Green Bronx Machine

of Green Bronx Machine Fashion Industry Digital Commerce Acceleration During and After COVID-19 with eCommerce and omnichannel merchandising executive Kim Jackson , HANGER9 CFO Denise MacDonald , and Dan Marques '07, Head of Global Digital Commerce at Crocs

, HANGER9 CFO , and '07, Head of Global Digital Commerce at Crocs Radical Inclusion with Joseph Kenner of Greyston

The week culminates in New York City on Friday, celebrating Vanilla Beane and Leonard Green, the two latest entrepreneurial leaders to be inducted into the Babson Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs . The academy honors those who have capitalized on the need for change, accepted the associated risk and responsibility, and made an economic and social impact on the world.

Vanilla Beane is the owner of Bene Millinery & Bridal Supply in Washington, D.C. Her hats have adorned the heads of such luminaries as the late Dorothy Height, former president of the National Council for Negro Women, and Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser.

A long-time and beloved Babson faculty member, Leonard Green, CPA, MBA, is entrepreneur-chairman and founder of The Green Group, a tax and financial services consulting firm. Green has been an owner, advisor, and investor in more than a dozen businesses, including The Green Group, a commercial real estate firm, a thoroughbred racing stable, a publicly traded pet food brand, and a beverage company.

"Today, we honor and celebrate two entrepreneurial leaders who embrace values-based leadership and the human-centricity of entrepreneurship," said President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA'92, Ph.D. "Len and Vanilla join an impressive roster of renowned entrepreneurial leaders. Now, more than ever, society depends upon entrepreneurial leaders to harness the unknown, embrace change while creating economic and social value to positively impact businesses, communities, and the world."

Babson's Global Entrepreneurial Leadership Week kicks off November 8 with a virtual networking hour. To see the full schedule of events and to join the celebration, please visit the event website .

About Babson College

Babson College prepares and empowers entrepreneurial leaders who create, grow, and steward sustainable economic and social value everywhere. We shape the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge, skills, and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in organizations of all types and sizes. A global leader in entrepreneurship education recognized by U.S. News & World Report, our undergraduate, graduate, executive programs, and partnership opportunities are tailored to the needs of our world.

SOURCE Babson College

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The first Bay Pines Fisher House opened in 2002 and has served thousands of families residing across the southwest region of Florida who travel to the C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center in Bay Pines for inpatient care. In 2016, Janice Cullen spent time at the Bay Pines Fisher House while her Marine Veteran husband received medical care. She said her months-long stay created life-long friendships.

"We needed each other, and we were thankful we had each other, and we were thankful that we had a place to go," Janice said. "And there is no way any of us could have afforded being in a hotel room that long or ate three meals a day... Fisher House took care of this."

"We strive to do what we can to keep the families together during some of their most challenging and vulnerable times of need," stated Paul Russo, director and chief executive officer of the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System. "The Fisher Houses enable us to serve our Veterans and families by providing lodging and comforting support for many, some of whom live upwards of three hours away from our main medical center. It enables us to keep everyone within arm's reach and to best support our Veterans."

A Fisher House creates an instant community for its residents, united by their common mission of supporting a sick or injured loved one, but also provides individuals with a secure and private refuge after a long day at the hospital to rest and recharge.

The 16-suite, 13,270+ sq.-ft. "comfort home" will join 92 other Fisher Houses operating in the United States and Europe. Each bedroom suite will be equipped with a private, wheelchair-accessible bathroom. Common areas will include a spacious kitchen, large communal living, dining and family rooms, laundry room and patio.

"As we approach Veterans Day, we are honored to announce that construction has begun on this house in Bay Pines," said Fisher House Foundation Chairman and CEO Ken Fisher. "These Veterans deserve our support. We owe these men and women a debt we can never repay, but I'm happy that we can at least be there for their families when they need us the most."

The Bay Pines VA Healthcare System serves more than 120,000 Veterans and provides a wide spectrum of healthcare including support during the transition from active duty to Veteran status, to delivering the highest quality primary and specialty services, to geriatric and end-of-life care.

With this additional house, Bay Pines Fisher Houses will be able to provide up to 9,125 nights of lodging for families each year and save more than a million dollars annually in lodging and transportation costs.

Construction of this Fisher House is supported by The Armed Forces Financial Network, In memory of Ceasar "Sandy" Sansevero and Theresa Sansevero, Troll Co. Clothing, Vehicles for Veterans and the many gifts of a Grateful Nation.

To learn more about the Bay Pines Fisher House please view this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_olPvaepigI

About Fisher House

Fisher House Foundation is best known for its network of 92 comfort homes where military and Veteran families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment. These homes are located at major military and VA medical centers nationwide, and in Europe, close to the medical center or hospital they serve. Fisher Houses have up to 21 suites, with private bedrooms and baths. Families share a common kitchen, laundry facilities, a warm dining room, and an inviting living room. Fisher House Foundation ensures that there is never a lodging fee. Since inception, the program has saved military and Veteran families an estimated $525 million in out-of-pocket costs for lodging and transportation. www.fisherhouse.org

About the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System

The Bay Pines VA Healthcare System is the nation's sixth largest tertiary healthcare facility caring for nearly 120,000 Veterans residing across ten counties in the Southwest region of Florida. Bay Pines VAHCS includes nine facilities to include the C.W. Bill Young Medical Center located in Bay Pines, the Lee County VA Healthcare Center located in Cape Coral, and seven outpatient clinics located in Bradenton, Naples, Palm Harbor, Port Charlotte, Sarasota, St. Petersburg, and Sebring. We employ over 4,500 healthcare professionals and the healthcare system is accredited by The Joint Commission, Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and many other nationally recognized accrediting organizations.

SOURCE Fisher House Foundation

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NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Private Banking arm of Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (BBH) is pleased to announce the addition of a new Corporate Advisory & Banking Officer, Ianni Palandjoglou. Ianni is joining the firm as a Senior Vice President and will be BBH's first full-time employee in the Houston market, where BBH has long been active in supporting private businesses and their owners. He will focus on providing corporate banking, corporate advisory, trust services, and multi-family office support to private business owners and families in the region, in addition to helping BBH Capital Partners identify private equity investment opportunities.

"With the recent growth we have experienced in the Houston and greater Texas market, this was the perfect time to add someone with Ianni's deep experience and relationship-focused-approach to serving private businesses, their owners, and their families," Lewis Hart, Managing Director and Head of the Commodities & Logistics and Corporate Banking divisions within Private Banking, said. "Ianni will be instrumental in continuing to expand BBH's presence in the region across our Capital Partners, Corporate Advisory and Banking, Commodities & Logistics, and Multi-Family Office business lines."

Ianni joins BBH Private Banking with 22 years of diversified business experience, principally as a banker and international executive. During his most recent tenure at Amegy Bank, Ianni was a Commercial Middle Market lender supporting family-owned businesses through various business cycles and across generations. At Cadence Bank, he initially served in Mergers and Acquisitions where he participated in the acquisition of two banks, before becoming Head of International, responsible for Trade Finance, Trade Services and Foreign Exchange. Prior to joining Cadence, Ianni worked as Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Algodonera San Nicolas, S.A., a vertically integrated textile company headquartered in Buenos Aires. During his stint in Argentina, he was a founding investor in Snack Crops, S.A., a leading Argentine enterprise in the distribution of snack foods to 60 countries across the globe. Ianni serves on the Board of Trustees of Annunciation Orthodox School in Houston and participates in various local charitable foundations and clubs. He received a BBA from Texas Christian University and MBA from Georgetown University.

"We are pleased to enter this next chapter of growth for BBH in the Houston market. Ianni will be critical to our mission to be the preeminent trusted advisor to private business owners in Houston," Val Carlotti, Partner and Head of Corporate Advisory and Banking, said. "I have long admired BBH and look forward to joining them on this journey in my home market," said Ianni Palandjoglou, "I am excited to expand on the work that has already been done by BBH to build a strong franchise and brand in Houston, and see incredible potential for the differentiated approach that BBH takes to advising and serving private businesses and families.

About BBH Private Banking

BBH Private Banking's singular focus is helping our clients achieve their vision of success for their families, wealth and businesses. We seek to build long-term relationships with each client on a foundation of trust, leveraging our perspective and experience as an investor, advisor and capital provider for over 200 years to help clients accomplish their goals. We serve individuals, families, businesses and institutions, offering Multi-Family Office, Corporate Advisory & Banking, Private Equity and Endowment & Foundation Management solutions. For more information, please visit www.bbh.com.

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. ("BBH") may be used as a generic term to reference the company as a whole and/or its various subsidiaries generally. This material and any products or services may be issued or provided in multiple jurisdictions by duly authorized and regulated subsidiaries. This material may not be reproduced, copied or transmitted, or any of the content disclosed to third parties, without the permission of BBH. All trademarks and service marks included are the property of BBH or their respective owners.  Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. 2021. All rights reserved.

Contact:

Laine Funkhouser

571-205-2492

[email protected]

Weber Shandwick

SOURCE Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (BBH)
BOSTON, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Beacon Biosignals, a neurotechnology company applying artificial intelligence to EEG (electroencephalography) to unlock precision medicine for any condition affecting the brain, has announced an oversubscribed $27M Series A financing led by General Catalyst and with participation from Casdin Capital. Proceeds will be used to scale Beacon's computational biomarker discovery platform and address the massive unmet need for quantitative clinical trial endpoints, safety tools, and computational diagnostics for neurology, psychiatry, and sleep medicine.

Founded in 2019 by MD/PhDs and engineers from Harvard and MIT, Beacon's launch was propelled by the vision of a computing platform designed to scale the interrogation of large brainwave datasets with unprecedented throughput and capability. Beacon Biosignals holds one of the world's largest clinical EEG databases and couples that data with proprietary machine learning algorithms to identify neurobiomarkers associated with patient sub-types, drug activity and therapeutic efficacy. EEG is standard of care in the clinical diagnosis and management of many neurologic diseases and sleep disorders, but features of clinical significance are often buried in hours of EEG data. Broader uptake of EEG technology has been further limited by labor-intensive workflows and variability in clinician expert interpretation. Beacon's machine learning teams develop high-performing, reliable algorithms that can replicate the adjudicated consensus interpretation of multiple trained epileptologists, as well as novel neurobiomarkers (e.g. quantitative epileptiform spike burden) that exceed human capabilities over many hours or days of recording. Beacon's platform provides an architectural foundation for robust, data-tailored neurobiomarker pipelines that carry new discoveries from development to targeted deployment into clinical trials and novel therapeutic areas.

"Our current progress has demonstrated that EEG is incredibly information-rich physiologic output reflecting genetic substrate, accumulated exposures and acute neurophysiologic changes, beyond what is captured in MRI, fMRI, CSF analyses or genetic analyses. We have already identified novel electrophysiologic signatures functionally linked to primary cognitive endpoints in Alzheimer's disease. We're further encouraged by the applications of our platform toward heterogenous psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia and major depressive disorder," said Jacob Donoghue MD, PhD, Co-Founder and CEO of Beacon. "Beacon is dedicated to helping our biopharma partners accelerate novel therapeutics to reach patients with significant unmet need. We are excited to partner with General Catalyst and Casdin Capital to scale our platform to drive new insights for patient stratification, PK/PD, and efficacy endpoints."

The announced Series A financing will enable Beacon to pursue new partnerships with leading pharma and biotech companies, and build on existing partnerships with Novartis, Praxis Precision Medicines, Cyclerion Therapeutics, Idorsia and other undisclosed leading biopharma and operational partners. "The breadth and variety of successes we've had working with our pharma partners demonstrates just how critical it is to quantifiably measure the effects novel therapeutics have on the brain," said Donoghue. "Reliable and replicable quantitative endpoints help drive faster, better-powered trials."

Beacon's platform is engineered to adapt to any EEG data source and maximize the scientific impact of biopharma partners' highest-priority clinical trials. In smaller phase 1 trials, application of quantitative physiologic biomarkers enables precise characterization of dose-related therapeutic neuroactivity, provides mechanistic insights and identifies novel primary or supplementary endpoints. By identifying variance across patient subgroups, these capabilities further inform trial enrollment criteria or help identify target responder populations. Neurobiomarkers can also be used to detect evolving disease to identify patients who are candidates for early intervention. With the announced Series A financing, Beacon will further invest in building out its network of expert neurologists for database curation and AI-augmented safety assessment reporting.

Beacon Biosignals' Series A financing totals $27M, led by General Catalyst with participation from Casdin Capital, existing seed investors and new angel investors including Andy Beck, CEO of PathAI. This capital brings Beacon Biosignals' total funding to date to $30 million. As part of the deal, Robin Washington will join Beacon Biosignals' board of directors. Robin was previously CFO at Gilead and currently holds board seats at Alphabet (the parent company of Google), Salesforce and Honeywell.

"It is now common knowledge that machine learning technologies will impact all corners of healthcare, but Beacon Biosignals is uniquely positioned to rapidly translate scientific and technical advances into clinical benefit for patients. We're excited to partner with Beacon as they build the future of predictive brain health analytics," said Hemant Taneja, Managing Partner of General Catalyst. Robin Washington, Beacon's incoming board member, adds "Beacon's team has an unparalleled depth of expertise across clinical medicine, neurotechnology, machine learning and engineering. The traction with current partners is a clear signal of the value that Beacon contributes to cutting-edge clinical development programs reaching millions of patients."

About Beacon Biosignals

Beacon's machine learning platform for EEG enables and accelerates new treatments that transform the lives of patients with neurological, psychiatric or sleep disorders. Through novel machine learning algorithms, large datasets, and advances in software engineering, Beacon Biosignals is changing the way patients are treated for disorders of the brain. For more information, visit https://beacon.bio/. For careers, visit https://beacon.bio/careers; for partnership inquiries, visit https://beacon.bio/contact. Follow us on Twitter (@Biosignals) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/beacon-biosignals).

About General Catalyst

General Catalyst is a venture capital firm that invests in powerful, positive change that endures  for our entrepreneurs, our investors, our people, and society. We support founders with a long-term view who challenge the status quo, partnering with them from seed to growth stage and beyond to build companies that withstand the test of time. With offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, New York City, London, and Boston, the firm has helped support the growth of businesses such as: Airbnb, Deliveroo, Guild, Gusto, Hubspot, Illumio, Lemonade, Livongo, Oscar, Samsara, Snap, Stripe, and Warby Parker. For more: www.generalcatalyst.com.

Contact: Jacob Donoghue M.D., Ph.D., [email protected]

SOURCE Beacon Biosignals

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NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BHI, a full-service commercial bank, announced that its Commercial and Industrial Group has closed $1.1 billion in transactions year-to-date 2021. BHI's C&I Group handles financing for commercial and industrial companies in the middle market and encompasses sectors including private equity, food and beverage, Israeli business, technology, corporate banking, and project finance renewable energy across the bank's markets in New York, New Jersey, Florida and California. BHI is the U.S. division of Bank Hapoalim, one of Israel's largest financial institutions.

"We have seen enormous traction in the last few years and are proud to have closed $1.1 billion in total deals during 2021. We have invested in growing our talent and enhancing the efficiency of our processes for speed and certainty of execution. BHI is a boutique bank focused on the middle market that is A-rated, with strength backed by the $170 billion balance sheet of Bank Hapoalim, one of the premier global financial institutions," said John Yoler, BHI Executive Vice President, Division Executive and Head of U.S. C&I.

Recent notable BHI C&I transactions include:

A $27.5 million revolving line of credit for New Jersey -based Citromax Group and Citromax International Corporation, one of the world's leading growers of lemons and a global leader in lemon oil processing.

revolving line of credit for -based Citromax Group and Citromax International Corporation, one of the world's leading growers of lemons and a global leader in lemon oil processing. $25 million provided to a Reno, Nevada -based supplier of alternative and renewable energy technology with geothermal and recovered energy generation (REG) power plants in 30 countries, to finance an acquisition for expansion of its capacity in Nevada and California .

provided to a -based supplier of alternative and renewable energy technology with geothermal and recovered energy generation (REG) power plants in 30 countries, to finance an acquisition for expansion of its capacity in and . $35 million provided as part of a club deal for a Utah -based distributor of audio headphones and accessories. BHI provided a $22.2 million revolver loan and $12.8 million term loan as part of a total $102.5 million credit facility.

provided as part of a club deal for a -based distributor of audio headphones and accessories. BHI provided a revolver loan and term loan as part of a total credit facility. Debt financing for a private equity firm to acquire a significant interest in a designer and provider of adjustable memory-foam pillows and other bedding products sold via online channels, to support the company's brand expansion and next phase of growth.

Yoler noted some key trends that are driving C&I deals in the middle market. For example, about half of middle market companies are owned by private equity, depending on their revenue size. Buyouts have become a viable strategy for private companies that need to monetize, particularly family-owned businesses with no clear line of succession.

After a slowdown caused by the pandemic last year, 2021 has been a record year so far for mergers and acquisitions. According to the JD Supra Mid-Market M&A Barometer, released in August 2021, the number of deals in just the first and second quarters equaled 96% of the total for all of 2018. Valuations for the last 12 months through May are higher than any year since 2010, according to data from Wilcox Investment Bankers.

Yoler noted that stimulus checks, increased savings and pent-up demand have also sparked activity and growth in the C&I sector, as consumers started spending in record numbers.

"We supported our clients through the pandemic and like them, we are poised for ongoing growth and to build on our momentum," Yoler said.

About BHI (www.bhiusa.com)

BHI, the U.S division of Bank Hapoalim, Israel's leading financial institution, provides commercial banking solutions to middle market clients in sectors including commercial real estate; general, domestic and Israeli C&I; private equity; food and beverage; apparel; healthcare; corporate banking; and high-tech. In addition to its New York headquarters, the bank operates U.S. Representative Offices in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey; Miami, Florida; and Los Angeles, California.

SOURCE BHI

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NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Blavatnik Archive, with the support of the Blavatnik Family Foundation, Genesis Philanthropy Group and David Berg Foundation, will host an international virtual conference this month that honors the nearly 1.5 million Jewish men and women who fought in World War II against Adolf Hitler and the Axis powers. The "Jewish Soldiers & Fighters in WWII" conference is organized in connection to the Archive's traveling exhibit, "Road to Victory: Jewish Soldiers in WWII."

Nearly 40 historians and leading experts from universities, archives, libraries and museums in nine countries are participating in the international gathering Nov. 14-15. For the first time, more than 50 museums and centers of learning across Europe, the U.S. and Israel have signed on as cultural partners, reflecting the active engagement of a wide global audience.

Participants will explore the subject of the "Jewish soldier" through historical and contemporary lenses, featuring themes of identity, unique war experience, impact of trauma, unjust and fake representation, captured experience in literature and music, and legacy. Two special lecture-concert programs will feature music from the war: "Yiddish Songs of the Red Army," drawing on the Grammy-nominated project Yiddish Glory, and "Songs from Testimonies," drawing from the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies.

Targeted for genocide by Hitler and his allies, Jewish men and women bravely fought alongside their non-Jewish fellow military and partisan combatants to defeat a monstrous enemy, protect their homelands and avenge the murder of their families. Building on Blavatnik Archive's "Veteran Testimony Project," comprised of 1,200 video testimonies and thousands of personal archival documents, the conference focuses on learning the lessons from those who were there.

"It is imperative that we learn from history, commit to research, education, and conversation, as well as honor those who fought, and remember those who tragically perished," said Len Blavatnik, founder of Access Industries and the Blavatnik Family Foundation.

Marina Yudborovsky, Genesis Philanthropy Group CEO, said: "The role and legacy of Soviet Jewish soldiers in World War II cannot be overestimated, though for many years they remained shamefully forgotten. We, at Genesis Philanthropy Group, believe that preserving their memory, as well as the memory of Jewish fighters in all the Allied armies, is important for both an accurate historical record and for strengthening the Jewish identity of today's youth."

She said the conference is critical to ensuring that the story of this period includes not only the remembrance of Jewish victims of Nazism, but also of the Jewish soldiers who fought against it.

As ghetto survivor, partisan and Red Army veteran Boris Feldman said in his Archives' testimony in 2008: "Memories become forgotten. It's like a disease. On the day you hurt you feel and remember the illness. Then the illness goes away. It goes way from your thoughts and from your consciousness. Why do Holocausts repeat? Because everything is forgotten. Generations must remember. They must have the desire to learn history. History repeats itself and only grows in complexity."

"Jewish Soldiers & Fighters in World War II" will be guided by an internationally recognized and respected committee of scholarly advisers, including Elissa Bemporad (professor of history and the Jerry and William Ungar Chair in Eastern European Jewish History and the Holocaust, Queens College and the Graduate Center - CUNY); Derek Penslar (William Lee Frost professor of Jewish history, Harvard University); and Anna Shternshis (Al and Malka Green professor of Yiddish Studies and the director of the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies, University of Toronto).

Registration is free, available at JewishSoldiersInWWII.org.

About the Blavatnik Archive

The Blavatnik Archive is a nonprofit foundation dedicated to preserving and disseminating materials that contribute to the study of 20th century Jewish and world history, with a special emphasis on World War I, World War II and Soviet Russia. The Archive was founded in 2005 by the American industrialist and philanthropist Len Blavatnik to reflect his commitment to cultural heritage and expand his support for primary-source-based scholarship and education. Primarily through its metadata-rich, item-based website, the Archive shares its holdings as widely as possible for research, education, and public enrichment.

Visit www.blavatnikarchive.org

About the Blavatnik Family Foundation

The Blavatnik Family Foundation is an active supporter of world-renowned educational, scientific, cultural and charitable institutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Russia and other countries throughout the world. The foundation is headed by Len Blavatnik, a global industrialist and philanthropist and the founder and chairman of Access Industries, a privately held industrial group based in the U.S. with global strategic interests. Visit www.accessindustries.com or www.blavatnikfoundation.org.

Media Contact

Priyanki Brahma

[email protected]

+ 1 212-885-0341

+ 1 352-350-3334

SOURCE Blavatnik Archive

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Survivors need to vote 'NO' on this plan to send a powerful message to Boy Scouts of America and the Local Councils Tweet this

"The Western Los Angeles Council is implicated in $100 million of claims but is contributing only $1.25 million towards the trust for a full release of liability,'' said John Lucas of Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones, Counsel to the TCC. "The Western Los Angeles Council has the ability to contribute more than twice that amount without endangering its operation and scouting mission. When you add up the amount of contributions that each Local Council has the ability to make, it shows that the Local Councils could collectively contribute over $1.5 billion, as opposed to the current proposal of $500 million plus a promissory note of $100 million."

"82,200 Survivors of sexual abuse in BSA have come forward so far. This is historic," said John Humphrey, Chairman of the TCC and Boy Scouts of America sexual abuse Survivor. "The current plan puts Survivors on a path to receiving historically low ultimate recoveries and releases Local Councils and Chartered Organizations from more than 40 years of sexual abuse claims. A 'NO' vote on the Plan is the best way for Survivors to be heard."

The TCC's bankruptcy counsel and financial advisor analyzed the value of the sexual abuse claims against each council, and evaluated them using the Boy Scouts' trust distribution procedures to value the claims along with discounts for statute of limitation issues. The TCC then analyzed the cash and other assets available to pay Survivors from each Council, the number of Scouts each Council has, and the amount of cash and other assets each Council needs to operate and carry out its scouting mission.

"The TCC's analysis is very conservative and assumes that each Local Council will not have ANY cash or other income for two years," said James Stang of Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones, Counsel to the TCC. "If Local Councils contributed the $1.5 billion they have the ability to pay based on these reports, they would still retain sufficient cash and other assets to operate and carry out its scouting mission."

The TCC conducts weekly Town Hall meetings every Thursday to educate Survivors about the Plan and the proposed settlements. Next Thursday, the TCC will be releasing more financial and operational reports from local councils all over the country. You can find the Zoom information about upcoming meetings including next Thursday, November 11 at 8:00 PM (Eastern) at www.tccbsa.com .

A full schedule of future Town Hall meetings and prior Town Hall transcripts, videos and Local Council financial and operational reports can also be found at www.tccbsa.com .

The TCC was appointed by the Office of the U.S. Trustee, which is an arm of the U.S. Dept. of Justice, to represent the interests of all Boy Scouts sexual abuse Survivors. The Survivors that make up the TCC do not receive any extra funds for fighting the Boy Scouts and their allies.

The TCC, led by sexual abuse Survivors, opposes the Plan and the proposed settlements with The Hartford Insurance Company, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Boy Scouts Local Councils because the amounts are historically low. The Local Councils are contributing a smaller fraction of what they have the ability to pay and a smaller fraction of the liability against them. All but one of the Chartered Organizations are contributing nothing towards their release from more than 40 years of sexual abuse claims, granting them complete absolution from their responsibility to compensate 82,200 childhood sexual abuse Survivors.

More information on the restructuring can be found at www.tccbsa.com .

SOURCE Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones

Related Links

http://www.tccbsa.com


SQUAMISH, British Columbia, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- State B Cannabis Beverage Co. ("State B") by Brujera Elixirs Incorporated is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with Great North Distributors Inc. ("Great North"), Canada's very first national salesbroker for legalized adult-use cannabis, to distribute State B cannabis beverages throughout Canada.

Kelly Ann Woods- CEO, Founder, Formulator - Photo Credit Paula Owen State B Cans Canadian Branding - Photo Credit Joern Rohde

"I am thrilled to be working with Great North. They are highly respected and really understand how to drive sales and create national representation." said Kelly Ann Woods, founder, formulator and CEO of State B Cannabis Beverage Co. "I could not have asked for a better partner as we bring State B coast to coast."

"We are excited to work with State B and to build excitement for their unique line of cannabis-infused beverages from coast to coast," said Doug Wieland, President, Canada  Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits and Great North Distributors. "Their products are a fantastic addition to our best-in class cannabis portfolio."

About State B Cannabis Beverage Co.

State B Cannabis Beverage Co. (Squamish, British Columbia) has created a line of cannabis-infused beverages that incorporate a myriad of beneficial botanical ingredients. This female-led Company is one of the first to formulate their beverages with terpenes, adaptogens, flower essences and nootropics. Powered by Vertosa, a rapid infusion technology creating top of the line bioavailable CBD, THC, terpenes and other cannabinoid emulsions. Vertosa is one of the most trusted emulsion suppliers in North America.

State B's current line of cannabis beverages (Sparkle, Resolve and Zing) expertly combine function with cannabis to introduce a mood modulating, consciousness shifting elevated experience. The Company will soon be launching a line of non-cannabis beverages known as Eleve, containing all the same function, flavours and ingredients as State B without any THC or CBD. All State B cannabis-infused (and non-cannabis) beverages will be available via delivery services as well as cannabis retail stores throughout Canada as well as California.

For further information on State B Cannabis Beverage Company, please contact:

Kelly Woods

The State B Cannabis Beverage Co.

38046 Loggers Lane

Squamish, BC V8B 0Z9

6047262411

[email protected]

Twitter: @statebelevate

Instagram: @statebelevate

www.statebelevate.com

SOURCE Brujera Elixirs Incorporated
CALGARY, AB, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Canacol Energy Ltd. (TSX:CNE) (OTCQX:CNNEF) (BVC:CNE.C) ("Canacol") and Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC (the "Purchaser") today announced the commencement of an offer by the Purchaser (directly or through an affiliate) to purchase for cash (the "Tender Offer") any and all of the outstanding 7.250% Senior Notes due 2025 (the "Notes") issued by Canacol from each registered holder of the Notes (each, a "Holder" and, collectively, the "Holders"). The Tender Offer is being made pursuant to the offer to purchase and consent solicitation statement dated November 8, 2021 (the "Offer and Solicitation Statement").

In connection with the Tender Offer, the Purchaser (directly or through an affiliate) is also soliciting on behalf of the Issuer (the "Solicitation") with respect to the Notes, consents (the "Consents") to proposed amendments (the "Proposed Amendments") to the Notes and the indenture dated May 3, 2018 (as amended and supplemented to the date hereof, the "Indenture") between Canacol, the guarantors thereto and Citibank, N.A., as trustee (the "Trustee"), under which the Notes were issued, providing for, among other things, elimination of substantially all restrictive covenants in the Indenture and modify the notice period applicable to optional redemptions from not less than ten nor more than 60 days to not less than three Business Days nor more than 60 days.

The table below summarizes certain payment terms of the Tender Offer and the Solicitation:

Description of Notes CUSIP/ ISIN Nos. Outstanding Principal Amount Purchase Price(1) Early Tender Payment(1) Total Consideration(1)(2) 7.250% Senior Notes due 2025 Rule 144A: 134808 AC8 / US134808AC80 Reg S: U13518 AB8 / USU13518AB81 U.S.$320,000,000 U.S.$1,015.85 U.S.$50.00 U.S.$1,065.85



(1) Per U.S.$1,000 principal amount of Notes. (2) Total Consideration is inclusive of Early Tender Payment

The Tender Offer and the Solicitation are scheduled to expire at 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on December 7, 2021, unless extended or earlier terminated (such date and time, including as extended or earlier terminated, the "Expiration Date"). The early tender deadline for the offer will be 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on November 22, 2021 (such date and time, including as extended or earlier terminated, the "Early Tender Time"). Notes tendered may be withdrawn prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on November 22, 2021 (such date and time, the "Withdrawal Deadline"), but not thereafter, except as required by applicable law.

The total consideration offered for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of the Notes will be U.S.$ 1,065.85 (the "Total Consideration"), which includes an early tender payment of U.S.$50.00 per U.S.$1,000 principal amount of the Notes (the "Early Tender Payment") and the Purchase Price (as defined below). The Early Tender Payment will be payable only to Holders who validly tender and do not withdraw their Notes on or prior to the Early Tender Time. Holders validly tendering and not withdrawing Notes at or before the Early Tender Time will be eligible to receive the Total Consideration (including the Early Tender Payment) on a date promptly following the Early Tender Time (the "Early Settlement Date") (which date is expected to be November 23, 2021, but which may change without notice).

Pursuant to the Tender Offer, Holders validly tendering their Notes after the Early Tender Time and prior to or at the Expiration Date will be entitled to receive U.S.$1,015.85 per U.S.$1,000 principal amount of the Notes (the "Purchase Price"), namely an amount equal to the Total Consideration less the Early Tender Payment, on a date promptly following the Expiration Date (the "Final Settlement Date") (which date is expected to be December 8, 2021, but which may change without notice).

In addition, Holders whose Notes are validly tendered and accepted for purchase in the Tender Offer will receive accrued and unpaid interest in respect of their purchased Notes from the last interest payment date to, but not including, (i) in the case of any Notes accepted for purchase at or before the Early Tender Time, the Early Settlement Date and (ii) in the case of any remaining Notes accepted for purchase after the Early Tender Time, the Final Settlement Date, as the case may be.

The Consent of the Holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount outstanding of the Notes is required to authorize the Proposed Amendments (the "Requisite Consents"). Assuming that the Requisite Consents to authorize the Proposed Amendments are validly delivered and not validly revoked, it is expected that Canacol and the Trustee will execute a supplemental indenture with respect to the Indenture (the "Supplemental Indenture") providing for the Proposed Amendments after the Requisite Consents have been obtained; however, the Supplemental Indenture and the Proposed Amendments will not be effective and operative until the Final Settlement Date and consummation of the Exchange (as defined below).

Holders may not tender their Notes without delivering their Consents to the Proposed Amendments and to the execution and delivery of the Supplemental Indenture pursuant to the Solicitation and may not deliver Consents to the Proposed Amendments and the execution and delivery of the Supplemental Indenture without tendering their Notes pursuant to the Tender Offer.

Canacol has consented to the Purchaser making the Tender Offer and the Solicitation on its behalf. It is intended that the Notes purchased by the Purchaser in the Tender Offer will be exchanged by the Purchaser with Canacol for certain new notes (the "Exchange") issued in a new offering by Canacol (the "New Offering").

The obligation of the Purchaser to accept for purchase, and to pay for, Notes validly tendered pursuant to the Tender Offer is subject to, and conditioned upon, the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions as set forth in the Offer and Solicitation Statement, in the sole discretion of the Purchaser. The Tender Offer is not conditioned on any minimum participation by the Holders, including the minimum participation necessary to consummate the Solicitation.

Subject to the results of the Tender Offer, Canacol intends to send a notice of redemption to the Trustee and the Holders of any outstanding Notes following the Early Settlement Date in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the Indenture, after giving effect to the Proposed Amendments, although Canacol has no legal obligation to do so and the selection of any particular redemption date is in their discretion. This statement of intent shall not constitute a notice of redemption under the Indenture.

The Information Agent and Tender Agent for the Tender Offer and Solicitation is D.F. King & Co., Inc. To contact the Information Agent and Tender Agent, banks and brokers may call +1 212-269-5550, and others may call U.S. toll-free: (877) 674-6273. Additional contact information is set forth below.

By Mail, Hand or Overnight Courier:



48 Wall Street

22nd Floor

New York, NY 10005

USA

Attention: Michael Horthman

By E-mail:

[email protected] By Facsimile Transmission:



(for eligible institutions only)

+1 212-709-3328 Attention: Michael Horthman Confirmation by Telephone

+1 212-232-3233

Any questions or requests for assistance or for additional copies of this notice may be directed to the Dealer Managers and Solicitation Agents at their respective telephone numbers set forth below or, if by any Holder, to such Holder's broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee for assistance concerning the Tender Offer and Solicitation.

The Dealer Managers and Solicitation Agents for the Tender Offer and Solicitation are:

Citigroup Global Markets Inc. 388 Greenwich Street, Trading 4th Floor New York, NY 10013 USA Attention: Liability Management Group U.S. Toll Free: 1-800-558-3745 Collect: +1 212-723-6106 Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC Eleven Madison Avenue New York, NY 10010 USA Attention: Liability Management U.S. Toll Free: 1-800-820-1653 Collect: +1 212-538-2147

This notice does not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to purchase, or any solicitation of any offer to sell, the Notes or any other securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction, nor shall it or any part of it, or the fact of its release, form the basis of, or be relied on or in connection with, any contract therefor. This notice is also not a solicitation of any Consent to the Proposed Amendments. The Tender Offer and Solicitation are made only by and pursuant to the terms of the Offer and Solicitation Statement and the information in this notice is qualified by reference to the Offer and Solicitation Statement. None of the Purchaser, Canacol, the Dealer Managers or the Information Agent and Tender Agent makes any recommendations as to whether Holders should tender their Notes pursuant to the Tender Offer and deliver their Consents pursuant to the Solicitation.

This notice to the market does not represent an offer to sell securities or a solicitation to buy securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction. The New Offering was not and will not be registered or qualified under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 ("Securities Act"), as amended, or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction. Consequently, the notes issued in the New Offering are prohibited from being offered or sold in any jurisdiction without the applicable registration, qualification or exemption from registration or qualification required under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction, as applicable.

This notice to the market is released for disclosure purposes only, in accordance with applicable legislation. It does not constitute marketing material, and should not be interpreted as advertising an offer to sell or soliciting any offer to buy securities issued by Canacol. This notice to the market is not for distribution in or into or to any person located or resident in the United States, its territories and possessions, any state of the United States or the District of Columbia or in any jurisdiction where it is unlawful to release, publish or distribute this announcement.

Neither this notice to the market nor the Offer and Solicitation constitutes an offer to buy or a solicitation of an offer to sell Notes, and tenders of Notes in the Tender Offer will not be accepted from Holders, in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. In those jurisdictions where the securities, blue sky or other laws require an offer to be made by a licensed broker or dealer and a Dealer Manager or its affiliate is such a licensed broker or dealer in such jurisdictions, the Tender Offer shall be deemed to be made on behalf of Canacol by such Dealer Manager or such affiliate, as the case may be, and no Tender Offer is made in any such jurisdiction where the relevant Dealer Manager or its affiliate is not so licensed.

About Canacol

Canacol is a natural gas exploration and production company with operations focused in Colombia. Canacol's common stock trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange, the OTCQX in the United States of America, and the Colombia Stock Exchange under ticker symbol CNE, CNNEF, and CNE.C, respectively.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this news release may be forward-looking statements. Such statements can generally be identified by words such as "may," "target," "could," "would," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "plan," "intend," "foresee" and other similar words or phrases. In particular, forward-looking statements herein include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the proposed Tender Offer and New Offering. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Canacol believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements should not be unduly relied upon. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and Canacol assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as expressly required by applicable securities law. Further information regarding risks and uncertainties relating to Canacol and its securities can be found in the disclosure documents filed by Canacol with the securities regulatory authorities, available at www.sedar.com.

For more information please contact:

Investor Relations

South America: +571.621.1747 [email protected]

Global: +1.403.561.1648 [email protected]

SOURCE Canacol Energy Ltd.
BASINGSTOKE, England, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cash Processing Solutions Ltd (CPS), headquartered in Basingstoke UK, has been awarded a framework agreement to supply multiple High-Speed Banknote Sorting Machines to the De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB)  the Central Bank of the Netherlands

The contract was won through a competitive tender process, with CPS being selected to design, manufacture, install and commission multiple CPS 7000i High Speed Banknote Sorting Machines during 2022 and 2023

"The long-term relationship with the De Nederlandsche Bank has been a key pillar of our European business for more than 20 years and we now look forward as we enter the next decade of partnership and innovation with the DNB," said Barrie Foley, Cash Processing Solutions CEO. "Built on a history of collaborative innovation, flexibility and service excellence, we are proud that the DNB has continued to put its trust in the technology and team from CPS."

The CPS 7000i  High Speed Banknote Processing System

The CPS 7000i is an intelligent, intuitive and innovative solution providing secure, efficient and cost-effective high-speed, high-volume banknote processing. An industry-leading high-resolution camera system, bander and in-pocket bundler and additional feeder options are just some of the features of the 7000i. Transporting currency at up to 120,000 banknotes per hour (2,000 banknotes per minute), the 7000i processes banknotes of any orientation, denomination or series. Options include single or multi denomination processing, on-line banding and bundling, packaging and banknote destruction. The 7000i utilises a self-contained air compression system. As this air compressor is built-in to the sorting machine, there is no requirement to accommodate a separate bulky air compressor unit within the building nor the related services required to link it to the banknote sorter. This means the 7000i has a smaller footprint than equivalent machines available. Open architecture allows the 7000i to integrate seamlessly into cash management and business intelligence software such as ECM. Find out more about the CPS 7000i at www.cps.world

About CPS

CPS is an independent global provider of customer focused, end-to-end, data-driven cash management solutions, developing long-term partnerships with our customers to safeguard their reputation, optimise their efficiency and protect their investment.

CPS provides complete cash centre consultancy, data & software solutions and sorting machines, supported by a global service team, to central banks, commercial processors, casinos and retailers as well as single note inspection systems to banknote printworks, across the world.

Our global customer base is in over 100 countries and this combined with more than 60 years in the industry, gives CPS the specialist knowledge of global cash cycle trends and currency management that is needed, to deliver tailored solutions to meet the objectives of its customers'.

Learn more at www.cps.world

Press Contact

Keith Williamson  Marketing Director

[email protected]

SOURCE Cash Processing Solutions

Related Links

www.cps.world/


SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Checkr, a leading technology company powering the future of work, announced today it has started its first philanthropic group, Checkr.org. Checkr, whose mission is to build a fairer future by designing technology to create opportunities for all, has funded Checkr.org through the 1% Pledge , devoting one percent of the company's total equity, time, profits, and products.

"These are talented people, who made mistakes and have paid their debt to society," said Exe. Dir. Checkr.org Ken Oliver Tweet this Executive Director Ken Oliver of Checkr.org explains the fair chance mission to help formerly incarcerated people find meaningful work. Also, everyone is invited to Checkr's thought leadership conference, Checkr Forward, starting tomorrow.

One in three Americans has a criminal recordthat's up to 77 million workers who are often eliminated in the hiring process when their background check reports a criminal record to their potential employer. Checkr was founded on fundamentally rethinking the background check space, making the process fairer through education, and eliminating human bias. Checkr.org will share information, best practices and fund new programs to promote fair chance hiring, opening up the talent pool to more candidates in this time of talent shortages.

"Despite the challenges employers have faced both finding and retaining talent over last year, it's important that they prioritize diversity, including fair chance talent. By making the investment in fair chance talent now, employers can unlock the solution to their talent shortage. Checkr.org will work to educate employers on this opportunity and make the hiring process fair for all," said Checkr Chief Executive Officer, and Cofounder Daniel Yanisse.

Checkr.org will focus first on San Francisco, Denver, and Orlando, where Checkr has a large employee presence, and then expand across the country. Checkr is working with its customers externally providing best practices and training on fair chance hiring. Internally the company has a goal to hire 5% of its workforce through fair chance talent programs. Checkr has seen first-hand the value that fair chance talent brings to the workplace with these workers having a 79% retention rate and 44% promotion rate. The fair chance promotion rate last year was about 30% higher than the overall promotion rate.

Fair chance hiring is one of the last barriers in DEI hiring. This year, Checkr is on pace to reach its goal to unblock three million candidates through fair chance practices, allowing them to be considered for employment at one of Checkr's customers. The company will expand that goal even more in 2022. Checkr has also launched an end-to-end solution for job candidates to complete expungements and clear their criminal records. This solution, the first of its kind in the industry, removes the complexities and high legal fees typically associated with expungements and unlocks barriers to meaningful employment. Checkr.org received a $250,000 grant this summer to fund 1,000 free expungements in 2021.

Checkr hired Ken Oliver, Executive Director, of CROP (Creating Restorative Opportunities and Programs) as the Executive Director of Checkr.org. Oliver, who is a paralegal and former state policy director, was convicted of joyriding and spent almost 24 years in prison, more than eight of those years in solitary confinement. Since his release in 2019, he has dedicated his life to servant leadership and fighting discrimination against those who suffer from criminal convictions as they attempt to rebuild their lives and reintegrate back into the community with safe and dignified housing, meaningful employment, and access to economic mobility.

"Through CROP and other organizations I have looked for ways to make meaningful change in the system and to partner with organizations to make policy, hiring practices, even housing fairer for those who are restarting their lives," said Oliver. "I came to Checkr.org to take this effort to the next level, and hope we can partner with even more companies, non-profits, and training groups to reach even more hearts and minds. These are talented people, who made mistakes and have paid their debt to society. They want to be given a fair chance at life - and a promising career is the cornerstone of that."

"We are thrilled to announce that Ken has joined our team to design and implement the strategy of our new philanthropic arm," said Checkr Chief Financial Officer, Naeem Ishaq. "Ken has walked in the shoes of those we are committed to supporting and is uniquely positioned to lead Checkr.org. He knows how challenging it can be for the recently incarcerated to find opportunities for employment and he will be instrumental working to eliminate bias and help promote fair chance."

To hear Oliver this week and learn more about Checkr.org, join Checkr Forward, Checkr's annual customer and thought leadership conference, on Nov. 9 and 10. Everyone interested in fair chance, hiring trends, and the future of work is encouraged to register for free at checkrforward.com. To learn more about Checkr, visit here .

About Checkr

Checkr's mission is to build a fairer future by designing technology to create opportunities for all. Established in 2014 and valued at $4.6 billion, Checkr builds people infrastructure for the future of work. We believe all candidates, regardless of who they are, should have a fair chance to work. That's why we've designed a fasterand more fairway to screen job seekers. Many of the fastest-growing businesses in the world use Checkr's technology to easily initiate and review background checks. Our customers include Lyft, Instacart, Netflix, Adecco, Airbnb, Drift, Coinbase, and more than tens of thousands of customers from SMBs to Fortune 500 employers. We have the goal to work with our customers to unblock three million candidates in 2021. Join us in the effort to promote fair chance at checkr.com and on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

SOURCE Checkr, Inc.

Related Links

www.checkr.com


WILMINGTON, Del., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chemours Company ("Chemours") (NYSE: CC), a global chemistry company with leading market positions in Titanium Technologies, Thermal & Specialized Solutions, Advanced Performance Materials, and Chemical Solutions, today announces that Jonathan Lock has been appointed to lead the company's sustainability efforts and will become a Section 16 officer effective November 8, 2021. As Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer, Jonathan will continue to lead Chemours' M&A, Corporate Strategy, and Investor Relations functions, while also assuming responsibility for sustainability. Sheryl Telford, Chemours' Chief Sustainability Officer will report directly to Jonathan.

"As the world increasingly looks for more sustainable solutions, our products will be an essential part of realizing clean energy and decarbonization goals. This places sustainability at the center of our growth strategy and reinforces our Corporate Responsibility Commitment efforts across Chemours," said Mark Newman, Chemours President and CEO. "I am delighted to have Jonathan leading our focus on driving a robust, integrated strategy and confident that under his leadership we will accelerate our sustainability ambitions."

Mr. Lock joined Chemours in May 2018 as Vice President, Corporate Development and Investor Relations. Prior to joining Chemours, Mr. Lock held positions in corporate strategy and investor relations in the energy and materials sector, as well as strategic business transformation and consultancy roles supporting Fortune 500 companies. He was named to the Chemours Executive Team effective July 1, 2021.

About The Chemours Company

The Chemours Company (Chemours or the Company) (NYSE: CC) is a global leader in Titanium Technologies, Thermal & Specialized Solutions, Advanced Performance Materials, and Chemical Solutions providing its customers with solutions in a wide range of industries with market-defining products, application expertise and chemistry-based innovations. We deliver customized solutions with a wide range of industrial and specialty chemicals products for markets, including coatings, plastics, refrigeration, and air conditioning, transportation, semiconductor and consumer electronics, general industrial, mining and oil and gas. Our flagship products include prominent brands such as Ti-Pure, Opteon, Freon, Nafion, Krytox, Teflon, and Viton. In 2019, Chemours was named to Newsweek's list of America's Most Responsible Companies. The company has approximately 6,500 employees and 30 manufacturing sites serving approximately 3,300 customers in approximately 120 countries. Chemours is headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware and is listed on the NYSE under the symbol CC.

For more information, we invite you to visit chemours.com or follow us on Twitter @Chemours or LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to a historical or current fact. The words "believe," "expect," "will," "anticipate," "plan," "estimate," "target," "project" and similar expressions, among others, generally identify "forward-looking statements," which speak only as of the date such statements were made. These forward-looking statements may address, among other things, the outcome or resolution of any pending or future environmental liabilities, the commencement, outcome or resolution of any regulatory inquiry, investigation or proceeding, the initiation, outcome or settlement of any litigation, changes in environmental regulations in the U.S. or other jurisdictions that affect demand for or adoption of our products, anticipated future operating and financial performance for our segments individually and our company as a whole, business plans, prospects, targets, goals and commitments, capital investments and projects and target capital expenditures, plans for dividends or share repurchases, sufficiency or longevity of intellectual property protection, cost reductions or savings targets, plans to increase profitability and growth, our ability to make acquisitions, integrate acquired businesses or assets into our operations, and achieve anticipated synergies or cost savings, all of which are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and expectations of future events that may not be accurate or realized. These statements are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements also involve risks and uncertainties that are beyond Chemours' control. In addition, the current COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the national and global economy and commodity and financial markets, which has had and we expect will continue to have a negative impact on our financial results. The full extent and impact of the pandemic is unknown and to date has included extreme volatility in financial and commodity markets, a significant slowdown in economic activity, and increased predictions of a global recession. The public and private sector response has led to significant restrictions on travel, temporary business closures, quarantines, stock market volatility, and a general reduction in consumer and commercial activity globally. Matters outside our control have affected our business and operations and may or may continue to limit travel of employees to our business units domestically and internationally, adversely affect the health and welfare of our personnel, significantly reduce the demand for our products, hinder our ability to provide goods and services to customers, cause disruptions in our supply chains, adversely affect our business partners or cause other unpredictable events. Additionally, there may be other risks and uncertainties that Chemours is unable to identify at this time or that Chemours does not currently expect to have a material impact on its business. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2021 and in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. Chemours assumes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement for any reason, except as required by law.

CONTACT:

INVESTORS

Jonathan Lock

SVP, Corporate Development & Investor Relations

+1.302.773.2263

[email protected]

NEWS MEDIA

Thomas Sueta

Director, Corporate Communications

+1.302.773.3903

[email protected]

SOURCE The Chemours Company

Related Links

www.chemours.com


TUCSON, Ariz., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In September, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce urged local authorities to assure local food supplies for winter. Chinese households were also encouraged to stock up on a certain amount of daily necessities in preparation for the winter months or emergencies. A new appeal on Nov 1 garnered more than 43 million views on Weibo, China's Twitter-like social platform. Americans should take heed, states Physicians for Civil Defense.

"Chinese cite fears of crop failures due to bitterly cold weather, with temperatures forecast to fall as much as 15 F; possible lockdowns owing to new COVID outbreaks; or a war," states Physicians for Civil Defense president Jane Orient, M.D. "These are global concerns that affect the U.S. also."

Americans are already seeing rapidly rising prices and a shortage of merchandise of all types due to supply-chain interruptions, she pointed out. "And supply chains may be further stressed by labor shortages as COVID vaccine mandates take effect."

"If shelves are bare, or people cannot afford basic necessities, and law enforcement is understaffed, civil disorder is another worry," she added.

Family disaster preparedness plans have always stressed having a food reserve. Physicians for Civil Defense has referred to the advice in Nuclear War Survival Skills, available free on line, which is useful in all types of emergency. Freeze-dried, tasty meals are offered by many survivalist stores, but they are no substitute for adequate calories from affordable staples such as unprocessed wheat, corn, beans, and oil (see pp 81 ff in NWSS). Salt, sugar, and vitamins are also needed, Dr. Orient states.

The U.S. government website ready.gov has much useful information, but the advice to obtain "at least 3 days of food" could be woefully inadequate, she observes.

Physicians for Civil Defense provides information to help save lives in the event of natural or man-made disasters.

Contact: Jane M. Orient, M.D., (520) 323-3110, [email protected]

SOURCE Physicians for Civil Defense

Related Links

http://www.physiciansforcivildefense.org


THUNDER BAY, ON, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Clean Air Metals Inc. ("Clean Air Metals" or the "Company") (TSXV: AIR) (FRA: CKU) (OTCQB: CLRMF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Shannin Metatawabin to its Board of Directors effective immediately.

Mr. Metatawabin is currently the CEO of the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association (NACCA) which is an umbrella organization for a network of 59 Aboriginal Financial Institutions (AFIs) across Canada. Over the last 30 years the AFI network has provided nearly $3 billion to support economic development and the unique and specific needs of 50,000 small and medium size loans to First Nation, Metis and Inuit across Canada.

Mr. Metatawabin is Cree / Inninow from Fort Albany (Pethtabeck) First Nation of the Mushkegowuk Cree Nation. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Carleton University and an Aboriginal Economic Development Certificate from the University of Waterloo. He previously served as the Manager of Aboriginal Affairs and Sustainability with De Beers Canada and as the Executive Director of the Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corporation.

Jim Gallagher, Executive Chair of the Board of Directors stated "Clean Air Metals is fundamentally committed to being a leader and innovator in ESG principals and implementation as we progress the Thunder Bay North project from exploration through development to a long-term, sustainable operating mine. We are incredibly pleased to have Shannin join the board where his experience and mentorship will help management and the Board achieve these goals."

In accepting the Board position, Mr. Metatawabin stated "I like the way Clean Air Metals is leading the industry in ensuring community participation in both the process and the opportunity."

Pursuant to Mr. Metatawabin's appointment, the Company has granted a 400,000 incentive stock options under the Company's Stock Option Plan, subject to regulatory approval. The stock options are exercisable at a price of $0.265 per share, for a term of 5 years from the date of issue.

COVID Policy

Clean Air Metals has adopted COVID-19 avoidance and personal protection measures for its geological staff, drilling contractor and service suppliers. Personnel are required to maintain physical distance, use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), self-monitor and self-isolate or elect to work from home. The Company is aware of Thunder Bay Health Unit guidelines that provide for "mandatory" self-isolation for returning overseas travel. The guidelines also "strongly recommend" self- monitoring and self-isolation as needed after travel into the Northwest region from other areas of the province and interprovincially. Mineral Exploration and Development has been deemed an essential service in the Province of Ontario (http://www.netnewsledger.com/2020/03/23/ontario-covid-19-business-allowed-to-remain-open-list-march-23-2020/ ).

Social Engagement

Clean Air Metals Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary Panoramic PGMs (Canada) Ltd. acknowledge that the Thunder Bay North Project is on the traditional territories of the Fort William First Nation, Red Rock First Nation and Biinjitiwabik Zaaging Anishinabek. The parties together are the Cooperating Participants in a Memorandum of Agreement dated January 9, 2021.

The Company appreciates the opportunity to work in these territories and remains committed to the recognition and respect of those who have lived, traveled, and gathered on the lands since time immemorial. Clean Air Metals is committed to stewarding Indigenous heritage and remains committed to building, fostering and encouraging a respectful relationship with First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples based upon principles of mutual trust, respect, reciprocity and collaboration in the spirit of reconciliation.

About Clean Air Metals Inc.

Clean Air Metals' flagship asset is the 100% owned, high grade Thunder Bay North Project, a platinum, palladium, copper, nickel project located near the City of Thunder Bay, Ontario and the Lac des Iles Mine owned by Impala Platinum. The Clean Air Metals project hosts the Current Lake Deposit and magma conduit and the Company is actively exploring the Escape Lake Deposit, a twin structure to the Current Lake Deposit. Executive Chair Jim Gallagher and CEO Abraham Drost lead an experienced team of geologists and engineers who are using the Norilsk magma conduit stratigraphic and mineral deposit model to guide ongoing exploration and development studies. As the former CEO of North American Palladium Ltd. which owned the Lac des Iles Mine prior to the sale to Impala Platinum in December 2019, Jim Gallagher and team are credited with the mine turnaround and creation of significant value for shareholders.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"Jim Gallagher"

Jim Gallagher, Executive Chair of Clean Air Metals Inc.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Clean Air Metals Inc.

Related Links

https://www.cleanairmetals.ca/


Rebecca Truettt stayed at the Charleston Fisher House while her husband Terry, a retired Army Black Hawk pilot, was treated for cancer.

"I just can't even imagine what the outcome would have been," said Rebecca. "It just really made so much of a difference in how he recovered and how his treatment went to have the Fisher House right there within walking distance to the hospital."

A Fisher House creates an instant community for its residents, united by their common mission of supporting a sick or injured loved one, but also provides individuals with a secure and private refuge after a long day at the hospital to rest and recharge.

"The entire Columbia VA family is thrilled to have partnered with the Fisher House Foundation and our great community leaders to have a Fisher House built on our campus by the fall of 2022," said David L. Omura, director of the Columbia VA Health Care System. "When a Veteran is in need of a family's support, the best thing you can do is be physically present. This new home away from home will allow our Veteran's families to be steps away from their loved ones as they are receiving care on our 97-acre campus."

The 16-suite, 14,490+ sq.-ft. "comfort home" will join 92 other Fisher Houses operating in the United States and Europe. Each bedroom suite will be equipped with a private, wheelchair-accessible bathroom. Common areas will include a spacious kitchen, laundry room, patio, and large communal living, dining, and family rooms.

"We are thrilled to bring this house to South Carolina, and especially proud to announce this as we head towards Veterans Day," said Fisher House Foundation Chairman and CEO Ken Fisher. "We owe these men and women a debt we can never repay, but it is my honor to at least be there for their families when they need us the most."

The Columbia Fisher House will be able to provide up to 5,840 nights of lodging for families each year and save them more than a half-million dollars annually in lodging and transportation costs.

Construction of this Fisher House is supported by 84 Lumber Company, BCBS SC, Dominion Energy, Michelin of North America, Friends of Fisher House Columbia, Samsung Electronics America, Vehicles for Veterans, and the many gifts of a Grateful Nation.

About Fisher House

Fisher House Foundation is best known for its network of 92 comfort homes where military and veteran families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment. These homes are located at major military and VA medical centers nationwide, and in Europe, close to the medical center or hospital they serve. Fisher Houses have up to 21 suites, with private bedrooms and baths. Families share a common kitchen, laundry facilities, a warm dining room, and an inviting living room. Fisher House Foundation ensures that there is never a lodging fee. Since inception, the program has saved military and veteran families an estimated $525 million in out-of-pocket costs for lodging and transportation. www.fisherhouse.org



About the Columbia VA Health Care System

The Columbia VA Health Care System opened in 1932 at its current location and has since expanded to include seven community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) located throughout South Carolina in Anderson, Florence, Greenville, Orangeburg, Spartanburg, Sumter, and York counties, serving eight sub-markets and 36 of the state's 46 counties. The Columbia VA Health Care System serves nearly 87,000 unique Veterans with 263,000 Veterans in its catchment area. In FY21, the Columbia VA Health Care System provided more than 1.19 million outpatient visits. The health care system's medical center is a level 1b teaching hospital delivering a full range of patient care services utilizing state-of-the-art technology, education, and research. Comprehensive health care is provided through primary care, tertiary care and long-term care in areas of medicine, surgery, psychiatry, physical medicine and rehabilitation, cardiology, neurology, oncology, dentistry, geriatrics and extended care. The facility is accredited by the American College of Surgeons, the Commission on Accreditation for Rehabilitation Facilities in the Health Care for Homeless Veteran Program, the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Care, the Outpatient Interdisciplinary Pain Program, the Mental Health Intensive Case Management program, and the Commission on Laboratory Accreditation of the College of American Pathologists. All recent surveys have been successful including the Joint Commission, the Long-Term Care Institute, and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehab Facilities. The medical center has a Molecular Pathology Section that conducts cutting edge testing, 3D mammography technology and a DaVinci XI robotic surgical system.

SOURCE Fisher House Foundation

Related Links

www.fisherhouse.org


BOSTON, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Creatio, a global software company that provides a leading low-code platform for process management and CRM, has been recognized in The Forrester WaveTM: Low-code Platforms for Business Developers, Q4 2021 report published by Forrester Research.

In their 38-criterion evaluation of Low-code Platforms for Business Developers providers, Creatio was identified as one of the nine most significant. Forrester evaluated vendors based on their comprehensive declarative tooling capable of supporting a variety of business cases, development experiences designed to serve the needs of business users, and more.

Forrester's report states that democratized development is now an enterprise strategy. According to theirsurvey, "26% of senior-level developers say their firm currently recruits business people outside of IT to develop apps using low-code platforms." The research firm considers that "this trend is logical, necessary, represents a competitive advantage for firms that do it, and is key to the future of work."

Creatio believes this recognition is thanks to enterprise-ready low-code platform that empowers businesses from various industries to automate workflows and create apps. With Creatio's powerful yet easy-to-use low-code/no-code tools both business and IT teams can automate operational and CRM workflows and gain the freedom to own their automation.

"We are inspired by how our customers leverage Creatio's low-code platform to automate enterprise-grade workflows across thousands of use cases without touching code," said Katherine Kostereva, CEO and Founder of Creatio. "We are honored to be recognized by Forrester in their Low-code Platforms for Business Developers," she added.

The full report is available to subscription holders here.

About Creatio

Creatio is a global software company providing a leading no-code/low-code platform for process management and CRM. The company has been highly recognized as a market leader by key industry analysts. Its intelligent products accelerate sales, marketing, service and operations for mid-size and large enterprises. Together with hundreds of partners Creatio operates in 110 countries worldwide. For more information, please visit www.creatio.com.

SOURCE Creatio
NORTH BILLERICA, Mass., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Curriculum Associates' i-Ready Classroom Mathematics program for Grades 68 recently received a Tier 1 rating by the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE). With the prior Tier 1 rating of i-Ready Classroom Mathematics for Grades K5, the complete program for Grades K8 has now received the highest rating from the Department. Louisiana educators can use i-Ready Classroom Mathematics, which "exemplifies quality" and "meets all non-negotiable criteria and scored the best possible on all indicators of superior quality" according to the LDOE, to deliver discourse-based instruction that empowers students to think mathematically and discuss mathematical ideas.

"A Tier 1 rating from the LDOE is the real benchmark when it comes to choosing comprehensive and quality instructional programs to meet the needs of students," said Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates. "Whether addressing unfinished learning, accelerating student outcomes, or supporting in-person or distance instruction and tutoring, i-Ready Classroom Mathematics provides a research-based solution that is a valuable resource for all K8 math educators in the state."

The LDOE's comprehensive, educator-led online reviews of instructional materials are designed to help support school districts across the state in making their own local, high-quality purchasing decisions. The tiered reviews describe the instructional materials' degree of alignment with state content standards that enables each local school system to determine if the use of the materials is appropriate to meet the educational needs of their students. Ratings are based on elements such as the focus, coherence, rigor, alignment, and quality of the materials.

i-Ready Classroom Mathematics helps teachers deliver discourse-based instruction while empowering students to think mathematically and discuss mathematical ideas. Its printed and online grade-differentiated resources work cohesively to support the teaching and learning process. The program uses multiple-day lessons and instructional routines to help students understand important mathematical concepts, make connections between multiple mathematical strategies, and deepen their conceptual understanding by having them lead the majority of the classroom discussion. There are also frequent opportunities for practice and assessment to ensure that students understand concepts and to help teachers make instructional decisions.

The program includes a variety of professional learning resources that are built into the beginning of every unit and embedded within every lesson. It also offers professional guidance for supporting English Language Learners, including language differentiation strategies that provide scaffolds for the five WIDA language proficiency levels and ideas for community and cultural responsiveness that can be incorporated during the lesson.

When used with i-Ready Diagnostic and its Prerequisites report, i-Ready Classroom Mathematics helps educators further understand unfinished learning, identify student gaps, and effectively balance instruction of prerequisite skills and current grade-level content.

In addition to the LDOE rating, i-Ready Classroom Mathematics was also recently named a highly rated program by EdReports.org, an independent nonprofit that conducts evidence-based reviews of instructional materials. After undergoing a comprehensive review using the organization's updated and more rigorous evaluation rubric, expert educators from EdReports.org found the program met expectations for all evaluation criteria.

To learn more about i-Ready Classroom Mathematics, visit i-ReadyClassroomMathematics.com/LearnMore. To learn more about the LDOE rating, visit LouisianaBelieves.com/Academics/Online-Instructional-Materials-Reviews/Curricular-Resources-Annotated-Reviews.

About Curriculum Associates

Founded in 1969, Curriculum Associates, LLC designs research-based print and online instructional materials, screens and assessments, and data management tools. The company's products and outstanding customer service provide teachers and administrators with the resources necessary for teaching diverse student populations and fostering learning for all students.

Contact: Kati Elliott

KEH Communications

(410) 975-9638

[email protected]

Charlotte Fixler

Curriculum Associates

(978) 901-6066

[email protected]



SOURCE Curriculum Associates, LLC

Related Links

www.curriculumassociates.com


PRINCE WILLIAM, Va., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Prince William County's Department of Information Technology launched Digital Prince William. The program's goal is to improve technology literacy across the County by addressing all impediments that might exist for residents and businesses.

"Digital Prince William addresses one of three goals of the County's Technology Inclusion Initiative which aims to expand technology literacy among County residents and businesses and deliver affordable, universal broadband access County-wide," said Rob Mancini, Director of the Department of Information Technology and CIO for Prince William County. "This program will help unserved and underserved County residents and businesses build the technology skills needed to thrive in an increasingly digital world."

The pilot project for Digital Prince William will kick off on November 13, 2021 and is targeted to older adult County residents who want to increase their knowledge and proficiency with the technologies they use most. Free smartphone classes are now open for registration. These are in-person, beginner-level courses designed to help older adults understand and develop proficiency using some of the key features and functions of their smartphones safely and securely. While these classes are targeted to older adult County residents, future classes will be developed as funding becomes available to reach other unserved or underserved County residents and businesses.

"Many County residents who take advantage of our senior center programs have smartphones, but a limited understanding of how to get the most out of them while staying safe, secure, and protecting their privacy," said Sarah Henry, Director of the Area Agency on Aging. "These free classes will provide valuable skills and confidence to our older residents on how to leverage technology to enhance their everyday lives."

Digital Prince William is a partnership led by Prince William County's Department of Information Technology. Other agency partners include Prince William Area Agency on Aging, the Office of Communication, the Department of Economic Development, the Office of Equity and Inclusion, the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, and Prince William Public Libraries. These partners will play a critical role in shaping the program and reaching residents and businesses that can benefit most. Digital Prince William anticipates developing future partnerships with non-profit organizations, the business community, technology companies, and others to scale the program.

To learn more about Digital Prince William, register for a free class and more, go to: https://www.pwcva.gov/digitalpw or call (703) 792-8640 (TTY: 711).

Prince William County is the second-largest county in the Commonwealth of Virginia with a population of nearly 467,000. A highly-educated, racially and ethnically diverse population makes the county one of the most globally represented communities in the region. AAA Bond Ratings, awarded annually from all three ratings agencies, confirms a commitment to a thriving and robust economy. Prince William County encompasses a total area of 348 square miles and includes independent cities and towns, state and federal park properties, and Quantico Marine Corps Base. Steeped in rich history, surrounded by beautiful parks and open space, Prince William County is a community of choice where individuals, families and businesses choose to live, work and play.

Contact:

Executive Management / Communications Media Contact: Sherrie Johnson, Director

(703) 792-5509 (TTY: 711) | [email protected]

SOURCE Prince William County Department of Information Technology

Related Links

www.pwcva.gov


CRANBURY, N.J., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MJH Life Sciences is pleased to announce that 11 of its brands have teamed up with GenesisCare: The American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC), Contagion Live, CURE Media Group, HCPLive, NeurologyLive, OncLive, Ophthalmology Times, Optometry Times, Pharmacy Times, Targeted Oncology, and Urology Times.

"We are thrilled to have several brands team up with GenesisCare," said Mike Hennessy Jr., president and CEO of MJH Life Sciences. "I am confident that the collaborative effort between our publications and this reputable organization will result in outstanding initiatives that will help us to continue delivering the vital information physicians need to maximize positive patient outcomes."

GenesisCare is a premier provider of cancer and urology care, with more than 300 expert physicians in the United States who provide access to some of the most advanced technologies and whose teams are dedicated to putting their patients' first. GenesisCare has more than 440 cancer centers across the globe allowing both patients and physicians access to evidenced-based care, novel therapies, and the latest technology to achieve the best possible patient outcomes.

Additionally, GenesisCare offers urology and pulmonology care across the United States in 170+ medical offices. Their team of over 5,000 skilled healthcare professionals design better care experiences to optimize patient outcomes. GenesisCare is also affiliated with nearly 1,000 expert physicians who contribute to high-quality patient care and global clinical trials.

The SAP program partners with leading medical associations, health plans, advocacy groups and medical institutions to increase their national reach and visibility. By utilizing the MJH Life Sciences communication platform, these groups can showcase groundbreaking initiatives, content, research, and thought leadership. The SAP program also fosters collaboration and an open exchange of information among trusted peers for the benefit of patients and their families. As part of this joint effort, AJMC, Contagion Live, CURE Media Group, HCPLive, NeurologyLive, OncLive, Ophthalmology Times, Optometry Times, Pharmacy Times, Targeted Oncology, and Urology Times will work with GenesisCare to share information and help optimize patient outcomes.

For more information on GenesisCare, click here.

About MJH Life Sciences

MJH Life Sciences is the largest privately held, independent, full-service medical media company in North America dedicated to delivering trusted health care news across multiple channels, providing health care professionals with the information and resources they need to optimize patient outcomes. MJH combines the reach and influence of its powerful portfolio of digital and print product lines, live events, educational programs, and market research with the customization capabilities of a boutique firm. Clients include world-leading pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostic and biotech companies. For more information, please visit https://www.mjhlifesciences.com.



Media Contact

Alyssa Scarpaci, 609-716-7777

[email protected]

SOURCE MJH Life Sciences

Related Links

https://www.mjhlifesciences.com


CHICAGO, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Enteral Feeding Devices Market by Type (Feeding Tube (Gastrostomy, Jejunostomy), Feeding Pump, Giving Set), Age Group (Adult, Pediatric), Application (Diabetes, Neurological Disorder, Cancer), End User (Hospital, ACS, Home Care) - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Enteral Feeding Devices Market is projected to reach USD 4.9 billion by 2026 from USD 3.5 billion in 2021, growing at a CAGR of 6.6% during the forecast period.

Browse and in-depth TOC on "Enteral Feeding Devices Market"

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Factors such as rising healthcare costs; a surge in the number of preterm births; growth in the aging population; rising prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, gastrointestinal diseases, and neurological disorders; growing awareness of enteral nutrition; and rapid improvements in healthcare facilities in emerging countries are expected to further drive the market during the forecast period. Moreover, the shift from parenteral nutrition to enteral nutrition and growing adoption of and demand for enteral feeding devices in home and ambulatory care settings are also expected to drive the market in the coming years. However, patient safety risks; rising cases of feeding and medication errors; and the complications associated with enteral feeding tubes such as misconnections, tube dislodgement, and infections are restricting the growth of this market to a certain extent. In addition, insufficient or lack of reimbursements in some developing and underdeveloped countries and a dearth of trained physicians, endoscopists, and nurses across the globe pose significant challenges for the growth of this market.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, major sections of the medical devices industryimaging devices, dental care devices, surgical products, and medical supplies (contributing 6075% to the overall medical devices market)registered a stagnant or deep fall in the growth rate in 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. A new USD 57 billion market opportunity (by 2021) is opening up in the medical devices industry, including critical care medical devices.

This pandemic has increased demand of enteral feeding devices to provide nutritional support in critically ill COVID positive patients. Moreover, the increasing demand for enteral feeding devices in the home care sector, along with the shift from parenteral to enteral feeding, is aiding market growth during this period.

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The enteral feeding tubes segment holds the largest market share during the forecast period.

Based on type, the Enteral Feeding Devices Market is segmented into enteral feeding tubes, administration sets, enteral syringes, enteral feeding pumps, and consumables. In 2020, the enteral feeding tubes segment accounted for the largest share of the Enteral Feeding Devices Market, followed by administration sets. The administration sets segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The shift towards enteral feeding from parental feeding and increasing cases of cancer are expected to increase the adoption of enteral feeding devices, which, in turn, will increase the demand for administration sets across the globe.

The adult patients segment holds the largest market share during the forecast period

Based on age group, the Enteral Feeding Devices Market is segmented into adult patients (18 years and over) and pediatric patients (neonates under 1 month, infants between 1 month and 2 years of age, children between 2 and 12 years, and adolescents between 12 and 16 years). In 2020, adult patients accounted for the largest market share. This can be attributed to the growing incidence of chronic diseases and disorders resulting in malnutrition and the rapid increase in the geriatric population.

In the end user segment, hospital segment is expected to grow at the largest share in the Enteral Feeding Devices Market

Hospitals, home care settings, and ambulatory care settings are the major end users in the Enteral Feeding Devices Market. The hospitals segment accounted for the largest market share in 2020. The development of technologically advanced enteral feeding devices and the shift from parenteral nutrition to enteral nutrition are supporting the growth of the hospitals segment.

The home care settings segment is expected to register the highest growth during the forecast period. The increasing pressure on hospitals to curtail soaring healthcare costs, the development and availability of user-friendly feeding devices, and the favorable reimbursement policies for home enteral nutrition (HEN) are some of the key factors supporting the growth of this end-user segment.

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Oncology segment is expected to account for the largest share in the Enteral Feeding Devices Market

In 2020, the oncology segment accounted for the largest share of the Enteral Feeding Devices Market, followed by gastrointestinal diseases, neurological disorders diabetes, hypermetabolism, and other applications. The oncology segment will continue to dominate the market by 2026, growing at a CAGR during the forecast period. The increase in the prevalence of various types of cancersespecially head & neck cancers, cancers of the gastrointestinal system, lung cancer, and liver canceris expected to play a major role in the higher adoption of enteral feeding devices used to provide clinical nutrition to cancer patients.

APAC is expected to grow at the highest growth rate in 2020

During the forecast period, the Asia Pacific is estimated to be the fastest-growing regional market for enteral feeding devices. Factors such as the increasing number of preterm births, rising geriatric population, growing awareness of enteral nutrition, and the rapid development of healthcare facilities in several APAC countries are driving the growth of this market. Key players have shifted their focus to emerging economies in these regions and are focusing on expansions and acquisitions to garner a greater market share in the coming years.

Key players in the Enteral Feeding Devices Market

The prominent players in the Enteral Feeding Devices Market are Becton, Dickinson and Company (US), Danone S.A. (France), CONMED Corporation (US), Cardinal Health Inc. (US), Cook Medical (US), Moog Inc. (US), Fresenius Kabi (Germany), Boston Scientific Corporation (US), Vygon Group (France), Nestle S.A. (Switzerland), B. Braun Melsungen AG (Germany), Avanos Medical Inc. (US), and Baxter International Inc. (US). Other players in the Enteral Feeding Devices Market are Applied Medical Technology (US), Amsino International Inc. (US), Omex Medical Technology (India), Danumed Medizintechnik (Germany), Medline Industries, Inc. (US), Fuji Systems Corporation (Japan), Kentec Medical Inc. (US), Vesco Medical LLC (US), Dynarex Corporation (US), Medela Inc. (Switzerland), Alcor Scientific (US), and Romsons Group of Industries (India).

Browse Adjacent Markets @ Medical Devices Market Research Reports & Consulting

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https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/infusion-pumps-accessories-market-90374506.html

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Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/enteral-feeding-device.asp

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SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
The trademark filing dates and descriptions could indicate Enviropedia's METALENS trademark has broad priority over Facebook's META trademark. Tweet this

The trademark filing dates and descriptions could indicate Enviropedia's METALENS trademark has broad priority over Facebook's META trademark.

Over the past seven years, Enviropedia has been quietly developing AR, VR, metaverse and spatial-computing technologies. The company is now in the process of commercializing its concepts and emerging from stealth.

Enviropedia will provide updates over the next few weeks. The company will also offer regular communications through their web site at https://enviropedia.com and on the Enviropedia YouTube Channel.

For more information about Enviropedia, visit https://enviropedia.com.

About Enviropedia: Enviropedia is breakthrough contextual search, chronological navigation, and spatial computing for the world's information.

For media inquiries, please contact Enviropedia at: [email protected]

SOURCE Enviropedia

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PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

"After being undervalued for decades, this book finally puts the spotlight on the crucial role played by women in extremely wealthy families as the bridge builders who act as conduits of family history and values. The underlying research will help revolutionize thinking in the family office space." Jay Hughes, author, researcher, and current active Fellow of Wise Counsel Research Foundation

"The hallmark of wealth, it is said, is complexity. This research shines a spotlight on the unique complexity experienced by women who are family leaders and wealth holders. This book joins the growing chorus of research that says wealth is far from toxicit can be empowering. You will be inspired."- James Grubman PhD, author and internationally-recognized consultant to families of wealth, family enterprises, and the advisors who serve them

Finding Her Voice & Creating a Legacy: Portraits of Pioneering Women Leading Wealthy Families, written by Amy Hart Clyne and Dennis T. Jaffe, has been released by Pitcairn.

Although women today hold numerous leadership positions worldwide in government and business, in ultra-high-net-worth families, women too often remain hindered by longstanding conventions and complex intergenerational dynamics. Based on pioneering research, in Finding Her Voice & Creating a Legacy 40 of these women share the personal stories of their circuitous, complex, challenging path and offers valuable lessons for family stewards and the advisors serving the world's wealthiest families.

"Breaking new ground on such an important topic has been tremendously rewarding," said Amy Hart Clyne, Chief Knowledge and Learning Officer at Pitcairn and co-author of Finding Her Voice & Creating a Legacy. "It's our hope that this research begins to form a foundation of new thinking and a new focus on women of wealth. Even more, we hope it catalogs and catalyzes a movement."

This book and the underlying research come at a time when women's roles are changing at an exponential pace. Across countless corners of society, women have passed a tipping point to where staid stereotypes and traditional roles no longer apply.

As of March 2021 , 41 women are leading Fortune 500 companies, from fashion-forward beauty and clothing conglomerates to typically male-dominated industries of motor vehicles and financial services. These standard bearers are illustrative of women's growing role in shaping history through power and influence.

, 41 women are leading Fortune 500 companies, from fashion-forward beauty and clothing conglomerates to typically male-dominated industries of motor vehicles and financial services. These standard bearers are illustrative of women's growing role in shaping history through power and influence. At the same time, women control more wealth than ever before.

In 2019, there were eleven self-made female billionaires worldwide. Just one year later, there were one hundred.

"Pitcairn's goal was to uncover the voices and perspectives of this elusive group at this critical time," said Dennis T. Jaffe, Ph.D., co-author of Finding Her Voice & Creating a Legacy. "For our research, we took an anthropological approach that gave us the opportunity to hear these women's stories in their own words."

"I had dozens of in-depth and meaningful conversations with women of wealth, some of whom were actively involved in wealth creation and others who inherited the wealth from a previous generation," added Clyne. "Those conversations were both extremely rewarding and revealing. The accomplishments of these women are all the more impressive when you realize that they had very little precedent for their success  no roadmap to follow."

Finding Her Voice & Creating a Legacy is available for $12.95 from Amazon.

About Amy Hart Clyne:

Amy Hart Clyne has dedicated her career to helping prosperous families fulfill the promise and potential of their legacies. As Chief Knowledge and Learning Officer at Pitcairn, Amy empowers wealthy families through family education while pioneering research and best practices that elevate the role of advisors to one of true partnership. She also leads Pitcairn's Gen7 Project, the firm's thought leadership and learning lab providing unique resources, actionable content, and educational tools to families undergoing major wealth transitions.

Amy has an MBA in Marketing from Columbia Business School, Columbia University, and a bachelor's degree in international relations from Colgate University. She has earned the designation of Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and is a Certified Family Business Advisor.

About Dennis T. Jaffe:

Dennis T. Jaffe, Ph.D. is an advisor to families about family business, governance, wealth, and philanthropy. He is the author of numerous books, with his most recent, Borrowed from Your Grandchildren: The Evolution of 100-Year Family Enterprises (Wiley, 2000). Dennis has earned many awards and distinctions, including as a thought leader in wealth management by Family Wealth Report in 2020. He has a bachelor's degree in philosophy, a master's degree in management, and a doctorate in sociology from Yale University.

About Pitcairn:

Families of wealth must navigate fundamental risks to their assets that extend beyond market movements and macroeconomic shifts. These often-overlooked risks are embedded in the culture, composition, and communications of the family itself. For nearly a century, Pitcairn has embraced this truth with the experience and expertise needed to help prosperous families fulfil the unique promise and true potential of their legacies. Rooted in our own family experience and enriched by our work with ultra-high-net-worth families and single-family offices, our distinctive Wealth Momentum approach focuses on a deeper and longer-term view of the family and financial dynamics that lead to better outcomes. We are a family office leveraging advanced thinking and modern service innovations to set a new standard in multi-generational wealth stewardship. Headquartered in suburban Philadelphia, with offices in New York and Washington, DC, we connect with our network of resources around the world.

For more information visit pitcairn.com.

Media Contact:

Michaela Morales

JConnelly

973 224 7152

[email protected]

SOURCE Pitcairn

Related Links

https://www.pitcairn.com


NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Global independent marketing and communications firm, FINN Partners, announced today that it has acquired Hawkins International PR, a 26-person bi-coastal, boutique luxury Travel and Hospitality PR agency with offices in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Jennifer Hawkins, Founder and CEO of Hawkins International PR, will join FINN as Managing Partner, Luxury Travel and become part of the agency's Global Travel Practice leadership team. The Hawkins team will transition to the FINN brand name over time. As part of the deal, FINN also acquires Maverick Creative, Hawkins International's 10-person affiliate agency specializing in creative communications for travel and lifestyle clients. Maverick will retain its current branding and operations will continue under Managing Director Catherine Colford, while expanding to the UK.

Jennifer Hawkins, CEO & Founder of Hawkins International PR, joins FINN Partners as Managing Partner, Luxury Travel.

"Hawkins International works with many of the most celebrated hotel and resort brands in the industry. They have an excellent reputation and a keen grasp of what drives high-end demographics. Their expertise within the luxury travel sector will complement our experience with large travel brands and leading destinations around the word," said Peter Finn, Founding Managing Partner and CEO, FINN Partners.

Hawkins specializes in serving premier multinational luxury brands in the worlds of travel, hospitality and wellness. The firm's capabilities span the breadth of travel communications services, including consumer and trade media relations, media intelligence, trendspotting, content development and storytelling, brand partnerships, social media strategy and advertising, influencer marketing, content marketing, digital marketing, experiential and thought leadership.

Current Hawkins clients include: Montage International, Inspirato, Dorchester Collection, Seabourn Cruise Line, onefinestay, Gstaad Palace, Wilderness Safaris, Palmaia - The House of AiA, Living Vehicle, The Dolder Grand, The Sono Collection, and Tradewind Aviation.

Current Maverick clients include: Rocco Forte Hotels, Arlo Hotels, The Point, The Shelbourne, RVshare, Asbury Ocean Club, the Nines, and Chebeague Island Inn, among others.

FINN's acquisition of Hawkins International and Maverick Creative follows strategic moves by the agency to bolster its position as a leading global integrated travel powerhouse, including its recent purchase of Hawaii-based Anthology Marketing Group, which has a strong travel practice, and hiring of Luxury Travel Expert Steven DeLuca as Senior Partner. With the addition of Hawkins and Maverick, FINN's fast-growing Global Travel practice will reach more than $20 million with more than 150 people serving clients across three continents. The move will also complement FINN's extensive portfolio of large travel and hospitality clients, which includes, South Africa, Singapore, Turkish Airlines, Bahamas, Iceland, Intrepid Travel, Italy, Belize, Dubai and Panama.

"The global luxury travel market was worth an estimated $945 billion in 2019 (Source: Allied Market Research). This market segment is lucrative in normal times, but with the pandemic, pent up demand has caused many travelers to ladder up to more bespoke, premium experiences and indulgent getaways. Now is the perfect time for FINN to build out our footprint as the go-to global luxury travel communications agency for clients around the world," said Debbie Flynn, Managing Partner and Global Travel Practice Leader.

Said Jennifer Hawkins, Managing Partner, Luxury Travel, "It's energizing to play a key role in FINN's momentum as a global travel communications leader. They are a dynamic, independent agency that inherently shares many of Hawkins International's and Maverick's core values and a philosophy rooted in collaboration, respect and making a true difference in the world. I'm excited about the synergies between our companies, and the ability to leverage the resources across our global network to better serve existing and new clients within the luxury sector."

The Stevens Group made the introduction between FINN Partners and Hawkins International and helped facilitate the transaction. Hawkins was advised on the negotiations by their business advisor, Seth Rosenstein.

About FINN Partners

Founded in 2011 on the core principles of innovation and collaborative partnership, FINN Partners has more than quadrupled in size in eight years, becoming one of the fastest growing independent public relations agencies in the world. The full-service marketing and communications company's record-setting pace is a result of organic growth and integrating new companies and new people into the FINN world through a common philosophy. With more than 900 professionals across 24 offices, FINN provides clients with global access and capabilities in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. FINN Partners clients are also supported through longstanding partner agencies and its membership in the PROI network of leading agencies around the world. Headquartered in New York, FINN has offices in: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Guam, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Fort Lauderdale, Frankfurt, Jerusalem, London, Los Angeles, Munich, Nashville, Orange County, Paris, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Shanghai, Singapore and Washington D.C. Find us at finnpartners.com and follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @finnpartners.

About Hawkins International PR

Founded in 2002 by Jennifer Hawkins, Hawkins International Public Relations is a bi-coastal, award-winning communications agency with offices in New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Our creative, integrated and tailored approach to public relations and digital strategies, has earned numerous accolades from industry peers, media and clients around the world. Our strong domestic footprint, coupled with our global reach and varied cultural sensibilities have afforded us the opportunity to work with a variety of hospitality-affiliated companies specializing in sectors including travel and tourism, wellness, design, culinary, real estate and more.

About Maverick Creative

Maverick Creative is an NYC-based creative communications agency specializing in modern storytelling for travel and lifestyle clients. Media-forward, digitally visionary and deeply experienced with eyes on the next horizon, Maverick Creative combines razor-sharp awareness of industry trends and a tight embrace of contemporary storytelling with partnership development, content creation, experiential events, executive thought leadership and of-the-moment social media campaigns to grab media and consumers alike.

Contacts:

FINN Partners:

Celia Jones, Global Director of Marketing Communications

[email protected]

773.885.9781 (Chicago)

Hawkins International PR:

Jennifer Hawkins

[email protected]

917.549.0613

SOURCE FINN Partners

Related Links

http://www.finnpartners.com


TORONTO, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Foodmaestro, a data platform that enables retailers to execute personalized digital strategies, announced a partnership with Sonae MC, owner of Continente Portuguese supermarkets' chain, to help customers shop easier on online.

Foodmaestro's data technologies will support Continente's digital team with health and wellness capabilities to enable customers to shop more quickly and confidently online.

Foodmaestro's data technologies will support Continente's digital team with health and wellness capabilities to enable customers to shop more quickly and confidently online.

Sonae MC implementing this new product attribute feature is the latest client for Foodmaestro, who provides health and wellness capabilities for grocery retailers around the globe including Sainsbury's, ASDA, Walmart Canada, Ocado, and Coop Sweden.

About Foodmaestro

Foodmaestro is a data platform that enables retailers to execute digital strategies in support of increasing food transparency and empowering healthier eating. Foodmaestro enriches data to drive meaningful connections between CPGs, retailers and consumers to provide customers a simple, personalized shopping experience.

The Toronto based company serves retailers and CPGs across Europe, the UK, and North America, accelerating their digital strategy by delivering improved search and consumer personalisation. Foodmaestro processes over 14 million product attributes, 300 thousand search requests and 6 million product validations in real-time each day. Recognized as part of the top 100 agri-tech companies from FoodTech 500 2020 and a member of the European Union's EIT Rising Food Stars.

About Sonae MC

Sonae MC, the food retail leader in the Portuguese market, encompasses multiple brands and business formats: Continente (hypermarkets), Continente Modelo (supermarkets), Continente Bom Dia (proximity stores), Continente Online, Meu Super (supermarkets), Bagga (coffee shops), Go Natural (bio supermarkets and restaurants), note! (stationery stores), Wells (parapharmacies) and ZU (pet store, veterinary and grooming services). More info at www.sonaemc.com.

Media Contact:

Alyssa Gallop

647-892-4916

[email protected]

SOURCE Foodmaestro
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Getaround, the world's leading digital carsharing marketplace, announced today its commitment to sustainable mobility by pledging to have only electric vehicles on its platform by 2040.

With the global acceleration towards electric vehicles and more sustainable technologies within the automotive industry and in major cities around the world, Getaround is optimistic that cars that emit zero tailpipe emissions will become the default mode of car transport in the coming years, and will evolve its business to advance their adoption within carsharing. Electric and low-emission vehicles currently represent 11% of the cars shared by Getaround hosts worldwide.

Founded in 2009, the company's digital carsharing solution enables users to find, book, and unlock a wide variety of vehicles directly from the Getaround app 24/7, without needing to meet anyone in person, carry an access card, wait in line, or coordinate picking up keys. Getaround is used by millions of people in over 850 cities across 8 countries around the world.

As a touchstone in Getaround's mission of making cities and communities more sustainable through carsharing*, this pledge aims to help reduce the pollution and harmful greenhouse gas emissions arising from individual car usage by promoting the widespread sharing of electric vehicles, particularly in dense urban areas.

To that end, only electric and low-emission vehicles will be allowed to be added to the Getaround platform from 2030, with the company eventually phasing out all cars that emit tailpipe emissions on the platform by 2040. Vehicles with an internal combustion engine (ICE) will no longer be accepted on the Getaround platform starting in 2030.

"We're proud to announce that Getaround will be devoted entirely to electric vehicles by 2040, and we'll no longer accept new cars that emit tailpipe emissions after 2030," says Karim Bousta, CEO of Getaround. "As governments and regulatory bodies around the world implement policies to accelerate the adoption of greener mobility solutions, Getaround is leading the charge to transition cities towards a more sustainable future."

"We believe that our global carsharing community expects nothing less than for us to deliver on our promise to help make cities better and more sustainable," says Bousta. "This commitment to a fully electric carsharing platform makes sense not only for our planet, but also for our business."

Getaround's pledge towards a platform without conventional ICE cars aligns with the goals set out by governments around the world to limit the use and sale of these types of vehicles in order to reach the COP21 Paris Agreement target of net-zero emissions by 2050. The European Commission has also proposed a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035.

Easing the transition to more sustainable transportation within cities, Getaround has forged key partnerships with some of the major cities that have implemented regulations in favour of mobility solutions that produce fewer overall emissions, including Paris, Brussels, and San Francisco.

Vision 2045: Moving Towards More Sustainable Car Use

This announcement is made in conjunction with the launch of the documentary short film "Getaround: True Alternative to Car Ownership" , as part of the Vision 2045 initiative. Getaround is featured as one of the global business leaders using technology to fight against climate change and build a more sustainable world, with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a framework for innovation. The year 2045 represents the 100th anniversary of the United Nations.

Getaround's involvement in Vision 2045 includes participating in a panel discussion with other business leaders about the development of sustainable cities at the Vision 2045 Summit, held alongside the UN's COP26 Climate Change Conference in Scotland in November 2021.

In Europe, Getaround has signed the Climate Act, joining more than 200 companies in making a public commitment to share their carbon footprint and implement concrete actions to reduce it. Getaround is also a member of the Convention des Entreprises pour le Climat, gathering 150 leaders across various industries who have committed to accelerate the systemic transformations necessary to tackle environmental issues.

*Studies have shown that switching from car ownership to carsharing can reduce a household's carbon footprint by up to 40% ( "Carsharing's Impact and Future: Advances in Transport Policy and Planning", 2019 ).

About Getaround

Getaround connects safe, convenient, and affordable cars with people who need them to live and work. We aim to create the world's best carsharing marketplace with proprietary technology and data that make sharing vehicles superior to owning them.

Founded in 2009, Getaround operates in over 850 cities across 8 countries. People use Getaround to find a car nearby, which they can unlock with their phone, and drive to wherever they want for a few hours or days. The Getaround community includes owners - private and professional, including those who operate their own carsharing businesses - who share their cars on the platform, and drivers who rely on the cars provided for their on-demand mobility needs.

We support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to "make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable". For more information, visit Getaround.com or download our iPhone and Android app.

SOURCE Getaround

Related Links

http://www.getaround.com/


VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - GoldMining Inc. (the "Company" or "GoldMining") (TSX: GOLD) (NYSE American: GLDG) is pleased to announce that BRI Mineracao Ltda. ("BRI"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, has completed a transaction to replace the remaining 1.33% net production royalty on the Company's Cachoeira Project in Brazil, with a 0.5% net smelter return royalty ("NSR") including a buy-back right to repurchase half of the NSR. Pursuant to the agreement with the royalty counterparty, BRI paid in Brazilian Reais the equivalent of US$100,000 in cash and delivered 324,723 common shares of the Company to the counterparty in settlement of a previously announced claim for pre-production royalties by the counterparty. Under the terms of the buy-back, the Company has a period of seven years to elect to purchase half of the NSR (0.25%) upon payment in Brazilian Reais the equivalent of US$250,000.

Alastair Still, CEO of GoldMining, commented, "Since acquiring the Cachoeira project in 2012, we have completed various initiatives including engineering and environmental studies and negotiating more attractive royalty structures that can support future development. This transaction enhances the value of our Cachoeira Project by replacing an existing net production royalty that included an annual pre-production payment, with an NSR royalty on more favourable terms including a buy-back provision to acquire half of the NSR and no pre-production payments. It is yet another example of how we will continue our disciplined approach of unlocking value from our portfolio of gold and gold-copper projects located throughout the Americas."

About GoldMining Inc.

GoldMining Inc. is a public mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of gold assets in the Americas. Through its disciplined acquisition strategy, GoldMining now controls a diversified portfolio of resource-stage gold and gold-copper projects in Canada, U.S.A., Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. The Company also owns 20 million shares of Gold Royalty Corp. (NYSE American: GROY).

Forward-looking Statements

This document contains certain forward-looking statements that reflect the current views and/or expectations, including regarding its strategic and project plans for its projects. Forward-looking statements are based on the then-current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates and forecasts about the business and the markets in which GoldMining operates. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including: delays to plans caused by restrictions and other future impacts of COVID-19 or any other inability of the Company to meet expected timelines for planned project activities, including the timing of proposed project studies and programs; the inherent risks involved in the exploration and development of mineral properties, fluctuating metal prices, proposed studies may not confirm GoldMining's expectations for its projects, unanticipated costs and expenses, risks related to government and environmental regulation, social, permitting and licensing matters, and uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future. These risks, as well as others, including those set forth in GoldMinings Annual Information Form for the year ended November 30, 2020, and other filings with Canadian securities regulators and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, could cause actual results and events to vary significantly. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information, or the material factors or assumptions used to develop such forward-looking information, will prove to be accurate. The Company does not undertake any obligations to release publicly any revisions for updating any voluntary forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities law.

SOURCE GoldMining Inc.

Related Links

www.goldmining.com


The partnership between JobsOhio, the Ohio Department of Development, Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, The MetroHealth System, Case Western Reserve University, and Cleveland State University will attract fast-growing businesses and in-demand talent, create 20,000 jobs over ten years and establish a pathogen center with global reach to improve the lives of millions.

"The Cleveland Innovation District will play an essential role in attracting and retaining STEM graduates who will make Ohio a global leader in developing life-saving research and treatments worldwide," said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. "The advancements made here will bolster Ohio's healthcare and IT sectors and be a magnet for fast-growing companies seeking the talent and innovations that will bring high paying, long-term jobs to Northeast Ohio."

The Cleveland Innovation District will be a center of excellence that acts as a catalyst for ongoing investment in Northeast Ohio, including attracting and creating new businesses and talent needed to ensure the state is a leader in the healthcare and IT sectors.

"Bringing together these five great institutions to build a world-class innovation hub has already proven to be a success," said Lt. Governor Husted, Director of InnovateOhio. "As researchers and businesses learn more about what the Cleveland Innovation District has to offer, we will build on these successes to attract more talent and investment that will lead to a virtuous cycle of healthcare innovation and job creation."

"The Cleveland Innovation District will spur the growth of technologies, talent, research-related investments, and companies here that will help Ohio emerge as a pivotal destination on the global innovation map," said JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef. "Through this partnership, the Innovation District will establish Ohio as a leader in STEM and digital talent and attract projects with small, medium, and large private-sector companies looking to invest and grow their businesses, helping strengthen Cleveland's urban core."

In addition to 20,000 new jobs, the Cleveland Innovation District is expected to create 10,000 new STEM graduates, $3 billion in new research, and $3 billion in economic impact. Headway from the five anchor institutions during the last nine months includes:

Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) was able to increase investments in biomedical research with significant commercial promise by 50%, supported projects including work on early detection of prostate cancer, hypertension reduction for drug-resistant patients, and a high-resolution 3D microscopic ultrasound system for quickly identifying eye injuries and disease. In addition, the university increased staffing to assist faculty in bringing research breakthroughs to market, and launched new master's degrees in computer science, health care management and FinTech, as well as a certificate in experimental biotechnology.

Cleveland Clinic in 2021 has hired 300 toward the seven-year commitment of 1,000 new jobs to be created related to the Cleveland Innovation District, including research, education, information technology and supply chain. Cleveland Clinic launched Discovery Accelerator with IBM, a 10-year partnership that serves as the technology foundation of the Global Center for Pathogen Research & Human Health. Cleveland Clinic opened the Cleveland Clinic BioRepository, the first new building in the Cleveland Innovation District. It also launched the expansion of research facilities and recruited world leaders in immunology, cancer biology, pathogen research, technology development and more.

Cleveland State University (CSU) has achieved a 40% enrollment increase in 16 target STEM programs since last year and has seen a 30% increase in the number of companies participating in its engineering and computer science career fair, both one year ahead of CSU's initial goal. The university is developing a new Bachelor of Science degree program in Data Science. In addition, CSU is laying the groundwork for increased faculty and supports for STEM degree programs.

The MetroHealth System (MetroHealth) began construction on a Good Manufacturing Practice vector production cleanroom that will enable the production of viral technology for cancer treatments and immunotherapies and give the research ecosystem access to critical innovation. MetroHealth is chairing a working group across the Cleveland Innovation District to bring innovation to neighboring communities. MetroHealth worked with Cleveland State University (CSU) on a pathway for Psychology undergraduates to get clinical experience and become eligible to deliver behavioral health and addiction services with a bachelor's degree, and remains engaged with CSU on the design and development of certificate programs.

University Hospitals (UH) completed the design and initiated construction on the Wesley Center for Immunotherapy at the University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland. The center will enable physician-scientists to engage in groundbreaking research and bring new, life-extending immunotherapy treatments to patients. UH also created 15 new research positions to advance world-class research and innovation. University Hospitals initiated funding of numerous clinical trials and research studies focused on global health and emerging infections. This included NEO-CURE in collaboration with other Cleveland Innovation District anchors, which is part of the National Institutes of Health's research to understand COVID "long hauler" syndrome.

JobsOhio is a private nonprofit economic development corporation designed to drive job creation and new capital investment in Ohio through business attraction, retention and expansion. The organization also works to seed talent production in its targeted industries and to attract talent to Ohio through Find Your Ohio . JobsOhio works with six regional partners across Ohio: Dayton Development Coalition , Ohio Southeast Economic Development , One Columbus , REDI Cincinnati , Regional Growth Partnership and Team NEO . Learn more at www.jobsohio.com . Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

SOURCE JobsOhio

Related Links

http://www.jobsohio.com


HOLLYWOOD, Fla., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hard Rock International, owner of one of the world's most recognizable and iconic brands, announces that all Hard Rock Cafes in North America will honor military service members this Veterans Day with a free original Legendary Steak Burger topped with applewood bacon, cheddar cheese, a crispy onion ring, leaf lettuce and vine-ripened tomato. The free burger offer includes a side of fries and is available all day long on Thursday, November 11 for any active or retired military member with a valid ID. The Veterans Day offer can also be combined with Hard Rock Cafe's year-round 15% military discount on food, non-alcoholic beverages, and retail purchases from the gift shop for veterans to enjoy with friends and family.

"Hard Rock International proudly honors members of the Armed Forces every day, and especially on Veterans Day," said Jon Lucas, COO of Hard Rock International. "We continue to lend our steadfast support to veterans, and their loved ones, in order to show our ongoing gratitude for their service on both a local and national scale."

What makes the Legendary Steak Burger so legendary? The hunt for the perfect burger led to the creation of a worldwide brand. Back in 1971 two Americans, Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton, were living in London and looking for a burger to satisfy their hunger. But instead of stumbling upon the perfect burger, they stumbled upon a brilliant idea to open their very own American style diner and name it Hard Rock Cafe.

Hard Rock Cafe is an internationally recognized, world-class hospitality brand that operates cafes around the world, which are visited by millions of guests annually. The first Hard Rock Cafe opened in London, England in 1971. From there the brand has expanded to major cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Paris, Sydney and more. Hard Rock Cafe offers a one-of-a-kind dining experience with a commitment to serving fresh, high-quality ingredients. To satisfy the consumer's ever-changing palate, Hard Rock continually updates its menu with limited-time offerings including burger pairings, innovative cocktails and more.

For additional information on Hard Rock Cafe, please visit https://www.hardrockcafe.com. To learn more about Hard Rock International, please visit https://www.hardrock.com.

Download a high-res image of the Legendary Steak Burger here.

About Hard Rock:

Hard Rock International (HRI) is one of the most globally recognized companies with venues in 67 countries spanning 249 locations that include owned/licensed or managed Hotels, Casinos, Rock Shops, Live Performance Venues and Cafes. HRI also launched a joint venture named Hard Rock Digital in 2020, an online sportsbook, retail sportsbook and internet gaming platform. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world's largest and most valuable collection of authentic music memorabilia at more than 86,000 pieces, which are displayed at its locations around the globe. In 2021, Hard Rock was awarded the Top Employer in the Travel & Leisure, Gaming, and Entertainment Industry by Forbes, designated as a U.S. Best Managed Company by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal and named the top performing hotel brand in J.D. Power's North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study for the third consecutive year. In 2020, Hard Rock was honored as one of Forbes Magazine's Best Employers for Diversity and a Top Employer for Women. Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos also received first place ranking in the 2020 Casino Gaming Executive Satisfaction Survey conducted by Bristol Associates Inc. and Spectrum Gaming Group. Hard Rock destinations are located in international gateway cities, including its two most successful flagship properties in Florida and home to the world's first Guitar Hotel in South Florida, Global Gaming's 2020 Property of the Year. The brand is owned by HRI parent entity The Seminole Tribe of Florida. For more information on Hard Rock International, visit www.hardrock.com or shop.hardrock.com.

SOURCE Hard Rock International
MEMPHIS, Tenn., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pro-gamer DrLupo and his community of 12.4 million followers are preparing for the fourth annual Build Against Cancer 24-hour livestream fundraiser benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Beginning at noon CT on Dec. 18 via YouTube Gaming, St. Jude supporters can help DrLupo surpass a $10 million cumulative fundraising milestone. This will be a St. Jude record for most money ever raised by a single creator for its lifesaving mission: Finding cures. Saving children.

DrLupo will be joined by celebrities, popular online personalities, sponsors and more, including a very special guest, his six-year-old son Charlie who previously raised a whopping $76,000 during a cookie-making session in 2020. This year, Charlie will return with a science segment. Throughout the livestream, DrLupo will drop surprise incentives to create a fun and entertaining event for his community to come together to support a great cause that impacts children around the world.

DrLupo and his wife, known by her gamertag MrsDrLupo, have spent time getting to know St. Jude families. A St. Jude Inspire video captured their playful personalities as they shared their feelings on many topics, from pineapple on pizza, to what DrLupo would be doing if he was not gaming full-time. Playing games with St. Jude families and hearing their heartwarming stories has given DrLupo the inspiration to rally his community and achieve incredible fundraising feats. In 2019, DrLupo was recognized as Content Creator of the Year by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Last year, Build Against Cancer featured appearances by celebrities and content creators including Ninja, Robbie Amell, Mark Hoppus, CourageJD, Paul Scheer, Taran Killam, Felicia Day, Rahul Kohli, Mike Shinoda, Matt Mercer, Gary Whitta, Penny Arcade, NickMercs, BigCheeseKit, AnneMunition, lilsimsie, luxiegames, frisk and brickinnick. Fans can expect an amped up level of excitement, with a robust schedule of gaming and other activities rolling out the week of the event.

Continued support from the gaming community is crucial to further advance research and treatment for childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Cancer is a multi-trillion-dollar, multi-year problem and this support fuels the six-year, $11.5 billion St. Jude strategic plan to triple its global investment to impact more of the 400,000 kids with cancer around the world each year. St. Jude won't stop until no child dies from cancer.

Build Against Cancer moves to YouTube this year following DrLupo's deal to stream exclusively with YouTube Gaming. To stay up to date on the latest gaming and content creator activities that support St. Jude, follow @StJudePLAYLIVE and @StJude on Twitter and Instagram.

About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80% since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude won't stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. 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. Visit St. Jude Inspire to discover powerful St. Jude stories of hope, strength, love and kindness. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and subscribing to its YouTube channel.

SOURCE ALSAC/St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Related Links

http://www.stjude.org


ALBANY, N.Y., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The rise in the number of populace with different bleeding disorders such as hemophilia is acting as a one of the key drivers for the expansion of the global hemostasis diagnostics market. Hemophilia is a health condition in which an individual's body is unable to create different clotting factors.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately one in 5,000 male babies are born with hemophilia. At present, there are more than 440,000 male patients dealing with the issue of severe hemophilia across the globe. Of them, 75% reside in developing and underdeveloped nations. This factor highlights the potential expansion opportunities for the market players in such countries.

Request Brochure of Hemostasis Diagnostics Market Research Report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=1503

A report by Transparency Market Research (TMR) projects the global hemostasis diagnostics market to grow at a CAGR of 8.5% during the forecast period, from 2019 to 2027.

Hemostasis Diagnostics Market: Key Findings

Rise in Prevalence of Cardiovascular Diseases Boosts Product Demand

Sedentary lifestyle of major share of the world populace and surge in the number of older population have resulted into rise in prevalence of different health issues including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, and neurological disorders across several developing nations.

Request for Analysis of COVID-19 Impact on Hemostasis Diagnostics Market  https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=covid19&rep_id=1503

As per the statistics by World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular disease is the main factor for around 17.5 million deaths across the world, which accounts for approximately 31% of the total deaths worldwide. This increase in the number of cardiac health issues is leading to rise in the demand for hemostasis diagnostics solutions.

Advancements in Hemostasis Technology Result in Easy Operation of Hemostasis Diagnostics Devices

With the growing focus of market players on incorporation of advanced technologies in their products, there is significant advancement in hemostasis diagnostics devices, which perform various functions, including quantification of a clot's optical density in a cuvette as well as the detection of clotting factors. Thus, these developments in the hemostasis technology are helping healthcare professionals to offer precise emergency health services to their patients.

TMR offers custom market research services that help clients to get information on their business scenario required where syndicated solutions are not enough, Request for Custom Research - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=CR&rep_id=1503

Automated hemostasis diagnostics solutions are gaining immense popularity, owing to their several advantages such as rapid, easy-to-use, and less labor intensive operations. Flow cytometers, blood coagulation analyzers, PCR, and microarrays are some of the automation technologies that are used to achieve high levels of precision in the healthcare industry. On the back of this technological revolution in hemostasis diagnostics, the market is estimated to attract prominent growth avenues during the forecast period.

Hemostasis Diagnostics Market: Growth Boosters

In deep vein thrombosis, a cardiovascular complication, there is formation of blood clots within the deep veins of an individual's legs. Surge in the number of such patients is expected to boost the growth of the global hemostasis diagnostics market in the near future.

Companies operating in the global hemostasis diagnostics market are focused on execution of different strategies such as development of technologically advanced products, regulatory approvals, new product launches, collaborations, and acquisitions. These activities are helping in market expansion.

Buy Hemostasis Diagnostics Market Research Report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=1503<ype=S

Hemostasis Diagnostics Market: Regional Analysis

The North America hemostasis diagnostics market is projected to gain prominent expansion prospects on the back of surge in cases of deep vein thrombosis, genetic and acquired blood clotting disorders, and cardiovascular diseases in the region

hemostasis diagnostics market is projected to gain prominent expansion prospects on the back of surge in cases of deep vein thrombosis, genetic and acquired blood clotting disorders, and cardiovascular diseases in the region Rise in easy availability of healthcare services, technological advancements, and entry of new players are some of the important factors fueling the growth of the North America hemostasis diagnostics market

hemostasis diagnostics market Players are expected to witness exceptional growth opportunities in the Asia Pacific region. Growing focus of several regional government authorities to advance healthcare infrastructure is one of the key factors driving the Asia Pacific hemostasis diagnostics market.

Hemostasis Diagnostics Market: Key Players

Some of the key players operating in the hemostasis diagnostics market are:

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.

Abbott Laboratories

Nihon Kohden Corporation

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

Siemens Healthineers

Sysmex Corporation

Danaher Corporation ( Beckman Coulter )

) Instrumentation Laboratory

Grifols

Hemostasis Diagnostics Market Segmentation

Product Type

Laboratory Systems

Consumables

Point-of-Care Testing Systems

Product Type

Prothrombin Test Time (PT)

Activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT)

Fibrinogen degradation products (FDP)

Activated Clotting Time

Platelet Aggregation Test

D Dimer

Others

End-user

Hospital/Clinics

Independent Diagnostic Laboratories

Home Care Settings

Others

Region

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East & Africa

Modernization of healthcare in terms of both infrastructure and services have pushed the healthcare industry to new heights, Stay Updated with Latest Healthcare Industry Research Reports by Transparency Market Research:

Pressure Ulcer Diagnostics Market: The pressure ulcer diagnostics market is projected to cross US$ 1.49 Bn by 2031. Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is a severe skin disorder with high morbidity and mortality rates. However, as the condition progresses, rendering an accurate diagnosis may be a challenge for clinicians. Hence, practitioners are arriving at a diagnosis of BP by evaluating the clinical manifestations of the disorder and by obtaining a detailed patient history.

Home Diagnostics Market: The global home diagnostics market is observing a high growth rate and expected to continue to expand in the near future due to the rising disposable income of people across nations, which enable them to afford products for self-care.

Radiopharmaceutical Theranostics Market: Companies in the radiopharmaceutical theranostics market are increasing the availability of radioactive medicines through oral, intravenous, and interstitial route to diagnose malignancy. The high prevalence of cancer is acting as a key growth driver of the radiopharmaceutical theranostics market, as radioactive medicines have the ability to destroy cancerous cells by emitting radiation when it reaches the target cell.

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SOURCE Transparency Market Research
Conaty advises sponsors, lenders and governments on a wide variety of infrastructure projects. With a particular focus on the energy sector, Conaty has advised on development of several of the largest hydropower and geothermal independent power producers in Asia, as well as wind, solar and other renewable energy projects and conventional power IPPs (including gas-to-power plants), as well as major LNG projects. Conaty also has extensive experience advising on infrastructure projects including airports, seaports, water, and road projects.

His notable representations prior to joining the firm include:

the Japanese ECAs and syndicate of commercial banks on the $3 billion financing of the 1,320 MW Van Phong 1 thermal power project in Vietnam ;

financing of the 1,320 MW Van Phong 1 thermal power project in ; a Taiwanese investor on its acquisition of a stake in (and subsequent development of) a major offshore wind farm in Taiwan ;

; PLN (the Indonesian state electric utility) on several power plant tenders including the landmark 2,000 MW Jawa 7 power project and several renewable energy tender programs; and

a sponsor in connection with the 1,760 megawatt Jawa 1 gas-fired IPP  one of the first gas-to-power IPPs in Indonesia and the first which integrates an FSRU into the project structure.

As a member of the firm's energy and infrastructure team, which has experienced sustained growth over the past 18 months, Conaty is among several recent key additions to the firm. Expanding the firm's Tokyo presence, Conaty joins office managing partner and international nuclear power projects attorney George Borovas.

His colleagues also include John Lee Shepherd, Jr., the former Director of Legal Policy at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, in Washington, D.C.; and project finance attorneys James D. Simpson, Jr. and Jason B. Parker in London and Martin A. Skehill in Dubai.

"Sean's deep well of knowledge and experience in the Asian market fits well with our existing strengths in the region and reflects the firm's commitment to maintaining a leading bench of energy industry lawyers to serve the evolving and increasing needs of our clients across the globe," said Jeffrey Schroeder, head of Hunton Andrews Kurth's energy and infrastructure team. "Sean is an outstanding lawyer with a reputation for excellence and dedication to client service. We are pleased to welcome him to the firm."

Conaty joins the firm from Hogan Lovells, where he was a partner in that firm's Infrastructure, Energy, Resources and Projects Group. Conaty earned his undergraduate degree from The University of New South Wales, his bachelor of laws degree from The University of Sydney and his graduate diploma in legal practice from The College of Law.

Hunton Andrews Kurth's global energy and infrastructure team provides comprehensive finance, development, and infrastructure counsel to financial institutions, regulated and unregulated power companies, distributors and transportation companies, independent electric transmission companies, and others involved in the renewable energy, oil, gas, LNG, petrochemical, and nuclear industries.

The PR Office | e: [email protected] | +44 (0) 7919 887 036 (Drew Salisbury)

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1680367/Conaty_Sean.jpg

SOURCE Hunton Andrews Kurth
NEW YORK and TORONTO, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - iAnthus Capital Holdings, Inc. ("iAnthus" or the "Company") (CSE: IAN) (OTCPK: ITHUF), which owns, operates, and partners with regulated cannabis operations across the United States, today reported its financial results for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2021. The Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which includes its unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and the related management's discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations, can be accessed on the Securities and Exchange Commission's ("SEC") website at www.sec.gov, the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com, and on the Company's website at www.iAnthus.com. The Company became a U.S. reporting company effective February 5, 2021. As such, the Company's financial statements are reported in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"). All currency is expressed in U.S. dollars.

Third Quarter 2021 Financial Highlights

Revenue of $49.3 million , up 21% from the same quarter in the prior year.

, up 21% from the same quarter in the prior year. Gross Profit of $26.1 million , up 4% from the same quarter in the prior year.

, up 4% from the same quarter in the prior year. Gross Margin of 52.9%, reflecting a decrease of 8.9% from 61.8% in the same quarter in the prior year.

Net loss of $15.8 million , or a loss of $0.09 per share, compared to a net loss of $25.5 million , or a loss of $0.15 per share, in the same quarter in the prior year.

, or a loss of per share, compared to a net loss of , or a loss of per share, in the same quarter in the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA (3) of $7.8 million , up from $6.4 million from the same quarter in the prior year. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP measures. Reconciliation tables to GAAP of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as used in this news release are included below.

of , up from from the same quarter in the prior year. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP measures. Reconciliation tables to GAAP of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as used in this news release are included below. Due to liquidity constraints experienced by the Company, the Company did not make applicable interest payments due on its 13% senior secured convertible debentures ("Secured Notes") and its 8% convertible unsecured debentures ("Unsecured Debentures") due during 2020. As previously disclosed, the non-payment of interest in March 2020 triggered an event of default with respect to these components of the Company's long-term debt, which, as of September 30, 2021 , consisted of principal amounts at face value of $97.5 million and $60.0 million , and accrued interest of $26.9 million and $8.4 million , on the Secured Notes and Unsecured Debentures, respectively. In addition, as a result of the default, as of September 30, 2021 , the Company has accrued additional fees and interest of $15.0 million ("Exit Fees") in excess of the aforementioned amounts that are further detailed in the Company's financial statements.

triggered an event of default with respect to these components of the Company's long-term debt, which, as of , consisted of principal amounts at face value of and , and accrued interest of and , on the Secured Notes and Unsecured Debentures, respectively. In addition, as a result of the default, as of , the Company has accrued additional fees and interest of ("Exit Fees") in excess of the aforementioned amounts that are further detailed in the Company's financial statements. As disclosed in the Company's filings with the applicable Canadian securities regulators and the SEC, the Company entered into a restructuring support agreement dated July 10, 2020 (the "Restructuring Support Agreement") with the holders of its Secured Notes (the "Secured Lenders") and a majority of the holders of its Unsecured Debentures (the "Consenting Unsecured Debentureholders") to effectuate a proposed recapitalization transaction (the "Recapitalization Transaction") to be implemented by way of a court-approved plan of arrangement ("Plan of Arrangement") under the Business Corporations Act ( British Columbia ). Pursuant to the terms of the Recapitalization Transaction and subject to the closing thereof, the Company is required to issue an aggregate of 6,072,579,699 common shares upon the extinguishment of (i) $22.5 million of Secured Notes (including the Exit Fees) plus interest accrued thereon, (ii) $40.0 million of Unsecured Debentures plus interest accrued thereon, and (iii) interest accrued above the principal amount of $14.7 million of the interim financing provided by the Secured Lenders. The Recapitalization Transaction remains subject to the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals and approval by the Canadian Securities Exchange. In addition, as disclosed in the Company's news release dated November 4, 2021 , the regulatory approvals by state-level regulators in Massachusetts , New York and Maryland 1 necessary to close the Recapitalization Transaction remain outstanding. The financial highlights herein do not give effect to the consummation of the Recapitalization Transaction.

Table 1: Q3 2021 Financial Results in thousands of US$, except share and per

share amounts (unaudited)

Q3 2021



Q3 2020 Revenue $ 49,263

$ 40,616 Gross profit

26,057



25,103 Gross margin

52.9%



61.8% Net loss

(15,835)



(25,471) Net loss per share

(0.09)



(0.15)

___________________________ 1 In New Jersey, a change of control approval is not required at the present time because the Company is awaiting approval by the Cannabis Regulatory Commission ("CRC") for the Company to close its acquisition of 100% of the equity interests in New Jersey license holder MPX New Jersey, LLC ("MPX NJ"), pursuant to certain contractual agreements (the "Agreements", and the approval application before the CRC, the "Amended Permit Application"). The Company has a reasonable expectation that approval of the Amended Permit Application will be listed for consideration by the CRC on its monthly agenda in the next sixty (60) days or sooner and, upon any such approval thereof and the closing of the acquisition within no later than five (5) business days thereafter, as set forth in the Agreements, a prior regulatory approval for the change of beneficial ownership of MPXNJ that would result from the Recapitalization Transaction will be required as a condition to closing under the Restructuring Support Agreement.

Table 2: Reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted EBITDA in thousands of US$

Q3 2021 (unaudited)



Q3 2020 (unaudited) Net loss $ (15,835)

$ (25,471) Depreciation and amortization

8,133



7,237 Interest expense, net

5,821



5,380 Income tax expense

4,090



5,609 EBITDA (Non-GAAP) $ 2,209

$ (7,245)











Adjustments









Impairment loss

127



4,100 Recovery and write-downs

-



3 Accretion expense

767



4,354 Share-based compensation

1,614



1,745 Gain from change in fair value of financial instruments

300



(244) Income from equity-accounted investments

-



(111) Debt obligation fees (1)

423



423 Non-recurring charges (2)

2,376



3,329 Total Adjustments $ 5,607

$ 13,599











Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP) $ 7,816

$ 6,354





(1) Reflects accrued interest on the Exit Fees. (2) Includes one-time, non-recurring costs related to the Company's Recapitalization Transaction, Strategic Review Process, and other non-recurring costs associated with becoming a U.S. reporting company. (3) See "Non-GAAP Financial Information" below for more information regarding the Company's use of non-GAAP financial measures.

Update on U.S. Class Action Complaint and Complaint Filed by Hi-Med, LLC

On September 1, 2021, iAnthus announced the dismissal of the previously disclosed consolidated actions (the "Consolidated U.S. Actions") in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (the "Court"). The Consolidated Actions include: (a) various shareholder class action claims filed against, among others, iAnthus and certain of its current and former officers and directors, alleging violations of U.S. securities laws; and (b) a complaint filed by Hi-Med, LLC, a holder of an unsecured debenture in the principal amount of US $5 million (the "Unsecured Debenture") against iAnthus and certain of its current and former officers and directors alleging violations of U.S. securities laws and breaches of the Unsecured Debenture and the related Debenture Purchase Agreement.

Pursuant to the Court's memorandum of opinion dated August 30, 2021, the plaintiffs were granted the right to move for leave to file proposed second amended complaints by September 30, 2021. Each plaintiff moved for leave to file second amended complaints, and the Court granted the plaintiffs' motions for leave to file second amended complaints. iAnthus will continue to vigorously defend its interests in court.

A copy of the Restructuring Support Agreement and the amendment thereto are available under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com and were filed on July 20, 2020 and June 21, 2021, respectively, and on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

Non-GAAP Financial Information

This release includes certain non-GAAP financial measures as defined by the SEC. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP are included in the tables above. This information should be considered as supplemental in nature and not as a substitute for, or superior to, any measure of performance prepared in accordance with GAAP.

In evaluating our business, we consider and use EBITDA as a supplemental measure of operating performance. We define EBITDA as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. We present EBITDA because we believe it is frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties as a measure of financial performance. We define Adjusted EBITDA as EBITDA before stock-based compensation, accretion expense, write-downs and impairments, gains and losses from changes in fair values of financial instruments, income or losses from equity-accounted investments, changes in accounting policy, non-recurring costs related to the Company's Recapitalization Transaction, and litigation costs related to ongoing legal proceedings.

The terms EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are not defined under GAAP, and are not a measure of operating income, operating performance or liquidity presented in accordance with GAAP. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA have limitations as an analytical tool, and when assessing the Company's operating performance, investors should not consider EBITDA or Adjusted EBITDA in isolation, or as a substitute for net income (loss) or other consolidated income statement data prepared in accordance with GAAP. Among other things, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect the Company's actual cash expenditures. Other companies may calculate similar measures differently than us, limiting their usefulness as comparative tools. We compensate for these limitations by relying on GAAP results and using EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA only as supplemental.

About iAnthus

iAnthus owns and operates licensed cannabis cultivation, processing and dispensary facilities throughout the United States. For more information, visit www.iAnthus.com.

COVID-19 Risk Factor

The Company may be impacted by business interruptions resulting from pandemics and public health emergencies, including those related to the novel coronavirus disease ("COVID-19"). An outbreak of infectious disease, a pandemic, or a similar public health threat, such as the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19, or a fear of any of the foregoing could adversely impact the Company by causing operating, manufacturing, supply chain, and project development delays and disruptions, labor shortages, travel, and shipping disruption and shutdowns (including as a result of government regulation and prevention measures). It is unknown whether and how the Company may be affected if such a pandemic persists for an extended period of time, including as a result of the waiver of regulatory requirements or the implementation of emergency regulations to which the Company is subject. Although the Company has been deemed essential and/or has been permitted to continue operating its facilities in the states in which it cultivates, processes, manufactures, and sells cannabis during the pendency of the COVID-19 pandemic, subject to the implementation of certain restrictions on adult-use cannabis sales in both Massachusetts and Nevada, which have since been lifted, there is no assurance that the Company's operations will continue to be deemed essential and/or will continue to be permitted to operate. The Company may incur expenses or delays relating to such events outside of its control, which could have a material adverse impact on its business, operating results, financial condition, and the trading price of its common shares.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this news release contain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made on the basis of the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of management, are not guarantees of performance and are subject to significant risks and uncertainty. These forward-looking statements should, therefore, be considered in light of various important factors, including those set forth in Company's reports that it files from time to time with the SEC and the Canadian securities regulators which you should review including, but not limited to, the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC. When used in this news release, words such as "will," could," plan," estimate," expect," intend," may," potential," believe, "should" and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements relating to the Company's financial performance, business development and results of operations and the timing and outcome of the closing of the Recapitalization Transaction.

These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as predictions of future events, and the Company cannot assure you that the events or circumstances discussed or reflected in these statements will be achieved or will occur. If such forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. You should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by the Company or any other person that it will achieve its objectives and plans in any specified timeframe, or at all. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company disclaims any obligation to publicly update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this news release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission have reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this news release.

SOURCE iAnthus Capital Holdings, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.ianthus.com/


LONDON, ON, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Indiva Limited (the "Company" or "Indiva") (TSXV: NDVA) (OTCQX: NDVAF), the leading Canadian producer of cannabis edibles and other cannabis products, will report its three and nine month results for the period ended September 30, 2021 pre-market on Tuesday, November 16th.

CONFERENCE CALL - Tuesday, November 16, 2021 at 8:30 am EST:

The Company will host a conference call to discuss its results on Tuesday, November 16, 2021 at 8:30 am EST. Interested participants can join by dialing 416-764-8658 or 1-888-886-7786. The conference ID number is 01162714.

A recording of the conference call will be available for replay following the call. To access the recording please dial 416-764-8691 or 1-877-674-6060. The replay ID is 162714#. The recording will remain available until Thursday, December 23rd, 2021.

INVESTOR PRESENTATION  Thursday, December 2nd at 4:00pm EST (1:00pm PST):

Niel Marotta, President & CEO will be hosting an online presentation for shareholders, analysts, investors, media representatives and other stakeholders on Thursday, December 2nd at 4:00pm EST (1:00pm PST). A recording of the presentation and supporting materials will be made available on Indiva's investor section on www.indiva.com . To register, RSVP to Anthony Simone at [email protected] or 1-416-881-5154 or you can register online by using this URL: https://app.livestorm.co/stocks2watch/indiva-investor-update

ABOUT INDIVA



Indiva sets the standard for quality and innovation in cannabis. As a Canadian licensed producer, Indiva produces and distributes award-winning cannabis products nationally, including Bhang Chocolate, Wana Sour Gummies, Slow Ride Bakery Cookies, Jewels Chewable Tablets, Ruby Cannabis Sugar, Sapphire Cannabis Salt, as well as capsules, pre-rolls and premium flower under the INDIVA and Artisan Batch brands. Click here to connect with Indiva on LinkedIn , Instagram, Twitter and Facebook , and here to find more information on the Company and its products.

DISCLAIMER AND READER ADVISORY



Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) has in any way passed upon the merits of the contents of this press release and neither of the foregoing entities accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release or has in any way approved or disapproved of the contents of this press release.

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the parties' current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, this release contains forward-looking information relating to the Company's future operations, future product offerings and compliance with applicable regulations. Various assumptions or factors are typically applied in drawing conclusions or making the forecasts or projections set out in forward-looking information. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to the parties. The material factors and assumptions include the parties being able to maintain the necessary regulatory and other third parties' approvals and licensing and other risks associated with regulated entities in the cannabis industry. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof and the parties are not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein.

This press release 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. Not for distribution to U.S. Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of U.S. Securities laws.

SOURCE Indiva Limited
TAMPA, Fla., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Now customers can 'Go Glam on their Glass' windows and porcelain tiles with fully bespoke window privacy film and tile decals. StickPretty's newly relaunched website features an easy to use on-page measurement tool, which gives customers perfectly sized products in just 3 clicks. Additionally, the site debuts a fresh look and feel and boasts even more original fashion forward patterns.

StickPretty window privacy film creates a dramatic look that's beautiful, affordable, and fully customizable. The new stickpretty.com web site allows customers to input their window dimensions to ensure a perfect-fit DIY installation. StickPretty also features perfect-fit customized tile decals. Customers can choose from dozens of color and pattern options for both the tile decal and window privacy film collections. Using window privacy film adds more than privacy-it creates surface style that gives your home an entirely new dimension. StickPretty.com window films and tile decals are easy to install and come off with no hassle when you move or just want to change your look. Perfect for renters and homeowners alike. And now you can order all products cut to size for a seamless DIY installation.

Known for an elevated design style and eco-friendly PVC-free window privacy films, StickPretty continues to forge ahead in the made-to-order home decor market by enriching personalized online shopping.

"Our studio prides itself in pushing the evolution of the buyer experience in the highly competitive peel-and-stick market," said StickPretty Founder and Creative Director, Roxie Mae Lackman. "We believe our site's latest innovations provide the streamlined user friendly process our shoppers truly deserve, one that leads to a worry-free DIY installation without any guesswork."

Individual height and width dimension fields have been added to each and every product page so customers can enter their window and tile specifications as they order, ensuring exact print and cut production. The reimagined order process leads to a more efficient scissor-free installation for the entire line of waterproof window and tile decor. Window privacy films and tile decals will arrive at customers' homes printed and pre-cut to measure.

The Florida-based boutique studio designs, prints, cuts and ships all individual orders placed by their domestic and international clientele, creating what Lackman calls "the ultimate designer customer mesh" linking product to end user. "We could not be further from a big box store," said Lackman. "We carry zero inventory so we can easily meet the color, size, and design needs of any customer."

StickPretty offers smart, simple peel-and-stick solutions for the window covering and bathroom and kitchen renovation markets, specializing in custom sizes, contemporary designs, and personal service. The collections are driven by artful yet cost effective, DIY friendly products that are made for the style conscious homeowner.

The business began in 2003 as 2JANE, importing small batch British home goods into the US from the art studios of London designer-makers. 2JANE took the home market by storm with immediate inclusion in a Newsweek magazine article heralding the return of wallpaper as a trend, which 2JANE helped pioneer, as well as recognition of Ms. Lackman as a Food & Wine Magazine 2005 Tastemaker.

The innovative products attracted high profile customers including the MoMA design store and museum shops around the country, LA's Fred Segal, and Murray Moss's ground-breaking NYC store Moss. The StickPretty name was born in 2015 when the collection turned exclusively to in-house creations, specifically printed window privacy films and tile decals for the DIY market.

"We want to be both a pretty and cost effective part of your renovation," said Lackman. "Giving life to old tile in seconds using tastefully patterned stickers rather than replacing a wall of tile, or adding privacy to a room with a single piece of pre-cut custom window film rather than dealing with a fussy curtain install. Our products transform without breaking the bank."

For more information contact:

Sebastian Niegowski, Online Marketing Director

[email protected] or 888.667.6961

www.stickpretty.com

SOURCE StickPretty
DUBLIN, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Baby Talcum Powder Market Overview, 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report analyses trends for the market. To achieve clarity, the market has been studied from different facets by appropriately segmenting the market. Further different sales and distribution channels have been analyzed by categorizing them into Supermarket & Hypermarket, Pharmacy Store/ Drug Stores, Convenience store & Online sales channel. The market is studied across 5 major regions and 19 major countries.



The main two ingredients are talc and fragrance. The talcum powder absorbs moisture and cuts down on frictions, prevents rashes, and keeps the baby away from irritation. It is a widely used baby cosmetic product. In 2015-2020, the market grew at 4.35%, which by the end of 2026, is expected to grow to USD 1137.51 Million. The marketers are shifting towards deriving baby powder from natural ingredients, by formulating newer products from corn starch, arrowroot, oat flour, etc. These ingredients are used as a sustainable alternative to talc as they don't have any side effects. Talcum products have been asbestos-free since the 1970s which was linked to be causing cancer.



Talcum-based baby powder contains magnesium, silicon, and oxygen-based elements, which prevents rashes even including diaper rashes. Parents now check for the talc-free label which doesn't contain any talc at all. This is, on the other hand, is made of corn starch.



Asia accounts for the highest share, while is still hampered by the use of regular adult powder. China dominates the market in terms of consumption, given the high baby population. The baby talc is penetrated in high in the European and North American countries.



Even though baby talcum powder is a highly popular product, there has been a question regarding the safety of the same. Johnson & Johnson's which has been an iconic name for more than a century now had to discontinue the sales in the US & Canada permanently after a series of controversies. However, the company continues to sell the same talc-based products in other parts of the world.

This report would help you answer the following questions:

1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Baby Talcum Powder Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Baby Talcum Powder Market during the forecast period?

3. Which region outstands in the Global Baby Talcum Powder Market?

4. Which are the segments to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Baby Talcum Powder Market?

5. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Baby Talcum Powder Market?

6. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Baby Talcum Powder Market?

7. What are the major companies in the Global Baby Talcum Powder Market?



Key Topics Covered:



1. Executive Summary



2. Report Methodology



3. Market Structure

3.1. Market Consider

3.2. Market Definitions



4. Global Baby Talcum Powder Market Outlook

4.1. Market Size by Value

4.2. Market Share

4.2.1. By Sales Channel

4.2.2. By Region

4.2.3. By Country



5. North America Baby Talcum Powder Market Outlook

5.1. Market Size by Value

5.2. Market Share

5.2.1. By Sales Channel

5.2.2. By Country

5.3. US Baby Talcum Powder Market

5.4. Canada Baby Talcum Powder Market

5.5. Mexico Baby Talcum Powder Market



6. Europe Baby Talcum Powder Market Outlook

6.1. Market Size by Value

6.2. Market Share

6.2.1. By Sales Channel

6.2.2. By Country

6.3. UK Baby Talcum Powder Market

6.4. Germany Baby Talcum Powder Market

6.5. France Baby Talcum Powder Market

6.6. Spain Baby Talcum Powder Market

6.7. Italy Baby Talcum Powder Market

6.8. Russia Baby Talcum Powder Market



7. Asia Pacific Baby Talcum Powder Market Outlook

7.1. Market Size by Value

7.2. Market Share

7.2.1. By Sales Channel

7.2.2. By Country

7.3. China Baby Talcum Powder Market

7.4. Japan Baby Talcum Powder Market

7.5. India Baby Talcum Powder Market

7.6. Australia Baby Talcum Powder Market



8. Latin America Baby Talcum Powder Market Outlook

8.1. Market Size by Value

8.2. Market Share

8.2.1. By Sales Channel

8.2.2. By Country

8.3. Brazil Baby Talcum Powder Market

8.4. Argentina Baby Talcum Powder Market

8.5. Columbia Baby Talcum Powder Market



9. Middle East & Africa Baby Talcum Powder Market Outlook

9.1. Market Size by Value

9.2. Market Share

9.2.1. By Sales Channel

9.2.2. By Country

9.3. UAE Baby Talcum Powder Market

9.4. Saudi Arabia Baby Talcum Powder Market

9.5. South Africa Baby Talcum Powder Market



10. Market Dynamics

10.1. Key Drivers

10.2. Key Challenges



11. Market Trends and Developments



12. Company Profiles

12.1. Artsana S.p.A.

12.2. Colgate-Palmolive

12.3. Eden Brands, Inc.

12.4. Hindustan Unilever Limited

12.5. Johnson & Johnson

12.6. Kimberly Clark

12.7. Ontex Group

12.8. Pigeon Corporation

12.9. Proctor & Gamble

12.10. The Clorox Company

12.11. The Himalaya Drug Company

12.12. The Honest Company, INC



13. Strategic Recommendations



14. Related Reports



15. Disclaimer



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/5at82o

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

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PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- IntegriChain, delivering Life Sciences' only comprehensive data and business process platform for market access, today announced that it will debut the industry's first unified Market Access portal during its Access Insights Conference next week. This new unified ICyte Analytics Portal delivers a single point of access to Market Access data across the entire Life Sciences manufacturer organization, offering data-on-demand to generate insights for patient access and therapy commercialization more quickly and single sign-on and new navigation to improve the user experience across all ICyte solutions. IntegriChain has also implemented Snowflake as a unified data warehouse solution, providing Life Sciences manufacturers new ways to seamlessly access and interact with data on the ICyte Platform. Registrations for the virtual Access Insights Conference are complimentary for Life Sciences manufacturers, and the portal will debut on Wednesday, November 17, at 10 am ET.

"This unified ICyte Analytics Portal provides Life Sciences manufacturers with a single, accessible source of accurate commercial, financial, and operational data and insightsa first of its kind for Market Access," said Brian Coleman , Vice President of Product at IntegriChain. "This new analytics portal combined with our Snowflake implementation represents a huge step forward in addressing the 'next big goals' for Market Access, such as how commercial teams can remove access barriers through innovative contracting, how finance teams can power data-driven decisioning for GTN and pricing visibility, and how operational teams can increase the flexibility of their infrastructure through higher productivity. With the unified portal and our Snowflake backbone, manufacturers will have easy access to all the curated payer, channel, and patient data and insights they require to inform their strategic decisions and drive them to the next level of Market Access."

About the Unified ICyte Platform

ICyte is the first data, analytics, and business process platform built specifically for Life Sciences Market Access. The new unified ICyte Analytics Portal simplifies access to Market Access data through single sign-on access and improves the user experience by providing access to all ICyte applications, custom data-on-demand reporting, and data visualizations in one consolidated, easy-to-navigate website. ICyte's unified Snowflake data backbone integrates contract, pricing, patient, and channel data sets with ongoing data curation, unified master data, on-demand data access, purpose-built advanced analytics, and adapters to interface directly with popular customer relationship management (CRM) and customer data warehouse (CDW) systems. Furthermore, the improved data-on-demand engine delivers faster response rate and efficiency when managing large and complex, parallel queries.

The unified ICyte Platform is powered by transformative technology, including robotic process automation, machine-learning-enabled master data management, intelligent data enrichment, and predictive analytics. ICyte also offers manufacturers optionality for managed services and SaaS applications, including collaborative workflows, operational dashboards, on-demand expert support, and world-class cloud migration expertise.

About IntegriChain

IntegriChain is Life Sciences' data and application backbone for patient access and therapy commercialization. More than 250 manufacturers rely on IntegriChain's ICyte Platform to orchestrate commercial and government payer contracting, patient services, and distribution channels. ICyte is the first and only platform that unites the financial, operational, and commercial data sets required to support therapy access in the era of specialty and precision medicine. With ICyte, Life Sciences innovators are digitalizing labor-intensive processes  freeing up their best talent to identify and resolve coverage and availability hurdles and to manage pricing and forecasting complexity. IntegriChain is backed by Accel-KKR, a leading Silicon Valley technology private equity firm. The company is headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, with offices in Ambler, PA; Raleigh, NC, and Pune, India. For more information, visit www.integrichain.com, or follow us on Twitter @IntegriChain and LinkedIn.

Contact

Jennifer Guinan, Sage Strategic Marketing, 610.410.8111, [email protected]

SOURCE IntegriChain
DALLAS, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobs (NYSE:J) has made a strategic investment in HawkEye 360, the industry leader in radio frequency (RF) geoanalytics, providing commercially available precise mapping of global RF emissions.

Jacobs and HawkEye 360 have also entered into a distribution arrangement under which Jacobs will enhance its digital intelligence suite of technologies and solutions with HawkEye 360's RF spectrum analytics and collection automation offering.

Jacobs' minority investment in HawkEye 360 signifies its commitment to spectrum-based geoanalytics technologies and its increasingly important role in delivering solutions to address critical challenges for national security, civilian infrastructure, maritime and energy clients around the world. Strategic investment in key partners and corporate venture capital are components of Beyond If, Jacobs' program for instilling and sustaining its innovation culture.

"Hawkeye 360's satellite constellation and intuitive RF analytics platform is a game-changer for consumers of geospatial intelligence (GEOINT)," said Jacobs Critical Mission Solutions Senior Vice President of Cyber & Intelligence Caesar Nieves. "Increased spectrum awareness is imperative to near-peer competition and achieving the objectives laid out in the National Security Strategy. Leveraging Jacobs' expansive global position in defense, intelligence and civilian markets, we will be working collaboratively with Hawkeye 360 to unlock new insights about threats, targets and assets of interest."

Hawkeye 360's RF satellite technology is at the forefront of emerging commercial RF and ISR capabilities changing the landscape of GEOINT. Increased RF sensing is essential to provide a more complete picture of the global threat landscape. Hawkeye 360's existing satellite clusters collect vast swaths of RF data and use AI and machine learning to provide situational awareness of hard-to-track targets.

Jacobs and HawkEye 360 also intend to leverage their new relationship to identify additional opportunities for collaboration.

"Hawkeye 360 is delighted to partner with Jacobs, a world-leading innovator in defense, intelligence and civilian capabilities in space," said Hawkeye 360 CEO John Serafini. "As investors in our company, we will collaborate with Jacobs to deliver our RF geoanalytics technology to address the critical challenges of a broader set of clients."

Recent wins demonstrating Jacobs' leadership within the GEOINT landscape include a $302 million, single-award National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency IDIQ contract to provide wide-ranging cyber, digital services and modern software engineering that support GEOINT.

For more on how Jacobs is redefining what's possible, from space to cyber and intelligence solutions, visit jacobs.com, and read more about Jacobs' Beyond If innovation program here.

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. With $14 billion in revenue and a talent force of approximately 55,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector. Visit jacobs.com and connect with Jacobs on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided by the same. Statements made in this release that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements. We base these forward-looking statements on management's current estimates and expectations as well as currently available competitive, financial and economic data. Forward-looking statements, however, are inherently uncertain. There are a variety of factors that could cause business results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the emergence and spread of variants of COVID-19, and the related reaction of governments on global and regional market conditions and the company's business. For a description of some additional factors that may occur that could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements, see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 2, 2020, and in particular the discussions contained under Item 1 - Business; Item 1A - Risk Factors; Item 3 - Legal Proceedings; and Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended July 2, 2021, and in particular the discussions contained under Part I, Item 2 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations; Part II, Item 1 - Legal Proceedings; and Part II, Item 1A - Risk Factors, as well as the company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company is not under any duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release to conform to actual results, except as required by applicable law.

For press/media inquiries:

Kerrie Sparks

214.583.8433

SOURCE Jacobs

Related Links

http://www.jacobs.com


NASHVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The writers and publishers of country music's most-performed songs of the past year will be honored by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) beginning today. The 59th Annual ASCAP Country Music Awards once again celebrate the genre's best and brightest creatives in a special virtual format across all social media platforms. Using the hashtag #ASCAPAWARDS, exclusive winner photos, videos, acceptance speeches and a surprise or two will be posted to @ASCAP on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, giving fans, friends and industry peers a front row seat to the special event. Dedicated posts for each winning song will be rolled out on @ASCAP social media each day through November 10.

Celebrated hitmaker Josh Osborne is named ASCAP Country Music Songwriter of the Year for the first time for eight chart-topping songs, including "7 Summers," "Beers and Sunshine," "Breaking Up Was Easy in the 90's," "Happy Anywhere," "Hard to Forget," "How They Remember You," "Next Girl" and "Nobody But You." The honor brings Osborne's total number of ASCAP Awards to 35, including Song of the Year wins in 2015, 2018 and 2020. George Strait, one of Osborne's biggest influences, shared news of the win with Osborne in an exclusive video to be featured on @ASCAP social media.

Ashley Gorley's chart-topping "One of Them Girls" (recorded by Lee Brice) receives ASCAP Country Music Song of the Year honors. ASCAP social media will share Gorley's award acceptance for the certified platinum single, which hit #1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, along with kudos from Brice and several of the song's publishers.

Sony Music Publishing wins Publisher of the Year for the first time since 2012. Their winning songs included "Breaking Up Was Easy in the 90's" (Sam Hunt), "Hole in the Bottle" (Kelsea Ballerini), "Lady" (Brett Young) and "Things a Man Oughta Know" (Lainey Wilson). SMP CEO Nashville, Rusty Gaston, will appear on @ASCAP social media thanking their songwriters and staff.

ASCAP Chairman of the Board and President Paul Williams, Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Matthews and EVP, Chief Creative Officer John Titta kicked off the online festivities with a joint welcome video message along with congratulations from ASCAP Vice President, Membership Nashville Mike Sistad and the ASCAP Nashville team.

The social media event will also include a celebration of the life of Connie Bradley, former head of ASCAP Nashville. A beloved music industry trailblazer who passed away earlier this year, Bradley served more than three decades at ASCAP, rising to Senior Vice President and head of their Nashville office at a time when women filled very few top leadership positions in the music industry. The video tribute features remembrances from country stars Wynonna Judd, Trisha Yearwood, Amy Grant and more.

The ASCAP Country Music Awards will also feature special performances of three other top award-winning songs. Chris August will deliver his Keith Urban single "God Whispered Your Name;"" to the beginning of the sentence so it reads: "Chris August will deliver his Keith Urban single "God Whispered Your Name;" Madeline Merlo will perform her Songland hit for Lady A, "Champagne Night;" and rising country star Lainey Wilson will share an exclusive performance of her recent #1 hit "Things a Man Oughta Know."

A complete list of winners can be found on www.ascap.com/countryawards21 .

About ASCAP

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a professional membership organization of songwriters, composers, and music publishers of every kind of music. ASCAP's mission is to license and promote the music of its members and foreign affiliates, obtain fair compensation for the public performance of their works and to distribute the royalties that it collects based upon those performances. ASCAP members write the world's best-loved music and ASCAP has pioneered the efficient licensing of that music to hundreds of thousands of enterprises who use it to add value to their business - from bars, restaurants, and retail, to radio, TV and cable, to Internet, mobile services and more. The ASCAP license offers an efficient solution for businesses to legally perform ASCAP music while respecting the right of songwriters and composers to be paid fairly. With more than 850,000 members representing more than 16 million copyrighted works, ASCAP is the worldwide leader in performance royalties, service and advocacy for songwriters and composers, and the only American performing rights organization (PRO) owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. Learn more and stay in touch at www.ascap.com , on Twitter and Instagram @ASCAP and on Facebook .

SOURCE ASCAP

Related Links

http://www.ascap.com


WICHITA, Kan., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The proposed Kansas Health Science Center  Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (KHSC-KansasCOM), currently under construction in downtown Wichita, recently appointed three additions to its faculty: Duane Brandau, DO, Ph.D., as faculty, physiology/mechanism for health & disease; Jeremy Bigham, DO, as assistant professor of family medicine/osteopathic manipulative medicine; and Robin Durrett, DO, as associate professor, western Kansas regional director.

Duane Brandau, DO, Ph.D., faculty, physiology/mechanism for health & disease, comes to the proposed KHSC-KansasCOM with almost 40 years of experience in biomedical research, clinical practice, and medical education. Early in his career, he worked two years in the National Health Service Corps in Plainville, Texas, where he served as the town's pediatrician. Since then, Dr. Brandau has held various faculty positions at the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, the University of Health Sciences in Kansas City, and the University of Kansas. He was also a research scientist at Children's Mercy Hospital. Most recently, he was the director of research at Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Parker, Colorado.

Jeremy Bigham, DO, assistant clinical professor of family medicine and osteopathic manipulative medicine, joins the faculty with experience as a flight surgeon, and an osteopathic family physician, and as an active reservist in the United States Air Force at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita. He was active duty for 4 years, where he served on the aerospace medicine staff providing care to active duty, reserve, guard members, and their families. He joins the proposed KHSC-KansasCOM from St. Luke Medical Clinic in Marion, Kansas, where he practiced rural family medicine. He continues his service to our country in the Air Force Reserve as the chief of medical staff at McConnell Air Force Base where he is focused on high quality care for service members.

Robin Durrett, DO, associate professor, western Kansas regional director, has been in general surgery practice in Barton County, Kansas, since 1994. He has performed all types of general surgery throughout his career and served the community in private practice until 2012 when he sold his practice to a local hospital. He was most recently employed as a general surgeon at Ellinwood District Hospital. He has served as a board member of the Kansas Board of Healing Arts for more than 27 years, which has given him a wealth of expertise on the standard of care ethics in Kansas health care law.

With the goal of opening for the 2022 academic year, the proposed KHSC-KansasCOM is working through the accreditation process. The campus is currently under construction to transform 116,000 square feet of the iconic building at 217 N. Douglas Ave. in the heart of downtown Wichita. Nearing completion, the campus features clean inspirational design, innovative state-of-the-art technology and learning spaces, an osteopathic skills training center, standardized patient teaching rooms, large lecture halls, small group study rooms, a virtual anatomy lab, and much more.

About Kansas Health Science Center

Kansas Health Science Center is a nonprofit organization committed to training well-prepared physicians and health care leaders who will positively contribute to the overall well-being of our communities. With the goal of opening the proposed Kansas Health Science Center  Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2022, KHSC strives to positively impact the health landscape in Wichita and the state of Kansas through directly addressing the disparity in access to health care. Learn more.

SOURCE Kansas Health Science Center
In addition to keynote addresses and special Masses, highlights of the meeting included the launch of the Order's new St. Joseph pilgrim icon prayer program and the presentation of the St. Michael Award to four Knights for exemplary service to the Order. The three-day meeting also featured a panel discussion focused on Leading with Creative Courage , and breakout sessions that addressed tropics like evangelization and faith formation, membership growth, marketing and member experience.

In his address to state deputies Nov. 5, Supreme Knight Kelly reminded them that Blessed Michael McGivney was "a man of action." He added, "Our Founder was not content to watch and lament the struggles of his parishioners and community. He rose to meet those struggles head on  decisively and courageously. By establishing the Knights of Columbus, Father McGivney gave men a place to stand as brothers, bound together in charity, unity and fraternity."

Supreme Knight Kelly continued, "Let's do what Blessed Michael McGivney did in his time and form the Catholic men in our time. The Knights of Columbus was made for this mission. Now, let's fulfill it, once again."

The supreme knight also called on state deputies to grow deeper, as men of faith, and broader, by expanding the Order's membership. "A lot of men, especially young men, are looking for meaning and answers. We offer both  a life of service and a life of meaning. Don't just encourage men to adopt our initiatives; explain to them why our initiatives matter, and how the Knights can help them be the kind of men God is calling them to be," he said.

Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore also addressed the state deputies, saying, "Our debt to Father McGivney is incalculable. ... Without him, countless Catholic men would have lost their faith and countless families would have been set adrift. Because of his holiness, barriers such as time, place, and culture dissolve. He accompanies us on our journey of faith today, wherever we may be, no less than he accompanied his 19th-century parishioners of St. Mary's in New Haven."

Archbishop Lori added, "When we venerate Blessed McGivney throughout our jurisdictions, we are inviting him to smile upon us from his place in heaven, and more than that, we are inviting him to visit us in our need."

On Saturday, Nov. 6, Archbishop Lori celebrated a Votive Mass in honor of St. Joseph. He drew from Scripture two important virtues in St. Joseph's life  his obedient faith and his trustworthiness  noting, "These two virtues ought to stand out in us as Knights of Columbus, and especially in us who are leaders among our brother Knights in the Order."

Archbishop Lori said obedience of faith means that, due to the working of God's grace, "our hearts are repaired, cleansed, transformed and fully attuned to God's will, especially to God's mysterious plan for the redemption of the world."

He added, "St. Joseph's vocation to foster the earthly life of Jesus is, of course, unique, but all of us have been called to the obedience of faith. Father McGivney envisioned his Knights, above all, as men of obedient faith, who, with their wives and children, would live their vocation to the fullest."

Regarding St. Joseph's example of trustworthiness, Archbishop Lori reminded Knights, "In choosing Joseph to care with a father's love for the Incarnate Son of God, the Eternal Father recognized in St. Joseph a man of utmost integrity, a man who perhaps had no idea what God had in mind for him but nonetheless went about his daily life and work with honesty and reliability."

In brief remarks following the Mass, Supreme Knight Kelly launched the Order's new pilgrim icon prayer program, inspired by Patris Corde, the apostolic letter of Pope Francis announcing the Year of St. Joseph that began Dec. 8, 2020. The prayer program features an icon of St. Joseph holding the Christ Child from St. Joseph's Oratory in Montreal. Recalling his Oct. 25 meeting with Pope Francis in Rome, Supreme Knight Kelly noted, "The Holy Father was grateful that we've made St. Joseph a central focus of our spiritual efforts."

Previously, Supreme Knight Kelly entrusted his tenure as Supreme Knight to St. Joseph. In his introduction to the two-year pilgrim icon program, the Supreme Knight encouraged Knights and their communities to "turn in prayer to St. Joseph," "give thanks to God for the gift of his fatherly example and ask St. Joseph to be a father to us," as we seek to "grow in our own imitation of St. Joseph's quiet strength, integrity and fidelity."

The St. Joseph icon is the latest sacred image to be featured in the Knights of Columbus Pilgrim Prayer Program. Every few years, the Supreme Council selects a sacred image that is particularly inspiring to Knights and their families to be featured in the program. The icons travel from council to council and serve as the centerpieces for rosary-based prayer services in parishes around the world. Since its inception in 1979, the program has held more than 174,800 local council and parish prayer services with some 22 million participants. Featured images have included Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Our Lady of Czestochowa, Our Lady of Pochaiv, Our Lady of the Rosary, Our Lady of Charity, Our Lady Help of Persecuted Christians and the Holy Family. For more information about the St. Joseph Pilgrim Icon Program, Knights are encouraged to visit kofc.org/pilgrimicon.

During the meeting's closing session on Nov. 7, Supreme Knight Kelly honored four Knights with the St. Michael Award for exemplary service to the Order. Receiving the St. Michael Award were Augustinian Father John Grace, former director of chaplains for the Knights of Columbus; Former Supreme Warden George W. Hanna; Supreme Master Dennis Stoddard; and Col. Charles "Chuck" Gallina (USMC-Ret.), the supreme knight's advisor for military and veterans affairs.

About the Knights of Columbus

In 1882, Blessed Michael McGivney, then a young parish priest in New Haven, Conn., founded the Knights of Columbus to serve the needs of a largely immigrant Catholic community. What began as a small fraternal benefit society has since grown into one of the world's leading international charitable organizations, with 2 million members in more than 16,000 local councils. During the past year, Knights around the world donated more than 47 million service hours and $150 million for worthy causes in their communities. The Knights of Columbus also offers extensive life insurance products to members and their families and currently has more than $116 billion of life insurance policies in force. In addition, the Knights provides investment services in accord with Catholic social teaching through Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors, which holds nearly $30 billion in assets under management. Based on the founding principles of charity, unity and fraternity, the Order remains committed to strengthening Catholic families and parishes and to practicing faith in action through service to all in need. To learn more or to join the Knights of Columbus, please visit kofc.org/join.



SOURCE Knights of Columbus

Related Links

www.kofc.org


FORT MILL, S.C., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Financial Resources Group Investment Services, LLC (Financial Resources Group) announced today that Kristen Vitale has become the firm's next Director of Business Consulting. Vitale is the eighth member of the company's business consulting team dedicated to helping advisors grow their books of business. Vitale will be supporting advisor growth throughout the Midwest.

Based in Chicago, Vitale brings to the table more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry serving in various leadership roles. Most recently, she held the position of Senior Vice President and Investment Program Manager at Chicago-based First Midwest Bank where she's been registered with LPL Financial (LPL) as her broker-dealer since 2010. Vitale's success has led her to be recognized as one of the Top 25 Program Managers in the country by Bank Investment Consultant.

Financial Resources Group President Steve Lank and Vitale had the opportunity to work together on a variety of initiatives under LPL over the last decade. Lank expresses his enthusiasm of having Vitale join the firm. "Having known Kristen for almost my entire career at LPL, I was always impressed with her professionalism, work ethic and ability. When we had an opportunity to have her join our team, it felt like the perfect fit."

Looking to expand upon her advisor reach, Vitale found joining Financial Resources Group a great opportunity to serve advisors across multiple platforms and to become part of the firm's team. "The opportunity to join Financial Resources Group was very appealing to me as the firm is one of the best in the industry. Their leadership and employees are strong and they have a great reputation," said Vitale. "Additionally, having worked exclusively with bank advisors in the past, I very much look forward to expanding my reach working with credit unions as well as independent advisors."

In addition to her new responsibilities as Director of Business Consulting, Kristen will also remain an active member of LPL's Advisor Inclusion Council. The council was formed in 2018 to provide critical guidance to LPL leaders, informing the development of inclusive business practices that support advisors in their mission to take care of their clients. Serving on this council has been a passion of Vitale.

Michelle Balatero, Assistant VP of Advisor Diversity & Inclusion with LPL sends her congratulations to Vitale in her new role. "We congratulate Kristen on this new chapter with Financial Resources Group. We're pleased she will carry on our mission, working with LPL to support a diverse and inclusive workplace and community."

Vitale's extensive background in financial services will no doubt be a valuable asset to Financial Resources Group, according to Lank. "She has such a deep experience with institutions, LPL and the industry, plus is a fantastic person and leader. We are incredibly excited that she will be with us for a long time to come."

About Financial Resources Group

Based in Fort Mill, SC, Financial Resources Group provides customized services to financial advisors to help them grow their programs and practices that include, but are not limited to business development, onboarding, marketing support, and technology. For more information, visit https://www.financialresourcesgroup.net/

About LPL Financial

LPL Financial is a leader in the retail financial advice market and the nation's largest independent broker-dealer*. They serve independent financial advisors, professionals, and institutions, providing them with the technology, research, clearing and compliance services, and practice management programs they need to create and grow thriving practices. For more information, visit www.lpl.com

* As reported by Financial Planning magazine, June 1996-2020, based on total revenue.

Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor, member FINRA/SIPC. Financial Resources Group Investment Services, member FINRA/SIPC, is a separate entity.

Contact Information:

Financial Resources Group

Steve Lank

[email protected]

704-816-8018

SOURCE Financial Resources Group Investment Services

Related Links

www.financialresourcesgroup.net


DALLAS, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Law Offices of Brad Jackson in Dallas has earned a spot on the exclusive 2022 listing of the nation's Best Law Firms from the publishers of U.S. News & World Report and The Best Lawyers in America.

The firm claimed its seventh consecutive selection to the roster of the country's leading business litigation firms based on nominations from other attorneys who handle the same types of lawsuits.

Firm founder Brad Jackson is one of the rare lawyers to be Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization for more than 15 years. In addition, he and fellow firm attorney Cheryl Mann have earned multiple selections in The Best Lawyers in America published by Best Lawyers.

Earlier this year, The Law Offices of Brad Jackson welcomed Patrick Fang as the firm's newest attorney. Mr. Fang is an experienced civil litigator with expertise in construction law, business disputes, and professional liability lawsuits

The Law Offices of Brad Jackson has successfully represented businesses and individuals from various industries in all types of civil lawsuits for more than three decades. Following are a few examples of the firm's recent victories for clients:

- Total defense win in a six-figure fraudulent transfer lawsuit;

- Summary judgment resolving a multimillion-dollar contract dispute;

- Successful arbitration for homeowners for almost $1 million against a roofing product manufacturer;

- Favorable appeals court decision against the City of Dallas in a real estate dispute;

- Complete defense win in a fraud and breach of contract lawsuit seeking $3 million; and

- Defense judgment in Dallas appeals court as part of a $1 million partnership dispute.

Based in Dallas, The Law Offices of Brad Jackson provides decades of experience representing clients in Texas and across the nation. Brad Jackson is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. The firm handles practically every type of business dispute, as well as cases involving serious personal injury and wrongful death. To learn more, visit http://www.bradjackson.com.

For more information, contact Bruce Vincent at 214-763-6226 or [email protected].

SOURCE Law Offices of Brad Jackson

Related Links

https://www.bradjackson.com


NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dechert LLP announced that David Passey has joined the firm's global tax group as a partner based in New York.

Mr. Passey has a sophisticated private equity M&A tax practice. He represents clients in structuring the tax aspects of various complex public and private transactions, including large, multibillion-dollar mergers and acquisitions, as well as in fund formation, REITs, and other real estate transactions.

Joshua Milgrim, chair of Dechert's global tax group, commented, "We're thrilled to welcome David to the firm. His expansive knowledge of sophisticated tax matters bolsters our ability to advise clients on their most complex transactions."

Mr. Passey commented, "I'm excited to be joining Dechert's distinguished global tax practice and look forward to working alongside my new colleagues as we continue to advise our clients on some of the most dynamic and innovative private equity transactions and matters."

Mr. Passey will be an integral addition to Dechert's private equity and M&A interdisciplinary deal teams.

Dechert's private equity practice advises more than 300 private equity and private investment firm clients across various industries and jurisdictions. The private equity practice had a strong showing in Mergermarket's "Global & Regional League Tables 1H21  Legal Advisors" report, ranking #3 for U.S. Buyouts and #7 for Global Buyouts by deal value. Similarly, Dechert's global M&A practice is regularly recognized, including being ranked among the top law firms for international and cross-border M&A in the U.S. and U.K. by Chambers (2021). With Mr. Passey's wide range of deal-related tax experience, Dechert's capabilities in private equity and M&A are further strengthened to complete the high volume and complex nature of transactional work it receives.

Dechert's global tax practice, comprising lawyers in the U.S and Europe, provides inventive tax solutions that meet the challenges and objectives of clients' most sophisticated business dealings around the globe, from corporate transactions and restructurings to financial transactions and fund formation and investing.

Dechert is ranked among the top law firms for tax law in the U.S, the U.K., and in France by The Legal 500 (2021/2022). Dechert is also ranked among the top law firms for tax law by Chambers (2021) in the U.S. and in France, with the global tax practice also boasting a number of partners ranked by Chambers around the world.

SOURCE Dechert LLP

Related Links

www.dechert.com


NEW YORK and LONDON, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Motive Partners ("Motive"), a specialist private equity firm focused on growth equity and buyout investments in software and information services companies that serve the financial services industry ("financial technology"), announces the appointment of Mariano Belinky ("Mariano") as an Industry Partner. Mariano will focus on areas that bring strategic value to Motive Partners' investment mandate.

Motive Partners believes the adoption of new digital channels, innovative processes and game-changing technologies will yield value-creating opportunities for forward-thinking alternative investment firms. The appointment of Mariano demonstrates Motive's intent to continue building capabilities to support the Motive platform's mission of outsized returns, focusing on operator and innovator led value creation.

Based primarily from Motive Partners' London offices, Mariano will focus on originating and diligencing transactions across financial technology, seeking to spot trends ahead of time, and sourcing deals and capabilities that can support the growth of Motive's portfolio companies, ultimately benefitting the Motive investor ecosystem.

Prior to joining Motive Partners, Mariano was the Global CEO of Santander Asset Management where he led the turnaround of the company since its re-acquisition from Warburg Pincus and General Atlantic.

Prior to this, Mariano co-founded and ran InnoVentures, Santander Group's $400m fintech-focused global venture capital fund, defining the investment approach, building the team and leading over twenty investments in portfolio companies

Before joining Santander InnoVentures, Mariano was a junior partner with McKinsey and Company, where he advised global banks and asset managers across Europe and the Americas. He was previously part of the research technology team at Bridgewater Associates.

Mariano holds a degree In Computer Science and Philosophy from NYU, and conducted doctoral studies In Artificial Intelligence at Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya.

About Motive Partners

Motive Partners is a specialist private equity firm with offices in New York City and London, focusing on growth equity and buyout investments in software and information services companies based in North America and Europe and serving five primary subsectors: Banking & Payments, Capital Markets, Data & Analytics, Investment Management and Insurance. Motive Partners brings differentiated expertise, connectivity and capabilities to create long-term value in financial technology companies.

More information on Motive Partners can be found at www.motivepartners.com

Important Information

Forward-looking statements herein are based on the beliefs and assumptions using information currently available. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. They also involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Motive's Industry Partners are third-party consultants engaged for their recognized expertise to advise Motive personnel and are not employees of Motive Partners.

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SOURCE Motive Partners

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AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- X Delivery is the first national shipping carrier created in over 50 years. It's tech-based and built to help high-volume D2C ecommerce brands grow. Within the last year, X has increased monthly revenue by 10X and has a rapidly expanding team. Some of the most innovative players in the technology and parcel industry are joining X Delivery to build the new era of shipping.

X Delivery is pleased to announce the addition of Mark Lavelle as CEO and three additions to its senior leadership team. Founder and former CEO Chris Guggenheim assumes the role of Executive Chair of the X Delivery Board of Directors.

Mark Lavelle , CEO

Mark Lavelle has over 20 years of experience growing businesses at the intersection of commerce, payments, and internet technology. He's Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Deep Lake Capital. Previously, Mark was SVP of Commerce at Adobe as a result of the $1.7B acquisition of Magento where he was CEO. Other senior leadership roles include eBay, and PayPal. Mark was the cofounder of Bill Me Later, the first BNPL firm of its kind, now a part of PayPal.





has over 20 years of experience growing businesses at the intersection of commerce, payments, and internet technology. He's Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Deep Lake Capital. Previously, Mark was SVP of Commerce at Adobe as a result of the acquisition of Magento where he was CEO. Other senior leadership roles include eBay, and PayPal. Mark was the cofounder of Bill Me Later, the first BNPL firm of its kind, now a part of PayPal. Jason Woosley , SVP of Product and Technology

Jason Woosley is a global technology executive, most recently the VP of Commerce Product & Platform at Adobe. Before that, he was the SVP of Product and Technology at Magento. He has served in executive roles at SmarterHQ, Volusion, and Homeaway.com. He has a BBA from University of Texas Austin and MBA from MIT .





is a global technology executive, most recently the VP of Commerce Product & Platform at Adobe. Before that, he was the SVP of Product and Technology at Magento. He has served in executive roles at SmarterHQ, Volusion, and Homeaway.com. He has a BBA from and MBA from . Peter Sheldon , VP of Strategy and Business Development

Peter Sheldon is an experienced commercialization strategy executive. He was the Senior Director of Commerce Strategy at Adobe after serving as the VP of Strategy at Magento. Before that he was a VP at Forrester Research. He holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Strathclyde .





is an experienced commercialization strategy executive. He was the Senior Director of Commerce Strategy at Adobe after serving as the VP of Strategy at Magento. Before that he was a VP at Forrester Research. He holds a Bachelor's degree from the . Brian Carp , Chief Financial Officer

Brian Carp is an experienced finance executive who was previously the SVP of FP&A at Sallie Mae. Before that he was the Controller at Credit One Financial Solutions, and Division Controller at Barclaycard. He has a BS from Penn State and an MBA from Temple University .

"Customers want their packages faster than ever. Prime style delivery has set the bar high, making the delivery experience as important as product selection or check-out. Unfortunately, now that Merchants are seeing an explosion in demand for ecommerce experiences, the incumbent carriers are throttling capacity, raising prices and subverting a branded experience" explained Chris Guggenheim, Founder and Executive Chair at X. His solution? "We built a first-of-its-kind national carrier platform that unlocks nearly unlimited capacity to provide high-quality, flexible and transparent delivery for our clients and their customers. I'm thrilled to have this seasoned group of executives joining the team to help us deliver on our mission to Reimagine Delivery."

Why are top ecommerce brands switching to X Delivery?

If your company ships 500+ packages per day, you need to learn why today's high-growth brands are switching to X Delivery:

X provides nationwide ecommerce delivery. You don't need to build your own first, middle, and last mile logistics solution.

Warehouse-to-customer. X Delivery streamlines nation-wide shipments, limiting the need to store inventory in multiple warehouses.

Intelligent, API-connected network allows for sophisticated routing that decreases time in transit and increases cost efficiency.

X Delivery is building a clear, real-time tracking experience, helping clients stay connected to their customers.

We are making 2-Day Delivery the gold standard. X Delivery is obsessed with customer satisfaction and believes all shipments should arrive in 2 days or less.

Reduce emissions by up to 70% in the mid-mile. X Delivery has unlocked spare capacity within the national air carrier network to reduce the emissions when compared to inefficient hub-and-spoke carriers. 

It's easy to get started! X works with leading shipping software that you may already be using and partners with proven shipping partners to truck, sort, fly and deliver to your customers

Click here to see X's leadership team.

 Analysis conducted by the Global Supply Chain Laboratory at the Read Center from Texas A&M

About X Delivery

X Delivery connects high volume ecommerce brands to undiscovered nationwide shipping options. X Delivery streamlines the shipping process through technology, reliability, speed, and price. We leverage in-motion supply chain assets, from empty warehouses to local delivery services, and connect them to new technology. By connecting to our API, customers have access to multiple delivery options from anywhere in the country that out-of-the-box shipping tech platforms do not offer.

Media Contact:

Pete Hillowe

Head of Marketing

516-661-9715

[email protected]

SOURCE X Delivery
DUBLIN, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT), a global leader in healthcare technology, today announced its ambition to achieve net zero carbon emissions by fiscal year (FY) 2045 across its operations and value chain (scopes 1, 2, and 3) to accelerate efforts to combat climate change. The announcement comes during the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26), where world leaders are focusing on collectively cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels.

As published in Medtronic's new Decarbonization Roadmap, the FY45 milestone builds on the company's existing goal of reaching carbon neutrality in its operations by FY30, to encompass GHG emissions reductions across its entire value chain. To achieve its ambition, Medtronic will pursue setting GHG emission reduction targets across scopes 1, 2, and 3 through the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)  a multi-year initiative that provides companies a clearly defined path to reduce emissions aligned with the Paris Agreement.

"As a global healthcare technology leader, our goal is to transform industry expectations and behavior where health and climate change intersect," said Geoff Martha, Medtronic chairman and chief executive officer. "Our teams across 150 countries are actively working to protect our planet by reducing our energy use, investing in renewables, and now moving toward net zero emissions throughout our operations, supply chain and logistic partners, by pursuing science-based targets."

The health care industry is responsible for 4.5% of global carbon emissions1. Medtronic is taking a leadership role in collaborative climate action with the National Health Service (NHS) in England and the U.S. National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Medtronic has joined the International Leadership Group for a Net Zero NHS, and Martha recently signed a joint letter with CEOs from Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, Microsoft, and other member companies to support England's largest health system in its net zero goals. Medtronic is also participating in the NAM Action Collaborative to Decarbonize the U.S. Health Sector, which brings together multi-sector leaders to co-develop and implement a shared action agenda to reduce environmental impacts and strengthen sustainability and climate resilience. Greg Smith, Medtronic EVP of global operations and supply chain, serves as co-lead of the Infrastructure and Supply Chain Working Group within the NAM Action Collaborative.

Medtronic's new aspiration to reach net zero emissions by FY45 is part of the company's ongoing environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy. To learn more about Medtronic progress on ESG priorities in its last fiscal year, download the full 2021 Integrated Performance Report: Engineering Impact.

About Medtronic

Bold thinking. Bolder actions. We are Medtronic. Medtronic plc, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is the leading global healthcare technology company that boldly attacks the most challenging health problems facing humanity by searching out and finding solutions. Our Mission  to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life  unites a global team of 90,000+ passionate people across 150 countries. Our technologies and therapies treat 70 health conditions and include cardiac devices, surgical robotics, insulin pumps, surgical tools, patient monitoring systems, and more. Powered by our diverse knowledge, insatiable curiosity, and desire to help all those who need it, we deliver innovative technologies that transform the lives of two people every second, every hour, every day. Expect more from us as we empower insight-driven care, experiences that put people first, and better outcomes for all. In everything we do, we are engineering the extraordinary. For more information on Medtronic (NYSE:MDT), visit www.Medtronic.com and follow @Medtronic on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's periodic reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.









1 Pichler PP, Jaccard IS, Weisz U, Weisz H. International comparison of health care carbon footprints. Environ Res Lett. 2019;14(6):064004.

Contacts:

Erika Winkels Ryan Weispfenning Public Relations Investor Relations +1-763-526-8478 +1-763-505-4626

SOURCE Medtronic plc

Related Links

http://www.medtronic.com


DALLAS, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Experts from the spa and wellness sector and consumers have voted Natura Bisse the 'World's Best Spa Brand' at the 2021 World Spa AwardsTM.

Discover the magic of Natura Bisse treatments in a click.

This is the fourth consecutive year that the Spanish beauty product firm has been awarded with this prestigious award, being the only brand in the world to receive this recognition four times in a row, which affirms Natura Bisse as the leading brand for luxury within the spa industry. Natura Bisse performs over 7.5 million treatments around the world every year. Its innovative rituals, based on unprecedented results and the incomparable power of touch, are combined with exceptional client service to create the most innovative formula that is capable of offering its distinguished clients unforgettable experiences.

"Receiving this award once more, especially after many months that have been so tough for the spa industry, fills us with satisfaction and motivates us to continue exploring our creative essence and our boundless curiosity for creating experiences that are able to transform our clients' skin and their emotions. This award is shared with all our partner spas, which have become genuine retreats for not just physical but also mental and emotional peace and wellbeing."

Veronica Fisas,

CEO and Managing Director of the Natura Bisse Group.

The World Spa Awards were created in 2015 to raise the standards of wellbeing in the tourism sector and to serve as a mark of quality and reference point for consumers. Each year, professionals from the sector and clients vote on the worldspaawards.com website for the brand they consider to be the best spa brand in the world, along with other categories, in a voting process that lasts 16 weeks, this year stretching from May 19th until September 8th.

On this occasion, the annual World Spa AwardsTM presentation ceremony took place online due to the current travel restrictions in place, with a virtual presence from the entire spectrum of the industry, from hotels and spa destinations to wellness retreats and leading brands in the sector.

"We have been overwhelmed by the exceptional quality of entrants this year. It is an encouraging indicator that the spa and wellness sector is rebounding strongly from the challenges of the past year.

Rebecca Cohen,

Managing Director

of the World Spa Awards

NATURA BISSE IN THE WORLD'S BEST SPAS

Some of the partners the firm works with around the world have also been recognized at the World Spa AwardsTM for adhering to the highest standards of quality and excellence.

Maldives Best Resort Spa 2021  Iridium Spa at The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort

Indian Oceans Best Resort Spa 2021  Iridium Spa at The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort

Englands Best Wellness Retreat 2021  Grantley Hall

Irelands Best Hotel Spa 2021  The Spa at Ashford Castle

Irelands Best Day Spa 2021  Le Jardin Luxury Spa

Netherlands Best Wellness Retreat 2021  Akasha Holistic Wellbeing at Conservatorium Hotel

Colorados Best Hotel Spa 2021  The Ritz-Carlton Denver ( USA )

( ) Floridas Best Hotel Spa 2021  The Ritz-Carlton Spa, South Beach ( USA )

( ) Mexicos Best Wellness Retreat 2021  Esencia Wellness at Nobu Hotel Los Cabos ( Mexico )

( ) Latin Americas Best Wellness Retreat 2021  Esencia Wellness at Nobu Hotel Los Cabos ( Mexico )

( ) Dominican Repubics Best Resort Spa 2021  Eden Roc Spa by Natura Bisse at Eden Roc Cap Cana

Caribbeans Best Resort Spa 2021  Eden Roc Spa by Natura Bisse at Eden Roc Cap Cana ( Dominican Republic )

( ) Abu Dhabis Best Resort Spa 2021  Nurai Spa at Zaya Nurai Island

Abu Dhabis Best Hotel Spa 2021  Conrad Spa at Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers

Qatars Best Hotel Spa 2021  The Spa at The Ritz-Carlton Doha

Qatars Best Resort Spa 2021  The Spa at Sharq Village

Macaos Best Resort Spa 2021  Banyan Tree Spa Macau ( China )

( ) Worlds Best Male Spa 2021  The Ritz-Carlton Spa at The Ritz-Carlton Riyadh ( Saudi Arabia )

( ) Worlds Best Hotel Spa Suites 2021  Spa Suites at Address Downtown Duba i (UAE)

i (UAE) Worlds Best Hotel Spa Brand 2021  Iridium SPAs at St. Regis Hotels & Resorts

Worlds Best Casino Hotel Spa  Banyan Tree Spa Marina Bay Sands ( Singapore )

For Spa Business Inquiries, Contact: Josanna Gaither Phone Number: 972.791.5014  Email: [email protected] For press inquiries, Contact: Tyler Feetham Phone Number: 954.914.0763  Email: [email protected]

Natura Bisse is a globally renowned luxury skincare company. Founded in Barcelona in 1979, is now passionately managed by the second generation of the Fisas family.

Thanks to the expertise of skilled aestheticians, Natura Bisse understands that every skin has its own voice. This belief is the essence of the brand's DNA, which fuses pioneering technology with the most delicate human touch in order to listen and adapt to the differing needs of each and every guest.

The constant pursuit of excellence has led Natura Bisse to receive numerous awards including a three-peat recognition as the "World Best Spa Brand" at the 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 World Spa Awards.

With subsidiaries in Spain, United States, Mexico, United Kingdom and China and presence in 40 countries, Natura Bisse continues to expand around the world throughout the most distinguished luxury retailers and best-in-class spas.

True to its values of commitment to giving back, the brand helped establish the Ricardo Fisas Natura Bisse Foundation in 2008 to contribute to the well-being of people in vulnerable situations.

naturabisse.com

SOURCE Natura Bisse

Related Links

https://www.naturabisse.com/


SAN DIEGO, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- North Island Credit Union, in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego, invites you to make a difference in a child's life this holiday season by participating in its Holiday Toy Drive.

Through December 17th, North Island Credit Union encourages community members to drop off a new, unwrapped toy to any of its branch locations in San Diego. Donations needed include toys or gifts appropriate for preschool through middle school ages. All gifts will be distributed during the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego holiday celebrations in December. A complete list of North Island Credit Union locations is available here.

"We hope everyone will pick up an extra gift during their early holiday shopping and drop it off at a branch to help us make the holidays bright for all the kids and families participating in Boys & Girls Clubs programs across greater San Diego," said North Island Credit Union President/CEO Steve O'Connell. "The holidays are a challenging time for many, and simply adding one gift to your list can bring holiday magic to a child's life. Together, we can make sure the holidays are a special, joy-filled time for the children in our community."

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego changes lives through quality youth programs and guidance in a safe, affordable and fun environment. The Clubs serve kids ages 5-18 with programs focused on academic success, character development, and healthy lifestyles at 19 community-based sites countywide, covering a service area of over 2,000 square miles from National City to Borrego Springs. For more information about the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego, please visit sdyouth.org.

More information about North Island Credit Union's Holiday Toy Drive can be found here.

About North Island Credit Union, a division of California Credit Union

California Credit Union is a federally insured, state chartered credit union founded in 1933 that serves public or private school employees, community members and businesses across California. With more than 165,000 members and assets of over $4 billion, California Credit Union has 25 branches throughout Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. The credit union operates in San Diego County as North Island Credit Union, a division of California Credit Union. California Credit Union offers a full suite of consumer, business and investment products and services, including comprehensive consumer checking and loan options, personalized financial planning, business banking, and leading-edge online and mobile banking. Please visit northisland.ccu.com for more information or follow the credit union on Instagram or Facebook @northislandcu.

SOURCE North Island Credit Union
ALBANY, N.Y., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The demand for barite for varied applications such as drilling and filling agent from several end-use industries such as rubber, plastics, and pharmaceuticals drives the barite market. Barite is widely used in the paints & coatings industry as an extension to primers as it imparts clean whiteness to surfaces. This is in addition to the use of barite in pigments in paints and as filler agents in coatings.

The demand for barite from the oil & gas sector is rising due to declining impact of COVID-19. The use of barite for drilling fluids is related to its high specific gravity. It is suitable to elevate hydrostatic pressure to counter high-pressure zones during drilling.

The role of suppliers to maintain a robust supply chain of barite to serve oil & gas, rubber, and paints & coatings sectors is fueling the growth of the barite market.

The rising prominence of a specific grade barite in rubber and adhesive industries for use as a density enhancer in noise and vibration reduction systems with properties of inertness and color neutrality is creating new opportunities in the barite market.

The collective assessment of these factors estimate the barite market to expand at a CAGR of 5% from 2021  2031.

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Barite Market  Key Findings of Report

Novel Use for Radiation Shielding Products to Expand Opportunities

The growing demand for barite in shielding applications is creating new revenue streams in the barite market. The prospective development of Bariblock  an environmentally sustainable product to shield potentially harmful radiation such as X-ray will fuel the growth of the barite market. The demand for radiation shielding products is growing for the need of alternatives to conventional shielding products such as lead slabs.

In order to serve this, manufacturers of radiation shielding products are increasing their production capacities. Manufacturers are engaging in the development of products with low thickness, high volume mass, and ease of installation at reduced construction cost.

Novel shielding panels made of barite are increasingly finding application in new buildings and renovation of existing buildings and electromagnetic processes.

Ask for Special Discount on Report  https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=D&rep_id=2404

Availability in Few Grades Diversifies Applications

The availability of barite in a few grades accounts for its expanded applications. Barite is found in various colors such as yellow, blue, white, and gray. Barite possesses high density and chemical inertness that makes it suitable for various applications. However, the quality and purity of barite varies highly, thus limiting the volume of barite that can be extracted from individual reserves. For instance, the limited availability of US Pharmacopeia (USP) barite limits the pharmaceutical applications of the mineral. Therefore, to stay competitive, companies involved in pharmaceutical applications of barite are engaging in alternate revenue streams such as developing radiation-shielding products.

The Sp.Gr. 4.2 grade displays leading demand and is considered a high potential grade of the mineral. The Sp. Gr. 4.2 grade is extensively used in the drilling of oil and gas and their derivatives, owing to its physical properties. The revival of the oil & gas sector post COVID-19 is creating the demand for the Sp. Gr. 4.2 barite grade. This stimulates the barite market growth.

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Barite Market  Growth Drivers

Demand for barite for varied applications from a number of end-use industries fuels growth of the barite market

Novel applications for radiation shielding products to create new opportunities in the pharmaceutical segment of the barite market

Barite Market  Key Players

Some of the key players operating in the barite market are The Andra Pradesh Mineral Developmnet Corporation Ltd., Anglo Pacific Minerals Ltd., Sojitz Corporation, The Kish Company Inc., PVS Global Trade Pvt Ltd, Ashapura Group, Schlumberger Limited, PANDS GROUP, ALCOR MINERALS, and Pulapathuri.

Buy an Exclusive Research Report at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=2404<ype=S

Global Barite Market: Segmentation

Barite Market, by Grade

Up to Sp. Gr. 3.9

Sp. Gr. 4.0

Sp. Gr. 4.1

Sp. Gr. 4.2

Sp. Gr. 4.3 & Above

Barite Market, by Application

Drilling Mud

Pharmaceuticals

Rubber & Plastics

Others (including Cement)

Barite Market, by Region

North America

U.S.



Canada

Europe

Germany



France



U.K.



Norway



Russia & CIS

& CIS

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China



India



Oceania



ASEAN



Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America

Brazil



Mexico



Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa

GCC Countries



North Africa



South Africa



Rest of Middle East & Africa

Chemicals & Materials Industry battles Tangible Impact of Economic and Cultural changes, Explore Transparency Market Research's award-winning coverage of the global Chemicals & Materials Market:

Insoluble Sulfur Market - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/insoluble-sulfur-market.html

Tactile Printing Market - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/global-tactile-printing-market.html

About Transparency Market Research

Transparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. Our experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyse information.

Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.

For More Research Insights on Leading Industries, Visit our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8e-z-g23-TdDMuODiL8BKQ

Contact

Mr. Rohit Bhisey

Transparency Market Research

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United States

USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453

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Press Release Source: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/barite-market.htm

SOURCE Transparency Market Research
NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Options AI, a unique brokerage platform putting option spreads in the toolkit of retail investors, today announced it has closed an oversubscribed $4.1 million seed round.

The funding round was led by Akuna Capital, Optiver Principal Strategic Investments and Miami International Holdings, Inc., with participation from ViewTrade Holdings.

"Technology has helped fuel a resurgence in active investing, but it hasn't levelled the playing field for retail investors," says John Foley, CEO of Options AI. "With options, the focus has been on getting investors to their first-trade, not improving access to more advanced trades. That puts retail investors at a disadvantage and is why we built Options AI to be the first platform where it's as straightforward to trade multi-leg spreads as it is to buy a stock."

As the number of retail investors has grown in recent years, so too has participation in the options market. Not just from those seeking outsized returns but also active investors wanting option spreads for purposes of income generation, to risk less capital or as a stock alternative. But for many, a lack of innovation combined with inherent market complexities, means the path to more advanced trading remains highly challenging. Options AI is out to change that.

"It's time to upgrade the entire options experience for retail investors," says Foley. "We've designed Options AI as a co-pilot through the options chain. A simple and intuitive interface that gives newer investors the confidence to graduate to spreads combined with powerful features to give savvy investors the most efficient trading experience."

Options AI currently sees more than 80% of its trading volume in multi leg option spreads and has relied largely on organic growth to date. The company is currently expanding its team and plans to open an office in Chicago in the near future.

"We're extremely excited to be partnering with such high-quality strategic investors who understand the opportunity and share in our vision of bringing not just smarter options but also higher quality execution to retail investors," says John Foley.

"We are thrilled to back John Foley and his talented team at Options AI," said Rutger Brinkhuis, CEO of Optiver US. "By providing users with greater access to options trading tools and education, Options AI is revolutionizing the retail trading experience. The platform's vision of empowering retail traders to become more efficient, informed and successful directly aligns with Optiver's mission to improve financial markets for all participants."

"Akuna Capital is excited to partner with Options AI, a fast-growing and innovative solution for retail options traders looking for a more sophisticated trading platform. Akuna sees tremendous opportunity in the retail options trading space, and are looking forward to working with the Options AI team to leverage our expertise in the industry and assist in Options AI's future development," says Toby Joy, Chief Strategy Officer of Akuna Capital.

ABOUT OPTIONS AI

Options AI Financial, LLC is a U.S. based broker-dealer with a goal of bringing smarter options to retail investors. Its innovative technology provides a simple and visual approach to options trading. Empowering investors to clearly see opportunity, compare strategies and manage positions.

ABOUT AKUNA CAPITAL

Akuna Capital was founded in Chicago in 2011 with a focus on options market making using its industry-leading proprietary technology. Akuna now employs ~500 people with offices in Chicago, Sydney, Shanghai and Boston. Akuna trades across all major asset classes on a wide variety of venues worldwide. Akuna has been an active venture capital investor since 2018 having led the pre-Series A round into BlockFi and making many investments since across a variety of industries.

ABOUT OPTIVER STRATEGIC PRINCIPAL STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS

Optiver Principal Strategic Investments (PSI) is incubating and empowering the most impactful projects in the financial industry. Comprised of a global team of former traders, developers, strategy and business development professionals, Optiver PSI draws upon veteran expertise spanning the full ecosystem of financial markets. With a keen interest in upcoming FinTech, IT Infrastructure and Digital Asset ventures, Optiver PSI aims to identify entrepreneurs shaping financial markets of the future. Through their partnership, Optiver PSI provides founders with long-term guidance, unparalleled technological capabilities, mentorship and diverse resources.

ABOUT MIAMI INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, INC.

Miami International Holdings, Inc. owns Miami International Securities Exchange, LLC (MIAX), MIAX PEARL, LLC (MIAX Pearl), MIAX Emerald, LLC (MIAX Emerald), Minneapolis Grain Exchange, LLC (MGEX), and Bermuda Stock Exchange (BSX). MIAX, MIAX Pearl and MIAX Emerald are national securities exchanges registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that leverage MIAX's industry-leading technology and infrastructure to provide U.S. listed options trading to their member firms. In addition to options, MIAX Pearl facilitates the trading of cash equities through MIAX Pearl Equities.

MIAX's executive offices and National Operations Center are located in Princeton, NJ, with additional offices located in Miami, FL, Minneapolis, MN, and Hamilton, Bermuda.

Media Contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE Options AI

Related Links

www.optionsai.com


NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of financial markets for 11,000 U.S. and global securities, today announced IronRidge Resources Limited (LSE: IRR;OTCQX: IRRLF), an Africa focused minerals exploration company, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market. IronRidge Resources Limited upgraded to OTCQX from the Pink market.

IronRidge Resources Limited begins trading today on OTCQX under the symbol "IRRLF." U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com.

Upgrading to the OTCQX Market is an important step for companies seeking to provide transparent trading for their U.S. investors. For companies listed on a qualified international exchange, streamlined market standards enable them to utilize their home market reporting to make their information available in the U.S. To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws.

Vincent Mascolo, Chief Executive Officer of IronRidge Resources Limited, said:

"The United States is home to some of the world's most influential resources sector investors. By joining OTCQX, we now have an effective platform from which to reach a significantly larger investor audience. Following the transformative agreement with Piedmont Lithium Inc. to fast track and fully fund the Company's Ewoyaa Lithium Project to production, we believe there is wider interest in IronRidge's projects and shares outside of the UK. We therefore look forward to providing investors in both the UK and the United States with regular progress updates at this exciting and pivotal time for the Company."

B. Riley Securities, Inc. acted as the company's OTCQX sponsor.

About IronRidge Resources Limited

IronRidge Resources is an Africa focused minerals exploration company with a significant lithium pegmatite discovery in Ghana, extensive gold portfolios in Cote d'Ivoire and a potential new gold province discovery in Chad.

About OTC Markets Group Inc.

OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market and the Pink Open Market for 11,000 U.S. and global securities. Through OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN, we connect a diverse network of broker-dealers that provide liquidity and execution services. We enable investors to easily trade through the broker of their choice and empower companies to improve the quality of information available for investors.

To learn more about how we create better informed and more efficient markets, visit www.otcmarkets.com.

OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN are SEC regulated ATSs, operated by OTC Link LLC, member FINRA/SIPC.

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Media Contact:

OTC Markets Group Inc.,

1 (212) 896-4428, [email protected]

SOURCE OTC Markets Group Inc.

Related Links

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LEHI, Utah, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FordDirect , a joint venture between Ford Motor Company and its franchised Dealers, has added Podium , a trusted market leader in reputation management, to its Social Media & Reputation Management product. Now, Ford and Lincoln Dealers have the additional option to access Podium's tools from the Social Media & Reputation Management platform to strengthen the most vital aspects of their online presence and differentiate themselves from their competition.

"We have listened to our Ford and Lincoln Dealer customers, and they continue to tell us they want choice in their providers across solutions," said Matt VanDyke, chief executive officer of FordDirect. "Podium offers a wealth of reputation management experience that we are confident will help our Dealers be their best. With this added offering to our platform, Dealers can continue to trust the support they receive as they build and maintain their online presence."

In this partnership, Podium offers Ford and Lincoln Dealers another premium solution to actively optimize their reputation online for their various rooftops. Podium also makes it easy for Dealers to proactively and seamlessly interact with all their customer reviews to maintain their online reputation and communicate with their customers. With Podium, Dealers will have the option to unify their digital communication to both automate responses to their reviews and generate high-quality customer feedback, as well as maximize lead opportunities from their customer reviews.

"This partnership with FordDirect will directly support Ford and Lincoln dealerships with the capabilities to not only garner more reviews but also to automate their reviews management," said Brad Jenson, executive vice president of business development at Podium. "This integration allows Dealers to respond to all reviews in a seamless way as they make sure to care for all of their customers, particularly as many are facing inventory shortages and challenges due to the pandemic."

Ford and Lincoln Dealers can learn more by contacting their FordDirect Dealer Engagement Team member or visiting the FordDirect Dealer Center .

About Podium

Podium exists to help local businesses thrive, so they can focus on what matters most: their customers. Today, more than 100,000 local businesses are powered by Podium, helping to facilitate millions of customer interactions and payment transactions. From customer-generated reviews, to more seamless communication offerings and contactless payment tools, Podium is modernizing the way local businesses operate and grow their businesses. Podium is headquartered in Lehi, Utah, and was founded in 2014. To learn more, visit www.podium.com .

About FordDirect

FordDirect, headquartered in Dearborn, Mich., connects the worlds of data, analytics and technology to provide best-in-class digital marketing and advertising solutions exclusively for Ford and Lincoln Dealers. FordDirect is a joint venture between Ford Motor Company and its franchised Dealers with a mission of helping Ford and Lincoln dealerships sell more cars and trucks.

SOURCE Podium

Related Links

http://www.podium.com


The joint solution can help organizations drive comprehensive security, compliance and identity programs. Tweet this

"As a member of the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA), our goal is to bring effective and pragmatic cybersecurity and privacy solutions to the heart of every business organization. Protiviti has extensive experience and a proven history in IT security, risk and compliance. Our new services, powered by Microsoft Compliance Manager, will help our clients increase visibility into their technology and data compliance posture and drive informed and prioritized risk management decisions," said Natalie Fedyuk, a Protiviti managing director and the firm's Global Microsoft Security and Privacy leader.

Compliance Manager is a cross-Microsoft platform that helps organizations meet complex regulatory compliance obligations, including ISO 27001, ISO 27018, CCPA, GDPR, Gramm-Leach-Bliley, HIPAA, NIST 800-53, PCI-DSS, PIPEDA, Sarbanes-Oxley and others. In addition to out-of-the-box functionality, Protiviti's solution uses the extensibility of Microsoft Compliance Manager to enable input and compliance monitoring on non-Microsoft assets, such as custom End User Developed Applications (EUDAs), for a full view of the client environment. Protiviti provides compliance solutions for businesses throughout their compliance journey, utilizing Microsoft-certified workshops and Protiviti's Microsoft Compliance Quick Start.

"The combination of Microsoft Compliance Manager and Protiviti's consulting services can help our customers meet their compliance obligations," said Mandana Javaheri, senior director of Security Partner Development, Microsoft. "The joint solution can help organizations drive comprehensive security, compliance and identity programs, resulting in real business value. We are pleased to partner with Protiviti."

Protiviti Webinar to Demo Microsoft Compliance Manager

On November 11, 2021, Protiviti will host a complimentary one-hour webinar at 10:00 a.m. PST, which will include a demonstration of how Microsoft Compliance Manager can help businesses understand their compliance progress. Join speakers Antonio Maio, a Protiviti director and nine-time Microsoft MVP, and Jonathan Trillos, a Protiviti associate director and compliance subject-matter expert, when they discuss how to approach compliance from a people, process and technology perspective. Please register for the webinar here.

Speaker Session Available from 2021 Microsoft Ignite

To learn more about Microsoft Compliance Manager and how to use compliance, risk and privacy solutions across a multi-cloud infrastructure, listen to an on-demand recording from the recent Microsoft Ignite conference: The session, titled "Enable multi-cloud compliance, risk and privacy for your organizations," features Protiviti's Trillos along with other Microsoft experts.

Learn more about Protiviti's cybersecurity and privacy services and Microsoft consulting services. Protiviti was previously recognized by Microsoft as a finalist for the 2021 Microsoft Global Partner of the Year Awards.

About Protiviti

Protiviti (www.protiviti.com) is a global consulting firm that delivers deep expertise, objective insights, a tailored approach and unparalleled collaboration to help leaders confidently face the future. Protiviti and its independent and locally owned Member Firms provide clients with consulting and managed solutions in finance, technology, operations, data, analytics, governance, risk and internal audit through its network of more than 85 offices in over 25 countries.

Named to the 2021 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list, Protiviti has served more than 60 percent of Fortune 1000 and 35 percent of Fortune Global 500 companies. The firm also works with smaller, growing companies, including those looking to go public, as well as with government agencies. Protiviti is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Half (NYSE: RHI). Founded in 1948, Robert Half is a member of the S&P 500 index.

Protiviti is not licensed or registered as a public accounting firm and does not issue opinions on financial statements or offer attestation services.

All trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Editor's note: Protiviti photos available upon request.

SOURCE Protiviti

Related Links

http://www.protiviti.com


AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ninnion, LLC, a pharmaceutical startup company focused on psychedelic therapeutics for the payer reimbursable market, is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Bill W. Massey as its Chief Development Officer. In this new role, Dr. Massey will lead all discovery and development programs for the Austin, Texas based startup company.

"For many years now, the CNS space has seen a type of stagnation in the development of new drugs," said Dr. Massey. "The movement to develop psychedelic pharmaceutical therapeutics represents a seismic shift that will significantly change the way we treat CNS disorders forever. I am excited to be a part of that movement and apply my experience to bring these drugs to regulatory approvals."

Dr. Massey has previously held leadership positions at Merck, Astra Merck, Quintiles, Scirex, AstraZeneca, Scientific Commercialization, Litmus Molecular Design, SureGene, and GeneAlign. He formerly served as a researcher at the Pritzker School of Medicine's Drug Abuse Research Center at The University of Chicago. Dr. Massey held the Jack Martin, MD Research Professorship in Psychopharmacology at Vanderbilt University, where he conducted research into the genetics, biological basis, and pharmacological treatment of schizophrenia and other serious mental illness in collaboration with Dr. Herbert Y. Meltzer. He currently serves as a Visiting Scholar at the Feinberg School of Medicine's Dept. of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Northwestern University where he continues his research collaboration with Dr. Meltzer.

"The choice was immediately clear for us. Dr. Massey comes with an incredible track record in CNS pharmaceutical development including INDs for 28 new drugs into human testing, and eight regulatory approvals for new drugs brought to market," said Jeremy M. Caudill, Founder and CEO of Ninnion. "We are honored to have him join our team in this key leadership role."

Dr. Massey holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and long-standing adjunct faculty appointments at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

About Ninnion

Founded in November 2020, Ninnion is a CNS Psychedelic Pharmaceutical and Digital Health start-up company based in Austin, TX. Focused on developing therapeutics suitable for the payer-reimbursed market, the company is developing a pipeline of low touch, shorter-acting psychedelic therapies paired with its proprietary SaMD (Software as a Medical Device) platform.

Website: www.ninnion.com

SOURCE Ninnion, LLC

Related Links

https://www.ninnion.com


CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Q32 Bio, a clinical stage biotechnology company developing biologic therapeutics to restore immune homeostasis, today announced preclinical data from the Company's lead program for innate immunity, ADX-097, presented at the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week 2021 on November 5, 2021. These data validate the mechanism of action of ADX-097, a first-in-class fusion protein, and demonstrate the ability to potently inhibit disease-causing complement activation in a targeted manner while avoiding systemic complement inhibition.

"Q32 Bio's approach to the treatment of complement disorders is fundamentally different from that of other companies in that our therapies target the tissue, not the systemic complement system," said Shelia Violette, Ph.D., Founder, Chief Scientific Officer and President of Research of Q32 Bio. "The data presented at ASN demonstrate the potential for tissue targeting to yield greater therapeutic potency while avoiding systemic complement inhibition. As a result, we believe ADX-097 has the potential to safely deliver potent and durable efficacy to diseased tissue where complement is overactive, which could provide a significant improvement over currently available complement inhibitors and enable a more convenient treatment paradigm for patients."

The data evaluate the potency and durable response of ADX-097, a humanized anti-C3d monoclonal antibody linked to two moieties of the first five consensus repeats of the complement negative regulatory protein human factor H (fH 1-5 ), designed to target complement inhibition to diseased tissue. Key results are as follows:

In factor H knockout mice, C3d-targeted fH 1-5 potently inhibits glomerular complement activation. The blockade in tissue is achieved at circulating exposures that avoid systemic complement inhibition. Furthermore, these data show that complement inhibition persists for at least one week after a single subcutaneous dose.

potently inhibits glomerular complement activation. The blockade in tissue is achieved at circulating exposures that avoid systemic complement inhibition. Furthermore, these data show that complement inhibition persists for at least one week after a single subcutaneous dose. In a head-to-head analysis, ADX-097 (C3d-targeted fH 1-5 ) more potently inhibits glomerular complement activity and reduces proteinuria as compared to non-targeted fH 1-5 in the Passive Heymann Nephritis model of membranous nephropathy. These data demonstrate the critical role of ADX-097's tissue targeting in enhancing potency as compared to non-targeted constructs.

"We are extremely pleased with these early data and are keenly focused on advancing ADX-097 into the clinic next year," said Michael Broxson, Chief Executive Officer of Q32 Bio. "We look forward to evaluating additional complement programs that similarly leverage favorable routes of administration and dosing regimens that reduce treatment burden on patients."

About ADX-097

ADX-097 is a first-in-class fusion protein that Q32 Bio is developing to restore homeostasis to the innate immune response through targeted regulation of complement directly in diseased tissues without long-term systemic blockade. In preclinical studies, ADX-097 has proven in vivo distribution to affected tissues/organs, durable tissue pharmacokinetics (PK)/pharmacodynamics (PD), robust in vivo efficacy, and attractive drug properties. Q32 Bio plans to initiate first-in-human trials for ADX-097 in the first half of 2022.

About Q32 Bio

Q32 Bio is a clinical stage biotechnology company developing biologic therapeutics targeting powerful regulators of the innate and adaptive immune systems to re-balance immunity in severe autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Q32 Bio's lead programs, focused on the IL-7 / TSLP receptor pathways and complement system, address immune dysregulation to help patients take back control of their lives.

The company's most advanced program, ADX-914, is a fully human anti-IL-7Ra antibody. The IL-7 and TSLP pathways have been genetically and biologically implicated in driving several T cell-mediated pathological processes in numerous autoimmune diseases. Q32 Bio has completed dosing in a Phase 1 trial of ADX-914 in healthy volunteers and plans to initiate Phase 2 studies in in the first half of 2022.

Q32 Bio's lead program for innate immunity, ADX-097, is based on a pioneering approach enabling tissue-targeted regulation of the complement system without long-term systemic blockade  a key differentiator versus current complement therapeutics. Q32 Bio plans to initiate first-in-human trials for ADX-097 in the first half of 2022. For more information, please visit www.Q32bio.com .

Contact

Investors: Brendan Burns

Media: Sarah Sutton

Argot Partners

212.600.1902

[email protected]

SOURCE Q32 Bio

Related Links

https://www.q32bio.com/


PHOENIX, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RAADR, Inc. (OTC PINK: RDAR), a technology and software development company that monitors cyber-bullying and social media platforms with artificial intelligence announced today that based on a spot beta test that was completed late last week, the RAADR 2.0 Parental Monitoring App will now be able to monitor social media activity on the Instagram ,TikTok and Snapchat platforms. This capability significantly increases the utility of the RAADR Parental Monitoring App because of the popularity of Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat with young people. The company uses highly sophisticated machine learning convolutional neural networks to gather and analyze the data.

Jacob DiMartino, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of RAADR, Inc. explained, "This announcement and last week's breakthrough is truly a watershed moment for our company. It represents a critical moment for our technological capabilities. Last week, I was personally a field tester for the app and I used the app to monitor social media postings as it relates to my own 15 year old daughter. This is truly personal but I believe all parents need to know about this. Within 48 hours of photos being posted on Instagram and TikTok, I was able to retrieve photos and posts that were posted both on Instagram and TikTok that made me very uncomfortable. If it wasn't for the RAADR 2.0 Parental Monitoring App, I would not be able to monitor this social media activity."

Mr. DiMartino continued, "I am beyond 100% confident that all parents would want the RAADR 2.0 Parental Monitoring App to truly understand what is directly affecting their children on social media. It is within our company's mission to now give the parents a tool to pierce these social media walls to protect their children. A small company from Arizona called RAADR with a market cap of about $3 million is at the precipice of unveiling this tool."

Instagram is social media's most popular photo and video sharing social media platform, In 2012, Instagram was acquired by Facebook for $1 billion. Instagram is extremely popular with the age groups that RAADR is trying to protect. Originally launched for IOS in October 2010, Instagram rapidly gained popularity, with one million registered users in two months, 10 million in a year, and 1.3 billion as of 2021.

TikTok, the fastest growing worldwide social media site and one of the fastest growing social media sites in the world is predominantly popular with children and young adults under 25. TikTok is now available in 150 countries and has been downloaded over 2 billion times. TikTok is a social media app used to create and share videos. Categorized by genres such as dance and comedy, TikTok users create short music-oriented videos.

Jacob DiMartino concluded by saying, "We are making significant but limited progress with Snapchat. If we are able to generate the same amount of coverage with Snapchat as we are with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram , TikTok our app will cover close to 100% of the social media vulnerability that affects children and young adults."

About RAADR, Inc.

RAADR, Inc., publishes software and apps that protect children who use social media and the internet. Known as the "internet anti-bullying company", RAADR produces products that allow children, parents, and school districts to monitor bullying and other threatening behavior on the Internet in real time. Armed with many features including keyword tracking, real time alerts, facial recognition and site filtering, RAADR's apps determine in real time whether children or young adults are the victim of stalkers, bullies and other threatening behavior. Parents love the facial recognition feature because in seconds, the app allows parents to upload the child's image and parents can be armed with one of the most powerful tools available to receive alerts each time their child's image appears on a social media site. RAADR Parental 2.0, which is the parenting app that helps parents and adults protect children by using real time monitoring on social media will be released sometime in late 2021. Bully RAADR which arms the kids with RAADR's powerful suite of products allows children to protect themselves and other kids from threatening and dangerous behavior on the internet and social media will be released by the Spring of 2022. RAADR Inc. is committed to making our world and social media a safer and better place for kids and young adults."

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section EVE of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements in this press release, which are not purely historical, are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future.

Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with new projects and development stage companies. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report and for the most recent fiscal year, our quarterly reports, and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with OTCMarkets.com

Video :

Link : youtu.be/1juAWI14jgA

Media Contact:

Jacob DiMartino,

[email protected]

SOURCE RAADR, Inc.

Related Links

raadr.com


ATLANTA, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RentPath (www.rentpath.com), a Redfin company, and leading marketing technology and services platform for the rental industry announced an exclusive partnership with apartment industry innovator, Rentgrata.

As RentPath continues on its mission to provide the most immersive, informative and information-rich experience for apartment hunters, the integration with Rentgrata will allow its users to connect with current residents of apartment communities, directly from the property listing. This innovative feature is particularly relevant in the post-Covid era as it enables prospective renters to gain familiarity with locations, sight unseen.

"Rentgrata and RentPath share a commitment to giving prospective residents rich and meaningful insight on their journey to finding a new place to live," shared Ben Margolit, Rentgrata's CEO and co-founder, "Moving to a new place is a huge decision and we are so pleased to be able help inform that decision for RentPath's millions of users by connecting them to potential new neighbors. With direct access to residents, they can ask the questions that are truly important to them."

This integration is the latest in a number of exciting moves for RentPath, which was acquired by Redfin, a pioneer in the real estate industry, in early April 2021.

"We are thrilled to partner with Rentgrata," said Jon Ziglar, RentPath's CEO, "The social proof that comes from direct resident referrals in our listings represents the latest in a number of innovations we are introducing to provide the richest, most informative and immersive experience for our users. Getting insight into the experience of existing residents brings a powerful trust signal for potential renters. We believe this will help renters lease with confidence, and drive even better conversions for our customers. Everyone benefits."

This addition to RentPath's rental search experience is one of several exciting innovations in recent weeks. Jon Ziglar and the RentPath team are attending National Multifamily Housing Council's OPTECH Conference in Washington DC this week and will be sharing updates with attendees. The RentPath team is located at booth #235 at the event and will be providing more information about this new partnership throughout the conference.

About RentPath

RentPath is the only marketing and automation platform that engages prospective residents through the entire renter journey, maximizing leads and occupancies with unparalleled ROI. Through its broad network of rental listing sites including rent.com, ApartmentGuide.com and Rentals.com, RentPath connects property owners and managers with over 10 million high-intent, in-market renters per month. In addition, the RentPath platform powers a full suite of best-in-class digital marketing solutions across search advertising, social media, email marketing, web chat, resident communication, reputation management and more. RentPath's holistic solutions simplify the rental search experience for renters while driving occupancies and efficiencies for property managers and owners. RentPath is a Redfin Company.

About Rentgrata

Rentgrata is the first renter insights platform that creates connections and builds community for multifamily communities. As the only messaging platform for prospective and current residents to connect and share feedback, Rentgrata facilitates real conversations, while delivering data that helps multifamily professionals better understand renter needs. By helping apartment buildings feel more like communities, Rentgrata reduces resident turnover and increases NOI, while offering residents the chance to capitalize on referral incentives and connect in new ways. For more information, visit https://www.rentgrata.com/.

Contact:

David Bell

Chief Product and Marketing Officer, Business

470-312-6368

[email protected]

SOURCE RentPath

Related Links

http://www.rentpath.com


DUBLIN, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- S&P Global Ratings said today that natural capital accounting pricing measures could potentially encourage more forest-friendly farming practices and help tackle global deforestation, a major issue in the fight against climate change (see Natural Capital Valuation: An Incentive To Protect Nature? published today on RatingsDirect.

Using beef produced in the Brazilian Amazon as a case study for pricing nature in nature-dependent supply chains--noting that beef production is a key driver of deforestation in the region--S&P Global Ratings estimates a hypothetical cost of nature loss for Amazonian-sourced beef of US$4 billion in 2020, or 12% of Brazilian beef processors' revenues for the same year.

"Valuing nature is something we do without thinking, but going one step further and putting a price on nature could be a way to help protect it," said sustainable finance analyst and lead author, Maurice Bryson.

"Using ecosystems services valuations to gauge the potential value of nature loss when a hectare of the Amazon is deforested, and then using this natural capital valuation assessment to more accurately assess the externalized cost of nature loss could help stem the decline in nature," Mr. Bryson added.

The data indicate that a hectare of standing forest in the Amazon creates US$4,741 of ecosystem services per year, and, if properly accounted for, could be a first step to incentivizing more forest-friendly farming practices.

Ascribing value to a standing forest is not without its challenges. By assessing the services that intact nature provides--ecosystem services--and then putting a value on these, which can come from calculating how much it would cost humans to replicate nature's services, incorporating nature into the assessment of wealth becomes more tangible.

This report does not constitute a rating action.

S&P Global Ratings is the world's leading provider of independent credit ratings. Our ratings are essential to driving growth, providing transparency and helping educate market participants so they can make decisions with confidence. We have more than 1 million credit ratings outstanding on government, corporate, financial sector and structured finance entities and securities. We offer an independent view of the market built on a unique combination of broad perspective and local insight. We provide our opinions and research about relative credit risk; market participants gain independent information to help support the growth of transparent, liquid debt markets worldwide.

S&P Global Ratings is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI), which provides essential intelligence for individuals, companies and governments to make decisions with confidence. For more information, visit www.spglobal.com/ratings.

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PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Richardson Sales Performance, a leading global sales training and performance company, is pleased to announce it has been included on Selling Power's Top 20 Virtual Sales Training Companies in 2021 list.

The listing comes out just weeks after Richardson Sales Performance announced the launch of their new, forward-thinking sales methodology: Sprint Selling. Sprint Selling stands on the shoulders of two of the most powerful selling approaches ever to exist: Solution Selling and Consultative Selling. This new methodology distills more than 40 years of experience into a single effective program to increase win rates, reduce cycle time and drive revenue.

According to Selling Power publisher and CEO Gerhard Gschwandtner, "Sales training has shifted drastically since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each of the sales training companies included on our Top Virtual Sales Training Companies was able to successfully pivot their business model to deliver best-in-class, engaging sales training virtually. Their efforts and expertise helped their clients reach and exceed sales goals during a difficult economy."

All companies on the list submitted a comprehensive application that included a detailed listing of their offerings for both training and retention, delivery methods, and their response to changing market conditions.

The main criteria used when comparing applicants and selecting the companies to include on this year's list were:

Strategies to keep participants engaged

The scope and breadth of virtual sales training offerings

Methodologies for supporting participant retention

Innovation in offerings and/or delivery as a response to customer needs or changes in the marketplace

Strength of client satisfaction and general client feedback

To evaluate client satisfaction, the Selling Power team surveyed and considered feedback from more than 250 clients of the applicants. Here is a brief selection of comments from their clients:

"Usable, to-the-point training delivered effectively and supported well. What more could you want?"

"Close, professional, and absolutely satisfying collaboration  they know what they are doing and perform at the highest level."

"The overall experience and professionalism demonstrated, accompanied with great training, was well received and worthwhile."

"In just three months since our conclusion, we've seen our pipeline grow by 14% in dollars, and, more importantly, by 34% in number of opportunities."

"Very responsive and always deliver above and beyond expectations."

Selling Power magazine editors say CROs, sales VPs, and sales enablement leaders can leverage this list to find the right sales training partner to deliver best-in-class virtual sales training.

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 online newsletters, as well as videos featuring interviews with top 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. www.sellingpower.com

About Richardson Sales Performance

Buying isn't linear so neither is selling! Richardson Sales Performance is the global leader in sales training and performance improvement. We drive accelerated growth by enabling agility across your sales team so they can get ahead of buyers' changing needs. Delivering science-backed training content modules, digital learning experiences, rich data and analytics and simple workflow tools, our performance journey delivers results.

Media Contact: Meghan Steiner, Vice President of Marketing  [email protected]

SOURCE Richardson Sales Performance

Related Links

https://www.richardson.com


DUNDEE, Fla., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Richmond American Homes of Florida, LP, a subsidiary of M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MDC), is pleased to announce that it recently purchased and closed on 74 homesites in Dundee.

The Pearl plan is one of six Richmond American floor plans that will be offered at Seasons at Hilltop in Dundee, Florida.

The land will become Seasons at Hilltop, a new Polk County community slated to open in fall of 2022. It will offer seven ranch and two-story floor plans from the builder's sought-after Seasons Collection, designed to put homeownership within reach for a variety of buyers. The Amethyst, Azure, Coral, Pearl, Ruby, Slate and Moonstone floor plans are ideal for entry-level homebuyers and those seeking design flexibility. Residents of Seasons at Hilltop will also appreciate a community playground and close proximity to Winter Haven and Haines City.

Everyone who builds a brand-new Richmond American home from the ground up at Seasons at Hilltop will have the opportunity to meet with a professional design consultant to choose colors, textures, finishes and fixtures for their new living spaces. This complimentary design consultation (RichmondAmerican.com/HomeDesignFlorida) will take place at the builder's Home Gallery, a one-of-a-kind showroom where buyers can select even the smallest details, like doorknobs and drawer pulls, to help ensure that their new abode is anything but cookie-cutter.

Call 407.287.6285 or visit RichmondAmerican.com for more information. View health and safety updates at RichmondAmerican.com/COVID-19.

About M.D.C. Holdings, Inc.

Operating under the name Richmond American Homes, MDC's homebuilding subsidiaries have built more than 210,000 homes since 1977. Among the nation's largest homebuilders, MDC's subsidiary companies have operations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington. Mortgage lending, plus insurance and title services are offered by the following MDC subsidiaries, respectively: HomeAmerican Mortgage Corporation, American Home Insurance Agency, Inc. and American Home Title and Escrow Company. M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "MDC." For more information, visit MDCHoldings.com.

SOURCE M.D.C. Holdings, Inc.

Related Links

www.richmondamerican.com


REIGATE, England, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RNA Analytics, a global leader in actuarial and risk management, has won the award for 'Risk Modeller of the Year' at the Insurance Asia News Awards for Excellence, 2021.

The award sets out to recognize companies working in the insurance market, within the Asia region, which help customers manage their capital and solvency risk exposure, while also assisting regulatory reporting and regulatory requirements.

RNA's now-award-winning R3S Modeler comprises a powerful workflow solution, R3S Process Manager, which is designed for executing models developed in R3S Modeler; the R3S Toolkit, which enables users to build their own interfaces and RS Development Manager enabling multiple model developers to work on the same codebase at the same time.

As a commercial and global enterprise, RNA Analytics focuses on developing market-leading software while offering expert consultancy services, to ensure the streamlining of processes for customers across the world with varying degrees of resources.

This award solidifies RNA's position as leaders within the insurance and insurtech markets within APAC, having supported customers throughout the challenging past 18 months remotely and through hybrid working, which ensures consistent communications.

Head of Greater China, Consulting Services & Sales, Alex Tsai, commented on the award announcement: "This is a truly excellent achievement for our team in the Asia region, and for RNA as a business. The past year and a half has not been easy for any business, but we have stuck by our clients and supported them remotely to ensure projects are completed, goals are achieved and services were deployed. This award is warmly received, and we appreciate this accolade now more than ever at a time of growth and business development."

Vicky Daniels, Global Marketing Manager at RNA Analytics added: "We are thrilled to receive this award as we approach the end of what has been a turbulent year for most sectors. We have enjoyed growth and development this year such as the recent appointment of our EMEA MD, Javier Alvarez, the opening of our new London office and release of our latest whitepaper  so to finish 2021 with this accolade is a fantastic achievement which we are all thrilled with."

RNA Analytics has enjoyed continued development, market and customer growth in the past 18 months, assisting customers throughout this period of disruption due to Covid-19, IFRS 17 implementation and the accelerated development of digital transformation within the sector.

To learn more about RNA Analytics' consultancy products, technical services and actuarial solutions, visit www.rnaanalytics.com or follow the company on social media @RNAAnalytics.

About RNA Analytics

RNA Analytics is a global actuarial and risk management firm headquartered in Reigate, United Kingdom. The RNA Analytics Team is located across the United Kingdom, Spain, South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong, and provides actuarial and risk management consulting services to financial institutions around the world. https://www.rnaanalytics.com/

SOURCE RNA Analytics
Jon Ferrando, Chief Executive Officer and President of RVR stated, "We are excited to continue our expansion in North Carolina with our 7th location in the state to better serve our customers. North Carolina has excellent RV demographics, and we are excited to enter the Greensboro community with Out-of-Doors Mart that operates the longest running Airstream dealership in the United States. The dealership is prominently situated on I-40, and we plan to invest capital in the facility to grow sales and service."

"Thank you to Grady Kilby, Joel Kilby and Ben Goslen for building Out-of-Doors Mart into a well-known Airstream dealer and selecting us to take the business forward," Ferrando added, "Out-of-Doors Mart will be part of RVR's East Region managed by Don Strollo. We welcome Joel and Ben who are staying with us, along with all of the dedicated Out-of-Doors Mart associates, into the RV Retailer family of stores."

Out-of-Doors Mart is located in Greensboro on I-40. The store offers leading brands and models including Airstream, Rockwood and Salem. Out-of-Doors Mart is one of the largest Airstream parts retailers in the world with a dedicated retail website (https://www.odmrv.com/).

To learn more about Out-of-Doors Mart and RV Retailer, please visit: https://www.outofdoorsmart.com/ or https://www.rvretailer.com/

About RV Retailer, LLC

RV Retailer, LLC is a leading recreational vehicle retail company in the United States with a focus on providing an outstanding experience for recreational vehicle customers in new and used sales, service and parts, and customer financial services. RV Retailer has 77 RV stores in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Oregon, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Regional store brands include: RV One Superstores, Motor Home Specialist, ExploreUSA, Sonny's Camp-N-Travel, Cousins RV, Camper Clinic, Lifestyle RVs, Family RV Group, Northgate RV, Tom's Camperland and Blue Dog RV, which sell a wide range of new and used RV brands with thousands of RVs in inventory.

RV Retailer is led by co-founders Jon Ferrando, Chief Executive Officer and President, and John Rizzo, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. Jon Ferrando and John Rizzo were instrumental in building America's largest automotive retailer from start-up to over $20 billion in revenue. RV Retailer's leadership team has over 250 years of automotive and RV retail industry experience.

SOURCE RV Retailer, LLC

Related Links

http://www.rvretailer.com/


NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Safehold Inc. (the "Company" or "Safehold") (NYSE: SAFE) today announced that its operating partnership, Safehold Operating Partnership LP (the "operating partnership"), has priced a public offering of $350 million aggregate principal amount of 2.850% senior notes due 2032 (the "Notes"). The Notes were priced at 99.123% of the principal amount and will mature on January 15, 2032. The offering is expected to settle on November 18, 2021, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The Notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the Company.

The operating partnership intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to repay borrowings under its unsecured revolving credit facility and for general corporate purposes, which may include making additional investments in ground leases.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, BofA Securities and Barclays Capital Inc. acted as joint book-running managers and representatives of the underwriters for the offering. Mizuho Securities, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, and Truist Securities, Inc. are also acting as joint book-running managers for the offering.

This offering is being made pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement and prospectus and related preliminary prospectus supplement filed by the Company and the operating partnership with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

Copies of the prospectus supplement and related prospectus for this offering can be obtained, when available, from Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282, telephone at (866) 471-2526 or by emailing [email protected]; or J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, 383 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10179, Attention: Investment Grade Syndicate Desk, 3rd Floor, telephone collect at (212) 834-4533; or BofA Securities, Inc., 200 North College Street, 3rd Floor, NC1-004-03-43, Charlotte, NC 28255-0001, Attention: Prospectus Department or by email [email protected], telephone (1-800-294-1322); or Barclays Bank PLC at c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, telephone: (888) 603-5847 or by emailing [email protected].

Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, which are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and you should not rely on them as predictions of future events. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believe," "project," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "seek," "approximately," "pro forma," "contemplate," "aim," "continue," or the negative of these words and phrases or similar words or phrases which are predictions of or indicate future events or trends and which do not relate solely to historical matters. While forward-looking statements reflect the Company's good faith beliefs, assumptions and expectations, they are not guarantees of future performance. For example, the fact that the offering described above has priced may imply that the offering will close, but the closing is subject to conditions customary in transactions of this type and the closing may be delayed or may not occur at all. For a further discussion of the factors that could cause the Company's future results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements, see the reports and other filings by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2021. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which are based only on information currently available to us (or to third parties making the forward-looking statements). The Company disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or factors, of new information, data or methods, future events or other changes.

About Safehold:

Safehold Inc. (NYSE: SAFE) is a publicly traded REIT that originates and acquires ground leases in order to generate attractive long-term risk-adjusted returns.

Company Contact:

Jason Fooks

Senior Vice President

Investor Relations & Marketing

T 212.930.9400

E [email protected]

SOURCE Safehold

Related Links

safeholdinc.com


Weave has set a standard for best-in-class work culture for companies in Utah. This award proves the importance of taking care of your people and ensuring that they feel safe and happy to come into work. Weave has worked hard to provide perks and benefits that are tailored to its employees, like the parental leave benefit that provides up to 12 weeks of paid leave, one year's worth of diapers, a meal stipend, and a house cleaning service.

"We couldn't be more proud to be named as one of the top workplaces in Utah," Said Angie Balfour, Chief People Officer at Weave. "Weave has always put a lot of thought into our culture and this award proves that we are on the right track. In every decision we make, we have a 'People, not Employees' mindset. We are so lucky to have such an amazing team here at Weave and this award reflects just how awesome they all are."

Weave continues to hire employees across the U.S. and internationally, having recently expanded its hiring efforts to India. If you're interested in open opportunities with Weave, visit our Careers page .

About

Weave is the all-in-one customer communication and engagement platform for small business. From the first phone call to the final invoice and every touchpoint in between, Weave connects the entire customer journey. Weave's software solutions transform how local businesses attract, communicate with and engage customers to grow their business. The first Utah company to join Y Combinator, Weave has set the bar for Utah startup achievement & work culture. In the past year, Weave has been included in the Forbes Cloud 100, Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies in America, and Glassdoor Best Places to Work. To learn more, visit www.getweave.com/careers

Company Contact

Weave

[email protected], 614-507-1614

https://www.getweave.com

SOURCE Weave

Related Links

http://www.getweave.com


SOLIHULL, UK, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Gymshark, the fitness community and apparel brand, today announces that serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk is joining the company as an advisor to the board. In this capacity, Gary will lend his expertise in areas from ecommerce and digital marketing to business strategy and consumer attention.

This latest appointment comes as Gymshark rapidly expands its global proposition. Since opening its US headquarters in Denver last year, it already counts over 100 members of staff in its workforce.

With a mission to unite the conditioning community, Gymshark is one of the UK's true retail success stories. Founded in a garage in Birmingham by Ben Francis in 2012, the company has gone from strength to strength and now employs almost 1000 people globally. It operates in over 180 countries, has six offices worldwide and has an audience of over 17 million across the globe. In its last financial year, it turned over 400 million and, last year, became only the second British company to achieve 'unicorn' status (a valuation of over 1 billion).

Gary Vaynerchuk is a serial entrepreneur and serves as the Chairman of VaynerX and the CEO of VaynerMedia . He is considered one of the leading global minds on what's next in culture, relevance and the internet. Whether its emerging artists, esports, NFT investing or digital communications, Gary understands how to bring brand relevance to the forefront. He is a prolific angel investor with early investments in companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Venmo, Snapchat, Coinbase and Uber.

Ben Francis, Founder and CEO of Gymshark said: "I'm absolutely buzzing to have Gary join us as an advisor to our board. He doesn't really need an introduction and his presence, counsel and influence will go a long way to helping Gymshark become the global leader we genuinely believe we can be. I can't wait for the next board meeting".

Gary Vaynerchuk said: "I've been following the Gymshark story for some time now and have been watching what Ben and the team have achieved in such a short space of time. I've no doubt they can replicate the phenomenal success they've had in the UK in the US and beyond and I am excited to join their advisory board."

About Gymshark

Gymshark are the conditioning* brand. We create the tools that help everyone become their personal best, whether it's the clothing we sweat in, the content we find inspiration in or the community we find belonging in. Our legacy was built in the weight room in Birmingham, UK in 2012, but these days our family stands at over 17 million people across over 180 countries, driven by our purpose to unite the entire conditioning community. Because in a world of faster, stronger, fitter, better, we're the first to ask, what about together?

*Conditioning is everything we do today to prepare for tomorrow.

About Gary Vaynerchuk

Gary Vaynerchuk is a serial entrepreneur, and serves as the Chairman of VaynerX, the CEO of VaynerMedia and the Creator & CEO of VeeFriends. Gary is considered one of the leading global minds on what's next in culture, relevance and the internet. Known as "GaryVee" he is described as one of the most forward thinkers in business - he acutely recognizes trends and patterns early to help others understand how these shifts impact markets and consumer behavior. Whether its emerging artists, esports, NFT investing or digital communications, Gary understands how to bring brand relevance to the forefront. He is a prolific angel investor with early investments in companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Venmo, Snapchat, Coinbase and Uber.

SOURCE Gymshark
MILWAUKEE, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ademi LLP is investigating CorePoint (NYSE: CPLG), for possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law in its transaction with Highgate and Cerberus.

Click here to learn how to join the action: https://www.ademilaw.com/case/corepoint-lodging-inc or call Guri Ademi toll-free at 866-264-3995. There is no cost or obligation to you.

Ademi LLP alleges CorePoint's financial outlook and prospects are excellent and yet CorePoint shareholders will receive only $15.65 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $1.5 billion. The merger agreement unreasonably limits competing bids for CorePoint by prohibiting solicitation of further bids, and imposing a significant penalty if CorePoint accepts a superior bid. CorePoint insiders will receive substantial benefits as part of change of control arrangements.

We are investigating the conduct of CorePoint's board of directors, and whether they are (i) fulfilling their fiduciary duties to all shareholders, and (ii) obtaining a fair and reasonable price for CorePoint.

If you own CorePoint common stock and wish to obtain additional information, please contact Guri Ademi either at [email protected] or toll-free: 866-264-3995, or https://www.ademilaw.com/case/corepoint-lodging-inc.

We specialize in shareholder litigation involving buyouts, mergers, and individual shareholder rights throughout the country. For more information, please feel free to call us. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Contacts

Ademi LLP

Guri Ademi

Toll Free: (866) 264-3995

Fax: (414) 482-8001

SOURCE Ademi LLP

Related Links

http://www.ademilaw.com


BOSTON, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SimpliSafe , the Boston-based maker of award-winning home security systems, today announced that it will relocate and significantly expand its corporate headquarters with the execution of a lease at 100 Summer Street in Boston. The move, slated for fall 2022, will significantly expand SimpliSafe's presence in Downtown Boston and demonstrates its commitment to a people-first approach, even as the company continues to grow.

The expansion, executed in partnership with commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield and brokerage company Newmark Group Inc. , is the largest existing office building relocation in Boston since 2019. The new headquarters, owned by Rockpoint Group and managed by Rockhill Management, will occupy approximately 150,000 square feet across four floors, a roughly 70,000 square foot upgrade from SimpliSafe's current office located at 294 Washington Street.

Presently, the majority of SimpliSafe's Boston-based workforce is working from home. Once the custom buildout of the new corporate headquarters is complete, the company anticipates adopting a hybrid approach that incorporates both at-home and in-office work time.

"We're thrilled to expand our presence in Boston in a way that supports the needs of our dynamic and growing business and team," said SimpliSafe CEO, Christian Cerda. "SimpliSafe offers a truly unique opportunity for people in the Boston area to apply their functional expertise and passion to help us achieve our mission of making every home secure. As we continue to aggressively hire, specifically in disciplines like engineering, we hope to bring together at-home flexibility with a highly concepted in-person workspace in a way that's beneficial for present and future employees."

"A one-size-fits-all proposition no longer suits today's workforce, which is why we're excited to introduce a new office that is designed to empower the SimpliSafe team to work with flexibility," said SimpliSafe Chief People Officer, Ai-Li Lim. "We've heard from our employees that they want to have a centralized location where they can come together to collaborate and engage in person, while still having the flexibility and autonomy that comes with working from home. "

100 Summer Street is a 1.1 million square foot, landmark, class-A tower located in the heart of Boston's Financial District. The new headquarters will feature a mix of independent workspaces, focus pods and collaborative group spaces. Additionally, it will offer:

Dedicated lab and maker space -- specifically designed to meet the unique needs of our product and engineering teams, which intersects hardware, software and firmware

-- specifically designed to meet the unique needs of our product and engineering teams, which intersects hardware, software and firmware Exclusive roof deck patio space -- serving as both a place to socialize and hold meetings for those who may feel more comfortable in open-air spaces

"IA is thrilled to partner with SimpliSafe on their post-pandemic hybrid workplace, a dynamic space rooted in four pillars defining a new way of work: agility, community, technology and health, safety and wellness," said Reetika Vijay, Managing Principal at IA Interior Architects. "SimpliSafe's goal is to have a workplace that is not only empowering for the organization, but also respects individual employees' decisions on this new definition of what work should be. We are so proud to be able to support that."

"Cushman & Wakefield is honored to be a part of such a landmark Headquarters relocation," said John Boyle, Vice Chairman at Cushman & Wakefield. "The thoughtfully designed workplace at 100 Summer will amplify SimpliSafe's unique culture and brand. This location offers direct access to New England's most robust transportation infrastructure, offering current and future employees increased transportation options."

In addition to its headquarters in Downtown Boston, SimpliSafe also operates a state-of-the-art warehouse in Taunton, Massachusetts, as well as a customer care center in Richmond, Virginia -- both of which were opened last year. The company recently announced it will further expand its presence in Richmond with the opening of a fully owned-and-operated professional monitoring center.

To learn more about SimpliSafe, please visit SimpliSafe.com .

About SimpliSafe

SimpliSafe fundamentally changed the alarm industry, pioneering a new way to make home the safest place on earth for everyone. Founded in 2006, SimpliSafe now protects millions of people and is committed to its founding goal: to make every home secure. SimpliSafe has been coined the number one home security pick by several highly-esteemed publications and was recently awarded in multiple categories for " Best Home Security Systems of 2021 " by U.S. News & World Report. SimpliCam, SimpliSafe, and the SimpliSafe logo are the registered trademarks of SimpliSafe, Inc. in the US and other countries.





SOURCE SimpliSafe
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sitrick And Company has added Yael Bar tur, who recently served as Director of Social Media for the New York City Police Department as Senior Social Media Specialist to the firm's Digital and Social Media Practice.

Ms. Bar tur joins Sitrick with more than 15 years of experience in social media working with government, law enforcement, military and public sector clients. Prior to Sitrick, she served as Director of Social Media for the New York City Police Department, where she created the NYPD's current concept of decentralized communications and ran all social media platforms for the nation's largest police force.

Michael Sitrick, founder, chairman and CEO of Sitrick And Company, said the addition of Ms. Bar tur further elevates the firm's highly sophisticated in-house social and digital media capabilities. Ms. Bar tur will join a team that acts as a rapid response squad for the analysis and implementation of digitally-focused messaging and strategy.

"We are thrilled to have Yael join our team," Mr. Sitrick said. "She brings an immense set of cutting-edge social media and technological skills that will enhance our digital operations and services that we provide to our clients."

Previously, Ms. Bar tur developed strategy, training guides for social media, crisis management and policing, and trained hundreds of members of service on the use of social media, both in the NYPD and in other agencies.

Born and raised in Israel, she served in the Israeli Army as a foreign press liaison. Her work has been featured in Mashable, Wired, American Police Beat and Police One Magazine. In 2016 she was named as one of the International Association of Chiefs of Police "40 under 40," and in 2018 she was awarded the Hemmerdinger Award for Excellence by the New York City Police Foundation.

Ms. Bar tur holds a Master's Degree in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and a B.A. in Government and Counterterrorism from Reichman University in Israel.

ABOUT SITRICK AND COMPANY

Sitrick And Company focuses in corporate, financial, transactional, reputation and crisis communications, and crisis management. Although the firm is best known for its work in sensitive situations, it has an extensive and successful practice in each of these areas. Over the past 32 years, it has have provided counsel and services to help launch companies, support or defend against litigation, combat short-sellers, deal with data breaches and a myriad of other events that affected or could affect its clients' business value, market value and overall reputation. The firm has offices in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Washington, D.C.

SOURCE Sitrick And Company, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.sitrick.com


"Southwest connects with our Customers through what matters most to them, including music and travel," said Brandy King, Director of Public Relations at Southwest Airlines. "Sites & Sounds brings these passions together, giving Customers an insider's view of the cities we serve, and helping them create memorable cultural experiences, while also building a connection with some of the music community's best artists."

"Sites & Sounds is a collaborative series with Southwest Airlines, designed to showcase special music cities across the United States from a musician's perspective," said Matt Bizer, CEO at Luck Presents. "Following the success of season one, we're excited to extend the series with a second season, showcasing Charleston, Nashville, and New Orleans. Artists give an inside look at their favorite spots in their hometowns, providing an ideal itinerary for any Southwest traveler to use as a guide."

Sites & Sounds builds upon a multi-year relationship between Luck Presents and Southwest Airlines. Since 2017, the companies have partnered on a variety of events and initiatives centered on uplifting the live music community and the artists and places that make it possible, including Luck Reunion at Willie Nelson's ranch in Austin. Together, Luck and Southwest continued the airline's Artist On The Rise program to encourage fans to vote for the best rising artist to open for Willie Nelson at each year's Luck Reunion. Other partnership efforts include the Road to Luck Texas tour in 2019 and the Luck Embassy program, started in 2018, in which Southwest provides air travel for musicians to advance their careers and reach new audiences with their music.

Every story starts somewhere and the Sites & Sounds series highlights the places that influence beloved artists while celebrating these communities. Sites & Sounds season one debuted in 2019 with Nikki Lane and Lukas Nelson in Hawaii, Micah Nelson and Sunny War in Austin, and Chuck Prophet and Aaron Lee Tasjan in San Francisco. The episodes of Sites & Sounds center around key areas of focus including: culinary destinations with restaurants and chefs, the creative culture of the city with artists and musical venues, influential locals who make the city great, and perspectives from the artists in their respective cities. This second season introduces a fifth area of focus by incorporating acts of kindness, where a local cause that the host artist champions is highlighted in each of the three episodes, underscoring the One Million Acts of Kindness challenge that Southwest set in celebration of their 50th anniversary.

For the first episode of Sites & Sounds season two (episode four of the series), husband and wife duo Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst of Shovels & Rope bring their longtime friend and fellow musician Matthew Logan Vasquez (Delta Spirit) along to their beloved hometown of Charleston. The trio covers much of the picturesque southern town; from a traditional low country boil at Fast and French - a beloved locale where the couple previously worked - to a waterfront adventure with the good people of Charleston Water Keepers, who showcase what they're doing to keep the waters clean and expand beyond Charleston as the featured act of kindness. The episode concludes with a visit to Dock Street Theater, known as America's original theatre, and a peek into what it's like to jam at Cary Ann and Michael's island home.

Episode five follows Nashville sweetheart Margo Price as she and her husband, musician Jeremy Ivey, traverse the town she's called home for more than 20 years. Together, they wade through an endless world of vintage goods, from clothing at High Class Hillbilly to records and more at Grimey's, showcase the city's growing and diverse food and beverage scene with stops at Heart's and Dee's Country Cocktail Lounge, and spend a day on the water kayaking with fellow artist Kelsey Waldon before getting inked with new tattoos at their home. The community work of Thistle Farms is highlighted in this episode's act of kindness.

Episode six brings viewers to the soulful city of New Orleans where artist Durand Jones showcases the city he grew up in to current up-and-coming local artist Maria Gough. The duo satisfies their culinary cravings with a visit to Toup's Meatery, a 300+ year institution known for bringing classic Cajun fare to present day. Intimate performances are highlighted at the legendary Preservation Hall - the staple that has and continues to give back to the music community in impactful ways - this episode's featured act of kindness. A stop to local favorite Euclid Records rounds out the tour. Viewers will walk away from this episode tasting and hearing the spirit of New Orleans.

As fans experience the cities of Charleston, Nashville, and New Orleans through the Sites & Sounds episodes, they are encouraged to enter the Sites & Sounds Sweepstakes, which offers the chance to win round trip air travel for a winner and one guest, plus a $500 Visa gift card, to take in the destination for themselves. To enter, visit southwest.fm/sitesandsounds between Nov. 8-30, 2021.

For more information on Sites & Sounds, the sweepstakes, and more, please visit southwest.fm/sitesandsounds and follow the brands on social media at @luckreunion and @southwestair using #sitesandsounds to stay up to date.

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. Open to legal residents of 50 United States and the District of Columbia (excluding Alaska) age 19 or older at time of entry. Void where prohibited. All fields must be completed. Approximate retail value of prize: $1,300. For complete details and Official Rules, visit http://southwest.fm/sitesandsounds. By submitting this entry, you agree to the Official Rules. By entering, information collected will be used in accordance with Sponsor's Privacy Policy at https://www.southwest.com/privacy/. Sponsor: Southwest Airlines Co., 2702 Love Field Drive, Dallas, TX 75235. Enter by Nov. 30, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. CT.

ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.

In its 51st year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. continues to differentiate itself from other air carriers with exemplary Customer Service delivered by nearly 54,000 Employees to a Customer base that topped 130 million Passengers in 2019. Southwest has a robust network of point-to-point service with a strong presence across top leisure and business markets. In peak travel seasons during 2019, Southwest operated more than 4,000 weekday departures among a network of 101 destinations in the United States and 10 additional countries. In 2020, the carrier added service to Hilo, Hawaii; Cozumel, Mexico; Miami; Palm Springs, Calif.; Steamboat Springs; and Montrose (Telluride), Colo. Thus far in 2021, Southwest has initiated service to Chicago (O'Hare) and Sarasota/Bradenton both on Feb. 14; Savannah/Hilton Head and Colorado Springs both on March 11; Houston (Bush) and Santa Barbara, Calif. both on April 12; Fresno, Calif. on April 25; Destin/Fort Walton Beach on May 6; Myrtle Beach, S.C. on May 23; Bozeman, Mont. on May 27; Jackson, Miss. on June 6; Eugene, Ore. on Aug. 29; and Bellingham, Wash. on Nov. 7. The carrier will begin service to Syracuse on Nov. 14.

The carrier issued its Southwest Promise in May 2020 to highlight new and round-the-clock efforts to support its Customers and Employees well-being and comfort. Among the changes are enhanced cleaning efforts at airports and onboard aircraft, along with a federal mandate requiring every person to wear a mask at all times throughout each flight. Additional details about the Southwest Promise are available at Southwest.com/Promise.

Southwest coined Transfarency to describe its purposed philosophy of treating Customers honestly and fairly, and low fares actually staying low. Southwest is the only major U.S. airline to offer bags fly free to everyone (first and second checked pieces of luggage, size and weight limits apply, some carriers offer free checked bags on select routes or in qualified circumstances). Southwest does not charge change fees, though fare differences might apply.

Southwest is one of the most honored airlines in the world, known for a triple bottom line approach that contributes to the carrier's performance and productivity, the importance of its People and the communities they serve, and an overall commitment to efficiency and the planet. Learn more about how the carrier gives back to communities across the world by visiting Southwest.com/citizenship.

Book Southwest Airlines' low fares online at Southwest.com or by phone at 800-I-FLY-SWA.

ABOUT LUCK PRESENTS:

Inspired by its anti-festival, Luck Reunion, Luck Presents is an experience-based collective based in Willie Nelson's backyard of "Luck, TX". The mission is to foster the cross-section culture that has long motivated creative tradition. Outside of live events, Luck Presents creates distinctive content geared toward a shared creative vision. In addition to innovative content year-round, the company's 2020 transition to virtual programming garnered nation-wide praise. Stay tuned for additional activations at www.luckpresents.com.

SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.

Related Links

http://www.southwest.com


BLOOMFIELD, Conn., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The State of West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) has announced its intent to award a three-year pharmacy benefit contract to Express Scripts, an Evernorth company, effective July 1, 2022. Express Scripts will administer a comprehensive pharmacy benefit program for 165,000 state employees, retirees, dependents and other benefit-eligible residents, the company announced today.

Currently with CVS Caremark, the state selected Express Scripts after a rigorous competitive-bidding process administered by an independent consultant. Prescription drug claims for the members served by the state's health care program is estimated at more than $310 million annually.

"PEIA requires a pharmacy benefit partner that can address the toughest challenges facing the health of our state employees, retirees and dependents," said Felice Joseph, RPh, PEIA Pharmacy Director. "We look forward to working with Express Scripts and will plan a careful and well communicated transition for our members and their families."

"Express Scripts' broad set of capabilities, most especially our value-based clinical care programs and supply chain scale and innovation, will help improve the health and well-being of PEIA members, while bringing greater affordability to the state's pharmacy plan and to state taxpayers," said Amy Bricker, President, Express Scripts. "We look forward to getting to once again work for the great state of West Virginia."

The award is subject to final contract execution.

About Evernorth

Evernorth creates and connects premier health services offerings, including benefits management, pharmacy, care solutions, insights and intelligence. With an open approach to partnering across the health care landscape, we deliver innovative and flexible solutions for health plans, employers and government programs. Evernorth capabilities are powered by our family of companies, including Express Scripts, Accredo, eviCore and MDLIVE, along with holistic Evernorth platforms and solutions that elevate health and drive progress for people and businesses. All Evernorth solutions are serviced and provided by or through operating affiliates of Evernorth Health, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cigna Corporation, or third-party partners. Learn more at Evernorth.com.

Media Contact:

Justine Sessions

1 (860) 810-6523

[email protected]

SOURCE Evernorth
BEAUMONT, Texas, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Best Law Firms guide by U.S. News & World Report and The Best Lawyers in America has ranked Provost Umphrey among leading firms representing plaintiffs in the 2022 edition. It is an honor the firm has earned since 2010.

Provost Umphrey was recognized for its plaintiffs work in personal injury and product liability litigation, as well as mass torts and class action claims in the Beaumont metro area, with additional recognition for work in admiralty & maritime law. Provost Umphrey's office in Nashville, Tennessee, was also recognized for labor & employment litigation.

To learn about the firm's top practice rankings, visit: https://bestlawfirms.usnews.com/profile/provost-umphrey-law-firm-l-l-p/overview/15784.

To qualify for Best Law Firms placement, a firm must have one attorney in the 2022 Best Lawyers in America guide. Law firm selections are based on client and attorney evaluations in the same practice areas with peer and editorial review of information provided by law firms. The Best Lawyers guide is the oldest peer-review guide to attorneys in the U.S.

Provost Umphrey had 15 lawyers recognized in the most recent Best Lawyers peer-review guide with additional "Lawyer of the Year" honors to equity partner Edward Fisher for his work on behalf of plaintiffs involved in mass torts and class actions for plaintiffs, and attorney Colin D. Moore for his work with plaintiffs' product liability litigation.

Known for its notable representation of victims in personal injury lawsuits, wrongful death or unfair business practices, the firm often receives accolades from its legal peers, including recent nods in the Texas Super Lawyers 2021 listing.

About Provost Umphrey Law Firm, LLP

For over 50 years, our firm's mission has remained to seek justice for those most in need  those who have suffered harm or loss due to the wrongful conduct of others. Our attorneys fight for our clients nationwide with offices in Beaumont, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee. We continue to be one of the most successful trial law firms in the nation by remaining Hard-Working Lawyers for Hard-Working People. To learn more, visit http://www.provostumphrey.com.

Media Contact:

Sophia Reza

800-559-4534

[email protected]

SOURCE Provost Umphrey Law Firm

Related Links

http://www.provostumphrey.com


BERKELEY, Calif., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Batchery, a renowned Berkeley-based global accelerator, is excited to announce its 13th Demo Day. The November 17th event will feature fourteen seed-stage startups that have graduated from the Batchery's Deep Dive program.

Each founder has completed the Batchery's "Deep Dive" course, which includes high-touch mentorship from the Batchery's Investor Advisor community, foundational classes focusing on all aspects of "Startup 101," and a rotation of subject-specific roundtables and service partnerships.

On November 17th, each entrepreneur will pitch their vision and mission to the Batchery's internal angel group and to the many accredited investors who subscribe to Batchery events.

Now in its 6th year, the Batchery is a virtual accelerator that aggregates the experience and background of more than 35 investors, operators, and entrepreneurs and focuses them on a handful of startups each year. More than 150 companies have graduated from Batchery programs. The Batchery pools investments in the most promising startups and is partnered with IA Seed Ventures, a fund created by Batchery leaders to accelerate seed-stage startups emerging from the Batchery and the larger community.

"We are excited to introduce these impressive founders to the broader community after a year of so much change and progress for the Batchery community," said Andy Rutherford, one of the Batchery's Investor Advisors. "Each entrepreneur has grown enormously during their time with us, and we believe all of them have a promising future."

Meet Batch 13:

24HourTruckFix - Dispatch and automation software for the transportation industry

- Dispatch and automation software for the transportation industry Clusiv - E-learning platform built for and by the blind and visually impaired

- E-learning platform built for and by the blind and visually impaired CounselHero - Intelligent, automated career counselors for students

- Intelligent, automated career counselors for students Cur8able - Disability fashion styling platform

- Disability fashion styling platform FilterHealth - Automated air filter management system with IoT

- Automated air filter management system with IoT keepwith - Networking advice and education

- Networking advice and education BUDDY - AI digital health app for seniors and their caregivers

- AI digital health app for seniors and their caregivers Mantis Robotics - Fenceless robots for manufacturing and warehouse automation

- Fenceless robots for manufacturing and warehouse automation NFT FM - Full-length music NFTs that supports artists directly

- Full-length music NFTs that supports artists directly Overcome the Barrier - Spanish language educational software and platform

- Spanish language educational software and platform QuantumCamp - Educational software to bring advanced math and science to K-12

- Educational software to bring advanced math and science to K-12 SteamChain - B2B payments for companies conducting international commerce

- B2B payments for companies conducting international commerce Windscape ai - Smart control for wind turbines with AI and sensors

- Smart control for wind turbines with AI and sensors Zelite - Integrated platform for real estate investors in a mobile app

"Batch 13 shows us that we are doing something right, and we want to share their progress with the greater venture capital community," says Batchery Executive Director Peter Burghardt. "Our 13th Virtual Demo Day is an indispensable opportunity to build connections for our founders, and accelerate their growth even further."

Batch 13's Demo Day will be held virtually. If you are an Accredited Investor or affiliated to an investment group or fund, you can register to save your space for November 17 here .

About The Batchery:

The Batchery is a diverse community of more than 35 well-connected and experienced angel investors and business leaders. The group's unique approach to incubating startups brings deep expertise, a broad network and indispensable resources. The Batchery transforms startups into thriving businesses by providing advice, support and investment from ideation to exit. Visit their website here .

SOURCE The Batchery

Related Links

https://www.batchery.com


DALLAS, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Expo Group has added Michael Guillory as Vice President, Marketing and Communications and Brooke Graham as Senior Project Manager, as key leaders supporting the company's drive for growth and expansion.

Michael Guillory joins The Expo Group as VP, Marketing and Communications. Brooke Graham joins The Expo Group as Senior Project Manager

Michael Guillory recently led Worldwide Corporate Brand Communications for Texas Instruments where he was responsible for the company's global brand, events and tradeshows, advertising, corporate messaging, and creative teams. Prior to TI, he served in marketing leadership positions for Philips Electronics and Sage Software. He has also been recognized with the American Marketing Association's Marketer of the Year award for Dallas and has been listed in the DCEO "Dallas 500 most influential business leaders" directory. "The Expo Group has a rich history of delivering unmatched, personalized support for clients while providing superior service," said Mr. Guillory. "I'm excited to lead creative and engaging efforts in marketing to build upon that legacy and serve as a catalyst for new levels of growth and awareness."

Brooke Graham joins The Expo Group after having served as a Client Solutions Manager for Freeman. She brings extensive experience with customer support, relationship management, experiential engagement and driving operational and logistical excellence. Brooke has been consistently recognized by many clients as "exceptionally detail oriented," known for "going above and beyond" to act as an extension of their teams. "I am passionate about exceeding the expectations of my clients and ensuring that their visions become a reality," said Brooke. "I know this type of customer focus has been the cornerstone for The Expo Group and I'm looking forward to bringing new levels of strategy and support to the team."

"We're excited that Michael and Brooke bring fresh perspectives and deep expertise in marketing and project management to our team," said The Expo Group President and COO Randy Pekowski. "This is an example of our ongoing initiative to hire industry-savvy professionals that bring proven expertise in their fields. We're thrilled to have them join The Expo Group family to support and extend our growth strategy."

About the Expo Group

The Expo Group serves as architects for connecting communities through the design and management of personalized, unforgettable tradeshows and events. The company helps its clients reimagine events by leveraging behavioral science to deliver customized brand experiences with valuable content, connections, and commerce. It has headquarters near Dallas with offices in Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando and Washington D.C. For more information, visit theexpogroup.com or contact [email protected].

Media Contact:

Toby Purdy

[email protected]

972-580-9000

SOURCE The Expo Group
WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Biometrics + Identity Association (IBIA), the preeminent trade organization for the identity technology industry, is proud to announce and welcome Robert Tappan as the Association's new Managing Director.

Mr. Tappan has an extensive professional career in corporate communications and in working with industry trade associations, conducting public affairs and issues advocacy campaigns. With over 30 years of experience in Washington, D.C., Mr. Tappan will bring to the IBIA his expert-level knowledge and leadership in issues management, marketing, and reputation management efforts simultaneously.

Notable accomplishments in Mr. Tappan's career include: serving as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs at the U. S. Department of State from 2002 to 2006; serving as Director of Strategic Communications for Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Baghdad in 2004 during the Iraq War; and holding senior positions for several leading public relations firms in Washington, D.C., including President of the Washington, DC office of global PR firm, Burson-Marsteller (now BCW Global). He also spent four years as a spokesperson and Director of External Relations for Koch Industries.

"On behalf of the IBIA Board and our Member companies, I am excited to welcome Rob to the IBIA," said John Mears, Vice President and Tech Fellow at Leidos, and Chairman of the Board of IBIA. "Rob's experience and communications skills are critical to enlightening people about biometrics and identity management as our industry rapidly evolves."

As the head of IBIA, Mr. Tappan's paramount objective is sustaining IBIA as the leading advocate for the biometrics industry. His vision for IBIA focuses on maintaining industry thought-leadership, advocacy, branding, promoting growth and diversity with companies in this space, while also developing a growth-oriented business plan for the Association. In addition to serving as the visible "voice" of IBIA, Mr. Tappan will also be representing the industry on critical topics of the day to the media. Mr. Tappan will be an advocate on behalf of IBIA, help recruit new members to the Association, and build on the success of its signature yearly industry conference and trade event, Connect:ID, rebranded as IdentityWeek in 2022.

Mr. Tappan will also work with industry members to help shape legislation and policies that are relevant to IBIA's membership. A major mission is to educate citizens, legislators and policymakers about the benefits of biometrics, and the responsible use of technologies for human identity. To do this effectively, the IBIA seeks to increase its voice in public policy debates and its footprint around the world.

"I am very humbled and delighted to join IBIA at this important time in this industry's evolution," said Tappan. "We are seeing the growth of more and more biometric and security technologies, and the development of important new applications. I am proud to be a part of leading this organization into the year 2022 and the future."

About IBIA: International Biometrics + Identity Association advances the adoption and responsible use of technology-based identification solutions to enhance security and privacy and to facilitate convenience and productivity for government, businesses, and consumers. To effectively carry out its mission, IBIA focuses on three core activities: Advocacy, Connections, and Education. For more information, please visit our website at www.ibia.org .

1325 G Street, NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20005

 2021, The International Biometrics + Identity Association. All rights reserved.

SOURCE International Biometrics & Identification Association

Related Links

http://www.ibia.org


ATLANTA, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As the demand for professionals in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) continues to grow at a remarkable pace, Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science, has strengthened its longtime commitment to Boys & Girls Clubs of America with a renewed partnership to enhance and expand STEM education programming and exposure across Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide.

Thermo Fisher's partnership will support more than 30 Clubs nationwide via grants, STEM kits and continued investment in Boys & Girls Clubs' DIY STEM curriculum. Through the expanded partnership, Thermo Fisher Scientific will also invest in Club staff development through support for Boys & Girls Clubs' STEM training pathways, all of which underpin the company's belief that access to STEM education drives economic and social opportunity.

"Connecting underserved populations to high-quality STEM education empowers us to build a future workforce that more fully represents our society and better positions us to solve the world's most complex problems," said Paul Parker, senior vice president, strategy and corporate development for Thermo Fisher Scientific. "By expanding our longtime partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs, a leader in developing globally competitive graduates, we can address a wider variety of obstacles to STEM education equity and propel more underserved youth into thriving STEM careers."

In the United States, Black and Latinx workers make up 11 and 16 percent of the overall U.S. workforce, respectively; but hold only five and eight percent of engineering jobs. Women, who account for nearly half of the overall workforce, hold only 14 percent of engineering jobs. Boys & Girls Clubs' STEM education training pathways addresses these gaps by providing a series of modules and targeted resources to help staff build essential STEM knowledge, habits and activity facilitation skills. STEM training pathways is aligned with youth development priorities to ensure high-quality, age-appropriate and culturally relevant programming for all Club members82 percent of whom express interest in learning more about science, computers, and technology.

"We are looking forward to building upon our successful partnership with Thermo Fisher Scientific to enhance STEM resources for youth in Clubs across the nation," said Jim Clark, president and CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America. "As our world becomes increasingly STEM-focused, impact-driven partnerships and support are critical to enable kids and teens to develop the skills they need to succeed after high school and in the workforce."

In addition to STEM training pathways, Thermo Fisher Scientific is enhancing its support for Boys & Girls Clubs' DIY STEM curriculum, which the company has supported since 2016 through the development of DIY STEM kits and DIY STEM on MyFuture activities. DIY STEM addresses the critical need to bring classroom STEM themes to life through informal exposure. Going forward, Thermo Fisher Scientific will develop and support new virtual content, events and competitions for DIY STEM on MyFuture, fueling virtual experiences that spark STEM career excitement and connecting youth to diverse professionals with similar identities and relevant career experiences.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America

For 160 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA.org) has provided a safe place for kids and teens to learn and grow. Clubs offer caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Boys & Girls Clubs programming promotes academic success, good character and leadership, and healthy lifestyles. More than 4,700 Clubs serve over 4.3 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of America on Facebook and Twitter .

SOURCE Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Related Links

www.bgca.org/about-us/our-partners/thermo-fisher-scientific


INDIANAPOLIS, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Indianapolis-based Thompson Thrift, a fullservice nationally recognized real estate company, today announced the renaming of its multifamily division from Watermark Residential to Thompson Thrift Residential.

The rebranding unites and creates a cohesive brand architecture across Thompson Thrift's three business units: Thompson Thrift Residential, Thompson Thrift Retail Group, and Thompson Thrift Construction.

"Over the years we have seen an increasing number of properties and businesses include Watermark in their names. The renaming of our residential business unit will ensure that our company's unwavering commitment to quality, resident satisfaction, and hard-earned reputation for developing and managing communities of distinction will be unmistakably linked to our corporate brand," said Paul Thrift, CEO of Thompson Thrift.

Thompson Thrift added a multifamily business unit in 2008. The company has made a name for itself by being one of the few developers to build Class A residential communities in markets across the country with a range of conventional, luxury leased villa and townhome-style communities; the latter two aiming to bridge the "missing middle" between multi-story apartment homes and single-family residences. Its achievements and innovation in the multifamily space earned it the distinction of being named one of GlobeSt. Real Estate Forum's Influencers of Multifamily Real Estate for 2021.

The company is also highly lauded for creating environments of excellence with both residents and team members. Thompson Thrift was recently recognized by the National Apartment Association's 2021 NAA Best Places to Work as a finalist as well as being a top 25 company for online reputation in the 2021 Division ORA Power Ranking.

"We are proud of our history, our people, and the communities we create and serve, and we need to protect and strengthen our brand," said Josh Purvis, managing partner for Thompson Thrift Residential. "While our name has changed, we will continue our disciplined approach for allocating capital, developing properties, managing our communities, and preserving a culture of service at Thompson Thrift."

Since its founding in 1986, Thompson Thrift has grown from a locally focused development and construction company into a full-service, integrated enterprise with a national scope. Thompson Thrift's three business units have developed and built over $3.15 billion of commercial real estate in 20 states including more than 14,000 Class A apartment homes in nearly 60 communities and over 2 million square feet of mixed-used and retail projects. To learn more about the company's three business units visit www.thompsonthrift.com.

About Thompson Thrift Real Estate Company

Thompson Thrift is an integrated full-service real estate company with offices in Indianapolis and Terre Haute, Ind., Houston, Texas, and Phoenix, Arizona. Three business units drive Thompson Thrift's successThompson Thrift Residential which is focused on upscale multifamily communities and luxury leased homes, Thompson Thrift Retail Group which is focused on ground-up commercial development, and Thompson Thrift Construction, a full-service construction company. Through these business units, Thompson Thrift is engaged in all aspects of acquisition, development, construction, leasing, and management of quality multifamily, mixed-use, retail and commercial projects across the country. We are passionate about our customer's success and strive to ensure our projects not only meet the needs of our customers but also the communities we serve. For more information, please visit www.thompsonthrift.com.

Contact:

Jennifer Franklin

Spotlight Marketing Communications

949.427.1385

[email protected]

SOURCE Thompson Thrift

Related Links

http://www.thompsonthrift.com


BERWYN, Pa., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Triumph Group [NYSE:TGI] announced today that Rolls-Royce awarded a 10-year contract extension to its Triumph Geared Solutions operating company. Under the new contract, Triumph will manufacture, assemble, and test complex gear boxes and loose gears on a wide variety of programs to support Rolls-Royce's portfolio of engines on fixed wing and rotary platforms, spanning commercial and military applications.

With this award, Triumph's facilities in Park City, Utah and Macomb, Michigan will support multiple legacy and growth Rolls-Royce product lines. Both Triumph locations have been a service provider to Rolls-Royce for over 25 years, on mature and new engines.

"Triumph has maintained a strong relationship with Rolls-Royce over the years and we are excited to continue our support with geared products over the next decade," said Bill Kircher, Executive Vice President of Triumph Systems and Support. "We are proud of the confidence Rolls-Royce has in Triumph and expect our long-term partnership to pave the way for mutual success."

Triumph Geared Solutions, the largest independent aerospace gear and gear box provider, supplies complex geared solutions including design, development, manufacture and support of complete transmission and gearbox assemblies as well as complex gears and housings.

Triumph Group, Inc., headquartered in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, designs, engineers, manufactures, repairs, and overhauls a broad portfolio of aerospace and defense systems, components, and structures. The company serves the global aviation industry, including original equipment manufacturers and the full spectrum of military and commercial aircraft operators.

More information about Triumph can be found on the company's website at www.triumphgroup.com.

SOURCE Triumph Group

Related Links

www.triumphgroup.com


UL's DCIQ program addresses the need to limit data center hazards and performance loss due to improper equipment integration or to meet local and national building requirements concerning fire or electrical codes and regulations. Following completion, system-integrator-qualified personnel and their companies will receive a certificate based on regularly scheduled audits and conformance to all program requirements. UL developed specific requirements in collaboration with industry stakeholders, including hardware original equipment manufacturers (OEM), system integrators and asset owners.

Ibrahim Jilani, global director of UL's Consumer, Medical and Information Technologies group, said, "As the data center industry grows, capital-intensive equipment will need to be installed in new data centers or upgraded in existing data centers. Large hyperscale sites that help maintain the public cloud, enterprise or co-located sites that support business, and new capacities for edge data centers all need excellence in installation and integration. With the potential of incorrectly installed equipment that could result in a system outage and business downtime, there is growing concern regarding the quality of installation and the qualification of the installers for data centers." Jilani added, "To help mitigate risks and advance performance as well as safety in data centers, UL has developed the DCIQ program that offers the industry a trustworthy and recognizable qualification program that identifies and qualifies system integrators and their staff."

The growing demand placed on data centers has also increased heat dissipation from the equipment used and has raised concerns regarding rapidly growing energy consumption. To address these challenges, UL also developed a new UL certification program for immersion cooling technology used with information technology (IT), server and computing equipment in data centers.

Data centers' increasing size and scope around the world has led to a reliance on immersion cooling, which refers to the practice of submerging racks and/or full servers in a thermally, but not electrically, conductive liquid (dielectric coolant). Immersion cooling using dielectric fluids has proven more effective at cooling than older methods because it conducts heat more efficiently than air. UL's Immersion Cooling Program helps ensure electric and fire safety co-operates with innovation, and the system and its fluids are evaluated to applicable requirements.

UL will announce additional details of its DCIQ and Immersion Cooling programs at Open Compute Project's 2021 OCP Global Summit, held this week at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose, California. UL is a member of the Open Compute Project (OCP), a collaborative community focused on redesigning hardware technology to efficiently support the growing demands on computing infrastructure. UL's announcement is releasing in conjunction with two presentations at the summit:

Michael Sakamoto , senior manager in UL's Consumer, Medical and Information Technology group, will deliver insights focused on immersion cooling during the Equipment Certification Approach and Safety Compliance session on Wednesday, Nov. 10 , at 1 p.m. , in room 220C.

, senior manager in UL's Consumer, Medical and Information Technology group, will deliver insights focused on immersion cooling during the Equipment Certification Approach and Safety Compliance session on , at , in room 220C. Dejan Gakovic , manager for Data Centers and Enterprise Systems at UL, will provide an overview of UL's Data Center Integrator Qualification Program on Wednesday, Nov. 10 , at 4 p.m. , in room LL20D.

Learn more about UL's data center solutions.

About UL

UL is the global safety science leader. We deliver testing, inspection and certification (TIC), training and advisory services, risk management solutions and essential business insights to help our customers. Based in more than 100 countries we achieve our customers safety, security and sustainability goals. Our deep knowledge of products and intelligence across supply chains make us the partner of choice for customers with complex challenges. Discover more at UL.com.

For information about standards development and other nonprofit activities, visit UL.org.

Press contact:

Steven Brewster

UL

[email protected]

+1.847.664.8425

SOURCE UL

Related Links

http://www.ul.com


PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On Veterans Day, November 11, 2021, Guild will launch its app to give military families and service members unprecedented access to innovative investment platforms and tools. Guild will help meet the urgent need to close the wealth gap for those who serve and their families. The company was founded by a former financial professional and Navy Intelligence officer who joined the military after 9/11.

"As former Secretary of the Navy, the financial stress of our service members and military families is one of my top national security concerns. Guild is helping our military and veteran community build long-term financial health and wealth. I'm proud of the all-veteran team at Guild for tackling this issue and leading from the frontlines of financial innovation." Hon. Kenneth Braithwaite 77th Secretary of the Navy

Why it matters now: The military community is not being served by the private wealth community. 65% of military families are facing financial stress, which is cited by military spouses more than any other issue. Recently, DOD has shifted from its traditional defined benefit pension retirement system to a 401k style, defined contribution-based system called the Blended Retirement System. Unfortunately, less than 40% of the military are participating, leaving a majority of service members without long term financial planning. There is a lack of effective financial education for military members, including the 1.5 million service members that have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. A large portion of those are left unaffiliated and underrepresented in financial services.

Guild, built for-veterans-by-veterans, aims to reduce the two biggest barriers to investinglack of trust and lack of knowledge of how to invest. Guild offers paid financial training, depositing $5 into members brokerage accounts each time they complete a financial literacy curriculum. Guild's unique format for investing and education drives financial literacy and stronger investment choices by using collective intelligencethe same strategy used by both military intelligence operations and Wall Street. Users can view and learn from a leaderboard of the top-performing traders on the app, making it the most transparent investing platform on the market.

Guild was a capstone project at NYU's Tandon School of Engineering Veterans Future Lab.

Founding Team: Sean Bonner, CEO and Co-Founder, Navy Intelligence Officer

Mike Connalan, COO and Co-Founder, Navy Intelligence Officer

William McNulty, Strategy & Operations, USMC Intelligence Specialist

Kaj Larsen, Content & Media, Navy SEAL officer

LINKS FOR TRAILER & SOCIAL:

Guild URL: https://guild.financial/

Social Links: @Guild_Financial for Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. @FinancialGuild for Twitter

MEDIA CONTACT:

Kaj Larsen, Head of Content & Media

323-336-4100

[email protected]

SOURCE Guild
Founded in 2005 by two young travelers, Fede Lavagna and Lucho Gonzalezwho first crossed paths in a hostel while backpacking around the worldViajero was created to make travelers and remote workers feel welcome and at home, wherever they are. Influenced by the founders' Colombian and Uruguayan roots, the hotel group offers one-of-a-kind hostel and hotel accommodations with a "Latin American free-spirited soul" in the coolest destinations from Mexico to Argentina.

At a time where social media has driven hotel and hostel owners to have generic designs that will appeal to globalized tastes, Viajero aims at a more localized, daring approach in its layout. At every Viajero property, travelers will get a boutique, local experience, led by a fun and empathetic team of hosts, where they can work, relax, meet like-minded individuals and learn about the cultural nuances of their destination. Well-appointed, furnished rooms come as either private rooms or shared dorms. Every reservation includes access to a range of bespoke amenities not usually found in traditional hostels, like swimming pools, salsa lessons, terraces with scenic city views and, in some locations, even spas.

"We founded Viajero because we truly believe thatas curious humanswe were born to travel and discover new cultures, customs and communities," said Lavagna, co-founder of Viajero. "A traveler is different from a tourist. When a traveler visits a new destination, they are not just stopping by. They come and leave a piece of their heart there and go with a piece of that place forever ingrained in their soul. True travelers are naturally happy, authentic, friendly and eager to meet real people from other parts of the world. That traveler is the essence of the Viajero brand."

Excited to bottle up that nomadic outlook and bring that feeling to Miami Beach, Viajero Miami will remodel and rebrand The Stiles Hotel to offer stylish, affordable and varied accommodation options in a historic Art Deco property. Unlike a traditional hostel, which usually only has shared rooms, Viajero Miami will cater to every traveler by also offering private rooms with the modern amenities that come with staying in a standard hotel, including en-suite bathrooms, TVs and personal safes. Starting at $30 for shared dorms and $90 for private rooms per night, all rooms will sleep between two and eight travelers and come with free Wi-Fi, individual lockers, marble-finished private bathrooms to ensure minimal sharing and comfortable beds that promise real rest after a day of South Florida adventures. Inspired by both its South Florida surroundings and the joy that comes with traveling the world, Viajero's first Miami property will embody a chic, tropical vibe with bespoke interiors, wallpapers and furnishings handcrafted by Colombian artisans.

Amenities at Viajero Miami won't disappoint. Remote workers can connect to the "office" from a hangout area that also serves as a coworking space, or they can choose to work from the library near the lobby. Just steps away, Viajero Miami will retain Swizzle Rum Bar & Drinkery, a sophisticated craft cocktail bar, and speakeasy that opened with The Stiles Hotel in 2019. With the transition to Viajero Miami comes an exciting addition to the boutique hotel, Delirio South Beach, a new, 70's-inspired, sexy indoor-outdoor bar with decor that reflects the brand's Colombian roots which includes a retro pool area with white string lights, hanging disco balls, plush pool beds with bright yellow canopies and a bright, eccentric pool floor with colorful geometric shapes. A whimsical color palette and playful design set the scenethink: yellow fringe umbrellas and pastel, multicolored shade sails offering guests some respite from the sun. Both the pool and its surrounding bar will create the perfect backdrop for travelers' envy-eliciting Instagram feeds.

"As a brand inspired by our Latin American roots, opening a property in Miami, FL is a natural first step in our expansion to the US," said Gonzalez, co-founder of Viajero. "There is simply no place like Miami. We are so excited to bring our innovative accommodation styles to South Beach and immerse our travelers in the sights, tastes, smells and culture of the city in a way that feels like a natural extension of their daily life."



Viajero Miami will be located at 1120 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139. Valet parking is available.

This remodeled and rebranded Viajero property will open in winter 2021, with additional properties in other major US cities coming soon. For more information about Viajero, or to stay updated on its US expansion, visit viajerohostels.com/en or follow @viajerohostels on Facebook and Instagram.

Images available here.

About Viajero:

Founded in 2005 by Fede Lavagna and Lucho Gonzalez, two South American backpackers who met while staying in a hostel, Viajero is a hospitality company and lifestyle brand with a collection of forward-thinking hostels and co-living accommodations all over the world. Designed with a "Latin American free-spirited soul," Viajero properties offer travelers comfortable, stylish accommodations with modern amenities at an affordable price point. Viajero's one-of-a-kind hostels are in some of the world's best destinations, including Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay and Mexico. The brand will debut its first US property, Viajero Miami, in winter 2021, with plans to expand to other major US cities in the future. For more information about Viajero, or to stay updated on its new openings, visit viajerohostels.com/en or follow @viajerohostels on Facebook and Instagram.

Media Contact:

DeepSleep Studio

[email protected]

(305) 720-2990

SOURCE Viajero Hostels
OSLO, Norway, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- If you're still in doubts about climate change, then watch the free award-winning Voice of the Glaciers documentary and see how some glaciers have completely disappeared from the Norwegian arctic island Svalbard compared to pictures taken from the 1800s.

The release of the documentary during the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference will help people understand that it's not just about numbers presented at the conference. They can see for themselves how climate change is destroying our planet.

"We're the first generation to feel the devastating effects of climate change," said Voice of the Glaciers award-winning filmmaker and professional adventurer Sindre Kolbjrnsgard. "Some people don't believe climate change is real because they don't see it, but here's the evidence." Glaciers have been melting faster on Svalbard than anywhere else on Earth. When comparing older pictures, you can see how the melting glaciers shrank and modified the landscape as the climate on the island became warmer.

"We're the first generation to feel the devastating effects of climate change," said Voice of the Glaciers award-winning filmmaker and professional adventurer Sindre Kolbjrnsgard. "Some people don't believe climate change is real because they don't see it, but here's the evidence."

The documentary received 10 awards all over the world from New York, Canada, Australia, and Europe. After 11 months of planning, the documentary was shot during a three-week expedition of four young adventurers on the Arctic Island of Svalbard in 2019.

They went to the exact locations where glacier photos were shot by expeditions in the 1800s and early 1900s. In some photos, glaciers had completely disappeared.

Kolbjrnsgard is a self-taught filmmaker and professional adventurer. He's also an ambassador for Canadian outdoor gear manufacturer Arc'teryx and other Norwegian and Scandinavian brands.

"I'm living as a professional adventurer and leading expeditions all over the world. I've climbed some of the highest mountains and sailed the Atlantic Ocean. I want to help people understand that climate change is real from what I've seen," said Kolbjrnsgard.

You can see his latest adventures on his Instagram page.

When early explorers came to the island, glaciers were massive. They probably thought this is how Scandinavia must have looked during the Ice Age. However, Svalbard has been one of the worst places on Earth hit by climate change.

Since 1961, temperatures on the island have steadily increased by five degrees.

"When temperatures start to rise just one degree this was enough to melt ice, glaciers, and permafrost during the summer on Svalbard. Sunlight that used to reflect off these surfaces back to outer space is absorbed as heat into the ocean and on the land causing temperatures to accelerate higher," said Kolbjrnsgard.

Even explorers during the early 1900s saw how glaciers were slowly melting every year without a break on Svalbard. Glaciers have been melting faster on the island than anywhere else on Earth.

When comparing older pictures, you can see how the melting glaciers shrank and modified the landscape as the climate on the island became warmer.

"Voice of the Glaciers is probably the most well-documented expedition on Svalbard showing how climate change is affecting glaciers on the island," said Kolbjrnsgard.

One of the most important things about this movie is that it's more focused on telling the story of how the people living on Svalbard are seeing climate change and how it's affected their livelihoods.

Disappearing glaciers also mean that there are no more melting glaciers, so rivers stop flowing. This would have a disastrous effect on people and wildlife that depend on these rivers for freshwater.

The great thing about the documentary is that people can come to their own conclusions about climate change rather than being presented with a bunch of facts. However, there are still lots of skeptical people about climate change.

"I know this because of the comments I've seen when posting pictures of melting glaciers due to climate change. They'll say my pictures have been manufactured," said Kolbjrnsgard.

To make those people understand what's happening, you need to show them more places on Earth where climate change has destroyed the landscape. There also needs to be more real stories like his documentary showing how people living on the island are dealing with climate change.

If climate change continues, some scientific models predict that the glaciers on Svalbard that have been with us for thousands of years could be gone in less than 100 years.

"I hope Voice of the Glaciers makes you realize, that no matter where you live, your actions influence climate change and can destroy places thousands of miles away like Svalbard. It's up to all of us to take action now and stop climate change before it's too late," said Kolbjrnsgard.

Voice of the Glaciers can seen for free on YouTube. For further information or to schedule an interview contact Sindre Kolbjrnsgard at +47 45201580 or [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Sindre Kolbjrnsgard

Filmmaker and Professional Adventurer

Voice of the glaciers

https://youtu.be/ycJwdraJENU

Oslo, Norway

Phone: +47 45201580

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Voice of the Glaciers
ORLANDO, Fla. and PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Wealth Engineering Family of Companies (WE) and Alternative Investment Exchange (AIX) today announced that they have deepened their long term partnership with the renewal of AIX as the exclusive provider of its alternative investment ecosystem for the WE network of more than 2,100 wealth management firms encompassing 8,400+ wealth advisors.



"We are excited to deepen our partnership with AIX as part of our Consortium of Expert Sourcing Firms," said Wealth Engineering CEO and Founder, Nick Gregory, ChWE, CEBA, ChFWA. The AIX paperless, digital platform is a necessity when it comes to providing comprehensive wealth management. Wealth managers need an alternative investment experience that is personalized to support their unique needs and preferences. AIX is the only alternative investment platform that empowers wealth managers to control their product menu, support their respective brand and client experiences while authentically automating the alternative investment process front-to-back. Their national presence, expertise and unparalleled "exchange" of alternative investment sponsors, transfer agents, custodians and fund administrators make their straight-through platform a natural fit for the wealth advisory firms that the WE Family of Companies consults with."

AIX's COO, Brad West, added, "We are honored to continue to be such a vital part of the WE Expert Sourcing Team. We designed the AIX technology platform to transform the alternative investment industry by enabling truly paperless straight-through processing, reducing compliance issues and other risks, and enhancing transparency. Our Platform seamlessly connects all parties; from wealth managers and intermediaries to asset managers and administrators. Wealth Managers can access our diverse portfolio of fund managers and products across every alternative investment structure."

With this announcement, AIX continues as part of an arsenal of best-of-breed expert sourcing firms that provide a vast array of services to WE's network of wealth management and accounting firms as well as investment and insurance advisors across the nation. The result is the fusion of advanced knowledge, experience, services, products and technology with sound engineering principles to create a synchronized hub for family and business wealth building.



About AIX

Alternative Investment Exchange (AIX) is an end-to-end, truly paperless digital platform; purpose-built to improve the processes related to buying, owning, and selling alternative investments. The AIX alternative investment ecosystem reduces friction, mitigates risk, and creates value across all alternative investing stakeholder groups  wealth managers, asset managers, custodians, transfer agents, and fund administrators. By evolving beyond documents to make data the connective tissue between alternative investment players, AIX makes it easier to conduct business and accelerate industry growth. For more information, please visit aixplatform.com or linkedin.com/company/aix-alternative-investment-exchange.

About The Wealth Engineering Family of Companies: Over the past 40+ years, our dynamic family of companies has evolved into the Wealth Engineering Platform to provide a multi-disciplinary portfolio of situational consulting to 2,100+ wealth management, accounting, investment, insurance and law firms across the nation. In coordination with its consortium of independent expert sourcing firms, WE helps wealth advisors better harmonize with the wealth ecosystems of families and businesses through the organization's WealthEngineering and OpenOption Practice Programs. WE helps wealth advisors fortify their value proposition by fusing new services, products and wealthtech into their firms, creating fresh revenue and profit silos while enhancing client acquisition and retention. WE is also the governing body and grantor of the Chartered Wealth Engineer (ChWE) professional designation. Learn more at: YourWEplatform.com [email protected] 407.878.3520.

SOURCE Alternative Investment Exchange

Related Links

https://aixplatform.com


JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Black Knight, Inc. (NYSE:BKI) announced today that Wells Fargo, the largest mortgage servicer in the U.S., is now offering Black Knight's Servicing Digital solution to its mortgage customers. Servicing Digital provides detailed, timely and highly personalized information about their loans, the value of their homes and how much wealth can be built from these real estate assets.

"We have enhanced our customers' digital experience by giving them anytime, anywhere access to mortgage-related tools and detailed information about their home loans," said Kristy Fercho, EVP and head of home lending at Wells Fargo. "Black Knight's Servicing Digital solution is a unique and innovative tool that supports the strong and trusted relationship we have with our mortgage customers; one we're sure will add significant value to their interactions with the bank."

"We are pleased to further expand our relationship with Wells Fargo and deliver solutions that can bring tremendous value to its customer base," said Joe Nackashi, president of Black Knight. "We appreciate our longstanding business relationship with Wells Fargo and look forward to continuing to support the bank's business across the mortgage life cycle."

Servicing Digital enables homeowners to easily view information related to their mortgages through a simple, user-friendly interface, while providing a platform for continual engagement between servicers and their customers. The innovative, consumer-centric solution delivers useful information specific to an individual's mortgage, property and local housing market by accessing the servicer's data through Black Knight's comprehensive, end-to-end MSP system, as well as the company's industry-leading property records database, advanced analytics and automated valuation models. Wells Fargo will use the responsive web design version of Servicing Digital, which is also available as a native app.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a leading financial services company that has approximately $1.9 trillion in assets, proudly serves one in three U.S. households and more than 10% of small businesses in the U.S., and is the leading middle market banking provider in the U.S. We provide a diversified set of banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through our four reportable operating segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Wealth & Investment Management. Wells Fargo ranked No. 37 on Fortune's 2021 rankings of America's largest corporations. In the communities we serve, the company focuses its social impact on building a sustainable, inclusive future for all by supporting housing affordability, small business growth, financial health, and a low-carbon economy. News, insights, and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories.

Additional information may be found at www.wellsfargo.com | Twitter: @WellsFargo.

About Black Knight

Black Knight, Inc. (NYSE:BKI) is an award-winning software, data and analytics company that drives innovation in the mortgage lending and servicing and real estate industries, as well as the capital and secondary markets. Businesses leverage our robust, integrated solutions across the entire homeownership life cycle to help retain existing customers, gain new customers, mitigate risk and operate more effectively.

Our clients rely on our proven, comprehensive, scalable products and our unwavering commitment to delivering superior client support to achieve their strategic goals and better serve their customers. For more information on Black Knight, please visit www.blackknightinc.com.

For more information:

Michelle Kersch Mitch Cohen Black Knight, Inc. Black Knight, Inc. 904.854.5043 704.890.8158

SOURCE Black Knight, Inc.

Related Links

www.blackknightinc.com


SAN DIEGO, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kelly Riordan is committed to increasing political awareness by providing bias-free, factual information through her WeWillDecide online webtool. Her mission lies in empowering voters to gain enough knowledge to become their own political analysts, taking the confusion out of the political process.

Kelly Riordan, Founder of WeWillDecide Unbiased political information site

The platform allows users to act as if they are members of Congress themselves, voting on all proposed bills and Executive Orders before the House or Senate. A program within the website creates personalized scores and statistics based on the user's votes and compares them with every Congress member. In addition, the user can instantly match their opinions with other WeWillDecide members in their state and nationwide.

Another innovative feature is a massive government search engine. Users simply type in any keyword, and the engine will bring up all results that contain the desired words. "I couldn't believe how unorganized the whole system was, so I organized it," says Kelly Riordan. "Understanding leads to calm and critical thinking, which is exactly what the American political machine doesn't want. Can you imagine voters informed AND unafraid? I can," she adds.

The platform provides a vast amount of political information in an arranged and easily accessible format, releasing voters from spending hours gathering facts from multiple sources. Users can spend as much time as they want to obtain loads of real empirical data.

They can also see how often a congressman votes with their party, how many votes they've missed, all the bills they've proposed, and check their contact information. Moreover, social media links are provided to the users so they can readily share information from WeWillDecide to their social circle.

Gaining true political insight is more important than ever as U.S. voters are getting ready to face next year's midterm elections . They are once again deciding the seats in the House of Representatives and Senate. In this political climate, it's key that citizens truly understand politicians' stance on the issues to make better-informed decisions.

"The information presented on WeWillDecide is directly taken from public government sources. There is no advertising. My site accepts no money from any entity except the users," says founder Kelly Riordan. "The site is built for and funded by the users only. My only allegiance is to the users. The public must have a place to get trustworthy information," she underlines.

The ultimate goal is to show the average American an entirely different way to perform independent political research without interference. The platform allows the users to keep their own council and develop their opinions without any outside influence.

About WeWillDecide

WeWillDecide is on a mission to ensure access to bias-free political information and to provide simple tools so every voter can perform personal political analysis.

CONTACT

Name: Salome Muriel

Email: [email protected]

57 (317) 893 4330

SOURCE WeWillDecide
Since 2002, Wild Bill's has traveled the country with its western-themed wagons, serving soda to over one million people at fairs, festivals and conventions. The traveling wagons, each equipped with seven barrel taps, pour unique and nostalgic soda flavors like Sarsaparilla, Birch Beer, Orange Cream and Butterscotch. At each event, visitors can purchase commemorative mugs and enjoy unlimited refills.

For many veterans, finding jobs after leaving the military is incredibly challenging. Employers have a hard time understanding how veterans' skills acquired in the military can be applied elsewhere. Operational planning, staffing, equipment logistics and more are just some of the technical abilities that Wild Bill's leverages at local events, which are very translatable for veterans who have planned large-scale operations.

"The operational nature of Wild Bill's traveling Wild West themed pop-up retail activations is a perfect fit for veterans aspiring to apply their military talent to pursue a life as entrepreneurs," said Michael Quilty, owner of Wild Bill's and a U.S. Navy veteran. "Today, we're proud to further our commitment of helping our nation's heroes make the transition from the military into successful civilian careers through our new Wild Bill's Veteran Franchise Program."

To learn more about franchising from Wild Bill's visit: D rinkWildBills.com/pages/franchise-opportunity

About Wild Bill's

Wild Bill's is a premium, non-alcoholic craft beverage company. For over 20 years, Wild Bill's has traveled the country with their Wild West themed pop-up retail activations, serving over one million customers at fairs, festivals and conventions. Today, Wild Bill's unique and nostalgic flavors can be purchased directly from DrinkWildBills.com, Amazon, local retailers, and at hundreds of events annually. As a veteran-owned and operated business, Wild Bill's is focused on helping our nation's heroes make the transition from the military into successful civilian careers by supporting veteran non-profit organizations, providing discounted franchise fees and creating meaningful employment opportunities.

SOURCE Wild Bills

Related Links

https://drinkwildbills.com/


SACRAMENTO, Calif., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Examining the growth of homeschool enrollment in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the nonpartisan Pacific Research Institute today released The Homeschool Boom: Pandemic, Policies, and Possibilities , a new book that profiles families from diverse communities and different backgrounds who have successfully transitioned to homeschooling.

Pacific Research Institute

"The Covid-19 pandemic forced millions of students to learn at home. Many parents saw for the first time how ineffective traditional schools were at educating their kids," said Lance Izumi, the book's author and senior director of PRI's Center for Education. "With the number of homeschooled students growing to 8 million, my new book shows why more parents dissatisfied with their children's education are making a once unthinkable choice  the choice to educate their kids at home."

The Homeschool Boom is available for purchase at Amazon.com , Barnes and Noble , or your favorite online bookseller. Click here to watch a first-hand account of the book from author Lance Izumi.

If you would like to interview Lance Izumi about the book, please contact Tim Anaya or Evan Harris at (916) 389-9774.

The Homeschool Boom features interviews from several homeschool families and busts many common myths about homeschooling:

Homeschool Growth During the Pandemic

During the pandemic, the number of students being homeschooled grew to 8 million. The number of African American families homeschooling increased by five times and the number of Hispanic families doubled as families were confronted with an unprepared and ineffective remote public-school curriculum.



During the pandemic, the number of students being homeschooled grew to 8 million. The number of African American families homeschooling increased by five times and the number of Hispanic families doubled as families were confronted with an unprepared and ineffective remote public-school curriculum. Homeschool Parents Cover All Ends of the Political Spectrum

It's not only conservatives or Christians who are homeschooling, but parents from every background, religious belief, or political persuasion. The Homeschool Boom profiles a parent who is a self-professed "flaming liberal" who joined a conservative Christian parent in founding a homeschool co-operative.



It's not only conservatives or Christians who are homeschooling, but parents from every background, religious belief, or political persuasion. profiles a parent who is a self-professed "flaming liberal" who joined a conservative Christian parent in founding a homeschool co-operative. Homeschool Programs Offer Individual Learning, Flexibility

The book shows how homeschooling is perhaps the most individualized learning option available, offering the choice, flexibility, and personalization that cannot be found in traditional schools. Readers will learn about a wide array of resources to help parents educate their kids at home, from online learning platforms to affiliations with neighborhood charter schools. Also profiled are parents who were able to educate their special needs kids just as well as conventional schools.



The book shows how homeschooling is perhaps the most individualized learning option available, offering the choice, flexibility, and personalization that cannot be found in traditional schools. Readers will learn about a wide array of resources to help parents educate their kids at home, from online learning platforms to affiliations with neighborhood charter schools. Also profiled are parents who were able to educate their special needs kids just as well as conventional schools. Future of Homeschooling

Coming under increasing attack by the teacher's unions, Ivy League academics, and politicians, the book looks at homeschooling as education enters the post-pandemic world and makes the case that it will be an increasingly utilized educational choice for parents dissatisfied by the status quo.

The Pacific Research Institute ( www.pacificresearch.org ) champions freedom, opportunity, and personal responsibility by advancing free-market policy ideas. Follow PRI on Facebook, Twitter , and LinkedIn .

MEDIA CONTACT

Joe Timm

202-471-4228 ext. 130

[email protected]

SOURCE Pacific Research Institute
TAIPEI, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Wiwynn (TWSE: 6669), an innovative cloud IT infrastructure provider for data centers, announced to exhibit at the OCP Global Summit 2021, November 9-10, for its Open Compute Project (OCP) based cloud and edge servers, in addition to the Habana OCP Accelerator Module (OAM) based Open Accelerator Infrastructure (OAI) platform. It will also showcase the world's first two-phase immersion cooled edge server and OAI server to address the surging power consumption and demand of low PUE in datacenters.

"We are excited to exhibit at OCP Global Summit and demonstrate our latest development in server, storage and high-performance OAI server. By integrating the latest CPU platforms with cutting-edge compute acceleration, 48V DC-in, and advanced cooling technologies, our offerings bring the most optimized performance to applications from cloud to edge," said Dr. Sunlai Chang, Wiwynn's President. "We are committed to the vibrant community and will continue to innovate for workload optimization while contributing to sustainable development for the datacenters."

As the major server partner for hyperscale datacenters and the leading OCP Solution Provider, Wiwynn will exhibit its next-generation OCP-based 1P/2P servers using processor platforms, including x86 and ARM, to address the needs of diverse workload optimization. Wiwynn's field-proven two-phase immersion cooling solution, designed for hyperscale datacenter to save up to 90% cooling energy, will be elaborated in response to the surging power consumption and demand of low PUE in datacenters.

For edge offering, Wiwynn's OCP openEDGE based solutions, EP100 and ES200, are perfect for central unit/distributed unit (CU/DU) of 5G open radio access network (RAN), MEC, 5GC software, as well as platforms for AI edge applications, such as 5G smart factory. Considering the diverse edge environment, Wiwynn will unveil the world first two-phase immersion cooling edge platform, EP200, with 2000W cooling capability within 2U height. The compact and integrated design allows edge servers like ES200 to operate without AC facility in harsh environment while still having massive computing capability.

For AI/deep learning (DL) training, Wiwynn will showcase its latest OCP Accelerator Module (OAM) based OCP Accelerator Infrastructure (OAI) server, SV600G4. It is one of the Wiwynn collaborations with Habana Labs, an industry-leading developer of purpose-built deep learning AI processors. SV600G4 integrates the server motherboard and the Universal Baseboard (UBB) that adopts the fully connected OAM architecture with 100Gb/s OAM interlink, and features eight Habana Gaudi AI training processors. In addition to air cooling, Wiwynn optimized the system to support liquid cooling options for high density deployment. For the OCP event, Wiwynn has partnered with LiquidStack, an industry-leading data center thermal management company, to demonstrate the world's first OAI server cooled by a 2-phase liquid immersion DataTank delivering 3kW of compute power per RU.

"We are excited to collaborate with Wiwynn on the development of their high-performance OAI solution and benefit from access to solutions optimized for both air cooling and liquid cooling," said Eitan Medina, chief business officer of Habana Labs. "Habana is committed to bringing increased operational efficiencies to our data center customers. With Wiwynn's experience in cloud datacenters and design capabilities in system integration, thermal and advanced cooling, their cooling innovations can be catalysts for Habana's drive to datacenter adoption of our purpose-built deep learning solutions."

In addition to the showcase at booth #C2, Wiwynn will have speakers at Expo Hall Stage Talks and Executive Tracks to present the Company's offerings of "Cloud to Edge 2.0" and outlook for the future technology trend. Wiwynn will also present in eight engineering workshops to deep dive topics regarding OCP Accelerator Infrastructure (OAI), DC-SCM, Open System Firmware (OSF), modular BMC, system management, immersion cooling, and liquid cooling.

Come and explore the Synergy of Edge and Cloud together.

Wiwynn's OCP Summit 2021 Event page

OCP Global Summit

About Wiwynn

Wiwynn is an innovative cloud IT infrastructure provider of high-quality computing and storage products, plus rack solutions for leading data centers. We aggressively invest in next generation technologies for workload optimization and best TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). As an OCP (Open Compute Project) solution provider and platinum member, Wiwynn actively participates in advanced computing and storage system designs while constantly implementing the benefits of OCP into traditional data centers.

For more information, please visit Wiwynn website or contact [email protected]

Follow Wiwynn on Facebook and Linkedin for the latest news and market trends.

SOURCE Wiwynn

Related Links

https://www.wiwynn.com/


ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WideOpenWest, Inc. ("WOW!" or the "Company") (NYSE: WOW), one of the nation's leading broadband providers, with an efficient, high-performing network that passes 1.9 million residential, business and wholesale consumers, today announced financial and operating results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2021.

Third Quarter 2021 Highlights (1)(2)

Total Revenue from continuing operations of $184.0 million , an increase of $0.9 million , compared to the third quarter of 2020

, an increase of , compared to the third quarter of 2020 HSD Revenue from continuing operations totaled $103.3 million , an increase of $13.2 million , or 15%, compared to the third quarter of 2020

, an increase of , or 15%, compared to the third quarter of 2020 Net Loss from continuing operations was $21.2 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2021

for the quarter ended Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA was $66.7 million , an increase of $3.8 million , or 6%, compared to the third quarter of 2020

, an increase of , or 6%, compared to the third quarter of 2020 Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA margin of 36.3% compared to 34.4% for the third quarter of 2020

Free Cash Flow totaled $30.7 million

Added 1,600 HSD RGUs

Completed the sale of five service areas in two separate transactions totaling $1.8 billion (2)

Year-to-Date 2021 Highlights (1)(2)

Total Revenue from continuing operations of $547.4 million , an increase of $4.2 million , or 1%, compared to the corresponding period of 2020

, an increase of , or 1%, compared to the corresponding period of 2020 HSD Revenue from continuing operations totaled $298.6 million , an increase of $35.2 million , or 13%, compared to the corresponding period of 2020

, an increase of , or 13%, compared to the corresponding period of 2020 Net Loss from continuing operations was $66.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021

for the nine months ended Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA was $192.6 million , an increase of $21.0 million , or 12%, compared to the corresponding period of 2020

, an increase of , or 12%, compared to the corresponding period of 2020 Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA margin of 35.2% compared to 31.6% for the corresponding period of 2020

Free Cash Flow totaled $72.1 million

Added 10,700 HSD RGUs

"Our strong third quarter results highlight the strength of our core business following the divestiture of five service areas. We continued to produce topline growth driven by high-speed data revenue from continuing operations which increased 15% from the same period last year," said Teresa Elder, WOW!'s CEO. "We are also now in a great position, given the significant reduction in our debt, to invest in growth and accelerate our broadband-first strategy."

"WOW!'s growth in high-speed data revenue from continuing operations, coupled with an increase in pro forma adjusted EBITDA and our strengthened balance sheet, brings our leverage ratio to a historic low of 2.6x," said John Rego, WOW!'s CFO. "With positive free cash flow, we are excited about the opportunity to further grow our business, driving additional value for our customers, employees and shareholders."

(1) Refer to "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" "Unaudited Reconciliations of GAAP Measures to Non-GAAP Measures," and "Subscriber Information" in this Press Release for definitions and information related to Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA, Free Cash Flow and reconciliation of non-GAAP measures to the closest comparable GAAP measures and why our management thinks it is beneficial to present such non-GAAP measures. (2) On June 30, 2021, the Company announced the pending sale of certain assets together with certain liabilities of five service areas. On September 1, 2021 and November 1, 2021, the Company announced the completion of the sale of two and three of the five service areas, respectively. For presentation purposes related to this announcement, the related assets, liabilities and financial results of these five service areas were classified as discontinued operations. Refer to tables that follow for the reconciliation of continuing and discontinued operations.

Revenue

Total Revenue from continuing operations was $184.0 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2021, up $0.9 million, as compared to the corresponding period in 2020.

Total Subscription Revenue from continuing operations for the quarter ended September 30, 2021 was $170.3 million, up $1.3 million, or 1%, as compared to the corresponding period in 2020. The increase was driven by an increase in average revenue per unit ("ARPU") as HSD customers continue to purchase higher speed tiers; coupled with HSD and Video rate increases issued in 2021 and an increase in volume attributable exclusively to the addition of HSD subscribers. These increases were partially offset by a shift in service offering mix as the Company continues to experience a reduction in Video and Telephony RGUs.

Other Business Services Revenue from continuing operations totaled $5.6 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2021, down $0.2 million as compared to the corresponding period in 2020. The decrease is primarily due to a decrease in data center revenue.

Other Revenue from continuing operations totaled $8.1 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2021, down $0.2 million as compared to the corresponding period in 2020, primarily due to decreases in line assurance revenue and service call fee revenue, partially offset by a slight increase in advertising revenue.

Costs and Expenses

Operating Expenses (excluding Depreciation and Amortization) from continuing operations totaled $93.4 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2021, down $6.3 million, or 6%, compared to the corresponding period in 2020 primarily due to lower direct expenses, specifically programming expense, which aligns with the reduction in Video RGUs between periods. Selling, General, and Administrative expenses from continuing operations totaled $44.8 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2021, up $4.6 million, or 11%, compared to the corresponding period in 2020 primarily due to increases in marketing, compensation (including stock compensation), and professional service and legal expenses, partially offset by decreases in costs associated with digital transformation initiatives.

Net (Loss) Income

Net Loss from continuing operations for the quarter ended September 30, 2021 was $21.2 million as compared to $20.3 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2020.

Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA

Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter ended September 30, 2021 was $66.7 million, an increase of $3.8 million, compared to the corresponding period in 2020. Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA margin was 36.3% for the quarter ended September 30, 2021 as compared to 34.4% for the quarter ended September 30, 2020.

Subscribers

WOW! reported Total Subscribers from continuing operations of 531,600 as of September 30, 2021, an increase of 6,800, or 1%, compared to September 30, 2020, up 1,000 compared to June 30, 2021. HSD RGUs totaled 509,500 as of September 30, 2021, an increase of 12,900, or 3%, compared to September 30, 2020, up 1,600 compared to June 30, 2021.

E dge-outs

Edge-out projects from continuing operations reached a total of 78,000 homes passed and 19,000 Subscribers since inception.

The 2019 Edge-out projects from continuing operations include 1,900 Subscribers, which represents 18.8% penetration on such nodes. The 2020 Edge-out projects from continuing operations include 700 Subscribers, which represents 20.6% penetration on such nodes. The 2021 Edge-out projects from continuing operations include 400 Subscribers, which represents 21.1% penetration on such nodes.

Capital Expenditures

Capital Expenditures from continuing operations totaled $40.7 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2021, representing a $5.9 million increase compared to the quarter ended September 30, 2020. The slight increase is primarily due to an increase in expenditures related to customer premise equipment ("CPE") and network enhancements focused on increasing bandwidth capacity, standardization and reliability to meet the needs of our customers. Capital Expenditures from continuing operations for the quarter ended September 30, 2021 equates to 22% of Total Revenue from continuing operations for the quarter ended September 30, 2021.

Liquidity and Leverage

As of September 30, 2021, the total outstanding amount of long-term debt and finance lease obligations was $1.1 billion, and cash and cash equivalents were $59.6 million. Total Net Leverage as of September 30, 2021, was 2.6X on a LTM Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA basis and undrawn revolver capacity totaled $270.7 million. Free Cash Flow was $30.7 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2021.

Webcast

WOW! will host a webcast on Monday, November 8, 2021, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern to discuss the financial and operating results contained in this press release. The conference call and webcast will be broadcast live on the Company's investor relations website at ir.wowway.com. Those parties interested in participating can use the information as follows:



















Call Date: Monday, November 8, 2021

Call Time: 8:00 a.m. Eastern

Dial In: (888) 330-3556

International: (646) 960-0826

Conf. ID: 4844814























A replay of the call will be available on November 8, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. ET, on the investor relations website or by telephone. To access the telephone replay, which will be available until November 19, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. ET, please dial (800) 770-2030 or (647) 362-9199 and use conference ID 4844814.

Investor Day

WOW! will host a virtual investor day on Thursday, December 9, 2021, at 12:30 p.m. Eastern. The webcast and presentation materials will be accessible through WOW!'s investor relations website at ir.wowway.com. Additional details regarding the Investor Day, including the agenda and list of speakers will be announced prior to the event.

WIDEOPENWEST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (unaudited)

















September 30,

December 31,



2021

2020



(in millions, except share data) Assets











Current assets











Cash and cash equivalents

$ 59.6

$ 12.4 Accounts receivabletrade, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $5.7 and $6.7, respectively



39.5



44.4 Accounts receivableother, net



10.3



2.8 Prepaid expenses and other



28.3



16.0 Current assets held for sale



15.5



39.2 Total current assets



153.2



114.8 Right-of-use lease assetsoperating



18.8



22.1 Property, plant and equipment, net



718.8



720.9 Franchise operating rights



620.2



620.1 Goodwill



225.1



225.1 Intangible assets subject to amortization, net



1.7



1.9 Other non-current assets



42.3



42.1 Non-current assets held for sale



337.1



740.0 Total assets

$ 2,117.2

$ 2,487.0 Liabilities and stockholders' equity (deficit)











Current liabilities











Accounts payabletrade

$ 49.9

$ 32.4 Accrued interest



2.1



4.0 Current portion of long-term lease liabilityoperating



6.0



5.8 Accrued liabilities and other



185.8



79.7 Current portion of long-term debt and finance lease obligations



33.9



37.5 Current portion of unearned service revenue



28.5



28.6 Current liabilities held for sale



17.5



47.9 Total current liabilities



323.7



235.9 Long-term debt and finance lease obligationsless current portion and debt issuance costs



1,109.9



2,228.5 Long-term lease liabilityoperating



14.9



19.0 Deferred income taxes, net



306.0



200.6 Other non-current liabilities



23.5



13.1 Non-current liabilities held for sale



2.0



2.3 Total liabilities



1,780.0



2,699.4 Commitments and contingencies











Stockholders' equity (deficit):











Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized; 0 shares issued and outstanding







 Common stock, $0.01 par value, 700,000,000 shares authorized; 95,994,859 and 95,187,161 issued as

of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively; 87,191,153 and 86,847,797 outstanding as

of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively



1.0



1.0 Additional paid-in capital



345.0



333.8 Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)







(6.5) Accumulated income (deficit)



79.9



(460.0) Treasury stock at cost, 8,803,706 and 8,339,364 shares as of September 30, 2021 and

December 31, 2020, respectively



(88.7)



(80.7) Total stockholders' equity (deficit)



337.2



(212.4) Total liabilities and stockholders' equity (deficit)

$ 2,117.2

$ 2,487.0

WIDEOPENWEST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED (unaudited)









































Three months ended

Three months ended



September 30, 2021

September 30, 2020



Continued

Discontinued

Total

Continued

Discontinued

Total



(in millions, except per share data) Revenue:



































HSD

$ 103.3

$ 46.4

$ 149.7

$ 90.1

$ 52.5

$ 142.6 Video



52.8



27.8



80.6



63.0



40.9



103.9 Telephony



14.2



5.3



19.5



15.9



7.1



23.0 Total subscription services revenue



170.3



79.5



249.8



169.0



100.5



269.5 Other business services



5.6



0.6



6.2



5.8



0.5



6.3 Other



8.1



3.6



11.7



8.3



4.6



12.9 Total revenue



184.0



83.7



267.7



183.1



105.6



288.7





































Costs and expenses:



































Operating (excluding depreciation and amortization)



93.4



28.9



122.3



99.7



40.3



140.0 Selling, general and administrative



44.8



5.2



50.0



40.2



5.6



45.8 Depreciation and amortization



42.3







42.3



38.2



20.0



58.2





180.5



34.1



214.6



178.1



65.9



244.0 Income from operations



3.5



49.6



53.1



5.0



39.7



44.7 Other income (expense):



































Interest (expense) income



(22.4)







(22.4)



(32.2)







(32.2) Gain (loss) on sale of assets, net



0.1



689.9



690.0



(0.3)







(0.3) Other income, net



1.8







1.8



0.8







0.8 (Loss) income before provision for income taxes



(17.0)



739.5



722.5



(26.7)



39.7



13.0 Income tax (expense) benefit



(4.2)



(200.4)



(204.6)



6.4



(10.4)



(4.0) Net (loss) income

$ (21.2)

$ 539.1

$ 517.9

$ (20.3)

$ 29.3

$ 9.0





































(Loss) earnings per share



































Basic

$ (0.26)

$ 6.50

$ 6.24

$ (0.28)

$ 0.39

$ 0.11 Diluted

$ (0.26)

$ 6.50

$ 6.24

$ (0.28)

$ 0.39

$ 0.11 Weighted-average common shares outstanding



































Basic



82,973,519















81,771,279











Diluted



82,973,519















81,771,279













WIDEOPENWEST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE NINE MONTHS ENDED (unaudited)









































Nine months ended

Nine months ended



September 30, 2021

September 30, 2020



Continued

Discontinued

Total

Continued

Discontinued

Total



(in millions, except per share data) Revenue:



































HSD

$ 298.6

$ 160.2

$ 458.8

$ 263.4

$ 153.1

$ 416.5 Video



164.5



101.1



265.6



187.5



122.3



309.8 Telephony



43.8



18.8



62.6



50.0



21.7



71.7 Total subscription services revenue



506.9



280.1



787.0



500.9



297.1



798.0 Other business services



16.9



1.6



18.5



17.7



1.5



19.2 Other



23.6



12.2



35.8



24.6



13.4



38.0 Total revenue



547.4



293.9



841.3



543.2



312.0



855.2





































Costs and expenses:



































Operating (excluding depreciation and amortization)



286.9



106.1



393.0



306.6



127.7



434.3 Selling, general and administrative



132.8



10.7



143.5



125.0



11.5



136.5 Depreciation and amortization



126.0



41.0



167.0



111.5



59.3



170.8





545.7



157.8



703.5



543.1



198.5



741.6 Income from operations



1.7



136.1



137.8



0.1



113.5



113.6 Other income (expense):



































Interest (expense) income



(82.6)



0.4



(82.2)



(98.1)







(98.1) Gain on sale of assets, net







690.1



690.1



0.3



0.1



0.4 Other income, net



2.4



0.1



2.5



1.5



0.1



1.6 (Loss) income before provision for income taxes



(78.5)



826.7



748.2



(96.2)



113.7



17.5 Income tax (expense) benefit



12.1



(220.4)



(208.3)



21.8



(28.0)



(6.2) Net (loss) income

$ (66.4)

$ 606.3

$ 539.9

$ (74.4)

$ 85.7

$ 11.3





































(Loss) earnings per share



































Basic

$ (0.80)

$ 7.34

$ 6.54

$ (0.94)

$ 1.08

$ 0.14 Diluted

$ (0.80)

$ 7.34

$ 6.54

$ (0.94)

$ 1.08

$ 0.14 Weighted-average common shares outstanding



































Basic



82,615,949















81,475,814











Diluted



82,615,949















81,475,814













WIDEOPENWEST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (unaudited)

















Nine Months Ended



September 30,



2021

2020



(in millions) Cash flows from operating activities:











Net income

$ 539.9

$ 11.3 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:











Depreciation and amortization



167.0



170.8 Deferred income taxes



103.3



4.5 Provision for doubtful accounts



8.3



14.3 Gain on sale of Ohio markets



(689.6)



 Gain on sale of assets, net



(0.5)



(0.4) Amortization of debt issuance costs and discount



3.6



3.6 Non-cash compensation



11.6



8.3 Other non-cash items



(0.2)



 Changes in operating assets and liabilities:











Receivables and other operating assets



(19.0)



(23.0) Payables and accruals



115.1



10.7 Net cash provided by operating activities

$ 239.5

$ 200.1 Cash flows from investing activities:











Capital expenditures

$ (167.4)

$ (166.3) Proceeds from sale of Ohio markets, net



1,112.5



 Other investing activities



1.3



(0.6) Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

$ 946.4

$ (166.9) Cash flows from financing activities:











Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt

$ 37.0

$ 91.0 Payments on long-term debt and finance lease obligations



(1,167.8)



(111.3) Purchase of shares



(7.9)



(1.0) Net cash used in financing activities

$ (1,138.7)

$ (21.3) Increase in cash and cash equivalents



47.2



11.9 Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period



12.4



21.0 Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

$ 59.6

$ 32.9 Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:











Cash paid during the periods for interest

$ 81.9

$ 93.4 Cash paid (received) during the periods for income taxes, net

$ 2.2

$ (3.4) Non-cash operating activities:











Operating lease additions

$ 1.0

$ 5.5 Non-cash financing activities:











Finance lease additions

$ 5.1

$ 13.3 Capital expenditure accounts payable and accruals

$ 24.7

$ 13.7

About WOW!

WOW! is one of the nation's leading broadband providers, with an efficient, high-performing network that passes 1.9 million residential, business and wholesale consumers. WOW! provides services in 14 markets, primarily in the Midwest and Southeast, including Michigan, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia. With an expansive portfolio of advanced services, including high-speed Internet services, cable TV, phone, business data, voice, and cloud services, the company is dedicated to providing outstanding service at affordable prices. WOW! also serves as a leader in exceptional human resources practices, having been recognized seven times by the National Association for Business Resources as a Best & Brightest Company to Work For, winning the award for the last three consecutive years. Visit www.wowway.com for more information.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release that are not historical facts contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements represent our goals, beliefs, plans and expectations about our prospects for the future and other future events. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical fact and can be identified by terms such as "may," "intend," "might," "will," "should," "could," "would," "anticipate," "expect," "believe," "estimate," "plan," "project," "predict," "potential," or the negative of these terms. Although these forward-looking statements reflect our good-faith belief and reasonable judgment based on current information, these statements are qualified by important factors, many of which are beyond our control that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These factors and other risks that could cause our actual results to differ materially are set forth in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report filed on Form 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and other reports subsequently filed with the SEC. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this report are made as of the date hereof or the date specified herein, based on information available to us as of such date. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company has included certain non-GAAP financial measures in this release, including Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow. These terms, as defined herein, are not intended to be considered in isolation, as a substitute for, or superior to, the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America ("GAAP"). These terms may vary from the use of similar terms by other companies in our industry due to different methods of calculation and therefore are not necessarily comparable.

We believe that these non-GAAP measures enhance an investor's understanding of our financial performance. We believe that these non-GAAP measures are useful financial metrics to assess our operating performance from period to period by excluding certain items that we believe are not representative of our core business. We believe that these non-GAAP measures provide investors with useful information for assessing the comparability between periods of our ability to generate cash from operations sufficient to pay taxes, to service debt and to undertake Capital Expenditures. We use these non-GAAP measures for business planning purposes and in measuring our performance relative to that of our competitors. We believe these non-GAAP measures are measures commonly used by investors to evaluate our performance and that of our competitors.

Adjusted EBITDA eliminates the impact of expenses that do not relate to overall business performance and is defined by WOW! as net income (loss) before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization (including impairments), impairment losses on intangibles and goodwill, write-off of any asset, loss on early extinguishment of debt, integration and restructuring expenses and all noncash charges and expenses (including stock compensation expense) and certain other income and expenses. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss), operating income or any other performance measures derived in accordance with GAAP as measures of operating performance, operating cash flows or liquidity. Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA takes into account the recent sales of five service areas as though such transactions had occurred prior to the periods presented.

Free Cash Flow is defined as Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities less Capital Expenditures. Free Cash Flow presents the cash generated or used by the business in a given period.

Refer to "Reconciliations of GAAP Measures to Non-GAAP Measures" and the accompanying tables below for a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to Net Income, and Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities to Free Cash Flow which are most directly comparable to their corresponding GAAP financial measure.

Subscriber Information

The Company uses the terms defined below throughout this release.

Homes passed are reported as the number of serviceable addresses, such as single residence homes, apartments and condominium units, and businesses passed by our broadband network and listed in our database.

We deliver multiple services to our customers, as such we report Total Subscribers as the number of Subscribers who receive at least one of our HSD, Video or Telephony services, without regard to which or how many services they subscribe. We define each of the individual HSD Subscribers, Video Subscribers and Telephony Subscribers as a Revenue Generating Unit ("RGU").

While we take appropriate steps to ensure subscriber information is presented on a consistent and accurate basis at any given balance sheet date, we periodically review our policies in light of the variability we may encounter across our different markets due to the nature and pricing of products and services and billing systems. Accordingly, we may from time to time make appropriate adjustments to our subscriber information based on such reviews.

WIDEOPENWEST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Reconciliations of GAAP Measures to Non-GAAP Measures (unaudited)

The following table provides a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA and Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA to Net Income for the periods presented:





























Three months ended

Nine months ended



September 30,

September 30,



2021

2020

2021

2020



(in millions) Net Income

$ 517.9

$ 9.0

$ 539.9

$ 11.3 Depreciation and amortization



42.3



58.2



167.0



170.8 Interest expense



22.4



32.2



82.2



98.1 Gain on sale of assets, net



(690.0)



0.3



(690.1)



(0.4) Non-recurring professional fees, M&A integration and restructuring expense



8.7



8.0



22.4



21.2 Non-cash stock compensation



4.5



2.6



11.6



8.3 Other income, net



(1.8)



(0.8)



(2.5)



(1.6) Income tax expense



204.6



4.0



208.3



6.2 Adjusted EBITDA

$ 108.6

$ 113.5

$ 338.8

$ 313.9

























Pro Forma Adjustments























Less: Adjusted EBITDA attributable to disposed service areas



(41.9)



(50.6)



(146.2)



(142.3) Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA

$ 66.7

$ 62.9

$ 192.6

$ 171.6





The following table provides a reconciliation of Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities to Free Cash Flow for the periods presented:































Three months ended

Nine months ended



September 30,

September 30,



2021

2020

2021

2020



(in millions) Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities

$ 82.6

$ 72.8

$ 239.5

$ 200.1 Less: Capital Expenditures



(51.9)



(51.1)



(167.4)



(166.3) Free Cash Flow

$ 30.7

$ 21.7

$ 72.1

$ 33.8

WIDEOPENWEST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Capital Expenditures and Subscriber Information (unaudited)

The following table provides additional information regarding our Capital Expenditures for the periods presented:









































Three months ended

Three months ended



September 30, 2021

September 30, 2020



Continuing

Discontinued

Total

Continuing

Discontinued

Total



(in millions) Capital Expenditures



































Customer premise equipment

$ 18.7

$ 7.8

$ 26.5

$ 15.2

$ 12.3

$ 27.5 Scalable infrastructure



7.7



0.9



8.6



8.7



0.4



9.1 Line extensions



4.1



0.5



4.6



1.8



0.9



2.7 Support capital and other



10.2



2.0



12.2



9.1



2.7



11.8 Total

$ 40.7

$ 11.2

$ 51.9

$ 34.8

$ 16.3

$ 51.1 Capital expenditures included in total related to:



































Edge-outs

$ 1.4

$ 0.2

$ 1.6

$ 1.1

$ 0.7

$ 1.8 Business services

$ 3.3

$ 0.6

$ 3.9

$ 2.1

$ 0.7

$ 2.8





The following table provides additional information regarding our Capital Expenditures for the periods presented:











































Nine months ended

Nine months ended



September 30, 2021

September 30, 2020



Continuing

Discontinued

Total

Continuing

Discontinued

Total



(in millions) Capital Expenditures



































Customer premise equipment

$ 55.2

$ 27.6

$ 82.8

$ 62.9

$ 35.0

$ 97.9 Scalable infrastructure



30.3



3.2



33.5



21.1



0.8



21.9 Line extensions



11.5



2.9



14.4



11.1



0.8



11.9 Support capital and other



29.2



7.5



36.7



26.3



8.3



34.6 Total

$ 126.2

$ 41.2

$ 167.4

$ 121.4

$ 44.9

$ 166.3 Capital expenditures included in total related to:



































Edge-outs

$ 3.2

$ 1.4

$ 4.6

$ 5.0

$ 1.5

$ 6.5 Business services

$ 10.8

$ 2.7

$ 13.5

$ 11.2

$ 1.0

$ 12.2





The following table provides an unaudited summary of our continuing operations subscriber information:



























September 30,

December 31,

March 31,

June 30,

September 30,



2020

2020 (1)

2021

2021

2021 Homes Passed

1,852,500

1,871,800

1,873,900

1,877,300

1,880,900 Total Subscribers

524,800

522,900

528,000

530,600

531,600 HSD RGUs

496,600

498,800

504,900

507,900

509,500 Video RGUs

203,500

189,400

178,800

169,300

158,600 Telephony RGUs

113,900

110,400

108,000

105,600

102,400 Total RGUs

814,000

798,600

791,700

782,800

770,500





(1) The Company combined certain billing systems during the second quarter of 2021, which standardized the statistical reporting of key metrics. The standardized reporting led to the following increases (decreases) at December 31, 2020: Homes passed 15,400, Total subscribers (4,200), HSD RGUs (700), Video RGUs (1,800), Telephony RGUs (600), and Total RGUs (3,100).

Additional Information Available on Website:

The information in this press release should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and footnotes contained in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2021, which will be posted on of our investor relations website at ir.wowway.com, when it is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). A slide presentation to accompany the conference call and a trending schedule containing historical customer and financial data will also be available on our website.

Contact :

Andrew Posen

Vice President, Head of Investor Relations

303-927-4935

[email protected]

Debra Havins

Senior Director, Corporate Communications

720-527-8214

[email protected]

SOURCE WideOpenWest, Inc.

Related Links

wowway.com


HONG KONG, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Yeahka Limited ("Yeahka" or the "Company", Stock Code: 9923.HK), a leading payment-based technology platform in China, announced today that it has entered into an investment agreement with Dingding Cultural Tourism (Chengdu) Co., Ltd. (the parent company of Qianqianhui, "Qianqianhui") and other participating parties, to invest RMB100 million as registered capital and capital reserve of Qianqianhui. After the acquisition, Yeahka will hold 60% of the enlarged share capital of Qianqianhui.

Dingding Cultural Tourism (Chengdu) Co., Ltd. was established in May 2020. Through the brand of Qianqianhui, it has been principally engaged in providing in-store e-commerce services for food, tourism and the related businesses, and has achieved rapid growth since its establishment. As of October 31, 2021, Qianqianhui has accumulated over 6 million paying customers, with a peak monthly gross merchandise value ("GMV") of over RMB93 million. The founding team of Qianqianhui has many years of startup experience in the in-store e-commerce industry, especially in product innovation and channel development.

According to Yeahka's 2021 interim report, the Company started trial operation of its in-store e-commerce business in the second half of 2020, to help merchants improve interaction with consumers, enabling consumers to enjoy more local lifestyles discounts. As of the first half of 2021, Yeahka's in-store e-commerce business has served nearly 10,000 local merchants nationwide, while the number of paid consumers has exceeded 1.42 million, platform GMV has exceeded RMB71 million, and overall revenue was almost RMB45 million.

According to the announcement of the agreement, the expected synergies that could be brought by Qianqianhui include the following:

1) Ability to provide quality packages. Qianqianhui has extensive supply chain development capabilities across China. Its business has covered over 200 cities as of October 31, 2021, which will assist Yeahka's in-store e-commerce business to accelerate expansion of SKU coverage.

2) Enormous sales network based on WeChat. As of October 31, 2021, Qianqianhui has more than 3 million registered community leaders on WeChat; Yeahka can sell through their network of relationships. In addition, the total number of followers of Qianqianhui's WeChat public accounts reached approximately 8 million as of October 31, 2021. Its enormous sales network can help Yeahka accumulate and manage consumers through various channels, from platforms including WeChat public accounts, WeChat mini program and mobile applications.

3) New media traffic operation capabilities based on Douyin. Qianqianhui's GMV generated from short video production and live broadcasting has exceeded RMB100 million for the four months from July to October, 2021. Yeahka can fully integrate its precision marketing capabilities and Qianqianhui's strengths in influencer management, which will significantly enhance consumer engagement on Douyin's online platform.

Mr. Luke Liu, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Company, said, "The equity acquisition of Qianqianhui can facilitate healthy and rapid development of Yeahka's in-store e-commerce business, and create huge synergies with businesses including payments and SaaS digital solutions. Qianqianhui can help to optimize the in-store e-commerce business matrix with its strong supply chain, selling and channel operation capabilities, which will enhance interconnection between the brands, traffic and technologies and our existing businesses. Qianqianhui's core team's substantial operational and startup experience in in-store e-commerce will enhance the overall capabilities of that of Yeahka. Going forward, in-store e-commerce business will continue to empower merchants and bring more favorable, convenient and higher-quality services to consumers.

In the announcement, Yeahka has also provided an update on the operations of its payment business. For the nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company's gross payment volume has reached to approximately RMB1.56 trillion, and the number of active payment service merchants has reached to approximately 6.27 million. As user traffic in its ecosystem continues to grow, Yeahka expects that the fee rate in the next 12 months will remain relatively stable, and the commissions to be paid to distribution channels will decrease steadily.

About YEAHKA LIMITED (Stock Code: 9923.HK)

Yeahka is a leading payment-based technology platform dedicated to creating value for merchants and consumers. According to Oliver Wyman, we are the second largest non-bank independent QR Code payment service provider in China, with a market share of 14.0% in terms of transaction count in 2019. The Company's vision is to build a commercial digitalized ecosystem to enable seamless, convenient and reliable payment transactions among merchants and consumers , and to further provide a rich portfolio of diversified technology-enabled business services, including (i) SaaS digital solutions, which help customers improve their operating efficiency; (ii) precision marketing services, which allow customers to effectively reach their target markets; (iii) fintech services, which satisfy customers' diversified financing needs; and (iv) in-store e-commerce services, which helps merchants to increase sales and consumers to enjoy local lifestyle discount benefits.

SOURCE Yeahka Limited
SAN FRANCISCO and BOGOTA, Colombia, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Yellowstone Capital Partners ("Yellowstone") today announced the close of $95 million in capital for its third fund ("Fund III") focused on credit opportunities in the United States housing market. With the first close, Yellowstone brings together a unique investment platform and a global investor base aligned on the pursuit of real estate investments with positive social, environmental, and financial returns.

"Fund III represents an important step for the growth of Yellowstone's impact investment platform" explains Co-Founder and CIO, Juan Carlos Moreno, "We've drawn from our insights investing in approximately 53,000 units of affordable housing throughout Colombia and Panama, across multiple socio-economic cycles, to develop our playbook for the U.S. markets. We've also made a significant co-investment in the Fund and assembled a United States-based team with broad experience and deep networks across real estate development, banking, and financial technology." Yellowstone's credit platform launched in early 2020 by Managing Partner, Paul Stockamore, and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Fund III advances Yellowstone's commitment to the UN Principles of Responsible Investing by targeting investments intended to preserve or increase the supply of attainable housing. A persistent undersupply of entry-level homes exacerbated by demographic demand trends should continue to provide a compelling market in need of substantial investment. "The projected stability of Fund III's portfolio is partially derived from our focus on investments that create social good and environmental sustainability," said Stockamore. "Our Latin America portfolio has demonstrated that sustainability can positively transform neighborhoods and drive superior economic results by lowering turnover and increasing operating margins."

Benefiting from the diverse expertise of its investment team, Fund III will pursue the financing of next-generation development strategies including: higher-density housing communities, co-living, modular-construction, net-zero energy communities, infill redevelopment, and adaptive reuse. "We're encouraged by the market's response to our approach." said Yellowstone's Managing Director and Head of Originations, JP Ackerman. "Through our direct-lending platform, Techo Funding, we've evaluated approximately $2.2 billion of opportunities and selectively partnered with mission-aligned developers." Through October 2021, Fund III has supported the development or preservation of 284 units across 4 markets. To date, all of Fund III's investments are infill sites with projected affordability near the area median income.

"With the combined strength of our lending platform and the fund, we've unlocked a new model for how private capital can shape the future of housing," said Stockamore. "We intend for Fund III to play a constructive role in mobilizing larger pools of capital towards innovative real estate development strategies with quantifiable social and environmental returns."

About Yellowstone Capital Partners:

Yellowstone Capital Partners is a Pan-American real estate investment firm dedicated to building sustainable communities. The firm was founded in 2015 and manages approximately $495 million across credit and equity strategies in Colombia, Panama, and select markets in the United States. Yellowstone is a signatory of the UN Principles of Responsible Investing committed to working alongside policymakers and community organizations to provide safe, affordable, and stable housing alternatives. Find more information on Yellowstone at yellowstonecp.com

About Techo Funding, LLC:

Techo Funding (pronounced: teh-choh, meaning "Roof" in Spanish) is a modern finance platform for developers and builders in the United States making a lasting positive community and environmental impact. Techo's financing solutions are customized to the unique specifications of each project's needs and supports innovative approaches to creating attainably-priced homes. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of Yellowstone, Techo's team has direct experience across the spectrum of development, enabling a deeper partnership than a traditional lender.

Find more information on Techo at techorec.com

CONTACT: Jake Perkins, [email protected], +15304484002

SOURCE Yellowstone Capital Partners

Related Links

http://www.yellowstonecp.com


Zalando, Europe's leading online platform for fashion and lifestyle, will spread joy across Europe throughout the holiday season through a holistic campaign that celebrates all of our moments of joy and happiness.

The #JoyIsOurs campaign centers around an emotional and powerful rallying cry that captures the essence of the holiday season. Whether it's the nostalgia of family gatherings, connecting with old friends, or spending precious time with that special someone, Zalando is encouraging people to celebrate joy in all its forms. #JoyIsOurs represents a purposeful step towards 'the new normal' while acknowledging the challenges we've all faced in recent months.

Zalando once again places human emotion front and centre as a full-length TVC portrays the return of special moments shared between loved ones during the holiday season. Shot by Savanah Leaf - who transitioned from 2012 Olympian to a Grammy nominated director and photographer - the campaign will be brought to life across numerous formats. Alongside the main video content and DOOH moving assets, the campaign will incorporate emotional stills captured by celebrated Brooklyn-based photographer Geordie Wood, and owned social channels will showcase content featuring the cast of the campaign. The 360 campaign was created in collaboration with creative agency Anomaly.

"The last two years have brought many challenges to all of us, and Zalando is determined to bring a feel good movement to this Holiday Season as communities around Europe look to make up for lost time," says Ralph Rijks, VP of Global Marketing at Zalando. "At Zalando, self-expression is part of our DNA, and through the #JoyIsOurs campaign, we hope to create a platform where our community can express and share their own joyful moments and memories to build a wave of positivity in time for the Holiday Season"

In December, as an extension of the #JoyIsOurs campaign, friends of Zalando from across Europe, will be sharing their own images of what joy means to them on social media, creating a further wave of joy. The inspiring cast will include a collection of actors, brands, models, and partners that Zalando has worked with during 2021.

#Joyisours

@Zalando

Notes to Editors:

*All images have been shot in accordance with government guidelines on COVID-19, specific to each country at the time of capture. All safety measures were put in place on all shoot locations throughout the world to ensure every single person featured was respecting COVID safety measures.

ABOUT ZALANDO:

Zalando (https://corporate.zalando.com) is Europe's leading online platform for fashion and lifestyle. Founded in Berlin in 2008, we bring head-to-toe fashion to more than 46 million active customers in 23 markets, offering clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty. The assortment of international brands ranges from world famous names to local labels. Our platform is a one-stop fashion destination for inspiration, innovation, and interaction. As Europe's most fashionable tech company, we work hard to find digital solutions for every aspect of the fashion journey: for our customers, partners and every valuable player in the Zalando story. Our vision is to be the Starting Point for Fashion and a sustainable platform with a net-positive impact for people and the planet.

SOURCE Zalando
CHICAGO, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Zelman & Associates, a Walker & Dunlop Company and the leading housing-related research firm in the country, announced today that it has expanded its rental housing research team with the addition of Managing Director Philip Martin. Based in Chicago, Illinois, Mr. Martin will play a key role in enhancing existing rental sector research and collaborating across the Walker & Dunlop platform to develop new insights for both firms' client bases.

Ivy Zelman, CEO and Co-Founder of Zelman & Associates, commented, "Philip will be critical in furthering the integration of Zelman with Walker & Dunlop's technology-enabled platform, resulting in better research, more thematic reports, and richer insights for our clients." She continued, "By expanding upon Zelman's deep macro housing and industry experience, he will also significantly broaden our suite of offerings."

"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be part of the growing Zelman & Associates and Walker & Dunlop teams," stated Martin. "These two firms have set themselves apart within their respective industries, thanks to their outstanding brand presence, exceptional professionals, and their focus on data and technology."

Mr. Martin, a seasoned and highly respected housing and equity research expert, brings nearly 30 years of experience to Zelman & Associates. Before joining the firm, he served as CFO for RESSCO, a privately held real estate investment and management company with $400M of invested capital and a focus on value-add and workforce housing. Prior to this, Mr. Martin held several roles focused on research, including a six-year tenure with Waterton. There, he served as Senior Vice President and was responsible for market and financial research and analysis, capital raising, allocation of investment capital, new business development, and deal sourcing. He previously held research and analysis roles with firms that include Morningstar, Golub & Company, and Cantor Fitzgerald.

Zelman & Associates has earned an impressive reputation among institutional investors and business executives for its unbiased, in-depth research, insightful analysis and trusted advisory services. The firm's expertise spans macro, sector, and company-specific trends across all areas of housing, including homebuilding, building products, demographics, multifamily, single-family rentals, mortgage finance and real estate technology and services. Walker & Dunlop, the largest provider of capital to the multifamily industry in the United States, acquired Zelman & Associates in July 2021 with the overarching goals of generating more actionable insights and becoming a more valuable partner to its clients.

About Zelman & Associates

Founded in 2007 by Ivy Zelman and Dennis McGill, Zelman & Associates is the leading institutional research advisory and investment banking firm dedicated exclusively to the U.S. housing industry. Zelman provides distinguished institutional research and investment banking capabilities with the highest levels of client service, trust, sophistication and credibility unique to the housing, institutional research, and investment banking industries.

All securities offered through Zelman Partners LLC, a registered broker dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC.

About Walker & Dunlop

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE: WD) is the largest provider of capital to the multifamily industry in the United States and the fourth largest lender on all commercial real estate including industrial, office, retail, and hospitality. Walker & Dunlop enables real estate owners and operators to bring their visions of communities  where Americans live, work, shop and play  to life. The power of our people, premier brand, and industry-leading technology make us more insightful and valuable to our clients, providing an unmatched experience every step of the way. With over 1,000 employees across every major U.S. market, Walker & Dunlop has consistently been named one of Fortune's Great Places to Work and is committed to making the commercial real estate industry more inclusive and diverse while creating meaningful social, environmental, and economic change in our communities.

SOURCE Zelman & Associates

Related Links

https://www.zelmanassociates.com


Aden : , Nov 8 (IANS) Forces loyal to Yemen's government clashed with the Houthi rebel militia in the country's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, a military official told Xinhua.

"A group of Houthi gunmen attempted to sneak into the government-held sites in Hodeidah's district of Tuhyata and sparked intense clashes in the area," the local source said on condition of anonymity.

The joint pro-government forces on Sunday thwarted the Houthi infiltration attempt and killed five rebel gunmen and wounded several others in Hodeidah's southern part, he added.

He confirmed that at least eight soldiers of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces were injured in the armed confrontation with the Houthi militia, Xinhua news agency reported.

Hodeidah, a lifeline for millions facing starvation, has seen a shaky ceasefire between the government and the Houthi group since they reached an UN-sponsored truce in Stockholm in December 2018.

The truce was considered as the first phase toward a nationwide ceasefire to end Yemen's years'-long military conflict, but fighting continued across the impoverished Arab country.

The strategic city of Hodeidah is under the control of the Houthis, while the government forces have advanced to the country's southern and eastern districts.
Ramallah, Nov 8 : Palestine has condemned Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's rejection to the reopening of the US consulate in East Jerusalem.

"There is no place for an American consulate serving the Palestinians in Jerusalem," Bennett said on Saturday evening.

In response, Palestinian Minister of Civil Affairs, Hussein al-Sheikh on Sunday said Bennett's remarks "are a new challenge to Biden's administration which has repeatedly announced its intention to reopen the consulate in East Jerusalem." Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Bennett's remarks "are a blatant challenge to the decisions and policies of the US government." In May 2018, the United States moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and in October of the same year, former US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo merged the country's consulate in East Jerusalem with its embassy in the city, Xinhua news agency reported.

The consulate shut down and stopped providing services for the Palestinians in March 2019.

In May 2021, incumbent US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that Washington intends to reopen its consulate in East Jerusalem and to resume its financial aid to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Khartoum, Nov 8 : General Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan has reiterated commitment to democratic transition in the country, official Sudan TV reported.

Al-Burhan made the remarks on Sunday when he received a delegation of the Arab League led by Hossam Zaki, Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab bloc.

"The armed forces are committed to the democratic transition until an elected government selected by the people is reached," Al-Burhan was quoted by Sudan TV as saying.

Zaki stressed the importance of dialogue among all Sudanese components to reach a satisfactory settlement for all parties, Xinhua news agency reported.

He further expressed the Arab League's readiness to help the Sudanese parties sit at the negotiating table.

Sudan has been suffering from a political crisis after Al-Burhan declared a state of emergency on October 25 and dissolved the sovereign council and government.

The Forces of Freedom and Change alliance, the civilian component in the ruling coalition, accused Al-Burhan of carrying out a military coup.
Canberra, Nov 8 : Three Australian local governments from across the political spectrum have joined forces to tackle climate change.

The governments of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), New South Wales (NSW) and South Australia (SA) on Monday announced they have formed the Net Zero Emissions Policy Forum.

Under the historic cross-party agreement, the conservative Coalition and Liberal governments in NSW and SA and left-wing Labor-Greens ACT government will help each other reach net zero emissions, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Sub-national governments have a vital role to play in getting to net zero emissions because we have some of the most important levers such as transport, buildings and energy," ACT Chief Minister and Climate Action Minister Andrew Barr said.

"This forum will drive a more collaborative approach to developing the policies to get to net zero emissions." The announcement comes in the wake of the landmark COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison revealed Australia's plan to reach net zero emissions by 2050 at the summit but was criticized over its lack of detail.

The ACT is aiming to cut its emissions by 50-60 per cent from 1990 levels by 2025 and NSW has announced a 50 per cent reduction target from 2005 levels by 2030.

A ministerial group will lead the forum, which will be chaired by NSW for the first 12 months.

"Taking action on climate change is an economic and environmental imperative, and this is about ensuring states and territories are working together to address it," Matthew Kean, NSW's Treasurer and Minister for Energy and Environment, said.

"Greenhouse gas emissions do not recognize borders, and to tackle climate change we need a globally collaborative approach and that is what this forum is about."
Seoul, Nov 8 : South Korean President Moon Jae-in's approval rating fell to a near record low, while that of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) rose to a new high after the latter nominated a former top prosecutor as its presidential candidate, a poll revealed on Monday.

Moon's rating dropped to 34.2 per cent, down 4.5 percentage points from a week ago, according to the survey conducted by Realmeter on 2,525 people over the age of 18 from November 1-5.

In the Realmeter surveys, Moon's lowest rating of 33 percentage points was recorded in the fourth week of April this year, reports Yonhap News Agency.

In contrast, the PPP saw its approval rating rise to a record high of 46 per cent, up 3.4 per cent from a week earlier.

On November 5, former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl was named the presidential nominee of the PPP in the main opposition party's hotly contested nomination.

Yoon emerged as a powerful opposition hopeful during his public feuds with the Moon administration over prosecution reform and politically sensitive probes.

With the presidential election five months away, public support for the ruling Democratic Party (DP) fell 4 percentage points to a record low of 25.9 per cent.

The presidential election scheduled for March 9, 2022 is expected to be largely a competition between Yoon and Lee Jae-myung, a former Gyeonggi Governor who was nominated as the DP's presidential candidate earlier this month.

Recent surveys have shown the upcoming presidential race may be neck-and-neck between Lee and Yoon.
Lucknow, Nov 8 : Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav has said the BJP's defeat in recent bypolls led to a fall in fuel prices and their defeat in 2022 Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh will lead to a further fall in prices of other commodities.

Speaking at a rally in Ambedkar Nagar on Sunday evening, Akhilesh lambasted the ruling BJP for rising fuel prices, gross mismanagement of Covid and neglect of farmers.

He flayed the BJP government in the state for its failure to distribute laptops, free data and tablets to the students that they had promised in their 'Sankalp Patra' (manifesto) in the run-up to the 2017 Assembly polls. He said the government forgot about the students in the last four and a half years and has now announced that tablets will be distributed to students.

Akhilesh said that the chief minister does not know how to operate a laptop which is why he was not aware of its importance for the students and never thought of distributing them. Instead, he talked about using bulldozers throughout his regime.

"We Samajwadis can operate a laptop and can also operate a bulldozer if needed," he said to a cheering crowd.

He said the chief minister may change the name or the colour of the LPG cylinder but nothing is being done to reduce its rising prices.

He said the BJP promised that people wearing chappals will be able to travel by planes but the prices of fuel have made it difficult for the people to continue driving a motorcycle, what to talk of air travel.

"Farmers seeking justice are being mowed down under the wheels of vehicles. This is how the triple engine government is treating the farmers -- the triple engine here means the government at the Centre, in the state and the one that prevails in Lakhimpur," he said apparently referring to Union Minister Ajay Misra Teni, whose son is an accused in the case related to death of farmers who were allegedly knocked down by his jeep in Lakhimpur last month.

At the rally, two expelled BSP leaders, Lalji Varma and Ram Achal Rajbhar, formally joined the Samajwadi Party and took a pledge to ensure that an SP government was formed in the state.

Verma is a sitting MLA from Katehari Assembly constituency and Rajbhar is an MLA from Akbarpur, both in Ambedkar Nagar district.
Los Angeles, Nov 8 : Lawsuits have been filed at courts in Houston, Texas, during the weekend over the deaths and injuries associated with the Astroworld Festival, founded by rapper Travis Scott.

News of the first filings came not long after the Houston Chronicle published an article in which prominent local attorneys predicted an influx of lawsuits asking for "hundreds and hundreds of millions" in damages from the eight deaths and hundreds of injuries reported from Friday's concert at NRG Park, reports variety.com.

Houston resident Manuel Souza filed a suit on Saturday in the District Court of Houston against Scott, the festival founder and headliner; promoter Live Nation;individuals affiliated with NRG Park and Scoremore Holdings, and several other defendants.

The suit describes Souza as injured, without going into the nature or extent of the injuries.

On Sunday in the same district court, another plaintiff, Austin resident Kristian Paredes, filed a suit against some of the same defendants, including Scott and Live Nation, and notably added the superstar Drake, who was a featured guest through the climactic stretch of Scott's performance.

Paredes is described in the suit as having "suffered severe bodily injuries" in the crowd melee, some of them characterised as "permanent".

One of Souza's attorneys, Ryan S. MacLeod, said in a statement to Variety: "As proud residents of Houston, we are sickened by the devastating tragedy that took place on Friday night. Travis Scott has a history of inciting violence and creating dangerous conditions for concertgoers. In fact, he tweeted that he would let the wild ones in after the show sold out.

"He and those who promoted and supported this concert must take responsibility for their heinous actions. We intend to hold them fully accountable by showing that this behaviour will not be tolerated in our great city.

"We will be investigating this tragedy over the next few days and hope to shed light on what happened and provide answers to victims and the families of those victims. No one should ever attend a concert in fear. This must stop." These lawsuits quickly proved true a statement made earlier by Randy Sorrels, former president of the State Bar of Texas, who had told the Houston Chronicle that "litigation will be filed by the end of the Monday or sooner, because lawyers representing the victims need to move quickly to secure the evidence at the scene and to make sure evidence is not destroyed or tampered with".

Indeed, Souza's lawsuit does ask for a restraining order requiring the preservation of all evidence related to the events.

Thomas J. Henry, who is representing Paredes, said: "Live musical performances are meant to inspire catharsis, not tragedy.A Many of these concert-goers were looking forward to this event for months, and they deserved a safe environment in which to have fun and enjoy the evening. Instead, their night was one of fear, injury, and death.

"There is every indication that the performers, organisers, and venue were not only aware of the hectic crowd but also that injuries and potential deaths may have occurred. Still, they decided to put profits over their attendees and allowed the deadly show to go on." Henry's representative said the personal injury attorney is talking with others who say they were injured at the show as well.

The Souza lawsuit also includes a screenshot of a tweet on Scott's Twitter account in which, allegedly in response to a complaint about the festival's quick sellout, Scott is seen as writing: "NAW AND WE STILL SNEAKING THE WILD ONES IN," a comment that had nearly 100,000 likes at the time it was captured.

"This recklessly encouraged fans to breach the barriers and otherwise actively encouraged a culture of violence." The filing also includes screenshots taken from widely publicised videos taken Friday afternoon of fans rushing through broken-down security barricades to gain free entry into the grounds.

Peredes' lawsuit contends that Drake is culpable along with Scott.

In a story published on Saturday, the Chronicle broke down a timeline of the event.

According to the newspaper's reporting, police and firefighters declared a "mass casualty" event at 9.38 p.m., 32 minutes after Scott's set began, when the crowd surges reportedly started.

The paper reported that promoters agreed to find a way to cut the concert short soon after the 9.38 p.m. "casualty" report, but that the show continued until Scott ran through his planned setlist and finished as scheduled at 10.15 p.m.

However, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner has defended letting the show play out, saying that an abrupt halt could have caused a riot. He also gave reporters a slightly different timeline, one that had the show ending at 10.10 p.m.

Finner said the festival was not undermanned and that the number of officers on hand should have been sufficient to handle a crowd of 50,000 under normal circumstances.

The concert, which included Drake coming on stage for the final songs of Scott's performance, was being webcast live to a worldwide audience by Apple Music. The second night of the festival, planned to unfold Saturday, was immediately cancelled as the extent of the casualties of the first night became evident.

Scott has expressed sorrow over the devastation that occurred during his set, and although he paused the show upon seeing an ambulance to acknowledge possible issues in the crowd, has said he had no idea serious injuries or deaths were occurring.

"I'm absolutely devastated by what took place last night," the star wrote on social media Saturday. "My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival."
London, Nov 8 : West Ham United moved up to third in the Premier League, overtaking Liverpool after a thrilling 3-2 win over Jurgen Klopp's side here.

West Ham's effectiveness from set-pieces was decisive as Liverpool keeper Alisson punched a fourth-minute corner into his own net when under pressure late on Sunday evening.

Pablo Fornals put West Ham 2-1 ahead from a set-piece after Trent Alexander Arnold had also equalised for Liverpool from a free-kick and Kurt Zouma header put David Moyes's men 3-1 up from a corner with 15 minutes left to play.

Divock Origi set up a grandstand finish with his 83rd-minute goal for Liverpool and Sadio Mane missed a chance to make it 3-3 in injury time as West Ham held on for a deserved three points.

Bruno Conte's first league game in charge at Tottenham ended in a 0-0 draw away to Everton, who ended with 10 men after Mason Holgate's injury-time red card for a bad foul on Ben Davis, Xinhua reports. Everton thought they had a 63rd-minute penalty after Hugo Lloris's challenge on Richarlison, but it was overturned by the VAR and Conte will be worried his side didn't manage a single shot between the posts all game.

Emile Smith-Rowe's first-half strike made it three wins in three games for Arsenal after their 1-0 win at home to Watford. Martin Odegaard saw a goal ruled out for offside and Watford's attempts at a fightback were ended when Juraj Kucka was sent off in the penultimate minute.

Leeds United and Leicester City drew 1-1 in a game where both of the goals came in a two-minute spell with Rafinha opening the scoring for Leeds in the 26th minute only for Harvey Barnes to equalize in the 28th minute.

Ademola Lookman had what would have been the winning goal for Leicester ruled out for a tight offside midway through the second half.
Raipur, Nov 8 : Four CRPF personnel were killed and 13 others injured after their colleague opened fire at them in a camp of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Monday.

Sources told IANS that the incident occurred around 3.30 a.m. at the CRPF's 50th battalion deployed in the Lingampalli village of Sukma, around 400 km from the state capital Raipur.

Sources also said that at least 13 other jawans received injuries and have been admitted to a hospital The jawan, who opened fire on his colleagues, has been identified as Ritesh Ranjan. "One jawan opened fire on fellow soldiers in C/50 Lingampalli under Maraiguda police station," said the source.

Out of the 13 injured, 7 have received severe injuries and have been rushed to a hospital in Bhadrachalam area. Two injured CRPF personnel have reportedly been airlifted to Raipur for treatment.

Further investigation in the matter was underway.
November 08 : Shah Rukh Khans son Aryan Khan was summoned by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to its office on Sunday for questioning. However, Aryan skipped the summon reportedly due to ill-health.

Aryan didnt reach the NCB office on Sunday, as he was reportedly down with fever. Aryan, who is out on bail in a drug raid case, visited the NCB office on Friday to mark his weekly attendance.

As per the conditions of his bail, the Bombay High Court had ordered him to appear before the NCB every Friday. The 23-year-old was granted bail on October 28 in the drugs-on-cruise case. Videos have been shared online which showed Aryan walking into the NCB office, while reporters and paparazzi mobbed him for his byte.

Aryan walked out of Arthur Road jail on October 30, two days after he was granted bail. Aryan reached Mannat amid huge celebrations by Shah Rukhs fans. Huge crowds had gathered outside Arthur Road jail as well as outside Mannat, while police tried to control them. Aryan was in custody for 25 days in drugs-on-cruise case. A day after he was granted bail, Shah Rukh Khans friend Juhi Chawla appeared in court and gave surety for Aryan, whom she knew from childhood.

As one of the bail conditions, the 23-year-old had to surrender his passport. He cannot leave Mumbai without permission. High Court had also ordered that Aryan will also have to report to the Narcotics Control Bureaus office every Friday, between 11 am and 2 pm. He also has to attend court hearings, and join investigations whenever he is called for it. Aryan has also been asked not to establish any communication with co-accused and his friend Arbaaz Merchant or any other person involved directly or indirectly in the case. Aryan is also not allowed to make any public statement in any formin print, electronic or social media. There are more conditions for Aryan, and if any of these are violated, the NCB can request cancellation of bail, High Court has stated.

Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik has reportedly alleged that the drug bust was fake. He told the media that the alleged cruise rave party was a plot to kidnap Aryan Khan for ransom. Nawab Malik also claimed that NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede was a part of the conspiracy. It is also allegations that it was an attempt to extort money from Shah Rukh Khan. A Special Enquiry Team (SET) has been set up to look into the claims.
November 08 : Arjun Kapoor and his girlfriend Malaika Arora celebrated Diwali together and attended Anil Kapoors and Aarti Shettys bashes together to make the most of the festival with each other.

Arjun took to his Instagram handle on Sunday, and shared a picture from the Diwali party hosted by Anil Kapoor at his residence. Arjun and Malaika had arrived hand in hand for the bash. The Bhoot Police actor shared a photo from the bash and captioned it as, When she laughs at my nonsense, she makes me happy... @malaikaaroraofficial Thank you @ak_paps for this picture. Reacting to the post, Malaika dropped a heart emoji in the comments section. Earlier, Arjun shared a picture with his ladylove and revealed how she entertains his nonsensical jokes.

Image Source: Instagram/arjunkapoor Arjun Kapoor shares pic with Malaika Arora from their Diwali celebrations

Arjun and Malaika have been dating for quite some time now, and since they made their relationship public, they often share photos with each other on their respective Instagram accounts. While fans love to see them together, there are many netizens who troll them for their 11 years age gap. However, the couple never paid any heed to it.

Image Source: Instagram/varindertchawla Arjun Kapoor and Malaika Arora were spotted together at Anil Kapoor's Diwali bash

Once, talking to Film Companion, Arjun had said, I dont try and be overtly talkative about my personal life because I feel you should respect your partner, and there is a past there And Ive been in that situation where Ive seen things pan out publicly and its not always very nice because there are kids affected. I try and keep a respectful boundary.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Arjun Kapoor was last seen in Pavan Kirpalanis Bhoot Police alongside Saif Ali Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez, and Yami Gautam. Before that he was seen in Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, where his performance was appreciated. The actor has started shooting for Ek Villain Returns with Disha Patani, Tara Sutaria and John Abraham.
Mogadishu, Nov 8 : Somalian security forces have arrested 12 al-Shabab terrorists during an operation in Baidoa town, the administrative capital of the South West State, an official said.

Commander of Intelligence and Security Agency for Southwest State Mohamud Mohamed Hassan told Somalia's official news agency, SONNA, that their forces managed to destroy the terrorist network during the operation.

"We arrested 12 al-Shabab militants in an operation aimed at ensuring the security of Baidoa town in Bay region. We are committed to safeguarding our people and candidates during the federal parliamentary elections," Xinhua news agency quoted Hassab as saying further saying to SONNA.

He added that the militants were trying to create fear and threat in Baidoa town before they were arrested by the forces.

Al-Shabab militants did not comment on the latest security operation in the region but this crackdown comes ahead of parliamentary election in Southwest State.
Raipur, Nov 8 : Four CRPF personnel were killed and seven others injured after their colleague opened fire at them while they were sleeping in a camp in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Monday.

The accused jawan has been identified as Ritesh Ranjan.

As per the official statement, "In the preliminary investigation it has emerged that Ritesh Ranjan (accused CRPF jawan) after getting ready for duty, randomly opened fire on other personnel sleeping in the barrack." However, the exact reason behind this incident is yet to be ascertained, an official statement from Sukma district police said.

Three of four Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel killed in the firing hail from Bihar, and one from West Bengal. They have been identified as Dhanji, Rajib Mondal, Rajmani Yadav and Dharmendra Kumar.

"Regret to inform that in a fratricide case CT/GD F.No. 1100110058 Ritesh Ranjan has opened fire on Company personnel in C/50 Lingalapalli under PS Maraiguda in early hours at about 3.15 A.M and in the incident 07 personnel were injured and immediately rushed to Bhadrachalam area hospital for first aid," the CRPF said in a statement.

Sources told IANS that a team of senior CRPF officials, Inspector General (IG) Bastar along with Sukma district collector have reached the spot and further investigation was underway.

The incident occurred around 3.30 a.m. at a camp of CRPF's 50th battalion deployed in Lingampalli village of Sukma, around 400 km from the state capital Raipur.

Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has expressed grief over the unfortunate incident.

He (Baghel) has asked the police officers to take all necessary measures to ensure that such incidents do not recur, the chief minister's office said in a statement.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
New Delhi, Nov 8 : Days before the Afghan Taliban were at the gates of Kabul, Pakistan was already in talks with the government in-waiting to deal with militant outfits such as banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch groups which have been for years operating out of the neighbouring country.

Pakistani officials in their interactions with the Taliban leadership made a clear demand that all these groups must not only be denied space to operate but also sought military action against them, Express Tribune reported.

After Taliban captured Kabul on August 15, Pakistan shared a list of most-wanted terrorists seeking their extradition, the report said.

The Taliban leadership came up with a proposal, offering Pakistan their good offices to initiate talks with the TTP and its affiliates. But at the same time the interim Taliban government promised military action against those groups, which were not willing to reconcile, according to sources familiar with the development, the report said.

It was because of this reason that Pakistan initiated talks with the TTP. The two sides reportedly held at least three face-to-face meetings. One was held in Kabul while the other two took place in Khost.

The chief of Haqqani network, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is thought to have played a role of mediator. Although there was no official confirmation, reports suggested that the TTP agreed to announce a month-long ceasefire in return for Pakistan releasing dozens of terrorist group's prisoners, the report added.

"I can neither confirm nor deny the reports of talks between Pakistan and the TTP," Pakistan's Ambassador to Afghanistan Mansoor Ahmed Khan told The Express Tribune.

He, however, said engagement with the TTP or its affiliates should be seen in the context of counter-terrorism efforts and a strategy agreed between Pakistan and the Taliban government.

"The Taliban government has not said at any stage it would protect the TTP or give them sanctuary. At every stage they have assured us that no group would be allowed to use Afghan soil against Pakistan," the ambassador said.

He referred to the October 21 visit of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to Kabul where according to the ambassador, the Taliban gave a very "positive response" to Pakistan's demand for tackling TTP and other anti-Pakistan groups.

Qureshi was accompanied by DG ISI Lt General Faiz Hameed and other officials, the report said.

"The Taliban government assured us that military action will be taken against all such groups," Ambassador Mansoor said.

He went on to add that the Taliban government would not allow its soil to be used against Pakistan or any other country.

"These groups will be eliminated," claimed the Ambassador, who frequently interacts with the Taliban government.
New Delhi, Nov 8 : Edtech startup BrightChamps on Monday announced it has raised $63 million in fresh funding, reaching a valuation of nearly $500 million in little over a year.

Premji Invest, the investment office of Wipro Founder Azim Premji, US-based GSV Ventures, Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal-backed 021 Capital and Singapore-based venture fund Beenext participated in the round.

Founded by Ravi Bhushan in July last year, the live learning platform BrightChamps offers next-generation life skills such as programming, artificial intelligence (AI), design thinking and financial literacy for kids in the six-15 age group.

"We felt that there is an immense need for a unique curriculum which can fill the gaps in the current education system while aligning with a child's learning abilities as per their necessity of the age," Bhushan said.

The startup said it has managed to reach over 10 countries with an outstanding booking run rate.

Currently, over 100,000 registered students are spending more than 6 million minutes of live learning every month on the platform.

"Brightchamps is well-positioned to emerge as a global leader in the edtech industry. Their meticulously-curated curriculum and blended approach are designed to spark scientific curiosity and exploration in early learners, allowing them to master new-age skills at their own pace," said Bansal.

The startup plans to utilise the funds to hire across major functions such as product, technology, operations and more.

"In little over a year, Brightchamps has established itself as one of the fastest growing edtech companies in the markets that it serves in," said TK Kurien, ex-CEO of Wipro and managing partner at Premji Invest.
Mumbai, Nov 8 : Firing another missile, Nationalist Congress Party Minister Nawab Malik on Monday demanded to know whether Narcotics Control Bureau Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede's sister-in-law is in the drug business.

In a series of tweets along with 'proof', Malik said that one Harshada Dinanath Redkar is listed as 'respondent and advocate' in a 2008 case registered under the NDPS Act, in a Pune Court.

She is reportedly the sister of Marathi actress Kranti Dinanath Redkar, the second wife of Wankhede.

"Sameer Dawood Wankhede, is your sister-in-law Harshada Dinanath Redkar involved in the drug business? You must answer because her case is pending before the Pune Court. Here is the proof," Malik asked pointedly.

However, Wankhede brushed aside the latest allegations saying he had not entered the government service when the case was lodged in January 2008, and besides, he had married Kranti Redkar in 2017 and was not involved in any way with the case.

Posting screenshots of the e-court as the evidence, Malik asked Wankhede to explain who that woman is and what does the NCB officer have to do with her.

Following Malik's allegation, social media posts claimed that the woman -- said to be from Goregaon suburb in Mumbai -- was previously arrested in a case and jailed in Pune, again in 2008 in another case along with two other accused, and has now allegedly changed her identity.

The development came a day after Malik's sensational charge that an alleged 'quartet' in the NCB led by Wankhede had "trapped and abducted" Aryan Khan for ransom, and they are part of a 'private army' engaged in luring high-profile people and extorting money from them.

In a related development, Wankhede's father Dnyandev Wankhede has filed a defamation case against Malik in the Bombay High Court, seeking permanent orders to debar the NCP leader, his party members and others from targeting or tarnishing the (Wankhede) family's reputation in any manner.
While an effort to classify the Taliban into good and bad is rather easy, the underlying reasons to classify them as Deobandi becomes a little tough and illogical.

The seizure of Afghan capital, Kabul by the Taliban and their declaration to declare Afghanistan an Islamic Emirate has again raised the spectre of The Good, The Bad and The Deobandi Taliban.

The Good and Bad Taliban I believe the distinction between the good and the bad Taliban, was first made by Shah Mahmood Qureshi during his first tenure as the Pakistani Foreign Minister from 2008-2011. Interpreting his statement led to the fact that Pakistan believed that the Taliban aligned to Pakistan were the good Taliban and those opposed to its policies and intervention in Afghanistan are bad Taliban.

The western media took the categorisation a step forward and even American politicians like Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton used the phrase to divide the Taliban into two different categories.

While delving into the psyche of the 'good' and the 'bad' Taliban let's be clear that the Taliban is not a monolithic organisation, it has various factions and tribal and clannish rivalries. In the background of the traditional Afghan society we have to understand that the smallest functioning unit is the village and the local village headman or the local Imam holds sway over the vast multitude of uneducated Afghans, thus the message which they get from the local leader is the final order for them, added to their loyalty to the local militia or the Taliban unit. In addition, the local commanders wield a lot of clout and power. Moreover, when the uneducated rural folks are handed the latest automatic weapons, they become another power unit of their own, with no link to the tag with which they were attached.

More recently, before the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, the chief of the US Central Command General Kenneth F. McKenzie called the Taliban "very pragmatic and very business like". This sounded more like 'good' Taliban, as they were eager to gain legitimacy before the US withdrawal and were putting out their best behaviour.

This shift is happening in the Taliban ranks too, and as per the rules set by the west and Pakistan, the factions who align with them will be the 'good' Taliban. And those who are still committed to the old or stubborn Taliban are termed as 'bad' Taliban.

The Deobandi Taliban But perhaps the most damaging sobriquet attached to Taliban is describing them as Deobandi. It shows that the people who describe them so have no clue about the great Indian seminary of Darul Uloom, Deoband and the role, which it played in tempering the Muslims sentiments on secular lines in addition to its immense contributions to the freedom struggle of India.

Barbara Daly Metcalf, an expert on the history of South Asia, especially the colonial period and the history of the Muslim population of India and Pakistan, in her book "Islamic Revival in British India, Deoband 1860-1900" (February 2002) describes Deoband at the turn of the millennium emerging into public consciousness because of the association of the leadership of the Afghan Taliban regime with the Deobandi Ulema of Pakistan.

She is of the view that many of the Taliban, whose very name described them as madrasa 'students', had studied in Deobandi seminaries in the Pakistan frontier provinces when, from the 1980s on, millions of Afghans had settled as refugees in that area. And based on this fact collectively calling all Taliban as Deobandi Taliban and casting aspersions on the Indian Deoband seminary is complete ignorance of Islam in the sub-continent.

The surge in the number of madrasas coincided with the influx of some three million Afghan refugees, for whose boys these madrasas provided the only available education. One school in particular, the Madrasa Haqqaniya, in Akora Khatak near Peshawar, trained many of the top Taliban leaders. These sometime students were shaped by many of the amended Deobandi reformist causes, all of which were further encouraged with Wahabi interpretation by Arab volunteers in Afghanistan.

These causes included rigorous concern with fulfilling rituals related to daily prayers and reciting the Holy Quran; opposition to custom laden ceremonies such as weddings and pilgrimage to shrines, along with practices associated with the Barelvi and Shi'a minority; and a focus on seclusion of women as a central symbol of a morally ordered society.

Theirs was, according to political analyst Ahmed Rashid, 'an extreme form of Deobandism', which was being preached by Pakistani Islamic parties in Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan.

None of the Deobandi movements has a theoretical stance in relation to political life. They either expediently embrace the political culture of their time and place, or withdraw from politics completely. As happened in India after independence in 1947, when the leaders of Darul Uloom withdrew from the political scene completely and confined them to Deoband.

Barbara further asserts that the Deobandi madrasas on the Pakistani frontier closed periodically to allow their students to support Taliban efforts. But the historical pattern launched by the Deobandi Ulema, had treated political life on a primarily secular basis, typically, de facto if not de jure, identifying religion with the private sphere, and in that sphere fostering Islamic teachings and interpretations that have proven widely influential.

British historian and academic specialising on the history of South Asia and Islam, Francis Robinson, in an essay on the first edition of Barbara's book, described the Deobandi movement as "the most constructive and most important Islamic movement of the (19th) century".

He further says that aside from Deoband's enduring influence, it exemplifies a patter-represented in general terms in a range of Islamic movements outside South Asia as well-of cultural renewal on the one hand and political adaptability on the other.

We also need to be aware of the fact that the Pakistani madrassas, which were described as Deobandi, essentially followed the curriculum prescribed by the Indian Darul Uloom. Further some of the founders of these madrassas might have studied at the Darul Uloom, but they had no umbilical link with their alma mater, and just based on the fact that they followed a particular syllabus they were described as Deobandi, though in fact the psyche and practice of their leaders were completely different from the teachings of the Deobandi. Thus, it would be a misnomer to call the Taliban as 'Deobandi' Taliban.

(Asad Mirza is a political commentator based in New Delhi. He writes on Muslims, educational, international affairs, interfaith and current affairs. Views expressed are personal)
Raipur/New Delhi Nov 8 : Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday condoled the death of the four CRPF personnel, who were shot dead by their colleague at a camp in Sukma district.

According to an official statement, the accused Ritesh Ranjan after getting ready for duty, randomly opened fire on other personnel sleeping in the barrack".

However, the exact reason behind this incident, which took place at around 3.30 a.m. at the camp of CRPF's 50th battalion deployed in Lingampalli village, is yet to be ascertained.

Three of the four victims in the firing hail from Bihar, and one from West Bengal. They have been identified as Dhanji, Rajib Mondal, Rajmani Yadav and Dharmendra Kumar.

In response to the incident, Baghel has directed police officers to take all necessary measures to ensure that such incidents do not recur.

Meanwhile, seven CRPF personnel were also injured in the incident, of which two were airlifted to Raipur .

Sources told IANS that a team of senior CRPF officials, Inspector General (IG) Bastar along with Sukma district collector have reached the spot and further investigation was underway.
Chennai, Nov 8 : The administration of Tamil Nadu's Salem district is likely to open the shutters of the Mettur dam on Tuesday as the water level is expected to increase to its optimum level.

On Monday morning, the water level at the Stanley reservoir in Mettur dam touched 118 feet, with the inflow at 27,000 cusecs.

The district administration is expecting the dam to touch its Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 120 feet by Tuesday evening.

Salem District Collector S. Karmegam, who visited the Mettur reservoir on Monday morning, told reporters that both the Krishna Sagar and Kabini reservoirs in Karnataka have attained their maximum level and the total discharge is 9,883 cusecs.

He said that if the present situation continues, the dam would reach its full reservoir level by Tuesday evening and discharge would commence.

Karmegam said engineers at the dam are monitoring the situation on a full-time basis and 12 District Collectors of the delta region are being timely alerted on the developments.

He said that as the rains are continuing, the initial discharge from the Mettur dam could be 30,000 cusecs.

The District Collector said that based on the inflow into the dam, the discharge could be decided.

He also requested people living on the banks of the Cauvery river and other low-lying areas to move to safer locations.

The district administration has also geared up for any eventuality and rire and rescue department and one company of NDRF is also positioned in Salem for any eventuality.
New Delhi, Nov 8 : The Supreme Court on Monday expressed its dissatisfaction with the SIT probe in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence incident with regards to the seizure of mobile phone of only one accused and the process of collection of evidence in the two FIRs. It told the Uttar Pradesh government that it is inclined to appoint a retired high court judge to monitor day-to-day investigation till charge sheet is filed.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli told a counsel, "We are trying to introduce impartiality and fairness in the matter..." At the outset, the Chief Justice told senior advocate Harish Salve, representing the Uttar Pradesh government, "There is nothing in the status report. We granted 10 days time...lab reports have not come so far. It (the probe in the incident) is not going the way we expected." The top court queried Salve why mobile phones of all accused in Lakhimpur Kheri incident have not been seized, except that of prime accused Ashish Misra?

Justice Kohli specifically asked whether it is the stand of the government that the other accused did not use cell phones.

Salve submitted there were a total 16 accused in the case, out of which three died and 13 have been arrested.

Kohli asked, "The mobile phones of one accused out of 13 accused has been seized?" The top court told the Uttar Pradesh government that both incidents -- mowing down of protesting farmers by a vehicle and the lynching of the accused -- have to be investigated with impartiality and fairness.

The top court said prima facie view it appears that one particular accused is being benefited by recording statements of witnesses in a particular manner.

Justice Kant said: "What appears to us is that SIT is unable to keep the investigative distance between the FIRs (one where farmers were mowed down by the car and the other accused were killed)...important to ensure evidence in 219 and 220 (FIRs) recorded independently".

The bench, stating it is not confident regarding the process adopted by Uttar Pradesh SIT to record the evidence, said: "We are inclined to appoint a judge from a different high court to monitor day-to-day investigation...till the charge sheet is filed." The bench suggested the names of two former Punjab and Haryana High Court judges to oversee the manner in which witnesses' statements are being recorded to avoid mixing up of the cases.

The bench sought response from the Uttar Pradesh government on the appointment of an independent judge to monitor the investigation till charge sheet is filed and posted the matter for further hearing on Friday.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Chennai, Nov 8 : Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister S. Durai Murugan on Tuesday said that the M.K. Stalin-led government is not up for confrontation with Kerala on the latter's decision to freeze an order for sanctioning the felling of trees at the Mullaperiyar dam site.

Murugan had led a team of five Ministers and a few legislators to the Mullaperiyar site and requested the Kerala government to permit the felling of trees in the area.

After the visit, the Kereala government ordered the removal of 15 trees which was signed by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Bennychen Thomas.

Stalin had thanked the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government for the approval.

However, this did not go down well with the opposition parties in Kerala forcing the Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran to release a statement citing that the request was sanctioned by the PCCF without consulting him, the state's Water Resources Minister, or even Vijayan.

Even as Murugan assured Kerala of the Mullaperiyar dam's safety, Saseendran, while talking to IANS, said: "How is it possible for an official to take such an important decision without the consent and knowledge of the concerned Ministers and the Chief Minister? It is hard to believe that the PCCF and Chief Wildlife Warden of Kerala could pass such an order permitting Tamil Nadu to remove 15 trees without the knowledge and consent of the concerned Kerala ministers." Doubting the sanctity of such an administration, he added: "What kind of an administration is that? The order did not only sanction the removal of 15 trees but has specifically marked and even named the trees to be removed. This cannot happen without the consent and knowledge of the concerned ministers." Reacting to this, Murugan said that the sudden volte-face of the Kerala ministers was due to the pressure exerted by the opposition.

Opposition parties in Kerala are already up in arms against the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government with the state Congress President K. Sudhakaran demanding the resignation of Saseendran.

He also demanded a judicial inquiry into the whole issue.

The BJP state president, K. Surendran, also lashed out at Saseendran and demanded his resignation at the earliest.

In another jolt to the ruling LDF, the second-largest coalition partner in the front, the CPI-M has also come out against the order.

Vazhoor Soman, the MLA from Peerumedu constituency, said: "The state government has to be more cautious before passing such an order and action be taken against those behind such a letter."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Canberra, Nov 8 : Australia's coronavirus death toll for 2021 has surpassed that of last year as the country continues to battle the third wave of the pandemic.

On Monday, the country reported 12 new Covid fatalities, taking the nationwide death toll to 1,827, reports Xinhua news agency.

Of those, 918 have occurred in 2021 compared to 909 in 2020.

New South Wales (NSW), Australia's most populous state, has accounted for 544, or 59 per cent, of the deaths in 2021.

By comparison, more than 90 per cent of Australia's coronavirus deaths in 2020 were in Victoria, the country's second-most populous state.

According to federal government data, 35 per cent of Australians who died with Covid-19 were in their 80s, 23 per cent in their 90s and 20 per cent in their 70s.

Also on Monday, there were 1,300 new locally-acquired Covid-19 cases, of which 1,126 were recorded on Victora.

The new cases increased the overall infection tally to 181,617.

Australia on Monday started its Covid-19 booster vaccination program, with anyone aged 18 and over who had their second dose at least six months ago eligible for a third shot.

So far about 89.3 per cent of Australians aged 16 and over have received one vaccine dose and 80.5 per cent were fully inoculated, according to the Department of Health.

Greg Hunt, the minister of health, said that in the context of boosters, it is important that people know that two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine provide very good protection, especially against severe disease.

"A booster dose, six or more months after the second dose, will make sure that the protection from the first doses is even stronger and longer lasting and should help prevent spread of the virus," he said in a statement.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Seoul, Nov 8 : The number of marriages between South Koreans and foreign spouses fell to a record low last year as the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted people's cross-border movements, new data revealed on Monday.

The number of multicultural marriages came to 16,177 last year, down 34.6 per cent, or 8,544, from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea.

It marked the lowest reading since 2008 when the statistics agency started to compile related data, reports Yonhap News Agency.

The number of international marriages sharply fell last year after it grew for the third straight year in 2019.

The number also declined below the 20,000 mark for the first time in 2020.

The pandemic hit international exchanges and cross-border movements, which drove down the number of multicultural marriages, according to the agency.

The proportion of babies born to multicultural families of all childbirths in South Korea hit a record high last year due to the country's chronically low birthrate.

The number of babies born to multicultural married couples came to 16,421 last year, down 8.5 per cent, or 1,518, from a year earlier, the data showed.

The tally accounted for a record high of 6 per cent of total newborns last year.

The number declined for the eighth straight year in 2020 after peaking at 22,908 in 2012.

The proportion surged as the country's childbirths reached another all-time low last year, according to Statistics Korea.

South Korea is struggling with a sustained fall in childbirths as many young people give up on getting married or having babies amid a prolonged economic slowdown.

Last year, the number of childbirths came to 272,300, down 30,300, or 10 per cent, from the previous year, according to separate data from the agency.

The number of divorces among multicultural couples stood at 8,685 last year, down 12 per cent from the previous year.
New Delhi, Nov 8 : Designers and retailers across India are meeting the skyrocketing demand for cruelty-free clothing and accessories, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India recognised the best of the best with its Vegan Fashion Awards 2021 in celebration of World Vegan Month (November).

Thirty-three designers pledged to go leather-free following a letter from LakmA Fashion Week, the Fashion Design Council of India, and PETA India.

Actor and supermodel Milind Soman encourages his fans to keep animal skins out of their wardrobes. "No leather, no silk, no wool," he wrote on Instagram. "No pain caused to animals just to satisfy human vanity. If you care, this is the alternative." Soman was awarded the Best Vegan Fashion Style Icon.

"The winners of PETA India's awards prove that the future of Indian fashion is vegan," says PETA India Senior Media and Celebrity Projects Coordinator Monica Chopra. "From silk-free sarees to leather-free bags, wallets, and shoes, it's easier than ever to get a fashion-forward look that leaves cruelty to animals in the past." PETA India also notes that turning animal skin into garments requires massive amounts of energy and dangerous chemicals that damage the environment. The 2017 Pulse of the Fashion Industry report revealed that leather, silk, and wool are among the most polluting materials in fashion.

The awards include: Luxury footwear brand Empyrean Luxury made the kind decision to stop using animal skins and switch to all-vegan material and received the Compassionate Business Award.

Actor Alia Bhatt's Ed-a-Mamma helps nurture kids' love for animals and nature, gaining her the Best Vegan Kidswear Brand.

From Kunal Avanti and Sunny Leone, I Am Animal's stylish sportswear is proudly vegan and so they win Best Vegan Activewear: Thaely's sneakers are kind to the planet and animals, made from recycled plastic bottles and plastic bags,the get the Best Vegan Sneakers.

The made-in-India, 100% vegan leather handbags by Qisa by Lavie were designed for today's eco-conscious young shoppers and get Best Vegan Bags.

Best Vegan Wallets: Traditional Indian style meets modern animal-free materials in Zouk's handmade wallets and Best Vegan Women's Shoes, from juttis and sliders to heels and boots, Paio creates handcrafted, made-to-measure vegan leather footwear.

Monkstory offers both classic footwear and cutting-edge style, all in luxurious vegan leather for the Best Vegan Men's Shoes.

Best Vegan Silk for Vegan materials made by GBM Fabrics use TENCEL Luxe, a new fibre derived from renewable wood sources.

Bioleather's tomato leather is unique, biodegradable, sustainable, and cruelty-free for the win of Best Innovation in Textile.

Shubam Sarees offers a wide range of beautiful vegan silk kanjivaram sarees, from the interior villages of Tamil Nadu and was awarded Best Vegan Sarees.

Plum's skin-care, make-up, hair-care, and other products are free of animal-derived ingredients and never tested on animals and the received Best Vegan Cosmetics.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Bengaluru, Nov 8 : In a major embarrassment to the Karnataka state police department, a protest has been organised on Monday to condemn the act of policemen receiving gifts from a BJP leader during the Deepavali festival. The protesters have planned to give new clothes to the policemen.

Ravikrishna Reddy, State President of Karnataka Rashtra Samithi Party stated that the party workers will reach the Bagalgunte police station in Bengaluru and gift underwear, other clothes and collect money to give it to them for stitching charges. The protest is being carried out to condemn the act of police receiving gifts from former BJP MLA Muniraju.

"Former BJP legislator from Dasarahalli constituency in Bengaluru conveyed a meeting in the police station and gifted new clothes on Deepavali festival. In turn, the station officer had facilitated the politician with a big garland and Mysuru peta (classical royal Indian turban kind attire worn by erstwhile kings of Mysuru, now given as a mark of respect to guests)," he stated.

"The politician has not given inner wares and other daily used clothing like shorts, lungi. Hence, Karnataka Rastra Samithi has decided to distribute these items as gifts. Since, cops have to pay a charge for tailoring to get the pieces of clothes stitched, our workers will also collect money and give to them," he explained. However, no gifts are given to women police officers, he added.

The party has organised this protest to bring the police department out of the clutches of politicians. "We want to bring police out of slavery of corrupt politicians and awake a sense of self respect in them," he said.
New Delhi, Nov 8 : Congress MP from Anandpur Sahib Manish Tewari on Monday targeted Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi for not challenging the issue of increased BSF jurisdiction in the Supreme Court and wondered whether the opposition was "tokenism".

Tewari said in a tweet, "It has been close to a month now Central Govt by notification has extended BSF operational remit in Punjab to 50 Kilometres.Why till now notification has not been challenged by Punjab Govt India under Article 131 in Supreme Court of India Is opposition to it mere tokenism?" Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Channi had said that his government will not accept the Centre's decision to expand the BSF's jurisdiction from existing 15 km from the border to 50 km, as this is "against the spirit of federalism". He had said that 'since law and order is a state subject, the Centre cannot impose its decision on Punjab without taking them into confidence'.

The state police force is fully competent to handle the law and order situation, he said, citing how it contained the decade-long militancy in the state, restoring the long-lasting peace, harmony and brotherhood.

The Punjab Cabinet held an all party meeting last month and summoned the special session of the Assembly on November 8 to oppose the Centre's notification extending the jurisdiction of the BSF from 15 km to 50 km from the International Border, besides repealing the three "black" farm laws.

Tewari had earlier said that, "Mischievous part of Section 139 of BSF Act or of any cognizable offence punishable under any other Central Act; ..'It allows GOI to institutionalise an alternative policing paradigm. Was Punjab Govt consulted?" Section 139 of the Border Security Force Act, 1968, empowers the Centre to notify the area and extent of the border force's operational mandate from time to time.

The addition of an extra 35-km stretch to the BSF's mandate could lead to a political storm in Punjab and Bengal which are ruled by non-BJP parties. The Congress leaders from Punjab were the first to oppose the move.
New Delhi, Nov 8 : Jitender Singh Shunty, founder of the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Seva Dal who cremated thousands of bodies during the Covid-19 pandemic and was conferred the Padma Shri, said on Monday that the award is not only for him but for everyone who supported him in continuing his work even during the crisis.

Talking to IANS, Shunty said: "I am inspired by Bhagat Singh, who at the age of 23, kissed the hangman's noose for the country." A two-time councilor from Jhilmil ward and an MLA from Shahdara, Shunty has been running the foundation since 25 years which provides free ambulance services for the poor.

"We have been serving the people for the past 25 years. But during the Corona period when no one was touching anyone, we helped Covid-19 positive people. My driver and children also supported me in the endeavour. One of my drivers also lost his life.

"Since the onset of the pandemic early last year, we have cremated over 4,000 bodies. Our ambulances rushed 19,000 people to hospitals. We also immersed the ashes of over 14,000 people "With the honour being conferred on me, our morale has got a boost. This award is not just for me but for everyone who supported me.

"When it was announced on January 26 that I was also a recipient of the Padma Shri, the second wave kicked in just a few months later during which we doubled our work than in the first wave," he claimed.

On being asked by the public about carrying on with his social work even after getting the fourth highest civilian award, Shunty said that "the award is nothing in front of my passion".

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Glasgow, Nov 8 : Earthday.org on Monday formally launched its new campaign "Fashion for the Earth" dedicated to changing the trajectory of the fashion industry and educating the public on sustainable fashion.

Sustainable fashion refers to a clothing supply chain that is ecologically and socially responsible. It says the topic of sustainable fashion has been noticeably absent from the ongoing the UN climate action discussions (COP26), even though the fashion industry is responsible for 10 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions.

Corporations, governments as well as every day individuals around the world have a role to play in the solution. From making personal changes to advocating for and legislating better, more sustainable fashion practices, to educating others about the issue, there must be commitments at all levels.

Earth Day, which began in 1970 as a grassroots movement, led to the passage of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act.

Today, EARTHDAY.ORG will act to avert the impact of an industry that squanders the earth's finite resources, destroys soil, contaminates fresh water with hazardous chemicals, and pollutes the atmosphere with carbon and the oceans with microplastics.

All for the sake of profits and with little mind to the consequences, the fast fashion industry takes a devastating toll on the labour force and the natural world.

To address the psychology and the pattern of overconsumption of clothing requires education. The new Fashion for the Earth website contains numerous educational resources and materials, including a fashion footprint calculator, sustainable fashion quiz, and additional information on the environmental impact of the fashion industry.

In the coming months, Earthday.org will host additional Earth Day Live digital events to highlight both fashion designers as well as industry insiders using their influence to change standards in materials and manufacturing.

Past event participants include: LaRhea Pepper, CEO, TextileExchange; Maxine Bedat, Director, New Standard Institute; Lewis Perkins, President, Apparel Impact Institute; and Lucie Brigham, Chief of Office, UN Office for Partnerships.

As a part of the campaign, Earthday.org has recruited Fashion for the Earth Ambassadors including Melissa Tan, Host and Producer, Actress, Climate Activist and zero waste advocate; LaRhea Pepper, CEO, Textile Exchange; and Kerry Bannigan, Executive Director, Fashion Impact Fund and Co-Founder, Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network.

This group of industry insiders and young professionals around the world have pledged to responsible clothing consumption and are working to educate others on how they can make sustainable changes in their lives.

'My Planet, My Closet' is designed to create a dialogue around sustainable fashion and change the prevailing mindset around shopping.

'My Planet, My Closet' is a play on the typical fast fashion hauls circulating on social media but with a twist.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)
Shamli : , Nov 8 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Kairana in Shamli district on Monday and assured the people that under his regime, those who had forced the people to migrate in 2016, have themselves migrated out of the state.

The Chief Minister laid the foundation stones of a Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) battalion camp, and also for other projects during his visit.

He met a group of people who had left Kairana in 2016 and later returned. This was his first visit to the town after becoming the Chief Minister in 2017.

"Between 2014 and 2016, several Hindu families in Kairana had migrated due to threats of extortion from another community. However, in my regime, those who forced you to leave Kairana, have now left the place because they know that they will have to pay dearly for their misdeeds," he said.

The National Human Rights Commission had issued a notice to the then Uttar Pradesh government, led by Akhilesh Yadav, regarding the migration from Kairana. The exodus of Hindu families from Kairana was a big issue in the 2017 Assembly elections.

The Chief Minister's meeting with these families ahead of the assembly elections scheduled early next year assumes political significance.

Yogi Adityanath also listed the various welfare schemes of the centre and state government that are designed to benefit the poor.
Baghpat : , Nov 8 (IANS) Sandeep Sharma, a former wrestling champion, was allegedly shot dead by miscreants in Chhaprauli area of Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat district.

The family of the deceased alleged that he was murdered by his former business partner who was asking for more share, which Sharma had refused to give.

According to the family, he had received a phone call following which he left home on Saturday night.

few minutes later, the family was informed that Sharma was shot by miscreants.

Mahesh Sharma, the victim's father, said: "My son got married in Delhi and was visiting home for Diwali. He won a bronze medal at state level wrestling competition years ago in Meerut district, and later quit the sport. He had some dispute with his business partner." Baghpat SP Neeraj Kumar Jadoun said a team has been set up to arrest the accused and they will be caught soon.

Meanwhile, local villagers gathered at the police station on Sunday and staged a demonstration demanding immediate arrest of the accused.
Bulandshahr : , Nov 8 (IANS) Samajwadi Party leader and former block head Rakesh Sharma and some other unidentified persons have been booked under section 295-A of the IPC (deliberate and malicious act) for garlanding the statue of Lord Parshuram on Diwali, a day before its inauguration.

Rishikant Sharma, Station House Officer (SHO) of Shikarpur police station, said, "The statue was built by the government and is to be formally inaugurated by a minister later this month. One cannot just go and garland it before its formal inauguration. Their act has the potential to disturb law and order in the area." He said Sharma and the others were booked on the complaint of a police constable posted in Shikarpur.

As news of the FIR spread, hundreds of members of the Brahmin community, farmers and social activists gathered at Shikarpur on Sunday to protest against Anil Sharma, state minister for forest, environment and climate change, who is supposed to inaugurate the statue later this month.

"Even if the government has installed the statue, Parshuram belongs to all. All they did was to clean up the statue on Diwali day," claimed farmer leader Poonam Pandit, who joined the protest.

She said everyone has equal rights to worship a statue. "Just because a UP minister wants to inaugurate the statue, should a common man be debarred from worshiping the same? It was Diwali and all those who have been booked only wanted to clean the statue, which had been waiting for the inauguration for a long time," she added.
Dhaka, Nov 8 : Bangladesh has so far administered 70 million Covid-19 vaccine doses and the figure would top 120 million by January next year if the current trend continues, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said.

Bangladesh has purchased a total of 210 million doses of the vaccines. and at the moment there is no shortage of supply, Xinhua news agency reported on Monday citing the Minister as saying.

According to the Maleque, more than 30 million of the ordered vaccine doses are scheduled to reach the country by this month, and another 30 million doses will arrive in December.

Bangladesh launched its Covid-19 vaccination drive in January this year to contain the pandemic that has spread across the entire country.

However, the Bangladeshi government subsequently had to halt administering the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine after India suddenly banned vaccine exports.

In June, the vaccination drive resumed in parts of the country with the Chinese Sinopharm vaccines.
Lucknow, Nov 8 : Barely 10 days after he was sworn in as a member of the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Parishad, Nishad Party President, Sanjay Nishad has said that if the BJP did not fulfil its promises, it could have an adverse impact on the alliance.

"Unless the BJP clarifies its position on reservation, the Nishad community will not vote for the party. It is the responsibility of the BJP to fulfil the promises it had made to the community," he said.

He also announced that the Nishad Party would stage a demonstration in all districts of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday in protest against the delay on the reservation issue.

The party has been demanding granting of the Scheduled Caste (SC) status to Nishads and fixing of reservation quota in the state government jobs.

The BJP in Uttar Pradesh has already lost one ally, the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP), that has now joined hands with the Samajwadi Party.
Phnom Penh, Nov 8 : Seven inmates broke out of the Stung Treng Provincial Prison in Cambodia on Monday, a top police official has confirmed.

The seven inmates were serving their terms, ranging from four years to life imprisonment, for drug trafficking and theft, Major General Aun Sivutha, police chief of Stung Treng province, told Xinhua news agency.

"They first escaped from their prison cell and then, they used tools and sticks taken from a workshop to make a hole in the prison's concrete wall and escaped shortly after 3 a.m.," Sivutha said.

"When our guards saw them escaping, they gave chase and fired warning shots, but could not stop them," he said, adding: "Currently, our authorities across the province are hunting for them." In August, four inmates broke out of Southern Kandal Provincial Prison while guards locked them in a gym and they had broken through a fence, but they all were recaptured soon after the breakout.
Srinagar, Nov 8 : A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on Monday between the University of Kashmir and the Srinagar headquartered 15 corps of the army to provide different courses to soldiers serving in Kashmir.

The MoU, the first of its kind, was signed by Talat Ahmad, vice chancellor of University of Kashmir and Lt. General, D.P. Pandey, GoC of 15 corps.

A defence ministry statement said, "As envisaged in the MoU, the soldiers of Indian Army posted in Kashmir, will be able to seek admission to various courses being offered by the Directorate of Distance Education, University of Kashmir.

"The type of courses being made available to the Army personnel range from six months Certificate Courses to one year Diploma Courses and two years Post Graduate Courses. A total of 18 courses are presently available for enrolment by the Army personnel, which will be increased in due course of time." After the formal signing of the MoU, Professor Talat Ahmad addressed the gathering and emphasized on core values of the university and mentioned that this will benefit the soldiers posted in Kashmir.

Lieutenant General D.P. Pandey in his address, praised the milestone achieved in the field of education, which will empower the soldiers of the Chinar Corps in performing their duties in a challenging environment.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that education is the foundation of development of mankind and is the most powerful tool we have for nation building. He mentioned that the University of Kashmir, with its rich heritage, culture and academia, will provide one of a kind opportunity for the army personnel and civil defence employees of Chinar Corps to pursue higher education, domain specialization and subject matter expertise.

The GOC also emphasized that the association of Chinar Corps with Kashmir University will also further cement bonds of Indian Army with people of Kashmir nurtured over the last 75 years.

The courses featuring in the MoU including MA/ MSc (Maths), MA (English), MA (Urdu), MA (Education) under 2 year courses and PG Dip (Computer Applications), PG Dip (Web designing), PG Dip (Cyber Law), PG Dip (Tourism Management), etc., in the Diploma category.
Washington, Nov 8 : NASA has selected a new Earth science mission that will study the behaviour of tropical storms and thunderstorms, including their impacts on weather and climate models.

The mission will be a collection of three SmallSats, flying in tight coordination, called Investigation of Convective Updrafts (INCUS), and is expected to launch in 2027 as part of NASA's Earth Venture Programme, the US space agency said in a statement.

NASA selected INCUS through the agency's Earth Venture Mission-3 (EVM-3) solicitation that sought complete, space-based investigations to address important science questions and produce data of societal relevance within the Earth science field. NASA received 12 proposals for EVM-3 missions in March 2021. After detailed review by panels of scientists and engineers, the agency selected INCUS to continue into development.

"Every one of our Earth science missions is carefully chosen to add to a robust portfolio of research about the planet we live on," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington, in a statement.

"INCUS fills an important niche to help us understand extreme weather and its impact on climate models -- all of which serves to provide crucial information needed to mitigate weather and climate effects on our communities," he added.

INCUS aims to directly address why convective storms, heavy precipitation, and clouds occur exactly when and where they form. Climate change is increasing the heat in the oceans and making it more likely that storms will intensify more often and more quickly, a phenomenon NASA scientists continue to study.

Storms begin with rapidly rising water vapour and air that create towering clouds primed to produce rain, hail, and lighting. The greater the mass of water vapour and air that is transported upward in the atmosphere, the higher the risk of extreme weather.

This vertical transport of air and water vapour, known as convective mass flux (CMF), remains one of the great unknowns in weather and climate. Systematic CMF measurements over the full range of conditions would improve the representation of storm intensity and constrain high cloud feedbacks -- which can add uncertainty -- in weather and climate models.

NASA's Earth Venture Programme consists of science-driven, competitively selected, low-cost missions/investigations. This programme provides opportunities for investment in innovative science to enhance our capability to better understand the current state of the Earth system and further improve predictions of future changes.
Muzaffarnagar : , Nov 8 (IANS) He was 24 years old when he began his protest and, today, when he is 59 years old, his struggle has borne fruits.

Vijay Singh has spent the past 35 years protesting against the alleged grabbing of more than a thousand bighas of public land by a former MLA and demanding its return.

Singh started his protest when Shamli was part of Muzaffarnagar district and he protested in front of the district collectorate.

In 2011, Shamli became a separate district and Singh was asked to protest at different premises.

He resumed his sit-in right in the middle of Muzaffarnagar at Shiv Chowk.

"Shamli was a new district, with new offices and officers I did not know. I was unaware of the system and also felt that my life was in danger there back then, as I was up against powerful people who wielded considerable clout in the area," he said.

While protesting for land that belonged, not to him, but the government, Vijay Singh lost his job as a teacher.

An RTI reply has now proved that his cause was right all along.

It was in April 2019 that Singh complained to the Shamli administration during Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's rally in Kairana, after which an inquiry was set up.

"I was protesting at the venue of the rally when the district officials came up to me and asked me to elaborate on the issue. I handed over my complaint to them," he said.

Vijay Singh then ran from pillar to post, asking authorities about the result of the inquiry. "I filed a right to information (RTI) query in October 2019, asking for a report of the inquiry. I received a response to the RTI request only a few days ago," he said.

The reply proved that he was right all along.

The report reveals that the former MLA, along with several of his associates, had taken illegal possession of the government land in Chausana village.

The 17-page report states that several government records belonging to these farming lands were forged. Sources say that the report was sent to Lucknow long back, but no action was taken by authorities.

When asked, the district magistrate of Shamli, Jasjeet Kaur, said, "It is an old matter and after it came to my notice, I instructed the sub-divisional magistrate of Oon to dig the details out. Action will be taken accordingly." Incidentally, Singh's crusade against the land mafia has earned him a place in the Limca Book of Records for the longest protest against illegal possession of public land.
New Delhi, Nov 8 : The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has issued guidelines to ensure a dignified last journey to its veterans and retirees.

On a veteran's demise, a CRPF officer of an appropriate rank from the nearest Unit or establishment will contact the family of the deceased and provide on the spot assistance, besides arranging for the last rites in a decent and befitting manner, CRPF officials, quoting the recently issued guidelines, said.

For the funeral of Inspector General Rank or above, a Commandant will be participating in the last journey in uniform, while for the Assistant Commandant to Deputy Inspector General level, a Second in Command (2-I/C) or Deputy Commandant's participation will be a must.

Similarly, for Constable and Inspector level retirees, an Assistant Commandant or Inspector level personnel will attend the last journey, as per the guidelines.

A wreath should be laid by the designated officer on the mortal remains on behalf of DG CRPF.

For retirees residing in Jammu and Kashmir, Left Wing Extremism areas and the Northeast region where security threat is a concern, the activities may be carried out in coordination with local administration and state Police authorities, it says.

The expenditure incurred on the wreath laying ceremony will be borne out of the welfare fund of the Unit, group centre or the establishment from where the individual proceeds on retirement and the amount so spent should not exceed Rs 8,000.

The officials in the force also said the field units of the CRPF should be given wide publicity to all veterans or retirees residing in their areas during the Welfare Day functions and Pension Adalats.

All field units have been directed to maintain the records of retirees' name, rank, age, date of retirement, pensioner's identity cards, and name of the spouse, religion, address and contact numbers.

The family members of the deceased are permitted to contact any Group Centre, Units, office located in their close proximity. On receipt of information about the demise of veterans by the office concerned, the designated officer will contact the veteran's family immediately.

Also, a photographic record of the event shall be maintained for reports and returns for audit purposes and the visiting officer should interact with widow, dependents of the deceased veteran personally and listen to their problems and project the same to higher offices, if need be, the guidelines states.
Tokyo, Nov 8 : A man was arrested on suspicion of attempting to start a fire on a Shinkansen bullet train in Japan on Monday, police said.

Kiyoshi Miyake, 69, from Fukuoka, was arrested at the scene, Xinhua news agency quoted the police as saying.

According to Kyushu Railway Co., no injuries were reported on the train from Hiroshima bound for Kagoshima-Chuo Station, which was running in Kumamoto prefecture at the time of the incident at around 8.40 a.m.

The incident caused some Shinkansen services temporarily to be suspended, resulting in delays of up to 50 minutes and affecting around 900 passengers.

The suspect was quoted as telling the police that he "wanted to imitate" the recent knife and arson attack on a train in Tokyo on October 31.

In the incident, a man wearing a costume reminiscent of Batman's nemesis, the Joker, injured 17 people during the attack on a Keio Line train.

Suspect Kyota Hattori, who adores the Joker, has told investigators that he wanted to kill people and be given the death penalty.
Mumbai, Nov 8 : Ram Gopal Varma's most ambitious and most expensive film of his career 'Ladki: Enter The Girl Dragon' will be the first Indian film to release in China after the Galwan standoff between the two countries.

RGV, who becomes the first filmmaker to scale the Great Wall and release his film on the other side of the border along with releasing it in India and abroad, is putting out the trailer of the film called 'Ladki' in Hindi and 'Dragon Girl in Chinese' on Monday (November 8) at 5 p.m.

"Like Sarkar was my tribute to The Godfather, 'Ladki - Enter The Girl Dragon' starring Pooja Bhalekar is my Tribute to the greatest martial arts film ever made in history 'Enter The Dragon' starring the iconic Bruce Lee," says RGV.

"Ladki" will be the first Indian film to release in China after the Galwan standoff between the two countries proving that martial arts and cinema have reunited India and China.

Produced by Artsee Media and the Chinese Production Major Big People, 'Ladki' is an India-China co-production filmed in Mumbai, Goa and China.
San Francisco, Nov 8 : The Harry Potter: Magic Awakened game from NetEase has generated more than $228 million in less than two months since its limited launch in select Asian countries on September 9.

This month the Harry Potter franchise celebrates 20 years since the release of 'Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone', also known as 'The Sorcerer's Stone' in cinemas.

According to Sensor Tower, the early success of Harry Potter: Magic Awakened already makes it the number 2 ranked title in the franchise by global player spending across the App Store and Google Play.

The number 1 revenue generating title to utilize the IP is Hogwarts Mystery, which has picked up approximately $342 million to date. Ranking number 3 is 2020 release Harry Potter: Puzzles and Spells from Zynga with about $135 million, while Harry Potter: Wizards Unite from Niantic, launched in 2019 in partnership with Warner Bros., ranks number 4 with $39.4 million in lifetime player spending.

It was just announced that the latter title, Wizards Unite, will shut down next year. So far in 2021, the title has picked up $4.7 million from player spending.

Comparing just their first 31 days of release, Magic Awakened ranks number 1 for player spending, accumulating $180.7 million. Hogwarts Mystery, meanwhile, generated $32.6 million in its first month, while Wizards Unite racked up $12.3 million.

The US ranks as the number 1 country for Harry Potter mobile game lifetime revenue from the App Store and Google Play, picking up $285.6 million, or 38.4 per cent of total player spending. China ranks number at 28 per cent, due solely to the launch of Magic Awakened-while Germany ranks number 3 at 5.4 per cent.

The UK where the franchise's creator J.K. Rowling was born, accounts for 5 per cent of global player spending.

In total, Harry Potter mobile games have amassed approximately $743 million to date.
Hyderabad, Nov 8 : Telangana's cabinet minister K.T. Rama Rao on Monday said that the Income Tax and ED raids were carried out on actor Sonu Sood by those who were scared as to what will happen to them if he enters into politics after the great humanitarian work he did during Covid-19 pandemic.

The minister urged the star not to get deterred by the raids and assured him of all possible support.

Rama Rao was speaking at an event organised by Telangana Social Impact Group (T-SIG) to honour Covid warriors.

After Sonu Sood mentioned in his speech how the "evil" uses four weapons to stop those who want to do good for society, the minister said the actor was targeted through I-T and ED raids.

"They are worried that they may suffer politically if he comes into politics," said KTR, as the minister is popularly known.

Calling Sonu Sood a real hero, KTR urged him not to be deterred or worried by such things. "Continue the stellar work which you have been doing as a celebrity. We are all with you," he said amid thunderous applause from the audience.

Earlier, Sonu Sood advised Covid warriors and others serving the society to continue their work undeterred by those who want to demoralise and stop them.

The actor said that the "paap" throws four weapons at those helping others. "When you all do this, they will say you have some motive behind this. The individual feels why he should do this work and stop. The paap wins but some people cross this barrier. Then they throw the second weapon. They say he will stop helping people after a few days. Few cross even this barrier," he said.

The actor said that the third weapon of "paap" is character assassination of the person helping others and a few people will remain undeterred.

"The fourth weapon paap throws at you is 'Shraddha'. They make you a God. You get into a frame of mind that I should not help others but should only preach." The actor was all praises for KTR for reaching out to the needy during the pandemic. "I tell my friends, if you have a leader like KTR you don't have to work very hard," he said.

Sonu Sood recalled that when he contacted a hospital in Hyderabad to help with the treatment of a policeman's child, he was informed that KTR's office had already reached out to them.

"I have been calling up people in all the states from Jammu & Kashmir to Kanyakumari but I had to put in minimum effort in Telangana because we have leaders like him," said Sonu Sood.

The celebrity said he connected with 7.5 lakh people during the pandemic and they all became his volunteers and helped them in reaching out to the needy even in interior areas with oxygen, medicines or any other help.

He believes that the third wave of Covid had already started with people who suffered because of Covid taking away their jobs, not being able to afford medical treatment or to send kids for their studies. "Everyone is suffering every day. Our job doesn't end today. It has to continue," he said.

T-SIG, the CSR cell of the department of information technology, electronics & communication and industries, honoured individuals, NGOs and corporates who rendered help to people during the pandemic.

Jayesh Ranjan, principal Secretary, industries & commerce and information technology, called for creating a national movement which encourages voluntarism.
Guwahati, Nov 8 : The 6th Northeast Green Summit (NGS), supported by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), will be held in Assams Silchar, where Forest Ministers of eight northeastern states will meet to discuss climate change and conservation issues in the region, officials said on Monday.

Union Minister of State for Environment, Ashwini Kumar Choubey and delegates from Bangladesh, Bhutan and Myanmar are expected to attend the three-day summit from November 16 in a bid to effectively brainstorm on common sustainable development and conservation strategies for not just northeast India but also its contiguous biodiversity zones.

The NGS advisory board member and a senior Indian Forest Service officer from Meghalaya C.P. Marak said that in the Forest Ministers' Round Table meet during the summit would focus matters of common concerns -- climate change, animal migration, movement of forest produce, management of natural resources on interstate and international borders, forest and wildlife offence with ramifications across each other's territory among many other issues.

"A Silchar Declaration may be unveiled at the end of the Round Table meeting subject to consensus on the issues," Marak said.

India Head of UNEP Atul Bagai, who has been supporting the summit for many years now, said that the northeast is comparatively at a better position in terms of greenery and natural resources, the effect of global warming and climate change is evident with delayed rains and longer summers, an official statement said.

"It is the time to act so that we can give back what belongs to nature. Like previous years, the NGS 2021 would act as a catalyst in the northeast region to combat global warming and act towards conservation," the statement said quoting Bagai.

Rajdeep Roy, the Lok Sabha MP from Silchar and also a passionate environmentalist, said that the Forest Ministers' Round Table would be the crowning moment of this year's summit.

"It is expected to come out with certain consensus and resolutions to evolve guidelines or protocol or recommendations, as may be decided, which would positively contribute towards conservation of natural resources and livelihood of forest-dependent people living inside or in its vicinity," said Roy, who is one of the brains behind the summit.

Acknowledging innovative and successful conservation programmes across the northeast has also been another feature of the Summit, which would be held at the National Institute of Technology, Silchar and Don Bosco School campuses in Silchar.

This time, Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department's 'airgun surrender abhiyan' - a unique conservation initiative aiming to save birds and animals from hunters - would be feted during the summit.

"Ours was an initiative to save our birds, animals, and nature. I am glad that hundreds of people came out to surrender their airguns for the sake of nature.

"We are happy that the success of our mission would be recognised during the NGS and it would help spread awareness about our cause," Mama Natung, the Forest Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, was quoted as saying.

Ahead of the NGS, a "green cyclothon" was organised on Monday in Assam's Barak Valley, to create awareness among the public about the rapidly depleting resources.

Over 500 cyclists participated.
New Delhi, Nov 8 : A family court in the city has granted divorce to an estranged couple, a Non-Resident Indian (NR) living in Australia and his wife in Delhi, through virual mode.

In a recent order, Judge Vipin Kumar Rai of the Dwarka Family Court granted the divorce on a joint petition under the Hindu Marriage Act. The man's counsel submitted that the petitioner, currently residing in Adelaide, Australia, was unable to come to India due to exigencies of work.

Meanwhile, the petitioner had executed a Special Power of Attorney (SPA) in favour of his younger brother, who was present before the court.

The Court had allowed recording of statment of the SPA holder.

According to the plea, the couple were married in February 2012 and after some disagreements between them, they started living separately from 2016.

A divorce petition was filed by both of them earlier this year under Section 13B (2) of the Hindu Marriage Act.

Advocate Vineet Jindal appeared on behalf of the woman who stays in South-West Delhi.

The plea contended that the petitioners have already settled all their claims and disputes against each other amicably.

It has been agreed between the couple that the husband has agreed to pay an amount of Rs 17,00,000 to the wife in this regard.

The permanent custody of their child will remain with the mother, the court said in the order.
Hyderabad, Nov 8 : Sleuths of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here on Monday apprehended a Dubai-bound passenger who was trying to smuggle foreign currency equivalent to Rs 13 lakh.

During the checking of the passenger's luggage, the CISF personnel found the foreign currency concealed between the clothes.

The passenger, identified as Syed Khalid, 36, was about to depart for Dubai.

The CISF personnel, during the scanning of his cabin luggage, found suspicious images. They thoroughly checked the bag and found 65,000 Saudi riyals.

They apprehended the passenger and handed him over to the Customs officials along with seized currency and the belongings for further investigation.

This is the third case of attempted smuggling of foreign currency at Hyderabad Airport in two weeks. In all the three cases, the authorities seized Saudi currency from passengers On October 24, Customs officials had seized Saudi Riyals worth Rs 9.77 lakh from a female passenger bound for Abu Dhabi.

Saudi Riyals worth Rs 9.78 lakh were seized from a passenger on October 31. He was leaving for Sharjah when Customs officials found the foreign currency in his luggage.
Panaji, Nov 8 : Political parties should come to Goa and contest elections, but they should not spread anarchy, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Monday.

Taking another dig at the Trinamool Congress, Sawant also said that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should first understand the concept of democracy, before taking her party to other states.

"We are not concerned about which political parties come (to Goa). This is a democracy. People can come here, but they cannot spread anarchy. As per democratic norms they should come here, contest elections, Goans believe in Atithi Devo Bhava.

"I have said I welcome political tourism. Tourism in Goa will get a boost by February. I feel good about this," Sawant told reporters here.

The Chief Minister also condemned the post-poll violence against women political workers of the BJP allegedly by the Trinamool cadre.

"I condemn the TMC workers who have committed atrocities on women... Rape and assault on women political workers is condemnable. Mamata Banerjee should know what democracy is only after that she should (politically) tour other states," Sawant said.

The Trinamool Congress is contesting the 2022 state Assembly polls in Goa.
Srinagar, Nov 8 : Former Chief Minister and president of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti said on Monday that considering the silence in Kashmir as a sign of peace is flawed.

Talking to reporters in Srinagar, Mehbooba Mufti said, "The people in Jammu and Kashmir have been muzzled and considering forceful silence here as peace is not good." She said sending additional forces to Jammu and Kashmir is a clear indication that the situation is not good.

"Recent civilian killings in Kashmir is a total failure of the administration which has failed to prevent such incidents," she added.

Mehbooba said that the ventilators bought through the Prime Minister care fund are lying defunct not only in Srinagar, but in Gujarat as well.

"Huge amount has been transferred to the Prime Minister's care fund and nobody is answerable to the people. Defunct ventilators bought through this fund is a clear indication that it is the biggest scam.

"Tall claims are made about corruption free government, but during the present times corruption is at its peak and is going on in a sophisticated manner.

"Statements made by the BJP are not based on facts. These are just words and nothing beyond. These statements do not carry any weight," she said.
Seoul, Nov 8 : Leading South Korean companies Samsung Electronics and SK hynix were set to hand over their semiconductor data to the US government by Monday (US time).

According to a statement on Sunday by the South Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance, the chipmakers were preparing for a "voluntary submission" to hand over their internal data to the US.

In late September, the US Department of Commerce asked major chip companies and automakers to "voluntarily" share business information to address the global chip crisis, following President Joe Biden's executive order to secure and strengthen America's supply chains for key products.

The South Korean government has said it will strengthen the chip supply chain partnership with the US.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's largest chipmaker, has already submitted its answers to the US sans customers' detailed information, according to reports.

Kim Ki-nam, Vice Chairman and CEO of Samsung's device solutions division, said the company was "calmly" preparing answers to the request, during a meeting with reporters at the Korea Electronics Show (KES) last month.

"We are internally reviewing the matter and are in close talks with the (South Korean) government," said SK hynix CEO Lee Seok-hee, who also attended the event.

The information request by Washington has immediately spawned concerns about the possible leak of what chipmakers consider as major trade secrets, as questions touch upon a wide range of issues, including investment, inventories, pricing, customers and sales, Yonhap news agency reported last week.

It also raised questions on how to answer those sensitive questions while complying with filings and information disclosure rules required for publicly traded companies.

While the US government said the information sharing is "voluntary", South Korean companies are under pressure to file the information as requested.
Chennai, Nov 8 : Noted Telugu actress Raashi Khanna, who got much attention with her roles in movies like 'Supreme', 'Oohalu Gusagusa Laade', and 'Venky Mama', had appeared in many other roles as well.

As the actress is busy with back-to-back Telugu movies, she is all set to be seen in an upcoming Tamil movie as well.

It is reported that Raashi has joined hands with 'Aranmanai 3' director Sundar C for yet another project. Touted to be a commercial, comedy entertainer, this movie is to get on the floors soon. Popular hero Jiiva is to play the main lead in the movie. The team has planned for a schedule, which would be kick-started soon after Makar Sankranti.

Raashi Khanna has had two Tamil releases in recent times - 'Tuglaq Darbar' and 'Aranmanai 3', which did decently well. Now that Raashi is all set for another Tamil movie, she has high hopes from this project.

Raashi has been busy shooting for two Telugu projects. 'Pakka Commercial' and 'Thank You' are the current projects Raashi is a part of in Telugu. Raashi is to be seen in a Hindi web series opposite Shahid Kapoor and Ajay Devgn as well.
New Delhi, Nov 8 : The Youth Congress on Monday protested outside the Reserve Bank of India in the national capital to protest the Union government's five-year-old move to demonetise higher denomination currency notes, saying the exercise has battered the economy.

Youth Congress chief Srinivas B.V. and other workers, who reached outside the RBI to stage demonstration, were stopped and detained at the Mandir Marg police station.

Srinivas said: "Demonetisation imposed by the Prime Minister five years ago slowed down the country's economy. The Prime Minister's decision of demonetisation proved to be a catastrophe rather than a masterstroke. The claim of checking terrorism with demonetisation turned out to be a 'jumla'. Demonetisation pushed the countrymen into recession." Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed to have elminated fake currency notes just to justify his decision of demonetisation, the Youth Congress leader alleged.

"Demonetisation neither ended corruption, nor terrorism was contained. Demonetisation imposed by the Prime Minister has not been able to fulfil any of its targets," the Youth Congress leader claimed.

"Modi ji and BJP had said that demonetisation would end black marketing and the country would develop, but according to the latest data, India's GDP is at the lowest rank, unemployment is highest and poverty is prevalent.

"BJP has pushed the country into darkness. All the big and small businessmen of the country have been impacted but the most affected lot is the middle and poor class." Srinivas said.

The Youth Congress alleged that demonetisation was not a war against black money but against the poor and common citizens.

Demonetisation failed in its target, and the Prime Minister should apologise to the countrymen for the failure of the exercise, it demanded.
New Delhi, Nov 8 : The Congress on Monday accused the Centre of shielding AgustaWestland, and asked if has a "secret deal" with the European defence company.

Addressing a press conference, party spokesperson Gaurav Vallabh said the Congress-led UPA government had recovered more than Rs 2,200 crore from the helicopter company but "the Narendra Modi-led government is unequivocally guilty of shielding, protecting, and promoting AgustaWestland and its parent company Finmecanica. Their nefarious design is simple 'Operation Cover-up to save Modi'," he added.

The Modi government lifted the procurement ban on Leonardo SpA, earlier known as Finmeccanica (parent company of AgustaWestland), and later mysteriously withdrew its 'blacklisting,' he alleged.

Modi and his government sanctioned investment by the 'blacklisted' AgustaWestland through the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), he added.

"The Centre not only included the AgustaWestland in its 'Make In India' initiative but also allowed it to bid for the purchase of 100 helicopters for the Indian Navy. The government lost all the cases against the company in the International courts but didn't even file appeals," he added.

The Congress leader said that Modi called Finmeccanica "corrupt" but mysteriously withdrew its blacklisting status on July 22, 2014 and now, lifted the procurement ban on it.

Highlighting the actions the UPA government had taken against the company, he said in February, 2010, under a global tender, a contract to purchase 12 helicopters was allotted to the Italian company for Rs 3,546 crore. But on February 12, 2013, pursuant to media reports, the then Congress-UPA government ordered an enquiry, lodged an FIR, and handed the case to the CBI.

On February 27, 2013, the UPA government proposed setting up a JPC but failed to get the BJP's support. On January 1, 2014 the government cancelled the contract to purchase 12 helicopters from AgustaWestland. Till then, a payment of Rs 1,620 crore had been made to the company and three helicopters delivered to India.

On cancelling the contract, the UPA government encashed the bank guarantees worth Rs 240 crore deposited with the Indian banks.

The then government government had also filed a case against the company in Italy's Milan. On May 23, 2014, the UPA government won the case for encashment of International guarantees of the defence company to recover 2,28,00,00,00 euros.

He said that the government recovered a total of Rs 2,068 crore from the company against the payment of Rs 1,620 crore. In addition, it also confiscated three helicopters. Contracted value of these three helicopters comes to Rs 886.50 crore. Thus, the UPA recovered a total of Rs 2,954 crore.

The Congress spokesperson said the UPA also initiated the process of the blacklisting AgustaWestland-Finmecanica on February 15, 2013 and banned it.

But the Modi government in July 2014, took an opinion from its Attorney General to undo the banning. Based on it, the Defence Ministry issued an order dated July 22, 2014 withdrawing the blacklisting.
New Delhi, Nov 8 : President Ram Nath Kovind will preside over the 51st Conference of Governors and Lieutenant Governors on November 11 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

It will be the fourth such conference to be presided over by President Kovind.

Apart from Governors and Lt Governors of all the states and Union Territories, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will also attend the conference, a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said.
Bhopal, Nov 8 : A tiger was found dead in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Madhya Pradesh's Umaria district, an official said on Monday.

The carcass of the big cat, around four to five years old, was spotted by a patrol team of forest officials near Bamor village under Pataur core area of the reserve.

Though the exact reason behind the tiger's death has not been ascertained yet, the officials in BTR suspected the reason to be a territorial fight with another tiger.

"During the probe by the dog squad, the evidence of presence of a tiger, a tigress and two cubs was found within 500 metres of the spot. Probably, there was a territorial fight between the big cats," Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve Deputy Director, Lavit Bharti, said.

Bharti added that villagers of nearby area have advised not to venture in the nearby forest area. "An alert has been issued and people have been advised to be careful while venturing out in the area to avoide any untoward incident," he said.

After an autopsy, the carcass was disposed of as per the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines and the viscera was sent to a laboratory for examination, the official added.

As per the All-India Tiger Estimated Report in 2018, Madhya Pradesh has a total of 526 tigers, highest in any state across the country.

The state also has a number of tiger reserves, including Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Satpura, and Panna.

As per the report, more than 30 tigers moved out of the Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) in recent years to find a new territory.

Last week, a tiger named Heera was killed in PTR area in Santa district.
Patna, Nov 8 : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Monday that the liquor ban in the state was imposed in April 2016 with the consent of Opposition leaders, who are now politicising the issue.

"All the Opposition parties along with the MLCs had passed a resolution based on complaints lodged by women following which a large number of people quit drinking. Some are still addicted to liquor and stringent action will be taken against them," he told reporters after the weekly 'Janta Darbar'.

"Those who gave their consent to the move then are the ones doing politics over it now," the Chief Minister said.

"Further decisions would be taken during the assessment meeting on November 16. Efforts are on to create awareness against liquor and officials have been directed to take adequate measures in their respective jurisdictions," Nitish Kumar said.

"Strong action has been initiated against people involved in spurious liquor rackets," he added.

Meanwhile, Bihar police have arrested 195 persons, including Guddu Kumar who was involved in supplying spurious liquor in Gopalganj which claimed 10 lives. Around 15 others lost their eyesight in the incident. The sleuths of the special branch also seized Rs 7.5 lakh from his possession.

In another incident, Darbhanga SSP Babu Ram said that the district police raided the house of notorious liquor smuggler Laxman Nayak and seized Rs 15 lakh in cash from his possession. Nayak, however, managed to flee before the raid on Monday.

The police in Muzaffarpur also arrested 35 persons, including liquor smuggler Rohit Thakur, on Monday. Thakur fled Muzaffarpur after a liquor tragedy in Repura village on October 29. He was arrested from Motihari where he had taken shelter since then.

In Jahanabad, the anti-liquor task force raided two places in the East Unta area and recovered 170 lt country liquor.
Chennai, Nov 8 : Tamil Nadu is conducting health clinics to take preventive measures against fever and other water-borne diseases as the state is reeling under heavy rains and waterlogging.

The Public Health Office is monitoring the situation in Chennai and adjacent areas of the district where incessant rains have caused waterlogging, leading to the possibility of outbreak of water-borne diseases.

Health Secretary J.A. Radhakrishnan in a letter addressed to the district collectors said that 416 mobile medical units and 770 jeep-borne units have been deployed for the exercise.

State Health Minister Ma Subramanian told IANS, "The Health Department is running mobile health clinics across the state, while mobile ambulances have also been deployed in all the districts. We are closely monitoring if people are getting infected by any rain-related diseases. The Covid situation is also being closely monitored." Rains are also leading to itching, diarrhea, fever and other diseases and state health department is closely monitoring the situation. The Health Secretary said that Tamil Nadu is fully equipped to tackle any health emergency and that the state has ample stock of medicines.

With Covid-19 also not completely off the system, the Health Department is taking extra caution as the rain-affected areas are bound to feel the impact in the next few days.

In a related development, the Health Department in association with the local bodies is planning to vaccinate street dwellers. Given the heavy rains and the fact that the street dwellers stay together, the possibility of them getting infected by Covid-19 is on the higher side.

A doctor attached to a mobile vaccination unit in Madurai told IANS: "These street dwellers do not have any records, including Aadhaar or any other ID card. This could be overcome by allotting some temporary ID cards but the point is once they are given the first dose, locating them for the second dose would be impossible as most of them travel across the state as well as in the neigbhouring states.

"The government will have to relocate and rehabilitate them in order to administer the second dose, so that they don't get infected in the future," the doctor added.

The District Medical Officers have been briefed to stock ample antibiotics, intravenous fluids, tetanus toxoid, anti-snake venom during the rainy season.

The Health Department has directed all the private hospitals to stock sufficient emergency medicines and maintain the stock of oxygen cylinders for any emergency.

The Health Department has also requested all the private hospitals to have proper generators as the possibility of power outage due to heavy rains is high.
Jaipur, Nov 8 : 'Godman' Asaram Bapu, who is serving life sentence for raping a minor girl, is suffering from urine infection and has been admitted to AIIMS Jodhpur.

Doctors attending on him said that Asaram is also suffering from a swelling in his liver besides the urine infection.

After contacting Covid a few months back, Asaram has not recovered properly and has been falling ill very often, they added.

Two days back, he was shifted to ICU owing to his ill-health. However, the doctors said that his condition is stable now.

Asaram Bapu had, in August, sought suspension of his sentence to avail ayurvedic treatmen. However, the Supreme Court declined his plea. A bench of Justices Indira Banerjee, V. Ramasubramanian, and Bela M Trivedi observed that Asaram was convicted in a crime, which is "no ordinary crime at all".

He had moved the the apex court after the Rajasthan High Court had denied relief to him.

Asaram has been sentenced to life imprisonment till death after being held guilty of raping his own student.

A case was registered against him on August 20, 2013 at Kamla Nagar police station in Delhi. As the matter was related to Jodhpur, the Delhi Police transferred the case to the state Jodhpur police arrested Asaram from Indore on August 31, 2013 and brought him to Jodhpur. Since then Asaram has been behind the bars in Jodhpur. In April 2018, the trial court convicted and sentenced Asaram.
Mumbai, Nov 8 : The Bombay High Court on Monday directed Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik to file his reply in a Rs 1.25 crore defamation suit filed by Dnyandev Wankhede, the father of Narcotics Control Bureau's Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede.

Justice M.J. Jamdar has now posted the matter for further hearing on interim relief to Wednesday (November 10) after Malik's lawyer Atul Damle declined to give an undertaking the minister would not post comments or address the media.

Contending that Malik was posting something almost every day, Wankhede's lawyer Arshad Shaikh, while stating a reply was necessary, sought interim relief whereby the minister would keep quiet on his client for the next few days.

Among other things, Wankhede has sought a permanent stay restraining Malik, his Nationalist Congress Party members and all others from publishing, writing, speaking to the media in any manner defamatory material pertaining to the Wankhede family.

He also sought deletion of articles, interviews, tweets, in electronic and social media against him and his family which are "tortuous and defamatory in nature." Wankhede also demanded Rs. 1.25 crore in damages from Malik for the "irreparable loss, damage, harm, prejudice to the name, character, reputation and societal image" of his family.

The defamation suit came last week after Malik made a series of sensational exposes and allegations against Sameer Wankhede and his family members for the past over a month in the wake of alleged rave party raids aboard the Cordelia Cruise on October 2.
New Delhi, Nov 8 : The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has revealed that it conducted multiple drills in its western plateau over the past week. This comes after the Indian military launched a major exercise along the borders with China at the start of the month, Global Times reported.

"Chinese experts said on Monday that the response displays the PLA's capabilities in safeguarding national sovereignty and security as it faces India's provocations," the report said.

An artillery regiment affiliated to the PLA Xinjiang Military Command recently conducted a comprehensive, cross-day-and-night exercise in a high-altitude region, involving live-fire shooting of PCL-181 155mm self-propelled howitzers and PHL-11 122mm multiple rocket launchers, as the drill tested the troop's fire strike efficiency and combat capabilities under the harsh cold in plateau regions, the China Central Television reported on Saturday.

In another recent event, held deep in a plateau region at an elevation of 5,100 meters, the PLA Xinjiang Military Command organised a joint fire strike confrontation drill, as PHL-03 300mm multiple rocket launchers and China's latest multiple rocket launchers capable of firing 370mm rockets teamed up with reconnaissance drones and artillery radars to launch precision strikes on the enemy, China Central Television reported on Wednesday.

JH-7 fighter bombers affiliated with the PLA Western Theater Command Air Force also joined the exercise, which trained joint aerial combat, electronic countermeasures and land-based air defense, the Global Times report said, noting that the drill practiced the weapons and equipment's performances and the coordination between the Army and the Air Force.

Deep in the heart of Zangnan in the southern part of Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region (Tibet), at an elevation of more than 4,000 metres, a combined arms brigade affiliated with the PLA Xizang Military Command recently conducted an assault training in mountainous areas, China Central Television had reported on November 2.

Advanced PLA main battle equipment, including Type 15 light tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, self-propelled howitzers and auxiliary vehicles, took part in the drill, which tested the troop's physical fitness, skills and comprehensive combat capabilities in complicated terrains and under oxygen-lacking, freezing environment, China Central Television said.

China aims to manage and control the China-India border issues through talks so both sides can resolve divergences and avoid conflicts, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator told the Global Times on Monday.

On the other hand, the PLA is also enhancing its combat preparedness as India keeps making provocations along the borders, Zhongping said, noting that proper military approaches are needed when necessary in order to safeguard national sovereignty and security.
New Delhi, Nov 8 : Health experts on Monday urged people to follow all the Covid-appropriate behaviours during 'Chhath', saying that though the contagion is ebbing, it is not over yet.

The advice comes at a time when the authorities are busy with last-minute preparations with the commencement of the four-day festival on Monday.

N.K. Arora, a key member of India's Covid-19 task force, said the pandemic is not over, as some states still have a high percentage of active cases.

People need to adopt the Covid-appropriate behaviours during the Chhath festival, he suggested.

Arora insisted that those who have taken the first/second dose of vaccine should also follow all the Covid related protocols.

Incorporate the habit of maintaining the prescribed distance, use masks and wash hands regularly to keep the environment safe from Covid infection, Arora suggested.

"The country has achieved a significant milestone of 100 crore vaccinations in less than 10 months. The vaccine self-sufficiency has helped us most in reaching this stage. As we are a vaccine manufacturing nation, we have been able to provide the vaccines to the larger population in far-flung areas.

"The strategy of the government and the hard work of healthcare staff can only fetch the desired result if we follow the Covid appropriate behaviours in the coming few months," said Arora, who is also the President of AIIMS Patna and Deoghar.

Surekha Kishore, Executive Director, AIIMS Gorakhpur, said that the decreasing trends of daily caseload does not mean that the pandemic is over.

"Celebrate 'Chhath' with proper Covid norms of physical distancing, wearing masks and sanitising hands," said Kishore, adding that "following the Covid norms can save the lives of all of us".

As Bihar is the epicentre of 'Chhath' celebrations, Patna AIIMS Director P.K. Singh suggested to avoid public transport this year as it becomes the centre of transmission of the infection.

He said, "My advice is to avoid public travel this year if it is not very urgent. Once India registers complete victory over the pandemic, we will celebrate the festival together next year." He ALSO warned that those suffering from any type of infectious disease should stay out of the festival.

"People have to be motivated to follow Corona-compliant behaviour. If people go to public places during the festive season, they must wear masks and follow the prescribed distance and other norms," said Singh.

"If there is a single Covid patient, the risk of spreading the infection can not be overlooked. For the past one-and-a-half years, people have practiced disciplined behaviour, so in the next few months, we need to follow that behaviour. Avoid non-essential travel even during the festival", said Saurabh Varshney, Director, AIIMS Deoghar.

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New Delhi, Nov 8 : The Supreme Court on Monday expressed concern over state governments declining to grant consent to the CBI to conduct probe within their territory, and over 150 such requests pending with these governments.

The CBI, in an affidavit, had told the Supreme Court that eight states -- West Bengal, Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Mizoram -- have withdrawn the general consent previously granted to it under Section 6 of the DSPE Act. It added that over 150 requests were sent to these states during the period 2018 to June 2021 for grant of specific consent for investigation of cases in their territory.

"Requests were granted in less than 18 per cent cases, which were related mainly in cases of trapping of corrupt Central public servants. Requests in approximately 78 per cent cases were pending, which mainly pertained to bank frauds of high magnitude impacting the economy of the country," it had said in the affidavit.

On Monday, a bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul observed that state governments not granting consent is a "serious issue".

It also expressed concern over pendency of the CBI's appeals in various courts - trial courts, high courts, and the Supreme Court. According to the CBI, a total of 13,291 appeals/revisions/writ petitions are pending in these courts - 327 in sessions court, 12258 in high courts, and 706 in the Supreme Court.

The CBI said in several cases, during the course of trial, proceedings are held up due to stay orders granted by the appellate courts - adversely affecting the pace of the trial.

"In some cases, leave to appeal is not granted immediately and it takes a lot of time for its admission. For instance, in 2G scam cases, leave to appeal was filed by the CBI within the prescribed timeline in year 2018, but the same has not been granted till date. (This also adds on to the difficulties being faced in prosecution of such cases)," said the CBI in its affidavit.

According to a counsel in the matter, the bench said the pendency of the appeals is a serious concern and it should be dealt separately.

On September 3, the top court decided to examine, within the ambit of investigation and prosecution, the CBI's success rate and performance leading a case to its logical conclusion.

The top court sought a complete chart of how many cases the CBI has been prosecuting in trial courts and in the high courts.

"We will examine the success rate of the premier investigating agency," it noted. The top court was hearing a matter arising out of the CBI's appeal from a 2018 judgment of the Jammu & Kashmir High Court. According to a counsel, the top court has also issued notice in this matter.

The high court had let off some lawyers from charges of fabricating false evidence against a few security forces personnel to implicate them in a case of rape and murder. Two girls from Shopian had died due to drowning in March 2009, the CBI had claimed that some lawyers and doctors created false evidence of rape and murder.
Panaji, Nov 8 : India, Sri Lanka and Maldives will collectively deal with drug trade facilitated by the ISIS and Taliban based on actionable intelligence, Indian Navy chief, Admiral Karambir Singh said on Monday.

In his speech at the opening ceremony of the Goa Maritime Conclave, he also said that since funding of the ISIS and Taliban had stopped, both extremist groups were generating income through drug trade.

"The ISIS and the Taliban, since a lot of funding has stopped, most of their income is through drugs trade.

"This drug trade moves from the Makran coast, heads to the east coast of Africa, then moves east through all the Island territories which are basically tourism oriented economies, comes to Sri Lanka, to India and of course goes out to the world. We are, for example Maldives, Sri Lanka and us, we are going to have focussed operations where we will deal with these as soon as the intelligence comes," he said.

Admiral Singh also said that there was a need to develop collective maritime competence among the navies of the Indian Ocean region.

"Second thing we are trying to do is collective maritime competence. Each country has either geographical location, knowledge of certain operations, technology, manpower, so in this region we want to build collective maritime competence. We are also trying to increase the capability -- capability means training. For eg. Sri Lanka has very good know-how on how to handle -- they are the only ones who have successfully handled a large terrorist outfit," he said.
New Delhi, Nov 8 : Believing that multiple art forms, especially music and cinema, constantly affect his work, painter Paresh Maity, who from an early age has been inspired by folk, tribal and miniature art, says that ever since he can remember, classical music has always made a deep impact on him.

"This is despite the fact that I did not grow up in surroundings seeped with music. Cinema, through its very shades and thematic layers, also continues to inspire me," says Maity.

Padma Shri awardee Maity is one of the best known names in contemporary Indian art, whose works will be displayed in two exhibitions -- 'Noise of Many Waters' (November 12-December 11) at CIMA Gallery, Kolkata, and 'CAST' that opens on November 13 at Birla Academy of Art & Culture (presented by Gallery Art Exposure along with Birla Academy).

The artist says that the former chronicles his long journey into the world with water colours.

"My water colour collection of nearly 45 to 50 years would be on view at CIMA Gallery besides two major films and one installation with water. The next day at Birla Academy, there will be an installation exhibition. Most people know me as a painter, but I started my journey with sculpting, doing clay modelling at the age of seven. By the age of nine, I was also doing water colours," he says.

Talk to him about his journey of moving from landscapes to representation of human form, and the artist, who lived in Kolkata till 1989, recalls that his work was dominant with landscapes till he was there.

In 1990, he came to Delhi to hold an exhibition, and ended up enrolling for graduation at the Delhi College of Art. "But when I travelled to Rajasthan, I was struck not just by a very different landscape as compared to Bengal, but also by the features of the people there -- the colours, their attire etc.

"This had a profound effect on my work and slowly figures started appearing in my landscapes. However, in a very short time, from 1990 to 1991, my paintings slowly moved into the figurative. Also, Europe was a huge inspiration, when I travelled to London and Paris. When I went to the Picasso Museum and saw his works, his straight strong line compositions had a deep effect on me," the artist says.

Maity, who does not come from a family of artists, says that despite no exposure to arts at home, the moment he saw artisans making idols, everything changed for him.

"I was very young, but that very instant I knew that creating art was my true calling," he says.

The artist, who works in different mediums, says that art decides the medium, not him. "The same holds true for the subject. I do not look for it -- it finds me," he says.

Stressing that he enjoys working in every medium and does not really have a favourite one, Maity adds, "Whenever I am trying to do something multidimensional, sculpture or films work well. Watercolour is for landscape. For figurative work, I pick up the canvas and employ strong colours." Any conversation with Maity cannot be complete without 'A Portrait of the Artist in the World' -- in which acclaimed photographer Nemai Ghosh documents the artist's present-day life and of Maity revisiting places from his past. All the pictures are in black and white and shot on film.

"I am also into photography in a big way and love the tonal gradation and artistic expressions that emerge in black and white. Ghosh is a well-known photographer and we made pictures across the country and the globe. Even Photoshop has not been used. I shun all kinds of artificiality," he concludes.
Jaipur, Nov 8 : After victory in the Assembly bypolls, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is all set to visit Delhi around November 10 to discuss the cabinet expansion and political appointments, pending for an year, with the party high command, Congress sources said.

The much-awaited cabinet rejig and appointments had been pending ever since the Covid pandemic broke out. The Assembly bypolls had also been delayed.

However, now the bypolls are over and Congress has won both the seats and Gehlot is focused on the long-pending appointments and a cabinet rejig, a Congress leader told IANS.

He said that the Chief Minister has shown his prowess after the byelection victory and will work on his own terms and conditions to make his team stronger in Rajasthan.

Meanwhile, amid the reports of Gehlot going to Delhi, silence of former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot is intriguing.

Neither Pilot nor any MLA from his camp has given any statement regarding the cabinet reshuffle which has become an issue for discussion.

Meanwhile, Congress sources confirmed that the Health Minister Raghu Sharma and Revenue Minister Harish Choudhary might be freed from cabinet portfolios as they have been made party in charges of Gujarat and Punjab.

Long-pending appointments, especially related to the state unit, will be announced following the expansion. "After the expansion, the accouncement of the appointments would also start," a Congress leader said.

Gehlot had met senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, General Secretaries Ajay Maken and K.C. Venugopal at Rahul Gandhi's residence on October 16 amid talks of a rejig in the cabinet.

In the bypolls, Dhariawad, which was a BJP seat since 2013, was captured by Congress and Vallabhnagar, another of its seat, was retained by the ruling party.

The BJP finished third in Dhariawad and fourth in Vallabhnagar.
New Delhi, Nov 8 : The Capital Development Authority (CDA) in Pakistan has cancelled the allotment of land for the construction of a Hindu temple in Islamabad, Express Tribune reported.

The civic body's lawyer, Javed Iqbal, informed the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday that the allotment of land was cancelled after the federal cabinet banned construction of new buildings in the green areas of the capital.

Earlier, the CDA had allocated land for the construction of the temple in Sector H-9/2 to facilitate the minority community. A temple, community centre and a cremation ground were to be constructed at the site, the report said.

During a hearing in July last year, CDA's urban planning director had informed the bench that the process of plot allotment began in 2016.

"The site was allocated to the Hindu community for the construction of a temple, community centre and a shamshan ghat (cremation ground)," he had said.

"The plot was allotted after consultation with the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Special Branch and the Islamabad administration," he had said, as per the report.

"An area of 3.89 kanal was allotted in 2017 and handed over to the Hindu panchayat in 2018," the CDA official had apprised the bench.

According to Human Rights Commission (HRC) member Krishan Sharma, about 3,000 Hindus families live in Islamabad and on its outskirts. They lack a proper site where they could celebrate religious events such as Holi and Diwali or organise weddings or funerals, the report added.
Los Angeles, Nov 8 : American rapper Travis Scott, saying he was "too distraught to play" in the aftermath of the Astroworld festival tragedy, will not make his headlining appearance at Saturday's Day N Vegas Festival.

Like Astroworld, Day N Vegas is a general admission festival, where under normal circumstances, fans are left to jockey for prime positions, reports 'Variety'.

Sources quoted by 'Variety' in its exclusive report also said Scott would provide full refunds to all attendees who bought tickets to the Astroworld festival, which took place at Houston's NRG Park this past Saturday and had to be cancelled after a crowd surge led to the deaths of eight people aged 14 to 27.

Named after Scott's best-selling album, Astroworld has been organised by the rapper since 2018. Disrupted last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, this year's event was billed as a showcase of the return to post-Covid normality.

The concert, which included Drake coming on stage for the final songs of Scott's performance, was webcast live to a worldwide audience by Apple Music. The second night of the festival, planned to unfold on Saturday (U.S. Central Time), was immediately cancelled as the extent of the casualties of the first night became evident.
New Delhi, Nov 8 : The Supreme Court on Monday said a model builder-buyer agreement is an important matter in public interest, which is required in the real estate sector, and sought Centre's reply in the matter.

A bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and A.S. Bopanna told Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj: "Government has the power to make a model builder-buyer agreement under RERA. Please look into it and file your reply by November 22." It added that a group of home buyers has come to the top court seeking such model agreement and told the law officer that it is not an adversarial matter.

The bench also asked the petitioner in-person advocate Ashwini Upadhyay to prepare a short note on the issue and share it with the Centre's counsel along with the petition.

The Supreme Court on October 4 had issued a notice on a plea seeking direction to the Centre to frame a "model builder agreement" and agent-buyer agreement in the real estate sector to infuse transparency and fairness, and restrain builders and agents from indulging into unfair and restrictive trade practices.

"This is an important issue on the protection of buyers", it said, adding that "often (this issue) is put on back foot by clauses in agreements made by builders".

The bench noted that a uniform builder-buyer agreement is required to be framed by the Centre to protect the interests of lakhs of home buyers. It observed the plea raises the grievance that in the absence of model agreement, flat purchasers are left at the mercy of developers regarding the terms and conditions.

The bench pointed out once the model buyer-builder agreement is framed by the Centre, then it may direct the state governments to follow it. It emphasised that it is an important issue of consumer protection and often builders get away by putting any clause. "This purpose has to be achieved in the country," it observed.

The Supreme Court was hearing a plea filed by Upadhyay, who was represented by senior advocate Vikas Singh. During the hearing, Singh submitted that the Centre should give guidance at least, and emphasised the importance of a model builder-buyer agreement.
Mumbai, Nov 8 : A Special Investigation Team of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrived here from New Delhi to formally take over the probe into the rave party aboard a cruise ship and other cases, officials said here on Monday.

The SIT, headed by senior officer Sanjay Kumar Singh has sent out summons to at least seven accused or witnesses in the case, including Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan and his manager Pooja Dadlani.

However, both Aryan Khan and Dadlani excused themselves citing ill-health and are likely to appear before the NCB-SIT later.

The SIT also visited the International Cruise Terminal where the alleged rave party was raided by the NCB on October 2 and a location in Lower Parel near Phoenix Mall where witness, Prabhakar Sail alleged Dadlani had handed over a packet containing Rs. 50 lakh cash to Sam D'Souza and K. P. Gosavi.

The team plans to record the statement of Sail, one of the NCB's independent witnesses and a bodyguard of Gosavi, another independent witness who is now arrested by Maharashtra Police.

Sail had created a massive sensation by releasing an affidavit claiming he overheard a Rs 25 crore deal with Shah Rukh Khan of which the NCB's Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede was to get Rs 8 crore.

Though Wankhede vehemently denied the allegations, the NCB took strong cognisance to order a probe into the matter and also formed the SIT to take over the investigations into half a dozen cases of Mumbai NCB including the raid on the Cordelia Cruise.

D'Souza, whose name also figures in the case, said in his anticipatory bail application before the Bombay High Court that Gosavi allegedly took Rs 50 lakh from Dadlani to secure Aryan Khan's release.

Late in October, a vigilance probe team led by Gyaneshwar Singh had camped in Mumbai for a few days to probe the allegations of extortion and payoffs, but could not record the statements of several key persons including Sail.
Guwahati, Nov 8 : To ensure safety and to further expand the vital water transportation in Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday flagged off four World Bank-funded steel catamaran vessels at the Pandu Port in Guwahati.

Officials of the Inland Water Transport (IWT) department said that the four high-quality vessels would integrate passenger and vehicle ferry services into the state's wider transport network system.

Out of the four vessels with the capacity of 100 passengers and 50 two wheelers and powered by 180 HP twin engines each, two would be operated on river Brahmaputra at Majuli and one each in between Guwahati-North Guwahati and Uzanbazar-Umananda ferry ghats.

The vessels have advanced equipment including control and monitoring, communication and navigation, GPS, echo-sounder, wind measurement, lifesaving and firefighting equipment etc.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the culture and civilisation of Assam is nurtured by the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers and their tributaries.

However, these rivers also pose challenges in terms of communication for people living on both the banks and government efforts are also therefore underway to rejuvenate river transportation in Assam.

Sarma said the IWT department had earlier signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the World Bank, which sanctioned an amount of Rs 770 crore towards realising the state government's efforts to improve river transportation.

Out of the Rs 770 crore, the Centre would refund 80 per cent while the state government would bear the remaining 20 per cent cost.

Sarma said that after the boat accident at Nimatighat (on September 8), the state government took an aggressive approach to make river transportation more secure and hassle-free.

Three persons were killed when a private boat with around 100 people onboard capsized and sank in the Brahmaputra on September 8.

He said that steps are being taken to fit marine engine to 853 boats having a single engine.

Sarma said that the state government is working to rejuvenate river transportation through technological interventions and under this initiative, earlier e-ticketing system was introduced for Jorhat-Majuli and on Monday it has been introduced for the Uzanbazar-Umananda ferry ghats.

Highlighting the steps taken by the IWT department for improvement of inland water transport system in the state, Transport Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said that prior to the Nimatighat boat mishap, 16 boats used to ply between Majuli and Jorhat and government efforts are on to increase the number to 20.

Patowary also informed that the department would procure five roll on/roll off passenger ferry vessels and introduce 10 more catamaran vessels into the service next year as these are presently under construction.
New Delhi, Nov 8 : A senior World Health Organization official has cast doubt on Turkmenistan's claim that it has zero Covid cases, the BBC reported.

"[It] has been spreading worldwide as a pandemic for almost two years now," said Catherine Smallwood, a senior WHO emergencies officer, adding: "From the scientific point of view, it's unlikely that the virus is not circulating in Turkmenistan." Turkmenistan is one of only a handful of countries, including North Korea, that claim to have no Coronavirus cases. Smallwood's comments represent the first public challenge by the WHO to Turkmenistan's claim, as a growing number of Covid cases are being reported in the country informally, the report said.

Analysts say that Turkmenistan's official statistics on Coronavirus are unreliable. One reason is the "extremely repressive, autocratic nature of the government", said Rachel Denber, deputy director of the Europe and Central Asia division at Human Rights Watch.

The Turkmenistan government "has a long history of suppressing data and a long history of punishing people who expose the truth", she said.

Aynabat Yaylymova, the founder of saglyk.org, a website that promotes public health literacy in Turkmen language, said that by remaining silent on case numbers the WHO was "enabling" state propaganda on the pandemic, the report added.

"It's not scientific. You can't really deal with the problem if you cannot measure it. And the WHO is supposed to promote science," Yaylymova said.

Critics have also accused the authorities of manipulating WHO officials and hiding evidence of the pandemic from them during their visit.

The government was "well prepared" for the WHO visit, said Ruslan Myatiev, the editor of the foreign-based Turkmen.news, the report said.

"They accurately selected the doctors that the delegation would meet in the country and they took them to the 'right' hospitals and showed them the 'right' patients," he said.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, Nov 8 : Former US President Donald Trump has slammed the Joe Biden administrations "surrender" of Afghanistan, warning that China could take hold of the Bagram Air Base, formerly the largest US military base in Afghanistan, Fox News reported.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News, Trump accused the Biden administration of intentionally trying to move on from the withdrawal and its ongoing aftermath.

"We would have kept Bagram because it is next to China," Trump said, adding, "And it is one hour away from their nuclear facility, and we gave that up too. And now China's going to take over Bagram, in my opinion." Trump told Fox News that even while he planned to eventually withdraw from Afghanistan, he would have maintained hold over the Parwan Detention Facility -- a military prison at the Bagram Air Base.

"What they did with the so-called withdrawal, which was really a surrender, it was the most embarrassing, horrible thing, and I don't know that we will ever psychologically recover from that," Trump said, Fox News reported.

Trump, during his administration, had brokered a deal with the Taliban for a May 2021 troop withdrawal.

"Don't forget, I'm the one who brought it down to 2,500 troops. I would have been out too, but we would have been out with strength. We would have come out with strength," Trump said.

Meanwhile, Trump blasted the Biden administration for pulling the military out first, amid reports of hundreds of American citizens and US visa holders remaining in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

"We would have gotten all the people out, we would have brought all of our equipment out, we wouldn't have had dead soldiers, we wouldn't have soldiers missing arms and legs-because people don't even talk about that-we lost 13, but we have many that have been gravely wounded. None of that would have happened," Trump said.

"It was time to get out, but the way he got out was such a disaster," he added.

As per the report, Trump went on to say that he holds "the generals responsible because they should have never allowed that to happen".
New Delhi, Nov 8 : The Centre has finalised the pricing for ZyCoV-D Covid vaccine with manufacturer Zydus Cadilla, at Rs 265 per dose and the needle-free applicator will cost Rs 93 per dose excluding GST.

It has also placed an order of one crore vaccine doses for world's first plasmid DNA vaccine.

"Zydus Cadila has received an order to supply one crore doses of ZyCoV-D, the world's first plasmid DNA Vaccine, to the government of India at Rs 265 per dose and the needle-free applicator being offered at Rs 93 per dose, excluding GST," said a statement from Zydus Cadila.

The pricing has been decided in consultation with the government, it said.

Zydus Cadilla's Managing Director, Dr Sharvil Patel said: "We are happy to support the government's vaccination programme with ZyCoV-D. The needle free application of the vaccination, we hope, will motivate many more to vaccinate and safeguard themselves from Covid-19, especially children and young adults in the age group of 12 to 18 years." ZyCoV-D is world's first DNA plasmid vaccine against the Covid-19 virus. It is also the first COVID-19 vaccine which is needle-free and administered using an applicator to ensure painless intradermal vaccine delivery which also leads to a significant reduction in any kind of major side effects.

It has shown good stability at temperatures of around 25 degrees Celsius for at least three months. The thermostability of the vaccine will help in easy transportation and storage of the vaccine without any problems of fluctuations in temperature. For prolonged use, a temperature of 2-8 degrees is sufficient.

Also being a DNA plasmid vaccine, ZyCoV-D doesn't have any problem associated with vector-based immunity. The DNA Plasmid platform allows generating new construct quickly to deal with mutations in the virus.

The vaccine was approved by India's regulatory authority on August 20. The three dose DNA built vaccine has 66.6 per cent efficacy against Covid, says the manufacturer.

The second dose will be administered on day 28 from the first dose and the third one on the 56th day from the first dose.
Srinagar, Nov 8 : A salesman was shot dead by militants in Srinagar city on Monday evening, police said.

Police said the incident took place in Bohri Kadal area of old Srinagar city.

"Militants fired at Mohammad Ibrahim Khan in Bohri Kadal area of Srinagar. He was working as a salesman in Bandipora town.

"He was shifted to hospital, but he succumbed to critical bullet injuries," a police officer said.

The area was surrounded for searches after the incident.
Chennai, Nov 8 : The S-8 Adambakkam police station in Chennai was shifted temporarily to a house nearby after it was inundated following heavy rains, police said on Monday.

The station is now relocated at New Colony Second Sstreet, Adambakkam.

The station is three feet below the ground level and was totally inundated. Functioning from a building located on New Colony Main Road for the last few years and with 40 police personnel working there, it is one of the busiest police stations in the St Thomas Mount police districts in the city.

"The station is three feet below the ground level and during rains, water enters the station and the building is also leaky. After incessant rains for the past two days, the station is full of water and on the directions from senior officers, we have shifted our station to a nearby home to serve the public," Police Inspector Valarmathi told media persons.
Hyderabad, Nov 8 : Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar on Monday said whoever questions the BJP get branded anti-national or has to face raids by Income Tax, Enforcement Directorate or other agencies.

He reacted sharply to state BJP President Bandi Sanjay terming him anti-national.

"Can I be called an anti-national for demanding the BJP government at the Centre to protect the borders amid reports of encroachments by neighbouring country," he asked.

"I was not anti-national when we extended support for the President's election and for passing various Bills in the Parliament," he asked.

KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, said whoever questions the Central government is dubbed as anti-national and various agencies are used against him. He alleged that this has been the style of BJP for last seven years.

"Is BJP a factory of anti-nationals," he asked and remarked that BJP leaders "stamp" those questioning them as either "anti-national" or "urban naxalites".

Earlier, alleging that KCR made certain comments supporting China and demoralising and insulting soldiers on the Indo-China border, Sanjay had termed him anti-national and demanded that he resign or apologise to the nation. The BJP leader had even alleged that KCR was speaking in support of China as he had made investments in that country.

KCR ridiculed the allegation and said he was not the one to get scared by the threats of BJP leaders.

He stated that the BJP cannot do anything to him as he or his government was not involving into any irregularities. "We have no industries nor did we indulge in cases like money laundering," he said adding that they were ready for any inquiry.

For a second consecutive day, the Chief Minister addressed a news conference to slam the Centre for not procuring paddy from the state and for demanding the state to cut down prices of petrol and diesel.

The Chief Minister announced that Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) will stage dharnas in all constituency headquarters in the state on November 12 to mount pressure on the Centre to purchase paddy from the farmers.

The TRS chief said he was committed to fight for the cause of Telangana farmers till the last breath.

He also made it clear that state was seeking its due and that the Centre was not doling out any largesse on Telangana.

KCR asked Bandi Sanjay to respond clearly if he would ask the Centre to procure paddy or not. He made it clear that he would not leave the BJP and expose it on every issue.

He reiterated his request to the farmers to not to go for paddy cultivation without any assurance from Centre that it will purchase it. He said farmers should question the BJP leaders on whether the Centre will purchase their produce or not.

KCR also demanded that the Centre withdraw cess on diesel and petrol to provide relief to common man instead of asking the state to cut Value Added Tax (VAT).

He said it was the Centre which hiked the prices of fuel many times and also started collecting cess.

KCR claimed that if the Centre withdraws cess, the price of diesel and petrol can come down to Rs 69 and Rs 77 per litre.

He also announced that his government will release employment calendar every year and will fill the vacant posts in the coming days.
Bengaluru, Nov 8 : The arrest of Bitcoin scandal kingpin Srikrishna aka Sriki by Bengaluru police in connection with a hotel brawl case has sent jitters among Karnataka politicians, especially the ruling BJP netas.

The Metropolitan Magistrate Traffic Court-1 on Monday sent Sriki to judicial custody till November 22. Another accused, Vishnu Bhat, the son of the owner of a famous chain of jewellery stores, has been sent to three-day police custody till November 11.

According to sources, the developments have caused anxiety among the top leaders of the ruling BJP, some of whom allegedly colluded with the accused.

The police suspect that both the accused were drugged at the time of arrest on Saturday. Their blood samples were sent for medical test, which confirmed that both had consumption.

The Opposition Congress has launched a tirade against the BJP in connection with the Bitcoin scandal, demanding a judicial probe into the matter.

Congress leaders have made direct allegations that top leaders of the BJP government in the state colluded with Sriki and minted cash. The reports have reached the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and the party high command seems to be upset with the turn of events.

The Congress also demanded Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to make the papers public regarding handing over of the case to the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Reacting to the Bitcoin scandal, Panchayat Raj Minister K.S. Eshwarappa on Monday stated that the guilty will be punished and the investigation is on.

"I am not going to answer whether there is involvement of Congress leaders, JD(S) leaders, CM's son or a minister's son. Investigation will reveal everything," he said.

When asked about the party high command reportedly contemplating to change state BJP chief Nalin Kumar Kateel, Eshwarappa said it is a baseless assumption.

"It is like finding black cat in darkness. One should not talk like this. There is no question of changing the state president. We have been winning elections under his leadership," he said.
New Delhi, Nov 8 : Detained Chinese journalist Zhang Zhan has been nominated for the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) press freedom award for courage in recognition for her work reporting from Wuhan in the early weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic, as calls grow for her release, The Guardian reported.

The former lawyer-turned-citizen journalist was convicted in December last year for "picking quarrels and causing trouble", a ubiquitous catch-all accusation frequently used against journalists, lawyers and dissidents in China, the report said.

Zhang was sentenced to four years in jail. She had already been in detention since her initial arrest in May 2020, and has been on hunger strike. Last week, her family said the 38-year-old was "close to death", amplifying global calls for her immediate release.

In its nomination on Monday, RSF said Zhang had withstood "constant threats from the authorities" in order to livestream her video reports from Wuhan's streets and hospitals and show the harassment to which families of Covid-19 patients were subjected.

"Widely shared on social media, her reporting was one of the main sources of independent information about the health situation in Wuhan at the time," it said, as per the report.

Zhang, who was among a number of journalists arrested in Wuhan but was the first to be convicted, was accused of having sent "false information through text, video and other media through the internet media such as WeChat, Twitter and YouTube", and having "maliciously speculated" during interviews with foreign press, according to the indictment sheet.

Zhang is being held in Shanghai. Last week, her brother said on Twitter that she was severely underweight and "may not live for much longer". He said Zhang, who is about 5ft 10in (177cm) tall, weighed only 40 kg.

The RSF East Asia bureau head, Cedric Alviani, said Zhang was a symbol of journalism in China under growing government oppression and regulatory restrictions, the report said.

"Zhang Zhan represents the hope of the Chinese people that some will keep doing journalism. That they go where something happens and keep reporting. The Chinese people, like every person on Earth, crave information on what's happening around them," Alviani said.

"The Chinese regime should never have judged her. She should be celebrated as a hero - she risked her life going to Wuhan at a moment when no one really knew what was going on," he added.
Chennai, Nov 8 : The Tamil Nadu government on Monday issued an order to set up a memorial for former Chief Minister, late Kalignar Karunanidhi, on the Marina in Chennai.

The memorial, coming up on 2.21 acre land and at an estimated cost of Rs 39 crore, will showcase the former Chief Minister's achievements and thoughts through photographs and visual displays so that future generations are able to learn about his life and achievements.

The state Public Works Department has been entrusted with getting all the clearances regarding the CRZ-11 criteria and to ensure that the construction of the memorial is done in accordance with all stipulations and legal requirements.

The state government has also directed the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority to provide the memorial construction plan permission to the government. It has also informed the Coastal Management Authority to prepare a report on whether the memorial falls under the CRZ-11 .

The Coastal Management Authority is also directed to advise the government whether the burial site of the late Karunanidhi was within the Anna memorial.

The Chennai Collector has been advised to provide the necessary clearances to construct the memorial within the Anna memorial complex.
New Delhi, Nov 8 : A total of nine persons have succumbed to dengue in the national capital so far, while the number of cases in Delhi has climbed to 2,708.

A total of three deaths from the vector-borne disease were reported in the last week alone. Of the 2,708 cases of dengue reported so far in the city, 1,171 have been reported this month till November 6.

The civic authorities informed on Monday that a total 1,171 dengue cases have been reported in the national capital in the past one week, taking Delhi's total tally to 2,708 so far this year.

The nine deaths are the highest number of dengue deaths recorded in a year in the capital city since 2017, when the cumulative death count officially reported was 10, said a civic body report.

The first dengue death this year was reported on October 18.

Along with dengue, 160 cases of malaria and 81 cases of chikungunya have also been reported till October 30 in Delhi.

The national capital had witnessed a massive dengue outbreak in 2015 when the caseload crossed 10,000, the worst since 1996.

The total dengue cases reported in the subsequent years were -- 4,431 in 2016, 4,726 in 2017, 2,798 in 2018, 2,036 in 2019 and 1,072 in 2020, according to the report.

Amid the spike in dengue cases, all the three civic bodies have accelerated their fogging and spraying drives against the vector-borne disease.

The dengue season begins post-monsoon and continues till the onset of winter. South Delhi Municipal Corporation is the nodal agency for data on vector-borne diseases in the city.
New Delhi, Nov 8 : The Supreme Court on Monday allowed all eligible Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) candidates to participate in general category NEET counselling for medical courses, both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

A bench of Justices S.A. Nazeer and Krishna Murari, in its order, said: "The applicants and all other eligible candidates who are similarly situated are permitted to appear in the counselling in the general on par with Indian Citizens to pursue MBBS/BDS courses and other undergraduate/postgraduate courses in approved/recognised Medical/Dental & other Colleges/Institutes." Solicitor General Tushar Mehta requested the bench to limit the relief only to the petitioners who had moved the top court. The bench made it clear that the interim relief is only limited to the academic year 2021-2022, and posted the matter for further hearing in the second week of January next year.

The bench told Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati that the National Testing Agency and the authorities associated with counselling are required to implement its order.

Emphasiing that the relief is only for the academic year 2021-22 only, it said: "We heard the matter in length while we passed the interim order. We've done this because of the suddenness of the notification." The top court told the Centre's counsel if the notification were to be issued 8 or 9 months ago, then it would not have passed the order.

The OCI candidates had moved the top court challenging a notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs to treat them at par with Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) for admission in NEET.

On October 29, in an interim relief, the Supreme Court had allowed an OCI NEET PG aspirant to appear in the counselling in the general category at par with Indian citizens for counselling and admission for 2021-2022.

In September, the top court had passed an interim order allowing OCI candidates to participate in the NEET-UG counselling in the general category for the academic year 2021-2022 and issued notice on the plea.
Dakshina Kannada, : Nov 8 (IANS) A proposal moved by a ruling BJP MLA to name the Surathkal Junction in the coastal town of Mangaluru after Hindu icon Veer Savarkar has stirred a row in the communally sensitive region in the southern state.

The naming of the Hebbal flyover in Bengaluru after Savarkar was also opposed by the Congress, creating a controversy in the state capital. But in spite of all opposition, the BJP had successfully renamed the flyover.

The BJP MLA from Mangaluru North Assembly constituency, Y. Bhatath Shetty, has proposed to name the Surathkal Junction located in his constituency after Veer Savarkar. He has also demanded the installation of a bust of Veer Savarkar by the Mangaluru City Corporation.

When the matter was recently taken up for discussion at a general body meeting, the proposal was opposed by the Congress and others.

Former minister and Congress MLA from Ullal in Mangaluru city, U.T. Khader, said the BJP is trying to rename public places only after one person in different cities.

"I am not saying that Veer Savarkar did not take part in India's freedom struggle. But he had written an apology letter to the British. Hence, it is not correct to name a major junction after him," he said.

"Many freedom fighters were hanged; many had sacrificed their lives in the cellular jain in Andaman. Instead of naming the junction after Savarkar, it could be renamed after Srinivas Malya, Kudmul Rangarao, Karnad Sadashivrao and Janardhan Poojari, who had contributed to the growth of the district," Khader added.

The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) has said that the Mangaluru City Corporation should reject the proposal moved by the local MLA.

"If the BJP wants to bring the agenda of Uttar Pradesh in Dakshina Kannada district, SDPI won't sit quiet. A legal battle as well protests will be launched then," the party said.

Former Congress MLA Mohiuddin Bava said that the region is communally sensitive and many people have been killed in recent years, so the BJP should not provoke the public.

Meanwhile, Hindu organisations are vehemently demanding to rename the Surathkal Junction after Savarkar, with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajarang Dal welcoming the proposal moved by Bharath Shetty.

They are also demanding the installation of a bust of Savarkar at the earliest.
Panaji, Nov 8 : The Indian Navy is in the process of finalising a standard operating procedure (SOP) for dealing with natural disasters in the Asia-Pacific region, Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar said here on Monday.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Goa Maritime Conclave, Kumar also said that India came to the aid of 20 countries in the oceanic region during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"The Indian Navy is in the process of finalising an SOP for dealing with natural disasters in the Asia-Pacific region. We are happy to share this SOP with all our friendly nations and we hope that this will be help improve our collective preparedness to deal with natural calamities in the region," Kumar said in his address.

"In India, we are particularly proud of the fact that the Indian Navy was able to not only provide maritime security, but undertook the challenging task of providing assistance where no one else could, whether it was for repatriation of over 4,000 people who had no other way to come back to the homeland or be it bringing oxygen cylinders when the country was facing oxygen crisis. India and the Indian Navy stood firm," he said.

"We came to the aid of our littoral neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region, whether it was medical aid or maritime peace. Over 500 tonnes of medical aid was supplied to our littoral friends in this period," he said, adding that the pandemic was especially challenging for the navies given the nature of their work and it was only with the strictest protocols and discipline that they were able to discharge their responsibilities without fail.

Kumar also said that the Indian Navy provided 3,000 tonnes of food during the pandemic to countries in the Indian Ocean Region.

"Over 14,000 oxygen cylinders were supplied to our littoral friends during the pandemic. I'm really proud of the fact that despite the challenges of the pandemic, the Indian Navy was able to meet the requirements of nearly 20 countries in this region. We are sure that this effort will continue in the coming times," he said.
Srinagar, Nov 8 : J&K Police, in a series of operations, have arrested two categorised active terrorists of proscribed terror outfit LeT (TRF) in south Kashmir, officials said on Monday.

Police said acting on specific information about presence of terrorists, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by police, Army's 53 RR, and the CRPF's 183 in the orchards of village Mirgund, in Rohmu area of Pulwama district.

"During the search, movement of a terrorist hiding in apple orchards was noticed as he tried to escape but was apprehended by the joint party exercising maximum restraint," police said.

He has been identified as Sarwir Ahmad Mir, resident of Bathen, Khrew and linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT (TRF).

Incriminating materials, including two grenades, were recovered from his possession.

Meanwhile, acting on specific information, Anantnag police and Army's 3 RR launched a cordon and search operation at Wadhan Sirgufwara area of Anantnag.

During the search operation, one categorised terrorist, identified as Hafiz Abdullah Malik, resident of Ganjipora Mirbazar, linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT (TRF) was arrested.

Incriminating materials arms and ammunition including an AK-56 rifle, two AK-56 magazines, 40 AK live rounds, a Chinese pistol, a pistol magazine, seven live pistol rounds, and one pouch were recovered from his possession.
Chennai, Nov 8 : The demand for a caste-based census has grown in Tamil Nadu after the Madras High Court struck down the 10.5 per cent reservation for the Vanniyar community under the Most Backward Classes (MBC) quota.

The Madras High Court had quashed internal reservation for the Vanniyar community as there were no quantifiable data available with the state government in support of the extreme backwardness of the Vanniyars -- a reason put forward for providing the community 10.5 per cent internal reservation.

Advocate Padanabhan Rajashekharan told IANS, "No quantifiable data is available that shows as to why the Vanniyar community be given reservation within the MBC quota. Unless you have supporting documents to substantiate the claim, the court cannot justify and hence the quashing of the order." A retired judge from the Madras High Court told IANS on condition of anonymity, "The caste survey is imminent in Tamil Nadu. Only then the government will be able to substantiate the reason for providing 10.5 per cent reservation to Vanniyars. If a caste survey is not conducted soon, it would affect the 69 per cent reservation for MBCs." It may be noted here that the previous AIADMK government had appointed a commission headed by retired justice A. Kulashekaran to carry out a caste-based census. The commission had also presented a proposal to the state government to conduct a two-day pilot survey on February 27 and 28 across the state.

The commission also requested for an amount of Rs 60 lakh as fee for the 20000 enumerators that it would engage. However, after the DMK came to power earlier this year, no extension was given to the commission.

The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), a prominent political party of the Vanniyar community, has demanded that the 10.5 per cent internal reservation be restored for the community immediately.

PMK founder S. Ramadoss said that the high court had questioned the sanctity of the 69 per cent reservation for MBCs also.

Ramadoss also said that the questions raised by the Madras High Court are not new and they have been deliberated upon and discussed before.

The PMK leader also urged his party cadres to be prepared for long political and legal battles against the Madras High Court verdict.

Meanwhile, a delegation of PMK leaders, including its state president G.K. Mani and advocate K. Balu, met Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and requested him to take immediate action in the matter.

The PMK leaders told IANS that the Chief Minister has promised them that steps are being taken to protect the 10.5 per cent reservation for the Vanniyar community in government jobs and professional admissions.

Mani told IANS, "The Chief Minister has promised that steps are being taken to restore the 10.5 per cent internal reservation for the Vanniyar community." The PMK leader also said that the party is for conducting a caste-based survey.
Imphal, Nov 8 : The troopers of Assam Rifles patrolling along the India-Myanmar border in Manipur have recovered huge quantities of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) weighing around 250 kg, officials said on Monday.

Official sources said that the Assam Rifles jawans while conducting border patrolling along Myanmar's Moreh border (in eastern Manipur) recovered two big bags containing 250 kg IED and other explosive materials on Sunday night.

The recovered IED and explosives were handed over to the Moreh police station in Tengnoupal district for necessary legal action.

A police officer said that at least four youths in two foreign made bikes tried to enter India through the Moreh border from Myanmar's Namphalong area, but after seeing the security personnel they threw the bags containing the IED and other explosive materials and fled to the other side of the border.

The police suspect that these explosive materials and the IED were likely to be used in the upcoming Manipur Assembly elections scheduled next year.

Smuggling of drugs, arms and ammunition and explosives are rampant from Myanmar as Manipur shares around 400 km of unfenced border with the neighbouring country.
Mumbai, Nov 8 : Reliance Eagleford Upstream Holding, LP (REUHLP), a wholly owned step-down subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), has announced the signing of agreements with Ensign Operating III, LLC (Ensign), a Delaware Limited liability company, to divest its interest in certain upstream assets in the Eagleford shale play in Texas, the US.

With this transaction, Reliance has divested all its shale gas assets and has exited from the shale gas business in North America.

A purchase and sale agreement (PSA) was signed between REUHLP and Ensign on November 5 for this sale. The sale is at a consideration higher than the current carrying value of the assets.

Citigroup Global Markets Inc. acted as financial advisor to Reliance, while Gibson and Dunn & Crutcher LLP served as its legal counsel.
Mumbai, Nov 8 : In drastic action, the Maharashtra government late on Monday took action against six officials in connection with the major fire in Ahmednagar Civil Hospital which claimed the lives of 11 Covid-19 patients on Saturday.

The District Health Surgeon, two doctors and three nurses have been suspended or removed pending a full enquiry into the tragedy, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said.

While District Health Surgeon Dr Sunil Pokhrana, Medical Officers Dr Suresh Dhakne and Dr Vishakha Shinde, and nurse Sapna Pathare have been suspended, two other nurses - Asma Sheikh and Channa Anant - have been compulsory retired from services.

Tope added that a high level team will probe the causes and circumstances leading to the fire which completely gutted the hospital ICU where 17 patients were undergoing treatment.

The Saturday fire was the fifth major blaze in a Covid-19 facility in the state this year which have claimed a total of over 50 lives.
Bhubaneswar, Nov 8 : The opposition BJP and Congress on Monday staged protests against Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's visit to Kalahandi district, where a female teacher named Mamita Meher was murdered a month ago.

The Opposition parties held demonstrations from Bhubaneswar to Kalahandi demanding the removal of Minister of State (MoS) for Home, Dibya Shankar Mishra, over the sensational murder case.

On Monday morning, BJP workers carried out a big rally in Bhubaneswar. However, the police prevented the protesters from moving towards Naveen Niwas, the residence of the Chief Minister from where he travelled to the airport and then to Kalahandi. The BJP activists also scuffled with the police at the Sishu Bhawan square here.

Later, the BJP activists sat on dharna and raised slogans against Patnaik and burnt the effigies of the Chief Minister, Mishra and another minister named Pratap Jena.

The BJP activists also staged a black flag protest raising 'go back Naveen' slogans in Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district, where the CM launched the distribution of Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) smart health cards.

The police and BJP workers led by MLA Jay Narayan Mishra clashed outside the DIG office in Sambalpur during a demonstration. As the situation went out of control, the police used water cannons on the BJP workers. Many BJP leaders and workers were detained by the police.

Stating that 'Police Raj' is prevailing in the state, Jay Narayan Mishra said, "Instead of arresting the persons involved in the Mamita Meher murder case, the police is taking action against us." Former Union minister and senior Congress leader Bhakta Das had called for an hour long 'janata curfew' in Bhawanipatna from 11 am to 12 noon on Monday to protest against the Chief Minister's visit.

Similarly, several ministers of the Naveen Patnaik-led government have faced the ire of opposition parties in Kalahandi district while distributing the smart health cards to the people.

BJP and Congress protesters also held demonstrations at the Karlamunda block office and locked it with Skill Development and Technical Education Minister Premanand Nayak still inside distributing the cards.

The BJP activists reportedly hurled eggs at the vehicle of Woman and Child Development Minister Tukuni Sahu and Tourism Minister Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi during their visit to the district.

Under tight police security, the Chief Minister landed at Bhawanipatna and distributed health cards to the beneficiaries. He also digitally inaugurated and laid foundation stones for several developmental projects valued at Rs 860 crore.

For the first time after Meher's murder, MoS Mishra shared the dais with the Chief Minister. However, neither Patnaik nor the minister spoke a single word about the incident in the event.

BJP MP Basant Panda and Leader of Opposition (BJP) Pradipta Naik boycotted the CM's event expressing their disapproval over the presence of Mishra.

State Congress leader Debasish Patnaik said, "Today is a black day for democracy. By sharing the stage with Dibya Shankar Mishra, Patnaik has sent an inappropriate message to the public."
New Delhi, Nov 8 : The Ministry of External Affairs on Monday officially announced that India will host the 'Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan' on November 10.

According to a statement issued by the MEA, this National Security Advisors' level dialogue on Afghanistan will witness an expanded participation of Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, who will all be represented by their respective National Security Advisers or Secretaries of the Security Councils. Pakistan has refused to participate in this event.

The high-level dialogue, to be chaired by India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, will review the security situation in the region arising from recent developments in Afghanistan. It will deliberate upon measures to address the relevant security challenges and support the people of Afghanistan in promoting peace, security and stability.

The first two editions of the Dialogue were hosted by Iran in 2018 and 2019.

Officials said that there has been an overwhelming response to India's invitation, noting that the high-level participation in the meet is reflective of "widespread and growing concern of regional countries about the situation in Afghanistan and their desire to consult and coordinate with each other wherein India has an important role to play in this process".

This is the first time that almost all countries of Central Asia will be participating in this meet, the sources said, adding that the enthusiastic approach of all Central Asian countries reflect the growing concerns for Afghanistan after the Taliban took over the reins in August this year.

"The overwhelming response to New Delhi's initiative also shows the importance attached to India's role in regional efforts to promote peace and security in Afghanistan," an official said.

India has traditionally enjoyed close and friendly ties with the people of Afghanistan and has called for a unified international response to address the security and humanitarian challenges facing Afghanistan. The forthcoming meeting is a step in that direction, the MEA said in the statement.
Guwahati, Nov 8 : A special CBI court here on Monday granted bail to Ashok Saikia, the eldest son of former Assam Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia, who was arrested by the probe agency in connection with an alleged bank loan default case of Rs 9.37 lakh 25 years ago.

Saikia, the brother of Congress Legislative Party leader Debabrata Saikia, came out of the court complex in Guwahati after getting the bail and spending a night in CBI custody.

"I produced documents pointing out that I have no dues pending in the bank against my name. The CBI did not subject me to any interrogation," Saikia told the media outside the court.

A CBI team arrested Saikia on Sunday from his residence in Sarumataria in connection with a case related to Rs 9.37 lakh loan taken from the Assam State Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development Bank (ASCARDB) in 1996.

The case was initially registered at the Paltan Bazar police station in Guwahati in 1998. It was later transferred to the CBI in 2001 after two complaints were filed with the probe agency.

Debabrata Saikia, also the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, told the media that his brother was being victimised for a loan he had already repaid long ago to the bank and he would certainly get justice from the court.

On Sunday, the Congress had released a letter of the ASCARDB where it was shown that Saikia had availed the loan of Rs 9,37,701 from the bank in 1996 for business, but in 2015 he had cleared the dues. H.N. Borah, the then General Manager of the bank, had said in a letter dated October 10, 2015 that the loan had been liquidated under the compromise settlement scheme.
Bengaluru, Nov 8 : The Karnataka government at the cabinet meeting held on Monday decided to rename the 'Mumbai-Karnataka' region as 'Kittur Karnataka' region, state Law Minister J.C. Madhuswamy confirmed.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had made an announcement in this regard during campaigning for the recent bypolls.

The region comprising Uttara Kannada, Belagavi, Dharwad, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Gadag and Haveri districts was referred to as Mumbai-Karnataka region as they were under Maratha rule once and were included into the state of Karnataka at the time of formation of states on the basis of language. The people of the area have been demanding renaming of the region to mirror the local culture and language.

Kittur was the capital city of the erstwhile queen Chennamma, who had waged a war against the British and sacrificed her life for the country. The people have welcomed the decision of the government.

The government also decided to hold a winter Assembly session at the Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi between December 13 and 24.
Bengaluru, Nov 8 : The Karnataka High Court on Monday quashed a petition questioning the allotment of 3,667 acres land to Jindal Steel Company by the state government.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi took the decision as it took up the petition filed by K.A. Paul in this regard.

Counsel for the government submitted to the court that the decision to allot land to Jindal Steel Company was taken in the cabinet meeting held on April 26 by then Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa. The petition questioned the decision and the matter is before Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who will relook the earlier decision and take a call on it, he added.

The bench opined that the previous government headed by Yediyurappa had decided to allot the land and the matter is before the present Chief Minister for re-verification as per the information given by government counsel. Hence, there is no need to further proceed with the petition.

The petitioner had prayed before the court that the decision to allot 3,667 acres of land to Jindal Company was taken in the cabinet meeting held on April 26, 2021. Yediyurappa, who gave the approval, had opposed previous government's decision of allotment of land to Jindal company by H.D. Kumaraswamy government.

The petitioner claimed that Yediyuarappa's move to oppose the land allotment first and then granting it when he came to power gives rise to suspicions. He also claimed that the land was allotted at a cheaper price which is against the law.

He also demanded for appointment of an independent committee by the High Court and sought action based on its report.
Bengaluru, Nov 9 : Telugu star Sidharth paid a visit to late Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar's Samadhi on the occasion of the 11th day ceremony organised here on Monday.

Sidharth said with tears in his eyes that he was also a fan of the late actor and there will never be another Puneeth.

"I don't know how to say... Puneeth was a great person who always supported talent. Puneeth was so humble... every time I met him, I felt very lucky because he would take care of whoever he was talking to. He always complimented others," Sidharth said.

"There will never be another Puneeth. I want to send all my strength to his family members and millions of fans. I am also his fan... there will never be another Puneeth," he said.

Meanwhile, Puneeth's wife Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar complimented and thanked the state government for making all the necessary arrangements following the demise of her superstar husband.

"Without any untoward incident, everything was conducted smoothly," she said.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai attended the 11th day ceremony of Puneeth along with his family members and invitees from the Kannada film industry.
Kolkata, Nov 9 : Posing a threat to the West Bengal government's decision to open the schools from November 16, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Calcutta High Court challenging the move, alleging that the state has decided to start classes from 9 to 12 "without any proper planning", exposing the students to Covid-19.

The PIL sought formation of an expert committee for reviewing the Covid-19 situation and providing necessary recommendations to the government in the matter. It said that students up to the age of 18 years are yet to be vaccinated and physical classes would only increase the chances of Covid-19 transmission among them, putting their lives at risk.

Petitioner Sudip Ghosh Chowdhury, a lawyer by profession, in his petition, argued that the state government is trying to open schools from class 9 to 12 without any plan.

The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education and the West Bengal Council for Higher Secondary Examination, in simultaneous notifications, recommended reopening of schools for students of Classes 9 to 12 from November 16 with certain guidelines on maintenance of Covid-19 protocols. It specified different time slots for secondary and higher secondary students.

According to the notification of the state government, classes of 9 and 11 classes will be held from 9.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. and Classes 10 and 12 from 10.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.

The West Bengal School Education Department has earlier sanctioned Rs 109 crore for cleaning and sanitising state-run and aided schools.
Guwahati, Nov 9 : Accompanied by around 1,000 security personnel and using elephants, excavators and tractors, Assam government officials on Monday launched another eviction drive to remove encroachers from the Lumding Reserve Forest area in Hojai district, officials said.

Forest and district officials said that the eviction drive was undertaken following the direction of the Gauhati High Court and it would continue on Tuesday.

After hearing a PIL filed by a BJP leader, the court had in September asked the state government to vacate the encroachments in a phased manner.

The All Assam Minorities Students' Union (AAMSU) held demonstrations at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Monday to protest against the eviction drive.

The AAMSU strongly objected to the government action alleging that the latter's move is "selective and motivated".

Officials said that Monday's eviction operation was smooth and there was no resistance from the illegal encroachers.

The police said that many illegal settlers had moved away after the district officials persuaded them.

Some settlers had earlier approached the court, claiming that they have been living in the forest land for decades.

According to the forest officials, of the 22,403 hectares of forest area, around 1,410 hectares were encroached upon by around 1,500 families belonging to the minority and tribal communities, who settled there many years back and built a school, a church and a mosque.

The settlers cultivated ginger and turmeric in the forest land.

Several political parties have criticised the government for the eviction drive claiming that the settlers relocated after being affected by the floods.

The AAMSU in a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleged that the Assam government with a political agenda is "arbitrarily conducting the eviction drive in a selective manner even as genuine Indians live in the unused land due to historical reasons".

Monday's eviction drive came after the September 23 eviction drive in the Gorukhuti area in Darrang district in which two people, including a 12-year old boy, were killed in police firing and over 20 were injured in the clashes with the security personnel.
Patna, Nov 9 : Distribution of Rs 5,000 each as compensation to family members of those who died in a liquor tragedy drew trouble for BJP's Bihar state chief Sanjay Jaiswal in his home constituency West Champaran on Monday.

Contending Jaiswal had evaluated the cost of one death as Rs 5,000, the angry villagers created a ruckus and forced Jaiwal and his supporters to leave immediately.

Jaiswal, went to Telahua panchayat under Nautan police station on Monday to console the family members of deceased who died after consuming poisonous liquor on the day of Diwali. A total of 13 persons had died..

As he met family members of the deceased, his supporters handed over an envelope to each of them, asking them to open it only after Jaiswal leaves.

As a large number of villagers assembled at the houses of the deceased, they asked the family members to open the envelopes in front of the MP.

"As there was huge pressure, family members of the deceased opened the envelopes, and saw 10 currency notes of Rs 500 in it," villager Radhe Shyam Singh told local media.

The villagers, after seeing the amount in the envelope, were incensed, and started shouting slogans against Jaiswal. As the situation started to turn ugly, Jaiswal got into his SUV and immediately left the village under protection of local police.

Jaiswal's supporters, who had gone there in larger numbers, faced the heat of angry villagers, who pelted stones at them. Many of them had narrow escapes.

The villagers alleged that local administration was hand in glove with illegal operation of liquor manufacturing, sale, transportation and smuggling. They also alleged that the earning from liquor is being distributed from top to the bottom among administrative officers to leaders and ministers.

"Everyone knew about the nexus of liquor manufacturing in the region but they did nothing to prevent the activities of the mafia. When a liquor tragedy taked place in any part of the state, leaders like Sanjay Jaiswal reached there to mock the family members of deceased. Handing over Rs 5,000 is not a compensation but is like mocking the deaths," another villager Yogesh Kumar said.

Following the incident, Jaiswal said that deaths due to poisonous liquor take place in those areas where it is not banned too.

"We have taken the strongest possible action against the officials concerned. Over 600 police personnel have been terminated from their service. Culprits in any liquor tragedy would not be let off," he said.
New Delhi, Nov 9 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday that the life of late George Fernandes was an exceptional example of selfless service to the nation.

From opposing the Emergency to the progress made by the country when he held various positions, Fernandes made his mark and it is a matter of extreme happiness that the late politician has been honored by the Narendra Modi government with Padma Vibhushan, Shah said.

Congratulating the Padma awardees, Shah further said that it is truly a unique effort of the Central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make the Padma awards the awards of the common man.

In a series of tweets, Shah remembered the contributions of Arun Jaitley and Susham Swaraj, mentioning how both the late BJP leaders contributed to the development of the country.

Talking about former Finance Minister Jaitley, Shah said, "Late Arun Jaitley ji made a memorable contribution to the development of the country with his wisdom and experience in law, finance and other fields and today it is a very commendable step by the Modi government to honour him with Padma Vibhushan. His dedication towards development of India will keep on inspiring us." In another tweet, Shah said, "Late Sushma Swaraj ji's life was dedicated to public welfare and service to the nation. As the External Affairs Minister, she will always be remembered for connecting the Ministry of External Affairs with the general public. It is a true tribute to her to be given Padma Vibhushan award by the Modi government for her contribution to the development of the country." George Fernandes was the 22nd Defence Minister of the country, a position he held from October 2001 to May 2004 in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government.

He was also the Railway Minister during 1989-90 in the V.P. Singh government.
Bengaluru, Nov 9 : Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said that his government will implement the Mekedatu project as soon as they get clearance from the Central Water Commission.

"The matter of the Mekedatu project is in the court. Our government is legally dealing with it. The Central Water Commission's consent is required to begin the work at Mekedatu. We are honestly trying to get clearance from the Commission. We are confident that we will get the nod. As soon as clearance is obtained, we will implement the Mekedatu project," he said.

Terming Mekedatu "an ambitious project" of the state, he said it is their responsibility to implement it, and questioned Congress leaders about why they couldn't implement the project when they were in power.

"Congress is trying to pressurise the ruling BJP by announcing Padayatra which is not correct. Congress leaders took years together to prepare a Detailed Project Report DPR. Why couldn't they prepare DPR quickly and commence the work at Mekedatu?" he asked.

The state Congress had announced a massive padayatra from Mekedatu to Bengaluru in December demanding speedy implementation of the project.

State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar stated that the padayatra is being taken up as the Central and state BJP governments are not showing any concern for implementation of the project.

"There are no legal hurdles and only commitment is lacking for implementing the Mekedatu project. As a result, the share of water awarded to the state by authorities is being wasted," he claimed.
New Delhi, Nov 9 : The Directorate of Higher Education of the Delhi government has written a letter to Delhi University Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh requesting him to take disciplinary action against the principals of Delhi government-funded colleges that have been protesting for the past several months over salaries.

Reacting to this, the Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) said that the Directorate of Higher Education is intimidating the principals and employees of 12 colleges, adding it condemns the Delhi government over the issue.

DUTA said "the Directorate of Higher Education miserably failed in its responsibility to release grants on time".

In this letter of the Directorate of Education, it has been said that the grant is released by the Delhi Government to these colleges in four installments as per the rules.

DUTA President Rajib Ray said that the letter written by the Directorate of Higher Education to the Vice Chancellor should be withdrawn immediately. "Firstly, it is surprising that the Delhi government is not aware of the scope of CCS rules which do not apply to teachers of central universities or principals of colleges of Delhi University," he said.

He said that the funding guidelines for these colleges are clearly laid down and guided by the rules and regulations of the UGC and the university and not by the pattern of aid. The Delhi government is trying to impose this agreement on these 12 colleges, which has been opposed by the teachers and principals.

DUTA president Rajib Ray said that under the pattern of aid, the government basically wants to evade its responsibility to the governance by forcing colleges to pay from students' funds and generate the funds themselves. Further, the allegation that the Principal is instigating the teachers to protest and asking the Vice Chancellor to initiate action against them is condemnable.

He said that this is another attempt to mislead from the real issue that the Delhi government is not giving funds on time and the staff in many colleges are without salary for several months.

DUTA said the university's response to the letter was equally shocking as DUTA had drawn the attention of the new vice-chancellor to this crisis and sought his immediate intervention. Instead, the university cited a code of business conduct, which has wrongly accused employees.
The partnership with Dalton Education will give finance professionals the knowledge they need to become a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER, one of the most prestigious and useful financial certifications available.

The Haslam College of Business, and Dalton Education (a CeriFi company) are collaborating to offer financial planning professionals career-enhancing resources through a new CFP certification education program.

The partnership with Dalton Education will give finance professionals the knowledge they need to become a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER, one of the most prestigious and useful financial certifications available, says Tracie Woidtke, head of the Department of Finance and the David E. Sharp/Home Federal Bank Professor at the Haslam College of Business. CFP professionals represent the gold standard in financial planning, being both experts in the field and fully committed to the needs of their clients.

The program prepares industry professionals to take and pass the CFP exam in a year or less. In addition to comprehensive education resources, professionals have access to Dalton's CFP exam review and Guarantee to Pass review, the industry's only CFP exam education and review program to offer a money-back guarantee that students will pass the exam on their first attempt, or they receive a full refund. Successful completion of the program gains professionals a certificate of completion from UT Haslam, No. 30 among public business schools according to U.S. News & World Report. It is conveniently available through Virtual Classroom or Self-Paced delivery, making it an ideal choice for busy professionals.

The Virtual Classroom delivery is a comprehensive live-online, instructor-led program that satisfies the education requirement for a professional to sit for the CFP exam. The virtual course is designed for the convenience of professionals, allowing them to access sessions from a device and location of their choosing. Additionally, lectures are recorded for instances where a student misses a class.

The Self-Paced delivery also satisfies the CFP certification education requirement and is ideal for students who prefer self-paced learning or who are unable to commit to regularly scheduled class meetings. This flexible learning method results in students successfully completing the program on their own timeline, while still gaining a thorough understanding of the material.

The Haslam College of Business has an excellent reputation for undergraduate and graduate finance programs that help graduates and professionals enhance their career opportunities, said Matthew Given, CEO of CeriFi. We are thrilled that this partnership will pave the way for more professionals to earn their CFP certification and enhance their career.

About Dalton Education:

Dalton Education, a Leeds Equity Partners and CeriFi portfolio company, is a leading provider of education solutions for financial services professionals. Dalton has the highest CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER exam pass rates and has trained over half of all CFP professionals in the country. Through partnerships with elite universities, Dalton delivers customizable programs for individual learning styles, with options including the industrys only 100% money-back Guarantee to Pass and course completion in as little as 9 months. Dalton also provides courses for CFP exam review, Capstone requirement, and continuing education.

About Haslam College of Business:

The Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, founded in 1914, consists of nearly 6,200 undergraduate and 800 graduate students. In a typical year, more than 3,000 executive education students participate in Haslams non-degree programs. Its seven departments, six centers and institutes, three forums and graduate and executive education programs reach across the for profit, not-for-profit and governmental sectors of business, with a heavy emphasis on practical research. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, was founded in 1794 and was designated Tennessees land-grant institution in 1879.

For additional information on Dalton Education, see http://www.dalton-education.com/
Dr. Angel Duncan Oak Health Center, Southern California's premier comprehensive mental health outpatient care organization, is pleased to welcome Angel Duncan, PsyD, to its Beverly Hills office.

Oak Health Center, Southern California's premier comprehensive mental health outpatient care organization, is pleased to welcome Angel Duncan, PsyD, to its Beverly Hills office. Dr. Duncan is a licensed clinical psychologist who provides psychological services for adult clients struggling with identity and belonging concerns, anxiety, depression, and mood disorders.

Dr. Duncan strives to help her clients develop strategies and insights into the patterns that contribute to these challenges by exploring the different aspects of personal identity factors such as ethnicity, gender, religion, sexuality, life stressors, and belonging.

She works with college students, professionals in transitions, women with health concerns, and those who identify as multicultural. Dr. Duncan likes to focus on building a collaborative relationship so that together with her clients she can identify their strengths and help them use those strengths to make the changes they are seeking to live their best life.

In addition to her professional training, Dr. Duncan also has personal experience with belonging and identity challenges. She explains, "This is why I became a psychologist. Having firsthand experience with my own struggles with belonging and identity as a Chinese American immigrant, I want to help others embrace their unique identity, celebrate their differences, and find where they belong.

To make an appointment with Dr. Angel Duncan, patients may call the Oak Health Center Beverly Hills office at 310-231-6805 or send an email to contact@oak.care

More information about the growing Oak Health team is available at http://www.oak.care/our-team

About Oak Health Center

Oak Health Center offers comprehensive mental health outpatient care through our team of psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, psychologists, therapists, and tele-behavioral health clinicians. With the increasing prevalence of mental illness, the company is looking to make a positive impact on this struggling population. To learn more, visit http://www.oak.care.
Nick Cappiello and Rich McGeary of Aquiline Drones present CT VFW Army Commander Lee Wilson with a scholarship into Aquiline Drones proprietary Flight to the Future drone pilot training program. "AD has an ambitious goal to help unemployed military veterans become trained and employed in a high-paying career that enhances their unique skillset and dedication to public safety. We are honored to offer a $200 discount to our F2F program to them," said Barry Alexander, Founder and CEO of AD.

According to Census.gov, there are 3,510 Veteran-owned businesses in Connecticut. Aquiline Drones (AD), an American drone manufacturer and technology company in downtown Hartford, is increasing that number for Commander Lee Wilson of VFW Post 1926 in Simsbury, CT. The decorated Army Sergeant who served in the first Gulf War during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, recently won a $1,299 scholarship to ADs Flight to the Future (F2F) online drone pilot training program after his name was selected from the raffle box at the recent Simsbury Fly-In event hosted by the Simsbury Airport. Commander Wilson, a resident of Avon, CT is a computer technician and is employed by the Department of Connecticut for the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) in Rocky Hill, CT. After completing the online course, he will earn an FAA Drone Pilot Certification, industry-specific drone instruction and support in becoming an independent drone business.

Winning a scholarship to Aquiline Drones prestigious drone pilot program truly blends my professional technology background and personal passion of the UAV industry, said Commander Wilson. I couldnt stop admiring the companys Spartacus Max drone on display at the Simsbury Fly-In, and will put this generous training to good use.

Grand View Research, a U.S.-based market research and consulting firm, projects that the commercial unmanned aerial systems (UAS) market will grow at a compounded annual rate of 57.5% through 2028 to over half a trillion dollars as drone use cases are realized across countless industries. Activities easily performed by drones include inspections of construction sites, tunnels, bridges, power lines, energy plants, railroad tracks, coastline erosion, real estate, agriculture, livestock monitoring and wildlife management. They are also unrivaled in assessing and mitigating potential natural disasters and other forms of mayhem that could ultimately lead to loss of livelihood, property or even life. Further, drones are crucial to local, statewide, national and international border security.

AD has an ambitious goal to help the over 9,000 unemployed military veterans in Connecticut be trained and employed in a high-paying career that enhances their unique set of skills and dedication to public safety, said Barry Alexander, founder and CEO of Aquiline Drones. As the demand for commercial drone operations continues to increase, Commander Wilson will be armed with the proper knowledge, mastery, certification and specialization to successfully fulfill the needs of others with jobs and opportunities.

Specifically, ADs F2F-Version 2.0 training course prepares a participant to become a fully licensed drone pilot and business operator in four steps:



FAA-Certified Commercial Drone Pilot - Comprehensive online training, real-time, one-on-one instruction, and mastering topics will help students become certified commercial drone pilots by the FAA. Additional concepts provide more robust and in-depth exposure to these topics.

Immersion in Advanced Technology: Program participants discover how cloud and edge computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (A.I.) are reshaping the drone industry, while learning about AD's industry-leading Command and Control or C2 platform, a cloud connected drone operations management service. Powered by the AD Cloud, a hybrid cloud for drones with unique aviation operations management capabilities, C2 provides the crucial operations management aspect to drone businesses, opening doors to much larger possibilities with aviation-grade safety and compliance.

Industry Application Mastery Using a Drone Flight Simulator: Students gain specialized expertise using an advanced drone flight simulator to explore in-depth drone applications such as videography, asset inspection, surveying, and security to become an industry expert.

Establishment of Small Drone Business: In this step, students are led through all aspects of drone business ownership and provided critical services based on their industry preferences. A turn-key solution tailored to their specific interests and needs, this step reviews business formation, drone and equipment leasing, insurance, maintenance plans, accounting, financial, and marketing services.

The complete F2F program costs $1,299; however, AD will extend a $200 discount for any active or retired military in honor for their service. Visit http://www.flighttothefuture.com to register and send an email to: info@aquilinedrones.com for more information.

About Aquiline Drones

Aquiline Drones Corporation (AD) is a progressive American drone manufacturer and cloud solutions company located in the financial district of Hartford, Connecticut. Founded by CEO Barry Alexander, AD's core management comprises highly experienced aviators, systems engineers, IT gurus, military personnel (including veterans), and business strategists. AD delivers a vertically integrated blend of products and services. These include an aviation cloud for commercial drones, U.S.-based drone manufacturing, drone "maintenance-repair-overhaul" (MRO) services, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) solutions for large enterprises and governments, a superior line of Spartacus drone products, a robust UAS training academy, and the country's first 'drone-on-demand' service enabling customers to order drone services through a proprietary mobile app. AD's full spectrum of technological solutions is widely applicable across countless industries and environments for superior, real-time data processing and insights. Visit http://www.AquilineDrones.com for more information.
LIFE God's Gracious Gift By W.D. Lewis It all started a little over two years ago when I was diagnosed with cancer, said Lewis. I decided that I wasnt going to just sit around and stare at a screen all day and began pulling my thoughts together.

Hardships and difficult journeys are part of everyones story and author W.D. Lewis is no different. In his new book LIFE Gods Gracious Gift, Lewis hopes to shed light on these struggles and encourage readers to never stray from God. After being diagnosed with cancer, the author decided to spend his time writing a book that will encourage others to grow closer to God.

It all started a little over two years ago when I was diagnosed with cancer, said Lewis. I decided that I wasnt going to just sit around and stare at a screen all day and began pulling my thoughts together. Writing kept my mind and body occupied during my chemotherapy sessions that I had two times per week.

In each chapter of the book, Lewis shares passages from the Bible and stories of notable figures such as Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, a fighter pilot in WWI, to demonstrate how powerful prayer can be. He also recites the story of the Christians at Philippi to emphasize how important it is to stand up for ones beliefs and God. Additionally, Lewis discusses former President Jimmy Carter when talking about the impact that Christians can make on others.

Ultimately, the author recognizes that lifes twists and turns can be challenging but by having faith in God, the hardships can be easier to navigate. LIFE Gods Gracious Gift is sure to encourage and uplift readers while also helping them grow closer in their walk with God.

LIFE God's Gracious Gift

By W.D. Lewis

ISBN: 9781664242760 (softcover); 9781664242753 (electronic)

Available at the WestBow Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the author

Wayne David Lewis has served for 62 years in the United Methodist Church pastorate in East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. David was a former professor and dean at Tennessee Wesleyan University and a professor and chaplain at Hiwassee College. He holds numerous degrees from Hiwassee College, Lincoln Memorial University, Emory University and Tennessee Wesleyan University. He and his late wife, Betty, have two adult children. He currently resides in Knoxville, Tenn.

Review Copies & Interview Requests:

LAVIDGE  Phoenix

Becca Armentrout

480-998-2600

barmentrout(at)lavidge(dot)com
Avenue Code, along with all of the companies on the list, deserve special recognition because they fuel our regional economy, Mary Huss, publisher, San Francisco Business Times

Avenue Code announced today that it has been ranked no. 64 by the San Francisco Business Times on the 30th annual Fastest Growing Private Companies in the Bay Area list, an exclusive ranking of the regions fastest growing private companies, one of the most important segments of the local economy. The winners and rankings were unveiled at a virtual awards ceremony on October 21, 2021. This is Avenue Codes third year on the list.

This list includes privately held companies headquartered in the Bay Area, which is defined as Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties. Companies considered for the List must meet the following criteria: 1) Headquartered in the Bay Area; 2) Net revenue of greater than $200,000 in fiscal year 2018; 3) Independent, privately held corporation, proprietorship or partnership (not a subsidiary or division) through fiscal year 2020. Net revenue = revenue less deductions for returns and allowances or credit, when applicable.

Since first opening its doors in 2008, Avenue Code has made a name for itself as a leading full-service digital transformation partner serving enterprise organizations and Fortune 100 companies globally. Avenue Code is headquartered in San Francisco and has a second U.S. office in New York, as well as delivery centers across Brazil and in Canada, Latin America, Germany, the Netherlands, and Portugal. Avenue Code is on a strong growth trajectory with plans to hire 1,000 new employees by the end of 2022.

"Our region is renowned as a hub for innovation and as an ecosystem that fosters growth companies, said Mary Huss, Publisher of the San Francisco Business Times. Avenue Code, along with all of the companies on the list, deserve special recognition because they fuel our regional economy.

Zeo Solomon, Avenue Codes Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, said, Were honored to be included in the fast 100 list for our third year, an achievement fueled by our strong internal commitment to delivering the best solutions for our clients and the best value for our partners. None of this would be possible without the diverse talent that makes up our Avenue Code family. Were already looking ahead to another year of incredible growth and plan to double in size and in global footprint by the end of 2022.

About Avenue Code:

Avenue Code is the leading software consultancy for full-service digital evolution solutions (http://www.avenuecode.com). Since 2008, the firm has partnered with Fortune 100 companies and enterprise organizations in every vertical to accelerate innovation. Headquartered in San Francisco, Avenue Code has offices in Brazil, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands.

About the San Francisco Business Times:

The San Francisco Business Times is the #1 print and online source for Bay Area business news and information on the most successful people, companies and transactions in the region. Every Friday, the Business Times arrives with an in-depth lineup of breaking local news stories, business profiles and valuable industry rankings. From technology and sustainability to small business, biotech, hospitality, real estate and banking, the Business Times covers the most relevant and timely topics for the Bay Area business community. SanFranciscoBusinessTimes.com takes the Business Times brand known for its insight, analysis and high journalistic standards and extends it to the Internet. Thousands of established and up and coming executives visit SanFranciscoBusinessTimes.com every day looking for the information they need to do Business in the Bay Area.
"As a privately held company, we are proud to deliver benefits many companies will not  paid parental leave, adoption assistance, fair compensation, opportunities for development and sharing in our successes are all a part of that.

At a time when Veterinarians are overworked, underappreciated and plagued with compassion fatigue, CareVet launched The Ultimate CarePackage, a suite of innovative DVM benefits aimed at providing doctors with the personal and professional support and security they deserve.

In addition to their industry leading DVM benefits package and highly competitive compensation and signing bonuses, Veterinarians joining CareVet will benefit from industry first programs including student loan support, up to 8 weeks of paid parental leave, adoption assistance, paid time off at its exclusive Carebnb vacation properties, comprehensive EAP with an on-site licensed social worker and much more.

This is all part of CareVets continuing effort to revolutionize the veterinary industry as it grows its network to more than 100 veterinary hospitals operating in more than 30 states, with more than 1,500 Team Members, 334,000 patients and 210,000 clients.

According to CEO Greg Siwak, Great medicine starts with great teams, which is why attracting and retaining top talent is one of CareVet's top priorities. We understand that without outstanding Team Members we cant provide the best level of care or serve as many pets in our community. We are constantly striving to lead the industry and improve the standards for all animal health professionals. As a privately held company, we are proud to deliver benefits many companies will not  paid parental leave, adoption assistance, fair compensation, opportunities for development and sharing in our successes are all a part of that.

Co-founder Kent Thornberry, DVM, said in a recent letter to the company, Building a best-in-class benefits program is a journey, not a destination. Well never stop innovating ways to invest in you, including your health, support, fulfillment and advancement needs. That is why I am excited to announce our new suite of DVM benefits to be offered over the next few months.

CareVets 96% DVM retention rate, 12% greater than the industry average, demonstrates its ongoing commitment to listening to its Team Members and supporting their wellbeing, positioning the company as an employer of choice. As part of its expansion efforts, CareVet announced the following new initiatives:

Strong Start Program for New DVMs



$100,000 Minimum Base Salary: We offer our full-time DVMs a minimum base salary of $100,000 with no negative accrual and production bonuses.

Signing Bonuses: We provide generous signing bonuses to DVMs in addition to our highly competitive compensation package.

Student Loan Support: Apply signing bonus dollars pre-tax to student loan debt up to $5,250 per year.

Child & Dependent Care: Apply signing bonus dollars pre-tax to child and dependent care costs up to $5,000 per year.

No Upfront Non-Competes: Were so confident DVMs will love working with CareVet, we do not require a non-compete for the first six months after signing.

Mentorship-Driven Experience: New DVMs will be paired with experienced CareVet Veterinarians with similar areas of expertise and passion.

Whole Person Support



EAP with On-Staff Social Worker: In addition to CareVets comprehensive Employee Assistance Program, CareVet has their new Team Member Care Program, giving CareVet DVMs access to an on-staff licensed social worker.

Company-Paid Short-Term Disability: CareVets Short-Term Disability plan pays DVMs 60% of weekly wages directly (up to $1,500) in the event they are temporarily disabled and unable to work.

Company-Paid Life Insurance: CareVet offers DVMs life insurance at 1.5x salary (up to $100,000), boosting a DVMs financial security and giving peace of mind.

Parental Support



Paid Parental Leave: CareVet DVMs receive up to 8 weeks of fully paid parental leave to ensure they are supported as they become new parents.

Adoption Assistance: CareVet offers up to $10,000 to assist with the adoption of a child to support our DVMs in growing their family.

Work/Life Balance



Schedule Flexibility: CareVet offers schedule flexibility with the option to work full-time or part-time, allowing Veterinarians to take control of their schedule.

Paid Time Off: CareVet encourages our DVMs to take their hard-earned time off. With paid time off, they can rest, relax and recharge knowing their hospital is supported.

Carebnb: When planning vacation, CareVet DVMs can take advantage of Carebnb  a selection of vacation properties at a variety of relaxing locations.

Community Giveback



Charity Match: CareVets charity match program is dedicated to giving back to the communities DVMs call home with donations up to $500 to nonprofit organizations per year per DVM.

Volunteer Opportunities: CareVet empowers hospitals to give back to their community. CareVet supports DVMs with fundraising, strategic local partnerships, donations and designated volunteer opportunities.

CareVet Veterinarians also benefit from many of the incredible resources offered to all Team Members, from outstanding mental health support to continuing education focused on personal and professional growth. The CareVet Whole Person Approach results in its teams feeling more empowered, allowing them to deliver a superior level of care to patients. These benefits include:

Living Wage Initiative: CareVet offers industry-leading wages for veterinarian Team Members at $15 an hour, empowering our employees with a strong financial foundation.

Revenue-Sharing Program: All hospital Team Members participate in our Revenue-Sharing Program, allowing teams to become invested in their work at CareVet at a local level.

Skills & Development: CareVet Learning Institute encompasses a curriculum of customized learning paths, RACE approved courses and leadership and skill development opportunities.

State-of-the-Art Facilities: CareVet has committed to investing $75 million to the improvement of its facilities over the next five years.

For more on CareVets initiatives for attracting and retaining the industrys best Veterinarians, visit carevethealth.com/what-we-offer/veterinarians.

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About CareVet: CareVet is an industry leading network of veterinary hospitals operating in 30+ states with more than 1,500 Team Members. Founded in 2018 by Dr. Kent Thornberry, a DVM who built and grew two of his own veterinary hospitals before selling them to two separate veterinary practice management groups and Greg Siwak, a highly regarded entrepreneur. Together, they felt there was a better operating model for hospitals anchored in a deep commitment and investment in the teams that service their clients and pets. CareVet is privately held and headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, and can be visited at CareVetHealth.com and followed on LinkedIn at @CareVet-Health and Facebook at @CareVetHealth.
Gina Bachman, Founder of Cascade Pacific Real Estate Our goal is to create the most efficient and stress-free real estate experiences possible

Cascade Pacific Real Estate today announced its partnership with Side, the only real estate technology company that exclusively partners with high-performing agents, teams, and independent brokerages to transform them into market-leading boutique brands and businesses. The alliance will ensure that Cascade Pacific Real Estate, a company bolstering its old-fashioned service with the latest tech, is powered by the most advanced platform in the industry.

Cascade Pacific Real Estate was founded by Gina Bachman, a California native with extensive experience managing her own portfolio investments. Before becoming a real estate agent in 2006, Bachman had acquired ten rental properties in just three years. She has the ability to solve a range of real estate needs, which has helped her secure a mostly referral clientele, ranging from first-time homebuyers to savvy investors and everyone in between.

Cascade Pacific Real Estate is a team of professionals who provide ethical representation and aim to be lifelong real estate partners. Each agent brings years of buying, selling, and property investment expertise to each transaction in San Bernardino, Eastvale, Tustin, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Upland, Fontana, and more.

Partnering with Side will ensure Cascade Pacific Real Estate remains on the cutting edge of the evolving real estate market while continuing to deliver premium services to its clients. Side works behind the scenes, supporting Cascade Pacific Real Estate with a one-of-a-kind brokerage platform that includes proprietary technology, transaction management, branding and marketing services, public relations, legal support, lead generation, vendor management, infrastructure solutions, and more. Additionally, Cascade Pacific Real Estate will join an exclusive group of Side partners, tapping into an expansive network from coast to coast.

Our goal is to create the most efficient and stress-free real estate experiences possible, said Bachman. Side provides the state-of-the-art marketing, technology, administrative, and legal support that todays industry requires. This empowers us to focus on what matters most  helping our clients achieve their property goals so they can concentrate on living the life theyve always imagined.

Side is led by experienced industry professionals and world-class engineers who develop technology designed to improve agent productivity and enhance the client experience. Based on its belief that homeownership is a fundamental human right, Side is on a mission to improve the public good by providing top-performing real estate agents, teams, and indie brokerages with the best system, support, service, experience, and results.

About Cascade Pacific Real Estate

Cascade Pacific Real Estate serves every type of buyer, seller, and investor, most of whom are referrals. Its agents are also investors, and their goal is to ensure a comfortable, stress-free experience that respects each clients objectives and vision. The team balances a fresh, flexible, and forward-thinking approach with old-fashioned service, handling every detail so that clients can focus on their dreams. To learn more, visit http://www.cascadepacificgroup.com.

About Side

Side transforms high-performing agents, teams, and independent brokerages into successful businesses and boutique brands that are 100% agent-owned. Side exclusively partners with the best agents, empowering them with proprietary technology and a premier support team so they can be more productive, grow their business, and focus on serving their clients. Side is headquartered in San Francisco. For more information, visit http://www.sideinc.com.
Alongside the UN COP26 meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, ClimateTrade, a pioneer in climate markets since 2017, today announced that it has incorporated the digital carbon registries of Spain and Colombia onto its climate marketplace. This marks the first time that a carbon trading platform has connected directly with national registries, allowing real time offset cancellations and transfers, stimulating local projects and real time outcomes generation.

The news was delivered today by CEO Francisco Benedito, during a panel discussion at the COP26 Sustainable Innovation Forum entitled: Natural Capital: How We Make Nature Bankable.

ClimateTrade aims to offer governments and project developers a more efficient, less costly way to generate revenue for their capital nature, while allowing project developers and offset purchasers in these nations access to a secure, traceable, and verified climate registry, simplifying carbon credit accounting while maximizing value and impact, said Francisco Benedito, CEO of ClimateTrade.

By extending our platform into Spain and Colombia, we can offer those nations greater fairness in carbon pricing, bring more of their projects to market, and fulfill demand for verified credits from companies racing to zero their emissions, he continued. Thanks to our digital registry, and interconnected digital measurement, reporting and verification, we can allow project developers to generate their credits in real time, reduce the price for their generation and add more innovative digital methodologies to connect developers and purchasers.

Establishing and connecting climate registries is a critical step in addressing the carbon market challenges posed in the Paris Climate Accords, and aids in bringing public and private markets into alignment with such international agreements. The ClimateTrade platform currently works with Ecoregistry and Iberclear (BME & SIX Group), but invites collaboration from others as well. Our partners have seen the importance of a unified, transparent and collaborative system like ClimateTrade, and we invite other registries to join us as well in creating a more holistic, interdependent and collaborative platform for climate action, Benedito said.

ClimateTrades ecosystem allows companies to easily offset their climate footprint by investing in verified environmental projects through disruptive blockchain technology. The company hosts a diversity of projects on its platform, from renewable energy, waste, reforestation, REDD+, NbS, soil, removals, blue carbon, and recently biodiversity and resilience - all aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and helping to push forward its 2030 sustainability agenda. ClimateTrades proprietary API adds further value to its network, allowing companies to provide micro-offsetting in any commercial transaction. By means of a simple connection with the API, ClimateTrade partners can offer their customers the option to purchase offsets, and receive an official personalized certificate, while purchasing products and services.

ClimateTrade is already a leader in the voluntary carbon market, serving corporations like Santander bank, Melia Hotels Int., Cabify, Telefonica, Prosegur, Suez, Sacyr and many others. ClimateTrades marketplace functions as a showcase for climate change mitigation projects, connecting project developers to companies with offsetting needs. Unlike conventional carbon markets, historically managed by brokers or commodity traders, ClimateTrades marketplace automatically records transactions and cancels credits in the corresponding registry, providing transparency, traceability and speed while eliminating the possibility of double accounting and greenwashing impediments. ClimateTrades blockchain technology reduces the costs involved in verifying transactions, by removing the need for trusted third-parties. ClimateTrade also recently partnered with Algorand, a leading blockchain technology company, pledging to be the greenest, fully carbon neutral blockchain as a result of their alliance.

About ClimateTrade

ClimateTrade is the worlds leading climate marketplace. The company's environmental services help companies offset CO2 emissions and financing projects in order to achieve their sustainability goals with complete transparency and traceability. A pioneer in establishing a voluntary marketplace for climate credits, and having led the development of blockchain, ClimateTrade has launched a digital solution that allows and promotes the acquisition of carbon-neutral products and services by customers and suppliers of different companies.
I am thrilled to offer this revolutionary facelift procedure to qualified patients, providing amazing aesthetic results with a fast recovery time, which is typically around 3 days, says Dr. John M. Anastasatos

Los Angeles Plastic Surgerys founder, Dr. John Anastasatos, is widely known as one of the best in his field, earning global recognition for his beautiful surgical results. He is thrilled to share his newest groundbreaking technique in facelifting, which combines (MIMS) minimally invasive midface suspension to address the jowl area, double chin correction with liposuction and the removal of buccal fat pads, a naturally-occurring pad of fat in the cheek hollow area. As one of the most bothersome areas of the face affected by aging, the jowls can effectively be corrected with Dr. Anastasatos (MIMS) minimally invasive midface suspension technique. The procedure is done percutaneously, meaning there are no classic cuts in front and around the ears, and uses special microsurgical equipment that creates a small 1-inch incision in the temporal area that is hidden in the hairline. The MIMS procedure provides an anti-aging effect to give an overall more refreshed, youthful appearance. Dr. Anastasatos also addresses double chin formation that is caused by excess fat and skin laxity. He uses his advanced skill to perfect liposuction of the neck that extends to the jawline, removing excess fat of the neck and tightening the neck skin, removing the look of a double chin. The combination of the minimally invasive cutless MIMS procedure and double chin correction with liposuction defines and rejuvenates the jawline, and elevates the cheeks, signaling youth and vitality. Dr. Anastasatos trifecta facelift procedure also includes buccal fat pad removal. In many patients, mid/lower check fullness is due to prominent fat pockets called buccal fat pads. The incisions to remove them are inside the mouth, so they are invisible. Removing the buccal fat pads can remove the chubby face appearance and allow for the well-defined jawline and cheeks to stand out more. By merging these three procedures, Dr. Anastasatos minimally invasive facelift can address the most visible signs of aging that present on the face.

I am thrilled to offer this revolutionary facelift procedure to qualified patients, providing amazing aesthetic results with a fast recovery time, which is typically around 3 days, says Dr. John M. Anastasatos

More about Dr. John M. Anastasatos:

Dr. Anastasatos offers a full menu of services to improve ones appearance, with gold-standard facelifts, advanced breast augmentations, body lift procedures and non-surgical treatments. Dr. John Anastasatos trained at Brown University Medical School, Columbia University-Presbyterian Medical Center and The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is an active member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery and the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons.

To schedule a consultation with Dr. John Anastasatos or for more information about practice locations in Beverly Hills and Bakersfield, CA, or Athens, Greece, please call (310) 888-4048, or visit his website at http://www.LosAngelesPlasticSurgery.com.


SneakPeek Snap, one of Gateway Genomics' product innovations in 2021 Im proud of the team for bringing accurate fetal sex testing to moms earlier in pregnancy and more easily than ever before.

Gateway Genomics, leading provider of direct-to-consumer genetic tests focused on prenatal and pediatric information, reached 500,000 SneakPeek Early Gender DNA Tests sold last month, continuing the companys rapid growth trajectory.

For us, reaching 500,000 kits sold is a huge testament to the product innovations weve made to the SneakPeek Gender DNA Test, especially in the last year, says CEO Chris Jacob. In Q1, we completed a monumental study with over 1,000 participants, assessing the accuracy of the commercially-available SneakPeek Gender Test as compared to the babys gender at birth. We found SneakPeek to be 99.9% accurate, making it the most reliable early fetal sex test on the market. In Q2, we launched the breakthrough, painless SneakPeek Snap, which allowed women to learn the sex of their babies for the first time from the comfort of home with no need to prick their fingers. It was and still is the only fetal sex at-home test available with this capability. And recently we completed an extensive study that showed the incredible accuracy of our test even at 7 weeks into pregnancy. Im proud of the team for continuing to push the envelope to bring accurate fetal sex testing to moms earlier in pregnancy and more easily than ever before.

The SneakPeek Early Gender DNA Test by Gateway Genomics is a fetal sex test that can be taken at just 7 weeks into pregnancy with 99.9% accuracy. The test is available in two ways: An At-Home version that can be ordered from the companys ecommerce website in four countries including the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, and a Clinical version that is offered in nearly 1,500 participating medical locations. The two channels give moms the choice of taking the test from the comfort of home or visiting a clinic to have blood drawn by a phlebotomist. Both can return gender results the same day the samples arrive back at SneakPeek Lab.

The team overcame tremendous obstacles to achieve these product innovations, continues Mr. Jacob. We ran three separate clinical studies to launch the Snap device, tweaking and perfecting the product and processes each time. Attaining gender results at 7 weeks required numerous tests and revisions in the lab, trying different methodologies to identify male DNA to the level of sensitivity required for 99.9% accuracy. The plans we have for the upcoming year are even more ambitious as we strive to make DNA-based information available to parents as early and easily as possible.

In 2021, Gateway Genomics ranked #601 in the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the U.S., #22 in the Health sector. In 2021s Inc. 5000 California list, the company was ranked the 56th fastest-growing private company in the state, and #6 in the Health sector. Gateway Genomics principal product, SneakPeek Gender, is an easy-to-use DNA test that lets parents know the fetal sex of their babies as early as 7 weeks into pregnancy, with 99.9% accuracy.

About Gateway Genomics

Gateway Genomics is a personal genomics company with the mission to develop leading-edge genetic tests that give families a new level of understanding about their future children. Since inception, more than 500,000 SneakPeek DNA tests have been provided to help new parents bond with and learn about their babies, make plans, and connect with friends and family around them. Gateway Genomics is located in La Jolla, CA.
Nebula Graph today announced to abandon the Common Clause 1.0 license from its open-source licenses, fully adopting the permissive Apache 2.0 license.

Nebula Graph today announced to abandon the Common Clause 1.0 license from its open-source licenses, fully adopting the permissive Apache 2.0 license.

Nebula Graph is an open-source distributed graph database developed by vesoft Inc. As an open-source community, we welcome partners from all sides, including cloud service providers and other graph database vendors. However, we oppose those who only take from the community while not contributing anything back. Therefore, we used to choose the Apache 2.0 license as our open-source license and used the Common Clause 1.0 license as an attachment.

Mr. Wu Sheng, a member of the Apache Software Foundation, raised an issue on the Nebula Graph GitHub repo on Nov. 2, pointing out that the previous license combination has violated the rules of the Apache 2.0 license. We highly appreciate Mr. Wus feedback. As the owner of the Nebula Graph project, we took the issue seriously and decided immediately to remove Common Clause 1.0 and follow only the Apache 2.0 license.

We have been embracing open source actively and we truly believe in the power of community. We appreciate the support for Nebula Graph from the open-source community. Better product with faster iteration is what we are going to contribute back to the community. Meanwhile, any comment, suggestion, and feedback are welcome.
It is essential that larger broker-dealers offer a premier service level for higher producing advisors.

Featured October 29, 2021 on FinancialAdvisor.com, independent broker dealer recruiter Jon Henschens "Price's Law and Large Broker-Dealer" shows how corporate cultures can model the principles of Price's Law to set up their advisors for success.

It was Derek Price, a British physicist and information scientist, who discovered that it was often a small percentage of subject matter experts among his peers who dominated the publication of academic papers. From him we get Prices law, which says half the publications on a subject are written by the square root of all the contributors (in other words, that five people out of 25 will get half the work done).

Lets adapt that rule to corporate cultures. Jordan Peterson, a best-selling author and professor of psychology, says Prices law suggests that as a company grows, the incompetence grows exponentially and competence grows linearly. It means that if a company has 10 people, three people (30%) are doing half the work, and at a 100-person company, 10% of people are doing half the work. By the time we get to a corporation with 10,000 people, we have 100 people, or only 1%, doing half the work.

That makes growth a mixed blessing. The profit growth is a blessing, while the back-office disconnect is a curse.

Henschen explains how small and midsize firms have a clear service advantage, since their advisors dont have to go through phone trees. The reps have key contacts to reach out to for quick answers, and have relationships not only with the staff but also with management. Turnover is typically low at small and midsize firms, so the staff members the advisors call on have been employed longer and thus know the answers to many of the day-to-day questions that come up. The staff at firms with higher turnover appear inept by contrast, because they are frequently on learning curves.

Upper management at small and midsize broker-dealers know their employees well, and (as weve seen in Prices law), the square rooters represent a larger percentage of the employees at smaller firms, so management knows who they are.

Since smaller firms have those advantages, what can larger broker-dealers do to counter? Here are some of Henschen's suggestions:

1. Companies must hire only A players. Management has to focus on hiring the best in order to skew the number of square rooters within a firm.

2. People should only do what they excel at. Employees are much more productive when performing those tasks theyre good at. That makes them more productive, and they find more meaning in what they are doing.

3. Companies should pay their square rooters more: Despite recent arguments to the contrary, merit-based society doesnt treat everyone equally. The best gets more of everything.

4. Henschen points to Frederick Reichhelds words in the book Loyalty Effect. Companies with profits in the upper quartile pay their employees in the upper quartile for their industry, and the inverse holds true with companies in the bottom quartile paying employees in the bottom quartile for their industry. If you pay in the upper quartile for your industry, youll see your retention of employees rise dramatically. Reichheld adds, Pay cuts and price increases can boost earnings, but they have a negative effect on employee and customer loyalty and so shorten the duration and worth of those assets. Since the only way a business can retain customer and employee loyalty is by delivering superior value, high loyalty is a certain sign of solid value creation. Be aware that getting your employees to stay with the company longer wont necessarily produce superior economics. A lot of firms are loaded with dead wood.

5. It is essential that larger broker-dealers offer a premier service level for higher producing advisors. The top 20% of producers (which account for 80% of revenue, according to the Pareto principle) have little tolerance for mediocre service and will leave a broker-dealer that cant deliver a high level of service.

6. If a broker-dealer has 500 employees (meaning 22 employees are doing half the work), realize that there are a large number of inefficient people. Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric, would do an annual purge of 10% of his bottom-ranking employees. Perhaps companies that need to do this are tacitly admitting that theres something wrong with their hiring in the first place. But because larger firms have a propensity to be less efficient in any case, its still prudent to purge some bottom performers.

7. Henschen strongly urges upper management needs to escape the ivory tower and connect with advisors through phone calls, zoom calls and meetings with advisors in their home cities for lunch or dinner. The leaders of large producer groups need these connections, as do the top 10% of individual producers. At these meetings, advisors get updated on company business, but more important, they get heard and appreciated. It naturally gets harder logistically to meet everybody when a firm is getting bigger, but if managers dont make the effort, their advisors will feel alienated.

8. Broker-dealers must focus on growing larger producer groups. Also known as Super OSJs, these groups often have their own staffs helping advisors with service. They sometimes act like small firms within large ones, and thus offer the same small-culture qualities. At the same time, these OSJs can give their advisors access to the premier service of the parent broker-dealer, meaning the reps are getting two levels of service.

Henschen notes what Economist Thomas Sowell said, There are no solutions, there are only trade-offs; you try to get the best trade-off you can get, thats all you can hope for. There are trade-offs advisors make when choosing among small, midsize and large broker-dealers. Each size has strengths and weaknesses. Smaller firms dont have the benefit of scale, so they focus on service, relationships and specialization. Large firms, on the other hand, have to battle with their propensity to inefficiency and questionable service, so instead they highlight their technology or depth and breadth of services, offering to help advisors grow and run their practices more efficiently. Large firms also have a major recruiting advantage in their ability to write large up-front checks to the advisors they want to entice.

Jon Henschen is founder of Henschen & Associates, an independent broker-dealer recruiting firm located in Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota. With more than 20 years of industry experience, Jon is a staunch advocate for independent financial advisors, and is widely sought after by both reps and broker dealers for his expertise and advice on independent broker dealer topics. He is frequently published and quoted in a variety of industry sources, including WealthManagement.com, ThinkAdvisor, Investment Advisor Magazine, Wealth Management Magazine, Financial Advisor IQ, Financial Advisor Magazine, Investment News and others
Iconic Danish furniture franchise BoConcept will welcome renowned Danish designer and iF Design Award juror, Morten Georgsen, to the fast-growing furniture franchise of more than 300 locations on November 11 for a grand-opening event celebrating the new stores opening and partnership with the designer. Carlos Salamonovitz - one of BoConcepts largest franchisees - who now owns three stores in Florida and ten overall, will also be at the location for the event.

BoConcept, originally founded in Denmark in 1952 and franchised in Paris in 1993, has had massive success in South Florida, and the new River Market location is a prime example of this success. BoConcept welcomes the continued expertise of leading designers into its locations and the arts-driven, international makeup of locations such as River Market continue to attract esteemed individuals such as Georgsen, who has been with the brand since 1993.

From 5:30-8:00 p.m. attendees of the event will be able to meet Georgsen at the River Market BoConcept and discover how he brings his Danish heritage to an international audience. Additionally, there will be cocktails and seasonally inspired hors d'oeuvres. To top it off, there will be a chance to win an OSAKA sofa valued at over $2,200.

It almost seems like fate that Georgsen and BoConcept would eventually form a partnership, with the young designer growing up in a small, rugged town just 3 kilometers from BoConcepts then newly acquired headquarters. With his dad being a furniture maker, Georgsen took an interest in the world of design. His first dip in the industry was at Bang & Olufsen, where he was a product manager.

What I learned during my time there was to always keep my designs to their essentials and that you should be able to describe a design in just a few lines, said Georgsen. Its what the mid-century Danish designers did so well, and I was born in 1958, so Im from that school.

After Bang & Olufsen, Georgsen left for school and pivoted his career to marketing and advertising. From there, he started his own design company, where one of his clients included BoConcept.

BoConcept wasnt as big as it is today, so we came up with ideas and just ran with them. I would say that perhaps they werent as well thought through as they are today, said Georgsen. But, looking back, the designs were innovative and very successful.

Georgsens most current efforts in design, from his studio in Valencia, are to derail the long-held assumptions of contract furniture and their environments.

We all work differently now and typically in changeable zones. Businesses can no longer predetermine usage. Users must be given the freedom to optimize the furniture to fit whatever theyre doing. Its about creating better work environments, explained Georgsen.

Georgsen noted how he wants to use experiences of travels and hotel stays and various offices to shape the ever-evolving office furniture people use these days. This world-renowned designer knows its the norm for many to work from a sofa  whether in the office or in a lobby. The issue is, most designs dont lend proper support while working on a laptop, and Georgsen aims to develop furniture that is comfortable in all situations.

Georgsens ultimate advice when it comes to design is minimalism, as he cited Blaise Pascal, French mathematician and philosopher in the quote, If I had more time, I would have written you a shorter letter.

It is very easy to make a piece of furniture if you just add this piece here and that detail there. But what happens? The price goes up because of the added materials, said Georgsen. And secondly, you have these needless details that dont do the design justice.

And Salamonovitz is pleased to host Georgsen at his new store, as more and more customers are appreciating the brands quality craftsmanship and stylish furniture.

BoConcept is a global brand, and Florida is a very international market. People know us from their home countries, and they know that we offer superior products to just about any other option in the U.S. or abroad, Salamonovitz said. There is also a growing number of first- and second-time home buyers in Florida, which means there is a huge demand for high-end but affordable furniture.

Learn more about the event here: https://boconcept-fl.eventbrite.com

About BoConcept:

Since opening its first franchise in Paris in 1993, BoConcept has become a global leader in the design of bold, stylish furniture, boasting 300 locations in 65 countries around the world. Founded in Denmark in 1952, BoConcept differentiates itself by offering premium quality, modern designs that elevate interior spaces to achieve their full potential. The company remains focused on creating functional furniture for the urban consumer through partnerships with the worlds leading interior designers. Backed by a proven global concept and strong franchise support system, BoConcepts 15 U.S. locations include a flagship store, which opened in December 2017 on New York Citys famed Madison Avenue. For more information please visit http://www.boconcept.com. To inquire about franchise opportunities, please visit https://www.boconcept.com/en-us/boconcept/franchise.

For more information please visit http://www.boconcept.com. To inquire about franchise opportunities, please visit https://www.boconcept.com/en-us/franchise.
Gospel Stage Plays with a Purpose: a charming arrangement of compelling plays. Gospel Stage Plays with a Purpose is the creation of published author Jacqueline Sutton-Ball, a passionate creator who was born in Munich, Germany, and raised in Lumpkin, Georgia. Sutton-Ball carries an associate degree in communication systems management and a Bachelor of Arts in organizational management. In addition, she has a Master of Arts in organizational management with a specialization in human resources.

Sutton-Ball shares, Its showtime! Intriguing, astonishing, standing ovations, hilarious, breathtaking, soul stirring, powerful, and showstopping.

Introducing Jacqueline Sutton Ball! One of the greatest African American female playwrights of all time! This book shows Gods love and grace through her well-written and family-friendly gospel stage plays. Her storylines demonstrate everyday life situations that audiences can relate to.

They are integrating messages to inspire, motivate, entertain, and change lives!

These plays will minister to and entertain all genres of life: Sunday school classes, youth ministries, theatrical performances, family gatherings, school programs, special occasions, fundraisers, etc.

Stage plays with a purposeto change lives and to glorify Jesus Christ.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Jacqueline Sutton-Balls new book offers educators and spiritual guides a resource for encouraging active participation within their groups.

Sutton-Balls exuberance for creation and faith are apparent within the pages of this engaging resource.

Consumers can purchase Gospel Stage Plays with a Purpose at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Gospel Stage Plays with a Purpose, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Attorney John D. Tallman named Elite Lawyer 2021. Attorney John Tallman has been recognized by the legal community for his commitment to Michigan clients for over 40 years.

Grand Rapids personal injury lawyer John D. Tallman has been named a 2021 Elite Lawyer for his work and dedication to accident and injury victims in Michigan. Utilizing a multi-phase selection process to select and nominate lawyers across the United States, Elite Lawyer acts as a rating service for attorneys and a user-friendly directory for their clients. Attorney John Tallman has been recognized by the legal community for his commitment to Michigan clients for over 40 years.

John D. Tallman is a Grand Rapids native. Equipped with expansive knowledge and experience in personal injury cases, Attorney Tallman personally represents accident victims across the state of Michigan. Mr. Tallman works with clients who have suffered injuries in accidents such as car, truck, and motorcycle crashes. He is also adept at handling cases involving premises liability, defective products, hazardous chemical exposure, animal bites, nursing home negligence, and construction site injuries. John Tallman is prepared to achieve results for his clients through the means of settlement or trial.

One of the most tenured personal injury attorneys in Western Michigan, Mr. Tallman was admitted to the Michigan State Bar in 1981. He holds membership with the Trial Lawyers College and the Michigan Association of Justice. In 1980, Mr. Tallman earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Detroit Law School.

Prior to receiving the Elite Lawyer award, John Tallman earned the status of Lead Counsel Verified and has maintained that status since 2020.

About John D. Tallman, PLC, Attorney at Law

For four decades, Attorney Tallman and his team have been helping to ease the burden faced by injury victims in the Grand Rapids area. They understand and appreciate their role in aiding their clients on the path to recovery, and the firm works closely with clients through every step of the process. John D. Tallman, PLC, Attorney at Law has a comprehensive understanding of Michigan laws and assists clients in collecting evidence, negotiating settlements, and strategizing litigation.

To learn more about John D. Tallman, PLC, Attorney at Law, visit our website at https://www.injurylawgrandrapids.com/.

To learn more about Elite Lawyer, visit https://www.elitelawyer.com/.
Lawyers named to Delaware Todays 2021 Top Lawyers list are nominated by their fellow lawyers, who also practice law in Delaware. The only individuals, who may vote in this process, are lawyers who practice law in Delaware. Clients, paralegals, and other legal professionals are not permitted to vote, which means that lawyers who make this list have been recognized by their colleagues. The magazine publishes the list on an annual basis. To find more information regarding Joe and Steves selection as 2021 Top Lawyers look for the November, 2021 edition of Delaware Today.

Joe earned his Juris Doctor from Widener University School of Law, where he graduated magna cum laude. Since then, he has been licensed to practice law in Delaware, along with the U.S. Federal Courts and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a member of several organizations, including the American State Bar Association, the Delaware State Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, the National Crime Victim Bar Association, the Workers Injury Law & Advocacy Group, and the Delaware Trial Lawyers Association, where he served as a past president.

Steve received his Juris Doctor from the New England Law in Boston, Massachusetts where he graduated cum laude. He is past president of the Delaware Trial Lawyers Association (DTLA) and continues to serve on DTLAs Board of Governors where he is a co-chair of DTLAs Legislative Committee as well as a member of DTLAs Continuing Legal Education Committee. Steve is also a member of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) and previously served on AAJs Council of Presidents. In addition, he is a member of the Delaware State Bar Association (DSBA) and previously served as the Chair of the DSBA Workers Compensation Section. Currently, he is a member of the DSBA Workers Compensation Section Rules Committee and is a frequent presenter at DSBA seminars, which address workers compensation topics. Steve also offers pro bono services through the State of Delaware Office of the Child Advocate where he serves as a child attorney for dependent, neglected and abused children in Delaware.

Those who have been hurt in an accident or injured because of the negligence of another party can seek help from the legal team at Rhoades & Morrow. Those interested can call 302-427-9500 or go to http://www.rhoadeslegal.com to schedule a free consultation. Located in Wilmington, Bear, and Milford, Delaware, the firm serves clients throughout Middletown, Dover, Milford, Lewes, Rehoboth, Elsmere, and Seaford, Delaware.
Kids2, a global company that designs solutions for early-stage parents and families, today announced their expanded partnership with Designworks, the innovation studio for the BMW Group and a global creative consultancy. This partnership will bring together the best design visionaries to collaborate on the most innovative and highest-quality product designs, creating seamless solutions for children and families around the world.

The goal of this partnership is to bring Kids2s mission to life, helping to create bright futures for families everywhere through tiny wins. In this case of tiny wins, through products which are efficient, practical and sustainablewith parents and babies needs coming first.

Two key areas of innovation for Kids2 are grow with me and modular design to design efficient, multi-use products that grow with early-stage families. The result will be products that have longer lifetimes and extend from infant to pre-school years. Together, the Kids2 and Designworks teams have been pioneers within the parenting space, thinking outside the box and designing for the future of parenting needs.

Kids2s Ingenuity brand has launched two products created from the partnership, the Ingenuity Beanstalk Baby to Big Kid 6-in-1 High Chair and the AnyWay Sway PowerAdapt Dual-Direction Portable Swing, which exemplify modular design and innovation in the category.

This partnership is one-of-kind in our industry, and we are thrilled to join together a global team of designers and innovators to support bigger, better, and more efficient products for families, said David Butler, Chief Growth Office of Kids2. Were fortunate to have linked with this amazing design company, which has enabled us to further extend our innovation and ability to reach more families across the globe with new, unique holistic solutions. Were looking forward to what we design and launch together next.

Kids2 and Designworks will look for ways to make parenting easier through intuitive gear design, connected solutions, multi-use grow-with-me designs and more. Through its privately-owned manufacturing facility, WINVENTION, Kids2 will be able to easily carry out new innovation and design while maintaining premium quality.

At Designworks, we are driven to make things better, not just different. Our design philosophy aligns well with Kids2's "grow with me" approach, as it aims to change user behavior and keeps products in use longer", says Andre de Salis, Creative Director at Designworks. We are looking forward to continuing this journey together with Kids2.

For more information on Kids2, please visit http://www.kids2.com.

About Kids2 Group

Kids2 Group is a purpose-driven family of companies focused on helping new parents solve some of their biggest problems. This is all made possible thanks to Kids2 Groups unique community of passionate people and forward-thinking companies that create connectivity and comradery in pursuit of tiny wins for parents and children everywhere. Comprised of world-renowned brands Baby Einstein, Ingenuity and Bright Starts, as well as a privately owned media company, a venture capital firm to invest in like-minded startups, a vertically-integrated manufacturing facility, and various joint-venture partnershipsKids2 Group sets out to create holistic solutions that create more tiny wins and bright futures for all families.

Kids2 Groups global reach spans 90 countries and more than 700 million consumer touchpoints, and the Kids2 Group family is growing. Thanks to new ideation and innovation, along with new investments in innovative spaces, Kids2 Group is on a path to make each day that much easier for early-stage parents and families everywhere.

About Designworks

Designworks, a BMW Group Company is both, the innovation studio for the BMW Group and a global creative consultancy. The teams in the studios in Los Angeles, Munich and Shanghai work at the intersection of design, technology and innovation to unlock brand potentials and foster business growth for companies worldwide. Designworks leverages the power of BMW Groups culture of innovation and cutting edge design to advance the goals of its external clients, including John Deere, Brunswick, Siemens, Corsair, HP, and VF Group, whilst bringing outside perspectives and impulses to the BMW Group. http://www.bmwgroupdesignworks.com
For almost 20 years, weve provided modern treatment approaches. Clinical trials give us the ability to offer more care options to patients while contributing to the research and development of next-generation dermatology therapies, medical devices, and treatment processes. - Jennifer Alberts, MD

Meridian Clinical Research, a leading multi-specialty investigative research site network is partnering with Grand Island Dermatology, a physician-owned group practice providing comprehensive and high-quality medical care to children, adolescents, and adults. The research site will be located within the Grand Island Dermatology office at 418 N. Webb Road in Grand Island, NE 68803.

Susan Corey, MD and Jennifer Alberts, MD will serve as principal investigators to conduct clinical trials related to dermatology for people of all ages. Dr. Alberts and Dr. Corey are both diplomates of the American Board of Dermatology and active members of the American Academy of Dermatology, the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery, and the Nebraska Medical Association.

Nicole Osborn, Founder and CEO of Meridian, said the company looks forward to bring dermatological clinical trials to Central Nebraska. As we establish more locations throughout the state, it enables us to bring more therapeutically specialized trials  like dermatology studies  to patients seeking care for skin disorders, said Osborn. We look forward to partnering with Dr. Alberts and Dr. Corey, who are leading specialists and highly regarded across their region, well beyond Grand Island.

For almost 20 years, weve provided modern treatment approaches, said Dr. Alberts. Clinical trials give us the ability to offer more care options to patients while contributing to the research and development of next-generation dermatology therapies, medical devices, and treatment processes. Clinical trials can be particularly helpful for people who have rare or severe skin diseases that dont respond well to currently available therapies.

The site will be Meridians third in Grand Island, and follows the companys opening of a dedicated research center in the city. Since opening in Omaha in 1999, Meridian has grown to 30 sites nationwide and enrolled more than 80,000 patients in 3,400 clinical trials. In 2020, the company began conducting COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials in Grand Island and nationwide. These trials were for the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines that have received Emergency Use Authorizing and/or approval.

If youre interested in joining a clinical trial at Meridian, or want to sign up to learn about upcoming studies, visit mcrmed.com/find-study. For more information about careers at Meridian and current openings in Grand Island, visit mcrmed.com/careers.

ABOUT MERIDIAN CLINICAL RESEARCH

Meridian Clinical Research, partners with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to research new drugs, medical devices, and diagnostics that could improve human health and wellbeing. Founded in 1999, Meridian is a multi-specialty site network headquartered at its dedicated research center in Omaha, NE, and conducts Phase 1-4 studies at investigative sites nationwide. Meridian supports research across numerous therapeutic areas and excels in high-volume vaccine trials. For more information, visit mcrmed.com.
Build Your Own PC Department It truly is the Micro Center of the future.

Micro Center (microcenter.com), one of the largest computer and consumer electronics retailers in the United States, re-opens its Tustin (California) flagship store inviting tech enthusiasts to visit the newly redesigned store. This fun grand reopening will feature increased square footage, more products, and a brand new high-tech design. In addition, customers can catch live PC builds throughout this week, enter social media contests, and check out the all-new PC case garage with over 100 PC cases.

Our Tustin location will experience a new modern design that some would marvel at as a Tech Heaven, says Warren Beneson, Chief Merchant of Micro Center. Its something you have to see and experience. In addition, we will have live PC builds, and they may even run into their favorite PC build influencer at the store. Tustin now has more square footage and more products than ever before. It truly is the Micro Center of the future.

What: Micro Center Tustin grand reopening of its newly redesigned 50,000 square foot store. It will showcase more than 25,000 products, 300 laptops, and 200 monitors. The product line includes computers, computer parts, HDTVs, Apple, Dell, HP products, plus more. In addition, attendees can experience our all-new Tech Bar & PC Case Garage with over 100 cases. Consumers can take advantage of in-store promotions all week long.

When: Monday, November 8, 2021.

Where: Micro Center Tustin, California Computer Store, 1100 E Edinger Ave, Tustin, CA 92780.

Media: A Micro Center representative will be available for media interviews.

For more information contact:

Meg Adrion

madrion@microcenter.com

+1 (614) 850-3227

About Tustin (CA) Micro Center Store

When Micro Center opened this location in November 1993, we brought a new era of technology retailing to Orange County and Los Angeles with our knowledgeable associates, high level of service, and guaranteed in-stock selection of over 25,000 products. As a result, were proud to offer the Tustin community an unmatched selection of computers, Apple products, software, accessories, and computer parts for building PCs. No store serving Orange County and Los Angeles offers as many computers and computer-related solutions, along with such a high level of customer service and employee expertise as Micro Center.

About Micro Center

Micro Center operates twenty-five large computer and consumer electronics stores in major markets nationwide. Founded in 1979 in Columbus, Micro Center is designed to satisfy the dedicated computer and consumer electronics user. Uniquely focused on computers and related products, Micro Center offers more computers and related items (more than 25,000 items in stock) than any other retailer. Micro Center is passionate about offering a high level of customer service and pioneered 18-minute in-store pickup for online orders starting in 2009. Consumers can visit Micro Centers 25 stores from coast-to-coast, with more to come, or microcenter.com for thousands of computer-related items, electronics, and other technology products.

Micro Center stores are located in:

Atlanta (2), Baltimore, Boston, Chicago (2), Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York (5), Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. (2).
NetPMD Solutions plans to create more than 100 technical and corporate jobs at their new headquarters. Logo courtesy of NetPMD Solutions. Kansas City is the most connected region in the U.S. with 5.5 million miles of fiber, and NetPMD Solutions selection of the KC market for its headquarters will enhance the companys long-term success, said Tim Cowden, president and CEO at the Kansas City Area Development Council.

The Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADC) announced at its annual meeting that NetPMD Solutions, a leading provider of professional services and network design solutions, is locating its corporate headquarters in the Kansas City region. The company plans to create more than 100 technical and corporate jobs.

We are extremely excited about the opportunities presented by locating our corporate headquarters in the Kansas City region, said David Seematter, CEO of NetPMD Solutions. Our projects span across the U.S., so being based in the Midwest provides easy access to our customers. In addition, the favorable business economics and deep well of talent to draw from in KC will further our growth.

The company selected the Kansas City region based on a combination of factors, including telecommunications infrastructure, central U.S. location, available workforce and affordable tax and utility costs.

Kansas City is the most connected region in the U.S. with 5.5 million miles of fiber, and NetPMD Solutions selection of the KC market for its headquarters will enhance the companys long-term success, said Tim Cowden, president and CEO at the Kansas City Area Development Council. With KCs tech industry employing one in every 10 workers, our region is a prime location for companies looking to tap into a collaborative and talent-rich community.

NetPMD Solutions provides comprehensive design solutions for customers across the U.S., with a focus on fiber networks. The company offers a variety of professional services that can be brought together to form a complete solution, including network design, network engineering and turnkey solutions.

Kansas is one of the best places in the nation to do business, and NetPMDs decision to build their headquarters in the Kansas City region is proof that companies are taking note, said Governor Laura Kelly. Well continue leveraging our central location, pro-business environment, and top-tier workforce to recruit new jobs, companies, and families to our state.

While NetPMD Solutions is selecting its final real estate option in the Kansas City region, the company is actively hiring highly driven individuals to join its new operations in a hybrid work model. A variety of technical and non-technical positions are available including CAD drafters, GIS engineers, fiber network designers, professional civil engineers and project managers. Potential candidates may visit NetPMD Solutions for more information.

About NetPMD Solutions LLC

NetPMD Solutions LLC is an independent, professional services and network design company. The company evolved from the growing demand for a turnkey engineering solutions provider to support fiber deployments across the United States, and help businesses pursue successful digital transformation. The NetPMD Solutions management team includes numerous industry veterans with a combined experience of over 100+ years. NetPMD Solutions provides fiber network design services, permit drawings and management, construction drawings, As-built drawings and GIS support leveraging the NetPMD robust set of proprietary tools and solutions to bring a wealth of value to its clients. | NetPMDSolutions.com.

About KCADC

The Kansas City Area Development Council serves the 18-county, two-state Kansas City area by marketing the region's business and lifestyle assets to companies around the world. Working closely with its two states, and 50-plus county and community partners, the region has attracted more than 60,000 new jobs over its 40-year history. KCADC also leads the efforts behind the KC Animal Health Corridor, KC SmartPort, TeamKC and KC Global Design. thinkKC.com

About Greater Kansas City

Home to 2.5 million people, Kansas City is a vibrant metro in the heart of the U.S., known as "KC Heartland. KC is a center for technology, entrepreneurship and artistry, ranking first in the nation for its startup growth rate. Visit KC.org or follow @KCHeartland for more details.
Its beautiful color transfers really well to a variety of beer styles, so were looking forward to seeing how our customers leverage all of the unique attributes of prickly pear.

Oregon Fruit Products LLC has introduced Prickly Pear Puree, a new seasonal offering for the fermentation market. Featuring a vibrant magenta hue and balanced acidity, Prickly Pear Puree enlivens a wide array of fermented and distilled beverages, from beers to kombuchas, seltzers to spirits.

Oregon Fruit Prickly Pear Puree is a vacation for the senses, perfectly balancing tangy and sweet notes with a floral and slightly vegetal aroma reminiscent of aloe. The sweet, juicy puree tastes of star fruit, aloe, strawberry and kiwi, and adds tropical brightness to smoothie or milkshake style beers, tart goses and sours, or refreshing blonds and wheat styles.

This variety of prickly pear is ruby-red and comes freshly harvested from Mexico, says Chris Hodge, Oregon Fruit Director of Sales for Fermentation. Its beautiful color transfers really well to a variety of beer styles, so were looking forward to seeing how our customers leverage all of the unique attributes of prickly pear.

Oregon Fruit Prickly Pear Puree is now available while supplies last in 42 lb. bag-in-box. Tips for brewing with Oregon Fruit Products Fruit for Fermentation are available here.

About Oregon Fruit Puree

Oregon Fruit Purees are 100 percent real fruit, pasteurized for shelf-stability and to ensure the best fresh fruit flavor and color. They contain no added sugar, colors, thickeners or preservatives. Oregon Fruit Puree requires no cold storage and is sealed in ready-to-use aseptic bags for a shelf life of up to 18 months in ambient temperature. The purees are kosher certified, made in the U.S.A., non-GMO, gluten-free and vegetarian. Oregon Fruit Products does not use, nor does it allow, any of the eight major allergens (milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat) in the products or processing areas.

Oregon Fruit Products LLC

Founded in 1935, Oregon Fruit Products offers a complete line of canned, frozen and shelf-stable premium fruit for consumers, foodservice operators and ingredient sales. The company is located in Salem, Oregon and can be found on the web at http://www.oregonfruit.com/fermentation.
Indianapolis-based franchise Plumbing Heating Paramedics, the family-owned and operated plumbing and heating company specializing in heating and cooling systems and repairs, will host a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, November 10th to celebrate the opening of its home office in Noblesville, Indiana. Located at 9750 E. 150th Street, Suite 500, Noblesville, the grand opening from 2:00pm-3:00pm will include an appearance from Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen, who will take part in the official ribbon cutting at 2:00pm.

A recent addition to the Threshold Brands family, the multi-brand franchisor behind national home service franchises including MaidPro, PestMaster, Men In Kilts, Sir Grout, FlyFoe and USA Insulation, Plumbing Heating Paramedics is expanding its presence with Plumbing Paramedics and Heating + Air Paramedics with franchise opportunities both in and outside of Indiana, including, but not limited to, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. For the first time, this small town business has plans to launch in new markets across the country, a longtime dream of founder Ryan Carpenter.

The nationwide launch will include two different options for potential franchisees. Carpenter said there will be a plumbing franchise opportunity operating under the brand Plumbing Paramedics, and a separate heating and air franchise operating under the brand Heating + Air Paramedics. .

We are thrilled to welcome Plumbing Heating Paramedics to the Threshold Brands family and are excited to see their continued growth through franchise opportunities in markets around the country, said Scott Sutton, Threshold Brands chief growth officer. A ribbon cutting ceremony in Noblesville is the perfect welcoming gift to kick-off this new journey and to further establish Plumbing Heating Paramedics as a force within the heating and plumbing industries.

Founded in 2011 by Carpenter, Plumbing Heating Paramedics prides itself on understanding the local areas in which it is located, and believes that knowledge can help it provide customers with the best heating, cooling and plumbing solutions to suit any homes specific needs. Specializing in emergency service, Plumbing Heating Paramedics is available with technicians standing by 24/7, offering fast help with no overtime charges on work performed.

A trusted local business, Plumbing Heating Paramedics charges by the job and not the hour and has built a reputation for excellence based on years of professional, trustworthy service. Carpenters passion for opening a plumbing and heating company that serves its customers came from his upbringing in a small Michigan town, where his parents also owned a plumbing and heating business.

When I came to Indianapolis I saw a disconnect between the customer and the company, said Carpenter. The values that I grew up with were lost in the city. I wanted to change that, focusing less on profitability and more on taking care of customers and doing the right thing for each person we served. As a family-owned business, we honor our customers as our family and we stand behind our work, every day. The opening of our Noblesville office is just another step forward for us in our goal to become a nationally recognized and trusted brand.

Carpenter will appear on FOX59s Indy Now Show on Wednesday, November 10 from 10:00am-11:00am, where he will talk about the Grand Opening Event of Plumbing Paramedics and Heating + Air Paramedics.

Also attending the ribbon cutting ceremony will be most members of the Threshold Brands leadership team. Additionally, the Noblesville Chamber, members of the press, and support staff from Plumbing Heating Paramedics will be in attendance.

For more information about Plumbing Heating Paramedics, visit: https://www.phparamedics.com/.

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About Threshold Brands:

Threshold Brands is a holding company of multiple franchised service brands: USA Insulation, MaidPro, FlyFoe, Men In Kilts, Sir Grout, Pestmaster and Plumbing Heating Paramedics. More information about Threshold Brands and its franchising opportunities is available at http://www.thresholdbrands.com.
Iconic experiences for visitors to San Francisco include cable car rides. November 8th marks the true beginning of our tourism recovery, said Joe DAlessandro, president and CEO of San Francisco Travel Association (SF Travel). The return of international tourists is vital to San Franciscos economic recovery. They tend to stay longer and spend more.

San Francisco is gearing up for the return of international travelers following the Nov. 8 reopening of U.S. borders to all international visitors who meet requirements with a full slate of holiday programming and a new Welcome Ambassador Program.

San Franciscos gate has been open since June 15, when California and the City lifted most pandemic restrictions, but the U.S. ban on travel from many of the citys top international markets along with the Delta variant put a dent in international visitor arrivals this summer.

November 8th marks the true beginning of our tourism recovery, said Joe DAlessandro, president and CEO of San Francisco Travel Association (SF Travel), the official destination marketing organization for San Francisco. The return of international tourists is vital to San Franciscos economic recovery. They tend to stay longer and spend more.

San Francisco is one of the top cities in the U.S. for international visitors and in 2019 enjoyed a record 2.9 million international visitor arrivals. International tourists comprised about 25% of overnight visitors that year, but they generated more than 60% of all overnight visitor spending.

Before the pandemic, the U.K. and Germany were among the top five international markets for visitor volume. France, the U.K. and Italy were three of the fastest-growing markets.

With the reopening of the U.S border and the increase in transatlantic flights to SFO, we expect to see European and U.K. tourist arrivals rebounding, said DAlessandro.

SF Travel ramped up sales and marketing efforts in Europe immediately following the White Houses reopening announcement in early October to capitalize on pent-up demand and the surge of interest in travel to the U.S.

In partnership with San Francisco International Airport (SFO), SF Travel launched aggressive marketing campaigns with the theme Our Gate is Open, targeting consumers and travel trade in the U.K., Germany and France.

The multi-channel campaigns encompass digital advertising, an interactive microsite, social media and partnerships with online travel agencies (OTAs), airlines and the travel trade. The campaign is running concurrently with marketing campaigns in Canada and Mexico, which are also leading international visitor markets for the Bay Area.

We are excited to welcome international travelers back to SFO, said Airport Director Ivar C. Satero. We have truly transformed our airport to ensure a safe and healthy experience for all. At the same time, we look forward to showcasing new facility enhancements alongside the favorite airport amenities that make SFO a welcoming, world-class airport experience.

SFO has seen a steady return of service. In the last quarter of 2021, SFO is expected to increase from 28 international carriers to 33 international carriers (75% of pre-pandemic international airlines at SFO).

An Only in SF Welcome

Visitors to San Francisco will find the city rolling out the welcome mat. A two-year, $12.5 million Welcome Ambassador Program has launched in the citys downtown and tourist areas to make them feel welcoming and attractive for visitors, as well as commuters and residents. The program was officially launched on Nov. 2 by San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed.

Dressed in branded, bright orange hats and jackets, Welcome Ambassadors greet visitors, assist with wayfinding and answer general questions about transit options, tourist attractions, restaurants and shopping.

Once fully operating, 50 Welcome Ambassadors will be deployed to locations throughout the city, including downtown BART stations, Market Street, Moscone Center, East Cut, the Ferry Building, Pier 39, Fishermans Wharf, the Embarcadero, Chinatown, North Beach, Union Square, and the Cable Car turnarounds.

Visitors arriving this winter will find San Francisco dressed for the holidays and a vibrant schedule of shows and events on offer, including the annual Illuminate SF Festival of Lights. The festival, which starts Nov. 25 and runs until Jan. 31, 2022, celebrates over 40 dramatic, eco-friendly light installations in 17 of the citys neighborhoods. For information on festive activities in San Francisco, http://www.sftravel.com/media.

About San Francisco Travel

The San Francisco Travel Association is the official destination marketing organization for the City and County of San Francisco. Tourism is San Francisco's largest industry. More than 25.8 million people visited the destination in 2019, spending in excess of $10 billion. More than 86,000 jobs are supported by tourism in San Francisco.

San Francisco is one of the metropolitan areas in the U.S. that has consistently kept Covid-19 largely under control. The COVID-19 Prevention & Enhanced Cleaning Guidelines put forth by the Hotel Council of San Francisco, ensure that our hospitality businesses are adhering to the most elaborate cleaning and safety protocols. San Francisco Travel invites all visitors who are planning to come in 2021 to contribute their part to a safe and enjoyable experience by taking our Safe Travel Pledge.

For information on reservations, activities and more, visit http://www.sftravel.com.

For more about San Francisco, follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Please use hashtags #sftravel and #AlwaysSF.

About San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) wants you to Travel Well. SFO works with local, state and federal health officials to protect against COVID-19. Measures include enhanced cleaning protocols, hundreds of hand sanitizer stations, physical barriers, face coverings for everyone and physical distancing. To learn more visit flysfo.com/travel-well.

SFO offers nonstop service to Asia, South Pacific, Europe, Canada, Mexico and across the United States. For up-to-the-minute departure and arrival information, airport maps and details on shopping, dining, cultural exhibitions, ground transportation and more, visit http://www.flysfo.com. Follow us on http://www.twitter.com/flysfo and http://www.facebook.com/flysfo.

United Airlines is the preferred airline of the San Francisco Travel Association.

Note to editors:


Own Your Power by Jayson Waller "My goal is to inspire as many people as I can to take control of their lives  thats how I can give back, said Jayson Waller, POWERHOME SOLAR CEO and Own Your Power author.

Serial entrepreneur, TV personality and top-performing podcast host Jayson Wallers new book, Own Your Power: No Excuses. No Bullsh*t. Your Time Is Now has reached multiple No. 1 rankings on Amazons bestseller lists and also has been named to bestseller lists for the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. It is a culmination of lessons Waller has learned over more than 15 years of entrepreneurship in the home security and solar industries. Waller has become a multimillionaire without a college education or generational wealth, having bootstrapped his way to the top. The hardcover edition releases early 2022.

Waller pivoted to solar in 2014 after seeing another home security entrepreneur make a similar change. Wallers current company, POWERHOME SOLAR, is one of the nations top installers of solar and energy-efficiency products, having been named to the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies four times in the last five years. The company has hired nearly 1,500 people since 2020 and is on track to become a billion-dollar business. His book includes eight chapters, each one ending with a challenge that readers can take in applying Wallers lessons to their own lives.

When I was named an EY Entrepreneur of the Year Southeast Award winner in 2019, I was encouraged to start a podcast or write a book because my story was so unique, Waller said. Its impossible for me to choose one thing over the other, and in writing this book, I now can say Ive done both. My goal is to inspire as many people as I can to take control of their lives  thats how I can give back.

Wallers influence has grown with each touch of media. His podcast, True Underdog, has been ranked as a Top 3 Apple entrepreneurship podcast and has achieved more than 1.5 million downloads since launching early in 2020. He is also a judge on David Meltzers pitch show 2 Minute Drill, airing on Bloomberg TV and Amazon Prime Video, and a guest on Meltzers new late-night business talk show Office Hours, airing on the same networks.

About Jayson Waller

Jayson Waller, an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 Southeast Award winner, is a true champion of industry, having successfully launched and sold two home security companies. His current endeavor, POWERHOME SOLAR, launched in 2014 with just 15 employees, now employs more than 2,200, has expanded to 15 states and is tracking to becoming a billion-dollar business. Hes done all of it without a college degree. In addition to his EY honor, Waller has received numerous other awards, most recently having been named a member of the Detroit 500 list of the most powerful executives in southeast Michigan, and hes also has been named to the Charlotte Business Journals 2020 list of Most Admired CEOs. Under his guidance, POWERHOME SOLAR has been ranked on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America four times in the last five years. Waller is a judge on the Bloomberg TV business pitch show 2 Minute Drill, and he is also a routine guest on the late-night entrepreneurial talk show Office Hours which airs on the same network. His podcast True Underdog has reached acclaim as a Top 3-ranked podcast in Apples entrepreneurial category. Learn more about Jayson on his personal website https://jaysonwaller.com or contact him at jwaller@powerhome.com.


Preserving people, property, and possessions around the globe, 24/7

The K Street Group is incredibly delighted to announce the recent global embarkment of its Director of K9 Operations, Justin Nielsen. Nielsens 10 day travel to Israel is in support of the law enforcement community, both here in the United States, as well as around the world.

Prior to his transition into the private security sector, Nielsen served an honorable seven years in the United States Army as an infantryman. However, his selfless duties did not end there, as he remains an active member of a police department in Northern New Jersey. Nielsens admirable commitment to protecting and serving others made him the perfect representative for this trip.

His journey across the world coincides with the annual Police Unity Tour. This yearly four-day bicycle ride from New Jersey to Washington, DCs National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial raises public awareness about law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty, ensuring their sacrifices are never forgotten.

A ride that began in 1997 in Florham Park, New Jersey with 18 riders has since expanded, inspiring participation from nearly a dozen chapters and 2,600 members nationwide, including riders, motorcycles, and support personnel. Beyond the states, commitment to those in uniform who made the ultimate sacrifice is found in Israel, where its police force hosts a similar ride.

Nielsens stay in Israel, living at the police barracks, provides him an invaluable learning experience of anothers country law enforcement system. Acquiring first-hand knowledge from the forces members and working closely with men and women in uniform, Nielsens international travel experience is what the K Street Group is all about  that is, building strong relations with law enforcement, public safety agencies, and first responder heroes on a global scale.

The K Street Group is passionate about collaborating with agencies and entities who make the world a better and safer place. Whether these lasting partnerships are formed in the Tri-State Area, or halfway around the world, K Street welcomes alliances dedicated to protecting and serving others. The K Street Group is extremely proud of Nielsen for his unwavering dedication to his craft and looks forward to his continued professional growth in this line of work, as well as the growth of K Street and its connections worldwide.
A multi-car insurance plan is a great way to save money on car insurance. However, before getting one, drivers should consider things such as the number of insured cars, the driving record of the persons who will be listed on the policy, and more, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of IMC

Compare-autoinsurance.org has launched a new blog post that presents several aspects of getting a multi-car insurance policy plan.

For more info and free car insurance quotes online, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/what-drivers-should-consider-before-getting-a-multi-car-insurance-plan/

In most US states, car insurance is mandatory. In order to drive a car, drivers are legally required to have car insurance. Each car owned by a driver needs to be insured. Furthermore, each family member who will drive the cars should be listed on the insurance policy. Each state has different laws regarding how much insurance a driver needs to have. To save money on insurance, drivers who own multiple cars take advantage of the multi-car insurance plan. A multi-car insurance plan is convenient to insure multiple cars registered to the same address on a single policy.

Before getting a multi-car insurance plan, drivers should consider the following:



Multi-car insurance plans are convenient and easy. For drivers who own multiple vehicles, putting all of the cars on one policy is much simpler and more convenient than having several different insurance policies, perhaps with different insurance companies, different payment and renewal dates, and different claims experiences. Everything is simpler. However, drivers should know that the cars on the policy have to be owned by the primary policyholderthat means they have to be on the titles of the cars. If a husband and wife each own their cars, and the husband is the only person listed on the title for his car and the wife is the only person listed on the title for her car, they each will need to get their own car insurance for their cars. However, anyone in the household who drives the cars on the policy can be listed on the policy.

How important are family milestones. Important milestones are a good time to reassess the car insurance coverage plan and check If the current car insurance provider still offers the best insurance policies for both the primary driver and his family members. When adding a new, teen driver to the policy, policyholders are advised to adjust their coverage levels. Other important milestones that can make drivers reassess their car insurance plans are marriage, getting a new car or a new home, divorce, and more.

When getting a multi-car insurance plan, policyholders will notice that their premiums will rise even if they take advantage of the multi-car insurance discount. The more cars there are to insure, the higher their premiums will be. Also, insurance companies charge bad drivers higher insurance rates. This means that the premium will be higher if one or more drivers listed on the policy have a bad driving record.

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.
In the future, transcosmos plans to provide BS YOSHIMOTO with many more services, mainly in digital ads, such as selling television advertising airtime and offering opportunities to be cast in BS YOSHIMOTOs programs.

transcosmos inc. hereby announces that the company will make capital participation in BS YOSHIMOTO Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka, Japan; President: Yutaka Inagaki)

Satellite broadcasting, commonly known as BS (Broadcasting Satellite) in Japan, is one of the most popular mass mediums, and broadcasts the same programs across the country. Today, about 45 million Japanese households view these satellite broadcasts. BS YOSHIMOTO will enter the digital satellite broadcasting market and plans to open "BS YOSHIMOTO," its own broadcasting station on March 21, 2022. BS YOSHIMOTO will create its programs under the theme of "Vitalize Local Economies." Whilst focusing on broadcasting local news programs, BS YOSHIMOTO aims to not only disseminate information but also to solve challenges each local community faces.

transcosmos has been contributing to local communities in creating job opportunities and revitalizing their economies by opening centers and offices for its diverse businesses including contact centers, digital marketing, e-commerce, and BPO throughout Japan. Now, endorsing BS YOSHIMOTO's management philosophy that aims to vitalize local economies, transcosmos has decided to invest in BS YOSHIMOTO. In partnership with BS YOSHIMOTO, transcosmos will reinforce its efforts in vitalizing local economies.

transcosmos also provides municipalities and clients across Japan with a variety of services that help promote their digital transformation (DX). Going forward, in addition to its ads services  mainly digital ads -, transcosmos plans to provide BS YOSHIMOTO with many more services such as selling television advertising airtime and offering opportunities to be cast in BS YOSHIMOTO's programs. Along with this capital participation, Norimitsu Miyazawa, Corporate Executive Officer at transcosmos, will become a director of BS YOSHIMOTO.

"We, BS YOSHIMOTO, are delighted that transcosmos will invest in our company," Yutaka Inagaki, President at BS YOSHIMOTO said. "Under the theme of vitalizing local economies, BS YOSHIMOTO will solve challenges each community faces, provide opportunities for local members to start their own business through our programs, sell local produce via e-commerce, and broadcast our programs in Japan and abroad. The partnership with transcosmos is vital for all those initiatives. We are confident that our services will meet and exceed your expectations, and we hope you look forward to our new broadcasting business in partnership with transcosmos."

"With our 67 operations bases and 42,905 employees across Japan, we, transcosmos, are helping clients achieve their DX. Our people with deep expertise are indispensable for our services, and we have been striving to create jobs in local areas and revitalizing their communities in partnership with local governments," Masataka Okuda, President & COO at transcosmos said. "Through this capital participation in BS YOSHIMOTO, a company which aspires to vitalize local economies and has powerful ability to spread information, we will double down our efforts in contributing to the revitalization of local economies more than ever before. We will do our utmost to solve our social challenges by offering our high quality services to our clients."

(About BS YOSHIMOTO Co., Ltd.)

Yoshimoto Kogyo Group has built close relationships with local governments, businesses and groups all across Japan and has been creating new businesses. In 2011, the Group launched "Project: We will live in your community," where the project members of YOSHIMOTO, such as comedians and employees, actually live in each of Japan's 47 prefectures. Since then, through various projects, the Group has been driving business designed specifically for vitalizing local economies, and with a purpose of contributing to the revitalization of local communities with the power of laughter.

By carrying out such initiatives, BS YOSHIMOTO will now open its own broadcasting station under the theme of "Vitalize Local Economies." Together with YouTubers, video directors, reporters and citizens playing their part all over Japan, Yoshimoto Kogyo Group will broadcast programs disseminating the appeal, news topics and other information specific to each region that will give clues for revitalizing and solving the challenges of each region. With the goal of "One Program, One Startup," BS YOSHIMOTO will broadcast programs via the national satellite broadcasting network, and will create new business and job opportunities that will ultimately become a new business.

*transcosmos is a trademark or registered trademark of transcosmos inc. in Japan and other countries.

*Other company names and product or service names used here are trademarks or registered trademarks of respective companies.

About transcosmos inc.

transcosmos launched its operations in 1966. Since then, we have combined superior "people" with up-to-date "technology" to enhance the competitive strength of our clients by providing them with superior and valuable services. transcosmos currently offers services that support clients' business processes focusing on both sales expansion and cost optimization through our 171 bases across 30 countries/regions with a focus on Asia, while continuously pursuing Operational Excellence. Furthermore, following the expansion of e-commerce market on the global scale, transcosmos provides a comprehensive One-Stop Global E-Commerce Services to deliver our clients' excellent products and services to consumers in 48 countries/regions around the globe. transcosmos aims to be the "Global Digital Transformation Partner" of our clients, supporting the clients' transformation by leveraging digital technology, responding to the ever-changing business environment. Visit us here https://www.trans-cosmos.co.jp/english/
Kyla Crispe, PA-C U.S. Dermatology Partners CEO Paul Singh said, We are pleased to have Ms. Crispe join us at our Weatherford, Texas, office where she will work alongside Board- Certified Dermatologist Dustin Wilkes. Her addition will help us to further extend access to care to those in the Weatherford area.

U.S. Dermatology Partners is pleased to welcome experienced Dermatology Physician Assistant Kyla Crispe to their Weatherford location

Kyla grew up in a small farming/ranching community in Colorado. She received her undergraduate degree in Physiology from the University of Wyoming. She attended Texas A&M University where she did breast cancer research and taught undergraduate anatomy, and then returned to Colorado State University to earn her Master of Science in Biomedical Science in 2012.

In May 2016, Kyla graduated with honors from the University of North Texas Health Science Center with her Master in Physician Assistant Studies. She was also inducted into Pi Alpha, the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) National Honor Society.

Kyla is certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). She is also an adjunct faculty of the University of North Texas Health Science Center, a member of the Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants, the Texas Association of Physician Assistants, and the American Association of Physician Assistants (AAPA). Kylas primary goal is to help people feel confident in their skin through medical and cosmetic dermatology.

Kyla lives in Weatherford with her husband, three children, horses, and dogs. She enjoys sharing the love of horses and rodeo with her family. She is happy to work in her home community!

U.S. Dermatology Partners Chief Executive Officer Paul Singh said, We are pleased to have Ms. Crispe join us at our Weatherford, Texas, office where she will work alongside Board- Certified Dermatologist Dustin Wilkes. Her addition will help us to further extend access to care to those in the Weatherford area.

Kyla will treat patients in Weatherford and is accepting new patients. To schedule an appointment, call 817-594-5880.

About U.S. Dermatology Partners

As one of the largest dermatology practices in the country, U.S. Dermatology Partners patients not only have access to general medical, surgical, and cosmetic skin treatments through its coordinated care network but also benefit from the practices strong dermatology subspecialty thought leaders and medical advisory board. To be the best partner to its patients, U.S. Dermatology Partners is fervently focused on providing the highest level of patient-first care, and its team, therefore, includes recognized national leaders in areas such as clinical research, psoriasis, and Mohs Surgery. To learn more, visit usdermatologypartners.com.
Velociteach, the leading provider of instructor-led and online project management training, has published a new white paper detailing some of its best practices for virtual delivery. Due to the company's many years of experience with virtual delivery, Velociteach was able to share advice with the training community when the pandemic forced a shift in traditional class delivery methods. Written by the companys Manager of Curriculum Development, Louis Alderman, this paper is available for download online directly through Velociteachs website.

Aldermans paper is aimed towards instructors of virtual courses, but it also has notable value for both project managers and HR professionals. He channels Velociteachs years of experience with virtual classrooms to provide insights for HR professionals to best conduct virtual courses for their team members. In addition, Alderman writes about how best to prepare for these courses to gain the maximum value from the time invested in these sessions.

Velociteach has offered virtually-delivered, instructor-led Project Management training courses since 2011 and was fully prepared for the transition to a fully-digital presentation when the COVID-19 pandemic began. This delivery method enables project managers to work towards earning their PMP or PMI-ACP certifications from the comfort of their own home, reducing impact to their traditional work schedule and eliminating travel costs. For employers,a virtually-delivered training course enables them to conveniently offer the same high-quality curriculum to multiple employees simultaneously, even when they are spread across the globe.

Velociteach is used and trusted by over 250,000 people and provides exam preparations for the PMP, as well as offering approved SHRM and HRCI credits. Companies like Adobe, FedEx, Ebay, and Verizon all utilize Velociteach to provide best-in-class training to their employees and help them bring their best to the workplace each day. More information on what to expect in a virtually-delivered class with Velociteach can be found in this informational video shared by the company.

About Velociteach: As the leading provider of Project Management training and home of the 'Manage This' podcast, Velociteach provides a variety of resources for working professionals looking to gain valuable workplace skills. Through a variety of online and instructor-led courses, people can gain knowledge that will help them earn valuable work certifications such as the PMP, CAPM, or PMI-ACP, or to maintain existing credentials with required credits. More information is available online.
We are so grateful for being voted the best as it is an affirmation of the service we provide by those we serve. Wendell O. Scott, M.D., President and Founder of WOSMD.

Multi-specialty medical expert firm Wendell O. Scott, M.D., LLC Consulting (WOSMD) is pleased to announce that it has again been voted the winner of the Best Expert Witness Provider (Medical) category in the New Jersey Law Journals 2021 annual legal vendor survey. This is the third consecutive year WOSMD has been named a winner, and as a result, places WOSMD into the Law Journals Hall of Fame.

Speaking on behalf of the associates and medical expert team at WOSMD, we are so grateful for being voted the best as it is an affirmation of the service we provide by those we serve, said Wendell O. Scott, M.D., President and Founder of WOSMD. Being named this year to the Hall of Fame is especially gratifying as it is a testament to the fact that the quality of work and the results we deliver is steadfast.

The annual listing of Best of New Jersey Law Journal winners was developed to help lawyers identify the finest legal products and service providers and to showcase their top picks annually. The several dozen Best of categories provide an opportunity for legal professionals to cast their votes for companies critical to practicing law. The category highlights businesses that stand out among their competitors in providing lawyers with the essential products and services they require to successfully compete in todays legal market.

Election into the New Jersey Law Journals Hall of Fame is accomplished by being named a winner in three of the last four years. WOSMD qualified by being named a winner each of the past three years, which is when they entered the survey: 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Wendell O. Scott, M.D. Consulting is a multi-specialty firm which provides a team of medical experts including board certified physicians and other health care providers who serve as medical experts to attorneys. WOSMD provides attorneys with detailed insight into the medical facts, strategic direction, tools and resources to present superior cases.

Dr. Scott has assisted not only attorneys, but insurance carriers, government agencies, and other entities for over 25 years. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and a Certified Independent Medical Examiner. Dr. Scott has performed medical legal reviews, Independent Medical Examinations (IMEs), and testified at deposition and in court since 1991.

About WOSMD

Located in New Providence, NJ, Wendell O. Scott, MD Consulting (WOSMD) is a practice of multi-specialty medical experts covering 50+ disciplines. With top academic credentials and extensive clinical experience, medical experts provide objective opinions in medical legal matters. For more information or to request an expert, please visit http://www.wosmd.com or call (908) 830-9980.
Feeding the appetite for more mindful consumption, the Sustainable Markets Initiatives Fashion Taskforce has launched a groundbreaking new digital ID and product passport offering. The digital passport will centralize all information for each tagged product, including where the item was made, its production and distribution facilities and overall provenance, as well as care instructions like how to wash, handle, repair, and even responsible end of (product) life advice. Designed to help consumers make eco-friendlier choices and brands facilitate more circular business models, a key feature of the initiative is that product lifecycle details can be added retroactively in real-time as relevant information becomes available. By effectively making the product itself an open and direct line to the brand, the digital passports serve as a signal of authenticity and visibility around the product lifecycle, and the care guidance and advice is aimed to encourage current and future owners to extend the life of their products and keep them in circulation at the highest value possible, for as long as possible.

QR-codes, which not too long ago were written off as a trend of yesteryear that failed to take off, have been resurging lately as the educational barrier around them has fallen away. QR-codes will provide the technological platform behind the digital ID scheme, and empower buyers to make more informed and sustainable purchase choices. The members of the Sustainable Markets Initiative Fashion Taskforce, which include representatives from Chloe, Burberry, Brunello Cucinelli, Stella McCartney, Gabriela Hearst, Giorgio Armani, Zalando and more, have all committed to adopting the digital IDs across their products with immediate effect in order to underline the importance of informing shoppers of the sustainability credentials of their products, and to facilitate circularity at scale. The groundbreaking digital tagging system is an iteration of IoT connected products company EONs CircularID global identification protocol, which is hosted by Microsoft Azure.

While it is still early days for the technology and its adoption, the hope is that consistent access to credible information about product design, manufacturing, and distribution will serve as a necessary precursor to the development and application of industry-wide sustainability standards for the fashion business, as well as facilitating more circular product lifecycles and production models. Materials science brand PANGAIA has also partnered with EON for the digital passport, and the company is on track to complete lifecycle assessments on 80% of its products by 2022. Through product digitization, fashion brands can redefine the relationship between their products and their consumers, pioneering new models for sustainable commerce and shopper education and relationship building, while taking critical steps toward realizing a greener future.

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This article originally appeared in PSFKs report, The Future of Retail 2042. For more information on emerging retail trends like circularity and sustainability tracking, purchase the report here.
I often peruse the pages of Words Without Borders to find out about exciting new writers from Latin America. Though some translators are commissioned by publishers, the majority of translators select their projects from a vast array of books in their source languageand this is absolutely the case for translators working from Spanish.

Currently, Im keen on Jose Adiaks new novel, El pais de las calles sin nombre (The Country of Nameless Streets), published by Seix Barral in May. His sixth novel tells the story of a woman whose grandmother sent her from Nicaragua to the U.S., far from the misery, the long lines for food, the bullets, far from the unremitting threat of a country intent on destroying itself, as Adiak writes.

Of course, most of the guns in this war are supplied by the U.S., and the book does an excellent job of portraying the disastrous effects of American intervention on Adiaks homeland. Five years ago, Adiak was identified by the Guadalajara International Book Fair as one of the best Latinx writers born in the 1980s, and this year he is one of Grantas best young Spanish-language novelists; hes one to watch.

Elisa Levi is another tyro to keep an eye on. Born in 1994, she has already published a collection of poetry and two novels and written a play that has been staged in Madrid. Her latest novel, Yo no se de otras cosas (I Dont Know Much Else), was published last month by Planetas Temas de Hoy imprint. Its about a country girl in Spain who looks after her severely handicapped older sister with tender love and care, yet strains against the strictures of small-town life, yearning for the freedom of the big city.

The story is presented as a monologue by this precocious young woman, who tells it with witshes full of pithy aphorismsand wry humor. Shes an everywoman whose tragic tale illuminates the hopes and dreams of a girl bound by love and tradition to serve her family.

I havent read it yet, but Im intrigued by the concept of Gabriela Wieners new book, Huaco retrato (Ancient Artifact), to be published by Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial in February 2022, in which she examines the collection of artifacts her Austrian great-grandfather assembled on his travels in Peru. We first published her work in the Words Without Borders magazine in 2015: an account of taking ayahuasca (which means rope of the dead in Quechua, because the hallucinations or visions it induces are said to connect those who imbibe it with their ancestors). Its a riveting piece, which she reads aloud in Spanish on our website, too. She also contributed an excellent essay, Three (about menages a trois), to our annual queer issue the following year; it follows in the tradition of Latin Americas finest writers while employing language that pays homage to the confessional poetics of Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, and Sharon Olds. So I cant wait to get my hands on her latest book.

These are just three of the titles that have caught my attention. This is a small sample of the riches available to an ambitious publisher who might want to mine the Spanish-language publishing catalogs for gold, which flows in rich seams that are as yet undiscovered by the majority of American publishers and, by extension, readers.

Samantha Schnee is a translator from Spanish to English and a cofounder of Words Without Borders. She lives in Houston, Tex.

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Whether she is providing a new pair of shoes to one young girl or supplying an entire community with computers, Kimber J. Nicoletti-Martinez has touched the lives of thousands of farmworkers throughout the years. It is this commitment and dedication to service on both a macro and micro level that made Nicoletti-Martinez a winner of this years national Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service by an Employee.

Presented by Multiplying Good, this national award recognizes individuals and organizations going above and beyond to serve their communities, and who have demonstrated considerable and sustainable impact through service. This award is about building community, celebrating and elevating the good, and in doing so, multiplying it  in the belief that acts of service ultimately tie everyone together.

Purdue participates in Multiplying Goods Champions program, joining various businesses and educational institutions nationwide that partner with the organization to engage in meaningful public service and celebrate their communities with Jefferson Awards. Purdue employees are nominated; then, up to six award winners are chosen and recognized annually by the University. From those six, the top Jefferson Award winner is then selected by Multiplying Good to represent Purdue at the national level, thereby competing for a national award.

Nicoletti-Martinez, as principal investigator and director of the Multicultural Efforts to end Sexual Assault (MESA), a Purdue University Extension program situated in the Department of Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication (ASEC), and Latino outreach coordinator for the National AgrAbility project and for Indiana AgrAbility, was recognized for abundant contributions to service. Those three positions as well as Nicoletti-Martinezs own personal initiatives allow her to bring resources, supplies and education to countless farming communities throughout the state.

Work with MESA and AgrAbility

Nicoletti-Martinez began her career in social work over 20 years ago and notes how it has always been her objective to engage with farmworkers and their communities. Nicoletti-Martinez said many farmworkers and their families live in or on the cusp of poverty and therefore she felt that she needed to be a part of equipping them with the necessary tools for life. It is this personal draw that sparked the idea to found MESA back in 2008.

Today, MESA works with underserved and underrepresented populations in Indiana to provide education and culturally relevant tools to prevent sexual violence, child sexual abuse and promote healthy relationships. Nicoletti-Martinez has instituted several programs looking at violence in the lives of farmworkers and has worked to alleviate this suffering. Through her work with MESA, Nicoletti-Martinez also began partnering with other farmworker advocacy programs to increase access for medical care, education, training and educating farmworker community about their rights. To date, Nicoletti-Martinez has raised over $2 million in aid to support American farmworkers and these programs.

In addition to her involvement with MESA Nicoletti-Martinez works with AgrAbility, a USDA-sponsored program that assists farmers, ranchers and other agricultural workers with disabilities. Disabilities may be physical, chronic health issues such as diabetes or arthritis as well as mental health. In this position she works to enhance the quality of life for migrant farmworkers with disabilities in Indiana and across the United States.

Nicoletti-Martinez plans to continue cementing her work with MESA and AgrAbility and building a capacity for stronger, healthier farmworker communities. She said, This is more than just philanthropy for me. It has to do with being a social change agent and looking at what I can do to make a difference, change attitudes, and improve the lives of these farmworkers.

Additional outreach initiatives

Over the years, one of the biggest projects for Nicoletti-Martinez has been the creation of the farmworker support drives. What began in 2004 as a small holiday donation drive that reached five families has since turned into a much larger program hosted under MESA. This program now provides supplies to over 5,000 individuals around the state of Indiana and donations are delivered multiple times throughout the year. Nicoletti-Martinez notes the impact this program has when describing the reaction of a young girl after her and her family received their donation bundle. This family had been specifically referred to the program by a colleague of Nicoletti-Martinez.

She said, When my colleague went to see the family after the donations were delivered, their little girl came running out of the house in her new pink outfit and was grinning ear-to-ear, pointing and saying look, look at my new outfit. It is really the small, individualized moments like these that show you how you are touching a persons life.

The structure of this program has adapted to the current times and efforts have since been moved primarily online. Currently, a gift card drive is being held as well as an open gift registry set up.

If anything became clear to me during COVID, it is how essential farmworkers are to all of us, all of our families and all of our communities. Even though they are so essential, they are often also invisible to the public. I want to be able to give them a voice and show how these are the people bringing to you the very food that is on your table. There is a level of gratitude that we should all feel and that is what I want to get through to everyone, Nicoletti-Martinez said.

Nicoletti-Martinez hopes to continue following in the footsteps of two fellow Jefferson Award winners and personal heroes, Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez, as she continues to advocate for Hoosier and American farmworkers and amplifies the importance of their work on both a micro, individual, level and a macro, communal, level.

Writer: Bella Vina, ivina@purdue.edu

Source: Kimber Nicoletti-Martinez, 765-496-3492, knicolet@purdue.edu
It looks sexy, honestly, Copper Moon Coffee Manager Mitch Monroy said of the cafes Modbar, which Monroy used to prepare a rich, aromatic Ethiopian brew.
Similar "Wanted" posters for Brandon Cutler were placed around campus last week. The flier refers to Cutler as "Associate Dean of Students and Fraternity, Sorority and Cooperative Life Victim Blamer in Chief."
Disney has announced a month-long price reduction for Disney+ and new content coming to the streaming service featuring Billie Eilish and more for Disney+ Day.

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The company will be offering Disney+ at $1.99 for one month for new and returning subscribers through Sunday. Disney+ Day, which marks the two-year anniversary of the streaming service, takes place on Friday.

Disney+ Day will see the release of new specials including The Making of Happier than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles that will be go behind-the-scenes of Eilish's cinematic concert experience.

A new installment of Marvel Assembled that will look into the making of Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings is also coming to Disney+ on Friday along with Marvel Studios: Hawkeye, which revisits the archer's most epic moments from the Marvel Cinematic Universe before his television series arrives on Nov. 24.

Other new content set for Friday includes 2007 film Enchanted starring Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey, Disney Channel original movie Spin and all episodes of children's series Fancy Nancy Season 3.

Disney previously announced that a new Simpsons short titled The Simpsons in Plusaversary!, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Jungle Cruise, Home Sweet Home Alone and more are arriving for Disney+ Day.

The official Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts for Disney+ will be giving first looks, new trailers, exclusive clips and more from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic on Friday as part of the celebration.

Disney+ subscribers can additionally enjoy benefits at Disney theme parks on Friday including character moments, photo opportunities and more.
Lisa Barlow says she "never questioned" her Real Housewives of Salt Lake City co-star Jen Shah's business practices.

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The television personality discussed Shah's legal issues during Sunday's episode of Watch What Happens Live.

Shah and her assistant Stuart Smith were arrested in March and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. According to complaints, Shah and Smith perpetrated a "business opportunity" scheme in which they sold several services, including tax preparation and web design services, that claimed to make the victims' businesses more efficient and profitable.

Shah and Smith both pleaded not guilty to the charges in April.

On WWHL, Barlow said she thought Shah's business was legitimate.

"I was under the impression that Jen did lead generation, and when you understand what lead generation is, it's actually extremely lucrative. I have other friends that are in that business, so I didn't ever think she did anything illegal and I never questioned her business or what she was doing," Barlow said.

"Honestly, it was really none of my business," she added. "I don't like people in my business -- pun intended -- so I didn't get in hers. But I never thought it was illegal."

Barlow then compared Shah and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne's legal issues. Jayne's husband, Tom Girardi, from whom she filed for divorce in November 2020, is being accused of misappropriating millions of dollars in client funds.

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"I think it's totally different than Jen's," Barlow said of Jayne's situation. "I go through a myriad of emotions of watching Erika because I've gone through so much living what we did with Jen. I wish her well in the legal system. I hope she has great lawyers and listens to them."

Sunday's RHOSLC showed police and Homeland Security officers search for Shah just as the women were about to leave for a trip to Vail, Colo. On WWHL, Barlow confirmed that some of the women initially thought the officers were strippers.
Traverse City, MI (49684)

Today

Cloudy with rain and snow. High 44F. Winds W at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 27F. Winds WNW at 15 to 25 mph.
1st, 2nd and 3rd grade students from Windham Elementary School get a surprise visit from the plow truck they named as part of the Vermont Agency of Transportation's Name a Plow program on Wednesday, 11/17/21.
In the next VSAC Shows You How webinar on Facebook on Nov. 18 from 6 to 7 p.m., Vermont Student Assistance Corp. experts will explain how to complete the state grant application, question-by-question.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Generally cloudy. High near 50F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Rain. Low 43F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
Kendra Sowers is the chairperson for the Board of Directors for the Coalition for Vermont Student Equity / CVTSE.org. Other board members include: Alison Notte, David Schoales and Rory Thibault. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Vermont News & Media.
LITCHFIELD  Deborah Van Steenbergen founded Quilts that Care  a nonprofit that works to make quilts for those undergoing cancer treatment  in 2012.

Her husband, Robert, was battling brain cancer, and the sight of patients who werent surrounded by loved ones struck a chord with them.

My husband, when he was going for radiation, he was going five days a week, said Van Steenbergen, who was living in Watertown at the time before moving to Middlebury. When you go there, you see the same exact people. There was an older gentlemen I would see. He would come in by himself ... have his treatment ... and he had to call a car service to take him home. I sat there, crying, how could you go through this alone?

In that moment, the nonprofit was born out of the the Harold Leever Regional Cancer Center in Waterbury.

It really hit home to me that I couldnt imagine doing that by myself, she said. Its hard enough as it is. Thats where it came from. Our mission is wrapping cancer patients in comfort and hope one quilt at a time. And thats exactly what we do.

Van Steenbergens husband died just a few months after the nonprofit started, but left his wife with a prediction about the nonprofit they started together.

Its the best thing in the whole world, she said about the nonprofits work. What I feel good about is that my husband was a part of this. He kept saying, I promise you Deb, this is going to be amazing, I couldnt imagine it back then. Im so proud of it. To have people believe in you and want to be a part of it. Its the best thing ever. We will continue to do what we do.

He was right, because the nonprofit and its dozens of crafty volunteers have made 4,627 quilts for cancer patients. Quilts are distributed to 15 facilities in the state, including the Connecticut Childrens Medical Center, the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven, the VA Hospital and the Charlotte Hungerford Hospital.

It was an idea of trying to bring comfort and hope to a cancer patient, Van Steenbergen said. I grew up with quilts. My mom quilted. My grandma quilted. I always got great comfort in a homemade quilt. It turns out, the recipients just love them. We get the most beautiful thank you notes about how much it means to them. Sometimes weve even gotten letters after the person has passed away from the family about how much the quilt means to them.

To continue doing that, Van Steenbergen said the nonprofit needs the support of the community. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization has again canceled its major fundraiser that had been held in October.

The fundraiser, she said, would mainly help to pay rent and utilities at their headquarters, located at 130 Scott Road in Waterbury. They already have enough fabric to last them a lifetime, she said, though they do accept donations of materials such as 100 percent cotton material or batting, sewing and quilting machines or fabric shop gift cards.

The people who have helped us in previous years, we have sent a letter out to them in hopes that they could support us, Van Steenbergen said. Last year, we did well. This year we are not doing very well. Im sure well be fine and Im so grateful for what we do have. We try to apply for local grants and things like that.

Those who are looking to join the nonprofit to make the quilts should attend one of their future meetings, which happen in Waterbury at their headquarters as well as at the Litchfield Community Center. They meet in Litchfield on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from 12:30 to 2 p.m. The next meeting there is Nov. 17.

Upcoming meetings at their Waterbury location will be held Nov. 8, 15 and 29 from 4 to 7 p.m. and on Nov. 13, 20 and 27 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The African Unions envoy for the Horn of Africa warned Monday that there is a short window of opportunity and little time to reverse the crisis in northern Ethiopia which has drastically deteriorated in recent weeks amid an escalating offensive by Tigray forces against the government.

Olusegun Obasanjo told the U.N. Security Council that after talks with Ethiopias president and prime minister, and the presidents of the Tigray and Oromo regions whose forces are fighting government troops, he can say that they all agree individually that the differences between them are political and require political solution through dialogue.

The former Nigerian president, who briefed the U.N.s most powerful body from Ethiopias capital Addis Ababa, said he will visit Tigrays neighboring Amhara and Afar regions on Tuesday to harmonize the views of leaders in the area on the withdrawal of the troops from regions that are not theirs, and also in maintaining humanitarian access.

Before the end of this week, Obasanjo said, we hope to have a program in hand that will indicate how we can get the humanitarian and the withdrawal of troops all together to meet the ... immediate demand of the stakeholders on both sides of the conflict.

Obasanjo and U.S. envoy Jeffrey Feltman have been holding urgent talks in search of a cease-fire in the year-old war that has killed thousands.

Feltman returned to Ethiopia from Kenya on Monday and U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price also said we believe there is a small window of opening to work with Obasanjo to further joint efforts to peacefully resolve the conflict.

He said Feltman will meet the AU high representative Tuesday night in Addis Ababa, and reiterated American concerns about the risk of inter-communal violence.

Months of political tensions between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmeds government and the Tigray leaders who once dominated Ethiopias government exploded into war last November. Following some of the fiercest fighting of the conflict, Ethiopian soldiers fled the Tigray capital, Mekele, in June. Facing the current offensive by Tigray forces who are approaching Addis Ababa to press Ahmed to step aside, the prime minister declared a national state of emergency with sweeping detention powers last Tuesday.

The Tigray forces are also pressuring Ethiopias government to lift a deadly months-long blockade on their region of around 6 million people, where basic services have been cut off and humanitarian food and medical aid are denied.

No aid trucks have reached Mekele since Oct. 18 amid continued airstrikes, and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last month that at least 5.2 million people in the region need humanitarian assistance including at least 400,000 living in famine-like conditions. Child malnutrition levels are now at the same level as they were at the start of the 2011 famine in Somalia.

Obasanjo called on the Security Council to strongly urge the Ethiopian government and the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front to engage in political dialogue without any preconditions and to call for an immediate cease-fire, unhindered humanitarian access, and an immediate start to an all-inclusive nationwide dialogue and reconciliation.

U.N. political chief Rosemary DiCarlo, who also briefed the U.N.s most powerful body, said the conflict in Tigray has reached disastrous proportions and the fighting places the future of the country and its people, as well as the stability of the wider Horn of Africa region, in grave uncertainty.

In addition to Tigrayan forces advancing south toward the capital Addis Ababa, in coordination with the Oromo Liberation Army, she said insecurity in the Oromia region continues to worsen and the situation in parts of the Benishangul-Gumuz region remains tense.

In a country of over 110 million people, over 90 different ethnic groups and 80 languages, no one can predict what continued fighting and insecurity will bring, DiCarlo said. But let me clear: What is certain is that the risk of Ethiopia descending into widening civil war is only too real."

That would bring about a humanitarian catastrophe and consume the future of such an important country, DiCarlo warned.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield denied that the U.S. is supporting one side in the conflict, saying we condemn all violence by Ethiopian and Eritrean forces and by Tigrayan forces and their supporters.

The unity and integrity of the Ethiopian state faces an existential threat from within. And millions of innocent civilians are at risk as the conflict expands and warring parties advance toward Addis Ababa, she warned.

This war between angry, belligerent men  victimizing women and children  must stop," Thomas-Greenfield said, I urge all parties  all parties  in the strongest possible terms, to back away from the brink and lead their people toward peace,"

___

Matthew Lee contributed to this report from Washington
BERLIN (AP)  Germanys Social Democrats, the countrys main center-left party, is set to make the manager of its successful election campaign one of its leaders. The move comes amid ongoing coalition talks to anoint party candidate Olaf Scholz as the successor to outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Top party officials proposed on Monday that general secretary Lars Klingbeil replace 69 year-old Norbert Walter-Borjans who announced that he wont be seeking re-election as co-leader when his term expires next month.

The Social Democrats have been led by the left-leaning duo of Walter-Borjans and Saskia Esken since 2019 when they defeated a rival team that included Scholz, a pragmatic centrist who was nominated last year to run for chancellor.

A party congress in December will have the final say on the leadership.

Klingbeil, 43, is a more centrist figure who has been credited with helping to keep the often-fractious Social Democrats united in the run-up to the election. As the party official responsible for day-to-day political strategy, he managed a campaign that focused squarely on Scholz, the vice chancellor and finance minister in Merkel's government.

Scholz's relative popularity helped the Social Democrats to a narrow election win over Merkel's center-right Union bloc in September. The party is currently negotiating to form a new governing coalition with the environmentalist Greens and the business-friendly Free Democrats.

The parties hope that the new government can take office in the week beginning Dec. 6, though the Greens have raised questions over that timetable in recent days. The Social Democrats' leaders were more optimistic.

Walter-Borjans said reports of friction among three very different parties were normal, but that talks were progressing well.

I think that ... we are not just on the right track and it will end successfully, but we still have every chance to do it in the tight schedule we set, he told reporters in Berlin.



Follow APs coverage of Germanys transition to a new government at https://apnews.com/hub/germany-election
WASHINGTON (AP)  Further expanding its probe, the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection has issued subpoenas to six additional associates of former President Donald Trump who were closely involved in his efforts to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election.

The committee's chairman, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, said in a statement Monday that the panel is demanding testimony and documents from former Trump campaign officials and others who participated in a war room ahead of the siege and strategized about how to halt the certification of Joe Bidens victory.

Thompson said the committee had issued new subpoenas to Bill Stepien, manager of Trumps 2020 reelection campaign; Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the campaign; Angela McCallum, national executive assistant to the campaign; John Eastman, a lawyer who advised the former president; Michael Flynn, a former national security adviser to Trump who talked with Trump ahead of the insurrection; and Bernard Kerik, who the committee says paid for hotel rooms that served as command centers ahead of Jan. 6.

In the days before the January 6th attack, the former presidents closest allies and advisers drove a campaign of misinformation about the election and planned ways to stop the count of Electoral College votes," Thompson said. "The Select Committee needs to know every detail about their efforts to overturn the election, including who they were talking to in the White House and in Congress, what connections they had with rallies that escalated into a riot, and who paid for it all."

The subpoenas come after the panel has already demanded documents and testimony from several other Trump advisers  some who have cooperated and some who have not. The House voted last month to hold longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon in contempt after he refused to comply with his subpoena. Trump himself is fighting the probe in court.

The rioters who violently pushed back police to break into the Capitol and interrupt the electoral count repeated Trump's false claims of widespread fraud, and the committee says the six newly subpoenaed witnesses helped amplify the misinformation in the days ahead of the attack. Trump's false claims came as election officials and courts across the country verified Biden's win, and as his own attorney general said there was no evidence of significant fraud.

Thompson says in the letters to the Trump associates that the panel has uncovered credible evidence of their participation in the former president's efforts to overturn the election and cites ways that they individually tried to further his cause.

In Stepien's subpoena, Thompson cites the testimony of an unnamed witness in saying he oversaw the conversion of Trump's presidential campaign to a Stop the Steal effort. In letters to Miller and McCallum, Thompson cites specific efforts to spread the false claims, including a phone call from McCallum to an unidentified Michigan state legislator asking if the Trump campaign could count on them and urging the person to push for the appointment of new state electors.

Thompson detailed several efforts by Eastman, a lawyer and professor, to persuade Vice President Mike Pence to try to overturn the election as he presided over the congressional certification  a power Pence did not legally have. Thompson also cites Eastman's outreach to states, including a briefing to state legislators, and his participation in the so-called war room at the Willard Hotel where he, Bannon, Kerik and others strategized ahead of the siege about how to overturn Trump's defeat.

Kerik, a former New York City police commissioner who was pardoned by Trump after serving time in prison for tax fraud and other charges, responded to his subpoena with a lengthy statement on Monday evening. He said that he was not hired to overturn the will of the people, only to look into the integrity of the process and that his focus after the election was on looking for evidence," not public relations.

As to the events of January 6th, I was not involved, he said.

The others contacted by The Associated Press did not respond to requests for comment.

In the letter to Flynn  the former national security adviser who twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and was also pardoned by Trump  Thompson cited a December Oval Office meeting with the then-president. Citing media reports, Thompson said Flynn and other participants discussed seizing voting machines, declaring a national emergency, invoking certain national security emergency powers and continuing to spread the message that the Nov. 2020 election had been tainted by widespread fraud.

The panel is working with other close Trump advisers to gain testimony, including former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and administration aides Kashyap Patel and Dan Scavino. Members of the committee said they have been engaging with those witnesses but may move to hold them in contempt, as well, if they don't comply soon.

Trump's own opposition has prompted some of his advisors, including Bannon, to say they can't speak publicly about their roles. The former president's lawsuit argues that he can assert executive privilege, or a presidential claim to keep some information private, in an effort to block the government from releasing a tranche of internal White House documents to the panel. The committee has argued that privilege doesn't apply.

President Biden has so far waived executive privilege on nearly all the documents that the committee has asked for, citing the panels need to investigate the violent attack.

In his subpoena to Eastman, Thompson sought to preemptively attack any attorney-client privilege that he may attempt to cite to avoid testifying. The letter noted that Eastman has already made extensive public comments" regarding his legal advice and direct discussions with Trump.

Former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, who aligned himself with Trumps efforts to overturn the election as other department leaders pushed back, appeared for a deposition on Friday but declined to cooperate, presenting the committee with a letter saying he would not answer questions based on Trumps assertions of privilege, including in the ongoing court case.

Thompson said afterward that he had rejected the claims of privilege and said Clark has a very short time to reconsider and cooperate.

The committee has already interviewed more than 150 people across government, social media and law enforcement, including some former Trump aides who have been cooperative. The panel has subpoenaed more than 20 witnesses total, and most of them, including several associates who helped plan the massive Stop the Steal rally the morning of the 6th, have signaled they will cooperate.

___

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.
Torrington Police / Contributed

TORRINGTON  A teen was critically wounded after being stabbed in what police described as a domestic incident on Sunday.

Shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday, officers were sent to an apartment complex on Highland Avenue for a report of a boy with a stab wound, Detective Kevin Tieman said.
Weather Alert

...BRIEF WIND GUSTS NEAR 50 MPH THROUGH MID AFTERNOON... A sharp cold front continues to move southward across the state of Minnesota and Wisconsin. Gusty winds have continued to gust behind the front and will continue for the next few hours, lasting until early to mid afternoon. These gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.
Priyanka Chopra is seemingly wearing her travelling shoes as the actor has been moving from country to country in the past few months. After shooting for Citadel in Spain, having dinner with friends in Rome and celebrating Diwali at her Los Angeles home, the Quantico star is now spending some time in Dubai. The actor recently shared how she was delighted to be in Dubai.

Priyanka Chopra recently took to her Instagram stories to share a video of Dubai's skyline. The video had buildings lit up all over Dubai with a glimpse of the world's highest skyscraper Burj Khalifa. The actor added the song One Night in Dubai by Arash. Sharing the video, Priyanka wrote, "So happy to be back (red heart)." However, the actor did not reveal why she was visiting the city.

Priyanka's Diwali celebration in the US

For the past few days, Priyanka Chopra was celebrating Diwali, from pre to post festive bashes. The actor began celebrating the Festival of Lights with a pre-Diwali party hosted by Mindy Kaling. Priyanka wore a silver Lehenga to the party with a heavy necklace. Sharing a few snaps from the evening, the actor thanked the host and wrote, "Love, laughter and a room full of badass desi boss ladies. Thank you @mindykaling, @deepica + @meena for a lovely pre-Diwali celebration."

On the occasion of Diwali, Priyanka Chopra performed Pooja for Goddess Lakshmi with her husband, Nick Jonas, at her LA home. The actor also threw a Diwali party with Nick Jonas and invited several Hollywood stars. Sharing a series of photos from the evening, the Citadel star mentioned it was her first Diwali at her LA home. She wrote, "Our first diwali in our first home together. This one will always be special. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make this evening so special. Youre my angels. To everyone who honoured our home and my culture by not only dressing the part but dancing the night away, you made me feel like I was back home. And to the best husband and partner @nickjonas, you are what dreams are made of. I love you. My heart is so grateful and full."

Priyanka Chopra's upcoming projects

Priyanka Chopra is a busy actor with several projects in her pipeline. The actor will soon star in the spy thriller series Citadel, alongside Richard Madden. She will also be featured in The Matrix: Resurrection and Text For You. After The White Tiger, the actor will star in another Bollywood film Jee Le Zaraa.

Image: Instagram/@priyankachopra
After the report of Mediapart brought in new twists and turns in the years-long controversy surrounding the procurement of the Rafale multi-role fighter by India, the French media house's journalist Yann Philippin in an exclusive conversation with Republic on Monday highlighted the two big revelations made in the report. Yann Philipin outlined that a middleman - Sushen Gupta - allegedly received commissions to the tune of 7.5 million euro for the deal between India and France. The commissions, the Mediapart journalist alleged, were made by aircraft manufacturer Dassault, the proof of the which was present with CBI.

'Middleman was paid at least 7.5 mn euros, CBI had proof': Mediapart journalist

"The first revelation is- while investigating the contract between India and France for the Rafale, the CBI investigated a middleman- Sushen Gupta- who received commission on this contract. The CBI discovered that Sushen Gupta received kickbacks through his Mauritius-based company Interstellar Technologies. The CBI, on this discovery, asked the Mauritius authorities for documents of the company and when they received these documents, the CBI authorities discovered that Sushen Gupta received kickbacks through his company Interstellar Technologies from French aircraft manufacturer Dassault through allegedly fake invoices. He received 7.5 million euros from the Dassault between 2007 and 2012," Yann Philippin said.

Moving on to the second revelation, the Mediapart journalist said, "The CBI received these documents from Mauritius on October 11, 2018, and just one week before that there had been corruption complaints filed through the CBI about alleged corruption on Rafale deal." He added, "The CBI had these two elements- the complaints as well as the documents from Mauritius, and still, they did not open an investigation immediately and decided to bury the case."

'Not a case of one political party': Mediapart journalist

Yann Philippin, during the exclusive conversation, also pointed out that it was a 'highly political case, but not the case of a single political party'. "We published several documents, and what I want to say is that there are problematic facts," the Mediapart journalist added, outlining that the deal was entered into in the UPA regime, but was actually concluded in the regime of the NDA. Both, the NDA and the UPA government had problems."

The Rafale deal controversy

Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Rahul Gandhi had raised questions on the Rafale deal in Parliament on why only 36 aircraft were being acquired when 126 were needed. On the pricing of the Rafale jets, he had asked why it was changed from Rs 526 crore each to Rs 1600 crore each and questioned choosing Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence for the joint venture with Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL) over HAL. These allegations were denied by then-Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, affirming that no government approvals were required for the joint venture between two private companies. Moreover, the Supreme Court dismissed all the petitions seeking a probe into the alleged irregularities in the deal and gave a clean chit to the Union government on the deal. Late Former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had also dismissed the UPA's 126-jet deal being tenable when India chose to go in for 36 jets in a flyaway condition.

Dassault paid 14.6 Mn to intermediary Sushen Gupta over the period 2004-2013 to sell Rafale.



So UPA was collecting kickbacks but couldnt close the deal? NDA later scrapped it and got into a contract with the French Govt, which upset Rahul Gandhi no end.https://t.co/TlFPrbNgHs  Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) November 8, 2021

The BJP has hit out at the Congress over the matter, with Amit Malviya imputing motive to Rahul Gandhi making the 'Rafale scam' his biggest poll-plank before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, which didn't go well for the Congress party and its former president who was himself beaten in the party's bastion Amethi and is now a Lok Sabha MP from Kerala's Wayanad.
In a big development, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday lodged a strong protest over the unprovoked and murderous firing at Indian fishermen by Pakistan, in which one fisherman died and another was injured. According to sources, a senior diplomat from the High Commission of Pakistan was summoned by MEA today and a strong protest was lodged on the incident.

Two Indian boats- 'Jalpari' and 'Padma' were targeted in an attack that took place off the coast of Okha in Devbhoomi Dwarka district of Gujarat on November 6. While Padma, with 6 fishermen onboard, managed to return safely, Jalpari, with 8 fishermen returned with one dead and another injured. It is believed that the remaining six fishermen from the Indian fishing boat Jalpari have been captured by the Pakistani Maritime forces.

The Government of India condemned this deplorable action by The Pakistan Maritime Security, which opened fire fired at the Indian fishing boat, saying that it was in contravention to all established international practices and bilateral understandings. It was reiterated that the authorities in Pakistan consider the issue of fishermen as a humanitarian and livelihood matter. The government of Pakistan was also called upon to conduct an inquiry into the incident and to instruct its forces to refrain from such acts of unprovoked firing.

Pakistan attacks Indian fishermen

On Sunday, Republic TV had gained exclusive information that there were 5 people each in two boats which opened fire on the boat called 'Jalpari' along the coast of Okha in Devbhoomi Dwarka district of Gujarat. As per sources, the Pakistan security forces gheraoed the Indian fishing boat Jalpari and started firing. The unknown persons fired for about 40 mins till the crew members of Jalpari were able to escape from the shooting range. The attackers also tried to cross the IMBL (international maritime boundary line) while shooting at the Indian boat.

The Navibandar police in Porbandar have now registered the FIR against the individuals involved in the attack. The charges have been pressed against 10 unknown persons, who were present in the two boats of Pakistan forces that opened fire at the Indian fishermen. Sections of IPC - 302, 307, 114, 25 (1) A, 37 have been levied against 10 unknown persons in the case.
In a key development, Jammu & Kashmir Police asked the Home Department for granting prosecution sanction against 9 persons under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. This includes a Hurriyat leader- Mohammad Akbar Bhat of the Salvation Front and an advocate. This case pertains to MBBS seats in Pakistan being sold to aspirants from Kashmir which otherwise costs up to Rs.12 lakh each. As per sources, this is a plot of ISI to incentivize the family members of terrorists killed by security forces in J&K.

Sources revealed that this money was put into channels that ended up in supporting programmes and projects pertaining to terrorism and separatism like payment for organising stone-pelting. The nexus between Pakistan, the Hurriyat and students was red-flagged by the NIA in 2017 during the investigation of a terror funding module. Earlier, 4 persons were arrested by the J&K Police in connection with the case. Earlier, sources had hinted that both factions of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) might be banned under Section 3(1) of the UAPA for conniving with terror outfits and waging war with India as part of a criminal conspiracy.

Crackdown on the Hurriyat

Founded on July 31, 1993, the conglomerate of 26 outfits including the Jamaat-e-Islami, Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front and Dukhtaran-e-Millat has spearheaded the separatist movement in J&K for over two decades. Perceived as an extension of the alliance which unsuccessfully contested in the 1987 Assembly polls, its clout has reduced in the last few years. The separatist conglomerate split into two factions in 2005- the moderate group led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and the hardline faction headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

So far, several individuals associated with separatism including those from the Hurriyat have been arrested in a terror funding case. These include Geelani's son-in-law Altaf Ahmed Shah, his close aide Ayaz Akbar, businessman Zahoor Ahmed Watali; Geelanis close aide Ayaz Akbar, Peer Saifullah, Mehrajuddin Kalwal, Nayeem Khan, Farooq Ahmed Dar, JKLF chief Yasin Malik and DeM head Asiya Andrabi. In February 2019, the Ministry of Home Affairs designated Jamaat-e-Islami, Kashmir as an "unlawful association" and banned it for 5 years under the UAPA.

The central agency alleged that the members of JeI have been collecting funds in the name of charity and welfare activities but using them to further violent and secessionist activities. It added that these funds are being channelised to terror outfits and accused JeI of recruiting youth in the Union Territory to participate in secessionist activities. After Geelani's death, the APHC elected Masarat Alam and Shabir Shah as its chairman and vice-chairman respectively.
The NSA-level Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan will see the participation of eight countries that will hold talks to bring a consensus on Afghanistan. Sources on the NSA-level Delhi dialogue told ANI that discussions on terrorism in Afghanistan and across the border; radicalisation and extremism, will be held during the meeting. Central Asian countries have also expressed their concern over drug production, trafficking and the threat emanating from military weapons left behind in Afghanistan, which will also be on the agenda.



With the attendance of Russia, Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, this is the highest participation in this format of talks. The aim of the talks is to send a 'loud and clear' message to Kabul and assert that whosoever rules Afghanistan needs to represent the will of the people.

"None of the eight countries (including India) recognize or legitimize Taliban government. India also doesn't recognize it, which is why it has not invited Afghanistan to the dialogue," the sources said.

Eight nations who are stakeholders in the region will take part in NSA level talks, with the exclusion of Pakistan and China, on November 10. The high participation in the dialogue is proof of India's acceptance as key to the Afghan process. It is expected that the countries will issue a joint statement after the NSA-level talks.

Schedule for the delegates

A Plenary will be held on Wednesday morning following which all visiting NSAs will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday afternoon and will hold bilateral talks with India's NSA Ajit Doval who will chair the high-level participation. A formal dinner will also be hosted by NSA Doval on Wednesday evening.

It is also expected that the Kazakhstan delegation will travel to Golden Temple, Amritsar, the Uzbekistan delegation to Agra and the Tajikistan delegation will visit some historical sites in Delhi on the sidelines of the meet. Translation arrangements have been made in Russian and Persian for the meetings.

NSAs of 7 countries confirmed participation in 'Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan' on 10 November 2021. Countries include Iran, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazhakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Participating NSAs will also jointly call on PM Modi: Sources  ANI (@ANI) November 8, 2021

Pakistan's role to be discussed: Sources

Furthermore, Republic TV has learnt that the 'unspoken consensus' is that Pakistan is the source of problems in Afghanistan. There is a consensus on the 'credibility gap' in Pakistan's words and actions. Its decision to skip the NSA-level meeting organised by India had established its position on the Taliban takeover. The country had been invited for the high-level meeting in spite of reports establishing its open collusion with the Taliban which caused significant damage to resistance forces in Panjshir. In the aftermath of the fall, Imran Khan's government had made repeated appeals to the international community to recognise the legitimacy of the Taliban-led government.

Meanwhile, China has said that it is unable to attend the meeting due to a scheduling issue. Sources on NSA level dialogue on Afghanistan have told ANI that China is open for dialogue with India on Afghanistan 'multilaterally and bilaterally'.

China said unable to attend due to scheduling issue. Open for dialogue with India on Afghanistan multilaterally and bilaterally: Sources on NSA level dialogue on Afghanistan  ANI (@ANI) November 8, 2021

(With Agency Inputs)
Delhi Security Dialogue on Afghanistan, to be hosted by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in New Delhi on Wednesday, November 10, would delineate the contours of a comprehensive security architecture on Afghanistan, as also send across a strong message to Taliban on an inclusive and representative government in Kabul. Hosted by India, the largest ever gathering of regional security chiefs would see the participation of national security advisors of eight countries  Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and India. Pakistan and China were also invited but both declined to attend for their own reasons, informed sources.

Every nation in the region has concerns about stability in Afghanistan. The dialogue intends to share those concerns, threats, and challenges, and build a consensus on dealing with them. It is clear that Kabul would hear as to what are the expectations of the world community, informed sources involved in the process. Taliban are not invited as they are not recognized by any participating nation as the legitimate government in Kabul. The focus is going to be on security, humanitarian aid, difficulties being faced by common Afghans, drugs, terrorism, weapons supplies, and the threat of the spread of a certain radical ideology that has got everyone concerned. If you look at all the central Asian states, they are historically moderate societies. They all have concerns about the demonstration effect of developments in Afghanistan on their own soil. Memories of the earlier stint of the Taliban from the 1990s are not forgotten. Everyone is worried and they thought a consensus needs to be built on how to deal with those concerns.

The format was initiated by Iran, which hosted the 2018 and 2019 editions. The NSA talks did not take place last year due to the raging pandemic. While the last two editions saw the participation of five and seven nations respectively, eight NSAs travelling to New Delhi underscores Indias acceptance as a key player when it comes to managing regional fallout of the developments in Afghanistan over the last few months, informed sources.

Both in 2018 and 2019, Pakistan insisted that India not be part of the process, and abstained on Iran not agreeing to the demand. Its unfortunate that they have decided to not be part of the effort again. Sources informed that there was an unspoken consensus that Pakistan is the source of many problems in Afghanistan, and there is a credibility gap between its words and actions. China has responded by claiming that they have scheduling issues given the communist party central committee session coinciding, to give it a miss, though it participated in the two earlier editions.

NSAs represent the very top of the security establishments of all participating nations, and that in itself shows the importance being attached to the Delhi dialogue on Afghanistan. It was only in August that NSAs of two Central Asian states had travelled to Delhi to have a dialogue on Afghanistan. This was followed by the Russian NSA in September, who travelled for full delegation-level talks specifically on Afghanistan. Apart from this, NSA Doval has participated in BRICS and SCO talks in which the security fallout of Afghanistan was discussed in detail. There is already a lot of information and intelligence sharing that is happening among participating nations. This underscores how deeply involved India has been when it comes to Afghanistan developments, said a source.

The NSAs will start arriving Tuesday morning, and the plenary happens Wednesday. There would be a joint statement on the deliberations, following which the NSAs would collectively call on the Prime Minister. Doval would be hosting a formal dinner in honour of the participating NSAs at his official residence in the evening, apart from holding bilateral meetings with each of them through Tuesday and Wednesday.

Details of Participating Countries-

1. Iran

H. E. Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani Secretary, Supreme National Security Council

2. Kazakhstan

H.E. Mr. Karim Massimov, Chairman of National Security Committee

3. Kyrgyzstan

H.E. Mr. Marat Mukanovich Imankulov, Secretary of the Security Council of Kyrgyz Republic

4. Russia

H.E. Mr. Nikolai P. Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation

5. Tajikistan

H.E. Mr. Nasrullo Rahmatjon Mahmudzoda, Secretary, Security Council of Tajikistan

6. Turkmenistan

H.E. Mr. Charymyrat Kakalyyevvich Amavov, Deputy Chairman of Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan on Security & Secretary, State Security Council

7. Uzbekistan

H.E. Mr. Victor Makhmudov, Secretary of the Security Council under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan
NCB SIT Visits Cordelia Cruise With Wankhede; Inspects CCTVs, Records Witness Statements

With the Central NCB team taking over the Mumbai cruise drug bust, the SIT team visited the Cordelia cruise ship on which an alleged rave party was held on October 2. As per sources, the 15-member SIT team headed by Sanjay Singh visited the Cordelia Cruise ship docked at Mumbai International Cruise Terminal on Saturday, accompanied by NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede and other officials. The team the CCTV cameras installed on the ship and recorded statements of 4-5 witnesses. Eight people along with Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan were arrested on October 2 by NCB - all have now been granted bail.

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Maharashtra: PM Modi To Lay Foundation Stone For Construction Of 4-lane Highway In Pandharpur

Paving the way for the smooth movement of devotees in Pandharpur, on 8 November Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for four landing of five sections of Shri Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi Marg (NH-965G) in Maharashtra. Via a virtual event scheduled for 15:30 hours, PM Modi will inaugurate the construction of dedicated walkways for 'Palkhi' on either side of adjoining highways by facilitating hassle-free and safe passage to devotees and pilgrims.

Read more hhttps://www.republicworld.com/india-news/general-news/pm-modi-to-lay-foundation-stone-for-construction-of-4-lane-highway-in-pandharpur.htmlere

Talibani Islamic Emirate Hosts Imran Government For Talks With Terror Group TTP: Reports

The Islamic Emirate has now hinted that it played host to mediation talks between the Tahrik Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamabad. When asked about the same, Kabul said that it would support any process where it could be influential. The spokesman confirmed the stance of the Islamic Emirate in the matter and said that it would act to resolve important problems. Earlier, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that Islamabad was in negotiations with the TTP.

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Twitter Users Vote 'Yes' To Elon Musk's Proposal To Sell 10% Stake In Tesla To Pay Tax

Elon Musk should sell about 10% of his stock in Tesla, according to nearly 58% of people who voted on his Twitter poll asking users whether he should offload the stake. More than 3.5 million Twitter users voted in the poll, launched by Musk on Saturday, with a majority voting in favour of the share sale. Musk had promised to abide by the result. Now, the Twitter poll could see him dispose of nearly $21 billion of stock in the electric carmaker.

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Chhattisgarh: 4 CRPF Personnel Killed, 13 Injured After Jawan Opens Fire At Camp In Sukma

A shocking incident has come to light from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) 50 Battalion Camp in Chhattisgarh's Sukma after a soldier opened fire on his own comrades during the early hours of Monday. At least four soldiers were killed and thirteen were injured in the case of fratricide. The injured jawans have been admitted to the Bhadrachalam area hospital for treatment, out of which one of the soldiers is in critical condition. The accused jawan has been taken into custody.

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Sacrilege Case: Punjab Police SIT To Question Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim

The four-member special investigation team (SIT) of the Punjab Police led by Inspector General SPS Parmar left for the Sunaria jail in Haryana's Rohtak on Monday, November 8, to question Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in connection with a 2015 sacrilege case. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh who is lodged in the Sunaria jail since his conviction in 2017 for raping two of his disciples will be questioned by the SIT. He was named as an accused in the theft of a "bir" (copy) of the holy book of Sikhs, Guru Granth Sahib, from a Burj Jawahar Singh Wala gurdwara.

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Chennai Weather: IMD Sounds Red Alert Amid Heavy Rainfall, Check Forecast For Next 24 Hrs

During the next 24 hours, heavy to very heavy spells are possible for over coastal Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu coast. According to IMD, heavy rainfall is expected in coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu from November 9 to November 11 due to the northeast monsoon. While Coimbatore is likely to experience a generally cloudy sky with heavy rain. In Chennai, following heavy rainfall, waterlogging was observed in parts of Chennai, further affecting normal life.

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Maharashtra Bags Climate Action Award At COP 26; Thackeray Jr Dedicates It To Citizens

In a major victory for Maharashtra, the state was conferred the award for Inspiring Regional Leadership in Under2 Coalition for Climate Action at the COP 26 Climate summit. Receiving the award was Maharashtra Environment Minister - Aaditya Thackeray, who dedicated it to the citizens of Maharashtra & the climate action ambitions of India. Apart from Maharashtra, British Columbia (Canada) and Quebec (Canada) won awards under the Creative Climate Solutions category and Climate Partnerships category.

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Bihar Police Recovers 4 Pistols & 8 Cartridges From Madrasa; Maulana Claims 'conspiracy'

In Bihar's Banka region, the police on Saturday raided a Madrasa. After receiving a tip-off, the police conducted the raid and recovered a cache of weapons, including four pistols and eight cartridges. However, no arrest has been made in the matter so far. In this regard, Banka's Superintendent of Police has said, "No arrest will take place until a thorough investigation is conducted in the matter because the arms were recovered not from the Madrasa but a cottage outside the Madrasa, and that too not from the room or luggage of anyone in particular."

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US Prez Biden Denounces Assassination Attempt Against Iraqi PM, Extends Support For Probe

US President Joe Biden on Sunday (local time) denounced the assassination attempt on Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhemi in Baghdad. President Biden stated in a statement, I strongly condemn the terrorist attack targeting the residence of Iraqi Prime Minister Al Kadhimi, as per a press release from the White house. He further criticised those who use violence to disrupt Iraq's democratic process.

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Yann Philippin, Mediapart journalist and author of what may just be the real Rafale scam, on Republic's Debate at 9 with Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami on Monday revealed incriminating details about a note - dated September 2012 - over which an almighty controversy has broken out. In the note, as per Yann Philippin, aerospace and defence middleman Sushen Gupta talks about 'people in power' asking for money.

The statement of Yann Philippin comes after the report of Mediapart brought in new twists and turns in the years-long controversy surrounding the procurement of the Rafale multi-role fighter by India. As per the report, Sushen Gupta allegedly received commissions to the tune of 7.5 million euros for the deal between India and France for the multi-role Rafale fighter jet. The commissions, the Mediapart journalist alleged, were made by the aircraft's manufacturer Dassault.

"His note is a document that has been obtained by the Enforcement Directorate-the Indian agency in charge of fighting money laundering. The note is in bullet points that comprise the message Sushen Gupta wanted to deliver. On the same note, there is a ticket of Sushen Gupta from Paris to New Delhi, which suggests that he had meetings with the Dassault people," said Yann Philippin.

'Sushen Gupta was active during the regime of UPA as well as NDA'

Yann Philippin said, "All that we know is Sushen Gupta is a reputed aerospace and defense intermediary, who allegedly has a lot of contacts both within the Indian political world and Indian army."

He added that they have proof of payment being made to Sushen Gupta between 2007 and 2012 under the UPA regime, and so does the CBI. Moving on to the NDA regime, the Mediapart journalist claimed that they have much more precise indication of what Sushen Gupta did in the second phase of the deal under the regime of NDA, because he was still the middleman between Dassault and India. Talking about the time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to enter into a government-to-government agreement that triggered a new negotiation, he claimed that Sushen Gupta was very active.

The author of #TheRealRafaleScam also claimed, "Sushen Gupta in 2015 also took confidential documents from Ministry of Defense regarding the position of the Indian negotiators."

#TheRealRafaleScam | Mr Gupta remained active during negotiation of inter-governmental deal, and during it he also received commission from Dassault for contract of fabrication of Rafale models: @yphilippin, Mediapart Journalist https://t.co/NWgtMkjnrK pic.twitter.com/WuEDDHtboT  Republic (@republic) November 8, 2021

CBI's role questionable'

Yann Philippin once again questioned the role of CBI. "The CBI had these two elements- the complaints as well as the documents from Mauritius that showed Sushen Gupta received kickbacks through his company Interstellar Technologies from French aircraft manufacturer Dassault through allegedly fake invoices, and still, they did not open an investigation immediately and decided to bury the case, " the Mediapart journalist said.
In the latest development, the Supreme Court has allowed stock broker Ketan Parekh to travel abroad to the United Kingdom for the medical treatment of his daughter. A bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud said, "The petitioner (Parekh) wishes to travel to the UK to attend to the medical need of his daughter." The bench noted that Parkeh had earlier also been allowed to travel abroad on several occasions. He has been granted permission on all the previous six occasions. Ketan Parekh was convicted in the Canfina Mutual Fund scam case and was also held guilty in the case related to the 1992 stocks scam, duping CFS of more than Rs 47 crores.

Ketan Parekhs role in the scams

Ketan was a chartered accountant and played a significant role in the overall scam. He was a part of Harshad Mehta's GrowMore investments which committed the high-profile scam. However, Parekh was not convicted in the 1992 scam. However, Parekh was sentenced to three years of jail time in 2018 on charges of manipulating the stock market for a different scam. Parekhs success coincided with the rise of the IT companies in the share market during the 1999-2000 era as he made a fortune in the shares of IT and telecom companies. These shares were the staple for any stock broker and were highly in demand as the tech industry was rapidly growing across the world. He had the ability to choose the stock that would arise in the near future. However, the true reason was soon out in the open.

Ketan Parekh would secure funds by borrowing from Ahmedabad-based Madhavpura Mercantile Cooperative Bank. The bank officials were also complicit in the scam and another bank that helped him with the funds was Global Trust Bank. Parekh would invite people from high positions in big companies to invest in the shares and exit the market when the shares had climbed. In order to lure institutional investors, Parekh would conduct circular trading inside his own close circle to inflate the value of the stocks and make them look more attractive. Using this method, K10 stocks like Pentafour Softwares price went from Rs 175 a share to Rs 2,700 and that of Global Telesystems rose from Rs 185 to Rs 3,100.

Image: Pioneer NEws
To resume the scientific operations of the Hubble Space Telescope, NASA scientists are now trying to isolate a hardware problem that has put the observatory into safe mode. Hubble has remained inactive for over ten days now, after being put into safe mode configuration due to the technical glitches it suffered last month. Scientists detected a loss of specific synchronization messages that the telescope's instruments use to respond to data requests and commands correctly.

To get the telescope up and running, the "Hubble team is focusing its efforts to isolate the problem on hardware that commands the instruments and is part of the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling Unit. Specifically, the team is analysing the circuitry of the Control Unit, which generates synchronization messages and passes them onto the instruments", the agency said in an official statement.

NASA is working to resolve an issue that suspended science operations on Hubble.



The team is looking at taking steps to recover the Advanced Camera for Surveys instrument from safe mode to start collecting science with that instrument next week. https://t.co/GGtwDYuIYg  Hubble (@NASAHubble) November 4, 2021

Rescuing Hubble out of safe mode

According to NASA's official statement, the plan is to identify potential workarounds for the issue and make changes in the software of the telescope, where lost messages could be checked and compensated without putting the instruments into safe mode. The agency informed that the Hubble team collected data on the issue by turning on parts of the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) instrument and determined how frequently this problem occurs. As for now, the scientists are taking steps to recover Hubbles Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) instrument from safe mode and start collecting data with it. First, the scientists will analyse the data, detect any loss of messages and then decide whether to activate the instrument or not. The team is proceeding cautiously to ensure the safety of the instruments and avoid additional stresses on Hubble's hardware.

"Over the next week, the team will continue analysing the Control Unit design diagrams and data associated with the lost messages to determine what may have caused this problem. Once the team better understands the frequency of the problem and has determined the time needed to implement possible software changes, they will discuss a plan for returning the other instruments to science operations", read the statement.

Hubble and its complications

The glitches in Hubble have become a recurring issue lately, although, the telescope cannot be blamed for the faults that it has been experiencing lately as it has officially spent 31 years in space. Earlier in June 2021, the telescope experienced issues with its payload computer which sent it into the safe mode for over a month. However, it is worth mentioning that the telescope's components are a technology of the past as they were built in the 1980s.

Image: NASA
Members of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, on Sunday welcomed the appointment of civilians to the government in Guinea, but urged the authorities to "submit a detailed timetable of activities" towards elections, to return to a "constitutional order".

This comes after the military leadership of Guinea has announced that senior international civil servant Mohamed Beavogui will serve as prime minister in a government that is transitioning the West African nation to civilian rule after last month's coup.

Speaking to reporters after the summit in Accra, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, said the leaders of the group reiterated their demand to release former president Alpha Conde, who was taken by the Guinea Armed Forces on September 5, and have decided to uphold the suspension of the country from the bloc and keep the sanctions against those involved in the coup that removed Conde from power.

During the extraordinary summit, the leaders were also discussing Mali, amid fears of political destabilization in a region that is plagued by insecurity.

The group will request the United National Security Council to provide the "necessary amendments" to the mandate of MINUSMA (the UN mission in Mali) to help the country to deal with terrorism challenges, Brou said.

The bloc was notified by Mali's government that the country would not meet the transition deadline of February 2022, when the elections were expected to take place.

Brou insisted on "the need to adhere to the transition timetable" and called on authorities "to act accordingly to ensure expeditious return to constitutional order".

In recent months, Malian Prime Minister Choguel Maiga has said before the government can plan the elections, it is necessary to hold a national conference in December in which various civil and political groups can agree on a date for elections.

Sanctions, including travel bans and a freeze on their financial assets, were imposed against the Malian transitional authorities as well as other transition institutions, individuals and their families, by the West African group.

If the situation persists, more sanctions could be applied in December, when the block will hold its next session, Brou warned.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Sudanese Commander of the Armed Forces Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan stated that he would not participate in any government following the transition period, in an interview with Al Jazeera. The remark came as anti-coup demonstrations in Khartoum and other cities continued, adding to the country's political crisis.

"We are committed to handing over power to a civilian government of national competency and we pledge to preserve the transition from any interference that can hinder it," Al-Burhan said on Sunday, reiterating his commitment to completing the democratic transition and holding elections on time.

In a coup d'etat on October 25, the Sudanese military took control of the country's administration. While the country was already governed by the Transitional Military Council, security forces led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan seized full control last month. At least 13 people have been killed and over 300 have been injured since the coup. There have also been information of numerous arrests and disappearances of civil society members, journalists, and activists, according to the country's medical committee.

'People have right to peaceful protest': Fattah al-Burhan

The military chief also stated that talks with political parties and other figures were currently underway in order to reach an agreement on the formation of a new government. In response to the violence during protests, Fattah al-Burhan stated that Sudanese soldiers did not kill demonstrators, noting that investigations into the deaths reported at anti-coup rallies had already begun.

"We are committed to not halting any political activity as long as it is peaceful and within the bounds of the constitutional declaration and the parts that have not been suspended," Fattah al-Burhan said, adding that people have the right to peaceful protest, Al Jazeera reported.

Michelle Bachelet denounces Sudanese military leaders' actions

Sudan's military detained Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and several other cabinet ministers on October 25, prompting thousands of people to take to the streets to protest the military takeover. On Friday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the actions of Sudanese military leaders in the aftermath of a coup nearly two weeks ago, calling on them to step back and allow the civilian rule to return. Michelle Bachelet, speaking at a Human Rights Council session in Sudan, condemned the military's excessive use of force and urged it to allow the country to return to the path of progress and reform. Meanwhile, representatives from the United Kingdom, Germany, and Norway led a push to appoint an expert to monitor the situation in the African country.

(With inputs from agencies)

(Image: AP)
In the latest crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, Sudans security forces on Sunday, 7 November, dispersed demonstrators and rounded up more than 100 people in the capital of Khartoum. It is to mention that the Sudanese military seized power last month and dissolved the transitional government, arresting dozens of officials and politicians. The military coup triggered a wave of demonstrations in the streets of Khartoum and elsewhere in the nation, and it also drew international criticism.

Amid the ongoing chaos, the Sudanese military on Sunday used tear gas to disperse the protesters and even arrested at least 113 people, according to AP. It is to mention that Sunday was the first of two days of nationwide strikes called by the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which vowed to continue demonstrating until a fully civilian government is established to lead the transition. While teachers and education workers protested the coup outside the Education Ministry in Khartoums district of Bahri, there were also sporadic demonstrations elsewhere in the capital city.

Aftermath of Sudan military coup

Meanwhile, the protest movement in Sudan comes as mediation efforts between the military and civilian leaders have stumbled. A military official with knowledge of the ongoing efforts told AP that mediators, including the UN envoy in Sudan, were still working to soften the stand of each side, as both sides are still stuck to their pre-conditions before engaging in meaningful, possibly direct talks. The UN chief has also separately called for a reverse coup and said, Time to go back to the legitimate constitutional arrangements.

Separately, the deposed PM Abdalla Hamdok, who is still under house arrest, has insisted on releasing government officials and politicians detained in connection with the coup. Hamdok also wants guarantees that the Sudanese army would return to the pre-coup power-sharing arrangement. The army, on the other hand, has insisted that the 25 October events did not amount to a coup and that it stepped in to correct the course of the transitional period.

In the weeks following the coup, the Sudanese military has given mixed signals. The army allowed four ministers to return to their homes under house arrest. But it also arrested three leaders from the Forces for Freedom and Change, a coalition that was born out of the 2019 protest movement, shortly after they met with UN officials in Khartoum. It is to mention that the military takeover of the country has upended the countrys weak planned transition to democratic rule, stated AP.

(With inputs from AP)
Protesters in a huge number assembled in western Sydney as part of nationwide marches against mandated COVID-19 vaccines on Sunday. As per the reports of 9News, they formed a long line along the Parramatta river's banks, holding anti-vaccine placards that said, 'No mandatory vaccine'.

There have been no arrests, according to NSW Police. On Sunday, New South Wales registered 244 new cases of COVID-19 and one fatality linked to the virus. In NSW, 93.9% of eligible residents have received one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, with the state's entire vaccination rate presently at 89.7%. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet announced on Monday that a new vaccination clinic will open in Granville, Sydney's west, on Monday. The clinic will also offer booster shots to anyone aged 18 and above.

#Australia  Protest Against Vaccine Mandates And The Fight For Freedom of Choice Is Definetly On.



Well Done To All Front Line Workers And To Everyone That showed Up In White To Support Them.

 (THE FIVE8 TAKE )#NoVaccinePassports pic.twitter.com/Mc4GPGayR4  La French ConAction.. (@LFConaction) November 7, 2021

NSW has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world

Perrottet stated that NSW has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. According to him, COVID-19 vaccination clinics have been critical in accelerating the vaccination rates, allowing them to return to normal in a safe and controlled manner. He also said that they are leading the country out of the pandemic, and this new centre will increase the number of NSW Health vaccination sites around the state as they roll out their booster programme and make the final push to reach the 95% mark, if not higher, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

In hospitals, 269 people are being treated for COVID-19, 52 are in intensive care units, and 24 are on ventilators. Dr Jeremy McAnulty from NSW that out of 52 people who are in intensive care, 41 have not been vaccinated, three have only one dosage, and eight have received all of the vaccines. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, during the most recent reporting period, a total of 70,276 tests were conducted.

Anti-vaccine protests in Melbourne and Darwin

According to 9News, anti-vaccine protests took place in Melbourne and Darwin as well. More than 1,000 people marched along Bourke Street to Parliament House in Melbourne, protesting the Victorian government's vaccine mandates and the proposed COVID-19 pandemic bill. They chanted "free Victoria," as they marched. Demonstrators also gathered in Darwin, Australia to express their displeasure with the Northern Territory's mandated COVID-19 vaccine.

IMAGE: Twitter/@LEEGOLDENS/UNSPLASH
Amid rising COVID-19 infections in China, local authorities warned the citizens of Heihe to avoid shopping online after a case of COVID-19 was reported from the regions where deadly infections are on the rise, Russian news agency Sputnik reported. According to a report by Sputnik, local authorities said that several cases of coronavirus were reported from the border areas of Russia, resulting in the gearing of guards by the Chinese authorities.

The Chinese authorities said several traces of COVID virus were detected on the packages of goods purchased by residents of Erenhot city in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous region. Subsequently, the local authorities ordered to temporarily suspend the purchase of goods from the bordering regions.

Logistics and courier companies ordered to seal their products

Apart from invoking the temporary ban, the local authorities also appealed to the citizens to avoid purchasing anything from neighbouring regions in order to keep the delivery agents safe, Sputnik reported. Further, the authorities also directed logistics and courier companies to seal up goods already received from abroad.

"Logistics and courier companies are ordered to seal up goods already received from abroad and place them in a specially designated area," Sputnik quoted a local authority as saying.

"They should report to the local epidemic prevention and control authorities. Those violating the order will be held accountable if they are responsible for coronavirus spread," added the officials.

It is worth mentioning that Heihe, a prefecture-level city of northern Heilongjiang province, located on the Russian border, invoked a strict lockdown on October 28 after its Aihui district reported one locally transmitted COVID case. It also reported three asymptomatic people who travelled from the border region. Citing health authorities, Sputnik said that the region is currently treating over 200 COVID-19 cases.

China facing global flak to control domestic COVID-19 cases

According to the report published in the Chinese government mouthpiece, The Global Times, China's Deputy Director from the National Health Commission Disease Control Bureau, Wu Liangyou, said that the country has been facing a serious threat to prevent the rebound of domestic COVID cases. Notably, the statement from Liangyou came during a press conference when the country is facing a new wave of COVID-19.

Further, he said that China would maintain stringent pandemic prevention and control measures for building a strong fence to contain the domestic resurgence. Moreover, the authorities were also directed to restrict the traffic in the area where COVID cases were reported, local media reported.

It is pertinent to mention here that since the pandemic began, Chinese authorities have been conducting mass testing, imposing lockdown and travel restrictions in the country to control the spread of COVID-19.

With inputs from ANI

Image: AP/Pixabay
Raphael Glucksmann, the head of the European Parliament (EP), who was part of a team that visited Taipei last week said that Chinese aggressiveness towards Taiwan is fuelling Europe's interest in the self-ruled island. The delegation's visit, according to Glucksmann was designed to convey a message to the world that all political forces in Europe have realised the necessity of dealing with Taiwan, according to Taiwan News. Glucksmann praised Taiwan for bringing together think tanks, NGOs and the media to respond to China's disinformation effort.

When asked how the European Union stands to benefit from its shift to more robust support for Taiwan, Glucksmann responded that standing with democracies against authoritarianism is a matter of principle as much as an issue of interest. He also stated that China's goals go beyond Taiwan and failure to act will only feed its rising ambitions.

The visit also serves as a way for Europe to thank Taiwan

Glucksmann also said that the flourishing of democracy is formidable during a meeting with Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang on Wednesday. He was quoted by Focus Taiwan as saying that the world does not comprehend how difficult and courageous it is to create a democracy while facing authoritarian regimes like Beijing. According to Glucksmann, the visit also serves as a way for Europe to thank Taiwan for donating surgical face masks during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In recent months, the number of incursions into Taiwan has increased as Beijing asserts full control over the democratic island. Taiwanese Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng stated in October that Beijing may pursue a full-scale invasion of the island by 2025. The delegation will be in Taiwan until Friday, according to the timetable. China has slammed the EU's actions, claiming that by supporting greater ties with Taiwan, the European Parliament has jeopardised China's territorial integrity.

Glucksmann assured Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen that Taipei is 'not alone'

Despite China's criticism, Glucksmann assured Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen last Thursday that Taipei is "not alone" in the battle for freedom and democracy, and that the EU stands behind her. Taiwan's experiences combatting misinformation, media, culture and education, as well as Taiwan's efforts to build its cyber-resilience, are all being discussed by the European delegation.

We came here with a simple message Ms the President @iingwen : Taiwan is not alone. Europe is standing with you in the defense of freedom, democracy and human dignity. pic.twitter.com/9yW535saUh  Raphael Glucksmann (@rglucks1) November 4, 2021

(With inputs from ANI)

(Image: Twitter/@rglucks1)
A 10-year-old boy was attacked with a knife by a 57-year-old man in a department store based in Munich, on Saturday evening. Citing news agency dpa, Associated Press said that the German police confirmed the incident and 50 officers reached the incident site. The police officers said that the incident happened at the TK Maxx department store in Munich.

According to a report by Bayerischer Rundfunk, the child was injured on his neck and shoulder. The local media said that the injured child was shifted to a nearby hospital, where his condition was said to be stable. There was no connection between the man and the child.

The police told the local media that the suspect was arrested and is being investigated for attempted homicide. Notably, this was not the first time such an incident happened in a department store. Several such incidents have been reported in Munich in the past decade.

Earlier on November 6, Saturday, a 27-year-old man stabbed four people with a knife on a German high-speed train, authorities told AP on Sunday. The authorities said that the man attacked the people randomly and showed signs of mental illness. Also, the authorities denied the motive of terrorist attacks behind the incident. Meanwhile, the suspect was arrested on the train and was taken to a psychiatric clinic.

The accused is a Syrian citizen: Authorities

"Using an 8-centimetre (3.1-inch) folding knife, the suspect first went after a 26-year-old man in the same train car, wounding him in the head. The suspect then attacked a 60-year-old man, who was wounded on his head and torso and wounded another 60-year-old man. He then fled to another train car and stabbed a 39-year-old man on his upper body," the authorities told the Associated Press.

According to Police, the accused is a Syrian citizen and landed in Germany in 2014. Subsequently, he was granted asylum and had been living in Passa. The suspect reportedly lost his job the day before the attack, said the authorities.

"As per initial probe, the accused has been suffering from mental illness, including potential paranoid schizophrenia," chief prosecutor Gerhard Neuhof told AP.

With inputs from AP

Image: AP
Footage has been released showing the damage caused to Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi's residence after it was attacked by armed drones Sunday.

An armored SUV (sport utility vehicle) appeared to have been severely damaged by the attack.

The building close to the vehicle also suffered damage with windows and doors blown out from their frames.

Troops and patrols were deployed throughout Baghdad following the failed assassination attempt.

Al-Kadhimi suffered a light cut, an aide said.

He later appeared on Iraqi television, seated behind a desk in a white shirt, looking calm and composed, with what appeared to be a bandage on his left hand.

Seven of Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimis security guards were wounded in the attack by at least two armed drones in Baghdads heavily fortified Green Zone area, according to two Iraqi officials.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to give official statements.

The sound of an explosion and heavy gunfire echoed across Baghdad from the direction of the Green Zone, which houses foreign embassies and government offices.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attack, but suspicion immediately fell on Iran-backed militias who had been publicly attacking al-Kadhimi.

They had been blamed for previous attacks on the green zone.

The attack significantly raised tensions, sparked by the refusal of Iran-backed militias to accept last months parliamentary election results.

IMAGE: AP

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The Israeli military announced on Monday, November 8, that it has agreed to allow a greater Egyptian army presence in the Rafah area of Israel's southern border. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it has signed an amendment to the Camp David Accords with Egypt's military, allowing for a strengthening of forces there.

The Israeli State Security Cabinet, led by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, approved the amendment. The Israeli Defense Forces shared the information on Twitter.

The post read, "The Joint Military Committee between the IDF and the Egyptian Armed Forces held a meeting yesterday, during which issues the two armies face were discussed. We will continue working together to ensure security along our border."

The Joint Military Committee between the IDF and the Egyptian Armed Forces held a meeting yesterday, during which issues the two armies face were discussed.



We will continue working together to ensure security along our border.  pic.twitter.com/m1dC9mBMh8  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 8, 2021

The exact number of Egyptian forces that will be added has not been disclosed yet. Rafah houses the crossing between Egypt and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Both Israel and Egypt maintain a strict blockade on the territory. According to the statement released by IDF, the agreement was reached in a meeting held in Egypt of the joint military committee.

In recent months, security cooperation between Israel and Egypt has become increasingly public. Egyptian Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel met with Israeli PM Bennett in Israel and is expected to visit again in the coming weeks, according to Israeli media.

Egypt frequently plays a mediating role between Israel and Hamas. In May, after a 11-day war between the two, Egypt helped broker an unofficial cease-fire. On September 17, 1978, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin signed the Camp David Accords. These agreements resulted in the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. It was Israel's first peace treaty with an Arab country.

Bennett rejects promised reopening of the US mission for Palestinians in Jerusalem

Earlier on November 8, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has rejected the promised reopening of the main US diplomatic mission for Palestinians in Jerusalem, claiming that such an office would take up too much space in the city. The Trump administration closed the US consulate in Jerusalem, which had served as the Palestinians' de facto embassy for many years.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has promised to reopen it, which Israel claims would jeopardise its sovereignty over the city. The reopening could aid in the repair of US-Palestinian relations, which were severed under Trump. When asked about the consulate during a press conference on Saturday, Bennett reiterated Israel's position on Jerusalem. "There's no room for another American consulate in Jerusalem," he said, according to AP. Jerusalem is regarded as Israel's eternal and undivided capital.

Image: AP
The Islamic Emirate has now hinted that it played host to mediation talks between the Tahrik Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamabad. When asked about the same, Kabul said that it would support any process where it could be influential. The spokesman confirmed the stance of the Islamic Emirate in the matter and said that it would act to resolve important problems. Earlier, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that Islamabad was in negotiations with the TTP.

Asked about reports over the Islamic Emirates mediation between TTP and Islamabad, Bilal Karimi, deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate said that it would support any process where it could be influential. The stance of the Islamic Emirate is that it will act in a role to resolve problems that are important, he said. According to reports, the acting interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani hosted talks between the two sides for the past two weeks in the south-eastern province of Khost.

Mediation talks between TTP and Islamabad backed by Islamic Emirate sympathisers

The Islamic Emirate is yet to confirm the reports of playing host for the mediation talks but said that it would play its role in such matter. Meanwhile, different views over whether the mediation of talks would be in the interest of Afghanistan or not have surfaced. According to reports by Reuters, the TTP insisted on the release of its prisoners as a precondition for a ceasefire. This was backed by Pakistan PM Imran Khan who confirmed that his administration was involved in negotiations with the TTP.

Speaking on the matter, General Wahid Taqat, a former member of the security forces slammed Islamabad and said that Pakistan was not taking the proper action. Pakistan wants to cheat on us ... It is not a proper action and Pakistan should know its limits, Gen Taqat said. However, neither the Islamic Emirate nor the Pakistani government has officially commented on the matter.

Meanwhile, political analysts in Afghanistan are looking at the move as a show of power by the Islamic Emirate. The Taliban wants to show their influence to regional countries. It means that they have the ability to solve the concerns of the groups that threaten these countries, Javid Javid, a political analyst said. The leader of the National Solidarity Movement, Sayed Ishaq Gailani also backed the move to mediate the talk between the terror group and Pakistan and said that the ongoing negotiations are an achievement for the Islamic Emirate. He called it an honour for the people of Afghanistan. TTP is an extremist group that fights against the Pakistani government. The group has been active in several parts of Pakistan since 2007.

Image: AP
There are signals that Pakistans government is moving toward peace talks with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terror group in a bid to end nearly two decades of militancy in the nation. It was recently reported that Imran Khan-led PTI government, with the help of Islamic Emirates acting interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, reached a tentative understanding with TTP, which is the "ideological twin" of the Afghan Taliban. The "direct, face-to-face" talks between the two sides being held in Afghanistan's Khost province for nearly two weeks resulted in an understanding to declare a country-wide truce, conditional to the release of some TTP foot soldiers as part of confidence-building measures, The Dawn reported.

"The truce will come into effect once the prisoners are released," the media outlets sources said on conditions of anonymity, adding that "The tentative month-long truce shall be extendable, depending on how these negotiations go forward.

Conflict between TTP and Pakistan govt

Notably, for some time now, Pakistan has been in talks with the TTP about laying down its arms and stopping violence against the nation. The TTP, on the other hand, wants to follow in the footsteps of its Afghan counterparts and establish their interpretations of Sharia - a hard-line form of Islamic governance - in Pakistan. It is pertinent to mention that the TTP, which is also known as the Pakistani Taliban, had previously stated its aim to overthrow the government in Islamabad by waging violent military campaigns against the state.

In response, the Pakistani military had launched a major operation against the militants in North Waziristan, the last bastion of the TTP, forcing them to flee into neighbouring Afghanistan. However, the militants using the sanctuary in Afghan have been launching frequent cross-border attacks, assassinations, fire-raids and bombing in different parts of the nation. The attacks have also seen an uptick in Pakistan since the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August.

According to data compiled by the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), an Islamabad-based research organisation, there has been a surge in violence in Pakistan this year and the TTP is mainly responsible. As per the data, the TTP carried out 95 attacks last year, killing 140 people, and 44 attacks in the first six months of this year. Experts say that as the Afghan Taliban made rapid progress in the war-ravaged nation and started gaining control of various provinces from July onwards, the TTP also increased their activity.

The PIPS reported that from July until September, the terror outfit carried out another 44 attacks, claiming 73 lives. Those killed in the attacks were mostly members of Pakistans law enforcement agencies. Separately, on 20 October, four Pakistani security personnel died when a roadside bomb exploded near the Afghan border. That same morning, a sepoy succumbed to TTPs gunfire at a check post in the Hangu district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Who are the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan?

The TTP was founded by Baitullah Mehsud in South Waziristan at the end of 2007. The group was formed in response to a Pakistani military operation clearing the Lal Masjid mosque in Islamabad where a radical preacher held sway. However, after the formation of TTP, the group went on a rampage against the Pakistani state, targeting both civilians and security forces. But the Pakistani army retaliated and pushed the TTP leadership to Afghanistan, where it has been based since 2015, conducting a "low-intensity" warfare against Pakistan.

The Pakistani government has sought to negotiate a peace deal with various factions with the Pakistan Taliban through the years. However, until now, the TTP leadership repeatedly rejected the talks and resolved to continue its fight for the establishment of a Sharia state in Pakistan. But now the terror outfit has reportedly reached a tentative understanding with Imran Khan-led government, meaning that the TTP now might surrender arms and reconcile in return for amnesty.

(With inputs from PTI)
The World Food Programme (WFP) will have to increase its supplies to Afghanistan in order to assist more than 22 million people. If the weather turns out to be as bad as experts predict this winter, a large number of people will face acute hunger and widespread famine, BBC reported. The temperature has dropped from early autumn warmth to a sharp chill. Drought has been reported in several areas, adding to the sense of impending disaster and the country is beginning to experience the 'hell on earth.'

"The winter is nearly here, I don't know how I'll get through it if I can't make bread," BBC reported citing an Afghan man. A crowd of several hundred men had gathered at Maidan Wardak, 50 miles west of Kabul, in the hope of obtaining flour from an official distribution point. The World Food Programme provided the flour. Taliban soldiers kept the crowd quiet, but those who were told they weren't eligible for a handout were enraged and terrified, according to BBC.

WHO, with Qatar's help sends aid to Afghanistan

With Qatar's assistance, the World Health Organisation (WHO) delivered approximately seven metric tonnes of life-saving medicines and supplies to Afghanistan. The WHO said in a news release that a plane carrying approximately seven metric tonnes of life-saving medicines and supplies arrived in Kabul on November 4. WHO delivered the shipment in collaboration with Qatar Airways' operations and logistics teams, as well as the Qatari government.

Dr Mutlaq AlQahtani, Qatar's Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Counter-terrorism and Conflict Resolution Mediation, urged the international community to continue providing assistance to Afghanistan. AlQahtani emphasised the importance of providing aid to Afghanistan in light of the spread of new COVID-19 variants and the impending winter season. Dr Mutlaq AlQahtani emphasised that Qatar continues to assist the war-torn nation in facilitating supply airlifts.

Before the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in August, there was optimism that the government of President Ashraf Ghani, with the assistance of the international community, would be able to deal with the threat of a harsh winter. When Mr Ghani's government fell apart, that assistance slipped away. Western countries have cut off aid to the country because they do not want to be seen as supporting a regime that prohibits girls from attending school and favours reintroducing the full range of Sharia punishments.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP
The World Health Organisation (WHO) delivered around seven metric tonnes of life-saving medicines and supplies in Afghanistan with support from Qatar. A plane carrying around seven metric tonnes of life-saving medicines and supplies arrived in Kabul on November 4, the WHO said in the news release. The shipment was delivered by WHO in collaboration with the operations and logistic teams of Qatar Airways and the Government of Qatar.

In the news release, the World Health Organisation mentioned that this is the fourth flight carrying WHO supplies to land in Afghanistan from Doha since August 30, 2021. The four flights from Qatar to Afghanistan have delivered a total of 60 metric tonnes of supplies from the WHO. The medical supplies include medicines for the treatment of 5,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, diarrhoea, pneumonia, upper respiratory infections and other conditions.

A new shipment of @WHO life-saving medical supplies landed in #Kabul thanks to support from the operations and logistic teams of Qatar Airways and the Government of the State of Qatar .



The supplies will support the treatment of 5000 children.



Details: https://t.co/UWn0jpAOQu pic.twitter.com/KHoxdftkvR  WHO Afghanistan (@WHOAfghanistan) November 7, 2021

Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean said that health needs in Afghanistan are greater than ever before. Mandhari further stated that they are quickly addressing shortages in medical supplies to keep life-saving health services running. Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari expressed gratitude to the Government of Qatar for their support in ensuring that they have access to life-saving medicines.

"Health needs in Afghanistan are greater than ever before, and we are moving quickly to address shortages in medical supplies to keep life-saving health services running. Children are the tragic victims of the countrys failing health system," Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari said in the news release.

Dr Mutlaq AlQahtani, Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Counter-terrorism and Mediation in Conflict Resolution, urged the world community to continue providing aid to Afghanistan. AlQahtani highlighted the need of providing aid to Afghanistan amid the spread of new COVID-19 variants and the approaching winter season. Dr Mutlaq AlQahtani underlined that Qatar continues to support the war-torn nation in facilitating the airlifting of supplies.

"The State of Qatar commends WHO for sending urgent life-saving aid to Afghanistan in these difficult times. As Qatar continues to support Afghanistan through airlifting aid facilitating travel, it urges the international community to continue providing urgent aid to Afghanistan, especially with the spread of new COVID-19 variants and the winter season approaching," said Dr Mutlaq AlQahtani in the news release.

Image: Twitter/@WHOAfghanistan
The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan on Sunday, 7 November unveiled the names of the new provincial governors, deputy governors and military commanders. As per The Express Tribune report, Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid in a statement said that Qari Baryal is appointed as Kabul governor, Mufti Mohammad Idrees will be serving as his deputy and Wali Jan Hamza will be the commander of Afghanistans capital.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Taliban appointed governors and military commanders to crucial positions at the provincial level on the directives of the groups supreme leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada. The interim government of Afghanistan headed by Haibatullah Akhunzada, who is also the supreme leader of the Taliban, has appointed Abdul Ghani as the governor of Kunduz province. As per the report, Qari Bakhtiar and Haji mali Khan are appointed as the governor of Baghlan and Logar provinces respectively.

In other positions announced by the government, Abdullah Mukhtar will serve as governor of Paktika province, Abdullah Sarhadi of Bamyan, Haji Dawat of Uruzgan, Rouhani Sahib of Farah, Abdul Rehman Sar-e-Pol and Shoaib of Jowzjan. Ishaq Akhunzada has been appointed as Ghazni provinces governor. The key positions in the government were announced just days after the Talibans supreme leader warned against the potential threat of turncoats and infiltrators, as per the report.

Akhundzada issued a warning against infiltrators

Indicating the seriousness of the threat, Akhundzada even issued a rare written public statement to reportedly call on the outfits commanders to purge their tanks. In the warning, he said, All those elders of their groups must look inside their ranks and see if there is any unknown entity working against the will of the government, which must be eradicated as soon as possible".

"Whatever wrong happens, the elder will be responsible for the consequences of the actions in this world and in the afterlife, he added, according to the statement tweeted by multiple members of the Taliban.

Meanwhile, months after the Taliban reconquered Afghanistan and formed the interim government, the extremist group has now claimed that it has implemented all the conditions for recognition by the international community. This comes after the Russian Foreign Ministrys spokesperson recently said that the Taliban must fulfil the expectations of the international community for recognition of the newly-formed government in the war-torn country. The Taliban's Acting Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi restated the group's call for world leaders to engage with the present government in Afghanistan.

(IMAGE: AP)
The Taliban on Sunday, 7 November, announced the establishment of a commission to purge the ranks and bring reforms within the military in northern Afghanistan. According to Tolo News, the head of the corps in Mazar-e-Sharif, Attaullah Omari, said that the new commission has pledged to work on recognising and punishing those who misuse the name of the Afghan Taliban in the north. Separately, officials attending a conference in the Balkhs governors office said that the commission will work to prevent infiltrators into the Islamic Emirate forces from Islamic State.

The Taliban had gained control of Kabul in the month of August. Since then the Daesh or the IS has waged a deadly spate of suicide attacks and targeted bombings across multiple provinces and claimed dozens of lives. It is to mention that Daesh had first emerged in Afghanistans Nangarhar region in late 2014. Its goal remains to implement Sharia law. They had previously also warned that whoever in the world went against Islam and the Quran will have to face the terror groups wrath.

Pro-Daesh and IS terrorists have claimed responsibility for many attacks and bomb blasts in recent weeks. The Nangarhar province has seen an increase in fighting, with the Taliban undertaking counter-offensives targeting "Daesh hideouts," as the regime termed them. Experts believe that most of the recruits of the Daesh have defected from the Taliban branches in Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan, seeking an even more extreme interpretation of Islam with more international-centred goals of Caliphate control.

Military organisations, provincial head of intelligence to lead commission

Now, as the IS attacks have been intensified, officials on Sunday said that those who are trying to defame the Islamic Emirate will soon be recognised. Omari said, Let us take the first step, let us check these 500 forces, 'who are these forces and where were they in the past?

As per ANI TOLO News quoted Shir Mohammad Sharif, the general director of borders at the Ministry of Interior, as saying, The commission is formed [with representatives from] three military organizations, the provincial head of intelligence will lead the commission in every province because the purging is the duty of intelligence.

We want to purge the military ranks of corrupted people, the people who have bad backgrounds, and those who are aiming to defame the government," Latifullah Hakimi, head of the commission, added.

Notably, the establishment of the commission comes as the residents of Mazar-e-Sharif complained that various groups identifying themselves as Islamic forces started house-to-house searches in the city. The locals have even reportedly complained that targeting killings have increased in the region. They informed that at least ten civil society activists have been killed.

(With inputs from ANI)


Amid the increasing cases of COVID-19, Bangladesh is accelerating the immunisation drive across the country. According to a Xinhua report, Bangladesh has administered 70 million doses, and the numbers would cross the 120 million mark by January 2022 if the country follows the same vaccination rate, said Bangladesh's health minister, Zahid Maleque, on Sunday. Recently, neighbouring Bangladesh has purchased a total of 210 million doses of the COVID vaccines, and there is no shortage of supply in the country, informed the health Minister.

As per Bangladesh's Health Ministry, over 30 million COVID vaccine doses are scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh by the last week of this month. Whereas another 30 million doses will arrive in December this year. The vaccination drive in Bangladesh is running at a high pace due to external support. The capital Dhaka and other major cities of Bangladesh are currently administering the COVID vaccines to a large population every day. It is necessary to mention that due to support extended by India and neighbouring China, Bangladesh can carry out mass vaccination campaigns across the country.

To curtail the spread of COVID-19, Bangladesh launched the vaccination drive in January this year. But the vaccination drive slowed down as the government ordered to stop administering the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine after India suddenly banned the export of the vaccine. In June, the vaccination drive resumed after China extended support and donated Sinopharm vaccines. Earlier, India had gifted 1.2 million vaccine doses to Bangladesh along with several ambulances and various other medical equipment.

COVID-19 situation in Bangladesh

The country has reported 178 new COVID cases in 24 hours, followed by four deaths, taking the death toll to 27,895, and the death rate stands at 1.78 percent. So far, the country has recorded a total of 15,71,013 COVID cases and the current positivity rate is 1.17 percent, while the total positivity rate is 15 percent. The total number of recoveries have now tallied to 15,34,825 and the recovery rate of the country stood at 97.70 percent. Meanwhile, the vaccination drive is going on at full throttle in the country.

Image: Unsplash
Former US President Donald Trump recently claimed that China is set to take over Bagram Air Base in Kabul in the aftermath of Americas surrender of Afghanistan to the Taliban. It is to mention that Chinas ambassador to Afghanistan has already dismissed the reports concerning a Chinese military presence at the sprawling facility north of Kabul, which once housed tens of thousands of US and NATO troops. Separately, the Taliban government has also denied the presence of foreign troops at the Airfield in the war-ravaged nation.

However, while speaking to Fox News, Trump repeated those claims and also slammed the Biden administrations surrender of Afghanistan. In a televised interview, Trump said that if he was the President of the United States, he would have held onto Bagram and the Parwan detention facility. He said that while he planned to eventually withdraw from Afghanistan, he would have still maintained a hold over Bagram, which is next to China, and the Parwan Detention Facility, which is a military prison at the airbase.

Trump said, We would have kept Bagram because it is next to China. And it is one hour away from their nuclear facility, and we gave that up too.

He added, "And now Chinas going to take over Bagram, in my opinion."

During the same interview, the former US President also blasted the Biden administration for pulling the military out first amid reports of hundreds of American citizens remaining in the war-ravaged country under the Taliban rule. Trump also went on to say that he holds the generals responsible because they should have never allowed that to happen. "They must have been able to talk [Biden] into reason," Trump said. "But you have to hold them responsible also for allowing that to happen."

Bagram airbase remains largely inactive

Meanwhile, it is pertinent to mention that since the United States left the war-torn country in August and the Taliban took charge, the Bagram Air Base remains essentially inert. The insurgent group that took power in Afghanistan on August 15 is believed to lack the qualified staff needed to fix and operate the few remaining planes at the facility, according to Sputnik. In September, Chinese ambassador Wang Yu also met the Taliban's interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and vowed to continue assisting and cooperating with Afghanistan without any conditions. According to TOLO News, China has offered $15 million in humanitarian relief and three million doses of COVID vaccines to Afghanistan.

(Image: AP)
The financial situation of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine refugees in the Near East is "extremely dangerous," an agency official told reporters just ahead of the international donors' conference to be held on November 16. The organisation suffers a deficit of more than $100 million for services such as salaries of 28,000 employees in five areas of operation, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing Adnan Abu Hasna, the media advisor for UNRWA in Gaza.

Hasna also stressed that the agency had earlier made "great efforts" to find solutions to the crisis but the situation had remained taught. Looking forward to the international conference on 16 November, Hasna hoped for a "new vision for UNRWA funding." Hasna's assertions come at least two months after Palestinian Foreign Minister (FM) Riyadh al-Maliki in September met the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Phillippe Lazzarini, to discuss the developments in the war-torn country.

Al-Maliki urges donors to extend financial aid to UNRWA

As violence escalated in the Gaza strip, Al-Maliki urged the international donors to extend financial support to meet the UNRWA budget deficit. "International donations will help the UNRWA to carry on providing educational, health and other services to the Palestinian refugees," Maliki said while speaking at the meeting with Phillippe in Ramallah, the Associated Press reported. Maliki also acknowledged the agency's presence that is of crucial importance for Palestine refugees in the country. "It is important that UNRWA continue providing services to Palestinian refugees in all areas and services provided to them until a just and lasting solution is found based on the UN resolutions." During his discussions with Lazarrini, the Foreign Minister also pointed out the issues of common concern, agreements, and development strategies that preserve the mandates and services.

UNRWA appeals for $1.5bn to fund essential services

Earlier in February, the UNRWA had appealed for funds worth $1.5 billion to fund essential services, priority projects in the war-inflicted zones of West Bank, Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, the agency said in a statement. As per the budget division, the agency informed that US$ 806 million were needed for core services, such as education, health, relief and social services, protection and infrastructure and camp improvement. Moreover, emergency humanitarian assistance that the UNRWA provides in response to the devastating effects of blockade and occupation in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) requires US$ 231 million. To respond to the hardship caused by the Syrian conflict to Palestine refugees in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, the UNRWA also sought US$ 318 million. Additional resources were also requested to address the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic within the refugee camps. "Approximately US $170 million are needed for priority projects to repair or build the UNRWA facilities and strengthen or improve core services," the UNRWA said in its statement.

(With inputs from AP)

(Image: AP)
Iraqi PM Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Sunday, 7 November, said that those behind an attempt on his life were well known and would be exposed. Mustafa survived an assassination attempt after drones laden with explosives targetted his residence in the capital, Baghdad. Following the incident, that has raised tensions in the country, Mustafa appeared in video footage published by his office, chairing a meeting with top security commanders to discuss the attack on his life.

The cowardly terrorist attack that targeted the home of the prime minister last night with the aim of assassinating him, is a serious targeting of the Iraqi state by criminal armed groups, the Iraqi PM Office said in a statement after the meeting.

We will pursue those who committed yesterdays crime; we know them well and we will expose them, Mustafa added.

The statement further informed that the perpetrators are the same who killed Nibras Farman, an Iraqi National Intelligence service (INIS) officer. The PM Office (PMO) said that the government has ordered an immediate investigation into the events that took place on Sunday. The authorities will put the trespassers behind the bars and bring them to justice because we do not differentiate between Iraqis, it added.

Escalating tensions in Iraq

Meanwhile, according to AP, the failed assassination attempt against the Iraqi PM has ratcheted up tensions in the nation following last months elections. It is pertinent to note that the attack on PMs residence came amid the ongoing stand-off between security forces and pro-Iran Shiite militias. The supporters of pro-Iran militants have been reportedly demonstrating outside the Green Zone in Baghdad for nearly a month after rejecting the results of Iraqs parliamentary elections which witnessed them losing two-thirds of their seats.

On Sunday, Mustafa met with Iraqi PM Barham Salih and headed security and Cabinet meetings. There was no claim of responsibility, however, the suspicion fell on Iran-backed militias, who had previously also been blamed for attacks on Green Zone. After Mustafa escaped unharmed from the armed drone attack on his residence in the heavily fortified Green Zone, helicopters circled in the Baghdad skies throughout the day, while troops and patrols were deployed around the capital city. Supporters of the Iran-backed militias, on the other hand, held their ground in a protest camp outside the GreenZone to demand a vote recount.

(Image: AP)
Japan police have arrested a man on suspicion of trying to start a fire on a Shinkansen bullet train in the country's southwest. The police arrested Kiyoshi Miyake, the 69-year-old man from the Fukuoka on the spot and reported no injuries on the train, told Kyodo News. Reportedly, the incident seemed to be inspired by the recent arson attack on a train in Tokyo on October 31.

According to the police, no injuries were reported on the train which was on the way from Hiroshima to Kagoshima-Chuo Station. The Shinkansen bullet train was running in Kumamoto Prefecture at the time of the incident around 8:40 am. As per the Kyodo News report, Kiyoshi Miyake 'wanted to imitate' the recent knife and arson attack on a train in Tokyo after he watched the news about it.

Japan police arrest man after attempt to start fire

As per the police, Miyake spread a liquid, set fire to a piece of paper using a lighter and dropped it on the floor. The fire resulted in a small burn on the floor and the train conductor alerted police, according to AP. The operator informed that around 30 people were on board the number 3 car when smoke could be witnessed inside the car, as per the Kyodo News report. The emergency buzzer was pressed which led to the emergency halt of the train. The passengers were shifted from number 3 car to another train car. The train reached its final destination at around 10:30 am. Operations of some of the bullet trains were temporarily suspended due to the incident.

The incident took place almost a week following a stabbing attack on a train in Tokyo. On October 31, the police arrested a man wearing a costume similar to Batman villain, the Joker who set fire on a Tokyo train car after stabbing a passenger, as per the report. Around 17 people were injured in the incident. The man, Kyota Hattori, told investigators that he loved Joker and wanted to kill people and be given the death penalty.

(Inputs from AP)

(Image: AP)
The National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) has delayed undocking astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS) due to unfavorable splashdown weather conditions in the Gulf of Mexico. The arrival of the Crew-2, which was expected to be earlier on Sunday, has now been pushed to later on Monday only after NASA mission managers will choose primary and backup sites following sufficient weather assessment.

Mission teams decided to adjust the Sunday, Nov. 7, undocking following a planned weather review showing high winds unfavorable for recovery near the splashdown zone in the Gulf of Mexico, the NASA said in a blog post later on Sunday. As per a Twitter post shared by SpaceX, the Crew-2 mission now is targeting a return to Earth "no earlier than Nov. 8," with a splashdown off the coast of Florida. The Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station at 2:05 p.m. Monday, Nov. 8, to begin the journey home, the NASA added.

The Crew-2 mission now is targeting a return to Earth no earlier than Nov. 8, with a splashdown off the coast of Florida. Crew Dragon Endeavour is scheduled to undock from the @Space_Station on Nov. 7.#Crew3 is targeted to launch no earlier than Nov. 10: https://t.co/tgoGo2KR69 pic.twitter.com/F25Dc2gLZd  NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) November 6, 2021

NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Aki Hoshide, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet will complete 199 days in space at the conclusion of their mission, NASA said in their blog post. "The spacecraft also will return to Earth with about 530 pounds of hardware and scientific investigations," it added. The spacecraft Endeavour now will forego a fly-around maneuver to photograph the exterior of the International Space Station in order to allow for additional and alternative splashdown locations off the coast of Florida, NASA managers added in the post. Meanwhile, NASAs SpaceX Crew-3 mission is targeting launch no earlier than 9:03 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. .

[Image: AP]

Broken toilet to inadvertent thruster firing, Crew-2 astronauts face it all

Speaking at a press conference from orbit on Friday, astronaut Thomas Pesquet told reporters that the past six months have been "intense" at the station. Recounting a series of incidents during their stay, astronaut Pesquet told the reporters that the Crew-2 conducted a series of spacewalks to upgrade the station's power grid. They also endured inadvertent thruster by docked Russian vehicle, besides hosting Russian Film crew. They also dealt with toilet leaks, including the discovery of pools of urine. The problem was discovered in SpaceX's private flight in September when a tube detached, spilling urine beneath the floorboard. Although the crew engineers fixed the capsule that was supposed to lift off, however, the toilet was deemed unfit for use. On the other hand, the crew also harvested the first chili peppers in space, which was dubbed as a "nice morale boost," by NASA astronaut Megan McArthur.

(Image: @NASA/ SpaceX)
Amid escalating tensions with Seoul and Washington, North Korea recently conducted artillery firing exercises to bolster its defence capability, state media KCNA reported on Sunday, 7 November. An artillery firing competition among mechanised units was held over the weekend, with senior government and military officials present. As per the news agency, this years drills were designed to inspect the mechanised units progress in their mobile combat capabilities and to further intensify competitive training throughout the Norths army.

It is to mention that North Koreas leader Kim Jong-Un reportedly did not observe Saturdays training. But he had supervised a similar artillery firing drill last year. According to AP, North Korea, since September, has test-launched a series of newly deployed missiles, including nuclear-capable weapons.

The latest artillery firing exercise comes as Pyongyang continues to pressure Washington and Seoul to abandon what it calls their hostile policy. Even though Norths artillery tests draw very little outside attention than its missile tests, its long-range artillery pieces deployed near the border with South Korea pose a serious threat to the Souths metropolitan region and other areas, as per experts. They also believe that North Korea wants its revival to accept it as a nuclear power state and work to ease international sanctions on the country.

Norths expansion of military capabilities

However, US-led talks aimed at ending Norths nuclear programme collapsed in early 2019 amid bickering over sanctions. But recently the Joe Biden administration has offered a resumption of talks with Pyongyang without any preconditions. The North, on the other hand, has said that it wont return to talks unless the US first abandons what Pyongyang calls its hostile policy, an apparent reference to the sanctions and regular military drills between the US and South Korea.

Meanwhile, Pyongyang has raised animosities with a resumption of provocative weapons tests. It is to mention that North Korea conducted its fifth set of weapons tests in recent weeks on 22 October by firing a newly built ballistic missile from a submarine. Officials in South Korea claimed a submarine-launched missile looked to be in the early stages of development. That was the North's first underwater test since October 2019 and the most high-profile since President Joe Biden took office in January. Submarine-launched missiles are tougher to detect in advance, giving North Korea a backup, retaliatory assault capability.

(Image: AP)
Head of Catholic Church, Pope Francis on Sunday publicly denounced the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia. He also called for dialogues to prevail over the prolonged war at the conclusion of the Angelus in St. Peter's Square, Vatican News reported. The Pope particularly expressed his concern over the ongoing conflict in the Horn of Africa region, where several people have lost their lives and very serious humanitarian crisis is looming.

On Sunday, Pope Francis also paid tribute to three martyrs for the faith proclaimed in Manresa, Spain. He also put out Gospel messages reflecting sincerity and asking to watch out for hypocrisy. "This is a warning for all time and for everyone," the Pope emphasised, as per Vatican News.

Moreover, Pope Francis was dressed in his traditional attire and addressed the public. He also "assured prayers" for nearly 100 victims who were killed in an oil tanker explosion in Sierra Leone on Friday. "I invite everyone to pray for those peoples so harshly struggling, and I renew my appeal that fraternal harmony and the peaceful path of dialogue may prevail," the Pope said while remembering the thousands killed and millions displaced due to the conflict in the Tigrayan region of Ethiopia.

Meanwhile, on Friday, the UN Security Council called for an end to intensifying conflicts that have led to an unhindered humanitarian and hunger crisis in Ethiopia. Last week, the Rome-based UN World Food Programme also appealed to all parties to allow food-laden trucks to enter the zones lacking basic supplies. However, the requests have so far remained unheeded.

"The members of the Security Council called for refraining from inflammatory hate speech and incitement to violence and divisiveness, and respect of international humanitarian law, for safe and unhindered humanitarian access, the re-establishment of public services, and further urged the scaling up of humanitarian assistance, the UN Security Council stated in an official press statement, Friday.

Ongoing conflict between Tigray and Northern Ethiopia

Months after Nobel Peace Prize winner Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took the chair, he launched a "coordinated attack" against the rebel forces in the Northern Tigray region in November 2020. The Prime Minister made the call after the Afar leftist political front TPLF sieged a key Ethiopian military base at Sero by using tanks and machine guns. This had led to the ignition of a 10-months long prolonged war in the region.

The conflict has claimed the lives of thousands of people and displaced over 2 million due to shelling in the Horn of Africa. In January 2021, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) informed that about 56,000 fled to neighbouring Sudan amidst the ongoing war.

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the attack on the residence of Iraqi PM Mustafa al-Kadhimi and called for punishing those responsible, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Sunday, 7 November. Al-Kadhimi survived an assassination attempt after drones laden with explosives targetted his home in the capital, Baghdad. It was reported the PM was taken to hospital with only slight injuries, after which he stated that he was alright.

Following the incident, Dujarric said, "The Secretary-General strongly condemns the assassination attempt against Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi earlier today. He calls for the perpetrators of this crime to be held accountable.

The UN Spokesperson also said that Guterres has called on all Iraqis to show restraint and reject all violence and any attempts to destabilise Iraq. The UN chief even urged Iraqi political forces to resolve differences through peaceful and inclusive dialogue. The UN will continue to stand with the people and Government of Iraq as they strive for a better future, Dujarric added.

Iraqi PM will expose perpetrators

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Mustafa appeared in video footage published by his office in which he claimed that those behind an attempt on his life were well known and would be exposed. According to a statement from the PM Office (PMO), the perpetrators are the same who killed Nibras Farman, an Iraqi National Intelligence service (INIS) officer. The PMO said that the government has ordered an immediate investigation into the events that took place on Sunday. The authorities will put the trespassers behind the bars and bring them to justice because we do not differentiate between Iraqis, it added.

The same day Mustafa met with Iraqi PM Barham Salih and headed security and Cabinet meetings. There was no claim of responsibility, however, the suspicion fell on Iran-backed militias, who had previously also been blamed for attacks on Green Zone. After Mustafa escaped unharmed from the armed drone attack on his residence in the heavily fortified Green Zone, helicopters circled in the Baghdad skies throughout the day, while troops and patrols were deployed around the capital city. Supporters of the Iran-backed militias, on the other hand, held their ground in a protest camp outside the GreenZone to demand a vote recount.

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The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed "deep concern" at reports of killing of human rights defenders Frozan Safi in Mazar-e Sharif & Hijratullah Khogyani in Jalalabad. Calling for a "prompt, independent and impartial" investigation into the matter, the UNAMA has also pointed that rights activists are "living under a "climate of fear" since the Taliban overtook Kabul toppling the democratic government.

29-year-old Safi was fatally shot in northern Afghanistan. The killing is reportedly the first known death of a women's rights defender since the recent Taliban takeover. Safi's body was identified in a city morgue of Mazar-i-Sharif after she went missing in mid-October. According to her sister Rita, as told to The Guardian, Safi had "too many to count" bullet wounds all over her body. She was among the two women found by Taliban security forces and brought to the Balkh provincial hospital. Alongside, there were two bodies of men, Zabihullah Noorani, Taliban director for information and cultural affairs in Balkh province told media, as per the Guardian.

UNAMA is deeply concerned at reports of killing of human rights defenders Frozan Safi in Mazar-e Sharif & Hijratullah Khogyani in Jalalabad. UN calls for a prompt, independent & impartial investigation. Civil society is not a target, impunity is not an option. pic.twitter.com/opYUObQbK8  UNAMA News (@UNAMAnews) November 7, 2021

Human rights defenders living under "climate of fear": OHCHR

The deaths have highlighted the persistent fear looming in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The killings of people linked to the previous government and of those demanding freedom of expression and fundamental rights have led to enhanced fear, insecurity and growing desperation, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor said in a statement on 3 November. "The threat is very real. Dependents tell me of directors, including gendered rights against women, of beatings, arrests, enforced disappearances and of defenders being killed," Lawlor said.

Several women's rights activists have held regular protests against the Taliban since mid-August, demanding fundamental rights, such as education and the right to work. The protests erupted after the all-male caretaker government imposed a ban on girls from attending high school and women working in the same room with men. Talking about instances of a targeted attack, Lawlor, in her statement, said that she received around 100 testimonies, detailing specific tactics used against them. "The Taliban have raided the offices of human rights and civil society organisations, searching for the names, addresses, and contacts of those who used to work there," she added. Amidst the rising humanitarian and hunger crisis, extremists in the Afghan territory have continued to engage in largely violent crackdowns on rights activists and journalists who report the protests against the caretaker government.

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Approximately 55% of the Afghan population is expected to be in a crisis or experiencing emergency levels of food insecurity between now and March of next year, according to a UN agency report published on Friday, November 5. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) shared the report on its official Twitter handle for Afghanistan. The caption mentioned the key highlights of the report.

Afghanistan Weekly Humanitarian Update



Winterisation assessment started in Hilmand

Over 187,000 people receive food assistance in the North-east

Returnees in need of shelter and humanitarian assistance in the West



Read the full report:https://t.co/rnHGLirHdU pic.twitter.com/gabWYopvRu  OCHA Afghanistan (@OCHAAfg) November 5, 2021

In its situation report, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) expressed concern regarding 'conditional humanitarianism,' or attempts to leverage humanitarian assistance for political purposes. The Afghanistan Flash Appeal, which seeks USD 606 million in aid for 11 million people until the end of the year, is currently 54% funded. The UN OCHA report stated, Humanitarians remain concerned about conditional humanitarianism or attempts to leverage humanitarian assistance for political purposes. Further, donors are urged to ensure transactions and other activities required for humanitarian operations are excluded from the scope of sanctions regimes to allow humanitarian activities to continue without impediment.

By mid-year, nearly 18.4 million Afghans were in need of assistance

Since September, UN agencies and their partners have reached 48,383 children through community-based education activities, assisted 82,761 people with emergency shelter and non-food items, and provided food assistance to 4.1 million people. According to UN News, approximately 580,050 people received primary healthcare, and 85,623 children under the age of five received treatment for acute malnutrition. Even before the events of 15 August, the country's humanitarian situation was among the worst in the world. By mid-year, nearly half of the population, or 18.4 million people, required humanitarian and protection assistance.

Civilians' protection and safety risks, particularly for women, children, and people with disabilities, were also at an all-time high.

Speaking to journalists in New York, the UN Secretary-General's spokesperson said that isolated clashes and violence affecting civilians and resulting in casualties had continued across the country this week. On November 1, 2 children were killed by gunfire directed at de facto authorities in Jalalabad, Nangarhar Province. 2 civilians were killed two days later, on Wednesday, by a roadside radio-controlled improvised explosive device detonation allegedly targeting the de facto authorities. Armed clashes were reported in Bamyan Province on Thursday, injuring five people, including one civilian.

Image: AP
The UN World Food Programme on 7 November, has warned that the number of people 'teetering on the edge of famine has risen to 45 million. The 45 million people belonging to 43 countries are on the edge of famine as acute hunger has been increasing around the world, United Nations said in the news release. The number of people who are facing hunger has increased from 42 million earlier in the year to 45 million.

The UN World Food Programme in the news release has informed that the number of people who faced acute hunger in 2019 was 27 million which has now reached 45 million. The number of people who are on the 'edge of famine' has been witnessing a rise in facing acute hunger as the number of people in desperate conditions has increased in Ethiopia, Haiti, Somalia, Angola, Kenya and Burundi. WFP Executive Director David Beasley in the press release has informed that climate change, conflict and COVID-19 has led to a rise in the number of people facing acute hunger.

"Tens of millions of people are staring into an abyss. We've got conflict, climate change and COVID-19 driving up the numbers of the acutely hungry and the latest data show there are now more than 45 million people marching towards the brink of starvation," WFP Executive Director David Beasley said in the news release.

Furthermore, he warned that the data shows that over 45 million people are on the edge of 'starvation'. He made the remarks after a fact-finding mission to Afghanistan. He added that WFP has been making efforts to help almost 23 million people who are in need in Afghanistan. He further expressed concern over the rising food prices, expensive fertilisers, crisis in Afghanistan and emergencies in Yemen and Syria. WFP has estimated that the cost of preventing famine across the world now stands at $7 billion, which the organisation had earlier estimated at 6.6 billion. He asserted that more money was needed to assist families across the globe who have exhausted their capacity to face extreme hunger.

"Fuel costs are up, food prices are soaring, fertilizer is more expensive, and all of this feeds into new crises like the one unfolding now in Afghanistan, as well as long-standing emergencies like Yemen and Syria," David Beasley added.

Image: AP/RepresentativeImage
US President Joe Biden reportedly broke wind "loudly" in front of Camilla Parker Bowles, Duchess of Cornwall at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. Since Biden became the President of the United States, the speculation over his public flatulence incident also began. The 78-year-old President has also been caught on camera appearing to fall asleep during critical meetings and other occasions, as per the reports of Daily Mail

The president met the Duchess of Cornwall, who was accompanied by Prince Charles, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, during a reception at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery earlier this week, according to Sputnik. During a small conversation on the sidelines of the conference, Camilla Parker Bowles apparently heard Biden "break wind." According to a source, it was long and loud and impossible to ignore. Camilla hasn't stopped talking about it since she first heard it.

Biden dubbed as "Sleepy Joe" by some

Biden appeared to be nodding off during the opening comments just a few hours before this unsettling incident. According to Sputnik, the president was dubbed as "Sleepy Joe" by some, once he closed his eyes for 22 seconds before being roused by an aide. While listening to human rights activist Eddie Ndopu, Biden couldn't keep his eyes open and closed his eyes. While Biden was almost asleep, Eddie warned that global warming threatened their ability to generate food and even to survive.

Biden has been accused of "breaking wind" before. According to Daily Mail, republicans, notably Donald Trump Jr., shared a video of Biden live-streaming a conversation with Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf in May 2020, which contained a suspicious noise. However, another video, which went viral last month and briefly trended on Twitter under the hashtag #Fartgate, was discovered to have been doctored to incorporate fake farts.

Biden promised that the US will spend greater resources to combat climate change

On the other hand, at COP26, Biden promised that the US will spend greater resources to combat climate change. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised Biden and said that it is a great breath of fresh air on climate change. Biden has called on world leaders to reduce methane gas emissions by 30% by the end of the decade. According to Daily Mail, the amount of methane produced by cows and other livestock is significant.

Image: AP
The family of the 21-year-old Kenyan woman, Agnes Wanjiru who is said to have been murdered by a British soldier, has decided to take legal action against the UKs Ministry of Defence. As per Sky News report, the relatives of the Kenyan woman who was a single mother to a young baby, have directed the British legal firm Leigh Day to represent them as they seek to find answers to her death. Her family is reportedly also trying to find out why Wanjirus death was never investigated.

Agnes Wanjiru's family take legal action against UK MoD

As per media reports, the 21-year-old was found dead in a septic tank behind the Lions Court hotel in Nanyuki in central Kenya which is nearby to UK armys training camp. Her body was discovered two months after she disappeared in March 2012. The investigation into Wanjirus death reportedly revealed that she was murdered by a UK soldier.

As the British army continues to draw fire due to her case, a partner at Leigh Day, Tessa Gregory told Sky News that, It just seems extraordinary that there are clear allegations that appear to have been well known that a 21-year-old woman in Kenya was brutally murdered by a British soldier whilst they were training in Kenya while adding that Yet the family have no answers at all and the Royal Military Police here do not appear to have done a full investigation into the circumstances of the death.

Gregory revealed to the British media outlet that Leigh Day has written to the Ministry of Defence to notify them that we're instructed and to ask for all the details of the investigations they've carried out. The partner at Leigh Day has said that they are seeking a proper independent investigation to be carried out into both the circumstances of Agnes' death and also how it is that nine years later, nothing has been done to address this.

UK Ministry of Defence response

As per the report, a spokesperson for the UKs Ministry of Defence said, The jurisdiction for this investigation rests with the Kenyan police who we continue to work with on a daily basis to provide all possible support...This remains an active investigation with multiple lines of enquiry. In order to protect the investigation, and in the interests of justice we cannot comment further.

(IMAGE: ANI/Unsplash)
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has drawn backlash against her especially in Scandinavia where the politicians, as well as opinion makers, have accused the 18-year-old of driving other environmentalists in an extremist and anti-democratic sentiment. After Thunberg criticised the world leaders who met in Glasgow for the urgent climate change summit, COP26 as a fiasco full of empty talk, Norwegian Climate Minister Espen Barth Eide raised his concerns over her remarks.

Birth Eide told NRK that When you say that politics has no meaning, then we are on a slightly dangerous course. I believe that the strong and sensible commitment to make something happen must be transformed into political action  not into rejecting the whole idea of democratic political change.

His remarks came after the teen climate activist said that COP26 is no longer a climate conference and called it a Global North greenwash festival. Additionally, in her speech that came just before the climate conference kickstarted in Scotland, she used the soundbites from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnsons addresses such as expensive bunny hugging and green economy to highlight what she termed as empty words and promises of politicians across the world.

However, newspaper Aftenposten's political editor Kjetil Alstadheim also opined on Thunbergs rhetoric and how it can impact other climate activists towards polarization and division. In an opinion piece, he said, She risks leading them into something authoritarian, anti-democratic and outright dangerous. Her rhetoric is just a single step short of demanding anything beyond civil disobedience. And what she says is not true. Progress is being made, even if it may not be enough.

Alstadheim concluded, We need a Greta Thunberg and activists who push from the outside. There is no need for Greta Thunberg who only spreads contempt and hopelessness.

Additionally, Lisa Nabo, the leader of SSU, the youth wing of Sweden's ruling party, the Social Democrats, as per Sputnik, also slammed the 18-year-old for making the demands of climate action without ever coming up with any solutions. While talking to SVT, Nabo said, Greta, you have said that the most important thing young people can do is become activists. I don't agree with you. No solution to the climate crisis will be politically neutral. The most important thing you as a young person can do is to get involved in politics and make sure that the right decisions are made.

Blah blah blah

Mocking the world leaders, Greta Tunberg told the attendees of the Youth4Climate conference in Milan, There is no Planet B, there is no planet blah, blah, blah. This is not about some expensive politically correct dream of bunny hugging, or build back better, blah blah blah, green economy, blah blah blah, net-zero by 2050, blah blah blah, climate-neutral blah blah blah.

This is all we hear from our so-called leaders: words, words that sound great but so far have led to no action, our hopes and dreams drowned in their empty words and promises, the activist added.

#COP26 has been named the must excluding COP ever.



This is no longer a climate conference.



This is a Global North greenwash festival.



A two week celebration of business as usual and blah blah blah.  Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) November 4, 2021

Unless we achieve immediate, drastic, unprecedented, annual emission cuts at the source then that means were failing when it comes to this climate crisis.

Small steps in the right direction, making some progress or winning slowly equals loosing.#COP26 #UprootTheSystem  Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) November 7, 2021

Today hundreds of thousands all over the world marched for the climate, sending a clear signal to people in power at #COP26 to protect people and planet. Our so-called leaders arent leading - THIS is what leadership looks like! #UprootTheSystem

: Glasgow, Oliver Kornblihtt pic.twitter.com/v9zbicTGcb  Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) November 6, 2021

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the ministers of his cabinet have faced backlash after they tried to break the Commons disciplinary process. The Boris Johnson administration tried to stop the 30-day suspension imposed on Conservative lawmaker Owen Paterson, who was found guilty of paid advocacy on behalf of two companies, reported Sputnik. The 30-day suspension was imposed by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner on Owen Paterson. Now, the members of Parliament of the UK are scheduled to have an emergency debate on the House of Commons standards system on Monday, 8 November.

Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain filed an application for the emergency debate on "the consequences of the decision of the House on 3 November relating to standards," the UK Parliament said. Her application was approved and the debate has been scheduled for Monday, 8 November. On 3 November, the House debated a motion to approve a report from the Committee on Standards relating to the conduct of Owen Paterson and to suspend him from the service of the House for 30 sitting days.

Wendy Chamberlain has said that they need to ensure that people who want to rip up Parliament's anti-sleaze rules should not be capable of doing so. Chamberlain further stated that last week's events were an example of "cronyism and corruption", COVID-19 situation and the UK Prime Minister's holiday being sponsored by his "wealthy donor friends", reported Sputnik. Furthermore, she highlighted that the UK government have denied investigating accusations of sleaze and failed to declare meetings and donations.

Owen Paterson 'Sleaze' Row

Former Conservative MP Owen Paterson had been suspended for 30-sitting days as he was found to have repeatedly lobbied on behalf of two companies, which paid him more than 100,000 annually, reported Sputnik. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards suggested the ban approved by a group of cross-party MPs on the standards committee. However, Boris Johnson government chose to back an amendment that suspends the punishment and created a new standards body constituting the Tory majority. As per the Sputnik report, as the government backing of the amendment triggered criticism, the Johnson-led administration took a U-turn and suspended the proposed reforms. After the UK government indicated that Paterson needed to face a fresh vote on a 30-day suspension, he announced his resignation as the MP for North Shropshire on 4 November.

Image: AP
A senior Irish politician has recently stated that the trade agreement of the United Kingdom with the European Union might be jeopardised due to a dispute over Northern Ireland. As per BBC, the United Kingdom is rumoured to be considering suspending sections of the Northern Ireland Protocol. Responding to the suspension, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney indicated that the EU may dissolve the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Quoting Coveney, BBC reported, One is contingent on the other so that if one is being set aside there is a danger that the other will also be set aside by the EU." Northern Ireland is regulated by a Protocol which is a specific Brexit agreement, that helps to maintain Northern Ireland's membership in the single marketplace of EU for goods. The protocol further avoids any physical border with Ireland and permits free-flowing commerce with the EU. However, the protocol does establish a commercial border between the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, which is creating problems for certain companies.

Further, there is a provision under Article 16 of the Protocol that some portions of the agreement can be suspended if it is causing substantial concerns, which the UK claims that its threshold has reached. Meanwhile, the EU has suggested some practical adjustments to the Protocol, whereas the United Kingdom is pressing for more significant far-reaching revisions.

'The British government are laying the foundations to trigger Article 16'

Coveney has even claimed that suspending some parts of the Northern Ireland protocol by the UK might lead to a deliberate collapse in ties and discussion between the two sides. He further stated on Sunday that he had been hearing "messages" from Northern Ireland's political parties, the European Commission (EC), and others about the planning of UK administration to set off Article 16 following the COP26 climate meeting in Glasgow.

Simon Coveney stated, "I think all the evidence now suggests that the British government is laying the foundations to trigger Article 16," BBC reported. The Irish Foreign Minister said that the UK was requesting something that they cannot get on purpose.

Other leaders respond to the dispute

Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour Party's leader, previously stated that postponing portions of Northern Ireland's Brexit accord would not address or resolve the UK-EU conflict. Even the former Conservative Prime Minister Sir John Major revealed that engaging Article 16 and terminating parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol might be "colossally stupid."

Meanwhile, Mary Lou McDonald, the leader of Sinn Fein, an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party, had cautioned the British government that suspending portions of the protocol might jeopardise the overall Brexit separation deal with the EU.

(Image: AP)
One of those injured at the Astroworld Music Festival in Texas on Friday, November 5 has filed a lawsuit against Travis Scott and the event's organisers for their failure to avoid the sad fatalities. On Friday night, November 5, eight people were killed, and hundreds were injured at Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas at NRG Park after concertgoers surged toward the stage during the rapper's headlining set. The deceased ranged in age from 14 to 27 years old. Twenty-five people were admitted to the hospital, with the youngest patient being only ten years old.

According to a copy of the lawsuit filed in Harris County District Court, which was obtained by The Hill on Sunday, Manuel Souza describes the festival as a "predictable and preventable tragedy," and claims that the crowd surge was a "motivation for profit at the expense of concertgoers' health and safety" and an "encouragement of violence." Souza's attorneys told The Hill in a statement that Travis Scott asked them to let additional people in after the show sold out.

Around 50,000 people attended the Astroworld Festival

Chief of Police Troy Finner told reporters on Saturday that a member of security lost consciousness at the Astroworld event after feeling a prick in his neck. The security officer was revived with Narcan, according to Finner, and medical personnel spotted a mark on his neck that could have been from an injection. According to Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena, around 50,000 people attended the Astroworld festival on Friday, when a crowd rush began shortly after 9 p.m. Several times during his Friday performance, rapper Travis Scott asked security to help Astroworld Festival attendees move out of the crowd, ANI reported.

Investigators are expected to look into the design of safety barriers as well as the usage of crowd management to determine what caused a crush of spectators at a Houston music festival that killed eight people and injured hundreds more. Authorities planned to examine footage, witness interviews, and a study of concert procedures to figure out what went wrong during rapper Travis Scott's performance on Friday night, AP reported. Whereas Travis Scott In a tweet posted on Saturday, said, he was absolutely devastated by what took place. He committed to work together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: Facebook@Travis Scott/AP
The COVID pandemic has not only wreaked havoc on the lives of humans but has also influenced the animal kingdom to a great extent. Amid the global vaccination drive, not only humans but animals, too, are being vaccinated. Recently, an aquarium in the US, California has administered the COVID vaccine to eight sea otters. According to the Seattle Times report, each of the eight otters received two doses within a three-week gap, and the vaccine administered to them was from a New Jersey-based company called Zoetis, which is popular for manufacturing animal drugs.

California aquarium administers COVID vaccine to 8 sea otters

"There's a lot of evidence that this family of animals  ferrets, mink, otters  are susceptible. We have an obligation to protect the animals health," told Dr Mike Murray, who is the aquariums chief veterinarian. Among the eight others, four the permanent residents of the aquarium, while the other four are rescues who were separated from their mothers. It is feared that sea otters, who are an already endangered species, can contract the COVID virus and create an outbreak in the sea, as there have been previous reports of other sea otters contracting the infection in the United States.

After this vaccination drive, Monterey Bay is being closely watched by other aquariums and zoos, as it is believed that it has become the very first aquarium in the country to vaccinate water bodies against the COVID virus. Notably, sea otters are considered Olympic-class athletes, as it takes a deep dive into the ocean to find food on the seafloor, and if they are unable to breathe properly, they won't be able to live any longer.

Aquarium otter tests COVID positive

Earlier, at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, many small-clawed sea otters showed a positive result for the COVID virus and they displayed symptoms including sneezing, runny noses, lethargy, and coughing. While many got infected but did not show any symptoms, those otters survived, but there were many minks, close relatives of otters, who were killed at fur farms in Utah and Wisconsin. Meanwhile, a zoo in Ohio is also planning to inoculate more than 15 species of animals, ranging from Sumatran tigers to lemurs to goats. This came after five lions showed positive results for the COVID virus.

(Image: Unsplash/ANI/Representative Image)
US President Joe Biden on Sunday (local time) denounced the assassination attempt on Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhemi in Baghdad. President Biden stated in a statement, I strongly condemn the terrorist attack targeting the residence of Iraqi Prime Minister Al Kadhimi, as per a press release from the White house. He further criticised those who use violence to disrupt Iraq's democratic process.

PM Mustafa Al-Kadhemi had escaped an 'assassination attempt' without getting hurt on Sunday. Officials informed the media that an explosive-laden drone attacked his heavily-fortified house in the capital's Green Zone in a suspected assassination attack, according to Al Arabiya. Despite being unharmed, Al-Kadhimi was sent to the hospital for a preliminary examination.

US President on the terrorist attack at Iraqi PM

Following the incident, the US President expressed his relief that al-Kadhimi was unharmed and praised his leadership skills during the crisis situation. Biden stated that the PM of Iraq has shown in calling for calm, restraint, and dialogue to protect the institutions of the state and strengthen the democracy Iraqis so richly deserve, the statement reads.

Biden also mentioned that the US will continue to support Iraqi security forces in their investigation and identification of individuals who are involved in this horrific assault. He added that the US national security team has been directed to provide all necessary help to Iraqi security forces to investigate the incident. The United States stands firmly with the government and people of Iraq as they strive to uphold Iraqs sovereignty and independence, the statement ended.

Meanwhile, Iraqi authorities have launched an investigation into the incident and stated that they are taking the required steps in response to the unsuccessful assault. Further, no one has taken responsibility for the deliberate attack on the neighbourhood, which is home to significant government offices and foreign embassies.

It is to mention that PM Al-Kadhimi took Twitter shortly after the incident to urge for "calm and restraint from everyone," for the benefit of the nation. He had also denounced the attack, calling it "treachery." "I am fine, praise be to God," he said about his health.

According to two Iraqi sources, at least seven of the PM's security guards were hurt in the attack on the Iraqi PM's residence. The incident comes amid a confrontation between security troops and pro-Iran Shiite militants stationed outside Greenzone. After rejecting the results of Iraq's parliamentary elections, which they lost, the demonstrations have been going on for at least a month. After demonstrators began marching towards the Green Zone on Friday, the rallies became violent.

(Image: AP/ Unsplash)
The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday, 8 November has said that the Americans stand with the people of Myanmar and honour them. The people of the US also honours over 1300 people who have lost their lives as they made efforts to restore democracy and human rights in the country. Taking to Twitter, Blinken said, "One year ago, Burma held elections that reflected the Burmese peoples commitment to democracy. Today, we stand with and honour them, including the more than 1,300 who have lost their lives, as they strive to restore the path to democracy and human rights in their country."

One year ago, Burma held elections that reflected the Burmese peoples commitment to democracy. Today, we stand with and honor them, including the more than 1,300 who have lost their lives, as they strive to restore the path to democracy and human rights in their country.  Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) November 8, 2021

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a press statement said that one year ago, multiparty elections were held in Myanmar to elect a new government. He further stated that independent observers reported that the elections that were held were credible and showed the commitment of the Burmese people to democracy, respect for human rights and rule of law in the country. He expressed concern over the ongoing military crackdown that has undermined human rights and fundamental freedom in the country.

"One year ago, Burma held multiparty elections to select a new government. Independent observers reported that the elections, despite some concerns, were credible and reaffirmed the commitment of the Burmese people to democracy," Antony Blinken said in the press statement.

Furthermore, Blinken said that on the first anniversary of the 8 November elections, they honour the people of Myanmar who have tried to restore democracy and respect for human rights. He added that more than 1300 people have lost their lives in the struggle. He reiterated the call of the United States for the military regime to end the violation and release the people who have been unjustly detained and "return Burmas path to a genuine and inclusive democracy." Moreover, he reaffirmed the commitment of the US to promote justice and accountability for those and other abuses by the regime.

"The United States is committed to promoting justice and accountability for these and other abuses by the regime. Today, we reiterate our call for the military regime immediately to cease violence, release all those unjustly detained, and return Burmas path to a genuine and inclusive democracy," Antony Blinken said in the press statement.

Myanmar Coup

The Myanmar military overthrew the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1. After the February 1 coup, Burmese have been protesting against the junta forces, according to ANI. The people of Myanmar are demanding the restoration of democracy in the country. Several governments and human rights groups across the globe have expressed concern over the situation in Myanmar. They have urged the Myanmar military to release all those who have been detained unlawfully. According to Assistance Association For Political Prisoners (BURMA), 1242 have died, 9802 people have been arrested and 1954 people are evading warrants in Myanmar.

Inputs from ANI

Image: AP
Students say cameras have been installed in classes, while lecturers feel they need to watch what they say.

Hong Kong universities have begun filming classes, as 'national security education' is rolled out in several of the city's higher education institutions, forcing young people to absorb government propaganda about an ongoing crackdown on public dissent and peaceful protest.

Reuters reported on Nov. 5 that at least one surveillance camera was visible in a lecture hall at Hong Kong Baptist University, citing two students who attended a compulsory "national security education" class similar to those being rolled out in all the city's universities, while an unidentified person was taking photos.

Compulsory national security education is currently being rolled out at the Baptist University, the Polytechnic University (PolyU), Lingnan University, and the Education University. While it seeks to inform students exactly which sorts of behaviors could constitute a breach of the law, there is also a heavy emphasis on patriotism and bolstering a sense of Chinese identity among Hong Kong residents, according to course materials seen by Reuters.

Former PolyU social science lecturer Chung Kim-wah said he would usually warn students before photographs were taken of them, allowing those who don't want to be photographed to remove themselves temporarily.

He said he had also read the course materials seen by Reuters.

"Basically, they're just a mouthpiece for the government," Chung said, adding that, according to his information, all PolyU classes and lectures must now be filmed in their entirety.

"As far as I know, every PolyU class, including the social science faculty, is being filmed now," Chung said. "A former colleague of mine told me very directly that it is basically impossible to speak freely now, especially when teaching social sciences."

"It has already had a deterrent effect on some [former] colleagues," he said. "I asked them why nobody had spoken out about this, and they said everyone's afraid."

Fiona Cheung, vice president of foreign affairs of the PolyU Student Union, said video recording of classes started during the hybrid teaching system adopted due to the coronavirus pandemic, but that the cameras weren't only used to record online classes.

"We have seen newly installed cameras," Cheung told RFA. "Before, there was only a camera in front of the teacher's computer, but now there's also a camera in the middle of the seating area that films everyone present in the class."

"So everything that happens in a class will be filmed, which is having a bad effect on students," she said.

A request for comment from PolyU went unanswered at the time of writing on Monday.

Banned words, actions

"National security education" -- which is being tailored to all age-groups from kindergarten to university -- is mandated under a draconian national security law imposed on Hong Kong by the CCP from July 1, 2020, the government says.

The law bans words and deeds deemed subversive or secessionist, or any activities linked to overseas groups as "collusion with foreign powers," as well as public criticism of the Hong Kong government or the CCP.

It has ushered in an ongoing and citywide crackdown on all forms of public dissent and political opposition, with dozens of opposition activists charged with "subversion" for taking part in a democratic primary, and election rules changed to ensure only pro-CCP candidates can run.

The government is also pushing ahead with further legislation on espionage and other "covert" activities to continue a crackdown on what Beijing insists was an attempt by hostile foreign powers to foment a "color revolution" in Hong Kong during the 2019 protest movement.

Several civil society organizations, including the group that ran the now-banned Tiananmen massacre vigils, protest march organizers the Civil Human Rights Front, the Professional Teachers' Union, and Wall-fare, a prison support group for those in custody because of the 2019 protest movement, have disbanded after being denounced by Hong Kong's leaders or CCP-backed media.

'Statutory obligation'

A spokeswoman for Hong Kong's Education Bureau said it is a "statutory obligation" to promote national security education in universities, Reuters reported.

"The community would expect the universities to uphold good governance and accountability to the public, and their operations have to comply with the law and meet the interests of students and the community at large," she said in comments emailed to the news agency.

Reuters said at least six liberal academics have been forced from their university jobs, while student unions have been disbanded and student leaders arrested.

Universities will be required to raise the Chinese national flag in daily ceremonies starting in January, according to a recent directive from the Education Bureau.

Meanwhile, China's ministry of education is pushing ahead with plans to make it easier for Hong Kong students to enroll in universities in mainland China on the basis of their secondary school diploma, waiving the need to sit an entrance exam.

From 2022, 129 higher education institutions will accept direct applications from Hong Kong residents across 21 provinces and municipalities, the Hong Kong education bureau said in a Nov. 4 statement on its website.



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
The plenary session will seek to strengthen Xi Jinping's power and set China's direction for the coming decades.

The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began a secretive top-level meeting in Beijing on Monday, as dissidents and rights activists were placed under surveillance or forced to leave town on "vacation" in the company of state security police.

Beijing-based dissident Ji Feng said he had been barred from giving interviews to foreign media over the next few days.

"They called me early this morning, and I can't talk to anyone for the next few days," Ji told RFA. "They followed me when I went into town yesterday, because they didn't find me at home."

Other dissidents including Zha Jianguo, who gave his analysis of the plenum in an interview recorded with RFA on Nov. 5, were now incommunicado or out of town, RFA has learned.

State news agency Xinhua published a glowing, 10,000-character "portrait" of CCP leader Xi Jinping at the weekend, describing him as "a man of determination and action, a man of profound thoughts and feelings, a man who inherited a legacy but dares to innovate, a man who has forward-looking vision and is committed to working tirelessly."

It tweeted the text of the article alongside a photo of Xi with his arm raised in the workers' power salute.

Current affairs commentator Wei Xin said Xi is now looking to project an image of a supreme and mighty leader similar to his predecessor Mao Zedong, who was honored with epithets like The Great Helmsman, and the Red Sun.

"They want to establish Xi as a historic figure and leader who is heir to the 100 years of CCP history," Wei said. "This 10,000 character essay is supposed to shape and portray his historic status."

The sixth plenary session of the CCP Central Committee is also expected to pass a resolution on party history, the third in its century-long history.

Early summaries of the resolution suggest it will send a message to the world about China's "national rejuvenation" under Xi, who will be positioned as standing up to foreign oppression on behalf of China's 1.4 billion people.

While it was billed as a "historical" motion by state news agency Xinhua on Oct. 18, the summary of the content under discussion at the plenum was short on historical detail, focusing rather on the country's increasingly assertive foreign policy.

While previous resolutions on CCP history have signaled major shifts in the party line, they have also served to consolidate power in the hands of a single faction within the ruling party.

Questions over party power

According to veteran dissident and independent political commentator Zha Jianguo, the first historical resolution in 1945 affirmed the political line pursued by late supreme leader Mao Zedong, and established him at the helm of the CCP, while the second, passed in 1979, established economic reformer Deng Xiaoping's position as supreme leader.

"The purpose of this third historical resolution is to summarize party history from Deng to Xi, to affirm the current line of Xi Jinping and establish the authority of Xi's line," Zha told RFA.

Zha said the resolution would also seek to shore up the image of the CCP as a long-term ruling party, with an ever-strengthening grip on China.

"It will address questions both in and outside China about whether the CCP will remain in power, and about whether its hold in power will weaken," he said. "It will lay particular emphasis on strengthening CCP leadership."

"For those wondering whether economic reforms will be rolled back or stopped, I think it will definitely seek to ... reaffirm their importance, and the CCP's determination to keep going with them," Zha said.

"It will also seek to ... address any questions about the Chinese political system, and respond to pressure on that system, from the rest of the world," he said.

Consolidation of authority

Current affairs commentator Cai Shenkun said the resolution will likely seek to consolidate Xi's position as "core" party leader for many years to come.

"The most important thing for the sixth plenary session to achieve is to lay the foundation for, and guide the direction for China's development over the next 20 or even 30 years," Cai told RFA. "It will give some indication of where China is headed."

"There will be a repositioning."

U.S.-based commentator Guo Baosheng said the plenum will also make decisions about leadership changes ahead of the 20th Party Congress in 2022.

"The historical resolution has to establish Xi Jinping's position as supreme leader of the CCP and set the scene for his re-election, as well as his historical legacy," Guo told RFA. "He will be drawing on Mao Zedong with his common prosperity policies, and on Deng Xiaoping for economic reform."

The wording reported by Xinhua in October was in stark contrast to the CCP's 1981 "Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party since the Founding of the Peoples Republic of China," in which the CCP under Deng penned a 13-page historical commentary that laid the responsibility for the "leftist errors" leading to the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) at Mao's door, while also lauding his leadership at great length.

The 1981 resolution was largely addressed to the rank-and-file of the CCP and the people of China, who needed to know the likely direction in which Deng would take them following the death of Mao (1976), the power struggle that led to the fall of his designated successor Hua Guofeng, and the trial of the Gang of Four in November 1980.

But Xinhua's summary of the likely 2021 resolution contains a "declaration to the world," suggesting that its target audience is the international community, some of whom may be wondering whether to fall in with Xi's ambition to export China's model of authoritarian governance overseas, or to strengthen defenses against it.



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
An ethnic Hmong woman and two children are seen on a coffee plantation in Houaphanh province, eastern Laos, June 27, 2018.

Child labor remains widespread in Laos, particularly in ethnic minority communities in rural areas where minors forego schooling to perform agricultural work or stay at home taking care of younger siblings while their parents work on farms, undermining efforts to educate impoverished children, provincial teachers and education officials said Wednesday.

The International Labour Organization (ILO), the U.N. agency that deals with work-related issues, will mark World Day Against Child Labor on June 12, focusing on the elimination of child labor and taking place amid the COVID-19 crisis, which the ILO says has threatened to reverse years of progress in tackling the problem.

The communist countrys amended Labor Law of 2007 prohibits the employment of children under 14 years of age and bans the involvement of children under 18 years old in sectors that are dangerous to their health, such as mining, the production of chemicals or toxic substances, work involving gambling or alcohol, and overtime work. The law also limits the work hours for children ages 14 to 18 to eight hours per day and prohibits night work for those under 18 years of age.

In Save the Childrens 2021 Global Childhood Report, Laos ranked 143 of 186 countries on an index reflecting countries' average levels of performance across a set of eight indicators related to child health, education, labor, marriage, childbirth, and violence.

The report found that 28.2 percent of children aged five to 17 performed labor in 2015-2020, while 23.2 percent of primary and secondary school-age children were out of school in 2015-2019.

Parents do not understand that education is important for their children, said a teacher from a primary school in Borikhamxay province who declined to provide her name.

Her students between the ages of 10 and 12 and who are from ethnic minority families quit school to help their parents work on farms or care for their younger brothers and sisters at home while their parents work during the day, she told RFAs Lao Service.

They just tell us that they want to take their children out of school for two to three days a week to take care for their younger brothers or sisters at home while the parents go to work at the fields.

If the educators refuse to allow the absences, parents will take their children out of school, she said, adding that some students in primary school levels four and five already had left school.

Driven by poverty

Some schools allow the students to bring their younger siblings with them to class and educators are willing to help take care of them, though parents remain opposed and insist that the students care for their brothers and sisters at home, the teacher said.

Students ages 10 to 12 from rural areas often quit school to perform these functions, only attending classes two or three days a week, said an official from the Education Department in Sekong province.

Students in primary school levels four and five on up quit school mostly to work on farms with their parents, take care of younger brothers or sisters at home, and collect wood in the forest to burn for fire, even though the schools do not allow this, he said.

Laos has 49 recognized ethnic minorities, with about 24 percent of the countrys population Mon-Khmer and 10 percent from the Hmong group, who also inhabit neighboring China, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Ethnic minority students from ages 11 and 12 tend to leave school because their families are poor and they must help their parents make ends meet, said another teacher from Samouy district in Saravane province.

Some students are forced by their parents to leave school and get married at a young age to add another pair of hands for farm work, he said.

Child labor mostly comes from students whose families are poor and dont have money to send their children to school, so they make them quit and then find a job or work at the farm with their parents, while some are forced to marry, he said.

School authorities try to help the students cope with juggling their studies and family obligations, but most parents insist that their children stop attending class and perform physical labor because of the poverty they face, he added.

Impact of the COVID-19 crisis

A child labor survey conducted in 2010 by the Lao government with support from the ILO found that 178,000 children  about 96,000 girls and 81,000 boys  were considered to be engaged in child labor in Laos, with two out of every three involved in hazardous work such as working on construction sites or in dangerous factories.

The majority of child labor occurred in rural areas, and about 90 percent of all child laborers worked in agriculture, forestry, or fishing, according to the surveys findings. Seven out of 10 worked more than 49 hours per week.

When schools in Laos shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic, students assisted parents working on farms because they did not have access to the internet at home to continue their studies, said an education official from Phin district in Savannakhet province.

Some adults told their children to not go to schools when facilities reopened so they could continue to help with farm work, he said.

They went with their parents to work at the farms during the COVID-19 outbreak, but some quit schools to help parents work at the farms or take care younger brothers or sisters at home while their parents worked on the farms, he said.

Child labor is a challenging problem in the landlocked Southeast Asian country with 7.3 million people because of poverty and the belief among rural parents that education is not as important as working in the fields to generate income, said an official from an association that helps impoverished children.

We tried to help them in terms of changing their mindset, but the problem still persists and nothing has changed, she said.

The association official, who declined to be named, suggested that the government come up with a plan or policy to stimulate parents interest in keeping their children in school, so that adults understand that an educated workforce will boost economic development in rural areas and reduce the problem of child labor in Laos.

Laos celebrated Childrens Day on June 1, a date on which most communist and post-communist countries have commemorated minors since 1950.

The country ratified the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991, an international human rights treaty which sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children, including articles on the right to education and the right to protection from economic exploitation.

Reported by RFAs Lao Service. Translated by Sidney Khotpanya. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
A farmer works in a paddy field under the power lines near Nam Theun 2 dam in Khammouane province in a file photo.

Villagers living near a dam in northern Laos are demanding that its owner release water in order to save their rice paddies from drying out, under an agreement made with downriver communities when the dam was built, the villagers told RFA.

The 24.6 megawatt Nam Thea Dam in the northern province of Xieng Khouang is owned and operated by the Laos-based Nong Hai Company. It is one of scores of dams the land-locked country has built to generate power for export to neighboring countries and for domestic consumption.

The dam near Nam Thea village has upset the natural flow of water, forcing farmers from about 90 families in seven downstream villages to struggle to keep their rice paddies wet.

We want water to irrigate our fields. All the crops are dry and dying, a villager living near the dam told RFAs Lao Service.

Those farmers who live upstream have water, but those of us downstream are affected by the dam. We dont have enough water for farming, so we dont know what well do if the dam does not release water, the villager said.

The dam began construction in 2019 and became operational at the beginning of this year. The villager said that before construction started, rice could be planted at any time and there was never a lack of water for farming needs.

Villagers cannot plant rice this year because there is not enough water. There are many villages affected and their rice plants are all dead, and the other crops cannot grow as well as before, another villager told RFA.

A third villager said Nong Hai is not following the MOU it signed before construction started that stipulated that the dam must release water for villagers farms all year long.

A large group of affected villagers went to a local government office on Aug. 14 with a list of demands for Nong Hai.

The farmers called on Nong Hai to follow the signed MOU which requires the dam to release water for agriculture, stop producing electricity so they can use water for irrigation, and compensate them their full crop losses if the water is not released.

If the company refuses and something were to happen to the dam, the villagers said they would not be responsible.

A local official told RFA that authorities were investigating the dispute, but added that the dam was so small that it was unlikely to be the cause of the downstream villages water troubles.

A Nong Hai official told RFA that farmers upstream are using too much water, and that the company is investigating the issue.

Laos has built dozens of hydropower dams on the Mekong and its tributaries and is building about 50 more under a plan to become the Battery of Southeast Asia and export the electricity they generate to other countries in the region, mainly Thailand.

The Lao government sees power generation as a way to boost the countrys economy, but the dam projects are controversial because of their displacement of villagers without adequate compensation, environmental impact, and questionable financial and power demand arrangements.

Reported by RFAs Lao service. Translated by Sidney Khotpanya. Written to English by Eugene Whong.
Debts are tied mainly to the development of infrastructure projects, with money owed to lenders in China and other nearby countries.

Laos is drowning in debt with at least $400 million due in loans this year that cant be repaid, with cash flows crippled in the country because of a shutdown of the economy due to COVID-19 and another $1 billion coming due each year from 2022-2025, experts say.

State officials and Lao researchers say they now see no way the one-party communist state can meet the debts it owes foreign lenders, mostly in China but also in Thailand and Vietnam, amid the global pandemic.

It will be hard to Laos to repay all the debts that have been outstanding for so many years now, an official in the Lao state inspection agency said, speaking to RFA on condition of anonymity. Laos cant pay off its debts even if it makes payments over the next ten years. Its just a huge sum of money, he added.

Laos external debt repayment profile remains challenging, according to a Fitch Ratings report dated Aug. 9, with around U.S. $422 million due over the remainder of 2021 and an average of U.S. $1.16 billion due per annum between 2022 and 2025.

Lao debts are tied mainly to the development of infrastructure projects including hydropower dams and transportation systems, one Lao researcher said, also asking that his name not be used. But the more development we do, the more money we borrow, he said.

And in the meantime, the national tax revenue being collected is much smaller than it used to be. The revenue that used to come in from gold mining is almost gone, for example, he said.

Laos debt challenge was avoidable and is closely related to overly ambitious, and poor coordination and implementation with dam building and other megaprojects, said Keith Barney, a senior lecturer at the Crawford School of Public Policy at Australian National University.

It is an environmental tragedy of the highest order that key rivers in Laos, such as the majestic Nam Ou, have been sacrificed to build these dams for an outcome that has seen not state revenues and sustainable development for the people of Laos, but elevated debt burdens and financial stress, Barney said.

'In a tight corner now'

Tax and tariff collections in Laos have also fallen off as businesses close and people lose work amid shutdowns, especially in the tourism and service sectors, caused by the spread of coronavirus in the country, sources say.

Everyone is in a tight corner now, and living under tough conditions. We lack cash flow now because of the outbreak of COVID-19, said a Lao businessman, who requested his name be withheld.

Laos must additionally find funds to accommodate and quarantine the hundreds of thousands of migrant workersmany of whom when employed sent money back to their families in Laosnow returning home from Thailand and other neighboring countries.

Around 100 shelters are now being built housing 1,000 workers each, with food costing each shelter around 40 million kip (U.S. $4,000) each day, sources say.

New program launched

The administration of Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh has recently launched a new program ordering high-ranking state officials to return their luxury vehicles, modernizing the countrys tax collection system, and producing goods for export to earn money for national savings.

We have to build a base of producing goods for export and economizing expenses so that we can have more foreign currencies in reserve to stabilize savings, Viphavanh said in a recent government meeting, adding that the Ministry of Finance now has no money in the state treasury.

So the Ministry is asking the Bank of the Lao PDR to repay its debts in advance so that we dont get into this kind of trouble again, Viphavanh said, referring to Laos by its formal name, the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic.

The government is also now emphasizing reform of the countrys state-owned enterprises to increase transparency in their management, said Finance Minister Bounchom Ubonpaseuth, addressing the 1st Extraordinary Conference of the National Assembly on Aug. 6.

Many different state agencies would like to take control of the state enterprises, but when these collapse no one wants to take responsibility for their losses, he said.

Laos has a history of widespread government corruption. The Berlin-based Transparency International reported in January 2021 that Laos corruption ranking had worsened, dropping from 130 in 2019 to 134 in 2020 out of 180 countries.

Reported and translated for RFAs Lao Service by Ounkeo Souksavanh. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Many have been out of work for months and cant afford to pay for food or rent.

Workers at a special economic zone (SEZ) in northern Laos that caters to Chinese gamblers are desperate to return to their homes amid an outbreak of the coronavirus that triggered a lockdown earlier this week, saying they havent been paid in months and can no longer afford food or rent.

Up to 5,000 workers of different nationalities are employed at the Golden Triangle SEZ in Bokeo province, which lies along Laos shared borders with Thailand and Myanmar. Bokeo is a hotspot for coronavirus transmission and the SEZs main tourist drawthe Kings Romans Casinohas seen business plummet during the pandemic.

Lao migrant workers at the SEZ told RFAs Lao Service that most of them have been out of a job for months because of the downturn and have no money to pay for necessities, but restrictions on movement aimed at preventing the spread of the virus mean they cannot leave the area.

Because of the lockdown, only a few of us are working, while most of us are laid off and want to get out [of the SEZ], one worker said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Its difficult to live here, as we have had no income  for more than four months. Weve requested help from the [provincial government] but received no response.

The worker said that he and around 50 of his fellow nationals had registered requests with the SEZ office to return to their families but had yet to hear back.

Another worker, who also declined to be named, said all he can do is wait for a green light to leave.

We dont have money to pay for rent and all the food is getting more expensive, he said. Everybody wants to get out.

A third worker told RFA that even those with money are finding it difficult to buy goods during the lockdown because most of the stores and markets are closed.

We just stay in our rooms all the time; we cant go out, he said.

The SEZ is guarded by Chinese security guards. If were caught going out, we have to pay 300 yuan (U.S. $46) to get tested for COVID-19.

Designated red zone

Last month, Thailands Manager Online news website reported that most of Bokeo provinces transmissions have occurred within the SEZ, with the rest occurring in nearby Tonpheung district.

The high infection rate and the recent discovery that two Lao workers who returned home from the SEZ had tested positive for COVID-19 prompted authorities this week to add the area to a list of red zones in the country that are subject to even tighter restrictions.

Thipphakone Chanthavongsa, the Vice-Minister of the Lao Prime Ministers Office, announced Tuesday that the lockdown for red zones had been extended to at least Aug. 18, as the virus continues to spread within Laos, as well as in Thailand and Myanmar.

An official from the Bokeo provincial government confirmed that no one will be leaving the SEZ any time soon.

The workers cant get out right now; they have to wait until the lockdown is over, they said.

As for money or food, the government and the companies they work for are responsible for that; they must take care of their workers, they added, without providing details about what that relief would look like, or how it would be enforced.

Reports of the challenges facing workers at the Golden Triangle SEZ came as the number of COVID-19 infections continued to mount in Laos.

Dr. Rattanaxay Phetsouvanh, director general of the Communicable Disease Control Department, told a press conference that of nearly 2,700 people tested on Wednesday, more than one in 10 had been confirmed positive.

As of Wednesday, Laos had 7,015 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and seven deaths attributed to the disease. Nearly 4,800 infections and four deaths occurred in the past month.

Reported by RFAs Lao Service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy vows to look into the use of defoliants in Laos during the Vietnam War.

A disabled man sits in a wheelchair in his village in Ta-Oey district of southern Laos' Saravan province, where the toxic herbicide Agent Orange was sprayed, in an undated photo.

The U.S. wartime use of Agent Orange and other defoliants in Laos more than a half-century ago is still causing dioxin-related congenital disabilities, according to a recent survey by an NGO that is urging Washington to help those who have suffered birth defects.

The War Legacies Project, an NGO which raises awareness of the long-term health and environmental impacts of herbicides sprayed in Indochina, conducted a survey of 126 villages in southern Laos Savannakhet and Saravan provinces, bordering Vietnam, between 2015 and 2019. The villages sit within a five-kilometer (three-mile) radius of spray routes.

The survey found that 500 people in Laos under 50 years of age have congenital disabilities that may be associated with their parents or grandparents exposure to toxic herbicides during the war. It also found that more than 50 percent of those affected were under the age of 20  leaving a legacy of debilitating diseases and birth defects in its wake more than two generations later, the NGO said.

Dioxins  manmade chemical compounds now recognized as known human carcinogens  have been shown to induce birth defects in all species of animals that have been studied.

The U.S. military sprayed 12 million gallons of dioxin-contaminated Agent Orange and eight million gallons of other herbicides on Vietnam and parts of Laos and Cambodia between 1961 and 1971 to kill vast swathes of forest and cropland during the Vietnam War, the report notes.

The herbicides used during the war were up to 50 times more concentrated than what was acceptable to use on U.S. farms at the time, and Agent Orange  the most notorious of the herbicides  had been contaminated by dioxin during the manufacturing process by producing the chemical at too high a temperature, according to the report.

The U.S. military sprayed nearly 400,000 gallons of mostly Agent Orange along the Ho Chi Minh Trial, which ran through Laos territory, between December 1965 and March 1966, the report says.

At least 800 villages in five provinces in southern Laos were sprayed with herbicides during wartime, though the NGO was able to survey communities only in Savannakhet and Saravan provinces, said Susan Hammond, founder and executive director of the War Legacies Project. The other three provinces are Khammouane, Sekong, and Attapeu.

Part of the problem with Laos is also that we dont know the full extent of the spraying, she said she said in an interview with RFA.

On average about four or five people per village surveyed has disabilities that were consistent with those caused by exposure to dioxin, Hammond said, adding that altogether about 600,000 gallons of Agent Orange was dropped on Laos during wartime, including the U.S.s Secret War in Laos (1961-1975). The most common birth defects found were hip dysplasia, paralysis, and cleft-lip or cleft palate.

She estimated that overall thousands of people with disabilities from exposure to the toxic sprays could be found in the area encompassing the five provinces and that birth defects are still being found in people born today.

The 46-page report, titled 2021 Report on the Laos Agent Orange Survey: State of Health and Livelihood, says that the U.S. government has not appropriated any funds to assist people with disabilities in areas of Laos sprayed with Agent Orange and other herbicides.

The U.S. government has provided financial assistance to Vietnam since 2007, with more than U.S. $390 million going towards dioxin remediation and health and disability programs, and dedicated $14.5 million in fiscal year 2021 to assisting people with severe upper and lower body mobility impairment or cognitive or developmental disabilities, the report says.

The areas in Laos that were sprayed with herbicides are remote and poor communities inhabited by ethnic minorities who do not have immediate access to health care.

The U.S. government hasnt issued funding to help the people, Hammond said. They are helping people in Vietnam who have been exposed, who lived in the areas that were sprayed with herbicides, since 2007, Hammond said.

So, were hoping that the U.S. government will do the same for Laos in the future, but at the moment they are not providing any funding directly to the people with disabilities who live in the areas that were sprayed, she said.

The U.S. State Department did not respond to e-mails and phone calls from RFA asking about the report.

Senator Patrick Leahy, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee and has pushed for the clearing of landmines in Laos and has led efforts to help address the military damage caused in Vietnam, said the use of Agent Orange in Laos only recently came to light.

We want to know what, if any, dioxin contamination from Agent Orange exists in Laos, and we want to identify Laotians who are suffering from disabilities that may be the result of exposure to dioxin in areas where Agent Orange was sprayed so we can help them, he said in e-mailed comments to RFA.

We have known about the UXO problem in Laos for many years and have been working to clear U.S. cluster munitions, but we only recently learned that Agent Orange was sprayed there, added Leahy.

We know the use of Agent Orange in Laos was far less than in Vietnam, but we want to work with the Laotian Government to determine the scale of the problem and what can be done to address it, said the Senator.

The U.S. government has spent more than U.S. $500 million in Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia to dispose of unexploded ordnance (UXOs), Senator Tammy Baldwin told a panel on Agent Orange and UXOs in Laos at the Stimson Center in the Washington, D.C., on May 27.

Reported by Ounkeo Souksavanh for RFAs Lao Service. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Ko Jimmy was shown in a junta media photo with a pile of guns and ammunition.

A file photo of detained Myanmar activist Kyaw Min Yu, better known by his alias Ko Jimmy.

The wife of veteran Myanmar political activist Ko Kimmy, who was detained last month, on Monday rejected the military juntas accusation that he was plotting acts of terror after taking part in a spate of violent attacks in Yangon.

Kyaw Min Yu, better known by his alias Ko Jimmy, had been a staunch opponent of the Feb. 1 coup that deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her democratically elected government.

He was arrested by the junta on Oct. 24, and his wife, Nila Thein, told RFA at the time that he was in critical condition after enduring torture at the hands of security forces.

Ko Kimmy was accused by the junta on Sunday of plotting terror acts and working with the shadow National Unity Government.

The military said in a statement he was arrested with weapons in the Panglong Housing Estate in the Yangon region.

Military-owned TV and newspapers showed Ko Jimmy kneeling behind six AK-47 assault rifles, 8 M-16 pistols, two 12-volt pistols, a local handgun, 18 rounds of ammunition and a machete, all said to be seized from him.

He was charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act, the Unlawful Association Law and the Illegal Weapons lawa combination of charges that carry a maximum sentence of 30-45 years in prison.

The juntas statement said Jimmy had taken part in attacks in three townships of Yangon and was arrested before carrying out attacks in five other townships in the metropolis, home to 7 million of Myanmars 54 million people.

Now that he was seized along with weapons, we will continue to take action against him in accordance with the Anti-terrorism Law, the Illegal Weapons law and the Explosives Law, said junta spokesman Maj Gen. Zaw Min Tun.

We were able to make the arrest because of collaboration with the security forces by responsible people.

Ko Jimmys wife Nila Thein said the military did not have a code of conduct for treating detainees and that the public was well aware of the torture and forced admissions of all who were in their hands.

Not all statements by the military are true, as everyone knows. Our people have all experienced their evil, wicked and deceptive ways over the years, Nila Thein told RFAs Myanmar Service.

She also expressed grave concern for her husband, noting that many opponents of the coup had died during interrogations following their arrests.

Prior to his recent arrest, Ko Jimmy was imprisoned from 1988 to 2005 for his political activities and again from 2007 to 2012, spending 21 years in prison.

Ko Jimmy was a leader of the so-called 88-generation, a group of students who led the August 1988 uprising against the previous military regime that had run Myanmar, then known as Burma, since 1962, running the economy into the ground and creating a pariah state.

Their protests led to reforms that eventually ushered in a brief period of democratic rule from 2016 that ended with this years coup.

Kyaw Htwe, a member of the National League for Democracy Central Committee, the leadership of the ousted ruling party, said forcing Ko Jimmy to kneel in front of weapons was an insult to human dignity.

"Jimmy is a very strong man with strong beliefs. Even though he has been arrested, there will be many more Jimmies. There will be a lot of people like Jimmy who will continue to fight for the next generation of revolutionaries.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Paul Eckert.
Vietnamese independent journalist Le Trong Hung and his wife Do Le Na are shown in an undated photo.

The wife of a Vietnamese journalist arrested for nominating himself for election to the countrys National Assembly has called for intervention in her husbands case, appealing for help in letters sent to foreign embassies and international rights groups on Monday.

Do Le Na asked the international community in her letters to pressure Hanoi to release citizen journalist Le Trong Hung, who was arrested March 27 after declaring his candidacy for election in a challenge to political processes tightly controlled by the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam.

Do Le Na told RFA that she hoped her appeal to the UN Human Rights Commission, UN Human Rights Council, and other groups would inspire the families of other political prisoners in Vietnam to take similar steps.

I sent my letters out, firstly, because they have the duty to protect human rights, and secondly because I hoped to attract more attention to my familys case, Na said in an interview with RFA on Monday.

I would also like people living in Vietnamand especially the families of detainees who dont dare to speak upto know that it is everyones right to speak out against injustice, and that we shouldnt be afraid of [the government] if we are in the right, she said.

On Nov. 5, Hungs lawyer and family were allowed access to the indictment filed against him by the Hanoi Peoples Procuracy, Na said.

According to the document, Hung is being prosecuted under Article 117 of Vietnams Penal Code for creating, storing, disseminating information, materials, items and publications against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Central to the case against Hung, Na said, are four videos posted to his Facebook page covering politically sensitive issues.

Topics discussed in the videos included the deadly Jan. 9, 2020 police crackdown during a land dispute in Dong Tam Commune, the role of the courts in Vietnams political system, and Hungs own candidacy for election to the National Assembly.

Na challenged those who had declared Hungs videos opposed the state or defamed national leaders to confront her husband and his lawyers in person at his trial.

The openness, transparency, fairness, and strictness of the law can be guaranteed only if they do so, Na said.

No date has been announced yet for Hungs trial, but a conviction under Article 117 of Vietnams Penal Code could leave him facing a term of from five to 12 years in prison.

One of two self-nominated candidates for Vietnams National Assembly, Hung, 79, is a former teacher and founder of CHTV Television, which formerly livestreamed videos on hot-button social and political issues.

Hungs arrest followed that of another would-be election candidate arrested for his online postings. Tran Quoc Khanh, 61, was sentenced to a six-and-a-half year prison term on Oct. 28the latest conviction aimed at shutting down criticism online of the one-party communist state.

Vietnam is ranked 175th out of 180 countries in RSFs World Press Freedom Index for 2021.

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.

Translated for RFAs Vietnamese Service by Anna Vu. Written in English by Richard Finney.
A U.S. national who took part in the January 6 riot at the Capitol building in Washington is seeking political asylum in Belarus.

In an interview with the state-controlled Belarus-1 television channel, which was broadcast on November 7, Evan Neumann said he had followed the advice of his lawyer and fled to Europe after six charges were filed against him.

Neumann said that he stayed in Switzerland and Italy for some time and then went to Ukraine for four months.

In mid-August, Neumann was detained by Belarusian border guards for illegally crossing from Ukraine.

According to Neumann, he decided to flee to Belarus and seek political asylum there after Ukraine's security services had started expressing interest in him.

The Californian faces six federal charges for taking part in the riot at the Capitol, which involved supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump interrupting the certification of President Joe Biden's victory in the election.

In his interview with Belarus-1, Neumann rejected the charges, calling them "political persecution."

With reporting by AFP and Belarus-1
EU members Poland and Lithuania say they are stepping up security at their borders with Belarus as Warsaw said that thousands of migrants were massing near the Belarusian side of the border.

In recent months, thousands of migrants from the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa have attempted to illegally enter Poland and fellow EU members Latvia and Lithuania from Belarus.

The EU has accused 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 sweeping crackdown on the political opposition, civil society, and independent media since last year's disputed presidential election.

Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller told reporters on November 8 that there were currently around 3,000-4,000 migrants near the Belarusian border with Poland, and thousands more ready to follow them.



The Defense Ministry in Warsaw on November 8 distributed a video which it said showed a group of migrants near the Bruzhi-Kuznica border crossing.

"Belarus wants to cause a major incident, preferably with shots fired and casualties," Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk told Polish public radio the same day.

In one video posted on social media, people carrying rucksacks and wearing winter clothing are seen walking on the side of a highway with a billboard written in Belarusian.

Another video showed a large group of men and women escorted by armed men in military uniform.

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak tweeted on November 8 that more than 12,000 soldiers have been deployed on the border, up from the 10,000 soldiers that were there recently.

A volunteer Territorial Defense force was put on alert, he added.

He said that his ministry, together with the Interior Ministry, which is responsible for police and border guards, was "prepared to defend the Polish border."

Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said the Polish authorities were "prepared for any scenario."

"Tough defense of the border is our priority. We increased the number of Border Guard officers, police officers and soldiers. We are waiting in full readiness, he wrote on Twitter.

The Belarusian State Border Committee said that the "inhumane attitude of the Polish authorities made the refugees to go for this step of despair."

The deepening crisis prompted calls for the EU to take swift action against Belarus to protect the bloc's borders, following repeated warnings and protests from Brussels.

"I am calling on member states to finally approve the extended sanctions regime on the Belarusian authorities responsible for this hybrid attack," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after speaking with the prime ministers of Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia.

"The EU will in particular explore how to sanction, including through blacklisting, third-country airlines that are active in human trafficking," she said.

Poland has already imposed a state of emergency at the border, put up razor wire, and increased the number of soldiers and guards to stem the flow of migrants crossing from Belarus. Lawmakers have also approved the building of a $407 million wall on its eastern border.

The interior minister of neighboring Lithuania said on November 8 that her country was also moving troops to its border with Belarus to prepare for a possible influx of migrants.

The cabinet in Vilnius will also discuss whether to declare a state of emergency in the area bordering Belarus, Agne Bilotaite told a news conference.

She did not say how many soldiers would be deployed and precisely where they would be moved.

A NATO official called Minsk's alleged use of migrants to put pressure on the EU "unacceptable," and said the alliance was worried about "escalation" on the border with Poland.

The alliance, of which Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia are member states, "stands ready to further assist our allies, and maintain safety and security in the region," the official told the AFP news agency.

Meanwhile, exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya urged a "strong response" from the European Union, and said the matter should be discussed at the United Nations Security Council.

"Belarus' regime escalates the border crisis -- migrants are pushed to EU border by armed men. The migrant smuggling, violence & ill-treatment must stop," she tweeted.

With reporting by Reuters and BNS
A former Belarusian teacher has been sentenced to two years in prison over her posts on Telegram commenting on unprecedented rallies against strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka that erupted after last year's controversial presidential election.



A court in the southern city of Mazyr on November 8 found Iryna Harashyna guilty of organizing and preparing activities that "blatantly" violate social order and illegal activities to gain private information.



Charges against Harashyna stemmed from her posts in a Telegram channel that was declared extremist by Belarusian authorities earlier this year.



The trial was held behind closed doors, and it is unknown how the defendant pleaded.



Also on November 8, the Supreme Court shut down the Belarusian Language Society.



Society Chairwoman Alena Anisim said after the ruling was pronounced that the group's two newspapers in the Belarusian language will have to stop operations now.



In recent months, Belarusian courts have branded several civil society and rights groups extremist, forcing them to shut down as part of a sweeping crackdown in the wake of mass protests triggered by the presidential poll, which Lukashenka said he had won by a landslide but which the opposition and West say was rigged.



On November 10 and 19, the Supreme Court is scheduled to rule on the possible liquidation of the Belarusian Popular Front opposition party and For Freedom movement, respectively.
SARAJEVO -- Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik says he will move ahead with plans to withdraw the Republika Srpska, the Serbian-majority entity that makes up part of Bosnia-Herzegovina, from national institutions, brushing aside international concerns that such an agenda could spark a renewed conflict in the ethnically divided Balkan country.



After meeting on November 8 with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar in Sarajevo, Dodik said that "neither I nor anyone called for war as an option at any time."



"We agree that stability and peace should be preserved," he added.



Escobar told reporters that he and all his interlocutors in the Bosnian capital agreed that "there will be no war" in Bosnia.



Noting that the Balkans is currently the fastest growing region of Europe, he called on Bosnian leaders to focus on European integration and economic development.



The Bosnian War ended in 1995 with the U.S.-brokered Dayton peace accords that created two entities in Bosnia, the Republika Srpska and the Muslim-Croat Federation. The country is still governed and administered along ethnic lines established by the agreement.



But Dodik, the Serbian representative in Bosnia's tripartite presidency, has been threatening to withdraw from state-level institutions, including Bosnia's joint judiciary, military, and tax administration, triggering growing concerns that Republika Srpska could secede from the rest of the country.



Calling his talks with Dodik productive, Escobar said that "the possibility is open to withdraw all those decisions related to the transfer of competencies [from the state level to Republika Srpska] so that we can continue working on economic development."



Escobar also met separately with lawmakers and the Croatian and Muslim members of Bosnia's presidency, Zeljko Komsic and Sefik Dzaferovic, who called the blocking of state institutions by Republika Srpska since July unacceptable.



In an interview with RFE/RL ahead of his trip to the Bosnian capital, Escobar warned that any moves to undermine the Dayton peace accords were "very detrimental and very destabilizing to the region."

Escobar said the reasons behind Dodik's move to weaken central institutions were corruption and his attempt to "look for ways to protect his power and his money."



The U.S. diplomat's comments came days after Christian Schmidt, the chief UN envoy to Bosnia, issued a stark warning that Dodik's threats to withdraw from state-level institutions represented an "existential threat" to the country's postwar peace deal.

The prospects for further division and conflict in Bosnia "are very real," Schmidt said in a report to the UN Security Council, warning that if the Bosnian Serb leader's threats materialize they would "ultimately undermine the state's ability to function and carry out its constitutional responsibilities."
Irans Press Supervisory Board has shut down a newspaper apparently over a graphic that depicted the hand of Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in connection with a story about rising poverty in the country.

Alaedin Zohourian, the head of the press supervisory board, told the official government news agency IRNA on November 8 that board members had decided to cancel the license of the daily Kelid (Key).

Zohourian did not say whether the decision was final or just temporary. He also didnt provide any reason for the move.

The Young Journalists' Club, a news site affiliated with Irans state broadcaster, said on November 7 that Kelid was being investigated over its front page a day earlier that included a graphic depicting Khameneis hand drawing the poverty line.

Millions of households below the poverty line, the newspaper said.

Criticism of Khamenei, the most powerful political authority in the Islamic republic, is considered a red line.

Whenever the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran or the true Sources of Emulation are insulted in a publication, its license will be revoked and its responsible manager and the author of that article will be brought before the appropriate court and punished, Article 27 of Irans Press Law says.

In the past, the Press Supervisory Board has revoked the licenses of a number of publications for alleged violations.

In 2012, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned the board for engaging in censorship activities.

Iran is ranked 174th out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders 2021 World Press Freedom Index.
AQTAU, Kazakhstan -- A massive explosion in Kazakhstans Caspian Sea port city of Aqtau has completely destroyed a two-story building that housed a cafe.

The Emergency Ministry's directorate in the Manghystau region said the explosion hit the building late in the night on November 7.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Rescue workers were searching for potential victims under the debris.

Ministry spokesman Talghat Uali said there were no customers in the cafe when the devastating blast occurred.

The moment the blast took place was caught on security cameras and shared online by Internet users.

The blast was felt across the city of around 200,000 people.
Police in North Macedonia discovered dozens of migrants in a truck near the Greek border in the southeastern part of the Balkan nation, authorities say.

Police on November 7 said a patrol car was following the truck near the town of Star Dojran, 160 kilometers south of the capital, Skopje.

The driver of the truck and a passenger suddenly jumped from the moving vehicle, and the truck turned and struck the police car. Police officers were not injured.

On inspection of the truck, police found 42 migrants  one from Bangladesh and the rest from Syria.

Police said it was the first large group of migrants discovered in North Macedonia in the past six months.

The group was moved to a migrant shelter in Gevgelija on the border with Greece.

Authorities said they will be deported back to Greece, where police said they believe they came from.

North Macedonia is a transit route for migrants trying to get from Greece to wealthier countries in Western and Northern Europe.

People smuggling have remained active in the region despite border closures and restrictions of movement during the COVID-19 pandemic, although numbers have declined.

A refugee wave sparked tensions during the European migration crisis in 2015 and 2016 and prompted tough action by Skopje to prevent migrants from using North Macedonia as a transit route.

Skopje's countermeasures six years ago included the erection of a fence on the border with EU member Greece as the number of stranded refugees, most of them from North Africa and the Middle East, mounted.

Based on reporting by AP and RFE/RLs Balkan Service
Video distributed by the Polish Defense Ministry on November 8 shows hundreds of migrants attempting to force down a fence on Poland's border with Belarus. The group had amassed near the Kuznica-Bruzhi border crossing, according to the Polish Defense Ministry. The EU has accused authoritarian Belarusian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka of allowing migrants to transit in an effort to destabilize the bloc. The move is seen as retaliation for EU sanctions imposed on Belarus since last year's disputed presidential election.
A Russian court has ordered Google to pay 2 million rubles ($28,085) for violating the country's rules on banned content.



In recent months, Russian courts have ordered Google to pay fines totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars for failing to delete banned content on its search engine and YouTube.



Courts have also fined Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Telegram, and TikTok on similar charges.



Google confirmed the November 8 fine, but gave no additional comment.



Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused social-media platforms and other tech giants of flouting the country's Internet laws, including a push to force foreign firms to open offices in Russia and store Russians' personal data on its territory.



Many critics say the push has nothing to do with "Internet integrity" and instead accuse the authorities of trying to quell dissent.

Based on reporting by Reuters
Several dozen Chinese workers in Russias Far East staged a protest on November 7 against their employer, Kremlin-controlled oil giant Rosneft.

Roughly 50 workers walked out of their temporary housing in Komsomolsk-on-Amur and walked toward the center of the city, local media reported.

The Chinese workers are helping to repair a Rosneft oil refinery. The workers claim they have not been paid in months and are demanding to be returned to China, local media said.

Rosneft, one of the worlds largest oil companies, rejected those claims.

The company said the employees have been fired for the poor quality of their work, but can not be sent back to China due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The company said that in the meantime it is paying the workers a minimal salary and daily allowance.

Rosneft has been seeking to build business ties with China, one of the largest and fastest growing markets in the world for oil and gas.
A court in Russia has confirmed the refusal of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Mordovia to consider a request by former U.S. marine Paul Whelan to serve out in his home country the rest of his prison term on espionage charges that he says are fake.

The appeals court in the city of Nizhny Novgorod handed down its decision on November 8, saying it was leaving the Mordovian Supreme Court decision "unchanged."

Whelan's lawyers said immediately after the decision was announced that they would appeal the ruling, calling it a move to "evade the implementation of justice" for the American.

In September, Mordovias Supreme Court sent Whelan's request back to the Justice Ministry "to obtain the necessary information in accordance with clauses of an international agreement of the Russian Federation, as well as for the preliminary coordination [of the issue] with a competent organ of the United States."

The defense team initially asked the Moscow City Court to consider Whelan's request to be handed over to the United States to finish serving his sentence there. But the court refused to review the matter claiming jurisdictional issues and forwarded it to Mordovia, where Whelan is currently incarcerated.

Mordovia, a region located about 350 kilometers east of Moscow, is historically known as the location of Russia's toughest prisons, including Soviet-era labor camps for political prisoners.

Whelan was arrested in Moscow in December 2018 on espionage charges and sentenced to 16 years in prison in May 2020 following a trial that was condemned by the United States as a "mockery of justice."

A holder of U.S., Canadian, British, and Irish passports, Whelan has rejected the espionage charges and has accused his prison guards of mistreatment.

The United States has also criticized Russian authorities for their "shameful treatment" of Whelan.

Whelan was head of global security at a U.S. auto-parts supplier when he was arrested. He and his relatives insist he was in Russia to attend a wedding.

He is one of several Americans to face trial in Russia in recent years on charges that their families, supporters, and in some cases the U.S. government, have said are trumped up.

Another former U.S. Marine, Trevor Reed, is serving a nine-year prison term in Mordovia as well. He was sentenced in July 2020 on charges of assaulting two Russian police officers.

The U.S. government and Reed deny the allegations and questioned the fairness of his judicial proceedings.

Reports have surfaced several times of a possible swap involving Whelan, Reed, and two Russians -- arms dealer Viktor Bout and drug smuggler Konstantin Yaroshenko -- who are serving lengthy sentences in U.S. prisons.

Whelan's lawyer Vladimir Zherebenkov said on November 8 that there are no talks regarding the possible swap at the moment, and that to his knowledge one of the conditions of such talks could be the demand by the Russian side to recognize Whelan's conviction as legal.

With reporting by TASS and Interfax
Ukraine has confirmed it requested that Czech authorities detain Aleksandr Franchetti, a Russian citizen wanted by Kyiv on an international arrest warrant and is seeking his extradition.

Franchetti, who was detained at Prague's international airport on September 12, is wanted by Ukraine for his alleged involvement in Russias 2014 annexation of Ukraines Black Sea region of Crimea.



"The detention was the result of coordinated actions of Ukrainian and Czech law enforcement agencies to bring Aleksandr Franchetti to justice for a number of crimes against our state, including the participation in the Russian occupation of Crimea," Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service on September 13.

The extradition request is reportedly being considered by Czech authorities. Any request would go through the courts before the Czech Justice Ministry makes a decision.



Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow had requested detailed information from the Czech government regarding the reasons for Franchetti's detention.



On September 12, the chief of Russia's Investigative Committee said he had ordered an investigation into Franchetti's detention.



"Due to the unacceptability of the misuse of international legal mechanisms aimed at politically motivated prosecutions, the chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation ordered the chief of the directorate for legal issues and international cooperation...to thoroughly study, in cooperation with the Foreign Ministry of Russia, the reasons and legal grounds of the Russian citizen's detainment on the territory of a foreign country," the Investigative Committee said in a statement.



A spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Prague, Nikolai Bryakin, said on September 13 that Franchetti received a diplomatic visit in custody.



Franchetti was an active participant in the events in Crimea in 2014. Just days before Russias military occupation of the region, Franchetti created a paramilitary formation called North Wind, which helped seize power lines and gas pipelines.



In an interview posted on YouTube, Franchetti said he acted in coordination with Russias naval command at the Crimean port of Sevastopol.

Aleksandr Molokhov, a spokesman for the Russian occupation authorities in Crimea, also confirmed Franchettis arrest, claiming that he faced certain death at the hands of the Ukrainians.



Molokhov did not specify why he had reason to fear for Franchetti's life.



According to media reports, Franchetti was granted permanent residence in the Czech Republic in 2000 and has worked there as a fitness trainer. He says he has never violated international law.

In her September 13 statement, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova also said that Moscow had warned the Czechs that the continuation of what she called "Prague's destructive policy regarding Russia and its citizens will lead to the further deterioration" of bilateral relations and would not go without a response.



Relations between Prague and Moscow soured considerably following Czech accusations in April that Russia was involved in a deadly arms-depot blast on Czech territory in 2014. Two Czech citizens were killed in the blast, which Prague said was aimed at destroying munitions that had been sold to Ukraine.



The ensuing diplomatic row led to the tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats and the Russian government declaring the Czech Republic an "unfriendly" state.

With reporting by iDnes, Denik N, TASS, and Interfax
An independent Polish journalist who earlier this year accused an Uzbek Foreign Ministry official of sexual harassment and pressuring her to write positive articles about the country, says she has been banned from entering the Central Asian state for unspecified reasons.



Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska tweeted on November 8 that she was stranded at a checkpoint along the Uzbek-Kazakh border, after Uzbek border guards refused to allow her to enter the country.



"I came to Uzbekistan over three years ago hoping that change was possible. I'm leaving convinced that under current government no systemic change will ever take place," Pikulicka-Wilczewska wrote on Twitter, questioning democratic reforms promised by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev, who was reelected last month.



The Uzbek government has been trying for some time to limit the activities of Pikulicka-Wilczewska.



Earlier in June, Uzbek authorities reluctantly extended the journalist's accreditation after international rights and media groups raised concerns over the issue.

In early February, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry officially apologized to Pikulicka-Wilczewska, a former Al-Jazeera correspondent who also worked for The Guardian and Eurasianet, for the behavior of a ministry employee whom the journalist publicly accused of sexual harassment and pressuring her to write positive articles about the tightly controlled former Soviet republic.



The situation around the Polish journalist and ongoing crackdown on bloggers and independent reporters have put under question the democratization reforms Mirziyoev announced after he took over following the death of his authoritarian predecessor, Islam Karimov, in 2016.



Uzbekistan is ranked 157th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders 2020 World Press Freedom Index.
A protester and volunteer medic wounded on the streets of Kenosha by Kyle Rittenhouse says he was unintentionally pointing his own gun at the rifle-toting Rittenhouse when the young man shot him in the arm
Ali Pastorini is the co-owner of Del Lima Jewelry and President of Mujeres Brillantes, an association that brings together more than 1,000 women working in the gold and diamond trading sector, mainly from Latin America, as well as from Turkey, Spain, Italy, and Germany. The mission of Mujeres Brillantes is to help women in the jewelry and watchmaking sectors consolidate their business in order to exchange professional skills and experience. In the immediate past, Ali Pastorini was also Senior Vice President of the World Jewelry Hub in Panama.

In this interview with Rough&Polished she talks about the situation in the jewelry industry in the context of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

What are the main tasks and problems for MUBRI members today?

The main challenge for members is the same challenge for many jewelers in the sector, to understand and quickly adapt to the new way of consuming jewelry after the adversity that the pandemic has caused to many people. Another challenge for some members is to be even more efficient digitally, although they all understand that it is necessary to be efficient in digital to reach and retain their consumers, still many have difficulty in this digital relationship to maintain daily interest in purchasing products, in addition to distributing faster and smarter way.

The main task for each member to perform is to understand whether or not there has really been a reduction in consumption in their country, not to let themselves be influenced by the news. To understand this, it is necessary to leave your office and study customer behavior, understand their priorities as each country have a different economy speed. For example, at the moment when I answer your questions, we are in Dubai at the first international Jewelry Show held by GJEPC India, and the event was better than we expected as there was a high demand for goods and many purchases, mainly in diamonds and colored gemstones. Remembering that we brought retailers and wholesalers from various regions of Europe and Latin America, that is, there was a high purchase of goods by all countries within this Fair which shows everyone's spirits, and that business is flowing.

How has the pandemic affected jewelers in Latin America?

In Latin America, small companies and designers were the most affected and are taking longer to return to profit in their companies. Unlike large companies that went through the pandemic with few losses and have managed to sell and return to profit throughout 2021. Companies that already operated digitally before the pandemic, such as Del Lima Jewelry, managed to reach new customers faster taking advantage of a gap left by companies that were still operating only physically or had low digital presence.

It is noticed that even companies that are having difficulty in getting back to profit understand that crises will always exist and that versatility within the company is necessary. A brand that has only plan A is a brand that will be negatively surprised in a future crisis. This pandemic has taught everyone, even if in a hard way, that businesses need to be constantly changing for the most diverse demands. The small company or the designer tends to be preoccupied with short-term strategies, while the big companies understand that to you survive you must plan a long-term strategy with the ups and downs of the economy.

Interestingly, companies from countries that did not have a rigorous lockdown such as Mexico and Brazil are the companies that most managed to survive all the challenges because they managed to keep their offices, even with a smaller number of employees, in activity. While countries that made strict lockdowns such as Argentina and Peru are having a hard time paying their creditors and ended up losing customers who migrated to companies that were shipping products through their online stores.

How quickly will the jewelry industry recover from the COVID-19 crisis?

This is a question that is difficult to be precise as each company and each country are adopting different sanitary measures. When I restarted with my travels, I realized that there are companies that have already started selling on a larger scale than in 2019, and companies that will have difficulty in stabilizing themselves until 2023 or so.

I also must add the factor of change in consumer behavior, although there is a portion that seeks luxury products and will spend the amount placed in the showcase, there is a large portion of consumers who are evaluating whether what they spent before was really worth it, and they can change their consumption habits. This new behavior will certainly affect sales, which is why marketing and advertising showing empathy to this new moment will be essential to win new customers. I have seen other industries stepping up in their advertising strategies with this vision because they already realize that this new consumption habit is inevitable. The question is: What is your brand doing to show that it is non-disposable? Remember that people are starting to weigh up what kind of product makes a difference to their lives, they will constantly ask themselves what really makes them happy, that's when good advertising for your product will reconnect with them and win them over. They need to feel that your brand understands their desires. It's a daily and exhausting work that you'll have to do with your team but understand that OVID-19 changes the way you do business a lot, and it's no use thinking things will be the same as 2019 because this evolution has already occurred, the question is whether you will insist on not seeing this or if you are already taking the appropriate strategies.

What is your forecast for colored diamonds' future in terms of demand in comparison to white diamonds?

It is a fact that colored diamonds have increased demand and purchase, I have seen some auctions with colored diamonds being successful, but I do not believe that in the short and medium term they surpass the search and purchase for white diamonds because the jewelry consumer still has a traditional profile and will naturally always look for key pieces.

The white diamond is the equivalent of a white shirt for a woman, that is, everyone needs to have it. I don't think this will change, I think colored diamonds will gain space in the hearts of customers but not to the point of becoming popular like white diamonds.

How popular are lab-grown diamonds now?

I've been saying for the last two years that it's growing due to all the assertive marketing and advertising they do, that is, they listen to the wishes of customers and turn it into stories that connect to the new reality. We as the industry know very well the difference from lab-grown diamonds to natural diamonds, but we don't have the patience and humility to teach our consumers about this difference. We think that because we are special, naturally the consumer has to know this. The result of this? We remain blinded by our pretense of thinking we are special and forget to communicate appropriately with the consumer, while lab-grown companies seem to have more patience and understanding in investing in campaigns that reach and delight consumers.

Lab-grown diamonds are not popular at the moment by accident or luck, they are popular simply because they understand that to win over the customer you have to dedicate yourself as a brand every day, you have to know how to communicate. I put myself in the position of the customer, if I didn't have the knowledge I have, maybe I would also buy lab-grown diamond because the way to communicate is much more attractive, objective and cheerful. Some of my industry colleagues can give a pragmatic answer, such as that lab-grown diamonds are cheaper and therefore more popular. This answer is easier, but it is not the correct answer. My brand sells pieces with only natural diamonds and the prices are much higher than brands with lab-grown diamonds, the difference that instead of we look to blame somebody, we understand this new game and adapt ourselves. You have to understand one thing, lab-grown diamonds will continue to be more and more popular, the question is what will you do to make your natural diamond piece more popular?

To what extent Pandora's endorsement of lab-grown stones devalues natural diamonds?

Pandora understood that there is a new market to explore, this does not mean abandoning the existing market. This Pandora endorsement of the lab-grown diamond will only take effect if we allow it to happen. I think our concern shouldn't be with endorsement but with learning how to market more to younger audiences.

I think that even natural diamond companies think that because the young person does not have the money to invest and buy a natural diamond, marketing should not be aimed at them as it is a waste of time but let me tell you one thing: "Isnt a waste of time!".

If you teach a young person and seduce him/her to get a natural diamond and make it essential in his life, today he/she for economic reasons will not be able to buy the natural diamond but this encouragement will serve him/her to want to get it sooner.

Young people get older, build careers and start to want to consume exclusive products. Keep focus on your current customer but also prepare your future customers to buy from you when they are able to. Do not start this relationship only when they have the right economic conditions, because surely another company will have already seduced them.

lex Shishlo for Rough&Polished
(dvinanews.ru)  The Commission for Awarding the Lomonosov Prize in 2021 seated in Arkhangelsk has proceeded to its business headed by Oleg Rusinov, Minister of Education of the Arkhangelsk Province. Over the course of two days, reports will be heard from applicants for one of the most prestigious public awards in Pomorye (the White Sea coastal area).

The Lomonosov Prize has been awarded for over 20 years. It was established by the interregional Lomonosov Foundation, the authorities of the Arkhangelsk Province, and the administration of Pomoryes capital. This award honors those who contribute to the development of science, technology, culture, and society.

This year more than a dozen works have been submitted to the competition committee for consideration. The key evaluation criteria are the practical and scientific significance of the projects, their focus on solving the socio-economic issues facing our region, said Oleg Rusinov.

The minister noted a wide range of projects, the authors of which are competing for the Lomonosov Prize. The competition committee, for example, has already heard the author of the book "Diamond Era," Oleg Grigorash (AGD Diamonds JSC), who presented a publication dedicated to geologists of the Russian North.

Also, doctors from Pomorye described their work, presenting the results of the centralized service for treating pediatric oncology. Today, remission in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (the most common form) among children is 100 percent, there is no induction mortality.

Traditionally, specialists of JSC SPO Arktika present their technological developments for the competition.

Young scientists presented their projects on November 3 this year. They have their own competitive nomination, within which three Lomonosov Prizes have been established.

Ministry of Education of the Arkhangelsk Province
Mr. PHAN DUC HIEU, Member of the 15th National Assembly, and also part of a delegation of National Assembly deputies to Thai Binh Province, and Deputy Director of the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM), spoke with Saigon Investment and gave his opinion on the economic restructuring plan for this period.

Mr. Hieu believes that the restructuring plan for this period is essential in order to change the foundation of the entire plan and lead to more substantial development for future growth.

JOURNALIST: - Sir, is the plan to restructure the economy for the period 2021 until 2025, that has been submitted to the National Assembly this time, to be evaluated as an adjustment in thinking and approach in the new context?

Mr. PHAN DUC HIEU: - First of all, these plans all have in common the same goal of socio-economic development of the country. Specifically, creating changes in the way the economy is run, in order to improve the efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness of the economy. Rather, new content is added on the basis of new thinking and approaches, but not completely different, but overlapping. For example, the socio-economic plan includes the content of restructuring the economy, the task of economic recovery, and maintaining production and businesses.

In terms of approach, the plan is based on the unification of awareness and thinking about restructuring the economy, avoiding the case that the economic structure follows a movement, which is a formality without substance. The approach is not only to restructure the proportion of the economic sector, the proportion of industry, agriculture, and services, but also which areas and which entities have the most efficient use of resources, and opportunity to access necessary resources, in the fastest, timely, and fully efficient manner.

Thinking to restructure the economy this time is to create fundamental changes, to change the way the economy is run, to focus on the mechanism of resource allocation, so that resources are allocated efficiently and at a low cost, for the right projects, in the most efficient and fastest manner.

- Sir, can you tell me more about the tasks in this economic master plan?

- In general, some tasks of economic restructuring were still necessary and unfinished in the previous period and need to be continued. In addition, the context has changed, resulting in new requirements to adapt to. For example, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and changes in international economic relations, the 4.0 revolution and the new economic trend for sustainable development. It should also be added that restructuring is a regular thing, aimed at higher goals and adapting to changing contexts and new situations.

The socio-economic restructuring plan for the period 2021 until 2025 will include some uncompleted tasks from the previous plan. Firstly, the implementation of the task group to restructure three key areas, including public investment, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and credit institutions, although being implemented more substantively, has not been completed according to the set target. Secondly, the implementation of the task group to restructure the state budget and public non-business units still has some shortcomings. Thirdly, the implementation of the task group to develop the domestic private sector and attract foreign investment has some limitations.

The socio-economic development strategy and plan for the period 2020 to 2021 takes reform and improvement of the quality of socialist-oriented market economy institutions to be a prerequisite to promote the development of the country. It requires a full, synchronous, modern, integrated, and effective law enforcement plan.

This strategy focuses on three major breakthroughs. First, continue to perfect and improve the quality of the socialist-oriented market economy institution fully and synchronously, focusing on market factors of production, especially the market for land use rights, science, and technology.

Second, continue to comprehensively develop human resources, science, technology, and innovation. Third, continue to perfect a synchronous and modern socio-economic infrastructure, strongly develop digital infrastructure, build and develop national, regional, and local data infrastructure connected to the Ministry, and also create a foundation for the development of digital economy and a digital society.

New development practices and requirements show that human resources are more important than ever. In theory, human resources are important and are the foundation for transformation and change management. In the new context, simple and cheap labor, which is an advantage for attracting investment, gradually becomes a bottleneck for growth and development. The reality and international experience in the new growth model also shows the need and requirement to improve the quality of human resources, especially retraining human resources and improving the qualifications of existing and future human resources.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, along with the recent wave of labor migration and the recent situation of both surplus and shortage of labor, shows that the issue of labor resources is more important than ever, not only in quality but also in the ecosystem, as well as accommodation and living environment of workers.

Another important focus of this plan is to complete the objectives of restructuring the system of credit institutions, state budget, public investment, public non-business organizations and developing various types of markets and improving the efficiency of distribution and use of resources such as the labor market. In the draft economic restructuring plan, the labor issue mentioned the second focus on developing markets.

However, the problem of labor resources is not only labor relations, labor supply, demand, and training quality, but also greater solutions to be more comprehensive, long-term, and strategic. This may include policies on economic, educational, and social infrastructure development such as planning, social housing, industrial parks, regimes, and policies for employees suitable to the new context. Labor resources must be a focus, and also must be considered a pillar in the content for this economic restructuring plan.

- Thank you very much.

Luu Thuy (interviewer)
Vietnam proposed carrying forward the role of parliaments in promoting the approach towards green development and growth to serve recovery post COVID-19 , at national, regional and global levels, at the COP26 Parliamentary Meeting in Glasgow, the UK, on November 7.Le Quang Huy, member of the National Assembly Standing Committee and head of the NAs Committee for Science-Technology and Environment, led a Vietnamese delegation to the event.The meeting, co-organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the British Group of the IPU, brought together about 200 parliamentarians from countries worldwide.The Vietnamese delegation raised opinions at all three sessions of the meeting, covering the appeal to parliaments to take actions against climate change, finance for climate change response, and losses caused by climate change.The meeting aimed to promote cooperation and open dialogue among international parliamentarians and inspire delegates to call on national governments to set ambitious plans to meet all the obligations of the Paris Agreement targets. Crucially, they include commitments to strengthening the response to the threat of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions to limit global temperature rise this century to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing concerted efforts to limit any temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.On the sidelines of the meeting, the Vietnamese delegation had meetings with heads of the RoK and UK delegations, during which they affirmed that the Vietnamese legislature backs initiatives of foreign parliaments to cope with climate change./.
Clement Musil, an analyst for the Paris Research Institute of Architecture, Urban and Social Development, told the South China Morning Post in 2018: They have to build the institutional framework, and thats why theyre hesitating. He compared the situation to Shanghai, which took several years to build its first 13km of track in the 1990s but then went on to build one of the worlds largest metro systems (see further reading).
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
The flip-flops you wear to the beach may soon come from the ocean.

Within the next year, UC San Diego professor Stephen Mayfield and his students plan to introduce a brand of flip-flops made of algae oil, a renewable and potentially biodegradable alternative to the petroleum-based foam now used for the worlds most popular throw-away shoes.

The initial pair is made of bright-blue foam, with a leather strap and the universitys triton logo. The retail product is scheduled to debut next year with other colors and a cushier footbed.

Three billion petroleum-based flip-flops are produced worldwide each year, and most will end up in landfills or circulate in ocean currents, where theyll join mounds of plastic trash in remote areas of the world.

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Mayfield and his students set out to develop sandals that hold up on your feet, but break down in the environment.

How do we make something comfortable like a petroleum one, but biodegradable? asked Mayfield, director of the California Center for Algae Biotechnology at the university.

The answer took some work, but was well within the realm of possibility, he learned. Ancient algae that grew hundreds of millions of years ago forms the petroleum we use today, and freshly harvested algae oil is chemically similar, Mayfield said. Like petroleum, it can be formulated to make hard and soft foams, which function much like their petroleum-based counterparts. Mayfield opened his laboratory and founded a startup, Algenesis, to explore those uses.

The nice thing about algae is the molecules that algae can produce are very complex and varied, so theoretically the things you can make from it -- the possibilities -- could be endless, said Marissa Tessman, who began working on the project as a graduate student in chemistry and is now a research scientist at Algenesis.

The universitys original algae research focused on biofuels, including biodiesel, but the economic incentive for those projects tanked along with gas prices several years ago. Shortly afterward, Mayfield and chemistry professor Skip Pomeroy took up a new challenge: to create an algae-based surfboard. Mayfield, a lifelong surfer himself, saw that product as a good fit for the surfing ethos.

We shouldnt be surfing in an area where we really care about the environment, on a surfboard made of petroleum, he said.

He and Pomeroy worked with a local surfboard blank manufacturer, Arctic Foam of Oceanside, to make hard, foam surfboard cores from algae oil instead of petroleum. They ended up using a mix of petroleum and algae oil to produce a foam that met surfers expectations for their boards, but the researchers concluded it was a good start. Tackling flip-flops, an even more ubiquitous product, was a natural next step, they said.

For surfers, their whole raison detre is about being in the ocean, being in the water, Pomeroy said. In the flip-flops, we hoped that Southern Californians who would be open to greener technology would be open to this as a shoe.

Stephen Mayfield, professor of molecular biology, and his team at UC San Diego developed a sustainable, algae-based flip-flop to reduce the petroleum used in billions of throwaway shoes each year. (Howard Lipin)

Getting the foam formulation right was just part of the equation, Mayfield said. There were also design and marketing considerations involved in making a shoe with the arch support, comfort level and appearance that consumers want. They have to hold their shape for months of walking, but decompose easily when discarded.

The researchers consulted footwear designers, and enlisted volunteers to wear the shoes and provide feedback. Theyre also conducting laboratory tests to see if the foam sandals are both durable and biodegradable.

Our idea would be to make a polymer that would have the properties that you want it to while its on your foot, but when you decide its use is over for you, it can be degraded by a microorganism in some type of rapid process, said Michael Burkart, a fellow chemistry professor and partner on the project.

The testing will continue this year, and commercial rollout is planned for the end of 2018, Mayfield said. To finance their efforts, theyre planning a kick-starter campaign geared toward UC San Diego alumni, who can purchase a pair in advance. The first batches will probably cost about $5 more than typical flip-flops, the researchers said, but that price premium will come down as they fine-tune production and ramp up scale.

Developing the product from basic research to finished product is an important lesson for science students, who might otherwise graduate with an excellent education but few practical skills, Mayfield and his colleagues said. After working on the flip-flops, chemistry students can tell prospective employers that they used injection molds, rebound tests and other tools of industry.

It shows them that things Im learning in the lab apply in real life, Mayfield said. This kind of experience is exciting for students and gratifying for professors.

Mayfield became doubly dedicated to the project during a recent trip to the Maldives Islands. There he saw piles of discarded flip-flops washed up on the beach, transported to the pristine, white sand beaches from far-flung parts of the Indian Ocean.

Theres something wrong with the world when the Maldives looks like that, he said. We need to change that, and its not that expensive and not that hard.

At their outset, synthetic polymers were revolutionary products, designed to be both affordable and very nearly indestructible. Now the trick is making them from sustainable materials, and with a limited lifetime, Burkart said. The resulting products could improve consumer goods ranging from shoes to car seats to home insulation, he said.

I really see a bright future for developing renewable materials and polymers, but with an eye for the end of life of those materials, and how they need to be recycled or decomposed in the environment, so they dont end up polluting our planet, he said.

deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan
CARLSBAD

Milkweed project done by Scout, school

Boy Scout Josh Lintner of Troop 784 planned, implemented and built a portable greenhouse with the sixth-grade class at Calavera Hills Middle School to support the students business, Milkweed for Monarchs. The students are selling milkweed to help stabilize the population of monarch butterflies, whose larvae eat only milkweed. The students are hoping to re-establish the butterfly population in San Diego, and they worked with the PTSA, Kids for Peace and Real World Scholars to help Josh with his Eagle Scout project. The students, assisted by math teacher Brooke Tobia and environmental science teacher Patti Langen, have been selling milkweed pods at school events, community events (Carlsbad Village Faire, the opening of Pine Street Park) and hope to sell them at the Carlsbad Farmers Market on Wednesdays during the coming school year. Visit www.milkweedformonarch.com.

St. Patrick students present Fiddler

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Fiddler on the Roof  will be performed at St. Patrick Catholic Church at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday by youths from the community, including from St. Patrick School and other local public schools. All proceeds benefit St. Patrick Catholic Community. Tickets are $15 and can be bought at the parish office or at the door, which opens at 6:30 p.m. The church is at 3821 Adams St.

Violet Meyers, a vocal performance student from Valley Center, recently received a $1,000 scholarship from the Pacific Belles Chorus. (Courtesy photo)

ESCONDIDO

Student wins Pacific Belles scholarship

Violet Meyers, a vocal performance student from Valley Center, recently received a $1,000 scholarship from the Pacific Belles Chorus. Violet was in choirs for seven years in middle and high school and performed in three regional honor choirs, three county honor choirs and one state honor choir, as well as in national and international honor choirs. She is studying for a music degree at San Diego State University. Pacific Belles Chorus is a womens chorus singing four-part a cappella barbershop-style harmony. Visit www.pacificbelleschorus.org or come to a rehearsal at 7 p.m. Mondays at Trinity Episcopal Church, 345 Chestnut St.

NORTH COUNTY

Stuff the Bus needs supplies, volunteers

During the last school year, more than 22,000 children were identified as homeless in San Diego County. The San Diego County Office of Education is teaming with San Diego County Credit Union to collect new, unused school supplies for these students. You can help Stuff the Bus by donating supplies at any SDCCU branch this month or by donating at www.crowdrise.com/stuff-the-bus. Most needed: 1-inch three-ring binders, colored pencils (12-pack), erasers, glue sticks, pencil sharpeners, footlong rulers, blunt-tip scissors and washable fine-tip markers. Volunteers are also needed Aug. 1-3 to unload, sort and stuff the supplies collected at SDCCU Stadium (formerly Qualcomm Stadium). Volunteers can register at https://sdcoe.k12oms.org/1085-152460. All ages are encouraged to participate; however, anyone age 13 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Area students graduate

Graduating from Oregon State University in Corvallis, Ore: Bonsall: Kaelie A. Williams, B.A., English; Carlsbad: Kailey J. Castro, B.S., psychology, and Abigail E. Rose, B.S., cum laude, human development and family sciences; Escondido: Steven Lim, B.S., computer science, and Justin A. Mills, B.S., magna cum laude, environmental sciences; Oceanside: Elizabeth D. Barba, B.S., business administration; Mark E. Barry, B.S., magna cum laude, forest engineering; Spencer J. Bull, M.S., civil engineering; Grace E. Gray, B.A., sociology; Lesley A. Pineda, B.S., economics; and Sadie R. Walter, B.S., cum laude, biology; Poway: Rebecca L. Thompson, B.S. computer science; San Marcos: Timothy D. Berry, B.S. summa cum laude, economics; Solana Beach: Nanilei L. Lamchin, B.S., public health; Vista: Anthony G. De La Torre, B.S., computer science; Jose Murrieta, B.S., computer science; and Katie M. Nelson, B.S., biology.

Graduating from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo.: Kayla Grotte, Encinitas, B.A. in psychology; Johna Malloy, Escondido, B.A. in sociology; Sarah Myers, Escondido, M.A. in clinical mental health counseling; Evelyn Reynoso, Escondido, B.A. in sociology; Mackenzie Wise, Poway, B.A. in criminal justice.

Evan Wilson Ridpath of Carlsbad graduated with a B.A. in creative producing from Chapman University in Orange.

OCEANSIDE

Back-to-School rally seeks donations

The North San Diego County NAACP holds its annual Back to School-Stay in School Rally on Aug. 4 at the MiraCosta College Oceanside campus near the clock tower. The local K-12 community and MiraCosta students in need can access free school supplies, community resources, and a hot dog lunch. The college is hosting a school supplies and backpack donation drive. Suggested supplies include No. 2 pencils, crayons, markers, ruled notebook paper, notebooks, three-ring binders, pens, glue sticks or liquid glue, erasers, highlighters, dry erase markers, pocket folders and backpacks. Drop off donations through Aug. 3 in the Service Learning Office, School Relations Office, or the Admissions and Records Offices at either the San Elijo or Oceanside campuses. Look for the box with the Back to School Rally flyer. Call (760) 795-6616 or email bpalmer@miracosta.edu.

RAMONA

Schools get funding for new salad bars

Bayer has committed $40,000 to the United Fresh Start Foundation, in support of its mission to increase childrens access to fresh fruits and vegetables. As part of the partnership, Bayer is funding salad bars for eight schools in California and Idaho, including two in the Ramona Unified School District: Barnett Elementary and James Dukes Elementary. Our district has always had a commitment to serving fresh produce in our school lunch program, said Kati Harbor, director of the districts Food and Nutrition Services, in a statement. The new salad bar will highlight fresh produce and encourage children to make healthy choices from a greater variety of colorful options.

SAN DIEGUITO

August input session on new superintendent

The San Dieguito Union High School District board will hold a third open forum from 1-4 p.m. Wednesday in the district office board room, 710 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas, to get community input about its search for a new superintendent. Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates has been selected to do the search and advise the board through the process. An online survey will be available through 4 p.m. Tuesday at www.sduhsd.net or https://bit.ly/2zRS5Qv. Two open forums were held in July.

Akari Takimoto won a $500 scholarship from Tutor Doctor in San Diego. (Courtesy photo)

Tutoring company presents scholarship

Tutor Doctor, an in-home tutoring company, recently awarded a $500 scholarship to Akari Takimoto, a student at Torrey Pines High School. Tiffany Lien, co-owner with Christopher Lien of the San Diego company, presented the award, which annually goes to a senior who has overcome significant challenges. Akari moved from Japan to San Diego just two years ago, not knowing English or anything about Southern California. She enrolled in English Language Development classes and worked her way up to taking AP English literature. Akari plans to attend either Trinity University or Reed College.

SAN MARCOS

Cal State San Marcos hosts teachers summit

North County San Diego teachers will gather at Cal State San Marcos from 8:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Friday for the fourth annual Better Together: California Teachers Summit, a free statewide day of learning and networking for all preK-12 teachers, teacher candidates, school administrators and other educators. Keynote speaker is Sir Ken Robinson, an expert on creativity and innovation. Two local teachers, Jaime Yumiko Brown and Scott Bedley, will present TED-style EdTalks. There will also be breakout sessions on topics such as building student agency, personalizing learning with or without technology and tailoring lessons to meet specific student needs. Registration has closed for the CSUSM site, but there is room for additional participants and walk-ups are encouraged to attend. Visit CATeachersSummit.com; follow #CATeachersSummit.

Please send items to laura.groch@sduniontribune.com at least 10 days before events.

laura.groch@sduniontribune.com
The historic role of Linda Vista, a distinctive San Diego community, has been set right again.

The neighborhood between Mission Valley and Clairemont Mesa was the site of a wartime visit by first lady Eleanor Roosevelt in 1942 to dedicate what was among the first, if not the first, self-contained shopping centers in America.

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World War II created a desperate need for housing for defense workers. The federal government turned Linda Vista into a construction zone: 3,000 homes and 750 dormitories were built in just 159 days. With instant housing came a need for instant shopping, and the federal government built 12-acre Linda Vista Shopping Center.

The center was demolished in 1972, however, and a commemorative plaque went missing. Thanks to Carrie Beinert and the Linda Vista Town Council, a piece of history has been restored.

A plaque installed a few weeks ago reads: This site was the location of one of the first planned shopping centers in the United States. The Linda Vista area was developed as a government housing project for aircraft and shipyard defense workers during World War II. The original shopping center was built to serve the residents and was dedicated in 1942 by Eleanor Roosevelt. Demolition of the original shopping center occurred in 1972.

  Linda Vista Development Corporation, 2009

Linda Vista was a retail pacesetter in 1942, but today lacks a major grocery store. Putting up housing quickly was doable in the war years, but today the smaller lots inhibit expansion or renovation of older homes. Instead, Linda Vista has become San Diegos melting pot, providing entry-level housing for each new wave of immigrants. Its a community of pride, of people proud to be in America, grateful for opportunity.

Linda Vistas Community Plan and a new development near the Friars Road trolley stop point to a future direction: Mixed-use housing and retail in a walkable neighborhood. Meantime, a new plaque points out moments from Linda Vistas past.
Does law enforcements quest for safety infringe on peoples civil liberties?

Thats the question privacy advocates are asking as technology continues to make it easier for police agencies to monitor citizens.

From radar devices that can see through walls to a network of microphones that reports shootings to officers, here are eight ways the police can keep an eye on you, and why some groups find them alarming.

Range-R handheld radar system. (Courtesy CyTerra) ( / Courtesy CyTerra)

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1. Range-R

What it is: The Range-R looks like a high-tech stud-finder, but it pinpoints people. The radar device uses radio waves to see through walls to locate people inside a structure. It can pick up on movements as slight as human breathing to detect the location of a person up to 50 feet away, but it doesnt provide an image of whats inside. The device was devised for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and its been used by U.S. law enforcement agencies since at least 2012. A unit costs about $6,000.

Why youll care: Privacy advocates have concerns about use of the device without a search warrant. A Kansas federal appeals court brought the issue to light in December. A deputy U.S. Marshal  who had a warrant for a parolees arrest but no search warrant  used the Range-R to determine if anyone was inside a Wichita home where authorities suspected the felon lived. The parolees defense attorney tried to get a charge thrown out because of the radars use. While the charges were upheld, the courts ruling said the governments warrantless use of such a powerful tool to search inside homes poses grave Fourth Amendment questions.

(AP Photo/U.S. Patent and Trademark Office)

2. Stingray

What it is: The Stingray masquerades as a cellphone tower, forcing all nearby cellphones to connect to it. Its usually mounted in a law enforcement vehicle. Coupled with an antenna, police can use the Stingray to determine where a mobile phone is in real time. Phones also stream data to the device, including the phone and identification numbers, which can be used to get past call and text data and any dialed numbers. The technology was initially developed for military and spy agencies and can cost as much as $400,000.

Why youll care: Law enforcement agencies, including local ones, have been extremely secretive about whether and how they use Stingray technology. A civil-rights group is suing the San Diego Police Department for its refusal to turn over information about the device. Police in other parts of the country have admitted using the technology without a warrant, which advocacy organizations argue is a violation of the Fourth Amendment. Civil groups are also concerned that many cellphones, not just the cellphone being targeted, connect to the device, and want to know what safeguards are in place to protect information gathered from innocent citizens.

FILE - In this Nov. 5, 2014 file photo, Sgt. Chris Wicklund of the Burnsville, Minn., Police Department wears a body camera beneath his microphone. Clevelands move to buy 1,500 police body cameras and data storage could cost up to $3.3 million over five years, a higher price tag than previously known and an illustration of the long-term costs of such programs with Taser International. (AP Photo/Jim Mone, File) (The Associated Press)

3. Body Cameras

What it is: Police departments have rolled out a variety of body cameras that attach to an officers chest, shoulder or sunglasses. Police officers are responsible for turning the cameras on during interactions with the public. Many believe they de-escalate conflict between police and the public, and increase law enforcement transparency. A study done several months ago by the San Diego Police Department showed officers have used less force and members of the public have complained about officers less since the department rolled out the cameras.

Why youll care: Lawmakers, police departments and civil advocacy organizations generally agree body cameras are a useful tool, but there is much debate on the policies that govern how theyre used. Where will body camera videos be stored and for how long? Who has the ability to view footage? Should officers record all encounters? Recently, controversy erupted when a San Diego officer didnt turn on his camera before fatally shooting a man in the Midway District. The department revised its body camera policy following the shooting, but it sparked renewed debate about the effectiveness of the devices.

Related: Shooting raises cop camera questions

Chula Vista police Officer Roman Granados uses a computer tablet equipped with facial recognition software to photograph a person while on patrol. The photo is uploaded to a database which searches for possible matches. Once possible matches are found, Granados compares the photos to make the final determination on a match, and to learn or confirm that persons identity. (Howard Lipin)

4. Facial Recognition Software

What it is: Facial recognition software analyzes aspects of a persons face  the space between someones eyes or how long a persons nose is  and creates a template. That template is then compared to a database of photographs, which could include images from surveillance video or mug shots, to identify a person. Recently, the FBI launched the Next Generation Identification system, which will house more than 50 million photographs that law enforcement can access to verify someones identity.

Why youll care: Several organizations argue facial recognition software simply doesnt work. The system can be fooled by facial hair, weight loss, aging  even a big smile. But there are privacy concerns as well. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has sued the government for more information about the FBIs system and argued the software is among the most alarming new developments, because Americans cannot easily take precautions against the covert, remote, and mass capture of their images.

License plate reader device. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)

5. License plate readers

What it is: A license plate reader scans a vehicles license plate and stores the plate number and the time, date and GPS location from when it was photographed. Data may be stored for days, months or years depending on the jurisdiction. Scanned license plate numbers can be checked against a list of vehicles that are stolen or wanted. The technology wasnt widely used until the 90s, when software became more affordable and more capable. License plate readers are used to enforce road rules and can be found on roadways, atop streetlights and attached to law enforcement vehicles.

Why youll care: While license plate information can help criminal investigations, civil liberties groups argue those instances account for a very small portion of the plates that are cataloged. Most often, license plate information belongs to innocent people, and privacy advocates argue storing such information is very invasive. Several organizations that have requested information associated with license plate scans were able to ascertain where members of the public spent much of their time, including their homes and workplaces. There are also concerns that private companies use license plate readers with little to no oversight.

FILE - In this Jan. 8, 2014, file photo, a drone flies at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Newsgathering by drone is gaining traction as an industry practice, but how the technology can actually be used to cover the news of the day is murky given its legal limitations. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) (The Associated Press)

6. Drones

What it is: Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, come in many sizes and can be self guided or controlled remotely by a human. Predator B drones, which were used for a time by Customs and Border Protection, have a wingspan of about 65 feet. Others are much smaller, like the Nano Hummingbird, which weighs less than a AA battery. Drones can be outfitted with a variety of gadgets, from weapons to surveillance technology. Common uses include law enforcement, firefighting, border patrol, disaster relief, search and rescue, military training, and other government operational missions. Drone legislation had been introduced in about three dozen states as of 2014.

Why youll care: Police departments are becoming increasingly interested in drone technology as the technology becomes more affordable and easier to use. While many groups agree there are positive uses, privacy advocates and law makers are calling for clear regulations to protect privacy. If drones are used for surveillance work, for example, a warrant should be required. Civil rights organizations have also argued that images taken by drones shouldnt be stored, unless they pertain to an ongoing investigation.

Related: Police chiefs group offers drone-use policy

In this file photo taken July 16, 2008, workers are seen at the construction of a cellular telephone antenna tower in Lakewood, N.J.. A Long Island township has imposed restrictions on the placement of new cell towers that are among the toughest in the country, and one phone company said, Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010, it effectively bans new construction. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File) ( / AP)

7. Cellphone tower dumps

What it is: A cellphone tower dump is when a law enforcement agency requests information sent from cellphones to a cellphone tower during a given period. Cellphone towers, equipped with antennas and electrical equipment, enable GPS and allow phones to make calls and send texts. Phones are constantly searching for a tower to connect to, and they send over information even when they arent in use. That data, saved by phone companies for months or years, can include location information, call history, sent texts, even search terms typed into phone browsers. Law enforcement agencies can request cellphone companies to fork over some of that information to further an investigation.

Why youll care: Hundreds of millions of people use cellphones, creating digital trails of calls, texts and website visits that cellphone carriers store for a variety of reasons. Law agencies can use tower dumps to zero in on bad guys, but a lot of innocent peoples data are swept up in the process. Privacy advocates want a clearer understanding of where that data goes, how long its stored and who has access to it. Also, investigators dont always need a warrant to initiate a cellphone tower dump, which a number of organizations object to. Additionally, the Supreme Court has ruled that some information sent from cellphone users to cellphone providers, like numbers dialed, is not protected by the Fourth Amendment. Civil rights groups and lawyers have argued privacy considerations surrounding digital data should be revisited.

Shotspotter technology. (AP Photo/Mathew Sumner)

8. Shotspotter

What it is: Shotspotter is a system that uses audio sensors to determine when and where shootings take place. The location is then sent to police departments so officers can investigate. Once the sensors triangulate where the gunfire came from, the sound is sent to a review center where a person determines if it was really gunshots. If it is, the information is forwarded to police. Officers get a map of where the shots were fired, the time of the shooting, how many shots were fired, and if the shooter was moving, in what direction they were headed.

Why youll care: Many agree the ability to better figure out where and when shootings happen is a good thing, but the technology might have unintended and invasive side effects. The sensors constantly pick up on sound, but only noise 2 seconds before gunshots and 4 seconds after is sent over for review. Still, there have been instances where conversations immediately following shootings have been used in court. In one case, a victims dying words were used as evidence against a man suspected of shooting the Oakland resident to death. Microphones placed close to private property are also raising concerns.
NASA's hunt for life on other worlds has led them to scour over planets and exoplanets that are light-years away from home. Over the years, they have developed techniques on how to identify life forms from far distances.

One of these techniques is monitoring how starlight affects a planet's atmosphere, critical information for finding signs of life. Now, NASA's probe rocket will be monitoring a nearby star called Procyon A, the brightest star in the constellation Canis Minor.

Studying Starlight to Gain Insights on a Planet

In studying planets that have different compositions with Earth, scientists use a technology that will allow them to see signs of life. Kevin France at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and his colleagues designed the Suborbital Imaging Spectrograph for Transition region Irradiance from Nearby Exoplanet (SISTINE) to look at the star of orbiting planets to find life outside the Solar System.

The probe rocket is designed to study the ultraviolet radiation environment around low-mass stars and its effects on the atmospheres of exoplanets. According to NASA, SISTINE uses a spectrograph that separates light into its component parts to measure high-energy radiation from the stars or spectra in wavelengths from 100 to 160 nanometers, a range that can create oxygen.

It was first launched on August 5, 2019, for a 15-minute flight onboard the Black Brant IX sounding rocket that makes a short, targeted flight to space. This will give SISTINE five minutes of observing time but enough to see stars in wavelengths that are inaccessible even to the Hubble Space Telescope.

This year, it is scheduled to launch on November 8 from White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

ALSO READ: Where Stars Are Born: NASA's SOFIA Telescope Captures High-Resolution View of a Star Nursery in the Milky Way

SISTINE-2 Mission

In a recent article from NASA, they shared that the SISTINE-2 mission will observe Procyon A located 11.5 light-years away from Earth. It is an F-type star slightly larger, hotter, and brighter than the Sun in the Solar System. Even without planets orbiting, scientists said that studying Procyon A can give insights on F-type stars and their exoplanets in the universe.

"Knowing the ultraviolet spectra of these stars will help us find the most promising star-planet environments with future NASA observatories," France said in the statement.

Like the first mission, it will use its spectrograph and will focus on ultraviolet light at wavelengths of 100-160 nanometers, which are known to produce false-positive biomarkers. The team hopes to assemble a reference spectrum that will help other astronomers interpret biomarkers on exoplanets that orbit around an F-type star.

Moreover, the mission will be testing the enhanced lithium fluoride optical coating to the instrument's mirrors to improve its capability of reflecting UV lights. This will help scientists evaluate whether it is suitable for larger, longer-duration space missions.

SISTINE-2 will also launch on a sounding rocket just like its first mission and will ascend at about 174 miles (280 kilometers) to access the UV light absorbed by the atmosphere and will observe Procyon A for five minutes.

They hope for s soft landing for a faster turnaround for their July 2022 launch from the Arnhem Space Center in Nhulunbuy, Australia. The third mission will observe B, G, and K-type stars as well as the Alpha Centauri, the home to the cool red dwarf star Proxima Centauri.



RELATED ARTICLE: 3D Printing Allows Astronomers to Hold Stellar Nurseries in Their Hands to Observe the Stars

Check out more news and information on Stars on Science Times.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) authorized lethal action against one of the state's endangered wolf packs on Thursday, citing repeated cattle depredation in Ferry County.

WDFW Director Kelly Susewind approved lethal removal of one to two wolves in the Togo pack after livestock producers reported four cattle depredation events that resulted in one dead and three injured calves in the past two months. The pack currently consists of five adult wolves and four pups, according to the department.

But wildlife advocacy groups say that the state-sanctioned killings could be prevented if strategic cattle grazing practices were implemented, especially during the current drought emergency.

"Its such a tragedy that Washingtons Department of Fish and Wildlife has once again put the Togo pack in the crosshairs," said Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity in a news release Thursday. "Rather than continue to work with better alternatives, the agency insists on killing wolves to appease livestock owners. This approach does nothing but fuel a pointless cycle."

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

The state said that impacted livestock producers had implemented several non-lethal deterrence measures, including adding fox lights at night to give the appearance of humans patrolling, adding more range rider activity and increasing the frequency of collar location tracking to aid in separating the wolves and livestock.

"Based on the distribution of livestock in the territory, where the depredations occurred, the amount of non-lethal deterrence measures already deployed and currently being utilized, and the behavior patterns exhibited by the wolves, WDFW staff believe depredations are likely to continue, even with additional non-lethal deterrence efforts," wrote WDFW in their order.

The state's gray wolf packs have showed signs of recovery over the past decade, with the state's annual report showing that the population increased by 22% in the past year. The population has been increasing by an average of 26% per year since 2008, and the report marks the 12th consecutive year of population growth.

"Washington wolf recovery continues to make solid progress," Susewind said when the report was released. "For the first time the North Cascades wolf recovery area has met the local recovery objective  four successful breeding pairs  during 2020."

Courtesy WDFW

The report also tracked livestock deaths and found that nine cattle were killed by wolves in 2020. WDFW reported 16 wolf mortalities, including eight legally harvested by tribal hunters and three lethally removed in response to the livestock deaths.

But the news of recovery came after former President Donald Trump Administration's delisted gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act in late 2020 after 45 years of protection, returning management of the populations back to states and tribes. Since then, legislatures in several states, including Idaho and Montana, have moved to relax restrictions on hunting and trapping.

Although the new kill order is the fifth targeting the Togo pack since 2018, WDFW said that the removal "should not negatively impact the ability to recover wolves in Washington." But conservation groups emphasize that the orders are counterproductive.

"With yet another kill order, livestock owners have little incentive to use or continue to use measures that prevent conflicts because they can count on the agency to send sharpshooters into the air," Weiss said.

The authorization will expire once the wolves have been removed or after Sept. 26, regardless of whether the wolves were removed.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  After a Michigan official emailed the head of Benton Harbors drinking water system in June 2019 about the impoverished city's failure to hit targets for treating corroded lead pipes, the local leader snapped back: I have no time for this.

Municipal superintendent Mike OMalley's email response went to lay out grievances about state demands on his office since the discovery months earlier of elevated lead levels in Benton Harbor's water. The testy exchange was among many between the water chief and state regulators trying to contain what has become Michigan's second high-profile lead contamination crisis in less than a decade.

The strained ties were evident in emails released last week by the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. They were among an 11,000-page trove of communications and documents sought by legislators investigating the state's handling of the predicament in Benton Harbor, a majority-Black city of about 9,100 in Michigan's far southwestern corner.

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also ordered measures last week to strengthen water quality statewide, including stepped-up efforts to reduce lead content and remove service lines made with the toxic metal that can damage children's brains and nervous systems.

But her administration faces complaints of inadequate response from Republican foes and even some allies, including Black activists and environmental groups, as she prepares to seek reelection next year. When campaigning in 2018, Whitmer criticized the performance of GOP predecessor Rick Snyder in the Flint lead emergency.

City and state officials have failed to address this public health crisis with the urgency it requires, progressive groups said in a Sept. 9 petition to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Last week, the EPA instructed Benton Harbor to improve corrosion control, repair filters at its treatment plant and better notify residents.

Liesl Clark, director of the state environmental agency, described the Benton Harbor situation as unique and particularly urgent in a letter to state Sen. Ed McBroom, the Republican chairman of the Senate Oversight Committee, which is investigating the state's response. But lead-tainted water is a statewide issue, Clark added.

While acknowledging her department could do better in Benton Harbor, Clark said the thousands of newly released documents show it had gone above and beyond legal requirements."

It's frustrating to hear this mantra that the state did nothing there for three years, Eric Oswald, director of the department's Drinking Water and Environmental Health Division, said in an interview Monday. We had a pretty significant response effort.

The documents and emails provide a behind-the scenes look at conversations between state and Benton Harbor officials after samples indicated high lead readings three years ago.

On Jan. 14, 2019, shortly after Whitmer look office, a memo from an Oswald aide said the city wasn't providing promised bottled water or filters to residents with high lead readings. Local officials were sending mixed messages about the situation and rejecting offers of help with additional sampling, the memo said.

The next month, the state issued a permit for the city to pump orthophosphate and polyphosphate into the water to coat the pipes and prevent erosion. Then came a consent order requiring the city to fix problems with the water system and boost rates to fund upgrades.

Further emails and letters showed state officials prodding O'Malley to increase the number of locations for water sampling, while he argued that fewer should be permissible because the city's population had fallen below 10,000.

I put off the lead sampling requirement until recently, now I have to go full speed ahead on finding 60 homes. I have 4 right now, O'Malley wrote in June 2019. 100 letters 4 responses. We are going to go door to door next and hope for the best!

When state water treatment specialist Ernie Sarkipato offered help, O'Malley replied: I have already asked you for help and been denied.

State engineering supervisor Michael Bolf wrote Oswald in December 2019 about Benton Harbor repeatedly missing consent order deadlines.

We feel caught between a rock in a hard place, Bolf wrote. Fining the cash-strapped city might worsen relations and achieve little, but with leniency, the water system remains vulnerable and we are potentially culpable if a problem occurs.

The state agency notified Benton Harbor in February 2020 its corrosion control treatments werent succeeding and ordered adjustments. OMalley replied the conclusion was premature.

To Benton Harbor, your order left us quite anxious about what was required and it felt like, you want us to begin running scared, he said.

Oswald said Monday he was cautiously optimistic the corrosion control system was getting better results and was awaiting results of the latest testing.

The state revoked O'Malley's certification to operate the city water plant in November 2020 for numerous reasons, including refusing to disclose where samples were taken, said Hugh McDiarmid Jr., spokesman for the environment department. Benton Harbor suspended and later fired him, McDiarmid said.

The Associated Press was unable to reach OMalley for comment. Messages were left Monday with Benton Harbor Mayor Marcus Muhammad and city manager Ellis Mitchell.

Muhammad told a legislative committee in October the city's water problems were years in the making. Benton Harbor was under state emergency management from 2010 to 2014.

One manager laid off half the water plants staff and its plants director, yet in 2018 the state environmental agency told him more water staff was needed, he said.

I was cross-eyed because on one hand you had a state official to deplete the water labor and then another official coming back saying you need to increase it," Muhammad said.



Flesher reported from Traverse City, Michigan.
BERLIN (AP)  Germany's national railway on Monday resumed train service to a western valley that was devastated by flooding in mid-July following extensive repair work.

The narrow Ahr valley, near Bonn, suffered the worst destruction in the July 14-15 floods which left more than 180 people dead in Germany and also claimed lives in neighboring Belgium. Heavy rainfall turned small streams into raging torrents, sweeping away houses, bridges and cars.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The U.N. humanitarian chief urged Myanmars military leaders on Monday to provide unimpeded access to the more than 3 million people in need of life-saving humanitarian assistance since government forces seized power on Feb. 1 because of growing conflict and insecurity, COVID-19 and a failing economy.

Martin Griffiths warned that without an end to violence and a peaceful resolution of Myanmars crisis, this number will only rise.

He also urged donors to respond to the U.N. appeal, saying less than half of the $385 million required has been raised since the military ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Monday was the first anniversary of the 2020 elections in Myanmar, which were deemed free and fair by domestic and international observers, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. They were won by Suu Kyis National League for Democracy party with approximately 80% of the elected seats in the upper and lower houses of Parliament. The military rejects the results, claiming the vote was fraudulent.

The United Nations reiterates its call on the military to respect the will of the people and put the country back on track to democratic transition, Dujarric said, stressing that the U.N. remains gravely concerned about the intensifying violence in Myanmar and again urges unimpeded humanitarian access.

Griffiths statement was issued as members of the U.N. Security Council held a closed-door meeting on Myanmar requested by the United Kingdom. Diplomats said Russia and China objected to a proposed press statement that would express concern at recent violence including air strikes and reaffirm the council's support for the country's democratic transition, but discussions were continuing.

UK deputy ambassador James Kariuki told reporters before heading into the meeting that Britain is particularly concerned about the buildup of military action in northwest Chin state, and we are concerned that this rather mirrors the activity we saw four years ago ahead of the atrocities that were committed in Rakhine against the Rohingya Muslim minority.

So, were very keen to make sure the council is focused, and the military know that were watching, he said.

Since Suu Kyis ouster, Myanmar has been wracked by unrest, with peaceful demonstrations against the ruling generals morphing first into a low-level insurgency in many urban areas after security forces used deadly force and then into more serious combat in rural areas, especially in border regions where ethnic minority militias have been engaging in heavy clashes with government troops.

On Sept. 7, the National Unity Government, the main underground group coordinating resistance to the military which was established by elected legislators who had been barred from taking their seats when the military seized power, called for a nationwide uprising. Its Peoples Defense Forces operate in many areas and have received training and weapons from some armed ethnic groups.

Christine Schraner Burgener told The Associated Press shortly before her 3  year term as the U.N. special envoy for Myanmar ended on Oct. 31 that civil war has spread throughout the country.

She said the U.N. has heard that many soldiers are on the ground conducting clearing operations in Chin state, and reminded the world that the militarys clearing operation in Rakhine state in 2017 saw villages burned down, widespread rapes and more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims flee to neighboring Bangladesh.

Griffiths also called the situation in the northwest extremely concerning, with an escalation in hostilities between the Myanmar Armed Forces and the Chinland Defense Force in Chin state, and with the Peoples Defense Forces in Magway and Sagaing regions.

More than 37,000 people, including women and children, have been newly displaced, and more than 160 homes have been burned, including churches and the offices of a humanitarian organization, Griffiths said. Attacks directed against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including humanitarian workers and facilities, are clearly prohibited under international humanitarian law and must stop immediately.

Since Feb. 1, he said, hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes due to violence across the country, and 223,000 people remain internally displaced.

This includes 165,000 in the southeast of the country and is on top of a significant population of people who were already displaced in Rakhine, Chin, Shan and Kachin states prior to the takeover, Griffiths said. He noted that 144,000 Rohingya people are still confined to camps or living in camp-like settings in Rakhine, many since their displacement in 2012, and more than 105,000 people have been displaced in Kachin and Shan, many for years.

The U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs said he is also increasingly concerned about reports of rising levels of food insecurity in and around urban areas, including in Yangon and Mandalay.
Evan Agostini/Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

LOS ANGELES (AP)  Rapper and fashion mogul Ye's high-end clothing company Yeezy agreed Monday to pay $950,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by four California district attorneys over slow shipping to customers.

The suit brought last month by the district attorneys of Los Angeles, Sonoma, Napa and Alameda counties alleged that Yeezy had engaged in false advertising about its shipping and had violated state law by failing to send online orders within 30 days.
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In the latest blow to the Israeli spyware company NSO Group, a federal appeals court in San Francisco refused Monday to dismiss a lawsuit accusing NSO of illicitly providing software to foreign governments to gather information on dissidents and journalists.

The suit was filed in 2019 by the WhatsApp messaging system and its parent company, Facebook, which said governments had used WhatsApp to install NSO malware on about 1,400 mobile units in different nations. The ruling by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals comes less than a week after the Biden administration blacklisted NSO, prohibiting U.S. companies from selling technology to the company.

In response to the administrations action, Israels foreign minister, Yair Lapid, sought to disassociate his government from NSO, saying it was a private company that has nothing to do with the policies of the Israeli government, according to media reports. But Israel licenses NSO to export the companys products, including Pegasus software, which extracts information from virtually any mobile device, allowing the user to take screenshots and intercept messages from others.

In July, multiple media organizations reported that foreign governments had used Pegasus to track messages of more than 50,000 people since 2016, including political activists and more than 180 journalists, as well as religious leaders and government officials.

Seeking to dismiss the suit, NSO argued that its relationship to Israels government entitled it to sovereign immunity, which shields foreign governments and companies they own from most types of civil suits in U.S. courts. The appeals court disagreed.

Foreign sovereign immunity does not protect domestic private companies, Judge Danielle Forrest said in the 3-0 ruling, upholding a decision last year by U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton of Oakland. We give foreign sovereign immunity to other nations ... so they will do the same for us.

Forrest said the immunity doctrine dates from a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 1812, barring suits against a foreign government or its ministers. The State Department then regulated the immunity doctrine, limiting it to friendly nations, until 1976, when Congress shifted control to the courts by passing the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. The lawsuit shield now protects foreign governments, their official agencies, and individual government agents, but not to entities like NSO, Forrest said.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

WhatsApp drew support from tech companies such as Google, Microsoft and Cisco Systems, which argued in their court filings that granting immunity would put dangerous cyber-surveillance tools ... in the hands of more governments. Supportive arguments were also filed by Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a privacy-rights group based in San Francisco.

Cyber-surveillance companies like NSO Group shouldnt be making a profit from spying on journalists, human right activists, and others deemed political enemies of foreign states, the foundations lawyer, Sophia Cope, said in a statement praising the ruling.

Lawyers for NSO Group could not be reached for comment.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

A mountain lion bounding across a suburban highway in San Mateo was struck by an oncoming police patrol vehicle late Saturday, officials said.

It was unclear how badly the animal was wounded. When the officer got out of the vehicle, the mountain lion was gone, San Mateo police said.
The Bay Area could see an influx of international visitors starting Monday with the end of the nations 18-month pandemic ban that prevented people from 33 countries, including China and all of the European Union, from coming to the United States.

The change means some foreigners who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can now freely travel to the U.S., bringing to a close air travel policies meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus across international borders, policies that also kept families apart and contributed to enormous losses for tourism-dependent regions.

The boost is sorely needed in the Bay Area where San Francisco International Airport lost more passengers during the pandemic than 50 other major airports across the country, according to a recent Chronicle analysis.

Welcoming international visitors is crucial for San Franciscos tourism industry to rebound, said Joe DAlessandro, president and CEO of San Francisco Travel Association, the citys tourism bureau. International tourists often stay longer and spend more money, according to the travel association. In 2019, foreign tourists made up about 25% of overnight visitors and 60% of overnight visitor spending.

The return of international tourists is vital to San Franciscos economic recovery, DAlessandro said in a statement to The Chronicle on Sunday.

San Francisco tourism spending dropped by $8 billion in 2020 because of the pandemic  with the city expected to need until at least 2025 for a full revenue recovery.

Airport officials said it was too soon to know just how many more foreign travelers will arrive, and they will be adding to an already rebounding travel industry. Passengers will have to show proof of vaccination in addition to a negative COVID-19 test.

While last years Thanksgiving holiday traffic was dismal, this year is expected to bring triple the number of passengers compared to 2020, said Jeff Figone, a duty manager at SFO. The airport has seen a steady uptick in airline travel since the summer though the numbers are still below pre-pandemic levels, he said Sunday.

With vaccinations and the government allowing more travel, well see more people, Figone said.

United Airlines said the change affects four flights coming into San Francisco Monday  from Munich, Frankfurt, London and Shanghai.

Across the country, United Airlines is expecting 30,000 international passengers to arrive Monday on mostly full flights, according to an airline spokesperson. Those numbers match the peak from this past summers travel season.

But the airline expects the arrivals to keep growing. When the Biden administration announced last month that it would lift the travel restrictions, trans-Atlantic bookings for November beyond exceeded 2019 levels for the first time since the pandemic started, an airline spokesperson said.

SFO is expected to increase its international airline carriers from 28 to 33 in the last quarter of 2021  bringing it up to 75% of pre-pandemic levels, according to the S.F. Travel Association.

The loosening of travel restrictions wont have an immediate impact at Oakland International Airport where the only nonstop international flights are from Mexico, according to an airport spokesperson. Before the pandemic, Oaklands airport had direct flights to and from Europe, and it was too soon to determine whether those will return, she said.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

The pandemic curbed both business and international travel into SFO, key sectors that will need to rebound in order to reach pre-pandemic arrivals and departures, Figone said.

SFO and the San Francisco Travel Agency have paired up to launch a campaign to promote tourism from the United Kingdom, Germany and France, countries that send large volumes of tourists around the world. Border restrictions with Canada and Mexico are also relaxing, for vaccinated visitors, and city tourism officials are marketing the Bay Area as a destination in those countries as well.

Figone said checking COVID-19 vaccination and testing status for arriving passengers adds another layer of protection. He urged travelers to plan for extra time in their travel plans.

Expect getting through customs will take time, Figone said, adding that as long as people are vaccinated, respecting personal spaces, wearing a mask and washing our hands, it should be a good time for all.

Data from travel and analytics firm Cirium showed airlines are increasing flights between the United Kingdom and the U.S. by 21% this month over last month, the Associated Press reported.

Julie Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: julie.johnson@sfchronicle.com. Twitter @juliejohnson
Curious about why stuff costs more and is harder to get?

Just ask Michelle Pusateri, CEO and granola master of Nana Joes Granola in San Francisco, named after her grandparents.

Her artisanal concoction is simple as products go  a handful of raw materials, most of them agricultural; nothing electronic, chemical or exotic.

But the company sources its organic ingredients like nuts, seeds and coconut, as well as its packaging, from all over the world. In the past 18 months, prices have soared and availability tightened for many of the granolas components, largely because of climate changes impact on crops, although the supply chain crisis and pandemic-driven shortages also play a role.

Nana Joes predicament encapsulates in, ahem, a nutshell, the challenges that companies and consumers now confront in obtaining specific goods. If it is having such a hard time, imagine the dilemma faced by car manufacturers, whose products have about 30,000 parts from every corner of the globe.

With the rising prices and the increase in our (cost of goods sold), we are going to greatly suffer and I am terrified seeing that the supply chain shock will last through 2023 and beyond, Pusateri said. Ive spent the past 11 years of my life building up this company that was profitable last year, and now am looking at an almost $100,000 loss this year.

Next year will be even worse. She expects to pay $342,000 more for raw materials for next years products, up 52% from before the pandemic. So far, she hasnt raised prices (the granola retails for about $9 to $11 a bag), but she reluctantly acknowledges that she may have to.

Take gluten-free organic oats, grown in Canada. She uses 52,000 pounds a year. Climate change  specifically drought  meant that her supplier, Central Milling Co., which mills the oats in Utah, could procure only 34,000 pounds  and they cost 70% more than pre-pandemic. As a safeguard, she is scooping up all those oats now instead of her usual order of 1,000 pounds a week because she cant risk having another company swoop in and buy them. But that means she had to come up with a lot of cash on short notice for such a big purchase.

She will also have to pay more  she pegs it at $1,000 to $2,000 a month  for storage space for all those oats and other ingredients shes trying to stockpile in case of shortages. As it is, bags, boxes and covered pails of ingredients are neatly stacked all around the perimeter of her manufacturing facility in the former American Can Co. building in Dogpatch.

Fortunately, Nana Joes had just gotten a pandemic emergency disaster loan from the Small Business Administration of almost $421,000. The loan, called a COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan, was recently expanded with a higher cap, deferred payment plan and other features. It is the last of the major COVID-19 relief funds for small businesses. She has 30 years to pay it back at 3.75% interest.

That is what is saving us, she said. Otherwise we wouldnt have been able to secure the oats.

But she worries about the whole raft of small businesses like hers that dont have deep pockets.

Big companies can snatch up all these ingredients and cause prices to go sky-high, she said. They have relationships with farmers to take all of the next crop. It will get worse and worse until there are no (materials) left for small businesses.

Shes been talking to D.C. lawmakers through Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices initiative, which helps Main Street businesses advocate about issues important to them.

Being vocal that small businesses need more working capital for situations like this, is among the messages Pusateri said she shared with members of Congress.

Utahs Central Milling, her supplier for oats, ground flax, maple syrup, olive oil and chocolate, also epitomizes the agricultural issues wrought by climate change.

Central Milling sells its main product, organic flour from wheat grown throughout western North America, to bread bakers ranging from the Mill in San Francisco and Maiden Breads in Point Reyes to Safeways Richmond bread plant. It also makes flour for Whole Foods and Costco.

From Texas up to Alberta, Canada, and west, drought affected the crop yields for its farmers, said Nicky Giusto, vice president of sales and marketing at the 160-year-old company.

Drought was the No. 1 reason why we had such short crop yields this year in every single region, he said. California was hit the worst; we didnt even get a crop out of California. Couple that with heat waves in the Pacific Northwest, Utah, southern Idaho  that shriveled the crop up even more.

Even farmers with irrigation couldnt cope, he said  It was so hot that water would evaporate as soon as it hit the soil.

Some crops were down by 5% to 10% and some were down well over 50% in crop yield.

Grain prices are now 20% to 45% above normal, while freight prices are up 15% to 30% and sometimes even double, he said. The market is so tight now that farmers are getting bid up for wheat dramatically, Giusto said. On top of that, COVID protocols slow down manufacturing at his mills.

Central Milling, which annually processes about 2 million bushels of wheat (120 million pounds), is now charging an average of about 30% more for the organic flour and other grains it mills, he said.

The net result: Bread will cost more.

People need to raise their prices on bread; otherwise theyll go broke, Giusto said.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

As for the dried fruits and seeds that Central Milling imports from overseas, They are scarce or extremely expensive and a lot of them are stuck on the water now, he said, referencing the global supply chain crisis that has led to scores of ships idling in San Pedro Harbor waiting to be unloaded.

The supply chain crunch hit Nana Joes few non-agricultural products: the bags in which it packages the granola and the boxes for six-packs. Some 35,000 bags are en route from Peru  weeks late, and at a cost thats up 26%. On top of that, its possible shell have to pay a port surcharge  extra fees that port operators are now levying on many containers.

Climate change in far-flung regions of the world has had a big impact. Monsoons and typhoons in the Philippines affected coconut and coconut oil supplies. Hurricanes in the Caribbean and floods in South America affected cacao beans for the chocolate thats then processed in California.

Nuts from California are also suffering from the drought. Pusateri is paying more for almond slices (she goes through 26,000 pounds a year), almond flour and pistachios.

Pandemic panic buying cut into supplies of sunflower seeds (Mexico), olive oil (Tunisia), cinnamon (Indonesia), maple syrup (Vermont) and chia seeds (Paraguay).

Everybody was baking, she noted.

Nana Joes came about by serendipity in 2010. Pusateri was seeking an energy-packed breakfast to fuel her while surfing at Ocean Beach and Pacifica, and found that regular granola was too sugary. A trained pastry chef, she developed her own recipe with more protein, fat and fiber and less sugar. She started giving it to friends and family, then found a few small markets to carry it. She quit her job at San Francisco restaurant Nopalito to care for her dad, who was dying of brain cancer, and he encouraged her to launch a business.

Its grown organically with no investor money other than some family backing. Last year it had $1.97 million in sales, or about 280,000 bags of granola (they vary from 8 to 14 ounces). Its mainly sold in California, Oregon and Washington, with some markets in New York and Texas.

Shes paying more to ship outgoing products. Part of the supply crisis is a shortage of trucks and truck drivers. The cost of trucking granola to Los Angeles has almost quadrupled. Trucking to Texas has doubled. In the other direction, hemp seeds from Canada and pecans from Texas now cost more to truck to California.

Labor is one area where Nana Joes  unlike many other businesses  has not felt a squeeze. Pusateri already paid her 10 workers between $20 and $27 an hour, well above San Franciscos minimum wage of $16.32. As a result, she hasnt suffered the attrition and inability to hire thats become common at many non-white-collar jobs. She is paying 13% more for workers comp, however.

Pusateri is grateful to her vendors and farmers. So many back-and-forth emails on inventory and calls about price increases and shortages, she said. Always giving us the opportunity to stock up and keeping us posted when new shipments arrive.

Likewise she appreciates her customers. The amount of support we have gotten over the years and especially at the beginning of the pandemic when everyone rallied and ordered our granola online has been fuel for me to continue to push through all the challenges and stay positive that this too shall pass.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Hundreds if not thousands of migrants sought to storm the border from Belarus into Poland on Monday, cutting razor wire fences and using branches to try and climb over them. The siege escalated a crisis along the European Union's eastern border that has been simmering for months.

Poland's interior ministry said it had rebuffed the illegal invasion and claimed the situation was under control. The Defense Ministry posted a video showing an armed Polish officer using a chemical spray through a fence at men who were trying to cut the razor wire. Some migrants threw objects at police. Video footage from Belarusian media showed people using long wooden poles or branches to try to get past a border fence as police helicopters circled overhead.

Defense Ministry video taken later Monday showed the migrants settling in for the night by the border, having put up scores of tents and cooking meals.

A coordinated attempt to massively enter the territory of the Republic of Poland by migrants used by Belarus for the hybrid attacks against Poland has just begun, a spokesman for Poland's security forces, Stanislaw Zaryn, said in a statement.

Noting that it's also NATO's eastern border, Zaryn stressed that the large groups of migrants ... are fully controlled by the Belarusian security services and army. He accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of acting to destabilize Poland and other EU countries to pressure the bloc into dropping its sanctions on Minsk. Those sanctions were put into place after Belarus cracked down brutally on democracy protests.

Piotr Mueller, Poland's government spokesperson, said 3,000 to 4,000 migrants were next to the Polish border on the Belarusian side.

Polish border officials said the border crossing in Kuznica, in the northeast, will be closed early Tuesday.

There was no way to independently verify what was happening. Journalists have limited ability to operate in Belarus and a state of emergency in Poland is keeping reporters and human rights workers out of the border area.

The massing of people at the border appeared to rev up the crisis that has being going on for months in which the autocratic regime of Belarus has encouraged migrants from the Mideast and elsewhere to illegally enter the European Union, at first through Lithuania and Latvia and now primarily through Poland.

Anton Bychkovsky, spokesman for Belarus State Border Guard Committee, told The Associated Press that the migrants at the border are seeking to exercise their right to apply for refugee status in the EU. Bychkovsky insisted they are not a security threat.

But the massive group was viewed as a threat by Poland and other European countries, including Germany  the main destination for many. Steffen Seibert, German Chancellor Angela Merkels spokesman, told reporters Monday that the Belarusian regime is acting as a human trafficker.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on the bloc's 27 nations to approve extended sanctions on the Belarusian authorities responsible for this hybrid attack.

She said two top EU officials  EU Commission vice president Margaritis Schinas and EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell  will travel to the main countries of origin for the migrants to ensure that they act to prevent their own nationals from falling into the trap set by the Belarusian authorities.

The EU said it hoped that Poland would finally accept help from Frontex, the blocs border agency, a step that Polands ruling nationalists have so far refused to do. Frontex would not comment Monday on the border situation.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price expressed concern with disturbing images and reports emanating from the Belarus-Poland border and stressed that the U.S. strongly condemns the Lukashenko regimes political exploitation and coercion of vulnerable people and the regimes callous and inhumane facilitation of irregular migration flows across its borders.

He said the U.S. was calling on the regime to immediately halt its campaign of orchestrating and coercing irregular migrant flows across its borders into Europe" and warned that if the regime refuses to respect its international obligations and commitments ... we will continue to pressure Lukashenko and will not lessen our calls for accountability."

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Twitter that more than 12,000 soldiers have been deployed to the border and a volunteer Territorial Defense force was put on alert. He also posted video footage of what appeared to be a large group of migrants in Belarus, near Kuznica.

Polish ministers held an emergency meeting on the border crisis, with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki writing on Facebook that Poland's border is sacred and not just a line on the map."

Poland's deputy foreign minister, Pawel Jablonski held talks with Iraqi charge d'affaires Hussein al-Safi on ways of ending the migration crisis and thanked Iraq for having Belarus close its consulates in Baghdad and Irbil that were giving tourist visas to migrants.

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.

Meanwhile, in Poland's EU neighbor Lithuania, officials were preparing for the possibility of a similar incursion, with the Interior Ministry proposing to declare an emergency situation.

We are getting ready for all possible scenarios, said Rustamas Liubajevas, the head of Lithuania's border guards.

Since the summer, Poland and Lithuania have seen thousands of migrants from the Mideast and Africa trying to cross into the EU. Poland has sought to block the attempts or send those they catch back into Belarus.

Belarusian political analyst Valery Karbalevich told the AP that the Moscow-backed Lukashenko regime seemed to be trying to use the migrants to scare the EU.

The largest attack of migrants on EU borders is taking place three days after Belarus and Russia signed a new agreement on military cooperation. The Kremlin is at least aware of the details of whats happening, Karbalevich said.

___

Daria Litvinova in Moscow, Yuras Karmanau in Kyiv, Ukraine, Jan M. Olsen in Copehagen, Denmark, Liudas Dapkus in Vilnius, Lithuania, and Lorne Cook and Samuel Petrequin in Brussels contributed.

___

Follow all AP stories on global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration.
BUTLER, Pa. (AP)  The estranged wife of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell said Monday during a custody hearing that a judge had rejected her request for a restraining order in 2018 based on her allegations that he physically harmed their children, a newspaper reported.

In the first episode, Laurie Snell accused Parnell of striking a child hard enough through a T-shirt to leave welts. In the second, an angry Parnell punched a closet door, sending it flying into another childs face, leaving a bruise, she had testified.

But on Monday, under cross-examination in Butler County Court, Snell testified that a judge rejected her request for a restraining order based on those two allegations, and that she went on vacation with him and their children almost immediately after he allegedly struck the child, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Later, after the closet door episode, Snell asked Parnell if he wanted to watch the children and told him, I know youre a good dad and its important that the kids see you, according to text messages submitted as evidence, the Inquirer reported.

Monday's cross examination was the first opportunity for Parnell and his lawyer to question Snell after she testified last week that she had endured years of rage and abuse from him, including once being choked until she had to bite him.

Parnell responded to his estranged wifes testimony last week by releasing a statement insisting he never raised a hand in anger towards my wife or any of our three children and saying he would set the record straight when he testifies.

Parnell is endorsed by former President Donald Trump in the contested Republican primary, and Pennsylvanias election next year for an open U.S. Senate seat is expected to be among the nations most competitive and help determine control of the chamber.

To underscore that support, Trump and Donald Trump Jr. are headlining a fundraiser for Parnell on Jan. 25 at Trumps Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.

The Parnells have been living apart for at least three years, but have split custody of their children evenly.

Laurie Snell is seeking sole custody and testified on Monday that Parnell carried on an affair with another woman while they were married.

Parnell's lawyer asked Snell during cross-examination whether Parnell was a good father.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

When theyre in public hes great with the kids," Snell responded, the Tribune-Review of Greensburg reported. I wanted to encourage the children having access to their dad if he was available.

Snell later said that Parnell is a good dad when hes not angry," the Tribune-Review reported.

Testimony dealing with mental health evaluations of the parents and children was conducted behind closed doors, the Inquirer reported.

Parnell, a decorated former Army Ranger who led a platoon in Afghanistan, has told of being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.

Parnell penned a memoir of his service in Afghanistan, which became a New York Times bestseller. He also has written four action novels, emerged as a regular guest on Fox News programs and ran unsuccessfully for Congress last year.

Parnells history with his wife became a subject in the Republican primary campaign, days after Trump endorsed Parnell over several other rivals.
Last week was a good one for Asian America, as it celebrated a prominent array of political firsts across the country: the election wins of mayors Michelle Wu in Boston, Aftab Pureval in Cincinnati and Bruce Harrell in Seattle.

In San Francisco, David Chiu was sworn in as city attorney. Its fitting that the Edwin M. Lee Asian Pacific Democratic Club hosted a party for him afterward; Lee was the citys first Asian American mayor, and Chiu is the first Asian American to serve in his new role.

After watching a video feed of Chius swearing in ceremony, I hustled downtown for the party that featured a whos who from the citys Asian American political circles. Its heartening to be in a room with so many Asian Americans who are engaged in the political process and are in high-profile positions, like Chiu. (Full disclosure: My wife went to graduate school with Chiu and has been a volunteer for his election campaigns.)

But in between my bites of small bites, I thought of the wave of anti-Asian hate during the pandemic and the FBIs release of revised hate crime data a few days earlier that is a reminder the American part of that dual identity is still not accepted by many no matter how many Asians are elected mayor.

Anti-Asian hate crimes rose 73% to 279 in 2020 compared with 161 in 2019, according to the FBI. And those are just cases that are reported to police.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 9,000 incidents of verbal harassment, shunning, physical violence and other discriminatory acts have been self-reported to the group Stop AAPI Hate, which formed to track attacks inflamed by the idea that China, and anyone Chinese or who looked Chinese, is to blame for the coronavirus.

This sentiment isnt new. The U.S. has a long history of xenophobia against immigrants and racism fueled by the othering of enemies, real or perceived.

The first big wave of non-Europeans entering the country came during the Gold Rush from China, and these fortune seekers were competition for white miners and workers on the West Coast. Rather than outwork the newcomers, it was easier to foment fears that foreigners were sullying the country and taking jobs from Americans.

Sound familiar?

This ultimately led to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the first law that barred most of an entire ethnic group from the U.S.

During World War II, Japan became the bogeyman, resulting in widespread racism that led to a presidential order to send 120,000 Japanese Americans, many of them citizens, to prison camps over fears they were a threat to national security. And because China was now a U.S. ally, the Chinese Exclusion Act was rescinded (over intense opposition) in 1943 partly as a sign of friendship.

Relations froze with Communist China in the 1950s during the Cold War and the Korean War, making it the enemy again and fueling suspicions about Chinese people or anyone who looks Chinese. Just ask Wen Ho Lee, who was accused of spying, or Chinese and Chinese American scientists at American universities who are now being surveilled by the Justice Departments China Initiative, which was created to deter Chinas threat to U.S. national security.

Sound familiar?

In the 1960s, the Vietnam War created a new enemy, and in its aftermath, the U.S. admirably took in hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese refugees. Many, however, encountered racism driven by fearmongering over how foreigners are ruining the country and taking jobs from Americans.

More recently, the fear of terrorism has made people from the Middle East and anyone who might seem Middle Eastern, including Indians, Pakistanis and other South Asians in America, targets for harassment, physical attacks and other discriminatory acts.

Sound familiar?

After hundreds of years in America, Asians havent shed their foreignness. This otherness can create a mind-set among some Asian Americans that they dont belong in the mainstream, so they purposely stay on the margins.

Last weeks elections show thats changing, but were still counting too many firsts.

So many of us (have known) our whole lives what it feels like to be both invisible and also always sticking out, but not seen for the person you are  judged and discriminated against simply because of appearance, Wu, who is also the first female mayor of Boston, told the NBC Asian America news site, recounting the racism her Chinese American family experienced when she was growing up in Chicago.

Chiu, a former San Francisco supervisor and Assembly member, grew up in Boston. His family never talked about being the rare Chinese family in their neighborhood or the racial slurs and slights they endured, he said in a speech after being sworn in.

He said his attitude changed in college after a group of Asian American students from another university near his were accosted and had racial insults hurled at them and were spat on.

The most disturbing aspect of what happened is that those attackers were not brought to justice, Chiu said.

Soon after, Chiu said he became a student activist, changed majors from biochemistry to government and decided to be a lawyer to fight injustice.

That moment changed me, Chiu said. I was incredibly upset because those students could have been me.

It could still be Chiu. Or me. It has been someone more than 9,000 times during the past year and half  and were still counting.

Were still counting because no matter how many mayors or rooms full of Asian American politicians there are, it hasnt been enough to overcome the legacy of racism thats built into the DNA of the country.

Harry Mok is The San Francisco Chronicles assistant opinion editor. Email: hmok@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @harrymok
Early in the pandemic, Brian Edwards spent weeks in the Tenderloin, helping city officials move hundreds of unhoused people into empty hotel rooms that would help protect them from the coronavirus.

The political backdrop was messy: A highly contagious virus that shut down many of the citys shelters. Hundreds of tents lining the sidewalks. Fights in City Hall over the costs and logistics of leasing more hotel rooms. A lawsuit from UC Hastings and local businesses over the deteriorating conditions in the Tenderloin.

But for Edwards, a local homeless advocate, the political back-and-forth didnt matter. What drove him was his staunch belief that, in his own words: San Francisco does not turn its back on the unhoused.

When Edwards died suddenly last week from unknown causes at age 46, San Francisco not only lost a fierce ally for the unhoused, but someone who was uniquely able to rise above the noise of city politics and garner respect from his fellow advocates as well as top brass in City Hall. Many were drawn to his urgency, respect, dark sense of humor, open heart and gritty gravitas, as one friend put it.

He could yell and shout as loud as anybody, said Del Seymour, the founder of Code Tenderloin, a neighborhood nonprofit, who was formerly homeless. But people listened to him.

Jeff Kositsky, the former director of the citys homeless department, which often finds itself at odds with advocates for the unhoused, said Edwards was what everyone who works on the issue should all aspire to be.

For Edwards, the fight for the unhoused was personal. As a kid, his fathers job brought his family to new homes all around the world  from Germany, where he was born, to Florida and Utah. His family eventually landed in the Bay Area when Edwards was in his 30s. But after a series of personal struggles, he was temporarily homeless in San Francisco for several years.

Provided by Mary Edwards

His mother, Mary Edwards, said his family always helped him find a place to stay  whether it was a temporary hotel room or with family and friends. When he finally got a stable roof over his head, he then committed to a life of advocacy. As a kid he was through the roof smart and was always driven to help others, she said. That calling was cemented after his own experience with homelessness, she said.

He cared, she said. It didnt matter who you were, or what you looked like.

In San Francisco, where thousands of homeless people struggling with mental health and substance use issues sleep on the streets every night, progress can often feel infuriatingly slow. But advocates like Edwards play a critical role in the citys response to the crisis, by shining a light on issues that may otherwise be ignored by city leaders.

He was often a thorn in peoples sides that some may not have appreciated, said Sara Shortt, director of public policy for HomeRise, an affordable housing group, and a close friend of Edwards.

Courtesy Mary Kate Bacalao

But he got results, she added. And he got results for the most vulnerable, and for people who didnt have that ability to be the same kind of thorn.

Kelley Cutler, a fellow advocate at the Coalition on Homelessness and also a close friend of Edwards, said his mentality was simple: It doesnt have to be how it is. This is not normal. And we need to fight for something better.

Edwards resume lists nonprofits and City Hall boards, including the Coalition on Homelessness, Faithful Fools, the Shelter Monitoring Committee and the Local Homeless Coordinating Board as well as a brief stint as a public service aide for the Department of Public Health.

He was a consistent presence at Board of Supervisors meetings, where during public comment he often reminded elected officials about the people he thought they should fight for: the thousands without a home.

He never needed to be the one that was in the paper, or the one that was appointed or elected, said Sam Dennison, co-director of Faithful Fools, a Tenderloin nonprofit. He just never gave up.

Courtesy Kelley Cutler

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.

Edwards cause of death is still pending at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. How much his brief struggle with homelessness  and the mental and physical toll it took on him  contributed to his early death is hard to know, said Jennifer Friedenbach, director of the Coalition on Homelessness.

But whats clear is that his past inspired him every day to try to lift others from the brink. Friedenbach added that Edwards was a prime example of how getting permanent, stable housing can transform someone.

They are able to engage in a lot of things in their lives, she said. And it gives them the opportunity to get involved in civic activities and contribute in meaningful ways.

Those from across the political spectrum in San Francisco agree that Edwards left behind a void that will be hard to fill.

Kositsky, the former homelessness director, said Edwards was a bridge builder, who put the issue of poverty and homelessness above whatever petty differences that may come up when we are trying to solve problems.

He said Edwards provided him with a trustworthy and honest analysis of what was happening on the ground  and what San Francisco needed to do to improve its response.

I learned way more from him than he ever learned from me, Kositsky said, his voice catching. If we all had the grace that Brian had, I think we would be further along in addressing these issues.

Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani
A San Francisco police officer died battling COVID-19 after missing the citys deadline to be inoculated and being placed on leave for failing to follow the health safety rules.

Officer Jack Nyce, 46, a 17-year-veteran of the department, died Saturday after testing positive for the coronavirus last Tuesday, his wife Melissa Nyce said. By Saturday, his symptoms had become so severe that his wife called an ambulance to transport her husband to a Kaiser hospital in Manteca, where the couple lived. She was by his side when he died that day, she said.

Melissa Nyce declined to say whether her husband was vaccinated but police Lt. Tracy McCray, vice president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, said he was on a 30-day stint of paid administrative leave at the time of his death because he had not received his vaccination as required by the city.

He loved being a cop, Melissa Nyce said, choking back sobs as she spoke with The Chronicle on Monday morning. She said she had not taken a COVID-19 test at that point but was under quarantine and not experiencing any symptoms.

Raised in San Francisco, Jack Nyce attended McAteer High School and later served in the Army, his wife said. The two married in 2004 and had no children. Outside of law enforcement, Nyce had a passion for guns and motorcycles, she said.

Officers who have still not complied with the citys vaccine mandate by Nov. 13 will be shifted to unpaid administrative leave, until the Police Commission convenes a hearing.

There has been no word on any Police Commission hearings regarding terminating an officer, McCray said.

In an email to the department Monday morning, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott praised Nyce for his work, most recently at Park Station. Over the course of his career, Nyce had a variety of assignments, Scott said, calling the officer a widely respected colleague.

Nyces death follows months of tense debate over whether cities should compel government employees to get vaccinated as a means to protect themselves, and the public, from a deadly virus. Some police officers seemed intent on circumventing the vaccine requirement in San Francisco: in September, nearly 200 department staff had applied for religious exemption, the highest number of any city department.

Last week the department said it placed as many as 70 sworn and civilian workers on leave for failing to meet San Franciscos Nov. 1 vaccination deadline. As of Nov. 2, 97.5% of department employees  2,747 out of 2,817  were fully vaccinated, San Francisco police said in a news release.

At that time, 41 officers reported they were not vaccinated, and 13 sworn officers said they were partially vaccinated. Those who had not met the directive had been placed on leave pending termination proceedings. San Francisco police said they could not provide a list of employees facing disciplinary action for not complying with the vaccine mandate.

Other city agencies are also struggling with a small group of holdouts. A spokesperson for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency said that as of Nov. 7, 32 transit operators remained either unvaccinated, or had not reported their vaccination status. An additional 39 have pending requests for a reasonable accommodation for religious or medical reasons. More than 1,600 operators work for the agency.

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.

Roughly 98% of the staff at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center had received vaccinations as of Monday.

Overall, vaccine mandates have been successful in that they have raised rates and led to fewer job resignations than expected, UC Hastings law Professor Dorit Rubinstein Reiss said in an interview Monday evening. Reiss said he believes city governments took the right approach, by starting with a soft requirement that gave workers the option of regular COVID-19 tests instead of inoculation  then switching to the hard imperative.

However, Reiss said that in normal times, she would recommend giving people a couple years to gather information and adjust to the idea of a vaccine, before obliging them to get one.

But these are not normal times, (the) delta (variant) is raging  (nationally) we have over a thousand deaths a day, she said. Right now COVID-19 vaccines in the public sector are the better option simply because we need to save lives now.

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan
California State Assemblymember Evan Low is the first to admit that his bill on gender-neutral toy sections was, in many ways, merely a symbolic gesture to codify what businesses have already been doing.

As much as I like to pitch it as being Earth-shattering, the fact of the matter is we're simply catching up with where the consumers have already gone and where children have already gone, said Low, a Bay Area Democrat whose district includes Campbell and parts of Cupertino and San Jose.

Californias major shops that sell toys and other child care items are already keeping these products, whether advertised to boys or girls, in the same sections unseparated by gender.

Assembly Bill 1084 would require large retail stores with more than 500 employees across the state to maintain a gender neutral section or area  in which a reasonable selection of the items and toys for children that it sells shall be displayed, regardless of whether they have been traditionally marketed for either girls or for boys.

Long story short, a toy store or big-box retailer should have a toy or child care section that is not demarcated by gender. (For instance, a toy section at a Target that has fire trucks and dolls next to each other is fine, as long as they are not separated as boys or girls toys.)

After an unsuccessful attempt at getting the legislation passed  the first attempt, Low said earlier this year, was pushed aside because of the COVID-19 pandemic  it was finally signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last month. It was a small but significant victory for Low.

But, like clockwork, a moral panic, largely from conservative politicians and pundits, emerged in the days following its passage.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted, California mandates gender-neutral toy aisles for large retailers. Not in Texas. In Texas, it is businesses  NOT government  that decide how they display their merchandise.

A blog post on Sean Hannitys website proclaimed that critics have condemned the move as woke culture encroaching on private business.

Even Larry Elder, Newsoms former gubernatorial foe, felt compelled to release a video decrying the legislation as a freedom-compromising, job-killing policy upon its signing.

Are you saying that boy toys and girl toys are the same, and that the government should be making that decision? Elder says in the video, promoted by the far-right newspaper Epoch Times.

But much like the outrage over Potato Head rebranding without his famous honorific, the outcry is largely unfounded, Low told SFGATE.

The bill doesnt go into effect until 2024 and doesnt mandate manufacturers or vendors of toys and child care items to stop selling gendered products. It wouldnt enforce this mandate on smaller, local toy shops and childrens stores with less than 500 employees. And the law, if violated, would only fine these large corporations $250 on first offense and $500 for repeats  a relatively insignificant amount of money for any big-box store.

But in this largely conservative outcry, Low said, they are disregarding the initial intent of the bill  to empower children to explore all kinds of toys and encourage large businesses to sell toys without gender limitations.

Unfortunately, there are some who wish to weaponize the issue with respect to inspiring fear and outrage, he said. We know that negativity unfortunately motivates individuals. The truth is all of their arguments are 100% being made in bad faith.

Instead, Low said he wants to reorient the conversation back to his original proposal.

When we think about society in a different way and we're thinking about diversifying  weve passed laws to make sure that women make as much as men do. We also have passed laws to require women and minorities on corporate boards to make sure that corporate America reflects the people in our society.

Already, a Lego spokesperson told SFGATE, the company has eliminated gender divisions in its stores  not just in its California stores but online and in its other retail locations. A spokesperson for Target, another large toy and child goods retailer, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the store has maintained a gender-neutral toys section since 2015.

Low, ultimately, is relieved that the bill has passed after years of stagnating in the state Legislature. But he said hes concerned that his bill has now become an outlet for panic over gender identity.

We are making more inclusive spaces for children and uplifting everyday girls and boys. And that's the conversation.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  Ohioans can now legally set off fireworks on certain holidays, under legislation signed Monday by Gov. Mike DeWine that closes a long-exploited loophole in state law.

The legislation allows Ohio residents to set off fireworks on certain holidays, including New Year's Eve and Day, Chinese New Year, Cinco de Mayo, Juneteenth, days on and around July 4, Labor Day, and the Hindu festival of Diwali. Under previous law, individuals could purchase consumer-grade fireworks in Ohio but had to transport them out of state within 48 hours.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  A pilot died when his amateur-built kit airplane crashed near an elementary school in Alaska on Sunday, officials said.

The pilot was the only person on board the Wag-Aero 2+2 when it crashed soon after taking off from the Kodiak Municipal Airport, Clint Johnson, chief of the National Transportation Safety Boards Alaska Division, told the Anchorage Daily News.
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP)  Two children are hospitalized in critical condition after what police believe to be an accidental shooting in South Carolina, authorities said Monday.

Investigators said the Sunday shooting appeared to be an accidental discharge as adult family members were conducting target practice outside a home in Greenville.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  Five teenagers were arrested early Monday morning after shots were fired from their car at police during a chase from Omaha, east into Iowa and back into Omaha.

Omaha police said that five people arrested were a woman who turned 19 on Monday, an 18-year-old man, two 17-year-old boys and a 15-year-old boy.
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP)  From Hamtramck, Michigan, to Las Vegas, Nevada, activists are pushing states to ensure growing Asian American and Pacific Islander communities can be equally represented in government during the once-in-a-decade redistricting process.

Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial or ethnic group in the United States and now make up more than 10% of the population in Hawaii, California, New Jersey, Washington and Nevada.

The demographic group  though diverse politically, linguistically and economically  has become a powerful voting bloc in these states and elsewhere. Though Republicans made gains in 2020, Asian American and Pacific Islander voters have mostly supported Democratic presidential candidates since 2000. In Nevada, they were a key constituency that candidates courted in the last presidential primary.

For nearly two years, anti-Asian discrimination and violence prompted by the pandemic has politically engaged and unified the community, activists and academics said.

Historically, the Asian American community hasn't been large or unified enough to challenge political maps in court. But data showing political cohesion among different subsets of the demographic group has amplified calls to consider it a community of interest in redistricting.

If we all just identify as our ethnicity in itself, its not significant enough in numbers to negotiate, to build power or to become centered, said Eric Jeng of Nevada's Asian Community Development Council. Our community shares concerns on immigration, health care, and education. And when anti-Asian hate was rising, they werent asking for where youre from. People who looked Asian got attacked.

Nevada has more than 400,000 residents who identify as Asian American, Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian, according to census data. The majority live in the Las Vegas area and are of Filipino, Chinese, Japanese or Vietnamese descent.

The population increased by 47.3% over the past decade  more than three times as much as the overall population  largely in areas like Spring Valley and southwest Las Vegas.

But the growth also exemplifies the competing interests that arise during the redrawing of congressional and state legislative districts.

Questions over whether to prioritize drawing compact districts, protecting incumbents or drawing majority Asian American statehouse districts will inevitably confront Nevada's Democratic-controlled Legislature with difficult decisions when they meet to conduct redistricting.

At least four Nevada lawmakers identify as Asian American but none represent the areas of southwest Las Vegas where the population is most concentrated.

In the Assembly, Speaker Jason Frierson, Assistant Majority Whip Sandra Jauregui and Speaker Pro Tempore Steve Yeager represent neighboring districts where the population is 28% to 30% Asian American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.

In the state Senate, Democrats Dallas Harris and Melanie Scheible's abutting districts are 31% and 27% Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander.

Groups like the Asian Community Development Council and the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada want the Democratic-controlled Legislature to draw AAPI-majority districts to encourage political participation and ensure the demographics voting power isnt diluted or gerrymandered.

Jeng said non-Asian politicians who represent districts with large Asian American populations often enjoy broad support and champion issues that matter to the community, but he wants districts to be drawn in a way that ensures Asian American candidates won't be deterred from running.

When people that look like them represent them, then the community gets involved more. When they dont see people representing them who look like them, they dont really participate, Jeng said, noting Michelle Wu and Aftab Pureval's victories in mayoral elections last week in Boston and Cincinnati.

The communities that fall under the umbrella AAPI  which stands for Asian American and Pacific Islander  are diverse, but survey data shows the group is relatively united about certain political issues, said University of Maryland professor Janelle Wong.

Theres so much discussion about Asian American diversity," said Wong, who also works as co-director of AAPI Data. "But one of the most critical and astounding features of the Asian American community is that, despite this tremendous diversity, theres actually a remarkable level of consensus around particular issues.

Asian American Republicans are more likely to support the Affordable Care Act than other Republicans and, across income brackets, they're similarly likely to support increasing taxes on the rich, with those who make more than $250,000 annually almost as supportive as those who make less, Wong said.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada is lobbying lawmakers to draw at least one district in which a majority of residents are Asian American or Pacific Islander to ensure the growing group's voting power isn't diluted.

Were concerned that, if the Legislature were to advance maps that are relatively the same as they stand today, it would result in the dilution of voting power in Nevada's growing AAPI community that has and continues to be woefully underrepresented statewide, Athar Haseebullah, the group's executive director, told lawmakers at an October committee hearing.

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Metz is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
WINNIPEG - The Winnipeg Ice overcame a late push by the Red Deer Rebels to hold on for a 7-5 victory in the Western Hockey League's only game Sunday.

The Ice won their third straight game and improved to 14-1-0 on the season  the league's best record.
The Biden administration framed its vaccine mandate for private employers in life-and-death terms Monday in a legal filing that sought to get the requirement back on track after it was halted by a federal court.

Its filing in response to a stay issued over the weekend by the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said there is no reason to rush into a ruling on whether the halt should be made permanent because the vaccine mandate won't take effect until Jan. 4. Stopping the mandate from taking effect will only prolong the COVID-19 pandemic and would cost dozens or even hundreds of lives per day, lawyers for the Justice and Labor departments said.

As of Sunday, the seven-day rolling average for daily new deaths in the U.S. was 1,151, but it's not clear what role a future vaccine mandate for private businesses would play in reducing that figure.

The mandate would apply to private businesses with more than 100 workers. Employees who do not receive the shots by Jan. 4 would be required to wear a mask and be tested weekly for the coronavirus. Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules issued last week create exemptions for workers citing religious objections and for those who do not interact in-person with coworkers or customers, as well as those who work only outdoors.

More than two dozen Republican state attorneys general, businesses, religious groups and conservative associations sued on the grounds that the federal government does not have the right to make the regulation, partly because COVID-19 is not a workplace-specific danger.

The Biden administration lawyers argued the risks were greater without the mandate than with it: Petitioners asserted injuries, by contrast, are speculative and remote and do not outweigh the interest in protecting employees from a dangerous virus while this case proceeds, they wrote.

At least 27 states filed legal challenges in at least six federal appeals courts after OSHA released its rules last week. All the states have a Republican governor or attorney general.

Over the weekend, judges on the New Orleans-based federal court paused the rule from taking effect, saying it raises grave statutory and constitutional issues and told the federal government to explain why the stay should not be made permanent.

The federal government said in its court filings Monday that the cases should be consolidated and that one of the circuit courts where a legal challenge has been filed should be chosen at random on Nov. 16 to hear it.

Administration lawyers said there is no reason to keep the vaccine mandate on hold while the court where the cases ultimately land remains undetermined. Besides, they argued, no employee will have to get a shot to comply until early December.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre expressed confidence that the COVID-19 vaccine mandate can withstand the legal challenges.

This is an authority that we believe the Department of Labor has, Jean-Pierre told told reporters during a news briefing. We are very confident about it.

Jean-Pierre said the mandate was about keeping people safe and that Congress had empowered the Labor Department to act with the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Vaccine mandates, including those for certain federal employees, contractors and the military, are a key component of the Biden administration's strategy for containing a pandemic that has killed 755,000 people in the U.S.

It has said that widespread vaccinations are the quickest way out of the pandemic. But employers have pushed back, saying they fear the mandate would lead many of their workers to quit.

At a news conference Monday in Concord, New Hampshire, the president of Keller Companies, a manufacturer of building panels and plastics with 350 employees, described the OSHA rule as a crushing blow to employers.

Kathy Garfield, whose family has run the Manchester-based company for three generations, said it brought in a vaccination van to serve employees and gave workers paid time off to get the shots. Only about half have done so.

Weve had employees come forward and say if we mandate the vaccine, or this comes to be, they will not get the vaccine and they will not get tested. How can I run a business when I have no talent? Garfield asked at a news conference with Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican.

She also said its difficult to find a place to get the virus test. When they are available, they can cost $200.

Thats the difference between eating and starving, Garfield said. So what are these employees going to do? Theyre going to go to another employer with less than 100 employees.

The administration announced plans for the workplace rule in September and unveiled the plans Nov. 4. Many Republican governors and state attorneys general signaled ahead of time that they would challenge it immediately, as they did with multiple federal lawsuits filed Friday.

The states filed in the most conservative appeals courts in the country, where appointees of former President Donald Trump bolstered Republican-appointed majorities. It was not entirely clear whether the emergency stay issued Saturday by the 5th Circuit applied nationwide or just to the states that filed in that case  Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Utah.

The 5th Circuit order read, the Mandate is hereby stayed pending further action by this court" but did not specifically state whether it applied only to the five states. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said it applied nationally, but states that filed in different courts asked Monday for clarification.

Though the Fifth Circuits order may be construed to have nationwide effect, it does not make an explicit statement on this point," according to a state filing in the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. "To avoid any confusion and to secure full protection of their rights, Petitioners respectfully request that this Court enter a similar order here.

Alabama, Florida and Georgia also asked for a stay Monday in the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, noting the one granted in the New Orleans-based court is temporary. The group of states, businesses and organizations challenging the rule in the St. Louis-based court called for a quick review of their challenge to the workplace rule.

Thousands of employers and millions of working families will feel its impact immediately. The Court should act swiftly to forestall these illegal and unconstitutional injuries, the groups said in court papers.

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Associated Press writers Josh Boak and Zeke Miller in Washington, D.C.; Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Arkansas; and Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  A Northern California mother and her boyfriend have been convicted of murdering a 5-year-old boy after inflicting extensive abuse on the child.

The boys mother, Jessica Prater, 37, and her boyfriend Adam Caldwell, 45, were found guilty on several counts related to the 2016 death of Praters son, Zachary Prater-Stokes, the Sacramento Bee reported Monday.

The mother and child had moved into Caldwells home in the Sacramento suburb of Orangevale in April 2016, the district attorneys office said in a statement.

Caldwell began to punish and abuse Zachary, both psychologically and physically, the statement said. The physical abuse became more frequent and more violent. The abuse was also inflicted by Prater.

Roughly two months after moving in with her boyfriend, Prater called 911 "to report that Zachary had swallowed water in the bathtub and was not responsive.

Fire personnel arrived and found Zachary clothed and dry in a bedroom, and transported him to a hospital where he never regained consciousness.

Medical evidence confirmed extensive abuse, the statement said. The autopsy showed Zacharys death was caused by blunt force injuries and water submersion.

Both defendants cases involved nearly three years of pretrial conferences and hearings, with trial proceedings then interrupted in March 2020 by COVID-19 protocols imposed at Sacramento Superior County Court, court records show.

Prater was convicted Friday of first-degree murder by torture, child assault causing death and child abuse with great bodily injury causing death, the district attorneys office said.

Caldwell was convicted last month of second-degree murder and child assault causing death.

Each faces 25 years to life in prison. Caldwell is scheduled for sentencing Nov. 19. Praters sentencing is set for Dec. 10.
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (AP)  A Virginia city is paying out $150,000 to a group of 10 people who claim their rights were violated when they were arrested in connection with the vandalism and destruction of a Confederate monument last year.

WAVY-TV reports that Portsmouth cut $15,000 checks for each last month, according to copies obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP)  A judge has determined a defendant from South Dakota accused in a 1974 slaying in Minnesota isnt competent to stand trial.

New DNA testing led to the arrest of Algene Vossen in the death of Mable Herman of Willmar, Minnesota, who prosecutors said had been stabbed 38 times.

Vossen was questioned shortly after the body of the 74-year-old victim was discovered by her sister in Willmar on Jan. 27, 1974. But it was only after advances in DNA testing and another look at the case that Vossen was arrested decades later in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he had been living.

Vossen, 80, is charged with second-degree murder. His attorney asked a judge to find Vossen incompetent to stand trial due to his physical and mental status. Three mental health experts examined Vossen and determined that he was suffering from significant memory impairment.

A judge in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota on Friday agreed with the defense request.

Defense attorney Kent Marshall says he doesn't consider the ruling a win for his client.

"I cant say theres a victory here, you know we have a family that is still 47 years later still grieving the loss of someone, no closure and we have a guy who is 80-years old that is suffering from mental incapacity either suffering from dementia or Alzheimers or some combination of that, Marshall told KELO-TV.

Now that Vossen has been found to be incompetent to stand trial for murder, the county must decide if he can be civilly committed to a mental health facility.
SHREVEPORT, La. (AP)  A Caddo Parish commissioner and his sister pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud charges last week in U.S. District Court, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Caddo Parish Commissioner Lynn Cawthorne, 54, and Belena Turner, 50, both of Shreveport pleaded guilty to wire fraud before federal judge Elizabeth Foote on Friday. They are accused of defrauding the U.S. Department of Agriculture's summer feeding program for children, the Justice Department said in a news release.

According to the release, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Child Nutrition Programs offer a summer feeding service to give food to children during the summer school break. This program is administered by the Louisiana Department of Education.

The sponsors are required to provide the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Louisiana Department of Education with documentation for the feeding sites as well as information on the budget and how many meals were served. They are reimbursed after filing these documents or can get funds in advance for pre-approved purposes, the statement said.

Cawthorne was president of the United Citizens and Neighborhoods Inc. which applied to sponsor multiple feeding sites. Turner was the executive director at this time.

Cawthorne started Harvest Catering Inc. in the name of an unindicted co-conspirator in May 2013, the release said. Cawthorne kept control of the company's finances, which included access to the checks and debit card. Cawthorne and Turner allegedly gave the Louisiana Department of Education false information, saying the catering company would make meals for United Citizens and Neighborhoods. The state Education Department paid United Citizens and Neighborhoods over $33,000 and in the following days, Turner wrote a check to another nonprofit she directed and Cawthorne wrote one to Harvest Catering.

According to the statement, they used a portion of the funds for non-summer feeding program purposes. They took it via check, cash withdrawal or debit card.

Cawthorne also pleaded guilty Friday to one charge of filing a false tax return, a charge he was indicted for in December 2019. The release said he allegedly received unreported income from Harvest Catering. He reported an adjusted gross income of $7,555 during 2013, which he allegedly knew was inaccurate.

According to the release, Cawthorne and Turner each could face up to 20 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, for the wire fraud charge. Cawthorne could also face up to three additional years in prison and a $100,000 fine for the tax fraud charge.
ROME (AP)  A court in southern Italy has convicted 70 defendants and acquitted 20 others in a trial that probed alleged links between the ndrangheta crime syndicate and local business figures, politicians and public officials.

The verdicts on Saturday came at the end of a fast-track trial that was an offshoot of another, ongoing trial in the Calabria region against more than 320 defendants, the Italian news agency ANSA reported from Lamezia Terme, a city in the toe of the boot-shaped peninsula.

Anti-Mafia prosecutor Nicola Gratteri expressed hope that the convictions would help strengthen his case in the main trial, which began earlier this year and is expected to run into 2022.

Prosecutors are eager for courts to deliver stiff blows to the ndrangheta, the Calabria-based mob that has exploited tens of billions of dollars in cocaine revenues over the last decades to expand its influence across Europe and into other continents.

In the fast-track trial, held in the same specially constructed, high-security bunker courtroom that the main trial is using, defendants were guaranteed a one-third reduction of prison sentences in case of conviction.

Both trials explored the activities of a a dozen ndrangheta clans, and especially one based in Vibo Valentia, Calabria. Prosecutors alleged the clans are linked to a convicted ndrangheta boss, Luigi Mancuso.

Prison sentences meted out in the fast-track trial ranged from 10 months to 20 years. Among those receiving the stiffest sentence was Pasquale Gallone, who prosecutors allege is a top lieutenant of Mancuso, ANSA said.

Among those acquitted on Saturday were an Italian lawyer and businessman who prosecutors had sought to portray as being in cahoots with the Mancuso crime clans.

The Lamezia Terme bunker is so vast that a score of video screens were attached to the ceiling so participants could view the proceedings. So-called maxi-trials arent infrequent in Italy. In 1986, in Palermo, in a similarly specially constructed bunker, 475 alleged members of Cosa Nostra, the Sicilian Mafia, were put on trial in a case that eventually yielded more than 300 convictions.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)  A man identified as a supplier of a drug network in western North Carolina has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, according to a federal prosecutor.

William T. Stetzer, acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, said in a news release that Matthew Wondra, 34, of Murphy, was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release after he gets out of prison.
LONDON (AP)  European lawmakers have pioneered efforts to rein in big technology companies and are working to strengthen those rules, putting them ahead of the United States and other parts of world that have been slower to regulate Facebook and other social media giants facing increasing blowback over misinformation and other harmful content that can proliferate on their platforms.

While Europe shares Western democratic values with the U.S., none of the big tech companies  Facebook, Twitter, Google  that dominate online life are based on the continent, which some say allowed European officials to make a more clear-eyed assessment of the risks posed by tech companies largely headquartered in Silicon Valley or elsewhere in the U.S.

But thats only part of the explanation, said Jan Penfrat, senior policy adviser at digital rights group EDRi.

The question, Penfrat said, should also be: Why is the U.S. so much lagging behind? And that may be because of the immense pressure from the homegrown companies arguing to officials in Washington that stricter rules would hobble them as they compete with, for example, Chinese rivals.

Drawing up a new package of digital rules for the 27-nation European Union is getting a boost from Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, who answered questions Monday in Brussels from a European Parliament committee. It's the latest sign of interest in her revelations that Facebook prioritized profits over safety after the former data scientist testified last month to the U.S. Senate and released internal documents.

If the EU rules are done right, you can create a game-changer for the world, you can force platforms to price in societal risk to their business operations so the decisions about what products to build and how to build them is not purely based on profit maximization," Haugen told lawmakers. And you can show the world how transparency, oversight and enforcement should work.

Since Haugen left Facebook, the company has renamed itself Meta as it focuses its business on a virtual reality world called the metaverse.

Im shocked they picked this name, she said. In the book that inspired the term, the metaverse is a dystopian thing, that peoples lives are so unpleasant that they need to hide in the system for half of their day.

Haugen has been on a European tour, meeting lawmakers and regulators in the EU and United Kingdom who are seeking her input as they work on stricter rules for online companies amid concerns that social media can do everything from magnify depression in teens to incite political violence. A wider global movement to crack down on digital giants is taking cues from Europe and gaining momentum in the U.S. and Australia.

Europe has been a trailblazer in applying more scrutiny for big tech companies, most famously by slapping Google with multibillion-dollar fines in three antitrust cases. Now, the European Union is working on a sweeping update of its digital rulebook, including requiring companies to be more transparent with users on how algorithms make recommendations for what shows up on their feeds and forcing them to swiftly take down illegal content such as hate speech.

The rules are aimed at preventing bad behavior, rather than punishing past actions, as the EU has largely done so far.

France and Germany also are bringing in legislation requiring social media platforms to take down illegal content quicker, though these rules would be superseded by the EU ones, which are expected to take effect no earlier than 2023.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has only recently started cracking down on big tech companies, with regulators fining Facebook and YouTube over allegations of privacy violations and the government suing over their huge share of the market in the last couple of years. American lawmakers have proposed measures to protect kids online and get at the algorithms used to determine what shows up on feeds, but they all face a long road to passing.

While Haugens testimony and the documents she has provided have shed light on how Facebooks systems work and spurred efforts in the U.S., European lawmakers may not be that surprised by what she has to say.

The fact that Facebook is disseminating polarizing content more than other kinds of content is something that people like me have been saying for years, said Alexandra Geese, a European Union lawmaker with the Green party. But we didnt have any evidence to prove it.

European lawmakers have been interested in digging in to algorithms, as they work on requiring platforms to be more transparent with users on how artificial intelligence makes recommendations on what content people see.

Its rather about looking under the hood and regulating the kind of mechanisms that a company, a platform established to disseminate content or to direct people down rabbit holes into extremist groups, Geese said. What Haugen is doing is shifting the focus, and I think this is something that many other people before didnt see.

In the U.K., which left the European Union last year, the government also is working on raft of digital regulations, including an online safety bill that calls for a regulator to ensure tech companies comply with rules requiring them to remove dangerous or harmful content or face big financial penalties.

For the European Union, theres still a lot of wrangling over the final details of the rules, two packages known as the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act, which the EU Commission hopes to get approved next year.

Free speech campaigners and digital rights activists worry that EU rules requiring platforms to swiftly remove harmful content will lead to overzealous deletion of material that isn't illegal. In a bid to balance free speech requirements, users will be given the chance to complain about what content is removed.

In London, there's been a similar debate over how to define harmful but illegal content.

Both the EU and U.K. rules call for hefty fines worth up to 10% of a company's annual global turnover, which for the biggest tech companies could amount to billions of dollars in revenue.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Nicaraguas President Daniel Ortega holds a commanding lead in results from Sundays election against a field of little-known challengers. Ortegas strongest potential competitors weren't on the ballot and are in jail.

Victory would give Ortega his fourth consecutive five-year term as president.

His government has grown increasingly heavy-handed since massive protests began in April 2018. The demonstrations were violently put down by police and government agents. Authorities continue pursuing those involved.

Ortega has said the protests of 2018 were a foreign-backed coup plot. Three dozen opposition leaders, including the potential candidates, arrested since June have essentially been charged with treason and accused of working to overthrow the government. Analysts see little likelihood Ortega will soften in his next term.

WHAT HAS THE INTERNATIONAL REACTION BEEN TO THE ELECTION?

The United States and European Union have panned the election as a farce. Other countries in region, including Costa Rica and Panama have also criticized the electoral process.

The global human rights organization Amnesty International called Ortegas apparent reelection frightening.

Once again, the people of Nicaragua find themselves in a situation where voicing criticism of the government puts them at grave risk, said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International. In the last few years, weve witnessed first-hand the plot of a horror thriller developing in the country, where deadly police repression, wrongful imprisonment, ill-treatment, harassment and criminalization of human rights defenders and journalists are common practices, all of them endorsed by a judiciary without independence and a National Assembly that exists only to rubberstamp Daniel Ortegas repressive agenda.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday criticized the United States for refusing to recognized the validity of Nicaraguas election and urging others to do the same. "We consider it unacceptable and firmly condemn such a policy, Lavrov said,

HOW WILL OTHER NATIONS RESPOND?

Both the European Union and the U.S. government have imposed previous sanctions against Ortega and his inner circle they accuse of anti-democratic actions. So far, those have had little effect.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Monday that the EU has tried so far to avoid measures that could potentially add to the hardship of the Nicaraguan people as a whole. "In that spirit, we will consider all instruments at our disposal to take additional measures, including those that may go beyond individual restrictions.

Some have suggested pressuring lending institutions to restrict funding for Ortega's government. And last week, the U.S. Congress passed a measure requiring the U.S. to increase sanctions on members of that government and to review whether Nicaragua should continue participating in the Central America Free Trade Agreement.

But many note that sanctions haven't forced change in countries such as Cuba and Venezuela.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN NICARAGUA?

Oscar Rene Vargas, a Nicaraguan political analyst, said Nicaraguans can only expect more repression from a victorious Ortega, saying the president "has the mindset of power or death. Vargas added: Hes not going to leave power, because leaving power is his death.

Jennie Lincoln, senior advisor to The Carter Center, an institution that helped validate the fairness of Ortegas election in 2006 but found significant deficiencies when he won reelection five years later, also saw little reason for optimism.

Theres no light at the end of the tunnel right now, she said. The election day is going to come and go, and the situation for the people who are imprisoned isnt going to change, the position of the opposition and the heavy, heavy boot print on them is not likely to change.

Nearly three dozen opposition leaders were jailed in the months before the election and more were picked up around the country the night before voting began. Other targets of government persecution, like the writer Sergio Ramirez, have been forced into exile.

A senior U.S. State Department official, who spoke with reporters on the condition of anonymity, said Ortegas government has been trying to use the prisoners as bargaining chips to ease restrictions or criticism of his government.

Its hard to contemplate trying to trade the liberation of a group of people for being quiet or somehow tolerating the repression of millions of people, the official said. But thats effectively what they seem to be trying to set up.

The official added that dropping sanctions in exchange for freeing the prisoners "is just not a viable game plan.

WHAT IS LEFT FOR THE OPPOSITION?

Nicaraguas opposition was already divided before the government started arresting its leaders in June. Ortega has systematically reduced the area in which it can maneuver. Public protests have been essentially banned by the police and those leaders who havent been arrested have either fled the country or live in fear that they could be next.

Edgar Parrales, a former Nicaraguan diplomat, said that Ortegas ideal would be a single-party political system like Cubas.

The real opposition is in part in exile, part prisoner and part in hiding, Parrales said. That is the real opposition and the one that is fighting and will continue fighting.

He expressed hope they can overcome past divisions: It appears that they have understood the need to unite is urgent."

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AP journalist Alexis Triboulard contributed to this report.
BOSTON (AP)  A for-profit adult career education school in Massachusetts has agreed to pay more than $1 million in relief to former students to settle allegations that it used high-pressure enrollment tactics and exaggerated its placement rates, the state attorney general's office said Monday.

Under terms of the settlement, the Mildred Elley School in Pittsfield is required to pay $600,000 to be distributed to former students, and will forgive more than $420,000 in student debt.
SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (AP)  A former staffer at a Rhode Island Boy Scout camp has been charged with sexually assaulting a male camper who was under the age of 13 in 1986, prosecutors said Monday.

Richard McGrath, 58, of Charlton, Massachusetts, was indicted recently and arraigned Monday in Washington County Superior Court on a charge of second-degree child molestation, according to a statement from state Attorney General Peter Neronha.

Bail was set at $5,000 personal recognizance. The court also ordered McGrath to have no contact with the alleged victim. He is due back in court on Jan. 4.

No defense attorney was listed for McGrath in online court records.

McGrath was on the staff at the Yawgoog Scout Reservation at the time of the alleged assault, the statement said.

This office is committed, in partnership with the Rhode Island State Police, to the thorough investigation of all allegations of child sexual abuse, whether those allegations involve recent conduct or conduct dating back decades, Neronha said in a statement.

Yawgoog, founded in 1916, is situated on 1,800 acres (728 hectares) in the Rockville section of Hopkinton and is operated by the Narragansett Council of the BSA. Hundreds of scouts attend the camp every summer.

The allegation against McGrath is reprehensible and opposed to everything for which the Boy Scouts of America stands," Narragansett Council CEO Tim McCandless said in a statement.

Upon learning of the allegations, we took immediate action to prohibit him from participation in scouting. We also made the referral to law enforcement authorities which, after an investigation, resulted in his indictment. We have added Mr. McGrath to the BSAs Volunteer Screening Database which will prevent him from any future participation in scouting."

Safety remains a top priority for the scouts, the statement said.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  A former Idaho lawmaker has pleaded not guilty to rape and sexual assault charges and is scheduled to stand trial next spring.

Aaron von Ehlinger, 39, was a Republican state representative from Lewiston when a 19-year-old legislative intern reported that he brought her to his apartment under false pretenses and raped her earlier this year. Von Ehlinger has denied all wrongdoing and maintains he had consensual sexual contact with the woman. The Associated Press doesn't name people who say they have been sexually assault unless they agree to be publicly named.
GREECE, N.Y. (AP)  A western New York police chief who resigned last month after he crashed into a guardrail and then kept driving on three tires has been charged with misdemeanor drunken driving, authorities said Monday.

Former Greece Police Chief Andrew Forsythe is also charged with a violation for leaving the scene of the Oct. 21 crash, the Democrat and Chronicle reported.
PARIS (AP)  France's Catholic Church announced on Monday that it would financially compensate sex abuse victims by selling property assets or taking out a loan if needed.

French bishops said in a written statement they will set up an independent, national body tasked with addressing compensation issues. They committed to allocating money to a specific fund in order to compensate victims, notably by selling property or through a potential loan.

They also called on Pope Francis to send a team of visitors to assess the church's response regarding child protection.

Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, President of the Bishops' Conference, hailed a decisive step in a speech.

He stressed that the Church has recognized its institutional responsibility" and decided to go on a path of recognition and reparation that paves the way for victims to get the possibility of a mediation and a compensation.

The Bishops Conference held its annual meeting a month after a report revealed large-scale child sex abuse within the French Catholic Church.

The study released by an independent commission estimated that some 330,000 children were sexually abused over 70 years by priests or other church-related figures.

We felt disgust and horror inside us when we realized how much suffering so many people had lived and were still living, Moulins-Beaufort said.

The bishops acknowledged the church's responsibility that implies financial compensation because the commission strongly suggested that path but also because worshippers full of shame were expecting it from us, he said.

The report published last month described systemic coverup of abuses by the Catholic Church, and urged the church to respect the rule of law in France.

It said the tally of 330,000 victims includes an estimated 216,000 people abused by priests and other clerics, and the rest by church figures such as Scout leaders and camp counselors. The estimates were based on a broader research by Frances National Institute of Health and Medical Research into sexual abuse of children in the country.

France is a traditionally Roman Catholic country, but adheres to a strict form of secularism in public life based on a 1905 law separating church and state.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  The Republican-controlled Wisconsin state Senate on Monday approved a redistricting plan similar to one passed a decade ago in an apparent attempt to hold the line on GOP majorities in the Legislature.

The Senate voted along party lines, 21-12, in favor of GOP-drawn maps that would stay in place for the next 10 years in legislative and congressional districts. The Assembly is set to vote on the maps Thursday. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers promised early to veto the maps.

Redistricting is the once-a-decade process of redrawing the states political boundaries based on the latest census showing how populations have changed in neighborhoods, cities and counties since 2010. Mapmakers can create an advantage for their political party by packing opponents voters into a few districts or spreading them among multiple districts  a process known as gerrymandering.

Republicans new gerrymandered maps are modeled after the same gerrymandered ones weve had for a decade, Evers tweeted Monday. I wont sign them. Wisconsinites want and deserve #fairmaps now.

It's likely that the issue will be decided in court. A GOP-backed lawsuit was filed with the conservative-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court and a similar lawsuit was brought by Democrats in federal court.

Democratic state Sen. Chris Larson, of Milwaukee, described the GOP-drawn maps as an abortion of democracy, and said the maps are based on a newfound religion to preserve existing districts, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

Senate Minority Leader Janet Bewley, of Mason, proposed amendments to the maps that would implement what she described as a fair alternative. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, of Oostburg, proposed an amendment that would take up maps drawn by a governors commission to force an up or down vote on the issue.

Also Monday, the Senate voted 22-11, with Democratic Sen. Lena Taylor joining Republicans, in voting against maps drawn by Democrats as well as boundaries proposed by the governors commission. Taylor, who is Black, said all proposals fail to meet requirements in the federal Voting Rights Act intended to make sure minority voters can have representation.

This process that you have created is all about you just keeping power and no concern whatsoever for people of color or for competitiveness, said Taylor, from Milwaukee Today Im not supporting any of these maps, but a process different than yours is necessary. It is necessary for fairness.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  Many Kansas families would save hundreds of dollars a year under a proposal Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly outlined Monday to eliminate the state's unusually high sales tax on groceries.

Kelly's proposal, which would save consumers roughly $450 million a year, comes at a time when the state is flush with cash, thanks to tax collections that have exceeded expectations for months. But if a measure reducing or eliminating the tax passes the Republican-controlled Legislature, she'll face a partisan fight over credit as she seeks reelection next year.

The governor unveiled her proposal three days after GOP Attorney General Derek Schmidt called on lawmakers to cut or eliminate the 6.5% tax. Schmidt didn't make a specific proposal but told top Republicans in a letter Friday that he is ready to assist them in passing a measure.

Kelly made reducing or eliminating the sales tax on groceries a key campaign promise during the governor's race in 2018. She said she's waited until now to push the issue to be sure that the state's finances are stable enough to sustain the tax relief into the future. Tax collections have run 18.9% ahead of expectations from July 1 through Oct. 31 and generated a surplus of $440 million.

We can deliver this for families without diverting resources from other state services or agencies, Kelly said.

Kelly announced her proposal during a news conference in the produce section of a Dillons grocery store in north Topeka, as curious shoppers looked on. She held up an axe to symbolize her push to axe the tax on groceries and wore an axe pin on her lapel.

The proposal would save consumers $6.50 for every $100 spent on groceries. A family that spends an average of $200 a week on groceries would save $676 over a year.

Kansas is one of only 13 states with a sales tax on groceries and one of only six that taxes groceries at the same rate as other consumer goods, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators. Kansas' rate of 6.5% is second only to Mississippi's 7%.

Eliminating the sales tax on groceries can immediately benefit all Kansans, and it will provide the greatest help to those in greatest need, Schmidt said in his letter to GOP legislative leaders, echoing an argument that lawmakers in both parties have made for more than two decades.

Cutting or eliminating the tax is likely to have widespread appeal to consumer-voters.

I work hard and I try to eat the right foods and try to eat healthy, said Karen Thornwall, a part-time instructor at Washburn University and substitute teacher in Topeka. A lot of people will say they cant afford to buy even the healthy foods because its expensive but a lot of it is the tax that we pay on the food as well.

But the Legislature's debate next year will likely be clouded by election-year politics.

Republican lawmakers included proposals for modest reductions in the sales tax on groceries in two tax-cutting bills they approved in 2019, but they tied their proposals to income tax cuts that Kelly called fiscally reckless. She vetoed both bills.

They always play politics with it, said House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat, who advocated eliminating the sales tax on groceries during his unsuccessful run for governor in 1998.

Republicans hope to persuade swing voters that Kelly couldn't deliver on her 2018 promise and that a measure wouldn't pass without Schmidt intervening.

Indeed, Schmidt's campaign posted on social media ahead of Kelly's event Monday that, "We need a governor who will get the job done for Kansas families.

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Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna
HOUSTON (AP)  The Houston police and fire departments were deeply involved in safety measures for the music festival where a surging crowd killed eight people, playing key roles in crowd control measures, on-site security staffing and the emergency response. The police chief even says he met with the headlining performer before the show.

Now the city's police department is leading the criminal investigation into how the deadly chaos erupted during Friday night's performance by rapper Travis Scott.

While a prominent local official is calling for a separate, independent review of the tragedy, experts in crowd safety say an investigation by neutral outsiders could help the city avoid potential conflicts of interest and promote transparency.

Houston Police Department spokeswoman Jodi Silva declined to comment on questions about whether its close involvement in the event created a conflict or if it considered handing the probe off to an outside agency. Such decisions are often made in investigations like police shootings.

All of the information we have available to put out at this time has been placed out on Twitter, Silva said.

The police department's probe would be separate from any independent investigation ordered by County Judge Lina Hidalgo, Harris Countys top elected official, according to Rafael Lemaitre, a spokesman for the county judge's office. Hidalgo hasn't decided who would conduct such an independent review or how it would be done, Lemaitre said Monday.

She wants to know if this could have been prevented in any way, Lemaitre said. Its also entirely possible that it was not preventable for whatever reason, and thats something we would like to know, as well.

Key questions remained unanswered after the Astroworld festival at the Harris County-owned NRG Park. Some of the lingering questions involve what the Houston police and fire departments did before, during and after a crowd surged toward the stage, killing eight people and injuring may more, with over 300 people treated on site and at least 13 others hospitalized. Other questions center on the actions of event organizers.

Officials with the Houston police and fire departments have said that part of their investigation will include reviewing whether the concert promoter and others behind the festival adhered to the plans that were submitted for the event.

Astroworlds organizers laid out security and emergency medical response protocols for the festival in plans filed with Harris County. The 56-page operations plan, obtained by The Associated Press, says that a decision to evacuate the event would be made by the festival director after consultation with other individuals, including the security director. Such plans were filed with Harris County and Houston and have to be reviewed by Houston police officials.

Christopher Slobogin, director of the criminal justice program at Vanderbilt University, said an independent criminal investigation into what happened in Houston could be beneficial to avoid any potential conflicts of interest. But acknowledged that this case is different from typical situations where authorities are confronted with decisions over whether to step away from a case because of a conflict of interest.

The actual crime was probably not committed directly by the fire department or the police department, he said. But at least for appearance purposes, if an independent body did the investigation I think that would be the better practice.

Officials have said a private company was primarily responsible for providing security at the festival, but Houston police were also assigned to the event. The plan says medical care at the festival was provided by ParaDocs, a private company based in New York.

Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena had said during a news conference on Saturday that the injuries and size of the crowd quickly overwhelmed the private companies providing security and medical services. Pena said even though the medical operations plan did not require that the fire department have units pre-positioned around the festival, his agency decided to have those units in place in case this incident escalated.

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said in a statement on Monday that he had a "brief and respectful" meeting with Scott and the rappers head of security on Friday before his performance. The chief said he asked them to work with the police department.

I expressed my concerns regarding public safety and that in my 31 years in law enforcement experience I have never seen a time with more challenges facing citizens of all ages, to include a global pandemic and social tension throughout the nation, Finner said.

G. Keith Still, a visiting professor of crowd science at the United Kingdoms University of Suffolk, said his independent investigations of similar tragedies typically begin with an evaluation of an events safety permitting process. He evaluates how a permit was issued and whether the event organizer adhered to permit conditions.

Police can sometimes get too caught up in trying to take eyewitness accounts, he said. With 50,000 potential eyewitnesses, by the time they get done through with all of that, theyre left with a huge, confused mass.

Houston police and fire officials said their investigation will include reviewing video taken by concert promoter Live Nation, as well as dozens of clips from people at the show. Officials also planned to review the events security plan and determine whether its organizers properly followed permit requirements.

Steven Adelman, vice president of the industry group Event Safety Alliance, said in an email that he sees no issue with public safety authorities authorizing an independent investigation of the Houston tragedy.

I would hope and assume the investigation will be conducted by an outside person who is not subject to influence by the agencies that were involved with Astroworld. This is not an uncommon scenario in complex situations like this one, wrote Adelman, whose organization was formed after the collapse of a stage killed seven people at the Indiana State Fair in 2011.

Adelman said private forensic analysis experts independently investigated the Indiana stage collapse, examining the stage roof engineering and crowd management.

A good example of what I hope we see here, Adelman said of the investigation in Houston.

Finner has defended how long it took for the concert to be called off after the first signs of trouble. The police chief said his department immediately notified concert organizers after noticing that attendees were going down. The event was called off 40 minutes later after discussions that included the fire department and NRG Park officials.

You cannot just close when youve got 50,000  over 50,000  individuals, OK? Finner said. We have to worry about rioting  riots  when you have a group thats that young.

Pena said city officials limited the attendance to 50,000 even though the venue could have held 200,000 based on fire codes.

It was the crowd control at the point of the stage that was the issue, especially as the crowd began to surge toward the stage, Pena said.

Live Nation said in a statement that it is cooperating with local authorities "so that both the fans who attended and their families can get the answers they want and deserve, and we will address all legal matters at the appropriate time."

Hidalgo tweeted on Saturday that she was calling for an objective and independent investigation into what happened. She also said her office was grateful for the work done by the police and fire departments.

It may well be that this tragedy is the result of unpredictable events, of circumstances coming together that couldnt possibly have been avoided, Hidalgo said. But until we determine that, I will ask the tough questions.

Hidalgos office isnt a law-enforcement agency and doesnt have authority over criminal investigations.

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This story has been updated to correct the name of the county judges spokesman to Rafael Lemaitre, not Maitre.

___

Kunzelman reported from College Park, Maryland. Associated Press reporters Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville and Jake Bleiberg in Dallas contributed to this report.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  A group of Boise students is drafting legislation to require licensing for minors to purchase firearms, hoping to win bipartisan support for the gun control measure in one of the most conservative states in the nation.

The students, all members of the board of Idaho's March for Our Lives, which advocates for sensible gun violence prevention policies, hope the measure will help prevent suicides, school shootings and other forms of gun violence by slowing the process that minors use to buy a gun, the Idaho Statesman reported Monday. The group hopes to prevent students in the midst of mental health crises from easily access firearms.

Kate Stevens, a senior at Boise High School and the state director of the board, said the the first active shooting drill she remembers was in second grade. The drills have since become commonplace.

The first thing we should be thinking about when we walk into school and when we walk into a classroom is not, Oh, am I going to die today?  Stevens said. It should be, What am I going to learn? 

Idaho law currently requires minors to either have written permission from a parent or guardian or to be accompanied by a parent or guardian when purchasing firearms.

Kids under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult when in possession of a weapon, and they cant have handguns. Some other types of weapons are restricted unless the child and adult are on private property or taking part in a class or competition.

You can be 12, and go down to your Walmart as long as your parent is with you, and buy a deadly weapon that you dont have adequate safety training with, and operate it legally, Stevens said.

The students are drafting legislation that would require minors to go through a few additional steps before purchasing firearms, including submitting an application for a license from the sheriffs office and showing proof of in-person training on firearm safety by an approved instructor.

The legislation is still being drafted, so some of the provisions could change, Stevens said.

Mental health is an issue that should not be politicized, Stevens said. Were trying to make it so that we have support from both Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature.

The group said anything that can slow the process of minors buying or possessing guns will help.

Especially common sense things that everyone agrees on, said Shiva Rajbhandari, a junior at Boise High. Lets implement those. And I mean, see how it goes. Were kind of at rock bottom right now.

The students are working with state Sen. Melissa Wintrow, a Democrat from Boise, who said she wants to help them understand the legislative process, regardless of how tough it might be to get the legislation passed.

Wintrow said it's not the first time that she has been contacted by students concerned about gun laws.

Our state does have some of the most liberal, lax gun laws, Wintrow said.

In Idaho, 19 children and teens on average die from guns every year, and more than 80% of those are suicides, according to Everytown for Gun Safety.

Its really important to put a kink in that process, Stevens said. And make sure that kids who are operating firearms do have adequate safety training.

Last school year, a sixth grade girl injured three people in a shooting at Rigby Middle School in East Idaho. Rajbhandari said he wants gun legislation that could help prevent those kind of situations.
KINSTON, N.C. (AP)  Two juveniles are facing criminal charges after one of them tried to back a vehicle over a police officer and led others on a chase before they were captured, authorities said Monday.

The Kinston Police Department said in a news release that officers checked out what was described as a suspicious vehicle early Monday. When the officers tried to find out why they were there, the driver tried to back over one of the officers, who was able to get out of the way and avoid injury, police said.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP)  A push to turn financial support for full-day kindergarten into a permanent commitment in Kentucky picked up momentum Monday when a state school funding task force endorsed the proposal.

It was among the funding recommendations the task force presented for Kentucky lawmakers to consider during their 2022 session, when they will craft the state's next budget.

The task force also urged lawmakers to develop plans for full state funding of school districts transportation costs and to fully fund a school safety measure enacted two years ago.

They also urged lawmakers to consider altering the state's school funding formula.

This is kind of like nine things on your child's Christmas wish list, Republican Sen. Max Wise, the task force's co-chairman, said in summing up the recommendations.

We will provide this ... to House and Senate leadership, and we'll see what the best we can do. But I do think these are excellent recommendations, he added.

Funding support for full-day kindergarten emerged atop the wish list items from the task force, which spent the past several months studying K-12 funding. The panel urged the legislature to permanently authorize full funding of kindergarten in state law.

Earlier this year, the Republican-dominated legislature allocated state funds to pay for full-day kindergarten, but the extra spending was limited to just one school year.

GOP Rep. James Tipton has prefiled a measure for the 2022 legislative session that would secure state funding to cover the entire cost of full-day kindergarten as a permanent expenditure. Tipton served as the other co-chairman of the school funding task force.

Full-day kindergarten is common across Kentucky. Until this year's action by lawmakers, school districts received state funding for half-day kindergarten, with districts using local taxpayer money to pay for the rest of the costs for full-day classes. Education leaders and advocates have long pushed for more kindergarten and preschool funding.

The task force also urged lawmakers to develop a plan to free local school districts from the burden of transportation costs. The goal is to return to full state funding of those costs to transport students, the group said. Districts now cover some of those costs, diverting funds from classrooms.

Our recommendation is lets see if we can get on a path toward 100% (state) funding, Tipton said in an interview. We understand it may not all happen in this (next) budget, but hopefully we can make some progress on that and get on a path forward.

Another task force recommendation called for a plan to achieve full funding of the state's 2019 school safety law, which was intended to boost police protection and counseling in schools. The legislation was passed in response to the 2018 shooting at Marshall County High School in western Kentucky. Two students were killed.

State lawmakers have not fully funded the school-safety measure since its passage. A recent report from the state school security marshal found the vast majority of schools had implemented pieces of the law that required one-time costs, like security upgrades. But a majority of schools had not hired enough school resource officers or mental health counselors  provisions of the law requiring districts to pay ongoing salaries, the Courier Journal reported.

The task force also urged lawmakers to provide funding to expand use of family resource and youth services centers. Those programs are meant to enhance the ability of students to succeed in school.

Another recommendation calls for a school district impact statement to be attached to bills. It would inform state lawmakers of a measures potential cost to local school districts.

Meanwhile, another recommendation asks lawmakers to consider changing a key component in the state's school funding formula. The state now uses a schools average daily attendance in the funding calculation. The task force suggested switching to an average student membership model, which would base funding on how many students are on a schools roster.

But the task force said the change should be done in a manner that minimizes extreme funding changes for school districts while also maintaining incentives for student attendance and accountability for school districts.

Democratic Rep. Tina Bojanowski, a task force member, referred to the proposals as reasonable.

I think you have really moved this state forward over the summer with this task force, Democratic Sen. Reggie Thomas, another task force member, told the Republican co-chairmen.
CHILI, N.Y. (AP)  A private contractor died when the trench he was digging in western New York collapsed and buried him, authorities said.

The contractor was inside a 15-foot trench in the town of Chili when the wall collapsed and buried him shortly before 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Capt. Dean Tuthill of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office told the Democrat and Chronicle. The man, described as in his 50s, died at the scene. His name was not immediately released.
SIDNEY, Ohio (AP)  A registered sex offender from Ohio has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for using dating sites to connect with impoverished women in the Philippines and pay them for sexually explicit photos of their children.

Charles Lee Frazier, 42, of Sidney, had pleaded guilty in March to attempting to produce child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Ohio. He was sentenced Friday.
WEST HAVEN, Conn. (AP)  A recount Sunday showed West Haven Mayor Nancy Rossi, whose administration has been embroiled in a scandal over the misuse of federal pandemic relief funds, won a slim victory over her Republican opponent Barry Lee Cohen in last week's municipal election.

The incumbent Democrat won 4,275 to 4,243, election officials said. Rossi had led Cohen by 29 votes following the original count after the Nov. 2 election.

The election occurred during a financial scandal that has led to the arrest of two city employees on charges they stole federal COVID-19 relief funds.

Were going to make the changes we need to make," Rossi told Hearst Connecticut Media after the results were announced. "Were going to get through this together, were Westies.

Cohen has 14 days to file any challenge over the recount. He's said he has some concerns over whether absentee ballots were handled correctly.

The Republican city councilman has blasted Rossi over the scandal that led to the arrest of then-state Rep. Michael DiMassa just days before the election. DiMassa was also an administrative assistant to the city council and one of two city officials empowered by Rossi to approve spending on COVID-19 issues.

DiMassa and another City Hall employee, John Bernardo, 65, are accused of creating a consulting company in January that was used to steal more than $600,000 by billing the city for nonexistent pandemic consulting services. DiMassa is accused of spending tens of thousands of dollars gambling at the Mohegan Sun casino.

DiMassa, 30, resigned from the legislature as well as his city position. His lawyer has declined to comment on the allegations

Bernardos lawyer, Tara Knight, said she will allow the case to play out in the courtroom not in the media.

This will be Rossi's second term as mayor. She won election in 2017, defeating then-incumbent mayor Ed OBrien in both a primary and then in a three-way general election by more than 1,500 votes.
BOLIVIA, N.C. (AP)  A North Carolina man will spend up to 27 years in prison after pleading guilty to hitting two people with his vehicle as they stood in a driveway, authorities said.

The Brunswick County District Attorneys Office said in a news release that Dakota Reiswig of Brunswick County pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder on Friday and was sentenced to a minimum of 21 years in prison, news outlets reported.
DENVER (AP)  No criminal charges will be filed against a police officer who accidentally shot and killed a man hailed as a hero for stopping a gunman who ambushed another police officer in suburban Denver, a prosecutor announced Monday.

In June, Johnny Hurley was shopping in a store in Arvada, when Ronald Troyke shot and killed police Officer Gordon Beesley, police said. Hurley, 40, rushed out and shot Troyke, dressed all in black, with his handgun and picked up Troykes AR-style rifle, according to authorities.

An investigation by a team of outside agencies found that Hurley was shot by one of three officers in a police substation office nearby who heard multiple rounds of gunfire and initially saw a man with an AR-style rifle dressed all in black, First Judicial District Attorney Alexis King said at a press conference announcing her decision. None of them knew Beesley, a 19-year department veteran and beloved school resource officer, had been shot or that Hurley had intervened. The officer who shot Hurley, who was wearing a red shirt and holding Troykes rifle, believed he was a second mass shooter and that he only had a moment to stop him from hurting others, King said.

The three officers separated to different parts of the building to try to stop the gunman dressed in black, according to King's letter to police detailing the findings of the investigation. One saw people rushing away from the main square in Olde Town Arvada, a historic shopping and entertainment area about 7 miles (10 kilometers) northwest of downtown Denver around midday on June 21 while the second set out to try to shoot at the gunman from a window but could not see him from there. But, standing at a door to the building, Officer Kraig Brownlow saw a man wearing a red shirt  later identified as Hurley  come into view holding an AR-style rifle and a handgun near the spot where the man in black had been spotted earlier, looking toward the square, King said. Hurley appeared to Brownlow to be reloading the rifle or trying to fix something while holstering his pistol, the letter said.

Like police have, King praised Hurley's decision to intervene and stop Troyke  who police said left a note saying he planned to kill as many police officers as possible  preventing others from being killed.

He acted to defend others and we will remember him for his selflessness, she said.

Hurley's mother said she imagined many people would be angry, which she said was understandable.

I would ask that instead of acting out on your anger, that you use that energy to be the change you wish to see in the world. Engage in meaningful conversations that might make a difference in how we all may move forward together, Kathleen Boleyn said in a statement released by her lawyers.

An Arvada police spokesperson declined to comment on the decision. In a statement, the city said it appreciated the work that went into the investigation and expressed support for its police department in general as well as Brownlow and his family.

This incident illustrates the nearly unfathomable decisions society asks our police officers to make as they go about their everyday work, it said.
NEW YORK (AP)  A prominent New York City lawyer who married a Hollywood star and spent the last eight years overseeing police reforms as the NYPDs court-appointed federal monitor died Monday. Peter Zimroth was 78.

Zimroths death was confirmed by his top deputy on the monitoring team, Richard Jerome, who said he spent his last hours at home in New York City surrounded by the love of his family.

In March, Zimroth revealed he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Jerome said Zimroth was living with the disease for about two years and kept working into his final days.

Zimroth, a law professor and the director of New York Universitys Center on Civil Justice, married Academy Award-winning actress Estelle Parsons in 1983. Together, they adopted a son, Abraham.

In 2013, U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin appointed Zimroth to monitor the NYPD after she ruled that the department violated the constitution with its tactic of stopping, questioning and frisking mostly Black and Hispanic people on the street en masse.

She directed Zimroth to develop reforms to policies, training, supervision and discipline with input from communities most affected.

In the years since, Zimroth and his team issued more than a dozen reports on the NYPDs compliance with various reforms, including the effectiveness of body-worn cameras and analyses of racial disparities in officers' use of stop-and-frisk tactics.

As the federal monitor, Peter faithfully sought to inspire improvements in the New York City Police Department, build collaboration among the Department, plaintiffs and the communities served, while effecting sustainable, positive changes in police practices, Jerome wrote in an email to reporters announcing Zimroth's death.

Zimroth not only brought together a diverse group of skilled and independent thinkers, but who also challenged each of us to consider all options in our recommendations and perspectives, Jerome wrote. We admired Peter as a leader and will miss him most as our dear friend."

Zimroth, a Brooklyn native, graduated from Columbia University in 1963 and Yale Law School in 1966. He worked as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan, as the top deputy to longtime Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau and as corporation counsel, the city government's top lawyer, under Mayor Ed Koch.

In a statement, current Corporation Counsel Georgia Pestana said Zimroth was an exemplary and thoughtful leader" who always demonstrated a strong moral compass and commitment to furthering the interests of the city and its residents.

Early in his career, Zimroth represented whistleblower police detective David Durk, who joined Officer Frank Serpico in raising alarms about rampant corruption within the NYPD, leading to an investigation and major reforms.

Zimroth started teaching at NYU in 1970. In August, he announced he was making a major donation to the school's Center on the Administration of Criminal Law, which it renamed in his honor.

After disclosing his cancer diagnosis, Zimroth used the grim news for good.

Seeing parallels between his fight and the global battle against COVID-19, he designed T-shirts encouraging people to get vaccinated and sold them through a GoFundMe page that's raised nearly $73,000 for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

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Follow Michael Sisak on Twitter at twitter.com/mikesisak
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP)  Eight years after he shot dead his girlfriend, Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius is up for parole, but first he must meet with her parents.

Pistorius, a world-famous double-amputee athlete who competed at the 2012 Olympics, has been eligible for parole since July after he was convicted of murder for shooting model Reva Steenkamp multiple times through a toilet door in his home on Valentine's Day 2013.

Pistorius was convicted of murder in 2015 and ultimately sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison. He became eligible for parole under South African law after serving half his sentence.

A parole hearing for Pistorius was scheduled for last month and then canceled, partly because a meeting between Pistorius and Steenkamp's parents, Barry and June, had not been arranged, lawyers for both parties told The Associated Press on Monday.

Corrections department officials scheduled the parole hearing for October but it was called off when a full report on Pistorius' time in prison wasn't available, said Julian Knight, a lawyer for Pistorius. The date for a new hearing has not yet been set, Knight said.

Also, Barry and June Steenkamp want a face-to-face meeting with Pistorius before he is considered for early release from prison, as is their right under South Africa's victim-offender dialogue policy. The Steenkamps have previously said they want to challenge Pistorius on why he shot their daughter and they would get to do that, with victim-offender meetings aimed at achieving some kind of closure for families of victims of crimes.

They (Barry and June) feel that Reeva has got a voice. They are Reevas voice, and they owe it to their beloved daughter, said Tania Koen, the Steenkamps' lawyer.

The Steenkamps will also be allowed to make recommendations to the parole board, although Koen wouldn't say if they will oppose Pistorius' release.

We have discussed it, Koen said, but declined to give details.

The opinion of victims' families is considered by a parole board when deciding whether to release an offender, but it's not the only criteria.

The 34-year-old Pistorius could be taken from where he is incarcerated at the Atteridgeville Correctional Center in the capital, Pretoria, to the Steenkamps' home city of Gqerberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) for the victim-offender meeting because, according to Koen, Barry Steenkamp is unable to travel due to his health.

Pistorius lawyer Knight said it might turn out that way but the corrections department would decide. Knight said he was hopeful that the meeting between Pistorius and the Steenkamps, which must happen before a parole hearing, could take place by the end of the year.

It was a huge surprise for the Steenkamps when corrections services officials contacted them last month to say that Pistorius is eligible for parole, Koen said. They believed he would only be eligible in 2023, she said.

(It) opens a lot of wounds, or rips off the plasters they had put on those wounds, Koen said.

The confusion over when he would be eligible emanated from Pistorius' long and protracted murder trial and two subsequent appeals by prosecutors. Pistorius went on trial in 2014 and his case was only finalized in 2018.

The multiple Paralympic champion was initially found guilty of culpable homicide  an offense comparable to manslaughter  for shooting Steenkamp with his licensed 9 mm pistol. He claimed at his trial it was a tragic accident and he mistook her for a dangerous intruder.

Prosecutors appealed the manslaughter finding and secured a murder conviction. Pistorius was sentenced to six years in jail for murder, but prosecutors again appealed what they called a shockingly light punishment for murder. The Supreme Court of Appeal then more than doubled his sentence in 2017.

Knight later sought clarification over the sentence from the Supreme Court to see if the time Pistorius had already served in prison for culpable homicide should count toward his parole. It did, Knight said, meaning Pistorius could be considered for parole two years earlier than courts had initially indicated.

Knight said he believed Pistorius had met the requirements to be released early.

From what I have observed of him he has been a model prisoner while he has been in prison, Knight said. My view is that he does meet the requirements to be placed on parole but the procedures must be followed.

Knight said a parole board could impose a range of conditions on Pistorius if he is released, like only being allowed to leave home to go to work during the week, and only for a limited time on weekends to buy groceries and attend church.
PRINCETON, N.J. (AP)  Authorities say one of two stolen sport utility vehicles spotted by a New Jersey police officer after the attempted theft of a third vehicle was later involved in a head-on crash that claimed two lives and critically injured a third person.

Princeton police say a man told officers shortly after 12:30 p.m. Sunday that three people tried to steal his vehicle, which was parked in his driveway. He said they were driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee that police found had been stolen earlier from Pequannock Township.
NEW YORK (AP)  Officers shot and wounded a man who was pointing a gun at them inside Fort Washington Park in upper Manhattan, New York City police said.

Officers responded to a 911 call about gunshots inside the park at 8:15 p.m. Sunday and found a 23-year-old man armed with a gun, a police spokesperson said.
PHOENIX (AP)  Electricity has been restored at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airports Terminal 4 and officials said all systems are quickly returning to regular operations although some flight delays are likely through Monday evening.

Airport spokesman Eric Everts said Arizona Public Service notified Sky Harbor of a partial power outage around 8 a.m.
BUTLER, Pa. (AP)  The estranged wife of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell said Monday during a custody hearing that a judge had rejected her request for a restraining order in 2018 based on her allegations that he physically harmed their children, a newspaper reported.

In the first episode, Laurie Snell accused Parnell of striking a child hard enough through a T-shirt to leave welts. In the second, an angry Parnell punched a closet door, sending it flying into another childs face, leaving a bruise, she had testified.

But on Monday, under cross-examination in Butler County Court, Snell testified that a judge rejected her request for a restraining order based on those two allegations, and that she went on vacation with him and their children almost immediately after he allegedly struck the child, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Later, after the closet door episode, Snell asked Parnell if he wanted to watch the children and told him, I know youre a good dad and its important that the kids see you, according to text messages submitted as evidence, the Inquirer reported.

Monday's cross examination was the first opportunity for Parnell and his lawyer to question Snell after she testified last week that she had endured years of rage and abuse from him, including once being choked until she had to bite him.

Parnell responded to his estranged wifes testimony last week by releasing a statement insisting he never raised a hand in anger towards my wife or any of our three children and saying he would set the record straight when he testifies.

Parnell is endorsed by former President Donald Trump in the contested Republican primary, and Pennsylvanias election next year for an open U.S. Senate seat is expected to be among the nations most competitive and help determine control of the chamber.

To underscore that support, Trump and Donald Trump Jr. are headlining a fundraiser for Parnell on Jan. 25 at Trumps Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.

The Parnells have been living apart for at least three years, but have split custody of their children evenly.

Laurie Snell is seeking sole custody and testified on Monday that Parnell carried on an affair with another woman while they were married.

Parnell's lawyer asked Snell during cross-examination whether Parnell was a good father.

When theyre in public hes great with the kids," Snell responded, the Tribune-Review of Greensburg reported. I wanted to encourage the children having access to their dad if he was available.

Snell later said that Parnell is a good dad when hes not angry," the Tribune-Review reported.

Testimony dealing with mental health evaluations of the parents and children was conducted behind closed doors, the Inquirer reported.

Parnell, a decorated former Army Ranger who led a platoon in Afghanistan, has told of being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.

Parnell penned a memoir of his service in Afghanistan, which became a New York Times bestseller. He also has written four action novels, emerged as a regular guest on Fox News programs and ran unsuccessfully for Congress last year.

Parnells history with his wife became a subject in the Republican primary campaign, days after Trump endorsed Parnell over several other rivals.
SALEM, Ore. (AP)  A judge has significantly reduced the sentences of twin brothers who were convicted of murdering an elderly Salem couple in 1993, leaving them to serve approximately six more years instead of a lifetime.

Marion County Circuit Court Judge Lindsay Partridge sentenced Laycelle and Lydell White on Monday to 40 years in prison with lifetime post-prison supervision, The Statesman Journal reported. The sentence was based on an agreement between the state and the Whites attorneys.
WOLF POINT, Mont. (AP)  A shooting that left three people dead at a casino on the border of Montana and North Dakota appears to have been a double murder-suicide perpetrated by the husband of one of the victims, authorities said Wednesday.

Surveillance video from the shooting at a casino near Bainville, Mont. appeared to show that Bradford Mann, 56, shot and killed his wife, Jennifer Mann, 49, and Scot Panasuk, 63, before taking his own life, Roosevelt County Sheriff Jason Frederick said.
LONDON (AP)  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to talk about climate change. But his opponents want to focus on corruption.

As a United Nations climate summit aimed at staving off catastrophic global warming entered its final week in Glasgow, Scotland on Monday, host Johnson faced a barrage of criticism in London over his attempts to change the system that oversees lawmakers standards.

The House of Commons held an emergency debate on political ethics after the government tried to block the suspension of a Conservative lawmaker found guilty of breaching lobbying rules. Opposition parties say the episode has revealed a Conservative government that plays fast and loose with the rules, and they want a public inquiry into corruption allegations.

The actions of the government last week have tarnished this Houses reputation, said Liberal Democrat lawmaker Wendy Chamberlain, who kicked off the debate.

This is almost the kind of behavior we would expect to see in the Duma in Moscow, the National Peoples Congress in Beijing  not in the House of Commons."

Cabinet Minister Stephen Barclay said the government was "listening carefully to the legitimate concerns raised by legislators.

The prime minister was not in the House of Commons to listen, however. He was visiting a hospital 250 miles (400 kilometers) away in northern England on what his office said was a long-planned trip.

The prime minister is running scared," said Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labour Party.

Johnson insisted his government took setting ethics standards for members of Parliament seriously.

I think it is very important that we get this right, he said on his hospital visit. We are going to make every effort to get it right. We are going to hold MPs to account. MPs should not break the rules.

The lobbying episode is the latest fuel for allegations that Johnson and his Conservative government dont follow rules that apply to everyone else.

Lawsuits have been launched over the governments awarding of tens of millions of pounds (dollars) in contracts to provide equipment and services during the coronavirus pandemic  often in haste and with little oversight.

Home Secretary Priti Patel was allowed to keep her job after she was found to have bullied members of staff. Johnson himself has been criticized for accepting expensive holidays in Mustique and Spain, and faces investigation by Parliaments standards watchdog over the source of money that was used to refurbish his apartment in Downing Street, the prime ministers official residence.

The issue hit a boiling point after the House of Commons standards committee recommended a 30-day suspension of Conservative legislator Owen Paterson for lobbying on behalf of two companies  a clinical diagnostics firm and a meat processor  that were paying him more than 100,000 pounds ($137,000) a year. The Commons Standards Committee said Patersons actions were an egregious case of paid advocacy and had brought the House into disrepute.

Instead of backing the committees decision, as has happened in all similar cases for decades, Conservative lawmakers were ordered by the government to oppose it and instead to call for an overhaul of the whole standards process.

That vote on Wednesday sparked fury  and not just from the opposition. Generally supportive newspapers reflected the anger, with the Daily Mail proclaiming: Shameless MPs Slink Back Into Sleaze.

Sleaze  corrupt or unethical behavior, often for financial gain  is an especially emotive word in British politics, especially for Conservatives. Allegations of Tory sleaze have been leveled at Conservative governments for decades, and have sometimes led to resignations. Johnson's government has been accused by critics of undermining the ethical norms that have long governed British political behavior.

The media and political backlash over the Paterson case triggered a rapid U-turn from the government, which said it would look for cross-party consensus on overhauling the disciplinary process. Paterson abruptly quit Parliament after 24 years as a lawmaker.

The Paterson scandal has sparked calls from transparency groups for a review of rules on lawmakers holding second jobs. Members of Parliament are allowed to earn outside income on top of their 82,000 pound ($110,000) annual salaries, as long as they declare it and it does not shade into lobbying.

Environment Minister George Eustice said the uproar was a storm in a teacup of little interest to the wider public.

But former Conservative Prime Minister John Major lashed out at Johnson, saying the way the Conservative government had acted was shameful, wrong and unworthy of this or indeed any government.

Theres a general whiff of we are the masters now about their behavior, Major told the BBC. It has to stop, it has to stop soon.
BENSENVILLE, Ill. (AP)  A man charged with shooting a suburban Chicago police officer multiple times has been ordered jailed without bond as the officer remained hospitalized with serious injuries.

The shooting happened about 1 a.m. Saturday after Bensenville Officer Steven Kotlewski arrived at an apartment where the mother of 21-year-old Kiante Tyler wanted help in getting him to leave, the Daily Herald reported.
DAMSCUS, Syria (AP)  Syrias military said Israel carried out airstrikes Monday night on central and western provinces, wounding two soldiers and causing material damage.

The military said Israeli warplanes fired missiles while flying over neighboring Lebanon. It added that Syrian air defenses shot down most of the Israeli missiles without elaborating.
TBILISI, Georgia (AP)  Thousands of protesters rallied in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on Monday to demand the release of the countrys jailed former President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Saakashvili has remained behind bars since his arrest on Oct. 1 following his return from Ukraine in a bid to bolster opposition forces ahead of nationwide municipal elections. The elections were eventually swept by members of the ruling Georgian Dream party, but the opposition alleged fraud.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The United States and Egypt put a brave face on strains in their relationship on Monday amid domestic Egyptian developments and regional crises that are testing long-standing ties between the countries.

With Egypts human rights record posing a significant irritant that has resulted in the withholding of some U.S. military aid and flashpoint situations in Egyptian neighbors Ethiopia and Sudan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry opened two days of strategic talks in Washington.

Aside from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi's government's treatment of dissidents, the Biden administration is wary of the Egyptian role in Sudan, where a coup toppled the civilian-led government two weeks ago.

And, the U.S. remains concerned about Cairo's approach to a long-running dispute over a proposed Nile dam project in Ethiopia, which is also beset with political turmoil and a growing rebellion.

Both Blinken and Shoukry hailed the decades-old U.S.-Egypt relationship, but only Blinken raised the points of regional contention, pledging that the Biden administration is committed to resolving them.

Egypt pointedly did not sign on to a joint statement with the U.S., Britain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates calling on the Sudanese military to restore the civilian-led government, but Blinken said the U.S. and Egypt have a shared interest in getting (Sudan's) democratic transition back on track.

The military takeover that began on Oct. 25, has been dangerously destabilizing, he said. A restoration of the civilian-led transitional government is the only path to facilitating the aspirations of the Sudanese people who have demonstrated remarkable bravery in repeatedly coming out in demand for democracy.

Egypt is suspected by some Sudanese opposition leaders as having given a greenlight for the Sudan's military leader, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, to oust Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. But Shoukry did not mention Sudan in his comments.

Blinken also spoke of deteriorating conditions in Ethiopia, where a yearlong war between the government and ethnic Tigrayans is intensifying with a rebel approach on the capital. He said the situation has a direct bearing on both Egyptian and U.S. national security interests.

The crisis in Ethiopia also puts the stability of the Horn of Africa at risk," Blinken said. We continue to engage with all parties to the conflict and with partners in the region to encourage peace negotiations without preconditions in pursuit of a ceasefire.

He added that despite the tumult, the U.S. continues to support a negotiated agreement to the dispute between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam that addresses the interests of all parties. Egypt has long feared the project will severely impact the flow of Nile waters key to agriculture.

Blinken praised Egypt for its work to try to help stabilize Libya, which has been in the midst of chaos and internal unrest for years made complicated by the presence of foreign fighters and mercenaries acting on behalf of Russia, Turkey and Gulf Arab states.

On human rights, Blinken said the administration welcomed the launch of an Egyptian national human rights strategy but said the effort would be judged by its results. Making tangible and lasting improvements on human rights is essential to strengthening our bilateral relationship and the United States will continue to support those efforts however we can, he said.

The U.S. has complained about Egypts human rights record for years and the Biden administration has withheld $130 million in military aid to the country pending improvements.

Shoukry's remarks appeared to acknowledge Egypt's understanding of the concern. ""We also believe that human rights are an interdependent whole, which necessitates that we dedicate equal attention to political rights and civil liberties and economic and social rights," he said.

This is an evolutionary process unique to each country, one that reflects and takes into consideration its social specificities, developmental realities, religious background, and cultural characteristics, he said.

He added that the new strategy, along with al-Sissi's revocation of a long-standing nationwide state of emergency last month are irrefutable evidence of our determination and resolve to continue to forge our path towards a modern democratic state and for the benefit of our citizens first and foremost.
BANGKOK (AP)  Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Bill Richardson acknowledges criticism of his humanitarian visit to Myanmar, but says he feels his trip was constructive.

Richardson, also a former governor of New Mexico, is the highest-profile American to visit the Southeast Asian nation since its military seized power in February from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. He traveled there last week with three colleagues, his office said, to discuss delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, medical supplies and other public health needs.

The U.S. government, along with a number of other Western nations, shuns Myanmar's military-installed government and urges a return to democracy.

Im deeply invested in this country and they invited me, Richardson said in an online interview with The Associated Press on Monday from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I have a letter from the foreign minister to talk about vaccines ... thats what I was invited to do. And I care about the country and I think I can make a difference. Its a small difference.

Richardson has a long history of involvement with Myanmar, starting in 1994 when as a member of Congress he met Suu Kyi at her home in the city of Yangon, where she had been under house arrest since 1989 under a previous military government.

He last visited Myanmar in 2018 to advise on a crisis over the countrys Muslim Rohingya minority. More than 700,000 Rohingya fled to refugee camps in Bangladesh after Myanmars military in 2017 launched a brutal counterinsurgency campaign in the western state of Rakhine, where most lived.

Since this years military takeover, violence has swept through much of Myanmar. Widespread peaceful demonstrations against army rule were savagely suppressed by security forces, and armed resistance has grown to the point that U.N. experts have warned the country risks sliding into civil war.

The instability has also caused a humanitarian crisis with food supplies badly disrupted and a breakdown of the already feeble public health system in one of Asians poorest countries. When a new wave of the coronavirus hit during the summer, crematoriums in Yangon struggled with a backlog of bodies.

Opponents of the military-installed government who are conducting a militant civil disobedience campaign inside the country want the outside world to treat the generals as pariahs. Richardson, as a prominent U.S. political figure well known in Myanmar, ran into a storm of online criticism for engaging with the government.

Well, I knew that the trip would face some criticism, Richardson said. But he disputed the idea that he could confer any kind of legitimacy on Myanmars government.

Legitimacy, he said, is conferred by the people and by governments. Im neither. Im one person, a citizen who cares deeply about Myanmar, who was invited to come in a situation where theres horrendous violence, human hurting, humanitarian needs, vaccine needs. And I felt I could make a difference and I believe I have.

He is realistic enough to realize that some might try to exploit his presence. But he is satisfied with what he says he has accomplished so far: the release from prison of a young woman who had worked for his Richardson Center for Global Engagement; increased access to humanitarian aid and vaccines for the people of Myanmar; and a resumption of Red Cross visits to the countrys prisons, which the government had banned because of the coronavirus.

Richardson said he avoided politics in his discussions, as he did in the interview with AP.

I didnt want to get into politics. I think humanitarian assistance should precede any kind of movement that would just divide the people even more. This is a country in great need, a country Ive been to many times. Ive invested a lot of myself in this country, and 55 million people should not have to pay with bad vaccine distribution, humanitarian problems, for the political divisions.

Richardson said he met for about 90 minutes with Myanmars leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing.

We only talked about humanitarian access. We only talked about vaccines. He listened, he responded. It seemed like he liked my ideas, Richardson said.

These ideas, he said, included the revival of the Red Cross prison visits and shortening the amount of time needed for travel permissions from the government for U.N. agencies and NGOs to carry out humanitarian missions, as well as finding ways to distribute vaccines more quickly and equitably.

So it was a constructive discussion, he said.

Richardson also met with other top government officials, foreign diplomats, including the U.S. ambassador, and representatives of U.N. agencies and other international organizations.

I think theres been a logjam on activity and progress on the humanitarian front, the access to vaccines, ... the humanitarian efforts, he said. So I think my visit may be a catalyst.
ATHENS, Greece (AP)  Greece reported a new record high for daily COVID-19 infections on Monday as vaccination appointments shot up after new restrictions on unvaccinated people kicked in over the weekend.

Health authorities recorded more than 7,300 new infections since late Sunday  compared to the previous record of about 6,900 set Friday  amid a constant surge in cases that's filling hospital intensive care units. Officials also registered 65 new deaths.

About 61% of Greeces 11 million population has been fully vaccinated so far, which is below the European Union average.

But senior health ministry official Marios Themistocleous told a briefing on Monday that over the past seven days there's been an 185% increase in first vaccination appointments, and a 200% surge in booster shot appointments.

It's a very important increase, he said. What has changed is the introduction of the new measures and the high number of infections ... But this must continue, and the pace of appointments must increase.

Under the measures that came into effect Saturday, unvaccinated people in Greece can only enter banks, government departments and most shops if they show a recent negative COVID-19 test. The same applies to outdoor restaurant and cafe areas, while only vaccinated people are allowed indoors at such establishments.

Unrestricted access is still allowed for supermarkets, shops selling food and pharmacies. Unvaccinated people must also present two negative tests weekly to access their workplaces.

Even the powerful Orthodox Church of Greece, until now lukewarm on pandemic restrictions, last week strongly urged worshippers to only enter churches if they are vaccinated, have recovered from the coronavirus or can show a recent negative test.

The country has so far recorded nearly 800,000 infections and more than 16,300 deaths.

___

Follow all of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A Las Vegas nursing home where 30 residents died from COVID-19 is facing several negligence lawsuits, but the facility asserts it is protected from the claims because it followed federal safety directives.

The Heights of Summerlin, one of two skilled nursing facilities tied for the states deadliest coronavirus outbreak, is arguing that a longstanding law guarantees it the same liability protections as companies like COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, according to court documents.

At least seven families have sued the 190-bed facility for negligence since February, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. That includes five wrongful death claims for patients who died after becoming infected.

Weve had no closure, weve had no resolve, weve had no peace, Sylvia Smith, a litigant whose father died in April 2020, told the newspaper. Its the familys responsibility to fight for their family, dead or alive. And thats what were doing.

More than 100 residents at the Heights have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began, according to data public health officials released last week. Nearly half of its 200-member staff have also been infected.

A 2020 investigative report by the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services found alarming deficiencies at the Heights: Staff members were not properly fitted for N95 face masks in quarantine areas, staff improperly wore isolation gowns and jumpsuits and did not socially distance themselves after working with infected residents. Officials also found a lack of timely, accurate reporting of COVID-19 cases and related deaths to the state.

That report and Review-Journal interviews with current and former staff and patients painted a picture of a facility where the most basic safety precautions were ignored  both before and after the coronavirus invasion.

But the Heights is invoking the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act, a longstanding federal law meant to shield companies fighting public health emergencies.

The statute was expanded in 2020 to limit health providers exposure to coronavirus-related lawsuits. In January, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services clarified that nursing homes and other facilities are immune from liability, except for cases where virus mitigation measures were totally disregarded.

The PREP Act is designed to enable healthcare providers, including skilled nursing facilities, to focus on using every available means to combat a pandemic and save lives without being chilled in their efforts by the threat of lawsuits, Heights attorney David Mortensen wrote in court filings, requesting that all five wrongful deaths lawsuits be dismissed. He declined to comment for the Review-Journal story.

Legal experts say the defense is aimed to capitalize on the uncertainty of the law and is likely to ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Theyre going for a form of protection that doesnt require them to defend their underlying conduct, said Georgetown University law professor Heidi Li Feldman. Thats strategically clever of them.

In essence, Feldman said, nursing homes invoking the PREP Act could run out the clock by drawing out the legal process and deterring more people from filing suit.

Heights administrator Latoya Davis, who is named as a defendant in each lawsuit, declined to comment for this story. Representatives for the facilitys parent companies and co-defendants, Summit Care LLC and Genesis Healthcare, also declined to comment.

LITIGATION IN FLUX

The last days of some of the patients who died after catching COVID-19 at the Heights are detailed in court documents.

Sally Lou Scanlon, 80, tested positive weeks after being admitted to the nursing home. Her doctor did not sign that he was notified of the diagnosis until five days later, records show. She died May 6, 2020.

Phyllis Wyant, who had a small stress fracture in her back, needed six weeks of rehabilitation. But instead the 80-year-old was discharged with a cough after just four days.

It went from a cough to pneumonia to COVID to dead in five days, her daughter, Tracy LaMonica, recalled later.

Aletha Porcaro, 82, died April 21  a week after she was discharged from the Heights to a senior living complex. She was not tested or screened for the disease before she left, a lawsuit states.

On July 25, Rita Esparza also died from COVID-19 after contracting it at the Heights. She was 70.

Maria Alimusa, also 70, was one of the first Heights patients to die from COVID-19. Before she was transferred to the hospital, she left her son a voicemail.

Its really getting bad here, she said. She died April 14.

Court records show that Alimusas family is involved in one of at least five arbitration cases against the facility. In those cases, the patients signed a four-page arbitration form presented to them when they were admitted.

It entitles the Heights to basically avoid a jury trial and set up a very questionable system of justice, said Alimusa family attorney Robert Murdock. To me, its another form of elder abuse.

In a May 2020 statement, former Heights administrator Andrew Reese emphasized that the facility had been fully transparent and forthcoming in sharing information with patients, residents and families.

I can assure you that we are working around the clock, doing everything in our power  and everything medical experts know as of this time  to protect and keep our patients, residents and employees as healthy and as safe as possible, he said.

Reese left his position in late August 2020 after state officials discovered a number of safety deficiencies at the facility, laid out in the 26-page investigative report first reported by the Review-Journal.

NEW LAWSUITS

The lawsuits also allege that investigators found the facility continued to accept new patients even as COVID-19 decimated those already living there. Employees did not don protective gear or screen residents temperatures until early April 2020.

Court filings also allege the facility was so understaffed that nurses were caring for more than 30 patients at once.

Attorneys for the families of patients argued in court documents that the PREP Act doesnt apply because the deaths occurred due to the Heights inaction, rather than action.

This failure to develop and follow an infection control program does not fall under any of the covered countermeasures, attorney Jamie Cogburn wrote.

Mortensen disagreed, noting that the nursing home used covered countermeasures recommended to them by the state and federal government to combat the virus, including the use and distribution of protective gear, providing COVID-19 tests and other safety protocols.

These very detailed clinical directives and instructions represented a marked departure from the regulatory structure which existed before the pandemic, he wrote in court records.

PRECEDENT-SETTING OPINION

As nursing homes face scores of lawsuits nationwide, the PREP Act argument is only now starting to be tested.

In a precedent-setting opinion last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit in Philadelphia upheld a New Jersey federal court ruling and rejected two nursing homes bid to stay in federal court under the PREP Act.

The decision only applies to courts in the 3rd Circuit and means the wrongful death cases must play out in state court. While the news will certainly be influential in other cases, experts say circuits can disagree.

The HHS opinion is helpful to nursing home defendants, but theyre facing an uphill battle, said David Orentlicher, the director of the health law program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Theyre pushing a very minority viewpoint, so its unlikely theyll succeed.

The argument has so far been denied in about 50 cases nationwide.

In Nevada, U.S. District Judge James Mahan ruled against the Heights sister property in Las Vegas, St. Joseph Transitional Rehabilitation Center. In that facility, 12 residents and one staff member have died from the disease, according to state health data.

Mahan wrote in his decision this month that isolation and social distancing measures are not considered covered countermeasures under the PREP Act.

A single case heard in the Central District of California earlier has upheld the nursing homes argument, reasoning that a facilitys failure to properly screen visitors, supply protective gear and maintain COVID-19 preventive protocols were unsuccessful attempts to administer countermeasures, as opposed to the failure to administer countermeasures.

Because Nevada and California fall under the 9th Circuit, that creates an unsettled state of the law, said Feldman, the law professor at Georgetown.

The more the law is unsettled, the more that benefits the nursing home industry, she said.

HE DID NOT HAVE TO DIE

Sylvia Smith said she didnt know her father had COVID-19 until he was already dying from it.

When George Woods, 85, was first admitted to Summerlin Hospital Medical Center on April 16, 2020, his family was told he was lethargic and appeared to have kidney trouble.

Based on what they were told, Woods family said they thought he would return home, that hed be fine.

But Heights staff had already reported to the hospital that Woods had been tested for COVID-19 and was being transferred for evaluation and treatment, according to the lawsuit filed by Smiths attorney, F. Travis Buchanan.

Woods positive diagnosis on April 18 came as a shock to Smith, who said she was assured by staff members there was only one isolated case at the nursing home. He died the next day.

By then, there were at least four confirmed cases in the facility, court records show.

Smith said her father saw the positive in everything, even when he developed spinal stenosis and lost his ability to walk in 2011.

He never met a stranger, she said. People asked him, Do you ever get angry about anything? And hed smile and say, About what?

The Heights was close to his family, who visited him on a daily basis until the facility closed to visitors in March. In his last moments, Smith told him she loved him through the phone.

She keeps his ashes on her fireplace mantel.

Its a great reminder, she said. He did not have to die.

The wrongful death cases against the Heights are still pending in federal court, waiting for a judge to decide if theyre in the right venue.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  Two pioneers for voting rights have become the first women represented in the Statuary Hall of notable Alabamians at the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

The bronze bust likenesses of Amelia Boynton Robinson, a civil rights pioneer, and Pattie Ruffner Jacobs, the states leading suffrage activist in the early twentieth century, were unveiled Monday.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said the two trailblazers worked to bring about real and lasting change both in Alabama and in the nation.

The first two women added to the Statuary Hall are both known for lifelong efforts to extend the right to vote to all Alabamians, Ivey said at the unveiling ceremony.

The statues are located at one of the entrances to the state archives and are passed by visitors, researchers and hundreds of students on field trips each year.

A longtime civil rights activist, Boynton Robinson is perhaps best known as a leader in the movement in Selma. She was among those beaten during the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma in March 1965 that became known as Bloody Sunday. State troopers teargased and clubbed marchers. A newspaper photo featuring an unconscious Boynton Robinson drew wide attention to the movement.

When the Voting Rights Act was signed into law on Aug. 6, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson invited Robinson to attend the signing as a guest of honor.

Boynton Robinsons granddaughter said it was fulfilling to see her grandmothers legacy honored.

But Carver Boyington said she also hopes visitors remember her grandmothers urging to young people to get off my shoulders and carry on the work.

What she means by that is she wants us all to move forward in our own activism, she said.

Ruffner was the founder of the Alabama Equal Suffrage Association and a board member for Susan B. Anthonys National American Woman Suffrage Association.

These additions to our statuary collection represent a step forward in the Archives commitment to deliver an inclusive presentation of Alabamas history, said Department of Archives and History Director Steve Murray in a press release.

Moreover, the women they honor serve as wonderful models of traits we hope to see embodied by our young people  persistence, courage, and a commitment to justice under the law.

The new works of art were sculpted by Alabama artist Clydetta Fulmer and cast at the Fairhope Foundry.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Vice President Kamala Harris is pitching in on the White House charm offensive aimed at French President Emmanuel Macron.

The vice president arrives in Paris on Tuesday for a four-day visit, the latest move in a concerted effort by the Biden administration to shore up the U.S. relationship with Americas oldest ally. Washington's relations with Paris hit a historic low this year after a U.S.-British submarine deal with Australia scuttled a French deal with the Australians.

Harris will sit down with Macron on Wednesday at the Elysee Palace for talks that are expected to focus on ways the two nations can better coordinate efforts in the Indo-Pacific and other issues impacting the relationship.

The high-level meeting comes less than two weeks after President Joe Biden met Macron on the margins of the Group of 20 summit in Rome and acknowledged that his administration had handled the submarine deal in a clumsy way.

The U.S. and Britain's agreement to provide Australia with submarine technology has been framed as opportunity for the U.S. to bolster a key Pacific allys naval capacity as the Biden administration has become increasingly concerned about Chinas military aggressiveness in the region.

But France was livid, saying it was kept in the dark about the deal and its interests were ignored despite having territories in the Indo-Pacific with 2 million people and 7,000 troops.

The French also complained that the episode undercut Bidens message that he would stabilize and strengthen the trans-Atlantic alliance after four years of President Donald Trumps America first approach to foreign policy.

France even briefly withdrew its ambassador from the U.S. in protest, the first time it had done so in some 250 years of diplomatic relations between the nations.

The alliance between the United States and France is Americas oldest, and among our strongest, Harris said in statement about her trip. I look forward to discussing with President Macron our work together on the most urgent challenges of our time  including the climate crisis, the global health crisis, and regional security concerns.

Harris said she and Macron would also discuss new opportunities for collaboration in the area of space. On Tuesday, Harris is to tour the renowned Institut Pasteur. Harris mother, who was a scientist, collaborated with the institute's scientists on breast cancer research in the 1980s.

Harris will deliver a speech on Thursday at the annual Paris Peace Forum and participate the following day in the Paris Conference on Libya. She will be joined by her husband, Douglas Emhoff, for the visit.

The vice president is looking to pick up where Biden left off in Rome in efforts to make clear that that he sees the relationship with France as critical to the U.S.

To that end, she and Emhoff will visit Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial just outside Paris. The 7.5-acre (3 hectare) cemetery contains the remains of 1,559 Americans who died in World War I and 23 unknown dead of World War II.

Harris will also participate in a ceremony to mark Armistice Day, the French commemoration of the end of World War I. Thursday is also Veterans Day in the United States.
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP)  A medical emergency involving a child led to the discovery of fentanyl and other drugs valued at $700,000, police said.

Ashley Malloy, 21, of Oakland, dialed 911 to report that her 14-month-old child was unresponsive last week. The youngster later died at a hospital.
By Victoria Hsieh

Bay City News Foundation

The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank will receive more than 8,000 pounds of Thanksgiving Turkey from Foster Farms on Monday.

The food bank will distribute the turkeys to about 10,000 people in the area for Thanksgiving. The donation is part of Foster Farms' effort to distribute 64,000 pounds of turkey along the West Coast, organizers said.

The donation will happen at 11 a.m. at the food bank located at 900 Pennsylvania Ave. in San Francisco, organizers said.

The food bank's Executive Director Tanis Crosby and a spokesperson from Foster Farms will speak on their efforts and commitment to hunger relief.

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.
Tennessee officials say three school districts will receive more than $4.6 million in federal mental health program funding.

The Tennessee Department of Education says Bledsoe County Schools, Haywood County Schools and Scott County Schools are receiving Project AWARE funding through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Wilbert Freeman McAlister remembers the first time he put on a cowboy hat.

McAlister, the president of the Oakland Black Cowboy Association (OBCA), was 26 or 27 when a cousin came over wearing a peculiar straw hat.

I never wore a cowboy hat, but he looked good to me, McAlister said by phone recently. That Black man looked good in that cowboy hat.

McAlister asked to try it on and he never gave it back.

I wore it so often I barely took it off, he said. I dont know what made me fall in love.

Now 80, McAlister is the star of a new short film by Oakland director James Manson. Aptly titled Cowboy, the 18-minute documentary was produced and scored by John Gamino, Mansons roommate and the talent buyer at Elis Mile High Club in Oakland, where the film premiered Oct. 2.

Despite appreciating Western wear from an early age, McAlister hadnt considered himself a Black cowboy until 1998, when a man by the name of Charles Hill, then the treasurer of OBCA, approached him in a Home Depot store.

A master storyteller, McAlister can spin a yarn with the skill of a weaver. During our interview, I learned more in an hour and a half than I had in any period of history class. And ultimately, thats what this film is all about: history, in all its mirages and twisted pathways.

The history of the Black cowboy in America has been largely obscured. It is, McAlister explained to me, rooted in slavery. Slaves who worked in the field would be called field boys. Those who worked in the home were referred to as house boys. And slaves who worked with the cows were cowboys.

Black cowboys such as Nat Love, who wrote a famous memoir titled The Life and Adventures of Nat Love, linger on the edges of history books, but they had a bigger presence in the West than many of us realize. Some scholars estimate that one in four cowboys were Black.

Courtesy James Manson

Right after the Civil War, being a cowboy was one of the few jobs open to men of color who wanted to not serve as elevator operators or delivery boys or other similar occupations, William Loren Katz, a scholar of Black history, told Smithsonian Magazine.

For McAlister, the OBCA mission is all about history  telling it how it is and setting things straight. He doesnt actually corral cows, nor does he own a ranch. But he still considers himself to live the cowboy lifestyle.

To me, it's important that the youngsters would know the history, McAlister said. Its not just Black history. Its American history.

McAlister joined OBCA in the late 90s. He became president, a title hes held all these years, around 2000 (it was so many years ago, the dates blend for McAlister).

In that time, he's more than a dozen of the famed OBCA parades on the first October of the month in Oaklands Lowell Park. The parade has been postponed  not canceled  for the past two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Oakland Black Cowboy Association has humble beginnings, as McAlister tells it. While the organization officially started in 1974, its founder Booker Emery and his pals started riding horses around Oakland earlier, starting in the late 1960s and early 1970s, McAlister says.

As the lore goes, Emery would ride his horse down the street, and he caught peoples attention. Soon, other men began riding with him.

Theyd meet up and ride their horses in peace, nobody messed with them, McAlister said. People were just excited to see people riding. Look at them Black cowboys, theyd say. They didnt know their names, they just knew they were Black cowboys.

The term Black cowboy means something in Black culture, McAlister said. He said the term isnt offensive, but signals a greater history and meaning.

Black cowboys have only recently entered the white public consciousness, thanks in part to musician Lil Nas X, who famously rode a horse around Los Angeles in the music video for his hit song Old Town Road. But other famous cowboys  and cowgirls  have emerged in recent years, including the Bay Areas very own Brianna Noble, who was celebrated for riding a horse during a protest in Oakland against the killing of George Floyd. Noble is the founder and owner of Mulatto Meadows, which is dedicated to expanding the accessibility of riding and horsemanship to communities historically excluded from the equestrian world.

Courtesy James Manson

Two films released this year also center around Black cowboys: Concrete Cowboy, starring Idris Elba, which follows a group of Black cowboys in Philadelphia, and The Harder They Fall, starring Jonathan Majors as Nat Love.

McAlister, who grew up in Madera, California, remembers going to the movies every Saturday when tickets were 20 cents a pop. He sat in the colored section of the theater, which finally integrated in the 1950s. But back then, the cowboys in the movies (as they largely remain today) were all white.

The guy who played the hero was always white. He got the girl. He got the bad guys. He shot the gun, he said. Oh st, I said.

It wasnt until 2004 that McAlister, then 63, got his first horse.

In 2004, a friend gave me a horse and a nice trailer, he remembered. I didnt know nothing about horses, I wasnt a horse person, but I taught myself, bought me a saddle. Learned the horn from the stirrup from the reins and the bit.

He hasnt stopped riding since. The horse, he said, stays on a ranch in Fremont, which McAlister frequents.

Its hard to miss McAlister in a crowd. On Oct. 2, at the premiere of Cowboy at Elis, McAlister was unmistakable in a cowboy hat, button down, boots and chinks (a shorter version of chaps). The crowd loved him, and people young and old, hip and nerdy came up to shake his hand.

The night was very exciting, and surprising as well, he said. I didnt expect that many people, wall to wall, turning people away, on a Saturday at Elis Mile High Club. It was so warm and encouraging for me.

I really dont know what Im doing, he said with a laugh. Im 80 years old. Im just having clean fun.

Elis is where Cowboy really got its start. Gamino had seen McAlister play countless times during Elis Monday night blues jam sessions. Gamino invited his roommate, Manson, a film editor, to come watch. And the two knew they had a story to share.

The minute I knew [hed make a great film subject] was the first night I met Cowboy, Manson said, using a nickname for McAlister. Blues night had finished, everyone was packing up. And Cowboy gets his friend Tumbleweed and all of a sudden they start jamming. Cowboy sang acoustically and Tumbleweed played the harmonica.

I was just so blown away by the storytelling ability, especially being in his presence, the way he lived as a story, the way he talks. Just being there, listening to him tell stories, I really knew at that point, just had a feeling it would translate to the camera.

The tiny crew of about three people shot the film in seven days. They interviewed McAlister at Elis and at home in Madera. What they captured became a thing of art and beauty  a master storyteller conjuring the past.

It's been said if you dont know your past, then you're lost. To be beat down is when you know you are not equal, you know they're going to pull you over and ask you some silly dumb ass questions, McAlister says in the film. ... Being Black in America just sometimes takes a toll. But when you know your history, when you know youre of a strong people, and you know you're of intelligent people  you figure things out.

Indeed, McAlister seems to have figured things out. In our hour-and-a-half conversation, he taught me things about history I had never known  and teachers certainly didnt tell us in classes that focused largely on white history and papered over the rest.

Thats the whole point of OBCA, McAlister says in the film.

Our organization is based on education, he said. And we teach whenever we can the [story] that's been left out of history books.

Cowboy is streaming on YouTube. A live screening is scheduled at Eli's Mile High Club in Oakland on Nov. 17.
If youre taking U.S. Route 95 north out of Las Vegas, turn left at the alien-themed brothel, drive 7 miles beyond the giant cow, over the California border into the low desert, and youll find it.

A tiny town with no stores, no bars, no restaurants, only two residents and a mysterious building that makes no sense at all.

I drove into Death Valley Junction on a fall afternoon where the extreme summer temperatures that can reach 130 degrees there had dropped to a chilly mid-80s. As I pull into the town, imagining Im in a dusty 1990s David Lynch movie, I swerve to avoid a coyote hobbling across the road, which seemed far too on-the-nose.

Death Valley is both the lowest land in America and the hottest place on Earth. Its ancient salty lake bed, when plundered for its valuable minerals a century ago, gave rise to fringe communities on the edge of the desert and on the edge of life. One of those towns is Death Valley Junction.

Andrew Chamings/SFGATE

The settlement is like nowhere else in California. The old elevated Death Valley Railroad that once carried borax out of the valley to Los Angeles now splinters into the sand. Derelict cottages and sand-beaten mills bake in the sun, looking like they could blow away in a strong wind. The place is in disrepair, save for a lone icon of American eccentricity, the Amargosa Opera House and Hotel, that is open for business today, if you can find the lobby.

Pulling up next to the Spanish Colonial square, I park where I think the parking lot should be, though there are no other cars. I wander the grounds, trying to find the entrance to no avail. I knock on various doors, the blue paint flakes off on my knuckles, and I worry that just my being here is destroying something special.

In its mining heyday, when hundreds of men lived in brutal conditions in a tent city where Im standing, bodies were buried fast before the searing heat could rot the corpses. Walking the long colonnade, ruminating on the bones below, I realize I haven't seen another living soul yet beyond the coyote. Im relieved when a heavily tattooed man with a kind smile greets me from across the square.

Andrew Chamings/SFGATE

This is our busy season, says Nick Finlayson. Welcome to Death Valley Junction.

Finlayson grew up in Memphis, spent some years in the Bay Area (A beautiful beautiful place, but fking expensive) and has now been working at the Amargosa for two years.

I actually passed by this place in my early 20s, never thought to go in. Id never guess Id be here working, he says.

Finlayson is famously not the only wanderer who found this strange place and was drawn to make a life here.

In 1967, a New York City ballerina and Broadway dancer named Marta Becket was on a road trip with her husband when they got a flat tire in the valley.

The closest place was that garage right there. Finlayson points towards the abandoned, whitewashed skeleton of a gas station across the street. While her husband was fixing the car, she peeked into this abandoned building that was named Corkhill Hall at the time, and noticed there was a little stage." Becket found the owner, and for $45 a month he agreed she could rent the place, so long as she took care of any repairs.

Andrew Chamings/SFGATE

For Becket, it was a premonition come to life.

I went to visit a fortune teller, Becket, who died in 2017, once recalled of her earlier Manhattan life. She said, You will be leaving New York and move to a very rural place. And you're going to do the best work of your life.

Finlayson unbolts the opera house doors for me as the desert sun makes me squint.

So, its going to be very dark until I find the lights, he says, maybe sensing that Id read about the towns strange history and ghosts. Youll be fine.

We walk in. The door slams closed behind me and everything is black as I hear Finlaysons footsteps walk toward the other end of the room for what feels like an eternity.

Maybe its the shutting off of my vision after so much light, but in the black, the smell of wood stain and cobwebs brings back a very specific childhood memory. This smells like my school hall, I say mostly to myself, wondering where my guide  and the light  went.

Ah yes, he echoes from somewhere. That private British Methodist boarding school smell.

And I wonder how he knows my past and if he is a friendly ghost who has watched my childhood.

You ready?

Yes.

Andrew Chamings/SFGATE

He cranks the levers and illuminates the hall. I turn behind me to see the faces, the hundreds of faces  the nuns, the sex workers and evil cats  on the back wall staring at the empty stage.

Marta Becket moved from New York, took ownership of the hall, renamed it the Amargosa Opera House and performed every week for four decades, even if no one was watching.

In 1968, after a terrible flood ruined the halls interior white walls, she decided she was going to paint an audience to keep her company on the loneliest nights. Becket painted the walls, and then the ceiling, for 6 years, normally in the broiling summer months. Shed wet her clothes, climb the scaffolding and paint until her clothes were dry, then wet them again and carry on, Finlayson says.

Ben Martin/Getty Images

She started in the back with the king and queen, he says, walking me around the vast mural. She painted the nuns as they used to watch her back on Broadway. And monks to even them out. These are the lovely ladies of the night, who are actually from the old brothel down the road, theyd come visit her.

Its incredible. Both beautiful and gaudy. Foreboding and welcoming. Dramatic and comedic.

I know its a cop-out when a writer says it needs to be seen to be believed, but please go visit this cursed magical room if you can.

There are a million different things in here. My favorites are the two cats, Tuxedo and Rhubarb. Rhubarb has one of the creepiest faces youll ever see, Finlayson says.

At the top of the mural, holes in the stone wall speak to an earlier time. Finlayson tells me they projected silent movies to the mine workers in the community hall, long before Becket arrived.

Death Valley Junction was founded in 1907 and soon became a company town where Pacific Coast Borax Company employees would process the borax, a valuable compound used in detergents and cosmetics. The borax was mined and pulled from the ancient lake bed in the valley by a 20-mule wagon to the town. Here it would be loaded onto trains and shipped out to Ludlow, California and beyond on the Death Valley Railroad.

After a decade of harsh working conditions, murderous brawls and hangings in extreme heat with no cold water, let alone air conditioning, in 1928, the borax ran out. The town fell into disrepair for decades, until the New York ballerinas car needed a new tire here in the 60s.

Andrew Chamings/SFGATE

Her first performance was in 1968. Twelve people showed up, and two of those people were from the National Geographic doing the exact thing that youre doing today, coming to Death Valley to write. And so she got some coverage, Finlayson tells me.

For a while, the hip thing to do was to drive out from Vegas and catch Beckets show. People started travelling from around the world; regulars included Ray Bradbury and Red Skelton. Becket performed on the stage until 2012, when she danced her last dance at the age of 87. For her remaining years, she would watch others perform from the same seat until she passed in 2017. Her dress and flowers now permanently sit on that chair.

Andrew Chamings/SFGATE

A desolate place with a violent history, coupled with an eccentric interloper who arrived after a fortune teller guided her, has naturally given rise to ghost stories.

A ludicrous episode of Travel Channels Ghost Adventures highlights the specter of a miner wandering the halls and groping men in their rooms. In that episode, Becket even appears on screen and says she spoke to the ghost of her own father on the colonnade. Its also revealed that she lived for 7 years in the room that was the former company morgue.

I also learned that the other permanent resident of the town right now is a man named Jesse, a backpacker who befriended Becket years ago, and since her passing lives alone in one of the derelict cottages out back, yards from my rooms red-curtained window.

I dont believe in ghosts, but after Finlayson told me that there are no hotel staff on site after 8 p.m., and realizing that there was only one other unknown guest in the hotel that night, I started to feel a little uneasy. I entered my small room to find a golden swan, painted by Becket, almost glowing, watching over the bed.

Andrew Chamings/SFGATE

When I heard a child scream at the stroke of midnight, it weirdly settled me. It was just too cliched, like the coyote, so it probably wasnt real.

I woke before dawn, made my peace with the swan and drove west to catch the sunrise at Zabriskie Point  an unearthly view of sand-colored borates and mudstone where George Lucas shot Tatooine in the first Star Wars.

Its hard to say that life has returned to Death Valley Junction. The town that once housed 300 residents, tent cities, a post office, saloons and a thriving, if brutal, mining industry is now home to only two. Which makes the fact that the Amargosa Hotel is open and accepting guests even more incredible.

I talk with Finlayson out front as the distant Funeral Mountains glow. The subject of two recent hiker deaths from dehydration in the valley comes up.

Andrew Chamings/SFGATE

Every year they find bodies, he says. This isnt Joshua Tree or Yellowstone, you know. Theres no pathway that shows you where to walk. I tell people just to pull their car over by the side of the road anywhere in the valley and walk towards the hills and take it all in. But be safe.

The desert silence is suddenly torn apart by a neon blue Humvee that roars into town and attempts to pull a doughnut by the old rail depot across the street. I watch the vehicle's occupants, who I can only describe as influencer bros, walk over to the hotel, take some selfies in front of a bisons skull on an old gas pump and peer into the Amargosas old windows without entering before they howl back toward Vegas.

Andrew Chamings/SFGATE

Were not for everyone, Finlayson says. We don't have TVs in the rooms. We don't have a restaurant. But youre not going to find this anywhere else. Were very passionate about the place.

He tells me that he has ideas about what this forgotten corner of California could be, like booking bands in the theater to keep it alive. But I sense that he also enjoys the desolation.

We stare out across at the sunset as the creeping shadows expand into the orange between the canyons and dunes. Look at how those shadows form, thousands of them, Finlayson says as the sun bleeds into the horizon. They never look the same. Ive never seen the same sunset twice.
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Salvation Army seeking, offering help for the holidays For anyone looking to ring in the holiday season, the Salvation Army has a job for you.

Salvation Army captains Elliott and Darlene Higgins just arrived in New Castle last year.

Now, theyre ready to hit the road.

Theyre not leaving Lawrence County, but they do intend to get around it more, thanks to a new program theyve initiated and the recently arrived service vehicle that goes with it.

The program is called Emergency Disaster Services, but the Higginses hope is that emergencies wont be the only scenes where their new truck will be spotted.

We respond to local disasters and regional disasters, Capt. Elliott Higgins explained. The normal thing would be to respond to a fire, feed and hydrate first responders and victims of the fire and work alongside the American Red Cross to try to give (victims) some emergency assistance.

The captains are preparing to make the rounds of local fire departments to introduce themselves and their program that theyve been putting together for about six months. But theyre not about to sit around waiting for an emergency to arise.

We hope to use it as little as possible for that, Higgins said. That truck can have multiple uses. There could be more homeless feeding off that. It can be used in community events, mobile feeding, things to help the community.

The Higginses are no strangers to disaster response.

With our past history, thats how we got (the vehicle), Higgins said. Weve got pretty good references because weve done the work before. Weve done the emergency disaster program for 12 years (the couple served in Athol and Pittsfield, Massachusetts, before coming to New Castle in Augusut 2020).

Weve worked alongside all kinds of fire departments, and national disasters like Hurricane Irma and Maria (Category 5 hurricanes that swept through the Caribbean and Florida within two weeks of each other in September 2017). We went to Panama City, Florida, and Fort Myers. I usually serve as logistics chief on those things.

Complementing the Salvation Armys Emergency Disaster Services program is a grant-funded recovery initiative that already is up and running. While first responders and the American Red Cross are usually out in force at the scene of a fire, the Salvation Army is prepared to do its part as well.

When you run out of funding for the Red Cross, you come to the Salvation Army, Higgins said. Well give you thrift store stuff and something just to start out with. Well help them recover lost documents, help them purchase new items for when they move into a new place, try to get them a cell phone.

We started the program about six months ago, and so far its been pretty successful. I think weve helped 15 to 20 families with the recovery program now.

Residents will be able to catch a glimpse of the Emergency Disaster Services vehicle in New Castles Hometown Holly Days parade on Nov. 20. That likely will be one of its less-challenging duties.

Youve really got to like doing this kind of work, because sometimes its 2 oclock in the morning, Higgins said. But weve got a pretty good team of volunteers ready to respond.
SHELTON  A Milford man is facing a weapons charge after allegedly threatening a woman with a knife at a local hotel, police said.

Peter Anthony Zelinsky was arrested for second-degree threatening, carrying a dangerous weapon, risk of injury to a child and second-degree breach of peace in connection with the incident that police said occurred Nov. 3 around 3 p.m. at Extended Stay America, 945 Bridgeport Ave.

Police said officers responded to the hotel on a report of a man - later identified as Zelinsky - threatening people with a knife. While at the scene, police said officers located Zelinsky at the rear of the building. Police said Zelinsky was patted down by officers and a knife was found in his back pocket.

The victim, who was with her 4-month-old granddaughter at the time of the incident, said Zelinsky asked her for crack, then began threatening to stab her, according to police.

Zelinsky was held on a $50,000 bond and was due in court Nov. 4.

While in custody, he was also arrested on four separate second-degree failure to appear charges, police said. He was to appear in court on Nov. 4 to answer those charges as well, according to police.

brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com
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Ludington High School returns to stage with 'Gifted'

Courtesy photos Courtesy photo The cast of Gifted, the Ludington High School play, rehearses ahead of the Nov. 18 opening of the production at Peterson Auditorium. Courtesy photo Courtesy photo The cast of Ludington High Schools upcoming play, Gifted, poses for a photo. The play opens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18 at Peterson Auditorium.

The Ludington High School Drama Club is making its comeback with the upcoming play, Gifted.

Its the first LHS production in almost two years, due to an extended period of time off caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gifted opens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18, with performances set for the same time on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 19-20. The play will close with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Nov. 21.

All performances will take place at Peterson Auditorium, 508 N. Washington Ave. in Ludington.

Director Christine Plummer said the play is about a substitute teacher and former high school bully, who returns to her alma matter to teach a group of high-aptitude students.

Gifted contains both comedic and dramatic elements, according to Plummer.

This is a funny yet moving look into the lives of a group of students who, daily, battle or struggle with being different and wanting to be accepted for who they are. They find refuge in their gifted class  their safe place, she said. Each student deals with being different, special or unique in their own way.

As students seek solace in one another and in their class, the teacher, Mrs. Jenks, is reminded of the toll her own behavior might have taken on others when she was younger.

The story broadens to include the substitute teacher, who we discover is intimately connected to the current situation, and subsequently helps these students deal with being bullied, Plummer said.

Mrs. Jenks sees her own experiences, and the experiences of those she bullied, reflected in the lives of the young people she finds herself teaching. She resolves to help the teens and become a positive influence in their lives.

The official synopsis calls Gifted a story of love, respect, devotion, extreme forgiveness and embracing ones own gift.

The play calls for a relatively small cast, and that worked for Plummer. Amid the uncertainty still surrounding the COVID-19 situation, she said she was looking for a production that would be minimally impacted by the pandemic.

I struggled with finding a play to perform once we were able to do live theater again, she said. Not knowing what things would look like  masking, distancing  I decided it would be best to choose a small show with fewer characters and little to no set and technical requirements.

I also wanted to find something that had a positive message accessible to junior high and high school students.

Plummer said shes overjoyed to be back at work on an LHS Drama Club production.

Being back on stage and working with these wonderful young people is like being home again, she said. Its been devastating not being able to participate in live performances. It doesnt feel 100-percent normal yet, with most of us wearing masks during rehearsals and taking extra precautions, but we are making it work.

The pandemic struck just as Plummer was set to open Seussical  a production based on the work of Dr. Seuss  in spring 2020.

It was very sad and painful the first time I walked on to the stage and saw all the platforms and set pieces still in place from Seussical, as if in a state of suspended animation, she said. We were days from opening the show when it all got shut down. Weeks and weeks of hard work, dedication and sacrifice went unrealized.

It broke my heart to see such disappointment. But, thankfully, we are back.

Plummer said she hopes the Gifted will be a success, and serve as a reminder about the importance of the arts.

It is my hope that students and community members alike will come and support these talented young actors and technicians and let them know that they matter and that the arts matter, she said.

Gifted was written by playwright Tommy Lee Johnston. The LHS production features Zachariah Highland, Keely Bowman, Braylin McIntosh, Vanessa Madl, Rhea Maconochie, Grace Ashley and Amari George. Brooke Coats is an understudy, Mack Garcia is the stage manager and the backstage manager is Kaden Stevens.

Tickets will be available at the door. The cost is $3 for students and seniors or $5 for general admission.
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On Oct. 18, in a 55-page opinion, an Oregon federal district court denied a request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) to prevent the Oregon Health Authority's (OHA's) recent orders requiring that educational and health workers and certain state executives obtain the COVID-19 vaccine from taking effect. The 42 plaintiffs included healthcare providers, healthcare staff, teachers, school staff and volunteers, and a state agency employee.

Plaintiffs alleged that a TRO was necessary to block the vaccine orders on the grounds they violated both international and constitutional law. The decision represents an early look at how federal district courts are analyzing such challenges.

History of the Oregon Vaccine Orders

During 2020, several pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer-BioNTech, began developing vaccines and conducting clinical trials to combat the COVID-19 virus. In December 2020, Pfizer-BioNTech received its first Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the FDA for a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine that had been tested on approximately 44,000 individuals. Less than two weeks later, the European Medicines Agency approved use of Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine under the brand name COMIRNATY.

Importantly, the vaccines approved by the FDA and the European Union are physically, biologically, and chemically identical, despite being distributed under different names in different locations. Over the next several months, the FDA reissued the EUA for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

In August 2021, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown issued Executive Order 21-29 in response to the summer surge of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations resulting from the highly contagious delta variant. In issuing the order, Brown explained that COVID-19 was "imperiling the state health system's ability to manage not just COVID-19 patients, but also those who require specialized medical care after car accidents, heart attacks and other medical emergencies," and that "employer vaccination requirements have become an important tool for managing the surge."

The executive order required that state Executive Branch employees be "fully-vaccinated" by Oct. 18. The OHA subsequently promulgated two more orders that required all teachers, school staff, school volunteers, health care providers, and health care staff to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18.



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COVID-19 Vaccination Resources



Plaintiffs' Claims and the Court's Order



In response to the v orders, plaintiffs moved for a TRO arguing that the mandates would unlawfully coerce them into taking "experimental" medication in violation of jus cogens, a technical term for customary norms that bind the international community and that cannot be contracted away or preempted by treaty. The term was recognized in the post-war Nuremberg Code, and prohibits medical experimentation on humans absent voluntary consent.

The court rejected this argument. First, the court pointed out that the vaccines required under the vaccine order are not experimental. The Pfizer-BioNTech and COMIRNATY-branded vaccines are materially identical, and several months' worth of testing and clinical trials went into their development. The FDA authorized their use on an emergency basis in December 2020.

Second, the court found that even if the two vaccines were materially different, plaintiffs failed to offer any support for the argument that "vaccine mandates, particularly during a worldwide pandemic, for an FDA-authorized vaccine that has undergone significant clinical trials and safety evaluation by the FDA [could be] considered a forced or coerced medical 'experiment.'"

On this point, the court specifically rejected the notion that the vaccine orders could be likened in any way to Nazi doctors performing experiments on victims in concentration camps (i.e., the circumstances contemplated by the Nuremberg Code).

Finally, the court highlighted that plaintiffs remain free to choose whether to obtain the vaccine or, absent a medical or religious accommodation, find employment elsewhere. In other words, plaintiffs face no coercion to get vaccinated.

The court next considered plaintiffs' constitutional arguments against the vaccine orders, namely, that the vaccine orders violated due process rights, the Privileges or Immunities Clause, and the Supremacy Clause. The court extensively analyzed the U.S. Supreme Court's 1907 decision in Jacobsen v. Massachusetts, in which the court rejected the argument that Massachusetts' smallpox vaccine mandate was an unlawful exercise of police power.

Citing Jacobsen and other more recent cases, the court highlighted numerous public health laws that the general population relies on to ensure the safety and wellbeing of individuals while still respecting personal autonomy. And the court rejected the argument that any federal statutes prohibited the state of Oregon from imposing these requirements.

Plaintiffs raised several other points to which the court gave little credence. For example, plaintiffs argued that COVID-19 vaccines do more harm than good, relying on the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System, or VAERS, in which health care providers and individuals can report adverse events following various vaccine administrations. While 2021 saw an uptick in such adverse events, the court noted that the database does not address causal versus temporal links, nor does it take into account that millions of individual vaccines were administered in 2021. The court further clarified that its sole function was not to analyze the safety of COVID-19 vaccines or rule on whether the vaccine orders were the best policy but to determine whether the vaccine orders were so arbitrary as to not be "rationally related to any governmental interest and therefore [shock] the conscience."

Next, the court determined that plaintiffs failed to show that they were likely to suffer imminent irreparable injury. Facing the loss of employment was not deemed sufficient, nor were being subjected to the terms of employers' proposed accommodations, including unpaid administrative leave. The temporary harm associated with losing their jobs, benefits, and income did not rise to the level of imminent irreparable injury that would justify the issuance of the TRO.

Finally, the court weighed the equities and public interest of the vaccine orders. In so doing, the court held that plaintiffs' claims and constitutional arguments could not "overcome the significant public interest in requiring that Executive Branch employees, healthcare workers and providers, teachers, school staff, and school volunteers  be vaccinated."

Ongoing Litigation over Vaccine Mandates

This recent decision from Oregon is one of an increasing number of cases addressing the legality of vaccine mandates. The general tenor of these decisions, from New Mexico, Texas, Minnesota and elsewhere, is that both state and private employer mandates are lawful. These other courts have addressed many of the same arguments at play in Oregon. Requiring vaccination as a condition of employment does not offend the U.S. Constitution, federal statutes or international law.

With that said, courts have taken a more mixed approach to mandates that limit the availability of medical or religious accommodations to employees. Some of these courts have struck down public mandates that allow no religious accommodations while others have closely scrutinized employer decisions to put all exempt employees on unpaid leave.

Thus, while this emerging case law broadly supports the validity of vaccine mandates, companies should consult counsel as they consider imposing and implementing such requirements and should monitor this new area in the law closely.

Devjani Mishra is an attorney with Littler Mendelson in New York City. Jeremy Wood is an attorney with Littler Mendelson in Seattle. Christine Sargent is an attorney with Littler Mendelson in Portland, Ore.  2021 Littler Mendelson. All rights reserved. Reposted with permission.
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At the end of 2020, it seemed the California Legislature, the courts, and even voters wanted to move away from the independent-contractor test codified in AB 5. However, during 2021, the pendulum seems to have swung back in favor of AB 5 and its guidelines on classifying workers as employees versus independent contractors.

In 2019, the legislature passed AB 5 to add Section 2750.3 to the Labor Code, adopting and expanding the common law "ABC Test" to define "employee" not just for purposes of the Wage Orders, but also for purposes of the Labor Code and the Unemployment Insurance Code.

Under the AB 5-enhanced version of the ABC Test, a worker is presumed to be an employee, unless the hiring entity can establish that:

(A) The person is free from the control and direction of the hiring entity in connection with the performance of the work, both under the contract for the performance of the work and in fact.

(B) The person performs work that is outside the usual course of the hiring entity's business.

(C) The person is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, or business of the same nature as that involved in the work performed.

A worker cannot be classified as an independent contractor under the ABC Test unless all three factors are met, or unless one of the exemptions established by AB 5 is satisfied.

At the start of 2020, a U.S. District Court granted a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of AB 5 for truckers. Later that year, California's governor signed AB 2257, which recast, clarified, and expanded the exemptions to AB 5. Even California voters were in favor of an exemption for app-based rideshare and delivery companies and passed Proposition 22 in November 2020. It seemed that AB 5 was going out of vogue.

However, 2021 took a different turn. As the year started, the California Supreme Court issued its opinion in Vazquez v. Jan-Pro Franchising International, which held that Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court applied retroactively. Dynamex was the case that originally set forth the ABC Test. While this mainly affected litigation that had been filed before Dynamex, it set the tone for independent contractor issues for the rest of the year.

In April, the Federal 9th Circuit Court of Appeal reversed the district court's preliminary injunction against AB 5 as to motor carriers. Currently, the California Trucking Association has a petition for writ of certiorari pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Similarly, Proposition 22, has been under attack in the courts, and recently a state court prohibited Proposition 22 from being applied. This decision also is under appeal before the California Court of Appeal.

In 2021, the California legislature also extended exemptions for some industries, who do not have to follow the ABC Test. These exemptions include licensed manicurists and construction trucking subcontractors (AB 1561) and newspaper distributors and carriers (AB 1506).

Dale R. Kuykendall and Sierra Vierra are attorneys with Jackson Lewis in Sacramento, Calif.  2021 Jackson Lewis. All rights reserved. Reposted with permission.
"[It] has been spreading worldwide as a pandemic for almost two years now," said Catherine Smallwood, a senior WHO emergencies officer, adding: "From the scientific point of view, it's unlikely that the virus is not circulating in Turkmenistan."

New Delhi, Nov 8 (IANS) A senior World Health Organization official has cast doubt on Turkmenistan's claim that it has zero Covid cases, the BBC reported.

Turkmenistan is one of only a handful of countries, including North Korea, that claim to have no Coronavirus cases. Smallwood's comments represent the first public challenge by the WHO to Turkmenistan's claim, as a growing number of Covid cases are being reported in the country informally, the report said.

Analysts say that Turkmenistan's official statistics on Coronavirus are unreliable. One reason is the "extremely repressive, autocratic nature of the government", said Rachel Denber, deputy director of the Europe and Central Asia division at Human Rights Watch.

The Turkmenistan government "has a long history of suppressing data and a long history of punishing people who expose the truth", she said.

Aynabat Yaylymova, the founder of saglyk.org, a website that promotes public health literacy in Turkmen language, said that by remaining silent on case numbers the WHO was "enabling" state propaganda on the pandemic, the report added.

"It's not scientific. You can't really deal with the problem if you cannot measure it. And the WHO is supposed to promote science," Yaylymova said.

Critics have also accused the authorities of manipulating WHO officials and hiding evidence of the pandemic from them during their visit.

The government was "well prepared" for the WHO visit, said Ruslan Myatiev, the editor of the foreign-based Turkmen.news, the report said.

"They accurately selected the doctors that the delegation would meet in the country and they took them to the 'right' hospitals and showed them the 'right' patients," he said.

--IANS

san/arm
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A terminally ill woman has taken on business tycoon Gerry Harvey with a lawsuit to fight a forced eviction from a property that she lived in rent-free with her now deceased husband for more than eight years.

Court documents show Peggy Luker is suing G Harvey Nominees, Mr Harveys sole shareholder trust, after negotiations broke down in June last year when Mr Harvey personally visited the property uninvited to suggest she move to public housing before issuing a formal eviction notice.

Peggy Luker with her late husband Garry Dent around 2013. Credit:Instagram

The Harvey Norman co-founders trust owns the property, but Ms Luker claims in her court documents it belonged to her late husband, Garry Dent, who worked as a contractor for Mr Harvey for 15 years on $5500 per month without superannuation or benefits.

Ms Luker said her husband was foolish with money and terrible at record-keeping but reassured her the property was secure on a number of occasions, after the couple made the decision to move from Sydneys Cremorne to Kurrajong, 75 kilometres north-west of the city.
Australian fertiliser giant Incitec Pivot has blamed high gas prices for its decision to shut down its 50-year-old manufacturing plant on Brisbanes Gibson Island, putting 170 jobs at risk.

Incitec, which relies on gas as a raw material for producing fertiliser products such as ammonia, is Australias top commercial gas user, but the ASX-listed group has been under pressure from a sharp rise in the price of east-coast gas over recent years.

Australian manufacturers are warning the federal government is failing to deliver on its promise of a gas-fired recovery from COVID-19. Credit:James Davies

Despite its best efforts, Incitec chief executive Jeanne Johns on Monday said the company had been unable to secure an economically viable long-term gas supply contract for Gibson Island and would close the plant in December 2022.

It is disappointing for our people and Australian manufacturing that we could not reach a suitable commercial gas supply agreement to continue the operation of the Gibson Island facility from processing natural gas, Ms Johns said.
An exciting nickel discovery dominated the ASX on Tuesday in what was a lacklustre session despite strong results from National Australia Bank.

The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 finished 0.2 per cent lower at 7434.2 points.

There was corporate activity with Newcrest announcing a $3 billion play for a Canadian goldmine, which sent shares down 1.6 per cent.

The ASX finished lower despite a nickel revival with Chalice. Credit:Louie Douvis

But Chalice Mining jumped 28.5 per cent to $8.70 after announcing the largest global nickel sulphide discovery since 2000 and the biggest find of platinum group elements in Australia ever at its Julimar Complex 70 kilometres north of Perth.

It was a strong day across the materials sector with BHP up 1 per cent, and Fortescue up 1.8 per cent, but Rio Tinto declined by 0.2 per cent. Lynas Rare Earths gained 7.6 per cent to a new closing high of $7.80.

The location of Chalices mine was important because exploration and infrastructure investment has peaked, according to Shaw & Partners senior investment advisor Adam Dawes.

There is going to be no new exploration or mining greenfield sites [in coming years] and for any resource stock it is essential that you have to be close to rail and close to electricity.

We have been tipping into the material stocks: BHP, Fortescue, and Rio Tinto. We think we have found a base and are happy to dip our toe back into the water.

He also noted the market was disappointed by NABs final dividend of 67 because the bank had been paying final dividends of 83 and 99 before the pandemic.

At the end of the day it was down 0.8 per cent - less than its peers. Commonwealth Bank declined 1.2 per cent, ANZ Bank declined by 1.6 per cent, and Westpac fell 1.4 per cent.

Cryptocurrency prices spiked on Tuesday with BitCoin reaching a record $US67,662 according to Bloomberg. Meanwhile, the traditional inflation hedge, gold, was trading at two-month highs of $US1,823.40 per ounce.

Volumes were high for Sydney Airport, which declined by 0.7 per cent to $8.40.

Among information technology stocks Tyro Payments gained 5 per cent, Megaport gained 4.3 per cent, and Afterpay was up 2.4 per cent.

Corporate Travel closed at $25.62, the highest price since May 2019.
When the United States and the European Union declared the end of the tit-for-tat trade sanctions Donald Trump instigated with his tariffs on EU steel and aluminium exports in 2018, they also did something with far-reaching implications. The US effectively accepted a limited version of the EUs controversial carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM).

The agreement they struck just over a week ago was to restrict access to their markets for dirty  carbon-intensive  and dumped steel and aluminium and to encourage domestic production of green metals.

If the other major economies do introduce C-BAMs, of course, Australia will have little choice but to introduce both an explicit carbon price and a carbon border tax of our own or risk both being shut out of key markets and becoming a dumping ground for carbon-intensive products. Credit:AP

Given that China produces about 60 per cent of the worlds steel and is regularly accused of dumping subsidised metal into the international market, the measures are clearly and squarely aimed at its exports.

They go, however, well beyond conventional anti-dumping actions, or old-fashioned protectionism to create an alliance (albeit at this point a narrow one) between two of the worlds three largest economies and markets to address carbon intensity within and beyond their borders, using trade policies as their lever.
The ABC has brokered a deal to broadcast the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade on television and radio for the next three years, including its return to Oxford Street in 2023.

On March 5, 2022, the colourful celebration of diversity will be aired on the ABCs main channel, ABC iview and the ABC Australia international television service.

The 43rd Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade at the Sydney Cricket Ground in March. Credit:Stephen Saphore

The 2022 theme is United We Shine, described by organisers as a rallying call to stand up against hate and inequality, reminding us that when we rise as a collective, our message of love and inclusion is heard louder.

The floats will again circle the Sydney Cricket Ground, live on the ABC from 7.30pm, moving off the traditional Oxford Street route following continued organiser concerns over COVID-19 restrictions.
At a glance, the announcement at United Nations climate talks last week that the United States along with the United Kingdom and other European nations would channel US$10 billion to South Africa to help it shut down its fleet of coal-power generators is unvarnished good news for the world.

And it is good news. It is an example of how wealthy nations might help emerging economies skip faster past the carbon-heavy period of their development.

Former US president Barack Obama speaks during day nine of COP26. Credit:Getty

But its more than that. It is also an example of the geostrategic intrigue attendant to the climate talks.

One of the long-standing voting blocs in the Conference of the Parties has been BASIC, made up of Brazil, India, South Africa and China.
The Australian government will spend $1.5 million on a study into the potential for a future hydrogen hub at the Port of Newcastle in the Hunter region of New South Wales, currently the worlds largest coal port.

The federal government, through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, will fund half of a $3 million dollar study into the hubs potential. Macquarie Groups Green Investment Group, the Port of Newcastle and other partners will also contribute to the study.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announcing a feasibility study on turning the Hunter region into a hydrogen production hub. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said hydrogen was a future fuel that would be used domestically and internationally.

The Hunter has gone through its fair share of changes over my lifetime, Mr Morrison said at the Port of Newcastle on Monday. And whats really exciting is how the Hunter keeps adapting, keeps evolving, keeps seeing the opportunities that are ahead, but also maintaining that rich legacy of its history.
A former public servant who worked for Liberal MP Kevin Andrews has admitted she helped recruit up to five new Liberal Party members a day in an apparent breach of a ban on factional activity being conducted on taxpayer time.

The admission by Jessy Jayakumaran is corroborated by leaked emails and text messages which reveal how conservative Liberal Party factional operatives directed her to administer the mass recruiting and renewal of members, as well as other party political work, while she was employed as an electorate officer for Mr Andrews in the first half of 2018.

Jessy Jayakumaran, a former electoral officer in MP Kevin Andrews office.

The new evidence raises further questions about denials of wrongdoing by Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar and Mr Andrews.

The evidence, along with revelations in this masthead on Monday, also raise questions about the failure of a Department of Finance investigation which last year found insufficient evidence of the rorting but failed to interview key witnesses or examine critical evidence when the scandal first emerged in August 2020.
Tensions have reignited between the West Australian government and Commonwealth, with Premier Mark McGowan defending his 90 per cent vaccination target following criticism that being so ambitious would do more harm than good.

On Monday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said federal modelling that informed the national COVID transition plan backed opening state borders at 80 per cent and to do so any later would hurt the states economy.

The McGowan and Morrison border fued has been reignited.

But Mr McGowan rubbished the Prime Ministers comments and said WA had one of the freest societies in the world  which needed protecting.

We continue to follow the health advice and as the WA Health modelling is clear and shows the significant benefits of a 90 per cent double-dose coverage  it will save hundreds of lives, he said.
NSW Governor Margaret Beazley has ignored reporters questions about bullying allegations levelled against her by a whistleblower, following a secretive investigation by the Premiers Department into the complaint.

Ms Beazley turned and walked away from the press pack as she was peppered with questions about the allegations at the formal unveiling of a lion sculpture on the steps of Sydney Town Hall on Monday.

NSW Governor Margaret Beazley AC at a function at Town Hall on Monday. She did not respond to the press pack as she left. Credit:Edwina Pickles

It comes after the Herald revealed the allegations  from an anonymous whistleblower inside Government House  who claimed Ms Beazleys unjustified criticism or complaints and constantly changing goal posts have been leaving employees in tears at their desks.

The Premiers Department, which supplies the staff who work inside Government House, has now finalised an investigation into the complaint. It will not say whether the allegations have been proven true and the Herald does not suggest they were.
Storm havoc in Sydney

Sydneys worst wind storm for several years swept through the Cronulla area yesterday, destroying three cottages and a hall and damaging at least 90 homes, the Herald reported. The wind is estimated to have reached 120 mph. With it across Port Hacking came what one eyewitness described as two strange walls of water and another as two cones of water. The damage was estimated at at least 60,000.

Willy-willy takes house

Mr John Wisely, 76, of Canterbury, New Zealand, was alone in his sons Darook Park Road house when the storm hit. The next thing I knew I was standing on the bare floor boards and being buffeted by the wind. The house and much of the furniture was gone. I saw the house rise up more than 50 feet and crash into the gardens of two houses more than 150 yards away. I cant get back to New Zealand fast enough.

Mystery light in sky
The NSW governments finances were thrown into chaos on Monday night after claims that senior Treasury officials tried to cover up a report warning of a $10 billion hole in the state budget.

A former KPMG partner says he was targeted by a hit squad that included the states top Treasury officials when he refused to change his highly confidential report that warned of the safety and budget risks from a $40 billion state-owned rail corporation.

Former KPMG partner Brendan Lyon appears before the parliamentary inquiry into the controversial rail corporation on Monday. Credit:Kate Geraghty

In explosive testimony, Brendan Lyon said he was humiliated, bullied and discredited in meetings with Treasury, as he outlined to a parliamentary inquiry on Monday the lengths senior officials, including Treasury Secretary Mike Pratt, went to in discrediting his report into the rail corporation. He also detailed the conflicted role of accounting firm KPMG.

The turmoil surrounding the Transport Asset Holding Entity has left Treasury officials scrambling to convince the NSW Auditor-General to sign off on the states accounts, which has already missed an October 30 deadline.
Just as Sydneysiders were returning to work and school, they have been derailed by the inner west light rail debacle.

Suspension of the rail line has not only inconvenienced commuters who rely on the service  which runs from Dulwich Hill to Central  it has blindsided the government. On Friday, Transport Minister Rob Stokes warned the inner west light rail line, in the worst-case scenario, would be decommissioned for up to 18 months until cracks in the entire tram fleet were fixed. While transport officials say there is no quick fix for the 30 centimetre cracks on the wheel arches of the carriages, they are hopeful the trams could be running again sooner.

Suspension of the service is a cruel blow as we emerge from COVID-19, particularly for the CBD and the many businesses that desperately need an economic boost after three months in lockdown.

As Premier Dominic Perrottet said on Sunday, we need people to come back to the Sydney CBD to rehabilitate the city.

While the priority must be getting the trams safely operating again, taxpayers also need to know how the public transport system was caught unprepared at the crucial time the light rail was needed to feed people back to work and students back to school.
Sydneysiders should enjoy another day of sunshine breaking through the clouds on Tuesday before wet weather returns later in the week, bringing the potential for more than 100 millimetres to fall in pockets of the state.

Gunnedah Airport, in the north-east, reported a record-breaking 98.8 millimetres for the weather station in the 24 hours to 9am on Monday. The previous record was set in January 2004.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe thunderstorm warning on Monday afternoon for people in parts of the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury, Gosford, Wyong, and Sydneys north-west, for damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall as storms tracked north-east.

People trying to take shelter from the rain in Sydney last month. Credit:Kate Geraghty

A wind gust of 94 kilometres per hour was recorded at Penrith at 3.24pm.
New COVID-19 exposure sites at Brisbane Airport have been added to the list, as the states Health Minister urged Queenslanders to get vaccinated.

No new cases of coronavirus have been recorded in Queensland despite a recent scare over a cluster of cases in the southern border town of Goondiwindi and a person infectious in the Cairns community.

On Monday, new exposure sites were added to the list, including the Brisbane Domestic Airports Gate 36 as a casual contact on Friday, November 5.

Queensland Health Minister Yvette DAth is urging more Queenslanders to get vaccinated before the borders open. Credit:Matt Dennien

Other sites recently added include the Jetstar flight JQ960, Adelaide to Cairns, as a casual contact, on Monday, October, 25, and Gate 20 at the Cairns Domestic Airport on the same day as a low-risk contact.
James Jimmy Gobbo, for many immigrants to Australia, was a shining exemplar of what might be achieved by a fine and determined mind within Australias multicultural burgeoning.

As Sir James Gobbo, he became a widely respected barrister, Queens counsel and, for 16 years, judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria.

Sir James and Lady Gobbo in 2008. Credit:Cathryn Tremain

In 1997, he became the first governor of Victoria to come from a non-English-speaking background.

His death at age 90 has been marked by tributes from leading political, legal, church and community figures, and the announcement by Premier Daniel Andrews that Sir James will be accorded a state funeral, to be held on November 16 at St Patricks Cathedral.
Loading Its just a two-tiered society  [and] its not just. The protesters later marched through the streets of Melbournes CBD, chanting kill the bill and sack Dan Andrews. The governments proposed pandemic legislation will replace state of emergency powers that expire on December 15, curtail the chief health officers powers, give the premier the authority to declare a pandemic, and the health minister the role of making public health orders. The legislation passed the lower house late last month, and will most certainly be subject to crossbench amendments when it reaches the upper house in a few days.

The rally came after Mr Andrews confirmed on Tuesday that Victorian shoppers had two weeks to be fully vaccinated, with non-essential retail outlets to close their doors to those who had not had their COVID-19 jab on November 24. Mr Andrews said that was the day he expected 90 per cent of eligible Victorians would be double vaccinated. Only fully vaccinated shoppers will be allowed into non-essential outlets from November 24. Credit:Penny Stephens The date was set as Victoria recorded 1069 COVID-19 cases and 10 deaths, and as Mr Andrews resisted calls to resume a full program of elective surgeries in hospitals. All 10 Victorians who died on Monday were aged 60 and above.

Casey, Wyndham, Brimbank, Hume, Greater Dandenong, Port Phillip, Frankston, Whittlesea, Melton, and Glen Eira are the local government areas with the highest case numbers. More than 85 per cent of Victorians aged 16 and over are fully vaccinated, putting the state on track to further ease restrictions on those whove had their jab later this month. There were 47,794 coronavirus tests processed on Monday, and 11,269 people received a coronavirus jab at a state-run vaccination hub. There are now 15,607 active coronavirus cases in the state. Of those, 579 were in hospital, 90 were in intensive care and 55 patients were on a ventilator.

The Department of Health said 77 per cent of COVID-positive patients in hospital and 87 per cent in intensive care hadnt received both doses of the coronavirus vaccine. The lockout of unvaccinated patrons was flagged at a press conference on October 22, when Mr Andrews foreshadowed that those who hadnt had two jabs would be allowed to visit other peoples homes but would be barred from most other venues. But a shopping window opened for those Victorians who werent fully immunised on October 29, when 80 per cent of the states population was fully immunised and non-essential retail stores were allowed to open their doors to all comers. With the 90 per cent milestone approaching, that window is about to close. Mr Andrews said the vaccinated economy was here to stay, and it was too early to say when the window might re-open and restrictions on the unvaccinated would lift.

Its a bit challenging for us to answer that because we have to see what role boosters play, he said. The feedback I get is that people dont want to sit at the pub or in a restaurant next to people who have not [had their vaccine]. Monday marked the start of Australias coronavirus vaccine booster program for the broader population. To date, about 173,000 booster shots have been administered to aged care residents and frontline health workers across the country. Loading

There are about 1.7 million Australians who will become eligible for their third shot of the vaccine before Christmas, with 25 per cent of those to get vaccinated in Victoria. Elderly people, frontline workers and aged care staff will be among the first to get the jab. We want to see a very strong take-up of boosters, the vaccinated economy and its continuation, and the formalisation of the extension into non-essential retail is a big part of that, Mr Andrews said. The prospect of vaccines for Australian children aged under 12 continues to be assessed, with federal Health Minister Greg Hunt revealing Pfizer has made a submission to the Therapeutic Goods Administration. Meanwhile, several schools across the Victoria say they are still waiting for the state government to distribute 51,000 air purifiers it promised them in September.

To date, only 6000 devices have been delivered. Education Minister James Merlino said the rollout had been stymied by global demand for air purifiers. The full order has been made for those 51,000 air purifiers, theyre being delivered by air freight, so as quickly as possible. The moment it lands in the state we are getting it distributed to schools, he told Radio 3AW. Contact tracing ongoing, despite dwindling Victoria exposure site list

Mr Andrews has dispelled speculation Victoria is winding down its contact tracing efforts after only one new exposure site was added to Victorias list since Saturday. The list, which once included 1000 locations, has now dwindled to fewer than 20 sites as the government shifts its focus to the most at-risk venues across the state. There are currently more than 78,300 close contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases isolating across Victoria. One new exposure site was added to the list on Tuesday: Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha Australia at Campbellfield. It was declared a close contact site on Thursday, November 4 between 4.30pm and 8pm.

Other locations recently added to the list were Hidden Minx Hair Studio in Geelong West and Wyncity Morwell in Morwell after confirmed COVID-positive Victorians visited the venues. Mr Andrews said some coronavirus clusters would become well-known because of their high-profile nature  such as an outbreak at the Melbourne Cup victory party  while others would go unnoticed. There is contact tracing going on, Mr Andrews said. Loading

Some of that will be high profile, some of it well never hear about, but theres lots of people still getting tested because theyve got symptoms. Health authorities continue to monitor the virus outbreak linked to a Melbourne Cup celebration party at Society restaurant on Collins Street attended by winning jockey James McDonald. To date, three of more than 100 guests at the event, all of whom were fully vaccinated, have tested positive for COVID-19. Multiple guests were pictured on social media drinking out of the Cup. McDonald said he was shocked to hear the news and had since undergone additional testing. I dont think anyone there at the party knew they had COVID, he told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Elective surgeries remain on hold Mr Andrews says the government will not bring back all elective surgeries until it can guarantee they wont be scrapped again. Mr Andrews acknowledged the states health system was under pressure as a result of the pandemic. He said while the government resumed some operations, it was too early to go back to 100 per cent capacity. It is very painful for people to miss their elective surgery no matter what category they are in, he said.

We are building, and well get back to full [capacity] as quickly as we can as safely as we can, but the objective is to resume elective surgery, and then keep it going. Loading Mr Andrews said hospitalisation rates for COVID patients had remained stable around the 500 mark for the past few days which was encouraging. We have been increasing the amount of elective surgery, well continue to do that. We just have to calibrate that, get that sequence that right so that were not starting and stopping any more than we have to, he said. The Premiers comments came after doctors sounded the alarm about urgent category one elective surgeries being postponed because of a worsening bed shortage in Victorian hospitals last month.
At-home coronavirus tests will be used to get uninfected Victorian students back into their classrooms more quickly after a COVID-19 scare.

The tests  known as rapid antigen tests  should start to form the backbone of Australias coronavirus monitoring regime, experts say, as the nation moves away from COVID-zero and towards the virus being endemic in the community.

The rapid tests to be introduced by the Victorian government will be provided to 20 schools experiencing coronavirus shutdowns, and will then be distributed to other schools.

The tests will halve the time students must quarantine if identified as a close contact of someone with COVID-19. Rather than waiting 14 days to return to class, an uninfected student could return to school after seven days.
State school staff will seek to ban Andrews government MPs from setting foot on school grounds from Tuesday, as the teachers union ramps up its campaign for better pay and conditions.

Education Minister James Merlino speaks with students at McKinnon Secondary College last week. The education union says Andrews government MPs are no longer welcome at government schools. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui

Teachers will also disrupt the statewide effort to shift NAPLAN from paper to online in time for next years test by refusing to conduct trial tests for students for the rest of this term.

A day after Education Minister James Merlino visited Jells Park Primary, a government school in Melbournes east, to announce rapid antigen testing for students aged under 12, teachers say Mr Merlino and his parliamentary colleagues are no longer welcome on school grounds.

Though the Australian Education Union cannot literally ban a government MP from visiting a school, it has directed members to instantly begin a one-hour stop-work if one does. Union members have also been encouraged to wear red and protest at the front of the school if a government minister visits their school.
Labors defence spokesman Brendan OConnor will raise the alarm on a looming capability gap for Australias submarines in the strongest criticism yet of the governments handling of the move to acquire a nuclear-powered fleet.

In a signal the opposition is looking to fight the Coalition over its traditional strong point of national security leading into next years election, Mr OConnor will on Tuesday declare the governments plan has no credibility and the capability gap is obvious for all to see.

Labors defence spokesman Brendan OConnor says Australia faces a capability gap in its submarine fleet. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Labor has been ramping up its criticism of Scott Morrison for the way in which he announced the AUKUS defence pact after French President Emmanuel Macron accused the Prime Minister of lying and President Joe Biden conceded the handling of the decision was clumsy.

But Mr OConnors speech will be the furthest the opposition has gone in raising concern about the substance of the proposal to build nuclear-powered submarines using American or British technology.
New Delhi: Did Indias political leaders learn anything from the deadly second wave of Covid-19? Hospitals in the capital, New Delhi, are once again overwhelmed with patients and the health authorities dont have beds for them. The disease has changed  dengue, not coronavirus  but the dysfunction remains the same.

For the country that wants to be the pharmacy to the world, its own health system is notoriously bad. With some of the lowest government spending of any nation, public hospitals are overcrowded and inaccessible. The multitude of private facilities are out of reach for most citizens. Indias courts were forced to intervene earlier this year to address the dangerous inequities in hospital oxygen supplies, while state and federal authorities fought among themselves over procurement and citizens died in the back of rickshaws gasping for breath.

Indias COVID death toll is estimated to be two to six times higher than the official figure of under 500,000. Credit:Getty

The pandemic pushed many into serious debt to access health care, with families forced to sell assets, jewellery and even livestock to pay hospital bills. Even before COVID, Indias out-of-pocket medical expenses were among the worlds highest, accounting for about 60 per cent of total health expenditure. Public health spending is less than 2 per cent of gross domestic product, compared to 5.4 per cent in China and a global average of nearly 10 per cent, according to World Bank data. Researchers at Azim Premji University found the virus pushed an additional 230 million people  more than the entire population of Brazil  below the poverty line, with worrying increases in malnutrition and hunger.

The first warning signs that it would be a bad dengue season came in late August, when a hospital in Firozabad in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh reported a surge in deaths from a mystery fever. But it was no mystery; it was mostly dengue and scrub typhus. The independent news outlet, News Laundry, reported chaotic scenes at one government-run facility in September, with patients sharing beds, lab reports delayed and a severe shortage of doctors. An open drain and ponds of stagnant water provided an ideal breeding ground for the mosquitos that transmit dengue, while monkeys, pigs, cows and dogs scrounged garbage dumps near the hospital for food.
Bangkok: Anyone who has been to a movie theatre in Thailand knows the routine: Before the film starts, everyone is asked to stand during a royal anthem to pay respect to the monarch.

During the 70-year reign of former King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016, it was rare for anyone to sit during the song. And while many Thais still stand up, nowadays more and more people are opting to stay seated rather than pay respect to his son, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, whose short time on the throne has seen unprecedented protests calling for reform of the monarchy.

Moviegoers at a theatre in Bangkok, Thailand, where people are increasingly declining to stand when the royal anthem is being played. Credit:AP

At a recent showing of the James Bond film No Time to Die at a central Bangkok theatre, nearly half of about 60 people sat down through the royal anthem without incident  a scene unthinkable just a few years ago, when moviegoers faced risks if they didnt stand. In 2019, a woman said she was assaulted for not standing up, while last year another man was splashed with a drink for sitting through the 90-second song in the eastern province of Chanthaburi.

Things are changing, said Chotisak Onsoong, a political activist who had popcorn and a water bottle thrown at him in 2007 when he sat for the anthem. He was later kicked out of the theatre and charged with insulting the royal family, although prosecutors eventually declined to pursue the case. He still refuses to stand and has noticed more people joining him in recent months.
Glasgow: The United States is refusing to sign up to plans led by the UK for a global deal to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars during talks at the Cop26 climate summit.

Germany, Europes largest car manufacturer, cannot sign up to the agreement while it is still stuck in coalition talks, which could take weeks.

The UK wants all countries to commit to ending the sale of new polluting cars by 2035 for richer countries and 2040 for developing countries, in a major announcement expected in Glasgow on Wednesday. But it has been in last-minute talks with the Biden administration team which is resisting the commitment because of concerns of domestic political backlash as President Joe Biden struggles to get his climate agenda through Congress.

US President Joe Biden, seen here in a hybrid Jeep Wangler Rubicon, has said he wants half of all cars in the US to be electric by 2030. Credit:AP

Senior Democrat politicians including former president Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are expected to fly to Glasgow for the second week of talks, amid growing frustration at US inaction at the summit.
American democracy teeters on the brink of collapse. The removal of Donald Trump didnt fix the problem. But it did give Joe Biden and the Democratic Party a chance to begin repair work.

After a frustrating year and three days since being elected, Biden got hold of his first big repair kit on Saturday (Australian time). Its a $US1.2 trillion brace of money for Americas second-rate infrastructure.

Illustration: Andrew Dyson Credit:

This is a once-in-a-generation investment that will create millions of jobs and puts us on a path to win the 21st century, said Biden. This is a blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America.

Political hyperbole to one side, it is, at least, a federal infrastructure bill, and America hasnt had one in a decade. Trump talked a good game but delivered nothing more than an unfinished wall.
Wellington: The gunman who killed 51 people at two Christchurch mosques says his guilty pleas were obtained under duress due to mistreatment in custody, according to a memorandum from his lawyer.

Human rights law specialist Tony Ellis said he expected the gunman, Brenton Tarrant, to file an appeal against his convictions relating to New Zealands worst mass shooting.

The proposed appeal has been labelled by survivors as grandstanding and an attempt by the terrorist to retraumatise the Muslim community.

Australian Brenton Tarrant was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for the Christchurch mosque attacks in August last year. Credit:AP

Tarrant pleaded guilty in March 2020 to 51 charges of murder, 40 charges of attempted murder and one of engaging in a terrorist act resulting from the March 15, 2019, attacks on Al Noor and Linwood mosques in Christchurch.
French Quarter:--- Residents of French Quarter were totally blocked in on Monday when protestors blocked the access road in Oyster Pond that takes them to the Dutch side, while blocks and old vehicles are placed across the road in Belle Plaine.

The roadblocks began last week when Sandy Ground and French Quarter were locked down. Certain areas in Marigot, such as Low Town and St. James Rue de Hollande were also blocked off, and fires lit in the middle of the road.

When the roadways were blocked off youths who were manning the blockade began demanding money from drivers who wanted to cross the border. There were a number of scooter riders that were also plying the scooter ride trade to take people in and out of French Quarter through Belle Plaine.

On Saturday several persons made posts on Social media condemning the youths for demanding border fees and the abuse taking place with the roadblocks while some organizations are fighting against the sanitary pass and PPRN.

Several known persons met with the youths on Saturday evening to discuss the way forward and scold them for taking money from drivers who want to cross the border. However, this escalated matters on Monday when the youths protesting decided to block off the Bell Plaine road by placing rocks and old vehicles across the road. Scooter riders were at the location plying the scooter trade all day on Monday.

The Oyster Pond road was completely blocked with rocks and old tires that were set ablaze. While the same type of blockage was placed on Chamba Hill.

It is not known when the State government or Local government will meet with the youths and address their concerns that led to the roadblocks.
White dwarfs are dense, dim, stellar corpses  the last observable stage of evolution for low- and medium-mass stars.

Whilst most massive stars will eventually go supernova, a low or medium mass star with a mass less than about 8 times the mass of the sun will eventually become a white dwarf, according to NASA. Approximately 97% of the stars in the Milky Way will eventually become white dwarfs, according to researchers.

Compared to our sun, a white dwarf has a similar carbon and oxygen mass though it is much smaller in size  similar to Earth, according to New Mexico State University (NMSU).

White dwarf temperatures can exceed 100,000 Kelvin according to NASA (that's about 179,500 degrees Fahrenheit). Despite these sweltering temperatures, white dwarfs have a low luminosity as they're so small in size according to NMSU.

Related: Red dwarfs: The most common and longest-lived stars

White dwarf formation

Main-sequence stars, including the sun, form from clouds of dust and gas drawn together by gravity. How the stars evolve through their lifetime depends on their mass. The most massive stars, with eight times the mass of the sun or more, will never become white dwarfs. Instead, at the end of their lives, white dwarfs will explode in a violent supernova, leaving behind a neutron star or black hole.

Did you know? According to NASA, a teaspoon of white dwarf matter would weigh 5.5 tons on Earth  about the same as an elephant!

Smaller stars, however, will take a slightly more sedate path. Low- to medium-mass stars, such as the sun, will eventually swell up into red giants. After that, the stars shed their outer layers into a ring known as a planetary nebula (early observers thought the nebulas resembled planets such as Neptune and Uranus ). The core that is left behind will be a white dwarf, a husk of a star in which no hydrogen fusion occurs.

The cool, dim star at the center of the blue haze cloud is a white dwarf. The planetary nebula NGC 2452 is located in the southern constellation of Puppis. (Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA. Acknowledgements: Luca Limatola, Budeanu Cosmin Mirel)

Smaller stars, such as red dwarfs, don't make it to the red giant state. They simply burn through all of their hydrogen, ending the process as a dim white dwarf. However, red dwarfs take trillions of years to consume their fuel, far longer than the 13.8-billion-year-old age of the universe, so no red dwarfs have yet become white dwarfs.

White dwarf characteristics

When a star runs out of fuel, it no longer experiences an outward push from the process of fusion and it collapses inward on itself. White dwarfs contain approximately the mass of the sun but have roughly the radius of Earth, according to Cosmos, the astronomy encyclopedia from Swinburne University in Australia. This makes them among the densest objects in space, beaten out only by neutron stars and black holes. According to NASA, the gravity on the surface of a white dwarf is 350,000 times that of gravity on Earth. That means a 150-pound (68-kilogram) person on Earth would weigh 50 million pounds (22.7 million kg) on the surface of a white dwarf.

An all-sky view of some 230,000 white dwarfs discovered with the European Space Agencys Gaia satellite. (Image credit: Gaia Sky; S. Jordan / T. Sagrista, Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Zentrum fur Astronomie der Universitat Heidelberg, Germany)

White dwarfs reach this incredible density because they are collapsed so tightly that their electrons are smashed together, forming what is called "degenerate matter." The former stars will keep collapsing until the electrons themselves provide enough of an outward-pressing force to halt the crunch. The more mass, the greater the pull inward, so a more massive white dwarf has a smaller radius than its less massive counterpart. Those conditions mean that, after shedding much of its mass during the red giant phase, no white dwarf can exceed 1.4 times the mass of the sun.

When a star swells up to become a red giant, it engulfs its closest planets. But some can still survive. NASAs Spitzer spacecraft revealed that at least 1 to 3 percent of white dwarf stars have contaminated atmospheres that suggest rocky material has fallen into them.

"In the quest for Earth-like planets, we have now identified numerous systems which are excellent candidates to harbor them," Jay Farihi, a white dwarf researcher at the University of Leicester in England, told Space.com. "Where they persist as white dwarfs, any terrestrial planets will not be habitable, but may have been sites where life developed during a previous epoch."

In one exciting case, researchers have observed the rocky material as it falls into the white dwarf.

"It's exciting and unexpected that we can see this kind of dramatic change on human timescales," Boris Gansicke, an astronomer at the University of Warwick in England, told Space.com.

The fate of a white dwarf

Artists illustration showing a white dwarf stealing material from nearby companion. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Many white dwarfs fade away into relative obscurity, eventually radiating away all of their energy and becoming so-called black dwarfs, but those that share a system with companion stars may suffer a different fate.

If the white dwarf is part of a binary system, it may be able to pull material from its companion onto its surface. Increasing the white dwarf's mass can have some interesting results.

One possibility is that the added mass could cause it to collapse into a much denser neutron star.

A far more explosive result is the Type 1a supernova. As the white dwarf pulls material from a companion star, the temperature increases, eventually triggering a runaway reaction that detonates in a violent supernova that destroys the white dwarf. This process is known as a "single-degenerate model" of a Type 1a supernova.

Related: Know Your Novas: Star Explosions Explained (Infographic)

In 2012, researchers were able to closely observe the complex shells of gas surrounding one Type 1a supernova in fine detail.

"We really saw, for the first time, detailed evidence of the progenitor for a Type 1a supernova," Benjamin Dilday, the study's lead author and an astronomer at Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network in California told SPACE.com.

If the companion is another white dwarf instead of an active star, the two stellar corpses merge together to kick off the fireworks. This process is known as a "double-degenerate model" of a Type 1a supernova.

At other times, the white dwarf may pull just enough material from its companion to briefly ignite in a nova, a far smaller explosion. Because the white dwarf remains intact, it can repeat the process several times when it reaches that critical point, breathing life back into the dying star over and over again.

"These are the brightest and most frequent stellar eruptions in the galaxy, and they're often visible to the naked eye," Przemek Mroz, an astronomer at Polands Warsaw University, told Space.com in a previous article.

Additional resources
Algiers, 6 November 2021 (SPS) - The solution to the conflict in Western Sahara must take due account of the rights of the Sahrawi people, said Italian President Sergio Mattarella, expressing the wish of a resumption of direct negotiations between the sides to reach a fair and lasting solution to the issue.



We are following the issue of Western Sahara very closely. We have always supported with conviction the role played by the United Nations and, with regard to this, we have learnt with satisfaction the appointment of Italian-Swedish diplomat Staffan De Mistura as personal envoy of the United Nations Secretary General, underlined the Italian President in an interview granted to the Algerian national paper El Moudjahid, published on Saturday.



Mattarella, who started a two-day State visit to Algeria, expressed the wish that De Misturas commitment could contribute, despite the current tense situation, to a resumption of direct negotiations between the parties (to the conflict, Morocco and Polisario Front) to reach a fair and lasting solution to the issue, which takes due account of the Sahrawi peoples rights.



In this respect, President Mattarella underlined that Italy supports the role of Algeria and its commitment to the United Nations framework on Western Sahara.



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STAMFORD  In advance of Veterans Day on Thursday, the city held a ceremony and parade on Sunday.

Following the parade, the ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park honored the grand marshal, Petty Officer 3rd Class James L. Dudley Jr., who retired from the U.S. Navy, and Stamfords Purple Heart recipients.
STAMFORD  Students and teachers at a pair of Stamford schools are working together this year to help out some feathery friends.

Two Pekin ducks, not even a year old, have called the Rippowam Middle School courtyard their home since the spring. But one teacher at the school noticed that the waterfowl dont have a shelter to protect them from the elements.

So teacher Brian Ruckdeschel enlisted the help of his students to design a duck coop for the pair. And after a trio of submissions were selected as the winners, he contacted wood shop teacher Jesse Glaude at Westhill High School to see if he would be interested in building the structure with his students.

Its not every day you build a duck coop, said Glaude, who said he loved the concept of collaborating with another school.

Ruckdeschel teaches a class called design, in which he introduces middle school students to the engineering and design process. When he proposed the idea of the shelter to the students, they took to it like a duck to water.

Just having the ducks there, they felt like an ownership with it, he said. These are the schools ducks and we need to take care of them.

Ruckdeschel first researched Pekin ducks, which are domestic ducks that cant fly and are generally bred for meat consumption. He discovered that even though the ducks are adaptable to temperature changes, theyre not particularly fond of the cold and wind.

He told his students to design shelters that were eight square feet, with a slanted roof so that snow and rain could roll off. The homes also needed a door, and an opening in the back for ventilation, since ducks like to get wet.

Students started by drawing the homes on paper, then used measurements to create the structures to scale using cardstock paper and tape.

Ruckdeschel then chose the top three designs.

Diego Orellana, 11, made one of the winners, an A-frame structure with a pair of windows and a door.

The first thing I wanted to accomplish was the space for the ducks so they could spread their wings and do whatever they want, Diego said.

Isabel Mejia Flores, 11, another of the top designers, decorated her coop with clouds.

I thought it was really fun, she said.

Rippowam school is no stranger to ducks. Head custodian Carlo Buccino, who tends to the ducks and feeds them, said ducks flock to the schools courtyard every year, usually laying some eggs and having a dozen ducklings, before moving on.

Its a pattern that has been going on for decades.

Last year, two sets of ducks called Rippowam home, Buccino said, and they had 21 ducklings between the two pairs.

But the two ducks living at the school currently, who were donated by a school nurse, are likely staying there for the long haul.

Glaude said the ducks future coop is about 50 percent complete. The structure will be made almost entirely of wood, except for the roof, which will consist of tar shingles.

Some of his students have helped him build it, either as part of the wood shop class or after school.

I always get a couple of kids who really want to help out, he said.

Ruckdeschel said hes excited to see the finished product.

Everyone here at Rippowam has a vested interest in the ducks, he said.

ignacio.laguarda@stamfordadvocate.com
Onvo travel plazas in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties received funding through the Fast Charging and Hydrogen Fueling Grant Program, Gov. Tom Wolfs office announced.

The program improves Pennsylvanias air quality by expanding the availability of electric vehicle charging and accelerating adoption of battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric, and hydrogen fuel cell light-duty vehicles. Funding for the grant program comes from the Environmental Mitigation Trust Fund as a result of a settlement against Volkswagen.

A plaza in Mount Cobb received $222,263 and a plaza in Dorrance Twp. received $202,184 for the installation of two DC Fast Charge electric vehicle charging stations.

 ROBERT TOMKAVAGE
Alro Slatina is redirecting, starting with the end of October, the privately contracted oxygen quota to the medical system, severely affected by the fourth Covid wave, informs the company through a report sent on Monday to the Bucharest Stock Exchange.

Thus, the cited source mentions, approximately 500,000 cubic meters of oxygen will be made available to the health system for the Intensive Care Units.

Alro uses approximately 240,000 cubic meters of technical oxygen per month in its technological processes, respectively to operate the kiln burners used to melt recycled aluminum.

Alro is also helping medical staff to fight against the current wave of COVID-19 through donations worth 400,000 lei to the Professor Dr. Matei Bals Foundation, 300,000 lei to the Slatina County Emergency Hospital, 200,000 lei to the Caracal Municipal Hospital and 200,000 to the Bucharest Emergency Hospital Foundation.

In addition, Alum, Alro's upstream subsidiary, donated another 200,000 lei to the Tulcea County Emergency Hospital to improve the quality of medical services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alro is a subsidiary of Vimetco N.V., a global, vertically integrated primary and processed aluminum company. Alro is one of the largest vertically integrated aluminum producers in Europe, by capacity, with an installed production capacity of 265,000 tpa, 35,000 tonnes per annum of recycled aluminum and a capacity of 335,000 tonnes per annum of cast aluminum and processing facilities of 130,000 tonnes per annum of hot and cold rolled aluminum and extrusion division.

The main outlets for ALRO products are the European Union, but the company also has exports to the USA and Asia.

Alro SA was founded in 1963 and is one of the largest aluminum producing companies in Romania and Europe. Starting with March 18, 2019, the Index Commission of the Bucharest Stock Exchange approved the inclusion of Alro in BET, the main market index. ALRO shares were listed on BVB in October 1997, Agerpres informs.
More than 697,000 farmers (90.54pct of the total eligible one) got their applications for subsidies approved until November 8, under the Advance Payments Campaign for 2021, with a total amount of 1.12 billion euros available, informs the Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture (APIA).

"Between October 18 and November 8, 2021, the amount of 1.10 billion euros was authorized to be paid to 697,603 farmers under the Advance Payments Campaign for 2021, representing 90.54pct of the total number of farmers eligible for this type of payment," reads a press release of APIA sent on Monday to AGERPRES.

Regarding the Coupled Support in the zootechnical sector, sheep and goat species, a number of 10,220 farmers got their applications for subsidies approved, 61.38pct of those who submitted such applications under the 2021 Campaign, with the authorized amount being 31.71 million euros.According to APIA, the payments financed from the EFGA are made at the exchange rate of 4.9475 lei for one euro, and the payments financed from the EAFRD are made at the exchange rate of 4.8683 lei for one euro.
The number of arrivals of tourists at Romania's borders in the first nine months of 2021 was 5,131,300, up 24.9% from the same period in 2020, according to data with the National Institute of Statistics (INS).

Most foreign visitors came from European countries (95.7%), with the largest share belonging to visitors from Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine. In fact, the first six places, according to the share in the total number of arrivals, belong to countries located in Europe: Bulgaria (18.6%), Moldova (18%), Ukraine (17.8%), Hungary (9%) , Turkey (7.3%), and Germany (3.5%).

In the same period of time, 2,335,400 arrivals at the border were recorded from other European Union countries (45.5% of the total arrivals), up 10.8% over the first three quarters of 2020.

As against January 1- September 30, 2020, the largest increases in the number of arrivals at Romania's borders were from America (+ 88.3%), Europe (+ 24.6%), Africa (+ 19.2%), and Asia (+ 14.1%). There was a significant decrease in the arrivals of international visitors from Australia, Oceania and other territories (-37.4%).

On the other hand, the number of departures of Romanian visitors abroad in the first nine months of 2021 was 8,887,200, up 12.9% over the same period in 2020.

Most of the international arrivals were through the border checkpoints at Giurgiu (638,800 arrivals), Otopeni (520,400 arrivals), Calafat (516,200 arrivals), Albita (313,000 arrivals) and Nadlac II (297,100 arrivals).

Most of the departures were via Otopeni (1,727,0000 departures), Nadlac II (873,400 departures), Bors (831,800 departures), Petea (569,900 departures) and Albita (523,400 departures).

Road transport was the most used mode of transport used by international visitors to travel to Romania and was still preferred by Romanians going abroad.

Regarding the arrivals of foreign visitors in Romania, important increases were reported in the use of naval types of transport (+ 141%), road types (+ 23.2%), and air types (+21.7%).

The highest increases y-o-y in terms of departures of Romanian visitors abroad were reported in the use of naval types (+ 36%), air types (+ 19.1%), as well as road types(+ 10.3%).

A significant decrease was recorded in the use of train by Romanian visitors travelling abroad (-11.3%), Agerpres informs.
The Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) considers the conditioning of the physical reopening of schools on the degree of vaccination of educational staff as "discriminatory", claiming that it mainly affects the rural environment and calls on the Ministry of Education to abandon this decision.

"AUR considers the imposition of the quota of 60% of vaccinated teachers as discriminatory and especially affecting the rural environment (...)," AUR representatives specified in a Monday's release for AGERPRES.
The National Liberal Party (PNL) chairman Florin Citu said on Monday that the liberals will make their own proposal for prime minister and that the Ministry of Finance is 'crucial'.

"We will have a discussion. We will see if there will be a vote. We will have a discussion, that is clear, and then we will discuss again. (...) Tonight we will have the discussion in the party. I, as I have said every time, do not make a decision alone. I want to hear what the party says," Citu said at the PNL headquarters about the meeting of the National Political Bureau on Monday evening.

Asked if he would make a recommendation, he replied: "Let's see what the party wants. We'll see after that."

Asked about the option of Nicolae Ciuca being prime minister, he reiterated that the PNL will make its own proposal for the head of government.

Regarding the option of a Social Democratic Party (PSD) member prime minister, in the case of a collaboration with this party, he stated: "You are going too far ahead. Let's have these discussions tonight. I have seen some things that we will discuss these days. I have seen attempts to change the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which is impossible. It cannot be done. There will be important negotiations in the next period."

"At the moment, the PNL has a decision, it has several decisions, a decision that we have not made yet - the prime minister's proposal is the party's chairman. We will see further. I repeat, the appointment is made by the Romanian president," he said.

He was asked if the PNL is in danger of splitting in the context of the election regarding the governing direction.

"The governing direction has nothing to do with the partner, if we maintain our objectives and we have there the reform plan, which will not change, whatever anyone says," Citu added.

The PNL chairman stressed that it is "crucial" for the liberals to keep the Ministry of Finance, Agerpres informs.
Teachers perceive the requirement for 60 percent of the staff to be vaccinated for schools to hold in-person classes as a measure meant to force them get the Covid jab; they think it also creates a divide between teachers and parents and between the vaccinated and unvaccinated, president of the Federation of Education Free Trade Unions (FSLI) Simion Hancescu told AGERPRES today.

"They should completely scrap this criterion, because what the people see is that they are being forced to get the needle. (...) This is everybody's interpretation in all the messages I receive: it is a measure meant to force teachers to get vaccinated, although the education system has one of the highest vaccination rates - at almost 70 percent. What bothers the people a lot is the requirement that the percentage of staff vaccinees be made public on the institutions' websites - no other industry has taken this step, we don't know why it was taken in education, probably to point the finger at the teachers, to turn them into an example for the entire country," said Simion Hancescu.

The union leader also pointed out that the enforcement of the 60 percent vaccinee criterion is unfair because it does not take into account the staff who has gone through the disease without symptoms, as well as the employees with contraindications to vaccination.

The president of the teachers' union explained that as regards the halt of the virus spread, this criterion is useless anyway since most students are unvaccinated and can pass the virus including to vaccinated teachers.

"Our prediction is that face-to-face learning schools will gradually move online because the infection incidence will increase, and here is actually the big issue, because that fairly high plateau is likely to keep constant precisely because of the high risk of spreading from students - let us not forget that there are many commuter students who come from various localities by public transport," Hancescu said, emphasizing that the enforcement of this criterion instead of the one linking school activities to the local infection rate has led to situations where classes run online in localities with an infection rate of less than 3 percent.

"The conclusion is that we don't find this measure is right and it doesn't bring anything good to the system, because in reality in-person education takes place in cities with very high infection rates. The percentage of vaccinated teachers may be quite high in big cities, but let's think that in a classroom with a vaccinated teacher there are 30 students of whom only 3 or 5 might be vaccinated, the rest are not immunised. Therefore the risk is high for both students and teachers, because this is about localities with infection rates higher than 10 percent, in certain cases. And on the other hand, in localities with low incidence rates they must hold online schooling because of the teachers' vaccination rate being around 50 - 55 percent," said Hancescu.

The president of the trade union organization emphasized that the enforcement of this criterion in absence of massive and constant testing of students and teachers demonstrates the impotence of the Romanian state.

"The enforcement of the 60 percent vaccinee requirement is not okay, as long as basic things have not been done in Romania - the Education Ministry and we have been asking since the beginning of the year for testing to be ensured; it would have been much wiser for the state to provide tests for both students and teachers, as well as medicines, because this is the true reason why we have a disaster on our hands: the Romanian state was incapable to procure medicines for the treatment of this disease, as it is in normal countries. It's true that the vaccination rate is high there, but those countries have provided medicines, this is why they have so few deaths - they have cheap or even free testing in place, whilst the situation in Romania is revolting. This is where the impotence of the Romanian state fully shows," concluded Simion Hancescu.
The online television platform Pemptousia will live-stream the Great Festive Vespers and the Liturgical Procession of the Honorable Head of St. Nektarios on Monday from the Holy Trinity Monastery on the island of Aegina, beginning at 18.30 Athens time or 16.30 GMT, Orthodoxia News Agency reports.

On Tuesday, the Orthros service and the Archieratical Divine Liturgy will be live-streamed by Pemptousia, beginning at 06.30 Athens time.

The Great Festive Vespers and the Archieratical Divine Liturgy will also be posted on the on-demand content available on the site.

Saint Nektarios was glorified by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 1961 with feast day on November 9.

Particles of the holy relics of Saint Nektarios are enshrined at Radu Voda Monastery in Bucharest, where thousands of pilgrims arrive every week to ask for help and comfort in their struggle with different sicknesses, including cancer.

In Romania there are several palliative care centres for advanced cancer patients. The most well known are in Bucharest and Cluj, both being protected by Saint Nektarios of Aegina.
Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu, who is on an official visit to Washington, said that the U.S. can count on Romania, while Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed that the U.S. and Romania are "strong NATO allies" working closely on many subjects.

The two officials gave a brief press statement before holding political consultations.

Blinken underscored that the U.S. and Romania have a strategic partnership and a strategic dialogue which proves that the two states are working closely on many subjects. We side together when it comes about certain challenges by Russia and China. We stand together when it comes to European security and stability, and we stand together in many areas, Blinken said.

Speaking about the recent agreement under which Romania will be the first country to build a next-generation small modular nuclear reactor, the U.S. Secretary of State said that this technology will have a major impact on everything climate change challenge. He also mentioned joint efforts to combat the COVID-19 situation.

Minister Aurescu said that his visit also has a symbolic touch, because in 2021 there are 10 years since the adoption of the joint declaration on the Strategic Partnership for the 21st century.

"We have achieved a lot, but we don't stop here. These consultations include very important topics on our agenda, important for our bilateral as well as multilateral coordination. First of all, we will discuss deepening our excellent political and security cooperation, we will emphasize the importance of close coordination in the negotiation of NATO's new strategic concept, further strengthening the deterrence and defense posture along the entire eastern flank, especially in the Black Sea, and increasing the U.S. presence in the region and in Romania as well," Bogdan Aurescu said.

The Romanian ForMin mentioned that economic and energy cooperation will also be tackled during talks, citing the Rail2Sea and Via Carpathia transnational connection projects, as well as the nuclear cooperation project which has become "another pillar of our strategic partnership."

Aurescu also spoke about Romania's desire to join the Visa Waiver program and voiced hope concrete tools can be found to move forward on this file.

"I will reiterate today Romania's firm support for the transatlantic partnership and transatlantic resilience, because they are the key to lasting peace, stability and prosperity in Europe and all over the world. Mr. Secretary, dear Tony, the United States can count on Romania as one of the strongest European and transatlantic allies and partners," Bogdan Aurescu assured, and Secretary Blinken replied that Romania can in its turn count on the U.S.
Romania's Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu will have consultations today in Washington DC with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, as part of a visit to the US November 8-9, at the invitation of his American counterpart, agerpres reports.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE), the visit also marks the official opening of the seventh meeting of the Romania-US Strategic Dialogue for the implementation of the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century between Romania and the United States of 2011.

"Organised amid the anniversary events of 2021 in the bilateral relationship - ten years since the adoption of the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century and the signing and entry into force of the Agreement Between the United States of America and Romania on the Deployment of the United States Ballistic Missile Defense System in Romania, as well as five years since the commissioning of the anti-missile facility in Deveselu - the visit will provide important opportunities to reconfirm the strong bilateral commitment to the strategic partnership and to strengthen co-operation in promoting projects of common interest on all dimensions of the strategic partnership. The visit will precede the 25th anniversary in 2022 of the release of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the USA," according to MAE.Given the context, talks between Aurescu and Blinken will aim to identify concrete ways to develop and deepen bilateral political, security, defence, and energy co-operation, strengthening economic co-operation, including promoting strategic interconnection projects that are a priority with Romania - Rail2Sea and Via Carpathia, as well as civil nuclear co-operation."Minister Bogdan Aurescu will also reiterate Romania's interest, as a strategic partner of the USA, in making actual progress with Romania's accession to the Visa Waiver programme, as an objective of great importance to Romanian citizens. Also addressed will be recent security developments, with a focus on the Black Sea region and security on NATO's Eastern Flank, co-ordination within NATO, including on the negotiation of the New Strategic Concept, as well as other items of interest on the transatlantic agenda. There will also be an exchange of views on the state of play in the relations with Russia, China, as well as on the regional agenda, including recent developments in the Republic of Moldova," MAE informed.
The Council of Union Representatives of the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) has decided in its Monday session that the Union will start negotiations for the formation "of a grand coalition" with the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Social Democratic Party (PSD), with the support of the parliamentary group of national minorities.

"On Monday we consulted with the chairs of county organizations, and in the online session of the Council of Union Representatives (CRU) we decided to continue governing, and UDMR will start negotiations for the formation of a grand coalition between PNL-PSD-UDMR, supported by the parliamentary group of national minorities," wrote the Union chair, Kelemen Hunor, on his Facebook page.

The UDMR leader believes that "this coalition makes sense only if reforms can be made to revise the Constitution - the introduction of a parliamentary republic may be such an important objective."

"At the same time, the Union is militating for the constitutional reform to ensure real conditions to make an independent justice a reality," Kelemen Hunor says.
The strategic partnership between Romania and the United States is a bridge for developing bilateral co-operation between the Romanian and American business communities, according to a statement from the Romanian Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism (MEAT) released on Monday, agerpres reports.

MEAT senior official Daniela Nicolescu participates, November 8-9 in Washington D.C., in the 7th round of the Strategic Dialogue between Romania and the US, as a member of the official Romanian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu.

Organised amid the anniversary events of 2021 in the bilateral relationship - ten years since the adoption of the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century and the signing and entry into force of the Agreement Between the United States of America and Romania on the Deployment of the United States Ballistic Missile Defense System in Romania, as well as five years since the commissioning of the anti-missile facility in Deveselu - the visit will provide important opportunities to reconfirm the strong bilateral commitment to the strategic partnership and to strengthen co-operation in promoting projects of common interest on all dimensions of the strategic partnership. The visit will precede the 25th anniversary in 2022 of the release of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the US.Nicolescu will participate, together with the MEAT delegation that includes Cristian Ilie, director of the Foreign Investment Department, and Tita Ilie, defence industry adviser, in the conference of the Working Group on Business, organised as part of the ongoing round of the Strategic Dialogue between Romania and the US.The visit is seen as an important opportunity, both for reconfirming the commitment to the Romania-US Strategic Partnership, a bridge between the business communities of the two countries, and for strengthening economic, trade and tourism co-operation and promoting projects of common interest, with Romania being an attractive destination to foreign investors because of its incentives offered and geostrategic position.At the same time, the visit represents a good opportunity to reaffirm the commitments made to the promotion and consolidation of the transatlantic relationship and democratic resilience, all the more so as Romania holds, throughout September 2022, the chairmanship of the Community of Democracies.According to the ministry, the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United States of America occupies a central place, and its development and deepening, under strategic projects of common interest, should remain objectives taken up at the highest level.
Former chairman of the National Liberal Party (PNL) Ludovic Orban Monday voiced his opposition to any form of government with the Social Democratic Party (PSD), pointing out that any alliance with this party "is nothing more than an advantage for the PSD and PNL particracy".

He also announced that if an alliance is formed with this party, PNL and he will part ways.

Ludovic Orban claimed that the negotiations with PSD represent an action contrary to everything that the Liberal values and principles stand for.

Orban specified that the votes of those who branched off from the PNL parliamentary groups would go for a government with Save Romania Union (USR).

He also said that the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) wants to govern with anyone.

At the entrance to Vila Lac 1, PNL leaders were greeted with toilet paper by several protesters. They were dissatisfied that the Liberals want to form a government with PSD, displaying a large banner with the message "Traitors".
The National Political Bureau of PSD (Social Democratic Party) has decided to start negotiations with PNL (National Liberal Party), UDMR (Democratic Union of Hungarians of Romania) and the minorities for creating a new government, the first deputy chair of the Social Democrats, Sorin Grindeanu, informed on Monday.

He added that they haven't discussed any political offices at the meeting of the PSD leadership.

Among the measures to be proposed by the PSD for the governing programme there will me massive testing and vaccination, restoring faith in authorities and bringing specialists from abroad, all legislative measures meant to fight the pandemic, specified Grindeanu, Agerpres informs.
Facebook does not have a great image right now, and maybe this allows them some distance from it, said Robyn LeBoeuf, professor of marketing at Washington Universitys Olin Business School.

Eric Thoelke, president of St. Louis branding firm TOKY, thinks the timing of the announcement made the rebranding less effective. As a straight branding play, there might have been a time when it would have worked well, he said. It looks reactionary, it looks like they are trying to throw people off a scent as opposed to doing it for strategic reasons.

The Facebook restructuring is similar to Googles creation of Alphabet in 2015. Google wanted to clearly separate its search advertising business from its other bets, such as self-driving cars, within a holding company structure.

Alphabet, though, never implied that any one business would dominate the companys future. By choosing the name Meta, Facebook is creating expectations that its small virtual-reality business will soon outshine its social-media apps.

David Meyer, a partner in Spoke Marketing, thinks thats a risky move. Without a clear statement of what theyre going to deliver, it sort of rings hollow to the cynical consumer, he said. Brands are built on trust, and it almost seems to erode trust more.
The 28 European countries that were barred made up 37% of overseas visitors in 2019, according to the U.S. Travel Association. As the reopening takes effect, carriers are increasing flights between the United Kingdom and the U.S. by 21% this month over last month, according to data from travel and analytics firm Cirium.

In a sign of the huge importance of trans-Atlantic travel for airlines, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic celebrated the reopening by synchronizing the departures of their early morning flights to New York on parallel runways at Londons Heathrow Airport.

Maria Giribet, 74, who lives on the Mediterranean isle of Majorca was headed to San Francisco where she planned to suffocate" her twin grandchildren with hugs after missing half their lives. Gabriel and David are now 3.

The U.S. will accept travelers who have been fully vaccinated with any of the shots approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization, not just those in use in the U.S. Thats a relief for many in Canada, where the AstraZeneca vaccine is widely used.

But millions of people around the world who were vaccinated with Russias Sputnik V, Chinas CanSino or other shots not approved by the WHO will not be able to travel to the U.S.
In September, when Texas near-total abortion ban took effect, Planned Parenthood clinics in the Lone Star State started offering every patient who walked in information on Senate Bill 8, as well as emergency contraception, condoms and two pregnancy tests. The plan is to distribute 22,000 empowerment kits this year.

We felt it was very important for patients to have as many tools on hand to help them meet this really onerous law, said Elizabeth Cardwell, lead clinician at Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, which has 24 clinics across the northern and central regions of the state and provides care to tens of thousands of people annually.

Most of their patients  who tend to be uninsured and have annual household incomes of less than $25,000  had not known about SB 8 the first several weeks after implementation, said Cardwell. But once they learned about it, patients seemed to rush to get on birth control, she said.

SB 8 allows private citizens, in Texas or elsewhere, to sue anyone who performs an abortion in the state or who aided or abetted someone getting an abortion once fetal cardiac activity is detected. This is generally around six weeks, before most people know theyre pregnant. Its had a chilling effect in Texas, where access to abortion was already limited.
After two years, I will reunite with my mother, my neighbors, my town, my province. I am very happy, said Barbara Garcia, 63, a native of Ciego de Avila, as she waited at a bus terminal in Havana.

Restaurants are authorized to serve at tables once again after months of take-out or home delivery.

At the privately owned La Guarida restaurant this week, workers were trying to regain their rhythm and restock good that are now sometimes lacking or are only available in dollars.

We have had a pretty tough financial and emotional time. Many families from many private businesses in Cuba have been at home without work,  said Vivian Aymerich, manager of La Guarida. I think that from the 15th, there will be an improvement.

The restaurant began as a small place with 12 chairs during an early opening to private business 25 years ago. Today it has 50 employees who were unemployed for nearly two years, subsisting on their savings. Celebrities such as Madonna, Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, Rihanna and Queen Sofia of Spain have visited La Guarida.

The island received 4.2 million tourists in 2019, generating about $3 billion dollars. That dropped to barely a million visitors in 2020  concentrated in the first quarter before the pandemic broke in earnest.
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Shootings linked to Perez Reed

 Sept. 12: A man waiting at a bus stop about 9 p.m. at 1624 Chambers Road in Dellwood was shot several times in the chest without warning. The man, identified in court papers as L.M. survived but has been left permanently disabled.

 Sept. 13: Marnay Haynes, 16, was fatally shot in the arm and head at 9:34 p.m. in the 9900 block of Glen Owen Drive in unincorporated St. Louis County. Haynes was a runaway who had spent time in a group home.

 Sept. 16: A woman identified as R.H. was shot in the face at 10:23 p.m. at the rear of 4542 Adelaide Avenue in St. Louis, but made her way to a BP gas station in the 4100 block of West Florissant Avenue. She was conscious and breathing but couldn't tell police what happened.

 Sept. 16: Pamela Abercrombie, 49, of Spanish Lake, was fatally shot in the head at 11:45 p.m. that same night, about one-half mile away from the shooting of R.H., in the 3800 block of West Florissant Avenue in St. Louis.

 Sept. 19: St. Louis police found Carey Ross, 24, of St. Louis, dead just after noon in a vacant lot in the 1500 block of Mullanphy Street. Ross had been shot in the head and body, likely about 12 hours earlier.

 Sept. 26: Ferguson police found the body of Lester Robinson, 40, at 7:15 a.m. He had been fatally shot in the head and the hand in or near 1710 Barbados Lane.

 Oct. 28: After taking a train to Kansas City, Reed was spotted at 11:15 p.m. on surveillance cameras entering the apartment of a man in the 900 block of Washington Boulevard in Kansas City, Kansas. The man, Damon Irvin, was with him. Reed left seven hours later, but Irvin was not seen alive again. Police found Irvin, 35, in his apartment on Nov. 1, dead of gunshot wounds.

 Oct. 29: Reed and a woman, Rau'Daja Fairrow, 25, entered the same apartment building in Kansas City just before 7 p.m. Reed left about 15 minutes later, and Fairrow's nude body was found Nov. 2 in her apartment. Reed showed his driver's license to enter the building, and surveillance cameras captured the distinctive crescent moon-shaped tattoo on his forehead.
Never have I seen so many people in one room excited to get their kids a needle in their arm, he said laughing.

Leslie French, of Crestwood, brought her two sons, Liam, 10, and Rhys, 7, to the clinic and said she was glad the approval for the vaccines came when it did.

Weve been very, very cautious for almost two years now, she said. So we havent been eating in restaurants, most of their play with friends is outside, but now its getting colder so thats a lot harder to do.

French said she was worried when there were some cases of COVID-19 reported at the boys school, but they have not had to quarantine this year.

Im just so relieved, she said. Theyll get their second dose and be fully vaccinated next month, and maybe we can have a more normal Christmas this year.

Liam had more mixed emotions as he waited for the shot.

Im pretty scared, he said. Weve been waiting for this for a long time though.

There was one incentive for Liam and all the other kids Saturday, however: stickers for every child who got their shot. Some of the most popular were dinosaurs.
On Saturday morning, longtime vaccine proponent Big Bird took to Twitter to announce he received his COVID-19 vaccine. But not everyone was happy for the giant yellow-feathered Sesame Street character, especially Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

"My wing is feeling a little sore, but it'll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy," Big Bird's tweet read.

The disapproving Cruz voiced his displeasure by replying to Big Bird's tweet, calling it, "government propaganda... for your 5 year old!"

One Twitter account user, Muppet Wiki, posted a 1972 video of Big Bird observing people waiting in line in front of a sign that read "Don't wait- vaccinate," and then proceeding to join the line, proving that Big Bird has been supportive of vaccines for years.

Former director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, Walter Shaub, also replied to Cruz's twitter trolling by reminding him "You are vaccinated."

On CNN's Saturday morning family town hall, Big Bird and other characters from "Sesame Street" appeared for "The ABCs of Covid Vaccines." The characters, along with CNN's chief medical correspondent, Sanjay Gupta, and anchor Erica Hill answered questions families might have about the COVID vaccine for children.
Blinken praised Egypt for its work to try to help stabilize Libya, which has been in the midst of chaos and internal unrest for years made complicated by the presence of foreign fighters and mercenaries acting on behalf of Russia, Turkey and Gulf Arab states.

On human rights, Blinken said the administration welcomed the launch of an Egyptian national human rights strategy but said the effort would be judged by its results. Making tangible and lasting improvements on human rights is essential to strengthening our bilateral relationship and the United States will continue to support those efforts however we can, he said.

The U.S. has complained about Egypts human rights record for years and the Biden administration has withheld $130 million in military aid to the country pending improvements.

Shoukry's remarks appeared to acknowledge Egypt's understanding of the concern. ""We also believe that human rights are an interdependent whole, which necessitates that we dedicate equal attention to political rights and civil liberties and economic and social rights," he said.

This is an evolutionary process unique to each country, one that reflects and takes into consideration its social specificities, developmental realities, religious background, and cultural characteristics, he said.

He added that the new strategy, along with al-Sissi's revocation of a long-standing nationwide state of emergency last month are irrefutable evidence of our determination and resolve to continue to forge our path towards a modern democratic state and for the benefit of our citizens first and foremost.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Strickland, a Black man, saw his first trial end in a hung jury when the only Black juror, a woman, held out for acquittal. After his second trial in 1979, he was convicted by an all-white jury of one count of capital murder and two counts of second-degree murder.

Strickland has always maintained that he was home watching television and had nothing to do with the killings, which happened when he was 18 years old.

Two other men convicted in the killings later insisted that Strickland wasn't at the crime scene, The Kansas City Star reported. And Douglas, the only eyewitness to the killings, recanted her testimony that Strickland was the shooter.

During afternoon testimony, Douglas' daughter, mother, sister and a former co-worker all testified that she had told them she identified the wrong shooter and wanted to help exonerate Strickland,

Senoria Strickland said her daughter told her police pressured her to identify Strickland and she was was upset and depressed that she had chosen the wrong guy.

During his testimony, Strickland denied suggestions that he offered Douglas $300 to keep her mouth shut, and said he had never visited the house where the murders occurred before they happened.
Europe has been a trailblazer in applying more scrutiny for big tech companies, most famously by slapping Google with multibillion-dollar fines in three antitrust cases. Now, the European Union is working on a sweeping update of its digital rulebook, including requiring companies to be more transparent with users on how algorithms make recommendations for what shows up on their feeds and forcing them to swiftly take down illegal content such as hate speech.

The rules are aimed at preventing bad behavior, rather than punishing past actions, as the EU has largely done so far.

France and Germany also are bringing in legislation requiring social media platforms to take down illegal content quicker, though these rules would be superseded by the EU ones, which are expected to take effect no earlier than 2023.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has only recently started cracking down on big tech companies, with regulators fining Facebook and YouTube over allegations of privacy violations and the government suing over their huge share of the market in the last couple of years. American lawmakers have proposed measures to protect kids online and get at the algorithms used to determine what shows up on feeds, but they all face a long road to passing.
This money was promised, but it hasnt been delivered," she said, adding that the $100 billion a year was the bare minimum for climate finance.

Despite opposition within Biden's own Democratic party that has blocked the president's climate-fighting legislation, Obama was confident that some version of Biden's ambitious climate bill will pass and be historic.

It will set the United States on course to meet its new climate targets, he said.

And while the rapport between U.S. and Chinese negotiators paved the way to the Paris accord, Obama on Monday criticized Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin for not joining other leaders at the climate talks in Glasgow.

It was particularly discouraging to see the leaders of two of the worlds largest emitters, China and Russia, decline to even attend the proceedings, and their national plans reflect what appears to be a dangerous lack of urgency, Obama said.

Obama spoke earlier Monday to a session on Pacific Island nations, including ones whose existence is threatened by rising oceans.
ISLAMABAD (AP)  Pakistani authorities Monday announced a month-long cease-fire with a key militant group behind numerous attacks on security forces and civilians over the last 14 years.

Government spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said on Twitter that the Taliban government in Afghanistan helped facilitate the cease-fire between the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

In a statement, TTP spokesperson Mohammad Khurasani confirmed the cease-fire beginning Nov. 9 will remain in place until Dec. 9, during which both sides will form a committee to continue talks. He said both sides will adhere to the cease-fire.

The agreement was reached amid ongoing peace talks between the government and the TTP that began last month. Chaudry said the truce could be extended if talks continue to make progress.

Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan is an umbrella group and is a separate organization from Afghanistans Taliban, who seized power in August.

The TTP has been emboldened by the return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Chaudhry provided no details about the ongoing talks, during which he said both sides agreed on the cease-fire.
These are the most-read letters from last week.
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A recent U.S. Army study on NCOs who serve as DIs (drill sergeants) during basic training found that the job is now one of the most unpopular in the army. The main cause is the growing number of mandatory tasks the DI is required to deal with. This is a problem throughout the military but is worse for those who oversee basic training. Problems in Basic training are generally ignored and only get in the news when there are several fatal training accidents in a short period of time. In those situations, senior officers, and training personnel brace themselves for the usual flood of demands from media and politicians that something, usually anything, be done. Often the result is a ban on dangerous training activities and subtly letting it be known that any officer associated with a fatal training accident can expect problems with their next promotion. Yet over decades of war heavy combat in Iraq and Afghanistan reminded many in the military that strenuous, and often dangerous, training saves you even more casualties in combat. This is nothing new. For thousands of years experienced combat troops have known that, "the more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war." During World War II the U.S. Army surveyed the troops to see what they thought about their training, leadership, and a host of other items. One of the more surprising things to come out of these surveys was the feeling among combat troops that their training wasn't tough enough. World War II "basic" was generally quite intense, more severe than anything recruits experienced since 1945. Actual combat quickly revealed that even more intensity in that training would have been a big, often life-saving, help.

During wartime the troops get better. Practice and experience have an effect. But during peacetime something worse happens. Not only does the lack of practice make the troops less ready to survive actual combat but the commanders have a vested interest in denying that this is happening. The rot sets in rather quickly after a war has ended. Training for combat is not only a lot of work but it's also dangerous. Realistic training means some of the troops are going to get hurt or killed. This is a political no-no, at least in democracies. At the same time, a democracy demands accountability from its elected officials. If the taxpayers are going to fork over billions a year for defense, they want to be reassured that the money is buying real, kick ass, combat power. That often results in unpleasant truths being hidden or just ignored until there is a war.

When American troops entered combat in large numbers during the 2003 Iraq invasion, it quickly became clear that many troops were not ready. The reason for this was simple but generally ignored by the media and politicians. It all began in the 1990s, when basic training was changed from a conditioning process that turned undisciplined civilians into disciplined soldiers into something far less. Discipline is essential for military operations. In life and death situations, failure to act promptly and efficiently when ordered will get you, and others, killed.

This destruction of basic training was not done on purpose but to accommodate the decision in the early 1990s to integrate men and women in basic training. For decades male and female recruits got their basic training separately. By putting them together it became obvious that the women could not compete physically and psychologically with the men. But a new policy, pushed by many in Congress, declared that men and women were equal on the battlefield and should take the same basic training. When the military found this did not work, they lowered the standards to suit the weakest women., One exception was the Marines, who resisted the political pressure and continued separate training and doing it the way they always had. It was tough and the marines always had more recruits than they could accept.

Much of the yelling and verbal abuse delivered by drill sergeants was also eliminated, for while it turned the men into disciplined soldiers, it encouraged too many women to quit. After all, women did not join the army with any thought of combat, but for a job. Most of the men did not get combat assignments either but everyone was aware that in a tight situation the non-combat troops might have to use their rifles, and the place to make that point was basic training. In effect, 1990s basic became the old, but kinder and gentler, female version that taught you how to wear a uniform, march in formation, and provided some familiarization with basic infantry weapons.

This change in basic training had a profound effect that no one wanted to admit. Basically, the troops were much less disciplined and required much more supervision. This meant, among other things, that officers often did supervisory tasks that NCOs used to handle. And the men going into combat jobs, in effect, did basic over, the old-fashioned way, when they were given their additional training for specific jobs (infantry, artillery, tanks). But the rest of the troops were less soldiers and more like civilians. It became harder to keep the troops on the straight and narrow, or alive if they found themselves in combat.

As a result, all services liberally used "administrative discharge" (i.e., they fired troublesome soldiers) to get rid of most ill-disciplined troops or those who simply could not come to terms with being in the military. But this made it more difficult to keep units up to strength. Commanders were encouraged to fire fewer troops and, in effect, put up with many of their young men and women who had not been convinced by basic training lite that they were now in the military.

It got worse. Shrinking budgets in the 1990s generated a situation where more money could be put into developing new weapons, keeping unneeded bases open, upgrading barracks and family housing, funding the needs of single parents, or training. Something had to give and it was training, which was needed more than ever. But then, the loss would only be noticed if we went to war and American politicians were very much against any American casualties. Can't have a real war without someone getting killed, so training costs were cut. There was less money for using tanks, aircraft, or ships. Fewer spare parts were bought even though a lot of spares were needed if you used equipment a lot. There was another reason for reducing training, doing it energetically tended to get troops killed or injured. This was more of a problem now that so many recruits were getting eight weeks of coed camp instead of basic training. So, combat training for non-combat troops was avoided.

When there was a military operation, like Kosovo, units worldwide were stripped of competent troops and working equipment to fill the need. While much was said about having armed forces that could fight two wars at once, it turned out that the U.S. was barely able to support a few months of air operations over the Balkans. And the subsequent occupation of Kosovo with ground units left far more units elsewhere incapable of combat operations.

All that began to change after September 11, 2001, and the change accelerated after 2003. The combat deficiencies of non-combat troops became painfully obvious during the advance into Iraq. But after the heavy combat in Iraq and Afghanistan ended, the trend was to back off on training and go back to getting the troops less ready for combat, so that we can repeat the same cycle again and again. What goes around comes around, it surely does.

It has gotten worse in the last few years as training personnel, especially DIs, were made responsible for monitoring and correcting behavior of trainees that might be racially offensive. This had nothing to do with preparing for combat because once troops experience combat, or get through a tough and realistic basic training program, they realize that all must depend on each other to survive combat. Now the only ones being exposed to lots of stress are the DIs and other training personnel who are suffering more cases of domestic problems, burnout, low morale, and reluctance to continue serving in the military. These are the personnel you can least afford to lose in peacetime. So far that aspect of the problem gets little attention outside the military even though it is doing a lot of damage to the army and navys ability to attract and keep qualified personnel.
What is happening in Afghanistan is that a lucrative illegal drug enterprise based on heroin became a source of financial support for a faction (the Taliban) in a civil war supported by a neighbor (Pakistan) has been going on for decades. What got this forever war going was a 1979 communist insurrection that failed and was revived by Soviet (Russian) military intervention that failed and the Russians withdrew by 1988. The communists overthrew the two-century old monarchy, which had kept Afghanistan united and at peace until Russian decided to get involved. The monarchy existed to deal with outsiders and help settle tribal conflicts. There was no royal army, only an agreement among the many tribes and ethnic groups that comprised the region known as Afghanistan. In effect, Afghanistan got itself united at a time when India (then including Pakistan) was a collection of independent feudal entities that Britain was starting to unite by negotiation and force. By the mid-1800s Britain had united south Asia into a colony. A century later the British left, with India becoming independent as India, Pakistan, Burma and Sri Lanka. Most of the Afghan border was inherited by Pakistan, which allowed the northwestern tribes to keep their tribal laws the British had agreed to. That agreement also recognized the usefulness of the Afghan monarchy and Pakistan went along with that. All these arrangements were destroyed by the failed communist coup and Soviet intervention. While the Russian troops left, financial support for the communist government, which controlled Kabul and not much else, continued. Various factions that had fought the Russians were now fighting each other for control of Kabul. The Soviet Union dissolved in 1991 and so did all financial and other assistance to the communist government of Afghanistan, which was soon gone. Pakistan responded by creating the Taliban to take control of most of Afghanistan. The American intervened in 2001 because of the September 11, 2001 attacks and helped put the old Afghan coalition back in power as a corrupt democracy. Pakistan provided sanctuary for the Taliban and cooperation with the heroin cartels that were established in the 1980s until the Americans left and the Taliban/drug cartels coalition was back in power, under Pakistani supervision. The fighting continues in Afghanistan. Afghans are divided by the presence of Pakistani influence and Pakistani support for the heron cartels.

There is a similar conflict going on in the South American nation of Colombia where cocaine cartels survive because of a 70-year Colombian civil war referred to as "La Violencia" (The Violence) that left over half a million dead, and millions injured or displaced. Millions more simply fled the country, either into neighboring states, or distant destinations like the U.S. or Europe. La Violencia had many causes but was basically a bloody struggle between leftists and conservatives. There was a lull in the late 1950s and early 60s, when moderate leftists and conservatives worked out a compromise. But the worldwide upsurge in leftist activism in the 1960s reignited La Violencia. The leftist FARC and ELN rebels got another boost in the 1970s when cocaine became a big business, and the leftists used their muscle to protect the drug gangs from the government. Half a century after the peacemaking compromises that ended the first round of La Violencia, the conservative government defeated the rebels militarily and negotiated a peace deal with the leftist rebels. FARC and the smaller ELN delayed reaching an agreement by trying to negotiate a deal that allowed them to keep much of what they had stolen, including rural land. FARC and ELN always said they were fighting to get justice for farmers while at the same time being a major source of the injustices farmers demanded be put right. The Colombian government made their big comeback after 2000 by concentrating on protecting the population, which made it possible to revive the economy. FARC's guns and slogans could not compete with this.

FARC gave up in 2016 and agreed to a peace deal. The ELN continued fighting until most of the remnants were forced to seek sanctuary in neighboring Venezuela, which became a leftist dictatorship after 1999. The leftist Venezuelan Bolivarian Republic ruined the economy, which had long been one of the wealthiest in South America because Venezuela had the largest oil reserves in the world and had avoided unrest for decades with efforts to spread the wealth. That effort was not fast enough or thorough enough to prevent the election of a leftist president in 1999. The leftists survived for over a decade until the economy collapsed due to mismanagement. The leftist government remains in power and the economy is still in ruins. One source of income was the cocaine trade, which needed a safe transit point to get its drugs to foreign markets in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere. Venezuela provided that, for a fee.

As La Violencia diminished after the 2016 peace deals, Venezuela provided sanctuary for about a thousand FARC and ELN fighters who refused to accept the peace deal and found they could no longer operate in Colombia.

Colombia and Afghanistan are similar because of a lucrative criminal enterprise based on drugs like cocaine or heroin. These drugs survive because the drug cartels face local governments that are not strong enough to defeat them, plus the presence of neighboring countries where the drug cartels can move temporarily or permanently if the local government becomes too effective against them. Colombia had broken the power of the cocaine cartels as part of their effort to force FARC and ELN to accept a peace deal. Venezuela became a lifeline for the Colombian cocaine cartels while Pakistan provided even greater support for the Afghan heroin cartels.

Valuable modern illegal drugs like heroin are a rather recent development that became a major problem first for China and then for Pakistan and then Afghanistan. Opium, produced from the sap of the poppy plant, has been used by humans for thousands of years and grew wild throughout Eurasia. But the expense of producing opium from individual poppy plants limited its use to medicinal purposes, and as a narcotic for the very few wealthy enough to afford it. That changed with the industrial revolution, which created more efficient production methods (making the drug cheaper) and more money (and more customers).

But the industrial revolution reached China, there was a sustained Chinese effort to stamp out the opium trade. China was the wealthiest pre-industrial nation in the 18th century, and local opium production found a growing market among wealthy Chinese. Soon, the government realized that drug addiction was disabling a growing number of the most productive people in the empire. By the early 18th century, China began outlawing opium as a recreational drug. Then, a century later, Britain forced China (via the two "Opium Wars") to allow opium imports from British poppy plantations in India. Britain pleaded economic necessity, because China encouraged exports, but restricted imports, and Britain needed something to even the trade balance. When opium is available, there is always a market. Opium is highly addictive, and many Chinese were willing to spend most of their income just to stay high.

In 1900 China was still a nation full of opium addicts, and about 41,000 tons of opium a year was produced, five times current production, with 95 percent going to China and, at that point, largely produced there instead of in India. The Chinese Communists outlawed opium when they came to power in 1949, a popular move, even among many of the addicts.

Throughout the industrialized nations, opium had already been outlawed. It was legal until the 19th century, but addiction became a major social problem as more people could afford to get high. The historical experience is quite clear; legalizing opium, and its more potent derivatives morphine, heroin, codeine, and so on, does not work. The problem was made worse in the 19th century, as Western chemists developed ways to concentrate the narcotic effect of opium by refining it into powerful sedatives like heroin, morphine, and codeine. These were used as painkillers, and their availability was at first restricted to medicinal uses. That loophole allowed heroin, and a similar South American drug, cocaine, derived from coca plants, to become legal additives to a growing number of products. In the late 1800s the growing chemicals industry was ready to provide what was needed at lower cost. A ton of heroin is made by refining 7.5 tons of opium using 260 tons of acetic anhydride, an industrial chemical. Heroin is a much stronger and addictive drug than opium, and sells for 30-40 times as much as the same weight of opium.

In the early 1980s 2,000 tons of opium were produced a year, nearly all of it for legitimate medicinal products. But illegal production continued in the Asian Golden Triangle. This was the ancient poppy growing area where the borders of China, Burma and Thailand meet. When the communists shut down opium production in the late 1940s, the Chinese producers moved to Burma and Thailand. The Thais soon shut it down, but Burma, run by a military dictatorship, needed the money, and didn't crack down until the 1990s, partly to destroy the military power of Chinese drug warlords who grew strong off their heroin profits. It then showed up in the tribal territories of northwest Pakistan, where it was soon driven across the border to Afghanistan after the Russian invasion. The Taliban heavily taxed drug production, and even halted production in 2000 because of oversupply and falling prices. The Taliban told Western nations that they were suppressing the opium production in return for foreign aid, but they allowed opium production to resume in 2001 when the foreign aid was not forthcoming. Opium has always been all about money.

Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan are suffering a growing opium addiction problem. There is some heroin addiction as well, but only among the wealthy. Opium is cheap (10-20 cents a gram) enough so that even the poor can get hooked if they can hustle and steal enough money to feed their habit. Because of religious prohibitions, alcohol is difficult to come by.

Opium is not explicitly forbidden to Moslems, is easier to conceal, and provides a better high. Even Taliban members use opium. This addiction problem is why most government officials in the region are down on opium, unless they are getting large bribes from the drug gangs. This is the case in Afghanistan, but many officials oppose the drug trade anyway. It's a disease that their own children are vulnerable to. In a way, the drug trade is inherently self-destructive. Despite all the cash it brings to those running it, the drugs eventually devastate the families of those involved in the business. It is, literally, a deal with the devil. The Islamic clergy are particularly down on the opium trade. Even many pro-Taliban clerics, who realize that drug money supports efforts to spread and enforce their conservative religious beliefs, oppose drug use. During the 1990s, the Taliban taxed the drug trade, even as they condemned using the drugs. There was quite a bit of tension within the Taliban leadership over the organization's relationship with the drug gangs. That tension never disappeared. The compromise solution was to allow production within Afghanistan, if it was all exported to infidel (non-Moslem) nations. But it doesn't work that way, and the Afghan drug production has created over ten million addicts in Afghanistan and neighboring nations.

Cocaine and heroin continue to sustain violence and widespread poverty in areas where the drug cartels can operate, like Venezuela, Mexico, and Afghanistan. China maintains the ban in the Golden Triangle and Pakistan pushed the heroin operations across the border into Afghanistan during the 1980s and refuses to allow it back into Pakistan. Pakistan kept the heroin production in Afghanistan by providing the heroin cartels with access to the needed chemicals for refining as well as access to Pakistani ports so the heroin could be exported.

Efforts to deal with these illegal drugs by legalizing them have been tried, and failed since the late 19th century. The problem is that if widely available legally these highly addictive drugs cause major social problems. No one has yet found a solution for that. The debilitating effects of alcohol are minor compared to what modern drugs can do when freely available.

Alcohol became a public health problem because the industrial revolution largely eliminated the health benefits of alcohol, which was a natural water purifier and was only available in low-alcohol beverages like beer and wine which for thousands of years were perishable and could not be stored for long periods. High-content alcoholic beverages like whiskey and brandy came along with the Industrial Revolution when they became cheap enough to be purchased and consumed in harmful quantities. The Industrial Revolution brought with it modern sanitation and widespread availability of clean water. Alcohol had one virtue, it was not as addictive as modern drugs like cocaine and heroin and thats why long wars are still fought over control of heroin and cocaine production but not alcohol, nicotine, or caffeine. Currently Afghanistan is the most visible victim of their highly addictive and largely illegal drugs. While cocaine production is spread among several countries, over 80 percent of the illegal heroin comes out of Afghanistan. For corrupt politicians and religious zealots, the money is too good to pass up.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 8, 2021) - Origen Resources Inc. (CSE: ORGN) (FSE: 4VXA) (the "Company" or "Origen") is pleased to announce that it has now been granted rights by the province of La Rioja, Argentina to explore an additional 21,000 hectares within the prospective lithium belt that extends from the Los Sapitos salar in San Juan north into La Rioja province. The Company's two claim packages now total over 47,000 hectares (ha) and are centered on known salars or dry salt lakes.





Figure 1: Location Map of Los Sapitos Lithium Belt

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7117/102370_e125814c042f08e0_001full.jpg.

The belts tectonic setting, geothermal activity and observed brine chemistry are similar to that of the Lithium Triangle to the north and give rise to the potential for discovering structural traps for lithium-bearing aquifers at depth. The area is also host to vast alluvial sand and clay deposits that have never been investigated for their lithium content. Very limited exploration for lithium has occurred within the project area and the initial focus will be to conduct a regional geophysical gravity survey to determine controlling structures, basin shape and consequently, potential traps within the basins. In addition, the team will conduct systematic sampling of not only the brines, but also investigate the extent and characteristics of lithium-rich clays. Ulexite (a boron evaporite mineral) has also been identified throughout the belt and indicates that concentrated boron-bearing brines have been present, which is an indicator of lithium prospectivity.

"Controlling 47,000 ha in this newly identified lithium region is yet another game changer for our shareholders. The Origen team looks forward to getting boots on the ground in the coming weeks to start unlocking the value we see in this asset," states Blake Morgan, Company President.

.



Figure 2: Claim Holdings within the Tectonic Corridor

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7117/102370_e125814c042f08e0_002full.jpg.

Newfoundland Lithium Update

The Company is now in receipt of the required exploration permits in Newfoundland and has commenced field work. It is anticipated that this first sampling and prospecting phase of the program will take approximately 6 weeks.

Further details on the project can be found on the Company's website www.origenresources.com. One of the world's largest lithium suppliers, Ganfeng Lithium Corp., holds a 4.3% equity stake in in Origen.

John Harrop, P. Geo., a Qualified Person as that term is defined in NI 43-101, has supervised the preparation, or approved the scientific and technical disclosure in the news release. Mr. Harrop is employed by Coast Mountain Geological Ltd. He is not independent of the Company as defined in NI 43-101.

About Origen

Origen is an exploration company engaged in generating, acquiring and advancing base, precious metal, and lithium properties. The Company currently holds a property portfolio of four 100% owned precious and base metal projects in southern British Columbia, a 100% interest in the 26,771 ha LGM project in the mineral rich Golden Triangle of British Columbia, a 100% interest in the Middle Ridge gold project, a 100% interest in 13 lithium prospects in Newfoundland and an option to earn a 100% interest in a burgeoning new lithium belt in Argentina.

On behalf of Origen,

Blake Morgan

President

For further information, please contact Blake Morgan, President at 236-878-4938 or Gary Schellenberg, CEO at 604-681-0221.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Certain of the statements made and information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking information." In particular references to the private placement and future work programs or expectations on the quality or results of such work programs are subject to risks associated with operations on the property, exploration activity generally, equipment limitations and availability, as well as other risks that we may not be currently aware of. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/102370
SICILY, Italy, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 29 the Incursioni association organized a videoconference "Ukraine as a failed state and Europe". The meeting was attended by the councilor for international cooperation of Piedmont Region Maurizio Marrone, philosopher Diego Fusaro, sociologist Fabrizio Fratus, journalist Alessandro Sansoni, vice president of the National Youth Francesco Di Giuseppe and Alessandro Del Giudice from the KulturaEuropa publishing project.

The speakers examined the political, economic and social conditions in Ukraine six years after the Euromaidan revolution. Conference attendees focused on recent tensions in the buffer zone separating the "rebel" autonomous provinces of Donbas and Luhansk in conjunction with the visit of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to Ukraine on October 19. During the visit the head of the Pentagon has confirmed Washington's support for Ukraine in the anti-Russian struggle to President Zelens'ky.

According to Alessandro Sansoni, who opened the event, "the Ukrainian crisis is a destabilizing factor for Europe, which, due to the sanctioning regime against Moscow, has already caused serious negative repercussions for the economy of the European Union states and Italy in particular", that had to renounce the construction of the South Stream gas pipeline, as well as a reduction of its import-export volumes with the Russian Federation. He added that, on the other hand, the energy issue remains crucial and "if Germany was able, despite the sanctions, to complete North Stream 2, it is also true that the request for entry into the corporate structure of the Ukrainian state company Naftogaz, supported from Washington, could cause a delay in the commissioning of the pipeline."

For Diego Fusaro the 2014 uprising is "the latest act of an Atlanticization process of the former Soviet space, implemented by Washington in the decades following the fall of the Berlin Wall" and the ouster of Kiev from the sphere of Moscow's influence, with the effect of compromising Euro-Russian relations. To him, it presents a classic example of what the German political scientist Carl Schmitt called "Raumfrende Macht", an intervention of an extra-regional power (in this case, the USA that actively supported the revolt of Euromaidan) in favor of one country, but with positive effects exclusively for the interests of the power outside the context.

The Ukrainian population, not only the Russian-speaking part of it, are currently suffering from serious repercussion, a quite severe economic and social crisis, and shattering of state structures due to a multi-year civil conflict. Failed attempts to improve the situation make many perceive Ukraine as a "failed state", incapable to ensure the well-being of its citizens. "The risk," - underlined Marrone - "is that of having an 'Afghanistan effect' in Ukraine as well if Washington loosens its support for Kiev, with a possible increase in hostility towards the population of the eastern provinces by Ukrainian nationalist groups in seeks a quick solution to the conflict." The European Union, and also Italy as its part, have the duty, as well as the interest, to take a strong negotiating initiative to avoid further escalations.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pupia-incursioni-association-gathered-to-discuss-ukraine-case-301418029.html

SOURCE PUPIA
UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 6-K

Report of Foreign Private Issuer Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16

Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the Month of November 2021

001-36345

(Commission File Number)

GALMED PHARMACEUTICALS LTD.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

16 Tiomkin St.

Tel Aviv 6578317 , Israel

(Address of principal executive offices)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

Form 20-F  Form 40-F 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): 

This Form 6-K contains the quarterly report of Galmed Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (the Company), which includes the Companys unaudited consolidated financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, together with related information and certain other information. The Company is not subject to the requirements to file quarterly or certain other reports under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Company does not undertake to file or cause to be filed any such reports in the future, except to the extent required by law.

On November 8, 2021, the Company issued a press release announcing the filing of its financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.

In addition, on November 8, 2021, the Company issued a press release entitled Galmed Announces New Positive Data from Ongoing ARMOR Study Open Label Part Showing Clinically Significant Effect on Fibrosis Improvement. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.2 and incorporated herein by reference.

The Company intends to present the information in the presentation slides attached hereto as Exhibit 99.3 on November 8, 2021. A copy of the presentation is furnished as Exhibit 99.3 and incorporated by reference herein.

This Form 6-K, the text under the heading Recent Clinical & Scientific Developments and Financial Summary - Third Quarter 2021 vs. Third Quarter 2020 in the press release in Exhibit 99.1, and the first four paragraphs (including the summary results table and footnotes thereto) and the Forward Looking Statements of the press release in Exhibit 99.2 are incorporated by reference into the Companys Registration Statement on Form S-8 (Registration No. 333-206292 and 333-227441 ) and the Companys Registration Statement on Form F-3 (Registration No. 333-254766 ).

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Financial Statements

GALMED PHARMACEUTICALS LTD.

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)

U.S. Dollars in thousands, except share data and per share data

As of As of September 30, December 31, 2021 2020 Assets Current assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 3,490 $ 6,947 Restricted Cash 113 113 Short-term deposits - 3,807 Marketable debt securities 38,415 40,132 Other receivable 1,674 812 Total current assets 43,692 51,811 Right of use assets 452 394 Property and equipment, net 154 176 Total non-current assets 606 570 Total assets $ 44,298 $ 52,381 Liabilities and stockholders equity Current liabilities Trade payables $ 5,233 $ 7,046 Other payables 1,115 966 Total current liabilities 6,348 8,012 Non-current liabilities Lease obligation $ 274 $ 216 Total non-current liabilities 274 216 Ordinary shares par value NIS 0.01 per share; Authorized 50,000,000 ; Issued and outstanding: 25,083,914 shares as of September 30, 2021; 21,325,975 shares as of December 31, 2020 70 58 Additional paid-in capital 198,403 179,530 Accumulated other comprehensive gain (75 ) 272 Accumulated deficit (160,722 ) (135,707 ) Total stockholders equity 37,676 44,153 Total liabilities and stockholders equity $ 44,298 $ 52,381

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the interim consolidated financial statements.

GALMED PHARMACEUTICALS LTD.

Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited)

U.S. Dollars in thousands, except share data and per share data

2021 2020 2021 2020 Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, 2021 2020 2021 2020 Research and development expenses 6,541 6,536 20,957 17,057 General and administrative expenses 1,304 1,054 4,432 2,811 Total operating expenses 7,845 7,590 25,389 19,868 Financial income, net (131 ) (685 ) (374 ) (1,374 ) Net loss $ 7,714 $ 6,905 $ 25,015 $ 18,494 Basic and diluted net loss per share $ 0.31 $ 0.32 $ 1.02 $ 0.87 Weighted-average number of shares outstanding used in computing basic and diluted net loss per share 25,083,914 21,268,730 24,432,220 21,191,196

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the interim consolidated financial statements.

GALMED PHARMACEUTICALS LTD.

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss (Unaudited)

U.S. Dollars in thousands

2021 2020 2021 2020 Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, 2021 2020 2021 2020 Net loss $ 7,714 $ 6,905 $ 25,015 $ 18,494 Other comprehensive loss: Net unrealized loss (gain) on available for sale securities 183 408 347 (55 ) Comprehensive loss $ 7,897 $ 7,313 $ 25,362 $ 18,439

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the interim consolidated financial statements.

GALMED PHARMACEUTICALS LTD.

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders Equity (Unaudited)

U.S. Dollars in thousands, except share data and per share data

Shares Amount capital loss Deficit Total Accumulated Additional other Ordinary shares paid-in Comprehensive Accumulated Shares Amount capital loss Deficit Total Balance - December 31, 2019 21,139,385 $ 58 $ 176,696 $ 35 $ (106,936 ) $ 69,853 Stock-based compensation - - 1,096 - - 1,096 ATM ATM, shares Share issuance Share issuance, shares Exercise of options Exercise of options, shares Exercise of options and restricted stock units 13,781 - 61 - - 61 Unrealized gain from marketable debt securities - - - 463 - 463 Net loss - - - - (11,589 ) (11,589 ) Balance - June 30, 2020 21,153,166 $ 58 $ 177,853 $ 498 $ (118,525 ) $ 59,884 Stock-based compensation - - 378 - - 378 ATM 136,300 (*) 707 - 707 Exercise of options and restricted stock units 22,577 (*) - - - (*) Unrealized gain from marketable debt securities - - - (408 ) - (408 ) Net loss - - - - (6,905 ) (6,905 ) Balance - September 30, 2020 21,312,043 $ 58 $ 178,938 $ 90 $ (125,430 ) $ 53,656

Accumulated Additional other Ordinary shares paid-in Comprehensive Accumulated Shares Amount capital loss Deficit Total Balance - December 31, 2020 21,325,975 $ 58 $ 179,530 $ 272 $ (135,707 ) $ 44,153 Stock based compensation - - 943 - - 943 Share issuance 3,739,203 12 17,356 - - 17,368 Exercise of options (**) 18,736 (*) - - - (*) Unrealized loss from marketable debt securities - - - (164 ) - (164 ) Net loss (17,301 ) (17,301 ) Balance - June 30, 2021 25,083,914 $ 70 $ 197,829 $ 108 $ (153,008 ) $ 44,999 Beginning balance, value 25,083,914 $ 70 $ 197,829 $ 108 $ (153,008 ) $ 44,999 Stock-based compensation - - 574 - - 574 Unrealized loss from marketable debt securities - - - (183 ) - (183 ) Net loss - - - - (7,714 ) (7,714 ) Balance - September 30, 2021 25,083,914 $ 70 $ 198,403 $ (75 ) $ (160,722 ) $ 37,676 Ending balance, value 25,083,914 $ 70 $ 198,403 $ (75 ) $ (160,722 ) $ 37,676

(*) Represents amount less than $1. (**) See notes 3.3 and 3.4.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the interim consolidated financial statements.

GALMED PHARMACEUTICALS LTD.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)

U.S. Dollars in thousands

2021 2020 Nine months ended

September 30, 2021 2020 Cash flow from operating activities Net loss $ (25,015 ) $ (18,494 ) Adjustments required to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities Depreciation and amortization 32 28 Stock-based compensation expense 1,517 1,474 Amortization of premium on marketable debt securities 115 36 Interest income from short-term deposits 7 (268 ) Gain from realization of marketable debt securities (32 ) (522 ) Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Decrease (increase) in other accounts receivable (862 ) 185 Decrease in trade payables (1,813 ) (848 ) Increase (decrease) in other accounts payable 149 (40 ) Net cash used in operating activities (25,902 ) (18,449 ) Cash flow from investing activities Purchase of property and equipment (10 ) (33 ) Investment in available for sale securities (12,069 ) (45,226 ) Sale (investment) in short term deposits, net - 17,783 Maturity of short term deposits 3,800 - Consideration from sale of available for sale securities 13,356 45,875 Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities 5,077 18,399 Cash flow from financing activities Proceeds from exercise of options (*) - 61 Issuance of Ordinary shares upon ATM (**) 8,147 707 Issuance of Ordinary shares, net of issuance cost (**) 9,221 - Net cash provided in financing activities 17,368 768 Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash (3,457 ) 718 Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash at the beginning of the period 7,060 16,043 Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash at the end of the period $ 3,603 $ 16,761 Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information: Cash received from interest $ 474 $ 966 Non-cash transactions: Recognition of right-of-use asset and lease liability from adoption of ASU 2016-02 $ 497 $ 35

(*) Represents amount less than $1. (**) See notes 3.2 and 3.4.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the interim consolidated financial statements.

GALMED PHARMACEUTICALS LTD.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

Note 1 - Basis of presentation

Galmed Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (the Company) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company primarily focused on the development of therapeutics for the treatment of liver diseases. The Company was incorporated in Israel on July 31, 2013 and commenced operations on February 2, 2014. The Company holds a wholly-owned subsidiary, Galmed International Ltd., which was incorporated in Malta. Galmed International Ltd. previously held a wholly-owned subsidiary, Galmed Medical Research Ltd., which was liquidated during the first quarter of 2019. The Company also holds two additional wholly-owned subsidiaries, Galmed Research and Development Ltd and Galtopa Therapeutics Ltd., both of which are incorporated in Israel.

These unaudited interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared as of September 30, 2021, and for the three and nine months period then ended. Accordingly, certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been omitted. These unaudited interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and the accompanying notes of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2020 that are included in the Companys Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 18, 2021 (the Annual Report). The results of operations presented are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2021.

Note 2 - Summary of significant accounting policies

The significant accounting policies that have been applied in the preparation of the unaudited consolidated interim financial statements are identical to those that were applied in preparation of the Companys interim most recent annual financial statements in connection with its Annual Report on Form 20-F.

Note 3 - Stockholders Equity

1. During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, certain office holders exercised options into 18,736 ordinary shares of the Company, NIS 0.01 par value per share, for a total amount of less than $1 thousand . 2. During February 2021, the Company entered into an underwriting agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. as underwriter, in connection with an underwritten public offering of 2,197,803 ordinary shares (the Firm Shares) of the Company. Pursuant to the underwriting agreement the underwriter purchased the Firm Shares from the Company at a price of $ 4.3258 per share. The net proceeds to the Company were approximately $ 9.3 million. 3. On March 16, 2021, the Company granted options to purchase 45,000 ordinary shares of the Company to an employee and a consultant. The options are exercisable at $ 4.16 per share, have a 10 -year term and vest over a period of four years. 4. On May 15, 2020, the Company amended and restated the Sales Agreement dated December 22, 2017 between the Company and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated to include Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. as an additional sales agent for the Companys at the market offering program (the A&R Sales Agreement). During February 2021, the Company sold an additional 1,541,400 ordinary shares under the ATM program for total net proceeds of approximately $ 8.1 million. On March 25, 2021, the Company agreed with the sales agents to terminate, with immediate effect, the A&R Sales Agreement. 5. On March 26, 2021, the Company entered into a new Sales Agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and Canaccord Genuity LLC, as sales agents, pursuant to which the Company may offer and sell ordinary shares at the market having an aggregate offering price of up to $ 50.0 million from time to time through the sales agents. 6. On July 15, 2021, the Company granted options to purchase 100,000 ordinary shares of the Company to its non-management directors. The options are exercisable at $ 3.10 per share, have a 10 -year term and vest over a period of three years. 7. On August 3, 2021, the Company granted options to purchase 37,500 ordinary shares of the Company to its employees. The options are exercisable at $ 2.83 per share, have a 10 -year term and vest over a period of three years. 8. In November 2020, the Companys Board approved to grant options to purchase 220,000 ordinary shares of the Company to Companys Chief executive officer subject to shareholders approval which was obtained on August 30, 2021. The options are exercisable at $ 3.33 per share, have a 10 -year term and vest over a period of four years.

Note 4 - Significant events during the reporting period

On June 28, 2021, the Company entered into a license agreement with Yissum Research Development Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Yissum) pursuant to which Yissum granted to the Company a worldwide, exclusive and irrevocable license to develop and commercialize Amilo-5Mer. The grant of the license takes effect upon approval of the Israel Innovation Authority. Under the license agreement, the Company shall be responsible for carrying out the development and commercialization of Amilo-5Mer and the prosecution and maintenance of the licensed patents under the license agreement. In consideration for the grant of the license, the Company has agreed to pay to Yissum an upfront license fee of $ 100,000 , payments of up to $ 850,000 upon meeting certain regulatory milestones, single digit royalties on any future net sales and a share of any sublicense fees.

Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

All references to we, us, our, the Company and our Company, in this Form 6-K are to Galmed Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and its subsidiaries, unless the context otherwise requires. All references to shares or ordinary shares are to our ordinary shares, NIS 0.01 nominal par value per share. All references to Israel are to the State of Israel. U.S. GAAP means the generally accepted accounting principles of the United States. Unless otherwise stated, all of our financial information presented in this Form 6-K has been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Any discrepancies in any table between totals and sums of the amounts and percentages listed are due to rounding. Unless otherwise indicated, or the context otherwise requires, references in this Form 6-K to financial and operational data for a particular year refer to the fiscal year of our company ended December 31 of that year.

Our reporting currency and financial currency is the U.S. dollar. In this Form 6-K, NIS means New Israeli Shekel, and $, US$ and U.S. dollars mean United States dollars.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Form 6-K contains forward-looking statements about our expectations, beliefs or intentions regarding, among other things, our product development efforts, business, financial condition, results of operations, strategies or prospects. In addition, from time to time, we or our representatives have made or may make forward-looking statements, orally or in writing. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as believe, expect, intend, plan, may, should, anticipate, could, might, seek, target, will, project, forecast, continue or their negatives or variations of these words or other comparable words or by the fact that these statements do not relate strictly to historical matters. These forward-looking statements may be included in, among other things, various filings made by us with the SEC, press releases or oral statements made by or with the approval of one of our authorized executive officers. Forward-looking statements relate to anticipated or expected events, activities, trends or results as of the date they are made. Because forward-looking statements relate to matters that have not yet occurred, these statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Many factors could cause our actual activities or results to differ materially from the activities and results anticipated in forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the factors summarized below:

 the timing and cost of our pivotal Phase 3 ARMOR trial, or the ARMOR Study, for our product candidate, Aramchol, or for any other pre-clinical or clinical trials;  completion and receiving favorable results of the ARMOR Study for Aramchol or any other pre-clinical or clinical trial;  the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operations;  regulatory action with respect to Aramchol or any other product candidate by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or the FDA, or the European Medicines Authority, or EMA, including but not limited to acceptance of an application for marketing authorization, review and approval of such application, and, if approved, the scope of the approved indication and labeling;  the commercial launch and future sales of Aramchol and any future product candidates;  our ability to comply with all applicable post-market regulatory requirements for Aramchol or any other product candidate in the countries in which we seek to market the product;  our ability to achieve favorable pricing for Aramchol or any other product candidate;  our expectations regarding the commercial market for non-alcoholic steato-hepatitis, or NASH, in patients or any other targeted indication;  third-party payor reimbursement for Aramchol or any other product candidate;  our estimates regarding anticipated capital requirements and our needs for additional financing;  market adoption of Aramchol or any other product candidate by physicians and patients;  the timing, cost or other aspects of the commercial launch of Aramchol or any other product candidate;  our ability to obtain and maintain adequate protection of our intellectual property;  the possibility that we may face third-party claims of intellectual property infringement;  our ability to manufacture our product candidates in commercial quantities, at an adequate quality or at an acceptable cost;

 our ability to establish adequate sales, marketing and distribution channels;  intense competition in our industry, with competitors having substantially greater financial, technological, research and development, regulatory and clinical, manufacturing, marketing and sales, distribution and personnel resources than we do;  the development and approval of the use of Aramchol or any other product candidate for additional indications or in combination therapy; and  our expectations regarding licensing, acquisitions and strategic operations.

We believe these forward-looking statements are reasonable; however, these statements are only current predictions and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our or our industrys actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements. We discuss many of these risks in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the SEC on March 18, 2021 in greater detail under the heading Risk Factors and elsewhere in the Annual Report and this Form 6-K. Given these uncertainties, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events.

All forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf speak only as of the date hereof and are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements included in this report. We undertake no obligations to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. In evaluating forward-looking statements, you should consider these risks and uncertainties.

Overview

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of Aramchol, a liver targeted stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase-1, or SCD1, modulator, first in class, novel, oral therapy for the treatment of NASH for variable populations. We are also developing Amilo-5MER, a 5 amino acid synthetic peptide and recently initiated a first in human study.

Financial Overview

To date, we have funded our operations primarily through proceeds from private placements and public offerings. At September 30, 2021, we had current assets of $43.7 million, which includes cash and cash equivalents of $3.5 million, marketable debt securities of $38.4 million, other receivables of $1.7 million and restricted cash of $0.1 million. This compares with current assets of $51.8 million at December 31, 2020, which includes cash and cash equivalents of $6.9 million, short-term deposits of $3.8 million, marketable debt securities of $40.1 million, other receivables of $0.8 million and restricted cash of $0.1 million. Although we provide no assurance, we believe that such existing funds will be sufficient to continue our business and operations as currently conducted for more than 12 months from the date of issuance of this Form 6-K. However, we will continue to incur operating losses, which may be substantial over the next several years, and we expect that we will need to obtain additional funds to further develop our research and development programs.

Costs and Operating Expenses

Our current costs and operating expenses consist of two components: (i) research and development expenses; and (ii) general and administrative expenses.

Research and Development Expenses

Our research and development expenses consist primarily of outsourced development expenses, salaries and related personnel expenses and fees paid to external service providers, patent-related legal fees, costs of pre-clinical studies and clinical trials and drug and laboratory supplies. We account for all research and development expenses as they are incurred. We expect our research and development expense to remain our primary expense in the near future as we continue to develop Aramchol. Increases or decreases in research and development expenditures are primarily attributable to the number and/or duration of the pre-clinical and clinical studies that we conduct.

We expect that a substantial amount of our research and development expense in the future will be incurred in support of our current and anticipated pre-clinical and clinical development projects. Due to the inherently unpredictable nature of pre-clinical and clinical development studies and unpredictability of the coronavirus outbreak, we are unable to estimate with any certainty the costs we will incur in the continued development of Aramchol for NASH and other indications in our pipeline for potential partnering and/or commercialization. Clinical development timelines, the probability of success and development costs can differ materially from expectations. We currently expect to continue testing Aramchol in pre-clinical studies for toxicology, safety and efficacy, and to conduct additional clinical trials for Aramchol.

While we are currently focused on advancing Aramchols and Amilo-5Mers development, our future research and development expenses will depend largely on the duration of the ARMOR Study, the number of enrolled patients, the clinical success of Aramchol, as well as ongoing assessments of the Aramchols commercial potential. As we obtain results from clinical trials, we may elect to discontinue or delay clinical trials for our product candidate in certain indications in order to focus our resources on more promising indications for such product candidate. Completion of clinical trials may take several years or more, but the length of time generally varies according to the type, complexity, novelty and intended use of a product candidate.

We expect our research and development expenses to increase in the future from current levels and continue to advance of our clinical product development and, potentially, the in-licensing of additional product candidates.

The lengthy process of completing clinical trials and seeking regulatory approval for Aramchol requires the expenditure of substantial resources. Any failure or delay in completing clinical trials, or in obtaining regulatory approvals, could cause a delay in generating product revenue and cause our research and development expenses to increase and, in turn, have a material adverse effect on our operations. Because of the factors set forth above, we are not able to estimate with any certainty when we would recognize any net cash inflows from our projects.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of compensation for employees in executive and operational roles, including finance/accounting, legal and other operating positions in connection with our activities. Our other significant general and administrative expenses include non-cash stock-based compensation costs and facilities costs (including the rental expense for our offices in Tel Aviv, Israel), professional fees for outside accounting and legal services, travel costs, investors relations, insurance premiums and depreciation. At this time, we do not anticipate that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will materially affect our general and administrative expense.

Financial Income, Net

Our financial income consists mainly of interest income from marketable debt securities and short-term deposits, as well as gains from realization of marketable debt securities and foreign currency gains. Our financial expense consists of fees associated with banking activities and losses from realization of marketable debt securities.

Results of Operations

The table below provides our results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 as compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020.

Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, 2021 2020 2021 2020 (unaudited) (unaudited) (unaudited) (unaudited) (In thousands, except per share data) Research and development expenses 6,541 6,536 20,957 17,057 General and administrative expenses 1,304 1,054 4,432 2,811 Total operating expenses 7,845 7,590 25,389 19,868 Financial income, net (131 ) (685 ) (374 ) (1,374 ) Net loss 7,714 6,905 25,015 18,494 Other comprehensive income: 183 408 347 (55 ) Comprehensive loss 7,897 7,313 25,362 18,439 Basic and diluted net loss per share $ 0.31 $ 0.32 $ 1.02 $ 0.87

Research and Development Expenses

Our research and development expenses amounted to approximately $6.5 million and approximately $21.0 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively, representing no increase and an increase of approximately $3.9 million, or 23%, respectively, compared to approximately $6.5 million and approximately $17.1 million, respectively, for the comparable period in 2020.

The increase during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 primarily resulted from an increase in clinical trial expenses in connection with our ARMOR Study of approximately $3.3 million.

General and Administrative Expenses

Our general and administrative expenses amounted to approximately $1.3 million and approximately $4.4 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively, representing an increase of approximately $0.2 million, or 18%, and approximately $1.6 million, or 57%, respectively, to approximately $1.1 million and approximately $2.8 million, respectively, for the comparable period in 2020.

The increase in general and administrative expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2021 resulted primarily from an increase in non-cash stock based compensation expenses. The increase in general and administrative expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 resulted primarily from an increase in salaries and benefits as well as an increase in the cost of our D&O insurance policy premium.

Operating Loss

As a result of the foregoing, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, our operating loss was approximately $7.8 million and approximately $25.4 million, respectively, representing an increase of $0.2 million, or 3%, and an increase of $5.5 million, or 28%, respectively, as compared to approximately $7.6 million and approximately $19.9 million, respectively, for the comparable period in 2020.

Financial Income, Net

Our financial income amounted to approximately $0.1 million and approximately $0.4 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively, representing a decrease of approximately $0.6 million, or 86%, and approximately $1.0 million, or 71%, respectively, compared to $0.7 million and $1.4 million, respectively, for the comparable period in 2020.

The decrease during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 primarily relates to a decrease in the interest income from short-term deposits and marketable debt securities.

Net Loss

As a result of the foregoing, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, our net loss was approximately $7.7 million and approximately $25.0 million, respectively, representing an increase of $0.8 million, or 12%, and an increase of $6.5 million, or 35%, respectively, as compared to approximately $6.9 million and approximately $18.5 million, respectively, for the comparable period in 2020.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

To date, we have funded our operations primarily through proceeds from private placements and public offerings and we have incurred substantial losses since our inception. As of September 30, 2021, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $160.7 million and positive working capital (current assets less current liabilities) of approximately $37.3 million. We expect that operating losses will continue for the foreseeable future.

As of September 30, 2021, we had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $3.5 million, restricted cash of approximately $0.1 million and marketable debt securities of approximately $38.4 million invested in accordance with our investment policy, totaling approximately $42.0 million, as compared to approximately $6.9 million, $0.1 million, $3.8 million, and $40.1 million as of December 31, 2020, respectively, totaling approximately $50.9 million. The decrease is mainly attributable to the $25.9 million negative cash flow from operating expenses during the nine months ended September 30, 2021, partially offset by the $17.4 million raised from our ATM offering program and underwritten public offering.

We had negative cash flow from operating activities of approximately $25.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, as compared to negative cash flow from operating activities of approximately $18.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The negative cash flow from operating activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 is mainly attributable to our net loss of approximately $25.0 million.

We had positive cash flow from investing activities of approximately $5.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, as compared to a positive cash flow from investing activities of approximately $18.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The positive cash flow from investing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 was primarily due to consideration from sale of available for sale securities and the maturity of short term deposits partially offset by the net purchase of marketable debt securities.

We had positive cash flow from financing activities of approximately $17.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, as compared to a positive cash flow from financing activities of approximately $0.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The positive cash flow from financing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 was due to proceeds from our ATM offering program and underwritten public offering.

On May 15, 2020, we amended and restated the Sales Agreement dated December 22, 2017 between us and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated to include Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. as an additional sales agent for our at the market offering program, or the A&R Sales Agreement. During February 2021, we sold an additional 1,541,400 ordinary shares under the ATM offering program for total net proceeds of approximately $8.1 million. On March 25, 2021, we agreed with the sales agents to terminate, with immediate effect, the A&R Sales Agreement. On March 26, 2021, we entered into a new Sales Agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and Canaccord Genuity LLC, as sales agents, pursuant to which we may offer and sell ordinary shares at the market having an aggregate offering price of up to $50.0 million from time to time through the sales agents.

Although we provide no assurance, we believe that our existing funds will be sufficient to continue our business and operations as currently conducted for more than 12 months from the date of issuance of this Report on Form 6-K. However, additional funding will be necessary to fund our ARMOR Study, our Amilo-5MER program and ongoing research and development work and to advance our product candidates through regulatory approval and into commercialization, if approved. We intend to obtain additional funding through debt or equity financings, governmental grants or through entering into collaborations, strategic alliances or license agreements to increase the funds available to support our operating and capital needs. Although we have been successful in raising capital in the past, there is no assurance that we will be successful in obtaining additional financing on terms acceptable to us. Specifically, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted global financial markets, and may limit our ability to access capital, which could in the future negatively affect our liquidity. If funds are not available, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate research or development plans for, or commercialization efforts with respect to Aramchol, Amilo-5MER and/or our other pre-clinical and clinical programs. This may raise substantial doubts about our ability to continue as a going concern.

The extent of our future capital requirements will depend on many other factors, including:

 the progress and costs of our pre-clinical studies, clinical trials and other research and development activities;  the impact of coronavirus on our operations;  the scope, prioritization and number of our clinical trials and other research and development programs;  the amount of revenues and contributions we receive under future licensing, development and commercialization arrangements with respect to Aramchol or any other product candidtate;  the costs of the development and expansion of our operational infrastructure;  the costs and timing of obtaining regulatory approval for Aramchol, Amilo-5MER or any other product candidate;  the ability of us, or our collaborators, to achieve development milestones, marketing approval and other events or developments under our potential future licensing agreements;

 the costs of filing, prosecuting, enforcing and defending patent claims and other intellectual property rights;  the costs and timing of securing manufacturing arrangements for clinical or commercial production;  the costs of contracting with third parties to provide sales and marketing capabilities for us;  the costs of acquiring or undertaking development and commercialization efforts for any future products, product candidates or platforms;  the magnitude of our general and administrative expenses;  any cost that we may incur under future in- and out-licensing arrangements relating to Aramchol, Amilo-5MER or any other product candidate; and  market conditions.

Trend Information

We are a development stage company, and it is not possible for us to predict with any degree of accuracy the outcome of our research, development or commercialization efforts. As such, it is not possible for us to predict with any degree of accuracy any significant trends, uncertainties, demands, commitments or events that are reasonably likely to have a material effect on our net loss, liquidity or capital resources, or that would cause financial information to not necessarily be indicative of future operating results or financial condition. However, to the extent possible, certain trends, uncertainties, demands, commitments and events are in this Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

Controls and Procedures

As a foreign private issuer, we are only required to conduct the evaluations required by Rules 13a-15(b) and 13a-15(d) of the Exchange Act as of the end of each fiscal year and therefore have elected not to provide disclosure regarding such evaluations at this time.

EXHIBIT INDEX

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Galmed Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Date: November 8, 2021 By: /s/ Allen Baharaff Allen Baharaff President and Chief Executive Officer

Exhibit 99.1

Galmed Pharmaceuticals Provides Additional Positive Data from the Open Label Part of ARMOR Study and Reports Third Quarter 2021 Financial Results

- Conference Call and Webcast Today at 8:30 a.m. ET / 5:30 a.m. PT -

TEL AVIV, Israel, November 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ Galmed Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (Nasdaq: GLMD) (Galmed or the Company), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of the liver targeted SCD1 modulator Aramchol, an oral therapy for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH and fibrosis, provides today updated information on the Companys scientific and clinical development programs and reports financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021.

Recent Clinical & Scientific Developments

 Announced positive results of the efficacy of a higher daily Aramchol dose on fibrosis improvement of the first 16 patients in the ARMOR study Open Label Part. Data published as a late breaking abstract at the Liver Meeting organized by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and will be featured in the December issue of the scientific journal Hepatology -  Announced histology data from first 20 patients from the ARMOR study Open Label Part showing that treatment with Aramchol 300mg BID resulted in clinically significant greater histological improvement in 12 out of 20 (60%) of patients. Data is corroborated by biomarkers associated with liver fibrosis including ALT, AST, Fib-4 and ProC-3 in ~50 patient providing the potential to predict similar histology response in larger cohort.  Results of Phase 2b ARREST Trial of Aramchol Published in Nature Medicine   FDA and MHRA Agree with Galmeds plan to use Aramchol meglumine in the randomized double-blind placebo-controlled part of the Phase 3 ARMOR study 

Financial Summary  Third Quarter 2021 vs. Third Quarter 2020:

 Cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, and marketable debt securities totaled $42.0 million as of September 30, 2021, compared to $50.9 million at December 31, 2020.  Net loss amounted to $7.7 million, or $0.31 per share, for the three months ended September 30, 2021, compared to a net loss of $6.9 million, or $0.32 per share, for the three months ended September 30, 2020.  Research and development expenses amounted to approximately $6.5 million for the three months ended September 30, 2021, compared to approximately $6.5 million for the three months ended September 30, 2020.  General and administrative expenses amounted to approximately $1.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2021, compared to approximately $1.1 million for the three months ended September 30, 2020.  Financial income, net amounted to $0.1 million for the three months ended September 30, 2021, compared to financial income, net of $0.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2020.

Conference Call & Webcast:

Monday November 8, 2021, 8:30 AM ET

Toll Free: 1-877-425-9470

Toll/International: 1-201-389-0878

Israel Toll Free: 1 809 406 247

Conference ID: 13724243

Webcast: https://viavid.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1511856&tp_key=e9490761d4

Replay Dial-In Numbers

Toll Free: 1-844-512-2921

Toll/International: 1-412-317-6671

Replay Pin Number: 13724243

Replay Start: Monday November 8, 2021, 11:30 AM ET

Replay Expiry: Monday November 22, 2021, 11:59 PM ET

Galmed Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

Galmed Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is a clinical stage drug development biopharmaceutical company for liver, metabolic and inflammatory diseases. Our lead compound, Aramchol, a backbone drug candidate for the treatment of NASH and fibrosis is currently in a Phase 3 registrational study. We are also collaborating with the Hebrew University in the development of Amilo-5MER, a 5 amino acid synthetic peptide.

About ARMOR Study

ARMOR is a Phase 3 study comprised of two-parts, an open-label part and a randomized, double-controlled, placebo part, designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Aramchol in approximately 200 sites in the U.S., Europe and Latin America.

The first part, an open-label study, is designed to evaluate treatment response kinetics, pharmacokinetics and safety of twice daily administration of Aramchol 300mg in approximately 150 subjects with NASH and liver fibrosis stage 1-3 (F1 capped at 30 subjects), subjects with NASH who may or may not be overweight, and subjects with NASH who may or may not have type 2 diabetes or be pre-diabetic. Patients are randomized (1:1:1) into three groups with post-baseline liver biopsy being performed at 24 weeks, 48 weeks, or 72 weeks, respectively. A second post-baseline liver biopsy will be conducted after one year for subjects whose post-baseline liver biopsy at week 24, 48 or 72 does not show at least one stage improvement in fibrosis. The open label part is being conducted at approximately 50 selected sites in the U.S., and around the world which have been less affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The second part, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of twice daily administration of Aramchol 300 mg to support regulatory approval, with both a histology-based phase and a clinically-based phase. As currently designed, a total of 2000 subjects with NASH and liver fibrosis stage 2 and 3 who are overweight and are either pre-diabetic or have type 2 diabetes are expected to be randomized 2:1 to receive Aramchol 300mg BID or matching placebo. In the histology-based phase, we intend to treat 1000 subjects with Aramchol or matching placebo for 72 weeks until the second biopsy. The histology-based data is intended to serve as the basis for the submission of a Sub-part H marketing authorization application under regulatory provisions of accelerated/conditional approval. The primary histology-based endpoint is NASH resolution without worsening of fibrosis or fibrosis improvement without NASH worsening. In the clinically-based phase, all subjects will continue with the same treatment assignment for up to seven years until study completion to confirm clinical efficacy. We may announce end-of-study at the time when a total of 380 subjects have experienced at least one pre-specified clinical event or at five years from last subject randomization, whichever comes first. The primary clinically-based endpoint is expected to be based on clinical events including all-cause mortality, histological progression to cirrhosis, MELD score >15, and hepatic decompensation events (e.g., hepatic encephalopathy, variceal bleeding, ascites).

Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release may include forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements relating to Galmeds objectives, plans and strategies, as well as statements, other than historical facts, that address activities, events or developments that Galmed intends, expects, projects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future. These statements are often characterized by terminology such as believes, hopes, may, anticipates, should, intends, plans, will, expects, estimates, projects, positioned, strategy and similar expressions and are based on assumptions and assessments made in light of managements experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors believed to be appropriate. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Many factors could cause Galmeds actual activities or results to differ materially from the activities and results anticipated in forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following: the timing and cost of Galmeds pivotal Phase 3 ARMOR trial, or the ARMOR Study or any other pre-clinical or clinical trials; completion and receiving favorable results of the ARMOR Study for Aramchol or any other pre-clinical or clinical trial; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; regulatory action with respect to Aramchol or any other product candidate by the FDA or the EMA; the commercial launch and future sales of Aramchol or any other future products or product candidates; Galmeds ability to comply with all applicable post-market regulatory requirements for Aramchol or any other product candidate in the countries in which it seeks to market the product; Galmeds ability to achieve favorable pricing for Aramchol or any other product candidate; Galmeds expectations regarding the commercial market for NASH patients or any other indication; third-party payor reimbursement for Aramchol or any other product candidate; Galmeds estimates regarding anticipated capital requirements and Galmeds needs for additional financing; market adoption of Aramchol or any other product candidate by physicians and patients; the timing, cost or other aspects of the commercial launch of Aramchol or any other product candidate; the development and approval of the use of Aramchol or any other product candidate for additional indications or in combination therapy; and Galmeds expectations regarding licensing, acquisitions and strategic operations. More detailed information about the risks and uncertainties affecting Galmed is contained under the heading Risk Factors included in Galmeds most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on March 18, 2021, and in other filings that Galmed has made and may make with the SEC in the future. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and reflect Galmeds current views with respect to future events, and Galmed does not undertake and specifically disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

GALMED PHARMACEUTICALS LTD.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

U.S. Dollars in thousands, except share data and per share data

As of September 30, As of

December 31, 2021 2020 Assets Current assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 3,490 $ 6,947 Restricted Cash 113 113 Short-term deposits - 3,807 Marketable debt securities 38,415 40,132 Other receivables 1,674 812 Total current assets 43,692 51,811 Right of use assets 452 394 Property and equipment, net 154 176 Total non-current assets 606 570 Total assets $ 44,298 $ 52,381 Liabilities and stockholders equity Current liabilities Trade payables $ 5,233 $ 7,046 Other payables 1,115 966 Total current liabilities 6,348 8,012 Non-current liabilities Lease obligation $ 274 $ 216 Total non-current liabilities 274 216 Ordinary shares par value NIS 0.01 per share; Authorized 50,000,000; Issued and outstanding: 25,083,914 shares as of September 30, 2021; 21,325,975 shares as of December 31, 2020 70 58 Additional paid-in capital 198,403 179,530 Accumulated other comprehensive gain (75 ) 272 Accumulated deficit (160,722 ) (135,707 ) Total stockholders equity 37,676 44,153 Total liabilities and stockholders equity $ 44,298 $ 52,381

GALMED PHARMACEUTICALS LTD.

Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited)

U.S. Dollars in thousands, except share data and per share data

Three months ended

September 30, Nine months ended

September 30, 2021 2020 2021 2020 Research and development expenses 6,541 6,536 20,957 17,057 General and administrative expenses 1,304 1,054 4,432 2,811 Total operating expenses 7,845 7,590 25,389 19,868 Financial income, net (131 ) (685 ) (374 ) (1,374 ) Net loss $ 7,714 $ 6,905 $ 25,015 $ 18,494 Basic and diluted net loss per share $ 0.31 $ 0.32 $ 1.02 $ 0.87 Weighted-average number of shares outstanding used in computing basic and diluted net loss per share 25,083,914 21,268,730 24,432,220 21,191,196

GALMED PHARMACEUTICALS LTD.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)

U.S. Dollars in thousands

Nine months ended

September 30, 2021 2020 Cash flow from operating activities Net loss $ (25,015 ) $ (18,494 ) Adjustments required to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities Depreciation and amortization 32 28 Stock-based compensation expense 1,517 1,474 Amortization of premium on marketable debt securities 115 36 Interest income from short-term deposits 7 (268 ) Gain from realization of marketable debt securities (32 ) (522 ) Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Decrease (increase) in other accounts receivable (862 ) 185 Decrease in trade payables (1,813 ) (848 ) Increase (decrease) in other accounts payable 149 (40 ) Net cash used in operating activities (25,902 ) (18,449 ) Cash flow from investing activities Purchase of property and equipment (10 ) (33 ) Investment in available for sale securities (12,069 ) (45,226 ) Sale (investment) in short term deposits, net - 17,783 Maturity of short term deposits 3,800 - Consideration from sale of available for sale securities 13,356 45,875 Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities 5,077 18,399 Cash flow from financing activities Proceeds from exercise of options (*) - 61 Issuance of Ordinary shares upon ATM 8,147 707 Issuance of Ordinary shares, net of issuance cost 9,221 - Net cash provided in financing activities 17,368 768 Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash (3,457 ) 718 Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash at the beginning of the period 7,060 16,043 Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash at the end of the period $ 3,603 $ 16,761 Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information: Cash received from interest $ 474 $ 966 Non-cash transactions: Recognition of right-of-use asset and lease liability from adoption of ASU 2016-02 $ 497 $ 35

(*) Represents amount less than $1.

Guy Nehemya, Chief Operating Officer, Galmed Pharmaceuticals Ltd.,

investor.relations@galmedpharma.com, +972-3-693-8448

Exhibit 99.2

Galmed Announces New Positive Data from Ongoing ARMOR Study Open Label Part Showing Clinically Significant Effect on Fibrosis Improvement

 Updated liver histology data from first 20 patients show 60% fibrosis improvement by at least 1 stage as early as 24 weeks, data will be presented at AASLD Late Breaker Presentations 

 Statistically significant reductions in biomarkers associated with liver fibrosis including ALT, AST, Fib-4 and ProC-3 was also observed in ~ 50 patients 

 Results are an early indication that higher dose of Aramchol could provide statistically and clinically meaningful effect on fibrosis in the double-blind placebo controlled regulatory part for submission of an NDA under Sub-part H

Galmeds management team will host a conference call and webcast to provide an update on current developments with respect to its clinical programs for Aramchol including NASH Expert Insights on the ongoing Open-Label Part of the ARMOR study, and to discuss financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2021 Today @ 8.30am Eastern Time

TEL AVIV, Israel, November 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/  Galmed Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (Nasdaq: GLMD) (Galmed or the Company), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company for liver, metabolic and inflammatory diseases announced today results from histology and biomarkers analyses in the ongoing Open-Label Part of the ARMOR Phase 3 study.

Galmed previously announced a substantial effect on fibrosis improvement based on histology, in the 16 first patients from the ongoing Open-Label Part of the ARMOR study. New analyses of biomarkers corroborate this effect showing statistically significant reductions in biomarkers associated with liver fibrosis including ALT, AST, Fib-4 and ProC-3. Reductions of a similar magnitude are seen in a cohort of the first 20 patients for which paired biopsy have been analyzed (Late breaker AASLD Cohort N=20) and a cohort of 50 patients for which biomarker data was analyzed (ARCON Cohort N=50) based on all available data (N=139). Aramchol continues to show excellent safety and tolerability profile. Data support that a higher dose of Aramchol could provide statistically and clinically meaningful effect on fibrosis in the upcoming double-blind placebo controlled part for submission of the ARMOR study to support an NDA under Sub-part H.

Results support discussions with FDA to potentially allow a smaller and shorter double-blind placebo control histology-based part to support regulatory submission of an NDA.

A summary of the results is presented below:

Late Breaker AASLD Cohort 1 (N=20) ARCON Cohort 2 (N~50) visit Change from baseline 3 p value Change from baseline 3 p value ALT week 24 -20.88 <.0001 -16.44 <.0001 week 48 -20.05 <.0001 -17.43 <.0001 AST week 24 -15.08 <.0001 -13.43 <.0001 week 48 -14.74 <.0001 -13.28 <.0001 FIB-4 week 24 -0.22 0.0006 -0.27 <.0001 week 48 -0.23 0.0012 -0.22 0.0006 PRO-C3 week 24 -8.83 0.0010 -9.68 <.0001 week 48 -13.79 0.0005 -13.00 <.0001 PRO-C3 % week 24 -15.89 0.0106 -13.84 0.0077 week 48 -19.76 0.0294 -17.37 0.0192 > 1 point in fibrosis improvement 60%

1. Number of subjects in the AASLD cohort at week 24 and week 48 respectively are; ALT 19 and 9, AST 19 and 9, FIB-4 19 and 9, PRO-C3 19 and 10 2. Number of subjects in the ACRON cohort with data at week 24 and week 48 respectively are; ALT 61 and 18, AST 61 and 18, FIB-4 56 and 18, PRO-C3 43 and 15 3. MMRM baseline adjusted analysis 4. ProC-3 were analyzed by Nordic Bioscience using an improved methodology with higher sensitivity and specificity. Mean Baseline 47.2 ug/L.

Prof. Vlad Ratziu, Professor of Hepatology, Sorbonne Universite, the ARMOR study co-principal investigator commented this high rate of fibrosis reversal is very encouraging particularly since it was confirmed by a very stringent pathological review that includes 3 pathologists reading slides according to a predefined protocol. Moreover, it is backed by congruent changes in fibrosis biomarkers and by a biochemical response in aminotransferases already documented in the ARREST trial.

Allen Baharaff, President and CEO of Galmed commented Aramchols direct effect on fibrosis is translated to clinical efficacy on fibrosis improvement. Apparently, the magnitude of the statistical and clinical effects is dose related. Once elevating the dose, we are starting to see the full potential of Aramchol to reduce liver fibrosis. We believe Aramchol at a higher dose stands out as a leading compound for the treatment of liver fibrosis.

A late-breaking poster presentation covering liver histology data of the first 20 patients from the Open Label Part of the ARMOR study will be presented at The Liver Meeting Digital Experience 2021, the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), which will be held from November 12-15, 2021.

Conference Call & Webcast:

Monday November 8, 2021, 8:30 AM ET

Toll Free: 1-877-425-9470 Toll/International: 1-201-389-0878 Israel Toll Free: 1 809 406 247 Conference ID: 13724243 Webcast: https://viavid.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1511856&tp_key=e9490761d4

Replay Dial-In Numbers

Toll Free: 1-844-512-2921 Toll/International: 1-412-317-6671 Replay Pin Number: 13724243 Replay Start: Monday November 8, 2021, 11:30 AM ET Replay Expiry: Monday November 22, 2021, 11:59 PM ET

Galmed Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

Galmed Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is a clinical stage drug development biopharmaceutical company for liver, metabolic and inflammatory diseases. Our lead compound, Aramchol, a backbone drug candidate for the treatment of NASH and fibrosis is currently in a Phase 3 registrational study. We are also collaborating with the Hebrew University in the development of Amilo-5MER, a 5 amino acid synthetic peptide.

About ARMOR Study

ARMOR is a Phase 3 study comprised of two-parts, an open-label part and a randomized, double blind-controlled, placebo part, designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Aramchol in approximately 200 sites in the U.S., Europe and Latin America.

The first part, an open-label study, is designed to evaluate treatment response kinetics, pharmacokinetics and safety of twice daily administration of Aramchol 300mg in approximately 150 subjects with NASH and liver fibrosis stage 1-3 (F1 capped at 30 subjects), subjects with NASH who may or may not be overweight, and subjects with NASH who may or may not have type 2 diabetes or be pre-diabetic. Patients are randomized (1:1:1) into three groups with post-baseline liver biopsy being performed at 24 weeks, 48 weeks, or 72 weeks, respectively. A second post-baseline liver biopsy will be conducted after one year for subjects whose post-baseline liver biopsy at week 24, 48 or 72 does not show at least one stage improvement in fibrosis. The open label part is being conducted at approximately 50 selected sites in the U.S., and around the world which have been less affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The second part, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of twice daily administration of Aramchol 300 mg to support regulatory approval, with both a histology-based phase and a clinically-based phase. As currently designed, a total of 2000 subjects with NASH and liver fibrosis stage 2 and 3 who are overweight and are either pre-diabetic or have type 2 diabetes are expected to be randomized 2:1 to receive Aramchol 300mg BID or matching placebo. In the histology-based phase, we intend to treat 1000 subjects with Aramchol or matching placebo for 72 weeks until the second biopsy. The histology-based data is intended to serve as the basis for the submission of a Sub-part H marketing authorization application under regulatory provisions of accelerated/conditional approval. The primary histology-based endpoint is NASH resolution without worsening of fibrosis or fibrosis improvement without NASH worsening. In the clinically-based phase, all subjects will continue with the same treatment assignment for up to seven years until study completion to confirm clinical efficacy. We may announce end-of-study at the time when a total of 380 subjects have experienced at least one pre-specified clinical event or at five years from last subject randomization, whichever comes first. The primary clinically-based endpoint is expected to be based on clinical events including all-cause mortality, histological progression to cirrhosis, MELD score >15, and hepatic decompensation events (e.g., hepatic encephalopathy, variceal bleeding, ascites).

Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release may include forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements relating to Galmeds objectives, plans and strategies, as well as statements, other than historical facts, that address activities, events or developments that Galmed intends, expects, projects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future. These statements are often characterized by terminology such as believes, hopes, may, anticipates, should, intends, plans, will, expects, estimates, projects, positioned, strategy and similar expressions and are based on assumptions and assessments made in light of managements experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors believed to be appropriate. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Many factors could cause Galmeds actual activities or results to differ materially from the activities and results anticipated in forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following: the timing and cost of Galmeds pivotal Phase 3 ARMOR trial, or the ARMOR Study or any other pre-clinical or clinical trials; completion and receiving favorable results of the ARMOR Study for Aramchol or any other pre-clinical or clinical trial; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; regulatory action with respect to Aramchol or any other product candidate by the FDA or the EMA; the commercial launch and future sales of Aramchol or any other future products or product candidates; Galmeds ability to comply with all applicable post-market regulatory requirements for Aramchol or any other product candidate in the countries in which it seeks to market the product; Galmeds ability to achieve favorable pricing for Aramchol or any other product candidate; Galmeds expectations regarding the commercial market for NASH patients or any other indication; third-party payor reimbursement for Aramchol or any other product candidate; Galmeds estimates regarding anticipated capital requirements and Galmeds needs for additional financing; market adoption of Aramchol or any other product candidate by physicians and patients; the timing, cost or other aspects of the commercial launch of Aramchol or any other product candidate; the development and approval of the use of Aramchol or any other product candidate for additional indications or in combination therapy; and Galmeds expectations regarding licensing, acquisitions and strategic operations. More detailed information about the risks and uncertainties affecting Galmed is contained under the heading Risk Factors included in Galmeds most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on March 18, 2021, and in other filings that Galmed has made and may make with the SEC in the future. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and reflect Galmeds current views with respect to future events, and Galmed does not undertake and specifically disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Buy Photo Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Carlan unfurls the flag of a new task force, which was activated at a ceremony on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany, on Sept. 16, 2021. (David Edge/Stars and Stripes)

A task force that drastically expands the Armys combat capacity in Europe was activated Thursday, bringing hundreds of new soldiers to the services mission on the Continent.

The 2nd Multi-domain Task Force at U.S. Army Europe and Africas headquarters in Wiesbaden, Germany, lets the command move beyond conventional ground-war tactics, the Armys top general in Europe said. It is part of the services long-running quest to modernize its fighting methods.

It will bring significant capabilities, USAREUR-AF commander Gen. Christopher Cavoli said . It will allow us to operate not just in the land domain.  It will allow us to operate in all domains.

The new task force will synchronize various capabilities under one unit, Cavoli added.

It is led by Col. Jonathan Byrom and includes a headquarters element along with an intelligence, cyberspace, electronic warfare and space detachment. There also is a brigade support company.

The task force will do reconnaissance across all those domains to monitor for threats and prepare a response if needed, Byrom said.

Buy Photo Gen. Christopher Cavoli, left, the U.S. Army Europe and Africa commander, passes the 2nd Multi-domain Task Force colors to Col. Jonathon Byrom at an activation ceremony for the unit Sept. 16, 2021, in Wiesbaden, Germany. (David Edge/Stars and Stripes)

We are giving arrows into the quiver of that combatant commander to use to achieve whatever effect that he wants, he told reporters Thursday. And that really depends on where we are at in the combat continuum.

The multi-domain task force in Europe is the Armys second to be activated. The first was established at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state. A similar task force is expected to be set up in the Pacific next year.

In Europe, the formation of the unit means about 500 more soldiers based in Wiesbaden along with 750 family members. The Armys new 56th Artillery Command is expected to activate next month, adding to the influx.

In April, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced during a visit in Berlin that the Pentagon would increase forces in Germany with the new fires command and multi-domain task force.

The decision indicated President Joe Biden's intent to shift away from former President Donald Trumps plan to move 12,000 troops out of Germany. That plan is on hold while the administration conducts a global force posture review.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Wednesday that the review is nearly finished.

It is very much an effort on track, Kirby said during a news conference. They are nearing the completion of their work. And I think in relatively short order well be able to talk more about the global posture review.

Stars and Stripes reporter David Edge contributed to this story.
Buy Photo Japanese police on Okinawa say they arrested a U.S. Marine on suspicion of drunken driving early Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021, just as he was attempting to leave the scene of an accident. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa  Japanese police on Okinawa say they arrested a U.S. Marine on suspicion of drunken driving early Saturday just as he was attempting to leave a crash scene in another vehicle.

Cpl. Bryce Ray Six, 20, of Camp Kinser, was taken into custody at 1:18 a.m. along Route 329 in the Igei area of Kin town, an Ishikawa Police spokesman told Stars and Stripes by phone Monday on a customary condition of anonymity.

Sixs car struck a guardrail, several parked cars and a streetlight, according to the spokesman. Six has denied any wrongdoing, he said.

Police arrived just as Six was about to leave the scene in another car bearing a Y license plate, the spokesman said. Y plates are issued to drivers under the status of forces agreement, typically U.S. service members, Defense Department employees and family members.

A breath test measured Sixs blood alcohol content at 0.09%, three times Japans legal limit of 0.03%, the spokesman said. By comparison, all 50 U.S. states have set 0.08% as the legal limit for driving under the influence or driving while impaired.

A passenger from the car that appeared to be picking Six up from the crash scene is also being questioned by police, the spokesman added.

A witness saw Six exiting his car after the crash, the spokesman said. He said Six was being questioned at the police station Monday.

He was not making sense, the spokesman said. He turned his attention to the pick-up vehicle. I dont know how that car could arrive that fast.

The crashed car is registered to Six, the spokesman said, although he declined to identify the make and model. He described it only as a sedan.

Police believe Sixs car was heading north on Route 329 when the crash occurred shortly before 12:25 a.m., the spokesman said. A local woman heard the crash and immediately called police.

She observed the second vehicle arrive and saw Six get in, the spokesman said. Police arrived before the second vehicle could leave.

Marine Corps Installations Pacific did not immediately respond Monday to an emailed request for comment.
A B-2 Spirit stealth bomber arrives at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, Aug. 12, 2020. (Heather Salazar/U.S. Air Force)

Among President Joe Biden's favorite terms, "rules-based order" is near the top of the list. Used by his administration as a foreign policy mantra, it means supporting the international laws and institutions that have kept the world relatively peaceful since World War II.

Russia's seizure and annexation of Crimea from Ukraine has been cited as a violation of the rules, as has Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's use of chemicals as a weapon of war. China is often called out as a violator, for ignoring a decision by a Law of the Sea tribunal that struck down its territorial claims in the South China Sea.

All of which leads to the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius. A former British colony, it has won a series of battles in international and U.K. courts over British claims to a group of Indian Ocean atolls known as the Chagos Archipelago.

While courts have affirmed that the Chagos islands belong to Mauritius by history and by law, Britain has remained unmoved, calling the rulings irrelevant or misguided.

Last month, citing Biden's many references to the rule of law, Mauritius asked the United States to take its side. In a lengthy diplomatic note to the State Department, it affirmed "its greatest respect for the values which the United States has traditionally promoted."

"The case of Chagos Archipelago," it said, "is the embodiment of all these values, which, sadly, have been flouted by the United Kingdom for more than five decades."

The response has not been encouraging.

"The United States unequivocally supports UK sovereignty" over the islands, a State Department spokesperson said in an emailed response to The Washington Post. "The specific arrangement involving the facilities on Diego Garcia is grounded in the uniquely close and active defense and security partnership between the United States and the UK. It cannot be replicated."

The reference to Diego Garcia is key.

The largest of the Chagos islands, Diego Garcia was leased to the United States by Britain more than five decades ago, specifically for the construction of an American military base that has served ever since as a crucial component of U.S. global power projection. A naval logistics, communications and refueling hub overlooking the edge of South Asia, it includes a runway that has launched long-distance bombers to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Diego Garcia's importance to U.S. strategic priorities has only increased with time. Located more than 1,000 miles southwest of India, it is part of the web of strategic locations from which the United States monitors Chinese and Iranian maritime aggression and that factors into U.S. plans to maintain "over-the-horizon" counterterrorism capabilities in Afghanistan after the U.S. troop withdrawal.

According to David Vine, a professor of anthropology at American University who has written a book and numerous articles about the Diego Garcia issue, it is not really about U.S. defense needs. Mauritius has pledged to give the United States  or even the United States and Britain together  a long-term lease to Diego Garcia.

"In short," Vine said, "the answer is power, and ongoing forms of colonialism in the 21st century."

"It is appalling that the Biden administration is defending colonialism and Britain's attempt to hold onto one of its last colonial possessions," Vine said in an interview.

The Chagos Archipelago, although 1,300 miles away from Mauritius in the vast Indian Ocean, was nonetheless recognized as a Mauritius dependency under British colonial rule. But even before Britain formally let Mauritius go in 1968, it had already decided to keep Diego Garcia and the rest of the archipelago, in apparent violation of international conventions on decolonization that prohibit carving up a country before independence.

Britain declared its new colony the British Indian Ocean Territory, or BIOT. A formal note agreeing to let the United States build a naval base on Diego Garcia was signed in 1966.

In government documents of the time, cited in subsequent court cases, the United States and Britain made clear that a small, newly independent country such as Mauritius should have no part in governing the BIOT. For security reasons, the Americans made clear, the inhabitants of all the atolls  at least 1,500 people, known as Chagossians  would have to be removed.

Many of the residents were the descendants of enslaved people who were brought to the islands to tend colonial coconut plantations. The vast majority lived on Diego Garcia.

The United States and Britain agreed the forcible evictions would be "awkward" if publicly revealed, according to one of numerous documents and exchanges quoted in a 2006 High Court ruling in favor of a lawsuit brought by a former inhabitant. But by 1973, the last of the Chagossians had been loaded onto ships and deposited in Mauritius or other remaining colonial outposts.

Money was paid by the British government to Mauritius at several junctures to distribute to the Chagossians for their pains. At various times over the years, Britain has acknowledged that the expulsions were not its finest hour, but has taken no step to reverse what happened.

Its response, repeated in numerous court proceedings, is that the BIOT "has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814," and that the United Kingdom "does not recognize" the claim of Mauritius.

As it continued to occupy Diego Garcia, where resident military personnel are not permitted to bring their spouses and few visitors are allowed, the United States has brushed aside the sovereignty issue.

A 2019 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice in The Hague  the judicial arm of the United Nations  in favor of the sovereignty of Mauritius was "non-binding," the State Department spokesperson said in response to points made in last month's Mauritian diplomatic appeal.

The nearly unanimous vote by the U.N. General Assembly that same year giving Britain six months to leave the archipelago  and resulting in all official U.N. maps being changed to make Diego Garcia and the rest of the islands part of Mauritius  was the result of an "inappropriate" use of the ICJ opinion, said the spokesperson, who declined to be identified.

A similar ruling in January by a Special Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea was "inappropriately" decided and "non-binding," the spokesperson said.

China's flouting of Law of the Sea ruling was "not comparable" to the Diego Garcia situation, the spokesperson said, as it involved dissimilar issues, and was a "binding" and "appropriately determined" decision.

In Mauritius, where sovereignty over the archipelago  and the rights of the Chagossians  is something of a political litmus test, hope springs eternal. Politicians, including the current government of Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, have long sought to demonstrate their zeal in pursuing claims against Britain, however dim the prospect for success.

The appeal to Biden was similar to one made, without response, to the Trump administration. It came after the U.S. charge d'affaires in Mauritius, Judes E. DeBaere, visited Foreign Minister Alan Ganoo last month to express "concerns" about a government plan to effectively taunt the British by organizing a shipload of official Mauritian visitors, including former residents and descendants, to the islands.

"Not to Diego Garcia, but to some of the other islands," Mauritius U.N. ambassador Jadish Koonjul explained in an interview. "Of course, the government has a plan for their resettlement, not tomorrow or in the immediate future, but we certainly have a plan to resettle those who want to go back. It will require a full assessment of the facilities."

The Washington Post's Dan Lamothe contributed to this report.
A health care worker administers a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine at a mass vaccination site at The Forum arena in Inglewood, Calif., on Feb. 26, 2021. (Eric Thayer/Bloomberg)

With a Monday deadline looming, high percentages of federal workers are reporting they have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. But tens of thousands of holdouts have requested exemptions on religious grounds, complicating President Joe Biden's sweeping mandate to get the country's largest employer back to normal operations.

Federal agencies have yet to act on the requests piling into managers' inboxes from vaccine resisters seeking accommodations that would allow them to continue their jobs unvaccinated rather than face the possibility of being fired as the administration has threatened. A far smaller number of employees have asked for exemptions on medical grounds, officials said, prompting what are likely to be more clear-cut decisions on whether to grant them.

The number of religious objectors ranges from a little more than 60 people at the Education Department to many thousands among the 38,000-strong workforce at the Bureau of Prisons, according to federal employee union officials.

A Texas-based IRS affinity group, Christian Fundamentalist Internal Revenue Employees, wrote a four-page letter to the official handling exemption requests, citing scripture and mistrust of the government among African Americans, as well as falsely claiming thousands of deaths from the coronavirus vaccine.

The letter questioned whether granting exemptions would pose any undue hardship, citing the agency's widespread use of telework during the pandemic. "The IRS already has accommodations in place to meet the requests and still accomplish their mission to the taxpayer," Lorenzo Henry, the group's national president, wrote.

Exemption requests have become the go-to alternative for those opposed to the vaccine because managers must hold off on any discipline while requests are reviewed. With a Nov. 22 deadline for employees to show proof of full vaccination status, Monday is the deadline to get a Johnson & Johnson shot or a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

The process could take months for officials designated at each agency, leaving anxious employees in limbo and delaying implementation of a mandate Biden announced in September as a model for employers around the country. The administration saw the vaccine program as essential to getting workers back in their offices and improving services to taxpayers.

How to fairly and legally weigh the surging requests and determine who receives an exemption has consumed federal attorneys, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), unions and outside lawyers helping employees with the process. The deliberations are particularly acute as the government tries to balance the right to religious freedom against the goal of creating safe workplaces for 2.1 million civilian employees.

Managers will soon assume the thorny role of deciding whether someone is sincere or requesting an exemption for political reasons. In a directive issued in January, the EEOC said the objections do not have to stem from an organized religion and can be beliefs that are new, uncommon or "seem illogical or unreasonable to others."

Kevin Owen, a partner at Gilbert Employment Law in Maryland, said he has heard from more than 100 federal employees pursuing religious and medical exemptions to the vaccine mandate.

"The case law is well-developed for disabilities," Owen said. "Agencies have not hired new H.R. specialists to deal with the religious requests, and a lot of them do not have clear guidance yet on how to proceed."

Officials estimate that most unvaccinated employees who have not quit or retired by this point are seeking an exemption. The IRS informed its employees in an email Wednesday that unvaccinated people should expect counseling letters, followed after Nov. 23 by proposed suspensions and removals beginning in December for those still not in compliance.

Under federal workplace rules, those awaiting word on an exemption cannot be summarily fired, and it is unclear how agencies plan to safeguard vaccinated colleagues in the meantime in what typically are close quarters.

Courts and municipal governments are also adjudicating these questions as unvaccinated police officers, health-care workers and others in essential roles challenge vaccine mandates. Exemption requests could grow in the private sector, too, following last week's Labor Department rule requiring companies with 100 or more employees to have their workers fully vaccinated or face weekly testing and masking. (That action was temporarily suspended Saturday by a panel of appellate judges, who did not rule on the merits of the policy.)

Jeffrey Zients, the White House's COVID-19 response coordinator, said this week that religious exemptions have existed for past vaccines and pledged that federal agencies "are following rigorous processes to evaluate religious and medical exemptions."

But the government has never faced anything on the scale of the coronavirus pandemic as it attempts to stand up a coast-to-coast vaccine mandate with a politicized, contagious disease still spreading, large swaths of the workforce seeking a way out and potentially dire effects on day-to-day operations if employees are fired for noncompliance in large numbers.

"These aren't typical accommodation requests like giving someone an ergonomic chair," said Cathie McQuiston, deputy general counsel for the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employee union with 700,000 members. "It's not just about the employee, but the impact on co-workers and their right to a safe workplace, and agencies have to be consistent."

If a request is turned down, the employee must decide whether to get vaccinated or risk losing their job. If the request is granted, the unvaccinated worker must wear a mask, socially distance at the office and be tested regularly. The administration has not yet said who will pay for those tests or where they will be administered. Even with much of the government still working from home due to the pandemic, telework is not supposed to be an approved excuse for being unvaccinated.

The Biden administration has been reluctant to offer many details about how its program is progressing. The Washington Post asked 10 civilian agencies for information on their vaccine rates and exemption requests as of last week; nine either did not respond or declined to disclose them. The agencies issued identical statements that said they were "laser-focused on vaccinating their workforce" by Nov. 22, at which point the administration says it will make more information public. Agencies have set different deadlines for employees to submit exemption requests, with most Nov. 22 or sooner.

"We are confident in the ongoing implementation of vaccination requirements across the federal government," said Isabel Aldunate, spokeswoman for the Office of Management and Budget, which is overseeing implementation of the mandate with the agencies. "Our strategy is working and will help ensure the health and safety of the entire federal workforce."

Agency and union officials, some speaking on the condition of anonymity to disclose private figures, cited rates that varied in both directions from national statistics showing that just under 70 percent of adults have received one shot and about 58 percent are fully vaccinated.

The Bureau of Prisons was well below national rates, with just 58 percent of its workforce at least partly vaccinated, and about 60 percent at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), according to the most recent data, officials said.

Higher rates were found at Veterans Affairs, the first agency to impose a mandate, where 76 percent of the 420,000 employees were fully vaccinated, according to the agency's website. At the Environmental Protection Agency, 81 percent had been fully vaccinated by last week, and the rate was 78 percent at the IRS in mid-October.

The Defense Department, the largest federal agency with nearly 840,000 employees, said 45 percent of its civilian workforce had received at least one dose. The Air Force, which imposed the most aggressive timeline in the military to immunize all active-duty personnel, reported that about 97 percent received at least one dose by its Nov. 2 deadline, leaving just more than 8,400 unvaccinated.

An additional 1,634 have received medical exemptions, but a vast majority are temporary, said Ann Stefanek, an Air Force spokeswoman. Temporary medical exemptions are issued for circumstances such as someone with a current coronavirus infection waiting for a doctor to authorize a vaccine.

Defense officials said permanent vaccination exemptions historically have been rare for the military, which requires troops to receive other vaccinations. The Navy has granted no more than six permanent medical exemptions ahead of its deadline for active sailors Nov. 28, officials said. The active-duty Army, which faces a Dec. 15 deadline, has approved one for medical reasons.

Exemptions on religious grounds have been rare as well, but nonetheless close to 5,000 Air Force members have submitted requests to avoid the coronavirus vaccine, with no approvals reported as of last week.

At the IRS, 2,000 of roughly 70,000 employees had filed exemption requests as of mid-October, with the vast majority of them for religious reasons, according to the Professional Managers Association, which represents agency managers. The General Services Administration received about 1,000 requests for religious and medical exemptions, an attorney familiar with the number said, and TSA officials were expecting theirs to number in the thousands in a workforce of 65,000.

At Veterans Affairs, Secretary Denis McDonough said last month that the number of religious objections was greater than the exemptions granted to resisters to the Veterans Health Administration's year-old mandate for an annual flu shot, which amounted to more than 21,000 employees.

Employees do not need to provide proof of a religious conviction to justify a claim, but must only attest that their religious beliefs are "sincerely held." The federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires employers to provide "reasonable accommodation" for those who object to a job requirement based on their faith.

The EEOC said in its directive that the sincerity of an employee's stated religious belief usually is not in dispute. Experts in civil rights law said an agency's decision will come down to an employee's credibility. Some managers are asking whether employees received vaccines for other illnesses such as the flu, officials said.

Instead of parsing motives, personnel officials are likely to consider instead whether an unvaccinated employee creates an "undue hardship" on the government and, if so, deny a request.

At Veterans Affairs, McDonough said that while it will not "question the legitimacy of any employee's religious exemption," the agency will dismiss someone when "an unvaccinated employee poses a risk to the health of our veterans. ... This would present an undue hardship to us and ultimately to the veteran."

The union representing the Bureau of Prisons employees has urged those who do not want the vaccine to request an accommodation.

"A very big majority are religious," said Brandy Moore, national secretary-treasurer of the Council of Prisons Locals 33 of AFGE, which represents about 30,000 of the agency's 38,000 employees. "These people are like, 'I'm strongly against abortion, how can you force me to get this?'" (Coronavirus vaccines do not contain the actual fetal cells. Decades-old fetal cell lines were used in some aspects of vaccine testing and development, as they have been for other vaccines.)

Opposition to shots within the federal system is so widespread that on one day last month, 62 of 350 employees at the FCI Jesup prison in southern Georgia filed for religious exemptions, union officials said.

As TSA scrambled to secure early access to the coronavirus vaccine for its screening officers this spring, Drew Rhoades stepped up to help organize the effort. But Rhoades, a manager in Minnesota, is refusing to get the shot himself, saying in his exemption request that it would conflict with his Christian Science faith, which generally eschews medicine in favor of religious healing.

"I rely on God," Rhoades said. "I rely on prayer." He said he would rather resign than get the shot.

TSA Administrator David Pekoske told employees at a town hall this week that he expects thousands of formal objections. He encouraged employees to get vaccinated or to seek an accommodation if they believed they had grounds for one.

"Don't hesitate to submit that exemption request," he said.

Pekoske acknowledged that the reviews "could take weeks and weeks to work through."

The timing could put the TSA on uncertain footing as it plans for a surge in holiday travel amid ongoing struggles to fill its ranks in a tight labor market.
The new history center for Fort Fremont. (Friends of Fort Fremont)

(Tribune News Service)  St. Helena Islands Fort Fremont, built 122 years ago to protect the countrys coast in the Spanish-American War, has a brand new installation: a history center.

Kathryn Mixon, president of Friends of Fort Fremont, said the center will help better explain the important national history in Beaufort Countys backyard.

Its just an amazing part of our history, Mixon says.

Beaufort County, which owns the fort and the preserve at 1124 Lands End Road, and the Friends of Fort Fremont will host a grand opening for the History Center from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday. The public is welcome.

Among the last forts constructed in the nation, it was one of the most technologically advanced batteries of its time, Mixon said. It had electricity, a plot room, short-range guns and a fire tower used to direct artillery fire.

Its comparable to the F-35 of today, says Mixon, comparing the historic battery to the modern-day fighter jet.

Built facing Port Royal Sound in 1899, Fort Freemont was one of six fortifications designed to protect the southeastern coast, and its one of two surviving coastal fortifications in the country still intact from the Spanish-American War era.

The fort listed on the National Register in 2010 was deactivated in 1912.

The center, constructed for about $1 million, will house a diorama depicting what the original site once looked like. The diorama was built by master modeler Dennis Cannady.

The fort site includes numerous outbuildings, including an administration building, guard house, barracks, hospital, stable, mess hall, bakery, commissary, post exchange, lavatory and water tower. It was manned by a force of up to 110 personnel.

Visitors learn about history

Visitors to Fort Fremont Preserve can learn about the forts history by reading the interpretive panels on displays near the batteries, taking a self-guided walking tour through a smart phone app, visiting the history center exhibit hall or attending a docent-led tour of the property. The forested habitat also provides an opportunity for viewing spring and fall migrating birds and enjoying the scenic views of the Port Royal Sound.

The preserve is open to the public Monday through Sunday from dawn to dusk. The history center exhibit hall is open to the public every Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

(c)2021 The Island Packet (Hilton Head, S.C.)

Visit The Island Packet (Hilton Head, S.C.) at www.islandpacket.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Together our organizations represent millions of veterans and family members from across the political spectrum. This Veterans Day, were joining forces to call on the U.S. Senate to take immediate action that would benefit our members: repeal the 2002 Iraq War Authorization (AUMF).

In 2002, Congress gave President George W. Bush authority to invade Iraq. That authorization remains active, even though the war it started is over. Presidents from both parties have taken advantage of this Iraq War carryover to engage in military hostilities without congressional approval.

There are three reasons the Senate should vote to repeal this outdated law: its good for veterans, its good for the country, and its achievable.

Its good for veterans and their families, both current and future: When wars end, its important to acknowledge that theyve ended. At a fundamental level, it makes clear to veterans of those wars that their service had a purpose, and that purpose was accomplished.

The Iraq War is one such war. In July, U.S. and Iraqi forces announced that the U.S. military mission in Iraq had formally transitioned into a purely advisory role. Biden administration officials have repeatedly testified that the 2002 Iraq War Authorization is no longer needed for ongoing military operations. This laws purpose has long expired.

The 2002 AUMF is outdated and irrelevant; however, it is not harmless. On the contrary, leaving this law on the books puts current and future military families at risk of future presidents taking reckless, unilateral military action. If our community is going to be called into another war, we deserve rigorous public debate; this law undermines that value.

The U.S. military has been operating at a heightened wartime tempo since 2001. With only 1% of Americans serving, this mission has fallen on fewer and more exhausted shoulders. Many members of our all-volunteer force come from families that have histories of service. But requiring a father and son, a mother and daughter, or siblings to serve in the same war decades apart  sometimes even together  is not sustainable. Many military families feel burnt out, posing a risk to readiness and retention. The last thing our troops need is for it to be easier to enter into wars of choice. Repealing this AUMF reduces that likelihood.

Its the right thing for the country: The Constitution gives Congress authority over declaring war. This makes intuitive sense, as Congress is the branch of government that holds the purse and faces voter accountability through elections most frequently. The founders, in their wisdom, made the president commander-in-chief, but did not intend for the executive to have broad, unilateral authority like a king.

Yet Congress has reneged on that responsibility by ceding war powers to the executive branch and leaving blank check war authorizations in place. Members have preferred to duck the hard votes rather than to exert checks and balances on presidential power. Its long past time for Congress to take back its role and restore Constitutional war powers, starting with the 2002 AUMF.

Repealing outdated war powers not only benefits those in uniform  it also protects the broader American public. When presidents take unilateral military action, it comes at a high financial and security cost to the entire country.

The votes are there: Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of AUMF reform is its bipartisan appeal. Thanks to years of leadership and cooperation from members on both sides of the aisle, the House already passed a 2002 AUMF repeal earlier this year, and reporting indicates that this common sense legislation has the support it needs to pass the Senate and get signed into law.

Opinion editorial columns are filled with brilliant policy ideas that will never become reality. This issue is exceptional because it is easily achievable right now. In addition to being the right thing to do, its also the feasible thing to do.

Every Nov. 11, our country pauses to thank veterans for their service. There is no better way for members of Congress to demonstrate their gratitude than to follow through on their commitments to veterans in return. Wars come with grave costs. Their beginnings and ends both deserve an acknowledgement of that gravity.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the Senate majority leader, has already expressed public support for bringing this issue to a vote this year. We welcome his support and urge a timely follow through. If our countrys veterans can do their job despite myriad challenges, surely Congress can do the same.

Sarah Streyder is the Executive Director at Secure Families Initiative and an active-duty military spouse. Naveed Shah is the Political Director at Common Defense and an Iraq War veteran. Luis Cardona is the Federal Affairs Liaison at Concerned Veterans for America.
People burn tires in Khartoum, Sudan, Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. Sudan's protest movement has rejected internationally backed initiatives to return to a power-sharing arrangement with the military after last month's coup. (Marwan Ali/AP)

KHARTOUM, Sudan  Sudans security forces dispersed demonstrators and rounded up more than 100 people Sunday in the capital of Khartoum, in the latest crackdown on pro-democracy protesters after last months military coup.

The Sudanese military seized power Oct. 25, dissolving the transitional government and arresting dozens of officials and politicians. The coup has drawn international criticism and massive protests in the streets of Khartoum and elsewhere in the country.

The takeover has upended the countrys fragile planned transition to democratic rule, more than two years after a popular uprising forced the removal of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir and his Islamist government.

Teachers and education workers protested the coup outside the Education Ministry in Khartoums district of Bahri, according to the Sudanese Professionals' Association, which led the uprising against al-Bashir.

Security forces used tear gas to disperse the protesters and arrested at least 113 people, mostly teachers, said lawyer Moez Hadra. There were sporadic protests elsewhere in Khartoum, he said.

Local authorities announced the resumption of school classes in the capital for the first time since the coup.

Sunday was the first of two days of nationwide strikes called by the SPA, which vowed to continue protesting until a full civilian government is established to lead the transition. Several shops and businesses in Khartoum were seen open, according to a video journalist with The Associated Press.

The fresh crackdown has also come as mediation efforts between the military and civilian leaders have stumbled, according to a military official with knowledge of the ongoing efforts.

Mediators, including the United Nations envoy in Sudan, were still working to soften the stand of each side, as both are still stick to their pre-conditions before engaging in meaningful, possibly direct talks, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

The deposed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who is still under house arrest in his residence in Khartoum, insists on releasing government officials and politicians detained in connection with the coup. He also wants guarantees that military would return to the pre-coup power-sharing arrangements, the official said.

The military, on the other hand, insists that the Oct. 25 events did not amount to a coup, and that it stepped in to correct the course of the transitional period, the official said.

Part of mediation efforts, an Arab League delegation, meanwhile, met Sunday with Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the military leader, and Hamdok, the pan-Arab organization said.

It said the delegation, headed by Deputy Secretary General Hossam Zaki, held talks with Hamdok on the challenges of the transition and ongoing efforts to support constructive dialogue" to re-establish a path to democracy.

The military has given mixed signals. It allowed four ministers to return to their homes under house arrest, according to Hadra, the lawyer. The four included Hamza Baloul, minister of information and culture, Hashim Hasabel-Rasoul, minister of communications, Ali Gedou, minister of trade and international cooperation, and Youssef Adam, minister of youth and sports. They were among more than 100 government officials and politicians detained following the coup.

The military also arrested three leaders from the Forces for Freedom and Change, a coalition that was born out of the 2019 protest movement, shortly after they met with U.N. officials in Khartoum. The meeting was part of U.N.-led mediation efforts.

___

Magdy reported from Cairo.
Ethiopian military parade with national flags attached to their rifles at a rally organized by local authorities to show support for the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) at Meskel square in downtown Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (AP Photo)

NAIROBI, Kenya  A new round of deadly attacks and forced conscription has begun against ethnic Tigrayans in an area of Ethiopia now controlled by Amhara regional authorities in collaboration with soldiers from neighboring Eritrea, people fleeing over the border to Sudan tell The Associated Press as the yearlong war intensifies.

Three men who fled the western Tigray communities of Adebay and Humera in the past week described warnings from Amhara authorities against supporting the rival Tigray forces who are approaching Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, to press Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to step aside.

Their threat led Ethiopia's government to declare a state of emergency last week while the United States and other countries urged citizens to leave immediately. U.S. and African Union envoys have been holding urgent talks in Ethiopia in search of a cease-fire in a war that has killed thousands after political tensions with the Tigray forces who once dominated the national government turned deadly.

The AU envoy on Monday said he saw a "window of opportunity" after meeting leaders from the rival sides, who he said agreed a political solution through dialogue was required.

The new accounts from western Tigray confirm assertions by the U.S. and others that Eritrean soldiers remain in the Tigray region, and they indicate that pressure is growing on Tigrayans of mixed heritage who have tried to live quietly amid what the U.S. has alleged as ethnic cleansing in western Tigray.

As reports grew about the Tigray forces' momentum, Amhara authorities at a public meeting in Adebay on Oct. 29 warned residents against supporting them, two men who fled to Sudan said.

"There are people working for (the Tigray forces). You should give them to us or we will kill you all together," one who fled, 28-year-old Mawcha Asmelash, recalled authorities saying.

Five days later, he said, Amhara militia attacked. "I saw four people being killed on the run," he said.

He and other men hid in the bush for two days, gathering information from local women and trying to judge whether it was safe to return. But the women estimated scores of men had been killed and residents had been forbidden to bury their bodies. The women urged them to flee.

Another man who fled Adebay, 36-year-old Berhane Gebremikael, confirmed the public meeting. He said he saw one man killed as he ran from Amhara militia and the Eritrean soldiers, who he said have a camp in the community.

"They called it revenge," he said. He described a perilous situation for Tigrayan residents of Adebay who had remained during the war, with many changing their identity, paying bribes or using mixed heritage for a measure of protection. Berhane, whose mother is Eritrean, now fears he can't return.

"Maybe the worst things will happen in the next days," he said. "The international community should intervene."

A man who fled to Sudan from the city of Humera, near the Eritrean border, told the AP he had stayed there because of his part-Tigrayan heritage, but last week Amhara authorities "started collecting people. Young men and boys are being forced to join the fighting."

Again, it started with a public warning, 28-year-old Alemu Abraha said. Then Amhara authorities, along with Eritrean soldiers, started visiting homes at night to take people away. His friends were taken, he said, and he believes the men are being sent to the Amhara region, where most fighting has occurred in recent months.

Amhara regional spokesman Gizachew Muluneh did not respond to AP questions. Amhara regional officials have asserted that western Tigray is historically their land, and during the war witnesses and humanitarian workers have described scores of thousands of Tigrayans forced from communities there.

Meanwhile, reports of mass detentions of Tigrayans continue under the state of emergency. An Ethiopian Orthodox Church official in Addis Ababa, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said dozens of priests, monks, deacons and others had been detained in the capital because of their ethnicity. Ethiopian authorities have said they are detaining people suspected of supporting the Tigray forces.

The government-created Ethiopian Human Rights Commission in a statement noted with concern that "arrests appeared to be based on ethnicity" and included the elderly and mothers with children.

As the war closes in, Ethiopia's government insists that life in the capital remains normal. On Sunday, scores of thousands of people rallied in Addis Ababa in a show of support, some carrying signs criticizing the international community, including foreign media.

There were also calls for peace amid the sometimes graphic calls to war. "Can they not discuss around a table?" said one demonstrator, Lemelem Selega, who also denounced those "who are spilling our soldiers' blood."

On Monday, African Union special envoy Olesegun Obasanjo, a former Nigerian president, told the AU Peace and Security Council he saw "a window of opportunity" after meeting separately with Ethiopia's prime minister and Tigray leader Debretsion Gebremichael. The rival sides agree "the differences opposing them are political and require political solution through dialogue," he said.

The envoy added, however, that "the window of opportunity we have is very little and that time is paramount for any intervention" in the critical situation facing not only Ethiopia but the Horn of Africa at large. He repeated calls for dialogue without preconditions, an immediate cease-fire and immediate and unrestricted humanitarian access.

The U.S. has not released details on special envoy Jeffrey Feltman's meeting with Ethiopia's prime minister last week, which the prime minister's spokeswoman called "constructive."
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows a building on rail tracks in Ruoqiang county, China, Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021. Satellite images appear to show China has built mock-ups of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and destroyers in its northwestern desert, such as one at center in this image, possibly as practice for a future naval clash as tensions rise between the nations. (Maxar Technologies/AP)

BEIJING  Satellite images show China has built mock-ups of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and destroyer in its northwestern desert, possibly as practice for a future naval clash as tensions rise between the nations.

China has upgraded its military massively in recent years, and its capability and intentions are increasingly concerning to the United States as tensions rise over the South China Sea, Taiwan and military supremacy in the Indo-Pacific.

The images captured by Colorado-based satellite imagery company Maxar Technologies dated Sunday show the outlines of a U.S. aircraft carrier and at least one destroyer that sits on a railway track.

Maxar identified the location of the features as Ruoqiang, a Taklamakan Desert county in the northwestern Xinjiang region.

The independent U.S. Naval Institute said on its website that the mock-ups of U.S. ships were part of a new target range developed by the People's Liberation Army.

It wasn't clear from the images how many details had been included in the apparent targets, although USNI said it had identified features on the destroyer including its funnels and weapons systems.

China's massive military upgrade has emphasized countering the U.S. and other countries' naval forces.

That's included the development of land, sea and air-launched missiles to deny access and possibly sink opposing vessels, expressed most emphatically by the land-based DF-21D ballistic missile known as the "carrier killer."

Recent months have also seen a substantial increase in Chinese military flights just southwest of Taiwan, the self-governing island republic claimed by Beijing as its own territory and which it threatens to annex by force. Washington provides Taiwan with much of its weaponry and U.S. law requires that it ensures the island can defend itself and to treat threats to it as matters of "grave concern."

The images released by Maxar come amid growing concerns over the possibility of military conflict between the world's two biggest economies, who are at odds over a litany of political and economic issues.

Most recently, the Pentagon this month issued a report saying China is expanding its nuclear force much faster than U.S. officials predicted just a year ago. That appears designed to enable Beijing to match or surpass U.S. global power by midcentury, the report said.

U.S. defense officials have said they are increasingly wary of China's intentions, largely with regard to the status of Taiwan.

"The PLA's evolving capabilities and concepts continue to strengthen (China's) ability to 'fight and win wars' against a 'strong enemy'  a likely euphemism for the United States," the report said.

China's navy and coast guard are also boosting their numbers of vessels at a record pace, concentrating them in the South China Sea, the strategic waterway that China claims virtually in its entirety.

While the U.S. Navy remains predominant, its resources are divided between the Indo-Pacific, the Persian Gulf, the Mediterranean and other regions where American interests lie.

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 also surprised top U.S. military leaders. Beijing insisted it was testing a reusable space vehicle, not a missile, but the weapon system's design is meant to evade U.S. missile defenses.

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 fed fears the United States had fallen behind technologically.
In this photo issued by the Myanmar Military True News Information Team, former U.S. ambassador and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (left) meets with State Administration Council Chairman, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Richardson, also a former governor of New Mexico, acknowledges criticism of his self-described humanitarian visit to Myanmar last week, but says he feels his trip was constructive. (Myanmar Military True News Information Team via AP)

BANGKOK  Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Bill Richardson acknowledges criticism of his humanitarian visit to Myanmar, but says he feels his trip was constructive.

Richardson, also a former governor of New Mexico, is the highest-profile American to visit the Southeast Asian nation since its military seized power in February from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. He traveled there last week with three colleagues, his office said, to discuss delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, medical supplies and other public health needs.

The U.S. government, along with a number of other Western nations, shuns Myanmar's military-installed government and urges a return to democracy.

"I'm deeply invested in this country and they invited me," Richardson said in an online interview Monday from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. "I have a letter from the foreign minister to talk about vaccines ... that's what I was invited to do. And I care about the country and I think I can make a difference. It's a small difference."

Richardson has a long history of involvement with Myanmar, starting in 1994 when as a member of Congress he met Suu Kyi at her home in the city of Yangon, where she had been under house arrest since 1989 under a previous military government.

He last visited Myanmar in 2018 to advise on a crisis over the country's Muslim Rohingya minority. More than 700,000 Rohingya fled to refugee camps in Bangladesh after Myanmar's military in 2017 launched a brutal counterinsurgency campaign in the western state of Rakhine, where most lived.

Since this year's military takeover, violence has swept through much of Myanmar. Widespread peaceful demonstrations against army rule were savagely suppressed by security forces, and armed resistance has grown to the point that U.N. experts have warned the country risks sliding into civil war.

The instability has also caused a humanitarian crisis with food supplies badly disrupted and a breakdown of the already feeble public health system in one of Asian's poorest countries. When a new wave of the coronavirus hit during the summer, crematoriums in Yangon struggled with a backlog of bodies.

Opponents of the military-installed government who are conducting a militant civil disobedience campaign inside the country want the outside world to treat the generals as pariahs. Richardson, as a prominent U.S. political figure well known in Myanmar, ran into a storm of online criticism for engaging with the government.

"Well, I knew that the trip would face some criticism," Richardson said. But he disputed the idea that he could confer any kind of legitimacy on Myanmar's government.

Legitimacy, he said, "is conferred by the people and by governments. I'm neither. I'm one person, a citizen who cares deeply about Myanmar, who was invited to come in a situation where there's horrendous violence, human hurting, humanitarian needs, vaccine needs. And I felt I could make a difference and I believe I have."

He is realistic enough to realize that some might try to exploit his presence. But he is satisfied with what he says he has accomplished so far: the release from prison of a young woman who had worked for his Richardson Center for Global Engagement; increased access to humanitarian aid and vaccines for the people of Myanmar; and a resumption of Red Cross visits to the country's prisons, which the government had banned because of the coronavirus.

Richardson said he avoided politics in his discussions, as he did in the interview.

"I didn't want to get into politics. I think humanitarian assistance should precede any kind of movement that would just divide the people even more. This is a country in great need, a country I've been to many times. I've invested a lot of myself in this country, and 55 million people should not have to pay with bad vaccine distribution, humanitarian problems, for the political divisions."

Richardson said he met for about 90 minutes with Myanmar's leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing.

"We only talked about humanitarian access. We only talked about vaccines. He listened, he responded. It seemed like he liked my ideas," Richardson said.

These ideas, he said, included the revival of the Red Cross prison visits and shortening the amount of time needed for travel permissions from the government for U.N. agencies and NGOs to carry out humanitarian missions, as well as finding ways to distribute vaccines more quickly and equitably.

"So it was a constructive discussion," he said.

Richardson also met with other top government officials, foreign diplomats, including the U.S. ambassador, and representatives of U.N. agencies and other international organizations.

"I think there's been a logjam on activity and progress on the humanitarian front, the access to vaccines, ... the humanitarian efforts," he said. "So I think my visit may be a catalyst."
Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps installations across Japan, from Misawa to Okinawa, are scheduling shot lines for influenza vaccines this month. (Cynthia Griggs/U.S. Air Force)

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan  More U.S. military bases in Japan have begun administering annual flu shots along with coronavirus vaccine boosters.

Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps installations across the country, from Misawa to Okinawa, are scheduling shot lines for influenza vaccines this month.

Naval Hospital Okinawa at Camp Foster held a flu shot exercise Oct. 4, and doses are still available at the hospital, spokesman Joseph Andes told Stars and Stripes via email Friday.

We vaccinated more than 7,200 personnel during this shot exercise alone, he said.

Camp Zama, the headquarters of U.S. Army Japan near Tokyo, made flu shots available in early October, base spokesman Kevin Krejcarek told Stars and Stripes by email Thursday.

Yokosuka Naval Base, the home of the 7th Fleet and Naval Forces Japan south of Tokyo, started administering flu shots Nov. 1 to students at Defense Department schools on base and their families.

Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, near Hiroshima, has scheduled drive-thru flu vaccine lines for Nov. 17 and Nov. 23 at its Branch Health Clinic, as well as an in-person line reserved for students and family members on Tuesday at the gymnasium.

Yokota Air Base, headquarters of U.S. Forces Japan in western Tokyo, scheduled a flu shot line for uniformed personnel on Monday and for all eligible individuals ages 4 and up on Nov. 15 at the Taiyo Community Center.

Most installations have posted information about the availability of flu shots and coronavirus vaccine boosters on their official Facebook pages or websites.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the flu vaccine for anyone age 6 month and older. The 2021-22 vaccine includes two updates on the H1N1 and H3N2 vaccine strands from last years shot, according to the CDC website.

Coronavirus vaccine boosters are by appointment only at most installations.

Booster shots for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are recommended at least six months after the second dose for anyone who is immunosuppressed, over age 65 or who works in high-risk settings, such as medical care, according to the CDC.

Medical clinics are advertising that patients can mix vaccines, meaning they can pick which vaccine they want for their booster. Not all clinics will have all vaccines available, but most military clinics in Japan have Pfizer and Moderna.

news@stripes.com

Twitter: @starsandstripes

previous coverage Why was the COVID death toll so high at some veterans homes?
Buy Photo The 529th Military Police ceremonial guard fires a 21-gun salute during the 56th Artillery Command's reactivation ceremony, Nov. 8, 2021, in Wiesbaden, Germany. (David Edge/Stars and Stripes)

WIESBADEN, Germany  A two-star command in charge of long-range rocket firing missions in Europe was reactivated Monday during a ceremony at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, marking a step forward for an expanding Army mission on the Continent.

A field artillery headquarters for the entire theater was badly needed, Gen. Christopher Cavoli, head of US. Army Europe and Africa, said during the ceremony. It was a critical capability that was missing.

The Armys 56th Artillery Command, a major force in Europe during the Cold War when it operated nuclear-capable Pershing missiles, was reconstituted with a non-nuclear mission to help the Army in its efforts to counter a more aggressive Russia.

In some respects, what is old is new again, Cavoli said.

The units task is to command and control artillery units in Europe with a focus on being able to hit targets at greater distances and coordinate missions with allies.

Buy Photo Maj. Gen. Stephen Maranian and Command Sgt. Maj. Darrell Walls of the 56th Artillery Command unfurl the unit's flag, while Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, looks on during the unit's reactivation ceremony, Nov. 8, 2021, in Wiesbaden, Germany. (David Edge/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, hands the 56th Artillery Command guidon to Maj. Gen. Stephen Maranian during the unit's reactivation ceremony in Wiesbaden on Nov. 8, 2021. (David Edge/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo Command Sgt. Maj. Darrell Wall of the 56th Artillery Command hands the unit's flag to Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, during the artillery unit's reactivation ceremony, Nov. 8, 2021, in Wiesbaden, Germany. (David Edge/Stars and Stripes)

Maj. Gen. Stephen J. Maranian, who leads the 56th Artillery Command, said the job now is to build up the command so that it is ready to win whatever fight lies ahead.

We have a lot of work to do, he said.

The return of the 56th Artillery Command is the latest in a series of new unit formations for the Army in Europe.

In September, the 2nd Multi-domain Task Force was activated near USAREUR-AFs Wiesbaden headquarters to help it modernize Army fighting methods with a focus on intelligence, cyber and electronic warfare reconnaissance.

Together, the new commands add about 500 soldiers and 750 family members to U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden.

The Army also declared the recently reactivated V Corps fully operational. It is responsible for overseeing Army missions up and down NATOs eastern flank.

The corps, which also traces its roots to World War I in Europe, was brought back to add more to the Armys command and control capabilities.
Soldiers carry a 440-meter-long Azerbaijan national flag to celebrate the Victory Day in Baku, Azerbaijan, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. The celebrations mark the one-year anniversary of Azerbaijans victory in six weeks of heavy fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh. (AP Photo)

MOSCOW  Tens of thousands marched across Azerbaijan's capital on Monday to mark the one-year anniversary of the country's victory in the six-week battle over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev declared Nov. 8 as Victory Day to mark the capture of the strategic city of Shusha by Azerbaijani forces. The city's capture forced Armenia to accept a Russia-brokered truce two days later.

"We have restored our dignity," Aliyev said. "We will live forever as a victorious country and a victorious nation. If any force in Armenia looks askance at us or engages in revanchist tendencies, it will see our fist."

As part of Monday's celebrations, demonstrators and military cadets carried a huge 440-meter (1,444-foot) national flag across the capital of Baku.

Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a separatist war there ended in 1994.

Hostilities that erupted in September 2020 marked the biggest escalation of the conflict in more than a quarter century. In 44 days of fierce fighting that killed thousands, the Azerbaijani military routed Armenian forces and moved deep into Nagorno-Karabakh.

The agreement that ended the conflict saw the return to Azerbaijan of a significant part of Nagorno-Karabakh and also required Armenia to hand over all the regions it held outside the separatist region. Russia deployed nearly 2,000 peacekeepers for at least five years to monitor the peace deal.

The peace deal was celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan, but sparked months of massive street protests in Armenia against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who was accused by the opposition of betraying national interests.

About 10,000 opposition supporters rallied Monday in the Armenian capital of Yerevan to denounce Pashinyan's rule.

Robert Kocharyan, the country's former president who leads Armenia's opposition bloc, criticized Pashinyan for triggering last year's hostilities with what he called ill-conceived policies and then missing a chance for an earlier truce that could have prevented Azerbaijan from winning control over a large part of Nagorno-Karabakh.

"The government has done everything to lose the war," Kocharyan said at the rally.

Ishkhan Sagatelyan, a deputy parliament speaker, called for a nationwide resistance movement to prevent Pashinyan from making new concessions to Azerbaijan, which the opposition fears.
Polish security forces block migrants on the border with Belarus in Usnarz Gorny, Poland, on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. (Czarek Sokolowski/AP)

WARSAW, Poland  Poland increased security at its border with Belarus, on the European Union's eastern border, after a large group of migrants in Belarus appeared to be congregating at a crossing point, officials said Monday.

The development appeared to signal an escalation of a crisis that has being going on for months in which the autocratic regime of Belarus has encouraged migrants from the Middle East and elsewhere to illegally enter the European Union, at first through Lithuania and Latvia and now primarily through Poland.

The European Union said it hoped that Poland, an EU member state, would finally accept help from Frontex, the border agency, a step Poland's ruling nationalists have so far refused.

In Brussels, A spokesman for the Commission, Adalbert Jahnz noted that "several hundred people" were gathered near the border, an imprecise figure that he said came from Frontex.

He said: "this is a continuation of the desperate attempt by the (Belarusian President Alexander) Lukashenko regime to use people as pawns to destabilize the European Union and of course the values that we stand for."

He suggested that the Commission would like Poland to request Frontex help, saying that the best way to manage a common border is with shared resources. He confirmed that Poland has not requested this help so far.

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Twitter that more than 12,000 soldiers have been deployed on the border, up from the 10,000 soldiers that were there recently. He added that a volunteer Territorial Defense force was put on alert.

He also posted video footage of what appeared to be a large group of migrants just across the border in Belarus near Kuznica, in northeastern Poland.

The Polish government scheduled an emergency meeting, with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki writing on Facebook: "The border of the Polish state is not just a line on the map. This border is something sacred for which the blood of a generation of Poles has been shed!"

Since the summer, Poland has been under increasing pressure of migrants from the Middle East and Africa trying to cross into the EU. Poland has sought to block the attempts or send those they catch back into Belarus.

Warsaw and the EU say it's an organized action by the Belarusian government aimed at destabilizing the bloc in retaliation for Western sanctions.

Poland's Border Guard has reported incidents of hostile behavior and threats by Belarusian forces directed across the border at Polish forces. Belarus, in turn, has repeatedly accused Poland of abusing the migrants at the border.

Belarus' State Border Guard Committee confirmed to the Belarusian branch of Russia's state-funded news outlet Sputnik on Monday that a group of migrants was indeed heading toward the Polish border on Monday.

Committee spokesman Anton Bychkovsky said in a statement sent to the AP that the migrants at the border between Belarus and Poland are seeking to "exercise their right to apply for a refugee status in the EU." Bychkovsky insisted they "are not a security threat" and "are not behaving aggressively."

Bychkovsky added that, according to the refugees, they gathered into such a large group in order to avoid "forcible ousting by the Polish side."

Belarus' opposition leader in exile, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, said in a statement Monday that the Belarusian regime "has carried out an unprecedented international provocation, throwing out hundreds of people that entrusted their fates to it on the border with Poland."

"Lukashenko bears complete personal responsibility for these attacks on Poland, Lithuania and the EU," Tsikhanouskaya said. "This is an attempt at revenge against democratic countries over their support of the Belarusian people."

Daria Litvinova in Moscow, Yuras Karmanau in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed.
A sailor walks by the French frigate Auvergne during a port call at Cyprus port of Larnaca on Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. (Petros Karadjias/AP)

NICOSIA, Cyprus  France showcased its military muscle Monday with a tour of its new frigate Auvergne in the eastern Mediterranean, seeking to underscore what the ship's captain said was the importance that Paris attaches to ensuring security and stability in the region.

Captain Paul Merveilleux de Vignaux said the Auvergne with its 150-strong crew would be deployed in the eastern Mediterranean until January to gather intelligence in order to "show how the respect of international law and especially freedom of navigation matters" to France.

"This deployment underlines how important France considers this part of the Mediterranean sea," as well as the country's "willingness to contribute to the stabilization of this strategic area," De Vignaux told reporters at the Cypriot port of Larnaca.

The Auvergne was commissioned three years ago. It has advanced sonar equipment and specializes in anti-submarine warfare.

De Vignaux said this is the 12th time that the Auvergne has visited Cyprus, which he called key to supporting French naval operations in the region.

"There can't be efficient and sustainable naval operations without support and Cyprus is the centerpiece of it," De Vignaux said.

The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle has also made repeated trips to Cyprus.

Relations between Cyprus and France have been growing tighter in recent years. Cyprus also permits French aircraft to use its military air base in the southeastern corner of the island nation and allows French ships to use its southern naval port, which is now undergoing an upgrade.

France is also keen to make its presence felt to send signals to Turkey not to interfere with offshore drilling by French energy company Total and its Italian partner Eni next year in waters off Cyprus' southern coast.

Turkey doesn't recognize Cyprus as a nation and contests waters where the Cypriot government claims exclusive economic rights. Ankara says a large chunk of those waters either overlap its continental shelf or belong to the breakaway Turkish Cypriots.

Cyprus was split in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup by supporters of union with Greece. Only Turkey recognizes a 1983 Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence in the island's northern third where it maintains more than 35,000 troops.

In February 2018, Turkish warships prevented a drill ship leased by Eni from conducting exploratory drilling in waters southeast of Cyprus.

Political analyst Anna Koukkides-Procopiou says the French naval presence is a clear signal to Turkey.

"(French President Emmanuel) Macron needs to project this power in the region, because this is part of his whole policy of establishing or re-establishing France as a great power, which is not only dominant in the region of the Middle East, but (in) Africa," Koukkides-Procopiou told The Associated Press.

"Someone had to move in and fill that vacuum (in the eastern Mediterranean). Now France wants to make sure that it's not Turkey," she said.
Vice President Kamala Harris listens as President Joe Biden speaks about the bipartisan infrastructure bill in the State Dinning Room of the White House, Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021, in Washington. (Alex Brandon/AP)

WASHINGTON  Vice President Kamala Harris is pitching in on the White House charm offensive aimed at French President Emmanuel Macron.

The vice president arrives in Paris on Tuesday for a four-day visit, the latest move in a concerted effort by the Biden administration to shore up the U.S. relationship with America's oldest ally. Washington's relations with Paris hit a historic low this year after a U.S.-British submarine deal with Australia scuttled a French deal with the Australians.

Harris will sit down with Macron on Wednesday at the Elysee Palace for talks that are expected to focus on ways the two nations can better coordinate efforts in the Indo-Pacific and other issues impacting the relationship.

The high-level meeting comes less than two weeks after President Joe Biden met Macron on the margins of the Group of 20 summit in Rome and acknowledged that his administration had handled the submarine deal in a "clumsy" way.

The U.S. and Britain's agreement to provide Australia with submarine technology has been framed as opportunity for the U.S. to bolster a key Pacific ally's naval capacity as the Biden administration has become increasingly concerned about China's military aggressiveness in the region.

But France was livid, saying it was kept in the dark about the deal and its interests were ignored despite having territories in the Indo-Pacific with 2 million people and 7,000 troops.

The French also complained that the episode undercut Biden's message that he would stabilize and strengthen the trans-Atlantic alliance after four years of President Donald Trump's "America first" approach to foreign policy.

France even briefly withdrew its ambassador from the U.S. in protest, the first time it had done so in some 250 years of diplomatic relations between the nations.

"The alliance between the United States and France is America's oldest, and among our strongest," Harris said in statement about her trip. "I look forward to discussing with President Macron our work together on the most urgent challenges of our time  including the climate crisis, the global health crisis, and regional security concerns."

Harris said she and Macron would also discuss new opportunities for collaboration in the area of space. On Tuesday, Harris is to tour the renowned Institut Pasteur. Harris' mother, who was a scientist, collaborated with the institute's scientists on breast cancer research in the 1980s.

Harris will deliver a speech on Thursday at the annual Paris Peace Forum and participate the following day in the Paris Conference on Libya. She will be joined by her husband, Douglas Emhoff, for the visit.

The vice president is looking to pick up where Biden left off in Rome in efforts to make clear that that he sees the relationship with France as critical to the U.S.

To that end, she and Emhoff will visit Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial just outside Paris. The 7.5-acre cemetery contains the remains of 1,559 Americans who died in World War I and 23 unknown dead of World War II.

Harris will also participate in a ceremony to mark Armistice Day, the French commemoration of the end of World War I. Thursday is also Veterans Day in the United States.
Russia is moving more tanks near the border with Ukraine, defense-intelligence firm Janes said, reinforcing western concerns about reports of a buildup of Russian military forces close to its neighbor.

At least a battalion of T-80U main battle tanks were deployed to a railway station in the Voronezh region, according to social-media footage from Nov. 7, London-based Janes said in an analysis provided to Bloomberg News. The tanks appear headed for the Pogonovo training ground, the same one where a Russian military buildup in the spring sparked western demands for a pullback, according to Janes.

Fighting has picked up at times in recent weeks between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists in the east of the country. Ukraine used a Turkish-made drone for the first time to attack a separatist howitzer in response to a strike that killed one soldier and wounded another on Oct. 26. Last week, Janes said it identified the deployment of tanks and self-propelled artillery from the same Russian division to the Bryansk and Kursk regions on Ukraines northern border on Oct. 28-29.

The U.S. is closely monitoring the unusual buildup of Russian military activity near Ukraine, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Friday. Any escalatory or aggressive actions by Russia would be of great concern to the United States.

Russia has said troop movements on its own territory are an internal matter and denied any aggressive intentions. The Ukrainian government has said Russian force levels havent changed substantially since tensions spiked in the spring. There is some strengthening, presidential spokesman Serhiy Nykyforov said Monday. It is too early to make any conclusions about Russias aims.

In the spring, the U.S. and its allies accused Russia of moving as many as 100,000 troops close to the border. Amid demands for a pullback, the Kremlin said it began to return the units to their bases deep inside Russia in April, easing concerns.

In contrast to the fairly open buildup in the spring, the recent Russian deployment is covert, often taking place at night and is by elite ground units, according to Janes. The moves appeared aimed less at intimidation than at producing an active threat, the firm said.

President Joe Biden dispatched CIA Director Bill Burns to Moscow last week to warn the Kremlin that Washington is carefully watching its troop deployment near the border with Ukraine, CNN reported, citing U.S. and Ukrainian officials. President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Burns about regional conflicts, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday.

Cease-fire violations have been increasing in war-ravaged eastern Ukraine, where persistent violence has continued since 2015 peace accords to end a conflict sparked by the Russian-backed separatists.

Vladimir Putin, Russias president, center, sits alongside Sergei Shoigu, Russias defense minister, second left, during the Russian Navy day in St. Petersburg, Russia, on July 28, 2019. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg)
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar listens to Croat member of the tripartite Presidency of Bosnia, Zeljko Komsic, during talks in the capital of Sarajevo, Bosnia, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. Escobar meet with Bosnian leaders amid tension and Bosnian Serb threat of secession from Bosnia. (AP Photo)

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina  Members of Bosnia's collective presidency have offered assurances that there will be no repeat of ethnic clashes in the war-scarred nation, a senior U.S. diplomat said on Monday, despite deep tensions triggered by Bosnian Serb separatist moves.

"The most important thing that we agreed with all of the interlocutors that we met with today is that we all agree that there will be no war and that's the most important message," said U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar after his meetings with Bosniak, Serb and Croat presidency members.

"And that's not just the message that you are going to hear from all of the leaders that I met with today, but you are going to hear this from regional leaders as well," he added.

The Bosnian War started in 1992 when Bosnian Serbs, with the help of the Yugoslav army, tried to create ethnically pure territories with an aim of joining neighboring Serbia. More than 100,000 people were killed and millions were left homeless during the worst bloodshed in Europe after World War II.

The 1992-1995 war pitted Bosniaks, who are mostly Muslims, Serbs and Croats against each other and ended with the U.S.-sponsored peace agreement that created two regions  the Republika Srpska and the Bosniak-Croat Federation. The two regions were given wide autonomy, but some joint institutions were kept including the army, the top judiciary and tax administration.

Escobar's visit comes a week after the chief international representative in Bosnia, German diplomat Christian Schmidt, warned that the 1995 peace deal that stopped the bloody civil war could unravel. Schmidt also warned that Balkan nation could break up if the international community does not curb threatened separatist actions by Bosnian Serb leader and presidency member Milorad Dodik.

Dodik, who has tacit support from Russia and Serbia, recently intensified his campaign, pledging that the Bosnian Serb parliament would by the end of November prepare laws allowing for the creation of its own army, tax authority and judiciary.

After separate talks with Dodik and the other two presidency members  Croat Zeljko Komsic and Bosniak Safik Dzaferovic  Escobar said "the thing we wanted to make sure is that Bosnia remains independent sovereign and territorially whole."

The U.S. official said Bosnia needs political stability to help integrate the Balkans economically and prepare them for eventual membership to the European Union.

Escobar said he had "a productive meeting with Mr. Dodik where he was open to discussing withdrawing all of the legislation that would weaken the central institutions."

But Dodik said on Monday that the Bosnian Serb parliament would continue drafting laws withdrawing support for the joint army, judiciary and tax collection.
Iraqi Security forces close the heavily fortified Green Zone as they tightened security measures hours after the assassination attempt on the Prime Minister in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (Hadi Mizban/AP)

BAGHDAD  A top Iranian general visited Baghdad after the assassination attempt against Iraq's prime minister, and said Tehran and its allies had nothing to do with the drone attack that lightly injured the Iraqi leader, two Iraqi politicians said Monday.

News of the visit came as an Iraqi army general said the investigation into the drone attack against Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi is ongoing but that indications point to Iran-backed factions. The general said Monday the drones used in the attack took off from areas east of the capital where Iran-backed militias have influence.

The drone attack was also similar to ones carried out in the past by Iran-backed factions in Iraq. In September, for example, explosives-laden drones targeted the Irbil international airport in the country's north, where U.S.-led coalition troops are stationed, the army general told The Associated Press. He commented on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media.

Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, told the Washington-based Arabic-language Alhurra TV that the attack against al-Kadhimi was a criminal act carried out by Iranian-backed militias. McKenzie spoke in English with Arabic voiceover.

The two Shiite Muslim politicians requested anonymity because Esmail Ghaani's visit was not announced publicly. They quoted the Iranian general as saying that Tehran is not opposed to any politician named by the Shiite blocs in the newly elected parliament to become the next prime minister.

Ghaani is the commander of Iran's Quds Force, which is mainly responsible for military and clandestine operations outside the country.

Iran enjoys wide influence in Iraq through powerful militias it has been backing for years. Iran and Iraq both have majority Shiite populations.

The failed assassination attempt against al-Kadhimi at his residence has ratcheted up tensions following last month's parliamentary elections, in which the Iran-backed militias were the biggest losers.

Al-Kadhimi suffered a light cut and appeared in a televised speech soon after the attack on his residence wearing a white shirt and what appeared to be a bandage around his left wrist. Seven of his security guards were wounded in the attack by at least two armed drones.

There was no claim of responsibility but suspicion immediately fell on Iran-backed militias. They had been blamed for previous attacks on the Green Zone, which also houses foreign embassies.

The militia leaders condemned the attack, but most sought to downplay it.

The two Iraqi politicians quoted Ghaani as saying: "Iran has nothing to do with this attack."

One of the two officials said Ghaani met with al-Kadhimi on Sunday afternoon in Baghdad.

Lebanon's Al-Manar TV, which is run by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, said Ghaani also met with Iraqi President Barham Salih and other political figures in the country.

It quoted Ghaani as saying during his visit that "Iraq is in urgent need for calm." It added that Ghaani also said that any act that threatens Iraq's security should be avoided.

The drone attack was a dramatic escalation in the already tense situation following the Oct. 10 vote and the surprising results in which Iran-backed militias lost about two-thirds of their seats.

Despite a low turnout, the results confirmed a rising wave of discontent against the militias that had been praised years before as heroes for fighting Islamic State militants.

But the militias have lost popularity since 2018, when they made big election gains. Many Iraqis hold them responsible for suppressing the 2019 youth-led anti-government protests, and for undermining state authority.

Some analysts have said that Sunday's attack aimed to cut off the path that could lead to a second al-Kadhimi term by those who lost in the recent elections.

On Sunday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh condemned the assassination attempt on al-Kadhimi and indirectly blamed the U.S.

Al-Kadhimi, 54, was Iraq's former intelligence chief before becoming prime minister in May last year. He is considered by the militias to be close to the U.S., and has tried to balance between Iraq's alliances with both the U.S. and Iran.
A Palestinian man stands next to surveillance cameras placed on a roof by the Israeli army the West Bank city of Hebron on Oct. 13, 2021. (Kobi Wolf/for The Washington Post)

HEBRON, West Bank  The Israeli military has been conducting a broad surveillance effort in the occupied West Bank to monitor Palestinians by integrating facial recognition with a growing network of cameras and smartphones, according to descriptions of the program by recent Israeli soldiers.

The surveillance initiative, rolled out over the past two years, involves in part a smartphone technology called Blue Wolf that captures photos of Palestinians faces and matches them to a database of images so extensive that one former soldier described it as the armys secret Facebook for Palestinians. The phone app flashes in different colors to alert soldiers if a person is to be detained, arrested or left alone.

To build the database used by Blue Wolf, soldiers competed last year in photographing Palestinians, including children and the elderly, with prizes for the most pictures collected by each unit. The total number of people photographed is unclear but, at a minimum, ran well into the thousands.

The surveillance program was described in interviews conducted by The Post with two former Israeli soldiers and in separate accounts that they and four other recently discharged soldiers gave to the Israeli advocacy group Breaking the Silence and were later shared with The Post. Much of the program has not been previously reported. While the Israeli military has acknowledged the existence of the initiative in an online brochure, the interviews with former soldiers offer the first public description of the programs scope and operations.

In addition to Blue Wolf, the Israeli military has installed face-scanning cameras in the divided city of Hebron to help soldiers at checkpoints identify Palestinians even before they present their I.D. cards. A wider network of closed-circuit television cameras, dubbed Hebron Smart City, provides real-time monitoring of the citys population and, one former soldier said, can sometimes see into private homes.

The former soldiers who were interviewed for this article and who spoke with Breaking the Silence, an advocacy group composed of Israeli army veterans that opposes the occupation, discussed the surveillance program on the condition of anonymity for fear of social and professional repercussions. The group says it plans to publish its research.

- - -

They said they were told by the military that the efforts were a powerful augmentation of its capabilities to defend Israel against terrorists. But the program also demonstrates how surveillance technologies that are hotly debated in Western democracies are already being used behind the scenes in places where people have fewer freedoms.

I wouldnt feel comfortable if they used it in the mall in [my hometown], lets put it that way, said a recently discharged Israeli soldier who served in an intelligence unit. People worry about fingerprinting, but this is that several times over. She told The Post that she was motivated to speak out because the surveillance system in Hebron was a total violation of privacy of an entire people.

Israels use of surveillance and facial-recognition appear to be among the most elaborate deployments of such technology by a country seeking to control a subject population, according to experts with the digital civil rights organization AccessNow.

In response to questions about the surveillance program, the Israel Defense Forces, or IDF, said that routine security operations were part of the fight against terrorism and the efforts to improve the quality of life for the Palestinian population in Judea and Samaria. (Judea and Samaria is the official Israeli name for the West Bank.)

Naturally, we cannot comment on the IDFs operational capabilities in this context, the statement added.

Official use of facial recognition technology has been banned by at least a dozen U.S. cities, including Boston and San Francisco, according to the advocacy group the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project. And this month the European Parliament called for a ban on police use of facial recognition in public places.

But a study this summer by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that 20 federal agencies said they use facial recognition systems, with six law enforcement agencies reporting that the technology helped identify people suspected of law-breaking during civil unrest. And the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a trade group that represents technology companies, took issue with the proposed European ban, saying it would undermine efforts by law enforcement to effectively respond to crime and terrorism.

Inside Israel, a proposal by law enforcement officials to introduce facial recognition cameras in public spaces has drawn substantial opposition, and the government agency in charge of protecting privacy has come out against the proposal. But Israel applies different standards in the occupied territories.

While developed countries around the world impose restrictions on photography, facial recognition and surveillance, the situation described [in Hebron] constitutes a severe violation of basic rights, such as the right to privacy, as soldiers are incentivized to collect as many photos of Palestinian men, women, and children as possible in a sort of competition, said Roni Pelli, a lawyer with the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, after being told about the surveillance effort. She said the military must immediately desist.

- - -

Yaser Abu Markhyah, 49, is seen on the roof of his home in Hebron with Israeli army surveillance cameras nearby. "We no longer feel comfortable socializing because cameras are always filming us," he said. (Kobi Wolf/for The Washington Post)

Yaser Abu Markhyah, a 49-year-old Palestinian father of four, said his family has lived in Hebron for five generations and has learned to cope with checkpoints, restrictions on movement and frequent questioning by soldiers after Israel captured the city during the Six-Day War in 1967. But, more recently, he said, surveillance has been stripping people of the last vestiges of their privacy.

We no longer feel comfortable socializing because cameras are always filming us, said Abu Markhyah. He said he no longer lets his children play outside in front of the house, and relatives who live in less-monitored neighborhoods avoid visiting him.

Hebron has long been a flashpoint for violence, with an enclave of hardline, heavily protected Israeli settlers near the Old City surrounded by hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and security divided between the Israeli military and the Palestinian administration.

In his quarter of Hebron, close to the Cave of the Patriarchs, a site that is sacred to Muslims and Jews alike, surveillance cameras have been mounted about every 300 feet, including on the roofs of homes. And he said the real-time monitoring appears to be increasing. A few months ago, he said, his 6-year-old daughter dropped a teaspoon from the familys roof deck, and although the street seemed empty, soldiers came to his home soon after and said he was going to be cited for throwing stones.

Issa Amro, a neighbor and activist who runs the group Friends of Hebron, pointed to several empty houses on his block. He said Palestinian families had moved out because of restrictions and surveillance.

They want to make our lives so hard so that we will just leave on our own, so more settlers can move in, Amro said.

The cameras, he said, only have one eye  to see Palestinians. From the moment you leave your house to the moment you get home, you are on camera.

Issa Amro, seen in Hebron on Oct. 13, 2021, says Israel has ulterior motives for its surveillance of Palestinians. "They want to make our lives so hard so that we will just leave on our own, so more settlers can move in," he said. (Kobi Wolf/for The Washington Post)

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The Blue Wolf initiative combines a smartphone app with a database of personal information accessible via mobile devices, according to six former soldiers who were interviewed by The Post and Breaking the Silence.

One of them told The Post that this database is a pared-down version of another, vast database, called Wolf Pack, which contains profiles of virtually every Palestinian in the West Bank, including photographs of the individuals, their family histories, education and a security rating for each person. This recent soldier was personally familiar with Wolf Pack, which is accessible only on desktop computers in more secure environments. (While this former soldier described the data base as Facebook for Palestinians, it is not connected to Facebook.)

Another former soldier told The Post that his unit, which patrolled the streets of Hebron in 2020, was tasked with collecting as many photographs of Palestinians as possible in a given week using an old army-issued smartphone, taking the pictures during daily missions that often lasted eight hours. The soldiers uploaded the photos via the Blue Wolf app installed on the phones.

This former soldier said Palestinian children tended to pose for the photographs, while elderly people  and particularly older women - often would resist. He described the experience of forcing people to be photographed against their will as traumatic for him.

The photos taken by each unit would number in the hundreds each week, with one former soldier saying the unit was expected to take at least 1,500. Army units across the West Bank would compete for prizes, such as a night off, given to those who took the most photographs, former soldiers said.

Often, when a soldier takes someones photograph, the app registers a match for an existing profile in the Blue Wolf system. The app then flashes yellow, red or green to indicate whether the person should be detained, arrested immediately or allowed to pass, according to five soldiers and a screenshot of the system obtained by The Post.

The big push to build out the Blue Wolf database with images has slowed in recent months, but troops continue to use Blue Wolf to identify Palestinians, one former soldier said.

A separate smartphone app, called White Wolf, has been developed for use by Jewish settlers in the West Bank, a former soldier told Breaking the Silence. Although settlers are not allowed detain people, security volunteers can use White Wolf to scan a Palestinians identification card before that person enters a settlement, for example, to work in construction. The military in 2019 acknowledged existence of White Wolf in a right-wing Israeli publication.

Cameras used by Jewish settlers watch Palestinian pedestrians on a street in Hebron. (Kobi Wolf/for The Washington Post)

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The Israeli military, in the only known instance, referred to the Blue Wolf technology in June in an online brochure inviting soldiers to be part of a new platoon that will turn you into a Blue Wolf. The brochure said that the advanced technology featured smart cameras with sophisticated analytics and censors that can detect and alert suspicious activity in real-time and the movement of wanted people.

The military also has mentioned Hebron Smart City in a 2020 article on the armys website. The article, which showed a group of female soldiers called scouts in front of computer monitors and wearing virtual-reality goggles, described the initiative as a major milestone and a breakthrough technology for security in the West Bank. The article said a new system of cameras and radars had been installed throughout the city that can document everything that happens around it and recognize any movement or unfamiliar noise.

In 2019, Microsoft invested in an Israeli facial recognition startup called AnyVision, which NBC and the Israeli business publication the Marker reported was working with the army to build a network of smart security cameras using face-scanning technology throughout the West Bank. (Microsoft said it pulled out of its investment in AnyVision during fighting in May between Israel and the Hamas militant group in Gaza.)

Also in 2019, the Israeli military announced the introduction of a public facial-recognition program, powered by AnyVision, at major checkpoints where Palestinians cross into Israel from the West Bank. The program uses kiosks to scan IDs and faces, similar to airport kiosks used at airports to screen travelers entering the United States. The Israeli system is used to check whether a Palestinian has a permit to enter Israel, for example to work or to visit relatives, and to keep track of who is entering the country, according to news reports. This check is obligatory for Palestinians, as is the check at American airports for foreigners.

Unlike the border checks, the monitoring in Hebron is happening in a Palestinian city without notification to the local populace, according to one former soldier who was involved in the program and four Palestinian residents. These checkpoint cameras also can recognize vehicles, even without registering license plates, and match them with their owners, the former soldier told The Post.

In addition to privacy concerns, one of the main reasons that facial recognition surveillance has been restricted in some other countries is that many of these systems have exhibited widely varying accuracy, with individuals being put in jeopardy by being misidentified.

The Israeli military did not comment on concerns raised about the use of facial-recognition technology.

The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation has said that studies showing that the technology is inaccurate have been overblown. In objecting to the proposed European ban, the group said time would be better spent developing safeguards for the appropriate use of the technology by law enforcement and performance standards for facial recognition systems used by the government.

In the West Bank, however, this technology is merely another instrument of oppression and subjugation of the Palestinian people, said Avner Gvaryahu, executive director of Breaking the Silence. Whilst surveillance and privacy are at the forefront of the global public discourse, we see here another disgraceful assumption by the Israeli government and military that when it comes to Palestinians, basic human rights are simply irrelevant.
Haitian migrants in the Rio Grande at the U.S.-Mexico border. (Sergio Flores/for The Washington Post)

WASHINGTON  Illegal border crossings and coronavirus cases were both rising this summer when a group of Biden administration officials developed a plan to vaccinate migrants in U.S. custody, viewing the shots as a sensible public health measure.

But just before the plan was rolled out, it was opposed by one of President Joe Bidens top aides, Susan Rice, and other senior officials who worried that it would invite more illegal crossings. Some aides responded that migrants would not pay smugglers and take a dangerous journey just for a vaccine  but they were overruled, according to four people with knowledge of the reversal.

The episode reflects the fractures spreading in the White House over Bidens immigration policies and his dismal ratings on U.S.-Mexico border issues. Several top aides want tougher enforcement measures, and the presidents team is gripped with fear that any misstep could trigger a new crisis, according to seven current and former Biden officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the internal tensions.

A major policy shift or purge is not imminent, these officials say, but the national security centrists on Bidens team have asserted more control, and the left-leaning advisers who pushed to quickly reverse President Donald Trumps policies have lost ground.

The change is evident in several recent moves. The administration is expanding its enforcement partnership with Mexican authorities. It is adamantly defending the Title 42 health code used to expel border crossers. It aggressively used deportation flights to send nearly 8,000 Haitians back to their destitute homeland.

Theres been a shift, said Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, who has been urging Biden to tighten enforcement for months. Some of it pushed by the courts. Some of it pushed by reality at the border.

Amid Democrats electoral setbacks last week in Virginia and New Jersey, some voters expressed a sense that Biden was not taking charge of events, putting greater pressure on White House aides to avoid further scenes of chaos at the border.

Its a question of control, and whether they appear to be in control, especially coming hard on the heels of the Afghan evacuation, which looked like it was ragged and not under control, said a Biden appointee, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

From the outset, Bidens immigration policy has been shaped by a team with starkly differing philosophies on border security. Aides described fault lines that mirror broader divisions in the party, pitting moderates against liberals with close ties to advocacy organizations.

Tyler Moran, a veteran activist who is Bidens senior adviser for migration, played down the differences in an interview. There are internal discussions that are deliberative, she said. In the end, were one team, speaking with one voice.

Biden, aware of the political pitfalls, has not traveled to the southern border as president and rarely talks about immigration publicly. He appeared to stumble again recently when he initially dismissed as garbage reports that his administration was negotiating large cash payments to families separated at the border during the Trump administration. Aides acknowledged the next day that negotiations are ongoing and said the president would accept a settlement. On Saturday, Biden said he was taking issue with was the reported payment amounts, and added that separated families deserve some kind of compensation.

Having campaigned on promises to be more welcoming of immigrants, Bidens team is now consumed with the same challenge that occupied Trump: how to deter illegal crossings. Biden officials say their success should be defined not by monthly enforcement data, but by making activity at the border more humane and orderly.

That goal has been undercut by soaring crossings and the accompanying scenes of disarray, including the recent arrival of 15,000 Haitians to a squalid camp in Del Rio, Tex. Biden officials responded by launching scores of Title 42 expulsion flights that halted the influx but left the president squeezed between Republican attacks and Democratic disappointment.

They are not getting credit from advocates for letting people in and being fairly humanitarian, and not getting credit from Republicans for being tough with Title 42, said Andrew Selee, president of the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. Theyve got people on the left thinking theyre draconian and people on the right thinking theyre soft  and so theyre losing both sides.

That is compounded, according to two Biden appointees, by the lack of a single figure responsible for immigration policy. We have had multiple people pushing multiple border policies, and no clear direction, said one appointee, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive internal matters.

Several top immigration advisers have come to the White House only to leave quickly, including Roberta Jacobson, Amy Pope and Alida Garcia.

More recently, a group of Biden aides more attuned to national security and less sensitive to the activist community has begun asserting control over immigration, according to five current and former administration officials. They include Jake Sullivan, the presidents national security adviser; Liz Sherwood-Randall, his homeland security adviser; Rice; and White House chief of staff Ron Klain, who has dialed back his involvement since late summer but still relies on these and other officials, according to one person familiar with the dynamic.

These advisers view the border almost entirely from a political lens, said one Biden appointee who is sour on the administrations pro-enforcement shift.

White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre played down the divisions and said officials are results-oriented, telling reporters the entire staff has one goal: Every single member of this administration, from the president on down, is committed to building a fair and orderly immigration system.

Another figure with growing clout in the enforcement debate is Jennifer Sokoler, a White House attorney and former clerk to Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor who had little experience in immigration policy before joining the administration, two colleagues said. A White House official said Sokolers role is to ensure that Biden policies are lawful.

Bidens plight is striking in part because the administration took office with sweeping promises to put immigration on a moral footing after a Trump approach that many Democrats saw as cruel and racist, from his push to build a border wall to his promise to ban Muslim immigrants to his reference to shithole countries.

Biden officials immediately announced that they would not use the Title 42 law to expel minors on public health grounds, only to be overwhelmed weeks later as Border Patrol tents and holding cells filled with migrant teens and children.

High-level White House officials spent weeks micromanaging bus transfers, shelter expansions and other mundane logistical operations. In all, more than 146,925 minors crossed the border without a parent during fiscal 2021, nearly twice the previous record.

The fault lines in the White House have been hardened by the rising numbers, pitting officials from the National Security Council and the White House Counsels Office, who want to toughen enforcement, against the presidents immigration advisers, some of whom have spent years insisting that deterrent policies are ineffective.

They include Moran, Esther Olavarria and other advocates who arrived with a deep mistrust of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to three appointees.

There are a lot of preconceived notions and distrust based on years of yelling at these agencies from outside, one Biden appointee said. Another added: Some administration officials have had trouble recognizing how border dynamics actually work. They have had trouble accepting deterrence policies related to illegal crossings, but that is an inescapable part of border management.

Advocacy groups cheered when they were hired, but more recently Olavarria and Moran have found themselves in the awkward position of fielding liberals anger at Bidens actions.

Last month, dozens of activists staged a virtual walkout from a meeting with Olavarria and others to express frustration at Bidens preparations to revive Trumps Remain in Mexico program, under federal court order. The group included Alex Mensing, who personally led migrant caravans through Mexico in 2018 with the group Pueblo Sin Fronteras.

One reflection of the White Houses struggles is the low profile of Vice President Kamala Harris, who has little role in the internal debates, the current and former officials said, including two who characterized her as completely irrelevant.

A Harris aide said the vice president is regularly briefed on immigration, together with Biden and separately. Harris is also in touch with the president on major decisions, said the aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the dynamic.

Biden last spring tasked Harris with addressing the root causes of illegal migration from Central America. She quickly fell into a political morass of Republican mockery and left-wing outrage at her calls for migrants to stay home.

Since then, Harris has mostly kept her distance from border issues, and the growing share of migrants arriving from beyond Mexico and Central America has left the root-causes strategy looking inadequate.

This is much bigger and more hemispheric than we were thinking in the beginning, said one administration official the White House allowed to speak to The Washington Post on the condition that they would not be identified. What weve seen in recent months is something of much greater scale. Biden officials say they are improving coordination on migration with nations throughout the Western Hemisphere.

Few issues illustrate the shift within Bidens orbit as vividly as the fight over the Remain in Mexico policy.

Behind the scenes, several Biden advisers have been arguing for the reinstatement of the policy, formally known as the Migrant Protection Protocols, which requires asylum seekers to wait outside the United States while their claims are processed in American courts. In discussions, Biden officials refer to the program by its legal code 235(b)(2)(C) to avoid identifying the Trump-era policy by name.

The MPP program reduced illegal crossings but was denounced by human rights groups that documented rampant kidnappings and attacks on migrants left waiting for months or longer in dangerous Mexican border cities.

Biden had campaigned actively against MPP, and first lady Jill Biden recorded a video at the notorious migrant camp in Matamoros, Mexico, where thousands of asylum seekers were stranded under Trump.

Once in office, Biden quickly ended MPP and began allowing migrants in Mexico to enter the United States pending a decision on their asylum requests. But the GOP-led states of Texas and Missouri won a legal injunction, later affirmed by the Supreme Court, forcing a restart to MPP on the grounds that Bidens decision appeared arbitrary.

Biden officials are preparing to restore the program this month, if Mexico agrees, but they say they will conduct the program differently. Were completely committed to do it in a humane way, and there are so many obvious ways it can be better than last time, an administration official said.

The Department of Homeland Security issued a memo on Oct. 29 again trying to terminate MPP, but it will not take effect unless the court injunction is lifted. That leaves the fate of the policy largely in the hands of Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, a Trump appointee, and the conservative-leaning Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the administration is moving forward with its plan to have asylum officers from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services adjudicate the claims of migrants apprehended along the border, with the goal of taking pressure off immigration courts buried under a backlog of 400,000 pending asylum cases. But that program probably wont be ready for months.

U.S. courts reject the vast majority of asylum claims on the grounds that the applicants are not victims of persecution. The cases typically take years to complete, however, and rejected asylum seekers who arrived before Nov. 1, 2020, are not a priority for arrest under the Biden administrations new enforcement policies.
The estranged wife of former Army Ranger and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell said Monday during a custody hearing that a judge had rejected her request for a restraining order in 2018 based on her allegations that he had harmed one of their children, a newspaper reported. (Facebook)

BUTLER, Pa.  Former Army Ranger and U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell took the stand Monday in his contentious custody case and broadly denied allegations by his estranged wife that he had hurt her and their children, a newspaper reported.

Testifying under oath in Butler County court, Parnell said he never choked his estranged wife or pinned her down, as she had accused him of doing, and never struck one of their children in a fit of rage, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

"Did you ever choke your wife?" Parnell's attorney asked him.

"Never," Parnell responded.

Asked if he ever got "physical" with his wife, Parnell answered, "never," the Inquirer reported.

Monday was the first opportunity for Parnell to testify and for his lawyers to cross examine Laurie Snell after she testified last week that she had endured years of rage and abuse from him, including once being choked until she had to bite him.

Parnell is endorsed by former President Donald Trump in the contested Republican primary after running for Congress last year and narrowly losing in a Pittsburgh-area district.

Parnell gave similarly unequivocal denials Monday to questions about other allegations lodged by Snell, including kicking her out of their car alongside a highway and telling her to go get an abortion.

"It just wasn't a good relationship," he said.

Meanwhile, Parnell's lawyers pointed out that a judge had rejected Snell's request for a restraining order in 2018 based on two allegations she made that he had physically harmed their children.

Neither episode ever happened, Parnell testified.

In one, Snell accused Parnell of striking one of their children hard enough through a T-shirt to leave welts. Parnell said it never happened.

In the second, an angry Parnell punched a closet door, sending it flying into another child's face, leaving a bruise, she had testified.

Parnell testified that Snell "made up" the story and that the child got startled and bumped his own head on the door.

"Laurie wasn't even there," Parnell said.

Under cross-examination Monday, Snell acknowledged that she went on vacation with Parnell and their children almost immediately after he allegedly struck the child.

Later, after the closet door episode, Snell asked Parnell if he wanted to watch the children and told him, "I know you're a good dad and it's important that the kids see you," according to text messages submitted as evidence.

Parnell responded to his estranged wife's testimony last week by releasing a statement insisting he "never raised a hand in anger towards my wife or any of our three children" and saying he would "set the record straight" when he testifies.

Pennsylvania's election next year for an open U.S. Senate seat is expected to be among the nation's most competitive and help determine control of the chamber.

To underscore his support, Trump and Donald Trump Jr. are headlining a fundraiser for Parnell on Jan. 25 at Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.

The Parnells have been living apart for at least three years, but have split custody of their children evenly.

Snell is seeking sole custody and testified on Monday that Parnell carried on an affair with another woman while they were married.

Parnell's lawyer asked Snell during cross-examination whether Parnell was a good father.

Snell said Parnell is a good dad "when he's not angry," the Tribune-Review of Greensburg reported.

Parnell, a decorated former Army Ranger who led a platoon in Afghanistan, has told of being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.

Parnell penned a memoir of his service in Afghanistan, which became a New York Times bestseller. He also has written four action novels, and emerged as a regular guest on Fox News programs before running for Congress last year.

Parnell's history with his wife became a subject in the Republican primary campaign, days after Trump endorsed Parnell over several other rivals.
The father of Spc. Michaela Nelson filed a report on a missing person with the Columbus police. (Facebook)

(Tribune News Service)  The Ohio Army National Guard has expressed concern about an enlisted member who has reportedly not contacted her family since Oct. 26.

The father of Spc. Michaela Nelson filed a report on a missing person with the Columbus police, according to the armyguarddayton Instagram account. The account is the official Ohio Army National Guard recruiting page for the Dayton area.

Spc. Michaela Nelson is a valued member of the Ohio Army National Guards Recruit Sustainment Program (RSP), a statement from the guard to the Dayton Daily News said Monday. Spc. Nelsons family has filed a missing persons report and anyone with information is urged to contact the Columbus Police Department at (614) 645-4545.

The statement adds: Our No. 1 priority is ensuring she is found safe, and we will provide any assistance needed to her family and law enforcement.

Nelson, 26, enlisted in September 2020, the Guard said. She completed Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at Fort Jackson, S.C., for military occupation specialty 56M (religious affairs specialist). Her unit is Company G in the Recruit Sustainment Program, and Company G is based in Dayton.

A poster on Instagram said Nelson graduated from Cedarville University and attended Xenia Christian High School, now Legacy Christian Academy. Questions were sent to a representative of Cedarville University.

A Columbus police report said Nelsons father reported on Nov. 5 that Nelson had been missing for a few weeks. The victim hasnt even spoken to the complainant or other family members since 10/26/2021. The victim is also AWOL (absent without leave) from the army and they are contacting the complainant as well.

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Visit at www.springfieldnewssun.com
This story has been corrected

BATON ROUGE, La.  The body of a Louisiana man who wanted it donated for science was dissected before paying viewers at an "Oddities and Curiosities Expo" in Oregon, news agencies report. His wife is aghast.

"As far as I'm concerned, it's horrible, unethical, and I just don't have the words to describe it," Elsie Saunders of Baker, a Baton Rouge suburb, told The Advocate. "I have all this paperwork that says his body would be used for science  nothing about this commercialization of his death."

Saunders' husband, World War II and Korean War veteran David Saunders, died of COVID-19 at age 98. She said she learned his dissection had been watched by people paying up to $500 a seat when she was called Tuesday by Seattle station KING-TV.

The station had sent an undercover reporter to an Oct. 17 dissection organized by DeathScience.org when the traveling "expo" stopped at a hotel in Portland, Oregon. The photojournalist spotted a bracelet with the typed name David Saunders on one wrist of the body described as that of an 86-year-old man.

A similar event scheduled for Halloween in Seattle was canceled after KING-TV's reports.

Elsie Saunders told the Baton Rouge newspaper Wednesday that Louisiana State University's medical school had declined to take her husband's body because he had died of COVID-19. After that, she said, she was connected with Med Ed Labs of Las Vegas.

Med Ed's website says it was "established to provide medical and surgical education and training for the advancement of medical and surgical innovation."

The company had never before worked with Death Science, which promised professional use of the body, manager Obteen Nassiri told The Advocate. He told KING-TV that Death Science founder Jeremy Ciliberto claimed it would be used for a medical class.

Ciliberto did not immediately respond to on email sent Thursday to Death Science Club or to a chat message sent through the Death Science website by The Associated Press.

He told KING-TV he pays Med Ed more than $10,000 each for cadavers, but would not give the exact amount.

He told the newspaper in an emailed statement Wednesday that Med Ed, which also supplied the anatomist who performed the autopsy, knew attendees would not be "exclusively medical students."

Ciliberto told KING-TV that Med Ed had not told him Saunders had died from COVID-19 and he would no longer work with that company.

The Death Science website advertises "hyper-realistic death science courses to educate in a unique, fun & captivating way." It also sells anatomical models, death-themed artwork and branded merchandise with slogans like "Support your local cadaver lab."

Med Ed's Nassiri said he apologized Wednesday to Elsie Saunders.

"We respect our donors and their families, and appreciate their generous gift," Nassiri said. "I told Ms. Saunders: I'm sorry, I'm on her side."

He said the body tested negative for the coronavirus before it was turned over to Med Ed. The virus probably had died by then, he said, and the test meant nobody present for the dissection was at risk.

Death Science recently sent an email recommending everyone at the Oct. 17 session get tested for the virus as a precaution though embalming would have killed it, KING-TV reported.

Greg Clark, owner of south Louisiana-based Church Funeral Services, which prepared Saunders' body, said he was disgusted to learn about the ticketed public dissection and has stopped working with Med Ed.

"We're extremely sad for his widow because this is not what her intentions were," he told the newspaper.

Saunders said she hopes people will honor her husband's life after hearing the story of his death.

The two were married for 10 years and had known each other more than six decades. They moved to Baker from Chalmette, which is outside New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina, Elsie Saunders said.

She said they wore masks in public and generally stayed home because of the pandemic, but her husband was infected during the delta variant's summer surge.

"He was very patriotic," she said. "He figured his body donation was an act of patriotism, too, because it would be used to help somebody else maybe."

The logo for Death Science. (Facebook)
The first military guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on March 25, 1926. To prevent visitors from climbing or stepping on the tomb, soldiers from Fort Myer, Va., were assigned to guard it during daylight hours beginning in 1926. In 1937, the guard became a 24/7 presence. (Library of Congress)

WASHINGTON  A casket containing the unidentified remains of a World War I soldier was carried in a horse-drawn wagon through Washington, D.C., across the Potomac River, and into Arlington National Cemetery on Nov. 11, 1921.

Thousands of dignitaries, veterans and American citizens packed into the Memorial Amphitheater at the cemetery, where then-President Warren G. Harding led a state funeral for the unknown soldier. When the ceremony began at noon, bells tolled, and Americans across the country observed two minutes of silence for the fallen man.

The name of him whose body lies before us took flight with his imperishable soul, Harding said. We know not whence he came, but only that his death marks him with the everlasting glory of an American dying for his country. He might have come from any one of millions of American homes.

Thursday marks 100 years since the remains were entombed at Arlington, creating the iconic Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The tomb, which attracts millions of visitors every year, now includes the remains of soldiers from World War II and the Korean War. In the past 100 years, it has become a symbol of American service and sacrifice, as well as a place for mourning and reflection.

To mark the anniversary, Arlington National Cemetery planned a series of events, including a procession Thursday that is intended to evoke elements of the unidentified soldiers funeral procession from 1921. For the first time in decades, visitors to the tomb this week will be allowed to approach it and place flowers near its base.

One hundred years ago, we laid to rest an unidentified American who fell in the First World War. He has been in our charge ever since, said Karen Durham-Aguilera, executive director of Army National Military Cemeteries. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier stands, physically and symbolically, at the heart of the cemetery  and the heart of the nation.

The idea for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier came from Britain and France, which created similar tombs in 1920. Unidentified remains of fallen World War I soldiers were buried that year at Westminster Abbey in London and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. In both countries, one unidentified soldier symbolized all the unknown troops who were killed in action.

In December 1920, New York Congressman Hamilton Fish Jr., a World War I veteran, proposed legislation that ordered the entombment of one unidentified American soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Its purpose was to bring home the body of an unknown American warrior who in himself represents no section, creed or race in the late war and who typifies  the soul of America and the supreme sacrifice of her heroic dead, according to the legislation.

Congress approved the burial on March 4, 1921. In October of that year, four bodies of unidentified soldiers were exhumed from American military cemeteries in France. Sgt. Edward Younger, a World War I veteran, selected the soldier who would be sent to Arlington National Cemetery by placing white roses on one of the caskets. Younger was given the honor because of his superior service record.

The remains arrived in Washington by ship on Nov. 9, 1921. The casket lay in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Nov. 10, where about 90,000 people came to pay their respects before the remains were taken to Arlington the following day.

A White House military aide places President Franklin D. Roosevelts wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Memorial Day, May 30, 1940. (Library of Congress)

More remains added

More remains were interred at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the following decades, first in 1958 and then in 1984.

After World War II, Americans supported the idea of adding remains to the tomb that would represent the unidentified dead from that conflict. However, the start of the Korean War delayed those plans.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved the idea in 1956 to entomb unidentified remains from World War II and the Korean War. The Army started an extensive process in 1958 to select the remains that would represent World War II soldiers.

Five bodies were exhumed from cemeteries in Hawaii and the Philippines to represent the Pacific theater of the war. To represent the Atlantic theater, 13 bodies were exhumed from cemeteries across North Africa and Europe. Officials selected one casket from each group, and they met on the USS Canberra off the coast of Virginia.

William Charlette, a Navy hospital corpsman who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his service in the Korean War, chose one of the caskets to be entombed at Arlington. The others received burials at sea.

About the same time, the Army exhumed four unidentified bodies from the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii to represent a soldier from the Korean War. Army Master Sgt. Ned Lyle, a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, selected one.

The caskets of the World War II and Korean War soldiers arrived in Washington on May 28, 1958, and lay in state at the Capitol for two days. They were then transported to Arlington National Cemetery, where they were placed in crypts beside the World War I soldier.

Years later, following the end of the Vietnam War, Congress faced pressure to designate an unknown soldier from the war to place in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A set of remains was chosen in 1984, and a casket with the remains was entombed on Memorial Day that year.

Following the entombment, work continued at the Defense Department to identify remains recovered from Vietnam. Through those efforts, scientists found evidence that suggested the remains placed in the Tomb of the Unknown soldier were Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie, a pilot who had been shot down in 1972.

Blassies family requested the Pentagon exhume the remains. They were removed from the tomb in 1998 and positively identified as Blassies using DNA testing. Blassies family had him reinterred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis.

The crypt meant for a Vietnam War soldier remains vacant. It was rededicated in 1999 to honor all missing U.S. service members from the Vietnam War.

According to Arlington National Cemetery, there are no plans to inter any more service members in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Due to the advancement of mitochondrial DNA sequencing and other forensic technologies, along with improved and faster recovery of fatalities in theater, unidentified American casualties are now exceedingly rare, cemetery officials said in a statement. There are no current plans to place unknowns from recent wars.

President Warren G. Harding addresses the nation during the funeral service for the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Nov. 11, 1921. (Library of Congress) President Joe Biden adjusts a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, Monday, May 31, 2021, in Arlington, Va. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Changes through the years

In its early years, the tomb was a simple marble slab.

Congress acted in 1926 to finish the tomb, kicking off a national design competition to do so. The tomb, as it is today, was designed by two World War I veterans  architect Lorimer Rich and sculptor Thomas Hudson James. They submitted a design for a white marble sarcophagus with neoclassical carvings.

Construction on their design began in 1929 and was completed in 1932. The tomb was decorated with three wreaths on each side panel. Three figures on the front represent peace, victory and valor. On the back is the inscription, Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.

About the time Congress acted to finish the tomb, another change happened  it was given a guard.

By then, visitors began to treat the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as a tourist attraction. The Army decided in 1925 to post a civilian guard near the tomb to discourage people from climbing or stepping on it.

One year later, soldiers from nearby Fort Myer, Va., were assigned to guard the tomb. At the time, they guarded it only during daylight hours.

The tradition started in 1937 of guards always standing watch over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, day and night. Now, soldiers who volunteer to become guards must undergo a strict selection process. Theyre trained on precise rituals meant to honor the unidentified soldiers entombed there.

During the changing of the guard ceremony, guards take 21 steps to the rear of the tomb, then turn to face east for 21 seconds. They then turn to face north for 21 seconds before taking another 21 steps back to the start. The number 21 symbolizes the 21-gun salute, the highest symbolic military honor.

The guards also perform a shoulder-arms movement as part of the ceremony during which they place their weapon on the shoulder closest to visitors, signifying they stand between the tomb and any possible threat.

This week is the only time in recent history that visitors have been allowed close to the tomb to place flowers. The public flower-laying ceremony will last through the day on Tuesday and Wednesday. Flowers will then be collected and placed at headstones throughout the cemetery.

In addition to a procession, the cemetery will hold a Veterans Day observance at the tomb Thursday.
Jerry Glenn Howell, 88, passed away on Monday, November 15, 2021 at his home in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Visitation will be held on Friday, November 19, 2021 from 5-7pm at Dighton Marler Funeral Home in Stillwater. www.dightonmarler.com.
Setting up a bustling youth hub is at the heart of a host of new activities in Tauranga city centre.

Our Place on Willow Street is to house Te Tuhi Mareikura Trusts temporary offices, with Arpege Taratoa confirming the inclusion of a hub with collaborating Maori providers.

Trustee Linda Munn is also one of the three creators of the Tino Rangatiratanga flag, which won the National Maori Flag Competition in 1990. The flag design represents the balance of natural forces with each other and the promise of renewal and hope for the future. The other two creators, Haraina Marsden and Jan Smith, have since passed away.

Our trust is there to support Maori arts within Tauranga Moana, says Linda, and we have a huge network that reaches to the Pacific Rim and beyond.

Our Place is the hub for all of our projects. Arpege is the go-getter behind the development of the youth programme. Thats going to be really exciting for young people, helping them in their career or personally.

Linda says the flag is a physical representation of the kaupapa behind how they work as a trust, working as a community and uniting and helping people.

Tino underlines a set of values of what we are all about.

Designed in 1989, the flag was first unveiled on Waitangi Day in 1990 at the 150th commemorations of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The koru is symbolic of a curling fern frond, representing the unfolding of new life, hope for the future and the process of renewal.

There are a whole crew of people behind the flag, says Linda. It wasnt just the three of us. A lot of them have passed on now. Haraina did the first design on a serviette on a marae.

Linda wants to centre on the positives, particularly as people navigate through Covid-19 lockdowns, and celebrate bringing people together.

For those who dont know about the flag, its an ideal time to reach out to them.

The Te Tuhi Mareikura Trust has the use of Our Place until February 2022.
Commissioners have agreed on the final proposal, which is subject to any submitter appeals, whilst also announcing the name of the newly established Maori ward and how they might achieve a return to democratically elected councillors with improved governance.

The current Tauranga City Council commission was appointed by Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta in place of the previously elected councillors in December 2020.

This followed an independent review, which highlighted behaviour issues and underlying growth management problems.

The return to elections next October, and how that might look, has therefore been the topic of much debate but commissioners have now agreed that Tauranga residents will elect nine councillors - eight from general wards and one from a Maori ward - and a mayor elected at-large.

The eight general wards are Mauao/Mount Maunganui, Arataki, Papamoa, Welcome Bay, Matua/Otumoetai, Bethlehem, Tauriko and Te Papa.

The Maori ward, which will cover the entire city, has been named Te Awanui, as gifted by Te Rangapu Mana Whenua o Tauranga Moana.

The system will be in place for six years, covering two election cycles, or until the next review.

Commission chair Anne Tolley says public representation is the heart of local democracy, and feedback from the community formed a crucial part of the Commissioners decision-making.

Throughout the Long-term Plan discussions, we heard that the community felt ignored and forgotten by the previous representation, and a failure to ensure an equal voice from across the city frustrated them.

People told us they wanted to be fairly represented, and we believe this has been achieved through improved geographical ward representation and a more even distribution of residents for each elected member.

Having the mayor elected by all voters across the city gives the successful candidate the mandate and authority to lead and make decisions, and for the first time, Tauranga will have a Maori ward councillor, elected by those on the Maori electoral roll.

Council decided against having most councillors elected at large, as represented in various submissions against the now accepted proposal, as it would present the most inequitable representation model for Maori

The chosen system provides fair and effective representation for our entire community, says Tolley.

Anne Tolley. Photo: John Borren/SunLive.

In line with tasking from Minister Mahuta, the commission has recommended several steps to help achieve improved governance after the next election - following the way in which elected Councillors lost their seats at the table in 2020.

This includes greater collaboration with the community, greater focus on community, including the development of the My Tauranga Vibe communications strategy, and a range of initiatives aimed at increasing wider voter participation and encouraging more diversity amongst candidates.

In 2020, the crown appointed Review and Observer Team recommended council review its representation, after observing many of the issues being experienced at that time stemmed from the how it was structured, says Tolley.

The new governance model addresses these concerns and provides an equitable and efficient governance model for the future of our city.

The Councils Final Proposal can be appealed by those who made a submission and anyone can object to the changes made, where the Final Proposal differs from the Initial Proposal.

Any appeals and objections will be sent to the Local Government Commission for their consideration and final determination.

For details about this and more information about the representation review, visit www.tauranga.govt.nz/representation.
Junta head commits to climate change targets at COP26 summit in Glasgow Juanma Moreno said, 'Andalucia is a pioneer in this fight and we will continue to be the spearhead, because we are the most vulnerable region in Spain and Europe'

The President of the Junta de Andalucia, Juanma Moreno, has shown the commitment of his regional government in the fight against climate change and set a target of a 41 per cent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions for 2030 in the region, an objective included in the recently approved Andalusian Climate Action Plan.

The Juntas head was in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Sunday (7 November) participating in the XXVI Climate Summit of the United Nations (UN), the so-called COP26. Moreno also held a bilateral meeting with the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon.

Speaking at the climate summit Moreno highlighted the "greater involvement" of Andalucia in the challenge of the fight against climate change that has allowed it to go beyond the objectives set out by Spains national government.

The Andalusian president also highlighted "we have already achieved that 61 per cent of the energy we generate in Andalucia is clean and free of CO2 emissions." In addition, he stressed that Andalucia is a pioneer in this fight and we will continue to be the spearhead, because we are the most vulnerable region in Spain and Europe.

Climate emergency

He added that we are in a climate emergency situation, so it is important that Andalucia participates and actively commits itself to the fight against climate change.

Moreno pointed out that "the common objective is to make a much more sustainable planet and that the next generations - our children and grandchildren - do not suffer the catastrophe caused by climate change.

The Andalusian president's agenda was completed on Sunday with a bilateral meeting with the President of the German State of Baden-Wurttemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, and his delegation, and with the Secretary of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of California, Ware Crowfoot.
Wanted drug trafficker detained in Benalmadena under European arrest warrant The 48-year-old man is wanted in his home country for trafficking drugs from Spain

National Police officers have arrested a 48-year-old Norwegian man in Benalmadena on the Costa del Sol, who is wanted in his home country in relation to charges of trafficking drugs from Spain.

A European arrest and surrender order was issued by authorities in Norway on 21 October and the individual was detained in the Costa del Sol town on 2 November.

The man was captured in Benalmadena when police officers carried out some checks and found that an arrest warrant was in force against his name, issued by the District Court of Nord-Troms og Senja (Norway).

According to the court order, the wanted man is being sought in connection with trafficking drugs from Spain to Norway charges.

The arrested man now faces deportation and his case has been passed to the National Court in Madrid.
Hospital is looking for volunteers to take part in trials of a new Covid-19 vaccine The research team in Malaga is looking for people over 18 years of age who have been jabbed with a Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago

Malagas Regional University Hospital is looking for volunteers who have received the Comirnaty vaccine from the Pfizer-BioNTech lab at least six months ago, in order to study a new vaccine that HIPRA is developing against the coronavirus.

As explained by the hospital in a statement, the volunteers must be over 18 years of age and they will receive a booster dose of the new vaccine or a formula already on the market. They will be followed up for up to a year to check their immunity response and if there are any side effects.

The study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the Hospital Clinic de Barcelona and is being evaluated by the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AMPS) with the participation of different Spanish hospitals.

People who are interested in taking part in the trial can contact the hospital by phone 690 997 713 or email preventiva.hrmal.sspa@juntadeandalucia.es.
Atlantic, IA (50022)

Today

Windy with a mix of clouds and sun. High 49F. Winds NNW at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 21F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
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Some of your favorite Marvel movies on Disney+ are about to look a lot taller, with the streamer announcing that its bringing the jumbo IMAX Enhanced format to its platform later this week.

The recent Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings will be among the first Marvel movies to get the IMAX Enhanced treatment, along with Iron Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, and Avengers: Endgame, plus seven more. The IMAX-ified movies will land on Disney+ on November 12, which just happens to be Disney+ Day.

Whats so special about IMAX Enhanced? Well, for starters, no: It wont magically make your TV screen 70 feet tall. What it will do, however, is expand the aspect ratio to 1:90:1, which offers up to 26 percent more picture for select sequences, similar to what youd see in an IMAX theater.

The Marvel movies on Disney+ that are arriving in the IMAX Enhanced format were previously shown in a widescreen 2.35:1 aspect ratio, which explains the black bars at the top and bottom of your TV screen. Because typical flatscreen TVs have a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, a 1.90:1 IMAX Enhanced picture will still leave horizontal black stripes on the display, but theyll be tiny slivers rather than big black bars. (Its worth noting that a couple of Marvel movies, namely The Avengers and Ant-Man, were already filmed in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio.)

Besides the taller aspect ratio, IMAX Enhanced also offers a series of enhanced audio and visual technology that will be coming to Disney+ at a later date, including IMAX signature sound via DTS:X.

Disney+ is the first major streaming service to offer titles in the IMAX Enhanced format, which was previously available on Sonys Bravia Core streaming app.

There is also a series of IMAX Enhanced-certified TVs (including a TechHive Editors Choice, the Hisense U8G-series 4K TV), projectors, A/V receivers, and speakers that can automatically detect IMAX Enhanced content and have met carefully prescribed performance requirements set by IMAX and DTS. That said, you dont actually need an IMAX Enhanced-certified device to stream movies in the format.

Here are all the Marvel movies on Disney+ that will arrive in the IMAX Enhanced format on November 12:

Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings

Iron Man

Guardians of the Galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Captain America: Civil War

Doctor Strange

Thor: Ragnarok

Black Panther

Avengers: Infinity War

Ant-Man and The Wasp

Captain Marvel

Avengers: Endgame

Black Widow
Why it matters: Police in Romania have arrested two individuals suspected of using the Sodinokibi/REvil ransomware to infect as many as 5,000 machines, raking in half a million euros in ransom payments in the process.

Europol in announcing the effort, which was part of operation GoldDust, said it facilitated the exchange of information and provided analytical support, plus cryptocurrency, malware and forensic analysis. Operation GoldDust involved 17 countries including Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as members of Europol, Eurojust and Interpol.

During what was described as the action days, Europol set up a virtual command post and deployed experts to each location to coordinate ground-based activities.

Related reading: The Evolution of Ransomware: How Did We Get Here?

In total, seven suspects allegedly linked to the GandCrab and Sodinokibi/REvil ransomware families have been arrested since February 2021. Collectively, these individuals are said to be responsible for infecting roughly 7,000 victims.

Earlier this year, Bitdefender teamed up with law enforcement to publish a tool capable of unlocking files on systems impacted by REvil up through mid-July 2021.

Ransomware was recently identified by EU cybersecurity agency Enisa as one of nine prime threats emerging in the cybersecurity landscape. Malware, cryptojacking and misinformation were also high on Enisas list.

The @StateDept also announced rewards of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification, arrest, or conviction of leaders of (or participants in) the Sodinokibi/REvil ransomware transnational organized crime group. https://t.co/zTlT8Vg1pl pic.twitter.com/3Af6qwTcG4  FBI (@FBI) November 8, 2021

The US Department of State on Monday also announced rewards of up to $10 million for information that leads to the identification, arrest or conviction of members of the Sodinokibi/REvil group. The FBI also commented on the recent arrests.
Elon Musk tweeted he would sell 10% of his Tesla stock. But, he announced this in an unusual way, posting a Twitter poll using his account to see what his followers think he should do.

Related Article: Elon Musk Admits Tesla to Sign a Contract With Hertz

Since this is the case, this means that it would depend on you if he would sell around $21 billion in Tesla stocks.

"Much is made lately of unrealized gains being a means of tax avoidance, so I propose selling 10% of my Tesla stock," said the billionaire via his official Twitter account.

As of the moment, his exciting post has already generated more than 103,000 likes, 12,500 quote tweets, and 20,600 retweets.

He added that would would "abide" no matter what the outcome would be. But, he didn't confirm when the poll would last. As of the moment, most Twitter users interacting with the viral survey say yes: 57% of his followers want Musk to sell 10% of his Tesla stocks and 42% say no.

Elon Musk To Sell $21 Billion Tesla Stocks?

According to Futurism's latest report, the viral announcement of Elon is connected to tax. As of the moment, the normal tax regulations don't apply to Tesla's boss and other billionaires, such as Jeff Bezos.

Also Read: United Nations Claim Elon Musk's $289B Net Worth is More than Enough to End World Hunger

Experts explained that Musk is putting his wealth away in stocks. Since this is the case, the tech CEO said that he only wants to sell some of his shares since it is the only way to settle his taxes personally.



Since this is Elon and other billionaires' current status, many people criticize them, saying that they should pay taxes since they have lots of money to spare.

Much is made lately of unrealized gains being a means of tax avoidance, so I propose selling 10% of my Tesla stock.



Do you support this?  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 6, 2021

Recently, we reported that the UN World Food Program said that Musk could solve world hunger if he sell around $6 of his stocks. This was followed up by Jake Paul's statement, promising that he would donate $10 million to the United Nations if SpaceX's boss really did what WFP suggested.

Musk's Twitter Poll Now Criticized

Business Insider reported that the latest poll of Elon Musk received backlash, especially from government officials.

Sen. Ron Wyden said that if the billionaire really sold 10% of his Tesla stocks, it would lead to outsized tax payments.

He added that Musk should not depend on the result of his poll if he wants to pay taxes. You can click this link to see more details.

For more news updates about Elon Musk and other related stories, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Google Chrome is accused of sharing smartphone users' sensitive data with mobile websites. Since the new researcher provided evidence, experts are now urging consumers to remove this popular browser.

Related Article: Microsoft Malware Protection Expanded for Linux Servers 'for the Cloud'

As of the moment, Google is just one of the companies criticized because of their information tracking activities. Aside from the search engine giant, Facebook is also allegedly stealing people's private details.

Cybersecurity researchers claimed that Meta, the new name for Mark Zuckerberg's company, is using accelerometer tech to monitor your activities. They added that the social media platform could also pinpoint your locations and track your user applications.

In the case of Google, Chrome is believed to be using motion sensor access to track its users' data.

Google Chrome Shares Smartphone Users' Data

According to The Sun's latest report, Zak Hoffman, a cybersecurity expert at Forbes, first reported this issue.

Also Read: Police Surveillance Helicopter Footage Leaks Online, Exposing More Than 1TB of Data-Here's How

"While Facebook was collecting this information for itself, Chrome is happy to collect it for others," he claimed.

He added that Google does this by recommending the motion sensor as one of the features in its settings. This is not the only security issue that the search engine giant is facing.

Recently, Google Chrome users were also warned about some high-level security threats in the browser. These flaws were both found in the web and mobile versions of the online tool. Aside from this, Google Ads are also believed to be used for crypto scams.

This just shows that Google's security protections are still inefficient. The tech firm is not the only one that fails when it comes to protecting user data.

Recently, we reported that four out of five device vendors are failing when it comes to basic security protection practices.

Removing Chrome From Smartphone

Since Google still wants to help its users in any way, its Chrome Help website provided the steps on how you can remove the browser from your smartphone if ever you are not satisfied with its service:

The first thing you need to do is open your device's settings. After that, you must choose the "Apps & Notifications" option. Then, find the Chrome symbol and just click the disable button.

For more news updates about Google Chrome and other popular browsers, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Unsplash/ Christian Wiediger) Ransomware attack

The United States government has announced that it is offering a bounty of up to $10 million for any information regarding the infamous hacking group, DarkSide.

U.S. Government's Bounty on DarkSide

In May, a DarkSide ransomware attack had shut down a very important 5,500-mile-long fuel pipeline on the east coast of the United States. The pipeline carries 45% of the fuel that is used on the east coast, according to BBC.

The bounty is offered by the government for information that can lead to the identification or the location of anyone within the group.

Another $5 million reward will be given to those who can give information that will lead to the arrest of a member of the ransomware group.

The cyberattack of DarkSide had caused fuel shortages after the Colonial Pipeline company was shut down for a couple of days. The company was forced to pay the group the $4.4 million ransom in Bitcoin.

Also Read: BlackMatter Ransomware Criminals Lost Potential Millions in Payments After Code Mistake Found by Researchers

Elliptic, a crypto-currency analysis company, said that the ransomware group received at least $90 million from 47 victims.

The U.S. authorities said that they could recover 63.7 Bitcoin, which is the majority of the cryptocurrency paid by the company to DarkSide.

The amount of $10 million is the largest bounty ever offered for the arrest of a cybercriminal. It was previously held by Maksim Yakubets, the leader of another ransomware group called Evil Corp.

In 2019, the U.S. authorities and the authorities from the United Kingdom publicly named him. Before that, the record bounty was $3 million for another cybercrime mastermind named Evgeniy Bogachev.

The three have in common that they are assumed to be living safely in Russia and that they were not in danger of getting arrested by the local police.

The Russian government had repeatedly ignored the accusations of the U.S. and the U.K. regarding the hackers.

Even with the names exposed, pictures revealed, and a location published by the United States, the criminals were not arrested.

The U.S. government has less information to use in catching the leaders and members of DarkSide. But most tips show that the group's members are currently living in Russia.

Despite the massive sums of money being offered by the U.S. government, the chances of these cybercriminals facing justice are very small, according to Wired.

Colonial Pipeline Ransom

The boss of the Colonial Pipeline has confirmed during his interview with The Wall Street Journal that it paid a $4.4 million ransom to DarkSide for taking the fuel pipeline offline.

The boss, Joseph Blount, also revealed that he was the one who authorized the payment on May 7 because he was uncertain over how long the shutdown was going to be.

The pipeline carries more than 2.5 million barrels of fuel to the east coast every day. According to the firm, it also carries diesel, jet fuel, and petrol that are used by the east coast.

Blount told The Wall Street Journal that the company decided to pay the ransom after talking to experts who had previously dealt with the cybergroup. He admitted that he was not comfortable seeing the money go out to the criminals, but he figured it was the right thing to do at the time.

Related Article: DarkSide Ransomware's New Data Leak Service In Iran Will Spread and Store Victims' Stolen Data

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Unsplash/ Christian Wiediger) Apple store

AirPods are often stolen, but this incident involves boxes of the device. The New York Police Department is asking for help identifying the suspects connected to a robbery of boxes of AirPods in Brooklyn. The said robbery happened in September.

AirPods Stolen in Brooklyn, New York

According to News12, the authorities reported a 16-year-old male victim who had set up a meeting with an unknown male in Avenue O and West 8th Street on Sept. 15, so they could discuss a transaction.

The purchase items were 56 boxes of Apple AirPods that the 16-year-old male listed for sale on Facebook's marketplace.

As soon as the two met at the location, three more unidentified men approached the teen and displayed a firearm.

The police stated that the suspects removed the AirPods of the victim and demanded his cellphone as well. The suspects fled on foot.

Also Read: Apple Issues Emergency Security Update as Pegasus Spyware from Israel-Based NGO Group is On the Loose

Around $2,600 worth of AirPods were stolen. Luckily, there were no injuries reported. The robbery is still under investigation, and the police department has released the CCTV footage of the incident.

Reporter's iPhone Targeted by Pegasus

Right after the government of the United States banned NSO Group's Pegasus software and added it to the Entity List of the Commerce Department, the software was used against an American reporter.

According to CitizenLab, an iPhone belonging to Ben Hubbard, a reporter from The New York Times, was targeted by Pegasus for three years.

The target ended in June. The incident happened during the time when Hubbard was reporting on Saudi Arabia and writing a book about the country's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

In June, French President Emmanuel Macron was also the target of Pegasus, forcing him to change phones.

According to Apple Insider, four companies have been added to the Entity List: Israel's Candiru, Singapore's Computer Security Initiative Consultancy, Russia's Positive Technologies, and NSO Group. All four are listed for engaging in activities that threaten national security.

Gina M. Raimondo, the US Secretary of Commerce, said that the United States wants to use export controls to hold the four companies accountable for their actions.

The said companies had developed and used technologies that conducted malicious activities that threatened the security of American citizens, government officials, and organizations.

Both the NSO Group and Candiru were found guilty of developing and supplying spyware to several foreign governments. This led to them being added to the list, according to the Commerce Department.

The said governments used spyware to target activists, journalists, officials, and more.

Russia's Positive Technologies and Singapore's Computer Security Initiative Consultancy were found guilty of trafficking cyber tools that were used to get unauthorized access to information systems. The move threatened the privacy and security of the public and companies around the world.

When a company is added to the Entity List, it can no longer export its products. The Commerce Department stated that the action aims to improve the security of the citizens of the country.

The move is a part of the Biden administration's efforts to put the rights of the citizens at the center of the country's foreign policy.

Related Article: NSO Group, the Company Behind Pegasus Spyware, Has Been Blacklisted by the US

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Unsplash/ Christian Wiediger) Tesla vehicles

Tesla is reportedly creating vehicles in new colors at its Gigafacotry in Shanghai. Many are speculating that these are the new factory wraps that the automaker has been talking about.

Tesla's New Colored Vehicles

Tesla is known to have a very limited color option. The automaker used to offer a much more colorful lineup, but in an attempt to streamline its production, the company has cut down paint options to just a dozen over the past few years.

Recently, Tesla has been teasing new colors that are enabled by its paint shop at its Gigafactory in Berlin. However, the company has been talking about another way to get new colors on the vehicles too, according to Electrek.Co.

In 2020, Tesla announced that it would be offering wraps in China on its Weibo account. While the company made the announcement last year, there has been no confirmed example of wraps from them.

Also Read: Tesla Giga Berlin to Take a Year to Reach Volume Production, Elon Musk Reveals New Paint Colors

Tesla owners have been doing wraps on vehicles for years now, but they usually do it through third-party companies. Now, the automaker is offering to do the service itself.

For the first time, Tesla has been spotted manufacturing new vehicles out of its Gigafactory in Shanghai, and the colors are all new. The images were captured by a drone used by reporter Jason Yang.

The screenshots were posted online, but it is not clear if what was seen are new paint colors or if they are wraps. One thing is for sure, Tesla owners can drive colored vehicles now. Some of the colors include turquoise, pink, and light blue.

However, Tesla previously said that its wrap service would work through its delivery centers and not straight from its factory. Wrapping a vehicle is expensive due to the labor that is involved in the process. Still, there are efficiency improvements that can be achieved by specializing in specific car models, like Tesla doing the wrap on its own cars.

If the new colors are from the factory wraps, the next thing that customers can anticipate is the price for the service.

Tesla's Berlin Gigafactory

Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, had always wanted to open a Gigafactory in Berlin. Last month, his dream came true.

Musk threw a rager at the new factory, complete with music, bright lights, an arcade, and food trucks, just to announce the start of production at the Gigafactory in Berlin despite the several lawsuits issues by environmental groups.

Musk said at the event that they want to start production in November and deliver their first cars in December. He said that starting production is easy, but reaching the volume production is difficult.

The volume production amounts to 5,000 vehicles per week. The Telsa Gigafactory is expected to manufacture Tesla Model Y cars and millions of battery cells, according to TechCrunch.

Tesla submitted its plans to invest $5.8 billion in a battery plant with a capacity of 50 GWh. The battery plant will be built beside the Gigafactory.

Tesla's battery has a higher capacity compared to other automakers like Volkswagen, which is expected to produce batteries with 40 GWh capacity, according to The Verge.

The construction of the Tesla Gigafactory in Berlin is almost complete, despite the opposition from environmental groups who are holding up the final approval for the plant because of environmental concerns.

Related Article: Elon Musk: Tesla NOT Building a Giga Russia, No Location on Fourth Gigafactory Yet

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Tiktok's massive popularity might have indirectly helped save the life of a young girl.

Mashable reports that a certain TikTok trend aided in the rescue of a 16-year-old girl who went missing in North Carolina recently. The girl was found in Kentucky last Thursday with an adult man who has since been arrested.

A 911 caller alerted authorities after allegedly identifying a hand gesture that recently went viral on the social media platform TikTok.

The 911 caller allegedly drove by a vehicle where the girl was a passenger making hand gestures by the window, saying that they needed help. The gesture is done by holding your palm out to anyone that can help, tucking your thumb into it, then closing your fingers.

Authorities used the 911 call to track the vehicle down and pull it over. Apparently, the 16-year-old has been reported missing by her parents since last Tuesday, November 2nd.

The hand gesture indicated "domestic violence" or "violence at home" and was reportedly "first introduced" by the Canadian Women's Foundation on Instagram.

So far, the viral TikTok trend has garnered millions of views, as per the original Mashable report.

An investigation revealed that 61-year-old James Herbert Brick drove with the minor from the latter's North Carolina to Ohio, where Brick apparently had family, reports Fox8.

Furthermore, the authorities also revealed that they found a photo of a teenage girl portrayed in a "sexual manner" on a phone that Brick was carrying.

The suspect has since been charged with possession of matter showing sex performances by a minor, as well as unlawful imprisonment.

Read also: [Viral Culture] List of TikTok School Challenges 2021: Why Are They Trending

Finally a 'Good' TikTok Trend?

TikTok is full of videos explaining the likes of life hacks that can potentially save someone's life in the event of an emergency. Some of them have been bogus, while others seem genuinely helpful.

Here is a video of the domestic violence hand gesture that saved the girl, as demonstrated by the Laurel County Sheriff on YouTube:

Domestic violence, particularly against women, remains a massive problem all over the world. According to official estimates from the World Health Organization, roughly 1 in 3 women have experienced either physical/sexual or emotional abuse. That's roughly 30% of all women globally.

TikTok Trends Are Still Hit-Or-Miss

While it's good that this certain trend helped save the life of a young girl, the problem remains: a lot of the trends on TikTok have made headlines for being downright dangerous.

One of them is the so-called "Dry Scooping Challenge," which "challenged" users to consume pre-workout powder without mixing it with water. Numerous experts have called out this fad for its potential health risks when it started becoming popular last month.

This is why the popular social media platform has been called forth by the US Senate alongside YouTube and Snapchat for a hearing last October 26. In the hearing, the companies were questioned on how they could protect their young users.

Related: Tiktok Trend: Women Share Videos of Them Removing IUDs, But is it Safe?

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Tesla's Full Self-Driving Beta (FSD) version 10.4 is now here, and it is rolling out to users of different cars of the company, particularly to those that have been gaining top marks for their safety scores. The only requirement of Tesla for the FSD now apart from having a capable electric vehicle is having good scores, now lowered to 98.

Tesla FSD v10.4 is Coming to Bring New Features

The Full Self-Driving beta version 10.4 is coming, says Elon Musk via Twitter, revealing that the new version is rolling out and replacing the latest 10.3 that has been released in the past week. This was after the focus of the company for the 10.3 has been delayed and released a buggy version, issuing a recall and has released the version 10.3.1.

Musk mentioned that there are hardware differences to the fleet, and by fleet, the tech CEO is referring to the Tesla cars that are seen in public today. Not all vehicles are compatible with the FSD, and only some specific ones can have it once it releases.

Nevertheless, if a car is compatible with the FSD, the company could straighten out its hardware by asking users to come to its dealerships to add said hardware needs.

We are rolling 10.4 out slowly, as there are many subtle hardware differences in the owner fleet. If it continues to look good over the next few days, we may start rolling out to 98 safety scores.  Lorde Edge (@elonmusk) November 7, 2021

Read Also: Tesla Sentry Mode's Darth Vader Feature Arrives! Warn People Near Your EV With the 'Star Wars' Character's Voice

Tesla FSD Rollout to 98 Safety Scores

Musk also mentioned that the FSD Beta 10.4 is coming to lower safety scores, but only two points down its original requirement of acing the test with a perfect 100 score. Now, it is coming for those who have achieved 99 and 98, with the latter not being available before.

The Tesla CEO also mentioned that it is considering adding a "mic mode" for its Sentry, something that would change what the horn says for better integration.

Tesla FSD Beta

It is quite noting that the Tesla FSD is still in its beta testing mode, but after years of delay and months of waiting for those who have applied for it, the feature is here for its public beta availability. The feature has been a massive wait for the fans and enthusiasts of the car, especially as it is one of the first releases of autonomous features for the industry.

The current version of the FSD and Autopilot does not require an internet connection for it to work, and that is something that is important and what Elon Musk aims for in its releases. The FSD Beta is still straightening out a few details before its full release for the public, with all of its users having the feature soon, regardless of the scores.

The beta is a way to test the service now, but it is meant for all Tesla vehicles that are compatible with the technology to have, as Musk greatly emphasizes it for the future. Moreover, the FSD is said to be the safe driving experience out there, avoiding miscalculations and promoting road safety, even amongst other human drivers and features coming.

Related Article: Tesla Rumored to Produce Colorful Vehicles at its Shanghai Factory

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Microsoft OneDrive updates on Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 will end during the start of March in 2022, the tech giant announced to its users.

Microsoft OneDrive Updates on Windows 7, 8, 8.1 to End

That said, users of the aging Windows operating system versions have another reason to upgrade to the latest offerings from Microsoft like Windows 10 or Windows 11.

On top of that, as per the report by The Verge, users of Microsoft OneDrive who are still running Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 could no longer sync their files to the cloud platform starting March next year.

Nevertheless, the news outlet further noted that the files of this set of Windows users are still accessible via the app of OneDrive. However, these files would stop uploading to the cloud automatically.

Microsoft announced it on one of its blog posts, saying that "personal OneDrive desktop applications running on these operating systems will stop syncing to the cloud on March 1, 2022."

The tech giant further explained that the move is meant to help the firm "focus resources on new technologies and operating systems." Not to mention that security was also a concern.

Microsoft Recommends Windows 10 or 11 Upgrade

In addition to that, Microsoft went on to advise its users to update to the newer versions of Windows, either Windows 10 or 11.

The Verge said in the same report that the lifecycle of the said Windows versions have come to an end.

To be precise, Windows 7's lifecycle reached its final curtain call in 2020. On the other hand, Windows 8 ended in 2016, whereas Windows 8.1 was way back in 2018.

It is also worth noting that Microsoft is also planning to put an end to its support for Windows 10 after a few years, or in 2025 to be exact.

That said, the best route for OneDrive users is to upgrade to the latest version of the OS, which is Windows 11.

However, doing so is actually easier said than done as the newer Windows software also requires the latest hardware to run, which some folks do not have the luxury to have.

Read Also: Microsoft Warns Password Spraying Rise on Cloud Users-Here's What You Should Know

Windows 10, 11 Upgrade Not Possible: What to do?

For those who find upgrading to the newer versions of Windows quite impossible yet, Microsoft still has an option for them.

Although the OneDrive app for Windows 7, 8, 8.1 will be relatively useless as updates stop pouring in starting March next year, these users could instead use the OneDrive web app.

Microsoft assured that OneDrive users could still manually upload and download files from its web app.

Related Article: Microsoft Plans to Save Around 5.7 Billion Liters/Year by 2030 as Company Plans to Be 'Water Positive'

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Google admitted Pixel 6's fingerprint scanner could be slow in recognition at times, taking longer to unlock the smartphone.

Google Admits Pixel 6's Fingerprint Scanner Slow

The latest smartphone from the search engine giant flaunted tons of upgrades as it was released to the public, including Pixel 6's new Tensor chip--among other features.

However, as per the report by Engadget, Google has already explained the sometimes sluggish fingerprint sensor of its latest flagship after admitting it.

Google admitted that the fingerprint recognition of Pixel 6 "can take longer to verify or require more direct contact with the sensor.

Google Pixel 6's Slow Fingerprint Scanner: Here's Why

Google went on to reply to a Twitter user complaining about the Pixel 6 fingerprint scanner, blaming the "enhanced security algorithms."

The official Twitter account of the search engine giant known as Made By Google, also apologized for the inconvenience of the sluggish Pixel 6 fingerprint sensor.

However, Engadget further noted that the Pixel phone maker did not offer any solution to its sluggish fingerprint recognition issue. Nevertheless, its users could now understand the reason behind it.

We're sorry for the hassle. The Pixel 6 fingerprint sensor utilizes enhanced security algorithms. In some instances, these added protections can take longer to verify or require more direct contact with the sensor. Try troubleshooting steps: https://t.co/uTbifE5Uyo. Thanks. ^Levi  Made By Google (@madebygoogle) November 6, 2021

According to the report by The Verge, Google provided a link on the said tweet, directing to the support page of the firm. However, the news outlet reported that it did not help that much with the problem.

Read Also: Google Pixel: Android Security Bulletin Releases Flash Updates, Soon Available for Other Android Phones

Google's Troubleshooting Steps for Pixel 6's Slow Fingerprint Sensor

As per the support page of Google, one of the methods to avoid issues with the fingerprint sensor of the Pixel 6 is to use moisturizer.

Google wrote that "if you have excessively dry fingers, moisturize or re-enroll fingerprint." So, the tech giant is also saying that dry skin could also be a culprit to the sluggish fingerprint sensor of its flagship.

On top of that, the support page also suggests users clean their screens to ensure that it is free from two things: smudges and dirt.

However, TechRadar reported that users' feedback regarding the moisturizer method did nothing to help ease up the problem of the slow fingerprint scanner.

Yet again, it is to note that Google already admitted that the issue primarily comes from the "enhanced security algorithm."

As such, moisturizing would not actually help speed it up. Instead, you might end up having soft and smooth fingers afterward, which is not bad anyway. But the sluggish Pixel 6 fingerprint scanner will prevail.

Related Article: Microsoft Windows 11 Releases Today, and Here's How to Upgrade from Windows 10 for Free

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Needleless vaccines are starting to become a reality with this Cobi robot, which injects shots to people without the pain that the traditional method comes along with.

As per the report by BGR, about 10 percent of people who are getting their vaccines have a fear for needles, making the process of having their COVID-19 jab much more difficult for them.

You can't really blame these folks who hate needles as their sharp and pointy features look daunting to some.

Not to mention that it is painful, which could be a problem for some kids who are getting their vaccines.

Needleless Vaccines and Cobi Robot

However, this robot that goes by the name Cobionix, or Cobi for short, attempts to remove needles from the vaccination process.

According to the news story of Interesting Engineering, the firm behind the vaccination robot is from the tech startup incubator of the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.

The developers of the robot further claim that it is the first-ever bot to successfully an intramuscular injection without needing any needles.

Needleless Vaccine: How it Works

The Cobi robot was able to ditch needles as it only used a high-pressure fluid jet to give vaccine dosage to humans.

It is to note that the high-pressure fluid jet is nearly as thick as human hair, which injects the dosage to a person's tissue.

That said, as the method no longer needs sharp needles, its process is expected not to be as painful as the traditional method. On top of that, the Cobi robot does not require any health care professionals to administer the vaccines.

The CEO and co-founder of Cobionix, Tim Lasswell, claimed that "Cobi is a versatile robotics platform that can be rapidly deployed to complete tasks with 100 percent autonomy."

That said, the robot could give away vaccine shots without needing any needles, as well as healthcare workers.

Cobi Robot and Vaccination

It is worth noting that the Cobi bot provides more advantages aside from removing pain from vaccination with the absence of needles.

Interesting Engineering precisely added in the same report that the said autonomous robot could further help in the labor issue in the vaccination rollout, which also makes it more efficient.

Not just that, the Cobi bot could also be a much safer choice not just for the health care workers, but for those who are getting their jab.

It comes as the robot would no longer require interaction between two people, which could help further spread the virus.

Read Also: COVID-19 Vaccine for Kids 5 to 11 Gets FDA Approval for EUA, May Begin in the Coming Weeks

Cobi Robot and Other Tasks

On top of that, the developers of the vaccination robot revealed that it could also be tweaked to perform other tasks, other than giving doses to people.

The team behind it revealed that it could also do other kinds of tasks outside of healthcare, such as hospitality and cleaning, with a few alterations to its code.

Related Article: WHO Says This Bacteria Might Be Killing More Babies! Organization Says Vaccine Against GBS Urgently Needed

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Written by Teejay Boris

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The United States has decided to reopen its borders to vaccinated travelers after a 20-month entry ban that was enforced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The entry ban was imposed by former President Donald Trump last year.

The country's borders with Canada and Mexico are likewise going to be reopened.

Travelers are required to present proof of vaccination. Travelers are also required to show a negative COVID-19 result that was taken within three days prior to the date of departure. Travelers will no longer have to quarantine upon their arrival in the US.

The entry ban was first imposed on travelers from China early last year but was eventually extended to other countries, including those who are part of the European Union.

The United States remains to be the country with the most COVID-19 cases in the whole world. The country also has the biggest number of COVID-related deaths worldwide.

US Reopens Borders to Vaccinated Travelers

The US has decided to reopen its borders following a 20-month entry ban that was imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This decision includes the country's borders with Canada and Mexico.

According to a report by the BBC, travelers who wish to enter the US now that borders have been reopened are required to be fully vaccinated. They must present proof of vaccination as well as a negative COVID-19 result taken within days prior to departure.

The US will also no longer require travelers to quarantine, per the BBC report.

Airlines are now bracing for the flood of travelers planning to head to the United States. Per the BBC report, Ed Bastian, the chief executive of Delta, has already warned passengers of long queues.

United Airlines was also mentioned in the report. The airline expects at 50% increase in passengers due to the US reopening its borders.

Related Article: COVID 101: How to Travel When There's Pandemic

20-Month Entry Ban

Former President Donald Trump imposed an entry ban to the US in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 last year.

According to the BBC report, US borders were first closed to travelers from China in the early part of last year. The travel ban was eventually extended to other countries, including the United Kingdom and countries from the European Union (EU), India, Brazil, and many more.

The COVID-19 Statistics of the US

As of press time, the United States has a total of 46,358,362 cases of COVID-19, according to the data available on the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Out of the more than 46 million cases, 751,535 people have died. According to CNN's COVID-19 tracker, the US has the most number of COVID-19 cases in the world. The country also has the most number of COVID-related deaths worldwide.

Per the CDC website, 78.8% of American citizens aged 12 years old and above have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has recently been approved for children ages five to 11 years old.

Read Also: Pfizer Says Its COVID-19 Pill Reduces Risk of Hospitalization and Death by 89%

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Isabella James

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Antique furniture is starting to make a comeback, but for interior designer David Allen Edwards, it never really went out of style.

Edwards' home in Spanish Town is overflowing with fine 18th- and 19th-century antiques.

And, he advised, before everyone recognizes the beauty and workmanship of vintage furniture, you can still find treasures at bargain prices.

"I do see French and English furniture escalating. It's on the way back up," he said, adding, that with the internet, you, like him, can find "furniture all over the globe."

The home of David Edwards Home and garden feature at the home of David Edwards Wednesday Oct. 13, 2021, in Baton Rouge, La.

Edwards has been in the interior design business for 50 years, and said he is "happy to be the caretaker of things that need to be handed down to other people."

Over the years he has collected many fine pieces for his home, where the unassuming exterior is a counterpoint to the glorious furnishings.

The layout of his home is simple, with a narrow, 44-foot-long hall along the west side. The hall opens to a parlor and two bedrooms and leads to a dining room along the back of the house. Off the dining room is an updated kitchen and a bath.

The home has 12-foot ceilings, dark-stained hardwood floors and walls colored in Museum White.

"I grew up with white walls, and I swore I would never have white walls, so here I am," Edwards said. "This house lends itself to being all one color."

In the parlor, underfoot is a carpet of period design with diamond-shaped laurel leaves centered with small medallions which pick up the major colors Edwards uses in the room.

Centered in the space is a period French Empire table. On it, Edwards has assembled a collection of coffee table books and a rare Rose Medallion punch bowl.

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Overhead, where a ceiling fan once whirred, he hung a chandelier, which originally burned candles but was wired for electricity by William Evans, of Abat-Jour Interiors.

Along one wall, a luxurious mohair velvet sofa in moss green stands before a tall, intricately framed four-panel mirror, one of the first items Edwards collected. The piece originally had four silk panels, three of which were damaged in a fire years ago.

Edwards said he thought he might have to throw out the piece, but decided to replace the silk panels with mirrors. The surviving silk panel, now framed, hangs in the room.

"The mirror opens up the closely held room," Edwards said.

+8 After stumbling upon a midcentury home during a Baton Rouge parade, couple saves and restores it Todd Bourque took a detour around the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade and found his dream home  a contemporary midcentury modern, wood frame 

The hall serves as another room, with antique chests, tables, chairs and all sorts of fine collections.

"The long hall was quite a challenge, but I filled it with all sorts of pretties," he said.

Edwards said he found some of the items in the most unlikely places, like a New Orleans consignment shop where his trained eye discovered an 18th century loveseat and two matching chairs. Once covered in an orange plaid fabric, they are now upholstered in a fabric more appropriate to the period of the pieces.

At the entrance to the hall is a games table attributed to Samuel McIntire, an America architect and craftsman who produced magnificent furniture in his shop in Salem, Massachusetts, at the end of the 18th century and early part of the 19th century. Above it hangs the portrait of a stylish woman from the 1830s.

Even though Edwards can seat a large number of people at his dining table, he mainly uses the dining room as his office. One of the nicest pieces in Edwards' collection, an Adam sideboard of mahogany inlaid in satinwood, is used as a bar in the back of the dining room.

The luxury extends to the master bedroom, where antique tapestries drape the bed and the window, which has a covered cornice.

A favorite conversation piece also hangs here  a two-sided painting done by Edwards' great-uncle. On one side is a woman partially covered in a silk wrap, and on the other side is a portrait of a man. Often during an evening of cocktails, Edwards said he secretly reverses the painting leaving guests to wonder if that was the painting they saw when they first came into the house.
The body of Louisiana World War II veteran David Saunders, which was dissected before a paying audience in Oregon last month, was returned to Louisiana during the weekend, bringing his family some solace following the shocking revelation of what happened after his widow donated his remains to science.

Saunders' body was shipped on a Southwest flight from Las Vegas to New Orleans on Saturday after the Oct. 17 public dissection prompted public outcry. Reporters with KING-TV in Seattle exposed the event and helped identify Saunders.

A company called Death Science organized the dissection  and charged up to $500 for tickets  after procuring the cadaver from Med Ed Labs, an intermediary based in Vegas.

Saunders, 98, died from COVID in August. He spent his early childhood in New Orleans, then lived in Chalmette for decades and relocated to Baker after Hurricane Katrina. He left behind his wife and many other extended family members.

Louisiana WWII vet's body dissected publicly, horrifying his widow who donated it for science After a decorated Louisiana World War II veteran died from COVID-19 in August, his widow tried to carry out his wishes by donating his body to

The shipment had initially been scheduled for Friday, but was delayed after Med Ed officials took the body to the airport in a previously used shipping container, according to the family. Southwest refused the cargo until the cadaver was transferred to a new container.

"Cadaver shipping containers are reused on a regular basis," Med Ed manager Obteen Nassiri said in an email Monday. "The airlines asked us to pack the donor in a new shipping tray."

The shipping tray in question was made of heavy cardboard with a wooden base, designed specifically for shipping cadavers via air.

Staff members at Church Funeral Services and Crematory collected the body from New Orleans and brought it to their St. Amant location.

Saunders will be cremated and laid to rest following a memorial service, relatives said.

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His great-nephew Hal Adkins viewed the body Monday morning and confirmed it was the right one.

"He was butchered," Adkins said after the viewing. "It was like the diagrams you see of a butchered pig or cow, the different cuts of meat."

Adkins called the story about the used shipping container unbelievable, the latest blow to an already outraged family. Relatives are struggling to understand the complete lack of respect for a man who placed his life on the line to defend American values during World War II, Adkins said.

East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore III, who also viewed the cadaver Monday morning, said it looked very different from the results of a traditional autopsy.

"Every muscle, bone and joint was exposed, then sewed back up," he said. "I've never seen a body like that."

+7 After body of Louisiana WWII vet dissected for paying audience, ethical, legal questions abound When Elsie Saunders signed a contract affirming her late husband wanted his body donated to science after his August death from COVID-19, she 

Death Science, the company that took the lead in organizing the public dissection, claims it was an educational event for both "the general public and industry professionals."

The event was linked to the Oddities and Curiosities Expo, which travels across the country and purports to attract "lovers of the strange, unusual and bizarre" with items including taxidermy, preserved specimens, horror-inspired artwork and creepy clothing. VIP ticketholders sat inches from the dissection table while an anatomist spent hours carving into the corpse and removing various organs.

Adkins said having the body of "Uncle David" back home in Louisiana gives the family some solace.

"We look forward to a proper memorial service," Adkins said. "He's really home in heaven, we know that. But we're glad he's here now, and we can honor him and give him the dignity that he deserves."
An 18-year-old Vacherie man, wanted in the shooting of a teen during an apparent drug deal, turned himself into St. James Parish sheriff's deputies Monday afternoon.

Col. Sid Berthelot, sheriff's chief deputy, said Maurice Honor Jr. appeared with his defense attorney at the St. James Parish Prison in Convent about 1:25 p.m. Monday.

Honor had been wanted on single counts of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and attempted armed robbery after a shooting Thursday in Vacherie area.

Vacherie man wanted in slaying of teen over drug deal St. James Parish sheriff's deputies are looking for an 18-year-old Vacherie man accused in the slaying of a teen after a drug deal late Thursd

He was booked into the parish jail on those counts and was awaiting the setting of bail late Monday afternoon, Berthelot said.

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Deputies had found David Harris, 16, also of Vacherie, about 11:02 p.m. Thursday shot dead in a blue Dodge Challenger at the intersection of La. 18 and Collins Street.

The driver of the Dodge, Jordan Michael Keller, 28, of Vacherie, was not injured, deputies have said.

Berthelot, the chief deputy, said Honor made no statement Monday when he arrived with his attorney, John Hall Thomas.

Honor's next court date is Jan. 18. His case has been allotted to 23rd Judicial District Judge Jason Verdigets.
INDEPENDENCE  Plans to sell a beloved Girl Scout camp in the piney woods of eastern Tangipahoa Parish have ignited worries among environmentalists and former scouts who fear an endangered forest on the property will be razed by a development-hungry buyer.

The Girl Scouts Louisiana East chapter said in late June it would sell Camp Whispering Pines  a 600-acre outdoor getaway off La. 1054  after attempts to raise nearly $1 million needed for key repairs fell through. The property has neither been appraised nor placed on the market yet, said Madeleine Briscoe, the chapters chief development officer.

The camp's possible sale prompted a cohort of both current and former scouts  some of whom attended Camp Whispering Pines when it first opened in 1970  to quickly rally.

Dubbed Friends of Camp Whispering Pines, the 50-person coalition has launched a GoFundMe campaign in an effort to buy the property. Doing so could save thousands of rare longleaf pine trees on the property, said Joan Doyle, a former Girl Scout parent and conservation worker acting as the groups spokesperson.

The GSLE board chose to sell the camp quickly and without consulting scouts themselves, according to Doyle  raising worries that the pristine natural site may be sold for development.

In Tangipahoa Parish, the pressure to develop land at this time is tremendous, she said. Conversely, the pressure to maintain some of these pristine areas is even more pressing.

New commercial, residential and energy-production developments have appeared rapidly in Tangipahoa Parish in recent years, driving debate over impacts on flooding and natural landscapes.

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Native to a swath of Southeast U.S. coastal plain stretching from East Texas to Virginia, the camp's longleaf pine trees offer pristine habitat conditions for hundreds of animal species, including threatened gopher tortoises and the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker.

Ravaged by a century of logging, the trees are now themselves classified as endangered. The 90 million acres they covered in the 1800s have shrunk to less than five million acres, some of which conservationists have planted through reforestation efforts.

Longleaf pines cover about 300 of the 595 acres of forest at Camp Whispering Pines, plus scattered stands of trees in other locations. Woodpeckers and gopher tortoises are among the species who call the camp home, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In 1994, a coalition of environmental groups and state agencies joined forces on a five-year initiative to save the "unique, threatened habitat" at Camp Whispering Pines, according to a 2003 report by the Louisiana Forest Stewardship Resource Management News.

The effort included planting longleaf pine seedlings and prescribed burns vital to preserving the trees' habitat. Since then, present and former Girl Scouts have continued pitching in to preservation efforts.

Margie Vicknair-Pray, a conservationist at the New Orleans chapter of the Sierra Club, said selling the camp risks putting an end to those efforts.

As an environmentalist, I don't want to see the camp go because of the longleaf and all the endangered species that depend on the longleaf, said Vicknair-Pray. As a mom, I want to have a place where girls can go and enjoy nature.

The Girl Scouts hold preservation of the outdoors as one of its pillars, Briscoe said, and buyers commitment to stewardship of the land will be one of the criteria on which they are evaluated.

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In the past decade, state and federally-owned land home to 3.4 million acres of longleaf pine forest have hosted large-scale conservation efforts aimed at revitalizing the trees presence across the South.

But another 4.6 million acres of longleaf pines grow on privately-owned land, like Camp Whispering Pines, a 2013 report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found. Those areas don't fall under federal and state conservation efforts unless the property owners decide to partake in them.

Thus, private landowner support is key to the restoration of longleaf pine ecosystems on 4.6 million acres by 2024, the reports authors wrote.

Asked whether terms of sale on the Camp Whispering Pines property would include rules stipulating the preservation of longleaf pines there, Briscoe said that the sale is an evolving process with details yet to be finalized.

Girl Scouts Louisiana East for several years fought for funding to repair dilapidated facilities at the camp before choosing to sell the property.

The money would have gone towards fixing an ailing spillway at Camp Whispering Pines lake. The man-made lake  used by Girl Scouts for swimming, canoeing, and other water activities  is threatening to dump into the Tangipahoa River, which could cause flooding downstream.

One funding battle over the repairs played out in the Louisiana Legislature. A House panel drew fire in 2018 for declining to move $850,000 needed to fix the spillway on the same day it approved $780,000 for a Boy Scout camp in the Atchafalaya Basin swamp.

Concerns that the lake could spill into the river recently caught the attention of Tangipahoa Parish Councilwoman Kim Coates, who chairs the Councils Development Regulations Committee.

In the flooding-weary parish, caution will be important in evaluating how a buyer will use the property, Coates said.

More development might not necessarily be the answer there, Coates said. Parish Councilman Carlo S. Bruno, whose district encompasses Camp Whispering Pines, did not immediately return an interview request.

After shuttering Camp Whispering Pines, Girl Scouts Louisiana East will shift to hosting Scouts at its two other Louisiana Camps  one in Covington and the other in St. Francisville  and at a new Experience Center located in a high-traffic retail area, according to a press release.

With the Scouts membership numbers depleted by the pandemic and its revenue down, selling the beloved camp was a last resort, Briscoe said.

Id hate for anyone to think we arrived at this decision rashly, she said.

An earlier version of this file reported an incorrect number for the original acreage of longleaf pine forest in the United States. Longleaf pines covered 90 million acres before deforestation.
If someone had reported a confrontation at a school carpool line to authorities, Jason Ard believes Lydia Johnston might still be alive  and her four children would still have a mother.

Johnston's 2018 death in a brutal murder-suicide shocked Livingston Parish. It was one reason Ard, the sheriff, created a domestic violence division later that year.

Johnston, a 31-year-old waitress at Chilis, had filed for a restraining order just three weeks prior to her death. She said in court documents that her longtime boyfriend and father of her four children had choked and raped her.

The fight at the carpool line happened shortly before Ricardo Diaz, 43, shot Johnston to death and led officers on a chase to Baton Rouge, where he jumped off the Mississippi River bridge to his death.

+3 Woman killed in Walker shooting reported assault by man weeks earlier; he jumped to death from bridge WALKER  The woman who was fatally shot here Monday night had a restraining order against the man who allegedly killed her, and deputies had b

"I feel like maybe there was a strong chance if she would have had a domestic violence detective that she already had met and trusted, and was walking her through this case, we may have gotten a phone call," Ard said.

So the sheriff created a four-person team of detectives who focus primarily on domestic violence cases, from the police report to the courtroom.

"It's our job to make sure we educate and pay attention to these victims," Ard said. "Every tool we have, we give to them."

Lethal situations

Throughout the greater Baton Rouge area, law enforcement agencies are putting more resources into stopping domestic violence. That's because such violence is surging throughout the region, reaching an all-time high in recent weeks.

In East Baton Rouge Parish, more than two dozen domestic killings have been recorded so far this year, surpassing 2020's record high. Neighboring Tangipahoa Parish saw a murder-suicide last month, along with one in West Feliciana Parish weeks prior.

Advocates and law enforcement say survivors experienced heightened abuse amid the isolation and anxiety of the ongoing pandemic. And they say that was only exacerbated in the recovery from Hurricane Ida's devastation.

"2020 was terrible. 2021 has just continued to be terrible," said Mariah Wineski, executive director of the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence. "Youve got the ongoing issues related to COVID, and how that has impacted domestic violence survivors."

Livingston Parish has seen relatively few domestic homicides  only 7 total since 2019, including one so far this year.

Scott Perrilloux, 21st Judicial District Attorney, said law enforcement officers now tend to act more quickly to detain a suspect in domestic situations than they have in the past.

"On most calls of domestic violence, somebodys coming back with them," he said. "It could be whats driving low homicides  helps keeps the fatalities out of it, the lethal situations."

While homicides are down, reports of domestic violence have slowly ticked up since 2019 in the parish, with the numbers projected to rise by the end of 2021 for the third consecutive year in a row.

Those statistics, Ard noted, are difficult to parse.

In those three years, its not been fun," he said. "With the pandemic, with stuff weve been dealing with. Its kind of hard to judge numbers."

But Sgt. Sloane Erdey, part of the domestic violence division, sees the uptick as a step in the right direction.

"A lot of times persons dont want to come forward and report," she said. "I think with our division being active, its easier for them to come forward. So our numbers are on the rise because theyre actually reporting this to us now."

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Follow up

Domestic violence detectives usually enter a case only after uniform patrol makes first contact, Erdey said. If a situation is severe, they'll arrive to assist with the investigation.

"Its one of the most difficult issues we deal with," Perriloux said. "It has a unique dynamic that does not have any easy resolutions or answers most of the time."

It's the job of these specialized detectives to evaluate oftentimes delicate scenarios, making contact with the caller reporting abuse and doing their best to speak to any children, neighbors and family members. The goal is to "get a better idea of whats occurring in this household," Erdey explained.

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Sometimes things are not what they seem, especially when it comes to injuries.

For example, a broken nose might not be immediately obvious at first glance. But over the next few days, bruises develop around the eyes, so detectives who follow up can notice the damage and record the progression of injuries, Erdey said.

Before further investigation, however, the detectives determine if the suspected abuser needs to be separated from the victim, or even arrested.

Theyre not going to leave until they know there is some type of safety in place for the victim, Ard said.

Detectives work with local organizations, such as Southeast Advocates for Family Empowerment (SAFE). Sometimes they even make the first pivotal call for survivors to seek help if they are unable to do so themselves.

When SAFE advocates sit with survivors during protective order hearings at the courthouse, the detectives will also sometimes join them for emotional support. They testify at bond hearings, usually a critical moment for victims.

Throughout the process, the detectives stay in touch with the survivor.

"A lot of times these survivors and victims' families have our personal cell phone numbers," Erdey said. "We stay in constant contact with them. They know they can call us with anything they need."

The right person

For someone languishing in an abusive situation, asking for help can be the most difficult decision for them to make.

Even after taking that first step, the various hurdles to feeling safe and secure are daunting. It can be stressful to navigate the legalese to file for a protective order. And prolonged criminal cases can be nerve-wracking.

Accused of killing his daycare owner ex-girlfriend, Livingston man convicted of second degree murder A Livingston Parish man has been convicted of second degree murder in the killing of his ex-girlfriend, who ran a daycare.

In choosing detectives for the domestic violence division, Ard considered how isolated survivors must feel. He looked for "the right person" willing to build trusting relationships with those experiencing abuse, hoping that by developing confidence with survivors, detectives could make more of an impact in these cases.

If his budget allowed, Ard would expand the division to eight people, but even then, "you never have enough," he said.

In the meantime, he urged people facing abuse to reach out to the office.

"We cant help you if we dont know you need help," he said.

Those experiencing domestic abuse can contact the statewide Louisiana Domestic Violence Hotline at (888) 411-1333 or The National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-7233. Those in Livingston Parish who need assistance can contact the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office at 686-2241 x1.
State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley's push to award $342,000 in two "no-bid" contracts to a former top official of the East Baton Rouge Parish School school system has prompted questions and criticism, including from the president of the board that oversees him.

Critics say one of the contracts did not follow normal procedures, and both are going to a consulting firm that sprung up just weeks before the initial agreement was signed.

One of the two pacts, for $222,000, won final approval last month after it was recommended by Brumley and the state Department of Education.

But the other, for $120,000, has been in effect for nearly two months even though Sandy Holloway, president of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, said she was in the dark about an agreement that requires her review. "I was not aware of the contract," Holloway said, adding that she was surprised Brumley and others signed it Sept. 15, Sept. 17 and Oct. 26. BESE, which sets education policy, hires the superintendent of education.

Holloway said she got an unexpected call Friday from Brumley's chief of staff, Quentina Timoll, asking about the agreement.

She said she told Timoll contracts are typically supposed to go through the BESE office and that a written description of the agreement is prepared for her to review before making a decision. The delay means BESE will not vote on the agreement until its Dec. 14-15 meeting, about two weeks before the contract is set to expire.

Officials familiar with the process said the way the contract has unfolded is unusual and may be indicative of larger problems, including concerns that other agreements have been handled in haphazard ways that require changes.

Brumley declined comment.

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The $120,000 contract is to review plans by local school districts to try to improve student achievement in the wake of the plunge in math, English and other key test scores amid the pandemic.

The issue is also part of a larger controversy after Brumley recommended both agreements to a newly-formed consulting firm run by Sharmayne Rutledge, former assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction who resigned her post last week.

"I think a layman would ask for justification on any and all no-bid contracts and emergency contracts," said Brigitte Nieland, director of government relations for the advocacy group Stand For Children.

Others said that, when oversight legislation linked to the $120,000 contract was making its way through the Legislature, the view was that education department officials would be reviewing school improvement plans to ensure rigor, not someone hired from outside the agency.

Schools leader at odds with BESE, 'Unusual to have disagreements publicly displayed' State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley has gotten embroiled in three, unusually public, disputes since June with the board that hired him.

Both contracts are going to Invicta Consulting LLC, with Rutledge, chief executive officer, the lone officer listed.

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The firm was registered with the Secretary of State's office on Aug. 2, and less than four weeks later Rutledge signed the $222,000 agreement to help districts plan for how to handle some of the $4 billion in federal stimulus aid Louisiana is getting.

The $120,000 contract that caught Holloway by surprise runs from Sept. 13-Dec. 31.

The first of two $60,000 payments was made Monday, according to state records.

Rutledge initially referred questions to the state Department of Education but a few days later issued a statement that said her review process is underway and she is confident it will result in academic recovery.

The Louisiana Department of Education, in a written response to questions, said Rutledge has sterling education credentials that makes her ideal for the work. "LDOE conducted a thorough analysis of multiple vendors to determine who could diligently and thoroughly review the plans, ensuring federal funds were allocated toward activities that would accelerate student learning and ignite academic recovery," the statement says.

The $120,000 agreement did not require requests for proposals because of Gov. John Bel Edward's emergency procurement rules sparked by the pandemic and the need to quickly address learning loss, they said.

Department officials also said the $120,000 agreement was not on BESE's October agenda because of a delay in the procurement process.

They said RFPs were not required on the $222,000 contract because if fell below the threshold that requires RFPs. Rutledge's firm is set to be paid $74,000 per year, which is $1,000 less than the threshold that requires bids, officials said.

The agent for Invicta is Sharmayne Rutledge's husband, Domoine Rutledge, former general counsel for the East Baton Rouge Parish School District and now vice-president and general counsel at CSRS, a program management firm.

Sharmayne Rutledge and Timoll, Brumley's chief of staff, were colleagues at the East Baton Rouge Parish School District.

One of the questions raised by critics of the contracts is the propriety of Sharmayne Rutledge's reviewing school improvement plans submitted by her former employer  the East Baton Rouge Parish school system.

Department officials said initially there would be something of a firewall to ensure that no such interaction takes place. But Rutledge sent a five-page email to East Baton Rouge Parish school officials on Oct. 22 for revisions and clarifications to comply with rules to boost academic achievement.

Department officials called the exchange an oversight and that the work submitted by East Baton Rouge Parish officials was eventually reviewed by others, not Rutledge.
A vacant campus on Goodwood Boulevard may soon be transformed into an arts conservatory  the Juilliard of Baton Rouge  preparing local teenagers for possible careers in music, dance, theater and the visual arts.

The proposed new school is part of a larger effort by Superintendent Sito Narcisse to add school attractions to draw in new families and reverse years of enrollment declines at traditional public schools.

The most recent preliminary numbers show that overall enrollment in the East Baton Rouge Parish school system is up about 800 students compared with last year. Almost all of that growth has come from district-sponsored charter schools.

At non-charter schools, enrollment is down almost 800 students since last year, and down almost 2,200 students compared with two years ago.

The conservatory school in particular is aimed at retaining families who start in elementary arts programs but have fewer options as their children get older. There is no high school in Baton Rouge currently dedicated to the visual and performing arts.

Its unclear, though, how many Baton Rouge families are interested in a school so focused on the arts at the expense of more traditional high school draws like sports.

Narcisse, who has previously worked in school districts with conservatory schools, has been pushing the idea that Baton Rouge should have one as well since he took over as superintendent in January.

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Last week, Narcisse organized a large delegation, which included six School Board members, to visit Miami with the primary goal of seeing some of that citys educational arts offerings. Of the schools they visited, the closest to whats being considered here is New World School of the Arts, an arts high school in downtown Miami with about 500 students.

Board member Mike Gaudet came away impressed.

After what I saw at Miami-Dade, it makes me jealous that we havent had this before, Gaudet said. Its just the kind of thing that we just need to get on the boat and get it going and make it happen. Our students deserve this.

Narcisse first proposed the idea in July, but set it aside temporarily after meeting initial board resistance. He brought it to the board again on Thursday. A final vote is set for Nov. 18.

Three board members expressed clear support Thursday night  Gaudet as well as board member Dadrius Lanus and Evelyn Ware-Jackson.

This is what our students need, Lanus said. This is what our community needs.

Board member Dawn Collins asked for a cost breakdown, while board member Tramelle Howard asked for a detailed equity plan so that not just privileged students will benefit from this new school.

Board President David Tatman, who was not present Thursday, has expressed more skepticism. Among other things, he wants to see if theres sufficient demand to justify such a school and that it wont negatively impact other middle and high schools in town.

Tatman also is interested in having film, which is not currently part of the proposal, included as a path, saying he considers it art with a different canvas.

I want to make sure that if were going to do it, its going to work, Tatman said.

+9 Plans to turn Broadmoor Middle into a visual and performing arts school face resistance Mothballed in 2019, Broadmoor Middle School may soon be reborn as a magnet school with a visual and performing arts focus, but East Baton Roug

Broadmoor Middle School would be the home for the new school. Mothballed in 2019, the 1225 Sharp Road campus has sat empty while school officials decide what it would be next. In 2018, voters approved $15 million in renovation to the facility, which was built in 1961. Narcisse hopes to use that money not just for renovations but for the spaces needed for the visual and performing arts.

Provisionally called Baton Rouge School for the Arts or Baton Rouge Conservatory of the Arts, the new school would enroll grades six to 12 with about 600 students when full, or about 75 students per grade. The plan is for the new, renovated school to open its doors in fall 2023, educating middle school age students the first year and then adding high school grades a year later in fall 2024.

It would be a new magnet program, part of four new proposed programs in a school district already replete with magnet programs. Another one would be a nearby Broadmoor Elementary School, also focusing on visual and performing arts, which would serve as a feeder for the new conservatory school.

The other two proposed programs would be McKinley High and the under- construction McKinley Elementary, which is to replace Buchanan and University Terrace elementary schools. Those programs would both focus on innovative arts, and at the high school it would also focus on communications and establishment of a teaching academy.

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None of the four would have minimum admission standards as most other magnet programs in town do. But they would require students to maintain a 2.5 GPA to stay in the school.

The creation of the four new programs is to some extent contingent upon the school system winning a federal Magnet Schools Assistance Program grant. The school system has applied for this grant several times before.

It finally won one in 2017, which provided $15 million over five years to launch new magnet programs at Belaire High and three other nearby schools. That grant has been extended a year due to the pandemic.

Four Baton Rouge schools will add magnet programs thanks to new federal grant Belaire High School and three of its feeder schools have been awarded a federal grant that will pay them nearly $15 million over the next five

East Baton Rouge already has two long-standing arts-focused elementary schools that would feed into it: Baton Rouge Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, or BRCVPA, and Forest Heights Academy of Excellence. Both are popular magnet schools that currently stop at fifth grade.

The board, though, is considering spending $4 million to expand Forest Heights to a K-8 school with a vote scheduled for Nov. 18.

Lanus, an advocate for the Forest Heights expansion, argued that the expanded school would complement the new conservatory school and would give children in north Baton Rouge more school options.

Nobody should be blocked out of this process, he said.

McKinley Middle is another school that would arguably be in competition with the new conservatory school. It is a popular magnet school focused on the visual and performing arts.

School officials, however, are saying that McKinley is more of a college prep program than the new conservatory school would be.

By accepting students at middle school as well as high school, the new conservatory school would seek to draw from elementary as well as middle school arts programs. The new school could also draw from the districts 1,200-plus students in talented arts and the hundreds of students each year who fail to get into the magnet middle and high schools.

The new conservatory school would have its college-related options, including Advanced Placement courses and dual enrollment courses with local colleges.

The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, or NOCCA, is the best known example of a conservatory-style school in Louisiana. Formed in 1973, NOCCA is a state-run high school with 200 to 300 students learning full time and hundreds more who come for part of the day from public and private high schools throughout the New Orleans metro area.

The new Baton Rouge school looks to be different. Besides having middle school grades  unlike NOCCA  its envisioned as strictly a full-day school. And it would draw, at least initially, only from within the boundaries of the East Baton Rouge Parish school system, though there is talk of developing a way for students outside the district to go to the school.

Tatman, who has worked with NOCCA in the past, said NOCCA has a roster of artist instructors that is nationally renowned. He said he wants some idea of how the new Baton Rouge school could develop its own national reputation.

Where is the draw? How do you make it that sort of draw for arts and culture? Tatman asked.

The Baton Rouge arts community appears to be strongly in support of the new school. Members of prominent arts organizations in town have been part of a planning committee to help develop the new school.

Investment in an arts conservatory will lead to a sizable return on investment due to retention of talent, recruitment of master teachers and professional artists, argues Ralph Bender, chair-elect of the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge. If you look at great artists who left Baton Rouge to go elsewhere and make their mark, perhaps they would be here if there were more opportunities like this. It will elevate the artists and master artists who live in Baton Rouge but whose work could be expanded.

The arts partners have also influenced the development by persuading school officials to focus initially on just music, dance, theater and visual arts. Sean Joffrion, director of fine arts for the school system, said hed originally wanted as many as 15 different arts pathways, but agreed that was too ambitious.

It does make sense to keep it simple. Lets get our feet wet, Joffrion said. Lets do these things we know we do well right now and make sure we have those at the forefront of our performing arts school.

The new school would focus not just on students enrolled. Joffrion said it would hold a summer camp to try to identify students who otherwise wouldnt be in line for a school like the conservatory school. Also, it would hold after hours arts lessons open to families across Baton Rouge.

This performing arts school will be able to do that for every child in the district regardless of what school they go to, Joffrion said.
A judge temporarily blocked the sale of a cherished Girl Scout camp in Tangipahoa Parish after an advocacy group alleged a local scout chapter violated its own bylaws by placing the camp on the market and subsequently allowed clear-cutting of endangered pine forest on the property.

Judge Ellen Kovach in the 24th Judicial District Court issued a temporary restraining order barring Girl Scouts Louisiana East from "alienating, encumbering, wasting, disposing and/or selling Camp Whispering Pines" pending a hearing set for next week in Jefferson Parish, court records show.

Kovach's order, issued last Thursday, also tells the scout chapter to stop "further forestry practices of 'clear cutting and stump removal' as is currently be (sic) practiced at Camp Whispering Pines."

Camp Whispering Pines, beloved by local Girl Scouts, has an undisclosed buyer A local Girl Scout chapter has found a buyer for Camp Whispering Pines, where generations of scouts have fond memories of retreats in an endan

The order came in response to a suit filed by Friends of the Longleaf Pines, a group of former scouts angry over how Girl Scouts Louisiana East organized the sale of the secluded, 600-acre camp located an hour's drive east of Baton Rouge.

Chapter leaders chose a buyer for the camp in September, but entered a non-disclosure agreement with the purchaser and haven't revealed any other parties in the transaction.

Girl Scouts Louisiana East retained Baton Rouge law firm Phelps Dunbar to represent them in the case. Attorney Chris Ralston declined to comment on the lawsuit Monday, citing the firm's policy for pending litigation.

Tangipahoa Parish land records show a final sale of the property on LA-1054 has not yet been recorded.

Girl Scouts Louisiana East decided to sell the camp as a "last resort," a representative of the organization said in July, after trying for years to muster cash to cover around $1 million in repairs to the camp.

Along with special memories of summers spent among the towering pine trees, Friends of the Longleaf Pines' worries over the sale stem from what could happen to hundreds of acres of endangered longleaf pine trees which grow there. Longleaf forests offer ideal habitats for several endangered animal species, according to conservation experts who filed affidavits supporting the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that some of that forest has already been cut down  and that Girl Scouts Louisiana East violated its organization's own rules by keeping certain details about the sale under wraps.

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Girl Scouts Louisiana East "stonewalled" rank-and-file scouts during its process for voting to sell Camp Whispering Pines and liquidate its assets, the suit says. The organization's board violated Louisiana law, it says, by ignoring records requests from Friends of the Longleaf Pines, and by voting on whether to liquidate the camp's assets without including people in the organization outside of the board of directors.

Clear-cutting is underway on the property and will have long-term effects on habitats there, said Susan Carr, an expert in wildlife ecology and conservation, in an affidavit mentioned in the lawsuit.

"It is my belief that the intensive land clearing recently performed following Hurricane Ida at Camp Whispering Pines is being conducted in such a manner as to cause an adverse impact on the natural and ecological features present there," Carr said in the affidavit.

That activity "will cause a very high degree of damage to the longleaf ecosystem, undoing decades of careful stewardship and management and adversely affected (sic) the habitat of several protected species known to be present at Camp Whispering Pines," Carr continued.

+7 A Louisiana Girl Scout camp could soon be sold; conservationists fear for a forest's future INDEPENDENCE  Plans to sell a beloved Girl Scout camp in the piney woods of eastern Tangipahoa Parish have ignited worries among environmenta

Carlo Bruno, a member of the Tangipahoa Parish Council whose Independence-area district encompasses the camp property, during the council's Oct. 25 meeting tried to assuage fears that longleaf pine trees at the site were being clear-cut  meaning timber cutting aggressive enough to open up wide clearings in thickly-forested areas.

Cutting happening the property is routine clearing of brush that Hurricane Ida left strewn around the land; it's not clear-cutting of the sort alleged in the lawsuit, Bruno said.

In an interview, he declined to identify the buyer. Instead, Bruno echoed the scouts' earlier descriptions of a private landowner with an interest in preserving local landscapes.

Pressed about who has been in possession of the land in recent weeks, Bruno would not say.

"I can't tell you if it's the new landowner or is the Girl Scouts themselves," he said. "But there is somebody out there removing fallen trees."
BHP, the nations largest mining company, is continuing to reduce its exposure to fossil fuels with a deal to sell two Queensland coking coal mines to ASX-listed Stanmore Resources.

The deal, under which Stanmore has agreed to pay $US1.2 billion ($1.6 billion) to acquire BHPs 80 per cent stake in the BHP-Mitsui Coal joint ventures Poitrel and South Walker Creek mines in the Bowen Basin, marks the latest step in the companys push to better-align its portfolio with global decarbonisation efforts.

The BHP Mitsubishi Alliance is Australias largest producer and exporter of metallutgical coal. Credit:Nic Walker

As the world decarbonises, BHP is sharpening its focus on producing higher-quality metallurgical coal sought after by global steelmakers to help increase efficiency and lower emissions, BHP head of Australian mining Edgar Basto said.

This transaction is consistent with BHPs strategy, delivers value for our company and shareholders and provides certainty for BHP-Mitsui Coals workforce and the local community.
After many years out of circulation, masterpieces by revered Impressionists Arthur Streeton and Tom Roberts are set to go under the hammer on Wednesday.

Streetons The Centre of the Empire (1902) is one of the Victorian-born artists first efforts at recreating what he saw in London around the turn of the century.

Chris Deutscher of Deutscher and Hackett with Tom Roberts painting A Modern Andromeda, 1892 (immediate left) and Arthur Streetons The Centre of the Empire, 1902 (right). Credit:Joe Armao

Listed at $1.2 million to $1.6 million, the impressive work depicts Trafalgar Square in the citys trademark drizzle, created using pastel hues. Owned by the Creswick family since 1919, the 122.5 x 122.5 centimetre piece has been loaned to many exhibitions over the years.

Roberts A Modern Andromeda, 1891- 92, also set for auction, has spent more than a century in private hands in France. An exquisite piece, it depicts a young woman in a blue dress sitting under a parasol and was created at the rocks around Sydneys Sirius Cove. Measuring just 45 x 10.8 centimetres, it is an excellent example of the artists work, completed at the peak of his career. Its priced to sell for $400,000-$600,000.
Thousands of inner west commuters forced to catch replacement buses for the suspended light rail service will still be charged for their trip, with Premier Dominic Perrottet saying they should pay their fair share despite the inconvenience.

Cracks have been discovered in all 12 trams servicing the inner west light rail, which runs from Dulwich Hill to Central Station, forcing the closure of the entire system for up to 18 months.

Replacement buses are being used for the inner west light rail line. Credit:Brook Mitchell

Mr Perrottet on Monday said the governments main priority was minimising the inconvenience for the thousands of inner west residents who use the service, with buses now replacing trams along the route.

We want to make sure that everyone pays their fair share to use the public transport network but what Im more focused on is that any inconvenience is minimised during this period, Mr Perrottet said. This is a challenge for our state, we want to make sure the taxpayers of NSW are not worse off as a result.
An ecologist assessing the toll that raising the Warragamba Dam wall would have on threatened species was so concerned about changes made to her findings for WaterNSW that she self-reported to government officials.

Another expert hired by SMEC, the consultancy outsourced by WaterNSW to gauge the threat the project posed to the critically endangered regent honeyeater, said there had been significant editing to his work.

The regent honeyeater is a critically endangered species whose habitat is threatened by the raising of the Warragamba Dam wall. Credit:Nevil Lazarus

Both Australian National University researcher Ross Crates and ecologist Rachel Musgrave, who also worked for SMEC, told a parliamentary inquiry similar accounts of the wording in their reports being altered to downgrade the environmental impacts of raising the dams wall by at least 14 metres.

Dr Crates, who has been studying regent honeyeaters for several years, said whole paragraphs had been excluded from his report when presented as part of WaterNSWs environmental impact statement (EIS) on the proposal. While words such as will were changed to could in conveying the gravity of impacts.
A former KPMG partner says he was humiliated, bullied and targeted by a hit squad that included the states top Treasury officials when he refused to change a report that warned of the safety and budget risks from a $40 billion state-owned rail entity.

In explosive testimony, Brendan Lyon said he was yelled at and talked over every week in meetings with Treasury, as he outlined to a parliamentary inquiry on Monday the lengths senior officials including Treasury Secretary Mike Pratt went to in discrediting his report into the rail corporation. He also detailed the conflicted role of accounting firm KPMG.

Mr Lyon was hired by Transport for NSW to look at whether the Transport Asset Holding Entity (TAHE) was ready to meet a deadline of July 1 last year to become a fully fledged for-profit entity six years after it was set up.

Former KPMG partner Brendan Lyon appears before the parliamentary inquiry into the controversial rail corporation on Monday. Credit:Kate Geraghty

The answer to that is clearly no, he told the inquiry. Senior transport officials would have resigned rather than accept where Treasury was at last year.
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.
It wasnt always like this

Politics is regarded as a career, and a very lucrative one at that, but I do remember the time when potential politicians didnt see it that way. They had a career that they expected to go back to one day and that attracted a different type of candidate than it does today. There would be very few people in Parliament today that only intend to serve for a few years. The pay is very good, the superannuation is ridiculously high and perks abound. But, as in many careers, it doesnt always attract the right people. And that is why today people with the wrong agendas are controlling the way we are governed to suit themselves. Pertinent questions go unanswered, often with a sly grin. Embarrassing reports get hidden away. Promises are made and then forgotten. Agreement is given that we need a broad-based anti-corruption commission with teeth in Canberra but we all know it will never happen. Robert Menzies must be turning in his grave.

John Cummings, Anglesea Because its expected doesnt mean its acceptable

Jacqueline Maley says that voters expect politicians to lie and wonders why we get upset when they do. Its quite simple. Expecting lying is very different from thinking it acceptable.

Mark Freeman, Macleod

THE FORUM Demonising doesnt help

I am dismayed at the demonisation of unvaccinated people, which is not helpful to encouraging them to reconsider their position. They cannot all be classified as anti-vaxxers. Many are not, they have had all other recommended vaccines and so have their children, but they are seriously concerned about the long-term effects of this one on their bodies. Despite the caricature, most are not drug users or sport tattoos. Others have a needle phobia, and this needs to be dealt with in a supportive way, without queuing but by going to a GP clinic that is sympathetic to their fears and where they can have the vaccine into a different part of their anatomy, as I did. A small number are simply oppositional but most are not, and many have chosen to give up their jobs, knowing the terrible economic impact this will have.

The majority of us respond better to the carrot than the stick. Better public messaging with specific targets, under advice from social workers and psychologists, could do much to overcome reluctance whatever the reason for it.

Charlotte Brewer, Shepparton Members must stand up

After previous revelations about Michael Sukkars office I wrote to him as a concerned voter in his electorate to express my displeasure about alleged attempts to use taxpayer money to undermine Liberal parliamentarians who are less socially conservative than he is but more in tune with my views. He did not address any of my questions. Instead, I received a standard statement, which claimed that he had been exonerated. If Scott Morrison is not willing to do something about this, its time for Liberal Party members in the Deakin electorate to stand up for what is right and do us all a favour by preselecting someone else.

Ivan Glynn, Vermont Keep on speaking up

What on Gods green earth makes Alexander Downer think anyone cares about what he (a failed leader) has to say (Downer tells Rudd, Turnbull to move on, The Age, 8/11)? The arrogance of the man.

I applaud Malcolm Turnbull and Kevin Rudd for speaking up and putting on the record what most in the community are thinking with regards to our current incompetent Prime Minister.

Frank Flynn, Cape Paterson An option denied to many

Voluntary assisted dying legislation has been a welcome end-of-life option for many terminally ill Victorians for more than two years. However, it has not been an option afforded to all those that may desperately seek this choice while they are suffering terribly at the end of their lives. Overriding federal legislation, that prevents doctors from discussing VAD via a carriage service, Telehealth, has proved to be a huge and unfair impediment for those living in rural areas and too ill to travel vast distances for medical consultations. Many people, including the late Dr Rodney Syme, fought so selflessly and courageously to achieve this historic piece of legislation for all Victorians. I implore the federal government to repeal this piece of legislation. The resultant inequity of access to VAD consultation, for some Victorians, paradoxically results in further unnecessary prolongation of suffering. It is inconceivable to think that this compassionate law has proven to be discriminatory for some of the very people it intended to help.

Jane Morris, Dying with Dignity Victoria, Glen Iris

Somethings wrong here

There is something wrong with our parliamentary democracy when the National Party, which drew 4.5 per cent of primary votes at the last election, has so much power in our government. Even if you include, say, half of the Liberal National Party votes in Queensland, where there is no separate National Party, this goes up to 8.8 per cent, still considerably less than the Greens 10.4 per cent of primary votes. The Nationals have held the countrys future to ransom with their Faustian bargaining over a 2050 net zero target, while politicians who actually understand the catastrophic future we all face if subsidisation of fossil fuels is not immediately halted are marginalised and mocked. Even Mathias Cormann is now calling for action in his new international role. Perhaps he now lives in a political ecosystem where truth and reality preside over spin and myth-making.

Jenny Grounds, Riddells Creek A mistake in the making?

They say that you learn by your mistakes. So recent learners would probably include Bill Shorten, who mistook the nations mood on franking credits; Chris Bowen, who said If you dont like our policies, dont vote for us; and Scott Morrison, who said, about supplies of COVID vaccine, Its not a race. But what new mistakes are on offer? Overreach in claiming that your policy is practical, perhaps.

Would it be a mistake, for example, to say it was practical to put off doing anything about methane, the sprinter among greenhouse gases in its short-term power to boost global warming? Time will tell.

Meanwhile, how likely is it that a majority of voters would agree with your judgment? You might have less than eight years to discover whether Gaia is with you  or not.

John Gare, Kew East Chilling and alarming

The interview yesterday morning of Resources Minister Keith Pitt by Hamish Macdonald on the ABCs AM program was a chilling and highly alarming experience. Here we had a person of considerable power strongly advocating that Australia should continue to mine, locally combust and export coal for decades into the future. He is fully prepared to allow our children, including my grandchildren, to live and possibly die in a hellish world rather than leave coal in the ground. It is difficult to understand how this man can be so callous and reckless towards the future wellbeing of Australians. It illustrates how extreme the Nationals have become and that they intend to thumb their nose at everything that COP26 was supposed to stand for.

Ian Bayly, Upwey

Unanswered questions

Thank you, Jon Faine, for your article (The very awkward nuclear embrace, Opinion, 7/11). We live in a country where we cant even agree on where to put our small amount of, largely medical, nuclear waste. Where the Australian people have consistently rejected nuclear options. Yet Scott Morrison has linked us to a nuclear future with no community debate. This is a mammoth decision and the almost lone voice questioning this development seems to have come from Malcolm Turnbull, who from a position of knowledge, pointed out some of the consequences. We have learnt that these new submarines will likely require high-grade, weapons-quality, nuclear material. What will we do with the spent fuel when the 30-year life of the fuel rolls by? Where will these submarines be docked? Do we want a nuclear sub in Sydney Harbour or Western Port or the Port of Darwin? What happens to the nuclear load if one of the submarines is attacked? I dont know, and that is the point. We as a nation dont know. How can such a monumental shift in policy have happened in such amanner?

Margaret Blair, Healesville It might become confusing

David Hastie recommends a balance between curriculum ideologies in teaching Australian history (Key to a good education is balance, Comment, 8/11).

While this approach seems reasonable, in practice it could become very confusing with every topic treated as some people say this happened, but on the other hand, some people say that happened.

The end result could be lots of students saying, Im not really sure what happened. As unsatisfactory as that seems, maybe thats what history actually is.

Rod Wise, Surrey Hill An option for Labor

If the Labor Party unequivocally pursues two policy initiatives it will deserve to win the next election and may well do so. First, legislate an anti-corruption commission similar to NSWs Independent Commission Against Corruption. While many people are distrustful of politicians generally and take for granted that they will lie, pork barrel and often behave in a corrupt manner, it is possible we have reached a tipping point and the electorate may finally decide that enough is enough. Second, legislate to reduce carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2030. The Morrison plan to get to zero emissions by 2050 is nothing more than a plan and a pipe dream. Furthermore, 2050 is too late, we have to take action now. It may well be that voters will realise that the cost to them of the negative impacts of global warming that we are experiencing already, will far exceed the costs of affirmative action.

Bernard Towson, Brunswick

Perhaps the time is right

Highly respected business executive Andrew Liveris is pushing the need for a price on carbon in the fight to reduce emissions (Business leaders carbon price push, The Age, 8/11). He has the backing of many world-leading business figures including Australias Andrew Forrest. The converted Mathias Cormann, now head of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, is also on board. The main obstacle to establishing this seems to be weak-kneed politicians whose fear of losing votes trumps any vision for our future. Maybe the climate is now right for this idea to resurface.

Jon Smith, Leongatha A variation on a theme

The use by Michael Sukkars office of public funds to employ staff for political work that boosted the power of his faction seems unremarkable (Sukkar knew of scheme that misused public funds, The Age, 8/11). Politicians in general and ministers in particular clearly spend much of their taxpayer-funded working hours on getting themselves re-elected. While this goes on, good government perforce, plays second fiddle to self-interest.

Lawrie Bradly, Surrey Hills

AND ANOTHER THING Politics

Is any more evidence required for the need to establish a proper federal anti-corruption commission with teeth.

Peter Randles, Pascoe Vale South Credit: Surely there are a broader range of occupations of an aspiring politician than a ministerial adviser?

Rosslyn Jennings, North Melbourne Memo to Sean Kelly (ALPs test: reason in shouty times, Comment, 8/11): Anthony Albanese is not the Leader of the Opposition; he is the Leader of the Agreement. To find opposition you have to go to the Greens or some independents.

Mike Puleston, Brunswick

Jane Hargreaves believes everyone, including Tim Smith, deserves a second chance (Ex-Frydenberg staffer shapes as front runner to take Kew seat, The Age, 8/11). That certainly wasnt Tim Smiths philosophy.

Les Aisen, Elsternwick Parliamentary terms

Ordinarily I would agree with your correspondents letter about federal politics Extend the term (The Age, 8/11), but not right now.

Hans Paas, Castlemaine Climate change

Scott Morrison, please cancel the order for nuclear submarines and instead order 25 million yellow submarines. With global warming it wont be long before we all live in a sea of green in our yellow submarine.

Roger Christiansz, Wheelers Hill Furthermore

So the ABCs umpire (the internal complaints division) has ruled that no bias was shown on their two-part program Fox and the Big Lie. Fancy that.

Neville Wilson, Rosanna Finally

In Saturdays Dicey Topics (Good Weekend, The Age, 6/11), Brian Cox tells Benjamin Law that he feels sorry for young men nowadays because of the #MeToo situation and he asks how his youngest son should approach women: With respect, Brian.

David Main, Heathcote
Thousands of Victorian truck drivers left their jobs during the pandemic, frustrated by strict COVID-19 testing regimes and vaccine mandates.

The driver exodus is stretching the states supply chain, leaving some trucking companies unable to recruit staff, knocking back work and selling up their vehicles.

Interstate truck driver Simon Lenehan said it was difficult keeping up with the rigorous COVID-19 testing regime. Credit:Scott McNaughton

Victorias peak trucking association estimates about 10,000 truck drivers  including more than 2000 who cross state borders  have exited the industry since the outbreak of COVID-19.

Victorian Transport Association chief executive Peter Anderson said the driver shortage started before the pandemic, and was exacerbated by COVID-19.
The alleged mastermind behind the shooting of former Rebels boss Nick Martin has been charged with his murder and for plotting to kill two others.

Police claim the man  who is also a bikie  ordered the hit on Mr Martin, which was allegedly carried out by a former soldier using a long-range sniper rifle at Perth Motorplex in December 2020.

Slain former Rebels boss Nick Martin.

Police will allege he paid the sniper around $300,000 in cash for three hits; one on Mr Martin who was a former close associate, one on a woman, and another on a senior Comanchero bikie boss who now resides overseas. Only the hit on Mr Martin was carried out.

The 35-year-old alleged sniper, whose name is suppressed, was charged with murder in September after a police taskforce of more than 100 officers zeroed in on his involvement and arrested him in March.
A study has found profound differences in worker satisfaction between states with and without protective legislation. Credit:AP I dont mean to suggest faith-based schools and services are perfect; there is still discrimination. But at least there is a legal framework for resolving claims of discrimination, and a broad awareness this framework exists. Significantly, there have been no attempts by Tasmanian religious leaders or right-wing MPs to remove existing protections. There have been no public outcries about religious freedom being violated, or people of faith persecuted. There are compromises in the Victorian bill that are not found in Tasmanian law. For example, the Andrews government is proposing that LGBTIQ+ people will only be protected in faith-based health, family and community services if these services are government-funded.

This would allow faith-based organisations to quarantine services like, for example, say, fostering and adoption. If faith-based organisations could find enough private and church funding for such services, they could shut the door on LGBTIQ+ employees and clients. Just as bad, the carve-out for services that arent government funded sends the message that discrimination against LGBTIQ+ people is still sometimes acceptable in Victoria. None of this is the case in Tasmania because LGBTIQ+ people are protected in all faith-based services, including those that are church funded. Our law is based on the principle that services open to the public should be equally accessible regardless of where the money comes from. The Victorian proposal also allows discrimination against students in faith-based schools that isnt allowed in Tasmania.

The Victorian legislation allows discrimination in faith-based school that is disallowed under Tasmanian law. Credit:Joe Armao Faith-based schools in Tasmania can only discriminate on the grounds of religious belief or affiliation at first enrolment. This was put in place to ensure religious belief isnt used as an alternative way to discriminate against LGBTIQ+ students, especially during secondary school when they are more likely to come out. In the Victorian proposal, discrimination on the ground of religious belief is allowed at any time in a students school career. This opens up too many opportunities for LGBTIQ+ students to be harassed, bullied and discriminated against if a school deems their sexuality or gender identity to be against the schools ethos.

Shortcomings such as these are part of a worrying trend under the current Victorian government. It takes action on big-ticket, headline-grabbing LGBTIQ+ law reform, but the substance doesnt always match the spin. For example, in 2019 Victoria looked very progressive when the Andrews government allowed transgender people to affirm their true gender on their birth certificate without the need for surgery. But the government undermined the principle of transgender self-determination by insisting a trans person seeking an amended birth certificate first obtain a statement from another person to confirm they are who they say they are. Loading

The Andrews government also balked at allowing people to take gender off their birth certificates altogether despite this being recommended by a number of health bodies for its positive impact on the mental health of trans and gender diverse people. Tasmanias gender recognition laws, passed before Victorias, do not require statements from others and do allow gender to be taken off birth certificates. Tasmanian advocates were disappointed Victoria didnt follow our lead, particularly given how hard we worked to pass gold-standard legislation in the face of a hostile state government. Victoria is also set to expand its vilification laws to protect LGBTIQ+ people, yet no consideration has been given to protections from humiliating, intimidating, insulting and ridiculing conduct. This conduct is prohibited under the Race Discrimination Act, and on a range of grounds in Tasmania, including sexual orientation and gender identity. Again, its disappointing Victoria has stopped short.

Loading The Tasmanian experience shows that the Victorian governments proposal to prevent LGBTIQ+ discrimination by faith-based organisations is not as radical and untested as some Victorian faith leaders will claim. It shows the sky wont fall in, that this is not part of a crusade against religion and that faith can benefit from laws that foster dignity and equality. But the Tasmanian experience also shows the Andrews government does not need to skimp on equality with unnecessary caveats and compromises. Such compromises wont win it friends among its enemies, but they will leave vulnerable LGBTIQ+ people exposed to continued discrimination and prejudice.
Nairobi: The withered carcasses of livestock are reminders that drought has descended yet again in northern Kenya, the latest in a series of climate shocks rippling through the Horn of Africa.

As world leaders address a global climate summit in Glasgow, pastoralists watch their beloved animals suffer from lack of water and food. Yusuf Abdullahi says he has lost 40 goats.

Mohamed Mohamud, a ranger from the Sabuli Wildlife Conservancy, looks at the carcass of a giraffe that died of hunger near Matana Village, Wajir County, Kenya. Credit:Brian Inganga

If they die, we all die, he says.

Kenyas government has declared a national disaster in 10 of its 47 counties. The United Nations says more than 2 million people are severely food insecure. And with people trekking farther in search of food and water, observers warn that tensions among communities could sharpen.
There's something so jarring about the first time you hear that hard "G" at the front of Gnit. Lest your brain try to organize this collection of letters into "gnat" with an "i," remind yourself you're at a Will Eno play  where most things are ridiculous, and everything, down to the very last vowel, is intentional. Enter our wandering antihero who sets off on a mission to find his authentic self while attached to a name that is an admitted typo.

Gnit premiered at the Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival in 2013, but only now makes its off-Broadway debut at Theatre for a New Audience's Polonsky Shakespeare Center, directed by Oliver Butler. The play is Eno's wry spin on Peer Gynt, Henrik Ibsen's 19th-century Norwegian play in verse about a man in search of himself. What this "self" really is and how one should go about locating it are questions Ibsen poses in his original work, and that Eno continues to hammer away at in his story about the self-aggrandizing Peter Gnit. However, in service of our modern era where identity politics fuels every battle and radical individualism constantly butts heads with radical love, Eno adds a few more decibels of absurdity to his version to ever-so-slightly reframe the conversation.

Joe Curnutte stars as our titular spelling error, emotionlessly gliding through each scene with static self-delusion. He goes on many of the same fateful adventures as Ibsen's protagonist, and along the way, is met by hordes of off-beat characters played by a troupe of five quick-changing actors. Peter tells his mother (played by the droll Deborah Hedwall) about a wild run-in with a dog that inspires his quest for self-discovery  Eno's riff on Peer Gynt's famous "Buckride" scene. He later steals a bride away from her wedding day and eventually makes a short-lived home with a woman named Solvay (a delightfully self-assured Jasmine Batchelor). The trolls of Ibsen's play are now a family of realtors, and Peter fathers a child with one of them called "Woman in Green" (a shape-shifting Christy Escobar, who also plays the jilting bride). Ibsen's "button-molder," in turn, has become a journalist (Jordan Bellow, who plays a collection of aloof characters), who, instead of melting down Peter's soul, takes a written inventory of his life's achievements. And all the while, David Shih takes on the most unconventional role of "Town," providing the social environment for Peter's adventures as the erratic mouthpiece for throngs of characters who love to bicker.

Joe Curnutte (Peter) and Jasmine Batchelor (Solvey)

( Gerry Goodstein)

If you're familiar with Peer Gynt, most scenes in Eno's riff will ring a bell. And if you're familiar with Eno's past work (The Realistic Joneses, Thom Pain, The Open House), the even cadence and dry humor will also be instantly recognizable. Though it seems his signature word play and stoic antagonism of absurd human behavior would be an ideal match for a parable like Peer Gynt, at times it feels like Eno is just shoe-horning his greatest hits into a story that can certainly carry his sensibilities, but is not always enhanced by them.

"I'm on a journey to discover, to uncover, the authentic self," Peter tells his ailing mother. "Yeah? Get some milk while you're out," she sardonically replies. It's never in doubt that Peter is a fool on a fool's journey. And yet, we patiently wait through two acts of misadventures for him to learn that living selfishly is a waste, without much recognizable humanity woven into Butler's production to keep us invested in these trials. Eno's characters, despite their tendency toward superficial robotic qualities, are absolutely capable of evoking human sympathy. But aside from the few moments Peter sheds tears for the real tragedies that befall him, Cornutte's performance remains largely mechanical in its obtuseness. He, along with the constantly transfiguring ensemble, nail the rhythm of Eno's wit, but have yet to find the humanity inside of it  a shortcoming that may be due in part to the nature of the source material.

Peer Gynt, as an allegory about human nature, is innately plugged into the human experience, but largely floats above it. In service of the latter, Gnit leans into its fairy tale aesthetic, with scenic designer Kimie Nishikawa filling the stage with mossy Norwegian hills on which sit facades of storybook houses (dramatic lighting to match by Amith Chandrashaker), and costume designers Asta Bennie Hostetter and Avery Reed combining fantastical embellishment with slapdash theatricality. Eno's playwriting language, in its own way, functions on these same competing levels, with characters undemonstratively facing life in its harshest, most literal form. The worlds of fairy tale and Will Eno are both capable of revealing the beating hearts that lie underneath their metaphysical messages. Gnit, unfortunately, just doesn't seem to have a strong enough pulse.
2022 Infiniti QX60 Review By Larry Nutson

2022 Infiniti QX60 Three Row'er

By Larry Nutson

Senior Editor and Bureau Chief

Chicago Bureau

THE AUTO CHANNEL

Patience pays off. I was interested to schedule a drive in the new 2022 QX60, Infinitis entry in the premium midsize three-row utility vehicle space. However, as things would have it I just couldnt make it work with my schedule and the availability of a vehicle.

That was back this past summer. But now recently, in mid-October, I got to take a my "first look" evaluation behind the wheel of the 2022 Infiniti QX60. The timing is perfect for in market SUV shoppers because the redesigned QX60 is arriving in showrooms right about this time and the QX is just waiting for you to test drive it.

My drive opportunity took place at the Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA) 2021 Rally which was held at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Vehicle manufacturers are invited by MAMA to bring their newest vehicles for driving experience and evaluations by automotive media on the interesting and varied driving roads of Wisconsins Kettle Moraine. Additionally, on-track performance driving and off-road trail driving is done with new vehicles suited for those exercises.

Infiniti didnt offer a QX60 for the 2021 model year but jumped into the new model for 2022. Its a bit shorter and wider but still rides on the previous models 114.2 inch wheelbase. The QX60 is available in front-wheel or all-wheel drive and has a 295-hp 3.5-L V6 under the hood.

There is some newness in the powertrain with a 9-speed automatic now transmitting the power to the drive wheels. Theres a five-mode drive selector with Personal, Sport, Standard, Eco and Snow modes plus the engine has an idle stop/start system that helps reduce both tailpipe emissions and fuel consumption.

I was quite impressed by the overall performance of the engine/transmission combination. I should mention, I am not a big fan of CVTs, mostly due to the droning engine sound that is commonplace, and which the previous generation QX60 had. This new combination of the torquey V6 and nine transmission gears deliver very smooth and responsive performance, quick acceleration from stop and good response when powering out of a corner. Its a nice combo.

The new transmission has helped to improve the QX60s EPA city fuel economy rating by one mpg. The front-drive 2022 QX60 has EPA ratings of 21 mpg city and 26 mpg highway. The AWD versions are rated one mpg less in both.

On the outside the new QX60 is stylish with a clean design. The large upright grille is flanked by slim LED headlights. A sloping rear roof gives the QX60 a contemporary profile. The rear is finished with LED taillights. Both front and rear fascia incorporate unique under guard elements in varied finishes. Depending on trim grade the QX60 rides on 18- or 20-inch wheels.

The interior seats seven or six. Leather-appointed first and second row seating is standard. All trim grades have a digital gauge cluster. Overall, premium materials and refined surfaces provide a serene interior cabin environment.

Theres loads of tech with a 12.3-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto connectivity, Wi-Fi, ProPILOT driver assist with navigation link to anticipate the upcoming road and adjust vehicle speed, as well as a line-up of advance driver-assist safety (ADAS) features.

Pure, Luxe, and Sensory trim grades come in two-three-two seating in either front-wheel or all-wheel drive. The Autograph trim grade has second-row captains chairs for six-person seating. Its also offered in front- or all-wheel drive.

Rear cargo space can grow from 14.5 cu.ft. behind the third row to 41.6 cu.ft. with that seat folded, and to 75.4 cu.ft. with the second row also folded. With a towing package the QX60 AWD models can tow up to a 6,000-pound braked trailer.

QX60 pricing starts at $46,850 for the Pure trim grade with front-wheel drive and climbs to $63,250 for the Autograph with all-wheel drive. Destination charge is $1,025.

For my drive around Elkhart Lake I experienced the Autograph AWD grade which features semi-aniline leather-appointed seating with contrast stitching and quilted leather, in-seat massagers for driver and front passenger, exclusive second-row captains chairs, a lightweight removable second-row console, 10.8-inch crystal-clear head-up display with dual free-form mirrors, 17-speaker Bose Performance Series sound system, Smart Rear View Mirror, Adaptive Front Lighting system and color-contrast black roof and roof rails.

Although this drive evaluation of the QX60 was short and sweet, it was important for me to get behind the wheel. The QX60 is a candidate for the 2022 MAMA Luxury Family Vehicle of the Year that I will vote on later this year. Infiniti also sent one of its top representatives to this drive Rally to inform about the QX60. This was invaluable to help bring focus on the attributes and nuances of the vehicle.

Its been a tough year for every automaker in trying to recover from the 2020 pandemic impact and now with new vehicle production disruptions due to microchip supply shortage. Infiniti says the 2022 QX60 was reimagined from the ground up to help its owners "Conquer Life in Style" and delivers a powerful yet polished drive that matches its sleek exterior and serene interior. It seems a visit to your local Infiniti dealer might be a good idea.

Happy motoring!

 2021 Larry Nutson, the Chicago Car Guy
Van Buren, AR (72956)

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DuBois City manager looks forward to consolidating with Sandy Twp.

File SUPLIZIO

DuBOIS  DuBois City Manager John Herm Suplizio was pro-consolidation all three times the question was previously on the ballot since 1989, so he was excited when voters in both the city and Sandy Township finally voted in favor of it the fourth time in last weeks election.

Voters in Sandy Township approved consolidation by a vote of 1,574-1,541, while DuBois voters supported consolidation by a vote of 1,228-536, according to unofficial results released by the Clearfield County Elections Office. The question placed on the ballot had to pass in both municipalities in order to consolidate the two municipalities into a new third class city.

As everyone knows, Ive never pulled any punches since 30-some years ago when it was first on the ballot, said Suplizio. Ive always been pro-consolidation, Ive never wavered any which way on that. I always felt that these two communities would be better as one. I did not make any statement prior to election regarding consolidation because my belief was that both the city and the township gave people enough information so that people could decide for themselves which way they wanted to vote. I just felt that it was not necessary or the right thing to do to give people my feelings, my beliefs, especially tell people how to vote. I thought it was best to let people vote for what they felt was best for them and their family.

He acknowledged, however, that the majority of the voters in Sandy Township have not always felt consolidation was the best thing because it failed three times.

But times have changed, the people in both the city and the township have spoken, said Suplizio. I think what many people have come to understand is that both the City of DuBois and Sandy Township are tied too close to the hip not to be one  for the betterment of the entire area and this will help us move forward.

For example, Suplizio said there are businesses that may be located in the city, but many of the executives live outside of the city, such as Penn Highlands DuBois.

Our hospital to me is, without a doubt, one of the finest hospitals in this entire area, and I commend everyone that works there, especially the executives, but people have to understand that the DuBois hospital proper is tax-exempt and pays no taxes to the city, he said. Many of the people that work at the hospital live outside the city. And a lot of those people live at Treasure Lake, which is a great thing because I think Treasure Lake has a lot to offer and people have to understand by just that entity, we are tied together and we all should try to work harder to keep businesses such as Penn Highlands, Paris Companies and others and help them prosper.

Now with consolidation, Suplizio said officials leading the new third class city can work on other businesses and industry to come into the area because we do have the finest water system in the entire area, if not the entire state of Pennsylvania.

Soon, said Suplizio, the area will have a state-of-the-art sewage facility that was going to be built with or without consolidation because it was mandated by the Department of Environmental Protection. The proposed sewage plant, estimated to cost more than $60 million, has just finished its final design and will be ready to go to PENNVEST for funding in early January 2022.

We need to do everything we can to assist businesses because we are tied together, said Suplizio. Businesses may be in DuBois and the people may live outside DuBois. And we have to understand that we need to do things to bring people here and want them to stay here. Thats why the City of DuBois has committed to things like our park thats second to none. And being one should help this process.

Suplizio, who admits hes biased toward this area, said, I think we have a lot to offer people. I think we are a close-knit community and I think this can make us closer.

Although its an exciting time, Suplizio said there will be a lot of hard work that has to happen in the next several years.

In my opinion and in my opinion only, I will fight to try to keep every employee thats now employed with either the city or Sandy Township, said Suplizio. I have said this over and over again that both communities have excellent people working for both the city and the township. And I do believe this is the consensus of the mayor and DuBois council. I can only hope that its the same for the Sandy Township supervisors because working with these individuals each and every day, I can see the dedication that they have for their community. Theres a lot of projects and a lot of things that have to be worked out into the future.

He noted the new city will still need to fix the roads, plow the roads, cut grass, treat water, distribute water, etc.

The employees are a very big part of this, said Suplizio.

Additionally, Suplizio said both municipalities have police and police contracts, public works contracts, office personnel, firefighters, and other numerous contracts that will have to be reviewed, along with ordinances and zoning.

There are also numerous projects that both the city and township will continue to do in the near future because they were slated to be done and have been being worked on for several months, if not years, said Suplizio. Again, I remind everybody that the process is not going to be easy, but anything worth its weight in gold is never easy, but I feel confident that it can all be worked out. I just want to remind people again, that this is exciting times and everything were doing is for the future of not only DuBois and Sandy, but the entire area. And I think people look up to us to do the right thing. Please remember we are doing this for our children, our childrens children and generations to come.

Suplizio also expressed appreciation for everyones efforts, both pro and con, leading up to the election.

While some may sit back, Suplizio urges residents to help with and be a part of the process as the municipal leaders develop a structure of a new government.

If you think you can offer your expertise or anything like that, please let us know, said Suplizio. I can assure you that we will work hard and endlessly to try to show you that this is best for not only our community, but for the entire area and to move our area into the future. Im not naive, and I understand that theres a lot of people that will be negative no matter what. But I hope everyone will be positive and do whatever they can to make this the best place to live and the best place to work.
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Melanie joined The Daily Times in the early 90s and has served as the Life section editor since 1993. A William Blount and UT alum, Melanie is generally the early arriver who turns on the lights in the newsroom.

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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
100 Volunteers Harvest 1,000 Acres of Land for Grieving Family After Farmers Tragic Death

More than 100 members of a tight-knit Iowa farming community came together after losing one of their own to harvest the crops he left behind.

Cole Vanatta, who managed more than 2,000 acres of row crops just south of Tabor, Iowa, with his father and grandfather, sustained a farming injury on Sept. 9 and died two days later. He was 36 years old and is survived by his wife and three children.

He and his father, Tom, 62, and his grandfather Wayne, 93, all still worked together; its a family farm, Vanattas brother-in-law, Daniel Morse, told The Epoch Times. They were just getting ready for harvest, they were prepping the land, they were prepping the equipment, and the accident happened.

Cole Vanatta was a 36-year-old farmer from Iowa. (Courtesy of Daniel Morse)

Explaining the accident, Morse said the trio was trimming trees to clear a path for farm machinery when a tree limb snagged.

Something that they take for granted, they do all the time, just went incredibly wrong that day, he said.

In the wake of the tragedy, the farming community rallied together to pay their respects to Vanatta in the most fitting way, by helping harvest the corn and soybean crops that he had tended.

(Courtesy of Daniel Morse)

A local farmera neighbor and a friend of oursput a simple post on Facebook and said, Hey, were going to get together, were going to honor Cole one last time,' said Morse, who works as a Tabor city firefighter. They had well over 100 people show up.

The industrious group covered 1,000 acres in just two 10-to-12-hour workdays, starting on a Friday at 7 a.m. and finishing around 8 p.m. the following day.

Together, they ran more than 20 combines to harvest corn and two or three for soybeans. Morse estimated the groups efforts reaped between 30 and 40 grain carts worth of produce in total.

(Courtesy of Daniel Morse)

Witnessing the community come together, Vanattas grieving wife, Shannon, was overwhelmed.

They just said, I got this, and took over. Its been great, the mom of three told WLWT 5. Ill never be able to repay people for what theyre doing today, but Ill try.

It wasnt just experienced farmers who got involved, Morse said. Wives, businesses, the whole community showed up. We had food donated from local restaurants, coffee houses bringing coffee, people catering breakfast  multiple church groups.

(Courtesy of Daniel Morse)

Some had known Vanatta, but many had not.

Even if they werent able to work in the field, they came in, they helped move stuff around, they dropped food off, they moved fuel barrels, he marveled. We had one person, because it was cold in the morning, just run in and get new propane bottles so we could run heaters. Everybody helped in whatever way they could.

Even Vanattas and Morses children helped out. Morse hopes this heartwarming experience teaches his own kids that there are things bigger than yourself in life.

Their uncle passed away, and thats sad, its horrible, he said, but at the same point, their community showed up to help, just to show what that person meant to them.

(Courtesy of Daniel Morse)

Vanatta, according to his brother-in-law, was a polite man who always kept his cool and would give the shirt off his back to help another. He had a talent for fixing anything with an engine.

For Vanatta, his family meant everything.

He spent his whole life working the land and trying to build something for his family, Morse said, to keep a family legacy that he had going, and pass that on to the next generation.

(Courtesy of Daniel Morse)

Morse said the farming community has been supporting its members in times of need for years.

A lot of times it goes unrecognized, he said. Nobodys asking for recognition  [but] its happening on a regular basis and its amazing to see these small communities come together and help each other out in that way.

Im trying to think of the right words, but that feeling that youre doing something bigger than yourself, for no other reason than it feels like the right thing to do, is something I think that we all need to take time to remember.

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.
Sinaloa state police agents check a plastic bag with a suspicious substance found during a security operation in the city of Culiacan, , which used to be one of "El Chapo" Guzman's major influence areas, in Sinaloa state, Mexico, on Feb. 15, 2019. (Rashide Frias/AFP via Getty Images)

4 High-Ranking Sinaloa Cartel Members Charged With International Drug Trafficking

Four high-ranking members of Mexicos Sinaloa Cartel were indicted on federal charges of international drug trafficking on Nov. 5, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

According to the DOJ, a federal grand jury indicted Aureliano Guzman-Loera of Sinaloa, and brothers Ruperto, Jose, and Heriberto Salgueiro-Nevarez of Guadalupe y Calvo. Prosecutors allege the Salgueiro-Nevarez brothers operate a faction of the cartel known as the Salgueiro-Nevarez Organization (SNO) while Guzman-Loera is the brother of former cartel leader Joaquin El Chapo Guzman-Loera.

The four are accused of committing various violations of the law by internationally distributing controlled substances, including fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana over a seven-year period.

Fentanyl is responsible for more than 63 percent of the 96,779 drug overdose deaths in the United States between March 2020 and 2021, according to the State Department.

El Chapo, 64, was convicted in February 2019 in a high-profile Brooklyn trial of masterminding a multi-billion-dollar drug enterprise, trafficking tons of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, and engaging in multiple murder conspiracies as a top leader of the Sinaloa cartel, long known as one of Mexicos largest, most violent drug trafficking organizations.

He was found guilty of all 10 federal criminal counts against him, including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiracy to launder narcotics proceeds, international distribution of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and other drugs, and sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years.

The evidence showed that under Guzmans orders, the Sinaloa cartel was responsible for smuggling mountains of cocaine and other drugs into the United States during his 25-year reign, prosecutors said in court papers recapping the trial.

Guzman, who escaped twice from prison in Mexico, was extradited to the United States in 2017. He is currently serving his sentence in the federal Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado.

The State Department is offering a reward of up to $5 million each for information leading to the capture and conviction of Guzman-Loera and the Salgueiro-Nevarez brothers.

The indictment comes as illegal drug cartels and gang activity are taking over small Southern California towns and allegedly causing residents to flee their homes, according to a new investigative documentary released by Daily Caller reporter Jorge Ventura.

Cartelville, USA, released Nov. 4, documents Venturas investigation into illegal marijuana growing operations emerging in Los Angeles County, particularly in his native Antelope Valley. Ventura said he wanted to shine a light on the situation in his hometown. I felt that Americans living in these towns needed a voice on this story.

Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva said at a June press conference that his department identified 150 illegal marijuana grows in Antelope Valley in 2020; this year, the number had grown to more than 500.

Ventura said the drug cartels typically smuggle drugs from Mexico and distribute them inside the United States through various channels. The investigative reporter also called on President Joe Biden to tighten enforcement at the southern border, which he said would lower the cartels source of labor.

Last month, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas ended the Remain in Mexico program despite being ordered by a court to move in good faith to restore it. The program, formally known as the Migrant Policy Protocols (MPP), was started during the Trump administration and forced many asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for their claims to be heard.

Micaela Ricaforte contributed to this report.
Tony Beck (L) and JP Bulow, the duo behind Beck & Bulow, show off wild provisions from their butcher shop in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They formed a friendship, and eventually a business partnership, based on their shared spirituality and lifelong interest in Native American culture. (Douglas Merriam)

A Butcher Shop With Wild Dreams

The founders of Beck & Bulow are on a mission to bring sustainable meats to American consumersand American bison back to their native lands

If you wander into Beck & Bulow, an unassuming butcher shop under a red awning on Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe, New Mexico, you might find yourself standing side-by-side with Hollywood A-listers (or their chefs) and a cowboy buying a tomahawk. Thats not the iconic war axe of some indigenous North American tribes, but rather a 32-ounce bison ribeye steak, a thick, buttery-rich slab with the long rib bone still attached. In addition to tomahawks, walk-in customers will find a wide range of frozen bison and other wild meats in freezers next to ones full of wild Alaskan seafood. The butcher on duty is ready to provide fresh cuts to both wholesale and retail customers.

Tony Beck (L) and JP Bulow, the duo behind Beck & Bulow, show off wild provisions from their butcher shop in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They formed a friendship, and eventually a business partnership, based on their shared spirituality and lifelong interest in Native American culture. (Douglas Merriam)

The current success of Beck & Bulow, purveyors of bison and other sustainable, ethically sourced meats, was built on quick thinking, a bit of serendipity, and a lot of hard work.

The two founders, Tony Beck and JP Bulow, met by chance at a Lakota sweat lodge in Albuquerque several years ago. They formed a friendship, and eventually a business partnership, based on their shared spirituality and lifelong interest in Native American culture.

I was struck that in the Lakota language, Wakan Tanka, the words for sacred or divine spirit are very similar to Tatanka, the Lakota word for bison, said Beck. Since the Plains tribes used every part of the animal for their food, clothing, and shelter, its no wonder they considered the bison sacred, and that their futures and fortunes were intertwined.

Call of the Wild Bison

At one time, 60 million bison freely roamed the Great Bison Belt of North America, a wide swath of land that ranged from Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico and as far east as the Atlantic Seaboard. Bison migrated up and down the landscape, especially the Great Plains, in search of the various grasses that sustained them. Unfortunately, the introduction of livestock, the construction of fences by ranchers, and the deliberate overhunting of the bison almost led to the herds extinction in the 1800s.

At one time, 60 million bison freely roamed the Great Bison Belt of North America. (Courtesy of Beck & Bulow)

The United States government instituted a policy to kill the bison, which were like a walking Walmart, in an effort to eliminate the Lakota, Beck said. The species was only saved because Blackfoot Indians smuggled 100 heads or so into Canada, where they were spared and eventually served as the genetic stock to repopulate the species. Today, many conservation groups and ranchers are working to restore the herd to a sustainable level of around 1 million.

The bison business fell into Beck and Bulows laps when they took the step to source good-quality bison, ones that were not commercially raised or processed, for the Native American ceremonies they were attending. In that search, they eventually connected with a third-generation rancher from South Dakota who was raising bison on 20,000 acres south of Madrid, New Mexico. They learned he was looking for someone younger to take over. Beck had a background in real estate and teaching yoga, and Bulow in selling specialty and natural foods, and they both felt called in this new direction. So began their journey to becoming bison entrepreneurs.

A Pandemic Success Story

Today, their herd roams free on the Madrid ranch, as well as on 5,000 acres along the Gallinas River in San Miguel County, just east of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The San Miguel land is home to several sacred kivaschambers wholly or partly underground, in which many of the religious ceremonials of the Pueblo Indians were performedand a bison hunting pit. Beck and Bulow consider the whole area to be sacred ground. The massive, noble animals graze and forage on the prairie grasses and sedges, are grass-finishedinstead of grain-finished with corn, which changes the flavorand never administered hormones, steroids, or antibiotics.

Beck and Bulow started their business in 2018, first selling at local farmers markets in the Santa Fe area, and then adding a warehouse a year later. Their bison tenderloins and rib eyes put them on the map, but they also offered ground bison and other cuts and cures, including short ribs, osso buco (which is great for nutritious bone broths), tongue, and smoked sausages. They expanded into selling to local restaurants in Santa Fe, including La Plazuela in the famous La Fonda hotel, off the towns main square. As word got out, they started selling to a few online consumers.

The quick-thinking part of their success happened at the beginning of the pandemic.

The mayor of Santa Fe sees us as a COVID-19 success story, said Beck. How did they thrive when so many other small businesses were closing? They aggressively expanded, while everyone else was contracting. As Beck explained, There is an equal and opposite opportunity during the time of a calamity, and we had faith in the future.

Hard work, including many 18-hour days, went into opening a combined retail storefront and butcher shop and updating the warehouse and website for nationwide delivery. They also commissioned two full-length murals by artist Sebastian Vela Velazquez, featuring American wildlife species, to grace the outside of the butcher shop and beckon all to enter.

Although it was a big risk to expand during the pandemic, the grand opening of the butcher shop in March 2021 was a phenomenal success, Bulow said.

Growing to Conserve

As the business expanded, they also diversified their product line. They first added free-range elk and wild boar, then free-range beef and lamb, and finally, heritage pork and humanely raised poultry, all of which are sourced from small family ranches. One of their all-time best-sellers is nitrate-free wild boar bacon seasoned with celery salt.

In addition to American bison, Beck and Bulow are passionate about conserving other keystone species that play an irreplaceable role in sustaining their ecosystems. In the sea, that includes wild Pacific salmon: A report by the Wild Salmon Center in Portland, Oregon, found that 137 wildlife species depend on wild salmon due to its vital role in numerous food webs and overall watershed health.

Additionally, wild salmon has symbolic, mythic, and ceremonial importance among Native American tribes in the Pacific Northwest. This interdependence shapes the laws around their capture. For example, by law, said Bulow, all five indigenous wild Alaskan salmon speciesking, silver, sockeye, pink, and chummust have already spawned before the commercial catch, ensuring sustainability and the next generation. You can confidently eat wild salmon every day of your life, and if it comes from Alaska, it will be thereinto perpetuity.

Its no surprise that a recent addition to Beck & Bulows product line is wild salmon, as well as other Alaskan seafood species, including halibut and sablefish. In September, they expanded onto Kodiak Island, the source of their pristine Alaskan seafood, when they purchased facilities right on the docks. This second location includes a 7,500-square-foot production facility with cold storage and full processing capabilities, which means that their Alaskan seafood line is now vertically integratedthat is, they control the supply chain from the ocean to their customers. By putting down roots in Alaska, theyre now also able to source seafood from fishermen they know by name. Back on shore, the fish is individually quick-frozen (IQF) and shipped to Santa Fe to sell year-round to their growing list of customers.

The Beck & Bulow team at their newly expanded facilities on Kodiak Island, the source of their pristine Alaskan seafood. (JP Bulow)

In just four short years, with a pandemic in the middle, this dynamic duo has created an amazing company, but they arent sitting on their laurels. Theyre now focused on online expansion, which includes the acquisition of a bigger warehouse in Santa Fe to better serve their customers.

But their deeper goal goes beyond sales: We want to introduce ancient bison and Alaskan salmon to the mainstream American palate, said Beck.

And remember, Bulow chimed in, the more we eat our indigenous meats, the more they will be sustained. And what better way to buy American?

The Beck & Bulow Burger

The Beck & Bulow burger. (Courtesy of Beck & Bulow)

Makes 12 burgers

2 pounds ground bison

2 pounds ground wild boar or ground elk

Cheese of choice, sliced

12 slices wild boar bacon, cooked

12 organic eggs

12 brioche buns

Lettuce, tomato, raw or grilled onion, pickles, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, and any other condiments you like

Combine the ground bison with the ground wild boar and make 12 patties.

Cook the burgers either on the grill or the stovetop. If cooking on the stove, use some bison tallow or other oil to grease the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes per side on the grill, or 2 to 4 minutes on the stovetop, depending on the thickness of your burgers. Add the slices of cheese during the last 2 minutes of cooking so that it melts on top of the burgers. You can close the cover on the grill or put a lid over the pan to encourage the cheese to melt. Set the cooked burgers aside to rest.

Fry the eggs on the stovetop to your preferred level of doneness. Carefully set an egg on top of each burger.

Toast the brioche buns, either under the broiler or on the grill.

Remove the buns from the heat and assemble your burgers. Enjoy!
(Left) Halyna Hutchins in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 28, 2019. (Fred Hayes/Getty Images for SAGindie); (Right) Alec Baldwin in East Hampton, N.Y., on Oct. 7, 2021. (Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images for National Geographic)

Alec Baldwin Calls for Mandatory Police Presence to Ensure Weapon Safety After Shooting

Alec Baldwin wrote on Nov. 8 that film and TV sets should hire police officers to monitor weapon safety on sets after he allegedly fatally shot a cinematographer during filming in late October.

Authorities in New Mexico have said that Baldwin, 63, shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins while filming the movie Rust. According to court documents, the actor and others told investigators that he didnt believe that the gun was loaded when it was discharged.

Every film/TV set that uses guns, fake or otherwise, should have a police officer on set, hired by the production, to specifically monitor weapons safety, Baldwin wrote.

Since the shooting, Baldwin has issued few comments on social media, although he gave an impromptu interview to reporters in rural Vermont last week.

Baldwin and other film crew members havent been charged with a crime in the incident. Rust Director Joel Souza was also injured in the shooting. The film crew member in charge of guns and ammunition on the set said that she had inspected the gun before it was handed to Baldwin.

Who put those in there and why is the central question, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the armorer for Rust, said in a statement issued by one of her attorneys. Hannah kept guns locked up, including throughout lunch on the day in question (Oct. 21), and she instructed her department to watch the cart containing the guns when she was pulled away for her other duties or on a lunch break.

Hannah did everything in her power to ensure a safe set. She inspected the rounds that she loaded into the firearms that day. She always inspected the rounds.

Reed inspected the rounds before giving the gun to Assistant Director Dave Halls by spinning the cylinder and showing him all of the rounds and then handing him the firearm.

No one could have anticipated or thought that someone would introduce live rounds into this set, Reeds statement said, noting that she did firearms training for the actors as well as Mr. Baldwin, [and] she fought for more training days and she regularly emphasized to never point a firearm at a person.

Previously, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed in a news conference that 500 rounds of ammunition were recovered from the film set. That included live rounds, blanks, and dummy rounds, he said.

Both Mendoza and the district attorneys office said that they havent ruled out charges in the case.
An Apple logo hangs above the entrance to the Apple store on 5th Avenue in the Manhattan borough of New York City on July 21, 2015. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

Apple Is the Most Overpriced Tech Stock Right Now: Satori Fund Founder Dan Niles

Apple Inc. is up about 14 percent year-to-date, but the stock may be overvalued, according to Satori Fund founder and portfolio manager Dan Niles.

If you look at it in terms of how much theyre growing relative to the multiple, it just doesnt make any sense, Niles said Thursday on CNBC.

Niles thinks Apple is the most overpriced tech stock that exists: In terms of big cap tech, it clearly is in my mind.

Apples revenues compounded over the last five years are growing at about 11 percent, according to Niles. Microsoft Corp. is growing about 15 percent over the same time period, while Alphabet Inc. is growing at 23 percent, Netflix is growing at 27 percent, Amazon.com Inc. is growing at 28 percent, and Meta Platforms Inc. is growing at a 34 percent rate, he said.

You can buy both Facebook and Google at a lower multiple than Apple, Niles said.

Apple is also a pandemic beneficiary. iPhone, iPad, and Mac sales were down year-over-year before the pandemic hit, he noted.

We like Facebook a lot, we like Google a lot. Theyre growing two to three times faster and you can buy them at a lower multiple with faster growth rates, Niles told CNBC.

Apple has traded as high as $157.26 and as low as $108.73 over a 52-week period.

By Adam Eckert

 2021 The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
The logo of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) is pictured at its headquarters in Hsinchu, Taiwan on Jan. 19, 2021. (Ann Wang/Reuters)

Apple Supplier TSMC Says It Has Complied With US Request For Data Without Compromising Customer-Related Information

Key Apple Inc. chip supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. said it has responded to a U.S. request for data related to the global chip shortage, Reuters reported, citing the company.

What Happened

The worlds largest chipmaker said it has not disclosed any customer-related information in response to Washingtons data request to help mitigate the lingering semiconductor shortage that has hit global automakers and electronics suppliers.

The U.S. government had earlier this year requested several companies to voluntarily provide chip-related data that it said was aimed at boosting supply-chain transparency.

Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo had warned companies that the U.S. has other tools in our tool box that require them to give us data. Companies were required to furnish the data by Nov. 8.

Why It Matters

The data request brings forward key privacy concerns for suppliers. The companies plan to leave out specific details when sharing the information, Reuters noted.

A global chip shortage that has lasted over a year and is expected to stretch to the next year has left automakers like Ford Motor Company and Tesla Inc. in a rush to secure supplies and only make their most profitable vehicles first.

Suppliers such as TSMC and Intel Corp. have pledged to spend billions over the coming years to ramp up chip-making capacity.

Price Action

TSMC shares closed marginally down at $117.80 a share on Friday.

By Rachit Vats

 2021 The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Protestors are seen holding placards as they walk towards Westgate Bridge as thousands march through Melbourne after State Government announces construction shutdown in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 21, 2021. (Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)

Are Demonstrations a Viable Way to Oppose COVID-19 Health Orders?

Commentary

Demonstrations against COVID-19 restrictions, mandatory vaccination, lockdowns, and border restrictions have occurred in most capital cities of Australia.

In Melbourne, demonstrations turned violent when construction workers marched against the prolonged lockdown.

Thousands of protesters assembled on Nov. 6, 2021, to protest the vaccine mandates of the Victorian government and its controversial Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment (Pandemic Management) Bill 2021, which would give the Premier unprecedented power to rule by decree.

In a thoughtful article, Civil Disobedience in Times of Pandemic: Clarifying Rights and Duties, authors Yoann Della Croce and Ophelia Nicole-Berva argue that demonstrations do not qualify as civil disobedience because the present COVID-19 restrictions are limited in time, and people will eventually recover their civil rights.

These authors may well be correct, but not for the reasons given in their article.

This is because the protests have failed to change the states management of the COVID-19 pandemic, and, as such, they are demonstrably ineffective. It could be argued that ineffective protests do not qualify as civil disobedience.

Members of the Victoria Police patrol through Chadstone Shopping Centre in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 20, 2020. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Civil disobedience is a deliberate breach of a valid law, regulation, or order on the ground that it violates a higher principle, for example, a moral or religious principle.

Even disregarding the claim that COVID-19 health orders lack parliamentary oversight and involve rulemaking by the executive, they are validly enacted orders.

However, in the context of the pandemic, protesters may claim that these orders abrogate higher principles, including human and civil rights, which exist independently of the legal system and are non-derogable.

A non-derogable right is one whose infringement is not justified under any circumstances. It is generally considered that right to life and freedom from torture, inhuman, or degrading treatment fall into this category.

In contrast, the authors of the article argue that, over time, people will recover these rights, imply that the state confers these rights on people and that the state can also suspend or repeal these rights to protect public health.

On this line of argument, these rights do not exist prior to the establishment of civil society, and they do not constitute natural rights.

Professor Carl Cohen makes a distinction between direct and indirect forms of civil disobedience.

In a COVID-19 context, direct disobedience involves a breach of the valid health order, which protestors deem to be incompatible with higher principles. Indirect disobedience consists of the violation of a law or regulation that is not (or is only indirectly or remotely) related to the object of the protest.

The Melbourne COVID-19 protests fall into either category because a vaccination refusal involves a direct violation of the vaccination mandate, whereas the desecration of the Shrine of Remembrance may be an example of an indirect form of disobedience.

Police arrest construction workers and demonstrators with tear gas on the steps of the Shrine of Remembrance during a protest against Covid-19 regulations in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 22, 2021. (William West/AFP via Getty Images)

It is problematic to characterise the Melbourne protests as examples of civil disobedience. This is because these protests are ineffective and their impact on society is negligible, and they do not result in desired change.

Behaviour that directly targets the object of protestfor example, a vaccination mandateis likely to be more effective than that which is only indirectly, or even remotely, connected to the impugned health order.

The demonstrators willingness to accept the penalty imposed for breaching a valid health order may also affect the effectiveness of a protest.

In accepting the penalties for their behaviour, demonstrators show their support for the states existing legal system, and, at the same time, they express their disagreement with the management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The effectiveness of protests and their concomitant characterisation as civil disobedience also depends on the extent to which they are proportionate to the achievement of the demonstrators objective of changing the states COVID-19 narrative.

The violence surrounding the Melbourne protests raises the question of whether the behaviour of demonstrators should be non-violent to qualify as an act of civil disobedience.

Although, in most cases, protests should be non-violent in nature, there may well be instances of societal injustice that only violent protests could remedy.

To evaluate the effectiveness of a demonstration, it may also be necessary to consider the ability of demonstrators to analyse the nature and consequences of statess COVID-19 strategy.

Protesters hold a sign that reads You cannot comply your way out of tyranny during demonstrations against mandatory COVID-19 vaccines and restrictions in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 21, 2021. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

In 2008, journalist George Roberts commented on a disturbing ABC report according to which half Australias population cannot read or write properly.

Thirteen years later, there is anecdotal evidence that this percentage could well be higher because reading and writing are flexible concepts, and our education system, which is highly politicised and regulated, now promotes political correctness rather than the three Rsreading, writing, and arithmetic.

According to journalist Adam Carey in The Age, four out of five teachers considered leaving the teaching profession during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is relevant because people who cannot read and write properly may find it challenging to evaluate the purpose and consequences of their behaviour and, hence, may either obediently and slavishly accept the states health orders or participate in the rebellious activity, which is only an ineffective answer to a real problem.

The Melbourne demonstrations are ineffective in stemming and reversing the tide of bureaucratic health decision-making and, therefore, they may not constitute instances of civil disobedience.

Nevertheless, the germs of rebellious behaviour are sown when the normal channels of social change do not function properly, or when serious grievances are not heard.

A system does not function optimally when preferred groups have entrenched power positions in society and use their power to impose their will on weaker or vulnerable classes of people.

The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the development of a two-tier Australian society where a powerful health bureaucracy has been able to impose its will on weaker and less powerful sections of the society.

Even when the COVID-19 pandemic is overand this may take a long timeAustralia will have changed irretrievably.

The civil rights of Australians will from now on always depend on the largesse of a magnanimous government bureaucracy that could easily take them away at the slightest provocation, especially in the field of health.

Hence, a confident assertion that health orders are only time-constrained nuisances and that people will recover their civil rights may be an optimistic expectation or an injudicious interpretation of the nature of the COVID-19 health orders.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
PERTH, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 28: Nurses are seen drawing up doses from a multi-dose vile of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine at Claremont Showground on April 28, 2021 in Perth, Australia. The West Australian Government have opened up two new Vaccine Centres including one at Perth Airport. (Photo by Matt Jelonek/Getty Images)

Australian Nurse Charged After Pretending to Administer Vaccine

A nurse in Western Australia (WA) has been charged with the fraudulent recording of vaccine information after she allegedly pretended to administer a dose of a COVID-19 jab before throwing away the still-full syringe.

WA Police arrested and charged the 51-year-old female registered nurse at her residence on Sunday, Nov. 7.

The woman employed at a private medical centre in St James had obtained approval to vaccinate the teenage child of a person known to her.

It is alleged that the nurse made a false record that the teenager had received the vaccine while also recording that another employee had performed the procedure.

Standard practice for the procedure involves a second medical practitioner to observe the process, who on this occasion was a doctor.

The investigation commenced after the medical centre reported the incident to the police.

Police are seen on patrol at a COVID-19 drive-through clinic in Inglewood, where members of the public have waited over two hours in line in Perth, Australia, on Feb. 1, 2021. (Matt Jelonek/Getty Images)

The nurse has been charged with one count of Gains Benefit by Fraud.

She was refused bail and is due to appear before the court on Nov. 8.

Australia has seen a number of fraudulent vaccine-related incidents.

According to The Age, the nation has seen fake digital vaccination certificates, along with bribes of up to $1,500, which have been offered to medical practitioners in Victoria to falsely record that the vaccine had been delivered.

This news of the arrest comes as WA Premier Mark McGowan announced a Super Vax Weekend on Nov. 6 and Nov. 7 to encourage West Australians to roll up their sleeves to get the jab.

Ive always said the way out of this pandemic is high vaccination rates, and this remains the case as today I outline WAs Safe Transition Plan out of the COVID-19 pandemic, McGowan said in a media release.

McGowan had previously stated that WA would maintain its closed border policy until 90 percent of the states 12-and-over population were fully vaccinated.

WA is also the nations least-vaccinated statedespite public information campaigns from the governmentwith around 67 percent of West Australians aged 16 being fully vaccinated, and over 80 percent receiving the first dose.

Read More Hospitals in Western Australia Turn Away Patients As Vaccine Mandates Slash Staff

The state has mandated vaccinations for 75 percent of the workforce, with businesses facing $100,000 fines and individuals facing $20,000 for non-compliance.
Australias Economic Recovery Is on Track: Treasurer

Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is optimistic about the nations strong road to economic recovery.

Frydenberg said new Treasury data revealed that insolvencies are 40 percent lower over the past year, job ads are 30 percent higher than the pandemics start. At the same time, the unemployment rate is at 4.6 percent.

Its another proof point that Australias economic recovery is on track, he told Nine Network on Monday.

Frydenberg said Australias high vaccination rates, which hit 80 percent on Saturday, combined with strong economic recovery figures, have led to the Reserve Bank of Australia upgrading their economic outlook for next year.

He added that economic support from the government helped boost household balance sheets, with household disposable income now 6 percent higher than pre-COVID-19 levels.

So Im really optimistic. Im upbeat about the Australian economy going into Christmas and beyond, Frydenberg said.

Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg holds a copy of the 2021 Intergenerational Report in Melbourne, Australia, on June 28, 2021. (William West/AFP via Getty Images)

Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers accused the federal government of not taking responsibility but always taking credit for the countrys highs and lows.

Were seeing that again with the economy, Chalmers said. We want to see it recover strongly. We want to see the government take responsibility for things when theyre difficult and not just take credit when things are recovering.

Meanwhile, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) said retailers could look forward to a sales frenzy over Black Friday and Cyber Monday, where Australians are predicted to spend $5.4 billion.

ARA CEO Paul Zahra said November is now Australias biggest shopping month of the year, primarily attributed to the sales spike during the Black Friday shopping period.

The Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales provide strong momentum for Australian retailers heading into Christmas, Zahra said. The Christmas trading quarter is the most critical time of year on the retail calendar when most discretionary retailers make up to two-thirds of their profits.

However, Zahra warned consumers that the supply chain was currently under significant pressure and that Christmas shopping should be done earlier to ensure products arrive on time.

There are several issues that retailers are navigating at the momenteverything from COVID-19 impacts, shipping delays, and threats of industrial action from port workers and delivery drivers, Zahra said. Theres a perfect storm of issues, so consumers need to get in quick to ensure they get the products they want.
Austria to Apply Harsher Restrictions on the Unvaccinated

Austria has introduced new rules that will go into effect on Nov. 8 that prevent unvaccinated people from accessing many public facilities such as restaurants, bars, hotels, and hairdressers.

Were going to have to tighten the reins on the unvaccinated, Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said as he introduced the measures after a meeting with state-level leaders, reported Deutsche Welle (DW).

It is simply our responsibility to protect the people in our country, Schallenberg said. The occupancies of intensive-care beds are increasing significantly faster than we had expected.

He said 600 intensive-care beds are filled with COVID-19 patients.

Unvaccinated people are also not allowed to participate in events with more than 25 people or access ski lifts.

The latest restrictions come as the central European nation reported a near-record 9,388 cases on Nov. 5, reported the state broadcaster. There were 8,554 new cases on Nov. 7.

Before the latest measures, people could enter public venues and restaurants if they showed a negative PCR test result or proved that they had recovered from the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, which is the pathogen that causes COVID-19.

According to DW, the government is applying a four-week transition period during which proof of a first vaccination plus a PCR test will allow entry to buildings and events.

With 11.7 million doses given out, Austria has a full vaccination rate of 63.5 percent, one of the lowest in Western Europe. Neighboring Germany has a fully vaccinated rate of 67 percent, with 113 million doses, while Italy comes in at 73 percent.

The number of deaths in Austria from COVID-19 is reported at 11,502.

Two provinces, Salzburg and Upper Austria, have accounted for the majority of new COVID-19 cases. Burgenland and Vienna had the lowest incidences.

Based on online information, for visitors entering into the country, local authorities only consider 2-dose-vaccinations valid for 9 months after the second dose. All adults in Austria are eligible for booster shots if six months have passed since their last dose.

With 23,788 new cases on Nov. 6, neighboring Germany has reported a recent upswing in infection rates. Till now, almost 4.78 million people in the country have been infected with the CCP virus while the death toll is 96,529.
A worker makes final checks at the serial production BMW i3 electric car in the BMW factory in Leipzig, Germany, on Sept. 18, 2013. (Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)

Automakers Say Magnesium Shortage Not a Problem, for Now

BERLIN/LONDONEuropean automakers reeling from a global chip shortage have in recent days hastened to assure shareholders that shortages of magnesium are not, for now, a risk to their production plans.

However, car part suppliers and industry associations warn that if production in China, which accounts for 85 percent of global magnesium supply, does not pick up pace soon, automakers could be facing significant shortfalls of the material.

Car makers do not ordinarily purchase large quantities of magnesium themselves. But part manufacturers supplying automakers with key components are heavily reliant on magnesium, which can be used by itself or combined with aluminum to reduce the weight of cars.

Making vehicles lighter is particularly useful for extending the driving range of electric vehicles, crucial for Europes energy transition plans.

Chip shortages have already extended delivery times for new cars, sometimes up to a year.

Auto firms Stellantis and BMW say they do not see an imminent problem with supplies. Others in the sector say their inventories and magnesium already in transit will see them through to early 2022.

But Volkswagens head of purchasing in an earnings call said a shortage was expected.

We cannot forecast right now if the shortage on magnesium, which will happen definitely according to planning, will be bigger than the semiconductor shortage, Volkswagens Murat Aksel said.

China has allowed some magnesium producers to resume output, but not by enough to significantly ease the shortage. Prices have retreated from record highs but they are still more than double the levels in January.

We are very concerned this is going to impact us in a couple of weeks, Jonathan ORiordan, head of Europes automobile manufacturer association ACEA, told Reuters.

Germanys ZF, which uses magnesium for gearboxes and steering wheels, told Reuters it was seeking new sources of magnesium from other countries, but that offsetting the loss of Chinese supply was limited given the size of its market share.

Its the calm before the storm, said Teresa Schad, a spokesperson for Germanys metal association, WV Metalle.

By Victoria Waldersee and Pratima Desai
An above-ground section of Line 5 at Enbridge's Mackinaw City pump station in Michigan. The state of Michigan has told Enbridge it must shut down the pipeline by May 12. (AP Photo/John Flesher)

Biden Administration Weighs Shutting Another Pipeline, White House Confirms

Deputy press secretary confirms Biden administration reviewing environmental impact

The Biden administration is reviewing shutting a pipeline in Michigan after anonymously sourced reports said federal officials were quietly studying its potential environmental impact, a White House spokeswoman confirmed on Nov. 8.

When pressed by a reporter during a news conference, White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre disputed reports saying President Joe Biden was going to terminate Enbridge Inc.s Line 5 pipeline, which stretches from Canada into Michigan. However, she conceded that the Army Corps of Engineers was reviewing the matter.

Yes, we are. We are, Jean-Pierre said. I thought you were saying that we were going to shut it down, but that is not inaccurate. The Army Corps of Engineers is preparing an environmental impact [statement] to look through this.

Any reporting indicating that some decision has been made, again, is not accurate, she said, adding that an environmental impact statement will help inform any additional action or position the U.S. will be taking on the replacement of Line 5.

Line 5 is part of a pipeline network that moves crude oil and other petroleum-based products from Canada, transporting some 500,000 barrels per day.

On Nov. 7, Politico reported that the administration was weighing the potential market effects of a shutdown of the pipeline in the face of Republican, Canadian government, and industry opposition. More than a dozen GOP lawmakers last week sent a letter to President Joe Biden, warning that the move would further cause gas prices to increase amid already-high prices.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, has also sought to shut down one segment of the pipeline, ordering Enbridge to stop operations in May due to concerns about a section that runs under the Straits of Mackinac leaking into the Great Lakes.

But in October, the Canadian government, which backs Enbridge and Line 5, escalated the dispute and invoked a decades-old CanadaU.S. treaty.

White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during the daily briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House on Nov. 4, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Protesters were able to force the shutdown of the pipeline for several hours on Oct. 20 after they trespassed onto a Michigan facility and tampered with the pipeline equipment. Line 5s operator was able to get the pipeline up and running after several hours.

Last week, the Biden administration received a letter from Michigans 12 federally recognized Native American tribes, urging the president to back Whitmers effort to shut down the line.

We view Line 5 as an existential threat to our treaty-protected rights, resources, and fundamental way of life as Anishinaabe people of the Great Lakes, their letter said, according to the Detroit Metro Times.

Around the same time, Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) and 12 other members of Congress sent a letter to the White House, warning that closing the pipeline would further trigger spikes in energy prices.

As we enter the winter months and temperatures drop across the Midwest, the termination of Line 5 will undoubtedly further exacerbate shortages and price increases in home heating fuels like natural gas and propane, at a time when Americans are already facing rapidly rising energy prices, steep home-heating costs, global supply shortages, and skyrocketing gas prices, Latta wrote.

Meanwhile, Jean-Pierres comment comes as Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, a former Democratic governor of Michigan, told CNN on Nov. 7 that winter energy prices would increase for most Americans. It will be more expensive this year than last year, she said.

The federal Energy Information Administration released a report in October stating that U.S. households that rely on natural gas to heat and power their homes could spend an average of $746 to heat their homes this winter, which is an increase of 30 percent from the previous winter. Gasoline prices, meanwhile, have continued to surge, with AAA data showing the average price of a gallon of regular gas rising to a seven-year high of $3.422.

Earlier this year, Biden signed an executive order suspending construction of the Keystone XL pipeline that would have transported crude oil to the interior United States from Alberta, Canada. That move also drew pushback from the Canadian government.
President Joe Biden looks on as he delivers remarks on the October jobs report at the White House in Washington, on Nov. 5, 2021. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

Bidens Plan for Xi Summit Shows Weakness in His China Policy

Biden administration apparently seeks congenial engagement at the expense of past gains

News Analysis

Politico reported that President Joe Biden plans a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, in which he will allow the reopening of Chinese consulates and relaxation of Trump-era visa restrictions.

Its a big mistake, as his National Security Council admits.

Xi is proving that not only do nice guys finish last, but bad guys finish first. The dictators misbehavior on climate change, Taiwan, and nuclear weapons are reportedly eliciting humiliating attempts by Biden and company to placate China by reopening Chinese consulates in the United States, and begging for cooperation on the above-mentioned existential issues.

The best way to achieve cooperation from the Chinese regime isnt friendly overtures in response to its unfriendly pressures, but equal amounts of counter-pressure. When Beijing threatens Taiwan, send U.S. troops to the island democracy. When Beijing refuses climate pledges, cancel our own until China reverts. When Beijing builds hundreds of new nuclear missile silos for its hypersonic weapons, we should modernize and expand our own nuclear triad.

Demonstrate that we can beat Beijing at its own negative game, in order to force its cooperation to get us all going in a more positive direction.

Dont expect the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to cooperate out of the goodness of its own heart. The CCP is looking for any advantage it can get in expanding its relative power against the worlds democracies that America and the European Union now lead.

Biden and company are reportedly doing the opposite of what they ought to be doing. While Biden wants an in-person summit, Xi has refused and will only agree to a virtual summit, according to reporting by Phelim Kine at Politico. This already indicates that Biden is on the back foot in coming negotiations, as recognized by former diplomat Chas Freeman, who noted in the article, If its a question of who is approaching who from a position of strength, maybe Xi is in a better position.

The Politico article offers no comment about why Biden is already at a disadvantage with Xi, or how to reverse the dynamic. Instead, the author demonstrates why by asking breathlessly, Will the leaders be able to reset the bilateral relationship toward more congenial engagement?

Thats exactly the kind of naive question that Beijing wants American media to ask. Such ahistoricity puts pressure on Biden to deliver congenial engagement to the media, where the opposite is needed to signal to the CCP that America and our allies are finished being treated like so many doormats.

According to Politico, Beijing is unlikely to budge at the summit on critical issues such as Hong Kong, the Uyghurs, and Taiwan, but sources tell China Watcher that agreements on reopening consulates and easing visa restrictions will likely be announced.

People move trash bags from the Chinese consulate in Houston, on July 24, 2020. The U.S. State Department ordered China to close the consulate. (Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images)

The National Security Council later denied this, but why do members of the Biden administration insist on again mooting the idea of giving up something for nothing?

The author implied that reopening Chinese consulates and handing out visas represents progress, but then-President Donald Trump put in place those visa restrictions and closed those consulates for important reasons that have only grown more serious during the Biden presidency. Beijing used its consulates and students for espionage, and closing them sent the right message, put a stop to at least some of Beijings malign activities on U.S. soil, and was a much-needed step in the direction of decoupling from the CCP.

Now, political pressures on Biden to deliver agreements with Beijing to prove the success of his rewarmed engagement strategy will build as a U.S.China summit approaches. Where Beijing failed to agree to join the START agreement on limiting nuclear weapons, which was renewed in February by Russia and the United States, its now hoped by Politico that Chinas recent successful test of a hypersonic missile and its dramatic expansion of its nuclear warhead arsenal will likely put the creation of a bilateral nuclear weapons dialogue on the agenda.

Fat chance of that agenda yielding any agreement when Beijing proves daily that it can do what it wants on nuclear weapons without consequence.

Beijing is changing facts on the ground in its favor, and we are at an increasing disadvantage in negotiations, by our own doing. We agreed to restrictions with Russia, but without insisting that China be included. Now, China has us over a barrel because we are limited, and it isnt.

We are still hoping to ease trade frictions and further climate engagement, even as Beijing failed to deliver on its prior trade commitments and skipped COP26 negotiations in Glasgow over the past week. This is the pattern that American liberals cant seem to recognize or counter: Beijing keeps moving the goalposts in its favor, and America keeps begging it to stop without ever imposing real costs. Why should the CCP comply when we never take concerted action to force it to follow international norms?

Politico approvingly quoted Andrew Mertha, China studies program director at Johns Hopkins University, who said of the hoped-for Biden-Xi summit, Even if there is no deep, substantive conversation, let alone outcome, simply setting or resetting the tone of the relationship is a key goal.

No.

Mertha and the rest of academia should know that summits without outcomes, when the CCP keeps gaining on us, are worse than nothing because they normalize what Beijing is doing: genocide, territorial expansion, and threats of war against ourselves and our allies.

Soft-on-China analysts dont understand that the best way to stop a bully is to stop being nice. The nicer you are, the brighter the green light is to keep on bullying. Dont expect any major progress on China from the Biden administration anytime soon.

What Biden is doing on China is next to nothing, far too late, and geared toward one goal: reelection based on meaningless but crowd-pleasing congenial engagement.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The burnt out double decker bus in Church Road near Rathcoole in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, after it was hijacked and set on fire near a loyalist estate on the outskirts of Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK, on Nov. 7, 2021. (PA)

Bus Hijacked and Set on Fire as Tensions Rise in Northern Ireland

A bus has been hijacked and set on fire at a loyalist estate on the outskirts of Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland.

Four masked men boarded the double decker in Church Road at an entrance to the Rathcoole estate in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, at about 7.45 p.m. and ordered the driver and passengers off.

The bus was then set alight across the road.

The charred remnants of the bus were still smouldering later on Sunday night as police in armoured vehicles monitored the scene.

Last Monday a bus was hijacked and burned in a loyalist area of Newtownards, Co Down, in an apparent protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Disorder also broke out at a community interface in west Belfast twice last week.

The violence involving youths from the nationalist Springfield Road and loyalist Shankill Road saw police being attacked with missiles and fireworks on Wednesday and Friday night.

Wednesdays disorder followed a protest against the protocol.

Condemning Sundays hijacking, Stormont Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said the driver and passengers were safe after a terrifying experience.

It is disgraceful and disgusting that our public transport workers have been targeted for attack again, this time by masked men who ordered the driver and passengers off a bus this evening and then set fire to it. This is the fourth attack this year, she said.

Translink buses are public assets. Without them people cant get to and from work, or school, or hospital appointments. Our bus drivers are working class people who deserve to be safe in their jobs. People using public transport also deserve to feel safe and be able to go about their business without fear.

The criminals behind these reckless and cowardly attacks have done nothing more than harm their local community, depriving them of a critical public service. It is another extreme act of self harm consistently rejected by the people of Northern Ireland.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson branded the attack senseless.

Such criminal behaviour could lead to death or serious injury, he tweeted.

This only harms local people and local communities. It serves no cause whatsoever. The ringleaders should step back. Change is brought about by politics not by burning buses.

Sinn Fein North Belfast MLA Gerry Kelly said: The hijacking and burning of a bus and threats to a driver in Rathcoole is dangerous, reckless and despicable.

There is absolutely no place in our society for this criminality and violence.

We need to see clear condemnation from unionist leaders tonight of this violence and further attempts to stir up tensions.

Words and actions are very important, and I would urge unionist leaders to end the provocative language and dishonesty around the protocol.

People want calm and responsible leadership to reduce tensions and ensure there is no further escalation of violence on our streets.

By David Young
In this file photo, employees at Sheffield Platers Inc. work on the factory floor in San Diego, Calif. on Oct. 10, 2013. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

California Labor Market Hit Particularly Hard by Pandemic

News Analysis

Data recently released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics show how much the California employment situation has worsened since prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since February 2020, the month before the pandemic lockdowns closed businesses, California has lost 861,000 jobs.

About 490,000 workers have left the labor force altogether. Another 370,000 people still want to work, but cant find a job.

Job loss in California represents about a quarter of all job losses across the United States compared to before the pandemic. There are now 4.2 million fewer jobs in the United States compared to February 2020.

The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metropolitan area has been hit particularly hard. About 250,000 people have left the labor force and another 200,000 would like to work but cant find a job. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim accounts for about one-tenth of all U.S. job losses since February 2020.

Elsewhere in California, the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward area has seen 120,000 people leave the labor force, while another 50,000 are looking for work but cant find employment. In nearby Silicon Valley (San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara), only about 30,000 people left the labor force and an additional 13,000 still in the labor force are unemployed (meaning they looked for work in the previous four-week period). Among the major metropolitan areas in California, Silicon Valley has the lowest unemployment rate at only 4 percentabout half the 7.8 percent unemployment rate in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim.

In the main suburban areas, the civilian labor force actually increased in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, and its basically unchanged (down by 7,000 people) in Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade. During the pandemic, many people left their urban apartments and bought suburban homes.

If pandemic-related fears and restrictions continue to abate, people are expected to once again choose where they live, work, and play based on rents, home prices, job availability, and reopening recreational opportunities.
Military delegates march as they leave after the commemoration of the 110th anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution which overthrew the Qing Dynasty and led to the founding of the Republic of China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on October 9, 2021. (Photo by Noel Celis / AFP) (Photo by NOEL CELIS/AFP via Getty Images)

CCPs Political Warfare Left Unchecked in US, Experts Warn

While global awareness of Beijings malign influence is on the rise, America lags behind in recognizing and countering the threat, analysts say

News Analysis

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) gave the United States two lists when U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman visited the megacity of Tianjin in July. One was a list of U.S. wrongdoings that must stop; the other, a list of key individual cases that China has concerns with. Together, they urged the U.S. government to reverse a slew of China-related policies.

Following the senior CCP officials reprimand of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Alaska in March, the lists sounded like an ultimatum.

Items on the wrongdoings list included investigations into the origins of COVID-19, visa restrictions on CCP members, and sanctions on CCP leaders. The indictment of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, who was in Canada fighting extradition to the United States, was also cited in the wrongdoings list. Meng later reached a deal with U.S. prosecutors and was allowed to return to China in late September.

At a press conference a few days after Mengs release, the regimes foreign affairs spokesperson Hua Chunying mentioned the two lists again when asked about Beijings response to the United States China policies. We hope the U.S. can attach high importance and take concrete actions to empty the two lists, Hua said.

The two lists didnt get much media attention in the United Statesa Google search in October resulted in fewer than five media articles.

Yet when the CCP issued a similar ultimatum to Australiaa list of 14 grievances, including some against Australias key policiesthe nation roared back.

Following Australias call for an independent inquiry into the pandemic origins in April 2020, Beijing has imposed a series of trade restrictions targeting major Australian imports, including coal, beef, barley, and wine. Collectively, these targeted exports to China were worth about $25 billion in 2019, or 1.3 percent of Australias gross domestic product, according to The Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based think tank.

The Aussies, however, didnt bow down. Australia will always be ourselves, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in an interview in November 2020. We will always set our own laws and our own rules according to our national interestsnot at the behest of any other nation, whether thats the U.S. or China or anyone else.

This response drew broad-based support, according to John Lee, a senior fellow at Washington-based think tank Hudson Institute and former Australian national security adviser.

The people and even the media are right behind the fairly tough stance that the Australian government has taken against China, Lee said during a Hudson Institute podcast in August.

A poll by the Lowy Institute showed that Australians perceptions of China had plummeted to a record low this year; 63 percent of Australians saw China as more of a security threat to Australia, a 22 percent increase from 2020.

Nine of the 14 items on Chinas list of grievances were not about the COVID-19 origins investigation or other matters relating to Beijings policies toward Xinjiang, Hong Kong, or Tibet, Lee said, but policies that Australian leaders passed for the Australian population.

So that showed that China wanted to effectively influence and even veto over Australian domestic and foreign policy. Because Australia has not allowed that to occur, we continue to suffer the sorts of coercive economic policies that Chinas throwing at us, he said.

The third item on the list was foreign interference legislation, viewed as targeting China. The laws were introduced in 2018 following what then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called disturbing reports of Chinese influence. The legislation imposed disclosure requirements for lobbyists of foreign governments, and criminalized covert and coercive activities intended to interfere with democratic processes.

Political Warfare

The CCPs influence operations are a part of its three warfares doctrinepsychological, public opinion, and legal warfarewhich guides the CCP in its quest to win a war against the free world without firing a single shot.

Psychological warfare seeks to demoralize the enemy; public opinion warfare seeks to shape the hearts and minds of the masses; legal warfare seeks to use systems of law to deter enemy attacks.

The three warfares doctrine has been summarized in the West as political warfare, and has been described by renowned Cold War American diplomat George F. Kennan as an extension of armed conflict by other means. The CCPs political warfare requires efforts to unify military and civilian thinking, divide the enemy into factions, weaken the enemys combat power, and organize legal offensives, according to a report by the Jamestown Foundation.

The CCP learned the fundamentals of its political warfare strategies from the Soviet Union. However, Ken McCallum, head of the UKs counterintelligence service MI5, in October 2020 likened Chinas influence operations to climate change, whereas Russias was just bad weather.

In a 1983 lecture, former Soviet agent Yuri Bezmenov, who defected to the West, said: The highest art of warfare is not to fight at all, but to subvert anything of value in the comfort of your enemy, until such time that the perception of reality of your enemy is screwed up to such an extent that he does not perceive you as an enemy. And your system, your civilization, and your ambitions look to your enemy as an alternative, if not desirable, then at least feasiblebetter red [than dead].

Analysts have noted that Beijings political warfare operations are breathtaking in size and scope, and most are kept away from the publics eyes. Virtually no segment of society is left untouched, though key target areas are those sectors that have an outsized role in shaping a societys mores and perceptions: education, media, politics, culture, and social media.

Tactics are also wide-ranging, from disinformation to blackmail to economic coercion to cyberattacks.

Chinese communist political warfare uses covert, corrupt, and coercive means to manipulate public perceptions and undermine democratic values, Mark Stokes, executive director of Virginia-based think tank Project 2049 Institute, told The Epoch Times in an email.

Political warfare, including propaganda, is fundamental to Marxist-Leninist forms of authoritarian governance.

Global Awareness on the Rise

Stokes acknowledged a marked increase in global awareness of CCP political warfare over the last five years or so. He credited Australia as one country leading the rise.

In 2018, a series of investigative reports in the country exposed the alleged efforts made by wealthy Chinese businessmen with ties to Beijings United Front groups to influence local politicians. United Front groups refers to an array of overseas grassroots, community, and professional groups that ultimately serve to advance Beijings interests abroad and are supervised by the CCPs United Front Work Department.

The reports jolted the political class into action. The last two governments [Turnbull and Morrison] took the lead in beginning the public conversation about what Beijing is doing and why legislation has been passed to outlaw certain activities by foreign entities. These governments encouraged the media to pursue these issues and piece the information and facts together for the public, Lee wrote in an email to The Epoch Times.

In short, the Australian public is now on the lookout for instances of CCP activity, and this has been the best defense.

Similar trends are starting to take shape in Europe, too. In September, French military think tank the Institute for Strategic Studies of Military Schools published a 650-page report titled Chinese Influence Operationsa Machiavelli Moment. The document goes into extensive detail about the use of the CCPs three warfares and other strategies in various areas, including film, education, media, and international organizations.

In June, Germanys Die Welt (The World) newspaper published a 21-page report, Chinas Secret Propagandists, detailing how the CCP uses average Germans to influence public opinion online about COVID-19 in China. Major bookstores in the country were also involved in promoting Chinese propaganda publications, the report said. The article also gave examples of how the CCP rewarded local elites who opened doors for it and lobbied on its behalf with big public relations contracts, and retaliated against those who criticized it.

America Plays Catch-Up

Faced with such an expansive effort to subvert Western democracies, public awareness is sorely needed to counter Beijings campaign, analysts say.

At least two U.S. senators are trying to raise awareness. In August, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced the Countering the Chinese Government and Communist Partys Political Influence Operations Act, requiring an unclassified interagency report on the CCPs political influence operations in the United States.

Beijing is a threat, not only to our nations national security interests but also to sovereign nations that fall for the CCPs coercive diplomatic schemes. Democracies worldwide must wake up to the reality that China is an international bully, Rubio told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement.

But some observers say this simply isnt enough. China expert and journalist Bill Gertz previously told The Epoch Times that the U.S. administrations efforts to counter Beijings information warfare have been woefully inadequate, saying the U.S. State Departments Global Engagement Center (GEC)an interagency body tasked with countering foreign propaganda and disinformation campaignshad done very little on this front.

In response to this critique, a State Department spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email that the GEC launched a China division in 2018 to help create a more balanced, transparent, and trustworthy information space.

The GECs collaborative approach works with local partners to empower journalists, expose false narratives, and build community resilience to propaganda and disinformation, the spokesperson said.

A recently reported U.S. Army survey conducted in May 2020 indicated that almost 90 percent of soldiers hadnt been warned about Chinese and Russian COVID-19 disinformation.

The lack of awareness about Beijings operations seems to span across all levels of society, said Kerry Gershaneck, author of the book (pdf) Political Warfare: Strategies for Combating Chinas Plan to Win Without Fighting and visiting scholar at Taiwans National Chengchi University.

The threat that the CCPs political warfare poses and the means China is using to divide, demoralize, deceive, and destroy us are almost completely ignored in the mainstream news media and academia, he told The Epoch Times in an email. Worse, they are little understood even within much of the U.S. government.

Gershaneck is a former counterintelligence officer, U.S. Marine Corps officer, and strategic planner and spokesman for the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

He said that while senior leaders in the Trump administration had delivered strong speeches and actions targeting the CCPs abuses, the Biden administration seemed to be stumbling its way towards a China policy, as it appears to be torn by various camps with agendas ranging from climate change to the resumption of full economic engagement with the totalitarian party-state.

In the absence of a clear policy, Gershaneck said, there can be no national strategy to deal with this threat similar to the strategy the U.S. developed early in the Cold War to combat the Soviet Unions political warfare.

The White House and the Office of the Secretary of Defense didnt immediately respond to requests by The Epoch Times for comment.

In Gershanecks view, the United States ability to fight back against political warfare has atrophied during the past three decades following the end of the Cold War.

Randall Schriver, chairman of the board of the Project 2049 Institute and former deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, wrote in an Oct. 26 tweet: During the Cold War, there was granular expertise on Soviet platforms across the Department of Defense. That broad, granular expertise doesnt exist now with the competition with China.

Gershaneck advocated systemically educating U.S. leaders on this topic. To this end, he included an outline for a five-day Counter-PRC [Peoples Republic of China] Political Warfare Course in his book.

A search of the online curriculum link that West Point provided to The Epoch Times generated no results relating to Chinese warfare. The National Defense University in Washington didnt comment on its education programs regarding the CCPs political warfare.

In an email, the U.S. Naval Academy said that its Political Science Department does offer courses on a routine basis that touch on China and strategic warfare and that these classes include electives specifically on China (Politics of China and Japan), on Asia overall (Asian International Politics), and on the grand strategy of various countries (Grand Strategy & Great Power Politics).

Chinese Military Prioritizes Political Warfare

At the forefront of the CCPs political warfare operations is its military, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA).

The CCP Central Military Commission, the Party agency that oversees the armed forces, first identified the three warfares as a PLA priority and a part of its strategy revolution in a December 2003 policy document (pdf). Since then, the subject has become a significant field of research for PLA scholars, who have studied hundreds of historical cases, established guiding frameworks, and published warfighting manuals.

In late 2015, the PLA reorganized to align its operations with the political warfare approach. As a result, the Strategic Support Force (SSF) was created to centralize most PLA space, cyber, electronic, and psychological warfare capabilities, according to a 2018 report (pdf) by the U.S. National Defense University.

The SSF reportedly has around 300,000 troops, according to a 2021 report by the RAND Corporation. If even one-third of those are for psychological operations and a portion of those are focused on social media, that would still be potentially thousands of people available to engage in disinformation on social media, the report states.

At a June panel discussion, Eric Chan, a senior Korea/China strategist in the U.S. Air Forces Checkmate Directorate and an adjunct fellow at the Washington-based nonprofit Global Taiwan Institute, said that the CCPs political warfare successfully defeated the Chinese Nationalist Party during the Chinese civil war from 1927 to 1949. The CCP, he said, took advantage of the Chinese peoples mentality of Chinese first, political affiliation second to get nationalists to defect over to the communist side.

Chan said many Chinese military officers wonder how the U.S. military maintains troops morale and loyalty without political officers like those in the PLA. In Chans view, this is because with the U.S. Constitution taking pride of place, theres no need for political officers.

One of my biggest fears is, as politicization increases in America and the identity of party politics starts ascending across our other identities as Americans, then that will leave a big, big hole for this type of political warfare that the Chinese Communist Party is extremely adept at playing, he said.
China Uses Mock-Ups of US Aircraft Carrier as Training Target, Satellite Images Show

New satellite images have revealed mock-ups of U.S. naval vessels in a desert in western China. The structures, designed to look like a U.S. aircraft carrier and destroyers, are likely intended to be used as targets in military training.

The images were captured by Maxar Technologies, a Colorado-based imaging company. They were taken via satellite over the Ruoqiang area of the Taklamakan Desert, an obscure region in Chinas Xinjiang Province.

A satellite picture shows a carrier target in Ruoqiang, Xinjiang Province, China, on Oct. 20, 2021. (Satellite Image 2021 Maxar Technologies/Handout via Reuters)

A statement by the U.S. Naval Institute (USNI) said the location at which the targets were photographed was previously used for missile testing, including tests of Chinas so-called carrier-killer missile, the DF-21D, in 2013.

This new range shows that China continues to focus on anti-carrier capabilities, with an emphasis on U.S. Navy warships, USNI stated.

Iran has also used mock U.S. vessels in the past, including an incident in which it exploded a mock U.S. aircraft carrier during military drills in the Strait of Hormuz. But the USNI stated that Chinas testing facility was more complex.

Unlike the Iranian Navys aircraft carrier-shaped target in the Persian Gulf, the new facility shows signs of a sophisticated instrumented target range, USNI stated.

A satellite picture shows a rail terminus and target storage building in Ruoqiang, Xinjiang Province, China, on Oct. 7, 2021. (Satellite Image 2021 Maxar Technologies/Handout via Reuters)

The new images document a rail system at the testing site, suggesting that some of the mock ships are to be used as moving targets for Chinese missiles.

The Chinese regime has increasingly focused its military development on anti-carrier capabilities such as medium-range anti-ship missiles and hypersonics. This is in part because of the type of naval capabilities fielded by the United States.

China maintains the largest navy in the world, with around 355 vessels compared to the U.S. tally of 297. However, the United States has 20 aircraft carriers, whereas China has only two. As such, China is investing heavily in anti-carrier capabilities.

According to a new Pentagon report on Chinas military power, Beijing is specifically investing in capabilities designed to hold adversary aircraft carriers at risk when located within 1,500 km [930 miles] of Chinas coast.

The report also outlined that China was expected to grow its navy to 420 ships by 2025 and 460 ships by 2030. Much of that growth will be in major surface combat vessels capable of fielding advanced anti-ship cruise missiles, according to the report.

Likewise, the most recent annual Index of U.S. Military Strength, published by the Heritage Foundation in October, highlighted the growing disparity between the U.S. and Chinese navies. That report scored the U.S. Navys overall capacity as weak, and both its capability and readiness as marginal, trending toward weak.

One reason for this was that the United States overestimated the ability to leverage its aircraft carriers, according to Dakota Wood, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Heritage Foundation.

Oftentimes youll hear comparisons that the U.S. Navy has as many carriers as the next [so many] countries combined, but only a percentage of that naval capability is available on any one day, and you have to take that and project that abroad, Wood said at a launch event for the Index.

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) expressed similar concerns during a webinar hosted by the Indo-Pacific-focused Project 2049 Institute in October.

I am very concerned about our failure to build a bigger navy, Gallagher said. I think youre seeing a less favorable balance of power by the day.

The new images come at a time when the Chinese regime is ratcheting up its campaign of military harassment toward Taiwan, sending a record 149 aircraft into the islands air defense zone over a four-day period in early October.

Chinese leadership has vowed to unite the self-governed island with the mainland, by force if necessary. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said the island would do whatever it takes to maintain its democratic way of life.

U.S. President Joe Biden said in October that the United States had a commitment to defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion, contradicting a long-held U.S. policy toward the island. However, his administration later walked back the comments.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping sings the national anthem during a reception at the Great Hall of the People on the eve of China's National Day in Beijing on Sept. 30, 2021. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinas Closed-Door Party Meeting Has Ramifications for US, Experts Say

The communist regime in China kicked off a major party meeting on Nov. 8, a political event that China experts said has implications for the SinoU.S. relationship.

The four-day meeting, attended by Party officials from the regimes powerful Central Committee, is being held in Beijing behind closed doors. Its a pivotal plenary political gathering ahead of the 20th National Party Congress next autumn, when the regime will usher in a new group of top leaders.

Currently, Chinese leader Xi Jinping is eyeing an unprecedented third five-year term in office after becoming paramount leader in 2012. As a result, the plenary meeting, officially known as the Sixth Plenum, will set the tone for his moves to retain command of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese military next year.

Two China experts, in separate interviews with The Epoch Times on Nov. 8, explained why the Party meeting is important to the United States.

The meeting is an opportunity for President Joe Biden to learn about the direction the communist regime is headed, as he continues to engage with Xi, while seeing China as a competitor to the United States, U.S.-based Chinese democracy activist and scholar Wang Juntao says.

Biden has spoken to Xi in two phone calls since taking office in January, and they are scheduled to speak again before the end of this year.

More importantly, Wang said the meeting will provide some indication of whether CCP officials opposing Xi have a shot at stopping his bid for a third term in power. The chance would be low if Xi could promote his allies in a personnel reshuffle within the party.

Cheng Chin-mo, associate professor and chairman of the Department of Diplomacy and International Relations at Taiwans Tamkang University, said the plenary meeting would be important for Washington to draw up its China policy after the 20th Party congress.

On Nov. 8, Chinas state-run media Xinhua reported that Xi presented a work report and made explanations on a draft resolution celebrating the CCPs achievements in its 100 years of existence, to officials attending the plenary meeting.

The historical resolution, the third of its kind in the Partys century-long history, is viewed by some analysts as a way for Xi to cement his political power, and put him on par with former leaders Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping.

The first resolution was promulgated by Mao in 1945 and the second by Deng in 1981.

While the resolution will be debated among CCP officials, its widely expected to be adopted before the end of the plenary meeting on Nov. 11. However, Cheng questioned how much of a political boost the resolution would have, considering the Chinese leader is facing a myriad of internal and external problems.

Inside China, Xi must deal with a worsening unemployment situation, soaring commodity prices, and the ripple effects of Chinese companies in financial troubles such as property developer Evergrande, he said.

Cheng said the Chinese regime also is facing enormous international pressure over its policies in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Chinas far-western Xinjiang region.

Unless Xi can seize absolute control over personnel appointments at the Sixth Plenum, and he also implements drastic reforms after being reelected at the 20th Party congress, I think the future of the Chinese Communist Party may not be optimistic.

Frank Fang journalist Follow Frank Fang is a Taiwan-based journalist. He covers news in China and Taiwan. He holds a master's degree in materials science from Tsinghua University in Taiwan.
CIA Director Sent to Moscow After Russian Forces Amass Near Ukrainian Border

President Joe Biden sent CIA Director Bill Burns to Moscow last week to caution senior Kremlin officials that the United States is monitoring Russias buildup of troops and military equipment near Ukraines northern border.

Burns conveyed the message to the officials that the U.S. was closely monitoring the situation during his Nov. 2 meeting in Moscow, reported CNN. He also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the next day in an attempt to defuse tensions, the network added.

Concerns were raised after satellite images taken by Maxar Technologies, based out of Westminster, Colorado, showed an irregular massing of tanks, artillery, and troops in the Russian town of Yelnya.

Satellite image taken today by @Maxar reveals presence of a large ground forces deployment  incl. tanks, APCs, self-propelled artillery  to a training area north of Yelnya, Russia. pic.twitter.com/fitG2APRZc  Christiaan Triebert (@trbrtc) November 1, 2021

Based on reports from Ukraines Defense Ministry, there were almost 90,000 Russian troops positioned along the Ukrainian border and near the eastern parts of the country where pro-Russia separatist rebels are in control.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected the reports of any possible buildup, saying there was no need to waste time on low-quality claims, reported AFP.

On the public front, Ukraine has downplayed the issue with Ukraines Defense Ministry on Nov. 2 saying that Russia had a practice of accumulating military units for the purpose of maintaining tension in the region.

But some members of the U.S. government have shown concern that Russia might be preparing for a major escalation.

It is certainly an unprecedented buildup, and if Russia wanted to invade Ukraine, it has the capability and capacity to overwhelm Ukrainian forces, a senior congressional aide told CNN. With such a large buildup, Putin could order an invasion at any time and there would be very little warning.

Representatives Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) and Mike Turner (R-Ohio) wrote in a letter to Biden sharing their concerns.

With the recent massing of Russian forces on the Ukrainian border, we urge your administration to take immediate and swift action to provide support to Ukraine in the form of intelligence and weapons, they said.

They also urged the administration to deploy a U.S. military presence in the Black Sea to deter a Russian invasion.

After Russias invasion of the Crimean peninsula in 2014, the international community is wary of any actions by the countrys military. The Ukrainian army has been engaged in conflicts with pro-Russian separatists since the annexation.

After the recent flare-up early this year, Russia positioned around 100,000 troops on Ukraines borders. The troops were eventually withdrawn following international pressure but the pullback was limited. The conflict has, till now, left more than 14,000 people dead.
COVID-19 Origin: Was It an Accidental Lab Leak of a Genetically Engineered Virus?

Focus on 'genetically engineered,' not on 'accidental leak'

Commentary

The recently declassified U.S. intelligence community report on the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 muddies the water.

There had been months of open-source reporting from scientists around the world speculating that the likely origins of the virus was the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), not the so-called zoonotic disease theory (for example, a naturally-occurring virus jumped from an animalsupposedly a bat in a Wuhan wet marketto a human) that has been widely propagated by the state-run Chinese media, the highly politicized World Health Organization, and medical trade journals like The Lancet, and Western media anxious to divert attention from China.

Even a U.S. government agency, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, had concluded in a classified report in May 2020 that the hypothesis claiming the virus leaked from a Chinese lab in Wuhan is plausible and deserves further investigation.

But on Oct. 29, an article in The Wall Street Journal quoted from a declassified intelligence report that made this incredible claim: Researchers at a Wuhan, China, laboratory were probably unaware of the existence of the virus that causes Covid-19 before the pandemic began in late 2019, and if it leaked from the lab, it was likely the result of an accident not connected to deliberate genetic engineering. Incredible, as in not believable at all!

Here is one item that was conveniently dropped down the memory hole in compiling that intelligence report and the Oct. 29 WSJ story that torpedoes the contention that the zoonotic theory is still possible. Back in June on its own pages, The WSJ reported that the CGG-CGG amino acid sequence found in the virus is manmade and can only have been inserted through gain-of-function research, as the CGG-CGG sequence is not found in nature.

How did the U.S. intelligence community sidestep that inconvenient truth in concluding that U.S. government analysts cannot determine whether the global pandemic emerged when the virus passed to humans from an animal, or from a laboratory accident? Did the 18 intelligence agencies that reviewed the final report neglect to review that study because the story reporting it was behind a paywall and not readily accessible?

A second item conveniently forgotten was the study completed by British professor Angus Dalgleish and Norwegian scientist Dr. Birger Sorensen in May 2021, which claimed that Chinese scientists created COVID-19 in a Wuhan lab. The two scientists also claimed to have first-hand evidence of Chinese retro-engineering in hand for over a year, but were ignored by the scientific community and others. Another stake in the heart of the zoonotic theory!

Workers place barriers outside the closed Huanan Seafood wholesale market during a visit by members of the World Health Organization (WHO) team, investigating the origins of COVID-19 in Wuhan, Chinas central Hubei Province on Jan. 31, 2021. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

The final inconvenient truth is from The Oxford Student, which provided this final stake in the heart of the zoonotic theory: Research by Oxfords Wildlife Conservation Fellow, Professor David Macdonald, has shown that neither bats nor pangolins were sold at Wuhans wet markets between May 2017 and November 2019.

To summarize:

The Oct. 29 WSJ article quoted a U.S. intel community report that claimed the following: a) that researchers at the WIV were probably unaware of the virus before patient zero contracted it, and b) the virus was not connected to deliberate genetic engineering. The virus contains a CGG-CGG sequence not found in nature, ergo it was genetically engineered. Evidence of Chinese virus retro-engineering has been suppressed for well over a year. There were no bats or pangolins sold in the Wuhan wet markets between May 2017 and November 2019. Conclusion: The zoonotic theory is a farce and complete misdirection. Secondary conclusion: Open-source research-derived evidence trumps classified obfuscation by the U.S. intelligence community.

No facts have ever been presented by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that patient zero was anywhere other than in Wuhan city, Hubei Province. In fact, all clinical evidence gathered to date points directly to Wuhan as ground zero for the outbreak. The only question is whether the outbreak was mendacious and accidental, or mendacious and purposeful, because the CCP lies have persisted regardless of which is correct. Regardless of which is true, the virus was human-engineered through gain-of-function research.

The U.S. intel community cannot conclude which alternative is correct, either, and apparently want us to believe a theory that the lab researchers who handled virus-contaminated material were simply unaware of the potential dangers, and blithely went about their jobs in a biosafety level 4 laboratory without taking appropriate personal precautions. Who truly believes that fantasy?

Focusing on accidental release rather than the virus origin itself is a poor attempt to exonerate the CCP. Even though that U.S. intel community report concluded that almost certainly the virus originated in Wuhan, never mind pressing the CCP for accountability for that bio-engineered virus that is still destroying the world economy and the lives of many innocents around the world. If the virus had not been bio-engineered in the first place, whether it was leaked purposely or accidentally would be irrelevant because the ensuing damage would not have occurred.

The state-run Chinese media tell us everything we need to know about the true origins of the virus. They know perfectly well that the virus was engineered, with the WIV being its last port of call before it was released into the human population. Denial and blame-shifting, including by Xi Jinping and his wolf warrior diplomats, mask that reality as they seek to avoid the financial pain that is coming when world consensus develops that restitution from the Chinese regime for the damages inflicted by the CCP virus is warranted and lawful.

Police officers wearing masks walk as the CCTV Building (left, back), the headquarters for the Chinese regimes mouthpiece broadcaster, is seen in Beijing on May 19, 2020. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images)

And denial and blame-shifting about the virus origins has continued unabated in Chinese state-run media from early 2020 to the present day. Here are a few recent headlines:

Objective, scientific, responsible attitude should be adopted for COVID-19 origins tracing: Chinese FM [Foreign Ministry]Peoples Daily

China slams declassified assessment on COVID-19 origins released by U.S.Xinhua

Stop scapegoating China! Chinese FM rejects US intelligence-led origins-tracing reportGlobal Times

Conclusion

When all is said and done, and when all the CCP propaganda and denials are deconstructed, the facts remainthe communist Chinese regime and its media mouthpieces know that the human-engineered SARS-CoV-2 virus originated from the Wuhan Institute of Virologys Biosafety Level 4 laboratory. And the CCP knows that the world will soon be knocking on its door, demanding restitution. Hence its continuing complete denials in the face of all evidence to the contrary, even when a U.S. intelligence community report provides them with a little bit of shade.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Australians protesting against government-mandated health restrictions, increasing powers, and the Pandemic Bill in Melbourne, Australia, on Nov. 6, 2021. (Supplied)

COVID-19 Ushers in Slippery Slope for Rights, Freedoms in Australian State: MP

A state MP has said that the rights and freedoms of Australians have been incrementally chipped away during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the unprecedented newly proposed pandemic laws potentially giving Victorian leaders unfettered power over the lives of the states residents.

Neil Angus, the Liberal Party member for Forest Hill, says that 20 months agoat the beginning of the pandemicmany Victorians would not have anticipated health restrictions such as curfews or limits on travel within a few kilometres of their home.

If we had have talked about this a couple of years ago, people would have laughed at us. And yet now, weve had this in place for just under two years, and who knows what could be happening next, he told The Epoch Times.

Its extremely concerning, and like all these things, they come incrementally and in the heat of the battle when we dont notice it, he said. But when you step back and have a look, you can see how far we have gone down the path of losing our liberties, and that is very frightening.

Australians protesting against government-mandated health restrictions, increasing powers, and the Pandemic Bill in Melbourne, Australia, on Nov. 6, 2021. (Supplied)

Australians protesting against government-mandated health restrictions, increasing powers, and the Pandemic Bill in Melbourne, Australia, on Nov. 6, 2021. (Supplied)

Angus said the Victorian Labor governments new Public Health and Wellbeing (Pandemic Management) Bill 2021, in some ways, justified his concerns.

He noted that the Bill had finally galvanised state MPs into speaking out against government overreach during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen bipartisan support for public health restrictions and increased powers to authorities.

In fact, just weeks earlier, Angus was one of a handful of MPsand the only member of Victorias lower houseto oppose a vaccine mandate for all parliamentary staff and MPs.

His oppositionwhich saw him choose to vote against the governing Labor Party and his own Liberal Party was all about freedoms.

My concern has been just the continual overreach and interference by this government into the lives and every part of the lives of all Victorians, he said.

A supplied image was obtained on Oct. 28, 2014, of Neil Angus, the liberal member of the Victorian seat of Forest Hill. (AAP Image/Liberal Party of Australia Victoria Division)

He noted that his speech opposing the mandate was also well received by individuals locally and from around the world.

The Victorian government is now pushing through its Pandemic Management Bill, which will establish a permanent structure for the government to manage pandemics in future.

While the Bill streamlines certain operational aspects of the government and establishes new safeguards around privacy rights, it also contains wide-ranging provisions that give the premier and health minister unprecedented power over the state.

These include broad powers for the health minister to make pandemic orders, on the advice of the chief health officer, where it is deemed reasonably necessary to protect public health.

The premier can also declare a pandemic and extend such a declaration three months at a timethe number of extensions is unlimited.

Additionally, the pandemic orders would give the premier and health minister the power to issue new public health decrees, including closing borders, lockdowns, and mask mandates.

Further, Police will receive new powers to enter private premises without a warrant to implement such decrees.

Police monitor Australians are protesting against government-mandated health restrictions, increasing powers, and the Pandemic Bill in Melbourne, Australia, on Nov. 6, 2021. (Supplied)

Under the Bill, health restrictions can also be categorised, and target classes of citizens, including based on vaccination status and new record penalties have been introducedincluding two-year prison terms and fines of AU$90,000 for aggravated offences where an individual breaches a health order and is deemed to have caused a serious risk to the health of another.

The state opposition has vowed to repeal the Bill, while the peak legal body, the Victorian Bar, has spoken out against it.

Christopher Blanden Q.C., president of the Bar, warned it would allow unlimited interference in the liberties of Victorias residents.

The overriding concern is that the Bill confers on the health minister what is, in a practical sense, an effectively unlimited power to rule the state by decree, for an effectively indefinite period, and without effective judicial or parliamentary oversight, he said in an internal email to Bar members.

In recent months, Victorians have mobilised in protest against government-mandated health restrictions and powers, with opposition to the Pandemic Bill now added to the mix.

On Nov. 6, several thousand Victorians marched through the streets of Melbourne chanting the words, Kill the Bill.

Angus said the new Bill would ultimately change the fabric of life in Victoria.

Were always going to have to look out and listen out for the Premier. One day he might get up on his soapbox and make a decree about certain classes of people, certain geographical areas, and about certain things you can and cant do, he said.

The freedoms that we have to take for granted for so long here in Victoria are potentially put at risk by this particular Bill. So, I think its going to change things dramatically here in Victoria, and for the worse, he added.
A vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is seen in a file photograph. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

COVID Boosters Likely to Be Annual For the Foreseeable Future: Pharmacy Guild of Australia

Australians will need to get COVID booster shots annually for the foreseeable future to combat CCP Virus, according to the countrys Pharmacy Guild.

Trent Twomey, the president of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia (PGA), warned that people may need to get booster shots every 6 to 12 months to keep more deadly variants at bay.

The question is what booster and what interval we need to get that booster, whether its every six, nine or 12 months. Those decisions need to be based on evidence and facts and at the moment that is an evolving space, he told Nine newspapers.

Twomey noted that Australians may need to wait until 2023 to reach some sort of steady-state vaccination program, which will be similar to the annual flu shot.

In time, we will treat COVID like many other viruses that have been around for decades, and a COVID-19 shot will just be another element of the Australian vaccination program, he said.

Students wait to receive the Pfizer vaccine for Covid-19 at Qudos Arena in Sydney, Australia, on Aug. 9, 2021. (Dean Lewins-Pool/Getty Images)

From Nov. 8, COVID booster shots will be available for all adult Australians six months after they got their second dose. Around 1.7 million people will be eligible for a booster dose by 2022, a move making Australia the second country in the world after Israel to offer boosters to all ages.

Australia has reached the 80 percent full vaccination rate last week, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison praising it as another magnificent milestone.

At the state level, however, only New South Wales, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory have reached this number.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the countrys medicine and therapeutics regulator have approved Pfizer as a booster dose.

Pfizer booster shots will be given to people even if they had other vaccines for their first two doses. For those who have an allergic or adverse reaction to Pfizer, the AstraZeneca vaccine will be given instead.

While boosters are not required for international travel, states and territories will decide whether to make it mandatory for residents to be fully vaccinated.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews looks on during a press conference in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 1, 2021. (Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews suggested last month that booster shots may be needed for those who are fully vaccinated to retain their freedoms.

A month before your six months is up, then you will get a message and your vaccination certificate, the thing that gets you the green tick. Youll be prompted to go and book a time to go and have your booster shot, Andrews said.

There may be state clinics in that or it might be all done through GPs and pharmacies, that hasnt been worked through yet. Were happy to play our part, though. So itll be about the maintenance of your vaccination status.

Meanwhile, South Australia Premier Steven Marshall has announced that eligible residents in the state will be able to get COVID boosters at government vaccination hubs from December.

Access to a booster dose of the lifesaving COVID-19 vaccine is yet another layer of protection available to South Australians, he said on Friday.
DeSantis to Unveil New Legislation Banning Employers From Requiring Vaccination As Soon as the End of Today

On Oct. 29, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that he would call a special session of the Florida legislature to vote on banning the Biden administrations effort to have private companies enact vaccine mandates. During a Nov. 8 press teleconference, DeSantis Chief of Staff James Uthmeier said drafts of the legislation should be released by tomorrow morning at the latest and as soon as the end of today.

We put in the legislation that women who are pregnant or who anticipate becoming pregnant are most certainly exempt from any vaccine requirement, Uthmeier said during the teleconference, adding that anybody who has already had COVID-19 and recovered will be exempt from any vaccine requirement.

Uthmeier also stated that all employees, whether they have applied for a qualified exemption or not, must be given the option to choose between either periodic testing or use of PPE as an alternative to any vaccine requirementsat no cost to the employees.

So this is truly a prohibition on vaccine mandates being implemented by businesses, he said.

Asked if there will be any protections in the law for private companies against the vaccine mandates imposed by the Biden administrations Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), DeSantis Press Secretary Christina Pushaw said that, while they do envision that, the new legislation will involve a litigation strategy.

So while they are talking about legislation, Pushaw explained, they are also litigating against the federal government to block the OSHA requirements from coming into force.

Regarding injury to any employee who was forced to get vaccinated to save their job, Uthmeier said they believe Floridas Employee Compensation laws already cover that.

If your employer has some sort of policy requirement requiring vaccines, somehow in violation of this law, and it leads to an injury then employees absolutely should be compensated, he said.

In addition, the legislation will prevent government entities from requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for anyone, including employees.

Enforcement will be through an investigation and fine process, Uthmeier explained. The Attorney general will be appropriated funds to receive complaints from employees that believe this law is being violated and following an investigation, if the attorney general concludes that the law is violated there will be fines ranging from $10,000 per employee violation (for small businesses with less than 100 employees) to 50,000 per employee violation for medium and larger businesses, businesses with 100 or more employees. Weve reaffirmed and clarified that the government entities may not require COVID-19 vaccinations of any person. That is currently in the law.

When it comes to educational institutions and schools, Uthmeier said the new legislation will build upon existing protections put in place over the last year, adding that the new legislation will also create a private right of action for parents and students 18 and older to challenge violating school districts and recover costs and attorney fees. Educational institutions may not require students to wear facemasks and may not quarantine healthy students.

Asked who is drafting the legislation, when they anticipate it to be ready for passage, and if they anticipate anything or anyone getting in the way, Uthmeier said the draft has been assembled through a collaborative effort that involves the speaker of the house, the senate president and the governors office.

Weve all been working around the clock the last week to two weeks, Uthmeier told The Epoch Times. We have some drafts that I think are nearing completion. I would expect them to be released by tomorrow morning at the latest probably as soon as the end of today.

While he anticipates there will be some amendments and edits, one thing will be made very clear to employers who attempt to get around the new law through unpaid leave.

Some companies are putting employees on unpaid leave rather than termination, Uthmeier said. The governors view is that is not acceptable. Thats the same thing as losing your job if they take away your paycheck and you cant feed your family.

I dont see any roadblocks. I think the leaders in the legislature have worked hard across their constituencies and diverging views to make sure weve got something that will pass.

So, God willing we will have a law signed by the end of next week.
Early-Season Snow Blankets Beijing, Northern China

BEIJINGAn early-season snowstorm blanketed much of northern China including the capital Beijing, prompting highway closures and flight and train cancellations and delays.

Temperatures plunged to freezing and below as a cold front moved from west to east. A steady, blowing snow fell Sunday in Beijing, the nearby city of Tianjin, and northeastern China after hitting parts of Inner Mongolia and other western regions the previous day.

The National Meteorological Center issued an orange alert for snowstorms, the second highest level in Chinas four-tier warning system. Accumulations of more than 11 inches were forecast in some areas.

Beijing was hit hardest Sunday morning. Several highway sections were closed, bus service was suspended on more than 160 routes, and flights were reduced at the citys two major airports, state media said. rains to Tianjin and Shanghai were canceled or delayed. The skies cleared in the Chinese capital in the afternoon as the storm moved farther east.

The city said that snow from neighborhoods with COVID-19 cases would not be removed, state media reported. They did not say why, but the Chinese regime has adopted unusually strict measures to curb the spread of the virus.

In Inner Mongolia, flights were canceled Saturday at the airport in Hohhot, the capital of the Chinese region, state media reported. Also, some expressways were temporarily shut in Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing, and farther to the west in Shanxi province, according to state media.
Raindrops are seen next to the Tesla logo on the bonnet of a Tesla electric car in Berlin's Kreuzberg district on March 15, 2021. (David Gannon/AFP via Getty Images)

EV Week in Review: Tesla Prevails Despite Hertz Deal Haziness, Nio Investors Take Setback in Their Stride, Volkswagens Diess Calls for Revolution to Take on Competition

Most electric vehicle (EV) stocks advanced in the week ending Nov. 5 amid sector wide optimism. EV market leader Tesla Inc. started the week on a tentative note but picked up momentum over the course of the week.

Here are the key events that happened in the EV space during the week:

Teslas Hertz Deal Tentativeness, Vehicle Recall and More

After riding on the back of the Hertz Global Holdings Inc. deal optimism, Tesla shares came down from stratospheric levels this week. It was Tesla CEO Elon Musk who brought the stock down with his comments early in the week by suggesting Hertz is not a finalized a deal yet.

Later, a Wall Street Journal report said the two parties are engaged in talks regarding the timing of the delivery of bulk orders.

In other Tesla-related news, Cathie Woods Ark Invest continued to trim its stake, offloading about $148 million in Tesla shares during the week.

Tesla also suffered negative press after it had to recall 11,700 vehicles due to a software communication error that may potentially lead to rear-end collisions.

As Tesla shares went through the roof this week, talks about a potential stock split began doing the rounds. Loup Funds co-founder Gene Munster said in an exclusive comment to Benzinga that a stock split could be forthcoming next year.

Nio Confirms October Deliveries Disappointment

Nio Inc., which warned last weekend of the potential impact of a manufacturing line upgrade, reported a 27.5 percent year-over-year decline and a 65.5 percent month-over-month plunge in vehicle sales for October. Surprisingly, the stock advanced on the day of the release of October deliveries, as Nio executives talked up the stock. Abounding order flow signaled by the company also helped mitigate negativity.

Meanwhile, Nios peers XPeng Inc. and Li Auto Inc. reported fairly robust deliveries for the month.

Lucid Moves Swiftly

Lucid Group Inc. (LCID), which handed over deliveries of its first Lucid Air Dream Edition cars to its customers last weekend, announced its newest retail locationthe Lucid Studio at Tysons Corner Center in the Washington metro area. The new Studio will open its doors to the public on Saturday.

Fisker Appeases Street With Reiterated Guidance for Production Start Time

Pre-revenue EV maker Fisker Inc. reported a third-quarter loss that was wider than expected. The stock, however, reacted positively as the company confirmed the Nov. 2022 production start time of its Ocean SUV.

The company also announced a partnership with Tesla battery supplier CATL to procure lithium iron phosphate batteries.

Ford Says F-150 Lightning Reservations Swell

Ford Motor Company said in its monthly deliveries release that reservations for its F-150 Lightning pickup truck have crossed 160,000.

Despite reporting a 4 percent drop in October sales, Fords EV transition appears to be on track. The company said the E-Transit van has been sold out and the Mustang Mach-E was the second most sold electric SUV, with sales jumping 76.9 percent in October.

Volkswagen Finds Competition Seething In EV World

German automaker Volkswagen AGs CEO Herbert Diess told employees to prepare for the revolution needed to take on electric car pioneer Tesla and Chinese manufacturers.

In the new automotive world, we are faced with competition the likes of which Volkswagen has never seen before, Diess reportedly said in a speech at the carmakers flagship plant in Wolfsburg.

EV Stock Performances for the Week

By Shanthi Rexaline

 2021 The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference at the Shul of Bal Harbour in Surfside, Fla., on June 14, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Florida Gov. DeSantis Officially Files to Run for Reelection

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says he has filed paperwork to seek a second term in 2022.

DeSantis, a Republican who has become one of the partys most prominent faces because of his stance against COVID-19 lockdowns and vaccine mandates, said on Nov. 8 that a formal campaign announcement is pending.

Its more of a formality to open a campaign committee, he said during a news conference. We wont do any public announcements until after the special session, but you have to prepare for these things.

DeSantis suggested that he would run a reelection campaign promoting policies opposed to COVID-19 lockdowns, vaccine passport systems, and mandatory masking requirements.

He also said his state would continue to challenge President Joe Bidens Department of Labor-directed vaccine mandate for private businesses and companies that have contracts with the federal government. Florida is suing the administration to put a stop to the vaccine mandates, while DeSantis last month called for a special legislative session to help protect employees who dont want the vaccine.

No cop, no firefighter, no nurse, nobody should be losing their jobs because of these jabs, DeSantis said on Nov. 8. We have got to stand up for people and protect their jobs and protect their livelihoods.

Democrats who could potentially challenge DeSantis include Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.)a former governoras well as Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and state Sen. Annette Taddeo. Crist was elected governor of Florida as a Republican before he switched parties to independent to run for the U.S. Senate, while Fried is the only Democrat elected to a statewide office in Florida.

After DeSantis filed paperwork, Crist issued a statement on Nov. 8, saying DeSantis will run on a deeply divisive, flawed record, adding, Our state deserves a Governor with a heart.

However, with Democratic recent losses in last weeks electionwhich saw Republican Glenn Youngkin defeat Democrat Terry McAuliffe in Virginias gubernatorial raceDemocrats may have a steep uphill battle in defeating DeSantis. The party hasnt won the governors seat since Lawton Chiles was reelected in 1994, while former President Donald Trump defeated Joe Biden by about 4 percentage points in the state in 2020.

Earlier this month, DeSantis confirmed that Republicans have overtaken Democrats in voter registration for the first time in the states history.

When I got elected governor, we had 280,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans in the state of Florida, DeSantis said during a press conference last week in Seminole. Today, and it will probably be fully publicized very soon, today for the first time in the history of Florida, weve now overtaken Democrats. There are more registered Republicans in Florida than Democrats.

One of the reasons for the uptick in higher Republican voter registrations, DeSantis speculated, may be due to Republicans having fled Democrat-led states to Florida in recent years.
Attorney General Merrick Garland (L) and FBI Director Christopher Wray hold a press conference at the Robert F. Kennedy Main Justice Building in Washington on Nov. 8, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Garland: $6 Million in Ransomware Payments Seized, Man Charged Over Major Cyberattack

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged a suspect from Ukraine and a Russian national over a July ransomware attack against a U.S. company and also seized some $6 million in ransom payments, according to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Chris Wray.

Yaroslav Vasinskyi, a Ukrainian national arrested in Poland last month, will face federal charges for deploying ransomware known as REvil, which has been linked to hacks that have cost companies millions of dollars, the DOJ said in a court filing on Monday. Vasinskyi carried out a ransomware attack over the Fourth of July weekend on Florida-based software firm Kaseya that infected up to 1,500 businesses around the world and the United States, according to the charges.

This will not be the last time, Garland said, adding that the United States will pursue other alleged ransomware actors.

Garland, speaking at a news conference, announced that another alleged ransomware attacker, Yevgeniy Polyanin, a Russian national, was also charged. Polyanin was also described as an REvil operative.

Vasinskyi, he added, was charged just six weeks after the July attack and that his arrest demonstrates how quickly we will act, alongside our international partners, to identify, locate and apprehend alleged cyber criminals no matter where they are.

So far, REvil ransomware has been used in attacks against 175,000 computers around the world and about $200 million has been paid, said Garland, who has drawn controversy in recent weeks over a DOJ-issued memo targeting parents and school boards.

Both Vasinskyi and Polyanin were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit fraud and related activity in connection with computers, nine counts of intentional damage to a protected computer, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to the charging documents.

Vasinskyi, 22, was being held in Poland pending U.S. extradition proceedings, while Polyanin, 28, remained at large, according to Garland.

One of the most widespread ransomware attacks came with the corruption of a widely used software tool made by Kaseya. Many Kaseya customers were infected at once with REvil encryption. Some paid ransoms, though a master decryption key was eventually recovered by authorities and distributed weeks later.

Up to 1,500 businesses around the world have been affected by ransomware attacks centered on Kaseya, which provides software tools to IT outsourcing shops. Such companies typically handle back-office work for companies too small or modestly resourced to have their own tech departments.

Previously, the United States recovered about $4.4 million of the ransomware payment that pipeline operator Colonial Pipeline paid to the DarkSide ransomware group following the attack, which led to gas shortages across the East Coast.

Authorities in Romania, meanwhile, arrested two alleged REvil partners on Nov. 4. Another REvil affiliate was taken into custody in Kuwait on the same day, officials said.

Reuters contributed to this report.
NORFOLK, Va.When Norfolk goes out for an evening of theater, its like a military parade. Represented in the audience of Shen Yun Performing Arts on Nov. 6 were members of nearly all branches of the armed forces, as well as government contractors.

New York-based Shen Yun is a classical Chinese dance program that depicts through dance and music the culture of China before the days of communism. Audience members spoke highly of the experience.

David Cruz is a retired master gunnery sergeant from the Marines who works as a government contractor. He attended Shen Yun with fiancee Tanya Dear, a healthcare administrator.

Cruz called Shen Yun everything I thought it was going to be and more.

He appreciated having a beautiful show representing the past of China prior to communism, aspects of [China] now in the way that people are mistreated.

You learn of the past, you learn of the present  and you hope for a better future because of it, he said.

Shen Yun, known for its graceful and vibrant dance numbers, also shares in its storytelling about current issues facing Chinese societysuch as government oppression and religious persecution under the communist regime.

For Tanya, the performance communicated a tremendous beauty in China that most of us do not realize, as well as the hardships of the people there.

Some of it is heartbreaking, she said.

Mathew and Loretta Roberson enjoy an afternoon at Shen Yun Performing Arts in Norfolk, Va., on Nov. 6, 2021. (The Epoch Times)

Mathew Roberson is a retired lieutenant colonel who now works for the Army as a civilian.

He and his wife, Loretta, had heard about Shen Yun for a couple of years and, in 2021, finally made it to see them perform. They were surprised to learn that Shen Yun is not allowed in China.

I didnt realize that they would consider this offensive, Mathew said. But I know communism doesnt survive with religion, whether thats Christianity or any other religion. They (communists) want to be the center of everything, so I understand why communism, socialism, and religion of any kind dont go well together.

Loretta said she was impressed with the scale of Shen Yuns production and the fact that the performance is new every year. The couple said that they will bring their adult sons to see the performance next year.

Tim Harris is a carpenter for WF McGann currently rebuilding DryDock Fort, north of Naval Station. He attended Shen Yun with his wife Shirley.

Its nice to get away from what you normally do with work, and realize that what you do is so important for a country thats free and we can have such things.  Tim Harris

Its nice to get away from what you normally do with work, and realize that what you do is so important for a country thats free and we can have such things, he said.

As an ex-Air Force officer, Tim has traveled all over Europe and Egypt, but has not had the chance to visit Asiauntil now.

Shen Yun transports its audience members through Chinas 5,000 years of history, integrating classical Chinese dance and its live orchestra with its patented animated digital backdrops that provide stunning stage effects.

Its enlightening on the way things are done versus conventional operas or musicals, Tim said. Its very different, but awesome to see the differences.

Rafael Marquez attended Shen Yun Performing Arts in Norfolk, Va., on Nov. 6, 2021. (Sherry Dong/The Epoch Times)

Rafael Marquez, a cyber security expert with the Department of Treasury, said he was impressed with almost everything about the show.

Its sad to see the loss of culture [in China]. But even here in the U.S., we have the same thing going on. There are a lot of people forgetting their roots and where they come from.

Marquez said hes glad that Shen Yun is carrying on its mission to revive traditional Chinese culture.

I recommend everyone come and see this, he said. It is just amazing to see the skills and the professionalism that you see here. The beauty of it is how they can get everyone to work as one and flow together. It is just absolutely great.

Reporting by Sherry Dong, Amy and Epoch Times Staff.

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.
An attendee walks through the Smith & Wesson booth during the 2013 NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston on May 3, 2013. New York Public Advocate Bill de Blasio announced on July 22 that eight hedge funds and money managers have divested gun holdings valued at $150 million. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Gunmaker Smith & Wesson Breaks Ground on Tennessee Home After Relocating Over Firearm Manufacturing Legislation

Gunmaker Smith & Wesson broke ground on its new home in East Tennessee last week alongside several state and local leaders, just weeks after announcing the decision to move.

The American manufacturer of firearms, ammunition, and restraints, founded in 1852, currently has corporate headquarters in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The company is investing more than $125 million to relocate its headquarters and some operations from Springfield to Blount County in Tennessee, a move that will create 750 jobs in the area, it said.

The groundbreaking ceremony took place on Nov. 5 at Partnership Park North in Blount County, which is 240 acres in size and will house both the company headquarters and its manufacturing operations, according to local reports.

Mark Smith, president and chief executive of Smith & Wesson, said he was looking forward to the move, but said it wasnt an easy decision because it had to be right for today and for generations to come.

Announcing the decision in September, Smith said, This has been an extremely difficult and emotional decision for us, but after an exhaustive and thorough analysis, for the continued health and strength of our iconic company, we feel that we have been left with no other alternative.

The move comes following legislation recently proposed in Massachusetts that, if enacted, would prohibit the company from manufacturing certain firearms that are illegal to use in the state.

Sponsored by state Reps. Marjorie Decker and Frank Moran and state Sen. Cynthia Creem, the legislation (pdf) was filed in April and would put a ban on the manufacturing of any assault weapon or large capacity feeding device in the state unless its for the sole purpose of selling to law enforcement or military agencies.

These bills would prevent Smith & Wesson from manufacturing firearms that are legal in almost every state in America and that are safely used by tens of millions of law-abiding citizens every day exercising their constitutional Second Amendment rights, protecting themselves and their families, and enjoying the shooting sports, Smith said.

While Smith & Wesson remains hopeful that the legislation wont be approved, the company said the ban on firearms manufacturing would affect up to 60 percent of its revenue compared to 2020.

The unfortunate likelihood that such restrictions would be raised again led to a review of the best path forward for Smith & Wesson, Smith said.

On Nov. 5, he reiterated that the decision to relocate had been a difficult one.

Weve got 170 years of history in Springfield, Massachusetts.  So, for us it was especially difficult, Smith told reporters.

The company also cited a better quality of life for employees, more affordable living, the availability of qualified labor for its operations and headquarter functions, and a favorable location for efficiency of distribution as reasons for the move.

While Massachusetts is looking to clamp down on firearms manufacturing, Tennessee has moved to loosen gun restrictions in recent years under Republican leadership.

In April, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed the states constitutional carry measure into law, which allows most adults aged 21 and older to carry handguns without having to apply for a permit or go through a state-level background check and training.

Numerous lawmakers, including state Reps. John Gillespie and Mark White, both Republicans, opposed the measure.

On Nov. 5, Lee praised Smith & Wessons decision to move to Tennessee and said the multi-million-dollar investment will have a lasting effect on employment in the state.

If you really want to change a familys life then you insert into that family meaningful work. When people have a good job and make a good living for their family, then theyre generationally impacted, he said.

Smith & Wesson will also close facilities in Connecticut and Missouri as part of consolidating in Tennessee, but the company stated that the move wont officially begin until 2023, and it wont have an impact on its employees jobs until then.

Our loyal employees are the reason for our success and are always our number one priority, the company said in a statement.
Hiring Difficulties May Be on Horizon as US Labor Force Participation Rate Remains Unchanged

Hiring difficulties may be on the horizon for U.S. firms amid a weak labor supply, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics latest jobs report.

The bureaus October jobs report, released Nov. 5, showed that employers added more than a half-million jobs in October, beating market expectations and painting a more positive picture of labor market recovery compared to the previous month.

However, the labor force participation ratea measure of how many people work or are actively looking for jobswas unchanged at 61.6 percent in October and has remained within a narrow range of 61.4 percent to 61.7 percent since June 2020.

The participation rate is 1.7 percent lower than in February 2020, at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, for workers aged 25 to 54, the labor force participation rate ticked up to 81.7 percent in October from 81.6 percent in September, which, while above the historic pandemic lows, is still far below pre-pandemic levels, according to Bloomberg.

In February 2020, 82.9 percent of 25- to 54-year-olds were in the labor force.

While the reason for the lagging labor force participation rate isnt immediately clear, economists have cited growing fears among employees returning to the office amid the recent wave of the Delta variant of COVID-19, government assistance programs and policies, and the stress of the pandemic prompting a spike in retirements and resignations as factors contributing to the rate.

A lack of access to affordable child care is another factor that may be adding to the stalled participation rate.

A study released last month by the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) Republicans found that the governments huge assistance programs, such as the stimulus handouts designed to help Americans through the pandemic, have likely made work less attractive for these Americans.

The study found that the United States has experienced an unprecedented rise in disconnected prime-age workers over time.

For men, this trend dates back a half-century, with their labor force participation rate falling to 89 percent before the pandemic from more than 97 percent in 1955. For women, receding workforce participation began in the past two decades.

Thats occurring as employers across the United States raise wages and implement attractive bonuses and competitive compensation in an effort to pull in new workers after the pandemic.

Starbucks, Costco, Walmart, Target, CVS Health, and Walgreens Boots Alliance are just a handful of companies that have all said they are boosting starting wages to $15 an hour, in line with President Joe Bidens push to raise the minimum wage to the same amount and in an effort to recruit more workers amid a nationwide labor shortage.

According to the ADP Research Institute Workforce Vitality Report (WVR) released Oct. 27, third-quarter wages in the United States increased 3.3 percent, in line with growth in the months before the pandemic, while job switchers pay is up 6.6 percent since September 2020.

We know from other recent data that the rate and number of individuals quitting their jobs have been at record levels, Bankrate senior economic analyst Mark Hamrick said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times.

A key question of the day is whether or when will these workers return, helping to address worker supply challenges, he wrote.

The Federal Reserve on Nov. 3 said it will begin trimming its $120 billion in monthly purchases of Treasurys and mortgage-backed securities in November, with plans to end them in 2022, citing substantial further progress in the economy.

Economic activity and employment have continued to strengthen, the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee said in its statement.

However, Fed Chairman Jerome H. Powell noted in a news conference last week that there is still ground to cover to reach maximum employment, both in terms of employment and in terms of participation.

We thought that schools reopening and elapsing unemployment benefits would produce some sort of additional labor supply. That doesnt seem to have been the case interestingly. So I think theres room for a whole lot of humility here as we try to think about what maximum employment would be. Were going to have to see some time post-COVID so that we know, or post-Delta anyway, to see what is possible, he said.
Employees from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a NASA field center, hang a sign in protest of the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate in Pasadena, Calif., on Nov. 1, 2021. (Alice Sun/The Epoch Times)

Hundreds of Thousands to Go on Four-Day Nationwide Strike Over Vaccine Mandates: Organizer

A nationwide strike against vaccine mandates will take place from Nov. 8 to Nov. 11, according to the main organizer for the walkout, Leigh Dundas, a human rights attorney and public speaker.

The event will kick off in Los Angeles on Monday. The locations of the marches have not yet been disclosed.

The walkouts involve people from various industries such as trucking and telecom. Air and rail transport workers are not federally allowed to go on strike due to a law passed in 1926 named the Railway Labor Act, but some plan to protest anonymously.

The Golden Gate Bridge Rally is going to be an epic and unprecedented moment in time. It will markon Veterans Day eveninga 4-day Nationwide walkout, by rank and file workers everywhere, from blue-collar to white-collar, black, white, yellow, red, every faith, every creed, who are uniquely united despite their differences on one common truth: that vaccine mandates have no place in a truly free society, Dundas told The Epoch Times.

Every group: anti-vaccine, BLM, gay, straight, Jewish, Muslim, Native American, Asian, Latino, Christian, atheistall groupsare coming together for this one historic moment in timeto trumpet not just to our own government, but indeed to the watching eyes of the world, that vaccine mandates will no longer be tolerated. That in this country, WE are the government, because our founding fathers knew this truth: a truly free nation is a nation of the people, by the people, and for the people. That we are the leaders we have been waiting for. And that today marks the day that we retire vaccine mandates as a concept that cannot live in a free society, and that we are, indeed, simply that: a free society.

Leigh Dundas (Photo provided by Nationwide Walkout to The Epoch Times)

The Epoch Times talked to some of these frustrated workers who will participate in the strike to see why they are doing it.

I Choose Gods Immunity

Kristen Grace has been a Raytheon Systems Engineer for 18 years.

I will lose my livelihood on December 8, because I wont allow an experimental gene therapy to be injected into my bloodstream. Ive recovered from COVID, and I work from home, but the government has claimed authority over my body and medical choices. I choose natural (Gods) immunity over government, Grace said.

Brandon Childs has been serving for 7 years in the Air Force, 5 years in active duty and 2 years with the Arizona Air National Guard (ANG).

I have stepped away from being ANG full time due to the mandate and I was promised by my civilian job that they would never require the vaccine.

However as an army contractor that changed within the last month. Ive lost 3 family members in the last year one being my father a week ago. Ive put in REs [religious exemptions] at both and was told that the chances of being accepted are extremely dismal and I will face what looks like a general or dishonorable discharge (with a clean military record) from one and termination for the other. Affecting the benefits I have worked for and bled for the country I love.

Another systems engineer that has been working for Raytheon for 25 years told The Epoch Times: Ive submitted a Notification of Religious Accommodation. If its not approved, Ill be fired on December 8th because Im not going to violate my beliefs or surrender my Constitutional rights for a job. Honestly, this is the most stressful year of my professional life. Ive lost many nights of sleep. Even if approved Ill likely continue to look for a new job.

I feel betrayed by a company Ive given my best years. They could have stood up for us but they put profits and the woke agenda first. Im surrounded by fully vaccinated people with new and mysterious health issues, many have gotten COVID, but Im treated like someone unclean, less than. Science, logic, and common sense have been tossed in the COVID dumpster fire. While I love my country, Im ashamed of my company and my government. The only good news is that even the fully vaccinated now realize the promise of normality was all a lie. Now they are once again masked and being told boosters will be mandatory. And they are now rising up too, the engineer said.

Health Information Privacy

Christopher Burns, an attorney that works in Portsmouth New Hampshire, said: For the first time in the history of the country the president and an entire political party seem to think its constitutionally appropriate to dictate to a private employer how to treat its private employees by requiring the employer to demand privately protected health information from the employee.

Jet, a Honeywell employee, feels disappointed and is depressed about his company mandating the vaccine, which he is determined not to take due to his religious beliefs.

I have so many feelings about this situation that it has gotten me into a state of depression. Never in a million years [had] I imagined that something like this would happen in the United States. This is what tyranny looks like and its not going to stop here. Equally disappointing is to see that Honeywell, along with the rest of major U.S. corporations have decided to go along and enable tyranny. Im not getting the vaccine. I have applied for a religious exemption. If not granted, so be it. Because of this mandate, were now going to be treated as second-class citizens. In case people have forgotten, this is the definition of tyranny: cruel and unfair treatment by people with power over others.

A consultant for Thomson Reuters who does not even work physically at the company is bewildered at why he should take the vaccine.

I have been working [for Reuters for] 13 years and at least 3 consultants are 100 percent remote, 2,000 miles away from the office! They say because the company has government contracts that means I have to abide by the mandate too.

How am I endangering anybody from my home? the consultant asked.

John Knox is part of the LA Firefighters for Freedom.

We are fighting against these unconstitutional mandates because anything that is repugnant to the constitution is illegal. These mandates clearly step outside the constitutional parameters. As firefighters and first responders we need to take a stand and we need to let the rest of America know we will fight and they can join us, Knox said.

It Is Against Our Rights as Americans

A Maine 3rd Grade School teacher thinks the COVID vaccines should not be mandated.

People have the right to make the choices that work best for their families and for themselves. I feel it is against our rights as Americans. Why are we dying on this sword? the teacher asked.

Amtraks vaccine mandate deadline is also on Dec 8, an employee told The Epoch Times about her situation under the condition of anonymity.

Employees with religious exemptions are either 1. Denied with no explanation, or 2. Approved for unpaid personal leave, and not allowed to seek other work while on involuntary personal leave. This accommodation is exceptionally harsh and retaliatory, considering that medical exemption employees are permitted to continue work with weekly testing, including full customer contact workers such as conductors, she said.

Any employee not in compliance with the vax mandate will be charged with insubordination and terminated, per Amtrak repeated internal announcements.

Eric Mallow, a railroader, said: The longer we comply with their tyranny, the worse this will get! We were absolutely essential last year and now we are completely expendable. Standing up for the rights of Americans far outweighs the difficulty of leaving a company that sees me as an insignificant number.

A secretary from Arizona told The Epoch Times that the mandates are a total violation of her freedom.

Where does this end? If they can force vaccines in our bodies and violate our will that way, where is the line drawn? We need to fight back and not allow this, the secretary said.

The Epoch Times reached out to Amtrak and Raytheon for comment.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews speaks to the media in Melbourne, Australia, on Aug. 5, 2021. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

IBAC Hears Allegations Victorian Premier Dan Andrews Was Key Branch Stacking Organizer

The Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews was allegedly a key organiser in the Victorian Labor partys use of ethnic branch stacking, the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) inquiry has heard.

The claims made by former Labor minister Adem Somuyurek come as the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) and the Victorian Ombudsman investigate serious corrupt conduct and the misuse of public money used for partypolitical work or other improper purposes by Victorian public officials and members of parliament.

Ive done a lot of research on this. I can talk about what Ive seen in the southeast; it was the left and right going at it hammer and tongs when I joined the party, former Labor MP Adem Somyurek told Victorias Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) inquiry on Nov. 8.

Former Labor MP Adem Somyurek (L) being questioned by Counsel Assisting Chris Carr SC (R) during an IBAC inquiry streamed online in Melbourne, Australia, on Nov. 8, 2021 (screenshot/IBAC)

Somyurek told the inquiry that he was aware of branch stacking when he joined the Australian Labor Party in 1995during federal MP Anthony Byrnes preselectionand named Daniel Andrews as an organiser for the Victorian Labor partys Socialist left faction at the time.

Throughout the 90s, branch stacking was rife in the ALP. Obviously, I knew about the practice, Somyurek said.

You had Anthony Byrne as the chief recruiter from the right, and I think Daniel Andrews was organising from the left.

Our job [on the right] is to anchor the party in the centre  without the right the party will never win government. The left perform an important role, they are the heart and soul of the party, our job is to stop them going too far so we can win elections.

Andrews has previously denied any involvement in branch stacking, telling reporters on Oct. 12 that he behaved appropriately.

If you go and ask [wife] Cath and the kids, theyll tell you Ive had no time to do much else other than my parliamentary and my ministerial duties.

Anthony Byrne, Federal ALP MP for Holt, was the first witness to front the IBAC inquiry and said that the ALP branch stacking in Victoria was out of control.

Somyurek said that Byrne had asked him to contribute funds to pay for other peoples party memberships, and said he was probably a stackee himself. Approximately $2000 was paid for party memberships, Somyurek said.

Branch stacking occurs when factions within a political party enrol persons for the principal purpose of influencing the election outcome of local branches. It also happens when political party members enrol people who are not genuine members.

While not illegal in Australia, most political parties view the practice as controversial because it usually involves illegal acts of forgery, falsification of documentation, and even the intimidation of party members.

When asked about the red shirts affair that occurred in 2014, Somyurek said he was involved in discussions in the government caucus following the Victorian Ombudsmans report.

Instead of addressing Somyureks concerns, Andrews told him: do you want to win an election or not?

Red shirts was the gold standard [for rorting taxpayer resources], Somyurek told the inquiry.

Somyurek said the Victorian Ombudsmans investigation into the red shirts affair left the impression among Victorian politicians that they could could do anything, even employing electoral officers to work on campaign activity.

He also rebuked the Ombudsman for not using harsher language in the report so that people actually got the message.

The red shirts affair was a $388,000 scheme involving the misuse of parliamentary allowances to pay Labors political campaign staff ahead of the 2014 election, involving 21 past and present MPs.

Somyurek also told the inquiry that some electoral staff were factional operatives who were expected to do factional work for him, including recruiting and managing Labor Party members.

60 Minutes and The Age allege that Somyurek targeted ethnic groups, such as the Indian community, by registering and paying for Australian Labor Party (ALP) memberships in exchange for their support of his candidates.

I dont have a problem with my employees, my staff, being factional. I tried to limit that, Somyurek said.

I didnt tell them not to do factional work; I might have instructed them to do some things that were factional.

Somyurek will give evidence to the IBAC inquiry over four days this week.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that former Labor MP Adem Somyurek was part of the Socialist left faction of the Australian Labor Party (ALP); Mr. Somyurek was part of the moderate faction of the ALP. The Epoch Times regrets the error.

This article has been updated with more detail.
A seal that bears Harvard University's motto, "Veritas," the Latin word for "truth," is seen on Harvard campus in Cambridge, Mass., in Nov. 2012. (File Photo/Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters)

Intellectual Dissidents Launch New University of Austin Dedicated to Fearless Pursuit of Truth

A group of intellectuals who have faced hostility for expressing their ideas are building their own institution of higher education in Austin, Texas, saying they can no longer wait for legacy universities to address pervasive intolerance on campuses.

We are done waiting for the legacy universities to right themselves. And so we are building anew, Pano Kanelos wrote in a newsletter announcing the establishment of the University of Austin (UATX). Kanelos, the former president of St. Johns College in Annapolis, Maryland, will serve as the founding president of the new school.

The goal of this educational initiative is to build a university dedicated to the fearless pursuit of truth, a promise Kanelos said appears in mottos of many prestigious institutions but is hardly honored in practice.

There is a gaping chasm between the promise and the reality of higher education, Kanelos wrote, pointing to recent incidents in which faculty were treated like thought criminals because of their viewpoints.

Last month, University of Chicago scientist Dorian Abbot was disinvited by MIT from delivering a prominent public lecture after he expressed doubts about diversity hiring. Peter Boghossian, a philosophy professor at Portland State University, quit in September following years of harassment by faculty and administrators. Kathleen Stock, a professor at the University of Sussex, England, was forced to resign after facing death threats from extreme transgender activists over her research on sex and gender.

Many universities no longer have an incentive to create an environment where intellectual dissent is protected and fashionable opinions are scrutinized, according to Kanelos. Instead, for many of the most prestigious schools, the primary incentive is to function as finishing school for the national and global elite.

Kanelos said he set up UATX to renew the purpose of higher education. His project is joined by journalists, scholars, business leaders, and public intellectuals including Niall Ferguson, Bari Weiss, Heather Heying, Joe Lonsdale, and Arthur Brooks. Peter Boghossian, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and Kathleen Stock are the first three announced founding faculty fellows, who are tasked to design a curriculum and offer lectures and courses that exemplify the pursuit of excellence in the service of truth-seeking.

UATX wont accept undergraduates until 2024, but it plans to launch at least three graduate programs and will roll out summer programs as early as 2022.

The first summer program, according to UATXs website, will be called The Forbidden Courses. It will invite students to discuss the most provocative questions that often lead to censorship or self-censorship in many universities. The goal of the course is to make students proficient and comfortable with productive disagreement.

The opening of an undergraduate college is planned for fall 2024. The first two years of the four-year program will consist of an intensive liberal arts curriculum, including the study of philosophy, literature, history, politics, economics, mathematics, the sciences, and the fine arts. There has yet to be any news about tuition or scholarships.

In a call to action, Kanelos encouraged those who share the feeling that something fundamental is broken in higher education to join the effort.

We welcome all who share our mission to pursue a truly liberating educationand hope that other founders follow our example, he said.
A tank moves during a maneuver in a coastal area of southeastern Iran on Nov. 7, 2021. (Iranian Army via AP)

Iran Begins Annual War Games Ahead of Nuke Talks With West

TEHRAN, IranIrans military began its annual war games in a coastal area of the Gulf of Oman, state TV reported Sunday, less than a month before upcoming nuclear talks with the West.

The report said navy and air force units as well as ground forces were participating in a more than 1 million square-kilometer (386,100 square-mile) area east of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Nearly 20 percent of all oil shipping passes through the strait to the Gulf of Oman and Indian Ocean.

State TV said brigades including commandos and airborne infantry deployed for the annual exercise. Fighter jets, helicopters, military transport aircraft, submarines, and drones were also expected to take part in the drill. It wasnt immediately clear how long the exercise would last.

Dubbed Zolfaghar-1400, the war games are aimed at improving readiness in confronting foreign threats and any possible invasion, state TV said.

U.S. officials said last week that Iran had seized a Vietnamese-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman last month and was still holding the vessel in its port.

Iran offered conflicting accounts of what happened, claiming that Revolutionary Guard commandos had thwarted a U.S. seizure of a tanker carrying Iranian oil in the Gulf of Oman and freed the vessel. It aired dramatic footage on state television but did not further explain the incident.

Under the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran would limit its nuclear development in exchange for sanctions being lifted.

Then-President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the nuclear deal in 2018 and restored sanctions on Iran.

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.

Iran says its stockpile of 20 percent enriched uranium has reached over 210 kilograms (463 pounds), the latest defiant move ahead of upcoming nuclear talks with the West.

After months of delays, the European Union, Iran, and the United States announced last week that indirect talks to resuscitate the deal would resume Nov. 29 in Vienna.

Epoch Times staff contributed to this report.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (R) reacts during a news conference with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (L) and Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman (unseen) at the Government Press Office in Jerusalem on Nov. 6, 2021. (Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via Reuters)

Israel Suggests US Open Consulate for Palestinians in West Bank, Not Jerusalem

JERUSALEMIsrael stepped up its public opposition on Saturday to a plan by President Joe Bidens administration to reopen a U.S. consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem, suggesting such a mission should be in the West Bank.

Under former President Donald Trump, Washington closed the Jerusalem consulate and placed its staff within the U.S. Embassy to Israel that was moved to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in 2018.

Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state and saw the U.S. initiative to move its embassy as undermining that aspiration. Israel, which captured East Jerusalem in 1967, calls Jerusalem its indivisible capital.

Seeking to repair ties with Palestinians, the Biden administration has said it would reopen the consulate, although it has not given a date.

My position, and it was presented to the Americans  is that there is no place for a U.S. consulate which serves the Palestinians in Jerusalem. We are voicing our opinion consistently, quietly, without drama, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told reporters.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, speaking next to Bennett, proposed reopening the consulate in the de-facto seat of Palestinian government in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.

If they (the United States) want to open a consulate in Ramallah, we have no problem with that, he said.

In Ramallah, the spokesman of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rejected Lapids comments.

We will only accept a U.S. consulate in Jerusalem, the capital of the Palestinian state. That was what the U.S. administration had announced and had committed itself to doing, Palestinian politician Nabil Abu Rudeineh told Reuters.

Spokespeople for the U.S. Embassy did not immediately comment.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last month Washington would be moving forward with the process of opening a consulate as part of deepening of those ties with the Palestinians, although one of his senior staff also said Israels rejection of the plan was an obstacle.

My understanding (is) that we need the consent of the host government to open any diplomatic facility, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Brian McKeon said during a U.S. Senate hearing when queried on the consulate standoff.

By Dan Williams
Yoram Hazony, chairman of the Edmund Burke Foundation, at the National Conservatism Conference in Orlando, Fla., on Nov. 2, 2021. (Bao Qiu/The Epoch Times)

Liberals and Conservatives Will Need to Be Allies to Fight the Growing Marxist Cultural Revolution: Yoram Hazony

Liberals and conservatives will need to be allies in an effort to fight a growing Marxist cultural revolution taking place across America, according to Israeli philosopher and Chairman of the Edmund Burke Foundation, Yoram Hazony. Hazony was one of the key organizers of the recent the National Conservatism Conference in Orlando.

Speaking to Jan Jekielek on The Epoch Times American Thought Leaders program, Hazony explained that in the past year, there has been a growing Marxist cultural revolution throughout the United States and indeed the rest of the world. The full on-camera interview, conducted at the National Conservatism Conference on Nov. 2, will premiere on EpochTV in coming days.

Marxism is a social, political, and economic philosophy named after German Karl Marx who stood in opposition to religion, despite being a Christian in his youth.

Specifically, Marxism divides people according to their economic status: the wealthy people are oppressive, and the poor people are oppressed.

Over the past year, Marxism has been increasingly more visible in US society, from the Marxist underpinnings of Black Lives Matter organizations, to divisive critical race theory (CRT) being taught to servicemen and women and which the Biden administration is also pushing to be applied in schools.

CRT redefines human history as a struggle between the oppressorstypically considered to be white peopleand the oppressedother identity groupssimilar to Marxisms reduction of history to a struggle between the bourgeois and the proletariat.

Hazony described liberalism and conservatism as separate worldviews and competing movements, with liberalism being born in the 17th century and working on the fundamental basis that every individual has natural freedom, and must be granted those freedoms by their government and treated equally.

Meanwhile, the philosopher explained that conservatism in Britain and America is an older indigenous political theory or system which has at its center institutions such as legal tradition and organized religion like Christianity.

Its important to remember the differences because a liberal life is very different from a conservative life, said Hazony, author of The Virtue of Nationalism.

And most conservatives think that, ultimately, liberalism is not sustainable because it undermines tradition. It doesnt allow for transmission to future generations.

Despite their differing worldviews, Hazony believes that both liberalism and conservatism will at some point need to become allies in order to fight the Marxist revolution taking place.

In the last year, theres kind of been a Marxist cultural revolution, which was taking over much of what was really liberal up until recently  liberals and conservatives at this point, or certainly some of them, are going to have to be allies to fight the Marxist, Hazony said.

The Edmund Burke Foundation is a public affairs institute founded in January 2019 with the aim of strengthening the principles of national conservatism in Western and other democratic countries.

Through various national conservatism conferences, Hazony said that the foundation hopes to build an alliance and refine the set of ideas, which can be proudly carried forward by that alliance in order to save America and and the democratic countries from the two scourges that became so dramatically evident into in the year 2020.

On the one hand, [there is] a rising imperialist China, abroad, and at home, a version of neo-Marxism, which is successfully running a country of cultural revolution, taking over most of what, until very recently, were liberal institutions, Hazony said.

I dont think the liberals are strong enough to save almost any of those institutions. To get anywhere, were going to need a strong traditionalism, including religion and nationalism. And those elements, religion and nationalism, are at this conference, in this movement, being balanced or rebalanced with the concerns for individual freedom that, you know, are important to all of us, Hazony continued.

If we can put the national concerns for national independence, national cohesion, national traditions, and the religious concerns back on the table together with the concern for individual freedoms, then we think well have a political paradigm that will be powerful enough, God willing, to defeat these other opponents, he added.

Katabella Roberts Follow Katabella Roberts is a reporter currently based in Turkey. She covers news and business for The Epoch Times, focusing primarily on the United States.
Lithuania Starts Building First European Wall to Ward Off Migrants from Belarus

DRUSKININKAI, LithuaniaLithuania has built the first stretches of a steel wall on its border with Belarus since migrants from the Middle East and other areas began entering from Belarus this year.

The European Union accuses Belarus of deliberately encouraging the migrants to enter EU states Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia via Belarusian territory as a way of putting pressure on the bloc.

Belarus has repeatedly denied this but its president, Alexander Lukashenko, has said his country would no longer stop the migrants since EU sanctions drain resources.

All three EU countries have put stretches of razor wire on the border to stop the migrants. Last week Lithuania began putting up the first stretches of the 3.4-metre (11-foot) high steel fence, topped with 0.6 metres (2 feet) of razor wire.

Its probably impossible to build a totally unpassable obstacle, so I think that this barrier can too be overcome. But that would take a long time, and we would be able to react, said Virgilijus Raugale, the chief border guard in southern Lithuania.

Lithuania has allocated 152 million euros to build 500 kilometres (300 miles) of the wall by September next year. The wall is supplemented by a 3-metre high heap of coiled razor wire next to it and video surveillance equipment.

More than 4,000 migrants entered Lithuania from Belarus this year before August, when the country resorted to sending almost all entering migrants back to Belarus. Over 5,600 migrants were prevented from entering since then, the border guard service said, including 2,300 who tried to enter in October.

Meanwhile the Polish Defense Ministry said on Thursday that Belarusian soldiers threatened to open fire on Polish troops just across the border, in what it said was an attempt to escalate a crisis over migrants at their common frontier.

By Janis Laizans
Louisiana Business Owner Challenges Biden Vaccine Mandate in Court

A Louisiana business owner is suing the Biden administration over its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for companies with 100 or more employees, saying the mandate is wrong and that he wont stand for it.

Brandon Trosclair employs hundreds of workers across 15 grocery stores in Louisiana and Mississippi. The vaccine mandate would require him to fire workers who fail to take the vaccine.

Over the past 20 months, my employees have showed up to work and served their communities in the face of COVID and hurricanes, Trosclair said in a statement. Now Im being told by the government to insert myself into their private health decisions? Thats wrong and I wont stand for it.

The lawsuit (pdf) was filed with assistance from the Liberty Justice Center on Nov. 5 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in New Orleans.

The Biden Administrations vaccine mandate represents the greatest government overreach of our generation and we are elated that the court recognizes the grave danger it poses not only to our clients, but all Americans, Patrick Hughes, president and co-founder of the Liberty Justice Center, said in a statement.

We look forward to having our day in court to fight this unconstitutional edict.

Sarah Harbison, general counsel at the Pelican Institute for Public Policy, said she was confident in presenting the case before the court.

I am confident that the courts will see this mandate for what it truly is: an attempt to make laws while bypassing Congress, she said.

Both Trosclair and the Liberty Justice Center argue that the vaccine mandate is both wrong and illegal.

I am faced with an incomprehensible choice imposed upon me by the federal government: force these workers, whose dedication and skills have fueled my businesss success, to take the COVID vaccineor show them the door, Trosclair said.

President Joe Biden announced plans for the employer vaccine mandate in September. The president officially issued the rule through the Labor Department on Nov. 4.

Today, the Labor Department issued its rule requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for companies with 100 or more employees, and HHS [the Department of Health and Human Services] released its rule to ensure that health care workers are vaccinated, Biden said during the announcement.

Together, they will cover about 100 million Americans and help us beat COVID-19.
In 2021, obstetrics and gynecology had the highest percentage of malpractice cases with 83 percent of obstetricians having been sued during their career. (Blue Planet Studio/shutterstock)

Malpractice Versus Common Misfortune

Sometimes doctors make mistakes, and sometimes patients just need someone to blame

Thirty years ago, I had a newly pregnant patient come into my office. She was only a week late on her period. We did the routine prenatal labs and all was normal. The following week, the patient moved to Seattle, and I didnt hear back from her until I got a notice 10 months later that I was being sued. Apparently, her baby had some unusual anomalies.

I was being sued because she claimed that I didnt tell her that her baby could have such unusual anomalies, and if she would have been forewarned, she would have had an abortion. This was the first time I was ever named in a lawsuit. Needless to say, the lawsuit was thrown out, but from that point forward, I was on full guard.

Malpractice is generally defined as medical misconduct by a physician or surgeon thats either injurious to the patient or unprofessional.

Ive now been in practice for 35 years and do a fair share of expert evaluations for medical-legal cases. The vast majority are for the defense, but I do take serious malpractice cases for plaintiffs. Im also an expert examiner for the Medical Board of California. Its our obligation to protect patients from physicians and nurses who dont take their oath of doing no harm seriously.

Malpractice suits, deserved or otherwise, can take a severe toll on a doctor, but perhaps not as serious as the toll they took a few thousand years ago. An introduction to medical malpractice published in Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research in 2009 recounts the Code of Hammurabi from 2030 BC. It was the first known medical malpractice law. It decreed:

If the doctor has treated a gentleman with a lancet of bronze and has caused the gentleman to die, or has opened an abscess of the eye for a gentleman with a bronze lancet, and has caused the loss of the gentlemans eye, one shall cut off his hands.

Fortunately for modern physicians and surgeons, the penalties today are largely monetary. And some specialists are much more likely than others to face these penalties. In 2021, obstetrics and gynecology had the highest percentage of malpractice cases, with 83 percent of obstetricians having been sued during their careers.

Such a high percentage of physicians being sued raises the question of what really constitutes malpractice. The current legal standard is that a physician, nurse, or hospital provides substandard care and harm is caused. Notice how I said substandard, not sub-excellent. Not all physicians, nurses, and hospitals are excellent. Missing a diagnosis such as misreading a mammogram can be malpractice, or it might not if a reasonably capable technician should have been able to read it. If it was a tricky diagnosis, that might just mean the person reading the mammogram wasnt quite capable enough.

I recently reviewed a case where a woman had bladder surgery for leaking urine while she was walking. Her physician told her that she needed surgery, and was the doctor to perform it. This was in a smaller town, where there were really limited options. Instead of referring her to a specialist who does these bladder surgeries all the time, this doctor, who was a general surgeon, felt it was within her wheelhouse of qualifications.

Needless to say, the surgery didnt go well, and to make matters worse, the doctor didnt recognize the complications and the patient got sepsis (a serious infection). She was finally transferred to a regional center where a qualified urologist was able to help the patient and repair the damage from the first surgery. This is an obvious example of malpractice. The first surgeon had no business providing a service that she wasnt qualified to perform. The physician and hospital settled, and this woman, thankfully, is doing well. There are many other cases where the outcome wasnt as fortunate.

In 2020, the Journal of General Internal Medicine published a review of deaths due to medical error. It found that the number of preventable deaths for hospitalized patients is slightly more than 22,000 per year, as opposed to the previous claims of 44,000 to 98,000 deaths per year.

The number of deaths due to medical error is lower than previously reported and the majority occur in patients with less than 3-month life expectancy, the review reads. The vast majority of hospital deaths are due to underlying disease.

This brings us back to what malpractice really is. No one wants bad outcomes, but sometimes, bad things happen. This same type of skewing of statistics is used when quoting COVID-19 deaths. There are mounting questions about how many people died from COVID-19 versus those that died from other causes, but also had COVID at the time.

Roughly 20 years ago, a patient of mine had a difficult delivery. She also had a difficult marriage. Eight months after delivery, I received a subpoena of records because I was being sued by this man and woman. They, really the husband, had claimed that they werent able to have intimate relations with each other after delivery, and somehow, I was at fault.

I reviewed the records and found no problem. Her post-delivery visit was normal as well. The most rewarding aspect of this lawsuit was that six weeks later, I received a notice that the suit was being dropped. I found out that this woman was pregnant, and they were now getting a divorce. A difficult marriage isnt grounds for medical malpractice.

Malpractice is a difficult problem, because there are doctors that make errors and there are just terrible things that happen to people. Sometimes, its difficult to tell one from the other, especially in a litigious culture with billboards and TV commercials promising to make someone else pay for your pain and suffering.

Fear of being sued can affect patient care for the worse, with some doctors practicing defensive medicine, basically overtreating patients as the safer course should something go wrong. This in itself can lead to problems. The threat of lawsuits can also make it harder for physicians to deal with actual problems in the course of treatment. Everyone makes mistakes, but if youre afraid of being sued, it can make it harder to own up to them.

Dr. Atul Gawande of Harvard said it best: I think we are faced in medicine with the reality that we have to be willing to talk about our failures and think hard about them, even despite the malpractice system. I mean, there are things that we can do to make that system better.
Gaige Grosskreutz is seen during Kyle Rittenhouse's trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wis., on Nov. 8, 2021. (Sean Krajacic/Pool via Reuters)

Man Says He Was Pointing Gun at Rittenhouse When Teenager Shot Him

The man who survived a gunshot wound by Kyle Rittenhouse in Wisconsin last year said on Nov. 4 that he was pointing his gun at the teenager when the then-17-year-old shot him.

Gaige Grosskreutz, who was one of three people shot by Rittenhouse during protests against racial injustice in Kenosha and the only survivor, was testifying during Rittenhouses murder trial in Kenosha, where the shootings happened on Aug. 25, 2020.

It wasnt until you pointed your gun at him, advanced on him with your gun  that he fired, right? Corey Chirafisi, part of Rittenhouses defense team, asked Grosskreutz.

Correct, he replied.

Rittenhouse had earlier fired on Joseph Rosenbaum, who witnesses said was acting aggressively and lunged at the teenager in the parking lot of a car dealership. Rosenbaum died from his wounds. After Rittenhouse took off running, he was attacked by Anthony Huber, who swung a skateboard at his head. Rittenhouse also is accused of fatally shooting Huber.

Grosskreutz then moved toward Rittenhouse while holding a gun, video footage showed, and Rittenhouse appeared to shoot him.

Kyle Rittenhouse and lead defense attorney Mark Richards arrive for his trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wis., on Nov. 8, 2021. (Mark Hertzberg/Pool/Getty Images)

Grosskreutz had heard gunshots from several blocks away and sprinted toward the sounds.

He said he thought Rittenhouse was an active shooter, prompting him to act.

But even though he was within arms length of Rittenhouse, he expressed ambivalence about the idea of shooting the teen, claiming that preserving his own life while also taking the life of another is not something that Im capable of or comfortable in doing.

Thomas Binger, a prosecutor, wondered why Grosskreutz hadnt fired first.

Thats not the kind of person that I am. Thats not why I was out there, Grosskreutz said. Its not who I am. And definitely not somebody I would want to become.

Jacob Marshall, a roommate of Grosskreutz, posted on Facebook shortly after the shooting that Grosskreutz conveyed to him that his only regret was not killing the kid and hesitating to pull the gun [sic] before emptying the entire mag into him.

Grosskreutz denied making those comments. Marshall is scheduled to testify on Nov. 10.

Corey Chirafisi, an attorney for Kyle Rittenhouse, cross-examines Gage Groskreutz during Rittenhouses trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wis., on Nov. 8, 2021. (Sean Krajacic/Pool/Getty Images)

Rittenhouse, 18, had been in Kenosha to help defend businesses against rioters and medically assist people in distress. Grosskreutz, 27, who has worked as a paramedic, also went to the city to help with medical situations.

The Milwaukee resident, who was active in so-called social justice protests in the wake of George Floyds death, acknowledged that his concealed carry permit was expired, meaning he couldnt legally carry the .40-caliber handgun he had with him that night.

I believe in the Second Amendment. Im for peoples right to carry and bear arms, he said. And that night was no different than any other day. Its keys, phone, wallet, gun.

Chirafisi pressed the witness on how hed told officers after the shooting that his Glock fell from his belt clip.

You didnt take the Glock out of your back here and run with it? he asked.

I did, Grosskreutz said.

So it didnt fall off your waist; it was in your hand? the lawyer said.

Thats correct, Grosskreutz said.

Grosskreutz said he didnt see his comments to police as a lie and also pushed back when Chirafisi asserted he was chasing Rittenhouse.

Chirafisi noted that Grosskreutz quickly brought a $10 million civil suit against the city and county of Kenosha for allegedly failing to keep the peace during the rioting and that there was no mention of Grosskreutz holding a weapon when he was shot.

You left that part out, right? he said.

Thats correct, Grosskreutz said.

Grosskreutz was struck in his right bicep. He said he still suffers from the wound, including experiencing difficulty lifting some heavy objects.

Correction: A previous version of this article inaccurately stated Grosskreutzs age. He is 27. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
This photo provided by the North Korean regime shows North Korean senior official Pak Jong Chon (L), as he inspects the army's artillery firing competition in an undisclosed location in North Korea, on Nov. 6, 2021. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

North Korea Stages Artillery Firing Drill in Latest Weapons Test

SEOUL, South KoreaNorth Korea has conducted artillery firing exercises to bolster its defense capability, state media reported Sunday, its latest weapons test as Pyongyang continues to pressure Washington and Seoul to abandon what it calls their hostile policy.

An artillery firing competition among mechanized units was held on Saturday, with senior government and military officials present, the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

Leader Kim Jong Un was not mentioned in the report, suggesting he did not observe the training. He supervised a similar artillery firing drill last year.

Since September, North Korea has test-launched a series of newly developed missiles, including nuclear-capable weapons that place U.S. allies South Korea and Japan within striking distance.

The Norths artillery tests draw less outside attention than its missile tests, particularly ballistic weapons launches that are banned by multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions. But its long-range artillery pieces deployed near the border with South Korea pose a serious threat to the Souths populous metropolitan region and other areas, experts say.

U.S.-led talks aimed at ending North Koreas nuclear program collapsed in early 2019 amid bickering over the sanctions. U.S. officials have recently offered a resumption of talks with North Korea without any preconditions. The North said it wont return to the talks unless the United States first abandons what Pyongyang calls its hostile policy, an apparent reference to the sanctions and regular military drills between Washington and Seoul.

By Hyung-Jin Kim
Scott Troogstad stands in front of Engine Company 99 of Chicago Fire Department, on the southwest side of Chicago on Oct. 28, 2021. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Our House is On Fire: Chicago Fire Captain Fights Vaccine Mandate

CHICAGOTo Scott Troogstad, government control over peoples lives has spread like a fire since the pandemic.

Small businesses owners were deprived of livelihood, students could not go to schools, faith believers were forbidden to pray at their churchesand now, that fire has reached his own firehouse.

In October, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered all city workers, including nearly 5,000 Chicago Fire Department (CFD) workers, to report their vaccination status by mid-October and get fully vaccinated by end of December. Failure to comply could mean losing jobs, Lightfoot warned.

Troogstad and his team had worked around the clock to respond to COVID-19 patients throughout pandemic, putting their own lives at risk. Some contracted COVID-19 and beat the virus after days or weeks of headaches and fever. Yet now, they were told they could not serve the city anymore, not until they get the shot.

The gear Scott Troogstad used to serve Chicagoans during the pandemic on Oct.28, 2021. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

That was a last straw that set him off on a bumpy journey of civil disobedience.

Finally, we got to a point where the government encroachments started to affect everybody. We got to the point where people are going to rise up. When I say rise up, I mean nothing more than simply not comply, Troogstad told The Epoch Times.

He did not report his vaccination status, nor did he submit a vaccination exemption requesthe became a member of a fighting minority who will not comply in any way, shape, or form.

By mid-October, roughly three out of ten CFD employees refused to report their vaccination status by the deadline.

Other reasons for noncompliance include unwillingness to disclose medical information, protecting union bargaining rights, confidence in natural immunity, and safety concerns with the vaccination, according to interviews with a few CFD firefighters and a paramedic by The Epoch Times.

If I dont take a stand right now, I couldnt look my children in the eye. Thats the way I feel about itwe are at a point where you have to act to preserve the American freedom for our children, Troogstad said.

His fight came at a personal cost.

He was put on no-pay status, along with a few dozen other CFD employees. To him, that means a monthly paycheck loss of around $8,00o as a fire captain, and a potential loss of his health insurance in the coming weeks.

His wife, who still works, has health issues and relies on monthly medication costing $5,000. He also supports two children, a son in college and a daughter in high school.

Scott Troogstad sits in his fire engine with his newborn son in 2000, shortly after he was assigned to Engine Company 99 of Chicago Fire Department on the southwest side of Chicago. (Courtesy of Scott Troogstad)

My wife, I, and my kids are on the same team. I believe the moment we stand in is bigger than anything for us personally, Troogstad told Epoch Times, almost coming to tears.

It is time for us to start acting like Americans and reclaim our position as the government. I have nothing but faith in God. It will be a bumpy road, but I will be fine, he said.

It is a fire he cannot put out with a fire engine and a hose. It is a fire he can fight with legal tools, he said.

On Oct. 21, a day after he was put on no-pay status, Troogstad filed a federal civil lawsuit along with 113 CFD employees and 21 city workers against the city of Chicago over the vaccine mandate.

The lawsuit alleges the vaccine mandate violates city workers constitutional and fundamental rights and asks the court to render it void and grant monetary remedies. It also challenges Illinois Governor JB Pritzkers statewide vaccine mandate on health care workers and other employees.

It is the type of lawsuit commonly seen across the country, where state and federal judges are asked to reconcile the competing interests of public health and personal freedom during an unprecedented pandemic.

In Troogstads case, federal judge John Lee on Oct. 29 denied the request for a temporary order to halt the citys vaccine mandate, basing his ruling on two legal precedents.

They are a 1905 Supreme Court decision upholding Massachusettss smallpox vaccine mandate, and a recent 7th U.S. Court of Appeals decision upholding Indiana Universitys vaccine mandate.

In the coming weeks, Judge Lee will consider the request for a preliminary order to halt the citys vaccine mandate, after an examination of more evidence and arguments from both parties.

By Nov. 1, hundreds of previously noncompliant CFD employees changed course and complied with the mandate; a few decided to do so after being placed on no-pay status.

Scott Troogstad stands next to fire engine 99 on the southwest side of Chicago on Oct. 28, 2021. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

But Troogstad is staying the course. He tries to keep up his hope about the lawsuit, while at the same time looking around for jobs.

His last CFD bi-weekly paycheck arrived on Nov. 5, and it says $600. His side gig at Northern Illinois Public Safety Training Academy training firefighters helps pay some of the bills.

But he needs to look for a job that comes with health benefits to cover his wifes expensive medication. Any job he could find probably pays half of his fire captain income, he said.

I am very disappointed that my 22-year career dedicated to fire service came to a screeching halt over this. If theres a legal remedy, I would love to go back to the fire department and continue to serve Chicagoans.

If I lose the fight, it will break my heart. But God has and will set me on a path, and Ill continue to follow that path wherever it leads me, Troogstad told The Epoch Times.
A logo of Tencent is seen during the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province, China, on Nov. 23, 2020. (Aly Song/Reuters)

Poor Report Cards Likely at Chinas Big Tech After Regulatory Clampdown

SHANGHAIChinas biggest listed companies Tencent and Alibaba are expected to report a fall in profits and slowing revenue growth in the JulySeptember quarter, hurt by the year-long regulatory clampdown that has upended its tech industry.

Beijing has reasserted control over its once-freewheeling Internet sector, punishing well-known names for engaging in what were previously considered regular market practices and drafting new rules to change how they compete and engage users.

We believe the financial impact of regulatory headwinds in China will be reflected in [third-quarter] earnings and [fourth-quarter] guidance, KGI Asia analysts said in a note last month.

Tencent Holdings Ltd.the countrys largest firm by market value and its first Big Tech name to report earnings on Thursdayis expected to post a 12 percent fall in quarterly profit, its first drop in two years, according to Refinitiv data.

The gaming giants revenue is expected to rise 16.4 percent, the slowest pace since the first quarter of 2019, after the Chinese regime imposed new limits on the amount of time minors can spend playing video games. Chinas gaming regulator also has not approved any new games since August.

During the quarter, the regime also barred Tencent from signing exclusive music deals, citing anti-competitive reasons.

E-commerce powerhouse Alibaba, which became Chinas first regulatory target late last year, is expected to post a 12 percent decline in profit in the quarter. Revenue will likely rise 32 percent, the slowest in a year.

Two quarters ago, Alibaba had posted its first quarterly operating loss since going public in 2014 after it was fined a record $2.8 billion.

Its smaller rival JD.com Inc. is expected to post a 71 percent slump in profit and the slowest revenue growth in six quarters.

Slowing retail sales in China due to COVID-19 lockdowns and recent power shortages will hurt Alibaba and smaller rivals, KGI Asia analysts said.

Big e-commerce companies in China are also facing rising competition from short video apps Kuaishou and ByteDances Douyin, which have growing e-commerce businesses.

Baidu, Chinas biggest search engine operator, is expected to report that quarterly profit plunged 80 percent, hurt by a slump in advertising revenue from tutoring centers that have been barred from offering private, for-profit tutoring on the school curriculum. The Chinese regimes efforts to regulate medical beauty advertisements have also hit advertising.

Still, with a recent slowdown in the pace of new regulatory missives that has stoked market optimism, investors will watch closely for clues on whether the worst is over and executives are likely be quizzed on their expectations on conference calls.

By Brenda Goh
Virgin Atlantic cabin crew staff pose for photos ahead of the departure of Virgin Atlantic flight VS3, at Terminal 3 of London Heathrow Airport, on Nov. 8, 2021. (PA)

Resumption of UKUS Flights Momentous: UK Minister

A British minister hailed the resumption of UKU.S. flights as a momentous move and a massive moment for the aviation sector, after the United States lifted its COVID-19 travel ban and reopened its borders to UK visitors on Monday.

Thousands of British travelers are jetting off to the United States for long-awaited reunions with family and friends as the travel ban was lifted 600 days after it was imposed.

Robert Courts, Britains under-secretary of state for transport, called the resumption of transatlantic flights momentous.

This is a massive moment for the aviation sector, he said at Heathrow Airport.

Its about people fundamentally, its about getting families back together, Courts said. Thats on top of the massive economic benefit that there is from having the United States and Great Britainthese great friends and allies, countries that have so much in commonback in regular contact with each other again.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps earlier called it a significant moment as transatlantic travel has long been at the heart of UK aviation.

In early 2020, the Trump administration announced that the United States would restrict flights from China, much of Europe, the UK, Brazil, and other countries in the nascent phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

In January 2021, Trump issued an order to lift restrictions on travellers from Europe, but the order was reversed by President Joe Biden before it took effect.

The Biden administration announced on Sept. 20 that it would ease the travel restrictions for fully-vaccinated foreign passengers.

In addition to being fully vaccinated, foreign travellers arriving in the United States by air must also provide proof of either a negative COVID-19 test taken no more than three days before travel, or that they have recovered from the virus in the previous three months.

Airlines have ramped up UKU.S. flight schedules to meet the increased demand for travel. A total of 3,688 flights are scheduled to operate between the countries this month, according to travel data firm Cirium.

That is up 21 percent compared with October, but remains 49 percent down on the pre-pandemic levels of November 2019.

Around 3.8 million British nationals visited the United States every year prior to the pandemic, according to the UKs Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

British Airways CEO Sean Doyle said the reopening of the U.S. borders was a moment to celebrate after more than 600 days of separation.

Virgin Atlantic chief Shai Weiss called it a day of celebration for all of us in the aviation industry. He called the transatlantic route one of the most important in the world.

PA contributed to this report.
This photo shows the Bonanza Creek Ranch one day after an incident left one crew member dead and another injured in Santa Fe, N.M. on Oct. 22, 2021. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal via AP)

Rust Crew Member Bitten by Venomous Spider May Need Arm Amputated

A crew member who was part of the wrap team on the production of Western movie Rust may lose his arm after he was bitten by a venomous spider.

Jason Miller, a lamp operator and pipe rigger, was bitten by a brown recluse spider while packing up the set and started to experience severe symptoms within days that included necrosis of his arm and sepsis, according to a GoFundMe fundraiser organized by Millers family.

The incident comes just weeks after the on-set shooting death of Halyna Hutchins, a cinematographer who died after a .45 caliber Colt pistol held by Alec Baldwin was discharged at the Bonanza Creek set in New Mexico.

[Miller] has been hospitalized and endured multiple surgeries each day as doctors do their best to stop the infection and try to save his arm from amputation, his family said.

It will be a very long road to recovery for Jason if the medical team  is able to save his arm, they said. If under worse circumstances he loses his arm, this is a life-changing and devastating event.

Baldwin recently spoke out about the shooting incident, saying Hutchins was my friend and the event was a one in a trillion.

(Left) Halyna Hutchins in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 28, 2019. (Fred Hayes/Getty Images for SAGindie); (Right) Alec Baldwin in East Hampton, N.Y., on Oct. 7, 2021. (Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images for National Geographic)

There are incidental accidents on film sets from time to time, but nothing like this, the actor said. This is a one in a trillion episode. Its a one in a trillion event.

Baldwin also acknowledged that he doubts the production of Rust will ever be completed. No charges have been ruled out in the case so far and the investigation is still ongoing.

Brown Recluse Spider

Brown recluse spider bites can lead to infections, necrosis, and permanent scars. The brown recluse is one of three spiders with medically significant venom and is found in the Midwest and the southern United States.

The Brown Recluse spider, Loxosceles reclusa, one of three venomous spiders to North America (Harold G. Scott/CDC/Public Health Image Library)

The brown recluse belongs to a group of spiders commonly known as violin spiders or fiddlebacks. The characteristic fiddle-shaped pattern is located on the top of the leg attachment region (cephalothorax). Because they are secluded and withdrawn, as their name implies, the brown recluse avoids open spaces, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration agency. Brown recluse spiders are dangerous and they can bite and inject toxic venom.

Theyre golden brown and often have a dark violin/fiddle shape on the leg attachment region. The brown recluse has six eyes instead of eight eyes like most spiders, the agency says. The recluses eyes are arranged in pairs on either side.

The bite can cause a systemic reaction within 24 to 36 hours characterized by restlessness, fever, chills, nausea, weakness and joint pain, the agency adds. Tissue at the site of the bite and the surrounding area dies and eventually sheds.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.

From NTD News
In this file photo, emergency crews work at the scene of an accident, in San Diego on March 15, 2021. (Gregory Bull/AP Photo)

San Diego Kidnapping Suspect in Custody After SWAT Standoff

SAN DIEGOA 45-year-old man was in custody today on suspicion of kidnapping and other charges after a police chase and hours-long standoff in the Chollas Creek neighborhood.

The incident began at 7 a.m. Saturday when officers responded to the 5200 block of Rex Avenue after a 911 caller reported a man with a gun in the alley, according to Lt. Adam Sharki of the San Diego Police Department.

As officers arrived, the suspect was seen leaving the area in a van with a woman passenger, the lieutenant said. The woman yelled for help as they drove past police.

Believing a kidnapping was occurring, officers attempted to stop the vehicle, Sharki said. The driver led police on a lengthy pursuit through Mid-City and southeastern San Diego.

Officers used spike strips to bring the vehicle to a halt at 54th Street and Lea Street. The woman ran from the vehicle and officers took her to safety. Police said the woman was kidnapped by the driver, later identified as Adrian Lamont Brooks.

The driver refused to exit the vehicle for several hours, Sharki said.

The SDPDs Emergency Negotiation Team and SWAT team were called to help de-escalate and resolve the situation. Brooks was taken into custody shortly after noon, and a firearm was recovered during the incident, police said.

Brooks was booked into the San Diego Central Jail at 5 p.m. Saturday on suspicion of two felony charges of kidnapping and committing a felony while under a restraining order. He also faces four misdemeanor charges, including evading a peace officer, false imprisonment, battery and violating a protective order, according to online jail records.

Bail was initially set at $150,000.

Brooks is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Central Division Felony Court.
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) speaks to reporters after a Republican Senate luncheon at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on June 15, 2021. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Senate GOP Campaign Chief Says He Will Help Alaskas Murkowski in Reelection Efforts Against Trump-Endorsed Challenger

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), the chairman of the Senate Republican campaign arm, says that he will support Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) in her reelection efforts, even as former President Donald Trump has endorsed her challenger, Kelly Tshibaka, in the 2022 Alaska Senate race.

Speaking on NBCs Meet the Press on Nov. 7 with host Chuck Todd, Scott said the committee is backing all incumbent senators.

You had said youre going to support all incumbents. And Im just curious, does that include Lisa Murkowski, where the former president has endorsed a primary challenger? Todd asked, before questioning whether this support would come in the form of financing to Murkowski, as well as help in running her campaign against Tshibaka.

Absolutely  We support all of our incumbents, Scott replied. Fortunately for us, weve got great candidates running in our primaries. And fortunately for us, weve got Bernie Sanders candidates on the other side in many primaries, and so were going to be in a great position in 22.

Trump, in a statement published to Save America PAC, announced in June that he was supporting Tshibaka, while branding Murkowski bad for Alaska.

Her vote to confirm Bidens Interior Secretary was a vote to kill long sought for, and approved, ANWR, and Alaska jobs, Trump wrote. Murkowski has got to go! Kelly Tshibaka is the candidate who can beat Murkowskiand she will. Kelly is a fighter who stands for Alaska values and America First. She is MAGA all the way, pro-energy, strong on the Border, tough on Crime and totally supports our Military and our great Vets.

Kelly is a powerful supporter of the Second Amendment and JOBS! I look forward to campaigning in Alaska for Kelly Tshibaka. She has my Complete and Total Endorsement! he added.

In this Sept. 26, 2019, file photo, Kelly Tshibaka, then-Alaska Department of Administration commissioner, addresses reporters in Anchorage, Alaska. (Mark Thiessen/AP)

In a statement to The Hill, Tshibaka, the former commissioner of the Alaska Department of Administration, said she was honored, excited, and grateful to have Trumps support.

To have his strong endorsement is great news for our campaign and even better news for the people of Alaska, because it means we will be getting our Senate seat back from Lisa Murkowski, she said.

Murkowski was one of seven GOP senators to vote to convict the former president earlier this year on a single count of inciting insurrection in connection with the Jan. 6 incident at the U.S. Capitol, when protesters and rioters breached the building, interrupting a joint session of Congress.

Trump had urged his supporters to act peacefully ahead of the protests and condemned the violence in a video posted by the White Houses official Twitter account, noting that those involved in the riot will be brought to justice.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) walks through the Senate subway area during a break in impeachment proceedings, in the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 28, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Murkowski was also the first Republican senator to call for Trumps resignation following the events of Jan. 6, telling the Anchorage Daily News, I want him to resign. I want him out. He has caused enough damage.

So far, Murkowski has outperformed Tshibaka in fundraising, raising $1.1 million between July and September compared to $446,000 raised by Tshibaka, Business Insider reported.

While Trump has been outspoken in condemning Murkowski, the Republican senator, who has served in the upper chamber since 2002, has remained undaunted.

I know that former President Trump is skeptical about me and the job that I do for Alaska, but I really think that thats for Alaskans to judge, Murkowski said during an interview with Alaska Landmine Radio in July.

Alaskans will vote to elect one member to the U.S. Senate in the general election on Nov. 8, 2022.
The Higgins couple (L), with their mother, and the Crimmins couple (R) at Shen Yun Performing Arts in Norfolks' Chrysler Hall in Virginia on Nov. 6, 2021. (Sophia/The Epoch Times)

NORFOLK, VirginiaThe classical Chinese dance and music company, Shen Yun Performing Arts, provided a wonderful opportunity for the Crimmins and Higgins families to come together and share Chinas ancient culture.

Elizabeth Higgins said that the performance had her exceeded expectations after experiencing Shen Yun on Nov. 6 at Norfolks Chrysler Hall.

Shen Yuns dancers and musicians portray Chinas spiritual, moral, and traditional culture, which the ancient Chinese believe was a gift from the divine.

I like the message; that theres something bigger than us. And the beauty  and the colors, that was just life, Patricia Crimmins said. [The message is that there is] hope and that theres meaning to what we do in life.

Patricia is an ex-Marine, and both she and her husband Paul played in the Marine Band for over 20 years. Patricia, who was a master sergeant, played the saxophone and clarinet while Paul played the trumpet.

The music is fantastic! Patricia said. It was phenomenal. [Its] unbelievable what [the erhu player] could do. [She was] very well disciplined.

The erhu, or two-stringed violin, is a traditional Chinese instrument that can convey a wide range of emotions and sounds. The sounds can range from the chirping of birds to the neighing of horses, Shen Yun explains on its website.

That was incredible music, Paul said. I really liked the mixture between the Eastern and Western sounds. It was moving.

Shen Yuns orchestra is unique. It is the first in the world to integrate traditional Eastern instruments and classical Western instruments.

Shen Yun Performing Arts curtain call at Norfolks Chrysler Hall, on Nov. 5, 2021. (Lisa Fan/The Epoch Times)

Both couples were fascinated with Shen Yuns use of its patented animation technology in the performances.

Colors were stunning, Paul said. Then, [the characters] going from the screen to the stage, from the stage to the screen, that is an amazing thing.

Shen Yuns aim is to revive China Before Communism.

I think there needs to be more of it; it needs to be brought back in the way it was brought back tonight, Patricia said. Through the artistry, the music, the dancemore people need to see it.

Elizabeth said she was impressed by the final piece in the program.

[Shen Yun] are not afraid to express the message because theres a lot of people that believe the message, of the divine power. Tonight, it was shared with us, she said.

Husband Bill Higgins was also touched by the story of a Divine Creator. We should all not stifle our light, he said. We need to let His light shine through us and take care of one another.

The Plum Blossom dance drew Patricias attention.

Just the motion, the movement in it, and the motion in it. You know, what they do with the fans? Amazing, she said.

[Shen Yun performers] have a gift, and you can see where their gift came from; the Divine Creator gave them that gift. Theyre apostles, disciples, she explained.

Everyone expressed that they had enjoyed Shen Yun enormously and would be returning to see it again.

[I]ts great to share the culture. [The Shen Yun performers] just did an outstanding jobtheir hard work and their dedication, Elizabeth said.

Reporting by Sophia Zhang 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.
After China tightened the export of urea due to a coal shortage, South Korea went into a deep crisis as the countrys nearly 4 million diesel vehicles cannot operate without urea. (Lisa Bian/The Epoch Times)

South Korea Panics as China Tightens Urea Supply

South Korea is heavily dependent on China for imports of urea, a product derived from coal. In mid-October, China reduced its urea exports due to a coal shortage. South Korea is now in a deep crisis as the countrys nearly 4 million diesel vehicles cannot operate without urea.

Urea is the main component of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), an additive used in diesel vehicles to reduce emissions. In South Korea, DEF is not only mandatory for air quality control purposes, but also essential for the proper operation of diesel vehicles sold after January 2015. Diesel vehicle owners need to fill their DEF reservoirs regularly. Otherwise, the vehicle may encounter an equipment breakdown or a failure in the engine fuel system.

About 4 million diesel vehicles in South Korea need urea to operate, among them 2 million are trucks. That means, the shortage of automotive urea has sent the countrys logistics industry into chaos.

Data from the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) showed that China is the largest urea producer and exporter in the world, supplying about 5 million tons of urea every year. In the first nine months of this year, South Korea imported 564,000 tons of urea from China, accounting for 14 percent of Chinas total urea exports, second only to India.

In those same nine months, 97.6 percent of South Koreas industrial ureathe main raw material for the production of automotive ureacame from China, according to the Korean Ministry of Industry.

In the past, Korean companies also produced urea, but they were at a price disadvantage when competing with products from China and Russia. Almost all urea manufacturers withdrew from the market around 2013. For instance, Korea Fertilizer Co., Ltd. was unable to bear the losses and ceased urea production in 2011.

According to Korean media, Lotte Fine Chemicals, South Koreas largest manufacturer of automotive urea, said that its current inventory will be sold out by the end of this month.

Automotive urea is now trading on the market at a price 10 times higher than before. At the same time, the supply of urea at gas stations has often been interrupted. Some are hoarding the product, hoping to make huge profits in the future.

Incheon Port Authority said that if the shortage continues to the end of this month, cargo handling at Incheon Port will be affected, as many trucks used for loading and unloading goods are diesel-powered vehicles.

Moreover, 80.5 percent of the fire trucks and 90 percent of ambulances across the country need urea to operate.

A man from the National Construction Union of South Korea held a demonstration in front of a government building in Seoul on Nov. 4, complaining that dump trucks and concrete trucks stopped operation due to the shortage of urea. The demonstrator demanded that the government be held accountable for the soaring prices of automotive urea, and provide relief plans for workers operating heavy machinery.

Other than restricting hoarding, the government has not yet come up with any effective plans to resolve the crisis.

Over-Reliance on China Is A Big Problem

Because of the unexpected urea shortage and its serious impact, the South Korean governments policy toward the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been criticized.

The Seoul Economic Daily pointed out in an editorial that the chaos of the urea shortage is a man-made disaster caused by over-reliance on China.

It is sad that only South Korea has been severely hit by the automotive urea turmoil, the article said, It can be seen that over-reliance on China is a big problem  South Korea suffered economic retaliation [from China] after the THAAD incident, but failed to reduce its dependence on China. It has been continuing the tightrope policy of depending on the United States for national security and depending on China for economy.

The author also criticized the governments slow response, when the CCP banned coal imports from Australia a year ago and restricted urea exports 20 days ago.

The most important thing is to reduce the degree of dependence on China. If we continue our unrequited love with China after being hit every time, we will not be able to avoid economic and security crises, the editorial warned.

Yoon Seok-youl, presidential candidate for the main opposition People Power Party and former prosecutor general, wrote on his Facebook post: While China restricted urea exports as early as Oct. 15, relevant department meetings were held on the 2nd of this month. What has the government been doing during this time?

He stressed that if elected, he will take control over the rare resources and raw materials that are highly dependent on certain countries, and formulate long- and short-term supply and demand countermeasures.
A ferry traverses Howe Sound from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale, B.C., in a file photo. Environment Canada has warned that strong winds are expected in Howe Sound, Metro Vancouver, and inland Vancouver Island on Nov. 8 and 9, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck)

Strong Winds to Hit Metro Vancouver Following Weekend Waterspout

Environment Canada warns of strong winds hitting Metro Vancouver, Howe Sound, and Inland Vancouver Island on Nov. 8 and Nov. 9, following storms over the weekend.

In the Metro Vancouver region, a rapidly deepening weather system will generate strong southeast winds starting the night of Nov. 8, with southeast winds peaking up to 50 km/h, gusting to 70 during the overnight hours, Environment Canada said in a statement.

Winds of 40 km/h gusting to 60 will turn southwest in the morning of Nov. 9 and will continue throughout the day, and will also impact Howe Sound and inland Vancouver Island.

A separate notice from Environment Canada also warns of strong winds from an intense Pacific front that will arrive along the B.C. coast on the afternoon of Nov. 8, affecting communities along the Strait of Georgia and Haro Strait, including Greater Victoria, Southern Gulf Islands, East Vancouver Island, and the Sunshine Coast.

The storm will spread strong southeast winds of 70 km/h gusting to 90 in the evening. The winds will turn southwest and ease the next morning.

Damage to buildings, such as to roof shingles and windows, may occur. High winds may toss loose objects or cause tree branches to break. Avoid wooded areas to prevent injury from falling trees or branches. Campers should move to sturdy shelters, Environment Canada said.

Extreme weather occurred over the weekend in Vancouver, with a waterspout sighted near the Vancouver International Airport on the evening of Nov. 6, which later pushed its way toward West Vancouver and Howe Sound, prompting Environment Canada to issue a rare tornado watch for the areas that evening.

The weekend storm also caused damage to the University of British Columbia campus, leading the regional transit authority to reroute several bus routes on the universitys campus.

Due to fallen trees from yesterdays windstorm, University Boulevard from Blanca Street to Wesbrook Mall is closed to all traffic, TransLink said in the Nov. 7 statement, adding they are waiting for the Vancouver municipality to clear a large number of fallen trees.

TransLink said it was told that the cleanup could take several days to complete.
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen in Washington on Oct. 4, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Supreme Court Considers State-Secrets Privilege in Muslims Surveillance Lawsuit Against FBI

An appeals court was wrong to revive a stalled lawsuit against the FBI that was based on a claim that the agency discriminated against Muslims by targeting them in a counterterrorism investigation, the Biden administration told the Supreme Court on Nov. 8.

The hearing in FBI v. Fazaga, court file 20-828, ran 47 minutes over the allotted 80.

Former imam Yassir Fazaga and two other Muslim men from California sued the FBI and several individual agents, claiming the agency targeted Muslims for surveillance because of their religion as part of a program called Operation Flex. In the investigation, former FBI informant Craig Monteilh, who posed as a Muslim convert, recorded conversations with Muslims.

At the urging of the FBI, the federal district court threw out the Muslims First Amendment-based free exercise and religious discrimination claims, citing the state-secrets evidentiary privilege, a doctrine recognized in U.S. v. Reynolds (1953) that allows the government to withhold sensitive evidence in a case if disclosing it would imperil national security.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit reversed, holding that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978 establishes proceduressuch as allowing the court to conduct a closed-door review of the lawfulness of the surveillancefor people to try to suppress FISA evidence that will be introduced against them. The FBI and several individual FBI agents appealed to the Supreme Court, which agreed on June 7 to hear the case.

The FBI argued in its petition to the Supreme Court that the appeals court decision endangers national security. In the petition, it asked the high court to decide: Whether Section 1806(f) displaces the state-secrets privilege and authorizes a district court to resolve, in camera and ex parte, the merits of a lawsuit challenging the lawfulness of government surveillance by considering the privileged evidence.

The legal term in camera refers to a hearing conducted in private before a judge; an ex parte decision is one made by a judge without requiring all of the parties to the dispute to be in attendance.

Three FBI agentsPaul Allen, Kevin Armstrong, and Pat Roseargued in a brief that allowing the federal district court to resolve their claims in secret would violate their Seventh Amendment right to have the claims decided by a jury. In its adventurous construction, the 9th Circuit overreached, purporting to find buried in a single paragraph of FISAa radical congressional mandate to do away with jury trials in civil rights cases that touch on state-secrets evidence.

Two FBI supervisors, J. Stephen Tidwell and Barbara Walls, argued in their brief that the 9th Circuits approach raises grave constitutional questions and ignores their right to be heard in their own defense and their right to a jury determination of factual disputes material to their liability. Had the FBI not invoked the state-secrets privilege, the supervisors say they would have defended themselves by asserting they had legitimate reasons for the investigation.

In oral arguments before the Supreme Court, Deputy Solicitor General Edwin Kneedler said the privilege is firmly grounded in the Constitution and the common law and is critical to safeguarding the national security.

The 9th Circuit adopted a novel interpretation of FISA requiring the district court to adjudicate the merits of plaintiffs challenge using the very information that is covered by the privilege.

Justice Stephen Breyer said dismissing Fazagas claims without allowing the district court judge to review the evidence would be imprudent.

My point is there should be a way to look at the information  and decide what to do, Breyer said.

Representing individual FBI agents, attorney Catherine Mary Agnes Carroll said the governments assertion of the state-secrets privilege deprives the individual defendants of a valid defense.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor suggested to the attorney for Fazaga, Ahilan T. Arulanantham, that the Supreme Court could send the case back for the court below to decide how state secrets interact with a motion to dismiss.

Citing similar remarks by Justices Elena Kagan and Breyer at the hearing, Justice Brett Kavanaugh also said the case could be remanded to the 9th Circuit for the various issues to be fleshed out.

Justice Samuel Alito asked Arulanantham if, during an ex parte in camera review of the information the government claims is sensitive and therefore covered by the state-secrets privilege, the judge says this was illegal because it was based on religion.

Does that end the case for Carrolls clients? Alito asked. Isnt that a violation of  their due process rights?

The lawyer refused to take a position. We have deliberately not said in our briefing whether we think thats true or not.

Alito responded: Thats the Star Chamber. I mean, a judge in camera ex parte  not only without the participantsthe presence of the defendants, without the presence of their attorneys, determines that they violated  the plaintiffs First Amendment rights.

In English history, the monarch-directed Court of Star Chamber, which was abolished in 1641, was infamous for its arbitrariness and imposition of cruel punishments. In American law, the term is shorthand for the arbitrary use of judicial power.
Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy speaks during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House on July 15, 2021. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Surgeon General Doesnt Rule Out Extending Vaccine Mandate to Small Businesses

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy says the Biden administration hasnt ruled out extending the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private businesses to employers with fewer than 100 workers.

On Nov. 4, the Department of Labor published its emergency temporary standard rule stipulating that businesses with 100 or more workers mandate vaccinations or weekly COVID-19 testing as well as mask-wearing for those who arent vaccinated. Fines could reach tens of thousands of dollars per violation.

When asked during a Nov. 7 ABC News interview about whether that policy, which is slated to go into effect on Jan. 4, would be extended to smaller businesses, Murthy said that certainly nothing is off the table. However, he said the focus right now is implementing the current rule.

Just hours after the administration published its rule, lawsuits began to pile up. More than two dozen states have sued or have joined lawsuits against the White Houses mandate, while a number of private businesses, individuals, and organizations have also taken legal action.

The states have argued that the mandate runs afoul of the Constitution and that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the agency which is to enforce the rule, lacks the authority to do so.

On Nov. 6, a U.S. appeals court temporarily blocked the vaccine mandate, although White House officials said over the weekend that they would defend it in court.

Because the petitions give cause to believe there are grave statutory and constitutional issues with the mandate, the mandate is hereby STAYED pending further action by this court, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit wrote in a brief ruling.

White House chief of staff Ron Klain, a key confidant of President Joe Biden, told NBC News Meet the Press on Nov. 7 that he believes the administration will prevail in enforcing the private business mandate, which would potentially affect tens of millions of private-sector employees.

Im quite confident that when this finally gets fully adjudicated, not just a temporary order, the validity of this requirement will be upheld. Its common sense, Chuck, if OSHA can tell people to wear a hard hat on the job, to be careful around chemicals, it can put in place these simple measures to keep our workers safe, Klain said.

Also on Nov. 4, the Biden administration extended the deadline for federal contractors and most health care facilities to mandate COVID-19 vaccines until Jan. 4. Federal contractors and health care workers employed at Medicare- or Medicaid-funded workplaces dont have the option to submit to weekly testing but can apply for religious or medical exemptions.
Raindrops are seen next to the Tesla logo on the bonnet of a Tesla electric car in Berlin's Kreuzberg district on March 15, 2021. (David Gannon/AFP via Getty Images)

Tesla Shares Fall After Twitter Users Vote for Musk to Sell Stock

Tesla Inc. shares fell 7.5 percent in premarket trading on Monday as investors prepared for its chief Elon Musks proposed sale of about a tenth of his holdings in the electric-car maker following his Twitter poll.

Musk, Teslas chief executive officer and the worlds richest person, tweeted on Saturday that he would offload 10 percent of his stock if users of the social media network approved the proposal.

The electric-vehicle makers shares were down 6.2 percent at $1,146.43. Shares listed in Frankfurt were down about 7 percent at 989.10 euros.

The Twitter poll asking Musks followers if he should sell stock garnered more than 3.5 million votes, and 57.9 percent of the people voted Yes.

Musk had previously said he would have to exercise a large number of stock options in the next three months, which would create a big tax bill. Selling some of his stock could free up funds to pay the taxes.

I was prepared to accept either outcome, Musk said, after the voting ended. Market participants expected speculators would try to front-run his selling.

As of June 30, Musks shareholding in Tesla came to about 170.5 million shares and selling 10 percent would amount to close to $21 billion based on Fridays close, according to Reuters calculations.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk attends the Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory groundbreaking ceremony in Shanghai, China on Jan. 7, 2019. (Aly Song/Reuters)

Including stock options, Musk owns a 23 percent stake in Tesla, the worlds most valuable car company.

In the three months to Nov. 4, company insiders at Tesla sold $259.62 million worth of shares, excluding dispositions of indirectly held shares, according to Refinitiv Eikon data.

Musks straw poll follows a proposal by U.S. Senate Democrats to tax billionaires stocks and other tradeable assets to help finance President Joe Bidens social spending agenda and fill a loophole that has allowed them to defer capital gains taxes indefinitely.

The last thing you do when offloading a massive exposure is to reveal your hand, said Chris Weston, head of research at broker Pepperstone in Melbourne.

The buyers tend to step away when you have an overhang like this, but this is no ordinary story and is Musks way of getting back at the proposal to tax the elite with gains on unrealized profits.

Tesla breached a trillion dollars in market capitalization last month, becoming the fifth U.S. company to join a club which includes Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet.

The dip isnt going to last too long, because Tesla has had such a phenomenal record of bouncing back from these sort of sell-offs, said David Madden, markets analyst at Equiti Capital in London.

Investors will also be watching for any response from regulators to Musks Twitter poll. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had ordered Tesla to vet any material public communications Musk made regarding the EV maker, following his 2018 tweet that he had funding secured to possibly take Tesla private in a $72 billion transaction.
China's DF-41 nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles are seen during a military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Oct. 1, 2019. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

The Effect of Chinas Increase in Nuclear Warheads on India

News Analysis

NEW DELHIThe Chinese regimes strategic competition with the United States and the strengthening of its strategic nuclear arsenal will have a direct impact on India, which has been contending with heightened border tensions with China since the bloody Galwan conflict in 2020.

The Pentagons annual report to Congress, released on Nov. 3, states that China will have 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030.

The PRC [Peoples Republic of China] is investing in, and expanding, the number of its land-, sea-, and air-based nuclear delivery platforms and constructing the infrastructure necessary to support this major expansion of its nuclear forces, the Department of Defense stated in its report, Military and Security Development Involving the Peoples Republic of China. (pdf)

Experts told The Epoch Times that this is the age of a new cold war, and that with the involvement of Chinas strategic nuclear arsenal, the meaning of nuclear deterrence has changed. Despite the PRCs advances, however, China wont get involved in any military conflict with India to resolve its border issues until and unless it captures Taiwan, because it fears a war on two fronts, with intervention from the United States and the West.

Three U.S.-made AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters take part in the annual Han Kuang military drills in Taichung, Taiwan, on July 16, 2020. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)

New Cold War

The Chinese buildup comes at a time when the United States is denuclearizing and reducing its nuclear warhead total every year. Today, the United States has 3,750 nuclear operational warheads while the country had 3,805 in 2020. More than 2,000 extra in stock is under the process of disarmament.

However, currently, China, Russia, and Pakistan have been increasing or improving their nuclear weapons, Satoru Nagao, a fellow at the Washington-based Hudson Institute, told The Epoch Times. Both China and Russia are developing new missiles. As a result, the UK is preparing to increase the number. Theres a possibility that France will increase.

The number of nuclear warheads with the United States has implications for countries including Japan and NATO member states, which rely on the U.S. nuclear arsenal as a source of extended deterrence, Nagao pointed out.

Extended deterrence means nuclear umbrella. When China or Russia  attack Japan by using nuclear weapons, the U.S. will retaliate by using nuclear weapons. This is a nuclear umbrella. But if the U.S. reduces the number of nuclear weapons, how many nuclear weapons will the U.S. share with Japan? Indeed, for India, this is also a problem, he said.

If China continues to increase its nuclear weapons stockpile, it could just as likely use them against India as the United States. In such a situation, India would need to correspondingly increase its nuclear weapons to deter China. Pakistan, an ally to China, is also increasing its nuclear arsenal, a very serious development for India, according to Nagao.

The world was reducing its nuclear weapons, but the current situation indicates that the world will increase their nuclear weapons from now. This is the age of the new cold war, he said.

Military vehicles, carrying DF-17, roll down the street as members of a Chinese military honor guard march during the parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of communist China in Beijing on Oct. 1, 2019. Chinas military has shown off a new hypersonic ballistic nuclear missile believed to be capable of breaching all existing anti-missile shields deployed by the United States and its allies. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Small War Arenas

Nagao said we can draw some parallels between the new cold war and the old U.S.Soviet Cold War.

Both U.S. and Soviets competed on their nuclear weapons. But under the competition, there was no big war between the U.S. and Soviets. Instead of such a big war, they fought by using covert operations such as limited war like the Korean war, Proxy war, civil war, spy war, he said, noting that the IndiaChina border could serve as the site of such small wars in the new cold war between the United States and China.

Therefore if China increases its nuclear weapons, the new cold war will appear more clearly. Indeed this was expected. Many experts believe that the new nuclear weapons race will begin this year.

Nagao said North Korea is also testing and increasing the number of its nuclear weapons, and theres a possibility that North Korea will cooperate with Pakistan.

Srikanth Kondapalli, a professor of Chinese studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, told The Epoch Times that, from a nuclear perspective, India isnt a major challenge for China. On the contrary, Beijing has successfully created a nuclear balance with India through Pakistan.

Chinas nuclear buildup is aimed at deterring the U.S., not India. China wants to deter the U.S. due to the ratcheting up of differences on Taiwan, South China Sea, Senkaku islands, and on global and regional orders, Kondapalli said, noting that due to its nonproliferation policies, the United States has been unable to balance China.

Otherwise, it would have allowed South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan to go nuclear.

An Indian army convoy carrying reinforcements and supplies drives toward Leh, India, on a highway bordering China on Sept. 2, 2020, in Gagangir, India. (Yawar Nazir/Getty Images)

Chinas Dilemma

Abhishek Darbey, a research associate at the New Delhi-based Centre for China Analysis and Strategy, told The Epoch Times that by increasing its nuclear arsenal, China may push Taiwan to negotiate on its terms, although its unlikely to launch an unprovoked nuclear war.

China has too many strategic opponents, and it also doesnt occupy an absolute advantage on the SinoIndian border, he said.

It is difficult to reconcile the contradictions between China and India, just as it was difficult to reconcile the contradictions between China and [the] Soviet Union before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Due to the dilemma of two fronts of warfare, China doesnt occupy an absolute advantage on the SinoIndian border, Darbey said.

The Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), Chinas military force, has 13 group armies. The Chinese may be able to mobilize five group armies if a large-scale war breaks out with India, whereas India can mobilize as many as 10 armies to contend with the PLA, Darbey said. China fears Western intervention during a SinoIndia conflict, and it also fears the United States encouraging Taiwans independence.

A protracted war will do great harm to China. In a protracted war, countries such as the U.S., Russia, and Japan will benefit the most. The U.S. and Russia will sell weapons to India on a large scale. It is difficult for China to achieve strategic goals, he said.

China would need to use 70 percent of its military power against the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan in such a situation, according to Darbey.

If China starts a war against India, once it becomes a protracted war, the U.S. and the West will inevitably intervene. At that time, wars may occur in Taiwan, [the] Korean Peninsula, and the South China Sea. The PLA Armies will fall into two-front wars. Due to these current disadvantages, it is difficult for China to achieve strategic goals, he said.

To avoid a two-front war, China must regain Taiwan before it can resolve its border issues with India, Darbey said. However, given the PLAs rapid upgrade, it may narrow the gap with the U.S. Navy enough to be in striking distance of its goals in the next decade.

Within 10 years, the PLA will have a high probability of being able to compete with the U.S. Pacific Fleet in the coastal areas of East Asia, he said.

China is only waiting for the time when the U.S. gets into the quagmire of wars in the Middle East or fight with Russia, it is then only [that] China can decisively regain Taiwan.
Remember that family, happy recollections, and sharing the best in our lives is far more important than a wine that got 98 points. (Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock)

The Myth of the Perfect Thanksgiving Wine

Almost any wine, red, white, rose, or even sparkling, will be fine with all the myriad flavors extant on the traditional Thanksgiving tablebut theres one huge proviso: as long as you dont expect the wine to work with the food.

Thats because no single wine will.

For decades, Ive written columns on what wine goes with turkey, even though I know no single wine could ever fit that event.

The one huge fallacy in such wine columns: Great Thanksgiving dinner tables will have so many different flavors and tastes, savories and sweets, that six or eight wines would work well with such panoply.

But for various reasons, the myth thats perpetuated is that there is one wine, perhaps two, that work best with the traditional Thanksgiving dinners. Such columns usually go on to offer suggestions.

The problem is obvious: What counts most at family gatherings are people. Sure, its better when the food and wine are delectable, but the traditional family gathering around a dinner table doesnt need a discussion of the quality of vintages in the Pfalz.

In fact, wine may not be appropriate for many diners. Some folks may want a beer, others cola, iced tea, or Cherry Kjafa and soda water.

Diverse groups may also include people who like wine, but only white zinfandel. And someone might say he must have a Grand Cru burgundy or another wholl argue that only one wine goes with Thanksgiving dinnera Nouveau Beaujolais.

This year, the 2021s will be released on Nov. 18.

If the dinner table at Thanksgiving had only a traditional roasted turkey with sage, a light, elegant, herbal/cherry-scented cabernet might be nice. But almost no one makes such a wine these days. Almost all are heavy, rich, dense, weighty monsters, laden with oak.

Moreover, assume that the stuffing has raisins, chestnuts, and another sort of dried fruit. Then the cabernet will taste odd. Cabernet works best with savory, not sweet things. For that, perhaps an off-dry riesling would be best. But then we come to candied yams (marshmallows?), creamed corn, carrots with orange marmalade, cranberry sauce.

So, we need at least three winesdry, off-dry, and sweet. And perhaps the dry wines should include one white, one pink, and one red. Now were up to six.

If we try to focus on dry wines because the mashed potatoes and gravy, the stuffing, and the turkey are the main features, then look seriously at cru beaujolais.

This isnt the frivolous nouveau. Wines from the 2020 vintage that were released in spring are less than $20. Of the 10 Cru regions, those that make the richest wines are Moulin-a-Vent, Fleurie, and Morgon; more elegant are Regnie, Chiroubles, and St.-Amour. This is one red wine that may be served slightly chilled.

Other choices for adventuresome diners:

New Zealand sauvignon blanc, notably for those meals where there is a lot of greenery, such as salads, artichokes, avocados, cilantro, and even a vegetarian main dish.

Grenache, especially one from Australia where the flavors of the wine emulate cranberry and plum.

Lemberger from Washington state.

Barbera from Italy.

Whatever you choose, remember that family, happy recollections, and sharing the best in our lives is far more important than a wine that got 98 points.

Wine of the Week

NV Barefoot Bubbly Brut Rose, California ($10): Nothing says festive better than bubbles, and this reasonably priced sparkler often can be found at about $8 and at that price is an excellent value. The flavors are of strawberry and cherry, and the wine isnt completely dry, but good acidity allows it to work not only for toasting, but with the food as well.
A "Welcome Back to School" banner hangs on the fence as students in years 2 to 11 return to school at Fairvale High School in Sydney, Australia, Oct. 25, 2021. (AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi)

Up to 2,800 Teachers in Australian State Suspended Over Vaccination Status

The state of New South Wales (NSW) has lost up to 2,800 teachers who have not been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and refuse to book an appointment to get jabbed.

The news of the staff loss comes as the deadline for mandatory vaccinations for all teaching and non-teaching staff in NSW schools came on Monday.

An NSW Department of Education spokesman told The Epoch Times on Nov. 9 that 97.8 percent of the departments staff were fully vaccinated.

Around 2,800 teachers have not attested their vaccination status, the spokesman said. Not being attested does not mean staff are not vaccinated, they may be absent due to illness, long service, parental leave or other reasons

In a parliamentary hearing last week, the NSW Department of Educations chief people officer Yvette Cachia said 4,900 teachers in schools had yet to submit their vaccination status as of Nov. 1, while 74,000 teachers indicated that they were fully vaccinated.

Those who are not vaccinated have been told they will be given the opportunity to book a vaccination appointment immediately, but if they decide against it, their contract will be terminated.

We have 97 percent compliance for full vaccination as of Nov. 1, Cachia said on Nov. 2 (pdf).

About 4,900 have unattested as yet, but again I do not think that is surprising. Many will likely do so in the coming days.

For non-teaching staff, around 95 to 97 percent have been fully vaccinated, including administration, short-term temporary staff, and corporate staff.

One Nation MP Mark Latham, who chaired the hearing, asked why the department was not using rapid antigen tests for unvaccinated teachers instead of standing them down.

NSW education minister Sarah Mitchell answered, saying antigen testing was not a replacement for vaccination, especially in the primary school setting where children are not vaccinated.

It is the best way we can protect our students and staff, Mitchell said. The rapid antigen testing certainly plays a role  but it is not a replacement for vaccination.

Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell talks to the media at a press conference on May 11, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

The news of the loss comes as NSW is facing a teacher shortage.

In April, a report found that the state needed to hire at least an additional 11,000 teachers over the next decade to meet growing demand, not including existing shortages.

The Independent Education Union (IEU) said in October that a solution to teacher shortages was required immediately.

Teacher shortages have only intensified as the year has gone on, IEU NSW acting secretary Carol Matthews said. And its not just in mathematics and science subjects, but across the curriculum. Nor is it confined to the regionsthe metro dioceses are also feeling the pinch.

When schools on Sydneys north shore struggle to secure staff, you know youve got a problem.
Time to Stop the Defund Police Talk

Commentary

The voters have spoken. So now can we finally bury the insidiously foolish demand to defund the police?

And while were at it, can we also agree to ignore the Marxist-inspired message that started with the Black Lives Matter movement calling for outright abolishment of not only the police but jails, prisons, parole, and the court system as well?

Stick a fork in these ideas. They are done.

No place was the American publics disdain for these philosophies more starkly demonstrated than in Minneapolis, ground zero of nationwide anti-police protests following the horrific May 2020 murder of George Floyd. Voters in that city roundly rejected a proposition that would have done away with the police department and replaced it with a nebulous-sounding Department of Public Safety.

Its worth noting that the defeat of that proposition came at a time when violent crimes have been on the rise in Minneapolis. And, by the way, the pro-police mayor, Jacob Frey, won reelection.

Voters in other parts of the country also expressed disapproval for liberal or overtly progressive candidates who embraced the idea of defunding law enforcement.

In Seattle, the new mayor is Bruce Harrell. As president of the city council, he refused to go along with the panels efforts to cut the police budget in half. Harrell, the citys first Asian American mayor, appealed to citizens disgusted with the citys rampant homeless problem. Seattle voters also elected a new city attorney, a rare Republican, Ann Davison, who stood in stark contrast to her abolitionist opponent who praised last years street protesters as heroes after they set fires and detonated an explosive inside a police precinct.

In Virginia, Democratic former Gov. Terry McAuliffe said he was proud to be endorsed by a group that supports defunding the police, abolishing prisons, and dismantling ICE: the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency. That likely lost him votes, especially as Virginias murder rate now stands at an all-time high. But the fatal blows to McAuliffes reelection bid came after he repeatedly tried to tie his opponent to former President Donald Trump and then sided with the teachers union over parents angry about the controversial race-based teaching atmosphere in Virginias public schools.

The so-called critical race theory curriculum also dominated the discourse in a school district race in Southlake, Texas. The dispute made national news after parents complained that students were being taught racially divisive lessons. Andrew Yeager, the conservative candidate, won that race. Also in Texas, Republican John Lujan beat out his Democratic opponent for a U.S. House seat and credited the current political environment.

Theres a big movement, I think, for conservatism, he said, because people are seeing whats going on from a national level all the way down to our borders and to the jobs and the hardships, gas pricesall these things are big in our community.

Its no surprise that New York City voters elected a Democratic mayor, Eric Adams. In that liberal stronghold, Adams often spoke of police misconduct but didnt surrender to the defund the police movement. Adams is a retired NYPD captain and a passionate supporter of law enforcement who vows to rein in gang violence.

New Jerseys proudly progressive Democratic governor, Phil Murphy, survived reelection in a surprisingly close nail-biter. During the campaign, he was called out for breaking his own COVID-19 isolation order, which limited the size of public gatherings, to march in Black Lives Matter protests. But Murphy never took a definitive stance on defunding police. Perhaps that accounted for his razor-thin win.

These results shouldnt be seen as the death of police and justice system reforms. Those will certainly go forward. But the election does underscore that most voters dont support ill-conceived, knee-jerk solutions to public safety problems, and they dont vote for politicians that embrace them. Many are minority voters who live in crime-infested areas and realize their neighborhoods would become even more dangerous without the presence of police.

Nationwide voting trends indicate that after our long and often crushing COVID-19 isolation period, Americans are now more focused on family issues such as education and race relations. They are, in large measure, in a decidedly law-and-order mood and they care more about the future than the political past. Future candidates take note.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk walks next to a screen showing an image of Tesla Model 3 car during an opening ceremony for Tesla China-made Model Y program in Shanghai, China, on Jan. 7, 2020. (Aly Song/Reuters)

Twitter Users Say Yes to Musks Proposal to Sell 10 Percent of His Tesla Stock

Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk should sell about 10 percent of his Tesla stock, according to 57.9 percent of people who voted on his Twitter poll asking users of the social media network whether he should offload the stake.

I was prepared to accept either outcome, Musk said, after the voting ended.

The worlds richest person wrote on Twitter on Saturday that he would offload 10 percent of his stock if users approved the proposal.

Musk has previously said he would have to exercise a large number of stock options in the next three months, which would create a big tax bill. Selling some of his stock could free up funds to pay the taxes.

As of June 30, Musks shareholding in Tesla came to about 170.5 million shares and selling 10 percent would amount to close to $21 billion based on Fridays closing, according to Reuters calculations.

The poll garnered more than 3.5 million votes.

Much is made lately of unrealized gains being a means of tax avoidance, so I propose selling 10 percent of my Tesla stock, Musk said on Saturday, adding that he does not take cash salary or bonus from anywhere, and only has stock.

Senate Democrats have unveiled a proposal to tax billionaires stocks and other tradeable assets to help finance President Joe Bidens social spending agenda and fill a loophole that has allowed them to defer capital gains taxes indefinitely.

Musk has criticized the proposal saying, Eventually, they run out of other peoples money and then they come for you.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, who floated the tax proposal, said on Saturday: Whether or not the worlds wealthiest man pays any taxes at all shouldnt depend on the results of a Twitter poll.

Its time for the Billionaires Income Tax.

Including stock options, Musk owns a 23 percent stake in Tesla, the worlds most valuable car company whose market value recently exceeded $1 trillion. He also owns other valuable companies including SpaceX.

His brother Kimbal Musk on Friday sold 88,500 Tesla shares, becoming the latest board member to offload a large number of Tesla stocks which hit record highs.

A week ago, Musk said on Twitter that he would sell $6 billion in Tesla stock and donate it to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), provided the organization disclosed more information about how it spent its money.

Tesla bull Gary Black, portfolio manager at The Future Fund, said that Musks potential stock sale would lead to 12 days of modest selling pressure, but said there would be solid institutional demand to snap up the shares at a discount.

Taxes on Stock Option Exercise

Musk has said he does not want to borrow against stock to pay taxes because stock value could go down.

He has an option to buy 22.86 million shares at $6.24 each, which expires on Aug. 13 next year, according to a Tesla filing. The option exercise could lead to gains of roughly $28 billion based on Teslas Friday closing price of $1,222.09.

In September, Musk said he is likely to pay taxes of over half the gains he would make from exercising options. Last year, he said he has been relocated from California to Texas which should lead to a cut to the total tax bill because Texas has no income tax, experts say.

(It) seems crazy to borrow that much to pay taxes, so I have to assume hed need to liquidate a substantial amount of the shares purchased from the option exercise to pay taxes, said Bryan Springmeyer, an attorney at San Francisco-based law firm Springmeyer Law.

By Aishwarya Nair and Hyunjoo Jin
Former prosecutor general Yoon Seok-youl from South Korea's main opposition People Power Party waves after being chosen as the party's candidate in next year's presidential election in Seoul, on Nov. 5, 2021. (Kim Hong-Ji/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Two Strongest Rivals to Battle in South Korean Presidential Election, Nearly 60 Percent of Public Supports a Regime Change

With only four months left before the presidential election in South Korea, the People Power Party, the largest opposition party in Korea, recently elected Yoon Seok-youl as the presidential candidate, forming a two-way contest with the ruling partys candidate Lee Jae-myung. Meanwhile, a Korean poll shows that nearly 60 percent of the public support a change of government.

At the Nov. 5 conference of the People Power Party, Yoon, former chief prosecutor, received 47.85 percent of the votes, defeating three other contenders. Yoon said in his election speech: This presidential election is not an ordinary one, it is an election for the survival of the country  I will bring about a change in power and end the politics of division and anger, corruption, and plunder, reported Chosun Media in South Korea.

Yoon, born in 1960, resigned from his position as prosecutor general in March, then entered politics as a newcomer and within eight months was elected as the presidential candidate of Koreas largest opposition party.

A poll conducted by People Networks Research on Nov. 7 showed that Yoons support rate was 45.8 percent, Lees 30.3 percent.

Another two candidates: Ahn Cheol-soo of the Peoples Party, has 4.7 percent of the support rate; and Sim Sang-jung of the Justice Party, has 3.2 percent of the rating.

Diplomacy With US and China

In the face of an overall confrontation between the United States and China, the two strongest candidates hold different views on designing diplomacy.

Yoon said in his election speech that he would join the global alliance through the South Korean-U.S. comprehensive strategic alliance. He would strengthen cooperation between countries that share democratic values with South Korea.

South Korea-China relations would be repositioned based on the principles of mutual respect, political and economic separation, and common interests, according to Yoon.

Regarding the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD), which includes the United States, Japan, Australia, and India, Yoon said that the country would participate as a formal member after establishing the South Korea-U.S. defense working group.

The QSD is considered to be an agreement to curb Chinese communist influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

While Lee likely seeks a balance between the United States and China, he said that there is no reason to reduce activities with either one of the two big countries, so he will frame capable diplomacy that allows the United States and China to choose to cooperate with Korea.

Lee proposed to conduct practical diplomacy centered on national interests, emphasizing that South Korea has the ability to cooperate with the U.S. and China in multiple fields at the same time.

North Korean Problems

On resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, Yoon said he would set out a predictable policy to restore normal relations with North Korea, which has degenerated into a master-slave relationship.

Yoon stressed the need to deter North Korea from increasing its nuclear missile capabilities by strengthening the South Korean-U.S. deterrent force. He will initiate economic support and cooperation with North Korea in accordance with the substantial progress of its denuclearization and promote the North-South joint economic development plan after North Korea denuclearizes.

Lees policies are, to some extent, in line with the current government, he said, we will continue the policy of the Moon Jae-in administration.

We will impose conditional relaxation of sanctions and phased actions. The reprieve of the sanctions on North Korea will be a countermeasure to North Korea, but if North Korea does not fulfill the agreement, sanctions will be reinstated. Lee added.

As for South Korea-Japan relations, both candidates said that they would stand up dignifiedly on historical and territorial issues and then build a future-oriented relationship with Japan.

According to a poll released by Gallup Korea on Nov. 5, the People Power Party tops the list with 38 percent support, a record high since April 2016, the ruling Democratic Party is second with 30 percent, while 23 percent of respondents are non-partisan.

In addition, 57 percent of the respondents supported the opposition partys candidate to be elected as the next president, while 33 percent supported the current ruling partys candidate to take over the regime.
Cars line up at a checkpoint after crossing the Peace Bridge into the United States from Canada in Buffalo, N.Y., on Nov. 8, 2021. (Joshua Bessex/AP Photo)

US Reopens Borders to Nonessential Travel After 18 Months of Disruption

The United States on Monday resumed border crossings via land and ferry for nonessential reasons to travelers who are fully vaccinated against the CCP virus, following more than a year of disruptions due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Today, after more than 18 months of pandemic-related travel restrictions, DHS is taking a critical step toward resuming normal travel, Alejandro N. Mayorkas, secretary of homeland security, said in a statement.

Travelers who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and have appropriate documentation are now permitted to enter the United States via our land and ferry border crossings for nonessential reasons such as visiting friends and family and engaging in tourism, he said.

At the beginning of March 2020, to prevent further spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, then-President Donald Trump announced the ban on nonessential border crossings that included non-U.S. citizens from a long list of countries in Europe, Mexico, Canada, and others.

We made a life-saving move with early action on China. Now, we must take the same action with Europe, Trump said in his address at the time, referring to how his administration suspended travel from China to the United States in January 2020.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) warned travelers that they are expecting long lines in the initial days of reopening and advised everyone to familiarize themselves with the new guidelines on its website, and have all the appropriate documents at hand during border inspections.

In the DHS travel guidance, the department announced that starting on Nov. 8, when arriving at a U.S. land port of entry (POE), non-U.S.-citizens should be prepared to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination, as outlined on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, and verbally state their reason for travel during border inspection.

Unvaccinated individuals are currently still allowed to engage in essential travel, although, starting in January 2022, all inbound foreign national travelers crossing U.S. land POEs or ferry terminalswhether for essential or nonessential reasonsmust be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and provide related proof of vaccination, the DHS said.

The reopening will have a profound effect on the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada, where traveling back and forth was a way of life until the pandemic hit and the United States shut down nonessential travel.

Tijuanas border with San Diego is one of the busiest in the world, with thousands crossing to work, study or shop daily.

Jose Garcia, the director of migrant shelter Movimiento Juventud 2000 in Tijuana, said there has been a lot of misinformation spreading on the reopening, reminding illegal immigrants that the reopening of the border is for people who have papers, a visa, to cross and its not a reopening for people to cross and ask for asylum and humanitarian aid.

Thousands of illegal immigrants have arrived in areas along the nearly 2,000-mile U.S.Mexico border, hoping the lift in restrictions will make it easier for them to cross. The Biden administration has not required people entering illegally to provide proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 status.

The United States will accept travelers who have been fully vaccinated with any of the shots approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization, not just those in use in the United States. Thats a relief for many in Canada, where the AstraZeneca vaccine is widely used.

Reuters contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews speaks to the media in Melbourne, Australia, on Oct. 17, 2021. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Victorian Leader Forging Ahead With China Ties, Despite Trade Strikes Against Australian Exporters

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews paid several companies to attend a major trade show despite ongoing trade strikes by the Chinese regime against key Australian exporters.

The event in question is the China International Import Export, headlined by Chinese leader Xi Jinping who, during his opening remarks, played up Beijings willingness to increase global trade.

The CIIE opened on Nov. 5 and is a platform for businesses and government bodies to explore the Chinese market.

The Chinese leader launched it in 2017 during the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperationone of many events held by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to promote the controversial Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

According to The Australian, the Victorian government covered the costs of dozens of companies to participate in the event, in direct opposition to the federal government.

Our presence at the expo is helping connect Victorian businesses to key markets to secure new contracts and grow jobs, a state government spokesman said.

Premier Andrews also commissioned a building in Shanghai called Vic House, which Victorian minister for agriculture, Mary-Anne Thomas, launched on Oct. 18.

This facility will provide Victorian Ag producers and exporters with a dedicated in-market space to showcase their products, strengthen existing trade relationships and boost export opportunities, she wrote on Twitter.

Australian participation in the CIIE has shrunk since last year, from 180 businesses to 100, amid increasing tensions in Australia-China bilateral ties.

Since April 2020, Beijing has rolled out a series of measures to disrupt Australian exports, including barley, coal, cotton, hay, logs, meat, rock lobsters, and wine.

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg estimated on Sept. 6 that the measures contributed to an AU$5.4 billion (US$4 billion) drop in exports in the year to June 2021. At the same time, however, exporters have been moving to alternative markets, which saw trade exports to other parts of the world increase by $4.4 billion.

Meanwhile, the BRI has been a major focal point revealing the divergent paths Australias federal and state governments have taken on China relations.

In April, federal Foreign Minister Marise Payneexercising new powers granted under the Foreign Relations Actordered the termination of two BRI agreements signed between Premier Andrews and Beijings National Development and Reform Commission.

Andrews maintained that the BRI was signed to help create jobs in Victoria.

The BRI is the CCPs trillion-dollar global infrastructure building fund and arguably the crown jewel of Beijings geopolitical ambitions.

However, it has been accused of being a trojan horse, leaving developing countries heavily in debt and potentially being leveraged for military or spying purposes.

Defence expert Michael Shoebridge said the federal government was forced to take the lead in cancelling the agreementand potentially several other Beijing-connected deals including Confucius Institutesbecause of the CCPs willingness to exploit relationships with subnational authorities.

It shouldnt take a new law for the Victorian government to align on foreign policy with the federal government, which has constitutional responsibility and power in this area, but thats what seems to be needed, he told The Epoch Times.

Beijing courting Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews participation is the most iconic example of the seams between levels of government causing problems, Shoebridge said.
Why Is the Biden Administration Paying Off the Illegal Immigrants?

Commentary

What possible rationale can the Biden administration have for paying out up to $450,000 to illegal immigrants? This is not the payment to families, but rather to single individuals. In some cases, the administration could end up forking over as much as $1 millionperhaps even $2 millionto illegal immigrant families who unlawfully attempted to cross the southern border.

Lets pause to consider how bizarre and inexplicable this action seems to be. Illegals, by definition, are breaking the law. It might seem more appropriate to fine and deport them rather than to enrich them with gargantuan financial payments. I came legally to America and it took me more than a dozen years, and quite a bit of money, to secure legal status. I joked on social media that I should cut up my passport, change my name to Diego DSouza, and show up at the southern border claiming my $450,000.

The families who lost loved ones at 9/11 got settlements that in some cases didnt add up to what the illegals might get. Military families are typically compensated with $400,000 upon the death of a service member. Think of what $450,000 per head, and say $1 million per family, would do for poor and middle income households in this country. And lets remember that President Joe Biden, in using taxpayer money to make these payments, is in effect taking those peoples money and handing it over to lawbreaking Mexicans.

The story about the payments broke in the Wall Street Journal about a week ago. The WSJ reported that the payments were being negotiated by Bidens Department of Justice (DOJ) as a settlement of claims on behalf of illegals separated from their families under the Trump administration. The illegals are represented by various left-wing groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the negotiations were ongoing between the DOJ and these legal organizations.

Shortly after the WSJ story, Peter Doocy of Fox News asked Biden about it. Biden described the report as garbage and insisted that the payments are not going to happen. Yet almost immediately, the ACLU put out a statement saying that President Biden may not have been fully briefed about the actions of his very own Justice Department.

This alone was revealing because it confirmed the impression of anyone who watched Bidens press conference. Biden clearly seemed surprised by Doocys question, suggesting he had no knowledge of these payments in process. Since immigration is a controversial issueindeed, its a driving force of Bidens low approval ratingsone might expect Biden to at least be informed of decisions being carried out in his name.

Sure enough, in a couple of days Bidens deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre issued a clarification, stating that Biden was perfectly comfortable with his DOJ settling with the illegals through their attorneys. Biden himself weighed in to back up this backtracking. Now, Biden waxed lyrical about the horrors of people being separated from their families, as if the United States had somehow gravely violated their human rights.

So far I havent seen much discussion of why the Biden administration might want to pay these ransomsbecause thats what they are. I can think of three reasons why Biden and his team are doing so. First, they want to repudiate the Trump policy, and this lawsuit stems from 2018 when the Trump administration temporarily separated adults and children in order to more effectively process asylum and other claims.

Lets note that then, as now, adults often show up at the border with children who are not their own, as a ruse to be able to stay in the United States while their claims are being processed. For Biden, this is a way to feign outrage at Trumps policies, a continuation of the indignation he expressed on the presidential campaign. The mantra here is that if Trump did it, it must be awful.

Second, the lavish settlements are a way to funnel money to left-wing legal organizations that are supportive of Bidens ideology and his administration. Normally, we think of settlement negotiations as conducted between rival parties, say a business on the one hand, and unions on the other. But these negotiations more closely resemble two mafia families, in league with each other, that are negotiating how to get money from one to the othermoney taken from a third party thats not directly involved in the negotiations.

Third, the Biden administrations irresponsible actions can be seen as a way of inviting more migrants to come to the southern border. Already we have migrants showing up not just from Mexico, not just from Central and South America, but also from Central Europe, Haiti, Iran, India, and all over the world. Basically its a free-for-all, and some of the caravans making their way toward Texas feature Biden signs. Essentially the migrants are saying theyre responding to Bidens open invitation. And think of the galvanizing effect on the poor people who learn that some of their earlier counterparts are now going to get more money than they have ever seen in their lives, money that would enable them to retire in many parts of the world.

Yes, its scandalous. Yes, its unconscionable. Yes, its theft from the American taxpayer. But none of that makes the conduct of Biden or his DOJ purely irrational. Rather, Biden is doing what makes sense, not for the United States, not even in terms of justice, but only in terms of what benefits his administration, his political party, and his left-wing allies.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A person walks past a Pfizer logo amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the Manhattan borough of New York City on April 1, 2021. (Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

Will Pfizer Outgun Merck With Oral COVID-19 Pill?

Merck Inc. is locking horns with peer Pfizer Inc. in what could be termed as the battle supremacy in the COVID-19 treatment market.

The stakes are high, with an effective treatment for the disease potentially entering the arena in addition to the vaccines that are already on the market.

Pfizer Dips Into COVID-19 Treatment Arena

After moving ahead in the COVID-19 vaccine race along with its German partner BioNTech SE, Pfizer is wanting to leave no stone unturned in capitalizing on the COVID-19 opportunity.

The company announced Friday an interim analysis of data from the Phase 2/3 study of its oral COVID-19 antiviral candidate Paxlovid, showing an 89 percent reduction in the risk of COVID-19-related hospitalization or death from any cause compared to placebo in patients treated within three days of symptom onset.

The positive data triggered strong buying in Pfizer shares and a sell-off in Merck shares.

Merck had its share of upside in early October when it reported positive Phase 3 data for an oral COVID-19 pill, molnupiravir, that its co-developing the treatment with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. The Merck news triggered an across-the-board sell-off in vaccine stocks at that time.

These two companies with deep pockets and marketing expertise are vying for a piece of the COVID-19 treatment market, making the competitive landscape all the more interesting.

Pfizer vs Merck Data Comparison

As opposed the 89 percent reduction in risk of hospitalization or death reported by Pfizer for Paxlovid, an interim analysis of Mercks Phase 3 data released on Oct. 1 showed molnupiravir reducing the risk of hospitalization or death by approximately 50 percent.

Only about 0.8 percent of patients who received Paxlovid were hospitalized through day 28 compared to 7 percent of patients who received placebo and were hospitalized or died.

Similar reductions in COVID-19-related hospitalization or death were observed in patients treated within five days of symptom onset.

Merck reported that 7.3 percent of patients who received molnupiravir were either hospitalized or died through day 29 compared with 14.1 percent of placebo-treated patients.

Through day 28, no deaths were reported in patients who received Paxlovid as compared to 10 deaths in patients who received placebo. With Merck, through day 29, no deaths were reported in patients who received molnupiravir, as compared to eight deaths in patients who received placebo.

Not only is Pfizers drug safe, but the level of efficacy is so high that it will very meaningfully shake up the COVID-19 landscape looking to next yearincluding the outlook for boosters, Bank of America (BofA) Securities analyst Geoff Meacham said in a note.

Between Roche Holding AGs recent failure and Mercks decent efficacy, Pfizers drug will be the clear best-in-class oral, and well positioned to capitalize on the longer term C-19 treatment market that could be in the mid-to-high billions next year, Meacham said.

Authorization Before Year-End?

At the recommendation of an independent Data Monitoring Committee and in consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Pfizer will cease further enrollment into the study due to the efficacy demonstrated in these results, the company said.

It plans to submit the data as part of its ongoing rolling submission to the authorization as soon as possible.

BofA expects the application to be soon submitted to the FDA, with an authorization likely by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Merck announced Thursday it has received the first authorization for molnupiravir in the UK, with the drug to be marketed under the brand name Lagevrio.

Its application with the FDA is under review. The European Medicines Agency has recently initiated a rolling review of its Marketing Authorization Application. Merck also said it is actively working to submit applications to other regulatory agencies around the world.

The commercial outlook could dramatically shift in favor of Pfizers pill given how much more impressive the data is, BofA said. Mercks revenue guidance of $5 billion to $7 billion through 2022 provided on its third-quarter call last week could be reduced meaningfully, the firm added.

Meanwhile, Gilead Inc.s antiviral remdesivir could remain an option for hospitalized patients, but overall its use is likely to further diminish, in BofAs view.

By Shanthi Rexaline

 2021 The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Winsome Sears: Its Not 1963

Commentary

The significance of Virginia Lt. Governor-elect Winsome Sears victory cannot be overstated. But her victory is significant not only because she is a black woman and the first of her race and gender to hold the office of lieutenant governor in Virginia, but also because she has been described as an anti-racist. Sears does not buy into a victimhood that characterizes the Democratic Partys view of people of color.

In her victory address, she said: Im telling you that what you are looking at is the American dream.

I recall seeing white racists jeering at black students integrating a high school in Arkansas and a university in Mississippi. Last week the polarization was reversed with love replacing hate. Sears stood on a stage with her husband and two daughters and was cheered by a crowd that included many white people in Richmond, once the capital of the Confederacy.

She recounted her personal story: When my father came to this country (from Jamaica) Aug. 11 of 1963, he came at the height of the civil rights movement.  I said to him it was such a bad time for us, why did you come, and he said, because America was where the jobs and the opportunities were. And he only came with $1.75, took any job he could find, and put himself through school.  He came and got me when I was six years old.

Sears said when she joined the Marine Corps, she was still a Jamaican citizen, but this country has done so much for me I was willing to die for this country.

She then drove a stake into the heart of the Democrats appeal to racism, discrimination, and victimhood which the party has sold to black people for generations: There are some who want to divide us, and we must not let that happen. They would like us to believe we are back in 1963. She then lowered the hammer about the progress made since then: We can live where we want. We can eat where we want. We own the water fountains. We have had a black president elected, not once, but twice, and here I am living proof. She could have added that Virginia previously elected a black governor, Douglas Wilder, a Democrat.

When was the last time a modern Democrat politician talked like Winsome Sears? Here is a role model for everyone, not just minorities: an intact family; a sense of duty to, and love of America; a strong work ethic; and a refusal to allow the dislike of others to keep one from pursuing the American dream.

Some cable news commentators claimed the Republican sweep in Virginia (Republicans also took back the House of Delegates) was because white racists turned out to vote in large numbers. New York Times columnist Charles Blow blamed racial anxiety. In addition to Sears profile, the incoming attorney general, Republican Jason Miyares, will be the states first Latino in that office. That charge doesnt fly anymore.

Winsome Sears is the lefts worst nightmare. She is proof that anyone can achieve their dreams in America if they follow the right path. She and Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin are also open about their Christian faith, while the Democratic Party is increasingly the home of secular progressives. Serious faith plays well in rural areas and in the heartland, especially as cancel culture, wokeness, and critical race theory are being imposed on conservative voters.

The word winsome means sweetly or innocently charming; winning; engaging. Sears is all three. She is joined by other winners with similar stories of overcoming obstacles. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Justice Clarence Thomas are two of the better known. Winsome Sears adds to a growing number of people who refuse to allow the negative views of others to prevent them from achieving their goals.

There will be more as people of color realize theyve been sold a lie by the left and that the futuretheir futurebelongs to them and no one else.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
NORWALK  Two multifamily homes were recently found unsafe by the city for health and safety violations, requiring the relocation of more than 15 Norwalk residents.

Fifteen individuals and four families were required to leave their apartments and find new housing following the condemnation of 25 Leonard St. and 14 Fort Point St., Health Department Director Deanna DAmore said. DAmore did not specify the size of the families.

This year we had two unexpected situations where two large multifamily homes had to be relocated because they were unsafe for habitation, DAmore said. We coordinated with the building department and fire department in both of these cases. One of these houses, all the tenants have to find new housing. Some of them have already found it and are in the process of finding it.

As per the states Uniform Relocation Assistance Act, Norwalks Health Department is responsible for finding temporary housing for people displaced due to code enforcement action, DAmore said. The city fronts the bill for hotel accommodations, storage and moving fees for those displaced.

However, property owners are expected to pay the city back for relocation fees. If landlords do not pay the fees, a lien is placed on the property, DAmore said.

We communicated to the landlords, the owners, theyre responsible for these costs and theyre going to have to reimburse the city back, DAmore said. In the past if that has been unsuccessful, we work with the law department to put liens on priorities.

So far, the city has not incurred any storage and moving fees, but transferred $75,000 to pay for hotel expenses and bring the Health Department through the end of the year, DAmore said.

The Leonard Street building was deemed uninhabitable not because of neglect, but for age-related damage, Assistant Director of Health Bill Mooney said.

There was construction work going on where the building was found to be totally unsafe, Mooney said. The outside brick walls were literally turning to powder. It wasnt an issue of neglect, outside of the age of the building. It goes back to 1863 when it was first erected. It is just an issue of water infiltration and that its just an old building.

The Leonard Street property, the larger of the two uninhabitable buildings, was home to eight families, Mooney said.

Its a 24-bedroom, 10-full bathroom housing unit with 10 apartments, according to the Norwalk land database. The dwelling sits on 0.16 an acre and was appraised at $794,470 in 2018.

The Leonard Street building is owned by Fairfield County Mutual Inc., according to the secretary of the states business database. It is currently led by board President Marie Allen, an assistant principal of Brien McMahon High School.

Janis Curtis, the real restate agent working with Fairfield County Mutual, said the building was not condemned, but evacuated.

There was a leak through a rear wall with the heavy rains weve been having, Curtis said. When our maintenance contractor dug further, he was able to identify some bricks were soft, so we jumped into action to determine the level of the problem and brought in a structural engineer. He concurred and wrote his report and was referred to the city and we called to tell them what we had discovered, and they picked it up there.

Eight of the buildings 10 units were occupied, with two empty apartments, Curtis said.

It is too soon to determine if the building is salvageable or what will be done with the plot, she said.

Basically, everything is on the table because the insurance company has to do their due diligence, and it really depends on the cost, Curtis said. Theres not sufficient affordable housing units in Norwalk. Any affordable housing Norwalk may lose at this time is one too many.

All but two of the displaced residents found new, more permanent housing accommodations, Mooney said. But while individuals wait for their sales to finalize and leases to be signed, there are several people still living in the hotel.

Im hoping with in next couple weeks we can have everyone out, Mooney said. Theyre going to be responsible for rent. Theyre moving to a permanent location. The hotels are temporary emergency locations for now.

At the Fort Point Street location, a seven-bedroom, four-full bathroom building, one resident was living in an illegal basement apartment, Mooney said. The three-family home was appraised at $368,280 in 2018 and is owned by Islam Shafiqul, of Stamford, according to Norwalk land records. Shafiqul could not be reached for comment on Monday.

While temporary relocation of tenants is not uncommon, condemned buildings are rare in the city, with the last condemnation four years ago, Chief of Staff Laoise King said.

It is not uncommon for individual units within buildings to be declared unfit for occupancy for short periods of time until issues are resolved, King said. For example, a unit might have heating issues and a family can be relocated while the heating is being fixed. The last time we had to relocate an entire building was about four years ago.

abigail.brone@hearstmediact.com
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Pennsylvania school districts will be allowed to modify or end the mask mandate for K-12 students in January, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Monday, saying it is time to prepare for a transition back to a more normal setting.

The Democratic governor said that, on Jan. 17, he expects to turn over decisions about masking to local school officials. The state's universal masking requirement for early learning programs and child care facilities will remain in place.

The Wolf administration imposed a statewide mandate in early September amid a surge in infections and hospitalizations from the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus. The order from acting Health Secretary Alison Beam required that students, staff and visitors at K-12 schools and child care facilities wear masks while indoors, regardless of vaccination status. The mandate sparked a fierce backlash among some parents, and two lawsuits seeking to overturn it are pending.

The decision to end the statewide masking order comes days after federal officials approved the COVID-19 vaccine for younger children.

Now, we are in a different place than we were in September, and it is time to prepare for a transition back to a more normal setting, Wolf said in a statement released by his office. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 virus is now a part of our daily lives, but with the knowledge weve gained over the past 20 months and critical tools like the vaccine at our disposal, we must take the next step forward in our recovery.

The administration did not indicate whether changing public health conditions might stop Wolf from ceding decision-making authority on masking to school districts.

We will continue to monitor trends to ensure that students, faculty and staff continue to learn and work in person in a safe environment, Wolf press secretary Beth Rementer said in an email.

In a note to school districts, Education Secretary Noe Ortega said Monday his department will provide clarifying guidance in the coming weeks.

House Education Chair Curt Sonney, R-Erie, said that Wolf's decision was about time." House Republican caucus spokesperson Jason Gottesman said local choice on masks should be allowed right away, adding that local decision-making had been contentious but productive before the mandate was imposed.

The decision today would have the unfortunate impact of forcing these local elected leaders, many of whom are newly elected, into the trying circumstance of relitigating these already-made decisions, Gottesman said.

Leonard Rich, superintendent of Laurel School District in Lawrence County, said his district will make masking optional as soon as the statewide mandate is lifted. He said coronavirus cases in his small district have remained low even though mask-wearing has been spotty among students.

I think schools will shed these mandates rather quickly, and I think that Jan. 17 is about five months too late to return it to a local decision, he said.

Wolf had previously vowed that masking would remain a local decision, but reversed course in late summer. He said then that a universal, statewide order was warranted after nearly 90% of the states 500 districts did not impose their own mask requirement for schools.

Two pending lawsuits assert the Wolf administration had no legal right to impose the mask mandate. The plaintiffs  among them the top leader of the state Senate, President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, R-Centre  include parents who contend that masks interfere with their childrens breathing and cause other problems. Pennsylvanias Commonwealth Court heard arguments in the suits last month but has yet to rule.

Despite many Republican state lawmakers being opposed to the mask mandate, the GOP-majority Legislature has not approved legislation to overturn it.

Schools are largely back to offering in-person instruction. Despite the universal masking order, more school-aged children are being infected with the coronavirus this academic year than last, when many schools were teaching remotely or using a hybrid model. Nearly 5,000 children ages 5-18 contracted the virus in the week ending Nov. 2, nearly three times as many as in the same week in 2020, according to the state Health Department.

A major teachers union, AFT Pennsylvania, said it was concerned that most districts would quickly abandon masking. Although highly populous school districts like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Allentown had intended to require students to wear masks when the statewide order came down in August, they were among a small minority.

We are so close to being out of the woods; sending the decision back to irresponsible, politically motivated school boards will only further lengthen this pandemic and put our kids and educators and their families at risk, said Arthur G. Steinberg, president of AFT Pennsylvania.

But the states largest school employees union, the Pennsylvania School Employees Association, said Wolfs announcement was consistent with its view that districts should follow the advice of medical experts. PSEA spokesperson Chris Lilienthal said it makes sense to start planning for a return to greater normalcy, given recent declines in COVID-19 cases among school-aged children and the availability of vaccines.

Kaylyn Mitchell, outgoing president of the Quakertown Community School Board outside Philadelphia, said the statewide masking order had created needless division in school districts. Mitchell, an independent who occasionally switches party registration to vote in Democratic primaries, said she knows parents of all political stripes who were concerned about the long-term impact of masking on their children.

Beams masking order said school officials who do not enforce it may face criminal penalties and could lose immunity from civil lawsuits.
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP)  With increasing activity in commercial space flight and new startups entering the industry, Las Cruces is eyeing opportunities to draw more aerospace investment to the area  including the role its municipal airport might play in the effort.

Las Cruces International Airport, originally built as a military air base during World War II and transferred to the city in 1955, is working on an updated master plan, a requirement of its certification with the Federal Aviation Administration and a guide for city planning as the facility looks to short- and long-term needs, including economic development opportunities.

As airport administrator Andy Hume puts it, the plan makes sure that the pieces you need for growth are either in place or, if theyre not, how we get them in place.

A new focus for the airports master plan will be aerospace and what improvements might be made at the airport to make Las Cruces more attractive to the industry as commercial activity is anticipated to ramp up next year at Spaceport America 50 miles north of the city.

While the spaceport is best known for its anchor tenant, spaceflight company Virgin Galactic, other tenants and customers are also active at the remote facility outside Truth or Consequences, such as UP Aerospace, SpinLaunch, and HAPSMobile/Aerovironment.

Hume tells the Las Cruces Sun-News that the most recent master plan, adopted in 2018, did not assess the proximity of the spaceport or aerospace growth, even though Virgin Galactic is a pretty steady presence at the airport, flying engineers between Las Cruces and its manufacturing base of operations in Mojave, California.

A consultant to the master plan update said in an interview that Las Cruces is already on the map for U.S. aerospace and well positioned to attract more businesses involved in manufacturing and supply chains for the growing satellite and reusable rocket industries.

James Bennett, chief regulatory officer for aerospace technology company Immortal Data, said Las Cruces established itself in the minds of space entrepreneurs in 2006, when it hosted the X Prize Cup rocketry and lunar landing expo and competition. By then, early construction had already begun on the spaceport in Sierra County.

Immortal Data, which is developing a data system payload to be launched by UP Aerospace, has maintained an office at the Las Cruces airport since 2019, when it relocated from Mojave.

The company is now serving as a subcontractor for the master plan update being prepared by the engineering and consulting firm Dubois and King.

We think theres an opportunity, Bennett said.

There is, however, some catching up to do for public capital investment. Private sector money moves much faster, and developments are accelerating.

Virgin Galactic flew its first two crewed flights to the edge of space over New Mexico this year, and rival Blue Origin has also flown passengers to space twice from its facility near Van Horn, Texas. SpaceX is flying human crews to the International Space Station for the space agency NASA and may test a new prototype for orbital flights as soon as November.

Interest in satellite and rocket technology are also high. Bennett remarked, I think I see a new startup announced every week nowadays, adding that an estimated 120 companies worldwide are developing or building launch vehicles. While most of these startups can be expected to disappear, he said the industry is here to stay.

That means commercial space firms are actively seeking optimal locations to root themselves, and Bennett said Las Cruces has a valuable foothold.

Its got the economics, because you have a low cost of operation, he said. Its got a good university locally and three or four good universities with aerospace talent within a couple of hours range. You have an incubator (at New Mexico State University) which is very commercial-space-savvy. These are all good ingredients.

The question for this master plan update, he said, is whether Las Cruces airport could become the new Mojave airport, providing a similarly convenient access point for moving new technologies to rapid turnaround tests or commercial operations at the spaceport.

The airport is adjacent to an industrial park and completed crucial pavement upgrades a year ago. There are three runways that can accommodate arrivals and departures in six directions.

One of them, however, is in need of maintenance, and Hume said the city hopes to extend the length of the other two to 8,600 feet and 10,500 feet, respectively.

That would accommodate heavier aircraft, including commercial passenger jet launches from the airport.

Hume explained that at present, jets loaded with passengers can land at the airport, but can only take off empty under FAA regulations.

Both men said the planning update will present city officials with an assessment of potential investments conducive to the industrys needs, financial risks and strategic priorities for attracting private sector investment. Bennett said the planning document will present policymakers with a phased plan for immediate needs plus 5- and 10-year plans to position itself for regional aerospace activity.

Its going to be looked at by some hard-minded people asking the hard questions and we want to make sure that we have a well-studied set of options, Bennett said.
COLLINSVILLE  Referred to as a hidden gem within the area, Collinsville Schools Area Vocational Center (CVAC) hosted some high-profile guests Oct. 26.

The CVAC is a two-year, public vocational training center for high school juniors and seniors. Housed on the campus of Collinsville High School, it covers a lot of real estate, drawing students from East Alton-Wood River High School on the north then south to Dupo and Mascoutah high schools.

Students receive hands-on technical skills training in  auto body repair, automotive technical repair, building trades, cosmetology, early childhood education, engineering, web and graphic design and several other courses. One of the CVACs goals is to dispel the myth that the only student path to success after graduation is via a traditional, four-year college.

McKay Corporation Chairman Jim McKay and President Earl Flack visited the CVAC for a tour and donated $1,000 to help support scholarship opportunities for Career and Technical Education (CTE) students.

The scholarships are new for us, said Joe McGinnis, CVACs director, on Friday. When we looked at it as a whole, we do a fantastic job with kids while we have them but when they leave, what are we doing to help them along?

Skills can be used to:

 Enter the workforce directly after high school

 Continue on to a junior college or trade school

 Prepare students for the military or trade unions

 Provide a foundation for continuation at a four-year college

Apprenticeships and internships are also possible via this program, which is particularly topical with the current level of employee shortages being reported in multiple job sectors.

McGinnis said prospective employers are impressed with the CVAC facilities and the quality of their work.

McKay and Flack met CAVC instructors and discussed how they can provide ongoing training, equipment and opportunities for students, in addition to their scholarship contribution. Most classes at CAVC include free college credit through Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC). Some, such as the engineering class, offer the option for possible credit at other universities.

McKay Corporation is a family-owned and operated business headquartered in Litchfield. McKay Auto Parts services central Illinois and surrounding areas with 23 NAPA Auto Parts and NAPA AUTO CARE locations, including Bethalto, Collinsville, Edwardsville, Fairview Heights, Godfrey, Granite City and Wood River. McKay has a strong history of supporting educational programs and CTE training opportunities.

For more information on the CVAC Program, visit https://www.kahoks.org/schools/collinsville-area-vocational/

For more information on the CVAC Program, click here.

Reach reporter Charles Bolinger at 618-659-5735
AP

LONDON, Ky. (AP)  A 16-year-old girl held captive by a 61-year-old man was rescued on an interstate highway in Kentucky after another driver noticed her using a distress signal with her hand that was made popular on TikTok, law enforcement officials said.

The girls parents reported their daughter missing from Asheville, North Carolina, last week. Two days later, her hand-signal  and the alert driver  enabled sheriff's deputies in Kentucky to stop the car and arrest James Herbert Brick of Cherokee, North Carolina, on charges of unlawful imprisonment and possession of material showing a sexual performance by a minor, Deputy Gilbert Acciardo said.
Photo: A new look on the Bowery as the Moxy Hotel nears completion.

In the aftermath of two recent violent incidents in Sara D. Roosevelt Park, including the murder of a delivery worker, cops are stepping up their presence in the area. But community advocates say the city must invest in the park by activating shuttered spaces for the neighborhood. [Daily News]

A judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking construction on the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project. [Channel 2]

A key hearing takes place at the City Council this week on the contoversial Soho rezoning plan. [Council NYC]

Meanwhile theres a debate about the Soho proposals impact on Chinatown. [City & State]

The Times Ginia Bellafante seizes on the story of Ludlow Street vintage store owner Ellen Koenigsberg, who has had it with outdoor dining sheds. Bellafante concludes, What might work on the Boulevard St.-Germain  or on Madison Avenue  will not necessarily succeed on the Lower East Side, where crowded tenement living at the turn of the 19th century sparked public-health crises for decades. Untamed nightlife shouldnt be the reason for more. [The New York Times]

Its not your imagination. There really are more rats in New York City than in the recent past. Covid is one factor. Climate change is another. [The New York Times]

SantaCon is, unfortunately, making a comeback. [New York Post]
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Beware of fake Thailand Pass websites, warn officials

PHUKET: The Anti-Fake News Center (AFNC) has issued a warning that ThailandPass.org is not an official government website, and is not to be used for applying for a Thailand Pass.

tourism

By The Phuket News

Monday 8 November 2021, 02:54PM

The warning issued by the Anti-Fake News Center. Image: ANFC

Under the warning, branded Beware of fake Thailand Pass websites, the ANFC explained that the website www.thailandpass.org had claimed it was a state website to register for travel to Thailand.

The Anti-Fake News Center conducted a fact check with the Department of Information under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and found that such issues were False information, said the warning.

The confirmation came via Noppawan Chaiyamun, spokesperson for the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, who explained, Since the opening of the country, all tourists entering Thailand must register to obtain an electronic travel certificate (Thailand Pass QR code) in the Thailand Pass system, but the problem encountered is that there is a group of professionals going to register domain names, such as ThailandPass.org, pretending to be a government website.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs therefore warns all tourists to be careful and do not be fooled by entering information into such websites, Ms Noppawan said.

In the event that the website www.thailandpass.org appears to specify that the registration system informs the Department of Information of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the [registrants ] travel to Thailand, [the ANFC] has checked and clarified that the website is a fake website that is not from any government agency or in any way connected to the real Thailand Pass website https://tp.consular.go.th that has been opened for registration to travel to Thailand to replace the COE system and which has been activated since November 1, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. the warning said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been continuously and closely supported by the Digital Government Development Agency (DEPA) to develop and take care of the orderliness of the system activation. In the beginning, some crashes were reported. The relevant agencies have been closely supervised and corrected as well as collecting problems and concerns of users in order to further improve the system. The website Thailand Pass will be updated to support the use of mobile phones, the warning explained.

Therefore, people are asked not to trust such information and we ask for cooperation not to send or share such information on various social media channels, and for the public to receive information from the Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, by following www.mfa.go.th or call 02 2035000, the warning advised.

The public can follow and reporting fake news clues through various channels of the Anti-Fake News Center at Line : @antifakenewscenter Website : https://www.antifakenewscenter.com and a telephone channel to call the hotline GCC 1111 ext. 87 24 hours a day

Chamnan Srisawad, Chairman of the Tourism Council of Thailand (TAT), also called for people to register through the one official website.

The opening of the country since Nov 1 is considered a good sign and tourists have started coming in. The rest will continue to come slowly, building confidence in travelling to Thailand, he said.

Mr Chamran explained that the aim was to have single channels of communication for the public to create an official Once Voice Message so all tourists know the same information at the same time.

Because today, even the word Thailand Pass has people going to register domain names. This misleads tourists, even though registration to enter Thailand according to the Thailand Pass project must be registered through https://tp.consular.go.th only, he said.

The Phuket News notes that since the warning was issued ThaiandPass.org has updated its home page to specifically explain that it is not a government website and not related to the official Thailand Pass registration system.

This is not the official website for the Thailand Pass system, the website now reads.

For the official website please enter https://tp.consular.go.th/, it adds.

This website is designed to give information about the Thailand Pass system and help tourists understand and prepare better for their visit in Thailand. It is not the official Thailand Pass website and has no affiliation with any government agency. The Thailand Pass registration can only be made at the official government operated website  tp.consular.go.th, the website explains.
Government certifies 15 smart city implementation areas

BANGKOK: As part of a government initiative to drive smart city development nationwide, where the aim is to use digital technology to improve peoples standard of living, 15 areas have now been certified as smart city implementation areas.

technologytourism

By National News Bureau of Thailand

Monday 8 November 2021, 08:33AM

Image: NNT

Deputy Prime Minister Gen. Prawit Wongsuwon presided over a meeting of the National Smart City Steering sub-committee yesterday (Nov 7) which saw the attendance of Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn and representatives from the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA), Smart City Thailand Office, and other relevant agencies.

The meeting acknowledged the work results of the sub-committee, which has handed out the Smart City logo to 15 recognised smart city implementation areas.

Some of the smart city projects receiving the logo were Sam Yan Smart City, Khon Kaen Smart City, Phuket Smart City, the Phadung Krung Kasem Canal smart city development project, Yala Smart City, and Nakhon Sawan Smart City. All 15 areas will receive investment promotion support from the Thailand Board of Investment.

The meeting also acknowledged the announcing of 50 smart city promotion areas throughout the country and deliberated smart city-related work plans proposed by DEPA to drive the smart city-related budgets of local administrations and relevant agencies.

Prawit asked all involved to contribute toward the development of smart cities in Thailand, which is a national agenda and is part of the 13th National Economic and Social Development Plan.
PMs aide: lese majeste untouchable

BANGKOK: It is impossible to repeal Section 112 of the Criminal Code, also known as the lese majeste law, both in technicality and spirit, and doing so runs counter to the constitution, said Thipanan Sirichana, the former deputy spokeswoman of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party.

politics

By Bangkok Post

Monday 8 November 2021, 10:45AM

Anti-government demonstrators gather in front of the United Nations Conference Centre on Ratchadamnoen Avenue in Bangkok on Dec 10, 2020, calling for the repeal of Section 112 of the Criminal Code. Photo: Pornprom Satrabhaya

Ms Thipanan, now attached to the Prime Ministers Secretariat Office, insisted the charter stipulates in Section 6 that the monarch holds a position of reverence which is inviolable, reports the Bangkok Post.

Abolishing the lese majeste law intended to provide legal protection to the monarch from insults and dishonour would, in essence, contravene the constitution, she said.

Section 112, which is reserved for the head of state and categorised as a national security law, works differently from the defamation law which applies to citizens.

She said it was puzzling that Progressive Movement secretary-general Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, who is a legal expert, has shown a lack of understanding of the law.

Ms Thipanan said she could only deduce that Mr Piyabutr may be trumpeting the repeal of Section 112 to solicit the votes of those wish to see the abolition of the controversial law ahead of the nationwide local polls on Nov 28.

Meanwhile, Lt Gen Paradorn Pattanathabut, secretary to the Pheu Thai Partys special affair committee, admitted Section 112 as well as Section 116 governing charges of sedition in the Criminal Code relate to the monarchy and as such are sensitive and have implications on national security.

He suggested the Section 112 cases be investigated by a police panel, including representatives from civic groups, academics and human rights agencies as they probe the matter.
Tickets for An Evening on the Lanai are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Get tickets fo
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  Mississippi is running behind many other states in deciding how to spend billions of federal dollars for pandemic relief.

Congress allocated $1.8 billion for Mississippi through the American Rescue Plan, and the first half of the money arrived in the state treasury in May, weeks after legislators finished their 2021 session.

The federal government says American Rescue Plan money may only be spent on certain expenses. Those include public health, including COVID-19 mitigation; addressing economic harms that the pandemic has caused for businesses; replacing state government revenue that was lost because of the pandemic; providing premium pay for essential workers; and investing in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure.

Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said it's imperative that the money go to transformational projects."

The legacy for the Legislature this year, and for everybody that's in it or works there, is how we spend that money, Hosemann said Oct. 28 at Hobnob, a gathering hosted by the state Chamber of Commerce, Mississippi Economic Council.

Cities and counties are also receiving millions of federal dollars for pandemic relief.

Hosemann said spending the money effectively could help businesses prosper today and ensure children have someplace to come home and work" once they're grown.

If we do this right, if we're able to match our cities and counties with things that go in the ground, not for one or two years but for one or two generations, we will have a tremendous asset going forward, Hosemann said.

Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley, a Democrat, wrote in a recent newspaper column that Mississippi needs to invest pandemic relief money in projects that could boost people's quality of life, including expansion of broadband access and improvement of water systems.

Like all programs, theres some wiggle room on expenditures, but now isnt the time to get cute and cocky with these dollars, Presley wrote.

He said frontline pandemic workers deserve extra pay, and the state should help businesses hurt by a decrease in tourism.

These funds have a very limited focus and leaders must be extra responsible with them, realizing that they are one-time funds that may never come around again, Presley wrote. We simply cannot bend over backwards to skirt and stretch guidelines for a wish list of questionable pet projects while ignoring the real intent of the funds.

Hosemann has appointed a Senate subcommittee to lead discussions on spending the pandemic relief money. He named Republican Sen. John Polk of Hattiesburg as chairman. The other members are Republican Sens. Dennis DeBar of Leakesville, Walter Michel of Ridgeland, Rita Potts Parks of Corinth and Bart Williams of Starkville; and Democratic Sens. Albert Butler of Port Gibson and Hillman Frazier of Jackson.

Senators will work with House members on any spending plans.

Republican House Speaker Philip Gunn has made clear that he also wants the pandemic relief money to go toward projects that provide long-term improvements  not short-term fixes.

Even as legislators prepare to spend the federal money, they are starting to work on the state budget for the year that begins next July 1. That brings a complex series of questions about priorities, including promises by many leaders to increase teachers' pay.

Without even taking the federal pandemic relief money into account, Mississippi has had robust state tax collections in recent months. According to the Legislative Budget Office, tax collections exceeded expectations by more than $258 million for the first three months of the budget year, which began July 1.

Hosemann told the Hobnob audience that the bounce in state tax collections is awesome. In the next breath, he warned: It wont last.

____

Emily Wagster Pettus has covered Mississippi government and politics since 1994. Follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/EWagsterPettus.
Connecticut has announced plans to use a software company that will monitor cannabis sales, growth and manufacturing as the state launches its recreational marijuana program.

The state announced Monday it plans to use software developed by Consultants Consortium, Inc., and its partner, Forian, to operate the tracking system.

The Cannabis Analytic Tracking System aims to give real-time inventory of cannabis products available in the state and to prevent unlawful diversion of products, according to a state Department of Consumer Protection news release.

The Consultants Consortium will also provide project management services, oversight and support of the system.

It will cost $562,501 to implement the system in the first fiscal year, which ends June 30. Maintenance and operation will cost $165,000 annually. The Consultants Consortium, an Indiana-based firm, already has a state contract for cloud computing, said Kaitlyn Krasselt, a spokesperson for the Department of Consumer Protection.

The announcement comes as Connecticut plans to launch its cannabis program after the state legislature legalized recreational use of the substance in June.

The number of licenses, as well as the amount of production and sales is likely to have an impact on the price consumers pay for cannabis as well as the governments tax revenue.

The tracking program will monitor both sales through the medical and recreational-use programs. Information through the Biotrack software will be gathered from the time a seed is planted to the point of sale to the consumer, according to the release.

According to a report from the states Office of Fiscal analysis, the taxes from recreational marijuana will result in a total revenue gain to the state and municipalities of $4.1 million in fiscal year 2022. The number is expected to grow considerably as time goes on, to $26.3 million in 2023, and $44.6 million in 2024. By 2026, annual revenue is expected to hit $73.4 million.

Being able to track the states cannabis inventory from seed to sale will allow the department to monitor cannabis production and inventory as it moves from the earliest phases of growth to when it reaches the qualifying patient or consumer, Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull said in a statement. This information will allow us to see what is currently available in both markets, project future inventory, and identify any potential diversion in the markets.

In past Medical Marijuana Program Board of Physicians meetings, members have expressed concerns about a lack of data collected thus far on the medical program. The board advises the Department of Consumer Protections on certain decisions about the medical program including qualifying conditions to add to the states list.

All cannabis licensees will be mandated to enter information into the system.

The state is not yet accepting business license applications, although the department has established measures to preserve the medical program when recreational sales begin. Businesses that sell medical marijuana will be required to keep that program in place, for example.

Connecticut has about 54,000 registered medical marijuana patients, according to online data.

Information collected in the new tracking system will typically be used by the Department of Consumer Protection and the Department of Revenue Services. Law enforcement may also use the data as needed.

Recreational-use sales are expected to begin by the end of 2022. Decisions that still need to be made include detailed guidelines for social equity applicants and how many licenses will be doled out.
WILBER, Neb. (AP)  A woman convicted of murder for her role in the death and dismemberment of a Nebraska hardware store clerk was sentenced to life in prison on Monday, avoiding the prospect of being the first woman in state history to be sentenced to death.

A three-judge panel deadlocked on the appropriate sentence for Bailey Boswell, with two arguing that the 27-year-old deserved to die for her crimes and the third maintaining that prosecutors failed to prove that the case merited the ultimate punishment.

Boswell will now spend the rest of her life at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women for her role in the 2017 death and dismemberment of Sydney Loofe. She was sentenced at the county courthouse in Wilber, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) southwest of Lincoln.

Prosecutors said Boswell and her boyfriend, Aubrey Trail, 55, had been planning to kill someone before Boswell met Loofe, 24, on the dating app Tinder and lured her to them. Loofe, a cashier at a Menards store in Lincoln, was strangled. Her body parts were later found in garbage bags, cut into 14 pieces and left in ditches along country roads in rural Clay County.

Boswell's court-appointed attorney, Todd Lancaster, said he was aware of at least two other cases in Nebraska where a three-judge panel split over whether to impose the death penalty, resulting in a default life sentence.

I can say that Bailey is grateful for the sake of her family and particularly her (7-year-old) daughter, Nahla, that she did not receive a death sentence, and so am I," said Lancaster, of the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy.

In a statement, Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson did not directly address the ruling but thanked local law enforcement and the jury that convicted Boswell for their work.

With the criminal cases coming to a close and the anniversary of (Loofe's) death approaching, our thoughts are with the Loofe family during this difficult time," Peterson said.

Judge Peter Bataillon, the lone dissenter in Monday's ruling, called the crime horrible and said Boswell should spend the rest of her life in prison, but he said he wasn't convinced that she had shown exceptional depravity," the legal standard required for a death sentence. He did not elaborate but has voted to impose death sentences in the past.

Judges Vicky Johnson and Darla Ideus disagreed and ruled in favor of capital punishment. Both judges concluded that Boswell deserved death because she helped lure Loofe back to the apartment where she and Trail lived and bought power tools ahead of time that were used to cut up Loofe's body. They also pointed to statements at trial that Boswell was sexually aroused by thoughts of people being tortured and killed.

Boswell's actions and words demonstrate that she had no regard for the life of Sydney Loofe beyond her own pleasure," Johnson said.

Johnson described Loofe as a helpless victim who was targed in a cold, calculating manner. As she read her ruling aloud in court, several members of Loofe's family lowered their heads and one woman dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. The family left the courtroom after the sentencing without taking questions.

Boswell was convicted in October 2020 of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and improper disposal of human remains. Trail was convicted of the same charges in 2019 and sentenced in June to death. No execution date has been set, and based on Nebraskas history with the death penalty, its unlikely his punishment will be carried out anytime soon.

Although Trail has changed his story numerous times, he admitted at his sentencing that he strangled Loofe with an electric cord, as prosecutors had alleged. He said he tied up Loofe and killed her because she freaked out when he told her about his lifestyle with Boswell and other young women, which included defrauding antique dealers and rough group sex.

Trail acknowledged that he repeatedly lied to authorities and plotted to kill Loofe two to three hours before her slaying. But he asserted that Boswell wasnt in the room and didnt know he was going to do it  a claim that Judges Johnson and Ideus didn't believe.

Trail became the 12th man on death row in Nebraska, a state that rarely carries out executions. He missed much of his own trial after slashing his neck in the courtroom and yelling, Bailey is innocent, I curse you all.

The states most recent execution was of convicted murderer Carey Dean Moore in 2018, after Moore dropped all of his appeals and asked to be killed. Before that, Nebraskas last execution was in 1997.

Boswell will now become the 16th woman serving a life sentence in Nebraska for first-degree murder, according to a Nebraska Department of Correctional Services spokeswoman. The men on death row are awaiting execution at the all-male Tecumseh State Correctional Institution.

___

Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte

___

This story has been corrected to attribute views on killings and relationship with Aubrey Trail to Boswell, not Loofe.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  A proposal to use $150 million in federal stimulus money to build another pipeline to carry natural gas from the Bakken region to eastern North Dakota will be on the table as state lawmakers convene at the Capitol.

Lawmakers plan to divvy up $1 billion from the federal American Rescue Plan Act during the special session, which opens Monday, and the money that leaders hope to set aside for pipeline grants could make the prospect of such a project more attractive to developers.
MARYVILLE  CenterPointe of Maryville Outpatient Behavioral Health Clinic will host an open house 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19 at 6804 State Route 162.

A ribbon cutting ceremony by the Troy/Maryville/St. Jacob/Marine Chamber of Commerce is planned at noon.
SPRINGFIELD  Four Riverbend students will be honored Wednesday, Nov. 10, as Lincoln Academy Student Laureates.

Sophie Hills, of Principia College in Elsah; Adin Fleischer of Greenville University; Briana Milich of Blackburn College in Carlinville; and Samantha Rae Gallatin, of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, are among this years honorees.

Fleischer is from Carlinville, Gallatin is from Machesney Park, Milich is from Washington, Illinois, and Hills is from Orleans, Massachusetts.

The top students representing Illinois colleges and universities will be honored via a pre-recorded Zoom production by The Lincoln Academy of Illinois.

The ceremony is historically held every fall at the Old State Capitol State Historic Site in Springfield, but is going virtual again this year due to COVID-19 restrictions on large in-person gatherings. The virtual ceremony will recognize excellence in curricular and extracurricular activities by seniors from each of the states four-year, degree-granting colleges and universities, and one student from the community colleges in Illinois.

It will be online at www.TheLincolnAcademyofIllinois.org.

The Zoom production will include a congratulatory statement by Gov. J. B. Pritzker, the President of the Lincoln Academy. Academy Vice Chancellor, The Honorable Ron Spears, will give the invocation and Chancellor Frank Clark will make welcoming remarks. Four Laureates of The Lincoln Academy will speak to the four pillars of Abraham Lincolns leadership.

Student Laureates will receive a letter and certificate of merit signed by Pritzker, a Lincoln medallion, a challenge coin and a $500 check from The Lincoln Academy. Student Laureates are selected by their individual schools.

Proceeds from the spring Laureate Convocation are used to support the Student Laureate program each fall. For more information visit www.TheLincolnAcademyofIllinois.org or The Lincoln Academys social media sites.
EDWARDSVILLE  Madison County States Attorney Tom Haine on Monday announced his office has filed a brief with the Illinois Supreme Court urging it to strike down the Firearm Owner Identification (FOID) Act as unconstitutional.

In May, a White County judge ruled the states FOID card system was unconstitutional and reduced residents Second Amendment rights to bear arms to a facade. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul appealed the decision to the Illinois Supreme Court.

On Monday Haine said his office has submitted an amicus curiae, or friend of the court, brief to the states highest court, making Madison County the first to file such a brief in the pending case.

Illinois currently is one of the only three states  the others being New York and Massachusetts  that require people have a license to posses a firearm.

Madison County citizens value their Second Amendment rights, Haine said.

Chicago and Cook County have filed briefs supporting the FOID Act in an important case, defining Second Amendment rights for Illinois residents, which is currently before the Illinois Supreme Court, he said. Madison County and the rest of Illinois has a very different understanding of our Second Amendment rights than the views of Cook County and Chicago.

It is important that the voice of Madison County be heard by the Illinois Supreme Court alongside the restrictive views from Chicago, Haine said. This amicus brief allows our position to be heard loud and clear before the states highest court  the FOID Act is unconstitutional, and must go.

In the brief, Haine states the FOID Act does not advance the public interest because the law poses no practical deterrent to those who violate it. He also states the law is an unconstitutional burden on peaceable Madison County citizens.

Its public-interest justification exists only in theory, not in reality, the brief states.

The brief also analyzes recent trends in U.S. Supreme Court decisions and states that the FOID Act, in addition to having insufficient public interest justification, is per-se unconstitutional.

It is simply a historical fact that nothing like the FOID Acts requirement that law-abiding citizens obtain a license before possessing any kind of firearm in the home existed in or around the founding era, and such a requirement is highly unusual even today, according to Haines brief.

The brief closes by asking the Illinois Supreme Court to make clear that the Constitution protects law-abiding, responsible citizens in Madison County and throughout Illinois from being forced to ask permission before they can simply protect their home.

Haine on Monday thanked his Civil Division Chief Assistant States Attorney Andrew Carruthers and Civil Division Assistant States Attorney John Hanson, both signatories on the brief, for their work on behalf of the county.
QAFFIN, West Bank (AP)  Three days a week, Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank village of Qaffin line up at a yellow gate and show military permits to soldiers in order to tend their crops on the other side of Israel's separation barrier.

The farmers say that because of increasingly onerous Israeli restrictions they can no longer live off their land, which is suffering without proper cultivation. The olive groves just beyond the gate are scorched from a recent blaze  firefighters also need permission to enter.

Nearly two decades after Israel sparked controversy worldwide by building the barrier during a Palestinian uprising, it has become a seemingly permanent feature of the landscape  even as Israel encourages its citizens to settle on both sides.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians navigate its checkpoints every morning as they line up in cramped terminals to enter Israel for jobs in construction and agriculture. Farmers in Qaffin and dozens of other villages need permits to access their own private property.

Israel says the barrier helped stop a wave of suicide bombings and other attacks by Palestinians who slipped into the country during the 2000-2005 uprising and is still needed to prevent deadly violence.

Eighty-five percent of the still-unfinished barrier is inside the occupied West Bank, carving off nearly 10% of its territory. The Palestinians view it as an illegal land grab, and the International Court of Justice in 2004 said the barrier was contrary to international law."

In Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Bethlehem, the barrier is a towering concrete wall several meters (yards) high crowned with barbed wire and cameras. In rural areas it largely consists of barbed wire fencing and closed military roads.

Along Israels main north-south highway, it's concealed by earthworks and landscaping, so that motorists get no more than a passing glance at the reality of military rule.

Palestinians in Qaffin say the wall has lopped off some 4,500 dunams (1,100 acres) of their farmland, all of it inside the West Bank.

Ibrahim Ammar says he used to grow an array of crops including watermelon and corn, but is now limited to olives and almonds because they require less attention. Even during the annual olive harvest, which began last month, he can only enter his land three days a week and must apply for permits to bring family members along to help.

My father, my grandfather, they were totally dependent on the land," he said. "Now I cant provide for myself and my children.

He drives a taxi to supplement his income. Other villagers work menial jobs inside Israel and its West Bank settlements. At least one resident, frustrated by the restrictions, grows vegetables on the roof of his home.

Three days is not enough to serve the land," said Taysir Harashe, who was mayor of the village when the barrier was built. "The land is getting worse and worse.

The U.N. estimates some 150 Palestinian communities are in a similar predicament, and that 11,000 Palestinians live in the so-called Seam Zone inside the West Bank but west of the barrier, requiring Israeli permits just to stay in their homes.

HaMoked, an Israeli rights group that helps Palestinians secure permits, says the farmers' situation is worsening. It says data obtained from the military through a freedom of information request shows that 73% of applications for permits were denied last year, compared to 29% in 2014. Less than 3% are denied on security grounds, it said.

In 2014, Israel stopped granting permits to relatives unless they are listed as agricultural workers on larger plots. In 2017, the military began dividing larger holdings among the members of extended families and ruled that anything smaller than 330 square meters (3,500 square feet) was agriculturally unsustainable. Owners of so-called tiny plots are denied permits.

Theres no security justification," said Jessica Montell, the director of HaMoked, which is challenging the regulation before Israel's Supreme Court. "Theyve decided you own a plot of land that they think is too small to warrant cultivation.

She said other regulations are based on elaborate calculations about how many hands are needed to tend to various crops. "Its a crazy table. They say if you are growing cucumbers you can get X number of helpers per dunam.

Asked about the restrictions, the military said its forces aim to ensure a smooth fabric of life for all sides. The military sees great importance in the coordination of the olive harvest, and operates in accordance with guidelines and the situational assessment, it said in a statement.

Israel has always said the barrier was not intended to delineate a permanent border, and some supporters said at the time that by reducing violence it would aid the peace process.

The fence was built according to the needs of security only," said Netzah Mashiah, a retired Israeli colonel who oversaw construction of the barrier until 2008. "We understood while building it that it might be a border in the far future... but this was not the goal of this fence.

Indeed, the barrier only looks like a heavily guarded border.

Israelis and Palestinians live on both sides, and Israel is actively building settlements and settlement infrastructure east of the barrier. There have been no substantive peace talks in more than a decade, and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and other territories Israel seized in the 1967 war.

In Bethlehem, the towering concrete wall is covered with political graffiti and often satirical artwork. One refers to an episode of Larry David's HBO comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm" in which Jewish men avail themselves of a Palestinian restaurant to conceal their affairs from their wives. Another pays tribute to George Floyd, who died under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer last year.

It became an eclectic tourist attraction after the world-famous graffiti artist Banksy secretly painted the wall in the 2000s. In 2017, he opened the Walled-Off Hotel, a monument of bleak resistance-themed art.

Abu Yamil, the owner of a nearby souvenir shop who declined to give his full name, sells Banksy prints and postcards among other trinkets.

The 70-year-old waxes nostalgic about the situation decades ago, when Palestinians could travel freely.

It was occupation, but we lived together, he said. I drove my car to Tel Aviv.

Like many Palestinians, he doubts the unfinished barrier serves much of a security purpose  workers without permits have always managed to sneak in.

This wall will be here forever, because they don't want peace, he said. Israel wants all the land.
Young people from across the region gathered Sunday at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Scranton to kick off National Vocation Awareness Week in the Diocese of Scranton.

Local colleges and universities were represented by young adults at the Leave A Mark Mass at the cathedral. The representatives helped plan the Mass and strategized how to spread the word online and around the region.

Close
KNOWLTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP)  Two New Jersey state troopers shot and killed a Pennsylvania man who they said had opened fire on a dog inside a vehicle that had just crashed, authorities said.

The troopers responded to Starlite Hill Road around 1:30 a.m. Sunday and found the front of the vehicle in a ditch. Inside was the driver  Timothy Parks, of Saylorsburg  and the dog, authorities said.

The troopers were attempting to communicate with Parks when authorities said he fired a weapon from within the vehicle and shot the dog, killing the animal. The troopers fired their weapons striking Parks and killing him.

Parks was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Pennsylvania, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. The names of the troopers have not been released.

The New Jersey Attorney Generals Office is investigating the shooting, which is standard procedure when a police officer fires their weapon.
Lovinas Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife, and mother of eight. Readers can write to Eicher at PO Box 1689, South Holland, IL 60473 (please include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply); or email LovinasAmishKitchen@MennoMedia.org and your message will be passed on to her to read. She does not personally respond to emails.
Jordan Nonte , LSW, is a Youth First Social Worker at Perry Central Jr./Sr. High School in Perry County. Youth First, Inc. is a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening youth and families. Youth First provides 78 Masters level social workers to 105 schools in 12 Indiana counties. Over 60,000 youth and families per year are served by Youth Firsts school social work and after school programs that prevent substance abuse, promote healthy behaviors, and maximize student success. To learn more about Youth First, visit youthfirstinc.org or call 812-421-8336.
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 UK's stock market rules do not need to be relaxed to attract more cutting-edge firms, according to one tech boss.

The requirements a company must fulfil to list are under review by the Government, which wants to see more fast-growing firms on the London Stock Exchange.

Change: The requirements a company must fulfil to list are under review by the Government, which wants to see more fast-growing firms on the London Stock Exchange

But David Richards, the chief executive and co-founder of cloud data specialist Wandisco, said the UK markets 'don't need more relaxations' given that Britain's rules are less restrictive than those in the US, which has a thriving tech sector.

'AIM already exists,' said Richards, referring to the junior section of the London Stock Exchange, which has less restrictive listing rules.

Instead, Richards said, the UK needs to focus on attracting 'the right sort' of tech companies, more specifically those that are 'pure' and own intellectual property rather than platforms that are used to provide physical services or goods.

His comments came as Matt Moulding, the founder of The Hut Group (THG), said he regretted floating the retail tech company last year and said the process 'sucked from start to finish'. He added that the last year had been 'the worst period ever' for him.
LV members have blasted an offer of just 100 each to sell the 178-year-old insurer to an American private equity firm.

The 'paltry' payment would let Bain Capital seize LV, formerly Liverpool Victoria, stripping it of its mutual status.

This would mean the firm would no longer be owned by its members but run by a profit-hungry investor.

Speaking out: Tory peer Lord Heseltine has urged LV members to reject the deal

Tory peer Lord Heseltine has urged LV members to reject the deal. He said: 'It's 30 pieces of silver, converted into 100 of today's money. I would hope members reject it.'

Bain will pay 530m in total for LV. But only 212m of that will go to members.

That includes an uplift to policies for eligible members who have a with-profits policy. Solicitor Peter Bloxham, an LV member, said chairman Alan Cook and chief executive Mark Hartigan had been 'weasely' about what they will gain from the deal.

He said it was 'clear' that Hartigan will continue as chief executive if the deal goes ahead  which will mean a pay rise potentially worth millions.

'When they announced the sale clearly they were proud of the 530m offer and made out it would go to members,' he said. 'Well where is it all going?' The 100 proposal has been condemned as trying to buy members' rights for 'less than the cost of a good meal out'. Bosses were accused of 'taking members for fools' by Labour MP Gareth Thomas.

The Daily Mail has been inundated with emails from policyholders urging members not to be 'bribed' with their own money.

Clarissa Johnson, 74, said: 'When I saw the 100 I laughed at my computer. It seems quite paltry.' Gary Hewitt, 79, said it was 'shocking'.

LV's bosses claim the firm needs cash to invest in new technology. They said seeking money from a third party meant they wouldn't have to invest members' money, reducing the risk to customers.
Aerospace giant BAE Systems has kept its guidance for the year unchanged as it revealed that supply chain pressures had not financially affected the business.

The FTSE 100 business still expects underlying earnings to rise by 6 per cent to 8 per cent on 2020 levels, while sales and underlying earnings per share are forecast to grow by 3 per cent to 5 per cent, respectively.

It said that its outlook had been buoyed by a 'continuing good operational performance' and the advantage of longer lead times that had enabled it to avoid disruption and meet customer demand.

Taking off: BAE Systems helps manufacture the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft jet (pictured)

Looking further ahead, the company hopes to continue benefitting from countries increasing their military spending in the coming years.

These include the United States, whose federal legislature agreed to a $740billion annual defence bill at the start of 2021, and the Middle East, where the company has had longstanding relationships with states like Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

In July, the company successfully obtained a six-year contract to provide training to Hawk aircraft pilots from both the UK's Royal Air Force and Qatar's Emiri Air Force.

In addition, the firm believes it will gain from the AUKUS security pact, its role in the Eurofighter Typhoon programme, and commitments by France and Germany to increase military expenditure in line with the NATO target of 2 per cent of GDP.

Since its last trading update, BAE Systems has continued to enhance its order book, winning two five-year contracts from the US Navy worth $546.5million overall and an 85million contract from the UK's Ministry of Defence to develop new submarines.

The latter deal will help safeguard 250 jobs at its shipping yard in the Cumbrian town of Barrow-in-Furness, which celebrated its 150th anniversary earlier this year.

Order boom: Since its last trading update, BAE Systems has continued to enhance its order book, winning two five-year contracts from the US Navy worth $546.5million overall

But the largest contract came from the US Army, which awarded the group a decade-long contract worth up to $872million for work related to an advanced missile warning system.

Charles Woodburn, chief executive of BAE Systems, said: 'We're evolving our business to be well-positioned for growth over the medium term alongside a focus on longer-term value drivers as we ramp up investment in advanced technologies and progress our sustainability agenda.

'Our continued good operational performance underlines our confidence in the full-year guidance for top-line growth and margin expansion as well as our three-year cash flow target.

'Demand for our capabilities remains high, and we have a strong pipeline of opportunities across our broad geographic portfolio that will enable our skilled, global workforce to deliver capabilities which will support our customers in responding to the evolving threat environment.'

Aside from winning new contracts, the company declared today that it had purchased more than 60 per cent in shares of a 500million share buyback programme that it announced in its half-year results back in July.

Those results, which covered January to June, showed the group's sales climbing above 10billion, underlying earnings surpassing 1billion, and order intake jumping by over 1billion to 10.6billion.

Shares in BAE Systems closed trading just 2.4 points lower at 571.6p on Monday, remaining significantly below their level in February 2020. However, they have grown by 15.7 per cent this year and are up by about 30 per cent over the last 12 months.
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The April 13, 1925, killings of two law enforcement officials in Kingsport, on the Long Island of the Holston River not far from where Riverfront Seafood is today, were the second and third killings of Kinnie Wagner's five acknowledged and documented shooting victims.
Sure enough, the Georgia/Tennessee border is in the wrong place
Sudanese pro-democracy groups on Sunday launched two days of civil disobedience and strikes in protest against last months military coup, although participation appeared to be limited by interruptions to internet and phone connections.

In a sign of the potential for the coup to unravel efforts to end decades of internal conflict, armed rebel factions that signed a peace deal last year rejected the coup and called for the ending of a state of emergency.

The commander of the powerful Rapid Support Forces, who is the No. 2 man in Sudans military, came out in support of the takeover in a midnight speech posted on Facebook.

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhans moves came to correct the course of the peoples revolution, and preserve the security and stability of the country, said General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, Burhans deputy on the now-dissolved Sovereign Council.

Local resistance committees and the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which led demonstrations in an uprising that toppled long-serving autocrat Omar al-Bashir in 2019, are organising a campaign of protests and barricades to try to reverse the military takeover.

People were out on the streets on Sunday in the centre of the capital, Khartoum, although there was less traffic than usual, residents said.

A teachers union said security forces used tear gas at the Education Ministry building for Khartoum State to break up a sit-in staged to oppose any handover to military appointees. Some 87 people were arrested, it said.

In several areas in eastern Khartoum, across the river in the Ombada area of Omdurman, police also used tear gas to break up protests, witnesses said. On one major Khartoum street, security forces in civilian clothing were seen alongside police, they said.

There were protests too in the cities of Medani, Nyala and Atbara, where hundreds protested the reappointment of Bashir loyalists in local government, witnesses said.

INTERNET DISRUPTION

Some hospitals and medical staff in Khartoum were working normally, while others were on strike.

A number of people did not know about the call for civil disobedience because of the internet cut, said one resident of central Khartoum, who asked not to be identified.

Internet services have been almost completely disrupted since the Oct. 25 coup, and phone coverage remains patchy. Daily life came to a near standstill after the takeover, but shops, roads and some banks have since reopened.

The coup halted a power-sharing arrangement between the military and civilians that had been agreed after Bashirs overthrow and was meant to lead to democratic elections by late 2023.

Top civilians including several ministers were detained, and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was placed under house arrest.

Mediation efforts involving the United Nations have sought the release of detainees and a return to power sharing, but sources from the ousted government say those efforts have stalled.

Since Bashir was toppled, Sudan had been emerging from decades of isolation and internal wars. A peace agreement signed last year with rebel groups was intended to end several of those long-running conflicts.

The Sudanese Revolutionary Front, which said it rejected the coup, includes rebel groups led by three men who had sat on a military-civilian ruling council dissolved during the takeover, Elhadi Idris and Altahir Hajar from Darfur and Malik Agar of the southern SPLM-N.

Two other major rebel groups that did not sign the peace agreement have also rejected the coup. Some signatories of the peace deal, including Darfur rebel group leaders Jibril Ibrahim and Minni Minawi, had aligned with the military in the weeks leading up to the coup.

On Sunday, an Arab league delegation met Hamdok and Burhan, and stressed the importance of dialogue in order to return to a civilian-military partnership, it said in a statement.

Activists demanding that the military exit politics have announced a schedule of protests leading up to mass rallies on Saturday, under the slogan: No negotiation, no partnership, no compromise.

Hundreds of thousands took to the streets against military rule in two huge demonstrations before and after the coup.

Western powers have paused economic assistance to Sudan and say that relief on tens of billions of dollars of foreign debt is at risk unless there is a return to a democratic transition.

SOURCE: REUTERS
Travellers excited at the prospect of reuniting with family and friends headed for the United States on Monday as it lifted travel restrictions slapped on much of the world since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The travel ban, first imposed in early 2020, had barred access to non-U.S. citizens travelling from 33 countries  including China, India and much of Europe  and had also restricted overland entry from Mexico and Canada.

The United States lagged many other countries in lifting the curbs, made possible by the rollout of vaccines despite rising infections in many countries, and critical to reviving tourism around the globe.

Months of pent-up demand triggered a major spike in bookings on Monday, with travellers only required to show official proof of vaccination and a recent, negative viral test.

Really, really exciting. I mean, I was meant to go just before COVID happened, and obviously its been delayed this long, so its really exciting to finally be able to go, Alice Keane, travelling to Miami to see her sister, said at Londons Heathrow airport.

Long-term rivals British Airways and Virgin Atlantic carried out simultaneous take-offs from Heathrows parallel runways just before 0900 GMT, a stunt aimed at highlighting the importance of the transatlantic market to the UKs aviation market.

The flights were full, Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss said, while passenger volume was expected to remain high in coming weeks with the approach of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Its a major day of celebration, Weiss said, in what he called a significant tipping point for an industry brought to its knees by the pandemic.

The United States was preparing for long lines and delays on Monday, with United Airlines alone expecting about 50% more total international inbound passengers compared to last Monday when it had about 20,000.

Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) Chief Executive Ed Bastian warned travellers should be prepared for long waits.

Its going to be a bit sloppy at first. I can assure you, there will be lines unfortunately, Bastian said, adding that well get it sorted out.

WE MIGHT START CRYING

The prospect of long queues did little to dent the enthusiasm of those preparing to be reunited with loved ones.

I think we might just start crying, Bindiya Patel, who was going to see her one-year-old nephew in New York for the first time, said at Heathrow, where jugglers dressed in the red, white and blue of the U.S. flag greeted travellers.

Restrictions on non-U.S. citizens were first imposed on air travellers from China in January 2020 by then-President Donald Trump and extended to dozens of other countries, without any clear metrics for how and when to lift them.

In January, Trump issued an order to lift travel restrictions on people in Europe and Brazil. But the order was reversed by President Joe Biden before it took effect.

U.S. allies had heavily lobbied the Biden administration, which had repeatedly said it did not endorse so-called vaccine passports, to lift the rules.

Airline officials stressed that tourism and family trips alone will not be enough for carriers whose profits depend on filling the most expensive seats.

Experts say the real battle of the transatlantic, the worlds most lucrative travel market, takes place at the front of the plane, in first, business, and premium economy class, where those paying the top prices help drive airline profits.

As for business, we know the recovery is slower and so its a question mark but what we know is that there are a certain number of sectors, especially domestic and medium-haul travel, where recovery is already happening and we hope to see this same tendency for the United States, said Air France-KLM commercial co-director, Henri de Peyrelongue.

LAND BORDER CROSSINGS

U.S. land borders also reopened to non-essential travel on Monday.

In Mexicos Ciudad Juarez, across from the Texan city of El Paso, a line of about 20 people formed early on Monday before crossing and embracing family on the other side of the border, a Reuters witness said. One of the people hadnt seen their relatives in El Paso since March 2020.

We thought they were going to tell us again that they had decided not to open it, said Lorena Hernandez, stroking her grown-up daughters hair and smiling broadly after they were reunited in El Paso. I said, if they dont reopen, Im going to take a plane.

Some inoculated Mexicans will not be able to enter the United States immediately if they received vaccines in Mexico that have not been approved by the World Health Organization, such as Chinas CanSino and Russias Sputnik V.

Hundreds of migrants have arrived at Mexican border cities such as Tijuana in recent days, hoping the reset will make it easier to cross and seek U.S. asylum, despite warnings from advocates that the re-opening is for people who have papers.

In Canada, long lines formed overnight at U.S. border points for an early rush of travellers but a Canadian requirement that all returning travellers have a negative PCR test is expected to dampen travel.

Canada, which allowed fully vaccinated Americans to cross the land border in August, is under pressure to drop the negative test requirement from businesses and travellers, who say showing proof of vaccination should be enough.

Under-18s are exempt from the new vaccine requirements. Non-tourist travellers from nearly 50 countries with nationwide vaccination rates of less than 10% are also eligible for exemption.

SOURCE: REUTERS
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While New York politicians hobnobbed in Puerto Rico, the Albany County district attorney's office granted a 60-day adjournment for former Andrew M. Cuomo to make his first scheduled court appearance on a misdemeanor forcible touching charge. The DA's office cited a "potentially defective" criminal complaint filed by the county sheriff's office. (TU)

After much back and forth, New York is set to get billions as a result of a historic $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that passed in the House of Representatives Friday evening. (TU)
Nov. 17-21 Cohoes pop-up for Baltimore bagel shop

Bottoms Up Bagels, a Baltimore-based bagel shop that regularly travels for pop-up events it calls the BUB Roadshow, will bring its bagels, spreads, house-cured lox and egg sandwiches to Cohoes from Wednesday, Nov. 17, to Sunday, Nov. 21.

The retail location will be in the Moose Lodge at 289 Ontario St., and the Bottoms Up Bagels team will use kitchen space at the United Church of Cohoes to hand-roll, boil and bake its eponymous product, which owners Michelle Bond and Joan Kanner describe as "New Jersey style  dense, chewy (and) old-school."

Hours will be 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. or until that day's supply of bagels is sold out.

The company started in 2016 with pop-up events around Baltimore, including at farmers markets, art galleries and breweries. Its first brick-and-mortar location opened in June 2020. The visit to Cohoes is BUB's first out of state since the pandemic began, according to the owners. The farthest the company has gone for a pop-up was Bozeman, Mont., in 2019.

Bond, who said she has spent time in the Hudson Valley for school and work and has visited the Capital Region, said in a statement, The sense of community and rich history is always something thats drawn us here.

Quang's Bistro closes, owner going to Sea Smoke

Quang Tran, one of the area's best fine-dining servers, with a resume that includes Michelin-starred restaurants in San Francisco and the former Peck's Arcade, last week closed his Quang's Vietnamese Bistro to take a management position with Sea Smoke Waterfront Grill, opening in early December in the Starbuck Island development in Green Island.

Tran said he wanted to go out quietly with his little downtown storefront place, on the Collar City's Third Street, which he started in the back of a convenience store and grew to take over the full space.

"The bistro had a nice three-year run, but I am looking forward to returning back to the fine-dining scene, where I feel I truly belong," he said.

Tran will be in senior management at Sea Smoke, said Jaime Ortiz, who owns the restaurant as well as 677 Prime in Albany, Toro Cantina in Colonie and Prime Burger and Shakehouse in Troy. Sheila Burke, a longtime veteran of Mazzone Hospitality who for a few years has been director of restaurants for Ortiz's company, will be the opening general manager of Sea Smoke. Tran will train to take over as GM once the restaurant is up and running and Burke returns to her oversight role with the parent company, Ortiz said.

Oh Corn! closes to find a fresh home elsewhere

Oh Corn! Arepas and More, which opened in a small commercial plaza on Route 9 in Halfmoon five years ago, closed temporarily after business on Oct. 30.

Jose Theoktisto, who opened the restaurant with his wife, Belkis Castro, said they decided not to renew the strip-mall lease and are on the hunt for a new space, preferably in a downtown Albany, Schenectady or Troy location, or Latham or Colonie. In the string of comments that greeted the relocation announcement on Facebook, pleadings also came in for a move to Ballston Spa, Cohoes, Glens Falls and Saratoga Springs, among others, as well as some lamentation from Halfmoon and Clifton Park residents.

An opening in the first quarter of next year is projected, depending on how quickly a new home is identified, Theoktisto said.

Compiled by Steve Barnes. Items to be considered for publication should be submitted to sbarnes@timesunion.com. Twitter: @Tablehopping. Facebook: SteveBarnesFoodCritic.
The $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill passed in the House of Representatives on Friday, having already cleared the Senate this summer, and now New York is set to get billions over the next five years to invest in its airports, roads, water quality and broadband.

During a press conference at Unico Park in Newburgh on Monday, U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney announced what that means for his district, which stretches from Beacon and Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County to much of Orange County. The congressman is a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee and wrote parts of the legislation.

Its the most significant investment we have ever made in our countrys infrastructure, said Maloney. The word historic is thrown around a lot, but in this case its justified.

The deal is the largest federal investment in history for upstate airports, water, transit, broadband, trains, bridges and roads, according to a press release from Senate majority leader U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumers office. The senator was the lead negotiator of the deal. More than $170 billion of the funds are allocated to New York.

Airports will see a significant amount of that money, with New York Stewart International Airport receiving $12 million, Columbia County Airport receiving $1 million, and $800,000 each apportioned to Orange County Airport and Hudson Valley Regional Airport.

The funds will also help improve water quality. In the state, $15 billion is earmarked to replace service lines containing lead and $10 billion will be used to combat contaminants, which could help communities like Newburgh that have continued to battle with PFAS contamination.

Rail systems will receive $59 billion, which includes $688 million that will spare New York from having to pay its contribution to replace upstate Amtrak railcars. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is earmarked to receive $11 billion, with some funds potentially going to Metro-North Railroad.

Some funds will also go towards strengthening limo safety in response to the Schoharie limo crash.

The state is also set to receive $12.5 billion to fix local bridges and highways. Across New York, there are 1,702 bridges and over 7,292 miles of highway in poor condition.

In Maloneys district alone there are 170 bridges in need of repair, including in the Town of Warwick.

We have a bridge  thats one of the main arteries through the village, said Town of Warwick Supervisor Michael Sweeton. Its got lots of complications and have been flagged by the Department of Transportation. Its flagged to be a $5 million job. Thats beyond the capacity of our residents to fund that without help.

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Another project in the Hudson Valley that could use funds from the infrastructure bill include the widening of Route 17, which Maloney nodded to during his Monday press conference in saying, it is a much-needed project that has been stalled for too long.

U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado, whose district includes the rest of the Hudson Valley, the Catskills and some of the Capital Region, also voted to send the bill to President Joe Bidens desk. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes Delgados BuyAmerica.Gov Act, which will establish a centralized online hub to increase transparency and help ensure federal agencies prioritize the purchase of American-made goods.

Our legislation will create jobs, repair our roads and bridges, deliver broadband, and increase resiliency in the face of climate change, said Delgado in a press release. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will deliver highway, bridge, transit, broadband, and water infrastructure investments in our communities, protect and conserve the Delaware River, and generate billions in economic activity."

Maloney also highlighted how the bill could benefit trades workers in the region.

Every penny spent is about infrastructure of course, but its really about growing our economy and jobs, said Maloney. Alan Seidman, Executive Director of the Construction Contractors Association of the Hudson Valley and Todd Diorio of Laborers Local 17 were also in attendance and stated that trades would benefit from the work.

President Joe Biden is expected to sign the legislation within days.
Many public parks post regulations for leashing dogs on trails. But two recent rescues in the Hudson Valley involving unleashed dogs indicate that dog owners often let their pups roam freely, to the dismay of those who believe in respecting nature and the rules.

The ongoing debate over whether to leash or not to leash dogs on trails is not new, popping up often on social media in local Facebook groups or in the comments sections on news stories about owners who hike with their dogs off leash. Some pet owners believe well-behaved pooches should not be tethered during hikes, while others believe dogs should always be leashed, in accordance with park rules.

Meanwhile, recent incidents involving dog rescues have some park officials noting that leashing rules arent an inconvenience; theyre in place for the safety of all involved.

Jeremy Duckles, owner of Supreme Pianos in Fishkill, says hes put a lot of work into training his dog, Peaches, to stay off leash. You have to be careful and wise about it, and it takes some training, he says. But I think it helps them learn to behave better, makes them a more loyal dog. Dogs dont want to lose you.

Duckles says hell leash Peaches, a beagle-hound mix that he adopted from a rescue group about three years ago, if there are a lot of people around or if theyre near a road. Aside from that, he prefers to have Peaches off leash even in parks where leashing rules are posted.

Im one of these people who will ignore leashing rules if theres nobody around and if theres nobody around to enforce them necessarily.

Maria Shelton, an avid hiker who does not own a dog, says she thinks dogs should always be leashed when outdoors, for their safety and the safety of those around them.

Shelton lives in Bergen County, New Jersey, but travels to the Catskills frequently to hike. A recent run-in with an unleashed dog at Minnewaska State Park in Kerhonkson proved particularly frustrating, following a similar encounter on a New Jersey trail. In Ulster, an unleashed dog came charging down a path Shelton and her group were ascending.

My reaction was to yield my group, says Shelton. The owner overheard me and asked, Whats wrong, are they afraid of dogs? I could not believe his question  he did not attempt to leash the dog.

Kenneth Dillon, a Brooklyn resident who travels to the Hudson Valley for hikes, says he believes control of a dog can be more important than leashing.

Once a dog inadvertently wrapped its leash around my leg and the owner and I struggled to coax it to retrace its steps, which, had the terrain been more difficult, could have been a more serious problem, he says. Leashes do not guarantee total control over dogs on hikes. Dillon says he thinks dogs should be trained to be well-behaved off-leash where its appropriate.

When unleashed dogs require rescuing on the trail

According to Minnewaska State Park Superintendent Eric Humphrey, a recent dog rescue in the park highlights the need to heed the parks leashing rules. In early October, a small cockapoo named Liza fell and became trapped in a rocky walls crevice while off leash in the park. The dog spent five days in the crevice, surviving by licking water off its wall, before being rescued by a member of the New Jersey Initial Response Team.

Owners need to follow the park regulation and keep their dog on a leash to protect the dog, owner, other visitors, and the resources in the park, Humphrey said in an email. Those resources include delicate vegetation that can be trampled by dogs, which can lead to erosion.

Humphrey says park officials enforce leash rules on a daily basis but given the size of the park  24,000 acres with 85 miles of trails  its not possible to interface with every guest. When a park official does interact with someone whose dog is off leash, Humphrey says they try to educate the visitor, but a ticket can be issued if necessary.

Lizas rescue garnered a lot of attention from local hiking groups. In a thread in the Facebook group Hiking the Hudson and Beyond, 125 responses served as a microcosm of the debate about leashing, with those arguing for and against leashing, and still more commenters suggesting the dog shouldnt have been hiking near dangerous crevices.

Lizas owner, Virginia Hlavsa, is 88 years old and says hiking isnt something shes able to do anymore. She says Liza frequently takes walks with a neighbor who was with the dog at the time of the incident, and that Liza is usually leashed.

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She had just taken her off the leash briefly, says Hlavsa.

The incident is a reminder that it only takes a few seconds for a dog who is unfamiliar with terrain to get into trouble and encounter dangers posed by the terrain itself or by wildlife in the park.

As dog owners know, even the most well-trained canine might dismiss an owners commands once wildlife, like a fox or deer, piques their interest. In some cases they may do harm to another animal; in others, they may be an unwitting victim.

Unleashed dogs can experience grave consequences from porcupines and rattlesnakes, both of which live in the park, says Humphrey.

A New York State Forest Ranger, Katie Fox, who led another dog rescue in the Catskills last month, retrieving a 65-pound husky who fell into a large cistern at the Kaaterskill Hotel site in Greene County, says leashes arent a requirement in her region, but being in control of ones dog is.

Still, she says, until a dog is familiar with a specific terrain, its best to keep the dog on leash. (In addition, she says its important both dogs and humans wear orange vests, and for humans, or orange hats, when out in the woods during hunting season.)

When off-leash dogs do find themselves stuck in hard-to-reach places, there is always the risk that it will lead to a more challenging rescue, says Fox. In the case of the fallen dog in the cistern, it was important to Fox to get to the site as soon as possible. She assembled a team of four other rangers and eventually was lowered into the cistern herself to harness the dog; both were t hen lifted out.

In situations like this, its always a risk that the owner or a well-meaning passerby may try to rescue the dog on their own, says Fox. Without the proper training or gear, that could be a more dangerous situation than we started with. Rescuing an injured person and a dog is a lot worse than rescuing a dog.

Duckles says he did have a close call with Peaches once. Shortly after he adopted her, the dog ran after a rabbit and didnt respond to commands to return for about 20 minutes. While Duckles acknowledges that at that time it probably would have been better to have had Peaches leashed, he sees that incident as something that happened because the dog wasnt yet properly trained, and it doesnt change his views about leashing her today.

Shes become much better behaved and easier to control because shes gotten used to being off leash, he says. She knows were a pack and she needs to stick around.
ALBANY  A regional association representing 50 upstate New York hospitals is calling on the state Department of Health to delay implementation of new laws that will require hospitals and nursing homes around the state to establish and maintain minimum staffing levels.

The Iroquois Healthcare Alliance  which represents hospital systems in 32 upstate counties, including the Capital Region  argues implementation of the laws by Jan. 1, 2022 is infeasible given current widespread staffing shortages plaguing health care facilities statewide.

In a letter to state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker last month, IHA President and CEO Gary Fitzgerald said the organizations primary opposition to the law relates to its timing, as hospitals are currently experiencing unprecedented workforce shortages that he says have been exacerbated by the states coronavirus vaccine mandate for health care workers and a recent court decision striking down religious exemptions to the mandate.

The current workforce crisis facing hospitals across upstate New York is dire, Fitzgerald wrote in the letter.

Hospitals and health systems stretching from Albany to Buffalo had over 2,000 open registered nursing positions prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. After the pandemic hit, some 6,000 workers were furloughed as elective surgeries were canceled to make room for a potential wave of patients, which modeling projections at the time indicated would overwhelm hospitals.

Today, vacancy rates remain extremely high, and our members are functioning in crisis mode, unable to accept transfers, canceling elective procedures, reducing operating room capacities and a general slowing down of daily patient care, all related to and a direct result of workforce shortages, he wrote.

One of the new laws, which was passed this spring by the Legislature and signed by former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, requires hospitals to form clinical staffing committees made up of at least 50 percent nurses and direct-care staff. Committees would be charged with developing annual staffing plans that include specific guidelines or ratios for determining how many patients a nurse can be assigned at one time and how many nurses and ancillary staff should be present on each unit and shift.

Staffing plans would be due to the state Health Department by July 1 each year, and the department would then be charged with investigating violations of the plan and could demand corrective actions or impose civil penalties.

Another law requires the state health commissioner to set minimum staffing standards at nursing homes that include at least 3.5 hours of nursing care per resident per day. At least 2.2 of those hours must be provided by certified nurse aides and 1.1 hours by licensed practical nurses or registered nurses.

Facilities have until Jan. 1, 2022 to comply and may face penalties if they fall short.

In his letter to Zucker, Fitzgerald asked that any regulations resulting from the laws contain "safety valve" language clarifying that the department would not penalize facilities where there are significant and longstanding workforce shortages. The laws currently include language allowing the commissioner to factor in emergency situations and acute regional labor shortages when deciding whether to penalize facilities, but Fitzgerald told the Times Union he believes that language is too vague.

"We're hoping that the commissioner's office and the DOH people who are putting the (regulations) together... can be more clear as to what kind of flexibility there will be," he said.

Vacancy rates for registered nurses had been on the rise for several years prior to the pandemic, IHA figures show. In 2015, they were about 6 percent at upstate New York hospitals, and rose to between 8 and 10 percent over the next four years. They are now at 16 percent. Vacancy rates for all positions, meanwhile, have doubled in the last year from approximately 7 percent in 2020 to over 14 percent currently, IHA figures show.

Iroquois Healthcare Alliance

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Fitzgerald said he expects vacancy rates will get worse should courts ultimately decide religious exemptions to the state's vaccine mandate are not allowed. Some 1,300 employees at 33 upstate hospitals surveyed by IHA have requested religious exemptions, he said.

"This is like the worst time that you could implement two new laws which impact staffing when we're desperately trying to maintain staffing levels," he said.

Fitzgerald said he has not received confirmation or response from the department regarding his letter, but his organization has also been meeting with state Senate and Assembly staff about possible tweaks to the effective date of the laws  the timing of which would require the Legislature to return for a special session.

"We're just asking," he said. "We're trying to make sure they understand how desperate hospitals are right now for staff."

Jeffrey Hammond, a spokesperson for the Department of Health, said his department had not received the letter from Fitzgerald but added that it's prohibited from changing the effective date of the new laws anyway because they are statutorily mandated.

Regulations pertaining to the minimum staffing requirements for nursing homes and hospitals were filed with the Department of State and will be published in the State Register for public comment on Nov. 17, he said.

The New York State Nurses Association, which advocated heavily for minimum staffing laws, said employers need to step up and work with unions and nursing schools to create a massive jobs program in response to the staffing issues that have plagued their facilities for years.

"If we don't act on improving patient safety coming out of this experience, when will we ever learn?" said Pat Kane, executive director of the association. "Safe staffing cannot wait any longer... Employers should understand by now that underpaying and understaffing are dead-end strategies. Several hospitals went completely in the wrong direction, laying off employees after the pandemic and freezing hiring despite existing vacancies. Employers should create the conditions that allow workers and patients to thrive, and this law finally holds them accountable in a way that the public deserves."
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  A part of the highway that links North Carolina's Outer Banks to the mainland remained closed on Monday because of ocean overwash, officials said.

According to the N.C. Department of Transportation, N.C. Highway 12 is closed from the Marc Basnight Bridge to Rodanthe because of a storm along the coast. Ocean overwash destroyed some sand dunes protecting the highway and forced the partial closure on Sunday. a news release said.
SARATOGA SPRINGS  Both the winner and the loser in the race for city commissioner of accounts have had a rough week since Election Day. One has been arrested, while the other has apologized for his conduct the night the votes were counted.

State Police were prepared to arrest Republican candidate Samantha Guerra the day before last week's election, but her attorney ended up forestalling her arrest on allegations she mishandled campaign petitions: He did not call the troopers until after the votes were in.

"I was with my son, so I did not call them back," Oscar Schreiber said. "I was upset that they knew the dates I was available and wanted me to bring her in on a few hours' notice."

Schreiber said State Police called him on Monday afternoon, asking for Guerra to come into the Malta barracks to be processed on the two misdemeanor charges. The attorney  a former Saratoga County public defender  said he didn't acknowledge the request until Wednesday, the day after the election, because he said they knew he couldn't come in with her Monday as his son was visiting from New York.

Guerra, who ran for commissioner of accounts, was finally arrested on Friday. The 36-year-old is accused of presenting invalid signatures on two of her nominating petitions to the Saratoga County Board of Elections. An investigation allegedly found the candidate had not witnessed some of the signatures on her petition.

State Police spokeswoman Trooper Kerra Burns said it's "not uncommon for a defendant to turn themselves in at the request of police."

"In this case, the defendant had representation and communications were made through her attorney for her to come to the barracks and be processed," Burns said.

She also said that the State Police are not influenced by politics.

"An arrest occurs based on the findings of an investigation, not at the request of any third party," she said.

Furthermore, State Police said they do not have any policy relating to when an arrest can be made, for example, near Election Day.

Local Republicans believe whole thing was politically motivated and that city Commissioner of Public Safety Robin Dalton, who oversees the city police department, interfered. Chris Obstarczyk, the chair of the city GOP, said the attempted arrest on Monday "accentuates the political nature of this case from the beginning."

"The State Police merely rubber-stamped a politically-tainted investigation," Obstarcyzk said.

A State Police spokesman did not immediately return a call for comment.

Guerra lost the election to Dillon Moran, a Democrat.

Moran had his own troubles Monday as he apologized for the contents of a video in which he admits being intoxicated after the polls closed on Election Day, and responded to a critic by using a slur for developmentally disabled people.

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The accusation and the release of the video of Moran continue the months of toxic back-and-forth between the two parties related to the campaign for the city's commissioner of accounts post.

Moran was secretly recorded on election night in an outdoors encounter by someone who peppered him with questions about national politics. The video surfaced on the Facebook page of Moving Saratoga Forward, a group that backs Republican causes.

"Are you ___ing retarded that you think that?" Dillon asks in response to a question about President Joe Biden's performance and high gas prices. Someone off-camera steps in to quiet him ( "Don't throw stones").

"I'm sorry, I used the wrong word," Dillon says. "I'm sorry. I'm drunk  I'm definitely drunk."

On his Facebook page, Moran apologized for the video and his use of the slur.

We were approached by someone who secretly videotaped our encounter, he wrote. I was altered  thus the reason for walking home  and the video is now being used to cast me in a negative light. I should have known better.  After eight months of campaigning, asking for and winning the trust of Saratoga Springs voters, your faith in me is much more important than a hit piece designed to undermine that trust. It wont happen again.

Saratoga Springs Democratic Chairwoman Pat Tuz said the video was made because Republicans who won only two of the seven elected seats in the city are sore losers.

I think its very sad that they have to resort to those methods, she said. I do hope that we can form a more cordial tone to make Saratoga a better community.

Note: This story was updated on Tuesday morning to include comments from State Police.
With the approval of the COVID-19 vaccine for younger children, many elementary schools around the U.S. are preparing to offer the shots, which educators see as key to keeping students learning in person and making the classroom experience closer to what it once was.

Some district leaders say offering vaccine clinics on campus, with the involvement of trusted school staff, is key to improving access and helping overcome hesitancy  particularly in communities with low overall vaccination rates.

Still, many school systems are choosing not to offer elementary schools as hosts for vaccination sites after some middle and high schools that offered shots received pushback.

More than 250 families signed up for vaccinations that began Thursday at elementary schools in Duluth, Minnesota, which organized clinics immediately after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave the final signoff to Pfizers kid-size COVID-19 shot for children ages 5 to 11. Superintendent John Magas called the vaccines a game changer.

This brings us one step closer to moving from pandemic to endemic, Magas said. It allows us to reconsider things like social distancing and masking and things like that as safety permits.

The Biden administration plans to send a letter to U.S. elementary schools in the next week asking them to host clinics. The Education Department is also urging schools to host town halls and webinars at which parents can talk to doctors about the vaccine.

Districts that have held or are planning clinics for younger children span Alaska to Vermont, said Hayley Meadvin, an Education Department senior adviser. Where schools choose not to host clinics, families can turn to doctors offices, hospitals and other sites.

There are many points of access, and theres no wrong door, honestly, Meadvin said.

In Ohio, some school districts offered on-site clinics for older students, but Rick Lewis, director of the Ohio School Boards Association, said they haven't heard from any districts planning them for younger students. He noted the CDC encourages districts to consider factors like local needs for school clinics and adequate community support.

School vaccine drives have faced pushback and protests in Ohio and elsewhere, and some opponents say they plan to keep up pressure as the focus of the vaccination effort shifts to younger students.

Sarah Kenney, who represents the group Mainers for Health and Parental Rights, argues that schools should not be getting involved or even talking to young children about the vaccine. She worries about its newness and potential for long-term side effects.

A Pfizer study of 2,268 children found the vaccine was almost 91% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infections. The FDA examined 3,100 vaccinated kids in concluding the shots are safe.

Kenney also expressed concern about stigma against children who do not get vaccinated.

These conversations and personal decisions have been difficult enough to navigate for adults, we shouldnt be putting this on our kids," she said.

Parents are required to give authorization for their children's shots. The vaccines are typically administered before or after school in partnerships with local hospitals and government health officials.

Chicago Public Schools, the country's third-largest district, canceled school Nov. 12 to give parents an opportunity to get their children vaccinated by a healthcare provider or at a school-based site.

In Portland, Oregon, vaccines will be offered in eight elementary schools starting next week in high poverty districts, where families are more likely to face barriers such as access to health care or transportation, Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero said.

On the heels of California's decision to make vaccines for children mandatory, Portland is among districts considering the same. A recent board of education meeting to discuss that possibility was disrupted by a group of protesters. For that reason, security will be present at the vaccine clinics, and their times and dates wont be publicized outside the local community, said Courtney Westling, the districts director of government relations.

Schools are a trusted community hub, she said. Families, in general, feel very safe at these school sites. Were also not asking for identification or insurance cards. We dont want people to fear ICE showing up or something. We are just trying to get people vaccinated so we can get some of this behind us and get back to some semblance of normalcy.

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In Hartford, Connecticut, schools superintendent Leslie Torres-Rodriguez said the vaccination clinics it is planning along with local hospitals will include school nurses, trusted by families. Only a third of the district's students 12 and older are vaccinated.

We take an equity stance here and think about the access and removing any barriers that our families might have, she said.

In nearby Tolland, Connecticut, school superintendent Walter Willett said his district also is teaming with health providers, including UConn Health, to offer vaccines at school sites to younger students. He said vaccines are important, not just for keeping kids in school, but for teachers, janitors and other staff who tend to be more at risk.

They can more effectively do their job when kids aren't bouncing in and out of the classroom in quarantine, he said.

Liz Hamel, the vice president of opinion and survey research at KFF, a nonprofit that studies health care issues, said their recent surveys show parents are more likely to accept vaccine information from their pediatrician than from government or educational sources.

And one thing we found with teens is that most parents didn't want their school to require the vaccine, but if their school provided information or encouraged students to get vaccinated, those parents were more likely to say that their child was getting the vaccine, she said.

Sam Valle, a 9-year-old in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, said he's been bugging his parents for months, asking when he can get the vaccine.

Right now, I can't go into a restaurant without it, he said. I can't go into a store without wearing a mask. I can't do a lot of things.

Sam's quest will soon be over. His mother says his shot is now scheduled for Wednesday.

___

Associated Press writers Collin Binkley in Boston and Michael Melia in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A suspected Ukrainian hacker has been arrested and charged in the United States in connection with a string of costly ransomware attacks, including one that snarled businesses around the globe on the Fourth of July weekend, U.S. officials said Monday.

Yaroslav Vasinskyi was arrested last month after traveling to Poland, according to the Justice Department, which also announced the recovery of $6.1 million in ill-gotten funds from a Russian national who was separately charged and remains sought by the FBI.

Both men are alleged to be affiliated with the prolific Russia-based REvil ransomware gang, whose attacks have compromised tens of thousands of computers worldwide and yielded at least $200 million in ransom payments, said Attorney General Merrick Garland. Victims have included the world's largest meat processor, JBS SA, and a technology company called Kaseya, which was hit in a holiday weekend attack last July that the company said affected between 800 and 1,500 businesses that relied on its software.

The coordination of multiple agencies across the Biden administration amounted to perhaps the most high-profile response yet to a blitz of ransomware attacks that officials say continues to threaten national security and the economy. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco appeared to foreshadow Monday's announcement in an interview with The Associated Press last week, saying that in the days and weeks to come, youre going to see more arrests" as well as more seizures of illicit ransomware proceeds.

Speaking at a news conference Monday, she said, We have been using every tool at our disposal and leveraging every authority we have to hunt down and hold accountable cybercriminals wherever they seek to hide."

The indictment accuses Vasinskyi, 22, of deploying REvil ransomware, also known as Sodinokibi, a broad range of victims  including the massive Kaseya attack.

Yevgeniy Polyanin, a Russian national, is charged in a separate indictment. He's accused of conducting roughly 3,000 ransomware attacks on companies and entities across the U.S., including law enforcement agencies and local governments in the state of Texas.

Both indictments were filed in federal court in the Northern District of Texas, a state where REvil ransomware compromised the computer networks of some two dozen local government agencies in the summer of 2019.

The U.S. is seeking Vasinskyi's extradition from Poland. Though it successfully seized $6 million in ransomware payments from Polyanin, the FBI is continuing to seek his arrest, and the State Department on Monday announced a $10 million reward for anyone with information leading to the capture of any leaders of the REvil group.

The Treasury Department, meanwhile, announced sanctions against the pair as well as a virtual currency exchange, Chatex, that it said was used to facilitate financial transactions for ransomware gangs.

President Joe Biden commended the government's actions, saying he was making good on his commitment to Russian leader Vladimir Putin that the U.S. would hold cyber criminals accountable.

He said in a statement that the U.S. was bringing the full strength of the federal government to disrupt malicious cyber activity and actors and to bolster resilience at home.

The announcement of the criminal charges came hours after European law enforcement officials revealed the results of a lengthy, 17-nation operation. As part of that operation, Europol said, a total of seven hackers linked to REvil and another ransomware family have been arrested since February, including two last week by Romanian authorities.

The Justice Department has tried multiple ways to address a ransomware scourge that has exploded over the last year with attacks against critical infrastructure and major corporations. Arrests of foreign hackers are significant for the Justice Department, and rare, since many of them operate in the refuge of countries that do not extradite their own citizens to the U.S. for prosecution.

Theres lots of reasons why people travel, and I cant get into the specific reasons why Mr. Vasinskyi traveled, but boy are we glad he did, FBI Director Christopher Wray said Monday.

Even so, ransomware attacks  in which hackers seize and encrypt data and demand often-exorbitant sums to release it to victims  have been hard to curb. Monaco told the AP last week that since Biden's admonitions to Putin last summer to rein in ransomware gangs, we have not seen a material change in the landscape.

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Garland did not answer directly when asked if there was evidence that the Russian government was aware of REvil's activities, but said, we expect and hope that any government in which one of these ransomware actors is residing will do everything it can to provide that person to us for prosecution.

The $6.1 million seizure in this case builds on a similar success from months ago.

Federal authorities in June seized $2.3 million in cryptocurrency from a payment made by Colonial Pipeline following a ransomware attack that caused the company to temporarily halt operations, creating fuel shortages in parts of the country.

Justice Department officials also used Monday's news conference to urge Congress to create a national standard for the reporting of significant cyber incidents, and to require that that information be shared immediately with federal law enforcement.

___

Suderman reported from Richmond, Virginia. Associated Press writer Jake Bleiberg in Dallas contributed to this report.

____

Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP.
ALBANY  A Hudson Valley congressmans resolution, prayers of the Fighting Chaplain from Cohoes and the salute of a highly decorated Albany fighting man  rejected six times before joining the U.S. Army  all came together a century ago when the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was dedicated at Arlington National Cemetery.

Combat veterans U.S. Rep. Hamilton Fish Jr., the Rev. Francis A. Kelley and Cpl. Andrew J. Denn of Albanys South End were at Arlington on Nov. 11, 1921, for the third Armistice Day where they participated in burying the unknown soldier to represent all the Americans who fought and died in World War I.

Wars dont have easy endings. As we find closure to war efforts, we recognize the sacrifices that were made and those that made them, said Lora Vogt, curator of education and interpretation at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier became a really important part of American remembrance and American memorialization.

The centennial of the tomb will be marked Thursday at the cemetery in Virginia.

The tomb's creation started with a resolution introduced on Dec. 20, 1921, by Fish, a Republican congressman for Dutchess and Putnam counties, who was a captain in the 369th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed the "Harlem Hellfighters." It was one of four Black regiments in the American Expeditionary Forces. Sgt. Henry Johnson of Albany, recipient of the Medal of Honor, was noted by Fish in his Memoir of an American Patriot for being one of the Black soldiers he served with during World War I.

Fish, who was active in the founding of the American Legion, was inspired by the French unknown soldier buried on Nov. 20, 1920, at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. I also, of course, had first-hand knowledge of the brave sacrifices made by American forces during the First World War, Fish wrote in his memoir, and I wanted America as a beacon of freedom and democracy, to have her own memorial to honor the Unknown Soldier.

The joint resolution directed that there was to be brought to the United States the body of an American, who was a member of the American Expeditionary Forces who served in Europe, who lost his life during the World War and whose identity has not been established, for burial in the Memorial Amphitheater of the National Cemetery at Arlington, Virginia.

There were about 1,644 unknown soldiers in American military cemeteries in Europe in 1921 from which to select one for burial at Arlington. One body was exhumed from each of four cemeteries, checked to ensure there was no identifying information and placed in identical caskets that were brought to the city hall of Chalons-sur-Marne where on Oct. 24, 1921, Sgt. Edward F. Younger, a World War I veteran, selected the unknown soldier for burial in Arlington by putting white roses on a casket.

The casket was shipped to America aboard the USS Olympia arriving in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 9, 1921. The unknown soldier lay in state at the rotunda in the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 10, 1921, where an estimated 90,000 people visited. On Nov. 11, 1921, he was transferred to Arlington National Cemetery for burial.

On Oct. 24, 2021, the centennial of the selection of the unknown soldier, a webinar was held by the National WWI Museum and Memorial, the Arlington National Cemetery and the American Battle Monument Commission, which administers U.S. military cemeteries overseas, to discuss what the tomb represents.

Part of the discussion was about the symbolism of bringing the unknown soldier back from France and what it meant to families who didnt know what became of their soldiers who didnt return from the war.

Bringing one home served as the grave for all of them, said Allison Finklestein, a historian at Arlington National Cemetery. Even if you have no remains to visit you should have some sort of a location to mourn.

The original plan was to dedicate the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Memorial Day in 1921 at the Memorial Amphitheater, which had been finished in 1920. Instead, to allow for more time to deal with the ceremony and ensure it came off properly, it was decided to delay until Nov. 11, 1921.

As part of the preparations, Kelley, the Cohoes chaplain, was picked by Secretary of War John W. Weeks to perform Roman Catholic rites at the burial. Kelley had served as the first national chaplain for the American Legion after serving with the 27th Division. Kelley was a Cohoes native who worked at Albany Roman Catholic Diocese parishes in Troy, Fort Edward, Gloversville and Cairo.

New York Gov. Nathan L. Miller picked Denn, who served with the 1st Division, as one of three veterans to represent the state in serving in an honor guard at the dedication.

The ceremony at Arlington cemetery will be a tribute to the thousands of American boys who sacrificed their lives for their county and Albany will be represented by two of her bravest heroes  Rev. Father Kelley and Corporal Denn, the Times Union editorialized Oct. 15, 1921.

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While the two veterans were at Arlington, Albany marked the dedication of the tomb in front of City Hall between 11:45 a.m. and 12:05 p.m. Nov. 11, 1921. It was timed to coincide with the Arlington ceremony.

Kelley and Denn were each decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross and received the French Croix de Guerre and medals from other allied countries.

Kelley, a lieutenant with the 104th Machine Gun Battalion in the 27th Division, received his Distinguished Service Cross for being constantly at the front, caring for the wounded and supervising the burial of the dead, often under heavy shell and machine-gun fire in attacks against the Hindenburg Line in September and October 1918, according to his citation. He was called an inspiring example to the combat troops. Newspaper accounts said he went over the top three times, was gassed and tossed 30 feet into the air by an exploding shell.

Denn was a lifelong resident of Albanys South End who at 34 years old was rejected six times as too old when he tried to enlist in the Army, Navy and Marines. On his seventh try, when accompanied by a newspaper reporter, he was taken by the Army and eventually assigned to the 16th Regiment of the 1st Division.

When Denn was 35 he took command of his platoon when all the officers and noncommissioned officers were killed or wounded on July 22, 1918, near Soissons. According to the citation for Denns Distinguished Service Cross, he led a charge on an enemy machine-gun nest which threatened to annihilate his platoon and halted his advance. Denn was severely wounded but continued his assault, killing the gunner and the entire crew. Denn also was gassed during the war.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier events this week The public will be permitted for the first time in nearly a century to walk on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Plaza and place flowers as part of the centennial commemoration from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday Nov. 9 and Wednesday Nov. 10 at Arlington National Cemetery. Registration is required at Eventbrite.com: https://anctomb100.eventbrite.com/. On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, the public will able to observe a joint full honors procession intended to meant to replicate elements of the World War I Unknown Soldier's 1921 funeral procession. Details of the three days of events for the centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are available at www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Tomb100. Source: Arlington National Cemetery See More Collapse

Lt. Col. William J. Denn, a Voorheesville High School and West Point graduate, views his ancestor as a man who rose to the occasion to serve his country when action was needed. Denn said the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 11, 2001, when he was a high school senior, were his call to service.

World War I for the elder Denn and others, said the lieutenant colonel, was the call of service for that generation.

Kelley and Denn both died from the long-term effects of being gassed. Kelley died in 1931 and Denn in 1923. The Andrew J. Denn American Legion Post No. 960 would be founded and serve the South End for decades. Denns Distinguished Service Cross was on display until it was stolen sometime in the 1960s, the young Denn said. It was later found by a cousin working in an attic and returned to the family, he said.

New Yorks connections to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier would continue into the 1930s when architect Lorimer Rich and sculptor Thomas Hudson Jones won a competition that drew 73 entries in 1928 for the design of the sarcophagus that completed the tomb in 1931. Rich was from Camden, a village outside Rome, N.Y., and Jones was from Buffalo. They both served in World War I, but didnt go overseas. They were working in New York City when their entry was selected.
ALBANY  Some northern border crossing points experienced hours-long waiting lines on Monday as COVID-vaccinated travelers crossed into the U.S. from Canada by land for the first time in nearly 20 months.

This is a day to celebrate, said Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino, who told reporters Monday morning that hed spent the weekend speaking with restaurant operators and retailers on his side of the binational city in New York.

I can tell you, the excitement was palpable with all of them. They realize what this is going to mean to their respective businesses as we move into the holiday season, Restaino said.

Congressional representatives of the northern border caucus echoed that message, with U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, who co-chairs the caucus, noting that families and businesses had been reeling from the closure.

While this is far too late, Nov. 8 is here, Stefanik said. We want to make sure that this border reopening is as smooth as possible.

RELATED: US reopens to international travel, allows happy reunions

Many snowbirds, vacationers and members of separated families drove into the U.S. from Canada as soon as they were able, seizing the opportunity on the day of the first two major changes to the countrys pandemic-era travel restrictions. The second change on Monday allowed the resumption of air travel for vaccinated visitors from any country. But other would-be travelers from Canada felt trapped by the rules that remain in place.

While the U.S. only requires a recent negative COVID-19 test for travelers arriving by air, anyone entering or returning to Canada via the land border  including vaccinated visitors and Canadian citizens  still have to provide proof of a negative test.

For Angela Molinary, the long closure in both directions has had lasting impacts. She operates a deli in the border town of Cardinal, Ontario, and was dating her New York-based significant other for only eight months when COVID-19 set in and the border restrictions inhibited their ability to travel back and forth to visit one another.

We're in our 60s, so we don't have that sense of impending doom that younger people have, she said. But we were practically living together and then all of a sudden, everything was shut right off. For a little while, it almost ended us.

She lost her U.S. customers while her significant other lost his Canadian ones, and though they live 12 minutes away from one another by car, they had to isolate on opposite sides of the border for months  even after being first in line for vaccinations.

When they opened the border for the Americans to come here (on Aug. 9), he started coming straight away, Molinary said. But for me to go there, now that were allowed to, I still need to test to come home, and Im not sure exactly how to make that work while keeping up her business at the deli.

Molinary's situation is not unique, according to David Edward-Ooi Poon, founder of the Canada-based group Faces of Advocacy that has been pushing for family reunification exceptions to travel restrictions for months. He noted that Canadas testing requirement would keep a number of Canadians from heading south due to the difficulty they would face upon their return.

"Reducing any barrier to reunification is welcome, Poon said. "Not only is it cost prohibitive for a lot of families who have been disproportionately affected during the pandemic, a lot of smaller towns in the U.S. don't actually do PCR testing."

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A Walgreens in Ogdensburg, St. Lawrence County, where Molinarys partner lives, only recently began offering its ID NOW testing, one of the most rapid tests accepted by Canadian authorities. Before that, she said, her significant other would travel every week to Watertown or Syracuse for the test result that would allow him to cross into Canada.

This border opening should have occurred six months ago, said U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins, who co-chairs the northern border caucus with Stefanik.

More for you US reopens to international travel, allows happy reunions

We will see a significant uptick in economic activity. But we're still doing it with one hand tied behind our back with this redundant unnecessary testing requirement, Higgins said, during an event where he joined a throng of representatives from both the U.S. and Canadian sides of the border who used the reopening day to call for further easing of restrictions.

Molinary said the testing is a serious impediment to traveling across the border and it's possible many lawmakers have no idea how integrated southern Ontario and Quebec are with northern New York.

The forced isolation was the worst, she said, noting that her cross-border relationship was her local support system. She had no other family around. Just the fact that neither government seemed to understand the mental toll of that. I dont think Ive ever done anything quite as hard, and Ive done a lot of hard things.

While the newly opened land border is already clearing the way for increased business and family reunification in New Yorks North Country, politicians and residents along the frontier have seized on the opportunity to say that the delicate relationship is still not back to normal.
RENSSELAER  The State Police recently launched an investigation into allegations of widespread absentee-ballot fraud that have been swirling in Rensselaer County in the wake of Tuesday's elections, including in several tight races in the city of Rensselaer that remain undecided.

The accusations, leveled by opposing Republican and Democratic camps, are being made in a year in which a high number of absentee ballots were issued to political operatives and campaign volunteers on behalf of voters who authorized the individuals to handle their ballot.

The State Police investigation is examining absentee ballots in the city of Rensselaer, where Republican incumbent Mayor Michael E. Stammel and a Democratic challenger, former Mayor Richard J. Mooney, were separated by a handful of votes heading into Monday, when the absentee ballots began to be counted.

A criminal complaint that sparked the probe was filed by Todd Rutecki, a campaign volunteer for Mooney. The complaint included an affidavit signed by Shawn Redden, a local mason, who claimed he never authorized anyone to apply for an absentee ballot on his behalf.

Public records indicate an absentee ballot application allegedly signed by Redden was time-stamped at the county Board of Elections on Oct. 21. The ballot application gave Teresa Merriman authorization to pick up a blank ballot on his behalf. She is a clerk on the county legislative staff where Stammel also serves as chairman of the Legislature.

However, Redden's absentee ballot was never returned to the Board of Elections. He voted in-person, according to people with knowledge of his situation. Redden could not be reached for comment.

Merriman, who was registered to pick up 45 ballots on behalf of Rensselaer voters  36 of which were returned as of Nov. 3  submitted applications under name variations including "Teresa Merriman," "Terri Merriman" and "Terri Mahar."

"I am a lifelong resident of Rensselaer and some residents know me by my married name of Merriman and some know me by my maiden name of Mahar," she said in a statement. "I have worked on campaigns for two decades and have always conducted myself honestly and ethically."

Ed McDonough, the Democratic elections commissioner in Rensselaer County, said an executive order that remained in place this year due to the pandemic allowed "no-excuse" absentee voting, resulting in an extraordinarily high number of "release to" ballots  a term that describes the practice of someone authorizing another person to pick-up and submit their sealed absentee ballot to the board of elections.

A ballot proposal that would have allowed the Legislature to change Election Law to make "no-excuse" absentee voting permanent was defeated by voters last week. But without rules limiting who can vote by absentee ballot, politicians have been raising allegations of fraud.

In one instance, McDonough said, roughly 66 absentee ballots were handled on behalf of about 90 residents of an elderly care residence in north Troy. He said his office had learned some of those residents allegedly felt pressured to sign the absentee ballot applications, which were handled by their building's manager. The Times Union is not identifying the manager, who was a candidate for public office, because the person could not be reached for comment.

"We started getting phone calls from people, more so friends of residents, who were reaching out on their behalf because the residents were feeling intimidated by (the candidate) to actually get the ballot and give it to (the person)," he said. "I reached out to the state Board of Elections and I said I had spoken to three different people; however, of the three people, none of them were willing to file a complaint."

McDonough said the residents conveyed that they were afraid of being evicted from their residence if they didn't vote or filed a complaint. He added that much of the focus of any alleged fraud is centered on the city of Rensselaer.

More for you Rensselaer mayoral race still undecided

Still, the Times Union contacted numerous Rensselaer residents who signed applications allowing Merriman to handle their absentee ballots. Although one person declined to comment, the others confirmed they had authorized Merriman to pick-up their ballot, deliver it to them and then return it to the Board of Elections. One woman said Merriman did not ask her to vote for any specific candidates and that she filled it out inside her residence  and then put it in a sealed envelope  while Merriman waited nearby.

Rich Crist, who is a confidant to Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin and a top GOP operative, said the Republican Party seized on the rule change that allowed any voter to use an absentee ballot this year. They deployed numerous people, including some county workers using "comp time," to get authorization from many voters who might not ordinarily show up at the polls but were willing to vote using an absentee ballot.

Crist said the strategy paid off and Republicans recorded numerous victories on Election Day.

"This is part of our overall campaign effort, where our candidates knocked on thousands of doors, made many calls and-or sent messages to reach out to voters, and made a significant effort to get voters to the polls or have their votes registered, recognizing the pandemic might cause some to be hesitant and that rules and laws had been changed to accommodate those concerns," Crist said.

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Almost a third of all absentee ballots received by elections officials in Rennselaer as of Nov. 3 were released to third parties on voters' behalves, and at least 53 of the 64 ballots in this category were given to GOP operatives for distribution. After Merriman, the person who brought in the most city of Rensselaer voters in this way was Cheyenne MacGilfrey, who ran as a Republican candidate for city treasurer.

While absentee ballots have to be walked in or postmarked by election day, the local board of elections will continue to accept those arriving by mail until Nov. 9.

Rensselaer's Republican elections Commissioner Jason Schofield echoed Crist, saying the GOP worked very hard to drum up absentee voters. Records show that the one ballot Schofield picked up for a Rensselaer city resident was sent in on time. But he noted that no-excuse absentee ballots in New York, which were used broadly by both Democratic and Republican voters this election cycle, may be short-lived.

"The referendum to make no-excuse absentee ballots (permanent) was defeated by the voters," Schofield said, referring to one of the three statewide proposals on the Nov. 2 ballot which failed to gain majority support, to the surprise of Democratic proponents.

There are allegations of absentee ballot discrepancies also aimed at Democrats. Mooney's brother, John, submitted an absentee ballot application in late October on behalf of a 46-year-old Rensselaer man who has been hospitalized for COVID-19 and was on a ventilator when he would have signed the application on Oct. 25, according to people familiar with the man's condition.

In an interview on Friday, John Mooney said that he had delivered the absentee ballot application to the man's brother, who lives near him, after they spoke about the hospitalized man's desire to still cast a vote in the mayoral race. Although the man's signature looks slightly off from his signature in other documents on file at the board of elections, he would have signed the absentee application at a time when he was in and out of sedation in a hospital bed.

Beau Duffy, a spokesman for the State Police, on Friday confirmed that their agency is "investigating a ballot fraud complaint involving the election in the city of Rensselaer. (I) can't go into further detail since the investigation is open."

Duffy said State Police are asking anyone with information about election fraud in Rensselaer to contact investigators at 518-786-2440.

Stammel and the all-Democrat seven-member Common Council have been at odds politically since he was elected in 2019 to fill the remaining two years of former Democratic Mayor Daniel Dwyer, who died in November 2018.

Mooney succeeded Dwyer as Common Council president in 2018 before losing the 2019 special election to Stammel by 164 votes.

Kenneth C. Crowe II contributed reporting for this story.
ALBANY  U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko contends removing Schenectady from the Capital Region congressional district, which he represents, would be done in "defiance" of the state's redistricting laws because it represents an essential part of the Tri-City area.

"If that happened, I wouldn't be surprised to see some challenges made to the process," Tonko said. "I think it would be very hard for someone to defend that kind of map before the courts."

The Amsterdam Democrat also would be drawn out of his district if the Legislature were to take up either of the draft proposals put forth by the state's Independent Redistricting Commission, which is charged with drafting the once-in-a-decade political-boundaries maps. Tonko, a six-term congressman and former longtime state assemblyman, said it is essential for the commission to follow its mandate of working to keep communities of shared interests together.

"I just don't see how you can defend that," Tonko said. "It doesn't seem to make sense."

The commission has until Jan. 15 to draw maps for the Legislature's review, and could end up revising those outlines until Feb. 28. The deadlines would have been condensed had Proposition 1 succeeded on the ballot this month, but voters rejected it. Lawmakers may need to act quickly when they come back for session in January to adjust the redistricting timeline so candidates, like Tonko, have enough time to collect signatures in their new districts.

There are several competing factors complicating the commission's duty to pay attention to communities of common interest, redistricting experts note.

Typically, if redistricting maps face legal challenges, courts have been reluctant to revise the maps drawn by elected officials. Without precedent on this new set of rules, it's tough to predict the outcome, said Jeffrey Wice, senior fellow at the New York Census & Redistricting Institute at New York Law School.

The commission must follow federal guidelines, which include making districts roughly the same size in population and ensuring they meet the requirements under the federal Voting Rights Act that prevents redistricting in ways that discriminate against race, color or a language minority group.

The commission also needs to consider the state's requirements which were included in the Independent Redistricting Commission in 2014. One of those elements include keeping together communities of common interest, like the Capital Region, which shares a public transportation system and has common employers. Election districts also need to be compact and contiguous, which is intended to insulate against traditional methods of gerrymandering  a practice of manipulating political boundaries to favor one party or candidate.

The process this year is complicated by the fact New York, due to population decline, is losing a congressional seat, reducing it to 26.

But in some areas, including New York City and the Hudson Valley, there were population increases. Saratoga County also experienced substantial growth. But other regions of upstate generally lost population, particularly the North Country, which is represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik. To make up for the relative population loss in Stefanik's district, the commission needs to expand its boundary to include more people.

"We are taking a hit for their problems elsewhere," Steven S. Elliott, a Delmar political scientist, said. Elliott has worked on redistricting for the Republican Party in the 1980s and for the Democratic Party in the 1990s and 2000s.

Commission Vice Chair Jack Martins, a former Republican state senator on Long Island, said they have drawn maps by starting on the state's edges and working inward, similar to assembling a puzzle by starting with the corners. As they work inward, Martins explained, it's like a balloon with pressure on one side that then needs to expand on the other.

"If they decide to break up the Capital District in the final plan, communities of interest at a congressional level simply don't have much standing," Elliott said.

Paramount for the chair of the commission, David Imamura, a Westchester County Democrat, is that the numbers add up to make sure of the federal mandate of one person, one vote, a doctrine requiring electoral districts to be apportioned according to roughly equal numbers in population.

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"The numbers drive everything at the end of the day," Imamura said at a commission public hearing this month in Albany.

A place like the Capital Region may end up losing in the process, Elliott said, because it may have too much population for one congressional district but not enough for two.

Elliott was able to figure out a way to draw a map that includes the Tri-City region, but it would mean the commission would need to compromise elsewhere. Those compromises could end up butting heads with federal mandates, particularly in New York City, where there are multiple majority-minority districts  areas that include mostly racial or ethnic minorities  and need to be carefully drawn.

The redrawing of the boundaries also can have substantial political consequences.

The proposed Democratic maps would create 20 congressional districts composed of voters that would have voted for President Joe Biden in the 2020 election, and six districts that would have picked former President Donald Trump; the Republican map proposes 17 congressional districts that would have voted for Biden and nine that would have voted for Trump, according to maps and data provided by the City University of New York Graduate Center.

The public also can submit to the commission its own maps with the boundaries they believe defines their communities. Schenectady, and for that matter, Amsterdam, have been on the outside, with little public input, while Saratoga County, bolstered by public advocacy, is making inroads to be included in the Capital Region district.

The Democratic proposed map has the city of Schenectady in a central New York district that would include Monticello, Schoharie, Cooperstown, Binghamton and border Cortland and the Syracuse suburbs. That potential district would have voted for Trump with 50.3 percent of its vote, according to the CUNY Graduate Center maps.

Tonko, while unclear about the legality of maps that remove Schenectady from the Capital Region, remains uncommitted on whether he would move into a new district if Amsterdam is no longer part of his traditional district.

"Any decision I would make in that regard would be after the maps are finalized," Tonko said. "So it's hard to say right now. I would want to certainly invest in the efforts I have made for the communities in this district and I would then turn to the best possible way to be productive in that regard."

Staff writer Emilie Munson contributed to this report.
The Herald decided to add some bathroom humor to the polls this week

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Pictured is Ida Tarbell (left) in something that The Herald thought she might wear to celebrate a birthday. Ida is sitting next to her mother, Esther Tarbell (middle) and sister, Sarah Tarbell. Ida turned 164 on Friday.
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[November 08, 2021] 300,000-Patient Primary Care Network in Canada Achieves Substantial Savings with UKG

UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group), a leading global provider of human capital management (HCM), payroll, HR service delivery, and workforce management solutions, announced today that Mosaic Primary Care Network (PCN), a group of family doctors and healthcare professionals creating healthier communities in Calgary, is using UKG Pro and UKG Dimensions to automate complex union rules related to scheduling and payroll. Mosaic PCN previously leveraged an HCM solution that provided limited administrative control over payroll processing. When Mosaic PCN's workforce became unionized in 2019, the company recognized that it would need a more robust solution to manage the complexity of its pay structure, which included paying shift premiums and navigating salary increments that change depending upon the number of hours worked. Mosaic PCN sought out UKG following the 2020 UKG merger in order to take advantage of a single provider that offered consolidated, best-of-breed payroll processing and world-class timekeeping that would eliminate Mosaic PCN's reliance on spreadsheets for scheduling. "Before UKG, we had to process most union rules manually, with employees and managers filling out forms, getting approvals, and sending the documents to payroll," said Sarah Laviolette, financial reporting manager at Mosaic PCN. "Advanced scheduling capabilities in Dimensions can accommodate every clause in the union agreement related to scheduling, premium pay, and alternative-work-arrangement overtime rules. Likewise, we now track salary increments automatically, with accurate adjustments made based on hours worked. Managers just tag (News - Alert) the appropriate rule." As a result of automating these processes, Laviolette reports that the payroll department is saving one full day of processing time. With UKG, individuals no longer need to work on the weekends to run payroll, and, as a consequence, managers also are relieved of the time pressure to review and approve team entries. In addition, by eliminating manual processes and calculations, Mosaic PCN is benefitting from improved payroll accuracy. "We have many out-of-the-box reports and audits we can run with UKG Pro Payroll," said Laviolette. "We run pre-check exceptions, pre-check summary liability, and the manager-favorite employee-audited-changes report, which highlights only those changes that require review. All of these reports were compiled manually in the past, and we would often have to make corrections after payroll was already run." Laviolette noted that simplifying scheduling with Dimensions has empowered managers to take control of their employees' schedules. "The schedules for our Medical Office Assistants, for example, used to be kept on spreadsheets, but with UKG, managers set up and automate schedules," said Laviolette. "Managers have found the solution is very intuitive and simple to use, and they like the way they can create more effective schedules for their employees. Automating processes saves each manager about an hour each month, because they no longer need to compare schedules with timecards, verify punches, and complete forms for special pay premiums. With 15 managers in our company, we are accumulating substantial time savigs."



In addition to being able to plan and execute employee schedules, managers are pleased with the visibility delivered by the UKG scheduling solution. "Managers can not only view their teams' schedules with the click of a button, but also take advantage of a dashboard view that provides information such as vacation accruals," said Laviolette. "In the past, HR would have to send manually compiled monthly reports to managers to show employee vacation accruals. Now, managers can see every day when they log into UKG how large a liability they are carrying and take action as appropriate."

"Primary care is often viewed as the foundation of a strong healthcare system and the key to achieving population health, which is an increasingly top-of-mind goal for all care professionals," said Nanne Finis, RN, MS, chief nurse executive at UKG. "It is a privilege to partner with Mosaic PCN in a way that simplifies scheduling and payroll processing for their managers so that their clinical teams can stay focused on delivering quality and equitable care throughout the communities they serve." "Real-time data exchange across HR processes is critical for companies looking to optimize compliance, speed, and productivity," said Chris Todd, president at UKG. "We are pleased that Mosaic PCN is capitalizing on UKG's expertise in HCM and workforce management to achieve substantial efficiencies and elevate the employee experience." Supporting Resources About Mosaic PCN .

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" by Forrester (News - Alert), which shows an 89% return and payback on UKG solutions within only six months. See how UKG is making merger history by writing a growth story of success that will have a remarkable impact on people around the world.

by writing a growth story of success that will have a remarkable impact on people around the world. Learn more about UKG and why our purpose is people .

and why . Follow UKG on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. About UKG At UKG (Ultimate Kronos (News - Alert) Group), our purpose is people. Built from a merger that created one of the largest cloud companies in the world, UKG believes organizations succeed when they focus on their people. As a leading global provider of HCM, payroll, HR service delivery, and workforce management solutions, UKG delivers award-winning Pro, Dimensions, and Ready solutions to help tens of thousands of organizations across geographies and in every industry drive better business outcomes, improve HR effectiveness, streamline the payroll process, and help make work a better, more connected experience for everyone. UKG has 13,000 employees around the globe and is known for an inclusive workplace culture. The company has earned numerous awards for culture, products, and services, including consecutive years on Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For list. To learn more, visit ukg.com. Copyright 2021 UKG Inc. All rights reserved. For a full list of UKG trademarks, please visit ukg.com/trademarks. All other trademarks, if any, are property of their respective owners. All specifications are subject to change. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005093/en/

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[November 08, 2021] Alaska Angel Conference Winner Closes Funding Round with Investors

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WebbRes, an Anchorage-based software startup, closed its first pre-seed funding round with the Alaska Angel Conference (AAC) Investors. Founded in 2020, WebbRes is a dealer management software (DMS) that helps businesses manage their sales, rentals, and service operations from one platform. "Our goal is be the one-stop software for businesses like trailer, RV, and powersport dealerships to manage their operations. From automating sales and rental processes, managing repairs and maintenance to seamless website integration, we know there is a lot of opportunity for growth," said Britton Webb, Founder of WebbRes. "This investment will allow us continue to build-out our software and offer our services to businesses across Alaska." AAC is a 12-week process with the goal of increasing the number of angel investors in Alaska and fostering the state's startup ecosystem. Throughout the conference, entrepreneurs practice their pitch to potential investors. Business owners receive one-on-one feedback to make sure their ideas are clear and easy to understand, and the numbers check out. ACC is also an opportunity to educate new angel investors as well. "Over the course of the conference I was able to really hone my pitch deck and present my business plan in a way that read well for investors." AAC Investors and WebbRes worked on funding options and negotiated terms of the investment over the summer. Invesors look for start-ups they can provide seed funding for, that will make a real difference in the growth of the company. "We believe there is a lot of potential for WebbRes to break into the market and gain traction relatively quickly," said Scott Bell, an angel investor with AAC. "By leveraging its technology, we believe WebbRes can be a leader in the local startup ecosystem."



WebbRes is launching to market and gaining new customers. Other companies which have earned investments from AAC include Pandere Shoes and Ramper Innovations. About WebbRes

WebbRes is a dealer management software (DMS) company based in Anchorage, AK. Founded in 2020, WebbRes is a growing startup helping business manage their sales, rentals, and service operations from one platform. WebbRes was also part of the first cohort of gBETA Anchorage, a nationally ranked startup accelerator. About Alaska Angel Conference

The Alaska Angel Conference is an annual program under the 49SAF, 49th State Angel Fund. The AAC is a 12-week program educating small business owners and new investors to foster a healthy start-up sector across the state. Media contact:

Britton Webb

[email protected]

866-932-2288 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alaska-angel-conference-winner-closes-funding-round-with-investors-301418555.html SOURCE WebbRes

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[November 08, 2021] Ascent Solar's Largest Stakeholder Completes Full $10M Funding Commitment

THORNTON, CO, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire  Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. (Ascent Solar or the Company) (OTCMKTS: ASTI), a developer and manufacturer of state-of-the-art, lightweight, flexible thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solutions, is pleased to announce that the Company has received an additional $5M from BD 1 Investment Holding, LLC (BD 1), to complete the $10M funding commitment BD 1 made to Ascent Solar, pursuant to the securities purchase agreement dated August 2, 2021 (SPA). BD 1, the Companys largest stakeholder, completed the first $5M tranche of its $10M funding commitment, in September of 2021. As previously announced, the Company entered into the SPA with the German investment group to sell a total of 666.67 million shares of Common Stock of the Company (the Shares)in two tranchesat a fixed price of $0.015 per share, in exchange for a total of $10M. Management indicated that this 2nd and final tranche of the $10M commitment, like the initial tranche, would continue to enable Ascent Solars ability to focus on capacity ramp-up, technological improvements, and a sales development strategy; as well as the development of next generation tooling. Management indicated that BD 1 works closely with a group of other successful and well-heeled German investors who hold a controlling iterest in Ascent Solar. Management also indicated that these investors truly understand the solar marketspace and have identified Ascent Solar as a future market leader.



The timely completion of the $10M investment is a continued vote of confidence from our largest stakeholder in Ascent Solars management team, as well as the overall value potential of the Company, said Victor Lee, President and CEO of Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. We believe that our ability to raise capital, is a strong testament to our diligent focus on the restructuring and recapitalization of the Company, which we will continue to aggressively pursue. We are confident that this focus supports our long-term growth strategy and should allow for future financial opportunities to unveil themselves. Mr. Johannes Kuhn, principal owner of BD 1, said, As Ive commented in the past, Ascent Solar possesses a solar technology that in our opinion, cannot be easily rivaled, especially in the high value specialty PV markets. Its management team exhibits a wealth of experience and technological know-how. This affords Ascent Solar the ability to creatively use its proprietary monolithic-integration technology on a flexible polyimide substrate, which is clearly state of the art.

We remain committed to working with Ascent Solar to achieve the long-term objectives of management. We are confident that Ascent Solar will become a commercially viable solar company, and a market leader in the high value specialty PV solar marketspace. Mr. Lee concluded, With the continued support of BD 1, along with our other industry savvy investors, I grow more optimistic daily in our ability to harness the value of our solar technologies and grow shareholder confidence. As the race for space heats up, Electric Vehicles (EV) look to solar energy, and more markets actively seek lightweight and durable finished goods or bespoke solar products, I certainly look forward to stronger years ahead as our high-value, PV market focus really begins to take shape. ABOUT ASCENT SOLAR TECHNOLOGIES, INC Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., is a developer of thin-film photovoltaic modules using flexible substrate materials that are more versatile and rugged than traditional solar panels. Ascent Solar modules were named as one of the top 100 technologies by R&D Magazine, and one of TIME Magazine's 50 best inventions. The technology described above represents the cutting edge of flexible power and can be directly integrated into consumer products and off-grid applications, as well as other aerospace applications. Ascent Solar is headquartered in Thornton, Colorado. More information can be found at www.AscentSolar.com. Forward-Looking Statements: Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical or current fact constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors that could cause the Company's actual operating results to be materially different from any historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition to statements that explicitly describe these risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements that contain terms such as "believes," "belief," "expects," "expect," "intends," "intend," "anticipate," "anticipates," "plans," "plan," to be uncertain and forward-looking. No information in this press release should be construed as any indication whatsoever of our future revenues, stock price, or results of operations. The forward-looking statements contained herein are also subject generally to other risks and uncertainties that are described from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Ascent Solar Technologies Investor Relations: [email protected]



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[November 08, 2021] Axel Lomholt to head Qontigo's index business as Chief Product Officer, Indices & Benchmarks for STOXX and DAX

ZUG, Switzerland, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Qontigo, a leading provider of innovative risk, analytics and index solutions, announced today the appointment of Axel Lomholt as Chief Product Officer, Indices & Benchmark for Qontigo. In this role he will have overall responsibility for the STOXX and DAX index portfolio. Lomholt, who joins Qontigo after nearly nine years in senior management roles at Vanguard Investments, reports to Neal Pawar, Chief Operating Officer of Qontigo. "Axel brings experience, ambition and a track record of innovation and performance that are a perfect fit for Qontigo," said Pawar. "The profound benefits of the union of indexing and quantitative analyticsthe premise for the creation of Qontigocontinue to generate growing enthusiasm among clients, and we look forward to Axel driving our growth of our indexing solutions to meet the investment and sustainability goals of investors and asset wners worldwide."



At Vanguard, Lomholt most recently served as Head of Product and Program Management for Asia, where he led a number of large-scale business initiatives across the region. Earlier at Vanguard, he served as Interim Chief Executive Officer, Asia. Prior to joining Vanguard's Asia business, Lomholt served in two global roles; namely, Head of Product for International and then Head of ETFs for Vanguard outside of the US. He previously spent three years with Barclays Global Investors (BGI), followed by three with BlackRock, which acquired BGI in 2010, holding key leadership roles in the iShares business in EMEA and APAC. Before that, Lomholt served in portfolio management leadership roles with Gulf International Bank Ltd. and HSBC Global Asset Management.

Lomholt holds a BSc Finance from Bayes Business School, an MSc Finance from Reading University, and completed the Global Leadership Executive Program at Harvard Business School. About Qontigo

Qontigo is a leading global provider of innovative index, analytics and risk solutions that optimize investment impact. As the shift toward sustainable investing accelerates, Qontigo enables its clientsfinancial-products issuers, asset owners and asset managersto deliver sophisticated and targeted solutions at scale to meet the increasingly demanding and unique sustainability goals of investors worldwide. Qontigo's solutions are enhanced by both our collaborative, customer-centric culture, which allows us to create tailored solutions for our clients, and our open architecture and modern technology that efficiently integrate with our clients' processes. Part of the Deutsche Borse Group, Qontigo was created in 2019 through the combination of Axioma, DAX and STOXX. Headquartered in Eschborn, Germany, Qontigo's global presence includes offices in New York, London, Zug and Hong Kong. www.qontigo.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/axel-lomholt-to-head-qontigos-index-business-as-chief-product-officer-indices--benchmarks-for-stoxx-and-dax-301418295.html SOURCE Qontigo

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Blackline Safety Presenting Connected Worker Innovations at 2021 ADIPEC Exhibition

Blackline Safety Corp. (TSX: BLN), a global leader of gas detection and connected safety solutions, today announced it will be a featured exhibitor in the Canadian Pavilion at the 2021 ADIPEC Exhibition. The annual event, which takes place November 15-18 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, brings together professionals across the energy sector to learn, network and discuss the industry's latest best practices and technologies. Blackline will present its solutions and services that drive safety and enhance organizational performance.

"Over the last 18 months, we have invested in product enhancements and innovations that have helped our customers boost the safety, efficiency and productivity of their organization," said Cody Slater, CEO and Chair of Blackline Safety.

"We look forward to safely coming together to share what we have learned and connect with others who are also committed to helping people return home safely every day."

The company recently announced a new office will be opening in Dubai to support international growth initiatives. The facility will be fundamental in allowing the business to scale while delivering superior service to customers and distributors in those regions.

At ADIPEC, attendees can preview, in-person, Blackline Safety's solutions, including:

Blackline Live & Blackline Analytics , award-winning connected safety software that provides proximity messaging alerts to keep people and teams safer in the event of an emergency. Now featuring convenient Single Sign-On.

& , award-winning connected safety software that provides proximity messaging alerts to keep people and teams safer in the event of an emergency. Now featuring convenient Single Sign-On. G7 EXO Area Monitor , a portable area gas monitor that offers rapid deployment, configuration flexibility and versatile mounting systems for placement anywhere. G7 EXO also offers an optional satellite module for use in areas with poor cellular connectivity, and will soon include real-time gas plume modeling in partnership with Vlahi Systems for accurate and automated mapping.

, a portable area gas monitor that offers rapid deployment, configuration flexibility and versatile mounting systems for placement anywhere. G7 EXO also offers an optional satellite module for use in areas with poor cellular connectivity, and will soon include real-time gas plume modeling in partnership with Vlahi Systems for accurate and automated mapping. G7 Wearables, convenient, versatile and easy-to-use wearable devices for personal gas detection and lone worker monitoring with cellular connectivity. G7 wearables offer built-in features including a clock, timer, powering down warnings, false alarm features and non-emergency alert tones. Automatic firmware updates help ensure compliance without the need for manual checks.







Blackline Safety can be found at stand #2460 in the Canadian Pavilion. For those unable to attend this year's ADIPEC Exhibition, please visit here for Blackline Safety news and product tours.

About Blackline Safety

Blackline Safety is a global connected safety leader that helps to ensure every worker gets their job done and returns home safely each day. Blackline provides wearable safety technology, personal and area gas monitoring, cloud-connected software and data analytics to meet demanding safety challenges and increase productivity of organizations with coverage in more than 100 countries. Blackline Safety wearables provide a lifeline to tens of thousands of people, having reported over 161 billion data-points and initiated over five million emergency responses. Armed with cellular and satellite connectivity, we ensure that help is never too far away. For more information, visit www.BlacklineSafety.com and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005838/en/
[November 08, 2021] Bolt Expands Into Europe with PrestaShop and LVMH Brand Benefit Cosmetics

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bolt, a leading checkout and shopper network company, today announced that it has expanded internationally by launching with Benefit Cosmetics and signing a partnership with PrestaShop in European markets. The new agreements are with Benefit Cosmetics' ecommerce sites in the U.S., the U.K., France and Germany, as well as with PrestaShop in the U.S., the U.K., France, Spain, Italy, and Portugal, reflecting the strong worldwide demand for a seamless and personalized shopping experience that includes Bolt's one-click checkout, automatically localized for shoppers using their own language and currency. "Shopping is a universal language. Whether based in Mannheim, Marseille, or Miami, we appreciate being able to check out online with one simple click using the language and currency that we're most familiar with," said Ryan Breslow, founder and CEO of Bolt. "We could not be prouder to launch in Europe for the first time in partnership with Benefit Cosmetics and PrestaShop to give their end users one-click ease in checkout. Benefit Cosmetics and PrestaShop merchants will be able to reach new shoppers through our network, convert one-time guest shoppers into loyal customers, and build trust and loyalty among customers inmultiple European markets."



Globally, 43% of smartphone owners use their phones to shop online, according to Statista, and they prefer that ecommerce sites present information about products, shipping, and taxes in their native language along with prices in their local currency. To support European merchants looking to provide a localized ecommerce experience that improves conversion and trust, Bolt has added automatic translation capability to its platform, as well as made its Bolt One Click checkout functionality fully GDPR compliant and garnered 3D Secure authentication for PSD2 compliance to support European payments. "As a consumer-first company, Benefit Cosmetics is all about providing our beauty mavens with the best possible brand experiencewhether that's through an experiential pop-up or through the smoothest online checkout," said Cindy Shen, VP, Global Ecommerce and CRM at Benefit Cosmetics. "We chose Bolt to power online checkout for our four international websites because of its seamless checkout experience and network of one-click-ready shoppers. We've just launched and are already seeing strong uplift in making it easier for our consumers to purchase their cult faves."

"We know that our network of retailers across Europe will benefit greatly from Bolt's open ecosystem," said Christophe Bouron, CRO, PrestaShop. "Bolt's technology will be a game-changer for all our merchants, from SMB to mid-market merchants, allowing them to compete on a more level-playing field with the global retail platforms dominating the marketplace today." In addition to automatically translating website, email, and SMS messages into various languages, Bolt's platform now localizes all address fields for shoppers, so they can quickly and easily create a single customer identity that lets them check out with one click on any ecommerce platform in Bolt's network. The platform supports a wide and growing range of popular alternative payment methods in the U.S and Europe. About Bolt

Bolt is on a mission to democratize commerce. Bolt strengthens retailers' relationships with their customers by unlocking secure, logged-in, lightning-fast checkouts. The company's rapidly growing network of one-click-checkout-ready shoppers visits Bolt merchants as if they are return customers. Hundreds of retailersincluding Forever 21, Badgley Mischka, and Burt's Bees Babyleverage Bolt to offer their shoppers the seamless checkout experiences they've come to expect. Founded in 2014, Bolt is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices in New York City, Salt Lake City, Seattle, and Toronto. For more information, visit bolt.com and follow @bolt on Twitter. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1679373/Benefit_2a.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1679372/Bolt_Logo.jpg

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[November 08, 2021] Commitment to Green Building Growing Globally

Released today, the fourth edition of the World Green Building Trends SmartMarket Report makes a clear case that the design and construction industry is committed to building green. This seminal study of the drivers and business benefits of green building spans 79 countries across the globe. Sponsored since 2012 by founding partner Carrier, with major support for this edition from premier partner Autodesk and additional contributions from the American Institute of Architects and the U.S. Green Building Council, the report continues to show how green building provides powerful financial benefits in addition to social and environmental improvements. The findings reveal that architects, engineers, contractors, owners, and investors from around the globe expect to engage in an increased level of green building in the next three years. Today, 28% of all respondents report that most of their building projects qualify as green, and 42% anticipate being at that level within the next three years, expanding that group by 50%. This degree of engagement is particularly meaningful this year as the design and construction industry, like many other industries, has been profoundly affected by many different priorities. The study was conducted earlier this year, coinciding with clear evidence that industry would be coping with longer term impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic for the foreseable future. There has also been a rising concern globally about social equity and other major social movements over the past year. Supply chain shortages have reached unprecedented levels in this millennium, placing great pressure on the industry.



"In the midst of a chaotic year, the consistency and degree of commitment to green building is extremely encouraging," said Donna Laquidara-Carr, Ph.D., LEED AP, Industry Insights Research Director at Dodge Data & Analytics. "This suggests that green building will remain a priority for the foreseeable future." The commitment to green building comes from multiple drivers, which shows that the green building movement is perceived as more relevant, rather than less, in the light of the other challenges facing the design and construction industry in this current moment.

Business Benefits: Building owners and investors report, on average, 10% lower operating costs in the first year and over 16% within five years.

Policy: Design and construction practitioners cite the powerful influence of owner demand and environmental regulations on their engagement in green building.

Doing The Right Thing: Nearly one third (31%) cite social reasons as an important driver, up from 25% in 2018 where it had been since 2012.

Creating Healthier Buildings: This critical driver has been steadily increasing since 2015 and while certainly reinforced by the global pandemic, does not show a spike in the current findings because of it, suggesting a continually growing awareness of the impact of buildings on occupant health. "Carrier has led the green building movement for decades, and we're pleased to see that the commitment to sustainable buildings, products and services is expected to continue," said Jennifer Anderson (News - Alert), Chief Sustainability Officer, Carrier. "Additionally, we understand the important role that buildings and technology play in protecting occupant health. The results of the survey validate a continued emphasis on healthy and sustainable buildings to benefit both people and the planet." This year's report also includes new data on the importance and expected use of several new priorities and approaches to building green. The most important of these approaches is the creation of net-zero/net-positive buildings, ranked in the top three by nearly half (47%) of all global respondents. Nearly as many also expect to create these buildings in the next three years.

Three other new approaches to increasing sustainability are expected to be used by more than 40% of the respondents in the next five years: controlling the embodied carbon in buildings, employing strategies to increase resiliency, and engaging in prefabrication and modular construction. "Reducing the environmental impact of the built environment is mission-critical. Digitalization of the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry streamlines workflows, reduces waste and offers a great opportunity to limit greenhouse gas emissions, while also designing and constructing more resilient buildings and infrastructure," said Jim Lynch, senior vice president and general manager, Autodesk (News - Alert) Construction Solutions. "The industry can use resources more responsibly through improved design coordination, construction planning, building execution and operation. We are optimistic about the future and believe together we can build a more sustainable, resilient and equitable world." The full report includes detailed data on the social and environmental factors driving green building, the obstacles that still impede wider use of green building, the current and expected use of green building products and systems, and the changes to buildings due to COVID-19. It also features regional findings from Australia and New Zealand, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, Canada and the U.S., and Sub-Saharan Africa. The full report is available for free download at www.construction.com. About Dodge Construction Network: Dodge Construction Network leverages an unmatched offering of data, analytics, and industry-spanning relationships to generate the most powerful source of information, knowledge, insights, and connections in the commercial construction industry. The company powers four longstanding and trusted industry solutions-Dodge Data & Analytics, The Blue Book Network, Sweets, and IMS-to connect the dots across the entire commercial construction ecosystem. Together, these solutions provide clear and actionable opportunities for both small teams and enterprise firms. Purpose-built to simplify the complex, Dodge Construction Network ensures that construction professionals have the information they need to build successful businesses and thriving communities. With over a century of industry experience, Dodge Construction Network is the catalyst for modern commercial construction. To learn more, visit: construction.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005223/en/

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[November 08, 2021] FACEBANK Solidifies Its Position as an International Bank in USA and Facilitates Services in LATAM

FACEBANK International, the first international bank with real-time connection to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRBNY), retained its ranking with a stable forecast and is shaping up as a stronger financial institution, informed Julio Carbonell, General Manager. Carbonell highlighted that, even in the midst of the prolonged crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, FACEBANK managed to show a steady progress in the expansion of their Latin American regions and maintained its BB rating for the third consecutive year, according to the most recent report from credit rating agency DBRS Morningstar. "This demonstrates FACEBANK's resilience and financial strength, where-despite the market conditions, the yield curve, and the effects of the pandemic-we have been able to solidify our presence n Latin American markets, including the Hispanic community in the United States, and improve our performance indexes," stated the General Manager.



In their latest report DBRS acknowledged FACEBANK's online connection to the FRBNY as a "key component" to FACEBANK's rating "which allows it to efficiently clear deposits for its customers, saving time and expense." "[W]e view this as a competitive advantage for FACEBANK, as it is the only IBE with this connectivity," added DBRS. DBRS attributed FACEBANK's positive evaluation to its adequately diversified investment grade corporate portfolio with 23% of its liquid assets, including U.S. Government bonds. Furthermore, its NIM is above average, as well as the performance of its subsidiary Florida Home Trust Mortgage, where its asset base is located.

"FACEBANK's financial strength is due to a solid customer base, a sound administration that applies the best practices of the industry allowing us to maintain an excellent asset quality, as well as excellent relations with the regulatory entities," explained Jairo Amaro, FACEBANK's CFO. "Our innovation in banking services, and the launching of the PipolPay (money transfers) and Nueva Cuenta Dolar (account openings) applications, are an integral part of our strategic plan," explained Amaro. Established in Puerto Rico, USA since 2006, FACEBANK has a portfolio of over 40,000 customers in countries within the Americas. Its operational structure with IBDF who must comply with strict anti-money laundering standards, facilitates the creation and management of U.S. dollar deposit accounts in different countries. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005784/en/

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[November 08, 2021] iQor Expands Nearshore Footprint in Trinidad and Tobago with Addition of Third Call Center in the City of Chaguanas

iQor (News - Alert), a managed services provider of customer engagement and technology-enabled BPO solutions, today announced the planned opening of its new contact center in the city of Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago. The new facility will increase the company's nearshore footprint in Trinidad to three call centers and more than 2,000 omnichannel customer support jobs. "We are excited to expand into Chaguanas and introduce ourselves to the local community," said Dr. William Huggins, Vice President of Operations for iQor Trinidad. "Chaguanas offers us the ability to tap into over 40,000 digital and socially savvy Trinidadians that are well suited to deliver a great customer experience for the world's top brands." Chaguanas is roughly 30 minutes from Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago, and very convenient to the airport, hotels, and several colleges/universities including University of Trinidad and Tobago and University of West Indies. Located outside the Caroni Bird Sanctuary, iQor newest multi-level, 40,000-square foot facility features 600 seats, with expansions available, and employee-friendly amenities throughout the contact center. Like iQor's Walerfield and Barataria sites, which are near full capacity due to strong client demand, the Chaguanas location will offer a full range of omnichannel support such as voice, chat, email, SMS and social media support, powered by the latest digital technologies including, intelligent automation, conversational AI and speech analytics that create a great employee and customer experience.



iQor is on schedule to open the call center in January 2022. The company is actively seeking irresistible people for work-in-office and work-at-home call center positions in Chaguanas, Wallerfield and Barataria. People seeking a better employee experience are encouraged to visit iQor's Trinidad Facebook (News - Alert) page or the company's career site at jobs.iqor.com About iQor

At iQor our 35,000 amazing employees spanning 9 countries are passionate about delivering an outstanding Omnichannel customer experience for brands across the globe. Harnessing intelligent CX technology that can scale teams anywhere, our BPO solutions create happy employees and delighted customers. Our irresistible culture results in a smile with each interaction to create optimal customer experiences. We enable diverse teams to scale our BPO digital solutions from local to global to create the CX experience brands demand to win and keep customers. Read, see, and hear more at iQor.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108006037/en/

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[November 08, 2021] KKR to Acquire Storage Tank Operator Central Tank Terminal

KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced the signing of definitive agreements under which KKR will acquire Japanese chemical storage tank operator Central Tank Terminal ("CTT" or the "Company") from an affiliate of Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets ("MIRA"). The investment will be used to reinforce CTT's leading position in the chemical storage tank industry and to pursue future growth opportunities, including bolt-on acquisitions. CTT is Japan's largest independent chemical storage tank operator, offering over 300,000 cubic meters of storage capacity across seven terminals located near key ports and strategic hubs around Tokyo Bay, Osaka Bay, Nagoya and Kitakyushu. The Company provides tank storage and auxiliary services to more than 80 blue-chip customers, including major chemical manufacturers with decades-long relationships with CTT. In 2020, CTT began reporting its environmental, social and governance ("ESG") performance based on the GRESB Infrastructure Asset Assessment, and reported lower-than-peer-average emissions and energy consumption intensities. Following the transaction's close, KKR looks forward to working alongside CTT's management team to help enhance the business' operations and services on behalf of CTT's customers, in addition to exploring bolt-on opportunities for growth. Hiro Hirano, Partner for KKR Asia Pacific and CEO of KKR Japan, said, "We are pleased to mark our first infrastructure investment in Japan with a leading business like CTT. We view this as the latest milestone for KKR in the market and believe this underscores our ability to leverage our experience and access to best global business practices to help take Japanese businesses to their next stage of growth across industries and sectors." Taka Hirayama, Director on KKR's Infrastructure team based in Tokyo, said, "Under the leadership of CEO Miyakawa, CTT has established itself as one of the top operators in Japan's tank storage sector, and forged a strong culture of responsible safety and environment management. This is evident in its long relationships with its major customers spanning decades, and its initiative to report its ESG performance annually. We are excited to invest behind CTT and its growth, and look to build on its success by sharing KKR's network and knowledge."



KKR is making its investment from its Asia Pacific Infrastructure Fund. Supported by an experienced and growing local team, KKR's infrastructure strategy in Japan is focused on leveraging KKR's global expertise and platform to help domestic companies drive operational excellence of their assets and expand into overseas markets. KKR continues to seek out compelling opportunities where KKR can be value-add investors and create synergies for its infrastructure investments. With this latest investment, KKR has signed or completed infrastructure investments in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, China, India, and the Philippines in 2021. In addition, the transaction marks KKR's latest investment in Japan and builds on its track record as an active investor in the country. In addition to CTT, KKR has made several investments in Japan from its private equity strategy, which include Seiyu, a nationwide supermarket chain, Koki Holdings, a power tool and life science equipment manufacturer, Kokusai Electric, a leading semiconductor manufacturer, PHC, a leading manufacturer of medical devices, Marelli, a leading supplier of automotive components, and From Scratch, an integrated data-driven marketing SaaS (News - Alert) platform in Japan.

The transaction is expected to be completed by Q4 2021, subject to regulatory approvals and closing conditions. Further details of the investment have not been disclosed. Rothschild & Co. acted as KKR's financial advisor. About KKR KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR's insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life, and reinsurance products under the management of The Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR's investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR's website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter (News - Alert) @KKR_Co. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211107005146/en/

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[November 08, 2021] Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, BookNook, TDOE address pandemic-interrupted literacy development among Shelby County School students

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare and BookNook announced a $4.6 million grant from the Tennessee Department of Education to expand reading and literacy efforts in Shelby County Schools (SCS). BookNook's patented, cloud-based, synchronous learning platform has been adopted as part of the Connected Literacy project, funded by Tennessee's $100M commitment , to address critical literacy needs across the state. This reading initiative scales technology-infused guided reading through BookNook to support 40 elementary and K-8 schools, plus 35 combined afterschool programs, congregations and charter schools across the city. "The primary goal of this partnership is to close student reading gaps and accelerate literacy development by providing early grades literacy support for students in grades one through three who are most impacted by the on-going COVID-19 pandemic," said Dr. Albert Mosley, senior vice president and chief mission integration officer for MLH. "Parents and guardians can now enroll their students to participate in world-class tutoring focused on improving their child's reading skills." This 12-week virtual after-school tutoring program is free to families and will be offered three times a week to eligible students in grades one through three, starting December 2021. To sign up, please visit https://connectedliteracy.tnedu.gov/ . "We applaud Tennessee and Shelby County Schools for their dedication to students and their commitment to closing achievement, opportunity and resource gaps for students and families," said Michael Lombardo, BookNook founder and CEO. "We are honored to be a long-standing partner of SCS as we build on its legacy of innovation, dedication and perseverance." The nucleus of the partnership began in spring 2019 with a pilot program with a seed grant from Shelby County-based Urban Child Institute . That summer, 95 percent of the 979 participating Memphis students either maintained (60 percent) or increased (35 percent) their grade level equivalency. "As part of our efforts to reimagine education, we understand that we cannot do this work alone; therefore, we're focused on uilding sustainable, community partnerships," said Superintendent Dr. Joris M. Ray. "We are grateful to BookNook and Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare for their continued commitment to literacy and dedication to providing resources that enhance the educational experience for SCS students."



As the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted classroom-based learning, BookNook quickly pivoted to provide virtual tutoring to complement their tech-based platform, achieving positive results nationally with an average of 3.5 months of literacy progress during the spring school shutdown. SCS launched another pilot program in April 2020, funded through the CARES Act, for 25 participating after-school sites and schools. Among the 417 students in the pilot, average projected reading growth increased nearly four times over, with progress measured against a full year of traditional instruction, effectively reversing "Covid slide."

The tremendous success of these earlier programs prompted SCS to expand to 40 schools, scaling up the number of students and families who will benefit from strengthening both reading and health literacy. BookNook will be implemented based on individual school needs, whether as part of the regular curriculum, as school-day interventions or as after-school enrichment, with the community coalition continuing to play a prominent role in the initiative. As the cloud-based BookNook runs on any device, including SCS tablets issued to students, the anticipation is for a seamless transition from distance to in-person learning when students return to the classroom. About Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Based in Memphis, Tennessee, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare has been caring for patients and families regardless of ability to pay for more than 100 years. Guided by roots in the United Methodist Church and founded in 1918 to help meet the growing need for quality healthcare in the greater Memphis area, MLH has grown from one hospital into a comprehensive healthcare system with 13,000 Associates supporting six hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, outpatient facilities, hospice residence and physician practices serving communities across the Mid-South. From transplants and advanced heart procedures to expert neurology services and compassionate cancer care, MLH offers clinical expertise with a focus on improving every life we touch. Stay up-to-date with us on social media  Facebook , Twitter and Instagram. About BookNook Founded in 2016, BookNook is a synchronous, evidence-based online learning platform that strives to ensure equitable access to rigorous and engaging instruction through technology innovation. A comprehensive turnkey solution that brings much-needed online support and tutoring for students, BookNook has quickly grown to partner with hundreds of schools, school districts, and nonprofits across 35 states, receiving national recognition for its impact on students' reading ability and unique equity-based pricing model . For more information, visit booknooklearning.com . About Shelby County Schools Shelby County Schools is Tennessee's largest public school district and is among the 25 largest public school districts in the United States. Formerly comprised of two smaller districts, Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools, SCS serves over 110,000 students in more than 200 schools. We are the second largest employer in Shelby County with over 14,200 employees, including 6,500 teachers. Learn more about our comprehensive tutoring strategies, programs, and supports in the SCS Newsroom . CONTACT :

Felicia Riley

Cell: 469-569-1389

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/methodist-le-bonheur-healthcare-booknook-tdoe-address-pandemic-interrupted-literacy-development-among-shelby-county-school-students-301418655.html SOURCE BookNook Learning

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[November 08, 2021] NTNU partners with Optoma to open new chapter of immersive remote learning

TAIPEI, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), Taiwan's leading teacher training institution, and Optoma, a world-leading provider of visual display products, formally announced the launch of a new collaborative effort, Optoma Immersive Long-distance Teaching Solutions, at NTNU Extension, School of Continuing Education (NTNU SCE) on November 4th. Combining the advantages of the two parties in education and technology, the cooperation will strive to transform digital education by way of a joint effort involving NTNU's School of Continuing Education, Industrial Liaison Office and Office of Research and Development, and Optoma. The results of the effort will also serve as a demonstration site for education technology for other institutions, chiefly research facilities and universities as well as primary, secondary and high schools, with the goal of being on par with international standards. Dean Yannan Hu, NTNU Extension, School of Continuing Education, said that, with the development of a digital teaching model and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become inevitable that a transition has already taken place from face-to-face teaching in classrooms to distance learning, or a combination of both ways. Online learning courses have conceivable development potential as they have generally become much more accepted by students and teachers alike. Teaching has moved from the physical to the cloud, and it has ecome possible to learn on the cloud 24 hours a day. This collaboration brings technology to both the physical classroom as well as to remote online education applications in a more user-friendly way. With an excellent faculty, top-notch teaching materials and the teaching experience of NTNU's professors, we look forward to establishing a new generation of digital teaching standards and a vision for the education community.



Gordon Wu, Head of Optoma Asia Pacific, said Optoma has been actively investing in more sophisticated projection technologies and large display solutions in recent years. In addition to the corporate and home appliance markets, Optoma has invested significantly in applications for digital education with an eye to developing and integrating cloud, mobile phones and control software into EdTech, which can be flexibly applied in both projection display devices and as an overall solution for immersive installations. At present, EdTech mostly focuses on hardware equipment, which is not conducive to the effective integration of existing systems and teaching tools. The cooperation between NTNU and Optoma will not only solve some of the issues related to distance learning during the pandemic, but also jointly develop an e-Learning curriculum and undertake suitability research, so as to comprehensively improve the competitiveness of digital education and the instructors who use it. The Optoma large-size interactive flat panel, which plays an important role in the program, will also be formally launched in Taiwan in the first half of 2022. Optoma Immersive Remote Teaching Solutions integrates with the Moodle learning management system, through which teachers can directly obtain lesson preparation materials after login with account and password. Unlike the previous method of copying teaching materials via a USB, teachers can now switch between textbooks, interact with them as well as integrate recorded or live events into the course material via a mobile app. They can also flexibly integrate software programs commonly used in online learning, such as Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Cisco WebEx, among others. Both teachers and students will find that interacting with the course material significantly more intuitive than previously.

In addition to controlling the content and 3D objects as well as sharing required teaching content in real time, teachers can also write and draw directly on the screen with the 65-86" interactive flat panel and proprietary whiteboard software. Finally, they can integrate the Virtual studio green screen through the Optoma/Calibre image processor, so that the teacher's image can be superimposed onto the textbook or teaching materials. The immersive effect allows students to experience the same visual effects just as if they were in the classroom, and, by the same token, vastly enhance their engagement. This virtual classroom setup can support hands-on instruction as well as a hybrid approach. The hands-on instruction is made possible by way of a second camera that allows for the transmission of real-time images such as art, calligraphy or even engineering , physics and chemistry experiments, while the hybrid approach can solve the challenges of engaging in collaborative efforts when students are in different locations. SOURCE Optoma APAC

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[November 08, 2021] Philips partners with Movember, urging men to tackle health issues that are right under their noses

Philips' donation to Movember of up to $550,000 USD ($687,000 CAD) will go towards innovative research and year-round support programs that empower men to live healthier, happier and longer lives in Canada and the US. MISSISSAUGA, ON, Nov. 8, 2021 /CNW/ - Rooted in its purpose to improve people's health and well-being through meaningful innovation, Philips  a global leader in health technology  is partnering with Movember, the leading global charity changing the face of men's health. This November, Philips is raising its voice by asking men to put their razors down and let their "Mo" grow. According to research from Movember, globally men die an average of five years earlier than women, and for reasons that are largely preventable. Each November, Movember encourages men and women around the world to come together to GROW, MOVE, HOST or MO THEIR OWN WAY, raising funds and spreading awareness for men's health issues including mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer. With a shared vision to create a widespread and long-lasting impact, Philips and Movember are motivating men to stay healthy in all areas of life by tackling the health issues that are right under their noses  emphasizing social connection, having an open dialogue about physical and mental health, and normalizing mental health support. "We're thrilled to come on board as an official partner for Movember Canada. Our values align perfectly with the organization's mission of changing he face of men's health," said Doug Rozon, Marketing Director, Philips Canada. "Improving the lives and well-being of Canadian men through meaningful innovation is the core purpose of Philips Canada's Grooming portfolio."



To support Movember in Canada and US, Philips is committing to a North American donation of up to $550,000 USD ($687,000 CAD) which includes more than 850 Philips shavers to help participants kick-start the month. The donated funds will help Movember develop innovative men's health research and provide year-round support programs for men. Since 2003, Movember has funded more than 1,250 men's health projects around the world, shaking up men's health research and transforming the way health services reach and support men globally.

"It's incredible to work with partners like Philips, who share our vision and a commitment to changing the face of men's health," said Todd Minerson, Movember Canada Country Director. "This year, as we head into our 15th annual Movember campaign in Canada, with Philips' support I'm confident we'll be able to generate even more awareness and start more conversations around these important men's health issues." For more details on the Philips and Movember partnership or to learn more about how, together, we can change the face of men's health, visit Philips.ca. Check out @Philips and @Movember on Twitter and Instagram and tag #Movember #Philips #PhilipsOneBlade in all your Mo content. To sign-up to take part in this year's Movember campaign, visit Movember.com. If you're participating by growing your own moustache and planning to shave down on November 1st, the Philips OneBlade has you covered, allowing users the perfect smooth start to a month of Mo-growing. Use the beard and moustache trimmer with the dual-sided blades to keep your Mo looking tidy and clean all Movember-long. About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and well-being and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum  from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2020 sales of EUR 17.3 billion and employs approximately 78,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter. About Movember

Movember is the leading charity changing the face of men's health on a global scale, focusing on mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer. The charity raises funds to deliver innovative, breakthrough research and support programs that enable men to live happier, healthier and longer lives. Committed to disrupting the status quo, millions have joined the movement, helping fund over 1,250 projects around the world. In addition to tackling key health issues faced by men, Movember is working to encourage men to stay healthy in all areas of their life, with a focus on men staying socially connected and becoming more open to discussing their health and significant moments in their lives. The charity's vision is to have an everlasting impact on the face of men's health. To donate or learn more, please visit movember.com SOURCE Philips Canada

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[November 08, 2021] Recce Pharmaceuticals to Give Opening R&D Address at World Anti-Microbial Resistance Congress 2021

SYDNEY, Australia, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Recce Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX:RCE, FSE:R9Q) (Company), the Company developing new classes of synthetic anti-infectives, today announced it will be delivering the Opening R&D Address at the World Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) Congress being held November 8th-9th, 2021.

Recce Chairman, John Prendergast, Ph.D., will deliver the 20-minute Opening R&D Address, highlighting the urgent need for new antibiotics to address the rapidly growing threat of AMR. Dr. Prendergasts presentation Synthetic Anti-Infectives: Embracing New Technology, highlighting Recces unique Mechanisms of Action, infectious disease pipeline of new drug candidates  positioning Recce as a sign of new hope in the global fight against superbugs on the international stage. The two-day World AMR Congress held in Washington DC is the largest AMR conference in the world with more than 1,000 attendees from over 50 countries. The congress attracts industry leaders, clinicians, healthcare payers, and medical regulators from around the world. Claire Murphy, Production Director, World AMR Congress says, Antimicrobial resistance is an urgent public health crisis that needs global attention, now more than ever. The World AMR Congress continues to be the go-to platform for leading antibiotic developers, such as Recce Pharmaceuticals, to connect with global AMR stakeholders and further initiatives aimed at combatting antmicrobial resistance.



The presentation will be made available on the Companys website in due course. About Recce Pharmaceuticals Ltd



Recce Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: RCE, FSE: R9Q) is pioneering the development and commercialisation of New Classes of Synthetic Anti-Infectives designed to address the urgent global health problems of antibiotic resistant superbugs and emerging viral pathogens. Recces anti-infective pipeline is unique and comprised of broad-spectrum synthetic polymer antibiotics RECCE 327, RECCE 435, and RECCE 529 for viral infections with unique mechanisms of action against hyper-mutation on bacteria and viruses, respectively. Patented lead candidate RECCE 327 as an intravenous therapy, is being developed for treatment of serious and potentially life-threatening infections including sepsis due to Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria including their superbug forms. Recces new antibiotic compound, RECCE 435, has been formulated for oral use. The FDA has awarded RECCE 327 Qualified Infectious Disease Product designation under the Generating Antibiotic Initiatives Now (GAIN) Act  labelling it for Fast Track Designation, plus 10 years of market exclusivity post approval. Further to this designation, RECCE 327 has been included on The Pew Charitable Trusts Global New Antibiotics in Development Pipeline as the only synthetic polymer and sepsis drug candidate in development. Recce wholly owns its automated manufacturing, ready to support first-in-human clinical trials. Recces anti-infective pipeline seeks to exploit the unique capabilities of RECCE technologies targeting synergistic, unmet medical needs. Corporate Contact

James Graham

Recce Pharmaceuticals Ltd

+61 (02) 8075 4585

[email protected] Media and Investor Relations (AU)

Andrew Geddes

CityPR

+61 (02) 9267 4511

[email protected] Media and Investor Relations (USA)

Jordyn Temperato

LifeSci Communications

[email protected]



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[November 07, 2021] REEF Leads Global Expansion of Virtual Kitchens with the Acquisition of United Arab Emirates-Based Kitchens Platform "iKcon"

REEF Technology Inc. ("REEF"), the largest operator of delivery kitchens, logistics, and proximity hubs in North America, today announced its entrance to the Middle East and North Africa region through the full acquisition of iKcon Restaurant LLC (Innovative Kitchen Concepts). The acquisition of iKcon marks REEF's first major transaction in the MENA market and is part of its broader strategy toward global expansion. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211107005121/en/ "We are excited to welcome iKcon and its team members to REEF's global proximity platform," said Tommy Rosen, Head of Development at REEF. "The Middle East and North Africa are crucial markets in the rapidly evolving F&B and retail industries, and our acquisition of iKcon will position REEF to become a leader in the region." With a network of innovative kitchens in prime locations and over 800 employees, iKcon utilizes its modern facilities, smart technology solutions and highly qualified chefs and customer service teams to extend the reach of their portfolio of +100 well-known local, regional and international restaurant partners such as Just Salad, YO Sushi, Dunkin', California Pizza Kitchen, German Doner Kebab and local hero brands such as PINZA, and Pizza Di Rocco. "Since its inception, iKcon has consistently focused on operational excellence and building a unique customer-centric business model," said Khalid Baareh, Co-Founder ad CEO at iKcon. "The past three years have taught us the importance of pursuing our vision with commitment and passion, driven by a world-class team. Today, we are thrilled to join the REEF team and to continue our journey of bringing innovation to neighborhoods everywhere. REEF's leadership in proximity will play a great role in accelerating our regional expansion plans. We are fully committed to driving the development of REEF in MENA."



REEF, backed by a group of investors including Mubadala Capital, the asset management subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company, SoftBank Vision Fund 1, funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P., UBS Asset Management and Target (News - Alert) Global, focuses on transforming urban spaces into proximity hubs that create jobs and bring new goods, services, and experiences to neighborhoods across the globe. REEF has already established a presence in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the international financial center of Abu Dhabi, with plans to continue growing throughout the region.

To learn more about REEF, visit www.reeftechnology.com. About REEF REEF transforms urban spaces into community hubs that create jobs and bring new goods, services and experiences to the neighborhood. With an ecosystem of 5,000 locations and a team that's over 18,000 strong, REEF is the largest operator of parking real estate and delivery restaurants in North America. By connecting the world to your block, we're making the place you live, the place you love to be. About iKcon iKcon is a leading Dubai-based tech-enabled delivery kitchen operator focused on the MENA region. It was founded in early 2019, by Khalid Baareh and Kareem Abughazaleh, to address the rising demand for food delivery. iKcon provides kitchen-as-a-service solutions to restaurants and food operators allowing them to rapidly scale their operations and expand their delivery coverage and customer reach. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211107005121/en/

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[November 08, 2021] Salt Lake Tribune Names Weave A 2021 Top Workplace

LEHI, Utah, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Weave, the all-in-one customer communication platform for small business, has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2021 honor by Salt Lake Tribune Top Workplaces. This is Weave's first time applying for and making the list, which is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by Energage LLC. The anonymous survey uniquely measures 15 culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization: including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few. Weave has set a standard for best-in-class work culture for companies in Utah. This award proves the importance of taking care of your people and ensuring that they feel safe and happy to come into work. Weave has worked hard to provide perks and benefits that are tailored to its employees, like the parental leave benefit that provides up to 12 weeks of paid leave, one year's worth of diapers, a meal stipend, and a house cleaning service. "We couldn't be more proud to be named as one of the top workplaces in Utah, Said Angie Balfour, Chief People Officer at Weave. "Weave has always put a lot of thought into our culture and this award proves that we are on the right track. In every decision we make, we have a 'People, not Employees' mindset. We are so lucky to have such an amazing team here at Weave and this award reflects just how awesome they all are."



Weave continues to hire employees across the U.S. and internationally, having recently expanded its hiring efforts to India. If you're interested in open opportunities with Weave, visit our Careers page . About

Weave is the all-in-one customer communication and engagement platform for small business. From the first phone call to the final invoice and every touchpoint in between, Weave connects the entire customer journey. Weave's software solutions transform how local businesses attract, communicate with and engage customers to grow their business. The first Utah company to join Y Combinator, Weave has set the bar for Utah startup achievement & work culture. In the past year, Weave has been included in the Forbes Cloud 100, Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies in America, and Glassdoor Best Places to Work. To learn more, visit www.getweave.com/careers Company Contact

Weave

[email protected], 614-507-1614

https://www.getweave.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/salt-lake-tribune-names-weave-a-2021-top-workplace-301418980.html SOURCE Weave

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[November 08, 2021] Santander Launches Safety Net to Eliminate or Reduce Overdraft Fees for Every Client

Santander Bank, N.A. ("Santander Bank," "Santander" or "the Bank") announced today the launch of Santander Safety Net, which dramatically raises the no-fee overdraft threshold to $100, the highest of any traditional U.S. bank1 and double the next-highest overdraft threshold of leading competitors ($50). This industry-leading overdraft program applies automatically to every Santander Bank client and is expected to completely eliminate overdraft fees for nearly one-third of clients who have recently overdrawn. "We're here for our clients, and we want them to know that we have their back. They told us they need more leeway to manage the unexpected, especially during these challenging times, and so we're launching Santander Safety Net for every client and applying it to any transaction type including debit, bank-to-bank transfers and checks," said Pierre Habis, Head of Consumer and Business Banking at Santander Bank. "I'm excited to see the positive impact it will have in our clients' daily lives." In addition to Santander Safety Net, the Bank has made other automatic changes to its overdraft fee structure including: Eliminating the overdraft protection transfer fee : The $12 fee to automatically move money from one account to a checking account to avoid overdrawing has been eliminated.

: The $12 fee to automatically move money from one account to a checking account to avoid overdrawing has been eliminated. Reducing the daily ovrdraft fee cap by half: The maximum daily number of overdraft paid and overdraft returned fee charges ($35) dropped from six to three for each.



www.santanderbank.com/overdraft. Santander Bank, N.A. is one of the country's largest retail and commercial banks with $89.5 billion in assets. With its corporate offices in Boston, the Bank's approximately 9,200 employees and more than 2 million customers are principally located in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. The Bank is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Madrid-based Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE: SAN) - one of the most respected banking groups in the world with 150 million customers in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America. It is overseen by Santander Holdings USA, Inc., Banco Santander's intermediate holding company in the U.S. For more information on Santander Bank, please visit www.santanderbank.com.

1 Traditional bank defined as brick-and-mortar bank with physical branches, as compared to online-only banks with no physical presence. https://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/news/april2020.html View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005666/en/

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[November 08, 2021] Tipalti Expands Prepaid Debit Card Offering to more than 192 Countries

Tipalti, a global payables automation company, today announced through its partnership with Intercash, a leading global prepaid card payment solution, it will extend the reach of its prepaid debit cards for international payees and partners. Tipalti users can now offer Intercash prepaid debit cards in 192 countries, including Latin America and Southeast Asia. The Tipalti Intercash prepaid debit card is a Mastercard that can be used online, offline and at an ATM for immediate purchases and cash withdrawals. The card is especially beneficial as an option for the unbanked and underbanked, making it an attractive payment option for companies that rely on partners in countries and regions with limited financial infrastructure. Through this expansion, Tipalti customers around the globe can now offer integrated and seamless payee signup, with payees instantly receiving a virtual card with an option to request a physical card. Tipalti Intercash cards feature built-in overspend prevention and fraud protection. Payees in Brazil, Chile, Peru, Mexico and Uruguy can transfer funds directly to their bank accounts.



"Prepaid cards are a convenient, elegant way to transfer money for most of us, but they can be a critical lifeline for the unbanked and underbanked around the world to get paid reliably and without fees," said Roby Baruch, Tipalti's Chief Product Officer. "Expanding our prepaid cards offering with the help of Intercash adds tremendous value for businesses that depend on a global community of partners. They can now easily tap talent by leveraging mass payments in nearly 200 countries." "Prepaid debit cards are a popular choice among domestic and global payees to receive payments because of its flexibility and convenience. Prepaid cards, also, offer a solution for underbanked or unbanked individuals," said Kevin Permenter, Research Director, Financial Applications at IDC (News - Alert). "Tipalti is providing its mass pay and creator economy customers the ability to give their payees in the underbanked and unbanked areas a viable option to get paid. This product offers potential partners more flexible payment options while also providing partners the opportunity to expand to countries and regions with limited financial infrastructure."

About Tipalti Based in San Mateo, Calif., Tipalti - which comes from the Hebrew expression for "we handled it" - enables high-growth companies to scale quickly by making payables strategic with operational, compliance and financial controls. Tipalti is only company handling both Accounts Payable and Global Payments workflows for high-velocity companies across the entire financial operations cycle and the evolving creator economy. Thousands of Tipalti customers such as Amazon Twitch, GoDaddy, Oscar Insurance, Roku, Wordpress.com and ZipRecruiter rely on Tipalti to automate and scale their entire payables' operations while elevating the overall payments experience for partners in 196 countries. For more information, visit tipalti.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005253/en/

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[November 08, 2021] Traffilog joins forces with SafeRide Technologies to Lead the Automotive Data Revolution

The combined company will serve as a global leader in transforming vehicle data into high-value insights for automakers, suppliers, and fleets TEL AVIV, Israel, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Traffilog, a leading provider of telematics, advanced diagnostics, and predictive maintenance services for commercial and passenger fleets, today announced the acquisition of SafeRide Technologies, a recognized leader in artificial intelligence (AI) for the automotive industry. The consolidated company currently provides telematics and analytics services to dozens of automakers and fleets with hundreds of thousands of vehicles worldwide. The company will also continue to collaborate with automakers and Tier 1 suppliers across the globe to integrate its AI-based software products into next-generation vehicles. The consolidated company will have global-wide reach, with presence in San Francisco, Detroit, Germany, Korea, and Israel.

Advancements in autonomous driving, electrification, data-driven applications, and shared mobility are providing opportunities for fleet owners and automakers to develop new business models. However, the resulting growth in vehicle complexity creates an abundance of challenges including quality issues, reduced operational efficiency, and an increase in total cost of ownership. In response, fleets, vehicle manufacturers, and suppliers are seeking new Vehicle Health Management (VHM) solutions to reduce maintenace costs, minimize diagnostic and repair time, optimize fuel consumption, mitigate roadside repairs, and minimize downtime.



In the midst of this automotive data and software revolution, the AI-based solutions enable vehicle fleets to significantly reduce operating and maintenance costs and enable automakers to reduce the cost of vehicle development, improve vehicle quality, lower warranty claims costs, and more. The company's products also enable automakers and their customers to offer advanced online services and create new business models that will increase their revenue. "Combining SafeRide's AI and deep learning technologies with Traffilog's data collection and management capabilities as well as its strong customer-base will enable us to take a huge step forward," said Erez Lorber, CEO of Traffilog, who will remain the CEO of the consolidated company. "Together we will improve our value proposition for large fleets, leading OEMs, and Tier 1 suppliers, enabling them to make data-driven decisions, develop better products, reduce costs, and create new growth engines."

Traffilog will immediately begin integrating SafeRide's VHM platform into its existing solutions and offer advanced AI-based data analytics solutions as early as next year. This offering will include AI-based VHM capabilities to its customers throughout the world with a significant advantage over competing telematics solutions and over standalone AI solutions offered by analytics companies. "Traffilog's advanced telematics and data acquisition capabilities provide access to valuable vehicle data," said Yossi Vardi, SafeRide's CEO and Co-Founder. "Integrating SafeRide's deep learning and big data analytics technology together with Traffilog's platform enables us to deliver best-in-class diagnostics and predictive maintenance services to vehicle manufacturers and commercial fleets worldwide."

About Traffilog Traffilog is a leading provider of telematics, advanced diagnostics, and predictive maintenance services for commercial and passenger fleets. The company has over 15 years of industry experience, a mature telematics solution, deep automotive use-case knowledge, and an in-depth understanding of vehicle data. It has a strong global customer base and large-scale implementation and support capabilities. Visit www.trafflog.com to learn more. About SafeRide Technologies SafeRide Technologies is a?leading?provider of AI-based VHM and fleet analytics solutions that predict, detect, and analyze vehicle malfunctions and performance degradations. SafeRide's?vInsight deep learning VHM?and fleet analytics?platform includes a VHM development tool, an in-vehicle inference engine, and an AI-based data analytics solution for commercial fleets. SafeRide has partnered with global OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers to integrate its software into next generation vehicle platforms. For more information, visit www.saferide.io.

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[November 08, 2021] Tungsram takes up Elon Musk's $6 billion challenge

BUDAPEST, Hungary, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tungsram, a Hungarian technology innovator is proposing an answer to Elon Musk's $6 billion offer to the United Nations World Food Program to alleviate world hunger. Indoor farming, food factories for Africa, and integrated food clusters for metropolitan areas are sustainable means to solving the global food crisis. Tesla CEO Elon Musk was quick to respond to a challenge by UN World Food Programme Director (WFP) David Beasley, who reportedly claimed that 2% of Elon Musk's wealth could greatly help solve world hunger. "If WFP can describe () exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it," Musk wrote in a tweet While the debate between the two continues, Hungarian mid-cap Tungsram has a proposal for WFP and the Tesla CEO. "Indoor farming is the most viable solution to achieve this," says Tungsram President & CEO Joerg Bauer. "It is an exciting disruptive technology that balances on the thin line between agriculture, industry 4.0 and digital technology to provide feasible global solutions and produce staple food for large numbers of people in a sustainable way." Tungsram - a 125-year-old, innovative lighting and technology manfacturer - has been collaborating with academic and SME partners to develop indoor farming technologies in a quest to eliminate world hunger.



The Tungsram team recently opened a 150 sqm vertical farm in Budapest to facilitate and advance research in this area. The facility, equipped with the company's own high-end lighting solutions, is one of its kind in Central Europe. The team is currently working on two indoor farming goals, both deemed highly feasible. The projects focus on so-called food factory units for the African continent and zero-waste, circular food clusters. The food factories would cover basic nutritional needs in rural areas with adverse climate, while the clusters would be located in the vicinity of large metropolitan areas to ensure decentralized food production locally. "Establishing millions of these units could provide healthy and available food independent from weather, season, every single day of the year," Bauer argues.

Global food security is one of humanity's most pressing challenges that requires immense amounts of innovation and investment. The money the UN has requested from the world's billionaires would have to be spent on solving a number of challenges that will pave the way to eventually building these units. One such challenge is a breakthrough in atmospheric water capture that could provide water in climate-stricken, arid areas. Accelerated breeding that could make plants grow quicker and richer in nutrients without genetic modification is yet another innovation that would be a giant leap toward food security. Research and development in fertilizing, energy storage, remote operation, and automation is also a prerequisite to success. Governments and businesses should provide funding for research and innovation to scale food security. "I'm ready to share the details of our plan with WFP, FAO and Mr. Musk himself," says Joerg Bauer. Contact: Tamas Mehlhoffer, [email protected], +36202412052

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tungsram-takes-up-elon-musks-6-billion-challenge-301418508.html SOURCE Tungsram

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[November 08, 2021] Virtual Care Company Smile Virtual is Acquired by Growing Utah Technology Provider Udo LLC

Phoenix-based virtual care company Smile Virtual today announced its acquisition by emerging Utah tech company Udo LLC (Udo.com). Terms of the deal were not announced; however, the acquisition is the natural outgrowth of months of joint development work between the two highly aligned organizations. Smile Virtual is the leading virtual care solution in dentistry, connecting patients and dentists for more confident smiles. With deep-rooted customer relationships and an amazing product, dentists across the world choose Smile Virtual as their most efficient way to reach and connect with patients. People who may be curious, yet apprehensive or nervous about cosmetic dentistry can upload one or two pictures from the Smile Virtual website along with a few notes and receive a custom consult to their email. The exchange answers the biggest questions patients have according to Dr. Brian Harris, "What are my options?" "How much will it cost?" and "Who do I trust for a procedure like this?" Getting these answers from the comfort of a patient's home has been an exciting leap toward more patient-centered dentistry. Dentists who do virtual consults and see the patient in person for a final consult have a 90% acceptance of the recommended treatment because the patient is now familiar with the dentist and aware of the cost. The asynchronous communication between the patient and the dentist accommodates the unpredictable schedule of the dentist and delivers higher quality video that patients can watch multiple times. This is one of the many principles Udo has upheld from their nception.



Patient satisfaction is high because the process was designed around the patient first; giving the patient control and simply trying to help. The rapid success of the patient-driven solution is more efficient for dentists as well. Udo approached Smile Virtual in early 2021 after discovering the ways Smile Virtual has advanced and transformed the success of virtual care service in the dental industry. The combination of the two platforms allows virtual patient care to extend from initial consult through resolution of care.

"Over the last three years, Smile Virtual has built a community of amazing like-minded dentists committed to serving their patients at the highest level," says Jenn Rhoades, Smile Virtual Co-Founder, and CEO. "Today marks the beginning of a promising new chapter for Smile Virtual that accelerates our mission to help more people." With the acquisition, Smile Virtual co-founder and visionary lead Dr. Brian Harris has now joined the Udo executive team as Chief Strategy Officer, to continue and accelerate the advancement of support for expanded communication and improved collaboration among health and dental practitioners and the patients they serve. "Now more than ever, patients are more educated about their options and want to play a more active role in their healthcare journey," says Harris. "Convenience, trust, and total transparency will soon be the new normal in healthcare because of this technology." Udo will continue to serve existing Smile Virtual customers while continuing to expand and enhance the service and benefits they receive from the virtual platform. About Udo Udo is a privately held communications technology company nestled among the Wasatch Mountains in Farmington, Utah. Udo has created a HIPAA-compliant, video-based technology that connects providers directly to their patients in a new and unique way. Patients can also invite their friends and family members to participate in their healthcare journey. Udo has gathered leaders and experts, in both business and healthcare, under the unified vision to connect and empower humanity through innovation. To learn more about Udo, visit udo.com. About Smile Virtual Smile Virtual connects dentists with patients looking to improve their smiles. They work with hundreds of practices to bridge the communication gap between dentist and patient and alleviate the burden that impacts both in unique ways. Smile Virtual is the leading HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability) compliant virtual care solution and is revolutionizing the dental experience. To learn more about Smile Virtual, visit smilevirtual.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005804/en/

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[November 08, 2021] Watr Foundation Launches Pioneering Blockchain Ecosystem, Empowering Physical Resource Industry to Achieve ESG Goals

Watr will leverage a sovereign instance of Algorand, bringing game-changing transparency to commodity footprints ZUG, Switzerland, Nov. 8, 2021 /CNW/ -- Watr Foundation, in partnership with Algorand, today announced the launch of the Watr Ecosystem: a next-generation, KYC-AML-screened Layer 1 open blockchain ecosystem with verified identities that will bring decentralized finance (DeFi) technology to commodities. Verified identities will enable the resource industry to leverage blockchain and DeFi technology. They will enable the industry to achieve new levels of Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) transparency, empower consumer choice in procurement and investment decisions, and democratize financing in the end-to-end of commodity supply chains. The Watr ecosystem is designed to unleash a race-to-the-top in creation of new commodity contracts and products, vastly expanding differentiation in what are today viewed as fungible commodities. The Watr blockchain ecosystem is set to go live in early 2022. The Watr ecosystem will be a first-of-its-kind, public and sovereign instance of the Algorand MainNet that aims to become the destination for sustainable commodities and applications across supply chains, shippers, buyers, financiers and producers. It is developed in a strategic partnership with Algorand, a leading enterprise protocol developed by Turing award winning founder Silvio Micali, and based on a proven and innovative pure proof of stake technology. While sovereign, the Watr blockchain will still be connected to and interoperable with the Algorand ecosystem, allowing Watr's liquidity and ecosystem dapps to operate seamlessly across the two chains and vice versa. "Watr's vision to enable a commodities market that is grounded in transparency, environmental responsibility and activism by all participants is aligned with Algorand's leadership as a carbon-negative network," said W. Sean Ford, COO of Algorand. "We commend the deeply experienced team as they reach this new milestone in digitizing core components of commodities on Algorand and create abundant transparency with regards to the footprint of each and every commodity in the ecosystem." Watr will be the first multi-institutional, self-governing, public blockchain designed to accommodate the privacy, auditability, compliance, and finality requirements of commodities. It will be set up to support and grow a broad decentralized application (dapp) network, including trade execution, exchanges, tokenized assets, new commodity classes and contracts, stablecoin issuance and decentralized (DeFi) lending capability. "This is the inflection point to digital and transparency for commodity markets. With clear compliance guardrails and a pioneering cross-section of industries at the table, Watr's mission is to drive financial inclusion, transparency and customer choice," said Maryam Ayati, President of the Watr Foundation Council. "We believe this next iteration on resource models should be co-created in mutually-owned profit models. It is a privilege and comfort to be collaborating with the pioneers of decentralized technology, blockchain, industry, and environmental products in bringing this blockchain ecosystem to life." On Watr, smart digital contract modules will govern the pricing, trade, and financing of the physical resources society consums, including metals, energy, and agriculture to the shipping and financing that underpins these industries. The identity module built into Watr enables consumers (and financiers) to define the specific footprint they want their consumption to finance. At the same time, suppliers will be able to create new classes of resources based on the environmental footprint their commodities leave behind. The endgame is to create a transparent marketplace using new technologies applied within the existing regulatory frameworks, where every ESG attribute itself is turned into a commodity with a market-based price, starting with a decentralized market place for carbon.



Watr will launch with Fiat currency and a multitude of traced and compliant crypto currencies, including stablecoins, onboarded as means of payment and transaction. TrustToken, the creator of the billion-dollar TUSD stablecoin, has invested in Watr. From creating TUSD, TrustToken has developed strong expertise in compliance and digital assets and will act as an advisor to help the Watr Foundation develop a powerful compliance and stablecoin strategy to bring the commodities industry on-chain.

"What Watr is doing is tremendously exciting - bringing the efficiency and transparency of blockchain to the $5 trillion commodities industry. We believe this is a fundamentally better way to transact these assets, and so an industry-wide shift is inevitable," said Rafael Cosman, CEO of TrustToken. On behalf of Watr Foundation, Neo has been convening a cross-industry coalition to span consumer goods, mining, energy, agriculture, shipping, trading, blockchain giants, and capital markets. Through a partnership with HC Group, the coalition is bringing together individual commodities and blockchain leaders to co-create, build, and invest in new blockchain business models for sustainable commodities and to trade on Watr. For more information on Watr and its ecosystem please visit: www.watr.org About Watr Foundation Watr Foundation is a Swiss-registered Foundation aimed to organize, motivate and sponsor the design, development, maintenance, and promotion of the Watr Protocol. Its purpose is to underpin the economy's transition to digitized, transparent and sustainable supply chains, and to encourage and sponsor development of new business models and dapps on this protocol. Hence, it serves as an ecosystem foundation and focalization point for the Watr ecosystem and community. For more information, visit: www.watr.org About Algorand Algorand is building the technology to power the Future of Finance (FutureFi), the convergence of traditional and decentralized models into a unified system that is inclusive, frictionless, and secure. Founded by Turing Award-winning cryptographer Silvio Micali, Algorand developed a blockchain infrastructure that offers the interoperability and capacity to handle the volume of transactions needed for defi, financial institutions and governments to smoothly transition into FutureFi. The technology of choice for more than 700 global organizations, Algorand is enabling the simple creation of next generation financial products, protocols and exchange of value. For more information, visit www.algorand.com. About TrustToken TrustToken frees money to create more value. TrustToken's TrueFi lending marketplace brings uncollateralized lending on-chain, offering borrowers across industries maximum capital efficiency at competitive rates. TrueFi is a top 10 lending protocol by total value locked, with +$1B in assets under management and nearly $1B in total loan origination value since its November 2020 launch, all while enjoying a perfect repayment history. TrustToken's TrueCurrencies (TUSD, TGBP, TAUD, TCAD, THKD) are the world's most transparent stablecoins. TrueCurrencies are fully collateralized, attested live on-chain, and moving billions in monthly trade volume across over 100 trading partners including top exchanges, banking partners, and OTC desks. About HC Group A retained search, advisory & networking firm, for 20 years HC has serviced the senior talent requirements of a range of organisations active across the global energy, metals and agricultural supply chains. About Neo Holdings Collaborating across giants of industry, trade and cryptography, Neo Holdings is the originator and an ecosystem developer for the Watr Foundation. Neo's objective is to ensure industry leaders are at the table alongside DeFi, Blockchain, and sustainability innovators to drive the next iteration in resource provision, transparency and decentralized trade. Media Contacts [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Keli Callaghan, Algorand - [email protected] Michael Gasiorek, TrustToken - [email protected] Damian Stewart, HC Group - [email protected] View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/watr-foundation-launches-pioneering-blockchain-ecosystem-empowering-physical-resource-industry-to-achieve-esg-goals-301418738.html SOURCE Watr Foundation

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[November 07, 2021] NEC Corporation commended by Frost & Sullivan for continued development of advanced and reliable AI solutions in Asia Pacific

SINGAPORE, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) has been awarded the 2021 Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Services Company of the Year by Frost & Sullivan. The Frost & Sullivan Awards recognize and honor best-in-class companies that have demonstrated excellence in their respective industries. NEC has continuously promoted the development of AI-related technology for over half a century before it announced the "NEC the WISE" portfolio of AI solutions in 2016. NEC's AI technologies, including speech recognition, image and video recognition, machine learning, prediction and detection, and research in life sciences and healthcare, are either unprecedented or ranked No. 1(*) in the world. For this Company of the Year Award, Frost & Sullivan employed a rigorous analytical process to evaluate multiple nominees for each award category before determining the final award recipient. The process involves a detailed evaluation of best practices criteria across two dimensions for each nominated company. NEC Corporation excels in many of the criteria in the artificial intelligence services space. Frost & Sullivan analysts independently assessed NEC based on the following key benchmarking criteria: Addressing Unmet Needs Leadership Focus Implementation of Best Practices Customer Service Experience Customer Ownership Experience Price/Performance Value Deepu Nair, Principal Analyst, Frost & Sullivan, said, "Leveraging industry-leading AI-enabled point solutions, NEC Corporation provides an extensive suite of end-to-end service capabilities that empower customers to build and deploy proprietary AI solutions quickly and at scale. Its ability to co-create AI solutions attuned to specialized customer requirements, innovative service delivery models, and strategic partnerships with major technology vendors enable NEC Corporation to offer a compelling value proposition for its clients. With a proven track record in delivering large and complex AI and analytics projects for public and private sector clients in Asia-Pacific, NEC Corporation continues to reinforce its position as a leading service provider in the region's highly competitive AI space." Mr Teh Chong Mien, Managing Director, NEC APAC (Singapore) said, "The products and services utilizing NEC the WISE have been adopted and used by a large number of companies and organizations in a wide range of fields and businesses such as manufacturing, retailing, logistics, and public services. This award celebrates our achievements in R&D, and is only made possible by our employees, partners and customers who are willing to trust and co-develop solutions with us. NEC is committed to supporting those products and services after being implemented through the research, planning, and verification phases. We will continue doing our best to support the realization of a safer and better world by working with enterprises and governments worldwide." Frost & Sullivan analysts identify award recipients from in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research. To distinguish best practices, they typically study companies' revenues, market shares, capabilities, and overall contribution to the industry.







(*) https://www.nec.com/en/press/202108/global_20210823_01.html

https://www.nec.com/en/press/202109/global_20210915_02.html

About NEC Corporation NEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of "Orchestrating a brighter world." NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. For more information, visit NEC at http://www.nec.com.

NEC is a registered trademark of NEC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Other product or service marks mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners. 2021 NEC Corporation. SOURCE NEC APAC Pte Ltd

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[November 07, 2021] CGTN: Global Action Initiative 2021 - Project Earth

BEIJING, Nov. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- China Media Group's week-long event "Global Action Initiative 2021  Project Earth" has highlighted the gravity of the climate crisis, heard from global leaders, scientists, young activists, and explored ideas and solutions. Our Day Five program focused on young people about their ideas and innovations. At the end of the show, we released our declaration  the "Global Media Strategic Framework on Climate Action". It appeals for immediate actions to reach global targets on curbing carbon emissions. The declaration also proposes the creation of a Global Alliance of Media on Climate to build a framework for climate action that would include: - Prioritizing climate-related reporting o raise public awareness.







- Organizing joint media events to enhance public engagement and to encourage community building.

- Collaborating on amplifying young people's voices to engage youth as a major part of the climate crises solution.

- Strengthening collaboration across all media platforms to become a unified source for providing credible information.

- Sharing media resources with academic and business communities, as well as international NGOs and for-profit organizations, to augment climate issue initiatives.

- Working together to ensure authenticity in journalism to combat climate-crisis misinformation and demagoguery. In their keynote speeches on Day Five program, UN Resident Coordinator in China, Siddharth Chatterjee, spoke about the need for a seismic shift in innovation, investment and technology. World Wildlife Fund's Global Leader of Climate and Energy, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, who is also the former Peruvian minister of environment, warned that we are in a "decisive decade" as the world strives for net zero emissions and a resilient economy.

Qin Gang, China's ambassador to the U.S., took questions from students from China and the United States about climate change. We also heard from a senior World Bank official, a Nobel Prize winning economist, and professor at Harvard University. Our shows on the first four days featured the impacts of climate change on the global environment, the importance of biodiversity, media's responsibility and individuals' actions of global citizens, with heads of state and government, senior officials from the UN, IMF and World Bank and climate experts sharing their perspectives. A significant part of our coverage includes five documentaries "Zero Hour". They examine the impact of extreme weather patterns and how young people across the world are finding creative ways to mitigate the climate crisis. For more information about "Global Action Initiative 2021  Project Earth", please follow https://america.cgtn.com/gai/gai.html SOURCE CGTN

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[November 07, 2021] JEOL: Release of New Scanning Electron Microscope JSM-IT510 Series InTouchScope

JEOL Ltd. (TOKYO:6951)(President & COO Izumi Oi) announces the development and release of a new scanning electron microscope (SEM), the JSM-IT510 series, in November 2021. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211107005023/en/ JSM-IT510 (LA) (Photo: Business Wire) Product Development Background Scanning electron microscopes are used in a wide range of fields, such as nanotechnology, metals, semiconductors, ceramics, medicine, and biology. In addition, SEM applications are expanding to not only basic research, but also quality control at manufacturing sites. With this, demands for faster and easier data acquisition of both SEM images and analysis results, such as energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS (News - Alert)) spectra, are increasing. In order to meet these needs and increase throughput, we have developed the JSM-IT510 series, which further evolves the operability of our popular InTouchScope. With the new Simple SEM function, you can now "leave" your daily routine (repetitive operation) to the instrument. Main Features New "Simple SEM" function

The Simple SEM function allows the user to simply selct the acquisition conditions and field of view for the SEM image, and then the SEM image is automatically acquired. Routine work can be made more efficient. New "Low-vacuum Hybrid Secondary Electron Detector (LHSED)"





Integration of the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometer (EDS) System.

The integration of SEM and EDS has been further developed, and the Live Map function enables live display of the elemental map of the observation field of view. New "Live 3D" function

3D images can be constructed on the spot while SEM observation is being performed to obtain unevenness and depth information. Live Analysis function

The embedded EDS system shows a real-time EDS spectrum during image observation for efficient elemental analysis. New Stage Navigation System LS function

The new Stage Navigation System LS can acquire an optical image of an area four times larger than that of conventional models (200 mm x 200 mm). This function allows the user to acquire an optical image of the observation sample and move to the desired observation field by simply clicking on the optical image. Zeromag

With our Zeromag function, sample navigation is even easier than ever. You can locate areas for imaging or specify analysis positions over multiple fields using an optical image or holder graphic. Display of the characteristic X-ray generation depth

This supports a prompt understanding of the analysis depth (reference) for the specimen. SMILE VIEW Lab, enabling integrated management of image and analysis data.

Facilitates report generation for all data from collected SEM images to elemental analysis results in a short time. Sales target

200 units/year Product URL: https://www.jeol.co.jp/en/products/detail/JSM-IT510.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/20211107005023/en/

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[November 07, 2021] Mobileum Named #1 Roaming, Fraud Management and Security Vendor by Kaleido Intelligence

CUPERTINO, Calif., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobileum Inc. ("Mobileum"), a leading global provider of analytics solutions for roaming and network services, security, risk management, testing, and monitoring, is pleased to announce that it has again been named by Kaleido Intelligence as the leading Champion Vendor for its Steering of Roaming and Fraud Management & Security solutions and Champion Vendor in the Analytics and Value-Added Service category. In Kaleido Intelligence's Roaming Vendor Hub - H2 2021 report, Mobileum was recognized for its market leadership position and product portfolio innovation. Mobileum's Active Intelligence is a Big Data platform utilizing the power of machine learning and AI to deliver real-time traffic and customer analytics, in addition to applying business logic to inform traffic management. As a result, Mobileum's solution capabilities are helping its customers increase profitability by reducing operational costs and wholesale charges across wholesale and retail needs. "Our research found that roaming revenues from consumer and IoT connections dropped nearly 45% in 2020. As operators implement the necessary steps to protect their short- and medium-term roaming revenues, it is critical for them to have advanced roaming solutions to support this objective. Mobileum continues to rank at the top of the Kaleido Intelligence Roaming Vendor Hub report due to its market leadership in Steering of Roaming and Roaming Fraud & Security categories and their top-ranking product capabilities and positioning," stated Nitin Bhas Chief of Strategy & Insights of Kaleido Intelligence.



Ron Haberman, Chief Product Officer at Mobileum, stated, "As the rollout of 5G continues, the increase of network data is going to make traditional data collection and analysis unsustainable. Utilizing AI and machine learning, Mobileum's Active Intelligence platform delivers real-time traffic and customer analytics, providing operators the insights needed to make data-driven decisions to manage this industry growth." Ron added, "We are proud to be recognized for our market leadership and investment in our product portfolio. We have over 350 installs of our Steering of Roaming solution and are poised to help operators reimagine the active management of 5G and IoT roaming traffic with a cloud-enabled solution. Additionally, our latest introduction of IoT assurance and 5G-based fraud management controls exemplify Mobileum's commitment towards innovation."

Mobileum's highly scalable and flexible solutions are built for today's complex networks, enabling operators to improve business performance and access new monetization opportunities. For example, Mobileum's Roaming Steering helps operators maximize roaming margins by automatically guiding roaming traffic to the optimal partner based on analytics-driven insight into network technology, quality of service, business targets, and wholesale costs. In addition, through continuous monitoring, Mobileum's Fraud Management portfolio protects operators from today's known fraud patterns, as well as the unknown and more sophisticated threats of tomorrow. More than 1,000 customers rely on Mobileum's Active Intelligence platform. This large install base allows Mobileum's analytics solutions to leverage learnings enriched from a vast number of operators, geographies, customer behaviors, and roaming agreements, providing CSPs with deep network and operational intelligence and real-time actions that increase revenue, improve the customer experience, and reduce costs. About Kaleido Intelligence Kaleido Intelligence is a specialist consulting and market research firm with a proven track record delivering telecom research at the highest level. Research is led by expert analysts and market researchers, each with significant experience delivering telco research and insights that matter. The company is headquartered in London with a global team of analysts and consultants. Kaleido Intelligence is the only research company addressing mobile roaming in its entirety, covering market sizing and forecast data, competitive intelligence, strategic insights and product analysis. Visit https://roaming.kaleidointelligence.com for more information and follow @KaleidoIntel on Twitter. About Mobileum Inc. Mobileum is a leading provider of Telecom analytics solutions for roaming, core network, security, risk management, domestic and international connectivity testing, and customer intelligence. More than 1,000 customers rely on its Active Intelligence platform, which provides advanced analytics solutions, allowing customers to connect deep network and operational intelligence with real-time actions that increase revenue, improve customer experience, and reduce costs. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Mobileum has global offices in Australia, Germany, Greece, India, Portugal, Singapore, UK, and United Arab Emirates. Learn more in https://www.mobileum.com/ and follow @MobileumInc on Twitter SOURCE Mobileum

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[November 07, 2021] VMware Expands Partnership with AsiaPac to Bring Benefits of Multi-Cloud Adoption to Businesses in Singapore

SINGAPORE, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- VMware Inc. is expanding its partnership with AsiaPac, the region's premier ICT solutions provider. AsiaPac will be the first partner in the Southeast Asia and Korea region to adopt VMware vRealize Operations Cloud and VMware Cloud Director to support highly regulated industries such as the financial services, government and healthcare sectors in their multi-cloud needs. The partnership will also build upon VMware's 'cloud-smart' approach and commitment to helping businesses navigate the multi-cloud era, recently unveiled during VMworld 2021. Today, the average organization runs approximately 500 workloads to drive their business[1], and those apps are distributed across clouds. Thus, it is increasingly crucial for companies to have a unified management platform to optimize, plan and scale hybrid cloud deployments from applications to infrastructure. As a proven solution in the Cloud System and Service Management software space, vRealize Operations Cloud will help AsiaPac unify their multi-cloud operating practice by consolidating all metrics from their VMware, AWS and Azure cloud environments into a single, unified platform. Furthermore, it will allow AsiaPac to provide a consistent monitoring and reporting service for their customers, no matter how distributed their apps are across multiple clouds. The launch of vRealize Operations Cloud and VMware vRealize Log Insight Cloud in Singapore in July 2021 has opened doors for partners like AsiaPac to support highly regulated industries in their multi-cloud journey. "As more companies look to accelerate their digital transformation during this period of recovery, cloud adoption in Asia Pacific will only continue to increase," said David Bate, VMware's Vice President, Cloud, Asia Pacific and Japan. "Helping companies implement a cloud-smart strategy is a key focus for us at VMware. We would like to congratulate AsiaPac for their forward thinking and their partnership. We are confident that this will help offer businesses in Singapore with the flexibility and control needed to operate and innovate in a multi-cloud world." To deliver these new services to customers, AsiaPac will also be tapping VMware Cloud Director service, a unique and differentiated SaaS solution available to all VMware Cloud providers. VMware Cloud Director service enables AsiaPac to offer a pay-as-you-grow model, thus reducing the overhead costs to pursue small- and medium-sized businesses. The service enables AsiaPac to provide flexibility in pricing and environment size by dividing their VMware Cloud on AWS software-defined data center (SDDC) environments into multi-tenanted resource pools, with fine-grained control of resource allocation and support for differing consumption models. AsiaPac's customers will also be able to enjoy easy, self-service consumption through a single access point for all of their virtual data centers via an intuitive user interface or API. "As a subsidiary of M1, Singapore's first digital network operator, AsiaPac prides ourselves on staying at the forefront of delivering innovative next-generation infrastructure and multi-cloud services that are adaptable to today's digital-first economy," Andrew Cheng, Managing Director of AsiaPac explained. "Organizations are increasingly relying on cloud technologies to compete. We are confident that VMware's world-class solutions will help us take full advantage of multiple clouds to improve resiliency and delivery of better services for our customers." "With many businesses in the region supercharging their digital transformation journeys to move faster to a digital future, we believe that this partnership will bolster AsiaPac's efforts in helping their customers respond and adapt to the ever-evolving business landscape," added Fan Qu, Director, Partner Business, Southeast Asia and Korea at VMware. "AsiaPac is a valued partner at VMware, who was recently awarded the 2021 Partner Value Award for its exceptional growth and track record in helping customers drive technology modernization. We look forward to the greater synergies and value that this partnership expansion will bring in the new era of multi-cloud." About AsiaPac AsiaPac (from M1) is a multi-award winner in the hybrid multi-cloud segment and leading enterprise solutions provider, delivering intelligent digital transformation solutions in Mobility, Cloud, Enterprise Systems and End User Computing. Together with M1, AsiaPac can help to accelerate business digital transformation with a comprehensive portfolio of ICT solutions and providing Cloud Best Practices in Consultation, Design & Deploy, Proactive Monitoring, Technical Support & Managed Services. AsiaPac focuses on end-to-end customer centric solutions, delivering edge-driven systems to the core data center to the cloud with secured connectivity. With the domain expertise and experience from large enterprises to government agencies, AsiaPac has successfully implemented many nationwide projects and garnered numerous client references. https://www.asiapac.com.sg About VMware VMware software powers the world's complex digital infrastructure. The company's cloud, app modernization, networking, security, and digital workspace offerings help customers deliver any application on any cloud across any device. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, VMware is committed to being a force for good, from its breakthrough technology innovations to its global impact. For more information, please visit https://www.vmware.com/company.html. VMware, VMware Cloud, and vRealize are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions. This article may contain hyperlinks to non-VMware websites that are created and maintained by third parties who are solely responsible for the content on such websites.







[1] K2 Cybersecurity, "Average Enterprise Runs 464 Custom Applications," March 2021.

SOURCE VMware

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[November 07, 2021] OMRON Invests in Taiwan's Collaborative Robot Company Techman Robot Inc.

SINGAPORE, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OMRON Corporation (HQ: Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto; President and CEO: Yoshihito Yamada) is pleased to announce the signing of an agreement for a capital investment in Techman Robot, Inc., (HQ: Taoyuan, Taiwan; Chairman: Dr. Shi-Chi Ho; hereinafter referred to as "Techman") the world's second-largest collaborative robot brand that work with people at manufacturing sites. OMRON will hold a stake of approximately 10% in Techman. The investment is expected to be completed by December 2021. In recent years, the need for automation to mitigate labor shortages in the manufacturing sector has become a social issue. In addition, COVID-19 has posed new risks for workers working in close proximity. Under these circumstances, there is a growing demand for collaborative robots that can safely work side by side with humans at manufacturing sites without safety barriers and can flexibly handle multiple tasks. At the same time, in order to accelerate coexistence and coordination between humans and machines, both safety and productivity must be assured. In 2018, OMRON entered into a strategic alliance with Techman to meet the increasing automation needs generated by labor shortages. Since then, Techman's "TM series" collaborative robots have been sold as a co-branded product globally through OMRON's distribution network. OMRON and Techman have also jointly developed the "Mobile Manipulator," a mobile work robot that combines OMRON's mobile robot and the "TM series," to enable manufacturing sites where humans and machines collaborate. Through this investment in Techman, OMRON aims to jointly develop innovative robot solutions that combine OMRON factory automation equipment with Techman's collaborative robots, ensuring both safety and productivity and offering a solution to the issue of labor shortages at manufacturing sites. Junta Tsujinaga, Company President of Industrial Automation Business Company, commented on the investment to strengthen the OMRON-Techman alliance as follows: "The environment surrounding the manufacturing industry is changing significantly. Anticipating these changes, since 2016 OMRON has pursued advanced manufacturing with the unique value-generation conept "innovative-Automation" to resolve issues that manufacturing sites face."



"We have focused on robot technology and market development since it acquired industrial robot maker Adept Technology Co., Ltd. in 2015. In 2018, we added Techman's collaborative robots to our product lineup. The strengthening our alliance with Techman at this time further pushes the evolution of collaboration between humans and machines in manufacturing." "By strengthening collaborative robots, OMRON aims to create manufacturing sites where humans and machines collaborate and solving the issue of labor shortages. By utilizing automation technology cultivated in manufacturing sites, we will also actively pursue creating automation to address labor shortages beyond the manufacturing sector in the primary and tertiary sectors as well."

Dr. Shi-Chi Ho, the chairman of Techman Robot said, "Techman Robot has penetrated the global market and successfully become the world's second-largest collaborative robot company since 2018. Under the alliance, Techman collaborative Robot has enhanced the reputation all over the world with OMRON, which helps achieve our company's mission of improving the lives of humans through innovation. We aim to close the gap for every business and create smart factory solutions for human-machine collaboration. We are delighted to deepen our longstanding relationship with OMRON through this collaboration, which is a significant opportunity for both companies, addressing the fast-growing gap in the market for the demanding need for smart manufacturing. We believe our partnership will open new innovative doors into the future. OMRON & Techman Robot will together deliver a highly flexible and scalable collaborative robot solution, assisting customers to easily and fully integrate collaborative robotics into smart manufacturing." By strengthening its robotics business, OMRON aims to enable the creation of manufacturing sites that accelerate the realization of our "innovative-Automation" concept, benefitting our customers and enriching people's lives around the world. About innovative-Automation OMRON has developed a manufacturing innovation concept, called "innovative-Automation". With this concept, OMRON is currently committed to bringing innovation to manufacturing sites through three key innovations, or three "i"s. Through these innovations in the area of automation, OMRON aims to enable significant productivity improvements in manufacturing sites in order to achieve high-value-added manufacturing. With the first "i," "integrated" (control evolution), OMRON seeks to advance automated control technology so that virtually any operator, even an inexperienced operators, can effortlessly perform work that previously required the expert skills of experienced workers. With the second "i," "intelligent" (development of intelligence by ICT), OMRON seeks to develop constantly evolving equipment and production lines. By adopting a wide range of control devices and artificial intelligence (AI), machines can learn through experience and maintain themselves in optimal condition. For the third "i," "interactive" (new harmonization between people and machines), OMRON pursues the development of a new harmonious relationship between human operators and machines; as they work together in the same workspace, machines will be able to assist human operators by recognizing human thoughts and behavior in a way that only OMRON, a specialist control equipment manufacturer who knows production floors inside and out, can realize. About OMRON Corporation OMRON Corporation is a global leader in the field of automation based on its core technology of "Sensing & Control + Think." OMRON's business fields cover a broad spectrum, ranging from industrial automation and electronic components to social systems, healthcare, and environmental solutions. Established in 1933, OMRON has about 30,000 employees worldwide, working to provide products and services in around 120 countries and regions. In the field of industrial automation, OMRON supports manufacturing innovation by providing advanced automation technology and products, as well as extensive customer support, in order to help create a better society. For more information, visit OMRON's company website at https://www.omron.com/global/en/. About Techman Robot Inc. Founded in 2015, Techman Robot is the only Taiwanese brand and manufacturer of collaborative robots. With more than 100 dealers in China, Europe, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia, we offer products and services to the market including collaborative robots with built-in vision, intelligent factory management software, and application solutions. Within three years of launching our products, Techman has become the world's second-largest maker of collaborative robots. For details, please see https://www.tm-robot.com/en/. SOURCE OMRON Asia Pacific

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[November 07, 2021] Hong Kong FinTech Week 2021: OneConnect Underscores Importance of FinTech to Greater Bay Area Development

HONG KONG and SHANGHAI, Nov. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- An integrated, seamlessly connected financial platform and FinTech talent are vital to the development of the Greater Bay Area ("GBA"), says Jessica Tan, co-CEO of Ping An Group. The GBA is a huge and exciting area. Ping An, together with its associate company OneConnect is always willing to use technology as an enabler for the GBA's digital economy, she said. OneConnect Financial Technology Co., Ltd. (short for "OneConnect ", NYSE: OCFT) is a leading technology-as-a-service platform provider. Ms. Tan underscored the importance of cultivating Hong Kong's FinTech capabilities in a keynote delivered at Hong Kong FinTech Week. Held from November 1-5, this year's event gathered world-renowned speakers, regulators, and industry players to "scale the FinTech future together." "Building a seamless digital economy is the greatest opportunity in the region. But practically, we must address three key issues in order to capture and maximize that opportunity. This is not something that an individual entity or organization can solve  it requires a collective effort across the entire GBA. This is where Hong Kong, the region's international finance hub, can take the lead and harness technology to make FinTech platforms more interoperable," said Ms. Tan. Building a shared digital economy across the GBA With Hong Kong's financial expertise, Guangzhou's manufacturing prowess and Shenzhen's technological capabilities, the GBA is the perfect region to develop a world-leading digital economy. However, the region will need to address key challenges surrounding governance and regulation, Small and Medium-Size Enterprises (SMEs) support, and local talent if it wants to transform these opportunities into a reality, said Ms. Tan. The GBA involves three different jurisdictions, each with its own government authorities, standards, and procedures. All these need to be considered when developing a connected financial platform, said Ms. Tan. At the same time, regulators and organizations need to be clear on how financial services can empower SMEs with the access and capabilities to operate seamlessly across regions, particulrly given half of all trade in the GBA is conducted by small businesses. Lastly, Hong Kong needs to find and nurture the right talents to fuel innovation and development.



Technology as an enabler for the GBA's digital economy According to Ms. Tan, technology is essential to resolving these issues and making platforms truly interoperable across the GBA. Notably, Hong Kong should seek to consolidate its various government data and services, similar to the one-stop sandbox platform proposed by regulatory authorities to enable GBA start-ups to develop cross-border fintech tools. At the same time, data should be available across regions to ensure that various jurisdictions and government entities adhere to the same standards  all while delivering a seamless experience to clients and companies.

OneConnect has already established such a platform to empower all enterprises, including SMEs, to participate in, and prosper from, the digital economy. Earlier this year, the company celebrated the first anniversary of Ping An OneConnect Bank ("PAOB"), the first virtual bank in Hong Kong to use alternative data models for risk assessment. PAOB uses trade data and other information to assess and predict risk in order to provide non-collateralized loans for SMEs. To date, PAOB has served HK local SMEs with total assets reaching HK$1 billion. OneConnect has also established the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Port Logistics and Trade Facilitation Blockchain Platform to facilitate cross-border trade between merchants, and the Guangdong SME financing platform to improve lending efficiency for SMEs. In addition to building the right platforms, OneConnect is nurturing the talents of tomorrow and bridging skillset gaps across the region. Its new internship program connects aspiring professionals with established financial services and technology experts to encourage knowledge transfer. Furthermore, its parent company, Ping An Group has launched an incubator accelerator program for the GBA. The program plugs up-and-coming companies into an open Fintech platform that serves existing financial services, companies and corporations  in turn encouraging and growing entrepreneurs within the region. "The GBA is a huge and exciting area with plenty of opportunities. But we can only take advantage of these opportunities with a collective effort that gives full play to Hong Kong's position as an international financial center. By using technology to bring financial institutions, FinTech companies and people together, we can promote greater cross-border collaboration and turn this vision into a reality," said Ms. Tan. About OneConnect Financial Technology OneConnect Financial Technology Co. Ltd. is a technology-as-a-service platform for financial institutions. It is a Chinese national high-tech enterprise and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2019 (NYSE: OCFT). The Company integrates extensive financial services industry expertise with market-leading technology to provide technology applications and technology-enabled business services to financial institutions. These solutions enable our customers' digital transformations, which help them improve efficiency, enhance service quality, reduce costs and risks. OneConnect is an associate of Ping An Group. By leveraging Ping An Group's over 30 years of extensive experience in financial services, OneConnect has established long-term cooperation with financial institutions to accurately addresses their needs of digital transformation. The Company provides four integrated solutions across the full scope of the businesses - from digital retail banking, digital commercial banking, digital insurance to Gamma Platform (the financial technology infrastructure provider). Besides showing strength and deepening capacity as a financial institution, OneConnect also actively promotes the digital transformation of financial service ecology and provides trade, credit, supply chain, data security, risk management and other related scientific and technological services for the government, regulatory and enterprise users. The company has also successfully exported "Made in China" technology solutions to overseas financial institutions. As of June 30, 2021, it has served 100+ customers in 20 countries and regions mainly in Southeast Asia. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hong-kong-fintech-week-2021-oneconnect-underscores-importance-of-fintech-to-greater-bay-area-development-301418205.html SOURCE OneConnect

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[November 07, 2021] Tencent Partners with The Asian Institute of Digital Finance to Spearhead Fintech Innovations in Asia

SINGAPORE, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tencent announced at the Singapore Fintech Festival 2021 that it will be partnering with the Asian Institute of Digital Finance (AIDF), an institute within the National University of Singapore (NUS) that is jointly founded by The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the National Research Foundation (NRF) and NUS. Under the partnership, Tencent Financial Technology (FiT) and AIDF will collaborate in the areas of research, education, and entrepreneurship to better support Asia's fast-growing digital finance industry. The two parties will collaborate to bring thought leadership to the fintech community and build fintech leadership pipeline in the region. In addition to organising industry events and bespoke training programs, the areas of collaboration will also include: Expanding knowledge expertise in Fintech Research: Tencent FiT and AIDF will conduct research into deep-tech solutions that will address real-world problems. The research will focus on areas such as cross-border payment for the continued growth of the industry and the benefits of the society.

Tencent FiT and AIDF will conduct research into deep-tech solutions that will address real-world problems. The research will focus on areas such as cross-border payment for the continued growth of the industry and the benefits of the society. Developing the Fintech talent pool in Singapore : Tencent FiT and AIDF will offer curated training and development initiatives for employees as well as internship programmes for AIDF's students.

Tencent FiT and AIDF will offer curated training and development initiatives for employees as well as internship programmes for AIDF's students. Driving innovations in Asia's Fintech scene: An annual research challenge competition will be jointly launched for AIDF students and participating fintech start-ups under the AIDF incubator programme. "The fintech landscape is gaining tremendous momentum in the region due to igital acceleration in recent years. Through our partnership with AIDF, we want to support Asia's smart city initiatives by nurturing the next generation of talents with global perspectives, as well as to drive financial innovations and leadership in the fintech industry," says Forest Lin, Corporate Vice President of Tencent and President of Tencent Financial Technology. "We are committed to partnering with local regulators, research institutions and companies to seek innovative solutions to problems and to help businesses stay competitive within and beyond their markets."



"The joint initiatives with Tencent are meant to nurture the next generation of fintech leaders and contributors in the region with both technical knowledge and industry expertise. The collaboration will also help advance cutting-edge digital financial technologies, pushing Asia's Fintech frontier forward." says Duan Jin-Chuan, Executive Director, Asian Institute of Digital Finance, National University of Singapore. In recent years, Asia has grown into one of the innovation hotspots of the fintech revolution. According to data from the latest EY Global FinTech Adoption Index survey, Asia has retained its global leadership in fintech adoption, with Singapore attaining a 67% adoption rate. In the past two years, consumer usage rates of fintech-powered services have doubled across key Asia markets. As Asia pushes the envelope on innovations for digital transformation, the partnership between Tencent FiT and AIDF will drive the advancement of the region's financial services industry through tailor-made programmes and co-sharing of expertise.

About Tencent Tencent uses technology to enrich the lives of Internet users. Our communication and social services, Weixin and QQ, connect users with each other and with digital content and services, both online and offline, making their lives more convenient. Our targeted advertising service helps advertisers reach out to hundreds of millions of consumers in China. Our FinTech and business services support our partners' business growth and assist their digital upgrade. Tencent invests heavily in talent and technological innovation, actively promoting the development of the Internet industry. Tencent was founded in Shenzhen, China, in 1998. Shares of Tencent (00700.HK) are listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. About The Asian Institute of Digital Finance The Asian Institute of Digital Finance (AIDF) is a university-level institute in the National University of Singapore (NUS), jointly founded by The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the National Research Foundation (NRF) and NUS. AIDF aspires to be a thought leader, a FinTech knowledge hub, and an experimental site for developing digital financial technologies as well as for nurturing current and future FinTech researchers and practitioners in Asia. SOURCE Tencent

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[November 08, 2021] Bambuser AB Publishes Interim Report for Q3 2021

STOCKHOLM, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bambuser presents yet another record quarter with strong growth. During Q3, the Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) increased by + 213%, while the Total Contract Value (TCV) grew by +1043 compared to the same period last year. The interim report has now been published and can be found at ir.bambuser.com. Third quarter (July  September 2021) Total revenue amounted to 49.0 MSEK (12.2)

Net Sales amounted to 41.5 MSEK (10.1), an increase of +311% YoY

Adjusted EBITDA amounted to 19.6 MSEK (7.9)

EBIT amounted to 59.9 MSEK (-9.2)

Net income amounted to 59.8 MSEK (9.2)

Earnings per share amounted to 0.29 SEK (0.06)

Cash and cash equivalents amounted to 568.8 MSEK (349.9) at end of period of which cash flow from operations amounted to -33.1 MSEK (-6.8)

Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) amounted to 6.0 MSEK (1.9), an increase of +213% YoY

Total Contract Value (TCV) grew by +1043% to 57.0 MSEK (5.0), of which 36.4 MSEK is guaranteed revenue

31.5 MSEK, i.e. 55% of the total TCV, is recurring license revenue that will be included in the MRR moving forward Year to date (January  September 2021) Total revenue amounted to 105.1 MSEK (21.7)

Net sales amounted to 85.5 MSEK (17.3), an increase of +395% YoY

Adjusted EBITDA amounted to 68.4 MSEK (19.2)

EBIT amounted to 158.1 MSEK (-22.1)

Net income amounted to 158.1 MSEK (22.2)

Earnings per share amounted to 0.76 SEK (0.13)

Cash flow from operations amounted to 77.0 MSEK (-19.9)

Total Contract Value (TCV) grew by +836% YoY to 157.1 MSEK (16.8) A comment from CEO Maryam Ghahremani "I am so proud that we finished the third quarter by setting a true landmark record in the books. Our MRR grew by 213% YoY to SEK 6 million. Q3 2021 will also go to history as the first major test for Bambuser, as many of our customer contracts had their first anniversary and were up for renewal. Therefore, the MRR growth is not only a result of the strong demand from new customers but also, and perhaps most importantly, the excellent retention we see with our customer base." For environmental and cost reasons, Bambuser AB has decided not to print the report. A printout may be distributed to shareholders upon request. This information is information that Bambuser AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out above, at 2021-11-08 08:00 CET. Contact information

Corporate Communications, Bambuser AB | +46 8 400 160 00 | [email protected] Certified Adviser

Erik Penser Bank AB | +46 8 463 83 00 | [email protected] About Bambuser AB

Bambuser is a software company specializing in interactive live video streaming. The Company's primary product, Live Video Shopping, is a cloud-based software solution that is used by customers such as global e-commerce and retail businesses to host live shopping experiences on websites, mobile apps and social media. Bambuser was founded in 2007 and has its headquarters in Stockholm. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/bambuser/r/bambuser-ab-publishes-interim-report-for-q3-2021,c3448636 The following files are available for download:







https://mb.cision.com/Main/15749/3448636/1492497.pdf Bambuser Interim Report Q3 2021

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bambuser-ab-publishes-interim-report-for-q3-2021-301418274.html SOURCE Bambuser

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[November 08, 2021] Trip.com Singapore to Kick Off Exciting 11.11 Mega Sale in Singapore

SINGAPORE, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading international online travel services provider, Trip.com is set to launch its 11.11 Mega Sale campaign to help you plan a perfect getaway at a great value. Just in time for the year-end holidays and festivities, get ready and mark your calendars for the one of the biggest travel sales of the year yet - starting on 9 November! Super Travel Deals and Perks Await Take your holiday planning in Singapore up a notch with exciting deals and promotions for staycations at top-rated hotels, as well as tickets to local tours and attractions. What's more? Selected promotions can also be redeemed with SingapoRediscovers Vouchers (SRV), just before the redemption time runs out at the end of the year. Upsize your savings for hotel bookings for the holiday period - from amazing 1-for-1 deals at 4-star Carlton Hotel and Oasia Hotel Downtown to a 1-night stay at Orchard Rendezvous Hotel starting from $111 (U.P. $240), there's a value-added option for everyone at this upcoming Mega Sale! In addition, explore the endless fun in Singapore with a myriad of activities and tours at attractively-discounted prices of up to 50 per cent off  including romantic sunset sails to The Southern Islands, premium champagne and Singapore Sling experience aboard the Singapore Flyer and a lavish Chilli Crab inner on the Singapore River Cruise.



The 11.11 Special Deals include time-specific promotions, such as: $11 Off Promo Code Drop @ 12am and 12pm Exclusive at 12am and 12pm on 11 November, keep your eyes peeled for the $11 off promo codes to further offset the costs for holiday bookings. The promotion will be limited to the first 100 redemptions only - fastest fingers first!

Limited-Time Only Attraction and Hotel Promotions @ 11.11am and 11.11pm The sales frenzy gets crazier with exclusive 11.11 promotions for attractions and hotels deals launching at 11.11am and 11.11pm on 11 November. 1-for-1 Tours and Tickets Stand a chance to be one of the users to indulge in 1-for-1 promotions for fun experiences at Singapore's top tourist attractions such as Universal Studios Singapore, Adventure Cove Waterpark, and S.E.A. Aquarium, all at Resorts World Sentosa. Secret $11 Hotel Deals Exclusive to Trip.com, users can also book hotel stays at one of two popular hotel destinations in Singapore at an attractive value of $11! The secret locations will be revealed exclusively on Trip.com and redemptions will only be available for the first 15 redemptions at each stay, on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Ms Ru Yi, Area General Manager of Trip.com, said, "We are excited to kick off yet another exciting year-end promotion to promote the vibrant and attractive domestic travel opportunities available in Singapore. Trip.com will continue to leverage on such opportunities to strategise and support our merchants and partners in boosting their service offerings and contribute to the recovery of the travel industry at large." For more information on the Trip.com 11.11 Mega Sale Campaign, please visit https://sg.trip.com/w/EpckvJjyo41 . Terms and conditions apply. About Trip.com Trip.com is an international one-stop travel service provider, available in 20 languages across 27 countries and regions in 31 local currencies and sites. Trip.com has an extensive hotel and flight network consisting of more than 1.2 million hotels and flights from over 480 airlines covering 2,600 airports in 200 countries and regions around the globe. Trip.com's world-class 24/7 multilingual customer service as well as additional centres in Edinburgh, Tokyo and Seoul, help to 'create the best travel experience' for its millions of customers worldwide. To book your next trip, visit www.trip.com . SOURCE Trip.com

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[November 08, 2021] Zalando Launches an Emotional Holiday Campaign, "Joy is Ours", to Help Reclaim Joy Across Europe During the Holiday Season

BERLIN, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WATCH FILM HERE / IMAGES HERE

- Zalando launches a holistic holiday campaign to spread joy across Europe, encouraging consumers to reflect and share real moments that bring them joy

- The TVC portrays the return of the special moments shared between loved ones during the holiday season and is shot by Grammy nominee Savanah Leaf Zalando, Europe's leading online platform for fashion and lifestyle, will spread joy across Europe throughout the holiday season through a holistic campaign that celebrates all of our moments of joy and happiness. The #JoyIsOurs campaign centers around an emotional and powerful rallying cry that captures the essence of the holiday season. Whether it's the nostalgia of family gatherings, connecting with old friends, or spending precious time with that special someone, Zalando is encouraging people to celebrate joy in all its forms. #JoyIsOurs represents a purposeful step towards 'the new normal' while acknowledging the challenges we've all faced in recent months. Zalando once again places human emotion front and centre as a full-length TVC portrays the return of special moments shared between loved ones during the holiday season. Shot by Savanah Leaf - who transitioned from 2012 Olympian to a Grammy nominated director and photographer - the campaign will be brought to life across numerous formats. Alongside the main video content and DOOH moving assets, th campaign will incorporate emotional stills captured by celebrated Brooklyn-based photographer Geordie Wood, and owned social channels will showcase content featuring the cast of the campaign. The 360 campaign was created in collaboration with creative agency Anomaly.



"The last two years have brought many challenges to all of us, and Zalando is determined to bring a feel good movement to this Holiday Season as communities around Europe look to make up for lost time," says Ralph Rijks, VP of Global Marketing at Zalando. "At Zalando, self-expression is part of our DNA, and through the #JoyIsOurs campaign, we hope to create a platform where our community can express and share their own joyful moments and memories to build a wave of positivity in time for the Holiday Season" In December, as an extension of the #JoyIsOurs campaign, friends of Zalando from across Europe, will be sharing their own images of what joy means to them on social media, creating a further wave of joy. The inspiring cast will include a collection of actors, brands, models, and partners that Zalando has worked with during 2021.

#Joyisours @Zalando Notes to Editors: *All images have been shot in accordance with government guidelines on COVID-19, specific to each country at the time of capture. All safety measures were put in place on all shoot locations throughout the world to ensure every single person featured was respecting COVID safety measures. ABOUT ZALANDO: Zalando (https://corporate.zalando.com) is Europe's leading online platform for fashion and lifestyle. Founded in Berlin in 2008, we bring head-to-toe fashion to more than 46 million active customers in 23 markets, offering clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty. The assortment of international brands ranges from world famous names to local labels. Our platform is a one-stop fashion destination for inspiration, innovation, and interaction. As Europe's most fashionable tech company, we work hard to find digital solutions for every aspect of the fashion journey: for our customers, partners and every valuable player in the Zalando story. Our vision is to be the Starting Point for Fashion and a sustainable platform with a net-positive impact for people and the planet. Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLeXX68cVGQ

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1680283/Zalando.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1680284/Zalando.jpg

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[November 08, 2021] Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. to Announce Third Quarter 2021 Financial Results on Thursday, November 18, 2021

GUIYANG, China, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. ("FTA" or the "Company") (NYSE: YMM), a leading digital freight platform, today announced that it will release its third quarter 2021 unaudited financial results on Thursday, November 18, 2021, before the open of the U.S. markets. The Company's management will hold an earnings conference call at 7:00 A.M. U.S. Eastern Time on November 18, 2021 or 8:00 P.M. Beijing Time to discuss the financial results. Listeners may access the call by dialing the following numbers:







United States (toll free): +1-888-317-6003 International: +1-412-317-6061 Mainland China (toll free): 400-120-6115 Hong Kong (toll free): 800-963-976 Hong Kong: +852-5808-1995 United Kingdom: 08082389063 Singapore: 800-120-5863 Access Code: 7220260

A replay of the conference call will be accessible by phone one hour after the conclusion of the live call at the following numbers, until November 25, 2021: United States: +1-877-344-7529 International: +1-412-317-0088 Replay Access Code: 10161696 A live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available on the Company's investor relations website at ir.fulltruckalliance.com. About Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. (NYSE: YMM) is a leading digital freight platform, connecting shippers with truckers to facilitate shipments across distance ranges, cargo weights and types. The Company provides a range of freight matching services including freight listing service, freight brokerage service and online transaction service. The Company also provides a range of value-added services that cater to the various needs of shippers and truckers, such as financial institutions, highway authorities, and gas stations operators. With a mission to make logistics better, the Company is shaping the future of logistics with technology and aspires to revolutionize logistics, improve efficiency across the value chain and reduce carbon footprint for our planet. For more information, please visit ir.fulltruckalliance.com. For investor and media inquiries, please contact: In China: Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd.

Mao Mao

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] View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/full-truck-alliance-co-ltd-to-announce-third-quarter-2021-financial-results-on-thursday-november-18-2021-301418277.html SOURCE Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd.

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[November 08, 2021] Australia's Bartle Frere Bananas and Hitachi Vantara to Showcase IoT-enabled Smart Farming at UN's COP26

GLASGOW, Scotland, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hort Innovation and Hitachi Vantara, the digital infrastructure, data management and analytics and digital solutions subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. today announced that Australia will be represented at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland by Queensland's award-winning banana farm, Bartle Frere Bananas. Bartle Frere Bananas' partnership with Hitachi Vantara in Australia will be featured in Hitachi's COP26 presentation, 'Technology and Data Are Key to Save the Environment'. The Bartle Frere Bananas case study will showcase how artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and sensor technology are being used to inform data-driven horticulture practices for sustainable, environmentally friendly food production. The humble banana is the number-one selling supermarket product in Australia1, and all fresh bananas sold in Australia are locally grown. The vast majority come from farms in the northeastern state of Queensland, with plantations also in New South Wales, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Bartle Frere Bananas is a recent recipient of the Future Farming Award at the 2021 Australian Banana Industry Congress. Its owner and managing director, Gavin Devaney, is proud of his family farm's adoption of best management practices and innovative technology solutions. This ensures the bananas Bartle Frere Bananas supplies to small markets and major grocery chains, alike, are grown in an increasingly environmentally friendly manner. From weather monitoring stations and a supply chain control tower to capture farming operation data such as insights coming from soil moisture and nitrate sensors, to a supply-chain tracking system with tags on banana plants and pallets, Bartle Frere Bananas is achieving a level of data-driven transparency and actionable insight that Gavin insists is critical to sustainable farming. "We've now got the real-time, advanced sensing, leachate monitoring, sediment analysis and data capture in place, which runs through Hitachi's Lumada Manufacturing Insights to predict and prescribe actionable insights based on data algorithms we have helped design. These insights guide our best management practices around irrigation, fertilization and plant care." said Gavin. "It is important to know where your food is coming from and how it is grown, and by measuring our farming operations in these ways, we can provide Australians the information they need to be sure they are buying the best of the bunch." Powering Good with Deeper, Real-time Insights Hitachi Vantara's data-driven offerings for agriculture extend AI and automated insights from growing centers to data centers; from farm to market, delivering deep real-time data-driven insights. Hitachi's Lumaa Manufacturing Insights and Supply Chain Control Tower:



AI Modelling, Predictive Analytics and Prescriptive Insights from the Hitachi Lumada Manufacturing Insights, which is being deployed with considerable success across a range of industrial applications. This enables Bartle Frere Bananas to help predict when its fruit will reach maturity, reduce the number of pesticides that will drift from the intended targets, and determine the ideal amount of water to use. The Devaney family will not only be able to predict problems more effectively, but they'll be able to proactively respond to anticipated challenges and risks before they occur.

Predictive and prescriptive insights are delivered to the farmer via summaries, visualizations and decision support from Hitachi Vantara's Supply Chain Control Tower  a solution core of Hitachi's Lumada Manufacturing Insights, and a mobile, hand-held device.

This industry solution delivers greater visibility across a customers' supply chain subsystems and provides the ability to take direct, demand-driven action. The integrated Smart Farm solution from Hitachi Vantara also involves the following technologies: A combination of RFID and GPS tags, solar powered sensors, and a weather station to capture data.

Solar powered edge computing capabilities to process the data where it is captured, based on algorithms designed for the specific needs of the farm.

Transmission of the data via cellular connectivity and MQTT protocol directly to Hitachi's Lumada Manufacturing Insights The entire solution set is managed by the Hitachi Lumada Manufacturing Insights, which tracks and supports environmental stewardship and smart farming best practices.

"Every organization and industry sector has the potential to deliver data-driven outcomes that can effectively address social and environmental issues," said Gajen Kandiah, CEO, Hitachi Vantara. "The smart, sustainable farming operation at Bartle Frere Bananas was designed to deliver a better banana that conserves and protects the surrounding environment. It is a fine example of using the power of data and technology to deliver social innovation, for which we advocate, and we are proud to be a part of it." Smart Farming for the Environment and the Future "Bartle Frere Bananas is one of four trial sites that are incorporating the latest technology aimed at improving productivity while reducing costs and minimizing each operation's environmental footprint. This project will provide detailed examples to the broader horticulture sector about the effectiveness of establishing remote monitoring and data analytics to support horticultures' environmental performance, overall," said Hort Innovation Australia's General Manager of Stakeholder Experience Anthony Kachenko. This digital smart farm project is the result of an engagement between Bartle Frere Bananas and Hitachi Vantara Australia Pty Limited and is supported by funding from the Australian Government's National Landcare Program. It is also funded by Hort Innovation, with co-investment from Applied Horticultural Research, the Australian Banana Grower's Council (AGBC), AusVeg, Freshcare, Greenlife Industry Australia, Growcom, Hitachi Australia Pty Ltd and Hitachi Vantara LLC. Additional Resources Webpage: Hitachi Vantara Environmental Sustainability Connect With Hitachi Vantara Twitter

LinkedIn

Facebook About Hitachi Vantara

Hitachi Vantara, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., guides our customers from what's now to what's next by solving their digital challenges. Working alongside each customer, we apply our unmatched industrial and digital capabilities to their data and applications to benefit both business and society. More than 80% of the Fortune 100 trust Hitachi Vantara to help them develop new revenue streams, unlock competitive advantages, lower costs, enhance customer experiences, and deliver social and environmental value. Visit us at www.hitachivantara.com. About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is focused on its Social Innovation Business that combines information technology (IT), operational technology (OT) and products. The company's consolidated revenues for fiscal year 2019 (ended March 31, 2020) totaled 8,767.2 billion yen ($80.4 billion), and it employed approximately 301,000 people worldwide. Hitachi drives digital innovation across five sectors  Mobility, Smart Life, Industry, Energy and IT  through Lumada, Hitachi's advanced digital solutions, services, and technologies for turning data into insights to drive digital innovation. Its purpose is to deliver solutions that increase social, environmental and economic value for its customers. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at https://www.hitachi.com. About Hort Innovation

As the grower-owned, not-for-profit research and development corporation for Australia's horticulture industry, Hort Innovation's primary function is creating value for horticulture growers and those across the horticulture supply chain. Each year, it invests more than $120 million in R&D, marketing and trade programs to improve the productivity, farm-gate profitability and global competitiveness of Australian growers. www.horticulture.com.au. HITACHI is a trademark or registered trademark of Hitachi, Ltd. All other trademarks, service marks, and company names are properties of their respective owners.

1 Australian Banana Grower's Council (ABGC) View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/australias-bartle-frere-bananas-and-hitachi-vantara-to-showcase-iot-enabled-smart-farming-at-uns-cop26-301418250.html SOURCE Hitachi Vantara Corporation

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[November 08, 2021] XRApplied Receives OTCQB Symbol and Provides Update on Metaverse

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XRApplied Technologies Inc. (XRA or, the Company) (CSE: XRA, OTCQB: XRAPF) The Company is pleased to announce that OTC Markets have accepted for filing the Companys updated corporate profile and FINRA has issued the Company the new symbol XRAPF. XRApplied will start trading under the new symbol XRAPF at market open on Monday Nov 8th, 2021. About XRApplied Technologies Inc. (XRA)

XRA is an immersive technology solutions provider that specializes in bringing cost-efficient AR/VR e-commerce applications to large and small businesses. We accomplish this through a suite of proprietary products and services (AR catalog, toy gamification, AR App e-commerce, AR/VR interactive games) that we bring to the masses via our exclusive XRA Marketing Platform. About the Metaverse

One of the biggest catalysts for the growth of AR/VR/MR is undoubtedly the recent rebranding of Facebook to Meta. This has sent a signal that Facebooks Metaverse will play an essential role in how we connect in the future. Successfully taking advantage of the opportunities of the metaverse will require a diverse set of skills, including 3D modelling, AR/VR implementation and NFT/ smart contract coding and marketing. We believe that we are one of only a handful of Companies with the depth of talent to help industries embrace the metaverse and become early adopters to gain a significant market advantage. Download te XRApplied news App on iOS or Google to stay up to date on the latest Metaverse and industry news, events, hardware releases and more. You can also download the App via our website www.xrapplied.com



Further information about XRApplied is available under its profile on the SEDAR website, www.sedar.com , on the CSE website, www.thecse.com , and the Companys website, www.xrapplied.com For Further information about the Company, please contact:

Alexandria Stone, Spyrock Consulting Inc.

Telephone 604.351.6259

Email: [email protected]

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulation services provider have reviewed or accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.



Forward-Looking Information: This press release contains forward-looking statements. The use of any of the words anticipate, continue, estimate, expect, may, will, project, should, believe and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks discussed in the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com. While the Company may elect to, it does not undertake to update this information at any time.



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[November 08, 2021]

Sisco Sapena buys 41,000 shares of Lleida.net in a transaction of almost 200,000 euros

MADRID, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The CEO and founder of Lleida.net (BME: LLN) (EPA: ALLLN) (OTCQX: LLEIF), Sisco Sapena, acquired last Friday 41.000 new shares of the company.

The purchase, executed at a weighted average price of EUR 4.67, was reported to the Spanish regulators.

The total amount of the transaction exceeds 191,600 euros.

Sapena now owns 34% of the company with this purchase, listed in Madrid, Paris, and New York.

Sapena has bought shares in the company he founded in 1995 on five occasions this year.

This purchase brings the number of shares acquired throughout 2021 to 102,300 shares, demonstrating Sapena's confidence in the company's future.

Last September, Sapena also announced the sale of the equivalent of three percent of the company to a group of investors specialized in BME Growth in a transaction worth more than 2.23 milion euros.







On October 27, it announced its firm decision to purchase the Spanish technology company Indenova for 7.1 million euros. Lleida.net's General Shareholders' Meeting has been called for December 29 to ratify the transaction.

Likewise, last Thursday, November 4, it presented its results for the third quarter of 2021, which showed an increase in sales of its SaaS segment by 26 percent up to the third quarter of 2021, compared to the same period of 2020.

As of September 30 of this year, the company had sold 4.7 million worth of SaaS aggregate or 984,000 more than it had marketed in the first three quarters of 2020.

Lleida.net is Europe's leading company in the registered e-signature, e-notification and e-contracting industry.

With more than 200 patents received from over 60 countries internationally, Lleida.net has one of the industry's most robust intellectual property portfolios.

The company has offices in 18 countries and clients in more than 50 countries, including financial institutions, insurance companies, utilities, and governments.

It has been consistently earning money for 21 quarters with positive Ebitda, or five years.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sisco-sapena-buys-41-000-shares-of-lleidanet-in-a-transaction-of-almost-200-000-euros-301418294.html

SOURCE Lleida.net
[November 08, 2021] Growth in UK tech threatened as skills crisis reaches all-time high, finds world's largest digital leadership survey

LONDON, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Crisis worsens as workers re-assess their priorities or leave for more money

Shortage in cyber security professionals highest ever  jumping by more than a third this year

Number of women working in tech continues to rise at a snail's pace

6 in 10 digital leaders report a decrease in the mental wellbeing of their tech teams

Climate Change - companies are missing the opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint of power hungry tech The seemingly unending growth in the UK tech sector is under threat as massive skills shortages reach an all-time high just as companies signal their intentions to increase technology investment (61% intend to) and headcount (66%) to record levels, finds the world's largest and longest running survey of senior technology decision makers. Th Harvey Nash Group Digital Leadership Report, in collaboration with CIONET and contributed to by Massachusetts Institute of Technology CISR also found that as the UK's tech skills crisis reaches new heights, 8 in 10 digital leaders report that, post-pandemic, new life priorities amongst staff are making retention even more difficult. 4 in 10 in the UK admit they can't keep key people as long as they would like, as they're being lured away by the offer of more money. Only 1 in 3 organisations (38%) have redesigned their employee offer to make it attractive to staff in the new hybrid working world.



Bev White, CEO of Harvey Nash Group said: "With businesses planning record levels of digital investment, we could be standing on the verge of a 'second renaissance' for technology. Organisations are looking to push their digital transformations further and faster than ever before, putting technology at the very heart of how they operate. This will take them beyond being merely 'tech-centric': technology will literally be dispersed throughout the business, everywhere."

Full release here Media Contacts:

David Pippett, ProServ PR

[email protected]

+44 (0) 7899 798197 About Harvey Nash Group Harvey Nash Group are the leading global provider of talent and technology solutions. We're equipped with a unique network, that realises the potential where people and technology meet. We partner with organisations to realise the enormous value from talent and technology, building digitally savvy, agile organisations. www.harveynashgroup.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1680703/Harvey_Nash_Group_Logo.jpg

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[November 08, 2021]

Enviropedia's Metaverse Brand METALENS Files Trademark Eight Months Before Facebook's Meta Filing

CHICAGO, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Enviropedia is building a metaverse under their METALENS brand.

The trademark filing dates and descriptions could indicate Enviropedia's METALENS trademark has broad priority over Facebook's META trademark.

Enviropedia's METALENS trademark was filed February 26th 2021, over eight months prior to Facebook's META filing on October 28th with the United States Patent and Trademak Office (USPTO).







The trademark filing dates and descriptions could indicate Enviropedia's METALENS trademark has broad priority over Facebook's META trademark.

Over the past seven years, Enviropedia has been quietly developing AR, VR, metaverse and spatial-computing technologies. The company is now in the process of commercializing its concepts and emerging from stealth.

Enviropedia will provide updates over the next few weeks. The company will also offer regular communications through their web site at https://enviropedia.com and on the Enviropedia YouTube Channel.

For more information about Enviropedia, visit https://enviropedia.com.

About Enviropedia: Enviropedia is breakthrough contextual search, chronological navigation, and spatial computing for the world's information.

For media inquiries, please contact Enviropedia at: [email protected]

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/enviropedias-metaverse-brand-metalens-files-trademark-eight-months-before-facebooks-meta-filing-301418134.html

SOURCE Enviropedia
[November 08, 2021] 5N Plus Completes Acquisition of AZUR SPACE

Acquisition uniquely positions the Company as a supplier of critical specialty semiconductor products All amounts are expressed in Euros MONTREAL, Nov. 8, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - 5N Plus Inc. (TSX: VNP) ("5N Plus" or the "Company"), a leading global producer of specialty semiconductors and performance materials, today announced that it has acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares (the "Transaction") of AZUR SPACE Solar Power GmbH ("AZUR"). "AZUR's acquisition is the linchpin of our strategic transformation toward critical material technology, and we are thrilled to close this significant deal," said Arjang Roshan, President and Chief Executive Officer of 5N Plus. "Our combined pool of talent and AZUR's cutting-edge space technology are key enablers for our entry into the larger markets within the field of specialty semiconductor substrates." Considering the strategic importance of AZUR and its advanced technologies, the relevant regulatory authorities conducted an exhaustive review to vet 5N Plus as an appropriate acquirer. This acquisition is the cornerstone of the Company's transition to advanced materials based on cutting edge technology. In alignment with the Company's growth strategy, this Transaction will enable 5N Plus to expand its product portfolio within specialty semiconductors and uniquely position the Company to benefit from potential growth linked to several critical industries that rely on advanced compound semiconductors in the future. Located in Heilbronn, Germany, AZUR is the global leader in the development and manufacturing of multi-junction solar cells based on III-V compound semiconductor materials. AZUR has a proven track record of success supported by nearly 120 patent families. The integration of AZUR into 5N Plus creates a global enterprise with comprehensive competencies across the specialty semiconductor value-chain that rivals global competitors, fuels innovation and grants entry to larger markets with significant growth opportunities. Transaction Details and Rationale 5N Plus acquired all the issued and outstanding shares of AZUR for a total purchase price of 74.6 million euros, subject to post-closing adjustments, in exchange for 6.5 million shares of 5N Plus, to be issued from the treasury estimated at 13.1 million euros, based on the volume weighted average trading price for the seven trading days preceding the closing, along with a cash payment of 37.7 million euros. Furthermore, 5N Plus will finance working capital of 23.8 million euros. The cash portion and the working capital of the Transaction is funded through the Company's liquidity and senior debt facility. Acquisition of a market leader with compelling attributes: Highly skilled and experienced workforce

Strong portfolio of intellectual property with nearly 120 patent families

Incremental sales revenue in excess of 50 million euros

Well-established portfolio of business providing 5 million to 7 million euros EBITDA 1 per year

EBITDA per year Strong backlog 1

Solid financial support from several agencies which confirms its strategic importance Combination of 5N Plus and AZUR forms a one-of-a-kind ecosystem that will enable: Fully integrated suite of compound semiconductor products (family of IV, III-VI & II-VI materials) from procurement of critical materials to finished epitaxy engineered substrates

Entry and access to new markets with higher total addressable market such as high-power electronics, electric mobility, wireless charging and advanced communications

Closed-loop management of critical materials including much of its own in-process by-products and those of its customersenhancing sustainability and competitiveness of the business model

Unlocking tangible synergies, resulting in more value capture from the space and security markets Integrated Company will be more diversified with improved product mix and will: Attain 5N Plus's strategic aim to expand its total addressable market

Further reduce reliance on a single customer

Further reduce the exposure to metal price notations

Confirm M&A focus on the specialty semiconductors

Clearly establish 5N Plus's importance within the critical material space and its strategic position as perceived by various agencies and governmental bodies Bolsters the Company's financial profile to accelerate its growth through: Tangible accretion

Increased Adjusted EBITDA 2

Access to the European market and investment community

Financial flexibility







__________ 1 See Non-IFRS Measures

2 See Non-IFRS Measures

About 5N Plus Inc.

5N Plus is a leading global producer of specialty semiconductors and performance materials. The Company's ultrapure materials often form the core element of its customers' products. These customers rely on 5N Plus's products to enable performance and sustainability in their own products. 5N Plus deploys a range of proprietary and proven technologies to develop and manufacture its products. The Company's products enable various applications in a number of key industries including renewable energy, security, space, pharmaceutical, medical imaging, and industrial and additive manufacturing. Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, 5N Plus operates R&D, manufacturing and commercial centers in strategically located facilities around the world including Europe, North America and Asia. The Company's mission is to be critical to its customers, valued by its employees and trusted by its shareholders. The Company's core values focus on integrity, commitment and customer development along with emphasis on sustainable development, continuous improvement, health and safety. www.5nplus.com. ForwardLooking Statements and Disclaimer

Certain statements in this press release may be forwardlooking within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forwardlooking information and statements are based on the best estimates available to the Company at the time and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties or other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forwardlooking statements. A description of the risks affecting the Company's business and activities appears under the heading "Risk and Uncertainties" of the 5N Plus 2020 MD&A dated February 23, 2021, available on www.sedar.com. An update under the heading "Risk and Uncertainties" is also provided in the MD&A dated November 2, 2021.

Forwardlooking statements can generally be identified by the use of terms such as "may", "should", "would", "believe", "expect", the negative of these terms, variations of them or any similar terms. No assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forwardlooking information in this press release will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits that 5N Plus will derive therefrom. In particular, no assurance can be given as to the future financial performance of 5N Plus. The forwardlooking information contained in this press release is made as of the date hereof and the Company has no obligation to publicly update such forwardlooking information to reflect new information, subsequent or otherwise, unless required by applicable securities laws. The reader is warned against placing undue reliance on these forwardlooking statements. Non-IFRS Measures

Backlog represents the expected orders we have received but have not yet executed and that are expected to translate into sales within the next twelve months expressed in number of days. Bookings represent orders received during the period considered, expressed in days, and are calculated by adding revenues to the increase or decrease in backlog for the period considered divided by annualized year revenues. We use backlog to provide an indication of expected future revenues in days, and bookings to determine its ability to sustain and increase its revenues. EBITDA means net earnings (loss) before interest expenses, income taxes, depreciation and amortization. We use EBITDA because we believe it is a meaningful measure of the operating performance of our ongoing business without the effects of certain expenses. The definition of this non-IFRS measure used by the Company may differ from that used by other companies. EBITDA margin is defined as EBITDA divided by revenues. Adjusted EBITDA means EBITDA as defined above before impairment of inventories, share-based compensation expense, impairment of non-current assets, litigation and restructuring costs (income), gain on disposal of property, plant and equipment, foreign exchange and derivatives loss (gain). We use adjusted EBITDA because we believe it is a meaningful measure of the operating performance of our ongoing business without the effects of certain expenses. The definition of this non-IFRS measure used by the Company may differ from that used by other companies. Adjusted EBITDA margin is defined as Adjusted EBITDA divided by revenues. SOURCE 5N Plus Inc.

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[November 08, 2021] Chemours Launches School Partnership Program, ChemFEST

WILMINGTON, Del., Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chemours Company (NYSE: CC), a global chemistry company, today launched the Chemours Future of Engineering, Science, Trades and Technology (ChemFEST) school partnership program. To champion change toward a more diverse science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workforce, Chemours will invest in under-resourced middle schools in its footprint communities around the world to ensure that younger students are exposed to STEM education early on. This is critical as research shows that proficiency and interest in STEM are most influential when initiated before students reach high school and begin choosing their courses. "At Chemours, we're dedicated to investing in communities where we operate and leading the way on social responsibility for our industry. ChemFEST is one of the many ways we're living our commitments by ensuring more students from more backgrounds are exposed to, excited by, and interested in STEM early on in their educational journey. With every school and student we reach we're nurturing a more capable, inclusive, and diverse future STEM workforce that will be ready for the more than 800,000 openings for jobs in STEM-related fields over the next 20 years," said Mark Newman, president and chief executive officer of Chemours. "I'm extremely proud of ChemFEST, the dedication of Chemours employees around the world to vibrant communities, and to our commitment to helping shape a better world through the power of our chemistry." As part of the ChemFEST school partnership program unveiling, Chemours announced the first two anchor schools to join the program. EastSide Charter School and Serviam Girls Academy  both located near Chemours' Wilmington, Delaware headquarters  will receive multi-year financial support for STEM learning activities, lab equipment, or other needed resources, in addition to, a range of volunteer and program collaborations with Chemours employees. As part of its commitment, Chemours will donate $4 million to become the named benefactor for EastSide's new 24,000 square foot community STEM facility, expected to be completed by summer 2023. It will also fund a $250,000 Chemours STEM Discovery Capstone Program for eighth grade students at Serviam focused on STEM enrichment and a project-based learning approach that will begin at the start of the 2022 school year and continue over four years. "In 2020, Chemours committed to developing a school partnership program as part of our diversity action plan and Corporate Responsibility Commitments," said Alvenia Scarborough, senior vice president, corporate communications and chief brand officer at Chemours. "We believe that when words become actions is when real change happens. We're excited about ChemFEST and the chance to deepen our connections to the communities where Chemours' people live, work and play while also nurturing the next generation of STEM professionals from those same areas." The ChemFEST school partnership model will be customized to meet the needs of each school and local community where Chemours operates. All programs will include multi-year financial support as part of Chemours' Corporate Responsibility Commitment goal to invest $50 million to create and sustain vibrant communities. The time, talent, financial resources and expertise of Chemours and its employees will be used to help meet each school's needs with the goal of engaging and inspiring the next generation of STEM professionals.? To learn more about Chemours' ChemFEST school partnership program, visit www.chemours.com/chemfest.



About The Chemours Company

The Chemours Company (Chemours or the Company) (NYSE: CC) is a global leader in Titanium Technologies, Thermal & Specialized Solutions, Advanced Performance Materials, and Chemical Solutions providing its customers with solutions in a wide range of industries with market-defining products, application expertise and chemistry-based innovations. We deliver customized solutions with a wide range of industrial and specialty chemicals products for markets, including coatings, plastics, refrigeration, and air conditioning, transportation, semiconductor and consumer electronics, general industrial, mining and oil and gas. Our flagship products include prominent brands such as Ti-Pure, Opteon, Freon, Nafion, Krytox, Teflon, and Viton. In 2019, Chemours was named to Newsweek's list of America's Most Responsible Companies. The company has approximately 6,500 employees and 30 manufacturing sites serving approximately 3,300 customers in approximately 120 countries. Chemours is headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware and is listed on the NYSE under the symbol CC. For more information, we invite you to visit chemours.com or follow us on Twitter @Chemours or LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to a historical or current fact. The words "believe," "expect," "will," "anticipate," "plan," "estimate," "target," "project" and similar expressions, among others, generally identify "forward-looking statements," which speak only as of the date such statements were made. These forward-looking statements may address, among other things, the outcome or resolution of any pending or future environmental liabilities, the commencement, outcome or resolution of any regulatory inquiry, investigation or proceeding, the initiation, outcome or settlement of any litigation, changes in environmental regulations in the U.S. or other jurisdictions that affect demand for or adoption of our products, anticipated future operating and financial performance for our segments individually and our company as a whole, business plans, prospects, targets, goals and commitments, capital investments and projects and target capital expenditures, plans for dividends or share repurchases, sufficiency or longevity of intellectual property protection, cost reductions or savings targets, plans to increase profitability and growth, our ability to make acquisitions, integrate acquired businesses or assets into our operations, and achieve anticipated synergies or cost savings, all of which are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and expectations of future events that may not be accurate or realized. These statements are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements also involve risks and uncertainties that are beyond Chemours' control. In addition, the current COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the national and global economy and commodity and financial markets, which has had and we expect will continue to have a negative impact on our financial results. The full extent and impact of the pandemic is unknown and to date has included extreme volatility in financial and commodity markets, a significant slowdown in economic activity, and increased predictions of a global recession. The public and private sector response has led to significant restrictions on travel, temporary business closures, quarantines, stock market volatility, and a general reduction in consumer and commercial activity globally. Matters outside our control have affected our business and operations and may or may continue to limit travel of employees to our business units domestically and internationally, adversely affect the health and welfare of our personnel, significantly reduce the demand for our products, hinder our ability to provide goods and services to customers, cause disruptions in our supply chains, adversely affect our business partners or cause other unpredictable events. Additionally, there may be other risks and uncertainties that Chemours is unable to identify at this time or that Chemours does not currently expect to have a material impact on its business. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2021 and in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. Chemours assumes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement for any reason, except as required by law. CONTACT: NEWS MEDIA

Cassie Olszewski

Media Relations and Financial Communications Manager

+1.302.219.7140

[email protected] INVESTORS

Jonathan Lock

VP, Corporate Development and Investor Relations

+1.302.773.2263

[email protected]

MEDIA RESOURCES

Additional media resources can be accessed here. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chemours-launches-school-partnership-program-chemfest-301418334.html SOURCE The Chemours Company

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[November 08, 2021] Video Inspection Equipment Market Size ($1,834.35 million by 2028) Growth Forecast at 4.9% CAGR During 2021 to 2028 COVID Impact and Global Analysis by The Insight Partners

NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to The Insight Partners study on "Video Inspection Equipment Market Forecast to 2028  COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis  by Component, Application, and End User," the market was valued at US$ 1,311.63 million in 2021 and is projected to reach US$ 1,834.35 million by 2028; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.9% from 2021 to 2028. The increasing investment in drainage systems and sewer lines and the rising number of construction projects in several developing countries are driving the video inspection equipment market growth. The rapidly advancing technology integration in video inspection equipment is believed to have reduced the cost incurred in inspection at various drainage sites. Considering the rising industrialization in the developing countries of South America, stringent norms and regulations enforced by respective government authorities regarding cleanliness and the improvement in inspection standards for sewers are the key factors that are expected to boost the growth of this market during 20212028. The count of sewer operations across the world is increasing at an exponential rate. To ensure the uninterrupted performance of drainage systems and sewer lines in the industrial, commercial, and residential sectors, timely maintenance and cleaning services are needed. The local government authorities of developed nations, such as the US, are investing considerably in sewage works. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers various water and waste disposal programs, which offer grants and loans for sanitary sewer, drinking water, and storm drainage facilities in rural communities. The eligibility of such programs is limited to rural communities with a population of 10,000 people or fewer for direct loans and grants and 50,000 or lesser for guaranteed loans.



Get Exclusive Sample Pages of Video Inspection Equipment Market at https://www.theinsightpartners.com/sample/TIPRE00004105/ In 2018, Irish Water invested approx.  263.072 million in their wastewater infrastructure program to enhance Ireland's wastewater infrastructure. However, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), due to underinvestment, treatment plants and public sewers lack development. These factors are increasing the use of advanced drainage services, primarily video inspection equipment. The increasing requirement for remote-operated inspection systems is propelling the demand for cameras in the manufacturing & construction industry. Various localities and municipalities are using inspection cameras to improve the monitoring of clogs or blockages, which is boosting the penetration rate of video inspection equipment in the manufacturing industry across the world. North America is a largest region across the world due to the growing demand for video inspection equipment. The US, Canada, and Mexico are investing heavily to incorporate advanced technologies in various industries. In this region, manufacturing & construction, homeland security, and oil & gas are some of the industries that extensively deploy various types of video inspection equipment. For instance, in the manufacturing & construction industry, municipalities in the region are taking active measures to improve the inspection of the sewer systems. The oil & gas industry in North America is reporting substantial growth due to continued investment by the government and the increasing focus on implementing advanced technologies, leading to a surge in well drilling. In this industry, workers' safety is a crucial factor due to the high-risk conditions they work in. There is high chance of vehicle accidents while inspecting pipelines or trveling to gas and oil sites. With the immense technological growth in the region, new products are being launched continuously based on changing demand of consumers. Such products are aimed at specific issues. Several companies can save time and money by offering optimized video inspection equipment to for efficient use in the field.



Download the Latest COVID-19 Analysis on Video Inspection Equipment Market Growth Research Report at https://www.theinsightpartners.com/covid-analysis-sample/TIPRE00004105/ Increase in Manufacturing and Constructional Projects

A considerable growth in construction projects across the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors is contributing remarkably toward the adoption of drainage services. The video inspection tools are widely utilized to locate exact places of clogs before purchasing any industrial land or property. In a constantly changing world, the job of a municipal engineer has become more complex, with intensifying complexity of rules and regulations, covering the underground environment. Hence, contractors and municipal technicians have to ensure that the complete survey in underground infrastructure is conducted before initiating any other activity. The video inspection tools, including transporters, cameras, and recorders, are used in municipal verticals for inspection purposes. Considering the portability, robustness, reliability, and lightweight of video inspection equipment tools, these are broadly needed across the manufacturing & construction industry. The increasing requirement for remote-operated inspection systems is one factor that stimulates the demand for cameras in the manufacturing & construction industry. Various localities and municipalities are using inspection cameras to improve the monitoring of clogs or blockages, propelling the penetration rate of video inspection equipment within the manufacturing industry worldwide. Video Inspection Equipment Market: Application Overview Based on application, the video inspection equipment market is segmented into drain & sewer, electrical conduit & ducts, pipeline, and others. Increasing investments in sewer lines & drainage systems and rising constructional projects across the world are a few of the key factors driving the growth of the market. Moreover, municipalities across the world are taking proactive measures, such as inspecting and cleaning sewer and pipeline network, to improve the performance of their systems which will drive the market growth. Video Inspection Equipment Market: Competitive Landscape and Key Developments Aries Industries, Inc.; CUES Inc. (SPX Corporation); Subsite Electronics; Vivax-Metrotech Corp; Rausch Electronics USA, LLC; Envirosight LLC; Hathorn Corporation; IBAK Helmut Hunger GmbH & Co. KG; CDS Corporation; and Extech (Flir Systems Inc.) are among the key players that are profiled during this market study. In addition, several other essential market players were studied and analyzed to get a holistic view of the global video inspection equipment market and its ecosystem. Order a Copy of Video Inspection Equipment Market Shares, Strategies and Forecasts 2021-2028 Research Report at https://www.theinsightpartners.com/buy/TIPRE00004105/ In October 2021, Rausch Electronics USA, LLC added Frontier Equipment Sales to its family of authorized dealers. In January 2021, IBAK Helmut Hunger GmbH & Co. KG announced that it is working on software for easing the inspector's workload during inspection data capture. Browse Related Reports and get Sample copy Media Processing Solutions Market Forecast to 2028 - Covid-19 Impact and Global Analysis - by Solution (Platform, Services); Component (Video Upload and Ingestion, Dynamic Ad Insertion, Video Transcoding and Processing, Video Hosting, Content Rendering); Content Type (Real-time/Live, On-demand); Enterprise Size (Small and Medium Enterprise, Large Enterprise); End-user (TV Broadcasters, Content Providers, Network Operators) and Geography - https://www.theinsightpartners.com/sample/TIPRE00005033/ Aircraft Video Surveillance Market Forecast to 2027 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By System Type (Cockpit Door Surveillance System, Cabin Surveillance System, and Environmental Camera System), Fit Type (Retrofit and Line Fit), and Aircraft Type (Wide Body Aircraft and Narrow Body Aircraft) - https://www.theinsightpartners.com/sample/TIPRE00005801/ Advertising Video Production Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis by Product Type (Product Video, Explainer Video, Brand Video, Interactive Video, Others); Industry (Retail, Manufacturing, Education, BFSI, Others) and Geography - https://www.theinsightpartners.com/sample/TIPRE00011690/ Security Inspection Market Forecast to 2027 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Product Type (Personnel Screening Systems, Cargo and Baggage Inspection Systems, Vehicle Inspection Systems, and Others) and Application (Aviation, Border Security, Critical Infrastructure Protection, Commercial Security, and Others) - https://www.theinsightpartners.com/sample/TIPRE00014986/ About Us: The Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. We specialize in industries such as Semiconductor and Electronics, Aerospace and Defense, Automotive and Transportation, Biotechnology, Healthcare IT, Manufacturing and Construction, Medical Device, Technology, Media and Telecommunications, Chemicals and Materials. Contact Us:

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More Research: https://www.openpr.com/news/archive/139407/The-Insight-Partners.html View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/video-inspection-equipment-market-size-1-834-35-million-by-2028-growth-forecast-at-4-9-cagr-during-2021-to-2028-covid-impact-and-global-analysis-by-the-insight-partners-301418464.html SOURCE The Insight Partners

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[November 08, 2021] Experience. Insights. Results. Regions Bank Adds 21-Year Finance Veteran to Income Property Finance Leadership

Regions Bank on Monday announced Todd Jarman has joined its Income Property Finance group as senior vice president overseeing production offices in Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, Chicago and Washington, D.C. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005424/en/ Todd Jarman, Regions Bank Income Property Finance (Photo: Business Wire) From these offices, experienced Regions personnel serve real estate clients throughout the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. Each team provides financial solutions to regionally and nationally focused funds, property owners, and developers of income-producing properties. Jarman will be based in Atlanta. Jarman brings 21 years of experience to his new role at Regions. While in his prior role at BBVA, Jarman served as East Region managing director leading production offices in Atlanta,Birmingham, Charlotte, and New York.



"For over 20 years, Todd has developed a reputation for delivering unparalleled leadership with a clear focus on empowering clients through customized solutions and valuable guidance," said Scott Rhoad, Income Property Finance segment executive for Regions Bank. "His approach to service makes him an ideal match for Regions, and we know his experience will benefit our teams and clients. Todd's extensive skills, leadership, and proven track record are in direct alignment with our compelling value proposition for a diverse range of property owners, developers and real estate funds." In addition to originating construction loans and term loans to acquire, build, or renovate various property types, Regions' Income Property Finance team also collaborates with highly experienced Treasury Management and Capital Markets professionals throughout the company to deliver holistic solutions.

"In a crowded marketplace, there are several factors that make Regions stand out, and one of the most important is the bank's team-driven approach that draws on the experience of colleagues throughout the bank to deliver unique, innovative and competitive solutions," Jarman said. "We have tremendous teams serving high-growth markets with cutting-edge services, and I am honored to build on the collaboration of our business groups as we deliver superior service to clients." Regions Real Estate Banking is a team of four business groups - Real Estate Corporate Banking, Income Property Finance, Homebuilder Finance, and Regions Affordable Housing - strategically assembled to meet the needs of professional real estate companies, developers, and investors. Regions delivers competitive products with superior service marked by speed, certainty, and creativity, leveraging the bank's full capabilities to offer a wide range of integrated banking solutions to help real estate businesses succeed and grow. About Regions Financial Corporation Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF), with $156 billion in assets, is a member of the S&P 500 Index and is one of the nation's largest full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, wealth management, and mortgage products and services. Regions serves customers across the South, Midwest and Texas, and through its subsidiary, Regions Bank, operates more than 1,300 banking offices and approximately 2,000 ATMs. Regions Bank is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC. Additional information about Regions and its full line of products and services can be found at www.regions.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005424/en/

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[November 08, 2021] Leading ESG Experts Convened by Benchmark Digital Underscore Need for Investment-Grade ESG Data as Disclosure Frameworks Converge, New Regulations Emerge

Benchmark Digital (Benchmark), a leading provider of cloud-based Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) software solutions, last week convened its inaugural ESG Executive Collaboration Forum, where expert speakers from across the ESG spectrum explained the importance of investment-grade ESG data to support the alignment of corporate sustainability reporting with regular financial reporting amid increasing regulation of corporate ESG disclosures. "If there's one clear takeaway from our first ESG Forum, it's that ESG is being tied to performance- financial and otherwise-and companies need to produce ESG data that is not only accurate and verifiable, but also decision useful," remarked Benchmark Digital Corporate Development & Strategy Officer Donavan Hornsby. "Generating and reporting investment-grade data is how companies will satisfy the expectations of their stakeholders and, equally important, how they'll engender an ESG culture that powers a virtuous cycle of improvement. This is about more than managing risks; it's about resilience." In this debut session of a recurring series of virtual forums designed to help ESG practitioners stay up-to-date and engage their peers on ESG issues and best practices, experts discussed the implications for companies of increasing demands from institutional investors, stock exchanges, consumers and governmental bodies worldwide for accountability and transparency as concerns over corporate sustainability continue to grow. The virtual event featured commentary from Mary Foley, Expert Services Strategy Director at EHS compliance management solutions provider Enhesa; Joyce Coffee, Founder & President of climate adaptation strategy consultancy Climate Resilience Consulting; and Sarah Fortt-Lawson, Counsel at global law firm Vinson & Elkins.



Topics included both the convergence of nonbinding disclosure frameworks and their accelerating alignment with new and emerging regulatory frameworks in the E.U., U.K. and U.S. Also discussed was the transition of large and mid-market companies from conventional narrative-based approaches to ESG disclosure to more formal reporting-based approaches as performance on these metrics is increasingly evaluated against financial outcomes. "The lines between voluntary and required disclosure are blurring," said Sarah Fortt-Lawson, who underscored the value of investment-grade ESG data in her summary of the trends she sees in the ESG space. "Ultimately, it's really about ESG strategy being driven more by operational and strategic considerations as opposed to disclosure and stakeholder engagement alone."

Attendees also learned about the material advantages of investment-grade ESG data and, in turn, the sustained ESG performance outcomes it enables. In a poignant nod to the impetus behind the "Finance Day" of COP26, Joyce Coffee explained, "We're seeing that climate risk is in fact an investment risk [P]erhaps because of that, we can also really look forward to resilience becoming a competitive advantage I think it's really important that those of us who are keen on saving lives, improving livelihoods and stabilizing the middle-class market have a manifesto to build resilience for all rather than avoid risk for some." A recording of the remarks and presentations delivered during last week's inaugural session is accessible here. To learn more about the ESG Executive Collaboration Forum series, register for the December 8, 2021 session and recommend future ESG-related topics, visit the ESG Executive Collaboration Forum registration page. About Benchmark ESG Benchmark ESG (the next generation of Gensuite  ) enables companies to implement robust cross-functional Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Solutions - locally, globally and across diverse operating profiles. Our comprehensive cloud-based software suite features intuitive, best-practice process functionality, flexible configurations and powerful extensions. For over two decades, we've helped companies manage safe & sustainable operations worldwide, with a focus on fast return on investment (ROI), service excellence and continuous innovation. Join over 1,500,000 users that trust Benchmark ESG with their software system needs for operational risk and compliance, EHS, sustainability, product stewardship and responsible sourcing. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005620/en/

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[November 08, 2021] Monotype and Adobe Announce New Partnership That Will Make Fonts Available to Brands and Creative Professionals

Monotype and Adobe (News - Alert) today announced a new initiative to give creative professionals easier access to the typefaces they need to design modern brands and experiences. Beginning immediately, Adobe Originals, fonts designed by the company's in-house type foundry, can now be licensed through Monotype Fonts - an on-demand service featuring the world's best fonts, type designers, and foundries - as well as to the broader creative community through e-commerce sites like MyFonts. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005077/en/ (Graphic: Business Wire) By licensing Adobe Originals through Monotype's channels, brands will have a streamlined process to manage enterprise font licenses. This partnership will lower risk, increase efficiency, and most importantly, give creative teams the freedom to do what they do best: design meaningful brands. In a world increasingly defined by remote collaboration, removing barriers to creativity is paramount for brands looking to compete. With this expanded partnership, brands will have many more licensing options for popular designs like Minion, Myriad, Acumin, and others. Two companies with a shared mission. Typography has always been important, from designing brand identites to defining culture. Today, however, with a growing set of connected devices, and global communities coming closer together, access to typography and creative assets that perform across environments is critical.



The Adobe Originals program started in 1989 as an in-house type foundry at Adobe, brought together to create original typefaces of exemplary design quality, technical fidelity, and aesthetic longevity. Today the Type team's mission is to conduct original research and development for type at Adobe, making sophisticated and even experimental typefaces that explore the possibilities of design and technology. Typefaces released as Adobe Originals - fully-featured families and smaller "Concept" projects alike - are the result of years of work and study, regarded as industry standards for the ambition and quality of their development. Monotype is the world's largest foundry, with decades of combined experience across its Studio team. In recent years, the company has released digital updates to iconic designs like Helvetica Now, Futura Now, and Avenir Next World, among many others. Beyond the massive library of type, with tens of thousands of unique fonts, Monotype has also focused on partnering with other foundries to help make fonts simple for the creative community: simple to license, simple to discover, and simple to use.

This partnership follows others between Monotype and notable foundries such as House Industries, Fontfabric, The Northern Block, and more. "Adobe's mission, 'Creativity for All', speaks to the need for increased availability of design assets, technology, and opportunity within the creative community," said Michael Matteo, SVP, Global Channels & Alliances at Monotype. "We are thrilled to deepen our partnership with Adobe, elevating the role of typography while delivering more value to brands, agencies, and creative professionals around the world." "Monotype has valuable expertise and experience, backed by a team that is equipped to put the right licenses for Adobe Originals in the hands of the brands and designers that need them," said Brent Getlin, Adobe. "As one of our exclusive resellers, it will give enterprises easy access to expanded licensing beyond what's available through the Adobe Fonts service." To learn more about the collaboration, including how your brand can gain access to popular Adobe Originals, visit our website. About Monotype Monotype empowers creative minds to build and express authentic brands through design, technology and expertise. Further information is available at www.monotype.com. Follow Monotype on Twitter (News - Alert), Instagram and LinkedIn. Monotype is a trademark of Monotype Imaging Inc. registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be registered in certain other jurisdictions. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 2021 Monotype Imaging (News - Alert) Holdings Inc. All rights reserved. About Adobe Adobe is changing the world through digital experiences. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.  2021 Adobe. All rights reserved. Adobe and the Adobe logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005077/en/

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[November 08, 2021] Skyrocketing Growth in U.S. Sector Threatened as Massive Skills Shortage Lingers, Finds Harvey Nash Digital Leadership Report

As companies across the U.S. signal their intentions to increase technology investments (61%) and headcount (60%) to record levels, a massive skills shortage threatens to stymie the seemingly unending growth of the tech sector, according to the 2021 Harvey Nash Group Digital Leadership Report. The Digital Leadership Report, in collaboration with CIONET and contributed to by Massachusetts Institute of Technology CISR, is the world's largest and longest running survey of senior technology decision makers. "This year's report reveals a depth of insights into how digital leaders successfully address critical issues related to attracting and retaining skilled technology talent," said Jason Pyle, president and managing director of Harvey Nash USA. "Digital leaders are committed to increasing headcount and investing in technology talent, while recognizing that building a productive, successful and satisfied workforce takes a new approach to broadening skillsets, increasing mental wellbeing and committing to diversity and inclusion initiatives." This year's report reveals critical factors that continue to impact the growth of the U.S. tech sector, including: Record tech investment and headcount - The number of digital leaders in the U.S. planning to boost their technology investment and headcount reached record levels, (30% and 36% respectively).

- The number of digital leaders in the U.S. planning to boost their technology investment and headcount reached record levels, (30% and 36% respectively). Impact of skills crisis on business growth - More than two-thirds (69%) of digital leaders in the U.S. are now unable to keep pace with change because of a dearth of the talent they need.

- More than two-thirds (69%) of digital leaders in the U.S. are now unable to keep pace with change because of a dearth of the talent they need. Where skills shortages are most acute - Cybersecurity (43%) is the most sought-after tech skill, up by 11% in the last 12 months, followed by DevOps (39%), and big data / analytics (38%).

- Cybersecurity (43%) is the most sought-after tech skill, up by 11% in the last 12 months, followed by DevOps (39%), and big data / analytics (38%). The shortage of developers rises the fastest - The shortage of developers (39%) saw the biggest increase compared with previous years. Harvey Nash Group says this shortage correlates with the report's finding that companies are focusing on creating new products and services, and therefore need developers to do this work. Shifting priorities impact employee retention The report also found that new life priorities, post-pandemic, are complicating digital leaders' ability to match technology investment goals with the right talent. Eight in 10 digital leaders report that this mindset shift is making retention more difficult than ever; in fact, just four in 10 digital leaders admit they can retain employees in key roles for the tenure they would like. Yet despite these retention challenges, only one in three organizations (29%) have redesigned their employee offers to make them more attractive to staff in the new hybrid working world. Bridging the tech skills gap In response to these unprecedented skills shortages, digital leaders are aiming to broaden the skillsets of their tech teams, with over half (54%) planning to cross-train people in other parts of their organization. The number of apprenticeships offered is expected to see a boost this year, as 28% of digital leaders said they would be offering more internships over the year ahead. Outside of training and using niche consultancies to bridge the gap, almost half (45%) of digital leaders have widened their geographical net to source new talent, as hybrid working becomes more commonplace. "With businesses planning record levels of digital investment, we could be standing on the verge of a 'second renaissance' for technology. Organizations are looking to push their digital transformations further and faster than ever before, putting technology at the very heart of ow they operate. This will take them beyond being merely 'tech-centric': technology will literally be dispersed throughout the business, everywhere," said Bev White, CEO, Harvey Nash Group. "But these ambitions are coming under threat from the acute skills shortages that are now worse than ever before. In fact, businesses face a triple whammy. They lack the supply of skilled resources they need; they have not yet evolved a new and effective employee value proposition for the hybrid working world; and the needed skills themselves are changing as technology develops at an accelerated pace. Digital leaders need to rapidly assess their needs and find solutions if their plans are not to be derailed by this potent cocktail of challenges."



A new approach to diversity and inclusion improves quality of hire This year's report revealed what's working and what's not when it comes to building a diverse technology workforce. What's clear is that training, communication and support networks are key and the most successful approach.

This year 21% of the digital leaders surveyed identified as female vs. just 13% in 2020 and the average proportion of females within the technology team is 28%, which shows promise for the leadership of the future.

The research found that six in 10 respondents believe their approach to diversity and inclusion is improving the quality of their hires, noting that the most successful strategy for promoting diversity and inclusion is about creating the right culture, not about mandating shortlists or quotas. Remote working is a double-edged sword Remote work has massively improved work/life balance and productivity, but at the same time, mental wellbeing, staff engagement, collaboration and inclusivity have taken a big hit. Over half (54%) of digital leaders reported a decrease in the mental wellness of their tech teams.

To combat this, 27% of U.S. digital leaders have increased their investment in health and wellbeing programs. Other key findings from the world's largest dedicated digital leadership survey include: Sustainability needs more traction - Although U.S. boards recognize that cleaner, greener technology will improve their carbon footprint, it is placed last in the list of priorities for their technology teams. As a result, only 16% of their digital leaders have reduced the carbon footprint of their own technology to any great extent. The report says that reducing the carbon footprint of power-hungry tech represents both a huge challenge and opportunity for companies and their digital leaders.

- Although U.S. boards recognize that cleaner, greener technology will improve their carbon footprint, it is placed last in the list of priorities for their technology teams. As a result, only 16% of their digital leaders have reduced the carbon footprint of their own technology to any great extent. The report says that reducing the carbon footprint of power-hungry tech represents both a huge challenge and opportunity for companies and their digital leaders. An age of disruption - The pandemic has forced organizations to re-imagine the way they do business. Creating new products and services has become a top three board priority for the first time since Harvey Nash's research began 23 years ago. Half (52%) of organizations have major plans for transformation in the next two to three years.

- The pandemic has forced organizations to re-imagine the way they do business. Creating new products and services has become a top three board priority for the first time since Harvey Nash's research began 23 years ago. Half (52%) of organizations have major plans for transformation in the next two to three years. Cloud leads investments in technology - Although cloud is now regarded as a mature technology rather than an 'emerging' one, the number of digital leaders with some kind of implementation jumped from 59% in 2020 to 92% today. At the same time, the number of implementations of new technology such as IoT and robotic process automation (RPA) have grown considerably since 2019.

- Although cloud is now regarded as a mature technology rather than an 'emerging' one, the number of digital leaders with some kind of implementation jumped from 59% in 2020 to 92% today. At the same time, the number of implementations of new technology such as IoT and robotic process automation (RPA) have grown considerably since 2019. The fuzzy organization - Businesses are emerging from the pandemic with their people in disparate locations, more technology embedded within the cloud and their supply chains diffused. This makes it harder to delineate the 'boundary' of an organization and presents a new challenge for all digital leaders. About the Report The 2021 Harvey Nash Group Digital Leadership Report is the world's largest and longest running survey of senior technology decision makers. Launched in 1998 and previously called the CIO Survey, it has been an influential and respected indicator of major trends in technology and digital for over two decades. This year, a survey of more than 2,100 digital leaders took place between July 8th, 2021 and October 11th, 2021, across 87 countries. You can register for the launch event, which takes place on Tuesday, November 9th at 4pm GMT, here. To request a full copy of the results, please visit www.harveynashgroup.com/DLR. About Harvey Nash Inc. Harvey Nash Inc. is a part of Harvey Nash Group, the leading global provider of talent and technology solutions. Our network spans 2,800 colleagues across 16 countries and provides a uniquely broad range of service capabilities, from recruitment and workforce management, to software development and technology solutions. We bring these together to address the unique challenges of our clients both now and in the future. Harvey Nash works with clients, both big and small, to deliver a portfolio of services: IT recruitment, IT outsourcing/offshoring and executive search. To learn more, please visit www.harveynashusa.com. Follow us: www.twitter.com/harveynashusa and www.facebook.com/harveynashusa. About CIONET Established in 2005, CIONET is today the largest private network of CIOs internationally. We have established leading communities of practice in 25 countries across Asia, Europe and the Americas. With the active support of our national advisory boards, we have built a flourishing community of 10,000 technology executives. https://www.cionet.com/ About MIT (News - Alert) CISR Founded in 1974 and grounded in the MIT tradition of rigorous field-based research, MIT CISR helps executives meet the challenge of leading dynamic, global, and information-intensive organizations. We provide the CIO and other digital leaders with insights on topics such as business complexity, data monetization and the digital workplace. https://cisr.mit.edu/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005700/en/

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[November 08, 2021]

Sophos Managed Threat Response Named Best Managed Detection and Response Service by CRN

Sophos Intercept X and Sophos Firewall Further Honored as Top Endpoint Protection and Network Security Solutions in 2021 Tech Innovator Awards

BURLINGTON, Mass., Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sophos, a global leader in next-generation cybersecurity, today announced that Sophos Managed Threat Response (MTR) has been named the best Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service by CRN, a brand of The Channel Company. The recognition marks Sophos sixth consecutive year as a winner in the CRN Tech Innovator awards, which honor the channels most innovative technology solutions and services.



Ransomware attackers are sharpening their tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) and increasingly using ruthless pressure ploys to persuade victims to pay their costly ransoms, said Erin Malone, Sophos senior vice president of Americas sales. The stakes have never been higher, and organizations need human eyes and hands to detect and respond to these business-crippling attacks. Sophos MTR provides tremendous growth opportunities for partners to start or expand their security services and, most importantly, protect their customers with the market leading MDR service.

Sophos MTR is a fully managed threat hunting, detection and response service that provides a dedicated 24/7 security team to rapidly identify and neutralize sophisticated and complex threats as well as in-progress attacks. Sophos MTR fuses machine learning with human analysis for an evolved, innovative approach to proactive security protection. The customizable offering is one of the industrys most widely used MDR services, now protecting more than one million devices for over 6,000 organizations.

Sophos Rapid Response, as part of Sophos MTR, is an industry-first, fixed-fee remote incident response sevice that helps organizations under active cyberattack. The response team identifies and neutralizes ransomware, hands-on keyboard adversaries, network breaches, and more, and continues monitoring for suspicious activity for 45 days thereafter. The Sophos Rapid Response team aims to onboard and activate services within hours of engagement by an organization, and triages the majority of attacks within 48 hours.







CRNs annual Tech Innovator Awards acknowledge technology vendors that display their ongoing commitment to empowering and enabling end users, while also promoting continuous business growth for solution providers, with cutting-edge, purpose-built products and services, said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. Id like to personally congratulate each and every one of this years CRN Tech Innovator Award winners. We are proud to recognize these best-in-class vendors that are driving transformation and innovation in the IT space.



Sophos Intercept X is also named one of the best Endpoint Protection solutions, and Sophos Firewall one of the best Network Security offerings for small and medium-sized businesses in CRNs 2021 Tech Innovator Awards. A complete list of winners will be featured in the December issue of CRN and can be viewed online at crn.com/techinnovators.

Additional Resources

About Sophos

Sophos is a worldwide leader in next-generation cybersecurity, protecting more than 500,000 organizations and millions of consumers in more than 150 countries from todays most advanced cyberthreats. Powered by threat intelligence, AI and machine learning from SophosLabs and SophosAI, Sophos delivers a broad portfolio of advanced products and services to secure users, networks and endpoints against ransomware, malware, exploits, phishing and the wide range of other cyberattacks. Sophos provides a single integrated cloud-based management console, Sophos Central  the centerpiece of an adaptive cybersecurity ecosystem that features a centralized data lake that leverages a rich set of open APIs available to customers, partners, developers, and other cybersecurity vendors. Sophos sells its products and services through reseller partners and managed service providers (MSPs) worldwide. Sophos is headquartered in Oxford, U.K. More information is available at www.sophos.com.

About The Channel Company

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers, and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequalled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace.

thechannelcompany.com

Follow The Channel Company: Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook

 2021 The Channel Company, LLC. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Contact info: Samantha Powers [email protected]
Lightbits Labs Named a Finalist for CRN's 2021 Tech Innovator Award

Lightbits Labs (Lightbits), a leader in NVMe-based, scalable and software-defined elastic block storage for private and edge clouds, is announcing that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Lightbits as a Finalist for the 2021 CRN Tech Innovator Awards.

This annual award program showcases innovative vendors in the IT channel across 47 different technology categories, in key areas ranging from cloud to storage to networking to security. To determine the winners, a panel of CRN editors reviewed hundreds of vendor products using multiple criteria, including key capabilities, uniqueness, technological ingenuity and ability to address customer and partner needs.

Lightbits LightOS is software-defined, high-performance elastic block storage that delivers simplicity, performance, and flexibility for your cloud. Lightbits invented NVMe over TCP (NVMe/TCP), which enables the software to deploy at scale while delivering performance that is similar to local flash. Lightbits excels where other storage systems fail, delivering consistent low latency [<200usec] at high loads and high performance for environments utilizing Kubernetes, Kafka or VMware orchestration engines. Lightbits eliminates the complexity and cost overhead of managing multi-core, cloud-native applications utilizing existing, ubiquitous TCP/IP networks and improving the utilization and endurance of NAND flash by up to 20X.

"CRN's annual Tech Innovator Awards acknowledge technology vendors that display their ongoing commitment to empowering and enabling end users, while also promoting continuous business growth for solution providers, with cutting-edge, purpose-built products and services," said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. "I'd like to personally congratulate each and every one of this year's CRN Tech Innovator Award winners. We are proud to recognize these best-in-class vendors that are driving transformation and innovation in the IT space."

"This recognition from CRN is validation that our flagship product Lightbits LightOS is transforming the datacenter by breaking the limitations of performance, scalability, and flexibility of legacy storage solutions and enabling new revenue streams for our channel partners," said Eran Kirzner, CEO at Lightbits Labs. "High-performance storage solutions that are expensive, complex, and lead to vendor lock-in arebig problems plaguing datacenters today. Lightbits eliminates all that with simple, flexible, software-defined, highly performant elastic block storage that accelerates applications in private and edge clouds running in bare metal, containerized, or virtual environments. Customers can provision storage and launch applications faster while lowering costs, which positively impacts their top line and TCO simultaneously. It is high-performance cloud storage made easy."







"Lightbits is purpose-built for cloud-native, high-performance database applications. Our customers in financial services, gaming, and manufacturing industries see immediate business value in how Lightbits can speed time to market by provisioning storage services and cloud-based applications faster, in a secure and multi-tenant environment, while also lowering their TCO," said Alexey Stolyar, Development Director at ICC, a Lightbits partner.

The Tech Innovator Awards will be featured in the December issue of CRN and can be viewed online at crn.com/techinnovators.

For more information on International Computer Concepts (ICC), visit http://www.icc-usa.com/.

Additional resources:

About Lightbits Labs

Lightbits Labs (Lightbits) is leading the digital data center transformation by making high-performance elastic block storage available to any cloud. Creators of the NVMe over TCP (NVMe/TCP) protocol, Lightbits software-defined storage is easy to deploy at scale and delivers performance equivalent to local flash to accelerate cloud-native applications in bare metal, virtual, or containerized environments. Backed by leading enterprise investors including Cisco Investments, Dell Technologies Capital, Intel Capital (News - Alert), and Micron, Lightbits is on a mission to make high-performance elastic block storage simple, scalable and cost-efficient for any cloud.

Visit www.lightbitslabs.com or contact us at [email protected].

Follow Lightbits Labs: Twitter, LinkedIN, and Facebook

Lightbits, Lightbits Labs, and LightOS are registered trademarks of Lightbits Labs, Ltd.

The NVMe, and NVMe/TCP word marks are registered or unregistered service marks of the NVM Express organization in the United States and other countries. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use strictly prohibited.

About International Computer Concepts (ICC)

International Computer Concepts (ICC) is a leading provider of IT technology. Since 1993, ICC has been integrating computing systems with the latest hardware and software components to meet the ever-changing business and IT requirements of its clients. With a focus on technical expertise and delivering energy-efficient and high-performance solutions, ICC uses only the best components available to design and assemble computing systems. Based in Northbrook, Illinois, ICC works closely with clients that include local businesses, multinational corporations, institutions of higher learning, and government agencies to equip them with superb computers.

About The Channel Company

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers, and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequalled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace.

thechannelcompany.com

Follow The Channel Company: Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook

 2021 The Channel Company, LLC. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

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[November 08, 2021] IDC FutureScape: Top 10 Predictions for the Future of Intelligence

Results from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Future of Intelligence survey reveal a significant positive correlation between enterprise intelligence and better business outcomes. By investing in enterprise intelligence, organizations can achieve first-order benefits - improved decision-making, higher knowledge, and more efficiency - which in turn result in improved financial outcomes, employee outcomes, customer outcomes, and offering outcomes. Enterprise intelligence is a key driver for growth for organizations of all sizes, across all industries and geographies. IDC's (News - Alert) research shows that 60% of organizations that scored highest in its enterprise intelligence index scale saw major improvements in decision making compared to 1% of organizations with poor enterprise intelligence. Also, 47% of organizations that scored well in enterprise intelligence increased customer acquisition by 10% or more, compared with 10% of those with poor enterprise intelligence. "IDC FutureScape predictions highlight key trends that will occur over the next five years," said Chandana Gopal, research director, Future of Intelligence. "These predictions will help guide business leaders as they strive to improve enterprise intelligence to become leaders in their markets and outpace their peers." IDC's Future of Intelligence top 10 predictions impact the four pillars of enterprise intelligence: The ability to synthesize information

The capacity to learn from the information

The ability to apply those insights at scale

A data-driven culture built on a foundation of technology that enables all of the above Prediction 1: By 2025, 10% of F500 companies will incorporate scientific methods and systematic experimentation at scale, resulting in a 50% increase in product development and business planning projects - outpacing peers. Prediction 2: By 2023, 70% of F1000 enterprises will be involved in intercompany intelligence sharing based on common standards, values, and goals, strengthening mutualism in ecosystem relationships by 50%. Prediction 3: 40% of the G2000 will double the use of intelligent automation in knowledge retention, dissemination, and information synthesis by 2026, filling the skills vacuum in the data to insights life cycle. Prediction 4: By 2026, 30% of organizations will use forms of behavioral economics and AI/ML-driven insights to nudge employees' actions, leading to a 60% increase in desired outcomes. Prediction 5: A lack of meritocracy-based data culture will erode trust in management, reducing employee satisfaction and increasing turnover in two-thirds of mid-size to large enterprises by 2024, exacerbating skills gaps. Prediction 6: By 2023, 60% of enterprise intelligence initiatives will be business specific, purpose built for business, shortening the data to decisions time frame by 30%, driving highe agility and resiliency.



Prediction 7: By 2024, 30% of the G2000 will leverage post-pandemic automation initiatives, with the role of the middle manager evolving to that of a visionary, curator, and connector, driving collective intelligence. Prediction 8: By 2025, to reduce reputational risks, 40% of G2000 companies will be forced to redesign their approaches to algorithmic decision making, providing better human oversight and explainability.

Prediction 9: By 2026, advances in computing will enable 10% of previously unsurmountable problems faced by F100 organizations to be solved by super-exponential advances in complex analytics. Prediction 10: By 2025, three-fourths of large enterprises will face blind spots due to a lack of intelligent knowledge networks and the harmonization they provide between localized and centralized intelligence. These predictions are discussed in greater detail in a new IDC FutureScape report, IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Future of Intelligence 2022 Predictions (IDC #US47913321), which is available for download at: https://www.idc.com/events/futurescape?tab=latest-research. The Future of Intelligence predictions were also presented in a webinar hosted by Chandana Gopal. Details and registration for an on-demand replay of the webinar can be found at: https://goto.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1488595&tp_key=363ea790a7. Finally, IDC has published a blog which further explores the implications of this year's Future of Intelligence predictions. The blog can be found at: https://blogs.idc.com/2021/11/08/idcs-future-of-intelligence-2022-predictions. About IDC FutureScape IDC FutureScape reports are used to shape IT strategy and planning for the enterprise by providing a basic framework for evaluating IT initiatives in terms of their value to business strategy now and in the foreseeable future. IDC's FutureScapes are comprised of a set of decision imperatives designed to identify a range of pending issues that CIOs and senior technology professionals will confront within the typical 3-year business planning cycle. To learn more about IDC FutureScape reports for 2022, please visit: https://www.idc.com/events/futurescape. About IDC's Future of Intelligence Research Practice IDC's Future of Intelligence research practice helps organizations build strategies to become learning enterprises built on evidence-based cultures. In the Future of Intelligence, organizations will rethink how they define and invest in enterprise intelligence, focusing on approaches that scale. To learn more about IDC's Future of Intelligence research practice, please visit https://www.idc.com/promo/future-of-x/intelligence About IDC International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,100 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology, IT benchmarking and sourcing, and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading tech media, data, and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter (News - Alert) at @IDC and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the IDC Blog for industry news and insights. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005797/en/

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[November 08, 2021] Axcient Named CRN's 2021 Tech Innovator Award Finalist

DENVER, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Axcient, a leader in business availability software for Managed Service Providers (MSPs), today announced that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Axcient as a finalist for the 2021 CRN Tech Innovator Awards. Axcient is being recognized for its x360Recover Direct-to-Cloud solution in the Data Protection Software category.

Axcient is focused on what MSPs say they need mostcomprehensive disaster recovery that protects them and their clients from growing cybersecurity risks like ransomware, breaches, and outages, said David Bennett, CEO at Axcient. Our roadmap was built to deliver those capabilities uniquely, with a single platform across endpoints, server, and cloud recovery that makes management simple, and including innovations like chain-free backup and AirGap technologies that provide unmatched security. We thank CRN for recognizing our commitment to an MSP partner community, building a future beyond traditional backup in a mission to Protect Everything. x360Recover Direct-to-Cloud provides hardware-free business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR), reducing risk, simplifying management, and lowering costs. Without the complexity of local appliances, MSPs can now address multiple business casesfrom local endpoint backup to full cloud-based Disaster Recoverywith a single, affordable, easy-to-use solution. Direct-to-Cloud enables MSPs to consolidate BCDR services with one reliable that continues to deliver innovation that increases security and profitability for its partners. This annual award program showcases innovative vendors in the IT channel across 47 different technology categories, in key areas ranging from cloud to storage to networking to security. To determine the winners, a panel of CRN editors reviewed hundreds of vendor products using multiple criteria, including key capabilities, uniqueness, technological ingenuity, and ability to address customer and partner needs. CRNs annual Tech Innovator Awards acknowledge technology vendors that display their ongoing commitment to empowering and enabling end-users, while also promoting continuous business growth for solution providers, with cuttin-edge, purpose-built products and services, said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. Id like to personally congratulate each one of this years CRN Tech Innovator Award winners. We are proud to recognize these best-in-class vendors that are driving transformation and innovation in the IT space.



The Tech Innovator Awards will be featured in the December issue of CRN and can be viewed online at crn.com/techinnovators. To learn more about Axcients x360Recover Direct-to-Cloud solution, please visit https://axcient.com/solutions/axcient-direct-to-cloud/.

About Axcient Axcient is an award-winning leader in business availability software for Managed Service Providers (MSPs). Axcient x360 empowers MSPs to Protect Everything by combining SaaS Backup, BCDR, and secure File Sync & Share into one platform and experience for MSPs. Trusted by MSPs worldwide, Axcient protects businesses data and continuity in the event of security breaches, human error, and natural disasters. For more information, visit www.axcient.com. Follow Axcient on LinkedIn , Facebook, and Twitter . About The Channel Company The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers, and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequalled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. Learn more at thechannelcompany.com. Follow The Channel Company: Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook Media Contact: Amanda Lee ARL Strategic Communications for Axcient [email protected]





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[November 08, 2021] Brand Disruption 2022: The IAB Annual Report On The Evolving Consumer Ecosystem

NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The COVID-19 pandemic has permanently reshaped the U.S. consumer economy. An overwhelming majority of American consumers are experimenting with new brands, and embracing new omnichannel shopping behaviors, which is setting the stage for permanently-heightened competition, according to a new study by IAB. "The Media-Retail Cartel that limited the brands to which Americans were exposed and could acquire has been infiltrated and overturned by thousands of new brands, the limitless e-commerce shelf, millions of social media influencers, and a growing streaming-media persuasion machine that, contrary to conventional wisdom, favors advertising," said Randall Rothenberg, Executive Chair, IAB and the co-author of "The IAB 2022 Brand Disruption Report." The report is the fifth annual study of what IAB terms "The Direct Brand Economy," the snowballing effect of changes in digital consumers, digital supply chain management, digital distribution, digital selling, and digital marketing. Brand Disruption Study Highlights The "storeless" economy has accelerated 200-300%: The pandemic accelerated the shift to e-commerce. It's almost at $1trillion in annual spending, and will represent nearly a quarter of all shopping in the next few years .

The pandemic accelerated the shift to e-commerce. It's almost at . Retail media networks woo disruptor brands and encumber legacy brands: Established retailers are wooing disruptor brands with preferential treatment in their retail media networks in an efort to fight for the business of Gen Z and millennials, who rarely go to retail to discover brands. Nearly half of Big Brands (vs. 29% of Disruptors) spending with retail media networks say retailers are requiring them to buy ads there.

Established retailers are wooing disruptor brands with preferential treatment in their retail media networks in an efort to fight for the business of Gen Z and millennials, who rarely go to retail to discover brands. Nearly half of Big Brands (vs. 29% of Disruptors) spending with retail media networks say retailers are requiring them to buy ads there. Delivery times shrink to 15-minutes: Brick-and-mortar retail is shifting to an Amazon-like never-ending instant gratification machine, an "On-Demand Economy" model built around DTC delivery times as short as 15-minutes.

Brick-and-mortar retail is shifting to an Amazon-like never-ending instant gratification machine, an "On-Demand Economy" model built around DTC delivery times as short as 15-minutes. The barrier between physical and digital shopping is now completely eradicated: Local delivery, click-and-collect, and BOPIS (buy online, pick up in store) are up 45%, 52%, and 125% respectively .

Local delivery, click-and-collect, and BOPIS (buy online, pick up in store) are . Big Brands Use DTC Playbook: Big brands are racing to reinvent themselves, with eight out of 10 brands now working with influencers  with the largest growth among nano-influencers.



"Our 2022 Brand Disruption Report proves categorically that brands matter more than ever  but it's a radically different world now," said Chris Bruderle, Senior Director, Research & Analytics, IAB. "The new reality is permanent, there exists a 'no-rest-for-the-weary' competition for share among incumbents, disruptors, and their marketing partners." Consumer Privacy Battles Are Upending Marketing Planning

95% of brands are adjusting their data strategies because of political and browser pressures over privacy. That pressure is driving an advertising gold rush to streaming video. 84% of advertising buyers increasing spend on CTV say consumer privacy issues contributed to their increases. The race to first-party data is on, with nearly twice as many incumbents as disruptors increasing their data investment, resources, or initiatives since the COVID-19 outbreak began.

Who will own the future? Disruptor brand holding companies aspire to become the next P&G

No less than seven emerging DTC holding companies are vying to become the Procter & Gamble of the Direct Brand Economy, and have accrued hundreds of millions of dollars in funding this year: Thrasio, Berlin Brands, Elevate Brands, Suma Brands, Branded, Perch, and Foundry. The full report will be released at the Annual IAB Brand Disruption Summit held Monday, November 8 through Wednesday, November 10, 2021, and is available here . About IAB

The Interactive Advertising Bureau empowers the media and marketing industries to thrive in the digital economy. Its membership comprises more than 650 leading media companies, brands, and the technology firms responsible for selling, delivering, and optimizing digital ad marketing campaigns. The trade group fields critical research on interactive advertising, while also educating brands, agencies, and the wider business community on the importance of digital marketing. In affiliation with the IAB Tech Lab, IAB develops technical standards and solutions. IAB is committed to professional development and elevating the knowledge, skills, expertise, and diversity of the workforce across the industry. Through the work of its public policy office in Washington, D.C., the trade association advocates for its members and promotes the value of the interactive advertising industry to legislators and policymakers. Founded in 1996, IAB is headquartered in New York City. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/brand-disruption-2022-the-iab-annual-report-on-the-evolving-consumer-ecosystem-301418150.html SOURCE Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB)

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[November 08, 2021] Following $20M Funding, Emerging Utah Technology Company Udo Announces First Acquisition: Smile Virtual

On the heels of $20M in funding, Udo, LLC (Udo.com, creator of the new video healthcare collaboration app Udo Care) today announced its first acquisition: Phoenix-based virtual care company Smile Virtual. Udo improves healthcare collaboration and strengthens communication and connections between providers and their patients through a video platform that revolutionizes and simplifies provider service for patients at the highest levels. Today's acquisition is natural outgrowth of work between the two companies in early use of the Udo platform. Through this work, the alignment in the company's culture and vision became increasingly evident and has dovetailed perfectly. As a combined entity, two teams and connected platforms will allow a patient to experience a virtul consult in Smile Virtual that is further empowered by ongoing video communication and collaboration in Udo.



With this acquisition, the work of both teams will accelerate more quickly as Udo scales Smile Virtual's platform and further advance Udo's vision of a world connected and empowered through advanced video communication and innovation. The acquisition increases Udo's customer base by 450 virtual consult subscribers and 40 elite subscribers. More importantly, the new customer base serves as a body of influencers and potential early adopters of Udo in dentistry. The proven methods, strategy of Smile Virtual and experience of Dr. Brian Harris will expedite and strengthen Udo's go to market strategy.

Udo anticipates adding 15-20 new employees in 2022 to accommodate the immediate opportunities Smile Virtual brings. Additionally, Smile Virtual Co-Founder Dr. Brian Harris will join the Udo executive team as Chief Strategy Officer. With Smile Virtual, Udo will continue to transform the healthcare industry by empowering patients to play a more active role in their healthcare journey. This partnership will create better outcomes for healthcare professionals and their patients by providing video communication throughout the entire patient experience. Udo's mission aligns closely to what Smile Virtual brings to healthcare, says Udo Co-Founder and CEO, Danny Frasure: "With this acquisition we are transforming the doctor/patient relationship and empowering patients to control their health story." Elaborating on this, Udo Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, Dr. Ryan Facer states that "we are giving providers immediate access to the most relevant information, in context, to ensure better patient outcomes." Udo plans to continue serving Smile Virtual customers while providing enhanced service and benefits. About Smile Virtual Smile Virtual helps connect dentists with patients looking to improve their smile. They work with hundreds of practices to bridge the communication gap between dentist and patient and alleviate the burden that impacts them both in unique ways. The leading HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability) compliant virtual care solution completely revolutionizing the dental experience. To learn more about Smile Virtual, visit smilevirtual.com. About Udo Udo is a privately held communications technology company nestled among the Wasatch Mountains in Farmington, Utah. Udo has created a HIPAA-compliant, video-based technology that connects providers directly to their patients in a new and unique way. Patients can also invite their friends and family members to participate in their healthcare journey. Udo has gathered leaders and experts, in both business and healthcare, under the unified vision to connect and empower humanity through innovation. To learn more about Udo, visit udo.com. #DigitalHealth #Healthcare #VideoCommunications View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005827/en/

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[November 08, 2021] IDT Welcomes BOSS Money

The New Brand for IDTs Popular Digital Money Transfer Service

Newark, NJ, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IDT Corporation (NYSE: IDT), a global provider of fintech, cloud communications and traditional communications services, today unveiled BOSS Money, the new brand for IDTs popular digital international remittance service. BOSS Money has grown rapidly in the past few years and continues to innovate with exciting new features and more destinations around the world. To better reflect the significant changes in our service, we have updated our brand identity with a new name and next generation logo. BOSS Money succinctly encapsulates our established and trusted BOSS Revolution brand while highlighting our focus on cross-border financial transactions, said Jessica Poverene, IDTs EVP of Marketing. BOSS Money remittances and IDTs rapidly growing mobile top-up are available on the BOSS Money App. The free App has earned exceptional praise from customers, garnering 4.8 and 4.7 star ratings out of 5 on the App Store and Google Play, respectively. First time users can try the money transfer service in the BOSS MoneyBOSS Money.



IDT continues to build out its global value transfer network. BOSS Money remittances are now available from the U.S. to over 40 popular destination countries, with over 325,000 points of payment in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia. IDTs mobile top-up service now provides international top-ups to recipients in over 160 countries, representing the substantial majority of the worlds 5+ billion mobile users. About IDT Corporation:

IDT Corporation (NYSE: IDT) is a global provider of fintech, cloud and traditional communications services. We make it easy for families to communicate and support each other across international borders. We also enable businesses to transact and communicate with their customers with enhanced intelligence and insight. Our BOSS Money branded international remittance service and BOSS Revolution branded international calling service make sending money and speaking with friends and family around the world convenient and reliable. National Retail Solutions  (NRS) point-of-sale retail network enables independent retailers to operate and process transactions more effectively while providing advertisers and consumer marketers with unprecedented reach into underserved consumer markets. net2phone s unified communications as a service solution provides businesses with intelligently integrated cloud communications and collaboration tools across channels and devices. Our IDT Carrier Services and IDT Express wholesale offerings enable communications companies to provision and manage international voice and SMS services. Contact:

Bill Ulrey

IDT Investor Relations

Phone: (973) 438-3838

E-mail: [email protected] # # #



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[November 08, 2021] Kyligence Named a Finalist for CRN's 2021 Tech Innovator Award

SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kyligence , originator of Apache Kylin and developer of the AI-augmented data services and management platform Kyligence Cloud , announced today that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Kyligence as a Finalist for the 2021 CRN Tech Innovator Awards. Kyligence is being recognized for Kyligence Cloud 4.5 in the Big Data category. This annual award program showcases innovative vendors in the IT channel across 47 different technology categories, in key areas ranging from cloud to storage to networking to security. To determine the winners, a panel of CRN editors reviewed hundreds of vendor products using multiple criteria, including key capabilities, uniqueness, technological ingenuity and ability to address customer and partner needs. Kyligence Cloud 4.5 is a self-tuning analytics platform that powers interactive data applications, dashboards, ad-hoc exploration, and real-time analytics on streaming data. With Kyligence Smart Tiered Storage and Apache Kylin based OLAP technology, Kyligence Cloud 4.5 accelerates analytical queries and ad-hoc analysis in a single platform. Additionally, Kyligence Real-time offers a hybrid analytics model that can analyze both historical and real-time data. CRNs annual Tech Innovator Awards acknowledge technology vendors that display their ongoing commitment to empowering and enabling end users, while also promoting continuous business growth for solution providers, with cutting-edge, purpose-built products and services, said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. Id like to personally congratulate each and every one of this years CRN Tech Innovator Award winners. We are proud to recognize these best-in-class vendors that are driving transformation and innovation in the IT space. Kyligences cloud platform enables highly automated data services and data management, with machine learning and AI technology at its core, said Li Kang, Vice President, North America, Kyligence. Our ability to identify and anage the most valuable data in multi-cloud environments with high-performance, high-concurrency data services is a game changer. We are honored to be recognized for our commitment to support data analysis and new data applications, while continuously optimizing cloud costs.?



The Tech Innovator Awards is featured in the December issue of CRN and can be viewed online at crn.com/techinnovators Tweet this: @Kyligence Named a Finalist for CRNs 2021 Tech Innovator Award #cloud #bigdataanalytics https://kyligence.io/newsroom/

About Kyligence

Founded by the creators of Apache Kylin, Kyligence Cloud provides an intelligent analytics performance layer that sits between data sources and BI tools. Kyligence features an AI-Augmented learning engine to ensure peak performance and vastly simplified data modeling. The result is sub-second query response time for BI, SQL, OLAP, and Excel users even against petabytes of data.

Kyligence is headquartered in San Jose, CA. Investors include Redpoint Ventures, Cisco, China Broadband Capital, Shunwei Capital, Eight Roads Ventures (the proprietary investment arm of Fidelity International Limited), and Coatue Management. Kyligence serves a global customer base that includes UBS, Costa, Appzen, McDonalds, YUM, LOREAL, Porsche, Xactly, China Merchants Bank, and China Construction Bank.

Follow Kyligence on LinkedIn and Twitter .

About The Channel Company

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers, and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequalled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. Thechannelcompany.com Follow The Channel Company: Twitter , LinkedIn , and Facebook  2021 The Channel Company, LLC. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved. The Channel Company Contact:

Jennifer Hogan

The Channel Company

[email protected] Kyligence Contact:

Kim Pegnato

33 Vine Communications

[email protected]

781-835-7118



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[November 08, 2021] UNITE HERE Local 5 Launches Website Monitoring Ongoing Federal False Claims Act Whistle Blower Lawsuit Against Kaiser Permanente

UNITE HERE Local 5 has launched a website to monitor and track the progress of a False Claim Act action against healthcare provider Kaiser Permanente. UNITE HERE Local 5's website will make court document filings and other information about the ongoing False Claims Act lawsuit against Kaiser Permanente available at www.KaiserWhistleBlowerCaseWatch.org. UNITE HERE Local 5 reports that on July 30th 2021, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it intervened in parts of the consolidated False Claims Act lawsuits against Kaiser Permanente. In part, the DOJ alleged in its press release, "In order to increase its Medicare reimbursements, Kaiser allegedly pressured its physicians to create addenda to medical records after the patient encounter, often months or over a year later, to add risk-adjusting diagnoses that patients did not actually hae and/or were not actually considered or addressed during the encounter, in violation of Medicare requirements."



The case is United States ex rel. Osinek v. Kaiser Permanente, Case No. 3:13-cv-03891-EMC (News - Alert) (N.D. Cal. filed Aug. 22, 2013). The Department of Justice's Complaint in Intervention filed on October 25, 2021, can be read at: https://www.kaiserwhistleblowercasewatch.org/court-documents/. UNITE HERE Local 5 will make new court documents and other information obtained about the case and the issues it raises available on the website as the case progresses.

According to UNITE HERE Local 5, six different False Claims Act lawsuits against Kaiser were consolidated into the Osinek case. One of those lawsuits also included claims on behalf of the State of California under the California False Claims Act. Bicocca v. Permanente Medical Group, et al, Case No. 3:21-cv-03124-EMC (E.D. Cal. filed February 10, 2020). The California False Claims Act allegations involved claims submitted to the California Public Employee Retirement System (CalPERS). The State of California has not intervened in these cases. Filings from Bicocca and the other consolidated cases are available on UNITE HERE Local 5's website. About UNITE HERE Local 5 - UNITE HERE Local 5 is the Hawaii affiliate of the North American UNITE HERE labor union that represents workers in gaming, hospitality and foodservice industries. UNITE HERE Local 5 represents over 11,000 healthcare, hotel and airport workers in the state of Hawaii. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005048/en/

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[November 08, 2021] Scott Cook Named to LeaseLock Advisory Board

LeaseLock, the world's leading insurtech platform for real estate, today announced the addition of MEB Management Service Principal, and former Greystar Real Estate Partners Chief Financial Officer, Scott Cook to the LeaseLock Advisory Board. Cook spent 15 years with Greystar in a variety of roles, including CFO of the company's property management division, and was a driving force behind several key initiatives and acquisitions. He also oversaw more than 400,000 apartment homes and more than 6,000 team members. "We're seeing multifamily finally transition away from traditional security deposits, and LeaseLock is leading that movement," Cook said. "LeaseLock is unlike any legacy deposit alternative because they are the only solution designed to fully replace deposits across an entire portfolio. Lowering bad debt, ensuring legislation compliance and improving the resident experience are all key metrics operators are looking for and LeaseLock delivers all of them. I'm excited to participate in this industry-transforming moment through my role on their advisory board." Cook and fellow advisory board members will be tasked with helping guide the direction and evolution of LeaseLock's insurtech solution, which replaces traditional security deposits and surety bons by insuring the lease contract itself, rather than the deposit. As the only AI-powered insurance technology platform for rental housing providers, LeaseLock integrates into native property software systems and back-office workflows to deliver a seamless experience for both onsite teams and residents.



"Our advantage at LeaseLock is a product design philosophy that melds bleeding edge technology with time-tested multifamily operating systems and practices. We drive success by aligning with top multifamily executives to help guide our innovation process, and Scott Cook is one of the most prominent and highly respected figures in our industry," said LeaseLock Chief Revenue Officer Ed Wolff. "We're honored to add Scott's voice, vision and industry expertise to the LeaseLock Advisory Board." LeaseLock's preferred plan uses technology to automatically insure every lease with $3,000 in coverage. LeaseLock clients reclaim bad debt while drastically reducing deposit administration and regulatory risk. The latest upgrade introduces a new AI-powered risk platform that prescribes coverage for each asset based on historical loss data and continuously monitors changing risk to optimize protection levels. By eliminating the upfront financial barrier caused by deposits, LeaseLock generates coverage on 92% of all new leases.

NMHC Top 50 operator LeaseLock clients include Greystar, Cushman & Wakefield, Avenue5 Residential, Harbor Group Management Co., LMC, and RKW Residential. Top ownership clients include Goldman Sachs, ColRich, GoldCor, Olive Tree, TruAmerica, White Oak, Trinsic (News - Alert), Strata Equity Group, Goodman Real Estate, PGIM , Western Wealth Capital and Rockstar Capital. About Us LeaseLock is the world's leading insurtech platform for real estate. We provide lease insurance to eliminate security deposits from the rental housing industry-removing complexity for residents and operators while creating superior financial performance for asset owners. Powered by artificial intelligence, we optimize coverage by property to better protect owners-resulting in industry-leading bad debt reduction. LeaseLock is deployed seamlessly within existing property software to increase lease conversion, drastically reduce deposit administration and regulatory risk, and improve the resident experience. LeaseLock has insured over $2 billion in leases backed by insurance rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best. Our global investors include SoftBank Ventures Asia, Wildcat Ventures, Westerly Winds, Vertex (News - Alert) Ventures US, Liberty Mutual Strategic Ventures, American Family Ventures, Moderne Ventures, and Mucker Capital. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108006001/en/

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[November 08, 2021] Intellinetics Announces Date of Third Quarter 2021 Results

Conference Call COLUMBUS, OH, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intellinetics, Inc. (OTCQB: INLX) will hold a conference call to discuss its financial results for the third quarter of 2021 on Monday, November 15, 2021, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The conference call can be accessed by dialing +1 929 205 6099 and providing passcode 85099664186#. If you are unable to participate during the live call, a replay of the conference call will be available approximately two hours after the completion of the call through November 30, 2021. To listen to the replay, the call will be archived on the company's website at https://www.intellinetics.com/company-news/.



Disclosure Information Intellinetics uses and intends to continue to use its Investor Relations website as a means of disclosing material nonpublic information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, investors should monitor the companys Investor Relations website, in addition to following the companys press releases, SEC filings, and any public conference calls, presentations, and/or webcasts.

About Intellinetics, Inc. Intellinetics, Inc. (OTCQB: INLX) empowers organizations to manage, store and protect their important documents and data. The company offers its IntelliCloudTM content management platform, in addition to business process outsourcing (BPO), document and micrographics scanning services, and records storage. Intellinetics guides companies through the digital transformation process to reduce risk, strengthen compliance and enable anytime, anywhere access to mission critical forms and documents. From highly regulated industries like Healthcare/Human Service Providers, K-12, Public Safety, and State and Local Governments, to businesses looking to move away from paper-based processes, Intellinetics is the all-in-one, compliant, document management solution. For additional information, please visit www.intellinetics.com. CONTACT:

Joe Spain, CFO

Intellinetics, Inc.

614.921.8170 [email protected]



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[November 08, 2021] Museum of Public Relations to Hold Industry's First-Ever Event to Honor Native Americans in Communications

New York City, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (via NGO Wire) Native American communications professionals will discuss the growing importance of their roles in community relations, tribal communications, public affairs and health communications at a free event Nov. 11, 6-8pm ETC over Zoom, and broadcast over the CommPro network. This is the first time the industry has ever paid tribute to Native Americans in our field. Keynote speaker will be Mark Trahant, editor of Indian Country Today, the leading online source of news for the Native American community. Moderator will be Catherine Hernandez Blades, senior vice president, Communications for SAIC. Panelists represent tribes throughout North America, including in Alaska and Canad.



"It is critical for our industry to begin recognizing the important work of our indigenous colleagues, and we're thankful that during this year's Native American Heritage Month, we are finally able to produce such an event," said Shelley Spector, founder, Museum of Public Relations. "As the misrepresentation of Native Americans continues to be so flagrant in sports, film, and consumer products-- not to mention in the history books-- it's more important than ever for us to work together to help erase these degrading stereotypes from our popular culture." Spector says she hopes that the event will inspire more indigenuous students and young professionals will seek careers in public relations. She also hopes that the event will "finally" put Native Americans on the industry's DEI agenda, and become recognized as important members of the greater PR community.

For registration and sponsor info: https://www.prmuseum.org/111121-the-growing-role-of-native-americans-in-public-relations



Shelley Spector The Museum of Public Relations [email protected]

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[November 08, 2021] Juniper II Corp. Announces Full Exercise of Over-Allotment Option and Closing of $299 Million Initial Public Offering

Juniper II Corp. (the "Company") announced today the closing of its initial public offering of 29,900,000 units, including 3,900,000 units sold pursuant to the full exercise of the underwriters' over-allotment option, at a price of $10.00 per unit. Total gross proceeds from the offering were $299,000,000, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses. The units began trading on the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE") under the ticker symbol "JUN.U" on November 4, 2021. Each unit consists of one share of Class A common stock of the Company and one-half of one warrant, with each whole warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock of the Company at a price of $11.50 per share. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, the shares of Class A common stock and warrants are expected to be listed on the NYSE under the symbols "JUN" and "JUN WS," respectively. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and UBS Securities LLC acted as joint book-running managers for the offering. The offering has been made only by means of a prospectus. Copies of the prospectus may be obtained from Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10014, or by email at [email protected]; or UBS Securities LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 1285 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019, by telephone at (888) 827-7275 or by email at [email protected].



A registration statement relating to the securities became effective on November 3, 2021 in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. About Juniper II Corp.

Led by former Honeywell (News - Alert) International Inc. veterans, Roger Fradin and Murray Grainger, Juniper II Corp. is a blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. The Company's efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular industry, although it intends to focus its search for a target business within the industrial sector. Juniper II Corp. follows the previously announced business combination between Janus International Group, Inc. ("Janus"), Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. and Juniper Industrial Holdings, Inc. Janus is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of turn-key building solutions and new access control technologies for the self-storage and other commercial and industrial sectors, which began trading on June 8, 2021 on the NYSE under the ticker symbol "JBI." Forward Looking Statements This press release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements," including with respect to the listing on the NYSE of the shares and warrants underlying the units. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of the Company's registration statement and prospectus for the Company's offering filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC (News - Alert)"). Copies are available on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108005980/en/

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[November 08, 2021] Shapeways Revises Third Quarter 2021 Conference Call Time

Shapeways, Inc. ("Shapeways") a leader in the large and fast-growing digital manufacturing industry, today announced that it will hold its conference call and webcast at 5:30 p.m. ET on Monday, November 15, 2021, instead of at its prior announced time of 5:00 p.m. The Company will still release its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2021, after the market close on Monday, November 15, 2021. To participate in the call, please dial 1-844-826-3033, or 1-412-317-5185 for international participants, ten minutes before the scheduled start. Participants may also access the call via live webcast by visiting the investors section of the Company's website at shapeways.com. A replay will be avalable on Monday, November 15, 2021, beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET through 11:59 p.m. ET, Monday, November 29, 2021. To access the replay, please dial 1-844-512-2921, or 1-412-317-6671 for international participants, and reference pass code 10161894. A webcast of the replay will also be available by visiting the investors section of the Company's website at shapeways.com.



About Shapeways Shapeways Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SHPW) is a leading digital manufacturing platform provider offering customers access to high-quality manufacturing from start to finish through automation, innovation and digitization. The company's purpose-built Otto software, wide selection of materials and technologies, and global supply chain lower manufacturing barriers and speed delivery of quality products. Shapeways' digital manufacturing services have empowered more than one million customers worldwide to produce more than 21 million parts using 11 different technologies and 90 different materials and finishes. Headquartered in New York City, Shapeways has ISO 9001-compliant manufacturing facilities in Long Island City, N.Y., and the Netherlands and a network of innovative partners around the globe. It was founded in 2008 and spun-out of the Lifestyle Incubator of Royal Philips Electronics (News - Alert) in 2010.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211108006105/en/

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It's unlikely to make the news but a spate of gunfire near downtown resonated amongst thousands of Kansas City residents tonight.



The sound of bullets firing is common in the KCMO urban core and seems to disprove so many law enforcement promises touting "shot spotter" surveillance technology.

This evening a series of gunfire at around 6 PM was widely reported on the Nextdoor app, Facebook, the ring network and other technologies.

Here at TKC HQ the shots were clear as a bell and sent a flurry of texts and calls my way.

Attempting to get just a bit of exercise after too much take out and a pumpkin spice latte . . . I was outside and also heard the nearby gunfire which "inspired" me to quicken my pace AND remember that I need to pick up more underwear from Target.

Thankfully, I'm fine and I was happy to get so many concerned messages . . . But, again, the reality is that gunfire in KCMO urban core is commonplace.

Here's why that's important to understand . . .



- Mayor Q and the council continue to wage a political war with police and fight over budget "reallocation" that's really tantamount to defunding.



- The reality of local violence has NOTHING to due with 2nd Amendment protections. There are plenty of gun laws on the books and so far they haven't helped to curb violence or rampant gunfire.



- After the spate of shooting . . . There weren't any police sirens or any further inquiry. Life pretty much went on as usual. For most of us . . .

And so . . .

We share this story in order to convey that for so many Kansas City residents the rising quotient of violence isn't theoretical but a very REAL aspect of every day life.

Developing . . .


Mayor Q is blaming gun laws for rising crime.



In a nationwide TV appearance, here's his money line . . .



"The volume of crime. The volume of incidents. On a night in Kansas City, you can have multiple people shot. In the same way that if you have a severe storm hit a city, we bring in federal resources to help us with that crisis. This is the problem with gun violence right now in some of America's major cities. Particularly in the Midwest, particularly in Missouri."



"Mayor Lucas says he's concerned that under Missouri state law, people convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors are still allowed to have a gun."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .
It's an open question given the decidedly anti-police talking points taken up by the editorial board.



Here's the word from a white lady touted as a two-time Pulitzer finalist . . .



"What were the odds that on the same day in the same midsize, Middle American town, 1) a white police officer would, for the first time in Kansas City history, go on trial for killing a Black man and 2) a Missouri prosecutor would, also for the first time, under a new state law, get to argue in court that an innocent, 62-year-old Black Kansas City man should at last go free, 43 years after his wrongful conviction by an all-white jury? Impossible, right? Yet these two improbable proceedings, each of them groundbreaking . . . "

This might be award winning journalistic commentary . . . Or not.



Fact is . . . This cowtown is struggling with hiring more cops and we notice newspaper editorials consistently criticizing police but rarely questioning the activist narrative that also deserves a bit of skepticism.

We're merely asking the question that might deserve a bit of consideration as the fortunes of the old school media company continue to erode.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link to a column that might be behind the paywall . . .
Today's lesson in #NEXTGEN politics . . .



A glimpse at the sitch . . .



"Hundreds of Shawnee Mission North High School students walked out of class Monday morning because of what they say are unresolved issues associated with sexual assaults on and near campus."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .

Hundreds of students walk out at Shawnee Mission North High School because of sexual assaults OVERLAND PARK, KS (KCTV) -- Hundreds of Shawnee Mission North High School students walked out of class Monday morning because of what they say are unresolved issues associated with sexual assaults on and near campus. About 250 walked out mid-morning, many carrying signs with anti-assault messages like, "Protect the victims, not the assailants," "It's not a joke," and, "If you don't do something, we will."

Shawnee Mission North students stage walkout on Johnson Drive KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Dozens of students at Shawnee Mission North High School staged a walkout Monday morning. According to a KSHB 41 photographer at the scene, students walked north from the school across Johnson Drive toward a local coffee shop on the north side of the road.

Developing . . .
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.



Sisak reported from New York. Associated Press Writers Zeke Miller, Ben Fox, Gary Fields, Hope Yen and Ashraf Khalil contributed to this report.
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
APSpeaking: Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. speaks during his State of the City address June 21 at City Hall in Hammond. McDermott Jr. acknowledged on Friday he smoked marijuana at two recent Grateful Dead concerts in Chicago and pledged he would work to legalize marijuana.nationwide if he winsA election next year to the U.S. Senate
I think you said you were staying at Barcelo.

I went to the Hotel Review section for you. I clicked on Barcelo. Just above the review section there is a search bar. I typed in test so that any review with that word would show up. Heres what someone said in August:

 Oh, and we needed a covid test to return home to Oregon and had that done yesterday here on site. It was super easy and we had the results in about an hour. 

If for any reason Barcelo is no longer doing the Antigen Covid tests on-site (which Im sure they are) you can walk to St. Lukes clinic on Blvd Antonio Mijares in about 15 minutes. Just make sure you get your test within 24 hours of your flight and youll be fine. They will email you the results. You can see the clinic on Google Maps. It is at the corner of Blvd Antonio Mijares and Paseo de Los Misiones right before Drinking Time bar at the Artisans Mall.
Hi everyone

I was wondering if someone could help, we are due to fly to Hurghada next week, myself and partner are fully vaccinated. Our daughter aged 6 is traveling with us, does she require a PCR test before we depart? I am looking for clarification because on the Easyjet website ( I have copied it and pasted it below) it says ' Exceptions - Passengers arriving directly at Hurghada (HRG), Marsa Alam (RMF), Sharm El Sheikh (SSH) or Taba (TCP) and I now wondering if we are flying straight from the UK to Hurghada she now no longer needs the PCR test? The Uk government website hasn't changed but wondering if someone can confirm if we should get her PCR test or not.

Thank you for your help in advance.

Natali =]

Before Arrival

All non-vaccinated passengers must present a negative COVID-19 test result. The time window in which passengers must have been tested depends on the origin of the passenger.

Passengers from Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China (People's Rep.), Colombia, Ecuador, France (Paris only), Germany (Frankfurt only), Guyana, Italy (Rome only), Japan, Korea (Rep.), Mexico, New-Zealand, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Thailand, USA, United Kingdom (London Heathrow only), Uruguay or Venezuela.

RT-PCR test taken 96 hours before departure

Test type accepted: RT-PCR.

Time window: at most 96 hours before departure of the last direct flight to Egypt.

Applicable age: Travelers over 6 years of age.

Keep in mind:

The test must be based on a nasal or oral swab.

The test result must have a stamp of the issuing laboratory or a QR code.

A COVID-19 RT-PCR test used to depart Egypt becomes invalid for re-entry in all cases.

Exceptions:

Passengers under 6 years of age.

Passengers arriving directly at Hurghada (HRG), Marsa Alam (RMF), Sharm El Sheikh (SSH) or Taba (TCP).
Approximately one in three Connecticut households use natural gas for heating, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Another 16 percent of the states consumers heat their homes using electricity. That might explain why Gov. Ned Lamont used a full-court press on Friday in attempt to reassure Connecticut residents that a surge in energy prices, while painful to consumers, isnt as bad here as it is elsewhere.

Lamont, several of his commissioners and Marissa Gillett, chairwoman of the states Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, each took turns explaining what is causing the price increase and what Connecticut is doing to mitigate those increases.

Were getting more energy independent, the governor said. But we dont have as much control of our energy as we should. Its a complicated mess.

Before Lamont even approached the podium at the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection headquarters in Hartford, Eversource Energy had announced its residential natural gas customers will see a 14 percent or $30 increase in typical monthly bills compared to their average monthly winter heating outlays in 2020.

Officials at Southern Connecticut Gas and Connecticut Natural Gas declined to provide Hearst Connecticut Media with details on how much their customers fuel prices would be rising as a result of energy price surge.

We are advising customers via bill messages, online, and via email that natural gas energy supply prices are expected to increase and that we are here to help them manage their use and costs, said Susan Millerick, a spokesperson for the two utilities, which are owned by Orange-based Avangrid.

She said Avangrids gas companies do not set the commodity costs of natural gas. While we do not control the price, we can help customers manage their overall cost by reducing waste and stabilizing bills.

Rich Sobolewski, the states acting consumer counsel, said Connecticut residential electric customers pay lower generation service rates than their counterparts in New Hampshire and Massachusetts and about the same as households in Rhode Island.

A variety of factors is contributing to the surge in natural gas prices, according to Sobolewski.

Were coming out of period in the pandemic where we saw the lowest electric rates per kilowatt hour ... in about a decade, he said. All of a sudden, the economy is going again, but there is not a lot of energy production. And of the amount that is taking place in the United States, about 10 percent of natural gas thats produced here is being shipped right out to other parts of the world.

Only 16 percent of Connecticut residents use electricity to heat their homes, according to the Energy Information Administration. But those who do and have Eversource provide their electricity will see average standard offer service supply charges increase by $31 per month, or 21 percent, starting in January, according to Mitch Gross, an Eversource spokesperson.

Gross said the figure is based on a customer who uses 700 kilowatts per month.

Customers of UI who have homes heated by electricity and use 700 kilowatt hours per month will see their electric bills increase by $18.34 or 10.4 percent.

With energy prices rising, Chris Herb, president of the Connecticut Energy Marketers Association in Cromwell, lays the blame for surging natural gas and electricity prices at the feet of the natural gas industry. Thats hardly a surprise since CEMA represents the state independent home heating oil dealers.

Obviously, the canary in the coal mine was natural gas, Herb said. Natural gas prices started to move really strong in the summer, then we started to see the liquid products come in from behind.

DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said Connecticut officials are doing everything they can to move the state away from using natural gas and toward renewable energy sources like solar and wind power.

Since 2012, the DEEP has procured 710 megawatts of generating capacity in grid-scale solar and 1,108 megawatts of offshore wind. The state agency has also invested in more than 445 megawatts of energy efficiency  clean energy supply alternatives that reduce fossil fuel dependence.

Whether its our efforts at the regional grid level to reduce reliance on natural gas and diversify our generation mix, increased oversight over electricity supply procurement, access to energy efficiency programs and incentives, energy bill assistance, or access to COVID-19 funding for utility bill relief, the state has been looking out for residents, Dykes said.

David Cohen, executive vice president of Standard Oil of Connecticut, said the state needs to be cautious about too much reliance on renewables.

Europe is becoming very heavily dependent on wind, Cohen said. It wasnt as windy, so theyve had to switch over to natural gas and prices have spiked. The price of natural gas has really gone up significantly, more than doubled.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
State Rep. Anne Dauphinais in October compared Gov. Ned Lamont to Adolf Hitler, specifically his COVID vaccine policy for state employees and mask mandates.

The Republican, who represents Killingly and Plainfield in eastern Connecticut, later said she would not apologize for the comparison, but wanted to clarify what she meant: He was acting like Hitler in the early 1930s, she said.

To date, he has not called for putting the unvaccinated in camps, she said of Lamont.

Later that month, the official state GOP twitter account engaged in a back-and-forth about how Nazis were left wing because they were the National Socialist Party.

The party name was National Socialist, one tweet said. Are socialists all of a sudden right-wing because you wish it so?

Experts and advocates say misappropriation of WWII-era terminology is a national trend that has seeped into local politics, one that denigrates the memory of victims of genocide.

It is actually dangerous to democracy, Quinnipaic University politics professor Scott McLean said. It trivializes the real historical fact of the Holocaust and Hitler's policies, and leads us to say, Oh, well, this is just what politicians do. We don't need to pay attention to this.

Avinoam Patt, professor or Jewish studies at the University of Connecticut, called it a form of Holocaust denial.

If any political agenda can invoke the memory of the Holocaust to its own ends, the facts of what did occur during World War II will become distorted and questioned, eventually eroding memory, he said. Using the Holocaust to score political points trivializes the systematic persecution and murder of Jews across Europe.

Political strategy

McLean said comparing mask and vaccine mandates to Nazi Germany is not really about mask and vaccine mandates.

The strategy behind the comparison of COVID mandates with Hitler is not so much to debate or change the policy today, but to polarize the public in the name of longer-term electoral advantage, he said.

Patt agreed. When opponents of government mandates invoke symbols like yellow stars, Hitler, the Gestapo and deportation trains, they are manipulating historical memory for political purposes, he said.

The governor is not Hitler; the government is not marking people with yellow stars; the government is not persecuting and ostracizing a specific group, targeting them for mass extermination, Patt said. The historical analogy is completely false.

McLean said the ultimate purpose is to rally the political base.

That keeps the base fired up, so that they'll come out to those rallies, they'll keep tweeting, he said. They'll spread these kinds of, you can call them memes or figures of speech, these spread around social media, and they'll vote and they'll also believe things like there's a conspiracy.

Michael Bloom, executive director of the Jewish Federation Association of Connecticut, said use of Holocaust-era rhetoric to criticize COVID policies clearly seems to be coordinated.

I don't know where it's coming from, but it seems a lot of the wording and the messaging you see among elected and non-elected leaders, community members, congressmen and women seem to be the same messaging, he said. There's multiple incidents, so it cant be just coincidence. It's clearly the same set of people pushing the same tropes, pushing the same disinformation.

Both-sidesism

Politicians have demonized their opponents for as long as there have been politicians, but McLean said this is not politics as usual.

When we simply say 'politicians and partisans have always used overheated and hyperbolic rhetoric to denigrate their opponents,' and that this is the same as that, I think that misses the point, he said. It trivializes the Holocaust. It says that saying you need to get a shot in order to go to school is comparable to the gassing of 6 million Jews in Europe. And it's offensive to the memory of those victims.

Both Democrats and Republicans have used the specter of WWII-era imagery and terminology to their political ends.

It should have been big news when they called Donald Trump a Nazi, and when they compared Donald Trump to Hitler, said Ben Proto, chair of the Connecticut Republican Party.

When state Sen. Matt Lesser, D-Middletown, saw people carrying tiki torches at a rally for Virginia governor-elect Glenn Youngkin, he tweeted, I did Nazi that coming.

That tweet was deleted. When asked why he deleted the tweet, Lesser said, because it was dumb, and he recognized it was in poor taste pretty quickly.

It was a dumb tweet, he said. I took it down because it was a dumb tweet.

While he acknowledged that both Republicans and Democrats have made comparisons between modern policies and politicians and those who rose to prominence in 1930s Germany, Bloom said much of the responsibility falls on conservative shoulders.

President Trump did not create antisemitism or the use of these tropes, but he certainly normalized it and gave it a platform and made it OK to do and say these things, he said.

McLean said insistence makes all the difference.

Some Democrats have made gaffes and have made this comparison and either apologized or pulled it down, he said. But there are Republican politicians who have been doubling down on this. So, it's not just the analogy, it's not just that it came to Connecticut, but it's also the fact that elected officials are in fact, insisting on it and doubling down on it.

Proto said he would much rather engage in debates over policy.

I hope it stops, he said. I dont think it advances the political discourse in a positive way. It doesn't solve any problems, it creates more problems. Both sides seem to think that this is the way to go.

While McLean warned against what he called both-sidesism, he said, there are reasonable arguments that can be made against mask mandates and vaccine mandates.

It is good when a democracys citizens know history, and can use history to evaluate current political trends, he said. "Comparison allows us to recognize the emergence of new forms of genocide or anti-democratic trends in the world. However, when opponents of COVID-related mandates compare themselves to the victims of Hitlers genocide, it tends to trivialize the horrors of genocide in our public consciousness.

National and international

Images of vaccine syringes placed in the shape of a swastika have been seen at anti-vaccine rallies, but McLean said the analogy began long before the coronavirus pandemic.

This is a trend that has been growing around the country in different places, for at least five or six years. The first time I noticed it was around 2015, he said. The foundation had been laid for talking about vaccines in this way that compares vaccine mandates to the Holocaust.

This is not something new, Proto said. The word Nazi has been thrown around for 75 years.

Whats changed, he said, is social media has made this sort of expression easier to proliferate.

People are more emboldened on social media than they are in person, Proto said. We live in a five-second news cycle. Its easy for people to do or say things that they wouldn't usually do or say if they were in front of a person.

McLean called it red meat for a political base.

We've seen it in social media, and tweets, by various figures on the right, whether they're elected or whether or not elected, he said. Trying to paint the Democratic Party as a socialist party, and also, in some weird twist, trying to also say they are the Nazi Party, because of Democratic leaders support for vaccine and mask mandates.

Though it may spread online among fringe groups, such discourse then makes its way into mainstream channels, both nationally and locally, Patt said.

Holocaust deniers and antisemites are finding it easier than ever to spread their hateful ideologies online, Patt said. This creates a toxic stew of antisemitic stereotypes, images, and ideas that have been deployed by fringe groups, and have now begun to seep into our mainstream political discourse.

According to Patt, the result is an overall increase in hate speech, and a proliferation of extremism.

In many cases, Holocaust distortion serves as a bridge to other forms of hate proliferating online, including virulent antisemitism, conspiracy theories like QAnon and the Protocols [of Zion], hate speech, in chat rooms and social media, science skepticism, a general distrust of democratic institutions, and more, he said.

The end result, he said, is often physical violence.

What starts with hateful words, discrimination, and online attacks, can end in extreme violence. We have seen this in Charlottesville, the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, the mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, and beyond, Patt said. Extreme rhetoric leads to extreme violence.
Tullahoma, TN (37388)

Today

Rain likely. High 61F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy with rain ending overnight. Thunder is possible early. Low near 40F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
November 30th is an important date for those in this country who are vaccinated with Astraze
Over the past 24 hours, on November 7, the Russian occupation forces 14 times violated the ceasefire, including four times using weapons proscribed by the Minsk agreements.

Thats according to the Ministry of Defense, Ukrinform reports.

Near Pavlopil, the enemy opened fire with easel-mounted anti-tank and automatic easel-mounted grenade launchers.

Outside Hnutove, the enemy fired grenade launchers of various systems and small arms, as well as dropped VOG-17 munitions from an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Near Vodiane, in the Sea of Azov littoral, the invaders also deployed a drone to drop VOG-17 munitions.

The positions of Ukraines Joint Forces in the vicinity of Novozvanivka, Prychepylivka, Bolotiane, and Hranitne came under fire of 120 mm mortars.

In the direction of Luhanske, enemy troops opened fire using grenade launchers.

Near Novoluhanske, Russian occupation forces engaged Ukrainian positions with small arms.

Not far from the settlements of Nizhnioteple and Pisky, the enemy employed machine guns at anti-tank grenade launchers.

In the direction of Zolote-4, the invaders used grenade launchers of various systems and large-caliber machine guns.

In addition, in Luhansk region, Ukraine defenders spotted an enemy unmanned aerial vehicle, likely an Orlan-10 type, flying over the line of contact in breach of the ceasefire deal.

A Ukrainian serviceman was killed in hostilities, sustaining an injury incompatible with life, while two other forces were wounded in action and taken to a medical facility where they are now undergoing treatment in satisfactory condition, as per the report.

Ukrainian defenders returned fire to the enemy attack without employing the weapons banned by the Minsk accords, forcing the enemy to cease shelling.

As of 7:00 Kyiv time on November 8, Ukraine reported no new ceasefire violations by the Russian occupation forces.

im
Ukraine remains committed to a diplomatic solution to the conflict in the east of the country as long as there is room for negotiation.

Thats according to a Ukraine-based political scientist Oleh Sahakian who spoke at a panel show on Dom TV, Ukrinform reports.

At the same time, the expert noted the right to self-defense of any citizen or state, enshrined in the UN Charter, as inviolable in international law.

"Therefore, Ukraine has a full legal right to defend itself from Russian aggression in any way. And this readiness, both moral, legal, military, and coercive, is a strong argument for diplomacy. Diplomacy with a weak army is impossible. Diplomacy only works if you have a strong army that is able to turn on the volume of war if diplomats fail. And so far there is space and opportunities to at least make sure the war doesnt move into a hotter phase," said the expert.

According to Sahakian, the international community should make every effort to deter Russian aggression.

"On a separate note, it would be extremely infantile to hope for a diplomatic settlement of the conflict through diplomacy without a good will on the part of Russia. That is why the main stance of the world community and Ukraine today is to raise the cost for Russia is the latter potentially goes for escalation. If Russia decides to move to more pro-active physical aggression, paying a price for such a move must be painful for them," said the political expert.

Pressure must be maintained on Russia to make them abandon their geopolitical ambitions as regards Ukraine. However, it is important to take into account specific priorities of Ukraines international partners.

"We can discuss how effective this is, how effectively the West and the world are ready to respond. Unfortunately, the world is a cynical place as there are plenty of different problems across the globe, and Russia's influence is significant enough, while Russia's threat to the West is small enough for these actions to be as proactive and adequate as we would like," Sahakian said.

As reported earlier, the risks of continued Russian aggression against Ukraine persist, as the grouping of Russian troops near Ukraines borders has been increasing since conflict-start.

im
Germany is monitoring the situation in the context of the recent reports of troop movements on the Russian-Ukrainian border and demands transparency in this regard.

Thats according to German Foreign Ministrys Spokeswoman Andrea Sasse, who spoke at a briefing on Monday, Ukrinform's own correspondent reports.

"The federal government is committed to reducing tensions in the region, which also includes [] transparency on the movement of troops in the border region," Sasse said.

In this context, the spokesperson noted continued obstruction of the monitoring efforts of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission. Sasse stressed that the OSCE plays a "crucial role" in the region. Therefore, Berlin is negotiating with the Organization, as well as with partners  the United States, France, as well as "the parties to the conflict  Ukraine and Russia."

The representative of the German Foreign Ministry assured that the situation is being closely monitored by Berlin.

As reported in German media, the United States recently turned to the European External Action Service and European partners  Germany, France, and the United Kingdom  over the amassing of Russian military contingent near the borders of Ukraine. According to Washington, there may be a risk of escalation.

At the same time, the Ukrainian President's Office said Ukraine does not confirm reports that Russia is again allegedly increasing the number of troops in Crimea, the occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and near the Ukrainian borders.

im
Two Island-class patrol boats have left the United States and are heading for Odesa, the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine has said on Facebook.

"Two Island Class Patrol Boats have departed Baltimore, Maryland for Odesa. Part of the more than $2.5 billion in security assistance the U.S. has provided Ukraine since 2014," the report reads.

The vessels will help strengthen Ukraine's maritime security and bolster the Ukrainian Navy's interoperability with NATO.

Ukrainian Navy Commander Oleksiy Neizhpapa last July confirmed the possibility of forming a division of Island-class boats by the end of 2021, which will be stationed in the port of Pivdenny.

He recalled that the boats Sloviansk and Starobilsk, handed over from the United States in the fall of 2019, were already part of the national fleet.

The fifth Ukrainian crew of Island-class boats completed a training course in Baltimore in late October.

Photo: @usdos.ukraine
The United Kingdom is interested in expanding bilateral cooperation with Ukraine, in particular toward the safe handling of nuclear materials and the production of alternative energy sources.

Thats according to the British Ambassador to Ukraine, Melinda Simmons, who spoke during her official visit to the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Ukrinform reports with reference to the SSE ChNPP press service.

"We are very interested in finding new ways to cooperate with Ukraine, especially with regard to the safe management of nuclear materials and production of alternative energy sources," Ambassador Simmons said, according to the report.

The envoy was also briefed about the operations of a new safe confinement, which had covered the obsolete "Shelter" facility, a structure erected over the NPPs fourth power unit damaged in the deadly reactor explosion of 1986.

Following the visit, the diplomat expressed gratitude for the opportunity to visit the Chornobyl NPP, saying the United Kingdom is proud to have been Ukraines partner in what had been achieved at the site over the past decades.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, 45 countries provided EUR 2.1 billion for the construction of a new confinement over Chornobyl NPPs destroyed power unit.

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In October 2021, the Ukrainian State Air Traffic Services Enterprise (UkSATSE) provided air navigation services to 25,090 flights of Ukrainian and foreign airlines performed in the Ukrainian airspace, which is 83.8% of the pre-crisis October 2019 level.

The press service of UkSATSE wrote this on Facebook, Ukrinform reports.

According to UkSATSE, Ukrainian airlines performed 8,569 flights in October 2021 (down 12.6% from October 2019), and foreign airlines - 16,521 flights (down 18%). Air traffic distribution by flight types in October 2021 was as follows: 3,116 domestic flights (up 16.2% from 2019), 12,660 international flights (down 12.4%), and 9,314 transit flights (down 27.3%).

UkSATSE also reminded of the dynamics of flights in Ukraines airspace since the beginning of 2021: 26,241 flights - in September, 29,048 flights - in August, 26,952 flights  in July, 21,113 flights  in June, 16,986 flights  in May, 13,661 flights  in April, 12,160 flights  in March, 8,758 flights  in February, 9,842 flights - in January.

As Ukrinform reported, in March 2020, Ukraine suspended air services due to coronavirus lockdown. Ukraine resumed domestic flights on June 5, 2020, international flights on June 15, 2020.

The number of flights in the Ukrainian airspace amounted to 142,047 flights in 2020, which is 57.6% less than in 2019.

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Ukraine strongly condemns the November 7 assassination attempt on Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has said in a statement.

"Ukraine strongly condemns the assassination attempt against the Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq Mustafa Al-Kadhimi on November 7, 2021. We are convinced that such acts of terror and violence will not impede embodiment of the aspirations of the Iraqi people and will not stop their government's efforts to build a sovereign, democratic and prosperous state," the statement said.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called on Iraqi political forces "to exercise restraint, continue the dialogue and ensure the realization of the will of the Iraqi people reflected in the results of the recent parliamentary elections."

Earlier reports said that an armed drone attacked the residence of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi on Sunday, November 7.

The Iraqi prime minister was not harmed in the attack. Shortly after the assassination attempt, he said he was fine well and called for calm and constructive dialogue for the sake of Iraq.

Photo: Iraqi parliament media office
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has advised Ukrainian citizens to temporarily refrain from traveling to Ethiopia due to the escalation of the security situation and the imposition of a state of emergency in that country, according to recommendations provided by the ministry.

"Citizens who stay in Ethiopia are strongly encouraged to avoid visiting the north-western provinces of the country, to restrict movement between settlements, to register with the DRUH electronic system, to monitor reports on the situation, and to consider reducing their stay in the country," the statement reads.

In case of an emergency or other circumstances that require an immediate consular response, Ukrainian citizens were advised to immediately contact the Embassy of Ukraine in Ethiopia (the hotline number +251 (967) 41-90-01, e-mail: emb_et@mfa.gov.ua) or the round-the-clock hotline of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry by phone +38 044 238-16-57, e-mail: cons_or@mfa.gov.ua.

Ethiopia declared a six-month state of emergency on November 2 when it emerged that forces from the northern region of Tigray were approaching the capital Addis Ababa.

Earlier reports said that that the rebels had captured two towns on their way to the capital. These are the towns of Dessie and Kombolcha that are located on the main road from Addis Ababa and are of strategic importance.

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Representatives of the EU, NATO and the United States have called on all political parties in the Verkhovna Rada to immediately adopt a bill on reforming Ukraine's SBU State Security Service, which will be an important step on Ukraine's path towards the EU and NATO.

Matti Maasikas, Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, Vineta Kleine, Acting Head of the NATO Representation to Ukraine, Kristina A. Kvien, Charge dAffaires, a.i. of the United States Embassy in Ukraine, and Antti Hartikainen, Head of the EU Advisory Mission Ukraine, wrote this in an op-ed for the Ukrayinska Pravda news site.

"Ukraine is facing a historic opportunity to advance its Euro-Atlantic path. The draft law on the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), initiated and supported by the President, is ready for a final vote in the plenary of the Verkhovna Rada. [] We, the representatives of the EU, NATO, and the United States, strongly support the draft law currently in the Verkhovna Rada (#3196-d). If adopted in its current form and fully implemented, the new law will provide a promising basis for substantial reform and modernization of the Service in line with European and Euro-Atlantic principles and best practices," the authors of the article said.

They stressed that the draft law foresees the complete phasing out of pre-trial investigative powers, significant downsizing and de-militarization of the Service, elimination of its role in economic investigations, and strengthening oversight mechanisms.

"We call on all political parties in the Verkhovna Rada to seize this historic opportunity and adopt the draft law without delay. This would be a significant milestone for Ukraine on its path towards the EU and NATO," they said.

On January 28, 2021, the Verkhovna Rada adopted at first reading Bill No. 3196-d "On the Introduction of Amendments to the Law of Ukraine 'On the Security Service of Ukraine'" to improve the organizational and legal framework of the SBU.

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Not only did the torture of prisoners in Russia not stop, it also took on horrible new forms, incompatible with the concept of a "civilized country"

On October 30, Russia marks the Day of Remembrance for Victims of Political Repressions. The date was chosen to commemorate a hunger strike by political prisoners in Mordovias camps, which started on that day in 1974. The political prisoners went on hunger strike to protest Soviet repressions and the inhuman treatment of inmates.

The latter merits a closer look. Today, Russia offers many reasons to believe that not only did the torture of prisoners not stop in Russia, it also took on horrible new forms, incompatible with the concept of a civilized country.

Russia marks the said date against a rather cynical backdrop.

On October 30, 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at an opening ceremony at the Memorial to the Victims of Political Repression, The Wall of Sorrows, said Political repressions became a tragedy for our entire nation, for the whole society, delivering a major blow to its roots, culture, and self-perception. We feel their implications to this day.

Four years on, political repressions seem to have become an everyday occurrence in Russia. They are usually perceived by Russians as something Stalin was doing, as part of history that is long gone and not worth remembering or discussing.

There is no discussion of modern political repression at the official level. The formal version dictates that there are none. Anyone who tries to speak up can be ousted from the country or, worse, poisoned. Others are thrown behind bars from historian and researcher of the mass graves of political prisoners, Yuri Dmitriyev, who found the Sandarmokh, to a Yakutia shaman Alexander Gabyshev, who was mandated to undergo compulsory psychiatric treatment.

Up to 24 years in prison for peaceful talk

Memorial, a Russia-based human rights center (which engages in historical education, including on the issue of political prisoners, which was earlier recognized as a foreign agent with all the relevant implications) published on the eve of the Day of Remembrance for Victims of Political Repressions its latest list of political prisoners. There are 420 names on the list as of today. A year ago, there were 362. But the actual number of political prisoners doing time across Russia is significantly higher, Memorial believes.

The new names on the list include those of the 20 people imprisoned on charges connected with Hizb-ut Tahrir, an organization considered as terrorist and banned in Russia. As before, the majority of those people come from Ukrainian Crimea, the peninsula occupied by Russia in 2014. Memorial believes that the charges pressed against these people are used to suppress civic activism and solidarity of the Crimean Tatar people.

Sergey Davydis, head of the Support to Political Prisoners vector at the Memorial Center, explains that this is done based on the decision claiming that certain religious groups are extremist or terrorist. For instance, in 2003, the Supreme Court declared Hizb ut-Tahrir a terrorist organization. There is no evidence in the text that they are terrorists, but its members were still persecuted first as extremists and then  for participating in terrorist activity under Article 205.5, so much more severe punishments were imposed. They are also frequently charged with plotting a forcible overthrow of the constitutional regime based on a highly biased understanding of the organizations doctrine. That is why people get jailed even if they dont say or do the things that are laid down in the doctrine. The 2003 decision changed the lives of many citizens, and we have several hundred people who are now in jail and getting up to 24 years of imprisonment for peaceful talk, tea parties, friendly encounters where violence was neither discussed, nor practiced, nor plotted.

Hizb ut-Tahrirs official website notes that Russia is the only country in the world where it is recognized a terrorist organization. Russia is also the worlds only country where the law provides for life imprisonment simply for identifying as a Hizb ut-Tahrir member.

The organization describes its own doctrine as follows: Hizb does not seek physical pressure on or destruction of nations who do not share Islamic concepts and religions, while seeking to benefit them by providing more decent laws for life and government. The Hizb ut-Tahrir method does not change alongside the political situation, so global events and those in Ukraine have no effect on Hizb ut-Tahrirs way. Our activities are based on the texts of the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, and therefore not affected by political events, as well as repression and torture against our members by tyrannies.

Meanwhile, repressions and torture of Crimean Tatars in the occupied Crimea continues.

In a cruelly ironic move, the Southern District Military Court of Rostov-on-Don issued a sentence to Crimean residents, part of the so-called Bakhchisaray Hizb ut-Tahrir case, on October 29, literally on the eve of the Day of Remembrance. Seitumer Seitumerov got 17 years in a maximum-security colony, Osman Seitumerov  14 years, Amet Suleymanov  12 years, and Rustem Seitmemetov  13 years. Memorial recognized all of them as political prisoners.

Ukrainian Parliament's Commissioner for Human Rights, Liudmyla Denisova, said 113 to 115 Ukrainians are being held in Russian prisons on political grounds, of whom more than 80 are Crimean Tatars. The Crimean Tatar Resource Center has listed 86 Crimean political prisoners. The Crimean Human Rights Protection Group offers the same figures. Rights activists call these criminal cases persecution on political, national, or religious grounds.

An acclaimed Crimean lawyer, Emil Kurbedinov, said: In many cases, these are political verdicts rather than judicial. But we must fight, and thats what we do and will keep doing. Now it might seem that we are fighting for nothing, but yet, there are certain results. So these walls yield little by little. These results cant be seen on paper, since the sentences in those Hizb ut-Tahrir cases are 15 to 20 years. The result is that none of the more than a hundred defendants in these cases has slandered themselves or their people, that people are not leaving political prisoners without help, that defense teams no longer consist of a few people, as it was in the beginning, now its 20 to 25. Every verdict with falsified accusations is a loss for the secret services and Russian authorities who are persecuting the whole nation

Russia's campaign against Ukraine needs to feed on more and more criminal cases

In early September, Crimean Tatar political activist and journalist Nariman Jelal was arrested and is now facing up to 20 years in prison in a so-called case of sabotage on a gas pipeline in the village of Perevalne. His statement was published on October 13.

"When you read the indictment, penned by some FSB officer, you want to laugh and get mad at the same time. To laugh at the poor imagination and stale phrasing used by the masterminds of my arrest to cover up for their illegal actions, which, undoubtedly, are meant to  accuse precisely this movement, which has always adhered to non-violent means of fighting for Crimean Tatars rights, of violating its own principles.

To try to convince the global community, which has always supported the aspiration of Crimeas indigenous people to live in peace and develop on their native land, that hundreds of activists and members of Crimean Tatar self-government agencies are ready for violent action.

The attempt, in my opinion, is doomed to fail. As for getting mad  it is about the disgusting lie, some sort of mediaeval obscurantism, where Im being accused of intentions I never had based on false testimonies of some secret witnesses. Getting mad at the inability of your opponents to at least honestly oppose your convictions to some extent, which myself and the others never hid, speaking out against Russia's actions in Crimea, speaking out in defense of Ukraine's territorial integrity and human rights, and against repression. We are only guilty of having the courage to have our convictions and speak about them openly and publicly.

Sergey Davydis of Memorial says that another type of political motive is cases aimed at reinforcing with probation terms certain propaganda claims. Cases of this nature have been opened against plenty of Ukrainian citizens: this is where a completely random person is accused of sabotage or espionage. Moreover, that specific person is not of interest to the government, they are not engaged in activities that would threaten it. But the campaign to justify aggressive actions against Ukraine needs to constantly feed on new criminal cases. The decision to annex Crimea led to multiple arrests. They are Crimea residents and, like any other people persecuted by Russian authorities, they are seen as Russian political prisoners. These are former Ukrainian military servicemen, ethnic Crimean Tatars, and those who do not consent to the annexation and occupation. Dozens of criminal cases have been initiated because such a decision was made.

Notably, there are about as many political prisoners in Russia as there were in the late Soviet Union until Gorbachev released them. Members of Jehovah's Witnesses, which the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation in 2017 recognized as an extremist organization, banning its activities in Russia, had also been jailed in the USSR. Hundreds of political prisoners have also been imprisoned since the organization was banned, and their sentences are only getting longer. The longest one as of today is 8 years.

Millions of Russians are aware of political prisoners, while remaining silent

Arthur Fredekind, who now lives in Germany, was convicted under Art. 187. of the Code of the Ukrainian SSR for circulation of defamatory fabrications disgracing the Soviet system. In his exclusive comment, he said the following.

"On the Day of the Political Prisoner, I would like to remember biologist Anatolii Dykyi (Jehovah's Witness), who was with me in the Bilychi penal colony near Kyiv. He wrote letters to Mikhail Gorbachev, with advice and reminders of political prisoners. It was already 1986, so he would try to send them officially via the administration. Naturally, the administration was agitated. A major summoned him and started growling and screaming at him: You are here for re-education so cant write to the Secretary General. To which Dykyi, benevolently but firmly as usual, responded: And what would you do in my place if, being a communist, you stayed in a Nazi concentration camp? Would you really obey and renounce own beliefs?

Of course, the major was furious about the comparison so Anatolii was deprived of another meeting with the family, but wasnt placed in solitary confinement. Before that, Anatoliy warned that if the letter wasnt sent officially, he would find an opportunity to send it secretly. They were afraid of him, they hated him, but they sent that letter regardless.

Almost 50 years have passed since then so todays repression in Russia doesnt just amaze me with its savagery and cruelty, I dont just expect every day some new reports of despair on the part of prisoners or their families, I just cant believe that millions of people are aware of political prisoners, and while in anticipation of new arrests, they keep going to work, watching TV, and waiting for whatever.

Silence and indifference strike many in the 21st century, the century of information and openness, the century when everything is easily and simply discussed in neighboring Ukraine.

I dont know what else has to happen in Russia. I'm afraid it will only be more devastation, social degradation, and gloomy rejoicing over the fact that at least some food is on the table.

I have already heard such conversations in the village of Chernorechensk, Kirov region, back in 1987, where I was already serving my term in a residential colony and waiting for pardon following the demands voiced by Western powers and Andrei Sakharov, who was also a political prisoner and contributed a lot to the dismantling of the USSR. Now, modern Russia only needs to find its Sakharov and wait for his time to come.

Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security
The Ukrainian Embassy in Turkey has asked the Turkish Foreign Ministry to facilitate a speedy and impartial investigation into the death of a Ukrainian tourist in Antalya, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko has told Ukrinform.

"The Ukrainian Embassy asked the Turkish Foreign Ministry for a speedy and impartial investigation. Our consul in Antalya also requested meetings with the attorney general of the city of Fethiye and the management of a forensic medicine department. The possibility of supporting the stay of Ukrainians during the investigation is also being studied," Nikolenko said.

He said that the Ukrainian embassy and consulate in Antalya were providing consular assistance to Ukrainians. The diplomats agreed with a local lawyer on free legal aid for Ukrainian tourists in the context of the trial.

A group of Ukrainian citizens who arrived in Antalya in mid-October and went on a hike along the Lycian Way trail is forced to stay in Turkey due to the investigation into the suicide of one of the group members.

Ukraine's Consul in Antalya, Emir Rustamov, referring to Turkish law enforcement agencies, said the ban on leaving Turkey for a group of Ukrainian tourists would be lifted after the investigation and examinations in the case of the death of a Ukrainian tourist.

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Since the start of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, Ukraine has received 31 million doses of vaccines, according to Health Minister Viktor Liashko.

"As many as 31 million doses of vaccines have already been delivered to Ukraine," Liashko said at a briefing on Monday, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

He reminded that on November 7, Ukraine received 2,930,300 doses of mRNA vaccine from COVID-19 manufactured by Moderna, which were supplied under the COVAX Facility. In addition, Ukraine received 1,400,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine purchased at the public expense.

According to the health minister, 1.648 million doses were administered in Ukraine last week. As of today, 36.7% of Ukrainians have received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, and 25.6% have completed a full course of vaccination.

The highest vaccination rate remains in Kyiv, where 57% of residents have already received one dose and 45.7% have received two doses. The lowest vaccination rate has been recorded in Zakarpattia, Chernivtsi and Odesa regions.

On November 7, Ukraine recorded 13,068 new COVID-19 cases. As many as 3,088,501 people in Ukraine have contracted coronavirus, 2,520,956 have recovered, and 72,557 have died since the pandemic began.

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Published Nov. 8, 2021

Want to go?

WHAT: Jubilate Deo by ULM Concert Choir and Bayou Masterworks Chorale

WHEN: 7 p.m., Monday, Nov. 8

WHERE: Parkview Baptist Church, 1001 Forsythe Ave.

COST: Free

The University of Louisiana Monroe Concert Choir and Bayou Masterworks Chorale will present Jubilate Deo by Dan Forrest at 7 p.m. today, Monday, Nov. 8, at Parkview Baptist Church.

ULM Director of Choral Activities Dr. Deborah Chandler said the concert honors a particular group of people.

This concert is dedicated to the frontline workers who have worked tirelessly over the last 18 months to ensure we have life to celebrate, she said.

The text for Jubilate Deo is Psalm 100, sung in eight languages.

This powerful celebration through music proves we are all more alike through music than any other way, Chandler said.

ULM students and music faculty comprise most of the performers.

Please come thank our frontline workers and enjoy a wonderful piece of music, Chandler said.

The performance is free and open to the public. Parkview Baptist Church is located at 1001 Forsythe Ave.

The concert is supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division on the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council, as administered by the Northeast Louisiana Arts Council. Funding has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.
| By Lou Cortina



After detailing the many ways in which the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) improves the human condition and serves the public good, Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, spoke during his inauguration Nov. 5 about how UMB would meet the challenges of the future. With his six grandchildren sitting beside him as he concluded his speech, the forward-looking message hit home.

These are my grandchildren, but I dont just see my grandchildren, Jarrell said, patting one of the children on her shoulder. I see your grandchildren. I see grandchildren in West Baltimore. I see grandchildren on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. And I wonder, What will their future be 50 years from now? I cant answer that question, but I can ask this: What can we do today to make their futures bright?

President Jarrell delivers his inaugural address as Lawrence Hayman and Jarrell's six grandchildren watch.

Programs at UMB have made a big impact on our world today, and that will continue in the future. Weve done a lot, but theres always more that we can do.

With that, Jarrell announced that his lifelong friend, Lawrence Hayman, chairman of H&M Bay, Inc., a logistics and storage company based on the Eastern Shore, where they both grew up, had stepped up to brighten those futures with a pledge of nearly $18 million to create two endowments at UMB. The first fund will provide scholarships to Eastern Shore students who want to study at UMB while also supporting incentives to attract health care providers to practice in Caroline, Talbot, Dorchester, Kent, and Queen Annes counties. The second endowment will allow the UMB president to allocate funds to support research seeking the cure or advanced treatment of cancer.

Eighteen million dollars. That is a wonderful gift. How about that? Jarrell said as the crowd of about 400 invited guests stood and applauded. Thats a commitment to UMB. Thats a commitment to Maryland.

(Inauguration speakers praise President Jarrell.)

Commitment to Maryland, in fact, was the theme of Jarrells inauguration, which came 14 months after the University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents selected him as UMBs seventh president, succeeding Jay A. Perman, MD. Before that, Jarrell served eight months as interim president, beginning the role two months before the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded and turned the world upside down.

The inauguration was held in a covered outdoor setting in front of UMBs Saratoga Building, which houses the Presidents Office, and featured representatives from other Maryland colleges, local government, and private industry. Yumi Hogan, first lady of Maryland, and James D. Fielder Jr., PhD, Maryland Secretary of Higher Education, were in attendance, with Fielder reading a proclamation from Gov. Larry Hogan commemorating the occasion.

Joann Boughman, PhD, senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs, USM, served as emcee, saying she was grateful that the crowd could gather safely during this unprecedented time of COVID-19. The pandemic, as well as Jarrells leadership and UMBs response to it, also were themes that weaved their way through much of the two-hour, 10-minute ceremony.

Jarrell spoke glowingly of the School of Medicines (UMSOM) Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD), its research on COVID-19 vaccines, and its leaders contributions to the fight against the pandemic. His ties to UMSOM are deep, having come to Baltimore first as chair of the schools Department of Surgery in 1997 before being named vice dean of the medical school and then holding a series of UMB leadership roles, including chief academic and research officer, provost, executive vice president, and dean of the Graduate School.

Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, president and CEO of the University of Maryland Medical System, thanked Jarrell for leading with grace and humility as the two institutions teamed up to respond to the crisis. Linda R. Gooden, MBA, chair of the USM Board of Regents, praised Jarrell for bringing out the best in his colleagues during the pandemic and facing the challenge head-on. And Perman, now the USM chancellor, who described his successor as a trusted colleague and a dear friend, added that perhaps it was serendipity that Jarrell was elevated to the presidency during such a perilous time.

His leadership throughout this pandemic  and UMBs leadership  has pulled us through one of the most difficult times in our history, Perman said. The research emerging from UMB and the clinical care youve provided have changed the arc of this disease. Your contributions to our body of knowledge have saved millions of lives around the world. And I promise that your collective leadership  your hard, hard work  will not be forgotten.

The Magic of UMB

Officially installing Jarrell as president, Gooden presented him with the University medallion, saying it represents UMBs traditions. Wearing it signifies your commitment to this institution. And its weight serves as a reminder of the heavy responsibilities you must carry. Perman then read his charge of office, instructing Jarrell to advance the work of this extraordinary University.

After the investiture, Jarrell took a seat at the center of the stage and talked about the impact of UMBs professional schools and programs. He praised the work done by UMSOMs CVD as well as the schools Institute for Genome Sciences, Institute of Human Virology, and R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. He discussed the School of Nursings Conway Scholarships, which provide financial aid to nursing students. He talked about the Francis King Carey School of Laws Environmental Law Program and how its initiatives have had an effect on curbing air and water pollution.

At the School of Pharmacy, Jarrell noted, the PATIENTS Program gives members of the community a voice in how research is conducted and helps build trust between UMB and its neighbors. He touted the School of Social Works (UMSSW) partnership with the Bmore for Healthy Babies initiative, which has resulted in a dramatic decrease in infant mortality in Upton/Druid Heights. And he commended the School of Dentistry for its annual Mission of Mercy events that provide free dental services to underserved populations in Baltimore City.

When I look at UMB today, I see an environment that encourages innovation and

creativity, Jarrell said. Im surrounded by creative people who are committed to improving the health and well-being of the people around us, of the community around us. That is the magic of UMB.

We Are Up to the Challenge

The event also featured recognition of UMBs inaugural Distinguished University Professors and an 11-minute video about Jarrells upbringing, early career as a surgeon, metalsmithing hobby, and more. From the stage, there was praise from speakers Joshua M. Abzug, MD, associate professor of orthopaedics and pediatrics, UMSOM, and president, Faculty Senate; Christina Fenwick, deans office administration manager, UMSSW, and president, Staff Senate; Aishwarya Iyer, MD/PhD student, UMSOM, and president, University Student Government Association; and Harry C. Knipp, MD, FACR, chair, UMB Foundation (UMBF) Board of Trustees. Knipp also announced that UMBF has established the Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, UMB Presidential Inauguration Fund to benefit University projects or causes at Jarrells discretion.

And, in another nod to UMBs pandemic response, the University mace was carried by Ida Powell, custodial lead, Environmental Services, who is among the many front-line employees whose job has required them to stay on campus during the pandemic.

Ida has worked at UMB for 26 years, and she exemplifies our core values, Jarrell said. She and her colleagues have been here every day since COVID hit, and that is true for many UMB staff  from Facilities, Environmental Services, the UMB Police Department, as well as doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals. We could not have met our mission without Ida and all of her colleagues.

Jarrell wrapped up his speech by detailing his commitments as president, which he announced in a letter to the community that was released shortly after the event and included pledges to work for equity and justice, promote innovation and discovery, collaborate with partners around the state, and endeavor to attract the best students, faculty, and staff.

He closed by saying that when new hurdles are placed in UMBs way, the University will be well-prepared to clear them.

When the next challenge comes along  the next COVID, the next threat to our children  UMB and all within it will step up to serve our fellow Marylanders, Jarrell said. The impact will be far-reaching. And we are up to the challenge. Bring it on! That is my vision for UMB, and it will make Maryland a much better place to live.

To watch the entire inauguration program, access this link.
| By Laura Lee

BALTIMOREThe University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) celebrated the formal installation of Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, as its seventh president at a ceremony Nov. 5, 2021.

Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, president, University of Maryland, Baltimore

During the ceremony presided over by University System of Maryland Chancellor Jay A. Perman, MD, and Board of Regents Chair Linda R. Gooden, MBA, President Jarrell outlined his priorities for UMB and his commitment to the state of Maryland.

Part of that commitment includes a planned gift with a value of about $18 million from Eastern Shore businessman Lawrence Hayman to fund presidential initiatives aimed at improving health care access and education on Marylands Eastern Shore and cancer research.

Rural Marylanders  who make up 25 percent of the states population  face unique health care challenges including few local doctors, poverty, and remote locations that hinder access to health care.

UMB has several initiatives to address health inequities in Maryland including the University of Maryland School of Dentistry's Mission of Mercy clinics, which provide free dental care to the uninsured, and the University of Maryland School of Social Works Bmore for Healthy Babies Program which has reduced infant mortality in the Druid Park/Upton Heights neighborhood in West Baltimore by 75 percent.

UMB is committed to solving future problems, to seeing solutions where others dont, Jarrell during his remarks. We refuse to let the ZIP code that you live in determine your lifespan. We refuse to accept injustice. We refuse to accept the unacceptable. We are prepared and ready to act.

The gift will be used to create two endowment funds:

The Hayman Endowed Fund for Health Care Improvement in the Mid-Shore Counties

Caroline, Talbot, Dorchester, Kent, and Queen Annes counties of the Eastern Shore of Maryland

Provides scholarships and other support to Eastern Shore public school graduates who have been admitted into a health professions program at UMB.

Attract qualified health care providers to practice their professions in the Mid-Shore Counties of the Eastern Shore.

The Hayman Endowed Cancer Research Fund for the President of UMB

Enables the president of UMB to allocate income from the Endowment to support research programs seeking a cure or advanced treatment of all types of cancer.

Dr. Jarrell, an accomplished transplant surgeon, and Hayman, a successful businessman, grew up together in Caroline County. The childhood friends both knew they wanted to give back to Maryland by enhancing health care on the Eastern Shore.

This is the kind of future I want to see, aid Jarrell said as he thanked the friend hes known since elementary school. One where students are supported, unafraid to tackle big problems, and eventually are able to give back.

Our future is built today, Jarrell concluded. UMB commits to educating future generations of Marylands health care, human services, and law professionals. Professionals who will see solutions where others see problems. Professionals who step up to serve their fellow Marylanders. Thats UMB. Thats commitment to Maryland.

President Jarrell also shared his priorities to help UMB continue on its trajectory as Marylands premier human services institution:

Commit to attracting, retaining, and educating the best and brightest scholars, staff, and faculty through initiatives like the Presidents Initiative on Education, scholarship programs that create opportunities for more students, and by remaining an employer of choice.

Commit to working for equity and justice. We have a responsibility to improve the health and well-being of underserved populations in Maryland by expanding access in areas of need across the state, supporting our Community Engagement Center, and fostering programs like CURE Scholars and Promise Heights.

Commit to statewide collaborations. We will focus on maintaining and growing the strong partnership between UMB and the University of Maryland Medical System, sustaining and growing the MPower collaboration with the University of Maryland, College Park, and expanding relationships with other key institutions in Maryland.

Commit to innovation and discovery. Being prepared for the future requires a strong focus on innovation and discovery now. We will continue to expand our $682 million research enterprise, strengthen our community-based research activities, and develop more interdisciplinary research programs and projects.

Jarrell was appointed president of UMB on Sept. 11, 2020, having previously served as interim president during which he guided the University's efforts to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

He has held numerous leadership roles at UMB including provost, chief academic and research officer, executive vice president, and dean of the Graduate School, as well as vice dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and chair of the Department of Surgery.

About the University of Maryland, Baltimore

The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) was founded in 1807 as the Maryland College of Medicine, which now stands as the nations oldest public medical school. In response to growing social and cultural needs, UMBs mission has evolved and grown tremendously. Widely recognized as a preeminent institution, UMB serves as the academic health, law, and social work university of the University System of Maryland, and is guided by a mission of excellence in education, research, clinical care, and public service.

UMB is a thriving academic health center combining cutting-edge biomedical research, exceptional patient care, and nationally ranked academic programs. With extramural funding totaling $682 million in Fiscal Year 2021, each tenured/tenure-track faculty member generates an average of $1.5 million in research grants each year. The 3,123 faculty members conduct leading-edge research and develop solutions and technologies that impact human health locally and around the world. World-class facilities and cores, as well as interprofessional centers and institutes, allow faculty to investigate pressing questions in a highly collaborative fashion. As a result, the more than 7,200 students, postdocs, and trainees directly benefit from working and learning alongside leading experts as they push the boundaries of their fields. For a listing of the organized research centers and institutes, visit: https://www.umaryland.edu/research/umb- research-profile/research-centers-and-institutions/

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Emtithal (Emi) Mahmoud, world champion poet and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, shooting her poem Di Baladna, which is about the devastating impact that climate change is having on humankind, particularly on refugees.  UNHCR/Andy Hall

World champion poet, Emtithal Mahmoud performs and releases new poem at COP26 to highlight how the climate crisis is a human crisis, particularly for refugees and those displaced.

Emotive poem highlighting discussions with refugees living on the front lines of the climate crisis in Bangladesh, Cameroon, and Jordan.

Released today, a video version of her poem, visually bringing her composition to light:

Glasgow  World champion poet, Emtithal Mahmoud released an emotive poem today 8th November, bringing awareness to the devastating impact that climate change is having on humankind, particularly on displaced people. It coincides with her attendance at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26, this week at which she is representing refugees around the world in her role as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and as a former refugee herself.

Emtithal, known as "Emi", wrote the poem Di Baladna which means Our Land in Arabic, following a series of discussions with refugees living on the front lines of the climate crisis in Bangladesh, Cameroon, and Jordan. The individuals she spoke to represent millions of displaced and stateless people around the world who are currently living in climate vulnerable hotspots and adapting to an increasingly inhospitable environment, despite the limited resources.

Today and tomorrow, Emi will be attending COP 26 , speaking on several panels, and performing the poem at multiple events in the Presidency Programme. She is calling for urgent action from States to include vulnerable communities most in need of support in all possible efforts to curb the devastating humanitarian consequences of the climate emergency.

Mahmoud commented, We must act now; swiftly, tangibly and decisively in full collaboration with people on the ground to support and bolster their ongoing efforts to combat climate change. Regardless of our background and existing situations, we all have a duty to protect one another and our future generations.

Calling out to the world for action, Di Baladna opens from the perspective of Mother Earth, describing the damages she has endured and the negative impact this has on mankind. The poem then switches to first person to specifically address the devastating consequences climate change is having on refugees and vulnerable populations. Di Baladna reads: At 11 years old, I saw my neighbours house crumble before my eyes [] our country was already locked in turmoil and now the earth began to purge us too.

Released today by UNHCR, a video version of Di Baladna features Emi walking through Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan which is a region increasingly affected by climate change, but also learning to adapt and affect change. Having engaged with those whose lives have been negatively impacted by climate change and witnessed these effects, Emi is using this video, and attending COP26, to amplify voices of the over 82 million people forcibly displaced around the world. Emi wants to use her poem to emphasize the human toll of the climate crisis which needs to be addressed now.

Long form here: https://vimeo.com/643110730/46ddad25fe

For more information and media enquiries, please contact Stephanie Hazelwood, [email protected]

Media assets

UNHCR

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, leads international action to protect people forced to flee because of conflict and persecution. We deliver life-saving assistance like shelter, food and water, help safeguard fundamental human rights, and develop solutions that ensure people have a safe place to call home where they can build a better future.

Di Baladna

By Emtithal Mahmoud

If you are reading this, I forgive you.

You have grown far from the heart of me, my child

have lost the familiar love we held for one another

in your first years of life.



When you were young, you marvelled

at the plants and critters that ran across

my bosom, you worshiped the water,

swam up and down my rivers,

drank from my rain, laughed at each first snow,

begged for sun on the cloudy days.

You didnt hesitate to sink your fingers

into the mud of me and tickle loose little pebbles,

droplets, seedlings, and worms

how you built a refuge for every wayward wanderer,

lining the kitchen shelves with jars

of lighting bugs and butterflies.

You drank the breeze from my trees,

the honey, sap, gum, with joy and ease

How you came to me

resting your head at my tender hearth

your weary body in my pockets 

you loved me.

You nurtured me before you knew

what it was to nurture,

tended me before you knew

what it was to tend,

tiller, sower, farmer,

green thumbed little one

you knew me.

Lately, you hurt me,

you break and cut

and tear into me

and I forgive you.

For I am a part of you,

like your brothers and sisters before you

and those who are close to me now, so I forgive you.

I forgive you again for the reaping you do

with no intention to sow

again, for the waste and greed and gluttony.

When you were young

you asked me why they do this,

once brothers and sisters staining the earth

with the blood of your people

shaking apart the branches of your family tree,

you losing ground and hope

all in one fell swoop you turned to me

resting beneath the shade of date-palms and magnolias,

you begged me to make sense of it all.

All I could offer you then was a promise

that wherever you would go you would find me

But now there isnt much left for me to promise

Theyve dug pits into my sides,

have stolen the rubies, gold, and diamonds

Maya placed in my thighs.

I do all I can to heal but my weary body

cant clear away the hurt so easily

My waters rush but do not soothe,

the air in my lungs suffocates the little ones.

I cough and spew and gush and bruise,

and it will not heal

when a child of mine dies by my hands.

Here in the long-forgotten valleys of your youth,

visitors come not of their own accord

but by necessity and I am made whole again

Abdulghani and Izdahara sink their hands into the mud of me,

saplings cling and I am whole again.

Hatem builds monuments to my skies,

captures the sun, channels the lightening,

and I am whole again.

Luka and Layatu fill their homes with fruit born of me,

the children eat and grow and are healthy,

and I am whole again.

Osman protests

It isnt mine alone to mend he says

I need you

To build and build again to make new

to bring forth life from relentless earth

making an oasis from charred terrain

creating refuge from only scar tissue

and lightning strikes

Let me be more to you than just a final resting place.

Let me do more for you than call you home.

Child of mine if you are reading this,

I need you.

 Your Mother

If this land could speak, would she thank us, praise us,

would she ridicule us, or beg us?

would her voice be weary, gentle, disdainful?

Would it shake with sorrow, with rage?

I used to wonder about these things all the time.

At 11 years old, I watched my neighbours house

crumble before my eyes

The flood waters washed away the earth and clay

most people used to build their homes

To see her wade through her home like that,

to watch her try to salvage what little she had left

Our country was already locked in turmoil

and now the earth began to purge us too.

If you could stop the next tornado from hitting your home,

the next hurricane from wiping out your city,

the next drought from starving your people,

the next lightning strike from ending your life

wouldnt you?

The locusts in the Horn of Africa,

the floods of South Sudan,

the ice in Chicago,

the fires in California, Australia.

The threat of rain that wont stop

or rest, that wont come.

We are at the precipice of possible change

A turning point that can and will defines us.



Fire or ice, how will the world end?

I dont know and I dont want to find out

not in our generation, and not in the next.
Emilia Mataix Ferrandiz and David Bachrach new at the Centre

Prof. Dr. David Bachrach and Dr. Emilia Mataix Ferrandiz  khk

Two more fellows and a research assistant have taken up their work

On 1 September, two new fellows started their research at the Kate Hamburger Kolleg. Dr. Emilia Mataix Ferrandiz holds a doctorate in archaeology and one in law. Most recently, she worked at the Centre of Excellence in Law, Identity and the European Narratives at the University of Helsinki. As a specialist in ancient Roman commercial law, she will investigate maritime trade on the Mediterranean as a site of particular legal pluralism at the Kate Hamburger Kolleg. In particular, she explores the impact of subaltern actors from different legal backgrounds on general legal practice.

Prof. Dr. David Bachrach has been a professor of medieval history at the University of New Hampshire since 2014. He is an expert on medieval warfare and has published several books on the subject. Furthermore, his research areas include the administrative history of the Roman-German Empire and England. At the centre, he will deal with the royal courts in the Salian Empire. He investigates the question of whether the kings thus created instances that also provided non-noble subjects with access to justice.

With Benjamin Seebroker, the centre has also got a new research associate. Previously, the historian worked as a scholarship holder of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation at the TU Dresden on his dissertation on the history of violence in England in the 18th and early 19th century. At the centre, he will use a comparison of Upper Lusatia and Ireland to examine how legal pluralization or standardization tendencies and social diversity mutually influenced each other in the early modern period. In addition, he will work with the rest of the team to ensure that operations run smoothly.

We welcome all new members and wish a successful start.


Tsunami Products CEO Kevin Collins stands next to one of the companys atmospheric water generators. The company has sold 20 generators this year and received 20 additional orders in the past two weeks.
Sculptor Cliff Leonard (second from right) presented the pictured bust of deceased National Guard Staff Sgt. Alex French IV to the French family Wednesday. Leonard memorializes fallen servicemen and women by molding their likenesses and giving them to the families, free of charge. Staff sergeant French is depicted wearing a U.S. Navy sailor hat because he served in the Navy prior to his time in the Georgia Army National Guard.
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
University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Chancellor Joanne Li, Ph.D., CFA, announced today a series of Office of Business and Finance updates that will support the units mission of providing thoughtful stewardship of financial, infrastructure, and human resources.

Jim Kamm Named UNO Interim Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance

Jim Kamm, who has served as assistant vice chancellor for business and finance at UNO since 2019, will serve as interim vice chancellor for Business and Finance for the university effective immediately. In this interim role, Kamm will oversee all budget, finance, operational and administrative services in support of the chancellor. Organizational units housed under Business and Finance include Accounting Services; Auxiliary Services; Budget; Business Systems Technology; Cashiering and Student Accounts; Compliance; Facilities Management and Planning; Grants Accounting; Human Resources; UNO Public Safety; and the Office of Risk Management.

Oversight of the business mission for an ambitious university like UNO requires exceptional organizational skills, a problem-solver mindset, and an excitement for the future, Li said. Jim Kamm possesses each of these qualities and more, which makes him the ideal fit to lead this Finance unit during a period of transition.

A national search for a full-time vice chancellor for Business and Finance is underway. The search committee is chaired by College of Business Administration Dean Michelle Trawick and includes representatives from UNO, the Omaha community, and the University of Nebraska System.

Committee members:

Chris Kabourek  Vice President for Business & Finance, University of Nebraska System

Jennifer Hamann  Chief Financial Officer, Union Pacific

Jim Smith  Executive Director, Blueprint Nebraska

John Bartle  Dean, UNO College of Public Affairs and Community Service

Susan Eldridge  Associate Dean for Faculty, Research and Planning, UNO College of Business Administration

Sara Myers  Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research and Creative Activity, UNO Office of Research and Creative Activity

Denise Kjeldgaard  Director of Auxiliary Services, UNO Office of Business and Finance

Drew Nielsen  Compliance Officer, UNO Office of Business and Finance

Makayla McMorris  Chief Communications and Marketing Office, UNO University Communications

Prior to joining UNO, Kamm had an accomplished career in the financial services industry, including corporate banking, holding senior leadership roles at Nebraska based banks. He is a UNO alumnus, earning his MBA in 1994, and he obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He also completed the Stonier Graduate School of Banking program at Georgetown University and has previously served as an adjunct instructor in the College of Business Administration.

Steven Kerrigan Named UNO Assistant Vice Chancellor for Human Resources, Aileen Warren to Focus on UNMC Role

Steven Kerrigan, who currently serves as the director of labor relations for Omaha Public Power District (OPPD), will assume the role of assistant vice chancellor for human resources for UNO on Dec. 6. He has served in his current role with OPPD since 2015 and has more than 20 years of professional experiences in legal, labor relations, and human resources fields. He is an Omaha native and an NU system graduate, obtaining both his J.D. and bachelors degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Aileen Warren, who has held a dual appointment of associate vice chancellor and director of human resources at UNO and the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) since July 2020, will transition out of the role and focus on UNMC duties. Li congratulated Kerrigan and thanked Warren for her support for UNO.

Leading human resources for two campuses is a tall task, but Aileen Warren rose to the occasion with her passion for people and commitment to UNOs mission. She helped set the leadership and organizational tone for Human Resources and I cannot thank her enough for her service, Li said. Steve Kerrigan will bring to Human Resources a unique set of skills, insights, and experiences that will help us capitalize on new opportunities and navigate any challenge. Our institution and the thousands of Mavericks who work and grow here will benefit greatly from his leadership.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Drugs Regulatory Authority of Pakistan is emerging as a modern regulatory authority according to Prime Minister Imran Khan's vision and the ultimate objective of DRAP's oversight is to ensure availability of quality therapeutic items in the country

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Nov, 2021 ) :Drugs Regulatory Authority of Pakistan is emerging as a modern regulatory authority according to Prime Minister Imran Khan's vision and the ultimate objective of DRAP's oversight is to ensure availability of quality therapeutic items in the country.

During formal inauguration of DRAP's Central Drugs Laboratory here on Monday, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan said that for such type of quality surveillance, existence of a modern, functional, and state of the art laboratory was essential.

And, he continued, CDL had been made as international standard laboratory , which would greatly help in regulating medicine market  from manufacturing to the consumers.

DRAP's Chief Executive Officer, Asim Rauf and CDL's Director, Saif-ur-Rehman Khattak and Dr. Najam Saqib were also present, who briefed the SAPM about the functions of CDL's different high-tech departments.

Dr. Faisal Sultan expressed his satisfaction over the upgradation and strengthening of CDLbetter machinery and highly trained staff  providing quality surveillance service.

CDL not only had all the essential features of testing and analysis but also equipped with LIMS software that was capable to keep track and trace of samples and test report communication.

This was a big step towards eradication of falsified and spurious medicines from the country. With such facilities including modern equipment, we can test sampled products quickly and efficiently. The reports would help determine the legal status of tested products.

Such information could help the government authorities to act swiftly against the elements selling spurious medicines and thus could prevent any possible serious incident risking thousands of lives.

SAP on Health said the recent initiatives for transformation of DRAP including digitization, automation and establishing good governance in medicine had started to strengthen the system.

He said this laboratory was established in 1953 and it gave him immense pleasure to see that today it has become an state-of-the-art laboratory. It had almost completed its WHO Pre-qualification process within short span of two years.

" This shows seriousness of government's approach towards improvement in healthcare system," he said adding that he was positive that such great initiatives would ensure that citizens health was protected and country had access to quality assured, safe and effective therapeutic goods.

SAPM assured all possible logistic and human capital support to this lab to further enhance its role at national and international level.

To a question from media, SAPM said the government was working on to ensure realistic, balanced and sustained prices of medicine to protect the consumers and pharmaceutical industry as well.

To an other query, he said since January 2021 , only polio case was reported in the country and during the recent testing phase no polio case was reported.

He said the government was also going to launch 12-day aggressive campaign in the country against measles.

To a question, he said the government would provide more international standard machinery and equipment to CDL and such other health facilities in the country, in addition to inducting more trained staff and highly qualified experts. Besides, attractive salary packages would be offered to retain these experts at these facilities.

When his attention was drawn to alleged manipulation of medicine market in the country, SAPM said the laws structure on the subject was very clear. After 18th amendment, most of the functions rested with the provinces. Coordination between the provinces and the federation was essential to effectively regulate the medicine market , like COVID-19 was successfully handled.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 08th Nov, 2021) The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) and the Central Bank of the Republic of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)to boost mutual co-operation.

The bilateral MoU includes three main areas, covering digital innovation in payment and financial services to facilitate more efficient and secure transactions, cross-border payment systems including retail payments, and frameworks of anti-money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism.

The MoU focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation in the areas of payment systems and digital financial innovation, including conventional and Islamic finance based on trust, mutual understanding and the principle of reciprocity. It supports joint initiatives to examine cross-border payment systems and encourages the development of new FinTech companies and structures in both countries.

Khaled Mohamed Balama, Governor of the CBUAE and Perry Warjiyo, Governor of Bank Indonesia signed the MoU, the exchange of which was in the presence of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Joko Widodo, President of the Republic of Indonesia.

The CBUAE and Bank Indonesia will also exchange relevant information and views on issues of concern or common interest under the MoU, based on applicable laws and regulations in each jurisdiction and other considerations that may be relevant.

Balama said, "The signing of this MoU with our esteemed central bank counterparts in Indonesia reflects the CBUAEs strategy of developing the most efficient payment systems, and working with partners to enforce global regulations to enhance confidence in the UAE financial market. It also demonstrates the clear objective of bringing together like minds to find new financial solutions and to strengthen the joint efforts against illicit financial activity."

Perry Warjiyo emphasised that the MoU expedites and broadens Bank Indonesias cooperation with strategic stakeholders in key areas. The MoU also demonstrates Bank Indonesia's support for government efforts as a member of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) and Bank Indonesia's commitment to combat money laundering and terrorism financing, while fulfilling the FATF recommendations and guidelines.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Washington, Nov 7 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Nov, 2021 ) :US President Joe Biden on Sunday condemned the attack that targeted Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi and said his administration would help Iraqi security forces identify those responsible.

"I strongly condemn the terrorist attack targeting the residence of Iraqi Prime Minister al-Kadhemi," Biden said in a statement.

"I am relieved the Prime Minister was not injured and commend the leadership he has shown in calling for calm, restraint, and dialogue to protect the institutions of the state and strengthen the democracy Iraqis so richly deserve." Kadhemi escaped unhurt when an explosives-packed drone struck his Baghdad residence early Sunday.

But the attack marked a substantial escalation in the country's post-election turmoil.

The prime minister's office described the attack as a "failed assassination attempt," while Iraqi President Barham Salih called the strike, which was not immediately claimed by any group, an attempted "coup against the constitutional system."Biden said that "the perpetrators of this terrorist attack on the Iraqi state must be held accountable," as he condemned "in the strongest terms those using violence to undermine Iraq's democratic process."The US leader said he instructed his national security team "to offer all appropriate assistance to Iraq's security forces as they investigate this attack and identify those responsible."
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Tripoli, Nov 7 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Nov, 2021 ) :Libya's Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah on Sunday came to the defence of his foreign minister, Najla al-Mangoush, a day after the country's presidential council said it had suspended her.

Dbeibah's office argued that the council, formed this year, doesn't have the authority to suspend ministers and instructed Mangoush to continue her duties, reiterating its "appreciation" of her work.

The dispute highlights the power struggles within the fragile administration which -- after a decade of war and turmoil following the 2011 ouster of dictator Moamer Kadhafi -- is supposed to steer the country toward elections.

Dbeibah said in a statement that "the nomination, dismissal, suspension or indictment of a member of the executive branch... fall under the exclusive powers of the prime minister".

The presidential council, headed by Mohamad al-Manfi, on Saturday said it had suspended Mangoush from her duties and barred her from travel, days before a major international conference in Paris.

In the absence of further details on the allegations against Mangoush, Libyan media connected her suspension with a BBC interview in which she had suggested that Tripoli is ready to coordinate with the US over the extradition of suspects in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.

The council said Saturday it had opened an inquiry into alleged "administrative breaches" by Mangoush, spokeswoman Najla Weheba told the Libya Panorama television channel.

- 'Critical' phase - Dbeibah's government called on Libya's different institutions to "respect procedure" and "avoid conflicts of interest", saying they should not obstruct the government's work at such a "critical" phase.

The presidential council, headed by Mohamed al-Manfi, was formed in February, consisting of three members representing the three regions of Libya.

It was set up as part of a UN-sponsored political process, alongside the new government under Dbeibah, to pave the way for presidential and legislative elections in December.

Analysts said Saturday's move to suspend Mangoush reflect growing tensions between Dbeibah and Manfi ahead of the polls.

"Last night the growing rift between #Libya's President Manfi and PM Dbeibah flared up, as the President jumped on -- a pretty flimsy -- excuse to try and suspend FM Mangoush," tweeted Tarek Megerisi, a senior policy fellow at the European Council.

Parliament recently announced that legislative polls would be postponed to January amid simmering tensions that threaten to derail the political process, which seeks to put an end to the conflict between Libya's rival factions.

But on Sunday Libya's electoral commission said that candidates for presidential and legislative polls slated for December 24 can start registering Monday.

The move to suspend Mangoush comes ahead of a conference on Libya in Paris next week, expected to be attended by world leaders.

According to the BBC, Mangoush alluded to one of Kadhafi's top bomb-makers, Abu Agila Mohammad Masud, who is jailed in Libya and wanted in the US over the Lockerbie bombing.

A total of 270 people were killed in the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet as it was flying over the Scottish town of Lockerbie.

Libya expert Emadeddin Badi, an analyst at the Geneva-based Global initiative, linked the move to suspend Mangoush to her comments to the BBC.

"The US position is key; therefore the current fallout is also covertly about currying favour with the Biden administration, and who will take credit," he told AFP.

Mangoush has denied specifically mentioning Masud, according to a statement from her ministry, and said that "these questions are the responsibility of the prosecution".
(@FahadShabbir)

Managua, Nov 8 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Nov, 2021 ) :Nicaraguans voted Sunday in presidential elections denounced by US President Joe Biden as a "sham," as long-term leader Daniel Ortega derided his opponents -- most of them jailed or in exile -- as "terrorists." Polling stations closed at 6:00 pm (midnight GMT) after 11 hours of voting under the watchful eye of 30,000 police and soldiers maintaining what right groups described as a climate of fear.

With seven would-be presidential challengers detained since June, 75-year-old Ortega is assured a fourth consecutive five-year term -- his fifth overall -- with his wife and vice-president, Rosario Murillo, 70, by his side.

Ortega faced five presidential contenders, but in name only -- all are dismissed as regime collaborators.

Results of the vote, which the opposition said was marked by mass abstention even as the government claimed a high turnout, are expected within hours.

US President Joe Biden said in a statement the outcome was "rigged" long before Sunday's "sham" election.

"What Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, orchestrated today was a pantomime election that was neither free nor fair, and most certainly not democratic," the president said, adding the pair now run Nicaragua "as autocrats." Former guerilla hero Ortega launched a new attack on his opponents Sunday, saying: "This day we are standing up to those who promote terrorism, finance war, to those who sow terror, death." He was referring to Nicaraguans who took part in massive protests against his government in 2018, which were met with a violent crackdown that claimed more than 300 lives in Central America's poorest country.

Some 150 people have been jailed since then, including 39 opposition figures rounded up since June in the run-up to Sunday's vote.

Another roughly 100,000 Nicaraguans have fled into exile.

"They did not want these elections to take place," Ortega said, branding his opponents "terrorists" and "demons who do not want peace." Fear vied with apathy among the 4.4 million Nicaraguans eligible to cast votes in the country of 6.5 million.

"No one from my family went to vote. This was a mockery for Nicaraguans," said a 49-year-old woman who runs a grocery store.

Like many others, she was too scared to give her name.

Short lines of voters wearing face masks could be seen at some of the 13,459 polling stations, but many were empty when AFP visited.

At one of them, Pablo de Jesus Rodrguez, a 26-year-old carpenter and bricklayer, told AFP: "The president has done good things for our country," as he cast his vote.

Members of Ortega's ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) went from house to house calling citizens to the ballot box.

The Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (Cenidh) said Nicaragua was a "police state" using tactics of "fear (and) social control" to "crush the opposition." There were protests Sunday in Costa Rica, Spain, the United States and Guatemala -- countries that are home to thousands of Nicaraguan exiles.

"We want that diabolical couple (Ortega and Murillo) to leave the country and democracy to return," said Marcos Martinez, one of about a thousand demonstrators in the Costa Rican capital San Jose.

In Nicaragua itself, gatherings of more than 200 people are banned, ostensibly as a coronavirus prevention measure.

The opposition in exile has called for a boycott of Sunday's vote.

The election took place without international observers and with most foreign media denied access to the country.

Only "election attendants" and journalists from countries the government considers "friendly," such as Russia, received accreditation.

From Venezuela, President Nicolas Maduro -- his own 2018 re-election not recognized by most of the international community -- congratulated Ortega on his imminent victory.

A firebrand Marxist in his youth, Ortega ruled Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990, after the guerrilla ousting of US-backed dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle.

Returning to power in 2007, he has won reelection three times, becoming increasingly authoritarian and quashing presidential term limits.

Jailed opposition figures, including journalists, are accused of unspecified attacks on Nicaragua's "sovereignty" under a law passed by a parliament dominated by Ortega allies, who also control the judiciary and electoral body.

Election authorities have banned the country's main opposition alliance from contesting Sunday's vote.
Accra, Nov 7 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Nov, 2021 ) :The West African regional bloc ECOWAS on Sunday announced sanctions including travel bans and assets freezes against individual members of the military junta ruling Mali since an August 2020 coup.

The Economic Community of West African States "has decided to sanction all those implicated in the delay" in organising elections set for February 27 in Mali, ECOWAS Commission President Jean-Claude Kassi Brou told AFP after a summit of the 15-nation group.
The computer security software company McAfee announced in a statement on Monday that it was acquired by an investor group led by the US private equity firm Advent International for $14 billion

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th November, 2021) The computer security software company McAfee announced in a statement on Monday that it was acquired by an investor group led by the US private equity firm Advent International for $14 billion.

"McAfee Corp. ... today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an investor group led by Advent International Corporation ("Advent") and Permira Advisers LLC ("Permira"), Crosspoint Capital Partners ("Crosspoint Capital"), Canada Pension Plan Investment board ("CPP Investments"), GIC Private Limited ("GIC"), and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority ("ADIA") (collectively, "the Investor Group")," the statement said.

McAfee President and CEO Peter Leav said the transaction valued at $14 billion is a testament to the corporation's market-leading online protection solutions.

"We want to thank our employees for their continued hard work and commitment to McAfee. We are thrilled to be partnering with premier firms who truly understand the cybersecurity landscape and have a proven track record of success," Leav said.

Under the terms of the deal, McAfee shareholders are due to get $26.00 in cash for each share of common stock they own. The transaction will close in the first half of 2022.

The San Jose, California-based company was founded by tech guru, businessman and visionary John McAfee in 1987 and was the first to bring a commercial antivirus solution to the market. McAfee was purchased by Intel in 2011.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

At least 18 people died when an artisanal goldmine collapsed in southern Niger near the border with Nigeria, the local mayor said on Monday

Niamey, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Nov, 2021 ) :At least 18 people died when an artisanal goldmine collapsed in southern Niger near the border with Nigeria, the local mayor said on Monday.

"The provisional death toll is 18 people, whom we buried this morning," Adamou Gueraou, mayor of Dan-Issa district, told AFP of Sunday's disaster.

"There were also seven hospitalised with injuries," he said, adding that Nigerian nationals were among the injured.

The accident was sparked when artisanal wells collapsed at the Garin-Liman mine site on Sunday afternoon, he said.

"Rescue operations are still going on, there might still be bodies trapped at the bottom of the pits," a local source said.
Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday urged the UN COP26 climate summit in Glasgow to take the necessary steps to cut carbon emissions and adapt to the changing climate, saying the conference has been "failing the world."

LONDON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th November, 2021) Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday urged the UN COP26 climate summit in Glasgow to take the necessary steps to cut carbon emissions and adapt to the changing climate, saying the conference has been "failing the world."

"The COP26 could not be more important, because the reality is we have been failing, we have been failing the world and we have been failing the most vulnerable communities living on the frontlines," Ban said in a pre-recorded message to the COP26 Adaptation Loss and Damage Day ministerial event.

After stressing that the most vulnerable nations "are already bearing the brunt of our accelerating climate crisis," the former UN head said that governments should give the ecological threat the same response given to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We cannot continue with business as usual," he said, adding that world leaders must assure young people accusing them of no acting with the sense of urgency the climate emergency requires that they understand there can be no more hollow promises.

Ban also praised the United Kingdom for making adaptation a priority for the COP26, following an announcement by International Trade minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan that London will allocate 290 million Pounds ($391 million) to support vulnerable countries to deal with the impact of global warming.

The UK is currently hosting the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) which focuses on boosting international efforts in reaching the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. At the summit, the parties are expected to pass some agreements to lower greenhouse emissions and achieve carbon neutrality.
(@FahadShabbir)

International opprobrium rained down Monday on Nicaragua's longtime leader Daniel Ortega after he won a fourth straight presidential term in what critics described as a "farce" election with his political opponents jailed or exiled

Managua, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Nov, 2021 ) :International opprobrium rained down Monday on Nicaragua's longtime leader Daniel Ortega after he won a fourth straight presidential term in what critics described as a "farce" election with his political opponents jailed or exiled.

With Ortega's victory in Sunday's poll a foregone conclusion, the United States and Europe led fierce criticism of the 75-year-old former guerrilla whom they accused of dictatorial tactics and of crushing dissent.

By early Monday, ballots had been counted in 49 percent of polling stations, with Ortega and wife Rosario Murillo, his vice president, securing 75 percent of votes, according to official partial results from the country's Supreme Electoral Council.

Nicaragua is now fully "an autocratic regime" after the deeply deficient elections handed Ortega his fifth overall presidential term, the European Union said Monday.

The polls "lack legitimacy" after Ortega "eliminated all credible electoral competition," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a withering statement on behalf of the 27-nation bloc, adding that further sanctions were being considered.

The election took place without independent international observers and with most foreign media denied access to the country.

Spain branded the vote "a farce against democracy," with seven would-be presidential challengers detained in Nicaragua since June and the five contenders Ortega did face dismissed by critics as regime loyalists.

US President Joe Biden said the outcome was "rigged" long before the "sham" vote.

Ortega and Murillo "orchestrated... a pantomime election that was neither free nor fair, and most certainly not democratic," Biden said in a statement, adding the pair now run Nicaragua "as autocrats." Overnight in the streets of the capital Managua, supporters waving red and black flags of Ortega's party celebrated, sang and danced in the Plaza de las Victorias.

"Whether the Yankees like it or not, we rule!" said one woman.

Nicaragua's neighbor Costa Rica, however, refused to recognize the elections because there was no way to determine whether they were "credible, independent, free, fair and inclusive.

" - Opposition 'terrorism' - Former guerilla hero Ortega launched a new attack on his opponents Sunday, saying: "This day we are standing up to those who promote terrorism, finance war, to those who sow terror, death." He was referring to Nicaraguans who took part in massive protests against his government in 2018, which were met with a violent crackdown that claimed more than 300 lives in Central America's poorest country.

Some 150 people have been jailed since then, including 39 opposition figures rounded up since June in the run-up to the vote.

Polling stations closed Sunday after 11 hours of voting under the watchful eye of 30,000 police and soldiers.

The Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (Cenidh) said Nicaragua was a "police state" using tactics of "fear (and) social control" to "crush the opposition." Opponents said the vote was marked by mass abstention even as the government claimed a turnout of 65 percent.

Fear vied with apathy among the 4.4 million Nicaraguans eligible to cast votes in the country of 6.5 million.

"No one from my family went to vote. This was a mockery for Nicaraguans," said a 49-year-old woman who runs a grocery store.

Like many others, she was too scared to give her name.

At one polling station, Pablo de Jesus Rodriguez, a 26-year-old carpenter and bricklayer, told AFP as he cast his vote: "The president has done good things for our country." - Unspecified attacks - On Sunday, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro -- his own 2018 re-election not recognized by most of the international community -- congratulated Ortega on his imminent victory.

A firebrand Marxist in his youth, Ortega ruled Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990, after the guerrilla ousting of US-backed dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle.

Returning to power in 2007, Ortega has won reelection four times and quashed presidential term limits.

Jailed opposition figures, including journalists, are accused of unspecified attacks on Nicaragua's "sovereignty" under a law passed by a parliament dominated by Ortega allies, who also control the judiciary and electoral bodies.

Election authorities banned the country's main opposition alliance from contesting Sunday's vote.
(@FahadShabbir)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th November, 2021) Unidentified hackers breached nine global organizations in the defense, energy, health, education and technology sectors, including a company in the United States, security firm Palo Alto Networks said.

"Subsequently, exploitation attempts began on Sept. 22 and likely continued into early October. During that window, the actor successfully compromised at least nine global entities across the technology, defense, healthcare, energy and education industries," a statement released by the cybersecurity company said on Sunday.

The hackers, who are allegedly foreign, managed to acquire usernames and passwords which will grant them access to confidential information.

It is furthermore reported that the technologies used to acquire these data is very similar to that which hackers in China use.

Officials working at the National Security Agency and the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are monitoring the activities of the hackers, but refused to comment on their identities, CNN reported.

In June, US President Joe Biden launched a rapid strategic review to address the mounting challenge of ransomware attacks.
(@FahadShabbir)

Second Deputy Prime Minister of Taliban (a terrorist organization banned in Russia) Abdul Salam Hanafi met in Kabul with the Chief of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), David Beasley, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said

KABUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th November, 2021) Second Deputy Prime Minister of Taliban (a terrorist organization banned in Russia) Abdul Salam Hanafi met in Kabul with the Chief of the United Nations World food Programme (WFP), David Beasley, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said.

The head of the WFP said that 23 million people in Afghanistan, out of its over 37 million population are in dire states, and the UN is working on developing mechanisms to help prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.

Hanafi noted that Afghanistan was ready to cooperate with a number of UN agencies, whose assistance was needed in the areas of humanitarian aid, reconstruction and education.

On November 4, WFP started distributing cash to poor families in Afghanistan. The organization provides 3,500 Afghan Afghanis (about $38) per month to low-income families in a bid to help the population through the ongoing economic crisis, as well as tackle poverty in the country. Over 4,000 families will be eligible for WFP payments in the next four months.

Ever since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in early September, the country has been witnessing the worsening of its economic and humanitarian situations.
The indigenous Benet people of Uganda, evicted 13 years ago from their ancestral forest, to this day live in temporary resettlement camps with no access to basic amenities, a prominent intrenational rights group said in a report on Monday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th November, 2021) The indigenous Benet people of Uganda, evicted 13 years ago from their ancestral forest, to this day live in temporary resettlement camps with no access to basic amenities, a prominent intrenational rights group said in a report on Monday.

"Uganda's Indigenous Benet people continue to languish in deplorable conditions in ramshackle resettlement camps with little access to water, sanitation and healthcare 13 years after being violently evicted from their ancestral forest lands in Mount Elgon," Amnesty International said in a report.

The NGO interviewed 61 Benet people on their right to health, housing and education, and found that they still struggle from the disruption of their lives and are at risk of harm from forest rangers, despite Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's promises to resolve the situation.

"Not only were the Benet violently evicted from the forest and robbed of their ancestral home but today, 13 years later, they are still living in temporary settlements made of flimsy huts of mud and stick, deprived of essential services such as clean drinking water and electricity and cut off from healthcare and education," the Amnesty International regional director for East and Southern Africa, Deprose Muchena, said.

The Benet people were first evicted from the forest in 1983 by the National Forest Authority, and again years later by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) when the forest was declared a national park by the government. In 2008, UWA moved to forcefully evict about 200 Benet families who allegedly continued living in the park, "despite government allocating the same land to them after the previous evictions."

Muchena asks the country's authorities to recognize the Benet people as indigenous inhabitants of the forest and restore them to their homeland.
UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th November, 2021) UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths on Monday urged the international community to fund the humanitarian response for Myanmar by providing $385 million amid the deteriorating situation in the country.

The humanitarian situation in Myanmar is deteriorating. Across the country, there are now more than 3 million people in need of life-saving humanitarian assistance because of growing conflict and insecurity, COVID-19 and a failing economy," Griffiths said in a statement. "I... call on the international community to fund the response. Less than half of the US$385 million required under the Humanitarian Response Plan and Interim Emergency Response Plan launched after the armed forces' takeover has been received."

Since the military coup on February 1, Griffiths said hundreds of thousands of people had fled their homes and 223,000 people remain internally displaced.

In addition, more than 37,000 people, including women and children, have been newly displaced in recent weeks as the fighting between the Myanmar Armed Forces and the Chinland Defense and the People's Defense Forces has escalated in Chin state, Mgway and Sagaing regions, Griffiths said.

While humanitarian workers are providing aid to the people in need, they face a lack of access across the country resulting from bureaucratic impediments imposed by the military, Griffiths added.

"I call on the Myanmar armed forces - and all parties - to facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access," he said.

November 8 marks one year since the 2020 general elections in Myanmar deemed free and fair by domestic and international observers.

The military came to power in Myanmar on February 1, 2021, under the pretext that the National League for Democracy rigged the November election. The military coup triggered a wave of civil protests, and more than 1,180 people have died in clashes with the authorities.
Dear Members of the USF Community,

I would like to share with you some important news about my leadership team. Ralph Wilcox, executive vice president and provost, has informed me of his intentions to step aside from his role next year, due to a desire to spend more time with his family  which he has certainly earned. I am grateful that Dr. Wilcox has agreed to remain in his role as provost and assist in the transition for as long as is needed. The search for a new provost will begin in the spring with the goal of selecting Dr. Wilcoxs successor shortly after a new university president is hired. At the end of his tenure, Dr. Wilcox plans to remain with the university as a professor, where he will continue to support USFs bold future.

Dr. Wilcox has called the University of South Florida his professional home for nearly two decades and has served as provost for 15 years at an unrelenting pace, continuously pushing USF toward higher levels of excellence.

We are deeply grateful to Provost Wilcox for his many contributions to USFs outstanding momentum. Under Provost Wilcoxs leadership, USFs academic enterprise has earned widespread recognition across the state, the nation and globally. His comprehensive approach to student success has made an impact on hundreds of thousands of students over the past decade. Under Dr. Wilcoxs leadership, USF has:

Increased access, opportunity and diversity  from 61% white student enrollment in fall 2011 to 47% in 2021;

Increased the academic profile of incoming freshmen  from 3.86/1188 in fall 2011 to 4.18/1297 in fall 2021  with the number of National Merit Scholars climbing to an all-time high of 62 in 2021;

Significantly improved the freshman retention rate  from 85% in 2010-11 to 90% in 2020-21  and nearly eliminated the achievement gap for students of color and socioeconomic status;

Increased the four-year FTIC graduation rate  from 36% for the 2007-11 cohort to 62% for the 2017-21 cohort;

Improved the six-year FTIC graduation rate  from 52% for the 2005-2011 cohort to 74% for the 2015-21 cohort;

Improved the Florida College System AA transfer student two-year graduation rate  from 34% for the 2008-10 cohort to 48% for the 2018-20 cohort;

Increased graduate degrees awarded annually  from 3,013 in AY 2010-11 to an all-time high of 4,271 in AY 2020-21;

Decreased average cost (of tuition, fees and books minus financial aid) for completion of a four-year degree from $14,490 in AY 2013-14 to $1,810 in AY 2019-20  even as the undergraduate in-state full-time tuition has not changed from $6,410 over the past nine years, and graduate in-state full-time tuition has not changed from $10,428 over the past nine years;

Led the state in percentage of undergraduate and graduate degrees awarded in state-defined areas of strategic emphasis  preparing a pipeline of talented graduates for employment in high-demand, high-skilled and high-paying jobs in Floridas economy;

And increased the number of USF students winning competitive national scholarships  from three in AY 2010-11 to 55 in AY 2020-21.

I wish to sincerely thank Dr. Wilcox for his leadership, commitment and tireless contributions to ensure USFs continued rise in stature among the nations top public universities over the past decade. Today, USF is the Fastest-Rising University in the Nation, public or private  climbing in U.S. News & World Report rankings from 101st to 46th among public universities  and continues to climb in the top-50 of American public universities in the Times Higher Education World Rankings.

I am grateful for Dr. Wilcoxs commitment to the mission and vision of this university. Dr. Wilcox was critical to USFs designation as a Florida Emerging Preeminent Research University in 2016 and, two years later, USFs designation as the third  and only metropolitan  Preeminent Research University. It has been an honor and privilege to support the many accomplishments of Dr. Wilcox in my time as president.

Importantly, he has always kept student success at the forefront. As one exemplar of this commitment, Dr. Wilcox created the highly successful Provosts Scholars Program. This professional development and global engagement program allows high-performing undergraduate students to graduate at least one year ahead of their peers, accelerating their bachelors degree program to be completed in three years. The program helps scholars stay career-focused and ready for post-graduation plans by completing three pillar experiences: study abroad or study away, research or professional development, and leadership or service. Since it began in 2011, nearly 400 students have participated.

Moreover, Dr. Wilcox and his team were instrumental in the universitys success in responding to COVID-19  ensuring academic continuity and adaptability during these trying times, while placing priority on access for students, faculty and staff and their continued success. Under Dr. Wilcoxs leadership, critical operations, including teaching and learning, moved ahead without significant disruption.

I wish to sincerely thank Dr. Wilcox for his extraordinary dedication to student success and academic excellence at USF. We wish him the best in the next chapter of his intellectual and professional journey.

Sincerely,

Rhea F. Law
Memphis, TN  U.S. Marshal Tyreece Miller announces the capture of Ozar Odell Faulkner on charges of First-Degree Murder that occurred in Memphis. Faulkner is a suspect from a homicide that took place at a carwash off North Hollywood Street on August 3, 2021.

On November 4, 2021, an arrest warrant for one count of First-Degree Murder was issued for Faulkner. The Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force (TRVFTF) adopted the case out of Shelby County.

This morning, the TRVFTF went to an apartment complex at 1910 Asa Drive in Memphis to locate Faulkner. Deputies arrested Faulkner without incident at the residence.

U.S. Marshal Tyreece Miller stated, Our team here in the Western District of Tennessee strives to provide the citizens of our district a safer community by taking dangerous suspects off the streets.

The U.S. Marshals Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force is a multi-agency task force within Western Tennessee. The Western Tennessee Division of the TRVFTF has offices in Memphis and Jackson, and its membership is primarily composed of Deputy U.S. Marshals, Shelby County Sheriffs Deputies, Memphis Police Officers, Fayette County Sheriffs Deputies, Jackson Police Officers, and the Tennessee Department of Corrections Special Agents. The primary mission of the Task Force is to arrest violent offenders and sexual predators.

Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.

####



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Lincoln, RI (02865)

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Cloudy skies. High near 55F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

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The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, visits Switzerland for the centenary celebration of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the Swiss Confederation, and celebrates Mass on Sunday with the Benedictine community in the Marian Shrine of Einsiedeln.

By Mario Galgano

One hundred years ago the Apostolic Nunciature to Switzerland was opened in Bern. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, accepted the invitation of Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis, Vice-President of Switzerland and Swiss Foreign Minister, to participate in the celebration of this diplomatic anniversary of peace in Switzerland.

Together, they will take part on Monday in a two-day conference at the University of Fribourg in western Switzerland on the historical reassessment of diplomatic relations.

Beginnings of diplomatic relations

From 1586 until 1873 - the beginning of the Kulturkampf - there had already been a papal envoy to Switzerland, in Lucerne, and he only officially served as an "interlocutor" with the Catholic cantons. Then, about a hundred years ago, the foundations were laid for official relations between Switzerland and the Apostolic See.

Pilgrimage sites

The abbot of the Benedictine monastery of Einsiedeln, Urban Federer - who welcomed Cardinal Parolin on the first leg of his visit to Switzerland  notes that "Einsiedeln tells us of many generations of monks and believers who have found refuge and new strength in the Mother of Jesus."

On 16 June 1984, Pope St. John Paul II visited the monastery which is located in the heart of the country and is famous for its "Black Madonna."

Cardinal Parolin expressed pleasure that he began his visit at a Marian shrine. He is also visiting Flueli-Ranft, another important Swiss pilgrimage site where Saint Nicholas of Flue, the patron saint of Switzerland, worked 550 years ago.

Saint Nicholas was a mystic and hermit, who left a wife and children behind, was considered an important interlocutor for geopolitical-diplomatic issues in the past. His attitude is still appreciated today as a model for peacemakers and deep faith in the Church.

Interruption/restoration of diplomatic relations

The interruption of diplomatic relations between Switzerland and the Vatican in the 19th century due to the Kulturkampf is a little-known page in Swiss history. Worthy of attention, however, is the resumption of these relations, in 1920, by decision of the Federal Council and the intervention of some cardinals.

The Holy See resumed its diplomatic relations with Switzerland thanks to the University of Fribourg and especially for its humanitarian cooperation during the Great War, at the suggestion of the Cardinal of Paris, Leon Amette.

During this time, the intention was to host the wounded and the sick in Switzerland and it was finally through the efforts of Federal Councillor Giuseppe Motta - then President of the Confederation - that the new Nunciature opened its doors in Bern.

On the Swiss side, however, it was not until 1991 - following discussions between the Holy See and Bishop Haas on the situation in the diocese of Chur - that the Federal Council decided to put an end to unilateralism in diplomatic relations and appointed an ambassador on a special mission to the Holy See. Before then, the only Swiss representatives in Rome were the Swiss Guards.

Celebrating a hundred years

Today, one hundred years after the resumption of these relations, talks are being held that aim to further develop the existing cooperation between the Holy See and Switzerland.

On Monday, at the University of Fribourg, there will be a presentation of a book written by a historian from Ticino, Lorenzo Planzi, titled "The Pope and the Federal Council: from the break-up in 1873 to the reopening of the nunciature in Bern in 1920." The book was published in Locarno in 2020 and is available in three languages.

On Tuesday, there will be a study meeting on "Switzerland and the Holy See: a dense history, from the Middle Ages to the common commitment for peace". Scholars and researchers will speak on five themes: "From the Middle Ages to the Reformation", "The Lucerne Nunciature", "Sociology and theology of confessional coexistence in Switzerland", "A century of relations between Switzerland and the Holy See" and, in the concluding round table, with the participation of the Apostolic Nuncio in Bern, Monsignor Martin Krebs and Ambassador Denis Knobel, "Diplomacy and current challenges".

The first session will examine apostolic diplomacy in the north of Chiasso before the Kulturkampf. It was, in fact, thanks to the intervention of the Milanese Cardinal Charles Borromeo that a Nuncio was established in Switzerland at the end of the 16th century. From 1586 until the end of the 19th century, the Pope's representative lived in Lucerne, considered by Rome as the only Swiss city worthy to host its representative.

In looking towards the future, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs is exploring the possibility of sending a permanent resident Swiss ambassador to the Holy See. The parliamentary commissions in Bern have already given their consent and we await the definitive consent of the Swiss Parliament.

This article is loosely translated from the Italian original
KELLIE FOY is Editor in Chief for The Vidette. She can be contacted at vidette_kafoy1@ilstu.edu Follow Foy on Twitter at @kellie_foy

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 Austrian government will bar citizens who have not received a COVID-19 vaccination from entering hotels, restaurants, hair salons, and attending public events with 25 or more people.

The new rules came into effect on Nov. 8. During the first four weeks after the implementation of the new rules, any person who has received at least a single shot of COVID-19 vaccine or show results from a PCR test will be allowed into hotels and other places as well as be permitted to attend events. After four weeks, only those who are fully vaccinated with two doses of an approved vaccine or have recovered from COVID-19 will be allowed these freedoms.

Justifying the discriminatory laws, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg stated that it is our responsibility to protect people in the country. Were going to have to tighten the reins on the unvaccinated The occupancies of intensive-care beds are increasing significantly faster than we had expected, Schallenberg said. He asked unvaccinated individuals to get vaccinated, terming it as a moral responsibility.

The COVID-19 situation in the country has been worsening in recent weeks. The number of daily new infections per million people rose from 202.32 on Oct. 1 to 835.78 on Nov. 7, an increase of over 400 percent in just over a month. The daily new confirmed deaths per million has more than doubled from 0.96 to 2.29 during this period. This surge in infections has taken place despite the fact that 60 percent of the Austrian population have been fully vaccinated since Oct. 1. Austria has also announced booster shots for all adults.

Schallenberg indicated that more restrictions on unvaccinated individuals could be imposed if the pandemic were to worsen. Last month, the Chancellor stated that the government will implement lockdown restrictions on unvaccinated individuals if a third of the ICU capacity gets filled. The tougher rules are also applicable to unvaccinated tourists.

Authorities have stepped up police checks to ensure people comply with the new rules. According to interior minister Karl Nehammer, 800 more police officers will be added to the existing force of 4,000 who are on patrol to check compliance. A business found to have broken the rules can be fined up to 30,000 euros (US$34,700) while customers may be fined up to 500 euros (US$578).

For those who keep to all the measures, its more than unfair if there are people who think they can simply circumvent or even fool health authorities, the health ministry and experts guidelines, Nehammer told AP News.

Many Austrians are unhappy about the restrictive rules. Honestly, Im pissed off at 80 years old, after all, what could possibly happen to me? an unvaccinated man who was stopped by the police for not possessing a valid pass told Euro News.

Meanwhile, the capital city of Vienna will start vaccinating kids as young as five years old although the European Union has not approved vaccinations for citizens below the age of 12. Beginning Nov. 12, children will be administered Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine. Through 34 vaccination centers, up to 200 children can be inoculated per day. Demand for Covid vaccinations for children is high, Peter Hacker, a Viennese public health official, told the NYT.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has placed Austria in a level 4 category, indicating that there is a very high level of COVID-19 in the country. Because of the current situation in Austria, even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants, the agency warned.
The death toll from the worst militant attack in Burkina Faso in recent years has risen to 132, the government said Saturday, after armed assailants laid siege overnight to a village in the Islamist extremist-plagued northeast.

The attackers struck during the night Friday, killing residents of the village of Solhan in Yagha province, bordering Niger. They also burned homes and the market, the government said in a statement.

It declared a 72-hour period of national mourning, describing the attackers as terrorists, although no group has claimed responsibility. Another 40 residents were wounded, government spokesperson Ousseni Tamboura later told reporters.

Attacks by Islamist extremists linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State in West Africa's Sahel region have risen sharply since the start of the year, particularly in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, with civilians bearing the brunt.

The violence in Burkina Faso has displaced more than 1.14 million people in just more than two years, while the poor, arid country is hosting 20,000 refugees from neighboring Mali.

The latest attack pushed the number killed by armed Islamists in the Sahel region to more than 500 since January, according to Human Rights Watch's West Africa director, Corinne Dufka.

"The dynamic is the jihadists come in, they overpower the civil defense post and engage in collective punishment against the rest of the village  it's a pattern we've seen everywhere this year," Dufka said.

In March, attackers killed 137 people in coordinated raids on villages in southwestern Niger.
Chad's military claimed victory on Sunday in its weeks-long battle with northern rebels that led to the death of President Idriss Deby on the battlefield.

The rebel group Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) did not respond to a request for comment. The transitional military authorities have previously said they have defeated the rebels only for fighting to continue.

The fighting and broader political instability are being closely watched. Chad is a key power in central Africa and a longtime Western ally against Islamist militants across the Sahel region.

Crowds in the capital N'Djamena cheered on Sunday as soldiers returned from the front line in a column of tanks and armored vehicles.

"The triumphant return of the army to the barracks today heralds the end of operations and Chad's victory," the army's Chief of the General Staff Abakar Abdelkerim Daoud told reporters.

At an army base in N'Djamena, dozens of captured rebels sat in the dirt, on display for the assembled press.

FACT fighters crossed the border from Libya in April to take a stand against Deby, whose 30-year rule they opposed. His subsequent death while visiting troops plunged the country into crisis.

On Saturday, security forces fired tear gas to disperse a protest against the ruling military council. Led by Deby's son Mahamat Idriss Itno, the council seized power after the former's death, promising to oversee an 18-month transition to elections.

Opposition politicians and civil society have denounced the takeover as a coup and called for supporters to take to the streets. At least five people were killed during a protest on April 27.

They had planned a further protest on Sunday, but postponed it out of fear the authorities planned to suppress it violently, Mahamat Nour Ibedou, a prominent human rights activist, told Reuters.

The military council had given permission for a protest on Sunday.
Chads army says President Idriss Deby has been killed in clashes with rebels, ending his 30-year grip on power in the Central African nation.

Speaking on state television Tuesday, an army spokesman said Deby died of injuries sustained while visiting troops on the front line. A rebel force known as the Front for Change and Concord in Chad has advanced from the north in recent days toward the capital, NDjamena.

The government and parliament have been dissolved, and the army spokesman, Azem Bermendao Agouna, said a military council will take charge of Chad for the next 18 months. He said the council will be led by Debys 37-year-old son, General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno.

The U.S. State Department offered condolences to the people of Chad and said the U.S. supports a peaceful transition of power in accordance with the Chadian constitution.

The commander for the U.S. militarys Africa Command, General Steven Townsend, said Tuesday its not clear what Debys death will mean for U.S.-Chadian relations but added that Debys son is inclined toward good relations both with France, which has a military base in Chad, and the United States.

Earlier, AFRICOM said it is closely monitoring the rebel incursion in Chad, while the U.S. Embassy in NDjamena ordered employees to shelter in place, citing the potential for unrest.

The 68-year-old Deby had ruled Chad since coming to power in a December 1990 coup, making him one of Africas longest-serving leaders. Opponents called him an autocrat and criticized his management of Chadian oil revenue. In 2008, a different rebel force reached NDjamena and came close to toppling Deby before French and Chadian army forces drove them out of the city.

In the West, however, Deby was seen as an important ally in the fight against Islamist extremist groups in West Africa and the Sahel, like Nigeria-based Boko Haram.

Former colonial power France hailed Deby on Tuesday as a courageous friend and great soldier who tried to protect his country. The statement urged the post-Deby transition take place under peaceful conditions.

Chadian opposition leader Saleh Kebzabo told VOAs French to Africa service that he was surprised to learn of President Debys death and called for talks to solve the countrys issues.

We think that, in this kind of situation, one should refrain from precipitous decisions. One should make time for concertation, time for unity and understanding, so that Chadians can look at the future in the same direction," he told VOA. "It is also the occasion to recall that, last week, political actors, including myself, and those of civil society groups signed a common statement titled Joint Statement for an Inclusive Dialogue. So, the time for dialogue is now, the dialogue opportunity is here. Chadians must get together right away for such dialogue.

On Monday, Deby was declared the winner of Chad's April 11 election with 79 percent of the vote, giving him a sixth term in office. Most opposition groups had boycotted the poll, citing arrests and a government ban on opposition rallies.

His campaign said Monday that Deby was going to the front line to join army troops battling what he called terrorists.

Libya-based rebels, known by their French acronym FACT, had attacked a border post on election day and then moved hundreds of kilometers toward the capital. On Monday, the Chadian army said it had inflicted a heavy loss on the rebels, killing more than 300 of them.

A different rebel force reached NDjamena in 2008 and came close to toppling Deby before army forces drove them out of the city.



National Security correspondent Jeff Seldin and VOA French to Africa service contributed to this report
An uneasy calm pervades Chads capital NDjamena since Fridays funeral for President Idriss Deby, who ruled the central African country for more than 30 years. Civilians say handing over power to Debys 37-year-old son to lead a transitional military council for 18 months is undemocratic.

Inoussa Labarang, 37, feeds his 27 chickens at his residence in Farcha, a neighborhood in Chads capital NDjamena.

Labarang says he expected to sell two chickens to raise money and buy millet to feed his family for at least three days.

But no customer has come since the countrys long-serving President Idriss Deby was killed during a clash with rebels, he said.

Fear has gripped the city.

Labarang has a second job as a security guard for shop at night, where he earns $40 each month.

The additional income helps him feed his wife and five children.

From the little he earns, he gives his wife $10 to buy and sell groundnuts to generate more income.

He is struggling, but he said his country should be wealthy. He believes the issue is with governance, pointing squarely at the leadership of the late President Deby, saying that he has given Chads wealth to an elite circle of family and friends.

He is one of many in the country who believe that the transition and appointment of the late presidents son during this period is unconstitutional.

Labarang supports opposition political parties and rebels who are asking the transitional military council created after Debys death to leave power.

According to Chads Constitution, the speaker of the parliament must take over when a sitting president dies before elections can be held, he said.

Before he was killed, provisional results showed that Deby won re-election for a sixth term in office.

On April 20, the day of Debys death, Chads military announced on state media the creation of an 18-month transitional military council led by General Mahamat Idriss Deby, the 37-year-old son of the late president.

A rebel force known as the Front for Change and Concord in Chad or FACT, released a statement vowing to take the capital and depose the 37-year-old.

Following threats from rebels and the opposition, the transitional military council deployed troops to protect NDjamena, activist Fundjoul Abdoul of Chads Rights Watch said.

The transitional military council, Abdoul said, also declared a curfew in NDjamena and is restricting movement of people in the city of over a million people.

There is total confusion in the whole country. There is a lot of uncertainty," he said. "People are afraid to go out and the town has been virtually militarized. Chad does not know what future is being reserved for them. The opposition is not yet satisfied. The rebels too are threatening, so there is fear.

Chads state radio and TV have been broadcasting messages from Mahamat Idriss Deby calling for peace. In the message the new leader says he is open to dialogue.

He says he is very thankful for the support a majority of Chadians and friendly nations, especially France, have given his family since President Idriss Debys death. He says his father worked tirelessly for peace, reconciliation and the unity of Chad.



Idriss Deby always encouraged dialogue, he said, as a solution to all forms of crisis. He says with the support of Idriss Debys family and the Chadian people, he will continue to defend his fathers ideology that is loved by most Chadians.

Deby was a key ally of France in the fight against jihadist groups across West Africa including Boko Haram, which has destabilized the parts of Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria and Niger.

French President Emmanuel Macron who visited N'Djamena to attend Debys funeral said his country will not allow Chad to become destabilized.

Chads civil society groups plan to hold a public demonstration Tuesday, demanding the dissolution of the transitional military council.

In a statement, Max Loalngar, one of the leaders of a civil society coalition called Coordination of Citizen Actions, accused France and regional allies of undemocratically backing the fallen presidents son to take power.

The group said Chad is not a monarchy.
In Chad, factionalism is creating uncertainty over the central African nations leadership following this weeks sudden death of longtime President Idriss Deby Itno.

On Wednesday, a transitional military council named Debys son  37-year-old General Mahamat Kaka Idriss Deby Itno  as its interim head. The announcement came a day after the army announced his 68-year-old father died from injuries sustained over the weekend while visiting troops on the front lines.

They were battling the Front for Change and Concord in Chad, a Libya-based rebel group known by the French acronym FACT that has advanced in recent days toward the capital, NDjamena.

In comments posted on the presidency website Wednesday, the younger Deby said the military council aimed to restore civilian rule and would hold democratic elections in 18 months.

The military council has no ambition to govern the country alone, Deby said in a speech to political party representatives, according to Reuters news service.

The council put forth a new charter, replacing Chads constitution and granting Deby presidential powers, as well as control of the military, Reuters said.

Meanwhile, cracks are emerging among Chads military leadership, General Idriss Mahamat Abderamane Dicko told VOA in a phone interview Wednesday.

Dicko said he represents the national republican army. He said the younger Deby was appointed by a small circle of military friends, and he accused them of wanting to leave the legal framework to perpetrate a little coup d'etat.

Dicko said his group has asked the council to return to reason and sit down with representatives of civil society, trade unions  all the organizations that represent the Chadian people  for an inclusive dialogue to develop resolutions that could guarantee a transition leading to independent, free and inclusive elections.

Sovereignty is in the hands of the people, Dicko said.

On Monday, the elder Deby was declared the winner of Chad's April 11 election with 79% of the vote, which would have given him a sixth term in office. But most opposition groups had boycotted the poll, citing arrests and a government ban on opposition rallies.

Deby  whose burial is planned for Friday in his eastern Chad hometown of Amdjarass  came to power in a December 1990 coup, making him one of Africas longest-serving leaders. Opponents called him an autocrat and criticized his management of Chadian oil revenue. In 2008, a different rebel force reached NDjamena and came close to toppling Deby before French and Chadian army forces drove them out of the city.

In the West, however, Deby was seen as an important ally in the fight against Islamist extremist groups in West Africa and the Sahel region like Nigeria-based Boko Haram.

FACT attacked a border post on the day of the election and then moved hundreds of kilometers toward the capital. On Monday, the Chadian army said it had inflicted a heavy loss on the rebels, killing more than 300 of them.

The U.S. government is closely watching developments.

At a State Department daily briefing Wednesday, spokesperson Ned Price said, We continue to stand with the people of Chad during this difficult time. We condemn recent violence and loss of life in Chad.  Obviously, developments in recent days and hours are a cause for concern, but we will continue to call for and support peaceful, democratic transition to a civilian-led government.

Richard Moncrieff, who leads the International Crisis Groups Africa research program from Nairobi, told VOA he saw challenges on at least two fronts.

Chadian troops have lost their commander-in-chief, he said. And though the younger Deby is a career soldier, a very important question at the moment is whether the new military committee that has taken over the country has full ability to deploy soldiers and command the army.

Also, FACT rebels have stated their determination to continue to fight to overthrow the new military council and have continued their advance, Moncrieff said.

So, that is fraught with risk, because it is a significant, well-armed rebel group with a significant rear base in Libya, Moncrieff said. He added that its unclear whether FACT may be able to bring onboard other rebel groups based in Libya  or launch complementary attacks in other parts of the country.

Jerome Tubiana, a journalist and researcher in France who has studied Chad extensively, also questioned the Chadian militarys efficacy going forward.

There were indications of fractures in the army in recent years, he said. The army remobilized to fight in the last days, but it's not sure that it will remain as mobilized now that Deby's dead. I'm not sure the army will fully support the rapidly established transitional military council.

Tubiana, when asked about the elder Debys decision to risk going to the battlefront, told VOA, It's customary in Chad to do that. And people say that the troops don't fight if the big officers are not in the first car  basically on the front line.

I think Deby really wanted to make sure that his army would actually fight and remain mobilized and not betray him, because in recent years there's been a lot of dissatisfaction growing within the army, he added.

Andre Kodmandjingar contributed from NDjamena for VOA French to Africa. Jason Patinkin and James Butty, both of VOA English to Africa, reported from Washington.
Partial provisional results in Chads April 11 election released Saturday show President Idriss Deby leading and appearing to be headed for another term in office, extending his three-decade rule.

Preliminary results are expected April 25.

Deby is viewed in Europe and the U.S. as a key ally in the fight against terrorism in West and Central Africa. Within the country, though, there have been signs of growing discontent over his handling of Chads oil wealth.

Opposition leaders had called on supporters to boycott the vote.

In addition, a group of Libya-based rebels, the Front for Change and Concord in Chad, has been launching attacks. The group attacked a Chadian border post in the north on election day.

Chads army said Saturday that it had "completely destroyed" the convoy of rebels that attacked the country.

The British government said that two of the rebel groups convoys were approaching the capital, NDjamena, Saturday.

The U.S. Embassy in Chad issued a security alert Saturday, ordering nonessential staff to leave the country because of potential violence in the city.

Britain also told its citizens to leave the country as soon as possible.
The president of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh, has been declared the winner of Fridays presidential election in the tiny but strategic Horn of Africa nation.

Provisional results received Saturday by VOA Somali show President Guelleh winning 167,536 votes (97.44 percent). His rival, businessman and independent candidate, Zakaria Ismail Farah received a mere 4,408 votes (2.48 percent). Official results will be confirmed by a constitutional council in the coming days.

After the results were announced, the president thanked the people of Djibouti for electing him to lead the country.

I extend my warmest thanks to those thousands of Djiboutians and Djiboutians who have exercised their civic duty in serenity and have chosen to renew their trust in me by voting majority for the continuation of my action, he wrote on his Facebook page.

Guelleh starts his fifth term as the leader of the country he has been ruling since 1999. The World Bank estimates the population of Djibouti to be about 990,000.

Djibouti is a strategic partner of the United States, hosting the only permanent military base in Africa. It also plays a greater role in peacekeeping operations in Somalia, where thousands of its soldiers are serving alongside African Union troops from Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, and Burundi.
"Several dozen" people were killed on Monday in an attack by suspected jihadists in Kodyel, a locality in Komandjari province in eastern Burkina Faso, sources told Agence France-Presse.

"A large number of armed individuals attacked the village of Kodyel in the commune of Foutouri this morning, killing dozens of civilians," a joint regional security source told AFP.

The official of the Volunteers for the Defense of the Fatherland (VDP), a civilian auxiliary engaged in the anti-jihadist fight alongside defense and security forces, confirmed the attack, speaking of a "very heavy toll," at minimum, "20 to 30 deaths."

"It is still a provisional assessment because people have fled the village," said the official, who also reported "about 30 dead men and women." He said there were also "about 20 injured, several of them seriously.

The VDP official said that "this massacre could have been avoided" because "warnings had been given a few days ago about the presence of terrorists in the area. Some individuals had already threatened the villagers, whom they accused of denouncing them."

"An operation to secure populations and track down these individuals was launched as soon as the alert was given by the VDP," the source added.

He told AFP that "the attack took place early this morning while some were still in their homes. Dozens of men broke into the village and set houses on fire for a while.  They opened fire on people without distinction."

"The terrorists also injured around 15 people, some of whom were evacuated to the Fada N'Gourma hospital center for treatment," he added.

The attack, one of the deadliest in the eastern region, comes a week after an ambush against a mixed anti-poaching unit on the Fada N'Gourma-Pama axis, during which two Spanish journalists and an Irish conservationist were killed.

A poor country in West Africa, Burkina Faso has been plagued by recurrent jihadist attacks since 2015, like its neighbors Mali and Niger.


The leader of Guineas main opposition party, the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG), says the countrys September 5 coup was justified because President Alpha Conde was illegitimate after he changed the constitution to run for a third term.

Speaking to VOAs James Butty in an exclusive interview through an interpreter, Cellou Dalein Diallo said all the ills of Guinean society cited by the military junta had been identified and denounced by his party.

Asked if he would personally participate in a unity government if the military were to ask him to do so, Diallo said he would personally not join a transitional government but would designate members of his party to take part.

Diallo claimed to have won the October 2020 presidential election, but the electoral commission declared Conde the winner, and the Guinean Supreme Court validated the results in favor of President Conde.

Diallo said he would run again for president in a new election.

The election followed a March 2020 constitutional referendum that paved the way for Conde, 83, to extend his stay in office. The opposition said at least 21 people were killed during protests against the referendum in Nzerekore, Guineas second largest city. The Guinean government refuted the allegations.

Conde won the 2010 and 2015 elections, but critics said he became increasingly authoritarian.

Diallo told VOA he would highly recommend that the fight against corruption and human rights abuses should be a top priority for the military government. He said the military junta should make it possible for victims of human rights abuses during the Conde administration to get justice.

Regional bloc ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) has condemned the September 5 coup. As the group meets this Thursday in an emergency summit to discuss the military takeover in Guinea, Diallo said he hopes ECOWAS will help Guinea put together a transition process that leads to a free and fair election.
More than 700 people have been arrested in Chad following this week's demonstrations against the new military government led by the son of slain President Idriss Deby Itno, the United Nations said Friday.

Civil society groups are renewing calls for more protests over the weekend in the Central African country, where tensions have mounted in the aftermath of Deby's killing that was blamed on a rebel group now threatening to overthrow the interim government.

U.N. human rights office spokesperson Marta Hurtado said it was not known how many of the people arrested after Tuesday's demonstrations are still being detained.

"As further protests and general strikes have been called to take place in the coming days, we stress that Chad remains bound by its obligations under international human rights law to protect and respect human rights, including the right to life, and to facilitate the exercise of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly," she said in Geneva.

Witnesses say that security forces fired live ammunition at Tuesday's demonstrations, which took place in Chad's two largest cities, N'Djamena and Moundou. A military spokesperson has disputed that the anti-government protests were peaceful, saying one crowd killed a retired police officer amid the unrest.

Streets remained calm but heavily patrolled by military on Friday, as many of N'Djamena's residents flocked to mosques for prayers during the third week of Ramadan.

In the country's north, there were conflicting reports over whether the military or rebel forces controlled the town of Nokou. Rebels from the armed group known as the Front for Change and Concord in Chad said they held the town, but the military issued a communique saying that armed rebels had been repelled on Thursday.

The rebels  who are known by their French acronym, FACT  also claimed to have shot down a Chadian military helicopter on Thursday but the government later said the aircraft had crashed due to a mechanical issue.

Chad, a key player in the international fight against Islamic extremism in Africa, was rocked by the April 20 death of Deby, who had been in power for more than three decades. The military formed a transitional government with his son Mahamat at the helm before announcing the longtime leader's death on national television.

The military has blamed his death on the Chadian rebels from FACT, who were based in neighboring Libya and crossed back into Chad on election day earlier this month as Deby sought a sixth term in office. The rebels have repeatedly threatened to march on the capital and depose the interim leader, though are still believed to be some 300 kilometers from N'Djamena.

The political opposition also has called for interim military government to step down, saying that power should have been ceded to the National Assembly president in the aftermath of Deby's killing.

A coalition of civil society groups has called for people to take to the streets on Saturday to demand "a return to constitutional order."
The World Health Organization has begun giving the Ebola vaccine to high-risk people in Ivory Coast, after a woman was diagnosed with the Ebola virus in Abidjan.

On Saturday, Ivory Coast declared its first case of Ebola in more than 25 years. An 18-year-old woman who arrived by bus from Guinea in Abidjan, a city of nearly five million inhabitants, was found to be infected with the deadly virus.

Officials have responded swiftly. Within 48 hours after the outbreak was declared, they began vaccinating people who had contact with the Ebola patient, as well as first responders and health workers.

World Health Organization spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said the vaccination campaign was able to get off the ground quickly because surplus vaccine doses the WHO had used to fight a four-month-long outbreak in Guinea were rapidly sent to Ivory Coast.

"This swift response is a reminder of how crucial preparedness and surveillance are to minimize the potential damage and to try to limit and to stop the spread of the virus by breaking that transmission chain," he said.

The 18-year-old patient is currently receiving treatment in a local hospital, Jasarevic said, adding that health officials are tracing the nine people with whom she had come in contact. There is one suspect case.

Jasarevic added there is no indication the cases of Ebola in Ivory Coast are linked to the monthslong Ebola outbreak in Guinea earlier this year.

"Preliminary investigations and genomic sequencing to identify the strain show that there is a close link to the 2014 to 2016 outbreak in West Africa," he said. "And we are probably looking here at the Zaire strain of the virus as well. Now, further investigations are needed really to confirm these early results."

Since the Ebola outbreak was declared in Guinea in mid-February, WHO has been helping six countries, including Ivory Coast, prepare for a potential outbreak. This includes support in disease surveillance and screenings at border crossings, as well as setting up rapid response teams and improving testing and treatment.

An Ebola outbreak centered on Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone killed more than 11,000 people between 2014 and 2016.


The South African government has urged calm and restraint in Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, which has been engulfed by pro-democracy protests this week amid growing reports of state violence against demonstrators.

Protesters are demanding democratic reforms and accuse King Mswati III, who has ruled the tiny mountain kingdom for more than 30 years as an absolute monarch, of repression.

Rights groups accuse the royal family, including the king's 15 wives, of enjoying a lavish lifestyle while many of the country's 1.1 million people live in poverty.

Mbabane, the capital, and Mazini, the largest city, have reportedly been the most affected by the protests, which have seen demonstrators barricading roads and setting fires, often at businesses owned or linked to the royal family.

Businesses, factories and trucks have also been reportedly burned in the industrial town of Matsapha.

The Eswatini government has imposed a nightly curfew from 6 p.m.-4 a.m. to try to quell the demonstrations.

Photographs and videos on social media show soldiers assaulting people believed to be protesters.

Activists have alleged that soldiers and police have killed more than 20 protesters since the protests began this week, but this has not been confirmed by police, government officials or health workers.

Acting prime minister Themba Masuku claimed that the legitimate protests had been "hijacked by criminal elements."

In a statement on Thursday, South Africa's department of international relations and cooperation said it noted "with great concern the ongoing political and security situation" in Eswatini.

"We are particularly concerned by reports of loss of life and destruction of properties. The right to peaceful protest is universally recognized," said spokesperson Clayson Monyela.

He called on Eswatini's security forces to "exercise total restraint and protect the lives and property of the people."

The protesters are demanding reforms that include lifting bans on opposition political parties, which have been outlawed since 1973.

Sonke Dube, president of the Swaziland Youth Congress which is involved in the demonstrations, called on the United Nations, the 16-nation Southern Africa Development Community and the African Union to intervene.

"We urge you to call Mswati to order. Isolate him from the community of peace-loving nations. Impose sanctions on him and his immediate family and cronies until we have a people's government in Swaziland," Dube said in a statement.

South Africa's ruling African National Congress, which has historical ties to Swaziland stretching from that country's support for its liberation struggle, has criticized the government for violence against demonstrators.

"The use of security forces to quell political dissent and the failure to address legitimate civilian concerns complicates the conflict and adds fuel to the fire," said ANC head of international relations Lindiwe Zulu.

The U.S. State Department on Thursday upgraded its travel alert for Eswatini to warn Americans against any travel to the country and announced it would allow non-essential America diplomats and their families to leave due to the deteriorating security situation there.

"Eswatini is experiencing dangerous civil unrest and protests across the country," the department said, noting the imposition of a curfew, the closure of the international airport and communications disruptions.

A day earlier, the department had urged Eswatini authorities "to exercise restraint and also maintain the utmost respect for human rights."

"As the situation continues to unfold, the United States urges all stakeholders in this situation to not only remain calm but also remain peaceful," deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter told reporters on Wednesday.
Authorities in Madagascar have arrested several people they believe were part of a plot to kill President Andry Rajoelina.

The attorney generals office issued a statement Thursday saying the suspects were part of a conspiracy to undermine the island nations security, including the elimination and neutralization of a number of people.

The suspects include both foreign nationals and Madagascar-born citizens.

The statement said the investigation is still ongoing.

Some information for this report came from the Associated Press and AFP.
The United Nations says thousands of people in Madagascar are suffering from famine, while more than 1 million others are facing acute hunger and are forced to resort to extreme measures to keep from starving.

More than 1.1 million people in southern Madagascar are unable to feed themselves because the country is suffering from its most acute drought in four decades. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns the humanitarian crisis gripping the country is deteriorating rapidly.

OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke says conditions in the Amboasary Atsimo district are particularly serious. About 75% of the population is facing severe hunger, and thousands, he says, are catastrophically food insecure.

We have during this crisis for the first time identified 14,000 people who are in famine condition  Now, children are, of course, especially vulnerable. There is extreme malnutrition, and as we have heard from others, there is no doubt that the level that this has reached now is costing lives among children and others, Laerke said.

Aid agencies say the number of children admitted for treatment for life-threatening severe acute malnutrition in the first quarter of this year was four times the five-year average. That condition causes wasting, stunting, and can lead to problems of physical and cognitive development.

Laerke said the United Nations is in desperate need of money to stave off a looming catastrophe. He said the U.N. is renewing an appeal for $76 million, which was launched in January.

He said only 22% of the funds have been received, an amount that falls far short of what is needed to provide life-saving support for more than 1 million people.

The amount of money that [the U.N.] is asking -- $76 million -- is not a lot of money. It frankly is not in the bigger picture. And now, there is really an opportunity for donors to step up with a modest amount of money and save lives from one day to the other, he said.

Laerke warned, however, time is running out fast for people in Madagascar, especially for children. He said there is no time to waste. International donors must give money to support this life-saving effort -- and they must give now.


The head of the World Food Program said Tuesday that more than a million people in southern Madagascar are marching toward starvation, and some 14,000 are already in famine-like conditions.

You really cant imagine how bad it is, David Beasley told a small group of reporters about the conditions he saw during his trip last week to the East African island nation.

He said people are barely finding enough to eat, and many are dying. The WFP chief described people subsisting on mud and cactus flowers and hundreds of emaciated children with ripples of sagging skin on their limbs.

Its something you see in a horror movie, Beasley said.

The country has suffered a series of successive droughts since 2014, leading to poor harvests. Last year, swarms of desert locusts swept through East Africa. Earlier this year two tropical storms appeared to bring some drought relief, but the rainfall, combined with warm temperatures, created ideal conditions for an infestation of fall armyworms, which destroy maize.

There is no conflict driving these hunger numbers in the south, Beasley said, referring to the main cause of severe food insecurity affecting other countries. It is strictly climate change; it is strictly drought upon drought upon drought.

Families have sold their land, their cattle and all their possessions to buy food.

The scope of the problem is daunting. More than a half million people in the south are one step away from starvation. Right behind them are roughly 800,000 more. Of the 14,000 already in famine-like conditions, WFP says their numbers could double in the coming months.

Beasley said his agency needs $78.6 million to get 1.3 million people through the lean season, which will begin in September and run through March. And they need the money now because it takes 3 to 4 months to move food into southern Madagascar.

If we dont get that money, then you are talking about at least a half a million people being in famine-like conditions, said the WFP executive director.

That money buys essential food items, including cereals, beans, lentils and cooking oil for families.

Last week, the United States announced nearly $40 million in emergency assistance for southern Madagascar. The money will fund ongoing programs operated by WFP, UNICEF and Catholic Relief Services.

The worsening food crisis in southern Madagascar is not the only looming famine Beasleys agency is coping with.

WFP said Tuesday that 41 million people are on the brink of famine in 43 countries, and it wont take much to push them over the edge. Thats up from 27 million in 2019. The agency needs $6 billion to assist them.

Ethiopia, Madagascar, South Sudan and Yemen are experiencing the severest food crises. Nigeria and Burkina Faso are also of special concern because they have in recent months had pockets of people in the highest crisis levels of hunger.

We are in unprecedented waters right now, unlike anything we have seen since World War II, said Beasley. The numbers are astounding.
The conservative interim president who led Bolivia for a year was arrested Saturday as officials of the restored leftist government pursue those involved in the 2019 ouster of socialist leader Evo Morales, which they regard as a coup, and the administration that followed.

Jeanine Anez was detained in the early morning in her hometown of Trinidad and was flown to the capital, La Paz, where she appeared before a prosecutor.

"This is an abuse," she told reporters after the appearance. "There was no coup d'etat, but a constitutional succession" when she took over.

The arrest of Anez and warrants against numerous other former officials worsened political tensions in a South American country torn by a cascade of perceived wrongs suffered by both sides. Those include complaints that Morales had grown more authoritarian with nearly 13 years in office; that he illegally ran for a fourth reelection and then allegedly rigged the outcome; and that right-wing forces led violent protests that prompted security forces to push him into resigning and then cracked down on his followers, who themselves protested the alleged coup.

Dozens of people were killed in a series of demonstrations against and then for Morales.

'False narrative'

"This is not justice," said former President Carlos Mesa, who has finished second to Morales in several elections. "They are seeking to decapitate an opposition by creating a false narrative of a coup to distract from a fraud."

Morales, meanwhile, sent a tweet saying that the "authors and accomplices of the dictatorship should be investigated."

Arrest warrants were issued for more than a dozen other former officials. Those include several ex-cabinet ministers, as well as former military leader William Kaliman and the police chief who had urged Morales to resign in November 2019 after the country was swept by protests against the country's first Indigenous president.

After Morales resigned  or was pushed out  and flew abroad, many of his key supporters also resigned. Anez, a legislator who had been several rungs down the ladder of presidential succession, was vaulted into the interim presidency.

Once there, she abruptly wrenched Bolivia's policies to the right and her administration tried to prosecute Morales and an array of his supporters on terrorism and sedition charges, alleging election rigging and oppression of protests.

But Morales Movement Toward Socialism remained popular. It won last year's elections with 55% of the vote under Morales' chosen candidate, Luis Arce, who took the presidency in November. Anez had dropped out after plunging in the polls.

Other arrests, accusations

Two ministers in Anez's government were also arrested on Friday, including former Justice Minister Alvaro Coimbra, who had helped lead the prosecution of Morales' aides. A former defense minister and others also have been accused.

New Justice Minister Ivan Lima said that Anez, 53, faces charges related to her actions as an opposition senator, not as former president.

Interior Minister Eduardo del Castillo denied it was an act of persecution, saying the case arose from a criminal complaint of conspiracy and sedition filed against her in November, the month she left office.

The Americas director of Human Rights Watch, Jose Miguel Vivanco, said from Washington that the arrest warrants against Anez and her ministers "contain no evidence whatsoever that they have committed the crime of terrorism."
The government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega arrested five opposition leaders during a major weekend round up, in what appears to be widespread detentions of anyone who might challenge his rule.

The four arrests Sunday and one Saturday suggest Ortega has moved beyond arresting potential rival candidates in the Nov. 7 elections, and has begun arresting any prominent member of the opposition. The arrests bring to 12 the number of opponents detained since June 2.

It's not just potential candidates anymore, it's political leaders, former general and Sandinista dissident Hugo Torres told The Associated Press before he himself was arrested Sunday. This is not a transition to dictatorship, it is a dictatorship in every way.

On Sunday, police also arrested prominent ex-Sandinista dissident Dora Maria Tellez, another opposition leader, Ana Margarita Vijil, and Suyen Barahona, leader of the political movement Unamos.

Tellezs arrest is a major step: she was a leading Sandinista militant who led an assault on the National Palace in 1978, taking hostage the congress of dictator Anastasio Somoza in exchange for the release of Sandinista prisoners.

Following Somoza's overthrow, Tellez served as health minister in the first Sandinista government which ruled from 1979 to 1990. Like many former guerrillas, she later split with Ortega.

On Saturday, police arrested Tamara Davila, who was active in Unamos, which was formed by former Sandinistas angered by Ortegas autocratic ways, nepotism and perpetual re-elections.

Police said they arrested Davila on charges related to a recently enacted law that classifies as treason any support for sanctions against officials in the Ortega regime; the U.S. has slapped sanctions on dozens of officials.

Davila is also a central figure in the opposition coalition Blue and White National Unity, which was formed following Ortega's repression of mass protests in 2018.

Under a law passed in December, Ortega's government has the power to unilaterally declare citizens terrorists or coup-mongers, classify them as traitors to the homeland and ban them from running as candidates.

The law punishes those who lead or finance a coup ... encourage foreign interference, ask for military intervention ... propose or plan economic blockades, applaud and champion the imposition of sanctions against Nicaragua or its citizens.

Those accused will be traitors to the homeland, and for that reason may not run for public office. Treason is punishable by prison terms of up to 15 years.

Ortega has already arrested four potential opposition candidates who might have challenged his bid for a fourth consecutive term, and now many Nicaragua opposition leaders fear it is only a matter of time until police come for them, too.

Torres said he has seen drones flying around his home in recent days, of the type used at Tellez's house.

This interview may be the last one I give, Torres said. I am here, waiting for them to come for me.

Hours later, police barged into Torres' home and arrested him.

Nicaraguas National Police arrested the four opposition pre-candidates earlier this month.

On June 8, they arrested pre-candidate Felix Maradiaga, a pre-candidate for the opposition coalition Blue and White National Unity, and Sebastian Chamorro, a former director of the opposition coalition Civic Alliance.

The previous week authorities detained Cristiana Chamorro, a cousin of Juan Sebastian Chamorro, and Arturo Cruz Sequeira, a former ambassador to the United States.

Ortega initially led Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990 following the Sandinista revolution that ousted Somoza. He returned to the presidency in 2007 after three failed election attempts, and he won reelection in 2011. He then sidestepped term limits to get himself reelected in 2016, and packed courts and government agencies with allies. The Sandinista party controls the courts and the legislature, and has stifled universities and the Roman Catholic church.

Torres said Ortega has now instituted a more suffocating dictatorship than Somoza, who faced opposition from the within the church, intellectual circles and universities.

I think Ortega has outdone Somoza, said Torres. He has subordinated all the power to himself as Somoza never could. He has a bigger repressive apparatus than Somoza ever had.

Julie Chung, the U.S. State Departments acting assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere affairs, said via Twitter that Ortega's campaign of terror continues with more arbitrary arrests this weekend. OAS members must send a clear signal this week: enough repression. The region cannot stand by and wait to see who is next.


Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro said his government would not give in to "blackmail or threats" after the United States urged him to make serious efforts toward holding elections if he wants sanctions relief.

Washington's call comes ahead of a Friday meeting in Mexico between representatives of both the leftist government and opposition leader Juan Guaido -- considered interim president by the United States -- before talks set for August 30 under mediation from Norway.

Venezuela is suffering through a crippling economic crisis, exacerbated by a raft of fresh sanctions imposed by Washington following a contested election in 2018.

In a state television broadcast, Maduro said his country would go to the talks "autonomously and independently and does not submit to blackmail or threats from the United States government."

Earlier, Maduro said he was seeking an "immediate lifting of all the criminal sanctions" led by the United States, which in 2019 said it no longer considered him the legitimate president after wide allegations of electoral irregularities.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said the sanctions were aimed at "promoting accountability" on democracy and human rights.

"We've also been clear that the Maduro regime can create a path to easing sanctions by allowing Venezuelans to participate in long overdue free and fair presidential, parliamentary and local elections," Price told reporters.

Doing so "requires the Maduro regime to engage in sincere discussions with the opposition -- led by, of course, Interim President Juan Guaido -- that result in a comprehensive negotiated solution to the Venezuelan crisis," he said.

Guaido is seeking guarantees over electoral conditions as well as the release of political prisoners including Freddy Guevara, who was recently detained.

'For our political prisoners'

Guaido declared himself Venezuela's president in 2019 through his position as parliament speaker.

The opposition-dominated parliament had claimed Maduro's 2018 re-election was fraudulent, a view shared by the European Union and the United States.

Former US president Donald Trump, vowing to crush leftists across the Americas, imposed sweeping sanctions to pressure Maduro including on Venezuela's key export of oil.

But Maduro has withstood the pressure with support from the nation's military, Russia, China and Cuba despite a crumbling economy that has caused millions to flee.

Biden has largely kept in place Trump's stance on Venezuela while promising a more nuanced approach that relies on US allies.

Neither Maduro or Guaido will attend the latest talks, and the government holds most of the cards.

In a video retweeted on his official Twitter account, Guaido said: "Today there is unity in Venezuela supporting the possibility of a solution through a comprehensive agreement."

In a later tweet, he wrote: "For our country, for our political prisoners, for the struggle and the sacrifice of thousands, we are going to rise up and move on until we achieve it."

The government and the opposition last held negotiations in Barbados in 2019 that were also mediated by Norway and failed to make a breakthrough.
A report by Amnesty International documents several violent forced evictions in Uganda of the Benet indigenous people. Affected members of the community narrate details of the eviction from their ancestral land saying it took place without notice and they are asking the Ugandan government to compensate them.



More than a decade after being violently evicted from their ancestral forest lands in Mount Elgon, Amnesty says Ugandas Indigenous Benet people continue to languish in deplorable conditions.



This includes living in ramshackle resettlement camps with little access to clean water, sanitation and healthcare for 13 years according to a report by Amnesty International.



The report titled, "13 Years in Limbo: Forced Evictions of the Benet in the Name of Conservation", found that the Benet are still suffering disruption to their way of life and they remain at risk of physical harm from forest rangers despite repeated promises by the government to resettle them.



David Chemutai is an affected member of the Benet group. He says that through the different evictions, about 100 people have since lost their lives and many remain psychologically traumatized.

"The UWA officials came, they forced us to burn our own houses. They give you the matchbox and they have a gun and they tell you that, please burn your house. You have no alternative, the food is inside, the properties, they are inside. We had nowhere to go and we had to reside under the trees and in the caves," he said.

Roland Ebole, a researcher at Amnesty International, says the evictions among a community of 18,000 people constitute a range of human rights violations including the right to housing and the rights of indigenous people.

Ebole says Amnesty found that the Benet are suffering as the governments promises of protection and resettlement go unkept.



The multiple inter-related and interconnected human rights violations that the indigenous people of the Benet have suffered, following violent forced evictions by the state, have deepened the poverty and disparities experienced by this community. Leaving them landless, marginalized and at risk of further human rights violations, he said.



Amnesty Internationals report says the Benet were first evicted from the forest by the National Forest Authority in 1983, and subsequently by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, UWA, in 1993 when the Ugandan government declared the forest a national park.



The report further notes that in 2008, the UWA forcefully evicted about 200 Benet families, this time targeting members of the community who the UWA claimed were still settled inside the national park despite the governments allocation of land to them.



Amnesty is calling on the government to, among other things, recognize the Benet as indigenous people, recognize their right to their ancestral lands in Mount Elgon and to ensure that all Benet people who were subject to forcible evictions get remedy and reparations.



The organization also demands that all allegations against the UWA be investigated and responsible persons prosecuted.



Bashir Hangi, public relations officer for the Uganda Wildlife Authority describes the Amnesty report as baseless and pure speculation. According to Hangi, the Benet vacated their land for conservation voluntarily and are now going back on that.

It Is also not true that UWA is involved in killing people. Why do we kill people? We are a government entity established to be responsible for all protected areas. In the process of taking care of a protected area, we dont allow encroachers. We are not doing anything wrong. We are executing our mandate as per the law, he said.



Hangi adds that they are working closely with communities neighboring all protected areas and the government aims to resettle displaced communities.



The Benet are a hunter-gatherer and pastoralist community who many Ugandans refer to as the primitive people of the mountain.

Their land issues date back to the colonial period when the British colonial government first declared the Mount Elgon moorlands and grasslands, home to their ancestors, as a forest reserve.
A lawyer for the self-avowed white supremacist who admitted to killing 51 Muslim worshippers at two mosques in New Zealand in 2019 says his client is considering appealing his life sentence.

Tony Ellis said Monday during an interview on Radio New Zealand that his client, 31-year-old Australian Brenton Tarrant, said he suddenly pleaded guilty last year to the shootings in Christchurch because of the inhumane and degrading treatment he was subjected to in jail while awaiting trial. Tarrant said he was being denied proper access to lawyers, information and documentation that he could have used to aid in his defense.

His treatment, Tarrant said, affected his will to carry on so much that he decided the simplest way out was to plead guilty. It was the first time a life sentence without parole had ever been imposed in New Zealand.

Elllis said Tarrant made the claims in a memo to New Zealands chief coroner who has launched a new investigation into the March 15, 2019 attacks in response to demands from the victims survivors, who say there are many unanswered questions stemming from the initial investigation.

In addition to the deaths of 51 people, Tarrant also pleaded guilty to 40 charges of attempted murder and one charge of terrorism. Hours before carrying out the shootings, Tarrant published a long manifesto online explaining his reasons for the attacks. He then live-streamed the attacks on Facebook, which was viewed by scores of people around the world before it was taken down.

It was the worst mass shooting in New Zealands history. The massacre led to a ban on military-style semi-automatic rifles and a new nationwide firearms registry that traces every gun in New Zealand.

Some information for this report came from the Associated Press and Reuters.
The United States and Egypt have had "a shared interest" in getting Sudan's democratic transition back on track since the Sudanese military seized power in late October, said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

On Monday, Blinken and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry opened the U.S.-Egypt Strategic Dialogue.

"The military takeover that began on October 25 has been dangerously destabilizing," Blinken said. "Restoration of the civilian-led transitional government is the only path to facilitating the aspirations of the Sudanese people, who have demonstrated remarkable bravery in repeatedly coming out in demand for democracy," he added.

Egypt, one of Sudan's neighbors, is notably absent from a recent joint statement issued by the U.S., United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, calling for a "full and immediate restoration" of Sudan's "civilian-led transitional government and institutions."

The statement also encourages releasing all those detained since the coup and lifting the state of emergency in Sudan.

A report by The Wall Street Journal said that Sudanese military chief General Abdel-Fattah Burhan sought support from President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt in a meeting a day before the military takeover and that el-Sissi reassured his fellow general.

Shoukry did not address last month's Sudanese military takeover, nor did he answer questions from reporters during the opening remarks.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the U.S. will discuss the "ongoing efforts to restore the civilian-led transitional government and to prevent violence in Sudan" with Egyptian officials.

"I'm going to allow the Egyptians to characterize the nuance of their position, but certainly this will be a topic of discussion with our Egyptian counterparts," Price said during Monday's press briefing.

The Sudanese military has been facing international condemnation since it overthrew the transitional government in which it shared power with civilian leaders. The U.S. immediately froze $700 million in economic support after the military takeover.

The U.S.-Egypt Strategic Dialogue on Monday is the first bilateral dialogue held between the two nations since 2015.

The State Department said top diplomats from the two countries exchanged views on international and regional issues, human rights and pathways to increased cooperation on economic, security and cultural issues. Blinken also expressed appreciation for Egypt's role in supporting regional stability, including the de-escalation of tensions in Gaza.

After Blinken's visit to Cairo in late May, the U.S. said it planned to engage in a "constructive" human rights dialogue with Egypt as rights groups and activists drew attention to the country's human rights record.

On Monday, Shoukry said that Egypt would "continue to forge our path towards a modern democratic state" but that "equal attention" needed to be dedicated to "political rights and civil liberties and economic and social rights" as "orderly change" offered Egypt "the best chance to succeed."

Egyptian authorities had argued that the definition of human rights was more about improving the quality of life for a majority of people rather than political space or political tolerance.


Chinas military has built mockups in the shape of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and other U.S. warships, possibly as training targets, in the desert of Xinjiang, satellite images by Maxar showed on Sunday.

These mockups reflect China's efforts to build up anti-carrier capabilities, specifically against the U.S. Navy, as tensions remain high with Washington over Taiwan and the South China Sea.

The satellite images showed a full-scale outline of a U.S. carrier and at least two Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers had been built at what appears to be a new target range complex in the Taklamakan Desert.

The images also showed a 6-meter-wide rail system with a ship-sized target mounted on it, which experts say could be used to simulate a moving vessel.

The complex has been used for ballistic missile testing, the U.S. Naval Institute reported quoting geospatial intelligence company All Source Analysis.

China's anti-ship missile programs are overseen by the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF). China's defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to the Pentagon's latest annual report on China's military, the PLARF conducted its first confirmed live-fire launch into the South China Sea in July 2020, firing six DF-21 anti-ship ballistic missiles into the waters north of the Spratly Islands, where China has territorial disputes with Taiwan and four Southeast Asian countries.

The tests at sea may have shown China "they are still far from creating an accurate ASBM," said Collin Koh, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. "I don't think the desert targets are going to be the final stage. It's meant for further refinement.

An anti-ship ballistic missile test in the desert would not reflect the realistic conditions of a marine environment, which could affect sensors and targeting, but would allow China to carry out the tests more securely, Koh said.

"The best way to test it and keep it out of the prying eyes of the U.S. military and intelligence assets is to do it inland," he said.

Neighboring countries, concerned about the missiles hitting other ships around the target, might also object to China's testing at sea, he added.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in July this year that the United States will defend the Philippines if it comes under attack in the South China Sea and warned China to cease its "provocative behavior."
Former U.S. President Barack Obama told the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, on Monday that world leaders at the summit "have not done nearly enough" to address the climate crisis.

Speaking during the second full week of the talks, known as COP26, Obama said that most nations failed to meet the commitments made in the 2015 Paris climate conference agreement and that the world is nowhere near where it needs to be in confronting climate change.

He said it was "particularly discouraging" that the leaders of China and Russia  two of the largest emitters  declined to attend the Glasgow conference, saying both nations have demonstrated what "appears to be a dangerous lack of urgency" on climate change.

China is the world's biggest carbon emitter. In a statement to the conference last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on other nations to "step up cooperation" and act on climate targets. Xi, however, offered no new commitments.

Obama said advanced economies such as the United States and Europe need to lead on this issue, but so do China, Russia and India. "We can't afford anybody on the sidelines," he said.

He also argued it was essential to listen to people who objected to swift action on climate change.

"We actually have to listen to their objections and understand the reluctance of some ordinary people to see their countries move too fast on climate change. We have to understand their realities and work with them so that serious action on climate change doesn't adversely impact them," he said.

He added, "We've got to persuade the guy who has got to drive to his factory job every day, can't afford a Tesla, and might not be able to pay the rent or feed his family if gas prices go up."

The United States is the second-biggest greenhouse gas emitter after China.

Call to protest

More than 100,000 climate-action activists from across the world took to the streets of Glasgow on Saturday to express their frustration at what's been agreed to so far at the COP26 climate talks.

As far as they're concerned, the new pledges made during the summit  to cut carbon and methane emissions, end deforestation, phase out coal, and provide more financing for poorer countries most vulnerable to extreme weather  are just "eye candy," falling far short of what's needed to curb global warming.

Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, who was among the protesters, has described the two-week summit as more "blah blah blah" and called it a "failure." She told clamorous youth protesters outside the venue that the conference has turned into "a global north greenwash festival."

Others worry, though, that in the rush to make climate action pledges, Western governments may be going too fast with decarbonizing and risk losing the support of their own populations by failing to take into account the economic impact of the monumental shifts envisaged.

Opinion polls suggest that across the globe, overwhelming majorities of people see climate change as an emergency requiring dramatic action. But some polls in recent weeks have also suggested that when people are told what the costs to them may be to curb global warming, they are reluctant to shoulder the financial burden.

A survey in Britain published Sunday suggested that less than half of the British people were willing to pay thousands of pounds to make their homes greener to help meet net-zero emission goals outlined by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Those polled were asked their opinions on green policies to slash emissions both before and after hearing about the estimated upfront costs of insulating their homes and switching from natural gas boilers for heating to heat pumps. In the survey conducted for British think tank Onward by pollster JL Partners, 50% backed the idea of better insulation for homes, double glazing and switching to heat pumps. But when they were provided with the estimated cost of $11,000 per household, support trailed away, with just 26% agreeing.

"Millions of voters, broadly supportive of the 'cleaner earth' agenda, are wondering how much of the burden of transitioning to a low-carbon, low-emission economy will fall on them, when they're already struggling to make ends meet," economist and newspaper columnist Liam Halligan wrote Monday in The Telegraph.



Financing the switch

Key themes at the summit have included how to fund the transition away from fossil fuel dependency to renewable, sustainable energy and how to finance projects to make countries more resilient to extreme weather. The discussion about costs and how to share them between governments (via taxation), consumers, households and the private sector has also been featured.

Last week, major banks, investors and insurers pledged trillions in green funding in a coordinated commitment to incorporate carbon emissions into their investment and lending decisions.

The United Nations' Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, made up of more than 450 financial institutions across 45 countries and managing assets valued at $130 trillion, has committed to its program to cut carbon emissions and fund investments needed for new greener technologies.

Unveiled last week by U.N. climate envoy Mark Carney, the funding can take the form of bank loans and investments by venture capitalists, private-equity firms, mutual funds, endowments, and other big investors that buy stocks and bonds. They would still earn profits while shifting funds toward investments that help reduce carbon emissions.

"These seemingly arcane but essential changes to the plumbing of finance can move and are moving climate changes from the fringes to the forefront and transforming the financial system in the process," said Carney, a former head of the central banks of England and Canada. "The architecture of the global financial system has been transformed to deliver net zero," Carney said.

"The gap between what governments have and what the world needs is large" to finance a global energy transition and reach the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in Glasgow after the announcement of the finance measures. "And the private sector needs to play a bigger role."

Climate activists have decried the pledge, saying it is just another big promise that won't be observed.

"Global leaders can no longer trust financial institutions to regulate themselves," Veronica Oakeshott of Global Witness, an international nongovernmental organization, said in a statement.

Some industry analysts and economists say that the private sector plans are far from concrete, and that significant problems remain on how to measure the carbon footprint of investment portfolios and align those measurements across international financial markets. Of particular concern is how to verify the accuracy of what banks and investors report.

Others worry that financial firms are there to maximize profits for clients and shareholders and that they risk losing customers or breaching their fiduciary obligations if they fail to maintain good returns. It remains unclear at this stage how profitable green investments will be.

There are also worries that the fossil fuel sector will see further divestments by lenders and investors eager to reduce their carbon footprint, which will boost energy costs for consumers as global demand for natural gas and oil continues to rise. Fossil fuel investments are already insufficient to meet future energy demands.

That, in turn, has contributed to the current global energy crunch and record-high energy prices for households and businesses, say industry commentators.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.


Connecting everyone in the world to the web will not single-handedly bridge the digital divide, tech experts at the Web Summit said this week, citing other invisible barriers like high costs, low digital literacy and complicated user interfaces.

The so-called "digital divide" refers to the gap between those who have access to computers and the internet and those who don't, with the latter group made up of nearly half the world's population, according to the United Nations.

With many essential services like schooling and banking moving online, the coronavirus pandemic has brought new urgency to global efforts to get the unconnected online by bringing internet coverage to remote or deprived areas.

"(COVID-19) made us clearly understand that what used to be seen as a 'nice-to-have' technology is now a 'must-have'," said 'Gbenga Sesan, executive director of Paradigm Initiative, a pan-African social enterprise working on digital inclusion.

Reaching everyone can be a daunting task.

Even identifying where exactly internet access is needed is no easy feat in parts of the globe, said Sophia Farrar, who leads a program that uses satellite imagery and other data to locate offline schools and get them connected.

"No one actually knows how many schools there are in the world," Farrar, of the U.N. children's agency UNICEF, told a panel at Europe's biggest tech conference in Lisbon.

"What we aim to achieve through the mapping is even just setting what that baseline target is."

Increased mobile penetration has accelerated the process.

The number of active mobile broadband subscriptions worldwide jumped more than 75% to nearly 6 billion, including people with multiple accounts, between 2015 and 2020, according to the International Telecommunication Union.

Only about 450 million people live in areas not covered by mobile broadband, according to telecoms lobby group GSMA.

But even where there is coverage, more than 3 billion are not online, largely because they lack tools, skills and money to make use of it, said Robert Opp, chief digital officer at the U.N. Development Program (UNDP).

"If you just connect somebody with infrastructure, it doesn't mean that you're going to have productive use of your internet connection," told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview.

Cost is one major barrier, he noted.

There are only a few developing countries where internet prices are in line with the U.N.'s target of less than 2% of the national average monthly income, Opp said.

Even in rich nations like Britain or the United States poor people often can't afford to buy data, an issue that has sparked calls for price caps and motivated some countries to declare the internet an essential public service during the pandemic.

Others might not have the skills to navigate often complex, jargon-filled websites and applications, Opp added.

The problem has come to the fore with COVID-19 vaccine rollouts, as the elderly and the frail in countries from Sweden to South Africa report having trouble booking their shots online.

Lack of digital literacy also leaves people exposed to risks such as misinformation and loss of privacy, said Opp.

While education is key to helping people protect themselves online, designing digital tools that are easier to understand and tailored for the communities they are meant to serve is also essential, said Howard Pyle, a digital designer turned social entrepreneur.

"Most websites and mobile apps are designed for digitally privileged users who already know how to use those tools - typically the most profitable users that companies will get most traction with," Pyle said in an interview at the Web Summit.

"But this excludes people who have different needs or different abilities, for example, those who are older or lack experience with technology or lower income users who have limits in terms of the types of devices they have access to."

Pyle's social enterprise, ExperienceFutures, looks to help firms and governments make their web services more accessible by cutting jargon and complexity and involving the communities they are trying to serve at the design stage.

"At the moment, there is too much emphasis on trying to create one-size-fits-all tools and expect users to learn how to use them," he said.

"We have to evolve to a place where the technology is flexible enough that individuals can understand it based on their abilities."
The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened problems of conflict, terrorism, and scarce resources in Central Africa to plunge millions of people deeper into poverty. That's according to members of the regional bloc CEMAC. CEMAC heads of state Wednesday called for solidarity to improve living conditions in the six-nation economic bloc.

During a virtual heads of state summit Tuesday, the central African leaders said the advent of COVID-19 forced the closure of many businesses and caused millions of workers to lose their jobs.

Cameroons President Paul Biya is chairman of the CEMAC heads of state conference. He says it is regrettable that many people are reluctant to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Biya says it is not possible for CEMAC to attain herd immunity when fewer than 5% of its close to 60 million people have agreed to be vaccinated against COVID-19. He says CEMAC member states should make sure all their people are vaccinated against COVID-19 so that the economic bloc can get to the crucial point of revamping its economy to fight against hardship.

Christophe Mbelle is an economist at the University of Yaounde. He says the COVID-19 crisis increased unemployment by between 60% and 70% across CEMAC countries.

Not even pharmaceutical companies were immune to the effects of the pandemic.

Mbelle says local companies only produced 5% of medicines needed by central African countries last year. He says in 2020, CEMAC countries invested more than $269 million to import drugs from Europe and America. Mbelle says if not for COVID-19, he is sure the $269 million would have been invested in home industries to create jobs and improve the well-being of suffering civilians.

The six nations of CEMAC are dealing with multiple crises within their borders in addition to COVID-19. Cameroon and Chad are fighting Boko Haram terrorism on their common borders with Nigeria.

Cameroon is fighting armed separatists in its English-speaking western regions. The U.N. also says that rebels have continued to challenge authorities in the Central African Republic with unending clashes since 2014.

The region is also dealing with the effects of climate change. This week, CEMAC said several thousand people fled intercommunal violence sparked by conflicts over water from the Logone River that separates Cameroon from Chad. The Lake Chad Basin Commission says the lake's water resources have diminished by 70% within the past 50 years, and several million people in the area lack water and food.

Kristalina Georgieva, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, issued a statement Tuesday after her virtual participation in the CEMAC summit from Washington. She said in 2020, COVID-19, combined with an ensuing decline in oil prices and security issues, had led to a deep recession and imposed a heavy toll on CEMAC member states.

She said the countries fiscal positions were weakened and external reserves depleted.

Georgieva said CEMAC must accelerate the vaccination campaign to ensure a sustainable economic recovery.

CEMAC anticipated a 2.8% economic growth rate in 2021. In April, though, the Bank of Central African States, which serves as the central bank for CEMAC countries, cut the anticipated growth rate to 1%, saying COVID-19 was slowing the economy.


The first phase of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout has started in Papua New Guinea, as infection numbers continue to rise. Experts say Australias nearest neighbor is also fighting a sea of misinformation and concerns over the safety of vaccines.

Experts say misinformation about COVID-19 is spreading even faster in Papua New Guinea than the disease. Conspiracy theories and other falsehoods have found fertile ground online. Adding to a sense of mistrust are deeply held beliefs in sorcery. Aid workers have reported that the family of a health worker in Papua New Guinea, who tested positive for the virus, was tortured by relatives fearful of unexplained illness.

Jonathan Pryke is the director of the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based research organization. He says hoaxes spread on social media about the novel coronavirus add to the confusion.

Facebook is where you get all of your information from, and Facebook is just seeding misinformation and misinformation is spreading faster than the virus in that country, Pryke said.

The World Health Organization reported 11,206 COVID-19 cases and 115 deaths Tuesday in Papua New Guinea.

Pryke believes the true scale of pandemic in the Pacific island nation is far worse because of a lack of testing and patients with symptoms refuse or fear retaliation from within their communities, preventing them from seeking treatment. Prior to the pandemic, sorcery-related violence against victims has been rampant in the country according to news reports.

The official statistics do not look as serious as the true picture is and, you know, there is a lot of data points you can look at that display just how serious this is. We have had a sitting member of parliament die; we have had two judges die. It is bad. It is a health system that is so stretched to breaking point that it really cannot handle the shock. We are seeing this crisis play out in front of our very eyes, Pryke said.

The pandemic has been felt differently across the Pacific. Some countries have, so far, escaped unscathed. According to the World Health Organization, Tonga has not recorded any infections since the pandemic began. Samoa has had just a single confirmed case, and three cases have been recorded in Vanuatu. Fiji has recorded more than 100 coronavirus infections and two people have died, WHO reported.

A mass inoculation program is underway in French Polynesia. So far, there have been almost 19,000 cases detected and 141 deaths in the past 15 months. However, it is reopening its international borders only to vaccinated travelers from the United States, who have already tested negative for COVID.

The U.S. territory of Guam has reported its latest figures with 7,700 infections and 136 deaths due to the pandemic. Currently, Guam has a 14-day quarantine period in place for all passengers entering through air or sea.
Laos is getting a new round of aid and investment offers this year as foreign governments hope to dilute Chinas increasing influence over the poor, landlocked country, observers in the region say.

Japan, Thailand and Vietnam have moved this year to offer new help or reaffirm the benefits of previous aid to Laos. Their assistance would arrive as a 400-kilometer, $5.9 billion China-invested railway is set for completion this year  the pinnacle of Chinese largesse for Laos.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga spoke this month with Lao counterpart Phankham Viphavanh to affirm plans for advancing a strategic partnership, Japanese media outlets say. Japan has offered about $1.8 million to open COVID-19 vaccine storage facilities and pledged support for upgrading international airports, the reports say.

In Thailand, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha has spoken by phone to the new Lao leader, who took office in March, the official Lao News Agency reported this month. On those calls, Phankham thanked Thailand for providing scholarships in education, agriculture and health. Thailand has aided Laos further in fighting COVID-19, the news agency reported.

Vietnamese officials have launched a 2021-2030 cooperation strategy and a five-year cooperation agreement, the Communist Party of Vietnams news website, Nhan Dan, said. Leaders from both sides are due to decide later what the two deals will cover. Vietnam gave COVID-19 aid and 1,000 scholarships to Laos last year as well.

Chinese official flows of money into Laos have reached $11 billion per year, according to the Aiddata.org website operated by U.S. university William & Mary. Financing and investment would push the figure higher.

Other top donors are Japan and Thailand, with Vietnam emerging as a new one. Japan gave $63.8 billion in 2016, including grants, loans and technical aid, according to Japans Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Official development aid from all countries sometimes reaches 15% of Lao GDP. The economy has grown at an annual average of 5.8% during the past five years because of the support of development partners and friendly countries, the national news agency said. The support matters because about a quarter of the 7 million Laotians live in poverty.

Much of Asia hopes to lessen Chinas influence so the superpower does not wield too much clout over the Mekong River, which flows from China through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, or over the regions overland transport links, analysts say. Chinese dams control flows in the upper Mekong. The U.S. government raised its aid offer to Laos and its neighbors last year.

Laos is kind of effectively being carved up in different directions but increasingly dominated by China, said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political science professor at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. What were seeing is [that] the major powers rivalry is dominating the region. Laos is just one pawn in this mix.

Japan wants more connectivity in continental Southeast Asia, said Jeffrey Kingston, a history instructor at the Japan campus of Temple University. Chinese control of water flows into the Mekong further worries Japanese officials, he said.

I just think that Japan is signaling that, [in] places that it looks like have been conceded to Chinas influence, it is going to contest, he said. It is going to take an assertive posture toward these countries.

Japan relies on Thailand for automotive production, while Japanese manufacturers are increasingly active in Vietnam  the result of investments made there since the 1980s. Land shipments can lower the cost of sending goods to more remote seaports.

Japan, alongside the United States. is pushing back against China, Thitinan said. Washingtons Mekong-U.S. Partnership, an aid plan launched in September, is seen as a counterweight to China in continental Southeast Asia, including Laos.

Japan spars separately with China over sovereignty in waters near its outlying islands, and leftover World War II issues.

Thailand typically finances Lao dams for hydropower and maintains close cultural ties with the bordering country, Thitinan said. Vietnam resents Beijing over its expansion in the disputed South China Sea and previous land border disputes, including a war in the 1970s.

Theres that little battle for influence between Vietnam and China and Vietnam has been slowly losing influence to China, said Jack Nguyen, a partner at the business advisory firm Mazars in Ho Chi Minh City.

China does not disclose aid and investment totals for Laos, but analysts say it depends more on China than on any other country. Now Laos, with a gross domestic product of less than $19 billion and an economy ravaged by COVID-19, is struggling to pay for the railway line.

Laos owed $250 million on railway last year, the International Monetary Fund has said.
Russian troops have been clearing an area of around 500 hectares of unexploded ordnance, or UXO, in Laos Xieng Khouang province with plans to build a new airport and military facility as part of an expansion of military aid to the impoverished Southeast Asian nation, according to Lao officials.

A Russian demining team has been working with Lao counterparts to clear the UXO since Dec. 5, provincial officials recently told RFAs Lao Service, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the plans with the media.

The Russians came here to build a military airport on the other side of the Plain of Jars, one of the officials said, referring to the archeological landscape in the Xieng Khouang Plateau that was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019.

Theyre currently clearing the UXO and then theyre going to upgrade the existing airport, making it larger and more beautiful.

Another Xieng Khouang official, who is a provincial military officer, provided further details about the new airport to RFA.

The Russian and Lao armed forces together are building this new airport that will be larger than the existing one and will be divided in two different zones, he said.

One zone is for Lao and Russian military use and the other is for civilian use.

The officer said that the Russian military intends to provide substantial assistance to Laos going forward, including with training and developing the latters armed forces.

Some work on the new airport has already begun, but the actual construction will not start anytime soon because the UXO clearance will take some time, he said.

Once the UXO has been cleared, well lay underground powerlines. Well do our work step by step.

Besides the airport, the Russians intend to expand military cooperation with Laos that will include building a facility to train Lao troops on how to use Russian military equipment, according to a report by Russian news agency Sputniknews.com.

A former senior government official in Laos told RFA that the two sides are expanding cooperation in line with an agreement they have in place on security and defense, as well as the new airport.

In the agreements, most cooperation would include training and teaching military techniques to the Lao armed forces, said the former official, who also declined to be named.

We had more cooperation and more Russian military presence in Laos during the Soviet era, he added.

RFA spoke with an official at the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs who claimed not to know anything about the Russian military aid projects.

Increased cooperation

In 2018, Laos ordered four jet fighters and 10 Yak-130 tanks from Russia following a state visit to Moscow a year earlier by Laos then-Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, during which the two nations signed a military cooperation agreement. Four of the tanks were later delivered to the Lao Ministry of Defense by Russias Rosoboronexport Company and took part in a 2019 parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Lao Peoples Armed Forces in the capital, Vientiane.

In April 2019, Russias TASS news agency reported that the Russian and Lao defense ministries had agreed on the areas of expanding military cooperation between their two countries on the sidelines of the Moscow International Conference on International Security, citing Lao Defense Minister Chansamone Chanyalath. The report did not provide details of the agreement.

In June last year, Laos unveiled plans to build statues to honor two unnamed Soviet pilots who died while serving in the Southeast Asian country, angering citizens who said the $775,000 earmarked for the project could be better spent on recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. The pilots were in Laos as part of Moscows military presence in the fellow communist country between 1975 and 1992 and are believed to have been involved in training pilots in Laos air force. An official from the Ministry of Information Culture and Tourism told RFA at the time that the pilots were killed in a crash over Xieng Khouang province while on a practice mission.

According to a report on the Lao Defense Ministry website, Chansamone met with Russian Ambassador to Laos Vladimir Kalinin at the Russian Embassy in Vientiane on Dec. 29 and thanked him for Russias gift of a hangar to store tanks in Xieng Khouang province. Chansamone also expressed gratitude for joint military exercises held in the province in 2019, Russias assistance with UXO clearance, its work in upgrading the airport in Xieng Khouang, and for building an office of the Russian military representative in the province. The meeting took place a week after Russias military donated an air force training center to Laos.

Source of aid

Moscow was a major arms supplier to Laos after its communist government, closely associated with the Soviet-aligned communist government in Vietnam, was established in 1975. According to a January report in The Diplomat, recent aid to Laos highlights the countrys importance in Russias desire for broader defense cooperation in Southeast Asia.

Russia has provided various forms of assistance to Laos in recent years.

In January, TASS cited Russian Ambassador Kalinin as saying that Moscow and Vientiane had agreed on deliveries of 2 million doses of Russias homegrown Sputnik V vaccine, which would be used to inoculate around 25% of the Lao population against the coronavirus.
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The U.N. has called Burkina Faso's 1.2 million internally displaced people the world's fastest growing humanitarian crisis, but the government refuses to recognize thousands of IDPs, who get no support. And media access has been closed to over a million IDPs living in official camps. Reporter Henry Wilkins follows a day in the life of one such "invisible" IDP in this report from Ouagadougou.

Camera: Henry Wilkins.
Austria and the US said Saturday they were investigating reports of US diplomats and other officials in Vienna falling sick with health problems similar to the so-called "Havana syndrome.

U.S. senators in May said that the government was investigating an apparent increase in mysterious directed-energy attacks, amid new reports of potentially brain-damaging incidents inside the U.S.

The still-unexplained attacks have caused sickness and even brain damage in U.S. diplomats and intelligence officials in Cuba, China, Russia and other countries.

Moscow is suspected to be behind them, even if the mechanism for them has yet to be explained. Scientists have theorized that the attacks arise from pulsed microwaves.

Since the first attacks were reported in Cuba in 2016, and after that in China, scientists and doctors have debated the causes and effects, without a uniform conclusion.

The New Yorker reported on Friday that since Joe Biden took office this year, about two dozen US intelligence officers, diplomats and other government officials in Vienna have reported problems similar to the "Havana syndrome.

Austria's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it was "working with the U.S. authorities on a joint investigation in accordance with our role as the host state.

"We take these reports very seriously.... The safety of the diplomats sent to Austria and their families is our top priority," it said without giving further details.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said they were "vigorously investigating reports of possible unexplained health incidents (UHI) among the U.S. Embassy Vienna community or wherever they are reported.

The official added that "any employees who reported a possible UHI received immediate and appropriate attention and care.

Among other steps, the U.S. has already set up a team of medical experts that can address these problems globally and is working to "better protect against these events in the future", the official added.

Austria hosts a large corps of foreign diplomats working at several Vienna-based U.N. and other international organizations.
A British judge has rejected a request to release WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on bail, ordering him to remain incarcerated while British courts determine whether he should face espionage charges in the United States.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said Wednesday that Assange could fail to appear in court if he is released and therefore must remain in a high-security prison while British courts consider a U.S. appeal of her decision not to extradite him.

The decision to deny bail to Assange came two days after Baraitser rebuffed an American request to extradite him to the U.S. to face spying charges over WikiLeaks disclosure of confidential military and diplomatic documents a decade ago. Baraitsers extradition denial was based on concerns over Assanges well-being, saying he was likely to commit suicide if held under harsh conditions in U.S. prisons.

Assanges lawyer, Edward Fitzgerald, said the decision to refuse extradition greatly reduces Assanges motivation to escape. Mr. Assange has every reason to stay in this jurisdiction where he has the protection of the rule of law and this court's decision, he said.

Fitzgerald also said it is not known if the incoming Joe Biden administration will pursue the prosecution of Assange, initiated under President Donald Trump.

The U.S. has appealed the decision not to extradite the 49-year-old Australian, leaving it to Britains High Court to hear the case on a date that has yet to be determined.

Assange will remain in Londons Belmarsh Prison, where he has been detained since his April 2019 arrest for skipping bail seven years earlier in a separate court case.

The U.S. has indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks' disclosures. Assange could be sentenced to up to 175 years in prison if convicted.

Assanges attorneys say he was acting as a journalist and therefore is entitled to U.S. constitutional free speech protection for leaking documents that exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The Polish government has asked President Andrzej Duda to declare a state of emergency along the Poland-Belarus border.

Poland accuses Belarus of using migrants as political pawns by pushing them into the European Union in retaliation over EU sanctions. According to a recent BBC report, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko accused Poland of starting a "border conflict" and violating his country's territory.

The state of emergency would create a three-kilometer-wide zone around the border that would prohibit outsiders from entering.

"Please expect Poland's security to be strengthened in the nearest time through acts of law, and also through subsequent actions on Poland's border," Duda said.

The country's parliament would need to approve the emergency declaration, and Duda said he thinks it would.

About 30 migrants, mostly from Iraq and Afghanistan, have been in limbo at the border for weeks.

So far, Poland's response has been to deploy troops to the border and install a barbed wire fence.

Last week, it said it had provided tents, blankets and power generators to the migrants, who remain on Belarusian territory.

Also last week, the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, called for Poland to provide medical and legal support to the migrants.

Some refugee rights groups say several migrants are sick. One group reportedly tried to cut a hole in the barbed wire fence.

About 3,000 migrants have attempted to enter Poland from Belarus this month, The Associated Press reported.

Poland is not alone in accusing Belarus of using migrants as political pawns. Other Baltic states have said Minsk is pushing migrants toward them in response to the EU sanctions following a crackdown against those protesting the disputed reelection of President Lukashenko in August 2020.

Last week, the European Commission, the EU's executive body, said it was monitoring the situation.

"We firmly reject attempts to instrumentalize people for political purposes," spokesman Christian Wigand said in Brussels. "We cannot accept any attempts by third countries to incite or acquiesce in illegal migration" to the EU.

Some information in this report comes from the Associated Press and Reuters.


Polling stations in Moldova opened Sunday morning with voters eager to choose the new parliament after the previous one was dissolved by new President Maia Sandu to shore up her position against pro-Russia forces.

Sandu, who wants to bring Moldova into the European Union, in November defeated Kremlin-backed incumbent Igor Dodon on a pledge to fight corruption in one of Europe's poorest countries.

Wedged between Ukraine and EU member Romania, Moldova has long been divided over closer ties with Brussels or maintaining Soviet-era relations with Moscow.

With lawmakers loyal to Dodon blocking Sandu's promises of reform, the former World Bank economist dissolved parliament in April and scheduled the snap vote.

Polls opened shortly after 7 a.m. and will close at 9 p.m.

"We have a chance to get rid of thieves and choose a holistic and good government," Sandu said in a video address Thursday, speaking in Moldova's main language Romanian.

In another speech in Russian -- the ex-Soviet country's second language -- she said: "The time for change is coming in Moldova."

The slogans resonate with many Moldovans, who in recent years have seen their country rocked by political crises, including a $1 billion bank fraud scheme equivalent to nearly 15 percent of the country's GDP.

"She really wants to change the country for the better," Natalia Cadabnuic, a young Chisinau resident, told AFP.

Sandu, who also served briefly as prime minister, has for many Moldovans become "a symbol of change," said Alexei Tulbure, a political analyst and the country's ex-ambassador to the United Nations.

Adding that Moldovans are tired of corrupt politicians, he said Sandu is the first to make it to the top while "maintaining a reputation for being honest.

Twenty parties and two electoral blocs are running in Sunday's elections.

They must cross the threshold set at 5% and 7% of the votes respectively to obtain seats in the unicameral assembly.

The 101 lawmakers will be elected for four-year terms.

Going into the vote, Sandu's center-right Action and Solidarity (PAS) party was leading.

The latest polls showed PAS with 35-37% of the vote against 21-27% for the party's rivals from the coalition of socialists and communists led by Dodon and former President Vladimir Voronin.

Those figures only account for voters living in the country of 2.6 million people.

Analysts say the diaspora, which is more than a third of Moldova's eligible voters and already threw its support behind Sandu during the presidential polls, could hold the key to the outcome.

According to estimates, the diaspora could bring Sandu's party another 10-15 percentage points.

Analysts say the election will likely be a blow to Russia, which wants Moldova to remain in its sphere of influence.

"The majority will be pro-European, and the influence of Russia will weaken," Sergiy Gerasymchuk, a Kyiv-based expert on Moldovan politics, said.

Sandu has already irritated the Kremlin by proposing to remove the Russian military garrison based in Transnistria, a pro-Russian breakaway state straddling the country's eastern frontier with Ukraine.

Pro-Russia Dodon accused authorities Friday of preparing "provocations" and urged his supporters to be ready to protest to "defend" his bloc's victory.
Mozambican security forces are preventing tens of thousands of civilians displaced by jihadist attacks around the northern town of Palma from moving to safer areas, Human Rights Watch said.

Most of these people fled their homes when Islamic State-linked militants launched coordinated attacks on Palma on March 24, killing dozens as they ransacked their way through the port town.

Many of the displaced sought refuge in the nearby village of Quitunda, close to a major gas project about five kilometers (three miles) from Palma, where HRW claims, in a report released Friday, they have been trapped by troops and ongoing fighting.

"Government security forces have imposed restrictions that have prevented tens of thousands from leaving, placing them at risk from fighting and aid shortages," HRW said in a statement, adding that civilians caught trying to flee were "physically assaulted.

Mozambique has been grappling with a homegrown insurgency terrorizing its gas-rich Cabo Delgado province since 2017.

The attack on Palma prompted other African countries to deploy troops to back the struggling Mozambique army.

HRW accuses Mozambique of restricting movement around Palma district, making it difficult for humanitarian groups to deliver aid and exposing civilians to renewed militant attacks.

Army officials have defended the measures, claiming jihadists are hiding among civilians and aid workers, according to the watchdog.

"Soldiers didn't allow us to leave Quitunda, but there is nothing there, no food, no medicine, and the water is dirty," a 28-year-old man told HRW.

"I tried to flee Quitunda three times before. Soldiers caught me and whipped me hard," he added.

Defense ministry spokesman Custodio Massingue told AFP he was unaware of the allegations and that the government "distances itself from the reports.

Cabo Delgado's insurgency has displaced more than 800,000 people.

The violence has killed more than 2,800 people, half of them civilians, according to U.S. conflict tracker ACLED.

It has also set back multibillion-dollar gas exploration projects off the Afungi peninsula.
Iran's former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been disqualified from running in next month's presidential election.

The Guardian Council, a clerical body tasked with vetting the candidates, on Thursday did approve the candidacy of incumbent President Hassan Rouhani.

Rouhani, a relative moderate, will face off against a field that includes two prominent hard-liners: Ebrahim Raisi, who is considered close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf.

Other presidential candidates who made the cut, according to an Interior Ministry statement carried by state TV, include moderate Senior Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri, former conservative Culture Minister Mostafa Mirsalim, and former pro-reform Vice President Mostafa Hashemitaba.

Ahmadinejad announced his candidacy last week in a surprise move, despite being advised against it by Khamenei. The former president, a deeply polarizing figure even among Iranian hard-liners, left office in 2013 after two turbulent terms, leaving the country domestically divided and internationally isolated.

He was best known abroad for his incendiary rhetoric toward Israel, his questioning of the scale of the Holocaust and his efforts to ramp up Iran's nuclear program. Upon registering, he said he was doing so to support his former Vice President Hamid Baghaei, who also failed to receive approval to run.

Under Iran's clerically overseen system, the president is subordinate to Khamenei, who is Iran's top decision-maker and has the final say on all matters of state.

Rouhani, 68, is hoping voters will deliver him a second term to see out his promises of greater personal freedoms at home and openness to the wider world, as he works to turn around Iran's sagging economy -- a top priority for many voters.

The election will be in many ways a referendum on his administration's negotiation of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. That agreement gave Iran relief from crippling economic sanctions in exchange for limits to its nuclear program, but has been assailed by hard-liners.
If it weren't for the COVID-19 pandemic, Gina Sampaio would never have known about the federal government's Indian boarding school system, which removed children from family and community and placed them in schools to become "assimilated."

A writer and performer from New Jersey, Sampaio in 2019 took the job of curator of the tiny Lebanon Township Museum, housed in an early 1800s schoolhouse in New Hampton, New Jersey. She'd only been at her new job for a year when the coronavirus pandemic forced her to close the museum's doors to the public for nearly a year and a half.

It was the perfect opportunity to start poking into some of the thousands of records and artifacts in the museum's collection.

"I came across these notes, handwritten on yellow legal paper," she said. "I'd seen them a million times before. But for some reason, this time I decided to take a closer look."

She came across references to "Indian boys" working and going to school in New Hampton.

"The note that cracked it all open for me talked about Indian boys at Carlisle School, which I'd never heard of before," she said.

A Google search landed her at the Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center, a Dickinson College comprehensive database of Carlisle Indian School photographs and documents that have been housed for decades at the U.S. National Archives.

There, she learned that between 1892 and 1918, dozens of Carlisle students, some as young as 12, had been sent to live and work on white-owned New Hampton farms as part of an "Outing Program" from the school in the neighboring state of Pennsylvania.

"And I'm seeing all this and thinking to myself, why at my age have I never even heard about Indian residential schools or that students came here to work?" she said. "And I'm still really angry about it. Why weren't we taught any of this in school?"

'Supreme Americanizer'

While supervising Native American war prisoners in St. Augustine, Florida in the 1800s, former U.S. Cavalry officer Richard Henry Pratt encouraged inmates to have regular interactions with locals and tourists.

In his memoir "Battlefield to Classroom," Pratt spoke of wanting to better race relations: "I conceived it my highest duty to correct the unwarranted prejudice promoted among our people against the Indians through race hatred and the false history which tells our side and not theirs."

He also wrote that it was equally important to "remove from the Indian's mind his false notion that the greedy and vicious among our frontier outlaws fairly represented the white race."

In April 1878, he escorted a group of about two dozen of the now-freed prisoners to the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia, a school established to educate former slaves. That's when he began pitching the idea of placing Native students in non-Native homes "to gain practical knowledge for managing their own farms."

After Pratt opened the first federal Industrial Indian School in Carlisle, he formalized the outing system, which he dubbed "the supreme Americanizer."

Pratt planned to place them on farms or in homes where they could work and earn money over the summer and, in some cases, throughout the school year, attending public schools in their patrons' localities.

"This brings the Indian youth directly in contact with good, wholesome, civilized life, and they absorb it rapidly, and it absorbs them, and they become a part of it," he boasted in an 1895 letter to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs in Washington.

In his memoir, Pratt admitted that the first outing was a disaster: half of the 23 students placed on local farms ran away or were sent back by the host families. So, Pratt arranged for them to be sent as far as New Jersey and Maryland.

The program grew over the years. In 1885 alone, Pratt placed 250 students on outings, nearly half of them year-round, on farms and in households. In time, he began contracting out students to plants and factories.

Students were allowed to keep a portion of their earnings to spend on necessities; the school kept the remainder until after they graduated. Pratt withheld the earnings of students who ran away. Records contain several letters from students complaining they had never received their money at all.

Seasonal labor

The government and public were impressed by Pratt's model and just three months after Carlisle opened, a second off-reservation boarding school opened in Forest Grove, Oregon, which later moved to the town of Chemawa.

By 1908, 27 such schools dotted the West, where new technologies had transformed farming into big business. Schools like the Teller Indian School in Grand Junction, Colorado, began sending students out to work on large farms and orchards.

"Whether this became a supervised educational program operated by the school or a device to cover the use of Indian students as seasonal labor  is difficult to determine from the official reports," retired Colorado Mesa University historian Don MacKendrick wrote in 1993.

K. Tsianina Lomawaima (unenrolled Muscogee), a retired professor of Native American studies and member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the National Academy of Education, has written extensively on Indian boarding schools.

"Teller would send out work gangs of young men to labor on large sugar beet farms, for example," she said. "They wouldn't live in farmers' homes. They'd be put up in bunkhouses  or worse."

Teller students earned thousands of dollars a year, but an inspection in 1890 revealed that the school's superintendent was funneling money out of the school for personal use. The money  and account books  had disappeared.

Girls at urban boarding schools, such as the Sherman Institute in California or the Phoenix School in New Mexico, were sent out as domestics.

In her book, "The Students of Sherman Indian School," historian Diana Meyers Bahr cites the case of a student who reported leaving an outing job because the man of the house would peek at her through her bedroom keyhole.

Carlisle scandal

In 1914, 10 years after Pratt was forced to resign from Carlisle, the outing system had degenerated. Students and teachers had made allegations of financial mismanagement and neglect against the school's third superintendent, Moses Friedman. The Indian Bureau sent an inspector to Carlisle, and his findings resulted in a joint congressional hearing at the school.

"The idea of the outing, as originated by General [sic] Prat...was to place them not as servants but sort of helpers, getting wages from what they did," girls' outing manager Rosa B. La Flesche told lawmakers. "That principle has been lost."

She stated that students no longer received vocational training at the school and that Friedman had pressured her to "send out" as many students as possible so that "the income from that source would be higher."

"The farmers  get the boys and girls for the work they can get out of them," she said.

Students were paid but told lawmakers they no longer held bank books or interest statements and had no way of knowing how much money they had saved.

Friedman was forced to resign, and the school would close forever in 1918.

'Invisible sons'

Through her research into the Carlisle Digital Research files, Lebanon Township Museum curator Sampaio learned that at least 34 Carlisle students lived, labored and studied in New Hampton. Charles Paisano, a student from the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico, would die there at the age of 20.

Sampaio and associate Robbie-Lynn Mwangi organized an online presentation, "The Invisible Sons Project," to help educate the public about the Indian boarding school system and the children who were part of it.

"Then the New Jersey Historical Commission announced this year's conference November 12th and 13th would be about indigenous history in the state, so we'll be presenting there," she said.

On "Orange Shirt Day," September 30, the day Canada acknowledges residential school students, Sampaio conducted what she hopes is the first of many classroom presentations on the Indian boarding school experience.

"I worried that I didn't make a good impression," she said. "But later, I learned that they talked about it for the rest of the day."

NOTE: In the third article in this series, VOA will explore what caused the deaths of so many boarding school students and whether a full accounting will be possible.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story misspelled Dickinson College.
Iran on Monday demanded US guarantees it will never again pull out of the 2015 nuclear accord and warned Tehran will not accept any partial return to the deal.

Washington "must guarantee that no other American government can flout the world or international law, and that what was done will never be repeated," foreign ministry spokesman Said Khatibzadeh told a news conference, referring to the 2018 pullout.

Talks to restore the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers are due to resume in Vienna on November 29, after a suspension since June.

Khabtizadeh said Washington must "definitively lift the unjust and illegal sanctions they have imposed following their withdrawal from the nuclear accord".

The spokesman stressed that progress in the negotiations was contingent on the US lifting sanctions.

The US unilaterally pulled out of the deal under president Donald Trump and reimposed harsh sanctions on Iran, including a unilateral ban on its oil exports.

In response, Iran began in 2019 walking back on strict curbs on its nuclear activities under the deal.

Unless the sanctions are lifted, Iran will not reverse its "compensatory measures", Khabtizadeh said.

President Joe Biden took over the White House in January hoping to return to the 2015 agreement.

There can be no partial return to the deal, the foreign ministry spokesman warned.

"Either we agree on everything or we agree on nothing," he said.

He announced Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri would serve as Iran's chief negotiator, and visit London, Paris, Berlin and "perhaps Madrid" this week.

On Saturday, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called on the West to be "realistic" and refrain from "excessive demands" on Iran, during a call with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
Japanese health officials said the country reported no daily COVID-19 deaths on Sunday for the first time in more than a year.

The Health Ministry said the last time Japan reported no new coronavirus deaths was on August 2, 2020. COVID-19 cases and deaths have fallen dramatically throughout Japan as vaccinations have increased to cover more than 70% of the population.

New daily infections peaked at more than 25,000 during an August wave driven by the infectious delta variant. At least 18,000 people have died in Japan from the disease during the pandemic.

To gird against a possible rebound this winter, the government plans to start booster vaccine shots next month and is working to secure pill-based treatments for milder cases to reduce hospitalizations.

Shigeru Omi, Japans top health adviser, told reporters Monday that health professionals need to quickly treat any new cases with strong, intensive measures to avoid any new surges in cases.

The Japanese government also announced Monday it was easing entry restrictions for foreign students, workers and short-term business travelers who are fully vaccinated, have their activity plans guaranteed by sponsors and observe 10 days of self-isolation.

Self-quarantine for Japanese citizens and foreign residents was also shortened to three days from the previous 10 days.

Some information for this report comes by AP and Reuters.
Malawis parliament Monday welcomed the countrys first ever elected albino lawmaker when it reconvened after months of recess. The presence of Overstone Kondowe in Malawis national assembly, is seen as a victory for albinos who have faced attacks in this southern African country since 2014.

Until last Thursday, when he took the oath of office in the capital, Lilongwe, Kondowe was President Lazarus Chakweras special adviser on persons with albinism and disabilities.

The move, following a by-election two weeks ago, comes amid continued attacks on people with albinism in Malawi.

Police records show that in the last four months, there were seven attacks on albinos, including killings, attempted abductions and physical violence. Separately, grave robbers have exhumed corpses to retrieve albinos bodies.

Kondowe is also the former president of the Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi or APAM. He says that as a lawmaker in the national assembly, he will pursue his fight against incidents targeting albinos.

"Let me assure them that I will do to the maximum of my potential to make sure that we should also have programs, like what South Africa put in place," said Kondowe. "I am ready to do that. And I have also demonstrated my ability to do so when I was acting outside the system. Now, that I am in the center of the system, I am sure change is coming, not tomorrow, but today.

The statistics show that since 2014, more than 170 albinos have been attacked in Malawi because of false beliefs that concoctions mixed with their body parts bring luck and wealth.

To help stop the attacks, Malawian courts have imposed stiffer punishments on perpetrators.

For example, two weeks ago, the High Court in northern Malawi sentenced two men to life in prison with hard labor for killing a 54-year-old albino.

Young Muhamba is the current president of the APAM.

He says the election of Kondowe to parliament sends a clear message that albinos are equal to other Malawians.

"We will be developing some bill to do with people with albinism," said Muhamba. "So, he will be the first voice there in parliament. He will be the first person to table the bill and to support it and also make others support it. So, he will be like our voice.

Muhamba says the association is currently pushing the government to start implementing its program of constructing houses for people with albinism as a security measure.

Simon Munde is acting executive director of the Federation of Disability Organization in Malawi.

Munde says he believes that Kondowe, a member of the ruling Malawi Congress Party, will also represent people with disabilities.

"We have faith in him," said Munde. "The fact that he is quite an advocate, he has even done it when he was presidential adviser on disabilities, and we are not doubting in any way that that kind of spirit will continue with it as now he will be able to speak within the legislative assembly.

Munde said the election of Kondowe to parliament should send a message to other public or private institutions that disability does not equate to inability.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Friday warned residents of the drought-hit southwest not to give ammunition to the "enemy" after days of protests that have seen at least four killed.

Khuzestan, Iran's main oil-producing region and the wealthiest of the country's 31 provinces, has been gripped by drought since March, with protests erupting in several towns and cities since July 15.

Khamenei acknowledged the seriousness of the water problem and said residents of Khuzestan were not to blame for expressing their discontent, but he urged them to be cautious.

"The enemy will try to use any tool against the revolution, the nation and the people's interests, so we must be careful not to give him any pretext," Khamenei said, in remarks published on his official website.

Addressing residents of Khuzestan, he added: "The people have expressed their discontent, but we can't criticize them for that."

"The water problem is not a minor one, particularly in Khuzestan's hot climate."

Iranian media and officials have said at least three people have been killed, including a police officer and a protester, accusing "opportunists" and "rioters" of shooting at demonstrators and security forces.

State television said Friday that a fourth person was killed the previous night and two wounded during "rioting" in the town of Aligudarz, in the western province of Lorestan.

'Pretext'



It said people had taken to the streets "on the pretext of the water problems in Khuzestan.

"Shots were fired by unknown elements," the broadcaster said, adding that the security forces were deployed to tackle the situation.

It was the first time local media had reported protests or casualties outside Khuzestan since the water protests broke out last week.

Persian language media based abroad have broadcast videos they said were of protests in several towns and cities in Khuzestan, showing hundreds of people marching and chanting slogans against the authorities while surrounded by anti-riot police.

AFP could not verify the authenticity of the videos.

Global rights monitor groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch meanwhile alleged that Iranian security forces have used unlawful and excessive force to quell the protests in Khuzestan.

Amnesty said Friday that at least eight protesters and bystanders, including a teenage boy, have been killed in the unrest.

Khuzestan is home to a large Arab minority, and its people regularly complain of marginalization.

In 2019, the province was a hotspot of anti-government protests that also shook other areas of Iran.

Over the years, blistering summer heatwaves and seasonal sandstorms blowing in from Saudi Arabia and neighboring Iraq have dried up Khuzestan's once fertile plains. Scientists say climate change amplifies droughts.

'The right to speak'

U.N. rights chief Michelle Bachelet on Friday told Iran to address the chronic water shortage in the province instead of cracking down on protesters.

"Shooting and arresting people will simply add to the anger and desperation," she said, adding that the "catastrophic" situation had been building up for many years.

The day before, President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised speech that residents of Khuzestan had "the right to speak, express themselves, protest and even take to the streets, within the framework of the regulations."

Admiral Ali Shamkhani, secretary-general of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said the security forces had been ordered "to immediately release those detained during the recent incidents in Khuzestan who had not committed a criminal act."

Referring to Khuzestan's population, he tweeted Friday that "to feel discriminated against is more painful than droughts and water shortages."

Amnesty International said Iranian security forces "have deployed unlawful force, including by firing live ammunition and birdshot, to crush mostly peaceful protests."

Human Rights Watch called on the government to "transparently investigate" the reported deaths.
Syria's army said on Monday the country's air defenses intercepted an "Israeli aggression" over the capital, Damascus, in the latest stepped-up bombing of Iranian targets inside the country.

State media did not give details of what was hit by the Israeli air force in the latest strikes by Israel against Iranian-backed military targets inside the country in the past two months.

Israeli military planes flew over the Golan Heights to hit select targets on the edge of the capital, an army statement said, without mentioning casualties but adding that air defenses downed most of the missiles.

"Our air defenses are continuing to repel the Israeli missile attacks over the skies of the capital," the Syrian army said in a statement.

Israel's military did not immediately comment on the latest strike, but its senior military officials have acknowledged the escalating attacks inside Syria had the goal of ending Tehran's entrenched military presence in Syria.

Western intelligence sources say Iran's military influence has expanded in Syria in recent years prompting Israel to escalate a campaign to prevent its archrival from establishing a major military foothold along its border that posed a threat to its security.

Witnesses heard heavy explosions on the southern edge of Damascus, an area where Iranian-backed militias are entrenched, residents said.

Iran's proxy militias led by Lebanon's Hezbollah now hold sway over vast areas in eastern, southern and northwestern Syria, as well as several suburbs around Damascus. They also control Lebanese Syrian border areas.
Medically assisted dying is now legal in New Zealand. The End of Life Choice Act has come into effect one year after almost two-thirds of New Zealanders voted in favor of it.

Supporters believe the assisted dying laws will give New Zealanders who are suffering terribly at the end of their lives choice, compassion and dignity.

To be eligible, a person must have a terminal illness that is likely to end their life within six months. They must also be able to make an informed decision.

The legislation came into force Sunday, a year after a binding referendum.

Brooke van Velden is the deputy leader of the small ACT New Zealand party, which promoted the voluntary euthanasia law.

She told Radio New Zealand the measures will benefit the South Pacific country of 5 million people.

This weekend New Zealand became a kinder, more compassionate and humane society for allowing people who are struggling and suffering in those last few days with their terminal illness choice and compassion on how and when they go, Velden said.

However, some critics insist that patients with chronic conditions might feel obliged to use euthanasia to avoid being a burden on their families.

They also believe that inadequate palliative care services need to be better resourced, so that terminally ill patients receive better care.

Some senior Church leaders have said that while they oppose the deliberate taking of human life, they would still offer care and advice to those who choose assisted dying under the new laws.

The government has appointed three experts, including a medical ethicist, to monitor the legislation. New Zealands Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she voted yes in the referendum last year on voluntary euthanasia and the legalization of recreational cannabis.

New Zealand joins a small group of countries, including the Netherlands and Canada, which allow euthanasia.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama told the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow on Monday that most nations failed to meet their commitments made in the 2015 Paris Climate Conference agreement and the world is nowhere near where it needs to be in confronting climate change.

Speaking during the second full week of the talks  known as COP26  Obama said that while the Paris conference and subsequent agreement showed what is possible and created a framework from which to address the challenges of the climate crisis, most nations failed to be as ambitious as they needed to be.

"The escalation, the ratcheting up of ambition that we anticipated in Paris six years ago has not been uniformly realized," Obama said. He called it "particularly discouraging" that the leaders of China and Russia  two of the largest emitters  declined to even attend the conference, and both nations have demonstrated what he said "appears to be a dangerous lack of urgency" on climate change.

China is the world's biggest carbon emitter. Its president, Xi Jinping, last week called on other nations to "step up cooperation" and act on climate targets. Xi, however, offered no new commitments. The comments came in a statement to the conference.

Obama said advanced economies like the United States and Europe need to be leading on this issue, but so do China, Russia and India. He said, "We can't afford anybody on the sidelines."

Addressing young people, Obama encouraged them to "vote like your life depends on it, because it does." Obama said he understood their cynicism about politics, but that governments around the world will not act unless they feel pressure from voters.

The 26th U.N. climate conference  or Conference of the Parties, or COP  is Obama's first since he helped deliver the 2015 Paris climate accord, when nations committed to cutting fossil fuel and agricultural emissions fast enough to keep the Earth's warming below catastrophic levels.

Climate summits since then have been less conclusive, especially as the U.S. under President Donald Trump dropped out of the Paris accord. President Joe Biden has since rejoined. Last week, Biden announced ambitious change commitments as he attended the Glasgow conference. The U.S. is the second biggest greenhouse gas emitter after China.

Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse.


Pakistani officials announced Monday that the government and the outlawed militant alliance known as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had agreed on a complete cease-fire as the two sides negotiate an end to years of militancy in the country.



Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry made the disclosure while speaking to state-run television. He said the tentative truce "would be extendable, keeping in view the progress of negotiations."



Chaudhry stressed the dialogue with the TTP, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, was being held "strictly in line with the constitution and the law of Pakistan."



The peace process is taking place at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan, and Chaudhry said the neighboring countrys interim Taliban government has facilitated these talks. He did not share further details.

A spokesman for the TTP confirmed it has agreed to a one-month cease-fire with the government starting November 9 and that talks between the two sides are continuing.

It is necessary that both sides observe the cease-fire, said Mohammad Khorasani. He added that the Afghan Taliban is filling the role of mediator  in the current negotiations process.

Pakistani officials privy to the negotiations said the tentative truce requires that the militant group halt attacks across the country in return for the release of an unknown number of TTP prisoners "as part of confidence-building measures to move the peace process forward.



Last month in a television interview, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan revealed for the first time that his government had been engaged in talks with the TTP, saying Afghanistan was hosting the process and Taliban rulers there were acting as mediators.



Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani of the Taliban's interim government in Afghanistan, is acting as a mediator in Pakistan's peace talks with the TTP. He heads the notorious Haqqani network of militants designated as a global terrorist by the United States. Haqqani is wanted by the U.S. and carries a bounty of $10 million for information leading to his arrest.



The Afghan Taliban interior minister allegedly maintains ties with the Pakistani spy agency and the TTP, which Washington and the United Nations have designated as a global terrorist group.



Tens of thousands of Pakistanis, including security forces, have died in terrorist attacks that the Pakistani Taliban have claimed since the group emerged in 2007.



Failed talks with the TTP in the past prompted Pakistan to launch counter-militancy offensives against the group's strongholds near the Afghan border in 2014, killing several thousand militants and forcing others to flee across the border into Afghanistan.



While security measures reduced militant violence in Pakistan for several years, the country has witnessed a resurgence of TTP attacks since the start of 2021. The attacks have killed and injured hundreds of security forces.



Ban on TLP lifted



Separately, a radical Islamic party in Pakistan called off weeks of violent street protests Monday a day after the government removed the group from a list of proscribed organizations.



The government argued in a statement issued late on Sunday the delisting of the Tehrik-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), part of a deal that the two sides said was in the national interest.



The deal with the TLP came after seven police officers were killed in clashes during the protest that had originated last month from the eastern city of Lahore with a goal of marching on the capital, Islamabad.



The TLP was protesting the detention of its leader, arrested in April when the group was outlawed by authorities, and demanding the expulsion of the French ambassador over publication of anti-Islamic caricatures in a French magazine.



The ultraconservative party in recent years has staged a series of street protests, disrupting public life.



"The federal government is pleased to remove the name of the Tehrik-e-Labaik Pakistan as a proscribed organization," the government said in a notification. It added that the decision was made after assurances from the group that it would abide by the law.



Hundreds of TLP supporters were also released from police detention earlier this month as part of the deal. Party leader Saad Rizvi remains in detention.

The TLP launched a nationwide campaign in Pakistan against France after Paris-based satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo republished cartoons last year depicting the Prophet Muhammad, an act that Muslims deemed blasphemous.


Two different surveys of the COVID-19 pandemic offer grim and sobering analyses.

One says the widely accepted COVID-19 global death toll of 5 million is likely underestimated and was probably reached much earlier than November 1 when the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center announced the figure. The other offers up a harsh statistical analysis of the pandemic, including the fact that 50 million people are being infected with the virus every 90 days.

Reuters puts its analysis into perspective with the reminder that it took almost a year to record the first 50 million COVID-19 cases. The current high rate is due to the highly transmissible delta variant, Reuters reports.

The number of cases in Russia, Ukraine and Greece is at or near record levels of reported cases since the pandemic started two years ago, according to Reuters, with new infections continuing to rise in 55 of 240 countries.

On Monday, Germany reported its highest daily number of cases since the pandemic began. The Robert Koch Institute reported 201.1 new cases per 100,000 people over the past seven days, breaking the previous record of 197.6 per 100,000. The French news agency AFP reports that the COVID rate in the eastern German state of Saxony is more than double the national rate at 491.3.

Reuters investigation also revealed the statistics of vaccine inequity, including that more than half of the worlds population has not received a single shot of a COVID-19 vaccine and less than 5% of the population in low-income countries has received a single COVID-19 vaccine dose.

The death tolls of some countries may be many times higher than official government reports, according to the Economist magazine. The publication says there are several reasons for the underestimates. Some locations do not include people in COVID-19 death tolls who did not test positive for COVID-19 before dying. Also, hospitals and local governments do not always process death certificates promptly. In addition, people who die at home may not be included in the COVID-19 tally.

A northern California towns city council has declared itself a constitutional republic as a way to express its displeasure with what it considers state and federal overreach in the issuing of mandates, such as for mask wearing, designed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Legal experts say Orovilles city councils move, however, does not allow Oroville to opt out of the mandates.

The fully vaccinated in Australias New South Wales state are enjoying the lifting of a number of COVID restrictions Monday, including elimination of limits on the number of home visitors.

Health professionals in India are bracing for a surge in coronavirus cases following Diwali, the annual festival of lights, that began Thursday.

Dr. Prakash Singh, a virologist, told The New York Times, For this Diwali, people almost forgot the virus is still here and killing people.
A top Iranian general visited Baghdad after the assassination attempt against Iraqs prime minister and said Tehran and its allies had nothing to do with the drone attack that lightly injured the Iraqi leader, two Iraqi politicians said Monday.

News of the visit came as an Iraqi army general said the investigation into the drone attack against Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi is ongoing but that indications point to Iran-backed factions. The general said Monday the drones used in the attack took off from areas east of the capital where Iran-backed militias have influence.

The drone attack was also similar to ones carried out in the past by Iran-backed factions in Iraq. In September, for example, explosives-laden drones targeted Erbil International Airport in the country's north, where U.S.-led coalition troops are stationed, the army general told The Associated Press. He commented on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media.

The two Shiite Muslim politicians requested anonymity because Esmail Ghaanis visit was not announced publicly. They quoted the Iranian general as saying Tehran is not opposed to any politician named by the Shiite blocs in the newly elected parliament to become the next prime minister.

Ghaani is the commander of Iran's Quds Force, which is mainly responsible for military and clandestine operations outside the country.

Iran enjoys wide influence in Iraq through powerful militias it has been backing for years. Iran and Iraq both have majority Shiite populations.

The failed assassination attempt against Kadhimi at his residence has ratcheted up tensions following last months parliamentary elections, in which the Iran-backed militias were the biggest losers.

Kadhimi suffered a light cut and appeared in a televised speech soon after the attack on his residence wearing a white shirt and what appeared to be a bandage around his left wrist. Seven of his security guards were wounded in the attack by at least two armed drones.

There was no claim of responsibility, but suspicion immediately fell on Iran-backed militias. They had been blamed for previous attacks on the Green Zone, which also houses foreign embassies.

The militia leaders condemned the attack, but most sought to downplay it.

The two Iraqi politicians quoted Ghaani as saying, Iran has nothing to do with this attack.

One of the two officials said Ghaani met with Kadhimi Sunday afternoon in Baghdad.

Lebanons Al-Manar TV, which is run by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, said Ghaani also met with Iraqi President Barham Salih and other political figures in the country.

It quoted Ghaani as saying during his visit that Iraq is in urgent need for calm. It added that Ghaani also said that any act that threatens Iraqs security should be avoided.

The drone attack was a dramatic escalation in the already tense situation following the October 10 vote and the surprising results in which Iran-backed militias lost about two-thirds of their seats.

Despite a low turnout, the results confirmed a rising wave of discontent against the militias that had been praised years before as heroes for fighting Islamic State militants.

But the militias have lost popularity since 2018 when they made big election gains. Many Iraqis hold them responsible for suppressing the 2019 youth-led anti-government protests, and for undermining state authority.



Some analysts have said Sunday's attack aimed to cut off the path that could lead to a second Kadhimi term by those who lost in the recent elections.

On Sunday, Irans Foreign Ministry spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh, condemned the assassination attempt on Kadhimi and indirectly blamed the U.S.

Kadhimi, 54, was Iraqs former intelligence chief before becoming prime minister in May 2020. He is considered by the militias to be close to the U.S. and has tried to balance between Iraqs alliances with both the U.S. and Iran.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is calling for Myanmars ruling military junta to restore the countrys path to a genuine and inclusive democracy on the one-year anniversary of the landslide general election victory by the now-ousted civilian governments ruling National League for Democracy.

We honor the people of Burma striving to restore democracy, respect for human rights, and the rule of law in their country, including more than 1,300 innocent people who have lost their lives in that struggle, Blinken said, referring to Myanmar by its other name.

The NLD won 396 of the 498 contested parliamentary seats in the November 8, 2020 election, handily beating the military-backed Union and Solidarity Party to win reelection in just the second democratically held elections after the military formally gave up control of Myanmar after decades of autocratic rule.

But the results were negated just three months later when the military overthrew the civilian government on February 1, 2021, and jailed several of its officials, including de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint. The military claimed the election results were fraudulent, an allegation rejected by the countrys election commission.

Suu Kyi led the civilian government as state counsellor after the military-drafted constitution effectively barred her from serving as president.

The February 1 coup and its subsequent and ongoing violent crackdown has further undermined human rights and fundamental freedoms and reversed a decade of progress toward a genuine democracy, Blinken said in his written statement.

Separately, the United Nations reiterated its call on the military to respect the will of the people and put the country back on track to democratic transition.

Spokesman Stephane Dujarric noted Monday that the general elections were deemed free and fair by domestic and international observers.

The United Nations remains gravely concerned about the intensifying violence in Myanmar, accompanied by growing displacement, which continues to take a heavy toll on vulnerable civilians and affect women disproportionately, Dujarric said.

The United Nations is also increasingly concerned about the growing humanitarian crisis. Before the February 1 military coup, 1 million people across Myanmar were in need of assistance. Now, that number tops 3 million. Hundreds of thousands of people have also been forced to flee their homes due to post-election violence.

U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said Monday that aid access countrywide is extremely limited due to bureaucratic impediments that the military has put in place.

The world is watching, he said. I urge all parties to fully respect their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law to protect civilians, ensure civilians can freely move towards safety when needed, and allow humanitarian assistance to be provided to those in need, including those being forced to flee the violence.

U.N. humanitarian efforts are severely underfunded, with less than half the $385 million needed in hand.

The U.N. Security Council held a private meeting early Monday to discuss the overall situation. Britain, which holds the Myanmar file on the council, requested the session.

We are particularly concerned about the buildup of military action in the northwest of the country, and we are concerned that this rather mirrors the activity we saw four years ago ahead of the atrocities that were committed in Rakhine against the Rohingya, Britains Deputy U.N. Ambassador James Kariuki told reporters ahead of the meeting. We're very keen to make sure the council is focused and that the military know(s) that we're watching.

(Margaret Besheer contributed to this report from the United Nations.)
Local security forces affiliated with the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said Monday they thwarted a plot by a suspected Islamic State group cell to carry out an attack on a prison holding IS fighters in northeast Syria.

The operation, carried out in the early hours of Monday, took place in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, SDF's internal security forces said.

"After our forces received intelligence that a terrorist cell affiliated with (IS) in Deir al-Zour region was planning to begin an attack on the Sina'a prison in Hasaka, our anti-terror units, with support from the international coalition, were able to identify the location of the cell and wage a quality operation against it," the SDF said in a statement.

In the firefight that ensued, an IS militant was killed, another wounded, and four others were arrested, the statement added. Dozens of firearms, rockets and improvised explosive devices as well as ammunition were also seized during the operation, according to the SDF.

Without giving more details, the coalition also said one militant was killed and three others detained in the joint operation with the SDF in Deir al-Zour.

The SDF is a Kurdish-led military alliance that has been a major U.S. partner in the fight against IS in Syria.

Concerns over makeshift prisons

Since declaring the military defeat of IS in March 2019, the SDF has been holding over 10,000 IS fighters, including about 2,000 foreign nationals. Some of them are held in the Sina'a prison in Hasaka, where IS militants allegedly planned the prison break.

In recent years, IS inmates have made several attempts to escape from SDF-held detention centers in northeast Syria. None of them have been successful, however.

For years, both Kurdish and U.S. military officials have raised concerns about security at the dozen or so SDF-run prisons holding captured IS fighters.

Many of the prisons are converted schools or hospitals and were never meant to hold prisoners over a long term, despite the occasional influx of millions of dollars in aid and supplies from the U.S. and other coalition partners.

Multiple officials have warned that the prisons cannot hold indefinitely, though key Kurdish officials see no end in sight.

"It's really very complicated and difficult," Elham Ahmad, the executive president of the SDF's political wing, the Syrian Democratic Council, told VOA in response to a question during a recent visit to Washington.

"I cannot put a timeline because I don't see anything happening in the soon future," Ahmad added, saying IS foreign fighters remain the biggest obstacle. "Most of the countries refuse to take their citizens back.  But this is going to take a long time, and it's a pretty big burden."

Ahmad, speaking through a translator, also warned that the aid from the U.S. and others is not sufficient to maintain security and "fix everything completely."

"I would call it more of an urgent sort of assistance  humanitarian issues that have to do with food and water," she said.

In its quarterly report released last week, the Pentagon Inspector General said that while the global coalition "continued to provide materiel and support to the SDF to improve the physical security, capacity, and conditions in the facilities, detainees continued to live in substandard and overcrowded living conditions."

The anti-IS coalition "said the poor living conditions increased the chance of breakouts," the report added, noting that "there was one escape attempt by detainees during the quarter" from July 1 to September 30.

In August, the global coalition said the British government had invested $20 million to expand one of the detention facilities holding IS detainees in northeast Syria.

Jeff Seldin contributed to this report.
The United States special representative for Afghanistan Monday began his first trip to Europe and Asia to discuss developments in the South Asian nation, where almost 23 million people, including children, are threatened with starvation.

Ambassador Thomas Wests first stop will be Brussels where his discussions with allies and partners will focus on the way forward on Afghanistan.

"I look forward to advancing Americas vital interests and supporting the Afghan people, West said in a pre-trip tweet. The international community must act together to be effective, the U.S. envoy stressed.

The United Nations has warned that more than half of Afghanistans estimated 40 million population is likely to go hungry this winter unless more funds are forthcoming from donors. The World Food Program said in a statement Monday that fuel costs are up, food prices are soaring, fertilizer is more expensive, and all of this feeds into the unfolding Afghan crisis.

The return to power of the Islamist Taliban in Afghanistan last August after the withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign troops has plunged the country into an economic crisis and increased Afghan humanitarian needs to unprecedented levels, which stem from years of war and a prolonged widespread drought.

The international community has refused to grant diplomatic recognition to the Taliban government mainly over human rights concerns under the Islamist movements rule.

The absence of legitimacy led to suspension of several billions of dollars in annual foreign assistance to Kabul and blocked the Talibans access to about $10 billion in Afghan assets, mostly held in the U.S. Federal Reserve. The sanctions have made it extremely difficult for the Taliban to pay salaries or import essential goods.

Dilemma Over Taliban

Analysts say Washington and other Western governments have few good options in Afghanistan: They can either try to work with the Taliban, and in effect collude with human rights violations, or watch the worsening crisis from afar and see 20 years of development work reversed.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, in an interview CNN aired on Sunday, noted that Washington remains the largest humanitarian donor to Afghanistan and provided nearly a half-billion dollars in funding just this year alone.

The advisor defended the reliance on aid organizations, arguing the Biden administration was not yet in a position to be able to provide money directly through the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan.

We think that is the best way to actually help the people of Afghanistan without creating a circumstance in which some of those funds could be used for purposes that are problematic to the national security interest of the United States, Sullivan said.

Until we see a substantially improved approach to everything from inclusive government to other elements that we are discussing with them (the Taliban) regularly, our focus, our emphasis is going to continue to be on providing funding in the hundreds of millions of dollars just this year alone and to mobilize the rest of the international community through international organizations and non-governmental organizations, he added.

Sunday, the Taliban appointed 43 provincial governors and police chiefs in a bid to solidify their rule.

The Islamist group formed an interim government in Kabul in September, but the global community has been pressing the Taliban to install a governance set up that represents all Afghans, including women and minorities.

The Taliban have dismissed criticism of their government and repeatedly assured the global community they will protect human rights of all Afghans, including women and minorities. The Islamist group has demanded diplomatic recognition and unfreezing of Afghan assets abroad to be able to prevent an economic meltdown and provide urgent assistance to those in need.

"What the Taliban should note is that they risk remaining unrecognized by the international community like last time if they don't bring non-Taliban into governance posts in Afghanistan, and that will not be good news for the country," Torek Farhadi, a political analyst and former Afghan government adviser, told VOA.
The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments Monday whether the U.S. government can invoke the protection of state secrets to withhold information about its surveillance of Muslims at mosques in California.

The dispute began a decade ago when three Muslim men filed suit against the Federal Bureau of Investigation, alleging the top U.S. law enforcement agency deployed a confidential informant who claimed to be a convert to Islam to spy on them based solely on their religious identity.



The U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of the practice of ones religion.

But the government is claiming in this case that it can refuse to disclose information about its surveillance under authority granted it by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, as well as its use of the state secrets privilege defense, which allows the government to block the release of information it considers to be a risk to national security.

The three Muslim men, Yassir Fazaga, Ali Malik and Yasser AbdelRahim, have argued that the use of the surveillance law violated their religious rights and allowed the government to avoid accountability.

Patrick Toomey, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU National Security Project, told reporters last week, This case has significant implications for cases where the executive branch asserts state secrets privilege in an effort to foreclose accountability for other types of illegal government conduct, especially in the two decades since 9/11, when al-Qaida terrorists attacked the U.S., killing nearly 3,000 people.

Muslims in California said they reported the FBIs own informant in the case to the agency after the informant began asking people about violent jihad.

Hussam Ayloush, a Muslim leader in the Los Angeles area, said Muslims in the U.S. are hoping to shed light on how a government and federal agency that is charged with protecting us all continues its attempt to treat Muslims as second-class citizens.

The outcome of this case will impact every American, not just Muslims, Ayloush said. Can you be spied on by the government simply because of how you choose to worship?
Tahir Hamut Izgil, a 52-year-old Uyghur asylum-seeker, has been living in the United States with his wife and three children since 2017. The family settled in northern Virginia after fleeing China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Izgil has been waiting four years and has not yet been granted asylum by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

"My two daughters' China-issued passports expired in 2019, and they have no official status here in the U.S.," Izgil told VOA. "Without any status, my daughter who is now a freshman at Virginia Tech is not able to apply for a student loan or scholarship."

According to Izgil, he and his family came to the U.S. when China began "arbitrarily detaining Uyghurs under the pretext of countering extremism or separatism" and confiscating the passports of Uyghurs.

"There are in total, a few hundred Uyghur asylees like me in the U.S. anxiously waiting for their asylum interviews by the USCIS, some even for six or seven years," Izgil told VOA.

Uyghurs in U.S.

According to Victoria Palmer, USCIS spokesperson, the agency reviews applications for asylum and determines eligibility on a case-by-case basis.

"Uyghur asylum-seekers are lawfully allowed to remain in the United States while their case is pending," Palmer told VOA. "Additionally, the USCIS Asylum Division may consider an urgent request to schedule an interview outside of the application priority order on an individual basis."

Citing Beijing's "systematic attempt to destroy" Uyghurs, including the imprisonment of more than 1 million people, the U.S. denounced Beijing's treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang as crimes against humanity this year.

Beijing has repeatedly dismissed allegations from Western countries and human rights groups that facilities are internment camps, instead insisting they are "vocational training centers" where Uyghurs learn new skills.

Last month on behalf of Uyghur asylum-seekers in the U.S. and Uyghur refugees around the world, Izgil testified at a hearing of the Congressional Executive Commission on China.

"Uyghurs who have been able to go abroad still have great difficulty in achieving secure living conditions," Izgil told VOA after the hearing.

Even though he feels abandoned by U.S. authorities who have not yet ruled on his asylum case, he says in comparison with Uyghur refugees in other parts of the world, his family is lucky.

"There are thousands of Uyghur refugees around the world who may be returned to China where they will face life-threatening situation if deported," Izgil said. "For example, Thailand is holding more than 50 Uyghur refugees in its prison for more than five years."

Uyghurs in Turkey

Five thousand miles away from northern Virginia, in Istanbul, lives Ihsan Kartal, who is too afraid to use his own name. Kartal is a 35-year-old Uyghur refugee from Xinjiang.

He is one of an estimated 50,000 Uyghur refugees living in Turkey.

Kartal said he arrived in Turkey with his wife and three children in February 2018 from Dubai after police in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) interrogated him and warned him of the possibility of being deported to China.

"I had been working and living in Dubai since 2010," Kartal told VOA. "But everything changed in 2017 and 2018 there. I witnessed some of my Uyghur friends in UAE being detained by UAE authorities and deported back to China."

UAE is among countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia that have deported Uyghurs to China in recent years, CNN reported.

In Turkey, according to Kartal, he and his fellow Uyghur refugees live in constant fear of being arrested by Turkish authorities and returned to China.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed an extradition treaty with China in 2017.

"These days, we always see and hear that some of our fellow Uyghur refugees (are) being arrested at midnight from their residence by Turkish security force," Kartal told VOA.

Kartal's Chinese passport expired in 2019. Even though the Turkish government issued him a "long-term residence permit," he still struggles to put food on the table.

"This permit doesn't give me the right to work or operate business legally in Turkey," Kartal told VOA in a phone interview. "I can't leave this place with (an) expired passport. I am stateless. I can't even become a refugee in another country."

Kartal said that his only hope now is to go to a country like the U.S. where he can "at least feel safe and not (be) fearful" of being deported back to China.

"Many of us here wish to be in a country like the U.S. or Canada where we can live and work safely without any fear of being harassed by local authorities," Kartal said.

Kartal said the U.S. is doing little to protect vulnerable Uyghurs like him.

"The U.S. is calling what we face in China a genocide, but not doing anything to help Uyghur refugees like us around the world," Kartal said. "They say big words but even a small, good deed of helping the vulnerable like us is not in their agenda."

In fiscal year 2021, the U.S. admitted no Uyghur refugees through its refugee admission program, the conservative news outlet The Dispatch reported last month.

According to a State Department spokesperson, Uyghurs outside of China currently are eligible to access the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) through UNHCR Priority 1 referrals or referral from a U.S. embassy.

"The United States remains focused on the protection of Uyghurs worldwide," the spokesperson told VOA.

The majority of refugees gain access to USRAP through Priority 1 UNHCR referrals, according to the spokesperson.

"We continue to closely coordinate with UNHCR to ensure it is able to refer vulnerable Uyghurs to the USRAP for resettlement consideration without delay, and to determine if there are other steps needed to ensure humanitarian access to resettlement for Uyghurs in need," the spokesperson said.


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Alanya, Kestel (143 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : While watching tv, I felt the couch shaking then i looked at the couch and saw it shaking. Then a small noise came outfield the kitchen as is there is something moved there as well. | 3 users found this interesting.

 (141.1 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 10-15 s :   ,              | 2 users found this interesting.

Ilgn (57.1 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s sensed development of a movement as slow and horizontal | 3 users found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Istanbul / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short Suddenly, I felt dizzy and asked my husband if he also noticed something and if it was an earthquake. Then he told me, that he didn't feel anything but that our living room lamp was moving a little. | 2 users found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app Same Feeling in Manavgat Antalya, but i didnt see the lamp swinging, so i thought theres sth wrong with my heart / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short

Alanya,Turkey (141.5 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : I was sitting at the salon,and watching TV , that the ouster moved slightly, and I felt the earth was shaking | One user found this interesting.

Side Antalya (106.6 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s : Sitting watching TV on sofa felt the sofa shake side to side vibration feeling I live in a top floor duplex apartment in Side Antalya | One user found this interesting.

Lara, Antalya (161.5 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : lying on sofa | One user found this interesting.

Muratpasa, Antalya (155 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : Furniture moving | One user found this interesting.

Alanya turkey (140.2 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : I was in bed -bed was shaked | One user found this interesting.

Okurcalar, Alanya, Antalya (135.8 km SSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Sitting on a toilet I felt it very well | One user found this interesting.

On the balcony. (135.9 km SSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s Shaking a bit. | One user found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

 / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s :   .    .     .    .

Alania / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s :     ,   ,    .

Alanya, Avsallar / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s Shaking a bit... | One user found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Antalya (163.4 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

Konya (31 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt / single vertical bump / 5-10 s

Meram konya (29.6 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Weak shaking

Alanya (141.2 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short

Alanya (142.7 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Konya (30.1 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

near Derbent, Konya (3.7 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Evrenseki, Manavgat Ilcesi, Antalya (132.2 km SSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

ALANYA (141.2 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : minor horizontal swaying

Hane Family resort Antalya (131.9 km SSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Antalya (172.6 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 20-30 s (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 20-30 s

Alanya (141.2 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Antalya Suryapi (165.4 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : On the sofa about 8 sec

Alanya, Turkey (141.7 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : Sitting on my balcony, chair shaking!

Gundoglu (133.8 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : Im laying on bed and the bed and also the chair was shaking

Alanya (141.9 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : Shaking for 3 seconds

Tirana (1125.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s Shume I lehte (reported through (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s

Manavagat (132.3 km SSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

AYT (163.6 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Konya, Turkey (29.3 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Swaying side to side.

Konya (28.6 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 2-5 s

Mahmutlar, Alanya, Antalya (143.1 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s

Isparta (140.6 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Colakli (132.8 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Turkie antalya Alanya, (140.5 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s :    ,  

Konya (31.7 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : My bed moved during 20-25 seconds. All the furniture shaked.

Mahmutlar, Alanya, Antalya (143.1 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Tasucu (226.1 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

Alanya (140.5 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Antalya (172.3 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s

Konya (32.4 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Antalya (164.3 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

Mahmutlar, Alanya, Antalya (147.5 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Manavgat, Antalya (129.2 km SSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Avsallar, Alanya (136.1 km SSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 minutes : Wohnzimmer sitzend und stehend

Konya (30.6 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Building shaking

Alanya (140.8 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 5-10 s : Alanya region of Antalya in Turkey

Mahmutlar (148.7 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Muratpasa, Antalya (160 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Tirana (1129.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) (reported through our app / Very strong shaking (MMI VII)

Side Turkey / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Tasugu, Silifke, Mersin / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : I stood at the window without moving. like a short dizziness

Dedeman Hotel, Konya / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s : Light shaking that went on for several seconds

Kumkoy, Hotel Melas Resort 8. Stockwerk / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Konya, Selcuklu / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : Long sideshaking, at the moment at home, 8' floor.

Avsallar, Alanya, Antalya / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Shaking

ANKARA / not felt

Alanya / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Nicaragua / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Bidirectional shaking

Konya, Selcuklu, Yazr Mahallesi. / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Someone's shaking the bed

Konya / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Not good feelings.

Ankara / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short

Afyon/Atakoy / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s

Avsallar, Alanya, Antalya / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Shaking

Avsallar, Alanya, Antalya / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Shaking

Jerusalem / not felt Not felt (reported through (reported through our app / not felt

Manavgat, Sarlar / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s :   ,    .

Avsallar, Alanya, Antalya / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Shaking

Konya / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Avsallar, Alanya, Antalya / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Shaking

Alanya, Hotel on 5th floor / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Sitting on Bed, reading, suddenly felt movement and saw open cupboard door move slightly

novotel konya / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Dedeman Hotel, Konya / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s : Light shaking that went on for several seconds

Konya / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : I was in the tramway we feel it as get out of the Railway for a moment

Avsallar, Alanya, Antalya / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Shaking

alanya / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : felt like the house was moving left and right, a bit like feeling dizzy.

 / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Gebze / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

Manavgat / Light shaking (MMI IV) / very short

At home / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 10-15 s : I feel little shake of the house and little movement of the curtain and my mum bed.

Avsallar / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Alanya / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Side Turkey / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Alanya / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : In Alanya Tosmur Mah hat es auch geschaukelt.

Konya / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging

Manavgat merkez / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Konya / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Avsallar, Alanya, Turkey / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 minutes

Alanya / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : The bed was a little shaky

Konya / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Manavgat / Weak shaking (MMI III) / complex motion difficult to describe / 2-5 s

Manavgat turkey / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s : Sitting on sofa and felt it shake gently for few seconds. Children heard wardrobe shake

Afsalar / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Alanya royalisa city apart hotel / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : laying on the bed, felt vibrating

Alanya / Weak shaking (MMI III) / complex rolling (tilting in multiple directions) / 2-5 s

Alanya / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Ceiling lights swinging

Konya / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s

Side / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Avsallar, Alanya, Antalya / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Shaking

Alanya / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s

Evde at home / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Alanya tosmur / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : The building moved light shaking

Alanya / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Alanya, Tosmur / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Mahmutlar / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Avsallar / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Alanya / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 5-10 s

Konya / not felt / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : Strong

Yazir, Konya / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Isparta / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s

Manavgat / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Alanya / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s
Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army and de facto governor of Cyrenaica (northeast of the country), has instructed his son Saddam to negotiate with Israel.

Accompanied by a group of French lobbyists, Saddam landed at Ben Gurion Airport (Lod, Israel) on 1 November 2021, aboard a Falcon registered P4-RMA, coming from Dubai. He only stood on the tarmac for a few minutes; just long enough to greet Nimrod Gez, a former Shin Bet operative and currently Libya Desk Manager at the Israeli Security Council. The plane took off 90 minutes later for Benghazi (Libya).

According to Haaretz, the negotiations focused, on the one hand, on the upcoming election in Libya and on the possibility for the emerging government to recognize Israel and, on the other hand, on the support that Israel could provide to Marshal Haftar to help him win the election [1].
The Federation of German Industries (BDI) and the Boston Consulting Group estimate at 860 billion euros the cost of adapting the countrys facilities to the climate objectives adopted by the Merkel government for 2030.

The Federation is therefore asking the German state for 280 billion euros as compensation. In addition, the government coalition being formed is urged to offer tax cuts to all net zero (ie carbon-free) investments.
Streamliner At your service. Illustration: Martin Gee

The fastest way to financial ruin is paying full price for every streaming service out there. To keep you solvent, were constantly watching for new deals, promotions, and full-on freebies. Check back here or follow us on Twitter for updates.

The Latest Disney+ Deal

For one month, the streamer is knocking Disney+s $8 monthly fee down to just $2. The offer is good for new subscriptions today through November 14, and while its a savings of only six dollars across 30 days, it may grease the wheels if youre eyeing Disney+s upcoming releases. On November 12 (henceforth renamed Disney+ Day), a bunch of stuff hits the site: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Jungle Cruise, season two of The World According to Jeff Goldblum, and the Disney+ original Home Sweet Home Alone, among others. Marvels Hawkeye drops less than two weeks later. And six bucks aint nothing. Its two coffees. Its shipping. It might be inner peace. Trust your feelings, and may the Force be with you.

Don't have Disney+?

Is there a way to get Disney+ for free? Actually, yes! Its through a rival companys music arm. If youre not happy with Spotify, Apple Music, or the other song streamers out there, signing up for Amazon Music Unlimited will grant you Disney+ for free for six months. (Note: If you already have Amazon Music Unlimited, you can get the deal but only for three months.) Both plans are $8 per month, so not a bad two-for-one between the Galactic Empire and the Barony of Bezos.

Another free option is to get it as part of a bundle of streaming services offered through Verizon Wireless. Certain Verizon plans get you not just Disney+ but also Hulu, ESPN+, AMC+, and Apple Arcade.

If you want a solid, evergreen deal on Disney+: The keep everyone sane deal: $14 per month for Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu. That gets you Disney stuff, Star Wars, Marvel, Hulus robust film-and-TV catalogue (Parasite! Reservation Dogs! Aniara!), and, uh, sports. Take advantage of media consolidation while you can; it saves you $8 per month compared with tallying the services. And if Hulus ads bug you, upgrade the bundle to $20 a month to banish them.

The deal you missed: Through Target, of all places. A limited-time deal in August knocked the annual subscription price for Disney+ down to $60 for users who spent $25 or more on Targets website. Given that the annual subscription to Disney+ is $80 (a 17 percent discount off its monthly subscription), an added $20 off the price tag was more than welcome. With the holidays coming, its possible more deals like will this pop up.

While Youre Here

Dont miss out on our other Disney+ features and resources.

New on Disney+: November 2021

In addition to the new arrivals we mentioned above, be on the lookout for The Beatles: Get Back, Adventures Thru the Walt Disney Archives, the iconic Paperman short, and Prep & Landing: Operation Secret Santa.

How to Gift Disney+

 or just about any other big streaming service. Disney has some caveats we get into here like the fact that you can gift a sign-up only to new users. (And yes, you can give that Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ bundle.)

How to Download Stuff on Disney+

 and a few other big streaming services. You can download to mobile devices  up to ten different ones at once! And there arent many restrictions on the stuff you can or cant download because by and large Disney owns all of it.

As promised a few hundred words ago, if you follow Streamliner on Twitter, well keep you posted on more money-saving bonanzas.

If you subscribe to a service through our links, Vulture may earn an affiliate commission.
A California woman is recovering and says she feels lucky to be alive after being mauled by a black bear that broke into her Lake Tahoe cabin and rummaged through her kitchen.

Laurel-Rose von Hoffmann-Curzi was woken up early on Oct. 30 by a series of thumping sounds downstairs in her family's Tahoe Vista cabin.

At first she thought her son was being noisy, but as she came down the stairs she realized that there was a large bear rummaging in her freezer and throwing food on the ground.

It was still dark, but the bear was illuminated by the light from the freezer.

"About the time I recognized that he was a bear, he recognized, I guess, that I was a person and came charging at me," the 66-year-old retired doctor told CNN.

Von Hoffmann-Curzi says she didn't really see the bear charge because it all happened so fast.

"I remember seeing his big paw right on my face and basically nothing else," she said. "And I started feeling my body being ripped apart."

She said she was "screaming and screaming and screaming" as the bear attacked.

The bear came up the stairs at her a second time and von Hoffmann-Curzi says she threw a quilt and a robe that landed on its head and spooked the animal.

The bear came towards her a third time but ran out of the house when von Hoffman-Curzi's husband and son came out of their rooms.

Her husband helped tend to her wounds while her son called 911. She says help arrived in less than 10 minutes and she was rushed to the hospital.

Von Hoffman-Curzi says her face hurt the worst and she was bleeding a lot. But she also had scratches and other wounds on her neck, back, arm and other parts of her body, along with a bite near her left breast.

There was also a deep puncture wound on her abdomen that she feared had ruptured her spleen, which she says would have been disastrous because she is going through chemotherapy for lymphoma.

Von Hoffman-Curzi was transferred to the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento for more treatment. The surgeon there "did a spectacular job" stitching up her extensive facial injuries, she said.

Doctors gave von Hoffmann-Curzi antibiotics in hopes of preventing infections and abscesses, because she's immunocompromised and because bears carry bacteria.

Von Hoffman-Curzi hopes she won't need additional surgeries.

She lives in Orinda, California, in the Bay Area, and said she and her husband go to the cabin fairly regularly, because it's one of the few places she can go outside of her home.

Her chemotherapy has made her very susceptible to Covid-19, so it hasn't been safe for her to be out and about during the pandemic even though she's vaccinated.

"The only reasons are doctors appointments and chemotherapy," she said. "That's my social life ... going to chemotherapy."

She said they won't go back until this bear is caught.

"It would be dangerous for us, because the bear knows the cabin, knows there's food there, knows how to get in (and) is unafraid of people," she said.

Capt. Patrick Foy with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said authorities have set up a trap at the cabin to try to catch the bear. They also took DNA samples from Von Hoffman-Curzi's wounds and from inside the cabin.

The bear will have to be euthanized if they catch it, and they'll use the DNA information to make sure they have the right one, Foy said. Any other bears they capture will be released in a safe location.

California black bears are the only type of bear that lives in the wild in California. An estimated 25,000 to 30,000 live in the state. Adult females can weigh from 100 to 200 pounds, and males are even bigger, between 150 and 350 pounds.

Foy said many of the bears around Tahoe, which he described as an urban-rural interface, have become accustomed to humans.

"When you have bears that are breaking into homes, those are bears that are fairly habituated to these urban areas, and that's the way they make a living really is by by pursuing human sources of food," he said. "I don't mean humans as a source of food, just human sources of food."

He said this was the second bear attack on a human this year.

Von Hoffmann-Curzi said they had just gotten to the cabin Friday night and hadn't cooked or eaten any food, or generated any trash.

She thinks the bear may have smelled some avocados that they brought with them.

They didn't lock their deadbolt that night, von Hoffman-Curzi says, and the bear was able to open the door with its paws.

"These bears are super-smart," she said.

Foy recommended residents and visitors to the area go to keepmewild.org for tips on how to avoid negative encounters with bears and other wildlife. He said they get reports almost daily of bears getting into people's homes or vehicles, getting into trash, busting open bird feeders and causing other property damage while hunting for food.

The-CNN-Wire

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A reported forgery involving multiple financial institutions has led to arrest warrants for six people, and Decatur Police are asking the publics help in finding four of the suspects.

Decatur Police Department said they received the forgery report Oct. 6 from a local business, which said 43 checked were forged and used at various locations, totaling more than $21,000 in losses.

Six suspects total were identified, of which two were jailed as of Monday, DPD said. Dyllan Jones, 29, of Moulton was arrested Nov. 2 for third-degree theft, third-degree forgery and two counts of third-degree possession of a forged instrument.

Three days later, on Nov. 5, 36-year-old Joshua Dutton of Trinity was arrested. Dutton faces five counts of identity theft, five counts of third-degree possession of a forged instrument and one count of first-degree theft.

The following suspects have active warrants related to the case:

 Alexsanyna Collier, 30, of Decatur, for third-degree possession of a forged instrument;

 Jeremy Chatman, 37, of Decatur, for third-degree forgery;

 Jason Whitt, 40, of Knoxville, Tennessee, for identity theft; and

 Gerald Kirby, 51, of Trinity, for first-degree theft and five counts of identity theft.

Anyone with information about the case or the suspects whereabouts is encouraged to call DPD Detective Sean Mukaddam at 256-341-4617 or email smukaddam@decatur-al.gov.
A Lawrence County Sheriff's Deputy is behind bars, charged with DUI, jail records show.

The Lawrence County Sheriff's Office confirmed Deputy David Allen, 33, was arrested by Decatur Police on Sunday. He was not on duty at the time.

Jail records show Allen is facing a DUI charge, as well as speeding in a construction zone where no workers were present.

Allen's bond has been set at $1,000 for the DUI charge and $300 for speeding.

Stick with WAAY 31 for updates.
US ends travel restrictions with Italy after a year and a half.

Italy's newly launched ITA Airways - successor to former Italian flag carrier Alitalia - has begun its first transatlantic service, offering flights between Rome and New York.

ITA will operate the route between Rome Fiumicino and New York JFK with six flights per week, with the goal of increasing to 14 weekly services over the Christmas holiday season.

The move comes as the United States begins to welcome fully vaccinated and covid-tested air travellers from 33 countries including Italy - from 8 November - ending a travel ban in place for a year and a half.

Under the new travel rules, those travelling to the US require proof of full vaccination as well as a negative covid-19 test within three days of departure.

Passengers will also be subject to contact tracing but there will be no quarantine requirement on arrival.

In addition to the Rome-New York route, Italy's new national airline has scheduled services from Rome to Miami and Boston next March, with flights from Rome to Los Angeles, and Milan to New York, set to launch next summer.

ITA, which took to the skies for the first time on 15 October - after Alitalia ceased operating after 74 years - is initially serving 44 destinations, rising to 74 by 2025.

The airline will serve more than a dozen Italian cities alongside key European airports such as London-Heathrow and Paris-Charles de Gaulle.

ITA is expected to launch more long-haul flights in the spring of 2022, including to Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo.

Photo La Repubblica
Nobody injured as tram derails in Trastevere.

A tram came off its tracks in the Rome district of Trastevere on the afternoon of Monday 8 November.

There was nobody injured in the incident which occurred on the Number 3 line, on Via Girolamo Induno.

The accident happened outside the newly opened Cinema Troisi, across the street from Italy's education ministry, on a day of heavy rain.

Rome's municipal transport company ATAC activated substitute buses before reopening the troubled tram line, resulting in some delays for commuter.

Photo La Repubblica
In this case Mudricks downside is protected as the notes are secured, presumably against Verticals intellectual property as it doesnt yet have many hard assets.(8)If Vertical makes progress towards certification, the shares could take off and Mudricks conversion option would then be firmly in the money. (5)It sounds like a neat solution but theres no reward without risk. The flying taxi market is becoming increasingly crowded and rivals have had a lackluster start on the public markets. If Vertical consumes more capital than anticipated, or its aircraft takes longer to certify, the shares could sag and Mudricks returns would be more pedestrian. His firm doesnt have a spotless track record picking SPAC deals. Mudrick has created two of its own SPACs and one lost more than 80% of its value after merging with Hycroft Mining Holding Corp., a gold and silver miner.
Ian Thomson, a professor of accounting and sustainability at the University of Birmingham who has been researching carbon accounting for 30 years, is wary of a single large consultancy firm or cloud company like Salesforce, which sells carbon-accounting software called Sustainability Cloud, dominating the market for carbon accounting. You need the wisdom of the crowd, he says, because there are so many complex details to work out when measuring Scope 3 carbon. Its going to be difficult to come up with a single solution. The devil is in the details. Fintech companies grew rapidly over the past decade because many found smaller, modular solutions that the larger banks were missing out, he notes.
Alibabas fintech affiliate Ant Group Co. had its initial public offering torpedoed just before last years Singles Day. In the months since, the company has been forced to overhaul its business and its ubiquitous super-app Alipay, a one-stop shop for the financial needs of a billion users, is on the brink of being sliced up. While Alipay continues to underpin the vast majority of transactions across Alibabas platforms, that dominance may start to erode under the new regulatory pressure to open up walled-off ecosystems. Already Alibaba has started allowing users to use rival Tencent Holdings Ltd.s WeChat Pay on some of its apps, though its still not available on Taobao and Tmall -- where most of the spending during Singles Day takes place.
Referring to himself as a private citizen, Obama was received at COP26 like a head of state, drawing more onlookers in the conference complex than Prince Charles and inspiring standing ovations at the start and end of his speech. Obama was informal in demeanor and skipped the tie for his charcoal suit, but his message was all business: He chided China and Russia for skipping the conference, reminded attendees of his own work on climate change and emphasized that time really is running out to avert the worst consequences of a warming planet. He also played cheerleader for U.S. negotiators, trying out a music-industry analogy to describe his relationship to former Secretary of State John F. Kerry, now President Bidens special envoy for climate.
Just as your family has struggled through the pandemic, he has not had access to the familiar routines, services and support he might receive in school. He has missed a year of social growth, during a very important developmental phase of his life. And while your children might roll with the punches, he hasnt mastered these skills.
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But Del. Martha M. Mugler (D-Hampton) and Del. Alex Askew (D-Virginia Beach) would not concede, with the margin in Muglers race against Republican A.C. Cordoza below the 0.5 percent mark that would trigger an automatic state-funded recount, and the divide in Askews race against Republican Karen Greenhalgh nearly at that point.
Biden, aware of the political pitfalls, has not traveled to the southern border as president and rarely talks about immigration publicly. He appeared to stumble again recently when he initially dismissed as garbage reports that his administration was negotiating large cash payments to families separated at the border during the Trump administration. Aides acknowledged the next day that negotiations are ongoing and said the president would accept a settlement. On Saturday, Biden said he was taking issue with was the reported payment amounts, and added that separated families deserve some kind of compensation.
You are using your expertise to evaluate and recommend candidates for judicial office; you are not lobbying the appointing authority or publicly opining on the qualities of any candidate, the Committee on Codes of Conduct said in an advisory opinion dated Nov. 5, a copy of which was reviewed by The Washington Post. Having considered the concerns raised about your participation on the Commission, and evaluated these concerns and your ethics inquiry under the relevant Code provisions, we cannot conclude that your service on the Commission is contrary to the Code.
However, Pence still resisted embracing Eastmans plan. On the evening of Jan. 5, according to Peril, Trump called Giuliani and then Bannon, who were both at the Willard at the time, according to the book, which reported some details of the events at the Willard that day. Trump told Bannon that Pence had been very arrogant when the two discussed the matter earlier in the day, the book reported. The following day, Eastman spoke at the rally on the Ellipse.
Across the state, there are also tens of thousands of uncounted provisional ballots, cast by voters who could not prove their eligibility at the polls but have several days to verify it. The Murphy campaign estimated that fewer than 58,000 such ballots had been cast, smaller than the margin separating the governor from Ciattarelli. As of Monday morning, more than 2.5 million votes had been counted.
The massing of people at the border appeared to rev up the crisis that has being going on for months in which the autocratic regime of Belarus has encouraged migrants from the Mideast and elsewhere to illegally enter the European Union, at first through Lithuania and Latvia and now primarily through Poland.
Gosar has long drawn criticism for his extremist views, including his spreading of conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob and the deadly white-nationalist rally in Charlottesville in 2017. In February, he appeared at an event whose organizer called for white supremacy. Gosar later distanced himself from the organizers remarks.
Well see who comes out of the primary, Scott said. Facts will come out. Well find out exactly what people think. I think what ultimately happens is people are going to look at somebodys background and say is that the type of person they want and also are they talking about the issues I care about.
Nonprofits like the committee cannot use the money to give private benefits to their leaders. While Trump was not formally an officer of the inaugural committee, Racine has alleged that Trump and his family should still be treated as its leaders, for the purposes of the suit, because they exercised off-the-books control.
In California, statues of Father Junipero Serra have been toppled in protest of what activists have called the enslavement of Native Americans. A monument for babies whose lives are ended by abortion was knocked over at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Bloomingburg, New York. The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver, Colorado, was recently marked with graffiti that read Satan lives here and included references to child rapists.
In two days, we will mark 82 years since Kristallnacht, the night of unthinkable evil that foreshadowed more evil to come, Harris said, referring to the Night of Broken Glass, the Nov. 9, 1938, pogrom, in which the Nazi Party destroyed hundreds of synagogues and Jewish businesses in Germany, Austria and parts of Czechoslovakia.
The plight of Dharmalingam and his family has garnered significant attention in Singapore and neighboring Malaysia as a particularly punitive case, even in a city-state known for exceptionally harsh drug laws. Dharmalingam has an IQ of 69, a level recognized as an intellectual disability. During his trial, an independent psychiatrist diagnosed him with mental and intellectual impairment. Richard Branson, the billionaire British business magnate and a prominent anti-death-penalty campaigner, also released an appeal Monday in support of Dharmalingam.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said he would be in favor of Tikhanovskaya and other Belarusian opposition politicians attending next months Group of Seven summit in Britains Carbis Bay. Three U.S. senators announced that they plan to meet with Tikhanovskaya in Lithuania, where she has been in self-exile since losing to Lukashenko in August presidential elections whose results have been widely denounced in the West as fraudulent.
The Polish Ministry of Defense posted an aerial video of a large group of people massed next to the border fence near the Polish village of Kuznica, with Polish guards lined up to face them on the other side. The exact numbers gathered on the border remained unclear: Belarusian border guards said there were about 1,000 people, while Polish authorities said that numerous groups had been escorted to the fence by Belarusian forces.
The United States is a country where the rule of law is respected and where government is transparent and accountable for its actions, OConnor added. Every citizen can count on an impartial and objective court system. There has not been a single case of transparent, accountable investigation into and prosecution of the actions of Belarusian police that resulted in deaths, systemic torture and the continued repression of Belarusian citizens, of whom over 800 remain in jail for peaceful protest against the regime.


A voter casts his vote at a polling station in Caracas on Sunday before a portrait of Hugo Chavez, founder of Venezuela's socialist state. (Ariana Cubillos/AP)

For President Nicolas Maduro, the elections are a chance to project a veneer of legitimacy while reasserting strength.
Former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been effectively blocked from seeking a return to office after Irans supreme leader decided that the firebrand populist would prove too divisive in next years election, state media reported Monday.

The comments by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei signaled a preemptive strike against possible attempts by Ahmadinejad to build a movement to challenge the reform-minded Hassan Rouhani in the May presidential election.

Khameneis remarks, carried by the official Islamic Republic News Agency, also suggested that Rouhani and his government still retain some support among Irans ruling clerics after being given the green light to negotiate last years nuclear deal with the United States and other world powers.

[One year after nuclear deal, signs of dismay in Iran]

Ahmadinejad has remained mostly out of the public eye since leaving office. But his anti-Western rhetoric and combative style still resonate among many Iranian conservatives, and he was widely viewed as among the most formidable political figures capable of unseating Rouhani.

Ahmadinejad, who served two terms from 2005 to 2013, had not publicly announced plans to seek a political comeback. But he has made policy speeches and other outreach recently, fueling speculation that he may want to challenge Rouhani.

Iran sets a limit of two consecutive presidential terms, but it is possible to run again after being out of office.

Ahmadinejad came to me and I told him not to stand for the election, Khamenei said, according to IRNA.

It will create polar opposites and divisions in the country, which I believe is harmful, the supreme leader added, according to the report.

Khamenei, who has final say in all major state affairs, cannot technically block a candidate on his own. But an oversight group closely aligned with him and the ruling clerics vets all names for major elections.

[How a dispute over political crackdowns changed Irans leadership plans]

Khameneis comments appear to sink any potential plans for another run by Ahmadinejad, whose disputed reelection in 2009 set off the most serious unrest in Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Ahmadinejad further antagonized the West with diatribes against Israel and questions about historical accounts of the Holocaust.

A former hard-line member of Irans parliament, Gholamreza Mesbahi Moghadam, confirmed Khameneis comments on the news website Khabar Online, the Associated Press reported.

Khamenei also could be dealing a bit of payback to Ahmadinejad, who openly feuded with the ruling clerics during his final years in office over issues such as cabinet appointments.

Rouhanis political base includes many who have opposed the ruling system and its heavy hand against critics, including the house arrest of two leading opponents of Ahmadinejad in the 2009 election. But Rouhani received crucial backing from Khamenei to move ahead with the talks that led to the nuclear pact, which set limits on Irans uranium-enrichment program in exchange for the easing of many international sanctions.

It is unclear who will seek to challenge Rouhani on next years ballot. Candidates are normally not approved until several months before the vote. Last month, a prominent commander in the powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps, Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, said he did not plan to seek the presidency.

Read more:

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
In his quarter of Hebron, close to the Cave of the Patriarchs, a site that is sacred to Muslims and Jews alike, surveillance cameras have been mounted about every 300 feet, including on the roofs of homes. And he said the real-time monitoring appears to be increasing. A few months ago, he said, his 6-year-old daughter dropped a teaspoon from the familys roof deck, and although the street seemed empty, soldiers came to his home soon after and said he was going to be cited for throwing stones.
The drone attack was also similar to ones carried out in the past by Iran-backed factions in Iraq. In September, for example, explosives-laden drones targeted the Irbil international airport in the countrys north, where U.S.-led coalition troops are stationed, the army general told The Associated Press. He commented on condition of anonymity because he wasnt authorized to speak to the media.
In a news conference in Baghdad on Wednesday evening, Iraqs National Security Adviser Qassem al-Araji said that the talks had led to important progress in opening the way for American combat troops to leave Iraq. But in practice, the statements newly debated description of the U.S. troop presence appeared to be more a restatement of current realities than a strategic shift. The coalition, led from Baghdad by U.S. Marine Brig. Gen. Ryan Rideout, officially transitioned to a formal advisory capacity in July.
In Yemen, which has been embroiled in a civil war since 2015, women who dare dissent, or even enter the public sphere, have become targets in an escalating crackdown by the Houthis. In April, women activists and former detainees described to The Associated Press a network of secret detention facilities where they are tortured and sometimes raped.
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Carrs concerns led to a history syllabus that was so chock-full of information that teachers struggled to keep up, and bored students abandoned the subject in droves. They went to ancient history instead, says Kate Cameron, who began teaching history in 1980 and retired five years ago. It was a deathly dull syllabus that had serious implications across the board. To [Carrs] credit  a new one was introduced which had less content. Premier Bob Carr and Education Minister John Aquilina in 1997 with Burwood Girls High students at the launch of the state governments plan to overhaul the HSC. The TER would be replaced by a confidential universities index, changing the way students were to be assessed from 2001. Credit:Steven Siewert Politicians attempts to meddle in school curricula sometimes go badly. Usually, they go nowhere at all. But that doesnt stop them trying. Partly, its driven by a genuine interest in Australias history; democratic systems are at the forefront of their work. But history wars also serve a wider purpose by allowing politicians to flag their values, focus peoples minds on the simplicity of the past, and create a moral clarity in uncertain times - especially when an election looms. They are as much a political strategy as a curriculum intervention, says Anna Clark, a historian and author of Historys Children: History Wars in the Classroom. It gets people talking. Even during the hand-wringing about the teaching of Australian history in the 1990s, federal politicians acknowledged that NSW had a good record on teaching the subject. It is the only state that has long run history as a separate and compulsory discipline - other states have tended to weave it into other social sciences.

The earliest record presently available (some libraries are restricted due to COVID-19) of how history has been taught in NSW is Lusks 1891 textbook. The next is a copy of a 1957 NSW Department of Education syllabus, kept in Sydney Universitys Fisher Library, which shows little had changed since Lusks tome; history class was still about the imparting of information rather than the analysis of it, and focused on stories of politics and power. Students studied why Australian colonies federated, and how other British colonies, such as South Africa or New Zealand, grew to nationhood. But in the 1970s, Australians became more willing to question assumptions about their own history. Migrants were bringing new perspectives. Women were entering public life in greater numbers. The bicentenary of Cooks landing in 1970, and of the first fleets arrival in 1988, focused attention on the struggles of Aboriginal people; on both occasions, as well as during the 150-year celebrations in 1938, Indigenous activists wore black armbands. In the 1971 syllabus, students were introduced to the concept of historical understanding; to treat history not just as a series of facts, but weigh up different perspectives. In the 1980s, modernity arrived. A 1982 syllabus taught NSW history students about racism, and the resistance, protest and reaffirmation of Black culture. They studied trade unionism, womens civil rights, and the impact of birth control (or, more euphemistically put, limiting family size). In one class, they tested the Anzac tradition. Students were also encouraged to read The One Day of the Year, a 1958 play about a university student who rejects the boozy, debauched behaviour of veterans on Anzac Day, including his father. The play is still studied by HSC students as part of a unit on changing representations of the Anzacs. The 1992 syllabus - the one that alarmed Carr due to its focus on just a handful of themes, but was considered revolutionary by others - was the first to consider the perspectives of Indigenous people and women, and acknowledged that Indigenous people saw colonisation as an invasion. It also looked at history from the viewpoint of the ordinary, rather than the elite. That was the decade when history wars exploded at a national level. Then Prime Minister Paul Keating gave his Redfern Park speech, in which he acknowledged the wrongs inflicted upon Indigenous people. We committed the murders, he said. We took the children from their mothers. This did not sit well with his successor, Howard, who in 1996 rejected that black armband view of Australian history. I believe the balance sheet of Australian history is a very generous and benign one, Howard said. The Australia achievement has been a heroic one, a courageous one and a humanitarian one.

Prime Minister Paul Keating delivers his Redfern Speech in 1992 where he acknowledged the wrongs inflicted upon Indigenous people. Credit:Kylie Pickett Its one thing to advocate a particular framing of history; many Australians agreed with Howard. Its another to impose it on a school curriculum. Howard never did the latter, partly because he couldnt. At the time, there was no national curriculum. States run schools; federal politicians have all care, but no responsibility. Howard set up a working group to develop a year 9 and 10 curriculum - which critics said was also too fact-filled and boring - but could not do much about having it implemented. [Federal politicians] always running their views of what schools could do, says Tom Alegounarias, the former chair of the NSW Education Standards Authority. They had no mechanism to do it. They were nothing but expressions of perspective. A national curriculum - mooted since the 1980s - was finally developed under the Labor government, with history as a compulsory subject. The biggest states, NSW and Victoria, kept their own syllabuses and took an adopt and align approach to the national version, which involved a significant amount of cherry-picking. Smaller states used it because it saved them the cost of developing their own, but they could also ignore, change, supplement or delay it as they chose. The organisation responsible for the national curriculum, the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, was carefully designed to keep politics away. ACARA is owned by all the states and territories, with each appointing representatives to the board, and everything it does must be approved by all ministers. The curriculum development process begins with experts, then opens for consultation with teachers and the community, and finally, after changes are made, goes to ministers. One of the problems with history education has been the constant politicisation, says Clark. Several historians and education experts have questioned why Tudge continued to lobby for changes after the consultation window closed, which meant no-one could respond to his views. Glenn Fahey from the Centre for Independent Studies argues ACARAs process should be respected. The political role is really to ensure the process has been followed, the experts were heard, and the public had an opportunity to contribute, he says. Clark says many in the history field believe the intervention is unusual. It shows the traction that talking about Australian history generates at a political level.

History teachers feel like they keep going around in circles. The public discussion is fairly exhausting, says Jonathon Dallimore, from the NSW History Teachers Association. Its not done gently and its not done without passion. Teachers acknowledge the public debate about what to teach is a legitimate one; theres thousands of years of history, and only a few hundreds hours of teaching time, so decisions must be made about what to prioritise, and those priorities change. People feel impassioned because its their national story, and that story can be told in different ways and from new perspectives, says Dallimore. But they worry about suggestions that the study of history should be given a positive - or negative - spin. The eternal debate has been why we teach history, says Dallimore. Once, the answer to that was you teach loyalty to empire, you teach Christian values. That broke down in the second half of the 20th century, and people began to re-think that. Now, teachers help students use the disciplinary skills of historians to look at the past, skills that are also useful outside the classroom in a world of fake news. Its about trying to approach the past with intellectual rigour, to think hard about what happened, why it happened, how do we know it happened in this way? Students at Ultimo Public School in 1965. The 1957 curriculum was a chronological, fact-filled syllabus with students studying Australias role in Britain and the world before finishing with revolution in Europe. Credit:James Hopwood Even though debate over curricula is intense - they act as a values statement of what we want our children to know - they have much less influence on a students history education than what happens in the classroom. Paul Kiem, who trains future history teachers at university, asks his students about their experience of the subject. Its disappointingly fleeting and often doesnt leave an impression, he says. Theres a whole lot of reasons for that. They mandate it, they dont give it enough hours, and dont give it enough well-trained teachers. Theyre revising the curriculum now, but are they interested in how effective it is? That would be a better question to ask.
Senator Kristina Keneally and former Q&A host Tony Jones feature on Julian Morrows affidavits. Credit:Joe Benke

The long running legal battle between two equally forthright television executives is about to hit court. Julian Morrow, a founding member of The Chaser and the brains behind The Checkout consumer affairs show, his production companies The Checkout Pty Ltd and Giant Dwarf is fighting prolific producer Nick Murray and the Cordell Jigsaw production house in a contract dispute and defamation action.

The trial is due to start before Justice James Stevenson in the NSW Supreme Court on November 29. Uber Eats in some popcorn.

Sue Chrysanthou SC is acting for Morrow, while Benjamin Katekar SC is acting for Murray. The expensive legal battle reminds this column of the film Heat, where Robert De Niro and Al Pacino play two opponents locked in a death struggle, while observers look on and think both men are actually pretty alike.

Morrow has collected 26 affidavits sworn by a range of TV personalities attesting to his good character. It is a fair bet that some might end up as witnesses in the trial.
Mr Hills daughters Colleen and Debbie visit the site of their fathers disappearance for the first time. Credit:Sarah Abo Mr Hills daughters, during an emotional visit to the site of their fathers disappearance, told The Age and 60 Minutes that their father had told them he was travelling to the remote campsite but that they knew nothing about his relationship with Ms Clay. They asked that their surnames be withheld to protect their privacy. It was a shock when the police mentioned something about, Do we know a Carol? But that was the first we knew about it, Colleen said. Detectives have also revealed a list of items recovered from the campers tent. Charred camping chairs, a burnt-out battery, and bucket used for Mr Hills gas canister were located inside. Investigators say no seasoned camper would put any of those items inside a tent. It certainly builds that picture for us that potentially someone was trying to cover their tracks, Inspector Stamper said.

A photo of the car police are searching for, taken on the Great Alpine Road. Credit:Victoria Police The vehicle that police are seeking is a mid to late 90s model Nissan Patrol, dark blue, with roof racks, sidesteps and a bull bar. It was towing a trailer. Witnesses saw the car matching that description parked near Mr Hill and Ms Clays campsite on March 20 and then heard it leave the area about midnight. One witness said a vehicle attempted to leave the valley by the most direct route, but was forced to turn around due to Parks Victoria having closed a road. We know that on midnight of the Friday night, there was a car that sounded like a petrol motor towing a trailer at that gate and had to perform a 20 or 30-point turn on a narrow track, so was there for some time just trying to turn around, Inspector Stamper said. Missing: Carol Clay. Credit:Victoria Police.

Police have eliminated all other cars of interest from their investigation, except for the blue Nissan. Its been a long road and were confident were getting towards the end of the road now, Inspector Stamper said. This car is of particular interest and I firmly believe itll help us solve this mystery. Lead investigator on this case, Detective Acting Sergeant Brett Florence, says the car travelled on one of only three roads leading in and out of the valley, at a time the area was affected by bushfires. Weve got a number of people who provided a statement (who) had been in the park. So when you start marrying all of those cars up, you then get a picture of whos in the park, and youre able to tick off the various people. We have one car that we just cant tick off. Some of the contents of Russell Hills tent. Credit:Sarah Abo

Russell Hill had retired and indulged his passion for camping, buying a new tent, a car and a drone. Credit:Victoria Police Inspector Stamper said the unusual location of Mr Hills tent had prompted the theory that there might have been an altercation with another camper. We know they got here quite late in the day  one thing thats always confused us a little bit is this campsite, where were standing now, is the prime position, he said. Easy access to the water, theres a little campfire already set up... so, were thinking, why would Russell park there and not come here? One thing thats always occurred to us is there could have been somebody else here at the same time. The isolated, vast and beautiful part of the valley where Mr Hill and Ms Clay disappeared was visited for the first time by his daughters, Debbie and Colleen. They said it wasnt hard to see why their father, an intensely private person, had loved it so much.

Mr Hills attachment to the place goes back decades. He was among the loggers who cleared the 4WD tracks leading in and out of the valley, including the particularly challenging Zeka Spur. An avid outdoors man, it was not unusual for him to go off the grid in the Wonnangatta for days at a time. I always thought Id come here with Dad, so to come here now, its actually quite sad, Debbie said.

He spoke about it so much and I suppose you just see it through his eyes now. Police believe the bodies of the campers may have been hidden in the vast Wonnangatta Valley. Credit:Sarah Abo Debbie said the situation had been hardest for her mother.

Loading Because not only losing her husband, but also all the talk about Carol, she said. And so shes got both, shes lost her husband and shes grieving the loss of her relationship. Speaking from Perth, Carols younger sister, Jill, revealed that Mr Hill and Ms Clay had visited the campsite often. I knew that she was going camping, not just on that occasion, but on other occasions. And I knew that she was having the relationship and that they were doing these trips. They had to keep it secret. And in some ways, I feel that thats why they went to such a remote place.
Taiwans delegation to the UN climate change summit has called for Australia to legislate its net-zero by 2050 commitment, warning the Coalitions plan remains vulnerable to the whims of future governments.

Speaking from Glasgow, the acting head of Taiwans delegation Tze-Luen Lin, also said it was time for Taiwan to be admitted as a full member of the UN climate change conference and that climate co-operation could be a way to start more dialogue with China.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison told the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow that scientists and engineers would drive Australias path to net zero emissions. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

It is not good to exclude Taiwan, Lin told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. It is a pity. We are a major manufacturing hub and play a crucial role in the global supply chain. We know we can be a very constructive player in climate action. We can provide technology and financial experience.

The Taiwanese delegation flew to Glasgow as a non-government organisation. The team is shut out of any formal negotiations because of objections from China, which regards the democratic island of 24 million as a breakaway province.
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Sam Draut is an award winning journalist from Louisville, Ky. with honors from SPJ and KPA. Prior to his time at WDRB, he served as editor of The Oldham Era. He graduated from the University of Louisville's College of Business School.
Pictured: Jerod Draper, who died in custody at the Harrison County Jail in October 2018. (family photo)
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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.
Retired U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Dana Bowman parachuted from a helicopter, bringing with him a large American flag as he landed on the Weatherford Christian School field Tuesday, Nov. 9 for a special ceremony in honor of Veterans Day.
Second District Court Judge Cristina Ortega Honored in Women of Weber Exhibit at WSU

November 5, 2021

Utah Second District Court judge Cristina Ortega BS 98 thought she had botched the most important interview of her career.

After completing the complex application, background check and personal statement, interviewing with a judicial nominating commission and with staff in the governors office, she finally sat down for her virtual meeting with Gov. Spencer Cox. Then her laptop stopped working. Thinking quickly, Ortega switched to her iPad in time for the interview. Then absolutely nothing happened for 20 minutes.

I thought, Oh, theyre testing me. Theyre watching me to see if I can wait patiently and remain composed. So, I just smiled the whole time, Ortega recalled.

Twenty minutes later, the interview started.

Afterward, she closed her iPad and thought of some choice words to release the frustration she was holding in. Luckily, she didnt say them aloud and quickly realized she forgot to click the button to exit the meeting.

I heard some shuffling and I thought, Oh no! I opened the cover of my iPad and the governor is sitting there smiling with his staff, she recalled. I thought, Do they think Im spying? Im not spying!

As she searched the screen for a way to sign out of the meeting, she was pretty sure she would not get the position.

Not long after, the governor called with good news.

Ortega apologized for the blunder, but she said Cox let her know that those types of errors were common, and that she would soon be the answer to a trivia question as his first judicial pick.

From her undergraduate and law school days to her legal career, Cristina Ortega has a track record of excellence, Cox said in a statement released in February 2021. Her experience as a prosecutor coupled with her experience serving on many community boards shows her devotion to public service. I know shell be a dedicated and valued member of the Second District Court bench.

The Second District covers Weber, Davis and Morgan counties.

It didnt take long for work to come in for Ortega. Im the new judge, and went straight into presiding over three jury trials, she said.

Awkward interview or not, she was a clear choice for the role. Upon being appointed, she served as Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorneys Office, where she served as the liaison between the US Attorneys Office and state and federal law enforcement in child exploitation investigations and also served as Counsel to the United States Attorney. She also worked as a Deputy County Attorney in Davis County and as a Deputy District Attorney in Salt Lake County.

She earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Utah and her bachelors degree in criminal justice with minors in legal studies and Latin American studies from Weber State University.

As a first-generation Wildcat, Ortega says she discovered her tribe on campus and learned that her perspective, and her history, matters.

Finding a Home at Weber State

Though Utah now has a large, growing Hispanic/Latinx population, Ortega remembers when it was very low. If you saw somebody else, youd freak out, she said Oh, my gosh! They look like us.

She was raised in a single-parent home by her mother. While they spent her early childhood in Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas, the company her mother worked for eventually relocated to Utah and they followed. Ortega and her mother moved around a bit once in the state, but soon found a permanent home in Clearfield, Utah.

With little English knowledge, she enrolled in South Clearfield Elementary during first grade. While she eventually picked up the language, she continued struggling with complex sentences, making it difficult to recite historic U.S. documents in fifth or sixth grade.

My mom couldnt tell me Youre saying the words right, Ortega recalled about the experience. I had nobody.

At Clearfield High School, she began thinking about her future and the fact no one in her family had attended college.

I had a few cousins who had graduated from high school, but thats really all there was, she said.

When one of her teachers handed out applications for Early College, a Weber State program allowing high school students to complete college courses that also counted toward high-school graduation, he skipped over Ortegas desk. It made me really upset, she recalled. Do you not see me as college material? Someone left it on their desk, so I took it. I filled out the application, I got into the program, and I thought, This is my make it or break it moment.

Ortega was not only admitted, she excelled in Early College during her senior year. After high school, a new world opened to her.

I came here to Weber State, and it was the most life-transforming experience, she said. I kind of made Weber State my home.

At Weber, Ortega was able to commute from Clearfield while completing her studies and connecting with other Hispanic/Latinx students who had shared many similar experiences. She became involved with MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlan), and served a term as Hispanic Senator in the WSU Student Association.

While planning classes, she met former Academic Advising director Ned Laff, whose laid-back personality put Ortega at ease. When Laff asked Ortega about her career goals, she told him something she had been keeping to herself for quite a while. I said I want to be a lawyer, I want to go to law school, I want to be a judge, Ortega recalled. I thought he was just going to say Child, take it down a notch, but he actually looked at me, and I felt he was looking right through me; he said You totally do not see yourself there. Its coming out of your mouth, but I really dont think you believe it can happen. It can totally happen.

Ortega switched from being an English major to a criminal justice major. She recalls having fun conducting mock trials in Frank Guliuzzas class and being inspired by another woman in law, faculty member Michelle Heward, whom Gov. Gary Herbert appointed to serve on the juvenile court of the Second Judicial District in 2010.

In her Chicano history course, Ortega learned about her cultural background and helped present to local elementary schools on Mexican-American history and entering college.

After graduating from Weber, she worked in youth corrections before entering law school at the University of Utah. She often tells her teenage son about her experiences as he prepares for college.

I kind of feel like Ive taken that huge generational leap for my family, she said. I tell my son High school is the best, but Im telling you, college is amazing. You learn so much about yourself.

Reconnecting and Words of Advice

Throughout the years, Ortega has reconnected with WSU.

Serving on the Board of Regents for the Utah System of Higher Education, she attended many WSU events. Now working at the District Court in Ogden, shes continually reminded of WSU. Im literally down the hill from where everything changed for me, she said.

Ortega also makes an effort to attend lectures on campus, and attended those by civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, and Ron Stallworth, an African-American detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department who famously infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan.

Apart from the university, Ortega stays involved with the community through many organizations. She serves on the Community Board of Directors for the University of Utah Hospital, the Advisory Board for the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah, and the Board of Directors for the United Way of Salt Lake.

She previously served on the Board of Trustees for the University of Utah and on the Advisory Board for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah.

Ortega loves passing on her knowledge to the next generation, especially Hispanic/Latinx youth. In the past, shes done this through Utah Center for Legal Inclusion, which pairs attorneys with students for mentoring, and she recently gave a homecoming address at her alma mater Clearfield High School, where her son attends school

When I was done, I had maybe a handful of girls come up to me and say Can I ask you questions? I want to be a lawyer, I want to be a judge, Im interested in criminal justice, she recalls.

I n her office, she has a sign that she created with a quote she often passes on to women, young and old, who seek out her advice, or are in need of encouragement: Dont underestimate what you bring to the table, because your perspective matters.

Ortega says the quote has strong meaning for Hispanic/Latinx women.

Look at our history. Look at where weve come from, she said. Your perspective, your experience, your struggle; it matters.

Women of Weber

Weber State University is proud to honor Judge Cristina Ortega as part of the Women of Weber project, which focuses on extraordinary women whose service, accomplishments, careers and philanthropy have enriched lives and educational experiences at the university. Each month throughout the academic year, one womans photos and stories are displayed outside Archives on the first floor of the Stewart Library.

The project was an outgrowth of a collaboration with Weber State Archives, Special Collections and the Museums at Union Station called Beyond Suffrage: A Century of Northern Utah Women Making History. The project was a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of womens right to vote in 2020. Although the pandemic put a hold on the celebration, it did not dampen the enthusiasm to share the stories of outstanding women who changed lives.

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Biden administration is encouraging local school districts to host clinics to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to kids and information to parents on the benefits of the shots as the White House looks to speedily provide vaccines to those ages 5 to 11.

First lady Jill Biden and Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy visited the Franklin Sherman Elementary School in McLean, Virginia, on Monday to launch a nationwide campaign to promote child vaccinations. The school was the first to administer the polio vaccine in 1954.

The visit came just days after federal regulators recommended the COVID-19 vaccine for the age group. The White House says the first lady will visit pediatric vaccination clinics across the country over the coming weeks to encourage the shots.

The vaccine is the best way to protect your children against COVID-19, she told parents in the schools cafeteria, after touring a clinic in the gymnasium that vaccinated 260 students. Its been thoroughly reviewed and rigorously tested. Its safe. Its free. And its available for every child in this country, five and up."

At the same time, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona are sending a letter to school districts across the country calling on them to organize vaccine clinics for their newly eligible students. The officials are reminding school districts that they can tap into billions of dollars in federal coronavirus relief money to support pediatric vaccination efforts.

The Biden administration is providing local school districts with tools to help schools partner with pharmacies to administer shots. And it's asking schools to share information on the benefits of vaccines and details about the vaccination process with parents, to counter disinformation surrounding the shots.

The White House is encouraging schools to host community conversations and share fact sheets on the vaccines and is working with the American Academy of Pediatrics to partner local physicians with schools aiming to share science-based information about the shots.

Parenthood and worrying go hand-in-hand  its just what we do, the first lady told parents. So, I cant promise you that the dangers of the world will become any less frightening. Just wait until your kids start driving! But with this vaccine, we can take away at least one of those worries. A big one.

About 28 million kids ages 5 to 11 are newly eligible for shots now that the Pfizer vaccine is approved for the age group. The White House says the federal government has procured enough of the two-dose vaccine for all of them.

A Pfizer study of 2,268 children found the vaccine was almost 91% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infections. The Food and Drug Administration studied the shots in 3,100 vaccinated kids in concluding the shots are safe.

While kids are less likely than adults to develop severe COVID-19, with the delta variant they get infected and transmit just as readily as adults do, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the governments top infectious diseases expert, told a recent White House briefing.

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, at least 94 children ages 5 to 11 have died from COVID-19, more than 8,300 have been hospitalized and more than 5,000 have developed a serious inflammatory condition linked to the virus.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  The lockdown of New Zealand's largest city is likely to end later this month, with some coronavirus restrictions eased from Tuesday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.

Auckland has been in lockdown for almost three months after an outbreak of the delta variant. The outbreak has grown to more than 4,500 cases with about 150 new infections reported each day over the past week.

Ardern said Monday the city's improving vaccination rate among people age 12 and older meant it could continue cutting back on restrictions.

Auckland hit 90% first dose and 80% second dose over the weekend, and its now a matter of weeks away from 90% double-dose, Ardern said. "And so while were getting those rates higher still, we are easing into our reopening.

From tomorrow, retail stores and malls in Auckland can reopen, along with libraries, museums and zoos. Outdoor gatherings will be increased from a maximum of 10 people to 25.

Other facilities such as gyms and movie theaters will remain shut, and many Aucklanders will continue working from home.

Ardern had said previously the city would be able to move out of lockdown and into a new traffic-light system  where red, orange and green signify the virus's spread and the corresponding health risks  once 90% of eligible people were fully vaccinated.

Auckland has worked so hard to get their vaccination rates high, they deserve to be able to move as soon as they hit those targets regardless of whats happening in the rest of the country.

But it was unclear when the border between Auckland and other parts of New Zealand would be reopened, with vaccinations lagging in some parts of the country.

Ardern said she would make an announcement on the border next week. She said Aucklanders would be able to travel for their summer holidays over the Christmas break.
Authorities in Kentucky and Tennessee are looking for a man wanted in connection to a missing 16-year-old girl from Beaver Dam in Ohio County.

The Ohio County Sheriff's Office said that 16-year-old Amber Clare was last seen at her home in Beaver Dam around 9:30 p.m. on the night of Friday, Nov. 5.

Jacob Clare (L) and Amber Clare (R) via Gallatin Police Department and Ohio County Sheriff's Office Jacob Clare (L) and Amber Clare (R) via Gallatin Police Department and Ohio County Sheriff's Office

The sheriff's office says Amber left the home sometime later on Friday night or early Saturday morning, possibly in the company of Jacob Clare, who is her uncle.

The sheriff's office said that Jacob and Amber could be headed to Tennessee around the Smokey Mountain area.

The Gallatin Police Department in Gallatin, Tennessee, says it's believed that Jacob left Beaver Dam with Amber to drop off his son Noah with other family members in Gallatin. They say that Jacob never showed up at the planned destination and that the whereabouts of Amber and Noah remain unknown.

According to police, Jacob was last seen driving a gray Subaru.



Jacob, Gray Subaru, Noah, and Amber - (Gallatin Police Department)

Police say Jacob is now wanted on an active arrest warrant for Custodial Interference.

Anyone with information on the situation can call Ohio County Central Dispatch at 270-298-4411 or the Gallatin Police Department at 615-451-3838.
There are almost a half-million children living in foster care right now across the United States. One group is using the ocean to help them heal, and the impact goes far beyond what happens in the water.
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Governments and big investors have announced fresh plans to pour trillions of dollars into curbing global warming. The move reflects the financial worlds growing embrace of efforts to fight climate change as both a business necessity and opportunity. A group representing over 450 major financial institutions with assets of more than $130 trillion said Wednesday its members will pursue the goals of the 2015 Paris climate accord. But some social justice activists have warned that the same financial institutions that profited from funding fossil fuel firms are now being presented as green champions.
STAMFORD, CT (WFSB) - The opening of a major tobacco company's corporate headquarters in Connecticut remains on track for the middle of next year.

Philip Morris International to move its U.S. headquarters to CT State experts participated in a discussion with the governor about the future of Connecticut's economy, which now includes a major tobacco company moving its U.S. headquarters to the state.

Philip Morris International announced on Monday that it's still looking to open the headquarters in Stamford in summer 2022.

PMI said the move is a major part of its transformation to a smoke-free company.

It said it is bringing about 200 jobs to the state during a news conference over the summer.

Gov. Ned Lamont, Stamford Mayor-elect Caroline Simmons, and George Comfort & Sons president and CEO Peter Duncan will be joined by PMIs president of the Americas region, Deepak Mishra, for a move-in tour of Philip Morris Internationals new corporate headquarters on Monday morning.

PMI's operations center will remain in Lausanne, Switzerland to continue business around the world.
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Willmar, MN (56201)

Today

Sunny and windy. High 29F. Winds NW at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 18F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.
The Stewart Bell Jr. Archives at Handley Library shared this photo of a Bell family party around 1900 (possibly as late as 1910). Archives staff thinks the the sleepy gentleman by the curtain on left might be Stewart Bell Sr.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  A North Dakota lawmaker and an organizer of a rally Monday to oppose COVID-19 vaccine mandates is infected with the coronavirus and wont attend the event.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  A North Dakota lawmaker and an organizer of a rally Monday to oppose COVID-19 vaccine mandates is infected with the coronavirus and wont attend the event.

Republican Rep. Jeff Hoverson posted on Facebook Sunday that he was "quarantining and each day is getting better." The Minot lawmaker said he is taking the deworming drug ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment, and has not checked into a hospital.

"Covid is real and like a really bad flu," Hoverson wrote.

Hoverson, a pastor, told The Associated Press that was diagnosed last week.

"Im feeling rough," he said Monday. "But this ivermectin is keeping me out of the hospital."

Ivermectin is designed to fight parasitic infections but conservative commentators have promoted it as a treatment for COVID-19, despite a lack of conclusive evidence that it helps.

"Its making me better," Hoverson said.

The North Dakota Legislature returned to Bismarck Monday for a special five-day session during which a bill to prevent vaccine mandates will almost certainly gain approval. House Majority Leader Chet Pollert said Hoverson could participate remotely.

North Dakotas Republican leadership and GOP Gov. Doug Burgum have said they oppose such mandates and the state has joined a federal lawsuit challenging President Joe Bidens COVID-19 vaccine rules.

Although Hoverson will not attend the rally at North Dakotas statehouse, he said three of his teenage children will be there.

Hoverson is among the most far-right legislators in the GOP-controlled Legislature. He introduced legislation last session to repeal mask mandates and he sponsored failed legislation that would have made it a felony to help women access abortions.

Last month, he was barred from boarding a flight at Minot International Airport after a run-in with a security agent. And as a freshman legislator two years ago, Hoverson protested a prayer by a Hindu cleric, saying he didnt "want to be compelled to pray for a false god."
FREDERICTON - New Brunswick is reporting 53 new cases of COVID-19 ahead of Monday's the opening of the Canada-U.S. land border.

A sign directing people towards a mass vaccination and testing clinic at the Moncton Coliseum, is seen in Moncton, N.B., on Wednesday, September, 22, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

FREDERICTON - New Brunswick is reporting 53 new cases of COVID-19 ahead of Monday's the opening of the Canada-U.S. land border.

Officials say travellers entering the province from Maine and other U.S. states will be held to new federal requirements, which include full vaccination against the disease and a negative PCR test result.

Travellers will also need to register their trips with New Brunswick online.

Officials also announced 56 COVID-19 recoveries, bringing the province's confirmed case count to 473.

Vaccination rates in the province now sit at 85.9 per cent for eligible residents who are fully vaccinated and 92.9 per cent for those who have received at least one dose.

Fifteen patients are in hospital due to the disease, with nine of those in intensive care.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2021.

---

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
OTTAWA - Canada's deputy prime minister has written to Air Canada's board of directors, urging that its CEO improve his French and that his knowledge of the language be included in his annual performance review.

Deputy prime minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland arrives to hold a news conference at the G20 Summit in Rome, Italy, on Oct. 30, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA - Canada's deputy prime minister has written to Air Canada's board of directors, urging that its CEO improve his French and that his knowledge of the language be included in his annual performance review.

In her letter, Chrystia Freeland asked that knowledge of French become an important criterion for securing promotions at the airline, which is subject to the Official Languages Act.

Freeland sent the letter to Vagn Sorensen, chairman of the airline's board of directors, following controversy started by CEO Michael Rousseau's mostly English speech to the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal last week.

Rousseau had told reporters after his speech that he had been too busy to learn French and said he had no trouble living in English in Quebec for 14 years. The comments sparked backlash across the province.

"I've been able to live in Montreal without speaking French, and I think that's a testament to the city of Montreal," he said. Asked why he hadn't learned the language, Rousseau replied: "If you look at my work schedule, you'd understand why."

The next day, Rousseau released a statement offering an apology in both languages.

"I want to make it clear that in no way did I mean to show disrespect for Quebecers and Francophones across the country," Rousseau's statement read. "I apologize to those who were offended by my remarks."

Freeland expressed the federal government's "disappointment" with Rousseau's comments and argued it was "utterly inconsistent with the companys commitment to both official languages that has been in place for decades."

She also said the board of directors should conduct a review of its policies and practices relating to the airline's use of French and should make those results public.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2021.
TORONTO - Freshii Inc. says it has signed a deal with a hospitality operator to open 20 new restaurants in the United States over six years  the largest multi-unit franchise agreement in the company's history.

A Freshii restaurant is seen in Montreal on Tuesday, March 21, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

TORONTO - Freshii Inc. says it has signed a deal with a hospitality operator to open 20 new restaurants in the United States over six years  the largest multi-unit franchise agreement in the company's history.

The Toronto-based health and wellness brand says the agreement with Level Hospitality will see locations opened in Texas, with a focus on Houston and Austin.

Adam Corrin, chief operating officer of Freshii, says Level Hospitality has quick service restaurant experience, a passion for the Freshii brand and a deep knowledge of the Texas market.

He says the deal will strengthen the company's foothold in the southern United States and expand consumer exposure and access to the brand.

Level Hospitality co-founder Al Velji says Freshii's healthy fast food menu will appeal to Texas consumers.

Nathan Leitner, also co-founder of the hospitality operator, says Freshiis growing online presence and ongoing support of its franchise system will help meet the needs of customers however they prefer to shop.

In addition to expanding its restaurant chain, Freshii also recently purchased a majority stake in health and wellness product retailer Natura Market ECommerce Inc., with rights to acquire the rest of the business through the first quarter of 2025.

Freshii, which operates restaurants and sells nutritional supplement products in-store and online, said the deal marked a milestone in its expansion into the e-commerce wellness market.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSX:FRII)
TOKYO (AP)  SoftBank Group Corp. sank into red ink for the July-September period, dragged down by losses on its investments in China, the Japanese technology conglomerate said Monday.

TOKYO (AP)  SoftBank Group Corp. sank into red ink for the July-September period, dragged down by losses on its investments in China, the Japanese technology conglomerate said Monday.

SoftBank reported a 397.9 billion yen ($3.5 billion) loss for the fiscal second quarter, compared to a 627 billion yen profit recorded the same period the previous year.

Quarterly sales grew 11% to 1.5 trillion yen ($13 billion).

Tokyo- based SoftBank said its investment portfolio called Vision Fund suffered losses, including the value of its stake in South Korean online retailer Coupang.

But it said it booked gains on its shares in DoorDash, an online food-ordering service based in San Francisco.

SoftBank said the recent crackdown in China on the technology sector weighed on Chinese share prices.

SoftBanks Vision Fund was hit by a 1 trillion yen ($9 billion) loss in the July-September quarter, according to its chief executive, Masayoshi Son.

Son, who founded the company, acknowledged the latest losses were a big contrast to the booming results it reported for the previous fiscal year.

We have headed straight into a blizzard in the middle of the winter, Son told reporters, adding he wont make excuses.

He said one big factor was a sharp drop in the share price of Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba, in which SoftBank is a shareholder.

But he stressed SoftBanks main business was shifting to the Vision Fund and becoming less dependent on Alibabas performance. However, Vision Funds Chinese investments also suffered.

Son said Vision Fund's investments overall were gaining value. Its portfolio has been constantly changing. It once owned U.S. mobile company Sprint, but Sprint has merged with T-Mobile, in which SoftBank remains an investor.

SoftBank has a Japanese mobile carrier under its wing that was the first to offer the iPhone in the Japanese market.

It also has invested in U.S. office-sharing venture WeWork, a move that critics said was a mistake, but Son said its performance was recovering.

Investments in U.S. chip company Arm and ride-hailing service Uber are examples that are faring relatively well.

I feel that Vision Fund is producing results, said Son.

He said he still saw promise, showing video of a tiny green seedling sprouting in the snow.

While some of the eggs our goose has laid just died, the other golden eggs are shining in splendor, he said.

___

Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  The lockdown of New Zealand's largest city is likely to end later this month, with some coronavirus restrictions eased from Tuesday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gestures during a post-Cabinet press conference at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. The lockdown of New Zealand's largest city is likely to end later this month, with some coronavirus restrictions eased from Tuesday, Ardern said. (Mark Mitchell/Pool Photo via AP)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  The lockdown of New Zealand's largest city is likely to end later this month, with some coronavirus restrictions eased from Tuesday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.

Auckland has been in lockdown for almost three months after an outbreak of the delta variant. The outbreak has grown to more than 4,500 cases with about 150 new infections reported each day over the past week.

Ardern said Monday the city's improving vaccination rate among people age 12 and older meant it could continue cutting back on restrictions.

Auckland hit 90% first dose and 80% second dose over the weekend, and its now a matter of weeks away from 90% double-dose, Ardern said. "And so while were getting those rates higher still, we are easing into our reopening.

From tomorrow, retail stores and malls in Auckland can reopen, along with libraries, museums and zoos. Outdoor gatherings will be increased from a maximum of 10 people to 25.

Other facilities such as gyms and movie theaters will remain shut, and many Aucklanders will continue working from home.

Ardern had said previously the city would be able to move out of lockdown and into a new traffic-light system  where red, orange and green signify the virus's spread and the corresponding health risks  once 90% of eligible people were fully vaccinated.

Auckland has worked so hard to get their vaccination rates high, they deserve to be able to move as soon as they hit those targets regardless of whats happening in the rest of the country.

But it was unclear when the border between Auckland and other parts of New Zealand would be reopened, with vaccinations lagging in some parts of the country.

Ardern said she would make an announcement on the border next week. She said Aucklanders would be able to travel for their summer holidays over the Christmas break.
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP)  Barack Obama expressed confidence at U.N. climate talks Monday that the Biden administration will ultimately get its $555 billion climate package through Congress, and faulted U.S. rivals China and Russia for what he called a dangerous lack of urgency in cutting their own climate-wrecking emissions.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama waves as he arrives at an event during the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. The U.N. climate summit in Glasgow is entering it's second week as leaders from around the world, are gathering in Scotland's biggest city, to lay out their vision for addressing the common challenge of global warming. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP)  Barack Obama expressed confidence at U.N. climate talks Monday that the Biden administration will ultimately get its $555 billion climate package through Congress, and faulted U.S. rivals China and Russia for what he called a dangerous lack of urgency in cutting their own climate-wrecking emissions.

As nations complained of lagging trust and progress in the climate talks, Obama, one of the leaders who paved the way for the historic 2015 Paris climate deal, threw in a touch of his trademark hope but admitted that images of dystopia were creeping into his dreams.

There are times where the future seems somewhat bleak. There are times where I am doubtful that humanity can get its act together before its too late, Obama said at the two-week-long negotiations. (But) we cant afford hopelessness.

His comments came as conference leaders acknowledged Monday that many key sticking points exist after a week of talks. A trust gap between rich and poor nations has once again emerged and developing countries used the word disappointing when leaders talked Monday about the progress to date in the talks.

The U.N. climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, is the former American president's first since he helped deliver the triumph of the 2015 Paris climate accord, when nations committed to cutting fossil fuel and agricultural emissions fast enough to keep the Earth's warming below catastrophic levels of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).

Former U.S. President Barack Obama is accompanied by John Kerry, United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, left, as he arrives at an event during the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. The U.N. climate summit in Glasgow is entering it's second week as leaders from around the world, are gathering in Scotland's biggest city, to lay out their vision for addressing the common challenge of global warming. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)

That celebration has been replaced by worry. Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris accord. And while President Joe Biden put America back in the climate deal the Trump move set back U.S. efforts. Other top polluters  including China, India and Russia  are moving far more slowly on fighting climate change than scientists say is needed.

1.5 C is on life support now, its in ICU, said Alden Meyer of E3G, an environmental think tank.

Obama's appearance sought to remind governments of the elation that surrounded the Paris accord and urge them to announce more immediate, concrete steps to put the 2015 deal into action. Optimism and unity is required to save the planet, he said.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama is accompanied by John Kerry, United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, left, as he arrives at an event during the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. The U.N. climate summit in Glasgow is entering it's second week as leaders from around the world, are gathering in Scotland's biggest city, to lay out their vision for addressing the common challenge of global warming. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

It doesnt matter if youre a Republican or a Democrat if your Florida house is flooded by rising seas, or your crops fail in the Dakotas, or your California house is burning. Nature, physics, science  they dont care about party affiliation, Obama said. We need everybody  even if we disagree on other things.

Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate wrote Monday on Twitter that she was 13 when Obama was part of rich nations who promised $100 billion a year to poor countries to help them fight global warming, but said those nations broke the promise. Nakate told The Associated Press that she wasn't attacking the former president but that is me speaking the truth.

This money was promised, but it hasnt been delivered," she said, adding that the $100 billion a year was the bare minimum for climate finance.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. The U.N. climate summit in Glasgow is entering it's second week as leaders from around the world, are gathering in Scotland's biggest city, to lay out their vision for addressing the common challenge of global warming. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Despite opposition within Biden's own Democratic party that has blocked the president's climate-fighting legislation, Obama was confident that some version of Biden's ambitious climate bill will pass and be historic.

It will set the United States on course to meet its new climate targets, he said.

And while the rapport between U.S. and Chinese negotiators paved the way to the Paris accord, Obama on Monday criticized Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin for not joining other leaders at the climate talks in Glasgow.

Basiran, one of few residents of Mondoliko village who stays behind after most of his neighbors left due to the rising sea level that inundate their neighborhood on the northern coast of Java Island, walks on a completely submerged village pathway, in Mondoliko, Central Java, Indonesia, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. World leaders are gathered in Scotland at a United Nations climate summit, known as COP26, to push nations to ratchet up their efforts to curb climate change. Experts say the amount of energy unleashed by planetary warming would melt much of the planet's ice, raise global sea levels and greatly increase the likelihood and extreme weather events. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

It was particularly discouraging to see the leaders of two of the worlds largest emitters, China and Russia, decline to even attend the proceedings, and their national plans reflect what appears to be a dangerous lack of urgency, Obama said.

Obama spoke earlier Monday to a session on Pacific Island nations, including ones whose existence is threatened by rising oceans.

All of us have a part to play. All of us have work to do. All of us have sacrifices to make" on climate, he said. But those of us who live in wealthy nations, those of us who helped to precipitate the problem ... we have an added burden.

People gather in the Action Zone inside the venue for the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. The U.N. climate summit in Glasgow is entering it's second week as leaders from around the world, are gathering in Scotland's biggest city, to lay out their vision for addressing the common challenge of global warming. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

No deals have been made yet on three main goals of the U.N. conference. Those are pledges to cut emissions in half by 2030 to keep the Paris climate deals 1.5 degree Celsius temperature limit goal alive; the need for $100 billion annually in financial help from rich countries to poor ones; and the idea that half of that money goes to adapting to global warmings worst effects. Several other issues, including trading carbon and the transparency of national emissions commitments, also werent solved yet.

Representatives of 77 developing nations, along with China, said until this climate conference produces financing to help poor nations the talks can't be considered successful.

There is a history of broken promises and unfulfilled commitments by developed countries, said Diego Pacheco Balanza of Bolivia.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama gestures as he speaks during the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. The U.N. climate summit in Glasgow is entering it's second week as leaders from around the world, are gathering in Scotland's biggest city, to lay out their vision for addressing the common challenge of global warming. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Scientists say the Earth is only a few years away from the point where it becomes impossible to meet the goals set in the Paris accord, due to mounting damage from coal, petroleum, agriculture and other pollution sources. The last few days have seen huge protests in Glasgow and around Europe by young people and others demanding faster action from nations in fighting global warming.

Obama met later Monday with a dozen climate activists, many in their 20s, and urged them to keep up the public pressure despite any frustrations they may feel at governments' inaction.

The question is, where are the countries that really met our expectations? And it turns out, those are the places where there was pressure, where there was political mobilization, where there were activists, a shirtsleeves-clad Obama said.

FILE - Demonstrators from Extinction Rebellion push a cart in the shape of the climate target "1.5" in Berlin, Germany on Oct. 24, 2021. That stands for the internationally accepted goal of trying to limit future warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). (Annette Riedl/dpa via AP, File)

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Associated Press reporter Frank Jordans contributed to this report.

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Follow all AP stories on climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate.
MONTREAL - Tourism operators are of two minds about the opening of the U.S. land border Monday.

The U.S. border crossing is seen in Lacolle, Que., Monday, Aug. 9, 2021. An end to the 20-month closure of the world's longest undefended frontier marks a sign that restrictions are loosening and more international leisure travel may be on the horizon. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

MONTREAL - Tourism operators are of two minds about the opening of the U.S. land border Monday.

An end to the 20-month closure of the world's longest undefended frontier marks a sign that restrictions are loosening and more international leisure travel may be on the horizon.

Then again, if Canadians start to stream south for vacations and shopping sprees, they aren't spending their money on destinations here.

Chris Bloore, chief executive of the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario, says local visits to hot spots ranging from Niagara Region vineyards to the boutique hotels of Prince Edward County will undoubtedly decline after receiving a boost last summer.

"There is definitely going to be a reduction in some numbers, for sure. That's absolutely inevitable," he said.

"But as we start to welcome international visitors now back to Canada, as we try and push for PCR testing, changes to protocols, we're hoping to make sure that we're looking further afield to people as well to try and bring them to us."

Travel and tourism organizations are lobbying the federal government, which opened its border to Americans in August, to end the ongoing COVID-19 test requirement to enter the country.

Currently, any Canadian returning home by land who wants to avoid quarantine needs to provide a recent molecular test that shows a negative result. Non-residents who test positive are turned away at the border.

At a cost of $150 to $300 per test, that can be a pricey proposition, particularly for families.

Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said Friday that test rules for vaccinated travellers need to be re-examined, especially for short trips. As it stands, Canadians can even get tested on home turf before their trip, as long as they return within 72 hours.

"Unless Canada changes that regulation or that order of not requiring a PCR test to re-enter the country, I don't think you're going to see large volumes of people heading into the United States," said Walt Judas, head of British Columbia's tourism association. That holds true for both day trippers and vacationers, he said.

However, some areas will feel the pinch more sharply.

Vancouver Island and British Columbia's Okanagan Valley will likely see a major drop in Canadian trailer and campervan drivers as snowbirds flock south.

"Small communities like Osoyoos managed to retain a lot of Canadians who camped in their RVs for the duration of the winter. So those folks will likely do as they've done in years previous and head into the U.S.," Judas said.

It's not just the campgrounds that will feel the impact of fewer visitors.

"They're all users of other venues and facilities and visit grocery stores and they eat in restaurants, some might even choose to stay in a hotel for a bit of a getaway that's more localized," he said.

Meanwhile, the ongoing lag in corporate travel  domestically and internationally  hurts stakeholders ranging from airport hotels to mountain resorts and downtown convention centres, as well as attendant services such as catering, housekeeping and audiovisual companies.

But Tourism Industry Association of Canada CEO Beth Potter says a border that lets visitors filter through in both directions for non-essential travel is one more step on the path to pre-pandemic levels of activity.

"More and more Canadians have discovered that Canada has a lot to offer," she said. "We hope to see that trend continue next summer. And at the same time we would expect to see a return of American visitors as well."

One incentive for Ontarians to stay put is the province's staycation tax credit. Premier Doug Ford's government on Thursday rolled out a plan for the measure, which would give residents a 20-per-cent personal income tax credit for money spent in-province on leisure and accommodations in 2022.

The credit ranges up to a maximum of $1,000 for an individual and $2,000 for a family, yielding a credit ceiling of $200 or $400 respectively.

Despite a more productive year than 2020, 2021 saw tourism activity remain well below that of the pre-pandemic era. In August, activity notched 41 per cent beneath the level reached in the same period two years earlier, according to Statistics Canada.

However, August marked the third consecutive month where tourism increased, "and was much improved from May, when overall tourism activity was 69.3 per cent below the pre-pandemic level," the agency said Monday.

Nova Scotia, Ontario and B.C. remained far below pre-pandemic levels, while Quebec and Alberta saw tourism fall by a more moderate 37-to-39 per cent, according to StatCan.

Overall tourism from fellow Canadians was down by nearly 22 per cent in August compared with August 2019, while activity from international visitors was down by more than 83 per cent.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2021.
TORONTO - Sun Life Financial Inc. is raising its dividend after a federal regulator lifted restrictions last week that were put in place in the early days of the pandemic to help protect the country's financial institutions.

Sun Life Financial Inc. logo is shown at the company's annual general meeting in Toronto on Wednesday, May 6, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

TORONTO - Sun Life Financial Inc. is raising its dividend after a federal regulator lifted restrictions last week that were put in place in the early days of the pandemic to help protect the country's financial institutions.

The insurance company announced a supplementary dividend of 11 cents per share. The payment is in addition to the quarterly dividend of 55 cents per share it declared Nov. 3.

Combined, Sun Life says shareholders will receive a total quarterly dividend of 66 cents per share, a 20 per cent increase from the prior quarterly dividend payment.

The company says it remains committed to a dividend payout ratio of 40 to 50 per cent as part of its medium-term financial objectives.

The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions lifted COVID-19-related restrictions last week when it said banks and insurers were free to increase dividends, resume share buybacks and raise executive compensation.

Manulife was the first insurer to raise its dividend after the announcement when it increased its quarterly payment to shareholders by 18 per cent.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSX:SLF)
WASHINGTON - Anticipation turned to elation Monday as fully vaccinated Canadians visited loved ones, vacation properties and popular American shopping haunts after the United States finally eased southbound travel restrictions along the world's longest unmilitarized land border.

Trucks cross the Bluewater Bridge between Sarnia, Ont., and Port Huron, Mich., Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Geoff Robins

WASHINGTON - Anticipation turned to elation Monday as fully vaccinated Canadians visited loved ones, vacation properties and popular American shopping haunts after the United States finally eased southbound travel restrictions along the world's longest unmilitarized land border.

Shortly after midnight Sunday night, Customs and Border Protection agents began letting fully vaccinated vacationers, visitors and day-trippers drive into the U.S. for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

"I am excited. I am nervous. I am terrified. It's everything. The anxiety is all there," said Patricia Fountain, a resident of Niagara Falls, Ont., who hasn't seen her boyfriend, who lives in the U.S., in person since May of last year.

Fountain, who entered the U.S. Monday via the Rainbow Bridge, said the pair plan to spend some quality time "sitting and cuddling and watching movies" after 17 months of phone calls and video chats.

"I just hope everybody gets over this and we go back to normal," she said. "I would like to get some normalcy back in my life."

That's precisely what snowbird Don Livingstone had in mind when he walked across the bridge Monday in order to catch a flight to Punta Gorda, Fla., where he had a tee time waiting.

"Im looking forward to a great winter. Were going to golf every day," said Livingstone, 80, from Burlington, Ont.

"As long as you have your health and you can afford it, why not?"

Wait times to enter the U.S. ran the gamut in the early hours of the morning Monday, with some waiting two or three hours at traditionally busy crossings like the Peace Bridge in Buffalo or St-Bernard-de-Lacolle in Quebec before the backlogs cleared at midday.

In the town of Coutts, Alta., however, the wait stretched to four hours just before noon local time, levelling off at just over three hours by mid-afternoon.

Mayor Jim Willett said vehicles and RVs began showing up as early as Friday, tripling the population of a town that's usually home to fewer than 300 people.

"Talking to people who have lived here all their lives, theyve never seen a lineup this long before," Willett said.

In Plattsburgh, N.Y., an hour's drive south of Montreal, Quebec licence plates were spotted in the parking lot of the Champlain Centre mall  a destination so dependent on cross-border traffic that it uses the Canadian spelling of its name on all its marketing material and signage.

The mall's website even included a special section for its foreign customers, festooned with Maple Leaf flags and boasting of new retail outlets that opened during the pandemic and special savings for anyone showing proof of Canadian residency.

"A great deal of the Plattsburgh economy is supported by Canadian visitors," said Charles Loscalzo, the manager of Bookburgh Books. He estimated that roughly half of his customers in past years were from north of the border.

Loscalzo called the latest travel developments "positive steps," but admitted he's nervous about Canada's requirement that anyone entering or re-entering the country must show proof of a negative PCR test, along with their vaccination cards.

The test, also known as a molecular test, can cost anywhere from C$150 to $300 and must be taken within 72 hours of arriving at a northbound border crossing. The U.S. requires the same of air travellers, but allows them to submit the cheaper, rapid test widely available at drugstores. It waived the rule for people crossing by land.

Canada's requirement is now squarely in the sights of the business leaders, activists and U.S. lawmakers who have been calling for months for the borders to reopen. Requiring a family of four to shell out an extra $1,000 for a "redundant" test is unnecessary, they say.

"People don't want to be constrained anymore," said Rep. Brian Higgins, a New York congressman and one of the most vocal critics of the restrictions.

"Remove the redundant testing. And let's really celebrate this opening, so that we can realize the full potential of the United States and Canada getting back to its friendship, getting back to its binational relationship in an economic way, but also in a life quality way."

Drew Dilkens, the mayor of the border city of Windsor, Ont., pointed out that Canada allows visitors who plan to return from the U.S. within 72 hours to get their re-entry test done before they leave.

That would include the "thousands" of Canadian football fans who routinely travel to Detroit, Buffalo and other NFL cities to watch a game in person before heading home at the end of the night.

"The current system would allow someone to take a PCR test in Canada, cross into Detroit to cheer on the Lions with 65,000 other fans in the stadium, and then return to Canada using the test they took before leaving," Dilkens said.

"How is that test of any use to anyone about the nature of one's activities and the risks that they were exposed to? I think we can all agree it's not."

Floyd Jorgenson, of Mervin, Sask., said he accompanied his parents on a flight to Phoenix to get them settled at their Arizona vacation property, but is now wondering whether he'll be allowed back into Canada when he returns home Friday.

The clinic where he inquired about getting a PCR test said it would take upwards of seven to 10 days to get the results, he said.

"They said, 'Well, we're so backed up, it's a week, week-and-a-half delayed before you get the results,'" Jorgenson said. "And I go, 'Well, that doesn't really work very good for me.'"

He said he'll keep trying, but in the end may have to plead his case with customs officials: "I won't even have my results, so I'm not sure  but I know I have a ticket, so I'm getting on the plane."

The new rules took effect on the same day as the U.S. began requiring foreign nationals arriving by air to be fully vaccinated and tested before boarding their flights. Unvaccinated Americans are allowed to fly, but must be tested within 24 hours of departure.

The U.S. has also lifted a travel ban on a number of countries that's been in place from the outset, including China, India, Ireland, Iran, South Africa, Brazil and the 26 European nations without border controls, known as the Schengen group.

The U.S. Travel Association estimates that inbound international travel produced $239 billion in export income in 2019 and directly supported 1.2 million American jobs. The pandemic has cost the U.S. some $300 billion in foregone export income and more than a million jobs, with travel levels not expected to return to 2019 levels until 2024 at the earliest, the association estimates.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2021.

 With files from Noushin Ziafati in Niagara Falls, Morgan Lowrie in Plattsburgh and Kelly Geraldine Malone in Winnipeg

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version said Livingstone drove across the Peace Bridge.
Accurate data about the number of homeless veterans in Canada remains elusive, but various studies have been conducted in recent years to try to get a handle on the situation.

Accurate data about the number of homeless veterans in Canada remains elusive, but various studies have been conducted in recent years to try to get a handle on the situation.

One report from Employment and Social Development Canada says 1.8 per cent of people who used an emergency shelter in 2016 self-identified as having served in the military, which equates to around 2,340 veterans.

However, a separate point-in-time count of people in shelters in 61 communities across Canada in 2018 found that 4.4 per cent of shelter users identified as veterans.

Various other studies have pegged the actual number between 3,000 and 5,000.

Veterans Affairs Canada estimates there were 629,300 former service members in the country last year, which represent about 1.6 per cent of the population.

All of the studies show the homeless veterans population is made up predominantly of men, with a smaller proportion of women than the non-veteran population in shelters.

Veterans also tend to be older than the non-veteran homeless population.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2021.
A British Columbia forestry professor's unique research and bestselling book mapping how trees are deeply connected communities has gained the attention of Hollywood.

Prof. Suzanne Simard, of the University of British Columbia, poses in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

A British Columbia forestry professor's unique research and bestselling book mapping how trees are deeply connected communities has gained the attention of Hollywood.

Prof. Suzanne Simard of the University of B.C. says she's overwhelmed by the new-found celebrity status, but wants to continue her focus on saving the forests.

Simard said she expects to sign a deal within a few weeks to become an executive producer in a movie about her life and research after production companies backed by actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams won the film rights to her book,"Finding The Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest."

"Amy Adams is going to play me, apparently," said Simard. "That's the plan. Yes, it's kind of weird."

The movie, book and ongoing research will serve to broaden worldwide knowledge about the sophisticated relationships trees have with the environment and will build public concern about the threats they face, she said.

Prof. Suzanne Simard, of the University of British Columbia, poses in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Nelson Star-Bill Metcalfe *MANDATORY CREDIT*

"I would rather not have my life splattered out on the movies, but I'm interested in helping us all move forward in a more sustainable way," Simard, 61, said in an interview from Nelson, B.C.

"People are hungry for solutions, so that's what I'm hoping people will learn from this," she said. "It's transformational. That's what I'm hoping for."

Simard said her book is a personal story of a decades-long journey that starts with her being a new hire at a B.C. Interior forest company in the 1980s, moves to her increasing concerns as a government researcher about clear-cut logging policies and then her determined pursuit as a university ecologist to prove forests are communities and mother trees are their lifeblood.

"They're actually like societies," Simard said. "They have these deep relationships with each other, the trees do, and with all the other creatures in the forest. It's like this big interrelated community and there are all kinds of sophisticated ways that they communicate and interact with each other."

She said her work was often subjected to pushback by others who considered forests to be more competitive than co-operative environments.

But Simard said she was undaunted. Working in Douglas fir forests near Kamloops, B.C., she was able to produce a map showing trees are connected through underground fungal root systems that allow trees to share carbon, water and other nutrients.

Trees are also able to transmit information about potential disease and pest threats to other trees through this network, she said.

"What we found in connecting this map is that pretty much all of the trees were connected together," said Simard. "They had multiple linkages with each other and what emerged from the map is the biggest, oldest trees were the most highly connected.

"That's why we started calling it the mother tree, because all this convergence of information led us to realize that these old trees were really essential," she said. "They're like the nucleus of the forest in regenerating the forest."

Simard leads UBC's Mother Tree Project, established in 2015 to explore how tree connections and communication can influence forest recovery and better understand the impact of climate change on forests.

She said she has been consulting with major B.C. forest companies on initiatives designed to set aside more tracts of old-growth forest in areas slated for harvest to preserve more mother trees and biodiversity.

Her determined pursuit of her research in the face of peer criticism earned praise earlier this year from an unlikely source during an episode of the award-winning television show "Ted Lasso."

"You know we used to believe that trees competed with each other for light," said a "Ted Lasso" character during a scene about unheralded work eventually paying off. "Suzanne Simard's field work challenged that perception, and we now realize that the forest is a socialist community. Trees work in harmony to share the sunlight."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2021.
GLASGOW, United Kingdom - Canada's Environment Minister says the federal government will allocate at least 20 per cent of its $5.3 billion international climate finance commitment to nature-based solutions in developing countries over the next five years in a bid to limit biodiversity loss.

Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault speaks to media at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, on Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. Guilbeault says Canada will allocate at least 20 per cent of its $5.3 billion climate finance commitment to nature-based solutions in developing countries over the next five years to tackle global warming. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

GLASGOW, United Kingdom - Canada's Environment Minister says the federal government will allocate at least 20 per cent of its $5.3 billion international climate finance commitment to nature-based solutions in developing countries over the next five years in a bid to limit biodiversity loss.

Steven Guilbeault made the promise during a Saturday speech at the United Nations COP26 conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

He says a co-ordinated approach to tackling climate change and biodiversity loss is needed because the issues are intrinsically linked.

He says helping developing countries adopt "nature-based solutions," such as restoring wetlands and and preserving carbon-rich natural areas, will help accomplish both goals.

The 14-day COP26 talks bring together leaders from more than 120 countries to finalize how they'll meet the goals set in the 2015 Paris climate accord.

Conference participants are grappling with setting the rules for implementing a number of goals, chiefly reducing greenhouse gas emissions enough to hold global warming to as close to 1.5 degrees C as possible by the end of the century.

"We need to work together to conserve and protect the large intact biodiversity and carbon-rich areas of the world  the Boreal, Amazon, Congo Basin, and SouthEast Asia peatlands," read a copy of Guilbeault's address to the conference. "If we do not protect them, biodiversity will not be protected, nor will our climate."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2021.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version misspelled Steven Guilbeault's last name in the final paragraph.
OTTAWA - Worsening security in Ethiopia has prompted Canada to withdraw family members of diplomats and non-essential staff from the country.

People are seen in front of clouds of black smoke from fires in the aftermath at the scene of an airstrike in Mekele, the capital of the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP Photo

OTTAWA - Worsening security in Ethiopia has prompted Canada to withdraw family members of diplomats and non-essential staff from the country.

Global Affairs Canada issued a statement Sunday saying the situation is rapidly deteriorating amid hostilities in the country's northern region, and the safety of Canadians is the department's highest priority.

The department is urging people to consider leaving the country if they can do so safely.

It also encourages all Canadians in Ethiopia to check Global Affairs' travel advice and advisories often and to register with the department.

Global Affairs says Canada's embassy in Addis Ababa remains open and consular officials are ready to help Canadians in need of emergency assistance.

Canadians can also contact the department's Emergency Watch and Response Centre round-the-clock at sos@international.gc.ca.

The United Nations says that after heavy fighting erupted a year ago between government troops and those loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), some 5.2 million people remain in need of assistance across the Ethiopian regions of Tigray, Amhara and Afar.

Amid allegations of widespread human rights abuses on all sides, thousands are feared killed and more than two million have been forced to flee their homes, the UN says.

"Canada stands with all the people of Ethiopia. Documented violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law are deeply concerning," Global Affairs Canada said.

"Canada calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and an end to indiscriminate attacks on civilians and humanitarian personnel in northern Ethiopia. Humanitarian access must be guaranteed."

In a tweet Sunday, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said she spoke with Ambassador Stephane Jobin about the developments.

"Our hearts go out to all Canadians who are concerned about their loved ones in Ethiopia."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2021.
MONTREAL - Valerie Plante was re-elected mayor of Montreal on Sunday, beating rival Denis Coderre for the second time in a row.

MONTREAL - Valerie Plante was re-elected mayor of Montreal on Sunday, beating rival Denis Coderre for the second time in a row.

Plante had captured more than 52 per cent of the votes as of 11:30 p.m., when 88 per cent of polls were reporting. Coderre, the one-term mayor Plante ousted in 2017, had roughly 38 per cent of votes.

Montreal mayoral candidates Denis Coderre and Valerie Plante take part in a debate in Montreal, Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021. Quebecers are heading to the polls today to vote for municipal mayors and city councillors, with results expected by the end of the night. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Plante campaigned on her record leading Montreal during the pandemic and promised to focus on fighting climate change and building more social housing.

"We have a unique opportunity to accelerate our ecological transition and to position Montreal at the global forefront of the economy of the future," Plante told supporters at a victory party in downtown Montreal.

Plante, who is known for her trademark laugh, said her re-election was proof that Montrealers appreciated her style of government and that "yes, you can lead Montreal with a smile."

"Tonight, I'm proud to say I will continue to be the mayor and we will continue to be the team of all Montrealers," she said. "You have given us the privilege and honour to be your administration once again and we take this responsibility very seriously, you can count on us to be there and to listen and to represent all of you."

In a defiant concession speech, Coderre, a former federal Liberal cabinet minister, repeated many of the same themes of his campaign: that Montreal is dirty, dangerous and has lost its influence.

Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante celebrates with supporters after being re-elected, in Montreal, Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. For the second time in a row, Plante has defeated Denis Coderre in a Montreal mayoral election. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

"The result is clear, you win some you lose some. But I'm very pleased that I was pushing ideas, I'm very, very pleased that no matter what the kind of label that they tried on me, that I was focusing on the ideas and I was focusing on the people, because I love the people, I love Montreal," Coderre told supporters.

Plante ran a largely positive campaign, though the final days of the race took a nastier tone, with the two main candidates accusing each other of lacking integrity. Coderre accused Plante of not caring about sexual assault victims and Plante attacked Coderre for hiding his business dealings.

Plante's margin of victory appears larger than in 2017, when she beat then-incumbent Coderre, with 51.42 per cent of the vote to his 45.66 per cent.

Plante also appears poised to increase her majority on Montreal city council, with members of her Projet Montreal party leading in 38 of the 65 council seats.

Former CFL player turned lawyer Balarama Holness was in third place with 7.29 per cent of the vote.

While the Montreal saw the incumbent run against a former mayor, Quebec's next four largest city's saw their incumbents step down.

In Quebec City, Bruno Marchand appears likely to win a tight race with 32.32 per cent of the vote and all votes counted.

Several television networks declared Marie-Josee Savard, who had been endorsed by the city's long-time mayor Regis Labeaume, the winner early in the night, only to retract the declaration.

Marchand, who led by less than 1,000 votes, is the former director of the United Way in the region and campaigned on a platform of improving neighbourhood-focused development, the environment and making the municipal administration more transparent.

A tramway project that had been supported by Labeaume and a tunnel that the provincial government wants to build between the city's downtown the suburbs were major issues in the province's second largest city.

In Laval, Montreal's large northern suburb, Stephane Boyer was leading with 41.4 per cent of the vote and almost all votes counted. Boyer has been described as the "heir" of incumbent mayor Marc Demers, who was first elected in 2013 and now leads the municipal party founded by Demers.

Plante, the first woman elected mayor of Montreal, was not the only Woman to win a major race in the province, women are leading or elected in three of the province's five largest cities.

In Gatineau, near Ottawa, France Belisle, a former journalist who more recently headed the regional tourism office, was leading with 42.8 per cent of the vote and almost all votes counted.

In Longueuil, a large suburb of Montreal, Catherine Fournier, a 29-year-old member of the province's legislature, was leading with more than 60 per cent of the vote.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 7, 2021.



This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
University of Manitoba Faculty Association members targeted Premier Heather Stefanson's Tuxedo constituency office with pickets Monday morning.

The union plans to have other Progressive Conservative caucus members' offices in its crosshairs later this week.

"We have multiple plans," Joe Curnow, who teaches in the faculty of education, said outside of Stefanson's office Monday morning.

An estimated 60 UMFA members and 20 students planned to stage a sit-in but when they arrived, the doors were locked and the office appeared unoccupied.

Union members planned to distribute leaflets Monday in the west Winnipeg neighbourhood, then expand efforts later in the week with pickets in other PC constituencies.

The union, representing 1,200 U of M professors, instructors and librarians, has been on strike since Nov. 2. It blames the provincial government for imposing a wage freeze on the university, which is near the bottom of the pay scale for faculty across Canada.

Curnow warned of a "brain drain" from Manitoba, as professors and researchers leave for greener pastures and better pay elsewhere.

The union says it has tried since September to connect with Stefanson, who has promised to listen to Manitobans. After repeated calls, emails and pickets outside the legislature failed to get her attention, UMFA said it went to her constituency office.

"There will be a picket here all day with members and students to make sure that that it's visible, and that constituents know that Stefanson could end the strike if she pulled the mandate and that she has refused to meet with us," said Curnow.

"Clearly, she is not taking the strike seriously and she needs to pull the mandate so we can get back to class, which is where everyone wants to be."

On social media Monday morning, Stefanson tweeted about meeting in Brandon with post-secondary school presidents in that western city, as well as Brandon police and chamber of commerce.

If there's no response from the premier, UMFA plans to amplify its message and is take it to other government members' constituencies this week.

"I think the problem is not just with her, it's the PC caucus as a whole," said Curnow. "We've only had two members willing to meet with constituents, so we will be going to see a lot of them this week to make sure that they know that that this is a hugely important issue to their constituents  that the government interference in our bargaining is a big problem for students.

"It is a big problem for faculty. It is a big problem for recruitment and retention in this province and the quality of education."

Curnow wouldn't identify the caucus members who've been targeted in the days ahead.

A statement from Stefanson's press secretary Monday noted it's reading week with no scheduled classes and "no one wants further disruption to students and families already dealing with the pandemic."

"Government is not the employer, and the university and UMFA are still in negotiations, through mediation, to explore resolution. Full details on the universitys latest offer to increase salaries an average of 9.5 per cent over two years are publicly available on its dedicated bargaining website," the statement said.

"Its not clear whether the full details of UMFAs demands have been made public, but we urge both sides to continue their efforts to find common ground."

The University of Manitoba, meanwhile, says UMFA is asking for salary increases that amount to an average increase of 16.4 per cent in new money per member over three years.

The union's proposal contains general increases of two per cent in the first two years and 2.5 per cent in the third year, plus across-the-board salary increases to all UMFA members that cost an additional two per cent, 1.4 per cent and 0.75 per cent, respectively, in each year of the deal, the U of M said in a recent statement.

The university said revisions to its pay grids over and above monetary items equate to an average increase of 16.4 per cent  nearly 10 per cent more than the 6.5 per cent proposed increase that's been reported.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Many people turn to music to cope during difficult times, and Barb Reimer is no exception.

Many people turn to music to cope during difficult times, and Barb Reimer is no exception.

Reimers father died suddenly in 1997 at the age of 73. He was a farmer near Plum Coulee, known for his work ethic and sense of humour, and his death was traumatic for Reimers family.

Supplied Barb Reimer, with musician William Prince, is hoping to get back to volunteering at the venue in the new year.

Shortly after her fathers death, Reimer attended a concert at the West End Cultural Centre. She decided that volunteering at the famed venue, located at the corner of Ellice Avenue and Sherbrook Street, would be a good way to spend some of her free time away from her day job as a nurse at Grace Hospital.

"It was a really healing thing for me to get exposed to new artists I might not otherwise hear about," says Reimer, 66, who retired in 2010. "I really like the family atmosphere of the (volunteer) crews; the staff treat the volunteers so well and the venues commitment to involvement in the community really aligns with my beliefs."

Reimer, who grew up listening to Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Janis Joplin, volunteered at the venue at least twice a month prior to the pandemic. From taking tickets to selling merchandise, she helped out in a variety of different capacities. Most often, she could be found serving drinks at the bar.

When she wasnt volunteering at the WECC before COVID-19, Reimer was attending concerts three or four times a week at venues throughout the city.

"When I first started volunteering at the West End, I learned to appreciate how much talent Winnipeg musicians have," she says. "Thats what really drew me in."

Scott Nolan, the Small Glories, Leaf Rapids and the D. Rangers are a few of Reimers favourites. Del Barber, Sweet Alibi and William Prince also make the list.

"I sort of threw myself into (music) when my dad died, and it continued to be a source of healing for me when my partner died eight years ago and when my mom died four years ago," Reimer says. "Music has been just a big comfort."

Like music venues around the world, the WECC was forced to cancel shows and shut its doors when the pandemic started. With the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine, the WECC is open once again with a variety of concerts on the calendar for music fans who can show proof of vaccination.

Reimer, who enjoys travelling and typically spends six weeks each year visiting family in Mexico, kept busy during the pandemic going for daily walks in Assiniboine Park and knitting. She took up the latter pastime about a year before the pandemic started, and estimates that she has knit 150 toques since things first shut down in March 2020.

She is hoping to get back to volunteering at the venue in the new year.

"Youre made to feel appreciated and valued at the WECC, and I think thats a really big thing," she says. "It stands out as one of the best places Ive volunteered at."

The West End Cultural Centre is always looking for new volunteers. Anyone interested can email info@wecc.ca.

If you know a special volunteer, please contact aaron.epp@gmail.com.
The owner of a popular local pizza shop died in law enforcement custody near the Manitoba Legislative Building Thursday  but the Winnipeg Police Service has not notified the public of the death.

The owner of a popular local pizza shop died in law enforcement custody near the Manitoba Legislative Building Thursday  but the Winnipeg Police Service has not notified the public of the death.

Details on the in-custody death are scarce, but two sources close to the family told the Free Press that George Simeonidis Jr., the owner of Santa Lucia Pizza on Corydon Avenue, died shortly after being detained by the WPS.

George Simeonidis Jr., seen at Santa Lucia on Corydon Avenue, died in police custody Thursday. No details have been forthcoming.

It remains unclear what brought Simeonidis Jr.  a husband and father of two, as well as a successful local business owner  into contact with police.

When contacted by the Free Press Sunday, WPS Public Information Officer Jay Murray said the department would likely release details on the case Monday  four days after the fact.

The WPS released on five incidents Friday  an assault with a weapon; a shooting; a stabbing; a drug offence; and a weapons charge  but made no mention of Simeonidis Jr.s death.

A source close to the family said the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba  the provincial police watchdog  had launched a probe into the matter, which is standard protocol whenever the actions, or inaction, of a police officer contributes to a suspect death.

The IIU did not respond to a request for comment  sent through the provincial government  Sunday.

Simeonidis Jr. is a member of a tight-knit family that has long found success in the pizza business. The family first bought a small pizzeria in a Thompson strip mall in 1971. The restaurant soon became a hit in the community.

In 1974, the Simeonidis family relocated to Winnipeg, where the operation expanded and became one of the most popular pizza joints in the city. The family currently owns multiple brick-and-mortar locations in Winnipeg.

Simeonidis Jr. died Nov. 4, just 11 days shy of his 45th birthday. He is survived by a wife, two children  ages 13 and 11  and a large, extended family.

"I would like an investigation to find out exactly what happened to George and the events that led to his death," a family source said.

"How did that happen? We want to know what happened and whatever led up to it. We want to know that he wasnt harmed and wasnt mistreated."

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: rk_thorpe
WHILE the swearing-in of Manitobas first female premier is noteworthy, it is but a prelude to a truly historical event.

Opinion

WHILE the swearing-in of Manitobas first female premier is noteworthy, it is but a prelude to a truly historical event.

Heather Stefanson being elected by a small number of Progressive Conservative party members is like getting an award for participating. At best its winning the time trials before the final race.

That race, the next provincial election, is scheduled to occur on or before Oct. 3, 2023.

Whenever its held, Manitobans will most likely see the full election of either the provinces first female premier or the election of the provinces first Indigenous premier, the current New Democratic Party leader, Wab Kinew.

That will make history.

Right now, the two main leaders and parties are sitting in compelling positions.The New Democrats had a strong lead in polls prior to the resignation of former premier Brian Pallister and the ascension of Stefanson.

It will be a struggle for both: one to retain its lead, the other to win back voters alienated by the previous administration.The election campaign begins now.

It would not be unheard-of for the Conservatives to make a comeback, given they have a new leader.

In 1993, Kim Campbell was elected by the federal Progressive Conservative party as leader and Canadas first female prime minister. She was supported by much of the PC caucus, just like Stefanson.

She won the position following the resignation of prime minister Brian Mulroney, who called it quits after seeing his approval ratings take the high dive.

According to polls, Campbell won back deserting voters after only a few months, but was wiped out in the election after a disastrous campaign. She had been prime minster for less than four months.

Stefanson has much more time to avoid being "Kim Campell-ed" in the next election.

She has time to distance herself from the one-man-rule of the previous administration. (Can any Manitoban name more than three cabinet ministers other than Pallister?)

That would seem to be a monumental task, but given how much vitriol was spent on targeting Pallister personally, its not a mountain too high. In 93, much criticism from the Opposition and media aimed at "the Mulroney government," just as much criticism here has focused on "the Pallister government."

That alone will give Stefanson a bit of a rebound effect by removing the biggest target on the playing field.

Then there will be twists never before seen: a male leader previously accused of mistreating women going up against a woman; a female leader undertaking a provincial campaign for the first time and a party strongly supported by women going up against a party now headed by a woman.

It should also force the NDP and other opponents to start talking about policy, rather than Big, Bad Brian.

The NDP hasnt had to do much to bolster its poll results. For the most part it has just had to sit back and watch as the government set itself on fire with flammable policies on education, labour and health care. Thats just a wise move; no need for a flame-thrower to take on a cinder and ashes.

That, however, wont be enough now.The NDP cant wait until the next campaign to start telling voters what specific ideas and plans it has if it is elected.It certainly hasnt done that to this point.

Even during the contentious debate of the so-called modernization of education it was content to ride on the coattails of third-party organizations who opposed, and eventually brought down, the legislation.

The NDP never had to answer what it would specifically do with education. It never even said whether it believed any change was needed. Does it care that international and national tests place Manitoba students behind other provinces? If not, thats a perfectly fine position to take. The issue is complex (no matter how simplistic scores make it seem) and arguable.

The point is, the NDP has to start showing, with specifics, what alternatives it has to offer and why. Parties do, of course, want to keep all their promises for the actual campaign period, but times are different now.

The government has pushed the reset button. Its obligation is now to show what direction it will take on major issues. The NDP will have to do more than complain about "the Stefanson government."

It will have to show it has actual ideas and policies.

Either way, the results will truly be history.

George Stephenson is a Winnipeg writer.
As of Monday, you can travel across the U.S. border  and around the world  if youve been vaccinated against COVID-19.

As of Monday, you can travel across the U.S. border  and around the world  if youve been vaccinated against COVID-19.

But is there a way to inoculate yourself against the menace of mass tourism when it makes a full comeback?

Since early last year, most of us have been grounded, suffering from Groundhog Day syndrome until the pandemic ebbs. With airplanes parked and hotels empty, it has long felt like the end of travel.

Global tourism plunged by more than 1 billion visits last year. But its merely the calm before the comeback.

Pre-pandemic, tourism kept climbing inexorably  from 400 million visitors in 1990 to 1.4 billion in 2019. It was an unsustainable trendline, leading to overcrowding and overkill.

It will only get worse, post-pandemic, when those missing billion travellers find their way back. Is there a way to avoid the suffocating contagion of mass tourism when the numbers surge again?

The pandemic may be the perfect time to rethink how we travel to the ends of the earth to get away from it all, only to find ourselves surrounded and suffocated by our fellow travellers.

Per capita, Canadians are among the worlds most active travellers, close behind the British. Snowbirds aside, vaccinated Canadian groundhogs will be back to beaching themselves in the Caribbean once the coast is clear.

But whats really driving the growth curve is the emergence of China  not just as an irresistible tourism destination, but an unsustainable source of outbound tourists.

When I took over the Stars Asia Bureau two decades ago, about 10 million Chinese took overseas trips every year. Before COVID grounded everyone, the Chinese were taking 155 million trips abroad  a 15-fold increase that was increasing by 15 per cent a year.

That makes China the biggest single source of outbound travellers in the world today. Domestic tourism is also surging, with more than 5.5 billion internal trips a year.

Historically, the Chinese have been inveterate travellers and wanderers. Today, they just want to get away from it all, by escaping the tourist congestion and reconstruction at home.

I saw that when I travelled to the remote the village of Lijiang to write about its UNESCO World Heritage Site in Yunnan province. Considered the inspiration for Shangri-La, its now Paradise Lost  because the Chinese have torn down authentic homes in nearby villages to make way for new shopping malls and hotels, owned and operated by outsiders.

Its the same story across China, where ancient temples are being suffocated by modern commercial sprawl and historic neighbourhoods are demolished or displaced by swank new restaurants. And so what you see becomes an optical illusion.

We fantasize about going to a religious sanctuary, or a sumptuous palace or an isolated village where we can be alone with our thoughts. As tourism infiltrates the far corners of the globe, the travel juggernaut seems unstoppable  and increasingly unmemorable.

And the Chinese are coming  just like the Americans and the British and the Japanese before them  but in bigger numbers that are ever more disruptive. Thats especially true when they go in search of unspoiled destinations like neighbouring Myanmar (formerly Burma), which is a case study in over-tourism.

By far the largest share of Myanmars tourists now come from China  and at a breathtaking pace: 300,000 visitors arrived in 2018, more than doubling a year later to 750,000 Chinese (until COVID intruded).

The tourist invasion has caused culture shock for Myanmar, a country isolated for decades. The Chinese government responded with an illustrated guidebook on "Civilized Tourism," instructing its travellers to respect local customs, cultural traditions, religious beliefs and the environment.

"We should educate our citizens to be civilized when travelling abroad. Dont litter water bottles; dont destroy their coral reef. Eat less instant noodles and more local seafood," President Xi Jinping admonished them publicly.

The bigger problem is not the misbehaviour but the missed opportunities for impoverished Myanmar. The economic chimera of Chinese tour groups is caused by "zero-dollar" tourism  whereby almost everyone comes on a prepaid package tour, with all the cash flow going to a Chinese-owned travel agency, hotel, restaurant and souvenir shops  squeezing out local operators.

Chinese tour groups are not necessarily the worst offenders, merely the latest arrivals. After all, everyone mocked the Ugly American in Paris years ago and many still do.

Its not about nationalities but numbers. Its a question of the capacities of locals to absorb the onslaught  and the sensibilities of foreign travellers who find themselves surrounded by fellow tourists from home, despite trying so hard to get away from it all.

The numbers are no less daunting when you look at the wave of towering cruise ships that deliver factory tourism on the high seas. These floating hotels are up to 18 storeys high, boasting as many as 6,000 passengers who are disgorged all at once on port cities  leaving the locals drowning in day-trippers who leave few scraps behind when they clamber back aboard for the night.

Taken together, these trends will be unstoppable unless we stop and think about how to see the world differently. There are no magic solutions to restore the mystery or fantasy of foreign travel, but there are certainly ways to reduce the misery of monster tourism before COVID removes all constraints.

Ill be sharing some of those ideas in a public talk on "The End of Travel  Time to Revisit Mass Tourism," at Ryersons Chang School (free advance registration) via Zoom on Tuesday, and in future columns. Stay tuned, stay safe, and safe travels.

Martin Regg Cohn is a Toronto-based columnist focusing on Ontario politics and international affairs for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @reggcohn
This a continuation of a previous Hint on the topic of vaccination after COVID-19 infection.

If you have had a COVID-19 infection, should you get a COVID vaccination? The short answer is yes. The discussion about it is the long answer. Vaccines are not perfect, but we dont have many good tools to combat a virus that has killed around 750,000 Americans, and is still causing deaths. The question arises whether natural immunity is better or less effective than vaccine induced immunity. Thats where the opinions start flying.

So far the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) says yes to vaccination after infection. From their website: Evidence is emerging that people get better protection by being fully vaccinated compared with having had COVID -19 They cite a study from the Aug. 13, 2021, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report out of Kentucky. It looked at Kentucky residents infected with COVID-19 in 2020 who got reinfected with it during May-June, 2021. In comparing the vaccination status of those folks, the unvaccinated people were 2.34 times more likely to get re-infected than the vaccinated ones. It didnt assess how severe the cases were in either group.

Another line of evidence arguing for vaccination post infection comes from a study from Rockefeller University, New York City, reported April 23, 2021, by NBC News. These researchers designed a modified version of the infamous spike protein (which allows the virus to attach to and enter our cells) with 20 naturally occurring mutations to test how antibodies would work against it. These modified spike proteins were tested in lab dishes against antibodies from people who had recovered from COVID-19, from those who had been vaccinated, and from those who had infection plus vaccination (hybrid). The spike proteins were able to evade the antibodies from people in the first two groups, but not antibodies from people with hybrid immunity.

Another piece of evidence supporting vaccination after infection comes from a study in the journal Science, June 25, 2021. It measured the activity of antibodies that bind to the virus to inactivate or neutralize it. These are generated on viral exposure from memory B cells, which are created after infection or vaccination or both. They live in lymph nodes and bones marrow indefinitely. On re-exposure to the virus to which they are dedicated to combat, they make new antibodies. This paper found that memory B cell levels are, on average, higher in people with hybrid immunity compared to natural immunity or vaccination alone. (If you need to, take a mental break, and get a couple swigs of coffee or juice.)

Another study from the University of Minnesota published in the journal Cell Reports was discussed in the 10/2/2021 Minneapolis Star-Tribune about B cell levels after vaccination. Researchers found that everyone gained memory B cells ... but people with previous infections gained 5 times more of those cells. Marc Jenkins, a co-author, said. Theyre like the insurance policy for the future infection. On the front page of the Nov. 2, 2021, Star Tribune the banner headline reads: State Data: Infection Not Protection, and the article discusses re-infections in Minnesota.

Then, theres the ongoing discussion among experts about the need for vaccination after infection, how soon to give shots, giving only one of the series of two for the mRNA ones, or both, and the evidence for any position. A very comprehensive article by a medical writer, Jennifer Block, in the Sept. 13, 2021, British Medical Journal (BMJ) put forth many experts viewpoints. One is from Monica Gandhi, M.D., infectious disease expert from San Francisco and prolific writer on COVID. She cites a list of over 20 references that memory B and memory T cells (the ones that kill the virus directly) to the natural infection will produce enough antibodies.

Peter Marks, a director in the FDA stated, We know the immunity after vaccination is better than the immunity after natural infection. His source was a study cited above. Then, Matthew Memoli, a director of infectious disease studies in the NIH, interpreted the data differently, quoting a Cleveland Clinic study of its employees, which showed not big difference in those with prior infections vs. those vaccinated getting re-infected. (Are you getting confused?) Another infectious disease professor said, The real memory in our immune system resides in the T and B cells, not in the antibodies. Its complicated!

Tom Frieden, MD, former director of the CDC, a proponent of universal vaccination, says, Theres no doubt that natural infection does provide significant immunity for many people, but were operating in an environment of imperfect information, and in that environment the precautionary principle applies  better safe than sorry. Alfred Sommer, dean emeritus of Johns Hopkins School of Public Health echoes a similar sentiment, the bottom line is you want to save lives, and you have to do what the present evidence, as weak as it is, suggests is the strongest defense with the least amount of harm. And, the vaccines are not any more hazardous when given before infection, which is not much, and far less hazardous than some COVID illnesses.

The BMJ article is quite useful for those prone to following lines of contrary thought. Enjoy. Ill end with a thought: why cant ants contract Covid? Because they have anty-bodies. Couldnt help myself. Protect yourself and others the best way possible.

Dr. Bures, a semi-retired dermatologist, since 1978 has worked Winona, La Crosse, Viroqua, and Red Wing. He also plays clarinet in the Winona Municipal Band and a couple dixieland groups. And he does enjoy a good pun.

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Ashley for the Arts has announced it is accepting applications for the 2021 Ashley for the Arts Community Cares Grant.

The focus of the grant is to support eligible non-profit organizations within a 60-mile radius of Arcadia, looking for assistance with a project that is community focused in art, music and/or cultural activities.

Were thrilled to be able to return for a second year of offering our grant program as another way to make an impact in our surrounding communities, stated Cole Bawek, event director. Ashley for the Arts is focused on supporting educational, civic and non-profit organizations that promote the arts, music, and broadening cultural horizons within our community.

The 2021 application and eligibility requirements can be found on Ashley for the Arts website at ashleyforthearts.com/community-cares-grant/. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. on December 31.

The Ashley for the Arts Community Cares Grant was introduced following the cancellation of the 2020 festival due to the pandemic. The annual music and art festival in Arcadia supports over 65 local nonprofit organizations, who take part in the event to raise funds for their programs. Without the opportunity to earn funds in 2020, Ashley for the Arts created the grant program to still provide a way for organization(s) to receive funds.

The 2020 Community Cares Grant awarded $10,000 to the Independence School District for a community art project focused on beautifying the city of Independence. The project, which is still in the works, includes multiple, large-scale murals incorporating the history of the city and the regions tradition of agriculture. Students, staff and community members worked together with artist and Independence Alumni, Jimmy (Rombalski) Navarro, to bring the project to life.

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Two dozen fire departments from the Dodge County area responded to the marsh fire that occurred at the north end of Mud Lake, near Walton Road, on Saturday afternoon.

According to a press release from Dodge County Emergency Management Amy Haase, a call came into the Dodge County Central Dispatch at 2:39 p.m. for the marsh fire. Due to a simultaneous call in Watertown, Clyman/Reeseville/Lowell (CLR) fire department was mutual aided to the call.

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Clyman/Reeseville/Lowell Fire Departments responded to the scene. Firefighters on the scene requested mutual aid from approximately 24 departments from the Dodge County area, with an additional request to the Wisconsin State Drone Network for air assets.

As of 10 p.m. on Saturday night, the fire was under control, but drones were flying the area to make sure there were no longer hot spots that might reignite. There were no homes or structures damaged.
Todays Republican Party is anything but grand. A party I once respected has no integrity now. It follows no moral compass, and is blatantly undemocratic.

Their words can no longer be trusted, as the new approach is believe what we saynot what we do. They spread misinformation, conspiracy theories, and outright lies (like manure) onto their field of supporters. The GOP wants them to fear from the other side what they, themselves, are actually doing. Former Gov. Scott Walker once said, divide and conquer.

Wisconsin GOP legislators preach less governmental control, yet their noses are in every facet of local decisions. They want to dictate school policies/curriculum, impose financial mandates on local entities, penalize the unemployed with drug tests, and decide company safety measures.

State leaders tout freedom and choice, as they suppress the vote and the will of the people, with secretively drawn district maps. The Senate approves new cabinet appointees ONLY when it suits them. Consequently, the previous DNR Secretary refuses to step down.
Having Republican governors in key presidential battlegrounds like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan can be worth a point or two on the presidential ballot, said Phil Cox, former executive director for the Republican Governors Association, who is advising GOP gubernatorial candidates for 2022. Republican governors can be difference makers in 2024.

GOP strategy

Republican strategists say Wisconsin and Michigan are among their best pickup chances next year, along with Kansas  a normally deep-red state where Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly narrowly won a three-way 2018 race. Nevada, Maine and perhaps New Mexico could be within reach, they say.

GOP candidates across the country will likely try to energize conservative parents by denouncing schools adhering to critical race theory, an academic framework about systemic racism that has become a catch-all phrase for teaching about race in U.S. history. Defending parents' rights to push back against school districts' efforts to teach about things like institutional racism helped Republican Glenn Youngkin win the governor's race in Virginia, a state Biden carried by 10 percentage points just last year, and could further resonate in toss-up states.
Hilaria Baldwin has reassured fans that her family is doing OK after Alec Baldwin's shooting incident.

The 37-year-old author and Alec, 63, headed to Vermont after the actor fired the prop gun that killed Halyna Hutchins on the set of 'Rust' in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Hilaria has now taken to Instagram to send a message to her followers.

Alongside some behind-the-scenes family photos and video clips, Hilaria wrote on the platform: "Checking in and sharing a few moments. Being together. I know you worry. We love you and miss you."

The family previously headed to Vermont in order to escape the attention that came their way after the shooting incident.

Hilaria recently admitted that she fears her husband will develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

She said: "Alec had a really traumatic thing happen, and I am trying to limit the PTSD."

The author explained that she'd taken her family to Vermont in a bid to find some "quiet".

She shared: "You look at what happens to soldiers and police officers when something like this happens, its traumatic. We just came up here for quiet."
WITSReview wins best corporate publication award

"Proud flag-bearer of one of South Africas finest universities" adds another accolade.

Wits Universitys alumni magazine, WITSReview has been recognised as the best corporate publication in South Africa in the 2021 corporate publication competition hosted by the SA Publication Forum. Sanlam Connect & Sanlam Engage were runners up in the competition, followed by BrightRock, JLP Television, and Old Mutual publications.

WITSReview was announced as the winner at a virtual awards function held on 5 November 2021. WITSReview also won best external magazine (category A), excellence in writing, best design and best headlines categories in the competition.

The Corporate Publication Competition is now in its 20th year. It rewards excellence in internal and external corporate communication media and receives around 150 entries every year.

Wits graduates have made a significant contribution to society in all spheres of endeavour, both nationally and internationally. The WITSReview connects alumni to their alma mater and profiles the impact they have had in being a force for good in the world. The latest issue (October 2021) profiles Wits alumni who blew the whistle on state capture.

Moderator of the competition, Surisa Nel, commented that the WITSReview manages to exude the high standards of the academic institution it represents while at the same time never sounding pompous or boring. It is un-put-downable and a proud flag-bearer of one of South Africas finest universities.

Earlier in July this year the publication was awarded Gold for its October 2020 edition, Issue 4, in the Printed External Magazines category in the media division, and in the design division of the skills category at the Marketing, Advancement and Communication in Education Excellence Awards (MACE).

The MACE Excellence Awards showcase publications that were produced by professional staff in advancement roles at MACE member universities countrywide.

Judges said: It was great to read the research regarding your publication and the findings of how many people read the publication. I believe this product will be considered as an exceptional product by various industries, corporates, educational institutions, design communities and the likes worldwide.

Editor of the WITSReview, Peter Maher, said the editorial team were extremely honoured for their work to be recognised for excellence. Over the past century, Wits and Witsies have played an incredibly important role in the story of South Africa. We are inspired by the impact the University and its graduates have on society and are always excited to bring these stories to life in the magazine.
TIPPECANOE COUNTY (WLFI)  The combination of supply chain disruptions, and increased prices for two main active herbicide ingredients, are leading a Purdue Professor of Weed Science to believe there will be a herbicide shortage in 2022.

"The herbicide shortage situation first surfaced this summer," said Purdue Professor of Weed Science, Bill Johnson. "There are a number a retail outlets that had a hard time getting ahold of some of the supplies, particularly glyphosate and glufosinate."

Johnson says roughly 80% of the herbicides used in the United States come from overseas. He says prices for the active ingredients have continued to increase.

"One way to put this in perspective is three years ago glyphosate cost $10 a gallon," said Johnson. "Now we're seeing prices of $50 a gallon and we're hearing it could go as high as 80 dollars a gallon."

Not only are prices increasing, but the supply is low. Johnson says this will have a major impact.

"The two active ingredients (glyphosate and glufosinate) are used on literally every acre of soybeans in the state and two-thirds of corn acres in the state," said Johnson. "Its really an issue that hits us in the Eastern Corn Belt pretty hard."

Johnson says the supply chain disruptions are caused by a variety of factors.

"Number one, we're having difficulty getting some of the materials used in the formulations from overseas," said Johnson. "Number two, sometimes these formulating agents are held up in the ports and they're not able to get off of the ships."

The Purdue Professor of Weed Science says there's also another reason for the supply chain issues.

"We're also hearing problems with the supply of trucks to get it from the ports to the retail outlets," said Johnson. "Also the packaging materials that these materials are used in as well."

While planning ahead for next year, Johnson says there's something farmers need to keep in mind.

"What we're hearing is for the 2022 growing season is that those two active ingredients again are going to be in even greater shorter supply," said Johnson. "Farmers and land lords need to be cognizant of the fact that weed control will be more difficult in 2022."

Tippecanoe County Farmer, Josh Cox, is keeping that in mind while he continues to prepare for 2022.

"When we started pricing product for this year, retailers really were not wanting to give prices because they weren't sure the availability of the product," said Cox. "Due to the shortages we've seen, weve had to kind of speed up our purchasing process to try and procure the product for one and then try to get ahead of the price increases."

Johnson encourages growers to plan next year's weed control program assuming you can only make one trip across the field with one of the active ingredients, which is what Cox has been keeping in mind.

"As farmers we have to be pretty flexible, but as far as the herbicide shortages go we'll remain hopeful that we can get the products that we want," said Cox. "But also have a game plan as to if we can't get those herbicides maybe we'll have to reduce the use of our herbicide usage to a degree and stand for a few weeds in the field."

Johnson says farmers need to consider different weed control tools for 2022.

"Whether that's herbicides, cover crops or alternative weed control methods, we really need to open up our toolbox and utilize more things in the fields and plan on how we can incorporate them in our systems," said Johnson. "If we get caught next year without preparation for that, it could lead to a lot of yield loss."

Johnson is encouraging growers to think ahead and stay aware of the current conditions.

"Unless something changes very quickly with supply chain issues, shipping, and materials that this will most likely persist into the next growing season," said Johnson. "So my read on it is there's better than a 90% chance there's a shortage of at least one of the active ingredients next year."
AKRON, Ind. (AP)  A hit and run in northern Indiana killed a 12-year-old girl and left a 15-year-old boy injured, according to authorities.

The Fulton County Sheriffs Office said dispatchers received a call around 7:30 p.m. Friday about children walking on State Road 19, north of County Road North. The caller said one may have been struck by a passing vehicle. The vehicle that allegedly struck the children didn't stop and wasn't at the scene when first responders arrived.

First responders found the boy who had been struck by the rear-view mirror and was hospitalized for injuries. After a search, authorities then found 12-year-old Brelynna Felix. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Family members said they were siblings.

The kids were just going out to get snacks like theyve always done, Ali Steyn, the victims aunt, told WNDU-TV. Its something that they do all the time. They walk the street to go get snacks and stuff like that."

A 26-year-old man, Gage Rogers, was taken into custody and faced preliminary charges of leaving the scene of a fatal accident and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious bodily injury. A list numbed for Rogers could not be located Sunday. It was immediately clear if he had an attorney.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  A jury has found an Indianapolis police officer guilty of official misconduct and perjury in connection with an incident in which a student was punched after officers broke up a fight inside a high school.

The Marion County prosecutors office said Officer Robert Lawson was convicted Wednesday, The Indianapolis Star reported Friday.

Lawson was videotaped hitting the 17-year-old male student in 2019 outside Shortridge High School. The video was posted on social media.

Lawson had claimed he was defending himself, but prosecutors said he struck the student without a legitimate concern for self-defense.

Officials said at the time that the student was not taken into custody and no charges were filed against him.

The 17-year-old had been involved in the fight in the school and was being escorted off the schools property when the altercation between him, Lawson and the students aunt occurred, the newspaper reported.
Exhibit shares stories of first Asian students at W&M

Pu Kao Chen: Thoughts of 1923 U.S. & W&M explores the experiences of Pu Kao Chen, a 1923 graduate of William & Mary and the first Asian student to attend the university. Courtesy W&M Libraries Photo - of - Hide Caption

Sumie Yotsukura 22 and Brian Zhao 23 recently celebrated the installation of the exhibit, Pu Kao Chen: Thoughts of 1923 U.S. & W&M, at Swem Library. The exhibit was the culmination of their research project to unearth the stories of the first Asian students to attend William & Mary.

Pu Kao Chen: Thoughts of 1923 U.S. & W&M explores the experiences of Pu Kao Chen, a 1923 graduate of William & Mary and the first Asian student to attend the university. The research project is part of the Asian Centennial at W&M, which celebrates the contribution of the preceding generations of students of Asian, Pacific Islander and Middle Eastern descent.

I would like think of the exhibit as the origin story explanation, because P.K. Chens arrival is what we are celebrating this year, Yotsukura said. It is an introduction for people who have not thought about Asian American history on campus.

The genesis of the exhibit emerged from an independent study Yotsukura was conducting under the guidance of Deenesh Sohoni, professor in William & Mary's Department of Sociology. The assignment began with researching the first W&M students of Asian ancestry.

During that process, Yotsukura discovered that Chen had written an article that was published in the William & Mary Literary Magazine. She took immediate interest in finding the article, and successfully located it in the librarys university archives.

The article was called A Chinese Student's First Impressions of America, and shared much more insight than Yotsukura expected. In it, Chen shared his accounts of taking a boat from China to San Francisco and getting on a train to come across the United States to Virginia in great detail.

It was a piece about his experiences with racism and where the origins of certain racist stereotypes and misconceptions were coming from, Yotsukura said. It was fascinating because these were the types of things we still talk about and analyze today.

As more research was discovered, Sohoni proposed developing an exhibit to reach a broad audience. Yotsukura knew immediately that she wanted to focus on Chen and his story.

I thought, What better way to talk about these findings than to let his words speak for themselves? Yotsukura said. The exhibit takes you through his journey and life story as a way to bring people into Chens time and help understand his viewpoints.

After receiving financial support from William & Mary's Charles Center and Global Studies Program, Sohoni enlisted Zhao to assist with the research project

Yotsukura designed and created the exhibit, and Zhao worked with the W&M Libraries Special Collections team to provide research assistance. The project not only articulates Chens impression of American in his own words, but also provides a study of the other pioneers of Asian ancestry at W&M.

Zhaos research efforts helped piece together the various narratives of the first wave of Asian students and provided a timeline of their arrival, spanning from 1921-1961. The timeline is illustrated at the end of the exhibit and shares a photo and background information on each former student.

I spent a lot of time digging through the archives and looking at different sources online to track the stories of these cast of characters we know, Zhao said. We wanted to learn as much of their story as possible. Its been like trying to put together a puzzle in a lot of ways.

Zhao gave credit to Director of Special Collections Jay Gaidmore, University Archivist Ali Zawoyski, and Exhibits Manager Jennie Davy for helping him locate various resources.

The exhibit also provides a picture of the social climate 100 years ago. Sohoni encouraged his student researchers to look at the legal issues that were shaping race relations to see how it affected Asian students at W&M and to look up Flat Hat articles that depicted the racial attitudes of the time.

One of the things we discovered was at the same time that P.K. Chen was here, Virginia was passing the Racial Integrity Act, Sohoni said. One of the people that endorsed the act convinced W&M students to start an Anglo-Saxon Club. We dont have a feel for how that impacted Chen specifically, but we did find very racist language toward Asians in the Flat Hat editions published during his time here.

Sohoni added there are still a lot of questions to answer. It will be an ongoing process for learning about the Asian history on campus as each new piece of information sparks ideas for understanding each story piece. However, providing an exhibit has served as an effective contribution toward developing a platform to have conversations about building on the seeds of inclusion within W&M.

Im a traditional academic so most of the time you see your work as articles, Sohoni said. However, it was nice to have something that is academically based, but for the wider community. Very few people are going to read an academic article, but a lot of people are willing to check out an exhibit.
A painting by Pan Yuliang from the collection of Anhui Museum on show [For China Daily]

Beginning in the early 20th century and throughout the 1940s, groups of Chinese people largely in their 20s arrived in France to study fine art, aiming to be nurtured by new things and find ways to revive the cultural scene back at home.

Study in France, an exhibition now at the Institute of Management in Arts and Design of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Shanghai, reviews this period of history, showing dozens of works by pioneering artists who once studied in the European country, such as Lin Fengmian, Wu Guanzhong and Pang Xunqin. The show documents their enthusiasm for knowledge and art and their persistence to learn despite facing financial difficulties from time to time. Many of these artists returned home to become trailblazers in reforming Chinese artistic creation and art education.

The exhibition also shows the role of the Institute of Management in Arts and Design to carry on the mission of deepening exchanges between China and the world.

A painting by Sanyu from the collection of Long Museum on show [For China Daily]

A photo taken in Paris, 1930s shows Chinese students in France. [For China Daily]

A watercolor by Pang Xunqin on show [For China Daily]

A work by Lin Fengmian from the collection of Long Museum on show [For China Daily]

Study in France reviews the history of Chinese artists in France in the first half of the 20th century. [For China Daily]

Study in France reviews the history of Chinese artists in France in the first half of the 20th century. [For China Daily]

Study in France reviews the history of Chinese artists in France in the first half of the 20th century. [For China Daily]

Study in France reviews the history of Chinese artists in France in the first half of the 20th century. [For China Daily]

(Source: chinadaily.com.cn)
Chinese domestic brands is gaining popularity in recent years. [CGTN]

According to a recent survey conducted by wenjuan.com, an online survey platform, some 96 percent of surveyed youth said they were willing to purchase guochao products, which refers to products by homegrown brands. At the same time, 91.6 percent of respondents expressed their expectations for more video programs digging deeper into traditional Chinese culture.

The age group of the interviewees ranged from the post-80s to the post-2000s generations, with the later accounting for 22.1 percent.

Of late, much discussion has revolved around guochao, or the rising cultural tide in China. It typically refers to a sentiment that champions Chinese thoughts and ideas, and manifests itself in Chinese consumers' interest in national culture and a preference for homegrown brands.

"Guochao style suits Chinese people's appearance and temperament. And most products from domestic brands are more cost-effective. Some decade-old brands have been developing for many years. They have a complete industry chain and still maintain a reasonable price. With the internet as a core driving force, they have gained momentum in recent years", a college student in Tianjin said.

"Nowadays we are deeply connected with most countries in the world, which results in a comprehensive understanding of the outside world, yet we are still confident in our own culture. This sense of pride is based on rational thinking", said professor Su Junbin of Xiamen University.

Unlike older generations who might favor Western culture and brands, Chinese youth were born and raised when the country's economy was taking off, so they tend to have strong confidence in their national identity and culture.

Professor Huang Heshui of the school of Journalism and Communication at Xiamen University maintains the essence of traditional culture has permeated into every aspect of people's lives. "We hope guochao can be trendy not only in China, but also abroad. We can't stop at Chinese elements, we must incorporate elements of modern China, whether China's world-leading technology or cutting-edge products. Be it traditional or modern, these elements should be embodied in China's cultural products and delivered internationally, so the whole world can grasp the charm of China's ancient legacy and its modern vibe", Huang said.

A scene of Henan TV's Magical Trip on Mid-Autumn Festival [For chinadaily.com.cn]

In terms of cultural products, Su argued a well-crafted TV program or variety show that features traditional Chinese cultural elements should be well-received by the Chinese people, especially the younger generation. The primary cause is confidence has reached an unprecedented level in the last 100 years. People have gained a full understanding of the outside world, and after several rounds of comparison, have finally found themselves to be in a strong position. So the timing is perfect, Su said, to push forward cultural products imprinted with traditional Chinese cultural features.

Huang takes the example of Henan TV's Magical Trip on Mid-Autumn Festival, which incorporates people, objects, events, scenes, techniques and notions from different times and places, into one show, illustrating their understanding of "Mid-Autumn", a concept full of cultural richness.

"People are the inheritors and creators of culture, and young people especially are carrying the responsibility of spreading culture. The youth nowadays could access a wide range of China's tangible and cultural heritage in order to pass on the essence of Chinese culture, the key is to take the initiative in learning", Su said.

(Source: chinadaily.com.cn)
The Guadalupe River is a 370km long river that originates in the western portion of Kerr County in the US State of Texas. After flowing through several counties of Texas, the Guadalupe River finally drains into the San Antonio Bay, which is one of the principal estuaries that is situated along the states coast on the Gulf of Mexico. The Guadalupe River serves as a major tourist destination and offers many recreational activities such as canoeing, fly fishing, rafting, tubing, etc for its visitors.

Geography

Colorful fall foliage of the entwined Cypress trees surrounding the Guadalupe River at the Guadalupe State Park, Texas.

The Guadalupe River originates as two chief tributary forks in the western part of Kerr County. The North Fork Guadalupe River begins from the southern part of State Highway 41 and runs eastwards for about 35.4km finally joining with the South Fork Guadalupe River, close to the city of Hunt. The South Fork Guadalupe River rises about 4.8km southwest of the meeting point of State Highway 39 and Farm Road 187 and flows in the northeast direction for about 32.2km where it joins with the North Fork Guadalupe River. After the confluence of the North and South Fork Guadalupe Rivers, the Guadalupe River proper then flows in the southeast direction and passes through the counties of Kerr, Comal, DeWitt, Guadalupe, Gonzales, Kendall, and Victoria. The upper segment of the Guadalupe River is a comparatively smaller and faster stream that is situated within the Edwards Plateau ecoregion. In this part, there are numerous rapids, high limestone bluffs and trees like bald cypress, pecan, and mesquite. On the boundary between Comal and Kendall Counties, in the eastern part of the city of Boerne, the Guadalupe River flows through the Guadalupe State Park.

Canyon Lake close to San Antonio, New Braunfels, San Marcos, and Wimberley in the Texas Hill County. It is a part of the Guadalupe River.

Portions of the upper and middle segments of the Guadalupe River are suitable for tubing, canoeing, kayaking, rafting, etc especially during the warm summer and spring months but the presence of many small waterfalls prevents navigation on the entire stretch of the Guadalupe River. The lower Guadalupe begins at the Canyon Lake reservoir in Texas Hill County. This reservoir has been created due to the construction of the Canyon Dam on the Guadalupe River. The 33.3 sq. km Canyon Lake reservoir serves as a popular tourist destination that offers many recreational opportunities for visitors. Here, the flow of the river is controlled by the Canyon Dam as well as by the amount of rainfall received by the area. In the city of New Braunfels, the Guadalupe River is joined by the Comal River, and about 3km to the west of the city of Gonzales, the Guadalupe River is joined by the San Marcos River. The Guadalupe River is joined by the San Antonio River in the northern part of the unincorporated community of Tivoli. Before emptying into the San Antonio Bay estuary, the Guadalupe River forms a delta and divides into two distributaries. Each of these distributaries then flows into the San Antonio Bay estuary via Guadalupe Bay. The Guadalupe River thus drains an area of 17,353 sq. km and has an average discharge volume of 34 cubic meters per second.

A father and son fishing in the Guadalupe River in Comal County, Texas.

Some of the notable fishes that are found in the Guadalupe River include Guadalupe bass, brown trout, Texas cichlid, rainbow trout, largemouth bass, striped bass, smallmouth bass, and white bass. The many dams, spillways, and low head dams on the Guadalupe River provide ideal conditions for tailrace fishing.

Brief History

The Guadalupe River surrounded by snow near Comfort, Texas.

In 1689, the river was originally named by the Spanish explorer Alonso de Leon as Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe. From 1691 to 1693, Domingo Teran de Los Rios, who maintained a colony on the river, rechristened the river as San Agustin. However, most of the early explorers referred to the part of the Guadalupe River above its meeting with the Comal River as San Ybon and instead referred to the Comal River as Guadalupe. Archaeological excavations in the Guadalupe River Valley have revealed many artifacts dating from the Archaic Era, which prove that the area was inhabited by humans for several years. The early explorers encountered native people belonging to the Karankawa, Waco, and Tonkawa tribes. Nevertheless, these early inhabitants were gradually displaced by settlers from Europe, Mexico, and other parts of the United States. In the 1720s, the area was first settled by the Europeans. In 1824, the city of Victoria was established by Martin De Leon, while the city of Gonzales was established in 1825 by James Kerr. In 1845, a group of 228 pioneer immigrants led by the German Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels established the city of New Braunfels, which became the first German settlement in the State of Texas. In the 1880s, the construction of railroads brought a large number of new residents to the area.

In 1920, the Guadalupe Waterpower Company started constructing numerous dams on the Guadalupe River to harness its waters for the generation of hydroelectric power. However, since the river is prone to serious flooding, the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority was established by the State Legislature to manage the storage and distribution of water from the Guadalupe and Blanco Rivers. In 1958, a flood-control dam was constructed by the US Army Corps of Engineers on the Guadalupe River that led to the creation of the Canyon Lake reservoir. The power stations located in the middle and lower portions of the Guadalupe River are depended on the steady release of water from the Canyon Dam. In addition to this, several recreation facilities are available in both Canyon Lake and the Guadalupe River State Park that has attracted a stream of visitors to the area contributing greatly to the areas economy.
Weather Alert

...Strong Northwest Winds This Afternoon And This Evening... A cold front will move across northern Illinois and northwest Indiana this afternoon. Northwest winds are expected to gust as high as 40 mph behind this front and continue through early this evening. A few gusts as high as 45 mph are possible. Gusty winds will be capable of blowing around unsecured outdoor objects and a few tree limbs may come down as well. Use caution if traveling in a high profile vehicle.
Graduations galore as WeMindTheGap celebrates creating opportunities for young people in Wrexham

Four groups of young people from across Wrexham and Flintshire have celebrated completion of WeMindTheGaps WeGrow programme recently.

Graduation celebrations for young women who have completed the charitys WeGrow employment programme were held at Theatr Clwyd and Moneypenny and last week.

Friends, families, supporters, employer partners and funders gathered to celebrate these young peoples achievements, which have been made despite the challenges of the global pandemic.

While many charities and public services that serve young people have floundered since the first lockdown, the WeMindTheGap team have been more active than ever.

As many opportunities for young people dropped away following that first lockdown, and evidence in an increase in social inequality mounted, the charity realised that its programmes were more needed than ever before, and resolved to keep on offering them despite the challenges presented by the pandemic.

The result is that the three programmes being run in 2019/20 were paused in March 2020 and then restarted as soon as restrictions allowed in August 2020, and four new programmes were launched in Autumn 2020 in Manchester as well as Flintshire and Wrexham.

In addition the charity launched a new virtual programme  called WeDiscover  to engage with those many young people aged 16+ isolated by the pandemic.

This weeks celebrations were long-awaited for the 2019/20 graduates, whose graduation could not take place last year due to restrictions.

A year on from completing the programme, every single graduate from last year is now in full-time work or education: not only have these young people have moved from being prisoners of circumstance to pilots of their own lives, they have become active contributors to the North East Wales economy and role models in their own right.

Every graduate remains a part of the WeMindTheGap family, which means that those who have yet to secure work or their next steps will continue to benefit from the love, care and support that that brings.

Rachel Clacher, Chair of WeMIndTheGap said: What a privilege to share in these young peoples journeys, especially in these unprecedented times.

The achievements of these many young people show that transforming young peoples futures with opportunities, care and love is an achievable reality with the right support, even in these Covid times.

And these celebrations are a testament not only to them, but to our team, commissioners, supporters, and allies who have worked so tirelessly to create these programmes.

WeMindTheGap receives funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, to allow us to grow our programmes, changing the futures of underserved young people.
The US is reopening its borders to Europe, the global epicenter of Covid-19
GALLATIN, TN (WSMV) - Police in Gallatin asks for the public's help locating a Kentucky man in connection with a missing person's case.

Gallatin Police are working with the Beaver Dam Police Department in Ohio County Kentucky, locating Jacob Clare. Police said Jacob Clare left his home with his 16-year-old niece Amber Clare late Friday night or early Saturday morning.

Police said he was on his way to drop off his son, Noah, to his family. However, police said he never showed up.

Police said Jacob Clare was last seen driving a Subaru Outback. Anyone with any information is asked to call the Gallatin Police Department at 452-1313.
NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - A Nashville family celebrated the life of a two-year-old who died after an accidental shooting last week.

Family and friends held a vigil at Watkins Park Sunday afternoon to honor the life of little Anthony Thorpe. Anthony, affectionately known as "Gaggy," was loved by his family and friends, including his grandfather who described him as a handful of joy.

"You know he stayed with me a lot because I usually go pick him up from daycare," Anthonys grandfather Larry Scales said. "That's why it hurt me so bad cause if he ain't with her he's with me. That's what kind of granddaddy I was."

Two-year-old critically injured in a shooting has died According to Metro Police, the two-year-old critically injured in a shooting this past Monday has died at Vanderbilt.

Metro Police said Anthony Thorpe, accidentally shot himself in the head inside an Oakwood Flats Apartment on Monday night. Investigators believe the two-year-old picked up a gun left on the bed by the child's father, Jeffery Thorpe.

"It was a messed-up situation, but I know it was an accident," Larry Scales said.

Anthony's great aunt Susan Hinsey said she knows just how much support they need during this challenging time.

"And I know my little great niece we're going to have to comfort her and keep God ahead of her," Hinsey said.

Prayers and words of encouragement are what took place at Sunday's vigil as loved ones deal with their family's tragic loss. They released balloons into the sky. There were so many hugs for Anthony's mother Aaliyah Scales.

Nashville mom heartbroken as toddler gets grim prognosis after shooting NASHVILLE, Tn. (WSMV) - A heartbroken mother is sharing memories of her 2-year-old son after the little boy accidentally shot himself at a Nas

"I just hope everybody prays for my family that we'll be able to get through this," Hinsey said.

Metro police are still looking for Jeffery Thorpe to interview him. He is also wanted for unrelated outstanding warrants.
Today is the tenth anniversary of Cablegate when WikiLeaks, leading a group of partner media organisations, began reporting on the contents of hundreds of thousands of leaked United States government diplomatic cables.

The documents revealed the vast scope and global reach of US imperialisms criminal conspiracies against the international working class, and the brutality and corruption of capitalist governments the world over.

Julian Assange (Credit: Newsonline, Flickr)

Of historic significance in their own right, the publications followed WikiLeakss extraordinary releases earlier that year of the Collateral Murder videoshowing the killing of Iraqi civilians, including journalists and first responders, by US soldiersthe Afghan War Logs and the Iraq War Logs.

These publications earned WikiLeaks, and in particular its founder, the journalist and publisher Julian Assange, the undying enmity of the ruling class. A vicious campaign of slander and pseudo-legal persecution was launched against Assange that continues to this day. He is currently locked up in Londons Belmarsh maximum security prison awaiting a verdict on his extradition to the US, where he faces a likely sentence of 175 years in the darkest corner of the American prison system, on charges under the Espionage Act.

Just a small sample of the diplomatic cables exposures gives a sense of their significance.

They revealed that the US had knowledge of and approved the military coup that toppled Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006. American officials discussed the possibility of a similar overthrow of the Pakistani government in 2009 with the countrys top general. In 2009, Washington privately supported the military coup against Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and worked to cover up the repression which followed.

US intelligence assets helped to engineer Kevin Rudds replacement as Australian prime minister by Julia Gillard in 2010, to ensure a continued Australian presence in the criminal US-led occupation of Afghanistan. Rudd was also targeted for suggesting America make minor accommodations to Chinas growing influence in the Asia-Pacific region.

The cables demonstrated that the US government was fully aware of the torture, random arrests, and extra-judicial killings carried out by its ally Hosni Mubarak in Egypt. They proved Washingtons detailed knowledge of state corruption in Tunisia and exposed the governments collaboration in abrogating the rights of Tunisian citizens detained in Guantanamo Bay. Governments in Pakistan and Yemen were shown to have collaborated with US drone operations in their own countries, responsible for the repeated massacres of civilians.

American officials were aware of an explosion at a BP gas rig in the Caspian Sea in 2008 but took no action to investigate the safety of the companys other sites. Two years later, an explosion at a rig in the Gulf of Mexico killed eleven people and created the largest marine oil spill in history. During the 2009 Copenhagen climate conference, the US successfully bribed and blackmailed poor countries over development aid to gain support for a watering down of climate commitments.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ordered US embassies and UN representatives to gather personal information, including credit card and frequent flyer account numbers, internet passwords, work schedules and even DNA samples, from UN and foreign government officials. The only realistic purpose being to facilitate similar blackmail operations.

Yet more cables detailed the domination of the Nigerian state by Shell Oil.

Contrary to the claims of the US government that WikiLeaks recklessly endangered vulnerable sources named in the cables, a painstaking and collaborative process was established to review and redact the documents before publication. At Assanges extradition hearing this September, journalists from all over the world testified to WikiLeaks pioneering use of encryption to protect sources and documents. The cables were scheduled to be released over the course of a year, on a country-by-country basis, making use of the expertise of local partner media organisations to ensure the appropriate redactions took place. In some cases, the US government itself provided suggestions for redactions.

Evidence heard at the hearing also established that it was Guardian journalist David Leigh who was responsible for allowing the release of tens of thousands of unredacted cables, which had been securely stored by WikiLeaks, in September 2011. In a hatchet-job on WikiLeaks, WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy, Leigh published the password to a secure online archive containing the cables, making them freely accessible.

Assange called the US State Department to warn them of an impending release but was ignored. He and the other WikiLeaks editors then took the decision to publish the unredacted cables themselves, since the documents were already in the public domain. WikiLeakss main media partners, the Guardian, the New York Times, Der Spiegel, El Pais, and Le Monde, used this event as a pretext to break off relations with the organisation and denounce its work.

The American government responded to the initial Cablegate publications with an embargo on WikiLeaks. Amazon removed the site from its web servers, PayPal cut off the WikiLeaks account and Mastercard and Visa prevented payments being made to the organisation. Bank of America stopped handling WikiLeaks payments and Swiss bank PostFinance froze Assanges assets.

WikiLeaks also came under a massive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, effectively preventing users from accessing its site.

Obamas Democratic Party administration launched a furious salvo of denunciations, with then Vice President Joe Biden calling Assange a high-tech terrorist and Hilary Clinton reportedly asking, Cant we just drone this guy? This opened the floodgates to a torrent of demands from Republicans and the right-wing media for his assassination.

Assange was subjected to a sprawling conspiracy, as Sweden launched a manufactured sexual assault investigation to secure his arrest. Swedish prosecutors were encouraged by the UK authorities who used a Swedish extradition request to arbitrarily detain Assange in the Ecuadorian Assembly in London, where he had claimed political asylum. Pseudo-left political organisations abandoned Assange entirely over this smear campaign, or openly attacked him as a rapist, despite no charges ever being laid.

In April 2019, the US, UK and a new Ecuadorian government led by Lenin Moreno reached a deal to see Assange illegally seized from the embassy by British police.

The ferocity of the US government and the betrayal of Assange and WikiLeaks by the liberal media and the pseudo-left were driven by a fear of the profoundly radicalising effect of their revelations. The reporting of the diplomatic cables tore the veil off the daily crimes and intrigues of the ruling class and exposed them to millions of people. It threw light on the world which had been created by an unending series of US-led wars of aggression, the war on terror and the assault on democratic rights, and the voracious expansion of corporate and financial interests into every corner of the globe. For the embedded liberal media and their affluent pseudo-left allies, WikiLeaks exposure of imperialisms systemic savagery and hostility to democracy broke an unspoken law.

Commenting on the significance of the release, the World Socialist Web Site wrote on November 30, 2010:

Underlying the outraged denunciations of the Obama administration and the Republicans over WikiLeaks undermining of US national security is the anger of a ruling financial aristocracy that must pursue its own predatory and reactionary interests in secret because they are opposed to the needs and aspirations of working people in the US and around the world.

There was, we explained, one precedent for the exposurethe publishing of the secret treaties and diplomatic documents of the imperialist powers involved in the First World War by the new Bolshevik government, following the Russian Revolution. Leon Trotsky, then Peoples Commissar for Foreign Affairs, wrote at the time:

Secret diplomacy is a necessary tool for a propertied minority, which is compelled to deceive the majority in order to subject it to its interests. Imperialism, with its dark plans of conquest and its robber alliances and deals, developed the system of secret diplomacy to the highest level. The struggle against imperialism, which is exhausting and destroying the peoples of Europe, is at the same time a struggle against capitalist diplomacy, which has cause enough to fear the light of day.

Barely more than a month later, the huge political impact of the WikiLeaks releases was reflected in the mass uprising in Tunisia which overthrew long time President Zine El Abadine Ben Ali. The uprising is credited as the spark of the Arab Spring, which saw a wave of protest across much of the Arab world. Events in Tunisia were widely described as the first WikiLeaks revolution, having been encouraged by the organisations exposure of Tunisian state crimes and corruption.

This surge in the class struggle and the threat of new WikiLeaks revolutionscombined with the spur given to anti-imperialist sentiment by the Iraq and Afghan War Logsare the crimes for which Assange will never be forgiven by the ruling class. They are his greatest service to the international working class. WikiLeaks contributed to a growing recognition among workers and young people that state criminality and ruling class conspiracies are not accidents or the work of a few bad individuals, but the product of a whole social system based on the rule of competing oligarchies which must be overthrown.

The scale of these conspiracies grows by the year. This September, journalist Bob Woodward revealed that US President Donald Trump, and Woodward himself, had been aware of the dangers posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in January. The Senate Health Committee and Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a private briefing on COVID later that month, with no records kept of the discussion.

No warnings were made to the population. As several senators began shifting stocks to make a killing when the pandemic hit, the US government prepared the CARES Acta multi-trillion dollar looting of social wealth to line the pockets of the super-rich. Imperialist governments across the world followed suit. Corruption, profiteering and financial speculation have since become endemic in the global response to the virus.

Assange is having his life destroyed as a warningto prevent new crimes being met with new exposures which could ignite the massive anger developing in the working class. The fight against imperialism and for the basic democratic and social rights of the population is inseparable from the fight to defend WikiLeaks and secure the freedom of Julian Assange.
Claire Mercer is leading a fight to end smart motorways in the UK. Claires husband, Jason, was killed on a smart motorway on a section of the M1 near Sheffield, on June 7, 2019.

Jason died along with Alexandru Murgeanu after they were involved in a minor collision. They stopped to exchange the legally required insurance details but had no access to a hard shoulder where they could do this safely. They were both hit by an oncoming Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) lorry.

Claire and Jason Mercer

The government had converted the hard shoulder into a live traffic lane along swathes of the motorway network as part of its plan to turn the UKs entire network of motorways into smart motorways by 2025.

Following the death of Jason and Alexandru, Claire and her family launched the Smart Motorways Kill campaign to fight for justice for all victims of smart motorways.

On November 1, Claire and other protesters carried cardboard coffins to the Department for Transport's headquarters in London to demand the scrapping of smart motorways and for the government to immediately reinstate hard shoulders on all motorways in Britain. The 38 coffins represented the official number of those killed on smart motorways between 2014 and 2019.

Protesters stand with some of the coffins in Parliament Square (Credit: Simon Jacobs. Simon Jacobs' father was killed on a smart motorway three months before Jason Mercer)

Speaking to protesters, Claire said, All these coffins are not even the full death toll, its the most we could fit in a van! Over 53 families have been devastated by these roads.

Claire spoke to the WSWS UK Editor Robert Stevens about the protest and fight for justice.

Claire said, When I started this campaign, I felt that it wasnt about politics, this is about getting the roads changed. I realise now how incredibly naive I was at the time.

I found out it was government after government piling this on. And it is the very definition of politics because yet again, theyve privatised another government department and private companies get their hands on these things. All they want to do is make a profit.

Ive even been told directly to my face by either [Transport Secretary] Grant Shapps or [Conservative MP and head of the transport select committee] Hugh Merriman or someone like that, whove said, it would be too expensive to turn the hard shoulder back on. How do you have the gall to say that to someones face when theyve lost someone on one of these things?

We [Smart Motorways Kill campaign] have educated the country far more than the government has. Even now, there are people that have never even heard the term smart motorway, and even people that have heard the term think its something to do with lane closures and signs and things. It was a year ago today that we started translating leaflets into different languages. We found that people whose first language wasnt English were disproportionately represented in the fatality figure, so we were getting it translated into many languages. The government havent done that, they havent even done it in English.

Claire Mercer carrying on of the coffins during the November 1 protest in London (Credit: Simon Jacobs)

One of the guys on the protest, whose dad was killed on a smart motorway, his mum who is 83 is still doing interviews. He is a professional videographer, he does amazing underwater videos. He lent his expertise and hes put together this really atmospheric emotional video [of the protest] which reduced most of my family to tears.

There were people there who had heard some of the interviews on the radio Id done that morning and just hopped on a train and came. There were people who had scary experiences on smart motorways and realised how close theyd come to being hurt or killed. There was a young guy who was still in a leg brace from his experience. He got dragged along a crash barrier whilst he was on his motorbike. He got pinned and dragged along. His life is never going to be the same, hes 33 years old and the right side of his body is mangled now.

Demonstrators carry the coffins across Westminster Bridge towards Parliament (Credit: Simon Jacobs)

The day after the protest, Claire was interviewed on ITVs Good Morning Britain (GMB). She said, It was the most response theyd had to a live piece in Richard Madeleys broadcasting career.

Despite all evidence showing how dangerous the smart motorways are, the government is proceeding with the rollout.

Claire said, A really good example is the M4 in Berkshire. Not only did it open two weeks ago but it opened with absolutely no technology on it. A few months before that, Shapps said, well we wont open any more smart motorways without the necessary technology.

This is why Jason is dead. Stationary Vehicle Detection would have picked him up, and it would have alerted the control room and they would have shut the lane in time. He was there for six minutes before he was killed.

Then they opened a section of the M4 with no technology in it at all. Theyre saying, oh were limiting the speeds to 60 mph as a safety precaution until we get round to fitting the technology. But lorries are limited to 56 mph anyway so 60 mph means absolutely nothing to them. The HGV that hit Jason was only doing 56 mph and it smashed him to pieces.

Now, to get around their own rules, theyre calling them digital motorways instead of smart motorwaysso theyve just changed the name.

The day after the Smart Motorways Kill protest, parliaments Transport Select Committee issued their latest report on smart motorways.

Claire is critical, saying, All of the parliamentary reports are a disappointment because theyre not enforceable. The 2009, 2011 and 2015, parliamentary transport select committees said absolutely do not do smart motorways. Do not do them in any way, shape or form. The government and Highways England just ignored them.

This report is far more diluted than before. How it can find they are ok, and it just needs tweaking? Some of the things theyve been saying like, they dont recommend turning the hard shoulder back on. It is a damp squib, its been watered down.

When the first two reports were issued, most of the smart motorways werent even running. We only had about 29 miles of smart motorways then. Now weve got 200 miles and theyre talking about converting another 1,300.

Now weve had 58 deaths, and weve had 10 reviews this year alone into smart motorways. It was just ridiculous to read. I mean official organisations were used as their evidence saying that we shouldnt have a hard shoulder anyway as it encourages people to not maintain their cars! It is victim blaming.

Claire explained that behind the decision of the government and the muted report of the select committee were considerations of massive contracts available to the private sector in rolling out smart motorways.

The money, the contracts are getting bigger and bigger, and I think they are starting to get worried that if enough people stand up and push back against this, they will have to get rid of the smart motorways. They are worried about their multi-billion-pound contracts. So, I think the transport select committee has been told Be careful what you say. Make it look plausible, but dont recommend enforcement.

Protesters carry coffins through London (Credit: Simon Jacobs)

Earlier this year, Claire commissioned an independent expert report into smart motorways. The author of the report, Sarah Simpson, a transport expert at engineering consultancy Royal Haskoning DHV, came out of writing her report more convinced for the argument against smart motorways than she went into it. She was the one that pointed out, no other, especially European, countries have smart motorways the way that we have them. Theyve all got more safety features and more back-ups. We are the only one that has gone this hell bent for it and completely removed the hard shoulder.

There was a lot of analysing and comparing and in every way smart motorway came out far worse. The sole purpose of that report was for the judicial review. Because Highways England wont engage with us. We cant take them to court. Weve had this expert report done to get round that. Weve said to them will you: a) adopt what this report suggests, which is get rid of smart motorways, or b) confirm that you are ignoring us.

We need them to answer the questions because we have to have an answer to get the case registered in the High Court.

That just means that in theory if anyone takes legal action against you, as long as you just ignore them you dont have to deal with it. So, weve paid 12,000 for this report which weve sent to them, and they are just ignoring us. Theyve had it two or three months now, and they havent said a thing. And why would they respond? They know that their response is going to get them into the High Court.

The one thing that the parliamentary select transport committee has done for us is, they announced theyre going to do another review. So even though Highway England is ignoring our report, they cannot ignore the select committee report. They must give a response. In our report its saying people are dying each day, and theyre saying well take months to deal with it. As soon as Highways England respond to the select committee report, we can go to the High Court again.

Already we have 200 miles of smart motorway, and there are only 1,600 miles of motorway in the whole country. They already have 500 miles of road scheduled. Theyve released the plans to dig up the roads, etc.

Most of the deaths that have occurred so far have happened when there was only 20-100 miles of smart motorways. There was only 29 miles of smart motorways for quite a few years because they were testing the waters. They found out how expensive it was to do them, as they were promising refuge spaces every certain number of yards and safety technology in place.

It is possible to do safe smart motorways, but were talking James Bond style technology! Theyre not going to spend that much they will buy the cheapest version.

The major thing that weve been told from the very beginning by Highways England traffic officers who are in the know, is that they will not upgrade what is basically the internet cable going into and down the sides of the road, as obviously theres hundreds and hundreds of miles connecting each control centre. And its 20/30 years old in some places and cannot cope with the amount of data and information sent down it. So it crashes, or its not viewable, or its just not useable.

They are not maintaining anything either, none of the equipment. Jason and Alexs incident was the worst in recent times in this area.

Nothing is being learnt. It was a known black spot before Jason was killed in the most horrific manner possible. They are looking liable, and theyve got all this new talk. But they have never encountered anyone like us before. They are trying to look as though theyre cleaning up their act, but a quarter of the equipment is still not working two years later.

When it was announced that wed managed to get the police to investigate them for corporate manslaughter, Highways England wrote to the DCI [police Detective Chief Inspector] looking into corporate manslaughter charges and said you cannot investigate us for corporate manslaughter because we are a public body, because they are a government-owned department. But the problem is, in order to get their profit, they are registered at companies house as Highways England Limited. So, in the eyes of the law, they are a private limited company.

Theyve even said this at Jasons inquest, that we are a public body. But the coroner said youre Highways England Ltd. Their response was that is just a technicality, but the coroner, in the coroners court, said its not technical, you are a private company. They said this in front of journalists. So, before the police had even confirmed they were going to investigate, they [Highways England] wrote to them and gave them 15 different laws and precedents as to why they couldnt investigate them. But the police were told that wasnt correct, and they should still pursue.

The Smart Motorways Kill protest outside the Department of Transport (Credit: Simon Jacobs)

On the campaign ahead, Claire said, My phone has been constantly engaged. Good Morning Britain tried to get me back on their programme the same day. Richard Madeley said, Weve never seen this response before, we will come back to you on this probably in the new year. Well, I want smart motorways banned in the new year! If you get the right number of people that are prepared to make a little bit of effort it can make all the difference.

I get hundreds of emails a week saying I hate these smart motorways. Journalists have advised me to say things like I welcome the parliamentary report, but I will not say that!

The Smart Motorways Kill campaign can be reached at www.smartmotorwayskill.co.uk and on Facebook here and Twitter here. Donations in support of this vital campaign can be made here.
Dr Edward Morris, the UKs most senior gynaecologist, has warned of the immense pressures facing our maternity staff this winter if the situation continues as it is, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues unchallenged by the UK government.

Speaking to the Guardian, Dr Morris said, With the number of Covid-19 cases rising once more, the NHS [National Health Service] could soon be in a situation where it is unable to deliver the care it needs to or deal with the huge backlog that has already built up.

Many women and girls who are suffering with gynaecological conditions that are currently on extensive waiting lists with no end in sight, Dr Morris said.

Under conditions of rising Covid-19 cases, this dire situation could be worsened if the NHS followed the same procedure of redeploying maternity staff to other duties as it did in the first wave of the pandemicsomething Dr Morris urged NHS trusts and boards avoid at all costs.

Maternity units were already reaching crisis levels before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Much like the rest of the NHS, maternity units and services have been cut to the bone to make savings. Staff are being put under pressure to deliver care appointments and meet unachievable targets.

A petition started by midwife Cheryl Samuels calling for urgent government investment in maternity services to solve the staffing crisis has collected around 70,000 signatures.

The petition on change.org highlights the shortage of 2,000 full-time midwives estimated by the Royal College of Midwives, as a result of which maternity staff face unprecedented pressures due to the increased workloads.

The change.org petition started by midwife Cheryl Samuels

These are not new findings, the petition continues. The UK Whelm Study conducted by Cardiff University in 2018 had already exposed high levels of burnout and mental health illnesses suffered by midwives. This found that 67 percent of participants were experiencing work-related burnout, and more than one-third recorded scores indicating moderate to severe stress (36 percent), anxiety (38 percent) and depression (33 percent).

This is a message being repeated by maternity staff. One midwife speaking anonymously to the WSWS said:

Our sector has experienced under funding for years. Recently, an initiative called Continuity of carer was forced onto our understaffed unit. With unworkable hours, and no thought to staffs own lives. There has been no flexibility for childcare or for the care of elderly parents. Shift patterns leave no room or energy for a life. Community staff are working all day and are then being brought in at night with no choice to cover, not just home births, but badly staffed delivery units or birth centres with no consideration to the number of hours worked in a day.

Added to that staff are undervalued by management. There has been no attempt to retain experienced staff, who leave due to unworkable continuity of carer contracts or the toxic conditions we work in. Government-led initiatives such as continuity of carer, can leave the maternity unit dangerously low on staff and impacts on every area.

Community staff are treated like a sticking plaster to cover all the problems of the unit even though they are on half the level of safe staffing already.

That's the tip of the iceberg. Staff morale is terrible. Fabulous, skilled, core teams are pulled apart to spread each midwife across all areas of the service and during the initial pandemic, outside of our unit. Camaraderie and good will is the only thing left and its fading fast.

In early October, the Royal College of Midwives published an opinion piece on its website titled, How do we keep giving when theres nothing more to give?

Staffing is in a tragic state. Begging, borrowing and pleading for more staff, more help, more for tonights shift, cover for the weekend where were four short, where two just called in sick and only the newly qualified is rostered to cover the antenatal ward. Simply hiring more isnt possible. There just is not more of us. Were reducing the time we give to women, having to close facilities, reduce antenatal education, postnatal visits cut to a minimum and were having to send families on their way ASAP.

Its concluding paragraph is damning: Protecting and providing for maternity services in the NHS protects the whole countrys future.  Healthy, happy and supported mothers, babies and families is the ultimate goal for midwives and right now its not happening. The government is failing all of us.

Pressure group March with Midwives has called for protest vigils on November 21. Its manifesto states, 2021 has seen maternity services become critically unsafe for staff and users.

The maternity system is not just under pressure or even on its knees. It is utterly broken and not fit for purpose.

In a survey of its members, the Royal College of Midwives found that more than half (57 percent) said they were considering leaving in the next year. The most cited reasons given were concerns with staffing levels (80 percent) and dissatisfaction with the quality of care that could be provided (66 percent).

Statistics for July (the most recent available) show that 300 midwives had left the service since May, the fastest fall for these two months in any year recorded by the NHS over the last 20 years.

Nearly all (92 percent) of the midwives and maternity support workers responding said they did not feel their work was valued by the current government.

This is nothing new. A pledge made by David Camerons Conservative/Liberal Democrat government in 2010 to boost midwife numbers by 3,000 was quietly dropped the following year, and remains unfulfilled a decade later.

Since the financial crash of 2008 and the following decade of austerity under Labour and then Tory governments, the health unions have suppressed one struggle after another by health workers. Where they were unable to prevent strikes breaking out, such as by junior doctors in 2016, these were left isolated and eventually sold out.

NHS FightBack encourages midwives to join with other NHS workers in a united struggle against the privatisation of the NHS, for better staffing, pay and conditions through establishing independent rank-and-file committees to organise and lead the fight.

Contact NHS FightBack and link up with our Facebook page.
A New York Times editorial last week on the outcome of the 2021 midterm elections has affirmed the demands of the partys leadership for a rightward turn that will escalate its use of the politics of race and gender to silence any reference to the class struggle, the Trump coup of January 6, or to the massive social crisis brought on by the pandemic, and any left attempts to defund the police, as the WSWS has noted.

Mayor-elect Eric Adams (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

The Times might also have added that the election on Tuesday of Eric Adams as the next mayor of New York City exemplifies the sort of politician and the sort of policies that are necessary to deal with an increasingly angry and impoverished working class, particularly in Americas largest city. Adams, who will be the second African American mayor of New York, is openly hostile to the so-called left-wing of the party and, as a former police captain, devoted to maintaining and strengthening the police apparatus. Despite occasional social demagogy, he makes no secret of his goal to make life safe and profitable for the super-rich.

Adams, who started political life as a Republican, is a former state senator and current Brooklyn borough president. He won the Democratic primary in June over six other candidates. On Tuesday, as expected, he beat the Republican challenger, right-wing radio host and founder of the vigilante Guardian Angels, Curtis Sliwa.

Both the citys Democratic primary and the general election were conducted in an unreal atmosphere dominated by media-manufactured law-and-order hysteria and excluding almost all discussion of the issues raised by the pandemic: the low vaccination rate among the poorest New Yorkers, the rising infections among children who had been forced back into school buildings, increasing homelessness and an unemployment rate of over 8 percent. No candidate discussed the need to suppress the pandemic or even to take measures to adequately protect the population from the spread of the disease.

The conduct of the outgoing mayor, the onetime progressive Bill de Blasio, during the pandemic has been entirely dictated by the needs of big business: he has systematically opened schools and businesses and has sought to push workers back to their jobs while claiming that vaccination alone would protect them. De Blasio demonstrated that he was a pliant servant of Wall Street throughout his two terms in office, and, as a result, homelessness has skyrocketed, schools have become more crowded, and rents have soared.

But despite this, Wall Street has considered him in the aftermath of the disaster at the Rikers Island prison complex and his vacillations in the face of police murders such as that of Eric Garner in 2014, as well as his occasional use of the term inequality to describe social life in New York City, with a certain amount of suspicion.

What is significant in Eric Adams for the citys billionaires, and consequently for the Democratic Partys leadership in the aftermath of the debacle of November 3, is that he has made his orientation to the richest New Yorkers direct and open.

At a conference in September sponsored by the Skybridge investment firm, Adams told the audience, New York will no longer be anti-business, and added, This is going to be a place where we welcome business and not turn it into the dysfunctional city that we have been for so many years.

Adams presented a six-point plan that included tax incentives and building zoning changes to attract investment to the city. Praise for his plans came from Kathryn Wylde, the CEO of the Partnership for New York City, one of the citys key employer organizations, who remarked, That has not been typicalI wont say just of de Blasioits not been typical of public programs, they usually are siloed.

A linchpin in this plan is to use the police to suppress visible manifestations of the inequality that has become more apparent in New Yorks streets in the last 20 months, with masses of homeless people sleeping rough in central business locations such as Times Square and on the subway.

The Wall Street Journal also interviewed Adams in September while he was on a trip to Florida to woo back rich New Yorkers who had moved there during the pandemicthose who were, he told the Journal, Among the 65,000 New Yorkers who pay 51% of our income tax, adding, I dont blame them for leaving. New York has become too violent, too bureaucratic, too expensive to do business.

During the campaign, Adams raised nearly $8 million, traveling to high-end residential enclaves of the ultra-rich such as the Hamptons on Long Island and Marthas Vineyard in Massachusetts to fundraise. His donors include Laurie Tisch, the Loews Corporation heiress and her brother Steve Tisch, chairman of the New York Giants, as well as the real estate magnates of the Rudin family.

Both the Tisches and the Rudins played a central role in stabilizing the citys finances after near-bankruptcy in 1975 by forcing wide-ranging spending cuts with the help of the unions.

These ultra-rich families directed, especially with the help of Republican then-mayor Rudolf Giuliani, in the 1990s, but also with his Democratic predecessor David Dinkins, the remaking of Manhattan into an island of luxury housing and services for high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals. The recipients of this largesse, such as hedge fund managers like John Griffin of Blue Ridge Capital and Lee Ainslie of Maverick Ventures, also funded the Adams campaign.

Notably, Adams has cultivated a close relationship with the citys former mayor and multibillionaire, Michael Bloomberg, who has held fundraisers and rallied the citys ultra-wealthy elite behind Adams. The New York Times noted that one of Bloombergs top advisers and former deputy mayor, Howard Wolfson, met with David C. Banks, one of Adamss choices for schools chancellor.

Adamss schools policy will undoubtedly emulate Bloombergs, with massive support given to the privatization of education in the form of support for charter schools. He has said that he will not use the type of school as a definition of what system we want. It doesnt matter to me if its a private, religious, charter or district school.

Adams also met with the right-wing media kingpin Rupert Murdoch over dinner earlier this year. Murdochs tabloid rag, the New York Post was notably soft on Adams during the election campaign, even headlining his victory as bringing glamour and gravitas back to Gracie Mansion, the official mayoral residence. The article emphasized that Adams will be no Bill de Blasio, with his tale of two cities.

Adams has emphasized his opposition to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) wing of the Democratic Party. Misidentifying the faction, which includes Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamal Bowman, as anti-capitalist, he said in the summer on HBOs Real Time with Bill Maher: This is not a socialist country, lets be clear on that, and added, we see whats happening in America. We see the demonization of public safety, which I believe is the prerequisite to prosperity. We see the demonization of those who are high-income earners.

At a fundraiser in Queens around the same time he told the audience, Im no longer running against candidates. Im running against a movement. All across the country, the DSA socialists are mobilizing to stop Eric Adams. They realize that if Im successful, were going to start the process of regaining control of our cities.

By regaining control what Adams means is that he will oppose any attempt to defund or limit the powers of the police, a staple call of the DSA after the George Floyd protests of July 2020. Adams has called instead for an increase in police powers, including searches for guns at New Yorks Port Authority facilities which include the large transportation hub near Times Square.

He has also announced that he supports a return to an appropriate use of stop-and-frisk, which, under Michael Bloomberg violated the rights of over a million working class youth.

The ruling elite couldnt agree more. A colleague of Kathryn Wyldes from the right-wing Manhattan Institute, Jason L. Riley, remarked approvingly in the Wall Street Journal: [Adams] opposes reducing police resources and blaming cops for larger social problems that are outside their control. He has promised a return to proactive police tactics that have worked in the pastincluding the lawful use of stop-and-frisk.

It should come as no surprise that an openly pro-capitalist candidate like Adams has the wholehearted support of the trade unions, which are unshakably committed to defending big business from the working class.

The Hotel Trades Council, Service Employees International Union, Local 32BJ, whose membership is made up tens of thousands of building workers, including custodians and doormen, and AFSCME District Council 37, which has a membership of over 150,000 non-uniformed city workers, all endorsed him in March. The firefighters and Emergency Medical Technicians unions endorsed Adams as well. The president of 32BJ, Kyle Bragg and Rich Maroko, president of the Hotel Trades Council, are members of Adams mayoral transition team.

Adams, whose administration will be facing budget shortfalls of at least $5 billion from 2023 to 2025 has already called for a hiring freeze for city workers. The Adams administration will begin negotiations with many city unions next year.

Mayor Adams will be called upon to make the most vicious attacks on the working class. The city is over $100 billion in debt, and that can only be reduced by an attack on living standards, particularly those of city workers, and on the remaining social programs that serve the poorest New Yorkers. Already on Sunday, Adams announced that once he is mayor in January, he would rescind the mask mandate in New Yorks public schools, eliminating the one remining mitigation measure to protect students and educators.

These attacks, and the ongoing health crisis, poverty, homelessness, evictions, and overall decay of capitalism manifested in every facet of life in New York City, will spur massive conflicts between the working class and the incoming Democratic Party administration.
As the strike of roughly 500 workers at ArcelorMittal Tubular Products plant in Shelby, Ohio enters its second week, the United Steelworkers (USW) has responded by inviting economic nationalist Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown to the picket line.

The purpose of inviting Brown, a senior Ohio politician with close ties to both the USW and steel corporations, is an attempt to redirect workers angered over long hours and poor working conditions in a reactionary nationalist direction.

ArcellorMittal Tubular Products Shelcy, Ohio (ArcelorMittal media)

The strike began on Sunday, October 31 at midnight after representatives from ArcelorMittal gave their final offer and walked out of negotiations with USW Local 3057. Norm Shoemaker, USW Local 3057 president, told the Richland Source, Shelby ArcelorMittal walked away abruptly from the negotiating table, which we believe warrants an Unfair Labor Practice charge.

Officials from the USW have stated that the major sticking points in the contract include unpaid days off, health care and pensions.

Prior to the strike, it was common for workers at the plant to regularly work 56-hour weeks and report to work every day of the week. Union officials have told the press that they are currently asking the company to grant certain weekends off, particularly those of Thanksgiving weekend and Easter weekend, but only as unpaid holidays.

Shoemaker has asserted that the pension has only been addressed twice in the last 20 years, and that the yearly multiplier has dropped in that time from $75 to $54.

Workers at ArcelorMittal Tubular Products are also split by a three-tier health care plan, with newer hires having to pay larger premiums and deductibles.

Officials from the USW met with the companys negotiating team on Tuesday and Wednesday last week. Another meeting is planned for Monday, November 8, the same day that Brown is scheduled to address workers.

According to Shoemaker, the senator will likely start at the union hall before walking to the picket line.

Brown is a reactionary economic nationalist, frequently making statements promoting various Made in America campaigns and anti-Mexican and anti-Chinese chauvinism. As a result of his extreme nationalist and corporatist views, Brown has become the darling of both the union bureaucracies and industrial lobbying groups. He enjoys a particularly close relationship with the United Auto Workers (UAW), USW and major steel corporations.

Brown was deeply involved in the discussions with General Motors over the closure of its plant in Lordstown, Ohio. During the political debate, Brown and then-president Donald Trump came into open conflict over which right-wing nationalist agenda should be implemented to save jobs, all inevitably involving further concessions by workers.

Brown was particularly defensive over Trumps denunciation of UAW Local 1112 President David Green. While Trump openly called for more concessions from workers at Lordstown, Brown called Trumps comments disgraceful, but failed to explain why workers should trust a union, up to its armpits in collaboration with management, where officials were convicted of taking massive bribes from the auto companies. His alternative to Trump was to promote a massive taxpayer subsidy to the auto companies in the form of the American Cars, American Jobs Act.

As with all attempts to save American jobs through concessions and subsidies, the attempts to keep production at Lordstown largely failed. GM eventually sold the plant to Lordstown Motors, an electric vehicle manufacturer with an uncertain future.

In the case of the steel industry, Brown has developed an even closer relationship with the USW and the companies. In 2016, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), an association of the steel companies in North America, bestowed him with the 2015-2016 Congressional Steel Champion Award for his work in the Senate Steel Caucus.

In September, Brown toured Cleveland-Cliffs Toledo plant alongside officials from the company and the USW. The purpose of his tour was to promote the nationalist Build America Buy America Act and the Biden administrations infrastructure bill, and push the fraudulent narrative that high tariffs will guarantee high paying jobs for workers in the US.

The previous month, Brown issued a statement similarly hailing Cleveland-Cliffs and pushing the line that American steel was an imperative for national security. In his statement he claimed that Russia and China were circumventing U.S. trade laws by moving steel products through Canada and Mexico.

Last year Cleveland-Cliffs purchased the majority of the Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittals US assets for roughly $1.4 billion. The Shelby plant was one of only a handful of assets in America that ArcelorMittal kept.

On November 1, the first day of the strike, Brown spoke at a joint meeting of the AISI and Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) at which he hailed the American steel industry.

Given his record, it can be safely assumed that the senior lawmaker will address the striking workers with statements combining national chauvinism and a glorification of the infrastructure bill sponsored by the Biden administration, which is in fact billion-dollar handouts to the corporations.

The economic nationalism pushed by Brown and the USW is aimed at driving a wedge between American workers and their brothers and sisters overseas. The outpouring directed against foreign steel takes place amid an ongoing rebellion of US autoworkers and a wave of strikes internationally.\

Workers should take a warning from the rotten role played by the USW in isolating and strangling a powerful 106-day strike by 1,300 workers at Pittsburgh-based Allegheny Technologies earlier this year. After being starved on the picket line with less than $200 weekly strike pay workers were saddled with a concessions contract that sanctioned the elimination of hundreds of jobs.

The strike in Ohio coincides with an ongoing strike of roughly 10,000 workers at John Deere. On November 2, the majority of workers at the agricultural equipment manufacturer followed the advice of the Deere Workers Rank-and-File Committee and rejected the second sellout agreement proposed by the UAW and company.

The Shelby plant produces tubes and mandrels used by the automotive and farm machinery industry.

Over the last few years, ArcelorMittal plants have seen strikes involving thousands of workers. This year more than 150,000 steel and metal workers in South Africa participated in a four-week strike that effectively hobbled production at ArcelorMittals South African division. From early May to June, 2,500 ArcelorMittal workers in Canada were on strike until the USW was able to force through an agreement.

The promotion of national chauvinismwhether by Democrats, Republicans or union officialsis a diversion aimed at stoking animosity toward brother workers overseas while the union attempts to force through a sellout agreement. In order to carry out any struggle for decent benefits and working hours, workers throughout the steel and auto industries must build rank-and-file committees as a means of uniting their struggles nationally and globally. Workers can contact the World Socialist Web Site for assistance in building these committees.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrisons attendance at the recent G20 and COP26 summits in Europe was dominated by an escalating war of words with French officials, which threatened a major diplomatic rupture.

The immediate cause of the conflict is Australias cancellation of a $90 billion contract for France to construct a fleet of 12 diesel-powered attack submarines. The scuttling of the longstanding deal was publicly declared in September, as AUKUS, an aggressive military alliance of the US, Britain and Australia, aimed at preparing for war with China, was unveiled.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris in June. Photo: Rafael Yaghobzadeh/AP

As part of the pact, Australia has been given access to American military technology to facilitate its construction of nuclear-powered submarines. It is, however, highly likely that Canberra will simply buy the vessels off the shelf from the US or Britain.

While the financial loss resulting from Australias shelving of the French contract is undoubtedly a factor in the tensions, more broadly they reflect the far-reaching implications of the AUKUS agreement.

Declared without prior discussion with other NATO states, and explicitly directed against China, AUKUS has sidelined the European powers, which have their own ambitions in the Indo-Pacific, and have voiced concerns over the prospect of a full-scale US-led confrontation with Beijing. France, in particular, which still has colonial territories in the Pacific, considers itself a Pacific power.

Shortly after arriving in Rome for the G20 late last month, Morrison announced that he and Macron had held their first telephone conversation since AUKUS was signed. While the readouts of the discussion differed sharply on the French and Australian sides, Morrison described the call as the start of the way back to normalising relations. Initially, the French ambassador was recalled in protest over AUKUS and Macron refused to answer the Australian prime ministers calls.

Morrison then ostentatiously approached the French leader for a photo opportunity as the summit got underway, with the pictures then posted by his office.

The suggestion that the tensions had eased was immediately contradicted by Macron. Approached by the Australian media the next day, Macron declared that when we have respect, you have to be true and you have to behave in line and consistent with this value. Asked whether he thought Morrison had lied to him by failing to give prior notice that the French deal would be terminated, Macron said: I dont think, I know.

Morrisons problems then became worse when US President Joe Biden apologetically told Macron that the handling of the AUKUS announcement had been clumsy. I was under the impression that France had been informed long before that the [French] deal was not going through, Biden said.

The comments clearly implied that it was the Australian government that had misled France, with much of the Australian media reporting them as Biden throwing Morrison under the bus.

Whatever the precise details of the discussions leading up to the termination of the crisis-ridden French submarine deal, there is no question that the sudden announcement of AUKUS was intended to send a message, not only to China, but also nominal US allies. It was a declaration that under Washingtons leadership the US, Britain and Australia were ratcheting up the preparations for a major war to levels not seen in the past eight decades, and that they would act outside of the old NATO and other alliance relationships in the process.

Bidens comments were aimed at dampening down immediate tensions after France responded to the AUKUS announcement by also withdrawing its ambassador to the US amid official French denunciations of the unilateral, brutal, unpredictable decisions. Biden reportedly discussed the issue of China at length with Macron as both affirmed their commitment to NATO and their support for robust collaboration in the Indo-Pacific. At the same time, Macron told reporters after the meeting: Trust is like love: Declarations are good, but proof is better.

The seriousness of the tensions has been underscored by extraordinary leaking. The Australian media has been provided with a copy of a confidential report prepared by Bidens National Security Council in the lead-up to the AUKUS announcement indicating the US administration knew France would be blindsided by the initiative.

Text messages between Morrison and Macron purporting to show that Australia had given advance notice that the French contract could be terminated have also made their way to the media. In that case, government leaders have all but admitted to the leaking, asserting that it was necessary to refute Macrons claim that the Australian prime minister had lied.

Last Wednesday, the French ambassador to Australia, Jean-Pierre Thebault, delivered an address to the National Press Club in Canberra at which he described the abandonment of the previous submarine contract as a stab in the back and insisted that the deceit had been intentional.

Thebault pointed to the underlying source of the tensions, insisting that France would remain an Indo-Pacific power. He complained that the AUKUS announcement was in stark contrast with Australias alleged intent to seek greater involvement by European allies in the Indo-Pacific region.

The clash, still unresolved, has intensified a crisis of the Morrison government. It is faced with widespread popular opposition, as well as concerns within the ruling elite that it is not pressing ahead rapidly enough with imposing austerity measures in the interests of the major corporations, and accelerating Australias military build-up.

In the press, much of the focus has been on the immediate details of the row and the governments handling of them. The broader implications of AUKUS, as placing Australia on the frontlines of a potential global war, have largely been obscured.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne noted last week that the submarines were just one aspect of the new pact. In addition, it provides for expanded military collaboration across the board between Washington, London and Canberra, as well as expanded basing arrangements for the US in northern Australia and elsewhere in the country.

The turn to more expensive nuclear-powered submarines itself points to the preparations for conflict. The vessels have superior stealth, range, endurance and speed to their diesel-powered counterparts under conditions in which one of Australias central roles in a war with China would be to assist in dominating the waters of the Indo-Pacific.

The response of the Australians foreign editor Greg Sheridan to the diplomatic crisis with France was revealing. Having initially lambasted Bidens response as an undermining of the Australian government, he changed tack late last week.

Whatever problems had arisen, Sheridan insisted, the key issue was to press ahead. The Murdoch columnist, who has close ties to the military-intelligence apparatus, revealed that the Australian and US governments will within the next couple of weeks begin rolling out a series of announcements and initiatives under the rubric of the AUKUS deal to bring the agreement to life, and to demonstrate the work being donenow with some urgencyon the nuclear-propelled submarine project.

Dozens of full-time military operatives are working on the project in both countries, Sheridan reported. The completion of a review of the submarine project could be brought forward from 18 months to 9-12 months. The US could begin leasing nuclear-powered submarines within five to ten years.

Sheridan called for a campaign to continually explain the importance of AUKUS to the electorate. While he did not elaborate, this was a veiled reference to the need for the political and media establishment to overcome mass opposition to militarism and war among workers and young people.

For its part, the opposition Labor Party has responded to the diplomatic stoush with France by questioning Morrisons ability to advance the national interest on the international stage. Labor, as a pro-war party of big business and the banks, is pitching that it would be better placed to advance the interests of Australian imperialism, including its preparations for a US-led war with China.

Labor enthusiastically welcomed the announcement of AUKUS. Its federal leader, Anthony Albanese, last week bemoaned that the conflict with France may have created problems for our relationship with the United States.

The diplomatic rifts, which are a symptom of how advanced the moves towards war are, demonstrate the urgent need for the building of an international anti-war movement of the working class, directed against all of the governments plotting conflict, and the capitalist profit-system which is its root cause.
What is being hailed as a triumph for President Joe Bidens domestic agendathe House passage Friday night of the bipartisan infrastructure billin fact marks a further shift to the right by the Democratic Party, which is effectively ending any serious push for increased spending on domestic social programs.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi

The billa stripped-down version of Bidens initial $2.6 trillion infrastructure proposal, which allots only $550 billion in new money over 10 yearswas passed near midnight by a vote of 228 to 209. It marked the final capitulation of the House Progressive Caucus and Senator Bernie Sanders to the demands of right-wing Democrats such as senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, now openly backed by Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to pass the corporate-backed infrastructure bill and effectively ditch most or all of the broader social welfare and climate Build Back Better legislation.

Last spring, Biden bowed to Republican demands to separate his proposals for addressing Americas crumbling physical infrastructure from proposals to address the dire social crisis caused by decades of cuts in social programs and windfalls for the rich, which has been immensely exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Biden pledged that he would not sign an infrastructure bill, which he insisted had to be bipartisan, unless Congress also passed his social welfare and climate bill. That would require the votes of all 50 Democrats in the Senate in order to avoid a filibuster and secure passage by majority vote under the budget reconciliation procedure. From the start, it was clear there would be no Republican support in the Senate for even modest increases in social programs or tax increases on corporations and the rich.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the time aligned herself with the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Sanders. They accepted Bidens maneuver, based on the promise that the House would not act on an infrastructure bill until the Senate had passed the broader social spending measure.

Biden then appointed Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema, among the most right-wing Democrats, to head up a bipartisan group of senators to fashion the infrastructure measure. The compromise billwith less that 20 percent of the funding set out in Bidens initial proposalpassed the Senate in August with 19 Republican votes, including that of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The billsaid to be worth $1.2 trillion, but including only $550 billion in newly allocated funding, the rest coming from unspent pandemic relief moneywas enthusiastically backed by big business. The US Chamber of Commerce published a list of corporate organizations that supported the bill, including itself, the Business Roundtable, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Retail Federation and lobbying groups for the airlines, ports, trucking, rail and other sectors. Also on the list was the AFL-CIO and the building trades unions.

The corporate elite backed the bill because corporations stood to make a bundle from government contracts, subsidies and tax incentives, and because it was deemed essential to begin to address the infrastructure crisis in order to conduct economic and possibly military warfare against US capitalisms major rivals, first and foremost China.

At the same time, the oligarchy launched a massive lobbying campaign against the social welfare/climate bill, and mobilized its most open and reactionary stooges in the Democratic Party, such as Sinema and West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, to either block its passage in the Senate or strip the bill of any measures, such as increased tax rates for corporations and the wealthy and expanded social entitlements, that impinged on its profits and wealth.

Once the infrastructure bill had passed the Senate, Manchin, Sinema and right-wing Democrats in the House demanded that the two bills be decoupled. They insisted that the House pass the infrastructure bill and send it to Bidens desk to be signed into law, condemning the social spending bill to be totally gutted or blocked outright in the Senate.

This has now happened. In the meantime, Manchina multi-millionaire coal business ownerand Sinemaa former Green Party activist who traded in her Ralph Nader buttons for massive campaign bribes from Wall Street and far-right billionaires such as the De Vos familyhave taken turns demanding cuts in the social spending bill. Neither has even now committed themselves to vote for a stripped-down version, reduced from Sanders $6 trillion in the spring to $3.5 trillion in September and to $1.75 trillion (over 10 years) in its latest iteration.

All but six of the progressive Democrats joined 13 Republicans in ensuring passage of the infrastructure bill late Friday, following a hectic day of closed-door talks in Pelosis Capitol office and telephone calls from Biden to recalcitrant Democrats. That included a group of six right-wingers who refused to go along with the leaderships plan to vote on both bills on Friday so that the Democrats could say, dishonestly, that the promise to couple the two measures had been kept. They said they would not vote for the social spending bill until the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) had released its estimate on the costa process that could take weeks. That would delay or sink the infrastructure bill in the House, where the Democrats have a very thin majority.

The so-called progressives, including the SquadAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaibhad agreed to the deception. But when the leadership secured a deal for the right-wing group to pledge conditional support for the social spending bill, assuming the CBOs scoring of the bill aligned with that of the Biden administration, Pelosi agreed to delay action on Build Back Better until the week of November 15.

The White House and Pelosi then turned on the Progressive Caucus to demand that it stop procrastinating and vote for the infrastructure bill that evening. Representative Pramila Jayapal, the chair of the caucus, quickly fell into line as did all but the six members of the Squad. Significantly, Pelosi mobilized the Black Congressional Caucus to put the screws on Jayapal and her caucus, highlighting the right-wing, pro-corporate role of the direct beneficiaries of the Democrats promotion of racial and identity politics.

The dissent of the six Squad membersseveral of whom are affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of Americawas itself part of the sordid political maneuvering. As the New York Times reported: Still, Ms. Pressley waited to make sure the infrastructure bill had enough votes to pass before she voted against the measure.

The catalyst that brought the protracted process of whittling down Bidens progressive reform pretensions to their present state a remnant of a fig leaf , as the World Socialist Web Site put itwas the Democratic electoral debacle on November 2. The WSWS predicted the response of the Democratic Party would be a violent lurch further to the right. This has already been confirmed in the de facto ditching of the social welfare/climate bill.

Ten months after defeated ex-President Donald Trump unleashed a fascist mob on the Capitol to overturn the 2020 election and the US Constitution, Trump-backed Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated former Governor Terry McAuliffe in Virginia, a state that had voted for Biden by a margin of 10 points. The Republicans won all statewide races, taking over the posts of lieutenant governor and attorney general, as well as gaining control of the Virginia House of Delegates.

In the Democratic bastion of New Jersey, incumbent Phil Murphy barely scraped by to win a second term.

The response of the Democratic Party and the media was to blame the Democratic rout on the so-called progressives, who had supposedly pulled the party too far to the left in center-right America. The demand, echoing the position of the corporate-financial oligarchy, was that Biden and the party leadership demonstratively abandon any talk of social reform and get on with the business of reopening the economy in the midst of the raging pandemic and restore normalcy, i.e., use whatever means necessary to put down the growing rebellion in the working class, marked by a determined strike wave and rank-and-file rejection of union-backed sellout contracts.

This was spelled out in an editorial in the New York Times on Friday, which demanded that the Democrats do more to appease moderates and Republicans, and drop their social reform pretenses, including in the Build Back Better bill.

The claim that Biden had moved too far left is absurd. His administration has from the start sought to rehabilitate the Republican Party even as the Republicans continue to back Trump and his ongoing plot to overthrow the US Constitution. Biden has continued Trumps homicidal herd immunity policy on the pandemic, dropped any fight against the Republican assault on voting rights, abandoned police reform, stepped up attacks on immigrants on the border, and worked to cover up the scale of the January 6 coup attempt and the continuing threat to democratic rights.

At the same time, the Democratic Party has continued to promote racialist and identity politics, in an effort to divide the working class, and sought to prop up the trade union bureaucracy to suppress the growing rebellion of workers across the US.

As for the historic and transformational infrastructure bill, the average of $55 billion a year in new money is a fraction of the $760 billion for a single year allotted to the military in Bidens defense budget. The Federal Reserve is continuing to pump $105 billion every month into the financial markets, and that, combined with the trillions in corporate bailouts from the 2020 bipartisan CARES Act, has led to a record rise in the stock market, fueling an increase in US billionaires wealth of $1.8 trillion in the first 18 months of the pandemic.

The bill provides roughly $110 billion for roads and bridges, $66 billion for rail, and nearly $40 billion for transit. It includes $73 million to modernize the electricity grid, $65 billion to expand high-speed internet service, and $55 billion to upgrade the water system.

The utter inadequacy of these sums to seriously address the infrastructure crisisthe result of decades of neglect and funneling of resources to the corporate-financial oligarchyis shown by the latest estimate of the American Society of Civil Engineers, which says there is a $786 billion backlog for roads and bridges alone.
The following remarks were delivered by Socialist Equality Party (SEP) National Secretary Cheryl Crisp at an online SEP (Australia) public meeting on Sunday, October 31.

The meeting, which can be viewed in full here, outlined the relationship between anti-democratic electoral laws, aimed at deregistering minor parties, the homicidal and pro-business pandemic policies of the ruling elite and the deepening crisis of the capitalist system. Speakers explained that the electoral measures are an attempt to prevent mounting social opposition from finding political expression, and outlined the SEPs campaign to defeat them.

When it was announced on August 26 that the Australian parliament had passed the new electoral laws, which required that our party, along with 35 others without parliamentary representation, would have to provide treble the number of members to qualify for registration under the Electoral Act, we had to decide whether we would undertake to meet this requirement.

It was, after all, and not coincidentally, a demand made by the government under conditions of lockdowns in New South Wales (NSW), Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory, with infections soaring to levels not seen in the course of the past almost two years, making it both illegal and dangerous for our members to campaign and visit contactsa consideration that was not lost on the forces who passed the bill, or the Australian Electoral Commission.

Our party, however, decided that we would undertake this campaign. Certainly we are fighting to increase our electoral membership and for the repeal of the anti-democratic laws, but we harbour no illusion or faith in parliamentary democracy. It is one, but only one, of the forms of class rule. There are others and they are being brought forward most sharply in the US, where fascist forces were incited and organised by Trump and his followers to overturn the 2020 election and establish a fascist form of rule in America. It would be a false conception to think it couldnt happen here. But the outcome of that process will be determined in struggle.

That struggle itself is bound up with the intersection of the Trotskyist movement and the growing struggles of the working class, of which this campaign is a part. The SEP has a broader perspectivethe campaign for our electoral members is part of the fight for the independent mobilisation of the working class, and for the break from the confines of parliamentary democracy and the organisations which perpetuate it.

The fact that the growing opposition to the perspective of these governments, Liberal and Labor, exists within the population and the working class threatens the very functioning of these mechanisms of rule and is of profound objective significance.

Our decision has been proven correct and the SEP stands alone in the campaign to defeat these laws.

Within less than two months of the passage of these electoral laws, the Morrison government is now implementing legislation demanding that voter ID is mandatory in order to vote. The purported reason is voter fraud. There is not one shred of evidence, let alone proof, that voter fraud exists. This is again an attempt to prevent predominately working-class people, the elderly and the poor from voting.

Australia was one of the few countries which, immediately the pandemic hit, all but shelved parliament. The government ruled through the National Cabinet, an unelected body which could not be scrutinised because all its deliberations are secret. It is not subject to Freedom of Information applications. It is, in fact, an extra-parliamentary form of rule that is dominated by Labor state and territory governments.

Parliament has rubber-stamped the National Cabinet roadmap out of COVID-19 by implementing the let it rip policy so associated with the Johnson government in the UK, Bolsonaro in Brazil and Trump in the US, continued by Biden.

All the states, for varying periods of time, were able to eliminate the virus via public health measures of lockdowns, social distancing, masks, contact tracing and quarantining. This has, within a matter of weeks, been entirely dispensed with, spearheaded by the NSW Liberal government, but taken up and advanced by the Victorian Andrews Labor government, then the Queensland Labor government and now the South Australian government.

The reckless and dangerous policy of lifting all restrictions, opening up everything, including schools, is now resulting in the spread of the virus, most sharply in Victoria, but this will inevitably spread throughout the country. The outcome of this policy is both predictable and terrible. This has and will continue to lead to unnecessary infections and deaths and the suffering of thousands of people with long-COVID. No political party in parliament has opposed this.

Where this policy has been implemented, a human catastrophe has resulted, whether it is the UK, the US or elsewhere. Since Britains so-called Freedom Day on July 19, there have been more than 11,000 deaths. In the 101 days since Freedom Day, 3.4 million people have been infected with the virus, bringing the total to almost 9 million people. It estimated that one in every 55 people in England has had COVID, up from one in 60 people two weeks ago. This is the future for all countries that adopt this policy.

Scientists, the working class and the fight for the elimination of COVID-19

Crises test all political parties and this one is no different. There is only one political party that has fought for a policy of elimination of the virus, based on science and the interests of society as a whole. That is the International Committee of the Fourth International and its partiesthe Socialist Equality Parties. Every other party has either opposed this or accommodated to variations of herd immunity.

An online event that was held a week ago, the clip of which we have viewed, is one of immense significance. Let us remember that this pandemic is the greatest health, social and political crisis confronting mankind since World War II. Almost 250 million people have been infected and 5 million are dead, and these are wildly understated figures.

Yet not one other political organisation, not one institution, think tank or government, has held a discussion with ordinary people to explain what this virus is, how it developed, how it transmits and how it can be stopped. Not one.

The International Committee and the World Socialist Web Site held the online webinar, which brought together scientists who have since the outbreak of the pandemic fought for an elimination program in defence of the lives of millions.

They appeared on the platform with workers who also have fought in defence of the lives of children, bus drivers, teachers, students and workers. Without this informationverifiable, scientific and truthfulworkers are unable to effectively mobilise to end this crisis. Such information is suppressed by the media, television and the trade unions.

But the point which David North raised in chairing the event is that science cannot end the pandemic alone. It requires a social force for the scientists to align with that can undertake this task, and that is the working class. The online discussion established categorically that the pandemic can and must be ended. The measures not only exist to end the pandemic, but it has been demonstrated in New Zealand and China, even prior to vaccines, that it was possible.

North said it is not the characteristics of the virus that enabled it to spread unchecked through the world. Rather, the virus was working in a definite social and economic environment where decisions were made not to take the necessary measures.

The decision in New Zealand and Australia to dispense with the necessary measures to stop the spread of the virus took place not because they were not effective but precisely because they were. Enormous pressure is now being exerted on China to cease its elimination strategy and, as the media crowed after the Ardern government did just that, to join the rest of the world.

The priority is production and profit. When there is even one country in the world which disproves the mantra that one has to live with the virus then it undermines that approach. The ruling classes dont care about the infections; they dont care about the deaths. What they care about is the accumulation of wealth and riches, and if mass deaths are the price which must be paid by millions of people, then so be it.

The virus cannot be eliminated without a global strategy. In their different ways and their differing experiences, the scientists outlined that. That is something which is hidden from the worlds population.

The working class needs truth and information

Truth and information are revolutionary issues. The treatment of Julian Assange proves that. His unpardonable crime, a crime for which US imperialism, the British state and the Australian government would happily see him pay for with his life, was to provide information to millions of people about the war crimes of all these governments. So those governments that have carried out these crimes against humanity are the same that are planning to extradite him to a 175-year life sentence in the US, or to assassinate him.

Assange is certainly not the first political prisoner to be jailed by imperialism. The most famous were Sacco and Vanzettitwo Italian-born American anarchist workers framed for murder in the US and condemned to death in 1920. This conviction led to the mobilisation of millions of workers throughout the world, including in Australia and New Zealand, in defence of these workers.

Bartolomeo Vanzetti (left) and Nicola Sacco

But no such mass movement has taken place in defence of Assange. Why? The central reason is the role of identity politics and the promotion of the now entirely discredited and disproven allegations of sexual assault levelled against him by Swedish authorities.

In particular, the pseudo-lefts seized on spurious and untested allegations as unchallengeable facts, demanding that Assange return to Sweden to answer themallegations which never became chargeswhere he would have been extradited to the US for trial.

Now that he is in the hands of the British state, these organisations say they oppose his extradition, but they all but placed him in these hands by ensuring he was vilified and separated from the mass of people, particularly young people, who supported him.

The role of the pseudo-lefts has been the same regarding the pandemic and the electoral laws.

Until the past few weeks, if one were to read the pages of Red Flag, Green Left Weekly, Jacobin and others you would be forgiven for thinking there was no pandemic, no health crisis and no attack on democratic rightsand certainly no electoral laws.

Socialist Alternative, in its belated articles on COVID-19, presented it from an utterly nationalist standpoint. In the course of these articles not one politician, political party, union or union leader or even a government is named, let alone indicted for the policies they have enacted.

These are not just errors or omissions but a political perspective. That is to block any independent opposition from workers to the program of the ruling class and the political parties which represent it. These are the same organisations who promoted Victorian Labor Premier Daniel Andrews as an alternative to the Liberal governments of Berejiklian and Morrison. Andrews now leads the pack in opening up and eliminating all restrictions.

Referring to the electoral laws, Socialist Alliance, on September 2, wrote its first and only article on their passing. They used the article, in part, to assert their bona fides as the longest registered socialist party, therefore staking their claim on the name socialist. Neither they nor any of these organisations have conducted any form of campaign at all against these laws.

It required a formal letter from the SEP to Socialist Alliance on September 24 to obtain a statement that they would not use that veto on the use of the name socialist.

We dont raise our role as the only organisation that fights for elimination, that fights in defence of democratic rights, that fights for the education of the working class and that fights for workers and for the unification of the working class on an international basis as a boast. It is the case. What other organisation does?

The party which fights for life over profit, for science over ignorance, for society over the individual is the party which turns to and fights for the mobilisation of the working class on a socialist program.

The growing global class struggle

Between our first scientists webinar on August 22 and that of October 24 the most important change which occurred was the upsurge of struggles in the working class.

Mass struggles are taking place throughout many countries but particularly in the US. These struggles are characterised by workers opposition to the role of the unions.

The fear within the Democratic Party and ruling circles is that the indispensible role that the unions have played in suppressing the struggles of workers and acting as the policeman for the companies is starting to break up.

This is the outcome of the treacherous role the unions have played in the course of the pandemic, forcing workers into unsafe workplaces, teachers and children into unsafe schools, healthcare workers into unsafe and unprotected hospitals. It is also the result of the past 40 years of deteriorating wages and conditions at the hands of the unions and companies.

The opposition of workers to the unions, while entirely progressive, justified and necessary, must be driven and developed by an alternative political perspective. The working class requires a leadership, and one with a program, organisation and orientationa socialist perspective that fights to educate and clarify, and for workers to take matters into their own hands.

This means developing independent organisationsrank-and-file committeesindependent of the unions, of the Labor Party, of the Democratic Partywhere workers are able to speak to each other, collaborate with their international comrades, and share information, experiences and lessons. That leadership is the International Committee of the Fourth International and the SEP.

It is for that reason that we are fighting against these laws and to win the new electoral members necessary to register. The Australian Electoral Commission is ensuring that this is as difficult as possible. After it invited registered parties to apply for an extension with reasons, we submitted one based on the entirely justifiable protection of our members and contacts from the virus, not to speak of the illegality of campaigning under lockdown for electoral members. This application was summarily rejected, with the commission saying the electoral laws declared that applications for reregistration had to be submitted by December 2.

So we have one month to go. We have little time. We appeal to all of you who are not electoral members to sign up to our party, and to seriously consider joining the SEP as a full member to fight to end the pandemic and for a society which bases itself on the interests of society as a whole, of life over profit, against the drive to warthat is a socialist society.
The Committee for Public Education (CFPE) invites educators, students, parents and working people in Australia and internationally to participate in an online meeting on Saturday, November 13 at 4.00 p.m. (AEDT), to discuss the urgent need to build a movement opposing the reopening of the school system amid widespread COVID-19 community transmission.

Elementary school students in Texas late last year. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

There is no scientific basis whatsoever for the rushed return to face-to-face teaching. Like its international counterparts, the ruling elite in Australia is acting not according to medical science but in the interests of profit. Schools must be open and unvaccinated children brought back into classrooms so their parents can be herded into workplaces. This is necessary for the economic reopening, with corporations given free rein to maximise profits without regard for health and safety.

Australias political establishment insists that children and young people are not at significant risk from COVID-19. This is a blatant lie. There is now a clear body of scientific evidence on the substantial risks posed to children and young people by the disease, including long-term neurological and respiratory effects.

Both science and international experience shows that schools have acted as vectors for the virus. In the UK more than 108 children have died of COVID and thousands are suffering from long COVID. In the US over 2.1 million children have been infected in the last three months with more than 230 child fatalities.

In the past five weeks in Australia over 200 schools have closed in New South Wales and more than 400 in Victoria. Schools in regional centres account for a growing number of school clusters and positive cases among children and staff. Already in Victoria 13 percent of all infections are among children under 9-years with 28 percent of those who catch the virus aged under 19.

In response, authorities are lifting the most basic health measures, with infections to see only specific classrooms asked to isolate, instead of whole schools and new guidelines about what constitutes a close contact. Not only has a scientifically-based strategy of eliminating the virus been dismissed, but many elementary mitigation measures are being junked as part of the new let it rip agenda.

Throughout the pandemic, the teacher unions, including the New South Wales Teachers Federation (NSWTF) and the Australian Education Union (AEU), have functioned as mouthpieces of the political establishment, relaying official health guidelines while working to block any independent action by educators and school workers in defence of their health and safety.

Educators and students need to take matters into their own hands by forming rank-and-file safety committees in every school, independent of the unions, to organise resistance and defend the lives of staff and pupils, including the right to fully-resourced online learning.

The CFPE has played the leading role in the fight for the formation of these committees in Australia, drawing on the critically important experiences of educators in North America, Europe, and Asia who have likewise organised independently of their trade unions.

The CFPE online meeting will review these experiences and outline our perspective for mobilising a unified struggle of school workers, students and working people, on an internationalist and socialist program.

Register in advance and promote the meeting among educators, students, colleagues and friends!
The World Socialist Web Site received a message of support for the 10,000 striking Deere workers from a worker at the companys Reman (remanufacturing) facility in Springfield, Missouri. The plant remanufactures engines, hydraulics, electronics and other parts and is not covered by the same contract as the other work locations on strike.

Earlier this year, Deere announced plans to close its only other remanufacturing plant, near Edmonton in Alberta, Canada, eliminating nearly 200 positions. The company has attacked jobs globally and carried out successive waves of layoffs in recent years, including both hourly and salaried workers.

John Deere workers on strike (UAW Local 838)

The United Auto Workers has continued to keep striking workers in the US in the dark over its ongoing talks with the company in recent days. The UAW has issued no statements since the perfunctory three-sentence press release last Tuesday after workers rejected a second contract backed by the union. In that statement, the UAW said it would be discussing next steps with the companynot workers.

Deere reacted to the defeat of the deal by declaring this was its last, best and final offer and that it was moving to the next phase of its continuity, i.e., strikebreaking, plans. Since then, the company has gone on a media offensive to promote its supposed groundbreaking offer, which fails to meet workers demands to recoup more than 25 years of wage and benefit concessions the UAW has handed to Deere.

In addition to voicing his strong support for the striking Deere workers, the worker at the Reman facility also pointed to the similarity of the problems workers confront at his workplace, including long hours, burnout, understaffing, and stagnating pay.

**

For my brothers and sisters up north, I would like for them to know that I 125 percent support everything that they are doing! Someone is finally taking a stand against this (John Deere) corrupt corporation and the demonic union that works right alongside them!

I am a part of one of the only facilities that is a part of the John Deere network that isnt represented by the UAW. The conditions in which we work are below subpar. Just like a previous article written by WSWS, this pandemic has shown the workers that we arent essential but expendable instead.

While I am ignorant of what goes on in other Deere facilities, I know that during the pandemic, many of us had to perform the duties of multiple people, working long hours, and receiving the same pay.

While I am on the subject of pay, management in Reman is always trying to get us to go above and beyond our normal work duties to help the company become more profitable. While from a financial standpoint that makes sense, in reality its completely absurd. I say this because whenever we get our end-of-year reviews, we do not receive any sort of performance raise for going beyond what is asked.

Our bonuses are fixed. Our wage increases are pre-determined for the wage side, while the salary side receives performance-based raises and receives extra paid time off for sickness. But we have to use what is called personal compelling time, which is held against while the [Human Resources] employees claim that it is not.

The vast majority of us are burnt out. We dont have the option to STRIKE with our brothers and sisters across the country. We get worked like dogs week in and week out without any sort of compensation for giving up our family time, while they preach that family is important.

Our HR team has had countless meetings to discuss why a lot of employees are leaving. The answer is right in their faces, but they REFUSE to accept the truth.

We were told that they were going to hire 130 new employees following the transition of business from our Canada plant being shut down and moved down here. In an all-employee meeting two months ago, we were told they had over 700 applicants but only chose to hire 70, or 10 percent. Right around the same time, 42 employees had left the company due to poor management. So they only gained 28 employees.

This was a slap in the face to ALL of us. That told us that we better prepare to start giving up more of our time because of the turnovers we were experiencing.

I could keep going on about how bad it is here, but I feel that what I have said is enough.

Its time the employees that helped Deere achieve its $6 billion in profits get what they deserve, and not what the union and Deere decided behind closed doors! Its time the employees get their voices heard!

**

Deere workers: Take the next step by getting involved with the Deere Rank-and-File Committee. Find out more by emailing deerewrfc@gmail.com or texting (484) 514-9797.
There is widespread concern and anger among Australian high school students, over a full resumption of in-person teaching in the most-populous states of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria, where the virus is circulating widely. This term alone, the Delta variant has been detected in at least 469 Victorian schools, where education accounts for the highest number of active cases by sector, and 229 in NSW.

Students sitting the HSC in 2019 (Credit: ABC News)

A key driver in the spread has been the return of year 12 students, the first cohort to have gone back in both states. The respective Labor and Liberal-National state governments of Victoria and NSW rejected calls from students for the final exams to be postponed or cancelled, due to the dangers and the immense disruption to their learning caused by the pandemic.

In Victoria, final exams began last month, with even students identified as primary contacts of COVID-positive cases, forced to sit the tests. In NSW, the Higher School Certificate examinations begin tomorrow, a postponement of only several weeks compared with the initial schedule.

The insistence that the exams must proceed has been used as a battering ram, to force hundreds of thousands of other students and teachers into the classrooms. The policy is central to the broader pro-business reopening of the economy and lifting of lockdown measures, and is aimed at forcing parents into the factories and workplaces en masse.

Last week, an anonymous high school student in NSW issued a powerful open letter to the state government and education authorities, condemning the lack of support for year 12 pupils and the rush to proceed with the exams, whatever the impact on students. The International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) has publicised the important statement, and discussed the issues that it raises, with numbers of students (see: Open letter exposes difficult conditions imposed on final year Australian high school students amid pandemic).

Layla, a year 12 student in Sydney, said she did not agree with the exams proceeding. They have tried to minimise the risk by enforcing that we wear a face mask. But I think its unnecessary and putting 100 students or more in a hall sitting an exam for 3 hours is definitely dangerous in this case, she stated.

Layla

Asked about the impact of the pandemic and the exams on students, Layla said that she had a terrible experience this year in terms of mental health. She agreed with every word of the open letter published by the anonymous student.

The education authorities, including the Board of Education, the New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA), which oversees exams and marking, and the state government had definitely not done enough to support the Year 12 cohort this year. What we faced was tough and the lack of support definitely demotivated a lot of students. I think that the HSC being cancelled should have been taken under consideration, she said.

The unpredictable experiences that occurred, especially in the three months of online learning right before trial exams, mean it is ridiculous. I wouldnt be surprised if this years ATAR [university entry] scores are relatively low. I found it hard to get myself back up as the board of education did not give enough reason to want to succeed in the HSC. Pushing the exams back and changing the date of the ATAR release also played a role in demotivating students as most early offers [for university admission] had already come out, Layla added.

Layla agreed with the anonymous letters emphasis on social inequality. I think the point about the inequities faced by students without access to technology, whether they have a low socioeconomic status or live in rural areas, was excellent as it was not addressed by the people who make final decisions regarding our education, she said.

Another student told the IYSSE that while she was pleased to be going back to school, because of the difficulties of online learning, she was concerned about the safety implications.

Being fully vaxxed doesnt prevent COVID from hitting you, but I think it can help you not die, the student noted, and added, COVID is able to spread faster because of the schools reopening, as well as recreational centres like swimming pools and libraries, places where different children and young people interact.

The student, who lives in one of the working-class local government areas (LGAs) of Sydney that was an epicentre of the outbreak explained some of the difficulties young people faced during the limited lockdown:

I have a casual job and my shifts were from 68 hours a week, but during the outbreak they went down to three hours. The whole business was impacted, even though it is nationwide, because it is in hospitality. It was scary to go to work as I had to catch public transport sometimes.

For school, weve been doing online learning over Zoom but it is difficult to learn as the teacher is not physically in front of you to assist and answer questions. Those who dont have access to technology and Wi-Fi will struggle during online learning which significantly affects their grades and mental well-being. I havent been able to see my extended family much either, she said.

Giorgia, another year 12 student in a Sydney LGA that was placed under harsher restrictions due to high cases, said she really agreed with the anonymous letter-writer and the point he made about lack of support from NESA, as well as individual schools during this pandemic. Its been very challenging, especially when the HSC has been pushed back, to keep staying motivated and studying with no support. It just feels like people in power acknowledge how tough this has been for year 12 but dont actually do anything about it to help.

Giorgia continued: The mixed messages were very stressful and confusing. We didnt know when the HSC was going to be held or if it was going to be cancelled, averaged, or even having modified exams. On top of this the same thing occurred for trials and every school did a different thing which was very unfair.

For example, some schools got averages, some schools had open-book modified exams, etc. And also because of trials being held differently at all schools, we have never actually had the chance to have a real practice for how HSC will be. It was also very demotivating because many people had made study plans for the original date, and all of that had to be changed as it was pushed back.

Asked about the dangers of the virus to young people, Giorgia replied: I do think that is a risk. In the context of school, two of my friends, who are both at different schools, have already had COVID outbreaks at their schools just from being back for two weeks. The thing is that people might say that we have better immunity against COVID, but if we catch COVID it is not just us who suffers, but our whole family. Many people live with their grandparents, or have family members who have weak or compromised immune systems.

Giorgia said she very much agreed that the school reopening was motivated by a push to end lockdowns and force parents back to workplaces.

Sending kids back to school wasnt for the kids benefit and to help them get back to normal learning, but rather for the economy. I feel like the government has rushed getting everyone back just so that they can say that learning wasnt interrupted too severely. I feel theres unnecessary competition between states for who can open up the quickest. I feel thats why theyve done it in NSW, she said.

In an extended written response to questions from the IYSSE, another student explained: I have mixed feelings about the HSC being cancelled. On the one hand, it is something seniors build themselves up to for so long... looking forward to placing their pen down and leaving the exam room for the final time. A point in life where they can say theyve completed something big and feel a sense of achievement, regardless of how they may have gone under the exam conditions. Without being given the ability to experience that, disappointment may rise within students as some may be looking at the final exams as a chance to redeem themselves.

I know for a period of time, I was one of those students. Now, I couldnt care less about doing the HSC. When things got really rough with COVID and external circumstances, I lost all motivation for the HSC. I can strongly say that I was once a high achiever, a pure academic! I skipped parties, dances, movies, sleepovers. You name it, I skipped it, TO STUDY. I look back now and Im like wow, how stupid of me? All that time I WASTED, stressing, crying, being disappointed in myself time and time again. ONLY for my senior years to finish like this anyway.

From the very beginning I have hated the way school is operated. Its not even about LEARNING anymore. Its about who can competitively handle the most under pressure, who can REMEMBER the most when put under stressed conditions.

All marks should be based on the individual, not the rest of the class nor the year/cohort. Students should be excited to go to school, not slug themselves around to get through the door. School should be ENERGISING, and mentally stimulating- NOT draining. They throw hoops at us and expect us to just keep jumping through them- and inflict disappointment on ourselves when we cant jump as high as they want us to.

School is hard enough without the bushfires, COVID and personal problems each student faces here in Australia. The lack of support from those in power is preposterous. So many students have been killing themselves for a decade over the HSC exams. Were molded to believe that high school is the be-all-end-all.

Its not until we start mentally, AND physically deteriorating that students are told its okay, as long as you do your BEST. There are other pathways. The system has to CHANGE. Do they want us to learn? Or do they want us to be mindless robots as it was described in the anonymous letter?

Its all so ridiculous. We can learn to be formal, committed, resilient, engaged, drivenwithout all these pressures over our heads. Its alright for them to dish out all the work and standardsbut were the ones who have to meet them without wanting to dig a hole and bury ourselves in it.

Ive thought about asking the HSC cohort of Australia to take a stand, or the opposite, join together in unity to present a sit in. The students could sit at their exam tables and not write anything. When time is up, we could all walk out. They have nothing to assess us on then and can no longer compare us. If everyone did so at the first English exam, it would surely shake the country. Perhaps we need to sit in silence for our voices to be finally heard? the student concluded.

The Committee for Public Education, a group of rank-and-file teachers and school staff, is holding an online meeting for educators, parents, students and workers on Saturday, November 13 at 4pm (AEDT).The IYSSE encourages students and young people to participate in the event, entitledOppose the dangerous opening of schools in Australia! Form rank-and-file action safety committees! Register here.
Leading Left Party politician Sahra Wagenknecht has emerged as the most prominent mouthpiece for vaccination opponents in Germany. This was made patently clear to the broad public during her appearance on the ARD talk show Anne Will on October 31.

Wagenknechts Wochenschau (Screenshot)

Wagenknecht boasted that she had not been vaccinated and would not allow herself to be vaccinated. Vaccination is an individual decision, she declared. It was wrong to claim that vaccination was an act of solidarity with others. Those who get vaccinated are protecting themselves first and foremost, she remarked.

She condemned protective measures against the virus ordered by the government as an attack on individual freedom. Since everyone could get vaccinated and thus protect themselves, she said, protective measures on the part of the state were no longer necessary.

Wagenknecht had to admit though that vaccinated people can infect others, but used this as an argument against protective measures. She rejected the existing 2G and 3G rules, which only allow fully vaccinated, recovered and tested people access to certain buildings and events, on the grounds that the issue was who is infecting whom.

Wagenknecht justified her own refusal to be vaccinated by citing possible side effects and long-term consequences, for which, as the SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach emphasised in the programme, there is no scientific evidence whatsoever. The new vaccines had now been inoculated half a billion times, Lauterbach said, If there had been side effects, we would have noticed it.

Wagenknecht and her husband Oskar Lafontaine have been agitating against COVID-19 vaccinations for some time. Left Party founder and veteran Lafontaine, who is 78, belongs to the group of those at high risk, and has been vaccinated. That has not prevented him, however, from agitating against advocates of vaccination.

In August, for example, he called Lauterbach, a doctor of medicine and epidemiologist who advocates limited protective measures, a Covidiot who is arm in arm with the pharmaceutical industry. Lafontaine also described the vaccination of children as irresponsible, declaring there was no convincing argument in favour, but several against.

At the end of October Wagenknecht had already ranted and raved against pandemic protection measures in her weekly video podcast. Her vicious tirade would have earned the praise of all those right wingers who militantly oppose all effective measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.

She described the decision of the Social Democrats, Greens and Free Democrats, who are preparing to form the next federal government, to end the epidemic emergency measures as good news, while expressing her outrage that certain protective measures will be retained during a transitional phase. She mentioned face-mask requirements and 2G and 3G regulations, which she called complete nonsense.

Although rates of infection in Germany are soaring, Wagenknecht swept aside all scientific evidence to claim that if everyone has the opportunity to be vaccinated, no one must be protected from the unvaccinated. Everyone is responsible for himself, she said. Freedom is when everyone has the right to harm himself. The same was true for the consumption of cigarettes and alcohol.

Wagenknecht also praised the Freedom Day declared by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on July 19. She said it had worked, resulting in fewer hospital admissions despite high incidences. In reality, 11,620 Britons have died from COVID-19 since that day. An additional 3.4 million have become infected, bringing the total number of deaths to over 165,000 and the number of infected to over 9 million. The virus is spreading explosively in British schools in particular, with one in 12 secondary and one in 33 primary school pupils infected (all figures from November 5).

Notwithstanding this devastating record, Wagenknecht assumed the role of advocate for all vaccination deniers, as if they represented a persecuted and oppressed minority. They were being pressured, blackmailed and ostracised for lacking solidarity, she claimed. There are no limits to the totalitarian fantasies. The unvaccinated are being treated like prison inmates on day release, she scolded, referring to Austria, where the government is considering a lockdown on those refusing vaccination.

The stance adopted by Wagenknecht and Lafontaine is antisocial and politically criminal. Put into practice, their proposals would cost millions more livesin addition to the between 5 to 15 million who have already fallen victim to the pandemic worldwide. In particular it is workers and the poor, who unlike the rich and super-rich can hardly protect themselves, who would be most affected.

Wagenknechts claim that vaccination is an individual decision and not a question of solidarity recalls former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatchers notorious statement that there is no such thing as society, only individual men and women.

The pandemic is not an individual problem, it is a social problem. The transmission of the virus and resulting mass infections can only be stopped by a united, international social response. Unlike smoking and alcohol consumption, the virus, which spreads from person to person via aerosols, cannot be contained on the basis of individual abstinence, but only by social protective measures.

With their campaign against such protective measures, Wagenknecht and Lafontaine are aligning themselves with fascist figures like Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro and the far-right elements who set the tone at the demonstrations against lockdown measures. All of these forces portray their opposition to vaccination and protection in a populist manner as a fight for freedom, when in reality they are sacrificing the lives of millions of people on the altar of profits for the financial oligarchy.

In its most pronounced form, they represent a policy adopted by almost all capitalist governments under slogans such as learning to live with the virus and the new normal. This new normal is not measured in terms of saving human lives, but solely in terms of profit factors. Death and severe disease are tabulated against workdays lost, business closures, and school-absenteeism rates, as the management consulting firm McKinsey most recently did.

This is not the first time that Wagenknecht and Lafontaine have assumed positions associated with the far right. With regard to refugee policy, they have both pursued a course for some time that hardly differs from that of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). This spring Wagenknecht published her new book The Self-Righteous, in which she advocates a volkisch-nationalist ideology, rages against cosmopolitanism and open-mindedness, promotes protectionism and a strong state and denounces migrants and refugees. We reviewed the book on the WSWS.

Leading representatives of the Left Party have tried to distance themselves from Wagenknechts recent remarks on the pandemic, but the fact that such far-right nostrums are permitted in the Left Party raises fundamental questions that cannot be settled by merely seeking to distance oneself from the source.

Any type of healthy political organisation would immediately repel such right-wing elements. Not so the Left Party. Wagenknecht was elected leading candidate by the North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) state organization, the biggest in the Left Party, for the federal election held in September when her nationalist diatribe The Self-Righteous was already on the market. During the election campaign she repeatedly appeared alongside other leading Left Party representatives.

The NRW state arbitration commission recently rejected an application for Wagenknechts expulsion arguing that her policy proposals would warrant her expulsion, but that the political damage done was not solely her fault: Responsibility lies equally with the party, which for many years has not politically resolved the increasingly fiercely fought conflict over the views of the respondent.

The party has failed to resolve the conflict with Wagenknecht because it supports her course in practice. The state of Thuringia, for examplethe only federal state with a Left Party premierhas consistently played a pioneering role in dismantling coronavirus protection measures. Currently it has the highest seven-day incidence of all federal states, at 355 per 100,000. With 7.4 percent of all inhabitants infected with SARS-CoV-2 it has the second highest rate behind the state of Saxony. Thuringia also leads nationwide when it comes to the deportation of refugees.

Since the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) was founded 32 years ago, the Socialist Equality Party and its predecessor insisted that, as successor organisation to the Stalinist ruling Socialist Unity Party (SED) of East Germany, the PDS was a bourgeois organisation and we refused to collaborate with it. The formation of the Left Party through a merger of the PDS with breakaway Social Democrats led by former SPD leader Oskar Lafontaine did nothing to change the political nature of the organisation. On the contrary, Lafontaine always saw the task of the SPD and then the Left Party as the suppression of class struggle.

The role of depicting the Left Party as left-wing, socialist or even Marxist was left to pseudo-left currents such as the Pabloite United Secretariat, the SAV, Marx21 and others who joined the party and quickly made their careers within it.

Decades of right-wing policies on the part of the Left Party in a series of federal states and numerous municipalities where it has held power, combined with the escalation of social inequality and class struggle, have made it impossible to maintain the fiction that there is anything socialist or progressive about the Left Party.

In Septembers federal election, it fell short of the five percent mark and lost almost half of its seats. It was only thanks to three direct mandates that the party was able to reenter parliament. In Germanys states, it continues its right-wing government policy. In addition to the states of Thuringia, Berlin and Bremen, the Left Party is preparing to govern in a coalition with the SPD in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

The party is increasingly disintegrating. One wing orientates towards the petty bourgeoisie on the basis of identity politics in an attempt to secure a social basis for the right-wing policies of the Left Party, another faction orients towards the reactionary trade union bureaucracy. The Wagenknecht wing is seeking to mobilise the backward dregs of society to the same end. Her far-right positions flourish in the stench arising from the partys rot.

The pseudo-lefts react by clinging even more tightly to the Left Party. The SAVinternationally attached to the Committee for a Workers International (CWI)has published several articles in recent months under the slogan: Despite everything stay in the Left Party and fight! It also explicitly opposed expelling Wagenknecht from the party because of her ultra-right positions. The SAV is against expelling Sahra Wagenknecht, this dispute is to be decided politically, it stated.

This confirms that the organisation joined the Left Party not based on false hopes and illusions, but rather because it shares its class orientation. It is oriented towards those layers of the affluent petty bourgeoisie that are moving to the right in the face of growing class tensions.

The financial opportunities opened up by the Left Party to the pseudo-left careerists also play a significant role. In its statement of accounts for 2020, the Left Party lists income of 34 million euros and net assets of 45 million euros. In addition, the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, which is affiliated to the party, received 82 million euros from the federal budget. These totals do not include parliamentary salaries, staff salaries and the remunerations received by party members occupying well-paid positions in various state governments and local administrations.

It is significant that the Left Party is moving further to the right and disintegrating at a time when the SPD, Greens and FDP are preparing to take over government to implement a programme of mass layoffs in the auto industry, social cuts, militarism and domestic rearmament. To the left of this traffic light coalition (based on the respective parties colours), there is no opposition party worthy of the name other than the Socialist Equality Party (Sozialistsiche Gleichheitspartei-SGP).

The SGP is small in numbers, but possesses a socialist programme that embodies the future. As the German section of the Fourth International, it is oriented towards the most powerful social force: the international working class, which is increasingly going into struggle. All those who seriously wish to fight for a socialist future, and oppose militarism and fascism, should join the SGP now.
With the rapid rise in COVID-19 infections in Germany, massive outbreaks are being recorded in elderly care homes. Once again, it is the residents, who are often in poor health or have pre-existing conditions, and the nursing staff who are suffering the most due to the criminal pandemic policy of the government.

A nursing home in Germany

In the first two waves of the pandemic in the spring and autumn of 2020, the nursing homes, in addition to hospitals, became hotspots for COVID-19 infections. According to the AOK Federal Association, the mortality rate in nursing homes during this period was significantly higher than the average of previous years. As the Nursing Report 2021 by the AOK Scientific Institute found, 20 percent more deaths occurred in the spring than in previous years. From October to December 2020, mortality even exceeded the level of previous years by an average of 30 percent.

With the prioritized vaccination of older people, the imposition of visiting bans in elderly care homes and other medical facilities, as well as otheralbeit inadequateprotective measures such as school closings and the partial shutdown of public life, the situation stabilized somewhat and infections in the facilities declined.

However, the unscrupulous reopening policy of the last few months has now led to an even more disastrous situation. Despite the vaccinations, infections are higher than last year at the same time. A massive increase in the number of deaths is imminent in the coming winter months.

Although representatives of all political parties insisted last year that the massive outbreaks in care facilities should not recur, they are happening again all over Germany. The devastating outbreaks of the past few days and weeks make it clear where the policies of federal and state governments have led.

Four people recently died of a COVID-19 infection in a retirement home in Salzwedel (Saxony-Anhalt). A total of 38 people were infected with coronavirus. The infection was apparently brought into the facility from outside. The incidence rate in the Altmark Salzwedel district is currently over 400 infections per 100,000 inhabitants.

According to District Administrator Michael Ziche (Christian Democrats), the schools were the starting point for the wave of infections. Ziche said the situation was worrying. The intensive care units in the regional clinics are fully occupied. Some of the patients have to be treated in Magdeburg.

Sixty-eight residents and 22 employees tested positive in a nursing home in Norderstedt. Eight people, including one contact, died as a result of the infection. The public prosecutor in Kiel has now initiated a post-mortem investigation to check whether there were criminally relevant responsibilities. It is noteworthy that, according to the district, visits are already allowed again in the facility, since it has been declared that no one is infectious anymore.

Thirty-nine residents and 11 employees tested positive in the St. Josef House in the Bavarian capital of Munich. Siegfried Benker, managing director of the municipal agency for elderly care homes, said that infections are part of the new normal in nursing homes.

Thirty percent of the employees at the care home are not vaccinated. Only after the massive outbreak were workers ordered to wear FFP-2 (N95) masks again. At the same time, Benker refused to take any other kind of protective measures. We dont want to close our homes like last year, he told the Suddeutsche Zeitung .

In a care facility in Bad Doberan, 17 people have now died after a COVID-19 outbreak in mid-October. Most of the 83 residents of the care facility had tested positive since the beginning of October. Out of 60 nurses at the facility, 35 also tested positive.

The State Office for Health and Social Affairs in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania revealed in its current report that the number of nursing homes currently affected by coronavirus infections has increased from 10 to 13 within a few days. A total of 161 residents and 72 nurses were infected last Monday.

In a facility in Schorfheide in the Barnim district (Brandenburg), 12 residents died as a result of an infection after 44 residents and 17 employees had previously tested positive. Only half of the employees have a complete vaccination status, according to an announcement from the responsible medical officer. Only since the outbreak began have workers been tested on a daily basis.

The first criminal complaint in connection with the outbreak has now been filed. According to information from the Frankfurt (Oder) public prosecutors office, a citizens complaint was filed with the polices internet station alleging attempted bodily harm resulting in death. The public prosecutors office will now examine the facts, as the RBB reported.

The list goes on and on, including outbreaks from all regions and federal states. The situation in Thuringia is particularly dramatic. According to data from the state administration office, more than one in five of the 339 elderly care homes in the state was affected by COVID-19 outbreaks on Thursday. In Thuringia, the seven-day incidence rate on Friday was 386.9 infections per 100,000 inhabitants, more than twice the national average.

In addition, the states intensive care beds will soon be fully occupied. According to the DIVI register, only 72 intensive care beds were free on Thursday. Between Monday and Thursday alone, the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units rose by 20, an increase of 25 percent within four days. Minister President Bodo Ramelow (Left Party) said on ZDF television, In the next few days we will reach the situation where we no longer have enough intensive care beds.

What Ramelow neglects to mention is the fact that he and his government are largely responsible for the catastrophic situation. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Left Party politician has been a proponent of the murderous conception of herd immunity. Under his leadership, Thuringia spearheaded the relaxation of public health safeguards, although it was absolutely clear that this would lead to a resurgence in the number of cases with all the consequences that it entails.

The statements by Ramelows Health Minister Heike Werner (Left Party) should be considered in this context. Werner spoke out on Thursday for an expansion of the test requirement for employees in nursing homes. Currently only the unvaccinated are tested. I think it will have to be expanded so that the unvaccinated are tested daily and the vaccinated maybe once a week, in order to have at least some kind of screening, said the minister.

This puts her in line with Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn and her colleagues from the other federal states. Spahn also stated that he wanted to campaign for mandatory testing in elderly care and nursing homes and, if necessary, promote enforcement by federal law in parliament.

Apart from the fact that the obligation to test should never have been suspended and is completely insufficient as the sole measure to prevent further cases of infection, it is the height of cynicism when Spahn, Werner and other government representatives, who have been advocating unchecked infection for months, now pretend to be acting for the benefit of patients, residents and employees.

Just a few days ago, Spahndespite the skyrocketing number of casespushed for the end of the official declaration of an epidemic situation of national scope. The Social Democrats, Greens and Free Democrats, which have a majority in the new federal parliament, have agreed not to extend the epidemic situation in November. This will eliminate the legal basis that enables the federal and state governments to enact protective measures such as mask requirements, social distancing regulations and lockdown measures.
The Socialist Equality Party (PES) of France and the World Socialist Web Site call for an immediate end to the censorship of articles about the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic by administrators of the Red Pens Facebook group. The group, created in December 2018, includes more than 70,000 teachers in France. With COVID-19 cases once again accelerating across Europe and thousands of students being infected each week, it is essential that teachers have the democratic right to freely discuss and share information on the spread of the virus in schools.

A protester holds a sign reading: "Angry teachers, sick schools, democracy in danger"

On October 9, a Red Pens member shared an article to the group entitled, Macron lifts mask mandates in French primary schools. Numerous WSWS articles, many with interviews and statements by teachers themselves, have been regularly shared to the group over the past 18 months, some receiving hundreds of likes and comments. However, while the latest post was initially approved, it was deleted by administrators two hours later.

When asked to clarify why the article had been removed, a Red Pens group administrator stated that it was part of a policy of promoting as a priority posts concerning our wages and articles which deal with the death of Samuel Paty, a high school teacher slain in an Islamist terror attack in October 2020. Two subsequent follow-up messages to the administrators appealing their decision have remained unanswered.

The censored article discussed the danger posed to teachers, students and their families by Macrons herd immunity policy in schools. Its analysis was based on data provided by Public Health France and modelling by the Pasteur Institute. It also cited Dr. Malgorzata Gasperowicz, from the University of Calgary, whose work has shown that COVID-19 can be eliminated within two to three months of stringent scientific measures.

The actions of the Red Pens Facebook group raises many troubling questions. What other articles on the pandemic, its impact within schools, its effect upon children, including in France and internationally, have been rejected by administrators? Why has a decision been taken to prevent teachers from having access to this critical information?

The claim that information about the coronavirus pandemic is less relevant to teachers lives than information about their wages or the danger of Islamist terror attacks is absurd on its face. The deadly virus continues to rip through schools, infecting thousands of children and teachers each week. Since the reopening of French schools, tens of thousands of pupils have been infected with COVID-19, and thousands of classes have been closed. At least nine children in France have died from the virus already. Dozens remain hospitalised.

The number of teachers who have died after contracting the virus in classrooms is unknown. This information is covered up by government authorities and goes unreported by the trade unions.

Administrators of the Red Pens Facebook group may claim that the COVID-19 pandemic is irrelevant for teachers, but it is a basic democratic right that teachers be able to decide this for themselves. Without such information, how else are teachers to wage a struggle in defense of the safety of their students, themselves and their loved ones?

This is all the more critical as the virus has begun to quickly rebound in France over recent weeks. The 7,360 cases reported on October 30 was the highest since September 21.

In the past, the Red Pens has sought to provide teachers with information about the pandemic. On its website, there is a COVID-19 information page for teachers and supporters to keep track of outbreaks across France. Teachers have shown strong interest in this information, with the page being viewed over four million times since May 2020. Why, then, amid a new surge of the virus in France and across Europe, have the administrators decided to censor teachers access to scientific information about the pandemic from the WSWS?

Regardless of their own individual views or intentions, the administrators actions objectively support the efforts of the Macron government to enforce unsafe conditions in schools. Since the end of the initial lockdown that began in March 2020, the Macron government has insisted that in-person schooling must continue at all costs, regardless of the impact upon the spread of the virus. As teachers are aware, this has not been aimed at protecting the psychological well-being of children but ensuring that their parents are able to continue to go to work.

This has been the centerpiece of Macrons policy of attempting to reach herd immunity through mass infection, allowing the virus to spread and tens of thousands to be killed in order to prevent any restriction on corporate profit-making operations.

Teachers have played a major role in the fight against this murderous policy in France. In November 2020, educators organized wildcat strikes at dozens of schools to close classes and oppose the unsafe reopening of schools in the midst of the second wave of the pandemic.

This movement remained isolated only because the teachers unions opposed any broader mobilisation. The administrators actions are serving the bureaucracy of the Sud Education and CGT trade unions, which have supported and enforced the Macron governments unsafe education policy from the beginning of the pandemic.

Opposition in the working class is rapidly mounting to the ruling elites policy of mass death. We again demand that the administrators of the Red Pens Facebook group allow the free circulation of information, without which there can be no talk of a successful struggle by teachers to defend their interests. We encourage members of the Facebook group to write to the group administrators and demand that they end the censorship of articles on the pandemic. Letters should also be sent to the WSWS here: https://www.wsws.org/en/special/pages/contact.html.
The World Socialist Web Site spoke with Juanita Garcia, a former teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and grandmother who has adopted four of her grandchildren: Samantha, 25; Chevy, 20; Felix, 18; and Caprice, 15. She advocates for immigrant children and their families in her neighborhood within San Fernando Valley, a working-class area served by LAUSD.

The San Fernando Valley has a significant population below the poverty level. According to the US Census Bureau data from 2020, the San Fernando Valley, as well as the city of San Fernando, have the second- and third-highest poverty levels in the Los Angeles Metro area, with over 14 percent of the population in poverty. Additionally, 19 percent of children under 12 experience poverty. Cost of living in the area is 45 percent higher than the national average, with housing being 110 percent higher than the national average. Due to the high cost of living in the area, the average person is more likely to be living in poverty than the average American.

San Fernando Valley is also the center of some of Hollywoods major studios, including Warner Brothers, Universal Studios and DreamWorks Animation. In 2020, Warner Brothers took in over $30 billion in revenue, underscoring the massive level of inequality in the area.

Levels of homelessness are also significantly high in the area. Of the 66,000 estimated homeless population in Los Angeles County, 9,000 reside in San Fernando Valley. The preexisting high levels of poverty, homelessness and cost of living have all been exacerbated due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Juanita described how she and her family have been impacted by COVID-19. I lost my sister to COVID. She was sent to the UCLA Medical Center, the best hospital in LA. She had all the symptoms and was intubated. She was only 46 years old when she passed away in March 2020.

Juanita Garcia

Personally, I suffered from COVID last December. I was in the hospital for two weeks. Even after being vaccinated, I got COVID. I was very, very tired. Im 70 years old and used to be very energetic at home and at school. But my energy level really dropped. I had body pains, especially in my chest. Then I had to fight with Medicare because they said it was all in my mind. Im exhausted all the time, and that worries me. My mouth feels horrible, and I havent been able to taste anything for some time.

With one grandchild still enrolled in LAUSD, Juanita also spoke out regarding the lack of support for her grandchild, as well as many other students and families in the district. She noted that the pandemic has compounded the issues facing students and educators.

Juanita stated, Theres discrimination, big time. Children and families in the Valley are mostly poor and immigrant, while other parts of the district are better off, and they get treated differently. Both Felix and Caprice are special-ed kids. The anxiety attacks even happened in pre-K. They identified Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) behaviors and a lot of emotional needs. Their mother had bad habits with drugs.

Felix graduated in May from high school. His anxieties manifested in severe pains in his stomach. The doctor checked him and thought it had something to do with his appendix, but that wasnt it. He would feel bad in the classroom with the other kids. He was afraid to stay next to them.

Juanita's grandchildren. (Upper left) Alexis Garcia, now 25; (upper right) Samantha Flores-Garcia, now 25; (middle left) Chevy Garcia, now 20; (middle center) Victoria Garcia, granddaughters sister, 17; (middle right) Felix Garcia, 18; (first row) Caprice Garcia, 15. Picture was taken in 2008, the year Juanita completed her teaching credential at Cal State University Northridge.

Caprice suffers the most severe anxiety attacks. I had to call for an emergency IEP [Individualized Educational Program] meeting. He cannot go outside to play. He gets so anxious that he cannot breathe. Hell cry and start shaking. One time he was so nervous that he had an accident. They let the kids at school go without masks. No wonder hes scared. When I called the school, they were very nasty to me.

This past August the district was pushing for in-person instruction. Because of Caprices condition, I applied for the online instruction program, the City of Angels, which is a very poor program. There were no classes available. The person told me that there were already 16,000 kids in the program, that they werent prepared to handle that many, and that Caprice would be on the waiting list.

Herself a former veteran teacher in LAUSD, Juanita also described how multiple injuries on the job and lack of support from the district and her union forced her to leave the district in 2008. She stated, Back in 1982, I started working as an assistant in a classroom for LAUSD. I started teaching in 1986 in early childhood. Then in 2008 I got my teaching credential from Cal State University Northridge. That same year, after 26 years of teaching in LAUSD, there were two accidents that happened on the job when I got severely injured. You must understand that when youre working with these preschool kids, they really love their teachers and follow them around, talking and hugging.

In the first accident a child was riding one of those metal tricycles at full speed and crashed. I stood up to help and tripped over the roots of a tree. I had to have surgery on my knee. In the second accident, one little girl was running to hug me and then another child ran into me with a tricycle, which resulted in me falling and landing on my right shoulder. It was dislocated, which required several surgeries. In the beginning I couldnt move it. It took a long time before I regained motion.

In both cases, I had to fight the district for compensation, and the union didnt really help. I was very active in the UTLA as a local member rep for Early Childhood, chairperson of committees. I was a rep on the CTA state council and at the state and national NEA levels. Well, my story ended with those accidents, and the UTLA never did anything for me. Ive been suffering all these years, and I lost everything.

After that bitter experience 13 years ago, I decided I had to move on with my life. As a grandparent and parent, I advocate for my kids and all the children and families here in the San Fernando Valley. Theyre English language learners. Ninety percent of the families here are from Latin America, and many are poor. Once in a while youll get a good principal who will work with the parents. I am on ELAC [English Learners Advisory Committee] and School Site Council in my kids schools.

Juanita with her grandkids

But these families have been hit bad. They dont have insurance or legal papers. You cant imagine how badly theyve been treated. Theyve been hit hard, and yet theyre also working, usually husband and wife, at factory jobs for low pay. Most are immigrants. They dont have enough food, diapers; they need help with translation, need help with getting rides to various places. I used to volunteer delivering food to The Lighthouse, which helps pregnant and runaway students.

I dont like the way the district treats the parents and kids. They have lots of specialists, lots of employees, and they have the money. The Board of Ed approved a huge budget of $13 billion for this school year! That was 62 percent more than the previous year. Why are they neglecting the students? Theyre supposed to foresee what kinds of problems will come up. I want to know what they are doing with all that money.

LAUSD is sitting on billions of dollars that they got from the federal and state COVID programs. Billions of dollars. With all that money, why couldnt they have used all the months we were online to get everything set up properly? They just want the kids to come to school. Money is the reason. Forget about the safety of the children and families and the teachers.

After watching the recent webinar hosted by the World Socialist Website, How to end the pandemic, Juanita expressed her support for the strategy of global elimination presented at the meeting.

I was very impressed with the webinar. Why is the US government acting like this? I believe in vaccinations. One of my grandchildren doesnt believe in medicine. There are a lot of people like that who are refusing to accept the science and get the vaccines. Didnt they get their polio, measles, smallpox shots so that they could put their kids in school? Why is this shot different?

We need to do whatever it takes to get rid of COVID-19. Its not just for my convenience but for all people. I liked what Dr. Jimenez said about the aerosolization. Hes absolutely right. You breathe it in. We need to create consciousness of this science and how this virus spreads.

I really liked Lisa Diaz, the lady from the UK. She is very passionate about this.

I also liked Dr. Bakers presentation. It was very serious and showed how elimination methods worked in New Zealand. But science has become a political weapon in the wrong hands.

The only way to fight this is that everybody has to follow the rules. It has to be all over the world. Now you have anti-mask demonstrations. Theres a lot of confusion.
Over the past week, the world reached two horrific milestones. The official global COVID-19 death toll surpassed five million, and the total number of cases passed one quarter of a billion. It is well known that these figures far understate reality.

I dont think the world has even begun to grieve this many deaths, World Health Organization (WHO) technical lead Maria Van Kerkove said. And we know its far, far higher.

A patient breathes through an oxygen mask in the COVID-19 section of the University Clinical Centre hospital in Banja Luka, Bosnia, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021.(AP Photo)

Right now, we are seeing increases where we shouldnt be, she added. There has been a more than 55 percent increase in cases over the past four weeks in Europe, where theres ample supply of vaccines, where there is ample supply of tools.

This week, COVID-19 case rates hit all-time highs in Russia and Germany. And cases are surging astronomically in the Eastern European countries of Slovenia, Estonia, Georgia and Latvia, which now lead the world in per capita cases.

Last week, the WHO warned that another half a million people could die in the ongoing COVID-19 surge in Europe by February, with the WHOs Europe chief expressing grave concern.

Globally, cases have been increasing for three weeks, ahead of what experts warn will be a major surge as winter begins in the Northern Hemisphere. In the United States, which has historically followed the trajectory set by Europe with a delay of several weeks, the decline of cases amid rising vaccinations has ended.

How many more people need to die? asked Van Kerkove, How many more countries need to be put into severe situations again, before we take action? The US has made clear the answer to that question: Many, many more.

Today, the US is ending restrictions on international flights and land travel that have been in place for 20 months, in advance of an expected massive surge of travel to the country. Delta Airlines is expecting a 50 percent increase in inbound flights, reporting that it is seeing high demand. The airlines CEO said, It's going to be a bit sloppy.

Throughout the US, all restrictions on the spread of the pandemic are being eliminated. The Miami-Dade school district, the largest in Florida, recently announced that it is eliminating its mask mandate in middle and high schools, as the latest district in Florida to do so. In Georgia, a number of districts, including Fulton County, which includes Atlanta, have ended mandates, while Michigan school districts have announced plans to do the same.

ABC News reported, According to Burbio, a company that monitors COVID-19 policies in schools, more than a dozen of the 200 largest school districts in the US have dropped mask mandates in recent weeks.

For the United States, this will be a winter of mass death. According to the official count, 775,000 Americans are dead, averaging out to more than 1,200 per day since the pandemic started. Even as all measures to stop the disease are being abandoned, over 1,000 people are dying every single day.

Mass death is being normalized, to be treated as background noise.

The horrendous death toll in the United States, far from being an instructive example to be avoided at all costs, is only being emulated around the world. Last month, New Zealand abandoned its Zero Covid policy, sending hundreds of thousands back to work and partially reopening schools in Auckland. The results have been predictable. Over the past month, the daily new COVID-19 cases in New Zealand have increased five-fold.

Countries in Asia, including Singapore and Vietnam, that have abandoned their efforts to eliminate COVID-19 have experienced a surge in cases. Undeterred by this disastrous precedent, Japan is further loosening restrictions, slashing the mandatory quarantine period for business travelers from 10 days to three days.

With winter approaching for the Northern Hemisphere, home to 87 percent of the human population, the world is once again at a turning point in the pandemic. Capitalism is intent on allowing the deaths of countless human beingsmothers, fathers, children, and the elderlyfrom an entirely preventable pandemic.

This horrendous, daily slaughter must be ended! As leading scientists explained at the October 24 webinar, sponsored by the World Socialist Web Site and the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees, humanity possesses the means to end the pandemic in a matter of months through a strategy of global elimination, the foundation for the final eradication of the virus. This requires the closure of schools and non-essential businesses, coupled with massive investment in testing, quarantining, and contact tracing, and full economic support to employees of businesses closed for health reasons.

The struggle for these policies, however, requires a frontal assault on the wealth and power of the financial oligarchy.

The pandemic, with all of its horrors, has been a bonanza for the worlds billionaires, who have massively enriched themselves through massive government intervention to prop up the stock markets, while workers have been compelled back on the job in unsafe workplaces that are major centers of COVID-19 transmission.

At the start of 2020, Americas billionaires had a net worth of $3.4 trillion, which has since soared to $5.3 trillion. Since the start of the pandemic, Elon Musk, the worlds richest man, has become $300 billion wealthier. Jeff Bezos has become $75 billion wealthier. And Google co-founder Larry Page has received more than $64 billion.

Bezos profited as countless of his workers became infected and died through diseases they caught in his warehouses. Musk, defying California authorities, illegally restarted production at his Tesla plant in California, for which he has never been held to account.

The ruling class is, in fact, waging an elimination policynot of the pandemic, but of human beings. Under the political status quo ante, the pandemic will continue in perpetuity, reaping its grim harvest month after month.

But the social force that can, and will, put an end to these homicidal policies is already emerging on the scene. In the United States, thousands of workers are now on strike, as part of a global strike movement. The World Socialist Web Site is fighting to arm this movement of the working class with the socialist perspective and scientific knowledge necessary to put an end to the pandemic.
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has called snap elections on January 30 after Prime Minister Antonio Costas seven-year minority Socialist Party (PS) government collapsed amid mass strikes. Parliament had voted down the PS 2022 budget last week. It is the first time since the 1974 Carnation Revolution toppled the Estado Novo regime established by fascistic dictator Antonio Salazar that a Portuguese budget has been rejected.

Sao Bento Palace

In a televised address, Sousa said the PS budget defeat has totally reduced the governments support base, and 2022 will be a decisive year for a sustainable exit from the pandemic and the social crisis that has hit us. He added, In moments like this there is always a solution in democracy  to give the word back to the people.

Costa refused to resign as interim prime minister, promising to lead the PS campaign for a reinforced, stable and lasting majority. The PS held only 108 seats in Portugals 230-seat parliament, depending on support from the Stalinist Communist Party of Portugal (PCP) and the petty-bourgeois Left Bloc (BE). To maintain the pretense that they oppose austerity despite supporting the PS for six years, the BE and PCP felt compelled to oppose the budget in the October 27 vote in parliament, leading to its immediate failure.

The ruling elite is terrified of an eruption of the class struggle. The snap elections are deeply unpopular; indeed, 54 percent of the respondents in one recent poll opposed the calling of snap elections. It is widely seen as a filthy maneuver, using nationalism and pseudo-democratic rhetoric to try to smother an upsurge of the class struggle. It comes as the unions, under mounting pressure, are desperately trying to divide, call off and defuse a wave of strikes.

In recent weeks, strikes involving tens of thousands of workers across multiple industries have erupted throughout the country. In September and October, rail workers, teachers, pharmacists, subway workers, pre-hospital emergency technicians, tax office workers and prison guards all went on strike.

On Thursday, as Sousa announced the elections, Metropolitano de Lisboa (ML) workers went on the latest in a series of 24-hour strikes against wage freezes and lack of career advancement.

Last week, the National Union of Professional Firefighters called off a strike for higher wages scheduled for November 11-12, arguing that the budget failure and the predictable fall of the Government decided in the next few days are factors that justify the withdrawal of the strike. It claimed it would present its demands in due course to the new elected executive.

The leader of the Public Administration Union Front, Jose Abraao, then suspended this weeks strike for salary increases for civil servants, saying: Without the State Budget, there is a set of measures that are impossible  in what concerns our problems  we suspended all forms of struggle in the expectation that, in the shortest period of time, we can have a budget.

The FNAM, the federation of doctors, also announced the suspension of the strike scheduled for November 23-25. It stated, After careful evaluation of the current political crisis, conditioned by the non-approval of the State Budget for 2022, it was calling off the strike. It concluded by calling for urgent negotiations with the new government.

The trade unions, the PS government and the Stalinist PCP and Left Bloc are terrified of mounting working-class anger, notably against the European Union pandemic bailouts. The new government will be mandated to ram through EU austerity measures to pay back the 45 billion the EU is handing over to Portugals financial aristocracy in the coming years as part of the bailout fund. It will also be faced with cutting the huge public debt of 133 percent of the GDP.

While the EU and the Portuguese government hand over billions to the wealthy, they plan to strictly limit wages and pursue a herd immunity policy of mass COVID-19 infection. Thousands are expected to die in the country, part of the 500,000 more COVID-19 deaths expected in Europe in the next three months, according to statements by World Health Organisation (WHO) Director for Europe Hans Kluge.

The criminal policies of the PS government in Portugal have led to mass deaths. Since March 2020, 18,167 people have died, and 1,091,142 cases of infection have been recorded10 percent of the population, according to data from the Directorate-General for Health.

Recent opinion polls suggest that the Socialist Party will win re-election but will again fall short of a parliamentary majority. It would obtain 36 percent of the vote. PS leader and interim Prime Minister Costas pro-austerity policies, however, face increasing opposition, even according to official opinion polls. He has gone from 45 percent in support and 34 percent against in a poll last July to 34 percent in favor and 38 percent against today.

Fearful that the elections will deepen the political crisis, the PCP and BE, who have seen their support dwindle after having supported Costa for six years and supported the brutal crackdown of the truck drivers strike in 2019, as the PS government called out the army to force the truckers back to work.

The PCP and BE would have preferred that Costa make nominal concessions during the budget debate. Their demands during the budget negotiations, such as increasing the monthly minimum wage to a meagre 805 euros and compensation for collective layoffs; strengthening the hands of the unions in collective bargaining to suppress workers struggles; and slight increases in pensions and public investment in the national health service (SNS), would have done very little to reverse the brutal austerity implemented by both conservative and BE and PCP-backed PS governments.

Reacting to the snap elections announcement, Left Blocs parliamentary leader Pedro Filipe Soares began by defending this saying this outcome does not [mean] it was an inevitability. He continued, On the part of the Left Bloc, we did not want elections, and we always wanted to guarantee a budget that the country would not lack at this fundamental moment.

The PCP leader Jeronimo de Sousa reacted on Friday, cynically stating, The country does not have a budget because the PS did not want to affront the interests of capital to be free to serve the interests that it has always served.

In fact, the PCP and Left Bloc, by backing the reactionary policies of the PS, have opened the door to the far-right Chega party to posture as the sole opposition party. It is expected to become the third largest force in parliament, going from one seat in the year of its founding to as many as 20 seats, according some polls. Chega is the first far-right party to win a significant share of the national vote since the toppling of the Salazar dictatorship.

That Chega is on the rise and is taking place as the capitalist class in Europe and internationally pursues a policy of austerity and mass COVID-19 infections is the most serious warning.

In order for the emerging strike movement in Portugal to reach its aims, it must be linked to the expanding international movement in the working class against wage austerity, war and the fascistic herd immunity policies of the ruling elite on the COVID-19 pandemic.

The task is now the building of a politically independent movement of the working class, fighting for an eradication strategy against the pandemic and for socialism. This means fighting to build a Portuguese section of the International Committee of the Fourth International.
Sri Lankan President Gotabhaya Rajapakse has appointed a 13-member One Country, One Law task force headed by extremist Bodu Bala Sena (Buddhist Power Force) leader Galagodaaththe Gnanasara, notorious for whipping up violent anti-Muslim sentiment.

President Rajapakse opens Bodhu Bala Sena's Buddhist Leadership Academy in Galle [Photo courtesy: Defence.lk]

In an extraordinary October 26 gazette, Rajapakse declared that because no citizen should be discriminated against in the eyes of the law he was establishing a task force to make a study of the implementation of the concept one country one law and prepare a draft law.

The task force has wide powers to study various draft acts and amendments already prepared by the justice ministry. It will submit its own amendments and proposals to the ministry and present a final report by February 28.

Rajapakses claim that the aim is to eliminate discrimination and treat all citizens equally is a gross lie. He is, in fact, creating the conditions to whip up unprecedented ethnic and religious tensions as he moves to entrench autocratic presidential rule.

One Country, One Law is being promoted as introducing a general set of laws for the entire country. Sri Lankan legislation is mainly based on Roman-Dutch law but there are exceptions: certain personal laws relate to Muslims; Thesawalamai law deals mainly with the property rights of northern Tamils; and Kandyan law is also still used by some Sinhalese in the Central Hill Districts. While these are all retrogressive laws, the main target of Rajapakse and his chauvinist allies is the law practised among Muslims and Tamils.

The taskforce consists of nine ethnic Sinhaleseacademics and lawyers, some with a Sinhala-chauvinist backgroundand four Muslims loyal to Rajapakse. Gnanasaras appointment to head the group signifies its real purpose.

Gnanasara established the BBS in 2012. He was previously a leading member of the Sinhala-racist Jathika Hela Urumaya, which aggressively backed Colombos communalist war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

From its inception, BBS had the blessing of then President Mahinda Rajapakse and his defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, now president, who covertly backed its Sinhala chauvinist propaganda and provocations.

BBS initiated one communalist provocation after another, targeting Muslims and Christians. It attacked their places of worship and accused them of unethical conversions, destruction of archaeological monuments and cultural invasion. BBS acted with impunity, openly flouting laws, with the military and the police turning a blind eye.

Gnanasara was sentenced to six years jail in 2018, after being found guilty of contempt of court for interrupting a court hearing in 2016 into the involvement of military intelligence officials in the abduction of a journalist. He shouted at the judge and lawyers because the military officials had not been given bail and threatened the journalists wife.

In 2019, the previous Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena, pardoned Gnanasara, demonstrating the allegiance of every section of the Colombo political establishment to Sinhala-Buddhist racism.

There have been widespread denunciations of Gnanasaras appointment to head the taskforce, including from sections of the mainstream media. Justice Minister Ali Sabry, one of Rajapakses loyal allies, even tendered his resignation but it was rejected.

Addressing a public meeting on Saturday, Rajapakse attempted to justify Gnanasaras appointment, declaring: This revered monk is the only one to have consistently spoken about the One Country, One Law concept during the past five years.

Rajapakses establishment of this task force is no accident. The government and the ruling elites as a whole face an unprecedented economic and political crisis that has been deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The government is teetering on the brink of defaulting on loan repayments and the economy is in a shambles.

Working class struggles are erupting around the country uniting Sinhala, Muslim and Tamil workers in opposition to the attacks by government and big business on wages, jobs and social conditions. At the same time, there is growing unrest and protests in rural areas as paddy farmers and others demand fertiliser, pesticides and other necessities for crop cultivation.

Rajapakse and his ruling Sri Lanka Podu Jana Peramuna (SLPP) government are determined to suppress and break up these developing struggles. This involves the imposition of draconian anti-strike laws with harsh punishment in key state-owned industries along with the incitement of communalism and the promotion of extreme-right and fascistic groups.

Consecutive Sri Lankan governments since independence in 1948 have used communal discrimination against the Tamil minority whenever they faced crises. In 1956, Colombo made Sinhala the countrys only official language, and in 1972 formally enshrined Buddhism as the state religion and Sinhala as the only official language in the constitution.

Facing a new crisis in the early 1980s and in response to rising popular opposition, the United National Party government, following a series of provocations, unleashed its bloody 30-year war against the LTTE. Former President Mahinda Rajapakse and his brother Gotabhaya in 2006 oversaw the final years of the war which ended in May 2009 with the killing tens of thousands of Tamil civilians.

Current President Rajapakes so-called One Country, One Law was a central plank in his election campaign. He and his SLPP seized on extremist Islamic terror attacks on Catholic churches and big hotels that killed about 270 people on Easter Sunday in 2019 to whip up communalism. In the wake of the bombings, racist groups, encouraged by Sri Lankan capitalist parties, including the SLPP, launched violent attacks on Muslim communities.

Just weeks later, Rajapakse announced his presidential candidacy, declaring that his priority was defending national security. BBS and outfits such as Sihala Rawaya (Echo of Sinhalese), Sihala Le (Blood of Lion) and other chauvinist groups rallied in support.

Following his election, Rajapakse continued the anti-Muslim campaign, arresting and jailing hundreds of Muslims, including political party leaders and human rights activists, on the basis of unsubstantiated accusations. Dozens of Tamil journalists and Facebook users have also been arrested on suspicion of connection to LTTE terrorism.

While Rajapakse has constantly referred to One Country, One Law, his October 26 announcement was the first time that he moved to implement it.

On November 1, Gnanasara addressed a group of selected journalists in the presidential media centre explaining what he intended to do.

Today we have got a result for all of our hard work. The presidents attention has been drawn to speak emphatically about these issues. We have a number of suggestions [and] if we can put all these together and stand up, that will be the day when we will rise as a nation, he jubilantly declared.

Gnanasaras so-called hard work is the communalist provocations orchestrated by his organisation and its political allies over the past decade. While the list of these attacks is too long to list here the operations of his fascistic group have been consistently exposed by the Socialist Equality Party (SEP).

Remains of Muslim shops burnt by racist mobs in 2014

When the former President Mahinda Rajapakse regime faced a deep crisis in 2014, BBS leader Gnanasara instigated a major anti-Muslim attack in the southern Aluthgama and Beruwala area. As an SEP statement declared at that time:

The emergence of Sinhala Buddhist extremists, working alongside the Rajapakse government, poses great dangers for the working class. The SEP calls on all workers to oppose the attacks on Muslims and to defend the democratic rights of all working people. The only means of combating these communal organisations is through the independent mobilisation of workers and youth on the basis of their common class interests and a unified political struggle against the Rajapakse governments austerity agenda.

Seven years later the Rajapakse regime, like its international counterparts, is responding to a far deeper economic and political crisis and the resurgence of working-class struggles by using extreme-right and fascistic elements to prepare for the conditions for dictatorial forms of rule.
A federal appeals court temporarily blocked the Biden administration's new vaccine rules that could apply to larger employers, certain health care workers and federal contractors.

In the brief order, a three-judge panel on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals said that the petitioners in the case -- Republican-led states and private businesses -- "give cause to believe there are grave statutory and constitutional issues with the Mandate."

The court asked the government to respond by 5 p.m. on Monday and said it would expedite the case. The court did not specify whether its order would have nationwide effect or would only apply to the states under its jurisdiction.

The Biden administration had announced earlier this week that its vaccine rules applying to private businesses with 100 or more employees, certain health care workers and federal contractors will take effect January 4.

The rules, released in a statement Thursday, stipulate that employees who fall into those groups will need to have received the necessary shots to be fully vaccinated, either two doses of Pfizer or Moderna's vaccine or one dose of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine, by January 4.

The OSHA rule does allow for employees to remain unvaccinated if they so choose, but the employee must provide a verified negative test to their employer on at least a weekly basis and must wear face masks in the workplace.

Justice Department spokesman Anthony Coley said in response to the order, "The OSHA emergency temporary standard is a critical tool to keep America's workplaces safe as we fight our way out of this pandemic."

"The Justice Department will vigorously defend this rule in court," Coley said in a statement.

Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda also said the Labor Department was "prepared to defend this standard in court."

"The US Department of Labor is confident in its legal authority to issue the emergency temporary standard on vaccination and testing," Nanda said. "The Occupational Safety and Health Act explicitly gives OSHA the authority to act quickly in an emergency where the agency finds that workers are subjected to a grave danger and a new standard is necessary to protect them.

Sean Marotta, a lawyer at Hogan Lovells, said he was surprised that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals acted to block the mandate on a Saturday, particularly because the mandate does not require employers or employees to act for months.

He noted that Congress has specified that challenges to OSHA rules get reviewed in the first instance at a federal appeals court, instead of a district court. When several petitioners are challenging the same rule in several circuits, the cases are ultimately consolidated in one circuit through a process known as the "multicircuit lottery."

Under that system, broadly speaking, a petitioner who files a case within the first 10 days of the issuance of an OSHA rule and follows certain procedural steps gets its circuit entered into the lottery.

After 10 days, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation -- based in Washington, DC -- conducts a blind lottery and chooses a circuit at random.

Once the circuit is chosen, all the cases challenging a rule are transferred to it.

The Fifth Circuit did not circumvent the lottery by being the first to issue a stay.

The court, however, now has the opportunity to issue an opinion, even before the lottery, and make its views known.

"The Fifth Circuit's decision to issue a stay today was pretty shocking," Marotta, an expert on the multicircuit lottery, said. "Because the OSHA rule does not require vaccination until January, there was no emergency requiring the court to act on a Saturday."

"Furthermore, the multicircuit lottery hasn't happened yet, so another court may end up hearing the cases filed in the Fifth Circuit and lifting the Fifth Circuit's stay," he said.

Marotta thinks that while the Justice Department could go directly to the Supreme Court and ask it to lift the stay, it is likely to wait and see which circuit "wins" the lottery.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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VIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - The ACLU says it plans to sue the Vigo County School Corporation over gender identity rights and discrimination.

The ACLU of Indiana announced the lawsuit on Monday in a press release.

The organization claims Terre Haute North Vigo High School employees did not let two transgender students use the restroom consistent with their gender identity.

The ACLU says denying the students access to the correct restroom violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment in the U.S. Constitution.

Both students have identified as male but were allegedly denied access to the men's bathroom.

In the release, the ACLU says both students involved in this case were diagnosed with gender dysphoria, under a doctor's care, and were prescribed hormone therapy.

We've reached out to the Vigo County School Corporation for their response, they told us "the corporation has no comment on pending litigation."

We will continue to update this story as we receive more information.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)  The Illinois Secretary of States office has changed its web address to protect against fraud.

Secretary of State Jesse White announced last week that the new address is ILSOS.gov.

The office also redesigned the site with popular features remaining prominently displayed.

A .gov identification designates an official government website exclusive to public entities at the federal, state and local levels, a news release from White said.

Changing the website address to ILSOS.gov will help combat fraud at a time when scams designed to defraud Illinoisans have been proliferating, White said. The change adds to your peace of mind when transacting business online with my office.

The former address was cyberdriveillinois.com. Typing that address into a browser will direct the user to the correct site under the new address.

Whites office also redesigned the site to make it easier to locate services. It prioritizes the most frequently used services, such as those for drivers licenses, ID cards and license plate renewals.

Popular features, such as Safe Driver Renewal, drivers license and state ID card renewal, Facility Finder, Pick-a-Plate, license plates renewal and business services filings remain prominently featured.
MOBILE, Ala. (AP)  With cases of COVID-19 on the decline yet still less than half the state's residents fully vaccinated, plans are underway for next year's Mardi Gras celebration in Mobile with parades, float and balls.

Venues like the city's convention centers already are fully booked, and the first major parade is set to roll on Feb. 10, WPMI-TV reported. The pandemic forced the cancellation of most events this year, so groups that stage the parades and other events are ready to go.

Mystic organizations are putting on finishing touches on their costumes, on their float designs for those parades that are going to hit the street. For those non-parading groups theyre also busy just as well. So we have over 80 mystic organizations here in Mobile and they are all planning I can assure you, said Judi Gulledge, executive director of the Mobile Carnival Museum.

Public health officials say cases of COVID-19 could rise during the winter as people spend more time inside, and they're keeping a watch out for virus variants that could result in another increase in hospitalizations. But health officials are hopeful that COVID-19 vaccinations will help prevent another crisis that fills hospitals.

More than 15,670 people have died of COVID-19 in Alabama, giving the state the nation's second-highest rate of per capita deaths. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevent show about 42% of the state is fully vaccinated, one of the worst rates nationally.

While New Orleans holds the nation's largest Mardi Gras celebration, Mobile claims to have the oldest Mardi Gras and events are held all over the Gulf Coast.
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UPDATE: FBI says they are working to identify human remains found at Fort McCoy
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged a 22-year-old Ukrainian citizen linked to the REvil ransomware gang for orchestrating the July ransomware attack against U.S. technology firm Kaseya. It has also seized more than $6 million in ransom tied to another member of the notorious ransomware group.

During a news conference on Monday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that Yaroslav Vasinskyi was arrested last month in Poland at the request of the U.S. government and is currently being held pending U.S. extradition proceedings. Vasinskyi, who used different names online to avoid detection, is accused of being a long-time affiliate of the now-defunct REvil ransomware operation and of deploying 2,500 attacks against businesses worldwide.

Most notably, Vasinskyi  whose ransom demands are said to have totalled $767 million  is accused of being involved in the high-profile attack on Kaseya, which impacted more than 1,500 businesses in the U.S and carried a ransom demand of $70 million.

U.S. officials have also seized $6.1 million in connection with hacking campaigns linked to another REvil affiliate, Russian national Yevgeniy Polyanin, who is accused of conducting 3,000 ransomware attacks and extorting around $13 million from victims, U.S. officials said. Vasinsky and Polyanin have both been charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit fraud and intentional damage to a protected computer.

The Justice Department is sparing no resource to identify and bring to justice anyone, anywhere who targets the United States with a ransomware attack, Garland said.

It's not just the hackers the U.S. government is going after, as the Treasury Department also today announced sanctions against the Chatex cryptocurrency exchange for facilitating ransom transactions.

Additionally, the State Department has announced a reward of up to $10 million "for information leading to the identification or location of any individual(s) who hold a key leadership position in the Sodinokibi/REvil ransomware variant transnational organized crime group," as well as up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of any individual participating in a REvil variant ransomware incident.

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Last week it announced a similar bounty for key information on the hackers behind the so-called DarkSide ransomware, which forced major U.S. fuel provider Colonial Pipeline to shut down for days in May. Prior to this, the U.S. has recovered $2.3 million of the ransomware payment that Colonial Pipeline paid to the ransomware gang.

In the past five months, the DoJ's efforts have resulted in the arrest of seven REvil affiliates. European law enforcement agency Europol announced on Monday that two hackers who used the REvil ransomware to infect and attempt to extort as many as 5,000 victims had been arrested in Romania. The two unnamed individuals, who pocketed 500,000 (roughly $578,000) in ransom payments, were arrested on November 4, according to Europol. On the same day, Kuwaiti authorities also arrested a third REvil ransomware affiliate.

As well as Vasinskyi, who was arrested in October when trying to enter Poland from his native country, two other individuals believed to be REvil affiliates were apprehended in South Korea in February and April, law enforcement disclosed for the first time today.

A total of seven suspects linked to the two ransomware families have been arrested since February 2021, Europol said. They are suspected of attacking about 7,000 victims in total.

The arrests are the results of Operation GoldDust, which involved law enforcement agents from 17 countries, Europol, Eurojust and Interpol. The operation also received support from the cybersecurity industry from companies including Bitdefender, KPN and McAfee. Researchers at Bitdefender provided technical insights throughout the investigation, along with decryption tools to help victims of ransomware attacks recover their files without having to pay the ransom.

According to Europol, the REvil decryption tools have helped more than 1,400 companies decrypt their networks following ransomware attacks, saving over 475 million ($550 million) from being paid to cybercriminals. According to U.S officials, the entire REvil ransomware operation received more than $200 million since it started activity.

These arrests are the latest in a string of operations by law enforcement targeting ransomware operations. Last month saw a Europol-led operation target 12 suspects in Ukraine and Switzerland believed to be behind LockerGoga, MegaCortex, Dharma and other ransomware attacks.
In an angry conversation on his final day as president, Donald Trump told the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee he was leaving the GOP and creating his own political party -- and that he didn't care if the move would destroy the Republican Party, according to a new book by ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl.

Trump only backed down when Republican leaders threatened to take actions that would have cost Trump millions of dollars, Karl writes his upcoming book, "Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show."

The book gives a detailed account of Trump's stated intention to reject the party that elected him president and the aggressive actions taken by party leaders to force him to back down.

The standoff started on Jan. 20, just after Trump boarded Air Force One for his last flight as president.

MORE: Trump leaves White House hours before Biden's inauguration: 'Have a good life'

"[RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel] called to wish him farewell. It was a very un-pleasant conversation," Karl writes in "Betrayal," set to be released on Nov. 16.

"Donald Trump was in no mood for small talk or nostalgic goodbyes," Karl writes. "He got right to the point. He told her he was leaving the Republican Party and would be creating his own political party. The president's son, Donald Trump Jr., was also on the phone. The younger Trump had been relentlessly denigrating the RNC for being insufficiently loyal to Trump. In fact, at the January 6 rally before the Capitol Riot, the younger Trump all but declared that the old Republican Party didn't exist anymore."

With just hours left in his presidency, Trump was telling the Republican Party chairwoman that he was leaving the party entirely. The description of this conversation and the discussions that followed come from two sources with direct knowledge of these events.

"I'm done," Trump told McDaniel. "I'm starting my own party."

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"You cannot do that," McDaniel told Trump. "If you do, we will lose forever."

"Exactly. You lose forever without me," Trump responded. "I don't care."

Trump's attitude was that if he had lost, he wanted everybody around him to lose as well, Karl writes. According to a source who witnessed the conversation, Trump was talking as if he viewed the destruction of the Republican Party as a punishment to those party leaders who had betrayed him -- including those few who voted to impeach him and the much larger group he believed didn't fight hard enough to overturn the election in his favor.

PHOTO: In this Jan. 12, 2021, file photo, President Donald Trump steps off Air Force One upon arrival in Harlingen, Texas. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images, FILE)

"This is what Republicans deserve for not sticking up for me," Trump told McDaniel, according to the book.

In response, McDaniel tried to convince Trump that creating his own party wouldn't just destroy the Republican Party, it would also destroy him.

"This isn't what the people who depended on you deserve, the people who believed in you," McDaniel said. "You'll ruin your legacy. You'll be done."

But Trump said he didn't care, Karl writes.

"[Trump] wasn't simply floating an idea," Karl writes in the book. "He was putting the party chairwoman on notice that he had decided to start his own party. It was a done deal. He had made up his mind. 'He was very adamant that he was going to do it,' a source who heard the president's comments later told me."

Following the tense conversion, McDaniel informed RNC leadership about Trump's plans, spurring a tense standoff between Trump and his own party over the course of the next four days.

MORE: Fully break or remain loyal: Republican voters reckon with GOPs future after Trump

While Trump, "morose in defeat and eager for revenge, plotted the destruction of the Republican Party ... the RNC played hardball," according to the book.

"We told them there were a lot of things they still depended on the RNC for, and that if this were to move forward, all of it would go away," an RNC official told Karl.

According to the book, "McDaniel and her leadership team made it clear that if Trump left, the party would immediately stop paying legal bills incurred during post-election challenges."

"But, more significant, the RNC threatened to render Trump's most valuable political asset worthless," Karl writes, referring to "the campaign's list of the email addresses of forty million Trump supporters."

"It's a list Trump had used to generate money by renting it to candidates at a steep cost," says the book. "The list generated so much money that party officials estimated that it was worth about $100 million."

Five days after revealing plans that could have destroyed his own political party on that last flight aboard Air Force One, Karl writes, Trump backed down, saying he would remain a Republican after all.

PHOTO: In this Nov. 9, 2020, file photo, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel speaks during a press conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images, FILE)

Asked this week to respond to Karl's book, both Trump and McDaniel denied the story.

"This is false, I have never threatened President Trump with anything," McDaniel told ABC News. "He and I have a great relationship. We have worked tirelessly together to elect Republicans up and down the ballot, and will continue to do so."

Trump, responding to the story, said, "ABC Non News and 3rd rate reporter Jonathan Karl have been writing fake news about me from the beginning of my political career. Just look at what has now been revealed about the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax. It was a made up and totally fabricated scam and the lamestream media knew it. It just never ends!"

Trump has long denounced news reports that he had considered starting his own party as "fake news." In Karl's final interview with the former president for his book, Trump claimed to not recall his conversation with McDaniel on Jan. 20, saying, "a lot of people suggested a third party, many people" -- but that he himself had never even thought about leaving the GOP.

"You mean I was going to form another party or something?" Trump asked Karl incredulously. "Oh, that is bulls**t. It never happened."

Trump told RNC chair he was leaving GOP to create new party, says new book originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Preteen Discussing Depression with His Doctor

Source: FatCamera / Getty

Theres been a harrowing number of Black children that have died tragically and inexplicably due to child abuse and its happening at an alarming rate in our community. The Sacramento Blue Ribbon Commission noted that child abuse and neglect homicide was the third-highest cause of death in African American children from 1990-2009. Sadly, the numbers are growing. Child abuse cases have skyrocketed since 2014, with Black children accounting for 13. 8 percent of those cases. While perpetrators can be anyone from law enforcement to teachers and strangers, some of the egregious crimes are occurring at the hands of close relatives or even our childrens parents.

MADAMENOIRE takes a look back at several children whose lives could have been spared.

The Gruesome Death Of Kendrick Lee

On Oct. 24, the Black community was rocked by the chilling story that unfolded out of Houston, Texas when a 15-year-old boy from Harris County called police to reveal that he and his two younger brothers had been living in an apartment at the West Oaks residences surrounded by filth as their dead 8-year-old sibling, Kendrick Lee, lie decomposing in one of the rooms. For over a year, the boys were left to starve for months on end in their apartment.

Their mother, Gloria Y. Williams, and her boyfriend Brian W. Coulter were charged with the murder of the 9-year-olds skeletal remains. According to the children, Coulter repeatedly punched Kendrick in his back and face  then covered him with a blanket when he appeared dead. Williams fought with her disgraced boyfriend after she discovered Kendricks dead body, but the couple fled shortly after, leaving the children behind to fend for themselves.

Residences at the West Oak complex would occasionally check up the children giving them food. Some even sensed that there was something wrong, but no one stepped in to help. Williamss close family members told Houstons KPRC News that they were unaware of the childrens horrific abuse as the mother of six had isolated herself away from family, only reaching out if she needed money.

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Williams maintained her innocence when authorities asked if she played a role in Kendrickss death. Im sorry. I didnt do it, she told Khou 11, adding that she regularly checked on the boys every two weeks.

RELATED CONTENT: The Neglect Of 4 Texas Brothers Proves That The Village It Takes To Raise A Black Child Is The Same Village That Stands By And Watches Them Die

According to a report on ChildWelfare.gov, children living in homes where domestic violence is present, in particular, are at a greater risk of experiencing abuse. Out of 35 percent of neglect cases, domestic violence was a reoccurring factor. Caregivers who might be enduring abuse may be too afraid to speak out against the actions of their lover or partner. The report also notes that parents who neglect their children often isolate themselves from social support, like family and friends, making it harder for close relatives to detect abuse.

Numerous environmental factors can contribute to neglect and abuse including poverty, living in an unsafe community, or family turmoil. It can also stem from substance abuse, mental health issues, domestic violence, marital strife, financial stress, and single parenthood. Abusive and negligent behavior often trickles down to children whose parents were previously abused throughout childhood.

Maliyah Bass Tiny Body Was Found In A Storm Drain

In 2020, the body of 2-year-old Maliyah Bass was pulled out from a Houston bayou after authorities alleged her mother Sahara Ervin and her boyfriend Travion Thompson of killing her before placing the toddlers tiny body in a sewage drain.

Authorities believe Ervin killed Maliyah using an extension cord or hanger as her autopsy revealed that her forearm was broken and that she had sustained superficial blunt force trauma appearing as a looped pattern of bruises all over her body.

Thompson later confessed that he assisted Ervin with discarding Maliyahs body in the storm drain, ABC 13 reported. The disgraced boyfriend said he would work with officials to bring the troubled mother to justice, but the act was nowhere near heroic. When police arrested Ervin, she posed for the camera with a sinister smile.

Majelic Young Died During An Extended Time Out

A concerned social worker tipped off police about Majelic Youngs mysterious disappearance after she hadnt seen the 4-year-old in months. Following a search warrant, police officials found youngs decomposed remains buried in her mothers backyard in Charlotte, North Carolina. Majelics 13-year-old sibling witnessed her sisters horrific death, telling authorities that her mother, Malikah Bennett, forced her younger sister to stand in a laundry room for three days after the toddler soiled herself on accident. She was not allowed to sit down or leave.

For three days Majelic stood in the laundry room until she eventually collapsed hitting her head on the ground. According to her sibling, Bennett placed Majelics body in two trash bags and hid her decomposing corpse in an SUV until the stench became unbearable. The sadistic mother then forced the 13-year-old to help her bury Majelic to cover up the egregious crime. The New York Post noted that Bennetts mother, Tammy Taylor Moffett, 53, was charged for helping the deranged mother to conceal Majelics body.

Fear and shame play a large part in a childs refusal to reveal their abuse, according to PsychCentral. Many kids fear that their abuse will become worse if they do tell. Some children do not feel as though they have a safe companion or person with whom they can confide in about their pain, and in the Black community, child abuse is often normalized and minimized, leaving children to internalize the effects of their abuse alone. It can also be used as a form of intimidation.



The Mysterious Disappearance Of Maleah Davis

The mysterious and vicious death of 4-year-old Maleah Davis sent Houston authorities into a desperate search to find the young toddlers murder. Maleah vanished after she was under the care of her mothers boyfriend Derion Vence. According to police officials, Maleah was last seen on April 2019, after surveillance footage captured her and her stepfather Vence entering their Houston home. Days later, the same camera captured Vence carrying a trash bag and bleach outside of his apartment.

Maleahs biological father, Craig Davis, claimed he went to check up on his daughter in the days following her disappearance, but Vence refused to allow him inside his apartment citing that Meleah had the flu and that he didnt want him to get sick, according to CNN. Maleahs mother was also traveling during her daughters sad demise. Maleahs body was found on the side of the road in a trash bag in Arkansas and Vence was slammed with 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to tampering with a corpse and injury to a child, KHOU 11 noted.

Jamari Dent Was Bullied To Death

The special needs student died following a suicide attempt back in June, after he suffered an onslaught of bullying from teachers, students and even faculty members at Chicagos Evers Elementary and Carter G. Woodson Elementary. Jamari Dents mother, Tierra Black, claimed that officials failed to ensure her sons safety and turned a blind eye to Jamaris verbal and physical abuse at both schools. Black said she repeatedly asked the school to address the abuse, but they never did anything.

They were put on notice that this abuse was occurring, but they chose to protect themselves instead of protecting young Jamari, her attorney Jon Erickson added.

A faculty member allegedly called Jamari stupid, dumb and a dirty little n-gger. Students chimed in on the harassment making disparaging comments including one instance where students teased him about how he would end up in a mental institution, the case documents read. One report suggests that a staff member at one of the schools put Jamari in a chokehold and slammed his head against the wall. Jamari attempted to hang himself to death in 2019 but died a year later from the injuries he sustained during the horrific incident.

After a long court battle, Black was awarded a massive $1.25 million settlement for Jamaris death but the money doesnt hold the school officials accountable who blatantly ignored the young teens strife and pain.

The Chicago Public School department issued a statement saying that they were saddened to learn of the passing of Jamari. Our deepest condolences and sympathies are extended to his loved ones, a spokesperson from the department added.

13 -Month-Old Legacy Beauford Was Viciously Beaten To Death

The death of 13-month-old Legacy Beauford was horrific and preventable. The precious infant died back in September, after he was viciously beaten and sodomized to death by his mothers boyfriend, Keishawn Gordon. Gordon complained that the 1-year-old was wouldnt stop crying and kept throwing up.

He was irking me, Gordon told officials, according to The New York Post. Sadly, the New York Police Department had been sent to his mother Jessica Melendezs home four times in May, after neighbors complained of possible abuse, but police said they found no evidence.

Legacy bled to death from abdominal injuries. When Melendez was questioned about the incident, she told reporters that her neighbors often made 911 calls because she cared for several children at once and played music loudly.

Jayce Eubanks Died At The Hands Of His Abuser & The Child Welfare System

Jayce Eubanks died of battered child syndrome after his step-dad Jeremiah Johnson, 27, beat him to death. The city Medical Examiners Office noted that the 4-year-old boys body had suffered from blunt force trauma to his torso, a fractured skull, and freshly broken ribs. He also had a perforated stomach and bites on both ears.

A source close to the case told The New York Times that the NYPD had been alerted about previous abuse incidents involving the young boy just weeks before his death, but the cops never followed through on filing the complaint. The family was even interviewed by Safe Horizon, a child advocacy organization after Jayce and his 5-year-old brother exhibited signs of abuse. Both had injuries, but the children lied and said that they were playing around too rough with one another. Jayces family was given a referral for a medical appointment but they never went. His grandmother Ms. DelValle said that the family was never notified about scheduling a doctors visit.

Child Services was slammed following the major oversight. Susan Morely, a representative from the organization defended the organizations response efforts.

The challenge is that these cases are difficult. children are injured in accidents and get bruises  that same bruise if someone pushes the kid can be the same one if the kid trips.

According to Morely, the agencys decision to seek a physical exam is based on several factors, including how bad the childs injuries appear, but some injuries like internal bleeding or brain damage are hard to detect she explained. It still doesnt excuse the fact that police barely responded to the calls placed by concerned citizens and it paints a larger problem about the issue at hand. Has abuse been so normalized in communities of color that the police did not care to dig deeper into Jayces case? Its a hard truth to grapple with. Child welfare typically receives abuse reports from their state hotline number, but the cases are assigned by how serious they are. The New York Times reported that about 10 percent are given to the instant response team. A caseworker and a patrol officer or Special Victims detective are supposed to visit the child within two hours, but the organization did not follow through on checking up with the family.

These childrens lives may have been preserved if the community and officials around them acted with with urgency and intervention. Instead these children died in plain sightnot only from abuse but also moral negligence. We have to do better.

RELATED CONTENT: Ceaser Emanuel Of Black Ink Crew Accused Of Physical Abuse By Daughter
FunNow is a booking app for spontaneous people. For example, you can reserve a manicure or restaurant seat and head right over. As people start to spend more time outside their homes, FunNow is prepping itself for expansion into more countries. The Taipei-based company announced today it has closed a Series B of $15 million.

The round was co-led by Perfect Hexagon Commodity & Investment Bank and Ascendo Ventures, with participation from the corporate venture arms of PChome, KKday and Wistron. It also included returning investors CDIB Capital, Darwin Ventures, Accuvest, Sanpu Travel Group and CSV Venture Fund, which is jointly managed by NEC Capital Solutions and Venture Labo Investment.

Co-founder and chief executive officer TK Chen told TechCrunch that FunNow originally planned to start raising its Series B in 2020, before COVID hit. Despite dealing with the pandemics impact in all of its markets, including Hong Kong, Japan and Malaysia, the company began to see business improve during the second quarter of this year. Its Series B brings FunNows total funding, including its 2018 Series A, to about $22.5 million, and will be used to expand the number of categories in its app, adding night clubs, karaoke bars and catering, for example, and enter new countries, including Thailand and Singapore.

During the pandemic, FunNow faced different challenges in each of its markets. For example, cases in Kuala Lumpur were low for most of this year before an outbreak that started in May. In Taiwan, FunNows biggest market, life was relatively normal until an uptick in cases triggered a lockdown from May to August, causing its revenue to decline sharply, but now it has returned to about 80% of its pre-pandemic performance.

During the outbreaks, FunNows team adapted the apps services. For example, in Malaysia, it talked to food and beverage merchants and discovered that customers prefer to pick up food instead of waiting for deliveries, so it added takeaway bookings. Based on that experience, it applied the same strategy when Taiwan's lockdown began.

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Within two months, our return for takeaway was almost the same as dine-in revenue, said co-founder and chief global strategist CC Chang.

The app already had multi-channel reservation tools, so it began adapting the types of hotel reservations offered, adding daytime options, with stays of four, six or 12-hour increments. For example, people who wanted to dine somewhere, but not in a restaurant, could book a room for a few hours and order room service. Some users, tired of WFH, booked hotel rooms to work.

FunNow founders TK Chen, CC Chang, Pei-Yi Sun and Szu-Chi Lee

FunNow founders TK Chen, CC Chang, Pei-Yi Sun and Szu-Chi Lee. Image Credits: FunNow

We kept innovating, developing the app, developing more functions and acquired more merchants in Taiwan, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Japan, where the company has local teams, said Chen. The startup also expanded its Malaysian operations with the acquisition of Kuala Lumpur-based reservation app TABLEAPP one year ago. We wanted to raise money now so we can expand market share as soon as possible, once the pandemic is under control.

He added that COVID has changed consumer habits. For example, people now use online bookings more since walk-ins are discouraged in many places, and they prefer the convenience of FunNow over a phone call. People also started taking advantage of times when the COVID situation is relatively under control to do things like get salon services.

FunNow is facing more competition, however, as startups that used to focus on international travel switched to staycations. For example, both SoftBank-backed Klook and PickTime now also offer local bookings for many categories that overlap with FunNow. Chen said he anticipates that the competition between us will ultimately get bigger and bigger.

One of the ways FunNow differentiates is its emphasis on daily life activities  for example, food, hair cuts, manicures or massages, instead of packages centered around destinations, like theme parks, tourist spots or other cities.

We are really focused on instant booking, said Chang. Its important to our users because its more convenient. You dont have to make a phone call and we have 10 different categories that are based on daily life, so if you are used to FunNow to do your hair, your nails, make salon appointments, order bouquets or cakes for parties, you wont easily switch to other platforms.

FunNows Series B included the corporate venture arms of e-commerce platform PChome, tour and activity booking app KKday and electronics manufacturer Wistron. Chen said their investment means that FunNow will be able to work with all three companies to accelerate the growth of a lifestyle ecosystem.

For example, PChome, one of the most popular shopping apps in Taiwan, might feature FunNow activities during promotions. People browsing on PChome for Mothers Day gifts could see FunNow bookings for restaurants in the app.

Before the pandemic, KKday offered international travel bookings, but is now focused on staycations, or local activities. By working together, Chen said the two companies plan to become more formidable rivals to Klook. We cant give a lot of details right now, but the basic idea is to combine resources. For example, they have a lot of activities and we have dinners and massages. If we come together, we can combine our suppliers and get more traffic and orders to merchants.

FunNow will seek other similar partnerships to drive low-cost traffic. Known for being one of Apples manufacturing contractors, Wistrons role in FunNows booking ecosystem seems less obvious, but Chen explains it's not a pure strategy partner. Wistron has spent a lot of time focused on digitizing Taiwans market, and created a corporate fund to invest in startups, and we will get a lot of support from them.

In a statement, Ascendo Ventures managing director Aaron Shin said, FunNows performance during the COVID-19 pandemic shows that the companys operating conditions are optimistic and have huge potential for overseas expansion.
GLASGOW, Scotland  A pair of large protests outside the U.N. Climate Change Conference on Friday and Saturday featured thousands of young people holding signs, persistent chanting, infectious samba drums, but a somewhat muddled message about how the world should go about avoiding catastrophic climate change. While a sense of frustration, even disgust, with the government officials inside the Scottish Event Campus was clear, many protesters struggled to identify what specific policy proposals they hoped would emerge from COP26.

At Fridays youth strike, which was organized by Fridays for Future, the climate activism organization founded by Greta Thunberg, there was a widespread sense among the more than 10,000 attendees that the conference and the governments participating in it are failing to act with sufficient haste to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.

Time to stop Capitalism Over Planet, read one sign in reference to the acronym used for Conference of the Parties. Several signs made reference to Thunbergs now-famous line that the latest climate change negotiations have amounted to little more than blah, blah, blah from politicians.

On Saturday, despite strong winds and rain, over 100,000 protesters joined the Global Day of Action for Climate Justice march, which the BBC called one the citys largest protests in living memory.

But on both days, when asked what specific policies they would like to see enacted to combat climate change, most protesters struggled to give examples. Instead, they tended to speak in broad strokes. Answers included actually do something, actually pay attention, and not just say Were doing something and then doing nothing.

When they did offer specific suggestions, the ideas tended to all come down to a belief that market-based solutions and plans for gradual transitioning to clean energy should be replaced with immediate and comprehensive restriction of fossil fuel development and industrial activities.

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In Belgium, specifically, maybe everywhere, now there is the emission trading system, and I think thats not at all a way to save the climate, to reduce emissions, it doesnt work, said Lola Lanen, 25, a student at the University of Antwerp and the spokesperson for COMAC, the student movement of the Workers Party of Belgium. I think its better to put regulations on those big polluters, so that they have to make their production greener.

A man pours fake fuel on the face of a protester at a demonstration against the fossil fuel industry during the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, on Sunday. (Yves Herman/Reuters)

That same message was prevalent at both weekend protests, including a sign on Friday that read, Be braver, think bigger, no more fossil fuels.

Students just want to see more of a change than were seeing, said Sophie Henderson, a 17-year-old high school student in Glasgow. We are being let down by our politicians.

When asked for an example of what the British government should do, she initially stuck with broad comments, saying, They should listen to young people, and they need to be a lot more radical with the change that needs to be made. But when pressed further, she added that they should stop Cambo, referring to a large new oil field in Scotland that the U.K. government is currently considering approving for further exploration.

The maligned politicians hammering out an agreement inside the conference tend to disagree with the idea of an immediate halt to fossil fuel development.

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., who represents a state that produces coal and natural gas, told Yahoo News that he opposes a ban on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which is supported by some in his party.

I dont support the idea that tomorrow you can turn fossil fuels off, he said. Were going through a very modest [oil and gas] price increase right now, which is creating a lot of difficulty in terms of being able to get to a durable climate solution. We need to understand that.

Unless somebody can come up with a plan where turning it all off tomorrow doesnt create some dramatic price shock, he said, I think a much more beneficial view in terms of climate itself, in order to get to a real solution, which is what we need to do, is to have an orderly transition.

Bennet was in Glasgow with a Senate delegation to promote a successful outcome to the climate change negotiations. At a press conference on Saturday, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said that the protesters overarching message on climate justice is welcome  though he did not specifically refer to their stance on immediately ending fossil fuel extraction.

Its a good thing somebody is protesting outside because we need to listen to the voices of young people, Markey said.

People protesting Sunday during the U.N. climate summit. (Yves Herman/Reuters)

The activists message was also made less clear by the fact that many groups with an array of only loosely related viewpoints came to both rallies, especially the larger one on Saturday.

For example, the River Almond Action Group, which is focused exclusively on conventional pollution in Scottish waterways, was there with signs deploying Scottish slang to call for cleaning up local rivers. (Apparently, bogin or bogging, means disgusting, and thats what the group thinks of the current state of the nations rivers.)

There were also Palestinian flags, signs calling for a Free Palestine, as well as flags featuring logos for the band the Grateful Dead.

Among the more directly relevant but potentially controversial groups present was the Animal Welfare Party, a minor British political party that promotes animal rights. Its signs read, Less Meat, Less Heat.

Steven Wooten, who came from Edinburgh, Scotland, on Saturday with the group, both pointed out that raising animals for meat and dairy is a large source of greenhouse gas emissions. I came here to show that animal agriculture should be discussed at COP26, and its been overlooked, and it needs to be considered, Wooten said. And the welfare of animals is a massive part of stopping climate change.

Animal rights protesters outside the Glasgow climate conference. (Ben Adler/Yahoo News)

There were also, for example, a number of different socialist and other far-left groups present, handing out pamphlets, hawking newsletters and arguing that only an end to capitalism could stop climate change. Some of the young people present seemed to agree, even if they werent marching specifically with such a group.

By contrast, one of the lowest profile and least crowded areas on Saturday was the one promoting the Zero Hour, a nonpartisan effort to pass a bill that would actually require the British government to set in law an emissions-reduction trajectory that would do its part to avert catastrophic climate change.

[Were] calling on the U.K. government to pass new legislation to reduce emissions in line with a fair share allocation of 1.5 [degrees Celsius of warming], to restore nature and to involve citizens in that just transition to a zero carbon society, explained Oliver Sidorczuk, a coordinator of the campaign.

Its the strongest possible standard one could set, but its a new campaign, and its less fun than inveighing against corporations.

____

Read more from Yahoo News:
In a startling address to constituents, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) recently talked about controversial COVID-19 conspiracist Joe Rogan becoming the president of Texas if the state secedes from the union.

Im not there yet, Cruz told an audience last month at Texas A&M University about Texas seceding from the United States  popularly known as Texit.

But if there comes a point where its hopeless, then I think we take NASA, we take the military, we take the oil, he said to loud applause.

Asked if he would also take Rogan, a Texan, Cruz responded: Joe Rogan, he might be president of Texas!

When Cruz was asked by a member of the audience about the possibility of seceding, he said he understood the sentiment. But he added that he wasnt ready for it  yet.

Im not ready to give up on America. I love this country, he said, again to applause.

For one thing, Cruz insisted, Texas has a responsibility to the nation because right now its an amazing force keeping America from going off the cliff, keeping America grounded in the values that built this country.

But hes prepared to change his mind.

Look, if the Democrats end the filibuster ... if they pack the Supreme Court, if they make D.C. a state, if they federalize elections and massively expand voter fraud, which doesnt exist, it may become hopeless, Cruz said. Were not there yet.

But if it does become hopeless, thats when the state should grab NASA, the military and the oil, he added.

When asked this week what he thinks about the Texas secessionist / independence movement called Texit, Ted Cruz says it might be appropriate if certain things happen, and that Joe Rogan should be President of an independent Texas. pic.twitter.com/3crlZlh8VL  Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) November 7, 2021

As for a possible future Texas president, at least right-wing vaccine and mask skeptic Rogan appears healthy after contracting COVID-19 earlier this year. The podcaster early last month insisted without a shred of evidence on his popular podcast The Joe Rogan Experience that President Joe Bidens booster shot, which was filmed and shown on TV, had been magically faked.

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Rogan admitted in May he was a fucking moron and not a respected source of information after falsely claiming young and healthy people dont need to be vaccinated. Hopefully, he knows more about running a nation state.

Cruzs talk was recorded for his Verdict podcast series. Its part of a series of controversial Verdict talks and others funded by the conservative Young Americas Foundation, whose president is right-winger Scott Walker, former governor of Wisconsin. Jeff Sessions, Donald Trumps one-time attorney general, and Trumps extremist immigrant adviser Stephen Miller are alumni of the foundation.

Cruz planned to speak last month at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, but the event was moved off campus because organizers refused to comply with the universitys policy requiring masks, WKOW-TV reported.

Check out Cruzs comments in the video up top. Talk about Texas secession begins at 1:18:17.

Also on HuffPost

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
Work for the marketing industry wins top scholar recognition from the American Marketing Association

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / November 8, 2021 / Marketing professionals from all over the U.S. were nominated for the Paul D. Converse Award, but only a select few were chosen. In 2020, C.W. Park from Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California was named a winner along with Debbie MacInnis, Bernard Jaworski, and Michel Wedel.

The high honor highlights a clear pattern in successfully teaching marketing at the highest level to their students. Both C.W. Park and Debbie MacInnis were from the Marshall School of Business. The other winners were from Claremont Graduate University and the University of Maryland. MacInnis noted, "This award is a great honor and is powerful recognition from our peers, but it is significant to C.W., who earned his Ph.D. at the University of Illinois."

C.W. Park has been at USC Marshall School of Business for 24 years. Prior to his work there, he was a distinguished professor of marketing for the University of Pittsburgh for 18 years. MacInnis brought on him, who was his graduate research assistant at the University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburg) before taking a job at USC.

C.W. Park has had more than 27,000 Google Citations noting his work. He has been published in the Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Psychology, and Journal of Marketing. He recently published a book titled Brand Admirations: Building a Business People Love (Wiley).

The Paul D. Converse Award was given by Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois. This award dates back to 1946 and is handed out every four years, honoring the memory and legacy of professor Paul Converse. A national jury of scholars and practitioners determines the award's recipients rather than relying on a local chapter. This allows the award to go to the most deserving marketing professionals in the U.S. Fortune Magazine once compared the awards to the "Marketing Hall of Fame."

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C.W. Park was proud to accept the honor. "I appreciate the recognition for years of dedication and hard work," he says. "This is a meaningful gesture that I don't take lightly. I appreciate the people who put me up for nomination and felt I was deserving of the award. Highlights like this help keep the fire alive in the hard work of teaching and mentoring-especially during a pandemic-altered year."

Marketing awards are given based on the recipient's contributions. This announcement was exciting news for the USC Marshall School of Business, now able to boast two professors winning the prestigious marketing award. As the oldest accredited business school in Southern California, Marshall School of Business can boast 100 years of history and over 90,000 USC Marshall alumni.

CONTACT:

C.W Park

C. Whan Park

(941) 879-9371

SOURCE: C. Whan Park





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/671767/CW-Park-Named-Recipient-of-20th-Paul-D-Converse-Awards-in-Recognition-of-Top-Marketing-Research




1883 Paramount+

Paramount+

Yellowstone fans, rejoice!

The show's highly anticipated prequel 1883 premieres Dec. 19 on Paramount+, and the first look at the trailer is here!

Fans are teased with clips of the star-studded cast, including a screaming Faith Hill, who plays matriarch Margaret Dutton, a seething, gun-toting Tim McGraw, who plays the Dutton family patriarch, and a horseback-riding Sam Elliott, who plays the "tough as nails" cowboy Shea Brennan.

RELATED: Yellowstone Is Getting a Prequel Dubbed Y: 1883

According to a release, 1883 follows the Dutton family as they trek west through America in search of a more promising future in Montana. Along the journey for land and opportunity, the family is forced to confront loss and hardship as they plow their way westward.

"I heard a thousand stories, but no one could describe this place," a female's voice narrates over shots of vast land. "The road west is filled with failures."

"It was a dream, and the dream was coming true," the trailer continues, showcasing clips of settlers migrating west in Conestoga wagons and battle scenes over the fight for land. "We are the land of no mercy now."

In addition to real-life couple McGraw and Hill, both 54, and Academy Award nominee Elliott, 77, the western drama also features Academy Award winner Billy Bob Thornton, Young Sheldon actress Isabel May and Sons of Anarchy star LaMonica Garrett.

Earlier this year, it was announced that the hit drama Yellowstone, which stars Kevin Costner, Kelly Reilly and Luke Grimes would be getting a prequel.

RELATED: Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and Sam Elliott Cast in Yellowstone Prequel Series, 1883

In August, Hill and McGraw shared their excitement about joining the cast of 1883.

"Finally the day has come when I get to share some exciting news with you!" she wrote alongside a Boomerang video of herself peeking out from behind the episode one script.

"I will be playing Margaret Dutton, the original matriarch of the Dutton family in the Yellowstone prequel 1883. Just wait, you have never seen anything like this!" she added.

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"We're pretty excited about it," McGraw also said in a video shared on his own Instagram. "Faith and I get to star alongside Sam Elliott. I mean, goodness gracious."

Season 4 of Yellowstone premieres Sunday at 8 p.m. on Paramount Network.
MONTFORD  This sinkhole has been around so long it's gotten to enjoy the dog days of summer and celebrate Halloween. And it probably has an eye on Thanksgiving.

"We added some Halloween decorations to it," said neighbor Nat Dickinson, who noted the monster sinkhole at 271 Montford Ave. first emerged July 22. "Let me know if you want some pictures."

He wasn't kidding  he made a Papier-mache clown head inspired by Stephen King's "It" character Pennywise, a horrifying clown who lives in the sewers. For Halloween, some residents of the property installed it in the monster hole.

For Halloween, Nat Dickinson created a scary clown head for the sinkhole next door to his Montford home. Residents of the home where the sinkhole emerged installed it.

Sure, it was funny, but the sinkhole next door has become a serious problem in this quaint North Asheville neighborhood, and Dickinson and others are not happy with the languishing response to it. He's spent months in contact with various city officials, neighborhood association members and others trying to get some kind of movement on a fix, as the sinkhole grows every time it rains hard and is close to his property line.

The main thing Ive been looking at from the city is better oversight on these things, said Dickinson, an artist. They very much relinquished all stormwater responsibility for three months. Theres no attempt to divert stormwater. Theres no attempt to do anything at all, except for waiting for the homeowners to do this (repair). Thats just intensely bad.

The culvert failed on private property, at 271 Montford Ave., next door to Dickinson's home. But the hole is now over 20 feet wide, has undermined the city sidewalk and threatens to start gobbling up some of Dickinson's lawn.

City: 'It is the property owners responsibility'

City spokeswoman Polly McDaniel said via email the sinkhole "is a result of the collapse or blockage of the existing century-old stone culvert that was most likely installed by the developer or property owner building the house at 271 Montford Avenue when they needed to build the driveway for the residence."

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More: Answer Man: Who's responsible for longstanding water leak on Riverside Drive

"When the drainage infrastructure is on private property, it is the property owners responsibility to maintain this infrastructure on their property," McDaniel said. "The city of Asheville is responsible for maintaining the storm water infrastructure within the right-of-way on city maintained-streets."

A city sidewalk runs near the sinkhole, and the city has closed it off and put up a barricade to keep people out.

"Once the sinkhole developed, citys Storm water Division personnel contacted the property owners to advise them this was on private property and would need to be fixed," McDaniel said.

Bruce and Cheryl MacPhail of Asheville own the home through a limited liability corporation. It's broken into apartments.

Bruce MacPhail said he knows apartment residents and neighbors are frustrated with the slow pace of repair work, but stresses they have been trying to find a solution. He said as soon as they noticed the problem in July they went to the city, and the city told them it was their responsibility to fix it, and they had to submit repair plans from a civil engineering firm for the city's approval.

"So, we spent July, August and September trying to get a civil engineer who would come and handle the project, but with all of the flooding that was going on, there was no one available, MacPhail said, citing extensive regional flood damage from Tropical Storm Fred. It wasnt until late September we finally got an engineer to take it on.

McGill Associates, an Asheville civil engineering firm, is formulating the plan to fix a sinkhole at 271 Montford Ave. On Nov. 4, a worker was surveying the site

The engineering company, McGill Associates in Asheville, has met with the city and should have plans in by mid-November, MacPhail said. Theyll have to wait for the city to approve those plans before greenlighting the work.

I believe with all the visibility its had, theyll probably fast-track it, MacPhail said, adding that hes lined up a contractor to do the repair work.

More: Asheville sinkhole spawns cultlike following on social media

MacPhail said he understands the city's stance and requirements but wishes "theyd been a little more helpful, a little more supportive.

"It was in their best interest and our best interest that we get it fixed, and they did nothing to help us secure an engineer to get this project fast-tracked, MacPhail said. They were not very helpful.

The repair cost could approach "six figures," MacPhail said, "and there's no insurance for it."

"And it was basically the city dumping all its water into that low point on Montford Avenue, knowing that theres a 1910 storm drain thats just not built or equipped to handle that, MacPhail said.

City storm drains in play

The city has four large storm drains on Montford Avenue near the sinkhole site. They drain water from the street into the culvert, and they handle water for much of Montford Avenue in that area, at least a 1/2 mile.

McDaniel acknowledged the "storm water runoff from this entire drainage basin does enter four large storm drains" on Montford Avenue at this location.

Nat Dickinson, who lives next door to a large sinkhole that's opened up at 271 Montford Ave., says the city's four large street drains in the area channel an enormous amount of water into the culvert that failed.

"However, the collapsed stone culvert on private property has prevented the normal flow of this storm water runoff," McDaniel said. "This has led to the water finding its own path underground, thus creating the sinkhole."

Dickinson says he's "just astounded that the city feels no responsibility for this at all."

Its like, Its your stormwater, do something,'" Dickinson said.

Workers from McGill Associates were surveying the site Nov. 4, and a worker told Dickinson work should begin in about a month.

MacPhail said the repair will involve installing a new storm drain on their property and reconnecting it to the city's system.

More: Sinkhole site owners reveal plan to restore wetlands

Work can't come soon enough for Dickinson, who's concerned about the growing hole eroding his yard or even his home's foundation.

Charlie Mercer, who rents an apartment at 271 Montford, is also tired of the spectacle.

"Every time it rains, it gets bigger, Mercer said in October. Were all worried the sewer line might break, and we definitely had a sewer problem to begin with.

Its annoying as hell, Mercer continued. Everybody walks by and asks us questions about it. Were an attraction at this point.

MacPhail said they did have a plumbing company work on a sewer line issue in the summer, and that's when they first discovered the scope of the sinkhole problem.

Legally, the property owner is on the hook

Asheville attorney Mark Kurdys has worked on sinkhole issues in the past and notes that Asheville has a recurring problem with them because of aging infrastructure. In recent years, large sinkholes have emerged on Merrimon Avenue, in South Asheville, the Oakley neighborhood and elsewhere.

The law tends to back municipalities in these cases. Kurdys says the city is essentially saying in this case, "The courts have repeatedly decided in favor of the municipalities."

"Yes, the city streets are huge impervious sluices that can and do channel a tremendous volume of water to the storm drains along the curb, etc., and direct the torrent into underground culverts that flow under private property," Kurdys said via email. "But thus far the courts have looked only at who built the storm water structures that failed and whose property they are on."

The sinkhole at 271 Montford Ave. started out small in July 2021 but was over 20 feet wide by mid-October.

But, like Dickinson and MacPhail, Kurdys has some questions for the city.

"From the standpoint of a citizen, one might ask why the city, which has a huge interest in reliable infrastructure, doesnt take a proactive approach to an underground problem that theyve known about for many decades and is only going to get worse?" Kurdys said.

Addressing a different failed culvert in March, Kurdys said, "If the city did not install and cover the culvert into the formerly open stream/ditch, and did not accept in writing the control or maintenance of that culvert, both of which are, I think, unlikely, then the city takes no responsibility for that buried culvert, and the North Carolina courts have consistently said they are correct in that position," Kurdys said.

When culverts are damaged in a way that significantly blocks water flow, or creates a tear or opening at a joint, they lose integrity, Kurdys said in March. When a large flow of water from a downpour encounters a blocked or damaged pipe, it can be catastrophic.

"That pressure blows water out through tears or open joints, the water quickly erodes away the soil and/or gravel supporting the culvert and a cavern develops around the damaged portion of the culvert," Kurdys said.

As Kurdys notes, these scenarios have created some whopper sinkholes in Asheville, including one off Merrimon Avenue "that could swallow a school bus."

While the city of Asheville takes no responsibility for the sinkhole damage at 271 Montford Ave., it "will make any necessary repairs to the roadway infrastructure such as the sidewalk once the private drainage system has been repaired and the sinkhole subsequently filled in," a city spokeswoman said.

McDaniel said regarding the Montford sinkhole the city will "make any necessary repairs to the roadway infrastructure such as the sidewalk once the private drainage system has been repaired and the sinkhole subsequently filled in."

More: Avoid sinkhole on Asheville's newest greenway along French Broad River in River Arts District

MacPhail said he and his wife talked to several attorneys about their situation but were told it's difficult if not impossible to win a case against the municipality in such a scenario. But he also thinks the city is turning a blind eye to a problem that's going to continue to recur.

"Our whole water infrastructure dates back to the early 1900s, and City Council after City Council just passes it on," MacPhail said.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Montford sinkhole: Is a fix in sight? Who's responsible?
MANAGUA, Nicaragua  Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega was ahead by a wide margin Monday in his bid for a fourth consecutive term in preliminary vote tallies for an election widely considered rigged.

Ortega had received 75%, an apparently insurmountable total, with nearly half of polling places counting, said Brenda Rocha, president of the Supreme Electoral Council. Trailing far behind were a handful of little-known candidates.

The strongest potential opponents were in jail rather than on the ballot.

At the close of voting Sunday, the U.S. President Joe Biden called the election a "pantomime." The country's opposition had urged voters to boycott and voting Sunday appeared light, despite Rocha's report of a turnout of 65%.

The European Union foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, dismissed the results on Monday.

"Daniel Ortega has eliminated all credible electoral competition, depriving the Nicaraguan people of their right to freely elect their representatives," Borrell said in a statement. "The integrity of the electoral process was crushed by the systematic incarceration, harassment and intimidation of presidential precandidates, opposition leaders, student and rural leaders, journalists, human rights defenders and business representatives."

A supporter of Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega and vice presidential candidate, his wife, Rosario Murillo, poses while celebrating after preliminary results showed Ortega is expected to be re-elected, at Victoria Square in Managua on Nov. 7, 2021.

He said the EU had so far avoided sanctions that would affect the Nicaraguan people, instead targeting those "responsible for antidemocratic developments in Nicaragua." But he warned additional measures could go beyond individual restrictions.

Ortega had railed against alleged interference by Washington and other "powers" in Sunday's elections to determine who holds the presidency for the next five years, as well as 90 of the 92 seats in the congress and Nicaragua's representation in the Central American Parliament.

The ruling Sandinista Front and its allies control the congress and all government institutions. Ortega, who turns 76 on Thursday, first served as president from 1985 to 1990 while battling U.S.-backed rebels. He returned to power in 2007. He recently declared his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, his "co-president."

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Voting closed Sunday evening without reported incidents.

In June, police arrested seven potential presidential challengers to Ortega on charges that essentially amount to treason. Some two dozen other opposition leaders were also swept up ahead of the elections.

The remaining contenders on Sunday's ballot were little-known politicians from minor parties seen as friendly to Ortega's Sandinista Front.

On Sunday, Mayela Rodriguez found her local voting center at a school in Managua virtually empty. "In past years it was really full," she said. "Before you had to (wait) in a big line to come here and now, empty."

Around midday, Ortega spoke live on television after voting  he held up his inked finger.

He blasted the United States for interference in Nicaragua, noted allegations of fraud in the last U.S. presidential election, reminded that those who stormed the U.S. Capitol were called terrorists and remain jailed. He repeated his claim that the U.S. government supported huge protests in Nicaragua in April 2018, which he has called an attempted coup.

"They have as much right as we do to open trials against terrorists," Ortega said.

In a statement released around the close of voting, Biden called Nicaragua's election process "rigged" and said the U.S. would use the tools at its disposal to hold the Nicaraguan government accountable.

"The Ortega and Murillo family now rule Nicaragua as autocrats, no different from the Somoza family that Ortega and the Sandinistas fought four decades ago," Biden said.

He criticized the vote as a "pantomime election that was neither free nor fair, and most certainly not democratic."

In neighboring Costa Rica, President Carlos Alvarado Quesada tweeted that his government won't recognize the election because of "the lack of democratic conditions and guarantees."

The Organization of American States will hold its annual general assembly in Guatemala later this week. Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico were among seven countries that abstained from a vote on a resolution last month in the OAS condemning repression in Nicaragua.

Associated Press writer Christopher Sherman in Mexico City contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Daniel Ortega leads in Nicaragua voting after imprisoning rivals
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - November 7, 2021) - Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. ("Reconnaissance" or the "Company") (OTCQX: RECAF). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

The investigation concerns whether Reconnaissance and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

Between June 24, 2021 and September 7, 2021, Viceroy Research ("Viceroy") published a series of reports scrutinizing ReconAfrica's operations and alleging that the Company was engaged in various forms of undisclosed impermissible or otherwise problematic conduct. According to the Viceroy reports, ReconAfrica was engaged in or intended to engage in fracking in ecologically sensitive areas, unlicensed drilling test, the illegal storage of water in unlined pools, and the use of inadequate and inappropriate consultants in connection with its operations. Viceroy further alleged that ReconAfrica has continuously engaged in stock pumping. Following the publication of the Viceroy reports, ReconAfrica's stock price fell sharply, damaging investors.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com

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CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

rswilloughby@pomlaw.com

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/102399
If you watch enough old movies, you know that there are two types of bank robberies. The fir
As a competitive cyclist, boater and snow-skiing enthusiast, Carey Stanly is always looking for his next big adventure.

One evening about five years ago, his Corinthian Point friends and neighbors gathered over wine and the retired architect brought up the idea of building a boat and sailing it on the Ohio River where he grew up.

We all thought it sounded crazy, said Lee Cotton, a friend and neighbor of Stanlys. It also sounded interesting through. I had no idea what might be involved.

They eventually came to the conclusion that their own ski boats would not work for the trip. Not long after, Stanly began drawing plans and building a pleasure craft that would be suitable for a trip down the river of his childhood.

Recently, the culmination of this five-year project between friends and neighbors finally came to pass as Stanly, Cotton, Lloyd Andrew and Frank Vickers set sail in September on their trip of a lifetime down the Ohio River.

They towed the 33-foot boat by truck and trailer to Pittsburgh where they launched in the Ohio River. They then spent 17 days on the Ohio River before pulling the boat off the Mississippi River in Hickman, Kentucky totaling 1,030 miles on the river.

Stanly said this group of friends had traveled all over the world among them and when it was complete, they told Stanly this was one of the best trips they had ever experienced.

On YourConroeNews.com: Lake Conroe man donates model ship to US Naval Academy

Stanly grew up in Henderson, Kentucky along the Ohio River.

I was always interested in going down the Ohio River. People dont realize what a massive river it is, he said.

He settled into a career as an architect in Texas and he and his wife, Linda, have lived in Corinthian Point off Lake Conroe for more than 35 years.

Over the decades they formed bonds with their nearby neighbors and they get together frequently.

When he introduced the idea, he said they told him Yeah, I want to see that.

He began work on the boat at his storage facility just outside of Corinthian Point without telling anyone. He drew the plans and started from scratch building the lower part first and applying fiberglass inside and out. He spent a lot of time studying what others had done to make this project work.

He then built three sections on top of the fiberglass portion. The living area contains three queen-size beds, a bathroom, kitchen area and dining area.

Cotton, a hobby carpenter, was soon onboard doing the woodworking for the boat and building cabinets, handrails, tables, moulding and a frame for one of the beds.

Their favorite feature though is the handmade black walnut railing around the sides and front of the boat.

When Stanly was in his early 20s, a farmer was clearing some land near his home. He asked the farmer if he could have the wood from the trunk of a black walnut tree. He had it cut into planks and brought it to Texas with him hoping hed find a use for it someday. More than 50 years later, he did.

As they were building the boat, the black walnut became a showpiece of the boat. Cotton said they parked along some luxury boats at the marinas and the black walnut handrails put the woodwork on the other luxury boats to shame.

Stanly determined September was the best time for their trip as the river would be at its lowest and the weather had cooled, any later theyd run into winter weather.

He upgraded his truck and had a trailer custom built for the boat.

They left Lake Conroe on Sept. 16 and arriving in Pittsburgh was the first big step on the journey.

It was like pulling a house behind you, Cotton said. Once they got to Pittsburgh, there was lots to do. They had to buy the grocery supplies for meals and get the trailer and truck stored before launching at the marina.

On YourConroeNews.com: New Lake Conroe waterfront development offers options for renters

On Sept. 19, they launched on a Sunday game day at Three Rivers Stadium. Stanly recalled there were lots of boats on the river for game day.

Then Cotton, Stanly, Andrew and another neighbor Frank Vickers began their adventure.

On the 1,030-mile journey they encountered 19 river locks, numerous coal-fired power plants with some being torn down and others out of commission, old houses and old river towns, beautiful sunrises, barges of all sorts, wildlife like eagles, geese, nutria and even Monarch butterflies that happened to be going their way.

Stanly was amazed that day after day the water was mirror calm on the river.

Cotton brought books to read on the trip, but he never got to them as it was more fascinating to sit next to captain Stanly and watch the scenery.

Days were filled with camaraderie among the friends. By bedtime, they were exhausted from a full day on the water.

We slept like babies, Stanly said noting that the weather was cool and there wasnt a lot of wave action. They only experienced one day and two nights of rain which they were prepared for with the enclosed shelter. Along the way, they were joined by Stanlys step-son Doug Neil from Denver.

In Paducah, Kentucky, Cotton got off the boat and was picked up by another Corinthian Point neighbor Richard Leofsky who is a pilot. Leofsky picked Cotton up in Paducah and flew him back to Pittsburgh so he could drive the truck and trailer to the boats final destination.

Cotton said it was very interesting to fly over the Ohio River especially after just having been on the river.

The Ohio River eventually joins the Mississippi River. They decided to get out at Hickman, Kentucky on the Mississippi River. The next viable boat ramp was 80 miles down river and storms were on the way. Cotton met them with the truck and trailer to start the journey back to Lake Conroe. They arrived back in Corinthian Point on Oct. 7.

In the end they were pretty proud of the maiden voyage of their homemade vessel and Stanly is looking forward to more adventures on the boat.

We never had a problem we couldnt solve, Cotton said.

For Stanly it was satisfying to see the vessel of his making set sail.

Were getting to the age where we need to be doing things as long as were physically able, he said. My daughter joked that someday well have stories to tell in the old folks home  if anyone believes them.

shernandez@hcnonline.com
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New Delhi: November 8, 2021 marked five years since the Indian government decided to cancel the Legal Tender Status of Rs 1000 and Rs 500 denomination currency notes with a larger purpose to move India from a Tax Non-compliant society to a compliant society.

A Harvard University working paper finds that Demonetization led to a permanent increase in the use of digital transactions, especially among the young. Even two years after the event, those who switched to digital transactions have not returned to cash payments.

The Narendra Modi Government had decided to cancel the Legal Tender Status of Rs 1000 and Rs 500 denomination currency notes on 8th November 2016 with several objectives: (i) flushing out black money, (ii) eliminate Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN), (iii) to strike at the root of financing of terrorism and left wing extremism, (iv) to convert non-formal economy into a formal economy to expand tax base and employment and (v) to give a big boost to digitalization of payments to make India a less cash economy.

The Harvard University working paper finds that post-demonetization, customers who switched to digital payments on e-commerce platformsinstead of cash-on-deliveryspend more per transaction and are less likely to return their purchases. Another university, the Northwestern University found a 60% permanent increase in fintech payments after demonetization.

Demonetization of November 2016 caused the volume of digital transactions to shoot up on impact, while simultaneously causing a drop in the volume of traditional transactions, digital transactions have consistently exceeded traditional transactions both in levels and growth rates since 2017.

The chart below shows growth in digital transactions post demonetisation.

Chart Courtesy: https://www.npci.org.in

Further, as per RBI report, demonetisation has also made India a lesser cash-based economy. At the end of financial year 2015-16, Rs. 16.41 lakh crore worth of notes were in circulation, registering an YoY growth of 14.51 percent over 2014-15. At this rate, notes in circulation would have been increased to Rs.32.62 lakh crore by end of 2020-21. However, it increased to much less, Rs.28.26 lakh crore by the end of 2021.

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Srinagar: Indian Army soldiers will now be able to get distance learning courses offered by University of Kashmir. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to this effect was signed between the Srinagar-based University and Chinar Corps on Monday (November 8).

As per the MoU, the soldiers of Indian Army posted in Kashmir will be able to seek admission to various courses being offered by the Directorate of Distance Education, University of Kashmir.

The type of courses being made available to Army personnel range from six-month certificate courses to one-year diploma courses and two-year postgraduate courses.

A total of 18 courses are presently available for enrolment by the Army personnel which will be increased in time.

After the formal signing of the MoU, Professor Talat Ahmad, Vice Chancellor, UoK addressed the gathering and emphasised the significance of long-term MoU which will benefit the soldiers posted in Kashmir.

Thereafter, Lieutenant General D P Pandey in his address praised the milestone achieved in the field of education, which will empower the soldiers of the Chinar Corps in performing their duties in a challenging environment.

Speaking on the occasion, Pandey said that the University of Kashmir, with its rich heritage, culture and academia, will provide a one of the kind opportunity for army personnel and civil defence employees of Chinar Corps to pursue higher educational qualifications, domain specialization and subject matter expertise.

The courses featured in the MoU includes MA/ MSc (Maths), MA (English), MA (Urdu), MA (Education) among 2-year courses and Computer Applications, Web designing, Cyber Law, Tourism Management) etc in PG Diploma courses.

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Fashion model Munmun Dhamecha, an accused in the Aryan Khan drugs case, on Monday approached the Bombay High Court seeking modification of certain bail conditions which were imposed while releasing her on bail last month.

Dhamecha has requested the high court to permit her to attend the Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) office in Delhi, where she stays, instead of Mumbai where she has no residence.

Dhamecha was granted bail by the HC on October 28 along with co-accused Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, and Arbaaz Merchant.

One of the bail conditions was that the accused had to attend the Mumbai office of the NCB every Friday between 11 AM and 2 PM.

The accused were also directed not to leave Mumbai without informing the Investigating Officer (IO) and give the itinerary for the same. In her plea filed in the HC through advocate Kashif Ali Khan Deshmukh, Dhamecha said she was a resident of Madhya Pradesh who had moved to Delhi for work. The plea said Dhamecha does not have any residence in Mumbai.

"The above condition imposed will have a drastic effect on her professional life as well as her social life, as she would be required to travel to Mumbai every week," the plea said, adding that it would be "highly impractical and unworkable" for Dhamecha.

Dhamecha has also contended that if the conditions have to be judiciously followed, then she will have to communicate each and every movement to the NCB as she would constantly be shuttling between MP and Delhi, which is outside the territorial limits of Mumbai.

READ | Bombay High Court grants bail to Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant, Munmun Dhamecha in drugs case

Her plea states that considering she is a resident of MP and Delhi, there would be no specific itinerary that can be communicated to the IO of the case.

Dhamecha has sought relaxation of a bail condition wherein she is required to inform the IO and submit the itinerary.

The plea is likely to be taken up for hearing by the HC next week.

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New Delhi: BJP legislators, accompanied by the party's Delhi unit president Adesh Gupta, staged a dharna outside Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence on Monday (November 8) demanding a reduction in value-added tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel.

The Central government on November 3 announced slashing excise duty on petrol by Rs 5 per litre and on diesel by Rs 10 a litre to give reprieve to consumers battered by record-high retail fuel prices.

"We came here to hand over a memorandum to Kejriwal demanding a cut in VAT on petrol and diesel but learnt that he is touring other states for election campaigns. If other states can cut VAT why can not the Delhi government do so?" Gupta asked. He accused Kejriwal of "pursuing politics purely for power with no concern for the people of Delhi".

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday (November 7) said the AAP government is looking into steps it can take to provide more relief to the people from the high prices of petrol and diesel.

Since states charge local sales tax or VAT not just on the base price but also on the excise duty levied by the Centre, the total incidence of price reduction is higher.

BJP-ruled states have cut their VAT on petrol and diesel following the Centre's announcement to cut excise duty. The Congress-led Punjab government on Sunday announced a reduction in VAT on petrol and diesel, making them cheaper by Rs 10 and Rs 5 per litre respectively in the state.

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New Delhi: The BJP's national executive meeting held in New Delhi on Sunday set eyes on the upcoming assembly elections in five states and vowed to take on the opposition, which it said was spreading lies and running a malicious campaign against the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. The meeting saw Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath proposing the party's political resolution that praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, with the chief ministers of the three other states pitching in as well.

BJP resolution hails PM Modi's leadership

The resolution also accused the opposition of "opportunism" and acting with a mindset of "extreme hate", while predicting a big win for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur due to the development works of its state governments and the party's organisational strength.

Asked about the decision to pick Adityanath to propose the resolution, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman retorted, "Why not", while praising his work as chief minister and noting that he heads India's largest state.

The resolution was largely devoted to lauding Prime Minister Modi's leadership over a range of issues - from the COVID-19 vaccination programme to his stand on climate change - with Sitharaman asserting that his government has restored faith in governance in India and built the country's image abroad.

India has played an active role in the domain of foreign policies and ensured that it is heard, she told reporters. The resolution said India is setting new standards of success globally under Modi but the opposition is solely acting out of "extreme hate", alleging that it was busy derailing the COVID-19 vaccination programme by making every effort and conspiracies and spreading disinformation.

Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai seconded the resolution moved by Adityanath with Union ministers G Kishan Reddy, who is from Telangana, and Ashwini Viashnaw, MP from Odisha, also speaking.

It said the BJP put up an admirable performance in the assembly polls in five states, Bihar, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and West Bengal, and numerous bypolls and local elections, claiming that this shows the party-run governments and bodies have lived up to people's expectations. Asked if there was any reference to the recent by-election results, which have been a mixed bag for the party, Sitharaman said there was no specific discussion on them.

To a query on farmers' protests, Sitharaman said the government has made it clear time and again its willingness to talk to farmer unions and asked them to list their grievances on the three laws. Farmer unions have been demanding that the government repeal the laws.

BJP promises a new era of peace, development in J&K

The BJP resolution also said a chapter of "security, peace and development" has opened in Jammu and Kashmir, noting that 2081 people lost their lives in terror incidents between 2004-14, when the Congress-led UPA was in power, while 239 citizens lost their lives between 2014-21.

It also mentioned the development initiatives in the union territory and the completion of local body polls. It also hailed the Modi government for delivering "corruption-free" governance with its emphasis on digitisation and transparency.

With some farmer unions continuing their stir against three farm laws, the BJP highlighted the government's programmes for their welfare. It also appreciated the central government for reducing excise duty on petrol and diesel and the BJP dispensations in many states for slashing VAT on them to give relief to consumers.

Act as a bridge between party and common people: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked BJP members to become a "bridge of faith" between the party and the common man and expressed confidence that the BJP will win the trust of people in the upcoming assembly polls in five states.

Addressing the valedictory session of the BJP's national executive, PM Modi stressed that the BJP runs on the values of "Sewa, Sanklap aur Samparan (service, resolution and commitment)" and "does not revolve around a family", urging its members to work for people, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav said quoting the Prime Minister.

In his address, PM Modi also mentioned the BJP's win in Telangana bypolls, its improved performance in Ellenabad assembly by-election in Haryana and local body elections in Tamil Nadu besides a rise in its vote share in an Andhra Pradesh by-election to assert that it shows growing acceptance of the party's development agenda, sources said.

Attended the @BJP4India National Executive Meeting, along with party colleagues from across the country. We had fruitful discussions on ways to serve people. pic.twitter.com/BqRxZMEoKM  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 7, 2021

Chief Ministers and BJP presidents of four poll-bound states - Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur - gave a presentation on upcoming assembly elections at the meeting, Yadav told reporters.

"In his address, Prime Minister Modiji gave a mantra to the party workers that they should become a bridge of faith between the common man and the party, while referring to the party's history as it has always been associated with the issues close to the common man of the country," Yadav said.

Referring to the welfare work done by BJP workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, PM Modi said the ruling party focused on serving the people. Talking about the presentations on poll-bound states, PM Modi expressed confidence that the party will win the people's trust as it has been moving forward by taking up issues close to the people.

PM Modi also spoke about a new initiative of Kamal Pushp launched on the Namo App for paying tributes to all party workers who devoted their entire life to the party. He asked party members to be in touch with veteran workers, saying a lot could be learnt from them.

Opposition working with hostility: BJP resolution

The resolution passed by the BJP`s National Executive meeting accused the opposition parties of working solely with a hostile mindset. The saffron party accused the opposition parties of resorting to politics of opportunism.

The BJP said while the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has prepared a robust health security cover for citizens of the country through indigenous vaccines, vaccination campaigns and public participation. On the other hand, the opposition was busy making all kinds of malicious efforts, propaganda and conspiracies to derail the mass vaccination campaign against the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the political resolution passed in the BJP`s executive meeting, the attitude of the opposition parties has been strongly condemned, calling it "irresponsible" and "weakening the democracy".

Describing the performance of the BJP in the recently concluded 2021 Assembly elections held in Assam, Puducherry, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala as commendable, the political resolution said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government was formed in Bihar and the BJP emerged as one of the single-largest parties in the state. Whereas in West Bengal, the BJP gained political ground from only 2 to 77 members in the state Assembly and emerged as the main opposition party in the state.

The BJP formed the government in Assam for the second time with an absolute majority and the NDA government was formed for the first time in Puducherry. Apart from this, referring to the excellent poll performance of the BJP in various by-elections and municipal elections held across the country, the party`s executive meeting added that these election results prove that the BJP governments are continuously reposing the trust of the people.

The political resolution also accused the ruling Trinamool Congress-led government in West Bengal of killing innocent BJP workers and committing several other atrocities on people with a mindset of vengeance and political revenge.

Eye on upcoming assembly polls

In the political resolution passed during the meeting of the BJP`s National Executive Committee on Sunday while taking the pledge of victory in the forthcoming Assembly elections, it has been said that the BJP is progressing with a pro-poor and development-oriented governments in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.

The BJP is working on the development works undertaken by its governments and strengthening the party organization. The saffron party is marching ahead with poll victory in all five poll-bound states and several media surveys have made similar predictions.

BJP to set up committees for every poll booth

BJP national president JP Nadda has said that a party committee should be set up for every polling booth and an arrangement put in place so that one can listen to Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s Mann ki Baat at every booth.

Union Education Minister and senior BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan said that Nadda made these remarks in his inaugural address at the BJP`s national executive meeting on Sunday.

Pradhan added that Home Minister Amit Shah had said that the party is yet to reach its peak. He said there are 10.4 lakh polling booths in the country and of these, committees have been formed for 85 per cent booths so far. Now the party has to form a committee on the remaining 15 per cent booths by December 25, 2021.

In states where elections are to be held, this work will be done faster. Pradhan said the party has to complete the work of making `Panna Pramukhs` at all these booths by April 6, 2022. Not only this, a mechanism has to be made to listen to PM Modi`s Mann Ki Baat at these booths.

He said that during the starting of the COVID-19 pandemic, masks, PPE kits and other medical equipment were not even made in the country. The demand for liquid oxygen reached 9,000 metric tons during this period. He said that liquid oxygen is not made in the northern part of India. In such a situation, under the leadership of PM Modi, measures were taken by using rail, air and land transportation means.

WHO approval to Covaxin

Pradhan said that the first COVID-19 case came in January 2020. It is worthy of appreciation how the work was done within nine months from mobilising medical resources to other measures.During the press conference, Pradhan said that today in our country, more than 100 crore people have taken a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine while more than 30 per cent of the population has taken both doses of the vaccine.

Today, under the leadership of PM Modi, WHO has given recognition to Covaxin. It is all about the ability of the people of the country, he said. Today, the Prime Minister has set an example in leadership and the working committee expressed its gratitude to him on behalf of the people.

World's largest food program run by Modi govt

Pradhan said that due to the vision of PM Modi, India had run the world`s largest food program in the world in the year 2020. Everyone was given 5 kg of rice, wheat and pulses. He said that today, the country`s economy has started coming back on track. The GST collection of the country is continuously increasing. He said that it has been two and a half years since Article 370 was removed. Now the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is changing.

There today IITs and other institutes are opening rapidly. The union territory is developing at a fast pace.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and other BJP leaders attended the party`s national executive meeting held after a gap of almost 1.5 years.

BJP's first 'hybrid meet

The meeting of the BJP`s National Executive in the national capital on Sunday, was its first "hybrid" meet, BJP`s IT Cell chief Amit Malviya said.

Malviya said that this was the first such meet, with some leaders at the venue here, and several others attending from various places across the country. All marked their attendance with a digital signature. Those outside Delhi were linked through a two-way communication system, and some of the virtual attendees even gave speeches.

Asked how much time it took to arrange the "hybrid" meet, Malviya said they were working on it for the past 10 days.

He said that no glitches marred Sunday`s programme, in which only 124 members were present in Delhi and rest, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who presented the political resolution while participating from Lucknow, other party Chief Ministers, state unit chiefs, and other senior leaders, including veterans L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi.

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Kolkata: A group BJP workers clashed with Kolkata police on Monday (November 8) after they were stopped from protesting to seek a reduction in VAT imposed by the state on fuel.

Several party workers were detained during the scuffle, a police officer said. This comes days after the Centre reduced excise duty on petrol and diesel.

The rally was scheduled to start from the BJP office at Central Avenue to the Metro station in Esplanade. Since morning, the police had put up barricades outside the party office to stop activists from taking out the rally.

When the party workers set out on the march, they were prevented from moving ahead by the police, following which a scuffle ensued between the two sides.

As and when the BJP decides to take out a rally, COVID norms are cited. A few days ago, however, when the TMC took out similar rallies against the Centre over fuel prices, COVID norms were clearly not applicable. It seems the TMC is afraid of the BJP, and that is why it is trying to stop us from taking out rallies," BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar was quoted as saying by PTI

Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari said the party would hold the protest march at any cost.

Not just the Centre, several other states have slashed taxes to bring down the fuel prices, but the TMC government which pretends to be pro-people is yet to do the same. Their double standard stands exposed, he said.

Earlier, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh had said that the BJP was indulging in "cheap politics" over the issue. He said that the fuel tax by the Centre is far more than that of states.

"The BJP is indulging in cheap politics over fuel prices as its apathy in stemming the skyrocketing prices of petrol, diesel, and LPG has been exposed. It has slashed excise duty on petrol and diesel a bit, fine! But that is too little, too less," Ghosh had said.

Also Read: Andhra Pradesh government rules out VAT cut on petrol, diesel, clears stance with newspaper ad

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Shamli/Lucknow: Laying the foundation of a PAC Battalion and launching a slew of development projects of Rs 426 crore in Shamli district on Monday (November 8), Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that peace was restored in Kairana because of the state government's policy of zero-tolerance against crimes. Whereas the previous governments were involved in criminalisation of politics.

"After 2017, peace has returned to Kairana due to the state government's policy of zero-tolerance against crimes. A number of families have returned to Kairana now. Today, I am here for the establishment of a battalion of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) which will further help in improving the safety of the region," he said.

Adityanath said that people under his regime, those who had forced the people to migrate in 2016, have themselves migrated out of the state.

Adityanath, who visited Kairana, also met residents who returned after the migration in 2016. He laid the foundation stones of a PAC battalion camp at a cost of Rs 250 crore, a firing range and other development projects.

Mentioning the deployment of over 1278 personnel the CM said that through this battalion, a better environment for security will be created in the state. PAC ka jab danda chalega toh bade se bada dangayi parlok ki yatra karta dikhega.

"Between 2017, several Hindu families in Kairana had migrated due to threats of extortion from another community. However, in my regime, those who forced you to leave Kairana, have now left the place because they know that they will have to pay dearly for their misdeeds," he said.

Lashing out at the previous SP and BSP governments for their failure in establishing a strict law and order system in the state, the CM remarked, Muzaffarmagar ke dange aur Kairana ka palayan humare liye rajneet ke mudde nahi balki desh aur pradesh ki shaan pe aanch aane waale mudde hain.

He went on to say that previously, jobs were given on the basis of face, money... But today I'm happy to see the youth of Shamli working in the education sector. Earlier, false cases were lodged against youth as well as our MLAs such as Hukum Singh, Suresh Rana or Tejendra Narwal.

Taking a jibe at the Samajwadi Party the CM added that earlier governments focused on family welfare, while our government under PM Modi's leadership got toilets constructed for the people, waived off loans, provided free gas connections...Our govt waived off over Rs 36,000 crores loan of farmers.

Yogi Adityanath also listed the various welfare schemes of the centre and state government that are designed to benefit the poor.

Dedicated to the all-round progress of Uttar Pradesh, the policies of the government encompassed the development of every category including agriculture, women, youth, entrepreneurs, labourers, health and medical infrastructure and law and order, he said adding that, Earlier where people of Shamli were forced to travel to Delhi to avail proper healthcare services, today people of Delhi are travelling to Shamli for the same. In addition, a medical college is also coming up in Shamli to improve the existing healthcare facilities in the region.

The CM also urged the people of Kairana to work collectively to help the region regain its lost glory. The government will leave no stone unturned to help Kairana Gharana regain its lost glory. Everyone must join hands to help Shamli regain its identity, he said.

CM Yogi Adityanath served the state selflessly: Swatantra Dev Singh

He hit out at the previous SP government headed by Akhilesh Yadav for ruining the state by indulging in politics of appeasement, casteism, corruption, terror and fear. The state and its dignity was handed over to the criminals and goons, he said adding that, the criminals used to roam freely on the streets without fear.

Unlike the SP Chief who used to enjoy a lavish lifestyle during his rule, CM Yogi Adityanath never took any advantage of the position he held, rather was always ready to serve people selflessly, he asserted.

During his visit to Shamli on Monday, the Chief Minister handed over the symbolic keys of the houses to the beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, and also distributed Ayushman cards and cheques under various welfare schemes to the eligible beneficiaries.

Uttar Pradesh (UP) minister for Sugarcane Development, Sugar Mills Suresh Rana, UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh were among others to be present on the occasion.

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Jaipur: Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik has made a scathing attack on the Central government, saying leaders in Delhi send condolence messages even when a dog dies, but are not bothered about the "death of 600 farmers" protesting against the three controversial farm laws.

Speaking in a programme organised by Teja Foundation in Jaipur`s Birla Auditorium on Sunday, Malik said, "Till date, such a big movement has never happened. 600 people have been martyred in the farmers` movement so far. When an animal dies, there comes a condolence message from the leaders of Delhi. 600 of our farmers were martyred, but no message came from Delhi."

"Leaders in Delhi had sent condolence message for five-seven people who died in a fire in the hospital in Maharashtra," Malik said while speaking at the event in Jaipur. The Governor said that the movement is also making an impact on the country`s armed forces as farmers sons are employed there. The Meghalaya Governor also said that no minister visits villages of western Uttar Pradesh even at a time when there is any sorrow or suffering.

"What`s the use of leaders ruling in Delhi," he commented.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait also hit out at the Central government and said there was no condolence from the Government of India over farmers` death in the farm movement.

"About 750 farmers died in the farm movement...There was no condolence from GoI. Country`s farmers feel that perhaps PM Modi is not `farmers` PM`... and consider them (farmers) as separate from the country," Tikait told ANI.

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.

(With Agency Inputs)

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New Delhi: On the fifth anniversary of demonetisation, the Congress on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "destroying" the country's economy and said the noteban decision will be marked in the world's economic history as among the "worst policy blunders".

On this day in 2016, the prime minister had announced the decision to ban currency notes of denomination Rs 500 and Rs 1,000.

"Today it is five years since Modi ji announced demonetisation on November 8, 2016. Unemployment has risen, small businesses have been hit and closed. He (Modi) spoiled the country's good economy through demonetisation," Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, said in a video posted on his Twitter handle.

The veteran leader also hit out at the Modi government over the various objectives cited for demonetisation, including to curb black money flow.

What did demonetisation do, he asked and said it did not reduce black money, terrorism or cash transactions but instead reduced jobs, income and the country's gross domestic product.

"Can anyone name one beneficiary of demonetisation apart from the BJP and its leaders," he said in a tweet.

Today the situation is that people who lost their jobs due to demonetisation their jobs have not come back, Kharge claimed.

"This is a 'black day' for people of the country. Today the currency notes in circulation continue to rise with over Rs 28 lakh crore," he said.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said demonetisation will be marked in the world's economic history as among the "worst policy blunders".

He also claimed that the decision along with a rushed goods and services tax (GST) "destroyed the backbone of the Indian economy".

"With every passing year, it is becoming even more clear that 8.11.2016 will be marked in the world's economic history among the worst policy blunders anywhere. Demonetisation along with rushed GST destroyed the backbone of the Indian economy -- the MSME and informal sectors especially," Ramesh tweeted.

The Congress leader along with his tweet also shared a graph by former Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian and it was titled "Despite digital boom, cash is back with a vengeance".

"First, we were told demonetisation meant cashless economy. Soon the 'sarvagyani' changed track and said not cashless but less cash. Now, cash in circulation is above pre-demonetisation levels," he said while taking a swipe at the prime minister.

The Congress on its official Twitter handle said five years past, "Demonetisation has not only failed at achieving each and every one of its objectives, but has also decimated our economy, our livelihoods, our futures."

"It is time we hold Prime Minister Modi responsible," the party said.

The return of cash into the system is proof enough that when the prime minister promises something, it is bound to be broken, the Congress said.

"What is most prevalent in Modi rule? Fakery- fake notes, fake promises, fake nationalism. Not 50 days, not 500 days, It has been five years since demonetisation. Rampant corruption continues to break India's back like never before," the party said in a series of tweets.

Rahul Gandhi hit out at the Centre in a tweet.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also termed noteban as a "disaster" and asked if the step has been successful. Why has not corruption ended and why has not black money returned to the country, she asked.

"If 'notebandi (demonetisation) was successful, why hasn't corruption ended? Why hasn't black money come back? Why hasn't the economy gone cashless? Why hasn't terrorism been hit? Why hasn't price rise been reined in?" Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi, using the hashtag 'DemonetisationDisaster'.

Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh said today is the fifth anniversary of noteban and is an important day in the country's economic history.

"It was today in 2016 that the country's economy was shattered and it has not been able to recover since then," he said.

The Congress has been alleging that demonetisation was not in the interest of people and had adverse effects on the economy, a charge the Modi government has dismissed repeatedly.

The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) also held a protest outside the office of the Reserve Bank of India here against the demonetisation decision.

IYC national president Srinivas BV said that demonetisation imposed by the prime minister five years ago has worked to destroy the economy of the country.

"The prime minister's decision to demonetise proved to be a catastrophe rather than a masterstroke. The claim of ending terrorism with demonetisation turned out to be a 'jumla'. Demonetisation pushed countrymen into recession," he said.

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New Delhi: On this day five years ago, i.e. on 8th November 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demontisation which pushed Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denomination notes out of circulation.

Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary on Monday (November 8) discussed how demonetisation benefitted the Indian economy.

The purpose of the move was to reduce black money and corruption. The 500 and 1000 denomination notes that were withdrawn by demonetisation were valued to be at Rs 15 lakh crore. At that time, it formed 86 percent of the total currency in circulation in India.

The bigger the note is in circulation, the easier it is to do corruption and spread terrorism. For example, if someone has 1 crore rupees in cash and all the notes are 50-50 rupees then they will have to hold two lakh notes with him, which is not easy to hide. If the cash is in the form of hundred rupees notes then the number of notes will be one lakh. But if all the notes are of two thousand rupees then keeping only 5 thousand notes will work. The bigger the note is, the easier it becomes to keep it hidden as cash.

Bigger notes allow people to evade taxes, commit financial crimes and are used for drug smuggling, to fund terrorists, and above all, it makes it easier to hoard black money.

Smaller notes become important for day-to-day needs. There is more transparency in transactions. Smaller transactions can be done easily and the economy of rural areas is mostly dependent on small notes.

As of 29th October, Rs 29 lakh crore was in circulation in India in the form of cash. But if there was no demonetisation, then this amount would have crossed 32 lakh crore rupees.

One of the major benefits of demonetisation was that now people in India are paying tax more than before. And the conviction rate in tax evasion cases has increased six-fold.

After demonetisation, the circulation of counterfeit notes in the market has decreased significantly. In 2016, 7.5 lakh counterfeit notes were seized, while in 2020 only 2 lakh counterfeit notes were caught.

Demonetisation also helped boost Digital India. The country now has a very strong infrastructure for digital transactions. This year, in the month of October alone, UPI payments worth more than Rs 7.5 lakh crore were made.

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New Delhi: Google on Monday (November 8, 2021) dedicated a special doodle to Indian cell biologist Dr Kamal Ranadive to mark her 104th birth anniversary. The global search engine celebrated Ranadive's birthday as she is known for her groundbreaking cancer research and devotion to creating a more equitable society through science and education.

Kamal Samarath, better known as Kamal Ranadive, was among the first researchers in India to propose a link between breast cancer and heredity and to identify the links among cancers and certain viruses.

Born in 1917 in Pune, she also studied Mycobacterium leprae, the bacterium that causes leprosy, and aided in developing a vaccine.

Google stated that her fathers encouragement to pursue a medical education inspired Ranadive to excel academically, but she found her calling in biology instead.

"In 1949, she received a doctorate in cytology, the study of cells, while working as a researcher in the Indian Cancer Research Center (ICRC). After a fellowship at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, she returned to Mumbai (then Bombay) and the ICRC, where she established the countrys first tissue culture laboratory," the American tech company said.

In 1973, Ranadive along with her 11 colleagues founded the Indian Women Scientists' Association (IWSA) to support women in scientific fields.

After retiring in 1989, she worked in rural communities in Maharashtra, training women as healthcare workers and providing health and nutrition education.

The IWSA now has reportedly 11 chapters in India that provide scholarships and childcare options for women in science.

Google informed that the doodle on Dr Ranadive was illustrated by India-based guest artist Ibrahim Rayintakath.

"I got a chance to delve deep into her life and work, to understand her brilliance in the field. Not just work but also how she was as a person, which wouldn't have crossed me otherwise," Rayintakath expressed on why was this topic meaningful to him personally.

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Puducherry: Normal life was hit in Puducherry on Monday (November 8, 2021) and educational institutions were closed due to incessant rains under the influence of a cyclonic circulation in the Bay of Bengal.

Puducherry, which has been receiving rains since the onset of the north-east monsoon, registered 6.1 cm rainfall during the last 24 hours ending 8.30 AM on Monday, PWD sources told PTI. Karaikal registered 4.8 cm rainfall in the same period.

Control rooms were operating at the PWD office, Police and Health Departments to attend to any rain-related issues.

The water level in Bahoor and Oussudu tanks, the two major water bodies in Puducherry, has reached full capacity, the sources said.

ALSO READ | Chennai comes to a standstill as record rainfall wrecks havoc, hits normal life - See pics

The discharge into Sankarabarani river was copious and the river was in a spate, sources added.

The territorial government has declared a holiday for all schools and colleges on Monday and Tuesday.

Home Minister A Namassivayam had on Sunday announced that the government had decided to postpone the reopening of schools (scheduled for Monday for students of standards one to eight) in view of the incessant rains.

Meanwhile, opposition DMK leader R Siva in a release, claimed that the heavy rains had led to the collapse of houses in several areas and demanded that the government extend a relief of Rs 20,000 to each of those whose houses had collapsed.

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The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC)'s inaugural 'Shri Ramayana Yatra' train on the Ramayana circuit commenced has reached the Ayodhya junction with 132 devotees onboard. The train started its maiden leg from Delhi's Safdarjung railway station on Sunday (November 7) evening. In its first tour, the IRCTC's special train will cover all prominent places associated with the life of Lord Ram. To be completed in 17 days, IRCTC will run another train on this tour starting December 12.

According to a statement issued by the IRCTC earlier, the train is getting an overwhelming response for this initiative and the first tour is fully booked. "In view of continuous demand, it is decided to run this tour again on December 12 this year with a similar price and duration." The first halt of this train is Ayodhya where the train has reached today (November 8) and tourists will visit Shri Ram Janmbhumi temple and Hanuman temple and additionally Bharat Mandir at Nandigram.

Check photos of IRCTC 'Shri Ramayana Yatra' train here!

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya took to Twitter to inform about the start of the jounrey and said, "Indian Railways will run Ramayana circuit train from today to visit all the important religious places related to Lord Shri Ram. Jai Shree Ram!"

                     ! pic.twitter.com/VWVE5Bms14  Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) November 7, 2021

The next destination will be Sitamarhi in Bihar and visit Sita Ji's birthplace and Ram-Janki Temple in Janakpur, covered by road. Following this, the train will move to Varanasi, and tourists will visit temples at Varanasi, Prayag, Shringverpur and Chitrakoot by road. Night stay will be provided at Varanasi, Prayag and Chitrakoot. One of the halts of the train will be Nasik wherein the visit of Trayambakeshwar temple and Panchvati will be covered. After Nasik, the next destination will be Hampi which is the ancient Krishkindha city.

Rameshwaram will be the last destination of this train tour after which the train will return to Delhi on the 17th day of its Journey. Guests will be travelling roughly 7500 Kms in this entire tour. IRCTC has launched this special tourist train in line with the Government of India initiative "Dekho Apna Desh" to promote domestic tourism, at a price of Rs 82,950 per person for 2AC and Rs 1,02,095 for 1AC class.

With inputs from ANI

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#mute
New Delhi: The war of words between Punjab Advocate General APS Deol and Navjot Singh Sidhu continued on Sunday (November 7, 2021) as the state Congress chief asked him to 'leave politics to the politicians' and alleged that his 'earnest inaction' was subverting justice in the sacrilege and drug cases.

In a series of tweets, Sidhu lambasted Deol and said that 'justice is blind but the people of Punjab are not'.

"Mr AG-PUNJAB, Justice is blind but people of Punjab are not. Our Congress party came in power with a promise to give justice in Sacrilege Cases, in which you appeared before the High Court for main conspirators/accused persons and made serious allegations against our Govt," he wrote.

"Today, you are representing the same Government of same political party in power and accusing me of spreading misinformation, whereas, I am fighting for justice in Sacrilege cases and you were procuring blanket bails for the accused persons," Sidhu said.

The remarks came after the advocate general had on Saturday accused Sidhu of obstructing the functioning of the state government and his office, and spreading misinformation to gain political advantage.

This is noteworthy that the Punjab Congress chief has been opposing Deol's appointment as the state advocate general for a long time now. He had on Friday also withdrawn his resignation as Punjab Congress chief but declared that he will not re-assume charge till Deol is removed as AG and a panel set up for the appointment of the new director-general of police (DGP).

Sidhu had resigned from the post on September 28.

Deol had represented former Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh Saini in cases related to the 2015 post-sacrilege police firing incidents.

"A person of character does the right thing for right reason with right motive. Your earnest inaction is clearly subverting justice rather than ensuring it," Sidhu alleged.

The Congress leader also stated that Deol had prayed for transferring the investigation to the CBI and said, "You were afraid of their false implication in sacrilege cases on accounts of malafide, malice and ulterior motives on the part of political party in power in the state of Punjab."

Further, You specifically prayed for transferring the investigation to CBI as you were afraid of their false implication in Sacrilege cases on accounts of malafide, malice and ulterior motives on the part of political party in power in the state of Punjab. 2/12  Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) November 7, 2021

"May I know which interest (vested or otherwise) were you acting for when you appeared for the main conspirators and procured blanket bail for them and which interest, you are acting now," he asked.

"Are you acting at the behest of those who appointed you in this constitutional office and fulfilling their political gains," Sidhu said on Sunday, targeting Deol, who is considered Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi's choice for the post of the AG.

"Did you advise the government to challenge the blanket bail order procured by you or any other adverse order in sacrilege cases in Supreme Court," he asked.

"You appeared for the accused, now representing the State and very soon you will seek elevation as a judge so that you can decide this case. Being the highest law officer, your focus is on politics and political gains," Sidhu hit out at Deol.

He asked Deol to focus on his personal conscience, integrity and professional ethics, which 'his job requires'.

Leave the politics to the politicians and focus on your personal conscience, integrity and professional ethics, which your job requires. #NoJusticeInSight 7/12  Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) November 7, 2021

Pointing at the STF report in the drug cases, Sidhu said, "In the hearing of Drugs case in High Court on 05.10.2021, upon being asked that what is stopping Govt. For taking action on the basis of STF Report filed in High Court, you replied that 'It would be ethically wrong to proceed in the matter without the Court's Nod'."

"May I know what is unethical in proceeding against the accused persons on the basis of STF Report who are responsible for narcotics-terrorism in Punjab and has put India's most prosperous state in danger of losing an entire generation to drug abuse," he asked.

"Did Hon'ble High Court stop you? Hon'ble High Court itself gave a copy of the STF report to our Government for consideration and you are shielding the inaction of the Government under the guise of your own unknown Ethics," Sidhu said.

"I believe that Ethics is about the way things ought to be, not about the way things are. Ethical people often do more than law requires and less than it allows. When it comes to ethics, motive is very important," he added.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs summoned a senior Pakistani diplomat over the unprovoked firing by the countrys Navy in which an Indian fisherman was killed.

India lodged a strong protest with the High Commission of Pakistan over the incident.

An Indian fisherman was allegedly killed while another sustained minor injuries in a firing incident by Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) trooper near international maritime boundary line in the Arabian sea off Gujarat coast.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has confirmed the firing incident which occurred around 4 PM on Saturday.

The fisherman identified as Sridhar Ramesh Chamre, 32, from Maharashtra was killed and a crew member of fishing boat 'Jalpari' was injured in the alleged firing incident.

The ship had sailed from Okha on October 25 with seven crew members, five are from Gujarat and two from Maharashtra.

An FIR in the matter has been filed by Porbandar Navi Bandar police, as they have jurisdiction over any incident that occurs beyond 12 nautical miles in the Arabian Sea.

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New Delhi: On the fifth anniversary of demonetisation, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday termed it a "disaster" and asked if the step has been successful, why hasn't corruption ended and black money returned to the country.

On November 8, 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on national television his government's decision to ban all currency notes of higher denomination of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 from midnight on the same day.

"If 'notebandi (demonetisation) was successful, why hasn't corruption ended? Why hasn't black money come back? Why hasn't the economy gone cashless? Why hasn't terrorism been hit? Why hasn't price rise been reined in?" Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi, using the hashtag 'DemonetisationDisaster'.

         ?

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     ?#DemonetisationDisaster  Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) November 8, 2021

Congress has been alleging that demonetisation was not in the interest of people and had adverse effects on the economy, a charge the Narendra Modi government has dismissed repeatedly.

Meanwhile, the Left parties also hit out at the government over the state of the economy and blamed the Centre's demonetisation policy for it. Questioning the move, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury alleged that it "decimated the informal sector".

"Economy into a tailspin, the poorest hurt. Informal sector decimated. No black money recovered, but rich got richer. Cash in the economy is the highest ever now! This govt must bear responsibility for pushing India downhill, just for one man's whim," he said in a tweet.

CPI MP Binoy Viswam too criticised the government over demonetisation.

"Currency in circulation: 2016 Nov. 17.97 lakh cr. 20 21 Oct. 28.30 lakh cr. 57% increase in 5 years! Black money in the country:300 lakh cr. Demonetisation was a total disaster. PM Modi should tender appologies to the nation. Modinomics was 'much ado about nothing'!", he said in a tweet.

Yechury also demanded the withdrawal of excise duties on petroleum products.

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A BJP MP from Jharkhand has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prohibit the use of betel nuts (supari) for human consumption, claiming it causes deadly diseases like cancer. However, he added that betel nuts can be allowed to be used for other purposes such as religious ceremonies.

In a letter to the prime minister some time ago, Godda MP Nishikant Dubey listed out a number of harmful effects on human health resulting from consumption of betel nuts.

"From my personal experience as MP of Jharkhand, I have witnessed people getting severely ill with deadly diseases such as cancer as a result of this consumption of betel nut, which is an essential ingredient of pan masala. I urge Prime Minister Modi ji to prohibit the use of betel nut for human consumption," Dubey said.

Listing out the effects of betel nut consumption on human health, he said it aggravates asthamatic symptoms, severely impacts the cardiovascular system by increasing heart rate and can also lead to dyspnea, tachypnea and other diseases.

READ | BJP's ST unit leader attacked in Jharkhand, hospitalised

In the letter, the BJP MP also cited the Maharashtra's government decision in 2018 to prohibit the sale and consumption of betel nuts to augment society health and consumption and said it's time to promulgate rules, regulations and guidelines to prevent the use of betel nuts for the benefit of human health and society at large.

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated the people of Jammu and Kashmir over Srinagar joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network with a special mention for its craft and folk art, and said it is a fitting recognition for the vibrant cultural ethos of the city.

Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, was among 49 cities worldwide to join the UNESCO creative cities network (UCCN) on Monday.

The 49 cities were added to the network of 246 cities following their designation by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, in recognition of "their commitment to placing culture and creativity at the heart of their development and to sharing knowledge and good practices".

READ | Asias first ever floating cinema at Srinagar's Dal Lake thrills tourists - See Pics

"Delighted that beautiful Srinagar joins the @UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) with a special mention for its craft and folk art," Prime Minister Modi tweeted.

Delighted that beautiful Srinagar joins the @UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) with a special mention for its craft and folk art. It is a fitting recognition for the vibrant cultural ethos of Srinagar. Congratulations to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 8, 2021

"It is a fitting recognition for the vibrant cultural ethos of Srinagar. Congratulations to the people of Jammu and Kashmir," he said.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday (November 8, 2021) the matter related to the October 3 Lakhimpur Kheri incident in which eight people, including four farmers, were killed in violence during a farmers' protest.

A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli would hear the matter in which the Supreme Court had on October 26 directed the Uttar Pradesh government to provide protection to witnesses under the Witness Protection Scheme, 2018.

The top court had also asked the Uttar Pradesh government to record the statements of other witnesses before the judicial magistrate under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and expedite the examination of digital evidence by experts.

Statements under section 164 of the CrPC are recorded before a judicial magistrate and they have evidentiary value.

The bench had sought a status report from the state government on the alleged lynching of a journalist and one Shyam Sundar by the mob, after a vehicle mowed down four protesting farmers.

ALSO READ | Lakhimpur Kheri violence: Thousands of farmers, but only 23 eyewitnesses? Supreme Court asks UP govt

The top court is hearing the Lakhimpur Kheri matter after two lawyers had written to the CJI seeking a high-level judicial inquiry, also involving the CBI, into the incident.

The counsel appearing for the state government had told the Supreme Court on October 26 that out of 68 witnesses, the statements of 30 witnesses have been recorded under section 164 of the CrPC and some more testimonies will be recorded.

"Of these 30 witnesses, 23 claim to be eye-witnesses. A lot of witnesses are formal witnesses of recovery and all," the state's counsel had told the bench, adding that 16 accused have been identified so far.

The police have so far arrested several accused, including Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra's son Ashish Mishra, in connection with the case.

Four farmers were mowed down by an SUV in Lakhimpur Kheri when a group agitating against the Centre's three farm laws was holding a demonstration against the visit of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on October 3.

ALSO READ | UP police release pictures of suspects involved in Lakhimpur Kheri violence, seek info from public

Two BJP workers and a driver were beaten to death allegedly by the angry protesters, while a local journalist was also killed in the violence.

Farmer leaders have claimed that Ashish Mishra was in one of the cars that allegedly knocked down the protesters but the minister has denied the allegations.

Several farmer organisations are protesting against the three laws -- The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 -- since last November.

The Supreme Court had stayed the implementation of these laws in January.

Initially, the protests started from Punjab but later spread to Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

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Srinagar: Two terrorists of The Resistance Front (TRF) were arrested in separate searches by security forces in Jammu and Kashmir. The police claimed to have recovered arms and ammunition.

One of the two terrorists was arrested from south Kashmirs Wahadan area during a night search operation based on a specific input to the officials.

A police officer said the search operation was launched at Wahadan area of Aishmuqam by joint forces. During searches, one active terrorist identified as Hafiz Abdulla Malik, a resident of Ganjipora was arrested. He added that one pistol and seven rounds were also recovered.

On further interrogation, he led search parties to Katsu Forest where security forces recovered an AK-47 and two magazines with 40 rounds.

The second terrorist was arrested in Pulwama district. He was identified as Sarwir Ahmad Mir, a resident of Bathen.

A CRPF officer said he was arrested in a joint search operation and two grenades were recovered from him.

The officer further said that he is an active militant of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) or TRF outfit, who had joined the militant ranks recently.

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Lucknow: In an apparent dig at the Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan in his home turf, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday said that the government has worked to eliminate land mafia and the administration has freed the land belonging to the poor and traders in the state.

Those who used to spread fear among people are now visiting police stations and are begging for mercy while bulldozers are razing down the properties of mafiosos and their henchmen, said the Chief Minister while launching a slew of development projects of Rs 64 crore in Rampur district.

Today, when bulldozers run over the chests of these land mafiosos, the criminals run away but their leaders feel troubled. They did not feel troubled when the land of the poor, of traders or a common person was taken by the land mafia and criminals. Action has been taken against over 147 such land mafia who conspired to end the legacy of Rampur, he added.

Adityanath further said, "we consider 24 crore people of the state as our family. Our government does not discriminate between anyone and works to please any specific community for increasing our vote bank. As a result, every district has moved towards development."

Under the guidance of PM Modi, we have worked to realise the vision of Ek Bharat, Shresht Bharat, he added.

Adityanath, who visited Rampur, also said that Today benefits are not given by seeing the face, over 485 panchayat buildings have been constructed.

Furthermore, the CM took a dig at the opposition and said while BJP leaders were serving the people alongside health care workers during the peak of COVID-19 second wave, leaders of other parties were in home isolation.

Addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone of several development projects in Rampur, the UP CM said these leaders who were in home isolation should continue to stay at home during upcoming Assembly elections. "At the same time when our PM was reviewing the covid situation in the states and I was visiting districts, our MP and both of our MLAs were serving the people with Health workers, district administration and Corona Warriors during that period. But people of other parties were in home isolation, at home when you were in a crisis. They should stay in their homes even during the time of elections."

He added, "Those who cannot stand with you during the time of crisis, those who cannot share your pain, should be answered in the same way during the time of elections.

He went on to say that in the span of the last four and a half years, development schemes worth Rs 3000 crores were devoted to the Rampur district itself.

During his visit to Rampur on Monday, the Chief Minister also gave the benefits of various welfare schemes like Kanya Sumagala Yojana, Mukhyamantri Bal Sewa Yojana to eligible people.

Uttar Pradesh minister for Legislative, Justice, Rural Engineering Service Brijesh Pathak, minister of state (Jal Shakti) Baldev Singh Aulakh, UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh were among others to be present on the occasion.

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Delhi/Lucknow: In what appears to be a major achievement for the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP Government of Uttar Pradesh, the state has remarkably improved its Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) ranking this year compared to 2019. Uttar Pradesh has made a quantum leap from 13th position in 2019 to 6th in the LEADS ranking in 2021.

Uttar Pradesh is the top improver among states in the Leads ranking, moving up seven positions compared to last time and is followed by Uttarakhand and Jharkhand, which have improved their rankings with six and five positions respectively.

Uttar Pradesh is way ahead of states like Kerala, Karnataka, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Chhatisgarh in LEADS ranking.

LEADS ranking was launched by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in 2018 to assess the performance and ease of logistics in states across the country.

It is worth mentioning here that industrialists are making massive investments in Uttar Pradesh because of improved law and order as well as increased ease in doing business and in logistics in the state under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Uttar Pradesh ranks second in ease of doing business in the country today, thanks to Yogi Governments industry-friendly policies.

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New Delhi: The initial public offer (IPO) of One97 Communications, which operates under the Paytm brand name opened for subscription on November 8, in the price band of Rs 2,080-2,150 per share, implying a valuation of around Rs 1.48 lakh crore.

The Rs 18,300 crore-offer, if successful, will be the biggest in the country after Coal India's IPO back in 2010 wherein the state-owned company had garnered Rs 15,200 crore.

Here are 10 things about Paytm IPO

1. The IPO -- which will close for subscription on November 10 -- comprises issuance of fresh equity shares worth Rs 8,300 crore and offer for sale (OFS) by existing shareholders to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore.

2. The Digital payments and financial services firm on Wednesday raised Rs 8,235 crore from anchor investors ahead of its initial share sale.

3. The anchor investor round saw participation from Blackrock, CPPIB, Birla MF, GIC and other blue-chip funds leading to 10 times oversubscription of the shares, as per a stock exchange filing.

4. Blackrock invested Rs 1,045 crore, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Rs 938 crore and GIC Rs 533 crore.

5. The round saw participation from pension funds, superannuation funds as well as sovereign wealth funds like Government of Singapore, CPPIB, ADIA, APG, City of New York, Texas Teachers Retirement, NPS Japan, University of Texas, NTUC Pension out of Singapore, and University of Cambridge.

6. The largest dedicated emerging market investors like Standard Life Aberdeen, UBS and RWC have also invested. With this, Paytm has already secured 45 per cent of its Rs 18,300 crore initial public offer (IPO).

7. Paytm's anchor round's size alone can be termed as the eighth largest private company IPO in India.

8. The company's IPO price band values it in the range of USD 19.3 - 19.9 billion. At current exchange rates, the enterprise value is Rs 1.44 lakh crore to Rs 1.48 lakh crore.

9. Through the OFS, One97 Communications Managing Director and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma will offload shares worth up to Rs 402.65 crore while Antfin (Netherlands) Holdings will sell shares to the tune of Rs 4,704.43 crore.

10. Besides, Alibaba.Com Singapore E-Commerce will sell shares worth Rs 784.82 crore, Elevation CapitalV FII Holdings (Rs 75.02 crore), Elevation Capital V Ltd (Rs 64.01 crore), Saif III Mauritius (Rs 1,327.65 crore), Saif Partners (Rs 563.63 crore), SVF Partners (Rs 1,689.03 crore) and International Holdings (Rs 301.77 crore), as per its offer document.

With PTI Inputs

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New Delhi: Superstar Salman Khan got miffed with a fan who tried to take a selfie with him while the paparazzi were already taking photos of them together on Sunday (November 7). In a video posted by a paparazzo account on Instagram, Salman can be seen posing with a fan who requested a photo with him and posed for the paparazzi. He however got irritated when the fan kept trying to take a selfie instead even after assurance from the paps that they are clicking photos of both of them together. The actor was headed to promote his upcoming film Antim: The Final Truth when he was spotted.

Le raha hai an (The cameramen are taking pictures), Bhaijaan told the fan. However, the man did not put down his phone and was moving around to set an angle for a selfie. Annoyed seeing this, Salman said, Naachna band kar (stop dancing around). The fan finally stopped.

Watch viral video:

Salman Khan is currently busy hosting Bigg Boss 15. The actor is also promoting his film Antim which also stars his brother-in-law Ayush Sharma as the antagonist. The cop action-thriller is directed by Mahesh Manjrekar.
New Delhi: Actress Kangana Ranaut received the fourth-highest civilian award in the country on Monday (November 8) - the Padma Shri award by President Ram Nath Kovind in a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the capital.

She attended the ceremony in a beautiful beige saree with golden sequined seams along with an olive green blouse. The actress looked breathtaking with her hair tied back and long, shimmery earrings with light make-up.

Actor Kangana Ranaut receives the Padma Shri Award 2020. pic.twitter.com/rIQ60ZNd9i  ANI (@ANI) November 8, 2021

After receiving the award, the 'Queen' actress took to Instagram to share a video to talk about her big achievement and her journey in the film industry.

She started off talking about the award, saying, "As an artist, I have received a lot of respect, love and acknowledgement, awards. But for the first time, I got an award for being a citizen of the country, for being a good citizen - Padma Shri. I got it from this country, this government."

Later, she spoke about her difficult Bollywood journey.

She added, "I am grateful. When I had started my career at a young age, it took me 8-10 years to taste success. But when I finally became successful, I did not enjoy that but launched myself into other issues. I shunned fairness products, items numbers, working in movies with popular male leads and with production houses. I made more enemies than I made money."

Kangana ended her speech by saying that this award will leave many people's mouths zipped.

"People often ask me what do I get by doing all this? Why do I do all this? This is not your job. So this award is my answer to them. Padma Shri ke roop mein jo mujhe sammaan mila hai ye bahut logon ke mooh band karega," concluded.

Take a look at her video:

She had written in the caption of the video, "Humbled for this great honourPadmashri Heartfelt gratitude for my Guru and Parents."

Along with Kangana, musician Adnan Sami, producer Ekta Kapoor, and director Karan Johar were also honoured at the event.

Kangana had recently received her fourth National Film Award as the Best Actress for her performances in 'Manikarnika: Queen of Jhansi' and 'Panga'.

Meanwhile, on the work front, the actor will be seen in 'Manikarnika Returns: The Legend Of Didda', 'Emergency', 'Dhaakad', 'Tejas', and 'The Incarnation: Sita'.
New Delhi: The Aadhaar Card has become one of India's most vital identification documents. An Aadhar card, unlike its counterparts like the voter ID card, the PAN card, and others, serves several purposes.

It serves as proof of identity for an Indian citizen, containing information such as his or her date of birth, residence, and other personal information. Aadhar cards can also be linked to one's phone number, bank account, and other information in order to do numerous official tasks. Given the significance of Aadhar, it is vital for an individual to double-check that all of the information on the card is valid. If this is not the case, the individual must update them as quickly as feasible.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) issues the Aadhaar card, which is a one-of-a-kind document. The card contains biometric credentials such as the person's fingerprints and iris, as well as standard identity document information such as name, date of birth, gender, and address.

Currently, the government allows a person to modify his or her demographic and biometric information.

Name, residence, date of birth/age, gender, mobile number, email address, relationship status, and consent to share information are among the demographic parameters. According to the UIDAI website, biometric information such as iris, fingerprints, and facial pictures can be changed.

Here's how to update Aadhaar Card name, address, gender, other details online

To update one's Aadhaar Card information online, one must first link his or her phone number to the website. If the phone number is correct, the process can be started by going to https://ssup.uidai.gov.in/ssup/. According to the UIDAI website, "the Self-Service online mode allows address update to residents where the resident can immediately put the change request on the portal."

To complete the task, the individual must click on 'continue to update Aadhaar' on the portal. Here, one must enter his or her Aadhaar number and the OTP issued to his or her cell phone to access the portal. It is necessary to enter one's Aadhaar number. After that, the user must select the 'Send OTP' option, which will send a six-digit OTP to the registered mobile number. To continue, one must check Captcha after filling this out.

After that, the user must choose the Update Demographics Data' option and then select the appropriate selections on the following screen. In this step, the user can select which Aadhaar card detail he or she wants to change. Once you've completed this, select the 'Proceed' option.

The necessary adjustments must be performed on this page. During this process, you can alter your name, email address, address gender, and other details. After you've filled in all of the necessary information, select the 'continue' option. To progress to the following page, the user must upload a soft copy of a supported Proof of Address (POA) document. On the UIDAI website, you can get a list of the supported POA papers. Voter ID, PAN number, birth certificate, power bills, and other documents can be used as POA.

The user must then select the submit option once all of this has been completed. After then, he or she can see a preview of the modifications that have been made. The user will receive an update request number (URN) from UIDAI, which will allow him or her to verify the status of the Aadhaar card updating procedure.
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.

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.

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. 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.

Banks will remain closed for 5 days in total this week across various states.

Chhath Puja//Surya Pashti Dala Chhath (Sayan ardhya) : November 10

Chhath Puja: November 11

Wangala Festival: November 12

November 13- Second Saturday of the month

November 14- 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.

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New Delhi: EPFO subscribers can avail a host of services via the Online member portal which ranges from checking their passbook, tracking their EPF fund, transfer their claim online and a lot more.

Among the various services, one such facility that EPF members can avail of is updating their bank details via the UAN portal.

Here are few simple and easy steps on how to change your EPF Bank details online.

- Log on to official EPFO portal.

- Use your UAN log in id and password.

- Go to the menu section.

- Now click MANAGE button.

- From the drop-down, click KYC.

- You will be taken to another landing page.

- Now select BANK option.

- You can see these options:

a. Document Number (Bank Account Number)

b. Name as per Document (Name On Bank Account)

c. IFSC Code

- Fill the required details.

- Press the save button.

Once you have made the changes, your online service will show KYC Pending For Approval. This means that you will have to submit the proof of your updated bank details to your employer. Once your employer approves your KYC update request, your new bank account will be added/replaced. A message regarding this will also be conveyed through your registered mobile number.

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New Delhi: Filing Income Tax Return (ITR) is an annual ritual by individuals and other category of taxpayers. This year's income tax return will be filed for the Assessment Year 2021-22 or FY 2020-21.

The ITR this year is applicable for income earned between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021. While the majority of the people might have already filed their Income Tax Return, it is possible that a lot of us are yet to file it.

Here is all about the Tax Slabs for AY 2021-22 for filing income tax return for Salaried Individuals. The slab is for Individual (resident or non-resident) less than 60 years of age anytime during the previous year: (Also read: Here's how to pre-validate your bank account online for getting refunds on income tax)

Existing Tax Regime New Tax Regime u/s 115BAC Income Tax Slab Income Tax Rate Income Tax Slab Income Tax Rate Up to Rs 2,50,000 Nil Up to Rs 2,50,000 Nil Rs 2,50,001 - Rs 5,00,000 5% above Rs 2,50,000 Rs 2,50,001 - Rs 5,00,000 5% above Rs 2,50,000 Rs 5,00,001 - Rs 10,00,000 Rs 12,500 + 20% above Rs 5,00,000 Rs 5,00,001 - Rs 7,50,000 Rs 12,500 + 10% above Rs 5,00,000 Above Rs 10,00,000 Rs 1,12,500 + 30% above Rs 10,00,000 Rs 7,50,001 - Rs 10,00,000 Rs 37,500 + 15% above Rs 7,50,000 Rs 10,00,001 - Rs 12,50,000 Rs 75,000 + 20% above Rs 10,00,000 Rs 12,50,001 - Rs 15,00,000 Rs 1,25,000 + 25% above Rs 12,50,000 Above Rs 15,00,000 Rs 1,87,500 + 30% above Rs 15,00,000

It is to be noted that individuals and HUFs can opt for the Existing Tax Regime or the New Tax Regime with lower rate of taxation (u/s 115 BAC of the Income Tax Act). The taxpayer opting for concessional rates in the New Tax Regime will not be allowed certain Exemptions and Deductions (like 80C, 80D,80TTB, HRA) available in the Existing Tax Regime.
New Delhi: Flipkart has unveiled a new "Love it or Return It" programme that allows buyers in India to try out a premium smartphone for 15 days before returning it for a full refund of the purchase price.

Initially, Flipkart is collaborating with Samsung to provide customers with the opportunity to test Samsung foldable devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3. Customers can place a purchase on Flipkart and test the gadget for up to 15 days before returning it if they are displeased with the smartphone for any reason.

Customers will receive a full refund on the smartphone purchase price, which will be returned to their bank account, following a quality check to guarantee the item is in perfect working order.

Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Delhi, Mumbai, Gurugram, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai, and Vadodara are among the cities where Flipkart's "Love it or Return It" offer is accessible.

The offer comes at a time when luxury smartphones are in high demand across the country. The 'Love it or Return it' policy, according to the e-commerce behemoth, would deliver a "confident buying experience" while also assuring answers for individual client needs.

Speaking about the new programme, Arief Mohamad, Senior Director - Mobiles, Flipkart, said, We are giving the consumer an option to experience the smartphone of their choice in person, to decide if its the right choice for them." Samsung also lauded the partnership and said customers can now access these revolutionary devices via the innovative programme."

Click on the Flipkart return request weblink to get a refund or a return. After that, enter the IMEI number to make sure it's valid and log in to the app. Users will be required to provide personal information as well as financial information.

A ticket number will be produced after a successful submission, and an email will be sent with instructions on how to download the software to diagnose the phone and ensure it is in working order.

After a satisfactory diagnostic, logistics personnel will contact you to arrange for the item to be picked up. An authorised representative will collect the device after a physical QC. Within seven working days, customers will receive a refund.

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Farrukhabad: A prisoner was allegedly killed and about 30 policemen were injured in a clash at a district jail here on Sunday after the death of another man due to dengue. The prisoners allegedly hurled stones at the policemen and started a fire in the jail after hearing about the death of an inmate, identified as Sandeep Yadav, in Saifai Medical College due to dengue.

The police, however, claimed that another prisoner, Shivam, who died later, was also suffering from an ailment and lost his life while being taken to the hospital on Sunday. But in a purported video that surfaced on social media, Shivam claimed before his death that he suffered a bullet injury.

The incident took place on Sunday morning when the inmates started pelting stones at the policemen after they learnt about the death of Yadav, who was admitted to Saifai Medical College a few days ago as he was suffering from dengue.

The video purportedly showing Shivam claiming that he was hit by a bullet fired by the jailor while he was trying to close the gates of the barrack surfaced later in the afternoon.

"Around 8.45 am, the district jail officials requested for police force. On reaching the jail, senior officials learnt that one Sandeep Yadav, who was undergoing life imprisonment in a dowry case since 2012, had got infected by dengue on November 5. He was referred to Saifai Medical College, where he died yesterday (Saturday). Today, when tea was given to the inmates around 8.30 am, they attacked the deputy jailor.

"Subsequently, there was stone pelting and arson in the barrack, and this was done by inmates with a criminal mindset. The police force then managed to control the situation. In this, 30 policemen were injured, and the deputy jailor, too, was attacked by the inmates," Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar Meena told reporters earlier in the day.

A fire brigade had to be called after the inmates resorted to arson. A heavy police force was deployed to control the situation, police said. Director-General Jail Anand Kumar, when contacted, told PTI, "The DIG Jail is conducting an administrative inquiry. Judicial inquiry as per CrPC will also take place since an inmate has died in the incident in the jail."

District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar Singh said the guilty will be punished after investigation. Deputy Inspector General (Prisons) VP Tripathi arrived at the jail in the evening and said the entire matter will be investigated and action will be initiated against those found guilty.

Meanwhile, addressing the 'Janadesh Maharally' held in Ambedkarnagar district on Sunday, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav highlighted the incident, and said, "Those who were running the 'thoko neeti' (encounter policy) did not know who is killing whom. Is this called law and order, when the son of the Union Minister of State for Home, runs his vehicle over farmers? Today in Fatehgarh (Farrukhabad) jail, the inmates did not know whom to 'thoko', and they injured the (deputy) jailor."

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday expressed its dissatisfaction with the SIT probe in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence incident with regards to the seizure of mobile phone of only one accused and the process of collection of evidence in the two FIRs.

It told the Uttar Pradesh government that it is inclined to appoint a retired high court judge to monitor day-to-day investigation till the charge sheet is filed. A bench headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana and comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli told a counsel, "We are trying to introduce impartiality and fairness in the matter..."

At the outset, the Chief Justice told senior advocate Harish Salve, representing the Uttar Pradesh government, "There is nothing in the status report. We granted 10 days' time...lab reports have not come so far. It (the probe in the incident) is not going the way we expected."

The top court queried Salve why mobile phones of all accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident have not been seized, except that of prime accused Ashish Misra?

Justice Kohli specifically asked whether it is the stand of the government that the other accused did not use cell phones. Salve submitted there were a total 16 accused in the case, out of which three died and 13 have been arrested.

Kohli asked, "The mobile phones of one accused out of 13 accused has been seized?"

The top court told the Uttar Pradesh government that both incidents - mowing down of protesting farmers by a vehicle and the lynching of the accused - have to be investigated with impartiality and fairness.

The top court said prima facie view it appears that one particular accused is being benefited by recording statements of witnesses in a particular manner.

Justice Kant said, "What appears to us is that SIT is unable to keep the investigative distance between the FIRs (one where farmers were mowed down by the car and the other accused were killed)...important to ensure evidence in 219 and 220 (FIRs) recorded independently".

The bench, stating it is not confident regarding the process adopted by Uttar Pradesh SIT to record the evidence, said: "We are inclined to appoint a judge from a different high court to monitor day-to-day investigation...till the charge sheet is filed."

The bench suggested the names of two former Punjab and Haryana High Court judges to oversee the manner in which witnesses` statements are being recorded to avoid mixing up of the cases.

The bench sought a response from the Uttar Pradesh government on the appointment of an independent judge to monitor the investigation till charge sheet is filed and posted the matter for further hearing on Friday.

The Supreme Court also declined to entertain submissions from a counsel of a deceased accused, who was allegedly lynched in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence incident, seeking CBI probe in the matter.

The bench told the senior advocate Arun Bharadwaj, representing Ruby Devi, widow of deceased accused Shyam Sundar, that it is trying to introduce impartiality and fairness in the investigation in the FIRs in the incident by recommending a retired high court judge to monitor the investigation till the charge sheet is filed.

The Chief Justice, criticising the Uttar Pradesh government over the poor progress in the investigation, told Salve that the court does not want to add to political overtones in the matter, as it emphasized on a retired high court judge to monitor the case.

Bhardwaj said: "I want CBI..." To which the bench replied, "CBI is not the solution to every problem..."

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Police in Spain arrested 12 people and were looking for 12 more after a group of passengers fled a plane onto the runway at Palma de Mallorca airport, causing the closure of the airport for several hours. The Air Arabia Maroc flight from Casablanca to Istanbul made an emergency landing at Palma de Mallorca airport after reports of an ill passenger, Guardia Civil said.

When the doors were opened at around 8.30 p.m., a group of 21 passengers ran from the plane, the regional government said on Saturday. The events were "unprecedented" in Spain, regional government spokeswoman Aina Calvo told reporters. The 12 arrested included the ill passenger, who was taken to hospital with a companion and given the all clear. The companion then tried to flee the hospital and was also arrested. Another passenger had been arrested for aggressive behavior on board the plane.

Also read: US reopens land, air borders to fully vaccinated foreign visitors from today

Calvo said while it was not uncommon for emergency landings to be requested at Palma's airport, "what was not normal was that a group of passengers decided not to comply with international rules". Police are trying to establish why the passengers ran away and whether it was an orchestrated plan or an isolated incident, she said. None of those arrested have tried to claim asylum in Spain.

"These are people who have arrived, not by sea, but in an illegal way and therefore at the very least ... they will be returned to their country of origin," Calvo added. Several Spanish media including El Pais and national broadcaster RTVE suggested the incident was an attempt to illegally enter Spain, but this has not been confirmed.

Airport operator Aena was forced to close the airport for more than three hours and flights due to land there were diverted to other airports, including Barcelona, Ibiza and Menorca. Investigators are considering the hypothesis that the passenger who provoked the emergency landing was not actually ill.

"All fronts (for the investigation) are open at this moment and there is no information that allow us to affirm that it is act of unauthorized immigration carried out in a plot," Calvo said. "What is unprecedented is that a person feels sick and ... 21 people jump onto the airstrip and start running around, because that puts air traffic in jeopardy."

With inputs from PTI and Reuters

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FRANKFURT: Germany`s coronavirus infection rate has risen to its highest level since the start of the pandemic, public health figures showed on Monday, and doctors warned they will need to postpone scheduled operations in coming weeks to cope.

The seven-day incidence rate - the number of people per 100,000 to be infected over the last week - rose to 201.1, higher than a previous record of 197.6 in December last year, the figures from the Robert Koch Institute showed on Monday.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 4,782,546 from 4,767,033 a day earlier. The number of deaths increased by 33 to a total of 96,558.

Bavaria state premier Markus Soeder called for more decisive action in view of the new peak in the incidence rate. More needs to be done "than a little compulsory testing in old people`s homes", he told Deutschlandfunk radio.

He called for tests to be offered free of charge again, vaccination centres to be reactivated and for states and the federal government to coordinate their strategies. Germany has abolished free testing to incentivise people to get shots.

Christian Karagiannidis, scientific director at the DIVI association for intensive and emergency medicine, said an expected rise in coronavirus cases in coming weeks meant some scheduled operations would have to be postponed.

"We will only be able to cope with the burden of all emergencies if savings are made somewhere else, though definitely not with surgical cancer treatments," he said.

Germany has already had to relocate some patients from regions with overburdened hospitals.

The three German parties working to agree on a coalition government by early December will present proposals to combat a fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country on Monday, daily newspaper Die Welt said.

The plan includes the reintroduction of free tests.

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Nangarhar: The Taliban authorities in the Nangarhar province in Afghanistan have prohibited rickshaw pullers from giving rides to armed people in the provincial capital of Jalalabad. According to Russian News Agency Sputnik, the order has been passed by the regional government on Sunday.

"Rickshaw runners will be forbidden from carrying armed people, and offenders will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law," Russian News Agency quoted the governor`s office statement.

The Taliban fighters were also ordered to desist from carrying guns in rickshaws. The governor called on citizens to immediately inform security services on any armed people in rickshaws, said the agency.

The move is being seen as a desperate bid by the Taliban to improve its public image and win locals confidence and trust.

Meanwhile, it is been over two months when the Taliban captured Kabul after an aggressive and rapid advance against Afghanistan government forces after US military drawdown.

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London: A 16-year-old girl held captive by a 61-year-old man was rescued on an interstate highway in Kentucky after another driver noticed her using a distress signal with her hand that was made popular on TikTok, law enforcement officials said.

The girl's parents reported their daughter missing from Asheville, North Carolina, last week. Two days later, her hand-signal and the alert driver enabled sheriff's deputies in Kentucky to stop the car and arrest James Herbert Brick of Cherokee, North Carolina, on charges of unlawful imprisonment and possession of material showing a sexual performance by a minor, Deputy Gilbert Acciardo said.

The girl and the driver were acquainted, and she initially went with the man willingly, but at some point got scared, Acciardo, the spokesman for the Laurel County Sheriff's Office, told The Lexington Herald-Leader.

The man had taken her to Ohio to visit his relatives, and left with her after they realised she had been reported missing, a sheriff's statement said.

The other driver called 911 from Interstate 75 in Laurel County, Kentucky, on Thursday to report that a girl in a silver Toyota car was making distress hand signals that he recognised from TikTok as a plea for help from domestic violence.

The signal is to raise your hand, showing your palm with your thumb extended, and then tuck your thumb into your palm and lower your fingers over it, as if to trap the thumb.

Officials say the driver continued following the man and the girl, updating a dispatcher, until deputies were able to stop the Toyota and rescue the girl.

The sheriff's statement says a cellphone found in the man's possession had images that allegedly portrayed a juvenile female in a sexual manner." Brick was booked into the Laurel County correctional center on a $10,000 bond pending a court hearing on Tuesday.